Arcanis: Gonnes, Sons, and Treasure Runs (COMPLETED)

[talien]

Serpentine Path: Part 11d – The Final Stand

Agamis ss’ressen plunged through the gate opening and Ilmarė’s volley was met with shrill cries. They were larger than the others, with rudimentary wings and a bright green color. Some of them, females, had blue scales.

Ilmarė notched another arrow as Shining Patrolmen fired past her with their rifles.

A wave of Agamis charged towards them, armed with large blades, whips, and clubs. Ilmarė pierced the ss’ressen with her arrows while Beldin smashed another with his axe. Vlad caught one in the stomach.

The Agamis reared back as one and spat sticky globs of sizzling acid. Vlad’s shield caught one blast, Beldin’s caught another. Kham easily dodged aside.

With a roar, Sebastian extended his fingers and blasted a ball of flames through the ss’ressen ranks. Then he ducked back behind Beldin.

Vlad beheaded an Agamis and black blood spewed forth.

A large blue Agamis swung its halberd at Kham. He ducked, and the monster struck a fellow ss’ressen, then another. Ilmarė fired two arrows into the blue ss’ressen, causing it to reel back with a cry.

Sebastian pointed at another ss’ressen and a magical bolt ripped through its skull.

An Agamis swung its whip in circles above its head. It swung at Ilmarė and she dodged it.

Rubbery dun-colored tentacles sprung up out of the ground between the ss’ressen and the citadel, leaving a slim path for the ss’ressen to pass through.

“Herd them towards the center!” shouted Sebastian.

Again, the whip-wielding ss’ressen swung and its whip snapped around Beldin’s shield. Ilmarė fired arrows into the thing as the whip caught fast. It collapsed.

A huge Agamis tore its way through the tentacles and brought its greatclub down at Kham. He jumped aside, easily dodging in and out of the tentacles like a clown fish in the protective arms of a sea anemone.

One ss’ressen grabbed for Sebastian. Vlad slashed the beast’s hand with Grungronazharr. It twisted, raising its greatclub and began to swing again when Beldin struck it from the side.

The ss’ressen roared and Kham fired both pistols up through its throat, skewering it through the brain.

The Agamis stumbled, its hand fumbling towards its mouth where the bullets had penetrated. It stared upward, shocked, and with a long, pained moan, it collapsed to the ground.

There was a moment of silence. All the ss’ressen were dead or fled.

“It’s over,” said Kham.

 

[talien]

Serpentine Path: Conclusion

Semar had been liberated, but at a terrible cost. The city and its people would never be the same. They had witnessed the brutality of the Ssethregoran horde firsthand.

Somehow, Kham had produced a wineskin. He took a long drink. He had seen things he would never be able to tell anyone without several bottles of strong drink.

Muatma addressed them all, holding one arm with the other, useless and bleeding. “Some of you have lost trusted companions and love ones. Some of you have witnessed great acts of bravery and terrible acts of cowardice.”

Kham thought of Quablo. Was he dead? Did it matter?

“We have all seen the best and worst of man and beast.”

He thought of Bijoux and Calactyte. Calactyte had been buried under the rubble. They were forced to abandon Bijoux in their flight to the citadel. She could fly, but could she escape the flying Ssethregoran troops? Would she even care to?

“We have been tested by battle and survived!”

The crowd gave a cheer. Muatma left to survey the battlefield.

All around them was the carnage of war. A child’s bloody rag doll lay silently next to a broken sword. An empty baby carriage sat idly on its side next to a destroyed temple. A tattered Shining Patrol banner wafted languidly in the breeze, keeping silent time with Ilmarė’s hauntingly beautiful lament for the dead.

“In gwidh ristennin,” Ilmarė sang of bonds cut.

Bodies of patrolmen and ss’ressen lay in long swaths where the battle was most fierce. Families had already begun to search the bodies for loved ones. In some places, they rejoiced. In others, children fell to their knees, sobbing and praying over their loss.

“I fae narchannen,” Ilmarė sang of the spirit broken.

One man scooped up his daughter, tears streaking his cheeks. They had been separated and only just found each other.

