Editing Epic - The Hidden Temple (section)

==The Heart of the Prime==

When we were all together we took stock of our new surrounds and noticed that there was an iron bowl there that seemed out of place. We held on to Garuk as he pushed it out into the water and were suddenly struck by heat again. This time it was not elemental fire, thank Shang-Ti, but just a glaring sun high above us and desert-air around us. We had appeared in front of a great temple facade carved into a rock face at least fifty feet across. It had pink marble pillars, six steps of a bright white material leading to an entrance. A hexagon with black jet and gold symbols like the runestones was high above the entrance, but we could not make out the detail from the ground. Golden braziers sat each side of the top step, embossed with gems. On the front of the third step was a symbol like the amulet Fulgar found in the desert, orienting the elements for us. Fire should be above and water below.

We wanted to check the tops of the steps all the way up but without stepping onto them, so Garuk levitated himself higher. In immediate response two huge ant-like creatures appeared, one either side of us. Garuk dropped straight to the floor and drew his weapon. Fulgar tried to placate them but they chittered in a language none of us understood and attacked anyway. They had multiple weapons each, and I was struck, but Fulgar was able to parry each blow the other one made with his bare hands. Garuk came to my aid but was unable to land a blow. Fulgar struck at a weak point between joints in the thing's shell and killed his attacker.

We surrounded the last creature and all managed to strike it so it fell beneath our combined onslaught, Fulgar landing the final blow. We retreated to the far side of the natural bowl we were within, putting a tent up to provide some shelter from the sun, and rested. We drank water and debated how we could heal Fulgar's wounds, as one in particular was looking puss-filled and weepy. We had no means at our disposal so decided the press onwards without wasting more time hoping that we could aid him soon.

Using the simpler method of lifting someone physically we could see that there was a silver depression in the centre of the second step, a hole in the first step on the left and an iron cap on the right. I passed water to Garuk so he could fill the bowl and once he had done so we noticed air swirling out of the hole. We moved around and outside it to climb the steps but that caused it to fade away. We had to pass through the elements and not around them, then. We refilled it and this time climbed the centre of the stiars. We reached the top to find a doorway that was black with stars seeming to glow within the darkness... and it matched the pattern that Garuk had taken from our foes in the desert, except for one extra star at the bottom.

Garuk placed a wooden torch in one of the braziers and it burst into a strange blue flame. This seemed to fit with the sheltered location here despite otherwise seeming unnatural; it was much cooler here than just outside. We added some earth to the other brazier, and the same blue flames came to life at once. As this happened the stars winked out leaving just a dark space inside the archway, so it was time to step inside. I went first, with Fulgar just behind and then Garuk, each of us disappearing as we stepped into the darkness. We appeared inside a temple in darkness, but it was clear once we could see the contents that this was the Heart of the Prime we had been seeking.

There were twelve doors with written references to the yearly cycle in front of them on floor, and six runic inscriptions in circles on the floor. A vaulted ceiling was at least eighty feet above us, and the room was about the same in length, although only about forty feet wide. The arches forming the vaulting were black stone at the base but where they joined to extend up the ceiling it looked like gold. We heard a weird owl noise from above and something swept down, landing heavily, but I could not see what it was at this point.

I started to light a torch but then discovered that my tinder was wet from being dragged through the water earlier. Garuk helped, and as a spark caught we saw a tawny owl on the ground in front of us. It seemed to speak to Fulgar in a strange animal tongue, and Fulgar bowed slightly. It must be hengeyokai then, and this was confirmed when it changed before our eyes into a half-owl, half-human form. I relaxed slightly knowing this, and he said that he was here to help us and served Quang-Yin; his  name was Hanuku. Sadly he said that he was unable to cure the poison within Fulgar. Fulgar made some introductions, which was all very pleasant right up to the point where we were attacked by invisible foes!

A blow bounced off my armour, but the others were hurt! The hengeyokai seemed genuinely surprised, so I didn't think he was expecting the attack either. A ghastly thing happened next - some animated human skeletons appeared in a shimmering from one of the rune markings to our left! I had never seen the dead come to life like this, and it was chilling. Fulgar howled and rushed the newly appeared skeletons, punching one. Garuk multiplied into over half a dozen copies of himself, all blurring so that we could not tell which was real and which an illusion. I moved up to support Fulgar as more skeletons appeared, and they met me halfway. Fulgar was struck again, and Garuk's extra forms disappeared as quickly as they had appeared. There was some wielder of dweomer amongst the foe.

I stabbed a skeleton with my halberd as it engaged me, scattering its bones with two blows, and Fulgar smashed one into a much neater pile of bones with his fists. There were still three foes that we could see... and then more appeared! Fire burst out from a space in the corner and over Garuk, setting his clothes on fire. Fulgar punched a second skeleton to pieces and started on another, and I did the same with my halberd, but I didn't feel like we were winning. Hanuku chanted a protective charm for Garuk, then set about soothing some of his burns.

