23 Reaping 579 Common Year

The party takes measure of their resources as they rest in the Water Temple. Its high priest, Belsoring lies dead and the rushing, violent waters he commanded lie still. The swirling dark pool that serves as a portal to an unknown pocket dimension of elemental water remains active, however. The party decides to leave the bubbling pool to further explore the dungeons to the east. Unable to find their map of the dungeons found in Falrinth's lair, the party walks east into the unknown. They do know, from high priest Kelno, that the Fire Temple lies to the east a short distance.

The party follows a twenty-foot wide passageway that is strangely lit by some magical means. The passageway comes to a four-way intersection. To the north is a shirt extension and the walls in that direction pulse with a disgusting gray luminosity. A pair of brass doors stand twenty feet down the hallway. Behind them, back towards the Water temple, the walls glow with a green radiance. Ahead, to the east, bands of dull red light seem to float in the air. The pair of bronze doors to the west are covered with horrible of death by fire scenes and leering demonic faces. To the south is a huge slab of bronze, a solid door blocking travel in that direction. However, a windlass flanks the large bronze slab and appears to be the device that raises and lowers the barrier.

It is obvious that the Temple of Fire lies to the east, behind the ugly bronze valves that shimmer as if exposed to great heat. The party approaches the doors, and lays their plan for an assault behind them.

They push the doors open and see that there is no doubt that huge hall beyond of red granite, lit by scores of flaming braziers and pervaded by the odor of heated metal and sulfur is the Fire Temple. The light of leaping flames reflects off of the parties swords and shields. Tapestries adorn the walls of the north and depict scenes of fire in evil form. Despite the many torches and flaming cressets, the air seems to carry motes of rust-colored luminescence, and the streaks of blue and mica flakes in the polished granite walls appear to leap and dance as if flames caught within the rock.

In the center of the fiery hall is a shallow fire pit with low brass altars flanking it. Priests call cast charcoal and other items into the burning pit, calling upon the fire to do some task. Five enormous gouts of flame turn to the party and move to prevent them from interrupting whatever strange ritual the priests are engaged in. One of the priests looks to the party and calls out, "Who dares to disturb our sacred rights in the Temple of Fire?" With that he launches a sheet of flame at the party and a fight ensures in earnest.

The party had surprised these temple supplicants, however, and are able to positions themselves early. The fire elementals are savage combatants, and they strike like hammers heated in the fires of the Nine Hells. Ki-amar deploys magic that reduces the effects of the elemetals' deadly flame and the party makes quick work of the alien beings.

The two priests, caught unawares, also go down quickly. They put up a worthy fight, but the party is too fast and they end this fight quickly. One of the wounded priests, identifying himself as Jorag and with his last breaths, indicates that the high priest of the temple shall exact his revenge.

The party quickly loots the Fire Temple and makes an exit the way they came, heading to Scorpps's lair to rest and recuperate after their two battles against the Temples of Fire and Water. However, their work is not done against the Fire Temple, as its high priest is somewhere else in the dungeons. The Earth Temple also remains, on the level above the Fire and Water temples, according to Scorpp.

And the master of them all, Hedrack, abides somewhere. Surely the party has gained his attention. Will they find him first? Or, shall the high priest of the primordial Zuggtmoy and Elemental Evil begin to track them down?

23 Reaping 579 Common Year

The party rises in Scorpp's lair after taking a rest from their exertions of the previous day. "Day," is a relative term, however, as the party has no idea what time it is. The depths of the Temple of Elemental Evil's dungeons offer no indication of the exact time of day.

The party decides to tackle the Air and Water temples in the dungeons above Scorpp's lair. Bunk makes a solitary foray up the dungeon stairs to a stone chamber curtained-off from the corridor he's sneaked along. He hears a human voice discussing his preparations to leave the Temple's dungeons. The human is frustrated with the power of the Water Temple and Master Hedrack's indifference to the failure of the various temples to find their respective elemental power gems and the inability to pierce Zuggtmoy's prison.

Bunk sneaks away and consults with the rest of the party. They decide to befriend the mysterious speaker to learn who he is and what he knows.

