Hidden Temple

After defeating the devils the group sat down for a short rest.  Melisana noted that in the northwest corner of the chamber there was a staircase leading down into the mound of rubble.   She also noted that in the piles of rubble there were two magical items of some sort.   Turns out that these were a Planesplitter Longsword +5, claimed by Mara, and a Skyrender Crossbow +5 claimed by Demin.  The group was spent from their efforts and Alhellara broke out her Exodus Knife to create a portal into a extra-dimensional space where the group took an extended rest.   


 Exiting their abode the heroes went down the staircase, about 100 steps down, entering into a vaulted chamber, its walls scribed with mystic runes.  Six arches were set along the side walls - three opening into blank stone, and three filled with swirling white mist.  The remains of a number of onyx altars were scattered across the floor, and a half-dozen larger altars of red stone were set in a circle around a raised dais and a huge, crumbling throne.  A bas-relief of a red-black skull was set on the throne's high back, its teeth and eyes set with gleaming black gems.  Within the translucent blackness of the floor and walls, thousands of humanoid bodies were frozen fast, their faint features suggesting the terror with which they died. 

Melisana recalled from her past religious training that this was Nerull's lost fortress, Necromanteion - or what remains of it.  This great hall appeared to be the Hidden Temple, once the entrance to Nerull's sanctum.  She also recalled that Nerull had died at the hands of the Raven Queen with his spirit shattered and spread across the Astral Sea.

Demin lassoed the throne and tried to pull it off the dais, but the heavy throne would not move.  Lythandar did an Arcana check determining that powerful teleporataion magic suffused the mist-filled arches, although the teleportation circles were disabled -- shut down behind potent arcane wards.  The adventurers moved forward, two to an arch, and used arcane, thievery and athletic skill to attempt to shut down the wards.  After some success Gofin failed at her attempt.  A sudden pulse of darkness broke the swirling white mist of each arch as an enormous gray shape exploded out of the arch: a great gargoyle that shrieked as it attacked.

The gargoyles flew in, attacked multiple characters and hovered above them. The battle was furious as the gargoyles used Tempest Claws to make two attacks which also dazed and added ongoing damage.  The party was sorely tested as they battled the gargoyles.  Gofin created the Gofindamen to surround one of the gargoyles, limiting its movement. After some time the gargoyles were bloodied and just when the group moved to finish them off, or so they thought, the gargoyles turned to stone.  Most attacks then hit the gargoyle statues but did little or no damage.  

The gargoyles sprang back to life, lifted into the air a again performed a flying strike.  Finally the heroes were too much for the enemy as they fell one by one.  In the middle of the battle Lythandar had moved onto the dais and took cold and necrotic damage so Demin used his Flying hook to hang in front of the throne and remove the teeth and eye gems.  He captured 9 black sapphires at 20,000 GP each.  Then he pried the eyes from the skull, which attacked with lightning and necrotic damage.   As the last gem was removed  a shrieking hiss filled the chamber as the skull appeared to speak, its ageless voice threaded with hatred.

The old gods fall, and from their blood, I rise

Lay waste to all that I despise

And when I shred your souls

Drink deep your lives

I hear you scream for mercy

Beg surcease

Entreat your faithless gods for death's release.

But all the gods whose fealty you swear

Cannot protect you here

And like the dead gods who now do my will

Your fallen gods before my god-king's throne shall kneel.

The God of Mercy, gone to dust,

Now metes out justice I decree.

The God of War, betrayed by blood,

Takes up my dread authority.

The Nameless God who chaos felled

Bequeaths his name and power to me.

The worlds within this world within

Shall fall like every world I see.

And at the end of all that is

        The God of Death who death possessed

Stands in my thrall like all the rest.

Your fools' valor leaves you helpless now

And all the choice last left to you

Is to decide which dead god's shrine

Will be the final thing you see-

Which dead god now defends the path to me.

The God of Undeath, crowned anew

The God of Death whose name you fear

I am Acererak ...

Your feeble lives end here.

After listening to the voice the group finished shutting down the wards on the arches and then Melisana performed an Arcane action to activate the portal.  Also Lythandar identified the eye gems as an orb of drastic resolutions +5 and a gem of opening, which acted like a chime of opening.   Lythandar claimed the Orb while Demin presently kept the Gem of opening.

Scorecard: The group earned 4964 XP for the night and now have 165519 XP needing 9481 additional XP to reach 21st level.