The party had entered the Hall of Seven Pillars. We paid our “tax” to security. We were free to move about the cabin/cavern. We were also filthy, stinking, exhausted, bloody, and wounded.

Preamble#

There were webs everywhere, though not in the secret room at (C), where it was spotless, no dust. Gonchar pushed the gray gems into the appropriate openings in the room. There was a slot in each of the four corners. As soon as he slid the 4th gem into place, a yellow, glowing field appeared on the floor along the eastern wall. Immediately, a disembodied voice was heard to say:

Having more or less successfully crossed the bridge we arrived at the door into Pippen’s chamber to find it blocked somehow. Cathal smashed his way through and we re-entered Pippen’s room. Inside we found Ilierann - dead and drained, with his throat ripped out. His floating bag had disappeared or been taken.

We started out at the crypt entrance marked in yellow. We have something like 33 hours left until the underground river gate opens and are trying to decide what to do with the two very evil swords we found. Cathal wants nothing to do with them and tells us that anyone who picks up either one is in trouble, right away.

We rested for spells, all the while coming up with a plan to strengthen and protect Gonchar and send him into the water to fight the kraken. We came up with the following plan for Gonchar:

Kyril cast barkskin and chill metal. Tim cast invisibility, quickening, haste, strength, water breathing. Menka cast aid, prayer and resist cold.

Still in the temple of the Elder Gods. We were surrounded by a feeling of doom and woe. At the feet of each statue was a large, 3’ diameter alms bowl, though we hadn’t gotten close enough to look in them.

Flint approached the Goat With 1000 Young, with Cathal nearby for the Protection from Evil. As he got closer, he felt extremely uncomfortable. The statue was a large, humanoid black goat, surrounded by a pool of matter. The statue was glistening and the surface seemed to be moving. In the bowl he saw coins, black sapphire gems and a goat statuette, carved from ivory. It seemed to be smirking at him. Menka and Cathal looked over his shoulder.

The Dwarven Stronghold In The Mountains#

The dwarves were not part of the training fiesta, so they did what bored dwarves do. Drink. And drink some more. The Halfmoon Inn barkeep just fed them breakfast and ale when they awoke and came down, lunch and ale a few hours later, and dinner and ale 5 or 6 hours after that.

Chairs and tables in the room were laden with rancid, thawing meat. Smelled awful. There was a terrifying, multi-species sculpture along one wall. Pieces of several different animals assembled into one horrific whole. The party shuddered and left the room.

Back in the corridor, we smelled a metallic, burning odor. We could see and smell smoke leaking out around a door down the hall. Menka cured Cathal’s lighter wounds, getting him back 8 points (32). Cathal laid his hands on Gonchar in a shocking fashion, getting the dwarf back 14 points (77). We lined up around the door with the smoke creeping outward near the floor. Flint checked the door for traps, finding none. He then checked the door to the right (west) and heard someone muttering in an accent from the Isle of Many Kingdoms.

We gave Heimdell’s crowns to Harald and Maeve. Menka returned the holy symbol of Odin to Harald’s curate, Olaf Iverson.

Kyril

• 2 vials of holy water
• Oil of Fiery Burning

Cathal

• Gamred the Golden (+3 two-handed sword, double-damage vs clerics in case Menka gets mouthy, plus user can Detect Magic and Remove Fear 30’ radius 1x/day)