Dartalis lets his flaming sphere fade out, then he smiles at the others. "It's good to have friends with swift blades and sharp spears."
"Speaking of which.." Ilona mutters, sheathing her katana as she walks over to her spear to retrieve it.
Koryn looks at the downed displacer beast intently, a strange look on his face. But the expression fades as he looks at his companions.
"Is anyone hurt?"
"I am unharmed, but I thank you for your concern."
As far as you can all tell, there seems to be just the one navigable exit from the chamber; a low ceilinged passage to the right on the far wall.
As far as you can all tell, there seems to be just the one navigable exit from the chamber; a low ceilinged passage to the right on the far wall.
Marcus makes his way into the low passage, careful not to bump his pack, or his head, on the ceiling.
Num-Rah follows, sheeting his dreadclaw and drawing smallclaw.
"This place is foul. It attracts vile creatures and I can feel the evil grow as we go deeper."
A gleam flashes in Dartalis' eyes as he whispers to himself, "perhaps I will find powerful magic here."
You travel onwards, meandering through several tunnels and passages that seem to delve ever deeper. The occasional piece of junk or debris litters your path. Eventually you come to a crossroad in the passage. To your right the tunnel is about 10' wide and travels for 30' before taking a turn to the left. Straight ahead, the tunnel continues for aproximately 40' and the heads left. The tunnel to your left is about 20' wide and is much more ornate, being of worked marble with black tiles on the floor. It leads on for 60' before terminating at a set of huge, carved double doors. This passage is lit by flickering torches set into the wall in brass sconces.
Joneth
"Then for the sake of goodness, we should cleanse it."
The gleam from earlier flashes again in Dartalis' eyes.
The flames in the sconces seem to flicker as if a gust of wind had suddenly blown past them...but you felt nothing...
"Methinks something evil this way comes... to die, again if needs be."
"Methinks something evil this way comes... to die, again if needs be."
Marcus lets out a low sigh and draws his sword.
Thinking for a moment, Ilona swaps her spear for her katana and twirs it once for the comfort of the blade in her hands.
The torch flames flicker again and then return to a steady upwards sway. Whatever caused them to waver seems to have passed...if anything was ever there...
"This place seems to be filled with unquiet dreams of dead gods. It needs be purified by light of Celestia."
Sword in hand, Joneth advances down the sinister hallway.
Marcus follows Joneth, scanning the floor as they walk.
Marcus
Marcus** spoiler omitted **
"Everything looks clear. . .so far."
From a distance, Dartalis follows Marcus down the hall, fighting back a feeling of impending danger. One hand lingers on his spell component pouch, while the other nervously strokes the fur of his rat familiar, Nicodemus.
As they approach the door, Koryn casts his spells. He gets on half of the group with the first one, and the second half with the next.
"Let's do this."
His morningstar drawn, Koryn walks over to the door, and gets ready to open it.
"Everyone ready?"
Marcus, looking to Koryn, nods his head.
You can now see that unholy scenes of demonic faces and rites are carved in bas-relief on the doors, evidence that something wicked this way dwells perhaps. The doors have great brass handles.
"Wait a moment, friend. Let me stand beside you so that we may face the peril together."
"Wait a moment, friend. Let me stand beside you so that we may face the peril together."
Marcus moves up behind Num-Ra.
A deep echoing voice echoes outward from the doors as the handles are grasped. A chill rolls down all your spines, firing off nerve endings all over your bodies as if a stream of fire ants were crawling up into your brains.
A deep echoing voice echoes outward from the doors as the handles are grasped. A chill rolls down all your spines, firing off nerve endings all over your bodies as if a stream of fire ants were crawling up into your brains.
5 + Will 5 = 10
5 + Will 5 = 10
The odd feeling dissipates and you all look warily at each other. Nothing seems to have happened. Joneth still has his hand grasped around the handle of the door.
The room beyond the doors is shaped like a cross, with two large
pools of what appear to be bubbling blood flanking a large altar upon which rests a shimmering globe of scintillating colors. The
globe spins wildly along its axis. Around the altar is inscribed
a pentagram.
You can clearly see several figures in the chamber. Approximately 18 robed men and women who by the bulkiness of their robes are probably wearing armor underneath stand around the alter listening to a man in black plate armor chant osbscene prayers. His face is covered by a skull like mask and a unearthly shimmering mace is held in his right hand. A shield lies across his back. Standing to this mans left is an 8' tall hulking golem, that seems to be constructed from hard baked clay, although it glistens in the light of the torches within the room. As you watch, a towering figure rises from one of the bubbling pools of blood and lumbers to stand behind the armored figure. This demonic beast has a dog-like head and four huge arms, two of which end in crab-like pincers. As it's glaring red eyes survey the assembled crowd of followers, many of them shrink back as if a wave of heat has hit them.
Dartalis whispers, "I think we have found at least one of the sources of evil in this place."
"Good point, Koryn. I, for one, am weary and could use some rest. I need to study my spells, as well. Would anyone mind if we took a night's rest somewhere nearby?"
Joneth backs out of the room and closes the doors slowly.
"I agree with the spell slingers." Marcus says, stepping back. "I say we get somewhere we can put out back to the walls and get a more prepared before we rush in and fight gods know what."
"When we are confronted by evil, we should be guided by wisdom. Perhaps we could overcome the enemy, but at what cost? Silverlight teaches that one should live to fight another day. To charge into fight senselessly is to fight - and die - without honor."