Temple of Elemental Evil #1 - [Planting 1, 591] “The Mission”
The party members meet at the behest of Viscount Horus; they have not worked with one another before. They meet over dinner in the with the Viscount in his castle and learn more…
The Temple of Elemental Evil may once again be active. Two weeks ago, a party sent to investigate returned with only two living. They told tales of earth elementals and bandits.
Horus asks that the party… (Who are: Je’tal, a Human Priest of Pelor. Moelinar, a Human Trithereon Knight stationed in Hommlet. Lansar, a Half-Elven guild member of the wizardly Silver Consortium. Kastrova Kalehearth, Dwarven friend of Verbobonc’s gnomes. Raven Quickflight, a locally famous Elven master rogue.)… assemble and travel to the Temple to investigate.
Moelinar is to be the guide for the expedition. He has already traveled near the ruins and knows the Hommlet area well.
The party questioned the two surviving members of the previous group. They discovered that one of the first dungeon rooms is a lair of earth elementals.
The party accepts horses from the Viscount after Moelinar thinks to ask …
After last minute shopping, the party heads to Hommlet for a two to three-day journey, about 90 miles away.
While camped, a mad hill giant attacks the party. He knocks down some trees in a bull-rush into camp. The party wins the battle, though Je’tal almost dies. He was, perhaps, too bold…
Next: Hommlet. First, they go to the supply store to see what interesting items there might be. They meet a curious pair of owners, but nothing interesting otherwise. Then, they go to the castle for food and water and then it is back on the road.
They decide not to take the road through Nulb to the Temple. Instead, they take the road through the Gnarly forest. Other than an attack by 15 wild wolves, the party makes it through without incident. About 15 minutes before nightfall on Planting 6, the party arrives at the gates of the Temple of Elemental Evil.
Temple of Elemental Evil #2 - [Planting 6 - 15] “The Earth Temple”
Raven Quickflight investigates the northeast part of the great temple grounds and discovers lights in an outer tower. Instead of investigating further, the party decides to focus on entering the temple.
The make a good search of the upper temple area and discover what could only be a well of human sacrifices. They find three stairways leading below. They do not investigate the throne area…
They take the entrance to the Earth Temple. They have an intense battle with four Earth Elementals. The rogue in knocked out hard, the cleric gets slapped up, but the party wins out. They stake out the chamber and spend a good 6 hours digging out various suspicious earthen mounds in the room. They discover a good amount of treasure underneath the areas from which the earth elementals rose… They map out the room. Now and then, they hear sounds of life in the dungeon. Whatever beasts made the noise do not bother them…
Sapped of strength and laden with treasure, the group decides to take their info and goods to Verbobonc. Their trip takes three and a half days and is uneventful.
The first evening in Verbobonc (15th), Lansar, Moelinar, and Je’Tal visit the Viscount. They describe the mission as it stands. The next morning the adventure continues…
Temple of Elemental Evil #3 - D&D [Planting 15 – 22] “The Augury Chamber”
Party begins the morning of the 16th in Verbobonc. The next 4 days are spent studying, conditioning, and honing/learning new skills. They also bank and shop during their spare time. They purchase a healing wand, magic arrows, and replenish normal supplies.
During his free time, Raven Quickflight stays in the Elven part of Verbobonc. While there, he hears a tale of the Temple. ‘A friend knows someone who saw something unusual' during the last major siege of the temple. This person saw someone walk colored tiles in a pattern to get to the elemental evil throne (upper temple), then he sat in the throne, said something, and then the throne and this guy were quickly sucked into the depths below. The throne returned a second or two later but with no one in it. Some kind of magical chute it appears…
Raven also recruits three wood elf Rangers, Dusty, Durvoc, and Lawrence. Each is 1st level. They will help prepare a base camp and take care of the animals. Je’Tal brings Pelor ally Saint (ahem) Brendan to watch said base camp.
The journey from Verbobonc to The Temple of Elemental Evil takes three and a half days on horseback. They make camp about five miles before reaching the temple. They cover their trail and head off the trail southeast. Initially they plan a base camp some five miles off the trail, but think better of it and make it one mile off. The Elves and Pelor Priest begin preparing the base at once. Each is obviously set off being so close to a place of such legendary evil, but Moelinar provides encouragement with a bag of gold.
Then the five of them head to the Temple on foot. A mile through rough wood and bramble (1 hour) and then 5 miles further down the Low Road (1 1/2 hours). Upon arriving (around 6 PM), they enter the place and head down to the Earth Temple.
They do not discover earth elementals, instead they find the place dug up and looted. They find tracks of men and gnoll leading here-and-there. Most of the tracks lead through the northwest side curtain. The party decides to explore through the northeast curtain…
In a series of passageways and rooms in the northeast part of the dungeon, the party encounters the following: A Gelatinous Cube (ask Kastrova what it’s like inside one of these things). A mysterious abandoned crypt (Je’tal and Lansar catch an intense respiratory infection from the sealed tomb air. Each use a dose of Keoghtom’s Ointment to heal the disease. They do not find undead). An unusual augury chamber (Je’tal, Lansar, and Raven try their hand at divination by throwing odd shaped ivory and bone pieces into the provided stone basin. Results were inconclusive, but they did successfully use it to find a secret door). They encounter a pack of stinking wandering Ghasts. A flight of Stirges in “The Stirge Room” is quickly dispatched with a well-placed Lansar fireball).
The party also found some interesting items: a magical robe of unknown power (from the deserted crypt), a Dark Blue Ioun stone in the shape of a Rhomboid (random-rolled treasure on wandering ghast), and what they believe to be a Ring of Wizardry I (found scattered among refuse and copper on the floor of the Stirge chamber).
They are currently in the Stirge Room. They have been in the dungeon for three hours…
Temple of Elemental Evil #4 - D&D [Planting 22b] “The Harpy’s Fetid Lair”
While the party regroups in the “The Stirge Room”, Kastrova explores the southwestern hallway. Shortly after that, everyone hears women singing from off to the southeast. Raven identifies it as the song of harpies... plural. Kastrova and Moelinar do not resist this song and seek the singer out. The party quickly brings Moelinar back to reality, but not Kastrova. Kastrova makes a mad dash for the southwest. He makes it over 50 feet before the party persuades him to stop. Then they regroup and move on.
They arrive at an intersection. To the south, the hallway continues and they see more intersections. To the west, hallways and more intersections and far off branching hallway. The east hallway leads to the source of the ghast stench and harpies song. A slime-crusted path of meandering ghast tracks lead off to the dark room to the east. The party checks their light sources and the dwarf leads the way. Being extremely wary of traps, they proceed. The dwarf discovers what appears to be a portcullis trap in the doorway to this 30’x70’ chamber. The dwarf quickly looks in the room and sees a door to the north and the south. Twelve huge 4’ pillars flange up to support this 40’ high rooftop. The harpy song is coming from up there somewhere. This place is rank. Feces and urine, rot, gore, bones, and other debris litter the floor. The dwarf pulls his head back into the hallway and describes the scene. They search the hallway for traps and look for a way to disable the portcullis but come up empty handed. About this time, they hear the sounds of men’s laughter to the northwest.
