This session's roster:
After healing their wounds, the PCs again descended to the third tier. During the last excursion, the PCs didn't map (the elf usually does this, but she had sat that session out), so they decided to retrace their steps and update their map, first.
The group proceeded down the increasingly familiar cooridor and through the revolving hallway. They came to the intersection where they had the fight with the Cynidicean group; there were bloodstains and footprints, but no bodies. [Surprisingly, they did not perform a thorough search or try to figure out where the bodies went, they just shrugged and moved on.] Returning to the ransacked chapel, they found the door slightly ajar (less than inch). The party sent the thief forward to listen; she detected several voices engaged in conversation; from the sound of it, they were at the far-end of the chapel (i.e. near the railing/ramp). After quietly moving up, the Fighting Man forced the door open and the group spilled into the room. One of the nomads flung a torch towards the far-end of the chamber, where it landed in a shower of sparks. At least a half-dozen figures crouched amonst the shattered pews and behind the railing. Torchlight glinted off golden masks and bared steel, but the PCs recognized the strangers as fellow brothers of Gorm.
Standing up straight, the Fighting Man hailed the brothers, and they responded in kind, cautiously emerging from behind cover and scabbarding weapons. The meeting which followed revealed that the strangers were a group of eight brothers of Gorm coming up from the city, below, in response to a summons from Kanandius. This group from the city recognized the PCs as the "outland brothers" that they had heard rumors of. They seemed excited by the prospect, and asked how many outlanders were coming to swell the ranks of the Brotherhood. They seemed disappointed by the response that the PCs were all that had come so far, so the Fighting Man said that more might come, which seemed to reassure them. The brothers declined an invitation to join in the explorations, saying they had to report to Kanadius, but they did warn the PCs to be very careful in the crypts, which can be dangerous, and to try and avoid the Warrior Maidens, who are prone to violence.
After the two groups split up, the PCs decided to return to the "battle intersection" and explore the passage to the west. This hallway seemed far dustier and less-travelled than the eastern way, but it, too ended at a closed door (although this door seemed plainer than the door to the ransacked chapel). Listening produced no clues, so the Fighting Man forced the portal open and the PCs shone their torches into the room, beyond. The first thing that struck the PCs was a heavy fungal odor wafting out, and a hint of moisture. The room, itself, appeared to be yet another storage chamber of some sort. It was about half the size of the ransacked chapel, and had large stone shelves covering the walls. Upon these shelves, and placed randomly around the floor, were large square crates or blocks of some sort, but it was impossible to tell exactly what they were, as they were completely covered with a sickly orange [I altered this from yellow, since some of my players have encountered yellow mold, before] growth: some sort of mold or fungus. It grew thick over all the crates or blocks, and also hung in ragged sheets from the shelves. Puddles of water dotted the floor; a slow drip fell from a crack in the ceiling about once every thirty seconds.
While the others huddled in the doorway, the elf entered the room, torch in one hand and sword in another. Avoiding the puddled water, she approached the nearest of the mold-shrouded cubes and held her torch close to it. As the heat drew near, a small patch of the mold turned brown and gave off a terrible burning odor, so she pulled the flame back, and carefully prodded with her sword. The object beneath the mold felt like wood. She tried scraping some of the mold off.
Poof! In a rapid chain-reaction, the mold-covered crate exploded in a cloud of yellowish spores, and the elf felt a searing pain in her eyes and throat. She staggered back to the hallway, holding her breath, and the fighting man slammed the door shut. Although soreness and a painful cough lingered, the elf suffered no lasting effects from the noxious fungus. [I rolled 1 point of damage, and the elf made her saving throw. The others were out of the cloud, so they were unaffected.] The PCs decided to leave the mold-room unexplored, for now. They returned to the revolving passage.
After some debate, the PCs decided to push the button marked with the symbol Kanandius had indicated meant "east." They felt the passage rotate for about thirty seconds, and then discovered that the door now opened on a short hallway ending in a stout-looking door. Very little dust was in evidence. The PCs cautiously approached the door, and the thief listened. She reported hearing fairly high pitched voices, beyond, conversing and laughing, but she couldn't make out the words. Readying for action, the PCs gathered and the Fighting Man attempted to force the door. His first attempt failed, so he immediately tried again, making a prodigious effort. Normally, even a stuck door would have opened after been struck so, but this one held fast, and I informed the fighting man that he thought it might be barred from the other side. [This was the case. I decided that the Warrior Maidens, beyond, would have this portal barred (and have a covered peep-hole).] The PCs listened again, but everything had gone very quiet. They decided to wait for a bit, to see what transpired... [the Warrior Maidens peeped out, saw an armed and ready-for-action band of Gorm Brothers trying to bash down the door, and reacted as might be expected!]
