"Oh, and I suppose this is a good enough place to read the scroll. We've reached the citadel."
"Indeed we have... would you do us the honor Mr. Oliver?"
Oliver looks at the scroll, takes it, looks at the writing, and begins to read. "Klah.. Klahtu... Verant...veratta... nik.. nikmumph!"
Nothing happens.
Oliver hands it back to Adornis. "Sorry ol chum, I'm afraid I don't know how to read magic writing."
Adornis accepts the scroll from Oliver's hands.
"Let me see what I can do... I have no magical skills, but magic, as everything else, is a science, generally mathematics."
"Ha, got it! It is like a simple Abouabdillah's theorem case." With a couple of gestures and precise names Adornis finishes his casting.
Rhoman stayed silent, even while helping the others with their horses, his mind pondering the event that had just taken place. "We just met a being of immense power," he muses aloud. "And whatever lurks in the depths of this place, she does not seem to be able to destroy it. We are truly on a quest for the ages." Still pondering, Rhoman asks aloud, "Did the Great Spirit's last form seem familiar to anyone? She spoke as though we should recognize her." Thinking back onto the stories from his people and the places he has seen, Rhoman tries to remember any images of a woman in bluish armor.
"Did the Great Spirit's last form seem familiar to anyone? She spoke as though we should recognize her."
"Now that you mention it, she seamed familiar."
When the scroll was read the runes flared to live upon the scroll, the scroll itself disintegrated in the hands of Adornis. The runes itself remained before then suddenly merged into a red flare like flame before shooting up far into the sky before vanishing. It was rather anticlimactic, but it was done.
"well.." says Ciaran as he stares up at the sky where the flame vanished. "you think that it would be a bit more... explosive" he then looks to his companions. seeing that they don't need his help with anything right now, he takes the liberty to take out his journal and starts to write down what he's seen today. when he starts to write about the mass of spirits that they meet today he takes the time to draw a rough sketch of the sprits last form. once that is done, he takes out one of his trail rations and begins to eat it. as he sits there and begin to sank on it. a confused look comes across his features and he eats and then says
"how come that thing didn't attack us when we entered the secret passage way? I obviously knew we were going to come through there, and as far as I could tell I rather kill us than make an oath with us, so why didn't it attack us when we were sleeping?"
"It was likely bound within the bailey, it probably can't leave, even to enter the wall of the Bailey. We only saw it on the top, and in the tower rooms, arguably part of the Bailey. The interior of the wall might be beyond it's effect. Or else, it didn't notice us until we opened the door. Remember, there was no fog in the wall, it may need the fog to notice things."
Roet limited himself to listen to his companions' ideas. He hadn't recognize the creature, as some found familiarity. The reading of the scroll was interesting, he thought, and somehow he was already expecting something subtle. At the end, the monk kept his silent ways and shook his head, smiling at the runes. He took his rations and started eating it with Ciaran.
"Hmmm so it wished to manifest into a woman we should know. That is interesting, but still we must move on. When we come back I shall see to it that the spirit is aided" he said as he looked to the others leading his donkey on the back of the horse he had be assigned.
"yes let us not terry, for mysteries await to be solved!"
Looking around, Rhoman went over to the guardhouse remains. "Perhaps there will be maps in this building," he says. Stepping down from his horse, he drew his sword, checking to see if the door was open.
The door to the guardhouse was unlocked. It would open without any difficulties revealing a dust laden building. Most of the furniture still remained, not aging much from the time it was abandoned. The place sets and other items were still left at their original positions, as if they were in use the day before. It was eerie, as if people never really left the place at all. You could assume most of the other buildings in the city were like this, filled with all necessary items needed for living besides food, but covered in dust.
"YES!" Adornis said louder than he expected.
"That woman, I finally remembered who she was! Or at least could be... if that is even possible, since it would open discussion to an entire now line of studies..." Adornis, noticing that he had digressed, continues.
"Sorry gentlemen. I was so focused in remembering her in some of the books of lore or legends that forgot about others sources of knowledge. That woman is the goddess Avatria, her looks exactly as she is depicted in countless ancient buildings around the world."
He gives his companions a moment.
