Shadow of the Darkness, Session 1

*	Darte cues some shlocky arcade tune
<DM>	*LAST TIME ON DUNGEONS AND DRA- oh wait wrong game
<DM>	*You all went to go pwn Agahnim, which you did, but unfortunately, his plan to attack Hyrule actually succeeded, if only for a brief time. His mind control of the Gerudo lasted long enough to through Hyrule into disarray. After beating Agahnim, you decided to go get help from the Sheikah.
<DM>	*Courtesies of Shady's experimental Portal Gun- I mean portal magic, the three of you, Kirran, Darte & Hal, have teleported straight over to the Shadow Temple.
<DM>	*Other things you learned, Kirran now worships Garo Master as the master senpai, Raine supposedly isn't a fairy, and the Great Fairy is no- actually I don't remember if she was freed from that or not.
<DM>	*Kay, looked this crap up, Great Fairy was almost freed, but it turns out, Agahnim wasn't the only one behind sealing her way, he was secretly getting played by the Interlopers.
<DM>	*Alright, I think that's all the big plot points from before, excluding Dex, buuuuut he went and did other things, so...... we gud.
<DM>	-=QUEST START=-
<DM>	--In the Shadow of the Darkness--
<DM>	*After what feels like eternity but was, in fact, only for a few seconds (timeline wise, this is before Gurloz takes over as head of the Hylian Guard), you all spontaneously appear in the entrance of the Shadow Temple, piling on in a heap.
<DM>	[Raine]: Ack, Kirran, you're stifling my bottle, getoff!
<Kirran>	Why do I always land on the bottom of the pile every time?
<DM>	*I'm not even gonna ask how that works.
<Kirran>	Oof.
*	Kirran ninja magics out of the pile.
<DM>	*You ninja your way out and find yourself looking at the backside of a familiar Sheikah. She turns around suddenly, ready to throw a set of needles at your neck, when she stops.
<DM>	[Impa]: Oh.... it's you all.
<Kirran>	Sorry boss. Didn't mean to startle you.
<DM>	*She puts the needles away.
<DM>	[Impa]: How... did you get here like... that?
<Kirran>	Shopkeeper ghosts.
<Kirran>	And questionable physics.
<Hal>	I have no idea. The all I know it involves portals and Subrosian Poes
<DM>	[Impa]: Oh right, that guy...
*	Darte unburies from the pile and readjusts his glasses.  "Same as always."  A waggle of the hands.
*	Hal stands up
<DM>	[Impa]: What are you all doing here?
<Kirran>	Umm, that's a good question...
*	Kirran scratches his head.
*	Hal has a valid reason to be here, but scratches his head in how to express it.
<DM>	[Impa]: I repelled the Gerudo attack from the Kakariko, they're all fine, though it distracted me from the Old Sheikah...
<DM>	[Impa]: To make matters worse, I've noticed someone's been creeping around here. I don't know if it's the Old Sheikah or someone else.
<Hal>	The Old Shiekah. I am curious about who they are.
<DM>	*Her eyes sharpen as her fists clench tightly.
<Kirran>	Right, the Gerudo. I was coming back to report on what happened with Aghanim.
<DM>	[Impa]: Little late for that. Though, I could use some help with the Old Sheikah, a group of heretics that have been....
<DM>	*She goes silent for a bit.
<DM>	[Impa]: ... as you can see, there's... no one left. I'm the only remaining Sheikah. Those heretics have killed or taken the rest.
*	Kirran slumps onto the ground.
<Kirran>	We really were too late.
<DM>	[Impa]: ... perhaps not. With your help... we may be able to take them back, drive the heretics off, maybe even kill them for good.
*	Hal weeps.
<Hal>	This isn't good
<DM>	*You all hear subtle, incoherent whisperings in your head for a moment. Impa draws a set of needles out and eyes entrance hall.
*	Darte scratches his head-fin sheepishly.  "Well, this is a barrel of piss."
<DM>	[Impa]: Get up. Whoever's been stalking this place is back.
*	Kirran stands up and takes up his bow.
*	Hal gets back up and stands with his guard up.
<DM>	*You all hear foosteps, slowly approaching from the darkness, and gradually getting louder.
<DM>	*Impa readies her right hand on the grip of her weapon, getting ready to wield it. She seems to be twitching and shaking slightly.
<Kirran>	We've got your back boss. There's no force we aren't ready to face.
<DM>	[???]: Why, is that so, my old friend?
<DM>	*You hear a familiar voice from the darkness of the entrance and instinctively shut it out.
<DM>	*You hear a high-pitched shrieking sound as the person enters view, wearing a familiar blood-colored cloak and wielding a large twin-helix blade.
<Kirran>	Why is it that no matter where I go, you always seem to be there?
<DM>	[Bloodwind]: No force you aren't ready to face? Well then... challenge accepted!
<DM>	[Bloodwind]: ... what?
