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<blockquote data-quote="Lazybones" data-source="post: 3841899" data-attributes="member: 143"><p>Thanks, Moonshade! I hope you enjoy the tales of the poor DBs as well. </p><p></p><p>And here is the lengthy post I promised for today. Next week we'll find out what happened to the other Bastards since leaving Rappan Athuk. </p><p></p><p>* * * * * </p><p></p><p>Chapter 276</p><p></p><p>LOOT</p><p></p><p></p><p>Anku laughed as he cracked the top of the clay pot he was carrying, and a flood of silver coins spilled out. The barbarian balanced the heavy container to stop the coins from falling out, but at least fifty had slipped out, clinking on the stone floor as they bounced and rolled across the room. </p><p></p><p>“By the gods, man, why must you make such a clatter!” Esir said. He hurried over with a small canvas sack, which he held under the barbarian’s pot. Anku carefully tipped the pot, dumping hundreds of the coins into the sack. The ancient coins were thin and irregular by modern standards, but the contents of the pot still appeared to greatly exceed the capacity of the sack. Yet the cascade of silver vanished into the bag swiftly, and barely caused the canvas to bulge as they settled. </p><p></p><p>“Here, help me gather up this mess you made,” the thief said, collecting the nearest of the scattered coins.</p><p></p><p>“Bah, you scrabble about on the floor,” the tribesman said, flashing a wry grin. “I think I saw another of those containers in the alcove here.” He headed over to the far side of the room, and started digging around in the debris of ancient tools, weapons, pots and other accountrements that had long since decayed beyond practical use. </p><p></p><p>Not far away, along the near wall, Tammuz dug through the insides of a stone tomb. They had already cleared out the six sarcophagi along the perimeter of the room, but the mystic was giving them a closer examination, searching for hidden objects or secret panels. They had been wary of traps or undead guardians when they’d opened the sealed stone blocks, but inside there had only been the mummified skeletons of those laid to rest here, covered in the ruined remains of once-fine clothes and armor. Now, all that was left was junk, claimed by the advancing hand of time. </p><p></p><p>This was the last of four burial chambers that they had cleared out, each richer than the last. All of the weapons, armor, and other useful goods were decrepit and useless, but they had found valuables that retained their worth to the tomb raiders. Ancient coins, stamped with the faded visage of a ruler dead for millennia. Semi-precious stones, inlaid into the hilts of rusted weapons or crumbled armor. Jeweled artifacts such as bracers, anklets, belts, and torcs, constructed in crude fashion by contemporary standards, but prized for the copper, silver, and gold from which they had been made. </p><p></p><p>The haul thus far had been in bits and pieces rather than a deluge, and Esir’s spacious <em>bag of holding</em> had not had difficulty absorbing the entire quantity of the treasure. Neither he nor Anku complained; the increasing frequency of valuable loot the deeper they continued into the tomb only presaged the greater treasures further on. Thus far the tombs they had found had only housed elite soldiers, councilors, and extended kin of the long-dead emperor. The bones of the fallen prince himself, and his immediate family, had to reside somewhere ahead. </p><p></p><p>Tammuz’s probing fingers found something, caught in a narrow crevice in the bottom of the tomb. Shifting the mummy, he was able to dig his treasure free. As he lifted it into view, he sucked in a breath. </p><p></p><p>It was a gemstone, a crystal about as wide and maybe half the length of his little finger. It was a long oval, tapered to a point on one end. As the light of his torch played upon it, the stone came alive in a glimmer of reflections, the brightness shining on hundreds if not thousands of tiny facets in the gem. It was beautiful, and with the light gathering upon the myriad facets, almost hypnotic to look upon. </p><p></p><p>Esir and Anku had noticed the mystic’s discovery and come over to join him. “So, you have found one of the Tears?” the thief said. </p><p></p><p>“Yes,” Tammuz said, closing his hand around the gem and placing it in his pouch. “Yes, although it is a very small one. According to my sources, the more potent stones approach the size of a closed fist.”</p><p></p><p>“They are magic?” Anku asked. </p><p></p><p>“Of a sort,” the mystic explained. “They are more accurately <em>conduits</em> for certain kinds of energy, and are capable of absorbing and storing a great deal of power within their matrices.”</p><p></p><p>“<em>And the gods looked down at what their creations had wrought, and their tears fell hard upon the earth,</em>” Esir said, his voice strangely distant. </p><p></p><p>Tammuz looked intently at him. “The old gods had good reasons for their grief,” he said. </p><p></p><p>“The new ones, as well,” the thief returned. </p><p></p><p>Tammuz looked thoughtful. “Yes. Yes.” He turned to Anku. “Did you recover all of your treasure?”