Mortepierre
First Post
I’ve decided to introduce short stories in-between chapters to allow readers to take a look at what’s happening ‘behind the scene’ elsewhere in my world. Note that while these will always be connected to the SH to some degree, you may not always see the relationship right away. Take them as hints about things to come (sometimes, far in the future), if you will 
Interlude
The world on which this adventure takes place is vast, with no less than 5 continents of which Kaladia (where Drachenhold is located, on the eastern tip) is arguably the largest. Many are the wonders (and the horrors!) that can be found, be it above or beneath the waves of its oceans.
Of those, ruins of bygone civilizations have perhaps become (at the very least, since the Cataclysm) the most commonly encountered feature in the wilderness. Yet, none are as mysterious as the infamous shacklestones.
Discovered on every continent, in every type of climate, and on every sort of terrain, they seem more common at altitudes not exceeding 1000 feet. This doesn’t mean that they are a ‘common’ sight. Far from it. Of course, with the science of geography being still in its infancy, it’s hard to tell but wise men generally agree that you can expect to find one for every hundred square miles that you search thoroughly.
Sages have postulated so many theories about them that they could fill entire libraries, and yet are no closer to uncovering the truth than their ancestors were a millenium earlier.
There are, however, a few facts that they do know:
The word ‘shacklestone’ is a rough translation of sclábhai-cloch, the name the oldest druidic sects gave them long ago. Why? Even they don’t remember. Or if they do, they aren’t talking... (1)
Shacklestones all have the same shape and are of the (exact!) same dimensions. They consist of two ‘rings’, one 25 ft. across and the other 10 ft. in diameter. The smaller ring’s border has a uniform height of 1 foot, while the bigger one is 2 ft. high but interspersed with 4 large grooves (grouped 2 by 2). The rings are precisely 5 ft. apart, and are ‘linked’ by a succession of 9 ovoid stones (each about 6 inches tall) set in a ‘seesaw’ pattern. Thus, if viewed from the sky, they look a bit like giant ‘manacles’, albeit intended for someone with wrists of different size...
The stone they are made of is unknown, even to races with an affinity for the earth (like stone elves), and they appear to have been ‘grown’ rather than ‘built’ (as there is no trace of mortar or telltale signs left by a stonecutter’s tools). Indeed, attempts to dig them up have all failed because they seem to go down far below the ground, further lending credence to the theory that they are ‘growing’ from the very core of the world!
Their surface is highly eroded, which has - unfortunately - removed any markings they may once have sported and which may have helped to identify them.
They are all but impossible to destroy. Even metal tools prove unequal to the task (2). Magic doesn’t fare any better. Only the Wish spell works, though sometimes at a terrible cost to the spellcaster involved (3).
In fact, magic-users often experience troubles when they are near shacklestones. Divine magic doesn’t work at all within ten feet of them. Druidic magic works (except within the confines of the two rings) but tends to produce ‘wild’ results. Arcane magic performs a bit better but any creature conjured or summoned within their direct vicinity (read: within 20 feet) automatically turns on its summoner and proves impossible to control.
The gods - even Tinel, Lord of Magic and Truth - are notoriously tight-lipped about them. Either they know but refuse to share the knowledge or - more disturbingly - don’t know and are unwilling to admit they may not be as omniscient as they are supposed to be.
Attempts to use divination magic to learn more about them have all failed, with two notable exceptions. Stone Tell appears to work but, alas, whoever casts it is struck mad (and I do mean ‘raving mad’) the minute conversation is initiated. Legend Lore yields results too but, no matter how often you cast it, you always get the same cryptic answer:
That which once ne'er wert, shan't be so again, evermore!
All races and all cultures (even Evil-aligned ones) universally fear and loathe them, though they can’t explain why. It’s not so much a logical reaction as an instinctive one. Animals shun these locations and the only plant known to grown near (or on) them is the lichen.
Not even evil cults will be caught anywhere near them if they can help it. Strangely enough, madmen seem to relish their presence; as if it had an intoxicating effect on them.
In short, people usually do their best not to approach them, and settlements are almost never built close to one if its location is known to the locals.
**
Drachenhold - Duchy of Pellham
400 AC - somewhere in Loring’s Wood
It had taken him twenty flickers of the tidestone to find the site. Silently, he cursed his ineptitude. His master’s directions had been precise but this strange world was proving difficult to navigate, with its bewildering environment full of tall brown stalagmites, weird-looking fungi, and - especially - the continuous barrage of sounds that assailed his ears. How could creatures survive by making so much noise? Didn’t they know it would draw predators to them?!
