Into the Tomb of the Lizard King - Part 3: KelLyn discovers exploding runes..the hard way

Into the Tomb - Part 2

Past the doors you cannot find, 
Down the steps you cannot climb, 
Across the river of nothingness 
You’ll find your way. 
Beware the marksman and his prey. 
Shun the royal brides. 
Then find the place I lie in eternal feast. 
Past glories I despise 
The light of vengeance fills my eye. 
Treasure I give my servant dragon, 
Guardian loyal of this, my reborn feeding lair.

- riddle found on a scrap of paper in the first level of the tomb of the Lizard King

.oOo..oOo..oOo..oOo.

Once we made it back to the room we had set up as a base camp, the party relaxed for a while, using the time to rest, recuperate, and discuss our next moves. Since all of the supplies had been moved from the kitchen, pantry, and wine cellar to this room, we took some time to go through the various foodstuffs, and enjoyed a decent meal as well as opening up one of the casks of wine. It was a welcome reprieve from the travel rations, and having a good meal did much to improve our spirits. While we ate, a discussion broke out about whether we should venture down into the lower level via the trap door in this room, or if we should instead continue to explore this level first. 

The consensus was that this level should be cleared completely before going down, so after we had rested, Lan used her new sight to see what living things she might be able to see still on this level. She said that she saw a large winged humanoid figure, possibly a demon of some kind, walking across a room some distance away. I took the opportunity to scout ahead, using stealth and skill to remain undetected. I checked the doors for traps, and explored down the corridor until I came up on what was obviously a place of vile worship. Simply walking into this room made me feel nauseated, so I returned to the party to let them know what I had found. 

The rooms revealed appeared to be the captain's quarters, as the furnishings were simple, but of obviously better quality than those found in the barracks. There were two chests in this room, and Ishmael knocked the hinges off to open them without setting the needle traps off, to reveal about 800 silver and several standard sets of clothing. There was nothing else of note in this room, and we continued to explore, discovering a common room, and then finally the worship area.

The worship area, for that is clearly what it was, was repulsive. The idol in the center of the room boasted the repugnant face of the demon god that we had seen elsewhere, and the altar was soaked with congealing blood. The tapestry on the wall was disturbing in it's intensity, and depicted scenes of utter cruelty. The sheer evil here overwhelmed me, and I got physically ill. I said a quiet prayer to my god and goddess to ask for guidance, but the act of simply thinking their names was enough to cause the evil to pulsate in a nauseating fashion, making me ill all over again. 

After I recovered myself, I urged everyone to either destroy everything here or leave now. They helped me move out of the room, promising that we could come back and destroy everything once the lizard king was dealt with. Further explorations revealed the central room for the priests, where incense burned on the table, and robes hung from hooks on the walls. Again, I resisted the urge to destroy everything here, and we eventually discover a small library.

The theme of the books in the library was primarily evil, and more than a few of the books were specifically about dealings with the undead. The subject matter of the books here was enough to make my skin crawl, and I wonder yet at what we still may face. Much to my surprise Shalev and Osman took a few books off of the shelves. Shalev chose a book about identifying undead, probably in hopes that it might reveal clues about what we face, and potential weaknesses it might have. Osman chose two books, one on summoning demons, and another on knowing the true names of the undead. KelLyn immediately went to look at a book that was chained to a pedestal in the center of the room. She began reading the book to herself, and then as she read, her eyes widened, and she made an audible comment about taking the book.Ishmael offered to cut the chain for her, and immediately an argument broke out between the party members about it. Rather than listen to them bicker and snipe at each other about it, I left the room to keep watch in the hallway for potential enemies, continuing to scout quietly ahead. 

It is KelLyn's choice, ultimately, about her path. Her desire for power may eventually be her undoing, but she must be aware that all power has a price. If she is willing to pay that price, then so be it. Shalev is concerned for her, though she sees it more as an annoyance and the two of them argue and misunderstand each other on a nearly constant basis. He has taken her actions quite personally on more than one occasion, and he is quite concerned about what might happen should she delve into the darker arts. He feels, rightfully so, that she is not always careful with her power, although he does forget at times that she is responsible for her fate, and not him. If she ignores the signs and warnings that she gets, and pursues her quest for power to it's ultimate end, then that is her choice, not his. 


My efforts to scout ahead revealed nothing further, so I returned to the library to see that KelLyn had indeed taken the book, and Shalev was glaring at her pointedly. I raised an eyebrow in silent comment, and then informed the party of the rooms ahead that I had discovered. One of the rooms proved to be a second captain's quarters, again with two chests with more basic clothes and about 1000 silver. 

We decided to carry the empty chests as well as the treasures we had found so far back to the base camp before continuing our explorations. We checked our belongings there, made sure that the trap door was still secure, and then went back out to the hallway I had discovered. 

There were several rooms here, and after checking the doors for traps, Ishmael opened the first one to show a small room where a black robed man was studying. He looked up in alarm and began to chant, and Shalev and Ishmael immediately rushed in to attack. Shalev's attacks missed, and the robed man was able to cast his spell successfully. Ishmael succeeded in his attack, and smashed the desk into the man in the chair, pushing it into him. The priest looked surprised that he was hit by anything at all, and Ishmael continued his bludgeoning attacks on the furniture. Shalev swung again, and missed again much to his frustration. The priest shouted out an alarm, and the other four doors opened as the priests inside them curiously stuck their heads out into the hallway to see what was going on. Upon seeing us there, they all stepped out into the hall and began casting various spells. They never got the chance. Tobias, pulling both of his maces, raced down the hallway in a deadly wave of attacks. KelLyn reached out to touch the closest priest, casting a spell with her contact. Osman shot an arrow at the next closest priest. Fife speared the priest in the back of the hallway, and I used my bow to put an arrow in the other's face. 

The priest in the room with Ishmael and Shalev tried then to cast a drain life spell on Shalev. Shalev's brooch flared to life, protecting him completely, and causing Shalev's aura as a paladin to pulse in a flex of spiritual muscle that we could all feel. The priest went wide-eyed, and began casting yet another spell, and Shalev rolled out of the way, and out of the room. Fife and I used the opening to our advantage, and were both successful with spear and arrow, hitting the offending priest in the face as Ishmael simultaneously charged bodily into the priest, taking him out finally. The other priests go down easily after that, and both bodies and rooms are empty of anything of interest. 

There is a gruesome painting at the end of the hallway, but though I examined it closely, I couldn't find anything of note. It was a hidden door, however, and when we turned away from it to head back down the hallway, it opened silently and an armored man stepped through. The only warning we had was when KelLyn suddenly fell over, apparently dead. Shalev ran over to her, to remove her pack, thinking that it was the book she picked up from the library that had caused her collapse. As he shoved it away from her, he glanced up to see the dark paladin looming in the shadows. Ishmael rushed to give her a potion, and Tobias grabbed her and dragged her into one of the now empty priest's quarters. Lan and I followed to try to find out why she had collapsed, and see what we could do to save her. 

As we moved out of the way, the armored man threw a stick at Shalev which changed into an adder in midair. Shalev didn't even blink at the deadly serpent though, and it fell harmlessly to the floor as he charged at the enemy shouting that he hadn't worked so hard at not killing KelLyn only to have someone else do it. He swung his holy sword, aiming the powerful blow a the armored man's neck. With a screech of metal, the strike hit home, shearing through the thick metal gorget at his throat, and killing the unholy paladin with a single dreadful impact.  The unholy paladin fell to the floor, and Shalev used his foot to pry his sword from the remains. He swore softly when he saw that the deadly strike had damaged his blade, but stopped short when he heard the sound of crumpling metal. He looked down in time to see the armor of the unholy paladin crumpling and cracking, shrinking in on itself and crushing down into nothing. The implosion covered Shalev in the gory remains of what was left behind, and he shook the blood off of his blade with an irritated sniff. 

