Brother Yew leads the way up the stairs and into what seems to be a vestry. A broken rhondite bowl and ewer lie in a corner, apparently flung in anger and now shattered and useless. The interior of each is caked with a dry brown substance.
Pieces of furniture are also scattered about, as are the torn remains of some brown garments and three stubs of brown candles. A flight of stairs descends to the southeast.

While the first half dozen of the group reach the top of the stairs and enter the room Brother Yew heads straight across to the door. He looks for any sign of light from beyond (eg. through keyhole or at edge or bottom of door) then tests the door to see if it is locked. If unlocked he opens it just enough to peek through the crack to check it is safe to proceed, or if locked he will attempt to unlock it.

Amathaon got to the top of the stairs and will look around the room.

Ronalt pauses on the stairs so the group doesn't bunch up too much before the door is opened.

Sven barrels up the stairs behind Yew with Wonnilon in tow. His presence makes the room a slightly more opressive place to be.

Gwythe moves forward from the top of the stairs, and pokes through the rubbish and broken items in the room with the end of his sword, glancing over at the door as Yew attempts to open it.

(area 5a) Gwythe finds two of the brown robes are a bit frayed but intact. The candles are normal, each about three inches long.

(area 5) Brother Yew opens the door and finds himself looking out upon a very large area. The place is huge. It extends over 450 feet north and south, and is nearly 450 feet across at its widest. The walls rise about 30 feet, supported by arched buttresses and many pilasters. The roof peak is about 20 feet higher than the walls, making the whole edifice no less than 50 feet tall.

Dim daylight filters through the vile stained glass windows high up in the walls, casting revolting colours upon the stones of the floor.

The supporting pillars in this wing are sandstone, resting on a red slate floor. Bits of broken pottery and sharp bits of rock cover the floor here, making walking about a risky business. The stump of a granite monolith, and chunks of brownish-red rock around its base, indicate that the altar was violently assaulted and destroyed. A few links of bronze chain, a twisted manacle, and a bronzewood maul with a snapped haft add to the impression that the enemies of the Temple who did this must have found the altar very hateful indeed.


This message was last edited by the GM at 07:58, Wed 01 Apr 2015.

Luthien couldn't detect evil yet, but...

"Did you do that, your highness?"

"The whole place is evil. It was when we were here last, and it still is now."
"The way out is through the side doors to the south, but we may need to break the chains to make our escape."

Gwythe looks at the robes without much interest, and then follows the rest of the party into the room, gazing around at the room and the destruction in it. After a few seconds he walks towards the indicated exit, investigating the doors and their locks.

Sven grimaced his distaste more at the memories of the battle than the surroundings, which suited him rather well, and strode South with Gwythe.
"Nearly there Wonnilon," he commented to his diminutive friend. "We just have to smash the doors down eh."
He gave Gwythe some time to find a more civilised solution before himself looking for something appropriately sized with which to destroy the doors.

Brother Yew smiled a little as it became evident he was no longer required to lead the way. He was content to follow Gwythe, Sven and Wonnilon south to the locked doors.

"Are these doors sealed and warded in the same way as those other doors downstairs?" he asked the Prince.

With the door open, Ronalt ushered the remaining horde of folk out of the stairwell into the large room.

"Oh my... at last" Iviana commented while helping the horde they had gathered into the large room. She couldn't imagine just how lucky the people they had rescued actually were... wondering just many people over the last decade had got sucked into the temple by their depredations. And how few had been rescued or escaped. Well she would be up on 'good karma' for quite some time now!

In reply to Brother Yew (msg # 12):

"They should be, yes."

Moving through centre section of the temple (area 3) the pillars here are white marble, veined with ugly red. The altar block of pinkish white marble is roughly oval something over 7 feet long by 5 feet wide. Its top has a hollowed out portion resembling a human form, with legs apart and arms away from the body. This depression is stained a darker colour than the rest. Just north of the altar is a circular, marble-lined pit — a well of sorts— 20 feet in diameter. Shards of broken crystal vessels lie about the well, near the altar, and scattered about the floor. A crystal knife with a broken blade lies atop the stone block.

