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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Amaroq" data-source="post: 1433731" data-attributes="member: 15470">Issue #12: Under the Lake - Episode 4 of 5We begin to gather our things, and Miriel checks over the party members for injury. Most of us have been wounded, either by the stirges or the ghouls, but nobody is weakened enough to consider stopping. We’re ready for more. There is a sense of purpose and drive as we gird ourselves to push onward.We pick our way back through the narrow corridor, stepping gingerly over the bodies of the ghouls. A foul smell comes off of their bodies, and it still makes us all nauseous to be anywhere close to them.We go back through the hallway, closing the secret door behind us, and through the great stone door. The oppressive feel of evil is evident to all of us, and the air grows ever colder the further we progress past the stone door.We reach the crypt where we met the ghouls. Their coffins stand empty, now. Novalia stands watch with her bow drawn, while the rest of us look around the room. The room is filthy and defiled, piled high with trash, and the walls are covered in graffiti. The lids of the sarcophagi have been torn off. Most of them are smashed and broken on the floor, and only one remains whole. The small pool also smells foul, and it looks like there may be pieces of rotting flesh in it. Stone pokes at it with the 10 foot pole. It looks shallow, and he’s surprised when it turns out to be much deeper than that. “It’s really deep, guys,” he says, with the pole extended most of the way into the water. “I still haven’t hit bottom.”Miriel looks around with growing concern. Noting that the group is dispersing – Paks is about to start searching the sarcophagi, and Chuck is looking anxiously down one of the two corridors we haven’t explored – she commands, “Stop, everyone.” When everyone is halted, and paying attention to her, she explains. “I think there’s a real danger of catching disease from this offal. Let’s perform another cleansing ritual, remove all of that graffiti, and clean up this trash.”“That will take a couple of hours,” Goldpetal protests. “What is the point?”“We have to remove this source of disease,” Miriel says. “I’m not sure that’s necessary,” Goldpetal says. “Surely this is an effect of the disease we are here to fight, not the source.”While they debate, Stone goes over to look down hallway on the right side. He sees that the filth does not continue down that way, and it opens into another cavern. He goes around to look down the left corridor with Chuck. After a short passage, he can see more open and damaged sarcophagi. He comes back to tell the others what he’s found. “Down the right side, there’s a cave,” he says, “And to the left, more coffins. Let’s press on.”“I think we need to perform the purification ritual before we move on,” Miriel says.“I agree,” Paks says. Novalia nods, and Goldpetal agrees reluctantly. Paks turns to the others and tells them, “Chuck, Stone, Hands of Fire, you guys watch the corridors while the rest of us do the purifying ritual again.”Miriel, Novalia, Paks, and Goldpetal gather in a circle, and begin chanting the names of their patrons, Madriel, Denev, and Tanil. Chuck and Stone each watch one of the new corridors, while Hands of Fire watches behind us. About ten minutes into the ritual, just as the four participants have pulled up a powerful magical energy, Chuck sees something in the room he’s watching, a brief hint of movement caught out of the corner of his eye. He’s at the left-most passage, the one with the trash and more damaged sarcophagi. He waits for something more visible before he says anything.Suddenly, a tall humanoid appears in front of him, flanked by three ghouls. The creature’s skin is deathly pale white, almost translucent, and the bone beneath that unearthly skin is clearly visible. His eyes glow with an unnatural reddish light. He is wearing what must have been at one time exquisite robes and a jeweled crown. His hands are twisted claws with long nails and he has just wisps of hair hanging down from his skull. “Who dares to say those names in my lair?” the undead king demands, in a deep, booming voice. “How dare you defile my sanctum? You will serve me for all eternity!” Paks breaks the circle, drawing her sword to stand behind Chuck. The others in the chant feel the power break and disperse, lashing uncontrolled into the room, though there is no visible repercussion. The crowned humanoid claws at Chuck, but he steps back into line with Stone leaps over the sarcophagi, flipping and rolling, also arriving just behind Chuck. Hands of Fire runs over next to Paks as the crowned humanoid claws at Chuck. The Vigilant steps back into line with his comrades, drawing his bow, and the four of them stand shoulder-to-shoulder to face the greater evil.With the power of the ritual dispersed, Miriel pulls out Madriel’s Tear, and holds it aloft above her head, with her other hand wrapped around her holy symbol. “Madriel, banish this evil!” she calls, stepping towards the king. She feels no reaction, no power in either the Tear or her holy symbol. The crowned humanoid laughs maniacally. Goldpetal leaps up on a sarcophagus and draws his bow, and Novalia climbs atop another. Chuck fires off two shots at the crowned humanoid. One arrow buries itself into his shoulder, but his evil laughter intensifies. He pulls out the arrow and breaks it in one hand. “Pathetic,” he says, as though commenting on our efforts.The three ghouls rush at us. One of the ghouls leaps forward and bites Chuck, and again he collapses, paralyzed, his bow still held rigidly in his hands. Another ghoul tries to slide past Stone, but he punches it, hitting it hard as it attacks Hands of Fire. Stone’s blow knocks it off balance, and it misses the lizard man.  