My halberd suddenly became very slippery and fell from my hand! Several of us were struck by invisible blows, but we were not seriously wounded just yet. I drew my Khopesh and shield, trying to find my attacker. Fulgar smashed another skeleton into splinters, and the last two were not reinforced this time thankfully. Garuk and Fulgar were also under constant mental assault, although I didn't realise it at the time, but it explained why Garuk became dazed and unable to act; his mind had been overwhelmed by the assault.

Fulgar smashed another skeleton to bits, leaving just the one, but was struck by streak of lights in his back that came from somewhere between him and Garuk. I was able to deal with the last skeleton as Hanuku healed more of Garuk's wounds. Then we had to start hunting for the foe we couldn't see. Fulgar found one by bumping into it, but wasn't able to land a blow. Fulgar's mind was also being assaulted, so it was relief when he managed to land a flurry of blows and kill the foe he had found. A horrible, unliving thing appeared and crumpled to the floor with more on its body than just bones but still evil and unnatural. We knew there were more than one of them, though. Hanuku created an area of darkness that hid Garuk from view, mindful that he was vulnerable, but it was Fulgar that was targeted next; lightning suddenly sparked around him, leaving burning white marks on our vision in the dimly lit room, and his fur was left smoking slightly.

Then the owl was hit by a sword from invisible blow and clouds of nauseous gases enveloped me. Fulgar was close by and just managed to get out before he inhaled any, but I was not so lucky. The fumes left me feeling horribly sick and I started to retch uncontrollably, even though I managed to stagger out of the edge of the cloud. A swirling pattern of lights filled the area around the others and Hanuku was left standing hypnotised. I started to shout to Fulgar so we could co-ordinate, and as I was saying that they had left me I was attacked twice, so I quickly changed that to: "found them"!

Fulgar called back, and sounded really angry, far different from his usual calm demeanor, and started swearing about the "dishonourable fucking temple things". I was really suffering from multiple wounds - how can one fight what cannot be seen? Fulgar came streaking over and when he connected with a foe set about pummeling it with a fury I'd not seen until it appeared and collapsed like the last one. I managed to connect a blow, hitting something behind me with a wild swing. Fulgar noticed at once and attacked in the same area, connecting with at least one blow. More of the streaks of light thudded into my back, causing intense bursts of pain, and Fulgar was hit physically, causing him to double over with pain. At least I saw where he was struck and could roughly guess where the attacker stood. I swung my Khopesh in an arc in that area and connected solidly; another lifeless hulk appeared and collapsed at our feet.

There was at least one left, though, and the three of us started to search the room. At one point a globe of fire appeared and rolled past Hanuku, burning his feathers slightly, but after the initial surprise we were able to avoid it easily. Fulgar eventually crashed into something and shouted that he'd found them. Garuk had recovered slightly by this point, and ran to join him. He swung his huge sword through the space Fulgar had indicated, and cut the last foe in half with a clean blow! Hanuku healed some of Fulgar's wounds and then flew up and disappeared. A strange intervention by the Gods, but he had certainly aided us in this fight.

We were still left nursing our wounds, though, both mental and physical. Garuk was able to heal the physical ones with his wand. What the fuck happened? What were these things? Where did they come from? What did we do now? Fulgar warned that he was no longer in control of his mind in the way he was used to.

I retrieved the torch and my halberd. The latter was still greasy so I scooped it up and rolled it in some clothing, placing it (in its small size) in my backpack so it would not be lost. Garuk found two pouches and two bundles of parchment. There were also some knotted belts on the remains of the creatures that he tried to get off. He had to resort to using his sword, but it was almost trapped as the belt contracted rapidly. He decided to leave them be after that. Fulgar prayed to Shang-Ti and I said a prayer to Huang-Ti to thank him for victory and to ask that he help us rid this place of corruption.

I found two pouches, a nasty blade, a jar, a small glass vial with creamy oil, and a small ring on various bodies. Garuk checked all of the items we found and separated those that he believed had some power within them. He kept doing this as we finished our search, and we retrieved more: two pouches (one a white drawstring bag with a silver powder inside, the other a bulbous pewter pot with a metal screw top), two leather scroll cases, two more pouches on another body (an earthenware pot with large cork, and two more three-inch diameter jars), a wooden "stick", and a metal scroll case with a screw top.

We then spent some time interpreting and decoding the symbols in the room. It was clear that they had been mislabeled, possibly to deceive someone, and that things were out of place. We could not move them - perhaps that could only be done by intervention in our world, but we could choose the right door to return and perhaps intervene before all was lost on the fateful day of the ambush that set all this in motion. We discussed how we might disrupt the ambush if we were to appear in the sacred valley and then stepped through the doorway. Our plans were for naught though, as we found that we had been restored to the place we were on that day, and I was once again riding towards the valley with the white tiger and my friend with me before the ambush. Now, though, I was armed with knowledge and experience and things would be different!