At the end of the passage, Mythlos stepped into a large circular room between 70 and 80 feet in diameter. On the far side, directly opposite was another doorway from the room. Near the center were two odd flat stone objects. They were about three feet high and had curved sides, roughly in a bent teardrop shape. Atop each such "table" was a single glowing, violet dome, the source of the light. Mythlos immediately cast his divinatory cantrip and could see the aura of evocative magic about the domes.
He stopped moving forward.
"What is it?" asked Hakam, who was directly behind him.
"Evocation magic is on those glowing domes," said Mythlos. "We should be careful."
"I always am, unlike someone else that I know."
Szordin looked past Hakam's shoulder from the passageway. "Can we find something to throw into the room to test what the domes do?"
"Here is a loose brick," said Leokas, removing it from the wall and passing it up to Mythlos.
The moon elf threw it roughly 40 feet into the center of the chamber. It struck the ground, and nothing happened. "It seems safe," he said.
"Sprint across to the other side to make sure," said Belvin. "If you die, I can ask Thard Harr to reincarnate you in a new body."
Mythlos decided not to risk it.
"Belvin, can you summon something helpful?" asked Leokas.
"Yes, I think I know just who," said Belvin. He began chanting.
About ten seconds later, a satyr appeared just in front of Mythlos. It was the same satyr, in fact, that Belvin had called in Yrevkethend's lair. The fawn had a very large bottle in his hand, and, for some odd reason, his hair was tied with ribbon into a multitude of bows.
"Krynn," said Belvin, "you are needed."
"Elf-man!" said the satyr. Then he yelled out in surprise or pain and instantly bounded in an astonishing front flip directly over Mythlos' head. Two purple orbs of energy had come from the domes and struck him in the back. "Ow! What was that!"
"Nice jump!" said Mythlos, quite impressed.
"It's the hairy goat legs," said the satyr, smiling proudly. "It's why the dryads love me."
"Quick! We have only a minute and a half with you," said Belvin. "I need you to run around the perimeter of this room to that other opening."
"I think I'd rather jump in a dragon's toilet," said Krynn.
"Yes, we're sorry about the dragon cave," said Leokas. "Remember though, you cannot die with us; you're invincible!"
"I can still feel pain, and those things hurt like a hoof to the groin!"
"I may have a spell for that," said Hakam.
"Nah, there's no time for that," said that satyr. "I know my duty; plus the ladies like stories of bravery! Besides, I have my own 'magic'." He winked, and with that, he chugged the entire bottle of alcohol he was carrying. "Huzzah!" he shouted, smashing the bottle against the wall. Then he half ran, half hopped along the edge of the room in a clockwise direction. A constant stream of violet orbs shot at him, one every few yards the fawn stepped. "Ow! Ow! Ouch! Ah! Beshaba's... breath! Ach! Good gods! Ow!" Then he vanished.
"That was probably overly cruel of us," said Leokas. "Belvin, I thought you would never summon the same creature more than once."
"I won't summon the same animal more than once, but he seemed to enjoy being called so much last time...."
"Fey are magical creatures," said Hakam. "Perhaps the defenses only respond to magical lifeforms. Mythlos, how much further can you step into the room?"
Mythlos took another step forward, and a purple sphere launched at him, striking him in the chest as he stepped quickly back. "That wasn't so bad," he lied, touching his shoulder with the flat of his blade to heal himself quickly.
"Let me try to destroy them," said Szordrin. He stepped forward and sent a burst of energy from his own fingertips at one of the domes. The dome fired a burst right back at him. "Ah!" Mythlos touched Szordrin with his sword as well.
Nargroth, from the back, had been peering over the others' shoulders and contemplating. "Isn't Ubtao the god of mazes," he asked.
"Not actually the god of mazes, but mazes do play into his imagery," said Hakam. "What of it?"
"Do you think the tables are shaped like this?" Nargroth asked, holding out his hairy arm and pointing at the center of his tattoo.
"Belvin, go get Jayce," said Leokas.
