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<blockquote data-quote="EternalNewbie" data-source="post: 8911702" data-attributes="member: 6489"><p>“It's cutting the chains!” Gorak roared, somewhat unnecessarily. Feathers began to sprout from his arms as he lifted them above his head. Hopping up onto the edge of the swinging cauldron, he stepped off the edge, body twisting and morphing into the form of a giant eagle. With a powerful stroke of his wings, he vanished from sight into the darkness beneath.</p><p></p><p>“Ah, go!” Khalid shouted at Shayla, “Quickly!” </p><p></p><p>Shayla pulled the black feathered cloak tightly around herself and seemed to melt inwards as it swirled around her. A moment later, he was staring into the cold black eyes of a raven. Like Gorak, she hopped onto the edge of the cauldron and flew off.</p><p></p><p>Muttering arcane formula beneath his breath, Khalid completed his spell. The weave of magic surrounded him, and he willed himself upwards, hovering an inch above the floor. Azarek, shield still raised, looked at him hopefully, but his customary scowl began to deepen at the horror in Khalid's eyes.</p><p></p><p>“Ah, yes, well, I'm sorry,” Khalid stammered.</p><p></p><p>“Oh you've got to be shyting me!” Azarek roared.</p><p></p><p>“We were ah, going into a cave, yes quite! Underground, yes! I didn't think, yes, think, there'd be much need to fly.”</p><p></p><p>Before he could reach out and grab Khalid, Gorak reappeared out of the darkness and shifted back into his normal form. “There's a ledge,” he growled, “about fifty feet down on that side.” Seeing that Azarek wasn't floating, he looked at Khalid, who shrugged helplessly. Azarek looked across the width of the tube to the far wall, which was at least twenty feet away. Gorak clapped him on the shoulder. “Well, you might make it,” he grunted before shifting back and flying off, this time heading off above them.</p><p></p><p>Azarek stumbled hard against the edge of cauldron, as a second severed chain dropped past. Khalid, prudently removed himself from his reach. Cursing, Azarek dropped his shield and pack, and unbuckled his sword. There was no time to ditch the heavy plate he was wearing, as he struggled in the swaying bowl, dragging himself up on the lip using one of the two remaining chains. “You better hope I don't make it,” he cursed at Khalid. Timing his leap with the arc of the swinging cauldron, he hurled himself off the edge. Khalid plunged down behind and even through the gloom he could tell Azarek wasn't going to make it. Flinching as a flash of gold and white streaked past he watched in amazement as Gorak, timing his dive perfectly, banked hard into Azarek at the last second and propelled him the last few feet toward the wall. Just clipping the edge of the walkway, Azarek landed with a horrendous crash and explosion of sparks as he tumbled and rolled, finally sliding to a stop some dozen feet beyond the entry arch. Flaring his wings, Gorak landed just behind him and shimmered back into his own form. Shayla settled to the ground behind them, the raven's feathers splitting open to reveal her pale white skin as she grew and morphed into her elvish form.</p><p></p><p>Khalid was about to join then, when he noticed a strange symbol carved into the underside of the keystone of the entryway. Hesitating for a moment, he finally decided that if it posed a threat to them it would have reacted when Azarek passed beneath. The brief pause almost cost him dearly and the cauldron, severed from its moorings by the devil, whistled past him close enough to ruffle his robs. He quickly floated into the room, joining Gorak at Azarek's side, who was lying on the ground groaning.</p><p></p><p>“Get up you big baby,” Gorak growled. “You didn't even break nothing.”</p><p></p><p>Azarek struggled to get his feet, his scratched and dented armour squealing in protest. “Don't even say it,” he growled at Khalid, who was about to speak. Gorak muttered a few words and placed his hand on Azarek's shoulder. With a sharp intake of breath, he stood a little straighter and stopped grimacing in pain. He continued to stare daggers at Khalid, who, desperate to shift the focus, quickly cast a cantrip and held a glowing coin aloft to get his bearings. He looked around in some surprise, as even the magical light couldn't pierce the darkness to the edge of the room they were in. Behind, the soaring walls curved above them into a vaulted ceiling almost at the edge of his vision. Supporting the roof in front of them, two rows of huge pillars of carved stone, stark and unadorned, stretched away into the black. Unlike the flawlessly carved buttresses and ceiling, the floor was strangely uneven, in places smooth as glass and others rippled and broken, like frozen waves.</p><p></p><p>“Do you think that thing will follow us,” Shayla asked.</p><p></p><p>“Din't look like it could fly,” Gorak grunted, “and it cut them chains pretty far above us. Unless it's tougher than it looks, I don't think it'd survive the fall.”</p><p></p><p>“Ah, a moment before we proceed,” Khalid interjected. “There's something odd back here. Yes, quite.” He walked back to the entrance cautiously, watching for any sign of the devil. “This symbol here. Ah, I do not no much about the Dwerro, but this doesn't look like one of their runes. Muttering a few arcane words he dragged his fingers across his eyes and stared intently at the marking. “It's magick,” he said as he tried to decipher the swirling weave of colours his enhanced sight revealed.</p><p></p><p>“What's it do?” Gorak grunted.</p><p></p><p>“Ah, normally magical sigils such as this are protective wards, yes, quite. But it didn't activate anything when Azarek breached the threshold. I'm not entirely sure. It's powerful though. Yes, quite.”</p><p></p><p>“Well, if'n it was gonna do something, it probably woulda done it by now,” Gorak rumbled. “No point standing around here.”</p><p></p><p>Shayla, mimicking Khalid's light spell, flicked a glowing pebble down the path ahead, illuminating more pillars. When Khalid looked at her in surprise, she shrugged. “What? It's not like anything that's still alive in here doesn't know we're coming now, thanks to sneaky over here,” gesturing at Azarek. Not wanting the conversation to wander back in that direction, Khalid simply nodded and began cautiously moving forward, watching his footing on the uneven floor. Gorak and Azarek moved up to join him, when Azarek, still shaken from the fall, stumbled over something sticking out of the ground.</p><p></p><p>“What tha hell,” he growled, kicking at the obstacle with his foot. “Bring that light close.”</p><p></p><p>Khalid used his hand to focus the light on the floor, catching a glint of metal with the beam. Azarek bent, and tugged at something. The floor cracked apart surprisingly easily, and he lifted up a badly damaged axe, it's blade pitted and dull, the haft scorched. “What in the lower hells happened here?” he rasped. The source of his question was immediately obvious; pulled free with the axe was a mailed hand, the bones broken at the wrist. Nudging aside some rubble with the toe of his boot, it was apparent the rest of the axe's owner were buried below.