Upgrade your account to a Community Supporter account and remove most of the site ads.

Reply to thread

Message: <blockquote data-quote="SolidSnake" data-source="post: 472513" data-attributes="member: 102">Return to the Temple of Elemental Evil, Session 14, Part 2- Trials and Tribulations (or “I know Kung Fu!”)After resting a day the group was ready for another foray deeper into the treacherous temple.  As they prepared, Bandar reminded everyone that they had cleared another quarter of the temple’s circumference, and would now probably face the minions of Tharizdun in the Southern Bridge Complex.  The cavern where the Band had fought the trolls was probably the antechamber to the Complex, judging by the troll with Tharizdun armor that had emerged from the doorway beyond to help his fellow trolls.  Though it seemed like every fight was extremely difficult, the fights against the Tharizdun fanatics at the West entrance and the Northern Bridge Complex had been particularly vicious and the party had barely emerged victorious.  Another daunting battle like the previous ones probably awaited the group.But there was some cause for celebration.  Divine Pelor had heard Lathander’s humble prayers spoken from within this morass of evil.  The God had welcomed his faithful cleric into the ranks of his elite as a Radiant Servant of Pelor.  The handsome priest was shining at his impressive accomplishment that he had desired for so long.  The others congratulated him, impressed by his aura of confidence and newfound power.  Lathander was even more valuable to the party than before.Proceeding cautiously, the Band moved forward past the scenes of its hard-won fights against the umber hulks and the trolls.  Stacy crept ahead to the door from which the armored troll had emerged, and silently checked it for traps.  As the party watched on in hushed anticipation, the halfling used his picks to open the door’s lock.  With visible effort, Stacy cracked open the door without eliciting a creak from its hinges.  The glow of a lantern beyond appeared through the ajar doorway.As the small thief peeked inside, he got the fright of his life.  Only his lightening reflexes, perfected over the years in a demanding and dangerous profession, saved him from being skewered by a gigantic blade that swept through the opening exactly where he had been a split second beforehand.  The door flew from its hinges, revealing a massive troll bedecked in black armor encrusted with Tharizdun’s symbols, silhouetted in the light beyond.  The creature carried a weapon with two ten-foot blades protruding in each direction, a twenty-foot long murderous monstrosity that no normal creature could wield.  So much for surprise…As Stacy tried to scramble to safety, the troll pounced and did a sweeping cut with its weapon.  Stacy dodged as best he could, but the blade caught him and threw him across the cavern like a rag doll.  The halfling recovered enough to attempt to cast a spell, but his pain ruined his concentration and the magic was lost.  His friends rushed to the rescue – Bandar unleashed a psionic concussion, Aramek slammed the monster with his hammer, and Gholoth dared to engage with just his powerful kicks and punches. Lathander trumped them all with a totally new spell: he summoned an angelic being from heaven!  The lantern archon appeared, a globe of holy energy to help the group.  It projected protective magic to good creatures nearby and disrupted evil creatures like the troll.  The monster squinted against the new light nearby and swiped at Aramek, who miraculously remained unscathed from its gigantic chops.Showing that even the littlest action can make all the difference, Stacy blocked out his pain and completed his Color Spray spell.  The troll stopped its murderous sword sweeps to look at the pretty colors.  The party was amazed and overjoyed at the troll’s vulnerability, and rushed to take advantage of the opportunity.  Bandar unleashed waves of painful mental energy, Aramek repeatedly battered it with his hammer, and even the lantern archon did its share with small burning beams of light that raked the beast’s flesh.  Gholoth was frustrated that even his best kicks and punches were useless against the stunned monster.  Just before the troll came out of its daze, Lathander completed a Heat Metal spell, and started to agitate the enemy’s black armor.Once the towering troll came to and registered the painful attacks from all sides, it retreated with bounding strides out of sight into the Complex.  The members of the Band grinned at each other and pressed forward into the lit areas beyond.  They were experienced enough to know that they shouldn’t get giddy over winning the first skirmish, and they checked the areas with quick precision as they moved into the unexplored areas.  Led by Stacy (who was moving rapidly thanks to Expeditious Retreat), the party passed some umber hulk heads apparently kept as trophies.  