Jex is more concerned with the wizards in front of him than what has occurred behind. He breaks into a run, following the remaining wizards from the hall as quietly as he can,but with speed his main priority.
There is a brief moment of relative quiet as the current conflict ends. Vark holds a ragged breath. Is it finally over? Wait... no... some of the wizards had escaped... where had they gone? With his half-orc eyes he can barely catch a glimpse of Jex slinking through the shadows in the direction the wizards had been running. There is another low growl from Vark followed by a muted rumble of thunder. This time the bursts of cloud that mark his teleportation are black like charcoal. The dark streaks trail off of him as he runs at a full sprint towards the back of the room. "NO!" he commands the fleeing wizards, but they don't get a chance to comply before they are subjected to yet another hasty cremation via vermillion flame. The explosion is echoed by another burst of black smoke, this time shot through with red embers as the sorcerer again flings himself across the space in his relentless pursuit.
Seid watches Vark in awe as the previously slightly inept young sorcerer gets up and begins conjuring exceptionally potent spells that even Seid with his arcane mastery had not attempted. As the apprentice wizards fall in droves around them, Seid turns his attention to the conjured fiendish entity only to see the creature taken down by the glowing sword of Bründir. With their enemies apparently defeated he turns back to give his attention to Vark and the strange contraption before them only to see the after effects of the half-orcdisappearing into the strange red mist followed almost immediately by another massive explosion of what Seid could only assume was another venting of Vark's frustration. 'Who are you really, Vark?' He shouts over his shoulder to Thurston and Bründir. "Hurry! I believe more are escaping... and something is wrong with Vark!" Seid doesn't wait for the others, he takes several steps towards the continued fighting and then disappears into his own bright golden mist, a counter-point to black and red mists of Vark's spell. The golden mist coalesces in the darkness as Seid's mind races with a myriad of thoughts. 'What did he release? What was that stone he dropped? Is he possessed by something? Was he playing this group all along? Was he working against the Mabinogi for his own schemes? To what end? If he wanted to release what was here why work against the Mabinogi? And if he knew we were actively working to stop this release, why didn't he kill us? He clearly has the power within him to do so... WHAT IS GOING ON?!'
Seid takes a steadying breath and uses some of the simple mind-calming techniques he'd learned from several of his Mabinogi companions to focus only on the task at hand. He was no good in the darkness, so he quickly conjures his glowing lanterns the illuminate the archway, several charred corpses.... and Vark nearby as he prepares to continue the pursuit. "Vark! Stop! You are not yourself!" His skin prickles and his stomach drops in preparation to be incinerated as his voice speaks before he is prepared.
Jex is already on the run, spotting some footprints around the corpses he reaches out to tug the sleeves of his companions.
"One of them is getting away. He's invisible."
Entering the chamber, Jex breathes, focusing his senses for anything unusual he hears the slapping of feet on the ground, looking in that direction he sees the sooty footprints heading for the middle of the room." There". He points his companions at the marks on the floor. "Near the centre, hit him with something quick."
Seid's words stop Vark in his tracks. For a moment the rage is replaced by his familiar childlike innocence. "What? No... I- I'm just... I c-can explain..." he is cut off by Jex and the threat of another enemy. He wipes away fresh tears and with a slam of his staff conjures a pillar of ruby flames in the center of the room.
"We did, didn't we?"then the others start to yell and Vark keeping doing weird things.
"I think they need us " he says to the dwarf as he starts running towards the action. As they start running Bründir can hear him muttering, apparently to his hammer, "You are pretty awesome too, the best weapon I've ever had".
Seid then tells them that something is going on with Vark and he just yells "You think?" as he passes running.
Thurston reaches the others, panting and feeling the pain of the wounds sustained during the fight. He looks at Jex and he turns towards Vark, not lowering his hammer.
Jex wastes no time as Vark's fire causes a scream of anguish in the wizard, breaking the effort it was taking to keep himself invisible. The arrow flies from the darkness taking the wizard through the eye. A few moments later, Thurston runs into the room behind him.
"We finished the job, that's what happened" He cheerily pats Vark on the back. "No hesitation and working together properly."
He grins broadly. "And you will notice, the arrow us in the front of his face, not his back when Val asks." He gives a wink. "Couldn't have given him a fairer chance to see it coming than to send it at his eye."