Oh, how he longed to return to his own world! No more fiery orb hanging in the vault to dry his skin. Darkness and silence would be his rewards and, if the master was pleased, maybe even breeding rights for a cycle or two? That thought was highly pleasing and he stood motionless for a while, simply grinning stupidly, until an all-too familiar throbbing from the serf-glyph on his skull brought him back to reality. It reminded him - painfully - that displeasing his master would also earn him a reward, albeit one he didn’t much care for...
Quickly, he ascertained the location was empty of possible threats. Once he was reasonably certain only mindless beasts were nearby, he advanced towards the center of the clearing. Fortunately, the fiery orb above had turned silver and the vault had darkened again, thus enabling him to use his sight without having to squint.
The sluz’ebná-kámen was there, as promised. To inferior species, it would look merely like a few old pieces of stone, perhaps the remnant of an antique monument. To his graft-enhanced eyes, however, the view was very different...
He walked rapidly to the smaller ring, stopping near the larger one only long enough to pay his respects to the pruuvodc’i by prostrating himself three times, as was proper.
Once in the circle, he took from his belt-pouch the 5 glyph-tablets he had been entrusted with, and set them down according to a complex hve’zda pattern. Then, crossing the low wall again, he kneeled in front of the 7th obchod and started to hum, his voice progressively rising in pitch to reach the appropriate octave. Concentrating, he struggled to retain it long enough, his spiny frill standing upright unconsciously because of the effort. In the end, it paid off as the stone began to glow, its outer layer gradually becoming more translucent until he could discern inside the item he was looking for. Swiftly, he thrust his hand within and yanked it out before the stone hardened again.
As his attention was entirely focused on his mission, he failed to notice strands of light coalescing into a shape behind him, about 20 feet off the ground.
**
Nifris finished manifesting (4), relishing the aura of power suffusing her that had been granted by her god to make this journey possible. Quickly, she unfurled her wings and glided down silently toward her prey, righteous anger filling her warrior’s heart as she prepared to deal with a monster whose race was the scum of the earth.
**
Odainab was examining the object of his quest, a small loop of dark metal twisted into a shape that, according to physical laws, shouldn’t have existed, inside which a tiny crystal was coruscating in hues that would have driven a less enhanced being mad within seconds.
Suddenly, a large and ominous shadow fell over him. Reflexes took over as years of battle-conditioning kicked in. He rolled over on the ground, barely avoiding a lethal blow delivered by a scythe whose blade was now ablaze with divine might. Righting himself, he touched the chakra (5) located on his sternum, immediately activating a protection-glyph that created a kinetic barrier around him. Better armed to face the onslaught, he took a few seconds to observe his assailant.
She was humanoid - like him - though a full head taller, and sported neither tail nor scales. Instead, her body was covered by plates similar to those of the great landsharks that plagued the Upperdark. She also had a pair of wings, like a giant bat. Her head was covered by strange-looking kelp that fell down upon her shoulders, and her eyes glowed with fatal intent. However, her most interesting feature by far was the large curved blade she was wielding. Razor-sharp, it was covered in white-hot fire that - apparently - burnt without fuel.
Narrowing his eyes, he secreted the klenot into his belt-pouch and touched his left wrist’s chakra. He felt his strength of will diminish as the enhancer-glyph reshaped and funneled it into his muscles, an acceptable trade-off for one of the warrior caste.
Grinning evilly, he assumed the position of the Hungry Kraken and prepared to deal with the interloper. Thus, he was caught completely by surprise when she simply grinned back and a glowing cage of light appeared around him.
**
The fool! Did he really think he stood a chance against her, one of the elite enforcers of a true god’s will? Now that he was caged like the beast that he was, she would deal with him but before she did, she had a message to deliver.
She walked up to the cage (though staying well out of reach of any physical attack of her prisoner) and, swallowing her disgust at addressing him, fulfilled her orders.
“I know you probably won’t understand my words but I was informed your master would be watching and that he wouldn’t suffer from the same handicap. So, here is what I was told to convey:
No
That’s all.”
Focusing her will, she called upon her most deadly power. Instantly, all moisture was drained from her enemy’s body, reducing him to a desiccated husk that fell to the ground, incomprehension painted all over his face.