Gholoth healed himself with psionic energy and joined Aramek at the head of the main party.  Lathander sent his archon ally ahead to follow the troll, and the floating being discovered the troll in a hallway beyond yelling into rooms for help.  The holy creature fried the troll with its light rays while the monster’s armor continued to burn, leaving the troll screaming in pain.  In the meantime, Lathander cast Divine Power on himself, which literally made him shine with holy light and improved his fighting skills.  It’s good to have a Radiant Servant of Pelor around…The Band proceeded, checking side areas before moving ahead.  They heard a clamor up ahead as the passage opened into a huge, wide, well-lit hallway extending hundreds of feet.  Aramek peeked down a side corridor and groaned at what he saw – a pair of charging lizards with fangs and teeth barred (velociraptors).  Lathander pulled up the rear, bringing Divine Favor down on the group while his archon cast Aid on Gholoth.  The raptors collided with Aramek and Gholoth in a flurry of screeches, flying claws, swinging hammers, and mighty kicks.  One beast clawed Aramek in the face, and he responded with a snarl and an angry attack that bowled the creature over.  Gholoth’s fist loosened the other raptor’s razor-sharp teeth while the archon’s rays crackled through the air.  Stacy fired on the monsters while Bandar started agitating their hides with psionics.  Lathander completed Shield of Faith to boost his defense and smiled as he heard the troll with the scalding armor howling in the distance.  Stacy noted with dismay that human warriors were pouring out of doors from the long hallway and converging on the group’s flank.The Tharizdun soldiers closed in on the party but failed to do much damage, even though the group’s best fighters were facing the raptors on the other side.  Some soldiers fired at the bright archon, a totally useless endeavor given the creature’s magical protections.  Some swiped at Gholoth as he fought the snarling raptors, but the psionic monk was too quick for them.  More soldiers were approaching from rooms farther down the hallway.  Stacy and Bandar attacked the raptors from afar as the beasts ripped away at Gholoth and Aramek.  One lizard bit the tough dwarf on the shoulder.  Aramek angrily grabbed the monster by the neck, and with a crushing blow from his hammer he bashed in its skull in a shower of flying gore.  Without hesitation, he closed in on Gholoth’s raptor and smashed it as well just as Gholoth broke some of its ribs with a strong kick.  Lathander finished off his repertoire of preparatory spells with Fire Shield on himself, and his archon gave him Aid before its time expired and it returned to its plane of existence.Tharizdun troops poured into the party’s midst, and more were coming.  With enough targets in range now, Bandar let loose a psionically-charged Stomp that failed to knock any of the soldiers off their feet.  Gholoth occupied the last raptor’s attention with several swift attacks before mighty Aramek killed the beast with another skull-shattering swing of his hammer.  Lathander then surprised the entire group with his next spell.  He used Searing Light on the hallway of troops converging on the group, and Pelor had granted the spell tremendous power.  There was a blinding flash of light and when it was gone there were just piles of ash where more than a dozen soldiers had been!  The Band was left blinking, suddenly free of enemies.  Unfortunately, that freedom lasted only a split second…Down the raptor hallway a woman in dark robes stepped out of a doorway, followed by a half-orc in brightly-colored robes.  They grimly unleashed powerful attacks on the party, which had already weathered several assaults.  The wizardess sent a powerful fireball that exploded in the center of the group and only Gholoth managed to avoid with a swift jump out of the blast.  When the flames receded, Stacy was an unmoving heap on the ground, with Bandar, Lathander, Aramek groaning with pain.  Aramek’s groans turned to a howl when the half-orc shot energy into the wall nearby, spraying the hardened dwarf with a shower of stone shards that cut him deeply.  Aramek was worse for wear, even with Lathander’s Shield Other spell (cast before the battle) absorbing some of the damage.Yet the two new spellcasting foes were not all of the Band’s new troubles.  The troll with the searing hot armor reappeared down the hallway, still furious and in pain.  Now he’d brought his boss, though, who made the troll look downright friendly.  Next to the towering troll was a huge ogre with bat-like wings, carrying a two-handed sword, and wearing a red gem necklace.  (The hulking goblin-like spellcaster at the Northern Bridge Complex had a similar necklace).  With a chuckle, the newest and mightiest foe sent a dark wave of power into the battered party’s midst.  