DUNGEONS & DRAGONS Virtual Theatre Presents - THE HEART OF HALAV

Sollaria notches an arrow to her bow, covering Baim. She eyes the Thyatian with a little more than concern for his well-being. 'Here, let me through, I'll tend to him. Open his mouth and I'll give him this. It shall restore him to his full vigour and vitality.' Sollaria uncorks her last healing potion. Then we shall see if what's inside is half as good as it appears on the outside ...
      The liquid crawls down the man's emaciated throat. His body slowly inflates, as though he was a watertight dummy's skin being pumped with water. The man suddenly coughs, rising to his elbows. His eyes flicker open, revealing flat, mahogany-brown irises. 'Where am I?' He asks, his voice weak. He looks up to see Sollaria 'I must be dead, for an angel must you be!'
      Sollaria smiled thinly. 'No, warrior, I am not an angel, and you are by no means dead. Instead, you have been freed from captivity, and are very much alive. If you doubt my words, then please look upon the Hin, Fergel Sheepdriver. Surely no afterlife would allow such a filthy creature as him entry, without first demanding he is cleaned roughly with a firm yardbrush and about ten pounds of strong soap?' Sollaria looks back at the man. 'I am Sollaria, Elven maiden of Specularum.' She smiles coyly, flashing a nervous but stunning smile at the newcomer. 'And you are ...?'
      The man stares at Fergel. He smiles and sighs with relief. 'Odytheus, fair maiden, a soldier of fortune, hailing from Thyatis. My companions and I were ambushed after we set up camp for the night in the Black Peak Mountains. I was struck from behind during the attack ... and I remember nothing else until you woke me up. Where am I? And my companions; are they here too?'
      Sollaria arches her pointed eyebrows so they stand almost vertically. 'Fair maiden? I can tell I'll have to keep both eyes on you, Odytheus, or 'maiden' it shall be no longer! As to your companions, I am afraid we were unable to revive them from the ravages of the leeching crystals. It seems that you were more ably-equipped to resist the enemy's fowl devices. 'I had only enough of the healing draught for one, and I certainly was not going to waste it on that!' Sollaria points to Baim. 'There lies one of your gaolers, Odytheus, the soon-to-be-beardless dwarf Baim, traitor and all-round scumbag.'
      Sollaria halts midway in her speech. She shakes her head and turns again to the handsome Thyatian. 'But I digress, you are currently in the lair of the nosferatu, Gotha. Some hundred-odd miles north of Specularum, but still within the Black Peaks. We seek the Heart of Halav, an artefact of some great power. Will you join us?' Sollaria reaches out to feel Odytheus' biceps. 'We could find a use for an arm such as this ...'
      Odytheus kneels before Sollaria and Fergel, offering his sword hilt first over his left arm. 'Elf maiden, mighty Hin warrior and your friends, you have rescued me from the fate of my much-mourned allies Crescentius and Karel. For that I owe you my life and my sword. Until that debt is repaid, the warrior Odytheus shall accompany you to the end of the world if you'll allow me to fight by your side.'
      Ho-Shen smiles and bows. 'I am Lien Ho-Shen, Odytheus; traveller and adventurer from Ochalea. Welcome back to the land of the living.'
      Ferro lifts off his tight-fitting helmet and scratches his head for a long moment. A lot had happened in the last few minutes: being attacked by vampire-dwarves, the pretty elf-woman and another pompous human warrior appearing. Ferro sighs; he was flagging slightly. To rouse his spirits, he delves into his pack and looses a flagon of ale and quaffs a long draught. Suitably refreshed, Ferro addresses the band. 'May I interrupt your little love-in, menfolk? I surely don't need to remind you that my countryman - Baim - is now free of his infernal servitude and should be able to guide us to our goal - the sword, the Heart Of Halav! Baim, will you lead us, my kith?'
      Baim reaches out to clasp Ferro by the shoulder. 'Aye! Let us be away from this hellish feeding chamber, though I daresay where I will next lead you will be even worse ..!'
      Fergel says nothing as he gathers his belongings together, but makes a mental note to keep a close eye on Baim. The others may be taken in by his redemption, but I'm not so sure. Fergel rubs his neck again.
      Odytheus eyes Baim with great suspicion. 'Is it sensible to allow the dwarf to lead us into the heart of enemy territory? He and his brothers have killed countless of innocents, including friends of mine. Is he completely free from guilt? Can you trust him? Can we?'
      Baim stares at Odytheus, about to erupt into a fury. He then checks his temper, breathing deeply. 'I was used by my brothers, held in thrall! Do you think me a killer's accomplice in my right mind? Then you have never met a dwarf! My word is my bond, you tin-plated ... Thyatian!'
      Ho-Shen mediates the dispute. 'I understand how you feel, Odytheus, but I think we should give Baim a chance to redeem himself. If he does not, then deal out the price of treachery.'
     Sollaria sees the sense in the Ochalean's words. 'Very well, but he goes in front! At the first sign of treachery, he'll feel my arrow between his shoulder blades and sent beardless into the afterlife!' Sollaria turns to Baim, fire in her eyes. 'Understood?'
