D&D ADVENTURE! THE TEMPLE OF PIETER ONNE-DRAY

THE CHASE TO THE CRYSTAL CITY, CHAPTER 2: THE TEMPLE OF PIETER ONNE-DRAY

Welcome friends, to the next chapter of an adventure beyond time, space and reason! Discover new worlds and meet strange people (and that's just the players).

The party found themselves in a bit of a sticky pickle when they fell afoul of the mega-corporation known as IDRA - landing them in prison for crimes they (mostly) didn't commit! After a sterling effort on the legal bench, and an impossibly awesome battle with a greater demon, the heroes hitched a ride on a rickety cargo train like the gang of murder-hobos they are, and are headed to destinations unknown in pursuit of the evil mouse-man, Wandemar Cheesethrane, who still has in his possession the most holy relic of The Order of the Lady of the Lake, a milky gemstone with unknown powers, that must be returned to it's rightful owners! Also, they totally want to kick his furry ass because he is just that mean.

The train is nearing it's destination, and it's almost time for our heroes to jump off...



DRAMATIS PERSONAE:

Sir Seu Antheus, lvl 5 Paladin of the Holy Order of the Lady of the Lake


Bufo the Black Hood, lvl 3 Neutral Evil Halfling Rogue


Robin, Lawful Good Human, lvl 5 Ranger


Rambulge, Neutral Good Human, lvl 2/2 Fighter/Sorcerer


Bari the White, Chaotic Good Human, lvl 5 Cleric of Jordann


Eggbert, Neutral Good Gnome, lvl 6 Illusionist
 
Bufo awoke to the sound of Yngwie, the elven bard, yelling something about something or other. He rolled over and went back to sleep.

The next thing to awake Bufo was the paladin, Seu Antheus, shaking him roughly by the arm. He said something about something or other. Bufo rolled over, farted, and began to snore again.

The next thing to awake Bufo was the sound of rushing air. He blinked his eyes to clear the sleep-time fuzz, and realised he was flying. Sort of. Falling, really. Falling towards the hard surface of a station platform. He landed with a thump and went back to sleep. Bufo had arrived at Platina station.

___________________________


The party stood together in the middle of an abandoned station. Platina was not like IDRA Grand Central - the latter was a grandiose display of wealth and ornamentation, but Platina had the mark of heavy industry firmly stamped upon it. The platforms were littered with refuse and rubble, and vast ore carts stood still and motionless on their dollies, the dust of decades caked upon them. This place had not seen use in a long, long time.

"Platina station," Yngwie explained, "was the gateway to one of IDRA's most profitable worlds - the platinum mines of Platina are famous around the galaxy, or at least, they were. IDRA shut them down a century ago, according to them, there was some problem with snakes. It must have been a lot of snakes to stop the IDRA. Rumour has it that the mines ran dry and they just wanted to claim some kind of insurance on the lost revenue - as if anyone could possibly reimburse them. The whole debacle bankrupted an entire galactic sector and a lot of people wound up suffering a great deal. Not that IDRA would care about that..."

"So what are we doing here?" asked Bufo, rubbing his sore head. He was still cranky that someone ('which of you was it, huh?') had thrown him off that train, and right in the middle of a pork-pie dream he was having...

"Well," the elf grinned, "it just so happens that Platina was home to more than just platinum mines - it had thriving cities, and a rich culture, and... it had the temple."

"Temple?" inquired Bari, his interest piqued.

"Yep! The Temple of Pieter Onne-Dray. I was a member of the College of Magecraft, and myself and several other students used to.. frequent the temple. For religious purposes." Yngwie winked at Bari. "Follow me - we made a secret entrance a long time ago, but the enchantment was strong - it should still be active!"

The party trudged through the empty station, which was eerily quiet. There was no sign that anyone had set foot here since it was abandoned all that time ago. Eventually they came to a dark alley behind some boarded up kiosks. Yngwie led them up to what looked like a sewer grate, and began to tug at it. "Help me out here guys!"

With a little help, the grate was soon lifted out of the way, and they were able to descend a ladder into the gloom of the tunnels beneath the station. The passage was dry and dusty, but still retained the faint smell of old shit. After 10 minutes of walking by the light of the paladin's flaming sword, they came to a dead-end.

"Alright folks, time for some Wiz-Biz!" the elf announced. He reached up the surface of the stone wall, tapping, feeling, till he came across what he was looking for - a small indent. He pressed his finger into it and whispered a word of magic. Then the bard reached down and found a similar indent close to the ground. At the next muttered word, a line of pale blue light sprang from one indent to the other, forming the shape of a door. Pressing his palm to the smooth wall within the boundary of light, Yngwie commanded 'open!' - and suddenly, the whole surface was rippling blue energy that sparkled and zapped!

