From the journal of Kenari Sanura
When everyone has finally awoken from their much needed rest, I analyze the portal once again while the others feed themselves with rations.
It's dark… the place is lit with many torches as slaves dig into the night under the light of four moons. Scarlet-robed monks ride in seats attached to 14ft tall clay golems.
"Okay, here's my suggestion," I say as I refocus on the rest of them. "Ef Utan, you and Lenata would probably have the best bet disguising yourselves to fit in with the 10th Pitt soldiers; if you can dim the goodie glow a bit, anyway." Ef Utan nods and with a blink his shiftweave transforms into a black mercenary outfit. Lenata blushes slightly and then mutters a prayer to her god.
"Vedis and Word, you two would probably do best coming in from above. It would be too difficult trying to disguise yourselves, and besides… no one ever looks up ."
"What will you do?" Vedis asks worriedly.
"Like it or not, I'm amongst my people now," I grin half-heartedly as my shiftweave transforms into my traditional Mulhorand temple dress. "I will make my way through the slave camps and see what I can discover before we all meet at the entrance to the pyramid they are trying to dig up. Does that sound ok to everyone?"
"Sounds like a plan," Ef Utan agrees as he gets up to tell Takero where to bring the ship.
"As our plans go anyway," Vedis snorts.
"All right then," I say to myself as I work my fingers over the runes of the portal to open it and stamp my foot like the Imaskari for effect. "We've got a stone to find!"
The gut-wrenching effects of portal jumping have almost become second nature to me now. After a moment we land on the other side of the portal behind a medium sized sand dune and hide as a female cursing in Mulhorandi rides by on top of her Clay Golem.
"Okay, let's stick to the plan," I turn and whisper to the others. "We'll all hopefully meet up at the pyramid and figure out how to get inside before the rest of them. Good luck!" The others nod and I slip into the shadows of the dunes to make my way through the slave encampments as Vedis and Word take off overhead and Ef Utan and Lenata make their way through the 10th Pitt camp.
As I slip between the tents of the Mulhorandi slaves I notice a teenage boy getting a water bucket away from the others. I take a chance to gather some information and step out of the shadows to say hello. "Don't be afraid… my name is Kenari and I have come from Mulhorand to help free its people! Is there anything you can tell me about what is going on here?"
The young boy looks me up and down, taking in my traditional dress and tattoos. "Lady Kimrasa of the 10th Pitt is running this dig. They found the entrance to the pyramid earlier, but every time they send in slaves none of them come back."
"What they are looking for is very dangerous… your people should leave here as soon as you can. Let me and my friends enter the pyramid, and perhaps we can keep your people and theirs from falling prey to its magics."
"And where would we go? They circle this sphere with their great ships… we would die before we ever made it home," the slave replies doubtfully.
"Not so, for we have destroyed the 10th Pitt ships!" I answer proudly before remembering to whisper. "You have the word of Kenari Sanura!"
" The Kenari Sanura?" a female voice asks from the shadows. Crap… I got so wrapped up in trying to help them that I wasn't paying attention. The female walks out of the shadows to reveal a young Elven woman with bronze skin and adorned with gold. "Have you come with the others from the stories?"
I take a step back in surprise. "There are stories about us? Which ones might these be?"
"The ones the Seekers tell…" she responds then shows me her ring with the same seal that I wear on my lapel as a pin. "I am the Mithral Scarab from Galarion, and the stories of you and your friends have spread amongst the stars. If you are all here and you say that you have removed the ships, then I for one believe you. I will try and rally the others if you can tell us can we get out of here safely."
I smile in relief and pull the vial of Dvati blood from my sash as I point towards the dune we landed behind. "Take this vial and head to that dune. Behind it is where the portal opened up when we arrived. If you sprinkle this special blood over the area, it should activate the portal and take you back to the asteroid gate. Our ship the Nomad should be circling. Signal them and tell our 1st mate Hatuk that we freed you and are helping you get home. May Ma'at guard your path, my friends."
I place the vial in her hand and grasp it briefly before slipping back through the shadows to make my way towards the pyramid entrance. As I peer over the edge of the hole in the sand I can't help but shudder… as it turns out they are using Ankheggs to do the heavy digging. Ugh… giant bugs…
My head shoots up suddenly as I swear I am hearing Lenata whisper in my ear. We are at the bottom of the stairs to the pyramid and have taken out the guards… hurry!
I spring over the side and slide down the sand to the bottom of the pyramid to find Lenata and Ef Utan dressed in black with guards sleeping soundly at their station. "Where are the others?" I whisper.
