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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Lazybones" data-source="post: 2253991" data-attributes="member: 143">Chapter 392The companions rematerialized on the edge of a bluff that rose out of the center of a broad jungle.  The air was moist and heavy, but noticeably warmer than where they’d just departed, promising a sultry day once the sun had finished ascending into the bracingly blue sky above.  “The Mhair Jungles,” Cal reported, as the companions briefly scanned the unbroken sea of green that surrounded them.  In the distance they could vaguely make out the approximate forms of mountains, many miles distant.  But their attention was quickly drawn to their immediate destination, which dominated the bluff.  Sprawled upon the outcropping was an extensive ruin, ancient stone grown over with crawling vines and other vegetation.  The place looked to spread over several acres, but in turn was overshadowed by the massive spire that rose from the center of the ruin.  That pinnacle, a rough formation of shiny black stone, had been sundered at some point in the ancient past, now rising in three spread fingers of rock that reached easily two hundred feet above them.  “Looks pretty run-down,” Mole’s voice came. “There’s likely an entrance to an underground complex within the ruins,” Cal said.  “Probably near the spire; our scrying was blocked anytime we came close to it.”“Come on… the invisibility will only last for a few minutes,” Benzan said.  “Let’s at least get into the cover of the ruin.”They made their way cautiously—for they could not see each other through the tiefling’s magic—toward the ruin.  Up close, the stone walls, rising some twenty feet into the air, looked even more imposing, the relics of some ancient but now lost civilization.  But the place was clearly in an advanced state of decay, with huge slabs of rock littering the site where parts of the walls had given way, and numerous complete breaches evident.  They headed toward one of those openings.“Baboons,” Dannel said, drawing their attention to the side, where a half-dozen of the creatures sat in a row atop a fallen slab.  The animals watched them silently, tracking their movements despite the invisibility. “Probably don’t know what to make of us, with the glamour,” Benzan suggested. “If they perceive us as fiends, they should be fleeing in terror,” Cal said.  “This is definitely not natural… be watchful.”“More inside,” Mole said.  “They aren’t doing anything but watching, however.”“I should put an arrow through one, see if that stirs them,” Benzan said. “At least they’re being quiet,” Cal said.  “Leave them be, for now.”They made their way into the deep shadow of the walls, where the temperature dropped noticeably.  Thin wisps of morning fog still clung to the ground close to the ruin, although it wasn’t really enough to hinder visibility that much.  Thick interior walls partitioned the inside of the ruin into huge chambers, which looked as though they’d been roofed in at some point.  Now, however, it was all open to the sky above, and weeds that were in some places taller than they were rose up out of massive cracks in the ancient stone beneath their feet.  “This stonework is very, very old,” Lok said.  “There are many voices in the stone here… and much sadness.”“Ancient civilizations rose and fell in these southern jungles, long before the rise of Netheril and the other old kingdoms of Faerûn,” Cal said.  “Now degenerate creatures dwell within these primordial jungles; yuan-ti and other aberrations.”“Them Cagewrights should fit right in,” Hodge said. They probed deeper into the ruin, leaving behind the bright sunshine and green expanse of the jungle.  In a few moments they found themselves in an empty chamber, maybe thirty feet across, with empty doorways on either side.  “I think it’s time for stage two, Dana,” Cal said.   “We’ll keep watch,” Dannel said, accompanied by the clink of metal as the armored warriors moved to cover the two exits.  Dannel, clad in his magical slippers, simply ascended the nearest wall, taking up a position high above them, his bow at the ready. Dana began casting a spell, an intricate summoning ritual that went on for several minutes.  The invisibility spells faded, leaving them each feeling exposed as they waited for the priestess to complete her spell. But before she could finish, Dannel hissed a warning.  “Aerial patrol, incoming!”</blockquote>

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