"May we have the grace of the name you have taken." Fuma asks.
Indeed, kender. As i said, down that way, bronze doors with Scales upon them. Good day the elf picks up his package and walks away, with the strange rambling man following him, describing tall blue men immune to edged weapons
well, that settles it then. To the Library? Fuma asks, looking around at everyone before directing her gaze towards the front of the cart. Fuma clicks her lips together and flicks her wrists, the noise causing the mules to step forward together.
Following the elf's directions, the group is able to find their way into the city.
At first, the change is subtle. the closer you get to the old wall, the original city fortifications, you see that the houses become more refined, more aesthetically pleasing, more expensive, larger. Limestone makes way to granite, to marble, to marble with gold, silver inlays. statues of persons unknown stand upon street corners and front steps of house entries, guarding against things unseen, unknown. The sizes of the buildings grow as well, from small and modest, to large, opulent, magnificent. All denote wealth, power, status within Ansalon's largest metropolis.
And yet, for all the grandeur, the majesty that you take in as you travel down the street, something tickles at the back of your mind. Something that, at first, hints at something dark. something perverse, subversive.
It started as you approached the city's fortress wall. A feeling as you looked to the left. a darkness. A part of you knew that something was going to happen, because you looked upon the black stain from far away, upon the mountain trail. Yet you had no idea what was going to happen.
It was as if you crossed an invisible threshold when you went through the inner gates. A slight presence, a pressure, similar to a spider standing upon the shoulder, unmoving, yet you know it is there. Insidious, the presence begins to gnaw at you as you stare at the increasing beauty of Palanthas.
The closeness of the houses prevented you from seeing the source of the presence, but the pressure increased as you moved through the grand houses. At first, you only caught a glimpse of the highest of high black tips, dark against the clear blue sky. As the land owned amongst the houses began to grow, larger houses demanding larger tracts of land, you could see more, and more of the bleakness.
The tips of a spire, then a high pitched roof, and more! it slowly revealed itself into a long, slender, black tower with even darker recesses upon it's surface.
more and more of the tower is revealed!
Two more spires, one to each side of the main tower, stand guard upon the main structure.
with each mansion you pass, more of the structure is revealed.
with each mansion you pass, the presence, the wrongness presses upon you, upon your thoughts, upon your soul.
You cross yet another gap between two mansions, and bear witness to the silent guardian of the Tower.
The Shokian Grove. Mighty oaks surround the Tower, and, if anything, seem to enhance the fearful dread that seeps into the narrowest of crevices of the brightness that is your sense of self.
A wind picks up from the north, blowing south. Trees around you rustle and move, branches sway, leaves flicker, movement. And yet, your eyes dart back to the Oaks, and see nothing.
No sway
No flicker
No motion at all.
The further you go, the heavier the presence, the wrongness you feel coming from the structure. You deeply want no part of it. You want to stay well away from it.
Bander looks about.
As more of the dark tower came into view. "Ooooooo its a creep black tower. Do you think the city grew up around the sickening tower or if the tower was built after the city was here. Can't imagine one allowing the other. I wonder what's inside."
Echo stays in the shadow of Zak as the presence begins to be felt. His belly makes rumbles and grumbles occasionally and he is discomfited from the sound. Not happy. hungry! he grumbles looking around for rats with each step.
[spoiler=klepto-kender] Bander "accidentally" grabs a comb and a spice pouch without too much difficulty. however, as he pulls out a silk handkerchief, he bumps into a squat dwarf with a white cloth wrapped around his head, covering his eyes. The dwarf, more on relfex than anything else, reaches out and catches the kender by the arm. His other hand reaches out and begins to feel the kender. Hmmm...looks like a kender. I would assume then that this means you have something of mine. If youd be so kind as to give it back?
"Oh yes when we bumped I think your hankie got caught on me." Bander passes the handkerchief back with a bit of the spice in its folds.
"Wonder all you want Bander, but if you try to satisfy your curiosity, it'll probably be the last thing you do."
Torin wants no part of the tower, and avoids even looking at it.
"No distractions. Let's get our business done and collect our pay."
Echo pauses for a moment listening then puffs up his chest and walks in his best imitation of Torin up to the kender and repeats No distractions.let's get our business done and eat our rats.
"But what is this? Magic?" - Zak snorted audibly, and pressed forward toward the trees for as long as he could - "Why would we be afraid of a tower, or a grove?" - he snarled.
