Lost Lab of Kwalish

(Tetrevess wouod like to go back to the temple of moloch- and get his revenge on Thesslar, and investigate what is there.)

(Ana is good with going to the temple.)

<Sounds good.  To recap, there's a lot of experimentation with living creatures,  especially combining things.  Thesselar created the owlbear.  The party killed rhe high priest of Moloch and the titanic demigod called the The Thesselkraken (note: living demigods are fairly commonplace on Oerth at this time: Iuz and Vecna qualify for this description and are not considered unique in your way.  Vecna even lays plans assuming a demigod will eventually find something he leaves behind on Oerth when he departs. I digress.  There's an ettin that think he j Demogorgon, a ranger you killed,  hes pretty interesting, ha the heart of a troll and was also immune to fire damage.  You destroyed an area if the place, seen some secret labs, some prison cells.  You e met and chatted and battled with Thesselar (those present did,  anyhow) and thats about it.  Oh and you stole several infernal machine components,  as well as the ruby eyes of the giant statye if Moloch, which animated abd trued to kill you before you destroyed it. The only things left to find are 3 pieces of the infernal machine and the Gemsmith Seodra, the reason Moghaddam hired you in the first place - Seodra, (an earth genasi, not that anyone asked) was attempting to steal the eyes of the statue along with some other "thieves" and they all got caught. You saved 2 iut if three youve met (also a paur if unrelated locathah).  So, can you describe in general how yiure getting from the heart of the tomb to wherever yiure going?  The Temple is a few miles from a small village with lodging, but very quite villagers and the entrance is located in the fens.  There is a subterranean river and lake within / beneath/around the temple as well.>

(Yep Sam would want to try and finish of this contract quest) 

So are you guys planning on walking out the front door or what? There are a bunch of dwarves and teiflings out there wondering right now about their backpack.

(Actually the teiflings don't care about the pay, they are just upset that the masterwork they were creating is being sundered and its architect slain.  For them, this thing is like the 'Sistene Chapel' and you just killed their boss, 'Michaelangelo')

(@Wile_E_Coyote, the party found a map showing overland route from the Temple of Moloch to the Tomb of Horror in the artisans' apartments. Can we take this route? Edit: Gravity probably pushed the mortal remain into the pit of the entrance hall, I don't know.)

"Rejoice! We're mercenaries recruited by Boss Thesseler, so that makes me your rival. But, my intention changed since I found our interests converging"- Gravity carefully avoids the headless figure and moves near the wizard, then she shows him a pair of glowing blue gems possibly collected from the altar.

Finally, she slightly lifts the mithral door upwards to get access to the ruby and attempts to remove it using Jeweler's Tools, she lacks physical prowess but she's actually quite dexterous with acrobatic ability.

Dexterity: 16

"I want rest of the components of the infernal machine since I want to build a machine for myself... to deter the evil actions of misanthropic souls. And I need the technical details about the machine to become a dominant figure in the arms race."

Gravity fails to extricate the gem.  

<the route marked on the map is accurate and viable>

(Gravity is talking to everyone and trying to use the hole in the chapel to leave the temple, and using the hook-and-rope to assist her allies. There's another long hall left unexplored in the current tomb.)

You've been to the penultimate point in thst hall.  It ends at a door, left unopened.  Did you wish to open it?

Otherwise, climbing though rhe hole would put you on the top of the hill, I imagine you could descend without being noticed a and ollow the route to the Temple of Moloch if you choose.

Sure, let's see what's been waiting for Gravity on the other side of the closed door.

Through the door you indicated a swirling vortex, a ritual in the material plane opening to the Lower Planes (intentionally vague).

On the floor lies the bloody remains of Pentival.

Gravity will examine the bloody remains of Pentival to discern from the appearance of the wound what kind of weapon dealt it.

Intelligence (Investigation): 11

What was his intention? Did the Balor kill him?

Sam will also cast detect magic if any of his armour or weapons remain 

The body looks burned, but a medicine check would indicate he probably died from wounds suffered to the neck.  They are slashing wounds, not clean like a sword but rough and ragged as though his throat were torn out.

(I hope I'm not being too gruesome. Let me know)

"Ugh, that's a brutal way to slaughter someone! Barbaric act!"- Gravity will express concern about the death of the paladin while remaining uncertain of her own well-being and safety.

"Anyway, let's get out of this place, Sam."

The gang backtracks through the secret corridor, arriving at the open roof chapel, they find it has started to rain.  Despite the weahet, the group manages to make it to the top of the hill into which he tomb is built.  Looking g down the Norh face, they see the dwarf camp is still there, but activity seems confined to bidi g their time while they wait out the rain.  Around the opening to the chapel below, there are building materials: stone slabs, mortar troughs, a winch and boom.  The work o rebuild was likely to have started by now, if not for the present turn of events.  The road to the west, where the temple of moloch sits amid the fens  meets the path to the north entrance if the tomb on the west side of the hill. The south face of the hill is treacherous. Particularly in the rsin.  Loose rocks clutter the leeward side of the hill, making deacr t treacherous.  Somehow, you manage to climb down to the road unseen.

<Are you guys walking or other arrangements? Straight to the door of the Temple or the edge of the fens or the small town just before the fens?>

Ok. I am aware this is dragging.  That's on me for sticking too close to the scripted action, I think.

Ok, so you're at the Temple of Moloch.  You were pretty much chased out by Thesselar being carried by the seemingly unkillable (he's died twice, so far, in this game) Thesselhydra.  You know there were lizardfolk guards posted right under the stairs with a view through the steps into the entrance chamber, which they can readily access from that post reinforced by more guards waiting in the nearby barracks.  You did kill them all, but it's not like there aren't more lizardfolk.  Elapsed time, as I have tracked it, is 2 days hence.  So, are you just going to walk in the front door then?

Since both Gravity and Ana were recruited by Thesselar, there's no reason to worry about entrance. Gravity will consult with Tetrevess and Samogri about the safe passage before entering.

<So, you two are probably well aware of Seodra being in the Temple.  Seems the question is what will you tell Thesselar?.>

<I'm waiting for anyone to narrate an action.  Like: "《my PC》 enters the temple and looks for X ..." so I can describe it, rather than the thing we just did to get from the tomb to here.  I'll be posting narration soon either way.>