Honorable Priestess,
Now we come to a most disturbing part of our journey.
As we followed the rope, the walls of the cavern gradually became the walls of a manor. There were tapestries of harvests on these walls.
Up ahead, we heard scratching and scurrying on the floor. In moments, the floor was swarming with rats. Ryn remarked that it felt like we were walking near to the land of the dead.
The rope led into a square room, in which we found more decay. At the opposite end of the room was a dais. On the dais was a chair, placed as though it were the seat of a magistrate. On that seat was a corpse. And leading into the chest of the corpse was the rope that we were following.
As we walked closer, the corpse suddenly leapt to its feet and severed the rope -- cutting off our only way to return home! This corpse -- the Lost Soul -- began to attack us. I choked as the corpse summoned a huge rat from inside my mouth. The rat leapt out and attacked me.
The Lost Soul was powerful, but Firinne was able to use her divine powers to make us stronger in our battle. We were finally able to defeat the Lost Soul when Garg commanded Bran to strike the creature, and Bran made a dead-perfect stab that destroyed the monster.
As the Lost Soul finally died, we all saw a vision of the soul leaving its body. It was as though the soul was trapped between worlds. We all felt this soul eminate a feeling of deep relief and a sense of gratitude for being freed.
We then had another vision of the Lost Soul before his body had died. He was a man, hiding a room in the cellar beneath where we stood. As he hid, the door opened, and a shadowy figure appeared.
The Lost Soul tried to cast a spell against the shadowy figure, but the figure flung a brass snake collar around the neck of the Lost Soul. As the shadowy figure approached, we started to recognize who he was -- Brother John.
Suddenly, everything became clear: The Lost Soul was captured by the Executors for committing a crime. He was taken to serve in the army. As he left, his wife and children were left behind, wailing for him. Eventually, the Lost Soul died before he could ever return to his family. He was killed by a disease from a rat.
The vision that we were seeing was "spoken" to us in Old War language. We realized that we were all now proficient in this language.
After the vision passed, we found ourselves in a room like this one but wihtout a roof. There was dust everywhere in the room.
We were now in the Siege world. And without the rope, we had no way -- and no hope -- of ever getting back home.
Saturday, December 5, 2009
Friday, December 4, 2009
"Payment Has Been Made"
Honorable Priestess,
We continued to follow the rope along some strange loops. Kale the Human Mage noted that the loops reminded him of the strange kinds of math that they did at Govor.
Eventually, we reached a point where the rope bended around the corner of a piece of rock. At that point, the rope followed the contours of the path fo the tunnel. The path bended upward to a set of steep stone stairs. We followed the stairs to a room with a familiar pile of stones in the center of a circle. The stairs led up to the center of this circle.
As we entered the room, the stones started sliding together, forming a crude semblance of creatures. The figure looked around outside the circle before realizing that we were in the circle.
"How did you get here?" the stone man asked us.
"We followed the rope."
"I see no rope," the stone man remarked. "You're going the wrong way."
"No, we're going to the Siege world."
"You want to go *to* the Siege world?" The creature stared at Garg. "You. You are the one. There must always be payment."
Garg stared back at the creature and replied, "I refuse to make payment. Payment has already been made."
The stone man scoffed. "Who paid?"
Garg stated his mother's name.
"Your mother will pay by giving her name and identity as passage," the stone man acknowleged. "The door is open. You may pass."
(We learned later that this was all part of Garg's prophecy. He would face the stone men once again, and they would ask for payment. He would refuse payment and say that payment was made.)
The stone man continued, "Some things you'll need on the other side. You'll find these things on your way there. Before you saw with the eyes of the refugee. This time, something different will happen."
And with that, the stone man allowed us to pass.
We continued to follow the rope along some strange loops. Kale the Human Mage noted that the loops reminded him of the strange kinds of math that they did at Govor.
Eventually, we reached a point where the rope bended around the corner of a piece of rock. At that point, the rope followed the contours of the path fo the tunnel. The path bended upward to a set of steep stone stairs. We followed the stairs to a room with a familiar pile of stones in the center of a circle. The stairs led up to the center of this circle.
As we entered the room, the stones started sliding together, forming a crude semblance of creatures. The figure looked around outside the circle before realizing that we were in the circle.
"How did you get here?" the stone man asked us.
"We followed the rope."
"I see no rope," the stone man remarked. "You're going the wrong way."
"No, we're going to the Siege world."
"You want to go *to* the Siege world?" The creature stared at Garg. "You. You are the one. There must always be payment."
Garg stared back at the creature and replied, "I refuse to make payment. Payment has already been made."