"According to some history books of unknown origin, and yet to be completely accepted by the academic society, Avatria was cast down from her throne because she had meddled with the affairs of mortals."
Adornis looks uncertain but continues.
"Even if this is real, there are many reasons and speculations among the scholars as to what exactly she did, since Avatria was the goddess of many things."
Roet tries to remember about Avatria, after Adornis speaks. However, the monk is currently more interested in inspecting the guardhouse. He starts searching around for equipment and, who knows, maybe traps, secret doors or stashes.
"I would ask the spirits who live here before you take anything..." Oliver says in warning as people's eyes begin to glaze over like a dwarf looking at a pile of gold ore. He looks around, finds a stone, and tosses it into the citadel proper, bouncing it over the floor where the piles of dust gathered oddly.
Rhoman searches around the guardhouse, looking for any maps or books that may describe Dillium Das before coming back outside.
"Looking for treasure is one thing, Oliver. Looking for a map is something else entirely." Rhoman returns, brushing dust away.
Your search of the guard shack turns empty handed for anything useful, the armors and arms that were left their were useless as the bindings had aged poorly. Though everything was set as if someone was preparing for the next day of their routine. It was unsettling to an extent.
The pebble bounced through the dust harmlessly. All it did was stir it into the air, causing it to just float for a little bit before it begun to settle once more onto the ground.
In the guardhouse there was on thing that stood out to the people who were searching it. A cabinet next to a table had a drawer open. The fine dust around it was disturbed as someone must've came through here before them. The drawer was filled with some parchment and scrolls of ancient writing, but there was no map to be found. Though it does look like someone or something riffled through the drawer for it or something similar.
the explanation of what the creature is causes the perplexed look on Ciarans face to remain
"wait..." he starts out, then pauses as he attempts to wrap his head around this new information. he scratches his beard and then says."so, you're saying that, that creature out there, isn't a bunch of souls thrown together, but that its a goddess?" he shakes his head "but it was talking about how it remembered its life in the city, or at least what little memory that it had" he then looks around at his companions "and could we please give it a name? it feels a little rude to not give it a title of some sort, especially if it was a goddess or all the people that used to live here"
"so, you're saying that, that creature out there, isn't a bunch of souls thrown together, but that its a goddess?"
"I also thought about it Mr. Ciaran." Adornis turns his attention towards Ciran. "But you must remember that, according to the legends she was 'cast down from her throne', which could means that she became a mortal."
"With the act of becoming a mortal we can speculate that it could be possible for her to die. Or almost, as we had seen."
Adornis thinks for a moment then lifts a finger.
"We could go even further and perhaps assume that, since she 'died' here, her 'mortal affairs' might be responsible for the vanishing of the inhabitants of Dillium Das, as well as the creation of the amalgam of souls."
Ciaran takes this in, seeming to understand what Adornis is telling him and then says
"ok lad, I think I got it. so, what happens to a goddess when they become mortal, how much of their power do they retain? because it seems to me that she would still retain some power, and her death may have played some part in this blight"
Augar looks to towards the two in the tower back to the two talking and heads towards the door. Once there he peaks in and speaks.
"Are you two still alive and if you are did you find anything"he said looking about the area hoping if the two were attacked that he would not have a bad fight on his hands.
Oliver examines the area with the dust, not happy. "Anyone able to summon animals? Or other creatures?" He asks, frowning at the area, still not happy with the dust piles for some reason.
Oliver examines the area with the dust, not happy. "Anyone able to summon animals? Or other creatures?" He asks, frowning at the area, still not happy with the dust piles for some reason.
Rhoman nods to Augar as he comes outside to spread the parchments out on the ground, trying to make sense of them. The people of Huth'han had no written language, and so motioned for Adornis and Augar to take a look at them.
"Some writing, it seems, but none that I have seen before," he murmurs, before standing to look around. "Perhaps they will hold the secret to exploring this place?"
Adornis always loved books and scrolls.
What hidden knowledge lies hidden in these scrolls, just awaiting for being discovered?
Adornis searches for any reference about a map, or even trivial information that could help them to create one. He also looks for any reference about Avatria.
"Let me see if I can help!"
Roet comes out of the building, telling the others what was found.
