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The Realms of Enlightenment: The Grey Companions
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<blockquote data-quote="Jon Potter" data-source="post: 1033003" data-attributes="member: 2323"><p><strong>[PLAIN][Realms #331] The Gatekeeper[/PLAIN]</strong></p><p></p><p>"Spiderwood?" Vade cringed. "I don't like the sound of that."</p><p></p><p>Ledare didn't look at him as she explained. Her gaze was drawn into the scene visible within the archway. "It's called the Spiderwood because of its history," she said. "Spider-creatures called Chagmat have plagued the area for over 250 years, although not constantly. They would raid villages, slaughter civilians and then disappear... just long enough for the people to get complacent and think the stories were more for frightening young children."</p><p></p><p>She turned then and looked at her companions with eyes that conveyed unspoken depths of hurt despite her stony expression. "I was taken in one of those raids," she said after a pause. "I was fortunate enough to be one of the few survivors. Many of my family members and friends did not survive. It was a harrowing experience, and it haunts me still."</p><p></p><p>"I don't want to go there," the halfling whined and Ruze patted him on the head.</p><p></p><p>"Do you want to stay here with the Devourer, little one?" the Battleguard asked and Vade clutched his leg even tighter. "It will paralyze you and eat you like a sugar coated mushroom."</p><p></p><p>The halfling looked up at Ruze with big, sad eyes. "I really do not like mushrooms," he told the man then considered for a moment before hesitantly adding, "Maybe I would with sugar on them."</p><p></p><p>Ledare nodded at the halfling, acknowledging his reticence and added, "Usually the attacks are preceded by a notable surge of spiders in the area - the normal kind. Keep an eye out for that, and we should have some fair warning."</p><p></p><p>The cleric smiled before looking up at the strange portal. He perused the runes for a moment then announced, "My first instincts on the portal is that the runes correspond to various locations around the world." He took a step nearer to the archway and pointed to the rune about midway up on the right hand side that Ixin had touched. It continued to glow weakly. "Ixin put her hand on one rune/ location and activated the portal that leads there. The runes shows all the locations available and the duplicate rune at the top indicates where we are now."</p><p></p><p>"These are good points, Ruze," Ledare said looking at the runes with renewed interest. "What is the significance of each of these spots, I wonder? And is the time frame the present in each area?"</p><p></p><p>"Only one way I can think of to find out," Draelond said. "We go through."</p><p></p><p>"It's easy to say, 'through the portal we go'," Ruze told the larger man. "But which location, and why?"</p><p></p><p>"Ledare recognizes this place," Draelond replied, gesturing casually at the portal. "To me, that makes a good place to start. We should investigate that altar... and anything else that looks like it is of significance."</p><p></p><p>"What would be the sense in going through the portal if we don't know exactly what the purpose is?" the Janissary asked aloud then answered her own question with her next breath. "Then again, maybe we have to go through first in order to find out."</p><p></p><p>"I think Ruze's theory is probably correct," Ixin spoke up at last. "It's worth a try to test the rune theory, at least. I think we should see if I can touch another rune and get a different location."</p><p></p><p>"Fair enough," Ledare said, stepping back and gesturing for the mage to approach the archway again.</p><p></p><p>Ixin extended her hand and touched another graven stone. Raw magic surged through her body. At once, the luminous green mist filled the arch again, obscuring the scene of the Spiderwood. After a few seconds, the mists began to thin again, and the archway filled with a pane of utter black.</p><p></p><p>"Nothing," Ruze grumbled. His theory appeared to have been dashed, but a moment later Ixin shook her head.</p><p></p><p>"No, there's something," she announced, her draconic eyesight easily piercing the darkness. "There's just no light there. It's underground, I think. Worked stone floor and ceiling. That's all I can see."</p><p></p><p>"No altar?" Ledare asked and Ixin shook her head. She put her hand on another rune and the mists closed again before another image resolved itself. It was another woodland scene, but the trees were tall and spiky pines and the portal looked down on the forest from the mountainside above. The sky was overcast and dreary and sleet fell down in windswept sheets. There was no sign of an altar or anything else that any of them recognized.</p><p></p><p>"Should I keep going?" Ixin asked and the others exchanged glances and shrugs before Ruze spoke up.</p><p></p><p>"One more," he said. "And if we don't see another altar, then I vote we go through the portal to Spiderwood and I will attempt to purify that one. Then I will need rest and prayer to regain my Queen's blessings."</p><p></p><p>"Okay," the mage said and moved her hand to another stone. The mists filled in and then parted again, looking out into another woodland glade. Broken, ivy-wreathed columns of pitted white stone slanted this way and that amidst the trees and blocks of stone carved with time-worn symbols of acorns and oak leaves peeked out of the underbrush. But all of that seemed to fade from view when they spotted the majestic creature that stepped out from behind a fractured wall. Its coat was so white that it almost glowed in the sunlight; its mane and beard and tail were of glittering silver. The unicorn looked directly at them and then it reared up on its hind legs and flailed at the air with its front hooves. For a moment, its golden horn seemed to pierce the heavens and then it was gone. It didn't gallop away; it simply vanished.