“Fer a bunch of low down, evil scheming cultists, they be having good taste in brandy,” Kildo commented as he sat on a wooden box, sipping a glass full of the dark liquid in the Sacred Stone Monastery stores.
Scomatch downed the remainder of his and began to pour another. “Ah, not bad indeed. Since they won’t fit in your hat of holding, it’ll be hard to transport those sixty-five cases of brandy.”
“Good idea halfling, let’s drink them before we go,” Kildo replied.
“Why do we need to go? This place might be good for our new lair. Secluded, hard to get to, and the previous owners have been evicted,” Scomatch explained.
Eyeing the halfling, Kildo glanced around the 20’ by 10’ room filled with foodstuffs and drink. Knocking on the wall’s stone, he raised his glass at the mage and smiled in agreement.
Kai and Guo Gan slightly kicked open the door to the room. Their arms strained and were full as they balanced tied sacks on top of other smaller containers. They sat them down heavily on a few boxes, each making a cheerful coin sound. They also carried a scroll tube under each of their chins.
“You two were supposed to be looking for treasure,” Kai said looking at the dwarf and halfling.
“We were and we be finding it,” Kildo said as he patted a keg and pour himself some more brandy.
“I’ll take those,” Scomatch said excitedly as he grabbed the two scroll tubes under Kai’s and Guo Gan’s chin, unrolled them and began reading. “Interesting.”
“We didn’t find anyone else in the Sacred Stone Monastery. So, if you two are sober enough, all that is left is the underground and clearing out the room with the big red ‘X’ on the door,” Kai said.
“Bah, of course we be sober. We’ve barely be putting a dent in the first keg,” Kildo replied waving the statement as ridiculous.
Exiting the winery and heading eastward, the party crossed through an 80’ by 40’ grove with a woven path through it. However, it had become overgrown and wasn’t well maintained by the cultist. Seven lifelike, carved statues of people were spread throughout as if they were enjoying the scenery. At the end of the garden was an eastern door. Curved and made of heavy wood, it appeared as a normal thick entrance, but someone had deliberately painted a red ‘X’ across its front. Kai, placing his hand on the handle, turned back to the party, who all nodded they were ready for whatever was inside.
The door ‘creaked’ in objection. It entered into a landing with stairs going down into the depths of the monastery. The room was 50’ by 40’ feet. There were three large tables covered with all manner of objects. Broken stone and refuse were in the corners and along the wall. It was hard to tell, but it seemed bones were mixed in. Whether it was humanoid or animal it was difficult to tell. Entering the room there was a thick, malevolent presence in the air, which had an almost physical manifestation.
A figure in regal finery, bright red robes was hunched over a table in study. By the frame, it seemed male. His bone-thin shoulders rose slightly as he sensed the party’s presence and stopped reading from the ancient tome. A haunting, hollow voice spoke, “I have already told you no. Now begone!”
“I haven’t asked you anything yet,” Scomatch said as he began to walk towards the sage.
Kai closed his eyes, held out his hand, and began to use his divine sense. Agony washed across the paladin’s face. “Scomatch don’t go near it!” He drew his longsword, which rang as it cleared the scabbard.
The robed figure straightened and turned. It was not a human, but an undead creature of the nether world; a lich. It was gaunt and skeletal with withered flesh stretched paper-thin across horribly visible bones, with its entire skull and front of its face heavily etched in tattoos. Eyes, the color of hard-boiled eggs, filled its eye sockets. As it moved, it seemed to glide, as if floating on water.
Screaming a battle cry, with a hint of fear adding adrenaline, Kai charged the undead.
Slashing with his magical longsword, he struck the creature. The lich backed away, but seemingly not from concern, but more like a parent retreating from a child that was swinging aimlessly about being denied something they wanted.
A low, thumping moaning emanated from the corners of the room, as spectral apparitions rose from the ground, like spirits of creatures that may have died in the room. They raced throughout. The entire party seized in pain, as the necrotic energy passed through the party.
Guo Gan sprung towards the lich, unleashing a series of blows. The undead fended off some but was struck by others. While it felt the impact, it seemed to care very little.
