Ed's parents had packed various supplies in his bag hoping that he could make use of them, or at worse, allow Elaina to carry him. As he watched Delia dive forward into a rolling mess, there was no way he'd follow.
Pulling out from his bag a coil of rope, 50ft in length, he tied one end to a sturdy tree. Fastening several knots. Giving a swift tug, he leaned forward and hopped about, thinking that he was secure.
"Maybe the rope could be used to help the others" thought Ed.
"Adventure...Hoooooo~~~~~" yelled Ed as he made the decline.
Eventually, about three hours after leaving the banks of the Gray Lake, the group finds themselves topping a small rise - and beyond it lies a huge chasm in the Fangwood. The broad valley is labeled on the map as "The Serpent Gorge" - and somewhere at the base of the valley was the Crypt of the Everflame. As the trees began to thin out across the valley, the rain came down in full force, making the already-steep hill into a mud-slicked, steep hill. And it was quite a long way to its base...
"This could take a long..." Then the bard begins her slide with a grin on her face and Nedyr can only mutter "I'm not sure which of this group is crazier."
He smiles at Ed getting the rope out, "Not a bad idea..." And tries to help with it and use it to ease their descent.
"Hey, if it worked once, why would it not work again?"
After a brief pause, Délia starts sliding down again.
Sevrin looks unhappily down the muddy hillside, and then in astonishment at Delia as she goes sliding down the hill.
"Um, I'm not doing that."
With relief he notices Ed producing a rope.
Maybe, just maybe, I won't break my neck
As Edvard pulls out rope and begins the task of fastening it securely to a nearby tree. Nedyr and Sevrin, still looking wide-eyed at Delia's descent, decide they'd much rather take the slow and safe route. In a matter of minutes, the trio are making the their own climb down the first section of the hill.
Ever eager, Ed jumps at the opportunity to lead the way. He makes it a good twenty feet down the hill before he loses his footing, dragging both himself and the rope into the mud. Unable to keep a grip, Edvard starts to slide down the hillside.
Unfortunately, the sudden jerking of the rope makes things difficult for
both Sevrin and Nedyr. The rope torn from his grip, Nedyr struggles to stay on his feet as he slowly works his way forward. Each step tries to slide out from beneath him, but he manages to make it down to the same flat section that Delia had earlier.
Sevrin, however, clings to the rope for dear life. Digging his hands into the wet, muddy rope, he can practically feel it tear into his palms - but he refused to let go. Proceeding even slower than before, he joined Nedyr on the small clearing. It seems that Delia had no intention of waiting for you, as she appears to have continued onward already.
Reflex
Edvard does not fare as well. Unable to stop his sliding and proceed at a more reasonable pace, he speeds down the mud-slick hillside and slams into a tree at full speed.
More than satisfied with her first jaunt down the hill, Delia gets a running leap from the small flat section and begins anew. As agile as ever, her improvised mud-skiing was working rather well.
Until her foot caught on a root buried in the mud.
Tumbling forward, she found herself sliding down the hill on her stomach - face first.
Now completely out of control, it was all Delia could do to keep herself from swallowing an impromptu mud dinner. And as if that wasn't bad enough, her trip was about to come to a sudden stop - the hill in front of her suddenly gave way to a cliff-like drop. About 30 feet across, there was nothing she could to avoid tumbling (face-first) off of it.
Suddenly airborne, Delia's brief flight ended at the base of the valley. The good news was that she'd made it to the bottom of the valley, and managed to land in some bushes. The bad news was that it was a thorn bush.
"Is everyone alright?" Nedyr asks, a bit cautious about trying to go down all the way, and more concerned for the health of his friends.
"I'm fine..."
Comes the response from a particularly thorny bush.
Slowly clamoring his face out of the tree, Edvard had felt closer to nature. Spitting ouch a mouthful of bark, he collected himself and looked towards finishing the hill.
Sevrin looks from the dangling end of the rope to the muddy hillside and back again in dismay. He regards Rilyeh for a moment and then looks up where the rope is secured at the top of the hillside. "You need fingers."
With a sigh Sevrin sits flat down on his behind on the muddy hill and starts to scoot down, sliding carefully from tree to tree.
I don't care how stupid this looks or if it takes all day, I'm not winding up in some bush.
Still he begins to find himself accelerating quicker than he would like.
Oh no.
