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<blockquote data-quote="Emperor Valerian" data-source="post: 1396716" data-attributes="member: 15043"><p>Part Three of the 2-20-04 adventure...</p><p><strong>Into the Dark Temple</strong></p><p></p><p>“Its dark,” Grumki grunted in the lead as the darkness enveloped the party even more. The tunnel was surprisingly small, as Grumki felt as if he might not have enough room to swing his warhammer if need be. A tiny trickle echoed underfoot as a small rivulet carved the tunnel slowly.</p><p></p><p><em>Thank you, Captain Obvious</em>, Siabrey grimaced inwardly, as her eyes strained to see ahead in the darkness. The party had been going for only fifteen minutes maybe, but it had seemed like hours. There was only enough space for a single file, and Grumki took up almost all of Siabrey’s vision...</p><p></p><p>Then the mountain of half-orc in front of her suddenly stopped, and she bumped right into him.</p><p></p><p>“What is it?” she hissed quietly.</p><p></p><p>“There’s something up there,” Grumki said quietly, his warhammer raising slowly and thankfully missing the ceiling by bare inches. “Its coming this way.”</p><p></p><p>Siabrey and the others craned around the half-orc’s massive frame, and managed to make out something in the dakrness ahead. Its form was indeterminate, and each time they caught a glimpse of it, it seemed to meld back into the shadows.</p><p></p><p>“What is that?” Tess asked quietly, to Grumki’s shrug. </p><p></p><p>“I don’t know, but I don’t think it shall like Kord’s hammer!” the half orc snarled as his weapon lashed through the air...</p><p></p><p>... and seemed to fly straight through the creature.</p><p></p><p>The beast now reached out and grabbed Grumki’s shoulder, and Grumki felt his very essence, his very life, seemingly drain out of him a little. The half orc shuddered and backed away, as other party members squirmed by, and lashed out with their weapons as well. </p><p></p><p>”Its an allip!” Tess called from the back, “its the remnants of a spirit that went insane!”</p><p></p><p>“Very fitting for a temple of doom,” Shaun muttered as he notched an arrow, which ran straight and true into the creature. It reeled back, allowing just enough time for Grumki’s warhammer to actually find the beast. Its form dissipated into a thousand black embers. </p><p></p><p>“Whew... you alright Grumki?” Siabrey asked, watching the priest make some arcane movements over himself, and then relax slightly.</p><p></p><p>“I am now fine,” Grumki said slowly, quietly, “it attempted to steal my life essence... my memories and sense of spells. It failed.”</p><p></p><p>“The strength of Kord was strong, eh Grumki?” Shaun offered, to the smile of the half orc and the groans of the party at the quip.</p><p></p><p></p><p>It was another hour and a half of trekking before the party saw a light ahead of their position. AS the flickers of torches mounted along the walls ahead became apparent, the party slowed its movement to a crawl.</p><p></p><p>“Shaun, you’re quiet and fleet of foot... you go ahead,” Tess whispered, and Shaun nodded. Slipping forward with the grace of a cat and the silence of a wraith, he drew close to the source of the light. He found an unfinished room, its square, perfectly cut walls at hte far end melding into the rough uneven stone face that Shaun stood under. It smelled strongly of wine, as scents wafted from several large barrels and boxes stacked in the room.</p><p></p><p>“Its empty,” Shaun called back, using his voice to make sure the sounds only went down the tunnel and no where else. Even though this room was empty, there was a doorway on the far end, and he couldn’t tell who was there.</p><p></p><p>The party made their way into the room, and as some members snooped around the barrels, Tess slipped into the little hallway between the rooms. Siabrey meanwhile attempted to confirm the barrels contents were indeed wine. She knew some barrels had marks indicating their year... it would give an indication of how long the temple had been occupied (or unoccupied). She found none. Lucius, being mroe enterprising, took the butt of his sword and punched through the top of one barrel... and nearly retched when he saw its contents.