</p><p></p><p>“Yeah, that last pot was cracked, empty. I’m ready to move on, if you are.”</p><p></p><p>“We’re getting close to the Emperor’s tomb, aren’t we?” Esir asked. Both men looked at Tammuz. </p><p></p><p>“I do not know the precise layout of the tomb,” the mystic said. “But I suspect that you are correct.”</p><p></p><p>That revelation made them all somewhat somber, as they departed the tomb and continued deeper into the complex. They were still alert for traps, with Esir clearing the ground ahead of them before every single step forward. They did not encounter more such obstacles, but they did find a mortared wall that required Anku’s pick for them to progress further. They made their way through several empty vaults and passed a few side passages that Tammuz led them past without stopping. The mystic seemed to be guided by instinct, and the other two men felt a building anticipation that only grew with each empty chamber they passed. </p><p></p><p>The tunnel abruptly gave way to another set of stairs, which broadened as they descended until they were in a long gallery of sorts. They could each feel a sense of cold oppressiveness now; they had to be far beneath the surface of the earth, with all of the descents they had made since entering the timb. </p><p></p><p>The stairs ended but the hall continued, with two rows of pillars running down the center, supporting the vaulted ceiling twenty feet above. Tammuz’s torch indicated deep alcoves to either side between the pillars, but the mystic left them unmolested. There were objects in those alcoves, vague forms as the light passed them quickly by, but Esir and Anku stayed with the priest. They could always come back, once the greatest treasures had been looted. The pair were taking on the airs of a diner who snubs his nose at a rich buffet, in favor of the finest morsels said to be at the high table. They had already recovered a small fortune in Esir’s magical bag, but since entering the tomb, each had developed escalating expectations at what the private hoard of an emperor’s tomb would contain. </p><p></p><p>Finally, they came to a broad but relativately low stone arch that marked an end to the hall. Anku’s head nearly brushed the stone as he followed Tammuz through; his skin tingled slightly as he made his way into the chamber beyond. </p><p></p><p>Esir felt it too. “A ward?” </p><p></p><p>Tammuz did not turn back toward them. “Be wary. Do not touch anything unless I say it is safe.” There had been a subtle shift in the man’s demeanor since the last tomb, and now it was he who took the lead, as they moved further into the room beyond the arch. </p><p></p><p>The immediate area was crowded, with pillars half again as thick as the ones in the outer hall holding up a low ceiling. But after about thirty feet, the space opened up once more into a large chamber, almost cavernous in its scope. </p><p></p><p>The place was impressive. Huge stone forms had been carved into the walls, rising to support the ceiling some thirty feet above. There were almost a dozen of them, quiet stone guardians carved with skirts and breastplates in an archaic style. Their faces were not quite human, but even with Tammuz’s torch held high they could not quite discern their precise identity. </p><p></p><p>The statues ringed a huge stone bier in the center of the room, accessed by a series of stone steps that faced them. Upon the bier was another tomb, this one carved in great detail with scenes that formed several parallel rows around the perimeter of the container. </p><p></p><p>Tammuz started toward the stairs, but he was distracted by Esir’s sudden exclamation. </p><p></p><p>“Here! Over here!” </p><p></p><p>The three of them rushed over to where the thief had indicated. Tammuz’s light indicated another small arch on the far side of the room, near the huge leg of one of the statues. As the torchlight spread through the opening into the space beyond, it shone brightly on the familiar sheen of gold. </p><p></p><p>“A fortune...”</p><p></p><p>Even though they could only see part of the room beyond the arch, one look was enough to prove the truth of the tomb raider’s exclamation. The light revealed considerable mounds of precious objects, overwhelmingly gold, but leavened with items of brass, silver, and platinum, most generously encrusted with precious gemstones. These objects were neither crude nor small, and included objects both practical and decorative to suit almost any function one could imagine. It was as if someone had taken the contents of a lavish palace, transformed them into solid gold, and pressed them into the confines of the small room beyond the arch. </p><p></p><p>“Forgive me for ever doubting you, priest,” Esir said, his voice almost breaking with the raw greed that filled him. He started forward, arms outstretched, Anku just as wide-eyed a step behind. </p><p></p><p>“Stop!”</p><p></p><p>Both men seemed to come out of a haze as Tammuz’s command echoed off the walls of the crypt. Anku frowned as he turned around, and Esir’s expression was even darker. </p><p></p><p>“What is it, priest?”