</p><p></p><p>The underground chamber filled with a hushed silence. No one spoke, then Vade chirped merrily, "I want to go there!"</p><p></p><p>"Unicorns are fey creatures, my wee friend," Ixin cautioned. "It was a fey that tricked me here from my own world. They are a devious lot, and you would do well to avoid such encounters if you can."</p><p></p><p>"Did you fly through one of these, Ixin?" the halfling asked pointing to the portal, but the sorcerer shook her head.</p><p></p><p>"No," she told him. "But the idea is the same. And 'fell' might be a better word than 'fly'."</p><p></p><p>"Turn it back to Spiderwood," Ruze said, grimly. "We've proven my theory about the runes and my faith demands that I destroy that altar."</p><p></p><p>"If, as you say, you'll require rest after you do that, perhaps we should sleep in shifts until-" Ixin started to say, but Vade cut her off.</p><p></p><p>"I don't think I could sleep a wink here," the halfling said earnestly. "It is too creepy. And I can sleep anywhere!"</p><p></p><p>"I think we're getting ahead of ourselves with such thoughts," Ledare diffused the situation. "Maybe someone should stay behind to be sure we are able to come back, though."</p><p></p><p>"Oh no! I'm not staying here by myself!" Vade said, clutching on to Ruze's right hand with both of his own. "I don't want to be a sugar coated mushroom for that Devourer!"</p><p></p><p>"It doesn't have to be you.." Ledare began but Vade rambled on.</p><p></p><p>"I bet I do taste pretty sweet," he guessed. Looking at Ledare he asked, "I wonder how you tasted to him? You are lucky you are big! He would have just swallowed me whole!"</p><p></p><p>"Unless one of you are able to anchor to a ley line nexus, I imagine it'll have to be me that stays behind," Ixin assured the halfling as she touched the rune that summoned up the image of the Spiderwood. "I'm the only one who can work the portal."</p><p></p><p>"Okay," Ruze said with a nod. "Once we go through the portal I vote for a quick perimeter search then I will attempt to purify the altar."</p><p></p><p>They lined up and one-by-one they stepped through.</p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p>Spiderwood didn't smell a whole lot better than the Devourer's lair. The air was thick with the vile stench of rotting offal and sun-cooked excrement and soon, everyone was covering their mouths and noses as they looked around. They didn't have time to see much - the altar was in the center of a ring of ancient standing stones, the portal was set into one of the stones and Ixin seemed to be regarding them from within. Then the air was split with a horrifying bellow that smote their ears like a peal of thunder.</p><p></p><p>Hands went to weapons and then two of the trees beyond the ring of stones were pushed apart as an enormous creature forced its way into the clearing. It stood twice as tall as Draelond, with gangly, clawed arms that hung well past its bowed knees. Its flesh was a riot of rubbery green sinew, caked in places with dried blood and bits of rotting meat. Its head and tail, however, were those of a gargantuan rat. It fixed them with feral red eyes and roared its intentions once more before it exploded into motion, its talons digging great furrows in the bare ground.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Jon Potter, post: 1033003, member: 2323"] [b][PLAIN][Realms #331] The Gatekeeper[/PLAIN][/b] "Spiderwood?" Vade cringed. "I don't like the sound of that." Ledare didn't look at him as she explained. Her gaze was drawn into the scene visible within the archway. "It's called the Spiderwood because of its history," she said. "Spider-creatures called Chagmat have plagued the area for over 250 years, although not constantly. They would raid villages, slaughter civilians and then disappear... just long enough for the people to get complacent and think the stories were more for frightening young children." She turned then and looked at her companions with eyes that conveyed unspoken depths of hurt despite her stony expression. "I was taken in one of those raids," she said after a pause. "I was fortunate enough to be one of the few survivors. Many of my family members and friends did not survive. It was a harrowing experience, and it haunts me still." "I don't want to go there," the halfling whined and Ruze patted him on the head. "Do you want to stay here with the Devourer, little one?" the Battleguard asked and Vade clutched his leg even tighter. "It will paralyze you and eat you like a sugar coated mushroom." The halfling looked up at Ruze with big, sad eyes. "I really do not like mushrooms," he told the man then considered for a moment before hesitantly adding, "Maybe I would with sugar on them." Ledare nodded at the halfling, acknowledging his reticence and added, "Usually the attacks are preceded by a notable surge of spiders in the area - the normal kind. Keep an eye out for that, and we should have some fair warning." The cleric smiled before looking up at the strange portal. He perused the runes for a moment then announced, "My first instincts on the portal is that the runes correspond to various locations around the world." He took a step nearer to the archway and pointed to the rune about midway up on the right hand side that Ixin had touched. It continued to glow weakly. "Ixin put her hand on one rune/ location and activated the portal that leads there. The runes shows all the locations available and the duplicate rune at the top indicates where we are now." "These are good points, Ruze," Ledare said looking at the runes with renewed interest. "What is the significance of each of these spots, I wonder? And is the time frame the present in each area?" "Only one way I can think of to find out," Draelond said. "We go through." "It's easy to say, 'through the portal we go'," Ruze told the larger man. "But which location, and why?" "Ledare recognizes this place," Draelond