The speaker identifies himself as Kelno, high priest of the Air Temple. After exchanging salutations, he explains much to the party. Kelno is indeed frustrated with the cult of Elemental Evil. He confirms that Hedrack, the most high priest of the primordial Zuggtmoy, has indeed charged each of the elemental temples (air, fire, earth and water) to find their respective power gems. Hedrack and his immediate underpriests work to find the orb of golden death and Zuggtmoy's prison. The cult seeks the orb to begin summoning evil elementals from four nodes of the Elemental Chaos, which Zuggtmoy created with the orb ten years ago. Kelno also notes that the orb, with the gems inserted into it, can destroy these node of the Elemental. These elemental nodes, pulled from the Elemental Chaos, exist as pocket dimensions in close proximity to Oerth, and once Zuggtmoy is freed, she is expected to open the nodes so they spill forth their churning chaos of elements upon the world. It will be a glorious day of annihilation for the powers of order and a day of triumph for Zuggtmoy, who was denied her rightful place of rulership upon creation of this and other worlds.

However, Hedrack allows the temple factions to fight amongst themselves. Hedrack believes that this allows the strongest to survive, but it has stymied all of their efforts to find their power gems. Meanwhile, Hedrack has been unable to locate Zuggtmoy, let alone free her. She is believed to be beyond the doors in the Great Hall to the north. But, none has been able to approach the doors.

Kelno plans on leaving the Temple of Elemental Evil and heading back to the Temple of All Consumption. There, he'll make his own supplications to Zuggtmoy and other elemental powers without the interference of Belsoring, who is the high priest of the Water Temple and the most powerful of the elemental high priests. Belsoring has decimated the ranks of the Air Temple, and Kelno has had enough. He cannot progress here, and plans to leave Hedrack's service.

The party, however, invites Kelno to seek revenge on Belsoring. They detail their plans to assault the Water Temple and Kelno readily agrees to help by attacking Belsoring's troll guards to the east, denying Belsoring reinforcements. Their plan is laid, and they begin their two-pronged attack.

The party pushes open the Water Temple's large, bronze, northern doors. Belsoring is there conducting a ritual to commune with the powers of elemental evil in the depths of some light-less sea. His dagger is raised above the form of a bound halfling and the party immediately go on the offensive. The fight against Belsoring is a grueling affair. He proves to be a powerful combatant, as Kelno promised. He summons the waters of the temple to do his bidding, and they erupt at his command to split the party, trapping Alten near Belsoring's altar with the captive halfling. However, the would-be sacrifice to the Water Temple tries to assist Alten's, but Belsoring's control over him is still strong.

Meanwhile, the rest of the party is on their heels as the summoned water elementals punish them in the corridor just outside of the temple. Adonnis, Bowbow, Bunk, and Puslin fight for the lives against the water elementals. Things are made worse as Belsoring calls forth a flood of water to hamper the party's movement and enhance the power of his summoned creatures. The waters of the temple run red with blood as party members begin to fall. The fight goes from difficult to desperate for the party.

The party's skill is joined by fortune, however, as they are able to turn the tide of the battle as Belsoring's elementals begin to fall. Belsoring fights to the death, though. He taps into his deepest magical reserves to stave-off defeat, but it's not enough. Eventually he is overwhelmed by the party's numbers, as BowBow, Puslin and the captive halfling keep the party alive with magic, motivation and other skills. At long last, Belsoring falls. The gushing waters begin to recede and the malevolence of the Water Temple begins to fade.

The party discovers a treasure trove of gold and items in Belsoring's temple. Weapons, gems, armor and more are cached in his private chambers and his sitting room. Judging by the make and nature of the items, Belsoring and his minions have ranged far and wide recruiting and robbing for his evil purposes. His personal journals tell the same story the party has heard from others in the temple - that the cult seeks to free the primordial Zuggtmoy and seeks the orb and its gems and that their ultimate goal is chaos in the world brought to bear by multiple portals allowing the Elemental Chaos to stream across the world in massive rivers of destruction.

One such portal sits in the bowels of the temple. A pool of dark, churning water sits behind Belsoring's chambers. The shadowy waters eddy and swirl from an unseen force. Alten and Puslin identify the pool as a portal to one of the temple's elemental pocket dimensions - no doubt the water node. The watery portal is inactive, but Belsoring has the rituals that would allow the node to be opened and accessed. For now, the party backs away from the swirling portal.

