At the top of the ramp, you find another huge hall. The cavern is a little bit smaller than the one below, and much more interesting. To the east, you see a massive altar.
It's an enormous slab of carved basalt, 10 feet wide and six feet high, putting off energy that you can feel from here. This is where troglodytes come to be blessed and energized before going off to kill humans.
You open the troglodyte prayer book and start reading. Whether it's their god striking you down or simply a magical trap laid by the troglodyte shamans you aren't sure. What you are sure about, however, is the effect ...
You kneel before the powerful altar, hoping to absorb energy like the troglodytes do. Alas, the altar is powerful enough to tell the difference between them and humans. It does pour energy into you. Enough to turn you into dust.
This room contains a second altar. This is not the altar used by the general troglo populace. This is where the shamans and khazis come. It's a smaller, simpler slab of stone, but the energy you feel is purer, more concentrated, and just as lethal.
The altar contains a massive amount of energy - enough to make you doubt your ability to disrupt it. However, this amount of power is very difficult to keep in balance. You perform the ritual, and watch, satisfied, as the altar explodes.
When the flames clear, however, the altar is still there! You are alarmed, until you realize that while the stone is intact, its unholy energy has almost entirely dissipated. Unfortunately, before losing its power, the altar activated its defenses ...
The moment you begin to cast the spell, the altar begins to summon a powerful agent of darkness to defend it. It has finished coalescing about the time you complete the spell. The altar is destroyed. Now you may be as well.
You reach the sole chamber of the hermit's hut, a single adobe dome with a tile floor. A simple altar is set up by the north wall, and junk is scattered all throughout the room. It smells like its occupant hasn't been out for a while.
You slay Marjorie. Unfortunately, now that the manse is without a keeper, the Curse of the Manse takes effect. You turn into pigeons. It's very peculiar.
You camp out in the bedroom, and have a very relaxing sleep. The next morning, Marjorie grumpily brings you breakfast. It's truly satisfying sleeping somewhere that's not outdoors or an inn.
Marjorie walks up to you, looking concerned. "The ghost of Hawke is wandering the halls again. Could you go deal with it? I have veal to tenderize!" She stomps back to the kitchen.
Marjorie, looking very irked, tromps out to speak with you. "The ghost of Hawke has been walking the halls again. You go talk to him. I have all sorts of dusting to catch up on!" She tromps off.
Marjorie runs up to you, looking flustered. "There's a basilisk in the pantry! I was lucky to get out of there alive. Could you go kill it please?" She walks shakily back to the dining hall.
Marjorie walks out to greet you. Of course, it's not a friendly greeting. "Welcome back. By the way, there are rats in the storerooms. Killing things isn't my job." She walks off.
You are at the entrance to a secret passage between the two bedrooms. You aren't sure why it's here, but you're sure the reason was very interesting.
This is the spare bedroom. If you want, you can have guests over!
You look through the books, hoping some sort of valuable scroll or tome is among them. Instead, you find tedious fiction, dictionaries, and outdated encyclopedias. Looks nice, at least.
You walk, for the first time, into your new home. You see a beautiful foyer, with an arching roof and a tiled marble floor. You pause for a moment to appreciate the splendor of it all. Your adventures have truly paid off.
Then, suddenly, an old woman walks into the foyer, humming and pushing a broom. She looks you over, unimpressed, and says "Oh great. More people to mess up my nice floors." She walks by, into the dining hall to the north.
The pedestal is surrounded by dozens of crystal shards. You pick up a few of them. Maybe someone at Fort Emergence will be able to tell you something about them.
You slay the dragonling, one of Athron's brood. You can hear, even from here, Athron's cry of anger and grief. With a flash of light, all of Athron's other children disappear to safety.
You stand at the entrance to the lair of Athron the dragon. The cave has the expected claw mark-ridden floor covered with scattered, dried scales. A thick lizard smell hangs in the passage.
Some of the claw tracks, however, were made by smaller lizards that a full size dragon, and some of the scales are smaller and softer, as if they came from a baby dragon. Athron's broodlings may well be about. You hope they aren't hungry.
You approach the barrier. It flashes red as you get close, and seems to grow more powerful. You aren't sure how to get through it.
You approach Athron the dragon's magical barrier, designed to give the mighty creature the privacy it craves. As you get close, a small gap appears in it. It would appear that you are, if not openly welcomed, at least allowed to enter.
