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<blockquote data-quote="Lazybones" data-source="post: 7504010" data-attributes="member: 143"><p>Chapter 213</p><p></p><p>“They’re ready for you.”</p><p></p><p>Bredan looked up to see Darik standing in the open doorway of his room. The dwarf wore a new breastplate and looked resplendent in a fur-lined cloak and boots.</p><p></p><p>Bredan rose, a bit awkwardly due to the still-unfamiliar weight of his own armor. The dwarves had gifted him with a suit of plate armor, made of layered steel plates over a coat of fine mail links. He knew that the suit had been altered to fit him—there had not been enough time since his arrival to create a custom suit—yet such was the dwarves’ workmanship that it fit him like a second skin. They told him that it was infused with magic that would augment the protection that it provided.</p><p></p><p>“It suits you,” Darik said as they made their way out into the foyer that connected the sleeping rooms of their guest suite. Quellan and Xeeta were already there waiting for him. “Don’t you look imposing,” Xeeta said. She too had been provided with new garments fit precisely to her unusual figure, decorated with silver thread and buckles of polished electrum, while Quellan’s battered half-plate had been restored to an almost glowing finish.</p><p></p><p>“We’ve come a long way,” the cleric said as Darik escorted them out.</p><p></p><p>There were other guards in the outer hall who fell into formation around them as they set out into the complex. Bredan could forgive them the excess of caution. There had been no sign of the trolls since the failure of the attack on the temple, but the brazen nature of the assault had left the dwarves of Ironcrest jumpy and wary. But the camps in the tunnels outside the Darkfall Gate had been completely abandoned, without even a stray straggler to be found lurking in the deep passages.</p><p></p><p>They made their way up to the tier that held the Temple. Konstantin and Dergan were waiting for them there, along with another half-dozen armed guards. “Are you ready?” the Arreshian wizard asked.</p><p></p><p>“As ready as I’ll ever be,” Bredan replied.</p><p></p><p>They made their way into the Temple, with two of their escorts moving ahead to pull open the newly-restored doors. The interior had changed since the battle. The scattered pews had been stacked along the walls, and the bloodstains had all been cleared away. But the floor still sagged in the center where the sinkhole had been, and there was just a faint hint of something in the air, a hint of death that all of the cleaner and scrubbing could not fully erase.</p><p></p><p>In Akhenon’s quarters they found more guards waiting for them, along with a delegation of senior dwarves from the Council. The elders offered polite greetings to their guests, then withdrew to the back of the room to observe the proceedings.</p><p></p><p>In the absence of the high priest of Hosrenu, Goran Thunderhammer was present to supervise the ritual. Once Dergan had used a mechanical key to operate the preliminary locks the cleric stepped forward. Lifting his holy symbol, he made a number of passes over the round door of the vault. The steel began to glow, and after a minute they could all hear a series of loud metallic clicks. That was only the penultimate stage, as Dergan collected a second key from one of the elders that slid through a tiny slot deep into the substance of the door. When that one had been turned the thick portal began to swing open on recessed hinges. Goran immediately stepped through into the interior. Dergan started to follow him, but paused in the entry.</p><p></p><p>“No dwarf has passed through this opening in five hundred years,” the dwarf said. He allowed a small smile to crease his otherwise serious mien as he gestured their guests forward.</p><p></p><p>The interior of the vault was not spacious. There was a narrow central corridor that extended maybe fifteen feet in and two side-alcoves that were packed with armored niches. While there were a number of open shelves stacked with a variety of containers, most of the sub-vaults were warded by flat steel doors that themselves looked quite able to withstand determined assault. Dergan immediately stepped over to one of those and produced still another key, which he used to operate the lock. The door swung open to reveal a small compartment that contained a metal box maybe eight inches on a side. This one had only a simple latch, which the dwarf worked before holding the box open for the others to examine.</p><p></p><p>“The key,” Konstantin said. “It certainly looks impressive.”