"Should we have left them alone together?" Hakam wondered aloud.
Belvin made his way back to the surface and descended the steps to find Jayce and Oma sitting on the opposite ends of the steps. Oma looked like she was pouting, but Belvin ignored this. "Jayce, you are needed. Oma, stay here with Kamil and the animals."
"What if Batiri or something worse attack?" she protested.
"Summon something."
"Stormshadow will protect you," said Jayce.
Belvin led Jayce down the multiple steps to join the others. "What is it?" Jayce queried. "I just see a circular room."
"Drop your pants," said Belvin.
"Come again?"
"We need the map on your thigh," explained Hakam.
Jayce suddenly understood. "It's a maze with invisible walls!"
"We need to draw the tattoos side-by-side," said Leokas. "Hakam, can you spare us a sheet of paper and ink?"
They set to work at meticulously copying the two halves of the "tattoo map" unto a single sheet of paper.
"Which side is north?" one of them asked.
"I got struck with magic when I stepped past that point," said Mythlos, "so the part with the straight vertical stretch must be at the top of the map."

"Do we need to go one at a time?"
"I hope not," said Hakam, "else we'd need to make yet another copy."
"We'll try it all together first," said Jayce. "Everyone follow closely behind me and step exactly as I do."
It was not an easy process crossing the circular room. It would have appeared to anyone watching them as if they were moving aimlessly, but it was the complete opposite. They moved cautiously, estimating the distances between the "invisible walls" as best they could. There were several painful missteps, but there was enough healing magic among all of them that no one suffered great harm.
At last they reached the other side, entering another passageway that immediately descended another staircase.
"How could Walker have passed this room without a map like ours?" asked Leokas.
"He would have floated across on his carpet and not touched the wrong floor tiles," said Belvin.
"How did you come upon a tattoo of half the map for a random temple in the jungle?" asked Szordrin.
"Is it still not clear to you that the gods favor us?" Jayce replied.
"I care little for the gods," said Szordrin.
"They seem to care about us despite your views," said Nargroth, "and for that, I, for one, am thankful!"
The blue glow from Mythlos' sword revealed the form of an enormous bipedal dinosaur looming over them. Thankfully, it was only a very lifelike statue filling most of a rectangular chamber. Immediately before them as they descended the steps into the room was a stone altar. The head of the large dinosaur statue hovered over it. Two other dinosaur statues also faced the altar, one on each the side. The leftmost was one of the horned, frilled dinosaurs they had traveled with in the Underdark; the other they had seen in the savannah. It had angular plates coming out of its spine and a spiked tail. Moonlight shone down on the altar from a four-foot-square shaft in the ceiling that opened to the night sky. There were also two small side doorways.
Mythlos noticed gems in the largest dinosaur's eyes, and he drew his dagger and passed by the altar to approach it.
"I do not think we should be defiling an ancient temple," said Hakam. "That's a somewhat universal law, is it not? Leave the gems."
"Even I agree with that advice," said Jayce. "Taking gems from the eyes of statues never ends well for adventurers in the great tales."
"Nothing in this room is magical," said Szordrin, after checking for auras.
"That doesn't eliminate mechanical traps!" said Hakam, since Mythlos was still approaching the statue.
Leokas had also crossed over to the statue and was examining it. "I think it is mechanical. See here? Joints in its thighs and at its jaw. It can lean over, and its mouth can open. Belvin, I think you are meant to go in its mouth!"
Belvin nodded, also remembering his vision from Thard Harr.
"The question is how to get the mouth to open?" said Hakam. "Is there perhaps some mechanism at the tail?"
"Not that I can see," said Leokas, "but in fact the tail seems affixed to the ground."
"Did Walker leave any tracks? Maybe we can decipher what he did to advance."
"Nothing," Leokas replied after having Mythlos light the floor for him with his blade. "Perhaps we need blood again?"
"There are no grooves in the altar this time," said Jayce, "just typical altar horns."
"And the altar is void of any magic, remember," said Szordrin.
