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Story Hour
The Thorns of Winter -(updated 8/1/2023)
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<blockquote data-quote="Nthal" data-source="post: 8681452" data-attributes="member: 6971069"><p><h2 style="text-align: center">More than we bargained for - 7/2/2022</h2><p></p><p></p><p>“We must be out of our minds,” Rosa muttered trudging through the snow.</p><p></p><p>I nodded, “I agree. And we technically haven’t made a bargain or contract or anything!”</p><p></p><p>“Get two precious gems from guarded locations,” The Blade growled. “If it weren’t from a hag, it would almost read like a post bill in Sharn.”</p><p></p><p>Doxx shrugged, “That at least would make sense,” the old woman said rubbing her thin arms with her hands as she pinched the staff between her neck and shoulders. Then she pointed ahead of us, “But following that usually isn’t part of the deal.” Ahead of Adrissa who was leading our march, flew the grey winged executioner raven.</p><p></p><p>“They aren’t far at all!” Twisted Mirth had said. “Just follow my pet here, and he’ll show you the way.”</p><p></p><p>“True,” Sage said. “It’s probably just a familiar so she can keep eyes on us.”</p><p></p><p>“Think she knows a way to bypass the limit on distance?” Bookshelf asked, peering at the raven with curiosity.</p><p></p><p>“With hags, anything is possible,” I said. “They all have, strange access to powers no one else can duplicate. Its why people gamble and try to get a deal from them; all because they do impossible things. But it never seems to end well…or not that I have heard anyway. But this is still strange.”</p><p></p><p>“Because she <strong><em>didn’t </em></strong>make a bargain with us,” Rosa nodded in agreement. She then furrowed her brow and turned to look at me. “Do…you have experience in these kinds of contracts, Myrai?”</p><p></p><p>I winced and after a moment spoke slowly, “I did a contract once, and only once. But it was with a Baatori—uh what you would call a devil. It was long, complex and I thought I was very canny when I signed it.” Sighing I looked down and fought back the tears and memories. “I was very wrong.”</p><p></p><p>Rosa kept looking at me, “And things ended badly?”</p><p></p><p>I nodded, “I…I was peeled like a cony…Sorry that probably doesn’t make sense to you. Basically, I was being cheated before I even arrived.” I said remembering the malebranche’s toothy, malevolent grin as it pushed the contract towards me in the <em>Tenth Pit</em>. “I made a bargain to save my…my lover.”</p><p></p><p>Rosa pressed, “And they didn’t honor the bargain?”</p><p></p><p>“No.” I said tearing up a bit. “They honored it. To the letter. They let him go and didn’t kill him. But since he had a contract with them to die…they honored that too, and they let him bleed to death as I watched, helplessly. Then they fulfilled a hundred and thirty-three contracts, each one taking a turn with me and…”</p><p></p><p>Rosa blanched and stopped and looked at me in concern, “They used you…how?” she took my hand and turned me to look at her standing below me.</p><p></p><p>I stopped in the snow and continued. “It was different for each fiend, but it all involved…pain.” I could still remember the ache in my arms as I hung there in chains for the fiend’s amusement. “I nearly gave up my sanity along with skin and blood. But the one thing they wouldn’t let happen is let me die. Much like the two in Twisted Mirth’s cave. I wouldn’t be surprised if they tried to end it all but found themselves unable to do it.”</p><p></p><p>“This isn’t a bounty,” Doxx said, as the group gathered around me. “This is the makings of a horror story, that teens tell each other to make themselves sound brave. We should find another way and leave this hag out of it.”</p><p></p><p>“We need the Master Key,” Sage said. “Without it, we cannot turn this eldritch machine off.”</p><p></p><p>“Nor do we know how to operate it,” Bookshelf said. “And Twisted Mirth does.”</p><p></p><p>“But Morrigon has to have a key on him!” Adrissa pointed out. “We should just take his!”</p><p></p><p>Rosa sighed, “The other one we saw, was fragile; we can’t risk him breaking it.”</p><p></p><p>“Look this whole thing seems strange; especially since we didn’t make a bargain,” I said. “I don’t know how hags make one, but we’d all have to agree and do…something.”</p><p></p><p>“She’ll have you sign a paper with your blood mixed with hers,” a rough sandy voice said to our surprise. We looked around startled and confused. Twisting my head, I saw that the executioner raven, had alighted on a small boulder and was pecking at it with its jet-black beak. It then looked at me and the others in turn and opened its beak and spoke, “That’s how she likes to seal her deals.”</p><p></p><p>Doxx leaned over to Sage muttering, “It can talk…”</p><p></p><p>Sage looked at the old woman and sighed, “And it probably heard you,”</p><p></p><p>The raven blinked and opened its mouth again and it started to huff the air rapidly, “Oh she’s a smart one…or is it a he? Can’t always tell with changelings.”</p><p></p><p>I sighed and crossed my arms as I glared at it, “A familiar indeed. You have a name?”</p><p></p><p>The raven cocked its head, “Oh the lily is trying to be polite! Pike that berk. I don’t give a sod about you, your adams or even that swagger Mirth.”</p><p></p><p>I clenched my rod in my hand as tightly and clenched my teeth. “I should styx you, you halfheaded, unhende—” I raised my rod and started to pull on a strand. Bookshelf grabbed my arms, pinning them to my side. I started to twist in a poor attempt to escape his grasp. The raven started huffing again, and I realized what it meant.</p><p></p><p>It was laughing at me.</p><p></p><p>“Go ahead and earn a page,” it hissed at me as I struggled against Bookshelf. “Running a ful black one against poor me is climbing the spire.”