Kekkle examines the key. It's larger-than-average size indicates it is not just any regular key, possibly opening some special lock or having other uses. A key this special could fetch even 20 souls when sold to a merchant, its true worth somewhere around 40 souls.
Tired from the fight and mourning Ushio's death, the party heads back to the skeleton merchant. "Customers again? Welcome!" the skeleton cheerfully says as it raises its skull.
You consume the soul of the fallen roamer.
Obtained 5 souls.
"Where's blueboy? Did he died? Shame... But business will cheer!"
Kekkle examines the key. It's larger-than-average size indicates it is not just any regular key, possibly opening some special lock or having other uses. A key this special could fetch even 20 souls when sold to a merchant, its true worth somewhere around 40 souls.
Tired from the fight and mourning Ushio's death, the party heads back to the skeleton merchant. "Customers again? Welcome!" the skeleton cheerfully says as it raises its skull.
You consume the soul of the fallen roamer.
Obtained 5 souls."Where's blueboy? Did he died? Shame... But business will cheer!"
"Yes, our companion has met his end like so many others in this place. But we have recovered some useful steel from our last opponent..."
Ulrich lays out the masterwork claymore and the two katanas.
"... will you purchase these from us?"
The skeleton looks at the foreign swords. "Interested! Never I own these swords before!" He takes one of the katanas, swings it around and sounds content. "I give 5 souls for two curly-blades. Big one for 17. 22 total! We business?"
Before you have time to consider the choice thoroughly, the skeleton takes the swords and puts them away. Souls flow and the deal is done, apparently.
Obtained 22 souls.
"You must own lots souls now! You can buy lots from me!" the skeleton laughs as he displays the armory and rings.
Goramar scoffs. "If we are done here, let's move. We still haven't found that corporal guy in the floor below."
You are dead. That much is certain.
But,
You don't feel dead.
As if in a peaceful slumber, dreaming.
Knowing that morning will soon come, and you must rise.
Will you wake up, into the nightmare of reality?
Or continue your rest, in blissful defeat?
"I'll take...hmmm. Let me have that ring of greed and the shade orb."
The skeleton hands Kekkle a small yellow orb and a blood-red ring. "Nice business!"
Ring of Greed
A silver ring decorated with a blood-red miniature hand.Use detect magic spell and Spellcraft skill to determine the effects of this item. Use Appraise skill to determine the value of this item.
The God Thief Mich blessed those with selfish thoughts. Go forth, ye of greed, and slay.
Shade Orb
A bright yellow gemstone that emits benevolent thoughts.Use this any time to be summoned as a shade by other roamers. One-time use. Worth 15 souls.
When using this item, the user must specify the shade contract, and the boss or bosses he's willing to fight.
It is possible to choose a boss the user has not encountered before. In this case, specify "any boss".
After this is done, the user cannot decline from being summoned.If not used for a long time, Invader Orbs eventually refine as these brilliant gemstones.
Lost 62 souls.
"Well, we've made the investment. Should we empower Pahleg further, then, that we might see what the ring does?"
"Yes, let's return to B16 and set in for the day. The scorpion took a lot out of everyone and we all need to rest."
...
"My soul is weary at the very least."
"After that we earned some..."
Kekkle leads the group down to B16, the O24 room, to rest.
After making the purchases and thanking the undead shopkeeper, the party wearily but carefully makes its way back down to the floor below. The chamber with ladders seems peaceful and should provide at least one viable escape option if any threats were to surprise the group.
Some time passes as the party rests and chats casually. A gust of wind causes dust to gather in one place. As if molded by invisible hands, the dust takes a humanoid shape. In that moment the pile of dust recolors as the trusty fetchling companion, Ushio! He seems alive and well, if a bit pale. He possesses all the items he had pre-mortem, except for the dagger which Ulrich picked up soon after his death.
Startled at the sight Elyna backs off for a moment with wide eyes, "Ushio?"
Then fire flares up in her hands "Or is this another trick of this damned place?"
Ulrich rises, sword in hand as Ushio seems to coalesce from the Labyrinth's dirt.
"Stay where you are... what is the last thing you remember, if you truly are our fallen comrade?"
... Some time passes as the party rests and chats casually. A gust of wind causes dust to gather in one place. As if molded by invisible hands, the dust takes a humanoid shape. In that moment the pile of dust recolors as the trusty fetchling companion, Ushio! He seems alive and well, if a bit pale. He possesses all the items he had pre-mortem, except for the dagger which Ulrich picked up soon after his death.
Ushio, back to a healthier, much more alive, state than he was, looks at the party. At the sight of Elyna's fire a smirk begins to undertake his calm expression. When asked by Ulrich the last thing he remembers, he says "Death at the hands of a scorpion-man with one hell of a grip in his claw."He looks over Ulrich and spies the dagger. Feeling for the leather grip from that hilt, and finding its disappearance, points at it. "I believe that is mine." He lowers the finger. "If you've taken a liking to it, you may by all means have it."
