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

[talien]

Castle Ambrose: Part 2 – The Forest of Doom

Kham lay on the ground.

“So I think I’m in grass now. Are we outside?”

They had managed to close the door behind them. Whatever things were stalking them in the hallway before were not willing to venture beyond.

“Not quite,” said Beldin. Vlad and Beldin’s vision had cleared faster than Kham’s. “We seem to be in some sort of indoor forest. It’s a huge octagon-shaped building with seven domes.”

“That’s interesting.” Kham rolled over, enjoying the feel of sunlight on his skin. “Let’s just wait here until my vision comes back.”

“IF it comes back,” said Vlad.

Kham ignored him. “Describe it to me.”

Beldin looked up. “The domes are nearly a hundred feet high. Looks like they’re made of thick panes of clear glass that let sunlight filter into the garden forest. Lots of trees, plants, grasses, and bushes.”

“I can hear water,” said Kham.

“Yep, a stream,” said Vlad. “There’s a path too.”

They lay there for a long moment in silence.

“Uh, boss?”

“Yeah, Skiz?”

“I couldn’t help but notice that we seem to be moving closer to the trees.”

Kham sat up. “What?”

“Well, I decided to take a look around since you said I’m not paying enough attention. And the trees I saw before are a lot closer. So we’re either moving closer to the trees…”

“Or they’re moving closer to us.” Kham hopped to his feet. “Which way does the path go Skiz?”

“To your right.”

“Run!”

Kham took off at a run, stumbling his way through the haze. His vision was coming back but not well enough for him to make out much more than patterns. Vlad and Beldin were strangely silent.

Kham stopped running. “What happened to Vlad and Beldin?”

“The big guy and the dwarf? Oh, the trees just are trying to eat them.”

“What?!”

“Yeah, the dwarf is putting up a fight. Oooh, he made the tree mad. Looks like he might get away…nope. Just ate him.”

Kham felt a shadow pass over him.

“What the hell was that?”

Skiz swallowed hard. “I think it was some kind of demon.”

Kham dared to hope. He felt a blast of heat and then an explosion reached his ears.

“Looks like it’s helping the other two. Wow, the tree just puked up Beldin.”

There was the sound of beating wings. A figure landed, depositing the dwarf and Milandisian in front of Kham.

“Sebastian!” Kham rubbed his eyes. “Is that you?”

“It is I, I who am I.” Sebastian’s voice was muffled.

Kham blinked, finally able to see. “Why are you wearing that mask?”

 

[talien]

Castle Ambrose: Part 3 – The Billygoat’s Woe

“So, I don’t suppose you know how to get out of here?” asked Kham.

Sebastian, wearing a featureless pallid mask, shook his head. “He flees where queen and prophet meet, where twin suns fall but never set, escapes the tomb of lost Carcosa…”

“You know if you didn’t have the same bat wings and fireballs I wouldn’t be sure it was you under that mask. But it is you, right?”

Sebastian nodded.

“Now what?” grumbled Beldin. He was still grumpy about being eaten by a tree.

“We follow the path, of course!” Kham grinned.

They came to a ten-foot wide wooden bridge that spanned a meandering stream. The path continued across the bridge. On the side of the bridge closest to them was a humanoid with the head and horns of a billy goat.

"Who's that tripping over my bridge?" roared a voice beneath the bridge.

"Oh, it is only I, the tiniest Billy Goat Gruff, and I'm going up to the hillside to make myself fat," said the billy goat, with such a small voice.

"Now, I'm coming to gobble you up," said the thing beneath the bridge.

"Oh, no! Pray don't take me. I'm too little, that I am," said the billy goat. "Wait a bit till the second Billy Goat Gruff comes. He's much bigger."

“You’ve got to be kidding me,” said Vlad.

A deep gruff voice from beneath the bridge answered, “Well, be off with you," said the troll.

The billygoat exited across the bridge.

“This place is ridiculous,” said Kham. “Let’s just cross the bridge.”

Beldin gripped his axe. “It’s a troll.”

“I know it’s a troll,” said Kham. “That doesn’t mean we have to fight it.”

“I’m not going to be bullied by a troll,” said the dwarf. He approached the bridge.