“I sell Altheria ed ardhon gwannen.” The children of Altheria had left the world.

“That lizard’s sacrifice saved my daughter. If it wasn’t for him…if it wasn’t for you…I don’t know…” He broke down, weeping with joy and relief.

“Nauris! Calactyte! Bijoux! Holden!”

“He gave his life to save human children he didn’t even know,” Beldin said in awe. “I am sure Yig will welcome him home.”

“Ú-reniathach i amar galen.” No more would they wander the bright world.

“To the big stupid lizard!” Kham raised his wineskin and took another gulp. “May he finally find the time to learn to read!” He handed the wineskin to Vlad.

“I reniad lín ne môr, nuithannen.” Their journeys had ended in darkness.

“To Cal!” Vlad took a swig. “May the Black Talon tribe follow his noble example!” He passed it to Beldin.

“To Cal!” Beldin drank deeply from it. “An axe was never wielded by a scalier dwarf at heart.” He offered it to Sebastian.

“To Cal!” Sebastian finished its contents. “May resilient spheres work better than I hoped.”

The crowd took up the chant, cheering and weeping and laughing. Exhausted survivors followed Kham’s example and spread the warmth and blissfulness of Larissa’s gift.

Kham took a moment to rest his weary body upon a broken piece of wall and wipe the grim and gore from his face.

Ahead, through the still-smoking haze of the battleground, a figure came rushing towards him. Kham got up on weary legs and drew one of his pistols, determined to send whatever it was to the pits of the nether realms. But it was only a boy, a runner used to relay messages from the Patrol’s commanders.

The runner stopped in front of him, his breath coming in ragged gasps. His dirt-covered face revealed a boy who had aged must in the past few days.

“Sir. The general wishes for you to come at once. A matter of great urgency has arisen and your help is required.”

Kham took a deep breath. “I don’t suppose I can say no?”

The boy handed him a note. “The general thought you might need some persuading. He asked me to hand you this note.”

Kham read it. A second later he dropped it to the ground and took off at a running, gathering his companions behind him.

On the ground, forgotten, the note read:

“THERE’S A SSETHREGORAN GATE BENEATH THE CITY.”

 

[talien]

Chapter 51: The Secret of Semar - Introduction

This is a Year Two Living Arcanis adventure, “The Secret of Semar” by Henry Lopez, set in the Arcanis setting. You can read more about Arcanis at Onara Online. Please note: This adventure contains spoilers!

Our cast of characters includes:

• Dungeon Master: Michael Tresca (http://michael.tresca.net)
• Beldin Soulforge (dwarf fighter/dwarven defender) played by Joe Lalumia
• Kham Val’Abebi (val rogue/psychic warrior) played by Jeremy Ortiz (http://www.ninjarobotstudios.com)
• Sebastian Arnyal (dark-kin sorcerer) played by George Webster
• Vlad Martell (human fighter) played by Matt Hammer

This adventure takes our heroes to a very different location all the way on the other side of Arcanis. It also has its share of revelations and deaths, and I can honestly say I was surprised how this adventure turned out.

Traveling to Nyambe provides a convenient means of bridging the quest for the King in Yellow with the events in Onara. I replaced the Agogwe with Tcho-Tchos, the ssanu with Ffashethh the samat, Semet with Emric the half-breed, and the final villain with…well, you’ll see.

More importantly, this story hour wraps up a major villain, a major ally, and the announcement of an important event in both the game and in real life. In case you’re wondering, yes, this is how I told my friends.

 

[talien]

Secret of Semar: Prologue

Kham was led to the central fortress, a large squat stone tower with smaller side buildings flanking it before they melded into the massive walls that surrounded the city. The boy moved unerringly through the winding streets towards the entrance. The walls of the buildings appeared pocked marked and scorched. Some very heavy fighting had taken place there.

Kham shouldered past a series of weary but agitated sentries with but a few words. It was not long before he was being led downward, deeper into the bowels of the citadel. The air became progressively cooler and damp the further he penetrated the foundations of the fortress.

Ilmarė looked around, eyes wide. “This looks familiar.”

“Yes, the construction reminds me—“ began Beldin.

