The Wayfinders - The Wreck of the Archon

SelcSilverhand · Nov 21, 2013

Stepping over the oily blotches on the floor, you move in closer to examine the late Orlaf. There is still quite a bit of him left, he was a large man in life, though the worms didn't leave much. His armor is ruined and his weapon is missing, but there is an empty dagger sheath at his belt and a potion bandoleer with three small vials still in it.
Kraken lifts the heavy shelf out of the way revealing legs that have been mostly drained of tissue. To your surprise you see a large... tendril of flesh extending from the back of the corpse into a nearby vent. The entire thing is as thick as a man's leg and pulses slowly with life. The aperture of the tendril opens up somewhere in the chest cavity of the man. The worms consumed his internal organs entirely, but he was possibly alive up until the point when they burst free. The tendril is somehow fused with his body, providing it with life-giving nutrients and blood. Only his larynyx was left, still attached by a thin fleshy tube to the larger tendril.

As you watch the tendril flutters and inflates like a balloon. The corpse exhales. Another pulse and inflation. A single charred eyelid peels back and one of the eyes rotates to look upwards at you. The tendril manipulates the voice of the body as it exhales again. We seee... we seee... we see You."

Shayuri · Nov 21, 2013

"Good," Whisper said, controlling her face and shaping her voice to a hard, sharp edge. "Then listen to us too. We're here for a specific reason. We mean to get something, and leave. How badly we hurt you is entirely up to you. Keep away from us, and there's no reason why you have to lose any more than you have. Keep attacking us, and we'll gladly lop off whatever you send. Make a big enough pest of yourself, and we'll come looking for the REAL you."

"Any questions?"

jkason · Nov 21, 2013

Midian lets Whisper do the talking with the ... whatever it is. It takes most of his self-control just to keep his features neutral. He fears speaking would reveal exactly how shaken he is by the sight of the corpse used like some kind of demented puppet.

SelcSilverhand · Nov 27, 2013

"Life grows within the womb of these walls. Life that has never seen the surface. We are Unity. You are discord. Why do you silence our song? We only yearn for you to join us..."

Dr Simon · Nov 27, 2013

"Some of us like a bit of discord, mate," says Kraken, addressing the walls.

Deuce Traveler · Nov 28, 2013

"I myself have always been a greater music critic than music fanatic," Doral adds.

Shayuri · Dec 3, 2013

"Yes, we are discord," Whisper snapped. "And whatever you might think, the fastest way to be rid of us, and not suffer more discord, is to let us pass! We've no interest in you, or this place. We're here for one thing, and when we have it, we'll leave. It's as simple as that."

She looked at the others. "I'm not sure it can really understand us. Regardless, it knows where we are now, so we'd best get moving."

Dr Simon · Dec 3, 2013

Kraken holds his falchion over the main tentacle controlling Orlaf's body, ready to slice through it. He looks to his companions for a sign that he should, or not.

jkason · Dec 5, 2013

Midian Rightson, human druid

Midian nods his agreement to Whisper.

"So long as the tentacle is busy with the body, I say we leave it," he offers to Kraken. "Whisper's right: it knows where we are, so we're better off moving than antagonizing it."

SelcSilverhand · Dec 11, 2013

"We will seek the lost ones, the silent ones, until we are all one. United. Join us and we will add your voice to our song..." From somewhere down the tunnels behind you you hear a loud roar and feet coming your way. You grab Henrick and push him forward as you hurry away before whatever is coming can catch up to you.
The passageways here split again and again, but you follow the route with the largest pipes and conduits hoping it will lead you somewhere important. After working your way through the maze you arrive finally at a large bulkhead. Doral works his magic with the locking mechanism and the doors slides away with a rusty groan. Stairs descend the far side into another room. The room beyond the portal is huge, nearly 50' long at least and nearly that wide. Massive steel containers fill the room connected to each other and to the piping by conduits 3' in diameter. The containers nearest you that you can see clearly have ladders and hatches at the top. The room vibrates and rumbles as active machinery continues to work its inscrutable purpose. The floor is covered in water at least a foot deep. It is dark inside though there is some light coming from a booth on the far side. You also see signs of debris on the far side where something has collapsed.

OOC
[SBLOCK]
Let me know if you wanted to take anything from Orlaf's corpse before you go.
[/SBLOCK]