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Message: <blockquote data-quote="DustinGebhardt" data-source="post: 5333368" data-attributes="member: 82905">Session 30Resolutions and RiddlesStanding  in the canyon, I feel utterly helpless. Karyan, looking much more her  actual color now, passes my wand of healing back to me. "What now?" She  asks, so nonchalantly for one who until so recently was unconscious and  bound to a huge rock. "Don't we have a village to get to?" Mort asks, "I, for one, am in no mood to wait around for more of those monkeys." "I  still need my bag, and owe that creature some blood." I reply as I rub  my bruised side; the cut has stopped bleeding already, but the pain  lingers still."Well, how is the APE", Hekuba corrects Mort, "finding  and infiltrating us so easily? Maybe it is tracking us as a wizard  might." The half-orc gives an wary glance to Mythyria and Hoppup."An  excellent suggestion Hekuba", the lizard wizard comments, "Mythyria,  will you assist me in searching our gear for some sort of scrying  trigger?""Indeed, and we should give extra care to inspect Karyan, just in case." The elf agrees. The  two arcanists systematically search each of us and our equipment,  focusing on Karyan. They both report nothing out of the ordinary and  begin a lengthy discussion about how else to prevent the demon ape from  returning. "If the thing is everywhere, then it does not matter where we go." Mort points out matter of factly."He's right", I agree, "and I would rather walk than talk."The  canyon continues on for several miles, but Hoppup assures us that  according to his memory and the map, that the village should be three or  four days away. As the sun sets behind the canyon wall, we are met with  a brilliant orange red glow that reflects spectrums off the dozens of  tributary waterfalls that drain into the valley. We follow the gathering  stream and as night approaches, we come to the edge of a fog dense  jungle."This is the Fog-mire", Hoppup reports, "It is sacred to our people, and few of us ever venture into its borders." From  our vantage point, we can see a crystalline lake within the jungle, and  even from the the fringe and through the fog an inexplicable number of  snakes and lizards can be seen slithering paths to and fro. "Let us find a trail, Hekuba." Karyan calls to her fellow ranger. We all venture into the edge, and the two scout ahead.Some time later, they return; faces ashen with an unknown disquieting visage. "Dark  and empty" Hekuba swears, "Nothing in here is as it should be, and  there are no large game. This place is cursed. What do you know lizard  man?""Many rumors, nothing more." Hoppup calmly replies. "I sense unease too. It is late, and we need rest though.""Perhaps,  outside the edge this night?" Kamal suggests; we all readily agree and  make camp outside the edge of the fog shrouded jungle.Our watches go  uninterrupted, despite the feeling of being watched the entire time.  When dawn breaks at last, we realize that we are already in the  Fog-mire."Cayden's empty tankard!" I exclaim as the reality of the situation sets in. "There  is nothing for it now." Hekuba remarks, "We make for the village and  out of here as fast as we can." Several voices put in a defused  agreement, and we start to traverse the Fog-mire.The abundance of  reptiles does not relent, and neither does the thickness of the fog. Our  packs and clothes quickly become saturated with sweat and humidity."I like drinking my ale, not my air." I complain."I think I see a clearing up ahead, Eriks." Hekuba reports. "From the bush and the fog, it seems."We  breach the edge of the clearing, to a ruined stone village. Only a  skeleton of what was likely once a towering wall remain in any form of  repair. A solitary building, that may have once been a temple stands in  the center, and all around it there are overgrown stone frames where  other structures formed the village. I feel ill at ease, and get a sense  of evil surround the ruined village; the entire Fog-mire itself. As we  circumnavigate the ruin, there are a few glyphs discernible on the wall;  surprisingly, the symbols are not Nythyian; a fact that unsettles us  all, but perhaps Hoppup most of all. The temple, which shares a  border with the West most wall, has visible scaffolding, as though when  the village was abandoned, the people there were still keeping it in  repair. But what we witnessed next gave us even more pause. A Nythyian  man is crucified to a makeshift cross secured to the scaffolding, and  though he shows the decay and rot of many days dead in the jungle, he  grins at our approach."You will all join me soon." the Nythyian  hisses through its ruined mouth, "Trapped! Trapped all of you!" The  creature cackles a terrible laugh that makes a rattling and wet sound."The  Light will bring us through!" Kamal exclaims as he clutches his holy  symbol and becomes a living conduit of Sarenrae. Light bursts from the  priest and destroys the thing utterly."Yeah, eat it!" Mort taunts  the ashes, as he squeezes the juice from one of my taproot's grapes onto  the powdery remains. We continue on our way; victorious?Back in the  Fog-mire, the thickness of the