The bloody man returns to consciousness with excruciating slowness.
His bleary eyes take a minute to focus, before he rasps, "Take whatever you want, just don't kill me."
Travigan looks at Sandra and the others, "Well? What're yer questions for 'im?"
"Ye mean besides 'what the feck is wrong with you, ye godsdamned psychopath' or maybe 'why th' hell d' ye think ye deserve t' live after what ye've done'?"
Well we know that someone paid to set up up here for your experiments, who was it? how do you get in touch with him? What were you trying to accomplish with your experiments? You received also a special worm can you tell us what is so special about it and whom do you serve?
Ulfak looks over the zombie bodies for signs of necromancy. How they were made and who they were. He spends his time in detached curiosity while they interrogate the man.
At one point he asks out loud, "what filge? Or who?"
"Wha...? The necromancer's look of complete bewilderment slowly turns to anger. "I'm the psychopath!? That's rich coming from someone who just broke into a private residence and destroyed years of research. Who me set up? Balabar Smenk, the Balabar Smenk who own half of this godsforsaken excuse for a town, asked me to come here as a personal favour. The details of which, not that they are any of your business, have to do with some stupid necromantic parasite he came across. Hardly worth the effort of making the trip, before you destroyed my creations. Do you have any idea how much those things cost?"
and what were you able to find trough your research and the parasite? she ask calmly
before you destroyed my creations. Do you have any idea how much those things cost?"[/b]
"Mebee next time, b'fore ye invest a bunch o' money into a project, ye might give some thought t' whether or not the things ye plan on makin' are made outta people. We saw yer charmin' display at th' table downstairs and in that bedroom. I seriously doubt any of those folks really wanted t' become part o' yer messed up little displays."
The Necromancer's plea for life upon awakening made Erethyn hesitant to do more and he was stricken with indecision as his allies began to question the man. He was guilty of a foul practice but Erethyn's own nature held him in place.
When the man spoke with such disregard for the dead, however, rage built up and he couldn't contain himself.
"Cost? COST?! Your creations, involved digging up sanctified bodies for use as tools! You made them into a mockery of life for what... your sick and twisted amusement?! There is no excuse for that! I don't care if it was you or Balabar Smenk who did it but rest assured that this will not go unpunished. Favor or not, you made the wrong choice."
Erethyn turned away from the man, unable to even speak to him anymore for the moment.
"While ye might've been within yer legal rights ta animate these wretched things, yer still guilty o' grave robbin', Filge. Ye might not 'ave done th' deed yerself, but the contents o' now empty graves are in the foyer downstairs an' that's more than enough fer me. An' since yer the one with the bare neck and I'm the one with the axe, I'm thinkin' that'll be enough fer yerself as well. Now, before I lose me patience or this axe gets too heavy ta hold up like this, I suggest ye stop fussin' and get ta answerin' all th' little lady's questions."
"Break his fingers. This is hard work for fat and twisted hands. No one can sew without good ones. His work would be truly over if you cut away his thumbs. We do it for shaman that go bad against the tribe."
Ulfak murmurs after the threats, cold and hard. He looks up at the dark mage and shrugs, "I do it if you want."
"Those idiots dug up a graveyard!? I specifically told them unsactified graves only and only those of deceased with no living relatives. Your problem is with the supplier not with me."
At mention of his dinner 'party', the necromancer seems a little abashed and coughs into a hand, "Well you can blame a man for wanting a little company. I found the area to be quite deficient in intelligent conversation."
Re:the worm" "It from something called a spawn of Kyuss. Kind of super zombie, apparently incredibly difficult to kill. I wonder where old Smenk came across it."
Travigan frowns as Filge cooperates so readily. "Bah. Yer actually cooperatin'." He turns to the others, "Anythin' else ye'd like ta know or is it time ta haul this blighter in?"
"Who Smenk? We take this one in and what Smenk do? Filge not live long if this important. Or he is helping so that he can live and get Smenk help in town. I not trust this one."
Ulfak looks at the others. "You decide but I here for Land bones and back to Cairn. He not matter to me."
The wolf druid starts making preparations to leave. He eats some meat and goes to wait by the door.
Erethyn felt heavy, fatigue was really starting to set in. He wasn't just physically exhausted from the days events, he was mentally and emotionally drained as well. This place had taken a toll on him that he had not felt in a long time. He turned back to his companions as things were seemingly wrapping up.
"Balabar Smenk, Ulfak, is quite possibly the most influential figure in this area. Though even he will have a difficult time dealing with all this. Let's make you a deal." He said. "You confess what you know of Smenks involvement in what's going on and you live. After that, you leave town and don't involve yourself again. Deal?"
Erethyn eyed the man to gauge his response.
Before he goes Erethyn what can he tell us about this Spawn. How difficult is it to kill, what superpower does it have etc.
