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<blockquote data-quote="Iron Sky" data-source="post: 4794334" data-attributes="member: 60965"><p>Session 20, Part 3</p><p></p><p></p><p>They descended for four hours, deeper and deeper into the lake. Kezzek could barely take it.</p><p></p><p>Aside from the Locath, illuminated by a glowing stone it had produced from a side-pouch, the world was a cold black weight pressing down on them from all sides. At times, the turtle's metal shell would creak or groan, as if it were about to give in. Kezzek paced back and forth, waiting for the sudden breach that would smother them thousands of feet below the surface.</p><p></p><p>"Look there," Suniel said. "Its a palace. Is it made of the same silversteel as the Landspear ruins?"</p><p></p><p>Kezzek walked closer to see. There was the strange feeling like they were falling in slow motion towards the glowing silver of a small structure, complete with an outer wall, strange, twisted towers, and a courtyard surrounding shining silver doors leading deeper into the palace. The whole thing was built against the side of what seemed to be an under-water mountain, rising up into the darkness.</p><p></p><p>He had to look away, his stomach roiling.</p><p></p><p>"Set us down in that courtyard turtle," Suniel said.</p><p></p><p>Kormak squinted and scratched his head. "You sure we'll fit?"</p><p></p><p>"Yes." Keeper said. No one questioned the construct.</p><p></p><p>Kezzek looked back as the turtle went still and slowly began to sink. They were floating down into the courtyard, silt and debris swirling about them. Then the turtle gently settled in to the murky bottom and was still.</p><p></p><p>"Here we are," Kormak said brightly. "Who all is coming to talk to the great Underdakl? You going to cast some sort of protective spell on us Suniel?"</p><p></p><p>"I'll stay and protect the turtle," Kezzek said, clenching his teeth at the thought of walking out there under that immense press of water - magic or no.</p><p></p><p>Suniel looked at him compassionately, Kormak questioningly. Harold never looked at him, already heading to the door.</p><p></p><p>"You're actually going out there?" Kezzek said, the thought inducing vertigo. He leaned against the shell wall for balance and slowly slid to the ground.</p><p></p><p>Harold shrugged. "Suniel discovered that anyone who walks through the turtle's mouth while under water can breath water like it's air and walk along the turtle's shell like it's flat land. We'll be fine."</p><p></p><p>"Better make sure there's a turtle here for you to come back to," Kezzek said. "You three go ahead."</p><p></p><p>"Four," Keeper said, expression unreadable as always.</p><p></p><p>"Turtle, open up," Kormak said.</p><p></p><p>Kezzek's gut's clenched, the image of millions of tons of water rushing in on them at once flooding his head.</p><p></p><p>Instead, the water simply stopped at the edge of the turtle's mouth, held back by some invisible barrier. The others stepped through and walked towards the silver doors of the palace, silt swirling about them like dark shadows brought to life.</p><p></p><p>"Turtle, close," Kezzek said, unable to bear it any more.</p><p></p><p>By the time it was closed and he could look out the eye-windows again, his companions were gone and he was alone.</p><p></p><p>***</p><p></p><p>Something wasn't quite right about the inside of the Palace's Hall, or the innumerable golden treasures and coins that carpeted it. Kormak's eyes were wide and even Harold was gazing about with pursed lips at the incredible wealth.</p><p></p><p>Suniel squinted at a golden goblet by his foot, then nudged it. It rolled, but... strangely. Then, suddenly, everything shifted and became transparent, as if everything was made of pale glass and he had only just noticed. </p><p></p><p>There was no silver palace; the turtle sat on the empty lake floor behind them. Where there had been the gleaming walls of the hall, there was the rough natural stone of a cave wall. Where there had been mounds of golden treasure were crude carvings of coral, shells, with only the occasional metal gleam of gold or silver or copper amidst the rest.</p><p></p><p>"It's an illusion," he whispered.</p><p></p><p>"It's a what? It can't-" Harold began. Then he tilted his head to the side, squatted down for a second, then stood and nodded.</p><p></p><p>"What's an illusion, that giant fish-blob thing that's floating towards us on that golden dais?" Kormak said. He whistled. "That's a neat trick, where'd he find hot naked human women down here?"</p><p></p><p>A bloated, massive fish-like thing with a row of eyes running up the center of its 'head' swam towards them, the transparent forms of what it probably wanted to look like naked women walking beside it and stroking its slimy sides. </p><p></p><p>Floating beside it, wrapped tightly in a tentacle was the largest blue sapphire Suniel had ever seen - the size of a man's head. It seemed to have an ever-changing whirlpool churning inside it and Suniel could feel eldrich power radiating from it and filling the room.</p><p></p><p>"That is an aboleth," Keeper said, in as much of a whisper as Suniel had ever heard from him. He nodded to the massive gem. "And the True Stone of Water."</p><p></p><p>Suniel took a deep breath, struck suddenly by the bizarre and dangerous situation they were in. They stood in an illusionary palace thousands of feet below the surface, breathing only by the turtle's blessing, surrounded by a fortune in imaginary wealth, and staring down an abomination with the most powerful artifact he'd ever seen - an abomination that ruled an under-water empire and had maybe millions of Locath at his beck and call.</p><p></p><p><em>Choose your words carefully Suniel</em>, he told himself. <em>The slightest wrong word here could kill us all.</em></p><p><em></em></p><p><em></em>He bowed deeply, hoping the others would follow his lead.</p><p></p><p>Instead, Harold took a brazen step forward, head held high.