Upgrade your account to a Community Supporter account and remove most of the site ads.
Rocket your D&D 5E and Level Up: Advanced 5E games into space! Alpha Star Magazine Is Launching... Right Now!

Reply to thread

Message: <blockquote data-quote="maddman75" data-source="post: 2049999" data-attributes="member: 2673">Journey into the Mountain of FiremaddmanIt was a bright and cheerful Tuesday morning when our group arrived at the Gentleman Explorer's Society.  This was an ancient institution, dedicated some five hundred years ago to exploring the unusual and unexplained in the world.  Though it was called the 'Gentleman' Explorer's Society, these days there were female members as well.  The club's founding was made in less enlightened times, but tradition keeps the old name.It is fortunate for us, because one of our members is a young lady, and quite talented.  Cherish is quite knowledgeable about the natural world and its spiritual properties, having been raised by African Bushmen after a lion mauled her parents while on safari.  I had met her during one of my expeditions to try and find the Lost City of Klathu, when I was beset by an army of angry baboons.  This young girl made a few gestures and grunts at them and the beasts left me be.  I led her back to England to join the society and we've been fast friends ever since.Some readers may doubt the veracity of my claims about Cherish's powers.  They should likely abandon this tale before I get to Klaus.  He was the victim of a Nazi experiment in the second world war, where the Third Reich was attempting to understand genetics and how they determined one's form.  He has the ability to transform himself into any manner of beast, or even Chimeric combinantions of part one thing, part another.  It has been a talent that has gotten him out of many rough spots before!And the last of our merry band of explorers would be myself, Adrian Crown.  I've no special gifts like my two friends Cherish and Klaus I'm afraid.  Just my pistol and skills as a pilot to get us where we're going.  Its been said that of our team, Cherish is the heart, Klaus is the brains, and I'm the brawn.  In any case, we walked up to the Society, eager to see what new missions the Elders may have cooked up for us.  The guards still wore their <a href="http://www.enworld.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=18790" target="_blank">traditional uniforms</a>, and Cherish can't help but giggle a little when she goes in.  Every time.  You'd think the joke would get old after awhile, but for the young everything always seems so fresh.We entered the lush common room, where explorers of all varieties and nationalities sat reclined in rich leather funiture, sipping scotch, and in deep conversation about archeology across the globe.  I went up to Edward, the venerable Chairman who told us what was what.  "Hello Edward - I got your telegram.  What's the big mission?"The stoic man cleared his throat and dropped a <a href="http://www.enworld.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=18787" target="_blank">photograph</a> onto the table.  "This is Dr. David Thorpe, an associate of the Society.  He's been studying the ruins at the base of the Manahana volcano in the South Pacific.  He'd sent a telegram indicating that he'd discovered the tomb of King Yellani, something that scientists had been searching out for ages.  He'd said he was worried that the volcano may become active before he could study the tomb.  I'd like your team to travel to the South Pacific to find Dr. Thorpe and see these ruins for yourself."I took his maps and the photograph with a grin.  "Travel halfway around the world to find a missing professor inside a tomb at the base of an active volcano.  And I thought you were going to ask me something hard!"  Cherish giggles, and Klaus gave me a reprimanding look.  "I'll get the plane ready to go and plot our course.  Klaus, I'm used to hunting down lost treasures, not people.  Maybe you should talk with Fritz before we leave?""Excellent idea, Adrian.  I'll meet you back at the airport tonight!"  Fritz was a good friend of Klaus's, and had been part of the same experiments.  Fritz liked to play around with his powers, and the normally reserved Klaus would get in on the act with him.  I was glad I managed to <a href="http://www.enworld.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=18786" target="_blank">snap a picture</a> they day the two of them put on dog heads and started chasing birds in the park!  I don't think I'll ever let Klaus live that one down.We got together later that night.  The plane was ready to go, Cherish had our bags packed, and Klaus had some good ideas from his buddy at Scotland Yard.  Fritz had suggested that Klaus don a bloodhound head as he had that day in the park.  He could then track the professor down like a bloodhound!The plane took off, travelling from country to country until finally we set down in a field a small distance from Mt. Manahana.  Dr. Thorpe's camp was there, but no sign of the good professor.  Klaus gave some of the man's clothes a good sniffing, and immediately led us toward the volcano.  We soon arrived at the base of the volcano right on the beach.  The trail led right behind a large boulder, there was no way we could move it.  Klaus thought maybe the professor was caught in a cave-in, but the bare footprints in the sand told a different story.  