Malgrim looks into the small room. "Ye girls think that pile o' flies is suspicious, aye? I dinna like tha' looks o' it meself."
He pulls out one of his javelins. "Ye think we should test it?"
Leaving the barrels alone, you gather by the mound in the honey-smelling room. Improvised torches abound, and you find plenty of debris to fashion into crude torches.
Finding what she wanted, Lanarial fashions several torches and passes them to each of her colleagues. She keeps one herself, lights another, and tosses that one onto the pile of rags from a safe distance...
"Oh, aye, tha' works too." Malgrim steps back from the imminent bonfire.
The rags begin to burn, and the fire begins to spread to the layer of dried vegetation in the room.
There is a large plant in the room that begins to burn, and the sweet smelling resin burns and smokes. Soon smoke is pouring out of the room and into the hall.
You consider waiting for the smoke to dissipate, there is very poor ventilation, especially with the opposite door closed. It may take about an hour to dissipate completely. The plant, before the smoke became too much to see through, looked like a large sundew plant of enormous size that had spread throughout the room.
"A rather big plant."
"Better than having some nasty swarm attack us..." Lanarial says meekly as the plant burns and sends the smoke out.
"I be beginning to think we be too careful now." Malgrim waits for the smoke to clear, then takes a look at the new door and opens it if it looks safe.
The new door is on the other side of the plant. After the smoke clears, the plant is burned but not dead.
"Nothing but to go through it, I suppose..." she says as she moves cautiously towards the door with Malgrim. The plant still makes her cautious.
Moving up, the plant is unhappy and looks to try to start grabbing you.
Malgrim reacts quickly!!.
Malgrim
Plant
Everyone
Of course, tha plant wants ta eat us!" Malgrim throws his javelin and readies his polearm.
The plant attacks, two tentacles attack each of you. Lanarial and Oranna are caught flat-footed by the assault.
Lanarial is untouched, but Malgrim and Oranna get hit by two tentacles. The tentacles stick with an acidic glue that begins to hurt. One hits Malgrim in the eyes. Malgrim and Oranna are unable to use any weapons too large (larger than light) due to the glue constricting them.
Order
Lanarial
Oranna (grappled)
Malgrim (grappled)
Sundew
Lanarial returns the attack with both of her weapons, hoping to finnish what the flames started...
Malgrim struggles to break free of the tentacles.
"Who ever heard of a plant that tries to eat ye?"
Oranna tries to break free of the tentacles...
and manages to break free to try and attack the disgusting giant plant.
Lanarial hits with both blows, one hits the plant in the central stalk causing more injury. The plant still fights for its life.
Oranna and Malgrim manage to break free of the plant and avoid taking any acidic damage.
Two tentacles hit Lanarial, one in the eyes (7 damage).
One hits Malgrim (1 damage).
One hits Oranna (3 damage).
Order
Heroes grappled
Plant
Malgrim ignores the lone tentacle and pulls out his dagger. With a growl, he thrusts it at the plant.
Lanarial continues to attack the plant, using only one weapon...
Getting weaker, Oranna attempts tocescape the plants grasp again, bringing her strength to overpower it. She then tries to avoid the creature by rushing out of its reach to try and recuperate.
Oranna breaks free and gets away, retreating out of range. Lanarial hits the creature, and it is almost felled!!
The two tentacles on Lanarial and the one on Malgrim maintain their hold.
Two grab for Malgrim and one for Lanarial.
Lanarial is held by the two that grabbed her, the third does not get hold. Malgrim is grabbed by two more (2 damage) and now is held by three.
ORDER
Malgrim (grappled by 3)
Lanarial (grappled by 2)
Oranna (free)
Sundew plant
Sensing the plant weakening, Lanarial grits her teeth against the pain and continues her attack!
And the plant is torn asunder, no sign of life remains.
Malgrim's wounds heal quickly as he rips the remaining tendrils from his flesh. "What were that thing? Never have I met a plant so determined to eat me. Always thought I'd a poor taste."
Past the door, you find a long corridor. It leads to about five doors. The hallway is free of traps or obstacles, and the choice of five different doors to go through is quite daunting.
"I say we start right here." Malgrim gestures to the door just to their left.
"Just... just give me a moment to catch my breath," Oranna says as she holds on to a nearby wall for support. The wounds on her were mounting up, and she was thinking of downing another potion.
