Acts of Blasphemy
Enter the Underground Temple of Macchi
- The party teleport to a hot, cramped room that smells strongly of iron. Adeena notices that dried blood is splattered all over the dark-colored bricks that make up the floor and walls.
- Thoradin realizes the room’s construction and design is similar to Macchi’s temples in Opidys.
- Splix casts arcane eye to scout the area. Splix sees four mindless orcs, similar to those the party battled at the Hall of Akenatun, walk up a flight of stairs. Splix’s arcane eye follows the orcs.
- At the top of the stairs is another orc who slashes the palms of the four orcs. Blood drips from the orcs as they enter another room. Splix spots a stone slab and a spiral staircase that leads Splix’s arcane eye back to the floor where they teleported in.
Encounter: Orc and Blood
- Noah casts greater invisibility on herself and sneaks her way to grapple the solitary orc. Noah fails and combat ensues.
- Noah and Adeena take down the orc. Thoradin checks a room and sees objects and trinkets bearing Macchi’s symbols; seeing the discarded articles dishearten Thoradin.
- Theobald investigates the stone slab and sees an inscription in primordial that he cannot read. Splix points Thoradin to the passageway where the four orcs went through.
- Theobald asks Splix to translate the inscription. Thoradin surges through the next room and finds a fountain filled with blood. The four orcs beside the fountain are letting their blood flow into the pool of blood. Thoradin pushes the orcs away from the fountain.
- Splix casts comprehend languages and reads the inscription on the stone slab:
Let strength pave the way.
- A creature created from blood emerges from the fountain of blood and attacks Thoradin. Noah and Adeena kill the solitary orc; Noah keeps the dagger used by the orc. Splix and Theobald rush in to help Thoradin. Theobald learns that the fountains were once used to contain holy water; now it contain orcish blood.
- Thoradin finds two more fountains filled with blood. Noah and Adeena follow the rest of the party.
- Thoradin and Adeena attack the Blood Golem. Theobald and Splix destroy the fountain, allowing the blood leak out onto the dungeon floor. The act severely weakens the Blood Golem. Thoradin removes the Blood Golem’s tether to the blood, and the creature dies.
- Two more Blood Golem rise from the two fountains; the party defeat them in large part due to Splix and Theobald destroying the fountains by casting stone shape and earth tremor.
Beginning of the End
Thoradin Lacks Strength
- Splix and Theobald share what they saw on the stone slab. The party approach it and they feel intense divine aura emanating from the other side of the stone slab. Thoradin inspects the stone slab and see it nudge.
- Thoradin decides to push the slab. Splix sees a vision that if Thoradin succeeds, it would trigger the events that lead to his vision.
- Despite help from Theobald, Thoradin fails to push the slab. Thoradin feels defeated and a bit betrayed. The party console Thoradin.
- Thoradin asks for some time to think. He asks Adeena to retrieve Macchi’s articles from the nearby room.
- Theobald, Noah and Splix return to the chamber where the fountains are located. They see a large ornate stone door near the fountain and a regular stone door opposite the door they entered from.
Exploring the Underground Temple of Macchi]]
- Theobald check the large door and sees four verses written in different languages. He reads the inscription:
Herein lies Miledu, bound and in deep repose.
Twelve chains bind the harbinger of doom.
Macchi’s boundless strength locks the chains.
Heed! Miledu’s unbinding will herald a new age, one of destruction and darkness.
- Noah and Splix survey the other passageway. Splix uses the arcane eye to check the room. He sees two rectangular pools of milky white watery substance, each harboring a humanoid body. Splix also sees another door and a drape where a door was once located. Splix motions the arcane eye to enter the drapes, and the arcane eye dissipates.
- The party reform and discuss their options. They decide to check out the chamber scouted by Splix.
- The party enter the room. Immediately, Thoradin recognizes that the rectangular pools are not part of the temple’s original design.
- Adeena enters the door and finds a living quarter complete with a bed, several pieces of wooden furniture, and a desk. Three magic items catch Adeena’s attention: a belt bearing Macchi’s symbol, a stout candle, and a necklace with an amber pendant.
Empty Vessels
- Splix investigates the milky white substance and he determines that it is used to preserve bodies. Its arcane use can be attributed to necromancy magic. Splix casts detect thoughts on the two bodies, but the spell yield no result.
- Thoradin enters the pool and pulls up the submerged body. The party is surprised to find out that it is the exact clone of Elix Claymore.
- Adeena retrieves the other body; Theobald and Noah realizes that the body resembles that of Elvin Claymore, only much younger.
- The party weigh in on what to do with the bodies. Adeena asks Splix for help identifying the three magic items she retrieved from the nearby room.
- Splix determines the following:
- The belt contains Macchi’s power.
- The necklace is a periapt that counters poison.
- The inscription on the candle lists the name of The Old Gods.
- Splix also determines that the three magic items, the Scepter of Akenatun, Ring of Ela’s Gemcharm, Arcanus Labyrinthus, Matunda’s Mace exhibit the form of magic. Splix deduces a connection between them.
- The party decide to burn the bodies. Adeena reenter the room to find flammable objects. As she was pulling the wooden furniture, she discovers a used spell scroll. She asks Splix to investigate it. Splix learns that the contingency spell was the spell that was inscribed on the spell scroll.
- Thoradin burns the two bodies devoid of life and consciousness. Theobald offers his prayers while Thoradin mutters a vengeful elegy in front of the body resembling Elix Claymore.