Alexander
The Catacombs
It looked as if Kalista, to Alex's relief, that she could walk. Slowly be it but she could move. He looked to Catarina and then to Malkai. He doubt the orc would care about this situation so he turned back to Catarina.
"Look she is moving very slowly and it's not a mystery that she is very weak right now. I advise that one of us is in front of her while the other is in back to keep her safe.
By being slow she will be a chosen first target for the enemy." He said. With that it was time for the group to exit the hole the fell into and into the temple. What they would discover is that they fell into one of the temple's many catacombs. The outer wall was solid brick but the inside.... it was not designed like any other burial chambers he had seen. It was lined with skulls and bone built into it. It looked much like the catacombs of Paris France. Every so often there were decent breaks in the wall to hold a casket or a statue. The statues were also not very inviting. They looked grotesque and the eyes seemed to follow you no matter where you were. The place gave him the creeps and he did not like it. It explained why the pile of bones was behind them. The drow must have tossed them aside getting in. Such disrespect for the dead... no wonder the temple turned on them and attacked them and their minions.
The torches were oddly lit too. It was a blue flame,... almost magical rather then natural. Suddenly something spiritual began to form. It took the form of a a short haired priestess. The spirit or ghost began to turn its attention to them pulling back its hood. The figure was armed with a battle scythe. The figure smiled, her eyes full of.... emotion.
"Greetings,... it looks like the temple has gained some new visitors. You must be here for the temples treasures.... they are yours to take. However,... our great god Nerul has orchestrated traps to be built and tests for you and your comrades." She said. She began to stare into the eyes of each of the members that had fallen into the pit.
"As you can see from the surface the Gnolls and their Masters failed the first test and have unleashed our temples greatest defense. The unliving guardians that protect this temple will now be problem for you as well I am afraid." She smiled and tilted her head. The most devilish smile formed.
"I wish you the best of luck,... for you all look like you would make wonderful additions to this temples collection of corpses." She said in full confidence that they would fail.
Alex smirked and took it as a challenge if he ever saw one. The priestess then vanished as quick as she had appeared. The first problem was that they had come to a fork in the road already. They stood in the middle of a hall with one way leading in one direction and then turning left. The other direction lead farther down and made a right. He sighed and looked to the others.
"Any suggestions?... no one wouldn't have like a summon spell they could cast? Like maybe summon a small badger or something and have it go the other direction while we go another? I do not want us to seperate for that would be a very bad idea."Vivian
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The Inner Chamber[center]
Vivian nodded feeling the special need for protection a bit flattering. Elle would protect her front while the others protected her back. This was very generous and she hoped that the temple would not be too.... dangerous. As the entered the main entrance they would be welcomed by stairs going down and wide into a very large chamber with a large statue at it's end. The statue was that of the reaper himself with a alter below. Not a alter you would see in a church in the town but a sacrificial alter. One with even a suspended star shaped object. It was a sort of pendulum. On the table it had a star shaped form the the piece would slide into with a dark hole at the center where the sacrifices blood would flow into. Where it went after that one could guess. There were benches where people could watch and pray and very large pillars holding up a cracked roof barely even standing. Vivian could only imagine what dark rituals would go on here. On either side of the statue were doorways leading deeper it would seem. Vivian had just barely stepped into the place and already did not like the feel of the atmosphere. The floor and benches where riddled with blood and more corpses. To her surprise she even saw one or two of her kin. She knew the two of them too. She found herself gravitating to one of them and kneeling to touch the chest of one. It was a male,... beside him was a female.
"Looks like the temple claimed these two so far. His name was Derek and her Diana.... they were very close siblings. From what I remember Diana was very envious of my position." She explained.
"As for him... he was just another fool that followed orders. He felt if he kept doing as he was told he would become someones favorite and become.... secured." She looked around and found a few signs of the undead but also broken stone. The stones were oddly shaped as if they where once statues. They had grotesque broken up faces and that did not give her a good feeling.
Then like what happened to the group below a figure formed at the feet of Nerul.
"So many wish to challenge this temple in so little time. This is good,... soon all will join our ranks willingly or not. This chamber was built so that great warriors of Nerul could join the undead guardians and protect the temple forever. We had no living soldiers or guards for the living are.... well easily corrupted." She said as she glanced over at a dead Gnoll. She then turned her head back up to the group.
"What treasures you find are yours,... however there are tests and challenges you must pass if you wish to survive. These Gnolls and theirs masters had failed the first test and awakened the temple.... you see the result around you. They were of no match. Some still remain but so few...." "Do any of my kin remain?... these masters you speak of? Or are they all dead?" She asked. The priestess tilted her head and smirked.
"Where would the fun be if I gave such a hint?... would it not be just as much of a challenge if you had to fight not only us but them as well? You will have to go and find out yourself. I wish you the best of luck." The figure said and dissipated. Vivian had to smile at that and sighed. She looked to the bodies of her kin and pulled from satchels vials of a toxin. She looked to Parum.
"Here,... this is drow knock out poison. We use it often against our prey. Can turn a situation around pretty quickly if say one of those Gnolls got even a cut with a dagger empowered with this. They would drop like a ton of bricks and be asleep for hours.... maybe even days." She said. She looked around the chamber and stood up.
The temple would be one hard safe to crack but with the help of someone like Parum..... maybe.... just maybe they could have a advantage.
"Change of formation,... I suggest Parum take point. There are tests and challenges in this temple.... some might be in the form of traps. Traps we may not be able to see but Parum. She might know what to look for and could stop a messy situation from happening. Last thing I want is for me or one of us to be cleaved in half by a swinging pendulum that could have been avoided."