Malice completes reading the Tome of Understanding by the time that the party had gathered back in the Tower. Xyzzifax had grabbed some hair from the giant, or perhaps the wolf, before they left the dungeon. All of us are expecting that they’re waiting for us, so he attempts to scry – but the ability to scry seems to be blocked. It looks like the Temple of Elemental Evil is enchanted against those kinds of magics. We fortify ourselves with camaraderie and Sir Kentor’s chili, making sure that he didn’t add any bugbear meat into it beforehand. Samson grinds gold to powder for Xyzzifax before we venture into the dungeon. Malice asks Braedon and Xyzzifax if they have any knowledge of poisons. They don’t, which is something she’ll remember going forward, but she’s going to be stuck experimenting with what she took from the half orc’s assassin.
I don't think it explicitly states anywhere that the temple is shielded from scrying but at least part of one level is (if you know you know) and with Bubo the recon drone already removing a lot of the tension of exploring a dungeon there was no way I was going to let them sit back in Hommlet and draw out maps of the levels and track anything they had encountered.
And yes, they've watered down poisons so much in modern versions of the game that I am not terribly concerned about a player exploring it's use. They also removed alignment in ToV, which so many of today's players seem to hate, so that eliminates that particular problem with poison use as well.
The party retraces their steps to the triangularly shaped room that had what were likely the quite dangerous guards to this level of the Temple, being cautious to see what the Giant may have done to reinforce. There are just enough doors in our way to keep us from just making this a simple investigation by Bubo, so we have to put ourselves in harm’s way. Past the rooms where we fought the wizard and the half orc assassin, we hear the sounds of dripping water. Bubo flies south, to the round room with the carved monster statue. The flowing water sounds are coming from that direction, and seem to be carrying a long way.
This was just a random encounter that was the sound of dripping water in the distance. A proper level of paranoia has been achieved when your players get distracted with it like this.
We reach the door to the Triangle room, and Xyzzifax begins a ritual to arcane lock the door. Xyzzifax tells the party the password, “Minion Door, Open!”, but otherwise the door will be sealed. We prepare ourselves, and Sir Lantor gives the command, and throws the door open. There are a pair of trolls in the room, waiting for us! Malice calls out the pair of trolls, magic in her words to fortify her companions – allowing them speed, luck, and fortitude. Sir Kentor, Sir Lantor, and Braedon each advance.
Sir Kentor then breaks into a charge towards the troll on the left, slashing it, but not gravely. Braedon shoots at the some one, and though it lifts a wooden shield, and it is just a stroke of luck that the arrow finds the beast’s shoulder. Xyzzifax moves into the hallway to where he can see the trolls, and speaks a sphere of fire into existence. It rolls into the same Troll, whose grunt sounds more frustrated by the fire than pained. The troll swipes at the Paladin, whose own shield is enough to keep the long claws at bay. The troll even bends down to bite, and it gets to taste of metal. The Paladin works his positioning to keep one troll between him and the other, so while the second strains to hit him, he never even really gets close. Sir Lantor charges that second troll, and slashes. The gash is long, but not as deep as Sir Lantor has done in the past.
Malice moves forward, launching a trio of searing rays into the green troll. His skin blackens and cracks, and he is showing signs of the damage he has taken. Sir Kentor drives his sword deep into the burned troll, and in short order thereafter Braedon puts an arrow into that same troll’s face. Xyzzifax keeps the sphere engaged, and hits it with a firebolt, but the troll endures! In a screaming rage, the troll swipes out with a a dizzying number of swings, but the Paladin is perfect with his shield. The other troll manages to rake Sir Lantor with his claw, and then he backs away from the fire and the fight, retreating to the stairs. Jaric pushes forward, wading into combat with the green troll, and with slays it with the Staff of Striking! Just the skill of his swing and the strength of his arms, he did not even need to expend any of the great staff’s powers.
Malice briefly rushes to the front of the party, flinging a bolt of fire as she runs, just barely scorching the brownish troll. Sir Kentor charges past, and is in melee once more, and his slash is certainly more impressive than the firebolt. Then, Braedon moves to show us how it is done, and puts an arrow into its neck. Blood spurts, but the wound heals. Still, the troll’s breathing is now labored, with a loud wheeze. Xyzzifax attacks with a firebolt and the sphere of flame. The troll is large enough, though that he stops the flaming sphere from being able to push behind him, and he takes the burning pain. The troll roars as rage overtakes him. His cascade of blows is enough to finally draw blood from Sir Kentor, and then he backs up the stairs. Sir Lantor runs across the room, shooting his arm mounted crossbow at the troll. But, at a full run, keeping the crossbow on target is tough, and the bolt goes wide. Jaric gives a quick prayer of the sacred flame, but the Troll continues to retreat back out of the way.