"Over here," Vedis answers as she and Word come around the opposite corner.
"The slaves told me that many have been sent into the pyramid, but none have come out. Which means…"
"Which means that you get to go first, Kenari." Ef Utan says as he claps a hand on my shoulder. "I have the utmost confidence in your skills to get us through the traps ahead. Because if you can't, we're all dead meat."
Gulp. "Hey, it's me!" I joke with a smile as I inch my way into the dank and moldy darkness.
Ugh… it smells like a charnel house in here.
No wonder… as I come up to the edge of a pit I can just make out the piles of bodies strewn below. Poor fools… may the Gods be more merciful than your masters were.
Vedis calls out that there are paths along the sides of the pit if we're careful. As we're about to make our way along it, however, a dark colored smoke begins to form on the other side into a large ape-like creature with 4 arms and covered in blue hieroglyphs. With a flash of energy Word teleports toward the ceiling and shoots at it with his crossbow… but unfortunately it goes whizzing by it as it charges down the path towards us.
"Duck!" Ef Utan yells and I hit the ground just as a trio of daggers whiz past me to land with a satisfying crunch into its forehead. With a scream the ape dissolves back into smoke… but it's not fading away. In fact… I think it's reforming.
"RUN!" I yell to the others as I sprint through the smoke that is now taking the shape of a large dog once again covered in blue hieroglyphs. I can only hope the others are following me as I make my way down the hall into a large semi-circular room. Thankfully I am quickly joined by the others as we catch our breath and draw our weapons for the oncoming attack…. but strangely enough, the ghostly dog rears up and stops before the entrance to the room.
"Not that I'm complaining, now…" Ef Utan mutters, "but why isn't it attacking?"
"Who seeks to enter the Heart of Anselata?" a voice booms out behind us.
"Probably because of that guy," I whisper as I cringe and turn around to see what must be a 10ft. tall golem in mummy wrappings wearing a golden Pharaoh death mask sitting in a throne against the far wall in the midst of an arc of pillars.
"We are but humble travelers seeking to escape a great evil outside your gates, my lord," I reply and bow humbly. From the growl and the quickening stomp of footsteps, however… I don't think he bought it. I quickly twirl to the left and just manage to pull my tail out of the way as the enraged mummy charges past.
"I am here to protect the gods of the Four Lands of Gallarion, and you shall not defeat me!" he bellows as he clenches his fists and turns to face us.
"Gallarion…" Lenata mutters next to me. "I remember now… Anselata is the name of their lost temple for their stone of power!"
"We mean you and your gods no harm, I promise you! The goddess Ma'at has sent us on a quest to this very pyramid that we might find answers as to why your people are in an eternal sleep," I try to explain to him as Ef Utan clenches his sword tensely in preparation for the next charge.
"I know not of the gods of which you speak, strangers… if you will not leave, you will face my wrath!"
"Better one of you than 20 of them outside," Ef Utan mutters as Vedis runs up to us excitedly.
"Guys, guys… I think I saw a glimmer of something when he moved near that column… he's got the entrance to a portal in his chest!"
"So much for avoiding this fight to get to the portal then," I mutter in disappointment. "I wonder if that mask has anything to do with it? You guys keep him busy while I check."
"Yeah… no problem," Ef Utan mutters back as the mummy charges again, this time slamming his fist into the wall as we all dive to the sides.
I quickly take the opportunity to get a closer look at the mask while he's trying to get his fist out of the wall. Hmmn… there's a glyph on the mask denoting the four gods he spoke of… could it be a magical focus for the portal?
Behind me I hear Ef Utan muttering over a scroll he's pulled out as a tingling sensation rolls over my fur. "Whatever you're going to do, do it now," he warns. "The spell is helpful, but brief."
Ok then… no time like the present.
The mummy frees himself from the wall and return charges in a rage. I take the opportunity to spring directly at him and rip the mask off of his face in a neat flip over his head as I feel the energy of the spell supporting me. I land in a crouch on one knee and quickly look over the mask to see if there are any command words. Unfortunately all I find is a symbol for Horus and glyphs that say "Servant of the Gods."
"You dare !" the mummy yells as he stops his charge and turns to me. "Return to me what is mine!"
Damn. Plan B.
"Come and get it!" I taunt as I wave the mask in his direction, keeping one eye on the others preparing for their attack. Perhaps I can keep him distracted long enough for the others to get some good hits on him.