“We could just run right past it. We don’t even know if it’s really a troll. Probably a—“

“Gremlins,” said Sebastian. “They’re everywhere.”

Kham looked at him sideways. “Sure. Gremlins. Maybe it’s gremlins.”

"Who's that tramping over my bridge?" roared the troll.

“It is I, Beldin Soulforge!” said the dwarf, who had an ugly hoarse voice of his own.

Kham slapped his forehead.

"Now I 'm coming to gobble you up," roared the troll.

“Well, come along!” shouted Beldin down at the bridge.

The troll wasn’t hiding under the bridge. Its body unfurled, bent over as it was beneath the bridge. It was huge and monstrously ugly, with teeth the size of Beldin’s body.

“I'll poke your eyeballs out at your ears!” shouted the dwarf. Beldin rolled as a huge claw came down, missing him. He hacked downwards with his axe when he came back up, severing the troll’s hand.

The troll howled.

“I'll crush you to bits, body and bones!” shouted Beldin. The troll hunched over him, maw opened wide. Beldin charged right into the thing’s torso. He knocked it sideways.

Before it could react, a gout of flame consumed it from behind. Sebastian landed on the other side of the bridge, dusting his hands.

Vlad peered over the edge of the bridge. The boiling stream washed the twitching remains of the troll away. “What just happened?”

“It’s a dwarf, troll, bridge thing,” said Kham. “Try not to think about it.”

 

[talien]

Castle Ambrose: Part 4 – The Fountain of Death

In the center of the indoor forest was a circular pool of water. A stream that wandered through the forest fed the pool.

“Beldin,” Kham warned the dwarf, “I don’t care how tempting that chest looks, don’t touch it.”

In the middle of the pool was a fountain shaped like three interlinked gargoyles. The gargoyles sprayed water from their mouths. Embedded at the base of the trio of statues was the lid of a padlocked metal chest.

“It could be important,” said Beldin. “We should open it just to be sure.”

“It’s a trap,” said Kham. “How could it not be a trap? Everything in this place is a trap.”

“Fine.” Beldin crossed his arms. “But I think it’s a mistake.”

“Hey boss!” shouted Skiz, wiggling through the keyhole to the chest. “There’s a silver key in here!”

Kham double-checked his haversack. His pet rat had run over to the fountain during their argument. “Damn it Skiz! Get out of there!”

“But there’s a shiny key in here!”

Slowly, the water rose up to reveal a dripping gray mass of animated slime. It loomed over the chest.

“Skiz,” Kham said slowly. “I want you to listen to me carefully. Back out of the chest. Right now.”

Skiz popped his head out. “What’s that boss?” The rat looked up and froze. Like a wave in slow motion, the slime curled over the chest.

Suddenly, the chest spiraled outwards on a column of water and landed at Beldin’s feet. The dwarf had one hand out, concentrating.

Thwarted, the ooze returned to its eternal slumber in the fountain. Skiz hopped up Kham’s leg and ducked back into the haversack without another word.

Vlad smashed the padlock open. Sure enough, inside was a silver key.

“Remind me to thank Cho Sun for dying,” said Kham.

 

[talien]

Castle Ambrose: Part 5 – The Wild Hunt

“That billy goat looked familiar,” said Vlad.

Kham nodded. “They’re ibixians. Wilfred Gresty and his cult were using them as sacrifices to summon Tizzhet.”

“Didn’t he mention he had brothers?” said Beldin.

Suddenly, a hill to their left burst open and several ibixians riding byakhee flew out of it.

“Get down!” shouted Vlad.

The byakhee swooped overhead, claws clicking as they flew by. The byakhee wheeled about.

“They’re coming for another pass!”

Sebastian rose up, wings spread wide. He muttered a muffled incantation. A ball of flame engulfed the byakhee. In the distance, all of the goat men fell from their mounts, landing on their feet as the byakhee hit the ground.

The leader had the head of a large black goat and his body was covered with black, shaggy hair. His eyes glowed red, and though he had hands, instead of human feet he had goat hooves. The goat man had two blades out, advancing menacingly on Kham.

