Little did you know what you were getting yourself in for, the first time you laid eyes on that grinning, evil little skull.
You diligently worked your way through the Temple, faction-by-faction, minion-by-minion, node-by-node, until you secured each of the four power gems of elemental evil.
Securing the Temple, and defeating Zuggtmoy, was only part of the campaign that had to be waged.
Arnie found out soon enough, that by possessing the skull, its powers would become known, and available to wield death and destruction on your foes. The taste of power of that scale made him uneasy - the Orb of Golden Death seemed to talk to him in his mind, coaxing him into using it at every opportunity.
Not all of his companions seemed so distressed by the portent of doom that seemed to lay below the surface. Chris Bright, secure in his feelings of superiority - nay, omnipotence! - played games with Yellowskull. But will those games come back to haunt him?
Determined to put an end to this icon of Iuz's evil, Kazandra sent word through the Church of St Cuthbert of the orb's existence, and requested immediate attention from the church authorities. Word came back soon enough that her companions should transport Yellowskull towards Akorros with all haste, and a emissary of the church would take care of the thing once and for all.
Ending the Orb's foul existence was enough motivation for Kazandra to ride 5000 miles if needs be, so the weeks of travel to Akorros was a mere holiday. Were the trolls that were met on the way seeking out the Orb themselves? Was it calling to them through a plane of evil that none in the party could have transposed?
Riding but a few days more, a man was met on the outskirts of Akorros. Canon Marcus led the Orb-bearer to an altar that had been specially prepared for this ritual. Those that were touched by the evil of the orb were given the opportunity to turn away now, knowing that the Orb may seek them out, or seek to control them, should they pose a threat to its existence.
Elemental destruction was the heart of the ritual of the mysterious Brother Jerome of the Sanctified Mind. With fog, and fire, and wind, on the consecrated ground, he was able to reduce the Orb of Golden Death to a ruined lump.
Very few would have been able to achieve the destruction of the orb, with all gems inset. This rare team of adventurers had set out merely to explore the ruins of a temple that most had forgotten.
Iuz, and Zuggtmoy, however, were still very much at work, and the battle plans had already been drawn for what would be a catastrophic return of evil to the lands.
Little did they realise that a brave band of adventurers would soon be putting their evil plans to the sword once and for all. Now with the destruction of the orb, the good folk of Hommlet, and the western countries of Mystara, can rest easy once more.
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