“Don’t say it,” interrupted Kham. “I know what you’re going to say. Just don’t say it.”

Finally, the runner stopped before an immense door made of dark wood and bound by steel. A few moments later he banged on the door, it swung open easily. A reddish glow suffused the chamber within.

They had arrived at the bottommost chamber of the citadel. It was a huge room, over a hundred feet square. It was featureless, with the exception of a central platform ten feet high. Four sets of ramps led up to the top of the platform where an irregularly shaped stone ring stood. The eerie red glow came from the empty central portion of the ring, bathing everything within the chamber with its light.

“A Ssethregoran gate,” Ilmarė said quietly, despite Kham’s protests.

“I told you not to say it,” muttered Kham.

Inside the chamber were four members of the Shining Patrol. The stern-looking general Muatma Bunkakin was waiting for them.

“Thanks for coming so quickly. You are correct, this is a Ssethregoran Gate, similar in many ways to those created by the Ansharans to travel across many distances in the blink of an eye.”

The gate was similar in shape to the ones used throughout Onara to travel vast distance instantly. It lacked the usual white marble façade and its inscriptions of benediction and supplication to Anshar. Instead, it was a crude gray stone oval with blasphemous inscriptions that wriggled as if alive.

“You knew about this gate?” asked Vlad.

Muatma nodded. “This gate was discovered many years ago when my ancestors first drove out the Ssethregorans from Semar. Fearing that the snakes could use it to mount a sneak attack on the city, we tried to destroy it. Unfortunately, it has proven resilient to all attacks.”

Kham sighed. “Just like the one underneath the Temple of Althares in Freeport.”

“Luckily, the counterattack never came and the chamber was sealed and forgotten.”

“Until now,” Beldin finished for him.

“Until now. During the final moments of the battle, a group of ss’ressen led by a huge serpent managed to make their way here and activate the gateway. Before they could make their way through, three of my men sounded the alarm and engaged them.”

“And?” asked Vlad.

“And they were torn to pieces. One of them managed to stay alive long enough to tell us what occurred. Since then, I have assigned these men to guard the gateway, allowing no one in or out of the chamber.”

“So what do you want us to do?” asked Kham. He was tiring of the circuitous talk.

“As you know, the Shining Patrol has taken a heavy toll. I’m beginning to suspect that the entire attack was centered on entering this portal. I cannot spare any members of the Patrol until Semar is secured and the last remnants of the snakes are wiped clean from the streets.”

Ilmarė sneered. “You want us to go through that thing?”

“Yes. Terminate the snakes that have gone through before they can spread their terror further, or worse yet, bring back reinforcements to retake Semar.”

“Do you even know where the gateway leads?” asked Sebastian.

“No. I guess it shouldn’t be immediately lethal since the Ssethregorans went through without any obvious protection.”

Kham rubbed his forehead. “Well that makes me feel better. You guys have that blastpowder I gave you, right?”

Vlad and Beldin nodded. The elorii and dark-kin were not about to do him any favors.

“Good, count it one more time. If it’s more than twenty vials, dump it or we’ll be paste on the other side.”

Ilmarė jutted her chin out at Kham. “You know this is all your fault, don’t you?”

Kham looked nervously over at the general. “Maybe now’s not the time to talk about this.”

Muatma looked from Kham to Ilmarė. “What is she talking about?”

The elorii put her hands on her hips. “If Kham hadn’t awakened the snake-mummy that Edward was trying to sell in Freeport, we wouldn’t have this problem. In fact, it’s because of Ffasheth that we ended up—”

She didn’t get anything else out as Kham shoved Ilmarė through the portal. After one last count of his blast powder, he followed after her.

 

[talien]

Secret of Semar: Part 1 – The First Secret of Semar

The usual tingling, slightly euphoric feeling of passing through one gate and exiting through another thousands of miles away was missing. In its place was pain like Kham had never experienced before. Hundreds of red-hot needles pierced his body for what seemed like an eternity until, as suddenly as it began, it was over. He lay face down, nauseated, on a pitted rocky floor.

Ilmarė, pale and unconscious, lay on the floor beside him. Beldin, Vlad, and Sebastian stumbled in a second later.

