Z’alden stirred in his sleep as a vision came upon him. He was in a very large, dark room. No not a room, a cave. There were two creatures, both very large standing over a pool of water. They were looking into it. One said, “Yesss they will do well.”
The other one said back in a gruff tone. “Are you sure? They seem too weak right now. Not even if they were combined they are not as powerful as the baron or his brother. They would swipe them aside like ants and devour them to make themselves stronger.”
“Yesss he would, but when they reach uss they will have grown in power, Ragnaros will be pleased with our choice.”
The two creatures turned to look down at the water. Z’alden floated up above them and saw what they were looking at. He saw his friends fighting strange half human, half reptilian creatures. Rift turned several to ice for a few seconds, but some were invincible, taking hits that healed over instantly. One of the creatures stayed back from the rest, standing by a lever next to the curtain. It seemed to be protecting the lever, but it stayed away from it for some reason.
There was an altar with blood that boiled whenever the reptilian creatures were hit by an attack of any kind. Erik jumped around the room to the altar and spilled the boiling blood. The reptilian creatures turned around and hissed at him. They started to try and surround him, so that none of his friends could help him. Felsmon stepped forward to aid his friend but slipped and fell in the mucky water. Barrrick then chopped one of the creature’s heads off and ran over to help his friend back on his feet. The creatures were soon all lying on the floor dead, some by Rift’s or Tira’s magic, others by Felsmon’s sword, Erik’s bow, or Barrick’s axe.
The five companions then proceeded to the curtain. There was much talk about trying to sneak in and slit the throats of whatever lay inside. Felsmon suggested that they charge in and slay the enemy in glorious battle. The others quickly put his idea down saying that the enemy could be killed faster if they were taken by surprise. So Erik stealthily looked into the room and saw four huge slumbering snakes. The party quickly walked into the room expecting an attack at any moment, but the snakes continued to sleep. Each party member prepared an attack on the snakes, but at Erik’s advice Felsmon drew his javelin. The party launched their attacks on the sleeping snakes killing two instantly but two others woke to fight the party. These were also quickly slaughtered.
As the party was resting Tira noticed some kind of symbol right in front of a heavy stone door, she told Erik about it, and he donned a symbol of Zehir, the yaun-ti snake god. He walked over to the symbol on the floor and kneeled on it. A blue line of energy went from his head toward the door, the door slowly opened revealing utter blackness. Erik walked through the blackness and saw a huge swampy room.
Z’alden saw the two large creatures turning on him. The one with the gruff voice yelled, “We are being watched! Quickly, dispel this unpleasant creature.”
The other creature said back, “Yessss I will.” The creature threw his hands into the air and yelled, “O lords of earthen flame grant me the power I deserve to expel this intruder!” The creature floated into the air and grew to a gargantuan size. In a deep voice he shouted, “By the Fire be purged!”
Z’alden then woke with a start in one of the Kengi’s medical tents.
Outside the door…
The Giant Room
Room – Side View
Creepy Tentacle Thingy
Snakes cover the Floor
The Crocodile Beast
Comments
A once majestic temple now looks like a swamp with walls and a ceiling. Crude bridges cross a moat of murky water. All around sections of stone floor jut up from the swamp. 4 hooded and cloaked figures in front of you face away, chanting. A huge crocodile-like being has her back to you. You can see she holds a mace that crackles with lightning. She faces a crocodile altar surrounded by a flooring of red rock. A huge blue glowing circle is to her right.
A figure on a raised section in the distance to your left is speaking Common to a wispy apparition:
“Lord General, the Beast is nearly complete. When do we obtain victory?” The apparition replies with a raspy voice: “_Be ready to move the Beast and the Army of Zehir any day. One more piece must fall into place and then the attack begins to Zehir’s glory and the Kengi’s doom._”
Illumination: Oily fungus in the water and moss on the walls fills the room with dim light (-2 penalty to attacks).
Ceiling: from 15 feet above the tallest platforms (25 ft from the surface) to 30 feet above the platforms (40 feet above the surface).
Altar: A crocodile-shaped altar dominates the southern end of the room. Red rock surrounds the altar.
A Glowing blue circle is just in front of the altar. On one quadrant of the circle is a font with some sort of symbols.
Beast: Behind the Altar, a forming Beast made up of the bodies of nonbelievers: Elves, Goblins, dwarfs, duegar, and humans writhe over the surface of this Huge creature. The Beast has the tail of a Gold Dragon. Metal binding swirling with beautiful colors surround the Beast.
Bridges: Crude wooden walkways span the moat to an island and to the far side of the Sanctuary.
The low-level ground past the moat is covered in small writhing shapes.
Some sort of molten rock or metal glows dimly to the right of the altar.
Platforms ranging from almost as low as the sunken floor to the original level are scattered around the room: 2.5ft: difficult terrain to get on and off. 5ft: DC 17Athletics to Climb. 10ft: DC 24Athletics to Climb
DM: Does everyone come onto the bridge?
DM: everyone in the room can make 2 “thinking” checks of their choice.
Erik notices bubbles to his left and realizes that something is moving underneath the bridge. Something very large.
Rift, with her massive intelligence, quickly scans the room with her eagle eyes. Something seems familiar in all this. She remembers some crucial bit of knowledge that might help her.
Then, coming back to reality, she asks herself, “How quickly will the Beast be complete? Is there any hope of stopping the horrible ritual, and if so, how?”
“Does the Beast look dangerous in its present form?” Rift muses.
Finally, she peers closely at the four hooded figures. Are any of them carrying ranged weapons?
A plan is beginning to form in her mind. She dares not utter it aloud, for speaking it might alert that dread spirit, the Donjon Magister, who hears all plans and warps the minds of her enemies to thwart those plans. Quickly, she whispers in Erik’s ear.
Rift’s mind races. Little comes to mind, then she remembers. Zehir often uses the number 113 in his strongest rituals. She does a quick calculation, considering the different sizes of goblins, dwarves, elves, and humans bound up in the creature. She wonders if the Beast could be currently composed of 110 humanoids at the moment. In the dim light, she is not sure, though.
She sees a multitude of writing limbs of on the surface of the Beast. Adjacent to the monstrosity, she is sure that those limbs would hurt, no matter how great the armor or magical protection!
Scanning the four hooded and cloaked figures, she does not see any obvious ranged weapons, but she realizes that throwing daggers would be easily concealed beneath the cloaks.
In the few seconds of her thoughts, she realizes that she and Erik do not appear to have attracted the attention of anyone within view.
Staring intently, Rift realizes that a green haze extends out 10 staff lengths from the figure on the top of platform and the ghostly apparition. It reminds her of the poison gas the adventurers encountered in the witch Tiefling’s tomb.