Ulrich looks at Ushio warily, then back to his other companions. Apparently satisfied, he hands the dagger back to the fetchling.
"Even death will not prevent us from remaining trapped here, then."
"What is the point than? A sick game?"
Ulrich releases a bitter chuckle.
"I hardly know. But I suspect we'll continue our punishment until our sense of self is fully stripped from us... and we become part of some other souls' punishment."
"Hungry, Ushio? We've got some souls from the Scorpion; 'tis only fair that you take your share of them."
Kekkle is too tired to offer anything more than a smile in recognition of his return to the realm of the living. For the scarecrow, it as if the weight of all of events up to this point had suddenly caught up with him, dragging his soul downward.
Exhausted, he stumbles over to one of the rooms corner and settles in for the night. Sleep does not come easily to the troubled mind, however, and Kekkle's is no exception. Moritat and Rilian had already died and though it was just a short time ago, their memories had already begun to fade. He is plagued further by visions of the others they had slain to get here. Surely not all of them were evil, heartless monsters that deserved to fall on the sword. Yet they did, regardless.
And what of himself? Through everything he had remained at the rear, sending his companions to face whatever horrors in his stead. Fear had found its way into his heart and claimed the spirit of this follower of Auroink.
In his sleep he clutches feverishly at the pendant kept in his breast pocket.
In the darkness, fear had found him, and had taken his mind.
To survive, he had to make the fear real.
To escape, he had to seek the light again.
By the end of their rest Kekkle has staggered back to his feet. But this time, a fey mood has taken him. A quick trip down the hall yields the rags of the other fallen adventurers, taken with little thought as to how they arrived there. He casts his former rags away, the garb of simple farmfolk, in favor of more prudent attire. Woolen pants and a double breasted vest were essential, followed by an Aketon and Surcoat; he would need true armor from here on and the extra padding was necessary for ease-of-use.
Finally, he sets his hat and the deck of cards away at a small make-shift grave near the corner of the room. A final sign of his renewed commitment to survival in the Labyrinth, and to the survival of his fellows as well.
He turns to the rest of his companions and awaits their preperations. He goes without checking his own spellbook.
"Do we still seek the knights below, or have we found greater purpose?"
Sooner or later, one member at a time, the party falls asleep in the cold chamber. Ulrich keeps watch and while he occasionally drowses off for a few minutes, the rest is undisturbed. Eventually his torch, which had served him and his companions well since the moment they arrived, extinguishes for good, having run out of wax and fuel. Kekkle spends the night contemplating the sorrow of losing people.
It is hard to tell with no sunlight when the morning arrives, but natural biological clock wakes up the party to a new day.
During his daily morning prayers, Pahleg thanks his god of Ushio's miraculous revival. He prays that none of his companions should ever have to die any more. As if an answer to the prayers, something essential flows from the party's collective anima into his faith.
Pahleg attains 3rd level!
Lost 30 souls.
Ushio spends a few minutes to contemplate on his own death. He had felt as if he was sleeping, and the revival felt like an awakening from a slumber. Whether these thoughts brought him closer to understanding or madness, he feels wiser as something essential flows from the party's collective anima.
Ushio attains 2nd level!
Lost 20 souls.
With great resolve, Kekkle goes to the cavern of the scorpion, discards his former rags and gathers more prudent clothes from the fallen black-dressed roamers. He has found inner strength during the night: strength that might be what is needed to survive and escape.
Kekkle's soul essence has changed!
A few words are exchanged. However, it seems that the party's voices and sounds have been heard, as someone calls them from the direction of the scorpion's cavern:
"Is someone there? Please, hear to my plea!"
Pahleg finishes donning his armor when he hears the cry for help. Eager to provide some and find new allies but wary of a trap, he turns to his allies. "Friends, I say we investigate that. Perhaps the creature had captives."
Ulrich nods.
"Agreed. I suspect this is most likely a trap- the Labyrinth wishes to turn our altruism against us- we should proceed cautiously..."
"Ushio, perhaps you should scout ahead while we follow- without the torch, with only Elyna's flame, we shouldn't give off too much illumination.", he whispers conspiratorially.
"I can provide for our light situation as needed. In the meantime let us go to this poor souls aid." Kekkle steps forward, indicating he is ready to go.
"Alright, let's find out what is going on there."
The voice had come from the direction of the scorpion's cavern. Ushio, followed by the others who are illuminated by light spells, scouts ahead into the side tunnel. Seconds later, Ushio gives the all-clear and the others join him.
