A/N: And here's the next chapter. Enjoy!
Disclaimer: i don't own Dungeons and Dragons. I only own my original ideas.
Chapter 95: The Tower
Just inside the tower, we were immediately met by an audience chamber. The walls of this chamber bore exotic geometric designs representing feathers, eagles, and snakes, all rendered in a style I'd never seen before. To one side of the room, a human woman was sprawled face down in a pool of blood. She was dressed in the robes of the Shadow Triad, mostly black with a purple, starry pattern. Near the far side of the room was a small balcony, with no discernable way to reach it. In fact, other than the door we'd entered through, the seemed to be no way to progress.
The answer to this dilemma came in the form of a large metal panel on the wall, bearing several symbols. Narcrath examined it closer, and then nodded.
"I think this panel might open the way forwards," said Narcrath, "let's try this".
He pushed one of the symbols, and a doorway appeared. He stepped through, and emerged on the balcony above us. He stepped back through, and examined the panel again. He pushed a different symbol, and the door vanished for a moment before reappearing.
"Let's try this way," said Narcrath.
We moved through the doorway, and arrived in a hallway with several rooms leading off of it. We could hear movement in one of the adjoining rooms. We followed the sounds, and found several cultists searching the area.
"Keep looking!" said the cultist, "he has to have left some clues to his intentions around here!"
Before we could back out of the room, they took notice of us.
"Intruders!" shouted one of the cultists.
I stared the cultists down, putting out a menacing aura.
"We're looking for someone," I said, "a man named Eric Samshire. Where might he be?"
"As if we would tell the likes of you!" said the cultist, "he will face our master's for betraying our cause!"
The cultists moved to attack, and we prepared to defend ourselves.
Krisyra waved her staff at the cultists, and a wave of water washed over them, taking out all but two of them. One of the remaining cultists chanted a dark incantation and a wicked, spiked blade formed of dark energy appeared near Uxarix, and then swung at him. He easily evaded the summoned blade. I advanced on the cultist that had summoned the weapon, and tore into him with my claws, taking him down. Narcrath advanced on the last remaining cultist, and took him out with a blast of lightning.
We continued searching the area, but found little more a few scattered bedrolls and another metal panel similar to the one in the audience chamber. Narcrath tried another symbol, and a new doorway appeared. In this new area, we found ourselves faced with a small shrine. Painted upon the walls were depictions of various strange creatures, and in the center of the room was a stone altar. It was difficult to tell who or what might have once been worshipped here. Further on, we came upon another metal panel, and this time Natcrath tried the symbol that resembled a flame.
We entered throuch the newly reavealed passage, and were into a surprisingly nice room. A large fireplace in the center of the room kept this chamber warm and cozy. Its smoke magically vented outside. there were notes laid out on tables, but before we could examine them, a half-dozen black cloaked figures rushed in.
Krisyra lifted her staff, and a dark cloud shrouded the ceiling above the enemies, and then hailstone came pelting down, pummeling them. One of the cultists ran up to Charles and tried to hit him with a spell, but missed. Charles struck back, taking out the cultist and then moving up and slaying two more cultists. Uxarix repositioned to attack the cultists as well, taking out two of them with his holy rapier. Laydratir approached the last of the cultists, and took it out with a jab of his rapier.
With the area clear, we examined the notes in the room, but most of them were beyond my area of expertise. I saw symbols involving portals of some sort, but couldn't tell much more. My companions gathered up the notes so that we could show them to our allies back at the academy. We came upon another matel panel, and this time Narcrath tried the symbol resembling a star. A new passage appeared, and we moved through into this new area.
This chamber was clearly the workplace of a wizard. A pair of valuminous tomes on astronomy and astrology rested open on a table. A massive telescope of brass, crystal, and polished mahogany rested on an intricate stand in the middle of the chamber. A ladder rested agaist one wall, and an immense crystal lens was embedded in the ceiling. As well, there was a door leading out to a balcony. As we began to further examine the room, four cultists rushed in from the balcony, but failed to catch us off guard.
"Well, It seems we have guests," said one of the cultists, "why don't you stay a while, we need of more test subjects!"
"Apologies, but we are quite busy," said Uxarix, "perhaps you could direct us to the location of Eric Samshire?"
"Him? That coward betrayed our order!" said the cultist, "he fled into the dungeons beneath the tower. He can stay down there until we have need of him. I've the only key to access that area!"
"I don't suppose you'd be willing to hand it over?" I said.
The cultist simply stared at me, and I sighed.
"I didn't think so," I growled, "the hard way it is".
One of the cultists pointed at Charles, but he shook off whatever effect the cultist was attempting. Lydratir took aim at one of the cultists, and put two arrows into his target, taking the cultist out. I inhaled and unleashed my fire, doing heavy damage to the remaining cultists, though one managed to shield himself from the full effects. The leader of this group of cultists braced one arm with the other and unleashed a freezing cold blast of magic. We all braced ourselves agaist the figid spell, and managed to survive without being too worse for wear. One of the cultists cast a spell as Uxarix, but he shook off the effects. Uxarix struck back agaist the enemy mage who'd blasted us, taking it out with a single stike of his rapier. He then turned his focus to the less wounded of the remaining cultists, taking him out as well. Krisyra summoned a small flame to her hand, and finished him off.
With the area clear, we searched our foes, and came upon an amulet depicteing an hourglass. Narcrath looked it over, and smiled.
"This must be the key he mentioned," said Narcrath, "with this we should be able to get into the area beneath the tower".
He used the amulet on the metal panel, and a new symbol let up, one matching the amulet. He activated the symbol, and a new passageway appeared. Together, we entered this new path, being one step closer to our goal.
A/N: And there we go! Next time our heroes explore the hidden sanctum beneath the tower. See you then!