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Message: <blockquote data-quote="JollyDoc" data-source="post: 6599390" data-attributes="member: 9546">Suishen7 Pharast, 4715Once more, the companions took their leave of Ravenscraeg, this time carrying the body of Haroldo Seigfreid, and with the merchant Lute Haggersly in tow. Recently, after the deaths of Koman and Yannus, the group had a frank discussion among themselves about what their wishes would be should one of them be next. Haroldo had made it clear that he wanted to return to the land of the living if at all possible. However, the Amatatsu Seal had last been used to try and revive Koman, who's spirit had refused, and it could not be used again in that way for another three weeks. "We can't just leave him out here in the woods for the wolves," Mazael said."I can lay a blessing upon his body to preserve it," Spivey volunteered. "That won't protect him from scavengers," Piotr noted, "and as much as he and I had our disagreements, I do not wish to see him become wolf scat.""If you will give me a horse," Lute spoke up, "I will take him back to Karlsgard, and to your people there. I do not want to stay out here a moment longer than I have to."The others looked at one another questioningly."We have no reason to doubt you," Piotr said at length, "but we have no real reason to trust you, other than that you were being held captive by our enemies. However, we also have limited options. Know this: if you fail to do this for any reason other than that you died in the attempt, we will find you and you will wish that the Rimerunners still had you."Lute nodded."I understand. You have my word that I will do this or die trying. Find me when you return to the city."They gave Lute the horse of the hired assassin they'd dealt with, and sent him on his way with Haroldo's body strapped across the back, then settled in to lick their wounds. A day and two nights passed with Spivey, Mazael and Lucian tending to themselves and their companions. It was during the second night, with Boris and Lucian on watch, that a slim figure slipped quietly and unseen into the camp. "Where are Yannus and Haroldo?" a female voice asked quietly. The two watchers whirled, their weapons coming up, and the others jolted awake, only to see the lithe form of Shalelu warming herself by the fire. Lucian's face went from alarm, to relief, to shame at being so easily taken by surprise. "Shalelu!" he cried. "What...why are you here?""To make sure all of you where still alive," she replied. "It appears I have arrived too late.""We have had more...resistance...than expected," Lucian said, his eyes downcast He then proceeded to tell his mentor all that had transpired since they left Karlsgard. Shalelu listened in silence until he finished."This is grim news indeed," she said. "Koya will be distraught at the loss of another son. I'm afraid the tidings I bring are no better. Not a day after you left, the body of the Varki woman Uksahkka was pulled from the harbor. Her throat had been cut. Four days later, several members of our caravan took ill after the evening meal. It was determined they the food stores had been poisoned. Unfortunately, two of our drivers succumbed.""Ameiko?" Piotr asked."Unharmed," the ranger replied. "Did Boris' monkey-boy make it back to big city?" Boris asked."I did not see him before I left," Shalelu said, "but it is possible we missed one another on the road.""We are glad you've come," Lucian said. "I intend to stay," she replied. "It would seem that you need all the help you can get."__________________________________________________________________________ Ravenscraeg again. The doors were shut and barred this time."I'd guess they're still expecting us," Mazael growled."Then let's give them something they do not expect," Shalelu said, looking up towards the roof."What do you have in mind?" Lucian asked.The ranger glanced at Spivey. "How are you at tying knots?"A few minutes later, the companions had scaled the wall of the keep and made it onto the slate tiles of the roof. Quickly they made their way to the back and lowered the rope again, clambering down into the hidden glen below. The kitchen door was unlocked, and the chamber itself empty. As quietly as they could, which was still like banging pots together as far as Boris was concerned, they crept down the service hall, and then through the wine and food stores which opened onto the main hall. "Ready?" Boris asked as he gripped the door handle and looked back at his companionsMazael nodded.They were not disappointed in what they found. A group of seven Ulfens stood gathered around the front door expectantly, while on the balcony above, three black-clad ninjas crouched in the shadows. What was conspicuously absent, however, was the cawing of the ravens. Apparently, they were not as inclined to aggression without their blood-feathered master. It was like shooting fish in a barrel. The Rimerunners agents were caught completely off guard, and though well-trained and coordinated, they never had a chance to recover. Spivey and Zula worked in concert to stun their opponents with their magic, as Shalelu and Lucian picked off the ninjas above, leaving Mazael, Boris and Piotr to clean up the rest. It was over in less than a minute. _______________________________________________________________________The forces in the great hall seemed to be the only reinforcements