     Baim bow his head towards the group. 'Your faith in me is a brave act ... but it'll not go unrewarded.'
     Odytheus grits his teeth. His hand tightens around his sword hilt. 'It seems the others will give you a chance, Dwarf. One step out of line and you'll feel my WRATH!! I swear it on the graves of my friends.'

***

Baim leads the adventurers along a length of corridors, chambers, tunnels and stairways that alone none of the newcomers would be able to navigate. The candlestones are the only illumination, as worn by Fergel, Ho-Shen and Odytheus. Ferro and Baim find the glow uncomfortable, used as their eyes are to the dim realms of the underworld. To the men and the elf-maiden, the temple of the Hutaaka is a foreboding place, cold, dusty and almost unbearably claustrophobic. To the Hin and the dwarves, the time-forgotten structure appeals to their natural attraction to quiet enclosures and strong fortifications.
      Baim slows as he leads you along one seemingly congruent corridor, terminating in a stone walled blind-end. Baim runs his thick fingers over the wall. The wall slides upwards, raised by hidden pulleys. Beyond, the group can see nothing but a black rectangle, the shape of the corridor's outline. A breeze coming from the hole raises hackles, as chilling as nightmares of death.
      Baim looks into the eyes of Odytheus, who watches the dwarf intently for any indication of treason. 'This is the place - the crypts built by the Hutaakans to house their priests after their mortal bodies perished. I need a candlestone to guide my way - it gets unsteady from here on in.'
      Sollaria looks meaningfully at the dwarf with a gaze that would freeze a desert oasis. She draws back the string of her bow just a little, enough so the bow emits the slightest of protesting creaks. As she does this, she smiles at Baim, sure her point has been made.
      Fergel nudges through the throng of adventurers. He gives Baim his candlestone. 'Here - take it. I'll just have to stick close to Ho-Shen.' Fergel retreats to the Ochalean, who pats the Hin fondly on the head.
      Ho-Shen ensures his garlic necklace is still in place, and his silver dagger readily available. 'Then let us proceed, Baim. You first; we will be right behind you.' He pulls off one of the garlic bulbs and smears his weapon's blade with it again, before doing the same with each of the points of his shuriken, and then hands the remains of the bulb to Fergel. 'Cover your weapons with this, and pass it on to the others. It seemed to affect Baim's vampire kin, so perhaps it will do the same with this fiend Gotha.'
      Sollaria receives the garlic bulb and uses the remains to coat the heads of her arrows and the cutting edge of her shortsword. She then makes a final check on her equipment. 'I, for one, am as ready as I'll ever be. Good luck to all.'
      Baim begins to descend a flight of stairs jutting from the doorway, with no flanking walls of ceiling. The candlestones' light captures snapshots of a chamber far larger than any the group has yet visited. The stonework is more elaborate, inscribed with hieroglyphs depicting the Hutaakan jackal-men in their glory years, masters of science and the arts, masters of the ancient Traldar, the original menfolk of Karameikos.
      The chambers size remains unguessed. 'I didn't stay long enough to explore it all,' explains Baim, nervously, in broken whispers. 'You'll soon see what I mean!'
      The adventurers pass between alcove after alcove, narrow enough to admit a single man. They are empty. Odytheus leans into one alcove, curious. 'See - the dust is thick on the floor. It has been disturbed. Footprints of a beast, leading out of the alcove!'
      Ho-Shen examines other alcoves, Fergel remaining close by, his eyes as big and white as swan eggs. The Ochalean confirms Odytheus' observation. 'Whatever stood in these holes is now afoot.'
      'The undead Priests Of Law!' Baim informs Ho-Shen. 'They know we're here, invading their tomb!'
     The alcoves are many, arranged as components of long and winding streets in this ancient necropolis. Ahead, the street the adventurers creep along terminates at the stone feet of a huge statue, extending above the upper arc of candlestone light. The feet are those of a beast, extending upwards as anklet and then skirt. Inlaid gems reflect the candlestones like cats' eyes, as perfect as the day they were first set into the stonework with liquid rock paste.
      Baim walks between the feet. He finds two spots within a decorated patch of stonework and grips them, turning each counterwise to the other. The stones slide upwards, revealing a passage. Baim turns to the group. 'This is the entrance to Gotha's lair!'
      Keeping Baim in front, Ho-Shen leads the party inside, his keen eyes darting about for any sign of attack, his sword up and ready for action. Odytheus follows behind Ho-Shen and Ferro, armed with Colum Darken's garlic-tipped spear, his shield strapped to his left arm. Fergel remains close to the tall soldier. Last to enter the nosferatu's lair is Sollaria. She seeks out the shadows in an attempt to gain an advantageous position from which to make a sneak attack on any foes.
      Gotha's resting place sits at the top of a fight of stone stairs. Her coffin rests upon a large, stone, four-tiered dais. Jade candlestones embedded in the walls lend the chamber an eerie atmosphere. From the entrance to the coffin, the adventurers have encountered no obstruction, or resistance to their quest.
