Temple of Elemental Evil – part 54 (session 23)
Milo had prepared himself for just such an occasion. Since finding the Duke he had kept a dispel magic prepared at all times. As Brigit turned to face them the hairs on the back of his neck stood on end. He weaved the dispelling magic in a net around her and spoke the holy words to seal the spell. A previously invisible aura around Brigit shimmered. Spider-like cracks jagged along its surface before it shattered into countless fading motes of light. Brigit shook her head, unsure of what had just happened. Her thoughts caught up to her after a second. She turned and growled from her throat at the girl. The fight was on.
Seeing her charm fail on the dwarf the once-smiling, friendly woman hissed and clawed at Brigit. Her sharpened fingernails scratched at Brigit’s skin, causing more than just pain. Brigit seemed slightly less aware of her surroundings. Jeremiah came to his friend’s defense. The woman hissed again, this time in pain as she staggered back from the blow. Mazi backed up a step and fired her bow, two shots, two arrows suddenly protruding from the girl’s chest. Milo tried his hold person spell on the girl, but couldn’t seem to master her will.
Brigit was furious, she drew her second axe and lay into the woman with a vengeance. The woman stepped back and snarled out an arcane litany. Eight more women suddenly appear around her, each exactly like the other. Jeremiah waded into the sea of mirror images and began attacking any within reach. One image shattered, but the next did not. With a scream the real girl staggered back from Jer’s sword again, this time unable to keep her footing. She toppled over into the fungus.
Before any of them could react the girl’s appearance changed before their sight. Her torso expanded behind her, her legs splitting into two pairs. Her white shift drew up to become a shirt. The girl’s features didn’t change, but lying before them was anything but a human woman. The upper portion of her body looked human enough, her lower torso was that of a horse or donkey.
”Centaur?” Milo said incredulously.
”Not likely,” Mazi said, crouched over the body. ”They’re not prone to evil, though occasionally one goes bad. No, not a centaur. Considering what it was doing to Brigit and its size I’d say this is a lamia.” She withdrew a beautiful necklace set with rubies from the lamia’s neck.
”Lamia?” Brigit said.
”Yes, half human, half animal. They’re usually not a horse though. I suppose this one was different.”
”Good riddance anyhow. Ah canna stand all tha things tha’ keep holdin’, confusin’, er charmin’ me! Gimme a knock down, drag out fight anyday!”
”Do you think it’s safe to travel through all this fungus?” Milo said, getting back to matters at hand.
”I think we can if we follow the path she was on. See? It weaves through the mushrooms.” Mazi said as she pointed to a dirt track clear of fungus.
They stepped over the lamia’s body and carefully made their way to the rear of the room. The dirt track split to the east and west, each leading to a door. The west door opened to a flight of stairs leading back to the second level. They instead chose the eastern door. A long hallway led to another staircase, this set leading down.
”Do we go down? I have a feeling that we’re very near to whatever is at the bottom of this place.” Milo said.
”Ah don’ know. Ah’d rather not leave nobody up here ta chase after us.” Brigit said.
”I agree with Brigit. Let’s clear out this level of the temple before heading down.” Mazi said.
”I suppose. I’m just antsy. It’s been some time since Usamigaras spoke to me last and I don’t know how long His people will wait.” Milo voiced his concern.
”We’ll leave once we got everyone taken care O’ here, Milo. ‘Specially mah pa.”
”Sorry Brigit, I know you’re eager to find your father. Let’s go.” Milo said, defeated.
”There’s still the eastern passage from the statue room, plus a couple of doors we missed back at the Chamber of Eyes.” Mazi suggested.
”Let’s stick to the general area, how about the passage from the statue room?” Milo said.
The statues stood mute in the room. The only change was the absence of some of the items the heroes had claimed. The empty-handed statues seemed to stare at Milo in accusation for the plunder. Milo shrugged, stuck out his tongue at the statues, and continued on.
The eastern passage led past two northern branches. On the southern wall opposite the second passage was a stone fountain. The back was carved with strange, horrible faces that spouted sulfurous, tainted water. Strange aquatic growth spread from the bottom. Milo’s attention was violently distracted when an arrow shattered on the back of the fountain near him. He spun around to see who attacked him.
Brigit stood with her bow at arms length, slightly abashed. Ah gotta check, Milo.”
”Next time you think you can wait until my head isn’t inches from your target?”
”Jus’ fer ya, Milo, Ah think Ah kin handle tha’.” Brigit said.
They continued past the fountain. Another intersection slanted off to the northeast. Looking down the hall they could see that it led to another downward staircase. They continued east. The passage eventually opened into a natural cavern. The cave walls were hewn to appear like boulders. The floor was unevenly cracked as well. The whole room was lit with a gray light, emanating from nowhere. The dome of the ceiling curved away from the walls to reach a good forty feet above their heads. Another passage led to the south. There was a damp breeze ruffling their hair as they entered. The whole room stunk of death. To their west a large stone slab sat with a leering skull planted atop. Directly across from their entrance a full skeleton clad in chainmail lay near a fissure with a bone protruding. The skeleton’s hand was stretched out to the protruding bone, as if it had died trying to pull the bone out.