</p><p></p><p>As Khalid swung the beam of light around, there were more flashes of light along the floor ahead. “Some type of spell, perhaps,” Khalid offered, “that encased them in the earth.” he looked at Gorak, who shrugged.</p><p></p><p>“Maybe,” he grunted. “But we ain't gonna figure it out standing here.” The moved another dozen feet before Azarek called a halt again.</p><p></p><p>“Hol up,” he rasped, bending down to pull at the hilt of a sword sticking out of the ground. When it didn't come free immediately, he braced his feet on both sides and pulled with all his strength, once again cracking the floor. Pulling free a huge two handed sword, he inspected what he could see the blade, then banged it hard on the ground to shake free the last of crusted rock, setting Khalid's teeth on edge as the noise echoed through the huge all. “This'll do fer now, till I find something better.” He glared at Khalid. “But don't think fer a second you don't owe me for all my shyte lying at the bottom of that tube.”</p><p></p><p>Khalid stopped in mid apology, as he felt the hairs on the back of his neck rise. He glanced at Shayla, and saw the same expression on her face, as she looked around nervously. “Something is coming!” was all he managed to stammer out, before a loud crackling sound rent the air behind them, followed by the acrid smell of sulphur. Whirling around, he caught a fading blue glow emanating from the rune in the archway and of more immediate concern, four large devils. For once, Khalid recalled his studies in the White Tower and recognized their nature. “Ah, beware the beards!,” he shouted, as he moved to put some distance between himself and the creatures. Covered with thick scaly plates and wielding long, wickedly hooked glaives, bearded devils were the shock troops of the underworld armies. Their eponymous beards weren't made of hair, but rather a mat of thin rope like appendages ending in vicious grasping proboscis that squirmed and twitched, seeking the blood of their prey. They began to fan out, as Gorak and Azarek, reacting like the veterans they were, moved quickly to intercept before they could reach Khalid or Shayla. Having learned her lesson from their first encounter in the mountain, Shayla withdrew as far as she could, before drawing in her power. Struggling against her natural inclination to incinerate the creatures, sweat dripped down her face as pulled and warped the weave of magic around her, the effort taking long than normal. Judging the distance between the creatures to be suitable, Khalid saw an opportunity to cast one of his most potent spells. An instant later a field of translucent tentacles exploded from the ground beneath three of the devils, seizing hold them and rendering them immobile.</p><p></p><p>Gorak moved in with his shield raised, drawing the attention of the unencumbered devil, and blocking a viscous slash from the creatures pole-arm. Azarek, seeing an opening, rushed forward to close the distance, but the devil reacted faster than he anticipated and spun around, dealing him a wicked blow. Without his shield, Azarek was forced to take the blow on his armour, illiciting a pained grunt and another deep rent in the steel. Undaunted, his momentum carried him through the strike to close with the devil, where he returned the favour with a powerful blow from his sword.</p><p></p><p>Behind them, the devils continued to struggle against Khalid's magic when Shayla's spell erupted on top of them, showering the area with a viscous mist of acid. Even their infernal resilience wasn't enough to disrupt Shayla's magic, and both howled in pain as the acid smoked and seared the flesh between their scales. But they could do little more than rage in impotent fury, as more and more tentacles grabbed hold and began to constrict.</p><p></p><p>Gorak, staying on the defensive, growled a few words and transformed his skin into hardened oak. The devil, sensing him to the greater threat, pressed the attack lashing out with his glaive and drawing blood. Azarek, hammered at the creatures back with blow after blow, the worse of which was turned aside by the thing's thick hide. Seeking to aid them, Khalid attempted a blinding spell, but the showering of golden dust that exploded above the creature failed to adhere and drifted to the floor. Shayla was likewise foiled by the creatures resilience, as her jets of acid slid harmless across the devil's chest.</p><p></p><p>Gorak, stepping back beyond the reach of the glaive, raised his hand and ripped open tear in the air above the devil, and brought down a pillar of white hot flame. Howling in pain the creature sank to its knees as Azarek stepped forward, twisting his body into the blow with all the strength he could muster, and hewed a huge wound in the creatures side. He continued to hack at the creature long after it stopped twitching on the ground.</p><p></p><p>The immediate threat contained, Shayla went to work on destroying the others. Despite her barrage of spells and the unbridled strength on the tentacles, the devils inherent toughness made the entire ordeal take far longer than it should have. By the end, Khalid was beginning to worry the tentacles would be forced to withdraw into the closing portal, when the final devil fell.</p><p></p><p>Breathing heavily, Azarek opened the clasps on his breastplate and tossed it aside. Ripping at the under-padding, Khalid could see a bloody gash across his ribs. “Mind doing something about this,” Azarek gasped at Gorak. With a shudder, Khalid watched the foul wound inch across his chest, almost as though it was seeking vengeance for its deliverer's death. Gorak, muttering a few words under his breath, grasped this wrist of his arm and sealed the wound, taking care to wipe away the black ichor that oozed out, and then tended to Azarek.</p><p></p><p>“Shouldn't those disappear?” Gorak asked, staring at the smoldering corpses of the devils.</p><p></p><p>“That, ah, that was no mere summoning,” Khalid replied. “Those things were gated in, yes, quite.”</p><p></p><p>“I guess we know what the rune does,” Shayla said.</p><p></p><p>“Indeed,” Khalid agreed, turning around and heading back toward the arch. The rune was still visible, much to Khalid's surprise, although much dimmer than it was before. “It's still here,” he called out.</p><p></p><p>“Can you disable it? This ain't gonna be much fun with those things popping up behind us.”</p><p></p><p>“Perhaps,” Khalid replied dubiously. “As I said, rune magic such as this is normally defensive, yes, defensive in nature, and expires upon use. In all my studies, I have ah, never, ah heard of rune carving such as this, yes, quite.” His sight still enhanced from earlier, he studied the rune carefully before enacting a formula that would let him unravel the weave of magic around it. As the spell completed, the rune dimmed momentarily before glowing faintly again. “Ah, I can't destroy it,” Khalid said dejectedly.