They move away from the fetid area and investigate the laughter. Off the western hallway is a hallway to the north – this is the source of the laughter. The northern hallway is fifty feet long. Heavy doors oppose each other at the very end of the hallway. From the western door, they hear what Raven identifies as ogres and other demi-humans. From the eastern doorway, they hear the sounds of men dining and shooting the shit. Raven uses his lock picking skills and locks the ogre door. The party wastes no time and charges through the eastern door. Inside are five humans sitting around a table eating. They wear armor and brown garb with the symbol of a triangle on the front and back. Ten seconds later all five of them are dead. Moelinar and Kastrova stand, blood dripping from their blades…
A hallway to the north leads from this room. They hear men knocking over tables and preparing for battle. They head in that direction in the face of defended murder holes. They charge… Moelinar and Kastrova brush off the volley of bolts and launch into the room. They quickly decimate the fighters behind overturned tables and get control of the area. Some of the evil men manage to get a shot off with their poisoned bolts, but they never really have a chance. Moelinar chases and kills one straggler.
Je’tal takes a bolt to the chest and succumbs to poison. He is shot buy one of three hidden evil guards. He falls back and Kastrova moves in to clean up. The dwarf kills one. The other two just drop their weapons, fall to their knees and beg for mercy. The party ties them up and holds them as prisoners.
They search for more enemies. Far off to the west the dwarf spies a gnoll patrolling, but leaves it be. They all gather together in the guardroom again and pile up the all the corpses in the area behind the guardroom murder holes. Next, they question the prisoners. However, the two of them both refuse to talk.
Moelinar, in a moment of battle frenzy, kicks one of the prisoners in the groin with such force that it kills him outright. The other prisoner is so shocked that he begins confessing everything he knows. The party learns that the triangle symbol is the sign for elemental evil earth. They discover the location of the head priest and guards. They find that there are more than fifty ogres, bugbears, and gnolls who serve earth elemental evil. They find that other elemental evil temples are in the deeper levels. They find that there are at least four dungeon levels.
Raven dons a uniform of elemental evil earth as a disguise.
Temple of Elemental Evil #5 - D&D [Planting 22-24] “Lots of dead humanoids”
Raven binds and gags the evil prisoner to the body of a corpse in the murder hole backroom. Moelinar piles a few corpses on the prisoner to muffle his gagged crying. Next, the party heads toward the supposed quarters of the evil earth elemental leaders.
They explore the nearby hallway reaches: To the south, it is dark, but there is evidence of human-sized bones piled on the floor. To the west and the north, the hallways continue and are quiet. The party gathers around the leader’s door and the thief picks the lock, Lansar peaks in the door to blast a fireball inside. Instead of shooting a fireball, he dodges four javelins hurled at his head. All miss him so he backs up and lets the fighters engage the four fighters within. They have little trouble.
They find that this small room is just an entry area for what must be a much larger area beyond. There are massive double doors that would open into this room. They hear much commotion and preparation going on beyond the doors. The party steps back. Raven steps up to the door and begins operations aimed at picking the lock. He succeeds some 6 to 7 minutes later. Raven steps back and Lansar commands an invisible servant to open the double doors. After the doors open, they see a large number of readied archers and warriors in all areas of this 30’ deep room. Tables are toppled over to provide cover. Lansar wastes no time and fires an air blast fireball into the room. It is a weak one and the evil ones easily react and close the doors, and relock and barricade them. The party decides to leave the leaders be for now and retreat to their base to power-up.
During their retreat, they find three gelatinous cubes feeding on the pile of dead in the guardroom. They also hear the muffled insane cries of the prisoner buried alive in the gore. They quickly move on and head north through the unexplored hallway. They find a secret door that provides a quicker route to the surface. They take the way and leave the dungeon.
The party leaves the temple and begins traveling back to the base camp. They encounter a wyvern in an open field. The beast sees them, takes off running toward them and then soars off with its 50’ wingspan. The monster flies away and they see it no more. They move on and find their base. The wood elves and Saint Brennan are still there.
The base team encountered poisonous snakes and wild wolves and bears, but were able to avoid harm.
The party rests for a complete day. The wizard spends much of the time studying what he believes to be a Ring of Wizardry. The morning after wearing it for spell preparation he is convinced.
The party leaves after midnight on the 24th and heads back to the Temple of Elemental Evil. They arrive and begin the descent into the earth temple; startled, they see a creature scatter across the temple entry. They continue to descend carefully and find the temple occupied. There is a host of evil humanoids armed within the Earth Temple. They each brand the evil triangle of earth on their brown clothing. None are surprised and they all attack at once.
After a massive battle, the party somehow wins out with the best possible results. All told, 5 ogres, 5 bugbears, a bugbear shaman, and 15 Gnolls lie dead on the temple floor. Not a single enemy survived the battle that they are aware. After a quick search of the ogre leader and shaman, the party discovers several gems and a bone necklace.
Temple of Elemental Evil #6 - D&D [Planting 24b] “The beginning of the end”
The party makes a complete search of all 25 dead. Lansar scans the area for magic: a black enruned javelin and a bone necklace stand out. The remaining treasure consists of coins and gems. They gather all but the copper pieces.
They decide to take on the leaders next…
On the way to the leader’s quarters, they encounter a pack of ghasts led by a wight. Je’Tal turns all but three ghasts. Moelinar and Kastrova drop them instantaneously. The group does not pursue the turned, instead they continue toward the purported leader’s area.
They arrive at the locked door. Raven remembers the lock and opens it with a flick of the wrist. After some preparatory spells from the wizards, Moelinar opens the door. He then “absorbs” four javelins thrown by the guards within. Moelinar moves up to engage. Kastrova moves in as well and engages another. Raven shoots a couple of arrows, but mostly the others just watch as Kastrova and Moelinar chew up the enemy. The four are dead in a matter of 12 seconds. They did not manage to ring the alarm.
Raven quickly cracks the next lock and the party breaks into the next room expecting anything. They find four guards who do not appear to have much battle in them. Three of their group drops their weapons and raises their hands at the mere sight of the infamous party.
The forth screams in fright and makes for the door on the other side of the room and bursts in yelling, “HELP!” Moelinar is one step behind him. Inside this much smaller room, Moelinar confronts two lieutenant types and the whimpering bloodied coward.
In the previous room, the rest of the party splits in two. One half directed toward capturing prisoners, the other half follows Moelinar.
Temple of Elemental Evil #7 - D&D [Planting 24-29] “The Earth Temple forces sacked”
The party secures the guards who surrendered. An increasingly intense battle with the remaining guards ensues in the northern chamber led by Moelinar and Kastrova. They work their way northward toward the Earth leader’s chamber. While engaging Earth’s top warriors, the evil cleric pops from behind a northern door. He utters words of blindness directed at Moelinar, but Moelinar resists. Kastrova throws himself into the middle of a pack of evil officers and begins his whirlwind attacks. Enemies drop left and right, but the evil cleric manages to slip away after casting a spell of utter darkness. Even the dwarf cannot see though this. The evil cleric escapes.
