Catching the sound of battle, Cakkarak pauses in his searching of the ancient manor. The iskar had being mulling over a strange series of memories. Involving Shissar, iskar captives and a monastery, when the sounds of battle caressed his earslits.
It didn't take the monk long to get outside to see the battle unfold. His eyeridge raises as he watches the vampire be slowly torn apart by the other undead.
Listen:
Piter wonders what Loki and Cakkarak are doing, as he didn't hear anything. But seeing both of them rush upstairs, Piter figures he'd better go too. He doesn't want to miss anything important.
You all arrive to a scene where the Vampyre is being pulled apart, as twenty skeleton guards are hacking away at him, along with your pet Loki
Loki takes in the scene with impassive eyes, marking the capabilities of the undead creatures and adding his own magics to the battle.
After the guards have finished with the vamprye, the necropolis continues about it's routine as if nothing had happened. Of course not having true intelligent undead makes things run at an interesting pace, you all know that you will have a safe haven to rest and regain mana, and there is a route that will take you 'safely' to Shadow Haven. What little information that can be gleamed from the books, tells a tale of half finished plots and a few schemes that didn't pan out for the group.
The desk is locked and Piter is unable to open the lock even after taking his time with it. As luck would have it, the key is located in the manor in the master bedroom. The desk is unlocked; and an odd twist of fate, an idol is found along with a pouch of Alchemy supplies.
Nalun takes a keen interest in the idol and examines it as soon as the party allows. Could this be the idol that I am looking for? By the Dark Father this could be fortunate indeed.
Loki studies the statuary for a moment, attempting to discern its function, before noticing Nalun's interest. He carefully hands it over to his fellow Teir'dal while inquiring as to the cleric's knowledge of the idol's import.
Knowledge: Mysticism:
"Shadowhaven beckons. Let us be off and purchase supplies with the moneys we found."
They would need to decide their next move in short order, but the necromancer is leaving that to the others. He has sunk into a melancholy after learning that a previous existence failed to achieve the ends he had sword to play out.
Cakkarak walks over to where the vampire had been destroyed. He examines the sight, looking to add to the handful of vampire dust that he had collected from their first encounter with the blood sucking undead. If he does indeed find some dust, he will add it to the bit he has collected before.
"That would be the best purpose for the coins and gems. Hoarding it after finding it would be rather pointless," the monk says as he smoothly walks back over to the others. "Foodstuffs and the like, and we should begin to resupply the manor a bit." Cakkarak looks back and where the vampire had been destroyed. "After all, it seems safe enough, not to mention well protected."
Piter looks at the idol to see what its form is, and see if he can recognize it.
Knowledge/Folklore:
Knowledge/Mysticism:
Knowledge/Religion:
Bardic Knowledge:
To Cakkarak's comment, he responds, "Why, is there some reason to be staying here? I agree with Loki, we should be moving on. I have no desire to stay among skeletons any longer than I have to. But after we go to Shadow Haven and purchase supplies, we need to start making a plan to do what we need to do. Maybe now, and here, are the best place and time to discuss those?"
"Talk can flow as easily while moving."
With those words drawn out of the young necromancer he orders his pet to his side and follows the map along the route to Shadowhaven, caring very little where they go next.
Loki's attention was on not making the same mistakes as the previous version of him. A family would never be in his future.
Nalun inspects the idol closely to see if indeed this is the item he was sent to find.
I can return to Neriak in triumph and use the Spurned to force my house to follow Naythox and the true Thex.
This idol may have value to me, we might use it to return to Neriak with great power. Nalun confides in Loki.
Kur'Plugh chimes in " Well there is no way to get supplies here at the moment, no trade, nothing. After all we have no way of knowing if the guards will be hostile towards us the longer we stay here." The ogre says will moving forward towards the Tomb in the center of the town.
The tomb door has this passage carved into it " Even in death you belong to us." The solid stone doors are masterfully crafted, care went into constructing this tomb, that much can be told from the quality. The doors to the tomb open with ease.
Torch light starts to pop up on the walls of the tomb, illuminating your passage, allowing everyone to see with ease. Stairs can be seen leading down for a quarter of a mile, no artwork can be seen on the walls, along with burial slabs that would have held the corpses in the walls. In fact the tomb does seem to be empty... so far.
Piter: This idol appears to be a religious icon of the dark elves, something that the cleric seems to be intent on.
True to his word Loki talks while moving.
The necromancer makes no move to take the idol from the cleric, figuring it is in the proper hands. Loki smiles and looks at both the idol and Nalun with respect, "Tell me of its function."
The idol is more of a symbol, something that was lost to the head master for the cleric's of the dark elves. There would be a hidden potential for the headmasters of the school of clerical arts. There are many potentials to say the least, many rumors about what the idol itself could unlock.
