The World of Skara Brae

"You do that." Edvin nodded.

Sam nodded her head. It seemed like a good idea. By now the others might know what they should be doing next... and hopefully the could get on the doing part of the plan soon. She was good at doing stuff, not thinking about what to do next.

Orandious said: "Alright then. Guards, Edvin here is going to stay here and help you guard the prisoners." The senior guard present said: "Very good, sir. But who is in charge then?" Orandious said: "Mister Edvin will be taking charge for the time being. Obey his orders as you would mine." The guard didn't look happy at this but he said: "Aye, sir."

Meanwhile, Zelph, El, Claire, and Sam had gone through the doors from the library to the drawing room. There, Aaron was at the desk with Drek and Micheal. Just then, Deimos and Gerrard approached Drek and said: "Excuse me sir, we haven't had a chance to discuss this, but James had said you were looking for experienced adventurers to hire. Are you still?" Drek replied: "Yes, I am. We will shortly be traveling to the lands of the Zurquans... far to the east... to fight an evil dead goddess who's inhabiting a demon's body in a bid to release the Drow upon the world and move her real body back to the land of the living." Deimos said: "Lloth, right? I'd heard of your clashes with her. Stuff of legends. Are you sure we're up to it?" Drek replied: "We didn't think we were up to it when we fought her the first time around, but we prevailed anyways."

edited 10th Nov '11 7:24:32 PM by TheSarge

Soon, Orandious had arrived back at Micheal's drawing room with Marley in tow. He said: "I have mister Marley here, master. Where should I put him?" Micheal said: "Guest bedroom number two, Orandious."

Orandious replied: "As you say, Master. Oh, and Edvin is waiting for you with the Drow prisoners in the dungeon. And he'd like Aaron to examine the prisoners, too, as we found some suspicious scars on their bodies, as if something was sewn into them" Micheal replied: "Thank you, Orandious. I'll be down shortly." Orandious led the guards carrying Marley's stretcher through the drawing room into the Library, and then out of there into Micheal's apartments.

Micheal went over to the desk, took a piece of paper from one of the drawers, and then using a quill pen and some ink wrote a short note and handed it to Aaron. He said: "Here, I better give this to you before I forget. This is a message for Jerrod, the canvas merchant I was telling you about. It tells him to put your purchase on my account, and give you the discount he normally reserves for me. You can find him in the center of the market square, next to the big fountain. There are other merchants in Targos who sell canvas, but their canvas is more like what you would use to make a tent, or a sail for a boat. Jerrod specializes in canvas suitable for painting and artwork. Only deals in high-quality stuff. Sells picture frames and framing hardware, too. But I suppose it will have to wait until you examine these Drow in the dungeon.... or did you want to go get the canvas now?"

"I'd probably to exhausted to help out when I finish the ritual..." answered Aaron.

Scars...I just hope they're just scars...

Micheal said: "Right then. Follow me, everyone, we're off to the dungeon." Micheal moved through the doors and down the hallway that had people walking on the overhead interior surface... which I hesitate to call a ceiling for, while it is a ceiling for Micheal and party, for the people up there it is not a ceiling, but a floor.

Micheal said: "First stop, the main lobby" and he walked up to the door at the end of the hallway with the brass plaque under it, and pressed a button.

[GM's Note: I now pause for character reaction. Feel free to gaze in awe. Not at me, at the hallway, although I am pretty awesome. ]

"How do they... This place is weird" Says Sam, amazed beyond belief by the strange sight on top of her. After all, not everyday you saw people walking on the roof...

"Do people walk on the ceiling everyday around here?"

Drek said: "It's magic, Sam. Micheal's got this tower set up to do things the normal world doesn't do. Although, not all the rooms do the same thing."

