ot prings ternal - art lI

The cleric of Normanus pulled out his oak tree symbol and presented it boldly at the enemy.
"Go back spawn of hell. Go back and trouble us no more." He said confidently but the skeletons ignored him utterly.
Trimus muttered a spell and three bolts of energy struck the nearest skeleton raising a thick cloud of dust as well as doing severe damage. Frowning the mage cast another spell. This time strands of thick sticky silk materialised in the air around the skeleton binding it securely to the nearest pillar. Still it reached forward with it's claw and it's sharp claw like fingers drew blood from Trimus' arm. Simultaneously both skeletons sent forth a cloud of dust. Trimus and Ako held their breath and dispersed the clouds with much waving of arms. While he was distracted Ako also suffered a nasty wound to the side from the claws of a mouldy skeleton.
Darkhawk emerged from the oubliette and blasted the unbound skeleton knocking it backwards briefly.

Trimus once again cast a spell but this time to his chagrin nothing happened. Resorting to more mundane attacks the mage threw a dagger that stuck between the ribs of the webbed skeleton. Ako meantime struck at the other with his hammer but the mould around the bones seemed to cushion the blows. The webbed skeleton appeared to grin as it pulled the dagger free from its ribs and started to saw through the webs holding it to the pillar. Again the skeletons sent forth a cloud of dust which Ako could not help but breath in.
"Watch out." He coughed as the material seared his lungs. "They are spores, they infect the lungs."
The skeleton pulled himself free from the last tendrils of the web and stepped towards the other skeleton. Sensing his chance Trimus whipped out his staff and called forth an ice storm. The goose egg sized hail stones pummelled the skeletons to their knees. Only one rose, the other stayed frozen to the floor.

Cain had stayed out of the battle as he sought a weakness. Thinking he had spotted one he clubbed the remaining skeleton from behind with his clasped hands. The skeleton turned around and raked the mystic with it's claws and Cain staggered backwards with blood pouring from two long gashes in his face. The skeleton puffed again, this time catching Trimus and Cain unaware. Both had to halt while they coughed and spluttered as the spores entered their lungs. Darkhawk stepped forward and dispatched the final foe with his claws.

Ako tried to cure both Cain and Trimus but even magical healing seemed to have no effect. In desperation he cast a cure disease up which seemed to remove the baleful influence of the spores allowing the healing spells to take effect.

Jodotha came up the rope ladder with the staff stuck in his belt. He handed it to Trimus who tuned it over in his hands. It was a simple, unadorned piece of oak some six foot long.
"I can't tell what this is now. We will need to investigate it later. Was there anything else down there?" asked Trimus
"A couple of thousand coins, mostly gold and copper and these." Replied Jodotha spitting a couple of gems into his hand. One was a buttery orange topaz the other a nearly clear amethyst.
"I think we have discovered all we are going to on this level." Said Darkhawk. "We should go down those stairs and see what we can see there.

They descended the stairs which ended after around twenty feet in a short corridor terminated by a solid wooden door. Jodotha listened at the door but could hear nothing. The door opened onto a long corridor with doors on each side and another door at the far end. The first door, set into the southern wall of the corridor opened onto another set of stairs leading down to a still deeper level of this ancient structure. The next pair of doors set into the north and south walls of the passage opened into almost identical rooms. Some twenty feet by thirty feet they appeared to be dormitories. The burnt and rotted remains of numerous beds, stools and bones lay scattered on the floor. Amongst the debris were a few twisted and melted amulets, their design now indecipherable.

The final door, at the far western end of the corridor opened onto a short length of corridor which ended in a metal door, much like the one on the level above. Prepared for the worst Jodotha picked the lock on the padlock and stood back, allowing Ako and Darkhawk to step forward. The fighter opened the door while Ako presented his holy symbol. Over a third of the twenty skeletons within the room shattered from the power of his faith. The others moved forward remorselessly to be destroyed by Ako and Darkhawk. Both swung their weapons like blacksmiths at a forge or a farmer harvesting wheat with a scythe. They barely took a scratch as the skeletons were slain but both were tired by the time the last one clattered to the floor in a heap of disarticulated bones.

Aside from the bones the room was empty so they returned to the stairs and continued downwards. Here they noticed that the fire damage was much less noticeable though a wooden door on the western wall of the corridor was scorched and bulged in an ominous way. Darkhawk knocked on the door with his gauntleted hand and the sound that came back suggested that a large weight pressed against it from the other side. The far end of the corridor was closed by yet another metal door.
"Here we go again." muttered Ako rubbing his shoulder and drawing his holy symbol from around his neck. Jodotha picked the lock once more and Darkhawk opened the door.