</p><p></p><p>“Blood,” he murmered, stifling his gags, as the rest of the party recoiled in horror. The party cracked open several of the boxes, and was relieved that while they did contain dried meat, it looked to be nothing more than dried beef and bacon. Their curiosity more than satisfied, they then turned to follow Tess into the next room.</p><p></p><p>There were more bxoes stacked in here, along with numerous apparently dried fruits and vegetables. Most the party easily recognized, some the party did not (especially the fire red mushrooms on one high shelf). On the boxes the party found a crowbar, and a small bag of coins that seemed to have been carelessly dropped. Tess pried open one box with the crowbar, and found it contiained numerous dried apricots and oranges. While Siabrey refused to touch the fruit, Tess eagerly grabbed some, as no magic was apparent on them.</p><p></p><p>Tess led the party further into the Temple. As they left the room that clearly stored fruits, they heard a loud, deep bass voice humming a tune coming from a door on the left side of the hallway...</p><p></p><p><em>Red tides a ‘flowin’,</em></p><p><em>Down the Inerman main,</em></p><p><em>They say she’s a sown’</em></p><p><em>The paladin’s bane...</em></p><p></p><p><em>That sounds like Grumki!</em>, Tess was the first to realize...</p><p></p><p>...just as a joint in Siabrey’s armor, which hadn’t been oiled since Obash, gave a rusty, loud <em>creeaaakkk</em>. The party froze, terror in their eyes.</p><p></p><p>“Hold ‘yer horses, there!” the voice called, “I’se be servin’ lunch no time soon! Git back to yer posts now!” The bass rumbled deep, and everyone knew for sure it was a half orc.</p><p></p><p><em>We can’t have someone telling them all we’re coming, now can we?</em> Siabrey thought, looking at Tess. <em>Maybe we can knock him out and get some information.</em> By the woman’s eyes, Siabrey could tell she was thinking the same. With a nod, the party walked towards the room, now quiet, but not as quiet as they had been acknowledged. As they peered around the corner, they saw a relatively short half orc (he was <em>only</em> 5’7”) busily stirring a large pot of some kind.</p><p></p><p>“I know yer back dere,” he spoke as Siabrey snuck closer to him, “and like I said earlier, ye can’t have no st...augh!” he gurgled as the butt of her sword sent his head spinning into unconsciousness. Unfortunately, his fall caused the large spoon in his hand to clatter to the floor, and his falling frame knocked over several shelves of knives. The clattering crash echoed all up and down the hall.</p><p></p><p>“Oops,” Siabrey said quietly to stern scowls from Tess and Shaun. The scowls lasted only seconds, as more voices were heard from up the hall.</p><p></p><p>“Hey! Aun! You sound like your arrogant ass could use some help in there!” a booming half orc’s voice came from the room at the end of the hall. “We’ve got the last grain almost stored, then we’ll help ye!” The voices came closer, until two more half orcs peered up the hall at the party. </p><p></p><p>“Who are you?” the shorter one asked, his voice full of suspicion. The larger one looked at the party, and snarled. </p><p></p><p>“Yel, if they can git themselves some of dat wine, I wanna some too!” He stormed up the hall, shoved past the party, and headed for the wine cellar. The short orc growled at his compatriot, and then looked back at the party.</p><p></p><p>“Stealin’ wine, were ye? Well, can’t have dat! Whose your superiors, you’re gettin’ written up! This is still an army barracks, not a damn brothel with a buffet!” His massive arms went to his hips.</p><p></p><p>“Um... well... our friend here,” Tess pointed to Shaun, “heh... well, he needed some wine.”</p><p></p><p><em>Screw this!</em> Siabrey’s mind thought as she walked up to the orc. The towering creature glared down at her in disdain...</p><p></p><p>...the last look his face would ever hold, as her katana sliced him from his gullet to his neck. She then delivered two backspins, cleanly slicing his body into three pieces. </p><p></p><p>Under his breath, Shaun muttered, “Showoff.”</p><p></p><p>“What the?” came from up the hall, but before the other orc could scream at his friend’s demise, three arrows from Shaun and Tess landed in his throat, causing him to fall with a gurgle. As Siabrey looked up from her kill, she saw Lucius walking quickly into the butchery where the first half orc lay unconscious.</p><p></p><p>“Luke, what is it?” she said, following him, though her face went pale when she saw his sword flash into the light.