He begins to whistle a little as he heads deeper into the chamber to inspect the body. Though he sounds cheery there is a little weariness to his step. The drawn out battle has clearly taken a bit of a toll on him.
The exit the wizards had been heading for is on the far side of the hall, in the center of the wall across from the one the group entered through. It's a simple, stone archway, about the size of a normal door. There are downward-facing metal spikes protruding from the top of the stone, as though a set of bars or a portcullis has been raised to open it.
Beyond the archway, a small corridor extends for ten feet, the far end of which opens out into a circular chamber, approximately forty feet across. The floor is constructed of concentric rings of paving, the middle of which is marked with a carved circle of sigils.
Seid looks between Jex and Vark, cautiously positioning himself to keep them from putting him into a flank. "I'm with the paladin. I demand to know why you released that entity, Vark. What was that stone you carried? Who are you?" He stares directly into the burning eyes of the half-orc. "I knew something was up when you dispelled that magical trap in Quinton's office. Such magic was beyond the power you have displayed up to that point. So, either you've been dishonest and have sought this outcome from the get go or you have been possessed by something. Which is it?" The accusation in his voice is clear to hear and perhaps a little more harsh than he had intended, but he was exhausted and filthy. The burn on his thigh was starting to bother him once more each time he moved that leg as the newly healed skin stretched to accommodate the activity of combat.
Vark’s lip trembles slightly. “Some... somebody did what? I- I don’t... I don’t know what happened... I thought he was g-g-gonna help. I- I...” he looks around at his friends, emotion welling up inside him. Then it all floods out: he crumples to the floor and bursts into tears. “I’m sorry! I should have s-said something s-sooner. Back in that camp... the b-bandit camp... I found something... a gem. It was red and kinda swirled... I don’t know why I didn’t say anything to you guys. Ins-side the gem or... or I don’t know there was this voice in my head and... I didn’t listen to it at first but down in the mines when I got separated... he helped me. I thought he was gonna help again in there... he took over and... when I came to... the- the things was open and... I think he’s gone... I don’t... I don’t know what happened.” He struggles to get all of this information out through the constant stream of tears, and once he’s done he shudders and sniffles as he tries to catch his breath.
Seid narrows his eyes as he stares down Vark, seeking to get a feeling for the young half-orc's words, but the adrenaline from the battle and searing pain in this leg is too distracting. The hard look softens as the emotions pour out of Vark and Seid approaches, putting a hand on Vark's shoulder. "What was his name, this entity? What did it want? And next time... you find something like that you must tell someone about it. There are countless dangerous magical artifacts in this world and I do not believe in coincidences. There are a pattern here, I just need to recognize it. I need to spend some time researching this room and its contents, but first..." He stops and points at the teleportation circle. "We need to dispel that. It is a teleportation circle and the Mabinogi could use it to bring in any number of reinforcements at any given time."
From the side, Hurrig steps and looks to Vark. "Vark, I can cast a spell tomorrow that will tell us whether or not you are telling us the truth. If you willingly submit to the spell, I'll know for a fact you are being truthful. What do you say?"
Thurston states with intensity to Vark as he speaks with Seid.
”I think he was dominated, at least temporarily. He is stupid” says looking at the half-orc “but a honest one I think. Still I fear that we have unleashed a great evil in the world and we should try to undo this...” he looks around “somehow. Seid, did the Mabinogi knew how this entity was imprisoned the first time?”
“About that I can destroy it” he adds tapping his hammer.
Vark trembles. “His name... his-his name was Matthew.” His eyes don’t leave the floor, the guilt and embarrassment dragging his whole form down. He is quiet after that, simply nodding his head to Hurrig’s proposal and wincing slightly at Thurston’s remarks.
Jex puts his weapons away and snorts, visibly disappointed in Vark's breakdown. He turns his back, seemingly uninterested in the conversation that follows. He begins to pat down the wizard corpse near the circle.
The wizard was dressed in dark blue robes and wore a bone mask. At his belt is a sheathed dagger, alongside a spell component pouch and a coin pouch containing 160 crowns. On his back he carried a small leather knapsack. Inside is a bottle of ink, an ink pen, 10 sheets of parchment and a little bag of sand. The bag also contains a pair of glass bottles containing a softly glowing, light blue liquid, and a heavy, leather-bound book. In his hand he carried wooden staff.