Meanwhile, Lan, Tobias and I were struggling to save KelLyn. Lan and Tobias worked to keep her alive, while I tried to locate the reason for her collapse. Shalev walked in then, covered in gore, and showed me the stick that had turned to a serpent. I recognized the description Shalev gave of the poisonous reptile as an adder, as they were fairly common back home in the desert, and was quickly able to pull together the components for an antidote. Once I was able to get the antidote down her throat, the results were fairly immediate. She regained consciousness, and was quickly able to be up and about with no lasting effects from the toxin. As soon as she was awake she rushed over to the book she had acquired from the library, flipping through pages and muttering to herself about inept spell casters and something about an attempt against her, when suddenly she exclaimed loudly "a lich?! They were trying to make me a lich?!" and began both laughing and swearing sulphurously. 

None of this made much sense to the rest of the party, however, so we let it go as the mysteries of magic users, and went in to examine the room that was revealed by the secret door. This was the paladin's personal chamber, and it boasted opulent furnishings and a basin of water, and a small alter to the demon god. Shalev purified the water in the basin, and then used it to clean some of the gore off.  He commented that the carpeting in this room was quite valuable, and we rolled it up to add to the treasures we had already discovered. He then took some time to tear down the tapestries on the walls, eventually revealing a hidden door. Fife offered to check for traps, and I let him take point. He found no traps, but the lock on the door proved to be beyond his skill, so I took care of the lock to reveal a small vault with three chests. 

The chests held:

• 50 gold plates
• 20 platinum plates
• 2 ornate ivory scroll tubes with ivory stoppers

KelLyn offered to use her slate to identify the scrolls, and was successfully able to identify the first one as a scroll of protection from demons. The second, however, had some sort of enchantment upon it, and as soon as it touched the slate, it drained all of the magic from it. KelLyn went white with fury, and we all wisely left the room, lest in her anger, she lash out at the rest of the party. We carried the treasures - the carpet, the plates, and the scrolls (safely back inside the ivory casings)  back to base camp. 

Once back at base camp, we deposited the rug and plates near the chests, and sat down with some relief to rest. Shalev took detailed measures to make sure that he was clean after being coated in such gore for most of the day, and the rest of us followed his example, taking the time to refresh ourselves as necessary. Watches were set, and the first two passed uneventfully. Shalev and I were on third watch, and during the small, quiet hours, we saw a group of 4 robed figures approaching us. As soon as they saw us, their eyes glowed red, and fangs extended from their mouths. They glared at us, and Shalev slumped over in an enchanted sleep. They looked with surprise at the fact that I had not also fallen over, and it was the last act they had a chance to make. I shouted to the rest of the party, and drew my sword. Bow and arrow would have proven useless here, so outnumbered. I swung the sword in a deadly arc, hoping to take one or two out before having to seriously engage. My worry proved pointless, however, as my aim was truer than even I knew, and the arc of the sword screaming through the air took all four out with deadly precision. The corpses were identified as some kind of were-creature, and they had nothing of interest on them, so they were drug over to the room where KelLyn had ignited the volatile fires earlier in the adventures. The room was still radiating with heat, and when the bodies were thrown in, they burned to ash. 

The rest of the night passed uneventfully, and the next day we go to explore the remaining rooms of this level of the tomb. In one of the rooms, I discover a hidden compartment containing a chest, and Shalev, having taken note of the traps we had previously faced, wrapped a heavy tapestry around the chest to remove it safely. 
He felt the impact of four darts, but the tapestry proved enough of a protection, and there was no harm done. 
Inside the chest was:

• a bag of silver (about 3000 pieces) 
• a bag of gold (about 4000 pieces) 
• about 200 platinum pieces
• 6 gold brooches (worth approximately 500 gp each) 

Ishmael helped to appraise the jewelry, and claimed one of the brooches for himself, which he put on. 
The next room was hidden behind a secret door covered by the bas relief of the demon god, much like the entrance to the tomb in the dragon's lair. The room revealed appeared to be some kind of study, with a sturdy desk. The desk had one drawer that continually re-locked itself, and after several attempts at unlocking it, I finally gave in, and stepped back so that Ishmael could gleefully smash the desk to pieces. The drawer, now easily accessible, contained written notes that looked like spell research. We called KelLyn over, and she grabbed up the notes, looking through them with surly interest. One page held a scrawled riddle on it: 

Past the doors you cannot find, 
Down the steps you cannot climb, 
And across the River of Nothingness 
You’ll find your way. 
Beware the marksman and his prey. 
Shun the royal brides! 
Then find the place I lie in eternal feast! 
Past glories I despise; 
The light of vengeance fills my eye. 
Treasure I give my servant dragon, 
Guardian loyal of this, my reborn feeding lair.


After reading it out, Osman asks to see the page, and then spent a moment translating it into the language of the lizard men. He mentioned with some amusement that when translated thus, it actually rhymed, but nothing else was revealed by changing it to it's intended language. Once the desk was reduced to rubble, there was nothing else in the room, save a pair of heavy gold candlesticks, which Ishmael picked up and placed in his pack. 

The riddle is interesting, and I feel as if it might shine some light on what might still lay ahead of us. With all of the traps we have discovered so far, and the pervasive evil that this entire place, it would not surprise me if more lethal traps awaited us. It bears researching more, I think, and serves as a warning - to me at least -  of what may lie ahead. While we have a relatively safe space here in this room, I will try to teach my party members how to move more quietly. To be more aware of their surroundings, and to step carefully is going to be an essential skill for everyone. We have been incredibly lucky so far, in that our raucous explorations have not brought more enemies down on us, and I do not relish finding out what else may be out there the hard way. 

The next room we discovered was some kind of alchemical laboratory. Long, low tables lined the walls with bottles and vials of components and powders. Most of it was fairly commonplace, and of no interest, but we did find one vial of powdered diamond, which KelLyn pocketed. The southern wall of this laboratory boasted a secret door, but I could find no way to open it up. I asked KelLyn to take a look at it, and she cast a simple spell to discern how the mechanism worked. After a moment, and in a fit of amused irony, she pulled out the unidentified scroll and touched it to the wall, draining it of magic, and causing the latch to release. 

The room revealed was pitch black, and not even Tobias, with his dark vision could see inside. KelLyn discerned that it was a magical darkness, and cast a spell to revoke the magic inside. The darkness fell away, and showed a man in a black robe at the far end of the room, reading from a scroll. Ishmael immediately charged in like an angry bull, and hit the unprepared magic user with all of the force of a battering ram. The robed man was crushed by the impact, and KelLyn found the whole scene terribly amusing. Through her tears of laughter she revealed that he had, indeed, been casting a spell, but that it was defense against magic, not against brute force. So he never even saw it coming.  As she recovered herself, chuckling and chortling the whole time, Shalev took a piece of tapestry and waved it around in an attempt to find trap wires or other hidden things. He was successful in revealing an invisible chest in one corner. 

KelLyn easily removed the invisibility, still chuckling to herself, and we check the chest for traps. While we do that, she goes over to check the robed man to see what he may have had on him. 