*	Darte squints at the figure.  "Y'know him?"
<DM>	*DM's note, Bloodwind's memory of DMing was erased.
<DM>	[Bloodwind]: I mean, I'd love to, but.... nah, it's been a while since I've seen you, Kirran.
*	Hal clenches his shield and stands guard in the presence of Bloodwind.
<DM>	[Impa]: Why are you here?
<DM>	[Bloodwind]: Well, you see... I came here to... ... okay that shrieking sound is getting annoying, lemme fix that.
<DM>	*He suddenly swings his blade, releasing a large force of blinding energy at you all. Everyone roll Courage to defend!
<Hal>	$21d10
<Hal>	(... where is Navi?)
<DM>	..... wh- oh fffffffff
<Kirran>	(oh dear...)
<DM>	kefka has no backups either....... ............
<Darte>	$34d10
<Hal>	(so it appears Navi decided to take a vacation)
<DM>	..... well, I have DM'd w/ no Navi before, and it involved just roleplaying the crap out of it.
<Kirran>	(Raine's madness has infected all the fairies. Everyone run...)
<DM>	well, you might have a better chance at this fight w/o Navi, so.... consider this a royal blessing!
<DM>	*You all defend yourselves against the incoming massive wave of doom, and when it hits, it..... actually just passes right by you. You...... didn't feel anything.
<DM>	*Darte, you suddenly hear the shrieking...... from behind you.
*	Hal is still wary, that this wave might have some sort of delayed effect,
*	Darte has no ears, but if he did, they might be pricking right about now.
<DM>	*As the blast settles, you look ahead and.... don't see Bloodwind. At all.
<DM>	[Impa]: Wow, you all actually fell for it.
<Hal>	Watch out. Bloodwind might still be around somewhere.
*	Kirran looks at Impa
<Kirran>	What?
<DM>	*Impa swings the twin-helix blade from behind at Darte!
<DM>	*You notice the high shrieking sound actually coming from the blade.
<DM>	*As she swings, the image of Bloodwind replaces her image.
*	Darte blinks and tilts his head to the side.  "What in pits..."
<Kirran>	Damn, I forgot his thing is illusions.
*	Hal locked eyes with the Twin Helix Blade and experiences a flush of anger running inside him; both at Bloodwind's tricks and at the blade itself...
*	Kirran fires an arrow in at the sword's hilt as quickly as he can.
<DM>	*Darte, you tilt your head to the side and find it goes a lot further than you'd think. Well, then again, you're not used to seeing your body after being decapitated like that.
*	Hal readies his shield and sword.
<DM>	*Kirran, your arrow hits the sword hit, thought it's a tad late.
<DM>	[Bloodwind]: Ahahahah! HAHAHAH- oooooh I haven't tricked someone that good in a LONG long time!
<DM>	*His hand appears to be shaking after the arrow struck the hilt.
<DM>	[Bloodwind]: My my, that's got some force to it.
<DM>	[Bloodwind]: So, which one of you should I go after next? No wait, wait wait wait wait....
<DM>	[Bloodwind]: That's right... I came here for an actual reason. Sorry about the Zora, I'm sure he'll be just fine after a fairy or so.
*	Hal grabs Darte's body and pushes it back behind him
*	Kirran nocks another arrow.
*	Darte lolls lifelessly.  Didn't realize being a corpse could be so... stiff.
<DM>	[Bloodwind]: Well... maybe I should take out just one more of you before Impa arrives, or I might have an actual-
<DM>	*Kirran, your arrow- actually, what kind of arrow are you using?
<Kirran>	Impact arrows at the moment.
<DM>	*Your arrow strikes Bloodwind directly, hurtling him backwards as he slams into the wall behind him.
<DM>	*He recovers from it quickly, though Kirran..... you suddenly feel a sharp pain.
<DM>	[Bloodwind]: Ow... that frigin' hurt!
<DM>	[Bloodwind]: Oh good, it's a blunt arrow. Wouldn't want the poor old Sheikah youngling here killing himself on me.
<DM>	*From under the top side of his cloak, you see an oddly colored armored, with intricate blue and red patterns, though you can't see more because of the cloak. It also appears to be lined with thorns, which jutted out slightly when you arrow hit him.
<Kirran>	Clever.
<DM>	[Bloodwind]: Now, Mr. Kirran, I'm going to remove the telepathic block I put on you. Tell Impa that I'm looking for something, and if she attempts to come in here and cause a ruckus, well... I happen to know where all of the remaining Sheikah prisoners are, and I will immediately disappear from here and go kill all of them should she resist.
<Kirran>	If you harm my tribe, I will spend the rest of my life hunting you down and finding a way to erase you from history Bloodwind.
*	Hal took Poison Materia into his hand where his sword once was and cast a Fairy Beam on Darte
<DM>	[Bloodwind]: Oh please, you couldn't really hurt me if you tried. Besides, I took down the one guy in here capable of turning this battle around.