Nedyr sighs, and tries to take it slow down the hill once more...
"When we get back to the village, let's leave this part out of our stories, alright?"
"You mean the part where all of you were entangled in thorn bushes and I had to use my razor-sharp wit to get you out of there?"
"For a start, but also the tumbling, sliding and..whoa."
The hill continued to prove just as perilous on its bottom half as it did at the top. The three men who had only watched as Delia took the plunge into a thornbush found themselves also accelerating down the hill and unable to control their path.
Sev Ref
Ed Ref
Ned Damage
Ed Damage
Sev Dex Dmg
Nedyr struggles to stay on his feet as he speaks to Delia, who has proudly jumped out of the thornbush and, while bruised, is quite satisfied with her rapid descent. Nedyr, however, is less pleased. As his legs slip out from beneath him, he begins to slide down the hill on his backside. Unable to stop, he slides to the bottom and almost catches himself on his feet, staggering forward to try and keep his balance... until he loses it and falls forward onto a hard, rocky piece of dirt. Slamming his jaw against the ground, he can already feel a headache setting in.
Edvard, complete with his faceful of wood, tries to make it down the slope on his feet. The rain-slicked hill still proves too much for him, as his careful walk turns into a frantic jog to stay on his feet. And while he accomplishes that task, he fails to see the single tree near the base of the hill. Once more, Ed gives a very literal meaning to tree hugging.
Severin, however, tries his best to scoot down on his butt. A ridiculous sight, it almost works - until he begins to accelerate out of control. Grinding his legs into the mud, it seems as though he might be able to slow himself down enough for a safe landing... but his right leg catches on a rock buried in the mud. With a cracking sound that shouldn't be coming from one's leg, the impact spun Severin around - now sliding down the hill sitting backwards. He lands in a massive puddle at the base of the hill. It cushions his impact - but not the shame, nor the pain in his right leg.
Nedyr groans for a moment, and rubs his jaw. "Perhaps I should heal folks, and then we camp in the mud where it's nice and safe."
"Ow Ow Ow... OW!
Sevrin miserably tries to pick himself up out of the muck.
"This has got to be the worst thing that's ever happened to anyone. Except maybe the dead guy. His ankle was probably fine though. Probably lived a long full life and walked to his death in complete comfort."
Rilyeh circles casually overhead, surveying the carnage at the bottom of the hill.
"Don't be so smug" He says starring at the apparently impassive lizard. "If you could untie a knot I wouldn't be in this puddle. Maybe."
Nedyr glances up at the lizard, "What's your friend's name?" He asked while still rubbing at his jaw. Animals interested him, and it was less embarrassing to talk about them than how the 'brave adventurers' were being slapped around by mud, slope, and rocks.
Picking himself up from yet another tree, Edvard was through eating wood pulp for the day. With a mouthful of splinters, he clamors to the group.
"This is part of the hero's quest. A typical hazing adventurelings such as ourselves are subjected to..."
Edvard had said with a chiding tone, finishing his rant and collapsing on a dry patch of earth nearby his comrades.
"Oh I wouldn't give for a hunk of hot pork and crisp ale right now!!!"
The young fighter roared, struggling for breath as he exhaled a cloud of dust.
To Nedyr "I call him Rilyeh. I don't know where the name comes from or if it means anything. It just came to me."
Sevrin shrugs. "For what it's worth, I don't know where HE comes from. I've never seen anything like him around here. I think maybe they're supposed to live in warmer places."
To Edvard he says "Yeah Ed I'm sure they just left the bit about Ekat Kassen falling in a mud puddle out of of the legend for brevity's sake."
Hefting his axes to a more secure place upon his backpack and belt, Ed tried to rally the troops.
"Should we press on, or attempt to brave the tomb???"
He hadn't heard a word from his sister, nor the half orc as they made the climb. Could the trials of the Everflame be too much for the party?
"if I suspected for one minute this was just some hazing by our elders I'd..." he sighs, "No, they wouldn't do that."
A nod is given to Sev as he is introduced to Rilyeh "Hello, Rilyeh."
Interesting, it SHOULD be from warmer climes I would think.
He tries to think of what he knows of such reptiles, if anything
"We can travel a bit further I suppose, Ed. I may suggest we pause before we go RIGHT into the tomb, rest and heal up and all that after the beating the land just gave us." Sheepishly said.
