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Milo Windby's Collected Story Hour
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Milo Windby
First Post
Temple of Elemental Evil - part 33 (session 14)
The dreams were ominous. The atmosphere pervading the temple's surroundings seemed to be taking its toll on the heroes. All four woke that morning at the same time. Milo immediately checked his belongings, wary of what could happen when one didn't have a watch overnight. They were all accounted for. They decided to light a fire for breakfast, more for the warmth and light than anything. Milo was chilled to the bone from Usamigaras' visitation. He suddenly wished to be done with the temple and on his way. He couldn't ignore Brigit's plight though, her desire to be reunited with her family was strong and he wasn't in the habit of abandoning friends.
They all shared their dreams around the fire. Each one filled them with more trepidation than the last. It was clear that although the temple was an important step in thwarting the man in the mirror and from Jeremiah's dreams, there were even more important things to deal with. The dreams created more questions than answers. What did Mazi's dream of the forest portend? Was it something to do with the talk of her being the vessel of Thari? Where was Brigit's father? What was the sword the dwarves were forging? What of Jeremiah's people? Who was the many-faced man in his dream? Was he related to the evil of which Usamigaras spoke? What was happening to Milo's people? His head spun with all of the questions. He tried to push most to the back of his mind and focus on the task at hand, ridding the temple of the evil of the priests.
Milo suppressed a shiver then asked, "What's the plan today? Do we want to go after the water priest or explore the elsewhere?"
"Ah've a bone ta pick wi' tha' priest." Brigit grumped.
"I don't know if we should walk back into that kind of trap. They're had the night to plan for us to return there. Finding a different way around would be wiser." said the even-headed Mazi.
"Mebbe so, but ya didn't get smacked unconscious a couple O times! Tha' priest needs ta feel tha bite O me axe!" Brigit countered, Jeremiah nodded his agreement.
"That's exactly why I don't want to go barreling back in there. I'd rather stay conscious."
"Hang on, hang on." Milo interrupted before the conversation could get out of hand. "I've got a spell scroll that I've been hanging onto. I can cast an augury to find what would be the wisest course."
"Well why didn't ya say so? Cast away, Milo." Brigit said impatiently.
"I'd rather save it until we get outside the temple. Auguries don't seem to be able to predict too far into the future."
"Then let's get goin'! Tha sooner we get in there, tha sooner Ah can introduce tha' priest ta Trollgrater!"
They struck camp and headed back towards the temple. Milo absentmindedly ran his finger across the scroll case that held his augury spell. He tried to formulate his question in his mind, leaving out no room for loopholes or error.
They arrived at the temple as they had for the past few days, without incident. The air was still and warm. The adventurers stopped at the edge of the clearing. Milo emptied his scroll case of the augury spell and sat cross-legged. He spoke the words on the scroll, closed his eyes, waited for a moment, then asked his question:
"Will returning to the water-enchanted room bring us weal or woe?" he spoke to the air.
A few moments passed. "Tha's it? Ah'm not impressed Milo."
A slight breeze picked up around Milo, picking up his hair slightly before dying down. His pointed ears twitched once. His eyes snapped open with a slight gaze of wonder, then disappointment.
"Weal and woe. Not too helpful after all." he said sadly. "Sorry, looks like we'll have to hammer this one out anyway."
"How's this," Mazi began, "We'll get down to the second level, see how things stand, then go from there."
"Ach, anythin' if we can jus' get down there today!" said Brigit.
The upper level was as empty as ever. The next level down was equally as empty. Milo noticed that the far off sounds of screaming they used to hear in the hallways was now gone. He hoped that was a good thing. They were soon at the bottom of the spiral staircase, ready for anything, or so Milo thought.
They chose to walk in the direction of the watery room, passing through the minotaur's den. The large room was much as they left it. Dead carrion crawlers and human guards lay where they had fallen. The half-eaten corpse of the minotaur still lay heaped near the secret eastern passage. Something seemed odd about the minotaur to Milo.
"It moved!" Milo shouted in alarm, "The minotaur moved!"
The creature slowly raised itself to its feet, dead flesh falling from its wounds. Its teeth were fangs and his hands ended in vicious claws. There was a whitish hue to its undead skin.
"I hate undead." Milo muttered as Brigit and Jeremiah charged at the undead beast.
Brigit drew her other axe on her way, intent on finishing this threat off quickly. Mazi supported them from the doorway with her bow. Milo decided to follow Brigit's example as he drew Reft and Rend. Brigit dodged an attack from the minotaur's claws as she moved in swinging. Her axes found no purchase on the undead creature's tough hide.
Jeremiah's sword carved chunks out of the minotaur's ashen skin. The minotaur ignored the wounds as if they hadn't happened, focusing instead on Brigit. While its attention was on the dwarf Milo tumbled behind and sliced two more good-sized chunks from the minotaur's furry hamstrings. The beast didn't fall, but took one great swipe of its claws at Brigit.
The attack wounded Brigit more than the mere scratch from the claws. Milo could see the color drain from her face as the foul nails of the beast wounded her. She stumbled for a moment, dropped her second axe, then hacked away at the minotaur. Her offensive seemed to weaken the beast slightly. Jeremiah followed Brigit's attack with two powerful slashes of his greatsword. The minotaur went down, dead for good.
"Ah don' feel so well. Ah think Ah'll sit down fer a moment." Brigit said before falling backwards unceremoniously.
Milo leapt to her side to examine the wound. He shook his head sadly.
"I was afraid of this. That minotaur was a wight. Their wounds do more than draw blood, they drain life energy." Milo informed them. "You may be able to resist the effects, but your body will need to rest in order to maintain your strength. Otherwise..."
"Otherwise?" a nervous Brigit questioned.
"It's permanent." Milo answered with a concerned gaze. "It would be best that we get you back to camp to see if you can shake off the effects. Fighting more may make it harder for you to shake it off."
"Ah'm fine! Lemme jus' sit here for a few minutes. Ah'll be ready ta go in no time!" Brigit protested.
Mazi interjected, "Brigit, wights are nothing to shrug off. I think Milo is right, we need to get you out of here for the time being."
Brigit didn't respond. A deep scowl was plastered on her face as she looked at first Milo, then Mazi, and finally Jeremiah. The quiet barbarian merely nodded his head.
"Ach! Ya too, Jer?" she said in resignation, "Fine, ah'll go wi' ya, but Ah've got some work ta do first."
With that the burly dwarf stood up, grasped both axes, and set about dismembering the minotaur wight corpse. The others stood back and let her vent her frustrations. She didn't stop with the minotaur. In moments the entire compliment of bodies in the room were reduced to pieces. It appeared the Butcher was back.
After Brigit worked out her anger at the minotaur on the rest of the corpses the party made their way cautiously back out of the temple. The day was still bright as the exited the decrepit building, a sharp contrast to the temple. The adventurers traveled a half-day from the temple before setting up camp again. Milo insisted on a fire as night fell.
That night Milo sat with Brigit as the wight's curse sank into her soul. He prayed to Usamigaras on her behalf, hoping that his god could aid in some way. He eventually drifted off to sleep. Midway through the night Mazi woke Milo. Brigit seemed to be getting worse. Her brow was furrowed and sweat poured from her body. Milo had never personally witnessed the wight's affect and he hoped the sweat was a good sign. He draped a cool, wet cloth across her brow and continued to watch.
Near morning, after Milo had drifted off to sleep again, he was awakened by a slight nudge. Brigit was sitting up, supported by one hand as she prodded Milo with a stick. She was grinning ear to ear. Milo whooped with delight!
"You're okay? You feel alright?" he asked the dwarf.
"Aye, a little weak in tha bones, but Ah feel fine otherwise." she answered.
Milo's outburst had roused Jeremiah and broken Mazi from her meditation. They were both standing over Brigit in seconds, relieved at her recovery.
"So, what say we find tha priest tha' brought tha' beastie back, Milo?" asked Brigit.
Milo grinned and pounded her on the back. "I knew you'd be okay Brigit. Nothing can keep you down for long."
"Oh aye, one thing. Lack O good ale. An' we're not gettin' any out here! Let's get on wi' it. We got a temple ta clear O baddies."
They struck camp immediately and set out for the temple once again. The heroes were in high spirits as they made their way through the woods back to the clearing. They were able to move faster with Brigit fit and well. The temple soon rose from the trees as they neared the clearing.
The adventurers made it to the minotaur room with no incidents. It was exactly as they left it the day before, Brigit's work was a testament against corpse raising. They started down the long hallway towards the secret door in the south of the temple but decided to check the door they skipped before. The door was not locked.
"The usual?" Milo asked.
"How bout Jer boots in tha door an Ah'll pick off what we see this time?" Brigit asked.
Jer shrugged at Brigit before bracing himself in front of the door. One kick later found the four of them in a room full of cots, couches, stools, tables, and assorted furniture. A door led to the northeast. Milo noticed the cots were not empty. Eight former bugbears rose from the cots to attack the four.
Milo's hand was already on Usamigaras' holy symbol. He brandished it high and called on his faith. Despite Usamigaras warning of weakness in his dream, the divine power poured stronger than ever from Milo's being. A breeze blew in the room behind Milo and slammed into six of the eight. As if wind swept sand, their flesh and bones disintegrated before blowing into nothingness.
"Wow." said Brigit.
The other two bugbear zombies were dealt with quickly, Brigit and Mazi weakened them and Jeremiah's Windsword finished them off.
Standing up from a battle crouch, Brigit turned around to stare at Milo in amazement.
"I don't know!" the flustered halfling spoke, "The last time I tried that nothing happened at all."
Milo felt almost as if someone had patted him on the back, but no one stood behind him when he glanced backwards. A warm glow suffused him.
"I'd say your faith is growing, Milo." Mazi said.
Milo turned about to examine the room. One wall had a large mural depicting the evils of the element of air.
"I thought we were in the water temple?" Milo said out loud.
"That secret door must lead to the water temple, this northern section of the temple must be dedicated to air." Mazi postulated.
The northeast door led into a hallway leading to the east before turning to the left. Another door was to their immediate right. Milo listened carefully to the door.
"There are voices on the other side." he whispered.
"Right, Jer?" said Brigit with no attempt to quiet her voice.
Jeremiah kicked in the door to reveal four bugbears in a smaller room decorated in gray. Brigit fired at them with her readied arrow. She scored a hit on the closest bugbear before the others entered the room to fight. A following arrow from Mazi's bow brought the bugbear down.
