From the Analects of Simel, veteran of Karrnath
Usually at any crossroads a debate would ensue, but the unexpected and vicious attack by the cave dwellers left us open to the first suggestion to leave. Magnus voted to further investigate the upper
tunnel and none demurred. Once we attained the perch, the iron defender Rungo again acted as our scout and a circular room with a doomed ceiling was discover at some distance down the hewn corridor. An exit from the room lay opposite the entrance as well as two circular indentations at right angles to the entrance that mirrored its appearance—but contained only rock walls. Cypher led an investigation of the circular carvings as we all believed them to be hidden doorways, but no mechanism or marking could be discovered and they they seemed as solid as the rest of the room.
I had hung back listening for any sounds coming from behind us as I felt others of our party were far better equipped to solve such riddles, when I heard rapidly approaching footfalls echoing in the cavern we had left behind. I sounded the alarm and rushed to the ledge hoping to surprise any attacker. Aleae kneeled beside me peering into the darkness that even my magical eyewear could not penetrate. The footsteps turned to alarmingly loud thuds as three large shadows headed directly towards us. I made out the skeletal shapes of two massive ogre-sized skeletons with what, when they were covered with flesh, might have been the fleshless heads of bulls. Just behind them was a similarly hulking creature who, while its bones were still covered with flesh, had misplaced whole swaths of its skin. Very large axes and clubs were carried in their dead, but animate hands.
I loosed an ineffectual arrow and the creatures continued in their run, hardly noticing that they no longer ran on the floor, but where now running directly up the cave wall we had struggled to climb just minutes before. There would be no chance at ambush. Rungo left our ledge and attempted to cast light on the creatures, biting one of the bony ones as it passed her. Abandoning my bow I attempted to trip the closest bone beast, but while it fell to one knee unbalanced, it refused to fall, and instead clung to the cave wall. Sahlessh closed the gap striking another of the beasts repeatedly and while it also refused to fall to the cave floor below, it seemed quite distracted as its bones visibly shattered.
Distracted as they were by our initial attacks, the tide shifted quickly and we were able to still all three of the beasts, as their bones and rotted flesh fell back to the cavern floor below.
I was not alone in being spent, but until we had investigated the tunnel behind us, this was not a place to rest. I investigated the bodies, looking for any clue as to their origin, but only found the numbers 13, 4 and 5 carved into their foreheads. The numbers themselves did not suggest any deeper meaning, other than perhaps that quantities of these creatures existed. So many in fact that numbers were required to keep track of them. I could only hope that their keeper could not count past 13.
Returning to the circular room and the tunnel beyond, we found an area blackened by flame with scattered shared debris. Magnus tossed a thighbone of one of the skeletal creatures ahead of us and the corridor was filled with a furnace-blast of flame. Heat washed over us and a great wind rolled the nor charred bone to our feet. Sahlessh carefully investigated the burnt remains and noticed amount the debris a flute. Damaged by the flame he still was able to identify it, impossibly, as a cherished belonging that had been taken from him. He tried playing a note, and while hardly beautiful, it still functioned.
We attempted tossing other items and I shot an arrow, hoping that the magical flames would perhaps take time to recharge between blasts, but with each prodding, the flames would again appear and the heat would feel just as strong.
Seeing no immediate solution, I left this puzzle to those more suited to puzzling and settled down to rest while keeping half an ear listening for the arrival of more company. Cypher's experience during the war suggested he was most suited to disarming such a magical barrier and after some discussion with the others he infused himself with various magics he possessed. He fairly glowed with energies I could not begin to understand, though presumably they afforded him some measure of protection. Then he strode forward and disappeared into flames as what I hoped would not become his pyre reignited. Nearly a full minute passed and none of us dared speak. I could see his outline flicked and disappear only to appear again and then the flames went out. Smoke curled up from every joint and I could see the heat rising off of him twist the air. If a warforged could look satisfied, he did. He showed us the runes which seemed to control this trap, but now we faced another. Farther down the hall a gale would instantly rise up and knock us back. It seems whoever wanted to keep intruders out was a master of elemental magics.
