An Unexpected Encounter
Being the twenty-ninth chapter of Stackman’s adventures
In which the party meets their great role model, and in which classic christmas songs are shown to have an effect on Gael Serran furnishing habits.
Through another set of corridors the party made their way to the southernmost room of the temple (room N on the Anephas’s shrine map at
Xignal’s Site). It was a most peculiar room. Across the floor and up the walls ran a channel of water. It seemed that the force of gravity had been suspended when it came to water. But then again: If that were indeed so the adventurers should have begun floating since two thirds of their bodily composites were water (and one third pixels?). Enough with the theories, though. The party did not start floating. That did, however, the four attacking mummy priests when an accurate firestorm spell hurled them across the room. Then they landed with a thud and never came back up.
On the south wall of the room the bard found a statuette of Kerah. He placed it on the serene altar beside him. There was a grating noise when a stone pillar arose from the pool behind them and extended towards the ceiling. In the ceiling a hatch opened revealing a water surface. Most peculiar indeed. Knowing what was in store the warlock cast illuminate because it would be impossible to cast when having entered the body of water and because it would be needed to spot the lever up there. The party stepped unto the marble pillar and were thrusted up into the water. The valkyrie found and flipped the lever.
Beneath them the hatch closed and a new one opened above them. They climbed out of a small pool and found themselves within a small dry shrine on the bottom of a lake. A ring of small fires burned within the shrine. By a small throne stood Kerah the Angel and before here, almost as if in suspended animation, stood a lone adventurer. It was Missy Hissy. The unfathomable had happened. They had caught up with Bungleau’s fabled solo warrior. They stood gaping for awhile almost unable to comprehend that it was true. The solo warrior whose exploits had been the inspiration for Stackman to charge them with their mission. Their great example. Were they actually going to beat her to it?
They talked with Missy about her fabled accomplishments, and equipped with her autograph on their issue of the Tome of Legends (wherein she already played a gret role) the party went about their business and interviewed Kerah who told them about Anephas, Cet, and the portal behind them. They operated the portal (apparently it had been repaired after Missy Hissy’s attempt [img]smile.gif[/img] ), and it produced an obelisk of light. unfortunately the portal was broken for good.
The party stepped out of the shrine and into the lake. They swam to the surface and explored the area. In a small secluded grove they came by what was seemingly a makeshift campsite. Opening the two treasure chests at the scene it became apparent that that was where the elusive leprechaun had lived – the bard found his lucky clover neclace. (seemingly an interesting piece of jewelry, but unfortunately cursed). Because of the peculiar habits of leprechauns they have to move whenever their settlements are discovered. Knowing how many leprechauns already crowded the homeless shelters of the Gael Serran the party did not regret having killed the one they came across.
The party went back to Kerah’s shrine, shook hands with Missy Hissy once again and swam back through the pool to Anephas’s Shrine. Once they left they would be unable to get back to Kerah’s Shrine this way, because they were playing the unpatched version of the game (as discussed in a
topic on this subject). They would need a portal elsewhere and could not afford to place one here. That meant that the only way of getting back to Kerah’s Shrine would be tree surfing there from Brimloch Roon.
Missy Hissy reacted to following words: Bungleau, Missy Hissy, Waiting Game, Patience.
The party went back to the Great Altar room (room I). The hieroglyphic frieze on the wall depicted the story of the great sacrifice which turned out to be a hoax. The party turned their attention to the great altar where Anephas would have beguiled the unsuspecting adventurers, making them belive he would be reborn from his ashes. But they knew better. Still, for the sake of the plot, they feigned interest in resurecting Anephas. The barbarian put the Anephas’s urn on the altar which was also brightly decorated. (True to the old classic Irving Berlin/Bing Crosby classic ”May your dais be merry and bright...”).
Armed with the obelisk of light the party then went back to the light beam room (room O) and placed the obelisk on the pedestal there. From that room and back through the other rooms to the great altar there were small brown squares in the floor at each intersection. The valkyrie moved ornamented obelisks from the adjacent rooms until on each brown square stood an obelisk. the beam of light was now directed towards the urn on the great altar.
When the beam of light struck the urn Anephas appeared amid lightning on the dais. Cheap third class moon magic, but the party continued to play along the charade for the sake of the plot. Anephas told them about his ordeals, and the party then went to the exit room (room R) which was now accesible. The zenmaster flipped a lever situated behind a leaning statue on their left, and the door opened to the outer premises. Via an elevator the party made their way back to the surface of the earth. The warlock cast the create portal spell and made preparations to cast the call of home spell knowing that venturing any further would forfeit their chance of getting the second quest at the Bushi Dojo.
NPCs encountered:
Kerah reacts to following words:
Cet, Mavin, Anephas, Kerah, Sacred Oath, Holy Signet, Destiny, Prophecy, Mortal Hope, Pyramid, Dark Lord, Black Fire, Sleep, Fate, Evil Lord, Dream, Wisdom, Collasium, Sacred Sword, Light, Pharaoh, Shrine, G’Ezerred Ra, Tablets, Ash, Meddling, Urn, Evil Pharaoh, Sunken City, Pyramid Tomb.
Anephas reacts to following words:
Tomb, Cet, Mavin, Anephas, Kerah, Pyramid, Angel Dark Lord, Black Fire, Sleep, Mavin Sword, Portal, Gateway, Collasium, Champion, Sacred Sword, Light, Pharaoh, Shrine, Tablets, Pyramid Of Cet, Renew, Sunken City, Pyramid Tomb.