Light of Fontan/Akesh Temple Catacombs
Hannibal chose to lead the team down due to his own knowledge of the Temple. He was shortly followed by Lycastus, Jerix and Nnix.
The team came to a solid stone door at the base of a spiral staircase. It was coated with dust and cobwebs, a typical ancient entrance. Hannibal brought up his shield to use its faint glow as a rudimentary lantern. Brushing the dust away revealed a series of words in the ancient language of The Books. Hannibal could hear the tension behind him building, as the door's writings said "Beyond this point awaits discovery and death". Even this was starting to unsettle the battle hardened veterans.
There was no way anyone was going to turn back so Hannibal quickly set about trying to find a way to open the door. No other markings were apparent, and no handle to turn. "Perhaps it is just a stone slab", pondered Jerix, clutching his lunar sword tightly. Lycastus replied, "well why don't we try and push it over?". Hannibal deliberated for a second and then agreed to this idea. There was no harm in trying.
The four men pushed against the door with all their strength, but nothing moved, not even a sound. Just as they gave up, Nnix noticed something out of the corner of his eye. A small stone sculpture was protruding from the rock face by the door. It was some sort of creature holding a cup that it was drinking from. "Hannibal, maybe we need to solve a riddle to open it!", said Nnix. "I'm not sure if it's a riddle Nnix, it looks more like the creature wants a drink of something, but of what?". Hannibal was not liking where this train of thought was going, but he continued anyway, "It's probably wanting a sacrifice to prove our determination to enter, I'm guessing it wants a few drops of blood." The other men's eyes widened as the reality of whatever was behind the door began to settle in. Hannibal could tell they were getting agitated by this. So before anyone had a chance to speak, Hannibal quickly cut the end of his finger and dropped some blood into the cup. The creature's eyes immediately shone red, as if it had been awakened from its slumber. Within a few seconds the door began to slide open with a silent motion.
No words were spoken as the knights stepped through the entrance, all they could think of was "discovery and death" and which of the two they would find first.
The inside of this …place was lit up with an eerie green glow which had no source. The knights looked around, a bit confused as to where they should go. There were many passages leading off into different directions from a central courtyard, which was about the size of castle’s interior. Tables and chairs were in the centre, but there was no evidence that this place had been occupied for many years.
Hannibal lead the way forward and dusted off the centre table. The knights placed down some of their supplies in silence. “This place could be like a labyrinth, we really need to be careful we don’t get lost”, said Lycastus. The others nodded in agreement, obviously wondering how to not get lost in such a place. Hannibal smiled as he unpacked some ropes, “Don’t worry about that, I made plans weeks ago. We are going to split up into pairs and lay down ropes as we go. I think myself and Lycastus will form one team and the priests the other. Just go as far as you wish and then head back to here.” Hannibal passed out some of the ropes to the priests and grabbed the rest, keeping most for himself.
Hannibal and Lycastus headed off towards the east passage, without looking back to the priests. Hannibal could sense that Jerix and Nnix were in the most danger. The glow that emanated from the walls seemed to cling closer to them than anywhere else. He knew that they came down for discovery, but were they prepared for anything more?
“Do you think they’ll be alright?” asked Lycastus. Hannibal lied uneasily, “Of course, I gave them a short rope, they won’t be going far”.
Roleplay from Jerix (9 hours, 21 minutes ago) Message sent to everyone in your realm (41 recipients)
Jerix watched as Hannibal and Lycastus pick up their gear and head towards the eastern passages. "Well, which passage should we head down?" asked Jerix as he looked around at all the passages. "Since Hannibal and Lycastus went east, we should probably head west so we explore as much space as possible." replied Nnix while he gathered up the ropes Hannibal had left.
As Jerix looked towards the western passages he could feel a darkness watching them. As they started down the western passage Jerix could feel that somewhere down here was something valuable that needed to be found, and something very evil that didn't want any of the four followers of light to leave alive. Jerix Marquis of Negev
Roleplay from Nnix (8 hours, 42 minutes ago) Message sent to everyone in your realm (41 recipients)
Jerix and Nnix start down the western passage.
