RP:Goblins Don't Respect the Arts, Liches Don't Respect Goblins

From HollowWiki

Each chapter has its own short synopsis. In short, Eliason goes to watch one of Josleen's performances. The performers are kidnapped by goblins backstage. They are taken to an abandoned temple. A series of traps and magic separates and threatens their lives. At last they come to a lich's macabre laboratory and private chambers, and must solve a riddle to escape. Their escape briefly drags them through hell. The individual synopses per chapter are strongly recommended!

This rp took place on August 12th through 14th, 2013.


Outside Vailkrin

Prelude

Synopsis: Josleen has co-composed and choreographed a ballet, "The Seven Nympths," with the creative hive-mind of former music academy classmates and friends. She has invited Eliason to watch a performance which will be held at an inn and performance space stupidly situated in the forest between Vailkrin and Cenril, not far off the main Kelay-Cenril road. A comedian takes the stage while the women get ready in the green room, Josleen included. The comedian concludes his act and announces "The Seven Nympths" but no one appears. Moments later, a woman's blood-curling scream is hear in the green room. Eliason, and others in attendance including the ranger, elf husband of one of the ballerinas, Carredel (NPC), rush to investigate and find the women are missing and intermittent blood streaks leave a trail into the dark forest. Carredel identifies goblin tracks and leads a search party, which includes Eliason, into the woods.


RP Text:

A dirt path peels north off the Kelay-Cenril road. The path is well-maintained, though gutted with cart wheel grooves. It leads to a small village in the dark forest. The unassuming settlement caters to one thing: road weary merchants. A small mercantile exchange shop, a pawn shop, two pubs, a general store, a tiny chapel, and an inn make up the ad-hoc town square. Footpaths radiate like a star away from the town center, each path dotted with a couple houses -- just enough homes to house the employees that make this rest stop function. Given the unassuming nature of the town, it is surprising that anyone would ever invest a performance hall here, yet the inn boasts a fairly well-known stage. Up-and-coming performers present original works here at a low cost, and the proximity to Cenril affords the hall the audience it needs to sustain such an operation. Inside, a quarter of the pub floor is dedicated to a brightly lit wooden stage. Tables litter the rest of the floor. Above the floor is a mezzanine circling the stage, with rows of seating behind narrow, thin tables. Eliason’s ticket grants him a position on a table just off center stage, a couple of tables away from the stage apron. The table seats 8, and 4 men and 2 woman are already there. Most seem like simple, hard-working folk, but one man, an elf actually, looks quite impressive. He has the trained, lean body of an adventurer and beside his chair rests a bow. Actually, many of the patrons, tough and feeble looking, seem to carry weapons. Though everyone is relaxed and enjoying each other’s company, weapons abound at an unusual rate.

Eliason has finally arrived in the small village after making the long journey from Chartsend. Though it is often his practice to travel during his time off, this trip is the furthest he has traveled since taking a position with the Desert Legion. Though he has shed his typical plate armor, the man still carries his sword and a brace of knives upon his belt, and his clothing is obviously padded with extra protection, making the big man seem even bigger as he steps heavily down the dirt path. As expected, his ticket gains him entry to the performance hall, though he had not expected such a close seat, a fact which pleases him. He, of course, cannot explain the thrill of excitement that courses through him at the thought of seeing Josleen once more. The feeling is present, however, though tempered by the disappointment of not having arrived early as he had planned. The legionnaire had hoped to arrive the previous day so that he could see the bard before the performance. It was not to be the case, however, and he would settle for seeing her now. Settling into his chair, the man's eyes scan the crowd briefly, expertly noting the various weapons and people about him. The elf at his table is afforded extra scrutiny by the legionnaire... Something is odd about the woodland creature, and dangerous.

The elf grins brightly to Eliason as she joins the table. “Who are you here for? Karwyna is my wife,” he explains as though Eliason should know who Karwyna is. A human at the table interrupts the exchange with an excited, “Oh! You’re Karwyna’s husband? I’m Lara’s husband. She told me Karwyna has the best point work she’s seen in years. I am very excited to see this new dance of theirs. It’s supposed to be daring. They’re breaking the rules of ballet.” A third woman chimes in about how her daughter, a harp player in the performance, wrote the melody for the 3rd act of the ballet. This table seems dedicated to the closest friends and family of the performers debuting tonight. Eventually the elf remembers Eliason is there and reiterates his question, “Are you with Josleen?” Across the room, Josleen’s dressed to impress in an off-the-shoulder burgundy dress with gold accents. The half-elf rarely wears jewelry, but a show’s debut call for a little sparkle. A simple gold necklace with tiny ruby tear drop charm draws some attention to her cleavage, though not much of it is bared. The half elf rarely dresses provocatively; this is as risqué as she gets. Matching earrings adorn her ears and a simple gold and copper filigree bracelet hangs from her wrist. The bard mingles with guests politely as Eliason enters the performance hall. In an inverse of their typical waltz, she approaches him. Her gait tries for sultry -- an unassuming seduction, but struggles to contain her girlish excitement at the presence of her crush. He arrived on the first night! Her mind over analyzes the implications. In the end, she walks like a woman trying to behave more proper than she really is, her emotions shining through all at once with the greatest emotion of all dwarfing the other: excitement. She rushes at Eliason as though she would hug him, but stops short. “You made it!”

