Elementia Game 6

Game Master: Jeff
Game Edition: D&D 3.5
Players: Andrew, Dave, Elijah, Tom, Adam
Starting Level: 1

Quote of the Evening:
“Hey Philius, Martanen, come into the cargo bay with me, it sounds like someone is ke-kawing in there.”

Introduction

Another write up by Jeff: take it away!

We left our party in Elementia Game 5 High above the streets of Genaya. Ghar (Elijah), Mäaar (Dave), and their companion Jyenna, pondered their next move as they attempted to remain hidden in the cloud cover from nearby patrolling Royal Army Zeppelins.

The party's bard, the ever-slippery Hercule -Savenien De Cyrano De Bergerac (Andrew) had been lowered into the city's cultural "Synevai" District on one of the upper tiers, to locate the famed tavern The Witcher's Tale and obtain information on how to enter the elven ruins on the outskirts of Synevai, currently being excavated by the dangerous Senator Nexin Roth.

While the party waited for Cyrano to signal them for pickup from the tallest tower in Synevai in the early morning hours, keeping the Zeppelin inconspicuous was becoming difficult difficult, especially seeing as they were running out of fuel.

Probably what the fuel gauge on the zeppelin looked like.

Scene 1 Dark Skies.

On board the airship, Jyenna noticed a signal coming from a zeppelin about 200 feet off. She immediately recognized it as an S.O.S. It was then that Ghar, Mäaar and Jyenna, realized that they were all standing above deck... No one was watching the signal operator! Fearing that the operator would betray them, Ghar quickly leaped down into the chamber below. He caught the signal operator in the process of returning the message and intimidated him so well, that the operators britches fell on hard and pungent times, causing the man to abandon his attempts to communicate with the other ship.

With the enemy zeppelin approaching quickly and not wanting to start an aerial battle over a well defended city, Jyenna suggested they allow the approaching airship to dock with them; much to the protest of her cohorts. She claimed that she could use her status as a Greymere mercenary (strong allies to the Royal Military) to convince the ship's emissary that her crew was currently below deck tending to a maintenance problem. She would then lead the man down below deck, and Ghar and Mäaar could finish him off there. She confessed it was a rather bold and ridiculous plan, but she felt it would work due to her extensive renown. What else could they do?

As the two airships docked a thousands feet above the Synevai District, the lieutenant of the enemy zeppelin made his way across the gang plank to treat with Jyenna. He informed her that his ship had sprung a fuel leak and they required an engineer from this ship to aid with the maintenance process. He then requested to speak with Jyenna's captain. She lied saying he was below deck, but the lieutenant did not believe her, saying he would board this vessel with a full compliment. Mäaar, overhearing this, popped up and and put a sleeping arrow right in the lieutenants backside, bringing him crashing to the floor. Luckily no one on the deck of the enemy airship noticed, and Ghar quickly moved the body below deck to finish the job. Not wanting anymore trouble, Mäaar headed down to the signal room and killed the operator once and for all.

Jyenna joined Ghar and Mäaar below deck, and explained that the enemy airship appeared to be a prison transport on its way to Castle Malice, and that they had maybe 20 minutes before the enemy crew wondered what was taking their lieutenant so long. It was decided that Jyenna and Mäaar would swing across to the enemy zeppelin cargo bay, liberate what prisoners they could (with the hopes of recruiting them), secure more fuel for their own airship, and see to it that the fuel leak responsible for this whole rendezvous ended in  a tragic and explosive accident. Ghar agreed to stay behind and watch the ship, should the other zeppelin's crew try anything.

Getting ready to dock!

The two rushed down to the cargo bay where Jyenna again demonstrated her extensive skill and usefulness to the party when she attempted to use the rope to swing across to the enemy ship, and almost plummeted to her death. Luckily Mäaar was able to grab her at the last minute and just shook his head slowly in disgust.

They both successfully swung across and found themselves in the enemy cargo bay where a spot check revealed several barrels of a corrosive substance in the far corner of the room, and a massive pulley system used for suspending cargo, with a Steam Walker in suspension.

Thinking fast, Jenna rudely suggested the two of them rig up some of the barrels overhead, lure as many of the crew into the bay as they could (She estimates there is roughly a crew of about 10 on board including the captain), and then let the corrosion rain on their parade. Growing increasingly weary of the questionable advice and just Jyenna in general, Mäaar only reluctantly agreed.

