Chapter 3.5: The Temple of Merikka

CancerMan Inactive for 1 months

Eugenios helps heft the extremely heavy corpse and holds the legs from underneath while Morton shifts the weight so it is evenly distributed across his shoulders. "Best of luck," the gnome tells the half-elf. Then, because he has observed that Morton has some interaction with the supernatural, Eugenios adds, "and my your spirit guide watch over you." Then as the gnome turns away, Morton tries to stand, but despite his best efforts, he cannot. He very quickly realizes that Arya's body is too heavy for him to carry.

OOC:

With Morton's strength, he can lift 195 pounds. With her heavy armor and pack, Arya's corpse weighs close to 300 pounds. So Morton can drag her (Morton can drag 390 pounds of weight) down the stairs and out of the Temple now, or he can take the time to remove her armor and pack to just carry her body (150 pounds) after the five minutes it will take to doff all of that gear.

Eugenios joins the others crowded into the library. Scanning the titles, he sees many with Keolish titles, a few with Imperial ones, and several in languages he doesn't recognize. Of the ones he sees, they all seem to be related to agriculture, religious practices, or both.

Meanwhile, Chase is seeing much the same thing (a few of the titles are in Dwarvish) as he looks for triggers or traps, gently poking and prodding with his sword as he makes his way around the room. He does not discover any traps or secret doors.

Disgruntled at the delay, Myrtha growls, "She’s not here, let’s keep moving."

Having satisfied himself that there are no arcane secrets nestled in among the mundane books, Eugenios turns toward the table with the large book. "This may be a trap, and an obvious one, but I am hoping not when dealing with such a beautiful item as a book."

OOC:

I commend each of you on your role-playing, pushing on into danger after one of the party has been killed and almost everyone else is one hit away from dying.
Aanbo's push to continue is clearly his is flaw: I harbor bloodthirsty thoughts that my isolation and meditation failed to quell.
Chase and Myrtha have the same bond, getting them to continue because vulnerable others are: I protect those who cannot protect themselves
Ember's ideal similarly has her sticking with the group: I’m loyal to my friends, not to any ideals
Eugenios is continuing due to his flaw: I become so focused on solving a problem that I ignore urgent dangers.
Ferranzo's flaw has him seeking revenge for Arya and his cousin: Wrongs to one’s family/friends/community must be responded to in kind.

Unfortunately, I can't reward Aanbo, Eugenios, or Ferranzo for Inspiration (and if ever there was a situation where playing to the flaw that would earn it, this is it*), because the entire party already has Inspiration.

* Maybe less so for Ferranzo, as he hasn't been hurt at all: he's no closer to death than he was when he started. But he can see that everyone else is pretty close and is continuing anyway. Committed role-play!

Aanbo (18/27)
Chase (6/17) Holding a torch
Ember (7/12)
Eugenios (4/8) Mage armor, Cursed
Ferranzo (8/8)
Morton (1/15, 5 temp HP)
Myrtha (9/30)

Aanbo Earthshaker

Feb 15, 2026 5:16 pm

Aanbo nods. While he might be curious about the collection in this extensive library, there are more pressing matters to attend to. Perhaps there will be more time to browse through those books once this temple is restored to its proper icon.

While the others check for secrets, the monk exits the library and moves to the second door. Should Morton require assistance in removing the fallen cleric's armor, Aanbo will help.

Feb 15, 2026 5:34 pm

WanderOne Inactive for 1 months

Myrtha followed Aanbo out of the library and observed Morton as he tried to work out a way to carry or drag Arya’s body. She comes closer to the warlock, trying to understand. Seeing it would be practical to remove Arya’s armor, Myrtha spoke from a few feet away:

"Good thinking, Morton. She won’t be needing her armor in the afterlife, but her congregation might want to recover her symbol. And you may want to take a keepsake," she added, unconsciously touching one of Reptile’s throwing axes that hung from her belt.

"We might need you soon, son. The priestess might be behind that door. We stand no chance if we split, and there’s no way we can cross the Dim all the way to Hochoch if half the village be hounding us all the way. We’ll make a break as soon as we can. We’ll all be happy to get some rest," and saying so, the warrior of Three Elms Crossing lay her hand on the youth’s shoulder, a tad too strongly for comfort.

Last edited February 15, 2026 5:35 pm

Sir Morton

Feb 15, 2026 6:11 pm

mathias0077 Inactive for 1 months

https://pics.craiyon.com/2023-10-26/39dd634df3c04b909381a20fe18b9e4a.webp

Correction! I have spaced the encumbrance situation & the dear time to remove armor.