</p><p></p><p>“My turn then,” Gorak growled. Standing just before the arch, he closed his eyes and took a deep breath. Muttering under his breath, he raised his hands up and opened his eyes, slashing them in a pattern overheard. The stone at the top of the arch around the keystone melted into clay and dripped to the floor. A moment later a three foot block of stone around the symbol dropped with a crash. “Azarek, gimme a hand,” he grunted. Working their hands under the stone, the walked it carefully to the edge of the walkway and threw it into the elevator shaft. Khalid flinched at each ensuing crash as the stone plummeted down. Eventually it was quiet again, but Khalid was uncertain if it had hit bottom, or just fallen out of earshot.</p><p></p><p>Although weary from the encounter, they decided to press on and try to find the boundary of the huge chamber they were in. The floor continued as it had near the entrance, although the further in they pushed, the found more evidence of a large number of warriors trapped beneath the porous rock. As they walked past more and more exposed pieces of armour, it became apparent that it was largely Dwerro that had been sealed in the rock.</p><p></p><p>Khalid judged they had come several hundred feet before being greeted with a towering battlement carved into the stone face of wall. Above a huge two story gate was a covered walkway with stone watchtowers jutting out, that would allow defenders to fire on assailants directly below. Khalid couldn't tell if the gate was made of wood or stone, as the same jet black rock underfoot streamed down in a frozen waterfall from ports above and beside the gate.</p><p></p><p>“Looks like we're going over,” Gorak growled. “Ain't no way to open that now.” Choosing an unobtrusive spot near the gate, they vanished into Khalid's extra-dimensional realm and sealed the gate. Safe at last, they cleaned up as best they could settling in to rest and recover. When they cautiously emerged at the end of Khalid's spell, there was no indication anyone else had passed near the area.</p><p></p><p>“Let me check it out first,” Gorak grumbled, muttering out the words to a spell. Effortlessly climbing the face of the wall under the power of his magic, he reached the crest and peered over cautiously. Seeing nothing, he clambered over, and a second later a knotted rope hit the ground. Carefully stowing their gear in the magical haversack, they climbed slowly up to join Gorak at the top. He motioned with his head toward one of the towers, and they moved along quickly and quietly. Placing his hand on the latch, Gorak seemed to surprised to find the door was unlocked. He opened it slowly and Azarek stepped through quickly, leading with the point of a glaive he'd scavenged from the devils, before motioning for the others to follow. Latching the door behind, they entered a barren room. Save for some benches carved into the wall, and an empty weapon rack, there was little of interest, except an open trapdoor above a set of carved stone steps that led down behind the wall. They descended down a level, and took time to explore a cramped hallway inside the wall. Most of the rooms were just as barren the one above, seemingly used as either barracks or storerooms at some time in the past. On one side of the gate however, was a room with a series of metal levers and steel valves amidst a maze of tubing and chains. Gorak scratched his chin, shining the magical light around room. “I think I'm starting to figure out what happened here,” he growled. “And why we didn't see anything except Dwerro corpses out there. They weren't caught in a spell. Those were Dwerro that somebody caught with their own damn trap. Musta got past them into the wall and activated their last stand machinery that dumped a whole helluva lot of lava all over this wall and that room, sealing the door. Wiped out a whole regiment of them.”</p><p></p><p>“Ah, yes,” Khalid added. “But who? Ah, and when?” The bodies they'd found were so badly damaged there was barely anything left except scraps of fused armour and weapons. Finding no answers in their current location, they continued searching until finding the way back down to what seemed to be the floor level. Entering a broad tunnel, several dozen feet across, they followed it for what Khalid judged was close to a mile before passing through another, smaller gate. On the other side, the room opened up into a massive cavern. Cut into the centre of the room was another shaft, more than a hundred feet across, with what looked to be with what looked to be enough chains for dozens of lifts at various points around the edge. Lining the walls of the circular chamber were what Khalid guessed were dwellings and shops, with innumerable doors and windows looking out into the central area. The whole area was dimly illuminated by glowing crystals embedded in the rock, which provided just enough light to allow them to move around unhindered. They cautiously approached the edge of the broad stone walkway that encircled the elevator. Above and below they could seem more levels seemingly laid out in a similar fashion to the one they were on. Khalid wasn't sure exactly what he expected to find under the mountain, but with some dismay he realized it was going to take an extraordinary amount of time to search the massive underground city.</p><p></p><p>“Up or down?” Gorak grunted.</p><p></p><p>“Well, like Khalid once said, powerful folk like to look down on the peons,” Shayla offered. “I vote up.”</p><p></p><p>“Ah, it may be that for Dwerro, deep in the earth holds more prestige than being on high, yes, quite,” Khalid replied. “But I suspect we are closer, yes, closer to the top then the bottom here. We should work our way down.”</p><p></p><p>With no other suggestions forthcoming, Gorak and Azarek set to work figuring out the lift while Shayla and Khalid kept watch. Despite the age and neglect, the mechanisms were in perfect order and before long, they had summoned a caged platform from below. They were careful to move slowly but despite their best efforts and the exquisite engineering, the clack of the winch and rattling chains echoed in the cavernous room. Passing floor after floor of empty terraces, the sheer size was almost mind boggling, and Khalid couldn't begin to guess how many Dwerro had called this place home at its height. Unsettled by the eerie quiet and anxious from being on the elevator after the events of the previous day, Khalid sought some way to calm his mind. Looking up, he could now make out the detail of what, from below had seemed a simple domed roof. Carved and painted in stunning detail was an epic panorama of dark skinned Dwerro in various activities. In the centre was a huge Dwerro with ebony skin, seated atop what looked to be the mountain fortress and crowned with a ornate circlet of gleaming white metal set with rubies,. Coiled around his shoulders was the serpentine figure of a great red wyrm. Whether king or god, Khalid couldn't be sure. From the sides of mountain poured either blood or lava which flowed down the sides to encircled a host of smaller light and dark skinned Dwerro stretched prostrate at this feet. Around the centre image were representations of the Children of Martok in various activities: mining, forging and, more often the others, engaging in battle or enslaving other races. The scenes were interspersed with mystical creatures; Khalid could pick out dragons and griffons and a few others, although there were several species unknown to him. The true scale of the carving became apparent when they reached the highest level the lift would go. Staring up, it was impossible to see the entire scene without turning your head. No matter which we he turned, the huge Dwerro's glittering eyes seemed to follow him.