Lamentation of Lolth - Chapter VIII

[Majin]

For what seemed like hours the battle raged on, waves of gale force hitting Calenthang's back as he stood, locked in mortal embrace with the dying hag. The continued swaths and beatings of the large fungus creature penetrated the water with wild abandon. The hag would not let go of the elf's sword. As if by some otherworldly bound she was attached to it. A dark, withered hand stretched out past the fighter, towards the battle beyond, a low voice in a gutteral language foreign to him sliding past her lips to mix with dripping blood.

It was then that all the chaos of the nine hells combined broke loose. The rumbling at Broddy's side quickly became more violent, shaking the small gnome in the water where he floated. Blows and arrows from the weapons of all present and within range mutilated the fungus creature in rapid succession. The hag collapsed further, pulling Calenthang to one knee with her. The golem lurched forward, falling forward towards the surface of the water. Broddy looked down at his side, shocked as the strange book in his possession wrested itself from his person and began to glow before it opened fiercely, floating in mid-air. The fungus creature made contact with the water at that moment, sending the largest wave yet out in all directions, washing everyone away in its onslaught as the book's light grew to blinding proportions.

The gnome was forced to shut his eyes as he was helplessly pulled under the surface of the water by the large wave. Others were slammed into the walls by the waves and some were pulled under like the gnomish mage. Fighting desperately to resurface himself Broddy's eyes widen with terror as his head breaks the waterline. Everyone recovers enough in time to witness what happens next. The likes of Drogo, Sarlis and Ayden orbiting the book's glow in a dizzying cyclone as they are quickly sucked into the void.

A heightened sense of sound is imbued within you at the shock of what has just happened, enabling you to pick out each sound in the now quiet chamber. The rythmic bobbing of the water, which has begun to settle. The echoing screams of your now absent companions ring in your ears, accompanied by the rapid clatter and splash of their belongings as each hits the surface of the water, floating or sinking, depending on the weight of each object. The normally happy-go-lucky attitude of the gnome is shattered in that instance, as he recognizes what must of happened. The portal must only accept organic matter. Thus, if they were even still alive, his companions were now naked and unarmed wherever that void had taken them. Then his eyes lower to the book floating in the center of the subsiding chaos. His book...

[sblock]Well there we have it. Cleaning up some loose ends, you guys have levelled and as an added bonus, however morbid it may be, have the equipment from those three to split amongst yourselves. [/sblock]

 

[kirinke]

With her ears still ringing from the screams of her now vanished companions, Teleri surfaces, once more, blinking and gasping for air as she flounders towards the shell-shocked gnome. Mechanically, she pulls him through the water and boosts him onto the ledge where Calenthang had battled with the hag. She hangs on the edge of the lip of rock, gulping for air and still mostly in shock.

Ayden. Oh gods. Drogo... Sarlis. Gone... Something like panic briefly claws at her soul and she clamps down on it ruthlessly.

"How? What?" she manages, not very coherently and she takes in her friends equipment and gear, some floating serenely in the water and others lying scattered in the alcove above the water. "Oh no... No..." she said, fully realising what sort of peril they must be in now.

 

[hippocrachus]

Calenthang stares daggers into the hag as she continues to pull him down, a burden preventing him from getting at the still rampaging fungus monstrosity.
A wave of water pulls him and his sword free of the hag and bangs him against the alcove wall hard. As the water begins to drain off of the ledge, Calenthang witnesses the complete consuming power of the magically floating book glowing above the water. He watches as his three companions are sucked into its crinkled pages with a steadily growing look of anger. Anger at not moving fast enough. Anger at losing another loved one.
He stares with venomous hatred at the center of the slowly bobbing water, not bothering to help Teleri with Broddy, careless of the items strewn about from the others' disappearance.
"Yes," the elven warrior replies to the priestess' words he didn't really hear.

 

[Dhes]

Breaking the surface still clutching his last dagger, Dunstand coughs up what seems to be at least a barrel of dirty water. Trying to clear the screams from his mind, he sees what appears to be Drogo floating at arms length. Dropping his dagger, Dunstand struggles forward to the floating form, only to find an empty cloak.

Still clutching the cloak, the rogue swims painfully and slowly to the alcove.

Climbing onto the now crowded stone outcrop, “Quick we need to swim down and get their belongings, Aydens hammer is down there and Drogo will be cross with us if we don’t get his Sling. Has anyone seen Rex, Drogo would be sad if he went missing.“

 

[kirinke]

Teleri hands Dunstand StormArmour. "Keep her safe for a minute. I'll go get their belongings." she said, and proceeded to do just that.

 

[Velmont]

Sielwoodan has the eyes closed and listen to the silence of the room. It is then broken by Teleri. Both the elven priest and the rogue starts to care about the possession of there lost friends. Sielwoodan shooks his head and walk next to Broddy. He puts an hand on the gnome shoulder, showing his calm to the wizard. "No one could have forseen that. Do you know what happen exactly?" the archer asks, taking a look at the book.

 

[hippocrachus]

Calenthang just stands glaring at no one, angst radiating off of him like so many gamma rays from a sun.
I will avenge you, Ayden. Revered Ayden.
When Sielwooden comes to comfort the gnome mage, Calenthang looks from the book slowly to Broddy.
"Burn it."

 

[Mimic]

Broddy responds to no one until Calenthang tells him to burn the book. He quickly scrambles forward and grabs the book clutching it to his chest.

"What? No we can't burn it, its the only thing that can lead us to them."

 

[hippocrachus]

"Lead us where? Where are they!?!" Calenthang snaps with an arched eyebrow, suspicion growing in his features. "If you know where they are, friend Broddy..."
His voice takes on a gentler tone as he cuts himself off. His eyes don't suggest a tender purpose.

 

[Mimic]

"I don't know where they are." He replies with a sniffle. "The book could have sent them anywhere, to any place."

"Its the only clue we have to finding them, without it we will have no chance at all, none at all." He starts to rock slightly clutching at the book.