Luskan: The veiled city

[gem_sherbrooke]

As the sounds of the undead increased, Gem felt very little reassurance when the knights surrounded her. She new what the undead could do to a small party such as theirs.
He offered his hand to her and she took took. His hand was strong and rough against her small smooth skin. She smiled as she sqeezed his hand then looked foward.."We can do this" She whispered to him "I know we can"
The small group started down the hall way, towards the sound and smell of the rattling dead creatures. As they walked,

Gem glanced from time to time towards Soleus, looking at his features.  There was so much of his father in him that it was easy for Gem to like him immediatly.  Yet there was also no question that Soleus was his own man.

[Soleus Blackthorne]

As they walked Soleus decided to take her mind off the coming undead.

" Not many people could consider my father their friend, he kept everyone at a distance. Everyone except me I saw a side of my father few could say they saw. I'm curious as to what you remember of my father, was he as stern as people said? I'm sure he was always putting on the act of being the strong silent type and letting people see him as they wished. Thats why I came here in hopes that he could be healed...he led us here. He said that before he died he had to make sure things were in order. I never really understood what he meant by those words. Perhaps he knew something about all this as well for Reese and him were close."

Soleus gave her a smile as he looked to her noticing for once that she was beautiful. Even in this situation and under these circumstances something about her just seemed unique. The golem let loose on the first undead they encountered the cracking of bone and loud moans caused the group to move tighter together.  As the golem turned to allow them to get behind him and down the passageway Soleus looked ahead. So far there was not any undead this way, but with all the noise he couldn't hear if there were. Soleus turned to the golem and then looked up at the ceiling. He thought of an idea, " Eronos when I say move step back okay.." the golem nodded as Soleus raised a hand towards the ceiling and said, " Expos Combutos" a bright bolt of energy shot from Soleus's hand. The bolt hit the ceiling causing it to crack, it slowly began to slide down. " MOVE!" the golem began to step back as the undead followed.

For an instance Soleus thought the ceiling wasn't going to cave in as he had hoped. But then something above gave way and two large pieces of rock which made up that section of ceiling came crashing down. The path back was now blocked and they still had a few undead stragglers. The golem made short work of them. Soleus shined the light towards the walls of this new passage way. In the distance he could see light as a cold chill seemed to come from in front of them. " Be prepared everyone this place has shown it guards whatever secrets lie here so don't start thinking we're out of the proverbial woods just yet." Soleus smiled to Gem and then turned back to the direction ahead of them.

[gem_sherbrooke]

She smiled thinking of Desmond, Reese and all her friends..."Your father was very stearn and quiet...it surprised me when I saw the kinder gentler side of him the first time....He and I used to walks the estate gardens talking about everything you can imagine..."  She looks at Soleus "I remember him talking about wanting many sons he could be proud of....I am glad to see he got his wish"
She released his hand at the sound of the death of an undead. It saddened her and made her wish she could have helped the creatures be at peace some how.
Once the new tunnel was in view, the small group stepped into it and started walking again, the tunnel was of dark stone and the floors dusty from lack of use.  As they moved long the sounds of the undead were replaced with the sounds of running water. The path also seemed to be slowly be moving downwords deeper into the underground....

[Soleus Blackthorne]

Soleus looked to the undead on the ground and back to Gem. " This place is ancient I'm sure whatever souls these beings had have long left these shells." Soleus could hear it now, the melody which his father had spoke of when they first arrived. The song of Velusia, it echoed through this passage, but it was faint. A haunting melody which seemed to speak of sadness and hurt as if the land itself were hurt. Soleus began to walk off alone being called by the song. Soleus stepped into a circluar room with water pouring down from four holes in the walls. The water flowed into the center of the room in a large round pool. Soleus looked to the round pool seeing his instead of his reflection that of his father Desmond.

Soleus's jaw dropped as he knelt down to the pool slowly extending a hand towards the water's reflection. The knights had already began to follow Soleus, but the golem awaited Gem before he would follow. " Father?" Soleus said to the reflection. " I have only a short time to speak with you so listen..there is no rest for us...in the otherworld...as long as the land remains in imbalance we can never truly rest...." Soleus listened, but wasn't sure what his father was saying. Something began to awaken in the dark depths of the pool. Something which had found it's way there and made the pool it's home. It's slumber was disturbed and one large eye looked upward towards the tiny light.

