The pale creature shouted "You cursed demons from the invisible moon" and moved forward towards Melisana. The party went into attack mode immediately as Pretis move forward and planted the standard. Demin shot his crossbow and Gofin moved up to shroud the creature. Dopa Nu' Larseen an undead crazed creature cast a Ray of Weakness at Pretis and then moved past her to attack Melisana with his staff. Melisana took damage and lost a healing surge.
Alhellara moved up to use her turn undead ability while Lythandar cast some fire damage. Soon Mara entered the fray and while the group was closely packed around Dopa Nu' he let out a Vile Eruption which caused necrotic damage and stunned its victims. The battle continued with Melisana casting her Rebuke Undead which pushed Dopa Nu' back a few squares. Lythandar continued the fire attacks while Alhellara and Melisana used all the Radiant powers they could find.
Just as Mara bloodied the creature he interrupted with Waves of the Grave which gave its victims ongoing necrotic damage and dropped Demin to the floor. Pretis reacting quickly got Demin back to the living while other interrupts took place. In the course of the battle Alhellara noticed a concealed door to the north and moved to flank it in case some additional warriors entered the room.
With continued Rays of Weakness and staff strikes Dopa Nu' continued to pepper the party, who imagined this would be an easy battle "one creature how hard could it be." But eventually he was worn down and fell to death from undeath. The group surveyed the room and found a Ricochet Shield and Embers of the Black Flame +3. After a short rest Alhellara also found a secret door to the northeast. Pretis announced that she had found a journal on Saranay in the previous battle and the group studied it during the rest. It indicated that this group of Iuz followers had not been able to make it through the metal doors into the inner temple after Iuz and some members of his group stormed through. Iuz is carrying a pair of tablets that he says will allow him to defeat Vecna and take over his place in the Pantheon. Saranay and her group were trying to clean up the remaining Adytum. She also is looking for a tome called the Compendium Maleficarum said to contain potent lore that befits a tome holy to the demigod of secrets. More importantly, the journal say that the tome contains code keys that might allow a single person into the inner temple without incorporating a relic into his of her body. The tome is said to be in or near the cult library.
The group decided to investigate the north door which lead to a east-west hallway, quite dusty, with doors on either end. To the west the group finds a well-appointed private room. Tapestries graced the walls, crystal lamps hung from the ceiling, wooden furniture fills the room, a bed, an armoire and a small desk. On the desk are several papers. Lythandar looked at the papers which had the letterhead of Thalifon Burset, indicating reshelving orders for various arcane sounding tomes. In the armoire Demin found a ceremonial robe, tattooing equipment and a stencil of Vecna's eye in hand sign. The desk drawer contained a paper with the following:
Reliquary of the Scalp: Scalp of Vecna
Reliquary of the First Digit: First Digit of Vecna
Reliquary of the Second Digit: Second Digit of Vecna
Reliquary of the Medial Digit: Third Digit of Vecna
Reliquary of the Other Eye: Right Eye of Vecna
Reliquary of the Appetite: Molar of Vecna
Reliquary of the Night: Incisors of Vecna
Reliquary of the Traveler: Foot of Vecna
Reliquary of the Heart: Heart of Vecna
Reliquary of the Body: Skin of Vecna
Reliquary of the Head: Head of Vecna
Pondering how these "relics" might be incorporated the group decided to move on. The western door opened to a chamber in which the walls and floor were covered with inscriptions of sigils, signs, circles and other arcane marks, often one on top of the other with little regard for previous writing. In the southwestern corner several rough and unworked tunnels lead away with a obvious downward grade. In the south was a door which was opened to reveal dust, cobwebs and a few human sized cocoons. The chrysalides were soon set aflame by Lythandar and as they burned the party could see human(oid) figures without limbs. Melisana studied them after the flames died down and found humans starting to resemble slugs of blank flesh.
Heading back to the Library the group next investigated the secret door to the northwest. Pretis and Mara were hit by necrotic damage from the floor as they attempted to open the door. Demin moved forward and determined that a necrotized Floor trap was active. He then disabled the trap and unlocked the door.
As the door was opened the group saw a shadow filled chamber in which stray light was almost extinguished. A shallow depression in the center of the room surrounded a pedestal. Upon the pedestal was a book which emanated dark cloudy vapors. The tome is about 2 feet to a side and 6 inches thick. Cleverly enough, the spine of a deceased creature serves the same function for the book, with nubby ribs clasping the top and bottom covers. Lythandar and Demin used Mage hand and Gauntlets of Remote Action to lift and carry the book into the Library where Melisana opened it after making sure everyone else was several feet away from her. The pages were stiff and appeared to be sheets of bone, the writing on the pages was of a dusky red color.
The Compendium Maleficarum professed the central dogma of the Adytum: plumb every secret. That's it. Well not entirely, the dogma indicated that morals, ethics, and the contracts of polite society only hinder the advance of true knowledge. Furthermore, true knowledge can be gained only outside the normal sphere of life and death. The real secrets of the Cosmos transcend life, and entities that deal in death, and undead things are in the best position to ferret out the knowledge that is denied the living.
The second prong in Vecna's two step scripture for discovering the true fabric of reality is through expansion of the senses to levels far beyond what they can normally bear. It's really all about excesses, especially the excess of pain that torture provides. To the cultist's of Vecna, torture is like a sacrament. With her mind a reel Melisana continued looking for the secret key codes to allow one into the inner Temple. She finally found this curious phrase "May Vecna reign over all; life, death, and everything in between will call him master." Determining that this is what she needs Melisana closed the book and with a shudder felt the evil pour off of her skin.
Determined to find relics of Vecna, the party continued out the southwest door of the Library. The next chamber contained tattered and patched hides, stretched on racks -- as if someone was tanning the hides as leather. There is a worktable and cabinets along two walls. On the worktable lay rectangular leather pieces as well as iron staples and heavy thread. A few half-bound books are also visible.
Leaving via a door on the south the group enters a larger chamber with comfortable, if moth eaten, chairs arranged in a semicircular pattern, allowing a good angle on a large crystal pane set in the south wall. The crystal looks into a dimly lit cavernous expanse, littered here and there with difficult to identify piles of litter. A large iron wheel is set in the wall to the right of the crystal pane. As Demin moved forward into the room two ghouls arose from sitting on the chairs.
Scorecard: The group received 800 XP each for the battle with Dopa Nu' Larseen and for disabling the trap door to the Compendium Maleficarum shrine. They now have 37,420 XP and need 1580 more to reach 13th level. The Ricochet Shield was claimed by Pretis and the +3 Embers of the Black Flame Ki focus went to Gofin.
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