</p><p></p><p>“So, we didn’t enter a bargain,” Sage mused. “Why?”</p><p></p><p>“A reasonable question, tinman.” The raven said. “No telling what’s going on in her bone-box. And to answer your foamed up lily’s question, my name is Snave.”</p><p></p><p>I stopped struggling as I narrowed my eyes looking at the raven, and Bookshelf released me. “How did you get here, because you sound like a cager.”</p><p></p><p>Doxx leaned over to Sage, “Its common she’s speaking right? I can barely follow it.”</p><p></p><p>“Trading of insults in a type of slang,” Sage observed. “Probably from where she grew up, although not sure about the raven—”</p><p></p><p>“—It’s <strong><em>Snave</em></strong>, you gearheaded lemon!”</p><p></p><p>“Snave.” The Juggernaut grumbled and glared at the bird for a moment, before continuing. “Do you know anything about where we are going?”</p><p></p><p>Snave cocked its head and looked at Sage, “To a hole in the ground, wider and deeper than that greenskirt lily’s—”</p><p></p><p>My blood boiled as Snave spoke and I cut off the nasty bird, “--Why you!—” I flexed and threw a dark strand around the bird and pulled. I could feel the dark miasma start to form and then suddenly, the strand flexed and whipped back at me. I could feel pain around my head, and I fell to my knees, hunched over. I gasped and gripped my head in pain. As I stared at the snow, I saw blood drip on the white surface, each droplet giving off faint steam. Growling, I pulled myself up to a kneeling position and wiped the blood from my nose.</p><p></p><p>The raven’s huffing now had tone and a deep grating guffawing came from its throat after a moment of me fuming, and it looked at me shaking its head. “Oh, that’s rich! You run a black one and try to deliver me the mail? Sodding mephit, serves you right! Get this through your thick wormy, bone-box; Mirth doesn’t give a sod about me, but she isn’t going to let you fail on the account me getting boxed. So, use that brainbox for once and pike off!”</p><p></p><p>The bird then looked at the juggernaut again, “And before I was so rudely interrupted by the greenskirt, its in a deep hole. But that hole is on the edge of Khyber.” At that last word, the group became hushed and everyone but me was looking at each other with ashen faces.</p><p></p><p>Calming down a little, I looked at the others and saw the concern, fear and doubt cross many of their faces. Even the warforged with their stiff countenances shifted uncomfortably at the mention of the word. “What’s Khyber?” I asked the others. Everyone looked at each other but no one seemed willing to answer the question. “What is it…why are you afraid?”</p><p></p><p>“Khyber is the bowls of the earth below us.” Rosa said grimly. “Many foul things are buried and sealed there, long forgotten by most.”</p><p></p><p>“Like…like…the vegethings,” Adrissa said in a quavering voice. I could see her eyes wide and for the first time in a long while, the grim mask of determination fell away for a moment, and there once again was the young girl from the ranch. I was still on my knees as a reached out and touched her shoulder. She turned to look at me and took a deep breath and seemed to recover as Rosa continued to speak.</p><p></p><p>“No. Those were creatures from the Gloaming where decay is strong. But Khyber is where evil things were imprisoned. Some long ago, like the overlords. And then later …the Daelkyr.”</p><p></p><p>“Daelkyr…is that a fiend of some type?” I asked. The word was unfamiliar to me, but we had been talking about fiends, hags and other foul beings beforehand, but Rosa seemed to dread these creatures more.</p><p></p><p>“I…I…don’t know what they are. But the gatekeepers sealed them below. Nightmarish aberrations that are mockery of nature. But while the Daelkyr are sealed below, their servants <strong>aren’t.</strong> They infrequently come up from the depths.”</p><p></p><p>“I seem to recall that some theorized that they caused the fall of the Dhakaani Empire,” Bookshelf said quietly.</p><p></p><p>“I…had never heard that,” Rosa said. “But I could believe it.”</p><p></p><p>Snave started his mocking laughter again, “Afraid of the creatures below? You should be afraid. Afraid of the dark. Afraid of the horrors—”</p><p></p><p>“—You are a terrible motivator,” Doxx said.</p><p></p><p>“And fear doesn’t come into it,” said The Blade. “So…what is it? ‘Pike it and sodding lead.’” The elf and looked at me for approval</p><p></p><p>I looked at The Blade a moment, smiled and shook my head in disbelief in what I just heard. “Close enough, cutter. Close enough.”</p><p></p><p>We rested the night under a dome of magic. I yay there warm and cozy, with Adrissa close by. And while the nightmares were still there, they didn’t intrude into my waking self, beyond a pounding heart and quickened breath. The dreams left behind the tendrils of fear upon me, but it seemed far from the worry of the day.</p><p></p><p>Khyber.</p><p></p><p>It was near mid-day when we came to the entrance to the realm below. I was expecting a cave; like the ones in the High Moors, or the sea caves of Nelanther or the grottos beneath pirate town of Blackwater reef. Something with columns of stone and water dripping here and there, and narrow passages that twist around all alike, far from the light of the sun.</p><p></p><p>The only thing that matched that description was the lack of sunlight. Before us was a tunnel, where perhaps three could walk side by side, and perhaps several more with difficultly as the sides of the tunnel arched upwards. The tunnel, twisted down into the depths like a spiral. The walls were somewhat smooth but with faint weathering of water and wind, causing small cracks, and small piles of pebbles on the on the floor of the tunnel as it cut down into the rock below. But what stood out to me, was that the tunnel was perfectly round and there were no columns or pillars or branching passages as far as we could see. And then, there also was a low sound that hung in the air, a low ragged hum you could more feel than hear. Finally, there was a constant wave of stifling air coming from the depths. It melted the snow on the edges and formed rivulets of water that dripped down into the tunnel. They gathered into a small stream, which ran along the floor of the tunnel, and headed downwards.