The
group waits a few more days for their compatriots, as they hope will
find their way back to town. At the same they realize many other
adventuring teams are returning into the spire; some large
contingents, with powerful steeds or walking golem-horses. They all
seem to find a home for a few days, some of the smallest in an
alleyway, hotel or tavern. Large military units, many with hundreds
of volunteers that spend most of their days on the back roads, set up
camps just outside the town.
Each
of the units seem to designate a few of their members to go to the
Fountain, some to sing or make a silent prayer or just stand in
honoring someone who once walked. These units, drop something,
coins, alcohol or other momento to represent something to their
units. If you were to watch here just that early morning, one would
be tricked that the offerings would drown the water even if for a few
seconds. The water subsides and as it does the piles of coins sink
low, so too with the men, as they did what they must and moved on.
Most
of the party watches the goings on. None realized the mass of
travelers and professional warriors that would be here...the sleepy
spire town wasn't just alone here in the desert, though it felt like
it earlier on in the week. Each party member did as they always did;
the psionicist in meditation, the rogue skulking to watch over her
party, the paladin with an eye on the fountain and speaking with
youth, Galdahad in flight among her avian kin, Maza the Halfling
ranger with a small group of city beasts and Arun, retreated to the
Sphinx library, with another burning research subject in his mind.
Arlel
with her small contingent made the first steps back in to town long
before she had originally planned, hoping that her friends truly did
make it here. The sight of the Phaetox flying high in the marketplace
was a relief, she was always the first and easiest to spot. They
connect, and bring together the rest of the team. Dassadar walks
slowly over, making no attempt to hide his detect evil casting on
Arlel and the rest of her group, and finding no hint of malice. The
young cleric certainly recognizes his actions but says nothing, as a
swarm of introductions to old and new comrades commence.
One
of Arlel's newest allies is the tall, high pitched voiced, incredibly
well dressed figure with an effusively charismatic personality,
carrying many musical instruments at his beck and even more
surprisingly an actual halo on his shining round his angelic head.
Zelos tells them they have much to discuss, not just in one mission
but one of their colleagues, Arun who is cursed or quite possibly his
primary bond is not what it seems to be.
They
go straightaway to Arlel's apartment to lay down the known details.
They are all a little surprised, the rooms are clean, except for her
two mirrors, completely splinterered. Unsure of what this means, they
search the rooms and area before they continue sharing information.
Arlel
elaborates on what she found not just in the library but in the
streets and taverns, legends of powerful items hidden in the
pyramids. The local tales speak in particular of an elaborate
sarcopogus built for a Raja, able to rebuild & restore both
people and objects, if they are adored. Her research shows its most
likely resting spot, undisturbed because each team was unclear on its
final location. She believes this group, is strong enough to return
this artifact to civilization. The fountain portal will lead them
there, but the gateway she opened will only last another six hours or
they need to find another way back to the pyramid.
So
too, Zelos bears legends, but not of an item lost in the sands, but
of grief. A genie or otherworldly demon he believes was inadvertently
summoned and leaving a wake of destruction. He explains that while
Arun summons the memory of a warrior it is another being that is
coming through, and he is not the only one who reaches into the
midst. Others, far nefarious, are using Gorth for their own darker
purposes, and theirs is a trail of blood, murder of heroes in their
sleep or younglings in their home, he didn't meet their kin, he
didn't need to. The story is the one that Zelos is determined to
stop.
The
group wonders if it is Gorth which was why their teleport did not
enable them to go to the Duo-Diyalla Pyramid. Dassadar expresses some
incredulity at Zelos's story, but Zelos begins telling a story of his
incredible exploits, the team loses the effort to argue with him.
Convincing them but at the same time Zelos believes he best not try
their patience or trust too often; Dassadar especially (DM's hint:
spells or other tricks on other party members work in moderation, at
a certain point PCs will gain immunity.)
They
concoct a loose plan of trying to get their friend to summon his
servant though not capturing him in a way that could limit him until
they determine how exactly they can fully deal with him. Wanting to
meet Arun outside of town, they call him, but the scholars in the
library reveal he is no longer around. The group does a search they
find no sign, and nobody remember where he exactly went to. They find
the old lore books he was studying, stories told of great past rogues
and scoundrels who went on both desert and Sea of Stones quests. The
last book he was reading, left open to the picture of "Raibasghi"
a well known desert scoundrel long renowned for coming back from the
desert wastes with treasure and magical trinkets; this was one of
Arlel's heroes she was delving into. The party wonders if Arun left
to go hunting, or, if somehow Gorth was able to take control. They
rush out out to look for their ally.
Using
his mind-scanning, Hervandos is able to track down Arun, finding him
in a tavern, surrounded by dangerous looking rogues. He decides not
to
reveal their preys location to his comrades as he doesn't want them
to be sidetracked as they came to the desert to complete the mission
and prefers not to lose the quick way to the pyramids.
Realizing
their wasted efforts, the heroes refocus on their original mission,
scoping the dungeon & retrieving the sarcopogus. Zelos is torn
though, committed to both completing this task and of stopping the
killer Gorth, he wonders if he is doing the best thing.
At
the fountain, Arlel speaks her command word and they step into the
water, then through... into a huge stone room, high ceilings, and the
first site of Arlel's volunteers struggling to close an outside door
where a huge sandstorm rages. Each steps out into this large rectory,
the fountain they emerge from though grandiose in size is far from
its peak, as it has seen deterioration and even worse, barely a
trickle of water inside the grand central fountain.
As
Fesselin the rogue and Maza the druid step past each is given a
momentary flash, Fessy works up a defense, as she tries to
concentrate in her home and many positive thoughts. Maza fails and is
shocked by memories but not her own, of an eerily positive flashes of
many people here in this building in another era. The haunting images
cascade imaged laughing, playing in the midst of a bygone era when
humans, dwarves, Tenders and even elves are in this same place,
filled with water, pets,and plants. Lasting a few seconds, Maza
regains control of herself...she shares with the rest of the party,
unsure of what really happened. Arlel admits none of her soldiers
experienced this previously but again this was two Tenderfeet, she
wonders if this could be a specific trap.
The
group sees the many small statues and frescoes littered in the upper
sections of the room, mementos of religious and standard pilgrims.
They could tell it was once an eight door church rectory, but now
only the main twenty foot tall master-door was in use. A domed roof
shows a wondrous scene of angels, devils and aqua dragons flying in a
cloudy sky, other details less conspicuous are lost in the dust from
far below on the vantage point on the ground.
A
kilometer each way, two opposing pyramid complexes reign tall, one to
the left the Pyramid of Darkness; Pyramid of Righteousness to the
right, Arlel's team discovered with the help of Zelos, three hidden
passageways hidden under the sands. Two reach out in the direction of
the Pyramids and the last one opposite the entrance doorway. Over the
last five days they excavated, and found the entranceways riddled
with writings that warn of unauthorized entry and curses for theft.
The dark pyramid entrance brings shudders of cold, pain & misery;
the one of righteousness brings happy near bucolic thoughts even to
the point of mindless euphoria, both are avoided by the soldiers.
They
light their torches, choose lots and enter the passageway...
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