After the trap had been rigged, Mäaar decided the most effective way to bring guards to them was by using the highly imaginative and original strategy of emitting that classic “ke-kaw” bird call. Luckily for Mäaar, he had a graceful and elegant set of pipes on him, and in the next chamber he overheard a guard say our quote of the evening: “Hey Philius, Martanen, come into the cargo bay with me, it sounds like someone is ke-kawing in there”

The three guards entered, and Mäaar fired an arrow into the pulley system's rope causing the acid barrels to come crashing down on poor Phil, Marty, and the other guard covering them in acid. Jyenna engaged a fourth guard that came in, taking 18 points of damage in a single hit from the less skilled opponent, before being saved by Mäaar who dropped the guard with a sleeping arrow before finishing him off. Mäaar then found a set of keys by searching one of the pulp piles that was formerly a guard, and proceeded into the adjacent prison block.

Entering the prison block they saw a defeated and sullen looking human sitting in a cage to the right, and two elves in cages to the left. The human looked at Mäaar and begged him to let him out. He introduced himself as Hector the cleric (Tom); captured and imprisoned for running an underground slave clinic beneath the city, and was willing to offer his healing services in exchange for his freedom.

Hector the Cleric.

Mäaar released all the prisoners and Jyenna suggested they locate some gunpowder and detonate it in the armoury. Mäaar, who was finished with Jyenna, told her to do whatever she wanted. He had grown tired of her reckless shenanigans and proceed to go up on deck. Hector frantically searched for his equipment;confiscated upon his arrest, but was only able to recover his mace. He lamented the tragic loss of his prized crossbow and vowed to locate another. He then quickly headed topside to aid Mäaar.

Back on the bridge of the party's ship, Ghar was bored, and felt the time had come to aid his friends. He drew his axe and bolted across the gang plank, running past the captain and his first mate, before diving into the signal room to murder the operator. Hector and Mäaar emerged topside and Mäaar quickly dealt with several guards who were hovering around the deck. Hector rather anticlimactically attempted to kick in the door to the bridge and engage the pilot in solo combat, only to be aided by Mäaar who ended the fight with an arrow. With the crew finished, Hector decided to quickly run below deck and search the infirmary for health potions. As he disappeared below deck, Jyenna emerged informing the party that she had rigged the Amoury to blow, but needed something to ignite it. As they searched the ship for something to ignite their bomb, Ghar spotted two zeppelins approaching. It was time leave.

Jyenna and Ghar quickly carried as much fuel as they could back to their ship, while Mäaar volunteered to stay behind and light the fuse, using an explosive alchemical substance he found on board that he coated his arrows with. Mäaar then tied one of the ropes they had used to swing over to himself, so that he would be pulled out through the cargo bay by the the party's rising airship, hoping to escape the blast radius of the resulting explosion. Right before the explosion, Hector rushed up above deck, having found nothing and just made it to the gang plank in time to board the ascending zeppelin.

Mäaar lit the fuse, and leaped out of the cargo bay window, being pulled high into the clouds as he climbed back aboard the airship.

The party flew away from the scene of the “accident,” escaping the many zeppelins that were converging in the surrounding area, praying that their bard requested pickup soon. What happened to the other elven prisoners that were freed, and what these prisoners were even doing while the fighting was taking place, will never be known.

Scene 2 The Witcher's Tale.

While his allies battled high over top of the city, Cyrano traversed the cultural landscape of the Synevai district; locating the tavern he was told to visit by the elven rebel Maikeo. Weary from the news he had just received during his impromptu visit to a nearby tailor (during which he learned of Nexin Roth's iron grip on the political and cultural facets of Synevai through fear administered through the allied Dieze political family) he quickly headed over to The Witcher's Tale hoping to have a drink and relax while he sought the information needed.

Upon entering the tavern Cyrano proceeded to the bar, listening and watching his surroundings intently. Little did he know, a hooded pair of eyes were watching him from the tavern's shadows. The Witcher's Tale Tavern was a nice place, and many learned folks enjoyed drinks quietly while they discussed philosophy, history, poetry and other arts. A fireplace, filled bookshelves, inviting armchairs and wooden tables filled the room creating a comfortable and refined atmosphere.

While exploring the place, Cyrano overheard a pair of old scholarly looking gentlemen discussing the darkening political climate in Genaya. Cyrano ascertained through his eavesdropping that his name was being  openly distributed throughout the city by the Royal Guard. If he let his guard down for even an instant it would be his head on the chopping block.