The robed man had a cloak, a ring, and a wand on him. 
The chest contained: 
3000 silver pieces
500 gold pieces
500 platinum pieces
a book

Since KelLyn's slate was drained of power, she used her magic to basically identify the objects as being magical. The ring was spelled with move/control human with a subrealm of water. The cloak was spelled with move/control magic. The wand was spelled with create mind. The book was spelled with a variety of things, but primarily with destroy magic with a subrealm of fire. 

Shalev cautioned her to check the book before she read anything, but KelLyn ignored him, reading the title of the book regardless. The book was spelled with some kind of explosive rune, and the second she read it, it exploded, injuring Ishmael, Fife, KelLyn and myself. KelLyn gave me a potion to bring me back to health, but sadly the book was completely destroyed. 

KelLyn shrugged and commented that it was no big deal, but I could see that the loss of potential power and knowledge was a pain to her. She claimed both the cloak and the wand, and then stalked away in an increasingly bad mood. I added the ring to the stash of treasures to be checked later, and the party decided that since there were injuries to be healed, that we would go back to base camp one more time before venturing beneath to the lower levels and beyond. 

We still have not revealed the main passageway to the lower levels, but in our conversations about the events of the day, Shalev remembered seeing a door underneath the tapestries in the center worship area with the idol of the demon god. Perhaps that is the way we seek. There is still the trap door under the room we use as base camp, and the narrow corridor beyond. There is still the prowling demon figure that Lan saw. There is still Sacatha himself, wherever he may lie. 

Much to be done, and much to do. The pile of treasures we have discovered grows exponentially, and I can't help but wonder how we will transport it all back to the count. We each get our share, of course, but the vast majority should go towards rebuilding this broken town, and rekindling hope in the beleaguered folk here. 

But that will be after we escape this wretched tomb, and if we survive the battles to come. 

For now, I will say a prayer to my god and goddess for continuing to watch over us. I feel the press of the evil here like a constant ache, and I need their touch and reassurance in my mind. Like a child who runs to her parents when they've had a nightmare, I wish to do nothing more than to run to them for comfort and protection. During my meditations and contemplation, I will continue to ask for their guidance. They may not be able to reach me here, but I will still continue to do what I can. 

Contemplate Balance

Balance is a state of harmony, that gives you a clear perspective on what is important in Life.

So what is important in mine? 

The balance of which the Mystics speak has nothing to do with the mundane concepts of good & evil. It is the balance of one's Spiritual Life with one's physical life, and balancing the emotional life with the intellectual life. The balance is the attainment of harmony on all planes of your being.

There is a big difference between contemplation & meditation, but often the two are confused. In contemplation, one takes an object or principle, and one focuses upon it. Your concentration becomes immersed in the object of contemplation, until you become one with it. Contemplation is a great tool for discovering truth.

Meditation is very different. In meditation one relaxes the mind. There is no object in meditation. That would be contemplation. Thoughts, images & other sensations may enter your mind, but you pay no attention to them. The point in meditation is to gain control of your mind, ignoring all the whirling thoughts that fly around within it.

The meditation technique that I use, is to focus my consciousness upon my consciousness, and to completely disregard the objects of my consciousness. This isn't easy. The mind likes to be in control, so when you try to meditate, the mind will conjure up all manner of mental phenomena to distract you.

But, if you can learn to merely sit, when you sit; to control your mind in stillness, rather than allowing the mind to lead you around & around, you will discover that the mind can become a most obedient & efficient tool.

Learning how to control one's own mind is one of the greatest problems you will ever encounter, but that solution will also be your greatest triumph. The mind is incredibly powerful. Your thinking processes attract all of the conditions that occur in your life, so mastery in this area should be a key priority. Beliefs about yourself & your capabilities, determine what you can do. All that is required is my will, to learn & do the things that I desire, and then exert the actions that will release those things into happening.

It begins with Meditation.

.oOo..oOo..oOo..oOo.

I miss my home. 
The warm, shifting sands of the deserts are a long way from this fetid, evil swamp. I miss the feel of the sun on my head, and the sand under my feet. The arid feel of warm breezes, and the dry smells of sun-baked earth.

There are moments where I wonder if leaving the desert was worth it, and I also wonder now at what awaits my eventual return. 

Or even if I will return. 

The desert I left will not be there, for that is the way of the desert. Ever changing. My choice remains before me to return to those silken sands, or to make my home elsewhere. The forests near the edge of Qualton call my name. The young entlings in Basil's gardens. The great forest at DruidHome also speaks softly to my memories. 

I also miss the sigh of the leaves in the trees of those forests, the cool shade of giant sweeping branches, and the aching sweetness of soft grass against my feet. The smells of life, of green, growing, healthy things.

Perhaps I will seek a place of balance between the two. Desert and Forest. There are oasis aplenty between the heart of the desert and the edge of the wildlands. Or perhaps I will find somewhere new. For who knows what still awaits, in the adventures ahead? Or where my god and goddess might lead me to go? 

Into the Tomb of the Lizard King - Part 2: Osman learns about traps

Into the Tomb - Part 1

"Oh go on, open the footlocker. It's safe enough."

.oOo..oOo..oOo..oOo.


We rested for a time in the room where we had killed the clerics, barring the door, and setting watch while we recuperated from the fight. Shalev used his powers as a paladin to cast a healing spell on me, which was enough to bring be back to full capability. 

While we convalesced, we examined the equipment that the clerics had carried in greater detail. KelLyn used her magic to identify the items of interest, and she discovered 

• a ring imbued with the magic to create fire

• a ring imbued with the magic to destroy fire

• a scroll of Protection from magic with 1 day duration

• a staff aligned with the cleric's pantheon which will strike at those it is pointed at with divine power (has an unholy feel to it.) 

The rest of the armor and weaponry was exceptional quality, but otherwise unremarkable. Tobias, Shalev, and Osman claimed a mace each to use as a backup weapon if necessary, and Osman also claimed one of the sets of chain mail armor, though wearing it hampered his movement somewhat. Shalev took the ring with the magic to destroy fire, wearing on his left hand ring finger. 

After rechecking that everyone was mostly healed and able to continue, we ventured out of the room and continued to explore the tomb. The next rooms we discovered were the kitchen, pantry, and wine cellar - all of which were fully stocked. Since Osman was making a rudimentary map of our findings, we earmarked these rooms to return to later to restock and resupply. 

Continuing our not-so-stealthy explorations, we discovered a basic armory that held only low quality weapons, and it was speculated that this was where the lizard men were equipped from. Further down the hallway was  a door that lead to a barracks with 10 sleeping men. A whispered argument broke out among the party about whether or not Kellyn should put them to sleep, or if we should just kill them outright. I had no problems killing them outright, but it was argued against, and KelLyn went to the door to try to cast a sleep spell. The moment she began to cast, she was shot with an arrow by one of the men in the rear of the room who had been awake and watching the party argue. The arrow did no damage to her, thankfully, due to her incredible strength, and only succeeded in making her angry.  Osman immediately returned fire, and KelLyn threw off the sleep spell an began to cast in Fyrewerian, using the word we had all come to recognize for "fire." 

As she was casting, Tobias used his speed to dash into the room and brain the second guard at the rear of the room who was also awake, and then dash back out to safety before KelLyn finished her spell. I shot both of the enemies with arrows as well. Fife and Lan stepped out into the hallway to guard against potential rear attacks, and KelLyn's spell detonated with cataclysmic effect. The fireball in her hands turned incandescent and liquid, a hovering ball of fluid, flaming destruction. She released the fireball into the room with an almost negligent flick of her hands, and Shalev rushed to yank the door closed to protect us from the backlash of the explosion. 

