Nethan looks at Amelia with a kind smile, "Remember what I told you about judging Elven craftsmanship and magic when I gave you a tour of Kyonin, "Don't judge a book by its cover."" Then he turns to the Elven leader, "In addition to what my colleague stated..." Nethan looks to Elise then back to the leader, "...we are alive while I assume most of the guardians you have fought thus far have either been undead or clockwork in design."
While on edge about the scroll reading, none of the mages in his entourage seemed to react to it, so Dreyyn allowed the events to unfold.
Calathar stands forward, no-dachi leaning against his shoulder. "And who are you? We didn't expect to find anyone alive down here. Why shouldn't we think you are some sort of trick?"
Alþórel is quiet for a moment while the elf reads and talks, desperately searching his piecemeal memories for anything that might identify these elves, or where - and when - they are from.
The creature is somewhat taken a back about all this talk of undead. "You mean to say those abominations are walking corpses?! What in all of the wilds has that sort of power?!"
The others with understanding him through the spell are equally shocked by the news. The creature continues. "Forgive me, if what you say is true then you are not likely guardians of this place. I will still be wary of you but the point while... almost unbelievable, makes some sense now that I think on it. My name is Larskall, I am no trick as you say. We have been fighting our way up through this.. place.. to find out what the cause of a problem is back home."
You realize that while these creatures are very Elf-like in nature they are not precisely elves. They seem to be some sort of descendant, at least as far as you can tell. Their skin complexion suggest they have never seen the sun however are not like Drow, their leaves suggest they live outside as well. So either their skin has no pigment to begin with or there is something more to tell. What's more, this isn't their native plane.
Larskall then asks "So have these 'undead' been assailing you as well?"
"No, the walking dead - the undead - have been confined to this well on our plane, friends. "
"Some months ago there was a shockwave of magical energy that revealed this place to us."
"Those who first investigated this place were destroyed. We are the latest group to investigate - but we have only scratched the surface. Half an hour ago we had not even entered the well."
"We believe this place to be a trap of some sort left behind by a power, evil, undead wizard from our plane - I will not speak his name in this place."
"For how long have you been travelling within this place?"
"We are indeed not guardians of this place. We are punching through the defenses of this foul place to strike at the heart of whatever has caused this place to... be. To cut out the diseased flesh before it can poison the rest of our world."
"Up?" asks Calathar. "You said you had been fighting your way up through this place. Where did you come from?"
"We have been travelling in here for a day we have already lost 2 of our number." Larskall replies.
"Yes we have been climbing up through this place, we have not seen what outside its wall are like. We have come through a tear in our home, a tear that has been invading our lands." He adds sombrely.
"Looks like our goals coincide, we are both looking for the source of this issue. If it is not up this way then I fear we should retreat back into the depths of this place. We have been climbing and that is all we have been doing, we haven't explored this fortress much beyond that. If there are more of these 'undead' down there do you have any advice as to what to do about them, or should we just blast them. How are you able to kill something that is dead already anyway? This seems strange." Larskall is still bewildered by the concept of undead though is curious about them nonetheless, a morbid curiousity that he'll likely not enjoy the answers to.
Elise eyes widden with the realization "So this place - this fortress - is now a tunnel between worlds? Most fascinating!" She atempts to answer Larskalls question, but is clearly distracted by the implications of what he said earlier. Another world!
"One of our scientists claims electricity should be efficient against the larger mechanical ones - and the small one generate such a charge by touch." She starts to smile - signifying that she has a new idea "Perhaps one should try and throw the small ones at the bigger - but it might be hard since they have shown themselves capable of teleportation ..."
She lets the other tackle the philosophical question of wherever one could truly kill undead - she usually settled for destruction instead.
"Hurt'em so they can't move no more," Flynt said, answering the stranger's question about the dead in these halls. "'s what we did for that poor murdered bastard back in Caliphas. 'Course these seem to be a touch more delicate. Gunpowder made short work of 'em and the stragglers were put down quickly enough by brute force."
Casually, he produces a cigarillo from somewhere inside of his coat and lights it with a sulfurous match.
"Just takes some doing is all."
Alþórel looks sympathetic to the Elves plight
"As I say, we only just entered the well. Those who entered before us, died."
as an aside to his group
"What we have learned must be known above."
"None have knowledge of the source from which this benighted place draws its power. All we can do is as you have; wander and hope. Still, perhaps we should wander together, or at least find a way to share knowledge we acquire."
"We are capable of providing lightning strikes if need be, however shall we call a truce then? Shall we think on how we are to advance? We can fill in any gaps from what we have seen though you are more knowledgeable than us with these creatures. You mentioned clockwork? Out of curiousity, what is a clock?" Larskall asks, it sounds almost comical like a child asking his mother about the world.
"So undead things can be just put down like anything else? That is good enough for me to hear." The other two nod in agreement.