</p><p></p><p>“Luke! What are you doing!? No!” she shouted far too late as he cleanly decapitated the helpless orc. She ran up to him, and noticed his eyes...</p><p></p><p>...they glowed so blue they were nearly white.</p><p></p><p><em>The sword! We must find the sword!</em> Siabrey’s mind jumped, even as she questioned Luke accusingly, “Why did you do that? We could have gotten information out of him!”</p><p></p><p>“He would have squealed,” Lucius casually said, wiping the blood off of his blade with the dead cook’s shirt. Siabrey looked on in shock, Tess with a completely blank look.</p><p></p><p><em>He was one of them,</em> Tess’ mind said with certainty. <em>He deserved what happened to him.[i/]</em></p><p><em></em></p><p><em><em>That’s not Luke... but he speaks normally... there was no battle rage... oh no...</em> Siabrey’s mind started to panic.</em></p><p><em></em></p><p><em>As the party went into the “grain room” the half orcs discussed earlier, Siabrey noticed Lucius’ eyes glowing whiter and whiter. His voice was still normal, but sounded distant... as if it was him, but yet it <em>wasn’t</em> him.</em></p><p><em></em></p><p><em><em>He’s slipping Siabrey! You need to hold him here for a little bit! But how!? </em></em></p><p><em><em></em></em></p><p><em><em>What did Xanadu say was holding him from evil? Our love...</em></em></p><p><em></em></p><p><em>She rather suddenly reached up, and grabbed Lucius fiercely, planting a deep, hard kiss on his lips. He squirmed in surprise, and settled after only a minute, and then uneasily. When she broke it off, he looked at her, eyes still blazing.</em></p><p><em></em></p><p><em>“Hon, it might not be a good idea for us to break off in the middle of the Temple,” he gently suggested. She grabbed him fiercely again and planted another, longer kiss on him. No effect.</em></p><p><em></em></p><p><em>“What the hell are you doing?!” Tess snapped, annoyed as the rest of the party watched in confusion. “We’re about to take on an entire Temple of evil zealots and you only have your horniness! What is wrong with you!?”</em></p><p><em></em></p><p><em>Siabrey looked to Tess, and quickly darted over, explaining in hushed tones.</em></p><p><em></em></p><p><em>“Lucius is growing closer to evil... I was trying to bring him back with my love so we’d have time to find the sword,” Siabrey said quietly. Tess looked at Lucius, who was busy checking the hallway ahead for people, and then looked back at Siabrey.</em></p><p><em></em></p><p><em><em>She loves him so...</em> For the briefest moment, Tess' anger faded slightly.</em></p><p><em></em></p><p><em>“Lets keep ourselves focused on the task at hand,” Tess said, the sternness slowly returning to her voice.</em></p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Emperor Valerian, post: 1396716, member: 15043"] Part Three of the 2-20-04 adventure... [b]Into the Dark Temple[/b] “Its dark,” Grumki grunted in the lead as the darkness enveloped the party even more. The tunnel was surprisingly small, as Grumki felt as if he might not have enough room to swing his warhammer if need be. A tiny trickle echoed underfoot as a small rivulet carved the tunnel slowly. [i]Thank you, Captain Obvious[/i], Siabrey grimaced inwardly, as her eyes strained to see ahead in the darkness. The party had been going for only fifteen minutes maybe, but it had seemed like hours. There was only enough space for a single file, and Grumki took up almost all of Siabrey’s vision... Then the mountain of half-orc in front of her suddenly stopped, and she bumped right into him. “What is it?” she hissed quietly. “There’s something up there,” Grumki said quietly, his warhammer raising slowly and thankfully missing the ceiling by bare inches. “Its coming this way.” Siabrey and the others craned around the half-orc’s massive frame, and managed to make out something in the dakrness ahead. Its form was indeterminate, and each time they caught a glimpse of it, it seemed to meld back into the shadows. “What is that?” Tess asked quietly, to Grumki’s shrug. “I don’t know, but I don’t think it shall like Kord’s hammer!” the half orc snarled as his weapon lashed through the air... ... and seemed to fly straight through the creature. The beast now reached out and grabbed Grumki’s shoulder, and Grumki felt his very essence, his very life, seemingly drain out of him a little. The half orc shuddered and backed away, as other