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Message: <blockquote data-quote="SolidSnake" data-source="post: 153027" data-attributes="member: 102">Return to the Temple of Elemental Evil, Session 10- Bringing out the Dead (or “So who gets his boots?”)No one was willing to disturb the stoic dwarf as he cried, mainly because Bandar had hardly ever shown emotion at all; and so the Band watched as one of their remaining members wept over the body of Strider.  After some time Lathander placed a gentle hand upon Bandar’s shoulder.“I know he was your friend Bandar, but we must go now.”Nodding, the dwarf rose to his feet and allowed Sentian and Elias to carry Strider’s body away from the scene of carnage.  Strider’s equipment was quickly divided among the remaining members of the Band to reinforce the strength of the enfeebled group so that they could continue their quest.  Although everyone in the Band was against leaving for any extended period of time, everyone finally agreed to leave long enough to give Strider a proper burial.  Elias volunteered to remain inside the Crater Ridge Mines to guard them from any possibility of reinforcement.  Sentian mentally noted the elf’s courage before departing with the rest of the Band.  Whether it was a sign of fortune to come or destiny’s twisted sense of irony, the members of the Band met up with Merk halfway to the village of Rastor.  The strange elf was not alone; a burly blond-haired human man with an intricate spear followed behind her with a dour expression.Merk was in a fine mood when she encountered the group, a vivid contrast from her human companion.Merk: “I am so glad to see you all safe!  Chatrilon lied to me aftera-”Her voice died away as her eyes locked on Strider’s body.  No one dared to look her in the eye, lest they have to explain what happened…but Merk needed no explanation to understand that for whatever reason Strider had fallen.  The Band stood uncomfortably while Merk wept, joined shortly thereafter by the sound of Bandar’s lamentation.Merk (hysterically): “Can’t we raise him?!”Lathander (somberly): “That isn’t my place to decide…I must speak with his spirit to find the answers.”Merk’s response to the priest of Pelor was more tears of anguish.  With all the civility he could muster, Lathander introduced himself to Merk’s companion in order not be completely rude.  The man went by the name of Tresh and was in search of Eblis.Lathander: “He may have been captured by members of the cult.  I remember that the events around his disappearance were strange…”Tresh: “So you have no idea for sure?”Lathander: “No, but if he was captured he will most assuredly be in the Mines.”Merk (turning away from Strider’s body): “I came here to warn you.  Chatrilon is not what he claims to be…”Lathander: “We know.  He attacked us before we were able to get to the mines.”Merk: “He did?  Well, it’s good that you know.  But there is something more important: the cult has found Lareth’s body.”Lathander: “WHAT?!  I thought it was impossible to find!”Merk: “Well they seemed to know exactly where to look.  Tresh and I stumbled upon Chatrilon and other members of the cult digging it up.  We nearly died when Elmo attacked us by surprise…it turned out that the cult had a doppleganger on their side…don’t worry, the real Elmo is fine.  Also, the cult has built a new Temple called the Temple of All Consumption and has moved to this area.  Once Burne found out he sent me and Tresh on a griffon to find you guys.”The mood of the group switched from grief to worry.  As the Band walked back towards the village, introductions were made all around and the group’s goals were discussed.  Everyone wanted to pay the cult back for what they had done to Strider, but his burial was the most important task.  Tresh said he would not attend the burial and would meet the Band when he had finished with tasks in the town of Rastor.  Lathander didn’t cherish losing a possible helping hand, but he understood nonetheless.  Sentian’s stead, Xerxes, was used to transport the body to a secluded grove Merk had spotted on her way into town.  To ensure that Strider’s spirit was at rest, Lathander took some time to speak with it.  The priest found out that Strider was happily reunited with his wife in the afterlife and did not wish to come back so long as someone would claim his responsibilities: finding Redithidor’s killers, carrying out Mordenkainen’s investigation, and protecting Merkaeytl.  With a heartfelt farewell, Strider’s body was lowered into its grave the next morning at dawn with everyone speaking in turn about the great hero.  Sentian applauded his bravery, Lathander revered his character, Merk spoke of his kindness, but Bandar made the greatest speech of all.Bandar: “I am sorry Aramek couldn’t be here for this, I know he was your best friend.  Although we didn’t agree on all things, I just wanted you to know that you weren’t just my friend but my leader as well.  I wanted to see this through to the end with you, but now you are gone.  Fear not my friend, for I shall take the standard that has fallen from your grasp…all your responsibilities are now mine.  I will find Redithidor’s killers and I will defeat the Temple that has claimed your life.  