You open the box, and a high pitched keen echoes through the caverns. Your attempt to steal from a dragon may be about to have a grisly result.
You pull one of the books off the shelf and flip it open. Unfortunately, you have the ill luck of picking a book with a magical rune of protection inside. You find yourself somewhere else ...
You find a book of prayers, and, what's more, it's a valuable one! You pick through it carefully, memorizing the intricate rituals and chants. Reading it, you learn the spell Avatar.
Lightning arcs across the passage ahead of you, keeping you from moving forward. Whatever tomes or treasures are beyond here, Khoth doesn't want you to see any of them.
You find a series of tomes, each describing a different sort of magical item. Browsing them, you learn a great deal about the sort of artifacts adventurers can find. One of you gets a higher Item Lore skill.
You find a book of arcane rituals. You browse through it, looking for spells, but the more you look, the harder a time you have stopping. Eventually you pull yourself away, but not before the bizarre acts and beings described make you feel deranged.
You find a book of prayers, and, what's more, it's a valuable one! You pick through it carefully, memorizing the intricate rituals and chants. Reading it, you learn the spell Ravage Spirit.
You cross over the bridge into the lair of Khoth. He is reputed by legend to be a secretive character, craving knowledge above all else. Farther in, you see bookshelves filled with thousands of arcane tomes, maintained and fetched by undead shades.
You find a book filled with puzzles. They're strange, complicated puzzles, illuminated in gold paint on black pages. The more of the puzzles you see, the more they confuse you, and the more of your thoughts they occupy. Eventually, you put the book down.
You find a very useful book of Alchemical concoctions. One, in particular, seems useful to you. It's a recipe for a Potion of Clarity, made using Holy and Graymold. You can now make it.
You find a recently inscribed series of scrolls, describing a spell to enchant a blade to make it work better against something called an Alien Beast. You can't cast the spell, but you memorize the ritual so you can relay it to Sulfras.
The entrance to this subterranean fort is blocked off by a truly massive portcullis. Dozens of two inch thick steel bars, set close together, make it clear that forcing your way in isn't an option. Unfortunately, nobody seems likely to let you in.
This entry to this subterranean fort is blocked off by a truly massive portcullis. When you get close, the bars slowly rise up into the ceiling. Someone or something decided to let you in.
You find a book that seems to contain some sort of magical instructions. Unfortunately, you can't make any sense of them. Casting a spell you don't understand is always more dangerous than not casting it at all. You replace the book on the shelf.
It's bright, pleasant and sunny, and birds chirp overhead. You find, in this very implausible location, a large, lovely stone house. Nobody could get up here without flying - there aren't even footpaths.
When you open the drawer, a rune suddenly becomes visible on the front of the drawer. There is a flash of light, and you feel somewhat funny.
You enter a moist, dank cavern, located far up in the mountains. The only way anyone could get up here is by flying. The floor is marked with massive scratches, and huge discarded scales are everyone. It's no mystery what sort of creature lives here.
You stare at the tower's main power source. The tower is built over a large natural fumarole, and large pieces of odd machinery are set up to drain off the heat and use it to power the factory above.
You hear the sounds of portcullises closing to the south.
When you approach this home, a familiar insubstantial shade appears to you. It says "Welcome to the home of Bon-Ihrno. Come in, please, quickly." Then it fades.
When you approach this home, a familiar insubstantial shade appears to you. It says "I am Bon-Ihrno. I wished to help you, but can no further. As much as I loathe Rentar-Ihrno's actions, your killing of the Crystal Souls harmed my Vahnatai spirit."
You emerge to see a hideous sight. Bon-Ihrno has been slain, cut down by one of his own people. His killer stands over him, wiping a waveblade clean. A Keeper nearby says "So goes it for traitors to our cause."
The blademasters look up to see that you have emerged. One of them says "Ah, yes. You are being here, and being about to die. Let us battle now, and at last." Grimly, the Vahnatai trod through poor Bon-Ihrno's blood to engage you.
The case contains some of Bon-Ihrno's personal effects: robes, crystals, and the like. You respectfully leave them alone.
This is Bon-Ihrno's supply room. You have little doubt that he would like you to help yourself.
"The fortress of Rentar-Ihrno is to the southeast. I will say only this: three fluids do little, but unleash all four, and the blast will ruin all. Farewell. I return to my grieving for our lost guardians." The shade disappears.
It's tempting to rest again, but now that the Vahnatai know you're here, it would probably be a fatal proposition.
