Temple of Elemental Evil – part 55 (session 24)
”Nothing for it but to go in then,” Milo said after Mazi’s arcane eye gave out.
The shimmering of the bronze in the room could be seen down the hall as they approached. The floor dropped steeply to a packed dirt bottom before the passage actually entered the room. Milo stood at the edge of the sixteen-foot drop and peered into the room. The walls were covered in beaten brass, glowing dully from his lantern-light. Above their heads was the bronze latticework. They could tell now that it was a ladder constructed to lead from the pit floor up to their level once the bronze chain at the other end was pulled down. The chain hung a full ten feet above the ground of the pit, inaccessible to even Jeremiah’s height. The narrow ledge Mazi described led around the room. At six inches wide even Milo was reluctant to risk it. They couldn’t quite make out what was under the two archways from their vantage point.
”Anyone interested in finding out what would happen if we got in?” Milo asked the others.
”Nah.” said Brigit.
”Not really.” said Mazithra.
Jeremiah shrugged.
”Didn’t think so. Okay, let’s go.” Milo said with indifference.
They turned their backs on the pit and explored elsewhere. The passage to the west of the fountain led to the north. The dim light that they were so accustomed to in the bowels of the temple gave way to what appeared like sunlight. The bright light emanated from the ceiling of a large room at the end of the passage.
It took a few seconds for Milo’s vision to adjust for the light. He looked to the ceiling, half-expecting a tunnel to the surface. The blue sky winked back at him, fluffy white clouds drifted by lazily. The one problem was that the sky was only a few feet above their heads, an illusion for certain. Milo lowered his gaze to the room.
It was no welcome sight. The floor was a writhing mass of fur. He had no way to tell how many there really were, but a veritable army of dire rats and jackals snarled and snapped at each other, drool slavering from their jaws. They all seemed to be concentrating on a stone slab set just out of their reach. Atop the slab was a pair of humans, one man and one woman. They were shackled to the slab with just enough slack to fend off one of the rats or jackals when they eventually scrabbled atop from the backs of others. Their gear was just out of their reach, a cruel mockery to the bound prisoners.
A movement on the wall brought Milo’s eyes up. Their captors sat inside four alcoves set up on the walls. A cackling harpy squatted in each, their grimy feathers flapping and their dirt-caked talons scratching the ground. Just as Milo noticed them they seemed to notice the adventurers. With an ear-splitting screech the harpies took flight, zeroing in on the entrance and the four interlopers.
Something dimly registered with Milo as the harpies closed in. Their screeches didn’t seem to affect him like the lone harpy they fought on the first level so long ago. He set the fact aside and prepared for the onslaught. The two prisoners noticed the newcomers and shouted for help as they battled off more rats and jackals.
The first two harpies swooped down on Brigit and Jeremiah. The two managed to fend all but one claw off. Jeremiah’s armor protected him from most of the damage, but the harpy drew a small amount of blood. Mazi’s bow twanged next to Milo, firing off a quick arrow. She was taken aback when it reflected off the harpy’s skin with an audible “CHINK”, almost the sound of an arrow hitting a stone wall. Mazi reached for a carefully hoarded magic arrow from the cursed caves. She fired again but this time the harpy was aware of the attack. The enchanted arrow flew wide and shattered on the wall.
Milo knew just what to do. He called on Usamigaras’ trickery and cast confusion. He watched in satisfaction as the temporary insanity spread throughout the room. All but one of the harpies was hit by the wave of confusion. A few of the beasts were outside of the range, but a good half of them were affected. Another inconsistency registered in Milo’s mind, none of the dire rats seemed affected by his spell.
He soon found out why. As the jackals set upon each other and the rats a very odd thing happened. Whenever a jackal managed to clamp onto a rat, the rat winked out of existence.
”Illusions! The rats aren’t really there!” Milo called out to the others.
”Good! I hate rats!” Mazi breathed as she drew another arrow. The arrow again bounced off of her target with a stony “CHINK”.
Brigit and Jeremiah focused on the single unconfused harpy. Their blades sounded like metal grating on stone with each attack. Eventually they wore down the screeching harpy. The filthy beast ceased screeching and crashed to the ground. Before it hit the ground, the harpy’s flesh seemed to evaporate. Beneath was the stony body of a gargoyle. The magical beast shattered as it hit the ground, pelting them all with stone shrapnel.