Eliason furrows his brow at the sudden greeting by the elf who had been a source of unease for the legionnaire. The man visibly relaxes at the greeting and even offers a soft smile in return. He is about to answer the other man's first inquiry when they are interrupted by the other woman. Eli watches the exchange with some interest, realizing suddenly that this table is a place for honored guests, a fact that briefly fills him with pride. Finally, the elf returns his eyes to the paladin and repeats his question. Taking in a breath to answer, Eli is suddenly distracted by a sight that steals his attention. Sapphire eyes catch sight of the woman approaching in a burgundy dress. It takes a moment for comprehension to reach his brain that this beautiful person is actually Josleen. Her approach is met with an open-mouthed stare from the man and all other conversation is lost. He is unaware of the play of emotion on the half-elf's as he rises, almost reaching out to embrace her, but instead awkwardly holding his hands at his side. Her words are met with a few stuttering attempts at words before he finally takes a deep breath and mutters. "Of course, I wouldn't miss your big debut... I'm honored to be here."

Josleen takes up her scrunched-nose, over-grin. “The very first night too! I am hope everything goes smoothly.” She waves over Eliason’s table at the elf, “Hello Carredel!,” then the older woman, “Mrs. Duponte.” Social formalities aside, she turns back to Eliason to regard him again, but is interrupted by an applause. A comedian takes the stage to warm the crowd up and inform them of tonight’s bill. This low-cost theater can’t afford to produce playbills for every performance, so a comedian will do. He explains that before the main attraction, 3 smaller performances, about 10 minutes each, will warm them up. One of them, he regrets to inform them with a heavy heart, is him! The trademark self-deprecation of a comedian kicks off the night. Josleen leans in to Eliason to whisper. The comfortable setting lends her confidence, and she leans in closer than usual, allowing herself to indulge in his scent and presence in a manner she would never allow of herself under different circumstances. “I need to go backstage and get ready. Dinner and drink is included in your ticket, so please order whatever you like.” Her eyes take him in briefly over a small smile before she departs. The comedian does his mediocre routine. The best part was his handling of an already drunk heckler. He is followed by a lute player and dancer, then a ventriloquist. What is with the sudden surge of ventriloquists? He is terrible. Just, Sven smite him, this is bad. Chatter at the paladin’s table is pleasant, made up of mostly humble brags about their soon-to-perform relations and gossip. The gossip is largely centered around a string of mysterious deaths in the area as of late - mainly cattle and other livestock. However, the Hughes girl, only 16, disappeared last week! Could there be something sinister in the woods? Then again, there is a counter theory in the gossip mill. They say the Hughes girl found herself in a “family way” and you know her father, the chapel priest, would have brought hell itself down on her! The comedian returns to introduce the main act they’ve all been waiting for! A ballet called “A Curious Thing Happened on My Way to Salvation.” A mother at the table beams with pride; apparently her daughter came up with that awfully long title. “Please put your hands together and welcome The Seven Nympths!” Applause! Excitement! A little roar! No shows. the comedian’s face falls comically as he plays off the mishap, tripping over himself as he improvises, “Oh dear! Seems this ugly mug of mine has scared them off. Madame,” he offers a hand to a middle aged woman sitting near the stage left stairs. “Would you do me the honor of calling on our performers?” The woman obliges, calling out for The Seven Nympths. The roar of applause returns, but again, no one joins the comedian on the stage. The comedian offers another joke, looking nervously to the barkeep for information but is met with a shrug. His lips part for a third joke when suddenly he is cut off by a shrill, blood-curling scream from backstage. Carredel is quick to his feet and running back stage swiftly. He’s pretty perfect - annoyingly so. In one smooth move he is on his feet, blonde hair trailing behind him, and bow in hand. He is followed by other concerned parties who run at their full speed much less gracefully and swiftly.

Eliason does his best to assure Josleen that all will go well with the performance. As she leans in close to him, the legionnaire catches the wafting scent of her subtle perfume. His smile falters and his eyes flicker nervously across her form. His senses heighten, feeling the warmth of her skin and the touch of her breath upon his cheek. Flushing lightly, he leans ever so slightly closer to listen to her words. Then she is suddenly gone, leaving that familiar emptiness that always seems to accompany her exit. The big man watches the performances as they cross the stage with barely-concealed impatience. Never one for lackluster talent, the legionnaire's attention drifts idly about the room as he waits. He does not include himself in the boastful talk around his table, knowing that Josleen's skill will show for itself. As the main performance is announced, Eli's attention finally returns the stage. The first call-out for the performance comes forth with no response. A familiar feeling of dread sinks down within the paladin's stomach. Something does not feel right, an instinct which is rarely wrong. Some sort of evil is about and the paladin does not hesitate to act. Ignoring the comedian's weak attempt at a cover-up, the legionnaire rises from his seat and strides toward the backstage entrance. A heavily muscled bouncer steps out to block his way just as the scream issues forth. Eyes widening in panic, the legionnaire shoves the bouncer backward unceremoniously as rips the sword from its sheath at his side. He is almost to the door when Carredel flies past him. As such, Eli is just a breath behind the elf as the enter the backstage area.

The dressing room shows signs of a struggle, with bits of blood spilled in violent arcs, but not in significant quantities to be very worrying. An average, observant mind can deduce that when the women were taken, they were alive. The waitress who found the room is pressed against the door, pale and aghast. The back door swings upon, ratting against the exterior wall under the howl of the wind. Beyond the door is a small courtyard, followed by the ominous edge of the dark forest. Carredel is already crouched by the open back door, hands on the soil. He greets them with a somber look over his shoulder, partially favoring the only man who could keep up, Eliason, and hisses “Goblins.” And he’s off! He’s towards the forest. He waits for no one. He should have a theme song. It is nightfall and only a half moon lights the dense forest. In the forest, Carredel has slows down. The goblins are good at covering their tracks, and even the expert ranger must take great care in tracking them. The fading trail of blood helps.

