The Ancient Library, Part 10 (Saturday, Abadius (I) 18th, 4708 AR)

The heroes followed Conna's direction to rescue the dwarves.

Chamber of the Sihedron. The doors to this room were made of stone and carved with an immense seven-pointed star - the Sihedron Rune. The doors themselves were unlocked but quite heavy and required pushing to open - causing them to grind on their ancient stone hinges.

This immense hall was an unexpected break from the rough stone walls of caverns and caves. The rectangular chamber was fifty feet wide and a hundred feet long, with riblike spines arching up to a vaulted ceiling fifty feet overhead. The room's floor was loose soil, while the wall opposite the doors was carved with an immense bas-relief of a seven-pointed star. Throughout the room, seven fifteen-foot-tall tree trunks had been driven into the ground like immense stakes, their sides carved with countless more stars. Each trunk had been fitted with an iron ring from which dangled chains affixed to manacles. Next to each trunk stood an iron brazier filled with smoldering coals. A long branding iron, its tip also featuring the seven-pointed star, leaned against each brazier.

Although the original purpose of this room was lost to the ages, the carvings of the Sihedron Rune made it a perfect place for Mokmurian to use as an indoctrination chamber. When he returned to Jorgenfist, he, his lamia minions, and a particularly vile giant named Lokansir (who was killed along with Mokmurian) took time to run each of his new recruits through a grueling ritual in which their minds were assaulted, their bodies purified, and their flesh branded with the Sihedron Rune. These giants believed this ritual was merely symbolic of joining Mokmurian's army.

The dwarven prisoners were found here, barely conscious and hanging by the arms from manacles. Badly tortured, each prisoner had been branded on the chest with the Sihedron Rune. The ritual of preparation complete, they awaited sacrifice at the pit - an event scheduled for some point only a few days after had the heroes not defeated Mokmurian.


Dragons. The passageway widened here into a cylindrical cavern, the walls black with soot and scorch marks. Two young red dragons were here - each dragon had already been marked with the Sihedron Rune. Since branding worked poorly on creatures immune to fire, the dragons were marked by etching the star into a large scale on the back of each of their heads.

The dragons took quick offense to intruders, roaring and quickly attacking with their fiery breath weapons. The two dragons attempted to intimidate foes first, swearing to roast their foes in twin streams of fire, but when actually forced to fight, they used all their melee attacks first. The dragons fought to the death.

Two lamias attacked the heroes after the dragons fell. They reacted to the presence of the heroes with cold amusement. One of them asked if the heroes were there to pledge their soul to Lamashtu, a sneer on her beautiful face, while the other scratched her claws along the stony floor, creating a discordant sound not unlike fingernails on slate.

Each lamia had a number of illusory doubles before joining the battle. Each lamia cast divine favor on the start of combat, then moved in to fight the heroes in melee. They focused their attacks on Thurden, one lamia attacking with her melee attacks, then they switched off the next round. When the lamias were injured, they cast sanctuary and then attempted to put some distance between them and the heroes. When gravely injured, they cast sending to warn someone before they attempted to flee to the surface. The heroes killed them.

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