The Temple of Elemental Evil game thread

"I don't know much about lizards but there's something strange about this one." Kaxaon takes a knife and slices into the creature's belly. Then with his bare hands he cracks its ribcage open and reveals...

"No thanks, I'm fine." says Elmo, stuttering as he gets up from the fall. "Name's Elmo, from Hommlet...accompaning this party on behalf of Jaroo the druid as they scout this old outpost for signs of the elemental cults"

Kaxaon finds a metal shield deep in the lizard's belly, with no sign as to who it was once attached to. The lizard has not eaten very recently. Smeared in digestive juice, the shield is clean on the front but slightly dented and holds an emblem of a goat. The rest of the surface is covered in dark, slimy red liquid. The shield has an unnatural aura enamating from it (Shield +1)

A large, intact chest lies by the lizard's corpse (Kaxaon is too busy to open it). In this partially collapsed chamber, the
remains of cots and plain wooden chests indicate that this was once a barracks room for castle guards—undoubtedly the human sort.

Grumble will continue preparing some cuts from the carcass, while talking back and forth between Elmo and Kaxaon.

To Kaxaon: "Hm. I usually go for the tripe, myself. But it's the first time I've seen a goat found inside a lizard. To each their own, though."

To Elmo, after he introduces himself: "Well met, boon companion in the Cub Buggy!"

An aside, to Kaxaon: "...I did find a sheep inside of one once, though."

To Darf: "There's a chest there, valiant Grikash (*); you might want to check it. I would, but my hands are...well..." He hold up his hands, glistening with blood from his butchering of the reptile. "Just be wary of traps..." (* - Note: Grikash is Danj's attempt at an ancient dwarvish honorific that he's read about, but he's pronouncing it so horribly, who knows what he's actually said - hopefully just nonsense.)

to Elmo: "Elemental Cults, huh? That is just the sort of thing I am destined to combat. Why, Elemental Cults put the 'E' in Cub Buggy!"

At some point after he gets a cook fire started and the meat is simmering, Grumble intends to wash up and introduce himself more respectfully to Matthias. He's fascinated and a little intimidated at the prospect of meeting another magic user. He does not feel the same about Spugnoir, who has not impressed him.

Kaxaon chuckles at Danj's chattering. He had found the man annoying in the beginning but now was starting to grow on him. Kaxaon is tempted to explore the barracks but decides he had better check what Spugnoir is up to. He straps the shield to his back. He's never been very good with shields but it may come in handy in the future. He exits the barracks to look for his employer, nodding to Danj, Darf, and Elmo as he passes them by.

Anrin takes in the newcomer with wide eyes, and seeing as his fellows are evidently hale and hearty, decides somewhat sheepishly to petition Ehlonna for his own sake.

He raises his voice to the assembled companions, surprisingly loud and deep for a person of such small stature, "Friends, old and new, let us not forget the reason why several of us set out from Hommlet - to root out the bandits who have made this place their headquarters. It seems to me that there is little to be found in these ruined corridors, and we would be better exploring the double doors we passed near the entrance. I for one had ... a very strange feeling* when I listened at them as we passed. No doubt the main evil of the place lurks behind those very doors."

OOC: Using the last two of my healing pool on myself - some paladin, but presumably more useful to the party alive than dead!

* Rolled a natural one - twice!

Matthias will nod his agreement with Anrin, "Well said, friend," he says, "it is past time we rooted out whatever is causing so much trouble around here"

"I agree with the Goodbody. After we pop open that chest in the other room we ought to get to business."

"I must follow my employer." Kaxaon jerks a thumb in Spugnoir's direction. "He's hunting for scrolls, nothing more... Or so he says. What evil do you speak of?"

Grumble announces that the lizard stew is ready; anyone who wishes to can help themselves (they'd have to use their own bowls from their packs, of course). He'll introduce himself to anyone whose name he hasn't caught already.
"Danj, pleased to meet you. Enjoy! I like the idea of opening the double doors before descending the stairs, myself. What do you think? After we open that chest, of course...."

Then he'll cross over to the chest and Darf:
"So, did you find any traps on the chest?"
...and look it over himself.

After Darf inhales his bowl of stew and compliments the cook he leaves to inspect the chest. He taps it and grabs it a few differant ways before turning to Grumble saying "I dont see anyhing special about it."

Kaxaon raises his bowl of stew as a gesture of thanks to Danj. He gestures to Spugnoir to offer him some, though he's certain the man would turn his nose up at the lizard meat. Kaxaon finds Spugnoir tiresome but the man is his employer. This talk of bandits and an evil to be stamped out has sparked his interest but no one has bothered to answer his question...

Danj turns (from his contemplation of the dwarf inspecting the chest) with a look of zeal on his face. "Ah, the Cub Buggy. The Cosmic Battle Between Good and Evil (CBBGE); it rages all around us. Evil is always trying to subvert Good, both in subtle ways, like conflicts between old and new gods, and overt ways, like elemental cultists sacrificing people on altars to dark beings from other planes. I had a vision - have I told you? - about the Cosmic Battle, and my role in it! You may be destined to combat evil, too. The goat is a sign, I'm sure of it!"

He slurps up the last of his stew and wipes out the bowl with his sleeve.

"But I expect you're talking about the bandits. There are supposed to be bandits hereabouts, preying on passersby. I was hoping to find some evidence of them, as my calling demands I smite some evildoers."

Danj punctuates this with a loud belch.
*Tasty lizard!*

(edit to add description)

Grumble is sure the chest looks safe, but Darf can't get close enough to look. Spugnoir is scratching his chin and watching the group, whilst muttering under his breath.

"I must see. Perhaps the warlock kept the lizard to scare away the ruffians...but does that make sense? This does not look convincing at all."

He approaches Grumble, who has the chest.

"Be careful now. A magic user as yourself must know of the dangers of arcane traps! My master spoke of a warlock here, whom I, uh, and to recover the written material of. Umm...(what...is it?)"

Kaxaon narrows his eyes at Spugnoir. The man has always seemed scatter-brained to him but now it sounds almost as if all that has been simply a facade calculated to hide the truth!

Matthias finishes his stew, "Thank you, Grumble, that was delicious," he says as he sets his bowl down and the way that Spugnoir is speaking makes him raise an eyebrow, What an odd thing to say!

Kaxaon finishes his lizard stew says to Spugnoir, "What or where to next? You want me to crack this chest open, or are we moving on?"

"Arcane traps! What a devious idea! I just thought it was a normal chest"

Grumble examines the chest with an eye to detecting anything that might indicate magic, though he suspects it's completely mundane.