Reply to thread

Message: <blockquote data-quote="JollyDoc" data-source="post: 6896090" data-attributes="member: 9546">11 Lamashan, 4716 - 14 Lamashan, 4716 - The HornThe following morning, the Nessian Knot made their way up a wide set of stairs that climbed one-hundred feet up the face of the Horn of Abaddon before reaching a small landing. There was no door there, simply a corridor leading into darkness. Arrow slits lined the walls on both sides, and a dozen yards down a stone half-wall bisected half of the passage. It was obvious from the many small nicks and traces of long dried blood everywhere in the stonework that the corridor had seen many battles. The corridor turned abruptly to the right just past the half-wall. Another hallway intersected it on the left a little further on, while a wooden door stood closed on the right at about the same distance. The companions paused at the door while Kat examined it closely for traps. Once she'd pronounced it safe, Roger pushed it open. The room beyond was empty, but a few broken weapon racks scattered about indicated it may have once been an armory. Another door stood in the adjacent wall, and when Roger opened it, he found a second mostly empty room. A long stone bench was built into one wall, and there were bits of broken barrel wood scattered about. Six arrow slits in the far wall peered out at the entry hall the group had just come down. A guard post then. With no where else to go, they backtracked to the main hallway and continued on.______________________________________________________The next area the Knot investigated looked to have once been some sort of laboratory. Broken glassware and alchemical equipment littered the floor, and lying upon a stone slab in the center of the room was a large, clockwork humanoid figure. Dorian and Kelvin moved quickly over to it while the others spread out to investigate the wreckage. "Unless I'm mistaken," Kelvin said, "and I rarely am, this is an alchemical golem...or rather what's left of one.""Looks pretty wrecked," Dorian agreed. "Too bad. Could have been useful if it was still functional.""Maybe this will help," Kat offered, coming up behind her brothers with a rolled parchment in her hand. "Found this under some of that rubble."Kelvin took it from her and unrolled it."It's schematics," he said after a moment, impressed, "for how to build an alchemical golem. With these I might be able to repair this. It's going to take some time, not to mention gold, but it could be done.""What do ya make of this?" Lemmy asked. The dwarf had wandered over and he held a small glass flask which looked to contain a viscous gray substance.Kelvin glanced at it, and then furrowed his brow."Definitely magical," he said, then, "Ah! Stone salve! Quite valuable. It can unpetrify that which has been turned to stone. Keep it handy."______________________________________________________________The next few rooms were largely unremarkable, consisting of a pair of abandoned guard rooms and what once may have been a smithy, which Lemmy thought could be restored to working order. The bellows, forge fire and anvil where all in fine shape, but the coal storage bin had gotten water in it at some point, creating a foul soupy mess. Beyond those rooms they came across a ransacked trophy room. The actual trophies were gone, but the walls were still discolored where they had once hung, and their identification plaques remained. There were twelve such inscriptions:"Laedrissia the Beautiful, who believed she need not honor her promises to us.""Markhan the Golden, draconic protector of Lossewyn. He slept then and now he sleeps forever.""Kallister Feign, an illusionist too clever to keep his head.""Lazarus M. Who mourns for you now?""King Croc, 23 feet snout to tail, delicious on a spit.""Iris of Ghastenhall, dead from a broken heart and a poison dagger.""The Great Serpent of Korokunga, slain for its venom.""Lord Jurys Hallifax, called the Just, hid in his castle and hoped we'd forgotten. We hadn't.""Snorri Five-Axe, died on a sixth.""The ears of Lord Kelerrian. If only he had sense enough to listen.""Chief Gorgun Sakkathet, invincible in battle, careless in choosing his cup bearer.""Ergun Nigma. The Third scion left in the House of Hyrhul, second greatest swordsman in the land, the first to die.""What's this now?" Dakota asked as she peered at the name plate of Iris of Ghastenhall. Mounted beneath it was a small silver ring which bore the tiny inscription 'IoG' beside an ornate rose. Dak shrugged and slipped it onto her finger.Nearby, Kelvin snorted to himself. "Ergun Nigma. E. Nigma. Enigma. Clever."He twirled his fingers and focused on the plate."Just as I thought," he said. "There's magic here. Kat, see what you can find."Katarina examined the plate, then reached out and pulled at it. It popped out into a sort of handle. "Third scion, second swordsman, and first to die," she smiled. "I like riddles."She turned the handle three times to the left, twice to the right, then once more to the left. There was a click and a small section of the wall popped open to reveal a safe. Besides a collection of platinum coins and a large ruby, there was an exquisitely made set of manacles. They proved to be the source of the magic Kelvin had detected."Manacles of cooperation," he said. "They can be made to convince the wearer to be more accommodating.""Excellent!" Dakota plucked them out of his hand.