Upgrade your account to a Community Supporter account and remove most of the site ads.

Reply to thread

Message: <blockquote data-quote="Medriev" data-source="post: 4890196" data-attributes="member: 21864">Chapter 23 - Lost Souls (Part 1)“That creature claimed to be Galaghard, son of Galaghard,” said Lavren as the companions made ready to leave their resting place in the western passage entrance overlooking the wide hall where the vortex and the abomination had nearly laid them low.“Which would make him Draxius’ father, Galaghard II of Cormyr,” Dulvarna concluded as she buckled her sword onto her back.“And yet he held a key,” said Enlishia, pulling the mithral key that she had found in the ruins of the northern menhir from her pouch. “Which means he must also be Draxius.”“He was Draxius,” Vyrellis spoke up from Lavren’s belt. “Whoever he claimed to be.”“So did his curse run through his family from his grandfather to his father and down to him,” said Erlmoor. “Or are the grandfather, the father, and the son, one and the same.”“That cannot be,” Enlishia said with some indignation. “The annals of Cormyr tell of no king who ruled for so long or a curse that runs through the royal line.”“And yet we have met and battled those who claim otherwise,” Thorn said quietly. “Perhaps we will learn more on the third level. We can ascend now, can we not?”“We can,” Dulvarna answered. “But we must go northward. The burning gas and the walls of flesh lie behind us.”With that, the warrior woman rose and stepped into the vortex chamber, heading for the northern double doors that seemed to be the only other way out. The others rose behind her and followed. When they reached the doors, Erlmoor and Dulvarna raised their swords and pushed the portals open to reveal a passageway that led north and then bent to the right a little way in. They led the companions in and turned the corner and then turned another corner back to the north again before the corridor opened up into another wide chamber that looked like a camp of refugees from war. Several small buildings crafted from scrap wood, crumbling stone blocks and other debris had been erected in the chamber. The statue of a strange, four armed creature carrying several weapons stood in middle of the room in an open square between the makeshift buildings. Two men came forward from the square dressed in ragged peasant clothes, one with the bandaged hands and face of a leper and the other with an apparently useless third arm growing from his right side.“Welcome strangers,” said one in a rural Cormyte accent. “Come to our chapel and be welcomed by us all.”“I mislike this,” Telkya said to the others quietly. “The statue looks like a foulspawn and these folk cannot have survived here for long without allies.”“Agreed,” Lavren said softly from behind his wife. “We should be cautious and whilst I have no desire to hurt these people, they are surely allied with something that means us harm.”“And if they are not?” Erlmoor rumbled quietly over his shoulder. “They could need our help to escape this place.”“We cannot trust them, paladin,” Thorn said sharply. “Telkya is right about the statue and the alliance they have likely struck. We are in danger here as we are everywhere else in this place.”“Agreed,” said Dulvarna. “Make ready your weapons, prayers and spells. There will be battle here before long.” The warrior woman turned to the two men and shook her head.“This is a dark place,” she said to them. “And we have no wish to stay. If you will let us pass, then we will bring down this place and set you free.”“We are free,” the second man answered. “But you must meet the rest of us to see the nature of our freedom.”“Then you shall remain free here and we shall go on in peace,” said Erlmoor, starting off to the left toward a passage entrance in the western wall of the chamber.Enlishia rushed after the dragonborn and reached the passage entrance ahead of him. She turned to put her back to the chamber wall and raised her bow lest any pursuit come. The others followed, passing between the wall of the largest of the ramshackle buildings and the southern wall of the chamber. They heard shouts from behind them as they reached the passage entrance and two more human figures appeared around the northern end of the large building a few moments later. The three armed man appeared to the east and moved warily down the gap between the building and the wall.“You cannot go until you have spoken with Medragal,” he called out.“Tell Medragal we are sorry but we cannot tarry,” Erlmoor called back and then he led the companions into the western passage.Enlishia loosed an arrow and then a second over the heads of the small crowd before ducking into the corridor after the dragonborn A four armed foulspawn armed with the familiar bone daggers appeared behind the three humans who had now gathered to the north and the companions that remained looked at one another.“We still go,” Thorn said firmly and ducked into the passageway after Enlishia and Erlmoor.Lavren and Dulvarna followed and then, as more foulspawn appeared to the east and to the north, Telkya finally turned away and followed her companions.</blockquote>

Verification