Tethreceine II
The altruistic approach to scanning the enviorns and Alliyah's new confidence strattled there repetiore of taking a look through each door,and settleing the contents of occasional chests or other remenances of the once brilliant activities of Tehthreceine.The lingering blemishes of magical fires and corpses spent into nothingness for having bore the wrought of these incantations began to show themselves more and more upon a hall,untill stepping onto and over a clatter of skeletons strewn in a pile,-they had found another being in this god foresaken place.Tempered with artificial constructs of rafters,and a several stepped landing with a crude iron throne chair,torches of blue light cast a resonance of mirthy pallets of light,and the center of the room was lightly bled from complete darkness,there standing was a Semchaynis,in her lavish blue silken gowns with ruffles,and a low cut front about her chest.The glowing orb contained in her hands,ceased to be alive,and she turned calmly to the group,an anouncement she had expected.
"visitors to Tehreceine,ha!what god did you pray to for seasons and nought to end up in my home,hmmm fools answer me your goals!"
"we are from Atheina,and wish to serach Tethreceine for what remains as a memory of the wars"Alliyah spoke,as each had taken their weapon,and looked upon the 'queens' unkindly facial calling.
"well,I have no treasure,but if you must,you may try to take on that which remains as a memory as you say of the troll wars-I warn you much is still living,and there may be a fee if any items of interest are found"she retorted and walked to sit at her throne,setting the orb to the side,and claiming a concerned grip on her sceptre.
"I fear we are only as dangerous as we look,-fine queen,we will be on our way if you don't mind"Chaelsoroy spoke,ascertaining the conversation was best left to a few simple words,and they followed Alliyah to one of the open halls at the right.
"wait!you shall make way to further reaches through this hall,I will be watching you,but don't expect any favours"she cast her sceptre to the back wall to the right of the placate,and a hidden door opened.
They looked to eachother,Alliyah,considering blinding the offer and making straight through the hall before them,however,Kiazo followed Xeina towards it,and Chealsoroy made a lite bow and did so as well,and she finaly relented,making auspicious glances at the Semchaynis,as the keeper fained a smile,and knew that they should be an interesting sight to behold in her seeing eye crystal.
Alliyah was soon in the lead again,and the hall found steps that continued into the ground for 20 ft untill they were at a room,with a grande marble table.Though it was really more of an altar,bits of dried corroded body innards flaunted themsleves upon it,as a sereies of candleabra stands at the right,had dribbles of wax that covered their entirety,a place of ceremony beckoned them with interest.
"well,I hope that strange creature wasn't lying,this looks as if it was the focus of ceremony,the body parts are-human and eleven I think,perhaps we should look carefully through this room"Alliyah suggested as they did so.
The candle wax appeared to be glittering on one of the stands,and Xeina taking time to scrap a bit off,smelled and tasted it.Blood of demons,fused into the melted qaugmire,the glitter was a standing blight of the anger fused by the calibrations made at the times of invocations.She took the stand and carried it to the altar,and they soon gathered about,wondering what the reasoning was.
"the stands may still bring forth a summons,though we may not be able to control the fearsome entity as their masters did,it may bring us a clue as to what can be found,or where to look"Xenia stated,as they agreed with her premise,and granted the idea of lighting the stand.
Set atop the altar,they had placed a ring of the withered remians about it before it was lit,and Xeina made a chanting ablution that was intended for ceremonies of this nature.Soon the air filled with a strangely breeze,but the flames did not falter one bit,the sound of a calling screaming from a demoness cut the air,and the other stands became lit on their own calling-spontaneous combustion,but a sign that the leverage of Xeina's work was making a motion to bid an entity to the room.Eyes glowing in a golden hue broke from a small vapor cloud that had formed,while the breeze still scaffed about,the form also untouched as the candles,calling into the air,-the gleaming eyes fell upon the summoners,and a body began to form.First straining through the dimension portal,caloused dark wings with veiny leathur spans,and horns cropped at the ends,fell into the room-followed with churning fleshy scales,that swarmed with energy untill their true scale form was condensed-finally the face and other aspects glouted by a firey explosion transformed the semblances into the whole of a demoness,hovering in the air,without beatings her wings.Tear drops of liquid oozed their way off her body,like sweat glands appropriated for beings cast to a life in hell,and the strein of the enviornment seemed to pull the liquid from her membranes,invoking a certain discomfort,as she awaited a word or command.
