Entry the Seventh

Having resupplied ourselves, Neebo suggested we pause to study our enemy's habitat. We had noticed in the ogre's den a series of oil paintings depicting various evils visiting the mortal world. As we contemplated the ways the worshipers of Bane sought to destroy us, Deiter realized there was a secret woven into the fabric of the painting, literally. The painting canvases had extra stitching in the material, each spelling out cryptic riddles. I've written them down here, sure that we will be tasked with solving them before long.

Who are you?
What do you bring?
Where are you now?
Why have you come?
When shall I be free?
Who am I?

Neebo and Koda also discovered a secret passage, a retractable wall that led us down a dark corridor opening into a broad, well lit room. Before progressing further, Neebo suggested we try some other hallways in the maze-like temple and try to find more ways to resupply with minimum threat to our safety; as the secret path would obviously have some treacherous mechanism to test us. Personally I live for proving myself against such obstacles, but I concede to the troop leader's wisdom as a superior strategist. Dear reader, you've just witnessed my rarely witnessed mastery of the subtle art of humility. Take that, emotional spectrum!

Along another path we found a door that was the exact opposite of what Neebo was looking for. This was almost the most threatening thing I'd seen this day. The passage was blocked by a door carved in the shape of a howling demonic face. It's mouth was agape in an almost audible shriek, and it's eyes were shining gemstones. We think it was made of ebony stone, but it showed no signs of the craft, no worker's carving tool had ever graced it's surface. The nostrils were flared in outrage, it's brow twisted and curled around eyes of gleaming emerald. It's expression was of defiant rage at our presence. Since Neebo had suggested we try to minimize the threats to our health and sanity, we reverted to the secret passage.

The illumination at the end of the secret hallway was provided by a sphere of pure mystical energy, spinning furiously throughout the room, an erratic buzzing torrent of force. It was unlikely that any of us could cross the room without being touched by the orb. Koda dared to take a few quick steps and realized the were further secrets in the chamber. One hall led through a more pedestrian route to the ogres' den, and a hall on the far side led to a new section of the vile temple. But the greatest mystery was a glass door. It seemed sealed tight to keep in another mystical sphere - like a black star, radiating intense darkness but with a crimson hue at its edges. He was only able to discern its existence before he hastily retreated back into the secret passage to share his findings. We debated the nature of the spinning sphere and decided that it must be some sort of guardian or trap. Deiter took a stab at disarming it by summoning an ethereal hand and pushing it out of it's winding path, but to no avail. The magic ball moved right through the magic hand. Shrugging in frustration, Rikka picked up a small rock from the floor and threw it at the spinning trap. The results were even worse, as the rock disappeared in a blinding flash and the sphere doubled in size, as if it had consumed the stone. We experimented with the effect, and found it seemed able to dissolve anything we threw at it, but it always made the orb larger. We studied the phenomena until it maxed out at teen feet wide, almost the height of the room itself. We'd hoped to overload the orb until it swelled beyond it's own limits of capacity and destroyed itself, but no such luck. Neebo discerned that the sphere might be capable of killing any of us who touched it as we tried to traverse the chamber, and since there was no apparent means of disarming it, suggested we invest our intellect against other obstacles, such as the grimacing devil door.

We returned to the door and spent a full ten minutes trying to figure out how to open it. The fanged mouth proved to be no workable handle to even Rog's terrible strength, and Koda suggested focusing on the gemstone eyes. He studied the optics closely, looking for a way to move them, (or I suspect to pocket them) when his face became placid as a lake on a calm day. Koda has always been guarded, to the point of being labeled an introvert, but this effect was uncanny. After several moments of not blinking, his eyes watered until he finally pulled himself away. He muttered the eyes were key, but that they were overwhelming for his mind before he curled into a fetal ball in the corner. Deiter said that his arcane prowess would likely protect him from the door's assault, but I had to step in his way. Ever since being taken in by the warrior priests of the Order of the Pointed Stick, I've been taught that it was my purpose in life to protect others. If anyone was going to risk mental injury in a contest of wills, my sharply honed psionic brain would be the first to face the challenge.

