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<blockquote data-quote="Lazybones" data-source="post: 7616985" data-attributes="member: 143"><p>Chapter 304</p><p></p><p>Rodan leaned over and peered through the open gate into the broad courtyard where they had fought the chuuls the night before. The sky beyond the vast domed building had just begun to brighten, leaving the open space in a shadowed gloom. But there was enough light to reveal the corpse of the creature they had slain, a lonely mound lying on the path between the two silent pools.</p><p></p><p>The scout waved his companions forward, but he waited for Quellan before he continued into the barren outer garden. “So there’s nothing more that you can tell us about the nature of this pending calamity?” he asked.</p><p></p><p>“No,” Quellan said. “I’ve told you everything that was passed to me through the <em>divination</em>.”</p><p></p><p>“It’s not much to go on,” Rodan said.</p><p></p><p>This time they took a different approach, giving the pools in the center of the area a very wide berth. Quellan said that he’d had to hit the creature hard to get it to release Glori and that it might be dead, but they were not going to take anything for granted in this strange and deadly place.</p><p></p><p>“Contacting planar entities is a difficult prospect,” Xeeta explained. “Even when one can get a response, they are often vague and misleading.”</p><p></p><p>“You seem to know a lot about it,” Kosk said.</p><p></p><p>“I overheard the leaders of the cult complaining about it on several occasions,” she said.</p><p></p><p>“But we know that Bredan’s alive,” Glori said. “We wouldn’t have been warned of the danger of finding the book if he wasn’t still alive.”</p><p></p><p>“That is a logical inference,” Quellan said. “But we could still be too late.”</p><p></p><p>The true scale of the building became clear as they drew closer to it. It made even the great structures of Severon seem humble by comparison. A thousand people could have stood upon the flight of steps that led to the covered portico that ran along the front of the structure. The pillars that supported it were each a good fifteen feet thick. The place was clearly very old, but they saw few overt signs of the decay that had affected the rest of the city.</p><p></p><p>They paused at the base of those steps. Each one was a little more than a foot high, just tall enough to be awkward for Kosk and the women. “We don’t even know he’s here,” Rodan said.</p><p></p><p>“Those lobsters were guarding something,” Kosk said. “And as long as Quellan’s detection spells aren’t working, we don’t have any better targets than this place.”</p><p></p><p>“This place is approximately at the center of the warding effect bounded by the city’s inner walls,” Quellan said.</p><p></p><p>“How can you know that?” Xeeta asked.</p><p></p><p>“Mathematics?” the cleric replied.</p><p></p><p>“Come on,” Kosk said. “While we’re here we might as well take a look.”</p><p></p><p>They made their way up the steps. There were enough of them that Kosk wasn’t the only one having some trouble by the time they reached the top. The light of the impending dawn did not reach into the interior of the portico, but with their darkvision they could see an opening in the center, an arch a full twenty feet across that led into the interior. The faint outlines of what must have been impressive carvings decorated the outer façade, and they could see that the arch itself was made up of stones that might have once been brightly colored but were now faded with time. Nothing stirred at their approach, and the only footsteps they could see in the accumulated dust of the entry were their own.</p><p></p><p>“Bredan didn’t come this way,” Glori noted.</p><p></p><p>“Quellan said he was still underground when he scried him,” Rodan noted. “Maybe there’s another way in.”</p><p></p><p>“Well, let’s get this over with,” Kosk said.</p><p></p><p>The arch gave way to a broad foyer that was a good thirty feet across and which extended well into the interior of the building. Another large arch led to an even larger space ahead, while to each side smaller openings led to several anterooms. The companions glanced into those to confirm that they were empty before pressing on to the far arch. A faint light shone from within, allowing them to see the place in all of its impressive majesty.</p><p></p><p>Time had inflicted its wounds here as well, but that did nothing to steal from the sheer impact of the chamber. The core of the building was a single vast hall centered until the massive dome that they had seen throughout their approach through the inner city. That dome was impossibly large, at least a hundred and fifty feet across, somehow intact after all this time. Eight huge pillars with elaborate capitals supported the impressively thick arches and pendentives needed to withstand that incredible weight. A gallery with a narrow walkway ran around the base of the dome, but they couldn’t see any obvious way to get up to it.