”Creepy.” Jeremiah said.
”Aye, tha’ it is lad.” Brigit agreed, ”D’ya see anythin’?”
Jeremiah’s features scrunched up in concentration as he peered around the room. His eyes eventually landed on Brigit, ”I see you!” he said, pointing.
Brigit rolled her eyes and lowered his finger. ”How’s about this? We tie a rope ta Jer here an’ he kin go in an’ investigate. If’n anythin’ happens, we drag him back in.”
”Eager to volunteer Jeremiah, are we?” Milo said with a raised eyebrow.
”He’s faster’n me! ‘Sides, ya already vetoed tha halfling toss.”
They tied one of their ropes of climbing to Jeremiah’s waist and sent him into the cave to investigate. Jer first approached the slab with the grinning skull. He tentatively reached out to touch the slab, fearing for the worst. Milo didn’t realize until Jer stood up, unmolested, that he was holding his breath.
”What are we doing? This is nuts. I’m going in.” Milo said.
He too approached the slab. Slowly walking to stand next to Jer. The slab was unremarkable, as was the skull as far as grinning skulls went. He left Jer’s side to investigate the skeleton. It appeared to be dwarven in size and rough shape. The crack that the bone was jutting from was about six inches wide and a couple of feet deep. By then the others had entered the room as well. All four stood near the skeleton and the fissure.
”Well it’s got to be a trap, look at the evidence.” Milo said, ”Nothing I can find though.”
Mazi had the others back away a few feet and cast mage hand. She pulled the bone from the fissure with her mind, concentrating on levitating it inches from the ground. Still nothing happened. She used the floating bone to poke at the skeleton. The chainmail shifted and some of the rib bones dropped to the ground. Mazi shrugged and let the bone drop.
The elven fighter-mage then cast arcane eye to spy down the fissure. She could see an axe wedged at the bottom of the crack, just out of reach of even Jeremiah’s long arm.
”Let me see your rope of entanglement, Brigit.” said Milo after he too had peered down the crack. ”I think I can haul this out of here if I can get a good angle.”
Brigit grunted agreement and fished her rope out. Milo soon had one end dangling into the fissure. He was about to speak the command word when his sensitive ears picked up a sound from behind the hewn boulders near their wall. He dropped the rope just as two howling shapes bounded from behind the boulders to attack.
They were horrific dog-shaped beasts. Their skin hung tight between their bones, almost making them appear skeletal. Nests of long, sharp quills were raised on their backs, quivering in anticipation of fresh meat.
Milo jumped back and drew his axes as the others rushed to attack. Milo couldn’t jump far enough to avoid the snapping jaws of the first howling monstrosity. Its teeth sank into his arm as it fired four quills directly at him. Through some amazing feat of dexterity, or of dumb luck, Milo avoided all four.
Jeremiah was beset by the other dog-beast. He two fell victim to its slavering jaws, but was able to avoid the quills. The howling creature had caused Jeremiah to drop his sword as it shook his arm like a housedog with a toy. Brigit moved in to protect the barbarian. Her axes fell again and again in a blinding display of speed. The creature howled once more before crumpling into a whimpering heap.
Milo had his hands full with his own howling beast. He scored two good hits with his axes, but the creature fought on. Jeremiah recovered his sword and moved to help. Milo was bit once more before his friends brought the beast down. Jeremiah’s sword and Mazi’s arrows saved him from another attack of quills.
Nursing his sore arm, Milo stood over the bloody corpse of the dog-beast. ”What in the frell was that?”
”I don’t know, but I’m glad none of you were hit by its quills, look at the wicked barb at the end.” said Mazi as she held one of the dangerous slivers in her hand.
”Me too.” said Milo, ”Back to work though, let’s get this axe then get out of here.”
Milo once again lowered Brigit’s rope of entanglement into the fissure. In moments he had withdrawn the rope, attached securely to the haft of the battleaxe. Milo dropped the axe near the skeleton and cast detect magic to see if their trouble was worthwhile.
The battleaxe and the skeleton’s chainmail glowed with a magical aura. Milo grinned and told the others. Meanwhile Mazi had sent her arcane eye to explore the other passage.
She found that the southern passage led around a corner and to a downward staircase that matched the one leading from the fungus room. She brought her eye back and sent it down the way they had come. The passage leading opposite the fountain opened into what appeared to be a fighting pit of some sort.
Mazi described the room to the others. The room was built in an octagon, lined with a six-inch ledge. The floor dropped off into a sixteen-foot deep pit with two archways leading to the north and south. Above the pit hung a bronze latticework. The lattice began near the passage before the pit and continued out to almost the end of the room. A heavy bronze chain hung from the end to dangle about ten feet above the pit floor. Her eye winked out before she could explore the archways.