This time the group stubbornly resisted its effects, except Bandar, who was left in pain and retching from the corruptive power.  Despite the thorough pounding he had received in the last few seconds, Bandar ran up to the massive ogre and troll and launched his most impressive psionic attack, a deafening Cone of Sound.  The Ogre shrugged off the ear-splitting attack, but the troll was in pain.  Lathander cast Magic Weapon and gave his mace magical power for the coming fight.  Aramek charged the hulking monstrosities towering over Bandar, falling into a rage.  He ducked the troll’s huge blade and suffered a tremendous cut from the Ogre to close the distance and deal both foes some painful blows.  In the meantime, Gholoth took on both the wizardess and half-orc casters at once.  Tangling with such powerful enemies alone would normally be the end of even an experienced warrior, but Gholoth was a cut above the rest.  He ran straight through a magical barrier the spellcasters had created to protect them, and knocked the wizardess back with a punch.  She reacted by running up the wall away from Gholoth and out of reach, apparently having cast Spider Climb on herself before the battle.  The half-orc seared the psionic monk with magical rays from his eyes, but Gholoth countered the damage with a psionic ability that reduced its effects.  Normally the wizardess would be removed from combat, perched high on the wall as she was, and free to let loose deadly spells.  Gholoth was not the least concerned, using his psionic powers to run up onto the wall to face her.  He smiled to himself when he saw how perturbed the woman was.  When she released a tremendous lightning bolt directly into the tattooed monk, he reacted instantly.  Gholoth threw himself to the side (against the ceiling) and dodged the bolt utterly.  If he had any hair on his bald head, it would be standing straight up.  The powerful warrior did not change his expression despite his narrow escape from death, but the wizardess had changed her expression – there was a look of sheer terror on her face! [DM notes: This fight was straight out of “The Matrix,” I kid you not…]Bandar stood next to powerful Aramek and let loose a Stomp that knocked the Troll to the ground but didn’t phase the mighty ogre mage.  Lathander came behind Aramek and cast defensively, healing some of his comrade’s worst wounds (and still suffering from those Aramek had suffered before).  He completed his spell in the knick of time, because both the recovering troll and the huge ogre worked together to chop into Aramek from both sides, leaving him staggering.  Being hit with two ten foot blades by towering creatures would fell even a veteran fighter, but Aramek was made of sterner stuff.  The others are always stunned at how much of a beating the great dwarf can absorb.  Just as Aramek cried out, he heard an answering call from a strangely familiar voice.  He thought his mind was playing tricks on him during what seemed his final moments alive.Lathander had enough time to turn and see brave Sentien charge onto the scene, wearing banded mail and carrying his sword high.  The sight of the mighty paladin arriving refreshed his sagging spirits in the desperate, losing fight for the Southern Bridge Complex.  Lathander didn’t care why Sentien was there, he just felt overjoyed that their trusted companion had returned in the nick of time, even without new plate armor.  Aramek had already shown his mettle many times over in this battle, but he yet again proved his worth with another stunning deed.  Covered in his own blood and that of his enemies, groaning from pain due to multiple horrible wounds, Aramek still managed another stunning attack.  During the moment when the Ogre mage was distracted by Sentien’s arrival, Aramek lunged forward at its knees.  The monster stooped low to fend off any crippling attack, unintentionally leaving itself open.  Aramek lost no time in scrambling back and sending his warhammer home directly between the Ogre’s eyes with strength that would have made a giant jealous.  For the third time in a minute, stout Aramek caved in the skull of an opponent, just this time it was the head of the enemy leader!  The large beast collapsed with a shudder, spelling disaster for the troll that remained.As only Aramek could do, he followed up the deadly blow on the Ogre with a bone-shattering hit on the troll, who was falling back in horror.  It’s armor was finally cooling off, but it was severely weakened and suddenly outmatched.  Lathander closed in with his mace, testing the creature’s defenses and not letting it get away.  On the other front, Gholoth was also in the midst of heroic deeds.  The half-orc spellcaster had drunk a potion to levitate into the fight between the wizardess and the psionic monk.  The wizardess ran off her wall, onto the ground, and then up on the other wall with her Spider Climb, and then unleashed another lightning bolt at Gholoth, around the same time that her companion released bolts of energy as he had done earlier.  