Sadly Nalun, what little you know is not privy to the information that was given. All the headmaster told you was that it was important, they stressed that is was imperative that you retrieved it, however they could have been lying to you. The only way that you would know for sure, would be to deliver the idol to the headmaster.
Looking back at Pieter, the iskar nods as they head out.
"I agree that this is a somewhat unusual place. However, it is well protected," Cakkarak says quietly as the two walk point. The monk looks at the burial slabs. "The undead guards and townsfolk were capable of destroying a vampire unaided. Since they do not consider us a hostile presence, I believe it is an ideal base from which when can operate. If anything, it is a place to stay."
They continue in silence for a time longer.
"I am finding myself curious to see what our previous incarnations might have had in the works," The monk says quietly. "Of course, that was perhaps a thousand years ago." Cakkarak shakes his head, knowing how crazy it sounded. "But, I have had the faint impression, almost a memory, of a few scattered events. Something about rescuing a iskar from the a Shissar camp."
The monk falls silent again.
"It is something I shall have to meditate upon further," the monk says more to himself then the shadowbard. "Have you experienced any odd memories since we arrived with the sealed up village?" Cakkarak asks as they continued on to Shadow Haven.
Loki keeps pace with Nalun in order to softly discuss the idol, which keeps that information from the others, but unintentionally missing the whispered conversation between the human and iksar.
After many whispered conversations, and keeping an eye out for trouble. the parry travels in a what you would equate south east. After traveling for 20 minutes a locked stone door, before Piter can even pick the lock, a moment of insight, you place the key from the desk and it unlocks the door.
Loki continues on.
"Do you know how far Shadow Haven is? I have no idea, myself," Piter says to Cakkarak.
"As for our alternate selves, I place little faith in those thoughts. Certainly those others of us have helped us greatly, but I do not give any credence to the theory that they were really us. Yes, I have remembered things I shouldn't, but that may just be powerful magicks placed here by those others. Even if they are us, in some oblique way, I refuse to believe my fate is the same as that of my era-hopping doppleganger."
Piter is interrupted by the appearance of a stone door, whose lock easily opens under the desk key's persuasion. He steps back to see what the door is a part of.
In hushed tones and in Dark Speech Nalun relays all the information he has on the idol to Loki.
Ussta sor'kui whol l'naut z'lonzic zhaunil
Perhaps the Thex knows more about this than I?
"I have no clue how far it might be," Cakkarak responds to Pieter after they pass the locked door. If it doesn't close behind the party, the monk will close the door. He didn't want any surprises waiting for them. Finished, he returns to his spot so that may continue. "I confess to knowing nothing about this place actually."
The continue onwards for a bit longer, the iskar had fallen silent, considering what the human had said.
"You raise a good point actually," Cakkarak whispers back to the shadowbard. "We might not actually be those corpses reborn. That would imply some type of resurrection magics, or the like, I believe. If we were them reborn, it would stand to reason that we would have regained our previous memories." The monk pauses to organize his thoughts. "The problem is we would end up repeating the same mistakes, nothing would change, and we would be deadlocked. Instead, the difference that we have all experienced in our lifetimes would allow for different outcomes."
Cakkarak considers the little he actually knows about the shissar. The ones that had made his people slaves were more regarded as "Boogymen," rather then a possible threat.
"It is possible that chaos of not actually being those bodies directly could throw the magics of the Shissar off. If my peoples tales of them being able to glimpse through the mist that covers the future, is true, then that might be a possible explanation," Cakkarak whispers. "It is an interesting thing to try to piece together this puzzle that we have found ourselves in."
Having bunched up momentarily at the door the necromancer overheard Piter's question regarding the distance to Shadow Haven. Entrusting the map to the shadow-bard he hopes it answers the man's question.
Shaking his head, Loki has no more to add to Nalun's account of the idol, "There would be benefit in researching the truth of the idol before returning it to Neriak." He leaves the thought to hang in the air, leaving his rationale unknown. Perhaps the study would assist the church, or act as a tool for Nalun's negotiation, then again he might simply wish to steal the thing.
One could prose that Piter's theory holds some merit, as could Cakkarak's idea thoughts hold a hint of truth. The possibility that you were reborn, not in the same bodies, but similar events would happen to help bring the old soul back into the new body. On that note, one would have to wonder where your soul had went to, when your mortal coil ended. Did that soul lie waiting for the possibility of the Shissar making a come back, did the spell that Loki craft, somehow get alerted to that fact and pull you waiting souls back to the mortal coil?
The lack of information is more then likely frustrating to say the least, but it could be due to the fact that some of the information is currently lacking from your mind at the moment.
As soon as the door that was locked with the same key, you see a large tomb sitting in the center of a 30x100 ft room, no exits can be seen from this room.
Loki retrieves the map and checks it for their means of escaping this area and getting to Shadow Haven.
