You are trudging along through the barren countryside back towards Red Larch when you hear a low, distant rumbling. A moment later, the ground beneath your feet begins shaking. The tremor is strong enough to start small slides of pebbles from the hillsides and cause shrubs and brush to wave from side to side, but then it subsides. A moment later, horrible insect-like creatures as big as horses begin to burrow out of the ground!

The party engages with the massive insects and slays them, leaving relatively unscathed other than a few acid burns from the insects digestive fluids.  Then off in the distance after they rest for a moment and restart their journey they see what appears to be a monastery and Kynt points out to Og and the others a symbol they can make out in the distance...one that matches the symbol they found on Larrakh back in Red Larch when they lost Ooreek and the bandits that attacked them and killed Xelael.

The party immediately beelines for this building.
This message was last updated by the GM at 18:26, Thu 22 Nov 2018.

A trail leads into an ever-narrowing defile between bluffs of wind-sculpted sandstone. Eventually the walls draw in so closely that you can reach out and touch either side, but then the narrow space opens into a hidden canyon in the heart of the hills. A sprawling monastery with dark, narrow windows and red tile rooftops stands in the middle of this natural amphitheater, ringed by sandstone cliffs all around. Ahead, a weathered flight of stone steps leads up to the closed monastery doors. The plain doors are made of heavy timber with iron studs. A dusty footpath circles the building.

Yarabon slams her fist into the door several times after they find the front door is locked.

A small sliding door opens in the door for someone to look out they then slam it shut. "Visitors aren't welcome, go away."

Taten attempts to kick in the door cracking it but unable to break it down.

Then a shout can be heard from the man behind the door "INTRUDERS at the front!"

As noise and movement is heard from within the structure Yarabon slams her shoulder into the door and rushes inside and the combat ensues.
This message was last edited by the GM at 06:57, Fri 23 Nov 2018.

The swarm of monks are easily dispatched as the party proceeds to the west skipping past the first few doors and heading to the one all the way at the end of the hallway.

A heavy wooden shutter covers the window of this room, making it quite dark inside. It is also very warm due to a large iron stove with a well-stoked fire. Ten uncomfortable-looking pallets lie on the floor amid tidy piles of iron arms and armor.

Inside they also find six duergar dwarves three of whom are sleeping and are awakened by the parties entry and 3 others who immediately grab for their weapons.

The party dispatches the duergar with ease and proceed around the corner where a door faces them and then two doors are towards the east.  They decide to open the second door to the east.

This long, narrow court is paved in red sandstone. To the north stands the main temple or shrine of the monastery, its copper-sheathed doors emblazoned with a triangular symbol. Doors also exit the court at its east and west ends, and several narrow windows pierce the south wall. Gargoyle statues guard the door, each facing the court with a ferocious leer.

Finding nothing in this room they proceed to open the door to the north.  As Taten opens the door the two gargoyle statues guarding the door come to life, making loud crunching sounds alerting any who may be in the next room to the north.  Qarbo and his two earth guard cultists see the door open and heard the Gargoyles come alive and immediately grab their arms and join the assault.

The group dispatches the fleeing Qarbo and his earth guard cultists along with the two gargoyles and decide to enter into the room Qarbo came out of.

Four large columns of natural rock dominate this shrine. A wide set of steps descends into darkness in the center of the room, in front of a slab-like stone altar. Large, copper-sheathed doors stand in the middle of the south wall, and smaller doors exit to the east and west. Two narrow windows in the north wall admit thin fingers of light from outside. Above the altar, a triangular symbol has been chiseled into the heavy stone blocks of the wall.

Kynt and Yarabon inspect the altar and find that the old runes and markings on it which have been chiseled over indicate this was an altar to Moradin at some point. After inspecting the rest of the room the party decides to head back out of the doors to the south which they came from head back through the western door and head north to a different unexplored room.

Inside they find. Four old wooden tables with bench seats stand in the middle of this room, and shelves full of plain clay crockery and wooden platters line the walls. To the west, two windows look out into the canyon beyond the monastery walls. Two doors lead from this room to the north, and one to the south.

Finding this room empty the group decides to head back to the main entrance room and head down the unexplored door to the east.

It opens up into another hall that bends to the left with two doors on either end of the hall on to their right.  As they turn the corner at the end of the hall there are three doors to their left and a small room with a path going north and to the east. Also to the north they see Stone stairs descend ten feet to a landing, turn, and continue to descend beyond your sight. Several large buckets are stacked unevenly on the landing. To the north, a staircase descends ten feet to a door.

The party heads to the east around the bend, the path extends to the south to a door on the south wall and a door next to it to the west and a door on the north wall which they decide to try and proceed into but they find it locked.  Rather than trying to break it down the group decides to move on to other areas of the temple.

The group heads back down the hall to the west away from the locked door.  Turn to the north and head into the door immediately on the eastern wall. Insid they find piles of firewood are stacked neatly against one wall of this room, and four large copper kettles stand in iron frames above iron fireboxes. Copper tubing in long coils leads from one kettle to the next. Several large wooden casks stand at the south end of the room, and shelves on the eastern wall hold scores of brown bottles sealed with red wax.

Inside are two earth cult monks tending to the fires.  Seeing the intruders they immediately attack.

After easily elminating the threat the party heads back out of the room disinterested in the alcohol they found and proceed back down the eastern hallway and to the south to a door.  They open the door and find they are accosted by the cool wind and warm sun of the outside.  After a brief investigation they find nothing of note and that it loops back around to the front of the monastery.  Instead the group heads back in and immediately enters the first door to the west.

