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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Milo Windby" data-source="post: 248104" data-attributes="member: 202">Temple of Elemental Evil - Part 39 (Session 17)Outside of the Owlbear's lair they found a long, twisting corridor.  Flames guttered on old torches, casting distorted shadows on the walls as they walked."Fire Temple?  This is the only place that's been lit so far.  Not to mention I'd wager we're near where we found the warrior with Mazi's Flametongue." Milo said quietly."You're probably right, I wonder where their chapel is?" responded Mazi."We'll find it soon enough, elfie.  Ah only hope tha' Trollgrater won' fail me against no flamin' elementals er whatever they got down 'ere." Brigit added.The passage eventually twisted to the north, heading back in the direction of the fateful battle where Milo and Brigit were held helpless while the flaming swordsman attacked.  The passage eventually opened into the room leading into the very place they were thinking about.  They had come full circle, and it was a large circle at that."I'm willing to bet that if we went past the door those clerics were guarding we'd come into the Fire Temple's chapel.  We had to skirt a large area through that lit passage." Mazi said as she studied her map."What's this little blank bit here?" Milo said as he strained on his tiptoes to see the map."That was near the prison where we found the Lady Tillahi and Sir Juffer.  We're not too far from there now." Mazi said."Let's check out there before we take the Fire Temple head on, I'd rather rest up and come back for that." Milo suggested."Ach, ya pansy magic users, ya rely too much on yer spells when all ya need is good strong muscles!" Brigit scoffed."I guess I need to remind you that these pansy spells are what keep your strong muscles going after a long day, or save your bacon when we're faced by a mass of baddies." Milo said, a little miffed."Let em come, Ah'll always have fight in me!" Brigit said, but to Milo she sounded a bit more mollified.The unmapped area Milo referred to led to a hooked hallway to the east of the great hall.  The hallway ended in a plain door.  Brigit led the way once Milo declared it safe.  The room beyond was lit with a soft, warm, diffuse glow.  The floor was made from polished alabaster, gleaming in the light from a cloudy crystal set in the eastern wall next to the door.As soon as they entered Milo felt at peace, as if this were a holy place set among the evil and filth of the temple, a bastion of safety and comfort in the midst of unrest and strife.  The crystal that hung next to the door was large.  It stood from the floor to the ceiling and was wide enough to span from the door to the far wall.  Milo could make out two floating shapes within the mirror.  They were human-shaped, but he could make out feathery wings extending from their backs.  Angels! Milo thought.  He was mystified.The forms drew near the crystal and Milo could make out more detail.  They were human, but for their angelic wings.  Their faces wore beatific smiles and their arms were folded serenely.  They were clad in shimmering white robes and they were floating a few inches from the floor.  One of them spoke."Good people, what are ones such as you doing in a place of pure evil such as this?"Milo began to speak, but was interrupted by the other floating angel."It matters not.  Good people, place your weapons before the Window of the Plane of Weal.  We will enchant them to aid in your battle against the evil of this place.  You must leave the room for the count of seventy-seven." he indicated a door opposite of the entrance.  "If you enter the room before your time then you will be destroyed by the full glory of the Window of the Plane of Weal.  Our enchantment will last but seven hours, if you return in seven days we will enchant your weapons once again.  Now, place down your weapons."Milo dropped his axes before the crystal without even consulting the others.  He knew these were good beings without a shadow of a doubt.  He was surprised to see the others hold back."Don't you want the blessing of the angels?  Trust your feelings, this room is enchanted against the evil.  It must be, don't you feel it?  I think we can use any help we can get it in this place." Milo said to the others.All but Mazi seemed swayed by his argument.  Brigit and Jeremiah approached the crystal.  Brigit unloaded her mass of weapons, lastly placing Trollgrater down with great care.  Jeremiah did likewise, leaving the Windsword for last.  Their willingness seemed to convince Mazi as well.  