In the side tunnel there's a lone bearded man sitting in the corner. Both of his legs end around the knees, below that there's only bloody stumps. Next to him lies two halves of a broken spear and a breastplate cleanly cut in two. He notices the group and says delighted: "Gods bless! What a joy to see so many people with their minds intact! Hear me, the general needs your help! There's no time, the Throne might be in danger...!"
The man is visibly agitated, and you try to calm him down.
"Ah y-yes... I am Matt, a corporal of Hellfire. Y-you know Hellfire, don't you? We secure the peace in this place... Yes..." The man gets lost in thought for a moment.
"So you are corporal Matt. The knight upstairs told us to seek you out.. he failed to mention the scorpion. Were those your comrades in there?"
Ulrich jerks a thumb over his shoulder, back toward where the party faced down the elf-faced scorpion.
"What general do you speak of? What Throne?"
"Pahleg, maybe we should help the man." Elyna turns to the injured man: "What's going on?"
"I am sorry for you wounds friend. I wish I had the power to help. We know barely anything of your order, but we have heard of them. We would love to know as much as possible."
Kekkle kneels down alongside the man "We should at least ensure that the bleeding has stopped. He may yet live - long enough to return to his fold, at least."
Ushio kneels down to the man, coming eye to eye in level.
"You are in a bad shape; worse than many that thrive here. You ought to know of a healer. If you do, i can take you there. But first, what of this throne you have spoken of?"
"So you are corporal Matt. The knight upstairs told us to seek you out.. he failed to mention the scorpion. Were those your comrades in there?"
The man snaps out of his thoughts, only to become more nervous. "Scorpion? No, yes... Yes! The elf attacked... Gods! I-I couldn't move. So many dead around me! My spear must have broken, a-and my armor. And the pain! I-I woke up in here, and couldn't move..."
"What general do you speak of? What Throne?"
"Our great general! Y-yes! The general and I are good friends. He's a good friend, and a great commander. He was... The Throne, that's our domain." He then suddenly raises his voice, now shouting: "Please! The general needs your help! United land..."
"What's going on?"
"I-I heard voices down here. No, that's not... I was taking a break from the outpost duties. And... I came down here. A-and then the elf attacked. Or... no?"
The man has applied crude first aid to his legs, apparently, and they're no longer bleeding. But he seems to have lost a lot of blood, and his mental state is clearly damaged.
"I am sorry for you wounds friend. I wish I had the power to help. We know barely anything of your order, but we have heard of them. We would love to know as much as possible."
The man nods. "Hell... Hellfire. We secure the peace, that's right... I think I broke my legs. Do you think I'll be all right? Should I see a doctor?"
Ulrich glances between the Corporal and the rest of the team.
"You're going to need more than a doctor, soldier."
"We should put him out of his misery.", Ulrich thinks,"Perhaps he has a few souls left for us..."
The one-eyed knight dismisses the thought. "No, no. We can't do that... if anyone should put him out, it's likely his comrades..."
"Perhaps you could show us where your comrades are headquartered, yes? We could help you return to them and perhaps they will know what to do to help you."
"And- by the way, who or what is attacking the Throne?"
Kekkle turns to Ulrich "He seems to be fading fast, we should take him to the outpost on B15. If only so that we know where we're going already."
Ulrich nods.
"Good suggestion. Help me carry him, will you?"
The knight sheathes his sword and pulls one of the Corporal's arms over his shoulder to help hoist him up.
Kekkle nods and swaps his sword into his offhand to pick up the wounded man. "Peace now, Corporal. We have you."
Kekkle will rely on his companions to be on guard while they make their way upstairs.
Kekkle helps carry the corporal to the ladder room and, with little pushing, the legless man reaches the floor above.
"United land... Thuevar... General needs help... Furnace... His obsession..." the wounded man raves in his fever. You ignore his nonsense, yet some of his speech sounds uncannily familiar.
You help Matt reach the bloodstained room, which the knight had described as a Hellfire outpost.
Expecting to see the unfriendly Hell private, you are surprised to see the room empty. As you display your surprise at the knight's absence, Matt becomes shocked. "Gods... It's happening... The obsession... We are too late...!"
With no one to object, you examine the bloodstained room. The knight had ordered the party to stay away, and in doing so had prevented the party from seeing a small passage to his left. On the walls of this passage is nailed a metal peg rack, likely used to hang clothes or keys or other items. Now, nothing hangs from the rack. At the end of the small passage awaits a towering double iron door. There's a small window on the door to peek in.
The iron door on the backside of the bloodstained chamber seems locked. The door has a key hole. Matt searches his pockets, waves for Kekkle to come closer, and hands him a key.
Prison Key
A metal key. An emblem depicting flames is engraved on it.Weigh - lbs. Use Appraise skill to determine the value of this item.
Asuera's Prison and its cells act as a home for many in the Labyrinth. With the sorceress's seeming absence, who's to obejct?
"Here... I trust you." the corporal whispers.
