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Risdac tosses a stone into the black. It turns jet black even before it lands.

"Hell," says Brother Maercal, and it's not clear whether he's reacting or simply repeating the location of his god's temple. He frowns at the black spot, shaking his head. You wonder what you're supposed to do now—how does one track down a temple in Hell?

"Semita iustitiae luce videri potest permittere - Templum Neheod," says Malibran, praying for knowledge of the path to the Temple of Neheod.

The results are...odd. The idea of suicide appears in his mind as the most direct route to Hell, then is wiped from his mind like chalk from a blackboard. Other ideas appear and are similarly erased: plane shifting, teleporting, and other magical means of transporting oneself across planes are all momentarily suggested and dispensed with. He feels an increasing sense of confused searching for something that is not there and perhaps never was. Then there is nothing. No path presents itself. Even Pholtus, it seems, does not know how to reach the Temple of Neheod.

"Nothing, huh?" says Brother Maercal, wiping his brow with the sleeve of his robe. "That's what everyone gets. Sages, wizards—they come by, try their spells, shake their heads, and wander off muttering. No one can figure out where the temple is except that it's in Hell and you can't get there from here." He shakes his head sadly. "But the temple was taken only hours ago. Perhaps one of the sages or wizards will come up with something. Or maybe you will." He doesn't sound hopeful.

The Unseen Servant:

Untroubled eyes observing the black crater, the serene master of spring softly repeats, "The obstacle is the path."

Then: "Perhaps the portal that brought the church to Hell is still open? Could one of you locate this blossom were it to journey to Pandemonium?"

If any of his friends answer in the affirmative, and cast an appropriate spell, the humble sensei will let the blossom gently fall from his hand into the center of the smoking pit.

The pit is about 250' wide. A person would need to enter the pit and walk 120' or so to be able to drop anything in its center.

Will the Unseen Servant go for a walk in the deadly black pit?

Hallagad surveys the smoldering crater in front of him. What a shit show he thinks to himself. As a reflex, he focuses on the crater to determine if evil emanates from within. And if it emanates from those around him.

I'm going to have to send a message back home he thinks to himself. They should not expect me for some time.

Malibran cautions the Unseen Servant, "My good sir, I urge caution with that fell blackness. It seems to me a scar upon the land, by the evidence of what we see, not a gate to the nether regions."

He then asks, "Brother Maercal, you mention that sages and other wizards have attempted to glean what knowledge they can - where are these nobles now? I would speak with them and learn what they know for clues on where to venture next!"

Hallagad concentrates on the large black crater. It radiates a strong evil. His companions and the cleric in front of him, he is not surprised to learn, do not. Borther Maercal gives him a sharp look—a blatant detection of evil, on a Brother of Neheod no less, is a rather serious faux pas. But Brother Maercal swallows his objection. (Whether any of the party members want to correct the paladin on his breach of etiquette is up to you. )

"You may want to talk to Roris Marini," Brother Maercal says in answer to Malibran. "She's the expert in outer planar lore. She has been poring through her books since this morning, looking for any information about what happened. The wizards are best left to themselves for the moment. You know how cranky wizards get when their spells and researches are interrupted." He glances quickly at Odilo and Risdac. "Erm, no offense."

He stares at the dark pit in the ground where his temple used to be. "I regret that I am unable to offer you food, wine, or shelter. What we had seems to have gone all to Hell," he sighs. "But any tavern or inn would serve you for free, I'm sure, just to be able to say you ate and stayed there. The Crown & Scepter Inn on Regent street is suitable for men of your station. They have excellent ale, and their wines are brought in from the Pellenor vineyards. So I'm told, anyway."

"If you are done here, I will take you to Roris."

Xale Mav; Dwarven Warrior-Priest of Dalt


Xale takes his Gem of Seeing out and puts it to his eye as he scans the pit....

Tanner

The old warrior says nothing, merely scratches his facial scar, a thoughtful look obn his face.

Odilo looks to Hallagad "None taken, you are quite correct I get quite irate when my casting or even my studying is interrupted." then looking at the black vile looking scare on the land where the church was and eyeing the Unseen Servant "The assumption is quite correct you shouldn't go out there I saw how that rock reacted and it didn't even hit the ground if you wish your own perilous doom then by all means continue but I'd warn you strongly against it for it will be most fatal."

The Unseen Servant:

ravenn4544 wrote:Malibran cautions the Unseen Servant, "My good sir, I urge caution with that fell blackness. It seems to me a scar upon the land, by the evidence of what we see, not a gate to the nether regions."

