The Kraken

After we woke, Bran suggested that Carlagnios ask the animata for some food for breakfast. Carlagnios stepped into the circle, summoned the animata, and asked for food.

"I am sorry, sir. There is no food."

Carlagnios growled. (There is nothing more frightening than a Dragonborn who is woken early in the morning and who has not had his breakfast.) "Fine! Just take us back then."

We stepped into the circle and, with a flash of light, we found ourselves back in the Centenarch. We made our way back to the East exit. Kale tried the Amulet of Opening on the East door.

The door opened to a dusty room. In the room, a cracked, crystal orb sat in a metal vise. Kale approached the orb and, with a few gestures, activated the device.

We were all overcome by a feeling of unease, as though we were surrounded by insanity.

"Who is there?" demanded a voice. We all felt too ill to respond. But Carlagnios eventually did.

"I am one of the 100," Carlagnios declared. "Who are you?"

"I am the Keeper. I am the most powerful of the animata. I am charged with the care of the Centenarch."

"Oh," said Carlagnios. "So how's the Centenarch these days?"

"Quite boring. Each year that passes is like 1000 years to me."

Carlagnios seemed to be getting bored with the small talk. "So is this the Armory?" he demanded.

"No, the Armory is next door."

"Is that why you're here? To watch over the Armory?"

"My essence is kept below, beneath the old prison," the Keeper replied.

"Ask it about the Ritual of Immortality," suggested Kale.

"Keeper," said Carlagnios, "do you know about the Ritual of Immortality? When was it cast? How was it cast? And how can it be undone?"

"I saw it attempted once before," the Keeper replied. It paused before offering, "I will trade what I know, if, in exchange, you would end my suffering. Destroy my essence beneath the old prison."

Carlagnios agreed and showed it the Seed of Contradiction. "Do you know how to use this?"

"Look at what you found," said the Keeper with a note of surprise in its voice. "I only know what the patron told us. To use that, you will need to find Ores' mantle."

Ryn, Garg, and Kale surmised that we could use the sunken circle to visit Ores' room to look for the mantle. But first, we needed to get into the Armory.

"Thank you, Keeper," said Carlagnios. "Don't go anywhere."

The Keeper let out a long sigh. "No, I suppose I couldn't anyway."

With that, we left the room and used the Amulet of Opening on the door to the South. The door opened to a hall that broadened into a wider corridor. There were pillars along either side of the corridor. The design of the room seemed familiar -- almost like something we had seen in Focus House 17 long ago.

Lined up on both sides were circular spheres. There were 30 of them. Eight of them snapped open, revealing warriors armed with bows. Four more of them snapped open, and dead bodies fell out.

In the middle of the room, something was bubbling from the floor. It began to coalesce, until a giant Kraken emerged.

"A Kraken? Here? On land?" asked Ryn, looking puzzled.

The warriors shot at us, while the Kraken grabbed us and tried to crush us. Kale cast a spell to force the Kraken back, breaking its hold on us. We were assailed by powerful blasts of force, but Kale managed to cast a protective spell to keep the blasts from harming us.

Even with the most powerful blows from Firinne and Carlagnios and the most deadly strikes from Bran and Ryn, the warriors did not fall. Instead, more of the spheres snapped open to reveal more warriors. Garg healed our wounds, but the warriors and Kraken kept up their attacks. It seemed like we were facing an insurmountable enemy.

Kale stared at the warriors and a glint of recognition flashed in his eyes. "Carlagnios!" he shouted. "Command them!"

"What?" Carlagnios growled back.

"Tell them to stop!"

Carlagnios put down his jagged axe and called out to the warriors. "Here me, Carlagnios of the 100! Stop your attacks!"

And they stopped. But only for a moment. As they lifted their weapons again, Kale shouted, "Command them to attack the Kraken!"

Carlagnios nodded and barked out the order. "Warriors! I command you to attack the Kraken!"

With those words, the warriors turned their weapons and fired at the Kraken. The Kraken was no match for the combined assault from the warriors and the rest of our party. Before long, the Kraken had lost and sunk into the floor.

"Couldn't you have done that sooner?" asked Garg.

"How was I to know that they would listen to me?" Carlagnios snarled back.

"It's a good thing that they did," said Firinne. "I just hope they don't harbor any ill feelings toward us after we damaged them."

The sworn warriors surrounded Carlagnios and awaited his next order.