"Alright, we'll press on. I couldn't see the hero Ekat Kassen giving up, so nor should we."
Shifting his weight, Ed planned to guide the team to the site.
Nedyr cocks his head curiously at something, but then follows.
Délia follows the others whistling.
"You know, we could make camp inside of the tomb. No rain or wind, but extra creepiness."
"I think I'd prefer the wind to the extra creepiness, but perhaps that's just me."
"Sorry Nature boy, but I've come to an agreeance with our fellow artisan. She speaks of something securable...might I remind you about our encounter with forest puppies?" Edvard openly speaking his mind. He kept motioning forward with his body reminding the others who's in charge.
Sevrin shakily stands up and brushes the worst of the mud clumps off of his clothes.
"Alright Edvard let's go see how much more heroic things can get. It would be a shame to not even see to tomb before it kills us."
Elaina, far more hesitant to jump into the maw of danger than her brother, waited until the others had made it "safely" to the base of the hill. With a deep breath, she began her own descent...
And, perhaps as expected, proceeds to lose her footing on the slope. Now half-stumbling, half-sliding down the incline, she struggles to guide herself away from the sudden drop that Delia had discovered, as well as the mud that Sevrin had taken a bath in.
Her efforts to avoid these hazards succeed, but unfortunately put her in the path of something just as painful. A rocky outcropping juts out from the hillside, creating a ten foot wide, jagged barrier. She dives to the side - deciding to take the rest of the hill on her stomach - but is unable to fully avoid the impact. Several of the razor-sharp stones dig into her leg as she grazes past the boulder, leaving a trail of blood in the mud. She lands at the bottom, as dirty and battered as those who led the way.
As Elaina joins the others in their shame, Edvard begins the search for the tomb. According to the map, it was somewhere in this valley - it was just a matter of trekking along its base until they came to it.
It didn't take long - it was only about half an hour away. It would have been shorter, had the valley not become a magnet for all the water in the Fangwood. The mud was really beginning to become an annoyance, and there was a small stream forming from the runoff that flowed past, leading off to the far end of the valley - wherever that was.
A narrow archway of stone leads into the base of the hill, its engravings long since covered over by moss. The only segment of the arch that remained visible beyond the greenish covering was its keystone - a stylized runic flame. Beneath the archway is a small tunnel, leading about ten feet into the base of the hill, that ends at a pair of heavy wooden doors. A few hitching posts have been erected before the doorway. A few mud-covered lumps lie before them.
The arrival at the tomb is celebrated for a brief moment before Edvard stops in his tracks. Those lumps are tied to the hitching posts.
They're horses.
At least, they were.
Finally! No more mud and rain and cold, just... dead horses?
Délia carefully wipes some mud off the nearest sausage-ready horse and examines it for possible causes of demise. Did someone, or perhaps something slay them. Or were they abandoned here and died from thirst or hunger or cold? She can't help but grimace at the thought.
What most puzzles her however is whose horses these lumps were. The tomb of Ekat Kassen is, as far as she knows, rarely visited apart from the yearly excursion by the "heroes".
The only thing that Elaina says before limping along with the rest of the group was "Ow."
She had rather more to say about the horses.
"Something isn't right here. I'm pretty sure no one who is supposed to come here uses horses to get here."
"I wonder how long the poor beasts have been here?" Nedyr looks over at the dead animals.
"Glad those aren't MY horses!!" said Ed with a hearty laugh.
The entrance looked impressive, having finally reached their destination. Who knew what terrors wait inside. But for Ed, this was more than just a trial that the Village Elders bestowed upon him - for this blonde haired youth was about to become a fully fledged man.
"Forget the horses, we can study flora and fauna with Nedyr when we're done. Time to bust inside and make camp. I'm sure we're all too ragged for wear."
Sevrin blanches a little at the corpses.
"Ugh. This is not good. I mean really it seems like whoever brought these here went in and didn't come back out."
"So, who would come here besides us? And much more importantly, why didn't they come back out?"
Sevrin heaves a great sigh.
"I'm sure the answers lie within, terrible terrible answers. You first Ed."
"Hmph, you said it Lizard Boy." replied Edvard.
Motioning further into the tunnel, Edvard cared little as he plodded along. Finding a pair of rickety wooden doors, he heaved a heavy foot and tries to kick the door open.