</p><p></p><p>We stood there looking at the passage heading down unwilling to take that first step. Finally, it was Sage that spoke first saying, “Staring at the darkness, doesn’t make it more inviting.”</p><p></p><p>Bookshelf nodded, and pulled out his driftglobe, and set it to a point just behind him. “Well, we won’t be blind.”</p><p></p><p>Sage nodded, and turned to look at the Blade, Adrissa and I, and asked, “Can you see anything?”</p><p></p><p>The three of us, moved to the threshold and looked down. From my perspective, I saw nothing remarkable. The tunnel was odd, but it just descended deeper, and because of the curve, we couldn’t see the end at all as it twisted out of sight.</p><p></p><p>“There isn’t anything to see; it turns and that cuts off my view,” The Blade said.</p><p></p><p>“Pretty much that,” Adrissa agreed.</p><p></p><p>“No nooks, no side passages,” I said and looked at the others. “It’s not natural, it must have been carved. But even in Krona Peak, the Mror’s passages were arches or squared off tunnels. Not round like this. They also had shoring or pillars supporting some of the larger ones. But there isn’t any shoring or any bracing at all.”</p><p></p><p>“Well…let’s send the raven in and let him scout it out,” Doxx said not even turning to look at the bird and kept her eyes looking downwards.</p><p></p><p>Snave was perched on a dead branch of a tree, preening its wings. The raven stopped and looked at the old woman and gave off that gritty chuckle and flared out its wings. It then said mockingly, “Are you barmy? I’m saying here.”</p><p></p><p>Doxx turned and stomped over to the bird and pointed her staff at it. “You’re supposed to lead us to the gem. So do it.”</p><p></p><p>“Nope.” Snave said. “Just to here. I am going to wait until you come out. If you come out.”</p><p></p><p>“Coward,” Doxx spat.</p><p></p><p>“Go hug a razorvine!” the bird retorted.</p><p></p><p>“Turd brain,”</p><p></p><p>“Leatherhead!”</p><p></p><p>Doxx turned to look at me confused.</p><p></p><p>I just nodded, “Means you’re an idiot.”</p><p></p><p>Doxx whirled around to look at Snave, “Just get down there!”</p><p></p><p>The bird yawned and then took to the air, and then dove for the entrance. Doxx gave herself a self-congratulating smile. But it fell quickly, as the raven circled the tunnel entrance, and then returned to the branch and cackled that same gritty laugh and said with a venomous tone, “Such a cony. Easy to bob and peel.”</p><p></p><p>Doxx looked at me and I told him, “He fooled you. Face it he isn’t going.”</p><p></p><p>“See! your greenskirt gets it!” Snave sniped.</p><p></p><p>“What does that even mean?” Bookshelf asked.</p><p></p><p>I glared at Snave and said between gritted teeth, “A jinxskirt is a streetwalker. A greenskirt is a cheap one.”</p><p></p><p>“Oh.” Bookshelf said and was about to ask another question, before he thought better of it and stayed silent.</p><p></p><p>“Anyway, If we need a scout, I’ll get him,” and I reached with my mind and pulled the strand, and out popped my familiar.</p><p></p><p><em>--What the?!? Wow is it <strong>COLD</strong> out here and…what the…what is that smell?</em></p><p><em></em></p><p><em>Sorry Gos, but I need you to…smell?”</em></p><p><em></em></p><p><em>--What? You can’t smell that? Its overpowering. Like fish or something. Its coming from…yep…that tunnel over…wait…isn’t the raven that we killed earlier.</em></p><p><em></em></p><p><em>Yeah. Can’t kill it now though.</em></p><p><em></em></p><p><em>--Really why?</em></p><p><em></em></p><p><em>A hag is protecting it until we get some gems.</em></p><p></p><p>“Oh wow; a little flying slave,” the raven said with a sneer. “Guess you don’t need me.”</p><p></p><p>“Stitch your lips,” I said to Snave and for some reason it didn’t bother to retort.</p><p></p><p><em>--I don’t like the bird.</em></p><p><em></em></p><p><em>You’re in good company. Can you fly ahead of us?</em></p><p><em></em></p><p><em>--Sure thing…but that smell is awful. Don’t know what it is.</em></p><p></p><p>Gossamer yawned and stretched, and then dropped down and ran into the tunnel.</p><p></p><p>Adrissa sighed, “I really do like Gossamer.”</p><p></p><p>I nodded, “He’ll let us know what’s ahead, but he did say there is a weird fish like smell coming from below.”</p><p></p><p>Rosa frowned, “If he can smell it and we can’t…its probably an animal of some sort. Or at least something living.”</p><p></p><p>“Wonderful,” The Blade muttered. Let’s get this over with.”</p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p>I had placed a light on Sage’s shield and Bookshelf’s drift globe hovered over us as we descended. The melted snow ran down into the depths as a thin shallow river, the trickle echoing off the walls. The curve of the tunnel was constant along with the slow measured descent. As far as I could see, there was no obstruction, and little variation. And Gossamer had little more to add.</p><p></p><p><em>--You know I could do this faster if you would just keep up</em></p><p><em></em></p><p><em>I don’t know what we are going to find down here, and I rather you stay close enough to still communicate.</em></p><p><em></em></p><p><em>--Well, I don’t know how far ahead or below you I am, but this seems to go one for…wait. A room! Can’t see it all from the entryway, but there is a pit in the middle of the room. Perfectly round though. These curves give me the chills.</em></p><p><em></em></p><p><em>Don’t go in if you can’t see the far end, wait for us.