Sebastian dropped to the ground and retched.

“Are you okay?” asked Beldin. The dwarf seemed hardly affected.

“I…don’t feel…right…” said Sebastian.

The stench of burning flesh and the moaning of the wounded filled the air.

“Ahh!” shouted Kham. “Cut that out!”

A small group of dark-skinned children poked Kham with short spears. They stared at the strange quartet in wild-eyed fear and were dressed solely in thick leather sandals.

All about them were the wounded, dead, and dying. Huts burned and some bodies were impaled on long spears, stuck in the ground so that the bodies were held aloft.

Sebastian struggled to rise. With a roar, he arched up in agony, stretching his bat-like wings out to their full length of nearly ten feet. They were covered in scales.

The children ran screaming.

“Althares!” Kham took a step back from Sebastian. “Your wings are…bigger.”

The dark-kin’s breath came in long, ragged gasps. He looked around. “I think it was…the gate…”

Vlad glanced over his shoulder at his back. “Nope, just you.”

Beldin rushed past them.

“Where is he going?” asked Kham.

“Didn’t you hear them?” Beldin shouted back. “Children are in trouble!”

 

[talien]

Secret of Semar: Part 2 – Massacre

Beldin followed the sounds of screaming and yelling coming from a pair of children and a young woman in front of a flame-wrapped hut. As he approached, the woman rushed into the burning hut and did not reemerge.

“I think she’s passed out inside!” shouted Beldin. A bitter, acrid-smelling smoke spewed from the hut.

Beldin put his shield just below his eyes and charged through the flames.

Seconds past. The dwarf didn’t come back out.

Vlad looked at Kham.

“Don’t look at me.” Kham had Ilmarė in his arms. “I’m worried they’ll eat her or something.”

“I’ve got it.” Vlad held Grungronazharr before him as he stepped into the burning hut. The flames parted.

Beldin carried the unconscious woman over his shoulder, but he was trying to find a path out. He dragged a chest with his free hand.

“She was trying to drag this chest out!” It was too awkward for Beldin to do both at the same time without getting burned.

“This way!” Vlad waved his sword into the wall of flames and a path opened. Beldin leaped through the flames with the woman in his arms.

Vlad grabbed the chest and dragged it out through the flames.

Sebastian’s wings were folded, but he still looked a hellish beast. He tipped a healing potion to the woman’s lips. Her eyes fluttered, then widened as she took in the dark-kin’s demonic form.

When she caught sight of Vlad dragging out the chest, she shouted something. The woman opened the chest and took out its contents. Within was a skull, still intact. She kissed the skull and reverently replaced it in the chest.

Beldin nodded appreciatively. “They worship their ancestors as dwarves do.”

“Let’s hope she’s willing to put in a good word for us,” said Kham.

Vlad was busy trying to put out the flames. “With who?”

“With them.”

Kham jabbed a thumb in the direction of forty angry warriors armed with short spears.

 

[talien]

Secret of Semar: Part 3a – The Hunters Return

Before they could do much more than assess each other, a small man with a long wiry beard pushed his way through the crowd. He was dark-skinned, like the others, and wore only a white linen skirt. He looked at Sebastian in surprise and spoke in a rapid-fire language they did not understand.

After a moment the old man took out a small rattle and intoned in a guttural language.

“He’s casting a spell.” Sebastian kept his arms crossed, although his wings flexed in agitation.

Vlad’s hand went to his sword.

“It’s fine,” said Sebastian. “Everyone stay calm.”

“My name is Atum,” said the old man, “and hopefully you can understand me now.”

Sebastian nodded. “I can. I am called Sebastian Arnyal. This is Vlad Martell, Beldin Soulforge, and Kham val’Abebi. Our unconscious friend is Ilmarė Galen.”

Atum’s brow knitted with concern. “Did you come from the stone ring?” One long, crooked finger pointed at an arching stone structure where they had appeared.

“Yes. We are in pursuit of lizard people who came through here.”

Atum nodded. “Ah yes. There was a snake man who was a powerful sorcerer. He caused the huts to erupt into flames with just a wave of his hand.”

