Stackman's Adventures (Chapter seven)

[bsftcs]

Another day, another gold piece

Being the seventh chapter of Stackman’s adventures

In which the theory of a grand-scale, but later reduced, primeval Gael Serran is further substantiated and in which Stackman gets a fit of nostalgia.

The following morning neither of the adventurers had slept very much, so they marched at a moderate pace the whole day. When night fell they had reached the small lake in front of the entrance to the caves of Ishad N’ha. Here they camped for the night. When darkness gave way to the light again, and dawn broke with a torrential downpour, the party set off.

They waded into the the river and followed its course into the caves of Ishad N’ha. They had not walked many paces before the darkness closed in on them and almost seemed to devour them. The warlock cast the illuminate spell on herself and soon the caves were bathed in light. Her facial characteristics became indistinguishable in the bright light emanating from her head making her look like a veritable flambeau. This spell was common knowledge for every wizard, since said spell and the burn spell were examination requirements on first year at wizard school. It was common practice for a first year student to attend the yearly school ball having cast the illuminate spell on themselves. It was to that custom elder wizards and warlocks refered when they said they had had an ”old flame” back in wizard school.

The chill cavern extended further and further into the cliff. The air was stuffy. After about two kilometres of marching the party spotted lights from up ahead and they soon came upon a barrier of fire. The Oracles of Ishad N’ha eyed the adventurers as they stepped nearer. The party talked with the oracles about retrieving the masque called the Face of Death and showed them the Signet of the Mavin taken from Nivius’s tomb. A boulder blocking their path was retracted and knowing from previous occasions that the tunnel behind the oracles was not worth visiting, (the procedure of casting the lavawalk spell and jumping at the edge of the fires while pressing the “forward” key and looking up at the same time is explained by the legendary feline deity Felix the Assassin in his first reply to Moiraine Sedai’s question) the party moved on.

After another kilometre they came to the exit of the tunnel. They walked along the river always keeping to the north bank. In a small clearing not far from the exit of the tunnel the party encountered Tevik Teporn. They disposed of him and walked on. Right beside the clearing a path went through the woods. They followed that path and in the late afternoon they reached the gates of Ishad N’ha.

Inside the town they visited Lord Barrenhawk and gave him the package from Sir Elgar. He gave them the money and experience points appertaining to that quest, and thus ended the second (the first non-ongoing) quest given by the governor of Valeia. The party then undertook the quest to stop the bronze fire-beast and the quest to kill the legendary werewolf. In the temple they undertook the ”kill naga” quest. In the armoury they undertook the ”kill Gliebott” quest. In the magic shoppe they undertook the ”retrieve Ardibren’s relic” quest. In the Bushi Dojo they all guild hopped and undertook the ”deliver dragon arrow” quest. And in the pawn shoppe they guild hopped and undertook the retrieve ten serpin coins” quest.

Walking into the inn to spend the night the adventurers looked interested at the dragon arrows that had sparked off the famous Forum way of making money (as explained by legendary Bungleau on Page six of the Best Tips). It was a tip that did not require as much work as the infinite gold trick (as explained by legendary Radek in the first reply on Page two of the Best Tips), and it was not a case of bug-exploitation. They had never used the trick, however, since none of them had ever been a ranger and thus able to gain the fletchery trait.

Next morning they set out very early. Further downstream from Ishad N’ha, the party could see the walls of the infamous Serpent Temple looming in the distance. Walking almost up to the main entrance of the temple the party met a strange character. Judging from his garments it was obvious he had once been a servant of the temple. He was Kol. He told them about the temple and of the destiny that awaited him. As a parting gift he gave them a key and instructed them to go and seek the statue of Kerah dwelling within the temple. This was the sixth of seven small quests given by NPCs in the Wilderness of Valeia.