party members squirmed by, and lashed out with their weapons as well. ”Its an allip!” Tess called from the back, “its the remnants of a spirit that went insane!” “Very fitting for a temple of doom,” Shaun muttered as he notched an arrow, which ran straight and true into the creature. It reeled back, allowing just enough time for Grumki’s warhammer to actually find the beast. Its form dissipated into a thousand black embers. “Whew... you alright Grumki?” Siabrey asked, watching the priest make some arcane movements over himself, and then relax slightly. “I am now fine,” Grumki said slowly, quietly, “it attempted to steal my life essence... my memories and sense of spells. It failed.” “The strength of Kord was strong, eh Grumki?” Shaun offered, to the smile of the half orc and the groans of the party at the quip. It was another hour and a half of trekking before the party saw a light ahead of their position. AS the flickers of torches mounted along the walls ahead became apparent, the party slowed its movement to a crawl. “Shaun, you’re quiet and fleet of foot... you go ahead,” Tess whispered, and Shaun nodded. Slipping forward with the grace of a cat and the silence of a wraith, he drew close to the source of the light. He found an unfinished room, its square, perfectly cut walls at hte far end melding into the rough uneven stone face that Shaun stood under. It smelled strongly of wine, as scents wafted from several large barrels and boxes stacked in the room. “Its empty,” Shaun called back, using his voice to make sure the sounds only went down the tunnel and no where else. Even though this room was empty, there was a doorway on the far end, and he couldn’t tell who was there. The party made their way into the room, and as some members snooped around the barrels, Tess slipped into the little hallway between the rooms. Siabrey meanwhile attempted to confirm the barrels contents were indeed wine. She knew some barrels had marks indicating their year... it would give an indication of how long the temple had been occupied (or unoccupied). She found none. Lucius, being mroe enterprising, took the butt of his sword and punched through the top of one barrel... and nearly retched when he saw its contents. “Blood,” he murmered, stifling his gags, as the rest of the party recoiled in horror. The party cracked open several of the boxes, and was relieved that while they did contain dried meat, it looked to be nothing more than dried beef and bacon. Their curiosity more than satisfied, they then turned to follow Tess into the next room. There were more bxoes stacked in here, along with numerous apparently dried fruits and vegetables. Most the party easily recognized, some the party did not (especially the fire red mushrooms on one high shelf). On the boxes the party found a crowbar, and a small bag of coins that seemed to have been carelessly dropped. Tess pried open one box with the crowbar, and found it contiained numerous dried apricots and oranges. While Siabrey refused to touch the fruit, Tess eagerly grabbed some, as no magic was apparent on them. Tess led the party further into the Temple. As they left the room that clearly stored fruits, they heard a loud, deep bass voice humming a tune coming from a door on the left side of the hallway... [i]Red tides a ‘flowin’, Down the Inerman main, They say she’s a sown’ The paladin’s bane...[/i] [i]That sounds like Grumki![/i], Tess was the first to realize... ...just as a joint in Siabrey’s armor, which hadn’t been oiled since Obash, gave a rusty, loud [i]creeaaakkk[/i]. The party froze, terror in their eyes. “Hold ‘yer horses, there!” the voice called, “I’se be servin’ lunch no time soon! Git back to yer posts now!” The bass rumbled deep, and everyone knew for sure it was a half orc. [i]We can’t have someone telling them all we’re coming, now can we?[/i] Siabrey thought, looking at Tess. [i]Maybe we can knock him out and get some information.