"I believe I see the portal Vedis spoke about!" Word says excitedly as the mummy nears one of the pillars again. He then teleports in a flash of light and before we know it Word is half sticking out of the creatures chest before he's grabbed and thrown into Lenata as they both get slammed against the wall.
"No, you overgrown rag doll, pay attention to me if you ever want your mask back!" I growl in frustration as my friends fall into a heap on the floor.
Suddenly Ef's sword transforms into a war hammer as he slams into the creatures legs with it and his battle mug. With three great whopping smacks he slams into its legs and hips before striking it with an uppercut and knocking him against the wall. Vedis then follows up with a psi blade searing his arm off as Ef proceeds to crush his hip with a hefty kick.
Word pleads with the golem to reconsider and I mutter a prayer to whatever gods might be listening that the mummy seems to have had enough as it sits against the wall. "I yield, strangers… it seems I am no match for your strength."
"You are an amazing creature… we truly did not wish to hurt you. Honestly… we only want to use the portal in your chest that we may find the stone from our godly quest and help their people against the evil that awaits outside your walls," I say as I kneel down beside him and return his mask. "If you would just let me take a look, it seems that different portals are activated when you're next to these columns. Let us find where we need to go and we shall leave you ready to fight the real evil that is coming."
The creature nods in resignation and we take turns investigating the portals in his chest to find…
A green cauldron with purple mist emanating from it…
A room covered in hieroglyphs with large brass doors nearly 15 ft tall…
A temple room with a large set of scales…
A hall with 4 large columns covered in snake decorations…
A room covered in hieroglyphs telling the story of a beggar, but otherwise empty.
We finally agree to check out the second portal, as upon further investigation we could hear a slow distant drum beat reminiscent of a heart. Recalling the messages on the map that the EIN gave us, it might be our best bet.
Before we go, Lenata does her best to repair the wounded golem with the aid of her god and Word hands him a small bottle that is seemingly "Oil of Repair."
"I hope that your gods watch over you, my brother… for there is great evil that seeks to follow us into the unknown. May this oil help you in your times ahead." He claps the golem on the shoulder and nods before turning to the rest of us.
"Shall we?"
With only minor awkwardness we're able to make our way through the portal in the chest of the clay golem to come out into a room covered in hieroglyphs with 15ft tall brass doors on one end.
"Perhaps if we follow the heartbeat we'll be able to find what we're looking for?" Lenata asks hopefully as she looks around.
"First things first, I'm going to check the door," I reply as I crack my knuckles and kneel down to peer at the handles of the doors. As I am gazing over it I can't help an odd feeling that comes over me like my stomach turning. I back up to my feet and gaze around the room only to find that the feeling hasn't gone away… because there is something definitely wrong here.
I quickly step to Ef Utan's side and whisper worriedly to him. "There's something wrong here… I checked the door for traps… but… it's like this whole place is a trap."
Ef Utan swallows and nods grimly. "Well then… no sense worrying about the door." He strides forward and pushes the door open to the hallway beyond.
As we walk down it something strange happens… the heartbeat changes rhythm and slows to a sluggish pace as we all seem to slow down to the point that Lenata actually grabs her chest and staggers against the wall. The only one who doesn't seem to be effected is Word… it must be because he's a construct like the golem and not humanoid like the rest of us. He lets Lenata lean on him as we continue our way down the hallway… hopefully to get ourselves out of this place.
At the end of the long hallway we come to another set of double doors. While Ef Utan may not be worried about any more traps than the one we're obviously in, I have to follow my instincts and look. I run my hands along the edges of the doorframes and find the strangest thing when I come to a crack about eye height above the handles; there's a poison dart trap, but it's aimed to attack someone on the inside. Could it be to keep them from leaving? With some careful maneuvering of my tools I manage to disable the trap and remove the dart for safe keeping in my pack. You never know when something like that might come in handy, after all.
I turn to the others to let them know of my discovery when the loud heartbeats stop… and Vedis keels over dead .
"No!" Lenata yells out and kneels down to try and tend to her. "What in Celstian's name just happened?"
The rest of us are in silent shock as we stare at our friend lying prostrate on the floor. Indeed… what in the gods name just happened to her? We've got to get out of here… we've got to get out of here before another one of us…
Suddenly the heartbeats race loudly to the point that I almost want to cover my ears… when Vedis sits up with a gasp, knocking Lenata aside in surprise.
Ef Utan exclaims something that I am sure is a creative curse in a language that I do not know as Lenata helps Vedis up and checks on her.
"I don't know what happened," she tells her. "I just want to get out of here…now!"