The floor of the vestibule to the south is reddish brown slate-like stone squares, each about 2 feet square. The walls are plastered and painted with scenes befitting the nature of the Temple — disgusting acts, killing, torture, enslavement, robbery, thievery, and unspeakable things. The creeds of the worshippers here are all too evident.
Evil is flaunted and lionized. Dim light filters through the stained glass windows, casting revolting colours upon the greenish stones of the floor to the north. In that direction you can see the nave of the Temple. The pillars to either hand are of a pinkish mineral, shot through with worm-coloured veins. Their arches lead to an unremarkable pair of lesser side aisles. The columns supporting the archways, as well as the arches themselves, are worked in bas relief. As with the frescoes in the entryway, the scenes here are ineffable, vile, filthy. It is probable that this area was reserved for the lowliest of worshippers. The area beyond is better lit and more open, though it also has more of the nauseating pinkish pillars supporting the roof high overhead.

Three great double doors bar exit from the vestibule to the outside, the main bronze doors of the entry (23' high, 20' wide) are sealed with all cracks filled with soft iron. Both of the side doors do not appear to be similarly sealed.

Brother Yew heads south to the main doors but turns to examine the side doors on the right of the main doors. he checks whether they are indeed locked and peeks through the crack to see if they are chained shut as the Prince had said. If they are he will see if it is possible to open the doors even a little bit to allow some sort of access to those chains.

Amathaon walked through the room carefully. He admired the destruction that had been wrought on this evil room.
This message was last edited by the player at 19:34, Sat 04 Apr 2015.

Sven collects the remnants of chains, and the twisted manacle in his twisted claws and tries to reclaim some usefulness out of them by tying them around a granite piece from the evil monolith. That kind of destructive tool may just smash one of the side doors.

Iviana headed for one of the side doors. She was keen to 'just get the heck out of here', but didn't particularly want to be ambushed at the last minute was particularly careful as she went that way, while the others did their looting. Looting was good... she just wanted to be gone!

"Ask the prisoners if any of them remembers being brought through these doors or some other entry to this temple. That will save us some time trying to find out how to get out," Yew suggested to his friends.

"Can't we just open this door" Iviana asked pointing to one of the two side doors that weren't secured by soft lead and magical wards. She wasn't going to touch it herself: she'd learned her lesson about 'doors that look safe to open' years ago.
This message was last edited by the player at 10:28, Mon 06 Apr 2015.

"We shall soon find out," Yew replied as he checked the side door on the right of the main bronze doors.

"I hate to point out the obvious, but if this is the ground floor...can't we just break a window?"

If there were any windows of sufficient size.

Amathaon made ready in case there were any surprises on the other side of the door. One could never be too careful.

Both side doors were found to be barred from the inside and locked securely. The bar was easy enough to deal with (two people required to lift it away), but the lock would require somebody with skills....

"Oo's got picks, an' when 're we gettin' Kalador? If'n there's any 'ope of raisin' 'im, i' bett'r be soon."

"Make way, make way! This is right up my alley."
The rather short halfling made his way forward, lockpicks in hand. He stopped dead though when he saw the lock was just out of his reach.
"Somebody want to give me a boost?"

Wonnilon stepped up and away from his cadaverous shadow.
"I'll do it."
With a heave, he tossed Haldan onto his shoulders and kept him steady while the halfling worked.

In mere moments Haldan has the lock defeated and the doors are thrown open.

Outside the vegetation is disconcerting — dead trees with a skeletal appearance, scrub growth twisted and unnaturally coloured, all unhealthy and sickly looking or exceptionally robust and disgusting. The ruins of the Temple's outer works appear as dark and overgrown mounds of grey rubble and blackish weeds. Skulls and bones of humans and humanoids gleam white here and there amidst the weeds. A grove of some oddly stunted and unhealthy looking usk trees still grows along the northern end of the former Temple compound, and a stump of a tower juts up from the northeast corner of the shattered wall. The leprous grey Temple, however, stands intact, its arched buttresses somehow obscene with their growth of climbing vegetation.
Everything surrounding the place is disgusting. The myriad leering faces and twisting, contorted forms writhing and posturing on every face of the Temple seem to jape at the obscenities they depict. The growth in the compound is rank and noisome. Thorns clutch, burrs stick, and crushed stems either emit foul stench or raise angry weals on exposed flesh. Worst of all, however, is the pervading fear which seems to hang over the whole area — a smothering, clinging, almost tangible cloud of vileness and horror. Sounds seem distorted, either muffled and shrill or unnaturally loud and grating.
Your eyes play tricks. You see darting movements out of the corner of your eye, just at the edge of vision; but when you shift your gaze towards such, of course, there is nothing there at all. You cannot help but wonder who or what made the maze of narrow paths through the weedy courtyard. What sort of thing would wander here and there around the ghastly edifice of Evil without shrieking and gibbering and going completely mad? Yet the usual mundane sounds of your travel are accompanied only by the chorus of the winds, moaning through hundreds of Temple apertures built to sing like doomed souls given over to the tender mercies of demonkind, echoed by macabre croaks from the scattered flapping, hopping, leering ravens.
There is no doubt; you are in a place of ineffable Evil.