“I’m going to shoot you in the eyes,” Kham said calmly. He drew two pistols and took careful aim.

Undeterred, the goat man continued to advance.

Both pistols kicked in Kham’s hands. The blasts echoed throughout the indoor forest. Startled birds flew from a flock of trees.

And when the smoke cleared, the ibixian lay on the ground with two smoking craters where its eyes used to be.

 

[talien]

Castle Ambrose: Part 6a – The Throne Room

The walls of the throne room were covered with mosaics depicting courtly scenes. The floor was polished marble. Two thrones sit atop a raised dais. At the east end of the room a red velvet carpet ran from the double doors to the thrones.

“Now this I recognize,” said Kham.

A skeletal figure sat on one of thrones. The skeletons were dressed in rotting velvet. One held a jeweled mace. Twenty more skeletons stood on guard, ten each along the north and south walls.

“I don’t remember skeletons in the play,” said Beldin.

The guards wore rusted armor and carried halberds with rusted blades. Another dozen skeletons, wearing decayed court dress, stood in front of the thrones. The skeletons’ bones were fused by the devastation so that they stood in rigid poses, a courtier bowing, a lady leaning sideways to gossip, and so on.

“You’re right,” said Kham. “This is after the fact.” He looked at Sebastian. “And let me guess. You’re the Stranger, right?”

Sebastian took to the air, huge bat wings flapping. There was a shimmering translucent aura about him.

Kham squinted. It had a vaguely feminine shape. He suddenly understood what Sebastian was trying to tell him: where Queen and Prophet meet. Literally. It was…

”Cassilda!” shouted Kham. “Let him go!”

There was a muffled incantation from behind Sebastian’s mask. Vlad spun and held Grungronazharr before him just as the ball of flames hit.

The blast was dispersed by Vlad’s blade.

“Don’t hurt him!” shouted Kham. “He’s possessed!”

“Now you tell us,” said Beldin. The dwarf had taken the brunt of the blast on his shield, but his beard was still smoking.

Sebastian began to trace another spell.

“I’ve got him!” Vlad drew something from his belt pouch and threw it. It struck Sebastian in the chest, expanding into glob of sticky goo. Sebastian’s wings were stuck to his back. He fell twenty feet to the ground. “Now Kham!”

Kham gathered his mental energy. He had learned the power to focus his mind, oddly enough, when the King in Yellow had first contacted him in the arena in Vestalanium. Now he was using it to defeat Carcosa’s queen.

They engaged in a struggle of wills over Sebastian’s body. And for a brief eternity, Kham understood what happened in the throne room.

 

[talien]

Castle Ambrose: Part 6b – The Throne Room

“I have enfolded Yhtill,” said the King in Yellow, “and the Phantom of Truth is laid.” He spoke more quietly. “Henceforth, the ancient lies will rule as always…” The King turned to Cassilda. “Now. Cassilda!”

Cassilda rose mutely to her knees.

“Thou wert promised a Dynasty by Truth, and in truth shalt thou have a dynasty,” said the King. “The Kingdom of Hastur was first in all the world, and would have ruled the world, except for this: Carcosa did not want it. Hence, thereafter, Hastur and Arcanis divided; but those in Arcanis sent you from Aldebaran the Phantom of Truth and all was lost; together, you forgot the Covenant of the Sign. Now there is much which needs to be undone.”

“How, King?” Naotabla asked faintly. “How?

“Henceforth, Hastur and Arcanis will be divided forever. Forever shalt thou contend for mastery, and strive in bitter blood to claim which shall be uppermost: flesh or phantom, black or white. In due course of starwheels, this strife will come to issue; but not now; oh, no, not now.”

“And—until then?” whispered Cassilda.

“Until then, Carcosa will vanish; but my rule, I tell you now, is permanent, despite Aldebaran. Be warned. Also be promised: He who triumphs in this war shall be my—can I be honest?—inheritor, and so shall have the Dynasty back. But think: Already you own the world. The great query is: Can you rule it? The query is the gift. The King in Yellow gives it in your hands, to hold … or to let loose. Choose, terrible children.”

“You are King, and are most gracious,” said Naotalba faintly. “We thank you.”

