Aspirants of the Diamond Throne

The passage led down as such a steep angle that Ke-Tant roped the group together to ensure that no one would slip on the damp stone. With these precautions in place the Mokers reached the bottom of the slope safely, though they all had to keep crouched in the cramped tunnel. The passageway turned to the right and rose slightly, then, almost immediately turned left again, back in the original direction of progress. Finally, the passage opened out into a paved corridor that was ten feet wide and twenty tall; it headed off to the right. Along this path, they found a room to either side.

The first, to the left had an oval opening in the wall leading to an ellipse-shaped room filled with crates and boxes. The second, to the right, seemed to be a more conventional library, with shelving along the walls. Leaving these for now, the Mokers continued to the end of the corridor and around the corner to the right. The passage took another couple of turns before opening out into a large, tall chamber filled with stalactites and stalagmites. Torches set into brackets, cast odd shadows across the chamber, made seeing distances difficult, but at the far end of the chamber clear light illuminated an altar, with an attendant who was incensing the altar. Behind the altar was the huge statue of the lizard-like creature that had adorned the previous temple.

Approaching cautiously, the Mokers could make out that a figure that looked like Egil was strapped to the altar. Crossbows were readied and the attendant dispatched. The Mokers moved up towards the altar, realising then that the altar too had been moved and examined the fallen attendant. Just then they heard the approach of some creatures and so prepared themselves by hiding behind the altar, except for Mera who was stuck out in the open with the attendant. She quickly threw on the robes of the cultist and hoped to bluff the new arrivals. Unfortunately she could not understand the draconic tongue that the two kobold-kin who arrived were speaking, though Obur realised that they said that they had arrived in response to the alarm and were wondering if they could be of assistance. Mera didn稚 realise this, couldn稚 think of another course of action, and attacked.

The other Mokers then stood up to help just as other kobold-kin arrived as reinforcements. Shortly thereafter another person arrived, this time a human cultist similar in build to Brother Egil. All of these were eventually dealt with and the party managed to free Egil and discovered a secret door behind the statue and a scroll in an unknown language hidden in the altar. Before using this new exit, the Mokers went back to the two rooms off the passageway to ensure that they had examined everything. The crates had the address marked on them that they had seen on the crates in the other temple which they had discovered, in the records house, belonged to Councillor Verlaine. They were now empty. The library had many tomes in obscure languages. In the desk they found a tome titled, in the common tongue, The True and Secrette Historie of the Brotherhoode of Khorl, and had the Yellow Sign impressed upon the front cover. The text, also in Common, was filled with illustrations and out-of-date maps and read like this:

Thousands of years ago, the dragons ruled the world. Their empire centered on a continent called Terrakal and the population devoted to the peaceful worship of the dragons. Then this great race vanished overnight, their world-spanning civilization destroyed by the hand of the Unspeakable One and his servants the dramojh, a loathsome deity born outside describable space. Most of the people degenerated into savagery傭ut a few retained their sanity, including some of the cultists who had summoned the grotesque god.
The Brotherhood of the Yellow Sign庸or that is what the cultists called themselves用ersevered and transmitted their black secrets down the generations. The cult found a home in the remains of the once-great Khorl. Over the centuries, the Brotherhood flourished along with the city, even as the giants arrived and established their kingdom. And it found a way for its members to move about in the daylight world. Its craftiest, most powerful priests disguised themselves as humans and established a church aboveground: the temple of Vekik the Runegod.

Egil expressed his disbelief at this discovery. But the party were in too much of a hurry to argue historical points. They made their way back to the secret door and up another sloping passage into a wine cellar. The grand house above, they soon discovered, belonged to Councillor Verlaine. In a bedroom above, several people had died, one while on the large bed; only the dried blood remained. The Mokers noticed that the house was guarded and so let themselves out through a back window and off through the alleys of Khorl. They made straight for the temple of Vekik the Runegod hoping that someone there could translate the scroll that they had found in the altar and hoping to find out whether the Secrette Historie was true.

The high priest read the scroll and told the Mokers that an attack on the temple was imminent. He asked them to guard the western door while he arranged for the temple attendants to guard the other two. He said that he would share the contents of the scroll with them after the attack. Soon a knocking was heard at the western door but the Mokers rebuffed the callers, telling them to try another way. They were trying to position themselves in the most advantageous vantages when the eastern door was opened.