Dispelling the forcecage, she lifted easily what was left of him, grabbing it under her left arm. Her task finally accomplished, Nifris the ashmede (6) begged mentally her master for safe passage home and disappeared in a cloud that reeked of brimstone.
**
Far away, in the depths of the world, Odainab’s master looked at the scene dispassionately as it unfolded on the surface of his scrying crystal. His plan had worked to perfection but, then again, he had anticipated that it would.
He had lost one pawn as well as a not-so-irreplaceable artifact, true, but information had been gained at the same time. And to a being who prized knowledge above all else, this wasn’t a lopsided bargain at all.
Besides, those extraplanar entities were entirely too predictable for their own good. They had rushed to secure the most obvious target, completely ignoring the real prize. As he had expected, the best way to deceive a deceiver was to hide a truth behind another truth.
Oh yes, he would remember the message, as well as the messenger. And, among his kind, memories lasted a very long time indeed...
**
Back on the surface, the five glyph-tablets lay forgotten in the smaller ring of the shacklestone. As the will of their creator touched them from afar, they activated simultaneously, their runes flashing rapidly in a kaleidoscopic detonation that would have sent sentient beings screaming had any been present.
The fabric of space above the larger circle was ruptured for the briefest of time, bathing momentarily the clearing in sickly light. One by one, the tablets flew from the ground to the opening which sucked them through hungrily before closing.
The message had been delivered. Now, it was only a matter of time...
**********
(1) Actually, that word is the only thing the first druids could garner from casting Commune with Nature near one. That Nature itself would have a name for something so obviously unnatural was enough to give them pause
(2) Any tool/weapon (even if magical) struck against one takes 5 pts of damage which automatically bypass its hardness! (only epic weapons are immune to this effect)
(3) If used specifically to destroy a shacklestone, Wish works but requires both cunning and courage to achieve that result. Cunning because the wording must take into account the fact that the shacklestone needs to be ‘unmade’ rather than ‘destroyed’ (a bizarre, yet crucial, distinction). Courage because if the spell does work, the caster must make an immediate Will save (DC 30) or be affected by an Insanity spell (caster level: 20th)
(4) Read: re-materializing after crossing the boundary between two planes (in this case, the Ethereal and the Prime)
(5) Chakra: point of physical or spiritual energy in the (human) body
(6) Readers interested in learning more about her kind should check The Book of Fiends (Green Ronin Publishing), p.146-147
**********
Interlude
The world on which this adventure takes place is vast, with no less than 5 continents of which Kaladia (where Drachenhold is located, on the eastern tip) is arguably the largest. Many are the wonders (and the horrors!) that can be found, be it above or beneath the waves of its oceans.
Of those, ruins of bygone civilizations have perhaps become (at the very least, since the Cataclysm) the most commonly encountered feature in the wilderness. Yet, none are as mysterious as the infamous shacklestones.
Discovered on every continent, in every type of climate, and on every sort of terrain, they seem more common at altitudes not exceeding 1000 feet. This doesn’t mean that they are a ‘common’ sight. Far from it. Of course, with the science of geography being still in its infancy, it’s hard to tell but wise men generally agree that you can expect to find one for every hundred square miles that you search thoroughly.
Sages have postulated so many theories about them that they could fill entire libraries, and yet are no closer to uncovering the truth than their ancestors were a millenium earlier.
There are, however, a few facts that they do know:
The word ‘shacklestone’ is a rough translation of sclábhai-cloch, the name the oldest druidic sects gave them long ago. Why? Even they don’t remember. Or if they do, they aren’t talking... (1)
Shacklestones all have the same shape and are of the (exact!) same dimensions. They consist of two ‘rings’, one 25 ft. across and the other 10 ft. in diameter. The smaller ring’s border has a uniform height of 1 foot, while the bigger one is 2 ft. high but interspersed with 4 large grooves (grouped 2 by 2). The rings are precisely 5 ft. apart, and are ‘linked’ by a succession of 9 ovoid stones (each about 6 inches tall) set in a ‘seesaw’ pattern. Thus, if viewed from the sky, they look a bit like giant ‘manacles’, albeit intended for someone with wrists of different size...
The stone they are made of is unknown, even to races with an affinity for the earth (like stone elves), and they appear to have been ‘grown’ rather than ‘built’ (as there is no trace of mortar or telltale signs left by a stonecutter’s tools). Indeed, attempts to dig them up have all failed because they seem to go down far below the ground, further lending credence to the theory that they are ‘growing’ from the very core of the world!