</p><p></p><p>“That archway is warded with powerful magic.” Tammuz stepped forward, and the other two parted to make way. He walked up to the very edge of the arch, but no closer. He muttered words of magic, and stared into the opening, ignoring the incredible treasure to focus on small details, from the grain of the stone to the faint specks of dust that floated in the air. Esir came up behind him, and conducted his own examination, without disturbing the priest. </p><p></p><p>“Well?” Anku finally asked. </p><p></p><p>Tammuz let out a breath. “I am sorry. The ward is incredibly potent, and bound to the very fabric of this place.”</p><p></p><p>“What are you saying?” Esir asked. “That we should just give up that loot, because you cannot bypass the ward?”</p><p></p><p>But Tammuz had already grown distracted; he turned and headed for the great stone tomb in the middle of the room once more. “Perhaps later, I can prepare magic to evade the ward,” he said over his shoulder. </p><p></p><p>Anku growled something, but Esir forestalled him with a raised hand. The two followed the man, as he ascended the bier and approached the tomb. They watched as he scanned the stone box, which was large enough to hold the remains of ten men. They knew who was held inside, however, even before Tammuz touched the full-sized engraving carved into the lid of the tomb. The details of the carvings had faded some in time, but their exceptional quality was still evident. This one was the representation of a powerfully-built man, clad in elaborate armor, his arms outstretched. Below him, minature figures paraded across the lower half of the tomb, their eyes and hands lifted in supplication to the great figure above. </p><p></p><p>“Come, help me with the lid,” Tammuz said. </p><p></p><p>“Odd, that they would place wards upon their lord’s treasure, but not upon his remains,” Esir said, shooting a wary glance at Tammuz. He took up a position to the priest’s left, while Anku took hold of the lid at the foot of the tomb. </p><p></p><p>“Together, on three, push,” Tammuz urged. “One, two, three!” </p><p></p><p>The stone lid slipped aside slightly. It took several more concerted thrusts before they could see the opening below. A dry gush of stale air rose from the darkness within. The walls of the tomb were thick, a full foot of stone on all sides. The stone continued to resist them, but finally Anku grunted and pushed with his full might, and with a huge crash the lid toppled over onto the bier, lying propped against the side of the tomb. </p><p></p><p>The three men leaned over the edge and peered into the tomb. There wasn’t much to see. The body of the god-emperor Amar Sina lay bound in ceremonial wrappings. He wore armor, but the bits of leather that had held the bronze pieces together had decayed with age, leaving only scattered components. A sword had been laid in the right hand of the skeleton; Anku reached in and grabbed it, examining it with a keen eye. </p><p></p><p>“Worthless,” he said, tossing the sword away. It landed with a loud clatter and skittered into a corner. </p><p></p><p>“A collector of antiquities would pay thousands of gold pieces for that pitted blade,” Tammuz said. The cleric had started a detailed search of the interior of the tomb, taking more care with the remains of the dead man than the tribesman had. </p><p></p><p>“If you could convince him that the weapon was what you claimed it to be,” Esir said. The thief’s own cursory examination had revealed no treasure in the tomb, at least nothing immediately valuable. </p><p></p><p>With a subtle inclination of his head, he directed Anku to follow him. Tammuz, bent fully over the edge of the tomb as he searched, pain them no heed. </p><p></p><p>The two retreated to the edge of the bier, and engaged in a quiet but intense conversation. </p><p></p><p>The priest, meanwhile, had grown more intense in his own search. Carefully sliding the body of the dead emperor out of the way, he closed his eyes and felt along the bottom of the tomb. The stone was covered with a layer of dust, powdered stone mixed with the detritus of the human body following centuries of natural decay. His fingers found the slight indentation where a piece of the tomb had settled. He pressed upon the spot, calling upon his magic, whispering words of power. </p><p></p><p>Before his touch the stone melted away, revealing a small, concealed recess below. Within lie a small bag. Carefully he reached for it, knowing that the fabric would likely crumble at his touch. </p><p></p><p>A noise drew his attention, and he lifted himself up out of the tomb. </p><p></p><p>His companions were gone. He lifted his torch and looked around, his gaze drawn inevitably to their most probable location. </p><p></p><p>A sudden peal of laughter confirmed his suspicion. It came from the arch leading to the treasure room. A moment later, Esir reappeared, accompanied a moment later by Anku, both burdened by several heavy artifacts of solid gold. </p><p></p><p>“What have you done?” </p><p></p><p>“Ho, priest!” Esir said, with a grin. “Your warning turned out to be nothing... the ward was pathetic, a flash of light, a little clap...”