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A Savage Tidings Tale
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<blockquote data-quote="Olgar Shiverstone" data-source="post: 3873010" data-attributes="member: 5868"><p>Morderas forced the door open, then peered into the darkness beyond. An unholy stench rolled out of the room, causing each of them to cough. "There's a body slumped against the far wall," Morderas said. "I'll check it out."</p><p></p><p>The rougue slipped quietly through the door, and a few moments passed as they heard fumbled searching from beyond. Then there was a gasp, and a thump. Thalas and Arjan jumped into the room, holding a torch aloft, and holding their noses shut.</p><p></p><p>Morderasa was passed out on the floor, gasping. In the corner was a bloated body that looked as if it had both died of disease and been drowned. It was barely recognizable as human, though an intricate dragon-and-flower tattoo onone shoulder was still legible on the stretched skin. The body wore finely worked leathers, which Morderas had apparently been trying to remove when the stench of the decomposing body overcame him.</p><p></p><p>"Guess he got what he had coming," Thalas observed to Arjan.</p><p></p><p>"Morderas, or that guy?" Arjan asked.</p><p></p><p>Thalas looked around the room, concentrating on magical auras, an noting some coming from beyond the far wall ... and noticing as well that there were discolorations along the stone of the back wall: a secret door!</p><p></p><p>Morderas came to slowly, and waved a slip of parchment at Thalas as he coughed. Thalas took it, and read:</p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p>"That corpse is Penkus. Vanthus left him here to die, like us," Thalas said.</p><p></p><p>"He's on the list," Morderas replied. "At the top."</p><p></p><p>"Any idea what 'lap o' the Lotus' means?"</p><p></p><p>Morderas pointed at the tattoo. "Lotus Dragons. Thieve's guild in Sasserine. Very mysterious, very deadly. Flip out and kill you if you look at them cross-eyed."</p><p></p><p>"What, ninjas and pirates now?" Thalas laughed.</p><p></p><p>They opened the secret door, and found three locked chests in the chamber beyond. Taking some time, Morderas managed to pry them open, revealling a number of bags of copper, silver, gold, and gems, as well as eight vials of magical potions -- which Thalas sadly could not identify -- a bone shaft that radiated abjuration magic, and a fine jade coffer.</p><p></p><p>Within the coffer lay a dark gem, and a note labeled "Earth Elemental Gem."</p><p></p><p>"I've heard of this," Thalas told the others, a bit of his magical training coming to memory. "This gem will summon an earth elemental to do our bidding. We could have it dig us out of here!"</p><p></p><p>"Maybe we could try swimming out of the crab cave first," Arjan suggested.</p><p></p><p>They agreed, and trooped back to the crab cave -- using a rope this time to cross the deep pool without risk of drowning. They had to leave the bags of copper behind because of the weight -- a small loss, as Athal pointed out -- but they did divvy up the silver, gold, and gems. The pool in the crab cave proved to have no exit to the bay, so they returned to the shaft below the trap door where Vathus had trapped them the night before.</p><p></p><p>Thalas grasped the gem in one hand, concentrating, then shattered it. A nimbus of light surrounded him, then seeped into the earth as a gigantic man-shaped thing, made of the very rock itaself, rose silently from the solid rock of the floor. Thalas gestured, concentrating, and the rock creature began tearing at the rock wall, carving handholds in the stone, climbing to the very roof where it thrust open the stone trap door, then vanished. Sunlight poured in with fresh jungle air, and the sounds of squaking parrots could be heard from outside.</p><p></p><p>"Shall we?" Thalas asked, and they nearly tripped over one another trying to climb out.</p><p></p><p>"We'd better go tell Lavinia what happened," Athal suggested when they reached the shore, to find that Cheftan's canoe was still safe. "Cocky bastard, that Vanthus. Didn't see fit to sink our boat. Guess he thought he had all the answers. We'll pay him back."</p><p></p><p>"You guys go," Kyrsith said. "I'm out. This adventuring stuff is not for me. I've learned enough -- I'm sticking to my studies from here out."</p><p></p><p>"Suit yourself," Morderas replied. They climbed in the canoe and began the trip back to Vanderboren Manor.