“Ffashethh,” growled Kham. “Damn it.”

“Do you know where they went?” asked Vlad.

“They went north, after they gutted poor Olabisi.”

“And where are we?” asked Beldin.

“We are the Hutili. I saw the coming of the serpent men in a dream, and gathered the Hutili hunters as quickly as I could. In the dream, an orisha told me of the coming of an ancient evil and that a great danger would come to Nyambe-Tanda today at this place.”

“Orisha?” asked Sebastian.

Atum chuckled. “An orisha does not know what orisha are? They are powerful spirits that act as intermediaries with the Overpower. There are many different kinds of Orishas. They can be helpful,” he looked at Beldin, “wicked,” he looked back at Sebastian, “or neither.”

“The Overpower?” Beldin stroked his beard. “That’s your name for Illiir?”

“The Overpower is the creator of all. He created us, the land, the sky…even you.” He pointed at Kham.

“We need a means of tracking the serpent men,” said Sebastian. “We will avenge your people.”

“We can only spare one of our number.” Atum called over his shoulder. “Mashudu!”

A tall, lithely built young man came forward.

“Mashudu will lead you to vengeance. In the mean time, we must attend to the safety of our families. And yours. We will take care of your friend.”

Vlad looked dubiously at Atum. “I don’t know about leaving her here with them.”

“Well I can’t carry her all day.” Kham gently lowered Ilmarė to the ground. “She’s getting heavy.”

“Stay until morning,” said Atum. “The gift of tongues will soon vanish, and you will need a way to communicate with Mashudu. I can help.”

Sebastian stepped back to confer with his companions. “I don’t see that we really have a choice.”

“I’m going to have to change out of this armor.” Beldin was sweating profusely from his brush with the fire, but Nyambe-Tamba was infernally hot to begin with.

“We’ll stay until morning.” Kham looked around. “You got anything to drink around here?”

 

[talien]

Secret of Semar: Part 3b – The Hunters Return

Kham drank from a gourd. It wasn’t Savonan Red, but it would do.

Atum chanted in front of a small fire. Shadows danced across his features. He had been chanting all night, slowly crafting a strange doll-like object made of wood. Between each chant he would insert a metal bit into it.

“I know of you.” Atum addressed Kham without looking up from his task. “You are of the Abebi tribe. The Orisha tell me that your people left Nyambe-Tanda after the Leaving Time.”

Kham blinked. “Are you saying my ancestors came from this land?”

“Yes. The orisha tell me the Abebi tribe tried to take the knowledge of the Kosan to rule over the rest of Nyambe-Tanda. Of all the humans on Nyambe-Tanda, only your tribe bent nature and the gifts of the Overpower to your will, rather than living in harmony with the land.”

Kham took another swig. “That sounds about right.”

“The Abebi tribe was warred upon by the other tribes that did not wish to see another reign of terror like that of the Kosan Empire. They were driven away by all until a powerful orisha came and took them to his home.”

“Althares,” said Kham.

After another minute of chanting, Atum paused. “Your ancestors were an evil people.”

“Not all of them.” He thought of Pallas and Corinalous. “But we haven’t been using the gifts of the…Overpower…as wisely as we should.”

Atum handed him the doll. “This is a Nkisi n’kondi. It is a representation of an ancestor orisha that will help you speak with the people of Nyambe. By pushing in one of the metal bits, whoever holds the Nkisi will be able to speak with those of Nyambe-Tanda. Use it wisely.”

Kham took the doll and slowly rose to his feet. “Thanks.”

“I hope you have learned your lessons during your time away, Child of Abebi.”

Kham flexed his arm. There were still scars from when he had awakened Ffashethh by accidentally touching the samat’s mummified corpse. “Me? I never learn my lesson.”

 

[talien]

Secret of Semar: Part 4a – The Evils of (Wo)Man

Sebastian landed on the ground with a whoosh of his wings. They were reptilian in appearance, scaly and black, with a thin membrane spanning each talon. Dust whirled around him.

Vlad eyed Sebastian. “That’s going to take some getting used to.”

