Glubyal Shrine

"Velendo, she's reaching!" Agar shouts. There is a dull klunk as the mammoth claw thuds against a hastily cast sovereign wall. The impenetrable wall vibrates as an unseen claw repeatedly smashes into it.

"Maybe she was reaching down to crown Priggle? But I'm not betting on it."

"What, crown me? Why?" asks Priggle in confusion.

"You were the one who actually killed Blel-Plibbit," Velendo explains.

Priggle shivers. "No thank you. I get enough damp, smelly, slimy problems in my life without having to be King Kuo-Toa."

Clacking echoes within the hemisphere protected by Velendo's powerful prayer. "I think she's just confused," relays Agar. "She might not be very bright. Okay, now she's stopped pounding on our shelter and is picking up the fallen crown from Thoobel's head." Everyone watches with rapt attention as the crown floats in mid-air, apparently held by nothing at all; the decapitated head drops from it and is immediately flattened by an enormous unseen foot. "All right, she's got the crown and she's turning," Agar continues reporting, "and she's heading out towards the breeding pools. She's going, she's going... and now she's gone, out of eyesight. The kuo-toa are all following her. Every single one."

Agar refocuses his vision on the Prime. Everyone breathes a sigh of relief, and sits down to rest. "So what do we do now?" asks Splinder, glowering. "We've lost some boys, but the rest of us are healthy enough."

After some emotional debate, the group decides that retreating to rest is most likely a bad tactical decision; no one wants to try the defenses that may be raised by tomorrow. "Let's chance it," advises Nolin, and so Velendo drops the magical wall and everyone runs south towards the edge of the Glass Pool. The group moves in formation, and the dwarves split off to act as perimeter guards while the rest of the group moves up to study the sacred shrine.

Lit primarily by gray luminescent slugs, the pool of frozen ice glitters like cut crystal. The frozen section of the pool is surrounded by dark water. Only a narrow ledge passes across the long pool, and balanced on the ice stands an empty stone pedestal.

Stone Bear, Tao and Galthia wade through the water onto the stone path, treading delicately on the poisonous coral beneath the water's surface. Nolin flies directly over to the glassy ice, laying down in a well-worn spot that has obviously served Blel-Plibbit many times. "Hello?" thinks Nolin intently. "Is there anyone down there? We've come at the behest of your sister to rescue you!" The rest of the group stands guard around the unattended holy pool, waiting for something to happen.

"Why aren't there guards?" worries Velendo.

"There are," points out Stone Bear. "They're just over with the walking statue in the breeding pools." He points to the empty pedestal rising from the ice. "I think the statue used to stand right there, until it animated. Hopefully that was the only guard." He shakes his head. "But I doubt..." He is cut off by the creatures phasing in behind him. They are huge, a loathsome amalgam of lobster and kuo-toa, the humanoid fish-body rising centaur-like from fifteen feet of angry crustacean. In addition to massive snapping claws that spring from the lobster body, each of the three creatures whirls a huge metal chain. Before anyone can react, all three monsters attack.

The first guardian gets a perfect shot, wrapping his chain around Stone Bear's neck and yanking in a move that would instantly snap most people's neck. Stone Bear's training allows him to hunch his shoulders just enough to prevent instant death, but he feels burning magic as the chain bites into his skin. Blood fountains upwards.

The second monster wraps its spiked chain around Tao's waist and yanks. The horrible impact snaps something in the small of her back, and she feels her entire body go numb. Weapons fall from her hands and clatter onto the ice as she tumbles bonelessly from her feet. The third lobster thing smashes its chain into Galthia, hurting the monk badly but not disabling him. He keeps his feet even as he winces in pain. "I can't take many more hits like that," he gasps. Stone Bear mutely agrees with him.

Velendo is the first to respond. Clutching the Grimrod in one gnarled fist and chanting a prayer, he flies forward to graze Stone Bear's heck with his other hand. A golden spark leaps from the Grimrod to Stone Bear, and a maximized cure critical wounds heals a portion of the damage done by the monster's chain.

"Lobstertaurs?" asks Nolin from where he's lying on the ice. "What I wouldn't give for Otiluke's Melted Butter Bath!" He casts fire seed and tosses the acorn at one of the monsters, but completely misses. "Err... you guys deal with them. I'll do the talking thing." Frustrated, he lays his head back on the ice and keeps trying to communicate with the spirit he assumes is inside it.

Galthia turns, clearly angry. He grabs the thick chain with one hand and pulls himself a bit closer, moving himself between the two massive claws so that he can actually reach the kuo-toa half of the abomination. His fist jabs upwards like a piledriver and smashes the kuo-toa in its weak chin. Teeth shatter, and its head rocks backwards from the stunning blow. Even as its chain drops to the ground, Galthia hits it in the head and chest another three times. The third blow is a fist of power that knocks the monster completely unconscious; spittle flies from its broken mouth as its kuo-toa body slumps helplessly forward.

Priggle leaps forward to coup de grace the guardian before it wakes up. A lobster claw from one of the other guardians almost grabs him, but he ducks beneath it as he tries to crush the monster's windpipe. It's too tough for his pick, however, and he's unable to dispatch it.

Tao may be paralyzed from the initial attack, but her mind is still functioning and she still has a fly spell on her. Her limp body soars into the air out of reach. Her opponent tries to grab her in its largest claw, but its ridges scrape off of her elven chainmail as she successfully floats away. Furious, the creature skitters forward. Attacks from Galthia and Priggle barely hurt it, and it touches the lobster that Galthia just knocked unconscious. Both creatures shimmer and completely vanish.