We quickly gather our scared companion and make our way through the doors to discover a familiar scene… that of the cauldron with the purple mist rising from it that we saw when we examined the other portals.
"I guess those portals all just led to different places within the pyramid," I wonder as I look about the room.
"What are you doing?" Lenata asks Vedis and I turn around to see the Maenad with a ladle in hand as she scoops out some of the purple fluid.
"I already died once, so I don't give a damn what this stuff does as long as it gets us out of here!" she exclaims before gulping down the fluid and disappearing in a fuzzy haze.
"What the…" Ef Utan mutters as Lenata scratches her chin.
"Strange…unless I am mistaken, I think she's now in a gaseous state," she speculates.
I cover my mouth as I can't help but snicker at her words. "That would explain the hole in the floor, then," I say after I recover.
"I believe I can detect her presence," Word assures us before he clutches at his chest. "It seems I am not immune from the effects after all."
"Well then… let's see what happens!" I declare as I scoop my hand into the cauldron and sip the strange fluid. For a moment everything seems to get fuzzy… and then… it's hard to describe. It's almost like I am part of the air… I can't feel my hands and feet, but I can move what I think is still myself with my mind.
Ef Utan promptly fills 3 vials with the purple fluid before the rest of them drink and we all achieve a new state of being. I concentrate and focus my mind towards going down through the hole in the ground, and after a few twists and turns find myself with the others as it deposits us in a fan shaped room with even larger doors this time.
As the potion wears off I make my way to the door to investigate the carved reliefs of fireflies as Vedis checks out the tiled mosaic on the floor that seems to be in disarray.
"Strange… I wonder what they were looking for?" Vedis asks aloud. "It looks like the pried all of the tiles up looking for something and then just set them back randomly."
A mist that must still be Lenata passes by us and goes under the crack in a small door off to the side… and after a few moments returns to form into the a troubled cleric.
"What did you see in there?" Ef Utan asks in concern. "Are you all right?"
"Yes, I'm ok… there is a large table in there with four thrones around it and a set of cards in the middle… almost like they just left the game and were coming back."
"What's got you spooked, then?" Vedis asks.
"It… it just left me feeling a little off, I guess," she mutters as she looks away.
"Shall we open the big doors, then? I have to admit I am curious…" I offer as I gesture towards the large handles. "I checked them, and it doesn't look like they are trapped."
"By all means… after you, Kenari."
"You're such a gentleman, Ef…" I reply with a wry grin as I push the doors open to find another room with thrones… this time around a large basin of water instead of a table.
The rest of the group shuffles in behind me and as we separate to investigate when the doors suddenly close shut behind us and the walls of the room fall away like backdrops to reveal that we are now on a plateau with steep cliffs looking out over dense tropical forests.
"Vedis… tell me this isn't another one of those extended dream sequences like we suffered before," Ef Utan mutters as he draws his sword. The Maenad concentrates for a moment and shakes her head.
"Lenata?" he turns to ask the cleric of Celestian for her input, who mutters a few words before her eyes begin to glow.
"There's definitely magical influences going on here," she replies after a moment as she strides forward to look at the thrones and water basin. "The walls are still there… they are just emanating a heady aura of illusion magics. As to the basin… it has something to do with clairsentience."
"Ooo… maybe it will give me a vision like that space flower did!" Vedis exclaims excitedly as she sits in one of the thrones. "Come on, guys… sit down so we can see if we can activate this thing!"
The rest of us warily sit down in the thrones after I check them for traps as Word hovers above the water basin. "I suggest that we all focus are minds on one question."
"How about where the Witchlight Marauder Key is?" Lenata offers. We all nod and close our eyes to focus on the question as the waters begin to bubble and swirl before Words eyes.
"Strange… I see a dark and dingy circus with people made from wax, a rabbit with clothes wielding a broadswords, and a swirling black and purple design," he informs us. The image fades as we open our eyes and shake ourselves from the trance-like state.
"That kind of reminds me of a story I heard about as a child of 'The Harrowing.' It's a demi-plane of dreams where stories come to life," says Vedis.
A black and purple swirling design… where have I seen that before… that crystal with the cards in it!
I stand up and pull the odd crystal from my sash and peer at it excitedly to find that my memory served me right… there is indeed a swirling black and purple design on the backs of the cards encased within the crystal. Waitaminute….cards…
"Hey Lenata, you said there was a deck of cards in that side room, right? Did you get a good look at them?"
"No I… I did not… I am sorry," she mutters evasively. I wonder what was in that room that upset her so much? Now I definitely have to check it out…