</p><p></p><p>The light they had seen came from a round opening at the peak of the dome, which let in the pale radiance of the approaching dawn. It was just bright enough for them to see a massive mural that stretched across the floor of the huge chamber. Ringed in a circle of black stone that was a good three paces across, the scene depicted in the mural was faded and cracked in places, but still clear enough to identify.</p><p></p><p>“A map,” Glori said, her voice hushed in awe. “A map of the world.”</p><p></p><p>“I wish…” Quellan said. “I could spend a great deal of time here.”</p><p></p><p>“First things first,” Kosk said. He advanced to the spot where the nearest two support pillars rose to the ceiling and looked around. To the left and right were shallow wings that appeared to lead to other parts of the building. Ahead, across the expanse of the space covered by the dome, they could just make out another large archway. That one was completely dark, as if the light from above was reluctant to brighten what lay in that direction. “Let’s check over there,” the dwarf suggested.</p><p></p><p>“Wait,” Quellan said. His voice sounded tight, strangled.</p><p></p><p>“What is it?” Glori asked. She started walking over to him with a look of concern on her face.</p><p></p><p>“There’s something here,” the cleric said. He raised his shield and invoked a <em>daylight</em> spell.</p><p></p><p>The light arrived tentatively, a flicker high in the air between the pillars on the far side of the dome. For a moment it remained such, like a lantern viewed through a thick fog. But Quellan kept his will and his faith focused upon the spell and finally the blazing energy of the spell erupted in its full glory. The size of the place was such that even that powerful light could not fully illuminate the entirety of the vast chamber, but it revealed the shadowed corners and the far arch that Kosk had indicated. The space within remained dim, though it obviously extended back for a considerable distance. But the cleric’s spell did prompt a response. A sound issued from beyond the arch, a sibilant whisper that was followed by a more assertive clacking noise.</p><p></p><p>“Oh, man,” Glori said.</p><p></p><p>“Here we go,” Kosk said, spinning his staff in his hands before falling back into a martial stance. Rodan and Xeeta each moved off a bit to the side to make them less vulnerable to area attacks. Glori had given Rodan the last few arrows in her quiver, since she had her magic and he could put them to better use. Xeeta cast <em>mage armor</em>, the protective barrier flaring slightly before it faded into invisibility.</p><p></p><p>The clacking noise grew louder, and then the source of it came into the light of Quellan’s spell. It shone on pale bones unencumbered by flesh or other tissues, animated by dark magic to serve on in death. But even as skeletons the companions could immediately identify what the creatures had been in life.</p><p></p><p>“It’s not enough that we had to face living versions of those bloody things?” Kosk said.</p><p></p><p>“Look at it this way, at least it’s not the big one,” Glori said.</p><p></p><p>The four skeletal girallons spread out as they filed out through the arch, forming a line facing the intruders.</p><p></p><p>“There’s something else,” Xeeta said, pointing past the skeletons toward the darkness.</p><p></p><p>As the skeletons stopped moving, the companions could hear a repeat of what they’d heard earlier, a soft hissing sound. Its origin was revealed as it came into the light. At first it looked like a giant serpent, its scales glowing with a metallic sheen as the <em>daylight</em> rippled across its body. But when the head finally came into view the companions sucked in a collective breath of surprise and disgust. For the head of the serpent-creature was not that of a snake, but it possessed a sinister humanoid visage. Its eyes flashed with malevolence as it stared at the companions.</p><p></p><p>“What the bloody hell is that?” Kosk asked.</p><p></p><p>“It’s a naga,” Quellan said. He clutched his mace tightly.</p><p></p><p>“Come again?” Kosk asked, but he shook his head before the cleric could respond. “Never mind. Let’s just start with the blasting.”</p><p></p><p>“It’s too far away,” Xeeta said.</p><p></p><p>“Not for me,” Rodan said. He drew his bowstring to his cheek and released an arrow that rose up over the open space covered by the mural before it plummeted down toward the awful creature. It looked for a moment like a perfect shot, but at the last instant the thing slithered forward behind the cover offered by one of its skeletal minions. The arrow sliced through the spot it had occupied and shattered on the hard marble floor in front of the arch.</p><p></p><p>“Let them come to us,” Quellan said. “We have cover here.” He moved toward one of the thirty-foot pillars that supported the dome above.