“YOU thank ME?” The King drew himself up, indignant. “I am the living god! Bethink thyself, priest. There is a price, I have not as yet stated the half of it.”

Everyone waited, petrified.

“The price is: The fixing of the Mask.”

Silence.

“You do not understand me,” said the King. “I will explain it once and then no more. Hastur, you acceded to, and wore, the Pallid Mask. That is the price. Henceforth, all in Hastur shall wear the Mask, and by this sign be known. And war between the masked men and the naked shall be perpetual and bloody, until I come again … or fail to come.”

Noatalba started to his knees. “Unfair, unfair! It was Arcanis invented the Pallid Mask! Aldones—“

“Why should I be fair? I am the living god. As for Aldones, he is the father of you all. That is the price: the fixing of the mask.”

“Not upon us, oh King!” Camilla wept bitterly. “Not upon us!

“Yhtill! Yhtill! Yhtill!” shouted the King.

The Hyades and Carcosa were once more visible over the balcony rail. The mass of corruption that had been the Stranger rose slowly and uncertainly. A child ran out from the crowd, and seized the Stranger by one mushy hand, leading him shambling out across the balcony. There was a low, composite moan as they left.

“Not upon us!” Cassilda stood and threw her arms wide. “Not upon us!”

“What?!” asked the King. “Do you think to be human still?”

“Now we shall…” began Naotalba.

The King suddenly pointed at him. “You desired the commencement of a new age; I say unto you that I am the new age. My reign has begun, but what need have I for priests when the eternal dead may serve me? Where has your irrationality and certitude brought you? Begone!”

The King spread his arms for but a moment. Naotalba screamed and dusty rose from his body, leaving his skeleton in mid-gesture.

The King turned to Cassilda. “You desired survival; I say unto you only that you have survived.”

“I have survived all of my children,” Cassilda said bitterly.

“Was that not your desire? To survive? Or did I misunderstand?”

“But not like this! You’ve taken my children…”

“Not I,” interrupted the King. “See where your conciliation and indifference have brought you?”

“…but I shall not surrender,” Cassilda said defiantly. “I shall never surrender. Aldones may still live. He shall be the last king.”

“Aldones was the FIRST king. I am the Last King.”

“I shall not abdicate.”

“You already have.”

A pause.

“Have you conquered Hastur then?” asked Cassilda in a small voice.

“I AM Hastur. I have reclaimed Hastur from its human infestation. The parasites who continue to live here do so at my sufferance.”

“Is there nothing else?”

“How can you deny it?”

Cassilda was frantic. “But surely Carcosa is your city, not Hastur.”

“But now, this IS Carcosa, for the doom of Carcosa is visited upon you all.” The King spread his arms wide.

“Not upon us, oh King!” shrieked Cassilda. “Not upon us!”

Then her flesh turned to dust.

 

[talien]

Castle Ambrose: Part 7 – Card Room

“Thank you,” was all Sebastian said.

Kham rose to his feet. The effort to blast Camilla from Sebastian’s body had nearly collapsed him. “It’s a scary place inside your head.”

“You don’t know the half of it,” came the muffled reply. “Are you sure you still want to see this room? It holds a fated deck of cards. When I turned the card, it did…not go well.”

Beldin pushed open the door. “I want to see what fate will deal me.”

Vlad agreed and entered behind him.

Kham shrugged. “I’m done with games of chance, especially in this place.”

The walls of the room were wood paneled and a plush carpet covered the floor. A number of card tables and wooden chairs were scattered around the room. Sitting behind a table in the middle of the room was a matronly woman dressed like a gypsy. On the table in front of her were ten cards, face down. The cards were arranged in two rows of five cards each.

As soon as the door opened, the woman said, “Welcome, come in, come in. The cards know all. The cards see all. Make yourselves comfortable. Who’ll be the first to choose a card? Pick a card, any card.”

Beldin sat down in front of the woman. He jutted his lower lip out while he considered which card to pick. Then he drew one and looked at it.

“The Queen of Cups,” said the woman.

A queenly figure stood holding a cup her right hand, a scepter in her left. As Beldin stared at the card, a goblet appeared on the table.