Opening the closest door.....
This chamber is a large cavern dug from the earth, its ceiling supported by long beams that extend from wall to wall. The ceiling is 12’ high. The floor is puddled with water. Several openings are visible, some 4-5’ high while others are only high enough for a halfling or gnome to crawl through. Towards the center of the room is a gigantic white larva, almost 12’ long and 4’ wide. Around it are several insect men, four in all, armed with halberds and shields. On the floor against the south wall may be seen four leathery white balls, about 1’ in diameter
And then Oranna closes the door, looks to Malgrim and Lanariel, and downs another potion...
... and doesn't feel any better.
Lanarial looks to the others and says, "Maybe now is a good time to head back to the Hallowed Hall, rest up and heal our wounds, and then return to explore of this slaver's nightmare dungeon..."
"I'm good fer goin' back. We should check on tha big guy. I'm hope'n he ain't too banged up this time."
Returning to the temple you find that Maedhros has decided to return to his hometown.
You are provided three more potions each (CL=your level), and consider returning to the ruined temple. Your last route has bypassed the main entrance behind a fortified portcullis. You consider returning to the labyrinth of traps and killer plants and strange bugs.
Lanarial takes three potions of cure light wounds, and after Oranna is healed, she is ready to take off again!
Malgrim selects one healing potion, another enlarge potion, and an oil of magic weapon. He hands the healing potion to Oranna. "I think ye'll be need'n this more'n me."
The group retraces their steps through the temple, avoiding the room with the insect men and large white larva...Lanarial keeps a sharp eye out for any new traps or dangers.
Oranna silently muses to herself of the healing potions being drunk like water, as she followed the other two. She made sure the new potions were snuggly in place in case of emergency, hoping to better prove her strength by using lessof them.
Retracing your steps you open a few empty rooms that seem in rough shape (now revealed on map) and head to the north to what you think will be near the end of the complex. The passage leads to a stand alone building on the north side of the temple complex. The door to this building is barricaded, but with no need to even use a crowbar you easily break open the improvised barricade to find.....
This ramshackle building is cluttered with a variety of tools and junk. There are hammers, chisels, axe handles, slabs of stone, and warped boards. The walls are covered with many different types of holy symbols, some of evil and some of good religions. Most of these look as if they have been pegged or nailed in place. Crouched around a dim and sputtering lantern are six orcs, nervously fingering their halberds and glancing about.
There is door you broke down to the south, and a barricaded door to the north that leads outside. You have encountered orcs, they look like guardsmen, but they make no move to engage you.
"Why the hell is this door barricaded? You stupid orcs - if anything it should have been locked on our side! How long have you been standing guard here? Have you been drinking?!" Lanarial says in a low voice full of impatience and haughty condescension... She doesn't even wait for an answer before shaking her head and saying to her comrades, "Damn, Ranna, you're distant cousins are making you look bad! Let's leave them to their duty - I have no more words for the witless ones in here." She then turns on her heel and sweeps out through the door they just broke in and heads into the passage. When Oranna and Malgrim are out she pulls the door closed firmly.
Lanarial will wait for a moment facing the door in case the orcs try to give chase, her weapons raised and ready...
The orcs seem to be content to let you go.
They seem to take Lanarial's bold statements at face value, and just want to be left alone.
Looking in the door to the south of the orcs, and as you do the orcs hide behind their barricades as they hastily try to reassemble one.....
This open area was obviously once the cemetery for the temple compound. Now it is overgrown with weeds, gnarled bushes and dying trees. Stone markers and small crypts can be seen at some points through the overgrowth. Paths twist through the cemetery and some show signs of recent use. Everything seems gray in color here - the grass is gray-green, the soil dusty gray, the stone markers brown and gray. A feeling of oppression hangs over the entire cemetery.
Oranna rolls her eyes to Lanarial's comment. She looks to her fellow Orcs and speaks to them in their language, and waits hopefully for some sort of response.
"Stay out of the graveyard. It is bad news."
The orcs speak in common, and hastily erect their barricade.
The three heroes masterfully map the first level of the temple complex. Finding a way into the second level and cowering the orc sentries makes it easy for a next wave to rescue the slaves from the pits.
All three heroes return with a belt of mighty constitution (+4) or Dexterity (+4) for impressing the Heroes of the Hall in addition to their nice armor.