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Curse of Darkness - Florentine Affair
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<blockquote data-quote="Greenfield" data-source="post: 5896266" data-attributes="member: 6669384"><p><span style="font-size: 10px">*** </span></p><p><span style="font-size: 10px">"Hold the line tight!", called the diminutive Rogue, as she probed the darkness ahead of her.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: 10px"></span></p><p><span style="font-size: 10px">"I doubt there's anything in there.", Cassius declared for about the fifth time.</span> <span style="font-size: 10px"></span></p><p><span style="font-size: 10px"></span></p><p><span style="font-size: 10px">"You're probably right", Euphemia replied, for about the fifth time as well, but this time she added, "But if we don't check to be sure, we might miss something."</span> <span style="font-size: 10px"></span></p><p><span style="font-size: 10px"></span></p><p><span style="font-size: 10px">Suddenly, Seeburn felt the rope pull tight, and they heard a "whoof" from the darkness.</span> <span style="font-size: 10px"></span></p><p><span style="font-size: 10px"></span></p><p><span style="font-size: 10px">"Found a pit trap!", Euphemia grunted. "Pull me back up, quick!"</span> <span style="font-size: 10px"></span></p><p><span style="font-size: 10px"></span></p><p><span style="font-size: 10px">The sound of rushing water could be heard from the obscured area, followed by sputtering and cursing as their friend surfaced for a breath. "I hate water traps!", she swore. "Did I ever mention that? I hate water traps!"</span> <span style="font-size: 10px"></span></p><p><span style="font-size: 10px"></span></p><p><span style="font-size: 10px">She dragged herself out, and continued with her search, which ultimately proved fruitless.</span> <span style="font-size: 10px"></span></p><p><span style="font-size: 10px"></span></p><p><span style="font-size: 10px">She looked something like a drowned rat when she came sloshing out of the darkness, and had a look in her eye that dared anyone to say a word. None took up that challenge, though Penn' did mutter a minor spell to dry her off.</span> <span style="font-size: 10px"></span></p><p><span style="font-size: 10px">*** </span></p><p><span style="font-size: 10px">"This place makes no sense.", the Rogue declared. "Empty rooms, dead end tunnels, and passages that zig-zag all over the place. They aren't following natural caves or fissures, it's as if some drunk just decided to go digging for the fun of it."</span></p><p><span style="font-size: 10px"></span></p><p><span style="font-size: 10px">"You're right, it does look like Dwarven work.", joked Penn in agreement. "Still, it's better than being bored."</span> <span style="font-size: 10px"></span></p><p><span style="font-size: 10px"></span></p><p><span style="font-size: 10px">They had retraced their path to where Prolifica had died, and were unsurprised to find that the remains of the demons were gone. The room was as spotlessly clean as all the others had been, probably thanks to that blob of animated acidic goo they'd fought.</span> <span style="font-size: 10px"></span></p><p><span style="font-size: 10px"></span></p><p><span style="font-size: 10px">But there was another door from that room, and they proceeded onward. The path twisted and turned, as had so many others, and like so many others it terminated in a small chamber with no other exits. Another dead end.</span> <span style="font-size: 10px"></span></p><p><span style="font-size: 10px"></span></p><p><span style="font-size: 10px">Suddenly, Penn felt a sharp pain in his shoulder, and a tiny demon appeared from nowhere.</span> <span style="font-size: 10px"></span></p><p><span style="font-size: 10px"></span></p><p><span style="font-size: 10px">He swung his staff at it, a clumsy blow that the minute fiend dodged with laughing ease.</span> <span style="font-size: 10px"></span></p><p><span style="font-size: 10px"></span></p><p><span style="font-size: 10px">Cassius rushed forward to help, but was quickly attacked by another of the creatures that popped into existence as he passed. A third one struck at Marcus, his barbed tail drawing blood.</span> <span style="font-size: 10px"></span></p><p><span style="font-size: 10px"></span></p><p><span style="font-size: 10px">Then it became an almost comedic dance as the warriors attempted to close with the flitting fiends, which danced in to strike and then either dodged out of reach again or simply vanished. Some blows struck solidly, but most met only thin air.