"We need to clear out that central room, but I need to get a look those demons again first."

Androlus says, "I knew what she was when she started turning the temple staff into stone.  A gorgon, and a monster.  I knew she would get me and that would be the end to it.  So I put out my own eyes.  When she caught me, she began torturing me for the codes.  The temple staff--we set fire to the library.  I don't even know what valuable information is now forever lost."

He slumps a little in weakness.  "When you got here, she must have lost her patience, and she renewed her efforts to get the codes out of me through torture.  But I held out."  He takes a gasp of breath.  "I held out."

He tells you that if the Time Ark setting is set to all "1"s, it will go to the current position of time's progression.

"Time has a point where it is supposed to be, and where it crawls forward.  You come from that time.  If you set the Time Ark to all 1s, you will return to your time, plus whatever time you have spent here will be added to the time when you arrived.  I know some other time codes, I think, but my mind is blurry from the pain."

"Going back to our own time will be a handy trick, but that's not exactly why we came here. We need to find out how to get to Allevia. Can the Venue Ark take us there? A powerful wizard from our time seems to think so, which is why we ended up here in the first place. The world of our time is ending, and we need to get off of it before it does. Luckily that won't be for several hundred years from our current time." the priest explains.

"Of course, you can get to Allevia," he says.  "That's where the rest of the temple staff fled.  The question is which of Allevia's 'whens' do you want to get to?  The future one where you came from or some other?"

He gives you two codes for Allevia, stating he hasn't actually traveled through them, but knows one leads to an island atoll, and one leads to a mountain. The atoll is:  743698224966.  The staff members who went there went to the time designation 624-789-999.  (These are numbers you already have and you remember they take you to the island in the middle of the ocean where you went previously in the ghost adventure using the Nashkaelebod chest.)

The other is in the mountain in what they call the Allevian Crystal Cave.  Its number is:  792348918392.  (You also have this number but have never been there.)

"You did well and passed your trial of pain, earning you honor."



Borimer turns to his companions.

"At first I wanted to get back to our own time, but in Allevia.  Now I'm wondering if there's a better time to be instead.  Can demons and death knights travel through time while chasing us?"

Androlus says, "The space portal stays open for only 24 minutes and 34 seconds.  We timed it.  So unless someone knows the codes or follows in that time period, they are stuck wherever they left off.  But the Time Ark, as you noticed, works by touch and seems to be constant.  So if the gems are in place and the time code is set, first you set the time you want and touch it.  Then you enter the center room to the portal that will send you to Allevia.  Someone following you can probably follow you to the 'when' but not the 'where' unless they have the codes."

OOC: Looking at the map, there are three areas not explored:

1) The area east of 18
2) Room 24 -- for some reason, I disclosed this on the map (accidentally?) but I do not think you have actually looked into the room and I know you have not searched it.
3) Down the stairs to the south of Room 24.

"Let's look for some gems in the bunk room, the old man says the snake-lady may have left 'em in a chest near a bed."

Borimer leads the way back through the secret portal and past the next chamber (25).  He listens at the door across the hall before entering the bunk room (24).
This message was last edited by the player at 22:13, Tue 29 Jan 2013.

He hears nothing at the door.  Opening the door, you see a row of bunks that was probably for the monks who stayed here.  The bunks are all neatly made except the one closest to you, where Esylia must have slept.  In the southwest corner is a small chest.

"How about working some of your skill with that chest Mal, see if there's any traps, eh?"

Mal nods and begins to search the chest for traps and then once satisfied (and clearing everyone else back to a safe distance) he'll pick the lock and attempt to open it.

"So Kahan, any chance you can help him out with his vision? It was a smart move Androus...Androlus, sorry but what will you do now? Everyone else seems to be gone from this place...so far we've seen nothing but ghosts and bodies..."

"The only way I could heal his vision would be if I was a much more powerful cleric and if I had his eyeballs. By now, they likely have rotted beyond use, so no, there is nothing we can do about his vision." the priest replies, shaking his head.

Malissin begins walking down the room toward the chest.  (Observation check failed.)  He notices too late that it is not the chest he should have been worried about as he trips a nearly invisible wire at ankle level.  The wire is connected around the inside of the bunks to the farthest bunk.  The bottom of the top bunk suddenly collapses, dropping its contents.

What were those contents?  They are Esylia's stash of orb bombs, and at least twenty of them crash at the end of the room near the chest, exploding the far end of the room so powerfully that the wall and floor collapse.

Malissin is too close to avoid the explosion, but he jumps back in evasion.  (Saving throw successful. Half damage.)  He is badly wounded by the explosion.  (23 hp dmg.)

As Malissin lies on the ground in pain, the rest of you see that the chest, still intact is in the rubble at the far end.

OOC: You now know why, in the future version of the temple, this wall has collapsed.

Here is the previous description in Room 2:

You enter a room with marble floors, but they are littered with debris.  Three pairs of pillars once graced this hall, but the southeasternmost pillar has toppled, bringing with it a portion of the east wall.  A room beyond the rubble, and a second floor room above it, now lay exposed to view.  (This is where the arrow points and the arrow slit lines are indicated in the southeast.)

You now realize it was not the pillar that collapsed, but the explosion that collapsed the pillar.


The explosion has now granted you easy access to room 2 by crawling over the debris to the lower floor and the pillar, if you want.
This message was last edited by the GM at 18:22, Wed 30 Jan 2013.

If you go back to the "Harkahnon Ruins 1 Entryway" thread, you will remember seeing the following maps:





These maps now represent the present configuration of the temple.  All thanks to Malissin.  :)

Borimer moves debris off of Malissin and helps him up so the priest may tend to his wounds.

Harak says, "My monk training and psionic ability does allow me to heal when needed, as well as curing disease.  But when I use it, some of the injury transfers to me. Inform me if you truly need me to use my powers, and I will oblige.  Otherwise, I let Mother Nature take its course."  He bows.

Mal is badly banged up (~50% health) and would indeed appreciate healing before he tries to search the chest for traps.

Harak heals Malissin.  (Malissin goes up 10 hp; Harak loses 2 hp.)

Malissin finds that the chest, which is about the size of a shoebox, is locked but not trapped.

Breathing a sigh of relief Mal will put tools to the lock to try and make it pop.

Mal successfully picks the lock.  Inside, he finds a bag full of gold coins (160), but they have a strange image on the coins that is not familiar to any of you.  He also finds the last missing gem for the Ark.

He turns around, smiling at his success, and then you remember that you had found a key on Esylia's corpse and probably didn't need to go to the trouble of picking the lock.

"Good work. Now I say we go and beat down those demons."

Despite the word of god undermining his success, Mal remains proud of his display of skill.

(OOC: :P)

"We should probably rest before we attack. If the fighting goes sour I'd prefer our magical companions to be at full capacity when it comes to magicks and healing prayers. Without Esylia there is little that should cause us to rush into unnecessary battle."

"I can watch without sleep for now, wake you all up when it's time."

Since you're in the room with the bunks, I suppose you will be resting here in actual beds.

Please make adjustments as you rest, any healing before the rest, and so forth.  When you are ready, we will advance the clock about 8 hours and proceed, assuming nothing else comes through the Time Ark from your time period...

Let me know when you are ready.

If my estimates are correct, this will be going into the 6th day since you left the battle with the orc king (and last saw the demons who were chasing you).

Borimer silently watches over the others, his warrior's training automatically taking over the moment he crouches down and places his sword over his knees. His body barely moves when he breathes, his gaze steadily scanning the room for any signs of trouble.