Malice gives chase, hitting with a well placed firebolt, and Sir Kentor charges after the troll once more. With the multitude of burns, Verminax’s slash is not being regenerated by the troll’s legendary healing. Braedon puts an arrow through the troll’s thigh, trying to slow it down. The flaming sphere bounces up the stairs under the command of Xyzzifax, and more of the monster’s flesh is seared. The troll, his rage persisting, claws and bites at Sir Kentor, but the Paladin is far too skilled – and none of the blows land. Sir Lantor reloads his crossbow, and fires again. The crossbow bolt isn’t large, so it doesn’t do much, but Jaric’s sacred flame is sufficient to kill the Troll.
This fight (lasting all of 4 rounds) was where I started to realize a few things:
- Troll regeneration means pretty much nothing. When every wizard has fire bolt as a cantrip a group can tag at least one troll every round. In this party the bard is an arcane caster as well so she has it too. There is so much fire damage available right from level 1 that troll regeneration might as well not exist since the rule is "no regen if the troll took any fire or acid damage since its last turn".
- The ToV Bard is a 4E Warlord in disguise. Our bard in any big fight starts by dishing out a mass buff to the whole team and then can follow that up with some extra movement and save boosts almost as needed. It was pretty cool to see that kind of thing return to the game even if it's going to make them that much more effective in combat.
- Flaming sphere is still a decent spell even against tougher creatures. Well, trolls at least.
We close the door that has been Arcane Locked, and do a quick check over the rooms – confirming that nothing else has moved in overnight. Then, we head upstairs. Malice asks about the giant, and there was no where near enough wounds inflicted on him that there might be a dried blood trail. The hallway on the floor above has a gargoyle fountain spurting milky water into a stone basin. Before we reach it, Braedon checks an alcove for a secret door – we were sure there’d be one there, but surprisingly, there isn’t. Xyzzifax comes behind him, and finds the latch that Braedon missed. Meanwhile, Jaric ritually casts a detect poison – and determines that the liquid appears to be potable. At the end of the hall, we can see that there is some debris piled up, but we can see a door behind it.
While keeping an eye on the concealed door, Malice hands Xyzzifax a piece of her chalk so he can mark the opening mechanism. and then he backs a few steps down the stairs, and we reposition ourselves so that the knights are at the front. There is a moment of levity as Xyzzifax tells Sir Lantor the order of latches to get it open, but the pall of the temple is soon on us once more. The secret door leads us into a what is huge passage, maybe even leading to a bigger passage. Or possibly a massive room. For situations like this, it is a good thing we can send Bubo to scout. We take up defensive positions as the mechanical owl flies.
The walls are painted with murals of vile scenes with great doors of brass, and there is a huge hall that is littered with bones, and the furniture you’d expect is a feast hall, ruined with age, fighting, and having been raided for firewood. Bubo posts up where he can keep watch on our backs, as we go through the nearest pair of brass doors. Though the hallway beyond is wide, it is, all things considered, not that long before a second pair of doors confront us. Small inset symbols of bronze are adorned on the images of priests in the murals on the walls. Red robed with an eight pointed star, grey robes with a circle, and a green robed priest with a square.
These doors lead to a huge room with an arched ceiling. The floors and walls are covered in polished stone, and a soft greenish light permeates the area, giving the illusion that everything here is underwater. On the west room is a sheet of bronze, with a bas relief of an underwater basin, with the head of a hideous fish thing that spews water into series of a four tiered basin. There is a bronze altar, with a shallow basin filled with water, coins, gems, and seashells. South of the altar is a statue of marine monsters, a horde thing vaguely globed shaped. The four corners of the room have a column in each of them, topped by a bronze gargoyle.
Malice and Jaric start on the doors. Between unpinning their hinges and pennying them open, we are doing our best to make sure that these doors won’t be able to trap us in the room. Xyzzifax and Sir Kentor open their senses to the room, and the whole of the place detects evil and magic. Mighty Xyzzifax crosses the room and carefully examines the stone globe, and sees that it is finely made. The knights enter the room, taking up a defensive posture behind Xyzzifax as he moves to the curtain, pulls it aside. It reveals a concealed room, with two more huge doors, and a smaller door off to each side of the room.