Over by the fireplace, Cyrano heard a large and boisterous man openly challenging his peers to some kind of game on the table in front of him, and a group discussing the Temple. Clad in his nobleman's outfit, Cyrano approached the men talking about the temple and spun a tale claiming to be a wealthy foreigner looking to make new investments inside the city. As it turned out, the man playing the game was the leader of the Genayen Merchant's Guild, and they were actively seeking wealthy allies in their fight to re-diversify the city's economy away from militarization. The men who were speaking about the temple happened to work for him, and directed Cyrano over to the boisterous gentleman

Cyrano sat down with the leader of the Merchant's Guild, who with the grace of an emerald, introduced himself as Jazkus and challenged the bard to a game of Elementics. As he agreed to play, the hooded eyes from the back shadows watched him attentively. Elementics is a game of combination and contrasts, relying on the players knowledge of how the 6 primary elements interact in the world to create life and destroy it.

Elementics. Think of it as the most intense game of tic-tac-toe you ever played.

Elementics is a metaphor for balance, based on the fundamental beliefs of the now enslaved elven race; a game that humans knew nothing of until they invaded. The game is considered illegal and only played secretly  in elite academic circles.

Luckily Jeff gave us a cheat sheet.

Cyrano thankfully knew how to play the game, due to his extensive bardic knowledge, and reiterated his false intentions. He showed specific interest in investing in the elven ruins and turning them into a lucrative cultural attraction. As the game progressed, Jazkus and Cyrano begin talking about the Merchant Guild's desire to see all slaves freed and restored to citizen status, so that the two races could work together and make the Synivai District the cultural gem it once was. This would of course run counter to the interests of the Roth-Greymere-Villayus-Diezes alliance in the Senate who collectively ran the entire mining, slavery, and mercenary industries that comprised the majority of the Genayen economy.

Cyrano was told that the Merchant's Guild had taken drastic measures to spread it's agenda and found itself in increasingly violent confrontations with Synivai Senator Dieze's thugs, the very same Cyrano learned of in the tailor shop. The Merchant Guild was hoping to get their candidate -Ven Dwellian- elected to the Senate in the upcoming elections; defeating Dieze and hopefully ending his reign of oppression once and for all. While Jazkus was talking, Cyrano managed to win the first game of Elementics, and heard a loud boom from high in the night sky. No one seemed to pay it any mind.

Jazkus explained that Roth claimed to have the same goals that Cyrano claimed to have -investing in the temple as a tourist attraction- but those who ran in the more liberal circles knew that Roth must be looking for a weapon of some kind. If he found it Jazkus feared that any chance of a free and equal society would be crushed. Cyrano explained that he might be able to help by interfering with Roth's dig, and Jazkus said that if the bard could beat him again at Elementics, he would tell him of a secret entrance into the temple.

Unimpressed with this emerald bastard's antics, Cyrano reluctantly agreed, but Jazkus' experience bested him, and the merchant quickly won the match. In gratitude for his sportsmanship, Jazkus told Cyrano what he needed to know.

“North of the watered circle where the sun meets the moon, there once stood giants.”

Refusing to be any less cryptic, Cyrano thanked him for the tip and left the table. As he stood up, he noticed two men in the tavern that were eying him suspiciously. Feeling it was indeed time to leave, Cyrano emptied his cup of wine and hurried into the street. The two men followed him out, but those men were in turn stalked by that pair of hooded eyes from the tavern's shadows.

Shadowy eyes.

Scene 3 The Great Library.

As Cyrano hurriedly made his way through the city streets looking for the tallest tower in the district, which he knew to be atop the Great Library -a place where many important spell scrolls and documents are safeguarded- he noticed a hooded figure had appeared walking alongside him. Before Cyrano could speak, the hooded guest informed him that they were being followed by a group of thugs. The mysterious man said his name was Lycien (Adam), a recently escaped slave from the Villayus compound, who had been watching and listening to Cyrano in the Witcher's Tale from the shadows. Cyrano quickly and cleverly employed his bardic magic to create a Mirror Image of himself, which he sent running in the opposite direction, leading his pursuers a stray.

Lycien the Elf.

Grateful for his aid, and realizing that Lycien may need help remaining hidden, Cyrano implored the young elf to follow him to the great Library, however before he let Lycien agree, he warned him that he would "most likely will die of this company." Having no where else to turn in his desperate flight, Lycien agreed and joined the party.

