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DM Brainiac's Age of Worms (Mostly Restored 5/12/06)
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<blockquote data-quote="ltclnlbrain" data-source="post: 2766843" data-attributes="member: 12882"><p><strong>Chapter 10</strong></p><p></p><p>As the explorers neared the end of the passage, the air began to grow unnaturally cold. Their breath frosted in the air and gooseflesh ross beneath their clothes. The hall opened up into a large chamber, the center of which contained a dull gray stone pillar that reached from floor to ceiling. On the north face of the pillar was a deep recession that ended at what looked like a fountain basin about four feet off the ground. A large patch of brownish mold grew in and around the basin, spilling out across the floor of the chamber and into the northern hall.</p><p></p><p> "By the tail of the great dragon!" Ju'lindra cried, shivering in the sudden cold. "It's darn cold in here all of a sudden! And these clothes of mine do not help very much against that." The half-elf gestured helplessly to her loose-fitting monk's outfit. She tried to focus on her inner power, her <em>ki</em>, to bring warmth to her body, but it wasn't working too well.</p><p></p><p>Pyrius seemed to be faring much worse than the monk. His eyes watered and a bout of sneezing beset the cleric. "Are you alright?" asked Tash, and Pyrius nodded in response. "I'm allergic to things that grow underground. Mushrooms. Mold. I'll be fine in a minute, thanks." He tried to smile at the gnome, but instead had to cover his face to keep from sneezing on him.</p><p></p><p>Carpal smiled wryly. "Things that grow undergournd? Well then, friend healer, it is a good thing we have no dwarves in our number."</p><p></p><p>Wrapping her fur cloak around her for warmth, Keira scanned her torch around. "This place is cursed," she said calmly. "Burn the mold away and let's finish with this place." She rested the hilt of the glaive on the ground, standing near the column but away from the mold.</p><p></p><p>"No!" cried Tash. "That's brown mold. It draws heat from everything around it, and fire makes it even bigger. Everyone stay back!" Tash moved forward and pulled at everyone's sleeves to stop them from advancing further. "Cold will destroy it. Anyone have anything that has a cold effect?"</p><p></p><p>"Not me," Sardonic said through chattering teeth. "Most of my spells have been used up today. I had no idea that I'd need a cold spell. Besides, it's plenty cold as it is." </p><p></p><p>"Its cold because the mold has sucked out all the warmth from this room; if we're not careful, it'll freeze dry us as well."</p><p></p><p>Carpal let out a laugh. "If it is cold we need, let Sardonic try and woo the ladies again. That should give us all the cold we require."</p><p></p><p>Sardonic crossed his arms at Carpal's comment. The paladin must have thought he was funny. "Why do you lash out at me, Carpal? Could it be you yearn for my attention? I'm no flighty boy. And quit looking at my butt."</p><p></p><p>Carpal laughs at the mage's retort. If Sardonic was offended at all, it is totally lost on the paladin, who appreciates that someone is willing to trade jibes. "But it is so ladylike. It is easy to confuse you for the fairier sex." The paladin sobered from his sarcasm, and put his mind on the problem, for what little good that did. "Tash, two questions. First, it's a plant, right, if we just scrape it off the wall, won't it die? Second, I know exposure to cold can be lethal, but this is hardly a blizzard. Can this mold kill us?"</p><p></p><p>Tash shrugged. "You could try to scrape it off the wall, but even if you come within 5 feet of it will drain the heat from your body causing hypothermia, you could pass out and die and if you stayed near it too long. Touching it would be even worse."</p><p></p><p>"Let's explore what we can," said Sardonic. "The mold doesn't go into the southern room here."</p><p></p><p>Circumventing the mold for the moment, the group moved on to the southern room. After Ezreal made sure the way was free of traps, they entered it. The wide chamber must once have been the living quarters of an important figure. A large stone slab that suggested the shape of a bed rested against the east wall, under a huge bas-relief of a robust, long-nosed bald humanoid with outstretched hands. The figure wore a lovingly sculpted wind-tossed robe that gave him the appearance of a triumphant god. A glyph that looked like a stylized arrow marked an amulet worn around the figure's neck. It looked similar to the other two symbols you've seen on the broken apparatus and the sarcophagus, though according to Sardonic and Tash, this one signified an individual of less rank than either of the other two. Wardrobes and dressers seemingly carved from the stone walls looked to have been ransacked a long time ago.</p><p></p><p>Disappointment was plain on Davi's face as she peered into the wardrobes, only to find cold, empty air. It was more proof that the thieves had already looted the entire tomb, and that this entire venture was a wasted effort. Still, the cleric said nothing of her thoughts, for there was still much to explore and many mysteries to solve, and the higher the group morale the better.