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Temptations of the Flesh - Part 1: Into the Breech
"Okay, Beldin and I are in front. Sebastian, you stay in the middle. Kham, Ilmarė, you bring up the rear."
The ancient entrance before them was circular in style, its wooden door having long since rotted away into dust centuries ago. It was stylized with the bas-relief of a large, sinewy reptile.
Quintus advanced cautiously, shield up and spear out.
"That's strange," said Kham.
"What?" asked Quintus over his shoulder as he continued into the entryway.
"There's no debris on the floor."
"So?"
"I don't know…are hobgoblins known for their cleanliness?"
Ilmarė snorted. "Hardly."
"Then why is the floor so—"
There was a yelp and Quintus and Beldin disappeared into a dark pit. Sebastian peered over the edge.
Quintus was holding onto his spear with both hands, the ends of which spanned—barely—the length of the pit. Beldin hung from one of his legs. Wicked looking spikes sparkled in the torchlight, twenty feet below them.
"Amazing construction," said Beldin, looking down. "It must work on a clockwork mechanism. Old, but effective."
"I could use a little help here!" shouted Quintus.
After Quintus and Beldin were safely at the bottom of the pit, everyone else rappelled down one side and climbed up the other.
"This time, you go first," Quintus said to Kham. "This is not my element. I'm best on an open battlefield."
Kham sniffed. "What makes you think it's my element?" He pointed to Sebastian and Beldin. "Why don't you put Tall and Stumpy in charge. They're accustomed to living underground."
"What did you call me?" asked Beldin indignantly.
"You may want to take a look at this," said Ilmarė from further down the hallway. She was standing near a circular opening on the left.
A faded mural of a viper covered the entrance to the chamber. The viper had its jaws wide open, giving the illusion of walking into the creature's mouth.
Quintus cautiously stepped inside. Ilmarė followed.
Rough sleeping mats made of dirty straw were strewn haphazardly about the area. Leftover meals of meat swarmed with vermin. A banner covered a mosaic along the northern wall, depicting a serrated tongue on a field of black.
"So it's the Serrated Tongue tribe," said Ilmarė.
Sebastian poked at the meat with one boot. "And this is human flesh."
"There's something behind here," Ilmarė said. With a mighty tug, she tore the banner down that was nailed to the wall.
Beneath it was a mosaic worthy of a master craftsman. The centerpiece of the mural depicted a scene of a very large man in the midst of battle. All around him lay the ruined bodies of his enemies, a testimony to his combat prowess. The rest of the scene implied the looting and pillaging of a much larger force, but the details were difficult to make out due to the faded color of the tiny tiles.
"Looks like a Ying Hir tribesman," said Beldin. "But he's more ferocious and feral than most."
"Maybe it's the wolf-motif," said Sebastian. "Here, here, and here." He pointed to the man's helmet, armor, and pommel of his curved blade.
"Let's keep moving," said Quintus. When nobody moved, he added, "I'll lead."
They returned to the hallway, only to reach a doorway on the left that was in the shape of a huge lion's jaws. Quintus kicked open the double doors.
The chamber was adorned with a faded mural like the room before, but it was of a pitch-black lion. Sheets of spider webbing blanketed the room. A wrapped humanoid shape hung just off the floor.
"Gaius?" Quintus shouted. "Gaius, can you hear us?"
The cocooned figure did not respond.
Quintus turned to his comrades in the hallway. "I think—"
A handaxe flashed towards his face. He ducked just in time.
"What's in the name of…" Quintus' shout died in his throat as he caught Beldin's expression. The dwarf was reaching for his battleaxe.
A huge bulbous shape blotted out Quintus' shadow as multiple spindly legs unfurled themselves. Quintus slowly reached for his gladius as he turned.
"Where the hell is Kham?" he shouted.
"Okay, Beldin and I are in front. Sebastian, you stay in the middle. Kham, Ilmarė, you bring up the rear."
The ancient entrance before them was circular in style, its wooden door having long since rotted away into dust centuries ago. It was stylized with the bas-relief of a large, sinewy reptile.
Quintus advanced cautiously, shield up and spear out.
"That's strange," said Kham.
"What?" asked Quintus over his shoulder as he continued into the entryway.
"There's no debris on the floor."
"So?"
"I don't know…are hobgoblins known for their cleanliness?"
Ilmarė snorted. "Hardly."
"Then why is the floor so—"
There was a yelp and Quintus and Beldin disappeared into a dark pit. Sebastian peered over the edge.
Quintus was holding onto his spear with both hands, the ends of which spanned—barely—the length of the pit. Beldin hung from one of his legs. Wicked looking spikes sparkled in the torchlight, twenty feet below them.
"Amazing construction," said Beldin, looking down. "It must work on a clockwork mechanism. Old, but effective."
"I could use a little help here!" shouted Quintus.
After Quintus and Beldin were safely at the bottom of the pit, everyone else rappelled down one side and climbed up the other.
"This time, you go first," Quintus said to Kham. "This is not my element. I'm best on an open battlefield."
Kham sniffed. "What makes you think it's my element?" He pointed to Sebastian and Beldin. "Why don't you put Tall and Stumpy in charge. They're accustomed to living underground."
"What did you call me?" asked Beldin indignantly.
"You may want to take a look at this," said Ilmarė from further down the hallway. She was standing near a circular opening on the left.
A faded mural of a viper covered the entrance to the chamber. The viper had its jaws wide open, giving the illusion of walking into the creature's mouth.
Quintus cautiously stepped inside. Ilmarė followed.
Rough sleeping mats made of dirty straw were strewn haphazardly about the area. Leftover meals of meat swarmed with vermin. A banner covered a mosaic along the northern wall, depicting a serrated tongue on a field of black.
"So it's the Serrated Tongue tribe," said Ilmarė.
Sebastian poked at the meat with one boot. "And this is human flesh."
"There's something behind here," Ilmarė said. With a mighty tug, she tore the banner down that was nailed to the wall.
Beneath it was a mosaic worthy of a master craftsman. The centerpiece of the mural depicted a scene of a very large man in the midst of battle. All around him lay the ruined bodies of his enemies, a testimony to his combat prowess. The rest of the scene implied the looting and pillaging of a much larger force, but the details were difficult to make out due to the faded color of the tiny tiles.
"Looks like a Ying Hir tribesman," said Beldin. "But he's more ferocious and feral than most."
"Maybe it's the wolf-motif," said Sebastian. "Here, here, and here." He pointed to the man's helmet, armor, and pommel of his curved blade.
"Let's keep moving," said Quintus. When nobody moved, he added, "I'll lead."
They returned to the hallway, only to reach a doorway on the left that was in the shape of a huge lion's jaws. Quintus kicked open the double doors.
The chamber was adorned with a faded mural like the room before, but it was of a pitch-black lion. Sheets of spider webbing blanketed the room. A wrapped humanoid shape hung just off the floor.
"Gaius?" Quintus shouted. "Gaius, can you hear us?"
The cocooned figure did not respond.
Quintus turned to his comrades in the hallway. "I think—"
A handaxe flashed towards his face. He ducked just in time.
"What's in the name of…" Quintus' shout died in his throat as he caught Beldin's expression. The dwarf was reaching for his battleaxe.
A huge bulbous shape blotted out Quintus' shadow as multiple spindly legs unfurled themselves. Quintus slowly reached for his gladius as he turned.
"Where the hell is Kham?" he shouted.