Soleus looked around the room to see the carvings on the walls. He noticed the familiar runes used in many of the books back home. " You must find the key to restoring the balance between our clan and the land." Soleus looked down at the image of his father, restore the clan? Thats something they'd attempted many times, but no one ever really got far. They simply killed more of one side then the other and then left them alone. There had never been any real attempt at mending the wounds between the two clans. Soleus didn't think it was possible on top of that for there was too much bad blood. Bubbles came up disturbing the reflection of his father. Soleus stood up and began to back away from the pool now sensing something awakening.

[gem_sherbrooke]

As Soleus enter the room with the pool, Gem stayed close beside him.   As he knelt, she stood next to him, her hand resting on his shoulder.  Gem heard no words and saw no refletion. All she saw was a black liquid pool bubbling.  When he stood and backed away, she moved with him, speaking softly.."What is it, Soleus, what do you see? There is nothing that I see but a black pool..."

As the churning of the pool increased, so did the flow of the four streams that fed it, the water black as it ran towards the pool. Soon the water was like small waterfalls falling into the room, the pool bubbling so hard now, tht the water was escaping its sides and flowing into the ground around it. For every moment they stood there, the flow became stronger the gurgling worse until a dark form started to form with in the depths of the water, the form slowly coming out of the center oif the pool.
Gem backed away more nearly bumping into the Golem...for this form she feared though she didn't know why.....

[Soleus Blackthorne]

Soleus could see one problem with the water pouring into the room. The water was not leaving the room now it was instead filling it. If it continued it would flood the whole passage they were in. The fear of whatever lurked in the pool was only subsided by the fear of drowning. The golem watched the pool with interest and this made Soleus ask, " What is it?"

" The tribes which live under the city of Luskan spoke of their god Terminus the dragon of the pool. They offered this god sacrifices to appease it, but when everyone was slain they were left only with their own to feed it. Soon they stopped feeding it and it rose up from the waters beneath Luskan and began to devour any in it's sight. It must have eventually found it's way to this pool, with a steady supply of undead to it every once in a while it must have gone into a slumber. It must have sensed something living near it's pool , this is the same foul beast responsible for the death of my beloved Lacuna."

Soleus wasn't sure who Lacuna was, but this thing was large. Soleus looked to the walls of the room he could sense the water behind them. There would be no escape within these walls, Soleus went to look at the walls back in the passage when a long tentacle came flying out of the pool grasping him around the waist. Soleus couldn't reach his weapons, but he wasn't worried about that right now. The tentacle threw him back towards the walls of the cicular chamber. The walls were weak and cracked as Soleus was brought against them with violent force, dust and small debri came falling from the ceiling above.

" Gem get back!" Soleus managed to shout as the knights entered the mouth of the passage and began to take in the situation. One drew their bow and began to pull back an arrow muttering, " Damn it the blasted thing won't hold still..." the golem still stood in the room looking to the center of the pool with something similar to anger in his eyes. " I can hear their souls trapped in that beast's body.." the golem said to itself.

[gem_sherbrooke]

Gem started to lift her skirt and cloak as the water started to fill the room.  At the current rate it would be minutes before they were ankle deep in the black brackish water, less then an hour until they were fully swimming....assuming what was in the water didn't kill them before that....

She saw the flash of a black, scaled tenticle fly out of the water and slam into Soleus. She screamed at the sudden quick snake like movement watching as a second tenticle slowly felt it's way around the pool opening.  The arrival of the knights did little to allay her fears as the second tenticle moved ever closer to her...

Quick as lightening, a tenticle slams out of the water at one of the knights as Gem sloshes through the ankle deep water towards Soleus.
Drawing her daggar she slashes at the tenticle holding him by the waist, repeating the motion in hopes that the creature will let go........

As she stabs at the appendage, there is a deep gutteral screech, a sound so horrible that a wave a nausea fills any who hear it. Angered, the creature from the deep grabs at Gem's slender ankle, gripping it liek a vice as it yanks her off her feet making her fall into the water with a splash. She uses her other foot to try and kick the grip loose from her as she feels herself being dragged towards the central pool.