The necromancer gives Erethyn a puzzled look, "Confess to who? For what? I'm not the one in the wrong here, but sure, let's go see the Sheriff. I'm sure Avery would love to hear about what's happened here."
"Th' confession's ta us, Filge. Ye must realize tha' we dinnae particularly care if these, what'd ye call 'em - experiments? It dinnae matter if'n they're lawful or na'. Th' lad's offer is as generous as ye're gonna get. I strongly recommend ye accept 'is graciousness. I dinnae know if'n it'll be offered again."
"Alright, Filge. Ye answer'd our questions. Ye're free ta go on yer way, but if'n I catch wind o' ye usin' people ta make yer nasty undead things again, I'll come after ye. Now get yerself gone. We'll deal with yer supplier soon enough."
With that, Travigan gives Filge one last eye-bulging stare before letting him loose. He turns to the others, "Looks like Ulfak's recovered the bones o' the Lands. Le's get 'em and th' boy's back in th' ground where they belong." He turns away and makes for the Land Estate directly if no one steers him elsewhere.
I am ok with letting him go. but first can you tell us what you know about those spawn of kyuss?
Filge gets shakily to his feet and glares at Travigan, "The worms burrow into you and eat your brain, somehow causing the corpse to reanimate. The worms themselves aren't undead, but appear to use the new zombie as a vector for spreading. The zombies are fast, vicsious and extremely hard to kill. I would avoid them."
With that, he limps out of the room and down the stairs.
Very well, i suggest we return the bones first before dealing with the rest?
"Good. Ulfak ready and lets hurry back to Alastor and the Cairn."
Ulfak hefts the sack of bones and makes his way out of the door. He sniffs the air and takes a look at the weather. His feet can barely stand still when there is a journey to be made.
"No one hurt?"
"Nah, I'm fine, Ulfak. Thanks fer askin' though. An' I agree. Le's get these bones back in th' ground an' see what Alastor can do 'bout that weird door."
Well then lets move forward.
You return to the land residence to bury the bones, encountering no problems enroute and the bones go back into the ground with little fanfare. When the graves are filled. The faint form of Allastor appears momentarily above his grave and smiles. As he fades from sight you hear his faint voice,
"Promise made. Promise kept. The way is open."
and then he is gone. Turning back towards town, the wind suddenly picks up and rustles through the trees. Faintly, so much so that you can't be sure that you heard it at all, a voice sighs,
"Doom comes and death crawls from its shadow."
"What was that? Did you lot hear that? First necromancers an' undead nasties, now creepy whispers on th' bleedin' wind!"
"I heard that. Doom comes is what nature says. The dying tree I saw in midwinter made it a sure thing to happen. It had woodworm pouring from holes. Lots. My master told me to follow my heart and read the signs."
Travigan arches an eyebrow at Ulfak, "... Right. Woodworms. So! Where's yer heart tellin' ya ta go now? Back to th' cairn perhaps?"
Woodworm an' trees an' nature? Pfah, I wouldn'a taken him for a lover o' riddles.
"Yes. Coming?" grins the wolfish Shoanti.
"Bah! Of course I'm comin' ya big lump!" He claps Ratchet on the shoulder as he passes, "I hope yer ready for more o' that tinkerin' ye seem so fond of. I reckon there'll be some more nasty surprises past tha' door Alastor opened up fer us."
Allowing himself a brief moment to take piece in the spirits laid to rest, Erethyn was about to speak when the whispering voiced its dark omen.
He was almost shaken but held himself firm. "Perhaps, before we are to return to such an undertaking, we should return to town and find ourselves a place to rest. My abilities are heavily expended and would be of little more assistance than an extra bow for today."
understood erethyn, i am still good to go
"We can rest here. Tie Filge up and this is our home for the night. Why not?" grumps the annoyed druid at yet another delay.
"Going back to town just is a different bed. Unless you want other things."
Nay we are fine, sandra will wink at erethn between the two of us we still have magical means at our hands
You spend the better part of the day hiking back to the cairn. Everything seems just as you left it, thought the corpses of your fallen enemies have began to rot and have attracted their share of flies. Making your way back to the ball pit chamber, you find that the door at the end of the walkway is indeed open and Alastor did keep his end of the bargain. You step through it and peer into he room beyond it.
This cavernous chamber consists of a large stone walkway around a deep chasm that leads into darkness. Four platforms lead from the walkway to a central ring, but two of these are broken. Bright light reminiscent of a summer's day filters down from the ceiling about forty feet above. Four wide galleries extend from the outer walkway, their far walls covered with enormous bas-relief vistas. A sighing wind emits from a huge pillar of rushing air at the centre of the chamber. The column extends from the floor to the ceiling, cutting through the room's central ring.
"Nobody touch nothin'." Ratchet says. "This place has already been chock full o' traps, an' it looks like parts o' this area have already collapsed. Be careful."