</p><p></p><p>“You fools! The ward was...”</p><p></p><p>He was interrupted as a low rumble filled the crypt, echoing off the walls. The noise intensified rapidly, and the ground shook beneath their feet, nearly knocking Tammuz down. Anku dropped a heavy golden candelabra, and it broke into pieces as it hit the stone floor. “What’s happening?” the barbarian shouted.</p><p></p><p>“The place... it’s collapsing!” Esir yelled in reply. The shaking intensified, and dust and bits of stone began dropping from above, as cracked appeared in the walls and ceiling, and rapidly began to widen. </p><p></p><p>“The exit!” the thief shouted, dashing for the far arch, still carrying his burdens. Anku started to reach for the largest chunk of the candelabra but thought better of it, running after the thief with a golden chalice, a ruby-encrusted scepter, and a platinum and silver bowl still clutched in his arms. Neither paid any heed to Tammuz, who had returned to the tomb, and reached into it, heedless of the larger chunks of stone that were beginning to crash down around the perimeter of the bier. </p><p></p><p>Esir was like a streak of lightning as he darted for the exit. Anku was only a step behind him, but both were still a good twenty paces from the arch when a massive roar filled the place, and the huge blocks of the arch came crashing down into the opening, accompanied by ten thousand pounds of rock and earth. The force of the collapse was enough to knock the two men backward, and it was only luck or desperation that kept them on their feet. Their treasures fell forgotten to the floor. There was so much dust now that it was almost impossible to see, but they could hear the pounding of stones upon the floor all around them. The shaking had not ceased, and if anything continued to intensify until the ground was like the back of an enraged bull beneath their feet. </p><p></p><p>“The... priest!” Esir coughed, grabbing Anku’s arm and dragging him back toward the crypt. </p><p></p><p>They staggered out of the collapsing foyer into the huge chamber of the emperor’s tomb. The room was coming apart, and the stone blocks falling from above were the size of carts, slamming into the floor with enough force to crack the stone. The stone statues that ringed the chamber were still intact, staring down at the pair with gazes that seemed triumphant. One finally succumbed to the abuse of the collapse, its head tumbling from its shoulders to land within two paces of the desperate thieves. </p><p></p><p>“There!” Esir yelled, pointing. </p><p></p><p>Tammuz stood atop the bier still, adjacent to the empty tomb. He held a scroll in his hands, and somehow though all the chaos Esir could almost hear the words of magic, as the priest drew upon some power to escape. </p><p></p><p>“Tammuz! Take us...”</p><p></p><p>But he never got a chance to finish, as the ceiling above opened with a mighty cracking. The priest looked up and fixed his erstwhile companions with a neutral stare. </p><p></p><p>Then the air shimmered around him, and he was gone. </p><p></p><p>* * * * * </p><p></p><p>The Nightfall vespers were approaching peak, and there were nearly twenty white-robed priests of Soleus gathered in the small chapel in the rear of the great cathedral in Camar. This ritual was an echo of the public one held in the huge temple in the nave of the building at sunset. That daily gathering attracted as many as five hundred citizens of the city; these days, with all of the troubles facing Camar, every service held in the cathedral was packed to capacity. </p><p></p><p>The Nightfall service was quieter, more solemn, and attended only by those consecrated to the service of the faithful. Patriarch Jaduran was not presiding this evening, as he was spending another long night in consultations with the Tribune and the Council in the ducal palace. The old bishop conducting the service had spent sixty-two years in the service of the Father, and he spoke the ritual words with the familiarity of one who knew them better than he knew himself. He stood before the altar, facing the gathered priests, who knelt with heads bowed, echoing his words with the appropriate replies. Behind him a ring of candles around the altar filled the room with a soft light. The damage recently wrought in the chapel had been repaired, although black marks could still be seen on the wooden beams high above, a reminder of the scandal that surrounded the last Patriarch’s removal. </p><p></p><p>There was a soft sound, a quiet <em>whump</em> that fell in the midst of the bishop’s invocation of safety for the people of Camar in the absence of the sun’s blessed light. The man trailed off, his eyes wide, his mouth hanging open in surprise. The gathered priests looked up in confusion at the unprecedented interruption. </p><p></p><p>There was a man standing in the middle of the sanctum, facing the altar and the surprised bishop. He was shrouded in a dark robe, hanging askance about his person. He was covered in dust, and motes of it floated in the air around him. </p><p></p><p>For a moment, the priests stared at the unexpected intruder in surprise. A few started to rise, alarmed; one even began casting a spell. But the newcomer raised a hand in placation. </p><p></p><p>“Excuse me, gentlemen. I did not mean to interrupt your service. Please, bishop, finish the invocation; I will remove myself.”