Each of you prepared yourselfs for the journey to the temple of Oshalla and to help Gristy. As you travel Taran speaks up and says he remembers something about Oshalla from his past studies. "In ancient times, Oshalla was a goddess with considerable power and influence. Her priests were known for their ability to hunt down and bring even the most powerful wizards and magic-wielding creatures to justice. However, as general interest in magic increased, her power and influence began to wane." Taran pauses to let that information sink in and then he continues, "Rulers and kings found it easier to put their faith in court magicians and spell-using advisors, while Oshalla's temples and priests were no longer welcome in the larger cities. Over time, only a scattering of priests and shrines remained."
Your trip back to the cave is uneventful. Each of you thinking to yourself of your actions of the previous evening. Vandall finds the well worn path of the great cat, leading to the north and you follow him down it. About a half hour you come to a spot in the path where some iron rations lay on the ground. Vandall turns to you, "there was a lot more here last night. I hope Gristy eat what I provided him."
After about another 30 minutes you finally emerge from the forest and you see the Arch doorway to Oshalla's temple. This archway is 10' wide and made of weathered gray marble. (see attachment). The hills surrounding the temple are actually steep cliffs about 20-30 in height. In some places, pieces of the compounds 20' high walls remain intact. The cliffs and walls can be scaled or climbed normally with the proper equipment. As you approach the archway you each feel extremely uneasy. As if you are being watched?
As the party leaves the Inn on their way to the temple of Oshalla, Kharac seems lost in thought. He seems to hesitate, look back at the inn, then turn back to the trail with a resolute look on his face. He seems torns between wanting to go back for some reason, and carrying on towards the Temple. As soon as the Inn is out of site, however, Kharac seems to lose his hesitation and trudge on without comment, his expression unchanged.
Rhiannon becomes visably tense at Taran's words. When they reach the archway, she pushes a stray curl back behind her ear. She sighs and closes her eyes, as if trying to decide something. She looks about the other party members, then turns her back on them, looking back at the road. She closes her eyes, and seems to be concentrating. The onyx of her ring seems to glow as strange black glow. <cast second sight>
Vandall senses this and dashes off into the forrest to chesk the parameter, his cloak burring him once again as he hits the woods, he checks around for any signs of creatures and their tracks if he comes across none. Vandall crousches every 10 yards and surveys the parameter for tracks, his bow readied and arrow sheath arrow notched. his cloak keeping him camoflaged in the forrest as he moves along slowly, trying to be silent as possible.
Thellona nocks an arrow and slowly looks around area. She whispers, "A bit unnerving, isn't it? Can anybody here divine evil intent or the presense of enemies??"
As they near the Temple, Kharac grips his warhammer tighter, seeming on edge. His eyes scan the area around the party, looking for hidden enemies or anything threatening. Finding nothing, Kharac's expression changes to one of grim determination as he continues walking, his weapon at the ready. As they near the archway, Vandall dashes off, disappearing into the surroundings as if part of them. At Thellona's comment Kharac looks over at her, seeing the ranger ready her bow, a nervous expression on her face. "Aye, unnerving it is. But it would be even worse if there was an actual threat here. I just feel like the whole place here, the rocks, trees, everything, doesn't want us here for some reason. Like we were unwelcome."
As the party mills around before the archway, Vandall dashes off and Thellona readies her bow. Kharac, shrugging off the uneasy feeling, steps through the archway cautiously, his weapon held at the ready. As he does so, Rhiannon turns around and uses her ring. Kharac, avoiding the ruins around here, stays in the open, continuously scanning the surroundings for any signs of danger or ambush.
Staying a good distance from the ruined buildings, and knowing that he is covered by the bows of the two rangers, Kharac trusts to his companions for protection and walks towards the Pool.
As Vandell dashes off to scout the area and Kharac moves into the temple Taran enters the arched doorway and moves quickly to the right side. Attempting to keep a close eye on Kharac as he moves around the temple grounds.