</span> <span style="font-size: 10px"></span></p><p><span style="font-size: 10px"></span></p><p><span style="font-size: 10px">"They're working together!", called Sylus, as his tactician's eye discerned the pattern of their movement. "Pair up, back to back, so they can't flank you, trap them between you when you can."</span> <span style="font-size: 10px"></span></p><p><span style="font-size: 10px"></span></p><p><span style="font-size: 10px">Penn stepped in to cover Cassius' back, and Marcus paired with Seeburn. When the fiends began to adjust to the new tactics, Sylus and Euphemia moved in to block their movements, and the tide of the battle shifted. First one of the demons fell, and then another as cold iron and teamwork took the field. The last, with a look of desperation on his bony face, dropped towards the floor in a surprise maneuver, and vanished from sight.</span> <span style="font-size: 10px"></span></p><p><span style="font-size: 10px"></span></p><p><span style="font-size: 10px">"He went that way!", called Penn, as he felt the rush of tiny wings move past him, but none could see a target, and the beastie made his escape.</span> <span style="font-size: 10px"></span></p><p><span style="font-size: 10px"></span></p><p><span style="font-size: 10px">Marcus was the only one actually injured, and he peeled his armor back to examine the wound. It was small, barely more than a scratch, but it was puffy and discolored, and the blood oozing from it looked slightly purplish.</span> <span style="font-size: 10px"></span></p><p><span style="font-size: 10px"></span></p><p><span style="font-size: 10px">"You don't look so good.", Seeburn noted, as the Jovian Cleric staggered to a wall. </span> <span style="font-size: 10px"></span></p><p><span style="font-size: 10px"></span></p><p><span style="font-size: 10px">"The wound is poisoned.", Marcus replied, as he pressed the torn flesh in an effort to force out the toxin. His pallor turned a bit green and his hands began to shake, but his ministrations were apparently sufficient to the task, for he grew no worse, and after a few minutes he bandaged the area and pulled his armor back into place.</span> <span style="font-size: 10px"></span></p><p><span style="font-size: 10px"></span></p><p><span style="font-size: 10px">"Why don't you heal that?", Seeburn asked as he helped the Cleric to his feet.</span> <span style="font-size: 10px"></span></p><p><span style="font-size: 10px"></span></p><p><span style="font-size: 10px">"I want to let it drain.", Marcus explained. "If I close the wound, all the poison will be trapped inside. Better to let it bleed a bit, at least for now."</span> <span style="font-size: 10px"></span></p><p><span style="font-size: 10px"></span></p><p><span style="font-size: 10px">"Well, those were the second set of demons guarding this area.", Penn observed. "I think we should poke around a bit, because you don't leave guards on an empty room."</span> <span style="font-size: 10px"></span></p><p><span style="font-size: 10px"></span></p><p><span style="font-size: 10px">The group began to search, working in pairs as they systematically probed the various blocks that made up the walls of the room. It took some time, but Seeburn finally found a loose stone. He used his dagger to prize it loose, and discovered a dug out hollow in the wall.</span> <span style="font-size: 10px"></span></p><p><span style="font-size: 10px"></span></p><p><span style="font-size: 10px">Within were a matched pair of carved wooden sticks, and a thick bundle of papers, wrapped in an oiled skin to protect them from the damp.</span> <span style="font-size: 10px"></span></p><p><span style="font-size: 10px"></span></p><p><span style="font-size: 10px">"Is this what we're looking for?", he asked, holding them up with a smile?</span> <span style="font-size: 10px"></span></p><p><span style="font-size: 10px"></span></p><p><span style="font-size: 10px">"Looks like it might be.", agreed Marcus. "What do they say?"</span> <span style="font-size: 10px"></span></p><p><span style="font-size: 10px"></span></p><p><span style="font-size: 10px">Seeburn leafed through the pages in slight confusion. "I don't know. I never learned to read. But this symbol here is the same one as on the cover we found."</span> <span style="font-size: 10px"></span></p><p><span style="font-size: 10px"></span></p><p><span style="font-size: 10px">Marcus took the pages and looked them over. They were the missing pages, if the preface was to be believed, but they were something to be examined far from this place, where the sun shone and neither demons nor undead trod the halls.