Brigit stowed her bow and brought out her axe and shield before wading in. Her first attacks reached empty air, but Jeremiah's sword did not. He felled on bugbear with two swings and wounded another with his third. Brigit refocused and attacked again. She took down the wounded bugbear first before attacking the last one with vigor. The creature fell before her fury.
Brigit was just about to dismember the corpses when Milo stopped her.
"Uh, Brigit? Can we loot the corpses before you do that?"
She actually appeared slightly embarrassed. They found a few gold and silver pieces among the bodies, but nothing else of value. Milo concentrated on examining the room while Brigit set about to the corpses. There were a couple of cots as well as some piled cushions in the room. A cabinet dominated one wall. The walls and carpet were a dull gray, apparently the color used to signify the evil element of air. He figured this to be an old guestroom. Two doors led out, one to the east and one to the south
Inside the cabinet Milo found a handaxe, a jar of honey, some candles, and old clothes. He stowed the handaxe in his bag of holding figuring he would be the only one to use them. Brigit decided to keep the honey. She had no reason she could give them.
"Sure Brigit, you're just wanting to brew some honey mead. I remember your ale comment from the other day." Milo ribbed her.
Milo checked the southern door first. He found that it led to a small storage closet, full of more old clothes, rags, and bedding. The eastern door was locked, barred from the other side.
"Interesting, barred to keep something in here?" Milo guessed.
There was no barred opening to look through, so they left the door for later. Upon returning to the hallway outside they found that it led back into the grand hall they chased the first priest and his rogue lackey into when they first came down to this level. Nothing had changed in the hall. They could still hear echoing noises from the many entrances and exits.
It was then that Mazi recalled the other hallway they had left to explore near the hexagonal, water filled room. Since they were so close they decided to check that hallway before continuing back to the water temple.
The dreams were ominous. The atmosphere pervading the temple's surroundings seemed to be taking its toll on the heroes. All four woke that morning at the same time. Milo immediately checked his belongings, wary of what could happen when one didn't have a watch overnight. They were all accounted for. They decided to light a fire for breakfast, more for the warmth and light than anything. Milo was chilled to the bone from Usamigaras' visitation. He suddenly wished to be done with the temple and on his way. He couldn't ignore Brigit's plight though, her desire to be reunited with her family was strong and he wasn't in the habit of abandoning friends.
They all shared their dreams around the fire. Each one filled them with more trepidation than the last. It was clear that although the temple was an important step in thwarting the man in the mirror and from Jeremiah's dreams, there were even more important things to deal with. The dreams created more questions than answers. What did Mazi's dream of the forest portend? Was it something to do with the talk of her being the vessel of Thari? Where was Brigit's father? What was the sword the dwarves were forging? What of Jeremiah's people? Who was the many-faced man in his dream? Was he related to the evil of which Usamigaras spoke? What was happening to Milo's people? His head spun with all of the questions. He tried to push most to the back of his mind and focus on the task at hand, ridding the temple of the evil of the priests.
Milo suppressed a shiver then asked, "What's the plan today? Do we want to go after the water priest or explore the elsewhere?"
"Ah've a bone ta pick wi' tha' priest." Brigit grumped.
"I don't know if we should walk back into that kind of trap. They're had the night to plan for us to return there. Finding a different way around would be wiser." said the even-headed Mazi.
"Mebbe so, but ya didn't get smacked unconscious a couple O times! Tha' priest needs ta feel tha bite O me axe!" Brigit countered, Jeremiah nodded his agreement.
"That's exactly why I don't want to go barreling back in there. I'd rather stay conscious."
"Hang on, hang on." Milo interrupted before the conversation could get out of hand. "I've got a spell scroll that I've been hanging onto. I can cast an augury to find what would be the wisest course."
"Well why didn't ya say so? Cast away, Milo." Brigit said impatiently.
"I'd rather save it until we get outside the temple. Auguries don't seem to be able to predict too far into the future."
"Then let's get goin'! Tha sooner we get in there, tha sooner Ah can introduce tha' priest ta Trollgrater!"
They struck camp and headed back towards the temple. Milo absentmindedly ran his finger across the scroll case that held his augury spell. He tried to formulate his question in his mind, leaving out no room for loopholes or error.
They arrived at the temple as they had for the past few days, without incident. The air was still and warm. The adventurers stopped at the edge of the clearing. Milo emptied his scroll case of the augury spell and sat cross-legged. He spoke the words on the scroll, closed his eyes, waited for a moment, then asked his question:
"Will returning to the water-enchanted room bring us weal or woe?" he spoke to the air.
A few moments passed. "Tha's it? Ah'm not impressed Milo."
A slight breeze picked up around Milo, picking up his hair slightly before dying down. His pointed ears twitched once. His eyes snapped open with a slight gaze of wonder, then disappointment.
"Weal and woe. Not too helpful after all." he said sadly. "Sorry, looks like we'll have to hammer this one out anyway."
"How's this," Mazi began, "We'll get down to the second level, see how things stand, then go from there."
"Ach, anythin' if we can jus' get down there today!" said Brigit.
The upper level was as empty as ever. The next level down was equally as empty. Milo noticed that the far off sounds of screaming they used to hear in the hallways was now gone. He hoped that was a good thing. They were soon at the bottom of the spiral staircase, ready for anything, or so Milo thought.
They chose to walk in the direction of the watery room, passing through the minotaur's den. The large room was much as they left it. Dead carrion crawlers and human guards lay where they had fallen. The half-eaten corpse of the minotaur still lay heaped near the secret eastern passage. Something seemed odd about the minotaur to Milo.
"It moved!" Milo shouted in alarm, "The minotaur moved!"
The creature slowly raised itself to its feet, dead flesh falling from its wounds. Its teeth were fangs and his hands ended in vicious claws. There was a whitish hue to its undead skin.
"I hate undead." Milo muttered as Brigit and Jeremiah charged at the undead beast.
Brigit drew her other axe on her way, intent on finishing this threat off quickly. Mazi supported them from the doorway with her bow. Milo decided to follow Brigit's example as he drew Reft and Rend. Brigit dodged an attack from the minotaur's claws as she moved in swinging. Her axes found no purchase on the undead creature's tough hide.
Jeremiah's sword carved chunks out of the minotaur's ashen skin. The minotaur ignored the wounds as if they hadn't happened, focusing instead on Brigit. While its attention was on the dwarf Milo tumbled behind and sliced two more good-sized chunks from the minotaur's furry hamstrings. The beast didn't fall, but took one great swipe of its claws at Brigit.
The attack wounded Brigit more than the mere scratch from the claws. Milo could see the color drain from her face as the foul nails of the beast wounded her. She stumbled for a moment, dropped her second axe, then hacked away at the minotaur. Her offensive seemed to weaken the beast slightly. Jeremiah followed Brigit's attack with two powerful slashes of his greatsword. The minotaur went down, dead for good.
"Ah don' feel so well. Ah think Ah'll sit down fer a moment." Brigit said before falling backwards unceremoniously.
Milo leapt to her side to examine the wound. He shook his head sadly.
"I was afraid of this. That minotaur was a wight. Their wounds do more than draw blood, they drain life energy." Milo informed them. "You may be able to resist the effects, but your body will need to rest in order to maintain your strength. Otherwise..."
"Otherwise?" a nervous Brigit questioned.
"It's permanent." Milo answered with a concerned gaze. "It would be best that we get you back to camp to see if you can shake off the effects. Fighting more may make it harder for you to shake it off."
"Ah'm fine! Lemme jus' sit here for a few minutes. Ah'll be ready ta go in no time!" Brigit protested.
Mazi interjected, "Brigit, wights are nothing to shrug off. I think Milo is right, we need to get you out of here for the time being."
Brigit didn't respond. A deep scowl was plastered on her face as she looked at first Milo, then Mazi, and finally Jeremiah. The quiet barbarian merely nodded his head.
"Ach! Ya too, Jer?" she said in resignation, "Fine, ah'll go wi' ya, but Ah've got some work ta do first."
With that the burly dwarf stood up, grasped both axes, and set about dismembering the minotaur wight corpse. The others stood back and let her vent her frustrations. She didn't stop with the minotaur. In moments the entire compliment of bodies in the room were reduced to pieces. It appeared the Butcher was back.
After Brigit worked out her anger at the minotaur on the rest of the corpses the party made their way cautiously back out of the temple. The day was still bright as the exited the decrepit building, a sharp contrast to the temple. The adventurers traveled a half-day from the temple before setting up camp again. Milo insisted on a fire as night fell.
That night Milo sat with Brigit as the wight's curse sank into her soul. He prayed to Usamigaras on her behalf, hoping that his god could aid in some way. He eventually drifted off to sleep. Midway through the night Mazi woke Milo. Brigit seemed to be getting worse. Her brow was furrowed and sweat poured from her body. Milo had never personally witnessed the wight's affect and he hoped the sweat was a good sign. He draped a cool, wet cloth across her brow and continued to watch.
Near morning, after Milo had drifted off to sleep again, he was awakened by a slight nudge. Brigit was sitting up, supported by one hand as she prodded Milo with a stick. She was grinning ear to ear. Milo whooped with delight!
"You're okay? You feel alright?" he asked the dwarf.
"Aye, a little weak in tha bones, but Ah feel fine otherwise." she answered.
Milo's outburst had roused Jeremiah and broken Mazi from her meditation. They were both standing over Brigit in seconds, relieved at her recovery.
"So, what say we find tha priest tha' brought tha' beastie back, Milo?" asked Brigit.
Milo grinned and pounded her on the back. "I knew you'd be okay Brigit. Nothing can keep you down for long."
"Oh aye, one thing. Lack O good ale. An' we're not gettin' any out here! Let's get on wi' it. We got a temple ta clear O baddies."
They struck camp immediately and set out for the temple once again. The heroes were in high spirits as they made their way through the woods back to the clearing. They were able to move faster with Brigit fit and well. The temple soon rose from the trees as they neared the clearing.
The adventurers made it to the minotaur room with no incidents. It was exactly as they left it the day before, Brigit's work was a testament against corpse raising. They started down the long hallway towards the secret door in the south of the temple but decided to check the door they skipped before. The door was not locked.
"The usual?" Milo asked.
"How bout Jer boots in tha door an Ah'll pick off what we see this time?" Brigit asked.
