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Message: <blockquote data-quote="talien" data-source="post: 4767401" data-attributes="member: 3285">Secret of Semar: PrologueKham 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.</blockquote>

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