| 4th Ranedil FARIGON MAIN PAGE FULL STORY (Word Doc)Meeting Into
the Crypt Umber
Hulks Stone
Heart Vampire
Beryn Keep Sand
Giant The walkway is solid enough and Morin and Jiriki eventually get across far enough to realise that it eventually becomes enclosed before ending, apparently opening into a room, down a step. Of some interest before that though is a ladder. It is set on the wall at the side of the walkway and from there moves up onto the roof and along overhead to the daylight region where there appears to be a metal grille, just about directly over the head of the statue. The ladder is split in half, each half fixed separately and there is a long metal rail following along in between which only seems fixed, solidly though, at the floor. If this is the only fixed point other than at the grille end then clearly this allows for something to be attached round it so that the ladder can be crawled along upside down with safety. Morin attaches a length of rope and sets about investigating up the ladder as the rest of the party check out the covered region into the room at the end of the walkway. The room itself is clean and bereft of detail but not as the rooms downstairs were. There is a desk and chair, leather and rather elaborate. There are bookcases along the right-hand wall and marks on the floor where other objects, long-established, have clearly been moved. But the bookcases are empty and the desk has all its drawers pulled out and cleaned out. The place has been emptied - but not ransacked. Jarek heads into the room to check the doors and other points of interest, Dalrylshana scuffing her feet impatiently. Whoomph! As Jarek drops down the step, there is a quiet detonation of flame across the length of the opening. But though the explosion is subtle in noise, it is not subtle with its effects: flame engulfs the party and expands out along the walkway, channelled by the enclosed region, before fading back to nothingness. The room is unaffected but the party is injured by the triggered trap. Somehow, Jax and Sybelius remain unharmed, though. Morin rejoins the group to let them know that the presumed grille was in fact the bottom of a cage, suspended over an opening in the roof. The opening leads outside to where a large figure seems to be standing guard. It would appear that the cage was used to lower and immolate sacrifices of some sort. The party continue into the room, the trap now ‘defused’ and Morin notices some small marking fading on the inside of the step. There are two doors here – one on the south wall through which a faint sussuruss can be heard and thus which presumably leads to the temple, and one on the west wall. A third door of sorts is found, also on the west wall; at the northern edge there is a faint tracery, a slightly recessed line which describes the shape of a door but no actual door is evident. Kin detects magic and as suspected, it is. An object, trigger word or something is needed but none is found and after some healing, courtesy of Suva, the party open the other western door, Morin in particular reluctant to head through the southern door at the moment. A bedroom is revealed through the door – there is a four-poster bed, blankets still made upon it, but the place has been stripped again and bedside tables and cupboards are all opened and bare. A wash basin sits by the side of the bed, a small dagger (unusually) beside it. There is another door opposite which is barred from this side, preventing access from the other side. Morin soon discovers that there are couple of poison pin traps on the bar, easily avoided once discovered. The one stand out object in the otherwise seemingly bereft room is a dark, silken cloak draped over the bed, a red marking just visible in its folded state. As Dalrylshana heads in to investigate, Balin, momentarily losing interest in the agonisingly slow progress of the party and, sighing, has taken out a silver cylinder from his pocket, a metal chain still attached to it. Having unscrewed the top, a roll of parchment has been found within which appears to have some writing on it. It’s the cylinder from the corpse nailed to the door that Balin, unseen by Darius, for once, could not resist. It appears to say “I commit my being to the Unnamed's maw, All that I am shall be no more” but the light of the Illuminatus reveals hidden words: “I pray to all the gods that my soul will be spared the tortures that it has so surely earned. "I have never been the best of people but I had not realised the extent of the evil of the Ghull and Hawksmoor. My duties as a scribe leave me privy to much that transpires about me but I fear the Ghull is aware of my change of heart. "Nobody knew why the obelisks were being built but it is said that Hawksmoor's plan came to him from a