Just as Bratorn was completing his directions to the Shadowed Room an Imp and an Invisible Stalker appeared in the library with the party. Immediately they launched into an attack. The Imp dazed Gofin, attacked her and then went invisible. The stalker then created a dark zone and launched an attack against Alhellara. Meanwhile the party spread out to attack the creatures but Mara and Pretis ended up in the dark zone and were blinded. After one round the door opened and a Priest strode into the room attacking Demin who had moved to try and block the door. Bratorn stated that this was Hragris, his master, and leaped into the battle knowing that all was lost for him. Two more priests entered the room and caused much damage with their dagger attacks.
As the battle continued the party was sorely injured as first Demin and then Bratorn hit the floor. Pretis, Mara, Alhellara, and Gofin also were bloodied but were aided enough to recover lost hit points and stay in the battle. Melisana used Fires of Judgement and Angelic Harrier to slow down the attacks. Mara used Guardians Pounce to jump into the middle of the Priests entering the room. Alhellara was busy aiding the unconscious but found time to inflict Righteous Brand and Lance of Faith on the enemies. Demin used a poisoned dagger to hit Hragris and Lythandar peppered the enemies with Magic Missiles. Gofin placed shrouds upon her victims and then used Executioner's Noose and Smothering Shadow to inflict damage. The Stalker fell followed by the two priests. Finally Hragris hit the floor leaving only the Imp who was at last dispatched. The party took a 5 minute rest, searched the bodies but didn't find any coins, gems or magic. Bratorn said he must now leave the Temple and probably the Citadel itself. The party asked how he planned on leaving and Bratorn said that he had noticed a Drainage Ditch in the back of the Citadel which he planned on using. The party took the three priestly robes and left the library to enter the temple.
The inside of the temple was covered with carved horrid fiends and all the walls were black with red and black banners that bore the hand and eye symbol. Above a platform hung from the ceiling suspended by black chains. The underside of the platform was painted red and black and also bore the hand and eye symbol now very familiar to the adventurers. Mara pulled the third claw on the left and a trap door opened in the floor. Beyond the trap door a short black stoned stairway descended into a oppressively low-ceilinged chamber. Opposite the stair, across a black and red carpet embroidered with strange and unknown symbols, a pedestal held a clear glass box. Inside the box were three stones carved into strange shapes. Melisana approached the box which Demin indicated was not trapped. Melisana lifted the glass covering and took one of the stones. She saw that it appeared to be part of one of the symbols on the carpet, but it was not complete. Mara looked under the carpet but found just bone floor and then she picked up another of the stones. Mara and Melisana held their stones over the symbols on the carpet to no effect. Lythandar and Pretis moved farther into the chamber looking into the alcoves along the walls. Demin then took the last stone out of the box and a door appeared in one of the alcoves. After examining the door Demin opened it a found narrow low passage that lead to another room. The air was thick with dust and age. In this new chamber were three full length mirrors, their ornate frames ornately engraved with baroque, soul-chilling images of horror and death.
Sensing that now was the time for the Mirror Dance, Lythandar determined that the mirrors were exuding a type of teleportation magic. Demin sensed that the mirrors could reflect the symbols on the carpet and succeeded in duplicating the symbol on the carpet. Melisana and Mara followed suit, the room began to quickly spin and then faded. A new scene greeted the party and it was very different. A high ceiling reached above a vast chamber, filled with books, scrolls and sheaves of paper. The view out the windows suggested that they were high in the air, clouds were visible and a vast sprawl of the stone city stretched below. There were no apparent exits from the room which was quiet and devoid of life. Amongst the shelves and desks was a book stand with an open book upon it. The yellowed pages of this tome were obviously long ago cut from an unimaginably old scroll and crudely bound into this book. Demin and Melisana both looked at the book and were surprised that they could read it. Alas most of the book was beyond their comprehension its chapters told tales of distant planes and gave histories of peoples whose worlds they had never heard of. After several hours of reading Demin came upon the following text:
"Thus, though the words are many, in this case there are three. The first of the Three Words must be preceded by the Ritual of Recession, and requires the speaker's hands to be red with the blood of an outsider spilled in violence.
"The second of the Three Words requires a plague to ravage the land. This plague must be without mercy, its survivors clinging to life through fortune alone. The Ritual of Cavernous Though must be performed upon the pyre of diseased souls, and then can the second of the Three Words be uttered.
"The time for the speaking of the final Word comes after the murder of a king. Upon his death, the Ritual of Lorn Malison must be performed, and the last of the Three Words spoken.
"Then, and only then, can a long-dead wizard, great in power and like unto a god, be born anew in woman's womb. Thus born, he is free of whatever shackles of chains bound him before -- free to go and do as he pleases. No power, no magic, no force, not even death can hold him then.
"Woe to his enemies, Woe to any unwilling to serve him. Their days are short."
The mention of "Words" and a ritual calling for the "blood of an outsider" meshed with what Loreward Banquo had told the party. Realizing that the First Word had probably been said Lythandar wondered what the plague was or how to stop it. The group thought of the Hideous Engine which caused great damage to Tovag's soldiers but they were not sure that was an actual plague. Several members searched more books for mention of plagues but they found no useful information. Mara asked about the King, Lord Kas, but Demin pointed out the the text said "a King" not a specific one. He remembered that Dast was considered "King of the Madmen". Without and more clues the party looked around for a way out of the Shadowed Room but their seemed to be no exits, the windows could not be breached, and besides their seemed to be only air holding up the vast chamber itself. Mara looked at her stone which had changed shape to resemble its entire runic symbol.
Scorecard: For the battle with the priests, the Imp, and the Stalker the party gained 300 XP and they received another 114 XP for the Mirror Dance Skill Challenge. They now have 15419 XP and need 1081 more to reach 9th level..
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