The guard shack didn't seem to have anything useful, my friend, I'm afraid. There's equipment, but it's all useless now due to the age.
He paused, looking at the others.
What strikes me as odd... And painful, to an extent... is that everything is set and organized as it hadn't been abandoned through some planned months, but rather like something suddenly happened, in a night, and everything had to be left behind. Or as if every guard there was doing their routines, ready for the next day at work, when something...
The monk stops without finding the need of continuing going. He was a little shaken by that, trying to imagine what had happened, and conveying the information the best he can.
.... I digress. The hallway is complete, though as per request of the plan, it is heavily trapped. Anyone who manages to infiltrate the palace and get past these devices will find a good amount of wealth, though if they ever make it in, they also have to make it out....
.... The Queen is preparing for something. She has declined to share her vision but it appears that it is fate she has accepted. Her children all will go with her. I can't wait to be in the embrace of The Mother....
.... Placed my armor in the hidden room. Along with my gear. I will not be needing it for the ascension. Though it was foreseen that someday our heritage will return. All I will say is... behind closet... within routine day...
.... Something happened to Queen. She has fallen ill. Ascension in danger. We think someone poisoned her. The Mother will have fury...
The page, along with any others seem to be a part of a personal diary of sorts, though nothing mentions the name Avatria or much more in helpful notes to the citadel yet. There are more pages then you can parse through in one sitting due to the translating you have to do.
Adornis takes a couple o minutes trying to decipher and translate the scrolls.
"Let me see the first one... 'I digress. The hallway is complete, though as per request of the plan, it is heavily trapped. Anyone who manages to infiltrate the palace and get past these devices will find a good amount of wealth, though if they ever make it in, they also have to make it out'... even tough we have no interest in their treasure, the information about the traps are important."
Adornis throws some scrolls away.
"Rubbish, rubbish, rub... this one... 'The Queen is preparing for something. She has declined to share her vision but it appears that it is fate she has accepted. Her children all will go with her. I can't wait to be in the embrace of The Mother'... could this 'Mother' be Avatria?"
More scrolls.
"Hum... 'Placed my armor in the hidden room. Along with my gear. I will not be needing it for the ascension. Though it was foreseen that someday our heritage will return. All I will say is... behind closet... within routine day'... since this is obviously a journal, I would suggest you to look again in the guard house, specially if there is a closet"
"And this... 'Something happened to Queen. She has fallen ill. Ascension in danger. We think someone poisoned her. The Mother will have fury'... looks like something went wrong. Could this be the start of everything?"
Adornis pauses and looks to his friends.
"I could spend all day long translating this... but we do not have much time, do we?"
Rhoman nods to Roet, indicating they should search the guardhouse again. Heading for the closet, he takes his time searching examining it, knocking on panels, listening for hollow spots, examining the placement and age of the dust.
"I could spend all day long translating this... but we do not have much time, do we?"
"Take your time, friend. Best to try to make sure we don't rush into something headlong without proper planning. Afterall, we have the rest of our lives..."
Sugar follows Roet and Rhoman in side. Looking to them he asks.
"Where did you find that parchment?" he asked hoping he could figure out a part of the mystery via the guardhouse.
Ciaran, starts to laugh and puts his hand on Oliver's shoulder
"preacher, I never knew you guys had a sense of humor" he eventually calms down and stops laughing and gives Oliver a large grin. "oh you are a good one preacher. but you of all people should know that we'll have the rest of our lives to live once we leave this place. there's always another adventure out there waiting for me such as us" he then turns to the rest of his companions and says "besides, the drinks are me once we get back! we'll raid the store rooms of every kings castle looking for the best mead and wine! it'll be a day that bards will talk about long after the world ends!"
he turns back to Oliver "its kind of like what me old captain used to tell me, "you don't go in thinking you might die, you go in knowing that nothing will stop you from coming back out alive" he pats Oliver's shoulder and turns around and starts to head over to Rhoet and Rhoman, but says one final thing to Oliver "after all, how do you think I've stayed alive this long?"