I gazed into the eyes of evil itself. I saw movement in those stones, like an endless tumbling of acrid smoke lay within. I could hear winds roaring past me, but felt nothing. Then came a tingling, like the pins and needles of a foot when it falls asleep, but this was rippling through my entire body. I held my ground as sizzling lightning poured out of the emerald eyes and into my mind, but I took the pain and stood firm. If the others said anything, or tried to stir me it must have failed to register as the only sensation I experienced was the screaming force pouring into my head. I dared not look away, knowing that any hesitation or reluctance could shatter my adamant resolve and allow this evil to take hold in my soul. For a brief instant, I thought I heard laughter, and visions of endless tentacles flickered before dissipating.

And then there was silence; and the rest of the world returned to my senses. Only then did I realize I'd broken out in a cold sweat. I stayed motionless, waiting for a second assault but the double doors silently parted to grant us access. I mentioned to Rog that among the list of my accomplishments I can now list winning a staring contest with an inanimate object. He chuckled, and asked what most of my words meant. I shook my head and walked in first ready to take the brunt of whatever lay beyond such a foreboding entrance, but there was only the dark and silence of a tomb.

Someone lit a torch and illuminated a dining hall, with a well using feasting table and an enormous pit that went on for some unknown depth. None of us wanted to explore the edge, knowing that something horrid lived here. Koda had briefly composed himself, though still visibly shaken, and while we fanned out he went to the table and called out that it was covered only with bare, stripped skulls. He lashed out violently, standing on the table and kicking away plates and goblets, as craniums scattered about the room shouting that we were being attacked. Then there was laughter. I don't know if it was spoken aloud, or if it was an echo in my mind from my encounter with the door. I responded out loud, demanding that whatever had tried to attack my mind to come and challenge me face to face and get what was coming to him. For the first time, I can now say that my bravado was misplaced.

A figure appeared between me and Rikka, our eyes had simply been ignoring him this whole time. It was wearing robes with a high collar, it's flesh was a sickly bruised purple and it's head was like that of an octopus, a tangled mass of tentacles. It revealed itself by lashing out with telepathic bolts of anguish before wrapping it's pseudopods around the young fighter's face. I cried out and tried to pull the fiend away, demanding that he face me. Yet as my first blow struck he vanished, only to reappear beside Koda and Neebo. For the record, I teleport a lot and this fiend teleported like a girl. Rog and I moved to flank the creature before he took flight again. The room shook as he cried out and I felt him trying to pry into my mind, but I withstood the blow. Others were not so lucky, buying the monster precious time to dart about us, skirmishing only when he saw fit. Each time we started to surround him he was able to slink away to a safer vantage point to unleashing psychic agony on all of us; each time filling me with outrage at my inability to keep him in my sights. As I hurtled like lightning across the room, using every trick in the play book of the Pointed Stick I saw him staring into Rikka's eyes before she bolted over the edge of the pit. Despair snuck into my heart; I felt my own strength waning after so many assaults from the hideous abomination.

Then something wonderful rang in my ears; a triumphant song of exalted joy proclaiming my strength and righteousness- never before had I been so invigorated and inspired. Neebo had begun to pluck on his lute, prodding us to return to the struggle with new found reserves of energy. His throat parched, I saw him down the potion to renew his efforts before he clamored down into the darkness of the pit. Rog and I briefly struggled with the horror until I saw a flying boot catch him between his spiraling tentacles. I knew Neebo had brought Rikka back to the fray.

As we all moved to surround him, the creature's tentacles extended fully, and he cried out with a sound that bored its way fully into my mind. I felt his suckered digits extending into my brain, pulling my limbs like those of a puppet on his infernal strings as each of us turned on each other. After my hammer pounded into Rikka I regained my senses, only to have to weather a blow from my giant barbarian friend. I focused only on the puppet master, waiting for the others to regain their senses. I saw his next psychic onslaught coming and braced myself, only to see Rikka fall from its blow. She did not move again. Only after several more exchanges, daggers and axes and magic bolts against howling madness did the fiend eventually fall. As Koda's daggers slit his throat, Neebo hurried to Rikka's side, an invigorating note pouring from his throat but to no effect. Rikka was gone.

I write this now in the beast's chamber. We have closed the door behind us, confident no intelligent servant of the temple would have dared enter this room if it could avoid it. When my time at watch is finished I doubt I will sleep much. We said words for the soul of our departed ally, and I was surprised to hear that Rog has decided to worship the god of justice, as Rikka did. Though her spirit is at rest, we have no way to honor her earthly remains, and have elected to lay her in repose in this chamber. We've slain her killer, but my own sense of justice demands more. I vow to avenge her on every evil doer in this foul place. Bane himself will answer for this.