</p><p></p><p>With that, Licinius Varo turned and departed, leaving the surprised priests to share looks of confusion behind him.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Lazybones, post: 3841899, member: 143"] Thanks, Moonshade! I hope you enjoy the tales of the poor DBs as well. And here is the lengthy post I promised for today. Next week we'll find out what happened to the other Bastards since leaving Rappan Athuk. * * * * * Chapter 276 LOOT Anku laughed as he cracked the top of the clay pot he was carrying, and a flood of silver coins spilled out. The barbarian balanced the heavy container to stop the coins from falling out, but at least fifty had slipped out, clinking on the stone floor as they bounced and rolled across the room. “By the gods, man, why must you make such a clatter!” Esir said. He hurried over with a small canvas sack, which he held under the barbarian’s pot. Anku carefully tipped the pot, dumping hundreds of the coins into the sack. The ancient coins were thin and irregular by modern standards, but the contents of the pot still appeared to greatly exceed the capacity of the sack. Yet the cascade of silver vanished into the bag swiftly, and barely caused the canvas to bulge as they settled. “Here, help me gather up this mess you made,” the thief said, collecting the nearest of the scattered coins. “Bah, you scrabble about on the floor,” the tribesman said, flashing a wry grin. “I think I saw another of those containers in the alcove here.” He headed over to the far side of the room, and started digging around in the debris of ancient tools, weapons, pots and other accountrements that had long since decayed beyond practical use. Not far away, along the near wall, Tammuz dug through the insides of a stone tomb. They had already cleared out the six sarcophagi along the perimeter of the room, but the mystic was giving them a closer examination, searching for hidden objects or secret panels. They had been wary of traps or undead guardians when they’d opened the sealed stone blocks, but inside there had only been the mummified skeletons of those laid to rest here, covered in the ruined remains of once-fine clothes and armor. Now, all that was left was junk, claimed by the advancing hand of time. This was the last of four burial chambers that they had cleared out, each richer than the last. All of the weapons, armor, and other useful goods were decrepit and useless, but they had found valuables that retained their worth to the tomb raiders. Ancient coins, stamped with the faded visage of a ruler dead for millennia. Semi-precious stones, inlaid into the hilts of rusted weapons or crumbled armor. Jeweled artifacts such as bracers, anklets, belts, and torcs, constructed in crude fashion by contemporary standards, but prized for the copper, silver, and gold from which they had been made. The haul thus far had been in bits and pieces rather than a deluge, and Esir’s spacious [i]bag of holding[/i] had not had difficulty absorbing the entire quantity of the treasure. Neither he nor Anku complained; the increasing frequency of valuable loot the deeper they continued into the tomb only presaged the greater treasures further on. Thus far the tombs they had found had only housed elite soldiers, councilors, and extended kin of the long-dead emperor. The bones of the fallen prince himself, and his immediate family, had to reside somewhere ahead. Tammuz’s probing fingers found something, caught in a narrow crevice in the bottom of the tomb. Shifting the mummy, he was able to dig his treasure free. As he lifted it into view, he sucked in a breath. It was a gemstone, a crystal about as wide and maybe half the length of his little finger. It was a long oval, tapered to a point on one end. As the light of his torch played upon it, the stone came alive in a glimmer of reflections, the brightness shining on hundreds if not thousands of tiny facets in the gem. It was beautiful, and with the light gathering upon the myriad facets, almost hypnotic to look upon. Esir and Anku had noticed the mystic’s discovery and come over to join him. “So, you have found one of the Tears?” the thief said. “Yes,” Tammuz said, closing his hand around the gem and placing it in his pouch. “Yes, although it is a very small one. According to my sources, the more potent stones approach the size of a closed fist.” “They are magic?” Anku asked. “Of a sort,” the mystic explained. “They are more accurately [i]conduits[/i] for certain kinds of energy, and are capable of absorbing and storing a great deal of power within their matrices.” “[i]And the gods looked down at what their creations had