Session 43: Secrets Revealed Report

General Summary

With Athemal Overburden and Vister Elentyne rescued by the party, from the Temple prison, the swelled ranks of heroes continued moving west. In a large octagonal room they were quickly beset up on by Arrowhawks, winged horrors with lighting breath. The avians hovered and attacked the party, but spell casting by Orlac brought them to the ground where they were charmed and methodically removed from the battlefield. Three exits from the room led, first, to another door leaving the Outer Fane and a bridge back to the Crater Ridge Mines, second, to a pitiful slave quarters with a dwarf, half-orc, and human who had been mutilated by their masters, and lastly to a door leading further west.
  Behind this door the heroes found a guard post of Ogres clad in black plate mail and wielding greatswords. Orlac's hypnotic pattern set most of them in trance and the party was able to relieve them of their duties one by one (much like the arrowhawks). This battle alerted four Dire Lions and their keeper, a Troglodyte priest with a demonic leg. A battle erupted in the corridor and lion kennel with Mika charging into the den, only to be wrenched back by Tymaret's magic. The Dire Lions clawed and charged (one knocking Mika prone) and the Troglodyte cast multiple spells, all repelled by the heroes, Tymora and Lathander be praised.
  After the battle the party encountered a most strange elf, Varachan, who beckoned them into his chambers. The heroes, Orlac in particular, held mighty suspicions of the elf's professed good intentions. Why would someone so close to the Fane aid the heroes? Varachan, clad in loose fitting black robes, told the party that he is second only to Hedrack, and was well on his way to surpassing the older cleric and moving into the ranks of the doomdreamers when suddenly, his formerly nonexistent conscience spoke up and he realized that what he was doing was wrong. He repented his evil deeds, and lost all his spell-casting abilities. Varachan has a scrying device with which he has tracked the party's progress. It's quite possible that Varachan himself influenced some encounters to the heroes' benefit. Nevertheless, the elf offered his aid and advice to the party, making several points:

• The Triad are the earthly conduits of Tharizdun's evil. They are a human (The First), a half-elemental (The Third), and an abboleth (The Second). The Triad is currently focused on The Temple of Elemental Evil excavating its lower levels to rededicate the Greater Temple to the Elder Elemental Eye, uncover gates to the four elemental nodes, find the elemental gems that fit into the Orb of Oblivion, have The Champion call the Princes of Elemental Evil and bring them to the Greater Temple and use the Orb of Oblivion to release Tharizdun.  This effort is led by The Second.
• The Greater Temple is where access to the power of Tharizdun lies. This is the temple breached by the party, as evidence by the horn Tymaret carries. Within the temple the party could gain access to the Orb of Silvery Death, held within the Black Cyst. In the vestibule flip the first switch (the leftmost switch) down and then blow on the horn, after touching it with a master key. A black column will rise up to a height of 8 feet. The second switch should then be flipped, and the horn sounded again. This causes a similar column to rise. The third switch/sounding causes the area between the columns to shimmer with a purple radiance, creating a veil of energy. Those passing through the veil appear in a circular chamber about 40 feet across. Tharizdun's torch must be used. Herein lies the Orb. Kneel before the altar, speak Tharizdun's name, and take the Orb. To leave you must extinguish the torch.
• The Orb of Silvery Death resembles a rounded, silver skull with four small niches placed equidistant around the “crown.” The possessor of the Orb can, at will, detect good/evil, detect lies, cause fear, and poison an individual. There are other powers and consequences of possessing the Orb that are unknown to Varachan.
• The First and The Third are currently in the Inner Fane, a tower surrounded by a blasted landscape. The door to the tower is sentient and will only open if its questions are satisfactorily answered. It might be possible to destroy the door, but of course, any thought of surprising the tower's denizens evaporates. The Triad members are in the upper levels of the tower. In levels below the tower there is another artefact, a Talisman of Pure Good that rests in the bottom of a glass bowl full of liquid evil. Doomdreamers, powerful clerics of Tharizdun also lair in the tower, along with other creatures of evil.
• There are two entrances to the blasted landscape surrounding the tower: the hall of questions guarded by lilac force walls and demon statues. Answer truthfully and you will gain entrance; a secret door and tunnel in a room to the south that leads to a ledge looking down upon the blasted landscape.
• The Outer Fane is host to monsters and evil men of course. An Illithid prognosticates for the Triad, a contingent of Drow ambassadors are current guests.
• Varachan does not know if you, powerful as you are, can best those in the tower. Perhaps you should travel to the old Temple of Elemental Evil -- there is barn and cottage in ruins northeast of the temple, and a ruined well, at the bottom of which is a secret entrance to the lower levels of the temple.
• Hedrack still hunts you.

Rewards Granted

Monster XP
Arrowhawk x 4: 2,800
Ogres x 6: 4,200
Dire Lions x 4: 2,800
Troglodyte Priest x 1: 3,900
  Adventure Advancement
2,000
  Total XP per PC (including one NPC): 2,615