Demonic Morton is not picking up the body and moving to the blood covered doorway. He is actively removing priestess Arya's heavy armor & all the weighty party Loot that she has possess on her in order to haul the body away. He replies back to warrior Myrtha, "I will have to be leaving her armor here & you can split up her party loot. All such is too much for me to carry. " Her armor includes leaving her shield as well. Morton isn't a weakling (STR 13), but it is just too much for the average man to carry.

Assistance to remove the armor & loot is greatly taken as it will reduce the 5 minutes. Any chatter would show that Morton is taking Arya's corpse to her church if possible. Most likely Hochoch as Orlane sucks. He has no intention on leaving Arya's corpse to the local suspected necromancer and it would be terribly bad image for DB not to treat her body well.

Morton does retrieve his great club from Chase.

Last edited February 15, 2026 6:39 pm

Chase Brandstone

Feb 15, 2026 6:36 pm

WanderOne Inactive for 1 months

Chase will move to Morton."You cannot leave this temple until we have set it to order. We have the front doors barricaded for a reason and would not survive long out there carrying her body.Looking to the others as if asking for help to convince him"This is why we suggest you move to the dinning room or study and barricade the door and wait for us if you do not want to continue. But we have a job to do and we are going to see it through. "

Sir Morton

Feb 15, 2026 6:44 pm

Demonic Morton replies back to Chase, "I'm not leaving priestess Arya's body in this evil temple any longer then needed." He appears to be keeping his reply deliberately short.

He thanks aiding Aanbo for helping in removing her weighty armor. Suspect that seriously hurt Morton might be slowed a bit still with priestess Arya's now lighter corpse but still able to transverse to the temples entrance encumbered.

Last edited February 15, 2026 7:00 pm

Feb 16, 2026 9:13 am

WanderOne Inactive for 1 months

Removing her hand from his shoulder, Myrtha straightens up and stares right down at Morton.

"No one’s leaving her here, but you’re not listening, Morton. No one’s stepping out of this place until we’ve found the priestess, or have decided to leave together. You know it’s too dangerous in the Dim by yourself: that’s why you came rushing back to us after trying to break out. We don’t survive by acting on impulse, every man for himself. Don’t give in to despair, let’s open that door and finish this, together."

OOC:

I’m ready to move on. We either open the last door up here together or Morton tries to leave on his own, and we’ll see where that leads us.

Last edited February 16, 2026 9:16 am

Sir Morton

Feb 16, 2026 12:31 pm

Looking dead at Myrtha, " You're not my keeper. And if you're worried about the barred door than someone can travel along with me to close it behind me and spend a few moments. " Demonic Morton finished up with preparing Arya's corpse for transport.

Morton has left Arya's armor & shield and the loot on her (Equivalent of 158 eagles of small coins and such that is 35.5 pounds). This should make the corpse much more transportable although still a bloody mess. Morton has put all of Arya's weapons in her backpack so as not to have them get lost and has taken off her religious items so as they will not get lost as well and stored them on himself.

If not interrupted, then Morton will pick up Arya's body and proceed to the barred temple door.

Last edited February 16, 2026 1:01 pm

Feb 16, 2026 5:55 pm

mathias0077 Inactive for 1 months

Myrtha looked at Aanbo, wondering what the silent, but most veteran member of the team made of the situation. She did not move back, however.

Not feeling in the slightest threatened by Morton’s black stare, she responded calmly, yet firmly.

"So we loose our time taking you out the door. You walk outside with Arya’s body. You’ll stand out like a sore thumb, and get intercepted by the villagers. You’ll try to flee, and get killed If you, and we, are lucky. They’ll be puzzled by these two new dead bodies, they’ll take some time to figure out what is going on. But if they’re smart, they capture you, interrogate you. You tell them what they need to know. You and Arya become more lifeless soldiers, and we get closed in here. That your idea of a plan?"

OOC:

If Aanbo isn’t saying or signalling anything, Myrtha will stop trying to stop Morton. She has a last thing to tell him, but she’ll let him be on his way. She’s not going to help him get out either, he’s a big boy, and will have to manage by himself. In fact, if the priestess is just behind this next door, and a fight ensues, we’ll either be a couple of minutes behind him, or we’ll never see him again, anyway…

Last edited February 16, 2026 6:41 pm

Chase Brandstone

Feb 16, 2026 7:27 pm

CancerMan Inactive for 1 months

"If he wants to die so be it. We have a job to do."Chase is sick of trying to talk sense in to Morton.

Aanbo Earthshaker

Feb 16, 2026 7:33 pm

Aanbo sets the pieces of Arya's armor aside. He ponders the symbolism of shedding the weight of the world upon one's death and what others choose to take with them as memory. His meditations are brief, however, as he returns to the immediate task of entering the second door in order to proceed.

Feb 16, 2026 8:23 pm

WhtKnt Inactive for 1 months

"Istus show mercy to you, Morton. Whatever our futures hold, I am glad we will never be led to work side by side again."

