NOW LIVE! Today's the day you meet your new best friend. You don’t have to leave Wolfy behind... In 'Pets & Sidekicks' your companions level up with you!

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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Haraash Saan" data-source="post: 4036418" data-attributes="member: 46615">Thankfully the night passed uneventfully, unless of course you include Moxadder’s raking coughs. Argonne gave me a cheery greeting when he saw me awaken. I just growled at him. How had I gone from my goose down pillows to stone cobbled floors? This is not at all what I had envisaged as life for a successful swordsman.Within the hour we stood at the top of the spiralling stairs staring down into the dark. Silently, perhaps all of us bar Argonne felt as uncommunicative as I did, we began the descent. The only noise that accompanied us was the constant dripping of water from cracks in the ceiling. We followed the trickle that it made down to the base of the stairs.The staircase opened to a wide antechamber. Like all the previous rooms this one too had been ransacked and vandalised. The tapestries that hung on the walls were torn, burnt or bloodied. Not a single piece of furniture was left in the room.  I let out a heavy sigh when I saw five Gerechians waiting outside another set of solid double doors. This temple was really grating on me. Filthy, wet, slimy, uncomfortable, dark and worst of all full of Gerechians; at least they were not preaching to us or trying to kill us for being non-believers.Strav was obviously fed up with them too. He pushed passed them impatiently provoking several glares and grunts of annoyance. That at least was an improvement from the ones upstairs, they would not have reacted at all. The elf dramatically pushed open the two doors and stood confidently in the centre of the doorway as if issuing a challenge. A massive hall supported by columns was revealed. Openings lined both the left and right walls of the room but the feature of the room was a large rectangular pool of fetid water. Repulsive as it seemed, several Gerechian bathers were swimming through the ooze. One sat on the edge idly dangling his legs in the viscous yellow liquid causing slight ripples to radiate from his gentle kicks. More people huddled together in groups near the pool. It looked as though they were discussing some conspiracy in hushed tones. I watched the pool closely, fearing, that like the fountains on the floor above, the ooze may spurt and ruin another garment. Suddenly a bather that had been slowly paddling disappeared under the water as though sucked down my some massive force.Strav, who had not noticed the disappearing bather, stepped down from the doorway and strolled boldly into the room. Before I could alert them, the others followed his lead. I trailed them somewhat more cautiously. Upon entering the chamber a Gerchian wearing a more ornate robe than those we had already encountered, turned to face us, glaring at us with chilling expressionless eyes. A low chant began to issue from his cracked lips.“Urum, tonum, barum.” He repeated rhythmically.A thick black fog began to form, twisting and writhing around our ankles in rhythm with the incantation. Then everything seemed to happen at once.The Gerechians turned and began to nimbly ran at us baring vicious clawed hands that slashed at us menacingly, low growls emitting from their throats.  I leapt aside to remove myself from the unnatural mist. Without thought my rapier was in my hand and I was thrusting, parrying, dodging and ducking. I saw an opening and pranced forward, my rapier piercing the Gerechian’s heart. To my surprise he did not even notice! What manner of beings did we fight?So furious was the assault that I had no idea how the others were faring, then suddenly Mortec, who had been beside me, stepped away from the melee. I turned to chastise his cowardly behaviour only to see him holding up his arms, and call out in Gnomish, “Nachtigal! I call upon you to cower these creatures of the dead!”It struck me in that instant that it was very odd that the little priest of Todesmagie was calling upon the God of Magic and Death. Surely the gods would not look favourably on their priests calling upon other powers? I was wrong.Such was the power of his prayer that even I lowered my guard in awe. The Gerechians ceased their onslaught and turned fearfully to face Mortec. “Quickly now, “urged Mortec, “they are people no longer. They are in a state between life and death. Dispatch them before the divinity turns his attention elsewhere.” I was not one to argue with someone with such a close ear of a god. I thrust and slashed with my blade until I had felled four of our foes. Not once whilst under the gaze of Nachtigal did they raise a claw in defence or attack whilst they were slaughtered.I slumped in exhaustion. My attack at Mortec’s insistence had been frenzied and tiring. My sword arm ached. Unfortunately I could not sit on the ground or lean upon a wall, they were far too wet and grimy. Morgan and Argonne had not fared well. Both lay sprawled and unmoving beside the corpse of the Gerechian priest that had conjured up the black fog. They had succumbed to the many gashes inflicted by our foes. Even Argonne’s axe had suffered. It lay once again headless beside him. Mortec and Moxadder bandaged them as best they could and managed to staunch the bleeding. Whatever it is was that Mortec did to Morgan, the Fastednian suddenly erupted from his unconscious state and started screaming Thuusian war cries. At least he had shown he was not possessed by Gerech, he still could cry out to his own God. The enraged man began hacking into the corpses of our former opponents with great gusto. I had not seen him like this since the trials at Yorathton where he had been bitten by a fish. He was savage and uncontrollable. I moved back to the doorway wary of attracting his attention. I did not want to be responsible for slaying a comrade, but I would if he came against me.With his mayhem completed his screaming also ceased and instead he started prowling the edge of the pool, glaring at the water. I sheathed my sword and loaded my crossbow. I feared Morgan was going to disturb whatever it was that had taken the swimmer so quickly. I was right.</blockquote>

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