"Hey, there's some interesting things here. Vark, do you want to try on this mask and see what happens? Seems that's your way of doing things."
He gives a cheery wink.
"And as for Matthew, the most relevant Matthew I can think of is Matthew of the Anoswa. A powerful Lich hermit in the mountains, a few hundred years ago. He was killed by some plucky elven adventurers, they sang about it forever. They let him feel safe to return to his phylactory, but they had secretly enchanted it, turning it into his prison for all of time to come. At some point I guess they must have died in their own adventures after they became too complacent. But nobody really knows, at least I don't."
Seid nods as he begins to reexamine the imagery here, pacing around the room back and forth between the different areas, constantly muttering to himself. "Yes, Thurston. That's why they came here. This place is why Sheercleft was founded and this mine was created. The Mabinogi knew what was here and founded this mining town as a way to get down to their prize here. These people are very patient and do not mind waiting hundreds of years to meet their fruition." When Jex speaks up about that name, Seid turns to look at him with wide eyes. "Matthew of the Anoswa? He was a lich you say?" Seid rubs his chin. "Vark, how did this entity make you feel? Cold? Angry? Describe it to me in great detail as best you can."
As Seid examines the murals around the outside of the platform, several different details jump out at him. The flames rising from below. The crowds of figures around the middle. Are they writhing in pain, or ecstacy, or merely dancing? It's hard to tell.
The 'front' side of the raised platform has stairs running up it in the middle, but the other three do not. Instead, in the middle there are different carvings. One is a sharp mountain peak, high in the sky. One shows lava flowing into a large body of water. The last shows a great river delta with a city in the distance.
The runic inscriptions are in Dwarven and have been heavily eroded. There are allusions to four Khaz, which can be an underground hall, but also a tomb or a prison. One word occurs a few times. In each case it is surrounded by blurred carvings, but this word is untouched by time: Morgale.
Meanwhile, as Jex attempts to remove the mask, he finds that he cannot. Every man and woman amongst the wizards that were slain here wears one, and in each and every case the bone of the mask has fused to their face.
"A LICH?!" Vark exclaims in horror. "He was a lich... the whole time I... he- he said he had been a king..." his hands cradle his face as he tries to process this new information. In a way it isn't all that shocking, and part of what Vark is reconciling with must be his own naivety. Finally he turns to Seid again. "When... when I first let him in... well I- I didn't have a choice. He saved me, it- it was my only option... but... it felt cold I guess. He told me someone had trapped him and he just wanted to be free. I guess... I guess I felt bad for him. In there," he gestures back to the other chamber. "I- I.... I guess he made me feel powerful too. Like I could... like I could actually h-help." More tears fall from his eyes and he hastily wipes them away with a scorched sleeve.
Jex is more concerned with the wizards in front of him than what has occurred behind. He breaks into a run, following the remaining wizards from the hall as quietly as he can,but with speed his main priority.
There is a brief moment of relative quiet as the current conflict ends. Vark holds a ragged breath. Is it finally over? Wait... no... some of the wizards had escaped... where had they gone? With his half-orc eyes he can barely catch a glimpse of Jex slinking through the shadows in the direction the wizards had been running. There is another low growl from Vark followed by a muted rumble of thunder. This time the bursts of cloud that mark his teleportation are black like charcoal. The dark streaks trail off of him as he runs at a full sprint towards the back of the room. "NO!" he commands the fleeing wizards, but they don't get a chance to comply before they are subjected to yet another hasty cremation via vermillion flame. The explosion is echoed by another burst of black smoke, this time shot through with red embers as the sorcerer again flings himself across the space in his relentless pursuit.