<Hal>	(Darte should now be revived)
<DM>	*He looks at a no longer decapitated Darte.
*	Hal still hides Darte.
<DM>	*Err, he sees a furry.
<DM>	[Bloodwind]: *cocking his head slightly* Okay, what're you hiding back there, furry guy?
*	Darte blinks at Hal.  "Is... is my head on proper an' all?"
<Kirran>	Don't underestimate me or my resources.
<DM>	[Bloodwind]: Is that..... is that the Zora's voice I hear? I am still Hylian after all, don't even try to hide that you revived him.
*	Hal jabs Darte on the back for that line
<Kirran>	I'm surprised you can hear anything over that shrieking sword of yours.
<DM>	*The sword stopped shrieking after Darte got pwned.
*	Kirran rubs his ears, the echoes still ringing in them.
<DM>	[Bloodwind]: Don't you know anything about Hylians? They can selectively hear whatever they wish, it's this nice little thing that-
<Hal>	Darn it.
*	Darte wonders why the DM hasn't added that to the racial traits.
<DM>	(that is in the hylian's racial traits)
*	Darte oh snaps
<DM>	*Suddenly, he dashes to the side as a set of needles impales themselves into the wall next to Bloodwind.
*	Hal watches as the needles strike the wall but quickly locks his eyes back to the Twin Helix Blade.
<DM>	*Impa dashes into the room, drawing a large Naginata, a blade composed of several axe blades lined together.
*	Hal is still fuming in rage at the sight of the sword.
<DM>	*She's about to rush at Bloodwind when she suddenly stops.
<DM>	[Bloodwind]: Ah, there's my favorite Sheikah in the world!
<DM>	[Impa]: You....... you would dare threaten..... the existence of my tribe?
<DM>	[Bloodwind]: No, not really, as long as you just answer one simple little question....
<DM>	*You can hear the twin-helix blade start to rev up the sound again. Its vibrations heavily distort the air around it. It's not quite to the level of piercing..... yet
<DM>	[Bloodwind]: You see, I heard from the Happy Mask Man that this armor here... *he points to the crazy armor under his cloak* ... is supposed to have these awesome whips. But.... I can't seem to activate them.
<Hal>	...
*	Kirran readies another arrow, but keeps his bow unaimed.
<DM>	[Bloodwind]: It turns out I need another of Majora's artifacts to activate them. And after I talked with your Sheikah tribesmen-
<Hal>	Majora... I feel like I've heard that name from somewhere.
<DM>	*Impa suddenly creates a rush of whirling water around her naginata. Her shadow also splits into two.
<DM>	[Bloodwind]: Ah, no worries, I didn't hurt them, I just visited them while they were imprisoned.
<DM>	[Bloodwind]: Anyhow, I asked them a few simple questions... annnnd... it turns out... Impa. You... and only you... know where this artifact is.
<DM>	[Bloodwind]: So... I ask you Impa... Where is this last Majora artifact I need?
*	Hal suddenly remembers his confrontation with the Bandit Rouge wielding a shield of a very similar design of that of Bloodwind's armor
<DM>	[Bloodwind]: Actually, I'd ask what it is, but nah... I'm not that greedy. Just tell me where it is, and... well... I won't hurt your Sheikah tribesmen. Absolutely promise. I'm actually an honest person... well, as long as I'm not using illusions.
*	Kirran looks into Raine's bottle
<DM>	[Impa]: And if I gut you in half?
*	Darte whispers behind Hal's back.  "Think we could run a rescue mission while those two are duking it out?"
<DM>	[Bloodwind]: Well, let's just say you all take me down here. I should be back in time, before you get to the prisoners, that I will make your life VERY difficult. In fact, I'll will personally go out of my way to ambush you at the most inconvenient time possible.
<DM>	*Darte, thankfully due to the piercing sound, he actually doesn't hear you.
<DM>	*Raine isn't just silent. Her bottled is engulfed in darkness. You can't even sense her presence.
<DM>	[Bloodwind]: So, just tell me where it is, and... you won't have to deal with dead Sheikah or a hostage situation probably involving more dead Sheikah on your hands.
*	Hal whispers back "We need to find out where we actually are. I don't think anyone here has a map"
<Kirran>	Hang in there Raine...
<DM>	[Bloodwind]: *looking in Kirran's direction* What are you talking about over there?
<DM>	[Impa]: The Shadow Temple
<DM>	*Bloodwind looks back.
<DM>	[Impa]: You know, that pile of rubble behind you.
<DM>	*Looking further down the way into the deeper parts of the Shadow Temple, you in fact do see a pile of rubble blocking the path.
<DM>	[Bloodwind]: ... oh.... Impa, you didn't....