“You and me both.” Sebastian folded his wings. “I spotted a plume of smoke just a few hundred yards away from here.”

“The tracks do not lead in that direction,” said Mashudu. “They continue northward. But there is a Hutili village that way. They help our tribe in mining precious metals and gems.”

Beldin grunted. “Sounds like they need our help.”

Kham let out an exasperated sigh. “Do we have to save everybody around here?”

The route to the smoke plume was rather treacherous, as it required negotiating the side of one of the mountains of the range. The slop was covered in spiny brush and loose gravel of the same sharp volcanic stones found in the first village.

Sebastian launched himself upwards. He spun to face them, wings churning the air. “I’ll take a closer look.”

As they closed, the smell of burning wood became sharper. Harsh words in another language were barked out.

The dark-kin landed behind them. “It’s a small village, no more than a dozen huts all arranged near a mine entrance. They’ve set the huts on fire. There are dead everywhere, but the survivors have been tied together by a series of ropes to a pole in the center.”

“Who’s holding them captive?” asked Vlad.

“A small group of women wielding wicked-looking swords.”

Kham stroked his chin. “Women, you say?”

“Amazons,” said Mashudu. “Warriors of the Nibomay Empire. They claim the inhabitants and land of the Giko Taaba Mountains as their own. When a village does not comply with their rules, they are…pacified.”

“So this is punishment for not paying fealty,” said Sebastian. “My own people have experienced this kind of pacification. Let’s end this nonsense.” He took off into the air again.

Kham drew two pistols. “He’s going to do that all the time now, isn’t he?”

Beldin gripped his axe. “Pretty much. Do we have a plan?”

“Do we ever have a plan?”

 

[talien]

Secret of Semar: Part 4b – The Evils of (Wo)Man

Sebastian didn’t waste any time. Flames rained down on the Amazons before they had a chance to react.

Kham swigged a potion and promptly turned invisible.

“This should be easy,” said Vlad. “With their primitive weapons—“

An arrow the length of the Milandisian’s arm ricocheted off of his shield.

One of the Amazons wielded a huge bow. It was easily as large as the woman herself, and she was tall to begin with.

Beldin charged forward. “You were saying?”

Another Amazon raised a massive blade with one hand and swung it in a wide arc. Beldin tumbled sideways, but strands of his beard floated to the ground.

Two pistol blasts caused Kham to reappear and gain the attention of the Amazons. “Hey, ladies!” It was unclear if he was talking to his pistols or the women.

One of the Amazon women strode towards him. Kham ducked as she sliced upwards, hacking the pole that held the captives hostage in half.

“Thanks!” Kham hopped backwards as another stroke cut the folds of his jacket.

Vlad took a step back as the Amazon pressed her advantage. Her sword had a longer reach than his, and they both were wielding shields. Beldin was equally matched.

Sebastian engaged in a strafing battle with the Amazon shaman. Brilliant energy of blue and red danced back and forth between them.

Vlad and Beldin met back to back.

“Tougher than they look.” Beldin blocked another blow from a razor sword.

Vlad took a clumsy swing at an Amazon’s blade, just to get it away from his face. “You noticed that too?”

“Skiz!” Kham twisted sideways as another huge arrow whistled past him. “Reload!”

“You realize we’re gonna run out of bullets eventually, right boss?”

The Amazon dropped her bow and pounded towards him, razor sword held high.

“I’m not going to have this conversation right now! RELOAD!”

Tiny rat paws pushed a pair of pistols out of Kham’s haversack.

Kham grabbed the pistols and fell backwards, firing both of them into the Amazon’s face. She fell backwards in a spray of smoke and blood.

“Switch?” asked Vlad.

“Switch,” decided Beldin.

They spun and faced their new opponents. Vlad, taller than Beldin, went high. The dwarf, with his shorter center of gravity, went low. The two Amazons were unprepared for the attack.

A smoking crater was all that was left of the Amazon shaman. Sebastian landed and folded his wings.

“You are free!” he shouted with a smile.

The villagers screamed in terror at his approach.

Sebastian’s smile turned to a frown.

“Get used to that,” said Kham. “With those wings, I’m not sure we can take you anywhere.”