[/i] By the woman’s eyes, Siabrey could tell she was thinking the same. With a nod, the party walked towards the room, now quiet, but not as quiet as they had been acknowledged. As they peered around the corner, they saw a relatively short half orc (he was [i]only[/i] 5’7”) busily stirring a large pot of some kind. “I know yer back dere,” he spoke as Siabrey snuck closer to him, “and like I said earlier, ye can’t have no st...augh!” he gurgled as the butt of her sword sent his head spinning into unconsciousness. Unfortunately, his fall caused the large spoon in his hand to clatter to the floor, and his falling frame knocked over several shelves of knives. The clattering crash echoed all up and down the hall. “Oops,” Siabrey said quietly to stern scowls from Tess and Shaun. The scowls lasted only seconds, as more voices were heard from up the hall. “Hey! Aun! You sound like your arrogant ass could use some help in there!” a booming half orc’s voice came from the room at the end of the hall. “We’ve got the last grain almost stored, then we’ll help ye!” The voices came closer, until two more half orcs peered up the hall at the party. “Who are you?” the shorter one asked, his voice full of suspicion. The larger one looked at the party, and snarled. “Yel, if they can git themselves some of dat wine, I wanna some too!” He stormed up the hall, shoved past the party, and headed for the wine cellar. The short orc growled at his compatriot, and then looked back at the party. “Stealin’ wine, were ye? Well, can’t have dat! Whose your superiors, you’re gettin’ written up! This is still an army barracks, not a damn brothel with a buffet!” His massive arms went to his hips. “Um... well... our friend here,” Tess pointed to Shaun, “heh... well, he needed some wine.” [i]Screw this![/i] Siabrey’s mind thought as she walked up to the orc. The towering creature glared down at her in disdain... ...the last look his face would ever hold, as her katana sliced him from his gullet to his neck. She then delivered two backspins, cleanly slicing his body into three pieces. Under his breath, Shaun muttered, “Showoff.” “What the?” came from up the hall, but before the other orc could scream at his friend’s demise, three arrows from Shaun and Tess landed in his throat, causing him to fall with a gurgle. As Siabrey looked up from her kill, she saw Lucius walking quickly into the butchery where the first half orc lay unconscious. “Luke, what is it?” she said, following him, though her face went pale when she saw his sword flash into the light. “Luke! What are you doing!? No!” she shouted far too late as he cleanly decapitated the helpless orc. She ran up to him, and noticed his eyes... ...they glowed so blue they were nearly white. [i]The sword! We must find the sword![/i] Siabrey’s mind jumped, even as she questioned Luke accusingly, “Why did you do that? We could have gotten information out of him!” “He would have squealed,” Lucius casually said, wiping the blood off of his blade with the dead cook’s shirt. Siabrey looked on in shock, Tess with a completely blank look. [i]He was one of them,[/i] Tess’ mind said with certainty. [i]He deserved what happened to him.[i/] [i]That’s not Luke... but he speaks normally... there was no battle rage... oh no...[/i] Siabrey’s mind started to panic. As the party went into the “grain room” the half orcs discussed earlier, Siabrey noticed Lucius’ eyes glowing whiter and whiter. His voice was still normal, but sounded distant... as if it was him, but yet it [i]wasn’t[/i] him. [i]He’s slipping Siabrey! You need to hold him here for a little bit! But how!? What did Xanadu say was holding him from evil? Our love...[/i] She rather suddenly reached up, and grabbed Lucius fiercely, planting a deep, hard kiss on his lips. He squirmed in surprise, and settled after only a minute, and then uneasily. When she broke it off, he looked at her, eyes still blazing. “Hon, it might not be a good idea for us to break off in the middle of the Temple,” he gently suggested. She grabbed him fiercely again and planted another, longer kiss on him. No effect. “What the hell are you doing?!” Tess snapped, annoyed as the rest of the party watched in confusion. “We’re about to take on an entire Temple of evil zealots and you only have your horniness! What is wrong with you!?” Siabrey looked to Tess, and quickly darted over, explaining in hushed tones. “Lucius is growing closer to evil... I was trying to bring him back with my love so we’d have time to find the sword,” Siabrey said quietly. Tess looked at Lucius, who was busy checking the hallway ahead for people, and then looked back at Siabrey. [i]She loves him so...[/i] For the briefest moment, Tess' anger faded slightly. “Lets keep ourselves focused on the task at hand,” Tess said, the sternness slowly returning to her voice.[/i] [/QUOTE]
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