[And now to go back to the fellows delving into the Lost Shrine of Tamoachan ]
DAY 477 (22nd Kythorn)(June) cont ...
Fenrir and his brave companions - Veddic, Dorette, Wayney, Raz and Barendd - continued on their way, fighting giant beetles, and triggering sand traps as they went.
Eventually they found a long set of steps that lead up to the second level. Halfway up a rolling millstone trap was triggered that crushed Fenrir, Veddic and Wayney. They all survived though, and once healed up they continued up until they caame to a wide hallway.
It was vaulted, spacious, and strangely scoured. Though the room was not pristine - thanks to the ravages of time - there are scorch marks on the walls, as of ancient flames.
Statues of a half dozen baboon-like creatures, all realistically crafted, were randomly distributed around the room; some were fallen and chipped.
Fenrir scouted around and came across a beholder, lurking in the rafters. It went towards him and he fled. It then seemed that the beholder would not, or could not, follow them out of the room.
They all knew, some from personal experience, that beholders were very dangerous enemies, full of magic and other nasty ways of attacking people.
As they discussed its abilities and tactics, Wayney noticed some runes carved into the door frame and pointed them out to Fenrir. They were what was preventing the beholder from leaving the room, some sort of ancient magical barrier.
Between them, the magic users of the group were able to dispell this magic and sensing it was free the beholder fled, cackling;
'At last! Free! Free to wreck my terrible vengeance on all those that defied me... erk! Oh balls!'
The last words were spoke as it realised that the magic of the room had also kept it alive for a thousand years and that once it had left the area it crumbled to dust as all those years were visited on it in just a few seconds.
Startled, but resolute, the brave companions moved through the hall and into the corridors beyond. The next room of interest they came to was a six-sided chamber devoted to cats. The far wall to their right was carved to resemble the snarling face of a hollow-eyed tiger.
At the centre of the room was a mummified tiger, posed as if on guard. Squaring off against the tiger from a short distance, near the wall with the tiger carving, was a stone statue of a man with a jaguar head holding a spear. Scattered throughout the room were other stuffed and mummified felines, none much larger than a farm cat.
In the centre of the wall to their left, a stone sculpture was set in the wall above an altar. On either side were other doorways that exited the chamber.
Touching nothing they tried all the doors until they found one they liked the look of and left the room, tigers and cats all unmolested.
They came to a corridor with ten statues lining it, all holding pikes. Naturally there was a trap in the corridor and poor Dorette, who was an average trap finder at best, stumbled into it again.
With two cleric on hand though, she was soon on her feet once more and they went on their way.
The next room of interest contained an 'oni' (a sort of demon) and his pet panther. The oni arrived when they disturbed his well, appearing in Gaseous Form, and after some fighting, the panther was dead, and he turned back into a gas and disappeared up the chimney above the well.
They found his treasure and since this room only had one entrance and it was clear of the poisonous gas, they decided to rest for the rest of the day.
DAY 478 (23rd Kythorn)(June)
After some uninterrupted rest and recovery, the brave companions continued on their way, moving
up through the levels of the Temple.
The next room of note they came to contained a large pool with an angry looking sort of tree-ent in it. This was a tough fight as the tree had many branches and roots and could attack everyone that it could reach.
It could also pull people towards it, and it pulled in Raz and Barendd. This was probably its big mistake though as they were armed with axes and could easily more chop it up from close range.
The enemy defeat, the party moved on through the corridors of the temple.
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