Part 4:Demons and Devils

... The huge, massive door slid aside and revealed a wide but shallow room as that opened onto a pastoral vista. We quickly learned that the back wall was a very large, very well made, but old, tapestry. It was difficult to move aside, but we eeled through.

On the other side we found an immense, black pyramid that radiated intense cold. It extended into the depths below. What IS this place? This doesn't look like the dwarven holds I've known all my life.

We rappelled down about 100 feet to the floor below. We found a doorway which led to a ladder. We climbed down and found ourselveds in a maze (and in amaze!) As we began exploring, we found a doorway. In a nearby corner was a Mimic, which my companions easily dispatched. We continued and found a room with a tilting floor that triggered another trap. Whoever set this up was either hiding something VERY valuable or was seriously inhospitable. We made it through the room and found a small room with a very large, heavy table placed diagonally in the room. The table could not have been brought in in one piece. Strange. We found another room that might have belonged to an herbalist or possibly to a worshipper of a nature god. There we found a dead tree with another seal embedded in it. The design didn't look familiar, though it bore a resemblance to the designs of two gods we know as separate powers now: Boldri and Onatar [somebody please correct me if I've got this wrong] Maybe the aspects of a god separated over the millenia? Something to check in the library when I get home. We triggered yet another trap. Sigh.

That seemed to be the end of the line.

We went back to the maze room and searched. We found another well-concealed depression that accepted the seal. A secret door opened and light shown through.

We approached and were repulsed by a fetid stench of decay. I lost my last meal, and the seven or eight before that! While I was recovering, the group reported that there was a huge room, with another large dead tree, decaying bushes, and an orange glow coming from the far side. The air was hot, humid, and dank. How could anything be alive here, after all these thousands of years?

We entered and someone noticed that there was a couatl wrapped around the tree trunk. Dead. We could barely discern a face in the tree, grimacing in horror and pain. What happened in this place? Good seems to have been routed.

We entered and slowly, cautiously began exploring, alert for who knows what monstrosity that could leap upon us from the undergrowth at any moment. I feared great evil was near. I prepared my holy symbol, thinking it would stand me in better stead even than my trusty mace.

Then, everything seemed to happen at once. Some mishapen demon thing popped into existence far down the room; the couatl reared up, shed its corpse and advanced threateningly; the tree screamed and its roots began burrowing up to the surface. The party attacked like a well-oiled machine of death. The archer Movena and I stayed near the door, she to make best use of her bow, and me to summon the power of Kol Korran to blast these undead. Codee, Brannek, and Qaxquiel attacked the couatl with steel and magic. Their swords did little damage. Ruby threw a fireball at the tree. I attempted to repel the undead but failed; they must be of high power! I threw a Searing Light at the couatl and caused it great damage, then moved into a flanking position to aid the fighters. Movena continued to shower the beast with arrows and, I think, she did the most damage of all of us. Ruby had attracted the ire of the undead treant and was cornered by it. Things were looking bad, really bad. In the back of the room, the demon just laughed. And made some senseless comment about Xaxxraxx's apprentices.

We surrounded the couatl and were able to take it down, finally. Codee shattered it with a final smash with her greatsword. The treant remained, but was sorely damaged and soon fell. Meanwhile, Brannek charged the demon and attacked it with a mighty blow. It stopped laughing, for which I was thankful.

Once the undead fell, I moved to aid the party members while the fighters chased the demon. It teleported across a bed of lava, was struck by an arrow, and died, but first triggered some device which caused a treacherous walkway to appear. Two of our party, Brannek and Movena, crossed and made sure the demon was dead.

While the rest of us caught our breath and I healed the wounded, they searched the area around the demon. They found another device and activated it.

From out of the scorching depths rose a strange sight: A platform with a large statue of a woman. Around her neck a medallion. Across her chest a silver bow, embedded in the rock wall. And at her feet, a skeleton in full plate armor. What did this mean? What happened here?

With reckless abandon, Brannek removed the medallion. Immediately my companions all stiffened and began to look odd. I feared some trap had been sprung. The statue's eyes opened. Brannek swung at the statue and cut her, but the wounds immediately healed. He then tugged at the silver bow. Truly, great profit can come from taking great chances, but so can great loss!

The bow came loose, and the statue came to life. It ws an Erinye, a powerful winged devil. Oh, Kol Korran forgive us; what have we loosed? It summoned a fiery sword and flew up out of reach, but did not attack. Instead, we all heard a voice in our heads saying that we had freed her and that she owed us a boon, all except Brannek, who had struck her. She asked how long she had been imprisoned; I told her I didn't know, but it had been at least thousands of years. That seemed to enrage her. Meanwhile, we each thought about what boon to request. Codee asked for the head of a rakshasa! Of all the strange things!! The demon refused. Just as I was about to demand that she agree not to harm the inhabitants of this world, she said "Granted!" At first I thought she was talking to me, but quickly realized she was not. I asked my companions what request had been granted, but no one acknowledged making a request. Someone is lying. I WILL find out who. The devil summarily slashed a hole in the rock roof and disappeared through some portal, hopefully to another plane.

We discovered that the skeleton had archaic armor with the symbol of the Living Flame. Probably a paladin who died while on quest.

We didn't know what to do and we were exhausted. We agreed to sleep. But first, we discovered a secret hoard of silver plates with strange writing. Truly a remarkable place. I long to know its story. Who knows what wonders tomorrow will reveal?