"The side rooms are completely empty again," said Mythlos, having just checked. "All the stones in the wall were sound."
"If not blood," said Hakam, "maybe something else needs to be offered on the altar.
"Anachtyr's eye!" he then suddenly exclaimed, for Belvin had picked him up from behind and set him on top of the altar. There was a grinding sound, and the dinosaur leaned forward, its huge mouth simultaneously opening wide. It came to rest such that Hakam could have stepped onto the stone tongue of the beast.
"Good idea," said Belvin.
"I'm not going in there!" said Hakam.
"I thought you were the 'Chosen One', Belvin," said Jayce.
"I just needed to see how it worked," said Belvin. "Now we know. Out of the way, cleric, and let me up."
When Hakam stepped off the altar, the dinosaur raised its neck back up. "Does anyone have a sunrod?" Belvin asked. Hakam handed one to him, and he climbed up. His weight caused the dinosaur to bend forward again and open its mouth.
Fulfilling Thard Harr's vision, Belvin hopped into the giant statue's mouth, past its sharp stone teeth and onto its stone tongue. It was easily wide enough for a human or elf. As soon as his weight left the altar, the enormous carved monster raised back up, and shut its jaw. In the darkness within, Bevlin fell to a sitting position inside it and slid down its gullet to somewhere below.
By the light of the sunrod, Belvin found himself in a final rectangular chamber. He had slid on a slide from an opening in the wall behind him. Next to the opening was a lever. On the other side of the chamber was the only other object present. It was a large construction, made from a speckled dark material, reminding Belvin of the strange metal pieces they had seen inside the one of Walker's crates. The structure consisted of a circular raised platform, surrounded by two curved archways that intersected each other at a right angle above the platform, forming a sort of open dome. It did not at all appear to have belonged to the original temple.
Belvin turned his attention back to the lever and the slide behind him. He hoped that the lever would provide a way back up to report to the others, and so he pulled on it. There was a now-familiar sound of grinding stone, and the slope of the slide formed into steps, which he quickly climbed. He found himself inside the dinosaur's head again, peering down at his companions through the gaps in its teeth. He shouted at them. Once they had determined that the mumbling they heard from above was Bevlin trying to communicate, they pressed on the altar again to lower him, and Bevlin carefully stepped over the teeth and back out.
Everyone was excited about the object he described, convinced it was a portal and that Walker had probably built it and gone through. So one by one, all of them — except for Nargroth, who had to remain to let them back out of the dinosaur's mouth — entered the statue's gullet and were "swallowed whole".
They examined the potential portal, being careful not to touch it.
"What are we waiting for?" said Szordrin. "We should step on the portal."
"It is too risky," said Hakam. "We do not know whence it leads. It might even leave this plane. Would we be able to breathe? Would we be killed instantly?"
"I remind us again," said Jayce, "that the 'Chosen One' was told to enter the dinosaur's mouth; he should be the one to step on the portal."
"I could pray to Anachtyr tomorrow for some spells that would help us," said Hakam. "I could set a planar dimensional anchor on Belvin, so that the portal cannot take him from our world. I could also ask to know his status, which direction he is, how near or how far, and if he is alive."
"We cannot wait until morning!" said Szordrin. "Walker is way ahead of us."
"The crates have already been delivered," said Hakam. "Walker doesn't matter any more."
"As you said, Szordrin, we are several hours behind Walker now," said Belvin. "A night won't make any difference. We have no chance of catching him today. Besides that, Kamil goes with me, and I'll need to pray for the power to shrink him so that he can fit in this temple."
"We'll have to hope to track Walker tomorrow," said Leokas. "We should return to Oma and the animals for the night."
That night, they had camped at the base of the ziggurat. In the morning, Hakam and Belvin prayed for their spells. Belvin used his magic to shrink down the camels and Cloud to the size of large dogs. Then all of them entered the temple again and descended the many steps down to the room with the altar.