[Soleus Blackthorne]

Soleus could feel the pain from the creature's slam attack as he was thrashed about like a doll. Just then one of the knights went flying back as the creature lashed out at him. Soleus cried out, " cut the tentacle ", but even as he cried it out Gem had already began to do just that. The tentacle released Soleus sending him falling down towards the shallow water. Thankfully there was enough water to break his fall so that he was not injured too badly. Soleus began to rise up out of the water, as he did, he saw Gem go falling back into the water. Soleus reached for his sword and quickly ran over spotting the motion of the tentacle gripping her ankle. He brought the sword down on the tentacle cutting it in two. Frantically he searched through the water to find Gem, upon finding her, he helped her get back from the creature.

The golem seemed to suddenly start moving walking over and picking up the knight who had been toppled by the tentacle. Lifting the knight out of the water as if he was weightless and helping him back on his feet. The golem grabbed the knight's double bladed axe which was slung over the knight's back. With axe in hand the golem began to slowly make it's way back towards the center of the pool, slicing through a tentacle that sought to reach out at the retreating group. Soleus now had time to examine the walls of the passage way finding them to be thin and old. There was no water behind them that he could sense and taking a chance, he grabbed his hammer. With a desperate attack he landed a blow on the wall causing it to break into another room.

Again he hit the wall and again, the other knights came over and started to help him. The walls on the otherside of the wall glowed as the ones in the chamber did. Soleus gripped Gem's hand and pushed her through, he then let his knights escape as well. Turning back to the golem he yelled, " come on let's get out of here". The water had not reached the hole they had made in the wall, but it was already waist deep to Soleus. The golem turned back to Soleus as the monster's head surfaced the water. It was much like a crocodile with many eyes covering it's head, many tentacles thrashed about it's shoulder's. The golem simply said, " No I have been given a second chance, I know now what I must do. Take care of Gem, Soleus if she is the key guard her with your life."

" My beloved wife's soul is trapped within this creature as are the souls of many of my commrades. I have a chance to free them and give them the peace they desire. Besides the creature can't kill me...I'm already dead." The golem jumped landing ontop of the creature's head and began to chop into the creature with the axe. The two forms before Soleus vanished beneath the water's surface, only bubbles marked their location and that they even existed. Soleus wanted to go back to help the golem, but the creature was far too dangerous for them. " Give it your best.." Soleus said before he climbed over the wall to the otherside. " The golem sacrificed himself and bought us time to escape." Soleus now understand why the water had stopped draining out of the room.

The creature's form was so massive it block the water's exit through the center pool. The golem was going to make sure the creature was dead and the exit in the pool cleared for the water to drain. It was a noble act, one that Soleus hoped he would have done had he been given the chance.

[gem_sherbrooke]

It was nightmarish as the creature dragged her and she fought to get air. Despite her kicking the grip tightened. As she saw movement, she relized it was Soleus carrying his massive sword.  Once cut, the tenticle went limp around her ankle allowing her to rise to the surface and gasp for air.

She felt Soleus help her get to her feet and push her away from the pool.
Leaning against a wall, she watched as Soleus smashed a hole in the tunnel. Seeing the effect she grabbed a large stone and started hititng the fragile wall along with the men. The moment the hole was big enough she felt herself unceremoniously pushed through to the next chamber.  

Looking back she saw the creature and the golem fighting and heard the golem's words. She cincentrated and said a prayer of blessing from her goddess, one that made the golem have a slightly better chance against the creature and made it harder for the creature to fight.

Once the knights and Soleus were through into the room, she checked them all for wounds. Scrapes and bruises were all she saw on the knights. Releived she looked at Soleus.."We must stop long enough to get dry...either by building a fire or finding a heat sore...else we will catch our death in these cold caverns.