Perhaps only a minute passed before they heard the soft grating noise that meant the revolving passage was in use. It went on for about 15 seconds, paused, and then started up, again. The elf, realizing the group could be hit from both directions at once, yelled out for the party to get ready for a threat from both ends of the hall. The group had barely got into position in the center of the hallway when the western door (to the revolving passage) opened and a group of five amazon warriors charged. The women all appeared to be Cynidiceans, armored in mail over green tunics and wearing bronze masks of Madaura. The elf threw a pinch of sand into the air and her lips opened to release a torrent of fey syllables. Even as they charged, the amazons collapsed into enchanted sleep.
However, any relief was short-lived, as the eastern portal also crashed open and five more amazons charged from that direction. Fuad [the desert nomad NPC who did so well in the last battle and was elevated to 1st level fighting man] set his spear. The thief, who was also on the threatened flank, fell back to the center, readying an arrow. The elf drew her sword to receive the charge.
First blood went to the Brothers of Gorm, as Fuad's spear impaled the tallest amazon (who wielded a reddish-glowing mace). The strike would have skewered a wild boar, but the amazon managed to turn at the last instant, so she was only seriously wounded, rather than slain instantly. [This was Pandora, the leader of the Warrior Maidens. She was a 3rd level Fighter, but Fuad rolled a 19 to hit and a 6 for damage, doubled because his spear was set to receive a charge. Pandora's sword +1 has been replaced with a mace +1 -- I had a cool lead figure for her.] Because the thief had moved back, there was an opening on the right, and the amazons rushed through to engage the party's other fighting men (PC and the other nomad NPC). This melee was swift and vicious (unlike the previous combat, which went on for some time before someone fell). Warrior maidens fell almost immediately, but they also dealt out several wounds (to Fuad and to the elf). Grasping Fuad's spear, Pandora jerked him forward and sent her mace smashing into his helm. He dropped to the floor, either dead or grieviously hurt. [He was at exactly zero, so he was unconscious, per my house rule.] However, Fuad's fall opened up a clean shot for the the thief, who sent an arrow humming into Pandora's right eye, killing her instantly. [The 1st level thief rolled a natural 20, and Pandora didn't have much left after spitting herself on Fuad's spear.] After several rounds of furious melee, only two amazons still stood. One of them gave a command to flee, and both attempted it. One fleeing amazon was cut down by the elf; the last warrior maiden rushed back to the door and slammed it shut, hotly pursed by the fighting man (who was slowed by his heavy armor). He flung himself against the door, felt it give for a moment, but then it was shoved closed, again. He tried again, but failed to force his way in before hearing the bar fall back into place. [I gave him two chances to burst through while the warrior maiden tried to hold the portal and get the bar back into place. He rolled poorly and didn't manage it, so one wounded warrior maiden got away to tell the tale of the Brotherhood of Gorm attacking their chambers and slaying Pandora. That should stir up some trouble.]
The cleric prayed over Fuad and brought him back from the brink of death. He was still hurt, but well enough to travel. Keeping a watch on both ends of the hall, the PCs searched the amazons, finding a key on Pandora. They took her mace (which was no longer glowing red) as well. They also attempted to take the five sleeping amazons, but I ruled against this, saying the armored and magically sleeping warriors were far too heavy a burden, especially considered how laden they already were with armor, weapons, torches, and adventuring gear. The PCs responded by killing three of the sleeping amazons [vicious!] and carrying two back to the headquarters of the Brotherhood of Gorm, to the somewhat horrified amazement of Kanandius. He was also shocked to hear they had slain Pandora (the tall, mace-wielding amazon).
[The session ended, here, with the triumphant return of the PCs to their headquarters. Kanandius is now realizing what a potent force he has on his hands, and is feeling a bit like a man who has let a rather dangerous genie out of the bottle; he's wondering if he can keep control. The eight brothers from the city witnessed the return of the PCs, saw the warrior maiden prisoners, and heard about the fall of Pandora. They are elated and enthused, and see the PCs (especially the charismatic fighting man) as heroes sent by Gorm. The surviving warrior maiden is on her way to the city to tell her tale of woe to sisters, there. The treasure of the Warrior Maidens is undisturbed, and the PCs have the key. However, maidens from the city will certainly try to secure it, if the PCs don't find it quickly. Open "war" between the Brothers of Gorm and the Warrior Maidens is almost inevitable, in either case.
The fighting man is now second level.]