The four adventurers spelled up. Invisibly, they proceeded toward the edge of the dimensional anchor, then paused at the passage to their right. "Turn right," said Firiona. The other three followed her quickly. Black curtains hung at the end of the short passageway. Firiona parted them and entered a long chamber, about fifty by twenty-five feet, midway along the long north wall of the chamber. It was rough-hewn and pitch-dark, but darkvision overcame the latter problem. Quietly, the party began to search the room.
At the eastern end of the chamber was some kind of elongated structure. As the party approached, they saw an altar. An altar made of skulls, stained with the blood of innumerable sacrifices. Evil implements of sacrifice hung on the wall behind the altar. "Foul rites of Orcus!" hissed Miae. "Some kind of initiation takes place here, I’ll warrant." They continued their search of the darkened room. A soft cry drew their attention to the west end of the room.
"What in the . . . children! Here?!" exclaimed Firiona. She rushed over to the three, followed by Miae and Green Arrow. "We’re here to help you," said Green Arrow. They recoiled against the west wall, as if they didn’t believe him. "Miae, say something to them or, or, something!" Miae spoke a few words of comfort. They seemed to have the desired effect. "Tell them to stay here until we return, and to be quiet!"
They assured Miae that they wouldn’t make a sound and would stay out of the way. Satisfied, the adventurers left them and went back into the hallway. There they completed their plan of attack. Firiona would attempt to summon greater earth elementals. She would instruct them to go through the walls and floor of the complex and emerge into the shrine. Once there, they were to attack everything in the shrine, except Edward.
Firiona cast her spell, and summoned . . . one elemental! She duly instructed the creature, advising it to wait for about a minute before attacking, and it proceeded on its way. She then retrieved a scroll and used it to summon two more of the elemental beings. "Always have a back-up plan," she thought to herself. She instructed them as well. Amalla began to sing, using her bardic ability to inspire greatness in Green Arrow. It would be needed. And with that, the four Enterprise agents moved into the entrance corridor and stormed into the evil shrine.
Green Arrow loosed a hail of arrows at the congregation, including a special arrow just for Khadija–a greater arrow of slaying! The arrow struck its target, and Khadija screamed in pain, mixed with shock and rage. Nine others followed. The first struck Eritlu as he was preparing the sacrificial victim. The arrow pierced the vile priest’s eye, killing him immediately! Oconee took another arrow, suffering a serious wound. Another feathered shaft transfixed Soiartze. She too screamed in anger, as the arrow dealt critical damage to her. Three more cultists fell dead outright. One cultist, apparently an aristocrat of some kind, took another arrow, while his retainer fell to yet another arrow, severely wounded. Still another cultist was stricken, blood gushing from a major wound to the leg.
Miae ran up the wall of the chamber, using her spider climb, and raced toward the column to which Edward was chained.
The battle began!
Green Arrow fired an arrow of death at Khadija, but missed. Four more arrows hit her; one severed her left femoral artery, causing severe damage. But she had a contingent blur spell in place, and suddenly became much harder to target. From behind the altar, she retaliated against Green Arrow with a horrible spell that the elven archer felt would rip his guts out of his body. But he was able to resist her avasculate, thanks to the scarab he wore!
One cultist, terrified by the sudden appearance of an earth elemental in their supposedly secret shrine, attempted to flee but was cut down easily as he passed. The elemental in turn cleaved into four more cultists, slamming them into shreds of flesh.
Another cultist sped toward Edward, still chained to his column, and struck him a blow that ordinarily wouldn’t even have been noticed. But in his weakened state, the blow was enough to send him over the edge into unconsciousness. Edward was dying!
The noble fled toward the room north of the altar, from which Khadija and the others had entered along with the night’s victim. He made it into the room and quaffed a healing potion. Soiartze followed him. "Right behind you, Kalju!" she cried out to him.
Meanwhile, Miae ran as fast as she could toward Edward, hoping to reach him in time to keep him from expiring.
Three more cultists, apparently commoners in the surface world, tried to escape from the shrine. Firiona was having none of that: a quickened fireball, together with the sudden appearance of the second and third elementals, exterminated fifteen of the minions of Orcus! She then cast displacement on herself to buff up her defensive capability. Another fleeing cultist almost reached the entrance of the shrine before he, too, was felled
The fury of the adventurers’ sudden onslaught appalled Oconee, who dropped behind the altar with Khadija. But not before he summoned help–of the undead kind. Suddenly, four mohrgs and three greater shadows appeared, eager to join the battle. Another cultist ran toward the altar, seeking to join the evil pair. Seeing Oconee and Khadija hiding behind the altar, Amalla flew at top speed toward her hated enemies!