Jer shrugged at Brigit before bracing himself in front of the door. One kick later found the four of them in a room full of cots, couches, stools, tables, and assorted furniture. A door led to the northeast. Milo noticed the cots were not empty. Eight former bugbears rose from the cots to attack the four.
Milo's hand was already on Usamigaras' holy symbol. He brandished it high and called on his faith. Despite Usamigaras warning of weakness in his dream, the divine power poured stronger than ever from Milo's being. A breeze blew in the room behind Milo and slammed into six of the eight. As if wind swept sand, their flesh and bones disintegrated before blowing into nothingness.
"Wow." said Brigit.
The other two bugbear zombies were dealt with quickly, Brigit and Mazi weakened them and Jeremiah's Windsword finished them off.
Standing up from a battle crouch, Brigit turned around to stare at Milo in amazement.
"I don't know!" the flustered halfling spoke, "The last time I tried that nothing happened at all."
Milo felt almost as if someone had patted him on the back, but no one stood behind him when he glanced backwards. A warm glow suffused him.
"I'd say your faith is growing, Milo." Mazi said.
Milo turned about to examine the room. One wall had a large mural depicting the evils of the element of air.
"I thought we were in the water temple?" Milo said out loud.
"That secret door must lead to the water temple, this northern section of the temple must be dedicated to air." Mazi postulated.
The northeast door led into a hallway leading to the east before turning to the left. Another door was to their immediate right. Milo listened carefully to the door.
"There are voices on the other side." he whispered.
"Right, Jer?" said Brigit with no attempt to quiet her voice.
Jeremiah kicked in the door to reveal four bugbears in a smaller room decorated in gray. Brigit fired at them with her readied arrow. She scored a hit on the closest bugbear before the others entered the room to fight. A following arrow from Mazi's bow brought the bugbear down.
Brigit stowed her bow and brought out her axe and shield before wading in. Her first attacks reached empty air, but Jeremiah's sword did not. He felled on bugbear with two swings and wounded another with his third. Brigit refocused and attacked again. She took down the wounded bugbear first before attacking the last one with vigor. The creature fell before her fury.
Brigit was just about to dismember the corpses when Milo stopped her.
"Uh, Brigit? Can we loot the corpses before you do that?"
She actually appeared slightly embarrassed. They found a few gold and silver pieces among the bodies, but nothing else of value. Milo concentrated on examining the room while Brigit set about to the corpses. There were a couple of cots as well as some piled cushions in the room. A cabinet dominated one wall. The walls and carpet were a dull gray, apparently the color used to signify the evil element of air. He figured this to be an old guestroom. Two doors led out, one to the east and one to the south
Inside the cabinet Milo found a handaxe, a jar of honey, some candles, and old clothes. He stowed the handaxe in his bag of holding figuring he would be the only one to use them. Brigit decided to keep the honey. She had no reason she could give them.
"Sure Brigit, you're just wanting to brew some honey mead. I remember your ale comment from the other day." Milo ribbed her.
Milo checked the southern door first. He found that it led to a small storage closet, full of more old clothes, rags, and bedding. The eastern door was locked, barred from the other side.
"Interesting, barred to keep something in here?" Milo guessed.
There was no barred opening to look through, so they left the door for later. Upon returning to the hallway outside they found that it led back into the grand hall they chased the first priest and his rogue lackey into when they first came down to this level. Nothing had changed in the hall. They could still hear echoing noises from the many entrances and exits.
It was then that Mazi recalled the other hallway they had left to explore near the hexagonal, water filled room. Since they were so close they decided to check that hallway before continuing back to the water temple.
Milo Windby
First Post
Temple of Elemental Evil - part 34 (session 14)
After a turn to the east then another to the north they arrived at a north/west intersection. They could see the left passage led to a charred doorway. Intrigued, the adventurers decided to investigate. The doorway led into a room covered in soot and ash. The door had been blown off its hinges and scorch marks were evident around the frame. Charred bones were scattered about with mostly burnt pieces of furniture.
"Hmmm, I wonder what happened here?" Milo asked to no one in particular.
"Mebbe these air temple guys pissed off some O tha fire temple guys." Brigit guessed.
"Your guess is as good as mine. I'm inclined to agree with you though. It looks like we could be in for quite a fight in the fire temple then." said Milo.
If there was anything of value in the room before, it had long since been taken. They left the room as they found it. The north passage turned to the northeast before straightening to the east. Another intersection lay ahead, this one continuing east as well as leading back to the southwest.
The southwest passage led to a unique room. It started narrow and expanded towards the south. An odd-shaped alcove bent out of sight to the east of the entrance. The contents of the room appealed to Milo more than the shape. Supplies were neatly arranged along the walls and in the middle of the room. Ammunition and hand weapons were in barrels and hung on the walls. Rations and waterskins lay upon shelves, crates and boxes full of gear were stacked around the room. Milo's eyes lit up with the possibility of treasure hidden in the room, or restocking supplies at the very least.
The room was not unguarded. As they stepped forward to look into the supplies a beastly growl emanated from near the ceiling. A huge lumbering shape dropped from above to land in the middle of the room. Four hairy arms stretched outwards as the blue furred beast roared. Milo had heard of a creature such as this in Darokin.
"A girallon!" Milo shouted, "Wait for it to come to us, and don't let it get more than one claw into you!"
Milo trusted in Brigit and Jeremiah enough to take a moment to utter a prayer to Usamigaras to bolster his friends and weaken his enemies.
Mazithra was busily preparing as well, "Zaboomifoo!" she shouted as she pointed the wand of enlargement at Jeremiah.
The girallon roared once more before striding forward to attack. The creature towered above all of them but Jeremiah, its reach extending beyond even Jeremiah's greatsword. A glimmer of intelligence sparked in its eyes as it stopped just outside of that reach. It's huge hands, all four of them, grasped for Jer. Jeremiah wasn't fast enough to avoid the surprisingly fast attack. Two of the girallon's claws grasped him at the shoulders before tearing into him in a horrific rend. A third claw inflicted even more damage.
Jeremiah was wounded badly, but not incapacitated. He roared his own defiance and bridged the gap between them. His sword chopped into the beast twice, drawing gouts of blood both times. Milo took more time to strengthen Jeremiah's defense, casting a shield of faith on his friend. Mazi also took another moment to enlarge Brigit as well.
The relatively huge dwarf stepped in near Jeremiah and finished the fight in one mighty swing. The girallon fell with a severed artery in its leg, crashing into some of the supplies before coming to a rest face down.
Jeremiah staggered slightly as his wounds caught up to him. Milo quickly came to his side to administer some minor healing spells. Jer downed a healing draught as well, repairing most of the wounds the girallon inflicted. Meanwhile Brigit proceeded to dismember the girallon corpse, not willing to fight an undead version of the huge beast.
Once Milo was done healing Jeremiah, he turned his attention back to the room of supplies. He was certain something would be stashed in the room somewhere. He was dismayed to find nothing but run-of-the-mill supplies and some very grisly corpses. It was obvious that the girallon was feeding off of past victims.
The adventurers restocked their ammunition, Milo taking an extra set of crossbow bolts as well. They also marked the room on Mazi's map for future reference. Once she was done with the girallon, Brigit scoured the room for oil flasks.
"Ah want ta be ready for any more O those slimes." was all she would say.
She found some casks of lantern oil but no flasks to hold them. Brigit ultimately left empty handed. Back at the intersection they followed the eastern passage to a corner leading to the south. They came across another intersection after a few minutes of exploration, this one to the east while the passage continued south before turning east itself.
The eastern intersection led down a long passage that opened into a small room.
"What is that smell?" Mazi said in disgust.
There was a distinct odor filtering towards them from the end of the hallway. Mazi wrinkled her nose at the putrescent smell. The scent grew stronger as they neared the small room. By the time they reached the end even Brigit and Jeremiah were breathing light to avoid drawing in too much of the stench. The source of the smell was obvious, the room was full of garbage.
"Uh uh, no way. That's garbage, garbage means rats, I don't do rats." Mazi said, shaking her head.
"Hang on, I see something." Milo said as he peered into the garbage heap, "There's a coffer in there."
"Ya can stay out here, elfie, we'll go in an' brave the eensy weensy rats." said Brigit.
Brigit, Jeremiah, and Milo waded into the garbage towards the coffer. They were mere feet away when the trash heap burst outwards. Two suckered tentacles snapped out of the garbage towards the three. A third tentacle lined with eyes emerged above an elongated mouth of teeth. The reek of the room grew worse.
"Dinner" the putrid stench of the creature's breath washed over them.
Not willing to be anyone's dinner, much less the garbage monster's, Milo waded in with both axes. Mazi's arrow and Brigit's waraxe soon followed him. The creature fell before it could even bring a tentacle to bear.
"That's an otyugh, even worse than rats!" said Mazi, "I'm glad I stayed out here." she finished with a shudder.
Brigit and Jeremiah dragged the coffer from the garbage heap into the hallway before anything else could jump out at them. Milo took some time examining the lock. It was an intricate, complicated piece of work. He took several attempts to open the coffer, thankful that there were no traps to set off when he'd slip now and then. It wasn't too long before he heard the click of the lock disengaging. He sat back on his haunches and lifted the lid.
A small treasure trove of scrolls lay inside the coffer. Milo lifted on to read and found the arcane markings eluded him. He passed it back to Mazithra to study. Mazi glanced over the runes excitedly.
"This is a web spell!" she said. Milo handed her another, "This is a new one, a slow spell, I think."
In all there were six arcane scrolls: web, slow, knock, Rary's mnemonic enhancer, magic missile, and a charm spell Mazi wasn't quite clear on.
"Any time we can brave the horrors of garbage pits, rats, and otyughs to bring you scrolls, you let us know Mazi." Milo said sarcastically.
Mazi patted Milo on the head condescendingly, "Thank you so very much, you big, tough, meanie."
Once the main passage turned east again they could see a branch to the south just ahead, as well as a funny intersection beyond. The intersection led to the south, east, and southeast. They chose the first branch before investigating the intersection. A short hallway led to an old storage room. This one was not in as good repair as the last. Broken containers long empty lay strewn about. Cracked tables lined the walls, laying empty and bare. There didn't appear to be any secret doors or passages from the room either.
Being the methodical sort, the adventurers chose the southern passage at the intersection first. After a brief walk they came to a western bend that led directly into the grand hall. They emerged at the eastern end of the room. Still it was empty of life, and unlife Milo was relieved to find. The southeast passage led to a more interesting find. Once it straightened to the south they came across a door set in the western wall.