All ground in and around the place is overgrown by weeds, so observation is restricted to 15 feet in any direction with regards to objects of six feet or lesser height, except on the remains of the road and path (fortunately both Ronalt and Sven are slightly over this height). In these two areas, weed growth is scattered and shallower. The pale blue uskfruit growing on the trees is small, misshapen, and splotched with angry red patches.
This message was last edited by the GM at 04:35, Wed 08 Apr 2015.

"When we first arrived at the temple we saw signs that wolves or dogs had been around and we were watched by ravens," Yew recalls. "As we started exploring the grounds we were attacked by the ravens, which grew to giant size, and wolves came out of the thickets too. Very big wolves. I suspect we will need to fight our way out of here."

He paused as a thought occurred to him.

"I wonder if it is possible they may actually be trained to guard this place. I wonder if they would attack people wearing the black robes or uniforms of the priests and guards downstairs."

He glanced back at the torturer who was their prisoner and at the orcs they had rescued from the cells.

"Do you know anything about this?" he asked.

Amathaon drew his falchion. Being a short fellow, he didn't want to get caught by surprise.

Ronalt readied his bow to cover his companions, while awaiting the answers brother Yew had asked.

"If they come we will fight them" Iviana said "There are many of us and few of them. I have an appetite to get out of here. Among other things" she sniffed under armpits and winced "I may perhaps need a bath..."

"Homlet is that way, unless we were teleported a long way" she gestured with a hand "Let us head there"

OOC Direction sense success
09:51, Today: Iviana rolled 11 using 1d20. direction sense.

The torturer didn't appear to be all that talkative, and the two orcs only had blank looks on their faces as Brother Yew spoke to them.

"He can go first, then," Sven suggested malevolently "If he doesn't want to talk."

Yew readied his crossbow once more. He was ready to move out as soon as the rest were. He decided he would stay at the back of the group to guard their rear.

[Language unknown: "Wer leiech inome eemaponoat onetheate e icoer o omnilo allbleera moere?" ]Iviana asked the orcs [Language unknown: "Ne p ndtic ic lo usit hisind n ekere nceerstin was os the p ai."]

[Language unknown: "Asei ivtohi ol atma itchas tiseck lian u ndna stsasi lin ekolti,"] they waved to the north east,[Language unknown: "tr prcata es encconiou k oreortwas eirosa, arel io evmi en waisla ma tha n londeiol. Yinconsheastall witounstr adiv ta ss it chinte ant encherall witastred in asrewh, ouen th anpriv ee e."]

Iviana translate the orcs words "Bandits in the tower" she pointed . "Giant birds and wolves. And at night there may be a ghost" she looked at the others

"It may be a gauntlet, but it's the only way out. There are a lot of us. It is just as likely that the creatures will be afraid to attack us. And rightly so! So let's get started"

Sven shrugged, grabbed Wonnilon and led the way out in the direction Ivianna pointed with both swords drawn and a spring in his step.

"Straight out the gate south of the temple," Yew suggested. "That is the shortest route out of here."

Sven, Wonnilon in tow, headed out the door and skirted the temple intending to head off to the ruined tower in the north east (where both the orc and Iviana had pointed).
Meanwhile the remainder of the party stood around discussing...

Amathaon had had enough of talk. He followed Sven, with his falchion at the ready. He quietly said, "I've had enough talking. What about you two?"

"We don't go after Bandits now" Iviana said firmly "We get the people safe. Then we come back and play"

She pointed south

"Let's go"

"Freedom and safety lie to the south," Brother Yew agreed and gestured for others to head out in that direction as he intended to guard the rear.

"The code is clear. Civilians first. Then everything else. South it is."

He doubts the prince'll disagree with that one.

Amathaon put his falchion back in its sheath. He thought, well at last someone has made a decision.

Gwythe follows the others as they leave the building.

Sven noticed the retreating footsteps, turned and followed the group back South. Spitting curses under his breath he stalked to the front and once there frowned like hatred itself back one last time at the tower before leading the way.

"There is much here for us to deal with later." Ronalt agreed, "We come back with supplies and play as Iviana suggests."

