In our last episode, three of our stalwart protagonists were
trapped far below the earth in a room with a multitude of the undying, while
the fourth attempts to effect their rescue. Nyatar, the half-orc priest of
Horus, turns to face the nameless horror emerging from the main sarcophagus, just
as Hoko and Napoleon get back-to-back to take on the half-dozen skeletal
figures that advance upon them.
As the heavy stone lid of the large stone box slid to the
side, there was a hissing of air; a sickly greenish glow emanated from within,
and a mailed fist gripped the edge of the sarcophagus. Praises to Horus spat
from Nyatar’s lips as his eyes and arms bulged with righteous fury, as he raised
his sickle-sword and lunged at the new threat. His aim went true and the huge
curving blade slammed in through the gap, striking whatever lay within an
awesome blow. The sarcophagus shook and cracked, and the interior glow blinked
out.
Hoko and Napoleon fought tooth and nail, dodging and striking
back as bony claws ripped at them from every angle. With bow and knife they
struggled, but were overcome; Napoleon fell first, knocked cold by a terrible strike
to the face, and Hoko fell soon after, his ribs cracked by a skeletal fist.
More and more skeletons pulled free of the walls as Nyatar grimly joined the
fray... until a heavy grinding sound filled the chamber and torchlight once
again shone on the room.
Narrowly dodging the doom that had befallen Jake, Furok and
Archibald had remained in the tomb’s antechamber as the stone slab fell with a crash.
They quickly lit a torch and addressed the blocked entrance. His muscles
bulging with the strength of desperation, Furok gripped the door tight and
lifted. Straining mightily, he lifted the thick stone slab until it caught on
something just inside the lintel. Drawing his sword, he waded into the chaotic
scene.
Together, the three conscious companions felled the
remaining creatures, Nyatar’s holy words driving them into a corner where they
were easily dispatched. Magical energies awakened Hoko and Napoleon, and the
group set about exploring the chamber.
Within the main sarcophagus lay a huge
human corpse, its features mangled by untold years; at its feet lay a blade in
a rotting sheath. When held to the light, however, the blade appeared to be
untouched by the ravages of time, intricate writing inscribed along its edge.
Leaving behind Jake's gelatinous remains the explorers investigated the remainder of the level; they immediately happened upon a room filled with a variety of torturous machination as well as a series of cells containing piled human remains, dessicated with age. A message in a strange tongue was scrawled across the far wall in the largest cell, but having no means of translation our heroes had to settle for mere transcription.
As the group made their way through the cells, Furok (weilding the newly-discovered longsword) began to experience strange sensations. At first, he began feeling as if he were being followed or that there was someone standing behind him. Gradually, he began to hear a voice - faint at first, but growing stronger. The voice spoke in an unfamiliar tongue, always seeming to come from behind his ear. The voice would spill out a sentence or two, but would always come back to a single word: "Voss". Over and over, the voice repeated the syllable, "Voss". Furok finally consulted his comrades, but none could shed any light on the matter.
The quintet managed to map the extent of the level without further incident, except for Napoleon receiving a rather nasty giant centipede bite. Retracing their steps led them to the main shaft, the staircase beckoning them downwards. Forming up behind the hulking figure of Furok, the group headed deeper in the void.
Another quarter-revolution and thirty vertical feet left them at the tapering end of the staircase, still thirty feet above the bottom of the shaft.
Before them stood another sealed door, less ornate than the first but no less solidly built and sporting a flowery script above the lintel. As for entree, however, the group was stumped - no amount of ranger muscle or crowbar-work could force the doorway open. Just when frustration was beginning to peak, Archibald the druid of Pluto stepped forward, rolling back his sleeves. Arcane words in a lilting sing-song voice filled the cavern as he thrust his hands against, and then into, the stone door. With a circular motion (sort of like kneading pizza dough, but in reverse), Archibald managed to open a hole in the door and gradually widen it to about three feet in diameter. A rush of stale air met them, and the group filed into the room beyond.
A ghastly sight lay in wait, the flickering torch revealing two skeletons in iron gibbets, fastened to the wall of the twenty-foot-square room; a latchless door lay beyond. The wary group tried various methods of provoking the skeletons into some form of animation, but all attempts failed. Opening the door, the group ventured on.
The chamber beyond was much, much larger - sixty feet by 120 feet, with the adventurers entering on one of the short sides. Those members with alternate means of sight were able to discern a dais in the far third of the room, with some sort of sculpture or statue seated in a large stone chair. Four apparent braziers stood off each corner of the square dais, on top of tall metal poles set into the floor. Four other doors went off in several directions.
And then several things happened, simultaneously.
About thirty seconds after entering the large hall, a cold blue light and horrid screaming noise emanated from the small room they'd just left; the members closest to the door could see that the gibbeted skeletons were thrashing in their cages, heads tilted back, eyes and mouth ablaze with unholy light. At the same time, the four braziers in the large exploded into blue flame, illuminating the chamber. At that instant, the figure on the stone chair snapped its head up, its eyes burning a fierce scarlet. In the bright light, the group could see that the figure was wrapped from head to toe in leather straps that wound tightly around its body; faint glyphs and writings could be seen on the wrappings. The figure slowly stood, and set one foot forward.
The party responded - Furok drew his newly-acquired sword (complete with the repeated word "Voss" in his ear), Nyatar began to chant the battle song of Horus, Archibald drew his stone hammer, and Napoleon dissolved into a frenzied panic as supernatural fear washed over him. Hoko, his spells expended, ran to comfort Napoleon.
As the stalwart trio advanced, the voice in Furok's ear rose to a crescendo, fairly screaming the word "Voss" at him. Almost by itself, the word formed on the ranger's lips and he spoke the syllable. The bright sword erupted in a gout of flame, fiery symbols now visible along the blade. His eyes wide, Furok now jumped into the fray with renewed confidence.
The leather-wrapped figure walked slowly down the steps of the dais and towards the advancing men. Furok stabbed the creature, but to little effect. A hearty blow from Nyatar's mace was turned neatly aside, and a formidable blow sent the half-orc reeling. Archibald managed to crack the being on the back of its head with his hammer before receiving a thunderous punch to his chest which sent him skidding across the floor, breathless. The figure advanced upon the prone druid, its eyes burning furiously.
At that moment Furok, his shield caved in from the creature's awesome fists, ran up behind the creature and swung with all his might. The fiery sword carved a blazing arc through the stale air, tracing past the being's neck. The creature took another step, and paused. Like a tree it fell slowly forward, the leather-wrapped head tumbling separately off to the side. The braziers winked out of existence.
Panting, the company stood and gawked at their fallen foe. In his ear, Furok heard a chuckling sound and the word "Ligh". His heart hammering and his cheeks flushed with victory, Furok mounted the steps of the dais and walked to the stone chair. Seating himself with a satisfied smile, he laid the pommel of the sword on the arm of the chair and spoke the new word. The fiery blade sputtered out, leaving the chamber in darkness.
It was at that moment that the stone chair exploded...