Yngwie dug around in a pouch and produced an old copper coin. He flicked it at the blue wall of light, and it disappeared with a cracking sound.

"Well, it seems to be working! I'll go first. See you on the other side..." the elf stepped forwards, entered the light and - vanished!

Bufo looked on, feeling equal parts fascination, and horror. "Erm... bags not going next!" he squeaked!
 

Asslessman

Member
The party had already left their lives in the hands of the elf and he had proven to be a reliable companion so far.

"A temple's ahead you say? A paladin does not fear temples! Temples of good are havens to seek and temples of evil are blasphemies to destroy! let us haste my friends."

Following the elf, Seu entered the light leading to the unknown, whispering some words of prayer to the Lady of the Lake to thank her for this new opportunity to achieve his quest...
 

Penddraig

Member
Robin looked about him. More towns and cities, he sighed softly. He missed the forest and the open plains, hopefully soon their journey would take them back that way.

He turned towards the portal, watching as the elf and Seu walked through and hearing Bufo's exclamation of "erm... Bags, not going next!", Robin couldn't resist.

"You're not," Robin smiled and with a nudge into his back propelled the little Halfling through the portal before following, his hand on the curve of his bow.
 
"You beat me to it, Robin" Rambulge said with a wry smile.

Like Robin, Rambulge yearned for the forest and open plains, but most certainly unlike the Ranger, Rambulge also had a yearning for his Mummy.

Pushing the thought of Dear Mother out of his head once again, the spell sword summoned all his courage and stepped into the unknown, again!
 
"Ah, seems to be some sort of trans-causal tele-chronal nexus device. Lets give it a whirl then" said Eggbrt, hopping through.
 
"Hey wouldn't it be funny if this was one of those instant death portals that erase you from existence the second you step through?"
- Famous last words of Llendrel Brightsong, half-elven minstrel.

____________________________

Bufo didn't even have time to squeal a protest before he was sent head-first into the portal. He had a brief glimpse of the universe swirling about him, but this time it was over in a second.

He found himself in a dark, dusty, musty, nasty old tunnel, rough-hewn out of solid rock by some means or other. Yngwie was in front of him, trying to strike tinder to a torch that looked about 100 years old. Seu was there too, looking about himself.

"Damn this 100 year old torch," muttered Yngwie. "Why don't you light up that fancy sword of yours, paladin?"

"Damn that ranger," muttered Bufo, "what if that was one of those instant death portals that erase you from existence the second you step through?"

Bufo could see well enough in the gloom to know that this place hadn't seen use in years. The dust was caked thick, almost cloying. Every step sent up a whirl of it. Behind the little thief, Robin, Rambulge and Eggbert had materialised, and were checking out their surroundings.

The halfling quietly made his way down the gloomy passage, his steps silent. He paused when he saw a series of lumpen shapes lying in his path. He looked back over his shoulder to make sure the others were within yelling distance if something went wrong, then slowly, slowly edged up to the closest heap. He nudged it with his foot, very gingerly. Nothing moved. He pulled his shortsword out and stuck it into the pile with a quick jab - nothing screamed. He lifted what seemed to be some rotten cloth with the tip of the blade, and revealed a humanoid skeleton huddled beneath. It didn't move - it wasn't an un-dead skeleton, just a regular dead one. There were some tantalisingly shiny jewelry still hanging about it's dusty old throat and wrists. Bufo looked over his shoulder to see if Seu was watching, and began lifting the baubles. The metal was heavy, but not gold - it was silvery-grey, but not shiny like silver... could it be? "Platinum..." the little thief gasped. He had never held metal of this kind before, but knew it by description. It was very valuable...

He hopped over to the next heap and found the same thing. There were five bodies, all decked out in rotten old cloth-of-gold robes and bedecked in platinum jewelry set with all manner of precious stones... he was rich, RICH!

He turned to head back to the group to report (most) of his findings and almost ran right into Yngwie.

"Damn! You shouldn't sneak up on me like that!" complained Bufo, trying very hard not to look at his bulging pockets, full of loot.

"What did you find, master thief?" the elf asked, his face grim.

"Uhh, b-bodies... five of them. They look like priests or something, they have robes, and, um, robes."

Yngwie stooped down, inspecting the nearest sad heap. His face was a mask of misery that was heartbreaking to behold.

