Cursing loudly, Charles once again frantically tries to stop Archibald from dissolving before his eyes...
...but doesn't succeed.
Ignoring the scorching that he is receiving, Charles frantically tries to save Archibald...
...but once again, he is unsuccessful.
Charles tries to stabilise Archibald...
...then fires another brace of force missiles at the stubborn caster.
Breathing a shaky sigh of relief, Charles disposes of the bodies as he has been with all of the others, tossing them over the cliff.
He then sets about healing Archibald and the Abbot.
Charles winces.
"I am afraid that the news isn't good. I cleared out the undead and demonic infestation here, but all of the other living Hermits had been thoroughly corrupted by demon-worship, even going so far as to infuse animals with abyssal energies, and had to be put down like rabid animals. Your catacombs were also overrun by flesh-eating undead. The only intact body that I discovered was the Librarian's, and I think that is only because he managed to lock himself in his room before he died. The library is a mess, and the veterinary clinic is empty, although I did manage to save a wolf before they could 'convert' it."
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Harlock gives a rueful sigh.
"I-I see. Thank-you for stopping the rot here before it could spread further; with time, like the natural world, this place will recover. For the moment, I will see to Brother Librarian, and start the slow process of repairing this place. Please, feel free to stay here as long as you need; you will always be welcome here. In fact..."
Harlock looks thoughtful.
"...why don't you take that staff as a reward? There are also some Scrolls that I would be willing to part with."
"I am sorry for the troubles that the corrupted hermits have caused, and particularly the damage that Nemmia inflicted. I blame myself for not catching the corruption in the Hermitage sooner. I have long maintained that the hermitage and the people of Abberton can live in peace with each other, and the intensity of the other hermits’ hatred surprised me. I suspect that a visiting priest named Balenni was the instigator of this aggression and, ultimately, the hermits’ corruption."
He then smiles ruefully.
"I am hesitant to ask more of you, given all that you have done, but there is something else that you might be able to help with..."
Harlock sighs wearily. “I suppose I should start at the beginning. The Hermitage of Blessed Lightning was established here to protect and learn from the Erran Tower, an ancient landmark a few miles inland. You might have spotted it on your journey here. We hermits know very little about it. It was created by Aroden thousands of years ago. At its summit is what we call the aeon orb, so named because it orbits the summit of the tower the way an aeon stone orbits the head of its owner.
Lore passed down to me from previous masters of the hermitage suggests more. The aeon orb is a powerful artifact. It enriches life for dozens of miles in all directions, making the land more abundant, the seasons milder, and harvests more bountiful. In just the past few generations, however, this bounty has faded. The soil is drying out. Vegetation is stunted, and some crops won’t grow at all. Birth rates among animals are declining. Some here at the hermitage blamed the townspeople of Abberton for this decline, but I suspect a different cause: I think the aeon orb’s power has begun to fail. The Isle of Erran is dying.
I’ve tried to the understand the aeon orb and perhaps restore its power, but its nature eludes me. While I’ve made a few trips into the Erran Tower over the years, nothing there provided any clues. On my most recent visit, just a few weeks ago, some foul-smelling creatures hurled spears at me before I could get close. They are xulgaths, I believe—reptilian humanoids you might have heard called troglodytes. I spied on them from a distance. There are at least a dozen, and they are accompanied by large lizards and several demons. It was an unpleasant surprise, but I soon had my hands full dealing with the newcomer Balenni and the resentment she stoked among the hermits and didn’t have a chance to investigate further. It seems obvious in hindsight, but the sudden rise of demon worship here must be connected to the demons accompanying the xulgaths in the Erran Tower. I overheard a few of the most debased priests say they’d planned to visit the Erran Tower and speak to someone named Cavnakash. I believe Cavnakash is the leader of the xulgaths, and he must have some power over demons.
You have done so much for Abberton and my hermitage already, but there is more to do. Will you cleanse the Erran Tower of the demons and xulgath infesting it, so that we can perhaps work together to restore life to this land?”
Charles smiles wryly.
"How could I refuse? I think that I will need to properly provision before I do that, however..."
Charles heads back to Abberton to rest, and order some stuff:
He then heads for the Tower.
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The Tower is about 15 miles to the southwest of the Hermitage of Blessed Lightning, on a route through rolling grassland. The 200-foot-tall tower is visible during most of the trip, making it nearly impossible to get lost while headed there.
When you get close to the Erran Tower, you enter the xulgaths’ hunting area, as evidenced by the fact that you find the tracks of reptilian humanoids that crisscross the area, remaining out of sight behind low ridges and high clumps of brush.
