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Message: <blockquote data-quote="shilsen" data-source="post: 476911" data-attributes="member: 198">Entry 2 (Arwan):Arwan - Elf Necro5/Alienist2Brandon - Human Rg2/Clr6 (Kord)Eranilor - Elf Rgr2/Rog4/Sniper2Gillian - Elf Ftr7 Joshua - Human Clr7 (St. Cuthbert)Tink - Kender Wiz3/Rog4BEFORE THE TEMPLE…It is all as Master Merik said. I feel the time of the conjunction drawing near. Soon the stars will reach the proper alignment and the walls between worlds will grow thin, the walls between us and the plane of imprisonment that holds Them. No longer bound by Their ancient pact with the Elder Gods, it is not a question of if They will return but when and, more importantly, where. I suspect that the prayers of those who dwell in the elemental temple, unwittingly or otherwise, will assure that They break through here. The proper preparations must be made before Their coming otherwise all is lost. Lacking the power or knowledge of their forbearers, the puny demigods of this twilight age cannot hold Them back.  Once They have overcome the weak gods of this world They will begin a campaign of conquest that will engulf the entire universe in a tide of darkness.This is how Master Merik explained it to me. In the beginning, before the Age of Dragons or Elementals, before any other thing that moved or breathed, there were only Them. After the Great War of Banishment and the chaining of Their servants, the Old Ones, came god-worship and the first Age of Miracles. After thousands of cycles the Elder Gods were forgotten and with their passing the celestials, the cosmic races that enforced their will, departed from the material planes, bringing the first Age of Miracles to an end. Other ages came and went. Some ages rediscovered god-worship, bringing about new gods and Ages of Miracles, while others were ages of power and magic, of fire and steel. Only They remain unchanged, for They are immortal and have waited with inhuman patience with the proper aligning of the spheres. That time is now. THOUGHTS ON THE GODS OF THE ELEMENTAL TEMPLEThe elemental priests have no idea what it is they really worship and whose return they hasten with their prayers, but I think I have figured it out. The earth temple venerates the fertility deity known as the Black Goat of the Woods (a possible reference to an obscure satyr-god, perhaps implying she is his mate). The god of the water temple is the squid-thing that lies dead and dreaming in a sunken corpse-city beneath the seas of another world (though I still don’t understand why a water deity would be imprisoned under water). The fire temple deity would have to be Cthuga, the only fire-related member of the pantheon, meaning a confrontation with his fire-vampire minions is possible. Though the priestess of the water temple said the temple of air is the weakest I find that hard to believe. That temple’s patron is undoubtedly He Who Must Not Be Named, and I am loath to face anyone capable of bringing the wrath of the Unspeakable One to bear.That leaves the Elder Elemental Eye. It is obvious this is only a guise behind which something else lurks as the others hide behind air, earth, fire, and water. There is mention of an Old One that manifests as a great, unblinking eye. I suspect the Elemental Eye is one of greater stature however, perhaps the Key and Guardian of the Gate or maybe even the daemon sultan himself. I mentioned the time of conjunction, and perhaps my greatest enemy is time. I believe I have deduced the identity of the other gods of the elemental temple and can make the necessary preparations, but I must also ascertain the true name and nature of that which lurks behind the mask of the Elder Elemental Eye before the conjunction, else all is lost. Master Merik is counting on me; he waits on the other side and I must not fail him.  THE FIRST CASUALTY…after our confrontation with the hag (a creature even more loathsome in person than I believed possible), assailants of disparate natures attacked us. The alien halfling Tink, the gray elf archer Eranilor, the Kordite priest Brandon and myself were still on the hag’s island when combat began and thus spared from the initial assault. The first attack came in the form of noxious spells that did grievous damage to our two comrades, the elven fighter Gillian and the human priest Joshua, who had remained behind. Next came a raging dwarf (a foe-hunter of elves, undoubtedly) who immediately set upon a still-dazed Gillian. My other comrades boarded our modest boat and set off for the sub terrene lake’s shore while I strategically elected to remain behind. From this vantage point I could better ascertain the location of the spell-caster behind the acidic barrage that melted armor and flesh alike. It was not a wizard that I noticed, however, but a crocodile of enormous proportions and baleful red eyes (a summoned fiendish specimen, perhaps?) threatening to swamp the boat. A magic missile distracted him long enough to allow the others to reach the shore and render assistance to the now prone Gillian and the priest human priest Joshua.Between the Kordite and the archer the battle with the dwarf went quickly, though unfortunately for Gillian it was already too late. Joshua had also sustained damage, but remained conscious and was able to tend to his own wounds with priestly spells. The crocodile started to follow the others onto shore, most likely intent on first making a quick snack of Tink (thus robbing me of the possibility of a future dissection), whom in turn seemed determined to do battle with it. Another magic missile brought it back into the water, either to seek safety or come after me, but it immediately vanished from sight (not into the water but in the proverbial puff of smoke), undoubtedly returning to the hell-dimension from whence it came.Brandon (in yet another example of the suicidal tendencies seemingly inherent in all Kordites) apparently saw the wizard responsible for the initial spell-assault and charged after him only to be cut down by the yet another burst of arcane energy. The wizard then vanished in the manner of his conjured croc. This is the first time I have seen the Kordite laid low. The wizard (for some reason the name Nelbor comes to mind) must be a spell-caster of no