"Big" is not big enough of a word...

...to describe this place. It is frickin' huge.

Earlier this morning we headed entered the main temple. The main building is over four hundred feet long by a hundred feet or so, plus a couple of wings that extend out another hundred feet or so on each side. All of the interior is one giant open area. It's a magnificent piece of engineering, actually. Dozens of pillars made of a pinkish material assisted in holding up the arched ceiling. It all looked very old, yet it appeared to be in good condition.

Windows line the wall some twenty feet off the floor. The show pictures of slaves being whipped, people being tortured in horrid ways by demons, and even sexual depravities (I'm talking stuff you wouldn't find on the internet...not that I would know anything about that). The walls were painted with similar scenes. It was like these guys just sat around and thought up the most sick things imaginable and then painted it. I tried not to think about the fact they probably lived that life too.

"Did they really expect this many worshippers?" Anna asked.

"They used to have a lot of them," Saul said. "Well, they took in a lot of people, anyway."

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"The elemental temple took in anyone of evil intent," Audry said. "Decades ago this place was a refuge for thieves, brigands, murders," she swallowed, "rapists, what have you. The temple encouraged their activities, healed any such people who needed healing, gave them food, you name it."

"In return the temple received a percentage of all profits, stolen or otherwise," Marc said.

"I remember," Anna said. Her and Saul had the blessing of long lives all elves had. They were probably alive at the time. "These guys spread fear throughout the Gnarley Forest and beyond. Surrounding towns called this whole area the tenth plane of hell."

Our boots echoed off the dark red stone tiles on the floor. Debris littered the entire area, mostly broken pottery with the occasional bone. We moved forward into the temple. Much of it was lit by the light streaming through the windows. I grew up watching horror movies, Friday the 13th, Nightmare on Elm Street, and a whole bunch of twisted stuff. I thought I was immune to that kind of violence. But after a while of staring at the frescos of death and torture on the walls, it started to get to me. I'm probably going to have nightmares about this place.

Just about dead center in the temple was an alter. It was made of the same pinkish marble the pillars were made from. It was a little longer than a human is tall, and on top of it was a hollowed out portion about the size of a person--with arm and leg slots and everything. It was stained a dark red.

"Hideous," Audry whispered.

Just in front of the alter was a pit about twenty feet across. I stood on the edge and looked down. It descended into blackness.

Saul stood next to me and looked down, concentrating hard with his heat sight. "Nothing alive down there."

We continued deeper into the complex. After another sixty feet or so was a large staircase heading down.

"The way in, I presume," Marc said.

"Have a look at this," Marc said. He had moved passed the staircase toward the far end of the temple. About thirty feet beyond the staircase was a large bronze bowl on a six-legged copper stand. A piece of chain still hung over it. There were similar chains hanging nearby, maybe for other such pots that had been removed.

"What, they boil people in their or something?" Anna asked.

"How vivid," Audry said. "No doubt they did terrible things to people in those things."

"That's not what I meant," Marc said. "I'm talking about that."

In front of the pot, on the far north side of the temple, stood a throne made of some purplish stone (probably basalt). It sat in a semi-circle of multi-colored stone tiles (green, white, red, and brown--and they looked freshly painted). All of this stood on an elevated dias of black, polished stone of the same kind the throne was made of.

"For the head priest," Audry said. "So that he may look down upon the depravity."

"Look at that," Saul said.

Above the throne were words in common: The power of elemental death brings mortals low but raises the nameless one high.

"Bad poetry," Anna said.

"This place is evil," Audry said. "This area more than any other. I...I've never seen anything like it."

"Let's try those stairs," Marc said.

We went back and descended the stairs, our weapons ready. The steep steps went down for a ways and then stopped at a landing. At the landing were massive bronze doors some twenty feet high and wide, chained shut from this side and covered in runes.

"They look like ones outside," I said.

"They are identical," Marc said. He stepped toward the doors, looking closer at the runes. "And like those, it looks like these were designed to keep something in, not...."

Marc's face froze. His eyes grew wider and he backed away from the door. "Gods...."

"Marc?" Audry reached for him but he jerked away. He backed away from the door and back on to the stairs. For a moment I thought he'd turn and run, but he gained control of himself at the last moment. He straightened and smoothed out his long robes.

"You okay?" Saul asked.

Marc nodded. "Yes. It's just...the magic here is powerful. It's...." He took a step toward the doors. He managed to get to the last step before the landing before he stopped. "I cannot go further, it seems."

"It's those runes," I said. "Why do they not affect all of us?"

"Maybe they will in time," Saul said. He looked at the runes and shivered visibly.

"Let's check the wings," Audry said. "There's probably another way down."

She was right. The west wing contained another alter, or what was left of one. Someone, or something, had destroyed it. That was in spite of the fact it was made of solid granite. They even managed to tear chunks out of the floor. Bits of bronze chain hung over the remains of the alter.