Micheal said: "Yes, this hallway has dual floor spaces vertically opposed without ceilings... but other rooms do not. And there's other modifications to reality I've made, as well. This door, for instance, leads to different places depending on what you set this dial to. It was already set to where we want to go, so I didn't have to touch the dial this time, but if I wanted to go somewhere else... like the swimming pool or the observatory... I'd twist the dial until the pointer was pointing at the place-name of where i want to go, and then push this button here. Then, when the light turns green, we can walk through to our destination." Just as Micheal finished saying this, the light by the button turned green and the door slid open, revealing a huge space beyond. There were marble arches and marble floors and many people milling about. Micheal said: "This is the main lobby. I just have to check something at the main desk. Won't be a moment. Don't wander off." And with that Micheal walked over to the main desk and had a short chat with one of the clerks there.

Micheal quickly concluded his conversation with the clerk at the desk, and went back to where the rest of the party was and closed the door. He then pointed the dial to a different setting, and the light turned green. The doors opened to a large circular room with no apparent entrance or exit. Drek said: "Orren and Peter, take Claire and go watch over mister Marley, just in case he wakes up while we're gone." Claire said: "Aw, but I wanna see the dungeon!" Drek said: "A dank dungeon filled with dangerous criminals is no place for a sweet young lady like yourself. You stay with Orren and Peter and keep out of trouble." Claire looked disappointed but said: "Aw no fair. The rest of you get to go." Drek kissed her on the forehead and said: "I'm just trying to protect you, Claire. Now do as I say." Claire had a sour expression on her face, but she said: "Okie-dokie." Drek turned to the rest of the party and said: "Alright then, let's go see what's up with these Drow."

Micheal gestured to the door and said: "Step into this chamber please. I can't open up the hidden door until we're all in that room."

Time to fight then...

Sam nodded her head and after kneeling to stroke Claire's head and say her goodbyes, the young hunter stepped into the portal, her trusty bow in one hand and her father's blade hanging from her hip.

James nodded and entered the chamber. Aaron followed suit.

Drek and the rest of the party entered the chamber and the door slid closed behind them. As soon as it finished closing, it became indistinguishable from the walls that surrounded it. The chamber was circular, and there didn't seem to be any other exits. However, Micheal was apparently able to see one because he walked up to a section of wall, did something, and then a door opened on that section of wall. Micheal explained: "It's a security feature. If a prisoner somehow managed to escape from the dungeon and make it into this chamber, he'd never get out on his own. Only those who have been empowered by me can see where the doors are. Sorry, I didn't have time to empower the rest of you with that ability. Come along." Micheal stepped through the door. On the other side was the dungeon, with Edvin standing guard there.

"Lovely of you to join us." said Edvin, nodding towards the party. "Well, we need to get under this Drow's skin, and I figured Aaron and Michael could help with that. Right?"

Micheal said: "Yes, Arron, could you please examine one of the Drow prisoners for us? Guard, open cell number one." The guard said: "Yes, m'lord" and went and unlocked the cell door.

Aaron took slow steps towards the now unlocked door. Even though he has seen some rough things in his occupation, something tells him his next sight won't be a pretty one.

Aaron could see a Drow, stripped naked to the waist, wearing only a loincloth. He was chained to the wall with wrist irons and leg irons. He said: "What do you want, you puny human? Are you to be my torturer."

Edvin stepped in next to Aaron. "No. He's your examiner. We're going to examine those stitches on your skin and search you, and our cleric here will make sure it doesn't kill you. Now, you have one last chance: is there anything you'd like to tell us you are hiding under those stitches?"

The Drow just tilted his head back and began to laugh. He said: "Praise Lloth. She is truly wise. Her plan comes to fruition, just as she said. Hahahahah...."

Aaron looked at the Drow, it felt abbhorrent to look at the figure on the wall. It wasn't because of any prejudice Aaron had, indeed it is likely to say the medic had none but rather it felt like the treatment the Drow had before was harsh. The question about torture only made things worse.