small power, and perhaps it is best I stayed on the island. I would be more than grateful for a glance at his spell-book, however, though the chances of that happening are about equal to that of a warm reception was I ever again to grace the exquisitely sterile halls of Celene.The bodies of Gillian and the dwarf were disposed of in a most logical manner, weighted with stone and dumped in the hag’s (past tense) lake, but not before they were thoroughly looted. I can’t say I disapprove of that; their possessions certainly are no longer of any use to them, but I am obligated to wonder if, circumstances providing, the same treatment awaits me. If it comes to that, however, I will certainly be in no position to protest or complain, so it is not a thought worth pursuing. I believe it was about the time the aquatic, frog-like kuo-toans made their presence known and presented us with a request for the pleasure of our company courtesy of their priestess-queen. Could we have fought our way past them? Perhaps, but sometimes it is wiser to “go with the flow” and see where events lead. As it was, we willingly accompanied them to parts unknown.THE PRIESTESS OF WATERWe traveled for what felt like miles through the twisting streams that wind through the elemental temple’s underbelly (the distance was in fact about a hundred feet) before arriving at the throne of the human water-priestess (Kelashein) whom the kuo-toans revere as a queen. How she came to rule them in probably an interesting story, but as with most questions posed down here it will probably go answered. Sitting contentedly upon a throne of stone that looked no more comfortable than a granite slab she radiated the aura of one who is accustomed to being obeyed, though whatever qualities she may possess that inspire such devotion in the kuo-toans escapes me. To one side stood of the throne stood a kuo-toan in robes (the wizard/priest Nilbool) and on the other an unusually large and savage-looking specimen, red-eyed and not a little fiendish in appearance (Oomkaan). The priestess informed us she had been following our activities with great interest, particularly the destruction of the earth temple (thankfully, the Black Goat of the Woods is a rather distant deity), which she thoroughly approved. Furthermore, she invited us to accompany a group of her elite warriors, a strike force of sorts, for an upcoming raid on the temple of fire. Acquiesce, attack, or simply depart? Again, we decided to simply follow along and see where events would lead. Aiding one temple against another, why not? A place of rest was prepared for us, and that night a feast was held. I refrained from partaking of the kuo-toan food or drink and I’m sure at least some of the others did the same. There were no strange rites or bloody rituals and I must admit I was a bit disappointed. Despite the efforts of the Kordite and halfling the night passed without incident.While the others slept I continued researching the identity of the Elemental Eye. My incomplete translation of the Vandergast Heresies was no help. If only the League of Seven Stars hadn’t interrupted me before I could finish the translation. I have grown more powerful since then, and if we ever meet again… The book of elemental lore I took from the chambers of a dead wizard is also woefully inadequate. I’m surprised these idiots haven’t blown themselves up. If I escape this temple with my life perhaps I’ll return to the Emporium of Curious Wonders and acquire that greedy little gnome’s draconic translation of the Tnotikon Fragments. This time I’ll have the money to pay for it, or the power to simply take it for that matter.THE TEMPLE OF FIREThe next day we returned to the river-labyrinth and set out for the temple of fire. It was much closer to the water temple than I had expected, making the journey mercifully short. Among the kuo-toan strike force were the elite’s elite, the robed spell-caster Nilbool and a strange, unarmed fighter (“monitor” someone called him) who would eventually demonstrate the barehanded fighting skills of a trained monk (Urlurg). Upon reaching the fire temple resistance was surprisingly light, consisting of a short battle with salamanders and a hellhound, with Tink delivering the coup de grace. A few bribes later (behold the power of cash) we stood in the massive cavern that housed the fire temple’s altar. As if on cue, a claw-handed fire-priestess (the high priestess?) stepped out of a side entrance to the cavern. Brandon, acting in his usual manner, charged the priestess while the kuo-toan elite headed for the altar, which sat on a pedestal in the center of a circular pit at the heart of the cavern. I assumed Brandon would need help against the priestess, but Tink and a mephit allied with the water cultists reached them first. In the midst of their battle the mephit struck both Brandon and the priests with its breath attack. After that any illusion of camaraderie with the kuo-toans vanished, and I believe eventually attacking us was their intention all along. Brandon and Tink defeated the priestess with surprising ease, and then turned on the kuo-toans in their vicinity (who in all fairness had turned on them first).  Meanwhile, the kuo-toan wizard-priest Nilbool succeeded in destroyed the fire altar with some sort of scroll and I, knowing the consequences of the earth altar’s destruction, headed for the nearest exit only to encounter Nilbool facing off with Eranilor. I decided to attack Urlug with an Enervation spell before he could join the fray but missed (he was quite agile for a frog). With a great leap he vaulted over the chasm surrounding the ruined alter and landed mere feet away. Fortunately (for me) he chose Eranilor as his target, leaving me free to deal the approaching mephit (whose true intention was probably only escape). A Negative Energy Wave spell dropped the mephit while the monk weathered it quite well. A volley of magic missiles had an equally miniscule effect on Urlug (a brooch of shielding?) but Eranilor managed to wear him down (in hand-to-hand combat with a bow!) and Tink again delivered the finishing touches. Minutes later the fire temple did indeed begin to disintegrate in the manner of the earth temple and we fled…</blockquote>

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