"These were priests of Pieter Onne-Dray. They lived here at the temple. They... they were likely friends of mine, once long ago. They must have gotten trapped in here, and starved to death. This passage is well hidden, and known only to a select few." He shook his head, sadly. "They didn't know how to access our portal... if only I had told them, they might have lived."

The elf stooped over another body, picking at the musty remains with grief. Bufo took the opportunity to creep back to the rest of the group.
 

weazil

Moderator
Bari materialised behind the rest of the group, being not at all thrilled to be the last one on the cold platform. How he longed for interdimensional travel that involved some sort of sunlight! If cold, dark corridors were all the IDRA had to offer, they could bloody well keep it.

"Oh my gods I can't believe - I've never been this far away from home..." he hummed, adjusting his sack just so, in order to maintain the curious stimulation that only comes with old hemp.

The name Pieter Onne-dray stirred something deep in Bari's subconscious. Without knowing why, he felt both warmth and coldness jangle their discordant ways through his emotions as he muttered the name to himself. He knew the name, but he didn't know where from. Without even thinking about it, he realised he'd touched his tiger's tooth and offered a small prayer to Jordann, requesting her divine guidance on the matter. The result was instantaneous - the word pillock dropped into his mind without so much as a knock on the door.

Which left Bari wondering - did Jordann think he was a pillock? If so, he'd have to tend to that quickly. A cleansing ritual was definitely in order...

Hey kids! Bari's back! Didja miss me? Huh? Huh?

Anyway, Asslessman - thank you for stewarding Bari through the dark tunnels of the IDRA - much better to be in the these dark tunnels than those, eh? I'll take over from here.

DM - I see the Mollysworld resource that I was using to determine spell choices and the like have gone. I have found other cleric spell resources, but some of them I presume are not very serious (lvl 1 - detect pregnancy? really?) and I see there are some level 0 spells which I presume are from a different edition. Do you have any suggestions as to where I might find the latest trending cleric spells?

Cheers!
 

Penddraig

Member
Robin looked around him checking the dusty floor for any sign of tracks; anything living would suggest that there was something in this place but at the moment he saw nothing.

The others were moving down the corridor, instinctively Robin moved to the shadowy edge of the corridor and slowed his footsteps, keeping his tred light and even. His fingers itched to reach for an arrow but this was a temple, he felt uncomfortable reaching for a weapon until he knew more about this place.

guess it's reunion time as we all seem to have come back into the game. Robins going to be a bit sneaky and lurk at the side of the party towards the rear in case something happens and he can conceal their true number.
 
A big welcome back is certainly due to our absent friends - you're going to need all the help you can muster ;)

Gaj, I've yet to find a spell list online that isn't heavily house-ruled, and while they are probably quite decent changes, it's hard for me to know exactly without testing them all etc. For now, I can think of two options - you and weis can download the AD&D 2nd ed. Players Handbook, or, if you aren't comfortable doing that, I can compile a spell list from mine (my pdf won't allow copy/paste but I might be able to screenshot it or just type it all out at worst case). At any rate, Gaj, your prayers havent changed since you last used them, so I might send you those spell descriptions tonight.

Duke was the last one through the portal. He was still somehow eating cold nuggets hours after they were all believed to have been consumed (Bufo checked thrice). The hobo muttered through his crumbs.

Yngwie returned to the group looking tired and sad. He did manage a chuckle when he saw Eggbert scanning the roof for danger. "Relax, master gnome, my friends made this tunnel using their skills at magic. There are no traps here. We used it to sneak into the temple after curfew." Yngwie turned to the rest of the party. "We should show caution from here on. Whatever drove these poor souls here terrified them enough to take their own lives - I found this-" the elf held up a fine old dagger, "it seems they chose a quick death over the alternative." Yngwie carefully cleaned the blade - dust of ages smeared his rag, dust that could well be the remains of the ancient blood of innocent priests. He slid the dagger into his belt.

"Come now, I have a sudden urge to know what evil resides in this holy place. The priests of Pieter Onne-Dray were my friends once, I would know why they were left here to die when IDRA sealed the world gates and closed the station down."

Yngwie marched resolutely down the passage towards the unknown dimness ahead. Robin took up position at the rear, fading into the shadows of the wall easily. Bufo hurried to catch up to the elf, trying not to jangle his newfound treasures too much.

"Hey, ah, Yngwie, you said we should be careful, d'ya think maybe we should at least tip-toe or something?" The halfling didn't like the look on the elf's face - he looked really pissed...