Milo found no traps so they cautiously proceeded. The door led into a short north/south hallway. To the left the hall cut to the west, to the right it opened into an angled room, much like the triangle they found upstairs. Torches lined the slanted wall ahead. From his vantage point Milo could see a bugbear dressed in solid black seated at a table. He quickly fired a shot from his crossbow before the bugbear could react. The arrow missed, but the battle was on.
Jeremiah was itching for combat since the fight with the otyugh was too short. He charged at the bugbear, directly into a club wielded out of sight. The unseen assailant had reach and clobbered Jer as he ran by. Jeremiah stumbled from the critical blow to his head but continued his charge nonetheless. His sword met the bugbear as it was drawing its weapon. The unused longsword clattered to the ground, shortly followed by the bugbear's body.
It was then that Jer turned to see what hit him like a bag of rocks. A black-clad ogre grinned maliciously back at him. Mazi stepped into the room, sighted the ogre, and loosed an arrow. The missile reached the ogre seconds before Brigit who charged in past the elf.
Brigit was able to hold off the ogre and allow Milo to tumble in and attack from the other side of the room. His bolt sunk into the ogre's chest and elicited a hearty roar. Jeremiah cut the ogre short as he stepped in and slashed into the beast. They quickly glanced around to make sure no other enemies were about.
Milo found that they were standing in a prison. Cells lined the inner wall. They found the hall leading to the west ended after a few paces and also was lined with cells. In all they found three human men and four elves, three men and one elven maid. Mazi let out a startled gasp when she looked into the cell with the elves.
"<Lady Tillahi?>" Mazi said in elven. Milo was glad he had taken the effort to pick the language up in Darokin.
The elven woman peered out into the bright torchlight, "<P-princess Mazithra?>"
Mazi looked extremely embarrassed at the sound of her title.
"<Yes, it's me. What are you doing here?>"
Brigit and Jeremiah were completely lost in the conversation. They set about searching the corpses and investigating the other cells.
"<My consort, Sir Juffer, and I were abducted months ago. Surely you knew? We've lost track of all time down here. But what are you doing here? Why aren't you with the others?>"
"<Wait, months? That's impossible, I was with you up until the day I ran awa...left, the day before the ceremony.>"
"<No my lady, we were kidnapped long before the day of your ascension. I fear that we have recently outlived our usefulness. We were insurance until they spoke of sacrificing us.>"
"<They? Who do you mean?>"
"<The priests of the water temple.>'
"<I should have known.>"
"<What do you know of all this, princess?>"
"<Probably less than you. We need to get you out of here.>"
Milo turned away at that point to search the jailers. He found the keys to the cell on the bugbear's corpse. He noted again the bugbear and ogre's uniforms. They were both completely black with no insignia at all. He turned to Mazi and handed her the keys. She was still communicating with Lady Tillahi in elven.
They seemed to be talking mostly about personal matters so Milo gave the keys to Mazi and let them be. He walked around the corner to where Brigit and Jeremiah were watching silently over the three men in the other cell. Two were obviously once wealthy men, perhaps merchants. The other was of a different sort altogether. He was a shady individual, with a very shifty gaze. Milo felt immediately that he may have something in common with the man. He spoke to him first.
"Who are you?" Milo asked the man.
"I'm a...collector...of sorts." he answered.
"A 'collector'? I can imagine. I may have done some 'collecting' of my own. So is that how you came to be here? Did you 'collect' something belonging to the temple?"
The rogue grinned before responding, "Not quite. I found I had fallen in with the wrong sort of people and they didn't seem to want to let me leave."
"Right. What kind of people might that be?" Milo said, hoping to gain more information about the temple.
"Let's just say I've seen things that no man should see. The priests here are sick, sick in the brain."
"So we've found. Tell you what, we can free you, but we need a guarantee that you won't run back to the priests as soon as you're out of our sight. A guarantee that you won't double-cross us like they supposedly did you." Milo did his best to watch for signs of deception from the rogue. Either he was honest or he was better at hiding them than Milo was at spotting them.
"I have information that may help you. What guarantee do I have that you won't just kill me once you have it though?"
"Honor among thieves, eh?"
"I ain't no thief!"
"Merely an expression. We'll let you out of your cell and give you some food as a goodwill gesture. You tell us your story and we let you go. Simple."
The rogue studied the small halfling intently for a few moments before speaking, "Suits me, I've got nothing better to do."
Milo retrieved the keys from Mazi, who had already let out the elves and was still speaking with them in a quiet corner. He returned to the other cell and located the key to the lock. The rogue came out cautiously, followed by the two cowering older men. They ignored Milo completely, directing their attention towards the brooding dwarf and huge barbarian. Milo led them to the bugbear's table, still set with a sizeable amount of edible food. All three dug in with gusto. Once the 'collector' seemed to have his fill Milo continued their discussion.
"So what kind of information can you give us?" Milo asked.
"I know things, things about this place."
"Secret passages? Back ways?"
"Nah, they never showed me any of that sort of stuff. I know about the temples though." the rogue answered, "There are four temples, one for each of the basic elements. Earth, Air, Water, and Fire." He stopped to take a long drink from the bugbear's watered down ale. "None of the temples are all that friendly with each other, but its those in Black that are the real scary ones. They're the strongest of any of them."
"So none of them have banded against the ones in Black?" Milo prompted.
"Oh sure, they try to band together. The Water temple is the strongest of the four. The Fire temple is trying to enlist the aid of the Air temple and they're trying to combine with the Earth temple. It's worse than a king's court with the intrigue that goes on in this place.
"It's those that are in Black that keep it from going too far. They come up from the lower level whenever one of the temples gets too strong and break it up. They know what they're doing."
"So we've found the Air and Water temple here on this level, does that mean the Fire temple is below us and the Black ones below that?"
"Nah, not at all. You got the Earth temple above, looks like you sneaked past them" Milo grinned at that statement. "The Water temple is in the south portion of this level, the Air is near us here, and the Fire is in the southwest area of this level. The Black Ones are below us. Whatever they're digging up is below that.
"Thing is, I don't think the four temples want it dug up. They all go on and on about some Thari or something," Mazi's ears pricked at the sound of that name, "The Black Ones speak only of Zadoom."
"We've heard of Thari, who is Zadoom?" asked Milo.
"Don't know. I wasn't exactly high up on the food chain here. I've told you all that I found out in short time that I was here. The priests didn't see it to trust me too much.
"I've upheld my part of the bargain, now it's your turn."
"You're free to go just as soon as we're done here." Milo turned his attention to the two older men. "Now you two, tell me why we should let you go?"
The taller of the two addressed Milo, "We are of no consequence to you. We would cause no trouble. We were taken in a raid on our caravan."
"Fine and good, but you're going to have to make it worth our while to get you out of here." Milo answered.
The two men conversed quietly for a moment before turning back to Milo and speaking three words, "Gaffer and Jaffer."
Milo recognized the names. Gaffer and Jaffer was a huge shipping company. Their interests lied mainly on the coast but he supposed they had caravans that traveled inland. If they were important enough in the company then helping them out could come in very handy in the future.
"So are you trying to tell me that you are the famed Gaffer and Jaffer?"
"Not at all, but if you were to help us we can guarantee that they would be very grateful. The gratitude of Gaffer and Jaffer can go a long way in some places."
"Good enough. We'll help you out, but understand that this is drawing us away from very important matters. This is no light task." Milo played their plight up as much as he could.
"We understand sir. Completely."
Mazi called Milo over for a hurried conference before they prepared to leave.
After a turn to the east then another to the north they arrived at a north/west intersection. They could see the left passage led to a charred doorway. Intrigued, the adventurers decided to investigate. The doorway led into a room covered in soot and ash. The door had been blown off its hinges and scorch marks were evident around the frame. Charred bones were scattered about with mostly burnt pieces of furniture.
"Hmmm, I wonder what happened here?" Milo asked to no one in particular.
"Mebbe these air temple guys pissed off some O tha fire temple guys." Brigit guessed.
"Your guess is as good as mine. I'm inclined to agree with you though. It looks like we could be in for quite a fight in the fire temple then." said Milo.
If there was anything of value in the room before, it had long since been taken. They left the room as they found it. The north passage turned to the northeast before straightening to the east. Another intersection lay ahead, this one continuing east as well as leading back to the southwest.
The southwest passage led to a unique room. It started narrow and expanded towards the south. An odd-shaped alcove bent out of sight to the east of the entrance. The contents of the room appealed to Milo more than the shape. Supplies were neatly arranged along the walls and in the middle of the room. Ammunition and hand weapons were in barrels and hung on the walls. Rations and waterskins lay upon shelves, crates and boxes full of gear were stacked around the room. Milo's eyes lit up with the possibility of treasure hidden in the room, or restocking supplies at the very least.
The room was not unguarded. As they stepped forward to look into the supplies a beastly growl emanated from near the ceiling. A huge lumbering shape dropped from above to land in the middle of the room. Four hairy arms stretched outwards as the blue furred beast roared. Milo had heard of a creature such as this in Darokin.
"A girallon!" Milo shouted, "Wait for it to come to us, and don't let it get more than one claw into you!"
Milo trusted in Brigit and Jeremiah enough to take a moment to utter a prayer to Usamigaras to bolster his friends and weaken his enemies.
Mazithra was busily preparing as well, "Zaboomifoo!" she shouted as she pointed the wand of enlargement at Jeremiah.
The girallon roared once more before striding forward to attack. The creature towered above all of them but Jeremiah, its reach extending beyond even Jeremiah's greatsword. A glimmer of intelligence sparked in its eyes as it stopped just outside of that reach. It's huge hands, all four of them, grasped for Jer. Jeremiah wasn't fast enough to avoid the surprisingly fast attack. Two of the girallon's claws grasped him at the shoulders before tearing into him in a horrific rend. A third claw inflicted even more damage.
Jeremiah was wounded badly, but not incapacitated. He roared his own defiance and bridged the gap between them. His sword chopped into the beast twice, drawing gouts of blood both times. Milo took more time to strengthen Jeremiah's defense, casting a shield of faith on his friend. Mazi also took another moment to enlarge Brigit as well.
The relatively huge dwarf stepped in near Jeremiah and finished the fight in one mighty swing. The girallon fell with a severed artery in its leg, crashing into some of the supplies before coming to a rest face down.
