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Message: <blockquote data-quote="JollyDoc" data-source="post: 6662822" data-attributes="member: 9546">Katiyana's Revenge22 Erastus, 4715 "The way I see it, we have two choices," Mazael said. "The main passage will accommodate the wagons, so that's our first option. That side passage is too rocky for the wagons, but if we don't at least check it out, we might be leaving enemies behind us, so option two.""Boris volunteer to scout rocky road," the goblin raised his hand, "but he not want to go alone. Boris want little sniffle-snabble man to go with him.""Svirneblin," Phive corrected. "Whatever," Boris shrugged. "Little man good for keeping people alive, and also sneaky and quiet. He come with Boris."Gnome-Brr Phive lifted his hands. "Fine by me. Just don't 'spect me to do no fightin' fer ya. If'n there's trouble, I'm high-tailin' it!""Boris be right behind you," the goblin grinned.The two of them ducked into the uneven tunnel, following its twists and scrambling up its cliff-like shelves as it ran. They came to an intersection, and elected to take the smaller side-passage first. After a short distance, it opened onto a ledge that overlooked a cave below. The cave contained a den of matted furs, rough seats carved from the stone, and a few crude tools. Three creatures moved around the cave.  They stood like  men, yet were half again the height of most humans and covered with coats of thick white fur."White bear people," Boris whispered, nodding sagely. He and the gnome retreated back to the main corridor and continued following its path. Shortly, it gave onto a large cavern with rough nests and piled furs scattered across it. Bones strewed amid the stalagmites gave mute testimony to past meals. Another eight of the white-furred creatures occupied the cave. Though smaller than the previous ones the pair had seen, they were still larger than even Haroldo. "Boris see enough," the rogue said, and Phive didn't disagree.Quickly and quietly, they made their way back to the caravan._____________________________________________________"Sounds like yetis," Piotr said once Boris had described what they'd seen. "I've heard of them, and read some in bestiaries, but I've never actually seen one. Despite their reputation of being 'abominable,' they are actually not evil. More like primitive tribal hunter-gatherers.""Then maybe they can be reasoned with," Lucian suggested. "Maybe we can make a truce with them and they can tell us what we can expect to find in the necropolis, or even offer us safe passage.""It's worth a try," Piotr agreed. "We might take some of our food and trade goods with us as a peace offering."Haroldo, his  condition worsening, elected to stay back with the caravan, and Zula volunteered to remain with him to lend what assistance she could. Ulf Gormundr offered to accompany the companions, as he'd had dealings with yetis in the past. Ameiko also announced that she would come, despite Lucian's protests about her safety. "I am more skilled in diplomatic negotiations than any of you," she pointed out. "After all, I have kept a tavern afloat for many years without it burning to the ground or becoming a haven for ruffians and vandals."Her tone brooked no further discussion, and the small group set out.They reached the Y-intersection, and halted. Lucian put his hands to his mouth, and called out in a strange tongue he named Aklo, which was the only language the yeti's understood."Hail yeti's of the necropolis! We come in peace for trade and safe passage! We mean you no harm!"His overture was answered a moment later by the sound of snarling howls and heavy feet beating on the stone. Yetis swarmed into the passage from both sides, teeth bared and ravening."Please!" Lucian cried, raising his hands to show he was unarmed. "We have brought gifts for you! We are lost travelers simply trying to make our way through and out of your domain! We only want to know what dangers we face, and what is the safest route!"One of the larger yetis stepped forward, a spear gripped in his large hands and pointed at Lucian's chest."You leave gift!" he growled. "You go back way you came, and we no kill you!""They are much more aggressive than normal for their kind," Ulf whispered aside to Lucian. "Tread lightly.""Can you tell us what lies down the large hallway back there?" Lucian asked, nodding back over his shoulder the way they had come."Paths of the dead," the big yet snapped. "You go now!""Are there dangers there?" Lucian persisted."Don't know!" the yeti barked, becoming more angry. "We no go there! Only dead! Go!!"Lucian nodded, his hands still up, and began walking backwards."We thank you," he said. "We will not trouble you further, and hope that you will afford us the same courtesy."The companions retraced their steps, watching cautiously over their shoulders to make sure they weren't being followed.