Chronicles of Arden: Sheercleft - Vark Galestone | Half-Orc | Storm Sorcerer
Chronicles of Arden: Hunters - Caio Cypherien | Shadar-Kai | Inquisitor Ranger
Seid watches Vark in awe as the previously slightly inept young sorcerer gets up and begins conjuring exceptionally potent spells that even Seid with his arcane mastery had not attempted. As the apprentice wizards fall in droves around them, Seid turns his attention to the conjured fiendish entity only to see the creature taken down by the glowing sword of Bründir. With their enemies apparently defeated he turns back to give his attention to Vark and the strange contraption before them only to see the after effects of the half-orcdisappearing into the strange red mist followed almost immediately by another massive explosion of what Seid could only assume was another venting of Vark's frustration. 'Who are you really, Vark?' He shouts over his shoulder to Thurston and Bründir. "Hurry! I believe more are escaping... and something is wrong with Vark!" Seid doesn't wait for the others, he takes several steps towards the continued fighting and then disappears into his own bright golden mist, a counter-point to black and red mists of Vark's spell. The golden mist coalesces in the darkness as Seid's mind races with a myriad of thoughts. 'What did he release? What was that stone he dropped? Is he possessed by something? Was he playing this group all along? Was he working against the Mabinogi for his own schemes? To what end? If he wanted to release what was here why work against the Mabinogi? And if he knew we were actively working to stop this release, why didn't he kill us? He clearly has the power within him to do so... WHAT IS GOING ON?!'
Seid takes a steadying breath and uses some of the simple mind-calming techniques he'd learned from several of his Mabinogi companions to focus only on the task at hand. He was no good in the darkness, so he quickly conjures his glowing lanterns the illuminate the archway, several charred corpses.... and Vark nearby as he prepares to continue the pursuit. "Vark! Stop! You are not yourself!" His skin prickles and his stomach drops in preparation to be incinerated as his voice speaks before he is prepared.
Valaith "Rimehand" Kalukavi - Chronicles of Arden
Jex is already on the run, spotting some footprints around the corpses he reaches out to tug the sleeves of his companions.
"One of them is getting away. He's invisible."
Entering the chamber, Jex breathes, focusing his senses for anything unusual he hears the slapping of feet on the ground, looking in that direction he sees the sooty footprints heading for the middle of the room." There". He points his companions at the marks on the floor. "Near the centre, hit him with something quick."
Seid's words stop Vark in his tracks. For a moment the rage is replaced by his familiar childlike innocence. "What? No... I- I'm just... I c-can explain..." he is cut off by Jex and the threat of another enemy. He wipes away fresh tears and with a slam of his staff conjures a pillar of ruby flames in the center of the room.
Chronicles of Arden: Sheercleft - Vark Galestone | Half-Orc | Storm Sorcerer
Chronicles of Arden: Hunters - Caio Cypherien | Shadar-Kai | Inquisitor Ranger
Thurston smiles back to Bründir
"We did, didn't we?" then the others start to yell and Vark keeping doing weird things.
"I think they need us " he says to the dwarf as he starts running towards the action. As they start running Bründir can hear him muttering, apparently to his hammer, "You are pretty awesome too, the best weapon I've ever had".
Seid then tells them that something is going on with Vark and he just yells "You think?" as he passes running.
Thurston reaches the others, panting and feeling the pain of the wounds sustained during the fight. He looks at Jex and he turns towards Vark, not lowering his hammer.
"What's going on?" he asks to the rest of them.
PbP Character: A few ;)
Jex wastes no time as Vark's fire causes a scream of anguish in the wizard, breaking the effort it was taking to keep himself invisible. The arrow flies from the darkness taking the wizard through the eye. A few moments later, Thurston runs into the room behind him.
"We finished the job, that's what happened" He cheerily pats Vark on the back. "No hesitation and working together properly."
He grins broadly. "And you will notice, the arrow us in the front of his face, not his back when Val asks." He gives a wink. "Couldn't have given him a fairer chance to see it coming than to send it at his eye."
He begins to whistle a little as he heads deeper into the chamber to inspect the body. Though he sounds cheery there is a little weariness to his step. The drawn out battle has clearly taken a bit of a toll on him.
The exit the wizards had been heading for is on the far side of the hall, in the center of the wall across from the one the group entered through. It's a simple, stone archway, about the size of a normal door. There are downward-facing metal spikes protruding from the top of the stone, as though a set of bars or a portcullis has been raised to open it.
Beyond the archway, a small corridor extends for ten feet, the far end of which opens out into a circular chamber, approximately forty feet across. The floor is constructed of concentric rings of paving, the middle of which is marked with a carved circle of sigils.
