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They leave and arrive in a corridor. They push forward and arrive in the temple of fire.
This huge hall of red granite lit by scores of flambeaux and the odor of sulfur and heated metal. There are tapestries along the far wall, several other doors in, and a brass tube suspended from the ceiling. To the left of it in a shallow fire pit and to either side of the long tube are low stands of brass open with are charcoal. There are flanks of copper pillars and cauldrons. Alzar puts on the Fire Amulet and Robe from the dead clerics and moves in by himself (remembering how this worked above). He also puts on the Ring of Fire Resistance.
There is a glowing amber liquid in the pots and a translucent block of golden apatite in the center. There are figures moving in the fire. They writhe in there and are not doing anything else. There is nothing on the altar, unlike the earth temple. Alzar risks touching the altar, and it shrieks out “Who Dares Defile the Sacred Elemental Fire?” The figures in the fire pit begin to grow. Alzar grabs water and tries to douse the pit, to no avail. After a round, they are growing more and Alzar orders Carum and Estaish in. He pulls out and tosses Wave to Carum, since the trident would be happy to fight creatures of fire. Alzar tries to control the fire creatures, but they are too powerful.
As they get bigger, Alzar can tell they are Fire Salamanders – 4 of them. His axe is just +0 against the chaotic evil guys and he hits for 11 damage on one as it gets big. Est hits for 4 and Carum hits with Wave for 8 damage. Next round they are done growing and battle ensues. They have wicked tridents. Alzar, Carum and Est are immune to the salamander fire aura due to Fire Protection magic. Alzar wins init and hews the salamander for 11 damage. Est misses. Carum crits it with wave for 18 damage and it dies. Two miss Alzar, a third misses Carum. Est, Carum and Alzar all get a second attack now. All three hit for 22 damage. The salamanders win init and hit Est once for 7 damage. Everybody hits for 32 and the salamander already wounded dies. The salamanders win init again and hit Carum for 6 damage. Alzar Est and Carum swing and hit three times for 31 damage. They attack again and Est misses and Carum and Alzar deal 21 and kill it. One left. It wins init and misses. It takes 24 damage. They finally win init and kill it.
Est – 39/50
Carum - 55/64
XP – 2667 for Carum, Est and Alzar
They search the area. Alzar reaches down with his hands and checks the fire pit. There is something way down there, and he is not burned, but will be if he keeps his hands there. He has undead retrieve a pair of wine casks from an earlier room and they drop them over the fire pit and it is put out, but smoldering and getting hotter again. Alzar has a zombie reach down, and a trap triggers and cuts off its hand. It can still fight fine without it, though. Alzar sees the mechanism and Acids it and it is destroyed. Another zombie retrieves a chest and it is locked. Neither Alzar nor the thief can pick the lock, so he Acid’s it and opens it.
2 Potions
Ring of Fire Resistance
Longsword
They pry the gold decoration from the altar:
Gold Fire Altar Decoration – 500 gp
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