</em></p><p></p><p>“There’s a room with a pit ahead.” I said in a hushed whisper to the others.</p><p></p><p>“Anything within?” Sage asked in a low voice staring straight ahead, never turning to face me.</p><p></p><p>“Not from the entrance way; he can see in the dark but that not far.”</p><p></p><p>“We should be prepared for anything,” Rosa said.</p><p></p><p>“What exactly are we looking for?” Doxx hissed.</p><p></p><p>“I wish I knew,” Rosa said.</p><p></p><p>We moved forward, as quietly as we could. This was a challenge for the juggernaut, Sage, but we had little choice. Eventually I could see low on the ground, Gossamer who peered ahead of us. One of his ears turned our way, but he like Sage did not turn his head, focusing ahead.</p><p></p><p><em>--I can just see the entrance from here. Nothing is by the entrance that I can see. But the smell is worse. Not fish though. Something sharp and almost rotten and very strong.</em></p><p></p><p>I frowned and inhaled sharply with my nose and there it was. Just on the edge, a faint whiff of something acrid and spoiled.</p><p></p><p>“I can smell it,” I said aloud. “But Goss says that is very strong. We’re getting closer to…something.”</p><p></p><p>Sage nodded, and led with his shield in from of him, shining the light ahead. Directly behind him The Blade and Adrissa stood, both with bows ready, and then Rosa, Bookshelf each with a staff ready and then finally Doxx wither her staff and myself with shield in one hand and my rod in the other.</p><p></p><p><em>Goss watch our rear for now.</em></p><p><em></em></p><p><em>--Oh please? Even though you haven’t bathed in days, you all smell much better than this. I want to spit up a hairball…yeach.</em></p><p></p><p>Goss trotted behind us, and crept back the way we came, as we pressed forward and entered the room.</p><p></p><p>The chamber was shaped like an oval, with us on one end of the longer axis. The walls sloped at an angle backwards away from the pit, leading to a ledge that encircled the room. But the ledge was empty of anyone or anything from what I could see. In the middle of the room was a hole, perfectly round, with a smoothed curving lip on the edge, and the thin river of water from the surface dripping down into the depths. There was no light, coming from anywhere, and beyond the clinks and clanks of our gear and footsteps, they only sound was the hum that really was more felt than heard. Finally, I noticed that directly across from our group, was another round passageway, which I suspected descended deeper but also appeared to be empty.</p><p></p><p>“I don’t see anything ahead,” I whispered.</p><p></p><p>Sage simply nodded and stepped into the room. The Blade and Adrissa spread out flanking the juggernaut, and behind him each turning and looking at the ledge and the passage way ahead. The rest of us stepped inside, looking around nervously.</p><p></p><p>“Nothing here,” The Blade said but he didn’t lower his bow. He and Adrissa turned, continuing to look at the ledge which encircled the entire room. But there was nothing there.</p><p></p><p>“Something is near though,” Rosa said covering her nose. Adrissa nose wrinkled in disgust and Doxx, took a couple of wads of cloth and stuck it up her nostrils.</p><p></p><p>“I smell nothing,” The Blade said.</p><p></p><p>“Nor I,” Bookshelf replied, and Sage nodded, still focused on the far entryway.</p><p></p><p>“Strange,” I said. Sage started to make there way around the left side of the pit followed by The Blade. I now led with my own shield and stepped ahead of Adrissa, my guard up.</p><p></p><p>“Should you be doing this?” Adrissa hissed.</p><p></p><p>“No,” I said still on edge. I could now see the passage ahead, and as I surmised it curved down into the darkness. I then moved a little closer to the edge of the pit. The edge was a smooth, forming a wide shallow funnel shape, and I was nervous getting too close without something to grasp. It prevented me from getting close enough to look downwards. Sighing in frustration, “I can’t see much down the passageway because of the slope, and I can’t see down the pit for the same reason.</p><p></p><p>“Have your cat-thing look at it from above,” Doxx said.</p><p></p><p>I nodded. It was a good idea, as he could fly and not risk a fall.</p><p></p><p><em>Goss, come here, and look down the pit and see what you see.</em></p><p><em></em></p><p><em>--Alright…</em> The tressym flew low into the room and banked around the pit’s edge looking down while circling and rising slowly into the air of the chamber.</p><p></p><p><em>--I can see another room and another pit descending. But something strange. The air in the pit smells…cleaner.</em></p><p><em></em></p><p><em>I don’t get what you mean.</em></p><p><em></em></p><p><em>--There is a draft pushing up from the pit. Warm air makes it easy to fly. But the air coming up doesn’t have that smell…so where is it coming from…oh pike me…WATCH OUT!</em></p><p></p><p>My heart started to pound, and I felt as slow as dripping honey as I tore my eyes away from the pit and looked at Gossamer. The tressym was wide eyed and was glancing at the ledgeway, as he dove heading back towards the tunnel, his wings pulled in close. But I very quickly saw what had scared Goss.</p><p></p><p>The shapes of figures were rising on the ledge, like they had been lying down when we entered. They rose in silence that seemed to be two quite different kind of creatures. The first kind were small and grey skinned, reminding me of a goblin. Each were kneeling, and I saw that unlike goblin, they each had four arms and their hands were full, wielding variety of weapons and a shield. Each had two slabbering mouths one over the other dripping drool. All of them crouched behind their shields and levelled crossbows at different members of our group.