She turned away and walked up to the door, making ready to push it open.

OOC:

For those who are not Greyhawk enthusiasts, Istus is the Bakluni goddess of fate.

Last edited February 16, 2026 8:26 pm

Feb 17, 2026 1:07 am

rpgventurer Inactive for 1 months

Ember looks sadly at Morton. She has not known him long, or indeed, any of the Dungeon Busters for any great length of time, but she keenly feels his pain. "Morton, come with us. If we can purge the evil from this temple, then it will be a place of sanctity once more, and Arya's sacrifice will not have been in vain. She perished doing something she believed in. We owe it to her to finish this."

Ferranzo Goosehill

Feb 17, 2026 2:16 am

Mathfuric Inactive for 1 months

"Morton, it is better for all if you come with us. There is safety in numbers and the odds of success are greater. Perhaps your weapon will deal the death blow to the priestess and you will have sweet revenge."

"Of course, I don’t know anyone well, but I believe that we all would take proper care of Arya once we leave here."

"I promise to sing songs about her bravery. Stay and you can tell me more about her after all this is over."

Last edited February 17, 2026 2:19 am

💀 Eugenios Fizzlehelm

Feb 17, 2026 4:48 am

spaceseeker19 Inactive for 1 months

Eugenios had popped his head out of the library door, noticing the argument between Morton and the the others he turns back to the large book.The Gnome mutters to himself quietly as he starts reading the contents . . .

Rolls

Investigation of large book - (1d20+6)

(16) + 6 = 22

Feb 17, 2026 3:39 pm

OOC:

There's been a lot of posts while I was (mostly) gone this weekend; here I will try to arrange them so they make sense in terms of the lighting.

While Chase is still in the large library with his torch, Eugenios takes advantage of the light to examine the grand book on the table. It is more ornate than any of the other books, and is significantly larger than them: too large to fit on any of the shelves. The book is open on a beautiful illustration formed of metal leaf embossed on the pages, depicting the goddess Merikka as a young humanoid woman walking through a field of golden grain. The picture has been defaced, scratched with something sharp that has gouged spirals in the page. Looking at the rest of the book, Eugenios sees that it is titled "A MOST WORSHIPFUL GUIDE TO BENIGN MERIKKA," and that this once-gorgeous volume (which must have taken monks and scribes loving years to create) has been thoroughly desecrated. Several of the pages bear rusty brown spots as well as being cut and scratched.

Out in the guardroom, Myrtha, Ember, and Ferranzo make one last attempt to convince Morton that there is safety in numbers, but for him, Arya's death was the last straw. Morton has been trying to convince the party that it's too dangerous to continue without rest all along, but now that one of them is actually dead, he's stopped making an effort to sway them. The danger of continuing is obvious: the evidence is the corpse of their companion. While certainly concerned at their prospects of continuing without healing, Myrtha is convinced that the danger of splitting up is greater. Why would he leave now, when he's likely to be caught by a patrol? The gamble of escaping capture on one's own in the corrupted village seems much riskier than facing whatever other evil forces remain in this corrupted temple with a mostly-dead party!

Chase leaves the library, quickly assesses the situation, and states his position before moving with Aanbo to the unopened door. As Morton picks up Mother Arkon's body, Myrtha delivers her scathing line and turns away to follow the light moving to the next room. Each of them clearly thinks the other is misguided and stubborn at the very least, heading (as they believe) to certain doom.

Meanwhile, Aanbo and Chase have entered the next room. While not quite as large as the library, this spacious meeting room contains a large table and two comfortable chairs, parquet woods floors, a plush carpet, wood-paneled walls, and a shelf to one side with an unopened wine bottle and a set of crystal glasses ready for use. An elegantly-carved-but-solid wooden door leads off to the west.

Aanbo (18/27)
Chase (6/17) Holding a torch
Ember (7/12)
Eugenios (4/8) Mage armor, Cursed
Ferranzo (8/8)
Morton (1/15, 5 temp HP)
Myrtha (9/30)

Feb 17, 2026 3:53 pm

CancerMan Inactive for 1 months

Myrtha points her head to the western doorway, signalling that she is ready to head straight to whatever that passage reveals. She’s is obviously trying to move as silently as her armor and gear allow her to. She’s no longer speaking, but only focused on the path ahead.

Aanbo Earthshaker

Feb 17, 2026 4:11 pm

rpgventurer Inactive for 1 months

Aanbo heads in the direction indicated by Myrtha. He listens for anything out of the ordinary before attempting to open the western door.

Rolls

Perception - (1d20+3)

(11) + 3 = 14

Ferranzo Goosehill

Feb 17, 2026 10:55 pm