      Baim shakes his head. 'I've never been in here before, but it gives me a bad feeling in my guts - and it's not the poke of your staff against my side!' Hisses Baim at Ho-Shen.
      The adventurers surround the coffin, prising open its lid with the tips of their swords. They discover it to be empty but for a layer of dry earth scattered along its interior. Ho-Shen and Fergel hold their candlestones, searching for danger along the edges of the chamber. Odytheus and Sollaria light their lanterns from a single wick and join the hunt for the nosferatu. They find nothing.
      'It only prolongs the final conflict,' affirms Odytheus, his jaw set into a steely resolve. 'Now, show us the Heart of Halav, Dwarf.'
     Baim activates a hidden door to the group's right. 'I've never been in here, but I know the Heart's cell connects to it by this secret passage.' Baim leads the adventurers out of the tomb, along a narrow, dusty tunnel where the air is stale enough to turn nostril hairs into cobwebs. It ends in another hidden door, which Baim pushes open. Beyond is a box-chamber, fifteen-by-fifteen feet. In its centre, floating in a cylinder of pure, white light that extends to the ceiling thirty feet above, is a longsword, silver and bronze, with a stylised gnoll's head bearing its fangs from the sword's pommel.
      THE HEART OF HALAV!
      Ferro gasps at the artefact's quality. 'A dwarf must have forged this beauty!' Despite his admiration, Ferro feels a distinct disquiet at standing within the Heart's gaze, as though he were somehow opposed to its nature. Ferro runs his arms as though trying to wipe dirt from them.
      Fergel back-pedals upon meeting the Heart. His Hin instinct for beauty should propel him forwards, eager to hold the wondrous device, but instead his flesh soars with pain and his hair feels as though it is sizzling. I don't believe this thing make any of us our fortune! He thinks, ruffling his curly locks with his aching hand and coming away with glossy, brown strands, with no trace of the intsne heat radiating from his scalp. Fergel moves backwards, leaving the treasure room. The pain begins to subside slightly. He stands, panting in the dark of the tunnel, his hands pressed down against his knees for support.
     Sollaria stands in the shadows, alert for foes, but compelled to examine the artefact's container for signs of traps - or a locking mechanism. Carefully, she studies the shaft of light enveloping the Heart for any clue as to how she might gain possession of the artefact. 'I can find no 'key' to the sword's release,' she concludes, her eyebrows arching in frustration. 'The Heart floats in a magical manner, that much is obvious ... but can it be so easy to simply pluck it out?'
     'Somehow I doubt that,' says Ho-Shen says, staring at the sword. 'It seems too easy a task. No doubt some devilish trap is in place to doom the unwary.' He searches for Fergel, and notices his absence. 'Fergel! Where are you? We need your skills in here!'
      A small voice comes from the entrance to the treasure room. 'I-I can't go back in there! My skin ... it's on fire! Well, not on fire exactly, but it hurts like a million knitting needles being shoved into me at the same time! I'm sorry. When are we leaving this place? I'm hungry and sore.'
       I wonder if... muses Sollaria, toying with the ghost of an idea. Maybe ... It might work. I won't know unless I try. What if it is a magical barrier? It could be the end of you, woman! And with all these delicious boys around, too.
      Sollaria pulls out an arrow. She throws it towards the Heart. The arrow passes though the cylinder of light and strikes the artefact. It falls to the floor with no evidence of magical interference. Sollaria inspects the arrow, finding it quite undamaged.
      Ho-Shen watches with interest. 'Perhaps there is no trap after all. What say you, my fellows?' Ho-Shen remembers that Fergel was bitten by a vampire. Might this be why he is repelled by the blade? Ferro's retreat might also be due to the power from the blade, as he was once under the thrall of Gotha - and perhaps still is! The sword might be repellent to the taint of evil, or maybe just the vampire kind itself.
      Ho-Shen studies the Heart. He is struck by a revelation: 'Of course! Gotha keeps it here because it is a threat to her! Wish me luck, my friends. I believe that a blade which dispels evil is no threat to those who fight on the side of good!'
      'You may be right, Ho-Shen,' says Sollaria, 'but be sure that your heart is true to your cause!' Sollaria presses her eyes closed tight, unable to watch.
      Ho-Shen takes a deep breath, calming his racing heart. He begins to reach out for the Heart's upturned hilt.
      Odytheus raises his spear and shield in an aggressive/defensive stance, ready for any sign of trouble.
      Ho-Shen's hand reaches into the magical cylinder. He feels no discomfort. He stretches so that his fingers loosely encircle the sword's hilt. In this moment of great risk, Ho-Shen finds peace. He is fully-responsible for his thoughts and actions. There is nothing but his hand and the sword hilt.
      Ho-Shen wraps his hand around the hilt.
