After leaving the room full of glowing globes behind, we backtracked to the last intersection we passed, this time heading north. As we walked, the ground started getting damp and the air grew oppressively hot. Travel was slow, as we tried to avoid sliding around. Soon enough the scenery changed dramatically, though. The tight hallway opened up into a vast cavern, nearly 50 feet wide and at least 100 feet long. The ground ended abruptly, plunging down into a lake of boiling mud thirty feet below. Every ten or so feet along the length of the cavern was hung an 8 foot wide wooden disc, supported in the center by a thick chain. It seemed the only way to cross would be to jump. Unfortunately two hot spouts of dirt and water regularly exploded up towards the platforms, making our crossing even more deadly.
Terik took the lead this time, and jumped out onto the first disc. The unbalanced platform immediately shifted under his weight, but he was able to catch himself before falling down into the hot mud below. Righting himself, he jumped to the next, slowly getting the hang of the way the platforms swung as he leaped. The geysers exploded a few times, but he was able to shield himself from the worst of it. To aid the rest of the group, he brought along a rope that he wove between the chains. Feeling confident, I tried my luck next. Like Terik’s before me, my first leap was less than graceful. But I was confident after that - perhaps too confident. With only two platforms left, I lost my balance. The plate shifted and toppled me into the pit. The agony I felt in that first second was intense – the mud was extremely hot, and any hope I had of climbing my way free was gone once the thick grime began pulling me deeper. But luckily I travel with able companions! Leaping back towards the platform where I took my spill, Terik grabbed the rope and dove straight in after me. He grabbed me with and pulled with all of his strength, yanking me free of the sucking mud. But he could not climb while holding me, and I was in no shape to help. Across the cavern, Ayas whispered a prayer and summoned his winged steed. He climbed on and sped across the room, grabbing the rope we were hanging from. The jolt launched us towards the platform at the far end, where we landed in a heap. After that we decided to ferry the remaining party members across on Ayas’ steed, though the geysers that exploded below still threatened to knock the Pegasus out of the sky. But the beast is an expert flyer, and the rest crossed with only minor burns. Terik and I rested for a few minutes, scraping the sticky mud out of our armor, and we made our way onward.
The smooth tunnel soon ended at a single door. The darkness here was pervasive; even Kai’s Sunblade was having trouble battling the abundant shadows. We pushed open the door and at first saw nothing. The room, nearly thirty feet in both directions, had no decoration, no furniture, and no other doors. But we were not alone! The shadows in the center of the room coalesced into a pale humanoid wearing heavy armor and wielding a heavy hammer. The man raised his head and looked at us with a wicked smile. His eyes flashed with the familiar yellow glow, and with a snarl he shouted “Dinner!”
Kai was ready. He charged the foe and swung his bright bastard sword straight towards the man’s chest. But he was quicker than Kai expected, and he narrowly stepped out of the way. Off balance and not expecting the strength the man possessed, he had no chance of defending himself against the counterattack. Three times the man’s hammer struck him, on the shoulder, the side, and the legs, sweeping them out from under him. The man looked down at the fighter and bared long, wicked fangs. At once we knew what we were facing – a Vampire! We also saw the truth about the weapon he was wielding. The hammer, which was clearly dwarven in design, precisely matched the description given to us by Equuis. The vampire was using Whelm!
We knew we had to take out this enemy quickly, so we charged. I quickly healed Kai to get him back up and fighting, then with a burst of anger I spurred him into attacking again. This time he connected, slicing his sword across the vampire’s shoulder. The others attacked too, with Terik charging the vampire with his heavy fullblade, Wotan blasting from afar, and Ayas skirting around the outside to get behind him. But for every wound we caused, another would close. He was healing nearly as fast as we could damage him. And then he did what feared he would do. He looked at us and with a glare laden with magic he took control of Kai’s mind and forced him to attack us. With Kai distracted, the vampire then slammed Terik with the warhammer, sending him staggering. Kai eventually managed to break free of the vampire’s curse, only to see him coming in for another attack. The vampire lunged for Kai’s throat, trying to bite him. I knew we could not withstand another assault on our minds, so I summoned a field of protection around us; a tower of iron will. The tides were turning. He could still heal himself, but the wounds on him steadily grew deeper and more numerous. We had him! With a great blow from Terik’s sword, the vampire fell to his knees and dropped the warhammer. “Take it” he said, “and leave me alone.” Before we could stop him, his body had transformed into nothing but a cloud of smoke, and he escaped up through a hole in the ceiling.
We knew the vampire would regenerate in short order, but we wanted to search the room. I noticed that the floor in the center of the room sagged ever so slightly, so Kai and I began smashing at the stones. Eventually we uncovered a hollow beneath the floor, containing a single coffin. Inside the coffin was a bag of gemstones and a ring, the same ring I am wearing now. After a short examination, Wotan told me it was enchanted to help its wearer avoid falling. We grabbed the treasure and went back the way we came. But near the entrance to the mud pit stood the vampire we had just killed. He exclaimed “You took Whelm in a fair fight, but then you stole other property of mine. Return my things and I will let you leave.” We did not want to fight him again, and I considered giving him back the ring. But then Wotan noticed something; the man was not truly there, only an image. Kai strode up to him and then straight through him. With Whelm in tow, we headed back to the sphinx. There were still other items to find.
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