From the notes of Alric
Brethencourt of Veluna
Night, approaching
Freeday, the 21st day of Coldeven, the lower levels of the ruined moathouse east
of Hommlet
And so we emerged
victoriously from our battle with the ne'er-do-well Lareth, cannoness priestess
of the Temple
We made camp for the
night in the ruined altar room, after gathering the valuable spoils of war and
stabling our horses. It reminded some of us of our horrible captivity at the
hands of Lareth and Silas, but knowing that they will never bother an innocent
soul again eases the troubled mind. We made it through the night unmolested,
though the noise of the undead denizens of the dungeons was never far off. In
the morning Emariel the Elf used his magical ways to safely open the door to
Lareth's quarters, which we suspected to be trapped in a fashion similar to the
one that surprised Chryseis on our previous foray here. In the room we
discovered after careful searching a useful map, carved in the surface of a
small table, which we missed on our initial investigation. More disturbingly,
Lareth's private shrine to Lolth, which we thoroughly trashed on our previous
visit, now seemed to be oozing thick blood. A grim omen of things to
come.
As there was still a
sense of pervading evil about the place, we decide to clear out the moathouse
once and for all before we returned to Hommlet. After dispatching some
straggling zombies without too much effort, we found our way to the dark heart
of the lower levels. Following a long, dark corridor, in which the very mosaics
on the wall seemed to shift and inspire dread, we came to a large room which
provided us with the following unsettling sight: in the center stood a monstrous
statue of a giant spider with a woman's head and the fangs of a spider, a
blasphemous idol to none other than Lolth. Surrounding the room on all sides
were small cells, in which there were half a score of zombies feasting on human
remains. The walls in this abysmal place were damp, and its ceiling covered with
webs, though much of it was obscure by the haze being emitted from a smouldering
brazier. While Eeli and Chryseis contemplated our wisest course of action, we
were suddenly beset by two shadowy creatures, impervious to the bite of cold
steel. Fortunately the magic of Weebrian made them disperse before too long.
Immediately after that, a similar creature, but of much greater stature
appeared. We held it off for some time, blocking its way with burning oil, but
'ere too long the fire died out in the damp room, and the shadowy menace engaged
us in combat. Both Chryseis and I were pierced by its immaterial talons, which
sent an unnatural chill coursing through our bodies, and we felt much weakened,
a state which endures even while I write, more than a day after the encounter.
With much effort we dispatched the being, sending it back to its native realm,
perhaps.
Despite the horrid
presence of the statue of Lolth, Eeli, Chryseis and I then entered the room,
determined to cleanse it of evil. The zombies cowered before my blessed
companions, but more dangers lurked about. From out the ceiling giant spiders
started pouring down and quickly swarmed us. Chryseis and Eeli succumbed to the
paralyzing poison, and it was not much longer before I too fell. Fortunately the
heroics of Tuffnell, Emariel and Kazireh saved the day, and our three companions
killing the remaining spiders using guile and brute force. The paladin and
cleric then set to work, after they recovered, cleansing and subsequently
destroying the idol, while the others made short work of the remaining
undead.
We saw many other strange
things in those ruins, including a ten feet long crayfish that was kept in a
small cavernous lair to torment the prisoners of Lareth. I insisted we should
put the creature out of its misery, lest it find a way out and terrorize the
countryside, but the druid Tuffnell vehemently disagreed. And thus we returned
to Hommlet, having finally put an end to the evil in the moathouse. We arrived
at the village in the afternoon of Freeday. A watchful quiet lay about the
place. The mysterious wall of thorns created by the resident druid Jaroo
Ashstaff was gone, but I was glad to note work on the fortifications of the
tower had progressed, thanks to the Kronn Hills Gnomes resuming their aid. We
made for the Inn of the Welcome Wench, and a
hero's welcome indeed.
