Azura gives Ryn a quick kiss goodnight as the team hunkers down, and as much as she misses Ryn, she eventually manages to get to sleep after much tossing and turning.
The following morning she arrives to gather with the team late, having taken some time to clean up and arrange her hair and clothing. Since the team hasn't quite decided what they're doing next, she hasn't bothered to armor up yet, either. She seems to be nervously patting down her hair and clothing repeatedly.
"Ryn my dear, you don't look to good," she says as she reunites with the team. "Do you need a little more sleep?"
"Obviously we can't stay here. Things are really getting... tense. I had to do my religious devotions this morning, but this is just twisting everything up for all of us."
Looking slightly exasperated, Azura continues, "Saersha... do you think you can get this place under control if we can evict the demoness? Keep it from... impinging upon us? Explore its... secret... depths?"
She blushes slightly and fans herself with one hand.
"Obviously it's getting to me."
Saersha considered Azura's question carefully, was there a way to do what she asked?
Perhaps once you find the succubus' inner sanctum, you can learn more. Beginning the process will require removing her, at the very least.
Saersha looked to Azura and nodded wearily, "Yes, once I have the Shard of Lust and the succubus has been disposed of I can rededicate the place to my bloodline and gain control what goes on and who is affected by it."
Kissing Azura goodnight, Ryn has a rough time falling asleep, even after taking matters into her own hands. Her dreams, though they start off hot and lurid, quickly take an unsettling, downright creepy turn, leaving her not only uncomfortably aroused, but disturbed and tired as well. When she awakens, the feeling of being at once tightly wound and a bit sick, taking her time getting up and joining the others.
"I doubt more sleep will help,.. it might actually make things worse. We need to be done with this, and take this b!+<# out and stop being affected by this place. If we can’t….(frustrated growl)... I need to hit something. We'll take care of the disposal part, you can handle changing the energy of the place.”
"Right. Well. Let's check out this wall," says Azura. "It's all discolored." She points to the southern wall in the bath chamber. "Of course it's so obvious that it's suspicious..."
Having not yet donned her armor either, checking out the bathing chamber, Ryn waits for the feeling to pass before checking out the bathing chamber. Looking at the oddly colored wall she nods.
"Definitely suspicious. I suppose whatever it might be, we'd be better off possibly dealing with it now than later." she says walking barefoot over toward the wall, though not quite touching it. "Maybe step back a bit and be ready to call for the others if stuff gets weird?" she says with a shrug, preparing to likely trigger something awful.
Ada wakes up without any ill effects from the night. "A bath sounds good." She watches Azura and Ryn look at the wall.
"That is weird." she moves closer and studies the wall carefully.
Ada's inspection of the wall reveals that it can recede into the floor with a push of a nearby slightly-elevated brick in the wall. Upon touching it, the wall slides into the floor with only a faint *scraping* noise.
The corridor beyond is narrow--and decidedly colder than any of the other rooms the party has seen so far. A few drops of condensation drip from the stone ceiling. Moving forward, a few wisps of a strange black fog start to cover the floor--and it thickens as the party rounds the next two corners.
A set of stone double doors sits at the end of the corridor.
"The cool air is a welcome change," says Azura. She pauses and puts down her pack, then takes out her mail shirt and unrolls it. "Give me a minute to wriggle into this," she says, as she bunches up her hair and works the shirt down over her torso.
This does take her a little while, though, as she has to also get out her greaves and buckle everything on.
Ulfr also straps on his armor. Better safe than sorry. The change in environment feels like we're stepping beyond the veil.
And what's this? Another secret door? Ulfr points the door out to Embyr.
Ryn helps Azura with her armor, before donning her own and grabbing her shield. "Definitely relief!" she says pausing when she see's the black fog. "That can't possibly be benign."
As the black fog began to appear along the floor Saersha looked at it with concern. She really didn't like the look of it and felt trepidation given the way things had gone lately. She cast a spell and examined the fog under magically augmented sight.
Embyr blinks. "...oh. I, uh... I dunno how I missed that."
She pushes on it, and the wall retracts into the floor with barely a sound.