The library was a heavily guarded place, but Lycien remembered seeing a cellar door around back that was rarely watched during his outings with his former master. Sure enough upon sneaking around back of the great ancient building they found the door locked, and Cyrano unsuccessfully tried to pick the lock with his fish hook. It was then that Lycien surprised the bard with his use of magic, unlocking the barrier with an Open Lock cantrip. Unknown to Cyrano at the time, Lycien had actually obtained these abilities through his intense addiction to the elemental crystal drugs currently circulating through the slums and causing all of the horrific deaths by fire and frost. It was through using these insanely intense magic powers that Lycien was able to engineer his escape from the slave compound.

Cyrano was surprised to say the least that Lycien could use magic. The elven race, The Mahk'zhi, are inherently non-magical, lacking the abilities that a sorcerer would have. All of Lycien's fellow slaves who developed an addiction at the Vilayus compound on the second tier eventually died painful deaths. It was exceptional that Lycien still lived, but his magic potential came at a price, he only has 3 bumps left of the crystal substance left, and was starting to feel the symptoms of withdrawal.

Saying nothing of the incident, Cyrano and Lycien made their way through the bowels of the library, a treasure trove of ancient artifacts in storage, and emerged in the great hall. As they explored the large chamber, looking for the stairwell to the tower, they were forced to quickly hide as two men entered the room, discussing something with malice in their voices. Cyrano and Lycien were able to make out the pair saying that Roth must be after one of the elven artifacts, hidden deep in the temple ruins, and that the removal of the element from the cliff rock must be accelerated since the elven rebellion was starting to gain momentum. The other voice replied they could not openly oppose the elven rebellion or else risk their exposure and threaten their carefully laid plans, before disappearing out of the room. Concerned by what they heard, Cyrano and Lycien hastened their search for the door to the tower.

When they finally located and reached the top of the tower they found an empty chamber with an open view of the night sky. The Stolen Zeppelin under the party's command was hovering above the district, waiting for a signal, but in the dark Cyrano could not see it, and they could not see him. Figuring they needed a signal, Cyrano cast a Light Spell on his glove, and flashed it behind his hat, sending a weak signal into the clouds. The signal was almost missed, but on board the Zeppelin Hector the Cleric spotted the flashing light at the last minute, and the crew turned the zeppelin to begin its approach.

In the tower, from behind Cyrano and Lycien came one of the voices they previously heard in the great hall. Turning, they discovered it was the voice of the same bard who exposed the party to the guards in Shantese in Elementia Game 3. The Mysterious Bard lamented the lack of recent communication with Cyrano, and reiterated that his organization sees everything and that the only reason the heroic bard was still breathing is because the Watchers (the assassin Bards) needed him to put down the elven rebellion. The Watcher then looked at Lycien and drew his sword, saying how he will take great pleasure in gutting the elf form bow to stern. The Watcher then called out for Jyn Kyr, and a robed wizard emerged from the shadows behind him. Cyrano immediately recognized the wizard as belonging to Order Noctura, the Vexian Kingdom's organization of wizards who act an investigative branch for the Royal Army.

Cyrano and Lycien make their stand as the Ghar, Mäaar, Jyenna and their new pal Hector arrive in the zeppelin to rescue them.

Knowing that they were in big trouble, but thinking fast, Cyrano cast a Cause Fear spell on the Watcher, and Lycien cast a smokescreen to shield them. In the knick of time, a rope from their stolen zeppelin descended by the window and the two were able to make a daring escape by leaping form the tower and climbing for their lives, just as Jyn Kyr unleashed a powerful fireball that lit up the top of the tower like a shining beacon. The Zeppelin rose back into the clouds, and Cyrano de Bergerac laughed as e shouted “May you never forget the name Cyrano de Bergerac!”

Lycien and Cyrano were then pulled up by Ghar and the party was reunited once again!

Scene 4 Deciphering the Cryptics.

On board the zeppelin the party reconvened, sharing all of the information they had learned. Lycien and Hector were introduced, and Cyrano shared his clue about how to enter the temple. Cyrano also explained that Lycien happened to be a sorcerer. This threw Mäaar through a loop, having never heard of an elven magic user, and recalled an old folktale about a chosen one, but said nothing.

