DM Brainiac's Age of Worms (Mostly Restored 5/12/06)
ltclnlbrain
First Post
Pinotage said:
Haha, well I don't think you have too much to worry about, Pinotage. The game's going to take the characters all the way to level 20 eventually, so it'll still be around by the time you get back.
Chapter 4
"Do you have any idea what this was?" Davi asked, peering curiously at the broken apparatus.
Tash traced his finger over the glyph carved into the structure's base. The gnome had seem similar things before, in one of the many books in his mentor Allustan's library. "From what I can tell, this glyph is reminiscent of arcane symbols representing the element of air. It represents a name, probably of somebody important or high-ranking."
Tash leaned closer to inspect the remains of the structure. He noticed numerous runes and glyphs carved into a slot on the inside of the frame, where the "mirror's" glass should have been. The gnome recognized them as arcane symbols signifying transportation. Looking around the base, the gnome then came across a few shards of an unidentifiable shiny black substance that felt like stone. It was slightly cold to the touch.
Tash picked up all of the black shards and then passed them to Sardonic. "Any idea what these could have been? Looks like this frame might have been some kind of transportation device, judging from the runes on the inside."
"So it's possibly a portal, then?" Davi asked the wizards. "One that someone wanted out of commission..."
"Portal, gate or transportation device...doesn't matter now that its broken," said Sardonic. "I agree that it probably has a connection with the Plane of Air." He straightened up from his stooping position. He had lost interest in the device. Why it was here was puzzling. It did seem out of place, but he wasn't here to solve mysteries.
Tash took the shards back from Sardonic and placed them in a pouch. "Looks like there's nothing else here. Should we rejoin the others now?"
The idea of transportation magic had awakened an unfortunate suspicion in Davi. Taking another good look at the runes and then quietly sighing, hoping not to be too obvious in her doubt, Davi nodded at Tash's suggestion. "Yes, I suppose we must catch up," she agreed.
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"Hello, I'm Pyrius."
Ju'lindra felt herself jump a bit, startled by the sudden voice beside her. The monk turned to the white-robed man, the last arrival to the party at the abandoned office. She forced herself to relax as she chided herself for her lapse in awareness. Watch it Ju'lindra. Too much focus will leave you vulnerable and may get you killed. Always keep your mind open to all sides, and your body ready to react without thought or hesitation.
Still, the man's sudden willingness to talk intrigued her. He had not said very much since he had shown up, and she was curious as to his motivations for joining the expedition. Besides, he certainly seemed friendly enough.
"I didn't mean to startle you," Pyrius said apologetically.
Ju'lindra smiled and extended her hand. "Don't worry about it. I am Ju'lindra. Ju'lindra Amraphen. It is good to meet you, Pyrius. Would you care to explain why you haven't introduced yourself at the meeting? And why you came to me first, even though I'm obviously not the leader of this group? In Heironeous' name, I still don't know who invited me in the first place."
Ju'lindra had never been one for subtlety.
Pyrius seemed to be at a loss for how to answer the questions. He thought for a bit, then opened his mouth to speak when Carpal made a silencing gesture. The group was entering another room. The central hallway opened into a large chamber with wings leading to the east and west. Across the chamber to the north yawned a twenty-foot-wide open arch draped from top to bottom in translucent cobwebs. An eerie green light flickered from beyond the webs, casting strange shadows about the room. The place smelled of animal spoor and wet fur.
To the west, three short stairs led to a wide marble dais, but the far end of the wing was obscured by darkness. Huge slabs of cracked masonry and irregular piles of scattered debris choked the eastern wing, giving the appearance of complete collapse. The sibilant, almost human whispers present in the passage became a chorus in this massive chamber, eerily echoing off the walls.
Unnerved by the whispers, Ezreal turned back to the others, one eyebrow cocked. "What the hell do you suppose that is? Did our pint sized priestess forget to mention that we are graverobbing a haunted tomb, Carpal? Traps are one thing, but I'll tell you now if the dead want to hold on to their treasures so bad that they have crossed back over to hold on to them... well little miss can handle that business on her own. I'll take a guardian with a throat that can be slit any day over this creepy banshee wailing."
Carpal waved his hand dismissively. "It's probably nothing. A lingering magical effect, some fancy construction or something. Still..." The paladin gripped his glaive tightly as he looked around. "A little caution never hurt."
Keira sniffed the air and frowned. She cocked her head to one side to listen, then pointed to the collapsed eastern hall. "Something's coming," she said.
The others too heard it then, sounds of breathing and scuffling in the rocks. From a concealed narrow passage in the debris emerged three wolves, snarling and baring their fangs. Two of the mangy curs looked as if they hadn't eaten in days. The third wolf was a little larger than the others and did not look hungry in the least; a straight line of scar tissue bisected its face from forehead to muzzle.
"They've fought humans before," Ju'lindra said, pointing to the scar.
"Yeah, and it looks like they're ready to do it again!" shouted Carpal as the wolves leaped to the attack.
Neverwinter Knight
First Post
So far, I like it very much! Any updates for this story?
ltclnlbrain
First Post
Neverwinter Knight said:So far, I like it very much! Any updates for this story?
Yes. In fact, here's an update now! I'm trying to stick to a once-a-week posting schedule, but it may vary a bit due to laziness.
Chapter 5
As the wolves lunged forward, an orb of pure force tore through the air and slammed into the large wolf in the back. It yelped in pain and turned toward the source of the attack: Davi, Tash, and Sardonic had been coming up the corridor when the wolves emerged, and Tash had seized the initiative to blast the wolf with a magic missile.
The growl of the wolf. Keira's reaction was delayed by the sound, a fleeting moment of horror passing through the confident woman. Some of her people had been killed by wolves passing near the borders of the swamps. She spun around to face the creatures, snarling in savage challenge to the wolves. Almost without thinking she swapped weapons in her hands, hurling the throwing axe at the large, scarred wolf, before gripping the remaining curved glaive with both hands to await the charge of the wolves, only for a moment stepping in front of these new people she found herself with, instinctlively protecting them. The axe clanged into the rubble-filled area, sounding hollow on the ground.
"Stay together. Fight as a tribe, not a man. Live longer." She'd seen too many people that threw away common sense in the face of danger. It was much more effective against natural creatures to await them and use your superior intellect to deal with them. A group fought more effectively than a man, and a smart man more effectively than an animal.