Quinton is nowhere to be seen.
The Chronicles of Arden: Sheercleft - DM for Aiden, Bründir, Jex, Thurston, Valaith and Vark
The Chronicles of Arden: Hunters - DM for Alaris, Astrid, Caio and Shiva
Thurston has to smile at Jex's words but he roars in frustration as they confirm that Quinton has escaped.
"That coward... I would feel better if we would had rid this land from his dark magics and treacherous schemes."
He sits on the first step of the concentric rings and starts cleaning Rikkazarik. If the burns on his skin causes him any harm he doesn't show it.
"Anyone cares to explain what happended back there? It seems to me that someone do exactly what we came here to avoid..." he looks to Vark.
PbP Character: A few ;)
Seid looks between Jex and Vark, cautiously positioning himself to keep them from putting him into a flank. "I'm with the paladin. I demand to know why you released that entity, Vark. What was that stone you carried? Who are you?" He stares directly into the burning eyes of the half-orc. "I knew something was up when you dispelled that magical trap in Quinton's office. Such magic was beyond the power you have displayed up to that point. So, either you've been dishonest and have sought this outcome from the get go or you have been possessed by something. Which is it?" The accusation in his voice is clear to hear and perhaps a little more harsh than he had intended, but he was exhausted and filthy. The burn on his thigh was starting to bother him once more each time he moved that leg as the newly healed skin stretched to accommodate the activity of combat.
Valaith "Rimehand" Kalukavi - Chronicles of Arden
Vark’s lip trembles slightly. “Some... somebody did what? I- I don’t... I don’t know what happened... I thought he was g-g-gonna help. I- I...” he looks around at his friends, emotion welling up inside him. Then it all floods out: he crumples to the floor and bursts into tears. “I’m sorry! I should have s-said something s-sooner. Back in that camp... the b-bandit camp... I found something... a gem. It was red and kinda swirled... I don’t know why I didn’t say anything to you guys. Ins-side the gem or... or I don’t know there was this voice in my head and... I didn’t listen to it at first but down in the mines when I got separated... he helped me. I thought he was gonna help again in there... he took over and... when I came to... the- the things was open and... I think he’s gone... I don’t... I don’t know what happened.” He struggles to get all of this information out through the constant stream of tears, and once he’s done he shudders and sniffles as he tries to catch his breath.
Chronicles of Arden: Sheercleft - Vark Galestone | Half-Orc | Storm Sorcerer
Chronicles of Arden: Hunters - Caio Cypherien | Shadar-Kai | Inquisitor Ranger
Seid narrows his eyes as he stares down Vark, seeking to get a feeling for the young half-orc's words, but the adrenaline from the battle and searing pain in this leg is too distracting. The hard look softens as the emotions pour out of Vark and Seid approaches, putting a hand on Vark's shoulder. "What was his name, this entity? What did it want? And next time... you find something like that you must tell someone about it. There are countless dangerous magical artifacts in this world and I do not believe in coincidences. There are a pattern here, I just need to recognize it. I need to spend some time researching this room and its contents, but first..." He stops and points at the teleportation circle. "We need to dispel that. It is a teleportation circle and the Mabinogi could use it to bring in any number of reinforcements at any given time."
From the side, Hurrig steps and looks to Vark. "Vark, I can cast a spell tomorrow that will tell us whether or not you are telling us the truth. If you willingly submit to the spell, I'll know for a fact you are being truthful. What do you say?"
Valaith "Rimehand" Kalukavi - Chronicles of Arden
Thurston states with intensity to Vark as he speaks with Seid.
”I think he was dominated, at least temporarily. He is stupid” says looking at the half-orc “but a honest one I think. Still I fear that we have unleashed a great evil in the world and we should try to undo this...” he looks around “somehow. Seid, did the Mabinogi knew how this entity was imprisoned the first time?”
“About that I can destroy it” he adds tapping his hammer.
PbP Character: A few ;)
Vark trembles. “His name... his-his name was Matthew.” His eyes don’t leave the floor, the guilt and embarrassment dragging his whole form down. He is quiet after that, simply nodding his head to Hurrig’s proposal and wincing slightly at Thurston’s remarks.