wrought, and their tears fell hard upon the earth,[/i]” Esir said, his voice strangely distant. Tammuz looked intently at him. “The old gods had good reasons for their grief,” he said. “The new ones, as well,” the thief returned. Tammuz looked thoughtful. “Yes. Yes.” He turned to Anku. “Did you recover all of your treasure?” “Yeah, that last pot was cracked, empty. I’m ready to move on, if you are.” “We’re getting close to the Emperor’s tomb, aren’t we?” Esir asked. Both men looked at Tammuz. “I do not know the precise layout of the tomb,” the mystic said. “But I suspect that you are correct.” That revelation made them all somewhat somber, as they departed the tomb and continued deeper into the complex. They were still alert for traps, with Esir clearing the ground ahead of them before every single step forward. They did not encounter more such obstacles, but they did find a mortared wall that required Anku’s pick for them to progress further. They made their way through several empty vaults and passed a few side passages that Tammuz led them past without stopping. The mystic seemed to be guided by instinct, and the other two men felt a building anticipation that only grew with each empty chamber they passed. The tunnel abruptly gave way to another set of stairs, which broadened as they descended until they were in a long gallery of sorts. They could each feel a sense of cold oppressiveness now; they had to be far beneath the surface of the earth, with all of the descents they had made since entering the timb. The stairs ended but the hall continued, with two rows of pillars running down the center, supporting the vaulted ceiling twenty feet above. Tammuz’s torch indicated deep alcoves to either side between the pillars, but the mystic left them unmolested. There were objects in those alcoves, vague forms as the light passed them quickly by, but Esir and Anku stayed with the priest. They could always come back, once the greatest treasures had been looted. The pair were taking on the airs of a diner who snubs his nose at a rich buffet, in favor of the finest morsels said to be at the high table. They had already recovered a small fortune in Esir’s magical bag, but since entering the tomb, each had developed escalating expectations at what the private hoard of an emperor’s tomb would contain. Finally, they came to a broad but relativately low stone arch that marked an end to the hall. Anku’s head nearly brushed the stone as he followed Tammuz through; his skin tingled slightly as he made his way into the chamber beyond. Esir felt it too. “A ward?” Tammuz did not turn back toward them. “Be wary. Do not touch anything unless I say it is safe.” There had been a subtle shift in the man’s demeanor since the last tomb, and now it was he who took the lead, as they moved further into the room beyond the arch. The immediate area was crowded, with pillars half again as thick as the ones in the outer hall holding up a low ceiling. But after about thirty feet, the space opened up once more into a large chamber, almost cavernous in its scope. The place was impressive. Huge stone forms had been carved into the walls, rising to support the ceiling some thirty feet above. There were almost a dozen of them, quiet stone guardians carved with skirts and breastplates in an archaic style. Their faces were not quite human, but even with Tammuz’s torch held high they could not quite discern their precise identity. The statues ringed a huge stone bier in the center of the room, accessed by a series of stone steps that faced them. Upon the bier was another tomb, this one carved in great detail with scenes that formed several parallel rows around the perimeter of the container. Tammuz started toward the stairs, but he was distracted by Esir’s sudden exclamation. “Here! Over here!” The three of them rushed over to where the thief had indicated. Tammuz’s light indicated another small arch on the far side of the room, near the huge leg of one of the statues. As the torchlight spread through the opening into the space beyond, it shone brightly on the familiar sheen of gold. “A fortune...” Even though they could only see part of the room beyond the arch, one look was enough to prove the truth of the tomb raider’s exclamation. The light revealed considerable mounds of precious objects, overwhelmingly gold, but leavened with items of brass, silver, and platinum, most generously encrusted with precious gemstones. These objects were neither crude nor small, and included objects both practical and decorative to suit almost any function one could imagine. It was as if someone had taken the contents of a lavish palace, transformed them into solid gold, and pressed them into the confines of the small room beyond the arch. “Forgive me for ever doubting you, priest,” Esir said, his voice almost breaking with the raw greed that filled him. He started forward, arms outstretched, Anku just as wide-eyed a step behind. “Stop!” Both men seemed to come out of a haze as Tammuz’s command echoed off the walls of the crypt. Anku frowned as he turned around, and Esir’s expression