Only Hakam, Belvin, and Leokas entered the final chamber with the portal. Hakam readied Belvin with his selected spells. First, a ray of emerald-green magical energy shot from his open palm and enveloped Belvin in a shimmering field of green light. Then he laid his hands on the wild elf and said a further prayer for Anachtyr to watch over him. "You are ready," Hakam said.
"Here, take the omlar gem," said Leokas, handing it to him. "Perhaps you will need it for the portal to activate."
Belvin boldly approached the the circular platform and stepped up onto it, passing under the intersecting partial rings. The circular platform below him glowed subtly, and the "open dome" around him began to spin, accelerating as it orbited around him. Then, as the other two watched, Belvin vanished. The spinning arches slowed down and came to a halt.
Leokas looked to Hakam for information.
"Nothing," said Hakam. "I sense nothing."
"Does that mean...?"
"He cannot have left the material plane," said Hakam. "I should be able to sense his location and health. I do not know what this means."
"What do we do?" asked Leokas.
"I do not know."
The two stood there waiting silently, afraid that Belvin had ceased to be.
Several minutes passed. Suddenly, Hakam became aware of Belvin's life force. "He's alive!" he exclaimed. "Somewhere far to the southwest."
"Is he safe?"
"Yes. No! He... cannot move."
"I'm going after him," said Leokas, and he charged up onto the portal.
"Wait!"
It was too late. The intersecting arches began spinning and Leokas vanished just as Belvin had, leaving Hakam alone.
Belvin appeared on a similar circular platform with intersecting arches in what appeared to be the basement of a warehouse lit by torch light. Several yards in front of him, rising from his seat at a desk, was a man with medium-length red hair and wearing a maroon cloak. He had been writing in a small book, and when he heard the arches revolving, he leapt up from his seat to observe his intruder. As the spinning arches ceased their motion, the man raised his palm toward Belvin, and the wild elf felt an invisible force lift him from his feet and drive him back against the wall, pinning him motionless. The man turned and hurried toward a grandfather clock on the right wall and quickly turned the minute hand from the 5 to the 12. Then he fled down the hall before Belvin could get a good look at his face.
Belvin hung there spread out and motionless, unable to turn his head or even move his eyes. Many minutes passed. Then, suddenly, the spell effect ended, and he slid down the wall to his feet, free. With a tribal yell, he rushed after the man down the hall, which led to a set of wooden stairs. These took him outside, though a basement exit hatch. He found himself in a dusty alley of a small town or village. Most of the buildings were made from logs with thatch roofs, much like many in Port Nyanzaru. He was immediately overwhelemed with the smell of salt water and aware of the cries of sea gulls. He was on the coast somewhere. Glancing quickly around, he noticed a couple hung-over humans hunched over on the ground with bottles still in their hands.
Not knowing where he was or what to do, he covered his head with the hood of his cloak. Then he began running to and fro wildly, down the various alleyways, bumping into sailors, trappers, and Tabaxi natives. It seemed he was still in Chult, but where? He made his way toward the docks. It was a tiny port, not like Nyanzaru. In fact, there was only one ship in port, a smallish three-masted vessel, much like The Daisy... very much like The Daisy in fact.
A familiar voice called his name. "Belvin? Is that you?" It was a woman's voice. She seemed shocked to see him.
It was Loreene, the sailor from the The Daisy.
"So you did make it to Shilku in time! I am surprised. Where are the others? We just arrived an hour ago ourselves. Shaundakul gave us favorable winds yesterday, and we are a day early."
"I am here alone," he said. "Hopefully, the others will follow me here."
"Om... the Captain went to one of the bars," she said. "I'll go find him and tell him you've already arrived."
"I'll stay here," said Belvin. "I'm sure the others will be here soon."
"It's so good to see you!" Loreene said.
Belvin nodded, and she hurried off.
The sun was low in the sky; it was clearly early morning still. Belvin sat on the deck of the ship and waited.
Ombert came back with Loreene and greeted Belvin. Belvin explained much of what had befallen them on their adventure through the jungle. Ombert had many questions and wanted to know where Walker was. Belvin said that he did not know. Maybe an hour passed.