Eliason allows his gaze to slip quickly about the room. His mind is quick to assess the scene as the elf examines the dirt outside. "This was quick, in and out... No casualties... Well-planned..." Striding quickly to stand at the door behind the elf, he lowers his eyes to the soil. "What do you see, Carredel?" The elf's one-word answer fills the legionnaire with dread and then the elf is off. Wasting no time with thought, the human is quick to follow. Not as nimble or fleet-footed, the man just barrels his way through the trees, no attempt at subtlety in his movements.


Mid-flight Snack Attack

Synopsis: The search party come upon human and elf remains. Amongst the carnage, Josleen's bracelet hangs from partially eaten fingers. However, only three bodies are accounted for in the wreckage, giving the search party hope that four are still alive. The search party is ambushed by goblins. They fight back and succeed, but an immediate search of the area does not reveal the location of the four missing women, but does reveal that not all goblins are accounted for either. A group fled north. Carredel hunts them. The rest of the party turns to the charisma of a paladin, Eliason, for guidance. He rallies them to press forward, to find the kidnapped women!

RP text:

Not too deep into the forest, Carredel reaches a clearing, stills, and whispers a horrified "No." Strewn in the clearing are flayed, half eaten limbs, shred clothing, and other personal items. It is nearly impossible to identify the bodies. The mauling is so severe that there are no faces. Hanging from the end of bloody, partially eaten fingers is Josleen's good and copper bracelet, the links broken in one place. Carredel searches the carnage for signs of his wife and finally informs Eliason, "Only three bodies here. Four are still alive." A hopeful assumption. "No signs of Karwyna." Insensitive to the concerns of others, the elf offers information about Josleen. Suddenly, without warning, he arms his bow and launches an arrow into darkness. The arrow meets its mark and the high-pitch squeal-groan of a goblin resonates back to them. Five goblins ambush the men from all sides. Three focus on disarming the archer, and two focus on taking out the legionnaire. The two on Eliason wield small swords and buckler shields. They try to maintain the advantage of a flank and never strike from the same angle. Back at the performance hall, a small, brave group banda together. Five men and two women with their assortment of weapons resolve to join Carredel and Eliason in the rescue sting. Eliason is easy to track which in this scenario works to his advantage.

Eliason nearly bowls the elf over in his attempt to keep up, but is just able to pull himself to a stop with a startled oath. The sight of the mawled bodies sends a shiver of dread through the paladin. Steeling himself against the panic rising within him, he casts his gaze about the clearing, looking for signs of Josleen in the carnage. It doesn't take long for his eyes to spy the bracelet at the end of the fingers. For half a second, despair wells up within him along with self-loathing at his inability to protect the girl. The rush of blood in his ears keeps him from hearing Carredel's words about who is alive and who is not. The elf's actions, however, bring his focus back to the present as the arrow is loosed and the squeal sounds out. The appearance of the goblins from the darkness of the forest is met by a steely gaze from the legionnaire. Here is an outlet for his rage and pain, something to take the brunt of the man's fury. Drawing his sword up, he roars in defiance of the feelings within him and throws himself into at his attackers.

The goblins aren't exceptionally skilled, they simply outnumber the men. The two on Eliason strike simultaneously at each of his knees, hoping he can only defend himself from one attack. Their goal is to literally bring down the large, bulky man. Carredel's swift feet keep him out of harm's way. Once in melee range, he switches to a knife, with which he has less proficiency. Aside from agility, the elf has awe-inspiring luck. Just as he is about to take a sword to the back, a crossbow impales the skull of Carredel's attacker. The rag-tag group of would-be heros has joined the men! With 9 rescuers on two goblins, subduing the hunting party is rather easy. Some in the rag-tag group are accustomed to battle, and those that have not fought before have the roar and heft of the type of people who volunteer for this type of mission. Many sport gashes and scrapes, but non life-threatening. One man has two broken fingers which he nurses, but refuses to let the pain show, gritting his teeth fiercely. Searching the carnage, Lara's husband finds Lara's ring-bearing hand. The man lets out a pained wail, crouching over the forearm and hand of his deceased wife. His pain galvanizes the rest of the group. They want revenge. But better yet, as they realize not all bodies are accounted for, they also cling to hope. The hope that they may not be too late for all the women. Revenge and hope are good motivators alone, but together, they inspire the mob into a cohesive, furious band.. Now would be a good time to regroup and form a plan, but Carredel waits for no one. Like a bloodhound after a fox, he is back on the trail. The battle confuses the trail only briefly, and he heads off north west. Something about the legionnaire and paladin draws the mob under his leadership. They look to him for guidance.

Eliason wipes the goblin blood from his sword onto one of the fallen creatures. With fury still raging in his eyes, he spits on the corpse of the creature before turning his gaze about to the others that had joined them. Lara's husband's wail pierces the pain and anger within the legionnaire, galvanizing his thoughts and bringing him back into focus. He looks toward Carredel to see if the elf has regained the goblin's trail, just in time for the elf to rise to his feet and move off. Luckily for the rest of the band, the elf cannot move too swifty in the darkness as he picks out the trail. Taking a breath, Eli suddenly finds the rest of the group looking toward him for guidance. Silently he offers a quick prayer that he will not lead these people to their deaths. "Alright, I'll take lead behind the elf.." He points to two of the men. "You two flank out to either side, search for any signs of anything waiting for us." His eyes swivel to the two women that had joined the group. I want the two of you to lag behind... Not too far, mind you, but listen for any signs of pursuit or anything sneaking up on us." Waving a hand toward the remaining three he says, "The rest of you stay behind me and be ready to back up anyone that calls out." He eyes them all for just a brief second. "I don't want to lose anyone else, so you watch your backs and don't get out of eyeshot. Let's get these bastards!"


