Old Ways IC IV

[Frivolous]

Brandon Bor


Bran stares at the revealed elven insignia, then says, "No wonder they covered it up."

He says to Penny, Murray and Nathros, "Any of you want to use this shield? I think it could be magical."

[Nevaera]

ASH

"...Soon they will spread out and wipe the decadent Hutaakans and their Traldar slaves from the world."

"Hutaakans?"
Ash tries to coax out some kind of reason at least. So far, she's never understood the answer to the most simple of questions - Why? Why had two of their priestesses fallen - for what wicked purpose? Why had the enemy sacrificed so many with little to no remorse for their own? What is more valuable than living in peace?
She glances at Penny with hope for some insight perhaps, but she asks the dark priests instead, "Why? Why wipe them out - what gain is there?"
Some spark of emotion shows through her eyes which reflect the torch light a little more clearly than usual.

One of the things she had, or will yet, press further for is where the access point is to get to the rest of the dark priests' allies.

[Gwendol]

"What happened to the mage and the orc? What they say makes little sense to me. " Athos says, not quite sure what to make of the priests.

[Kish]

"They probably went another way. But if we've stumbled upon a plan for genocide, this may be more important than what we were doing, anyway. Unless you can explain what 'Hutaakans' and 'Traldar' are," she adds to the priest who said those words, opting not to spell out the clausein a way that convinces us it would be a good thing if they all died.

[Roland St. Jude]

The priests both stare at Ash and Aditi in confused disbelief. "The Hutaakans. The Pflarr-worshiping jackalheads who secretly rule this land and wield their Traldar servants like tools? The Traldar, the stupid villagers who live all around this area?

How did you reach this place without knowing who they are? Where are you from?" It is the priests' turn to be confused.

---

Penny considers as the tale unfolds. "Some of the texts we researched to find this place mentioned that Traladaran villages called on Immortals for aid against the Night Spider. One of the names was Pflarr, but there were others. The Traladarans worship many immortals and spirits. I guess it was Petra than answered," she gestures at Ash's shield.

"Most of the texts spoke of the Night Spiders terrorizing Traldaran villages and they credited the Traldaran elders with stopping her. I guess maybe the Hutaakans were another race, a race that didn't survive in the records of those days? Or maybe they were just the bogey-men of those days. The records didn't really say anything about them, but, I mean, these events took place hundreds and hundreds of years ago. We were looking a pictures and writings on scraps, written down from family stories told for generations..." She stops exasperated by her lack of more specifics.

"But these guys think they're real...and out there? Did we go back in time?" She shakes her heads as if to clear it.

---
Murray takes the shield from Brandon. He examines the front and straps it on his arm to test out. He nods approvingly. "Seems like a good piece."

[Kish]

"I see. So you're planning to slaughter all the villagers around here because you think they're slaves to something else that no one's seen."

[Frivolous]

Brandon Bor


Bran nods approvingly to Murray. "Keep it for now, until we figure out what it does."

He grimaces in horror when Penny mentions time travel. The idea clearly does not sit well with the fighter. "There's an easier explanation, I think."

For the first time, he talks directly to the captives. "Hey. By any chance did you all wake up pretty recently, and there was a lot more dust around than you remembered?"

[Kish]

"That's a thought. Last time you knew the year, which year was it?"

[Nevaera]

ASH

Ash frowns and ponders the possibilities... "We were following the clues leading us to a trail left by the necromancer, Ederick, and encountered a powerful group paid off to stop us. We came a very long way and into extremely foreign lands to resolve some unfinished business. We came to believe he was at least a part of all this opposition we found here and knew his intentions to be directly threatening toward our peoples and their current way of life.
"Perhaps this place is so far beyond our collective known lands that we've respectively been following vastly different paths (in cultures and knowledge). If this is so, the people and beings here would have had the hundreds of years required to develop these extreme variances from our own."