"Didn't you say the others would be right behind you?" asked the halfling captain.
Belvin had said so, but there was no sign of any of them....
He stopped moving forward.
"What is it?" asked Hakam, who was directly behind him.
"Evocation magic is on those glowing domes," said Mythlos. "We should be careful."
"I always am, unlike someone else that I know."
Szordin looked past Hakam's shoulder from the passageway. "Can we find something to throw into the room to test what the domes do?"
"Here is a loose brick," said Leokas, removing it from the wall and passing it up to Mythlos.
The moon elf threw it roughly 40 feet into the center of the chamber. It struck the ground, and nothing happened. "It seems safe," he said.
"Sprint across to the other side to make sure," said Belvin. "If you die, I can ask Thard Harr to reincarnate you in a new body."
Mythlos decided not to risk it.
"Belvin, can you summon something helpful?" asked Leokas.
"Yes, I think I know just who," said Belvin. He began chanting.
About ten seconds later, a satyr appeared just in front of Mythlos. It was the same satyr, in fact, that Belvin had called in Yrevkethend's lair. The fawn had a very large bottle in his hand, and, for some odd reason, his hair was tied with ribbon into a multitude of bows.
"Krynn," said Belvin, "you are needed."
"Elf-man!" said the satyr. Then he yelled out in surprise or pain and instantly bounded in an astonishing front flip directly over Mythlos' head. Two purple orbs of energy had come from the domes and struck him in the back. "Ow! What was that!"
"Nice jump!" said Mythlos, quite impressed.
"It's the hairy goat legs," said the satyr, smiling proudly. "It's why the dryads love me."
"Quick! We have only a minute and a half with you," said Belvin. "I need you to run around the perimeter of this room to that other opening."
"I think I'd rather jump in a dragon's toilet," said Krynn.
"Yes, we're sorry about the dragon cave," said Leokas. "Remember though, you cannot die with us; you're invincible!"
"I can still feel pain, and those things hurt like a hoof to the groin!"
"I may have a spell for that," said Hakam.
"Nah, there's no time for that," said that satyr. "I know my duty; plus the ladies like stories of bravery! Besides, I have my own 'magic'." He winked, and with that, he chugged the entire bottle of alcohol he was carrying. "Huzzah!" he shouted, smashing the bottle against the wall. Then he half ran, half hopped along the edge of the room in a clockwise direction. A constant stream of violet orbs shot at him, one every few yards the fawn stepped. "Ow! Ow! Ouch! Ah! Beshaba's... breath! Ach! Good gods! Ow!" Then he vanished.
"That was probably overly cruel of us," said Leokas. "Belvin, I thought you would never summon the same creature more than once."
"I won't summon the same animal more than once, but he seemed to enjoy being called so much last time...."
"Fey are magical creatures," said Hakam. "Perhaps the defenses only respond to magical lifeforms. Mythlos, how much further can you step into the room?"
Mythlos took another step forward, and a purple sphere launched at him, striking him in the chest as he stepped quickly back. "That wasn't so bad," he lied, touching his shoulder with the flat of his blade to heal himself quickly.
"Let me try to destroy them," said Szordrin. He stepped forward and sent a burst of energy from his own fingertips at one of the domes. The dome fired a burst right back at him. "Ah!" Mythlos touched Szordrin with his sword as well.
Nargroth, from the back, had been peering over the others' shoulders and contemplating. "Isn't Ubtao the god of mazes," he asked.
"Not actually the god of mazes, but mazes do play into his imagery," said Hakam. "What of it?"
"Do you think the tables are shaped like this?" Nargroth asked, holding out his hairy arm and pointing at the center of his tattoo.
"Belvin, go get Jayce," said Leokas.
"Should we have left them alone together?" Hakam wondered aloud.
~~~~
Belvin made his way back to the surface and descended the steps to find Jayce and Oma sitting on the opposite ends of the steps. Oma looked like she was pouting, but Belvin ignored this. "Jayce, you are needed. Oma, stay here with Kamil and the animals."