</p><p></p><p>If the four-armed goblins weren’t disturbing enough, the creatures that accompanied them were worse. Their skin was a mottled mess of sickly purples and green. From their bodies, small tentacles twitched in the air. Their long arms ended in hands with talons, and from their shoulders sprouted two long tentacles coiled, ready to strike. They glared down at us with empty eye sockets, and their mouths opened wide, exposing sharp teeth. A sinewy tongue longer than my forearm, tasted the air and licked their lips in anticipation.</p><p></p><p>I turned my head and realized that the creatures surrounded us. I drew in deep breath and watched as a half dozen of the tall ones leapt off the ledges towards us, while the small ones each launched quarrels into our midst.</p><p></p><p> “Ambush!” I yelled.</p><p></p><p>-- Session Notes</p><p></p><p>Very late; apologies, but real life concerns are real life concerns. Snave turned into a party favorite real quickly...wait no. That's inaccurate. They hated his guts. This was also the first time that any of the players had met the creatures of Khyber in Eberron as opposed to say the Drow in the Forgotten Realms. So the revealing of Dolgrims and Dolgaunts was a special moment, before all hell broke loose.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Nthal, post: 8681452, member: 6971069"] [HEADING=1][CENTER]More than we bargained for - 7/2/2022[/CENTER][/HEADING] “We must be out of our minds,” Rosa muttered trudging through the snow. I nodded, “I agree. And we technically haven’t made a bargain or contract or anything!” “Get two precious gems from guarded locations,” The Blade growled. “If it weren’t from a hag, it would almost read like a post bill in Sharn.” Doxx shrugged, “That at least would make sense,” the old woman said rubbing her thin arms with her hands as she pinched the staff between her neck and shoulders. Then she pointed ahead of us, “But following that usually isn’t part of the deal.” Ahead of Adrissa who was leading our march, flew the grey winged executioner raven. “They aren’t far at all!” Twisted Mirth had said. “Just follow my pet here, and he’ll show you the way.” “True,” Sage said. “It’s probably just a familiar so she can keep eyes on us.” “Think she knows a way to bypass the limit on distance?” Bookshelf asked, peering at the raven with curiosity. “With hags, anything is possible,” I said. “They all have, strange access to powers no one else can duplicate. Its why people gamble and try to get a deal from them; all because they do impossible things. But it never seems to end well…or not that I have heard anyway. But this is still strange.” “Because she [B][I]didn’t [/I][/B]make a bargain with us,” Rosa nodded in agreement. She then furrowed her brow and turned to look at me. “Do…you have experience in these kinds of contracts, Myrai?” I winced and after a moment spoke slowly, “I did a contract once, and only once. But it was with a Baatori—uh what you would call a devil. It was long, complex and I thought I was very canny when I signed it.” Sighing I looked down and fought back the tears and memories. “I was very wrong.” Rosa kept looking at me, “And things ended badly?” I nodded, “I…I was peeled like a cony…Sorry that probably doesn’t make sense to you. Basically, I was being cheated before I even arrived.” I said remembering the malebranche’s toothy, malevolent grin as it pushed the contract towards me in the [I]Tenth Pit[/I]. “I made a bargain to save my…my lover.” Rosa pressed, “And they didn’t honor the bargain?” “No.” I said tearing up a bit. “They honored it. To the letter. They let him go and didn’t kill him. But since he had a contract with them to die…they honored that too, and they let him bleed to death as I watched, helplessly. Then they fulfilled a hundred and thirty-three contracts, each one taking a turn with me and…” Rosa blanched and stopped and looked at me in concern, “They used you…how?” she took my hand and turned me to look at her standing below me. I stopped in the snow and continued. “It was different for each fiend, but it all involved…pain.” I could still remember the ache in my arms as I hung there in chains for the fiend’s amusement. “I nearly gave up my sanity along with skin and blood. But the one thing they wouldn’t let happen is let me die. Much like the two in Twisted Mirth’s cave. I wouldn’t be surprised if they tried to end it all but found themselves unable to do it.” “This isn’t a bounty,” Doxx said, as the group gathered around me. “This is the makings of a horror story, that teens tell each other to make themselves sound brave. We should find another way and leave this hag out of it.” “We need the Master Key,” Sage said. “Without it, we cannot turn this eldritch machine off.” “Nor do we know how to operate it,” Bookshelf said. “And Twisted Mirth does.” “But Morrigon has to have a key on him!” Adrissa pointed out. “We should just take his!” Rosa sighed, “The other one we saw, was fragile; we can’t risk him breaking it.” “Look this whole thing seems strange; especially since we didn’t make a bargain,” I said. “I don’t know how hags make one, but we’d all have to agree and do…something.” “She’ll have you sign a paper with your blood mixed with hers,” a rough sandy voice said to our surprise. We looked around startled and confused. Twisting my head, I saw that the executioner raven, had alighted on a small boulder and was pecking at it with its jet-black beak. It then looked at me and the others in turn and opened its beak and spoke, “That’s how she likes to seal her deals.” Doxx leaned over to Sage muttering, “It can talk…” Sage looked at the old woman and sighed, “And it probably heard you,” The raven blinked and opened its mouth again and it started to huff the air rapidly, “Oh she’s a smart one…or is it a he? Can’t always tell with changelings.” I sighed and crossed my arms as I glared at it, “A familiar indeed. You have a name?” The raven cocked its head, “Oh the lily is trying to be polite! Pike that berk. I don’t