Following Cyrano's cryptic message, Jyenna piloted the zeppelin over the forest where the elven ruins lay. At that altitude the party was finally able to make sense of the clue Jazkus gave Cyrano at the tavern: “North of the watered circle where the sun meets the moon there once stood giants,” refereed to a crescent moon shaped clearing north of a circular pond in the middle of the forest.

The party could see the stumps of thousand year old trees in the clearing, and wasting no time quickly descended into the forest on ropes, leaving Jyenna in command of the zeppelin. In their haste the party forgot bring any supplies, and never arranged with Jyenna to pick them up again. Whether or not Jyenna would return was of little importance at the time, all that mattered now was beating Roth's men to the artifact hidden deep within the ruins.

Upon reaching the meadow, the group was forced to hide in the surrounding woods, avoiding a passing patrol of Roth's men. The guards were annoyed about the amount of time the dig was taking. The party was in the right spot.

Once the patrol was out of sight, a search revealed a tree stump with a symbol etched into it, similar to one of the Elementics pieces that Cyrano had seen earlier. There was a small notch on the top of it, which seemed to fit a jewel of some kind. After Cyrano unsuccessfully tried placing a ruby into the notch, Ghar had the brilliant idea to use one of the elementia crystals he had on him instead. Lycien immediately noticed the crystal and quietly start plotting its theft.

Ghar's Elementia Crystal.

Placing the Crystal into the notch caused a large staircase to descend into the ground. The party rushed in followed by Ghar who removed the Crystal and dived down the staircase before the opening closed. The tunnel the party found themselves in was dark, and since it was the early morning hours, they decided to rest, recharge their spells and eat what little food they had.

Scene 5 The Elven Ruins.

The party awoke undisturbed the following morning, and resumed their journey down into the darkened tunnel. Cyrano used his light spell to illuminate his glove again, and revealed walls covered in glyphs depicting the different interactions of the 6 primary elements with each other. It was beautiful.

When they emerged at the end of the tunnel, they found themselves in one of the temple's massive foyers complete with giant pillars, statues of elven gods, and the remnants of a marble floor; all heavily damaged. There were massive holes in the ceiling and walls, and rubble lay strewn about the floor every they looked.

As soon as Mäaar entered the chamber, he was overcome by a strange force that almost gave him a seizure. He collapsed into darkness, but then had a powerful vision. He saw the night of the Vexian invasion through the eyes of one of the elven maesters. The maester came rushing in, accompanied by a young apprentice, while screams, explosions, and the sound of battle raging filled the echoing foyer.

He ran behind one of the 4 statues that were arranged in a square formation in the centre of the room, and triggered a switch causing an elevator to rise from the centre of the floor. He then sent his apprentice down, instructing him to get to the artifact and move it to a safe location. As the elevator lowered, the maester realized he forgot to give his apprentice an important scroll he was carrying, but it was too late. A fireball collided with the building, collapsing a part of the roof and forcing the master to dive out of the way, avoiding  the falling debris. His scroll went flying from his hand and was crushed beneath the falling ceiling. As the ceiling stabilized in its ruined state, a squadron of human soldiers charged into the chamber and Mäaar witnessed the elven maester's final moments as he was hacked to pieces by the merciless invaders.

Mäaar came to, and immediately darted to a nearby rubble pile, uncovering a long buried scroll much to the surprise of his companions. After the party successfully hid from another passing patrol, whom they overheard discussing the giant hole they've dug in the next foyer that lead down to the lower chambers, Mäaar headed behind the 4 statues and noticed a small chalice built into one of them. Instinctively knowing what to do, Mäaar cut his hand himself and paid a blood tribute to the chalice, causing the elevator to again rise from the centre of the floor.

The party crammed in, taking one last chance to examine the glyphs on the walls. Mäaar, the only one there who could read elvish, recognized the numerical sequence 2,3,1, but nothing else. Having no idea what this meant, Mäaar offered more of his blood and the elevator began to descend into the bowels of the ancient temple.

Scene 6 The Elven Temple.

The elevator descended into the darkness until it crashed onto a dusty stone floor. The party exited cautiously, moving slowly down the narrow descending hallway in front of them. The hall ended in a large circular chamber, the floor of which was intricately painted with elvish designs. On the walls elaborate and beautiful designs illustrating the clashing elements wove intricate patterns, reinforcing the elvish belief of balance through nature. There was lingering memory in the air of a long forgotten purpose.