"Invisible?" yells Mara.

"No!" answers Agar, trying to focus his vision. "Ethereal!" Now looking onto the correct plane, he sees ethereal chains leading from the pedestal to each guardian. "They're chained in this spot, I think. If we have to retreat, they probably won't be able to follow."

The third monster reaches out to slice Stone Bear in half with its claws. It misses horribly, and Stone Bear tries to sunder its spiked chain before it withdraws. He fails, and the lobster-thing shimmers and disappears as well. The shaman seizes the opportunity to pray to his ancestors, and the wound around his neck further heals.

From somewhere nearby, a bestial howl shakes the cavern. Mara spins and is surprised to see the same misshapen giant that she had reluctantly left behind at Thulk's Wall, a squishy kuo-toa grasped in either fist. "Grgl!" she exclaims with delight as the creature lumbers forward. "Where did you come from?"

* * *

It couldn't get the fragile little thing's face out of its mind. King Thulk mocked him, and the other formorians beat him badly for his weakness – but always, the human woman whispered to him in the dark of the night. You are not weak, she would say. I want you with me. I will value you. You will protect me, and bathe in the blood of my enemies. Finally the visions drove him nearly to insanity, and he stole away from the tribe while the others were deep in slumber. His flattened nose sniffed out her faint scent, and he followed. Into kuo-toa territory – and who would challenge one from the tribe of Thulk? – down the long tunnel where her scent disappeared, and into this strange city itself. He had smashed through walls that stopped him, squished the fish-things that stood in his way. For he loved, and he would murder all of Her friends if they stood before him! The thefts and threats and death he would deal would now all be dedicated to this woman. Grgl had a purpose, and it would be fulfilled. Perhaps this was worship? All the giant knew is that he was loyal to the human woman instead of to King Thulk, and he would lay down his life for her.

And now he smells her blood! The human woman's radiance is before him, and she is in danger. Something, Grgl thinks, just made a bad mistake.

* * *

In giantish, the huge form howls again. "Beloved in trouble!" it trumpets. "I have come for you!" Mara doesn't understand a word, but Nolin nearly chokes.

"What did it say, Nolin?"

The bard rolls his eyes. "You don't want to know. I think it's loyal to you, though. Now, be quiet." He lowers his head again, and an alien thought slowly surfaces like a long-trapped bubble.

"...Who... ...are...?"

"I'm Nolin Benholm," responds the bard confidently. "We're here to free you."

Mara turns back to the giant. "Hello," she says loudly and slowly, like speaking to a child. "I didn't expect you to follow us!" Grgl looks at her dumbfounded, simple adoration lighting up its malformed face.

"Mara," Tao whispers dryly from behind Mara, "those lobster-things are still around here. If it's not too much trouble, might you please put that rod from my belt into my hand? So long as it's not an inconvenience or anything." Tao's sarcasm is completely lost on the radiant knight, and she cheerfully complies. Malachite approaches to help Tao grip the rod.

"You'll live, Tao," says Malachite as he examines her wound with a critical eye. "A few more minutes and you'll be moving again."

"We may not have that long."

Velendo readies a flame strike for the monsters' reappearance, Tao readies her rod, Mara waits nervously, and Stone Bear readies to sunder the magical spiked chains. Galthia punches himself in pressure points to release the sweet sensation of healing, then readies to attack the first monster to appear. Meanwhile, Priggle examines the stone pedestal and clucks his tongue. "This is going to have to come down if we want to break up that ice," he says, and uses his gnomish knowledge to soften stone.

Stone is enemy? wonders the love-struck Grgl. I will show beloved what I can do! Grgl smashes the platform with closed fists, and everyone not standing on the ice nearly falls to their knees from the vibrations. Priggle and Grgl pound repeatedly against the disintegrating stone pedestal, loosening chunks of the ancient construction.

"Watch out, everyone," warns Agar. "They're drawing ethereal mist over themselves. I can't see them any more. They could be anywhere around here." Silence, broken only by an distant chanting in kuo-toa and the sound of Grgl grunting.

Suddenly Mara slaps herself in the forehead, turns, and casts remove paralysis on Tao. The divine agent immediately feels blood returning to her limbs. As she rotates in mid-air, two of the lobster-things reappear in a shimmer of magic. Both of them try to kill the recumbent Nolin.

"There!" someone shouts. The flame strike crashes down and Tao uses her Rod of True Nature to cast purify flesh on the abominations. The line between their hard shell and slimy skin erupts into blisters, even as Stone Bear swings both fists at one of the magical spiked chains. He takes damage from the baneful enchantments, but the powerful chain is shattered into individual links by the strength of his blow.

Nolin looks up to see the injured monsters looming above him. A huge chain snaps down, scoring the ice where his head was seconds before. Only the formorian giant has a chance to hit them before they shimmer and disappear once more.

Into Nolin's head the slow, icy thoughts continue. "...you?" The bard responds by asking how the captive can be freed. There is no immediate answer, and Nolin sighs. This is going to take all day.

Agar squints into the ethereal. "These things are like phase spiders," he grumbles. "Ready, everyone? One is still unconscious, one is spell casting, and one is coming back again – and it's stalking Galthia!"