Good thing he did, too, because an instant later the room, the doors, and everything inside was vaporized in a thunderous clap of white hot implosion. KelLyn turned to us then, and we saw that her eyes had turned a strange amber color as an after effect of the spell. She shrugged with a small smile and sauntered away from the smoldering room with a disdainful sniff. The fearsome flames had done their work well, and there was nothing left in the room at all except for a doorway (which had been concealed previously) to the main hallway. The stones were radiating so much heat that we could not enter the room, and so the party continued on, following the hallway around to another door which lead to another set of barracks. 

This barracks was much larger, holding cots and small footlockers for twenty-four guards. I could hear snoring coming from the door at the other end of the room, and I used my stealth to walk silently through the room to the other side, where I discovered one lone soldier, sleeping on the floor where he had rolled out of bed. I took him out silently and without effort, and motioned to the rest of the party that I was going to check the door as well. Shalev then attempted to make his way over to me to act as back up should it be needed. 

Alas, though, my diligent student has much to learn in the ways of stealth, however, and only succeeded in making a tremendous amount of noise. I looked at him in exasperation, and shook my head resignedly before trying the door. Thankfully it only lead back out into the main hallway, so no harm done. I should probably remind him gently that I am quite capable of avoiding situations if I am undetected, and while his effort to protect me was appreciated, he needs to trust that ability if I am going to be on point checking for traps and using my stealth to scout ahead.

Since there was nothing else of note on the one soldier that I killed, it was suggested that we go through the footlockers and personal chests here to see what else we might be able to find. I warned that they might not be safe, and that they shouldn't be touched until I had a chance to check them for traps. Despite my warning, however, Osman foolishly began opening the footlockers, and set of the poison needle trap within the third one that he opened. The needle pierced his finger, and he immediately stiffened and collapsed in death like coma. KelLyn, Lan, and I instantly went to work trying to keep him alive. KelLyn and Lan worked together to preserve his body and prevent the poison from spreading any further. I went into a deep meditative ritual to work to remove the poison from his blood and bring him back from the brink of death. The poison was virulent and strong, but after an entire day, an entire bag of the priceless salts from the deep desert, and a bottle of the highly potent moonshine from the farmers, I was able to draw enough of the poison out of his body to revive him; though it nearly exhausted me to do so. 

While KelLyn, Lan, and I were striving to save Osman's life, Shalev and Tobias stood watch, and Ishmael and Fife returned to the room where the clerics were to retrieve the armor and weapons that were left behind. They made a horrible racket as they returned, seeming not to care who they might alert to our presence, and the raucous din disturbed a mass of flying rat-like creatures that Fife said were bats. The bats chittered and chirped and flew out down the hallway, presumably to the swamp outside, for we didn't see anything else of them after they flew past. 

When they returned, I wearily thanked KelLyn and Lan for their assistance, and told the rest of the party that morning would tell if I were successful in saving Osman's life. I took the poultice that I had made with the salts and moonshine, and threw it into the still smoldering room of the opposite barracks, where it instantly vaporized into a lethal green cloud of smoke. I returned to the room, to do one final check on Osman's progress, said a sincere thanks to my god and goddess for their guidance with the attempt, then sat down and retreated mentally into the deep meditations that work as restful sleep for me.

Morning showed that I was indeed triumphant. Osman was groggy, and having some trouble moving his left arm, but he was alive and awake. Shalev used his daily gift to cast a healing spell over Osman, and I said a second, quiet prayer of thanks for the success of the work. Osman asked what had happened and Shalev told him of the poison, that I was somehow able to neutralize it, and then of his healing spell that brought him up to mobility. I raised an eyebrow, but let it pass. I do not think he meant to leave out the exhaustive work we did to make sure he woke up in the first place, and I was still weary enough to just let the oversight be. Osman is still very weak, and will unfortunately be relegated to healing naturally for a period of time. I warned him that he should not over tax himself, and that healing would take time. There are plenty of small tasks within the party that he can do to help regain his strength, and help him feel useful while he improved, but that when we found ourselves in battle, his safest place would be back behind us all. 

Ishmael used his hammer to knock the hinges off of the remaining footlockers in the deserted barracks, and searching the containers revealed 2 decent sized bags of various gems, and 40 silver pieces. We added these to the stash of things we had found before, and since Osman was weak, but mobile, we decided to push on, keeping him near the rear of the party in a more protected position. Perhaps he has learned his lesson to check first, then act? We shall see. 

Shalev made a motion to cast another detect evil spell, but I cautioned him against casting it again, as we already knew there was evil in this place, and reminding him that every time he cast the spell, it rang like a bell to any who might be searching for us. He agreed with my counsel, and before we continued our explorations, I cast a quiet druidic ritual to bless the party moving forward. I felt like my god and goddess answered my request, and I thanked them for their aid. I do not know exactly what the blessing did, but here, in this place, every boon counts. 

As before, I scouted somewhat ahead, searching for traps and listening at doors. The next hallway we discovered had doors to the left and right, and when I listened, I heard muffled voices to the right. I motioned to the party members, and stepped out of the way as Shalev kicked the door in to reveal a group of 7 men in armor, playing dice around a table. Shalev immediately moved in to attack, and Tobias - much to my surprise - began to berate him for foolish action, despite the fact that 6 of the armored men were also moving to attack. I wonder at the sudden venom that Tobias showed Shalev. His actions were no different than they had been in previous encounters, and undeserving of such vitriol. I also wonder if Tobias and Shalev need to have words with one another when this is through. Tobias should know better, that there is no reason to be jealous, and that taking out his frustrations on Shalev was unwarranted, and poorly timed. 

KelLyn moved to cast sleep on the 7th man,  and he turned to grab a trident to attack her in return. Tobias moved into the room to group brawl the 6 others, in an attempt to divert attention off of Shalev's attacks. I used my bow with success to put two arrows into the 7th man, who was apparently the leader of the crew. While KelLyn was casting, Ishmael stepped between her and the leader, acting as a physical block if needed. The leader's attack was successful, though barely making it past Ishmael's guard, and it was enough to interrupt KelLyn's spell. Thankfully, there was no ill-effect from the disruption, save KelLyn being doused with water from an unknown source. 

Fife took the opportunity to throw a spear at the leader then, and Shalev engaged with the rest of the group using his ability to do multiple attacks with great success, wounding four of them. KelLyn stepped around Ishmael, and laid her hands on the leader's armor, saying the Fyrewerian word for "Fire!" The leader took a panicked shot at her face in an attempt to break her formidable concentration, and I retaliated by throwing a dagger in his, diverting his awareness long enough for KelLyn to successfully complete her spell. Where her hand had rested against the leader's armor, a red-hot handprint appeared, and his eyes went wide when he realized that all of his armor was heating quickly to uncomfortable levels. 

Shalev and Tobias remained engaged with the other 6 men, when out of nowhere, a leprechaun appeared. The little man took one look at the table, and the gold laying there from the dice game that had been in progress when Shalev kicked the door in. The leprechaun said aloud "You're right, there IS a lot of gold here." and then promptly vanished, taking all of the gold with him. All 7 of the men we were fighting stopped and stared, then started running towards the door to try and locate all of their missing gold. Fife kicked the door closed, preventing their escape, and used the opportunity to throw an oddly shaped dagger at the leader. 

His aim was, as it always is, deadly true, and the dagger pierced the leader's armor where the glowing handprint had melted through, and embedded up to the hilt. KelLyn had the leader up by the throat, and both Ismael and Shaelv took successful swings against him while he was held immobile, earning a purring comment from her that she felt loved right then. 

