16: Crushing Wave Temple Part 2

   

Map of the
Temple of the Crushing Wave

Still within the confines of the Crushing Wave Temple, deep inside a room with a large set of stairs leading downwards (28), the group found themselves in a tense discussion. The Mezzoloth had vanished, its teleportation an alarming unknown. Had it escaped? Was it summoning reinforcements? Perhaps descending further into the unknown wasn't the wisest move. Maybe clearing out the remaining cultists in the upper levels of the temple would secure their escape route, should they need one.

An Aquatic Troll

Their deliberation stretched on for too long. Reinforcements, as predicted, found them. The sounds of heavy, shuffling footsteps and guttural shouts echoed through the corridors. The northern door burst open, and aquatic trolls surged in, only to be halted by Gark's still-present giant constrictor snake. The first troll was instantly constricted, blocking the path of the others.

But then, the south-eastern door swung open, unleashing a cloud of darkness that engulfed everyone. It was so profound that even their darkvision proved useless. Sounds of multiple attackers from the south-east spurred them to action. Bessok pulled a driftglobe from his bag of holding, unleashing its full power. A blinding radiance, rivalling the brightest day, erupted, banishing the magical gloom and revealing the source of the darkness: the returning Mezzoloth.

Now able to see, the group realized both Bugbears and Cultists had swarmed through the south-eastern door, moving into assault positions. Seizing the opportunity, Joe unleashed a fireball from his trusty wand, dropping it squarely in the middle of the horde. The blast was so close it even caught him, but most of the enemies were incinerated instantly—the battle, so far, was going their way.

A One-Eyed Shiver

With a collective heave, the trolls at the northern door pushed their constricted companion forward, gaining ground. Lizardmen branched out, attempting to flank the heroes. From the south-east, more powerful cultists emerged: one, a chilling figure with a glowing white eye shrouded in a cold mist (a "One-eyed Shiver"), and another with unnaturally blue skin, clearly a Water Cultist capable of shifting into water form.

With enemies converging from all sides, Gark and Joe retreated slightly down the stairs for cover. But the One-eyed Shiver teleported directly to them, fixing its glowing eye on Joe. A blast of frigid ice erupted, encasing Joe’s entire body, locking him in place. Gark, with a quick touch to his friend's shoulder, granted him freedom of movement, and the ice shattered. Joe retaliated with a volley of arrows, dropping the Shiver in a few swift shots.

Then, doing what he rarely does, Joe cast a spell, transforming the ground near the northern door into a bed of sharp, barely visible spikes. As the trolls and lizardmen charged, their feet bled. A few unfortunate Lizardmen lost their legs in their haste, dying instantly. Seeing the tide turn, the Mezzoloth again retreated, teleporting to the south-east door and fleeing. Bessok's ghostly dwarven ancestors finished off the last of the cultists and bugbears.

As the trolls also began to fall, Gark lit a torch and rushed to the fallen, setting their bodies ablaze to ensure they didn't regenerate. Their forms were swiftly consumed by fire, reducing them to ash. Taking a much-needed breath after the intense assault, the group considered their next course of action. They decided to follow the stairs down, wherever they might lead.

Map of the Discovered Areas in
The Fane of the Eye

The stairs proved far longer than anticipated. It took almost a minute of walking before light became visible in the distance. This descent was not pleasant; halfway down, a growing discomfort settled upon them—an itch on the skin, a biting cold that chilled their nerves more than their bodies. The stairs finally ended in a Dwarven excavation, the floors smoothed, but the cavern walls raw and untouched.

They emerged into an open area with multiple paths diverging (6). A flow of water emerged from an underground source to the east, continuing towards the sound of a distant waterfall. The cavern ceilings defied logic, twisting at odd angles, creating a disorienting sensation. Strange lichen clung to the stone, casting a soft, violet light.

Within moments, Gark began to hear voices—whispers that he soon realized originated within his own mind. The words were nonsensical, the jabbering of an insane mind seemingly trying to inflict its madness upon the Half-Orc. Gark shook his head, willed the voices to silence, and stomped towards the water’s edge.

He was immediately assaulted by the water itself. Tendrils surged forth, wrapping around him, pulling him towards the brink. Another tug, and he would be submerged. Joe rushed to assist, throwing one of his magical beads at the water elementals. The bead exploded, encasing the two elemental creatures in a wall of force. Gark was shoved away as the force wall expanded. The shimmering sphere drifted with the current, weaving through the twists and turns of the underground river before finally vanishing from sight.

A curious welcome to an unnerving place. The group moved northwards, following the water's flow, intent on finding the Water Cult leader. The path narrowed past a western opening, but they ignored it, continuing towards the roar of the waterfall. The path widened again into a larger area, with stairs leading both up to their left and down ahead (8).