"Aye. Ye'll not be needin' ta tell me twice, Ratchet. But wha' th' devil is this place? This is lookin' less and less like some burial cairn that jus' got lost for a while."
Sure thing. Sandra will stay in the middle of the party
Ulfak scans the huge chamber for signs of danger and clues to the place in those bas reliefs.
He gets his sling ready in case they can fight at range.
"Ratchet right. Something wrong here. Saw three whitewings flying over us just before we entered, three is bad sign for us."
"Two worse so good too," apologises the shaman almost to himself.
Erethyn had not been entirely sure what to make of Sandra's wink but had sighed and nodded to her insistence that they had the magical means with which to press onward.
As they reached the cairn and headed into the room, Erethyn wished he had been more insistent on taking a day to rest. It wasn't that he was completely drained of his magic but he felt odd with so much of it gone. Still he pushed the lingering thoughts out of his mind and held his bow at the ready.
"I can't say I know much about delving into long abandoned structures. I'll trust your judgement on this, Ratchet."
Ratchet starts sweeping the room for traps, but finds none. What he does find is as he approaches the first alcove a smoky sheet of steam breathes forth from the crude bas-reliefs, covering the entire wall. As the steam eddies and plays about the rough carvings, distinct impressionistic images become apparent on the walls. The images seem to shift and move, making them come alive with action.
1st Alcove
This image depicts a peaceful scene featuring several bald human like people (similar to the one on the sarcophagus in the lantern room) relaxing in an idyllic country scene. Dozens of perfect circles fill the sky above the frolicking figures. As the steam runs over the image, dark, twisted shapes emerge from the sculpture’s edges. The shapes coalesce to form monstrous creatures that look like a cross between spiders and wolves. As the creatures approach the people, the circles in the sky begin to burst one by one.
2nd Alcove
This image depicts a towering figure wearing a glyph on his armor standing over a legion of warriors. The central warrior bears a different glyph. As the steam plays about the image, the warriors raise longswords in salute to the towering figure.
The towering figure has the personal seal of a Wind Duke called Icosiol. (The rune seen on the "mirror" near the entrance). The central warrior has the glyph that has been seen in the rest of the Whispering Cairn, that of Zosiel, apparently a high ranking warrior in Icosiol's army.
3rd Alcove
A group of seven proud Wind Dukes present a staff-like rod to a council of Bralani in this gallery image. As the steam fills the bas-relief’s contours, the central figure raises the staff above his head, where it splits into seven irregular parts.
4th Alcove
The bas-relief in this gallery depicts a huge battle. As the steam moves about the image, one of the Wind Dukes impales a large wolf-spider with a rod like item. This wolf-spider looks different than the others pictured, looking like a drider with four arms and a human head flanked by two wolf heads. As the wolf-spider, rod, and Wind Duke vanish into a planar rift, the Wind Duke Icosiol is struck by a beam from the wolf-spider’s eyes and slumps dead to the ground.
I have no idea what that story means and how it relates to what we are currently doing. Anyone?
Erethyn looked closely at the Alcoves and attempted to decipher what was written there.
"From what I can tell, it appears as though the entire scene shows the events leading to the Wind Duke Icosiol's death. These basin reliefs are meant to show the life and important events that took place during the deceased's life. The first basin depicts the Wind Duke's lives as peaceful right up until the Wolf-spiders came to attack. I'm not sure what the circles mean. The second scene shows the response to the creatures invading and shows the leaders. Icosiol, we saw his glyph on a mirror near the entrance of Cairn. Also, Zosiel, who was presumably the commander of the army shown, is all around the Cairn. We've seen his sigil everywhere. The third scene shows the Wind Dukes... possibly making a declaration to the Council of Bralani. I'm not sure what the breaking of the staff means. It could have been an artifact and the reason for the Wolf-Spiders assault, and this was their way to protect it, maybe? The final scene is probably the deciding battle of the two armies. During which Icosiol is slain and another of the the Wind Dukes is pulled through the rift.
The figures shown in the scenes are the seven Wind Dukes. We saw one before in the room of lanterns. It might be that the seven, well six of the figures anyway, were laid to rest here in this place."
Ratchet is amazed, and obviously excited. As an archeologist, this place was an amazing find to him.
It was the depiction of the breaking staff that fixated him though.
"No bloomin' way." he said with an amazed shake of his head.
"Any o' ye ever heard o' th' Rod o' Seven Parts?"
"No."
Ulfak moves round until he is in front of one of the unbroken walkways towards the centre, his eyes almost fascinated by that column of wind.
"Maybe rod holds spirits of the Wind Lords as they die. How many Lords? Seven?"
That name does ring a bell but i know nothing really apart the fact that rod is immensely powerful. But how does all that relates to the undead worm we found, the spawn of Kyuss?