I drew my sword then, and closed for combat, as my arrows were useless at close range. The sword cut through the air with a scream of shattering sound, and blue waves sparked down the blade as I swung at the nearest foe. My cut was true, and cleaved through the air, and the foe in front of me, as if I were slicing through butter. The whole room stopped to turn and look at what the sound had been, in time to see the person I had attacked fall into two pieces, as I slung blood drops off of the gently curved blade. I took a moment then to look at the graceful blade with new admiration. I had never used it in combat before, and it felt as if it were an extension of my own body, a part of my arm, and I smiled a deadly smile as I re-engaged, moving and turning with effortless, lethal grace, blue waves of energy sparking along the blade, and across my body as I did.

Tobias kneecapped one of the fleeing men, and used a second attack to take him out completely. KelLyn then threw the body.. or what remained of the body, as Shalev and Tobias' attacks took both knees and head off.. of the leader at the rest of the fleeing men, screaming out "I AM THE MAGE!" with a battle cry that made them all nearly wet themselves. After that it was short work to kill the remaining soldiers, and we did so quickly. Fife had backed away, into the closed door, staring wide-eyed at me, and he opened the doorway to continue out into the hall, when he suddenly stopped short, feeling the garrote there at his neck where Osman and Lan had strung the wires across the entrance to prevent escape. 

He gently felt along the wire until he came to the edge, where he carefully worked to remove it before he hurt himself on it. Lan and Osman helped him remove the wire, letting him keep an arm's length of it when he expressed interest in it, quipping still wide-eyed that if he were going to be successful as a body guard that he would have to take the enemies out before we even got there. 

The weapons and armor of the men we had fought was all but destroyed completely, and nothing save the trident remained of interest in the room. KelLyn used her skills to identify the weapon as a pre-Fyrewerian artifact used by an underwater civilization (which Lan confirmed with more than a little disdain in her voice.) It was enchanted to be used under water at speed, and would give the wielder an idea of their opponents actions. Fife and Tobias both expressed a keen interest in the weapon, and so KelLyn handed it to Fife saying that they would have to work out who got it between the two of them. 

Shalev spent some time removing wall hangings and searching the rest of the room, revealing a latch hidden behind one of the tapestries. He took one look at the latch, and stepped away hastily, saying with wary amusement, "See Osman, this is how you get to the treasures without dying." and looked my way in a plea to check it for traps. I chuckled bemusedly, and checked the latch thoroughly revealing a door into a rather gaudily appointed bedroom. This was apparently the leader's resting place, and had rather horrid paintings on the walls, mismatched rugs, and a sword in a scabbard that hung over the shabby bed. KelLyn once again identified the weapon as being a cursed bastard sword. The wielder would attack all in an opposing army with great vigor. Fife commented that it was a "suicide" sword, and the description of the curse leads me to believe that the horrid thing should be destroyed. 

We checked the rest of the room, and when we rolled the carpets aside, discovered a trap door. I picked the lock to the portal, and opened the door to reveal a 20 foot rope ladder leading down to a hallway that is only about 5 foot across. This, then, is the way to the next level of the tomb. I closed and re-secured the door, and the rest of the party agreed that we should set this room up as a secure base for the time being. Shalev, Ishmael, and KelLyn worked to move all of the food supplies from the kitchen and pantry into this room, as well as the barrel of water, and one barrel of wine. We cleared out space on the floors, and made a rather comfortable camp using the carpets and bed hangings, as well as other furniture we found there in the room. 

We will rest here, resupply, and then make the decision on whether or not to finish exploring this floor, or venture down into the dark. 

I do wonder, cautiously, at the seeming emptiness of the tomb so far. The groups that we have encountered have been small parties, and I fear that the bulk of our enemies still lie before us either in undiscovered rooms, or below us. For who knows how deep this decrepit tomb delves beneath the odious swamp? The supplies that were in the kitchen, and the layout of the barracks suggest much larger numbers than we have currently encountered. The noise that the party has made has been enough that it should have alerted others to our presence, and yet we remain - so far - unmolested in our explorations, save for those groups we have encountered individually. But why would they not attack? I feel like the bats should also be a clue, but I have nothing in my memory, or in any legend that says what they might foretell. 

Into the Tomb of the Lizard king - Part 1: Shalev the Paladin

You can read previous storyline here,
and here.


.oOo..oOo..oOo..oOo.

With the great black dragon slain, the party spent a bit of time camped out on the outer edge of the temple. There was much to do, and we used the time given to us for healing wounds, repairing equipment, and taking the time to thoroughly explore the upper area of the temple.

Fife, Osman, and Tobias scaled the outer walls of the temple proper in order to scout out the area, and to see if it were possible to discern a pathway back to the main land. Without Stephen to guide us through the morass, I fear that we would become quickly and hopelessly lost. This was the consensus that the party reached as well when we discussed the possibility of going back for the rest of our things.

I do agree with KelLyn that leaving our things there is asking for them to be stolen, and that having some of those things with us would be helpful; but until we can find a way to safely retrieve them - it was at least a two week journey one way to the temple - they are safer where they are. We discussed several options for trying to go back, including trying to use magic to translocate them.

I remembered then, what the Maker had told me before he left us all of those months ago. I remembered what he said about remembering who I am, and remembering to sing. I recalled the symbols that he etched into the stones, and I also recalled - briefly - the ritual that he did to open the gate. I also wondered, in that moment, if I had it within myself to do such a thing; and I felt a very faint surge of something inside me that told me that I could and would... but not yet.

Though the memory was sharp and bittersweet to me, I did not mention the recollection to the party. I do not feel confident enough in my own innate power yet to attempt such a feat, and I dare not risk it now, with such evil surrounding us. I do not know how vulnerable it would make me, nor do I know what calling such power might bring out of the deep miasma of the swamp. This is something that I will think more on, and perhaps in time I will find the answers I seek.

Fife, Osman, and Tobias returned from their scouting then to say that the mud mound of the temple continued on behind us, making a small mountain. Fife also mentioned that he saw four water dogs - like Lan - carrying a house on sticks through the swamps, but when the rest of the party looked, nothing further was seen. Lan had been staring into her crystal orb for a while, when she suddenly looked up with a perplexed expression on her face and quite simply stated that she could see through walls, and everyone looked like skeletons.

Lan is flighty on the best of days, so we all looked at her curiously, but when she said nothing else, we left her to her contemplation of the shiny orb. Osman, Fife, Shalev, and I set about to pull what useful materials we could from the carcass of the dragon, and the rest of the party began to gather our supplies and clean our camp to continue our search for Sacatha's tomb.

Shalev tried several times to find a way to cut through the tough dragon hide, but ran into difficulty as nothing seemed to work efficiently to the task. He eventually asked if he could use the sword that I carry - Toshi's sword - and found that it was able cut through the hide with little effort. After that, it became short work to take sinew, wing, scale, bone; taking care as well to remove the skull, feet, and claws. 

The skull, we will carry back to the court of the count, as proof of deed accomplished.

Osman and I each separated out the ribs to use for bows, the wing leather to use for quivers, bags, sails, cloaks, and other containers; teeth and claws for arrowheads, spear heads, and blades. The rest of the party may make light of the fact that we are from a desert culture, but that culture gave us the knowledge that allowed us to reduce the carcass to usable or trade-able materials in a matter of a few hours.