Kelno joins the party, having lost two-thirds of his bugbear warriors and underpriests. Belsoring's trolls, he happily reports, are slain and the path to the dungeon's upper levels is clear. He's kept his part of the bargain and he is allowed to depart. Kelno does tell the party that the Earth Temple is above them and the Fire Temple is to the east. With that Kelno departs, promising he'll see the party again.

The party takes a few moments to gather their faculties, tend their wounds, and take stock of their situation. The nearly sacrificed halfling identifies himself as Ulmo and he gladly joins the party, citing the need to find his master and colleague, who is somewhere in the temple's dungeons.

22 Reaping 579 Common Year
Somewhere below the Temple of Elemental Evil...

After surveying Falrinth's and Smigmal's chambers once more, the party decides to ascend the secret passage they discovered. The passage is well-kept and contains a set of narrow stairs that ascend fifteen feet from Falrinth's chambers. The passageway ends at a trap door in the ceiling, which is only four feet over head.

Ki-amar opens the trap door to reveal a round chamber above, devoid of light. Grom lights his magical sunrod, the light from which reveals the circular room is not in use. The floor is covered with dried husks and other undefinable litter. Heavy cobwebs mask the ceiling. A narrow path has been cleared through the room's debris to an exit to the left of the trap door where the party is.

The party crawls out of the trap door and exits the circular room, following the corridor about sixty feet, where a new wooden door stands on the left. Another corridor turns right, leading into darkness. The party decides to investigate the door on the right.

It is unlocked and bright light filters from underneath it, but no noise can be heard. The party opens the door and slowly follows the passage beyond, which goes straight for thirty feet, where it opens-up into a large triangle-shaped room, about forty feet long on each of the room's three sides. The walls of this triangular
room are covered with paintings of eyes of fire and equilateral triangles with inverted "Y" shapes within them. The fiery eyes are of all sorts — human and monstrous, blind-looking, multi-faceted, and of various colors. All of the fiery eyes stare in hatred, hunger, or fright.

The chamber has seen rather rough use of late. There are piles of rubbish scattered about. A wide set of stone steps ascends into darkness on the opposite side of the room from the party. There is a large brass gong, suspended from a hornwood frame, near the center of the room flanked by two smoky braziers. Four doors stand in the triangular room's three walls - two in the wall on each side of the stone steps opposite the party, and one to the left and one to the right of the party.

The party quietly investigates each door, and find noise behind all but three of them. They ingeniously use rope to disallow the two doors opposite each other to be opened, further lashing the rope limiting these door's movement to the door they originally entered thirty feet away.

Bunk and Ki-amar take a position in front of the door to the right of the stone steps. Bobo and Grom take a position in front of the door to the right of the steps. Then, Puslin bangs on the gong to rouse whatever is behind all of the doors.

After a few moments, the two doors flanking the steps open. Bobo and Grom face a room full of four ogres, angry that their dinner of roast dwarf leg has been interrupted. Bobo and Grom attack this group. A burly, cunning-looking ogre opens the door that before Bunk and Ki-amar. They attack him, too. The other two doors behind the party rattle and resound with the noise as the occupants try to open them from within.

Grom goes to work slicing through the four ogres that face him and Bobo. The ogres put-up a good fight, but Grom overmatches the stupid creatures. In a few short moments, he is able to cut three of the ogres down. Bunk and Ki-amar are in a knock-down, drag-out fight with the lone ogre on the left. He is a savvy fighter and strong, swinging a huge morningstar with unerring accuracy. The savage ogre is able to keep them away, but bunk is able to deftly get many slices in on the ogre, at great risk to himself.

The occupant of one of the rooms behind the party begins chopping at his door with a sword, and eventually cuts his way through. It is a burly bugbear that emerges from the splintered door. He charges to the other door and cuts the rope detaining his allies. Four other bugbears flood into the room, rushing to attack all of the party members. Bunk and Ki-amar seem to take the worst of this new assault, getting dazed and knocked prone, again. The bugbear chief shoots an almost continuous stream of quarrels at Grom from afar.

Grom rushes down to teach this bugbear a lesson. Meanwhile, Bunk blinds the ogre he and Ki-amar is fighting, and the creature finally loses his will to fight. He drops his morningstar and rubs his eyes, asking for quarter if he gives up the fight.

The bugbear chief sees the ogre surrender, and renews his attack on Grom with desperate vigor, looking to escape. But it is no use. Even though Grom momentarily goes down, Bobo is there to assist, and Grom prevents the bugbear chief from escaping and kills the creature with a sword thrust through his heart. Bunk, Ki-amar and Puslin finish-off the remaining bugbears, and the bloody battle is finally over.