Jeremiah staggered slightly as his wounds caught up to him. Milo quickly came to his side to administer some minor healing spells. Jer downed a healing draught as well, repairing most of the wounds the girallon inflicted. Meanwhile Brigit proceeded to dismember the girallon corpse, not willing to fight an undead version of the huge beast.
Once Milo was done healing Jeremiah, he turned his attention back to the room of supplies. He was certain something would be stashed in the room somewhere. He was dismayed to find nothing but run-of-the-mill supplies and some very grisly corpses. It was obvious that the girallon was feeding off of past victims.
The adventurers restocked their ammunition, Milo taking an extra set of crossbow bolts as well. They also marked the room on Mazi's map for future reference. Once she was done with the girallon, Brigit scoured the room for oil flasks.
"Ah want ta be ready for any more O those slimes." was all she would say.
She found some casks of lantern oil but no flasks to hold them. Brigit ultimately left empty handed. Back at the intersection they followed the eastern passage to a corner leading to the south. They came across another intersection after a few minutes of exploration, this one to the east while the passage continued south before turning east itself.
The eastern intersection led down a long passage that opened into a small room.
"What is that smell?" Mazi said in disgust.
There was a distinct odor filtering towards them from the end of the hallway. Mazi wrinkled her nose at the putrescent smell. The scent grew stronger as they neared the small room. By the time they reached the end even Brigit and Jeremiah were breathing light to avoid drawing in too much of the stench. The source of the smell was obvious, the room was full of garbage.
"Uh uh, no way. That's garbage, garbage means rats, I don't do rats." Mazi said, shaking her head.
"Hang on, I see something." Milo said as he peered into the garbage heap, "There's a coffer in there."
"Ya can stay out here, elfie, we'll go in an' brave the eensy weensy rats." said Brigit.
Brigit, Jeremiah, and Milo waded into the garbage towards the coffer. They were mere feet away when the trash heap burst outwards. Two suckered tentacles snapped out of the garbage towards the three. A third tentacle lined with eyes emerged above an elongated mouth of teeth. The reek of the room grew worse.
"Dinner" the putrid stench of the creature's breath washed over them.
Not willing to be anyone's dinner, much less the garbage monster's, Milo waded in with both axes. Mazi's arrow and Brigit's waraxe soon followed him. The creature fell before it could even bring a tentacle to bear.
"That's an otyugh, even worse than rats!" said Mazi, "I'm glad I stayed out here." she finished with a shudder.
Brigit and Jeremiah dragged the coffer from the garbage heap into the hallway before anything else could jump out at them. Milo took some time examining the lock. It was an intricate, complicated piece of work. He took several attempts to open the coffer, thankful that there were no traps to set off when he'd slip now and then. It wasn't too long before he heard the click of the lock disengaging. He sat back on his haunches and lifted the lid.
A small treasure trove of scrolls lay inside the coffer. Milo lifted on to read and found the arcane markings eluded him. He passed it back to Mazithra to study. Mazi glanced over the runes excitedly.
"This is a web spell!" she said. Milo handed her another, "This is a new one, a slow spell, I think."
In all there were six arcane scrolls: web, slow, knock, Rary's mnemonic enhancer, magic missile, and a charm spell Mazi wasn't quite clear on.
"Any time we can brave the horrors of garbage pits, rats, and otyughs to bring you scrolls, you let us know Mazi." Milo said sarcastically.
Mazi patted Milo on the head condescendingly, "Thank you so very much, you big, tough, meanie."
Once the main passage turned east again they could see a branch to the south just ahead, as well as a funny intersection beyond. The intersection led to the south, east, and southeast. They chose the first branch before investigating the intersection. A short hallway led to an old storage room. This one was not in as good repair as the last. Broken containers long empty lay strewn about. Cracked tables lined the walls, laying empty and bare. There didn't appear to be any secret doors or passages from the room either.
Being the methodical sort, the adventurers chose the southern passage at the intersection first. After a brief walk they came to a western bend that led directly into the grand hall. They emerged at the eastern end of the room. Still it was empty of life, and unlife Milo was relieved to find. The southeast passage led to a more interesting find. Once it straightened to the south they came across a door set in the western wall.
Milo found no traps so they cautiously proceeded. The door led into a short north/south hallway. To the left the hall cut to the west, to the right it opened into an angled room, much like the triangle they found upstairs. Torches lined the slanted wall ahead. From his vantage point Milo could see a bugbear dressed in solid black seated at a table. He quickly fired a shot from his crossbow before the bugbear could react. The arrow missed, but the battle was on.
Jeremiah was itching for combat since the fight with the otyugh was too short. He charged at the bugbear, directly into a club wielded out of sight. The unseen assailant had reach and clobbered Jer as he ran by. Jeremiah stumbled from the critical blow to his head but continued his charge nonetheless. His sword met the bugbear as it was drawing its weapon. The unused longsword clattered to the ground, shortly followed by the bugbear's body.
It was then that Jer turned to see what hit him like a bag of rocks. A black-clad ogre grinned maliciously back at him. Mazi stepped into the room, sighted the ogre, and loosed an arrow. The missile reached the ogre seconds before Brigit who charged in past the elf.
Brigit was able to hold off the ogre and allow Milo to tumble in and attack from the other side of the room. His bolt sunk into the ogre's chest and elicited a hearty roar. Jeremiah cut the ogre short as he stepped in and slashed into the beast. They quickly glanced around to make sure no other enemies were about.
Milo found that they were standing in a prison. Cells lined the inner wall. They found the hall leading to the west ended after a few paces and also was lined with cells. In all they found three human men and four elves, three men and one elven maid. Mazi let out a startled gasp when she looked into the cell with the elves.
"<Lady Tillahi?>" Mazi said in elven. Milo was glad he had taken the effort to pick the language up in Darokin.
The elven woman peered out into the bright torchlight, "<P-princess Mazithra?>"
Mazi looked extremely embarrassed at the sound of her title.
"<Yes, it's me. What are you doing here?>"
Brigit and Jeremiah were completely lost in the conversation. They set about searching the corpses and investigating the other cells.
"<My consort, Sir Juffer, and I were abducted months ago. Surely you knew? We've lost track of all time down here. But what are you doing here? Why aren't you with the others?>"
"<Wait, months? That's impossible, I was with you up until the day I ran awa...left, the day before the ceremony.>"
"<No my lady, we were kidnapped long before the day of your ascension. I fear that we have recently outlived our usefulness. We were insurance until they spoke of sacrificing us.>"
"<They? Who do you mean?>"
"<The priests of the water temple.>'
"<I should have known.>"
"<What do you know of all this, princess?>"
"<Probably less than you. We need to get you out of here.>"
Milo turned away at that point to search the jailers. He found the keys to the cell on the bugbear's corpse. He noted again the bugbear and ogre's uniforms. They were both completely black with no insignia at all. He turned to Mazi and handed her the keys. She was still communicating with Lady Tillahi in elven.
They seemed to be talking mostly about personal matters so Milo gave the keys to Mazi and let them be. He walked around the corner to where Brigit and Jeremiah were watching silently over the three men in the other cell. Two were obviously once wealthy men, perhaps merchants. The other was of a different sort altogether. He was a shady individual, with a very shifty gaze. Milo felt immediately that he may have something in common with the man. He spoke to him first.
"Who are you?" Milo asked the man.
"I'm a...collector...of sorts." he answered.
"A 'collector'? I can imagine. I may have done some 'collecting' of my own. So is that how you came to be here? Did you 'collect' something belonging to the temple?"
The rogue grinned before responding, "Not quite. I found I had fallen in with the wrong sort of people and they didn't seem to want to let me leave."
"Right. What kind of people might that be?" Milo said, hoping to gain more information about the temple.
"Let's just say I've seen things that no man should see. The priests here are sick, sick in the brain."
"So we've found. Tell you what, we can free you, but we need a guarantee that you won't run back to the priests as soon as you're out of our sight. A guarantee that you won't double-cross us like they supposedly did you." Milo did his best to watch for signs of deception from the rogue. Either he was honest or he was better at hiding them than Milo was at spotting them.
"I have information that may help you. What guarantee do I have that you won't just kill me once you have it though?"
"Honor among thieves, eh?"
"I ain't no thief!"
"Merely an expression. We'll let you out of your cell and give you some food as a goodwill gesture. You tell us your story and we let you go. Simple."
The rogue studied the small halfling intently for a few moments before speaking, "Suits me, I've got nothing better to do."
Milo retrieved the keys from Mazi, who had already let out the elves and was still speaking with them in a quiet corner. He returned to the other cell and located the key to the lock. The rogue came out cautiously, followed by the two cowering older men. They ignored Milo completely, directing their attention towards the brooding dwarf and huge barbarian. Milo led them to the bugbear's table, still set with a sizeable amount of edible food. All three dug in with gusto. Once the 'collector' seemed to have his fill Milo continued their discussion.
"So what kind of information can you give us?" Milo asked.
"I know things, things about this place."
"Secret passages? Back ways?"
"Nah, they never showed me any of that sort of stuff. I know about the temples though." the rogue answered, "There are four temples, one for each of the basic elements. Earth, Air, Water, and Fire." He stopped to take a long drink from the bugbear's watered down ale. "None of the temples are all that friendly with each other, but its those in Black that are the real scary ones. They're the strongest of any of them."
"So none of them have banded against the ones in Black?" Milo prompted.
"Oh sure, they try to band together. The Water temple is the strongest of the four. The Fire temple is trying to enlist the aid of the Air temple and they're trying to combine with the Earth temple. It's worse than a king's court with the intrigue that goes on in this place.
"It's those that are in Black that keep it from going too far. They come up from the lower level whenever one of the temples gets too strong and break it up. They know what they're doing."
"So we've found the Air and Water temple here on this level, does that mean the Fire temple is below us and the Black ones below that?"
"Nah, not at all. You got the Earth temple above, looks like you sneaked past them" Milo grinned at that statement. "The Water temple is in the south portion of this level, the Air is near us here, and the Fire is in the southwest area of this level. The Black Ones are below us. Whatever they're digging up is below that.
"Thing is, I don't think the four temples want it dug up. They all go on and on about some Thari or something," Mazi's ears pricked at the sound of that name, "The Black Ones speak only of Zadoom."
"We've heard of Thari, who is Zadoom?" asked Milo.
"Don't know. I wasn't exactly high up on the food chain here. I've told you all that I found out in short time that I was here. The priests didn't see it to trust me too much.
"I've upheld my part of the bargain, now it's your turn."