Rhiannon screams, and almost faints, just barely catching herself before she hits the floor. "NO!!" She screams again, and closes her eyes, shaking her head vehnemently. "STOP!! DON'T GO IN!!!" she screams to the party members, gesturing for them to come near her emphatically, apparently very distraught.
Thellona instinctively moves to Rhiannon's side to comfort her. Returning her arrow to her quiver, she softly whispers to her, "What it is, Rhiannon?"
Rhiannon's scream comes a bit too late. Kharac and Taran step through the archway. Kharac's sense of uneaziness intensifies as he walks through the archway. However, Taran is not as fortunate. He sense a incredible dread as he passes through the archway and a surge of magical energy rush through his core being. The powerful magical attack is too much for Taran who doubles over in extreme anguish and then collapses to the ground. He falls into an unconcious state, his body laying on the ground. Crumpled and drained from the attack.
He goes perhaps 25 feet, about halfway towards the Pool of the Goddess when Rhiannon screams her first warning. Kharac whirls around to face the party, his warhammer coming up into a defensive position when he hears Rhiannon's scream. He sees her stumble to the ground as Taran walks through the archway. Seeing no apparent danger he whirls back to face towards the temple, fully expecting an attack. Seeing nothing, he spins back around just in time to see Thellona shoulder her bow and reach Rhiannon as she screams her second warning, just in time to watch in horror as magical energy seems to engulf Taran for a few seconds before he slumps heavily to the ground, unconscious or dead, he can't tell from this distance.
"What happened to Taran, Thellona? What's going on?" he yells as he turns around to search the interior of the compound yet again, his eyes scanning for any signs of danger. His feet are planted shoulder width apart, his stance is combat ready as he stays stationary for a few moments, expecting some sort of attack to come from somewhere. His warhammer is ready to strike as he searches for the source of the magical attack on Taran, hoping beyond hope that there is some sort of creature to fight, but knowing that the archway was probably the source of the trap.
After a few seconds, as nothing seems to jump out at him, he slowly starts to back up, his glance alternating between the party and scanning the temple compound for any signs of danger as he heads back toward the unmoving Taran.
Vandall rushes back to the rest of the party....
Straxos moves swiftly after seeing the horrible event. In a sprint he moves to the prone body of Taran, skidding to a halt as he gets closer. He then attempts to reach forward and pull Taran away from the temple.
Rhiannon sees Taran enter the archway and collaps. She starts to sob. Thellona's comforting words seem to do little good, she just keeps repeating "Don't go in! Please! Don't go in!" over and over, shaking her head and crying. She stops and sees Kharac go over to Taran "Please! Get him out! Oh, let him be alright!" and she starts to sob again.
Kharac, seeing Straxos running for the prone Taran, picks up speed to reach there at the same time. Kharac grabs one side of Taran's collar while Straxos grabs the other and try to pull him outside the temple grounds.
Kharac's face is ashen, his eyes wide with sudden understanding, as he says to the party, "Damn! I should have known, should have figured it out! Oshalla's the 'Bane' of magic. Taran is a mage. Whatever protection this temple has is deadly to those who use magic." He continues to pull Taran outside, muttering under his breath, hoping that the young mage is still alive.
Thellona watches the effects of the magical assult on Taran's body. She rushes towards Taran, but pulls up short of the enspelled archway. She tries to looks for obvious vital signs - movement, breath, sound. She tries to see if Taran has any exterior wounds. She says to Kharac, not taking her eyes from Taran, "I don't know. I would guess some sort of magical or perhaps priestly ward. My mentors used many different types of guardian wards. Or perhaps it is a different type of magical trap. Unfortunately, I am no sage about such devices...", she pauses for a moment for a nervous sigh, "but...", she continues, "...I am a healer. But I don't think that I would do either Taran or myself any good if that trap strips me of my consciousness or my breath." She curses...."Damn, I don't know what to do." Her youth and inexperience show as she loses her composure for a few moments. Then she slowly moves forward to see if she can see any glyphs on or near the archway. She asks of all, "Can anyone here detect magic?"