*	Hal looks around the room to see where everyone actually is
<Hal>	(ie. where the room is)
<DM>	[Impa]: I did. Maybe you should've asked me before the Old Sheikah started poking around in there. I asked the Gorons for a little explosive help, and made sure that artifact was buried as far deep as possible.
<Hal>	(brb)
<DM>	[Impa]: Either way, you can have fun searching for it. I answered your question. If you don't find what you're looking for, then go get yourself the Lens of Truth instead of constantly berating it like a useless artifact.
<DM>	*The shrieking sound stops as the blade stops vibrating.
<DM>	[Bloodwind]: ... darn, got me there.
<Hal>	(back)
<DM>	[Bloodwind]: Alright then, I... suppose I'll be.... searching this pile of rubble. But Impa... remember... if I don't find it, and I'll be VERY thorough about this search....
<DM>	*He points his blade at Impa.
<DM>	[Bloodwind]: I will make sure the Sheikah tribe goes extinct.
*	Kirran aims his bow up at Bloodwind.
<DM>	*Impa puts her hand on Kirran's arrow, pulling it down.
<DM>	[Impa]: Don't. Let him be.
*	Kirran reluctantly obeys.
<DM>	*Bloodwind suddenly draws his sword and swings it, releasing a massive force of energy... at the pile of rubble behind him.
<DM>	*The blast shakes the whole dungeon, obliterating the rubble and clearing a path... towards more rubble.
<DM>	[Bloodwind]: Alright, one rubble pile down, another several hundred probably to go... if you'll excuse me, I'll be over here. I might just recommend freeing your Sheikah friends BEFORE I finish this... or else things will get... ugly.
<DM>	*Bloodwind heads deeper into the dungeon. You feel the dungeon shake again as another pile is blasted to nothingness.
*	Darte tugs at Hal's ankle.  "Mind helping me up, if we're gonna get moving?"
<DM>	*Hal, looking around, it's pretty much the entrance room. There's some torches giving some illumination. There's an entrance hall that precedes this, and then the hallway that Bloodwind is going through towards the heart of the dungeon.
<DM>	[Impa]: Let's move from here.
*	Hal nods "I suppose. It appears the question I had here has been answered for me"
<DM>	[Impa]: What question?
<DM>	*She starts heading out towards the exit, aka the entrance hall.
*	Kirran follows.
<DM>	*She puts her naginata away and cancels various spells, though you notice her wielding a set of needles still.
*	Hal followed Impa, mentioning "I believe I might be cursed, and cursed by whatever power that was emanating from Bloodwind's armor."
<DM>	[Impa]: As far as I'm concerned, his existence is a curse to us all.
<DM>	*She stops for a moment and focuses at Hal.
<DM>	[Impa]: ... then again... you may be right.
<DM>	[Impa]: Remind me, who are you? I've heard about you from Kirran and Darte, but I don't believe I've met you.
<Hal>	Seeing that armor. It reminds me of my first encounter with Bloodwind. I, Darte and Gurloz all encountered a possessed bandit that wielded a shield that is very similar in design to what is on Bloodwind's armor.
<Hal>	Bloodwind took that shield and ran away with it.
<Hal>	My name is Hal Hunter, Treasure Hunter hailing from the dream world of Koholint.
<DM>	*You all emerge from the Shadow Temple and out into Kakariko Graveyard. Impa chants something briefly, and the entrance is sealed by a magical barrier.
<DM>	[Impa]: There, now he can't hear us.
<DM>	[Impa]: *turning back to Hal* It is an honor to meet you. As you've heard, I'm Impa, leader of the Sheikah and protector of Kakariko Village.
<Hal>	It is a honor to meet you too.
<DM>	[Impa]: What you faced wasn't a shield. That was actually Majora's Mask, split in half. Saria and I have fought Bloodwind wielding it before.
<Hal>	Majora... This makes perfect sense.
<DM>	[Impa]: I assume if you've visited Termina, you've at least heard of it.
<Hal>	I have been to Termina yes, which is where I've heard of Majora and the legends pertaining to it.
<DM>	[Impa]: Hal... I'm afraid what's inside of you appears to be a part of Majora's Madness. I'm not sure how it got there, but it's there.
<DM>	[Impa]: I can't remove it, but I can help you tame it.
<Hal>	I guessed so after seeing Bloodwind's armor
<Hal>	The Helix blade Bloodwind had. That must be the Twin Helix Blade.
<DM>	*Basically folks, you all know of the legend of Termina, aka Skull Kid going nuts with Majora's Mask with the moon. You also know of stories of Link having stopped the fellow and defeating Majora's Mask.
<Hal>	Somehow, I feel anger. Irrational, immeasurable anger, whenever I see it
<Kirran>	That's a confusing thing to me though. I thought that sword belonged to Majora's rival god.
<Hal>	Indeed
<Hal>	Fierce Deity
<DM>	[Impa]: I've only heard about that blade mentioned from Lightwall, but have yet to face it in combat.