</p><p></p><p>Azarek unlatched the gate and they moved quickly onto the terrace, having learned the danger of being trapped on the elevator. Shayla's guess seemed to have been correct, as the carved facades here were much more ornate, and the doors larger and set further apart. While the glowing crystals were still in evidence, at this level cunningly concealed shafts had been cut into the mountain, allowing redirected sunlight to filter down. Gathering their bearings, Gorak pointed across the cavern. “That looks like the best place to start, I figure,” he growled.</p><p></p><p>Khalid had to agree. On the opposite side was another huge two story double door, flanked on either side by massive statues of Dwerro holding aloft a balcony that jutted out above. There were no other doors anywhere close, and the entirety of the wall surrounding was covered in bas-relief like the ceiling above. They kept careful eye on the doors and tunnels they walked along the ring, but no threats presented themselves. Khalid was certain the door would be sealed and barred, leaving them to rely on Gorak's magic to force their way in but as they climbed the handful of steps to a broad landing before the door he wasn't sure he was relieved or concerned by that fact it was slightly ajar.</p><p></p><p>Azarek, twisting slightly to avoid the door, took the lead, followed by Gorak and Shayla, leaving Khalid to bring up the rear. They entered a long, broad, hallway lit by more of the crystals. At regular intervals were suits of Dwerro sized plate, and it wasn't until he'd passed by ten or so, that Khalid finally managed to convince himself they weren't going to spring to life and attack. For the moment, they ignored the side passages that branched off, deciding to follow the main path to its conclusion.</p><p></p><p>“Ah, what do you think this place is?” Khalid asked, feeling compelled to whisper. “A palace or a temple?”</p><p></p><p>“Palace,” Gorak grunted, as they stepped into large square room. Directly opposite was a carved basalt throne on a raised dais. Rotting chairs were strewn about, the first evidence of disorder they'd seen since entering the city, beyond the battle site. Aside from the clutter, the room was surprising austere. Crests were carved into the stone near the ceiling of the room, but there was no carvings or statues to break the monotony of the smooth stone walls, just a few closed doors closer to the dais. As they spread out to examine the room, Khalid made a beeline for the throne. A door, barely hanging on it hinges led to another room behind the dais and the remnants of tattered tapestries and military or clan emblems hung from hooks on the wall above. Khalid went to move a scrap of cloth so he could inspect the throne and as he picked it up, he realized it wasn't a tapestry but cloak. At one time in the distance past, it had must have been a regal garment of rich silk, edged with some kind of fur, but as he touched it, it disintegrated in his hands the wispy scraps floating the floor at this feet. His eyes widened at what lay beneath. Casting a quick spell, he rubbed his eyes and then grinned. “Ah, yes, I'm claiming this as a souvenir. Yes, quite.” At the sound of his chanting the others came over, just in time to see Khalid raise a huge golden crown, studded with rubies the size of robin eggs. He placed on his head and picked up the accompanying sceptre. “I think it suits me, yes quite,” he said as he turned and struck a heroic pose, one foot on the top step of the dais, sceptre held high and chin raised. The overlarge crown immediately slipped down over his ears and got stuck.</p><p></p><p>“Ack,” he exclaimed, trying to pry it off before it slid any further.</p><p></p><p>“Yup,” Gorak grunted as he watched Khalid struggle. “Suits you just fine.”</p><p></p><p>Shayla helped him pry it off at the expense of only a little skin around his temples. “Ah, yes, I should have figured Dwerro had large heads. I'm sure, yes, sure Arbaq knows a jeweller who can resize it.” Holding it up and examining it carefully. His spell had shown it was free of enchantment, but he was quite certain that few men in the East or West had held in their hands such treasure as this. It wasn't, he noted before slipping it into their magical haversack for safe keeping, the same crown depicted on the fresco outside, but he wasn't sure exactly what that implied.</p><p></p><p>They decided to start with one of the doors on the side which opened into a broad passage that ran parallel to the throne room. More doors led off the far side of the hallway in both directions at regular intervals. Getting down to the business of why they were here, they started opening the doors cautiously and searching the rooms beyond. They seemed to be largely administrative offices, filled with desks and bookshelves, in various states of disarray. Feeling relatively confident that rooms like this wouldn't be warded or trapped, they each picked a room to investigate.</p><p></p><p>It was Gorak that paid the price for their complacency. His startled shout caused Khalid to drop the mouldering ledger he had been inspecting and rush back into the hall. Azarek burst from the room beside and Shayla emerged from behind him, all of them running toward the sound. Gorak roared again, and this time there was no mistaking the pain in his voice.</p><p></p><p>Azarek was the first to reach the room and immediately stepped inside with Khalid right on his heels. It was a long rectangular room some twenty feet across from the door and maybe twice that in length. For a moment, Khalid struggled to make sense of the scene before him. Gorak, wounded and bleeding badly was swinging widely at...something. It seemed almost catlike to Khalid, but for some reason, he couldn't seem focus on it. It was almost the size of a small horse and had far too many legs to be any species of cat that Khalid have ever seen, even in the most exotic fights in the arena in Gem-Sharad. Worse still, two long, whip like appendages tipped with wicked, hooked claws coiled to strike at Gorak again.</p><p></p><p>Shayla elbowed him aside and with her hand on Azarek's armoured back, followed him into the room. “Khalid! Is it a devil?”</p><p></p><p>Khalid gambled. “No, ah, I don't think so!”</p><p></p><p>Shayla stepped out past Azarek's body just slightly and raked the room with searing jets of fire, but the creature was clearly affecting her as well. Two of the bolts went wide, setting alight the bookshelves and scattered papers strewn around the room. The third landed true, oddly, some few feet from where Khalid thought the creature stood.</p><p></p><p>Confined by the size of the room, Khalid found his options limited. At risk of inadvertently snaring Gorak, he didn't risk his most powerful spells. Instead, he chanted a few syllables and sent and explosion of golden dust filtering through the air at the same instant the beast struck again. The first tendril flowed around Gorak's attempt to brush it aside with his staff and smashed into his face, sending him spinning around and the second followed an instant, hurling him face first into the wall. As he reeled backward, the thing pounced on him, sinking its fangs deep into the thick muscle of his neck. Crumpling under the weight, Gorak collapsed underneath the beast as it tore at his neck and raked him with its claws, searching for the killing blow.