The Mokers quickly ran over to re-enforce that group along with a faen called Gath Kingtongue, who was looking a little the worse for wear. The group seeking entrance seemed to be temple staff who had been attacked in the market and they were seeking sanctuary. Thuron, the high priest seemed satisfied that they looked genuine, but when the Mokers made to close the doors the intruders were able to act first and a number of them stole inside to attack. They had not counted on the presence of the experienced defenders though, and so although they managed to land a few telling blows all four of those who got inside fell while the Mokers and the temple attendants still stood. The party barely had time to cast a few curative spells before sounds were heard coming from the southern door.

The Mokers reacted to the knocking at the southern door by sending Ke-tant and Obur out of the eastern door and heading down to see who was there. Another group of temple staff were seeking admittance. The Mokers told them to come singly to the corner of the temple and then towards the entrance. Though they did not follow this instruction exactly, at least some order was put on these attendants approach. The person in the lead managed to throw a detonation amongst those by the door, injuring some, but Ke-Tant managed to slam the door shut so that no one got inside.

The next noises were heard by the western door and the Mokers decided that they could not sit and be attacked by their enemies any longer. They all left through the eastern door leaving a password with those inside, so they would be trusted on their return. When they got around to the other side of the temple, they could see a cultist running away. Although, they did manage to fire arrows and sling bullets on him as he fled, none landed a telling blow.

Meanwhile, the cultists must have managed to overhear the password, or trick the temple staff in some way, for when the Mokers returned to the eastern door, they found it open and those inside beset by enemies. The Mokers leapt to action, helping the temple rune priests defeat their disguised foes. Once they all had fallen and no new attacks seemed to be originating from outside, Thuron took the Mokers, along with Brother Egil, down to the temple tombs. There he had a confession to make, he was not Thuron, but rather Jaralin a mojh from the Free Cities of the South. He opened a tomb to show them the peaceful, dead form of Thuron.

Jaralin went on to explain that he dreamed a great dream about a group of mojh who had uncovered a great magical force and were going to use it in some great act. He had discerned their location as Khorl, but when he met with one of their number in secret and Milos had tried to recruit him into the cult, he realised that they were cruel and ruthless. Instead of letting them act freely, he went to the temple of Vekik the Runegod to see how deeply the conspiracy had spread. There he had discovered the dead Thuron, apparently the victim of a simple heart-attack. Then he made a fateful choice. "Perhaps not a wise one, or even a brave one, but one that made the most sense. I took Thuron痴 place and devoted myself to the study of the scrolls to see what I could discover about this cult. When I learned of your adventures with the Brotherhood, I should have abandoned my charade. But I was too greedy for knowledge. Now I will render you the only service I can庸ar too little, far too late. This document promises great danger for Khorl預nd for the world. It is a public speech, an explanation of tonight痴 events. I will translate it without remarking upon the obvious擁t is all lies."

The Speech:

This evening, after the death of Councilor Verlaine, the clergy of the Vekik the Runegod have been slain. Their murderers are the adventurers who of late discovered the caverns beneath our town: Obur Tilsen; Mezezar the Mojh; Ke-Tant Faerblay and Mera Reerance.
After an investigation by the Speaker痴 Council and the City Watch, we have pieced together the truth. Chief Councilor Verlaine, that great servant to the city of Khorl, heard rumors about town of unwholesome activities at the temple to the Vekik the Runegod. He hired the wandering mercenaries to investigate. They made a tremendous discovery: The temple and its priesthood were a cover for the Brotherhood of the Yellow Sign, a grotesque cult of mad mojh. The mercenaries joined the temple to gain its secrets, but they proved treacherous to both masters. They revealed the caves beneath the city and threatened to expose even more secrets unless the Brotherhood paid them a fortune in gold.
The Brotherhood agreed to their demands, on condition that the mercenaries accept one final task for their masters預ssassinating their erstwhile employer, Councilor Verlaine. The double-crossers carried out the grim job, but they quickly found themselves double-crossed. The Brotherhood refused to pay them their blood money. The mercenaries went mad with rage and slaughtered the cultists, but were killed themselves in the battle.
We mourn the loss of Councilor Verlaine, but his efforts brought this menace to light預nd rooted it out of town, once and for all.

Jaralin looked up from the note, concern etched in his face. "It is the next part of the document that troubles me the most. For the note is addressed to Speaker Drac. And his name is marked with the Yellow Sign."