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The innkeeper had made many friends. It was to my benefit that a few of them had told him of this place's location. The path to it through the rocky foothills was short. Only a half day's walk for me. By sunset I had reached it or what it could easily be mistaken as an illusion of nothing. This place was hidden from outsiders. Just not too well.

The Temple of Vius. A small secret sect of cultists. Cultists usually are small and secretive but these ones had gone out of their way to hide their Temple of worship to their Daemonlord. At the start of the journey I had only a few vague pieces of information on them. They liked to steal freshly dead humans from their graves and were big on rituals involving candles. Of course I also knew they were long dead having been wiped out in the great War of the Shades along with just about every group worshipping a Daemonlord.

Their Daemonlord, Vius, was a shapeless minor Shade. What it had been known for was resurrecting lost loved ones. At a price of your own soul. It should have been more popular but the fact that those brought back were under his control and had no free-will made the deal very foolish to partake in.

I stepped up to the large oversized doors and pulled hard. Forcing them open and releasing old air into the world. My breathing was held still and I entered the main hall of the Temple. Incredibly it was lit by small torches on the walls. They appeared to be magicked into existence and were shielded from my touch. Whatever great power lies in this ancient ruin does not want to let me have an easy time finding its hidden treasures.

I felt the cult wasn't completely wiped out either, someone had to be here, otherwise why would those torches be lit and guarded as such. I approched the center of the room and tried my best to map out the possible design of the place. Four doors each heading North, an upper balcony with only one door on it, and a large mural adorning the ceiling. That is all that I found. Clearly this Daemonlord was not the type interested in great artifacts of its likeness to scare intruders and possibly worshippers.

I journeyed forth into farthest left North-leading door. I really had no choice, the other three were locked and required some key much larger than any I had ever seen before. A small hallway, with a left turn in it. At the end I found a hole in the floor with a very foul odor emanating from below. I shined my Firefly Lamp in the darkness below. The light revealed a pungee pit a ways down, but on the side of the wall, hand and footholds for anyone cautious enough not to jump in headfirst. Carefully I made my way down and continued in this new hall.

Which led me to a room full of coffins. Well, not any ordinary coffins, very ornate and well worn coffins. Looking around I found an inscription in the wall, it read, "travel opposite of the ..." ending with some symbols I had never seen before. I feared they would become very common to me soon. After trying the door at the opposite wall and finding it locked by nothing at all, I heard a creaking behind me. The coffins were opening. The demons inside were exiting into the world. I hastily unsheathed my sword and being a fair adventurer shouted, "Hark! Are you friend or foe?" Only a moment later did I feel a bit dumb for doing this as the nearest beast lurched close enough to lunge at my throat.

Once more I tried diplomacy asking them what they wanted and why they were attacking me. Their response not came not from their mouths, but from their chests where their hearts could be seen, exposed to the elements and my blade. Swinging and slashing I made short work of them. Their bones being half-rotted certainly helped. After dispatching the last of them the previously locked door swung open with an invitation daring me to enter farther into the Temple of Vius.

With a bit more caution I ventured farther ahead to an opening. In here was a spiral-style staircase and many old urns and other jars of pottery. My best guess is that this was some sort of old storage room for the 'parishoners?'. Inspection of a few of the pots led to traces of food and other ritualistic substances. Having to be thorough in these searches of treasure I began to look through each container. After the brief period I came up to having two things of importance.

The first, an oversized key. I presumed this belonged to the doors in the main hall. It was vague and generic, but I still wondered why it was oversized. The second item, a broken half of some strange emblem. Quickly I consulted my "borrowed" Leod's Occult Symbology Guide and found it to represent this Temple. I put it in my bag. It may have worth to someone somewhere, or it could come in handy later in the Temple. The only thing left was to see what was at the top of the staircase.

With my Firefly Lamp lighting my way I went round and round up the steps. Up here was a small chamber, again with magicked torches adorning the walls. Putting my lamp away I noticed a bookcase. Spoils perfect for the taking. The first book crumbled under my hand's touch. As did the second and third. These books had been left here for so long they had deteriated in place making a mock appearance of themselves.

Quickly moving on I scanned the rest of the room. A desk and a fancy chandelier overhead. This must be the office of the head Priest. Over on the far wall set in a 'depression' was the other half of the emblem I found in the room below. Nothing of value in the desk and the chandelier was simple wrought iron. I decided to relinquish my emblem and placed it into the wall perfectly aligned with the other piece.