GreyWolfVT wrote:Odilo "The assumption is quite correct you shouldn't go out there I saw how that rock reacted and it didn't even hit the ground if you wish your own perilous doom then by all means continue but I'd warn you strongly against it for it will be most fatal."

"Perhaps, my friends," replies the master of spring with childlike simplicity. "And yet, I can smell perdition from here."

He humbly asks the paladin and the clerics. "Are any of you able to clearly see* whether our entering the crater merely kills us... or transports us to Hell in aid of our quest?"


*With the spell 'Augury,' perhaps?

Xale puts his gem of seeing to his eye. Carefully scanning the black pit in the middle of a green lawn, he sees: a black pit in the middle of a green lawn.

"I had not the foresight to pray for such enlightenment" replies Hallagad. "Let us speak with Roris. If need be we can consult higher powers tomorrow."

Along the way, Hallagad will try to discreetly 'apologize' to Brother Maercal. "We have information that a mortal was involved. I'm sure you understand." He claps the brother on the shoulder.

Tanner

What do you know about Roris? Is there a chance she was involved in this disaster?

With nothing left to learn at the scene of the crime, you follow Brother Maercal down the hill toward the east side of town along a cobble-paved street lined with shops. "No hard feelings," he tells Hallagad. "These are unusual times."

"What do you know about Roris?" asks Tanner. "Is there a chance she was involved in this disaster?"

You nearly walk into Brother Maercal when he stops short, taken aback. "What? No! Why would you think that?" he says. "She's studied the lower planes, but that doesn't make her a fan," he adds, continuing down the street.

After a few minutes and a couple of turns, you reach a two-story brick house with a heavy wooden door. An iron knocker in the shape of a woman's head is in the middle of the door. Brother Maercal raps the knocker twice. After a few moments, a thin elderly man answers the door. He looks cranky, and his hair is mussed, as if he has just woken from a nap.

"Go away!" he demands. "The mistress is quite busy with her—oh, hello, Brother. Lords." The gentleman's demeanor softens. "I apologize. Mistress Marini gave specific instructions not to be bothered unless it is important." He waves a hand at the white-robed Brother of Neheod and his escort of notables. "But I'd say you qualify. Please come in."

He takes you to Roris's study. The large room, which might have been a grand dining hall or ballroom if the house had a different occupant, is filled with books. Shelves full of books line all the walls. Reading chairs, tables, benches and most of the floor are also covered with books, stacked five or six high high in places. Some of the books are open, some have makeshift bookmarks—a dagger here, a scrollcase there, and lots of small rocks and nick-knacks everywhere. In the middle of the room is a large table, also covered in books. On the other side of the table behind the piles of books you can just make out the top of a woman's head.

"What? Who is it?" she asks, wiry brown hair and spectacles peering at you over her stack of books. You figure her to be somewhere around forty. "Oh! You must be the lads who are going to bring the temple back and save Vorkath's soul, aren't you? Please, have a seat and tell me what you want to know. Oh, wait—no, don't move that!" she says as Brother Maercal reaches toward a book on the nearest chair. "I know it looks a mess, but I have a system. Maybe you'd better just stand," she says with an apologetic shrug.

Risdac Egargi

The mage begins scanning the volumes on the shelves. Finding one that catches his interest, he pulls it out and starts reading.

Odilo can't help but browse the volumes "This system of organization looks a lot like mine."

The Unseen Servant, master of spring:

Zhym wrote: "Oh! You must be the lads who are going to bring the temple back and save Vorkath's soul, aren't you? Please, have a seat and tell me what you want to know. Oh, wait—no, don't move that!"
"I know it looks a mess, but I have a system. Maybe you'd better just stand."

The humble sensei quietly observes the innumerable symptoms of Miss Roris' unhealthy addiction to attachments of the physical world. Her poor brain is clearly overrun, distracted, freighted and fettered with knowledge and all its terrible demands.

Instead of being master of her mind, she has been mastered by her mind.

"Can you tell us how we may rescue Vorkath's soul?" the monk asks with childlike simplicity.

Tanner

When Brother Maercal reacts to his question, Tanner shrugs. We must consider all the possibilities- even if they point us to ideas we don't like.

In the study, Tanner stands off to one side, looking around. He nods in admiration at the woman's collection of texts.

Odilo raises an eyebrow questioningly then raises his left hand with just the index finger raised "A question arises in me how prey will we survive in the hells? Also how do we know that our items upon us will not burst into flames that or even ourselves upon entering the place? How do we know the people in the church even survived being pulled into the hells?"

Malibran stands waiting - his cloak weaving around him with a shimmering effect seemingly showing him in several places at once- to hear what wisdom the old sage can provide....