The others nodded, drawing weapons and awaiting the animals. Unfortunately, Carpal wasn't listening. He was silently cursing himself for letting the three weakest members of the group go off without an armed escort, especially now that the wolves were eyeing the smaller halfling and gnome. Pushing past Keira, the paladin set off at a full run, charging the beasts with no heed to his personal safety. In the dark, however, and with his mind on the safety of the others, he made a poor showing. Something caught his foot in the darkness and the man stumbled, nearly falling face-first.
Taking advantage of the paladin's clumsiness, the wolves ganged up on Carpal and snapped at him with their jaws. The first starving canine clamped solidly onto his leg and drags him to the ground.
Ju'lindra watched with alarm as the paladin fell. "Look alive! I'll watch Carpal's back until he regains his feet." The monk darted forward, tumbling past the fallen knight to come between him and the other wolves. Despite this, the other two animals avoided the half-elf in favor of the easier target. They clamped onto Carpal's arms and worry their heads, opening up terrible wounds in the poor man's body. Blood leaked freely from Carpal as he wavered on the edge of consciousness.
Sardonic was surprised at the wolves’ viciousness. This was his first time seeing such violence first hand. Carpal was a silly sod. Sardonic did not want to see harm come to him. Carpal was the only one in the group with a sense of humor. He knew what to do. The wolves would be no match for his magic. The two emaciated wolves paid no attention as Sardonic weaved through the throng of adventurers. As soon as the wizard was within range, he deftly retrieves something from a small pouch. With harsh reverberating words and a flick of his wrist, a shower of twisting colored lights shot out from his palm engulfing Carpal and the two wolves. The two smaller wolves' eyes rolled back into their heads as they fell to floor, unconscious. Carpal too stopped moving, though whether he had passed out from the pain or fallen victim to the spell was unclear. The large wolf shook its head vigorously to clear it, releasing its grip on Carpal's arm and staring menacingly at the skinny spellcaster.
A dagger whizzed by the wolf's head, followed quickly by a curse as Ezreal reached for another blade at his belt. Tash nodded at the effectiveness of Sardonic's spell as he set the lantern down and retrieved his crossbow from his belt.
Horror crossed Pyrius' face. Horror at seeing the paladin Carpal bravely throwing himself into the midst of the wolves, and being savaged by them. And horror at seeing the woman who had so recently been standing next to him, Ju'lindra, leap in to fight the beasts! Pyrius was torn between his urge to try and protect her, and his instinctive concern for the fallen warrior. Seeing the way she and some of the others were handling the wolves, he made his decision. Pyrius ran up to the edge of the fight.
Grasping briefly at a medallion tucked under his shirt, he laid his hand on Carpal, while also trying to drag him to safety and avoid the fighting. Unfortunately he tried to do to much at once, and his healing spell fizzled. Still he managed to pull Carpal away from the remaining wolf, glancing anxiously at the other combatants.
Ju'lindra squared off against the large wolf, holding her siangham up by her shoulder. She feinted a strike before lashing out with a kick, but the animal was quicker as it dodged aside and made a dash at Sardonic. A dart suddenly stuck into its side, hurled by Davi, but the beast didn't even seem to notice.
"Aargh!" Keira bellowed, gripping the glaive in both her hands, the tingling sensation of power and destruction burning her hands to the hilt. Ju'lindra was facing the large wolf and while her fighting styles betrayed her intelligence in Keira's esteem, she would not let somebody die to something as foul as wolves. The glaive moved upward in an arc, raising the blackened blade above the tall woman's head, dark and menacing.
Keira charged, her feet surprisingly light on the stone floor of the tomb, silent death moving towards the remaining wolf. Her anger burst in the excitement and terror of her charge and fear of her foe, and her blood boiled. She reached the wolf in no time, intercepting its dash and leaping into the air to give her strike some extra force. The blade cut cleanly across the wolf's exposed side, a deep gash drawing a spurt of blood, a few drops splattering on her face and clothes. "Pthrari!" she exclaimed as she raised the glaive back again, her eyes meeting those of the wolf, challenging it.
The wolf howled in pain and staggered, but just as quickly turns its ire on the raging barbarian. It snapped at her legs, but she was able to quickly bring the glaive down and bat its slavering maw aside, deflecting the blow.
Another dagger sailed past the wolf, and another curse followed from Ezreal. The animal prepared to lunge again, but it was stopped short as Tash fired a bolt into the melee with great accuracy, striking it deep in its flank. Ju'lindra took a deep breath to focus herself, then struck out with her siangham again--right between the wolf's legs as it stumbled away, its movements beginning to slow now from blood loss.
The raging and powerful Keira slammed the glaive's blade in the path of the wolf's maw, and grimaced a half-smile, nervousness being overcome by adrenaline. She shoved the blade into the wolf's face, keeping it at bay while trying to get into a better position against the wolf. She'd been taught by experience that fighting in a group was the only way to overcome foes more powerful than you, and this is what she tried to achieve. Her eyes only momentarily floated to Ju'lindra, and then she pulled the blade back.
The wolf dove forward and she spun the glaive to the left, bringing it across in a low sweeping arc, catching the wolf on its side, a blow augmented by her raw power and fury, and the swinging pendulum of a blade. Thick blood splattered all over the place as the wolf fell silent and limp, dead on the end of the weapon.
Davi scurried forward once the last wolf had fallen. She drew her dagger and cleanly glided it over the throat of one of the wolves that had previously terrorized Carpal but was now in a magically conjured stupor. The cleric, one used to death--though not on such a visceral level--still had to avert her eyes as she did this. Still, it has to be done, she acknowledged.
A'vandira Silvermane
Explorer
Wonderful to relive this first serious fight. And I love the way you have managed to meld all those separate posts into a cohesive and very readable story. Thanks Brain, for being a great DM (that let me into this game even after applying so late) and a good writer that brings this story really to life.
ltclnlbrain
First Post
Chapter 6
Sardonic leaned over the unconscious Carpal, wincing at his wounds. "Come on, big guy, wake up. It's too early to be sleeping on the job." The mage took what remained of the paladin's torn sleeve and used it to bandage his wounds, doing quite a good job of it. As the others were making sure the wolves stayed down, Pyrius came over to lend his aid. He took note of the mage's bandaging and nodded in approval.