After several hours of twists and turns they come to another door. Not finding any markings or handles they put their shoulders against it and push with all their might.
The door does not budge.
"Great, now what?" asks Nnix.
"Lets use your lance as leverage", replies Jerix.
Jamming his lance into the side of the door, Nnix and Jerix manage to pry it open just a bit. As they do, a rotten smell permiates the hall.
Jerix wrinkles his nose and comments, "Smells like death."
Carefully opening the door, the pair discovers a large circular room. The floor is covered in a thin layer of dust, and a pile of rags lies at the center of the chamber.
"Looks like what remains of a robe," Nnix observes as he pokes the pile with his lance.
Suddenly the pile of rags swirls around as if blown by a strong breeze. Surprised the two jump back. The rags gather into a humanoid shape.
Two red sparks appear where it's eyes should have been.
"NONE SHALL PASS!" the figure exclaims.
Looking at each other the two priests smile and charge, Jerix with his sword and Nnix with his lance.
Striking the figure squarely in its chest Nnix's lance passes right through it. Jerix's sword slices of an 'arm'.
The figure's 'arm' falls on the floor and starts crawling at them.
"What is that thing? We're not harming it!" exclaims Nnix. Nnix (Knight of Fontan)
Roleplay from Nnix (8 hours, 36 minutes ago) Message sent to everyone in your realm (41 recipients)
The rag crawling on the floor grabs Nnix's leg and he goes down with a large crash. Not able to use his lance effectively Nnix is soon overcome and the rag starts constricting him.
Jerix tries to help, but is preoccupied by the figure.
Thinking quickly, Jerix attacks the figures head. After several misses his sword strikes the figure's 'eyes' and with a loud cry the rags crumple to the floor.
Gasping for air Nnix rips off the rags that have all but encased him. Jerix helps him up and they both examine the rest of the room.
About 40 feet in diameter, the room's walls are lined with doors, dozens of them.
Nnix looks at Jerix and says, "I guess we should head back and report this to Hanibal and Lycastus. Maybe they have an idea which door to choose." Nnix (Knight of Fontan) [reply to sender] | [ignore] | [userdetails]
The Pontifex and Haruspex Maxiumus headed cautiously down the east passage, following its gentle slope downwards. There were signs of the previous settlers scattered every few yards. The fallen had never been laid to rest, forgotten where they fell, until now. "What the hell happened down here?", said Lycastus. Hannibal responded hesitantly, "I'm not sure...I haven't heard anything about this place from the Caligans, I doubt they even knew about it. My guess is that these catacombs may have been sealed since ancient times, before the time of nations. Looking at the armour, even in its corroded state I would say that it's quite advanced."
Hannibal picked up the chest piece off a nearby corpse, "It's incredibly light and feels incredibly tough to break". Lycastus walked over to a different corpse, eyeing the head area and said, "This person's head has a strange looking helmet, and he's clutching something I don't recognise. It's some sort of metal contraption, probably a weapon given the circumstances. We should probably take some items back for further investigation." The knights picked up a few interesting objects from the nearby area, being careful not to make too much noise.
The passage continued down, the green glow of the walls becoming a dreamy path that never seemed to end. Bodies were still littered around, with not much else apart from the odd holder in the walls for a torch. Out of nowhere a fork in the path appeared. Lycastus suggested splitting up; an idea which Hannibal thought was just plain bad. There wasn’t a lot of rope left, not enough to split up anyway.
“Lycastus, you should stay here. We can’t both be killed; the realm would plunge into anarchy. We’ll take turns. I’ll go first down the left passage and tie this rope around my waist. You hold the other end and keep it taught. If I get into trouble you might have to pull me back. After I’ve explored as far as the rope will reach, I’ll come back and you can head down the right passage. Unless you have a better plan?”