</p><p></p><p>"I am Harold Trisden, Free Agent of the Crystal Towers," he said. "We have come for the Stone."</p><p></p><p>Suniel winced and rose slowly, a spell of warding springing to mind in case they had to fight for their lives.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Iron Sky, post: 4794334, member: 60965"] Session 20, Part 3 They descended for four hours, deeper and deeper into the lake. Kezzek could barely take it. Aside from the Locath, illuminated by a glowing stone it had produced from a side-pouch, the world was a cold black weight pressing down on them from all sides. At times, the turtle's metal shell would creak or groan, as if it were about to give in. Kezzek paced back and forth, waiting for the sudden breach that would smother them thousands of feet below the surface. "Look there," Suniel said. "Its a palace. Is it made of the same silversteel as the Landspear ruins?" Kezzek walked closer to see. There was the strange feeling like they were falling in slow motion towards the glowing silver of a small structure, complete with an outer wall, strange, twisted towers, and a courtyard surrounding shining silver doors leading deeper into the palace. The whole thing was built against the side of what seemed to be an under-water mountain, rising up into the darkness. He had to look away, his stomach roiling. "Set us down in that courtyard turtle," Suniel said. Kormak squinted and scratched his head. "You sure we'll fit?" "Yes." Keeper said. No one questioned the construct. Kezzek looked back as the turtle went still and slowly began to sink. They were floating down into the courtyard, silt and debris swirling about them. Then the turtle gently settled in to the murky bottom and was still. "Here we are," Kormak said brightly. "Who all is coming to talk to the great Underdakl? You going to cast some sort of protective spell on us Suniel?" "I'll stay and protect the turtle," Kezzek said, clenching his teeth at the thought of walking out there under that immense press of water - magic or no. Suniel looked at him compassionately, Kormak questioningly. Harold never looked at him, already heading to the door. "You're actually going out there?" Kezzek said, the thought inducing vertigo. He leaned against the shell wall for balance and slowly slid to the ground. Harold shrugged. "Suniel discovered that anyone who walks through the turtle's mouth while under water can breath water like it's air and walk along the turtle's shell like it's flat land. We'll be fine." "Better make sure there's a turtle here for you to come back to," Kezzek said. "You three go ahead." "Four," Keeper said, expression unreadable as always. "Turtle, open up," Kormak said. Kezzek's gut's clenched, the image of millions of tons of water rushing in on them at once flooding his head. Instead, the water simply stopped at the edge of the turtle's mouth, held back by some invisible barrier. The others stepped through and walked towards the silver doors of the palace, silt swirling about them like dark shadows brought to life. "Turtle, close," Kezzek said, unable to bear it any more. By the time it was closed and he could look out the eye-windows again, his companions were gone and he was alone. *** Something wasn't quite right about the inside of the Palace's Hall, or the innumerable golden treasures and coins that carpeted it. Kormak's eyes were wide and even Harold was gazing about with pursed lips at the incredible wealth. Suniel squinted at a golden goblet by his foot, then nudged it. It rolled, but... strangely. Then, suddenly, everything shifted and became transparent, as if everything was made of pale glass and he had only just noticed. There was no silver palace; the turtle sat on the empty lake floor behind them. Where there had been the gleaming walls of the hall, there was the rough natural stone of a cave wall. Where there had been mounds of golden treasure were crude carvings of coral, shells, with only the occasional metal gleam of gold or silver or copper amidst the rest. "It's an illusion," he whispered. "It's a what? It can't-" Harold began. Then he tilted his head to the side, squatted down for a second, then stood and nodded. "What's an illusion, that giant fish-blob thing that's floating towards us on that golden dais?" Kormak said. He whistled. "That's a neat trick, where'd he find hot naked human women down here?" A bloated, massive fish-like thing with a row of eyes running up the center of its 'head' swam towards them, the transparent forms of what it probably wanted to look like naked women walking beside it and stroking its slimy sides. Floating beside it, wrapped tightly in a tentacle was the largest blue sapphire Suniel had ever seen - the size of a man's head. It seemed to have an ever-changing whirlpool churning inside it and Suniel could feel eldrich power radiating from it and filling the room. "That is an aboleth," Keeper said, in as much of a whisper as Suniel had ever heard from him. He nodded to the massive gem. "And the True Stone of Water." Suniel took a deep breath, struck suddenly by the bizarre and dangerous situation they were in. They stood in an illusionary palace thousands of feet below the surface, breathing only by the turtle's blessing, surrounded by a fortune in imaginary wealth, and staring down an abomination with the most powerful artifact he'd ever seen - an abomination that ruled an under-water empire and had maybe millions of Locath at his beck and call. [I]Choose your words carefully Suniel[/I], he told himself. [I]The slightest wrong word here could kill us all. [/I]He bowed deeply, hoping the others would follow his lead. Instead, Harold took a brazen step forward, head held high. "I am Harold Trisden, Free Agent of the Crystal Towers," he said. "We have come for the Stone." Suniel winced and rose slowly, a spell of warding springing to mind in case they had to fight for their lives. [/QUOTE]
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