The wall slid slight to the side. Leaving me just enough room to squeeze in. Not being one to question why a high Priest would need a secrect room, I ventured forth into the unknown again. Finding only darkness I had to use my lamp here. Quickly I find the hidden away object, a ritual mask. This was made of some fine skull of a long-dead beast with 'silver' and gold inlays. Also adorning it were more symbols of the Temple. The gold and silver had value, so in the bag it went.

Finding no other hidden passageways I made my slow journey down the staircase and carefully through the room with the newly redeceased. Climbed back up the wall by the pit and into the main hall. I tried the second door from the left, the first being the one I came from. Inside was old, cleaning equipment, mops and buckets. Disgruntled at this finding I moved onto the next door. In here were quite dozens of shelves and on each shelf catergorized were thousands of candles. Again a useless room.

The final door unlocked and led me to a hall well lit by torchlight. The carvings on the walls were incredibly detailed. Almost as if someone was set in the stone to be a part of the artwork. I tried the door and found it to be locked or stuck or something of that sort. Again with no keyhole or other apparent reason as to why. I looked around the hall looking for something that may release it. My experience in the high Priest's room has left me to look over the walls of every room I had passed previously for something hidden.

Nothing was found by my eyes. I did have the ritual mask, a nice effort and a nice prize was my reward. Beginning my way back I heard small scratching noises, like a rock being rubbed against another rock. I looked over my shoulder and saw the figure in the wall carving step out of the wall. Shocked and horrified at this I could only stare as it finished its slow movement to free itself from the wall.

Coming to my senses I remembered hearing about this sort of demon, 'Stone Ghoul'. They could move halfway inside a solid wall and waited for unsuspecting prey to attack. I was the prey this time. I unsheathed my sword and readied my shield. Thinking to myself I could not recall any other way to down the beast but by swift and many strikes of a blade, so the battle begun.

I opened with a fast downward slash to its shoulder. Barely dodging my blow, the demon countered with a thrust of its claws. I was pushed back nearly two feet. My chestplate had guarded me this time, but I felt that it would not last more than a few more of those blows. I sidestepped and slashed at the waist, spilling blood and guts on the ancient dust covered floor. It reared back in a fit of rage and charged at me. I smoothly backed up and made the final strike at its head, splitting it open in two. The door at the far end opened as the demon fell to its knees and began the eternal slumber.

Was this how it was going to go? I get locked into a room with a beast of the underworld and have to fight my way through to continue? Fine. I am as good as a Royal Guard in swordsmanship, sometimes I feel I could even best them in a duel. I felt like yelling out to have the rest of the beasts brought on for me to slaughter. I did not want to waste time running from room to room to find them.

In the next room I found old 'curio' cabinets and a staircase leading down. The cabinets empty, probably by my forefathers. On the walls were old murals of some unknown meaning. As I walked near the staircase I saw on the floor in large letters the words, "i think it fears the priest." Who was this madman writing notes in the past? What is this "It"? And what was his fate? Why would he leave clues for anyone that dared venture in after him? Would it not be best to leave warnings of imminent death?

I sat there and had a small snack to rejuvenate my spirits as I pondered what that all meant. My last bread roll and jar of yams. I may have to end this journey before finding out what it was all about to get more supplies. Another gulp of water and I headed down the stairs.

What I found was one of my worst fears. A labrynth, a massive puzzle with only one exit, usually the way you come in. These were known as notorious deathtraps for my kind. But as I gave a look around it I find that someone has carved a shape or symbol into the wall. I foudn these to be just about exactly as the ones found int he first inscription. This was either a very good trap or a very bad one. But still, I felt myself urged onward and adhering tot he instructions, I walked in the opposite facing direction of the symbol.

The room itself did not seem very large, but yet it still took nearly 10 minutes of careful walking in the light of my Firefly Lamp to reach what appeared to be the end. A new room to be searched, ending with me finding a small scroll. Based on my memory it was of a map of the Temple and appeared to be hastily drawn by hand, probably by the same man leaving me clues. Looking it over I see that I only had a few more rooms to explore before there was nothing left to do but head back to Ingerlot.

Following along the map, I could finish my exploration by heading into the next room and up a staircase. Head through a few hallways and be at the final few rooms. I went onward as the map showed and it was not until I got to the end of the long hallway that I realized I was being followed by another of the underworld's minions. This time it was a large scorpion-like creature.