As Ako opened his mouth to demand the departure of the hordes of hideous undead that he expected to stand be hind the door Darkhawk put his hand up to silence the cleric. Instead of a room packed with skeletons the door opened into a huge chamber, probably natural, that stretched some seventy feet east west and fifty feet north south. They stood on a ledge barely a pace wide that hugged the walls of the chamber about twenty feet above a clear pool from which steam rose. The ceiling of the chamber was black and damp and condensation misted Darkhawk's armour. Coiled within the pool was a huge red serpent some as thick as a man is tall. It was difficult to judge the wyrm's length but it must have been at least fifty feet in length. Large spines protruded from the creatures head near it's eyes which appeared to be closed. Occasionally bubbles drifted up from the beast's nostrils and burst on the surface. Spread on the pool floor about the creature were a large number of coins, gems and jewellery.

Trimus motioned the others to silence and waved them back into the corridor, closing the door slowly and silently behind him.
"It's a fyrsnaca." He said when they had moved some way down the tunnel. "A fearsome beast but at least this one appears to be dormant. They lie in pools of water for decades after they have completed a breeding cycle. This one must have entered the chamber after breeding, and destroyed the followers of Dakash who stumbled upon it. It would also explain the fire that destroyed the temple." The others looked puzzled. "They breath fire so stay clear of it's maw."
"We should rest up over night." Suggested Ako. "We have been battling all day and I for one could do with praying for new spells."
Trimus nodded in agreement and they returned to the cellar where the unfortunate servants had been killed. Here they sent a boy for some food, wine and some bedrolls. They ate and slept well that night with Darkhawk, Cain and Jodotha keeping watch in case any curious people decided to explore the passages or more threateningly any denizens of the temple decided to disturb the rest of the companions.

They woke, refreshed and revived, ready for the trials ahead. Trimus spent a time with his spellbook deciding which spells would be the most effective against the fyrsnaca. Ako meditated and prayed to Normanus waiting for his patron to give him the spells he requested. Darkhawk and the others tided the bedrolls away, laced on their armour and checked their weapons for nicks and scratches.

They moved swiftly and carefully through the tunnels to the door to the wyrm's chamber. Darkhawk changed form and Ako gave the party the blessing of Normanus before casting a spell of fire resistance upon himself. Trimus cast a mirror image spell upon himself creating three identical simulacrums. Trimus nodded once and Jodotha opened the door. The mage cast a bolt of lightning into the dormant fyrsnaca while Darkhawk blasted it. Howling in pain the serpent uncoiled and raised it's head above the water. A bolt of fire blasted Trimus but most of the damage was deflected by his ring of fire resistance. Wiping sweat from his eyes Trimus cast another bolt of lightning at the wyrm. The creature writhed about and loosed another bolt of fire this time catching Ako. The spell of resistance helped the cleric brush off most of the damage but like Trimus he was sorely damaged. Trimus cast another spell, this time trying to polymorph the creature into a rabbit but the spell failed. Darkhawk flew down to the wyrm and straddled its back, swinging about him with his sword. He was thrown off and bitten before he could fly away from danger. Trimus launched a trio of magic missiles the bolts causing more damage to the severely wounded beast. Darkhawk again landed on the serpent's neck this time his blade severed the beast's head from it's body. The creature slumped back into the water which became opaque with the creatures blood.

Darkhawk dived into the pool and recovered several items of jewellery which he brought up to the others for inspection.
"These are very nice pieces." Said Jodotha turning them over in his hands. "Each is worth several thousand Daros I would say. They are old as well. They may have been offerings thrown into the pool before the wyrm came."
They spent the rest of the day collecting the coins from the bottom of the pool before carrying their booty to the entrance hall.
"I fear that the fyrsnaca's brood may return here to spawn." Mused Trimus, we should try to block the passage so that if they do no one will stumble upon them."
"Perhaps if we could open that bulging door in the final corridor we could bring the roof down?" suggested Cain.
The others agreed that this was a sensible suggestion and they tied a rope to the handle and after retiring to the far end of the corridor they pulled. All they managed to do was pull the iron handle out of the wood of the door.
"Stand back!" said Trimus and he cast a spell. The magic missiles struck the door, bursting it asunder. The shock loosened the lintel bringing the rest of the wall and the ceiling of the passage down filling it with dust and stones. As the dust cleared the corridor was filled with a tangle of boulders stone blocks.
"Very satisfactory." Said Trimus smugly brushing dust from his robes. "Now we can explain this to the Guild Master.

They summoned the Guild Master and told their story. The Guild Master was astonished as he listened to their tale and was astounded by the treasure they had recovered.
"The passages are dangerous and unstable but there should be no more dangers from the undead." Finished Trimus. "Here is a map that shows what we found. We have no further need of it. Perhaps you could add it to your archive."
"Thank you once more." Said the Guild Master bowing in turn to each of the companions. "May I call upon you if I have need of your services in the future?"
"Of course." Replied Trimus.

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