"It's a *ehm* contraption of cogs and gears - powered by a spring or magic. Hmm" Elise attempts to explain what a clock is, but comes up with an better idea: "Why not slice open the next one we find and see for yourself ? Hah - I've always preferred a hands-on approach on education."
"Truce? True suggests we are fighting against one another. I suggest alliance, for we fight the same foe. There are creatures much like you in our world, creatures we name Elves, and we live in harmony together."
"We may know more about the creatures, but you know more about this place. Can you draw a map?"
As the more learned and diplomatic folks of their expedition seem to have things under control, Dreyyn lowers his weapon, but keeps a tight grip.
Larskall is taken aback by the directness of Elise though says "That does hold merit to open up something so we can see it ourselves." He nods at Alþórel "Very well we shall call it an alliance.. wait did you say elves?!"
The other two stare at each other wide eyed. "The elves are our forefathers, that haven't been any in .. oh... near 2500 years, the last of them died out sealing a great threat from the King of Whispers. We are descendants of these powerful men and women, we are Eldred"
Planes and existance of other planes is quite common knowledge to the learned. However the more these creatures talk the more the group is beginning to realize, wherever they are from has no knowledge of other planes nor likely has ever interacted with anything from elsewhere either.
"I shall contain my excitement on this discovery for now. There are more pressing matters, I shall draw up a map of what we have seen. Bare in mind we haven't seen all of this place, we just tried to go up as quickly as possible. Taking rests inbetween due to the battles we fought." Larskall says.
Here. Larskall hands the group a rough map ([url=https://docs.google.com/drawings/d/1TQt3nH9T_kBhPTspQEx6G6jm1k1E8IXoNmdqlkAsXH4/edit]Map[/url)of the area with the route they took. The circles he has drawn on the maps are holes that they have climbed through to either go up or down. The diamond was a secret door in the wall. The unfilled areas are parts his group has not seen, so doesn't know what is down there.
When the group decides to drop down to floor B2 they are in the top left of the map, with a short corridor to the next room. Larskall says "Wait, there were several bodies of our enemies there not an hour ago. They're gone!" He points towards the secret door that is open. "One of our own fell here too but I can't see the body."
The floor is a dank, dreary place. However it feels sterile, much of the dampness the group feels is a humid musk but the air smells clean. There isn't a lot of markings to show this area was used barring the recent marks of a fight. The one that Larskall has talked about no doubt. The group hears a sudden clank, and the group begins to shudder above them. The opening they came through looks to be still open but something has open or shut somewhere.
Alþórel keeps his thoughts as to who this 'Whispering King' was to himself.
"I was afraid of this. It is... possible... that the well re-configures itself. That what we walk through is a three dimensional representation of a multidimensional structure. It might be worth retracing our steps now, just to prove that we are not cut off from home."
"Seems like a reasonable precaution. Besides - " she pauses as a thought hits her, and she turns to Larskall "Do you have a Sun down there? In your world I mean..."
The fact that the bodies has disappeared is unnerving. It reminded her of the old necromancer proverb, the four R: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, Reanimate. She didn't have the heart to tell their new allies about her suspicions. Instead she merely stated "We should probably burn our fallen and any defeated foes from now on..." letting them figure out why on their own.
Flynt, a more practical sort, scrutinizes the area. Missing corpses would need to be moved but depending on their injuries would likely end up leaving some manner of trail.
"A good point Elise. One with chilling implications."
"For the record," notes Calathar drily, "I'd prefer you just haul my corpse out of here and bury it in holy ground. Maybe with a bottle of something expensive."
"Make sure I'm dead first, too."
Alþórel muses
"Once, when I was attempting to convince a young wizard that under no circumstances was raising undead justifiable they posed a place to me as a hypothetical. A place where everyone rises as undead. Your friend dies. Do you let him come back as an uncontrollable enemy that might run off, or raise him as an undead slave, walk him outside and order him to destroy himself."
"I told him such a place would never be, that it was an impossible thought experiment."
"I can't... quite remember his name..."
"I'll do what I can, shiny," Flynt says, patting Calathar's armored shoulder. From what they saw with the behemoth, Flynt's method was less about checking and more about insuring.
"What a terrible place. But interesting in its own right."
Elise grins mischievously at Calathar "I've got some rose-scented perfume - I'll make sure I save the bottle in case you bit it !"
Nethan seems to have been in deep thought because he has not said much since running into Larskall and his party of fellow Eldred. He begins to come out of his trance replying slowly and then at his normal speaking pace, "Yes, this place ... is indeed ... horrible. I think we should burn our fellow comrades who fall. Adding extra weight is not a good thing and we may not be able to stop the well from taking fallen comrades unless perhaps we preserve them and place them in an extra dimensional space? However, we shouldn't worry about such things. Worrying about it only brings you closer to it." ... Nethan looks up at Larskall, Where are our manners?! I am Nethan ... Then Nethan introduces everyone using his hand to introduce them, "That fine woman is Amelia, our other fine woman is Elise, that is Calathar, over there you have Dreyyn, Alþórel, and Flynt." Looking back at Larskall, "Thank you for sharing your map and knowledge with us!" Nethan pauses, "If you want to see our world be my guest but if you do not, since we have a common enemy, do you want to band together for a force multiplier or do you have some other engagement to attend to?"
