Reply to thread

Message: <blockquote data-quote="ReeboKesh" data-source="post: 2934345" data-attributes="member: 40101">Thursday, March 27th, 603 AR“The Clockwork Temple”A child asked me once if being stabbed with a sword hurt. I replied that it did, very much so. He then mused that dying must really hurt a lot. How wrong that child was. Death itself doesn’t hurt at all, its what causes your death that can hurt. How do I know? Well yesterday, I died.We left the relative safety of the two towers in the morning and continued our waterborne journey up river. Eventually we stumbled upon another steamboat, much like our own, except this one had been attacked and was partially sunk. The good Father Darius and I decided to investigate the boat. We found no signs of life, but much bloodstains and deep gouge marks. The crew was certainly dead or worse. In a locked long wooden case I discovered a dozen bullets but no rifle to go with the bullets and case. We left the boat and continued on.It was not much longer until we encountered the creatures responsible for the sinking of the other ship. A large sharpened log swung out from a low hanging bayou tree and crashed into our paddle wheel, stopping The Fortune dead in the water. Several reptilian humanoids suddenly sprang up from the banks of the river and rushed across the log. They possessed alligator-like features and stood over 7ft in height despite their stooped posture. Naturally we reacted to defend ourselves and protect The Fortune, a battle ensued. During the fight Yama Khan’s use of the Flaming Sphere spell kept the ‘Gator-Men’ at bay. I utilized my new theory that I should not rely so much on my pistols and spells but whatever I had at hand. In this particular case I drew forth a vial of acid from my long coat and tossed it into the face of one of the ‘Gator-Men’. He withdrew back into the swamp taking one of his injured companions with him. After the battle Damien brought to my attention one of the ‘Gator-Men’ weapons, a crude merging of wood, vine and sharpened metal plates. The temple of Cyriss must be close I thought, the ‘Gator-Men’ could never obtain such a worked piece of iron so far from civilization.Captain Squint informed us that the ship's repairs would take some time but once they were done he would be returning to Corvis, with or without us. We had a handful of hours at best. Tarrying not, we gathered our weapons, gear and the chest containing Cromwell’s body and headed of into the dense jungle. The map provided to us by Father Dumas was very clear, unfortunately after several hours travel we found a path blocked by a gigantic fallen Warjack from the old days of Cygnar’s bloodied past. This Warjack was what else, but the village of the ‘Gator-Men’. We quickly discussed a course of action and came to the conclusion that circumventing the village would take too long so going through it was our only choice. We proceeded carefully; our hands empty save for the traditional ‘white flag of truce’. Luckily the ‘Gator-Men’ did not attack us on sight but took us meet with their Chieftain. Their Chieftain could understand and speak Cygnaran, rather poorly but enough for us to communicate that we meant no harm to them or their village and only acted in self-defense when ‘his people’ attacked our ship. He wasn’t pleased but conceded to let us pass on the condition that we give them some of our weapons. That we did, giving them several daggers, a light mace and a crossbow. I did notice that the ‘Gator-Man’ that I had scarred with my vial of acid possessed a Cygnaran rifle, which he clumsily held like a club. I was able to convince the Chieftain that the rifle was useless to his warrior and that the light mace made a more effective clubbing weapon. We left the ‘Gator-Men’ village and continued onward to the temple of Cyriss, myself sporting a new rifle that I soon cleaned up and reloaded.Much later we passed several rectangular columns in a clearing. These columns possessed the markings of the Clockwork Goddess and a strange machine-like humming could be heard and felt coming from them and the ground beneath our feet. Eventually we reached a shallow basin and nestled within was a huge rectangular structure gleaming in the midday sun. A gigantic bas-relief face of the Clockwork Goddess marked this structure as the Temple of Cyriss. Within lay our goal, Alexia and the Witchfire blade.Picking up our pace, we hurried to the base of the temple and proceeded in. Damien sent his owl familiar Shayliss into the air to keep an eye on the temple entrance should Alexia get by us while we were within. I heard Damien mutter a farewell to his familiar, just in case he never saw it again. I can understand why, we had until sunset before the doors of the Temple of Cyriss closed. For another thousand years. I cannot remember much of our trip into the temple, even now my memory of the details of our journey through the place are fading. Obviously this is the work of Cyriss herself who has left me with an insight into the teachings of her faith but not the secrets of the temple itself. Maybe one day I will return. Nevertheless we fought many of her followers and her children, the Servitors, floating mechanical orbs armed with sharp grasping clawed arms. The temple itself was a huge multi-level metal maze of humming machinery, flashing lights and platforms that moved up and down from level to level.There is one moment in the