Shalev mused aloud that he wanted to take some of the skin for clothes, as balance to his white armor, and because it would look more regal, as appropriate to his new position. The meat was not very palatable, though Fife and Shalev tried some after a quick purification spell, just to say they did. Amit curled his nose up at it - so we left the rest of the mass there for whatever scavengers may want.

We explored the main area with great care, and found a cache of 2900 platinum coins as well as a selection of jewelry, in the pools where the water elementals had been. We split the coins among the party, put the jewelry in a bag to appraise later, and continued to search for other ways into the mound. Fife and Osman were both wide-eyed at the bag of coins they were each handed, and Fife stated with numb disbelief that this was more money than his entire family had ever held in their entire lives. Ishmael quipped with a smile "welcome to being an adventurer with this group." and clapped him on the back good-naturedly.

I tend to forget how much coins are worth, so I rarely pay attention to what I have on me at any given time, regarding the amount of coins in my purse. If I need to buy something, I generally will ask Shalev - whom I rely almost exclusively on in these matters - to either exchange, bargain, or buy outright when necessary. I trust him implicitly with monetary matters, and would imagine that those seeking to cheat or gain the upper hand in a bargain would think twice about swindling the highly armored, towering persona of a paladin of a Goddess of Balance.

The great stone bas relief had swung open when the dragon first emerged, and it lead to the great open-air cavern where we had seen the glimpse of the treasure hoard. When we we looked into the great room again, however, it was completely empty save for a slime covered corridor off to the left. The vast hoards of treasure that we had seen had been an illusion  - most likely crafted by the dragon to lure adventurers in. When the dragon had died, the illusion died with it.

Lan spoke up then, and said that she could still see us as skeletons, but also saw a pile of shiny rocks beyond the slime covered passage. There was nothing else in the great room at all, so we approached the passage, and the slime with caution.  Considering the slime carefully, we saw that it covered the walls of the corridor in such a way that made it impassable. Shalev used one of the dragon's scales to try to scrape the slime away, in an attempt to create a pathway. He was successful in scraping it off of the wall, but discovered that it was dangerously corrosive, and that even the tiniest bit would eat it's way through armor, cloth, and flesh alike.

During Shalev's attempts to scrape the slime away from the walls, he discovered - much to Ishmael's keen interest - that the dragon scales would cause sparks when they scratched against the walls. Ishmael took a few moments to try to discern what the wall was made of, but only succeeded in damaging the tool that he used to pry pieces off. The wall was virtually indestructible, and Ishmael swore and muttered under his breath when it became apparent that he would not be able to take away a piece of the strange material. 

It was Ishmael who discovered then that the slime retreated away from the skin of the dragon. With this revelation in mind, the party tried to find additional ways to clear the corridor safely. Ishmael took a section of the dragon's tail, and swung it in an arc, which caused the slime to withdraw enough for us to see the corridor clearly. We fashioned rudimentary shovels out of the dragon skin, and used these to clear a safe path into the adjoining chamber. 

The room beyond held the treasure we had seen in glimpse before, although not nearly so much as the illusion originally showed. There was a pile of copper and silver coins which the dragon used as bedding, and scattered around the room were a collection of various items:

• A suit of armor, still containing the gooey remains of the unfortunate adventurer who wore it previously. 
• a crushed holy symbol of Ma'at, bent possibly beyond repair
• a flail
• a sword bearing the mark of a set of scales holding a heart and a feather - the symbol of Ma'at
• a moldy spell book
• a moldy scroll case
• a tattered and shredded cloak containing an old potion bearing an image of a fire breathing dragon
• a crumbling satchel containing an old potion bearing the image of a man standing in front of a seated dragon
• 100 thumb sized sapphires
• 20 thumb sized aquamarines
• 30 thumb sized tourmalines
• 35 thumb sized emeralds
• 10 pieces of robin's egg sized black coral with gold centers

Lan's eyes lit up when she saw the black coral, and she said that it was a highly prized gemstone in the northern icelands where she comes from. Fife asked for a gem, and when he did not specify, Shalev gave him a piece of coral and an emerald as well, when Fife requested it. Lan chimed in and asked for one as well, and he handed her a piece of it for her personal stash. The rest of the gems were placed in a satchel to keep safe until they could be appraised later.

I may ask Shalev to trade some of my platinum coins for a handful of the jewels. I admire the gemstones far more than I do coins, especially the sapphire and emeralds, because they are like a distant memory of a home almost forgotten for me. But I will agree that they are absolutely safer in his possession until we can get out of this Stygian crypt, and to a city where they can be properly appraised.

KelLyn asked to see the spell book, and carefully tried to read through the mouldering tome to see what it might contain. As soon as she touched it, however, it tore into pieces, and a Fyrewerian symbol etched into the book was broken. We looked on helplessly, as the spell released and KelLyn turned ashen. The remains of the book fell out of her hands, and she fell over then, shattering into a hundred pieces.

Lan and I gently gathered the shards together and worked to piece her back together slowly. Once we had found all of the pieces, and put them back in reasonable order, Shalev gave her a draught of pure healing, which was enough to bring her back to life. She appeared weak and woozy, but alive and whole. Shalev offered to try to repair the ruined book, and she shakily agreed, saying that it was safe to touch now that the spell had discharged. He warily took the pieces of the book into the main cave area to work in safety, with Ishmael following behind with a potion if needed. He was able to repair a small part of the book to a readable state. It described a frightening spell called Infinite Void, which would cause grievous harm if cast on someone. The power word and specifics were lost, however KelLyn said that the knowledge she had would be enough to work with. 

She then turned her attention to the moldy scroll tube, but we cautioned her to be wary, as she might not survive if she were grievously wounded again. Shalev graciously offered to help her open the scroll tube, with her explicit instruction, and she agreed. With careful instruction and careful movements, the scroll tube was opened to reveal a very old scroll written in desert common. This scroll invoked the power of the divine pantheon to banish creatures of unholy origin from a space. Protection from Unholy. 

This is something that might prove highly useful here, considering what perils and undead things we might be facing further in the dank depths of this tomb. 

KelLyn mentioned then, as we continued to pick our way through the chamber, that the armor was magical, as she could see it glowing. She agreed to use her slate to identify the benefits of the plate pieces. As she studied them, she noticed that they would shift size slightly - indicating that it would adjust to a certain degree to fit whomever wore it. After a period of time studying the armor, she was able to successfully identify it as Plate of Invulnerability. The armor was enchanted to be completely impenetrable, and would adjust itself to some degree to exactly fit the person who wore it.
She was also able to identify the flail as being enchanted to have additional accuracy. 

We all agreed that Ishmael should take his pick of the treasures we found, and he shyly asked for the armor and flail. We bade him go ahead, and he gathered up the plate armor so that he could clean it thoroughly before trying it on. Osman helped him clean the ichor off of the metal pieces, and when Ishmael tried it on, we could indeed, see the armor shift to be a better fit for it's new wearer. He exclaimed that it felt like he were barely wearing armor at all, and Shalev offered to help him test it out later on to see what it could do. Hidden in the ichor and muck was also a crushed and warped holy symbol bearing the standard of Ma'at - barely recognizable due to the damage. Shalev gently retrieved it, cleaned it, and asked Ishmael's help to repair the item, so that he may use it. As a paladin, it would only be appropriate for him to have such a symbol of office, and Ishmael agreed to aid him however he could with the repair. 

KelLyn then turned to the sword, and Shalev cautioned her not to touch it, remembering the damage Ma'at caused to her the last time she touched a holy item. KelLyn looked annoyed, but vaguely grateful for the warning, and managed to work her slate underneath the sword without touching it. She spent a long time identifying the weapon, and was finally able to do so, though the process nearly exhausted her. 