dream dragon, a dark beast that breathed sinister plots. The mark of the Unnamed is to be used to fuel and focus dark energies, with pyres at one set of points and the obelisks at the other. Pestilence, war and destruction will surely follow. When Galent falls, Hawksmoor will blight the world and then remake it in his own dread image. "The lower levels are to be purged soon with hellfire as part of the ritual to honour the Wraithking who is summoned to guard the Ceredophilus' unholy pillars whilst all others leave, war to plot and armies to gather. I fear I will be the focus to unleash the unhallowed flames and must leave some warning if I can, for my life is now forfeit. "To any who find this message: leave this place now and warn the people of Galent. Ghorak Lan will be a cathedral of undead in a few weeks and any that survive the plague will only become part of Hawksmoor's black army. Better to flee across sea or mountains. "I can only urge my death forward to end this unendurable guilt "Farigon, lowly, cowardly scribe" A lot of discussion follows regarding whether to get a message to Galent or not and eventually – remembering that Beryn may be protected from magical communication at the moment – Suva contacts Moebius and ascertains that the wraithking may not be as formidable as the party had assumed but that there is likely to be a sand giant here, too. Hawksmoor is the real problem, he is told and the party decide they must move on and do battle. Morin finds an armoury of sorts beyond the barred door and hears sounds presumed to be more zombie ogres at the door at its end. Jiriki grabs a spear and the party hatch a plan to return to the ladder to the roof and take on whatever guards above the opening. Darius, meanwhile, borrows Kin’s amulet and Balin’s sword to be better prepared for the eventual facing of undead as the three items of Shurudien together give greater strength against such foes. The party gather on the walkway and Kin calls upon his arcane prowess to cast fly upon Darius and Balin, touching them both and imbuing them with the gift, whilst Morin sets off up the ladder followed by Jiriki, Suva and Dalrylshana as Jarek loads his bow and with a solemn face awaits any potential violent distraction. Jax and Sybelius sit at Kin's feet, curiously at ease together. The hooded lantern is fastened to the ladders to give some line-of-sight and understanding of what might be going on as battle is aimed at. Darius and Balin tentatively step off the walkway and get used
to the idea of flying as Morin moves up towards the top of the ladder
and within moments it is time to act. Meanwhile, the beast in the daylight seems to be like an ogre but is some degree larger. Initially, the feeling would be that it is very slow-witted as Balin and Darius are both out of the opening before it has fully reacted. However, a second thought is probably that it is extremely obedient and has been told to watch in one direction. When it finally reacts to the sounds its movement is worryingly swift as it raises a huge wooden club, studded with iron spikes. Balin is already attacking and catches it a little surprised with a fierce uppercut, the dwarf grinning with glee as the ability to fly allows him to attack high for a change, but as blood spatters from the ogre-beast's mouth, its arm follows across the flight path and smashes Balin across the open hill. Darius lands, steadies his feet and faces the beast down as Morin cuts Jiriki loose. Darius attacks without fear, striking at the huge olog-hai and hacking through its loose chainmail but the foe is awakened to battle now and hurls its enormous club around to great effect, smashing Darius across the shoulder. Morin is already trying to help Suva get above ground safely but is slightly hampered by the fact that furious melee is afoot very nearby. Furious all the more now as Jiriki hurls himself to the attack - the olog-hai falters momentarily adjusting to the new combatant and Darius takes full advantage, driving Balin's sword through its side and bringing a howl of pain to accompany the gout of blood. The olog-hai reacts, a warrior in its own right, and aims much of its blows at Jiriki, an indication that it is not as stupid as it might look as it has surely noted the barbarian's lack of armour. Nevertheless, both Darius and Jiriki feel the might of the hefted gruesome club. Jiriki allows his flesh to tear, seeing an opening to attack that
is more important than feeling pain and delivers a fearsome blow
with his greatsword, the length of the blade glowing upon impact
and leaving a trail of burning fluid ichor in the wound that brings
awful screams of pain form the beast. Meeting Into
the Crypt Umber
Hulks Stone
Heart Vampire
Beryn Keep Sand
Giant MAIN PAGE FULL STORY (Word Doc) |