"Are you a healer as well? Your bandaging is expertly done. I'm Pyrius."
Sardonic looked up from his handiwork with a big smile. "Thanks, Pyrius. I'm Sardonic. Actually this is my first attempt. It seemed like the right way to do it."
"Well, for a first try, it was a good one. Now. Let's see if we can get him back on his feet. Maybe some divine help can shed some light on the problem." Pyrius reached once more for the medallion tucked inside his tunic. There was a brief, warm glow, travelling down his arm into Carpal's prone body. The paladin stirred, but remained unconscious.
"Is he going to be okay?" asked Ju'lindra.
Pyrius nodded. "He's healthy enough now. He must have been affected by your spell, Sardonic. Give him a little while and he'll come around."
Davi peered down at Carpal, noting the bandages and patting Sardonic on the back. Then she looked up at Pyrius. "It's good you're here, Pyrius--and you too, Sardonic. I am not nearly the healer you gentlemen are, despite my vocation."
Indeed, after a short while, Carpal regained his senses. "What happened?" he asked.
Keira looked sharply at Carpal. "You fought to give the wolves the best advantage. They hunt in packs, selecting a single prey and bringing it down together." She spat on the body on the wolf and then walked over to retrieve her throwing axe where it lay against the wall. Returning to the bodies, she said, "We can take the bodies back to Diamond Lake. The furs will be worth something, and the teeth as well." She bent down to inspect the teeth for their cleanliness and quality, frowning as she looked.
"We should keep moving," said Ezreal, inspecting the archway now that he had the leisure. Peering through the cobweb-shrouded arch, he could see that a short flight of stairs descended from the other side, but more detail than that was impossible to make out. Dozens of tiny spiders crawled along the webs. The rogue looked back into the hall, a thought occuring to him. "Where did Tash get off to?"
"In here!" came a call from beyond the tunnel the wolves had emerged through. The gnome soon returned to the group, holding an intricately-carved armband and an elaborate lantern of indigo metal inset with indigo glass panes. "I found these in a backpack in there. Looks like they're valuable. Let's check out that other gallery before going through the arch."
The other gallery proved to contain a wide marble dais spanning that called attention to a faded fresco upon the south, west, and north walls. From a vantage point at the center of the dais, the wall painting made it look like the adventurers stood within a massive room with seven short hallways radiating outward from a central point. A chain dangled from the ceiling at the end of each hallway, and each chain bore a gleaming colored lantern: red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, and violet.
Intrigued, but not really attributing much meaning to the fresco yet, the explorers pressed on. Keira struck a torch and burned the cobwebs away, then lead the others down the stairs beyond. The wide stairway descended into an immense domed chamber. Seven short tunnels branched from the room in all directions, extending some thirty feet before ending in rounded walls. At the terminus of each passage, a thick chain dangled from an unseen high ceiling. Five of the chains bore colorful lanterns, but two held nothing at all. Opposite the entry stairs, a bright green lantern containing what looked like a torch cast a weird, murky light about the room. Countless chips of glass and shiny metal inset into the chamber's domed ceiling reflected this light, giving the impression of starlight and falling snow.
Below the dome's peak, a long dais held what appeared to be a marble sarcophagus. A milky white bas-relief figure, perhaps of a human, rested passively upon the sarcophagus lid. Unlike the rest of the tomb, this room was completely silent.
Davi entered the room alongside Carpal, and her eyes beamed with excitement as she took in the wonder of what she presumed to be the burial chamber. "It's... glorious," she excitedly exclaimed. The tomb as a whole had yet to captivate the priest's imagination; indeed, thus far it had been a treasure hunt, no muss no fuss. But this, this reminded her of the teachings of her elders in the church, of just how sacred one's final resting place really is. Davi looks down to find that ever since she had been here she'd been fingering her necklace, which was formed of the ruby skulls that symbolize her deity. Now conscious of their actions, her gloved fingers clutched the little skulls, and Davi said a prayer in homage to Wee Jas. It just felt right to her.
"Sharak!" Keira exclaimed. She turned to Davi. "This is a place of the dead. They must not be disturbed." She gingerly, for a warrior of her stature, entered the domed room, her eyes gazing upward at the dome.
Sardonic looked about the room. "Looks like the frescos were referring to this room. We have an indigo lantern, which would go over on that chain," said the mage while pointing to an empty chain. "Looks like a red lantern is missing, too. Maybe part of some elaborate trap?"
Davi took a moment to mull over the contents of the room, and her immediate conclusion was that Sardonic is right; it's a trap, or at least a security device. "So perhaps we should just retrieve the corresponding lantern from the previous hall and place it in the right place. Or is that just far too mind-numbingly obvious?" she asked the paladin by her side. "Doesn't it just feel--" she began, but then her speech trailed off, as the cleric became lost in thought.
"I would not assume anything to be too obvious," Carpal said. "Remember, such a puzzle would need to be solvable by any of the tomb's caretakers, as well as secure enough to keep out thieves such as us."
The group moved forward to inspect the sarcophagus at the center of the chamber. The lid bore a white stone relief of a tall figure cloaked in a simple garment of flowing cloth. It was difficult to say why, exactly, but the outfit conjured thoughts of ancient times. The figure at first looked human, but a cursory examination revealed that it was about seven feet tall, completely hairless, and of indeterminate sex. Its arms and hands rested at its side.
The figure wore a scarab-like amulet around its neck, inscribed with another strange glyph similar to the one on the ruined arcane apparatus. To Sardonic's and Tash's eyes, it seemed to indicate an individual of lesser status than the one on the apparatus. The sarcophagus rested upon a small raised platform carved in the shape of a stylistic arrow, with the tip aligned with the head of the relief figure upon the lid and a short "shaft" extending from the foot of the sarcophagus.
Tash moved over to the green lantern and, standing on his tiptoes, opened it up. Inside was a strange-looking torch, which the gnome removed. He passed his hand through the heatless flame and nodded in understanding. "An everburning torch," he called to the others. "This will be useful."
"Well, let's get started," said Davi, clapping their hands together. She first instructed Sardonic to hang the indigo lantern on its hook. Tash brought the torch over and placed it within the orange lantern, which the sarcophagus' platform was pointing at. Nothing happened, so he brought the torch to the indigo lantern. Again, nothing happened. Tash suggested trying to turn the entire platform, and Carpal and Keira, working together, managed to do just that. It rotated clockwise until it was pointing at the yellow tunnel, then it clicked into place.