Ki-amar has to chase down the ogre chief, who was slinking away. But, he readily returns, identifying himself as Scorpp, leader of this gang and lord over this area of the dungeons. In exchange for his life, Scorpp reaches an accord with the party. He shares what he knows and the party earnestly listens while tending to their wounds and taking stock of Scorpp's and the bugbears' lairs.

See Scorpp's Story HERE.

22 Reaping 579 Common Year

The party followed the long, twisting passage that Sundel pointed out below the broken tower's floor. It descended for what seemed like many hundreds of feet and the party counted about a thousand paces - meaning that the underground passage meandered for about a half mile below the Temple grounds. Finally, the passage ended at a grotto that was lit and obviously occupied. There were two doors facing each other at the end of the grotto, with no other exits. Grom opened the left-hand door and found a woman practicing swordcraft with several dummies.

She identified herself as Smigmal, captain of the tower above. The party replied that they had just defeated the tower's guards. If that were true, Smigmal said, then the party should work for her, replacing the pathetic guards they had slain. Grom agreed and began to spar with Smigmal. However, the rest of the party could not contain themselves and joined the fight. Smigmal was quickly overwhelmed.

But, a mage, heretofore hidden behind the right-hand door, was discovered when the party tried to enter it. He attacked the party with spells. When Grom killed Smigmal, the party focused on the mage. He put up a good fight, but was eventually overcome by the party's numbers.

The mage's quarters revealed a treasure trove of valuable magical items. The oddest among them was an amber-colored, crystal, jawless skull, the size of a child's head. The amber skull had four indentations equidistant across its top. It was obvious that four objects were to be held in the top of the crystal skull. However, the party did not immediately find anything in the mage's laboratory that fit the skull's indentations.

Certainly related to the amber skull was a very unique ritual, called the Rite of Arterosh. By means of this ritual, the five fragments of the Orb of Golden Death could be bound into one, making the artifact whole. Or the Orb could be sundered, splitting it into its components. The party was in no doubt in possession of the Orb of Golden Death, as the amber-colored skull was an exact match of the Orb described in the Rite of Arterosh. What the Orb of Golden Death was for, or what it did was unknown.

The party also found other magical rods and wands. Nothing of value to the party directly, but certainly telling of the mage's hobby. They also found a map of what appeared to be an underground dungeon, but the party was uncertain of what exactly the map depicted.

One of the party's strangest finds was a small shrine to Lolth, the demoness of spiders. Given the ravings in Falrinth's journal described below, it is unclear why he'd pay homage to Lolth. But, the small shrine was well cared for and provided evidence that Falrinth made regular and earnest supplication to the the Queen of Spiders.

Last, the party found a journal, most certainly belonging to the mage they had just slain. He identifies himself as Falrinth, a colleague of someone named Obmi. The journal details Falrinth's and Obmi's devotion to an unnamed goal given to them by Iuz, the great tyrant of the north. Falrinth is charged with working with someone named Hedrack to achieve control of the Temple of Elemental Evil's growing forces. Their first task is to free someone or something called Zuggtmoy. Falrinth discusses the frustrations he's felt at not being able to determine where Zuggtmoy is located, let alone setting her free. However, he works with the elemental priests to determine her exact location. Falrinth glories in the potential to become a ruler at the side of Iuz and Zuggtmoy, expecting to receive power over the magical domains of death and destruction. It is obvious that Falrinth is mad, and seeks power. His utterings are often unintelligible in many journal entries, as if something else takes possession of his mind.

After a thorough search of the laboratory, the party finds a secret passage. It leads to a door in the ceiling. The party considers its options before proceeding.

21 Reaping 579 Common Year

The party met with Lord Melias the morning of 21 Reaping to discuss recent events. It's decided that the party should proceed to Nulb to see if they can get a lead on Zert, the person who allegedly hired Rannos and Gremag as Temple spies in Hommlet. The party may proceed as necessary based on information they gain in Nulb. Baron Rufus and his party decide to continue their patrols in the Kron Hills to prevent any other monstrous bands from flocking to the moathouse and other destinations outside of their lairs. Last, Lord Melias asks that the party listen for any clues on the disappearance of Prince Thrommel. After seven long years his search has grown cold. He hopes that the party can uncover a new lead on the prince.

