Tairn

Play date: August 18th, 2009 

1533.2.13 – Late at Night in the Old Temple of Talinoman
With the ghouls dead, Serk and Malperder look to the chest. Serk tries to move it but can’t budge it. Serk hits it with his hammer a couple of times and a flash of light blinds him. He stumbles to the hall where Dervish heals his sight. Meanwhile, Malperder steps in with Giant Bane and starts hacking away. He soon hears the chink of coin and another flash of light tries to blind him. The top of the chest is soon demolished, and a treasury of coins is revealed. The smashed remains of some black onyx and a tattered leather bag hidden in the lid of the chest are also visible. Surely some of the gems remain intact. People start scooping coins, mostly crowns and a few princes, into Jack’s backpack as well as various sacks and satchels that others have available. Further down in the chest is a brass mug inlaid with jade, a wood and ivory statuette of a person, a silver ewer, and a silver chalice with small gems around the top of the cup. When perhaps a quarter of the coins remain in the chest, Varende and Serk hear a voice calling “Manu? Manu?” Varende investigates. Someone is at the top of the hole calling into the room below. He can hear whispered voices above. Then a thump comes from the room. He peers in to see the body of the manacled man lying slumped on the floor. The group discusses their options. Surely their lights have given them away? Two more thumps are heard in rapid succession. The corpses of Kel and Pelin are now lying below the hole.
Malperder and Serk convince Keddick to dimension door them up to the top of the hole. The three appear and see a Talinoman bladesman and two priestesses, one in the basement and one just above the trapdoor. They seem to be lying in wait for them. They aren’t surprised to see them. Everyone starts fighting. The bladesman tries to push Serk into the hole again. Keddick dimension doors away to go get help.  Malperder hacks at the priestess. She inflicts wounds on him with her foul touch. The one above blinds Malperder with a spell. She then turns her attention to Serk. Malperder and Serk feel a wave of grief wash over them and they are both stricken with magical sadness hampering their efforts. The grief is enough to cause Serk to give way once and then twice and he falls below. Malperder throws himself towards the hole and falls on top of Serk. Laughter floats down the hole. Serk exchanges taunts with those above who say that “She” will be here soon.
With Keddick gone and no rope trick at hand, everyone decides to search for another way out. Varende sneaks into the 2 foot wide hole in the wall of the main chamber next to the chain. He looks about and once within the ruined rooms sees a huge spider moving towards him. Jack has followed. Varende rushes past him saying “Huge spider!” Jack looks about but reacts too slowly to avoid the agile hunter. It bites him hard and venom courses into the swashbuckler weakening him. He slips back out the crack. The spider is too large to fit through the hole and everyone decides to leave well enough alone. A few other areas are examined, but the search for egress is fruitless.
Meanwhile, Keddick has reached a guardhouse and ten men are donning armor and checking weapons. Keddick starts to command the men. One guard says “We can’t help you now.” Keddick pulls the noble card and  with a great diplomacy check gets the guardsman to talk to him. The guard reveals that they are arming for a foray with one of the palace guards to a home not too far away. Some people were seen entering the home that alerted the palace guard to trouble. He has run to another guard station to get another Ten. They will be there shortly. Keddick pushes them to leave immediately but they refuse. Keddick threatens retribution and the guardsman tells him to get out. Eventually the palace guard arrives with a non-descript man claiming to be a palace guard. He tells Keddick to run to the palace and alert the captain. Keddick says he will be needed to lead the men into the house because only he has been inside. He convinces the guardsman to do the running instead. He leads the men back to the house but fails to lead them inside as promised. The men burst through the door and the slaughter begins. Keddick calls for them to come back, and finds only seven of the men remain after a brief flurry of fighting. The door was shut again. Keddick tells the remaining men to surround the front of the house. He tries to position himself to throw a fireball in the door if someone opens the door. He tells another person to go get reinforcements. There are several volunteers.  Keddick waits. Out of nowhere, a swarm of insects appears in the street. Guards are falling like flies. Keddick is bitten and steps from the swarm. Three guards make it out alive. Keddick again says someone should get reinforcements and all three run off. “Get him!” is heard from the far end of the street. Keddick sees a man in jet black demonic armor running towards him. He runs a bit away casts fireball behind him hurting the man and destroying most of the insects before running for his life. He soon loses the pursuit and heads for Lysoria almost certainly outdistancing the most recently dispatched guardsmen (he is running with expeditious retreat).
Meanwhile down in the hole, everyone settles in to rest in the hallway outside the ghoul room. Not too long later, Banic and Varende see a wall of darkness cover the exits from the hall to the main chamber. They listen intently. Varende hears the clank of armor and tosses a small marble-sized globe filled with dancing flames through the darkness. Everyone hears a “whoosh!” sound of exploding flames not unlike Keddick’s fireballs. Jack calls Euravo and Euravenne to his side. After much more discussion, he finally decides to send them through the darkness just as it dissipates.
Across the room, two Talinoman bladesmen and a man in jet black demonic armor can be seen guarding the door to the altar room where Ithran’s headless body lies. Everyone leaps into action. Euroavo savages one of the men, and the demonic armored man lays Varende low. Claw like braces on the armor slice through the elf. Jack and Serk eventually feel their bite as well and lose strength and dexterity. The man retreats and another soldier steps up to hold the line. Eventually, Eurano bowls the demonic armor man over knocking him prone. The priestesses can be seen at the far end of the room chanting around the alter. Banic conjures a magical hammer to whack at them. They all disappear…
Varende is unconscious but stable.
Malperder is yet blind.
Serk, Jack and Banic are all wounded to some extent.