____________________________________________________________The first level of the Horn was proving to be completely abandoned, though many of the rooms still held interesting tidbits. One chamber contained a large cage made of stout iron bars from floor to ceiling, with an opening there to a chute that disappeared up into darkness. Another room appeared to be the sight of a battle, with a tell-tale spray of old blood in one corner. Dakota was tickled beyond belief when they stumbled upon a wrecked torture chamber. Though most of the equipment lay in a tangled pile of neglected metal and splintered wood, she could picture in her mind how glorious it would be once she'd restored it to its former glory. After poking through what seemed to have been a pair of holding cells, one of which held a moldering silk tapestry with an image of a great white horse skull and the inscription 'All must ride with the Horsemen,' the companions stumbled upon a massive open hall with high, vaulted ceilings. At one end was a single open archway that seemed to feed into a lower courtyard, while at the opposite end sat a large stone throne decorated with scenes of daemonic victory over angels. Six huge columns supported the place, and upon every surface were carved baroque scenes of daemons and their humanoid allies marching together to conquer in the name of the daemon prince Vetra-Kali. Dorian moved cautiously to the throne, which to his arcane senses radiated a moderately strong aura of conjuration. As he drew closer, he saw a small inscription at its base written in the Abyssal language of daemons, which he could read, but which made no sense. It was just a nonsense word: 'Yah.'"Hey!" Kat suddenly called out, drawing his attention away. "All of you come look at this! I found something!"She stood near one of the large columns, which looked unremarkable to the others as they gathered around. Once everyone was present, Kat raised the pommel of her dagger and rapped on the column."So?" Kelvin asked. "What are we supposed to be seeing?"Kat rolled her eyes, then walked to another column and rapped against it. The sound was different. More dull. She came back to the first one and rapped. The tone seemed to almost...echo."It's hollow," Roger was the first to put the puzzle together."Exactly!" Kat exclaimed, "though I can't find any door or any way to open it."Roger raised his sword in both hands and slammed it into the side of the pillar. The stone cracked and splintered, leaving a sizable hole in the surface. "It's open now," the half-orc said flatly.Kat peered inside, looking up and down."Stairs," she said._____________________________________________________________For the time being, the companions let the stairs be in favor of completing the canvassing of the first level. They discovered more empty and neglected rooms, which seemed to have once functioned as anything from servant and acolyte quarters to more barracks and guardrooms. In one of the chambers, Lemmy came across a musty journal during his rummaging. It was thick and wordy, and having neither the time nor the inclination to peruse it, he tucked it away in his rucksack. He was much more interested in a pair of large rooms they stumbled across which bore a sign outside declaring them "The Death's Head Tavern.""Well," he declared, "if we're gonna be spendin' the next few months here, I know where you can find me!"The only other things of note that they discovered were a large fountain that seemed to produce fresh water, and, in a ransacked storeroom, the perfectly preserved body of a minotaur that had been pinned to the floor by a large spear through its chest. It bore upon one arm a tattoo of a white horse skull with three burning green eyes. Kelvin detected a fain aura of transmutation magic in the room, which he determined was a spell of preservation, meant to keep the stores from going bad. The minotaur had apparently had the luck (or lack thereof) to have been slain in a place that would maintain its body for all eternity._____________________________________________________________With the first level thoroughly catalogued, the Knot returned to the hidden stairwell they had found in the throne room. From below, it must originate somewhere in the boggard caves, somewhere they must have missed during their tour. Up, it seemed, should take them to the next level of the Horn. They began to climb...and climb. The spiral seemed to ascend much further than it should have just to reach the next floor. When the companions finally reached the top, they found themselves in a bare room. There were a pair of badly deteriorated skeletons inside