Kelgan Follows through the wall.
Mit'l closes his eyes and leaps through.
Ozmund, being the last left in the hall, looks around then shrugs.
"In for a penny.....', and he enters the shimmering wall.
After moving through a wall you appear in a similar pattern of long hallways.
Straight ahead is two double doors on your left, OR you can make a quick left and go on to double doors on your right AND your left.
Horster puts his ears to the nearest doors to fathom if there are any noises coming from within.
Horster opens two sets of double doors into a large temple.
Strong wooden double doors, ornately
carved with forest scenes, open into a
huge natural cavern. The cavern is eightsided
and 70 feet across. It is brightly lit by
oil lamps on the walls. The walls rise 30
feet, then open into a great 40-foot-high
metal dome. A large compass rose is
carved into the floor in the center of the
room. There are three doorways; one in
the center of the west wall, one in the center
of the east wall, and one in the center of
the south wall. A raised platform juts 30
feet out from the north wall. At the back of
the platform sits a 15-foot-tall clay statue
of the strong man with the long beard. At
the front of the platform is an altar. A
black-robed figure stands behind the altar,
burning incense. He looks up as you enter.
The figure raises his hands and a cloud of smoke engulfs him, as it dissipates a large bone creature of massive size advances toward you!!!
This creature is a golem. Artifically constructed, it is highly resistant to damage and near invulnerable to normal blows.
This particular golem is made of bones and is nearly invulnerable to any type of magic!!!!
"That's a golem! It's nigh invulnerable to normal blows!
Crom yanks the doors closed, "Run!!!"
He heads for the nearest door.
Spellcraft:
"Eeep!"
"A bone Golem...we are no match for such as creature....retreat!"
Seeing no reason to doubt his colleagues, Kelgan will follow Crom to the nearest door.
You move to the door, but the bone golem gives you an appraising stare and stands down, quietly returning to his original place as a statue.
Peeking through the door, he stands quietly in place.
Morgan gives a sigh of relief as the golem returns to its original position.
"This place is a nightmare. The sooner we get outta here, the better!"
"We need to keep moving - that priest knows we're here."
Crom opens the door and looks in.
Moving through the opposite door...
There are seven openings on one side of
this 10-foot-wide hallway. The openings
Each cell contains a cot of woven reeds, several
dirty rags, and a pile of stones.
Are there any other apparent exits?
And there is another set of double doors at the far side of the rows of 'cells".
Horster makes for the last set of double doors, hoping the others have his back.
Ozmund hurries along with the others, making for the double doors at the back of the room.
Crom follows, wearily looking into the cells as he goes by.
A few Siswa are sleeping in a cell about twenty feet away but you do not disturb them as you arrive at, Investigate, and open a large set pf double doors to reveal......
This room is 30 feet wide north to south,
and 50 feet long east to west. Double doors
stand in the center of the north and south
walls. Smoking torches dimly illuminate
the rows of dark, stained tables and benches
that fill the room. Half-woven baskets
stand on two of the tables. Two
10-foot-square alcoves are cut into the
centers of the east and west walls. Over
the western alcove is carved the word
“KESINI,” while over the eastern alcove
is carved the word “KESANA.”
"What in the abyss do these words mean? Are they elvish?" Morgan mutters out loud.
The words are loosely related to elvish.
You consider exploring the alcoves or returning the way you came.
"Both of those alcoves are radiating magic ... no idea what those words are..."
"This is supposed to be a nicey-nice elf temple ... we should be able to safely inspect this room ... wait ... bone golem ... what the hades?! What kind of elf tomb is this place!?"
Unless others object, Mit'l approaches the alter.
Map is updated. As you entered the narrow room with the two alcoves, Siswa in robes seem to not be bothering you. The room with the alcoves has double doors that exit out. You see two massive sets of stairs that go up in the far corners of this massive common and sleeping area. In this high traffic area, you know you are pushing your luck lingering too long.
Horster tries to sneak up the stairs, hopefully not attracting too much attention to himself.
Horster makes it up the stairs, and finds that the stairs do connect to the two outside shrines in under the large domes!! This must mean the teleportation not only changed the group's location, but their facing. He returns quickly back down, having seen a quick way out!!
Then, it seems, there is a challenge addressed to Horster from a spokesman of a group of five elves in elven.
Horster, and possibly the others, can quickly run outside to what is one of the two domed shrines just inside the very first gate you entered. This would probably raise the alarm, however.
Crom moves to catch up with the Horster.
He readies his weapon upon seeing the elves, "Nobody moves, nobody gets hurt!"
Horster popped up aboveground and made it below ground to whisper:
"The steps lead almost right outside the courtyard....."
when he is challenged by the Siswa.
"Are they enslaved by spell?!", asks Mit'l. If he can see them he tries to determine...
Otherwise he backs Crom and Horster up without trying to look too threatening.
The dozen or more robed Siswa in here appear to be beguiled, drugged, charmed, or some combination of the three. They appear similar to the ones encountered before.
The evil figure in the central room with the golem seem to indicate things are greatly amiss here.
Teleporting walls adds to the confusion.
Seems like taking down that golem and its master might be the only way to get some answers here...
"It doesn't look like we have a lot of options here, boys," Morgan says.
Crom sighs, "I suppose you're right. Any ideas on how to destroy the golem?"
He starts moving back to the temple area.
Crom walks back to the temple doors and prepares for battle. He turns to the others "Are you ready?"
Ozmund looks slightly green in the face, but he takes a large gulp of air and nods.
"As ready as I am going to be!"
"Anyone want to get enlarged?"
Horster looks at the others nervously and gets his bow out, clearly hesitant to get up close to the monster. Whispering to Morgan, "How about we try take down the priest while the others keep that thing busy?"
"Ready. I'll try to get in its face and hold its attention."
Morgan nods at Horster's suggestion. "If we can keep putting arrows in the priest, he'll have a helluva time calling on any mind-controlling magic. The sooner we can take him down, the better."
"I was going to aim my missiles at the priest as well...the golem is nearly immune to my magics, I think."
Crom nods at Mit'l, "I will take the enlarge, brother."
When the others are ready he will open the door and charge the golem.
As Horster returns from his excursion up top and returns back down the steps to be joined by his companions, something is quickly amiss.
The Siswa seemed to accept your disguise without question when you were mingled with them, but Horster's return trying to be sneaky seems to have been noticed and the cause of alarm. Crom tries to threaten the Siswa, and they respond instinctively with magic.
As the six Siswa encant spells at Horster, Kelgan, Morgan, Mit'l and Crom. The first spell seem to be an attempt to cause distress, the others to send them fleeing.
After the spells take effect, Horster is the only one who seems to be quick enough to act faster than the speedy elves, who seem ready to cast more magic.
Initiative
Horster
Siswa
Party
Booya
Mit'l scoffs at them.