MAIN PAGE     FULL STORY (Word Doc)

Meeting     Into the Crypt     Umber Hulks    Stone Heart    Vampire    Beryn     Keep     Sand Giant
City-Between-Places     Beryn's Farm     Bog Serpent     Stronghold     2 Parties     Dog & Horn     The Cells
Escape!     Calrhuvianne     Souls     Hawker Bag     Kin's Tale     Mayor & Shopping     Dhunok Grael
Karubiat Elesis     Underground Sun     Lizardmen     The Boat     Akkenophon     Shurudien!     Ghurzak!
To Karnak     Dice     Oracle     Mogradjinn     Battle     The Hilt     Exit     Strange Allies     Ghorak Lan
Farigon     Calrhuvianne2     Wraithking     Columns     Last Column     Galent     Zeres-kai     Eyrie
Elementals!     Golem

The party resumes its order, dusts itself off and heads back down the ramp and into the room, closing the door again and separating Jax from Darius.

As you walk across the room, there's a slight tension as you reach halfway but no more Yuan-Ti materialise and the door is reached safely. Darius takes a breath and opens the door. Nothing happens other than usual door-person interactions.

Finding the long corridoor empty, Darius leads the party along its length to the next door where Morin and Jarek quietly come to the front, check and find nothing untoward. The party falls back into its newly agreed order and Darius carefully opens the door. The room beyond is large. There is a door almost opposite and a slightly risen, arched and cobbled black stone path weaves its way from the door you stand at to the one at the other side. The floor either side of the pathway is thick with still dust but closer inspection would seem to show that there are many, many old bones amongst it. Near the door on thefar side, just off the path is a burly dwarf stood, clad in chainmail, one arm reaching out to the north, his body unmoving.....

The party enters the room and each witnesses a something intended to draw them off the path - only Karnak gives in and everyone is dragged back, including the dwarf. Jarek is particularly upset and heads to the door to get some air. The mood in the room clears as soon as he pulls it open.

After the briefest of interrogations, it is clear that the somewhat confused new ally, called Balin, knows nothing of these passageways or the werewolf; his sword may be of help but his knowledge will not. He is asked to stand near the back, beside Karnak. A small smirk, unusually, crosses Karnak's lips as he takes Kin's meaning and keeps a watchful eye on the dwarf. Better to keep an eye on him than let him wander off!

Shuffling into order, the party prepares to check out the steps going down - Darius leads with Dalrylshana and Kin flanking and just behind, then Jarek and Morin, then Balin and Karnak. There is the slightest pause from Morin and Jarek and then the party moves off. The mystical glow that has pervaded the rooms until now, seems to be fading but there is a light source form further on; it's soon quite clear what. After a descent of some 50ft, the corridoor levels again and quickly ends with a doorway. There's a palpable warmth coming from the end of the corridoor and a large, almost gaseous, triangular object is emitting ferocious heat. You can approach within 15 feet but after that the temperature escalates exponentially and you are quite certain you'd be killed before you could touch the door!

Kin and Dalrylshana glance at each other and almost simultaneously mutter, "The alchemical symbol for fire." On the wall to the right, at the bottom of the stairs is a strangely painted, slightly faded image of a fish with words upon it. The large red words below read "What will you have when all the words are done?"

The "riddle" (a red [read] herring) is taken seriously for a while until, after a few moments, Kin is staring at the door contemplating when abruptly, everybody's attention is drawn to Morin who has serendipitously discovered something underfoot by the steps that might be of use. Leaning down, he carefully examines a 1ft square flat stone that seems to be fairly loose.

Checking the edges and with some caution, he turns over the stone to reveal a second version of the alchemical symbol. This looks very much like the symbol of air that was seen earlier, hanging mystically just above the actual rock surface, but is a deep orange and there are traces of oil and scorch marks on the rock The symbol points to the door, as good as can be surmised, the party retreats behind Morin on to the stairs as he prepares for action.