Xyzzifax moves away from that, and goes to investigate the fountain. It is sort of a blessing, or un-blessing kind of religious font. His idea is that one prepares something here, and then takes it over to the altar and puts it into the basin. Malice suggests that the prepared thing might be halflings, but the existing coins and gems suggests even more that it may be coinage. “Do not summon the water demon…” Malice says wearily. So, Xyzzifax, having a gold earing and a battered silver plate, opts to see what will happen. After placing the earring on the plate, he gets water from the fountain in the depression on the plate, and submerges it in the basin. One of the mouths on the ball of sea creatures makes a hooting noise, like a summons to worship.
Everyone gets nervous when the crazy wizard starts poking the obviously magical fountain.
The globe of sea creatures animates, as do the four gargoyles (to none of our surprise). a pair of plate armored clerics – one in blue and another in black – armed with maces come out of one door from the concealed room, and a high priest wearing even deeper blue and green robes over his armor enters the room from the other. Braedon magically examines the statue, and draws his bow, threateningly aiming at the high priest. Sir Lantor moves up to the statue, menacing with the greatsword. While we were preparing to possibly parley, the gargoyles have no such desires.
The gargoyles swoop in, and start by lacerating Sir Lantor and knocking him over. The gargoyle attempts to hit Xyzzifax, but his magical defenses activate, and it wards the blow. One swoops down on malice, knocking her over and taking a deep bite out of her. She’s nearly unconscious from just that one combinations of blows. The high priest intones that we will make excellent sacrifices, and casts hold person on the Paladin. Sir Kentor’s devotion is pure, and the evil spell does not paralize him. Braedon puts an arrow into the priest. Malice scrambles to her feet, and gives voice to her words of power. She is able to scamper away from the gargoyle, and Xyzzifax falls back to Malice, Jaric, and Braedon. Her inspiration is even enough that Sir Lantor gets back to his feet. The evil priests continue their master’s plan, casting hold on Sir Lantor… and this one succeeds. The other casts a silence spell on the cluster of Malice, Xyzzifax, Braedon, and Jaric near the door, and even manages to catch Sir Kentor in it as well. The sea creature statue begins whipping out with eels and other vicious monsters of the depths. Sir Lantor is hit, and hit, and hit, and collapses bloodily.
Xyzzifax flies back into the hallway out of the magical silence, and calls to Sir Lantor that his service as a minion has been commendable. He casts a shatter at the high priest and the priest in blue who was concentrating on the silence. Blood runs out of that cleric’s ears, nose, and the corners of his eyes. Jaric pulls to the edge of the silence in the hall, and casts a silence of his own, capturing all of the evil clerics in its number, and quieting the rumble of the animated statue.
Braedon shoots the priest in blue, hitting him in the eye, and he drops wetly. A pair of gargoyles attempt to double team Sir Kentor, and his defensive prowess is enough to fend off both of them. Another continues to chase Xyzzifax, but the mage’s wards remain strong. The last goes after Braedon, and manages to draw blood. The high priest moves with the statue, and Sir Kentor is completely surrounded. Malice sees the grouping around the Paladin, and it is just too perfect. She calls out some words of inspiration to the Paladin, that perhaps sound just a little bit like “sorry about this” and then casts a shatter on that cluster of enemies. Both gargoyles are damaged, one more than the other, as is the animated statue. The High Priest, though, takes it poorly, and is in bad shape. As she causes so many wounds, her own wounds close.
Sir Kentor growls that the High Priest’s atrocities will be judged this day. He empowers Verminax with holy energy, and cleaves the High Priest’s head clean off. The cleric in black sprints to get out of the silence, but the distance he needed to run meant that there was little else that he was able to do but get himself clear. The animated statue once again sends tendril after tendril into a knight, Sir Kentor this time. And, as skilled as the Paladin is, the swarming stone sea creatures overwhelm him, and he falls. Xyzzifax flies into the air, and reads a scroll – and a bolt of lightning streaks across the battlefield, hitting the gargoyle on Braedon, one of the two that was attacking Sir Kentor, and the animated statue. The gargoyle nearest to the Paladin is forced to the ground as its wings pop and crackle. Jaric closes, a little, and summons a a sacred hammer, and enflames another gargoyle.