The sword was identified as a Defender - aligned as Lawful Good, and specifically in the name of Ma'at. KelLyn said then that she was done, and needed time to recover her energy before anything else could be identified. We agreed to rest here, seeing as the room had only one entrance, and was easily defensible. 

Shalev looked at the sword with a little bit of trepidation then, and spent time lost in contemplation of what lay before him. I know that the path of Ma'at has not been an easy one for him at times, but it does seem that his goddess has sent him some clear signs lately of what he needs to do. 

I left him to his thoughts, and spent some time examining the area in the main cavern behind the shell curtain. The walls here were covered with carvings which depicted murals of the legends of the Lizard King. Images of battle between men and lizard men, a towering figure wearing a jagged crown, kneeling in front of a carved bas relief of a crouching, snarling demonic figure. The bas relief has a darkly stained altar stone in front of it, but I was unable to get close enough to examine it further, as the carcass of the dragon lay between the statue and the stone. 

I returned to the inner chamber then, in time to see Shalev on his knees, holding the sword in his hands. He radiated Presence in a way that was entirely indisputable and definite. He almost glowed with power. When I had walked out to explore, it seems, the rest of the party had urged him to take up the sword. He protested, reminding them that he had recently been told by Ma'at that he would be punished if he died in his current state - due to an evil act that he had done. They apparently insisted, and he caved to their request, and took up the sword. The action took him to his knees, burning his hand significantly, and causing a wave of power to emanate out from him in a wave. 

He stood then, shining with faith, and tried out his new power, casting a Detect Evil on the area. He discovered that there was a spot underground, just behind the altar where I had explored moments before. Apparently there was a hidden flight of stairs that had three lizard men waiting at the bottom. We decided to wait until morning to venture down below, and felt safe in our rest, knowing that the heavy carcass of the dead dragon covered the stairs and prevented anything from emerging. 

Later that evening, as I helped him bandage his wounded hand, he confided in me that Ma'at had come to him in his mind to tell him that if he thought he was ready, then so be it. He told me of the new abilities that he was granted with his new position, and of his continued uncertainty that he was the right person for the task Ma'at had given. He elected to keep the wound to his hand, letting it scar, as a reminder. He told me too, that the entire conversation with his goddess took only a heartbeat, and at that moment when he touched the blade, she granted him the power I had felt radiating off of him in waves. 

I gave him some salve for the burn in his hand, and cautioned that he would need to continue to stretch and use the muscles as they healed, lest the scar tissue stiffen and impair his grip. I am proud of him for following this path, and pleased to see that his goddess does answer him - though not always in the way he expects her to. This role suits him well, and I think, as he becomes more comfortable with the concept of balance, he will too become more comfortable in his role as Paladin. 

The party rested well that evening in the main cavern, and began to make final preparations to head down into the slimy deeps and unmapped tunnels below us. We ate well and rested long, gathered items, tending hurts, and repairing armor and weaponry as we could.

The next morning, we discovered that all of the copper and silver coins had disappeared entirely, though strangely only the coins that we had gathered from the hoard. All of the coins that we had on us previously, as well as the platinum coins, gems, and jewelry remained untouched. We also took wary note of the slime now once again covered the corridor to the inner chamber, as well as marking of the fact that it had spread slowly out to the walls to the main cavern as well. We drug the carcass of the dragon aside to reveal the door to the lower stair case. With Lan's new unique ability to see the skeletons, and Shalev's new ability to detect evil, we were aware of the three lizard men waiting below. With all of the noise that moving the carcass of the dragon caused, it would have been foolish to think that they were unaware of us. 

Ishmael opened the stone covering to the stairs, and three lizard men began the climb up, grumbling about the late arrival of their replacement watch. It was their last mistake. Shalev gave them no chance to even make a sound, killing them all with the quick, deadly efficiency of a warrior testing a new strength. They carried nothing at all on them, so we moved the bodies aside into the shadows, and made our way down the stairs and to a closed door. 

Ishmael and Shalev took point, with Osman in the center, carrying a torch. Fife and I followed, he with a spear at the ready, and I with bow knocked. Lan was behind us, also carrying a torch, and Kellyn and Tobias took rear guard against attack. 

The door opened to another corridor, and a set of closed double doors. Those doors opened to a large room with doors to the left, right, and straight ahead; and a group of 10 people in armor, who immediately bolted in fright towards the exits shouting out that they were being invaded. These bore no signs of being trained warriors or guards, and were most likely set there to shout warning to anything further in. 

Ishmael and Tobias ran to block the doorways to the left and straight ahead, and Fife threw a spear with deadly accuracy to block the way to the right. KelLyn began casting a spell, but it went wrong, and her pouch of stargems exploded, wounding everyone around her, including Fife and I. 

Shalev engaged the bandits to the left, Osman and I used arrows, and Tobias used his skills at brawling to take care of the rest. Two of them managed to escape under the spear blocking the right hand door, and ran out of sight, screaming. Their cries were abruptly cut off, and Shalev spoke quietly to say that the main source of the evil was off to the right.  Lan used her new sight to look ahead a way, and said that she saw 3-4 enemies off to the left. The party decided, after some deliberation, to barricade the doors to the right and rear of the room, and proceed to the left, preferring not to leave enemies behind us in such a treacherous place. Shalev used his Detect spell once again to confirm the presence of enemies, and 

Instead of 3-4 enemies, however, we encountered a group of 6. Dark robed, and chanting, these figures were attempting a summoning spell. Shalev, without hesitation, cast Dispel Evil to interrupt whatever dread thing they may have been trying to call up. One of the figures turned then, and said clearly "Kill the paladin first!", and drew a black mace to engage. Shalev used his abilities to dodge the incoming attacks, and they turned then to engage Fife and Ishmael. 

Lan and Osman both began summoning, at the same time, and it was with a tremor of uneasiness that I realized they both could summon fae. They complete their call, and a lady in white appeared, asking "Who is pregnant?" She and Lan have a brief conversation in the language of the fairy folk, and lan points to one of the cloaked figures who had drawn a hammer. Lan then handed her the warding stone that she had been given earlier during the battle with the dragon, and the White Lady appears to agree with the bargain struck. 

One of the dread priests wielding a mace swung at Ishmael, hitting him with resounding force. Ishmael's new armor allowed him to shrug off the blow, and then he returned the stroke, using his flail to similar effect. They both blinked at one another, shaking their heads simultaneously, and then engaged again. 

The other priest attacked Fife, and Fife used his deadly skill with a spear to stab him through the mouth, taking him out of the fight but not killing him. 

Two of the dread priests began to cast a spell, and Fife took action to spear one of them through the throat. KelLyn cast a spell on a second spear, and Fife aimed that one at the one who had first issued the commands, spearing him in the mouth. A spell goes off - whether it was KelLyn's, or the enemy priest's I will never know - and a massive wave of cold washes through the room. Shalev's armor protected him, deflecting the power of the spell around him like a river around a solid stone. Unfortunately, in deflecting the spell, it hit both Fife and I. We were both wounded previously when KelLyn's spell went awry, and it was enough to knock me unconscious. 

Amit moved, growling fiercely, to guard my unconscious body, and Lan used her abilities to check my wounds. 

The rest of the battle I learned about as Shalev, Tobias, and the rest of the party related it to me over the fires that evening. 

