Abyssal Descent – The Fight Is Right

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| Reader Note: A copy has been
| sent to Ondemeira the White.
| At the castle of King Guy the First
| in the city of Credia.
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19th of Set, 343 year of the Dominion of Man

Good Scribe of Light, the gods have asked that some details are changed to keep the “Forces of Darkness” from following us. May I request that until my best friend and I are bonded officially that any reference to Callandor be replace by Uraeus’ Fang. I know that you shan’t reply to my request directly, and I shall just wait till we see that book see print.

Wait! Callandor, I drew you when I went with my friends and teammates into darkness. When I was thinking about how to stop the blades spinning forth from the wall I thought of you. When I battle cast for the first time to save my friends I bore you next to me. When we go to Hades and face ReSet we shall seek vengeance for our friend Captain Ovkral against the forces of darkness.

Until we finish bonding I need to protect you and our friends. If my ritual is correct the Great and All-Knowing Lord of Wisdom hath made you imbued with further power. Besides, when my life is over we will be together in the blade forever my friend, my best friend.

So do I.

They say in darkness we come from and many scholars feel in darkness we will return. I feel that the road between the dates on a tomb are the truly important parts of one’s life. One ancient scholar I read in one of Master A’zad’s dwarven books mentioned that a soul never expires on its own and its energy can transform. Our bodies are just mere shells as much as the runic infused shells that house those souls giving their wills manifested power.

Back to the day in question, I put on the Harness of Law and draw forth Callandor because it is unlikely I will be associated with the weapon in this form to not affect my Hooman guise. Well that is it we are head down and I will send word if we succeed or soon a new member of CrIsis will tell you of how I died.

That was how my last missive to you finished and now we are headed hopefully to the end but I am writing this to you from a room of pensive statues that hold weapons we seem to be familiar with. A room of stone golems awaiting activation when their held weapon is disturbed. So let the descent into the Abyss of Karl commence. Our first landing with a turn of the stairs had a statue upon it with outstretched hands. One of them hold the replicas of the three heads of Great and Glorious Isis as depicted upon the Three Sisters of Dawn flail. Brother Indaris tried putting the Three Sisters of Dawn in the open hand, in hopes of activating a secret, puzzle, something; but to no effect. Retrieving it we continued forward.

When we finally came to the first room we entered through a door (no lock, no trap) we found four extra doors. For a total of five which are:
* The door we came in from.
* Another door on the same wall next to it, unadorned via any decoration.
* To the left of entry door was one with a painted arm of Osiris.
* Across from the entry door was one with a painted foot of Osiris.
* To the right of entry door was one with a painted eye of Thoth.

We decided to pair up on two doors: Master Burlap and I went toward the door that appeared to be the strength challenge. Brother Indaris and Master-Sister Caminata headed for the eye of Thoth for mental or riddle challenges. Master Asher had the Osiris’ Left Foot and took the door for the foot of Osiris as a speed test. Master Azariel was going for the un-marked door. As it turns out once each group completed their challenges they were returned to the room to find out Master Azariel could not enter the un-marked door yet. Once we had all come back the door audibly unlocked! Together as a group we opened the door and further into the abyss we went knowing as we took each step failure was not an option.

When we reached the next door and opened it greeted by a knight in nondescript uniform whom appeared to be expecting our arrival. We were lead through a hallway of a wealthy lord into a room with three people manacled individuals in moderate candlelight.

* A Butler of the Manor.
* The son/heir to the Manor.
* The Thief that broke in that night.

The Knight or well armored Guard said he was paid to stop and patrol the grounds. The lord of the manor had been found slain and these were the only three people found here tonight. We were to play judge and executioner over the one decided to be guilty. We took a substantial amount of time asking questions and actually conducting an investigation. We only raised more questions than were answered and we finally abdicated any involvement in this farce of justice! One of us found a mirror in corner of the room that acted as a magical doorway out of this room into a white room.

In this all white room we are made to face off against each other in multiple duels being told by voices in our head, “One of you is a fake and one of you is real, let us hope the real one wins the fight. Kill the impostor!” It dripped with a whisper of sickly sweetness that makes your stomach turn. More than a few of us tried to resist and found until we were compelled to finish the fight. We could either draw out the death or make it quick.

We all opted to make it quick if we were the victor.

Karl said the “FIGHT IS RIGHT!” I will not aggrandize these trials of the dungeon to make Karl the master of ceremonies at blood-sports when we were all done a door opened. Now that I can See the Invisible all the time I looked for their bodies hidden in plain sight. They were not there! Both Masters Azariel and Burlap had been slain. I do not know if they sensed how angry we were under the veneer of civilization this cesspool played at. They were both resurrected and sent back after us by the fiends above we would normally hunt. Depraved souls with a heart and nothing removed from their persons! Maybe we inspired these dark souls to find a better way? Hard to tell yet I feel we were all grateful to have our companions back!