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="EternalNewbie, post: 8911702, member: 6489"] “It's cutting the chains!” Gorak roared, somewhat unnecessarily. Feathers began to sprout from his arms as he lifted them above his head. Hopping up onto the edge of the swinging cauldron, he stepped off the edge, body twisting and morphing into the form of a giant eagle. With a powerful stroke of his wings, he vanished from sight into the darkness beneath. “Ah, go!” Khalid shouted at Shayla, “Quickly!” Shayla pulled the black feathered cloak tightly around herself and seemed to melt inwards as it swirled around her. A moment later, he was staring into the cold black eyes of a raven. Like Gorak, she hopped onto the edge of the cauldron and flew off. Muttering arcane formula beneath his breath, Khalid completed his spell. The weave of magic surrounded him, and he willed himself upwards, hovering an inch above the floor. Azarek, shield still raised, looked at him hopefully, but his customary scowl began to deepen at the horror in Khalid's eyes. “Ah, yes, well, I'm sorry,” Khalid stammered. “Oh you've got to be shyting me!” Azarek roared. “We were ah, going into a cave, yes quite! Underground, yes! I didn't think, yes, think, there'd be much need to fly.” Before he could reach out and grab Khalid, Gorak reappeared out of the darkness and shifted back into his normal form. “There's a ledge,” he growled, “about fifty feet down on that side.” Seeing that Azarek wasn't floating, he looked at Khalid, who shrugged helplessly. Azarek looked across the width of the tube to the far wall, which was at least twenty feet away. Gorak clapped him on the shoulder. “Well, you might make it,” he grunted before shifting back and flying off, this time heading off above them. Azarek stumbled hard against the edge of cauldron, as a second severed chain dropped past. Khalid, prudently removed himself from his reach. Cursing, Azarek dropped his shield and pack, and unbuckled his sword. There was no time to ditch the heavy plate he was wearing, as he struggled in the swaying bowl, dragging himself up on the lip using one of the two remaining chains. “You better hope I don't make it,” he cursed at Khalid. Timing his leap with the arc of the swinging cauldron, he hurled himself off the edge. Khalid plunged down behind and even through the gloom he could tell Azarek wasn't going to make it. Flinching as a flash of gold and white streaked past he watched in amazement as Gorak, timing his dive perfectly, banked hard into Azarek at the last second and propelled him the last few feet toward the wall. Just clipping the edge of the walkway, Azarek landed with a horrendous crash and explosion of sparks as he tumbled and rolled, finally sliding to a stop some dozen feet beyond the entry arch. Flaring his wings, Gorak landed just behind him and shimmered back into his own form. Shayla settled to the ground behind them, the raven's feathers splitting open to reveal her pale white skin as she grew and morphed into her elvish form. Khalid was about to join then, when he noticed a strange symbol carved into the underside of the keystone of the entryway. Hesitating for a moment, he finally decided that if it posed a threat to them it would have reacted when Azarek passed beneath. The brief pause almost cost him dearly and the cauldron, severed from its moorings by the devil, whistled past him close enough to ruffle his robs. He quickly floated into the room, joining Gorak at Azarek's side, who was lying on the ground groaning. “Get up you big baby,” Gorak growled. “You didn't even break nothing.” Azarek struggled to get his feet, his scratched and dented armour squealing in protest. “Don't even say it,” he growled at Khalid, who was about to speak. Gorak muttered a few words and placed his hand on Azarek's shoulder. With a sharp intake of breath, he stood a little straighter and stopped grimacing in pain. He continued to stare daggers at Khalid, who, desperate to shift the focus, quickly cast a cantrip and held a glowing coin aloft to get his bearings. He looked around in some surprise, as even the magical light couldn't pierce the darkness to the edge of the room they were in. Behind, the soaring walls curved above them into a vaulted ceiling almost at the edge of his vision. Supporting the roof in front of them, two rows of huge pillars of carved stone, stark and unadorned, stretched away into the black. Unlike the flawlessly carved buttresses and ceiling, the floor was strangely uneven, in places smooth as glass and others rippled and broken, like frozen waves. “Do you think that thing will follow us,” Shayla asked. “Din't look like it could fly,” Gorak grunted, “and it cut them chains pretty far above us. Unless it's tougher than it looks, I don't think it'd survive the fall.” “Ah, a moment before we proceed,” Khalid interjected. “There's something odd back here. Yes, quite.” He walked back to the entrance cautiously, watching for any sign of the devil. “This symbol here. Ah, I do not no much about the Dwerro, but this doesn't look like one of their runes. Muttering a few arcane words he dragged his fingers across his eyes and stared intently at the marking. “It's magick,” he said as he tried to decipher the swirling weave of colours his enhanced sight revealed. “What's it do?” Gorak grunted. “Ah, normally magical sigils such as this are protective wards, yes, quite. But it didn't activate anything when Azarek breached the threshold. I'm not entirely sure. It's powerful though. Yes, quite.” “Well, if'n it was gonna do something, it probably woulda done it by now,” Gorak rumbled. “No point standing around here.” Shayla, mimicking Khalid's light spell, flicked a glowing pebble down the path ahead, illuminating more pillars. When Khalid looked at her in surprise, she shrugged. “What? It's not like anything that's still alive in here doesn't know we're coming now, thanks to sneaky over here,” gesturing at Azarek. Not wanting the conversation to wander back in that direction, Khalid simply nodded and began cautiously moving forward, watching his footing on the uneven floor. Gorak and Azarek moved up to join him, when Azarek, still shaken from the fall, stumbled over something sticking out of the ground. “What tha hell,” he growled, kicking at the obstacle with his foot. “Bring that light close.” Khalid used his hand to focus the light on the floor, catching a glint of metal with the beam. Azarek bent, and tugged at something. The floor cracked apart surprisingly easily, and he lifted up a badly damaged axe, it's blade pitted and dull, the haft scorched. “What in the lower hells happened here?” he rasped. The source of his question was immediately obvious; pulled free with the axe was a mailed hand, the bones broken at the wrist. Nudging aside some rubble with the toe of his boot, it was apparent the rest of the axe's owner were buried below. As