Seeing Ed kick the door, Elaina simply walks up and tries to open it like one normally would.
"Ed, you might want to try using your head for something besides a battering ram."
"BABY SISTER!!! exclaims Edvard as he's repelled from the door. Nearly squeezing the life out of his sister, Ed picks up his sister and swings her around.
"Look at you!! Mom'll be proud, you made it down the hill. I knew the Tirel sense of landscape would pay off."
Plopping his sister back down with a thud, he puts his hands together and tries for the door once more.
Elaina only had time to squeak out a worried "Eep!" before the breath was squeezed from her lungs. After Ed lets her go she staggers a few steps and uses her glaive to help hold her up.
*pant**pant*"Ooooow."*pant*
While Delia and Nedyr examine the horses, Edvard lives up to his usual enthusiasm and heads for the door to the crypt.
The poor animals couldn't have been slain more than a few days ago. Deep gashes in their flesh are hidden beneath the fine layer of mud - jagged, as though made by a crude blade or a bear's claws. Poking out from beneath one of the horses, however, are some bones. Humanoid bones. They look far too old to be here, though - the crust and grime long since set into the bleached bone, and the new mud only a new layer of dirt. Although the horses all have saddlebags, most of them are empty. One has broken open, and you can see two pints of lamp oil and a few other things poking out. Delia reaches in and grabs the goods - a quiver of ten blunt arrows, two large pillows (now slightly wet and dirty), and a few rations (similarly wet, but probably still edible. Maybe.)
Edvard, however, is more than happy to simply kick the door open on a century-or-older tomb that is a sacred site to his village. Just an average day for him.
Fortunately, the left door was already slightly ajar, and kicking it the rest of the way open proves little challenge. The interior of the crypt is dark, even with the half-light of the dreary day peeking in through the door. A sudden stench of rot and mold wafts out through the door, proving that this is, in fact, a crypt.
Nedyr mutters his findings, "If the wounds were made by a blade, it was a crude one. Could be bear claws... I can't tell." A glance down to the bones below, "Human bones, older still.. I think." He speaks up, "Sev is asking the right questions. Someone came before us, and judging by the items, they thought themselves prepared for it. Which makes no sense. Killer hills aside, this shouldn't be that dangerous." He winces as Ed manhandles the door a bit, and covers his nose for a moment as the stench comes out. He'd helped clear out stables but he'd never smelled a crypt before.
Délia enters the crypt, and starts looking around for anything relatively interesting, lethal, expensive, magical, or any combination of these. With her darkvision, she does not need any additional light.
"So, are we going to camp here for a while? Or will we just keep going? I'm not that badly hurt, I could probably fix it with a spell... But then again, I don't have the endurance to cast more than a few of those a day..."
"I was going to advise resting, but if someone has already entered the place, they could have vandalized it," The thought makes him angry, "So we should take a peek I suppose. If we run into trouble we can back out and proverbially lick our wounds."
Elaina looks a little uneasy at the sight of the skeleton. She keeps her distance from it and walks into the Crypt after her brother.
"Did anyone remember to bring a torch?"
Outside the crypt Sevrin roots around for a few decent sized pebbles and stuffs them in his pocket.
Just before entering the crypt he speaks almost apologetically. "I, uh, don't really, eh, need a torch. You know. To see."
Nedyr smiles, "I see being an Adept comes in rather handy."
"Oh, that'll do nicely. Don't suppose you know a spell that could knock some sense into Ed."
She brightens up a good bit Sevrin's display, the skeleton mostly forgotten.
A mischievous thought arises in Délia's mind as she sees Sevrin cast a spell.
"Careful with that light, Sevrin," she says. "I have heard stories about the spirits inhabiting crypts being angered by bright lights. Sometimes they have even possessed nearby persons or animals and battered the offender to death."
After a small pause she winks at the others and laughs. "But those are but old stories and superstitions. It's not like there are any real gho-"
She stops abruptly and then, using a curious vocal technique learnt from a travelling perfomer about a year ago, lowers her voice to a guttural, inhuman-sounding growl.
Delia's bluff proves to be more effective than she probably intended. The normally calm and collected Elaina falls over in her attempt to get the young bard out from the inside of her weapons reach. Her eyes are wide and her legs pump trying to move her away as she struggles to wrench her knife out of its sheathe.
Nedyr's own hand goes to his sickle