<DM>	[Impa]: ... who?
<Hal>	The legends of Termina describe a rival god by the name of Fierce Deity
<DM>	*I should note, I'm not actually certain I've ever actually mentioned that name in a quest before, so how you folks got that information..... ah screw it, let's just say an Interloper mentioned him at one point.
<DM>	*Or that, that works.
<Hal>	Wielding a twin helix blade.
<DM>	[Impa]: ... I always thought that was a myth, but now that you mention it... no, if he was truly a God, we would have known about him by now. There is no way a God can go completely unnoticed by the world.
<Hal>	On addition; anything with a strong interloper presence unsettles me.
<Darte>	. . . Maybe because he's no longer around to be noticed?
<DM>	[Impa]: We Sheikah have silently observed from the shadows for centuries.
<Hal>	At the very least
<Kirran>	The gossip stones used to say that Link tapped into a power beyond his own to fight Majora. I wonder if that was related.
<DM>	[Impa]: Exactly, Darte. Either he's deceased or he never existed. Legends tend to just be an exaggeration of what really happened. Odds are, with a blade that powerful, anyone would have the impression that someone wielding it is a God.
<DM>	[Impa]: Yes, but Link disappeared before we could find out what it was. It's good to listen to those rumors, but do not accept them as facts until you've received actual evidence otherwise, Kirran.
<Kirran>	They've only steered me wrong a couple of times....
*	Kirran looks sheepish.
<DM>	*Raine suddenly perks up.
<DM>	[Raine]: Hah, I hope you're not counting me!
<DM>	*And she's back to bipolar mode.
<Hal>	But what I find really wierd is that I get the same uneasy feeling from the presence of Tessa Farlon as I did when I came into contact with the Interloper I, Darte and Kirran saw after killing Agahnim
<Hal>	Just, very subtle in Tessa's case
<DM>	[Impa]: ... I'll keep that in mind, Hal.
*	Kirran perks up a bit.
<Kirran>	That's right, I still need to deliver my report.
<DM>	[Raine]: Sunshine isn't rainbows without a little shower of blood! Yep yep!
<DM>	*Impa stands a bit upright, her arms crossed. Yeah, she's totally doing that pose she did all the time in Ocarina of Time.
<DM>	[Impa]: Report?
<Kirran>	What happened with Aghanim and the Gerudo.
<DM>	[Impa]: Agahnim?
*	Kirran furrows his eyebrows.
*	Kirran is starting to feel like something isn't right here.
<Kirran>	Boss, are you feeling okay?
<DM>	[Impa]: The Gerudo suddenly attacked Kakariko. I was defending it, and just as I finished, I sensed something wrong in the Shadow Temple, and that's when I found you all fighting Bloodwind.
<DM>	[Impa]: You mean Agahnim was the one behind that attack?
<DM>	[Impa]: Yes, I'm feeling fine, asides from being a little tired from all that's happened today.
*	Kirran delivers the short version of all that had happened leading up to that point with regards to the Gerudo.
<DM>	*He even includes "LAST TIME ON ZERPYGEE" in his report- nah I'm kidding.
<Hal>	Bloodwind decieved us just as we found ourselves in the Shadow Temple by posing as Impa.
<DM>	*She sternly looks at Kirran and Darte.
<DM>	[Impa]: And how exactly did he trick you with his illusions?
*	Darte shuffles sheepishly.  "I, uh.  Lost my glasses?"
<DM>	[Impa]: I thought after last time with the Sheikah Trials, you two of all people would know how to react to illusions better!
<DM>	*Impa suddenly cuts her arm with one of her needles.
<DM>	[Impa]: I'm not an illusion. If I was, that would have just broken it.
<Kirran>	I can only blame fatigue. The fight with the sorceror was extreme.
<DM>	*She sighs as she casts a quick healing spell on the cut, healing it.
<DM>	[Impa]: Nevermind then. Let us take a quick rest. I need your help for something.
<Hal>	Alright.
<DM>	[Impa]: As Bloodwind mentioned, the remainder of the tribe has been imprisoned.
*	Darte looks behind them.  "Do we need to worry about him?"
<Hal>	Bloodwind tried to pitch that everybody but you were killed.
<DM>	[Impa]: Relax Darte, he'll be searching the Shadow Temple for a very long time. It should be more than enough for this task.
<Hal>	Every Shiekah, that was
<DM>	[Impa]: Not quite, but if we don't hurry.... our tribe might end.
<Hal>	Mhm
<DM>	*She points towards a familiar gravestone in the graveyard. You all recall that under that gravestone is the entrance to the Old Shadow Temple.
<Hal>	Bloodwind's pitch is the same scenario we would end up in if we don't hurry up.
*	Kirran shivers a little.
<Kirran>	Yeah, I remember.
<DM>	[Impa]: You've all been to the Old Shadow Temple before. There, you may have heard about the "Old Sheikah".