give a sod about you, your adams or even that swagger Mirth.” I clenched my rod in my hand as tightly and clenched my teeth. “I should styx you, you halfheaded, unhende—” I raised my rod and started to pull on a strand. Bookshelf grabbed my arms, pinning them to my side. I started to twist in a poor attempt to escape his grasp. The raven started huffing again, and I realized what it meant. It was laughing at me. “Go ahead and earn a page,” it hissed at me as I struggled against Bookshelf. “Running a ful black one against poor me is climbing the spire.” “So, we didn’t enter a bargain,” Sage mused. “Why?” “A reasonable question, tinman.” The raven said. “No telling what’s going on in her bone-box. And to answer your foamed up lily’s question, my name is Snave.” I stopped struggling as I narrowed my eyes looking at the raven, and Bookshelf released me. “How did you get here, because you sound like a cager.” Doxx leaned over to Sage, “Its common she’s speaking right? I can barely follow it.” “Trading of insults in a type of slang,” Sage observed. “Probably from where she grew up, although not sure about the raven—” “—It’s [B][I]Snave[/I][/B], you gearheaded lemon!” “Snave.” The Juggernaut grumbled and glared at the bird for a moment, before continuing. “Do you know anything about where we are going?” Snave cocked its head and looked at Sage, “To a hole in the ground, wider and deeper than that greenskirt lily’s—” My blood boiled as Snave spoke and I cut off the nasty bird, “--Why you!—” I flexed and threw a dark strand around the bird and pulled. I could feel the dark miasma start to form and then suddenly, the strand flexed and whipped back at me. I could feel pain around my head, and I fell to my knees, hunched over. I gasped and gripped my head in pain. As I stared at the snow, I saw blood drip on the white surface, each droplet giving off faint steam. Growling, I pulled myself up to a kneeling position and wiped the blood from my nose. The raven’s huffing now had tone and a deep grating guffawing came from its throat after a moment of me fuming, and it looked at me shaking its head. “Oh, that’s rich! You run a black one and try to deliver me the mail? Sodding mephit, serves you right! Get this through your thick wormy, bone-box; Mirth doesn’t give a sod about me, but she isn’t going to let you fail on the account me getting boxed. So, use that brainbox for once and pike off!” The bird then looked at the juggernaut again, “And before I was so rudely interrupted by the greenskirt, its in a deep hole. But that hole is on the edge of Khyber.” At that last word, the group became hushed and everyone but me was looking at each other with ashen faces. Calming down a little, I looked at the others and saw the concern, fear and doubt cross many of their faces. Even the warforged with their stiff countenances shifted uncomfortably at the mention of the word. “What’s Khyber?” I asked the others. Everyone looked at each other but no one seemed willing to answer the question. “What is it…why are you afraid?” “Khyber is the bowls of the earth below us.” Rosa said grimly. “Many foul things are buried and sealed there, long forgotten by most.” “Like…like…the vegethings,” Adrissa said in a quavering voice. I could see her eyes wide and for the first time in a long while, the grim mask of determination fell away for a moment, and there once again was the young girl from the ranch. I was still on my knees as a reached out and touched her shoulder. She turned to look at me and took a deep breath and seemed to recover as Rosa continued to speak. “No. Those were creatures from the Gloaming where decay is strong. But Khyber is where evil things were imprisoned. Some long ago, like the overlords. And then later …the Daelkyr.” “Daelkyr…is that a fiend of some type?” I asked. The word was unfamiliar to me, but we had been talking about fiends, hags and other foul beings beforehand, but Rosa seemed to dread these creatures more. “I…I…don’t know what they are. But the gatekeepers sealed them below. Nightmarish aberrations that are mockery of nature. But while the Daelkyr are sealed below, their servants [B]aren’t.[/B] They infrequently come up from the depths.” “I seem to recall that some theorized that they caused the fall of the Dhakaani Empire,” Bookshelf said quietly. “I…had never heard that,” Rosa said. “But I could believe it.” Snave started his mocking laughter again, “Afraid of the creatures below? You should be afraid. Afraid of the dark. Afraid of the horrors—” “—You are a terrible motivator,” Doxx said. “And fear doesn’t come into it,” said The Blade. “So…what is it? ‘Pike it and sodding lead.’” The elf and looked at me for approval I looked at The Blade a moment, smiled and shook my head in disbelief in what I just heard. “Close enough, cutter. Close enough.” We rested the night under a dome of magic. I yay there warm and cozy, with Adrissa close by. And while the nightmares were still there, they didn’t intrude into my waking self, beyond a pounding heart and quickened breath. The dreams left behind the tendrils of fear upon me, but it seemed far from the worry of the day. Khyber. It was near mid-day when we came to the entrance to the realm below. I was expecting a cave; like the ones in the High Moors, or the sea caves of Nelanther or the grottos beneath pirate town of Blackwater reef. Something with columns of stone and water dripping here and there, and narrow passages that twist around all alike, far from the light of the sun. The only thing that matched that description was the lack of sunlight. Before us was a tunnel, where perhaps three could walk side by side, and perhaps several more with difficultly as the sides of the tunnel arched upwards. The tunnel, twisted down into the depths like a spiral. The walls were somewhat smooth but with faint weathering of water and wind, causing small cracks, and small piles of