A great rumbling came from below the chamber as the circular stone at the end of the tunnel rose eight feet into the air, pushed up by a five-foot-diameter metal cylinder that seemed to arise from the ground itself. The rumbling stopped as it came to rest, and seconds later two thin doors slid into the sides of the cylinder, revealing a small empty chamber.
Davi's eyes widened in wonder. She stopped right in front of the doorway, and she pressed the palms of her hands together before it, staring up and into the chamber. The shadowy nature of the tomb coupled with the eerie indigo light reminded Davi of legends of the underworld--not quite hellish, just mysterious and strange.
"Let's try lighting the yellow lantern," said Sardonic.
"Shouldn't we check out the chamber first?" Tash asked. "I wonder if it goes anywhere when it goes down." The gnome took the everburning torch and, before anybody could protest, stepped into the chamber. As soon as he entered, the doors slammed closed behind him. With a great rumble, the contraption lowered itself into the floor. The stone "cap" locked into place, but the rumbling continues for a short while. Once it stopped, there was a brief pause, then the rumbling started again as the chamber rose up and opened once more, revealing it to be empty. The adventurers looked inside in shock.
"It ate him!" Sardonic exclaimed.
Sardonic leaned over the unconscious Carpal, wincing at his wounds. "Come on, big guy, wake up. It's too early to be sleeping on the job." The mage took what remained of the paladin's torn sleeve and used it to bandage his wounds, doing quite a good job of it. As the others were making sure the wolves stayed down, Pyrius came over to lend his aid. He took note of the mage's bandaging and nodded in approval.
"Are you a healer as well? Your bandaging is expertly done. I'm Pyrius."
Sardonic looked up from his handiwork with a big smile. "Thanks, Pyrius. I'm Sardonic. Actually this is my first attempt. It seemed like the right way to do it."
"Well, for a first try, it was a good one. Now. Let's see if we can get him back on his feet. Maybe some divine help can shed some light on the problem." Pyrius reached once more for the medallion tucked inside his tunic. There was a brief, warm glow, travelling down his arm into Carpal's prone body. The paladin stirred, but remained unconscious.
"Is he going to be okay?" asked Ju'lindra.
Pyrius nodded. "He's healthy enough now. He must have been affected by your spell, Sardonic. Give him a little while and he'll come around."
Davi peered down at Carpal, noting the bandages and patting Sardonic on the back. Then she looked up at Pyrius. "It's good you're here, Pyrius--and you too, Sardonic. I am not nearly the healer you gentlemen are, despite my vocation."
Indeed, after a short while, Carpal regained his senses. "What happened?" he asked.
Keira looked sharply at Carpal. "You fought to give the wolves the best advantage. They hunt in packs, selecting a single prey and bringing it down together." She spat on the body on the wolf and then walked over to retrieve her throwing axe where it lay against the wall. Returning to the bodies, she said, "We can take the bodies back to Diamond Lake. The furs will be worth something, and the teeth as well." She bent down to inspect the teeth for their cleanliness and quality, frowning as she looked.
"We should keep moving," said Ezreal, inspecting the archway now that he had the leisure. Peering through the cobweb-shrouded arch, he could see that a short flight of stairs descended from the other side, but more detail than that was impossible to make out. Dozens of tiny spiders crawled along the webs. The rogue looked back into the hall, a thought occuring to him. "Where did Tash get off to?"
"In here!" came a call from beyond the tunnel the wolves had emerged through. The gnome soon returned to the group, holding an intricately-carved armband and an elaborate lantern of indigo metal inset with indigo glass panes. "I found these in a backpack in there. Looks like they're valuable. Let's check out that other gallery before going through the arch."
The other gallery proved to contain a wide marble dais spanning that called attention to a faded fresco upon the south, west, and north walls. From a vantage point at the center of the dais, the wall painting made it look like the adventurers stood within a massive room with seven short hallways radiating outward from a central point. A chain dangled from the ceiling at the end of each hallway, and each chain bore a gleaming colored lantern: red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, and violet.
Intrigued, but not really attributing much meaning to the fresco yet, the explorers pressed on. Keira struck a torch and burned the cobwebs away, then lead the others down the stairs beyond. The wide stairway descended into an immense domed chamber. Seven short tunnels branched from the room in all directions, extending some thirty feet before ending in rounded walls. At the terminus of each passage, a thick chain dangled from an unseen high ceiling. Five of the chains bore colorful lanterns, but two held nothing at all. Opposite the entry stairs, a bright green lantern containing what looked like a torch cast a weird, murky light about the room. Countless chips of glass and shiny metal inset into the chamber's domed ceiling reflected this light, giving the impression of starlight and falling snow.
Below the dome's peak, a long dais held what appeared to be a marble sarcophagus. A milky white bas-relief figure, perhaps of a human, rested passively upon the sarcophagus lid. Unlike the rest of the tomb, this room was completely silent.
Davi entered the room alongside Carpal, and her eyes beamed with excitement as she took in the wonder of what she presumed to be the burial chamber. "It's... glorious," she excitedly exclaimed. The tomb as a whole had yet to captivate the priest's imagination; indeed, thus far it had been a treasure hunt, no muss no fuss. But this, this reminded her of the teachings of her elders in the church, of just how sacred one's final resting place really is. Davi looks down to find that ever since she had been here she'd been fingering her necklace, which was formed of the ruby skulls that symbolize her deity. Now conscious of their actions, her gloved fingers clutched the little skulls, and Davi said a prayer in homage to Wee Jas. It just felt right to her.
"Sharak!" Keira exclaimed. She turned to Davi. "This is a place of the dead. They must not be disturbed." She gingerly, for a warrior of her stature, entered the domed room, her eyes gazing upward at the dome.
Sardonic looked about the room. "Looks like the frescos were referring to this room. We have an indigo lantern, which would go over on that chain," said the mage while pointing to an empty chain. "Looks like a red lantern is missing, too. Maybe part of some elaborate trap?"
Davi took a moment to mull over the contents of the room, and her immediate conclusion was that Sardonic is right; it's a trap, or at least a security device. "So perhaps we should just retrieve the corresponding lantern from the previous hall and place it in the right place. Or is that just far too mind-numbingly obvious?" she asked the paladin by her side. "Doesn't it just feel--" she began, but then her speech trailed off, as the cleric became lost in thought.