"I have summoned you in truths and demands-you will answer questions of these dungeon halls,and will not lie"Xeina unsure as to how to gain the reward of a master and servant relation,tried simply being blatant.
"these are the rooms of Kelikor,wizard prime of Abysall summons,what petty weaklings dare to use this altar in his absence!"the demoness flapped once and darted forward now ten ft from the group.
"this is Tehreceine,and it has layde empty for many years,you're master is dead,and we are you're new masters,the rights of possesion of this place belongs to us now"Xeina again did the talking,the other's at least twice as confused as to what could be done.
"hmmmm,yes this is true-but you are not the keepers of this place-however I am bid to do you're service this time,but never again,I will seek a new summon keeper"
"how many levels are layne within here,and where are the most dangerous beasts"Alliyah asked losing sight of wether or not she was the one that was allowed for fear of spending to much time deliberating in front of this fearsome foe.
"there are 10 levels,this is only the second,the sources of power are changing,at times this very room was the center of divinations and summons,now-….now there are a great number of undead demons-straining to return to their home,trapped in a room with spellbindings at the altar of silver on the 4th level-they are the strongest left alive"she answered after streining as if to send her mind on a physcic journey.
"was there a treasure chamber-a place that items that were used when Tethreceine lived,these are valuable and we must find them"Xeina then asked the next question getting the jist from Alliyah,as certain she was that this was one of their main tasks.
"no….yes..no…..yes there are few lingering magic works bounded with the spells of the casters from Tethreceines days of glory,they may be dangerous-they may be powerfull,you may not be able to control or understand them…that is all I can say"she snarled a bit,a distastefull group of adventurers wanting feeble questions answered was not her idea of the merits of her presence.
"we have no further need of you-you may return thus to the sewers that spawned you"Xeina finally said in a more dogmatic fasion as master and servant should be,and the demoness simpley turned and dissappeared in a mist flurry of grey cover.
"nice –wise cleric,me think you can afford more control over the evils of devil magic than you let on"Kiazo said,finally letting a relaxed promtu from axe forward tension deffer.
"I see that we have quite an answer about our destiny,that is for certain,orc friend,however I fear any more encounters with the servants of the past will end quite violently-let us be off,the stairs may be towards the back rooms,as the ones that took us here-we'll make to the 4th level"Alliyah barked truimphantly through the trivialy intensified fealings in the room,and they made no quips,and followed her lead.
Satisfied with a quick sweep through a large cavern that was of no construct,they continued through the hall at the back,this being after finding a stairway that led them there.Alliyah considered the worths of what the demoness had said and wondered if the undead monsters were just the worst of what may lay before them.Suddenly the room that had stepped into was cating adarkness that suplanted their torches,and weapons were taken in full expectations of a sudden attack.
"magic,it's still bound to this room,not a good sign"Chaelsoroy stated as fumbling about for one of the ptions that may be able to undue the sitaution.
"what now:Kiazo asked,as he bumped into Xeina who stood stil,trying to feal her way through the presence of the room,if there was any other than their own.
"Cheasoroy,this is why you are here,can you dispell this"Alliyah asked,hearing the jumble of their actions behind her.
"yes,yes soon enough,'tether stains life abstains,cast light from the darkness's plight'"he spoke the incantation and spilled some of the liquid,it burst alive ina voilet glow,in a lava like mulch,and skiffing flurries of sparkle took to the air instantaneousley,appearing apart from the catalyst.
The room soon was sapped of it's strength,or the curse destroyed,in any event now they could see with their torches and were shocked by the view.Several lyconthropes,of forms that included dire-wolves,-tigers,and bears,were laying dead on the ground,each with a masssive slashing across the chest,and in the center of the room,a cross painted in blood,that was not time decayed was etched.The bodies were maybe weeks but not years old,and the etching was another sign of recent activity.
"there are living intelligent life forms –I don't think that undead create wards of this nature,what say you Xeina"Alliyah asked as she kicked a corpse over checking for any more damage than the one apperant fatal wound.
"or the Semychanis has been using it,or has servants that do-though I don't think she knows about the demons or treasures"Xeina stated in contemplation.
"no wounds other than this,a ceremony not a battle,I fear that is a sign that whoever did this has more power than may be easily met"Kiazo said as looking to the corpse Alliyah had turned over.
"well,we can't do much standing about waiting for a sign,if there is indeed a wizard who lives still we will know soon enough"Chealsoroy also felt the concerns voiced by the orc,and the others in quickened paces followed Alliyah to the next hall.