In the next chamber, there were three pressure switches. The party charged into the room and triggered all of the switches at once, hoping to lift the large steel bars covering the way out. The floor suddenly began to shake and from above the sound of scraping slowly lowered a large platform. On it stood a 10 foot beast wrapped in large spiked chains, swinging the ends violently in his hands: A beast the elves's had left the night of the human invasion to end any attacker who managed to make it this far into the temple.

 Clinky.

Despite its ferocity, the monster stood no chance against this party. Cyrano quickly cast Fear on it rendering it unable to attack for 4 rounds. From there, is was just simply a matter of the heroes hacking, slashing, and blasting away until the it fell and bled out at their feet before the spell even faded. After the kill, investigating the barred doors revealed another chalice to the side.

Quickly figuring the need to put the creature's blood in the chalice, Cyrano used an ink vial to collect a portion and deliver it to the chalice, removing the bars. Now, the party could have also figured out that the clue they decoded from the hieroglyphics in the foyer which read 2,3,1, was actually the order in which to press the switches. They were even clearly labeled! That would have avoided releasing the Kyton altogether, and simply opened the bars. Oh well, victorious, the party pressed on.

The gates led through a long and narrow hallway ending in a T-section marked by a large mural adorning the wall. The mural depicted a great ocean with what appeared to be billows of smoke rising from the surface of the water. A strange scene if there ever was one.

To the left was a 15 foot deep stretch of water and to the right was another barred door which had a large circular notch of intricate design on the wall beside it. Agreeing to investigate the water first, Ghar approached the pool and saw 6 switches with the same symbols as the Elementics pieces. Cyrano suggested that if the symbols followed the game, perhaps the switch with the symbol for fire would remove the water. Nodding his head, Ghar jumped in the pool, diving to the bottom. There he pressed the fire symbol, and the water began to drain from the pit: leaving the barbarian at the bottom of a 15 feet drop, with no way up.

Looking around, Ghar noticed a crack in the stone tile by the wall and broke it open some more with his axe. Inside there was a white orb with an air symbol on it, large enough to fit comfortably into the circular notch of the barred door. Ghar then pressed the water symbol again, filling the chamber and he swam over to the edge of the pool.

However, when he reached the top of the pool he found that a thin almost invisible sheet of glass had covered the pit! He was trapped underneath! Thinking fast, Cyrano was able to tell Ghar to press the Water and Plant switches at the bottom, knowing the combination made air in Elementics. This was exactly what Ghar needed, and just in the nick of time. The party then placed the white orb the barbarian recovered into the notch on the barred door. Slowly the gate lifted allowing them passage into the next chamber, allowing them to recollect the white orb from the other side of the wall.

They then found themselves descending down another long tunnel, which ended in another chamber much like the first: a large circular room with barred door opposite. Immediately they were hit with a fierce sensation of heat emanating from the chamber and heard heavy and threatening grunts echoing down the hallway. Ghar turned white as he recognized the familiar sound all too well; It was the call of the Ashyxia: the fire beasts who reduced his village and loved ones, on the south-east of the continent, to an ash pile as they burned across the land.

An Ashyxia. An Elemental being from the Fire Isles.

Perhaps the elves captured the Ashyxia from the Fire Isles decades ago and brought them here as further safeguards, the party would never know. Based on the sounds the party could tell that there were 8 of them in the room, and the barbarian's discomfort clearly denoted the danger. Mäaar and Cyrano moved silently down to the end of hall and spot checked the room below, managing to remain hidden from the keen senses of the fire beasts. On the ceiling they saw 6 primary element symbols sculpted on potted switches, integrated into the roof above.

As they examined the switches, the Ashyxia spotted them and a massive ring of fire erupted across the center of the room and the barred doors from the previous chamber closed, trapping the party between a metal gate and the fire beasts; who were advancing on the Cyrano and Mäaar.

Mäaar quickly fired an arrow into the water symboled pot causing an ocean to rain down, extinguishing the flames of their red hot attackers. The room was filling with water, but the bars on the door slowly lowered into the floor. Fearing drowning, Mäaar decided to shoot the air symboled switch on the ceiling above causing the water to drain from the room, but causing the bars to return to the door. The two eventually figured out that the water switch must be triggered for a pressure switch on the barred door to be quickly pressed, and with that they left the room.