</p><p></p><p>Carpal frowned as he listened to the mages' explanation of the symbol. "If Tash and Sardonic are correct, the more out of the way we explore, the lesser the importance of the people within. Does that seem odd to anyone else?"</p><p></p><p>Folding her arms together and keeping her hooded head bent towards the floor, Davi looked positively monk-like as she answered Carpal's concerns. "I've studied numerous blueprints for tombs, and occasionally other, less-important relatives or servants will be also buried there when their time comes," she said, keeping her eyes locked on the floor and her mind off of the cold. "Sometimes their crypts are less well-secured than that of the primary dead and the main areas--just utilizing the magic rather economically, I imagine."</p><p></p><p>"These people protect their lesser dead well," Keira remarked with a snort.</p><p></p><p>AS the majority of the group poked about the room for anything of value, Ju'lindra noticed Pyrius hanging back, still sneezing and wiping at his watery eyes. The monk smiled bemusedly and moved over to the cleric. "Are you okay? If you keep sneezing like that, you'll be running out of air sooner or later."</p><p></p><p>The golden-haired priest nodded. "It's alright...don't worry about me."</p><p></p><p>Ju'lindra shook her head and took out a small piece of cloth from her pocket. Opening her waterskin, she poured a bit of water onto the cloth and then handed it to Pyrius. "Here, take this and tie it around your mouth and nose. Breathe through it and it should be a little better."</p><p></p><p>Pyrius accepted the wet cloth and, not wanting to appear rude, put it on as she suggested. To his surprise, it did seem to help, and his sinuses calmed down a bit. <em>I'm supposed to be a healer, and I never thought of doing this! Maybe I can learn something from her. At any rate, now is probably a good time to talk to her. She needs to know why she's here.</em> He began to say, "Ju'lindra, there's something I need to tell you." However, with the cloth covering his mouth and nose, it came out as, "Mumminmra, mers mumming ma neeb ma mell mu." Hearing himself, he groaned inwardly.</p><p></p><p>The half-elf raised her brow. "What? I'm sorry, I didn't catch that."</p><p></p><p>Pyrius took a deep breath and started to speak again, but he was interrupted as the rest of the group made their way over. "There's nothing left here," Carpal was saying. "Let's try to scrape that mold aside so we can clear a path to the other room." The priest replaced the wet cloth and fell into step beside Sardonic. His conversation with Ju'lindra would have to wait.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="ltclnlbrain, post: 2766843, member: 12882"] [B]Chapter 10[/B] As the explorers neared the end of the passage, the air began to grow unnaturally cold. Their breath frosted in the air and gooseflesh ross beneath their clothes. The hall opened up into a large chamber, the center of which contained a dull gray stone pillar that reached from floor to ceiling. On the north face of the pillar was a deep recession that ended at what looked like a fountain basin about four feet off the ground. A large patch of brownish mold grew in and around the basin, spilling out across the floor of the chamber and into the northern hall. "By the tail of the great dragon!" Ju'lindra cried, shivering in the sudden cold. "It's darn cold in here all of a sudden! And these clothes of mine do not help very much against that." The half-elf gestured helplessly to her loose-fitting monk's outfit. She tried to focus on her inner power, her [i]ki[/i], to bring warmth to her body, but it wasn't working too well. Pyrius seemed to be faring much worse than the monk. His eyes watered and a bout of sneezing beset the cleric. "Are you alright?" asked Tash, and Pyrius nodded in response. "I'm allergic to things that grow underground. Mushrooms. Mold. I'll be fine in a minute, thanks." He tried to smile at the gnome, but instead had to cover his face to keep from sneezing on him. Carpal smiled wryly. "Things that grow undergournd? Well then, friend healer, it is a good thing we have no dwarves in our number." Wrapping her fur cloak around her for warmth, Keira scanned her torch around. "This place is cursed," she said calmly. "Burn the mold away and let's finish with this place." She rested the hilt of the glaive on the ground, standing near the column but away from the mold. "No!" cried Tash. "That's brown mold. It draws heat from everything around it, and fire makes it even bigger. Everyone stay back!" Tash moved forward and pulled at everyone's sleeves to stop them from advancing further. "Cold will destroy it. Anyone have anything that has a cold effect?" "Not me," Sardonic said through chattering teeth. "Most of my spells have been used up today. I had no idea that I'd need a cold spell. Besides, it's plenty cold as it is." "Its cold because the mold has sucked out all the warmth from this room; if we're