Lycastus deliberated trying to think of a way to go first. He finally responded after much thought, “I’m the Pontifex, and I’m going first.” Hannibal glared at Lycastus, but he didn’t see the point in arguing. Every minute arguing would be an extra minute down there, an extra minute to get them killed.
Hannibal threw one end of the rope to Lycastus. “Tie this on then. Look at the bright side, if you don’t come back, I might be the new Pontifex!” Lycastus rolled his eyes, but managed a half laugh. Like most jokes, the more truth there is, the funnier they are. Lycastus headed off into the gloom steadily. Hannibal looked down at the rope, there was enough to walk a fair distance, and at this rate he could be gone for an hour.
The Pontifex cautiously stepped down the passageway. The slope was increasing rapidly, making it difficult for him to keep his balance. Bodies were lain in heaps where they had got caught on a corner of a rock; twisted and deformed from whatever attacked them. Lycastus stumbled a second, and then realized that the passage had come to an end. He was inside a large room that had many bookcases along the walls. There were even windows, except the windows had no light shining through, just darkness.
As Lycastus approached the centre of the room, he noticed some strange symbols on the ground. He looked upwards and saw the inside of what had to be a giant spire, reaching hundreds of feet into the “air”. Lycastus wondered: “Perhaps this was a temple, from a distant world, that got snared here just like the Pyramid in Fontan.”
The gloom had a reddish tint, although Lycastus could have sworn it was green when he had entered. A strange noise also seemed to appear out of nowhere, a kind of low frequency humming. Lycastus realized he was standing in the centre of the symbols and quickly ran over to the edge of the room. The humming stopped and the gloom returned to a “normal” green. There had to be some strong magic forces still residing here.
Lycastus looked at the bookcase he had run over to. It had many books with writing similar to the writing in the Pyramid. Although he only had a rudimentary knowledge of the language, he managed to pick out the general type of books that were available. It appeared that the books were all related to some form of dark magic. There were references also to names that seemed familiar. A few stood out more than most, they were “El Cid” and his brother “One”. It was impossible to understand why their names were in some of the books, and there simply was not enough time to find out.
Lycastus carefully took a few books from each book case and began his short journey back to Hannibal.
“That was quick. You got scared then?” chuckled Hannibal.
“What? I’ve been gone hours!”
Hannibal felt a chill go down his spine. “Seriously, you’ve only been gone a few minutes at most.”
“I guess there’s some sort of warping of time then”, Lycastus said. “I’m sure the two priests are getting bored waiting for us. We should go back.”
Hannibal’s gaze turned to stone. “I don’t think so Pontifex. I’m going to see what’s the other way. We’ve come so far, we can’t go back now.”
Lycastus said nothing. He just finished untying his end of the rope, whilst Hannibal tied his end around his waist. “Anyway, if what you say is true, I won’t be gone long!”. And with that, the Haruspex Maximus headed down the other passage.
Hannibal suddenly realized just how isolated it felt to wander the passages on his own. He subconsciously held the rope tightly in his hands, almost as if his life depended on it.
The passage was incredibly steep and headed into darkness. Hannibal walked for about half an hour, carefully climbing down the steeper sections. Just as it seemed there was no light, a strange reddish gloom appeared. A few seconds later Hannibal noticed an odd humming sound emanating from further down the passage.
Hannibal walked for a few minutes and then realized he was at the end of the passage. It opened up into a small chamber with a low ceiling. There were many grotesque artifacts on a central table. The walls were damp with some sort of liquid. In the middle of the table lay a single scroll, held aloft by a gargoyle. Hannibal stared at the stone creatures on the table, almost as if they were looking back at him. Hannibal suddenly knew what he had to do; he had to get that scroll. It was the key to the events here.
As Hannibal’s arm went forward, he could see the artifacts begin to move. He knew he had to be quick, so he pulled the scroll out of the gargoyles hands and began running. The red gloom had gone green, but Hannibal was not caring about that. He was consumed by the thought of those evil things catching up with him.
“LYCCAAAASSSSTUSSSS, GET READY TO FIGHT!” – Hannibal shouted as he came running back up the passage.