With this quest undertaken along with the ”kill naga” quest and the ”retrieve serpin coins” quest, the party was ready to pay the Serpent Temple a visit. They quickly marched on down the river to a place from where, they knew from Kol and a tip from the bartender Galliwag (reply on Page eight of the Best Tips (reply named “List of the advice given by town governors and barkeepers”)), the temple should be accessible: A back entrance. Exploring the curves of the river and small clearings along its banks they did not reach the back entrance until late afternoon. They camped outside the broken rusty gate of the back entrance. And under a clear sky the bard regaled the party by singing long into the evening. The stars shone bright and satisfied and relaxed the party fell asleep with the exeption of the zenmaster who stood guard.

The party entered the temple just before dawn. Walking upwards through a long series of stairwells the party soon came to a locked grate from where they could hear a loud hiss (Point B on the Serpent Temple map at Xignal’s Site). Knowing that the prime celebrity of the temple, Xydusa, would pass by here they quikly walked up to the grate and looked. But she did not show. The party then knew they had encountered the seldom “stuck naga” bug (as explained by legendary Radek in his first reply to Dude 77). This was a thing that happened when the naga got stuck on a projection in the wall. There would now be two nagas, but only one to kill. This was a problem that could occur since there was more than “one version” of the character (as is also the case with S’Keser Da, Kol, Ardibren, etc.).

The party passed the serpent holds and soon came upon a V-shaped room (room C). In the room to the left of there the party found a small monkey-shaped figurine in a chest. The party walked on upwards and encountered the local wizard, Kreug (in room D). After making it clear he had no intentions of becoming one of the temple’s daft followers, the zenmaster talked a while with Kreug and eventually responded to his sudden attack by deathstriking him with his fists. The wizard dropped, among other things, a key and a book.

The party went downstairs and unlocked the serpent holds (room E) with the key. Swimming through a small underwater passage the party came upon a blob of unholy filth. Disposing of the filth the party moved on and came to a passage whose narrowness has been much bemoaned by members of the Forum. With the dwarven barbarian in front the party squeezed through the passage. Although the party had never had that experience they knew that other parties had managed to get stuck in the passage since none of their members had been small enough to get through, and it did not always help to swim backwards (see for example the discussion sparked off by Wutang). Upon a stone slab the party found a small serpent figurine. They knew the figurine would open a secret section of the temple library revealing a book whose contents would be essential to complete the temple. There was a workaround for this, however: Since the contents of the book were well known at the forum, it was not absolutely necessary to get the idol (see, among many other, Sazerac’s first reply to Raige).

The party was soon back in the room where they had encountered Kreug. Here they were attacked by two serpent priests. When killed they dropped a serpin coin each. The valkyrie picked them up knowing they would encounter many more serpent priests, serpents’ chosen and others of their ilk. Knowing that many experienced Wizard and Warriors players found the temple layout confusing, they kept it simple: They were currently on the lower central floor of the temple, and until further notice they would resist the temptation to go either a floor up or a floor down unless the room or rooms they would find there would constitute a secluded area not accessible from anywhere else.

There was a room just to the east of the room where they had met Kreug, and to the south of there was a room with a metal statue of a serpent (room F). At its base the valkyrie dropped a serpin coin in a slot, and the statue dispensed some cones. These the valkyrie took. To the east of there was the temple’s main entrance. In the great entrance hall a broad ramp lead up to the next floor, but the party did not go there. Instead they went out of the hall through a door to the north.

Passing a few rooms they soon found themselves in a dining hall (room I). Disposing of the priests assembled there they found a scroll detailing today’s menu. Yummy. Following a small hallway from the dining room, the party came upon the kitchen (room J). Here they discovered a skull lock in the wall beside the stove to the west, that uncovered a small hidden room (room B on the Serpent Temple lower central level map posted by legendary Wyvern). In the kitchen area the party found several empty flasks which the took with them.

To the east of the kitchen was an elevator which could be activated by a button next to it. Knowing from previous encounters that it would lead them to a secluded area, they took this elevator down. It lead them to another elevator taking them up again. This was the kitchen’s storage area. The first floor was not particularly interesting, so they went all the way up to the second. Picking the lock on a treasure chest there, the bard found another monkey-shaped figurine.