The leader of the dread priests commanded them again, to kill the paladin, and turned in time to see the White Lady touch the hammer-wielder that Ishmael faced, turning him into a frog. Shalev wasted no time and stepped in to stab the frog and kill it. 

Osman fired an arrow at one of the priests who was in the middle of casting a spell. Tobias used his speed to rush the other spell caster in the rear of the group, but was knocked flying back because of a reflection spell that they had successfully cast earlier. Fife threw a spear then, and was also taken out with the same reflection spell. 

Ishmael and Shalev moved in to engage the remaining enemies, and Tobias also ran back into the fray, wielding his sword. Shalev took out one of the mace wielders, and Tobias took out the other caster with a solid blow to the face. 

Ishmael went after the remaining caster near the back of the room, and KelLyn -who had been casting a spell - released her magic to chaos, causing one of the priests that Fife had speared earlier to disintegrate into dust. Shalev engaged the leader of the group then, who cast a spell causing a wave of fear to sweep through the room. 

Shalev, however, used his brooch to ignore the effects of the spell. He looked at his enemy with some amusement at the attempt before stabbing the dread priest in the face with his holy sword. 

Once all of the dread priests were dead, Fife and I were carried into the room, and the bodies of the priests were searched to find:

1 - a ring, a scroll, hammer, armor- highly damaged
2 - a ring, plate armor, mace
3 - chain mail, mace
4 - chain mail, scroll
5 - a staff
6 - chain mail, mace

and 117 gold pieces between them. 

Lan gave me a healing potion, but I remained unconscious for a time. Since I was still being fiercely guarded by Amit, who refused to let anyone near me, Lan turned to Fife. she gave him a healing potion as well, which was enough to bring him back to full health. 

Surrounded by unknown enemies and unknown powers, and a definite, lurking evil, we will rest here. Guarded and wary, we will continue to recuperate. I think before we proceed any further, I will see what blessings my god and goddess might be willing to provide. I tremble to think of what we might still be facing, and know that any advantage the divine might be able to grant us would be welcome.  

More of Cora's thoughts and observations regarding Balance

Dyro Dduw dy Nawdd;

Ag yn nawdd, nerth;

Ag yn nerth, Deall;

Ag yn Neall, Gwybod;

Ac yngwybod, gwybod y cyfiawn

Ag yngwybod y cyfiawn, i garu;

Ag o garu, caru pob hanfod;

Ag ymhob Hanfod, caru Duw.

Duw a phob Daioni.

___________________________________________________________
Grant, Divinity thy protection
And in Protection, Strength;
And in Strength, Understanding;
And in Understanding, Knowledge;
And in Knowledge, the Knowledge of Justice:
And in the Knowledge of Justice, the Love of it;
And in the Love of it, the Love of All Existences;
And in the Love of All Existences, the Love of Divinity.
_____________________________________________________________

The first word of the prayer is "Grant" so this is about asking for a boon, a gift. And the root gift from which everything else flows in this prayer is Protection. Protection is a first order need which must be met in order to allow "understanding" to flower.

What follows is a series of "one thing leads to another." 

The seed of protection opens and blossoms into... strength. Each subsequent gift flows from the one before, like a series of water bowls positioned one above the other so that the one above pours into and fills the next below and so on. 

Or perhaps we could think of them as concentric ripples on the water's surface: Protection at the centerpoint, the others flowing outward, each still partaking of Protection, but each gift like a different crest of that pattern of waves...

And in Protection Strength...

It might give us strength of body, of course, if we think of how peace and safety are the roots of a productive life, necessary for raising healthy food and attending to our bodies. However, it seems to me particularly to suggest strength of character, a spiritual strength that permits us to grow, the inherent strength of the Oak tree rising tall toward the Sky, delving deep in the Earth, drawing up the Waters of the Land to transform them into Life.

Strength can also be thought of as the basis for life and survival. It is our fundamental sense of security -- that first order need. But it isn't only security, it is also activity. Strength is set off here as distinct from Protection, and so, we receive the gift of divine protection that allows us to develop in such a way that we can protect ourselves and go forth into the world to slay our dragons. 

Strength is often thought of as a warrior virtue. The Warriors - such as Shalev, for example, are the elite and their strength was not only the bodily strength of the farmer and smith. It joined those two strengths into bravery - the ability to face danger and challenge unflinchingly and persevere. 

And in Strength Understanding...

Again, the verb operating throughout the prayer is "Grant" We are granted the boon of protection, which leads to strength, and now this strength gives birth to understanding. Both of body and of character with skill and training to be fearless. Strength, thus prepares us for anything, it is the prerequisite to all kinds of training, and training is the remarkable thing that sets us apart. We are like the beasts in being born with certain abilities and talents, but we can also be trained, educated, and our skills honed far beyond what comes naturally.

One doesn't usually think of strength leading to understanding. But here again, I think the former lays the foundation for the next. Strength is physical and moral strength, the ability to act, to stand up for oneself and one's principles, to engage the world and wrestle with challenges. -- nobility might be another word for it -- the ability to be powerful and to use power wisely and with justice.

So, in Strength [grant] Understanding. What exactly is understanding and why does it come before Knowledge? This puzzled me at first. Doesn't one accumulate Knowledge and then arrive at understanding of how things work?

Understanding is like another sort of Strength. Built upon strength of body, mind, and character, this new power is the power of reason, insight, intuition -- the ability to see patterns in the world around us, to solve problems, to see cause and effect, to envision complex systems. Creating meaning out of the raw materials of experience. We reason create discourses to explain to ourselves the meaning of what we perceive, and what we imagine. 

And in Knowledge, the Knowledge of Justice...

What is Justice anyway? Sometimes we think of it as punishment, or the doling out of punishment to wrong-doers. But the flip side of that notion of Justice is that Justice, were it to rule everyone's heart would result in no wrong-doing. Were Justice to prevail in society as an abstract spirit of god (rather than as a secular system or institution of courts and judges), we would administer it to ourselves before we did any injustice. 

Judgment in this sense means perception, and when guided by wisdom, brings about harmony and balance - that is, I'm not making choices that are extreme or inappropriate when I'm aware of the balance of things. This the middle path of balance between the extremes.

Justice also means I may choose to accept the duty to work for justice and fairness - balance, harmony - for others, for the environment, etc. Justice thus will mean service, doing for others, for the earth, to bring about fairness and harmony. Doing service to others is only helpful for them and a growth process for me when I do it willingly and with commitment and free choice, not out of guilt or feeling 'I should do it" - freely given.

To seek balance is to seek a personal code of ethics. To strive for it, think and meditate about it and most of all, to try and apply the conclusions of the search in everyday life. 

When I conceive of 'justice' as 'balance', and then look at nature, I see that the cycle of life - birth, growth, renewal/conception of new life, and finally, breakdown, leading to death/destruction - is the balance of nature. Is the breakdown and destruction justice? do we find it positive in it? It's surely a natural part of life, basic in nature. 

 Judging people harshly just because they annoy your or you are angry, is not really the sort of justice we want, even if it is technically "just". 

Knowledge of justice to me means knowing that actions have consequences and accepting this, of knowing that we each impact the world around us by simply being here and that we must understand and accept this and attempt that influence to be in the best possible way. 

The love of justice...of balance... is to be completely accepting of this, to love it for what it makes us do and say, to love the world around us because we constantly care for it and to love that which creates this sense of justice within us. 

To realize that by embracing justice we embrace the idea that we are responsible for our actions, that we are not controlled by fate at this level but that we choose what to do with our lives and must accept and bear the consequences of that.