[Frivolous]

Brandon Bor


Bran quickly says, "Offer to trade today's date and other details of recent years for the activation method for the wand."

He smiles aggressively at the two captives. "I bet you really want to know what year it is, don't you?"

[Roland St. Jude]

The men look from Aditi to Brandon still somewhat confused. "It's the seventh year of the return of the Spider Queen, and I slept just fine last night. My usual amount, I'd wager." They exchange a glance between them and one shrugs, as much as his bindings allow.

Penny continues her line of thought, nodding as Brandon speaks. "Yes, but not asleep. Stopped in time. Didn't you say Petra's Shield had a time stopping power? That's how Petra stopped this temple! Ederick must have broken the effect when he chiseled the shield out to make his way in here."

[Kish]

"You have been sleeping for hundreds or thousands of years. There are no who-talk-ens outside. No slaves in the land surrounding this ancient temple." Addressing herself and the rest of the party rather than the priests, she adds, "But if they woke when Ederick came through, why didn't they see him?"

[Nevaera]

ASH

Ash needs some time to process. She looks at the shield she carries, then blinks in near-disbelief.

"The one we chased down was invisible - maybe that was him..."

---

"You called them 'Jackal-heads', right? Like the dogs? I've heard of Lycanthropes - wolf-like humanoids but I've never met nor encountered them or anything like them, nor have I ever heard of Hutaakans or jackal-headed beings before today. I come from across seas, I am politically connected, and I have passed through several large settlements.
"In traversing these lands thus far, I've only found extra large, if otherwise familiar, creatures in this near vicinity. That is to say, besides the forces allied with you or Ederick.
"It is he that we seek, Ederick. If he is not with you and yours, perhaps our people can operate on some level of truce for the time being - should our goals not differ too extremely.
"Perhaps he can be brought to us if found and you can tell us the command word and the purpose of the wand, and we could return one of you safely to your allies. If we leave unscathed, we would then of course release the other."

If some of her group seem a bit shifty at the idea, she might offer a direct, yet subtle, wink to assure them that there's a little more to her plan than she's letting on.

"Originally, we acted based on the understanding that you were all working together - we had no idea there could be such a large force here that was also completely ignorant to the one we sought - considering the magnitude of his agenda and assuming he'd require allies to pawn about to aid his goals.

" - The enemy of my enemy, correct?"

[Koren n'Rhys]

Mycah
Understanding Ash's reluctance to see the party split up again and increasing the risk to all, Mycah stays with the group while the priests are questioned. There will be time enough to explore the rest of the chamber afterwards.

The idea that these people have been kept down here for perhaps thousands of years is mind-boggling, but who knows the ways of the Immortals and the power they must wield. When Ash suggests a truce with the Spider's followers Mycah nearly yells out in shock, but he catches himself and trusts her to know what she's doing, especially after her signal. To his mind, Ederick is but a small part of what has happened here and this ancient cult and their Spider goddess must be the ones behind the perversion of the lands above.

Spoiler

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I'm back. Long tiring week and now a glut of emails and paper on my desk to wade through. Yay!

[Roland St. Jude]

"You people make no sense. We have only one duty, to prevent anyone from leaving this area, other than by the way they entered. If we fail, we die, horribly.

You can kill us both, but we will not aid you in further violating our temple. Free us both and return the wand and our belongings and we will summon our superior to consider your truce."

[Frivolous]

Brandon Bor


Bran shakes his head in negation at the idea of letting these Spider fanatics go.

[Kish]

Aditi frowns. "I...doubt...their superior would be significantly more willing to listen than they are," she says in a low voice.

[Nevaera]

ASH

Ash shakes her head as their counter proposal unfortunately would require that the party take unnecessary risks.
"If there are no Hutaakans or Traldar Slaves beyond these walls, who is your collective enemy? For what reason do you carry the hate you have?"