Chronicles of Arden: Sheercleft - Vark Galestone | Half-Orc | Storm Sorcerer
Chronicles of Arden: Hunters - Caio Cypherien | Shadar-Kai | Inquisitor Ranger
Jex puts his weapons away and snorts, visibly disappointed in Vark's breakdown. He turns his back, seemingly uninterested in the conversation that follows. He begins to pat down the wizard corpse near the circle.
The wizard was dressed in dark blue robes and wore a bone mask. At his belt is a sheathed dagger, alongside a spell component pouch and a coin pouch containing 160 crowns. On his back he carried a small leather knapsack. Inside is a bottle of ink, an ink pen, 10 sheets of parchment and a little bag of sand. The bag also contains a pair of glass bottles containing a softly glowing, light blue liquid, and a heavy, leather-bound book. In his hand he carried wooden staff.
The Chronicles of Arden: Sheercleft - DM for Aiden, Bründir, Jex, Thurston, Valaith and Vark
The Chronicles of Arden: Hunters - DM for Alaris, Astrid, Caio and Shiva
"Hey, there's some interesting things here. Vark, do you want to try on this mask and see what happens? Seems that's your way of doing things."
He gives a cheery wink.
"And as for Matthew, the most relevant Matthew I can think of is Matthew of the Anoswa. A powerful Lich hermit in the mountains, a few hundred years ago. He was killed by some plucky elven adventurers, they sang about it forever. They let him feel safe to return to his phylactory, but they had secretly enchanted it, turning it into his prison for all of time to come. At some point I guess they must have died in their own adventures after they became too complacent. But nobody really knows, at least I don't."
Seid nods as he begins to reexamine the imagery here, pacing around the room back and forth between the different areas, constantly muttering to himself. "Yes, Thurston. That's why they came here. This place is why Sheercleft was founded and this mine was created. The Mabinogi knew what was here and founded this mining town as a way to get down to their prize here. These people are very patient and do not mind waiting hundreds of years to meet their fruition." When Jex speaks up about that name, Seid turns to look at him with wide eyes. "Matthew of the Anoswa? He was a lich you say?" Seid rubs his chin. "Vark, how did this entity make you feel? Cold? Angry? Describe it to me in great detail as best you can."
Valaith "Rimehand" Kalukavi - Chronicles of Arden
As Seid examines the murals around the outside of the platform, several different details jump out at him. The flames rising from below. The crowds of figures around the middle. Are they writhing in pain, or ecstacy, or merely dancing? It's hard to tell.
The 'front' side of the raised platform has stairs running up it in the middle, but the other three do not. Instead, in the middle there are different carvings. One is a sharp mountain peak, high in the sky. One shows lava flowing into a large body of water. The last shows a great river delta with a city in the distance.
The runic inscriptions are in Dwarven and have been heavily eroded. There are allusions to four Khaz, which can be an underground hall, but also a tomb or a prison. One word occurs a few times. In each case it is surrounded by blurred carvings, but this word is untouched by time: Morgale.
Meanwhile, as Jex attempts to remove the mask, he finds that he cannot. Every man and woman amongst the wizards that were slain here wears one, and in each and every case the bone of the mask has fused to their face.
The Chronicles of Arden: Sheercleft - DM for Aiden, Bründir, Jex, Thurston, Valaith and Vark
The Chronicles of Arden: Hunters - DM for Alaris, Astrid, Caio and Shiva
"A LICH?!" Vark exclaims in horror. "He was a lich... the whole time I... he- he said he had been a king..." his hands cradle his face as he tries to process this new information. In a way it isn't all that shocking, and part of what Vark is reconciling with must be his own naivety. Finally he turns to Seid again. "When... when I first let him in... well I- I didn't have a choice. He saved me, it- it was my only option... but... it felt cold I guess. He told me someone had trapped him and he just wanted to be free. I guess... I guess I felt bad for him. In there," he gestures back to the other chamber. "I- I.... I guess he made me feel powerful too. Like I could... like I could actually h-help." More tears fall from his eyes and he hastily wipes them away with a scorched sleeve.
Chronicles of Arden: Sheercleft - Vark Galestone | Half-Orc | Storm Sorcerer
Chronicles of Arden: Hunters - Caio Cypherien | Shadar-Kai | Inquisitor Ranger