A Forgotten Shrine, Evil's Home

Synopsis: Carredel leads Eliason and the search party to an abandoned shrine to Zaytor, situated beside a placid pond. Eliason prays to Arkhen for guidance and detects evil dwelling within the abandoned temple. The goblin tracks lead the group into the temple. The place is foreboding and many wish to desert, quickly losing faith. Eliason, Carredel, a bloodthirsty blacksmith, and three others remain. They venture through hallways and past small rooms towards the main altar. The hallway and rooms are full of goblin wares. The goblins have made this their camp. Beyond the hallway inside the main altar there are crude jails in which the women, Josleen and Carredel's wife included, are held captive. Curiously the altar has no evil paraphernalia. It looks like worshipers of Zaytor simple up and left a long time ago. It has four exits, including the doorway through which the group entered. However, Eliason's overwhelmingly good aura affects the felt but yet unseen evil, causing it to stir and awaken a sleeping menace. As the group leaves, stones tumble in the two of the four doorways, including that in which they entered, Eliason, Josleen, Carredel, his wife, the Blacksmith, and his rescued niece from the rest of the group. The stone floor begins to rise towards the ceiling, threatening to crush the group of six. The two remaining archways are quickly shrinking as the floor lifts, blocking all exits save death. The trapped heroes slide through the thinning slits towards unknown parts of the temple. Eliason, ensuring everyone was safe, is left in the room with no clear exit. He prays for Arkhen's aid and stabs his sword into the stone floor. The sword's pommel braces against the roof and creates a small, dark crawlspace between the roof and floor in which Eliason is stuck with no visible exit.

RP text:

The rescue band looks relieved that someone has taken charge - and someone who can handle himself too! A blacksmith in the group wields a hammer and methodically bashes in the skulls an already dead goblins as Eliason leads them in prayer. The rest of the group responds positively to the prayer, their morale high. As for the blacksmith, the bloodlust is strong with this one. Carredel doesn’t lead them very far. The trees clear before a black lake. The lake is large enough to need a boat to cross, but small enough to see the distant shore. On the bank of the lake is a small stone temple, a forgotten shrine to the God of Water, Zaytor. Abandoned, nature has reclaimed most of it. A ring of white stone stone columns peak out from vines, hinting at the temple’s long-lost glory. Finally, something perturbs the ranger. Carredel stops short, taking cover behind an outer, low circular wall. He looks uneasily back at the group. A dark, palpable evil emanates from the temple. “They went in there,” he whispers.. In the center of the stone columns is the only entrance to the temple. A flight of staircase lead down underground. The mob grows restless, questioning whether or not it is wise to dive into the earth. Surely the women all dead by now, some voice aloud.

Eliason follows the elf along, happy with the makeshift band's performance. The movement toward the lake is uneventful, though the tension in each member of the band is palpable. The legionnaire sinks down beside the elf as the others move up and crouch low about them. At the first sound of negativity, Eli turns a hard stare at the group. "No one has to continue on from here! You will not be counted a coward if you go home now. But if you're going to stay... Shut up and let me concentrate!" It sounds harsh, but the legionnaire has learned over time that it sometimes takes harshness to cut through the fear. Closing his eyes, the paladin begins softly muttering under his breath. The arcane words are unintelligible and would not be understood even if they were loud enough to hear. As he speaks, a low white light begins to glow around the perimeter of the temple. The paladin maintains his mutterings for several seconds before the light begins to fade and he opens his eyes. "I think there is some sort of ceremony going on... Something evil, very evil is down there." He pauses gravely, eyes finding Carredel's. "I think the girls might be some kind of sacrifice..."

Two men and a woman decide that they’ve had enough adventuring for the day. The ranger and paladin seem well equipped to handle their own inevitable deaths, the reason pessimistically. This leaves Eliason with Carredel, the blood thirsty blacksmith, two other men and one woman, who it turns out is one of the musician’s mothers. She will save her daughter and the others or gladly die trying. Carredel slowly leads the group towards the temple, scouting ahead. He easily disappears into shadows, re-appearing to the group when he needs to signal for their approach. He leads them down the staircase. It opens up to a long hallway. On the right is a closet with some goblin wares inside. On the left is two bunk rooms. They are empty save for goblin made armor and weapons, food and beverage, and the littered carcasses of past slaughtered game: many cattle, some livestock, and possibly one human who may or may not have been in a family way. At the end of the hall, a large, ornately carved stone archway opens into a massive room. The room is dimly lit by a few candles. It is large enough to hold scores of worshippers and is clearly the altar room. It has been looted badly, robbed of any splendor. The wealth of faith and gold that once inhabited these walls have been replaced by dripping, thick evil. Those tuned into evil, those who can detect it, will notice that the evil seems to come from below. It isn’t here, it is near, and this temple runs deep. This shrine is the tip of a mysterious iceberg. Along the right wall, four women are kept in jail cells which look to be of goblin make. “Karwyna!” Carredel exclaims with relief, darting over to her cell. “Carrie!” the elf ballerina calls back. Karwyna shares a cell with Josleen. The bard has a badly bruised cheek, a few scrapes on her shoulders and chest, and her dress is torn, but otherwise, she is intact. Carredel picks the lock easily, embracing his wife right in the cell door’s entrance, not thinking to let anyone exit or enter. The elf couple paw at each other and kiss, oblivious to the needs of others. The blacksmith takes a different approach to opening the second cell. CLANG! Down comes the hammer, off flies the lock. He grudgingly pats the back of one woman in an awkward hug, keeping a tough look on his ugly mug. The girl hugs him despite his gruffness, addressing him as Uncle. The fourth woman embraces her mother and sobs. Josleen reaches through the bars at Eliason, her mouth floundering briefly as if to speak, but unable to find her voice. She is too weak, physically and emotionally to bother trying to move the amorous elves.