pebbles on the on the floor of the tunnel as it cut down into the rock below. But what stood out to me, was that the tunnel was perfectly round and there were no columns or pillars or branching passages as far as we could see. And then, there also was a low sound that hung in the air, a low ragged hum you could more feel than hear. Finally, there was a constant wave of stifling air coming from the depths. It melted the snow on the edges and formed rivulets of water that dripped down into the tunnel. They gathered into a small stream, which ran along the floor of the tunnel, and headed downwards. We stood there looking at the passage heading down unwilling to take that first step. Finally, it was Sage that spoke first saying, “Staring at the darkness, doesn’t make it more inviting.” Bookshelf nodded, and pulled out his driftglobe, and set it to a point just behind him. “Well, we won’t be blind.” Sage nodded, and turned to look at the Blade, Adrissa and I, and asked, “Can you see anything?” The three of us, moved to the threshold and looked down. From my perspective, I saw nothing remarkable. The tunnel was odd, but it just descended deeper, and because of the curve, we couldn’t see the end at all as it twisted out of sight. “There isn’t anything to see; it turns and that cuts off my view,” The Blade said. “Pretty much that,” Adrissa agreed. “No nooks, no side passages,” I said and looked at the others. “It’s not natural, it must have been carved. But even in Krona Peak, the Mror’s passages were arches or squared off tunnels. Not round like this. They also had shoring or pillars supporting some of the larger ones. But there isn’t any shoring or any bracing at all.” “Well…let’s send the raven in and let him scout it out,” Doxx said not even turning to look at the bird and kept her eyes looking downwards. Snave was perched on a dead branch of a tree, preening its wings. The raven stopped and looked at the old woman and gave off that gritty chuckle and flared out its wings. It then said mockingly, “Are you barmy? I’m saying here.” Doxx turned and stomped over to the bird and pointed her staff at it. “You’re supposed to lead us to the gem. So do it.” “Nope.” Snave said. “Just to here. I am going to wait until you come out. If you come out.” “Coward,” Doxx spat. “Go hug a razorvine!” the bird retorted. “Turd brain,” “Leatherhead!” Doxx turned to look at me confused. I just nodded, “Means you’re an idiot.” Doxx whirled around to look at Snave, “Just get down there!” The bird yawned and then took to the air, and then dove for the entrance. Doxx gave herself a self-congratulating smile. But it fell quickly, as the raven circled the tunnel entrance, and then returned to the branch and cackled that same gritty laugh and said with a venomous tone, “Such a cony. Easy to bob and peel.” Doxx looked at me and I told him, “He fooled you. Face it he isn’t going.” “See! your greenskirt gets it!” Snave sniped. “What does that even mean?” Bookshelf asked. I glared at Snave and said between gritted teeth, “A jinxskirt is a streetwalker. A greenskirt is a cheap one.” “Oh.” Bookshelf said and was about to ask another question, before he thought better of it and stayed silent. “Anyway, If we need a scout, I’ll get him,” and I reached with my mind and pulled the strand, and out popped my familiar. [I]--What the?!? Wow is it [B]COLD[/B] out here and…what the…what is that smell? Sorry Gos, but I need you to…smell?” --What? You can’t smell that? Its overpowering. Like fish or something. Its coming from…yep…that tunnel over…wait…isn’t the raven that we killed earlier. Yeah. Can’t kill it now though. --Really why? A hag is protecting it until we get some gems.[/I] “Oh wow; a little flying slave,” the raven said with a sneer. “Guess you don’t need me.” “Stitch your lips,” I said to Snave and for some reason it didn’t bother to retort. [I]--I don’t like the bird. You’re in good company. Can you fly ahead of us? --Sure thing…but that smell is awful. Don’t know what it is.[/I] Gossamer yawned and stretched, and then dropped down and ran into the tunnel. Adrissa sighed, “I really do like Gossamer.” I nodded, “He’ll let us know what’s ahead, but he did say there is a weird fish like smell coming from below.” Rosa frowned, “If he can smell it and we can’t…its probably an animal of some sort. Or at least something living.” “Wonderful,” The Blade muttered. Let’s get this over with.” I had placed a light on Sage’s shield and Bookshelf’s drift globe hovered over us as we descended. The melted snow ran down into the depths as a thin shallow river, the trickle echoing off the walls. The curve of the tunnel was constant along with the slow measured descent. As far as I could see, there was no obstruction, and little variation. And Gossamer had little more to add. [I]--You know I could do this faster if you would just keep up I don’t know what we are going to find down here, and I rather you stay close enough to still communicate. --Well, I don’t know how far ahead or below you I am, but this seems to go one for…wait. A room! Can’t see it all from the entryway, but there is a pit in the middle of the room. Perfectly round though. These curves give me the chills. Don’t go in if you can’t see the far end, wait for us.[/I] “There’s a room with a pit ahead.” I said in a hushed whisper to the others. “Anything within?” Sage asked in a low voice staring straight ahead, never turning to face me. “Not from the entrance way; he can see in the dark but that not far.” “We should be prepared for anything,” Rosa said. “What exactly are we looking for?” Doxx hissed. “I wish I knew,” Rosa said. We moved forward, as quietly as we could. This was a challenge for the juggernaut, Sage, but we had little choice. Eventually I could see low on the ground, Gossamer who peered ahead of us. One of his ears turned our way, but he like Sage did not turn his head, focusing ahead. [I]--I can just see the entrance from here. Nothing is by the entrance that I can see. But the smell is worse. Not fish though. Something sharp and almost rotten and very strong.