broken, worthless suits of what was once finely-crafted plate armor which was covered in runes similar to those that adorned the Horn itself. A single door led from the chamber. Roger turned the handle and pushed the door open. It gave onto a rounded room with a high domed ceiling. The walls, ceiling and floor were adorned with grisly bas relief depictions of some nightmarish, hellish realm. Another spiral stair case without a railing rose at the far side of the chamber, but a curved half-wall blocked direct access to it. Standing before the wall was a pair of hulking creatures. They had brown, shaggy fur and stood on slate grey hooves, towering over ten-feet tall. Their heads resembled those of maniacal horned apes. Each of them wore an amulet on a golden chain. "Look out!" Lemmy shouted, pushing Roger aside.The impetuous dwarf thrust out one hand and sent a blast of rocky debris at the nearest creature. It struck the brute full in the chest, but he merely looked down at himself and frowned. He then raised his baleful gaze back to Lemmy."I'm sorry, sir," he spoke in a voice deep and gravelly, though curiously polite, "but I'm afraid I need to disembowel you now."He took one step forward and opened his mouth, stretching his jaws obscenely. He drew in a great breath, and when he exhaled, it came out as a cone of pure electricity. The blast washed over the members of the Knot. Katarina managed to leap aside at the last minute, but Kelvin and Dorian fell to the ground writhing and smoking before going horribly still. Dakota was all but out on her feet, staggering beneath her scorched and blistered flesh. Instead of retaliating, Roger sheathed his sword."Please, forgive the rudeness of my companion," he said, indicating Lemmy. "We are here to free Vetra-Kali, and we were not expecting resistance."The daemonic creatures paused in their advance, heads cocked."Continue," the first one said cautiously.Roger bowed slightly."We seek the Tears of Achlys," he said, "and to obtain this, we know that we must return Vetra-Kali to this plane of existence. We have learned of the ritual necessary to break the seal that binds him.""If what you say is true," the creature replied, "then you must do so immediately. I am Hexor, and this is my brother, Vexor. We are charged with barring access to the Spiral and the Sanctum above from any save those who serve the interest of our master Vetra-Kali. We failed in this duty once before. We will never do so again."Roger bowed again."Will you allow me to tend to my wounded companions?" he asked. "So that we can convince you of the truth of my words."Hexor nodded slowly."Proceed, but have a care. One false move and we shall be forced to broil you where you stand."Roger nodded his understanding, and then he and Tardaesha set about reviving Kelvin and Dorian, and healing the worst of the injuries of the others. "Can you tell us of any other guardians that we might encounter?" Roger asked as he worked. "We would prefer not to repeat this mistake.""To our knowledge no other guardians exist," Hexor shrugged. "The boggards in the caves below are mere squatters, and are of no consequence. There is also the wraith. He manifested some years back, but we do not trouble him and he does not trouble us.""I see," Roger said. "We have already bent the boggards to our will, but we will try and avoid this wraith that you spoke of. We thank you for your mercy, and vow to do as we have promised.""Your vow is all well and good, but I'm afraid we require more...tangible assurances," Hexor grinned evilly.Roger frowned."What is it that you require?" he asked"One of your number," Hexor said. "We will keep one of you here with us, unharmed, until the ritual is complete. If you should fail in your vow, then we have no option but to rip this individual limb from limb.""I have another proposition," Kelvin said, hale and hearty once more. "What if we leave this in your care?"He drew out the large emerald they had found in the catacombs. Hexor's and Vexor's eyes grew wide. "The Eye of Vigilance!" Vexor exclaimed."Give it to us!" Hexor snapped."With pleasure," Kelvin bowed. "Do we have a deal?"The daemons looked at each other in silence for a moment, then nodded."We have an accord," Hexor said, "but do not try and deceive us. We shall hunt you to the ends of reality if you are lying."_____________________________________________________________When the companions of the 9th Knot left the Horn, they found Jurak waiting expectantly for them. They told him of their encounter with the daemon twins, but of course left out the part about the accord they had made with the fiends."This is very troubling," the treant rumbled. "Perhaps it is time for me to call upon my friend, Calliaste.""Who is she?" Kelvin asked, a feeling of dread coming over him."She is an angelic being who came to this forest many years ago," Jurak replied. "She found its beauty so entrancing that she decided to remain and become one of its protectors."Kelvin tried to hide the mixture of fear and disgust from his face. "I don't think that will be necessary," he said with a feigned smile. "We have a plan. If we cannot pull it off, then we can send for your ally."As they set about making camp for the night, Kelvin pulled Tardaesha aside, out of earshot of the Jurak."It's time for this self-righteous piece of walking lumbar to go," he said fiercely.