22 Reaping
The party makes the day-long trip to Nulb from Hommlet. Unseasonably cold and wet weather continues to plague the region. The party arrives in Nulb soaked and in foul spirits. They make their way to the Waterside Hostel and begin their search for Zert. A man identifying himself as Chon and a manservant of the Hostel indicates that he knows Zert. Chon relates that two days ago Zert took group of four men into the forest south of the town for some kind of wilderness training. Chon also says that Zert has been a resident of Nulb off-and-on for about a year, making frequent trips into the forest on these training regimens. This is not uncommon, as Nulb has seen a resurgence of newcomers the last year or so.

The party asks to see Zert's room at the Hostel, and Chon concedes to show them. Chon guides them to his room, then locks the door behind them. "You've asked too many questions for my liking," he says, and attacks the party. Chon immediately proves to be a competent and deadly combatant. With no weapons at all he manages to set the party on its heels, taking Bunk out of the fight early and having a knock-down drag-out fight with Grom. Puslin is able to keep the party on its feet, however. As capable as Chon is in a fight, the party is able to overpower him. Once subdued, Chon offers more details about his relationship with Zert.

Zert, Chon says, is taking recruits to the old Temple of Elemental Evil south of town. Recruits to the Temple are arriving in Nulb weekly. Zert greets these cultists and leads them to the Temple. There, the non-believers are weeded-out and executed. The true believers take positions amongst the Temple's growing army of supplicants here and abroad. Zert is responsible for spying on nearby towns, too. Chon does not know the name of Zert's superior. Chon is not a follower of the Temple's religious beliefs, either. He is simply an informant for Zert, who pays well. The party finds a crimson cloak in Zert's room with a strange diamond-shaped stitching on it that they are unable to identify, but they take it. They also take a gold ring set with a fire opal.

The party decides that it's time to investigate the Temple itself with this information. They rest for the night at the Boatman's Tavern and Inn.

22 Reaping
The road leading from Nulb to the Temple is rutted and spotted with rank weeds and thistles. Some foot and animal traffic has been using the track, but it is not a busy thoroughfare. The Temple area's vegetation is disconcerting: dead trees with a skeletal appearances abound and are twisted and unnaturally colored. The ruins of the Temple's outer works appear as dark and overgrown mounds of gray
rubble and black weeds. Skulls and bones gleam white here and there amidst the weeds, evidence of the battle that took place here ten years ago. The leprous gray Temple stands intact, its arched buttresses somehow obscene with a sickly growth of climbing vegetation and myriad leering, demonic faces twisting and writhing on every face of the Temple's walls.

The party makes a circuit of the the hideous grounds. They find the Temple's main doors are tightly closed and chained shut. Magical glyphs carved into the huge doors faintly glow, no-doubt binding whatever evil still remains inside. So complete were the forces of good at containing whatever survived in the Temple that they even sealed the door's seams with molten metal.

The party makes its way to the stump of a tower that juts up from the northeast corner of the Temple's shattered outer wall. From inside, they hear the laughs and grunts of men, perhaps dining. Bunk picks the door's lock, which oddly appears to be locked from the outside, and allows the party entrance into the broken tower. There is a loud click when Grom opens the door, and the noise inside the tower stops. Nonetheless, the party proceeds with weapons bared for a fight.

And a fight they get. The people inside are indeed eating a late dinner, but they spring into action as the party enters. Four men grab for halberds to rebuff the intruding party. Grom charges into the thick of things, taking on several of the men at once. In a matter of moments he kills three of the guards he's fighting. A burly orc emerges from a closed door and goes after Lorem and Puslin. He engages them, but gets flanked by Bunk. The orc makes some deadly swings with his flail at the three, but they eventually take him down.

The last guard makes a break for it, but the party easily catches him. He identifies himself as Sundel, a former dockhand out of Dyvers. Sundel says that he and his fellow guards work for a woman named Smigmal, who abides in the Temple's dungeons. However, he's never been down there, as she usually comes from below to conduct business and personal affairs in Nulb and other places on occasion. Zert was seen, Sundel says, a few days ago taking some new Temple recruits to see Smigmal. He has not returned this way, and may still be somewhere in the Temple.

Sundel indicates the tunnel that leads into the Temple's depths. At th is point the party ponders their next move...