Dordrien Crypts
The heroes continued moving along the musty corridor with their weapons at the ready. It was eerily quiet in the crypts. The only sound was the occasional sigh from Lox, which was a sign of his boredom.
“Can’t we open just one of the doors? What if there is something sparkly in one of the rooms…ooh, or what if one of them has drow in it?” Lox pleaded.
“Lox, if you look at these doors,” said Avangel, “you’ll notice the plaster that holds them shut looks aged by the years. There is no sense in disturbing the crypts within.”
“Not this one,” said Lox defensively. “There is no plaster on this one.”
The group stopped and looked at the door and found that Lox was correct. Lox crept up to the door and put his ear near it.
“I don’t hear anything,” he said.
“It’s probably plastered from the inside,” said Dent. “There are no tracks leading in, so I would say it hasn’t been opened in quite some time.”
Dent approached the door and gave it a quick nudge. As he did, he seemed to totter for a moment, then fell over and hit the ground.
“Omigosh! Dent! Are you okay?!” exclaimed Lox.
Ziona rushed over to the ranger and to see that he was okay. She looked up at her companions with a face gone pale with shock.
“He’s…dead.”
“What?!” squeaked Lox.
“He only pushed on the door slightly,” said Gnettles.
“It must have been some sort of spell,” said Avangel.
“Help me move him over,” said Ziona.
She and Avangel grasped Dent’s limp and lifeless body and moved him away from the door. Haley sat down beside him, growling nervously.
“Oh, no!” cried Lox. “It’s all
my fault! I should have checked it to make sure it was safe…I didn’t think…I didn’t know he was going to push on it! He said it didn’t look like anyone had opened it in a long time! I didn’t know!”
“Calm yourself,” said Ziona reaching into her pack.
The half-drow pulled forth a scepter with sparkling diamond embedded deep within it’s shining, silvery hilt. She pointed the rod at Dent and spoke a single word.
“Resurrect!”
In a moment, Dent’s breathing resumed and his eyelids began to flutter. Gnettles let out a sigh of relief and Lox chewed his lower lip.
Dent looked up and saw Ziona’s smiling face.
“How many times has it been now?” he smirked.
Ziona and Avangel helped him to his feet, and Haley purred affectionately.
“I don’t keep track of such things,” smiled Ziona. “But I know it has been a few.”
“Thank you,” he said. “What happened anyway? I just remember pushing against the door, then I felt…like the life was pulled out of me.”
“Slay Living perhaps,” said Avangel. “We must be more careful, or…”
Lox interrupted the lecture by throwing his arms around Dent’s legs.
“It’s my fault, Dent! I should have checked that stupid door!”
“Relax,” said Dent, with a tinge of embarrassment. “I should have known better myself. I was right, though. It was plastered from the inside.”
The heroes carried on until they came upon a large, natural cavern. There were several alcoves, but none of them contained anything more than mold and webbing. They did notice, however, that there was a staircase leading down.
Taking out their weapons, the party descended the staircase and found a large statue below.
“Why, I believe that is Jergal,” said Avangel. “He is the guardian of tombs.”
“Yeah, well, let’s stay out of his way,” said Lox nervously. It seemed that the halfling’s curiosity had been squelched, at least for the moment, by Dent’s temporary demise.
At the other side of the room lay another corridor. As the group walked toward it, the wall nearby began to bubble. Suddenly a hideous creature resembling a stalactite sprang forth and attacked. The roper struck Dent just as Ziona cut into it with her holy bastard sword. Avangel was quick to use his spear on the creature, and managed to jab the life out of it.
“Well,
that was interesting!” said Gnettles with a gnomish smirk.
“Shall we continue?” asked Dent.
“Are you okay?” asked Avangel. “Are you in need of healing?”
“I’m fine…just fine.”
As the companions began to exit, Gnettles noticed Lox was not budging.
“Are you coming along, Lox?”
Lox looked at Gnettles.
“Do you hear that?”
“Hear wha…” Gnettles stopped short, realizing he could hear some sort of scraping.
“I think it’s coming from over there…” said Lox.
The halfling began inspecting the wall, and when Avangel returned to reprimand them for falling behind, he noticed the door Lox had missed.
“I heard a noise, and I thought it was coming from over here, but there’s no door or anything,” said Lox. “Maybe it’s just in another room…”
“Stand aside, Lox,” said Avangel. “I see the hidden door.”
Ziona and Dent came back into the room to see Avangel opening the door. Gnettles explained what they heard, and the heroes followed behind the paladin. They walked slowly through the corridor, brushing away the cobwebs that hung from the ceiling. Eventually the hall opened into a room that suddenly came alive with scraping and clicking noises. The light emanating from Avangel’s shield revealed that there were three enormous spider-like creatures among them. One stood at the far end of the room, and two were near the entrance.
What the heroes didn't know were that the monstrous demons were called Bebiliths. Their misshapen chitinous bodies were dark and mottled, and their forelegs were decorated with angry-looking barbs. Poisionous dribble hung from the mouths of each of the creatures, which were ready to pounce upon their prey.
The bebiliths nearest the entrance launched their attacks on Avangel, while the third demon in the back tried to entangle the paladin in it’s webs. Within seconds the battle had begun. Lox had tumbled in with “Sally,” Ziona struck with her sword and Dent fired his bow madly. The only thing that halted the creature's attacks however was a spell uttered by Gnettles.
In an instant, the bebiliths near the entrance were stunned and immobilized. When Avangel turned his attention to the third, it shot webbing forward and disappeared. However, the celestial elf was not about to let the monster leave without punishment. Avangel leapt forward with his spear drawn. His weapon found purchase and he continued his assault until he was sure the demon was dead.
Meanwhile, Gnettles had disposed of the first bebilith with Magic Missile, while Dent destroyed the second with his axe.
In the corner of the room lay a pile of lumpy figures wrapped within the spider-like webs. Lox was there, using “Sally” to cut open the sticky cocoons and pull out any valuables.
“Lox,” called Avangel. “Don’t you know idle hands are Bane’s playground?”
“Yes,” said Lox pulling forth a small gem. “But shiny things keep my hands from being idle…plus, they’re nice in the pockets!”
The Adventure Continues…