</p><p></p><p>As they walked back through the city Morderas remarked: "We should have kept Penkus' head, to give to Vanthus when we find him."</p><p></p><p>"You're one sick puppy, you know that?" Thalas replied.</p><p></p><p>Morderas just grinned deep in his hooded cloak.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Olgar Shiverstone, post: 3873010, member: 5868"] Morderas forced the door open, then peered into the darkness beyond. An unholy stench rolled out of the room, causing each of them to cough. "There's a body slumped against the far wall," Morderas said. "I'll check it out." The rougue slipped quietly through the door, and a few moments passed as they heard fumbled searching from beyond. Then there was a gasp, and a thump. Thalas and Arjan jumped into the room, holding a torch aloft, and holding their noses shut. Morderasa was passed out on the floor, gasping. In the corner was a bloated body that looked as if it had both died of disease and been drowned. It was barely recognizable as human, though an intricate dragon-and-flower tattoo onone shoulder was still legible on the stretched skin. The body wore finely worked leathers, which Morderas had apparently been trying to remove when the stench of the decomposing body overcame him. "Guess he got what he had coming," Thalas observed to Arjan. "Morderas, or that guy?" Arjan asked. Thalas looked around the room, concentrating on magical auras, an noting some coming from beyond the far wall ... and noticing as well that there were discolorations along the stone of the back wall: a secret door! Morderas came to slowly, and waved a slip of parchment at Thalas as he coughed. Thalas took it, and read: "That corpse is Penkus. Vanthus left him here to die, like us," Thalas said. "He's on the list," Morderas replied. "At the top." "Any idea what 'lap o' the Lotus' means?" Morderas pointed at the tattoo. "Lotus Dragons. Thieve's guild in Sasserine. Very mysterious, very deadly. Flip out and kill you if you look at them cross-eyed." "What, ninjas and pirates now?" Thalas laughed. They opened the secret door, and found three locked chests in the chamber beyond. Taking some time, Morderas managed to pry them open, revealling a number of bags of copper, silver, gold, and gems, as well as eight vials of magical potions -- which Thalas sadly could not identify -- a bone shaft that radiated abjuration magic, and a fine jade coffer. Within the coffer lay a dark gem, and a note labeled "Earth Elemental Gem." "I've heard of this," Thalas told the others, a bit of his magical training coming to memory. "This gem will summon an earth elemental to do our bidding. We could have it dig us out of here!" "Maybe we could try swimming out of the crab cave first," Arjan suggested. They agreed, and trooped back to the crab cave -- using a rope this time to cross the deep pool without risk of drowning. They had to leave the bags of copper behind because of the weight -- a small loss, as Athal pointed out -- but they did divvy up the silver, gold, and gems. The pool in the crab cave proved to have no exit to the bay, so they returned to the shaft below the trap door where Vathus had trapped them the night before. Thalas grasped the gem in one hand, concentrating, then shattered it. A nimbus of light surrounded him, then seeped into the earth as a gigantic man-shaped thing, made of the very rock itaself, rose silently from the solid rock of the floor. Thalas gestured, concentrating, and the rock creature began tearing at the rock wall, carving handholds in the stone, climbing to the very roof where it thrust open the stone trap door, then vanished. Sunlight poured in with fresh jungle air, and the sounds of squaking parrots could be heard from outside. "Shall we?" Thalas asked, and they nearly tripped over one another trying to climb out. "We'd better go tell Lavinia what happened," Athal suggested when they reached the shore, to find that Cheftan's canoe was still safe. "Cocky bastard, that Vanthus. Didn't see fit to sink our boat. Guess he thought he had all the answers. We'll pay him back." "You guys go," Kyrsith said. "I'm out. This adventuring stuff is not for me. I've learned enough -- I'm sticking to my studies from here out." "Suit yourself," Morderas replied. They climbed in the canoe and began the trip back to Vanderboren Manor. As they walked back through the city Morderas remarked: "We should have kept Penkus' head, to give to Vanthus when we find him." "You're one sick puppy, you know that?" Thalas replied. Morderas just grinned deep in his hooded cloak. [/QUOTE]
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