"Its like creepy sure. But don't you want to know what's inside."
|
Why would you be afraid of a tower? Aeleni spits out, repeating the minotaur.
Pah. So it must be true then. Don't you feel the dread and evil surrounding that place? Is it magic? Probably. The evil magic of black wizards.
Let's move on, i have enough of black robes for today and many more!
Aeleni grabs the kender by his ponytail, giving hm a tug into the right direction and moves towards the described destination.
Bander reached up for the elf's wrist so his weight wasn't on his hair. he swung in the direction of the tug and smiled as moved.
Zak, while walking down the road (with a pesky gully dwarf hugging his hooves), he walks past a side road that offers a more direct path to the strange grove.
Turning, he walks down the road, leaving the cart and his companions to wait for him.
Taking a few strides down this path, he suddenly hears a quiet gulp from behind him, and just as quickly the sound of soft feet falling upon the surface of the road as Echo runs away.
With each stride bringing him closer, and closer to the grove, Zak feels the fear within him build, more and more.
:P
You walk down the side street, and with every step your confidence in yourself, your bravery in your self and your capabilities, erodes swiftly, until you stand still in the middle of the road, halfway down the block, frozen in fear.
As your eyes begin to dart around looking for signs of trouble, of threats, of anything that would give you an out.
and then you see it.
There, on your left.
Marble staircase leading to a marble building, with marble columns supporting the roof. and there, set into the wall, shining and bright, stand two large bronze doors with a set of scales in relief upon the front side. Several men dressed in pale brown robes with white rope belts wrap around the waist and hold the clothes to the frame. they look upon you with mixed curiosity and trepidation.
"Zak!" Fuma calls out.
"We need to be heading towards the library, we can always come back later to this!"
Zak's will tries to rebel against the fear, but he finds that.... He cannot. With but a second glance at the men, to look for any distinct crest or symbols, he heads back toward the others.
"I could not" - he exhales in frustration - "I was overwhelmed by... Fear" - and shakes his head.
"You are right Fuma, let us get out of this place for now"
Yeah! We run.comes a whispered exclamation from somewhere in the back of the wagon.
"Wait..." - Zak paused - "The library is back that way, toward the grove - I saw it. We need to double back"
"Wait what?"
Bander looks about, "Umm weren't we on our way toward it."
Toward!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! No no hide, run no towards!The dangerously hysterical voice of the agar calls from his hiding place.
"No toward the library not the 'scary' tower." He makes air quotes and a scrunches his face as if the word scary is strange to him.
hmm Libr...book house has rats? Maybe no scared if have rats.Echo peeks his head out from under the back of the wagon.
"Ahhh sure. Rats like paper. Books have paper. I think you're good!" Bander turns away eyes rolling.
Fuma frowns as she tries to recall if the directions given were indeed in the direction of the tower.
"I do believe that you are mistaken. The directions given to us certainly aren't in that direction. We should head to the right place before too much time is wasted here." with that said she begins walking in right direction as given.
"I must be confused then" - Zak nods - "Please lead the way"
waiiit waiit for i's the gully dwarf calls as he scrambles after Fuma
Within a few minutes of distantly experiencing the Tower, the group arrives at the great plaza of Palanthas!
To the north, the Lord's Palace of Palanthas.
To the west, What can only be assumed to be a barracks of some sort, due to the men in uniforms, suits of armor, and holding various weapons in hands or upon their backs.
to the east, a large marble building with short columns butressing the outthrusting roof. Men dressed in robes similar to what you witnessed in Solanthus.
In the center of the plaza, you see several dozen tents open to the public, merchants selling goods.
and yet, look all around as you might, you dont see a large building with brass doors and scales set upon them.
"Strange. This was where the directions we were given to lead. Perhaps another might know?" Fuma remarks as she approaches the next person to ask about the Library.
A woman passing by provides directions to the library. Back the way you came, two blocks. hang a right. Cant miss it. Big building with scales on the doors.
Everyone cannot help but look at Zak, realizing that that was the same road that he had walked down and had found the large building.
"Things are in motion..." Fuma quotes her Master's words....
Why human tall say things are in commoti... things are crazy? the aghar asks the kender motioning to Fuma.
"Nah she wants us to keep moving away from the scary place and toward fancy library."