“This magic cup will grow warm when someone tells its holder a lie,” said the woman.

“That’ll come in handy,” said Beldin. He took the goblet.

Vlad eagerly replaced Beldin at the table. It didn’t take long for him to choose…he was staring over Beldin’s shoulder when the dwarf was picking his card. Vlad drew his own card.

“The Juggler,” said the woman.

A man in a wide-brimmed hat stood in front of various objects placed at random on a table. The man pointed a wand in his right hand toward the sky while pointing with his left hand toward the ground.

A small ring appeared on the table.

Vlad looked down at it. “That’s it? Just a ring?”

“That is no ordinary ring. It stores spells. Use it wisely.”

“Are you sure you don’t want to pick a card?” Vlad turned to Kham as he put the ring on. “We seem to be having some good luck.”

Kham refused to enter the room. “You forgot how I got Fleshripper? You’d better hope that ring doesn’t turn out to be cursed.”

When Vlad turned back to address the woman, she and her cards were gone.

 

[talien]

Castle Ambrose: Part 8 – The Blue Room

The walls and ceiling of the room they entered were painted blue. The floor was covered with an azure colored carpet. The incense of cedar, saffron, and ambergris filled the room. Miscellaneous furniture, all dyed blue, was scattered about the room.

“I’m sensing a pattern here,” said Kham.

A hulking blue humanoid, trailing cold mist from its jagged maw, advanced on them.

“What the hell is that?” asked Vlad.

“I don’t know, but it’s going to be sorry it tangled with us,” said Beldin.

The room was freezing. The creature reared back and took a deep breath.

“Behind me!” shouted Beldin.

Sebastian and Vlad ducked behind Beldin. A blast of icy cold air covered much of the furniture with rime.

“Ha!” Beldin charged forward as Vlad looped around the creature’s right side. “This shield is made of ignium!” He hacked at the beast and chips of ice flew from it. “Forged it myself!”

“I think this is some form of elemental,” said Sebastian. Vlad struck it from the opposite side.

Enraged, the elemental turned and unleashed another blast of frost, trailing Vlad as he dove over a blue chair.

Sebastian pointed and searing rays danced from his fingertips, singing the thing. Pirouettes of steam trailed from its wounds.

Beldin blocked a rake of the elemental’s claws and retaliated with Windcutter, chipping deeply into the beast’s shoulder. It hissed in the dwarf’s face, freezing pieces of his beard.

Vlad came back around and struck at its head while Beldin struck low. The creature suddenly froze in place. Blue light leaked out from a spider web of cracks that latticed the elemental’s form.

“Uh…is it supposed to do that?”

“Get behind me!” shouted Beldin.

They hunkered down behind the shield. Ice exploded outwards, splintering wood and skewering the walls with deadly icicles.

Vlad looked around. “Where’s Kham?”

 

[talien]

Castle Ambrose: Part 9a – The Green Room

Kham skidded into yet another colored room, this one painted green. An emerald-colored carpet covered the floor. The scent of sandlewood, roses and musk filled the room.

A giant man stood in the center of the room. His body was brawny as any can be, so bull-necked, big-thighed, bulky and square, so long-legged, large-limbed, looming so tall. Kham wasn’t sure if he was half-troll or merely as large as living man could be -- a handsome one too

“Don’t tell me,” said Kham. “This is the green room.”

The giant was dressed in green from head to toe: a tunic worn tight, tucked to his ribs; and a rich cloak cast over it, covered inside with a fine fur lining, fitted and sewn with ermine trim that stood out in contrast from his hair where his hood lay folded flat; and handsome hose of the same green hue which clung to his calves, with clustered spurs of bright gold; beneath them striped embroidered silk above his bare shanks. His clothes were all kindled with a clear light like emeralds: His belt buckles sparkled, and bright stones were set in rich rows arranged up and down himself. Worked in the silk were too many trifles to tell the half of: embroidered birds, butterflies, and other things in a gaudy glory of green and inlaid gold.

"It is not my purpose to pass any time in this place,” said the green knight. “But I have been told that this court and castle are accounted the finest. True knighthood is known here, or so the tale runs, which is why I am here.”

