Well cared for

The adventurers trudged back from their treacherous journey to Iron Town, their boots kicking up dust as they approached the familiar walls of Nobody’s Inn. Inside, they were greeted by the soft glow of the hearth fire and the deep murmurs of familiar voices. Maela and Timbur Boulderbottom, the town's hardworking farmers, sat at the large oak table with two figures they'd never seen before. A glance around the room told them that Leinad was absent, though his silent companion, Nivek, motioned for them to join the others at the center of the table.

Introductions were swift. The Boulderbottoms, hearty dwarves with calloused hands, spoke in their gruff but welcoming manner. Seated at the table in a flowing gold and white habit was Sister Dawn of the Pale, a human cleric who bore the symbol of Pholtus, the god of Light. Behind her stood a towering figure—a radiant Aasimar clad in gleaming silver armor. His celestial aura shimmered faintly, casting an ethereal glow around the room, though he said little.

As the conversation began, Sister Dawn shared that the Church of the Pale sought to reclaim the long-abandoned temple in Achordia for their order. She spoke of the Church’s long-standing rivalry with the Theocracy of Dimre, another faction devoted to Pholtus but with differing doctrines and laws. While Dimre was believed to have originally built the temple, The Pale insisted it rightfully belonged to them.

But then, the peculiar "murder child" of the group—Chord—stepped forward, his voice unwavering. "The temple cannot be yours," he stated simply, his gaze fixed on Sister Dawn. "The First Law of Achordia already claims the temple."

The others around the table nodded. The First Law, a complex doctrine, stated that the first to claim ownership of a property had full rights to it. But should the ownership dissolve, the second claim holder would take precedence. These laws, known as "Dib's" (In reference to the knucklebones) and "Shot Gun" (the latter a nod to the legendary hill giant Gunnhildr and her massive ballista), were well understood by the locals.

It was Tyr, the party's stalwart cleric, who had already invoked the First Law in regard to the temple. However, he was willing to make an exception. "The temple can be used for your purposes," he offered, his voice gentle but firm. "But only within its walls. You may act as healers and proselytize, but no further."

The group then shifted their attention to more practical matters. The Boulderbottoms, though accustomed to tending to the land, had struggled with irrigation ever since the settlers had arrived. There was a well system running through the farmlands, but it had run dry over the years, leaving them to rely on the nearby river for water. If only they could get the well working again, it would greatly improve crop yields. The adventurers agreed to investigate.

The well was an exceedingly large structure, and reaching its depths would require some clever tactics. Chord and Barluk, both agile and strong, descended with ropes tied securely around them. Vincent, the moon druid, transformed into a great eagle and soared to the bottom. Douglas and Tyr, however, were less graceful. Douglas, the wizard, crept down cautiously, but his hands grew weak, and his body tumbled the rest of the way. Tyr, his heavy armor clanking, managed to hold onto the rope, but his descent was less than elegant, crashing to the ground with a loud thud.

What they expected to be a simple cavernous waterway turned out to be something far stranger—a highly intricate system of pipes, valves, and mechanisms, far more sophisticated than anything they had anticipated. A plaque on the wall offered a cryptic clue, its message penned with a touch of humor:

"Instructions may be needed for proper management of pipe systems. This system follows the designs of the leading plumbing architect of the dwarves. For further information call out to him to see more."

In a moment of shared understanding, the party members who had become familiar with the eccentricities of Theresa shouted in unison, "Seymour!"

Immediately, Dwarven runes along the walls began to glow, their meanings translated into the common tongue. The pipes weren’t just for water—they were also linked to fire management, crucial for the town's forge. And, to their shock, they recognized the oozes

they had encountered earlier slithering through the pipes.

Following the maze-like system beneath the town, the party ventured deeper. As they activated one of the valves, they were suddenly thrust into an entirely different space—a cavernous room far from the sewage system. The walls were adorned with radiant Phostwood debris washed downstream, glowing faintly in the dim light. The light danced off countless shards of glass, which had been carefully shaped into lifelike representations of animals—rabbits, snakes, and cats among them. But it was the center of the room that captured their attention.

In the heart of the chamber, a massive circle was carved into the stone, surrounded by ancient runes. And atop the circle, gnawing on one of the oozes, was a creature of unspeakable horror.

Its body was a grotesque mixture of beasts—its tail a long, scaled barb; its hindquarters massive and goat-like; its front half a great lion with claws that could tear through stone. Atop its shoulders were the heads of a dragon, a lion, and a goat. The chimera looked up from its grisly feast, its dragon head narrowing as it locked eyes with the adventurers.

Before they could react, the beast lunged.

The battle was brutal and swift. Tyr and Barluk charged forward, weapons raised. Tyr's mace cracked against the dragon's head, while Barluk's greatsword cleaved into the lion's fur. Vincent, in his crocodile form, tore into the goat’s neck, blood spraying in all directions. Douglas fired magical missiles, striking the beast’s side with devastating force. Chord, ever the swift warrior, circled the creature, setting his spear ablaze and hammering it with precise strikes.

The chimera roared, its lion head bleeding freely from the blows, but the dragon head retaliated, unleashing a torrent of flame that nearly engulfed the party. Only Tyr's shield spared them from the worst of it, though Chord and Barluk were badly scorched. The lion’s claws raked across the halfling monk, sending him flying into the air.

But the party fought on, their magic and strength overwhelming the creature. Vincent unleashed a burst of thunderous energy, sending the chimera staggering. Douglas fired a barrage of magical orbs, striking true into the dragon’s skull, and Chord, with a final, well-placed arrow to the eye, ended the beast’s reign of terror.

As the creature crumpled to the ground, the adventurers took a moment to tend to their wounds, the smell of blood and sweat thick in the air. They gathered the trophies—the beast's pelt and the dragon head—and took stock of the room. The magical circle at the center of the chamber intrigued them.

After some investigation, they realized the circle was a teleportation portal, carved in a style familiar to them—Theresa’s cryptic runes. Some of the party stepped through, only to find themselves standing on the edge of a massive crater far beneath where they had once stood, gazing down at the ruins of an ancient city submerged under what appeared to be a vast lake.

But the lake wasn’t water at all. It was a colossal gelatinous cube, its translucent surface reflecting the ruins below. Towers jutted out from the depths, pipes running from the walls to various points in the city. The adventurers, realizing that there was far more to this mystery than they had time to uncover, used the portal to return to the safety of Nobody’s Inn.

As they regrouped, the weight of their discoveries settled on them. The city beneath the lake, the temple's true claimants, and the dangers lurking just beneath their feet—there was much work yet to be done. And they had just begun to scratch the surface.