Khalid swung the beam of light around, there were more flashes of light along the floor ahead. “Some type of spell, perhaps,” Khalid offered, “that encased them in the earth.” he looked at Gorak, who shrugged. “Maybe,” he grunted. “But we ain't gonna figure it out standing here.” The moved another dozen feet before Azarek called a halt again. “Hol up,” he rasped, bending down to pull at the hilt of a sword sticking out of the ground. When it didn't come free immediately, he braced his feet on both sides and pulled with all his strength, once again cracking the floor. Pulling free a huge two handed sword, he inspected what he could see the blade, then banged it hard on the ground to shake free the last of crusted rock, setting Khalid's teeth on edge as the noise echoed through the huge all. “This'll do fer now, till I find something better.” He glared at Khalid. “But don't think fer a second you don't owe me for all my shyte lying at the bottom of that tube.” Khalid stopped in mid apology, as he felt the hairs on the back of his neck rise. He glanced at Shayla, and saw the same expression on her face, as she looked around nervously. “Something is coming!” was all he managed to stammer out, before a loud crackling sound rent the air behind them, followed by the acrid smell of sulphur. Whirling around, he caught a fading blue glow emanating from the rune in the archway and of more immediate concern, four large devils. For once, Khalid recalled his studies in the White Tower and recognized their nature. “Ah, beware the beards!,” he shouted, as he moved to put some distance between himself and the creatures. Covered with thick scaly plates and wielding long, wickedly hooked glaives, bearded devils were the shock troops of the underworld armies. Their eponymous beards weren't made of hair, but rather a mat of thin rope like appendages ending in vicious grasping proboscis that squirmed and twitched, seeking the blood of their prey. They began to fan out, as Gorak and Azarek, reacting like the veterans they were, moved quickly to intercept before they could reach Khalid or Shayla. Having learned her lesson from their first encounter in the mountain, Shayla withdrew as far as she could, before drawing in her power. Struggling against her natural inclination to incinerate the creatures, sweat dripped down her face as pulled and warped the weave of magic around her, the effort taking long than normal. Judging the distance between the creatures to be suitable, Khalid saw an opportunity to cast one of his most potent spells. An instant later a field of translucent tentacles exploded from the ground beneath three of the devils, seizing hold them and rendering them immobile. Gorak moved in with his shield raised, drawing the attention of the unencumbered devil, and blocking a viscous slash from the creatures pole-arm. Azarek, seeing an opening, rushed forward to close the distance, but the devil reacted faster than he anticipated and spun around, dealing him a wicked blow. Without his shield, Azarek was forced to take the blow on his armour, illiciting a pained grunt and another deep rent in the steel. Undaunted, his momentum carried him through the strike to close with the devil, where he returned the favour with a powerful blow from his sword. Behind them, the devils continued to struggle against Khalid's magic when Shayla's spell erupted on top of them, showering the area with a viscous mist of acid. Even their infernal resilience wasn't enough to disrupt Shayla's magic, and both howled in pain as the acid smoked and seared the flesh between their scales. But they could do little more than rage in impotent fury, as more and more tentacles grabbed hold and began to constrict. Gorak, staying on the defensive, growled a few words and transformed his skin into hardened oak. The devil, sensing him to the greater threat, pressed the attack lashing out with his glaive and drawing blood. Azarek, hammered at the creatures back with blow after blow, the worse of which was turned aside by the thing's thick hide. Seeking to aid them, Khalid attempted a blinding spell, but the showering of golden dust that exploded above the creature failed to adhere and drifted to the floor. Shayla was likewise foiled by the creatures resilience, as her jets of acid slid harmless across the devil's chest. Gorak, stepping back beyond the reach of the glaive, raised his hand and ripped open tear in the air above the devil, and brought down a pillar of white hot flame. Howling in pain the creature sank to its knees as Azarek stepped forward, twisting his body into the blow with all the strength he could muster, and hewed a huge wound in the creatures side. He continued to hack at the creature long after it stopped twitching on the ground. The immediate threat contained, Shayla went to work on destroying the others. Despite her barrage of spells and the unbridled strength on the tentacles, the devils inherent toughness made the entire ordeal take far longer than it should have. By the end, Khalid was beginning to worry the tentacles would be forced to withdraw into the closing portal, when the final devil fell. Breathing heavily, Azarek opened the clasps on his breastplate and tossed it aside. Ripping at the under-padding, Khalid could see a bloody gash across his ribs. “Mind doing something about this,” Azarek gasped at Gorak. With a shudder, Khalid watched the foul wound inch across his chest, almost as though it was seeking vengeance for its deliverer's death. Gorak, muttering a few words under his breath, grasped this wrist of his arm and sealed the wound, taking care to wipe away the black ichor that oozed out, and then tended to Azarek. “Shouldn't those disappear?” Gorak asked, staring at the smoldering corpses of the devils. “That, ah, that was no mere summoning,” Khalid replied. “Those things were gated in, yes, quite.” “I guess we know what the rune does,” Shayla said. “Indeed,” Khalid agreed, turning around and heading back toward the arch. The rune was still visible, much to Khalid's surprise, although much dimmer than it was before. “It's still here,” he called out. “Can you disable it? This ain't gonna be much fun with those things popping up behind us.” “Perhaps,” Khalid replied dubiously. “As I said, rune magic such as this is normally defensive, yes, defensive in nature, and expires upon use. In all my studies, I have ah, never, ah heard of rune carving such as this, yes, quite.” His sight still enhanced from earlier, he studied the rune carefully before enacting a formula that would let him unravel the weave of magic around it. As the spell completed, the rune dimmed momentarily before glowing faintly again. “Ah, I can't destroy it,” Khalid said dejectedly. “My turn then,” Gorak growled. Standing just before the arch, he closed his eyes and took a deep breath. Muttering under his breath, he raised his hands up and opened his eyes, slashing them in a pattern overheard. The stone at the top of the arch around the keystone melted into clay and dripped to the floor. A moment later a three foot block of stone around the symbol dropped with a crash. “Azarek, gimme a hand,” he grunted. Working their hands under the stone, the walked it carefully to the edge of the walkway