________________________________________________________________The following morning, the companions rose early and began their preparations to resume their exploration of the Horn. Among those preparations, however, were several surreptitiously cast spells of defense as well as the secretive readying of weapons. When Jurak came to wish them well, smiling and whistling, Dakota raised her bow and put an arrow through one of his eyes. As he cried out in pain and shock, Roger rushed at him and hacked into his bark-like hide, calling upon the unholy power of Asmodeus as he did so. Lemmy sent a rocky blast into the treant, nearly toppling him, and then Kelvin conjured a sphere of fire at his root-like feet while Dorian engulfed him in a ball of flames. When Jurak the Elder fell screaming and burning to the ground, Dakota fired two more arrows into him. Soon, the only sound to be heard was the crackle and pop of roasting wood. A short time later, the boggards came to claim the corpse. There would be quite the feast and bonfire that night."Bane-wogs impressed with masters," Zikomo Hears-The-Father proclaimed once he saw Jurak's corpse. "I send word to other tribes of Salt Brack. When they hear that soon Father will return, they send more warriors to our cause."____________________________________________________________The previous night, Lemmy had found the time to go through the journal he'd discovered  in one of the ransacked rooms of the Horn. It turned out that it had belonged to an acolyte by the name of Brother Zander Trask. Most of it was rather dull and poorly written. Trask did not seem to have been a great thinker, and the majority of the diary was a repetitive and boring record of the day to day drudgery of being an acolyte of the lower temple. There were a few interesting tidbits hidden among the tedium, however. Trask believed there to be something unusual about one of the pillars in the lower temple. He suspected it was hollow and might have a secret door. Of course, Lemmy and his companions had already discovered this fact, though there was no secret door. Trask had also heard a rumor that two powerful daemons named Hexor and Vexor guarded the upper levels. He didn't know precisely where they were stationed, but he desperately wanted to get a look at them some day. Lemmy smiled ruefully at this. Would have been nice to have known that little tidbit earlier. Lastly, Trask had seen a priest who, when he thought no one else was present, had sat upon the throne and mysteriously vanished. He didn't know where the priest went, but thought it very interesting.Lemmy filed this bit of information away for future reference. It might prove useful._____________________________________________________________After Jurak had been dealt with, the companions returned to the Horn and ascended the steep trail to the second opening in its craggy face. It lay full two-hundred feet above the jungle floor, and the small stairway leading up to it was covered in places with thick, ropy vines, making it an even more difficult ascent. Once they'd reached the aperture, the Knot was confronted with a long entry way that was probably once a death trap. Six arrow slits lined each wall, and a half-wall stood at the corridor's end, which would have provided excellent cover for more archers. A short distance down the hall, a wide pit gaped open, spanned by a rickety wooden plank. It might once been concealed, but whatever mechanism that had kept it so was obviously no longer functioning.Carefully, they made their way across the pit and down the hallway. Rounding the corner at the far end, beyond the half-wall, they came to a door on one side. Beyond it was an empty chamber that looked to have been a barracks. There was nothing of interest there, but while Kat gave it a good once over, she found a small scrap of half-legible paper protruding from beneath an overturned bench. The writing on it was in the Abyssal tongue, but Kelvin could decipher it readily enough."Evacuate now," he read, "get to the throne...upper levels lost...stairs is a deathtrap...only way out...Yah.""The same word written on the throne we found downstairs," Dorian said."Indeed," Kelvin nodded. "The plot thickens."More empty and destroyed rooms followed, though one held a cage much like the one they'd found on the first level. This one, however, was locked with a well-made lock. When Lemmy thought about it, he realized that the open pit they had passed lay directly above the cage room on the first level. Likely the current room lay beneath a similar pit on the third level above. These room were probably designed to snare unwary invaders, dropping them through the pits and