not careful, it'll freeze dry us as well." Carpal let out a laugh. "If it is cold we need, let Sardonic try and woo the ladies again. That should give us all the cold we require." Sardonic crossed his arms at Carpal's comment. The paladin must have thought he was funny. "Why do you lash out at me, Carpal? Could it be you yearn for my attention? I'm no flighty boy. And quit looking at my butt." Carpal laughs at the mage's retort. If Sardonic was offended at all, it is totally lost on the paladin, who appreciates that someone is willing to trade jibes. "But it is so ladylike. It is easy to confuse you for the fairier sex." The paladin sobered from his sarcasm, and put his mind on the problem, for what little good that did. "Tash, two questions. First, it's a plant, right, if we just scrape it off the wall, won't it die? Second, I know exposure to cold can be lethal, but this is hardly a blizzard. Can this mold kill us?" Tash shrugged. "You could try to scrape it off the wall, but even if you come within 5 feet of it will drain the heat from your body causing hypothermia, you could pass out and die and if you stayed near it too long. Touching it would be even worse." "Let's explore what we can," said Sardonic. "The mold doesn't go into the southern room here." Circumventing the mold for the moment, the group moved on to the southern room. After Ezreal made sure the way was free of traps, they entered it. The wide chamber must once have been the living quarters of an important figure. A large stone slab that suggested the shape of a bed rested against the east wall, under a huge bas-relief of a robust, long-nosed bald humanoid with outstretched hands. The figure wore a lovingly sculpted wind-tossed robe that gave him the appearance of a triumphant god. A glyph that looked like a stylized arrow marked an amulet worn around the figure's neck. It looked similar to the other two symbols you've seen on the broken apparatus and the sarcophagus, though according to Sardonic and Tash, this one signified an individual of less rank than either of the other two. Wardrobes and dressers seemingly carved from the stone walls looked to have been ransacked a long time ago. Disappointment was plain on Davi's face as she peered into the wardrobes, only to find cold, empty air. It was more proof that the thieves had already looted the entire tomb, and that this entire venture was a wasted effort. Still, the cleric said nothing of her thoughts, for there was still much to explore and many mysteries to solve, and the higher the group morale the better. Carpal frowned as he listened to the mages' explanation of the symbol. "If Tash and Sardonic are correct, the more out of the way we explore, the lesser the importance of the people within. Does that seem odd to anyone else?" Folding her arms together and keeping her hooded head bent towards the floor, Davi looked positively monk-like as she answered Carpal's concerns. "I've studied numerous blueprints for tombs, and occasionally other, less-important relatives or servants will be also buried there when their time comes," she said, keeping her eyes locked on the floor and her mind off of the cold. "Sometimes their crypts are less well-secured than that of the primary dead and the main areas--just utilizing the magic rather economically, I imagine." "These people protect their lesser dead well," Keira remarked with a snort. AS the majority of the group poked about the room for anything of value, Ju'lindra noticed Pyrius hanging back, still sneezing and wiping at his watery eyes. The monk smiled bemusedly and moved over to the cleric. "Are you okay? If you keep sneezing like that, you'll be running out of air sooner or later." The golden-haired priest nodded. "It's alright...don't worry about me." Ju'lindra shook her head and took out a small piece of cloth from her pocket. Opening her waterskin, she poured a bit of water onto the cloth and then handed it to Pyrius. "Here, take this and tie it around your mouth and nose. Breathe through it and it should be a little better." Pyrius accepted the wet cloth and, not wanting to appear rude, put it on as she suggested. To his surprise, it did seem to help, and his sinuses calmed down a bit. [i]I'm supposed to be a healer, and I never thought of doing this! Maybe I can learn something from her. At any rate, now is probably a good time to talk to her. She needs to know why she's here.[/i] He began to say, "Ju'lindra, there's something I need to tell you." However, with the cloth covering his mouth and nose, it came out as, "Mumminmra, mers mumming ma neeb ma mell mu." Hearing himself, he groaned inwardly. The half-elf raised her brow. "What? I'm sorry, I didn't catch that." Pyrius took a deep breath and started to speak again, but he was interrupted as the rest of the group made their way over. "There's nothing left here," Carpal was saying. "Let's try to scrape that mold aside so we can clear a path to the other room." The priest replaced the wet cloth and fell into step beside Sardonic. His conversation with Ju'lindra would have to wait. [/QUOTE]
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