[/I] I frowned and inhaled sharply with my nose and there it was. Just on the edge, a faint whiff of something acrid and spoiled. “I can smell it,” I said aloud. “But Goss says that is very strong. We’re getting closer to…something.” Sage nodded, and led with his shield in from of him, shining the light ahead. Directly behind him The Blade and Adrissa stood, both with bows ready, and then Rosa, Bookshelf each with a staff ready and then finally Doxx wither her staff and myself with shield in one hand and my rod in the other. [I]Goss watch our rear for now. --Oh please? Even though you haven’t bathed in days, you all smell much better than this. I want to spit up a hairball…yeach.[/I] Goss trotted behind us, and crept back the way we came, as we pressed forward and entered the room. The chamber was shaped like an oval, with us on one end of the longer axis. The walls sloped at an angle backwards away from the pit, leading to a ledge that encircled the room. But the ledge was empty of anyone or anything from what I could see. In the middle of the room was a hole, perfectly round, with a smoothed curving lip on the edge, and the thin river of water from the surface dripping down into the depths. There was no light, coming from anywhere, and beyond the clinks and clanks of our gear and footsteps, they only sound was the hum that really was more felt than heard. Finally, I noticed that directly across from our group, was another round passageway, which I suspected descended deeper but also appeared to be empty. “I don’t see anything ahead,” I whispered. Sage simply nodded and stepped into the room. The Blade and Adrissa spread out flanking the juggernaut, and behind him each turning and looking at the ledge and the passage way ahead. The rest of us stepped inside, looking around nervously. “Nothing here,” The Blade said but he didn’t lower his bow. He and Adrissa turned, continuing to look at the ledge which encircled the entire room. But there was nothing there. “Something is near though,” Rosa said covering her nose. Adrissa nose wrinkled in disgust and Doxx, took a couple of wads of cloth and stuck it up her nostrils. “I smell nothing,” The Blade said. “Nor I,” Bookshelf replied, and Sage nodded, still focused on the far entryway. “Strange,” I said. Sage started to make there way around the left side of the pit followed by The Blade. I now led with my own shield and stepped ahead of Adrissa, my guard up. “Should you be doing this?” Adrissa hissed. “No,” I said still on edge. I could now see the passage ahead, and as I surmised it curved down into the darkness. I then moved a little closer to the edge of the pit. The edge was a smooth, forming a wide shallow funnel shape, and I was nervous getting too close without something to grasp. It prevented me from getting close enough to look downwards. Sighing in frustration, “I can’t see much down the passageway because of the slope, and I can’t see down the pit for the same reason. “Have your cat-thing look at it from above,” Doxx said. I nodded. It was a good idea, as he could fly and not risk a fall. [I]Goss, come here, and look down the pit and see what you see. --Alright…[/I] The tressym flew low into the room and banked around the pit’s edge looking down while circling and rising slowly into the air of the chamber. [I]--I can see another room and another pit descending. But something strange. The air in the pit smells…cleaner. I don’t get what you mean. --There is a draft pushing up from the pit. Warm air makes it easy to fly. But the air coming up doesn’t have that smell…so where is it coming from…oh pike me…WATCH OUT![/I] My heart started to pound, and I felt as slow as dripping honey as I tore my eyes away from the pit and looked at Gossamer. The tressym was wide eyed and was glancing at the ledgeway, as he dove heading back towards the tunnel, his wings pulled in close. But I very quickly saw what had scared Goss. The shapes of figures were rising on the ledge, like they had been lying down when we entered. They rose in silence that seemed to be two quite different kind of creatures. The first kind were small and grey skinned, reminding me of a goblin. Each were kneeling, and I saw that unlike goblin, they each had four arms and their hands were full, wielding variety of weapons and a shield. Each had two slabbering mouths one over the other dripping drool. All of them crouched behind their shields and levelled crossbows at different members of our group. If the four-armed goblins weren’t disturbing enough, the creatures that accompanied them were worse. Their skin was a mottled mess of sickly purples and green. From their bodies, small tentacles twitched in the air. Their long arms ended in hands with talons, and from their shoulders sprouted two long tentacles coiled, ready to strike. They glared down at us with empty eye sockets, and their mouths opened wide, exposing sharp teeth. A sinewy tongue longer than my forearm, tasted the air and licked their lips in anticipation. I turned my head and realized that the creatures surrounded us. I drew in deep breath and watched as a half dozen of the tall ones leapt off the ledges towards us, while the small ones each launched quarrels into our midst. “Ambush!” I yelled. -- Session Notes Very late; apologies, but real life concerns are real life concerns. Snave turned into a party favorite real quickly...wait no. That's inaccurate. They hated his guts. This was also the first time that any of the players had met the creatures of Khyber in Eberron as opposed to say the Drow in the Forgotten Realms. So the revealing of Dolgrims and Dolgaunts was a special moment, before all hell broke loose. [/QUOTE]
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