Mol – Zarantyr 23rd, 999 YK
Monnday – January 23rd, 999 YK
Early Afternoon
After Taveah locates a hidden door, the group manages to open it, revealing a tunnel. You proceed cautiously down the tunnel, which eventually opens to a strange church dedicated to draconic gods.
A mosaic path like the one at the tomb entrance runs from the secret door to pass between two rows of great wooden pews. The walls are painted with scenes of everyday Aereni life. However, the figures depicted there have rotting flesh and skeletal limbs, their features eaten away by worms.
On the far side of the chamber is a tiered dais set with a wooden chair, a pair of brass candelabra, and two large ceramic urns. Atop the dais, a stone altar glows an opalescent blue. The symbols of Chronespsis, Lendys, Tamara, and Bahamut are engraved on its front. To the west of the altar, a stone archway is filled with glowing orange mist. A humanoid skeleton in badly rusted black chain mail lies on the floor, pointing toward it.
“There is a powerful presence here,” Sejik says, his bright eyes scanning the many scenes along the wall.
“I sense… Good.”
“Good?” Kohl says, his eyebrows raising.
“Are you sure?”
Sejik nods. “_Very sure. This whole church has been consecrated to the powers of good.”_
Morthos and Kohl investigate the pews. Each of the benches feature a hinged seat that reveals a storage space underneath it. Morthos searches for traps on the first pew but finds none. Once opened, they discover gold and silver. Morthos doesn’t even bother with it, which makes Sejik frown.
Seeing the treasures that Morthos has revealed, Kohl immediately begins opening the remaining pews. When he opens the front pew, he springs a trap; a cloud of acrid gas fills the air.
“Fkek!” Kohl shouts.
“Back, everyone. Gas!”
Poison fills the room. Some of the group hold their breath, others scatter toward the corners of the church. Luckily, all manage to escape death once again. Eventually the poison dissapates and the group renews their investigation.
As the group approaches the altar, Sejik gets an unnerving feeling that something is amiss.
“We mustn’t touch this altar,” he says, raising his hand.
Morthos nods in agreement, peering at the floor.
“It is trapped. See the pressure plate there?”
“There is a great amount of magical energy within. It looks to be very powerful.” Caiphys warns.
A search of the temple reveals a small down-sloping slot in the wall to the southeast. Above the small slot, a circle has been carefully scribed in the stone wall.
“We must need some sort of ring to proceed,” Morthos says.
“We missed something then,” Taveah says.
“We’ll have to go back.”
As the group discusses their options, Caiphys approaches the mist filled archway and — without a word to the others — enters. The mist flashes, and he immediately reappears as a female warforged.
“Caiphys?” Kohl asks, peering at the curvy chrome and wood figure. In response, Caiphys shrieks and attacks Kohl, who easily blocks the attack and steps away.
The warforged shakes her head and blinks, looking at Kohl, and then down at its new form.
“I…” says the higher-pitched voice of Caiphys. She starts at this, and the warforged suddenly shifts back to its more masculine form.
“I’m fine,” she says, but looks confused and unsure.
“You need to be more careful,” Taveah says.
“I’m not sure you could handle the rigors of womanhood.”
“Come,” Kohl says.
“Let’s press on. Perhaps the gargoyle room has the ring we seek.”
“Or perhaps it’s another trap,” Taveah returns, wearily.
“I hate this place.”
The group leaves the church, heading back the way they came, towards the three armed gargoyle room.