Straw mats cover the floor of this large exercise room, and wooden racks along the walls hold quarterstaffs, polearms, and various weapons commonly associated with martial arts. Doors exit to the north and the east. A triangular symbol is carved into the center of the rooms western wall.

Inside this room is a dour unsmiling woman wearing drab robes and a golden gargoyle mask with no eyeholes with four exhausted battered and bruised robed figures taking instructions from the masked woman. As the party opens the door she finishes a hand to hand encounter with one of the other robed men with a painful sweep of their legs and a heavy clawed hand down on the man's chest. Seeing an intrusion she jumps up and the hurting man scrambles up.  The masked woman Hellenrae looks at the bloody battered gear of the party and adopts a fighting stance.  "Kill them all" she declares fervently.  The four battered monk students stand with her and adopt their fighting stances as well, ready to engage with the party.
This message was last edited by the GM at 07:14, Fri 26 Apr 2019.

The monks are disposed of with only a few scratches and bruises between the party. The room is filled with nothing of worth other than basic weaponry.  The elder monk who now lies dead in the middle of the room bleeding out has a key on a leather cord which Og picks up, and then cleanses of blood as best he can. The group leaves the room with Kynt leading the way and heads directly north down the hall and down ten feet of stairs to a door.

Kynt opens the door and the group filters into the exterior room

A walled garden shelters beneath the northern wall of the monastery. The garden is poorly kept, although some effort has been made to clear footpaths through the overgrowth. A garden gate to the northeast leads outside. Three doors open into the monastery at the southeast, south, and western side of the garden. The statues in the garden are particularly lifelike.

Taten goes to the door in the south east and finds it locked.  He then tries with all his might to knock the door down but though it seems to make sounds of wavering and dust falls from the impact the locked door holds.  From behind the door Taten hears an agitated and ancient sounding voice. "I don't know who you are but I am not your enemy. Leave me be!"

As this occurs two of the statues in the room begin to awaken, unfurling thick stone wings that slowly gain a fleshy exterior.  They leap from their pedastals to the air and rush the nearest party members stone claws and fangs out in full display.

The party though damaged dispatch the last of the gargoyles.  Taten shares what he found and they return to the door with the voice behind it.  Taten again bangs on the door. "If your in with these robed bloodstains come on out or im kicking this door in." Taten says with anger and battle rage.

The old ragged voice responds. "I am not with the temple, leave me be or ill be forced to kill you all with poisonous gas."

Yarabon approaches, Og and Kynt raise hands in silent protest but the Barbarian woman approaches through their weak attempts to stop her. "If you not with cult then you let us through, we kill cult, free you from them."

The voice begins to get more and more agitated as it snaps back with a loud cracking sound coming from inside where the being speaks. "No, I will be left in peace or ill remove you like a pest trapped within my study. Now begone!"

Og, Kynt, Yarabon, and Taten all look at each other debating what to do when eventually Og catches words in his throat that started as an apology and instead stops himself and just begins to walk off. The party leaves the voice behind the door alone as requested.
This message was last edited by the GM at 05:41, Tue 07 May 2019.

The party realizing the western door reaches back to the main temple room decides to head south back down the hallway with the three way intersection and heads into the west door and is presented with a set of stairs. The stairs head down and loop around and eventually approach another door.  Kynt opens the door as they all gather at the bottom.

"A large well sits in one corner of this room, equipped with a winch-and-bucket mechanism for fetching water. Doors enter from the north, west, and south. Several dirty straw pallets lie tucked into the corners of the room-including one very large and stinking pallet."

Also laying inside here are three very large what look like giant orcs and a massive ogre that they are clearly following.  As Kynt approaches the Ogre looks directly at him, drool rolling down it's chain. "The pass sign!" the ogre asks excitedly.
This message was last edited by the GM at 05:53, Tue 07 May 2019.

Taten, Yarabon, Kynt, and Og all look at the monsters and each other when Taten is reminded of previous times they had encountered the earth cultists.  He made an educated guess and produced the gesture he had seen long ago in the sinkhole where they first met Earth Cultists.  The large orcs and ogre nod and allow the party to go about their business.

The group decides to move through the door south and come to an intersection going left or right.  They immediately choose left and see At the end of this tunnel, three cell-like rooms have been excavated from the rock. Iron bars wall off each one, with a chain and padlock securing a swinging gate. Inside, a number of prisoners huddle on miserable straw pallets.

Og and Yarabon approach the gates and find the prisoners are desperate pleading for a chance to escape.  Yarabon has to stamp her axe down with wicked force and give them all a glare before they stop carrying on and puting the party at risk of drawing unwanted attention.

Og talks with the group quietly and finds that most of them are human peasants, caravan drivers, merchants, or tribesfolk. However one prisoner stands out, Og finds that this is Bruldenthar one of the missing member of the Mirabar delegation.  Og learns that the keys to the prison are in Jurth's room, an orog by the stairs where the party entered.  Og snorts in frustration realizing a fight is unavoidable as the exit is also through that room.  Kynt begins saying prayers to Onatar and cleaning his armor with a cloth.  Yarabon grabs her axe up and heads towards the room with the Orog's and Ogre and Taten takes up the rear not letting his intense judgemental gaze leave the prisoners until the others are well enough down the hallway that the half orc feels it is safe.

Bruldenthar sticks to her guns and tells the party she will provide additional information as required once they clear their only escape and prove they can lead this large group to safety.  Og nods in agreement and they head off to battle with the Ogre and Orogs
This message was last edited by the GM at 05:13, Tue 14 May 2019.