The next room seemed to be the great central subterranean chamber of this massive underground temple complex. The group was on the upper mezzanine and could see a giant hole in the ceiling leading up and reasoned that this must be what the patrols before were boasting about. Below they heard the archeology teams working on the massive tiled floor being supervised by Roth's mercenaries. To their left the party saw a 15 foot gap between the left and right sides of the room, and two podiums standing on either side. Closer inspection revealed the podiums to have the Elementic symbols for fire and air and notches the same size as the one that accepted their white orb earlier. They had Air, they just needed Fire.

Along the mezzanine from where they entered was another door that party decided to enter, hoping they could find a Fire Orb. The central chamber overlooked the pit the that Roth's men had been digging, dropping down some 200 feet and the party knew they did not want to go down there. In the next chamber, there was a hall that split off in two directions, an unbarred door lay at the end of the hall in front of them, and a darkened hallway lay to their right.

The group decided to investigate the dark path to the right, and ventured carefully down under the guide of Cyrano's illuminated glove. The tunnel ended in a massive golden dragon head etched into the wall with a notch in it's mouth for a familiar sized orb. Placing the air orb into it did nothing, and the party quickly realized, albeit somewhat hesitantly, what they must do. Mäaar remembered that the scroll Maikeo gave to him read. “A dragons orb releases the beast.” They back tracked heading towards the unbarred door down the hall. It opened into square chamber. On the roof was a plethora of exotic and venomous looking plant life with thick spiked vines writhing and squirming ready to constrict a victim to a bloody end.

In the centre of the room the fire orb rested on a pedestal. Some solid spot checking by the party revealed peculiar additional features to the room. The left and right walls of the room were coated with a white powder unfamiliar to anyone's eyes, and in the left and right corners of the room rested two massive golden levers in the shape of dragon's heads. Cyrano and Hector instantly went for the lever on the right, and both were set upon by predatory assassin vines!

Nothing worse then Assassin Vines.

Lycien and Ghar bolted right and left respectively: Lycien to aid Hector, who had been snatched by the vines, Ghar to pull the other lever while Cyrano pulled the first. But the levers were stuck!

It was Mäaar who figured out the puzzle. He used a few of his last remaining fire-coated arrows to stylishly dual-shot the white powder on the left and right walls. The substance exploded, revealing two large Serpent-shaped mirrors on movable tracks.

Hector was still entangled by the vines, but Lycien was desperately fighting them off, trying to free him. Ghar and Cyrano managed to pull both switches, and Mäaar burnt away the cobwebs blocking an opening in the ceiling, with a well-placed fire arrow: causing light to pour into the room, and reflect off the mirrors. The light hit the vines, causing them to seize up and free the badly injured Hector. Ghar quickly darted for the fire orb, but as he grabbed it off the pedestal, the opening in the ceiling slowly began to close robbing light from the room. Ghar and most of the party managed to Jump, tumble, and flip quickly to the door out except poor Hector, who was again snagged by a rogue vine and squeezed down to his soul. The party managed to free him and they desperately fled the chamber, running down the hall. Hector then used his magic to heal himself and anyone else who was injured. With the fire orb in hand the party quickly ran back to the golden dragon head.

The party questioned the repercussions of using the dragon orb to “release the beast”, but Cyrano, bored with the deliberations, took the orb and jammed it in the Dragon wall's mouth. The temple began to shake violently and they could hear the sound of a massive door opening behind them in the great chamber, followed by horrified screams coming from Roth's men. The party ran back to the main chamber and were mortified by what they saw: a giant Worm Creature wreaking havoc below!

Maybe shouldn't have done that...

Sticking to the walls, and terrified by the bloody fate of Roth;s men below them, the party moved silently back toward the gap on the other side of the mezzanine and placed the fire and air orbs into the appropriate pedestals, which caused a metal bridge to shoot across the gap. All of the party, but Ghar ran across to the other side, but unfortunately the scramble caught the attention of the beast. The 200 ft worm lifted its head from the pit, and rushed at them from across the chamber. The barbarian skillfully grabbed the orbs and leaped across the retracting bridge with a high jump roll, rejoining the group. Wasting no time, they ran around the chamber, and were barely able to make it into another hallway before the worms jaws crashed into a door shut by a lever Mäaar found in the hall of the new chamber. That was close.