One of the cultists–the noble’s retainer–suddenly pointed his finger at the first elemental. A ray of enfeeblement leapt from his finger and struck the monster, draining its strength. Another flight of arrows flew from Green Arrow’s bow. Khadija was stricken by both a seeker arrow and a phase arrow, taking more heavy damage. She cried out to Oconee, "The door!", then quaffed a healing potion. Oconee dragged the wounded Khadija back behind the altar, but both were hit by the flying Amalla for serious damage. Meanwhile, another arrow from Green Arrow killed the noble’s retainer, while two more arrows took out two more fleeing cultists.
The summoned mohrgs advanced toward Green Arrow, while the shadows, reaching Firiona, attempted to drain her vitality. Fortunately for the elven wizard, they all missed her. She withdrew away from the incorporeal undead.
Miae struck a blow against the cultist attacking Edward. "Leave him alone, you brute!" she cried. But from the room off to the north of the altar, ominous words could be heard . . . .
Now Green Arrow, thinking quickly, shot an arrow of cure critical wounds at Edward, returning the dying paladin to consciousness! The crazed cultist who had attacked him now focused on Miae, striking her for minor damage. She ignored the cultist and, using her rogue skills, was able to open the shackles binding Edward to the column! His hands, however, were still secured by a bar between them.
Khadija and Amalla battled each other, inflicting minor wounds. Oconee kept near his superior. The mohrgs and shadows he had summoned moved into position to attack the adventurers. Even more undead reinforcements appeared: ten ghasts entered the shrine.
Suddenly, from the room north of the altar, a huge and terrifying shape burst into the shrine. A balor, summoned by Soiartze! The demon spoke: blasphemy! Edward was dazed. Green Arrow was weakened severely as well as being dazed. Miae, affected even more severely, was also paralyzed! Firiona lost strength, but her spellcasting ability was unaffected. "Time for a change," she thought, and immediately shapechanged into a young adult red dragon!
Only Firiona and Amalla were still able to act. Green Arrow, Edward and Miae were dazed, or worse. The cultist attacking Miae attempted a coup de grace on the paralyzed rogue. Miraculously, he only wounded her. Kalju, the noble cultist, fired an arrow at the dazed Green Arrow, but missed.
The mohrgs charged into the group of elementals, doing only minor damage. One was destroyed in return.
Khadija and Amalla continued to struggle, wounding each other. Khadija managed to cast Mordenkainen’s sword, and suddenly a magical weapon appeared in mid-air and joined the battle.
Meanwhile, Soiartze’s attempt to dispel Firiona’s magic failed. However, her balor ally spoke more fearsome words, and suddenly an unholy aura manifested itself. Oconee and Amalla continued to struggle. But even aided by the balor’s aura, Oconee was unable to damage Amalla with his attempt to dispel good.
One of the shadows attacked an elemental, which suffered a loss of strength before destroying it. Another drained a second elemental of strength before it, too, was destroyed.
Firiona waved her hands and spoke, and immediately a prismatic sphere formed about her. Quickly she shape-changed into planetar form within the safety of the sphere.
Although still badly weakened, Green Arrow was able to target Edward with four arrows of healing, restoring much of the paladin’s vitality to him. Edward quickly used the shackle bar that still bound his hands an improvised weapon! But the weapon wasn’t enough to deflect the aristocrat cultist’s arrow, which struck Edward for substantial damage.
The mohrgs continued their attacks on the earth elementals, doing minor damage. Their foes struck back, doing far more damage.
Soiartze began to sing. "Courage, my friends!" she sang, inspiring her allies. The balor, her strongest ally, spotted Firiona’s sphere and flew toward it, undeterred. It went right through all seven layers, taking only minor acid damage, and swung a mighty blow at the wizard. Astonishingly, the demon missed its target. But Firiona wasn’t staying within the sphere with a balor. She left the sphere and struck at Kalju.
The remaining shadow struck its elemental foe once again, draining still more of its strength.
At the altar, Oconee’s unholy blight failed to penetrate Amalla’s spell resistance. But Khadija’s sword wounded the redeemed succubus, while her own horrid wilting did even more harm to Amalla.
Still another flight of arrows left Green Arrow’s bow, striking down the cultist who had attacked him and Miae, as well as two of the remaining three mohrgs. The surviving mohrg failed to inflict any damage in return, and was finally destroyed by one of the earth elementals.
Edward tried to bend the shackle bar, attempting to release his hands, but lacked the strength to do so.
The aristocrat cultist quaffed a potion and instantly became invisible. Firiona’s attacks against him all missed badly. Fortunately for her, so did the balor’s whip attacks against her.