________________________________________________________With no other options left to them, the companions, followed by the caravan, began traveling the main corridor. Numerous small side passages branched off of it as it sloped upward to the west. Hundreds of burial niches had been carved into the rock walls of the catacombs. Against the advice of several of his friends, Boris darted in and out of the side passages as the wagon train trundled along, stating that he was just scouting for potential dangers. "And when I hang you upside down by your feet," Mazael growled, "I better not see any Desnan jewelry fall out of your pockets!"The passage continued to slope upward, flanked by more catacombs cut into the rock. On each wall of the passage, a huge red demonic skull face with short tusks was carved into the stone. Mazael, who'd been leading the way, grunted and stopped abruptly as his forward progress was stopped by an intangible barrier blocking off the entire corridor."Gods be damned!" he shouted. "Not another one of these!"Piotr quickly moved up to analyze the situation, and then nodded his head grimly."It's just like the abjuration blocking the bridge," he stated. "Give me a moment to study it and I may be able to suppress it as well."Meanwhile, as Boris nosed around another side passage, he came to an apparent dead-end, but noticed that there was actually a partially dug out hole in the wall. It was a tight squeeze, but he managed to crawl through it. On the other side, he found himself in a sprawling cavern with a deep crevasse dominating it. Five yetis, two of the large ones and three of the smaller, prowled about the area. Carefully and quietly, he crept along one wall until he came to a small tunnel, and then followed it to another cave. This one was smaller, but looked to be another communal cavern, with eight of the smaller yetis lounging about. One one side, an opening seemed to lead out onto some sort of ledge. Stealthily, he made his way to it and peered over. He found himself looking out into a wide cavern that soared into darkness overhead. A deep crevasse plummeted directly below him, while on the opposite side a broad switchback road climbed to a distant tunnel mouth. In the center of the cavern, skull-topped columns surrounded an octagonal dais. Age-worn steps led to the top of the dais, where a stone seat rested between the tusks of a bull mastodon skull, a Tian-style banner draped over the top like a canopy. Seated upon the throne was a truly massive yeti. Standing next to him was one of the large, savage yetis, and when Boris looked to his right, he saw another ledge several dozen feet away. Another of the big yetis crouched there. Cautiously, he began retracing his steps._______________________________________________________"Once again, it seems like our choices are limited," Piotr said after Boris had told his tale. "Let's just hope this yeti king is as reasonable as his people."He stepped back and pushed up his sleeves, then began casting his spell. A moment later, there was a brief flash of light and a loud pop from the air in front of him."Done," he announced. "We should be able to pass now."Sure enough, the way forward was clear, and the companions led the way once more, the wagons taking up position one-hundred feet behind. When they reached the wide cavern, it was just as Boris had described. Lucian stepped forward, prepared to negotiate with the yeti king for safe passage, but then the huge brute raised his head. His eyes were blood-red and filled with hatred. He raised one clawed hand over his head and suddenly there appeared a swirling black thunder cloud in the air above him. "Look out!" Boris cried, as he caught a sudden movement out of the corner of his eye.On a raised ledge above the entrance, one of the large yeti savages crouched, ready to leap. Boris managed to raise his bow and snap off one quick shot into the beast, but then his gaze met its eyes, and fear filled him, rooting him in place. From the crevasse on the right side of the cavern came a cacophony of howling and snarling. Yetis began climbing out of it, a mixture of both savages and smaller ones."Ambush!" Lucian shouted. He didn't waste arrows on the newcomers, but instead turned his attention towards the king. His aim was spot on, and four arrows bristled from the chest of the brute. Blood flowed freely down his white-furred chest, but he seemed to pay it little notice. More yetis clambered out of the crevasse, and the savage on the ledge above leaped to the floor, joined by another one that jumped from the very cave mouth where Boris had hidden himself earlier. Ulf Gormundr rushed to meet the oncoming horde, Mazael right behind him. Piotr opened a gaping pit beneath the feet of one beast just as it was preparing to leap at the warriors. It disappeared from sight momentarily, howling in anger, but shortly thereafter its taloned hands reappeared above the lip of the pit as it climbed its way back out. Gnome-Brr Phive darted through the melee to Boris's side as one of the savage yetis loomed above the goblin. He placed a hand on Boris's shoulder and uttered a prayer. With a visible tremor, Boris snapped out of his torpor and looked around in dismay. The yetis were closing in on all sides. Ulf and Mazael were holding their own, giving as good as they got, but as Boris watched, one large specimen got past Ulf's defenses and rent terrible gouges in the ranger's flesh."'Scuse me boy," Phive said grimly. "Looks like I got some more work to do."The gnome darted away again, slipping a small silver ring onto one finger and vanishing from view. A moment later, however, several of Ulf's wounds began to