This I vow!”Before the group left the grove, Lathander took the time to meld stones he had collect together into a blank tombstone.  I will inscribe the words I feel when I return Strider…I promise.  The Band wasted little time in Rastor, only spending a few minutes to gather supplies and leave Xerxes in the care of Tal Chummish.  The group found Elias at the Main Gate, a complete wreck.  Apparently he hadn’t slept at all because he felt like “he was being watched.”Merk: “And who is this?”Lathander: “Merk, this is Elias.”Elias: “Pleased to meet you, Merk.”Merk (with an appraising glance): “You are a noble aren’t you.”Elias (taken aback): “Why yes.  How did you know?”Merk: “Your ring gave it away.”Elias: “You are very astute.  I am the Scion of House Craylith.”Merk: “What are you doing out here alone?”Elias: “Life as a noble was too constrictive…my desire to be a part of the Companion Guard would never have been fulfilled by joining in the politics of Court.  I pleaded for this assignment.”Lathander (hesitant): “Interesting…but more importantly, when do you think that wagon will arrive Merk?”Merk: “My guess is that it should be here in a week’s time if not sooner.”Elias: “I will leave my familiar here so that if it does come while we are in the Mines, we will know about it.”Merk: “Good thinking!”The Band made their way back to the caves they fought the apes in, pausing only to allow Merk to spit on the one that killed Strider.  The cave that housed the smaller apes had little of interest, but the cave beyond that one was obviously where the larger ape dwelled from the number bones littering the floor.  A quick search revealed what appeared to be the symbol of the Water temple amongst the bones.  Pressing on into the labyrinth of tunnels, the group discovered a wooden door embedded into the end of a tunnel.  In their excitement the Band forgot its caution and thus Sentian plummeted headfirst when the floor directly in front of the door gave way to reveal a deep pit lined with spikes.  Although the fall did not kill the sturdy paladin, it broke the bond Lathander had placed upon them with his Shield Other spell.  Using some rope, the Band worked to drag the paladin out of the pit.  Once everyone was on the other side, Sentian waited for Merk to try her hand at opening the locked door.  When it was revealed that she had “never really gotten into that sort of thing,” Sentian threw his weight into the door and splintered quite easily.  Stumbling into a hallway of worked stone, Sentian immediately realized the area he was standing in was well lit and decorations adorning walls quite sophisticated for a place that claimed to be just a simple mine.  The hallway extended for about sixty paces before transforming into a four-way intersection.  On the other side of the intersection was a rather large room equipped with plush furniture and a table surrounded by three elven and three human warriors playing tiles.  All of the men were dressed in heavy armor and sported the Elder Elemental Eye on their tunics.  They all turned up from their game to see the lone paladin standing in the hallway.  In a situation like this Sentian did the first thing that came to mind…he brandished his sword menacingly and yelled something valorous at the top of his lungs.“Surrender or die!”The soldiers responded by exploding into action.  One of the elves disappeared into the corner of the room, while the rest of his comrades overturned the table and drew bows out.  Before Merk could even cast Expeditious Retreat on herself and draw her bow, the sound of a large gong filled the area.  Lathander reacted to the sound by casting Obscuring Mist on the area and yelling for everyone to stay in the mist.  Everyone prepared themselves while they heard the sounds of movement just outside the fog.  Not being able to stand the tension any longer, Sentian poked his head out of the mist to be greeted by a storm of arrows from two lines of armored soldiers.  Luckily his armor protected him from the hail of steel, but things grew worse as the sound of dogs barking filled the hallway.  In response, Elias summoned a ball of burning flame and sent it blindly down the hallway.  A moment later the sounds of anguish death accompanied the smell of burning flesh.  Sentian gritted his teeth in anger…What honor is there in hiding behind a screen of smoke?  There is no valor in this!With a roar, Sentian emerged from the fog and barreled into the waiting line of soldiers.  As he charged into their ranks he could see that some men had caught on fire from Elias’ spell and more would be joining them shortly.  The paladin swung his sword in a vicious arc, killing many men around him and receiving little punishment in return.  Fearing that they would lose yet another ally, the rest of the party tried to aid their friend but were met by a wave of angry canines.  It became a race for time…Sentian stood in a pile of bodies, but he had taken many wounds himself and he didn’t know how long he could last with wave after wave of reinforcements coming from the hallways.  The rest of the Band tried desperately to kill the dogs and move on but their attacks were difficult to place inside the mists.Bandar: “Stop the spell Lathander, we need to see what is happening!”In anger at what was happening, Lathander stopped the spell and thus revealed the true calamity of the situation: Sentian was nowhere to be seen and over a dozen soldiers filled the hallway.  