</span> <span style="font-size: 10px"></span></p><p><span style="font-size: 10px"></span></p><p><span style="font-size: 10px">They secured their prize, and made their way out.</span> <span style="font-size: 10px"></span></p><p><span style="font-size: 10px">***</span></p><p><span style="font-size: 10px">Epilogue: The carved sticks turned out to be willow wands decorated with the intertwined snakes of Hermes, or Mercury as he was known in this city. Though some of their power was spent, they held healing magics, and were set aside for emergency use.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: 10px"></span></p><p><span style="font-size: 10px">Their contact confirmed that the pages were indeed the ones he was looking for, and rewarded them for their service.</span> <span style="font-size: 10px"></span></p><p><span style="font-size: 10px"></span></p><p><span style="font-size: 10px">Seeburn decided to learn to read, and asked Nedel to teach him what he could, not just of letters but of magic as well, for though the highlander was unschooled, he was by no means stupid.</span> <span style="font-size: 10px"></span></p><p><span style="font-size: 10px"></span></p><p><span style="font-size: 10px">Penn purchased the demon stone that had been used to enscorell Cassius and Seeburn in their battle. Though the magic was one reserved for the servants of a deity, the Bard seemed to think he might be able to make it serve him.</span> <span style="font-size: 10px"></span></p><p><span style="font-size: 10px"></span></p><p><span style="font-size: 10px">The autumn leaves had begun to turn outside, and the companions decided that they might winter in the area, though probably outside of the city proper. There was a certain Magistrate who would be very unhappy if he saw Seeburn again.</span> <span style="font-size: 10px"></span></p><p><span style="font-size: 10px"></span></p><p><span style="font-size: 10px">(Finis)</span></p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Greenfield, post: 5896266, member: 6669384"] [SIZE=2]*** "Hold the line tight!", called the diminutive Rogue, as she probed the darkness ahead of her. "I doubt there's anything in there.", Cassius declared for about the fifth time.[/SIZE] [SIZE=2] "You're probably right", Euphemia replied, for about the fifth time as well, but this time she added, "But if we don't check to be sure, we might miss something."[/SIZE] [SIZE=2] Suddenly, Seeburn felt the rope pull tight, and they heard a "whoof" from the darkness.[/SIZE] [SIZE=2] "Found a pit trap!", Euphemia grunted. "Pull me back up, quick!"[/SIZE] [SIZE=2] The sound of rushing water could be heard from the obscured area, followed by sputtering and cursing as their friend surfaced for a breath. "I hate water traps!", she swore. "Did I ever mention that? I hate water traps!"[/SIZE] [SIZE=2] She dragged herself out, and continued with her search, which ultimately proved fruitless.[/SIZE] [SIZE=2] She looked something like a drowned rat when she came sloshing out of the darkness, and had a look in her eye that dared anyone to say a word. None took up that challenge, though Penn' did mutter a minor spell to dry her off.[/SIZE] [SIZE=2] *** "This place makes no sense.", the Rogue declared. "Empty rooms, dead end tunnels, and passages that zig-zag all over the place. They aren't following natural caves or fissures, it's as if some drunk just decided to go digging for the fun of it." "You're right, it does look like Dwarven work.", joked Penn in agreement. "Still, it's better than being bored."[/SIZE] [SIZE=2] They had retraced their path to where Prolifica had died, and were unsurprised to find that the remains of the demons were gone. The room was as spotlessly clean as all the others had been, probably thanks to that blob of animated acidic goo they'd fought.[/SIZE] [SIZE=2] But there was another door from that room, and they proceeded onward. The path twisted and turned, as had so many others, and like so many others it terminated in a small chamber with no other exits. Another dead end.[/SIZE] [SIZE=2] Suddenly, Penn felt a sharp pain in his shoulder, and a tiny demon appeared from nowhere.[/SIZE] [SIZE=2] He swung his staff at it, a clumsy blow that the minute fiend dodged with laughing ease.[/SIZE] [SIZE=2] Cassius rushed forward to help, but was quickly attacked by another of the creatures that popped into existence as he passed. A third one struck at Marcus, his barbed tail drawing blood.