close. "Boris liking that big-nose dwarf more and more all the time," the goblin grinned as he spun out of the way of an oncoming yeti and then buried his swords in its flank as it passed. Piotr's face tightened as he saw still more yetis emerging from the crevasse. Nearby, Ameiko had unslung her shamisen and was playing a rousing battle-tune, inspiring her comrades to even more courageous feats. That brought a smile to the sorcerer's lips. The lady had guts, and wasn't too hard on the eyes either. Turning his attention back to melee, he saw that several of the yetis had massed together, led by the king who had leaped down from his throne. "Thanks for assuming the formation," Piotr chuckled.He summoned a small bead of fire between his fingers and flicked it into the center of the crowd, where it detonated with a spectacular, flaming ka-boom. Four yetis, including one of the big savages, were consumed by the fire, and the rest hooted in anguish from the searing burns to their heat-sensitive flesh. The yeti king, however, seemed completely unscathed. The battle raged on, the companions beset by attackers on all sides. Foes dropped beneath the blades of Ulf and Mazael, as well as the arrows of Lucian and the Boris's wicked guerrilla strikes, yet still more came to take their places. Ameiko paused in her singing to loose a blistering invective upon a yeti that threatened Piotr, setting the creature ablaze with her magic-fueled tirade, and sending it screaming back into the crevasse. "The leader!" Lucian cried out. "Focus on the leader!"The others heard, and quickly adjusted their tactics. Ulf and Mazael waded through the horde until they reached the big chief, then began assaulting him from both flanks, while Lucian rained arrows into him. Whenever the wounds of any of the companions became too dire, a disembodied voice would begin praying nearby, and the injuries closed as quickly as they appeared. Finally, with a mighty swing, Ulf cleaved the chief's head from his shoulders, and a brief silence fell over the battlefield. A white mist began to rise from the corpse of the yeti king, which quickly coalesced into a vaguely humanoid form. The transformation rapidly progressed until a coldly beautiful winged woman hovered above the body. There could be no doubt about her identity...it was Katiyana...or rather, her ghost!"You cannot kill me, mortals!" she shrieked gleefully. "You sought to strike me down, but now I have become Katiyana the Eternal, the Avatar of the Hungry Storm, Handmaiden of Sithhud, and the Harrower of All Creation!!"Her frigid laughter filled the cavern, and the air around her began to whirl and churn into a small cyclone of ice and snow. The remaining yetis cowered in fear, and then, in blind panic, rushed en masse back to the crevasse. Katiyana's cackle continued to grow as she lifted her hand to the swirling black cloud above her and called a sizzling bolt of lightning from it to strike down upon Mazael. "I've got her!" Piotr shouted as he hurled a barrage of force missiles at the spirit, confident that particular energy would still be able to damage her incorporeal form. He was mistaken. The missiles bounced harmlessly away from her, and she turned her gaze upon the sorcerer, her intent murderous. Mazael rushed towards her, and she flung another electric blast at him. He grunted and stumbled, but did not stop his charge...at least not until he reached Katiyana and she thrust one outstretched hand completely through his chest. He felt agony seize him, and he crumpled to his knees, fighting just to stay conscious. "You leave angry man alone!" Boris shouted as he leaped at the ghost witch.His blades sliced at her ephemeral body, trailing wispy streaks of pale blood with them. Behind him, Lucian, unable to bring his bow to bear in the strong winds that buffeted around Katiyana, instead plucked one of the pearls from the White Peacock Crown and threw it at her. It exploded with a dull whumph, engulfing her in holy light. She cringed back momentarily, but then regained her composure, her smile rigid. She did not remove her hand from Mazael's chest, but instead thrust it further inside. Boris lunged at her again, hacking and slashing, though it felt like he was cutting nothing but air. Ulf joined him, though the ranger's blows seemed no more effective. Finally, Katiyana ripped her hand away from Mazael with a grin of triumph, and the war-priest fell heavily to the stone, his skin bone white. Boris howled in anguish and he and Ulf redoubled their efforts. "I think we've all had just about enough out of you, little missy," a voice said from behind Katiyana. She whirled about, fury etched into her face, only to find a diminutive gnome standing there. She snorted and chuckled, then raised her hand to swat the gnat. That was when Phive gripped the symbol of Nethys around his neck, and channeled his god's holy power into the ghost. With a scream that seemed to go on forever, Katiyana's form exploded into a thousand shards of ice. Gnome-Brr Phive moved quickly to Mazael's side, and leaned over him, breathing life back into his body. The war-priest opened his eyes."Not you again," he groaned."I believe that's a couple you owe me, fella," Phive laughed.</blockquote>

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