"What if Batiri or something worse attack?" she protested.
"Summon something."
"Stormshadow will protect you," said Jayce.
Belvin led Jayce down the multiple steps to join the others. "What is it?" Jayce queried. "I just see a circular room."
"Drop your pants," said Belvin.
"Come again?"
"We need the map on your thigh," explained Hakam.
Jayce suddenly understood. "It's a maze with invisible walls!"
"We need to draw the tattoos side-by-side," said Leokas. "Hakam, can you spare us a sheet of paper and ink?"
They set to work at meticulously copying the two halves of the "tattoo map" unto a single sheet of paper.
"Which side is north?" one of them asked.
"I got struck with magic when I stepped past that point," said Mythlos, "so the part with the straight vertical stretch must be at the top of the map."
"Do we need to go one at a time?"
"I hope not," said Hakam, "else we'd need to make yet another copy."
"We'll try it all together first," said Jayce. "Everyone follow closely behind me and step exactly as I do."
~~~~
It was not an easy process crossing the circular room. It would have appeared to anyone watching them as if they were moving aimlessly, but it was the complete opposite. They moved cautiously, estimating the distances between the "invisible walls" as best they could. There were several painful missteps, but there was enough healing magic among all of them that no one suffered great harm.
At last they reached the other side, entering another passageway that immediately descended another staircase.
"How could Walker have passed this room without a map like ours?" asked Leokas.
"He would have floated across on his carpet and not touched the wrong floor tiles," said Belvin.
"How did you come upon a tattoo of half the map for a random temple in the jungle?" asked Szordrin.
"Is it still not clear to you that the gods favor us?" Jayce replied.
"I care little for the gods," said Szordrin.
"They seem to care about us despite your views," said Nargroth, "and for that, I, for one, am thankful!"
The blue glow from Mythlos' sword revealed the form of an enormous bipedal dinosaur looming over them. Thankfully, it was only a very lifelike statue filling most of a rectangular chamber. Immediately before them as they descended the steps into the room was a stone altar. The head of the large dinosaur statue hovered over it. Two other dinosaur statues also faced the altar, one on each the side. The leftmost was one of the horned, frilled dinosaurs they had traveled with in the Underdark; the other they had seen in the savannah. It had angular plates coming out of its spine and a spiked tail. Moonlight shone down on the altar from a four-foot-square shaft in the ceiling that opened to the night sky. There were also two small side doorways.
Mythlos noticed gems in the largest dinosaur's eyes, and he drew his dagger and passed by the altar to approach it.
"I do not think we should be defiling an ancient temple," said Hakam. "That's a somewhat universal law, is it not? Leave the gems."
"Even I agree with that advice," said Jayce. "Taking gems from the eyes of statues never ends well for adventurers in the great tales."
"Nothing in this room is magical," said Szordrin, after checking for auras.
"That doesn't eliminate mechanical traps!" said Hakam, since Mythlos was still approaching the statue.
Leokas had also crossed over to the statue and was examining it. "I think it is mechanical. See here? Joints in its thighs and at its jaw. It can lean over, and its mouth can open. Belvin, I think you are meant to go in its mouth!"
Belvin nodded, also remembering his vision from Thard Harr.
"The question is how to get the mouth to open?" said Hakam. "Is there perhaps some mechanism at the tail?"
"Not that I can see," said Leokas, "but in fact the tail seems affixed to the ground."
"Did Walker leave any tracks? Maybe we can decipher what he did to advance."
"Nothing," Leokas replied after having Mythlos light the floor for him with his blade. "Perhaps we need blood again?"
"There are no grooves in the altar this time," said Jayce, "just typical altar horns."
"And the altar is void of any magic, remember," said Szordrin.
"The side rooms are completely empty again," said Mythlos, having just checked. "All the stones in the wall were sound."
"If not blood," said Hakam, "maybe something else needs to be offered on the altar.