</p><p></p><p>The naga lifted its head until it could peer over the shoulders of its skeletal minions at the companions. It seemed unconcerned as it opened its jaws and hissed something at them. They could not understand its words, but the intent was obvious even before the skeletons all leaned forward and charged across the open interior of the chamber toward them.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Lazybones, post: 7616985, member: 143"] Chapter 304 Rodan leaned over and peered through the open gate into the broad courtyard where they had fought the chuuls the night before. The sky beyond the vast domed building had just begun to brighten, leaving the open space in a shadowed gloom. But there was enough light to reveal the corpse of the creature they had slain, a lonely mound lying on the path between the two silent pools. The scout waved his companions forward, but he waited for Quellan before he continued into the barren outer garden. “So there’s nothing more that you can tell us about the nature of this pending calamity?” he asked. “No,” Quellan said. “I’ve told you everything that was passed to me through the [i]divination[/i].” “It’s not much to go on,” Rodan said. This time they took a different approach, giving the pools in the center of the area a very wide berth. Quellan said that he’d had to hit the creature hard to get it to release Glori and that it might be dead, but they were not going to take anything for granted in this strange and deadly place. “Contacting planar entities is a difficult prospect,” Xeeta explained. “Even when one can get a response, they are often vague and misleading.” “You seem to know a lot about it,” Kosk said. “I overheard the leaders of the cult complaining about it on several occasions,” she said. “But we know that Bredan’s alive,” Glori said. “We wouldn’t have been warned of the danger of finding the book if he wasn’t still alive.” “That is a logical inference,” Quellan said. “But we could still be too late.” The true scale of the building became clear as they drew closer to it. It made even the great structures of Severon seem humble by comparison. A thousand people could have stood upon the flight of steps that led to the covered portico that ran along the front of the structure. The pillars that supported it were each a good fifteen feet thick. The place was clearly very old, but they saw few overt signs of the decay that had affected the rest of the city. They paused at the base of those steps. Each one was a little more than a foot high, just tall enough to be awkward for Kosk and the women. “We don’t even know he’s here,” Rodan said. “Those lobsters were guarding something,” Kosk said. “And as long as Quellan’s detection spells aren’t working, we don’t have any better targets than this place.” “This place is approximately at the center of the warding effect bounded by the city’s inner walls,” Quellan said. “How can you know that?” Xeeta asked. “Mathematics?” the cleric replied. “Come on,” Kosk said. “While we’re here we might as well take a look.” They made their way up the steps. There were enough of them that Kosk wasn’t the only one having some trouble by the time they reached the top. The light of the impending dawn did not reach into the interior of the portico, but with their darkvision they could see an opening in the center, an arch a full twenty feet across that led into the interior. The faint outlines of what must have been impressive carvings decorated the outer façade, and they could see that the arch itself was made up of stones that might have once been brightly colored but were now faded with time. Nothing stirred at their approach, and the only footsteps they could see in the accumulated dust of the entry were their own. “Bredan didn’t come this way,” Glori noted. “Quellan said he was still underground when he scried him,” Rodan noted. “Maybe there’s another way in.” “Well, let’s get this over with,” Kosk said. The arch gave way to a broad foyer that was a good thirty feet across and which extended well into the interior of the building. Another large arch led to an even larger space ahead, while to each side smaller openings led to several anterooms. The companions glanced into those to confirm that they were empty before pressing on to the far arch. A faint light shone from within, allowing them to see the place in all of its impressive majesty. Time had inflicted its wounds here as well, but that did nothing to steal from the sheer impact of the chamber. The core of the building was a single vast hall centered until the massive dome that they had seen throughout their approach through the inner city. That dome was impossibly large, at least a hundred and fifty feet across, somehow intact after all this time. Eight huge pillars with elaborate capitals supported the impressively thick arches and pendentives needed to withstand that incredible weight. A gallery with a narrow walkway ran around the base of the dome, but they couldn’t see any obvious way to get up to it. The light they had seen