"You're free to go just as soon as we're done here." Milo turned his attention to the two older men. "Now you two, tell me why we should let you go?"
The taller of the two addressed Milo, "We are of no consequence to you. We would cause no trouble. We were taken in a raid on our caravan."
"Fine and good, but you're going to have to make it worth our while to get you out of here." Milo answered.
The two men conversed quietly for a moment before turning back to Milo and speaking three words, "Gaffer and Jaffer."
Milo recognized the names. Gaffer and Jaffer was a huge shipping company. Their interests lied mainly on the coast but he supposed they had caravans that traveled inland. If they were important enough in the company then helping them out could come in very handy in the future.
"So are you trying to tell me that you are the famed Gaffer and Jaffer?"
"Not at all, but if you were to help us we can guarantee that they would be very grateful. The gratitude of Gaffer and Jaffer can go a long way in some places."
"Good enough. We'll help you out, but understand that this is drawing us away from very important matters. This is no light task." Milo played their plight up as much as he could.
"We understand sir. Completely."
Mazi called Milo over for a hurried conference before they prepared to leave.
Last edited:
Nail
First Post
Re: Temple of Elemental Evil - part 34 (session 14)
Someone's been readin' these message boards about "Heart of Nightfang Spire".......good thing that someone's a PC.....
An' here I thought she might'a ended that differently...... :^)
I musta missed somethin' a ways back....Princess?
and:
LOL!
...awww...you blew it here, kid. Ya should've said: "Not the famed Jaffer and Gaffer?! .....Or is that Guffer and Juffer?.......So good to meet you, Jeffer and Giffer......oh, we'd be happy to help any representative of Guffir and Jiffer.......
<Thoughts o' Rosencrantz and Gildenstern are playin' thru me head even now......>
-Nail
Someone's been readin' these message boards about "Heart of Nightfang Spire".......good thing that someone's a PC.....
An' here I thought she might'a ended that differently...... :^)
I musta missed somethin' a ways back....Princess?
and:
LOL!
...awww...you blew it here, kid. Ya should've said: "Not the famed Jaffer and Gaffer?! .....Or is that Guffer and Juffer?.......So good to meet you, Jeffer and Giffer......oh, we'd be happy to help any representative of Guffir and Jiffer.......
<Thoughts o' Rosencrantz and Gildenstern are playin' thru me head even now......>
-Nail
Last edited:
Milo Windby
First Post
Re: Re: Temple of Elemental Evil - part 34 (session 14)
Nail,
Mazi's been tightlipped about her past, even to her friends. The princess thing was played down quite a bit until this encounter. She wasn't too happy to see anyone she knew personally so far from home either. There was a bit of internal struggle evident on her face when she decided whether to reveal her presence to the prisoners.
And yes, visions of Halma being reduced to a bloody mist were not pleasant. As it was the beast got a nasty hit in with three claws and a rend anyway. Lotsa blood lost in that battle.
Now that you mention it we should have. With all of the names being thrown around I was having a hard time just keeping notes.
Now are you referring to Rosencrantz and Gildenstern are Dead? That's an excellent movie. One of the few of Gary Oldmans' where he is not a villian.
I think you'll be amused by the whole Mother Screng encounter, that is if I can get some time on my swing shift to write it up this weekend. I just wish I had a tape recorder to capture Frog's RPing. Priceless.
Nail,
Mazi's been tightlipped about her past, even to her friends. The princess thing was played down quite a bit until this encounter. She wasn't too happy to see anyone she knew personally so far from home either. There was a bit of internal struggle evident on her face when she decided whether to reveal her presence to the prisoners.
And yes, visions of Halma being reduced to a bloody mist were not pleasant. As it was the beast got a nasty hit in with three claws and a rend anyway. Lotsa blood lost in that battle.
Nail said:
Now that you mention it we should have. With all of the names being thrown around I was having a hard time just keeping notes.
Now are you referring to Rosencrantz and Gildenstern are Dead? That's an excellent movie. One of the few of Gary Oldmans' where he is not a villian.
I think you'll be amused by the whole Mother Screng encounter, that is if I can get some time on my swing shift to write it up this weekend. I just wish I had a tape recorder to capture Frog's RPing. Priceless.
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Broccli_Head
Explorer
Just thought I'd drop on by.
I waiting for further revelations from the elven friends that Mazi and co. just rescued. There was a time gap mentioned there. The elven lady was abducted before Mazi remembers not seeing her...
Mazi's a Princess! No wonder she never wants to get her hands dirty...and loves that jewelry
Too bad I have a soft spot for axe-wielding dwarves or she might become my favorite character. I like hidden pasts.
I waiting for further revelations from the elven friends that Mazi and co. just rescued. There was a time gap mentioned there. The elven lady was abducted before Mazi remembers not seeing her...
Mazi's a Princess! No wonder she never wants to get her hands dirty...and loves that jewelry
Too bad I have a soft spot for axe-wielding dwarves or she might become my favorite character. I like hidden pasts.
Broccli_Head said:Just thought I'd drop on by.
I waiting for further revelations from the elven friends that Mazi and co. just rescued. There was a time gap mentioned there. The elven lady was abducted before Mazi remembers not seeing her...
Mazi's a Princess! No wonder she never wants to get her hands dirty...and loves that jewelry
Too bad I have a soft spot for axe-wielding dwarves or she might become my favorite character. I like hidden pasts.
Actually it went more along the lines of Mazi having seen them the day before she ran off...as they were to escort Mazi to her new abode...in fact...they were both rather high up in the Priesthoods heirarchy. They "claim" to have been abducted weeks or months before Mazi's scheduled ascension...which is why Mazi is confused.
Plots within plots...
Milo Windby
First Post
Sorry everyone. It's been a while. I'm going to be doing some write ups this weekend.
I'll be honest, what with school (now over) and other things going on I've had a hard time finding motivation to write. I think I can get past this momentary writer's block, we'll see.
I'll be honest, what with school (now over) and other things going on I've had a hard time finding motivation to write. I think I can get past this momentary writer's block, we'll see.
Milo Windby
First Post
Temple of Elemental Evil - part 35 (session 14)
The two had a hurried discussion about the rogue and the wisdom of loosing him in the dungeon along with the other prisoners. It was decided they would escort all of them out, including the rogue, then let him decide what he would do outside of the temple. Milo returned to the table with the rogue.
"Change of plans, we're all going to leave the temple together." Milo told the shifty-eyed man.
"Yeah? How can I trust you not to run me through on the way out? No thanks, I'd rather take my chances alone." he answered.
"You'll just have to trust us. We've let you out this far, we're not going to doublecross you now. We have a deal. Once we're all out of the temple you are free to go where you will, as long as you don't try to inform anyone here in the temple about us we don't care."
"Don't have much choice. All right then, but I'll be keeping an eye on you."
"I wouldn't have it any other way." Milo said, then turning to the others, "We'll go to the store room and stock up before we leave, then it's straight out by the shortest route possible."
The others solemnly agreed. After checking everything and deciding on what order to travel, they set out away from the cells. The halls were empty as the bloated party traveled towards the storeroom. The elves chose simple hand weapons, as did the rogue. The merchants filled some bags with food and drink but eschewed weapons.
The journey out of the temple was short. They ascended the spiral staircase quickly and made their way through the Earth Temple. Milo noted with satisfaction the look of surprise and a small amount of admiration from the rogue when he realized that there was no one left to man the defunct temple of earth. They exited the temple through the west vestry and stood outside blinking in the hard light of the sun. Milo basked in its warmth, always glad to leave the confines of the temple and its cold, dark hallways. He often felt as if an oppressive weight was lifted when he left the grounds behind.
"You kept your bargain, I won't be seeing you again, peck." the rogue said to Milo.
"Probably so, good journey." Milo said in farewell.
"We'll see." and with that the rogue was gone, hidden from view in the trees in a matter of seconds.
Milo turned to the others, "We'll make camp at least half a day from here. Tomorrow Mazi and I will head into town and find some sort of accommodation for the elves and the merchants."
When no protests were offered they turned their backs to the temple and walked on. As night fell Jeremiah went forward to find a suitable campground. He circled back to the party and led them to a sizable clearing perfect for a few days' rest. Exhausted from the long walk, the elves and merchants chose their spots and went to sleep with the blankets they took from the storeroom. All but Lady Tillahi and Mazi slept or meditated. They stayed up talking long into the night. Milo slept, aware of the long journey he and Mazi had on foot the next day.
Milo and Mazi set out early, determined to reach town as quickly as possible. They left with explicit instructions from Brigit to bring back some oil, alchemist fire, and tanglefoot bags for her supply. Milo's plan was to use his change self spell on himself and his invisibility spell on Mazi to keep suspicion low on entering town. A day and a half later they reached the outskirts of town and readied themselves. Milo transformed himself into a four-foot tall bald human with forgettable features. Hopefully an image that wouldn't rouse any suspicion. He then rendered Mazi invisible. Trusting that she followed close behind he ventured into town.
He gathered a few sidelong glances as he made his way to the blacksmith/stables, but attributed that to townsfolk' distrust of strangers. Milo soon found himself before Otis' shop. He let himself in and held the door long enough to be sure Mazi made it inside. Otis was behind his counter, fussing with some shelves when Milo entered.
"Otis. Is it good to see you." Milo said.
The portly blacksmith turned to look at the stranger, "Do I know yeh, sir?"
Milo glanced around, making sure that no one else was in the shop. When he was satisfied that they were alone, he let his change self enchantment drop.
"Ahh, Milo lad! I thought it might be you." Otis said, "Yeh've caused quite a stir round here! There's a bounty on yer heads, one hundred gold apiece. Dead or alive, well, mostly dead. All but the elf that is."
Milo could only imagine Mazi's reaction to that news. "Only one hundred? I guess we're not trying hard enough. Milo's comment elicited a chuckle from the rotund man. "We've come to settle our debts with you for the mounts and extend the arrangement. That, and we've got some more, er, 'friends in need' we've come across."
Otis raised his eyebrows at Milo's statement. "I think I understand. Well I'm sure we can come to an arrangement again. What kind of 'friends' are yeh talking about?"
These are a little more sensitive than the others. There are three elves, at least two nobles. Mazi is very interested in their safe return to their kingdom. The other two are human merchants, part of the Gaffer and Jaffer Shipping Company."