"Anachtyr's eye!" he then suddenly exclaimed, for Belvin had picked him up from behind and set him on top of the altar. There was a grinding sound, and the dinosaur leaned forward, its huge mouth simultaneously opening wide. It came to rest such that Hakam could have stepped onto the stone tongue of the beast.
"Good idea," said Belvin.
"I'm not going in there!" said Hakam.
"I thought you were the 'Chosen One', Belvin," said Jayce.
"I just needed to see how it worked," said Belvin. "Now we know. Out of the way, cleric, and let me up."
When Hakam stepped off the altar, the dinosaur raised its neck back up. "Does anyone have a sunrod?" Belvin asked. Hakam handed one to him, and he climbed up. His weight caused the dinosaur to bend forward again and open its mouth.
Fulfilling Thard Harr's vision, Belvin hopped into the giant statue's mouth, past its sharp stone teeth and onto its stone tongue. It was easily wide enough for a human or elf. As soon as his weight left the altar, the enormous carved monster raised back up, and shut its jaw. In the darkness within, Bevlin fell to a sitting position inside it and slid down its gullet to somewhere below.
By the light of the sunrod, Belvin found himself in a final rectangular chamber. He had slid on a slide from an opening in the wall behind him. Next to the opening was a lever. On the other side of the chamber was the only other object present. It was a large construction, made from a speckled dark material, reminding Belvin of the strange metal pieces they had seen inside the one of Walker's crates. The structure consisted of a circular raised platform, surrounded by two curved archways that intersected each other at a right angle above the platform, forming a sort of open dome. It did not at all appear to have belonged to the original temple.
Belvin turned his attention back to the lever and the slide behind him. He hoped that the lever would provide a way back up to report to the others, and so he pulled on it. There was a now-familiar sound of grinding stone, and the slope of the slide formed into steps, which he quickly climbed. He found himself inside the dinosaur's head again, peering down at his companions through the gaps in its teeth. He shouted at them. Once they had determined that the mumbling they heard from above was Bevlin trying to communicate, they pressed on the altar again to lower him, and Bevlin carefully stepped over the teeth and back out.
Everyone was excited about the object he described, convinced it was a portal and that Walker had probably built it and gone through. So one by one, all of them — except for Nargroth, who had to remain to let them back out of the dinosaur's mouth — entered the statue's gullet and were "swallowed whole".
They examined the potential portal, being careful not to touch it.
"What are we waiting for?" said Szordrin. "We should step on the portal."
"It is too risky," said Hakam. "We do not know whence it leads. It might even leave this plane. Would we be able to breathe? Would we be killed instantly?"
"I remind us again," said Jayce, "that the 'Chosen One' was told to enter the dinosaur's mouth; he should be the one to step on the portal."
"I could pray to Anachtyr tomorrow for some spells that would help us," said Hakam. "I could set a planar dimensional anchor on Belvin, so that the portal cannot take him from our world. I could also ask to know his status, which direction he is, how near or how far, and if he is alive."
"We cannot wait until morning!" said Szordrin. "Walker is way ahead of us."
"The crates have already been delivered," said Hakam. "Walker doesn't matter any more."
"As you said, Szordrin, we are several hours behind Walker now," said Belvin. "A night won't make any difference. We have no chance of catching him today. Besides that, Kamil goes with me, and I'll need to pray for the power to shrink him so that he can fit in this temple."
"We'll have to hope to track Walker tomorrow," said Leokas. "We should return to Oma and the animals for the night."
~~~~
That night, they had camped at the base of the ziggurat. In the morning, Hakam and Belvin prayed for their spells. Belvin used his magic to shrink down the camels and Cloud to the size of large dogs. Then all of them entered the temple again and descended the many steps down to the room with the altar.
Only Hakam, Belvin, and Leokas entered the final chamber with the portal. Hakam readied Belvin with his selected spells. First, a ray of emerald-green magical energy shot from his open palm and enveloped Belvin in a shimmering field of green light. Then he laid his hands on the wild elf and said a further prayer for Anachtyr to watch over him. "You are ready," Hakam said.