was even darker. “What is it, priest?” “That archway is warded with powerful magic.” Tammuz stepped forward, and the other two parted to make way. He walked up to the very edge of the arch, but no closer. He muttered words of magic, and stared into the opening, ignoring the incredible treasure to focus on small details, from the grain of the stone to the faint specks of dust that floated in the air. Esir came up behind him, and conducted his own examination, without disturbing the priest. “Well?” Anku finally asked. Tammuz let out a breath. “I am sorry. The ward is incredibly potent, and bound to the very fabric of this place.” “What are you saying?” Esir asked. “That we should just give up that loot, because you cannot bypass the ward?” But Tammuz had already grown distracted; he turned and headed for the great stone tomb in the middle of the room once more. “Perhaps later, I can prepare magic to evade the ward,” he said over his shoulder. Anku growled something, but Esir forestalled him with a raised hand. The two followed the man, as he ascended the bier and approached the tomb. They watched as he scanned the stone box, which was large enough to hold the remains of ten men. They knew who was held inside, however, even before Tammuz touched the full-sized engraving carved into the lid of the tomb. The details of the carvings had faded some in time, but their exceptional quality was still evident. This one was the representation of a powerfully-built man, clad in elaborate armor, his arms outstretched. Below him, minature figures paraded across the lower half of the tomb, their eyes and hands lifted in supplication to the great figure above. “Come, help me with the lid,” Tammuz said. “Odd, that they would place wards upon their lord’s treasure, but not upon his remains,” Esir said, shooting a wary glance at Tammuz. He took up a position to the priest’s left, while Anku took hold of the lid at the foot of the tomb. “Together, on three, push,” Tammuz urged. “One, two, three!” The stone lid slipped aside slightly. It took several more concerted thrusts before they could see the opening below. A dry gush of stale air rose from the darkness within. The walls of the tomb were thick, a full foot of stone on all sides. The stone continued to resist them, but finally Anku grunted and pushed with his full might, and with a huge crash the lid toppled over onto the bier, lying propped against the side of the tomb. The three men leaned over the edge and peered into the tomb. There wasn’t much to see. The body of the god-emperor Amar Sina lay bound in ceremonial wrappings. He wore armor, but the bits of leather that had held the bronze pieces together had decayed with age, leaving only scattered components. A sword had been laid in the right hand of the skeleton; Anku reached in and grabbed it, examining it with a keen eye. “Worthless,” he said, tossing the sword away. It landed with a loud clatter and skittered into a corner. “A collector of antiquities would pay thousands of gold pieces for that pitted blade,” Tammuz said. The cleric had started a detailed search of the interior of the tomb, taking more care with the remains of the dead man than the tribesman had. “If you could convince him that the weapon was what you claimed it to be,” Esir said. The thief’s own cursory examination had revealed no treasure in the tomb, at least nothing immediately valuable. With a subtle inclination of his head, he directed Anku to follow him. Tammuz, bent fully over the edge of the tomb as he searched, pain them no heed. The two retreated to the edge of the bier, and engaged in a quiet but intense conversation. The priest, meanwhile, had grown more intense in his own search. Carefully sliding the body of the dead emperor out of the way, he closed his eyes and felt along the bottom of the tomb. The stone was covered with a layer of dust, powdered stone mixed with the detritus of the human body following centuries of natural decay. His fingers found the slight indentation where a piece of the tomb had settled. He pressed upon the spot, calling upon his magic, whispering words of power. Before his touch the stone melted away, revealing a small, concealed recess below. Within lie a small bag. Carefully he reached for it, knowing that the fabric would likely crumble at his touch. A noise drew his attention, and he lifted himself up out of the tomb. His companions were gone. He lifted his torch and looked around, his gaze drawn inevitably to their most probable location. A sudden peal of laughter confirmed his suspicion. It came from the arch leading to the treasure room. A moment later, Esir reappeared, accompanied a moment later by Anku, both burdened by several heavy artifacts of solid gold. “What have you done?” “Ho, priest!” Esir said, with a grin. “Your warning turned out to be nothing... the ward was pathetic, a flash of light, a little clap...” “You fools! The ward was...” He was interrupted as a low rumble filled the crypt, echoing off the walls. The noise intensified rapidly, and the ground shook beneath their feet, nearly knocking Tammuz