AN: The world of Exile/Avernum (especially the dark cavern, ogre cave (and Bantam), and the Tower of Magi)belongs to Jeff Vogel and Spiderweb Software. Persons and places belonging to the game will be put back unharmed when I'm done.
"So, what do you think?" said Jynx. "Should we go check out this cavern?"
"I'm sure everyone'd appreciate it, we make a dent in the undead," said Ansel.
"On the other hand," said Brother Theo, "I would advise caution, for it would seem that there is an unusually large number of undead--and those numbers could well overwhelm us."
As they walked through the farmland--surrounded by fields of carefully tended mushrooms, they saw Avernites busily working to keep the mushrooms growing.
"Hey, I think we know him," said Brynja, pointing.
"Yeah, you're right," said Duncan.
The man looked up, and an expression of recognition, mingled with fear, came over his face.
"This life looks like it agrees with you," said Brother Theo.
The relief on his face was clear, and the reformed bandit replied, "Yes, Brother. Nice folk around here. Only bad thing is ... well, that cavern..." He pointed northeast.
"Learn anything about it?" said Ansel.
"Not that much," he replied. "Just, seems to be the direction the undead is always coming from. Least the buggers move slow, gives us a chance. They just keep coming, though."
"People go up there much?" asked Duncan.
"Sure, all the time," said Gus, the reformed bandit. "Adventurers--but yer better question is, people what go up there, do they come back? And the answer to that one is no."
"I see," said Rudel. "What do you think, guys?"
"Don't go up there," said Gus. "Look, I owe you guys, an' it's just ... I know you're all handy with a blade, but they'll do you in."
"Nice of you to show concern for us," said Ansel. "But I gotta admit, we haven't found a challenge we can't meet down here yet. We'll think it over."
"Well, don't say I didn't warn you," said Gus, shaking his head. "But you want to have sense--I can give you a deal from my patch."
"We'll keep that in mind on our way back," said Ansel, then he looked to his companions. "What'dya say?"
"I think it's worth checking out," replied Duncan.
As the group continued on, Gus shook his head, then returned to his mushroom-tending tasks. The sounds of the fell creatures increased, as they continued northeast--stalagmites growing closer.
"Fallen city," read Brynja. "Beware the dark pit."
"Well, I guess we've been given our fair warnings," said Ansel. "But something wrong here--I just wanna try and right it."
Continuing past, as the cavern became increasingly choked by stalagmites, they made their way until just before the mouth of a cavern, a group, which appeared to be an undead guard, lumbered toward them.
"They move so fast!" gasped Jynx, and then she concentrated on her spellcasting--jets of flame leaping from her fingers to engulf the foul things which ought to have been at rest, but instead walked on toward the group.
"Foul creature, return to dust, as dust you should be," cried Brother Theo, and a warm golden glow extended from his hand to engulf another of the horrible ghouls.
"That wasn't so bad," said Ansel, pulling his sword out of the no-longer-animate corpse. "What do you think?"
"Come this far, might as well go on," said Rudel.
The tunnel sloped sharply downward, spiraling deeper into the earth. The air began to grow very cold--the muggy, sulfurous atmosphere of most of Avernum seemed soon a distant memory. The cold was far too sharp and sudden to be natural. Even without the snarls and hisses of foul creatures farther inside, there was no doubt that evil magic was in the place. The tunnel smelled of death and decay, and the shadows seemed to assault and envelop the group. This cave truly was a horrible place, haunted and cursed.
"Let's go," said Ansel, lighting a torch.
Gingerly making their way past stalagmites and pooled, stagnant water, mold, lichens, and even a few twisted cavewood trees, a bony javelin suddenly pierced the air, just missing Ansel.
Four skeletal beings were lurking in the shadowy cave before them. With his own keening cry, Ansel rushed to meet them, and Duncan did likewise, his axe shattering bone, even as Jynx, Rudel, and Brother Theo set upon their arcane and divine aids to put the skeletons to rest.
"Let's keep going," said Duncan, as the last skeleton fell into inanimate bone shards.