Bari's mind was awhirl. Where had he heard that name before...? Pieter Onne-Dray. A pillock. A pillock named Pieter Onne-Dray. It was right on the tip of his brain. Then, in a flash of divine inspiration, he remembered! The Great Funky Junky! Pieter Onne-Dray was the true name of Jordann's chief consort, whom She had dumped for Reasons Not Discussed by the brethren. They had stricken him from the records and liturgies, and almost from living memory. So, this was His temple! Was, apparently, being the operative word...
 

Asslessman

Member
Looking as far as he could in the grim darkness of the corridor's depths, Seu said : "Yngwie, whatever lies in thi splace, you won't have to face it alone. The lady of the lake (Seu signed himself) has made our paths cross because it is our fate to make this part of the journey together...whatever good or bad comes out of it"

Turning to face his companions, he looked at each of them until his eyes set on the elf : "There is a reason why you're here, as there is a reason why we're with you, the Lady doesn't play with dice"

Moving to the front of the party, his eyes diving into the obscurity Seu made a few swings and cuts in the air with his firy sword "No traps you say ? That may have been true when you last left the place Yngwie... I sense death everywhere here...If suicide was th elesser evil for those poor folks, that gives us an idea of what to expect ahead"

A warm welcome to our returning players, it is a joy to have you back just in time for the new dungeon !
 
Rambulge exchanged a sceptical glance with Robin- the spell sword knew that something sinister and evil was waiting for them ahead, he just didn't know what, exactly.
He resolved to stay fully alert, when whatever Evil lurked here found them he was resolved to be ready for it.
 

Penddraig

Member
Hearing the elves words and the determined look on Seu's face, Robin made his decision. Reaching into his quiver he drew one of his own arrows and knocked it to his bow. If something were to attack the party he wanted to be prepared and give them a warning.

With his spare hand he reached for his hood, pulling it up over his head to help conceal his outline and catching Rambulge's eye as he did so, giving a supportive nod. The ranger remained in the shadows, looking over his party of companions.
 
Yngwie led the way. The light from Seu's sword illuminated a passage that was plain and unadorned. The paladin concentrated his special sense for detecting evil emanations, but could locate nothing specific. It wasn't long before they came to the end of it, and facing them was a very basic door made of what looked like more stone. The elf held his finger to his lips, motioning for silence, and waved his hand at the flaming sword, bidding the paladin to extinguish it.He tested the action of a bolt mounted into the wall, that secured the door. It squeaked with rust and lack of use. The bard winced, and drew it slowly out.

Robin stood by in the shadows, his arrow aimed at the portal, as Yngwie opened it just a crack. The door gave a slight groan as he did so, and more dust was dislodged, nearly causing Bufo to sneeze. A warm glow of light seeped past the door frame. Rambulge gribbled slightly.
Yngwie peered through the crack. He opened the door slightly more, leaning his head out, looking around. Finally, he pushed the door open far enough to slip through, and he did just that. A warm gush of humid, musty and smelly air washed over them. The smell seemed familiar to Robin - but the unfamiliarity of the surroundings made it hard for him to place it. For half a minute, there was no sound except the anxious beating of hearts, and a gurgling in the spell-sword's pants. Then the elf's head reappeared. "Follow me," he said quietly. Then he was gone again.
Bufo looked up at Seu. "After you, good sir," he whispered.
 

Asslessman

Member
Seu's grip on his sword tightened as he entered through th edoor left ajar by the elf. He uncounsciously hold his shield a little higher
"Dear Lady of the Lake, I lend you my sword and shield to accomplish your will, let me hear your prayer to guide my arm and protect people of good"
The paladin waited for Yngwie's signal or clear danger before igniting his blade again.

It had all began in fornt of a cave's entrance and here they were again, caught in some sort of Karma loop, with more companions and more resolve and link (there also were a couple of handy magical items...)
 

Penddraig

Member
Robin watched as Seu entered through the doorway, the smell still bothering him. Where had he come across it before? The plains of Dyfenteth? The forests of Kapper? Hopefully soon his memory may kick in, whatever it was, Robin was sure it would not help his companion.

After Seu walked through the door, Robin ghosted after him making sure he kept to the shadows and keeping his footsteps light. His bow tracked through the room, seeing if there was a threat waiting them. Robin also then checked the ground to see if there were any tracks that may help his memory.