The chamber beyond is carved of black marble, and its ceiling is swathed in the black fog that blankets the corridor outside. A long, golden rug runs down the centre of the room--and sitting on the rug's easternmost end is a rectangular block of polished, black stone with red streaks. Several objects sit upon the stone block, and the cinnamon-scented air around it is filled with the strange nagging hum--not unlike that of a swarm of buzzing insects. The wall beyond the altar stone is decorated with a mural of a voluptuous, demonic woman with bat wings, a serrated tail, legs of molten stone, and a crown of seven horns. Both of her hands are held out to her sides, palms upward towards the ceiling--and a globe of inky blackness hovers over each palm.
"Looks like there's something inscribed behind the shadow globes,..in her hands.", Ryn says looking at the mural intently.
A closer look reveals that there are, in fact, two inscriptions behind the globes. They glow and shimmer with a pale white light, their edges flickering and oscillating as if wracked by fear. The letters themselves are a mix of gently curving lines that please the eye and sharp, jagged gouges reminiscent of claw marks--a language of seduction and violence in the same breath, perhaps?
The inscription on the mural's left reads as follows...
What follows is a list of names, most of them either faded or struck through. Of them, only two remain untouched--"Cormac" and "Ashamintallu".
Saersha knew what the dark fog was and said, "This black stuff is living shadow. It's not a threat right now but be careful."
As they entered the next room and saw the statue Saersha stared at the figure. The room fairly hummed with magical power and Saersha felt very much on edge from it. She wasn't sure what was about to happen but the statue seemed important.
When she realized who the statue was Saersha said, "Stay back, this is a depiction of Nocticula, Queen of Succubi and known by many as Our Lady in Shadow. I'm not sure what this might be capable of."
When Ryn mentioned the writing on the globes Saersha took a deep breath and said, "Let me move closer and read it, just be ready in case something happens." She approached close enough to look at the writing.
The inscription on the left listed a lot of names but she saw only two were not crossed out. She wasn't sure what this meant, exactly, but suspected they were demons once bound to this place. She would speak of that once she was out of the room. She read the other inscription as well and then started thinking. What might that mean, who would the artist be?
Amivadeus Yasrin--the artist responsible for capturing Sorshen's most salacious deeds and fantasies in mural form.
Saersha had the name hit her all of a sudden and without seeming to think o it she loudly said, "Amivadeus Yasrin," and her eyes widened instantly as she realized that had probably been a bad idea...
As Saersha speaks the name, a cloud of shadow descends upon her and engulfs her--when it dissipates a moment later, she's no longer standing before the party.
"SAERSHA!" Embyr screams in panic!
Moments later, the icy feeling is abruptly replaced with a pulsing heat, and the shadows peel away.
You are no longer with the rest of the group--or your Embyr. You stand upon a polished marble floor, surrounded by velvet cushions and the smell of a strange incense you can't quite place. A luxurious rug of woven silk stretches across the centre of the room, illuminated by a fresco of a starry night sky adorning the ceiling overhead. The alcove you're standing in--the northernmost one, in fact, instead of the easternmost--is decorated with gold tiles upon the walls, each of them bearing an engraving of two figures locked in a sexual embrace. A pair of black marble benches, carved to resemble coiling serpents, sit along the northeast and southeast walls.
As your eyes adjust to the light of the room, you realize that you aren't alone. Six dog-legged, bipedal creatures stand on-guard, each bearing a masterfully-forged guisarme and utterly nude. Four of them are clearly female and two are abundantly male--their proportions are such that they ride a fine line between idealization and exaggeration. The skins of the females are a brilliant red, while the males' skins are a deep purple--and their visages all bear the same split-jawed mouths filled with serrated teeth and an obscenely-long tongue. Their eyes all fixate upon you.
One of the female ones approaches you--and, oddly enough, kneels and turns her eyes to the floor beneath. When she speaks, it's not in the alien, dissonant tongue of Aklo, but the arcana-steeped language of Thassilon.
"What is thy bidding, my mistress?"
When one approached her Saersha fought not to step back. She knew just how vulnerable she was right now without the others. Then the unexpected happened and the female-thin knelt before her and called her Mistress. This was very good, she could use this, and it was the first one to submit without convincing since entering her ancestor's tower.
Saersha reached out to caress the creature's head and said, "Very good, you recognize my authority and this pleases me. You are the first to do so openly or willingly since I brought the acolytes here." Thinking of that Saersha said, "Come, let's clear the way for when they follow."