“I think you’ve got the wrong guy,” said Kham. “I’m no knight. And from the looks of it, neither are you.”

The hair on the giant’s head fanned out freely enfolding his shoulders, and his beard hung below as big as a bush, all mixed with the marvelous mane on his head, which was cut off in curls cascading to his elbows, wrapping round the rest of him like a king's cape clasped to his neck.

“You may be sure by this branch that I bear that I come in peace, with no plans for battle. I have a hauberk at home, and a helmet too, and other weapons I know well how to wield. Yet as war is not my wish I am wearing soft silk, but, if you wish to pass, you will be glad to grant me the game that is mine by right."

The giant held in one hand a sprig of holly that bursts out greenest when branches are bare; and his other hand hefted a huge and awful axe, a broad battleaxe with a bit to tell with a large head four feet long: the green steel down the grain etched with gold, its broad edge burnished and bright, shaped razor-sharp to sheer through steel, and held high on a heavy staff which was bound at the base with iron bands gracefully engraved in bright green patterns. A strap was strung through the steel head, running loop after loop down the length of the handle, which was tied with tassels in abundance, attaching by rich braids onto bright green buttons.

Kham looked over his shoulder. “I really don’t have time…”

"Do you have what it takes," said the giant, "to stand your ground, giving stroke for stroke? Here! I shall give you this gilded blade as my gift; this heavy axe shall be yours, to handle as you like, and I shall stand here bare of armor, and brave the first blow.”

Kham swigged a potion and disappeared. “How about you deal with him first, courtesy of the white room.”

The green giant looked surprised as a white, multi-limbed lizard slithered in from the adjacent room.

 

[talien]

Castle Ambrose: Part 9b – The Green Room

Vlad, Sebastian, and Beldin entered the room just in time to see the green giant dispatch the frost salamander.

“If you’re tough enough to try out my game, come here quickly and claim the weapon!” exclaimed the giant. “I give up all rights; he will get it for keeps.”

Beldin and Vlad looked at each other in disbelief.

"Hah! Where have your pride and your power gone, your bragging boasts, your big words? Your little invisible friend still tries to circumvent me, but it will do no good!”

He let out a laugh so loud that Vlad winced with shame; the blood shot to his flushed face and churned with rage and raised a storm until his heart burned.

"Look here, have you lost your mind?” asked Vlad. “Hand me that axe -- I will grant you the gift you beg me to give!"

Vlad lifted the axe from the giant’s hand.

The giant advanced while Vlad held the axe, both hands on the haft, hefted it sternly, considered his stroke. That burly giant bulked big and tall, a head higher than Vlad. He stood there hard-faced, stroking his beard, impassively watching as he pulled off his coat, no more moved or dismayed by his mighty swings than anybody would be if somebody brought him a bottle of wine.

Beldin put one hand out. “Wait. This is a giant. He’s offering an axe. Give it to me.”

Vlad handed the axe to the dwarf.

Beldin went to the giant, weapon in hand, not the least bit bashful, as bold as could be.

Then the green giant said to Beldin, "We should go over our agreement before we begin. First, dwarf, I would know your name, told truly as one I can trust."

"My name is Beldin Soulforge," he said, "I give it in good faith, as I will give you a blow and bear what comes after."

"Beldin: good. I derive great pleasure from the stroke your hardy hands will drive. Take up the grim tool you need, and show me how you chop."

"Gladly, sir," said Beldin, "Indeed,” and gave the axe a strop.

The green giant drew a smaller sword and faced Beldin down. With a roar, he swung at Beldin’s head.

The dwarf rolled and blocked the blow with the axe. He ducked and weaved, each shattering blow of the giant’s blade barely missing him. Finally, Beldin waited until the giant, exhausted, overextended himself with a particularly forceful blow.

His head low to the ground, Beldin held the axe high overhead, his left foot set before him on the floor, and swung swiftly at the soft flesh so the bit of the blade broke through the bones, crashed through the clear fat and cut it in two, and the brightly burnished edge bit into the earth.

The handsome head fell, hit the ground, and rolled forward. The red blood burst bright from the green body.

“That only took forever,” came Kham’s voice. Then the door opened behind the giant’s headless body.