The stone man scoffed. "Who paid?"
Garg stated his mother's name.
"Your mother will pay by giving her name and identity as passage," the stone man acknowleged. "The door is open. You may pass."
(We learned later that this was all part of Garg's prophecy. He would face the stone men once again, and they would ask for payment. He would refuse payment and say that payment was made.)
The stone man continued, "Some things you'll need on the other side. You'll find these things on your way there. Before you saw with the eyes of the refugee. This time, something different will happen."
And with that, the stone man allowed us to pass.
Swimming Through the Earth, Breathing the Dirt
Honorable Priestess,
After we defeating the rust monsters, we continued on, following the rope. After going down a sloping grotto, we noticed that the walls became less substantial. Pushing against the walls felt like pushing through clay.
We finally reached a point at which the rope led straight into a wall. Tiny eagerly pressed against the wal and found it to be soft like clay. He pushed himself into the wall and found that he could breathe (but not speak or see).
We followed Tiny and blindly trudged ahead, using the rope to pull us forward. Eventually, we came out of the wall and into another low cavern. The cavern floor was flooded with water that came up to our legs.
There were columns lining the cavern and stalactites hanging from the ceiling. Tiny decided to taste the stalactites and discovered that this cavern once contained limestone. The limestone had dissolved to form the stalactites.
Something stirred in the watter, and four Gricks burst to the surface. Two Troglodytes emerged behind the columns and started to fire up on us.
Fortunately, our battle ended quickly. Kale's strong magic put three of the Gricks to sleep. Garg commanded Firinne to kill the remaining Grick. Once the Gricks were dead, we swiftly dealt with the Troglodytes.
After we defeating the rust monsters, we continued on, following the rope. After going down a sloping grotto, we noticed that the walls became less substantial. Pushing against the walls felt like pushing through clay.
We finally reached a point at which the rope led straight into a wall. Tiny eagerly pressed against the wal and found it to be soft like clay. He pushed himself into the wall and found that he could breathe (but not speak or see).
We followed Tiny and blindly trudged ahead, using the rope to pull us forward. Eventually, we came out of the wall and into another low cavern. The cavern floor was flooded with water that came up to our legs.
There were columns lining the cavern and stalactites hanging from the ceiling. Tiny decided to taste the stalactites and discovered that this cavern once contained limestone. The limestone had dissolved to form the stalactites.
Something stirred in the watter, and four Gricks burst to the surface. Two Troglodytes emerged behind the columns and started to fire up on us.
Fortunately, our battle ended quickly. Kale's strong magic put three of the Gricks to sleep. Garg commanded Firinne to kill the remaining Grick. Once the Gricks were dead, we swiftly dealt with the Troglodytes.
The Smell of Decaying Metal
Honorable Priestess,
We are following the rope to the Siege world. We headed past the forest, away from the sea, and followed the rope along many circles and curves. The journey has been long and we had to make camp, tying down the rope for the night.
The next morning, we continued to follow the rope until we hit a wall. The rope went through the wall. Fortunately, Kale the Human Mage and Tiny the Dwarven Cleric were able to cast a ritual to excavate our way through the wall. We followed the rope into a low cavern. The ceiling was so low that most of us (except for Tiny and Bran the Halfling Rogue) has to stoop down to get through.
We followed the rope into another room. This room was taller. There was an odd smell in the air, and the walls were dripping with a red fluid. Kale checked and discovered that the fluid was rusted iron.
At that moment, we were attacked by a group of rust monsters. They devoured Bran's Duelist Rapier, Tiny's Chain Mail, and Garg's Armor. Fortunately, we were able to defeat them and recovered the "residuom" of magic from these items.
We are following the rope to the Siege world. We headed past the forest, away from the sea, and followed the rope along many circles and curves. The journey has been long and we had to make camp, tying down the rope for the night.
The next morning, we continued to follow the rope until we hit a wall. The rope went through the wall. Fortunately, Kale the Human Mage and Tiny the Dwarven Cleric were able to cast a ritual to excavate our way through the wall. We followed the rope into a low cavern. The ceiling was so low that most of us (except for Tiny and Bran the Halfling Rogue) has to stoop down to get through.
We followed the rope into another room. This room was taller. There was an odd smell in the air, and the walls were dripping with a red fluid. Kale checked and discovered that the fluid was rusted iron.
At that moment, we were attacked by a group of rust monsters. They devoured Bran's Duelist Rapier, Tiny's Chain Mail, and Garg's Armor. Fortunately, we were able to defeat them and recovered the "residuom" of magic from these items.
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