[/SIZE] [SIZE=2] Then it became an almost comedic dance as the warriors attempted to close with the flitting fiends, which danced in to strike and then either dodged out of reach again or simply vanished. Some blows struck solidly, but most met only thin air.[/SIZE] [SIZE=2] "They're working together!", called Sylus, as his tactician's eye discerned the pattern of their movement. "Pair up, back to back, so they can't flank you, trap them between you when you can."[/SIZE] [SIZE=2] Penn stepped in to cover Cassius' back, and Marcus paired with Seeburn. When the fiends began to adjust to the new tactics, Sylus and Euphemia moved in to block their movements, and the tide of the battle shifted. First one of the demons fell, and then another as cold iron and teamwork took the field. The last, with a look of desperation on his bony face, dropped towards the floor in a surprise maneuver, and vanished from sight.[/SIZE] [SIZE=2] "He went that way!", called Penn, as he felt the rush of tiny wings move past him, but none could see a target, and the beastie made his escape.[/SIZE] [SIZE=2] Marcus was the only one actually injured, and he peeled his armor back to examine the wound. It was small, barely more than a scratch, but it was puffy and discolored, and the blood oozing from it looked slightly purplish.[/SIZE] [SIZE=2] "You don't look so good.", Seeburn noted, as the Jovian Cleric staggered to a wall. [/SIZE] [SIZE=2] "The wound is poisoned.", Marcus replied, as he pressed the torn flesh in an effort to force out the toxin. His pallor turned a bit green and his hands began to shake, but his ministrations were apparently sufficient to the task, for he grew no worse, and after a few minutes he bandaged the area and pulled his armor back into place.[/SIZE] [SIZE=2] "Why don't you heal that?", Seeburn asked as he helped the Cleric to his feet.[/SIZE] [SIZE=2] "I want to let it drain.", Marcus explained. "If I close the wound, all the poison will be trapped inside. Better to let it bleed a bit, at least for now."[/SIZE] [SIZE=2] "Well, those were the second set of demons guarding this area.", Penn observed. "I think we should poke around a bit, because you don't leave guards on an empty room."[/SIZE] [SIZE=2] The group began to search, working in pairs as they systematically probed the various blocks that made up the walls of the room. It took some time, but Seeburn finally found a loose stone. He used his dagger to prize it loose, and discovered a dug out hollow in the wall.[/SIZE] [SIZE=2] Within were a matched pair of carved wooden sticks, and a thick bundle of papers, wrapped in an oiled skin to protect them from the damp.[/SIZE] [SIZE=2] "Is this what we're looking for?", he asked, holding them up with a smile?[/SIZE] [SIZE=2] "Looks like it might be.", agreed Marcus. "What do they say?"[/SIZE] [SIZE=2] Seeburn leafed through the pages in slight confusion. "I don't know. I never learned to read. But this symbol here is the same one as on the cover we found."[/SIZE] [SIZE=2] Marcus took the pages and looked them over. They were the missing pages, if the preface was to be believed, but they were something to be examined far from this place, where the sun shone and neither demons nor undead trod the halls.[/SIZE] [SIZE=2] They secured their prize, and made their way out.[/SIZE] [SIZE=2] *** Epilogue: The carved sticks turned out to be willow wands decorated with the intertwined snakes of Hermes, or Mercury as he was known in this city. Though some of their power was spent, they held healing magics, and were set aside for emergency use. Their contact confirmed that the pages were indeed the ones he was looking for, and rewarded them for their service.[/SIZE] [SIZE=2] Seeburn decided to learn to read, and asked Nedel to teach him what he could, not just of letters but of magic as well, for though the highlander was unschooled, he was by no means stupid.[/SIZE] [SIZE=2] Penn purchased the demon stone that had been used to enscorell Cassius and Seeburn in their battle. Though the magic was one reserved for the servants of a deity, the Bard seemed to think he might be able to make it serve him.[/SIZE] [SIZE=2] The autumn leaves had begun to turn outside, and the companions decided that they might winter in the area, though probably outside of the city proper. There was a certain Magistrate who would be very unhappy if he saw Seeburn again.[/SIZE] [SIZE=2] (Finis)[/SIZE] [/QUOTE]
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