We continued forward down the stairs and came to another tunnel when Master Azariel whom was leading with me in the rear threw his arms out to the side yelling, “STAY BACK!” This area also was subject to a Mystic Energy Drain of some form that sapped psychic magic as well! It was only through luck that I did not step on everyone! We stopped and discovered a floor section on a weighted lever! Yep, this portion of the dungeon maze was clearly Dwarven manufacture. When the floor section dropped away you could barely hear it happen and a minute later it would return. Master Azariel did some advanced math on the wall with chalk like A’zad would do, and Master-Sister Caminata began looking at the hinge. They both came to the same conclusion about how to bypass the trap and it hinged on my hemp rope I thought I would need but had only used to practice ship knots currently.

Only Master-Sister Caminata could transform for some reason but I believe it was a type of magic not affected by the Mystic Energy Drain. She changed into an eagle and I tied the rope end to her claw loosely. She flew over the pit trap and changed back to an elf and made a loose harness that was filled out when she changed into a bear! I would knot tie the others into my rope and hold the end and would forward and the bear backed up to the door on the other side. Twice I got lucky the knot did not come loose. Especially when Master Burlap and Nosse were tied together for a single trip!

Once we went pass the trap everyone stopped at the door deciding how to proceed so I just reached over everyone and turned the handle. Retreating to my assigned rear guard spot everyone continued forward in the manner we had before. Entering “U” shaped hallway with mirrors nestled in the corner along the curve of the corner walls. Skeletons littered this area and our magical powers aside from druid transformation were still nixed by the area affect. Master Asher and his racial blessed skill with underground demesne found us spinning blade traps and how to get past them.

However.

THEY ARE USING BOOKS FOR TRAP DETECTON!!!!!!!! AESYL AND AZAD would be so MADDDD!!!!!!!! What does it matter that it was his copies of the Books of CrIsis. He was trap springing tossing the written word to the voracious maw of spinning steel!!!!!!!!

I was forced to belly crawl using Callandor to move the crushed, chopped skeletal remains out of the way. Marrow dust now choked my exterior and Brother Indaris mixed some of what I shook off with water to smear the mirrors to prevent attackers from sneaking up behind us. I know something happened to Master-Sister Caminata around the last corner in a small bird form. After we were pass the spinning steel discuses of doom Brother Indaris saves small bird form of our beloved Elven druid from the final dark sleep.

The next room we entered is the one I am finishing this missive from. During this moment we felt that our magic had returned for all of us. We could tell one was styled after Karl holding a copy of Callandor! There was another statue of a warrior woman holding another sword and further investigation showed a plethora of statue. Well there was a thought that this was a puzzle to put the right weapon or item in the hands of the correct statue.

Well that did not go as plan and trying to remove the weapons activated them both as Stone Golems! Which also triggered them to attack us! Honestly, I don’t know why I am surprised considering we are wandering through a trap filled dungeon to get back the piece of a god. Hmmm, let that sink in – a piece of a god! It actually now feels like just another day in many ways for us. I am a little worried about how I would make it through a day where there was no danger to squelch.

As I began attacking I simultaneously started casting the Call for Lightning! The rest of my friends have now seen me perform something I don’t believe has happened since the time of the Defilers! I destroyed one Golem that looked like a warrior women with the lightning bolt and strike from Callandor! Brother Indaris helped me destroy the other one that looked like Karl. During the last set of attacks on the Karl it was during an Anti-Magic Cloud Scroll used by Master Asher, and I was able to save against it by sheer luck it seems!

During the Anti-Magic Cloud Master Azariel tried to remove a dagger that looked like one possessed by Master Asher. Hoping that would allow him to begin the switching puzzle he was upset mightily when he learned the stone golem statues could still function UNDER THE CLOUD!!! Caminata was nearly destroyed having entered the fray without fulling healing being applied. As though she pulled the black single spade shaped vellum card the sailors on Rogtilda all want in their hand from out of nowhere! She parried the attack and made for safety behind me. Master Asher Fleet Feet’ed the group and I dropped a Lightning Fist and Callandor down in a double strike. Followed up by and exploding pie from Master Burlap and that golem went down!

I found out then as they were defeated they became statues once more without weapons in their hands. Great we have to defeat them all, looks like I was right about this being another long day.

FORWARD FOR THE LAWGIVER!!!!

Xerx’ses Goldenhorn,
War Wizard of CrIsis,
aka: Captain Osric Orghallar of Rogtilda

P.S. Although I am no priest may the Lawgiver’s judgement keep you and yours safe.

>>> Written by Xerx’ses Goldenhorn, upon the of the closing hours of the 19th of Set, 70th Year of the Wolfen Empire, 2nd year of King Guy the First of the Timiro Kingdom, and 343 year of the Dominion of Man. <<<

Lady Ondemira by AZ-Rune Art, commission him at artist@agodrebuilt.org
Xerx’ses picture by Peachyco.
Head of Three Sisters by Peachyco.
Door gif from The RSA Organization.
Evil Trio from Cerviero.
Eagle Clipart from PNGIMG.