Heroes

Editor’s Note: This is the final log of the Return to the Temple of Elemental Evil. It took about three years to complete the module, and it was a lot of fun. Many thanks to Monte Cook for his great work. I would also like to thank the frequent posters on Monte’s forum for helping me out along the way. Many of the great ideas for the adventure came from there. This is written up about eight months after the adventure ended, so hopefully it covers the important details of the climactic finish well. A special thanks to the players of this campaign for all their work and great role-playing is certainly in order. We now are now beginning the war against Iuz, which started while the party was busy defeating the cultists. I wouldn’t count out some of the events of the Temple Campaign creeping back in.


The Ritual of Unmaking
The party solved the next two puzzles and the gate was open to the Throne of Imix. The Prince of Fire was flanked by Lareth the Beautiful and Maliskra, the fire-born medusa. The battle was very intense, and we discovered early on that Lareth was not in the throne room. It was the succubus scout that had been following us. Imix continued his assault, and then he was called out of the room by the real Lareth. The party followed the two through the gate and found themselves in the greater temple room of the Temple of Elemental Evil.

A large nexus had formed above the three part altar in the center. Lareth gave the Orb of Silvery Death to Imix. All Imix had to do to complete the ritual was cast the orb into the nexus. It would have freed Tharizdun from his prison, and it would have ushered in the end of the world. The party stood between the prince and the nexus. Victor managed to successfully grapple the fifty foot elemental, and kept him from reaching the nexus. Delvanos unleashed his powerful barrage of arrows and dropped Imix. The day was won. The six heroes saved the world.

The Inner Fane
The party began their assault on the final bulwark of the cultist’s defenses, the Inner Fane. There were a number of large battles on the way to the top of the black spike. Two half-dragon dinosaurs, a powerful Doomdreamer, two night hags, a nalfeshnee and a marilith all fell at the party’s hand. The greatest danger was most likely the Augury of Chance. A skeletal figure dealt cards from the Deck of Many Things to anyone willing to play his game.

The fane itself was set against the party. The Dreaming Stone formed the core of the black spike, and the battle with the hags was nearly fatal for Delvanos. He was unable to resist the force within the stone, and he was drawn into what apparently was where all Doomdreamer candidates go if they are not strong enough. They spend an eternity in the prison realm of Tharizdun worshipping him with their shattered minds. The party traveled to the Indomitable Gate to ask Galgaliel to free him. The solar agreed, and Delvanos was restored. As the party continued up the black spike, it became apparent that the First was planning his escape, and he was going to take the Dreaming Stone with him. It would cause the destruction of the vile temple.

The Tabernacle of Utter Darkness proved too much for the party. The First had summoned a number of pseudonatural vermin to aid him. The party was turned on themselves with a Word of Chaos. The battle quickly turned against them, and they were forced to try and flee. The situation was exacerbated by the confused members of the group. The First then completed his ritual, and the Dreaming Stone disappeared. The fane began collapsing in on itself, and within moments it would fall into the lava core of the Stalagos. The party’s ability to work together and their unwavering courage kept them from destruction. Half of the party was buried in the sinking metal structure, but Vannay summoned an earth elemental, who was able to dig the party out. The party then made their way back to Chendl.

Enemy at the Gates
The Furyondian capital was beset with the war against Iuz, but time was made to celebrate the great accomplishments of the party. In the middle of the ceremony alarms were sounded just outside the castle. It appeared that the forces of Iuz were at the doorstep. It was not so. The First had come calling with a vengeance. Another great battle took place, and the party was able to finally kill the leader of the cult.

After the battle, the party found out that they were to be given plots of land in Chendl as a reward for their heroic efforts in defeating the cultists. And true to the prophecy of the deck, Safadin’s land already had a keep on it.

Some final notes of importance are that three of the four binders have been found. The fire binder was in the possession of Lareth, and it is now being held by the party. The earth and air binders were given to the Circle of Eight for safe keeping and research. The whereabouts of the water binder are not known. The location of the dreaming stone is also unknown. All of the known cultists of Tharizdun are dead with the exception of the one who sought out Galgaliel for understanding.

The party is now planning how they might best help the free peoples in their war against Iuz. The aid of the dwarves is crucial, and they are currently under siege by The White, an ancient dragon, and his giant hordes. The party is planning to aid the Khannenhelm Dwarves in their war, so that the dwarves may in turn join Furyondy and Veluna in the War of the Free Peoples.

The war itself is in somewhat in a deadlock. The northern city of Crockport is under the control of Lord Noct of the Boneshadow. The flare line is holding out against the encroachments from the north, but without Crockport, Whyestil Lake and the Furyondian navy is unable to leave Grabford. King Thrommel is still leading his cavalry units in skirmishes along both sides of the lines. How Iuz plans to use the Razing Line is unclear. Even the whereabouts of Old Wicked are not known, but the skull-lined road to Molag is filled with the nightmare creatures of the lower planes.