Otis' eyebrows raised even higher, something Milo didn't think possible. "Elven nobles and Gaffer & Jaffer? You're dealing with some sensitive people indeed." Otis sat in thought for a few moments. "I think we can come up with something. There is that clearing-" Otis left the statement hanging.
Milo grinned, "I know just the clearing you're talking about. Here, for your troubles." Milo dropped a few platinum pieces into Otis' outstretched palm, more than enough to cover any expenses plus quite a bit extra on the side. "We really appreciate your help Otis."
"Always happy to help a friend in need. Just so yeh know, if I'm not around there is someone else that may be able to help yeh. Old Mother Screng runs an herb shop here in town. She and her daughter-" Otis paused as Milo could see a shiver run down his spine, "-Hrulta, may be sympathetic to yer cause."
Thank you Otis, your help is always appreciated." Milo said, "There is one more thing. You wouldn't happen to know where we could pick up some alchemist fire or tanglefoot bags?"
Otis scrunched up his face in thought, "Nah, there's no call for stuff like that around here. Yeh'd probably find some oil in the market though."
"That will have to do. How about healing potions? Anywhere around here we could pick up something like that?"
"Ahh, for that yeh'd want Mother Screng." Otis said with a toothy grin. "Yeh'll find her shop past the market. She won't be open this late though, yeh'll have to come back tomorrow."
"Okay, we can do that. Thanks again for your help Otis. We'll see you again." Milo flipped him a jaunty salute as he left the shop.
Milo made his way back to the outskirts carefully. He was painfully aware that his disguise was dropped and that he may be recognized. He arrived outside of town in a few minutes and called out to Mazi, hoping she was still with him. He was relieved when she dropped her invisibility just a few feet from where he stood.
They found a secluded spot to camp for the night after an hour of hiking. Milo determined to prepare his change self spell again the next morning and venture to Mother Screng's shop for some healing potions and the market for some oil.
The next morning Milo recast change self and assumed his short human persona. Mazi was soon invisible again and they set on their way to town again.
Mother Screng's shop was easy to find. It was a small cottage set at the end of the market. The roof was sunken and dilapidated, weeds grew almost as tall as Milo in the front, the grass was thick and unkempt. The door hung crooked off its hinges but was open wide. Milo walked in and was immediately assaulted by a variety of smells and odors. He wrinkled his nose and waited for his eyes to adjust to the darkness within. Rows upon rows of shelves were filled with jars of herbs and other unidentifiable objects. A shrill cackle pierced the quiet.
"Ehee hee hee! What we got here?" Milo was soon face to face with the most wrinkled, pointed, hairy-moled, face he'd ever seen. It was attached to a hunched body covered in tattered clothes and rags. "A new customer eh?"
"Uhm," Milo was taken aback, more by the smell of her breath than her appearance. "I'm, uh, looking for something of a healing nature."
"A healin' nature?" came the shrill voice, thick with a back country accent, "Ya sure ya don't want a loooove potion?" again came the cackle, "Ehee hee hee! Looks like ya could use it, little man."
"Uh, no. I'm thinking something along the lines of healing, say for a person caught in a farm accident or the like?"
"I've gots lots of looooove potions. That's wha' most of ya want when ya come ta Old Mother Screng." her putrid breath washed over him, much worse than anything a dragon could spew he'd wager. "I'm sure ya could use somethin' like this, little man." she said as she held up a bottle with a number nine inscribed, "guarenteeeed ta git ya what yer after!"
"No, really, I'm looking for something to heal with." Milo insisted, pushing away the vial.
"Well yer not too much ta look at, little man, thought ya could use some help. Yer friend over there ain't much ta look at either. Mother Screng said with a nod to an empty corner of the room. "I kin see why ya might have some problems gettin' tagether."
Milo was more than disturbed that this old woman could see right through Mazi's invisibility with a glance. At least he assumed she was talking about Mazi and no imagined woman in the corner. All he needed was to try to haggle with an insane woman.
"I got somethin' nice in tha back. If all ya wants is healin'. But ya gots ta know, it can't give ya what ya don't already have." she said with a meaningful glance below Milo's waist. "Ehee hee hee heeee!" Milo blushed at her frank stare and insinuation. She disappeared into the back room in a flutter of rags. Milo could hear banging and crashing, he assumed she was digging out her healing potions.
"'Ere's just tha thing for ya, little man." Mother Screng screeched as she reappeared. "This'll heal ya an' leave ya feelin' mighty good, if ya gets my meanin'! Ehee hee hee!" She held a jar of ointment that looked much like the Keoghtem's Ointment they found in the temple. "It's tha good stuff. I been known ta use it myself from time ta time."
"How much for the ointment then?" Milo asked.
"Ohhhh, this is tha good stuff. It'll cost ya, erm, four-five." she said.
Milo tried to hide his surprise at such a low price for Keoghtem's Ointment. "forty-five gold pieces?"
"Ehee hee hee hee! Forty-five? Try forty-five hundred, simpleton." she cackled. "I tole ya, this is tha gooood stuff. Heal what ales ya an' make ya feel real nice ta boot."
"Forty-five hundred? Do you have anything a little less pricey?"
Mother Screng looked him up and down again, as if reassessing him. "Maybeee, maybeee. Let me check." Again she was off into the back room, banging and crashing around. She came back brandishing three small vials. "Here they be! This maybeee what yer lookin' for. This ain't as good as me other stuff, but it gets tha job done. This'll cost ya, tho not so much as me ointment. One-three, that's about right."
"Let's see how good it is before I pay that much." Milo said, warming up to the haggle.
"Ya can't doubt Old Mother Screng's brew! This is tha good stuff. I already tole ya that!"
"Fine, fine, then we'll pay ten."
"Ten? Ten fer my finest brew? Yer insultin' Mother Screng now, little man." The old hen glanced down at her bottles, then at her clothes, then gave a shrewd stare back at Milo. "One-one, that's it. Yer not gonna find this stuff anywhere else, I can tell ya that!"
"Done, One thousand, one hundred gold pieces." Milo hefted the party coin purse up and carefully counted out the gold. Mother Screng looked on greedily, almost drooling at the money piling up. When Milo was finished she gleefully handed the vials over to Milo and sat staring at her money.
"Ehee hee hee hee! Yer a crafty one, little man." Mother Screng was up and about again, speaking right into Milo's face. "It's too bad my daughter ain't here, she'd do well with a crafty one like ya. Though ya ain't much in tha height department, is ya? Ehee hee hee hee! Ya mayhap need some O my loooooove potion anyways, she ain't so well rounded like me, socially speakin'."
Milo shuddered at the thought of another Mother Screng, or worse. "Yes, it's a pity. Well I must be going. Thanks again for the potions."
"Maybeee next time Hrulta will be here. Then ya can meet me charmin' daughter! An' don' forget, that stuff is good, but it can't give ya what ya don' got! Ehee hee hee hee hee!"
Milo beat a hasty retreat, back into the light of day. He was very relieved to be out of the cramped quarters of Mother Screng's hovel, even more relieved to be away from her putrid breath and peircing cackle. He could hear a faint laughing over his shoulder.
"That's enough from you Mazi. No one asked you what you thought."
Once he picked up some oil from the market, a considerably less stressful venture than Mother Screng's shop, they departed for camp. Outside of town they dropped their disguises. As soon as she was visible again Mazi doubled over holding her stomach.
"Milo's got a date!" she guffawed.
"Stand up Mazi, it's not befitting for a lady of your position to give herself to such bouts of hysteria."
"Oh ho ho! You're never going to live this down, 'little man'."
"Enough, let's get back to camp."
"Are you sure you don't want to wait around for lovely Hrulta?" Mazi giggled.
Bearing Mazi's teasing all the way back to camp, Milo thought he held up rather well. The elves and merchants were eager to hear of the arrangements. Mazi assured her friends of Otis' trustworthiness and asked them to take a written message back to her people. Milo once again thought of the messages he had waiting to go to Darokin. He hoped he would make it there soon, or at least find some way to get the messages there.
The next day Brigit, Jeremiah, Mazi, and Milo led the others to the clearing. They were not surprised to find a wagon and mule waiting, as well as provisions. There was enough to get the merchants back to Specularum and the elves to Mazi's homeland. Mazi bid her friends farewell while Milo wished the merchants good journey. That night found them camped a little less than half a day from the temple. They prepared once again to enter the foul shrine in the morning.
The two had a hurried discussion about the rogue and the wisdom of loosing him in the dungeon along with the other prisoners. It was decided they would escort all of them out, including the rogue, then let him decide what he would do outside of the temple. Milo returned to the table with the rogue.
"Change of plans, we're all going to leave the temple together." Milo told the shifty-eyed man.
"Yeah? How can I trust you not to run me through on the way out? No thanks, I'd rather take my chances alone." he answered.
"You'll just have to trust us. We've let you out this far, we're not going to doublecross you now. We have a deal. Once we're all out of the temple you are free to go where you will, as long as you don't try to inform anyone here in the temple about us we don't care."
"Don't have much choice. All right then, but I'll be keeping an eye on you."
"I wouldn't have it any other way." Milo said, then turning to the others, "We'll go to the store room and stock up before we leave, then it's straight out by the shortest route possible."
The others solemnly agreed. After checking everything and deciding on what order to travel, they set out away from the cells. The halls were empty as the bloated party traveled towards the storeroom. The elves chose simple hand weapons, as did the rogue. The merchants filled some bags with food and drink but eschewed weapons.
The journey out of the temple was short. They ascended the spiral staircase quickly and made their way through the Earth Temple. Milo noted with satisfaction the look of surprise and a small amount of admiration from the rogue when he realized that there was no one left to man the defunct temple of earth. They exited the temple through the west vestry and stood outside blinking in the hard light of the sun. Milo basked in its warmth, always glad to leave the confines of the temple and its cold, dark hallways. He often felt as if an oppressive weight was lifted when he left the grounds behind.
"You kept your bargain, I won't be seeing you again, peck." the rogue said to Milo.
"Probably so, good journey." Milo said in farewell.
"We'll see." and with that the rogue was gone, hidden from view in the trees in a matter of seconds.
Milo turned to the others, "We'll make camp at least half a day from here. Tomorrow Mazi and I will head into town and find some sort of accommodation for the elves and the merchants."
When no protests were offered they turned their backs to the temple and walked on. As night fell Jeremiah went forward to find a suitable campground. He circled back to the party and led them to a sizable clearing perfect for a few days' rest. Exhausted from the long walk, the elves and merchants chose their spots and went to sleep with the blankets they took from the storeroom. All but Lady Tillahi and Mazi slept or meditated. They stayed up talking long into the night. Milo slept, aware of the long journey he and Mazi had on foot the next day.
