Day of the Mouse (19th), Lovers’ Moon, Year of the Burning Mountain

Plea from the Silent Priests

Time passed in Lankhmar. Yucta bought a small but well-appointed house on Silver Street. Kee-Ree Nigh Ran-ax departed, still hunting his demons. Blundar Oddly sought to banish his own demons in the Tenderloin district, night after night. One of these evenings (the Butterfly) Yucta was approached in the Plaza of Dark Delights by a silent, gagged priest of Votishal. The priest handed Yucta a note, requesting his presence at midday at the temple.

Sun zenith at the Temple of Votishal

Ockasiola and Yucta went to the temple at midday as requested. The temple was far up in the most excellent part of the Street of the Gods, indeed almost at the top. A restless crowd had gathered because the temple had been closed for days now. When the door opened at noon, Yucta and Ockasiola spotted a gang of toughs fixing to cause trouble. Yucta killed one and Ockasiola punched two more, sending them sprawling. The last one admitted they had been sent by Basharat, the local religious extortionist (or ‘provider of earthly insurance against divine calamities’ as he would put it).

The high priest of Votishal beckoned to the two. He removed his gag, turned over a sand-timer, and spoke quickly. The former high priest had been murdered by Basharat, and five more priests had been mysteriously murdered; one per night for five nights. The Votishites needed Yucta and Ockasiola to break in to the temple and find the murderer. Why break in? asked Yucta. Because the Votishites were a paranoid bunch

The hours till dusk

Ockasiola explored the sewers beneath the temple. He found a catacomb, a corpse and a space beneath the temple, but no way up. In the house on Silver Street, Yucta brewed a ‘spider oil’ which would allow people to climb vertical surfaces.

Nightfall on the Street of the Gods

As dusk fell on Lankhmar, Yucta and Ockasiola approached the temple. They found a side garden, but noticed before entering that it contained a hungry Grey Kleshite Jaguar. They climbed the wall to a second-storey window using Yucta’s spider oil.

They found themselves in a dormitory. Exploring the upper level they disturbed some bottles, which had been set as an alert by two Guild (?) thieves. There was a stand-off, but Yucta persuaded the thieves to depart without bloodshed. Later he wondered how they could be Guild-affiliated if one was a woman.