"I would not assume anything to be too obvious," Carpal said. "Remember, such a puzzle would need to be solvable by any of the tomb's caretakers, as well as secure enough to keep out thieves such as us."
The group moved forward to inspect the sarcophagus at the center of the chamber. The lid bore a white stone relief of a tall figure cloaked in a simple garment of flowing cloth. It was difficult to say why, exactly, but the outfit conjured thoughts of ancient times. The figure at first looked human, but a cursory examination revealed that it was about seven feet tall, completely hairless, and of indeterminate sex. Its arms and hands rested at its side.
The figure wore a scarab-like amulet around its neck, inscribed with another strange glyph similar to the one on the ruined arcane apparatus. To Sardonic's and Tash's eyes, it seemed to indicate an individual of lesser status than the one on the apparatus. The sarcophagus rested upon a small raised platform carved in the shape of a stylistic arrow, with the tip aligned with the head of the relief figure upon the lid and a short "shaft" extending from the foot of the sarcophagus.
Tash moved over to the green lantern and, standing on his tiptoes, opened it up. Inside was a strange-looking torch, which the gnome removed. He passed his hand through the heatless flame and nodded in understanding. "An everburning torch," he called to the others. "This will be useful."
"Well, let's get started," said Davi, clapping their hands together. She first instructed Sardonic to hang the indigo lantern on its hook. Tash brought the torch over and placed it within the orange lantern, which the sarcophagus' platform was pointing at. Nothing happened, so he brought the torch to the indigo lantern. Again, nothing happened. Tash suggested trying to turn the entire platform, and Carpal and Keira, working together, managed to do just that. It rotated clockwise until it was pointing at the yellow tunnel, then it clicked into place.
A great rumbling came from below the chamber as the circular stone at the end of the tunnel rose eight feet into the air, pushed up by a five-foot-diameter metal cylinder that seemed to arise from the ground itself. The rumbling stopped as it came to rest, and seconds later two thin doors slid into the sides of the cylinder, revealing a small empty chamber.
Davi's eyes widened in wonder. She stopped right in front of the doorway, and she pressed the palms of her hands together before it, staring up and into the chamber. The shadowy nature of the tomb coupled with the eerie indigo light reminded Davi of legends of the underworld--not quite hellish, just mysterious and strange.
"Let's try lighting the yellow lantern," said Sardonic.
"Shouldn't we check out the chamber first?" Tash asked. "I wonder if it goes anywhere when it goes down." The gnome took the everburning torch and, before anybody could protest, stepped into the chamber. As soon as he entered, the doors slammed closed behind him. With a great rumble, the contraption lowered itself into the floor. The stone "cap" locked into place, but the rumbling continues for a short while. Once it stopped, there was a brief pause, then the rumbling started again as the chamber rose up and opened once more, revealing it to be empty. The adventurers looked inside in shock.
"It ate him!" Sardonic exclaimed.
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ltclnlbrain
First Post
Chapter 7
"Tash!" cried Davi, stomping around the strange platform. "Tash?"
"Pthrari!" Keira exclaimed loudly. "What kind of devilry is this!?" Fierce eyes wide in anticipation of danger, she lunged at Sardonic and gripped him by the breast of his clothing. "What have you done with him, little man?" Her eyes were glowing in uncertain anger. "Get him back or I'll gut you like a lamb ready for roasting." She shoved him away and looked around wildly, her eyes moving quickly from lantern to lantern, unsure what to expect.
The barbarian appeared to be thinking about something, then grabbed at Sardonic again. "Think quickly, little man! The sun's light rose at the calling of the blue sky. And so it remains. Will the sun glow the color of pumpkin if the arrow is rotated? Or become grass if further rotated? Are the lanterns just different hides for the sun to lie on?"
"Calm down, Keira," Davi said peaceably, but with certain firmness. "And let Sardonic go; he did no harm to Tash--though he's a total idiot if he thinks I'm willing to lose him to the-gods-know-where." She thought about Keira's confusing words, trying to make sense of them. It seemed that the barbarian thought that the arrow platform called up a chamber, and the lanterns told it where to go. "Let's test your theory," she added. "Carpal, Ju'lindra, rotate the dias to point out the indigo lantern, and Keira, light the lantern again with your torch. Tash shall survive this trap, may the Witch Queen preserve him."
Carpal shrugged. "Well, what if it isn't a trap? I mean, it could be a chamber as Tash suspected. I will do as you wish, but if we change something, Tash may not be able to get back up."
Davi bit her lip while considering Carpal's thoughts. "Well... Uh... Gee, this is the kind of things I brought Tash along for." The halfling folded her sleeves us within each other; it was plain on her face that she had no idea what to do.
"Hang on, Tash! I'm coming!" Sardonic cried suddenly. He rushed toward the open chamber, intent on getting inside before the others could stop him. As he was about to pass the threshold, however, the doors slammed shut. His life flashed before his eyes as the cylinder wall rushed towards him. Not that he had much to view given his age. The flash concentrated on the more tawdry bits. Then he smashed into the wall and sprawled out on the floor, dazed.
The cylinder rumbled as it sank back into the ground again, then it reemerged a few seconds later. Tash stood within, completely unharmed.
Davi whipped around to see the source of the sound, and nothing but pure, sweet relief was apparent on her face when she saw Tash. She beamed at the gnomish wizard welcomingly, and she lifted back the hood of her priestly robe to wipe her brow, inadvertantly revealing her long, wavy brown locks for the first time in the trek. She hardly thought about this however. Her mouth even gaped open for a few seconds, until she finally remembered her propriety; so great was her relief.
So it took her a few moments to gather her wits, but then she spoke, her welcoming smile curving into a smirk. "Oh hi, we were just talking about you. Where've you been?" she asked Tash, all innocence and nonchalance.
"I'm okay," Tash said, grinning. "I had just stepped out of the chamber when it slammed shut and went back up. It looks like these chambers are transportation devices, going down into other rooms. There's a button down there that I pressed to call the chamber and come back up. I suggest we go down this chamber and explore the place below before trying anything else."