Saersha gestured for the creature to rise as she stepped further into the room and asked, "What is your name my subject?"
"You bear the scent of True Thassilon and Her virtue. No true servant of She Who Lusts could do otherwise." The being says, her eyes raising a little higher--this time, she's staring quite unapologetically at your breasts.
"I regret that I have no name to give you." Her tongue flicks in and out as she speaks.
Ryn blurts out, reaching toward the cloud of shadow only to have it dissipate into nothing before her hand. "Can anyone tell if that was a teleportation effect or something, rather than a death spell?"
Ulfr also curses most vehemently as he tries to grab at Saersha, but she's gone. No idea, but a place like this seems to not be the kind of place that'll kill you out of hand. It sounded like she said something before she disappeared. What was it...
Saersha went to the southeastern bench and sat down. She crossed her knees and let her skirt lay open with the flap in the front trapped between her legs exposing everything to her hips. She gestured for the lustspawn female to kneel before her and waited for compliance before she said, "That you are unnamed is a shame, while many may find you grotesque I think see more. Despite the more horrendous features there is a beauty in the lot of you and I believe that you deserve names."
Saersha looked down at the one had approached her and said, "As the one brave enough to speak to me I name you Katt and place you in charge of the others of your kind here." Saersha took from her pack part of her entertainer's clothing and gave Katt two of the veils. "While nudity is erotic it is even more so when not everything is on display. You will wrap your breasts and waist with these so that they are partially covered. It is far more tantalizing to be forced to guess at what is beneath than to see it directly."
Saersha looked at the other lustspawn and arched one eyebrow, "And the rest of you, do you to swear fealty to me as Katt has?"
"Amivadeus Yasrin."
The same name you read almost all the way back at the beginning of the dungeon.
The other sinspawn kneel as well, male and female alike.
Once that was done Saersa gestured for them to kneel at her feet and gestured for Katt to sit beside her. "Now that that is taken care of," she began to stroke the side of Katt's head, "what can you tell me of the imposter pretending to be Sorshen?"
"This is some kind of magical sanctum," says Azura. "I don't think it's just going to annihilate someone for knowing facts about the statuary. So far Saersha has managed to figure out the context of everything here—I bet she's somewhere else in the complex."
Before she disappeared she said the name of one of the artists we read near the entrance, Amivadeus Yasrin. Let's see if it works twice.
Ulfr steroids up to the statue and says the name.
Ulfr speaks the name of Amivadeus Yasrin, and just as before, he is engulfed by shadows and taken elsewhere...
"The Tainted One is known as Ashamintallu the Lover. She has existed here for longer than any of us--but her purpose was unlike ours. She was bound here to serve, for the crime of crossing She Who Lusts. We were created to serve as guardians of Her sacred places--and as companions for the faithful." Katt explains.
"Her mind did not weather the passing of ages as well as her body--as she languished in captivity, her appetites grew and grew until they began to gnaw at her very identity. By the time the Grey Ones arrived, there was very little of the Lover left; when they released her, enslaving them was the last thing the Lover ever did before ceasing to be."
"She took the Grey Ones as her new Beloved, and donned the mantle of She Who Lusts." Katt's voice turns to a snarl. "Her every step is a transgression against Her and all of Thassilon!"
The lustspawn is about to continue when another burst of shadows from the alcove you arrived in. They all suddenly rise to their feet and bring their guisarmes to bear!
"Who goes there?!" Katt growls.
Looking past her, you see the form of Ulfr emerging from the receding shadows.
You stand upon a polished marble floor, surrounded by velvet cushions and the smell of a strange incense you can't quite place. A luxurious rug of woven silk stretches across the centre of the room, illuminated by a fresco of a starry night sky adorning the ceiling overhead. The alcove you're standing in--the northernmost one, in fact, instead of the easternmost--is decorated with gold tiles upon the walls, each of them bearing an engraving of two figures locked in a sexual embrace. A pair of black marble benches, carved to resemble coiling serpents, sit along the northeast and southeast walls.
As your eyes adjust to the light of the room, you realize that you aren't alone. Six dog-legged, bipedal creatures stand on-guard, each bearing a masterfully-forged guisarme and barely clad in veils. Four of them are clearly female and two are abundantly male--their proportions are such that they ride a fine line between idealization and exaggeration. The skins of the females are a brilliant red, while the males' skins are a deep purple--and their visages all bear the same split-jawed mouths filled with serrated teeth and an obscenely-long tongue. Their eyes are all fixated upon you, their guisarmes pointed in your direction.