air has become somewhat bearable. Just  as the sun moves past the mid-day point, a hulking figure appears from  seemingly nowhere, rakes two bestial claws across my path, and draws  blood with each lightning fast strike. It comes to a stop a good seven  paces from where I stand wounded; the demon ape, grinning a sinister  smile."Blood for blood demon, and I'll take all I'm owed now." I  threaten the creature. If it understands me, it makes no sign other than  to continue its mocking grin. "By skill or luck, you don't escape this  time!" I lift my sword to the demon threateningly and feel the power of  Cayden Cailean flow into me; warming me as no drink ever has.In my  vow to smite the creature, I notice an ant appear directly in front of  my query. The ape, muscles roped under too-tight skin deftly grabs the  ant as it makes a feeble attempt to bite. A sickeningly wet crunch is  heard as the demon tears the ant into two not so equal halves and tastes  the dripping entrails, even as the summon insect evaporates in a puff  of gray smoke. I begin a casual stride toward the demon, pulling out my  protective wand. Behind me twin rays of fiery power slam into the  creature; but he and I have eyes only for each other. Sharing a moment  of pure hatred toward the other. I can hear Karyan casting a spell of  some sort; then the surprised shouts of the others as two more apes,  females I'm later told, appear and attack our formation. Hoppup is  pinned beneath one of the beasts, his legs only barely visible; while  Mort, showing no fear, tackles the second one before it can grab the  lizard wizard's exposed limbs and tear them off.I advance slowly,  and use my wand to cast a protective dweomer that will block the demon's  attacks. Karyan finishes her spell and a living wisp of cloud and air  invades the space of the fiendish ape. "He does not escape this  time!" I hear Kamal affirm as a pale orange glow covers first his hands  then shimmers around the ape; for a heartbeat, the glow appears to be  repelled, but then clings to its slick fur. "I have locked him against  teleporting!" Kamal reports to me. I cannot hide a pleased smile."No running this time beastie." I threaten as I continue to close the distance between us. Behind  me I catch the last syllables of a spell I do not recall hearing from  Mythyria prior to this day. A sickly green ray reaches the demon ape and  pierces its defense. For a moment the orange from Kamal's anchor and  the green from Mythyria's ray coalesce and shed wisps of yellow all  about the creature. When the smokey lights clear, the orange shimmer  remains and the ape looks visibly weaker than before the spells struck. I  hear a blood curdling scream as Hoppup begins to teleport with the ape  that has the lizard wizard pinned. It is not a scream of terror however,  but one of defiance; as the sheer force of his will keeps him locked in  place while his grappler vanishes. He is left drenched in sweat, prone  on the ground, but still with us. The other female ape tries to escape  the same way, but Mort's hold on her is too strong to allow enough space  for her to shift dimensions."Alright there elf?" Hekuba asks Mort.  Before getting an answer, the half-orc deftly climbs a tree near the  demon ape, gets a good position and loads his crossbow.The living  air pocket around the demon ape slams its force into the creature. The  ape draws a huge breath, nearly inhaling the vapor and tears into the  air with a keening howl. The animated wisp is no more. The creature is a  dagger's throw away and still has not unlocked its gaze from mine.Mort,  despite the female apes bulging muscle mass and alarming agility, keeps  a firm hold on the creature; even freeing an arm to strike a blow  against the wrestled foe, but causing no visible harm. Hoppup gives a  loud hiss of defiance and drives a dagger, crackling with electricity,  into the female ape. Though the weapon buries to the hilt before the  lizard pulls his strike back, the wound begins to close the instant the  blade is free."Curse you demon!" Hoppup growls in frustration."Like  this!" I yell as I lunge the remaining distance to the fiend ape and  drive my thinblade into its flesh. A flash of bright blue light  accompanies the wound, and it pierces deep into the creatures side. "And  again!" I draw my blade free and spin, using the momentum to take the  tip of my Cayden blessed weapon into the ape's other side; giving it  matching wounds and eliciting a singular howl of pain and rage."Karyan, do likewise!" Kamal intones the power of light into the ranger's blade and she charges toward the ape."Mind  the magic!" Mythyria warns, as she lets loose two more streams of fire  at the beast. This time the rays absorb harmlessly in its natural  defense and the elf swears in a foreign tongue.Karyan ends her  charge with a cross swipe on the apes corded chest, drawing a deep line  of red that penetrates its innate defense as easily as my own strikes."You are not the only one who owes this creature blood Eriks." She oaths as her blade drips with the blood of the demon ape."That's  right! Eat this!" Hekuba reveals his perch and fires his crossbow. The  bolt flies true, pierces the ape's skin, but draws no blood. Hekuba  jumps down cursing and draws his blade.The ape does not flinch from the bolt, and to my horror, wraps it's muscled arms around Karyan and begins to squeeze. "Support!"  