Piter plays a short song, his Lyssa's Locating Lyric (indicates direction of nearest corpse, 1 mana, 1 round), and looks to see if the nearest is in the tomb. He also looks over the room to see if there is anything in it besides the tomb.
The iskar glances at Pieter as the shadowbard begins his tune. Cakkarak keeps a sharp lookout, expecting the noise to draw the attention of whatever may lurk within the room with a tomb in the center of it.
Making his way around the room, the monk calmly looks for an exit that might not be obvious. Looking over at the tomb for a few moment, the monk glances back the way that they entered the room.
"Either the exit is disguise in some manner, or it is tied to the tomb," the monk thinks for a moment. "I would guess it would be the tomb."
Piter: you song shows no dead creatures or bodies in the area.
Loki: The map shows an exit in the tomb itself, it seems that the stairwell is the tomb. Upon further examination it would be sitting where the tomb is currently covering up.
Kur'Plugh looks around close at the tomb, it is indeed large enough for the ogre to easily lay in and still have room in it. Not seeing anything else in the tomb the ogre lifts up on the lid, with an alarming screech, the lid opens up and revels a stairwell leading down.
After traveling down the stairs, and following the passage way, you arrive in a room that has glowing runes etched onto the pillars. The pillars inform those of you that cast spells that this is the teleportation circle. The runes activate, and a blue light springs into effect, you all know that this is a portal that will take you to Shadow Haven.
Upon entering the portal, you arrive in old but still in good conditioned room, old weapon racks line the walls, not many weapons remain, but the ones that do, have a slight green glow to the edges, which are still sharp, even after all this time.
A stone door with four hand prints can be seen in the northwest of the room:
Upon leaving this room, you find yourselves in the market square of Shadow Haven, many stalls an merchants can be found selling their wares. On the surface; Shadow Haven seems to be in good spirits but there is an undercurrent of tension in the air, something is wrong in the city it self but without trying to find things out; no real information can be found... without spending coin and time that is.
Shadow Haven:
Shadow Haven
Small City, Pop. 10,000
(Barbarian 8%, dark elf 0.4%, dwarf 14%, Erudite 7%,
gnome 5%, half elf 6%, halfling 7%, high elf 6%, human 42%,
Vah Shir 0.6%, wood elf 4%)
Ruler: The Trade Families.
Gold Piece Limit: 15,000 gp.
Assets: 750,000 gp.
Resources: Trade, produce, alcohol.
Militia: 400 Shadow Haven Defenders, 50 to 100 House
Guards for each district.
A sprawling cave complex stretching beneath the surface
of Luclin’s moon, Shadow Haven was founded by dissident Loyalists who chose to remain in the cave complex while the majority of their compatriots ventured to the surface, going on to found the city of Katta Castellum. The Haveners were later joined by a group of Inquisitors, who
stayed in the caves to study the Nexus and eventually broke their ties with the other Inquisitors that had since founded the city of Sanctus Seru.
Shadow Haven has become the thriving economic hub of Luclin’s moon. Even before the Nexus’ reactivation, the city teemed with outside visitors, for the relatively enlightened policies of the Trade Families who rule Shadow Haven decreed that their settlement should be open to all,
regardless of racial or religious background. Today, Shadow Haven provides inns and pubs for travelers, extensive opportunities for trade, and security in the form of a well trained and well-supplied military that tolerates no disturbances or rowdy behavior.
The settlement is today experiencing a period of unprecedented growth and prosperity with the arrival of visitors from Norrath. This, combined with Shadow Haven’s usual neutral trade stance and its export of unique wines, beers, and mushrooms (famous throughout the moon of Luclin),
has made Shadow Haven a city important to both worlds.
A direct descendant of the diverse Combine Empire, Shadow Haven is home to citizens of many different racial backgrounds. People from within these ethnic groups still tend to stick together, rather than mixing indiscriminately, and each of the city’s “quarters” has a unique ethnic
character. The busy Commons Quarter alone sees visitors
of every race and description. The adjoining Short and Stout Quarter is home to the city’s considerable dwarf, halfling, and gnomish populations, most of whom belong to the industrious House of Stout (more commonly know among its own people as House Earthcrafter). The city’s largest neighborhood, the Fordel Quarter, is administered and inhabited by the prosperous members of House Fordel,mostly humans and half elves. The peaceful and beautiful Midst Quarter is home to the members and allies of House Midst, a large faction largely comprised of spellcasters —primarily Erudites, but also including a few humans. The Nota’Dal Quarter is home to most of the elves of Shadow Haven, but a number of half elves also dwell there. Shadow Haven is also home to a thriving but highly secretive group of smugglers. Living mostly in the adjoining Echo Caverns, these individuals are far too shady and unscrupulous to do business in the lawful region of Shadow Haven proper.