Finally another series of steps made way to the 4th level.There the archway about the bottom of the steps glowed with yet another spellbinding,andAlliyah paused thinking to check if stepping through it was dangerous.
"we're near the demons,I can feal,is this the spellwork the demoness spoke of,I fear that Chealsoroy may have to do a trick to make it safe"Alliyah stated,as she stepped aside so the elf could consider the dilema.
The breaches of the brim,had a lighter fuse of the magic light that fluctuated about it,and as if there was a beaming effect,the other borders were bit with cackles of the energy every few seconds making the whole stonework glow in it's effect.The application of a potion at the focal of energy was devised as the answer,and with that it spit itself from the arch,and faded into nothing as falling away like a feather released to the ground.
"not the ideal answer if this is what's keeping the demons from freeing themselves,however tis your lead to do with as you please sweet Alliyah the stormrider of doom"Chealsoroy made a one arm sweep and half bow,and allowed her to continue as the first of the party.
In disturbance of one of the few moments of rest that the undead creatutres took from day to day,they felt the shock wave of the broken seal.No,it was not the one which directly bound them,but it was a sign of an approaching victim.Gutteral growls eminated as they gathered towards the hall entrance to their chamber,the golden void screen set across it allowing them no way beyod,but their bodies intensified with anticipation,and soon one of them took some effort from the entirely moronic mind,and motioned them back so as to pounce the unknowing when they arrived.There ether strewn claws were like great talons,and had two sided razor effectiveness,and a bite from one could render an undead disease surging through a foe instantaneously.The flesh and scales were barely still attached to their bodies,and friction between them had lent the floor to a number of fallen body facets.
"there I see a golden light-it is the one which they lay beyond,I fear they know we are approaching"Alliyah with her sword forward touched the ward,after they reached it and it cackled and singed the blade like a mighty fire.
"heavens truth bring charm,we are sent with faith to destroy the demons from evils harm,cast us the strength to fight,we will purify the Tehreceine from unwanten light"Xeina recited a blessing for the entire group as Cheasoroy quickly began to set dabbled of a potion about the screen.
"may my axe sever the nap and gut the foe,like a wartime blaze of glory!"Kiazo also spoke a somewhat less magical blessing,and the others smiled wryley considering just such a deed was about to be resolved.
The bond was broken and battle began.Clashing claws and swords scattered about devoius images of live warriors and undead demons.The howls of the angered prisoners cut through the air,as Xeina began a spell that sent a shocking thunder through each of the dozen or so creatures.Alliyah punctured her sword through the gut of her enemy,while kicking away an attacker from the side,finding strength she burried it to the but of her handle,her hand careening into the beasts slopping unmaterial form.It bellowed in agony and fell to the ground,as two more took to the air and slashed in a double attack at her-but Kiazo was there and as she blocked one,the other lost it's life with a tremendous swipe,sending its innards flying from its neck as it's nap rolled across the ground fizzling to ash from the undead blank stupified stare of it's final moments.Chaelsoroy,set his hands forward,and sent a swath of ice like magic blasting an impact that picked up another from the first it sent flying and the two demons smashed into the wall,burried onto a torch holder that held them against the wall,Alliyah finished their lives while they were vulnerable,and truning to meet 4 more that had pushed Kiazo and Xeina away-she unleashed the spell rings fire.Flailing desperately the fire took hold of two of them,making them fuse with a blaze of damaging magic,that strew orange brilliance about them,un affected by the floor,and soon they were piles of ashes.Kiazo and Alliyah held off 5 demons through several slashings and manuvers but a few scratches that cut with the ferocious clippings of the claws,were bleeding sending live blood dancing about with their actions.Xeina now had a chance to try another spell,and this time the five demons wilted in pain and agony,the curse of finer sentience to a summons of good than they could take,and fell first to their knees,then slumped forward faces sent smattering bluntly to the floor.A few slashes by Cheasoroy and Kiazo and the last demons wer killed,and Xiena had enough energy to create the orb of healing and wounds were soon replaced with fresh skin,and the ashen corpses left flutters in the air like the skitters of grey created from forest fires sent by breezes.
"the treasure will soon be ours,my friends,if we have faught our worse battle,then maybe all is told in ignorance of the horrors of Tethreceine"Alliyah took in glowing colour the view of slayne evils,and looked about seeking any interest in the room inteslf.