replied, gesturing casually at the portal. "To me, that makes a good place to start. We should investigate that altar... and anything else that looks like it is of significance." "What would be the sense in going through the portal if we don't know exactly what the purpose is?" the Janissary asked aloud then answered her own question with her next breath. "Then again, maybe we have to go through first in order to find out." "I think Ruze's theory is probably correct," Ixin spoke up at last. "It's worth a try to test the rune theory, at least. I think we should see if I can touch another rune and get a different location." "Fair enough," Ledare said, stepping back and gesturing for the mage to approach the archway again. Ixin extended her hand and touched another graven stone. Raw magic surged through her body. At once, the luminous green mist filled the arch again, obscuring the scene of the Spiderwood. After a few seconds, the mists began to thin again, and the archway filled with a pane of utter black. "Nothing," Ruze grumbled. His theory appeared to have been dashed, but a moment later Ixin shook her head. "No, there's something," she announced, her draconic eyesight easily piercing the darkness. "There's just no light there. It's underground, I think. Worked stone floor and ceiling. That's all I can see." "No altar?" Ledare asked and Ixin shook her head. She put her hand on another rune and the mists closed again before another image resolved itself. It was another woodland scene, but the trees were tall and spiky pines and the portal looked down on the forest from the mountainside above. The sky was overcast and dreary and sleet fell down in windswept sheets. There was no sign of an altar or anything else that any of them recognized. "Should I keep going?" Ixin asked and the others exchanged glances and shrugs before Ruze spoke up. "One more," he said. "And if we don't see another altar, then I vote we go through the portal to Spiderwood and I will attempt to purify that one. Then I will need rest and prayer to regain my Queen's blessings." "Okay," the mage said and moved her hand to another stone. The mists filled in and then parted again, looking out into another woodland glade. Broken, ivy-wreathed columns of pitted white stone slanted this way and that amidst the trees and blocks of stone carved with time-worn symbols of acorns and oak leaves peeked out of the underbrush. But all of that seemed to fade from view when they spotted the majestic creature that stepped out from behind a fractured wall. Its coat was so white that it almost glowed in the sunlight; its mane and beard and tail were of glittering silver. The unicorn looked directly at them and then it reared up on its hind legs and flailed at the air with its front hooves. For a moment, its golden horn seemed to pierce the heavens and then it was gone. It didn't gallop away; it simply vanished. The underground chamber filled with a hushed silence. No one spoke, then Vade chirped merrily, "I want to go there!" "Unicorns are fey creatures, my wee friend," Ixin cautioned. "It was a fey that tricked me here from my own world. They are a devious lot, and you would do well to avoid such encounters if you can." "Did you fly through one of these, Ixin?" the halfling asked pointing to the portal, but the sorcerer shook her head. "No," she told him. "But the idea is the same. And 'fell' might be a better word than 'fly'." "Turn it back to Spiderwood," Ruze said, grimly. "We've proven my theory about the runes and my faith demands that I destroy that altar." "If, as you say, you'll require rest after you do that, perhaps we should sleep in shifts until-" Ixin started to say, but Vade cut her off. "I don't think I could sleep a wink here," the halfling said earnestly. "It is too creepy. And I can sleep anywhere!" "I think we're getting ahead of ourselves with such thoughts," Ledare diffused the situation. "Maybe someone should stay behind to be sure we are able to come back, though." "Oh no! I'm not staying here by myself!" Vade said, clutching on to Ruze's right hand with both of his own. "I don't want to be a sugar coated mushroom for that Devourer!" "It doesn't have to be you.." Ledare began but Vade rambled on. "I bet I do taste pretty sweet," he guessed. Looking at Ledare he asked, "I wonder how you tasted to him? You are lucky you are big! He would have just swallowed me whole!" "Unless one of you are able to anchor to a ley line nexus, I imagine it'll have to be me that stays behind," Ixin assured the halfling as she touched the rune that summoned up the image of the Spiderwood. "I'm the only one who can work the portal." "Okay," Ruze said with a nod. "Once we go through the portal I vote for a quick perimeter search then I will attempt to purify the altar." They lined up and one-by-one they stepped through. Spiderwood didn't smell a whole lot better than the Devourer's lair. The air was thick with the vile stench of rotting offal and sun-cooked excrement and soon, everyone was covering their mouths and noses as they looked around. They didn't have time to see much - the altar was in the center of a ring of ancient standing stones, the portal was set into one of the stones and Ixin seemed to be regarding them from within. Then the air was split with a horrifying bellow that smote their ears like a peal of thunder. Hands went to weapons and then two of the trees beyond the ring of stones were pushed apart as an enormous creature forced its way into the clearing. It stood twice as tall as Draelond, with gangly, clawed arms that hung well past its bowed knees. Its flesh was a riot of rubbery green sinew, caked in places with dried blood and bits of rotting meat. Its head and tail, however, were those of a gargantuan rat. It fixed them with feral red eyes and roared its intentions once more before it exploded into motion, its talons digging great furrows in the bare ground. [/QUOTE]
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