This puzzle was more easily defeated by Magnus with the help of his enormous strength, an Immovable Rod, and a length of rope. Again, runes caused the raging wind and Magnus was able to disable them.
Beyond the second set of runes we prepared for another trap but found that the tunnel ended in a pit that descended into inky blackness that even my treasured goggles could not penetrate.
I had hung back listening for any sounds coming from behind us as I felt others of our party were far better equipped to solve such riddles, when I heard rapidly approaching footfalls echoing in the cavern we had left behind. I sounded the alarm and rushed to the ledge hoping to surprise any attacker. Aleae kneeled beside me peering into the darkness that even my magical eyewear could not penetrate. The footsteps turned to alarmingly loud thuds as three large shadows headed directly towards us. I made out the skeletal shapes of two massive ogre-sized skeletons with what, when they were covered with flesh, might have been the fleshless heads of bulls. Just behind them was a similarly hulking creature who, while its bones were still covered with flesh, had misplaced whole swaths of its skin. Very large axes and clubs were carried in their dead, but animate hands.
I loosed an ineffectual arrow and the creatures continued in their run, hardly noticing that they no longer ran on the floor, but where now running directly up the cave wall we had struggled to climb just minutes before. There would be no chance at ambush. Rungo left our ledge and attempted to cast light on the creatures, biting one of the bony ones as it passed her. Abandoning my bow I attempted to trip the closest bone beast, but while it fell to one knee unbalanced, it refused to fall, and instead clung to the cave wall. Sahlessh closed the gap striking another of the beasts repeatedly and while it also refused to fall to the cave floor below, it seemed quite distracted as its bones visibly shattered.Distracted as they were by our initial attacks, the tide shifted quickly and we were able to still all three of the beasts, as their bones and rotted flesh fell back to the cavern floor below.
I was not alone in being spent, but until we had investigated the tunnel behind us, this was not a place to rest. I investigated the bodies, looking for any clue as to their origin, but only found the numbers 13, 4 and 5 carved into their foreheads. The numbers themselves did not suggest any deeper meaning, other than perhaps that quantities of these creatures existed. So many in fact that numbers were required to keep track of them. I could only hope that their keeper could not count past 13.Returning to the circular room and the tunnel beyond, we found an area blackened by flame with scattered shared debris. Magnus tossed a thighbone of one of the skeletal creatures ahead of us and the corridor was filled with a furnace-blast of flame. Heat washed over us and a great wind rolled the nor charred bone to our feet. Sahlessh carefully investigated the burnt remains and noticed amount the debris a flute. Damaged by the flame he still was able to identify it, impossibly, as a cherished belonging that had been taken from him. He tried playing a note, and while hardly beautiful, it still functioned.
We attempted tossing other items and I shot an arrow, hoping that the magical flames would perhaps take time to recharge between blasts, but with each prodding, the flames would again appear and the heat would feel just as strong.
Seeing no immediate solution, I left this puzzle to those more suited to puzzling and settled down to rest while keeping half an ear listening for the arrival of more company. Cypher's experience during the war suggested he was most suited to disarming such a magical barrier and after some discussion with the others he infused himself with various magics he possessed. He fairly glowed with energies I could not begin to understand, though presumably they afforded him some measure of protection. Then he strode forward and disappeared into flames as what I hoped would not become his pyre reignited. Nearly a full minute passed and none of us dared speak. I could see his outline flicked and disappear only to appear again and then the flames went out. Smoke curled up from every joint and I could see the heat rising off of him twist the air. If a warforged could look satisfied, he did. He showed us the runes which seemed to control this trap, but now we faced another. Farther down the hall a gale would instantly rise up and knock us back. It seems whoever wanted to keep intruders out was a master of elemental magics.Beyond the second set of runes we prepared for another trap but found that the tunnel ended in a pit that descended into inky blackness that even my treasured goggles could not penetrate.
No comments:
Post a Comment