The desperate flight yielded an entry to another long chamber extending some 500 feet down. At the end, a large door rested 100 feet atop a platform. The walls were red and pillared with portraits of great elven warriors adorning them. In the centre of the finely carpeted room rested a 20 foot sailboat; tipped over onto its side, and lacking sails of any description. The party approached it wearily and Cyrano noticed a small podium on the bridge of the boat with a notch at the top with the air orb symbol etched on it. He tried to put in the air orb, but it would not rest in the notch due to the angle of the ship's hull. A search of the room revealed another golden dragonhead lever near where the party entered. Ghar pulled the lever and the room started filling with sand.

The boat began to straighten and everyone scrambled aboard. The air orb was placed in the pedestal and the ship sprouted wings, flying 70 feet into the air towards the door. It was not smooth sailing however as sandstorms began blow the ship about, and the party was attacked by vicious Gricks: sand snake beasts with tentacled jaws stalking them from the deep sands.

Gricks again!?

The Gricks leaped at the ship hungrily, only to be fended off the by the destructive and powerful fire magic of Lycien, who was slowly beginning to retain more and more of his magic potential. After easily defeating the Grick, the party rode the sand waves up to the platform and charged out through the door.

Inside, the party found themselves in a cylindrical room with dead looking stone brick walls. The air was very dry, and everyone coughed a little, but their eyes caught the reflection of a polished light brown orb, resting on an elevated platform in the centre of the room. On the rounded walls surrounding them, the rebels saw several sealed sarcophagi. The tombs were built into the foundation, and above them a huge mural depicting the elemental force of water battling that of the flames. In the back corner of the room was a thirty foot ladder which appeared to lead to the way out. On the floor were three large square indents, evenly spaced around the central platform. Each were marked with the symbols for Fire, Water, and Sand arranged as if to say Fire + Water = Sand.

Considering the equation, Cyrano grabbed what he thought to be the Sand Orb from it's pedestal. As he removed it, the room began filling up with quick sand, and the sarcophagi doors burst open, revealing the two powerful and hungry Mummies.

MUMMIES ALIVE!

As Sand and the undead filled the room, the only way out sealed shut. From the ceiling three large cubes fell, each of them scrawled with each of the 6 primary elements on their sides. The party quickly figured out that the mural on walls depicting the fight between fire and water, was actually depicting the interaction of polar opposites. Using this, three of the heroes grabbed one of the cubes each and placed them into the indents on the floor, arranging them in the equation Water + Plant = Air on top the pressure plates on the floor. The quicksand evaporated as quickly as it came and the way out, and the door thirty feet up the ladder reopened. The fight however was far from over.

The two mummies were bloodthirsty, having been in stasis for thousands of years and were quick to attack. It was a long and intense battle that saw each party member skillfully demonstrate their respective combat proficiencies and prowess. Hector proved his worth and cemented his alliance with the party by proving integral in his repeated efforts to heal his comrades, and Lycien could feel his magic growing with every successful spell he landed.

As fate would have it, Cyrano's luck did not hold through the fight. One of the mummies successfully landed a fierce body slam against him, and the bard failed a DC 16 saving throw, contracting the sickening disease Mummy Rot. Which slowly withers the body until the curse can be removed and the disease cured. This almost sent the notoriously vain Bard into a state of shock, but using that momentum, he landed the finishing blow on both of the mummies, and desperately climbed the ladder with his companions to the door above.

Conclusion

This was by far the most dangerous place the party had ever been, even with all of the war and blood that has been spilled across this planet for the last 40 years. The fact they all have managed to survive this far is quite a feat and a testament to their ability to work as a team!

Right now they find themselves about halfway through this elven complex, on their way to recovering what they believe to be a powerful artifact, and can sense that they have yet to see the greatest danger this ancient fun house has in store for them.

Time is certainly of the essence, and the party has no idea where else in the temple Roth's men have found their way to and what ramifications, besides the obvious the releasing of the beast, this will have on their quest.

What is for certain is that Hector the Cleric's powerful healing magic is just about the only thing that can save Cyrano from his sordid fate now, and if the party loses their high-knowledge bard, navigating their way out of this situation will be considerably more difficult. Hector and Lycien are also running low on their available spells for the day and resting now may put them in more danger than they're currently in. Lycien has but a single dose of elementia crystal left and the need to use it strategically is paramount. There is no telling what will happen to the young escaped slave's power and physical condition when withdrawal starts to kick in.

Find the rest of the elemental orbs and face your greatest fears. The rest is destiny.