into the cages for capture. Clever. With any luck, they could be put into service again.The companions came across one small room that was markedly different from any of the others they'd seen. It held only a plain wooden table where many candles had burned down to nubs, but someone had drawn the image of a sun on the wall above it. An inscription had been carved below that: "Iomedae lucet omnibus. Iomedae omina regit.""Iomedae shines on everyone," Dorian translated bitterly. "Iomedae rules everything. It is one of the mottos of the Knights of Alerion.""Is this some sort of holy shrine then?" Tardaesha asked."Yes," Dorian nodded, "and it is radiating a faint aura of evocation. I feel that it's somehow...impeding my own magic.""Mine as well," Kelvin confirmed. "We need to destroy this!""That won't do it," Dorian explained. "We need to deface it, but we also need to offer a living sacrifice to our Lord. An animal should do.""Or a boggard," Dakota put it."I suppose," Dorian shrugged. "Not to worry. I will deal with it."Further on, they came another large temple. It was smaller than the one below, but far grander. Six stately pillars rose to the high vaulted ceiling, and images of winged carrion birds circled high above, set into the stonework. Stunningly beautiful, intricate murals covered every inch of the walls and floors. At first glance, they appeared quite lovely, showing vast armies of supplicants, each exquisitely rendered in bas relief, walking arms outspread towards some unseen goal. As these images progressed towards a throne at the far end of the temple, however, the figures became more and more emaciated, worn and diseased. Around the throne itself could be seen cackling daemons herding them like sheep. Nearer the far wall, they were no longer supplicants, but instead shambling undead marching in great legions. Their final destination was the throne, which had been carved in the likeness of a great skull. Above it, in the Abyssal tongue, were carved the words: "Lead the flock into the arms of blessed death."On a hunch, Dorian approached the throne and then bent down to examine its base."Just as I thought," he nodded, standing up again. "There's another word carved here...rah.""I've got an idea," Lemmy snapped his fingers. "Roger...go sit in that fancy chair."Roger looked at him dubiously."Ah, c'mon!" Lemmy held out his hands. "This is me yer talkin' to. Ain't we been through enough fer you to trust me by now?"Roger still looked skeptical, but he walked to the throne and took a seat."Now," Lemmy instructed, " I want you to say the word 'yah.' If somethin' happens, remember this here word, 'rah.'Roger pursed his lips and narrowed his eyes for a moment, but then he spoke."Yah," he said, and then promptly vanished."Where did he go!?" Dakota squealed, seizing Lemmy by the throat. "What did you do to him?!""He...," Lemmy gasped, his face turning purple, "....he'll....be back...just wait!"Dakota relaxed her grip slightly, but did not release it as she turned and stared at the empty throne. A moment later, Roger reappeared, looking none the worse for wear."What happened?" Dorian asked enthusiastically."I found myself back in the temple downstairs," Roger replied, amazement in his voice. "When I said 'rah,' I was back here again.""Teleporters," Dorian nodded. "An instantaneous way for the priests to travel between levels. Ingenious! With any luck, that means we are likely to find a third one upstairs!"_____________________________________________________________Before they left the temple, Dakota walked over to examine one of the floor-to-ceiling pillars. She tapped on it in several places and put her ear up to a number of times."I think it's hollow," she proclaimed at length, "and I think its right above the other one down below. I'll bet those stairs run right through here."They left the temple and continued with their exploration. A bit farther down the corridor they'd been following, they found a small, otherwise empty room that contained one very curious oddity. Standing in the center of the chamber was an extremely detailed statue of a figure dressed in clerical robes, but its head was missing. Curious, Kelvin held out his hands and focused. "It's as I thought," he said after a moment. "There is transmutation magic here, and also a powerful evocation dweomer coming from that belt pouch around its waist. I think this poor unfortunate was once flesh and blood.""Too bad its head's not attached," Dakota said. "If this was one of the priests of Vetra-Kali, we could have restored them to life and then sacrificed them for the first part of the ritual.""Clever girl," Tardaesha patted her sister affectionately on the bottom. "Always thinking, this one."Finding no sign of the missing head, the companions pressed on. The corridor they'd been following turned into a long, L-shaped passage. Every ten feet a mural was carved upon its walls in larger-than-life detail. Some of them had been defaced, but together, they seemed to detail the history of the Sons of the