Upgrade your account to a Community Supporter account and remove most of the site ads.
Rocket your D&D 5E and Level Up: Advanced 5E games into space! Alpha Star Magazine Is Launching... Right Now!

Reply to thread

Message: <blockquote data-quote="S'mon" data-source="post: 1250676" data-attributes="member: 463">Leo's accountSnake EyesLeo gasped. It was so cold. After the desert of the Wastes of Gizen a few moments earlier, the more temperate climate of the Gaxmoor was a shock to the system. They would probably all get ill due to the temperature change, he thought dourly. The decision had been taken that morning. With the disappearance of Garrick during the night, the rest of the group deemed the Tomb’s traps too dangerous without a specialist. The fabled Harmonic Armour was already in their posession and most of the Northerners were fed up with the eternally hot, dusty desert. Therefore, Leo used his transport spell to take everyone back to the Tower of the White Way in Gaxmoor. The teleport chamber was the same as ever down to the large construct which was ever ready to attack in case everything was not as it should be. It loomed over the group until Leo stepped forward. Satisfied, it stepped back upon recognition. Quickly, arrangements were finalised: Tarquin would go back to his temple. Leo would go to see Dovistar and then find accommodation for Ramu Khem. The Aryptian had decided to accompany the group north. Cho was going about her own business as usual. They then decided to meet back at the Tower to make decisions on the fate of the Harmonic Armour. Approximately an hour later, everyone met back at the Tower. Ramu was now esconced in a comfortable inn, Tarquin had seen Petronius the High Priest, and Leo had related their adventures to Dovistar. The old mage was most interested in Arypt and the strange people and customs he had seen. He was also most perturbed about Aos. He wondered if he had been possessed but Leo remarked that it was something that could be speculated about endlessly. The end result was that the duelist was off on a mission on his own. Due to the wide spread of the group at the moment, Leo asked Dovistar if he could teach him a communication spell he had seen in the past. This was agreed. Leo also asked Dovistar if he could send a message to the palace to let Margrave Kanor know that they were back. The next hours were spent researching the armour. It was a powerful, legendary set. It made the wearer very strong and woe any spellcaster who decided to attack the wearer. There was a good chance that the effect would be reflected upon the caster. However, for some strange reason, it was only half plate and its defensive capabilities were negligible. The same research was performed upon Gutheron’s sceptre but this proved to be linked to Gutheron himself and of no use to anyone else. After some discussion, it was decided that Archduke Ulfius would be offered the armour. A link was established and arrangements made to meet Ulfius and Clarendon. A reply was received saying the armour was of interest and the meeting would take place the next day.  At this point, there was a break as the Margrave had invited Leo to lunch. The group decided to go en masse, something that put the Margrave out slightly. However, he tolerated the others although he was quite suspicious of Ramu Khem. He also elucidated upon his theory of building forts along the route that would be taken by future enemy armies from the Doskan Heights. This was a reminder that Heracules the cambion was still at large and planning mischief. He also mentioned that the Scornic League was not going to ally with a warlord for fear of antagonising the Mongali. Leo told the Margrave about the meeting with Ulfius and Clarendon. Kanor nervously replied that he would prefer if the meeting took place in the outskirts of the city at best but preferably outside if possible. Finally, upon being told about Aos, he expressed puzzlement as to why affairs that were so far away had become so important to him. Then the lunch ended and the group left. Nothing of further note happened until the next day in the afternoon when Ulfius and Clarendon met the group. The abilities of the armour were demonstrated by the uprooting of several trees. Leo was glad there were no druids around. They misunderstood certain things. Afterwards, there was a certain amount of haggling before an agreement was reached. Payment was made in diamonds. After this the group split briefly to pursue their personal agendas and in some cases to gloat over their new wealth. Sigurd also came back from Scornel where he had been engaged in some politics on behalf of Gaxmoor. He was, of course, most curious to find out as much as possible as to what had happened. The group then met to discuss their next course of action. With Leo’s new ability, they made contact with Xiang, who was well and then with Titania, who reported that everyone in their small group was alive but wanted to talk to the others. So, with Dovistar’s help, Aos and his companions were transported back to Gaxmoor.  Everyone was most curious to learn what had happened to Aos and the others. A fascinating tale. “We approached the Gorge. The entrance is a massive pylon. We entered into it and suddenly a jackal headed being stepped out of the shadows. He asked us to relate what good and what evil we had done in our lives. After we had done so he deemed us worthy to pass to the Underworld. After we had made our way through we were attacked by some animal headed beings. The jackal head, Anubis he called himself, seemed more annoyed than worried. He felt that these creatures were his to command and when they did not obey his command, he was very vexed. However, we managed to kill several of them but at this point. However, we realised that we couldn’t explore the Gorge on our own and asked Anubis if we could return with friends to progress into the Underworld. Anubis replied that they too would have to subject themselves to his judgement. So, after that we made our way back to the Pool of Hapy and here we are.”Sigurd was looking at Aos in a pitying way. “You are crazy” he muttered.Leo also groaned inwardly. “Relate what evil and what good