Post by hubertbartels on Mar 1, 2020 14:13:10 GMT -5
We’re still in the ante-chamber of the temple, having just killed the shadow hounds hiding in the darkness. There was time enough for a short rest before moving on, time to refresh a few spells and regain a few abilities. Leaving the ante-chamber, we entered a short hallway finished in stone. Everywhere, there were carvings and castings dedicated to Iuz. They were heavy on the Iron Fist and Crown Skull motifs.
The hallway ended in a broad spiral stairway going down. We descended to the first landing where an iron gate blocked our entry into a narrow room. The stairs continued spiraling downwards but we were drawn by the distant sounds of a prayer and response coming from the dimly illuminated room.
The iron gate was unlocked – we passed through it into a side nave of a large vaulted chamber. At one end, a priest of Iuz was leading the prayer from a raised pulpit; below him, about twelve worshipers were responding. Up at the sacristy, a penitent was kneeling while another armored priest was putting away the scourge. A third priest was overseeing the ritual.
I, Aerwyn launched a fireball into their midst. As they reeled from the destruction, Gideon changed into a bull moose and Sir Thabo climbed onto him. The two charged into the battle, slicing, cutting and killing them.
As we were mopping up the survivors, someone left the adjoining choral; we could see the door from the choral close. We left the dead and followed. The door from the choral led into a short hallway ending in three doors. The first door turned out to be a counting room with ledgers and a closed vault door. Duncan collected the heavy ledger books while Wolfram busied himself with the vault door. The halfling unlocked the vault door and found a temple guardian inside. A clay golem begins pounding on Wolfram.
We finish killing the clay golem but not before it had seriously weakened Wolfram. Then we started to look over the contents of the chamber. There was much more coin than we could collect and count at the time – so Aerwyn arcane-locks the vault door.
The next room from the hallway appeared to be a records room. Hundreds of books recorded membership in the temple going back years. All of the material was gathered up and brought over to the vault where Aerwyn arcane-locked it securely.
The third room from the hallway was a private sitting room. Sitting there, waiting for us was Thelma Ironhand and two armored priests. She began the fight by uttering a bane on us, hitting us with necrotic energy. Wolfram dropped. We charged her and her two bodyguards, killing the two priests and forcing Thelma to use a scroll to teleport away.
Duncan uses a scroll of his own to save Wolfram’s life and we proceed to continue searching her rooms. In her bedchamber, we find a young man lacing up his shoes. Duncan promises his life if the young man knows where Thelma has teleported to. He tells us that Thelma Ironhand has a secret chapel underneath Harry Longshank’s barn – he knows because he is the youngest son of Harry and watched her put it in.
Sir Thabo then kills him, saying that he had not promised the young man mercy like Duncan and his presence in the temple of Iuz condemned him. Aerwyn wasn’t happy about the whole thing.
The rest of the temple was not much of a problem – we cleaned out several priests and acolytes in the chambers below the sanctuary. Then we returned to the hidden room below the Gilded Society where Rutger Goldfingers and his companion were waiting.
The priest of Zilchus took control of the situation. Word was sent to the temple and the church of Hieroneous. Priests and guards came to retrieve the ledgers and records that we had captured. Wolfram and Gideon were healed of the damage that they had taken in the fight.
In the next few days, we heard of arrests and killings all over Midmeadow. The youngest son of the Countess of Midmeadow was suddenly sent to a remote monastery to live out his life in contemplation and prayer. The membership books had lists of members of the temple with their signatures written in their own blood. These members were now being hunted down and captured. We also had records of those they blackmailed.
We had broken the power of the temple of Iuz in Midmeadow – or at least, dealt it a mighty blow. In these days, Gideon did some research on the Longshank’s place. After the war, Harry Longshanks began gaining wealth rapidly, buying a place on the north road towards the Theocracy of the Pale. He is known to have a few knight-banners that look to him as leader and rides with his older sons in half-plate armor.
The hallway ended in a broad spiral stairway going down. We descended to the first landing where an iron gate blocked our entry into a narrow room. The stairs continued spiraling downwards but we were drawn by the distant sounds of a prayer and response coming from the dimly illuminated room.
The iron gate was unlocked – we passed through it into a side nave of a large vaulted chamber. At one end, a priest of Iuz was leading the prayer from a raised pulpit; below him, about twelve worshipers were responding. Up at the sacristy, a penitent was kneeling while another armored priest was putting away the scourge. A third priest was overseeing the ritual.
I, Aerwyn launched a fireball into their midst. As they reeled from the destruction, Gideon changed into a bull moose and Sir Thabo climbed onto him. The two charged into the battle, slicing, cutting and killing them.
As we were mopping up the survivors, someone left the adjoining choral; we could see the door from the choral close. We left the dead and followed. The door from the choral led into a short hallway ending in three doors. The first door turned out to be a counting room with ledgers and a closed vault door. Duncan collected the heavy ledger books while Wolfram busied himself with the vault door. The halfling unlocked the vault door and found a temple guardian inside. A clay golem begins pounding on Wolfram.
We finish killing the clay golem but not before it had seriously weakened Wolfram. Then we started to look over the contents of the chamber. There was much more coin than we could collect and count at the time – so Aerwyn arcane-locks the vault door.
The next room from the hallway appeared to be a records room. Hundreds of books recorded membership in the temple going back years. All of the material was gathered up and brought over to the vault where Aerwyn arcane-locked it securely.
The third room from the hallway was a private sitting room. Sitting there, waiting for us was Thelma Ironhand and two armored priests. She began the fight by uttering a bane on us, hitting us with necrotic energy. Wolfram dropped. We charged her and her two bodyguards, killing the two priests and forcing Thelma to use a scroll to teleport away.
Duncan uses a scroll of his own to save Wolfram’s life and we proceed to continue searching her rooms. In her bedchamber, we find a young man lacing up his shoes. Duncan promises his life if the young man knows where Thelma has teleported to. He tells us that Thelma Ironhand has a secret chapel underneath Harry Longshank’s barn – he knows because he is the youngest son of Harry and watched her put it in.
Sir Thabo then kills him, saying that he had not promised the young man mercy like Duncan and his presence in the temple of Iuz condemned him. Aerwyn wasn’t happy about the whole thing.
The rest of the temple was not much of a problem – we cleaned out several priests and acolytes in the chambers below the sanctuary. Then we returned to the hidden room below the Gilded Society where Rutger Goldfingers and his companion were waiting.
The priest of Zilchus took control of the situation. Word was sent to the temple and the church of Hieroneous. Priests and guards came to retrieve the ledgers and records that we had captured. Wolfram and Gideon were healed of the damage that they had taken in the fight.
In the next few days, we heard of arrests and killings all over Midmeadow. The youngest son of the Countess of Midmeadow was suddenly sent to a remote monastery to live out his life in contemplation and prayer. The membership books had lists of members of the temple with their signatures written in their own blood. These members were now being hunted down and captured. We also had records of those they blackmailed.
We had broken the power of the temple of Iuz in Midmeadow – or at least, dealt it a mighty blow. In these days, Gideon did some research on the Longshank’s place. After the war, Harry Longshanks began gaining wealth rapidly, buying a place on the north road towards the Theocracy of the Pale. He is known to have a few knight-banners that look to him as leader and rides with his older sons in half-plate armor.