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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Angel of Adventure" data-source="post: 2162721" data-attributes="member: 19165">The Keep - Part IThey wasted little time debating their course of action and set off on the path before them.  They walked, mostly in silence, for what seemed like an hour before Darsint spoke.“What do you know of me, Mhoram?,” inquired the Green Star Adept.“Very little,” replied the Incantrix, “but I do know that you are Darsint and that your transformation has made you quite hardy.  You are very skilled with that greatsword hanging from your belt, though not nearly as proficient as Gherrick is with his bow.  You are an adept caster as well, though your magicks are more innate than mine.”“I would agree with your assessment,” stated Darsint, “though I am not sure why.  I feel it, somehow.  As hard as try, my memory yields no specific information on any of our travels together.  It distresses me that so much of our past is lost to us.”“Indeed.”They walked on for what felt like another hour and came to the end of the path.  The blackened mountains surrounding them gave way to a dismal scorched landscape.  No plants, dead or otherwise, rose up out of the ground, nor were any landmarks present.  A soft wind stirred up dust clouds in front of them.  The dirt path was replaced by a white trail, roughly 10 feet wide, that sharply contrasted with the wasted land around them.  The road stretched out into an infinite horizon and was constructed from a familiar substance.Gherrick knelt and examined it for them.“It’s bone,” he relayed to this companions.“This place must be some sort of Purgatory,” mussed Darsint. “Or maybe we are in the Hells somewhere.  Have we died?”No one could answer him and a growing sense of unease solidified itself in all of them.  They quietly fixed their eyes on the bleakness that surrounded them and lost themselves in their separate thoughts.  A speck floating high above the flat horizon was spotted only by Gherrick.  It seemed avian and was floating lazily in the sky.  He could not say for sure and did not mention it to the others.  It was gone when he looked back at it several moments later, though were it hid itself remained a mystery.Small pieces of bone dissipated into dust as Darsint’s heavy feet led them forward.  They walked for a while, noting their progress by the fading mountains to the rear.  There was still nothing in front of them when they set down to rest.  By then, the sun had set and their starting point was well beyond their sight.  Mhoram produced a wooden spoon from a small bag on his belt, followed by large bowl.  He commanded the spoon to whirl itself around in the bowl and a sizeable serving of pasty mush appeared.  The taste was decent and he knew that the mush would sustain him until morning.  He opened his spellbook while he ate, hoping that his incantations would arouse some memory of the past.  None came forth.  Gherrick looked in one of his bags and produced a meal of dried fruits and meats.  He took careful stock of his edibles and knew that they would not last him long.  Darsint, as they all knew, did not need rest or sustenance of any kind.  It was he who volunteered to keep watch while they rested.Sleep came quickly for Mhoram and Gherrick.  Darsint watched them as they tossed and turned, Gherrick more so than Mhoram, and he wondered what it was like to dream.  He did not recall the last time he slept and could not remember what it was like when he needed rest like his fleshy companions.  His suspicion about their dreaming was confirmed by Gherrick when the sun first crested the horizon behind them.  Gherrick awoke and told them about a horrible nightmare wherein the road before them became a mass of endless skeletons rising from the ground, all answering to the tainted commands of a mummified spellcaster.  They had fought as best they could but were dragged down, one by one, until only Gherrick remained.  His last vision was that of the caster uttering one terrible word:  “Death.”  He awoke instantly to a fuzzy mind that refused to concentrate on anything throughout the day.Mhoram could not recall having any dreams; only a vague suspicion that something was knocking at his door.  They ate shortly after waking and their conversations ended quickly due to utter frustration.  All had questions; no one had answers.Toward the day’s end they found themselves approaching the first sign of anything besides dust, blackened earth, and the bone-covered road.  The closest structures appeared as four long buildings, two on each side, centered around a small keep.  All were burnt with large sections missing, perhaps the damage being owed to some battle long ago.  The keep seemed to be the least damaged of all the structures.  It was built primarily of stone whilst each outer building was made of wood.  Darsint, as he had all day, led them forward with a consuming desire to learn more about their situation.They took their time and cautiously explored the outer buildings first.  Each time, Darsint entered first with sword in hand, while Mhoram followed after.  Gherrick remained outside, covering them with his bow, until they disappeared behind the broken furniture and debris in each room.  He then followed them in with an arrow notched at all times.  Their footsteps and a howling wind blowing through the damaged buildings were the only sounds accompanying their search.Each outer building appeared to be a long hall, two being barracks that were filled with broken beds, tables, and chairs.  One was a mess hall, but all hopes of finding food vanished when nothing but molded bags and dust lined the pantry shelves.  The final hall, closest to the keep on its left-hand side, was once a laboratory.  All that remained at first glance were broken glass containers and hewn long, rectangular tables.  As in all the other buildings, Mhoram focused his concentration and magicks towards thoroughly searching every inch of the place for anything useful.  Unlike his previous efforts, this search yield results.Mhoram was off in a corner, farthest from the broken wall where they entered, when a crack in the wooden floor beneath them emerged before his sharp eyes.  His metal hands methodically explored it and three more cracks appeared, forming a square in the floor.  He tapped around the edges until one tap evoked a slightly denser thump than the rest.  Mhoram again focused his vision hoping to find any protective measures meant to keep him from opening the door.  When he dected nothing, he breathed deeply and pushed on the latched side of the trap door.  It slowly rose towards him.Inside was a two-foot long chest, wooden with metal hinges. It, too, opened easily after  passing Mhoram’s review.  He sifted through a few minor piece of jewelry, some moth-eaten garments, and eventually pulled out a tome entitled:Basics of Warforged Construction – 101Mhoram briefly skimmed through it before handing the book to Darsint in hopes that his construct mind could better analyze its contents.  “The Warforged are a type of sentient construct,” Darsint told them.  “They are capable of improving themselves over time and are claimed to be free-willed.  This book outlines the principles behind their construction, though many of the exact steps are not detailed here.  I would also say that this was likely a book used frequently, as there are numerous notations and observations written within the margins and on the inside covers.”“I thought your kind were the only constructed entities that were capable of learning and advancement,” observed Mhoram.  He did not know where these words came from.“As did I,” answered Darsint, looking back at the book.  “It appears that this is not the case in our bleak new world.”Gherrick returned from outside as the shadows consumed the little light left in the laboratory.  “We should enter the keep before we loose daylight completely,” he told them. “Perhaps it will offer us better shelter than these damaged buildings.”</blockquote>

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