The rogue tries to keep up with the evil one, but the escape route appears to be a practiced one. Concealed and secret doors block the way.
After the battle and darkness clear, the party makes a thorough search of the area. They discover the escape route and the remaining treasure of the earth clan. This is stowed away and cataloged.
In the first room of the earth leader’s suites, the party has four evil guards tied-up. At one point several come close to escaping, but they are caught and tied-up in a very uncomfortable fashion. The party leaves them to the mercy of the dungeon and makes for their base out in the forest. In all likelihood, the tied men are gelatinous cube or ghast fodder.
The party arrives at their camp and gathers all for a trip back to Verbobonc to re-equip, bank, train, and update the Viscount. After three and a half days, they arrive in Verbobonc just before sunset.
The Viscount gets his update and we continue the story next week…
Temple of Elemental Evil #8 - D&D [Planting 29 –Flocktime 6] “The Harpy’s song”
Training and shopping in Verbobonc is how the party spends its next five days. They purchase supplies, healing potions and scrolls. They sell off much of their treasure and bank the remaining gold. Although they put much attention toward the events at the market, they spent most of their five days training.
The familiar route to the Temple takes another three and a half days. Before they can drop the elves and cleric off at the base, the larger group encounters two wyverns, one young and the other mature. A battle begins. The young wyvern stings Lansar. He weakens shortly thereafter and falls away from the battle. The party finishes off the beasts without any further serious injury. The group must use another dose of Keoghtom’s ointment to bring Lansar back to his feet.
They make their base in the usual spot and the core group heads off for the Temple. They arrive at the gates at about ten in the morning of the sixth of Flocktime.
They investigate the Earth leader’s quarters and find things much as they left them. The gnawed hands of the prisoners were left by the ghasts.
They went on to explore the ways to the west. To the south, they see a huge dark corridor piled in the middle with five feet of bones. They stay away from the piles and head to a door off to the north.
Before reaching the door, Raven almost falls in a deep pit trap, but catches the edge. They discover another guardroom, but the earth troops are here no more. They find levers that control trapdoors south of each of the south doors. They use a bed as a makeshift bridge to cross the other southern pit trap. They then explore to the southwest.
After another junction of hallways, they see a reinforced bronzewood door and hear ogres and bugbears within. They waste little time, Raven picks the lock and they charge. First, they encounter four bugbears. They die quick. Behind the door to the next room, they hear the sound of fleeing. Raven quickly picks the next lock and they all pursue. By the time they reach the end of a familiar hallway, they realize they do not see the ogres. Instead, they hear the song of the harpies. Kastrova and Je’tal, start walking blindly to their doom.
Temple of Elemental Evil #9 - D&D [Flocktime 6b] “Prisoners released”
The party manages to restrain Je’tal and Kastrova and the two of them come to their senses. Marching into the trapped harpy room would surely have been suicide.
They hear the claws of ghasts scraping the floors and walls. They all imagine a hoard of undead lurking within the harpy area. After much debate, the group moves west… away from the harpies and undead.
The group hears what they believe to be a swarm of giant rats pursuing them; they make off for a pair of storage rooms to the south. The sound of the rats stays to the north.. They find the storage rooms essentially ransacked and empty. They continue west.
After another intersection, they find a cell with human prisoners. In several adjoining rooms the party finds and destroys fourteen ghasts. They also find a valuable gold necklace in the lair.
Raven picks the double lock that holds the prisoners (ten of them). Inside the cell is not a pretty picture. The prisoners are starving, dirty, and naked. Short of a few blankets on the floor there is nothing in this hole. The group has not eaten since the Earth elemental worshipers left… about five days.
Je’tal and Moelinar take the prisoners to a secure room formally used by the ogres and bugbears. First, they provide them with food and drink. Then they hand over what clothes they found in the ghast lair.
Meanwhile… Kastrova, Raven, and Lansar explore a hallway leading north from the ghast’s lair. They discover a massive chamber – 110’ by 30’ with a ceiling peaking at 25’. This appears to originally have been a dining hall, but the place is now in ruin A place of a great battle. As they leave the area, a giant snake attacks. It came slithering from the pile of wooden tables. Only the dwarf did not hear it coming. Raven shoots a flaming arrow and hits the beast in the head. Lansar unleashes a lighting bolt. Still the snake lives. The snake bites Lansar twice and before grappling and constricting… Lansar is close to death. Lansar manages to use a shocking grasp while coiled up. Raven continues with arrows and Kastrova does his part by making several large incisions and then severing the snake’s head from its body. Moelinar hears the lightning bolt and comes running to the scene now. With the snake dead, they all regroup in the room with Je’tal and the prisoners.
The party heals up and prepares for the journey to the surface. They are wary of the possibility that the prisoners might be doppelgangers. With that, they take them to the surface, and then to their forest base.
Temple of Elemental Evil #10 - D&D [Flocktime 6b-9] “Downward…”
The party completes the investigation of the first level of the Temple of Elemental Evil.
They finally clean up the trapped area containing the harpies/ghasts/and wights. It wasn’t pretty at first, Je’tal tripped a trigger and he and Kastrova found themselves trapped in the hall of harpy death. Je’tal manages to turn some of the deadites before succumbing to paralysis, but it is Kastrova and Lansar who make short work of the evil ones. Lansar with an ice storm and other spells and Kastrova with his deadly whirlwind of death. Only Kastrova can see well in this dark hall, and the party watches him spin his way into the darkness of the far rooms. They hear limbs fall to the floor and heads bounce off walls. Finally they hear the sound of the trapped gate unlocking and the bars raising. Kastrova dispatched the rest single-handedly.
They discover an area on the first level in the Northwest that has a torture chamber and a row of cells. They kill the Owlbear torturers and find a secret area behind some of the cells.
In the this place they find a secret base of a gnome who single handedly was a thorn in the side of the Earth Temple worshippers for many years, The gnome has since died – apparently of old age. The party rummages through his things and takes what appears to be valuable. They also recover a diary.
They investigate and map the two known entrances to the second level. The first connects to a Minotaur’s maze while the other descent leads to an area that sounds filled with snakes and owlbears. They do not investigate either very way closely. They make their way back up to the surface.
The head back to the base camp. From there they give the former prisoners from Nulb basic equipment, food, and clothes. The Nulbians make off for Nulb on their own.
The party takes the Wenches back to Hommlet. Each gets a room in the Inn of the Welcome Wench. After a few drinks and a few tales from the woman, the party are the heroes of Hommlet. They decide to stay for a few days to practice their skills and spells before moving on. Being that they cleared the first level and rescued the Wenches – the group will find rates for services in town very reasonable.
While drinking, they each hears rumors about a Temple of Orcus in a “Dungeon of Graves”, also known as, Rappan Athuk. This dungeon is reputed to lie even farther in the Gnarly Forest. There is supposedly a underground city of goblins that worship and obey Orcus…
Temple of Elemental Evil #11 - D&D [Flocktime 9 - 18] “Je’tal’s pet stag beetles”
They spend four days training and making the acquaintance of some of Hommlet’s citizenry.