      The other adventurers watch with amazement as the white light encasing the Heart Of Halav is drawn to Ho-Shen. It surrounds the Ochalean, a shifting, snow-pure, spiral which circulates around and through his person as though Ho-Shen has become insubstantial. Experienced through Ho-Shen's senses, a great wind rises and his body becomes as thin as powder, scattered by the wind and then drawn back to reform his outline.
      Odytheus' eyes widen in wonder and apprehension as Ho-Shen's form is momentarily replaced by that of a taller, heavier-set man, with a thick beard and leather armour. The hand holding the sword is no longer Ho-Shen's own, but strong and hairy, scarred by battle.
      As Sollaria raises her bow, ready to attack, the spectre fades, as does the polar glow. Stood, alone, is Ho-Shen, the Heart Of Halav glistening in his hand. He is quite unhurt.
      'What in the nine hells just happened, Ho?' asks Sollaria in amazement.
      'It appears I was right,' replies Ho-Shen. 'Now, let us be gone from this wretched place that has claimed so many lives.'
      Odytheus pats Ho-Shen on the back. 'I hope you can use that weapon, Friend. The nosferatu is hiding it for a reason; let us get good value out of its power.'
      Sollaria checks her gear one final time, preparing to take up her customary position as rearguard. 'Lead on, Superman.'
      Ho-Shen bows gallantly. Hefting the mighty Heart of Halav before him, he heads for the exit, keeping a wary eye out for any threat from the dark alcoves of the chamber. He watches Ferro and Fergel, with concern over their strange reactions to the artefact. Ho-Shen leads the way, followed by Ferro and Baim, Odytheus and then Sollaria, who walks backwards away from Gotha's coffin, her bow aimed in its general vicinity in the event of an unwelcome, surprise visit from the powerful undead.
      The group leave the tomb without event, but it is just beyond the towering statue framing the entrance where they receive a shocking revelation. Fergel, who covers close to the statue's feet, lets out a yelp as soon as the Heart Of Halav appears. He leaps into the air ... and proceeds to climb up the sheer, stone wall beside the carving like a spider - or a vampire!
      Fergel stops, aware of what he is doing. He screams and then falls, landing hard on his back. The Hin springs to his large, hairy feet and scuttles away, hiding inside an empty alcove that once contained a Priest Of Law. He peers around the alcove's edge. 'I don't know why I'm doing this ... what's wrong with me?' he screams. Fergel then tears the garlic cloves from his bag, throwing them into the darkness. 'I can't stand it!'
      Sollaria blinks at Fergel's performance. She whispers to the others. 'Aye, Sheepshagger always was a strange one! Perhaps his sinuses have finally cleared and he was attempting to flee from his overpowering stench, Ha! Ha!' Sollaria laughs nervously, for she is visibly shaken by the sight of the Hin's unnatural acrobatics. She stoops on the way past him, however, and gathers up the garlic he discarded, placing it around her own neck.
      Ho-Shen watches Fergel's terrified face peering out at him from the alcove, noticing the telltale flash of devilish eyes, betraying what he has feared since Fergel was taken. 'He was bitten, and because of this, he is more an likely a thrall of Gotha - halfway between becoming a vampire himself! I fear the only way we'll have of freeing him is to slay his demonic mistress herself!' As well as Ferro; the dwarf is a much more dangerous adversary than the hin, if crossed...
      Odytheus shakes his head. 'I fear we may have no option but to kill Gotha then; Fergel is a good man. It's a shame to let that potential go to waste. Are we sure that Baim is free now too?'
      Sollaria joins the conversation. 'You travel through vampire-infected Karameikos and you know nothing about them! The halfling is no thrall - he's turning into a fully-fledged vamp! Thralls are brainwashed twits like Ferro Blockhead. Kill their master and you release them from his spell, but there's no cure for vampirism itself ...' Solaria nods at Fergel, her hand on a wooden stake lodged in her belt, 'only death by beheading and burning.'
      Odytheus sighs. 'If Fergel is a vampire, we have a problem. We cannot leave the little one in that state. We may have to deal with him now! This Gotha is still at large; now we have the Heart, it may be the best time to strike at this nest of evil.'
      Sollaria agrees. 'There is no other way. So, Baim, if you'd like a chance to keep your beard where it is and to help your clan brother, then now is the time to speak up. Where will we find Gotha and what are her defences?'
      Baim shrugs. 'I've just shown you her lair. This entire temple is Gotha's hunting ground, as are the lands, villages and towns beyond its walls. Gotha could be anywhere at any time. You'd do better to throw a twig into the air and head in that direction.'
      Ferro has heard enough. He hefts his great-axe, standing before the others. 'Keep your comments to yourself, Ringjuggler! Nobody is going to kill my mistress! I've fought with you and saved your lives; in return you're planing to off the most majestic creature under the sun? You can forget that! We take the blasted artefact to Korrigan, get our booty and settle down in a nice abandoned mine somewhere.'
      'You misunderstand us, Master Dwarf,' explains Ho-Shen. 'We do not wish your mistress harm. We merely wish to worship her as you have done!' He turns to the others. 'Why don't we remain here, in these alcoves, to surprise her! Gotha will be most elated to see you back, her beloved servant, and I am certain our unexpected appearance will only add to her glee - more servants to do her bidding!'