Larskall nods at Nethan and exchanges greetings, he introduces the other two Eldred as Leif and Naya. "Our engagements coincide with yours for now, let us band together to survive this terrible place."
Larskall says that he'll stay with the group for now he wants to know what's going on down here. Though he speaks in Elven to the other two about Amelia's proposal and one of them joins her.
As Amelia goes up to the room where the marble blocks were she instead sees a corridor leading to the outside. With the rope in view. At the end of the corridor she sees the two dead knights of Ozem that had been shot by lasers. This corridor is very quiet, though Amelia knows full well what awaits her down this corridor if she decides to progress.
Larskall replies to Elise saying "We have heard tales from our forefathers about a sun, though our world is constantly in a state of light. There is no rising and setting as the legends say. Our home does get dark though but that is due to the weather, creatures or magical surges in the nearby vicinity.
Jeremiah moves up to where the bodies could have been, his senses honed on the possibilities but he can only glean a little of what happened. It is clear that the bodies didn't just disappear though, he can see dry remains of blood and scuff marks of a fight so this is indeed the place that the Eldred fought whatever it might be. However something or someone has moved the bodies, where and how he isn't sure. While investigating Jeremiah hears a high pitched and shrill laughter coming down from the south and east corridors.
Amelia throws a copper piece or two to see what would happen, as she guessed something happens, two devices that look similar in design to guns like Jeremiah uses crop out from the roof and lock onto the copper pieces to shoot them. Amelia returns to the others.
Anyone near Jeremiah would have heard the shrill laughter as well, those a bit further away here a high pitched screech.
"Wonderful - seems someone is happy to see us atleast" Elise comments in a dry tone. She would probably like to investigate the sound, but not before Amelia returns.
Nethan bows from the neck to Leif and Naya as they are introduced, "Nice to meet you." Nethan looks pleasant as Larskall agrees to banding together.
Nethan studies the shift to see if he can understand how the shift works, perhaps through mathematics?
Nethan looks to Elise and laughs too, "Apparently so, but we may not agree." Nethan raises his eyebrows and relaxes them as he ends his reply.
"Somehow I doubt we will..." She nods at Nethan
"C'mon, unless you're creeped out by this place," Jeremiah says into a could of tobacco smoke and starts for the source of the laughter. Whoever it was know they were here, which put him at a disadvantage but he currently carried one of the world's best equalizers in his right hand.
"Hah - this place is so nice I would consider retiring here. Just sitting around enjoying the atmosphere of deranged laughter, searing lasers and clingy clockworks. But you are right - lets not keep it waiting, whatever it is."
Elise once more readied her poleaxe and prepared to take off into the uncharted territory. She would keep to the front, but always letting Amelia check for surprises - and trying to keep an eye out herself.
Alþórel is content to follow Amelia and Elise - well not content, for this place is a nightmare, but when one accompanies experts one follows their expert opinions.
The group hears a sudden clank, and the group begins to shudder above them. The opening they came through looks to be still open but something has open or shut somewhere.
Wait - did we just split the party? If so I think we should form back up especially if the layout of this place changes.
*****
Nethan nods with a smile, "A definite ideal retirement location. Although to be honest, for a wizard, this would be a better research lab. And I agree, let's face our potential enemy more on our terms than its?" Nethan looks to Larskall, "Are you in agreement, Larskall?" Nethan pauses, "We need to keep a look out for more lasers and life detectors besides the usually trap triggers."
Dreyyn has his weapon in hand and is in a defensive stance, awaiting an incoming enemy and following the others, ready to spring into action.
When the party moves out, Nethan carries his active mindblade and his Inertial Armor is active for (3) hours since the Undead/Clockwork fight.
Larskall nods to Nethan, and draws his rapier. The group then goes to the Northeast corner trying to figure out what is there. The way is dark but when the Eldred advance they flourish their blades and light begins to emanate from them. As the group continue they hear the laughter again, the group moves round a bend then they find themselves face to face with an impish like creature.
It is rubbing its hands and cackling, it outstretches its arms and bids you forward. There doesn't seem to be anything out of the ordinary at first, it is just a continuation of the corridor to a dead end.
Jeremiah, Elise and Amelia however see that beyond the imp is a groove in the shape of a doorway. The three also notice there seems to be very fine strings attached to the imp, elongating itself all the way to the ceiling. As the group looks up, they realize the ceiling is pitch black despite the light from the rapiers of the Eldred.
"A marionette ! This is truly a playground for the insane. What do you want?" She directs her question to the darkness from which the strings descend.