The group soon has a mile or more behind them and pauses for a moment to assess the next move.
The obvious options are camp nearby and rest up, return directly to Homlet, pay the village of Nulb a call (although you have been warned it's best to keep away), or head back to Rikers cave and collect the treasure and other items left there (including Iviana's horse and a bunch of weapons and equipment).

Nulb is no more than an hours walk or so away, the cave five or six hours, and Homlet a full day. There is about four to five hours of daylight left.

"Lets make for the cave. We can strike for Homlet tomorrow." Ronalt encouraged his companions.

"Wha' 'bou' Kombie?"
"How 'bou' Tindoome lead mos' o' tha' group to th' cave while a few o' us 'ead back in and grab 'im and anyt'ing else not nailed down? If we're quick we shouldn' be too far behin' such a large group."

Ronalt's eyebrow rose, "we are carrying all we can now. Though bringing out our dead companion would be a weight off our minds."
"A small group. Leave the prince with a few to guard the civilians would work."
Looking to the others, "whom wishes to go and whom will stay to guard?"

Amathaon raised his hand and replied, "I'll go help you bring out a friend."

"Wonnilon, you keen to dive back down a little?" Sven asked the gnome as amicably as ever (not very). "Bet you came down with more than you came up with - might be a good chance to recover losses." he said pointedly while glancing at his own lent shortsword.

"I think I'll head over to the cave with Tindoome for now. I don't know if I can be a lot of help wearing nothing but rags and carrying a borrowed sword."
Once properly equipped however...

"I will come with you to the temple," Yew confirmed.

He handed his waterskin and whatever rations he had left to one of the non-combatants to take to the cave, to lighten his load still further.

"I'll stay with the civilians and help the Prince guard" proferred Iviana. She wanted to see her horse again, and quite seriously wanted to see the treasure again. But she had a Duty of Care for the civilians.

Personally she didn't care if they walked all night, and she suspected most of the civilians would rather do that, than chance being re-captured by troops from the Temple
This message was last edited by the player at 13:50, Fri 17 Apr 2015.

"I'm afraid this is where I must part ways with you. I've been absent for many years and my presence surely has been sorely missed."
"All I ask is a horse and sufficient funds to get me to Verbobonc."
This message was last edited by the player at 14:48, Fri 17 Apr 2015.

"I'd like to go with you too, if you'll have me your Highness."
Haldan looked apologetically at his friend and "business" partner, Amathaon.
"I've seen enough of this place to know sticking around will do a halfling like me no good. Time I tried my hand in a city again."

"We will also be taking our leave as soon as possible," the Countess spoke up haughtily, including Sir Juffer, Celonor and Caelebon in her statement.
"You will accompany me to Celene Tindoome Uurraumo?"
Although phrased as a question, it was clear she would accept nothing less than obedience.

Sven looked shaken when the Prince spoke, and that was not an improvement on his blasted features.
"My Lord, can you not stay while we recover a fallen comrade? Both of us are indebted to these few brave enough to save us from the corrupted sleep of the cursed temple, and the forces of Righteousness would benefit from good Kalador's resurrection!"
A tear formed from Sven's hollow eye and fled his face in rightful abject terror. It was out of the ghastly apparition's character, but that only emphasised the connection he felt with the Prince.

"I cannot tarry any longer, I am late, very late for a very important engagement," the Prince chuckled at his words.
"An engagement I sincerely hope is still in existence after all these lost years."

Gwythe does not speak, but goes to stand next to Iviana, a slightly sour look on his face.

Ronalt opens his coin purse, "you are welcome to what I have. A horse I can't provide."
"A hundred gold sufficient, my Prince?"
This message was last edited by the player at 00:12, Sat 18 Apr 2015.

In reply to Prince Avras Thromel (msg # 61):

"My Lord, should I not accompany you? I have not been Knighted yet."

And more to the point, nobody else with the authority is around to do so.

"We are only hours from Homlet. After five years, we can take the time to get there safely." Iviana said "Let us split into two groups. And those of us going straight to Homlet will just walk through the night. We should be there by dawn. There are horses in Homlet"

She rather hoped that the one of the people with the power to do so, would Knight Luthien on the spot. It's not as though he hadn't demonstrated his worth. Far more than most of the useless nobles she met: her eyes glanced towards the arrogant Countess who she would be happy to see the back of.

"Don' you 'ave a 'orse been looked af'er by tha' dryad back at Riker's cave, Iviana?"
"Clos'r than Homlet, four miles compared ta thirty."
This message was last edited by the player at 15:28, Mon 20 Apr 2015.