      Sollaria is momentarily puzzled by Ho-Shen's words, before, before latching on to his hidden intent. 'Aye Dwarf, he speaks the truth. Do you really think I wish to see my beauty fade as the years pass, when your mistress could allow me eternal youth and power? If serving at her pleasure is what she requires, then it is small price to pay. What do you say, Odytheus? To join us in eternal youth?'
      Odytheus remains silent. This charade is not amusing to a warrior such as he who as walked through battlefields knee-deep in the gore of his friends and family. 'This is not the place to fight amongst ourselves, here, in the vampires' cesspit. It could be considered a more sensible tactical option to withdraw from this evil place.'
      Ferro agrees. 'Aye, Thyatian; we all leave and find a cure for Fergel. We write this misadventure off and start a new, make our fortunes by more safer means. Put the Heart back where you found it, monk, and we'll be off.'
      Odytheus raises an eyebrow in the direction of Ferro. 'I'm no wizard Dwarf, but I suspect a cure is beyond Fergel now. Isn't your mission to take the Heart back to the Duke? It seems strange that you want to return it when its in your grasp?'
      Ferro is exasperated. 'And now I don't want it! What's so hard to understand about that? Come on Lads ... and fair maiden Sollaria; there's more money to be made across the border.'
      Ho-Shen bows his head slightly. 'I am sorry, Honourable Dwarf, but I gave my word I would do my utmost to return this to Korrigan's realm, and I am bound by that oath. If we do decide to leave this place, and pass on the opportunity to serve your mistress, then the Heart comes with us.'
     As Ferro lifts his great-axe, ready to lop Ho-Shen's head from its shoulders, Sollaria poses as a decoy. 'Across the border you say, Ferro? Tell me more of these lands of plenty.' Walking hastily towards the enraged dwarf, Sollaria reaches out to put her arm around the dwarf's shoulders.
      Ferro's eyes widen as the elf maiden's firm, peach-pink chest pushes against his arm. He licks his lips. 'Well, er, there's the cities of Ylaruam, buried beneath the sands, full of treasure, to be starting with - if you like the heat! Plenty of work for bodyguards in Darokin ...'
      Sollaria searches for a heavy but loose piece of equipment in Ferro's possession, intending to use it to quickly render Ferro unconscious. She grabs one of Ferro's throwing axes, but the dwarf suspects her motives. He flings Sollaria away. 'GGAARRGGHH! Treacherous female!'
      Ho-Shen leaps towards Ferro, his arms outstretched. He lands as his hands reach for Ferro's neck, finding two pressure points. Before Ferro can react, Ho-Shen applies pressure and the dwarf collapses, unconscious, in his arms. Ho-Shen carefully lowers the dwarf to the ground. 'I bargained the dwarves of your continent shared the same weaknesses as the Korobokuru of Ochalea.'
      Odytheus helps Sollaria to her feet. The three adventurers regroup, discussing tactics further. 'The two of you are undoubtedly brave,' concedes Odytheus, 'but tackling Gotha on her home territory is a fool's errand. Aside from an artefact that may or may not work against a nosferatu, we do not t have any tactical advantage. We have two dwarves and the poor Hin, who will in all likelihood seek to work against us. I've seen far too many a brave soldier killed through poor tactics and I am not about to let you do the same! It is time to get out and regroup.'
      Sollaria nods at her companion's words. 'What you say makes sense, Odytheus. If we retreat now, perhaps we might be able to help our companions, see them freed of their afflictions. Then, when we are more adept in the slaying of creatures of the night, we return to slay Gotha, satisfied that our companions will not betray us in the heat of battle. I feel we have all lost far too many companions to this evil.'
      Ho-Shen is saddened by his companion's words. 'I fear we are in effect dooming our companions, Fergel especially, if we leave without killing Gotha, we abandon Ferro to his curse, and Fergel will forever remain among the blood-feasters. This is our greatest opportunity to slay Gotha. That said, I joined you in mutual survival, and your quest has become my own. I am therefore obliged to take the Heart to Duke Karameikos. I concur with your wishes.' Ho-Shen glances forlornly at Fergel and Ferro. 'Whatever the repercussions ...'
     Odytheus ties Ferro securely with the Thyatian's climbing rope.  The adventurers leave the crypt. Ho-Shen wields the Heart Of Halav, feeling confident in its power.
      Fergel waits until the Heart's glow - invisible to all but his corrupted vision - starts to fade with distance, then jogs after his friends, falling back only when his flesh creases from the artefact's radiance. Fergel pursues this tactic as the adventurers retrace their footsteps to Baim's workshop. I can't believe my friends have abandoned me! Thinks Fergel, in an extremely-distressed state of mind. They might not want me, but I'll find away to prove my worth to them.
      Baim leads the group along corridors he alone knows well. 'It's the long way 'round, but we'll get to King Thri's territory eventually,' he explains. 'Then it's up to you to find the way to the gateway. I've never seen it.'