I was guessing that this is the entrance to the tomb and someone had trapped the professor inside.  We had to find a way around that boulder.Cherish went over to the beach as sat down, pulling some bread out of her pack.  "If you're going to ask a favor, you have to do a favor first." she explained.  In no time at all, several birds <a href="http://www.enworld.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=18788" target="_blank">landed in a circle</a> around her.  She gave them each a bit of the bread, and looked them in the eye and made gentle chirping sounds.  Suddenly the entire flock took off and landed up the slope.  She started scampering up after the birds, with me and Klaus right behind her warning her to be careful.  Once we got up on the slope, we could see that the birds had landed on a small shaft that was not visible from the beach.  We had found a passage into the tomb!I struck up a torch and we climbed down the passage to the ancient tomb.  There were carvings and inscriptions all along the walls.  It was pretty dark, but we could see that the passage led up to a large room that was lit, and we could hear and eerie chanting from there as well.  We slowly progressed forward, anxious to see what was happening in the torchlight up ahead.It was a terrible sight.  I spotted Dr. Thorpe right away.  He was tied up on some kind of altar, right next to a skeleton!  A woman with a dark red robe on stood over him with a knife in hand while half a dozen people in black robes were doing the chanting.  Her voice rose to a crescendo in the rough-cut stone room, "King Yellani, Lord of Darkness, return to your people to crush your enemies and all defilers!"I cried out - "I don't think so, sister!" and fired a single shot from my pistol, knocking the dagger from her hand.  The cult members turned on us with murder in their eyes.  But Klaus had other plans for them.  He rumbled past me in the form of a huge bear, and started batting the cultists down like flies.The Woman In Red was furious that her little sacrifice was so rudely interrupted.  She uttered a dark and obscene sounding word and gestured toward Cherish.  The most bizzare thing happened next - I don't blame me if you don't believe this one.  I wouldn't believe it either except I saw it with my own eyes.  Cherish sort of split, like a reflection pulled itself out of her body.  First her arms, then her head and torso, and her ponytail last of all.  <a href="http://www.enworld.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=18789" target="_blank">A perfect match, </a>right down to the braces.  Her new twin was not as funloving as our Cherish, and wrapped its hands around her throat!  The two of them went down and started wrestling, the young girl fighting for her life.  I had my pistol out, but there was no way for me to tell which was the good Cherish and which was the evil one!I turned toward the cult leader.  Maybe I could break her hex or whatever it is to save Cherish!  She'd ducked behind the altar and was digging for her dagger.  I ran across the room, decked one of the cult members who thought he'd stop me.  I got across the altar and put my gun in her face.  "Don't even think about it!"  She wisely dropped the dagger.  "Now take that hex off of Cherish!"  With a gesture, the magics faded and the evil Cherish was gone forever.Klaus had herded the cultists into a corner, and I gestured their leader to join them.  I cut Dr. Thorpe free while Cherish tied the cultists up.  Dr. Thorpe quickly explained what happened.  He was exploring the tomb when the cult jumped him.  They'd been searching for it for ages, and revered Yellani as some kind of dark god.  They planned to sacrifice Thorpe to bring the old King back to life."The cult leader was furious.  She cried out "Yellani needs blood to form new life, and blood he shall have!  She started chanting in indescipherable gibberish, while the cultists surrounded here.  Klaus started digging into find her, but it was too little too late.  We felt a deep rumble under our feet - the volcano was going to erupt!We decided to leave the cult to its own devices and headed toward the entrance.  A huge rumble shook the entire corridor, and a look over my shoulder showed a river of lava heading right towards us.  Klaus said "There's no way we'll get up the shaft in time - we'll have to move that boulder!"  He shifted forms into a huge bull, lowered his head, and charged full tilt right into the boulder that blocked his way.  It was just enough, and the way was clear.  We all jumped up to high ground while Klaus changed into a bird.We made our way back to the plane to return Dr. Thorpe to England.  "I'm ever so grateful to you and your group Adrian.  Its just so frustrating that I finally found the tomb of Yellani, but don't have anything to show for it."Cherish pulled up her pack and said "while Klaus was wrestling with those cult guys I stuffed these old papers in my pack.  Will they help you out Professor?"Dr. Thorpe looked at the ancient parchments and his eyes widened with excitement.  "My dear girl, these are the Scrolls of the Afterlife, detailing the religious beliefs of Yellani's people!  They are a most valuable piece of history.  I can't thank you enough."I smiled at the two of them.  "Hey, we keep her around for a reason.  Now let's get back home!"</blockquote>

Verification