S22/JT - The Amber Temple Report

General Summary

The party find themselves outside a temple at nighttime. They enter and find a statue of a human holding a flame. Suddenly, a voice rings out that the party was trespassing. They respond that they’re looking for a boy, but the voice wanted them out regardless. Three flaming skulls and the unknown entity attack the party. They dispatch the skulls and then try to find the last assailant. Reiji manages to go up to the statue and finds a fox hidden within it, but it suddenly casts a spell to reverse gravity. They struggle to attack the fox, but eventually manage to mortally wound it. Unfortunately, it teleports out.

The party then try to explore, but immediately encounter the fox in the next room. They manage to explain their predicament and it responds that it is simply a guardian here. However, it mentions that the master of this temple should be able to help the party. Wary of traps, Mizuki tries to divine which would be the best path to take. Unsettlingly, an unknown man answers her instead of a kami. He mentions that he has taken an interest in the party and advises them that they can sneak past the guardian ahead. The party make it past a slumbering golem and into a new room. The door seals behind them and a staff encased in ice appears. Mizuki, sensing its magic and its connection to the doors, manages to take it and both doors open. Reiji offers to examine the staff but this offended Mizuki and wouldn’t let him. After a brief back and forth, they agree that they should move on.

The next room contained a diorama of a castle and a chest. Mizuki immediately opens the chest and acquires a book that could be used to train one’s insight. The next room was a dining hall with their favorite food set upon the table. Suspicious, they ignore it and move on.

The party discover that they had circled back into the main hall and notice the fox on top of the statue. It advises them to check behind it, and they find a hidden set of stairs. It led to a library with a hooded figure busily poring through a book. The party try to talk to it, but are shocked when it reveals itself as a skeleton. The skeleton was amiable enough, and tells Mizuki not to touch the books. The party explain their predicament to him and he responds that Akira had passed by a few days ago. He had given him directions on where to find the sacred treasure that could destroy the lord of this land. He introduces himself as Exethanter, a lich. Mizuki asks what that meant and he explains that he did a ritual that could extend his life so that he can continue amassing knowledge. Mizuki requests that he teach her the spell, but Reiji then asked what the staff of frost does. Exethanter responds that it curses the holder with megalomania, but Mizuki denies this. He then summons the staff to him but Mizuki lunges for it and deftly dodges through the party. Exethanter, however, freezes her in-place and Reiji bludgeons her with the butt of his weapon. The lich then casts a powerful spell on her to rid her of the madness.

He then offers the party that he can take them to a vault that had items that could bestow powers to the party should they manage to overcome the being that affects it.


Report provided by souly