Session 15
Hi,
Here's what happened in Monday night's session. Suspicious of the monkey-covered temple, the players went in a different direction so I haven't got to run the
monkey chase skill challenge yet

. It was a fun session nonetheless with the grell and two gricks proving
very challenging for six 3rd-4th level PCs.
23rd Maius
The party are joined by Sharden and El’em. Sreedhar gives an impromptu lecture on Vrishabha, Srivasta and the early history of Parsantium, then the PCs head through the narrow archway through the walls ahead in single file. Ahead are three stupas, and to the left a temple covered in monkeys and another structure that resembles a chariot. Fearing the monkeys, the party decide to head to the right, towards a series of four rathas (shrines). Krivinn and El’em head into the first ratha, dedicated to the goddess Durga, and search among the debris inside, finding a peridot but no secret doors.
Next, the PCs head into the second ratha, dedicated to Agni (god of fire). Inside the garhabgriha, the statue of the god is missing – a dark pit is in its place. As Krivinn enters the inner sanctum, a grell flies up out of the pit and strikes the paladin with its poisonous tentacles. Meanwhile, two gricks appear to attack Gong and Margarita. El’em, Ella and Sharden attack the aberrations at range as the gricks move to flank Gong and Margarita and the grell grabs Krivinn, stuns him, and then drops him down the shaft. Margarita goes unconscious under attack from the gricks as Sharden sets one on fire and Ella shoots at them with her bow. El’em goes to help Krivinn who is climbing up the pit but also gets grabbed by the grell and also ends up being dropped down there, unconscious on -13hp. Sharden goes to help but misses. Eventually, El’em uses the gorilla idol he found in Orloch’s lair to heal himself by draining life energy from the grell, killing it. With the two gricks also dead, the PCs decide to take an extended rest in the shrine.
Recovered and rested, the PCs continue east towards the large temple they can see through the trees. Before they can get there, the party are attacked again – this time, by a band of goblins led by a bugbear and a goblin warrior mounted on a carrion crawler. Krivinn challenges the bugbear while El’em pushes the crawler and its rider away from him with thunderwave. Krivinn and the bugbear are both inept in combat and keep missing each other but after a few rounds the PCs are able to finish off their opponents, capturing one goblin warrior who surrenders.
Cheers
Richard