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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Lazybones" data-source="post: 2422443" data-attributes="member: 143">I wrote a bit today, first time in nearly a month. It was only about half a page, but hopefully now that my summer night class is (mostly) written out and formatted the way I want it, I may have more time to put into the story every now and again. Normally I try to write at least a little bit every day; after putting it down for a while it's hard to begin again, so I usually have to force it a bit. But the stuff I wrote today wasn't too bad, although like anything written "cold" it will probably take some revisions before you guys end up seeing it here. I just finished a MAJOR project at work, and while I have a few other things on my plate, at least the intensity of the last few weeks has ebbed somewhat.All the stuff I'm posting now is about two months old. Today we set the scene... things are going to happen pretty quickly for a while, starting... now.* * * * * Chapter 427“Look, Dana and the others are landing,” Lok said. Cal guided the carpet down to the hillock of exposed, muddy earth that the wind walkers were descending toward.  A narrow, treacherous path led up the outcropping, although the only possible entrance that they could see was a narrow balcony that jutted out over the swamp; they’d need the carpet to get up there.  “Not very welcoming,” Cal mused. Dana materialized, followed by Arun and Beorna.  As soon as her body had returned to substantial form she collapsed, falling to her knees in the mud, sucking in tired breaths.  Arun, somewhat better off due to his considerable dwarven fortitude, moved to help her, but she held him at bay with an outstretched hand. Cal had the carpet hover a foot or two above the muddy ground, close enough to the others to reach out and touch them.  “We need to rest,” he said.  “We should head off, find a place to erect the fortress.  The inhabitants of the place have seen us, no doubt, but that cannot be helped.”“No,” Dana said, gaining control enough to look up, although she as yet did not try to rise.  “We go in, now.”“Dana, don’t be a fool,” Cal said.  “You can barely stand, and the dwarves, for all their strength, are surely little better off.  And even those of us who rode the carpet all day need sleep…”“Benzan is in there,” Dana said, plainly.  “I understand what you are saying, and I know the wisdom of your words.  But rested or not, we cannot afford to wait.  As you said, they know we are coming, and we cannot give them more time to take him away from us.”Cal looked at her, and then at the faces of his friends.  “I suppose you are going to tell me that you are going ahead, whether or not we elect to join you,” the gnome said sardonically. Dana did not respond, but her feelings were clear in her eyes; she could not have concealed them if she’d wanted to. Cal sighed.  “So be it,” he said.  “But we go in prepared.”“And not alone,” Dana said.  The priestess cast spells of restoration to purge herself and Arun of their fatigue; Beorna used her own magic to do the same.  Dana then began the familiar invocation of aid that would draw a powerful celestial to this place.  The others kept watch while she cast her spell, scanning the surrounding swamp, their gazes drawn constantly back to the shadowy fortress that rose up out of the murk behind them.  The light of Carceri was a constant, but down here at ground level, a dense miasma not unlike a brown fog hung in the air, blurring the outlines of anything more than a few yards distant.  The air was foul, but at least it offered them some degree of concealment. Dana’s summoning drew on for minutes, but finally she threw down her hands in exasperation.  “There is no response,” she said.  “I do not understand; I can feel the link to Selûne, strong even in this place.  The spell should work.”“I can call upon helpers, when it comes to it,” Cal said.“Whatever potions or other limited-use items you have, don’t be afraid to use them,” Dannel said, drawing out and consuming a long-lasting potion of barkskin.  Arun invoked a magic circle against evil. “Dana,” Cal said, stepping over to the priestess, who was enchanting another quiver of arrows for the warriors. She did not turn to him.  “Don’t say it, Cal.”“Dana,” he repeated, his tone firm, his voice compelling her to acknowledge him. “We have to get him back.”“We are all in agreement on that.  But you’re the only one who can get us out of here… and you’re the only one who can bring a fallen friend back to life.  We all depend on you, Dana.”“I am not going to throw my life away!” she said, angrily.  Seeing everyone look up, before turning quickly back to their preparations, she took a deep breath and looked down at him again.  “All right, you’ve made your point,” she said.  “I will not fail in my obligation to the group.”“I know you won’t,” he said, touching her on the arm.  “Come, let’s go.”They boarded the carpet, which again sagged under their combined weight, and at Cal’s command rose up above the swamp toward Skullrot.  As they drew closer, the sound of screams from inside became almost overwhelming.  They could see that the cages contained skeletons and zombies, twisting uselessly within their prisons, reaching through the bars toward the carpet bearing the companions. “Remember your training, and your experience,” Cal said softly.  “Rely on the others, and work as a team.”“Take out the leaders first, and then worry about the grunts,” Dannel added, testing his bowstring.  In addition to his magical quiver, he’d hung a backup quiver full of holy arrows from his belt, secured to his thigh by a length of leather cord.  “Helm watch over us,” Beorna said, running a length of cloth over the black adamantine length of her sword.  At that moment, it was difficult to determine whether blade or woman was stronger.  Arun reached out and clasped his hand on her armored arm; after a moment she covered it with her own.  Within their helmets, their eyes could not been seen, so the others could not know what passed between them in that moment. “Hold on, Benzan,” Dana mouthed silently, her eyes focused on some vague point ahead of them. “Hoo, boy, this is exciting!” Mole said, hopping up and down on the edge of the carpet. They reached the edge of the balcony, and quickly dismounted.  Cal commanded the carpet to cease flight, and Lok and Arun quickly rolled it up.  It was bulky, but carefully rolled it fit into Lok’s spacious bag of holding.  Of course, that also meant that it could not be accessed quickly if needed again. Up close, they could see that the fortress was constructed from an insane composite of skulls, all of varying size and shape.  The place had to include literally millions of them, held together by some sort of resin.  They didn’t need to test to know that the result was likely more durable than any masonry construction, and the skulls allowed the sound from within to pass through, explaining why they had heard the cries of Skullrot’s inmates earlier.  This close the noise was almost deafening, but the companions steeled themselves to the suffering in those plaintive cries.  There was a single heavy metal door in the wall before them.  Mole checked it quickly for traps, shooting them a thumbs-up before turning invisible. Dana had used her discern location and greater scrying spells again that morning, in Cal’s magical fortress.  Again Benzan had been reported at Skullrot, although the spell was not more specific, and this time she had attempted to scry Embril Aloustinai, without success.  Dana still had her locate object spell, and she cast it now, focusing on one of Benzan’s possessions. “Inside,” she said, after a moment.  Arun and Beorna moved to flank the door, while Lok approached it, his axe tucked under his shield arm, in easy reach.  “Ready?” the genasi asked, his voice soft, even. One by one, the others nodded.  Lok opened the door, and the seven companions from Faerûn entered Skullrot.</blockquote>

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