Eliason nods as the departing party members declare their intentions. "Thank you for what you've done..." He watches them move back into the forest before returning his eyes to the scene before him. Taking up the rear position, he follows the group into the temple, his stomach clenching at the waves of evil emanating from the place. Sapphire eyes are wary as they move, ears alert to any sound of an enemy's approach. The sight of Josleen, no matter how badly beaten elicits a startled cry from the legionnaire who quickly approaches the cells. For a moment he is caught up in clutching at her through the bars of the cell, but the clang of the blacksmith's hammer brings his attention about. So much for subtlety. The paladin is becoming more ill at ease by the second, his senses screaming in agony at the pure evil that rests below them. With trembling hands, he clutches at Carredel's shoulder to draw his attention. "We have to get out of here! This is too easy and whatever evil lies here knows my presence..."

Josleen grabs onto Eliason’s arm through the cell bars, trembling as she clasps onto his unarmed hand. Her deep brown eyes peer up at him sadly, but she is unable to put a voice to her thoughts. All the captors struggle to speak with the exception of Karwyna who manages only to whisper her husband’s name repeatedly. Curiously, this room itself has no evil paraphernalia. All four walls of the massive room boast large, ornate arches much like the one through which they entered. Carredel nods to Eliason and leads his wife away from the cell. As soon as Josleen can escape, she rushes to Eliason and embraces him very briefly, the hug warm but stunted. She cannot indulge; she cannot flirt with the attraction she harbors for this man. The danger is still present, her losses too recent, her spirit too numb. The others waste no time lingering and begin to head out the way they came in. Josleen stays close behind Eliason. The blacksmith, other captors, and other rescuers exit into the hallway through which they came, and seem to encounter no obstacles. Carredel and Karwyna bring up the rear with Eliason and Josleen. Eliason was right about the dialogue that happens between good and evil. His presence does affect the equilibrium of the temple, and consequently, safety of the group. Suddenly, as Eliason crosses from where the pews used to be to the outer aisles of the altar room, a stone door crashes down through the archway, blocking their path! Directly across the room, a second echoing boom follows as stone crashes against stone, blocking the opposite wall’s archway as well. Still in the room are Eliason, Josleen, Carredel, Karwyna, the blacksmith, and his niece. The rest of the party can be heard banging on the opposite side of the nearest stone door, calling out for their trapped companions. The archways to the right and left are still open, but there isn’t much time to get to them! With supernatural speed and mechanics, the opulent stone floor pushes them up towards the rood, sending them careening towards a crushing death against the gilded roof. Carredel tucks his wife against his chest and rolls through the left archway with time to spare, as always. The blacksmith mimics Carredel, grabs his niece and barrel rolls out of the right archway, with no time to spare. It would be difficult to follow them, seeing as how they barely escape themselves. Josleen is already making for the left archway, her hand clutching onto Eliason’s sleeve.

Eliason 's eyes are drawn backward for reasons that he cannot explain. A surge of evil rises in his senses just before the sound of stone slamming shut before them rings in his ears. Everything happens so quickly that there is no time to think of the best option. Like a flash of light, Carredel is through the left archway, his wife in tow. The blacksmith and his niece just make it through to the right tunnel and Josleen is pulling him toward the left. The big man knows that he will not make it through the archway in time, but there is hope for Josleen. Pulling alongside the girl, clutches the remnants of her burgundy dress and flings her forward with all of his might. She may add a few more scrapes to her skin, but she should make it to the archway in time to drop to relative safety. Instead of pursuing her, the paladin instead calls out an archaic prayer to Arkhen and stabs his sword downward into the rapidly rising floor. As the words leave his lips, the sword flashes with a blinding white light and sinks several inches into stone. Casting himself to the ground next to the brilliantly shining sword, hoping that Arkhen will instill it with enough strength to keep him from being crushed.

Josleen is successfully pushed out of the doorway in the nick of time, landing several feet below with a dull thud onto stone. Luckily, she successfully braces her head from impact, and will likely have no more than a badly bruised hip to show for it. When she realizes Eliason didn’t follow, the bard shrieks, screams, and cusses at the rising platform. The platform’s rise is loud, drowning out the crackle of the paladin’s powerful spell. The stone blocks the flash of light from reaching her panicked stare. “ELI!!ELI, NOO! DAMN YOU, ELI, COME BACK! ELI....!” Believing him to be crushed to death, all she can do is pound impotently on the stone. Carredel secures the area, allowing Josleen to take a moment to grieve while Karwyna comforts her. If only the poor bard knew the truth! That the paladin succeeded in stopping the platform just before it crushed him. Sure, he cannot stand, and he cannot see, and is stuck in a pitch dark sliver of free space completely sealed off from exit, but he is alive! Also, he has just enough room to rise on all floors and crawl, possibly grovel to a higher power in hope of exit or death. The situation is pretty grim for the legionnaire.

Deeper into the Temple

Synopsis: Ornate temple roofs can often be opened from behind so that artisans can retouch their artwork over time. Eliason knocks on the roof until he finds a hollow spot then breaks through the plaster and frees himself, onto the network of rafters behind the ceiling. Josleen, Carredel, and his wife, Karryna, assume Eliason is dead. They are in an unknown tunnel and must press forward in hope of finding an exit and keeping their lives. The temple dips into the earth and an aura of fear and madness thickens as they descend. As they cross the room, they slowly lose their minds. Carredel, best trained at resisting magical afflictions, holds out the longest. Josleen screams as she relives the day monsters raided Venturil. Her screams attract Eliason who lights the room with Holy Light, dispels the magic, frees the trio from their madness. There are three doors, all closed. Eliason chooses the door with the least evil aura.