Keira walked over to stand beside the small gnome, imposing for her strength and near six feet in height. Bending down, she put her fist around the gnome shoulder and tried to form it inside her fist. Tash squirmed from the pain, and Keira relented. It seemed, at least, that the process of being swallowed by a metal cylinder did not change him in any apparent way.
"I don't like this place," the barbarian commented to nobody in particular. She was starting to have doubts about this whole business. They were invading a tomb of the dead, after all, something which rather strangely excited Davi Knockdoor. She wasn't sure how she felt about that. "Davi Knockdoor, is the purpose of this mission to invade the tombs of the dead, and remove the treasures of the afterlife? I do not wish to tamper with the dead themselves, but they have not need for treasures. How are the ancestors of our people supposed to guide us if they spend their time counting coins?" She gave Davi a serious look and a frown. She wanted to know what she'd signed up for, simply because several facts had taken their time registering in Keira's mind. "To whom does this tomb belong and what do we know of its history?"
Davi listened considerately to Keira's concerns, and the halfling seemed to take the barbarian's thoughts into careful deliberation. "In truth," she began at last, brushing a lock of hair behind her ear and folding her arms back together, "I know very little of the origin of this tomb, called by the title 'Whispering Cairn' on a single map of Carpal's. I believe it to be the resting place of someone related to a former mine manager, or possibly the manager himself. As for what it holds or any dangers therein, I haven't a clue; it was the very unknown nature of this place that led me to gather aid in the first place.
"As for grave-robbing, I assure you that for all that we might take, the resting body is not to be harmed or even touched by us. My elders at the church sanctioned this journey under that very caveat. However, we do wish to see if any object or records of note were buried here as well, something that could be utilized by our facilities to further our purpose. As you yourself say, Keira, the departed souls guide us, at least through what they leave behind; I am merely seeking that wisdom." Finished, Davi replaces the hood back over her head, adding a more formal, clerical feel to her appearance. "So, then, what is our course of action?"
"I wonder what would happen if we lit all the lanterns at once..." Pyrius mused idly.
Ezreal had watched the whole panicked proceedings with a mixture of amusement and derision. Turn this, light that, jump in here, now rearrange them all before Tash comes back, and then light multiple lanterns before trying to pursue a path we know is currently not lethal. Apparently we are not so strong on logical behavior as a group.
The rogue cleared his throat and spoke from his position leaning against a wall. "At this point it's pretty clear that this is merely a gateway to the rest of the tomb rather than a trap. There is no path left unexplored other than these shafts and we haven't encountered whatever Ms Knockdoor was expecting as of yet. It is possible of course that one or more of the shafts descends into an area that is lethal, but why design a trap that takes at least two very strong and curious people to actively trigger? It doesn't make any sense. As traps go they could have designed anything that would heve been more effective, less expensive, and required hundreds of hours less to craft. We haven't seen anything so far that would act as a guide or clue to whoever would be a welcome guest in this tomb unless there was a hidden message or clue in the fresco indicating which combinations to avoid. So we know that by restoring the system to the settings when Tash went below, we can explore further without getting anyone killed immediately, and we can return to the surface at will. That sounds like our next move to me. Not that anyone was asking, mind you, but it does make sense. I would add that I'm not going down any shaft as long as you all keep tinkering with the system as much as you possibly can before you have any idea what it does. Multiple lanterns, spinning that sarcophagus back and forth. 'dimmara's dice! It's like you are all trying to get someone killed. You'll never figure out what mechanism does exactly what if you keep changing them all at the same time."
Carpal chuckled at his friend's statement. "Davi, what Ezreal says makes sense. We should see one path through to its completion before causing more changes."
The cleric nodded. "All right." She gestured toward the metal cylinder, still waiting patiently at with its door open. " Let's see what you found down there, Tash."
"Tash!" cried Davi, stomping around the strange platform. "Tash?"
"Pthrari!" Keira exclaimed loudly. "What kind of devilry is this!?" Fierce eyes wide in anticipation of danger, she lunged at Sardonic and gripped him by the breast of his clothing. "What have you done with him, little man?" Her eyes were glowing in uncertain anger. "Get him back or I'll gut you like a lamb ready for roasting." She shoved him away and looked around wildly, her eyes moving quickly from lantern to lantern, unsure what to expect.
The barbarian appeared to be thinking about something, then grabbed at Sardonic again. "Think quickly, little man! The sun's light rose at the calling of the blue sky. And so it remains. Will the sun glow the color of pumpkin if the arrow is rotated? Or become grass if further rotated? Are the lanterns just different hides for the sun to lie on?"
"Calm down, Keira," Davi said peaceably, but with certain firmness. "And let Sardonic go; he did no harm to Tash--though he's a total idiot if he thinks I'm willing to lose him to the-gods-know-where." She thought about Keira's confusing words, trying to make sense of them. It seemed that the barbarian thought that the arrow platform called up a chamber, and the lanterns told it where to go. "Let's test your theory," she added. "Carpal, Ju'lindra, rotate the dias to point out the indigo lantern, and Keira, light the lantern again with your torch. Tash shall survive this trap, may the Witch Queen preserve him."
Carpal shrugged. "Well, what if it isn't a trap? I mean, it could be a chamber as Tash suspected. I will do as you wish, but if we change something, Tash may not be able to get back up."
Davi bit her lip while considering Carpal's thoughts. "Well... Uh... Gee, this is the kind of things I brought Tash along for." The halfling folded her sleeves us within each other; it was plain on her face that she had no idea what to do.
"Hang on, Tash! I'm coming!" Sardonic cried suddenly. He rushed toward the open chamber, intent on getting inside before the others could stop him. As he was about to pass the threshold, however, the doors slammed shut. His life flashed before his eyes as the cylinder wall rushed towards him. Not that he had much to view given his age. The flash concentrated on the more tawdry bits. Then he smashed into the wall and sprawled out on the floor, dazed.
The cylinder rumbled as it sank back into the ground again, then it reemerged a few seconds later. Tash stood within, completely unharmed.
Davi whipped around to see the source of the sound, and nothing but pure, sweet relief was apparent on her face when she saw Tash. She beamed at the gnomish wizard welcomingly, and she lifted back the hood of her priestly robe to wipe her brow, inadvertantly revealing her long, wavy brown locks for the first time in the trek. She hardly thought about this however. Her mouth even gaped open for a few seconds, until she finally remembered her propriety; so great was her relief.