Milo and Mazi set out early, determined to reach town as quickly as possible. They left with explicit instructions from Brigit to bring back some oil, alchemist fire, and tanglefoot bags for her supply. Milo's plan was to use his change self spell on himself and his invisibility spell on Mazi to keep suspicion low on entering town. A day and a half later they reached the outskirts of town and readied themselves. Milo transformed himself into a four-foot tall bald human with forgettable features. Hopefully an image that wouldn't rouse any suspicion. He then rendered Mazi invisible. Trusting that she followed close behind he ventured into town.
He gathered a few sidelong glances as he made his way to the blacksmith/stables, but attributed that to townsfolk' distrust of strangers. Milo soon found himself before Otis' shop. He let himself in and held the door long enough to be sure Mazi made it inside. Otis was behind his counter, fussing with some shelves when Milo entered.
"Otis. Is it good to see you." Milo said.
The portly blacksmith turned to look at the stranger, "Do I know yeh, sir?"
Milo glanced around, making sure that no one else was in the shop. When he was satisfied that they were alone, he let his change self enchantment drop.
"Ahh, Milo lad! I thought it might be you." Otis said, "Yeh've caused quite a stir round here! There's a bounty on yer heads, one hundred gold apiece. Dead or alive, well, mostly dead. All but the elf that is."
Milo could only imagine Mazi's reaction to that news. "Only one hundred? I guess we're not trying hard enough. Milo's comment elicited a chuckle from the rotund man. "We've come to settle our debts with you for the mounts and extend the arrangement. That, and we've got some more, er, 'friends in need' we've come across."
Otis raised his eyebrows at Milo's statement. "I think I understand. Well I'm sure we can come to an arrangement again. What kind of 'friends' are yeh talking about?"
These are a little more sensitive than the others. There are three elves, at least two nobles. Mazi is very interested in their safe return to their kingdom. The other two are human merchants, part of the Gaffer and Jaffer Shipping Company."
Otis' eyebrows raised even higher, something Milo didn't think possible. "Elven nobles and Gaffer & Jaffer? You're dealing with some sensitive people indeed." Otis sat in thought for a few moments. "I think we can come up with something. There is that clearing-" Otis left the statement hanging.
Milo grinned, "I know just the clearing you're talking about. Here, for your troubles." Milo dropped a few platinum pieces into Otis' outstretched palm, more than enough to cover any expenses plus quite a bit extra on the side. "We really appreciate your help Otis."
"Always happy to help a friend in need. Just so yeh know, if I'm not around there is someone else that may be able to help yeh. Old Mother Screng runs an herb shop here in town. She and her daughter-" Otis paused as Milo could see a shiver run down his spine, "-Hrulta, may be sympathetic to yer cause."
Thank you Otis, your help is always appreciated." Milo said, "There is one more thing. You wouldn't happen to know where we could pick up some alchemist fire or tanglefoot bags?"
Otis scrunched up his face in thought, "Nah, there's no call for stuff like that around here. Yeh'd probably find some oil in the market though."
"That will have to do. How about healing potions? Anywhere around here we could pick up something like that?"
"Ahh, for that yeh'd want Mother Screng." Otis said with a toothy grin. "Yeh'll find her shop past the market. She won't be open this late though, yeh'll have to come back tomorrow."
"Okay, we can do that. Thanks again for your help Otis. We'll see you again." Milo flipped him a jaunty salute as he left the shop.
Milo made his way back to the outskirts carefully. He was painfully aware that his disguise was dropped and that he may be recognized. He arrived outside of town in a few minutes and called out to Mazi, hoping she was still with him. He was relieved when she dropped her invisibility just a few feet from where he stood.
They found a secluded spot to camp for the night after an hour of hiking. Milo determined to prepare his change self spell again the next morning and venture to Mother Screng's shop for some healing potions and the market for some oil.
The next morning Milo recast change self and assumed his short human persona. Mazi was soon invisible again and they set on their way to town again.
Mother Screng's shop was easy to find. It was a small cottage set at the end of the market. The roof was sunken and dilapidated, weeds grew almost as tall as Milo in the front, the grass was thick and unkempt. The door hung crooked off its hinges but was open wide. Milo walked in and was immediately assaulted by a variety of smells and odors. He wrinkled his nose and waited for his eyes to adjust to the darkness within. Rows upon rows of shelves were filled with jars of herbs and other unidentifiable objects. A shrill cackle pierced the quiet.
"Ehee hee hee! What we got here?" Milo was soon face to face with the most wrinkled, pointed, hairy-moled, face he'd ever seen. It was attached to a hunched body covered in tattered clothes and rags. "A new customer eh?"
"Uhm," Milo was taken aback, more by the smell of her breath than her appearance. "I'm, uh, looking for something of a healing nature."
"A healin' nature?" came the shrill voice, thick with a back country accent, "Ya sure ya don't want a loooove potion?" again came the cackle, "Ehee hee hee! Looks like ya could use it, little man."
"Uh, no. I'm thinking something along the lines of healing, say for a person caught in a farm accident or the like?"
"I've gots lots of looooove potions. That's wha' most of ya want when ya come ta Old Mother Screng." her putrid breath washed over him, much worse than anything a dragon could spew he'd wager. "I'm sure ya could use somethin' like this, little man." she said as she held up a bottle with a number nine inscribed, "guarenteeeed ta git ya what yer after!"
"No, really, I'm looking for something to heal with." Milo insisted, pushing away the vial.
"Well yer not too much ta look at, little man, thought ya could use some help. Yer friend over there ain't much ta look at either. Mother Screng said with a nod to an empty corner of the room. "I kin see why ya might have some problems gettin' tagether."
Milo was more than disturbed that this old woman could see right through Mazi's invisibility with a glance. At least he assumed she was talking about Mazi and no imagined woman in the corner. All he needed was to try to haggle with an insane woman.
"I got somethin' nice in tha back. If all ya wants is healin'. But ya gots ta know, it can't give ya what ya don't already have." she said with a meaningful glance below Milo's waist. "Ehee hee hee heeee!" Milo blushed at her frank stare and insinuation. She disappeared into the back room in a flutter of rags. Milo could hear banging and crashing, he assumed she was digging out her healing potions.
"'Ere's just tha thing for ya, little man." Mother Screng screeched as she reappeared. "This'll heal ya an' leave ya feelin' mighty good, if ya gets my meanin'! Ehee hee hee!" She held a jar of ointment that looked much like the Keoghtem's Ointment they found in the temple. "It's tha good stuff. I been known ta use it myself from time ta time."
"How much for the ointment then?" Milo asked.
"Ohhhh, this is tha good stuff. It'll cost ya, erm, four-five." she said.
Milo tried to hide his surprise at such a low price for Keoghtem's Ointment. "forty-five gold pieces?"
"Ehee hee hee hee! Forty-five? Try forty-five hundred, simpleton." she cackled. "I tole ya, this is tha gooood stuff. Heal what ales ya an' make ya feel real nice ta boot."
"Forty-five hundred? Do you have anything a little less pricey?"
Mother Screng looked him up and down again, as if reassessing him. "Maybeee, maybeee. Let me check." Again she was off into the back room, banging and crashing around. She came back brandishing three small vials. "Here they be! This maybeee what yer lookin' for. This ain't as good as me other stuff, but it gets tha job done. This'll cost ya, tho not so much as me ointment. One-three, that's about right."
"Let's see how good it is before I pay that much." Milo said, warming up to the haggle.
"Ya can't doubt Old Mother Screng's brew! This is tha good stuff. I already tole ya that!"
"Fine, fine, then we'll pay ten."
"Ten? Ten fer my finest brew? Yer insultin' Mother Screng now, little man." The old hen glanced down at her bottles, then at her clothes, then gave a shrewd stare back at Milo. "One-one, that's it. Yer not gonna find this stuff anywhere else, I can tell ya that!"
"Done, One thousand, one hundred gold pieces." Milo hefted the party coin purse up and carefully counted out the gold. Mother Screng looked on greedily, almost drooling at the money piling up. When Milo was finished she gleefully handed the vials over to Milo and sat staring at her money.
"Ehee hee hee hee! Yer a crafty one, little man." Mother Screng was up and about again, speaking right into Milo's face. "It's too bad my daughter ain't here, she'd do well with a crafty one like ya. Though ya ain't much in tha height department, is ya? Ehee hee hee hee! Ya mayhap need some O my loooooove potion anyways, she ain't so well rounded like me, socially speakin'."
Milo shuddered at the thought of another Mother Screng, or worse. "Yes, it's a pity. Well I must be going. Thanks again for the potions."
"Maybeee next time Hrulta will be here. Then ya can meet me charmin' daughter! An' don' forget, that stuff is good, but it can't give ya what ya don' got! Ehee hee hee hee hee!"
Milo beat a hasty retreat, back into the light of day. He was very relieved to be out of the cramped quarters of Mother Screng's hovel, even more relieved to be away from her putrid breath and peircing cackle. He could hear a faint laughing over his shoulder.
"That's enough from you Mazi. No one asked you what you thought."
Once he picked up some oil from the market, a considerably less stressful venture than Mother Screng's shop, they departed for camp. Outside of town they dropped their disguises. As soon as she was visible again Mazi doubled over holding her stomach.
"Milo's got a date!" she guffawed.
"Stand up Mazi, it's not befitting for a lady of your position to give herself to such bouts of hysteria."
"Oh ho ho! You're never going to live this down, 'little man'."
"Enough, let's get back to camp."
"Are you sure you don't want to wait around for lovely Hrulta?" Mazi giggled.
Bearing Mazi's teasing all the way back to camp, Milo thought he held up rather well. The elves and merchants were eager to hear of the arrangements. Mazi assured her friends of Otis' trustworthiness and asked them to take a written message back to her people. Milo once again thought of the messages he had waiting to go to Darokin. He hoped he would make it there soon, or at least find some way to get the messages there.
The next day Brigit, Jeremiah, Mazi, and Milo led the others to the clearing. They were not surprised to find a wagon and mule waiting, as well as provisions. There was enough to get the merchants back to Specularum and the elves to Mazi's homeland. Mazi bid her friends farewell while Milo wished the merchants good journey. That night found them camped a little less than half a day from the temple. They prepared once again to enter the foul shrine in the morning.
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