Test of the Drake
The Mokers called to each other and managed to gather in the area beyond the darkness where the blind mojh lay. Here they performed whatever other healing they deemed necessary. Mezzezar realised that the darkness that obscured their vision would disappear eventually, so they waited so that they could view the door with the bas relief. It took some time, but finally the darkness dispersed. The Mokers got another look at the door and the large dragon’s head that protruded from it. Underneath this head was writing in a strange script. Mezzezar was able to decipher it using his knowledge of draconic; it seemed to be written in some ancient form of that tongue:
“All those who would enter the temple must pass the test of the maw. Reach into the mouth of Yig, and your courage will be rewarded.”
Mezzezar did not hesitate; he plunged his arm into the mouth of the dragon and reached to find something that would release the door. As he did so it seemed to him that the jaws of the carved dragon were closing on his arm. It took all of his strength of will to keep his hand in the mouth and to find the latch to release the door.
The door ground open, sending dirt scattering across the floor. The chamber beyond was circular, about thirty feet in diameter. A ramp along the far right wall led down into murky water. In the centre of the chamber was an enormous, fifteen-foot-high, marble statue of a coiled dragon. In many different locations, someone has scribbled the same (ancient draconic) words across the walls in red ink. Mezezzar translated them as “Beware brethren, for Yig will abandon us.”
Ke-Tant led the way down the ramp and into the water as there seemed to be no other route to take. After going underneath the level of the water he returned and recommended that they rope themselves together to avoid getting lost. This they did and managed to descend the ramp safely into the water. Ahead of them, along the curving side of the wall, was another ramp leading down, so they pressed on down this ramp. When the Mokers came down this second ramp, the emerged into a dry chamber, looking up they saw a ceiling of water over the ramp that was not falling to the floor.
Mezezar was more taken with the room itself. Carvings of dragon’s heads were spaced evenly around the wall, each with a glowing globe of light in its open maw. A dragon-carved-altar stood against the opposite wall from the Mokers, and large circular cushions dotted the floor. There was another ramp leading down, but the Mokers made for the altar. On the way, Mezezar picked up one of the cushions. His examination revealed that it was mouldy and smelt of damp. When they got closer to the altar, they could make out a humanoid shape, barely distinct, in front of it. The shape seemed very like the kobold-kin that they had fought before in the temples below Khorl, but this creature was not solid. It repeated a few actions of benediction before the altar again and again. The Mokers came right up to it and suddenly it spoke. The shape turned out to be Alisst, a high priest of this temple of Yig and he was very grateful for the fact that living beings had come, for they could help him free his people from their curse.
In return for him revealing the whereabouts of the Jade Statuette; he needed them to find four artefacts of Yig for him: an amulet; the fangs; the venom and the scales. The Mokers agreed to this and immediately went down the next ramp to start their search. The first room they tried, the party encountered four more of the shadowy kobold-kin, but these were much more militant. Whenever one of their blows struck home some of the strength was leeched from their opponent. They also proved difficult to strike as the Mokers weapons often passed straight through them without effect. Ke-Tant stood in the doorway trying to block the creatures from reaching the rest of the party, while the others cast as many spells as they could. Eventually this worked although Ke-Tant felt half as strong and as healthy as before. The spell-casters were running low on options as well.