Pale Horseman."This could prove useful later," Dorian said, eyeing the carvings appreciatively. "It will take some time to catalogue all of this, but it seems like we're going to have plenty of that."The painted hall was ultimately a dead-end, and so the companions back-tracked until they came to another courtyard. Like the one on the first level, this one held a large fountain, elaborately carved into the semblance of three hydrodaemons vomiting forth the water into the basin below. The water was fresh and clean. Several empty rooms surrounded the courtyard, but one in particular was filled with looked like smashed statuary. Lemmy walked among the debris, his cunning eye for stonework on the lookout for something in particular. Finally, he leaned over and fished around in the detritus, then stood up and lifted an intricately carved head above his own.Quickly, the group made their way back to the headless statue. Dorian found that the head fit perfectly and, using a spell of stone-shaping, he flawlessly reattached it. Then Kelvin applied a generous coating of the stone salve they'd found in the alchemical laboratory and before their eyes, the statue began to transform. As the stone facade faded, Katarina stepped forward and deftly cut the pouch from the man's belt before his transformation was complete. After another moment, the young acolyte stood blinking and confused. "Drink this," Roger growled, thrusting an open flask towards the fellow."Wh...what?" he stammered. "Who...who are you?""Friends," Kelvin smiled. "Here to restore your master, Vetra-Kali Eats-The-Eyes, but we need to be sure we can trust you. This is a truth serum. It will do you no harm."The man's eyes flicked around to each of his captors, and then he grudgingly took the flask, seeing that he had no choice. He squeezed his eyes shut and upended it, fully expecting to be poisoned. When nothing happened, he cracked his eyes open once more. "Now then," Kelvin said, still smiling. "Let's start by having you tell us your name.""Halthus," the priest replied. "And what was the last thing you remember?" Kelvin asked.Halthus thought for a moment."Enemies," he said. "Everywhere. My brothers were dying all around me. I had even heard that Vetra-Kali himself had been slain. Then...nothing..."Kelvin nodded sympathetically."You were apparently petrified," he explained. "That was eighty years ago."Halthus' mouth dropped open and his eyes grew wide. "The Sons...?" he asked."Long dead," said Kelvin. "And Vetra-Kali has been banished from this plane and sealed away. However, we have learned of a ritual to free him and perhaps restore your order so that you may have vengeance on those who wronged you."Halthus tightened his jaw and nodded grimly."Tell me what I must do," he said."What was your position here before?" Kelvin asked."I was the torturer," Halthus smiled."Really??" Dakota asked, caressing the man's shoulder. "You and I have much to talk about. We found your old workshop. It's quite the mess, but I'm sure you and I could have it back in working order in no time.""I'd like that," Halthus nodded, smiling enthusiastically at her. "Oh! Wait! I have something that might help you! One of the high priests died in front of me. When he fell, I saw a great jewel lying loose. I grabbed it and ran. It's right...,"He patted at his belt, a puzzled look on his face."Is this what you're looking for?" Kat asked, the pouch dangling from her fingers."Yes!" Halthus nodded. "That's it!""We found another stone just like this one," she said, dropping the large emerald from the pouch into her palm. "We think they are Vetra-Kali's 'eyes.' Do you know what they do?"Halthus shook his head. "I was only an acolyte," he said. "I was not privy to such information.""Then what can you tell us of this place that might be of use?" Kelvin prodded."Do you know about the teleporters?" Halthus asked."The thrones?" Kelvin said. "We have found two of them and deduced as much.""Yes," Halthus nodded. "There is a third one above us and they are all connected, though I'm not certain exactly how they function.""We believe we have figured it out," Kelvin said. "What else?""There is a hidden staircase called The Spiral that ascends to the Sanctum of Vetra-Kali, though I don't know how to get to it.""We've found that as well," Kelvin replied. "The murals?" Halthus asked hopefully. "Do you know about those?""The ones in the long hall just beyond the temple?" Kelvin asked. "We saw them. What about them?""They contain rituals for summoning creatures from the lower planes," Halthus exclaimed with excitement. "No daemons though. Summoning daemons was always something special.""I see," Kelvin nodded. "Well you have been most helpful. It will be a pleasure working with you. However, we can't have you running about by yourself just yet. There is still a matter of proving yourself. We'll have Dakota accompany you back to the your torture room, but we will have some...friends...watching over you until our exploration is complete."_</blockquote>

Verification