***

Following Baim, the group gradually ascend through the temple, traversing dozens of stairs. At length, Baim directs the adventurers towards a large, triangular doorway, framed in bronze. The doors hang barely by their hinges, cracked and battered by some force or entity of terrifying strength. 'This is the only exit I know to be in this area of the temple,' informs Baim.
      The chamber beyond is large and empty. The ground beneath the adventurers' feet is wet with undergrowth, glistening from a recent summer thunderstorm penetrating the chamber through great holes in the high-vaulted roof. The stones once completing the ceiling - now fallen - decorate the floor like the rocky outcrops of a desert basin.
      Moving beyond the great stones, Sollaria notes the second door on the far side of the chamber. She inspects it to find it has also been damaged in the same manner as the inner counterpart.
      Ho-Shen joins Sollaria. He taps at the door with his bo-staff. 'Fear not; Covenant and I dealt with the beasts who did this. You know them as Athachs. They were evil creatures who deserved their fate.' Together, the elf and Ochalean peer beyond the broken doors, out into the forest, thankful for the fresh air untainted by decayed flesh and stone dust.
      Ho-Shen is certain he detects motion towards the rear of group. He realises who it must be. 'Fergel, my friend, show yourself.' Though his voice is soft, the Ochalean is ready for any attack from the rapidly changing halfling. No response is forthcoming.
      Baim skirts the fallen stones nervously. 'It's not a good idea to remain outside for too long; Gotha must be close by! To have not encountered her yet ... we must be due to run out of luck any moment. I don't understand why we haven't been stopped by her evil priests; they patrol the temple like police.' Baim points back toward the inner doors. 'Best be getting on our way; the sooner we get to your city, the sooner we can go our separate ways. Aye, a long time since Baim Ringjuggler has done business with other folk than vampires!'
      Ho-Shen reluctantly turns back and approaches the inner doors. He pauses as distant birdsong breaks the silence. Ho-Shen is reminded of his simple, peaceful home among the Ochalean hills. I will return in time. For now, there is great evil to be fought.
      Odytheus carries Ferro on his shoulders as Sollaria follows Baim. Noting the Thyatian's inability to take in his surroundings, Ho-Shen drops behind to form the group's rearguard. 'Rest when you need to, Friend,' he tells Odytheus.
      As Fergel watches Sollaria approaching he stumbles backward. Sollaria is surprised to see the halfling exposed to the sunlight and yet still survive. Fergel collapses in a sobbing heap, wailing: 'I don't know what's happening to me, but I'm still your friend!'
      Sollaria effects a comforting smile as she hears Fergel's pitiful plea. 'You climb walls like a vampire, Fergel ... but your manner isn't undead! What to make of you?' considers the elf-maiden. 'Stay with me, where I can see you; together we can seek out the gateway to Specularum and there we can get you help.'
       Ho-Shen's heart fills with anguish as he discovers Fergel's distress. 'Then walk with us, my friend. We are indeed glad to have you.'
      As Ho Shen approaches, the Heart Of Halav in his hand, Fergel starts shaking and clawing at his skin. 'I'm burning, I'm burning!' he wails, before turning and stumbling away.
      ''I am sorry!' apologises the Ochalean, 'but the Heart must go to Lord Korrigan, or Covenant and Colum's deaths will have been in vain.'
      Odytheus views Fergel with caution, but a plan forms in his mind. 'Why not use Fergel's new found "condition" to our advantage? Put him up front and on his own, followed by Sollaria, then a little further back the rest of us: Baim, Ho and myself?'
      Sollaria beckons towards Fergel. 'You stay up front with me! Come, now little one - we'll keep Ho-Shen away from you.'
      Fergel waits for Sollaria to advance suitably ahead of Ho-Shen before scrambling over to join her. 'Thank you, Sollaria! The presence of the Heart pains me if it gets too close ...'

***

The adventurers stalk the corridors, searching for the gateway. Ho-Shen shakes his head in amusement. 'We might have once passed this way, and do not recognise it. Are all the temple walls so similar?'
      Baim laughs bitterly. 'Aye, slanty-eyed one, that they are, until you find its centre and meet with pretty tapestries and gemstones. I'll stress that I'm not lost. Mind - we dwarves have an unerring sense of direction. I've not been up here in weeks and this gateway of yours must have been put into place 'tween then and now.'
      Fergel points ahead. 'Yes! This is the way!'
      Sollaria raises her bow. 'Is this Fergel Sheepshagger speaking to us, or Fergel the Bloodsucker, agent of Gotha?'
      Fergel bats Sollaria's bow arm away in annoyance. 'Stop pointing that thing at me! I recognised a wall ruin a few corridors back, and remember how many twists and turns we took when he first found the gateway, and later retraced them.' Fergel points at a looming junction: 'Two right-turns, one left and one right - that's where the gateway is.'