Impossibly fast and agile, Gholoth merely dodged both attacks completely, shocking both casters and filling them with dread.  They had used up their greatest power without even singeing Gholoth, who had now avoided four powerful offensive spells!  Gholoth coolly accepted his fortune and skill, and advanced undeterred.  He ran off his wall, across the floor, and onto the wizardess’ wall, where he nearly broke all her teeth with a massive punch as she watched on in shock.  The half-orc took stock of the situation, then turned tail and ran!Meanwhile, Sentien stooped over Stacy and brought the downed adventurer back to consciousness with a Cure Light Wounds spell.  Further down the hallway, the troll tried to avoid Lathander, who was sheathed in magical flame from his earlier spells.  The troll couldn’t connect with the two dwarves, and was hard-pressed as the group focused on it now – Stacy fired with his crossbow, Bandar prepared an attack, and Aramek was doggedly on the monster’s heels.  Behind the troll, a group of eight gnolls charged into view, but they stopped ten feet short of the group for some reason.In the meantime, the injured and desperate wizardess begged for her life from impassive Gholoth, whom she had tried to kill several times.  As the psionic monk considered his options, Stacy relieved him of the choice.  The halfling saw what was going on and ended the spellcaster’s life with a well-aimed shot to the head.  Her body fell limply to the ground.  Stacy nodded to Gholoth and turned his attention back to the main fight.  The tattooed man shrugged and walked off the wall.Sentien charged into the fray with the armored troll, who reminded the group that he was still very dangerous by carving into the paladin with his twin-bladed sword.  Sentien grimaced, wishing he had his armor back.  Bandar stepped forward to face the gnolls, bursting a Cone of Sound over the group of monsters.  Despite the well-placed attack that made the air course with waves of potent psionic energy, the gnolls seemed utterly unaffected.  Bandar growled in frustration, having expected that attack to finish the gnolls off.  Yet Bandar’s attack and Aramek’s brutal attacks against the troll convinced the beasts to make a hasty retreat.  Gholoth returned to the group from his little noticed but amazingly successful side battle where he bested two powerful spellcasters without even suffering a scratch.Now the Band faced just one injured troll, exactly as the battle had begun.  Sentien failed to penetrate the beast’s considerable armor and Stacy missed from afar.  Bandar used some of the last of his mental energy to knock the monster off its feet with Stomp after it hit Aramek yet again.  In his final revenge, Aramek nearly knocked the troll’s head off, snapping its neck.  [Talk about doing most of the damage for the group...]Gholoth sprinted to the troll’s corpse while Lathander healed struggling Aramek.  As Sentien made sure the beast stayed down with chops from his blade, Lathander lit the monster’s body on fire.  The Band saw a door fly open and the half-orc go scurrying across the wide hallway up ahead with a tome tucked under his arm, but nobody wanted to pursue another enemy.  They watched with satisfaction as they ended the armored troll’s life...then noticed with surprise that the supposedly dead ogre mage was slowly dragging himself away.  His ugly head no longer seemed so caved in – he must have regenerated!  As the Band moved to make sure the ogre stayed dead, it turned to gas and dissipated.  They reacted with groans – why couldn’t it stay dead?  Who wanted to face that thing again?Regardless, the immediate fight was over, and the group fell back quickly, remarkably intact given the foes they had just overcome.  As they jogged back through the passages to the surface, they asked Sentien why he had returned.“I came back from my quest for new armor because I couldn’t bear to leave my friends to face the Temple.  Staying here and helping was more important than getting new armor.  It’s good to be back.”The whole Band agreed that it was great to have Sentien back, especially in the midst of this tough battle.  Stacy was especially grateful, since he would have perished without Sentien’s healing.  Lathander formally introduced Sentien to Stacy and Gholoth, new since he had left.The group camped outside that night, regaling stories of what had taken place in their momentous fight against the Southern Bridge Complex.  They agreed that what Aramek and Gholoth were incredible and probably saved the party from destruction.  Gholoth had already earned a very respected place in the Band of the Rising Sun.  They healed and rested, preparing themselves to return yet again; this time to finish off the slaves of Tharizdun in the Southern Bridge Complex.</blockquote>

Verification