</p><p></p><p>The key was made of a metal that looked like gold, though it had a buff finish that absorbed light rather than reflected it. It was complex, the central shaft surrounded by a web of interlocked geometries that were intricate enough that one might look at it for hours without fully understanding how they fit together.</p><p></p><p>Dergan closed the box and offered it to Konstantin. “I would suggest that you keep it sealed in the box until you reach Severon,” he said. “The container is shielded against magical detection.”</p><p></p><p>“A wise precaution,” Konstantin said. He offered a bow as he tucked the box under his arm.</p><p></p><p>Goran, meanwhile, had returned from deeper in the vault carrying an armload of books. “These contain all of our lore regarding the Elderlore Libram,” he said. He offered the books to Quellan, who respectfully accepted them.</p><p></p><p>“Thank you again, Representative Steelshield,” Konstantin said.</p><p></p><p>Dergan gestured for them to return to the outer chamber, but as they started to exit he forestalled Bredan with a hand on his elbow. “A moment, if you will, Bredan,” he said.</p><p></p><p>The others noticed the exchange but let themselves be led out. “So, will you be supervising the Temple until another high priest is consecrated?” Quellan asked Goran as they departed.</p><p></p><p>Once they were beyond the heavy door Dergan took Bredan to the back of the vault, to a dusty corner where a heavy tarp covered a protruding shelf. “There is something I thought you should see,” the dwarf said portentously.</p><p></p><p>Bredan said nothing, he just waited as the dwarf took hold of the tarp and pulled it clear. Dergan looked at him to gauge his reaction.</p><p></p><p>“It makes sense, in hindsight,” Bredan said. He bent over the stone tablet and traced its outline with a finger, finally setting on the words etched into the surface.</p><p></p><p><em>Bredan Karras. Crosspath,</em> they read.</p><p></p><p>“Do the elves also have a copy of the Revelations Tablet?” he asked.</p><p></p><p>“If they made one, it was done without our knowledge,” Dergan said. “We relied solely on our own resources to manufacture this one.”</p><p></p><p>“Do <em>you</em> have any idea why I was chosen?” Bredan asked.</p><p></p><p>“If you had asked me a few days ago, I would have said that I had no idea,” Dergan said. “But now… the idea that you may hold some special destiny makes sense to me.”</p><p></p><p>“Thank you for sharing this with me,” Bredan said.</p><p></p><p>The dwarf nodded, then led him back out into the outer room to rejoin the others.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Lazybones, post: 7504010, member: 143"] Chapter 213 “They’re ready for you.” Bredan looked up to see Darik standing in the open doorway of his room. The dwarf wore a new breastplate and looked resplendent in a fur-lined cloak and boots. Bredan rose, a bit awkwardly due to the still-unfamiliar weight of his own armor. The dwarves had gifted him with a suit of plate armor, made of layered steel plates over a coat of fine mail links. He knew that the suit had been altered to fit him—there had not been enough time since his arrival to create a custom suit—yet such was the dwarves’ workmanship that it fit him like a second skin. They told him that it was infused with magic that would augment the protection that it provided. “It suits you,” Darik said as they made their way out into the foyer that connected the sleeping rooms of their guest suite. Quellan and Xeeta were already there waiting for him. “Don’t you look imposing,” Xeeta said. She too had been provided with new garments fit precisely to her unusual figure, decorated with silver thread and buckles of polished electrum, while Quellan’s battered half-plate had been restored to an almost glowing finish. “We’ve come a long way,” the cleric said as Darik escorted them out. There were other guards in the outer hall who fell into formation around them as they set out into the complex. Bredan could forgive them the excess of caution. There had been no sign of the trolls since the failure of the attack on the temple, but the brazen nature of the assault had left the dwarves of Ironcrest jumpy and wary. But the camps in the tunnels outside the Darkfall Gate had been completely abandoned, without even a stray straggler to be found lurking in the deep passages. They made their way up to the tier that held the Temple. Konstantin and Dergan were waiting for them there, along with another half-dozen armed guards. “Are you ready?” the Arreshian wizard asked. “As ready as I’ll ever be,” Bredan replied. They made their way into the Temple, with two of their escorts moving ahead to pull open the newly-restored doors. The interior