The Ruins at Bright Pass

Last time, our intrepid party had followed Hir Heidi to the temples at Bright Pass.  Now to find her...

L to R: Heidi's servant AMA, Jackaline,  Cole, Aunt B.

A group of lizardfolk are camped outside the temple of Isis.

After talking to them, it is revealed that Heidi, Cucullen and Morgana entered the temple and have sealed themselves in with magic wards.  The lizardfolk are waiting for them to come out.

It is learned that the temples are all connected underground, so if we can get into one we might find a back door to Heidi.

The Temple to Ra is well accessed by human tracks, so the party tries that one.  The way is guarded by lizardfolk and Priests from Thodachai.

When they learn AMA serves Heidi, things turn sour.
Aunt B creates earth to block their murder hole.

The skinks in the other murder hole are dealt with.  Then the party prepares for the priests and lizardfolk to Sally out to fight.

The temple guards send out a mini pet basilisk first, but Cole shrugs off its paralysis.  Then chops its handlers arm off.  They run away.  Cole then bravely (?) enters the hallway full of enemy and tries to parlay.   The high priest crits him with a flame jet in reply.  They are then treated to a hallway full of created flame (Jackaline) and stench cloud (Ama) and stone missiles (Aunt B) being chucked bocce style into their legs.

The temple defenders flee in various directions.   Aunt B blocks the side passages with earth.  The party moves deeper into the temple. 

In the main worship hall a beautiful woman is chained to an altar.  Cole wants to free her.  Jackaline implants a "false memory " in him about how badly this turned out last time he did it.  Sure enough, when the woman is rejected,  she shows her true form.

The main worship room.  The demon seems safely restrained...for now.

On the other altar is a piece of the statue of Osiris.   Aunt B contemplates touching it, then runs away in fear.

Deciding that everything in that room is basically a bad idea waiting to happen,  the party moves on.

A group of Warrior priests are discovered guarding a laboratory.   Cole and Jackaline quickly dispatch them

One priest fumbles his morale and surrendered.   An alchemist named Thelonious has been imprisoned here, making potions and researching monsters and demons for the cult.

Aunt B and Ama discover 7 people in the living quarters that have been imprisoned to serve the cult.

Their ranks swollen with dependents, the party reaches the back door of the temple.   It is blocked by a ward  but one of the rescued is an animist that can remove it.

The way is blocked...

The way is clear.

Taking the back passages they come to the temple of Isis.  Thelonious whips up a "weed of communication" and Ama contacts Heidi and convinces her to come out.  Heidi revealed she is on the run from Cove because she did indeed try to kill the Magistrate (revenge of a spurned mistress) but didn't have enough money (10k) to buy access to the Wind tunnels. Persued by the cult, she hid in the temple of Isis.

The group discussed what to do next.  Heidi (actually a half nymph) charmed Cole.  Her other servants are clearly "enslaved" to her.  Heidi decides she can trade Ama to the gate keeper Toth for access to the wind tunnels.   Jackaline doesn't like the sound of this, plus if she escapes how will they get paid?!

Suddenly,  the Magistrate son and some mercenary show up.  He demands Heidi surrender to him.

The Magistrate's son, like his father, turns out to be a Rakshasha.  He also announces he has Red Jenny and Princess Diana hostage outside.   The ring he gave Jenny was used to track the party here. Sensing that Heidi is probably going to be on the losing side, Jackaline helps try to capture her,  but when Cucullen is shot, he turns into a berserk beast that rips  the two henchmen apart and sends the Rakshasha fleeing.

As the advantage between the Rakshasha and berserk Cucullen switched back and forth, the party had to keep changing sides.  Finally Heidi agreed not to give away Ama and said she would seek another way into hiding.  Jackaline suggested she use Captain Montague and help retrieve Princess Diana and Jenny.  Using invisible spells she and Morgana left to do that.
The Rakshasha reappeared and the heroes convinced it to join the fight against the freed demon from the temple to gain Toth's favor.

The Rakshasha joined in and turned the tide against the demon.  As a reward,  Toth let it be known that Heidi was no longer on the grounds.  Defeated, the Rakshasha sought to return to Cove.  The party joined him, playing as the successful bounty hunters that had gotten Heidi to admit she attempted the assassination of his father.

The champions

The rescued folk and prisoners.