There is some trepidation and perhaps some momentary envy of Balin who, as a dwarf (and therefore short), and being watched by Karnak is least likely to receive any effects of any explosive side effects in the next moments.... Morin meticulously pours some oil over the remaining residue, making the triangular shape, point directed to the door. He kneels carefully and, with a quick look back and grim smile on a countenance dead like stone, he sets to lighting the oil with his tinder box.

irst the extra light was all that was evident then the air around the group lightly pulses. The hair on arms and backs of necks stands upright and then lightning crackles wildly from the burning symbol. Thin veins of white strike out almost randomly, dissipating as they fail to find their quarry, always forwards, always searching. Then the mark is hit and the large symbol before the door is caught on each apex by three reins of crackling, wild lightning. For a couple of seconds, this seems like a worrying scenario but then there is a low rumble through the air and walls and fire and lightning are gone. The door still carries a faint glow, but there is no excessive heat. The large symbol is gone and a little smoke rises from Morin's burnt oil beneath the second symbol.

The large room beyond holds a deep chasm, fire belching across from side to side and something blue vaguely discernable further down through the mayhem. Three bridges cross the chasm and three paths lead, splitting from the doorway acroos the bridges to the opposite side of the room; three doors await and on the wall opposite, daubed words read "choose, then mirror".

The party are confused as to what they should do and there is almost a verbal fight between Dalrylshana and Morin but finally they decide to stay together and cross the left-hand bridge. By this time, Dalrylshana's familiar, Sybelius has managed to ascertain that this is the route that the werewolf took and Morin has also found that there were traces of faerie dust by the doorway - so he and his companion/s may have floated across the chasm.

Eventually, the left-hand doorway is attempted after a search for traps by Jarek, only for Darius to be hurled almost into the chasm by an unnatural blast of lightning striking at him from the tiniest gap in the door. The door remains shut and Darius injured but soon healed by Dalrylshana's potion.

The noise from the fiery chasm seems to be growing louder and the room is getting hotter; the party attempts a two-pronged attack, opening both left and right doors at the same time Darius, Jarek and Kin move to the left-hand door whilst Balin, Morin and Dalrylshana walk across to the right-hand door. Karnak refuses to go back to the room entrance - with his usual very few words and a handful of glares, he stands by the middle bridge - ready to come to aid where it is needed most or stop someone being hurled into the cavern as Darius almost was.

Balin and Darius look across at each other and synchronise a count as Kin and Dalrylshana get ready to open the door. As they begin, they are interrupted by, of all things, Karnak's voice: "HURRY!". You thought you were of course, but you quickly appreciate his concern. The barbarian has taken a couple of steps back away from the crevasse: at it's edge, flames lick the floor as they are slowly condensing into the shape of large fiery hands. A darkness where no flames dance give the impression of dead eyes: something is forming at the edge of the crevasse.

There are a number of muttered curses as the temperature rises and everybody strains to stay calm; speed is only good when led rather than leading actions. "Three, two, one....NOW!" Dalrylshana and Kin simultaneously pull the doors open a fraction (which is difficult under the excited circumstances). Morin almost laughs out loud as the elf and dwarf near him drop their tensed shoulders. The door is clear. But the air is not: it cracks with the sound of unfettered lightning as Kin is bodily hurled across the room. Karnak makes good on his chosen postioning and catches Kin as he stumbles, smoking towards the crevasse.

The left-hand door is shut agin, the right-hand door is open and clear and there is no time to lose. With barely a glance back at whatever is crawling from the flames, Karnak half carries the injured Kin form the room, helped by Darius as the party finally makes their exit.

**********

The room beyond is much cooler: by the two doors on your left, fading from the moment the door was shut behind you are two small whirlwinds of dust. They crackle very quietly and sparkle with lightning, forks leaping and circumscribing the door at every second, dust flying in the miniature maelstrom. By the time you've caught your breath, they have faded completely although an odd booming from the room you just left has not.