Than the prisoner talked about Lloth. This might have not been the right question but it slipped out of Aaron's mouth anyways. "Why are you talking about Lloth?"

The Drow looked at Aaron and said: "Because Lloth is truely wise. She said her plan would not fail, and it hasn't. All is going according to plan. Praise Lloth."

Just then Drek said: "Wait... all is going according to plan?! So.. you planned to be captured? And you planned to fail in your kidnapping of Marley? Then that means...Oh no!"

Micheal said "What? I don't..." Drek cut him off saying: "Don't you see? It's a trap! They expected to be caught, so that means they expected us to save Marley, and they expected us to take them inside the Tower. Whatever they have planed, it was conditional on them getting inside the tower.... and we brought them in ourselves!"

The Drow continued to laugh, saying "Oh, you poor infidel. You grasp only a tiny bit of Lloth's plan. The man you call Marley was never in your care; We replaced him with a doppleganger. And right now, that doppleganger is waking up. Soon all of you shall be dead and you shall trouble my mistress no longer." As he spoke, the stitches on his skin began to move, and purple blood began to seep from the stitching. The Drow's face twisted in pain and he said: "And now my part in this plan comes to fruition. Victory is ours!"

Just then, the floor shook and the walls seemed to shake.

"Seriously? I called it, didn't I? Fucking called it." said Edvin with exasperation. He shouldered his way past Aaron, and punched the Drow out. He tried to remain calm. "Okay. Let's handle this like rational adults. We have been tricked. The entire world will get fucked over, and we will seem to have failed. Okay. That—that's fine. Now, Michael: did you rig the Mage's Tower with explosive runes in the inevitability that your enemies take it over?!"

As Edvin spoke, he felt a strange sensation overcome him. The stitching under the Drow's skin had jumped off the Drow and was now winding it's way around Edvin's arms, constraining him and pulling him towards the Drow. It happened so quickly Edvin didn't even have time to blink. At the same time, Edvin could feel blood coursing through his veins, which was rather unusual considering he didn't have veins.. or blood, for that matter.

Micheal said: "Not explosives, but I do have a contingency plan to deal with invaders and... look out!" Micheal quickly recited a complicated arcane phrase, cast a spell and said: "Crap. That string is sucking the ethereal essence out of Edvin... and replacing it with the Drow's blood. But why?"

Eruantian pointed his ring at Edvin and said: "Never mind why... just stop it! Ring, can you negate this blood magic?" The ring replied: "Affirmative." Eruntian nodded and said: "Do it!" A wavy purple light then emanated from Eurnatian's ring and washed over Edvin. Edvin immediately began flashing on another life he had once had, a life in a different world when things worked differently and there was no magic. He could see it all so clearly.. and it wasn't causing him to spiral down inside himself. He felt.. alive... refreshed... whole....

The Drow screamed in agony and cried: "Your ring can't stop this, god-killer! My mistress made sure of that. Soon, the specter's power will be mine, and he will be just an ordinary mortal man." The string under the Drow's skin was now literally tearing the Drow's skin open as wide fissures opened where the string was ripping it's way out.

Eruntian said: "It's... it's not working! The string is still draining Edvin of his etheriality." Drek said: "Then the only way to stop this is to kill the Drow." Micheal said: "Not just yet. We need him alive if I'm to reverse the process. Aaron, lend me some of your healing magic. I`m going to channel it into Edvin and use to to force the process to reverse. James, when I give the word, behead the Drow... but not before!"

edited 22nd Nov '11 1:09:06 PM by TheSarge

"I can't..." said Aaron, "to heal Edvin I need to draw out negative energy...and my healing spells only use positive energy..."

Micheal said: "I know. What I need is the healing forms you create. I'll convert it into negative energy on the fly. Hurry, before the string's process becomes irreversible."

Aaron didn't respond as there were no time for words. He just summoned positive energy.

edited 23rd Nov '11 7:43:00 AM by JustaUsername