Kildo clutched his holy ankh of Rigga the Mother goddess, as more and more spectral phantoms emerged throughout the room and passed through their bodies. The necrotic energy sapped more of their life force. Scomatch cried out as he fell unconscious. The halfling was engulfed by the ghost-like presence. Kildo’s own body became cold and felt as if he’d never be warm again. They were not going to survive this encounter. A wave of healing rushed out from the cleric encompassing Kai and Guo Gan. It was all he could do. The fighters would need to use the renewed energy to make their escape. As a distraction, he cast, Spiritual Weapon. The ethereal blue warhammer appeared next to the lich and knocked him in the head. The dwarf then grabbed Scomatch and dragged his limp form out of the room to the grove beyond. Sighing heavily realizing he wouldn’t last another six seconds, Kildo gripped his warhammer and took a step towards the entryway into the lich’s lair. However, the bodies of Kai and Guo Gan materialized in front of him. A vial of red liquid also appeared in Scomatch’s mouth. Its contents drained down the halfling’s throat, as his eyes fluttered open.
The hollowed voice of the lich boomed, “And stay out!” The heavy door then slammed shut and loudly locked itself.
Groaning, sitting up, and holding himself for warmth, Scomatch commented, “Maybe this isn’t the best place to have as our new base of operations.”
Taking a short rest in the grotto, lighting a fire, and warming themselves from the necrotic coldness of the Lich’s lair, Kai took a drink from the recently liberated brandy.
“This isn’t too bad.”
“Right,” Kildo agree and raised his own glass. “Now that be warming the body alright.”
“So, do we make for home, or do we explore the lower levels of the monastery?” Guo Gan asked the group.
“We came here for answers and we haven’t found much, so we’d be remiss if we didn’t completely explore the monastery,” Kai said.
“I’d like to ask that lich some questions, but I think that time has long passed,” Scomatch lamented glaring at Kai.
“Alright, I know my initial reaction could have been better, but it’s a lich and I’m a paladin. What did you expect? A tea party?” Kai explained.
Reaching in the hat of holding, Kildo pulled out the ancient key obtained from Abbess Hellenrae and said, “The ancient tunnel it is then.”
Traveling back through the Umber Hulk lair, the ancient key fit smoothly into the lock barring the entrance to the deeper part of the Sacred Stone Monastery. The stone stairs were made from completely different rock and much older. It was as if the cultist structure was built on top of it. Whether to protect it or hide it was of equal probability. The stairways spiraled down and down into the deep.
Soon, the light couldn’t penetrate the entrance nor could it locate the bottom. Above and below, more and more stairs emerged. It was endless. The only sound was the flicker of their torches and boots scraping on the stone.
Placing a hand on the wall to steady himself, Kildo had to shake off the dizziness of the circling pattern. “So many stairs!”
“Wait, I think I see a landing,” Guo Gan said as the monk began to take them two at a time.
Kai breathed out heavily in a pleasing finality.
“About time. After about 2,000 stairs, ye be thinking that’d be enough to get anywhere,” Kildo snorted.
“1,576 stairs to be exact,” Scomatch said as he jumped off the last one.
A long 10’ wide corridor stretched west then turned south. It opened up to an 80’ by 50’ natural chasm, which was well over 60’ deep before darkness obscured the rest. The air was humid and hot. Water could be heard dripping and the walls looked damp. They were well below sea level and it seemed a good blow might open up the ocean and drown them all. A 10’ wide stone bridge defied gravity, as it zig-zagged across, but railings were absent and crossing a bit riskier.
Kai took his torch and dropped it over the edge. It flared as it fell and fell before reaching the bottom. Its small light illuminated back. “I’d guess its 100’ feet or more to the bottom. Be cautious crossing. We don’t need anyone Darraking-”
Interrupting Kai, Scomatch cried out, “That looks like fun!” The halfling began to run across the bridge.
“Wait, Scomatch!” Kai called back as he cautiously gave chase after the mage.
Kildo stepped a foot on the stone bridge. It seems sturdy enough to carry all their weight. Then out of the corner of his eye, he saw the shadows change in the recesses of the cavern. There was movement and the heavy flapping of wings. A rush of wind preceded three flying creatures with a grotesque, fiendish stone and statue-like appearance emerge from the darkness.
“Gargoyles!”
“Eep!” Scomatch cried out.
One gargoyle swooped towards the halfling, trying to knock the mage off the bridge, but he ducked. Missing, the creature slashed wildly with its clawed, stone-like hands, as it passed.
The other two converged on Kai. The paladin swiped with his glaive, striking the creature as it passed. The weapon bounced and reverberated painfully in the triton’s hands. Each batted at Kai with its wings also attempting to cause him to lose his balance and fall to the chasm below.
A 4” diameter sphere materialized in Scomatch’s hand. It appeared if a lightning storm was raging within. Hurling it at the gargoyle, it critically exploded right next to its ear. A massive shock wave thundered next to the creature. It screeched in pain covering its pointed stone ears.