"Well, I've found that a sense of humor helps one deal with Paladins and Zealots. They have none, so you can enjoy a bit of humor with them and not want to strangle them. Helps with leading them away from intolerance and back to the Way of Dawn." He says with a small smile. "Not that I'd say that to a fellow Order member unless they'd already found the right path. Afraid my philosophy is a bit different, I know I will die. All flesh dies. I simply see no reason to hurry it along by rushing toward it. If Her Dawness wants me, she knows where to find me, rushing to meet her just means she'll have to break out the silverware early, rush to get a nice meal on, have the place dusted early... I've always thought it was rude to show up early for anything, but especially you're own afterlife..."
It may appear that whomever left the note was speaking of another location as the guard house turned up nothing else when you searched for the aforementioned secret hiding place.
There were a lot of writing from day to day events in the diary of the person who had left this behind. It was almost very tedious and almost looking like there would be no further useful information until you hit a new page which was vastly different then the rest.
It's been several fortnights since I've been able to collect my thoughts and since the Queens illness had taken her to her chambers. I cannot fathom a life without her. Many share this opinion with me. Thus we've been at work delving into the ground, trying to find what has been ailing her. What ever it may be, I think the entire city may be plagued. Our crops are not fairing well this season, the farmers are reporting sickly looking crops in a good section of their fields... We are digging below... trying to find the reason to this sickness...
The sun was beginning its descent as night rolled in slowly. A brilliant orange light was being thrown across the world, creating a serene landscape. The light splashing nicely against the white stone that the buildings were built from. A small breeze began to pick up, cold and sharp. It picked up the dust slowly as it swept into the city.
"Let's pick a building, and get under shelter for the night. It feels like it's turning cold, and I don't like to breath dust." Oliver blinks. "Wait... this is an unnatural wind... if it had blown here before, it would have blown away those footprints from earlier... Get under shelter."
Oliver looks at the guard house, as a guard house would likely be defensible.
Roet agrees with urgency.
Agreed! Remember what I said... It's like everything was going normal on the routine, and then suddenly something happened and the buildings were abandoned behind. We might be under risk if we stay here in the outside too long!
Adornis continues with his translations, just as Oliver suggested. He trows scroll after scroll to a pile and just when he as about to give up he found something.
" Gentleman, look at this passage...'It's been several fortnights since I've been able to collect my thoughts and since the Queen's illness had taken her to her chambers. I cannot fathom a life without her. Many share this opinion with me. Thus we've been at work delving into the ground, trying to find what has been ailing her. What ever it may be, I think the entire city may be plagued. Our crops are not fairing well this season, the farmers are reporting sickly looking crops in a good section of their fields... We are digging below... trying to find the reason to this sickness'... this is important! Our first real lead to the nature and location of the plague's source."
After he finished his translation, he follows his companions.
"Yes, it seems the original citizens were affected by the curse as well. It could also be the curse that has caused the spirits to be stuck here, those who were originally felled by it. The goddess that was 'struck down', I wonder if 'down' means imprisoned beneath the earth. If it does, it's possible that this is being caused by her bonds, or by her body, being trapped. Then again, it could be the queen was cursed, and her curse is the source, since she was the first to be affected. I guess it's always possible the 'goddess' and the 'queen' are the same person..." He thinks aloud, as he closes the windows and doors to keep out the wind and dust. A small torch is lit to provide light. "Anyone see a fireplace?"
The wind began to pick up speed and suddenly it was quickly turning into more of a gale. Though the dust was still acting as if it was just a breeze.
There is a central fireplace in the main room. The guardhouse itself consisted of five rooms split between two levels. The first level had two rooms, one the main entry, lounging room. The second was the large sleeping quarters filled with unused bunks. The second floor had the remaining three rooms which were two offices of the superior commanders it seemed and the last room being the commanders sleeping quarters.
Suddenly a tang of sleepiness started to creep in.
Rhoman had been outside, placing the horses in shelter, out of the wind. The dust picked up, and Rhoman began coughing as he walked inside, closing the door behind him. Commenting on the discussion from before, he adds "There is mentioned a queen, and a Mother, the one they had, the one they were journeeeeeeying.... to." Rhoman tries to shake off the powerful yawn that he just felt. Suddenly sleepy, he makes his way to a chair and sits down, leaning back into it.