”More illusions! What’s going on here?” Milo shouted. He was drowned out by the sounds of three score feral beasts growling and snarling. Milo knew Jeremiah and Brigit could handle the three confused harpy/gargoyles. He focused on the back of the room and summoned two celestial bison directly over the writhing mass of rats and jackals. The celestial outsiders reared above the wild animals before crashing down and flailing their great heads around. One made contact with an illusory rat, dissipating its form into nothingness.
The creatures that managed to avoid the effects of Milo’sconfusion ignored the fight, focusing instead on the two flagging prisoners. Milo’s attention was brought back to the forefront when Brigit’s axe brought down another stony harpy/gargoyle crashing to the ground.
”Mazi! If you attack the confused gargoyles they’ll go after you instead of Brigit and Jeremiah!” Milo had noticed that Mazi was perfectly protected behind the two fighters.
Mazi took the hint and fired off two ineffective arrows, one for each of the remaining confused harpy/gargoyles. They screeched at the attack and flapped towards Mazi with the crazed look of bloodlust in their eyes. Mazi instinctively cringed before Jeremiah’s greatsword and Brigit’s axes stopped them short.
More and more of the rats winked out as the confused jackals attacked them and each other. Milo’s bison thrashed wildly, harried on all sides by the feral animals. One bison’s heavy skull cracked into a jackal, hurling it to the side like a limp rag doll. As the jackal hit the ground its fur seemed to change color and its muzzle widened. Milo was surprised to see a wolf shakily regain its feet in the place of the jackal.
”The jackals are illusions too, they’re really wolves!” Milo warned the others.
”What difference does it make? Their fur will still burn just as well.” Mazi said.
She finished casting her spell and a flaming sphere appeared in the midst of the clawing, writhing mass of animals. She seemed especially gleeful as she rolled the ball of flame into the illusory rats. Mazi’s smile grew as each of the dire rats winked out.
Two great peals of cracking stone drew all of their attention back to the entrance. Jeremiah’s Windsword cleaved through the two remaining harpy/gargoyles, forever banishing their illusion and their lives. Brigit shouted a dwarven war cry at the top of her lungs and waded into the mass of animals still clawing towards the slab.
Milo watched sadly as his summoned bison were set upon by more of the rats and jackals. It seemed that the rats were substantial enough to wound. First one bison was brought down. Slavering jackals pounced on its back and ripped into its neck. The celestial animal shimmered, then disappeared before it hit bottom. The attacking jackals barely paused before swarming to the other. The bison thrashed about, taking out a couple of rats before it too was brought low. The bison winked out, returned to its home plane. It appeared the rest of the beasts were all theirs.
Mazi remained at the entrance, directing her flaming sphere into groups of rats and jackal/wolves. Rats disappeared, jackal/wolves howled, the smell of burning fur and singed flesh filled the room. Milo drew Reft and Rend and waded in along with Jer and Brigit.
They made steady headway towards the slab, dispelling rats and bringing down jackal/wolves with each attack. Jeremiah and Brigit took the brunt of the press of animal flesh, sustaining wounds from both illusory animals and real wolves. They ignored the pain and drove the animals further into the room, away from the slab and the entrance.
Sudden movement from the slab attracted Milo’s attention. The woman had freed herself and dove for the sword. She jumped from the slab to stand behind Brigit and Jeremiah. The two were too focused on the battle to pay her much attention, but Milo watched her suspiciously while he dispatched another rat. Nothing was as it appeared in this room; he didn’t trust the humans any more than the rest of the denizens of the room of illusions.
Mazi’s sphere eventually fizzled out, having done its damage. Only two rats remained of the original mass. Brigit and Jer had the last of the jackal/wolves cornered. They sliced into the jackals, revealing their true form and ending their threat just as Mazi fired off two arrows in quick succession. The last two rats winked out as her arrows passed through them. Milo noticed that the arrows would have come to rest right in their brainpans, had they been real. Mazi hated rats almost as much as he hated undead.
The man atop the slab broke free with a shout as the last wolf fell. He scooped up the rod that lay just out of his reach and stood legs apart in a battle stance. Brigit and Jeremiah whirled to face the woman who still brandished her sword. Mazi had an arrow knocked and aimed at the man’s heart. Milo wondered what would happen next.
One of these days Milo you must really let me try it. 