Paks’ sword rings off the stone wall beside it, narrowly missing. Stone punches at two of the ghouls next to him. He misses the first, but hits the injured one. The force of his blow slams it back against the wall, and it collapses. Hands of Fire steps forward to attack the other one, bashing it forcefully with his great club. Miriel casts a sound burst on the three undead creatures. The explosion of noise kills the injured ghoul, but the crowned humanoid is not even stunned. Goldpetal and Novalia unleash their arrows. Goldpetal’s hits him, while Novalia’s shot misses. Ignoring the arrows and the spell, the undead king advances on us. The very air becomes colder around him. The last ghoul follows him as he steps up to Hands of Fire. The spectral king attacks Hands of Fire, clawing him with his arms. His strength is unnatural, incredibly stronger than a human, and he slams the seven-foot-tall lizard man hard into the wall. Hands of Fire looks very cold and weak, and the crowned humanoid seems to grow more powerful. He laughs evilly again, as the lizard man slumps to the cold ground.The ghoul lurking behind the ghost king tries to slide past Stone, and he punches it, killing it with a single blow. It falls to the ground next to Hands of Fire.Paks steps up before the sepulchral figure, and yells, “Madriel, help me!” She brings her longsword down in a great overhand swing, and smites the crowned humanoid with a tremendous blow. Her sword bites deep into his shoulder, and the sound of breaking bones is audible. He is clearly wounded, now, and his left arm hangs at an unnatural angle.Stone sees the opening, and tumbles past his left arm. The undead king claws at the monk as he passes, but the wound prevents him from connecting. As Stone comes to his feet, he kicks at the creature’s knees, but he misjudged the tumble, and rolled just out of reach.Miriel runs up to Hands of Fire, who lies bleeding on the floor, and begins pulling him back out of the fray. He is too heavy to carry far, but she gets him out from under Paks’ feet. Novalia leaps down beside her, and cries, “Tanil, heal thy ally!” She lays her hands upon him. The worst of the bleeding stops, but his body feels icy cold beneath her touch, and he remains unconscious. The spectral king has turned his back on the main group, to face Stone, and Goldpetal has a clear shot at him. His arrow bites deep into the creature’s back. The monarch screams in pain, whirling around to face the elf. “I’ll get you!” he yells.He leaps at Paks, clawing at her with his good right arm. She steps forward into his blow, blocks his arm with her shield, and thrusts her sword deep into his chest. His momentum carries him almost to the hilt, and then he freezes, staring deep into her eyes. His red eyes glow with an unnatural intensity.The tableau holds for a second which feels like eternity. He grinds out, “I curse you all in the name of Chern,” in a deep, ragged voice. Paks lowers the point of her sword, and he slides back off of it, to fall on his back. The unnatural light fades from his eyes, and they close as he goes limp upon the ground. There is another moment of silence, and then Paks steps to his shoulder. With a single, sharp blow, she cuts off his head.“Thank you, Madriel,” Miriel prays under her breath.Stone turns around, as his tumble had taken him into another room. He looks around, and sees another cavern, a little smaller than the first, with four more broken sarcophagi. There is another tunnel leading out of the cavern from the far side. “The tunnels go on,” he says, gesturing.“Let’s get out of this cavern system,” Miriel suggests, “Until Chuck wakes up. I’m exhausted. I need to sleep, and meditate.”Hands of Fire is just well enough to stumble along with a supporting arm from Miriel. Stone and Paks drag Chuck, who is still paralyzed. Goldpetal leads, and Novalia brings up the rear, both keeping their bows knocked and ready. We make our way back through the caverns, and into the corridor leading to the underground lake. We move the dead ghouls up into the next room, and shut the secret door behind us. Novalia heals Paks and Goldpetal, while Miriel heals Chuck. After several minutes, the paralyzation wears off and the young Vigilant is able to move again, but Hands of Fire remains chilled and weak.  We rest as before, rotating guard duty between Chuck, Paks, and Stone. An oppressive stillness settles over the caverns.</blockquote>

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