Hoppup cries as another incantation, this time of fire, fails to harm  the ape entangled with Mort. The monk and the ape are a mass of muscle  and fur, but Mort has somehow managed to keep the advantage."Eriks?" Mythyria asks, even while moving her fingers in the pattern of an easy spell. "I  have him, help the others. Kamal to me." I respond as the fiend  tightens its grip around Karyan. Mythyria turns in a flash and lets  loose four bolts of pure arcane power that fly unerringly into the chest  of the female grappled with Mort."Hey ape, I can see your kidneys." I threaten. Taking  advantage of the beasts disadvantage while holding Karyan, I stab my  blade low into the thing's side; black red blood oozes from the wound  and the ape gives a cry of pure pain; for once not mixed with rage. "Not  done!" I growl as I take a back step left to put my sword in reach of  its other side. I drive the blade home, and the same black blood flows  freely from both sides now. Its howl is accompanied with dropping Karyan  and gripping its sides as its natural healing cannot keep up with the  deep strikes I have dealt."Sarenrae is with us!" Kamal exclaimed as  he calls upon the power of his goddess. A lance of golden energy gathers  in the priest's hands and he focuses it toward the bleeding demon. The  creature's defense fails and it takes the full force of the holy energy.  Bleeding from multiple wounds and seared with a divine energy, the  demon ape falls on top of Karyan. "Off of me you dirty ape!" The ranger  cries as she digs her still enchanted sword into the fallen creature's  neck and uses it as a grip to stand."And stay down!" Hekuba snarls  as he bashes his shield so far into the ape's skull that its brain and  blood make a puddle of mud and gore on the jungle floor.We all  notice the struggle still unfolding now as Mort grunts through his  continued stalemate with the female ape, "Congrats guys; little help?"I  ignore the monk and begin digging through the demon ape's remains for  my missing bag. Hoppup, still lying on the ground from resisting the  teleportation earlier mimics Mythyria and lets loose a pair of pure  arcane bolts that connect and bruise the female ape."No spells to  offer." Kamal reports as he advances upon the two combatants. "I'll hold  her for a strike then." Mort replies and nimbly moves into an arm  locking position behind his foe."Yes, just like that." Mythyria  compliments the monk as she lets loose a bolt of magical energy dripping  with acid. The missile hits the ape, but appears to not harm it much.  "it grows weary, I can feel it; but so do I." Mort manages through  gritted teeth. "Stand aside Kamal!" Karyan charges with her sword  still aglow in holy light. The priest takes a single downward thrust at  the ape held by Mort and connects drawing a thin red line on its  shoulder."Stick with what works." Hoppup remarks as two more bolts  fly into the creature causing an eye to swell and eliciting a muffled  keen of pain. Kamal uses the momentum of his swing to side step the  creature just as Karyan charges and buries her blade half to the hilt in  the female ape's chest. Mort releases his grip thinking the battle won,  but the obstinate creature grabs Karyan's blade and begins to rise in  defiance. "Oh, just die already!" Mythyria cries in frustration; she  hastily recites the words to a spell that will drain the creature of  life with her touch. The wizardress spies a patch of skin already raw  from arcane bolts pummeling its body and releases her spell. The last  vestiges of life within the female ape expire, even as some of the force  travels into Mythyria. The ape goes down in a heap and Karyan recovers  her blade just as the last bit of holy energy upon it swirls harmlessly  into the air."Yeah! Score another one for the good guys! C'mon, look  like we just won it guys." Mort tries to rouse the group as we, weary,  cut, and bruised gather our bearings in the fog ridden jungle."I  feel like we have been walking for months! When does the jungle end? I  thought this was a small, usually uncharted island." I complain, not for  the first time."So, your new shoes don't keep your feet from  flapping your mouth?" Mythyria retorts, with slightly more venom in her  voice than she had wanted. The elf gives an apologetic look, and the  exchange ends."He's right though." Hekuba adds, "We should have at least gotten to that lake by now. "I think we are walking in circles." As  if the jungle actually wanted to prove the ranger's point, we come to a  ruined temple; the same ruined temple where Kamal earlier destroyed a  living corpse."Well, trim my ears and call me human, Eriks and Hekuba were right; at the same time." Mythyria exclaims.The sun has painted the sky in pinks and reds, as darkness takes a stronger hold on the day."We should rest soon, though I dread to in this place." Karyan says, her voice tense and agitated.Mort looks skyward, "Eriks, can you use those new boots to scout around for anything other