<Hal>	I have not, in fact, been to the Old Shadow Temple.
<Hal>	But I do know of rumors pertaining to it.
<DM>	[Impa]: Ah. The Old Shadow Temple was abandoned many decades ago, during a long previous generation of the Sheikah. We refer to them now as the "Old Sheikah".
<Hal>	And I take it the Old Shiekah aren't quite... Shiekah anymore
<DM>	[Impa]: They put themselves into stasis shortly after the end of Garunoff's reign, the previous Gerudo king of a century ago.
<DM>	[Impa]: During the Hyrulean Civil War, when we needed help, we decided to revive them, but... since then, they've only been hindering us and trying to take us over instead of helping us.
<Hal>	And my presumption was correct.
<DM>	[Impa]: In fact, it was them that interfered in your Sheikah Trials, Kirran and Darte.
<Kirran>	I always figured it was just Bloodwind.
<Kirran>	Why did they interfere though?
<DM>	[Impa]: He may have been aiding them at one point, but we never confirmed it.
<DM>	[Impa]: Because... they're trying to recruit you into their version of the Sheikah tribe.
*	Darte shrugs.  "Doesn't sound so bad.  What's their tribe do that's so different?"
*	Hal is cynical about these Old Shiekah
<Kirran>	Then they have greatly underestimated my loyalty.
<DM>	[Impa]: Well, as we found out in our last battle, in which all but myself were taken prisoner...
<DM>	[Impa]: ... they've aligned themselves...
<DM>	[Impa]: ... with the Interlopers.
<Hal>	Oh boy.
<DM>	[Impa]: Have any of you fought an Interloper before?
<DM>	[Impa]: Other than Bloodwind.
<Kirran>	One appeared just before we came here.
<Kirran>	Just being around it messed up Raine pretty badly.
<DM>	[Raine]: A what messed me up badly?
<DM>	*Impa stares at Raine for a bit before glancing back up at you all.
<DM>	[Raine]: *mimicking the voice of a Gossip Stone* They say that if you bash a Gossip Stone enough, blood will erupt from all the rumors in their head and then they explode, and then their corpses turn to fluffly ice cream, yipee!
<Hal>	Interlopers hide where they can. That much I know.
<Hal>	They are at their strongest in the darkness.
<DM>	[Impa]: *continuing to ignore Raine* I see. Then we're going in mostly blind. We must free the Sheikah from their clutches. Only then, do we have a chance... at freeing the Old Sheikah from their selfish desires.
<DM>	[Impa]: I would prefer not to kill them, though if it comes to that... we may need to.
<DM>	*You recall Bloodwind-Impa straight up referring to them as heretics.
<DM>	*Whelp, seems he got a detail wrong.
<DM>	[Impa]: Are you all ready?
<Kirran>	I am.
<DM>	[Raine]: Ooh, wait, can we make cheesecakes out of the corpses of any sinners we come across? I hear blood can be a great substitute for cherries and THE SOULS OF THE HERETIC- ooh cheesecake!
*	Darte nods grimly.  "Ready as I can be."
<DM>	*It seems Impa ninja'd a piece of cheesecake into Raine's bottle.
<Hal>	Same here. I probably need a refil in Magic if I can get that.
<Hal>	While Darte could do with a life refill.
<DM>	[Impa]: Excuse me for a moment.
*	Darte looks quizzically at Raine.  "Gonna help with that?"
<DM>	*She puts her hands together, forming a sign. A moment later, she vanishes completely.
*	Hal looks at the tombstones for a brief moment
<DM>	*Impa returns suddenly, carrying several blue potions.
<DM>	[Impa]: Here, drink up.
*	Darte takes a grateful chug of the blue drank.
*	Hal drinks up a Blue Potion
<Hal>	18h 17m
*	Kirran thoughtfully sips on his.
<DM>	[Impa]: I've got the rest of Kakariko's blue potion stock on hand. We're going to need it for this.
<DM>	*A peek into Impa's inventory reveals somewhere around 20 or 30 more blue potions.
<DM>	*Along with... what appears to be a Goron Powder Keg.
<Hal>	Well, shall we head in?
<DM>	[Impa]: Yes.
<Kirran>	I wonder what Rokan would think of all this if he could understand what we now know.
<DM>	*She leaps down in front of the gravestone, chanting something briefly. The gravestone turns ethereal, transforming into a greenish portal.
<DM>	[Impa]: He... I'm sure he'd know what to do about all of this, but... he's long since passed.
<DM>	*She steps into the portal. A moment later, she vanishes.
*	Hal follows
*	Kirran follows
<Darte>	"... Is this healthy?"
*	Darte follow.
<DM>	*You all feel whisked away as you all enter spirit form momentarily, watching your own bodies disappear into nothingness as the world around you dissipates.
<DM>	*You all feel weightless for a bit before darkness consumes you and you return to your bodies.