The fight with it went absolutely nowhere. My sword could not pierce its thick exoskeleton armor with only slashes and sweeps. But I could not get close enough to direct an impalement into it. Eventually it tore at my lower satchel and out came the ritual mask I had found earlier. On the sight of the mask the scorpion actually fled. Was this the "It" my friend was telling me about? I surely hope so, for anything larger than that and I may be in serious trouble.

The next room held another bookcase of useless rotted papers and old sigils of the Temple. Finding nothing hidden but some spiders I went up the staircase here. This new room was much larger than the map suggested it was. Maybe the artist did not have much time to get it right on account of the scorpion thing or what else was hiding in here.

My search here only turned up one final inscription from the old adventurer, "need both tools of ritual". What other tool of ritual? Did I miss something? Or was it already taken? This made me nervous. But I had no choice but to go on forward, only a few rooms were left and maybe it was in one of them. I would not be what I am if I ran away at the idea of the treasure already being procured by someone else.

A small hallway leading to a small room. Completely empty. No torches on the wall. Not even a candlelabra(candlestick thing) to illuminate the room when in use. Went into the next hallway and wound up in a very well decorated room.

It was an odd place to store an artifact of ancient rituals very much so. Vast murals and wall hangings and in one corner an altar with pounds of melted candlewax. In another was a very long, yet short, and roughly man-sized box. Another coffin adorned with many fancy details. What was in there exactly I had wondered for mere moments before deciding that opening it without precaution was the right idea. Naturally this was a bad idea.

Upon opening it, the swoosh of air from the movement of the lid kicked up fingers thick dust and debris into the air. Leaving me temporarily choking on what I found to be the decomposed body of some high Priest of this temple. I cleaned my throat with a 'swig' of water from my canteen. I will need to be sure not to do that again as I was nearly blinded and if a demon had been inside I could have been fatally wounded.

In his dried shrivelled up hands was the other ritual item. A scepter. I had never recalled hearing about a scepter in this temple, but then again, one is never sure what one will find in these old dungeons.

Gently, very gently, with more care than a Mother puts her newborn down to sleep, I pried the scepter from its previous owner and swung it back and forth. This will fetch a high price from the Ancient Artifact Guild. No doubt they would want this. For a moment I stared at its silver and gold inlaid markings. Feeling a sense of invigorationa nd power, as if I could channel the energy of Great Beings through it and unto any foe I should pass. I felt a bit empowered, oh yes. But the journey must end and so I proceed on toward my exit.

I opened the doorway which the map showed to be the Ritual Room. Inside was a large empty space with many altars, candles, and more intricately carved symbols of Vius. There on the far back wall was the doorway to that balcony I saw in the Main Hall and of course my swift exit. I did not want to take another trot through that Labrynth in the basement. I set out for it when I heard a creak of a door.

The door I had just come from was being pushed aside. Being pushed aside by the figure in the coffin and he did not look very happy. It spoke out to me, not with words from the mouth but with a force of wind from the room, more magick.

"aaah, theeeeeeif. giiiiiive baaack oooor suuuuuffer."

A slow elongation of the vowels in each word. Surely I did not come here just to give back what I rightfully stole at the threat of mere danger. I passed his earlier minions. I felt he had no chance. I readied my weapons for his lunges. But they did not come.

Instead he raised what he had left of hands and launched a spell of magick at me. Rolling to dodge it I saw it hit the wall and leave a deep scorch mark. Mere hand to hand combat would not win the day for me unless I could get close. But he would only need to get lucky once in order to fell me. I decided to gamble and follow the advice by putting on the ritual mask and pulling out the scepter.

The effect it had on the Priest was moot. The old bastard is probably laughing his arse off in his grave knowing he got me to fall for his trick. For all the good I did not expect, I swung the scepter in a sheepish manner. A multitude of colored sparks and flashes sprouted forth from it. Magick. I had some magick on my side. And magick can be used long-range.

I sliced the air at my undead foe with a great force and out erupted a large streak of blueish light. It struck him hard in the chest and he stumbled backwards a few feet. I devised a plan to make him stagger by hitting him and running forward, getting close enough to end the fight with my blade.

Luckily the scepter's powers could also defend me for that demon also got used to my pattern and began to attack just as I started to run toward him. In a matter of moments I ended the battle as the victor. Ending him a mid-torso slash that left his remains in two. The torches on the wall had all gone out at this moment. What magick he had used to create them had ceased.

Having been in here for many hours I rushed to the balcony. Tied a rope and climbed down into the Main Hall. Here too, the torches were all out. I stepped out of the Temple of Vius, heading back toward Ingerlot. Maybe I won't sell these ritual artifacts off so quick.

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