Meanwhile, Soiartze ceased her singing long enough to cast a spell on herself. She suddenly became enraged and gained substantial fighting power.
The surviving shadow drained still more strength from its elemental foe, while avoiding the elemental’s counterattack. At the altar, Khadija failed to inflict any more damage on Amalla, but Oconee’s vampiric touch drained her for severe damage. She fell to the floor, dying!
Seeing Miae still lying still on the floor of the shrine, Green Arrow reached for his potion of remove paralysis and gave it to the rogue. The potion was effective, and Miae returned to her feet. "Thanks, fella," she said to the archer, then turned to Edward. Her restoration spell returned the paladin to his normal abilities. Edward still struggled with the shackle bar, unable to finally free himself.
Now invisible, Kalju retreated from the shrine.
Meanwhile, Soiartze turned her attention to Firiona and attacked, but missed the wizard. The balor pursued Firiona as well, and made it through the prismatic sphere safely to strike Firiona, wounding her again. Firiona in turn shapeshifted once again, now to marilith form. Her tail slap missed the balor, however.
The last shadow continued to strike the elemental, whose strength was now severely depleted. Its return attacks were barely felt by the shadow. The remaining elemental slew three of the ghasts, who had been holding their actions but now began to flee from their far superior enemies.
The fighting at the altar continued without resolution. Oconee administered a potion to Khadija, healing some of her wounds. As the battle raged, Amalla felt her life slipping away from her.
Green Arrow fired an arrow at the balor. It only did minor damage. Changing targets, he let fly three arrows at Soiartze. All three arrows struck her. One pierced her throat! She screamed in rage, then fell to the floor, dead!
Meanwhile, Edward ran to Green Arrow and took back from him his sword and belt. His strength instantly increased. Miae, at his side, succeeded in unlocking the shackle bar, freeing his hands and arms.
The balor continued his assault on Firiona, landing one blow. Firiona retreated back into the prismatic sphere, where she attacked Khadija but failed to damage her. While they battled, the last shadow struck Firiona’s ally, its elemental opponent, yet again, draining still more strength from the earth creature. The elemental in turn landed a blow but only did minor damage. The other elemental pursued the fleeing ghasts.
A spectre appeared, summoned by Oconee to aid him, while Khadija’s inflict critical wound successfully struck Firiona. She managed, however, to resist the spell at least partially. While they battled, Amalla’s lifeblood continued to spill from her wounds as she lay on the floor of the shrine.
Green Arrow now turned his attention to the remaining shadow. He launched a flight of five arrows, but only hit with one and failed to destroy the undead. Miae ran up behind the shadow, flanking the creature, while Edward donned the cloak and scarab that he had retrieved from Green Arrow.
The balor renewed its assault on Firiona, who was still in marilith form. It flew through the prismatic sphere, taking acid damage, but failed to hit Firiona. Firiona ignored the demon, focusing on Oconee and Khadija, both of whom were battered by her attacks. Khadija’s sword failed to overcome Firiona’s spell resistance, and was dissipated!
The elementals finally dispatched the remaining shadow, which had drained still more strength from the foe it had been battling for so long.
Amalla opened her eyes. The shrine, already dark, grew even darker. She gave a sigh and fell silent. She had breathed her last.
The battle raged between Firiona and her foes. The balor’s power word, stun failed to affect her. Oconee’s and Khadija’s attacks wounded her seriously and drained strength from her. "Miae! Restore me please!" she cried to her ally, who had run up to the altar to assist. She suddenly felt nauseous, as Khadija’s vile rebellion spell assailed her with nausea. But not before her six marilith arms had wounded Khadija severely and dealt fatal damage to the bloated priest of Orcus. Oconee shrieked in pain as he collapsed dead to the floor behind the altar.
Edward donned his boots of speed, then laid hands on himself. He was now fully healed! He looked around, trying to locate the noble cultist. But Kalju was nowhere to be seen.
Waiting for an opportune target, Green Arrow held his fire. "What do I do?!" cried Miae, as she watched Firiona shapechange again, now into pit fiend form, and withstand a battering from the balor without suffering harm. Edward needed no instructions; he cast holy sword and prepared for battle.
The three earth elementals, having destroyed the shadows, now sought additional targets. The second of the three battered Khadija. The necromancer slowly fell to her knees, bleeding profusely and suffering many broken bones. She looked up, and to the party’s surprise, croaked, "I yield! I surrender!" She held up her hands as she knelt.