Rhiannon shouts "No! Get away from it!", jumping to her feet and rushing twords Thellona. "Please! Please! Stay away..." she pleads, trying to pull Thellona away from the archway. She closes her eyes, and thinks, pressing a hand to her forehead. "Only... only...damn! I can..." She appears frustrated, trying to remember something, then her eyes open and she gasps, realization lighting her face. "Dwarves!" she practically shouts, "Only Dwarves!!!"
Thellona softly places her hand on Rhiannon's shoulder. "It is Ok, we won't enter." She turns to the dwarves in the group, "Would you please pull Taran from the archway? If you can carry him out here, then we can tend to his wounds."
Kharac looks up sharply at Thellona as she nears the archway. "Don't step through!" He continues to carry the unconscious Taran throught the archway with the help of Straxos, then lowers the mage gently down to the ground. He checks to make sure Taran is alive, then stands up as Rhiannon stands frustrated trying to remember something important. "What is it Rhiannon?" At her shouted answer, Kharac stands a little straighter and looks quickly back at Straxos, his brows furrowing into a deep frown. "Dwarves? Only Dwarves...what? May enter the Temple? Pass through the archway? What?" He takes a step toward Rhiannon, his eyes alight with sudden fire. "What do you mean by 'only Dwarves'?"
Thellona looks around the compound...she say, "Beware the cliff wall, too."
Rhiannon's eyes are alight with the fire of understanding. Noticing that Taran is alright, she allows her happiness at her discovery to flow freely and her energetic response erupts from her lips as if it would hurt her to hold them in. "I don't know about t' temple, but only ye two dwarves can enter through t' archway unharmed!" She graps Kharac's arm in earnest. "All others fall to t' magic! None can enter but ye two! T' rest of us must stay 'ere..." She looks at Kharac with her youthful fire, "'ow did Gristy get in? His journal says 'at he be a ranger, as be Thellona, but she canna enter. Why be 'at? He must 'ave been dwarven! 'at be t' only way t' explain it! Only ye an' Straxos can enter, an' ye be dwarven. 'at MUST be it!" she looks for his reaction to her conclusions, still slightly grasping his arm, earnestly searching his face for some indication that she is not going crazy, which it appears obviously on her face that she now needs another person to confirm this for her.
Kharac grips Rhiannon's arm as she speaks to him, her eyes holding his with their fire. He looks a little surprised by her youthful energetic words. A smile slowly grows on his face as her words sink in. "Only dwarves. Makes sense, Rhia. Their distrust of magic makes them very hard to hurt magically."
He glances toward Straxos, holding the other dward's eyes with his own. "Are you game for a little adventure?" he says, motioning with his head back toward the archway, his meaning very obvious.
Straxos glances suspiciously at the archway for a second, then mumbles to himself "Hmmm, high risk factor but possibly high treasure factor." He nods his head then turns to Kharac. "Sure, I'm game. Lets go".
Thellona chuckles to herself upon hearing the Dwarf's logic. "Perhaps...", she whispers - to nobody in particular.
Kharac nods his head at the other dwarf, as if confirming something to himself, a slight smile to his face. He turns from Rhiannon, hefting his hammer in his right hand. "Alright, Straxos. We'll stay away from any structure, out in the open, going towards the pool first, then cutting around the right toward the pillars and the entrance. Just to stay away from any chance of ambush, now that we won't have the support of the rest of the party, we should stay fairly close together, say five or six feet apart at the most. Agreed? Good."
He turns back to Rhiannon, a gentle smile on his face as he looks at the young half-elf. "Don't worry, lass. We'll be alright. After all, if Gristy was able to pass here unharmed, so should we be able to." He looks briefly back towards the unconscious Taran, a slight frown of concern passing across his face before turning back toward the rest of the party. "Look after Taran, Rhia. The others will guard him with you. We'll be back as soon as we can."
With that he gently lifts her hand off of his arm, giving her hand a gentle reassuring squeeze before turning back toward the archway, his hammer at the ready. "Ready Straxos? Then, let's go." He steps through the archway, leading the way cautiously toward the Pool.