Their surface is highly eroded, which has - unfortunately - removed any markings they may once have sported and which may have helped to identify them.
They are all but impossible to destroy. Even metal tools prove unequal to the task (2). Magic doesn’t fare any better. Only the Wish spell works, though sometimes at a terrible cost to the spellcaster involved (3).
In fact, magic-users often experience troubles when they are near shacklestones. Divine magic doesn’t work at all within ten feet of them. Druidic magic works (except within the confines of the two rings) but tends to produce ‘wild’ results. Arcane magic performs a bit better but any creature conjured or summoned within their direct vicinity (read: within 20 feet) automatically turns on its summoner and proves impossible to control.
The gods - even Tinel, Lord of Magic and Truth - are notoriously tight-lipped about them. Either they know but refuse to share the knowledge or - more disturbingly - don’t know and are unwilling to admit they may not be as omniscient as they are supposed to be.
Attempts to use divination magic to learn more about them have all failed, with two notable exceptions. Stone Tell appears to work but, alas, whoever casts it is struck mad (and I do mean ‘raving mad’) the minute conversation is initiated. Legend Lore yields results too but, no matter how often you cast it, you always get the same cryptic answer:
That which once ne'er wert, shan't be so again, evermore!
All races and all cultures (even Evil-aligned ones) universally fear and loathe them, though they can’t explain why. It’s not so much a logical reaction as an instinctive one. Animals shun these locations and the only plant known to grown near (or on) them is the lichen.
Not even evil cults will be caught anywhere near them if they can help it. Strangely enough, madmen seem to relish their presence; as if it had an intoxicating effect on them.
In short, people usually do their best not to approach them, and settlements are almost never built close to one if its location is known to the locals.
**
Drachenhold - Duchy of Pellham
400 AC - somewhere in Loring’s Wood
It had taken him twenty flickers of the tidestone to find the site. Silently, he cursed his ineptitude. His master’s directions had been precise but this strange world was proving difficult to navigate, with its bewildering environment full of tall brown stalagmites, weird-looking fungi, and - especially - the continuous barrage of sounds that assailed his ears. How could creatures survive by making so much noise? Didn’t they know it would draw predators to them?!
Oh, how he longed to return to his own world! No more fiery orb hanging in the vault to dry his skin. Darkness and silence would be his rewards and, if the master was pleased, maybe even breeding rights for a cycle or two? That thought was highly pleasing and he stood motionless for a while, simply grinning stupidly, until an all-too familiar throbbing from the serf-glyph on his skull brought him back to reality. It reminded him - painfully - that displeasing his master would also earn him a reward, albeit one he didn’t much care for...
Quickly, he ascertained the location was empty of possible threats. Once he was reasonably certain only mindless beasts were nearby, he advanced towards the center of the clearing. Fortunately, the fiery orb above had turned silver and the vault had darkened again, thus enabling him to use his sight without having to squint.
The sluz’ebná-kámen was there, as promised. To inferior species, it would look merely like a few old pieces of stone, perhaps the remnant of an antique monument. To his graft-enhanced eyes, however, the view was very different...
He walked rapidly to the smaller ring, stopping near the larger one only long enough to pay his respects to the pruuvodc’i by prostrating himself three times, as was proper.
Once in the circle, he took from his belt-pouch the 5 glyph-tablets he had been entrusted with, and set them down according to a complex hve’zda pattern. Then, crossing the low wall again, he kneeled in front of the 7th obchod and started to hum, his voice progressively rising in pitch to reach the appropriate octave. Concentrating, he struggled to retain it long enough, his spiny frill standing upright unconsciously because of the effort. In the end, it paid off as the stone began to glow, its outer layer gradually becoming more translucent until he could discern inside the item he was looking for. Swiftly, he thrust his hand within and yanked it out before the stone hardened again.
As his attention was entirely focused on his mission, he failed to notice strands of light coalescing into a shape behind him, about 20 feet off the ground.
**
Nifris finished manifesting (4), relishing the aura of power suffusing her that had been granted by her god to make this journey possible. Quickly, she unfurled her wings and glided down silently toward her prey, righteous anger filling her warrior’s heart as she prepared to deal with a monster whose race was the scum of the earth.
**
Odainab was examining the object of his quest, a small loop of dark metal twisted into a shape that, according to physical laws, shouldn’t have existed, inside which a tiny crystal was coruscating in hues that would have driven a less enhanced being mad within seconds.