"Thank you Haldan, your company would be appreciated."

"Luthien, you don't need me to knight you, you don't even really need to be knighted to follow the path you've been set upon. There are those here around you who are capable of providing you with guidance. Sven and Ronalt have combat skills they can pass on, and you have a choice of priests both here and in Homlet now I hear, for your religious studies."
"I am humbled by your offer, but I'm afraid I'm in no position to give you the mentoring you seek."

"Thirty miles seems a long way to walk Iviana, certainly more than a single night with wounded and prisoners and no mounts. Are you sure that's the best course of action? Last I knew, Homlet was little more than a few farm houses and an inn, but I understand there's a temple been raised to Saint Cuthbert in recent times."

Iviana withdrew from the conversation about where to go, and waited to see what the others would decide.

"Just go to the cave. We will catch up there. Pushing too hard through the night is just asking for trouble." Ronalt summed up the choices.

To the others returning, "Lets go get our dead."

Sven stopped Wonnilon and moved back after Ronalt. "If you are going down, Ronalt, then I'd best escort these escapees." he spoke in a vaguely bitter tone. After all, he did seem at home in the dark corridors.

Ronalt shrugged, "as you wish."

A further look at the escapees' escort including the two dogs and Jaguar was all it took for Sven to change his mind. "Down with me too, after all." he muttered before joining the returning group.

Iviana went over to returning group. "I don't need to say it..." she said "But anyway: be careful. We've been through a lot together, so I don't want any of you to go missing. Even you Sven." she added.

"I'll get these people back to Homlet. You never know you might get there before us..."

"Mistress Iviana, these people will need to rest at Riker's cave. It is too far for them to walk to Hommlet at once. If we have not joined you by the time everyone has rested then it would indeed be wise to go on to Hommlet."

Yew doesn't add the obvious conclusion that if Ronalt's group is not back by then it is likely something bad must have happened to delay them.

After weeks of captivity, years in some cases, Iviana wasn't sure that the captives cared much about creature comforts and a bit of sleep. In their position she would start walking for Homlet and just keep on until she was there. If she had to crawl the last ten miles she would.

But since everyone else was giving the same advice, she acceded. She nodded her head to Brother Yew.

In reply to Ronalt de Gault (msg # 67):

"Thank you Ronalt, your contribution is gratefully accepted and will not be forgotten."
Slipping his golden ring from his finger, he offered it to the Ranger. Inscribed into the ring is an emblem of a crown and crescent moon.
"Please take this as a token of my thanks."

"Brother Yew, I'd like you to have my chain and medallion. It may be of some use in the fight against the temple, or perhaps you may wish to donate it."
Like the ring, it also bore the crown and crescent moon.

"Now I believe it is time to part ways. Farewell and good luck."
This message was last edited by the player at 10:40, Sat 25 Apr 2015.

Sven grimaced his goodbyes and left his shortsword and waterskin with Wonnilon. He grasped Frostbrand two handed and faded back into the darkness.

"You are most generous Prince Avras Thromel. I will return this once I am free of this task of eradicating the evil below. With luck, my fiance will get to meet thee as well at court." Ronalt bowed formally before slipping the ring upon his finger.

Arek handed over two war hammers and the leather bound book with the image of Mictlantecuhtli tooled into the leather. He kept his food and water, unlike a number of others in the underground party, and reclaimed the glowing chair leg.
"We be meeting yer by this time t'morrow a' the cave. If we're no' there by then, yer shou' ma' yer way back ta Homlet an' let tha council know wha' we found."
"Sen' a message ta Otis soon as yer can so 'e can mee' yer at the cave wi' some supplies," he suggested, handing a scroll to Iviana.
He moved around, touching each person briefly, "Ma' Clanggedin Silverbeard kee' yer safe."
Benediction completed, he joined the underground party and headed off.
This message was last edited by the player at 01:27, Sun 26 Apr 2015.

In reply to Sven Arnoff (msg # 81):

Wonnilon trotted along with Sven.
"Umm, you know I'm going back down with you right?"

Brother Yew bowed to the prince as he accepted the gift.

"Thank you, Your Royal Highness. I shall seek the advice of the Masters of my monastery on the best place for such a generous gift. May your Gods go with you and guide you always."

In reply to Wonnilon (msg # 84):

Sven looked as touched as a Skeleton can be and hollowly echoed "Would have asked for the sword back if I thought you weren't." He finished with an awful wink.