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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Lazybones" data-source="post: 4131862" data-attributes="member: 143">Chapter 8OLD ACQUAINTANCESAllera stepped in front of Dar, a nimbus of blue energies flaring around her fists as she summoned her power.  But Dar did not flinch from the wizardess’s steeled gaze.  “Oh?  Thinking that today might be the day, woman?”Violence flared in Kupra’s eyes, and her own fists were clenched at her side, but she did not make any move to attack.  Setarcos turned to her, and whispered something.  She did not turn her stare from Dar, but said to the monk, “Per our agreement, my debt to you is paid, old man.”  She spoke words of magic, and vanished in a slight flare of white power. “What was that all about?” Allera asked.  “Someone else who bears a grudge,” Dar said. Setarcos came forward, the other monk in his shadow.  “I would not have brought the two of you together again, but time was of the essence, and our attempts to scry others I knew from Camar were unsuccessful.”“What is the matter, Setarcos?” Allera asked.  “We come bearing a warning.  There is a cult in Drusia, a foul cabal of nihilists who worship the apotheosis of destruction.  Their goal is to bring about the end of the world, an armageddon.”  “Sounds a bit familiar,” Dar said. “These cultists are not associated with the servants of Orcus, not directly, at least.  But recently my order, the Vigilant Fists, located and destroyed a major cell of this cult.  We had been searching for years to locate their hiding place, and while we killed most of the cultists, their leader escaped.”“And this cult leader has an interest in Camar?” Allera asked. The old monk nodded.  “We found some documents, and a huge mural, in the main chamber of their sanctuary.  The mural depicted a huge, red monstrosity, a demonic thing that they refer to as the Ravager.  There was also something small in the background, a distinctive landscape that might have been unfamiliar to most, but not to anyone who had ever been to Rappan Athuk...”He trailed off as he noticed the change in Dar’s expression.  “I take it that this tale bears some relevance for you?”But Dar was already running toward the cathedral door.  Allera rushed after him, glancing back to see that the monks were keeping pace, the old man moving with surprising quickness for his advanced age.  By the time she got inside, Dar had already grabbed a priest, and was almost shaking the poor man as he spoke. “I don’t care if the ceremony’s about to start, get Jaduran, and get him down to the Vault, now!  And send a squad of temple guards down there as well.”Releasing the priest, Dar dashed down the stairs that led from the upper level to the cathedral cellars.  Allera was right behind him.  “What are you doing?” she yelled after him.“I have a bad feeling, angel,” he said.  He reached the bottom of the stairs but did not hesitate, moving with purpose to the next set of stairs that led to the sublevel that housed the vault.  He had been down to the warren of catacombs under the cathedral several times, mostly for grim errands related to Rappan Athuk, but he had only been to the vault itself once, in the company of Jaduran, shortly after the final defeat of Orcus those twelve years back.  He got to the guard room and stopped.  The chamber was empty.  “I smell blood,” Allera said, entering the room behind him.  “There was violence here, very recently.”“There’s a secret door over here,” Dar said.  He had a good memory, but the exact mechanism was difficult to identify, and by the time that he got it open others had arrived.  The two monks stepped to the side of the stairs, fading into the shadows, while the small knot of priests and armed guards that arrived in their wake looked around in confusion. “What is going on here?” a man clad in a uniform bearing golden insignia asked.  He pressed forward but hesitated, recognizing Dar and Allera. “Aren’t there supposed to be guards here?” Dar asked.  “Yes, two at all times, but...”He was interrupted as Dar finally worked the hidden mechanism, and a segment of wall groaned open.  The others followed him as he moved into the chamber beyond. They didn’t have to look far.  The bodies of the two guards had been dumped unceremoniously off to the side, just inside the hidden portal.  The huge doorway to the Vault stood open ahead of them, gaping like an open maw.  The guards rushed forward with two of the priests.  The other priest went over to the guards with Allera, but Dar already knew what they would find.  His fist clenched and unclenched reflexively. “Damn it, I hate it when I’m right.”</blockquote>

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