in evidence. The companions met no further opposition as they made their way back to the laboratory where they'd found the stairs that led down to whatever lay below. The stairway descended into a plain room of mortared stones. The walls dripped with condensation, giving the air a cold, clammy feel. Plain, wooden doors stood to the north and west. Boris went to each of them and pressed a large ear against them."Boris hear water," he said of the northern door. "Boris hear nothing," he said of the west."Do I look like I'm built for water?" Mazael snapped, indicating the full plate armor that encased him. Boris shrugged indifferently, and pulled open the western portal.The door opened into a natural cavern thirty feet across and fifteen feet high. A waterfall poured in through a small aperture high on the south wall, filling a turbulent pool in the floor and sending a cold spray throughout the room. A smoothed ledge extended outward from the door, and two large barrels had been set to the right of it. Another ledge sat on the far side of the pool, with a smaller cask sitting upon it next to a heavy wooden door. Boris turned and looked over his shoulder at Mazael."You bad luck all around," he giggled. He then turned, took three quick running steps, and leaped the entire length of the pool, landing nimbly on the opposite ledge. He barely glanced at the cask, but the glint of metal caught his eye. He reached out, almost as a reflex, and snatched a silver ladle that sat atop the barrel, then deftly shoved it in his pocket. He listened at the door for a few moments."Boris not hear nothing," he called back to his companions. "Do you need any help?" Spivey called back. "No, butterfly-lady," the goblin replied. "Boris call you if he need you."On the other side of the door was a small, musty room hewn from solid rock. Near the far wall stood a low well. A winch and chain with a rusty steel bucket hung from the wall above it. In the far corner sat a pile of old wooden buckets and other debris, rotten and broken, with several different kinds of fungus growing on their remnants. No sooner had Boris opened the door than a flickering glow began to emanate from the depths of the well. In its glow, he could see that the ceiling appeared to be moving. Amorphous, black shapes creeped and undulated along its surface. Carefully, Boris backed out of the room."Ok, butterfly-lady," he called, "Boris need your help now! Bugs on ceiling, and fire in well!"It was Zula who stepped forward on the far side of the pool."Stand back!" she warned.Boris ducked behind the cask as the Shoanti woman unleashed her power, setting off a sonic boom in the middle of the small room. Boris peaked around the corner and saw a half-dozen creatures laying twitching on the floor. He smiled broadly back at Zula and gave a thumbs up. A moment later, Spivey flew across to join him. She peered into the room, focusing on the well."I sense no evil there," she said, concentrating, "but powerful magic is present."She flew to the lip of the well and looked down."There is something aflame down there," she said, and then she dove in.A moment later, she reemerged, a sword bathed in fire gripped in her hands.'Scion of Amatatsu,' Boris heard a gravelly voice speaking in his head. 'I have been waiting many years, and had almost given up hope. I am Suishen, the ancestral blade of our clan. I sense three other Scions nearby. Who shall claim me?'_________________________________________________________________"Well, looks like we got what we came for," Mazael said as he held Suishen reverently. "We still haven't found the Ulfen guide," Shalelu noted.Mazael shrugged. "One guide's as good as another.""Except there are none other available," Lucian interjected. "Besides, if the Rimerunners have this man, we can't just leave him here to die."Mazael shrugged again. "Guess we'd better get moving then."Boris turned to the second door leading out of the room at the bottom of the stairs. Opening it, he found himself looking down a long, dark corridor. A deep channel of flowing water crossed the hall about midway down. On the opposite side lay a heavy timber plank. A brass bell and clapper hung from the wall on the near side. Though his first inclination was to ring the bell and see what happened, Boris thought better of it and instead got a running start and hurdled the stream. Landing softly as a cat, he snuck down the corridor to where it ended at a T-junction. To his left stood a heavy door, while to the right was a large chamber, oppressively hot compared to the rest of the cellars. A coal furnace roared in one wall, giving the room a dull, red glow. A heap of coal was stacked against another wall, and an iron door opened in the ceiling above it. Three crude beds made of poorly cured bearskin and wolf pelts were thrown on the floor before the fire, and a hogshead rested between them, next to the bloody bones of some unfortunate creature. Warming themselves by the fire were three green-skinned, hook-nosed giants. The smell coming off of them was overpowering. Boris pulled back around the corner, then glanced back down the hall at his friends. He grinned broadly, and held up three fingers, then raised his hands as high as he could above his head. He then mimed shooting his bow and running."What in the Hells is he up to now?" Mazael growled.'What are you doing, little one,' Suishen spoke into Boris's thoughts.'Boris see three giants, glowey sword!' he giggled back. 