      Fergel takes the lead, excited with the anticipation of a swift exit from the temple. Sollaria jogs after him, her elven senses tuning to the acoustics of the unfamiliar corridors. The others follow slowly, watching their backs for goblins.
      Fergel suddenly stops in mid-run. He extends his arm to halt Sollaria's momentum. Sollaria collides with the Hin's arm and staggers back, surprised how strong he has become. Fergel's nose wrinkles. 'I smell goblins; they stink as bad as the Heart burns!'
      Sollaria rounds the corner to the next corridor. Three goblins come into view, stood at the far end of the corridor, slouched against spears to prevent their wretched bodies from sagging with boredom. Two large lupine mounds lay on the floor nearby, heads resting upon their forepaws - dire wolves!
      And beyond the enemy - the double-doors obscuring the gateway ...
      Slowly, carefully and above all quietly, Sollaria signals to Fergel to back off. They make our way back to the others. 'We have company at the gate: three goblins and two dire wolves. The goblins look bored and the wolves appear to be asleep. Perhaps we can take them out from long range with our missile weapons, while making for the portal?'
     Ho-Shen draws his sword, preparing for battle. 'It appears we'll have to fight our way out of here. Those dire wolves won't give any ground lightly. Prepare to battle for your lives!'
      Odytheus places Ferro on the floor. 'We could stand and make a fight, but in our condition it may be our last stand. Who wants to run decoy and distract them?'
      'We'll have to rush - and I mean rush, for the portal,' explains Sollaria. 'Here's what I plan to do. I will loose two arrows at the dire Wolves, hoping to get them to pursue me. I will make for the corner, over there, you see it? Beyond the corridor containing the portal? Good! Now, here's the key part. As soon as the wolves clear the entrance to the tunnel, everyone must make haste to the portal. I will run to just beyond the corner, hide there until the dire wolves turn into that corridor. As soon as I see them, I will be hot on your heels, sprinting for the portal! There will only be those three goblins at the portal. The sight of a heavily-armed band charging them should quench their fighting spirit. Pass through to the other side - I will be right behind you ... RIGHT behind! Be prepared to alert the Duke's men to expect company.'
      Ho-Shen hurriedly secures the Heart to his backpack, ensuring that it will not fall off as he makes for the gate. He hefts his blade in his right hand, his staff in his left. 'Let's do this, my friends.'
      Sollaria takes her place, slightly offside of the corner of the final corridor before the gateway. She slides an arrow into place. She mentally counts off numbers, then turns to look straight down the corridor inhabited by the goblins and dire wolves. Sollaria aims as carefully as she can for as long as she dares; sweat springs from her high forehead and her palms grow slick. Her hands begin to shake. Now!
      Sollaria's arrow slams into the eye of a dire wolf. The creature's rage is immediate, but short-lived, as the beast dies from its wound. The second wolf launches towards Sollaria, a four-legged grim reaper.
       Sollaria's plan is to set free a second arrow, but her enemy is too close to waste time. She explodes into motion, sprinting along the corridor adjacent to that of the goblins, her destination the far corner and the right-turn ...

***

Fergel, Odytheus ad Ho-Shen watch Sollaria fly. They race towards the gateway corridor as fast as their legs can bear, turning into it to face the three goblins. The enemy has already lowered its spears in anticipation of an attack, and they are not intimidated by the sight of a man in a skirt, a halfling, unarmed dwarf and a beleaguered Thyatian.
'GEDDUMM!' roar the goblins, bounding into the fray.
A goblin whose face is striped like that of a badger crouches to skewer Fergel with his spear. The halfling reaches out instinctively to knock the spear away ... and ends up throwing the goblin against the wall! Fergel climbs up the opposite wall, ending his movement when he is hanging upside down from the ceiling like some raggedy spider. He begins scuttling towards the double-doors and the gateway, to freedom.

***

Sollaria is halfway up the corridor when she hears the dire wolf behind her, overcome by its momentum, crashing against the junction between corridors. The wolf leaps back into the chase and within a second is within leaping distance of the elf-maiden. Sollaria drops her bow and draws a wooden stake strapped to her thigh. She grips the stake with both hands and drives it backwards to where she knows the dire wolf to be fast approaching. Sollaria is thrown forwards, her breath punched out from her lungs. The dire wolf pins her to the floor and begins to feed, tearing half her neck away from the bone ...

***

Ho-Shen delivers death to the second goblin with two decisive strikes of his Bo staff. Baim thunders past the conflict and disappears through the gateway; Fergel follows.
      Odytheus throws the unconscious Ferro at the last goblin, using the dwarf as a battering ram. Ferro rolls through the air and flattens the goblin. Odytheus lifts the dwarf back upon his shoulders. 'He is the mightiest warrior of all who fights in his sleep!'
      Ho-Shen cuts the throats of the two prone goblins. The battle is won. Ho-Shen struggles with his pack, then throws it - Heart of Halav and all - through the doors after Ferro and Baim. If none of the rest of them make it out, at least the artefact will be recovered.