and threw it into the elevator shaft. Khalid flinched at each ensuing crash as the stone plummeted down. Eventually it was quiet again, but Khalid was uncertain if it had hit bottom, or just fallen out of earshot. Although weary from the encounter, they decided to press on and try to find the boundary of the huge chamber they were in. The floor continued as it had near the entrance, although the further in they pushed, the found more evidence of a large number of warriors trapped beneath the porous rock. As they walked past more and more exposed pieces of armour, it became apparent that it was largely Dwerro that had been sealed in the rock. Khalid judged they had come several hundred feet before being greeted with a towering battlement carved into the stone face of wall. Above a huge two story gate was a covered walkway with stone watchtowers jutting out, that would allow defenders to fire on assailants directly below. Khalid couldn't tell if the gate was made of wood or stone, as the same jet black rock underfoot streamed down in a frozen waterfall from ports above and beside the gate. “Looks like we're going over,” Gorak growled. “Ain't no way to open that now.” Choosing an unobtrusive spot near the gate, they vanished into Khalid's extra-dimensional realm and sealed the gate. Safe at last, they cleaned up as best they could settling in to rest and recover. When they cautiously emerged at the end of Khalid's spell, there was no indication anyone else had passed near the area. “Let me check it out first,” Gorak grumbled, muttering out the words to a spell. Effortlessly climbing the face of the wall under the power of his magic, he reached the crest and peered over cautiously. Seeing nothing, he clambered over, and a second later a knotted rope hit the ground. Carefully stowing their gear in the magical haversack, they climbed slowly up to join Gorak at the top. He motioned with his head toward one of the towers, and they moved along quickly and quietly. Placing his hand on the latch, Gorak seemed to surprised to find the door was unlocked. He opened it slowly and Azarek stepped through quickly, leading with the point of a glaive he'd scavenged from the devils, before motioning for the others to follow. Latching the door behind, they entered a barren room. Save for some benches carved into the wall, and an empty weapon rack, there was little of interest, except an open trapdoor above a set of carved stone steps that led down behind the wall. They descended down a level, and took time to explore a cramped hallway inside the wall. Most of the rooms were just as barren the one above, seemingly used as either barracks or storerooms at some time in the past. On one side of the gate however, was a room with a series of metal levers and steel valves amidst a maze of tubing and chains. Gorak scratched his chin, shining the magical light around room. “I think I'm starting to figure out what happened here,” he growled. “And why we didn't see anything except Dwerro corpses out there. They weren't caught in a spell. Those were Dwerro that somebody caught with their own damn trap. Musta got past them into the wall and activated their last stand machinery that dumped a whole helluva lot of lava all over this wall and that room, sealing the door. Wiped out a whole regiment of them.” “Ah, yes,” Khalid added. “But who? Ah, and when?” The bodies they'd found were so badly damaged there was barely anything left except scraps of fused armour and weapons. Finding no answers in their current location, they continued searching until finding the way back down to what seemed to be the floor level. Entering a broad tunnel, several dozen feet across, they followed it for what Khalid judged was close to a mile before passing through another, smaller gate. On the other side, the room opened up into a massive cavern. Cut into the centre of the room was another shaft, more than a hundred feet across, with what looked to be with what looked to be enough chains for dozens of lifts at various points around the edge. Lining the walls of the circular chamber were what Khalid guessed were dwellings and shops, with innumerable doors and windows looking out into the central area. The whole area was dimly illuminated by glowing crystals embedded in the rock, which provided just enough light to allow them to move around unhindered. They cautiously approached the edge of the broad stone walkway that encircled the elevator. Above and below they could seem more levels seemingly laid out in a similar fashion to the one they were on. Khalid wasn't sure exactly what he expected to find under the mountain, but with some dismay he realized it was going to take an extraordinary amount of time to search the massive underground city. “Up or down?” Gorak grunted. “Well, like Khalid once said, powerful folk like to look down on the peons,” Shayla offered. “I vote up.” “Ah, it may be that for Dwerro, deep in the earth holds more prestige than being on high, yes, quite,” Khalid replied. “But I suspect we are closer, yes, closer to the top then the bottom here. We should work our way down.” With no other suggestions forthcoming, Gorak and Azarek set to work figuring out the lift while Shayla and Khalid kept watch. Despite the age and neglect, the mechanisms were in perfect order and before long, they had summoned a caged platform from below. They were careful to move slowly but despite their best efforts and the exquisite engineering, the clack of the winch and rattling chains echoed in the cavernous room. Passing floor after floor of empty terraces, the sheer size was almost mind boggling, and Khalid couldn't begin to guess how many Dwerro had called this place home at its height. Unsettled by the eerie quiet and anxious from being on the elevator after the events of the previous day, Khalid sought some way to calm his mind. Looking up, he could now make out the detail of what, from below had seemed a simple domed roof. Carved and painted in stunning detail was an epic panorama of dark skinned Dwerro in various activities. In the centre was a huge Dwerro with ebony skin, seated atop what looked to be the mountain fortress and crowned with a ornate circlet of gleaming white metal set with rubies,. Coiled around his shoulders was the serpentine figure of a great red wyrm. Whether king or god, Khalid couldn't be sure. From the sides of mountain poured either blood or lava which flowed down the sides to encircled a host of smaller light and dark skinned Dwerro stretched prostrate at this feet. Around the centre image were representations of the Children of Martok in various activities: mining, forging and, more often the others, engaging in battle or enslaving other races. The scenes were interspersed with mystical creatures; Khalid could pick out dragons and griffons and a few others, although there were several species unknown to him. The true scale of the carving became apparent when they reached the highest level the lift would go. Staring up, it was impossible to see the entire scene without turning your head. No matter which we he turned, the huge Dwerro's glittering eyes seemed to follow him. Azarek unlatched the gate and they moved quickly onto the terrace, having learned the danger of