After Robin has entered the room, he is going to continue to hide in the shadows and move silently. Also going to check the floor for any tracks.
 

weazil

Moderator
Once more, it seemed that Jordann was calling on Bari to stand firm! So this was the lair of the nefarious Pieter Onne-Dray - the One Who Must Not Otherwise Be Mentioned Unless It Is For Derogatory Purposes.

And yet she had brought him here.

To his very doorstep.

Bari pondered the point as the paladin ploughed through the portal. Perhaps, being made up entirely of Luurve, Jordann was sending him to make amends. For surely Luurve overcame all in the end? Even daemons needed luurve, so why not gods?

Bari positioned his tiger's tooth squarely in the centre of his chest, making sure it was visible to all. If any of these priests were left, he wanted to make sure they knew who they were dealing with. That assumed, of course, that that they had also kept track of whatever schism had occured so very long ago. Otherwise, they wouldn't have a bloody clue, would they?

Bari shrugged, before cracking his knuckles and stepping through the door.

Seems like I found a text extract of the players handbook which seems to have the few things I remember about 2nd edition, plus the spells I've used. For those that are interested, send me an pm (I'll need your email address) and then I can send the thing to you. It's only 1.92MB and has no pictures, but all the tables, spells and other things are there.
 
Bufo watched Seu, then Robin, then Bari all go through the hidden door. Once he was satisfied that there was nothing too hideous immediately on the other side, and that even if there was, there were four larger targets than himself already out there to keep the hideous things busy, he followed them through.

The little thief found himself standing halfway up a passageway some twelve feet wide and one hundred feet long, lit with guttering torches the whole length. To the left there were a large set of double doors, and to the right, two archways were visible. It was humid, almost uncomfortably so for him, and he was not heavily burdened like the paladin, who must be cooking in his armour like a potato in it's jacket. There was debris of all kinds lying on the floor, some of which Robin was examining intently. Seu and Bari were staring at the walls, the former was sweating profusely and muttering prayers feverishly, the latter was sweating profusely and muttering... something, feverishly. It took the halfling a few seconds to register what he was seeing, then...

"Oh..."


Bufo blushed heartily. The pictures were damaged in places, partly from smoke and humidity, mainly from a century of neglect and rough treatment, but they were still fairly clear in their depictions. Yngwie approached, shaking his head. "It makes me sad to see these murals looking so unloved. This corridor used to be a thing of beauty. They had magical lamps instead of torches, they illuminated everything so sensually..." the elf turned to Robin, "have you found anything of note, master ranger?"

Robin was frowning intently at the marks left in the debris on the ground. Everything he could see and smell was pointing to one thing. "You were right, elf. There are snakes here, and they are big. The tracks lead in both directions." He stood, still frowning. The tracks were unmistakable, but something about them seemed... odd.

Yngwie looked up and down the corridor. "To the left, were rooms filled with baths and, you know, beds and things. For the rituals. To the right is... well, actually, more baths, but also, that way leads to the entrance. This whole complex is built into the side of a mountain of solid rock, so the main entrance is the only one, apart from our little tunnel, which we should probably seal behind us soon. I don't know about you, but i'm keen to get through this place as quickly as possible, so we can hopefully avoid any giant snakes. What do you think? Look, I made this map while we were sitting around on that train, it's accurate, to the best of my knowledge..."

 

Asslessman

Member
"Umph, these pictures make no sense at all! Yngwie, I took your people for a wise and refined one! What kind of apotheary would administrate his medicine naked... and look at that one !, how is the man supposed to do correct pushups with a woman below, this is ridiculous!...grumble grumble... OH now THAT is completely silly, the drawing is so crude the 2 friends here look like dogs having ... you know...relations you see? Bufo, don't look at that, it is rubbish really"
Lifting his helmet and hanging it on his belt Seu took a look at the map the Elf had drawn...
"How do we seal this door? do you propose magic means or would you need some more physical protection? We can move some of the furniture in fornt of the entrance for example, (turning to the others) what do you think?
Then there are those places here and here (pointing at the store room and private quarters) I don't like leaving spots I know nothing about behind me. How long would it take to just have a look there is noone to stab us in the back? If there are beings we would best have them straight away than wait for a trap, if there aren't, then it won't take long I suppose..."
Turning to Bari who seemed to be singing an unknown song, Seu asked :
"Bari, who is that Peter André? (Seu had a strange way to roll the r and to pronounce the "ay part in a very sharp way) can't recall hearing his name in catechism, any sort of forgotten deity or is it just a disguise for another god? Any relation to Jordan? Looking at the past glory of this temple, he must have had his moment of fame..."
 
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