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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Rel" data-source="post: 191129" data-attributes="member: 99">Gah!  It seems that the very gods conspire against me getting an update posted.  I managed to get some writing done at lunch and a bit more at home, only to find that our home phone line (and therefore internet connection) was out.  Later tonight I found out that our phone line was restored so I logged on to post and I get the "boards are busy" message at 12:02 AM!But I have persevered and brought you an update.  No longer must I hang my head in shame (well, not as much anyway).  So here you go and I'll try to follow up with another one relatively soon.  It sounds like the Boards may be a bit wonky in the near future anyhow.The CathedralThe party approached the temple for the second time with some trepidation.  The palpable aura of evil that hung over the place was even more real given the events of the previous night.As they came closer, they saw the guardian statues had reformed and once again stood flanking the archway entrance to the courtyard.  Not desiring for the statues to pursue them into the Temple, they decided to go ahead and deal with them before entering.Raven and Scar readied their bows and let fly.  Their arrows struck home but did little damage.  The statues immediately came to life and moved toward the group at top speed.  Another volley of arrows came on to meet them and these too did little harm.  And then the statues were upon the party.In the first few moments of the melee, one of them struck a vicious blow to Raven, which nearly sent him sprawling.  He recovered quickly enough and landed a series of hammer blows that began to send chips of stone flying in all directions.  Scrubs too entered the fight but his claws were no match for the statues who struck out at the bear with their stony hands and maces.  Scrubs found himself wounded and retreating after just a few moments in the battle.Scar on the other hand lay about him with his hammer and got excellent results.  He battered one of the statues into chunks of shapeless stone with one two-handed blow after another.  As he rounded on the other, he saw Raven take another strike which would have felled a lesser warrior.Speaks meanwhile helped where he could with healing an occasionally struck with his spear.  He held back on his more potent magics in order to save them for whatever evils lay within the temple.With one statue down, Raven and Scar made quick work of the last.  The first skirmish of the day was won, but at some cost.  Raven and Scrubs had been sorely wounded in the fight and it took more than a bit of the Dwarf’s healing magic just to put him back in fighting fettle.  It was decided that Scrubs should wait outside the Temple lest he fall easy prey to the evils within.Leaving the bear behind, the group approached the temple entrance warily.  Stopping outside the door, they warded themselves against some of the elemental magics they suspected awaited them.  They were not disappointed.Upon opening the door of the place, a thunderous roar burst forth that shook their very bones.  Speaks and Scar avoided some of the blast, but Raven took the full brunt of it.  The group paused to collect and heal themselves and Speaks called forth an Ally in the form of a wolf.  They proceeded into the Temple proper.Beyond the front entrance was a hallway leading into the darkness.  Speaks drew out his Everburning Torch to provide illumination.  The party passed a pair of doorways that led to vestibules but with no other obvious foes.  Because some of the wards they had cast earlier had limited durations, they pressed forward seeking opposition.A few steps further brought them into the heart of the Temple:  A large cathedral whose far side could not be seen and whose roof rose some 35 feet above them.  There was little time to enjoy the architecture however as several figures wordlessly approached from the darkness.Speaks let slip his dog of war and the wolf charged to meet one of the oncoming enemies.  Before the wolf reached his target however, he yelped in pain as bolts of lightning arced up from the floor and coursed through his canine body.  The wolf continued on the attack, but apparently rattled from the shock, his jaws fail to close on his adversary.Speaks himself called forth a Flaming Sphere which helped light up the room and expose who exactly they were fighting.  At first glance it was clear that these creatures were more of the undead.  There appeared to be two types.  There were a half dozen who wore chainmail and brandished long swords.  Another pair were slightly more bulky and had faces locked in a grimace of pain.  These each had a monstrous claw in place of one of their hands.Raven and Scar tightened ranks to hold the hallway at first.  The pair of warriors swung tentatively at the attacking undead, trying to get a measure of their foes.  The enemies wasted no time exhibiting what their capabilities were.In the first moments of the battle, the wolf was felled and vanished back from whence it was summoned.  The other creatures came forth and challenged the line held by Scar and Raven.  Their attacks fell heavily but failed to penetrate the armor worn by the Dwarf and Half-Orc.Gaining a bit of confidence, Scar stepped forward to flank one of the attackers and struck a sound blow with his hammer.  Raven struck a moment later and felled the undead warrior.  Unfortunately, these maneuvers opened up a gap and a pair of the ghastly creatures managed to slip into the hallway to threaten Speaks.Speaks gave a bit of ground to make room for plying his long spear.  He simultaneously guided the ball of fire he had conjured and began to scorch one undead after another.  Raven and Scar stepped fully into the cathedral as both wielded their hammers to devastating effect. This allowed more of the undead to move into the hallway, cutting off Speaks from the rest of the party.Which was just what Speaks was waiting for.  He unleashed one of his most powerful spells and a Flame Strike filled the hallway with fire and the wrath of nature.  Several of the hideous creatures were instantly incinerated and Speaks and Scar fell upon the others with a vengeance.  Within moments, the hallway was cleared.The trio turned their attentions to the remaining pair of undead who pressed relentlessly forward.  A brief break in the action allowed Raven to call forth one of Moradin’s magics he had not yet used.  A ray of brilliant light sprang from his hammer and struck one of the undead, burning through its rotten flesh and destroying it.  Speaks drove his ball of fire into the last of the enemy and Scar finished it with a firm hammer blow.The battle ended as quickly as it had begun.  Although the party members had suffered a few small wounds, the fight was a resounding success.  As the dust settled, the party began seeking signs of the sinister secrets, which Great Root had hinted the Temple may hold.NEXT:  Oh for a Rogue!</blockquote>

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