So it took her a few moments to gather her wits, but then she spoke, her welcoming smile curving into a smirk. "Oh hi, we were just talking about you. Where've you been?" she asked Tash, all innocence and nonchalance.
"I'm okay," Tash said, grinning. "I had just stepped out of the chamber when it slammed shut and went back up. It looks like these chambers are transportation devices, going down into other rooms. There's a button down there that I pressed to call the chamber and come back up. I suggest we go down this chamber and explore the place below before trying anything else."
Keira walked over to stand beside the small gnome, imposing for her strength and near six feet in height. Bending down, she put her fist around the gnome shoulder and tried to form it inside her fist. Tash squirmed from the pain, and Keira relented. It seemed, at least, that the process of being swallowed by a metal cylinder did not change him in any apparent way.
"I don't like this place," the barbarian commented to nobody in particular. She was starting to have doubts about this whole business. They were invading a tomb of the dead, after all, something which rather strangely excited Davi Knockdoor. She wasn't sure how she felt about that. "Davi Knockdoor, is the purpose of this mission to invade the tombs of the dead, and remove the treasures of the afterlife? I do not wish to tamper with the dead themselves, but they have not need for treasures. How are the ancestors of our people supposed to guide us if they spend their time counting coins?" She gave Davi a serious look and a frown. She wanted to know what she'd signed up for, simply because several facts had taken their time registering in Keira's mind. "To whom does this tomb belong and what do we know of its history?"
Davi listened considerately to Keira's concerns, and the halfling seemed to take the barbarian's thoughts into careful deliberation. "In truth," she began at last, brushing a lock of hair behind her ear and folding her arms back together, "I know very little of the origin of this tomb, called by the title 'Whispering Cairn' on a single map of Carpal's. I believe it to be the resting place of someone related to a former mine manager, or possibly the manager himself. As for what it holds or any dangers therein, I haven't a clue; it was the very unknown nature of this place that led me to gather aid in the first place.
"As for grave-robbing, I assure you that for all that we might take, the resting body is not to be harmed or even touched by us. My elders at the church sanctioned this journey under that very caveat. However, we do wish to see if any object or records of note were buried here as well, something that could be utilized by our facilities to further our purpose. As you yourself say, Keira, the departed souls guide us, at least through what they leave behind; I am merely seeking that wisdom." Finished, Davi replaces the hood back over her head, adding a more formal, clerical feel to her appearance. "So, then, what is our course of action?"
"I wonder what would happen if we lit all the lanterns at once..." Pyrius mused idly.
Ezreal had watched the whole panicked proceedings with a mixture of amusement and derision. Turn this, light that, jump in here, now rearrange them all before Tash comes back, and then light multiple lanterns before trying to pursue a path we know is currently not lethal. Apparently we are not so strong on logical behavior as a group.
The rogue cleared his throat and spoke from his position leaning against a wall. "At this point it's pretty clear that this is merely a gateway to the rest of the tomb rather than a trap. There is no path left unexplored other than these shafts and we haven't encountered whatever Ms Knockdoor was expecting as of yet. It is possible of course that one or more of the shafts descends into an area that is lethal, but why design a trap that takes at least two very strong and curious people to actively trigger? It doesn't make any sense. As traps go they could have designed anything that would heve been more effective, less expensive, and required hundreds of hours less to craft. We haven't seen anything so far that would act as a guide or clue to whoever would be a welcome guest in this tomb unless there was a hidden message or clue in the fresco indicating which combinations to avoid. So we know that by restoring the system to the settings when Tash went below, we can explore further without getting anyone killed immediately, and we can return to the surface at will. That sounds like our next move to me. Not that anyone was asking, mind you, but it does make sense. I would add that I'm not going down any shaft as long as you all keep tinkering with the system as much as you possibly can before you have any idea what it does. Multiple lanterns, spinning that sarcophagus back and forth. 'dimmara's dice! It's like you are all trying to get someone killed. You'll never figure out what mechanism does exactly what if you keep changing them all at the same time."
Carpal chuckled at his friend's statement. "Davi, what Ezreal says makes sense. We should see one path through to its completion before causing more changes."
The cleric nodded. "All right." She gestured toward the metal cylinder, still waiting patiently at with its door open. " Let's see what you found down there, Tash."
ltclnlbrain
First Post
*looks at calendar* Oh my, it's been a while hasn't it? Well, let's try to get back into the swing of things. Look for more frequent updates again (I hope).
Chapter 8
The cylindrical chamber lead them down one by one into the chamber Tash had found below. The walls here were covered in bas-relief images similar to the slender figure upon the sarcophagus lid in the chamber above. Nearly a dozen androgynous, hairless humanoids stood in poses of deference, almost as if they were paying homage to the gathered adventurers. Many extended their hands in adoration, faces awash in adulation. Several of the statues lacked heads, arms, hands, or anything else easily hacked off by long-absent tomb robbers.
About fifteen feet to the west, a dark passage extended from an elaborately carved arch. Only a little of the hallway was visible, however, as a large stone block obscured most of the passage.
Davi moved about the chamber, taking in the beautifully carved statues with an appraising eye. Ezreal's inspection of them was more practical, though, as he searched them for any signs of traps.
Carpal looked at the enormous block, trying to peer around the edges. "Is there a trigger that might move this thing?"
Tash shrugged. "I didn't see one. Maybe some of you bigger folk can try to push the whole thing aside?"
"My guess...it's a sprung trap. Probably a squished robber underneath it," stated Sardonic.
"One way to find out," said Carpal. He, Keira, and the two mages strained and pushed on the slab of stone. It rose up a bit, beginning to topple over, but then the weight became to much to handle and with a booming thud it fell back to the ground.
Ezreal ignored the distracting noises as he poked around the statues' smiling mouths. His eyes widened, and before Carpal could direct the others to move the stone again, he called out, "Wait!"
The others looked at him curiously as he moved over to the big stone block. "There are valves inside the mouths..." The rogue searched around the stone's base, and nodded to himself before turning back to the others. "And there's a pressure plate under the block. It's set to trigger when the weight is removed from it. Probably pumps some nasty gas in here to choke us all to death."
"Morbid," remarked Davi. "Can you disable it?"
"I think so...just have to find out how to close the valves."
