In the bowels of the temple Ralom was led to a cell where he found his compatriots. They were all happy to be alive after the harrowing encounter with the Inquisition. How they got here and why they were alive was incomprehensible to Grunyar. He looked around for Dirk but at least that little fellow was unseen.
Ralom was quite interested in the happenings of the day. When the party related their tale he was grateful that he didn't have to live, or die, through the encounter. Everyone was without any of their equipment and Arvien sorely missed her snacks. "Damn this land," she thought, "How is one to survive without second breakfast?"
Later that night three red robed Inquisitors entered the dungeons and dismissed the guards. These Inquisitors offered to free the heroes in exchange for help in crushing both Yagno and the Inquisition. The group say that they represent the Circle of Darkness, who believe that Zhakata possesses a hidden second face, that of the Provider. The agents promise the heroes not only escape from the dungeon but even escape from G'Henna if they party will help the Circle.
The party is dubious but appeared to have little choice in the matter. The cultists reveal that they wish the heroes to steal Zhakata's crystal Talisman from the Temple, and then use it to rescue Zhakata the Provider from his prison in the House of Bones. The heroes agree to help the Circle and are escorted out of the Temple Complex to a "safe house" within Zhukar.
The cultists provided the heroes with food, alter self potions, for the shortest among them, and Robes of the Inquisition. The agents were delighted with the heroes for accepting the job, the promise of Zhakata coming to Zhukar and restoring prosperity to the land excited them beyond words. They provided the group with a crude layout of the first floor of the Temple and a description of the Talisman, a crystal in the shape of a dwarf with a large head with gaping jaws. Tomorrow they said would be ideal for stealing the Talisman. So the heroes went to sleep hoping to escape this foul land.
In the morning the adventurers were given robes, potions of alter self and a crude map of the first floor of the Temple. They found it easy to enter the Temple Complex and could circle the Temple itself. Ralom cast Locate Object and found that the Talisman was in an upper floor of the central tower of the Temple. The group entered the first floor trying to find where the stairs led up. Inside were six townsfolk polishing the floor. A close look found that the mosaic in the floor consisted of tiny teeth and bone chips. The townsfolk were shackled together but could move around to polish the icons.
Continuing to walk down a long hallway, the group ran into a guard looking down at a piece of paper in his hands. He almost ran into Ralom as he was absorbed into the information. He asked Ralom for help, showed him the paper which had numbers under columns labelled "Zhakata's Taking" and "Zhakata's Dole". The guard said he was to calculate the difference between the Taking and the Dole. Ralom stared dumbfounded at the numbers, the difference was huge. Ralom said "Try adding this and subtracting that." The guard continued to move away shaking his head.
A large group of red-robed priests followed an elaborately adorned man as he walked quickly around a corner. Most of the followers nodded constantly, saying, "Yes, Lord Petrovna. Absolutely, my lord." For his part, Petrovna seemed to speak mainly to himself.
Suddenly, Petrovna stopped, bringing his followers up short. "And you, you there," he shook at finger at Ralom. "Tell me -- what face of Zhakata do you see?"
"The Devourer," stated Ralom his voice shaking. Yagno murmured agreement and continued on his way. The heroes continued on their way and ran directly into a mongrel-man who immediately ran at Ralom to attack. The party calmed the mongrel-man and sent him on his way rather than cause the noise of a fight. Next they found a Inquisitor smearing a portrait of Yagno with a bloody symbol of a circle containing an eclipsed sun. He quickly stops and attempts to cover the mess with his body. Varrid enchanted the fellow, asked him where a sanctuary existed on an upper floor and sent him on his way. He indicated the fourth floor held a vast sanctuary and fled.
Around a corner on the second floor voices were heard. Ralom stuck his head around the corner and saw a group of guards, taking a break from patrol.
"No such thing!" argued one voice. The guards lounging against the walls. "The priests are just paranoid."
"Or maybe they're creating the rumors themselves," responded another man, crossing his muscular arms across his armored chest.
"'Circle of Darkness' indeed! It's just a trick to play on the hopes of fools. Heh!"
"But it's true," put in a third guard. "I heard them confess. They mean to overthrow Yagno himself, the blaspheming dogs!"
"Who cares?" The first guard leaned back upon the polished bone wall. "As long as we control the food, none of these so-called rebels will have the strength to give us trouble."
At this the guards rose and ambled down the hallway. The group moved to the next stairway and up to the third floor. The decor of the temple, statues and icons of Zhakata the Devourer lined and adorned every hallway, and the party began to become weary of the beast-god everywhere they looked. The major halls had portraits of Yagno and his stages of life, birth, first meeting with Zhakata in the cave, attempt to sacrifice a child to Zhakata, the summoning of Zhakata the Devourer in the House of Bones.
An Inquisitor rounded a corner, stopped short as he saw the group. There was an anxious moment as he appeared to be working out a plan. He then nodded to them and passed by whispering to Varrid "Sanctuary of the fourth floor in the middle of the tower." Then he continued on his way.
On the fourth floor they found the large sanctuary with parallel rows of benches that could hold a hundred faithful priests, the walls were covered with tapestries, icons and plaques honoring Zhakata.
At the far end of the chamber was a huge dais, on top of which hunched a 12-foot tall bronze statue of Zhakata the Devourer. The statues head was mounted on the squat dwarvish body, its wide open mouth surrounded by a fence of two foot long teeth. Around the base of the statue are the charred remains of numerous offerings of food.
Two robed figures were in the sanctuary collecting prayer sheets that were scattered throughout the benches. Baru spoke ordering the two acolytes out of the chamber. They left leaving the heroes alone with their fears.
Ralom declared that the Talisman was clearly in or around the statue. Seglun approached, climbed up to the open 15 foot wide mouth and saw a basin filled with ashes. Varrid climbed up the statue and used her helm of X-ray vision to find the Talisman under the ashes along with two crawlers hidden among the ashes. Arvien called forth a air elemental, who swept the ashes from the basin. Finally Arvien crawled into the basin grabbed the Talisman and attempted to leave. The jaws clanged shut as she touched the Talisman. Angst followed as the party didn't know how to escape. The statue let out a gong and soon Guards appeared outside the doors. Seeing the statue of Zhakata moving forward in the chamber, the guards either fell prostrate on the floor or fled screaming. Arvien dimensional stepped out of the basin and the heroes started to leave the temple at a brisk pace. Behind they could hear the statue hammering on the walls around the door.
Escape was not hard, the group made it to a safe house, where soon they heard and saw Inquisitors roaming the streets stopping people and entering houses. After a few hours the Circle members showed up and related that Yagno and his minions were desperately searching Zhukar for the Talisman.
The plan now was to get the heroes out of Zhukar and on their way to the House of Bones. The Circle cultists planned a diversion at the time of the Dole of Zhakata tomorrow. This should allow the heroes to wend their way out of the city. After long discussion including food supply and direction of the House of Bones, the plan was set. The heroes would head for a mongrel-man camp on the way to the southwestern corner of G'Henna. All was well as the diversion went off as planned, the heroes escaped Zhukar and headed cross country.
DM's Notes: The experience for this encounter will be calculated later.
No comments:
Post a Comment