[002] A Temple and a Tomb

[Eris]

"Tell us about the scepter," pipes up Willow from the back. "The scepter of the Goblin King, Claak. Where is it and why would someone want it?"

"...and what is the Left Hand Guard?" she adds after.

Meanwhile, Naugrim remains tight-lipped and quiet as he watches the ghost.

"The Scepter of the Goblin King was interred with Saint Orlan deep within these crypts." replies the ghost, "She came to Ord's service late in her life and after taking her Priestly name performed the Miracle of the Waters where a flood was held back by the power of Ord and her service to him. While it remains buried here no Goblin has a right to call himself King of the Tribes and their shamans will refuse to crown him such."

"Saint Orlan's bodyguard from her life as a warrior were called the Left Hand Guard as each of the six warriors bore battleaxes in their left hands." the ghost tells you.

"But none of that is important! Find the book and the talisman and free us from this earthly bondage, I beg of you!"

[shaidar]

Wendel

"Don't worry sir, we will lift this curse from you."

[Rex]

Ulfgar

"Lift it we will."

[Marullus]

Speaking quietly to the others when they have left the room, Willow says, "It's a good rule to never beleive a hobgoblin's word... glad there's a dead guy to tell us more." She smiles thinly.

Naugrim also breaks his tight-lipped silence once out of earshot. "It is what comes from the ways of Ord, trying to bend the Laws... until sometimes they break. This is the risk he chose, to be honest. I would just as well dismiss him with the power of the Laws, if I could access it properly here."

(There's no other doors in the ghost room, right? I'm good with us moving on to any other door.)

[Eris]

Ulfgar

"Lift it we will."

The ghost emits a soft sigh saying, "I will rest here until it is time to go. For what good it will do I give you my Blessings!"

The ghost begins to fade and fall back toward the ruined body on the body. You can hear murmurs that sound like, "Fare thee well! Fare thee well! Fare thee well!" before the room is silent as a tomb.

[Rex]

Ulfgar

Ulfgar backs out of the room. "Seems we know better our situation now then before. And no way are we giving that scepter to the hobgoblins or goblins. We will need a plan at some point."

[shaidar]

Wendel

"That poor man is trapped because of the hobgoblins, he is a victim here. It seems unfair to want to condemn his soul for some others actions. So, there is another door to try then we need to look at the altar and the magic there. I was always thinking that we might need to work out a way to give the what they wanted, now it becomes clear."

[Eris]

Wendel

"That poor man is trapped because of the hobgoblins, he is a victim here. It seems unfair to want to condemn his soul for some others actions. So, there is another door to try then we need to look at the altar and the magic there. I was always thinking that we might need to work out a way to give the what they wanted, now it becomes clear."

Black Wolf grunts, "Never liked those Hobgoblins waiting to ambush us once we come out with their Scepter, either. Yeah, I know they said they'll let us leave and then go back where they came from, but if you believe that I have a beautiful estate in the Misty Swamps to sell you!"

"And now that I think about it, we may have another problem with them. If we defuse, or have already defused, whatever magic was keeping them out of the Temple they might come along behind us, let us do all the fighting, and take that Scepter away from us when we get it." Black Wolf says then looks at Wendel and asks, "I don't suppose, Magic Man, you got a way to block 'em from coming down that trapdoor behind us do you?'

[shaidar]

Wendel

"You have a point, Black Wolf. If we lower the spell they can enter whenever they wish. I can summon a mass of sticky webs, but it will only last a few minutes. Maybe there is another way into the cateconbs, we still have that other door to try."

[Marullus]

"We left those ghost-guards sitting in their chairs, didn't we?" pipes up Willow. "That's stopped them this far."

[Rex]

Ulfgar

"And hopefully it continues to. but, we best get to work."

[shaidar]

Fergus

"Yeah, less yapping and more doing. This room gives me the creeps, let's see what's behind the other door."

[Marullus]

OOC: Okay, you have four choices as to your next direction: north through the door with the key in the lock, south through the door that is locked but has no key in the lock, back out onto the dais and through the trap door there, or back out to the Nave and through the door in the Alcove you didn't explore. Or I guess you could try to leave the Temple entirely, but the Specters in the Vestibule (not to mention the Hobgoblins/Goblins outside) might have something to say about that.

As Ulfgar is holding all the keys, Naugrim and Willow both wait for him to pick the direction and move.

Naugrim cast Shield of Faith here and it lasts five rounds. How long is left as we move forward?

[Rex]

Ulfgar

Ulfgar moves to the closest door and starts trying keys.

[Eris]

OOC: Okay, you have four choices as to your next direction: north through the door with the key in the lock, south through the door that is locked but has no key in the lock, back out onto the dais and through the trap door there, or back out to the Nave and through the door in the Alcove you didn't explore. Or I guess you could try to leave the Temple entirely, but the Specters in the Vestibule (not to mention the Hobgoblins/Goblins outside) might have something to say about that.

As Ulfgar is holding all the keys, Naugrim and Willow both wait for him to pick the direction and move.

Naugrim cast Shield of Faith here and it lasts five rounds. How long is left as we move forward?

OOC: I'm treating the encounter with the Ghostly Priest (you never asked his name did you?) as one round. I know it was longer than 6 seconds, but <shrug> it's close enough for government work.

Which way y'all going now?

[Eris]

Ulfgar

Ulfgar moves to the closest door and starts trying keys.

OOC: That would be the one leading south out of the "Office" room.

Ulfgar goes though two keys before he fits the right one in the lock and he hears a faint click as the key turns in the lock. It sounds like a normal click for an unlocking door, but in this place it's still a bit un-nerving. If he tries to open the door now, it swings open into a long dark hall.

"Can't see a thing!" Black Wolf, who is standing just behind Ulfgar says then looking over this shoulder says, "Hey! Whoever's got the light going, we need it up here."

[Rex]

Ulfgar

Ulfgar will try and "see" into the dark hallway.

Once the light arrives he will look it over best he can.

[shaidar]

Wendel moves up behind Black Wolf, holding the light of the enchanted candelabra up high.

[Marullus]

Light:
I scrolled back. It looks like Ulfgar is the torchbearer. Naugrim provided the new torch about the same time as he cast Shield, so we should be on turn 2/10 for this torch. So... we now have two lights, Ulfgar at the front and Wendell with the enchanted candelabra at the back (which doesn't burn out and we stop counting down light turns?)

[shaidar]

The light spell lasts for an hour and I think it's brighter than a torch.