<DM>	*Your vision reorients itself, and two of you remember this room from a loooong time ago...
<DM>	*It's a large room with lots of greenish spiritual fires floating magically in the air. A broken column stands in the center, from where you remember the first time "Rokan's" spirit appeared, though it turns out that was Dio- I mean Garunoff all along.
*	Kirran pats Rokan's lance.
<Kirran>	Not good memories...
<DM>	*It actually shakes for a moment, as if resonating with the place.
<Hal>	So this is what the Old Shadow Temple looks like
<DM>	*Ahead of you on the far side is that one door that never opened, and to the west and east are unlocked doors. Behind you to the south is a broken entrance. It appears the portal way out has been destroyed. You're trapped in here now and must see this through.
<DM>	[Impa]: Yes. It's... most mystifying and...
<DM>	*As you look around, you also see old blood stains lining parts of the floor.
<DM>	[Impa]: ... rather ominous.
<Hal>	That it is.
<DM>	[Impa]: *looking at the door on the other side* It's a pity we can't go there...
<Hal>	(Is that door unlocked or something)
<Hal>	(Oh derp)
<DM>	*Nope, it is locked with a lock that doesn't appear to have an actual keyhole.
<DM>	[Impa]: No one can, not even the Old Sheikah. Behind there, I've heard are locked spiritual beings of great power.
<Hal>	So we will have to go around the long way
<DM>	[Impa]: Without the Spectral Key, which was lost a long time ago, we'll have to fight them without their aide.
*	Hal looks at the lock, inspecting it to see what type of keyhole it has.
<Kirran>	Um, actually...
<Kirran>	About that.
*	Kirran looks uneasy.
<DM>	*It's a powerful glass barricade, and behind it, you see the keyhole, but without the glass barricade gone, a key would not enter it.
<DM>	[Impa]: Kirran, do you know something about this door?
<Kirran>	Well, the thing is...
*	Hal reaches into his pocket and pulls out his Scythe Key.
<Kirran>	I might know something about the key.
<DM>	(remind me, where'd the Scythe key come from?
<Hal>	(In the Frozen Mind's Eye)
<DM>	(ahhhhh....... that key. Kay.)
*	Kirran produces the Spectral Key.
<Hal>	This place is about death right. So it would make sense for a Scythe Key to fit into a keyhole somewhere in here.
<DM>	*Yeah, said Scythe Key is literally a scythe in the form of a key. It.... doesn't look like it fits there.
<Kirran>	I recall being warned about using it, though.
<DM>	*Impa's eyes widen for a moment.
*	Hal puts the Scythe Key backs
<DM>	[Impa]: ... where did you get that?
<Kirran>	(I don't actually recall)
<Kirran>	Um...
*	Kirran looks more uneasy.
*	Hal looks back at Kirran.
<DM>	(I wanna say the Spirit of Penumbra gave it to you, but I'm not actually positive who exactly gave it to you.
*	Darte mutters, "Now you've done it..."
<Hal>	So this is the Spectral key?
<DM>	(Not without looking this sucker up.
<Kirran>	Well, the truth is, it's been with me so long I can't actually recall.
<DM>	*Said key appears to be slightly seethrough....
<Kirran>	I believe I picked it up when we were exploring Dampe's grave.
<DM>	[Raine]: Ooh, I remember that key, it's like uhh....... uhhh........ nevermind, I don't remember either.
<DM>	*You know, technically, this dungeon IS Dampe's grave...
<DM>	(alright pastebin + search, show me who gave you the spectral key...
<Kirran>	(Yeah, it was after the Penumbra fight)
<DM>	(Hah, it was Dampe that gave it to you. He was safekeeping it in his house.
<DM>	(Oops, that door I just described was described then as something without a lock. Oh well, times change, lol
<DM>	(So do you wanna mention Dampe or just go with "Nope, I got nothing on memory lane")
<Kirran>	(Eh, might as well play it along the forgetful line. It was a long time ago even in-game, and traumatic as hell for Kirran besides.)
<Darte>	(Someday it might have a whole keyhole grown in there!)
<DM>	(indeed Darte!)
<Kirran>	(Saw a friggin' ghost die a second time. Buhh...)
<DM>	[Impa]: Well then, let us proceed and open this door.
*	Hal gulps, uncertain about what is behind the door
<Kirran>	I'm staying on my guard though. I don't recall the when, but I recall the warning.
<Kirran>	(Many strong men await you)
<DM>	[Impa]: Go ahead, Kirran.
*	Hal suddenly growls, going into a strong defensive stance as he looks around the room, panicking
*	Kirran goes to open the door.
<DM>	*Raine frantically knocks on her bottle.
<DM>	[Raine]: Wait!-
<Hal>	Something is not right here.
*	Kirran stops.
<DM>	*Kirran, before you're able to get to the door, you notice a very deep shadow lingering in front of the door.
