OT pimping (Just think of it as a bribe before the update): The website formerly known as the House of Arwink has now become the
Clockwork Golem Workshop, a home for D20 stuff resulting from a collaboration between myself and Khynal (who is much nastier and more devious than I). Our first co-created work, the Stone-soul Gargoyle, went up today so go check it out
And in return for sitting through that, here's an update...
Saturday, August 26th, 508 AF, continued
The statue moves aside and the three adventurers hurry through to the passage beyond. The air in the passage is humid, and the stones are slick beneath their feet. Geoffrey lights a sunrod and they press forward, following the upward curve of the stone.
After a few minutes walking, they hear a soft song echoing down the passageway. The voice is feminine, and the tune has a lilting, begging tone to it that seems to curl into the hearts and mind of the listeners. Halgo, in particular, finds himself drawn to the words of the sing, his eyes misting over and his mouth twisting into a dazed smile. Geoffrey and Thrash both look at him, Geoffrey frowning with concern.
"Try not to listen," the cleric tells Thrash. "That doesn't look good."
Thrash nods mutely, his grip on his flail tightening until his knuckles go white.
The tunnel twists and turns for several hundred feet, and eventually a dull roar can be heard accompanying the lilting song echoing down the passage.
Eventually the passage spills out into a large chamber, clouds of mist obscuring vision. The dull roar becomes thunderous, and a waterfall of luminscent water spills down from the ceiling the chambers centre - feeding into an underground lake. The strange song seems to echo in the chamber, louder even than the roar of the waterfall, and Halgo takes a few involuntary steps towards the edge of the lack before Thrash puts a hand on his shoulder to steady him.
"Hello?" the ranger calls out.
The singing drops, settling into a mute hum, and a shadowy shape suddenly approaches through the layers of mist. Halgo smiles gleefully, while Geoffrey and Thrash hold weapons at the ready, prepared for anything.
Except the naked woman whose form comes into focus. She stands a little over five foot, her frame lithe and pale. A silver anklet gleaps from her right foot, but there is nothing else between her privates and the world but some tastefully arranged hair. So stunned by her sudden appearance are the three adventurers that it takes a few moments for them to notice she's walking along the surface of the water.
"Wow," Thrash mutters as she steps close. "Neat trick."
The woman doesn't say anything for a moment, simply observes while she murmers her song softly.
"More strangers," she says eventually, her words mingling with the notes of her song. "So long alone, and now more strangers have come. Come, you must sit and talk with me. It has been so long, and I have been lonely."
She gestures to a trio of stones by the edge of the lake, and smiles widely. Halgo returns her smile, entranced by the radiance of her beauty, while Geoffrey and Thrash attempt to suppress a shudder at her mouth of sharp, carnivors teeth.