Ezreal worked for a few minutes, finding hidden seals on each of the valves and activating each one. When he felt certain the trap had been neutralized, he nodded at Carpal. "Okay, try it now."
The paladin directed the others to push on the block again, and this time they managed to topple the entire stone off to the side, clearing the hallway. When no poisonous gas began to fill the room, Ezreal allowed himself a smile. "Well, there you are then. I've earned my share of the treasure."
Davi smiled and touched the rogue lightly on the arm. "Thank you, and I trust you will continue to do so."
Curious carvings that seemed to represent a shifting tempest covered the walls of the passage. At ten-foot-intervals, small alcoves flanked the passage, and each alcove contained an androgynous humanoid figure with cupped hands. The figures stood roughly seven feet tall. A faint wind seemed to play within the passage, but it was difficult to tell where it was coming from.
Sardonic looked at the statues with interest, an idea beginning to form in his head. "What if these statues represent the race of Vaati? How ancient this tomb must be... The traps here would be numerous."
"What are these Vaati of which you speak, Sardonic?" asked Carpal, poking around for the source of the fresh air. It was entirely possible that the mage was talking merely to impress the women again, but he was just as likely contributing something constructive.
"I can tell you what little I know. The glyphs look like a language called Vaati. Some scholars think its the precursor to the Auran language used on the Elemental Plane of Air. I was just wondering out loud if they were sculptures of the Vaati people. Just imagining. I don't know any more than that." The young mage shrugged. "I just imagined an ancient people from another plane would be a tricky lot."
"But what would bring them to Diamond Lake?" asked Davi, her tone giving a rather full impression of her feelings about the town that all the adventurers call home.
Keira snorted. "Perhaps they..." the barbarian began, but then she suddenly stopped. The air was moving. It was a sign of change in her tribe as the wind moved through the quiet and humid swamps of her home. The elders knew how to interpret the signs, or at least Keira had never seen them get it wrong in her lifetime. Had the elders seen the pale yellow ray of light strike her on the forehead, they'd have had all sorts of things to say about her inability to react to changes, how she was not like the swamp willow, bending towards the water. She blinked once, briefly comprehending a strange shape emerging from the shadows of a nearby alcove. Then she fell forward, collapsing into a heap as her body gave way to sleep and all thought was lost from her mind.
Chapter 8
The cylindrical chamber lead them down one by one into the chamber Tash had found below. The walls here were covered in bas-relief images similar to the slender figure upon the sarcophagus lid in the chamber above. Nearly a dozen androgynous, hairless humanoids stood in poses of deference, almost as if they were paying homage to the gathered adventurers. Many extended their hands in adoration, faces awash in adulation. Several of the statues lacked heads, arms, hands, or anything else easily hacked off by long-absent tomb robbers.
About fifteen feet to the west, a dark passage extended from an elaborately carved arch. Only a little of the hallway was visible, however, as a large stone block obscured most of the passage.
Davi moved about the chamber, taking in the beautifully carved statues with an appraising eye. Ezreal's inspection of them was more practical, though, as he searched them for any signs of traps.
Carpal looked at the enormous block, trying to peer around the edges. "Is there a trigger that might move this thing?"
Tash shrugged. "I didn't see one. Maybe some of you bigger folk can try to push the whole thing aside?"
"My guess...it's a sprung trap. Probably a squished robber underneath it," stated Sardonic.
"One way to find out," said Carpal. He, Keira, and the two mages strained and pushed on the slab of stone. It rose up a bit, beginning to topple over, but then the weight became to much to handle and with a booming thud it fell back to the ground.
Ezreal ignored the distracting noises as he poked around the statues' smiling mouths. His eyes widened, and before Carpal could direct the others to move the stone again, he called out, "Wait!"
The others looked at him curiously as he moved over to the big stone block. "There are valves inside the mouths..." The rogue searched around the stone's base, and nodded to himself before turning back to the others. "And there's a pressure plate under the block. It's set to trigger when the weight is removed from it. Probably pumps some nasty gas in here to choke us all to death."
"Morbid," remarked Davi. "Can you disable it?"
"I think so...just have to find out how to close the valves."
Ezreal worked for a few minutes, finding hidden seals on each of the valves and activating each one. When he felt certain the trap had been neutralized, he nodded at Carpal. "Okay, try it now."
The paladin directed the others to push on the block again, and this time they managed to topple the entire stone off to the side, clearing the hallway. When no poisonous gas began to fill the room, Ezreal allowed himself a smile. "Well, there you are then. I've earned my share of the treasure."
Davi smiled and touched the rogue lightly on the arm. "Thank you, and I trust you will continue to do so."
Curious carvings that seemed to represent a shifting tempest covered the walls of the passage. At ten-foot-intervals, small alcoves flanked the passage, and each alcove contained an androgynous humanoid figure with cupped hands. The figures stood roughly seven feet tall. A faint wind seemed to play within the passage, but it was difficult to tell where it was coming from.
Sardonic looked at the statues with interest, an idea beginning to form in his head. "What if these statues represent the race of Vaati? How ancient this tomb must be... The traps here would be numerous."
"What are these Vaati of which you speak, Sardonic?" asked Carpal, poking around for the source of the fresh air. It was entirely possible that the mage was talking merely to impress the women again, but he was just as likely contributing something constructive.
"I can tell you what little I know. The glyphs look like a language called Vaati. Some scholars think its the precursor to the Auran language used on the Elemental Plane of Air. I was just wondering out loud if they were sculptures of the Vaati people. Just imagining. I don't know any more than that." The young mage shrugged. "I just imagined an ancient people from another plane would be a tricky lot."
"But what would bring them to Diamond Lake?" asked Davi, her tone giving a rather full impression of her feelings about the town that all the adventurers call home.
Keira snorted. "Perhaps they..." the barbarian began, but then she suddenly stopped. The air was moving. It was a sign of change in her tribe as the wind moved through the quiet and humid swamps of her home. The elders knew how to interpret the signs, or at least Keira had never seen them get it wrong in her lifetime. Had the elders seen the pale yellow ray of light strike her on the forehead, they'd have had all sorts of things to say about her inability to react to changes, how she was not like the swamp willow, bending towards the water. She blinked once, briefly comprehending a strange shape emerging from the shadows of a nearby alcove. Then she fell forward, collapsing into a heap as her body gave way to sleep and all thought was lost from her mind.
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