Kai continued to swipe with his glaive at the two flying gargoyles. However, they buffered the blows with their wings.
A blue, ghost-like warhammer appeared next to the gargoyle attacking Scomatch. It slammed into its back, as Kildo remained at the head of the bridge and cast Toll the Dead. The sounds of a dolorous bell filled the air around the flying stone creature.
Racing across the bridge, Guo Gan joined Kai and attacked one of the gargoyles, as its back was turned. Punching and kicking the stone creature in the head and dazing it, the monk sent the stunned creature plummeting to the chasm floor below.
Further down the bridge, Scomatch was hard-pressed to keep the gargoyle at bay. The runt of the three, it had the same ferocity, as it tried to slash, bite, and knock the halfling off.
Meanwhile, further up the bridge, the gargoyle facing Kai flew in and began to grapple with the paladin. Claws and hands gripped around the triton’s glaive. Both strained and tested each other’s strength, as sweat and dust fell from the two. Neither would give ground. Using his opponent's weight against him, Kai bent like a reed and rolled the gargoyle over his shoulder to the ground. Raising his glaive high into the air, the blade came screaming down and smashed into the stone creature’s face. It shook its head from the blow. It started to walk around the bridge in disbelief that it had been struck so hard. Kai slashed again, striking the gargoyle in the face. At the blow, the creature stood straight up to its full height and shook its head. It then pointed its clawed finger at the paladin.
Glancing at his glaive and the enraged gargoyle, Kai drew his magical longsword as it flew at him. The beast impaled himself on the blade. Radiant damage glowed from the weapon as the creature exploded, pelting the paladin’s plate armor with stone fragments.
Coughing out dust, he then began to run southwards across the bridge towards the gargoyle attacking Scomatch.
Another orb, green in color, formed in Scomatch’s hands. He threw it, but the gargoyle swooped up and missed as it also failed to knock the halfling off into the chasm. It struck the stone bridge and upon breaking, sizzled on the ground as vapors rose.
Kildo’s spiritual hammer struck the side of the flying gargoyle, as dolorous bells continued to ring around its ears. It reeled in the air from the cleric’s attacks but continued to flap its wings and stay aloft.
A voice, like the sound of boulders, came from below. “Remember me, flesh slug?” The gargoyle Guo Gan had stunned earlier flapped and rose up from below. Clawed hands wrapped around the monk’s ankles, as he was yanked off the bridge and flung towards the cavern wall.
Righting himself in midair, Guo Gan unable to defeat gravity ran, slid, and hopped from one small ledge to the other down the entire 100’ drop to the chasm floor below unharmed. Brushing himself off, the monk walked over and picked up the dropped torch from Kai. His feet crunched as he traveled. Shining the light at his feet, the floor was littered with bones, skeletons, a corpse or two, and what appeared to be at least a couple of dead gargoyles. However, everything had been deceased for some time. He was more than ready to leave this boneyard.
The gargoyle runt rose into the air and flew straight at Scomatch. The halfling mage threw a fire bolt, but it sailed past. Kildo’s spiritual hammer attempted to strike it, but the creature was flying too fast and missed. The gargoyle rammed into the halfling booting him clear off the bridge.
Falling for the briefest of moments, Scomatch then began to feather fall down. However, six seconds later, the mage was surrounded by silvery mist and reappeared on top of the bridge. The halfling brushed himself off.
Dumbfounded at the magical display, the small gargoyle failed to see Kai approach from behind until the last second. Turning, the paladin plunged his magical longsword through the creature’s stomach. It crumbled into dust.
Screeching in rage, the last gargoyle that had pulled Guo Gan from the ledge flew up and fled to the west into darkness.
Scoffing, Kildo carefully crossed the bridge to join the others. They all peered over the bridge and saw the faint light of Kai’s torch in the hands of Guo Gan. They were all relieved he was still alive and unharmed in the pit below.
Kai dusted his hands off and then said, “Alright, let’s pull him up.” However, the paladin was met with blank stares and cringing expressions.
“Seriously, no one has rope?”
02/12/2022 – Sacred Stone Monastery Treasure
· 65 pp
· 375 gp
· 800 sp
· 65 Sacred Stone brandy labeled casks
· 12 pieces of turquois 10 gp each – Total 120 gp
· 10 potions of greater healing
· Scroll Erupting Earth
· Scroll Dust Devil
Party Split:
· 65 pp / 4 = 16 pp
· 495 gp / 4 = 123 gp
· 800 sp / 4 = 200 sp
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