RP text:

The carved roof, hidden from him in the darkness, is covered in spider webs and dust. The engravings tell the creation story of Zaytor, God of Water. Someone versed in church design may know that there are often secret doors in ceilings designed to allow sculptors to finish or restore work, and custodial staff to repaint and clean the ornate artwork. The doors, however, are designed to open from the other side and require significant strength to break from the paladin’s side of the carvings - that is, if he can even find them. They are usually close to chandeliers and lanterns, which have been looted but the holes from which they once hung give away their former location.

Eliason rolls over onto his back, catching his breath for a few moments. Silently, the man offers up a prayer of thanks for Josleen's escape. Once he is able to breath once more and his heart has decreased to a manageable rate, he tries to peer about for what to do next. His sword is lost at this point, unless the floor were to recede which is unlikely at this point. For a moment, he thinks he can hear Josleen's voice screaming through the rock, but it could very well be his imagination. With the immediate threat over, the light from his sword has faded. In replacement, the legionnaire draws one of his daggers from its place on his belt and holds it as high as he is able. "Time to get a look at my tomb," he mutters humorlessly to himself. Calling out to whatever evil has trapped him, he defiantly cries, "You really want to challenge the power of Arkhen? In His name and by His hand, I will get out of here!" Whether the evil hears him or not, the paladin cares little. A soft, muttered prayer allows a bit of holy energy to flow into the dagger in his hand which begins to glow with a soft white light. The paladin's eyes search about for any sign of escape. Though nothing is evident, the man's memory of the room does serve him. His training before joining the guard had included time maintaining the halls of the Great City. At dusk, he had crawled the spaces above the ceiling to open the trap doors and light the candles in the chandeliers. Perhaps there was a similar design here. Inching his way to the nearest lighting support, he begins knocking about looking for a hollow spot.

No evil responds. This dialogue between good and evil is always a difficult one. Eliason finds a hollow spot near a chandelier hole. However, the latch is on the inside. Breaking free will require superhuman strength. Should Arkhen grant the paladin the strength he needs to break free, Eliason will find a network of wooden rafters behind the ceiling. The rafters lead to hatches above different rooms, with ladders that can be dropped when he wishes to descend. It’s a networks above the bulk of the temple, connecting halls and important rooms with similar fancy ceiling engravings. In the temple proper, Carredel allows Josleen to mourn for another minute before warning, “Death hunts the still.” He leads the women down a hallway with many doors, methodically clearing each room before letting them pass. The rooms in this hall are predominantly bedrooms and store rooms, all empty, looted, forgotten. None link to the rafters above. At the end of the hallway stand two double doors, carved opulently and made of weathered oak. This would be the first room Eliason could enter from the rafters. The room is pitch black with no light available. It is cast under a spell of fear, and another which seems original in make and hard to place. Any who enter the room risk going mad with fear and infected with Evil. Those with more perversion and malintent are more susceptible to the contagious evil. Should they succumb to the siren call of darkness, the change in the soul is nearly irreversible. Those with any arcane training or spell detection will notice a strange pattern to the magic here. The fear and evil spells are repeated with slight variations, as though someone were experimenting with the spells’ perfection. Any of the countless spell derivations could be the right key to unlock just the right fear in almost anyone.

Eliason closes his eyes and thanks Arkhen as his tapping reveals a hollow section of the ceiling above him. He feels about for a moment for some sort of latch. Of course, it is latched from the inside. The designers would not have forseen someone needing to enter from the bottom. The paladin rolls to the side and lies still for a moment, arcaic prayers echoing around the enclosed space. As the last word leaves his lips, the paladin thrust the dagger his hand forth toward the hatch. Another brilliant white light flashes as the blade sinks deep into the material. Turning his eyes away, Eli waits for several seconds as the brilliant light flashes even brighter. The light fades again and the man reaches forth to find the material of the hatch has disintigrated. With a surge of exhultation, he catches the edges of the new hole and pulls himself through. With only a few daggers left, he decides to save them in case there is a need and instead feels his way around. He prays that Josleen and the others have found their way clear as scrambles through the darkness looking for a way out.

Carredel, Karwyna, and Josleen have no choice but to enter the maddening room. There are no other exits. Besides, there is no reason not to continue if you consider the fact that none of them can detect the potent magic here. However, Josleen, capable of some magical abilities and daughter if an illusionist, is filled with dread as she senses something is amiss, though she can’t put a name to what it is. Suddenly, Karwyna starts dancing on pointe furiously, despite her lack of pointe slippers. She risks breaking her toes. Every time she falters, she bends over and savagely knees herself in the face, giving herself a black eye or a bloody nose, then starts up again. Carredel shouts after her, trying to stop her self-mutilation, but it isn’t long before he too succumbs to the magic and begins firing arrows at will into the darkness, each arrow hitting stone then falling limp on the ground with a clatter. When he runs out of arrows, he continues to fire nothing, pulling his bow taut, and releasing well past the moment his fingers become raw and bloody. Josleen, given her background, lasts the longest, struggling to keep her wits about her and repeating facts to herself. However, in the dark, large room she cannot see an exit and without an exit, continues to be exposed to the magic here. Her limited night vision does little against the hallucinations that start to take over her mind. She starts to scream as she did on the worst day of her young life: the day Venturil was raided. Her screams carry far and wide, echoing down hallways and chambers, threatening to attract anything that lurks down here.

