11/13/2025: The Temple, the Fire and the Temple Again

The group hear the grinding of stone on stone as the guardian statue’s eyes roll to find Three, dancing atop the altar that stands before it. Impossibly, its already thunderous brow lowers even more as it finds the jigging dragonborn, glaring at his desecration.

Nesquo sprints through the temple entrance and launches himself onto the altar next to Three. From the druid’s palms, the green mist of a Poison Spray spell erupts toward the guardian, engulfing its face.

With a snort, the carving contorts. Words uttered by the guardian are comprehensible to the only two party members who speak Elvish: “I am going to sneeze!!”

Suddenly, a wet blast explodes from through the guardian’s nose and mouth. While Three is blown onto the floor, Nesquo is able to stand firm. He is, however, coated with some sort of thick, green slime that has been blasted from some unseen interior of the statue.

Without thinking about it, both Nesquo and Grapalt say “Bless you!” in Elvish. The statue’s stone eyes swivel again, finding the pair and replies in perfect if antique Elvish: “Thank you. What are you doing here, strangers?”

Grapalt rushes to tell the guardian he has not come looking for treasure of any sort, and he apologizes for the behavior of his companions, suggesting that it would be ok with him if the guardian threw his companions out of the temple.

The guardian statue’s eyes narrow, and ask, “Have you come for the pegasi?”

“You mean horses with wings?” Nesquo’s face lights up.

“No…!” snaps Grapalt, giving Nesquo an evil look. “Of course we wouldn’t want to take the pegasi.”

The guardian sighs as the pair return to their very nervous companions what the guardian statue has told them. Quite soon, the rumble of the guardian’s voice calls to Nesquo and Grapalt, who translate, “He says that he would like us to help save the pegasi…they are being kept here against their wills and will be soon transported to the Underdark! And he mentions that there is a Celestial here. He can sense it.”

“No, there’s not,” sputters Astrid, a little too quickly. Her companions stare at her but are distracted just as quickly.

“The Underdark!” gasps Nesquo.

“Great, guilt,” mutters Fuzzy.

Astrid, worried about being revealed as a celestial, decides it’s better that she leave the temple before her secret can be revealed. She is followed out by the group. They can hear the echo of the guardian’s voice from within the temple that they quickly leave behind.

“We probably shouldn’t start a fire…” begins Astrid, but Fuzzy and Grapalt have already gathered enough kindling for Nesquo to start a large fire.

Sighing, Astrid joins the others around the cheerful blaze that crackles before them, keeping the shadows of the forest at bay.

After a loud snap, all heads save Fred and Istyher whip around, eyes scanning the darkness.

“There!” Astrid points high into the canopy. “And there! And also there!”

Fuzzy squints high into the trees. “Giant phase spiders! They can change their location using teleportation.” The three huge creatures creep toward the group, distortions rippling behind them as they shift between the Material and Ethereal Planes.

Fred grabs up a large stone and casts a Light spell on it. He hurls it deep into the underbrush. The spiders chase it into the darkness.

While the others debate where to flee, knowing the spiders will return, Nesquo attempts to kick the fire to put it out.

Blazing embers scatter into the tinder-dry underbrush. Brown grasses begin to ignite. The flames rush up the trunks of several nearby trees.

“This will get rid of the spiders!” cries Nesquo. His companions do not look convinced, and before long it becomes very apparent that the inferno is spreading around the area.

“There isn’t any water nearby,” shouts Fuzzy.

Most of the group runs from the approaching flames. Nesquo, hesitating a moment, dashes after them. Three, disoriented and looking for Nesquo, stumbles into the flames. Nesquo returns for him and tries pulling him from the fire, but cannot make the dragonborn budge. Only Fuzzy, shockingly strong for a wizard, yanks the smoldering Three to haul him to temporary safety. The flames pursue them.

The companions race after Fred, who leads them back to the temple. They collapse on the smooth floor, soot covered and coughing.

The guardian, with a broad smile, rumbles, “Ah, you have changed your minds after all and chosen to rescue the pegasi! Very good!” This is translated by Grapalt.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

Deciding that they wish to explore the door not used by the creature they spotted earlier, they move to the eastern wall.  

As they traverse the stone floor, the sharp eyed Astrid spies a faint outline of a door on the northern wall, to the right of the guardian.

”A secret door!” She explores it with fingertips but can find no way to open it.

Bored watching her struggle, the guardian tells Grapult, “Ask it to open in Elvish.”

And it opens. “That was simple,” notes Fuzzy.

Astrid, Istyher, Fuzzy, Fred and Grapult slip through the secret door into a very dusty and stale smelling room. An elegant bed and desk occupy the room. Behind the closed door on the east wall, several of the companions can hear someone walking on a stone floor.

Cautiously, Astrid very slowly opens the door. Whatever is in the room is out of her line of sight.

Meanwhile, Nesquo leaves Three staring out at the fire, which by now has approached the mouth of the cave.

Nesquo slips through a door on the western wall, hungry for treasure. He enters what might have been a jail. The cells are empty. But something large and grey rises up to descend upon Nesquo.