TGAT: Session 32

A Hibernating Terrasque Slumbers Within the Walls of the Lower Temple

## The Great Ziggurat of Boccob (Cont...)

The party set off from the fire temple and decide to finally descend into the lower levels of the Ziggurat via the circular staircase in the south west.

The first room they enter is a rest chamber for a handful of cultists, these do not appear to be aligned to a specific element but another fifth entity identified by the insignia of an inverted ziggurat. This room also has a small store room with various bits and pieces.

They leave the rest chamber and head directly south and through the large double bronze doors opposite. The doors open into a dark room with large red gems set into the walls at regular intervals. In the centre of the room is a large statue of the demon prince Demogorgon. Einrik Stürmkarst reads the inscriptions on the base of the statue and discerns the name of the demon.

Moments later Lia Saevia approaches the room with a torch and as the light touches the first gem, the gem erupts into a low pitched hum, getting louder and more energetic the greater the intensity of the light touching it. Einrik Stürmkarst attempted to smite the red gem hitting it with his hammer, but large sparks of arcane energy burst out of the gem reaching out towards his head but causing no ill effects (passed saving throw). Lia moved closer into the room triggering another red gem the humming increased exponentially and Einrik Stürmkarst instructed Lia to step back and extinguish the torch, Einrik and Richard Dickens would guide her through the room with their darkvision.

    The door in the south-eastern corner opens up into a long and claustrophobic corridor featuring an rather ornate stained glass window along the southern wall that allowed the party to observe room on the opposite side and they were able to locate five bugbears patrolling the hall. Einrik Stürmkarst waits for the perfect moment and dives through the glass tackling the a passing bugbear and shouting down the corridor for the others to come and face their deaths.

Richard Dickens and Lia Saevia take a less flamboyant approach and opt for simply leaving the corridor via the door and attack the bugbears charging towards Einrik by jumping out behind them. The bugbears proved nothing more than a small skirmish for the party who effortlessly overpowered them. They performed a bit of reconnaissance before hearing a chanting to the north in abyssal. This prompted them to go back and scope out the rooms where they entered the lower floor.

Back where they began exploring the floor they head east this time through another massive set of bronze doors which open out into a large empty corridor that extends northwards. They enter the first door on the left which Richard Dickens finds is trapped with a small poisoned dart trap (CR4) which is narrowly managed to dodge. Inside the room they find a lavishly furnished sleeping quarters for a single person, possibly a cleric as they find several tomes mentioning the planes, one left open on a reading desk mentioning the deity Tharizdun and making reference to his holy number 333, and how he was bound to a demi-plane by means of the 333 Gems of Tharizdun. The store room attached to this room contains a vast amount of alchemist equipment and has enough alchemical items to stock a small shop.

Richard Dickens after a bit of searching within the clerics room finds a slap that clicks when stepped on, the click also seems to raise the slab up slightly revealing grooves on each side that make it possible to lift the slab. They pull the slab up, revealing a passageway that extends down 20 foot before heading towards the east. Richard Dickens climbs down followed by Einrik Stürmkarst and Lia Saevia, they follow the passageway for a few feet when Richard finds another device that clicks when stood on. Unfortunately for him this click was the trigger for a Falling Block Trap (CR 5). A huge block above him drops and crushes him, Einrik Stürmkarst had to pivot the block to free Richard Dickens but the block has now also blocked the passage.

    Continuing north up the large corridor they enter the large bronze doors to the right which open into another large corridor to the east, ending in a wall of thick hide like flesh blocking the entire hallway. The hide is impervious to cutting so with no way forward they turn back and continue north entering the next room to the right. This room reveals another spiral staircase back up to the upper level, but also a gigantic claw emerging from the wall and taking up the majority of the space.

They leave the claw well alone and continue north entering the next room on the right which opens into another eastbound corridor with a couple of rooms with two of the rooms southern walls being completely demolished by a gigantic spiked and horned head emerging through the wall. A huge arcane rune is in front of its head formed from hundreds of bodies draped along the runes design. The only room left standing is a pantry containing various dried foods including jerky, dried fruit, hardtack, and nuts.

The party then cross the corridor and enter the large double doors to the west which feature several features of the earth elemental plane, including Dao, Gargoyle, Xorn, Earth Mephits, Pech and Stone Giants.