came from a round opening at the peak of the dome, which let in the pale radiance of the approaching dawn. It was just bright enough for them to see a massive mural that stretched across the floor of the huge chamber. Ringed in a circle of black stone that was a good three paces across, the scene depicted in the mural was faded and cracked in places, but still clear enough to identify. “A map,” Glori said, her voice hushed in awe. “A map of the world.” “I wish…” Quellan said. “I could spend a great deal of time here.” “First things first,” Kosk said. He advanced to the spot where the nearest two support pillars rose to the ceiling and looked around. To the left and right were shallow wings that appeared to lead to other parts of the building. Ahead, across the expanse of the space covered by the dome, they could just make out another large archway. That one was completely dark, as if the light from above was reluctant to brighten what lay in that direction. “Let’s check over there,” the dwarf suggested. “Wait,” Quellan said. His voice sounded tight, strangled. “What is it?” Glori asked. She started walking over to him with a look of concern on her face. “There’s something here,” the cleric said. He raised his shield and invoked a [i]daylight[/i] spell. The light arrived tentatively, a flicker high in the air between the pillars on the far side of the dome. For a moment it remained such, like a lantern viewed through a thick fog. But Quellan kept his will and his faith focused upon the spell and finally the blazing energy of the spell erupted in its full glory. The size of the place was such that even that powerful light could not fully illuminate the entirety of the vast chamber, but it revealed the shadowed corners and the far arch that Kosk had indicated. The space within remained dim, though it obviously extended back for a considerable distance. But the cleric’s spell did prompt a response. A sound issued from beyond the arch, a sibilant whisper that was followed by a more assertive clacking noise. “Oh, man,” Glori said. “Here we go,” Kosk said, spinning his staff in his hands before falling back into a martial stance. Rodan and Xeeta each moved off a bit to the side to make them less vulnerable to area attacks. Glori had given Rodan the last few arrows in her quiver, since she had her magic and he could put them to better use. Xeeta cast [i]mage armor[/i], the protective barrier flaring slightly before it faded into invisibility. The clacking noise grew louder, and then the source of it came into the light of Quellan’s spell. It shone on pale bones unencumbered by flesh or other tissues, animated by dark magic to serve on in death. But even as skeletons the companions could immediately identify what the creatures had been in life. “It’s not enough that we had to face living versions of those bloody things?” Kosk said. “Look at it this way, at least it’s not the big one,” Glori said. The four skeletal girallons spread out as they filed out through the arch, forming a line facing the intruders. “There’s something else,” Xeeta said, pointing past the skeletons toward the darkness. As the skeletons stopped moving, the companions could hear a repeat of what they’d heard earlier, a soft hissing sound. Its origin was revealed as it came into the light. At first it looked like a giant serpent, its scales glowing with a metallic sheen as the [i]daylight[/i] rippled across its body. But when the head finally came into view the companions sucked in a collective breath of surprise and disgust. For the head of the serpent-creature was not that of a snake, but it possessed a sinister humanoid visage. Its eyes flashed with malevolence as it stared at the companions. “What the bloody hell is that?” Kosk asked. “It’s a naga,” Quellan said. He clutched his mace tightly. “Come again?” Kosk asked, but he shook his head before the cleric could respond. “Never mind. Let’s just start with the blasting.” “It’s too far away,” Xeeta said. “Not for me,” Rodan said. He drew his bowstring to his cheek and released an arrow that rose up over the open space covered by the mural before it plummeted down toward the awful creature. It looked for a moment like a perfect shot, but at the last instant the thing slithered forward behind the cover offered by one of its skeletal minions. The arrow sliced through the spot it had occupied and shattered on the hard marble floor in front of the arch. “Let them come to us,” Quellan said. “We have cover here.” He moved toward one of the thirty-foot pillars that supported the dome above. The naga lifted its head until it could peer over the shoulders of its skeletal minions at the companions. It seemed unconcerned as it opened its jaws and hissed something at them. They could not understand its words, but the intent was obvious even before the skeletons all leaned forward and charged across the open interior of the chamber toward them. [/QUOTE]
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