Braedon shoots the gargoyle right above him, but the accurate blow is blunted by its stone form. Sir Lantor’s wounds close as Malice’s healing finally binds them. He is still in terrible shape, so he scrambles behind the altar from the animated statue, and drinks a potion of greater healing. The gargoyles swoop and dive, but none of them are able to connect. Malice casts Hold on the gargoyle that was on her, and retreats to the rear of the combat. Sir Kentor’s wounds are closed by the lingering bardic magic, and he climbs to his feet in the face of the animated statue. Withdrawing from it, he moves to help protect the other knight, defending him from the gargoyle, where the two might face the juggernaut of a statue together. The cleric in black calls forth an unholy steam, but the Paladin is too pure for such an attack. The animated statue rumbles over to Sir Lantor, and even with protection of Sir Kentor, the relentless series of attacks is enough to fell Sir Lantor again. Xyzzifax forms his sword of red lightning, and slays the first of the gargoyles. Then, he flies towards the cleric in black, but one of the gargoyles that he flew too near was able to get a claw into him as he zipped by. Jaric’s spiritual hammer kills a second gargoyle. Then, he speeds to Sir Kentor’s side, and speaks a healing word. But it is Sir Lantor who has some injuries soothed, and his eyes open again.
Braedon draws a pair of shortswords, and drives them both into the gargoyle that was harrying him. Sir Lantor finally is able to swing his greatsword in anger, and the blow is enough to cause visible damage the the animated statue. Small stone fish fall to the ground off of it, shattering. The gargoyle tries to claw at Braedon, and though it doesn’t connect, it does stay out of the way of Malice’s glaive. She calls out words of encouragement to Braedon – one of us has to take it down. Sir Kentor moves once again to protect Sir Lantor, and this time the Paladin’s skills are enough. The animated statue’s attacks are all defected from the fighter, but Sir Kentor is hit once himself, and again he is bleeding from his wounds. The cleric in black closes with Xyzzifax, but can not manage to get past the Wizard’s wards with his mace. The Knights both drive their weapons into the statue, while simultaneously Xyzzifax swings with the red lightning sword, and with a combination of skill, luck, and dark magic he shocks the cleric in black. Jaric closes on the animated statue with the spiritual hammer, and then he follows it up on his own with the staff of striking, a nimbus of crackling energy around it. The blow from the cleric is enough! The animated statue shatters!
Braedon dives in with both of his shortswords. Though the gargoyle survives the pair of stabs, it is driven to the ground. It snaps at the ranger, but Braedon keeps out of its reach. Sir Lantor charges the gargoyle that Malice has held. He drives the sword through the gargoyle, but the elemental being remains “"alive”. Malice swings her glaive at the gargoyle she and Braedon are fighting, but she is not able to get through its stony hide. Sir Kentor closes his wounds, and then trudges to the cleric in black. Tired as the knight is, the cleric is able to parry Verminax. The cleric keeps attacking Xyzzifax, and this gives Sir Kentor the opening he wanted. He steps in, blocks with the shield, and drives the sword into a joint in the armor, and it comes out bloody. Xyzzifax lunges with the red lightning sword, and the cleric gives ground, keeping himself safe. Jaric sends the spiritual hammer to kill the held gargoyle, and then moves to back up the fight against the evil cleric.
Braedon stabs the gargoyle again, and Sir Lantor closes and cleaves into it as well. The gargoyle snaps at both, but isn’t able to connect with either of them. Malice leaves the gargoyle to the pair of then, and finally re-enters the water temple from the hallway. She tells the cleric that he is going to die, and see his temple fall before him, lacing the words with a curse. In a fury, the cleric is able to parry the blow from Sir Kentor, but his wild follow up swing is easily deflected by the stalwart Paladin. Xyzzifax, done toying with the man, says the short word of magic to call forth magic missiles. The trio of bolts slam into the cleric, the last piercing straight through the plate. The last of the priests falls. It is as if the evil of the temple wanes as Jaric’s spiritual hammer, and his own wielding of the staff of power, put a bloody end to the last gargoyle.
Sir Kentor takes a knee, and prays to the the gods of law and good. The rest of us check the clerics for treasure, and loot the alter – we’re not expecting it to have any further guardians. In the basin is 42 copper, 37 silver, 60 electrium, 51, gold, 23 platinum, 2000 gp worth of gems, 170 gold worth of agates, 500 gold worth of semi precious stones, and 1300 gold worth of small pieces of jewelry, mostly of an aquatic theme. The high priest has +1 plate, a ring of free action, and a mace of smiting (a bonus vs constructs). There’s not much discussion to be had – Sir Lantor will take the ring of free action, and Jaric the magical plate. As for the mace, well, that is enough, along with the treasure of the last two forays, for us to consider a return to Hommlet, and maybe even Verbobonc. Braedon could use a magical bow, and Sir Lantor a magical heavy weapon. Surely a city as large as Verbobonc could provide. Even before we leave, Malice recommends that Braedon take the cloak of elvenkind, or perhaps Jaric take it back.
