Session 6 - Claws of the Lioness, The Demon Waters, Pt 2

Dramatis personae: 

• The Thief - Randar the Keen of Ina-Zhunawl, Footpad and Lockbreaker - Played by Nathaniel
• The Paladin of St. Faruin - Alsuna of Vlamesht, Bulwark and Vanguard - Played by Sophia
• The Paladin of St. Gogar - Gogar of Eda, Bulwark and Temple Guard - Played by PJ
• The Barbarian - Adelmar of Adalsted, Hunter and Sea-Rover - Played by Jonathan
• The Dwarven Craftpriest - Moriana of Beasthold, Dwarven Craft-catechist and Reliquary Guardian - Played by Andrea
• The Elven Spellsword - Braem the Burning, Arcanist-Guardian and Flametongue - Played by Ben
• The Elven Nightblade - Mellorondil, Arcanist-Avenger and Silent Slayer - Played by Scott
• The Mage - Tuvalt the Clumsy of Vlam-Kuzang, Arcanist and Warmage - Played by Chris
• The Mystic - Ali Abbas the Immaculate - Played by Paul

In the aftermath of the brief battle with the Gelatinous Cube, the heroes took a moment to gather up their new treasure and study the mosaics and bas reliefs on the walls and ceiling of the antechamber. The mosaics seemed to depict major constellations corresponding to the NE, SE, SW, and NW quadrants of the sky, each with various phases of the moon depicted corresponding to high and low tides: Full and New moons corresponding to high tides, and half moons corresponding to low tides. Beneath them were a series of mosaics depicting Sudhvi, the old Saftash god of the sea, standing at the base of an inverted ziggurat (like a cistern), his hand raised in blessing over the waters as they rose and fell around him. More than that, though, the companions were not able to determine, since none of them possessed the knowledge of lore that would have explained what was being communicated by the images.

It was at this point that the companions were interrupted by another adventuring party entering from the door to the east -- a well-armed and provisioned party known as The Order of the Dead God, led by Ali-Abbas (a mystic from lands far to the east) and his three companions, a pair of elves and an ex-imperial squad mage. After a brief moment of tension -- in which Randar offered the new party a bottle of the chaos-tainted wine which he had swiped from the cellar without anyone noticing during the previous session -- the two parties decided to work together. The bottle of chaos-tainted wine, meanwhile, was broken by Gogar -- probably a good call, all things considered. There was also an argument over a potion (which Mellorondil, who has some knowledge of Alchemy, identified as a Potion of Giant Strength [N.B. -- It wasn't, he actually got this wrong, it was a potion of Levitation]) which Randar had been holding, and which Mellorondil wanted to give to one of the paladins. Alsuna solved the problem by pouring the potion out. "If you can't stop fighting, nobody can have it."

This rather large party set off westward through the temple, moving as cautiously as they could but still managing to run into some trouble along the way -- including a boulder trap that battered the whole party pretty badly, and a small nest of giant ferrets. Fighting their way through the ferrets with ease, the companions gleaned some coins and other minor treasures before moving into the next room, only to find something else entirely.

In this chamber of the temple, apparently some kind of a dining room, a rich table of food was laid out, and the meal presided over by an ancient priestess and served by spectral beings emerging from the walls to refill cups, produce new platters of mouth-watering food, and wait upon the needs of the guests. The party, however, was deeply suspicious of this food and of their mysterious host, and refused to sit and eat (although she encouraged them to do so multiple times). The paladins determined that there was nothing evil about the priestess or her food -- in fact, it all had a faint aura of Law about it -- but even so, they were suspicious. Speaking with the priestess, they realized that she and the whole meal were displaced out of time, as she spoke as though the Alsudhvian Empire (that of the Wave-Emperors) was still at its height. 

The delicious smell finally became too much for Randar to bear. He snatched up a leg of mutton, meaning only to inspect it, before biting deeply into it. As the juices ran down his chin, he felt whole, his bruises and other wounds from the rock trap healed. Additionally, he felt something else about him was different, and has gained the following ability:

• Your shadow becomes a living being. It is a henchman fully under your control. It begins with your same stats and abilities and thereafter advances at a rate of experience equal to half of your own. It can take damage from magical attacks and normal weapons. If it ever dies, your character will cast no shadow until your shadow returns again at the next dawn.

Mellorondil, the Elven Nightblade, had taken advantage of the long conversation to move silently behind the priestess. Still convinced that something nefarious was afoot, he attempted to kill her -- only for the whole vision (including all of the food, the lamps, the furniture -- everything) to vanish. In its place, they found the room was now mostly barren, save for an odd machine in one corner -- a strange contraption of gears, pumps, and valves. Unsure of what the machine did, the Paladins came to the conclusion that they should turn it off, so they spent some time jamming it up with several of Alsuna's metal spikes while the elves noticed a secret door, concealed beneath a facade of stone in the east wall. 

Opening it, Mellorondil led the party down a narrow flight of stairs into a long corridor -- triggering a poison dart trap which his elven reflexes allowed him to barely avoid -- and finally into a small chamber with two doorways. After attempting the south door -- a heavy iron-banded door like a "blast door" -- and being unable to pick its lock, the companions spent a significant amount of time hacking it to bits with their axes and maces before being able to enter the next chamber, which appeared to be some sort of ritual space with a low stone altar about 3 feet high. To the east and the west were doors with metal grating at their base, and from this Braem concluded that this was a ritual chamber, and possibly the source of the dungeon's corruption. 

They were unable to open the west door (it was swollen shut with age and time), but the eastern door proved easier to open. Braem stepped through it -- and found himself in another ritual chamber, with another one of the heavy blast doors opposite him to the East, with faded bas reliefs on either side of the walls. As he turned to look at one of them, it transformed into a grey ooze. The Grey Ooze took both surprise and initiative, enveloping Braem and immediately eroding his clothes, armor, weapons, and treasure, and dealing 14 damage to the elf -- dropping him immediately to 0 HP. Acting quickly, the other companions managed to drag Braem out of the room before Ali-Abba shut the door on the chamber and said, "Well."

As the Ooze seemed not to be interested in pursuing (no doubt satisfied with its "meal") the companions treated Braem's wounds. They were able to stabilize him in time, and although he is naked and hideously scarred, he awoke at 1 HP. He will need 1 day's bed rest (in a safe location), as well as magical healing, before he will be able to get back on his feet.

Monsters killed:

• 5 Giant Ferrets

Treasure recovered:

• 2,000 silver coins (2 stone, 200 GP)
• 4 pouches of Saffron (3/6 stone, 60 GP)
• 1 chunk of quartz (10 GP)
• 8 silver-tipped arrows (40 GP); 4 of these were on Braem's person and were destroyed by the ooze, leaving only 4 (20 GP value) in Mellorondil's keeping.

Notes:

• The companions have now spent 3 hours in the temple. They will need to rest for the night soon or begin to face penalties to their throws.