you had done in your life”. He remembered that kind of sophistry from his student days. It was best discussed at two o’clock in the morning with other students and a large barrel of mulled wine and the knowledge that they knew what was best for the world and if only people listened to them then…... It didn’t have any place in real life. For a brief moment, Leo wondered if they should try to get in touch with the lawyer Adam Dickinson and ask him to come with them to argue their case. Unfortunately, Dickinson had been arrested and was not taking any commissions at the moment. Leo however was becoming more interested in Aos’s quest. His interest was primarily of a mercenary nature. His conversation with the Magrave suggested that things around Gaxmoor were very quiet at the moment. Also, his brief trip to Arypt and the deserts convinced him that this was a very old land, much older than the borderlands. Old lands tend to have more powerful and interesting magic. Certainly if Gutheron’s Tomb was anything to go by, it must be the case. Leo had never come across anything like the Harmonic Armour and certainly it had raised a lot of money. Then there was the other consideration that the customs and mores of this ancient culture were very interesting. It was also important to Aos. Leo wondered if the new convert to Dlamelish had changed his more mercenary ideas for the greater worship of his goddess. Finally, a consideration was that one of his newly acquired effects was the ability to transport himself and a few others vast distances without any danger. So, he reasoned that if he really didn’t like it down there, or if Aos decided to go temporarily insane again, he would just get out of there. So, Leo put it to the others that he was willing to go to Arypt providing everyone else was interested. The others thought about it and everyone agreed albeit without any great enthusiasm. The impression Leo got was that they were doing it as a favour to Aos and an interest in potential loot than anything else. Strangely enough, the “Great Evil of Undeath” that had been such a feature of Aos’s vocabulary had not been mentioned. Before the group went though, Sigurd asked Leo if he could set up a meeting with Archduke Ulfius. Leo agreed although he was a little reluctant. He really didn’t want to bother the great man unnecessarily but Sigurd just stared at Leo in that northern way. So, again, arrangements were made for Ulfius to arrive in Gaxmoor. The next day, preparations were rapidly made for the trip South. Sigurd went to meet Ulfius. Leo and Tarquin were with him. Ulfius and Clarendon both arrived, the former wearing his new armour and offering his old armour for sale. Tarquin promptly took advantage of that opportunity. There then followed a political discussion about the Northern Lands, specifically Trafalgis where Sigurd had his Jarldom. Leo didn’t pay that much attention but Sigurd looked satisfied in the end, which suggested that he had achieved his objective. After the meeting the group made ready to go South.   Early morning the next day, Sigurd, Aos, Titania, Leo, Tarquin, Cho, Ramu and Elros  arrived at the Pool of Hapy. There they found a contented Xiang although he now wanted to go back to Gaxmoor. Dovistar was happy to oblige. Ramu decided to go back to his superiors. Leo idly wondered what the secret policeman was going to do. He didn’t know the details but he was fairly certain that his mission had been to stop Astragard. He had failed. He hoped that Ramu’s superiors understood his failure. Of course, Ramu was now a wealthy man. Wealth brought a certain amount of freedom. The others decided they were going to walk to the Gorge. This took the rest of the day but with no incident. As the group approached the sun began to set and the whole effect was dramatic. The pylon that Aos described turned out to be a massive structure, like a tower, very smooth and beautifully built. These Aryptians were master builders. Leo couldn’t tell the details but the whole pylon was covered in bas-reliefs. It must have taken decades to build and carve. The group decided that they were going to sleep and go in the next morning.  At sunrise, the group looked out of the Rope Trick. Leo examined the pylon with interest. In the daylight, the structure was even more massive. Shaped like an enormous tower, it was made of sandstone. Every single section of the walls was covered in bas-reliefs, all of them of a religious nature. Leo didn’t really understand them but he could admire them. Some of the carvings were gigantic possibly of the various divinities while others were tiny. There were animals, people, animal headed people, streams, boats, reeds and rivers; almost a whole nation in the stone. Finally, in the lower centre of the structure there was an opening. It was to that opening that Aos pointed as the entrance. Whilst the group had been told what to expect, there was little discussion about how they were going to deal with the questions. Leo thought that it was quite a personal question and that most people were not willing to reveal what they were going to say ahead of time. Certainly everyone looked confident as they approached the dark opening. Entering into a corridor the group advanced. As expected, a large humanoid emerged from the shadows. Approaching the group, it took note of Aos, Elros and Titania as if recognising them. It then turned towards Sigurd.“Tell me, what good have you done in your life?” its voice boomed.Sigurd proceeded to relate deeds of battle for a long time.“And what evil have you done in your life?”Sigurd proceeded to relate deeds of battle for a long time.“You are obviously a man of war. I judge you fit to enter the Underworld”.The creature then turned to Cho. “Tell me, what good have you done in your life?”“I don’t understand the question. What is good and what is evil? I come from a land far away. Our mountains are tall, our gods wear different faces and I don’t know what you mean by good.”The creature did not waver in its regard of Cho.“Tell me, what evil have you done in your life?”