The smugglers who dwell and operate within the city know that the Defenders would exterminate them if possible, so they keep the location of their headquarters a closely guarded secret; their base is protected by traps,guards, and many secret signs and passwords.
THE NEXUS
The Nexus is the center of all travel between the moon of Luclin and Norrath. No one fully understands how the Nexus works, although travel from Norrath to Luclin almost always takes place between the soaring wizard spires of Norrath and smaller versions of the same spires on the
moon of Luclin.
Even the great Al’Kabor, whose research is chiefly responsible for the reopening of the gates, admits that he doesn’t know everything about the Nexus. The Combine geomancer Grieg is said to understand the Nexus
and its workings, but this knowledge — given him by the goddess Luclin herself — has had the unfortunate effect of driving him mad and thus rendering him incapable of sharing his knowledge.
Originally a swirling sphere of blackness and shadow located in a small cave near Shadow Haven, the Nexus is now housed in an elegant chamber, with inlaid marbleand-acrylia floors and convenient magical transportation points to various nearby locations on the moon. The Nexus
Scions— descendants of the Loyalist spellcasters who first arrived here and of the Inquisitor researchers who stayed here to investigate the Nexus — watch over the chambers and enforce the peace. Any new arrivals who engage in violent or dangerous behavior quickly find themselves restrained or attacked by a small army of such guardians, always backed up by Defenders of the Haven.
In addition, various high-level wards protect the Nexus chamber, preventing the casting of dangerous spells.
[1] Arrival Point
Travelers from Norrath first appear here, immediately above the Nexus itself. This raised platform is inscribed with the sigil of Shadow Haven. Four curved ramps extend down to the rest of the chamber. At least two Elite Defender are always on duty here, making sure that travelers arrive safely and behave themselves.
[2] Portal to Faydwer
Small square rooms adjoin the passages leading to Luclin teleporters; these rooms contain miniature wizard spires, which carry travelers back to various locations on Norrath. Two Elite Defenders are always at hand in each passage. This chamber houses the portal back to the continent of
Faydwer. Faydwer Scion Nayla Ferrath (female human, Wiz 17, NG; NSc) normally manages and oversees this chamber, aiding travelers who have questions or problems.
[3] Passage to Netherbian Lair
This passage leads to a long tunnel that eventually ends in the region of the Netherbian Lair. Defenders of the Haven patrol the passages to prevent anything unpleasant from entering the Nexus.
[4] Portal to Antonica
This portal contains miniature wizard spires and a magical
portal back to Antonica. Antonica Scion Valtus Vanbark
(male human, Wiz 15/Exp 4, OG; NSc) usually oversees this
chamber.
City Guards
Each district of Shadow Haven has its own guards,
generally comprised of members of the same racial
extraction as that district’s inhabitants. The following
are examples of typical city guards, divided by
quarter.
Defenders of the Haven
The Defenders can be found throughout Shadow
Haven and the Nexus. They are tough and professional,
highly trained, with good morale. Defender
commanders are typically high-level warriors or
paladins.
Defender Guard (Mil 6–11, OG; DfH)
Elite Defender (War 8–13, OG; DfH)
Defender Commander (Pal or War 12–16, OG;
DfH)
Short and Stout Quarter
The dwarves, halflings, and gnomes of Shadow
Haven are critical to the city’s defense, and also see
to the security of their own quarter, with trained
militia guards known as Lookouts led by skilled
warriors called Peacekeepers. Small groups comprised
solely of Peacekeepers sometimes patrol the
district if there is known to be trouble about.
Earthcrafter Lookout (Mil 5–10, OG; HsS)
Earthcrafter Peacekeeper (War 8–12, OG; HsS)
Fordel Quarter
Like the Defenders, House Fordel’s para-military
body is comprised mostly of humans, with a few half
elves. They are well-trained and particularly wellequipped,
and are sometimes commanded by
Defender officers.
Fordel Sentry (Mil 5–10, OG; HsF)
Fordel Guardian (War 7–12, OG; HsF)
Midst Quarter
The human guardians of the Midst Quarter are
mostly monks, known as “disciples,” while the remaining
guards (mostly of Erudite descent) are
spellcasting “incantators.”
Midst Disciple (Mnk 6–12, NG; HsM)
Midst Incantator (Mag or Wiz 5–10/Mnk 0–3,
NG; HsM)
Nota’Dal Quarter
The elvish inhabitants of the Nota’Dal quarter
are protected by the Magi (singular, Magus), an
elite corps of high elven spellcasters. Descendants
of the wood elves (whether of pure descent or half
elven) serve the city as rangers or warriors, and are
known as Guardians.
Nota’Dal Magus (Enc or Wiz 5–13, OG; HsN)
Nota’Dal Guardian (Rng or War 5–12, OG;
HsN)