Behind them, seated on one of the benches, is Saersha. She looks unharmed, but she's surrounded by these... sinspawn. One of them says something in a language you don't understand.
Ulfr's grip tightens on his club, but his eyes rest on Saersha. He waits for a signal to either cleanse this place of these... Things. Or not.
Saersha saw the lustspawn rise and heard Katt's demand of Ulfr. Fortunately Saersha knew they would figure it out eventually. "You can all stand down, this is one of my companions that I mentioned. His name is Ulfr, there should be several more momentarily."
Saersha looked at Ulfr and said, "I'm glad you figured out how the teleporter works. I will introduce you to my new companions when everyone else makes it through."
Looking at the others after Ulfr vanishes in another burst of black mist Ryn shrugs. "So...on three?"
”All right!! Let’s do it!”
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Ulfr steps forward a pace and nods to acknowledge Saersha, but his hand doesn't slack in it's grip. His eyes bore down on the monsters with savage intensity.
If I'm angry enough I won't get all hot in the pants again...
"Alright everybody," Ryn says, giving Azura a wink, and giving Embyr a reassuring smile. "Be ready for anything."
"Amivadeus Yasrin!" she says in unison with her companions.
Azura holds onto Ryn's hand as she awaits the black cloud, hoping that it'll take everyone at once...
The shadows reach down and engulf the rest of the party, warping them away from Nocticula's shrine...
...and dropping them just behind Ulfr.
The lustspawn on guard relax and lower their guisarmes, but don't take their eyes off the new arrivals.
Azura lets out her breath and says, "Saersha, I take it from your commanding posture that you have things under control here."
'Katt' looks to Saersha. "These are the acolytes you spoke of?" The lustspawn asks, the tongue of Thassilon sounding a bit more refined this time.
Ryn visibly relaxes a bit from the combat-ready posture she adopted upon their arrival.
Saersha was pleased to see they figured out how to activate the teleporting effect in the shrine. She gave them a wave and then beckoned Embyr to come to her when she saw how distraught the woman had obviously been. Saersha responded to Katt in Thassilonian, "Yes Katt, these are the ones I spoke of. They are my personal guests and have come to help me reclaim this place from the usurper."
Saersha introduced the lustspawn by the names she had given them and named her companions to them. When she reached the point of introducing Embyr Saersha said, "This is my Personal Attendant, My Maid, My Embyr," Saersha's words veritably caressed Embyr's name like the lover she was, "Anything she tells you to do can be considered me telling you to do it unless it expressly contradicts what I have told you to do."
Embyr's expression of anxiety and worry doesn't change much as she approaches Saersha, even as the lustspawn part to allow her through. Some of them start sniffing at her--and the rest of the party--as she sits next to Saersha on the bench.
The rogue listens as the lust mage explains who she is to Katt, her face turning from fear to confusion. Katt notices and tilts her head at the girl in turn. "I do not think she understands me, Heiress."
Saersha embraced Embyr happily and said, "Hmmm, I didn't think of that Katt. You don't speak the common tongue and Embyr doesn't speak Thasilonian...This could be a challenge. Well I can at least translate for now so that will work. I will have to rectify this though at some point. I will work on teaching you both the other's language when we have the time. Right now we do not."
Saersha looked at her friends and said, "They understand that the imposter Sorshen is an insane succubus called Ashamintallu the Lover. She was punished and imprisoned here and has gone insane. After she enthralled the Grey Maidens she went completely off the deepend and truly thinks she is Sorshen now."
Saersha looked at Katt and asked, "What did Ashaminallu do to earn her punishment?"
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Ulfr growls at the Lustspawn that come near him, showing his teeth like an annoyed bear or great cat. His club is still on his shoulder, but barely. It hovers sometimes just barely like a scorpion's tail.
And his message is perfectly clear in spite of the language barrier. Come near me and I will crush you.
Ryn watches them all closely, especially those that come sniffing around Azura, intoxicating as she must be to their kind.
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Azura holds on to Ryn’s arm and partially hides behind the gladiator is. She mutters, ”I’ve seen better.”
"Same...daily!"