A strong odor of burnt furnishings hung in the air as Ollie and Nate dashed out of the Ebon Spire, calling to Aderian, who was possessed by the psychotic spirit of an ancient elf. They hoped he would follow them all the way to the temple of St. Orlan, but the he merely cackled. Ollie stopped to call after the madman, trying to entice him with various treasures. The ghost wasn’t interested, instead, he came up with his own quest: to find a latrine or other suitable source of filth. Ollie led him into the odoriferous where the sewage flowed in the gutters. Spying a pool of muck, Aderian ripped the bone of St. Jaludi from his belt and plunged it into the filth, really scrubbing it, desecrating the holy relic.
Now, but some chance, they were within view of the temple, and Ollie rapped loudly on the door to draw the attention of those inside. Aderian explained he would not come closer than seven yards due to some strong force coming from the temple. Instead, he said he intended to head for the river, perhaps to begin discarding valuable items. Ollie and Jerker both attempted to grapple the former pirate, but failed.
Presently, Ghevont stood in the doorway. He had some inkling that a spell might trigger a surge of magic, but he cast a spell anyway. The words of his prayer reached out through the swirling mists, enveloping Aderian in violet energy. The express on his face dropped as the ghost burst from his body, then taking the form of a translucent elf beside him. The curse was lifted, and Aderian was free.
Jerker drew his sword and slashed it through the form of the ghost. It exploded into a thousand green bolts of fire that fizzled into the mist. They all retreated into the temple for much-needed rest. After several hours (6am 9/7), Ghevont cured Aderian of his mummy rot infection.
Debate in the Temple
Inside that holy place, they debated what to do next. Ghevont argued that none of the monster factions were worthy of anything but destruction, including the golems. He was emphatic that the golems were not truly alive, did not have souls. Aderian and Ollie wanted to rush in to destroy the arcane stone, but the group did not agree to do this immediately. They walked to the forge to speak with Amalgus who seemed suspicious.
Ollie was angling to gather body parts in order to possible gain access to the arcane core when a new golem would be created. Ghevont asked Amalgus to send his forces to the spire, but the golem chief only said he’d consider it. He likely guessed this was another charade to reduce forces at the forge, though he didn’t suspect what the group were truly up to.
Denied at the forge, the group send an invisible Aderian into the spire to investigate. He found nothing but destruction. No monsters remained, only the evidence of a fiery battle.
Back at the temple, Elaria and Tienarth bent over their crystal balls. Elaria spied Ithusar in the form of a bat, flying between dark trees. She failed to see the arcane stone, but Tienarth was able to see it circled with by a fire elemental. It was a green crystal sphere with a hexagonal motif. Mist drifted from it, escaping from the room where it rested. The fire elemental swirled around, clearly a guardian. Finally, Elaria turned her attention to Kheset, seeing him once again in the chamber with the portal and the statue of the maiden. The sunfire guardian was there, too.
Still invisible, Aderian went to the forge by himself and jumped up on the roof. He stayed there for eight hours, watching. He saw golems returning to the forge carrying body parts. He had hoped to slip in through the gates, though this was impossible. Through a window, he saw a body laid out on a table, with some golems moving about.
By the toll of the bells, they knew this day was coming to close. Vigorous debate continued, as Ghevont stormed down to crypts to rest and pray. In the morning (9/8), Ghevont shared his vision of the unshackled sky.
Ghevont’s Dream
He saw the arcane stone as both a heart and a heavy, rusted anchor dragging St. Orlan into a nightmare swamp. He saw six sharp facets that bled grey mist. Around it were seven shadows of fear coiled like serpents. Somehow, the stone shattered. Seven winds blew in from the edges of the world, rushing into the ironworks. As the winds passed over the humans it pulled the grey smoke from their lungs, carrying it away. Their once-filthy bodies were cleaned. The sentient golems appeared as wondrous guardians, bathed in violet light. A blinding radiance shown from the many sutures, sealing them and leaving only faint scars. Ghevont knew this was the power of the Anointed One, that a vital spark of the divine beat in their chests.
Ghevont’s mind was changed, and he announced that he must speak with Amalgus immediately. Jerker attempted to argue against such rash action, that it would lose them any remaining element of surprise. Further, Jerker declared that he would not attempt to fight the golems. Nate concluded that the golems certainly had souls, that they have been given the opportunity to repent and that they have free will. The cleric and the paladin marched over to the forge.
At the gates, Carnelius was reluctant at first to admit Ghevont. What more could the party say to the golems? Ghevont said he had an important message and was ready to stake his life on it. He dropped his equipment, shedding his armor. Nate followed this lead. And by this token, the two were admitted to an audience with Amalgus.
Inside, Ghevont shared his dream and his testimony. His belief about the golems had reversed, but he also argued that the arcane stone must be destroyed for the sake of the mortals of St. Orlan. Amalgus was ambivalent at first, conflicted. Then he knelt in prayer, saying that he wanted to believe. And moments later, he rose with conviction. He bid them to follow him to the core, and presently there were at the fiery chamber. The mightly golem plunged himself into the fires of the elemental, greatly slowing as he approached the core.
With some mighty effort, he grasped the core, raised it above his head and smashed it to the floor. Immediately, an intense violet light radiated from the shattered core. A wave of energy escaped the room, the forge and the town itself. As in the dream, strong winds coursed over the town, blowing away the mist.
Outside of the forge, the Raiders saw the townspeople invigorated. In the distance, they heard cries of despair as the sun shown down on St. Orlan and its environs once again. These they took to be the destruction of vampires taken unaware.
Inside the forge and elsewhere, the sentient golems, those called The Awoken, were transformed as in the dream. They were still made of various parts, but ragged sutures were now sealed. Unfortunately, the ordinary golems had collapsed into disordered piles of flesh, undone by the last magical surge of the arcane core.
End Notes
- Days
- 9/6 – 9/8 Inside the mists and destroying the arcane core
- 9/9 – 1/9 Rushing across the expanse of time as the mists dissipated
- Treasure: none
- Combat:
- Odeum 280 xp
- Arcane Stone destroyed: 120,000 xp
- Characters (7 shares of 20,047 xp)
- Aderian 22052 xp
- Elaria 10024 xp
- Ghevont 22052 xp
- Jerker 22052 xp
- Nate 22052 xp
- Ollie 20047 xp
- Tienarth 10024 xp