being trapped on the elevator. Shayla's guess seemed to have been correct, as the carved facades here were much more ornate, and the doors larger and set further apart. While the glowing crystals were still in evidence, at this level cunningly concealed shafts had been cut into the mountain, allowing redirected sunlight to filter down. Gathering their bearings, Gorak pointed across the cavern. “That looks like the best place to start, I figure,” he growled. Khalid had to agree. On the opposite side was another huge two story double door, flanked on either side by massive statues of Dwerro holding aloft a balcony that jutted out above. There were no other doors anywhere close, and the entirety of the wall surrounding was covered in bas-relief like the ceiling above. They kept careful eye on the doors and tunnels they walked along the ring, but no threats presented themselves. Khalid was certain the door would be sealed and barred, leaving them to rely on Gorak's magic to force their way in but as they climbed the handful of steps to a broad landing before the door he wasn't sure he was relieved or concerned by that fact it was slightly ajar. Azarek, twisting slightly to avoid the door, took the lead, followed by Gorak and Shayla, leaving Khalid to bring up the rear. They entered a long, broad, hallway lit by more of the crystals. At regular intervals were suits of Dwerro sized plate, and it wasn't until he'd passed by ten or so, that Khalid finally managed to convince himself they weren't going to spring to life and attack. For the moment, they ignored the side passages that branched off, deciding to follow the main path to its conclusion. “Ah, what do you think this place is?” Khalid asked, feeling compelled to whisper. “A palace or a temple?” “Palace,” Gorak grunted, as they stepped into large square room. Directly opposite was a carved basalt throne on a raised dais. Rotting chairs were strewn about, the first evidence of disorder they'd seen since entering the city, beyond the battle site. Aside from the clutter, the room was surprising austere. Crests were carved into the stone near the ceiling of the room, but there was no carvings or statues to break the monotony of the smooth stone walls, just a few closed doors closer to the dais. As they spread out to examine the room, Khalid made a beeline for the throne. A door, barely hanging on it hinges led to another room behind the dais and the remnants of tattered tapestries and military or clan emblems hung from hooks on the wall above. Khalid went to move a scrap of cloth so he could inspect the throne and as he picked it up, he realized it wasn't a tapestry but cloak. At one time in the distance past, it had must have been a regal garment of rich silk, edged with some kind of fur, but as he touched it, it disintegrated in his hands the wispy scraps floating the floor at this feet. His eyes widened at what lay beneath. Casting a quick spell, he rubbed his eyes and then grinned. “Ah, yes, I'm claiming this as a souvenir. Yes, quite.” At the sound of his chanting the others came over, just in time to see Khalid raise a huge golden crown, studded with rubies the size of robin eggs. He placed on his head and picked up the accompanying sceptre. “I think it suits me, yes quite,” he said as he turned and struck a heroic pose, one foot on the top step of the dais, sceptre held high and chin raised. The overlarge crown immediately slipped down over his ears and got stuck. “Ack,” he exclaimed, trying to pry it off before it slid any further. “Yup,” Gorak grunted as he watched Khalid struggle. “Suits you just fine.” Shayla helped him pry it off at the expense of only a little skin around his temples. “Ah, yes, I should have figured Dwerro had large heads. I'm sure, yes, sure Arbaq knows a jeweller who can resize it.” Holding it up and examining it carefully. His spell had shown it was free of enchantment, but he was quite certain that few men in the East or West had held in their hands such treasure as this. It wasn't, he noted before slipping it into their magical haversack for safe keeping, the same crown depicted on the fresco outside, but he wasn't sure exactly what that implied. They decided to start with one of the doors on the side which opened into a broad passage that ran parallel to the throne room. More doors led off the far side of the hallway in both directions at regular intervals. Getting down to the business of why they were here, they started opening the doors cautiously and searching the rooms beyond. They seemed to be largely administrative offices, filled with desks and bookshelves, in various states of disarray. Feeling relatively confident that rooms like this wouldn't be warded or trapped, they each picked a room to investigate. It was Gorak that paid the price for their complacency. His startled shout caused Khalid to drop the mouldering ledger he had been inspecting and rush back into the hall. Azarek burst from the room beside and Shayla emerged from behind him, all of them running toward the sound. Gorak roared again, and this time there was no mistaking the pain in his voice. Azarek was the first to reach the room and immediately stepped inside with Khalid right on his heels. It was a long rectangular room some twenty feet across from the door and maybe twice that in length. For a moment, Khalid struggled to make sense of the scene before him. Gorak, wounded and bleeding badly was swinging widely at...something. It seemed almost catlike to Khalid, but for some reason, he couldn't seem focus on it. It was almost the size of a small horse and had far too many legs to be any species of cat that Khalid have ever seen, even in the most exotic fights in the arena in Gem-Sharad. Worse still, two long, whip like appendages tipped with wicked, hooked claws coiled to strike at Gorak again. Shayla elbowed him aside and with her hand on Azarek's armoured back, followed him into the room. “Khalid! Is it a devil?” Khalid gambled. “No, ah, I don't think so!” Shayla stepped out past Azarek's body just slightly and raked the room with searing jets of fire, but the creature was clearly affecting her as well. Two of the bolts went wide, setting alight the bookshelves and scattered papers strewn around the room. The third landed true, oddly, some few feet from where Khalid thought the creature stood. Confined by the size of the room, Khalid found his options limited. At risk of inadvertently snaring Gorak, he didn't risk his most powerful spells. Instead, he chanted a few syllables and sent and explosion of golden dust filtering through the air at the same instant the beast struck again. The first tendril flowed around Gorak's attempt to brush it aside with his staff and smashed into his face, sending him spinning around and the second followed an instant, hurling him face first into the wall. As he reeled backward, the thing pounced on him, sinking its fangs deep into the thick muscle of his neck. Crumpling under the weight, Gorak collapsed underneath the beast as it tore at his neck and raked him with its claws, searching for the killing blow. [/QUOTE]
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Al-Qarin: Into the Desert (3-1-24)
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