“Again, I repeat, I don’t understand what you are asking. I have tried to keep to path that I have chosen. I don’t know what you mean by evil.”The creature continued looking at Cho for a long moment. Then it said:“I have given you another life. Go now and seek the answers to the questions you have asked me. When you have found them, return and tell me what they are. You cannot go to the Underworld.”With that the creature turned to Tarquin:“Tell me what good have you done in your life?”The cleric looked at the creature.“I have done no good and I have done no evil. I have followed the path of my god. What my deeds have been, are and will be are between He and I only.”“Who is your God?”“My god is a travelling God. He goes to places that we can only dream of and that I am only beginning to fathom.”The creature loomed. “Your soul is barren. You cannot enter the Underworld.”Finally only Leo was left. “Tell me, what good have you done in your life.”Leo answered. “The good that I have done is striving to fulfill my potential. All my actions serve towards this goal. I have done no evil. How can fulfilling your potential be interpreted as evil?”The creature looked at Leo for a long time. “You are fit to enter the Underworld.”The others looked helplessly at Cho and Tarquin. Leo had already made up his mind that he would not go further without his cohort.“Great and mighty Anubis,” he called out. “Our two friends are part of our mission. We have information that Set and his evil are corrupting people nearby. We go to rescue a priestess of Isis. Then we must see if great evil is about to rise. If it is, we will try to prevent it. Surely that is a cause worthy for entering the Underworld.”“You say Set is the cause.”The creature seemed to ponder for a time. Then it said: “Very well. They may enter, but they must come back to me and relate what good and what evil they have committed in their lives after they have finished.”With that the creature turned around and strode away. Leo breathed a sigh of relief. It would have been impossible to continue this without the participation of Cho and Tarquin. The group advanced and was promptly attacked by the remaining creatures with animal heads mentioned by Aos. These were quickly dispatched with the exception of one, which escaped. Leo then sent his eyes outside to see what lay ahead. A wide stone avenue led to a walled building. This was a large rectangular sandstone structure again extensively carved in bas-reliefs. The avenue led between two rows of stone statues of animal headed sphinxes. These included ones the heads of ibises, lions and hippos. The group marched boldly on the avenue and felt surprisingly optimistic while doing so. Approaching the entrance to the temple, they proceeded to go inside. The temple was dark, lit only by torches; the walls were covered in brightly coloured paintings, again of a religious nature. The air was heavy with thick incense and the ceiling was black from smoke. The entrance hall was deserted so the group advanced further into the temple. Soon, they heard chanting in the distance. Cautiously, they approached. As they closed in, they could see three figures in the distance. These began approaching and soon they were discernible. One was a muscular man wearing a loincloth, sandals, an elaborate headdress and a strange piece of armour on his chest. He was accompanied by two beautiful young priestesses who seemed to be wearing normal Aryptian religious garb; ie very little. “Who are you and what do you want?” asked the priest. The priestesses remained quiet although they were eyeing the warriors of the group with interest. The group had agreed their story previously. “We are on an important mission and we seek the blessing of the High Priest of Osiris to aid our quest”, replied Aos. The man looked at them for a moment and then seemed to come to a decision “Come with me. My name is Chari Chep. I will take you to see the High Priest.” Chari led them into the chamber from which came the chanting. It was full of carvings of snakes and other animals. The one common factor among them was the green stones used for their eyes. Several acolytes were still prying to their god. He led them through the room and into another elaborate chamber with many other carvings. These were all snakes and this time their eyes glittered red in the torchlight. At this point he left them saying he would announce them to the High Priest. The group was left in the chamber with the two priestesses. “So, what’s a pretty girl like you doing in a place like this?” Sigurd had approached one of them, eyeing her bare chest. She looked at him with interest.Leo goggled. The group knew the temple was corrupt. These girls were likely to going to be trying to kill them soon. Amitha was being held prisoner in here somewhere. Most likely, the corrupt High Priest was about to enter any minute and Leo expected all hell to break loose in the next few hours. Yet here was Sigurd basically trying his luck. Leo wouldn’t put it past him to tell everyone that he was going to slip away with her for a little time. Leo was sure that it must be something in the Aryptian desert sun that adled certain people’s brains. First Aos and now Sigurd was acting…..unusually. At this point Chari came back with the High Priest and thankfully, Sigurd stopped paying attention to the girl. “Hello. My name is Sethem Nephtha and I am the High Priest. I am told you seek my blessing. So be it. Tell me, are you the people who helped get rid of the demon crocodile in the village of Artuaat?”“Yes,” replied Aos. “Well, we have a problem with a similar creature here. Something is in the cellars under the Temple. We would be willing to reward you if you could help us get rid of it. I would take you in a boat, which only responds to my command; we would go to a large pool in which something lurks. Will you help?”Leo thought hard. This was almost too good to be true. Amitha was under the Temple and here they were, being offered a way to go under the Temple. Wait; it was too good to be true. He looked at the others. Most of them were impassive, but he could tell that this amazing “good fortune” was as disturbing to the rest of the group as it was to him. Slowly, whilst looking at the everyone Aos said: “We will help you. Lead us to your boat.”</blockquote>

Verification