Eventually, you spot a quintet of foul-smelling reptilian humanoids, who are dragging a recently slain ox back to the Tower.
Charles studies carefully, and then unleashes!
Frowning, Charles keeps up the pressure.
Charles calmly shifts his focus, and keeps firing.
"Phew! What a stench!"
Charles shifts his focus, and keeps firing.
He then tosses an Electric Arc...
...before casting Shield, which causes a tracery of golden scales to glow across his skin.
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Charles obliterates another troglodyte with a pair of well-placed arrows, then injures another slightly.
Both then promptly get electrocuted.
Hissing in anger, they ignore Archibald, and chase after Charles...
...but apart from one lucky blow, their strikes are ineffective.
Charles (-9)
Archibald (-35)
XW (-12, -9)
Charles shifts his focus again, and keeps firing.
...before casting Shield, which causes a tracery of golden scales to glow across his skin.
With a sigh, Charles shifts his focus yet again, and tries to fry the last one.
...before casting Shield, which causes a tracery of golden scales to glow across his skin.
Charles lets Archibald take a rest, keeps the daggers, but leaves everything else.
He then butchers the Ox for supplies...
...before continuing on his way.
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The Erran Tower is a pyramidal structure with steep sides and a flat summit. It is composed of mud-brick, but rather than being created like a traditional structure, it was built in one piece by Aroden as a base for one of his aeon orbs. The aeon orb that circles the top of the Erran Tower is about 3 feet in diameter and sheds light visible for miles. Although the orb never approaches closer than within 40 feet of the tower’s summit, it illuminates the summit at all times.
The entrance to the Erran Tower is a landing located 40 feet up the western side of the tower. A switchback ramp leads up to this landing, but it is made of the same smooth mudbrick as the rest of the tower. The xulgaths have hammered bits of wood into the ramp to make the ascent a bit easier.
Two stone statues of winged, horned humanoids appear to be 'guarding' the landing.
Feeling that that is beyond suspicious, Charles fires a Ray of Frost at one of the 'statues', and if he gets a reaction, Studies it, and starts firing!
...before casting Shield, which causes a tracery of golden scales to glow across his skin.
"Damn."
Cursing, Charles focuses on bringing them down, quickly.
Grunting in annoyance, Charles keeps up the pressure on his remaining target, encouraging Archibald to do the same.
"Scheisse!"
Charles frantically tries to drop the annoying beast.
Breathing a sigh of relief, Charles takes a quick 10 minute rest to 'recharge', then heads inside.
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A campfire burns in the southwest corner of this room. The remains of two messily butchered cattle are heaped near this fire. In addition to the staircase leading up to the west, passageways exit from the north
and south in this room. Three stacks of heavy stones—each stack about 4 feet tall—stand in the southern opening.
Four Troglodytes, backed-up by an albino deinonychus, stand guard in the chamber!
The dinosaur gives a questioning chirp.
D (-)
Charles (-)
Archibald (-)
XW (-, -, -, -)
My kingdom for a Fireball...
Grimly, Charles starts targeting the Troglodytes.
He then tosses an Electric Arc...
...before casting Shield, which causes a tracery of golden scales to glow across his skin.
Charles shifts his focus, and keeps firing, encouraging Archibald to rip into one as well.
He then tosses an Electric Arc...
...before casting Shield, which causes a tracery of golden scales to glow across his skin.
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Two well-placed arrows take down the Trog directly in front of Charles.
Of the remaining two, one is horrifically burned by the electrical discharge, but in so doing, partially shields its ally.
Snarling, they attempt to club Charles to death...
...but only one lands a hit.
D (-)
Charles (-)
Archibald (-)
XW (-18, -4)
Charles shifts his attention to the dinosaur, trusting that Archibald can deal with the injured Trog.
...before casting Shield, which causes a tracery of golden scales to glow across his skin.
Sighing with regret, Charles tries to finish-off the poor animal.
...before casting Shield, which causes a tracery of golden scales to glow across his skin.
Patting Archibald comfortingly, Charles heads North.
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This odd-shaped room is divided by several piles of stacked stones, each stack about four feet tall. Large nests made of sticks and mud are spread around the room on both sides of the stone stacks. The north-western corner of the room contains a large hut made of poorly tanned hides and topped with the skull of some enormous fanged beast. The eye-watering smell of xulgaths, animal dung, and unwashed reptiles fills this room.
Two Pinacosauruses are corralled here, and glare at Charles balefully.