had changed since the battle. The scattered pews had been stacked along the walls, and the bloodstains had all been cleared away. But the floor still sagged in the center where the sinkhole had been, and there was just a faint hint of something in the air, a hint of death that all of the cleaner and scrubbing could not fully erase. In Akhenon’s quarters they found more guards waiting for them, along with a delegation of senior dwarves from the Council. The elders offered polite greetings to their guests, then withdrew to the back of the room to observe the proceedings. In the absence of the high priest of Hosrenu, Goran Thunderhammer was present to supervise the ritual. Once Dergan had used a mechanical key to operate the preliminary locks the cleric stepped forward. Lifting his holy symbol, he made a number of passes over the round door of the vault. The steel began to glow, and after a minute they could all hear a series of loud metallic clicks. That was only the penultimate stage, as Dergan collected a second key from one of the elders that slid through a tiny slot deep into the substance of the door. When that one had been turned the thick portal began to swing open on recessed hinges. Goran immediately stepped through into the interior. Dergan started to follow him, but paused in the entry. “No dwarf has passed through this opening in five hundred years,” the dwarf said. He allowed a small smile to crease his otherwise serious mien as he gestured their guests forward. The interior of the vault was not spacious. There was a narrow central corridor that extended maybe fifteen feet in and two side-alcoves that were packed with armored niches. While there were a number of open shelves stacked with a variety of containers, most of the sub-vaults were warded by flat steel doors that themselves looked quite able to withstand determined assault. Dergan immediately stepped over to one of those and produced still another key, which he used to operate the lock. The door swung open to reveal a small compartment that contained a metal box maybe eight inches on a side. This one had only a simple latch, which the dwarf worked before holding the box open for the others to examine. “The key,” Konstantin said. “It certainly looks impressive.” The key was made of a metal that looked like gold, though it had a buff finish that absorbed light rather than reflected it. It was complex, the central shaft surrounded by a web of interlocked geometries that were intricate enough that one might look at it for hours without fully understanding how they fit together. Dergan closed the box and offered it to Konstantin. “I would suggest that you keep it sealed in the box until you reach Severon,” he said. “The container is shielded against magical detection.” “A wise precaution,” Konstantin said. He offered a bow as he tucked the box under his arm. Goran, meanwhile, had returned from deeper in the vault carrying an armload of books. “These contain all of our lore regarding the Elderlore Libram,” he said. He offered the books to Quellan, who respectfully accepted them. “Thank you again, Representative Steelshield,” Konstantin said. Dergan gestured for them to return to the outer chamber, but as they started to exit he forestalled Bredan with a hand on his elbow. “A moment, if you will, Bredan,” he said. The others noticed the exchange but let themselves be led out. “So, will you be supervising the Temple until another high priest is consecrated?” Quellan asked Goran as they departed. Once they were beyond the heavy door Dergan took Bredan to the back of the vault, to a dusty corner where a heavy tarp covered a protruding shelf. “There is something I thought you should see,” the dwarf said portentously. Bredan said nothing, he just waited as the dwarf took hold of the tarp and pulled it clear. Dergan looked at him to gauge his reaction. “It makes sense, in hindsight,” Bredan said. He bent over the stone tablet and traced its outline with a finger, finally setting on the words etched into the surface. [i]Bredan Karras. Crosspath,[/i] they read. “Do the elves also have a copy of the Revelations Tablet?” he asked. “If they made one, it was done without our knowledge,” Dergan said. “We relied solely on our own resources to manufacture this one.” “Do [i]you[/i] have any idea why I was chosen?” Bredan asked. “If you had asked me a few days ago, I would have said that I had no idea,” Dergan said. “But now… the idea that you may hold some special destiny makes sense to me.” “Thank you for sharing this with me,” Bredan said. The dwarf nodded, then led him back out into the outer room to rejoin the others. [/QUOTE]
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