Looking down the stairs ahead, they saw the waterfall plunging into a large lake below. The bubble of force, containing the trapped elementals, still floated there, pulled down by the current, only to bounce back up, repeating the cycle. A brief discussion concluded that the area below might be beyond them for now. They had already faced considerable challenges, and the whispering had now infected Bessok's mind, accompanied by the insane cackling of madness. Only his strong will prevented him from succumbing to the horrifying mirth, a sure path to insanity.

A Grell

For now, they decided to ascend the stairs to their left, moving into an area overgrown with colossal fungus growths (9), a solid path weaving between them. Bessok recognized a Grell attempting to remain hidden in the upper reaches of the cavern. He reassured the others that it wouldn't attack a group of their size, advising them simply to be aware of its presence.

Gark ventured forward to inspect the fungus, stepping into the centre of the path. Suddenly, some of the fungus sprang to life, whipping out snake-like tendrils that slapped against his exposed skin, causing it to rot.

Joe was quick to react, firing arrows at the animated fungi, causing them to explode in puffs of harmless, vile spores. This was certainly not the most welcoming place they had encountered.

Having a particularly rough day, Gark healed some of his wounds. He then, with a strange impulse, decided to try to bring life to one of these massive fungi, touching one with his magical staff. The fungus sprouted a mouth, eyes, and uprooted itself with short legs, allowing it to move. "Oh, hello," it said, remarkably speaking Common.

Happier now that he’d made a new friend, Gark and the group noticed an odd sight at the top of the stairs in the north-western section of the cavern: a rolling, oily cloud of blackness churning across the path, twisting as if alive. A simple attack did nothing, leaving the adventurers confused yet curious. Rowan, pulling out another magical item, threw a bead to the floor, which popped with a burst of smoke, leaving behind a rather confused-looking goat.

Rowan, able to control the goat, first tied a rope around it, then instructed it to move through the cloud. It obeyed, the cloud engulfing the creature and pulling it from sight. Testing the rope, they felt weight, confirming the goat was still attached. They pulled it back. The creature re-emerged, looking utterly horrified, as if it had endured unimaginable abuse and expected more attacks at any moment. The poor thing!

"It hasn't been my day already," Gark declared, deciding to get it over with. He stepped forward, telling everyone he'd go through first. A rope was tied around him, and he stepped into the black, oily, smoke-like cloud, disappearing from sight.

Gark emerged onto a beautiful forest path, surrounded by trees—a druid's perfect environment. But looking up, he saw a vile cloud of pitch-black hate, flickering with lightning, its shape constantly morphing with rows of teeth, insane eyes, and cackling mouths that were quickly swallowed by larger mouths. Tendrils curled off the main cloud, tearing up trees, smashing the ground, devouring everything in their path. Gark turned and ran, bursting out of the cloud he had entered, but this time on the other side.

He found himself in another room, more disturbing than the last. The angles were wrong, the light unsettling. A large, amorphous statue sat in the middle, reaching down to feed on something before it, a head-sized gem as its eye (19). Gark, with his religious knowledge, recognized it as a statue to the Elder Elemental Eye, or Ghaunadaur. More oily smoke-clouds marked other exits, save for one leading south-west.

The Elder Elemental Eye

Before he could fully study the area, Gark was promptly pulled back by the rest of the group, the oily cloud swallowing him once more. This time, he found himself in an eternal abyss, an infinite space that mortal minds were never meant to comprehend. Off in the distance, he heard a baby screaming, the sound growing louder and louder, drawing him closer, until Gark was suddenly pulled out of the cloud and realized the screaming was coming from him. He collapsed to the floor, deciding he'd had enough for one day, half-fainting, half-falling asleep.

A few slaps brought him back to focus. Despite the group's questions about what he'd seen or where he'd been, he simply replied they'd have to see for themselves. Bessok was next. The God from whom he drew his power was one of travel, of unknown paths, and this was a path he had to see. A rope tied around him, just as with Gark, and he stepped forward, the oily cloud embracing him.

The eternal blackness slowly cleared, revealing a path before him, but this path was surrounded by nothingness and stretched into infinity. Before him stood his Dwarven God, a look of utter terror on his face. He told Bessok this was beyond them, that Bessok needed to run. Behind his God, a rolling cloud of black moved closer, lightning arcing through it, long smoky tendrils reaching out and piercing through his God as if he were nothing, splitting him into multiple forms that ripped apart before his eyes. Mouths rolled within the cloud, insane laughter echoing, as Bessok turned and ran, bursting out of the cloud and into that same disturbing room again (19).

He was pulled back after a brief, disoriented look around, another experience fed to him by a hateful cosmic horror. A brief discussion ensued, and they decided going further was not wise right now. They had grown powerful, but this was something else entirely. Perhaps they should return in the future. The decision made, they retraced their steps, heading back upstairs into the Temple of the Crushing Wave.