Lycastus could hear the terror in Hannibal’s voice. A terror he had never heard before from him. He felt his heart sink at the thought of whatever was chasing Hannibal up the passage. The Pontifex quickly drew his light sword in anticipation.
Hannibal had been to busy running to notice his light shield had started glowing a brilliant translucent white. As he approached the fork where Lycastus was stood, Hannibal started drawing his sword. “They’re right behind me Lycastus. I can’t run anymore, we’ll have to fight them”, he gasped. Hannibal was almost entirely exhausted from having sprinted a mile in heavy armour up a very steep slope. He knew that he had almost no reserves left, but he had to fight…to run would mean certain death.
The two knights stood at the fork, waiting for the creatures. Lycastus didn’t even know what was about to attack them. He didn’t care, he knew his light sword was the perfect weapon against all creatures from the darkness. He was worried for Hannibal though for he had no weapon, just a shield; a shield that can only protect limited parts of oneself at a time. And without a weapon to fight back, Hannibal was going to be in some serious trouble.
The two waited a few more moments before they heard the pattering of feet. The stone creatures had come to life and there was no telling what they were capable of. The creatures were scampering up the slope, hissing and growling as they came. Hannibal stood gasping for air, desperately trying to recover from the run. He looked up and saw them coming. It was too late.
The evil demons charged Hannibal, incensed by his audacity to steal the scroll. Just as the first few hit Hannibal, the Pontifex charged them from the side. Hannibal deflected the first three creatures with his shield, which seemed to wound them, and fended off a forth with his sword. He swung his metal sword at a fifth but it barely made a scratch. The damn creatures were tough for their size.
Lycastus swiftly killed (if that is event he right word) two of the creatures in one swing. It was almost as if they were made of water, there was no noticeable resistance. Lycastus saw there were around 20 more charging up the passageway. He knew he could not stop them and so continued to flank the charging mass as it went for Hannibal. Even with his light sword chopping them up with ease, there was not enough time to stop them killing Hannibal. The Pontifex became enraged and quadrupled his efforts, at the expense of his own safety. Fortunately for himself, the demons would only attempt to attack him if he obstructed their path to Hannibal, so he continued to swing wildly, killing many in each attack cycle.
Hannibal had been knocked over by the first wave of critters. He lay there on his back trying desperately to defend against the creatures. His sword did nothing, partly because the creatures were made of stone and partly because he had no strength to wield it properly. He deflected one of the creatures and saw his chance to stand. Hannibal breathed in deeply and slowly managed to stand upright, but in doing so it had completely drained him of energy. He dropped his sword from exhaustion and held his shield tight, knowing that he had to try and defend the onslaught. His eyes started to go fuzzy, and then just as he thought he was finished, a blinding white light erupted from his shield. All that Hannibal could see was a faint outline of Lycastus swinging his light sword. And then everything went black as Hannibal lost consciousness.
The Pontifex was blinded temporarily by the white light. He had wondered in that instant if that was a good or a bad thing, but then realized that all the creatures had been vapourized. Lycastus looked over as his vision came back, and saw Hannibal fall. He ran over hoping that he had survived. Just as Lycastus was wondering if Hannibal was alive or dead, Hannibal opened his eyes. “Did we win?” asked Hannibal as he came round.
“You’re still alive aren’t you?” Lycastus said sarcastically. “I’ve gotta get myself one of those shields Hannibal!” chuckled Lycastus half jokingly, but still somewhat serious.
Lycastus helped Hannibal to his feet. Hannibal held onto Lycastus’ shoulder on their way back. They said nothing.
As the two entered the courtyard they saw Jerix and Nnix waiting for them at the centre table. They both breathed a sigh of relief, glad to see they were in good shape.
Hannibal was tired and really didn’t want to stay any longer in this place. “Come on guys, we’re leaving”, he said flatly. The team walked back the way they came, carefully closing the odd door behind them. They headed off their own ways to rest, there was a lot to discuss, but it could wait until the next day.
