The struggle continues:
In the temple hall.
As battle against the kobold mage rages in the library, Mannon sees a small impish creature flitting among the statues-pillars in the temple hall. It disappears behind one. Curious, he follows it. It reappears, alights on his shoulder, whispers something in his ear, then gone again. As it disappears he notices a door along the north wall. He approaches it, tries it. Tightly closed, he gives a shove; it bursts open to a scene of horror.
Back in the library Rhin hefts axe, closes, gives a grimace and levels a mighty cut that connects with the deformed kobold mage. Krius follows with a graceful swing. The kobold drops, sickly black blood flows, it utters an obscene dying curse and spits at the dwarf and human.
Its master defeated the remaining guard flees. Rhin and Krius pursue, Prophit cuts off escape, together they corner the beast. Its courage returns, it lashes out, too little too late. Hammer and axe fall, so too the last guard.
The fury of battle winds down. Alton notices Mannon missing, hearing something from the temple hall, moves off to investigate.
Mannon's eyes open wide as he looks in on the room he found. A chamber of pain and torture; blood covers the walls, a rusted crow’s nest, shelves of implements. In the middle a rack, lashed to it a small pale skinned creature, surrounded by four kobolds working the winches. The kobolds glare at Mannon, react and unclasp the bindings on the derro who bolts upright with hatred on his face, all of it directed towards Mannon.
The kobolds begin shambling towards Mannon. The derro lifts into the air propelled by an unknown force, eyes glass over, then a blast of crackling power courses through the air striking Mannon full force. Mannon reacts, uses newly found powers, evokes a wave of supernatural sleep centered on the kobold torturers, but no effect, for the dead do not sleep.
Alton enters the temple hall see’s Mannon fleeing from shambling creatures that seem to be a mishmash of stitched together kobold limbs and torsos. Also floating in the air at the end of the hall is a small wide eyed creature, hatred in its eyes. Alton shouts into the library urging his companions to make haste to the hall.
No time for rest Krius, Rhin, and Prophit depart the library and move out to the temple hall, once there the hovering derro unleashes a wave of psychic energy. It hits the heroes, despair, hopeless, the battle lost. The radiant goodness of the paladin helps counter the dread and the group fights on.
The stitched together undead surround Mannon, batter with cold dead arms. In desperation he brandishes a golden claw pendant, commands "In the name of Pyraxus I command thee!" awe struck the stitchment drop to their knees, begin to genuflect to him.
Alton, no time to react to Mannon’s profane acts, throws shadow at the derro weakening it. Mannon then brandishes newly discovered holy symbol again. All the undead now worship Mannon. The derro frustrated that his zombies are cowering on their knees swoops through the air, claws rake, then back to the ceiling.
Prophit readies crossbow, fires, Alton readies more dark energy, fires, the creature is weakened but not defeated. The flying menace prepares to swoop again, Rhin readies axe, the creature dives, again strikes Mannon, but the warblade is ready, his axe strikes a mighty blow, the derro crashes to ruins on the floor nearly split in half.
Krius aghast that unholy abominations would genuflect to Mannon questions his newly found powers. A long argument of the morality of the use of evil power ensues. While cleric, paladin, and halfling argue, Rhin looks on bemused while Alton sneaks off to the library to examine the dead and to plunder.
An uneasy truce between Krius and Mannon; its agreed that the unholy fiends should be mercifully dispatched, cut into bits, then arguments aside, the heat of battle cooled, the group agrees to take time to clean themselves and an area in the library where they can rest, pray, study, and practice. Bed rolls are out, a meal consumed, some water too, the first watch is taken by Mannon with Alton to keep an extra eye on things.
Rhin takes second watch, Krius the third, and Prophit the last. The quiet of the night, the evil of the temple, invades their minds as they keep watch alone in the darkness. Taint sets in.
As Prophit prays recovering his miracles, his skin begins to crawl, to melt; his lips fuse together, so to his hands. A wave of sick nausea overcomes him. His companions awake see him in obvious anxiety but physically fine. Mannon questions him, touches his shoulder, he snaps out of whatever vision struck him, is fine again, but unnerved.
As rested as possible in such a vile place the group moves to investigate the door on the east end of the temple hall. Krius opens it. Sickly unnatural green light shines from the ceiling of an enormous room filled with dead and decaying brambles, vines, and vegetation.
Green pin-points of light are noticed by Prophit and Krius. The brambles come alive. Forms detach then attack, thorns are launched. Prophit levels crossbow, fires, shatters the head of a kobold like creature composed of twigs.
Shields are raised, defensive postures taken. Alton uses his newly found wand and the power of shadow speech to command the beings to drop. Krius’ sword, Mannon’s sword, Rhin’s axe, all take toll on the wooden beings. Then Prophit’s hammer shatters and Mannon's sword cuts deep, but not before sharp claws pierce. Poison sets in, weakness. More twigmen appear from the bramble path ahead. Furious combat ensues. Alton commands with shadow while axe, sword, and hammer fell the enemies. Victory.
The aberrations of nature defeated only a dark gaping maw into thicker thorn filled brambles awaits entry…
The characters present:
* Alton (Aaron), halfling shadowcaster
* Mannon (Dave), halfling swordsage/warlock/cleric
* Prophit (Jeff), human cleric
* Squire Krius (Matt), human paladin
* Rhin No-Clan (Jim), dwarf warblade
Rumors and clues gathered (this session):
* Mannon invokes the name Pyraxis and awes the undead
* 2nd Mysterious book found
Treasure found (this session):
* 7 more gold claw pendants (picked up by ?)
* 3 potions of healing (picked up and distributed by Alton)
* potion of haste (carried by Alton)
* wand of voice of shadows (carried by Alton)
* necklace with two golden beads (worn by Alton)
* scroll of steal shadows (carred by Alton)
* 2nd mysterious book (carried by Mannon)
Foes/traps/tricks overcome (this session):
* kobold wizard/shadowcaster
* 4 undead kobold stitchmen
* 1 tempest derro
* 8 kobold twigmen
Experience gained (this session):
620 each player
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