Eliason moves about the quiet darkness carefully, feeling his way along the rafters. Time loses all meaning in the endless darkness, and the stillness is only broken by the paladin's beating heart and panting breath. That is until a shrill scream rends the silence asunder. The sound comes from just below the paladin and is instantly recognizable as Josleen. A dagger is instantly ripped from his belt and the now-familiar prayer is uttered causing the dagger's glow to light up the darkness. Just a few feet from the legionnaire is another hatch with a rope ladder attached. With a speed belying his size, the man leaps forward, rips the hatch open and pushes the ladder through. It takes a second for the rope to unwind and snap taught at the bottom. Thinking of nothing but helping Josleen, Eli quickly descends on the ladder. He is still several feet from the bottom when the rotted twine of the ladder gives way and he falls to floor with a loud thump. The breaking of the ladder is actually a blessing, however, as it leaves him below Carredel's last arrow which whizzes within a few inches of his head. Though Eli is not inherently magically attuned, he is attuned enough with the divine to feel the opression of the evil spells pressing about his consciousness. It will take but a moment for the spells to take their effect on him. Out of pure training and instinct, the paladin purposefully draws his mind in on intself, seeking the inner light of the Gods within. As he does so the dagger still clasped in his hand burst into a new, pure light, piercing the darkness of the room.

Carredel growls at Eliason, clearly not recognizing him, and continues to launch invisible, non-existent arrows at him. Karwyna continues to exist in her own self-oppressive bubble of perfectionism, harming herself whenever she falls from pointe. Josleen, however, does recognize Eliason. She smiles sweetly at him, at odds with how they parted and their location. “You’re my favorite ghost,” she flirts. The madness sets in quicker than the fear with Josleen and it did with Karwyna. “I like your smile,” she continues as she approaches Eliason. She looks away, off into the distance, screams low and haunted once, then looks back to Eliason. “You’re my favorite ghost.” Repeat.

Eliason flinches away from the elf's imagined arrows before realizing that the bow was empty. In a manner that often is a part of the panicked mind, he very lucidly notes that an archer would never purposefully dry-fire their bow. That is until his attention is drawn to Josleen's face. Though months have passed, the man is instantly transported back to the day of the raid on Venturil and his first sighting of the girl. The same look crosses periodically over the bard's features followed by a sultry, flirtatious look with which he is not familiar but which unsettles him more than he would ever admit. Her words echo in the large, empty chamber. For a second, he is tempted to succumb to the madness and respond to the flirtatious woman. The temptation calls to him like a siren, searching out his long supressed desires. The battle that ensues within is like none that the paladin has ever experienced, to succumb to that which he most desires, or to maintain the person that he has become and try to save them all. It is an epic struggle that will leave him forever scarred, though none will ever witness it. The madness is centimeters from taking ahold of Eli's mind when something happens... The paladin's consciousness is suddenly filled with that dream, the one that had called him to Hollow in the beginning. That voice calls out to him eliciting a cry of defiance from his lips toward the evil all about him. With the last of his energy, Eli calls out in a loud voice. "By Arkhen and all the Gods that stand for good, I command you! Begone!" Thrusting the dagger in his hand upward, a shockwave of white light rolls out across the room. It is a final act of desperation and the paladin sinks to his knees in exhaustion.

At Eliason’s command, the spell dispels, though the effect is temporary. Quickly the mad trio snap out of their mental traps. Carredel and Karwyna tend to each other, the elf dancer’s face badly bludgeoned. Josleen, however, takes a step away from Eliason, her expression confused and hurt. “...Eli? ...Where did Jared go?” Jared, the name of her late fiancé. She searches by Eliason’s light, only conscious on a peripheral level of the fact the light is unnatural. She looks thoroughly lost. “...He was just standing right...” she points at Eli, taking another step back as her mind slowly starts to piece reality together. It takes a good 30 seconds before her short term memory floods back and she realizes Eliason was assumed to be dead. “Oh.. oh! Eli! By the gods,” she rushes forward, embracing him in much the same way she had previously in the altar room, out of relief and comfort. “I thought...” she presses her forehead into his shoulder, body shuddering as she exhales the dread she harbored as a result of his death. At the same time as she copes with his resurrection, the memory of her hallucination and its cruelty come sharply into focus in her mind. The pain, confusion, recent kidnapping, witness of her friends being eaten, their circumstance, that spell - all of it becomes to much for the bard and she sobs with abandon, trembling against the legionnaire. Carredel begins to collect his arrows, his own gaze hollow and distant and struggling against the decades of focused survival and combat training. The ranger signals over Josleen’s shoulder to get Eliason’s attention. “Glad you’re here,” he points to the three doors. “We have to move.”

Eliason breathes heavily as the trio about him all come to themselves. His eyes immediately move back to Josleen and the play of emotion as reality once again settles upon her. As she embraces him, the paladin weakly wraps his arms about her, taking a second to form the mental barriers against the battle that had raged within him. He silently vows that he will never burden Josleen with the wanton thoughts that had filled his mind. It was merely the spell... it only takes moment to convince himself of this. Letting the half-elf slip from his grasp, he does not take the time to explain how he has survived, but instead follows Carredel's gesture and nods gravely. Pushing himself to his feet, the paladin nearly staggers back to the ground, but steels himself against his exhaustion and moves on. Looking between the three doors he shakes his head. "We don't have time to split up and explore. That one, he indicates the archway has an evil feel to it. Maybe we should try the cold one..." Standing aside, he allows Carredel to go to work on the lock.

Macabre Laboratory

Synopsis: The room beyond the doorway is silent and dark. Eliason shuts off his light so that the ranger may scout in shadows. Inside the room are dozens of blind, still zombies with various physical alterations such as an alligator maw, or bear claws, or a goblin head, etc. The room is kept artificially cold to slow the rot of undead flesh. The only other exit is across the sea of zombie freaks. Josleen kicks over a pebble during their stealthy infiltration, and the zombies swarm. Eliason ushers his companions into the next room as he himself is injured and attacked. The women make noise against the door to distract the zombies off Eliason, and Carredel shoots a clear path for Eliason to join the trio in the next room. The paladin is badly injured. They find themselves in private chambers with no other exit than the one through which they came.