She looked at their leader, Soleus, and smiled the bowed.. "Lest I forget, M'lord Blackthorne, I thank you for saving my life once more"  She looked to the knights as well again bowing  "And you m'lord knights, I am honored by your courage"

[Soleus Blackthorne]

Soleus smiled, but they had been saving one another's life ever since this adventure began. Looking around he spotted some bone, how he hated what he was going to do. Taking out a small flask of oil, he piled the bones and poured the oil upon them and said the words, " En Flam" the bones became lit with flame. It was a small fire, but it would do well to lend some heat to their soaked forms. " Everyone check your gear, our food supplies have become wet I'm sure...if there is anything important that needs to be dried you best get to drying it." Soleus looked to Gem and motioned for her to move closer to the small fire. " I'm not sure what is ahead, but it seems we are getting close. I can feel the tomb somewhere further down this hallway, we will have to do what we can." Soleus thought back on all that had happened over the years.

Each and every struggle seemed like a test designed to see if they were worthy enough to walk away with the prize. He hadn't seen any Darkthornes nor had he felt any disturbance with the song which hung in the air. Apparently the Darkthornes had an obstacle in their way as well. One that held them back thankfully, now if it could only continue to do so for a little longer. They were moving into the end game, they had to be prepared for what came next would surely be harder then anything they'd already faced.

[gem_sherbrooke]

Nodding, she moved over to the fire and starts to warm her self by it.  Quickly she takes accounting of her medicine bag. Made of otter fur, the contents ramined dried although tumbled about when she fell.  Taking off her boots and cloak she spreads them on a rock to dry as they take a moment to rest.  

From her bag she pulls out  some of the hard dried fruit and grain bars to the others.  Though she didn't relish passing and hour down here to dry off, she knew it was needed for them all.

The hour passed quietly for them all and soon they were packed and ready to continue on the journey.  There was no sign of the golem.

[Soleus Blackthorne]

Soleus had been looking over the new passage way they were in. It led them back in the direction of the necropolis. However with the amount of undead up ahead it would prove to be difficult to reach the center tomb. Some how they would have to get past the undead. Soleus had been working on a spell in hopes that it would do the trick. If it didn't then they'd have to find a way around or some way of leading the undead away. Soleus walked back over to the fire and looked to the others. " Okay I have an idea to try and get us past the undead, but if it doesn't work I don't know what we're going to do. If everyone is dried and ready, I say let's head out. The people in Luskan are depending on us as is everyone else." Soleus picked up what belongings he'd left by the fire, and turned around. Looking down the long passageway to whatever destiny awaited them was scary.

He waited for the others to join him before moving further down the passageway.

[gem_sherbrooke]

Looking down the long passageway, Gem thaought it seemed to go on forever. Taking a deep breath and letting it out slowly she looks to the others.."Well that looks like it lacks some of the enterainment of the other rooms.  Lets hope anyways"

The group starts to travel down the long narrow dark passage. After about 15 minutes of absolutly strait walking, the tunnel curves.  Once the group turns the corner they are met by a chilling scene. a massive cavern covered with  Green phophoresence from lichen clinging to the walls. Adding to these is a gray luminosity from slug like creatures as large as a man's fist. They crawl every where in the massive  cave room...on the walls, ceilings and floors giving the area an almost undersea like appearance.  As if standing near the ocean, a strange salt  tang is in the air.

[gem_sherbrooke]

The walls and pavement of the place are well-made but very worn. Obviously, the area is old. It feels alien and forboding to the small group.  The shape of the stones and the illumination of the are are wrong for any cratures from the upper world, particulary warm blooded ones.

Gem bites her lower lip as they move more into the area.

[Soleus Blackthorne]

Truly the scene before Soleus was a sight he'd never seen before, there seemed something familiar in it however. Soleus remembered hearing about an ancient meteor shower which had threatened Velusia once many many years ago. The same lichen had been found in many sites where those meteors had crashed into the earth. Soleus looked around the room, taking some of the lichen for later use. He noticed the large sluglike creatures apparently eating the lichen which grew here. There was a small rune circle on one of the walls, Soleus wiped away some of the lichen and began to read it. It almost looked like a key for some sort of puzzle, the words didn't make any sense however. They weren't even words if that, but more like sounds, Soleus was puzzled, but he knew that unlocking the secrets of this room would lead them back to the necropolis and perhaps turn off whatever self defense magic the phantom had activated when attemtping to use the key.