"Maybe this happened after Emridy Meadows," Saul said. "Didn't they come here next?"

"Emridy Meadows?" I asked.

"After a while people around these parts got fed up with the temple," Anna said. "So everyone got together and fought the temple army out on Emridy Meadows not far from here."

"Wood elves fought next to dwarves from the Flinty Hills," Marc said. "Along with humans and halflings and anyone else sick of the evil infesting this place."

"Wood elves and dwarves, fighting together," Saul said. "Strange."

"There's a saying where I come from," I said. "The enemy of my enemy is my friend."

"True enough," Audry said. She pointed behind the alter. "Look."

A door rested in the wall. Anna went to it and looked it over. She looked at us and shook her head. No traps. She grasped the door and pulled. It didn't budge.

"Hang on," she said. She pulled out a set of picks and went to work on the lock.

"How long ago was that battle?" I asked.

"At Emridy Meadows?" Saul rubbed his chin. "About ten years ago, I think."

"Got it," Anna said. She pulled open the door. Beyond was a small room. Wooden pegs hung on the wall wear one might hang coats or something, but there were none there now. Pieces of broken furniture lay everywhere. More importantly, there was a stair case leading down.

"Let's go," Saul said. He started down. Marc pulled out his light orb (he cast a permanent light spell on it some time ago) and followed, along with the rest of us.

I thought the main building was big. The dungeon here was bigger...much bigger.

We found ourselves in a maze of halls. Most halls were around ten feet wide and over fifteen feet high, topping out in an arch. The halls were carved by hand right out of the surrounding limestone. Occasional holes appeared in the ceiling and at the tops of the walls. Air holes, I presumed. This definitely wasn't a natural cave. I was in my first real dungeon.

Almost immediately after leaving the stairs behind us we encountered a four-way intersection. We chose a direction at random, and after forty feet or so we came to another four way intersection. And so it went.

Anna brought up the rear. She scribbled furiously on parchment, drawing lines and making notes. "Our map," she said. It didn't look like much of one to me, but if she could read it I didn't care.

We did a few more turns and found ourselves in a large hall. The ceiling arched some thirty feet over our heads. It was easily twice as wide as any other passage we had seen. The passage went well past the range of our light spell.

"We got another side passage here," Saul said.

"Let's check this hall first," Audry said.

We followed it, and after a moment I felt something crunching under my feet. The floor was riddled with bones, most of them very old. A few more broke under my heel. I couldn't imagine how many creatures had to die to create this carpet of bones.

"Temple victims," Saul said. "Very old ones."

"Somebody should get a broom down here," Anna said.

"Anna, this is not the time or place," Audry said.

"What? I'm just saying--"

Anna stopped. She kept staring at Audry. Audry shook her head, not understanding. It took me a moment to realize Anna wasn't staring at Audry. She was looking behind her.

I turned and looked down the hall. Over a dozen figures stood there. I had no idea where they came from. I found out where in the next minute as four more stood up. They hid themselves among the bones. They watched us for a few seconds, and then started walking toward us.

"They don't seem to be in a hurry," I said. "What--"

The first few came into the light. At first I thought their skin was bleach white, and they had these very large grins. Then I realized they didn't have any skin. What I saw was their skulls, and their ribs and every other bone in their body. These things were skeletons.

"We should've brought a priest," Anna said. She drew an arrow and fired. The arrow planted itself in the skull of a skeleton. It didn't even miss a step.

Saul took a deep breath and charged. Audry and I followed him. The skeletons suddenly became quite lively. They attacked us with some skill, but so did we. I slashed at them with my sword, but swords were meant for things with meat and tendons. I resorted to the hilt of my blade. I punched one with my fist, and damn near broke my hand. It raised its blade to slice me in two, but I caught it and spun. It spun with me, losing its balance and falling. I smashed its skull with my boot. It stopped moving.

Ah, aikijujitsu would actually be useful here.

I proceeded to sweep, kick, and smash with the pommel of my sword. Saul and Audry followed suit. Anna had her short sword in hand. She cut at their legs, knocking them off their feet, and then smashing their skulls. Even Marc got in on the action. His staff of striking smashed into them like a ton of granite. They shattered in a flash of light. He used no spells. We didn't need them, not for this.

In moments it was done. The animated bones returned to their inanimate state.

"So far so good," Anna said. She punched me in the arm. "Nothing we can't handle."

"You haven't handled me sweetheart."

We turned toward the voice. Down another side passage, one as wide as the one we stood end, stood an ogre. I hadn't seen one since the moathouse. I'd forgotten how big they were. Behind him were two more ogres, not nearly as big as the first but still pretty big.

"Ogres," I said. "We can handle them, right guys?"

"How about them?" Saul said.