down. Anku dropped a heavy golden candelabra, and it broke into pieces as it hit the stone floor. “What’s happening?” the barbarian shouted. “The place... it’s collapsing!” Esir yelled in reply. The shaking intensified, and dust and bits of stone began dropping from above, as cracked appeared in the walls and ceiling, and rapidly began to widen. “The exit!” the thief shouted, dashing for the far arch, still carrying his burdens. Anku started to reach for the largest chunk of the candelabra but thought better of it, running after the thief with a golden chalice, a ruby-encrusted scepter, and a platinum and silver bowl still clutched in his arms. Neither paid any heed to Tammuz, who had returned to the tomb, and reached into it, heedless of the larger chunks of stone that were beginning to crash down around the perimeter of the bier. Esir was like a streak of lightning as he darted for the exit. Anku was only a step behind him, but both were still a good twenty paces from the arch when a massive roar filled the place, and the huge blocks of the arch came crashing down into the opening, accompanied by ten thousand pounds of rock and earth. The force of the collapse was enough to knock the two men backward, and it was only luck or desperation that kept them on their feet. Their treasures fell forgotten to the floor. There was so much dust now that it was almost impossible to see, but they could hear the pounding of stones upon the floor all around them. The shaking had not ceased, and if anything continued to intensify until the ground was like the back of an enraged bull beneath their feet. “The... priest!” Esir coughed, grabbing Anku’s arm and dragging him back toward the crypt. They staggered out of the collapsing foyer into the huge chamber of the emperor’s tomb. The room was coming apart, and the stone blocks falling from above were the size of carts, slamming into the floor with enough force to crack the stone. The stone statues that ringed the chamber were still intact, staring down at the pair with gazes that seemed triumphant. One finally succumbed to the abuse of the collapse, its head tumbling from its shoulders to land within two paces of the desperate thieves. “There!” Esir yelled, pointing. Tammuz stood atop the bier still, adjacent to the empty tomb. He held a scroll in his hands, and somehow though all the chaos Esir could almost hear the words of magic, as the priest drew upon some power to escape. “Tammuz! Take us...” But he never got a chance to finish, as the ceiling above opened with a mighty cracking. The priest looked up and fixed his erstwhile companions with a neutral stare. Then the air shimmered around him, and he was gone. * * * * * The Nightfall vespers were approaching peak, and there were nearly twenty white-robed priests of Soleus gathered in the small chapel in the rear of the great cathedral in Camar. This ritual was an echo of the public one held in the huge temple in the nave of the building at sunset. That daily gathering attracted as many as five hundred citizens of the city; these days, with all of the troubles facing Camar, every service held in the cathedral was packed to capacity. The Nightfall service was quieter, more solemn, and attended only by those consecrated to the service of the faithful. Patriarch Jaduran was not presiding this evening, as he was spending another long night in consultations with the Tribune and the Council in the ducal palace. The old bishop conducting the service had spent sixty-two years in the service of the Father, and he spoke the ritual words with the familiarity of one who knew them better than he knew himself. He stood before the altar, facing the gathered priests, who knelt with heads bowed, echoing his words with the appropriate replies. Behind him a ring of candles around the altar filled the room with a soft light. The damage recently wrought in the chapel had been repaired, although black marks could still be seen on the wooden beams high above, a reminder of the scandal that surrounded the last Patriarch’s removal. There was a soft sound, a quiet [i]whump[/i] that fell in the midst of the bishop’s invocation of safety for the people of Camar in the absence of the sun’s blessed light. The man trailed off, his eyes wide, his mouth hanging open in surprise. The gathered priests looked up in confusion at the unprecedented interruption. There was a man standing in the middle of the sanctum, facing the altar and the surprised bishop. He was shrouded in a dark robe, hanging askance about his person. He was covered in dust, and motes of it floated in the air around him. For a moment, the priests stared at the unexpected intruder in surprise. A few started to rise, alarmed; one even began casting a spell. But the newcomer raised a hand in placation. “Excuse me, gentlemen. I did not mean to interrupt your service. Please, bishop, finish the invocation; I will remove myself.” With that, Licinius Varo turned and departed, leaving the surprised priests to share looks of confusion behind him. [/QUOTE]
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