Suddenly, a large and ominous shadow fell over him. Reflexes took over as years of battle-conditioning kicked in. He rolled over on the ground, barely avoiding a lethal blow delivered by a scythe whose blade was now ablaze with divine might. Righting himself, he touched the chakra (5) located on his sternum, immediately activating a protection-glyph that created a kinetic barrier around him. Better armed to face the onslaught, he took a few seconds to observe his assailant.
She was humanoid - like him - though a full head taller, and sported neither tail nor scales. Instead, her body was covered by plates similar to those of the great landsharks that plagued the Upperdark. She also had a pair of wings, like a giant bat. Her head was covered by strange-looking kelp that fell down upon her shoulders, and her eyes glowed with fatal intent. However, her most interesting feature by far was the large curved blade she was wielding. Razor-sharp, it was covered in white-hot fire that - apparently - burnt without fuel.
Narrowing his eyes, he secreted the klenot into his belt-pouch and touched his left wrist’s chakra. He felt his strength of will diminish as the enhancer-glyph reshaped and funneled it into his muscles, an acceptable trade-off for one of the warrior caste.
Grinning evilly, he assumed the position of the Hungry Kraken and prepared to deal with the interloper. Thus, he was caught completely by surprise when she simply grinned back and a glowing cage of light appeared around him.
**
The fool! Did he really think he stood a chance against her, one of the elite enforcers of a true god’s will? Now that he was caged like the beast that he was, she would deal with him but before she did, she had a message to deliver.
She walked up to the cage (though staying well out of reach of any physical attack of her prisoner) and, swallowing her disgust at addressing him, fulfilled her orders.
“I know you probably won’t understand my words but I was informed your master would be watching and that he wouldn’t suffer from the same handicap. So, here is what I was told to convey:
No
That’s all.”
Focusing her will, she called upon her most deadly power. Instantly, all moisture was drained from her enemy’s body, reducing him to a desiccated husk that fell to the ground, incomprehension painted all over his face.
Dispelling the forcecage, she lifted easily what was left of him, grabbing it under her left arm. Her task finally accomplished, Nifris the ashmede (6) begged mentally her master for safe passage home and disappeared in a cloud that reeked of brimstone.
**
Far away, in the depths of the world, Odainab’s master looked at the scene dispassionately as it unfolded on the surface of his scrying crystal. His plan had worked to perfection but, then again, he had anticipated that it would.
He had lost one pawn as well as a not-so-irreplaceable artifact, true, but information had been gained at the same time. And to a being who prized knowledge above all else, this wasn’t a lopsided bargain at all.
Besides, those extraplanar entities were entirely too predictable for their own good. They had rushed to secure the most obvious target, completely ignoring the real prize. As he had expected, the best way to deceive a deceiver was to hide a truth behind another truth.
Oh yes, he would remember the message, as well as the messenger. And, among his kind, memories lasted a very long time indeed...
**
Back on the surface, the five glyph-tablets lay forgotten in the smaller ring of the shacklestone. As the will of their creator touched them from afar, they activated simultaneously, their runes flashing rapidly in a kaleidoscopic detonation that would have sent sentient beings screaming had any been present.
The fabric of space above the larger circle was ruptured for the briefest of time, bathing momentarily the clearing in sickly light. One by one, the tablets flew from the ground to the opening which sucked them through hungrily before closing.
The message had been delivered. Now, it was only a matter of time...
**********
(1) Actually, that word is the only thing the first druids could garner from casting Commune with Nature near one. That Nature itself would have a name for something so obviously unnatural was enough to give them pause
(2) Any tool/weapon (even if magical) struck against one takes 5 pts of damage which automatically bypass its hardness! (only epic weapons are immune to this effect)
(3) If used specifically to destroy a shacklestone, Wish works but requires both cunning and courage to achieve that result. Cunning because the wording must take into account the fact that the shacklestone needs to be ‘unmade’ rather than ‘destroyed’ (a bizarre, yet crucial, distinction). Courage because if the spell does work, the caster must make an immediate Will save (DC 30) or be affected by an Insanity spell (caster level: 20th)
(4) Read: re-materializing after crossing the boundary between two planes (in this case, the Ethereal and the Prime)
(5) Chakra: point of physical or spiritual energy in the (human) body
(6) Readers interested in learning more about her kind should check The Book of Fiends (Green Ronin Publishing), p.146-147
**********
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