A barrage of arrows from Green Arrow flew toward the balor, striking for minor damage. The balor was now seriously wounded. But Edward now charged the demon, using all of his paladin’s attack skills to maximize his power and inflict holy damage on the evil outsider. Bleeding from many wounds, torn of wing, the balor flew away from the battle and landed behind the elementals. There, the demon cast dominate monster on the second of the three, and now controlled the creature! Immediately, the demon ordered the elemental under his control to attack the still-nauseated Firiona. It attempted to do so, but missed. The first of the three elemental, however, successfully slammed the balor.
Edward and the balor battled on, Edward’s smite evil devastating the balor, the balor’s attacks battering and burning the paladin and entangling him in its fiery whip! The dominated second elemental added its own blows to the attacks on Edward. Now Firiona shapechanged again, to nightwing form, and joined the assault on the balor.
Meanwhile, Green Arrow ran to Khadija and stood over her, guarding the kneeling necromancer. He readied his bow in case she made any sudden moves. Miae cast dispel evil on herself to counter the effects of the desecration surrounding the altar.
Suddenly, the adventurers saw a new force entering the battle: a horde of skeletons were marching into the shrine. Some of them were exceptionally large and well armed, and no doubt heavily bolstered. "Oh, no," thought Miae.
But then, to their surprise, they saw behind the skeletons another party about to join in. These were no skeletons, but they were, however, undead. Arvid and his followers had arrived. And just in time!
Edward struggled to break free of the balor’s flaming whip. Three times he failed, but the fourth attempt succeeded! The balor, having lost its grip on the paladin, dispelled Firiona’s stoneskin spell, then attempted to fly away from Edward. But the mighty paladin was able to land a blow before the demon could make good its escape. And a deadly blow it was. The demon was brought low. But with its last dying volition, the balor had its revenge. It exploded! Its death throes blasted the two free elementals and Miae, who barely survived the effect with help from her own healing magic. Edward, Green Arrow and Firiona were singed for less damage.
Arvid’s party quickly sent a huge fireball into the advancing skeletons, and they were burned to scoria.
Khadija, shocked at the outcome of the battle, remained submissive. Firiona didn’t trust the necromancer as far as she could throw her, and attempted to cast flesh to stone to ensure she didn’t move again. The attempt failed. However, two quick blows to the necromancer sent her into unconsciousness. Firiona then reverted to pit fiend form again and waited.
The battle was over!
Miae stabilized the unconscious Khadija. "She must have valuable information in that head of hers. I’m sure it will prove most interesting," she said to Green Arrow, who was stripping the inert form of the necromancer of all valuables. Most of them, unsurprisingly, were highly evil in nature. The elven archer then stuffed Khadija into the portable hole, but retained the spoils separately. "Wouldn’t do for her to wake up and grab this stuff back," he observed.
While Khadija was being dealt with, Arvid approached Edward. The paladin considered the vampire closely, and not in an entirely hostile manner. "That altar is not an ordinary altar," he began. "You may have felt something different about it." Edward nodded. "It’s a specially desecrated altar. It’s the center of a dimensional anchor effect, and it also confers other advantages on the cultists. Or it did, anyway," he laughed.
"Amalla reported on the dimensional anchor," said Firiona, now at Edward’s side.
"Ah, the golden succubus! The redeemed one!" said Arvid sarcastically. "Where is she? I must congratulate her." Firiona stared daggers at the vampire. "She’s dead, if it’s any of your concern," she said. "So sorry to hear that," responded Arvid. "No offense intended, of course."
"Of course," said Edward.
"But if I may continue," Arvid said, "you may wish to do something about that altar." Edward attempted to dispel the evil magics on the shrine, but failed. "Some things one must do one’s self," said Arvid. The vampire then successfully dispelled the dimensional anchor effect and the other magics, leaving an evil, but mundane, structure. He then addressed the adventurers.
"I do wish to thank you again for freeing me from the influence of that grey-haired hag," Arvid told the party. "You can’t imagine what it’s like for someone like me to be in such a position. Very humiliating, to say the least." Turning to Edward, he added, "By the way, I also kept dear young Soiartze, now the late lamented Soiartze, from dealing with you too, ah, vigorously."
"Do I detect some good trying to crawl out from under all that evil?" Edward inquired.
"Depends," answered Arvid. "We will never see eye to eye, but we need not be at each other’s throats, so to speak." He pointed back to his henchmen. "We shall soon be clearing out from this place. It has bad memories."
The party thanked Arvid for his help. He nodded slightly, then turned and left, together with his crew.
"Well, that was a first," remarked Miae to Edward. "We cleanse an evil shrine with the help of a vampire, and you don’t try to kill him!" She punched him in the arm and smiled.
"Don’t think that didn’t take all of my self-control," replied Edward
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