Temple of Elemental Evil - part 60(session 26)
With the recent findings stowed in various packs, they moved on. A large table lined with twelve comfortable-looking seats dominated the next room they came to. A cabinet and a side table sat against one wall. Overhead, a huge chandelier hung over the table. The candles had been burned low but were no longer lit.
"Looks like a dining room. Not much to eat though." Milo said as he wiped dust off the tabletop.
"Aye, slim pickin's indeed." Brigit said as she investigated the cabinet.
"Doesn't look like there's much more here than the table and chairs. Not even a door for the servants to come through. I wonder where the kitchen is?"
"Elsewhere I'd think. Let's go see where that other passage leads. Maybe you'll find your food, Milo."
The passage Mazi mentioned did lead to the kitchen. A huge fireplace spanned the back wall. Tall worktables were littered with cooking utensils. A large pantry lay open to their left. Milo and Brigit made a beeline for the closet.
"Anythin' good in here?" Brigit asked, rifling through the pantry. "Mmmmmm, ale!" she found a tapped cask of the alcoholic beverage. "Ach, Ah need a drink O' some good dwarven ale, it'd be better'n this dredge. Ah guess it'll do though."
While Brigit proceeded to fill the closest mug with the watered down ale, Milo continued to rifle through the food closet. "Looks like there's enough food here to restock our supplies. Mostly dried meat and some breadstuffs. All of the perishables have done just that."
"What's this!" Brigit's exclamation surprised them all. "Ah think Ah found some brandy, good stuff at tha'!" Brigit heaved a smaller cask out from a pile of sacks in the corner of the pantry.
Surprising them all, Jeremiah reached out to relieve Brigit of the cask. He examined the small barrel and smelled deeply of the earthen and charred scent of the wood. "Good stuff."
Brigit guffawed and slapped Jeremiah on the back. "Aye lad! We'll drink up when we get outta this place!" Brigit turned to Mazi, "Meantime, what say we haul this thing in tha' box O' yers Mazi?"
"I don't see why not. Hang on a second." Mazi withdrew the enchanted box and spoke the command word. The box grew to fill an eight-foot square.
"Do ya mind Jer? Ah don' think Ah can reach."
Jeremiah stood high on his tiptoes and dropped the cask in. Mazi spoke the command word to reduce the box to a palm-sized cube. They were soon on their way back to the ettin's room to investigate more of the locked doors.
The third door in the cavernous room led to another short flight of steps before winding around. A large room broke the monotony of the passage. They could see it continued on the opposite side. The room was lined with more dining tables. This room was decorated with lavish murals spanning each wall. The scenes depicted temple priest, blood-dripping vampires, ghouls, and ghasts sitting down to feast on roast dwarf, braised elf, and barbequed human in a grisly banquet. Milo's stomach turned.
"This place is disgusting. The sooner we finish up here the sooner I can try to wipe my mind of the scenes they saw fit to decorate with." Milo said, holding back his bile. "Maybe I'm not the only one that was too disgusted to eat here. These dishes have been here a long time." Milo wiped his finger across one of the dusty plates set at the head of one table. "Wait a second, this is gold!"
"Good eyes, Milo. Anythin' else 'sides tha plate?" Brigit asked.
Milo took some time to examine each setting and service. When he finished they had in their possession two golden pitchers, a golden platter, a golden spice shaker, and the plate.
"Oughta be worth somethin' on tha market. We can keep it all in Mazi's box."
They repeated the exercise from the kitchen and were soon ready to leave. The opposite passage led a short way before opening into a twenty-foot square room, that room opened into a thirty-foot wide room that stretched back another sixty. To the left of the passage another hall led back the other way, perhaps emptying into another room. They found the same at the second opening into the main chamber.
"What do you think? Some sort of museum?" Milo said examining the contents of the main chamber. The walls were lined with thirteen skeletons in armor and bearing weapons. Shields and swords hung from the walls in-between the gruesome guardians.
"Museum or trap." Brigit said as she entered the room with Milo. She drew her enchanted warhammer and took one mighty swing at the nearest skeleton. The ancient form shattered with the impact and showered the two with dust from the bones. The armor and skull made a loud clatter as they fell to the ground that echoed for a few seconds throughout the room. Brigit turned to say something when the entire chamber seemed to fall deathly silent.
Something made Milo's spine crawl. It was then that he noticed that the shadows from the passage seemed to detach from the wall and float forward of their own accord. Milo gripped Usamigaras' holy symbol before shouting a warning to the others.
So I'm going to ask: Do the colors for dialogue help or hinder reading?