From a couple of doors along the passage emerged gnolls. Lots of them. They just kept coming out the doors. In the end it looked to be about twenty...all armed and all very angry.

"Uh, that fighting style you do," Audry said.

"Aikijujitsu," I said.

"What does it recommend for this situation?" she asked.

"Same as any other," I said. "Run!"

And we did just that.

In retrospect, we probably should have run back the way we came. Instead we took off for the other end of the gigantic hallway. It ended in a side passage. That went on to some other passages. We kept running with no idea where we were going and no interest in making a map.

Behind us I heard heavy boots and voices. It seems some guards heard the commotion and stepped out of their rooms to join the chase.

Just great.

The passage we were in twisted and turned several times. At one point it turned sharply, and Anna spoke up.

"Hey, wait a minute."

"Wait?" I said. "You want us to wait?"

"No, look at this," she said.

"Anna," Audry said. "We don't have time to--"

"Yes we do." She went to the wall and felt around a section of it. I heard the boots coming closer.

"Anna, what are you doing?" Marc said.

"No wait," Saul said. "She's right."

Both of them felt along the wall. Saul finally found a section he liked. He pushed on it hard, and a section of the wall swung open. A door made to look like the wall swung inward.

"Secret door," I said. "Cool."

We piled through the door. Saul shut it behind us--just in time. Boots stormed by us, continuing down the hall. Soon it was quiet.

"They didn't know about this door," Anna said.

"Probably only the temple rulers know about it," Marc said. "Don't want your lackeys going where you don't want them."

Beyond the door was a hall leading away. Next to us was a door. Anna checked the door for traps, and then we entered. The room only one other door that led back into the same hall. The room itself was filled with bookshelves, all of which were full of decaying and rotting books.

We wedged old books under the doors and waited. It was good place to lay low until the heat died down, I told them.

"You have some strange metaphors, my friend," Marc said.

"Yeah, that's how I roll." I looked through some of the books. Most fell apart in my hands. Marc joined me as we went through books, papers, scrolls (no spells). I only found one thing of interest. A poem. I remembered reading it long ago when I was a kid playing a silly game.

The Two united, in the past,
A Place to build, and spells to cast.
Their power grew, and took the land
And people round, as they had planned.

A key without a lock they made
Of gold and gems, and overlaid
With spells, a tool for men to wield
To force the powers of Good to yield.

But armies came, their weapons bared,
While evil was yet unprepared.
The Hart was followed by the Crowns
And Moon, and people of the towns.

The Two were split; one got a way
But She, when came the judgment day,
Did break the key, and sent the rocks
To boxes four, with magic locks.

In doing so, She fell behind
As He escaped. She was confined
Among Her own; her very lair
Became her prison and despair.

The Place was ruined, torn apart
And left with chains around the heart
Of evil power – but the key
Was never found in the debris.

He knows not where She dwells today.
She set the minions’ path, the way
To lift Her Temple high again
With tools of flesh, with mortal men.

Many now have gone to die
In water, flame, in earth, or sky.
They did not bear the key of old
That must be found – the orb of gold.

Beware, my friend, for you shall fall
Unless you have the wherewithall
To find and search the boxes four
And then escape forevermore.

But with the key, you might succeed
In throwing down Her power and greed.
Destroy the key when you are done
And then rejoice, the battle won.

I put aside my memories. "Hey guys, look at this."

Marc looked at the poem and then passed it to the others. We shrugged. History disguised as poetry?

"Clues, maybe," Saul said. "What's this about an orb and a key?"

"It looks like the orb is the key," Marc said. "Whatever the orb is."

"The first part talks about the battle of Emridy Meadows," Audry said. "But who is this 'She' and 'He' being referred to?"

We pondered the poem for a while. We had the time. We even got a little sleep while we were at it. To be honest, I don't know if it's day or night outside.

For a brief period of time we wandered around a little, using this old library as sort of a base. Patrols have increased dramatically. We spend our time in this library, hiding from them. So far, they haven't looked here. Its possible they don't know about it, but I think maybe this place is just so huge they haven't gotten here yet. It's only a matter of time before they get here.

We've tried to explore the surrounding area, but its difficult with all of these patrols. Just down the hall is another one of those large, twenty foot wide corridors. It loops around in a sort of "V" shape. It leads to a large chamber with a dirt floor. It looks like it might be a place of worship.

While I'm writing this, Anna came back from one of her little excursions (she takes far too many risks, but she's good at keeping out of sight). She left the door cracked open.

"Dear, please close the door," Saul said, "before the bad people notice."

"Oh be quiet," Anna said. "Listen."

We heard more soldiers as they marched down the twenty foot hall toward the worship area. We heard lots of voices, but the most significant was a woman's voice. It was in elvish, but I recognized the tone of it. She was begging.

We're getting ready now. We have to help, but I'm not sure what we can do against all of those guards.