She began placing her weapons in her own pile in front of the crystal.  She reached for the bundle that held Sylvanglade but stopped."Everything but Sylvanglade.  I won't let this out of my possession." Her reticence stirred something in Brigit and Jeremiah.  They both silently fished out a weapon each, just in case.  Brigit found her old waraxe and Jeremiah pulled out a spear he had been hanging onto.  Milo shrugged and left his weapons be."Good people, you must leave now or be destroyed by the light of the Window of the Plan of Weal!"Milo led the way out.  They found themselves in one of the large hallways leading into the great hall.  Milo eagerly counted to seventy-seven while the others watched the door nervously."Ah don't feel so right about this no more." Brigit said"I didn't feel right about it in the first place!" Mazi said, "I don't even know why I left anything at all."Milo was too busy counting to explain to them how right it all was."Seventy-five, seventy-six, seventy-seven!" he finished.  "Let's go!"Milo bounded back through the door, eager to see his newly enchanted weapons.  He skidded to a halt right as he passed the doorway.  In the place of their weapons he saw two slavering beasts.  They were half-human, half-beast, with elongated snouts and yellow eyes.  Their patchy fur covered their bodies down to their backward bent legs.  The feeling of peace and calm immediately left Milo."Werewolves!" he shouted.The others ran into the room around him, their weapons at the ready.  Milo groaned and kicked himself inwardly for not even keeping a dagger.  It was then that the werewolves attacked.Brigit and Jeremiah arrayed themselves in front of Mazi and Milo.  The werewolves sprung towards them.  They dodged the initial blows and the battle was joined."Not all of my weapons are physical!" Milo muttered.He spoke the words to a ward against evil that would blanket the entire party.  When he was finished a magic circle against evil shimmered into being, centered on himself.  Brigit and Jeremiah struggled to wound the lycanthropes.  It seemed that Jeremiah's spear could inflict no wounds.  Brigit's non-magical axe could harm the beasts, but only from her most vicious attacks.Mazi cast a spell as well.  Her arcane chanting produced a familiar fire from her fingertips.  She molded the flame into a sphere and released it towards the werewolves.  Mazi was rewarded with a startled yelp as it burned the fur and crisped the flesh of one of the creatures.The battle was even until one of the werewolves sunk its yellowed teeth into Jeremiah.  Milo could see him falter for a few moments.  Jer tried to focus on the battle, but Milo saw that the fangs had done their worst.  He worried about the future of his barbarian friend.Milo redirected his attention to the lycanthropes and began chanting again.  This time the air coalesced before his outstretched fingers.  Solid air rocketed away from him and into one of the werewolves.  The creature saw them coming and was able to dodge some of the sword stream, but damage was dealt.Brigit and Jeremiah continued to fight, but were unable to do more than scratch the werewolves.  Mazi directed her sphere back into the flank of the closest monster, which elicited another howl.  The beast turned from Brigit and pounced for Mazi.  She dodged, unscathed.Milo was getting desperate, he thought back on the spells he prayed for that morning and selected one dubiously.  Focused on the werewolf fighting Jeremiah, he gathered his divine powers and cast searing light.  Milo pointed a single finger at the werewolf as a sharp white light streamed forward.  The beam shot out at the werewolf but missed by a hair.  It sizzled a pockmark in the far wall.Brigit hacked away at the werewolf attacking Mazi, who blithely ignored her and attacked the elf anyway.  Mazi dodged another blow and brought the sphere back into the backside of the beast.  It howled again as the smell of cooked meat filled the room.Milo had one more offensive spell prepared, he hoped it didn't backfire on them.  He chanted once again, bringing his divine powers to a focus.  A piercing, high pitched sound rose to a crescendo behind the werewolves.  The keening noise proved to be too much for the sensitive canine hybrid ears of the singed lycanthrope.  It fell to the ground with a whine, its ears bleeding.  The other werewolf howled but fought on.  The friends rallied forward with only one of the beasts left for them to concentrate on.  Mazi's sphere of fire and Brigit's repeated blows from her axe eventually brought the final lycanthrope to the ground.The four took a moment to catch their collective breath before three of them turned menacing stares towards Milo.  