'Boris going to shoot one and then run away! Then they come to Boris's friends! Good plan!'"Prepare yourself," Suishen sighed to Mazael.Boris drew back his bowstring and let fly an arrow. It struck the nearest giant with a satisfying thunk, and the brute grunted in pain and surprise. It turned and saw the goblin just as he darted around the corner. Mazael and the others saw Boris sprinting back towards them, and leaping easily back across the stream. "Here they come!" he cackled.Sure enough, from the far end of the hall, the three giants came lumbering, single file. "Trolls," Shalelu snarled. "Careful my friends. They can heal their wounds. We will need fire to defeat them.""Good thing we found our friend here," Mazael sneered, holding Suishen aloft, flames flickering along its blade. Then, to the amazement of his companions, the war-priest rose into the air, walking upon it as easily as he would the ground."Another little trick the sword showed me," he laughed. Mazael began walking towards the trolls, and as he went, Lucian and Shalelu sent a volley of arrows past him, dropping the lead giant in its tracks. It went down just as Mazael reached it, and then Helgarvarl loosed a gout of fire upon it, searing its flesh black. It did not rise again. By the time the second troll reached him, the war-priest was hovering above the water, and the brute had to wade out to meet him. He gripped Suishen in both hands and brought the katana down in a wicked slash, the blade feeling completely natural in his hands. The troll roared in agony as fire danced inside the wound, but then it lunged forward, locking its jaws around Mazael's arm. He tried to pull away, but the beast was too strong. It dragged him towards itself. Then, the air whizzed with arrows again, and the troll abruptly fell back, burning as it died. That just left one. Mazael rushed towards it, and Boris went tumbling through its legs, coming up behind it. The two of them struck as one, and troll keeled over like a fallen log."See?" Boris grinned. "Good plan!"_________________________________________________________________The door opposite the coal room was locked, but Boris had no trouble bypassing it. On the other side was a grand chamber, the ceiling of which rose twenty feet overhead, its heavy beams serving as both rafters and supports for the great hall above. Teak paneling covered the walls, and the floor was of polished wood. Along the walls, wooden columns rose to the ceiling, bearing banners emblazoned with pictograms from far-off Tian Xia. Above these hung small oil lamps that gave off a dim glow. A small porcelain bowl rested before the center column to the south, and several reed mats were arranged before it. It was Zula who saw them first: figures clung to the columns at a point near the ceiling. She opened her throat and sent the thunder towards the nearest one, who recoiled from the blast, but did not fall as she'd hoped. Then, one by one they let go of their perches, falling deftly to the floor, and landing as softly as if they were made of air. They were all Tian, male and female, and they were dressed in simple, loose fitting robes. Their heads were shaved, and they each carried only a simple spear. The closest one hefted his and sent it flying at Boris, impaling the goblin cleanly through his thigh. Suddenly, a door opened on the far side of the room, and two more of the monks quickly entered, followed by a woman dressed in a flowing black, silk robe with a half-mask concealing her hair and lower face. In one hand she carried a black-bladed dagger, glowing with dark light. Shalelu quickly snapped an arrow off at her, but she simply reached out her free hand and batted the shaft from the air. Abruptly, her form shimmered, and four shadowy clones of her separated from her body, surrounding her on all sides.  This didn't bother Zula in the least. She simply blanketed the newcomer, as well as one of the monks, with her thundercall, killing the underling, and stunning the knife-wielding ninja. Spivey followed up a moment later with her own soundburst, stunning another pair of monks. Shalelu and Lucian took advantage of the distraction to go to work on the leader with their bows. Shalelu's shots stripped away the phantom images, while Lucian's struck home, leaving the ninja reeling. One of the remaining monks summersaulted across the floor, and landed in a crouch before driving her bare heel solidly into Mazael's inner thigh. Boris went tumbling the opposite direction, trying to get behind the female ninja, but she shook off her stupor a moment too soon. As he tried to dart past her, she slashed down with her black blade, stabbing the goblin in the back. He screeched as he felt liquid venom pour into the wound. She raised the dagger to deliver another blow, but another sonic blast from Spivey staggered her again as well as another trio of the monks. Another deadly volley of arrows from Shalelu and Lucian finally put her down. Mazael, limping on one leg, stabbed out with Suishen, impaling the monk at his feet. A barrage of magic missiles from Piotr finished another stunned one, while Lucian fired an arrow through the eye of a third. The last one fell to Mazael again, rage and Suishen's power overwhelming any pain he felt with the joy of glorious battle.</blockquote>

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