Lansar befriends a pet toad and names it Rakort. He keeps it in a sturdy leather pouch.
Je’tal finds two stag beetles and keeps them in a small jar.
Then it’s off to Verbobonc to SHOP! They also stop by the castle and leave a ‘post-it’ for the Viscount
Then it’s back to the Temple of Elemental Evil with a stop at the base to drop off the horses and hirelings.
The party makes for the Minotaur area on the 2nd level. Je’tal uses his divine magic to transform his pet stag beetles into 10 foot long monstrous abominations. He manages to direct the giant beetles around the NW part of the 2nd level without having the creatures eat the party first. Ultimately, he directs the beetles southward to their doom. The creatures walk into an ambush. Most of the group hear the sounds of arrows and javelins thrown at Je’tal’s creatures. The sounds seem to come from two directions – potentially more than fifteen attackers. Kastrova looks ahead and sees that the area of the ambush is unlit and massive – a great hall or chamber of some sort.
Temple of Elemental Evil #12 - D&D [Flocktime 18b] “The Air Temple”
They battle a host of bugbears , two Minotaurs, and at least two human-like rogues. They lay waste to all save the rogues. The rogues continue to take poison arrow pot-shots from the distance and successfully evade pursuit.
The party leaves the rogues be and explores the areas adjacent to the great hall. They discover several passages and doors and carefully map them out. In a secret hallway they find a fountain and stairs descending, but they do not take this set of stairs.
Around this time, the rogues, searching for another surprise attack, are ambushed by a hidden party. The two are not prepared and a slain almost instantly by a Lansar spell and the cleaving blade of Moelinar. It was quick…
They continue exploring and find a secret entrance to an Air Temple. In the ceiling of the evil temple is the bottom of the shaft that leads to the well in the upper temple. Countless victims must have plummeted to their deaths through it. They discover another two secret doors on the south wall of the air temple. One leads to a conflict with a Drelb Guardian of air. The battle is intense, but quick and the party kills the thing with little trouble. The discover a hidden censer in the floor area. They take it with…
The other secret door leads down, apparently to the third level. The party takes this seemingly seldom used passageway.
This leads down to a room surrounded by heavy doors. The echoes and noise in the room seem to amplify throughout the dungeon. A huge troll comes forth as if to great them, but then his expression turns ugly and then thing raises an alarm. Shortly after that trolls attack from every doorway and a major battle ensues.
The party is ultimately victorious, but Raven is killed. Three things of importance occur after the battle: 1) Je’tal raises Raven from the dead – Raven lives on, though a bit weaker for dying. 2) The party finds lettered keys in the possession of each of the trolls that seem to correlate with lettered lock mechanisms in each of the troll rooms. The party takes all the keys. 3) Behind the eastern doorway of the troll room there continues a short flight of stairs. Down there Kastrova can hear and sense the presence of an Ettin(s). The party certainly made enough noise for the Ettin to be aware, but they do not attack. The party quietly closes the door to that area and makes plans.
The decide to head back to the first level and rest in the Gnome home.
Temple of Elemental Evil #13 - D&D [Flocktime 18b-25] “The Third Level”
Continued exploration on the 3rd level… After resting in the first level Gnome sanctuary the party heads down again.
On the third level the party encounters and destroys:
Another pack of five trolls guarding the ‘keyless’ ante-chambers.
A pair of Ettins
One large Black Pudding
And Je’tal finds a faint trace of magic in an unexplored area on the 3rd floor map. The party goes there and are ambushed by an Umber Hulk. The party has little trouble killing it. It’s lair beyond is a gleaming brass-plated sunken room. There is a narrow ledge that circumvents the room and an elaborate ladder triggered by a pull-chain that lowers from the ceiling to the sunken area. In the lower area there are two 10’x10’ cubicles: One is a treasure cubicle and the other is the lair of the Umber Hulk
They also discover a way to open at least one of the locked doors. Using a troll room key mechanism they successfully navigate at least one trap.
They find some other interesting areas, but leave further investigation for later:
A faux cavern-like area with an skeleton armored in gleaming chain propped against the far wall. The area is lit by a strange gray light. Wind blows and seems to moan. The place does not seem safe.
An area lit by a bright ‘sun-like’ light full of ‘jumping biped and quadruped sinister animals…’
An evil-smelling fountain. The water could probably sustain life though…
A gallery of life-sized stone sculptures of monsters. The area is lit by four violet glowing orbs in brazier-like holders higher up the walls.
Behind the locked/trapped door, they find two interesting places:
A secret door with the inscription: ‘Zuggtmoy’s Maidens’ leads to a red-room themed place of absolute darkness. It is a lair of shades and who knows what else…
Alchemical storage rooms containing many useful components and contraptions.
In the Ettin room, the find a warren of tunnels below the fire pit from where the black pudding came…
The party breaks for the surface, picks up the horses and hirelings and then off to Verbobonc to power-up and cash in the treasure.
Temple of Elemental Evil #14 - D&D [Flocktime 25 – Wealsun 5] “The Flaming Fighter”
They spend about a week training and merchandising in Verbobonc. They spend one of their evenings with the Viscount and enjoy a seven-course meal in the palace. After seeing proof (the map) of the party’s exploits the Viscount gives them a bag of 10,000 g.p. in rubies. All told, the week goes by smoothly and they’re better for it.
They hear rumors of a powerful magical bastard sword supposedly hidden in the Fire Temple. They also hear a rumor that all four of the elemental evil temples exist in the first two dungeon levels.
The last morning in town, the party and hirelings saddle up for another run to the Temple. Along the way they get the feeling the many potential adversaries avoid confronting the party because of the group’s apparent strength. With this advantage, the party presses for the forest base in record time. After they make camp, the adventurers head for the dungeon.
They take their familiar path to the second level via the ancient spiral staircase. They investigate some of the northern areas on this level. Storage rooms and the like a scattered hear and there. In one massive storage room a large monkey attacks them with a psionic blast. They kill the thing before Kastrova could say, ‘Su-monster’.
Around the next bend they smell what can only be a garbage pit. They sense movement in the stink, but move along.
They find themselves on the far east end of the great hall where several passageways branch off in various twisted directions. Some appear to lead to a guardroom, the others lead to areas unknown.
A twenty foot wide passageway leads to what they think must be the fire temple. They find the massive brass doors that lead to the air temple (west) and what appears to be the fire temple (east). The rogue quietly stalks to the east down a crooked hallway painted in orange and red flames. At the end of the hallway he carefully pears through a massive curtain and sees a room full of elite bugbears set with spears and a ‘flaming fighter’ ready for an attack. Obviously they are aware of the party further down the hall. The rogue sneaks back to the group and reports the news.