<Kirran>	Hmm?
<DM>	*Raine suddenly goes dark once again.
*	Kirran skips back quickly.
<DM>	*Impa notices and suddenly draws her weapon.
<Kirran>	Interloper!
*	Hal draws his sword and shield.
*	Darte rolls his eyes and pulls out his blades.  "You really thought they wouldn't be interfering?"
*	Hal looks at the Interloper staring it with a bloodlusty growl.
<DM>	*A half-person with one side of him torn off and covered in this black shadowy goop slowly rises from the darkness.
<DM>	*Its red eyes are lopsided as it lightly cackles.
<DM>	[Interloper]: Wel... come....... back.......... Impa....
<DM>	[Impa]: Ugh, hate these things.
<DM>	*She empowers his naginata with a swirl of fire instead of water as her shadow splits into two.
<Hal>	When can we get rid of this thing?
*	Kirran uses his magic candle to light up the room.
<DM>	[Impa]: Now seems to be as good a time as any-
<DM>	*The floating fires react to your magic candle and brightly illuminate the room, revealing not one..... but in fact..... a LOT of goopy Interlopers, surrounding you now.
<Darte>	. . .
<DM>	*Though with the bright flash of light, they're a bit stunned.
<Darte>	This may have been a small mistake.
*	Darte thinks it's time for helicopter swords.
<DM>	[Impa]: Quick, let's get in through that door and seal it before they can swarm us!
<Hal>	Alright!
<DM>	[Impa]: Kirran, get us through that door!
*	Kirran heads for the door with great haste.
<Kirran>	Keep them off me, if you can.
*	Hal pulls out his wand and fires a dispersed blast of magic as an attempt at keeping them at bay before switching his wand out for his candle
<Hal>	*At the Interlopers
*	Kirran tosses some deku nuts to Darte.
<DM>	*The goopy Interloper in front of you blocks the way as it suddenly expands to three times your size. You can hear the ominous cries now, greater than before. Looking deep into the Interloper, you can see tormented souls crying out for help.
*	Darte catches the Deku Nuts.  "For eating??"
<Kirran>	AS long as you keep your mouth open when you chew..
<DM>	*Your blast of magic stuns them for a bit, but they quickly recuperate.
<Hal>	Blast!
*	Kirran casts mass blind on the large shadow.
<DM>	[Impa]: Hal, prepare another one, but wait for me.
<DM>	*The shadow gets blinded and actually splits in half briefly, giving you a chance to dart through.
*	Hal swaps his candle out for his wand prepares another blast of magic
*	Kirran uses the cane of Lalakar to warp through the gap to the door.
<DM>	(well played Kirran, if you ran for it, you would've gotten trapped)
<DM>	*Impa casts some sort of water enchantment on your wand, Hal. You can feel a great force in the wand itself, stronger than ever before.
<Kirran>	(Why run when you can warp?)
*	Hal unleases the blast of Magic, at all the Interloper Shadows
<DM>	[Impa]: I'm firing at you, Hal. When the blast reaches you, launch your attack.
*	Hal holds out for a little longer
<DM>	*Impa launches a large blast of fire at Hal.
<DM>	[Impa]: Now!
*	Hal waits for the blast to rach him before unleashing the empowered blast of Magic; catching it
<Hal>	*in the dispersed blast
<DM>	*Kirran, you're now point blank to the door, with a large Interloper right behind you, ready to engulf you.
*	Kirran throws a handful of Deku Nuts behind him and sets about unlocking the door.
<DM>	*The water enchantment catches and absorbs the burst of flames, transforming the water into lava. You launch the blast of magic at the Interlopers, searing them with a lava blast!
<DM>	*Between the Deku Nuts and the widespread lava blast, the Interloper behind you Kirran is obliterated to nothingness.
<Hal>	Well, there we go.
*	Darte lays about with the Deku Nuts, tilting his head to best catch the glint of the light off his glasses, trying to preserve a path and a boundary around Kiran.
<DM>	*All around you, the Interlopers are lit ablaze, struggling to find shadows amidst the fire and flames and flashes of the Deku Nuts.[/songreference]
<DM>	(HAD TO)
<DM>	*Kirran, your Spectral Key phases through the glass barricade and enters the keyhole. The key then disappears.
<DM>	*A vortex spawns right where the keyhole is. Kirran is immediately engulfed into it.
<Kirran>	Foop
<Hal>	Follow Kirran!
*	Hal follows Kirran.
<DM>	*Impa quickly dashes into the vortex.
<Kirran>	(I could have dodged that, but I didn't...)
*	Hal dashed too
<DM>	*Alrighty, you all dash into the vortex, annnnd find yourself beset by.... your greatest enemy, even greater than Bloodwind....
<DM>	*It's....... a
<DM>	-=LOADING SCREEN=-
<DM>	-=SESSION END=-