Ulrich pulls the estus flask from his belt pouch.
"Here, drink up.", he says, holding it for Matt to drink.
Matt drinks the liquid Ulrich offers him. The change is visible, and he's clearly much calmer now.
"Thank you, kind man. Even though I've broken my legs you'd help me. Your kindness is a welcome sight here. Have you considered joining our ranks as a member of Hellfire?"
Hellfire
Like fire, burn down the entirety of the Labyrinth, and cleanse the place of its horrid chaos.With steel and fire we forge the world anew. By any means necessary, order will be made. Discipline and power: there is no limit to what these two can accomplish.
Take on the oath! It is far better to fight alongside devil than bow to death.
"Oh, but that can wait! The general definitely needs your help. Even this outpost is empty. That must mean the guards have received orders to leave. Oh, general... It all started when we lost the Furnace... The general hasn't been the same ever since. And then there's Thuevar..."
He blinks. "Oh! Yes! Do any of you remember the name of the united land: Thuevar?"
Pahleg nods in gratitude as they are lead to the new room, looking around with curiosity at the lack of the armored man. But at the offer of membership he shakes his head. "I serve a different kind of fire. While I have no trouble with some cooperation, I cannot pledge myself to your cause."
Kekkle nods and takes the key without further words. As his companions see to the Corporal Kekkle quickly checks the two doors in the room, first seeing if he can see anything beyond them and then checking if this new key fits either lock.
Ulrich takes the gratitude silently, ashamed that he momentarily considered the man as nothing more than a legless bag of souls.
"I shall think on it, Corporal. Thuevar rings a bell... but I cannot place where. This cursed place has a way of tampering with memory."
Kekkle notices there are no windows on the regular door at the end of the room, and tries the key to it. Indeed the lock clicks open, but perhaps it would be best to enter prepared, so Kekkle does not open the door just yet.
The room behind the door is a spacious chamber, and the iron chains and shackles hanging on the walls and ceiling offer a hint of its purpose: it is clearly a prison cell, or even a torture chamber. A lone human woman is shackled on the wall at the end. Her entire body is completely enchained.
"Those cruel men captured and tortured me! Oh, please, help me!" she begs you with a quiet voice.
While Kekkle walks to the double doors, Matt speaks with the others. Ulrich is not the only one who was unable to recall the meaning of the word 'Thuevar', and Matt nods understandingly.
"I see... Hear to my story, then," he says and begins telling a tale. "In my life before the Labyrinth, I was a Raetian military commander. Raetas was in the war against Zin, but just as we were about to seize the capital of Zin, the emperor ordered us to withdraw. When I later asked His Holiness why, he answered: 'because we must follow the history of Thuevar'. The word 'Thuevar' sounded uncannily familiar to me, but I couldn't tell why, so I went and researched it."
"I was unable to find any written word about Thuevar at all. But strangely, everyone I spoke with agreed that Thuevar did sound familiar, but couldn't tell why. It was not before arriving in the Labyrinth that I met one person able to recall something about it: he said it was the name of the united land. That person, is general Kiehinen."
"As the general is the only one to remember its meaning, I cannot help but think that Thuevar is something important. And... it amazes me how no one..." he pauses. "Ever since we lost the Furnace, the general has been obsessed by it. Find the Furnace, he orders, by any means necessary. I fear him now, to be honest. And... and I fear what his obsession might mean for the Throne if the Furnace is not found."
"I've broken my legs, so I can't go to him. Please, he needs to find the Furnace or he'll never know peace and Hellfire will be destroyed. And, if you ever meet the general, please ask him about Thuevar."
Kekkle does not respond to the woman right away. Instead, he calls out to the the corporal.
"Corporal? Just what sort of stock did you keep in this prison?"
Memory magic perhaps? Very disconcerting. Pahleg is very torn on the situation. He wants to help the man and his allies, but he doesn't know enough about this Furnace and Hellfire to know if it's something evil that should actually be destroyed. But his thoughts are torn when he hears footsteps and he turns. "Somebody is approaching from behind us."
While the others are listening to the corporal's story, Kekkle calls to him. Matt pauses the story and says and in response: "What do you mean? This prison outpost keeps villainous individuals locked away. What, did you talk with Dushica? Don't believe a word she says!" Matt turns to the others. "Someone should see that he doesn't let that woman out."
The sounds of footsteps are getting closer. Alerted by Pahleg's warning, Goramar looks behind in the passage and shouts a warning to the others: "Grab your weapons! We got a big ogre guest coming."
Elyna turns around and gets ready to shoot whatever is about to come around that corner.
Kekkle dismisses his light spell and spins around towards the entrance. "A discussion for later, then."
As he moves back in line with the rest of the group he focuses magical energy around himself, though without any incantations this time around.
Ulrich takes up a position around the corner from the tunnel.