Temple of Elemental Evil #15 - D&D [Wealsun 5b] “The Fire Temple”
The party move up the bent hallway and prepare attacks positions behind the curtain. Lansar orders an unseen servant to open the curtains. And then, before the room’s occupants can react, he lobs a fireball into the room. The blast nearly clears the room. The party sees the fancy one, almost burnt beyond recognition, slip through a secret door behind the wooden throne. The remaining bugbears stand in a daze, stunned by the blast, until they are run through when the group invades the now burning room.
Moelinar finds a lever that trips the hidden door and trips it. As soon as the secret door opens, he sees the massive fire temple beyond. The door only stays open for five seconds before closing. Moelinar and Kastrova hear activity behind them and hold position for a moment, attacking through the opened secret door with missile weapons.
And then, from the crooked hallway from which the party just came, Raven sees movement – something is following them. Lansar casts improved invisibility on Raven. Raven then explores the areas northwest and finds a secret door. From behind he hears evils animal breathing sounds… He heads to the northeast when he hears the priests chanting.
Despite the threat of being surrounded, Moelinar and Kastrova go through the secret door and enter the fire temple. They see the fancy one praying in front of one of the many flaming brass cauldrons surrounding the temple fire pit and alter. Shortly after that, seven fire salamanders burst out of seven cauldrons and make for Moelinar and Kastrova.
Then the door from where the chanting was coming opens. There is a sense that they are ready to unleash something terrible… But before they can, Lansar throws a fireball through the door. There’s a massive blast and then silence. The blast kills the evil priests outright.
With the northeast and northwest areas seemingly clear, the remaining party members enter the fire temple. They battle the remaining fire salamanders. In a manner of twenty seconds the monsters are dead. The ‘flaming’ fighter lies dead too, peppered by arrows and bolts and magic missile burn holes.
With the battle apparently over, the group investigates the temple. An exhaustive search of the place finds no secret areas or traps. To be sure, Lansar casts a spell to locate secret areas. To the delight of those searching for the rumored magic bastard sword, he discovers a secret door located in the bottom of the burning fire pit.
Je’tal and Kastrova throw holy water onto the coals. After that, the 20’ long 2’ diameter suspended brass tube in front of the fire pit rings like a bell. At the same time, a much larger fire salamander manifests from another of the cauldrons. The party slays the thing after a quick, but intense fight.
While investigating ways to put the magical fire out, they manage to summon another salamander. This time it was after Lansar cast an Ice Storm on the area surrounding the fire pit. An 18’ tall massive salamander springs up from the cauldron right next to Moelinar. The thing engages and manages to coil Moelinar within its snake-like tail. While smothered in flames, Moelinar struggles to break free. The entire party focuses all their attacking power on the thing and slay it before Moelinar is burnt to a crisp.
After the battle, the group moves away from the temple area and investigates the north side of the chamber. Raven picks the western brass doors but is unable to crack the northern ones. Through the western door, the party sees a long hallway bathed in a neutral light. The far end seems to have the nature of condensation and fog. The area to the north has an airy, wispy nature. To the south is a solid massive pair of stone doors. And just outside the east doors is a red hot heat zone. Just being in the area burns the flesh. Seeing this hallway as an interconnect between the temples, the group closes and locks the door and stays within the fire temple.
Temple of Elemental Evil #16 - D&D [Wealsun 14b] “Tentok noh Minowara”
After some more time investigating they head back to the Gnome Sanctuary on the first level to rest and prepare spells. They plan to make another attempt at recovering whatever is buried in the secret area beneath the fire pit.
After an eight hour rest, they head back to the fire temple. The place is much like they left it. The priests have not returned, but is still lit by evil fires.
Lansar positions himself to begin directing cold magic into the pit. The party backs off and views from a safe distance. Lansar begins with a massive cone of cold – close to half of the fire is at least temporarily extinguished. At that moment, the biggest salamander yet (some 23’ feet tall), appears near the alter and attacks the party immediately.
The battle only lasts a few moments. Moelinar and the thing exchange a flurry of melee swings – both come from the exchange bloodied, but still fighting. The others throw their attacks and magic and it appears to have greatly weakened. They all see the creature summoning what Lansar believes to be a meteor swarm. Before it unleashes the lethal spell, Je’tal charges and slays it with a crushing blow to the brain. The temple’s flames seem to die a bit – both the cauldrons and the fire pit. Whatever power this place held, much of it seems to have gone with the slaying of this last monster. With that, they once again focus on extinguishing the fire pit.
Lansar thinks to use his repeating crossbow of cold. He finds that each shot knocks about 5% out of the fire. With his repeated attacks he puts out the fire pit after about three minutes of blasting. The fire temple seems to be abandoned… surely the priests are dead or have all moved somewhere else. This place appears to be theirs.
Raven carefully climbs in the fire pit searching for traps. Kastrova lends a hand by looking for tell-tale trap design. A few moments later, Raven finds a trigger in the opening mechanism. After about three minutes, it is disarmed. He opens the heat-sealed trapdoor and sees that the trap is a massive scythe blade built into the structure of the secret area. It appears that any hands placed in the pit to grab the treasure would definitely have been severed. Confident the trap is disarmed, Raven carefully removes the treasure. He removes nine bags made from what appears to be a fine chain mesh. Each of the bags seems to be full of coins, except two, which are full of gems. He also removes a sheathed bastard sword, a dagger, a ring, and two potion bottles.
After making another search for hidden doors the party takes the treasure and makes for the surface. They reach their camp and then head to Verbobonc.
They spend the next few days training and admiring their new toys…
The sword is one of the legendary Swords of Sharpness… The Sword of Tentok noh Minowara. It is a supremely keen blade known for its ability to sever limbs.
Temple of Elemental Evil #17 - D&D [Wealsun 14b-20] “The Water Temple”
After the usual stint in town, they take the familiar journey to the dungeon. They then head directly to the southwest part of lvl two, the water temple is next.
On the way to the water temple, they investigate a series of rooms left abandoned by the former air temple worshippers. When they find the entrance to the water temple, a pack of eighteen ghasts attacks them from the dark hallway behind. Between Je’tal’s turning powers and Lansar’s fire magicks, the pack is annihilated in a matter of seconds.
They bully their way through a group of four troll guards and then on into the mammoth, undersea-like water temple. After a good period of careful investigation and thoughtful deliberation, Je’tal pours holy water into the alter basin, which, of course, animates the room’s guardians and alerts the high priests. The 8’ high sea-monster-like stone idol, springs to life, spinning at a dangerous speed and extends its evil crab-like pseudopod arms into knives of ripping doom. It’s favorite attack, though, is crushing foes into the walls of the room.
From the corners of the room, the party is not surprised when the gargoyle statues come to life and join the attack. Just about that time, the idol smashes Moelinar into the north wall. Then a greater priest steps from behind the alter and casts dispel magic on the group. Immediately after that, Lansar unleashes a lightning bolt into the evil sinners. One priest dodges the blast and casts hold on Lansar. Lansar, unable to move, cannot step away from the idol that’s headed right for him. Raven pushes Lansar out of the way and likely saves his life.
<cut to the end of the battle>
The party stands over the bodies of the destroyed idol, gargoyles, and the three evil priests. They begin gathering clues, treasure, and info. The discover that the gargoyles were really dead men (zombies?) wearing magical gargoyle cloaks.