than this temple?"I  activate the power of the boots to make myself weightless, but still  able to move. I rise steadily, but as I approach the canopy an unseen  force pushes and pulls me back to the earth."Guess not." I reply even as I pour a drink for the monk and myself. "Growing your tolerance, I see." I state more than ask."Gonna drink you under the table before you know it!" Mort replies.Hoppup  looks around, as though the lizard wizard expected to see ghosts rise  at any moment. "Not in this place, we have an hour yet, let us make camp  elsewhere."We make good speed away from the ruins, as the jungle's  foliage seems to appear all the same, even to Hekuba and Karyan. Sure  enough, before the last light of day is gone, we come to the same ruins  once more. "There's nothing for it." Kamal reports, "We sleep here and hope that the dawn brings clarity to our situation." After  a brief inspection of the ruins - just enough to ease our minds that  there are no more living dead or ambush areas - we at last lay down for a  fitful respite. The fog-mire at night is exactly as pleasurable as it  sounds. Dawn breaks at last, and our spirits are lifted little."Did anyone else have, uh, dreams last night?" Hekuba asks, clearly agitated, while we walk a narrow game trail."Now  that you mention it." Karyan looks hesitantly from me to the half-orc.  "There was a temple, and some sort of shrine, I felt as though I needed  to spill my blood upon the altar." Hekuba gives his fellow ranger a  concerned and agreeing look."Though I felt no desire to spill my blood, I too saw this temple." Kamal remarks."We  should seek it out, perhaps it is a way to get out of this accursed  fog-mire." Mythyria complains while inventorying her various arcane  components. It does not take long before the structure from our  dreams comes into view. A massive black spire, radiating with an evil  aura is seen above the canopy long before we enter the clearing that  hosts its perverted form. Two ape-like statues that resemble the  bar-igura creatures we fought in the forest. There is a set of double  doors leading inside, with motifs of demonic apes as handles. "It is a temple of the evil Immortal, Demigorgan." Kamal reports with a severity of tone that leaves no room for compassion."It  may have something to do with the curse on this place, if we could  destroy it somehow..." Hoppup trails of, talking as much to himself as  us in a frightened tone.Inside, the temple has several winding  tunnels, with one clear path to another set of double doors. These with  vicious barbed handles. I implore the group to make a full circuit of  the other pathways first, only to encounter some crudely made, but  deadly traps that could have easily taken one or more of us to a  devastating fall. Depicted an every wall, and often the floor and  ceiling are twisted and evil serpent and ape motifs. The barbed doors do  not seem to open without a certain action. "I've got this!" Mort  boasts, as he grabs both handles. The barbs pierce the monk's palms and  fingers, draining a small amount of his life blood, and open. In this  room are more ape and serpent designs, two thrones face North and South,  each with mirrors hanging over them. To the left is an altar with two  solid black candles."That altar!" Karyan exclaims. She blanches for a moment, but regains her composure. There  is a small door opposite the altar, it leads to a winding path that  connects to the rest of the temple. Although I am almost positive we  have gone through the passage before, sitting nonchalantly in a cross  path is my haversack. I occupy the next few moments ensuring nothing has been removed from the bag, and Kamal interrupts me."I attempted to consecrate the altar, I was met by a powerful evil. This must be our priority."I investigate the decor of the throne room, and before I can warn against it, Mort lights both candles on the altar.The  booming echo throughout the room is enough to startle us all, and the  monk is sporting scorch and pierce marks on his hands now. "I need  some time to figure this out, these mirrors are trapped, and Mort has  shown us likewise of the candles." I report after using a wand to mend  Mort's hands. Kamal sighs. "I cannot abide this temple. If we do nothing, I will not rest well." "Nothing I can do in here right now, I need rest, as do we all.""Then I do what I can for now." Kamal states matter of factly, "We leave from the inside."As  we exit, Kamal begins chanting. It is a spell he has used before, but  casting it several times -expending a large amount of divine energy. A  soft orange glow travels from the priest's hands to the earth as he  touches ground near the obsidian spire. The ground trembles as Kamal  struggles to keep his incantation strong. Then the spire begins to move,  tilt, falter. Fall! the entire spire has been up-grounded by the  priest. Only the bottom of the temple remains."Faith moves mountains." Hoppup observes with a smile.I use my latent power to divine evil presences."There is less evil here than before, but I still need more time in the throne room if we are to truly end this curse."</blockquote>

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