      Odytheus pushes Ferro's unconscious body through the doors. 'Ho-Shen, I'm not leaving Sollaria behind. This battle is finished. Get the others through the portal; I'm going to see if she needs help.'
       'I cannot abandon her either!' shouts Ho-Shen shouts. I hear the beast at work. 'You take the right flank, and I'll take the left!' The Ochalean runs into the fray, for hopefully the last time in this infernal place of death.
      Odytheus reaches forward to grab hold of Ho-Shen's belt, dragging him backwards. 'Stand your ground! Let the wolf come to us!' Odytheus bashes his shield and his spear together, making a deafening row. 'This will draw its anger to us.'
      Ho-Shen studies the Thyatian at work. May the favour of Diulanna be with you, my friend.
      Odytheus traps the blunt end of his spear under his foot. He raises the pointed tip so that the weapon runs diagonal to the floor at a forty-five degree angle. Odytheus leans forwards with one arm, sliding his shield in front of the spear, obscuring its tip. 'When the wolf leaps, 'he explains to Ho-Shen, 'the shield will fall and the spear finds its mark!'
      The dire wolf's eyes are visible at the end of the corridor. They grow larger in a flash as the creature bounds towards its prey. The wolf leaps at the shield, attracted by its greasy glimmer.
      Odytheus lets his shield clatter to the ground as the wolf's forepaws make contact. Man ad beast collapse to the ground, locked in a terrible embrace. Odytheus' spear extend out from the wolf's back, painted with steaming blood.
      The wolf still lives! Its jaws open to remove the head of its last victim ... but it's own head is fated to suffer instead. From nowhere, Fergel drops onto the wolf's back. He grasps it's jaws firmly, pulling them apart as hard as he can. Fergel shatters the wolf's jaws, tearing the lower away with an explosion of shrapnel fangs and a sliver of tongue, severed by the dislocated, razor-sharp teeth.
      Fergel wrenches the dire wolf from the spear, tossing it down the corridor. He reaches to help Odytheus to his feet. The three adventurers run to Sollaria's body, finding it devoid of neck and brain.
      Odytheus picks up his shield, strapping it to his back. Walking over in silence to Sollaria's decapitated body, he carefully lifts it up with both arms. 'You saved my life again, Fergel - I thank you. A pity we could not do the same for Sollaria. I'll see to her funeral.'
      Ho-Shen shakes his head. 'My fine elven comrade; you died a true hero. May your soul find the next life swiftly.'
      Odytheus looks behind him, wary of further attacks. 'Come on, my friends, lets leave this place - it reeks of death.' With that, Odytheus crosses through the gateway, Sollaria's body hanging limply before him.
      Ho-Shen and Fergel follow Odytheus through the double-doors. Before the adventurers pass through, the corridor beyond the doors appears identical to the one they are departing. However, the moment they cross the threshold, their eyes now perceive a quite different corridor, constructed of smaller stones, terminating in a narrow, high wall with a single stained glass window set twenty feet above the ground. The sun does not penetrate the glass and night has apparently befallen the old Marilenev palace.
      The corridor is unlit save for the adventurers' candlestones that cast light upon extinguished braziers lining both flanking walls. The candlestones also reveal another object of interest - the dead bodies of six of the Duke's Palace Guard!
    Ho-Shen bends to examine two of the bodies. 'Dead ... their throats torn by some small but sharp weapon.'
      Fergel scurries about the rest of the bodies. He quietly notes his reflection does not appear against the soldier's plate-armour. 'They're all dead ... and by the same hand! This looks like the work of a vampire. More than that I can't tell at this time. I suggest you equip yourselves with garlic, stakes and the like!'
      Ho-Shen readies his weapon. 'Baim must have passed only seconds ago ... and where are Ferro and the Heart?'
      The threesome retrace their original journey from the temple to the ladders which connect the palace ruins with the courtyard above. Fergel climbs first, leaping five rungs at a time, followed by Ho-Shen, who now stands watch with the halfling. Finally, Odytheus hauls Sollaria's corpse over his shoulder and slowly climbs the ladder. Ho-Shen relieves him of his burden while Odytheus steps up onto the surface, surveying what he can of this new environment, the Duke's Stronghold.
      The three comrades stand in a dirt-covered ruin, sheltered beneath a vaulted, thatched roof. The walls are in partial disrepair, and large holes along their length allow for an extended view into the grounds beyond, revealing several stone buildings of more recent construction, and the towering stronghold battlements. The warmth of this summer's evening sends shivers of delight up and down the adventurers' bodies ... until they realise that it should still be daylight, as evidenced by their excursion into the Hutaakan temple's outer chambers.
      Moving out from the ruins, the adventurers discover more corpses, all freshly-murdered. The terrified faces of men, women and children stare back at Fergel, causing his own face to contort in the same horror. Ho-Shen surveys the carnage with a mournful expression, while Odytheus can only grit his teeth and promise the souls of the dead he will avenge them.
      And - above - monstrous vampire bats swarm, while the undead Priests Of Law lurch across the battlements!