Map of the
Temple of the Crushing Wave

Standing at the top of the stairs (28) in the Crushing Wave Temple, the group paused, listening intently. Silence. They moved north, then along the corridor, returning to the room where they had previously fought a demon (25). This time, however, the large double doors stood open, revealing an old, ugly woman to the south (22), flanked by two towering Ogres.

Rowan scouted forward, crossing the bridge. As he reached the other side, a giant octopus pulled itself from the water and settled onto the bridge, not attacking, but acting as a signal. The old woman, sensing an unseen presence, called out, inviting whoever was there to come forward. She claimed she wasn't a threat, given that the group had already destroyed most of her cultists. If they wanted a more "appropriate" target with a large reward, she had plenty of suggestions.

The woman’s words were ignored. Gark responded by summoning two giant octopi of his own, sending them to double-team the lone octopus on the bridge. Meanwhile, Joe and Rowan stealthily moved along the canal, aiming to flank the woman and her Ogres from the large lake to the west (21). Rounding the corner, they spotted another 'One-Eyed Shiver' and five cultists gathered near a large metal gong.

Bronzefume,
Dragon Turtle

As the battle with the octopi began, the old woman realized her offer was rejected. She shouted across to the Shiver to "Summon Bronzefume!" then turned with her Ogres, retreating south along the corridor. The Shiver nodded, smashing a baton against the gong, a loud 'bong' echoing through the complex. Rowan surged forward, heading for the cultists, leaving Joe to witness the waters stir. A gargantuan creature, a Dragon Turtle, rose from the depths, responding to its summons.

Leaving the octopi to their fight, Bessok moved around the bridge, heading south towards the sound of the gong. The Dragon Turtle, still non-hostile, advanced in the same direction, awaiting further instruction.

The cultists, however, were very hostile. They fired crossbows at the incoming Rowan, four bolts striking home, leaving him wounded. In response, Rowan raised the baton he'd used at Scarlet Moon Hall, its magic compelling enemies to switch sides. The Dragon Turtle ignored it, but the cultists, now under Rowan's influence, turned their crossbows on the Dragon Turtle. The Shiver, now allied to a new master, sent a blast of cold air at the Dragon Turtle, which roared in fury, bellowing in an unknown tongue as if demanding an explanation for this betrayal.

None came. The cultists, now fighting for Rowan, continued their crossbow assault on the Dragon Turtle. The colossal creature, now seeing everything as a target, unleashed a breath of boiling hot steam as Bessok rushed to meet it. Bessok's armour glowed red from the intense heat. Behind him, the cultists caught in the blast screamed, their skin and flesh melting before they dropped in a hideous sludge of gore and bones.

Rowan, also caught in the blast, collapsed, unconscious but faring better than the cultists. Now his friends, the remaining two cultists rushed to help him, one pulling out a healing potion. Bessok, however, called out a word of divine power, and life surged back into the fallen rogue.

Meanwhile, Joe had a new target: the old woman and her Ogres. He dashed from cover to cover, keeping out of sight, moving south along the canal to flank them and re-join the main group (15).

Bessok, previously confident in his resilience, finally met his match in the Dragon Turtle. Its sheer size made evasion nearly impossible. He was repeatedly clawed, bitten, and tossed around like a rag doll. Briefly finding respite on the creature’s back, he flooded his system with healing magic before attempting to disengage. But as he moved, the Turtle's massive tail swung around, delivering a hammer blow that sent Bessok flying into the lake, disappearing beneath the surface.

Though aware of the chaos, Gark wasn't entirely sure what had happened. After his octopi dispatched their target, he followed over the bridge and into the open area to the south (22). One look at the Dragon Turtle, and the way it had effortlessly brutalized Bessok, convinced him. He told Rowan that retreat was the better option, and the pair began sneaking eastwards, past ruined rooms and towards the edge of the canal.

The Dragon Turtle, perhaps satisfied that Bessok was dealt with, advanced onto dry land, smashing through the remaining cultists, pillars, and tables in the area. At the same time, Joe, having circled far to the south, reached the corridor near the fountain (11) just in time to see one of the Ogres venturing out to investigate the Dragon Turtle's rampage. It didn't last long. The creature spotted it, unleashing another blast of steam, reducing the Ogre to freshly polished bones and melted flesh.

A Sea Hag

Spotting his opportunity, Joe rushed forward into the room the Ogre had vacated, finding the old woman and her remaining Ogre. A flurry of lightning javelins and magic missiles quickly dispatched them, the old woman briefly revealing her true, horrifying form as a sea hag before expiring.

The Dragon Turtle, still raging, smashed through the broken remains of buildings near where Rowan and Gark were sneaking, but missed them entirely. It then dropped into the canal and swam southwards, exiting the temple through its main entrance, leaving the place and its "betrayers" behind.

Finally able to breathe, the four regrouped, taking a moment to recuperate. They then proceeded to search the remaining sections of the Temple, discovering curious rooms, a healthy horde of treasure, and clearing out a few more easily dispatched strange creatures.