In the priests rooms they discover their writings. Among other info, they learn that there is a Elemental Node temple on the fourth level. This is the base of evil and strength in the dungeon. This temple has remained vital through every invasion of the complex and is the reason this place is still evil at its core.
Temple of Elemental Evil #18 - D&D [Wealsun 20-21] – The Pool of Elemental Evil
With the evil ones dispatched at the water temple, the party rests before exploring the rest of the structure.
When they return, they find a mysterious chamber with a deep pool of water, a gleaming crystal domed ceiling, and an impressive mosaic of a kraken on the south wall. The entire place shimmers with incredible radiance.
It is at this time that everyone sees that a male triton is chained to the bottom of the pool. It telepathically pleads with the party, “Come into the water, undo my chains, and save me!” It goes on to explain, with complete believability, that if they do not take action a Kraken will come to life and destroy everyone! With the triton’s telepathic words, the thought of entering the pool also enters everyone’s mind. More curious than mislead, Kastrova enters the pool.
Without any fanfare or surprise, Kastrova is enveloped in a death shroud of evil water. Even though he is sucked under and inhaling water, Kastrova manages to escape the pool’s evil clutches.
Suggestive words continue to infiltrate their minds, but they all resist the thought that they should enter. Lansar tries a spell or two to test what might affect the pool’s life-force.
Je’tal casts a spell of lie detection and finds that the triton is, in fact, lying. It is around this time that the triton disappears and the pool unleashes its fury with a chained lighting bolt. Even though the blast kills no one, they leave the pool chamber. The plan is to power up before finishing this strange pool off.
Upon return, the party users water purification and control water scrolls they found, lots of magically generated fresh water, and other purifications and prayers. While the water lowers and loses its stink, the pool unleashes one last angry blast: a green ray of disintegration cast toward Je’tal. Luckily, the priest resists and continues to exist.
Another dousing of fresh water completely cleanses the pool. After this, the glimmering crystal ceiling shatters into thousands of pieces gashing everyone in the room. They also witness a crystal scroll case fall from the ceiling down into the pool. They safely recover the scroll.
A piece of parchment in the crystal scroll case reads:
On three, in six, lies nine – but none shall ever see
Vile Good cloaked by Fair Evil for eternity
Will you answer, Answerer? Where is your power, pray?
With the whelp of Mitrik and there until doomsday.
Temple of Elemental Evil #19 - D&D [Wealsun 21-22] – The Lamias
After the water temple, they take the back way through the troll rooms to the hydra lair. They battle a ten-headed hydra and three trolls and slays them easily. After the battle they discover a magical ring on the lead troll, but nothing much else.
They continue exploring the secret ways encircling the second level. They surprise a group of four gaming bugbears and run them through.
They head back to the secret tunnel outside the water temple. They go down the stairs that are in the southwest corner of the level.
They enter a large chamber the floor covered with manure and fungi. The place is an obvious lair of something evil. The place glows eerily because of all the phosphorescent fungi on the walls.
Without warning, deer-like quick figures dash from around the piles of steaming organic material. They surround the cleric with almost impossible quickness and immediately begin their evil touching and whispering. The creatures are lamias, evil to the core. As soon as the battle begins with the first pair, another pair joins in from the darkness.
After the party kills the four disgusting beasts they find that Je’tal is as white as a sheet. This drained much of his wisdom and good sense and he is visibly shaken.
Their next decision is whether they should retreat and rest, search this noisome place, or continue the exploration of the ancient third level.
Temple of Elemental Evil #20 - D&D [Wealsun 22-27] – The Treasures of the Will-o-Wisps’
They find three exits from the foul Lamia chamber: the first leads back to the 2nd level, the second leads to what appears to be an entrance to the fourth level, and the final way leads to a crooked hallway and then to the Hall of Statues.
They regroup and investigate closer the Hall of Statues more closely…
A Beholder gazes at a scroll tube
A Blue Dragon admiring a copper bound box
A Fire Giant holding a mighty spear
A Manticore poised over a crossbow
A Medusa wearing a velvety black cloak
A Mummy holding a staff in one hand and a ceramic bottle in the other
An Ogre Mage adorned with a silver ‘man-on-the-moon’ chain around its neck.
A Rakshasa wearing a golden ring
A Wight crouches before a platinum urn
Raven checks for traps on the copper bound box. Immediately after this, the room’s four orbs of light rise from their high wall-mounts and unleash a field of damaging electricity throughout the room. The party quickly splits up retreating to the northern and eastern way.
The frenzied sounds of barking jackals fill the hallway further to the east. It is as if they are about to attack en masse, but something holds them back. Perhaps they have learned to avoid the Hall of Statues…
The group makes a brief attempt battling the wisps but they ultimately retreat to the north.
They discover a reinforced door with symbols of grotesque eyes carved into it. They bust this down and take on the occupants. They sack the remaining soldiers of the Air Temple (bugbears, ogres and a hill giant leader) in this huge chamber of eyes.
They head back to their first level base and discover it robbed. They trace the thieves’ tracks all the way to the Northeast tower outside in the upper fortress.
They confer (putting it mildly) with the tower thieves and determine that they are not the criminals they seek. According to their story, the real thieves are dark elf women (Drow) from the lower levels. The elf-sized tracks lead to a secret tunnel that connects to the lower levels. The party discovers their stolen things in the beginning of this secret hallway and happily recovers them.
The group lets the tower thieves leave with their lives and items. They all take off running and not a man looks back.
From here, the adventurers leave the empty tower and head directly for Verbobonc. The only encounter is with a huge Gray Renderer at the edge of the Gnarly forest. The battle is fierce and again, Je’tal is tossed around within an inch of his life, but makes the decisive blow that slays the beast.
They find that the Verbobonc summer fair has just begun. Over the next week, they will be a lot of activity in the city. There are public games of war, skill, magic, and wisdom. There is live music and theater. Verbobonc’s population swells temporarily from visiting dwarves and gnomes.
Temple of Elemental Evil #21 - D&D [Wealsun 27 – Richfest 4] – The Lair of Shadows
They complete their training and shopping in Verbobonc and then head for the Temple. On the way, they decide to leave the horses and hirelings in Hommlet and use Je’tal’s Windwalk for the remainder of the journey. After they arrive they mean to head directly for the Lair of Shadows on the third level.
On the way they investigate the mysterious shaft-like room on the third level. They find small air vents carved in the ceiling area some 60’ up. While leaving this area they are cornered in by a mammoth Black Pudding. Lansar casually points his finger at it and shoots a lethal ray of disintegration. With that, the monster vanishes.
During the encounter with the Pudding, Raven finds a secret door on the floor of the room. They pull away the false flagstone and take the sharp stairs down to a convergence area of sorts. They find a cistern with clean water. A long passageway slowly slopes up and out of the mapped area. Then there is an ancient stairwell that descends somewhere into the unknown. They leave this area for future exploration and move on.