While she listens, she also contemplates the next best course of action.
She gives Aditi, Mycah, and Brandon a nod to search around this level while the interrogations/negotiations progress toward a conclusion - if they'd all like to do so.

[Kish]

Aditi nods in return and sets out to explore.

Spoiler: OOC

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Let me know if I should make skill checks.

[Gwendol]

"Have you seen your allies since waking up? For all we know they could have perished years ago." Athos suggests. "In any case, Edrick is here, and working to bend whatever is left here to his will. If we can't work in good faith so be it: we still need to stop Edrick. "

[Frivolous]

Brandon Bor


Bran goes with Aditi. He pays more attention to protecting the thief than to the scouting itself.

[Matthew]

Nathros scratches his bearded chin, "There could be more than one seal. Perhaps only sections of the dungeon are being awoken. It may even be that time is flowing unevenly throughout this place, and not in step with the world outside."

[Gwendol]

Exactly! Or the magics have stopped working as intended, it is known to happen. Athos says, following up Nathros' comment.

[Koren n'Rhys]

Mycah
Glad to be doing something useful again, Mycah heads out with Aditi and Bran to continue their search of the cavern.
"Do we start with the path to the north and see where that leads? We'll want to stay alert though. Those two did say their relief would be coming to find them eventually."

[Roland St. Jude]

The men shrug. "Why does the lock hold fast the door? Why does the hammer strike the anvil? The instrument serves its purpose. We guard this chamber. If there are no Hutakaans left outside, surely we will be assigned another task. If you kill us, we will be raised again. You will never leave this room unless She wills it. Return our things and we can summon Her for you." They continue to appear calm, genuine, and darkly bemused.

The scouting party heads out along the path, passing along the north wall and then southward along the west wall. Keen eyes spot snakes and other things scurrying through the underbrush but nothing approaches the party. At about the mid-point of the west wall is a path leading east, this must be the path the priests used to join the attack on the party. A little further on is a mural on the west wall, the same shadowy figure, human-shaped but dark and cruel, with edges that seem to blend into the surrounding stone. It raises one hand in dark benediction and has the other outstretched toward the viewer, palm up.

[Gwendol]

Athos looks somewhat puzzled, Who is "She" exactly? The figure on the mural upstairs? Isn't she supposed to be trapped in here and if so how can you summon her? You don't seem to grasp what we are telling you: your world is gone, ages ago. Your temple has been found by a necromancer and his orc and giant allies. For all we know he plans to use the temple for his own twisted plans. You were still asleep when he entered the temple, or you would have seen him as you saw us. Now tell us something useful for a change: what is the layout of this temple, what lies beyond this room?

[Frivolous]

Brandon Bor


Bran stares at the mural, then recites, "Sacrifice is required of all. Blood for the Queen, and magic her childe, wealth for the shadow, strength for the wild."

He points. "That would be the shadow, and it's asking for wealth. We'd better call the others here and decide if we pay or not."

"I'm guessing we don't pay since we came here for, among other reasons, to get treasure, not give it up."

[Kish]

"We'll see. Let's find out whether there's any other way out of here first, though."

Unless Bran or Mycah protests, Aditi continues to follow the west wall south.

[Frivolous]

Brandon Bor


Bran follows Aditi unless Mycah objects, though he warns against approaching the mural or going along or through any path, door, or corridor.

[Koren n'Rhys]

Mycah
Mycah examines the mural with the same distaste that he had for those on the level above. At Bran's recitation, a chill runs down his spine, but he shakes it off and nods at Aditi's suggestion to move on. "Yes, let's continue our exploration and see if there is anything else to be found."

As they move on, Mycah continues to mull the situation, thinking aloud.
"What to you think actually woke the priests? Was it the breaking of the seal itself - the shield, I mean? Or was it passing through the mural door? In either case, it was Ederick, not us, who did it. Is there another seal someplace we haven't found yet? Are the other priests and creatures already awake in other areas now, or will we revive them if we get past this new mural?"