The cave floor sloped downward again, and a half dozen more skeletal guards came out of the shadows, protected by stalagmites, but careful maneuvering brought the companions into range, and these skeletons soon also lay in piles of fragmented, inanimate bone.
A narrow, twisting tunnel, and suddenly Ansel cried, "Oh my god!"
"Shit, that thing is huge!" said Duncan.
"What is it?" said Rudel, for from his position toward the rear, he could not yet see it.
"Huge fungus," replied Ansel. "No way around it."
"Guess we have to go through it, then," said Jynx.
The fungus seemed to sense the approach, and pseudopods emerged to strike at Ansel, who cried out in agony, "It burns."
But no sooner had he done so, than the fungus melted away due to Jynx's flaming spell.
"Let's see," said Brother Theo. "Looks like it was poisonous. This will draw it out." And, setting holy symbol to blistered flesh, he prayed, and Ansel's injury was healed.
Gingerly, they continued on, and then Ansel spotted another fungal growth blocking the way. Unleashing another flame, Jynx burned the fungus away, and then another fungus, before they found themselves faced with a rotting animate corpse which moved so slowly that Ansel was able to hew it into two before any harm was done. More fungus, more zombies, and they came into a large chamber with sarcophagi, skeletons, and a glowing spellcasting ghost.
At last, after fighting their way past many undead, the cavern growing ever colder, they came to a larger chamber; crystals of ice coated the walls and floor as well as the bodies scattered on the floor. The bodies were fairly well preserved, considering that they appeared far older than the bodies seen elsewhere--and clearly had died from violent causes. They were not all human, however--many were some sort of humanoid lizard. And then, just beyond the bodies, the passage was blocked with an impenetrable, crackling wall of magic.
"Any of you know how to get through that?" said Ansel, looking to the others.
"It's beyond my skill," said Jynx, sounding quite disappointed. "I guess we'll have to go back out--and maybe return someday when we've learned how to breach those barriers."
"I agree," said Rudel, "for I've heard of such barriers, but I cannot break them. Yet, anyway."
Resigned, they turned around, and began the arduous journey back through the cavern. At last, considerably bloodied, they emerged from the grim cavern, and made their way back toward the more settled land.
Gus waved to them, his face wearing an expression of surprise. Once they were close enough to speak, he said, "You decided against it, then?"
"No," replied Jynx, "we were within, but couldn't get to the most central chamber. There's an arcane barrier that we couldn't pass."
Ansel said, "But we could use some supplies--we're going to head on down to the Tower of Magi."
"You folk like to live dangerous," said Gus. "I've heard rumors about down there, too. Strange things--people leave and don't want to talk about it. Well, you go on, right--and best of luck to you. Now, I got some mushrooms--I'll let you have this lot for a couple gold."
Ansel looked as though he were about to protest, but Brother Theo said, "Very well, it's more than fair."
After trading their coins for several pounds of fresh mushrooms, and even some greens, the group continued to the south.
"Guess you were right, Brother," said Ansel, as they were well out of earshot of Gus. "Seems to have made himself an honest man."
"I am glad of it," replied Brother Theo. "A chance given, and a life redeemed."
As they continued on their southward journey, the group was ambushed by a group of ogres, and after slaying the ambush party, they decided to conduct a raid of their own.
At one point, they found a man dressed in ragged robes, held in a locked chamber.
"Hello, good to see human faces," he said. "Name's Bantam. I'm glad to see you."
"Why are you locked up in here?" asked Brynja.
"I was an apprentice mage," replied Bantam. "Now I'm a prisoner of the ogres."
"Do you still have any of your magical abilities?" asked Jynx.
"Yes, I still have some modest powers," he replied. "I plan to use them in my escape."
"How are you going to escape?" asked Jynx.
"I managed to find a secret passage n this cave," said Bantam. "Who knows why the ogres don't know about it. It leads to water. I planned to slip away and swim for it, before they devoured me."
"What do you know about the ogres?" said Ansel, mindful that they had much more to explore in the cave.
"Brutish thugs. They wouldn't have all this..." replied Bantam, waving toward the rest of the fort, "if the ogre mage wasn't providing the brains."
"An ogre mage? Is it dangerous?" said Duncan.