They arrive at the Lair of Shadows area. They find the rooms of red and black full of shadows – twelve total. The things begin to attack the party without any hesitation. Je’tal raises his holy symbol and instantly destroys most of them. Those that do not run and cower are blasted by Lansar’s lighting bolt.
From the south, three ghost-like wailing undead come floating into the scene. As they move closer to the party, the party feels that the banshees might kill them just with the sound of their wailing, but the party destroys them without as losses.
They begin their investigation of the Red and Black Rooms and The Hall of Black Feasting from which the Groaning Spirits came.
Temple of Elemental Evil #22- D&D [Richfest 5 – Richfest 8] Lansar Resurrected
The investigation of the third level continues. They take the Northeast passageway in the Black Pudding well room. After a short while, they come across a Greater Groaning Spirit in its lair. As soon as the thing begins wailing Lansar falls to his knees with a grimace of terror on his face. A second later he tips over dead. The fighters engaged and did a lot of damage, but it was Raven who made the killing blow. He made a bounding leap across the room, landed on an ancient dusty bed, and then knifed the thing in the back.
They take Lansar’s corpse to Verbobonc for resurrection. They spend an entire day searching the city’s temples and guilds for someone powerful enough to cast the spell. Later in the day they have luck in the Gnome temple dedicated to Jascar - God of Hills and Mountains. The head cleric (Morty) is not powerful enough to perform the magic, but knows a powerful hermit in service to Jascar living in the town of Hookville some sixty miles away. The name is Keo Bramblewood.
Morty agrees to help. Je’tal casts Windwalk on the party and Morty leads the way. They easily find Keo’s home. They offer two 5000-g.p diamonds for his services. Keo agrees, takes the diamonds, and resurrects Lansar.
Keo explains that he expects to be in Hookville for another month.
The group heads back to Verbobonc to pick up Kastrova and then to the Temple.
They investigate the area on the west side of the 3rd level. They enter a room and fall into the trap of a Lurker Above. Although surprised, the party kills the monster.
Heading back to the east, they discover a secret bricked off area on the south wall. Whatever lies beyond will wait for future investigation; the group first seeks to explore the evil laboratory.
They enter the place and find it branched off into two sections. The entry area is a scribery with a long table that is lined with parchment, scrolls, and quills of various sorts. When they investigate around the corner into the rest of the lab they find that a huge Roper and flesh golem inhabit the place. The room is full of equipment, contraptions, and glass objects of varying types. The battle begins now.
Temple of Elemental Evil #23 - D&D [Richfest 8] Prince Thrommel
They battle the Roper and Flesh Golem for over a minute. Je’tal begins the battle with an impressive Flamestrike, after that, the Roper uses its appendages to immobilize Je’tal and Kastrova for the remainder of the battle. The dwarf takes so much Roper poison over the course of the battle that by the end he can barely stand up. Lansar finds that many of his spells are useless against the thing. He finds the Roper immune to electricity and that electricity actually heals the Flesh Golem. After Moelinar finishes the Flesh Golem, he heads directly for the Roper. He repeatedly dodges the Roper’s concentrated attacks and slays the monster with a brutal double-swing move.
The battle destroys the better part of the laboratory. They spend over an hour going through the rooms broken and burnt remains. The only thing worthy of taking is a stone scroll tube holding three magical scrolls and various rare spell components.
Next stop is the sealed-off passageway down the hall to the west. Lansar uses a Beam of Disintegration to destroy the better part of the bricked off wall. The secret passageway leads to a holy temple where there is an alter. On the alter is a scroll with glowing red letters. On the west wall is a large silver cross. Over in a small niche to the northeast is an idol of Pholtus.
They read glowing red letters: “Venerate this shrine of good, then haste away, all ye of true and good faith”. Lansar does not detect any magic in the room. Raven does find a secret door on the west wall.
The secret door leads to a bare hexagonal room that is dusty, cobwebbed, and forgotten. Near the door is a rag-clad skeleton. The remains obviously harbor no treasure. Lansar detects a strong pulse of magic from the northwest. As they continue to investigate, they find a black iron coffin on the northwest wall; its iron lid, in which a silver cross is inlaid, lies beside it. Atop the lid is a scroll case.
The sarcophagus has no top. Inside it, they see a vampire corpse, clad in black and appearing as if it could awaken at once – except for a stake through its heart…
They carefully read from the scroll that is next to the coffin: “Let the good ones use their new found strength to seal in the horror of darkness to prove their faithfulness to right and justice. We who wrote this lacked the power to do so.”
Following the scroll’s suggestion, the party carefully plans a way to destroy the vampire forever. Ever wary that the monster might rise up and attack them, they carefully investigate the immobile corpse. Raven tries taking the vampires ring, but it does not budge; they consider severing the finger but do not.
The group continues their careful, ‘committee-like’ investigation and ultimately decides to prepare for battle and remove the stake from its chest. Raven ties his rope to the stake and pulls it out from the other side of the room. It takes a few tugs and tense moments but finally it pulls free from the body. Nothing happens, only a blood-clotted hole remains where the stake once was; the vampire remains immobile.
Finally, Lansar creates a hovering ball of fire and begins using it to burn the vampire. As the burning proceeds past third degree, they smell it is beginning to smell like real, living human flesh.
Raven said it before, but the others hear him now, “Could the vampire corpse be an illusion?”
Je’tal digs out his last scroll of True Seeing and casts it on Raven. Raven immediately calls for Lansar to stop the burning. He no longer sees a vampire, but instead a paladin lord moments away from death. With this realization, the party looks upon the corpse with new eyes and sees it for what it really is: a mail-clad human man with golden hair clad in a white surcoat, quartered by the arms of Furyondy and Veluna and the antlers of the Knights of the Hart, in red. He wears a gold belt at his waist, with a dagger. Around his neck is a gold chain with an emblem of a crown and crescent moon; on his left hand is a gold ring with a similar device. His shield rests under his feet. His face and torso area is a black and bloody burnt mess – it might be a mortal amount of damage.
Je’tal casts his most powerful healing prayer to completely restore the Paladin. Raven suggests that he be taken to the chapel, Kastrova, as he is want to do, wastes little time and drags the knight into the chapel. It only takes a few moments for the hero to awaken from his stasis. He is quite groggy at first but waste little time retrieving his sword. He calls out, “Fragarach!” Right after this his sword flies from behind the coffin lid and flies through the air to his hand.
With sword in hand, he stands up, looks at his freshly burnt clothes, and introduces himself to his rescuers. “I am Prince Thrommel, Grand Marshall of Furyondy, Provost to Veluna, and a Paladin lord of The Knights of the Hart. Thank you for rescuing me, you are all in my debt. Furyondy and Veluna are in you debt.” Then he pauses, “How long I have been asleep. What day is it? Was there a fire?”
After determining where he is and that he has been out for over 40 years, Thrommel insists the band immediately drop everything and get him to the surface. He then states that he will need a horse or some other means of transport to get to Verbobonc. They party agrees to do so. Je’tal does make some comments regarding irony of Thrommel’s notion that they must suddenly proceed with great haste when he has been asleep for 40 years. Thrommel does not take this remark lightly and speaks to him no more.