Suddenly the rusty chains pulling the elevator creaked indicating something was riding up the elevator. They looked intently at the hole in the floor to see what was coming. It was Stackman. They did not even have to look up to know why he had come: Above them was the small balcony of the temple belfry. They remembered the time when they had first traversed the lands of the Gael Serran. Here had been the first situation after that with the wizard’s and warrior’s jindol in the crypt that Stackman had stacked, and it had been the decisive moment when he had definitively sworn to the theory of stacking and had become a true believer of the art of stacking.

Under Stackman’s supervision the party started stacking. Their athletics skill was now at so high a level they only had to make a small stack before they could jump to the ledge of the belfry. (As explained at Xignal’s Site) The theories concerning the belfry were many. Some claimed it was an abandoned and forgotten part of the temple from the time when Kerah was worshipped here. An ancient blocked elevator seemed to substantiate that claim. One of D.W.Bradley’s co-creators claimed it was a part of an originally planned third floor of the temple which was later abandoned (as explained by legendary Alz in his replies to Moiraine Sedai’s topic). This supported the theory that the Gael Serran had once been planned to have a greater scale. No matter what it, was a fact that the local arachnid inhabitants of the place had lived undisturbed for a long time and had become rather powerful. The party, however, quickly disposed of them and looted the treasure chests there.

They went down again, and walking back they passed Stackman who was utterly absorbed in his own thoughts. His eyes twinkled with the joy of seeing a stack leading to the belfry again. Ten pit fiends could have attacked him without his so much as noticing it. This was where his exploits in the art of stacking had been founded. This was his home ground. Knowing this condition would last quite some time the party went on.

The Oracles of Ishad N’ha react to following words:

Cemetery, Graveyard, Serpent Temple, Ishad N’ha, Crypt, Bersault, Nivius, Cet, Mavin, Anephas, Kerah, Sacred Oath, Watcher, Holy Signet, Oracles, Chosen One, Ruins, Destiny, Face Of Death, Serpent’s Lair, D’Soto, Prophecy, Familiar, Spell, Darkness, Mortal Hope, Black Fire, Masque, Fate, Shurugeon Castle, Shurugeon Ruins, Gael Serran, Pharaoh, Oracle.

With ”Fate” being the word that triggers the important action (their clearing the further passage).

Kol the Heretic reacts to following words:

Temple, Graveyard, Serpent Temple, Ishad N’ha, Nymph Lake, Statue, Secret, Caves, Naga, Cet, Anephas, Kerah, Angel, Snake Goddess, Back Entrance, Lord Cet, Pharaoh of Evil, Dark Lord, Servant of Death, Key, Challenger, Kol, Gael Serran, Pharaoh, Oracle, Vision.

With ”key” being the word that triggers the important action (Kol’s relinquishing the key).

Kreug reacts to following words:

Serpent Temple, Ishad N’ha, H’Thark, Algamesh, Serpent, Naga, Cet, Anephas, Kerah, Spell, Servant, High Wizard, Faith, Sacrifice, Sect, High Priestess, Sacred Rite, Spirit, Masque, Summoning, Spider Nectar, Xydusa, Kreug, Kol, Gael Serran, Ritual.

Secret rooms encountered:

Small room next to the kitchen (room B on the Serpent Temple lower central level map posted by legendary Wyvern. The room is opened by activating the skull lock next to it (XB)).

[whiteknight]

well done bsftcs a brilliant chapter (must check out that room you meantioned

....btw??? Is'nt the trigger to open the way to the other side..'destiny'


cheers m8

whiteknight

[bsftcs]

Yes, you are right. BOTH words will trigger the action.

[Wyvern]

WOWZAH!!! and gadzooks!!!

Super chapter!!! FUN and educational!!!

(sorry to be so late in catching up on these - BUSY busy week!)

Wyv