temple that I do vividly recall though, my argument with my friend, Father Darius. He had discovered that the heavy chest that Yama Khan and I carried contained our departed companion Cromwell’s corpse, the fact that we had kept this secret for him the entire journey was remarkable to say the least. He did not agree with our plans to try and resurrect Cromwell even going as far as to block our path with his sword at his side, ready to be drawn. At that point I had no choice but to draw my pistols “Law” and “Order”, against the young priest. He could see that I meant to at least try and resurrect Cromwell and I wouldn’t be against resurrecting another friend if I had too. Wisely he backed down. I regret what I did but Father Darius must realize I did not drag Cromwell’s body all these way to not even at least try to resurrect him. The teachings of the god Morrow run strong in him, I admire him for that.Eventually we reached an immense chamber ringed by a platform leading to a central machine of levers and dials. Below us was a seemingly bottomless chasm arcing with electricity. We spotted Alexia at the foot of a machine on which her dead mother, Lexiaria’s, corpse lay. This was it, the machine that could supposedly bring the dead back to life. Little did I know at the time that I would learn first hand what this machine could do.Father Darius called for Alexia to cease this blasphemy that she was about to commit. The young woman just smiled a wicked smile and suddenly we were beset by her coven of undead witches. With a textbook precision combination of spells, the witches almost subdued our small group of four. I split off from the others and fired my pistols at Alexia; more to get her attention than wound her, for I missed with both shots. She in turn distracted, attempted to enspell me with a domination spell, to try and convince me to help subdued my companions. I shook the magical compulsion off and dropped to one knee, aimed my the rifle and raised it in her direction. I called out to her to step away from the machine. She refused. My shot tore through her shoulder and she cried out in pain mixed with rage. A began to reload as she turned in my direction and spat at the words of another spell. I recognized the invocation of the Lightning Bolt spell a split second before it tore through me. The pain was unbearable, in that split second my muscles tensed up to the point of almost breaking my bones, and my blood boiled before unconsciousness granted me relief from my suffering. Or should I say death granted me relief. At that moment I opened my eyes and saw my body below me on the platform, I was a spirit. I was dead. I watched as my companions defeated the coven of undead witches and Father Darius charged Alexia with holy fury, striking the Witchfire blade from her hand and knocking the young witch from the platform over the edge into the electrified abyss below. Then Yama Khan threw open the glass case that contained the body of Lexaria Ciannor and tossed her rotten corpse over the edge after her daughter. Yama Khan lifted my body and carried it over to the machine and placed it inside the glass chamber. Father Darius simply turned his back on the whole scene and said those fateful words that were both a bane to him and a boon to myself, “Do what you must.”Suddenly I found myself being pulled back down toward the machine and darkness enveloped me once more, if but for a brief moment, for I opened my eyes and looked up at my companions shocked expressions, Yama Khan and Damien where in disbelief. I saw Father Darius turn back and look just as surprised, then a brief smile crossed his features before a look of sorrow replaced it. Yama Khan lifted open the case and enfolded me in a brief hug. Never had I expected that from the Grey Necromancer. Never had I expected to die and be brought back to life either.Yama Khan tried to help me to my feet but I waved him off. I felt invigorated, never before had I felt so alive as if my body tingled with energy or maybe it was the after effects of the machine or even the Lightning Bolt that killed me, I know not. I noticed Father Darius carefully place the Witchfire Blade into the case he had brought along for it and suggest that we leave the temple immediately. Armed with the knowledge of the layout of the Temple of Cyriss, which has since left my mind, I lead my companions out of the resurrection chamber.Before we could leave the temple we came up against more priests and Servitors as well as the head priest, Father Lucant, a four legged; multi armed mekanikal construct, truly fascinating. I was able to convince the mechanical priest that we had got what we came for and had eliminated the witch and her coven that had entered the temple and violated the holy place of Cyriss. Father Lucant was satisfied with our words and escorted us out of the temple, making sure that all the items and trinkets we had picked up were returned to his priests. The priests even brought us Cromwell’s body. Father Darius gave Yama Khan and I a withering look. I just ignored him, lifted Cromwell’s body in my arms and marched in the direction of the river and our waiting boat. We passed the ‘Gator-Men’ village and reached The Fortune. We have stowed our gear and Cromwell’s body and the boat has begun its journey back to Corvis. I will write again when we are near Corvis._______________________________________________</blockquote>

Verification