The priest had little time to think as he summoned a ray of positive energy to fill the hallway and vanquish their foes.  When the light subsided, all that was left were a few soldiers who had thrown themselves behind cover and many charred bodies.  Bandar and Elias wasted no time in charging the rest of the soldiers in the hopes of breaking their spirit.  Lathander followed quickly behind, his only concern being the welfare of Sentian Thann.  The priest spotted the brave paladin lying motionless around the corner of the hallway.Lathander: “To me!”In an attempt to bolster the party’s defense, Lathander cast Magic Circle Against Evil.  As soon as the field of protection was erected, an enormous deurgar clad in heavy armor and wielding a dwarven waraxe materialized out of thin air and struck Lathander with all its might.  The priest nearly went down with the first blow and narrowly avoided the second by backpedaling into the wall.  Elias and Bandar focused their energies on destroying this new foe, while Merk put herself in harms way to heal the fallen Sentian.  As Sentian revived himself further, a strange goblin with white robes walked nonchalantly into the midst of the battle.  Bandar diverted his attention momentarily to skewer the insane creature but as he struck it, the creature dissipated into nothing.  Confused, Bandar turned his attention back to the deurgar and began to pummel it with psychic energy.  The restored paladin got to his feet and immediately went to work on the remaining soldiers, killing them before they had a chance to react.  Lathander was doing all he could to defend himself against the skilled deurgar warrior; his fear was further compounded when he noticed an eight-foot tall goblinoid creature heading in the party’s direction from one of the branching hallways.  The evil grin the goblinoid was sporting vanished when it stopped abruptly a few feet from the party.  The creature snarled in frustration as it beat upon an invisible barrier.  The weakened deurgar yelled something in a foreign language at the goblinoid while as it attacked the party, causing the large creature to move back down the hallway it came from and remove a key it had been carrying on its necklace.  Sentian ended the deurgar’s life by summoning the power of his god into the blade of his sword and smiting the evil warrior with divine vengeance.  The Band’s attention was turned from the body of the fallen deurgar by the sound of a click.  Glancing down the hallway, the party saw the goblinoid creature finish turning a key in the wall and begin to leviatate towards the ceiling.  The bone-shaking sound of a roar was all the incentive anyone needed to begin running for the tunnels of the mines.  Lathander, the last man to make it through the doorway, saw that they were being pursued by the creature of legend: the chimera!  Luckily, the doorway was much too small for the great beast to fit through, allowing the Band to escape back to the Earth Temple.Once Lathander knew that the danger had passed, he could hold his anger no longer.Lathander: “Sentian, what where you thinking?!  You can’t go running off without our help!  You were nearly killed!”Sentian: “There is no shame in showing valor in the face of adversity Lathander.”Lathander: “Do you have a death wish?  You are only one man Sentian!  You need us just as much as we need you…I just don’t want to see you die.”Sentian: “I am sorry for scaring you like that; I won’t abandon the group again.”The rest of the day was spent resting up and discussing tactics.  Lathander was against Merk staying with the group as she would be in great danger, something Strider would have disliked.  Trying to convince her to leave was nearly pointless as she was very stubborn and wanted to do her part in the destruction of the temple.  Since Lathander could not find any alternatives for her to fight the cult, she convinced him that her help would be needed in the depths of the mines.The next morning the Band found a note scrawled in common indicating dangers the group might face should they continue onwards.  Just as the note indicated, the party’s exploration led them into a den of owlbears.  The battle was quick and ruthless as the party was prepared for well prepared this time.  Further exploration of the area brought the party to a small lake; Lathander called a retreat as he deduced that this was the beginning of the Water Temple and the Band had sworn not entering its lands.  With the destroyed Earth Temple to the south and the Water Temple to the north, the Band had little recourse but to go back into the chimera’s lair.  Before entering, many spells of power were cast on the party to ensure their victory over this foe.  The magically silenced and protected Band moved into the hallway slowly in search for its prey.  They found the chimera asleep, laying in a pool of blood and body parts.  With a silent laugh of what was to come the Band strode forth valiantly, expecting to dispatch the beast with one clean blow…they did not expect the dragon head to immediately wake as Sentian approached and spew a cone of magical frost from its mouth…</blockquote>

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