Milo looked back, abashed."What?  They looked like angels!  Hey, it's not like I forced any of you to put down your weapons!" a light dawned on Milo, "The weapons!  They've got to be around here somewhere!"Glad for something to concentrate on, Milo ran up to the crystal and began looking for a secret entrance.  His search led him out of the door next to the crystal and into the hallway beyond.  He found what he was looking for just a few steps from the door on the north wall: a cleverly concealed entrance into another room.  The room smelled strongly of dogs.  He noticed two red capes lying on the floor.  Piles of weapons, backpacks, and gear lay in the small room, theirs and others as well.  A cupboard was hung against the inside wall.  The crystal looked more like a window from his side of the room.  He could clearly see Brigit, Jeremiah, and Mazi."Har har har!  Milo's a wee little angel!" he could hear Brigit guffaw from the other room.  Apparently the crystal was enchanted to show the inhabitants of the room as angelic, no matter who they were."I found our things!" he shouted.  Milo hoped that would be enough to exonerate him in his allies' minds.  Brigit came racing in first, her armor clanking as her short legs propelled her to the pile of weapons.  She lovingly lifted Trollgrater from the heap.  An evil glint entered her eye as she turned back towards the crystal window."Ya violated me axe, now Ah'm gonna violate yer arse!" Brigit loudly exclaimed.Absolute silence followed.  Then, "Uhhhmmmm," Milo started, "Did she just say what I think she said?Brigit suddenly started, her grimace slackened.  Her brow furrowed as she contemplated her statement.  Her mouth dropped open and a look of shocked horror filled her eyes."Ah didn't mean..." she sputtered, "Well Ah mean...ARGGHH!"Milo was clutching his side as he laughed, "Oh, it hurts, it hurts, stop it Brigit." he gasped out.  He was soon on the ground, rolling as he held his belly.Mazi couldn't stifle her own laugh, a bell-like tinkling giggle that grew into a chuckle then a full-bore guffaw.  The elf's whole frame shook as she tried to bring her laughter under control.Brigit glowered at the two before stalking off with the rest of her weapons into the other room.  She soon worked out her frustration on the werewolves' corpses.Milo noticed that Jeremiah wasn't laughing.  He instead wore a look of curious concentration.  Sweat beaded his brow.  He looked at Milo with a grimace, holding the bite wound on his shoulder."Don't - feel - so - well - Milo." he said."Oh frell, the werewolf's curse.  Let me see your shoulder."  Milo said, beckoning Jer down to his level as he stood up.Brigit heard him from the other room and ran back in to see what was wrong with her young friend."Did tha werewolf get ya, Jer?  Don't worry, we'll get ya fixed up." Brigit said, fishing for something in her pack.She held aloft a small jar of Keoghtem's Ointment.  She soon had a healthy dollop out of the jar and began slathering it on Jer's wound.  They all waited for it to heal.  Jeremiah again had the look of curious concentration on his face.  After a few minutes Brigit cursed."Ach!  This stuff is worthless!" she said, close to dashing the rest of her ointment on the ground."Hang on, Brigit.  Don't throw it away yet.  I don't think Keoghtem's Ointment can heal a werewolf bite.  One second," Milo said.He drew out their Staff of Healing and held it over Jeremiah's shoulder."Abercromby!""Ahh-FITCH!" Jer sneezed.The wound slowly closed up under the staff, until Jer's shoulder was completely whole.  It was as if he had never been bit at all.  The four friends breathed a collective sigh.Milo retrieved his weapons from the pile, inspecting each one for further treachery.  He also noted the pile of weapons that the werewolves had obviously gathered from other unwary intruders.  There were arrows, bolts, daggers, holy symbols, a flail, hammer, mace, morning star, long sword, two short swords, and three spears.  Some of the arrows and daggers were silvered as well.  "Perfect weapons against werewolves," he said as he held one of the daggers, "too bad we found them a little late."Before packing away any of the weapons Milo cast detect magic on the pile.  None of the weapons on the pile glowed, but he could make out a faint light behind the cabinet doors.  Inside were a shortsword, a dagger, and some herbs."Wolfsbane," Mazi said as she sniffed the herbs.  "How appropriate."They stashed the silver weapons as well as the magical ones in various packs and made ready to leave.</blockquote>

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