"Yes, very," replied Bantam. "And it lives near here. I don't want to try to escape until it's dead. Otherwise, it could easily track me with its magic. If you kill it, please let me know, so that I may flee for my life."
"Will do," said Ansel, looking quite uneasy.
Edging their way out of the cell, Ansel said, "I figure we better not waste any time--better find this ogre mage and get it. For all we know, it could be tracking us!"
Uneasily checking doors, they moved from room to room, killing every ogre they found. At last, though, they came to a powerful ogre--larger than the others, and more finely dressed, who greeted them with a blast of icy cold. Gritting teeth against the pain, the companions joined in the battle, flashes of light playing against the wall as spells flew from the ogre mage, from Jynx, from Rudel, and from Brother Theo. At last, the ogre mage fell.
"Well, that's a good day's work," said Ansel. "If that was the brains, the others should not be too much trouble."
"Still, I'd rather not leave anything to chance," said Duncan. "Let's make sure the place is empty."
After searching through every room, finding the vast treasures that had belonged to the ogre tribe, as well as a group of dispirited nephilim who--it appeared--were just as likely as humans to be eaten, they left the door open and then returned to Bantam.
"The ogre mage is dead," said Ansel.
"Wonderful. At last, it's safe for me to escape," said Bantam. "Before I go, I should give you a warning about the Tower of Magi, in case you decide to go there."
"Warning?" said Jynx, furtively looking at the others.
"Yes, about the Tower of Magi," said Bantam. "Being adventurers, I figured that you'd go there. I was once an apprentice there."
"Why would you want to leave such a promising apprenticeship?" said Jynx.
"Once, the Tower was a great place of learning," said Bantam. "Then it changed, and I fled. There are true horrors there now."
"What horrors scared you so?" said Brother Theo.
Bantam winced and shivered. "I only heard rumors. But the way people acted made me believe that they were true." He looked from side to side, as though afraid someone might be watching. "I heard they were going to summon a haakai!"
"What is a haakai?" said Brynja.
Bantam winced at the sound of the word.
Brother Theo said, "The mightiest race of demons. Fierce and deadly. Utter foolishness to try to summon one, worse still to try to control it."
"I heard they were going to lure it to the tower, using a powerful magic item as bait," said Bantam, and he shivered again. "I tell you, it's bad here. But there, I was afraid for my soul!"
"Sounds terrifying," said Rudel.
"Yes, if you ever go to the Tower of Magi, be very careful," said Bantam. "Things just aren't right there." He moved to the western wall of his cell, and said, "Thank you again for your help. I will spread word of your brave deeds here."
Leaving the cavern, they continued then on the path to the Tower of Magi--whether because of, or in spite of, Bantam's warning. North, though, they saw a sight that drew them to closer examination. A cleared out area stood in the middle of a circle of large twisted basalt pillars. Etched into the ground here was a huge pentacle. The ground around was blasted and burned, and a sulfur smell hung thickly in the air. Bits of herbs and spell components littered the ground.
Rudel began examining them, and said, "I'd have to guess that some sort of powerful magical ritual took place here, perhaps three or four months ago."
"What for?" said Brynja.
"Can't tell from this," said Rudel. "But it would fit with what that man in the ogre caves said."
"Who's afraid of a haakai," said Brynja. "Are we still going?"
"Yes," said Jynx, "I think we should. After all, if we ever want to breach that barrier in the cavern to the north, I need to do more study."
"I'll take you at your word on that," said Ansel. "Anyhow, this close might as well go..." He pointed southward, and added, "That's gotta be it, right?"
"Quite so," said Rudel, a look of eagerness crossing his face.
It had taken a very short time indeed, but at last they entered the Tower of Magi. This was, of course, the center of magical learning in Avernum, and thus an incredibly important place. The power here, from what they had learned, made the difference between life and death for everyone down here. Yet, something felt not right here. The place was imposing, to be sure--but there was something wrong, something ... off. It was just a little too cold, and a little too shadowy. And there was that oddly prickly feeling, as though someone were watching the group. Considering how much magical power rested in this place, that was doubtless more than just paranoia.