The room you are in has the same dark red glow of previously and at the end of the room, you can make out a door, some rods or something in the floor and 5 figures, small as halflings, with flames for hair. They're clacking their teeth and making high-pitched whistles as they dance in loin-cloths and brandish large daggers, gesticulating at you.

As the party are deciding what to do, the five impish figures have quickly formed a circle at the centre of the five rods and then started to move apart - as they do, you see that they are all juggling 5 small balls of fire each moving them through the air by striking them with their daggers, teeth still continuing to clack away as they slowly begin to approach.

Jarek, meanwhile has stepped to one side of the party for a good aim and is notching an arrow The imps approach slowly, chattering all the time whilst Jarek's arm is unwavering at the left of the party, arrow notched and ready to fly. Morin moves just to the right and begins to take up a similar stance.

Darius is concerned about the curious nature of the impish figures - and so far lack of overt aggression - and calls out to them, seeking passage kindly but with an iron warning. Jarek adds his voice, a little more insistent that the imps halt their slow progress. The small figures begin to toss the balls of fire higher into the air, accelerating their juggling speed but before anybody can decide whether this might be good or bad, Kin suddenly hurls a small leather pouch at them - it falls short and scatters a sticky glue-like substance as it impacts onto the ground.

This is clearly a call to arms and it looks likely that the imps were intent on battle anyway as their very next move is to complete the arc of each juggling fireball with a strike of the dagger to send it hurtling toward you. Jarek releases an arrow almost simultaneously which pierces the air between two imps and Morin lets fly a moment later, his arrow missing the imps and striking the nearest iron rod. Dalrylshana has just enough time to loose an arow of her own; it strikes an imp in the shoulder and it squeals, falling to one knee, almost out for the count. Kin draws his sword moves slightly to his left as Balin comes charging from the back of the room into the gap made by Morin's deft sidestep and simultaneous removal of his backpack.

The chattering imps abruptly look less than either humorous or humoured as Karnak's bellowing fills the room; he was clearly not impressed by the fireball sideshow and hurtles towards the left-most imp, spittle and steel filling the space before him. The impending imp tosses a dagger at the barbarian, who deflects it and cleaves the creature almost entirely in two. There is a moment of macabre comic shock on the imps face before it seems to implode into ash, leaving only a small trace on the floor and what may have been its hair - a floating ball of flame, bobbing in the eddies of battle around it. Balin catches the edge of a dagger to his shoulder (2 damage) but his momentum is barely slowed and another imp falls, swiftly followed by the arrow-wounded imp at the right: distracted by its comrades demise and the barbarian's shouts it fails to notice the swift approach of Morin and last sees steel piercing its own chest from behind.

The battle is over almost before it's begun, to your relief: a parry and slash from Jarek and a couple of blows from Darius and Karnak complete the carnage before Kin and Dalrylshana can even get fully involved. All that remains is a little ash and five bobbing, fist-sized balls of flame floating in the air as Morin collects his scattered belongings. From the previous room , the booming sounds are still evident but less frequent and loud...

Morin quickly discovers that the balls of fire can be moved and starts placing them atop the rods. Jarek and Darius help out whilst Kin, Balin and Dalryshana keep their eyes open for any subsequent problems and Karnak just looks distinctly unimpressed by the lack of good battle. After a few minutes, four flames are bobbing atop the rods and only the final one needs to move into place; Morin, after a brief pause and glance around to see if there any naysayers, moves the final ball into place. Almost immediately, there is crackling at the base of each of the rods as they begin to glow; everybody backs carefully away. Within the next few seconds, the room is incandescently lit by thick branches of writhing lightning joining all of the rods to form a triangle, disected across its middle, like an upside-down version of the air-symbol in the first room. Dalrylshana and Kin glance at each other to confirm: this is the alchemical symbol for earth. The light show lasts only a few seconds before all lines of lightning suddenly coalesce at the centre and a ball of shimmering and crackling white rolls through the air to the double doors where it splashes against them and dissipates.

All returns to the previous quiet and red-gloom, except the that there is the slightest click from the double doors and they fall, just slightly ajar...