Session 14
Cleansing the temple
Embedded Files
Chapter 1: Nexus of the Earth
Chapter 1: Nexus of the Earth
After clearing the temple of Fire and Sun they push on and at the the end of the corridor they see two life-like stone statues covered in salt crystals. They might once have been living but their blank stares indicate no sentience is left in them.
Two slaves, marked so by their tattoos, rushed from side passages and ambushed the group. Followed closely behind were the footsteps of three acolytes of the true. The adversaries did not put up much of a challenge but the party was already drained of resources and the brief fight depleted them even more.
Chapter 2: The Spirit of the Earth
Chapter 2: The Spirit of the Earth
The earth shook and rising from the floor was a figure, similar to the statues, who spoke in an unintelligible yet primordial language. After a few attempts it was able to find a common tongue. In it's deep rumbling voice it was able to convey to the party that The True had corrupted parts of the temple and that it was responsible for the earthquakes. It was trying to destroy the temple in order to prevent anymore corruption.
It further explained that two more temples, of air and water, were being corrupted. The greater of the two was the water temple but it was blocked by a necrotic force.It explained that it would be thankful to the group if they could prevent the corruption but would not stop the destruction of the elemental temple in case they failed but would tunnel them out should they succeed.
Chapter 3: Temple of Air
Chapter 3: Temple of Air
Entering this temple they saw many central columns that had slots apparently clogged with silt and half a dozen square columns covered in desiccated vines, obviously withered by defiler magic. Across the temple were two tables with corrupted braziers at which was a defiler conducting a ritual. In front of him was a giant centipede-like insect, chittering with powerful mandibles and a single large eye.
Morhen attempted to fire at the man conducting the ritual but his arrows were snatched from the air before they could hit their mark. Zyel then dashed in and watered some of the dead creeping plants which brought life too all of them. The others came in, sticking to the safety of the columns, out of the reach of the cilops and cleaned out some of the silt clogged portals which let in clean fresh air.
Two invisible, corrupted air elementals surprised them and entered the battle. While battling all their foes the group was also able to cleanse the tainted braziers. They eventually prevailed but at great cost.
Chapter 4: Temple of Water
Chapter 4: Temple of Water
Quickly making their way back to the temple of water, the necromantic cloud now dispersed, they found a high-ceilinged chamber devoid of any water. There were four statues, one in each corner, holding what appeared to be jugs for water but which held only salt. A large fountain in the center which was clogged with sand in the center of the room stood in front of a burning inferno. over the flames was a cage holding the kidnapped Balicite noblewoman. A stony skinned man was conducting a dark ritual, drawing energy from the fountain. Cubbies lay empty on the sides of the chamber, their relics lay broken on the floor nearby.
A hulking half-giant woman, her face rippling like water, stood at the side. She took her great-axe and chopped a rope holding the cage with the woman causing it to begin to slowly lower into the flames.
The party acted quickly. They cleared salt from the jugs, making them drip water and the air became humid. They replaced some relics to their cubbies, and they cleansed the fountain of its sand making it again fill with water. They freed the woman from her cage, all the while she encouraged them on. Each success released a corrupted fire elental joining the battle against them. They even tried to attack the stony-skinned defiler but their blows just glanced off him as he drew more power from the temple.
Morhen was finally able to drop the half-giant, felling her with his multiple arrows. As soon as she fell, the fire elementals vanished and out from the ground came the stone spirit, and out from the fountain came a water spirit, the two of them combined forces to pummel the defiler, his stony skin cracking like an egg till he was pulp.
Chapter 5: Rewarded
Chapter 5: Rewarded
The two elemental spirits rewarded the groups with their choice of powerful magical artifacts to go with the three tomes they found next to the broken body of the defiler. The earth spirit then honored his word and tunneled the group out to safety before it collapsed, sealing it from the outside world forever.
Chapter 6: Rest at Last
Chapter 6: Rest at Last
The earth spirit had also assembled a basic shelter within which the group could rest and recover before they headed back to Altaruk to provide evidence of their innocence in the assassination of Lord Aris. Inside they studied the tomes and learned the properties of their new artifacts.
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