"Here, take the omlar gem," said Leokas, handing it to him. "Perhaps you will need it for the portal to activate."
Belvin boldly approached the the circular platform and stepped up onto it, passing under the intersecting partial rings. The circular platform below him glowed subtly, and the "open dome" around him began to spin, accelerating as it orbited around him. Then, as the other two watched, Belvin vanished. The spinning arches slowed down and came to a halt.
Leokas looked to Hakam for information.
"Nothing," said Hakam. "I sense nothing."
"Does that mean...?"
"He cannot have left the material plane," said Hakam. "I should be able to sense his location and health. I do not know what this means."
"What do we do?" asked Leokas.
"I do not know."
The two stood there waiting silently, afraid that Belvin had ceased to be.
Several minutes passed. Suddenly, Hakam became aware of Belvin's life force. "He's alive!" he exclaimed. "Somewhere far to the southwest."
"Is he safe?"
"Yes. No! He... cannot move."
"I'm going after him," said Leokas, and he charged up onto the portal.
"Wait!"
It was too late. The intersecting arches began spinning and Leokas vanished just as Belvin had, leaving Hakam alone.
~~~~
Belvin appeared on a similar circular platform with intersecting arches in what appeared to be the basement of a warehouse lit by torch light. Several yards in front of him, rising from his seat at a desk, was a man with medium-length red hair and wearing a maroon cloak. He had been writing in a small book, and when he heard the arches revolving, he leapt up from his seat to observe his intruder. As the spinning arches ceased their motion, the man raised his palm toward Belvin, and the wild elf felt an invisible force lift him from his feet and drive him back against the wall, pinning him motionless. The man turned and hurried toward a grandfather clock on the right wall and quickly turned the minute hand from the 5 to the 12. Then he fled down the hall before Belvin could get a good look at his face.
Belvin hung there spread out and motionless, unable to turn his head or even move his eyes. Many minutes passed. Then, suddenly, the spell effect ended, and he slid down the wall to his feet, free. With a tribal yell, he rushed after the man down the hall, which led to a set of wooden stairs. These took him outside, though a basement exit hatch. He found himself in a dusty alley of a small town or village. Most of the buildings were made from logs with thatch roofs, much like many in Port Nyanzaru. He was immediately overwhelemed with the smell of salt water and aware of the cries of sea gulls. He was on the coast somewhere. Glancing quickly around, he noticed a couple hung-over humans hunched over on the ground with bottles still in their hands.
Not knowing where he was or what to do, he covered his head with the hood of his cloak. Then he began running to and fro wildly, down the various alleyways, bumping into sailors, trappers, and Tabaxi natives. It seemed he was still in Chult, but where? He made his way toward the docks. It was a tiny port, not like Nyanzaru. In fact, there was only one ship in port, a smallish three-masted vessel, much like The Daisy... very much like The Daisy in fact.
A familiar voice called his name. "Belvin? Is that you?" It was a woman's voice. She seemed shocked to see him.
It was Loreene, the sailor from the The Daisy.
"So you did make it to Shilku in time! I am surprised. Where are the others? We just arrived an hour ago ourselves. Shaundakul gave us favorable winds yesterday, and we are a day early."
"I am here alone," he said. "Hopefully, the others will follow me here."
"Om... the Captain went to one of the bars," she said. "I'll go find him and tell him you've already arrived."
"I'll stay here," said Belvin. "I'm sure the others will be here soon."
"It's so good to see you!" Loreene said.
Belvin nodded, and she hurried off.
The sun was low in the sky; it was clearly early morning still. Belvin sat on the deck of the ship and waited.
Ombert came back with Loreene and greeted Belvin. Belvin explained much of what had befallen them on their adventure through the jungle. Ombert had many questions and wanted to know where Walker was. Belvin said that he did not know. Maybe an hour passed.
"Didn't you say the others would be right behind you?" asked the halfling captain.
Belvin had said so, but there was no sign of any of them....
Viewable by: Public
Posted on May 01, 2015 00:33
0 comments