The party gets him to the surface and to the relative safety of their camp. Thrommel hands a medallion of Furyondy to Kastrova and his magic signet ring to Lansar. The rest he thanks and promises they will be meeting again in the future. With that, Lansar then teleports Thrommel to Verbobonc.
The party contemplates their encounter with Thrommel: how close they were to dismembering or even killing him, how he seemed affronted by Je’tal’s mild comments, what rewards might there be, what will happen on the political scene with Thrommel back. Might he be a King?
About this time, storm clouds rolled in and with it a cool summer evening rainstorm. The warriors put on leather coats from the campsite stores and the spell users go into the larger of the two wooden huts. So far, the leather roof keeps the place dry. Before resting, they decide to identify the spells in the scroll tube they found in the laboratory. The first contains several useful cleric spells, the second has three unique elemental first level arcane spells, and the third has strange glowing runes on it… Not a second later, everybody sees, hears, and feels the ground shake as a huge spider demon materializes just outside their camp. The runes on the third scroll disappear the instant after the demon arrives. In that miniscule second, some of the group identifies the creature as a Bebilith.
Temple of Elemental Evil #24 - D&D [Richfest 8-9] Zuggtmoy’s Hall of Dread
The battle with the Bebilith lasts only moments. Je’tal and Lansar rain down fire on the creature after its web attack misses them. Next, the warriors move in for a kill and inflict an incredible amount of damage. With a wisp of life left, the demon plane travels in retreat. With that, the battle is over.
Je’tal, poisoned, manages to resist the effects enough to cure himself.
The band once again prepares camp and rests through the evening.
The next day they make for the third level and investigate the faux-cavern area in the southeast area. They battle six badger-headed hound-like creatures. They devil dogs’ mimic human voices in order to unsettle their attackers, but this does not stop the group. They kill the creatures with little trouble. They discover several treasures and stairs to the fourth level.
Down the hall, they search the ‘brilliantly lit area’ formally taken up by howling jackals. The area is now dark, abandoned, and empty.
After much debate, they decide to investigate what might be Zuggtmoy’s inner sanctum. Although it appears that this place is also on the third level, they believe the entrance is the decadent stairs leading north from the great hall on the second level. They make their way up to the great hall and then down into the sanctum.
They are in complete darkness when they arrive at the bottom of the stairs, they find massive bronze door broken open from the inside. The doors are tom apart as if by something with massive claws; the gouge marks are deep in the oxidized bronze.
The dark and dead room beyond could only be The Hall of Dread. When witnessed with the party’s light, they see a place that is horrible and disgusting. The stonework seems leprous and mottled. Everywhere are sculpted fungous shapes of nightmare form and coloration. In the center of the place is a huge sprawling purple throne.
This great chair is sculpted the display fungi and human forms, but those depicted and shown crying out in pain as fungi shoots up from their chest. Other depictions show fungi feeding upon dead decomposing bodies.
To the west, a 20’ broad flight of serpentine steps leads down into a high-domed dark chamber. They pause before proceeding further and decide to retreat for now.
They go back to Verbobonc for the usual training and supply regimen. They use teleport and wind walk to get to Verbobonc without issue.
Temple of Elemental Evil #25 - D&D [Richfest 9-18] More of Zuggtmoy’s Hall of Dread
After Verbobonc, the group heads back to Zuggtmoy’s former lair. While windwalking to their camp, Moelinar senses they are being followed. Later at camp that night, a breatherdrinker attempts to suck his soul. Moelinar wakes and slays it in time.
They investigate a Room of the Elements to the east and the lower throne area to the west. In the western throne area, they find three massive pillars of electrum, gold and platinum… obviously worth a fortune. They are already scheming about their newfound fortune.
Other than the party’s light, the only sources of light are from some remaining magic’s here and there – it is almost pitch black down here.
In the upper throne area, they find a secret door. The group opens the secret door and finds a room with fungi, oozes, and slimes all over the place. They are deformed and shaped such that they resemble pieces of furniture. The things quiver, ooze, and slide their way closer. Lansar and Je’tal then pepper the room with fireballs and flamestrikes. After the heat becomes bearable; there is nothing much left, the fighters hack what is not crisped.
Around this time they hear a door slam somewhere to the southwest. An instance later, a pack of violet fungi attacks from a northeastern annex chamber. Then from the west, a gruesome beast made of eyes and tentacles and gibbering flesh moves in. It is impossibly fast. The thing moves about 30’ above the ground clinging to the walls. It moves at the speed of a man running. Raven sticks two well-placed arrows in two of the thing’s eyes. Je’tal follows that up with a bolt of holy mana that blows a one-foot hole through the demon’s side.
An instant later, the creature teleports away. Without any hesitation, Kastrova runs for the sound of the slammed door, taking a chance that the creature might be there. The party follows, whacking violet fungi along the way.
They find themselves in a secret room behind the throne area. All the residual ooze around suggests that this might be the lair of the thing. But no creature. Kastrova alarms a screaming pack of Shriekers. They sound their alarm. The sound seems to fill the dungeon.
While the party kills the shrieking fungi, Je’tal move off with Moelinar back to the throne room. They peer from behind the curtain behind the throne. Moelinar cannot see shit – he knows it is a massive room and that he can see 20’ max. Je’tal, with the magic of true seeing spies the creature clung to the wall some 100’ away. He steps forth and unleashes a holy bolt. Before the bolt leaves his hand, a wall of thorns fills the area behind him cutting him off from the rest of the party. Je’tal did cast the bolt, but it was easily dodged.
Temple of Elemental Evil #26 - D&D [Richfest 18-19] The vacated Hall of Dread & The Ex-Wisps
Lansar casts passwall to bypass the wall of vines – the others follow him through the opening. Kastrova takes the open but longer route through the pillow room and then through the front of the lower hall.
The Outsider leaps into position in front of Je’tal, moving over 70’ and spitting living gray ooze in the process. At the same time, Lansar carefully moves into position. Carrying a torch in his left hand, he raises his right and shoots a miraculous ray of disintegration destroying the creature. With that, the thing is no more.
They conduct the search of the remaining rooms and walls in the Halls of Dread. They discover a war room with dated, but valuable battle maps and documents. In another area, they battle and destroy ten animate suits of armor. Over on the east side, they explore the Halls of Elements, but do not discover any secrets.
After the Hall of Dread, they decide to confront the wisps. Last time, the creatures had an advantage of a ranged attack. This time, however, they seem to have lost this ability. Instead, they creatures must touch their targets to shock them, and against Moe’s band, it is their doom. They are dispatched efficiently by a combined effort: Lansar shooting magic missiles, Raven popping off arrow after arrow, Kastrova slaying two of them with one massive swing, Je’tal swinging his mace with new found precision, and Moelinar acting as his usual tower of might and intimidation. The wisps could not and do not survive this.
The party takes all the treasure they can find: a magic spear, a magic ring, a magic cloak, a magic light crossbow, a magic scroll, and a magic chest of holding.
With all this booty, they head to the surface and their camp.
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