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Josleen stays close to Eliason, her faith in him as unwavering as ever. How many times is he going to save her? As he takes charge again, she studies his face, a sadness swelling inside her. Under different circumstances, she would analyze that emotion and deal with it, but currently, she can only feel it without rhyme or reason. Her eyes don’t leave his face unless they have to, or more likely, unless he looks at her. Unconsciously, she shrinks away from his direct gaze, then chases his countenance when he turns away. No one argues with the paladin’s decision. Her confidence and ability and track record have afforded him that much and more. Carredel waits for everyone to take cover behind the stone wall on either side of the door, then picks the lock as quietly as possible. The door opens towards them, and inside the room is unlit. Nothing comes out. Nothing makes a sound. At least, not at first. In the still, expectant silence, the more astute elf ears can pick out a very faint and subtle moan. Carredel signals to Eliason to shut off his light, he will hide in the shadows and investigate.

Eliason nods quietly and slips the dagger back into its sheath sending the world back into darkness. Just before everything goes black however, he seeks out Josleen's eyes, trying to determine if the half-elf is going to be okay. Her eyes quickly avert from his, however, leaving him wondering if she will ever be okay. The inky blackness leaves each of them in their own little world and while Eli wants to forget the memories of that spell and the feelings that it had called upon, he cannot allow himself to dwell on it. Perhaps it is in an effort to comfort the girl, or perhaps for himself, he silently reaches out to try to find the bard's hand and clasp it in his own. The silence that comes with the darkness is oppressive, punctuated only by the nearly silent movement of Carredel through the darkness.

Josleen‘s hand initially grows stiff when the paladin touches it, but quickly relaxes and returns the hold. Carredel returns a few minutes later and whispers, “...I don’t know what it is exactly. Zombies, dozens of them, but they’re all blind. They’re all.. well, see for yourselves. I believe it is safe to turn on the light and enter, but tread very quietly. They are blind, but not deaf. I tested it.” Assuming Eliason turns the light on again because it would make no sense not to? If I am wrong, end my post here, if I am not, read on! The group sees inside the room nearly a hundred zombies, all standing, grouped roughly around pillars but not tethered. That have been mutated, spliced, experimented on. One has an alligator maw, another bear claws, another a goblin head. Some of these spliced body parts function, others do not. The room is kept artificially cold to slow the zombies’ decay. They do not respond to Eliason’s light. On each pillar there are signs in a foreign language. On a long work bench against the left wall are various animal, monster, and zombie parts as well as elixirs and reagents. The room is a macabre laboratory. The only other exit is across the sea of freak show, blind zombies. Carredel leads the way, treading very carefully.

Eliason slips the dagger from his belt once more and whipers the now-familiar archaic prayer. Almost instantly, the room fills with light. Giving Josleen's hand one final squeeze, the legionnaire ushers her forward behind Carredel's wife. Treading as softly as possible he brings up the rear of the line and enters the room. The first thing that the legionnaire is struck with is the smell. Dead and slowly decaying flesh fills the room with a stench that is almost unmanageable. Reaching up, Eli pulls the collar of his shirt up and over his nose as he peers about in disgust. The moans of the dead and the evil that keeps them alive pervade his other senses. He is tempted to pray for the release of the creatures' tormented souls, but stops short, afraid of what this might do to his companions if it went wrong. Instead, he follows steadily behind the elf.

Josleen ‘s courage falters momentarily and she resists being ushered into the room. The resistance is short-lived and soon she finds herself carefully treading behind Karwyna, coping with the stench by breathing through her mouth. The grisly, mutilated undead send several terrified shivers down the bard’s spine. She has never seen the undead before, nor been trapped in a dungeon or evil playroom. She’s never been adventuring, and aside from the raid on Venturil, never been in fear for her life. Her fortitude has been whittled down to a razor-thin sliver which at any moment threatens to snap. The door opposite them, the other exit, is exactly the same as the first door, much like a wooden dungeon cell door with iron bars blocking a small window. The ranger and ballerina don’t make a sound, the ranger helpfully pointing out any loose pebbles or debris as they successfully cross more than half the length of the massive laboratory. All the same, Josleen is also inexperienced at stealth, and while her elf blood affords her some innate understanding of how to move covertly, she is prone to error. Her foot knocks a small pebble, sending it skidding across the stone floor with a muted scratch. The soft sound thunders loudly in the eerily quiet room. The sleepy zombies snap to attention, screeching in Josleen’s direction before rushing at the party with supernatural speed, teeth (zombie or other) chomping and nails (or claws) wiping until they find purchase in flesh. Carredel turns sharply on his heel, wrapping an arm around his wailing wife’s middle and sprinting for the opposite door. Who knows what lies beyond it, but the ranger can only hope that it’s better than a swarm of experimented upon zombies. With all courage shattered, Josleen makes a run for it too, chasing the elves as a haunted scream claws its way out of her throat.

Eliason knows what is coming the second the sound of the pebble fills the room. Though exhaustion has muted his senses, the paladin is spurred by the rush of adrenaline that follows the screech of the mutilated dead in the room. He picks up a foot to sprint along behind the others, but he is a just a split second too late. One of the zombies has leapt at it's prey and it catches onto the man's ankle. Eli sprawls forward with a dismayed cry. He is not even on the floor before the creatures are upon him. Luckily for the others, this affords them the opportunity to reach the far door. Gnashing his teeth as the first set of teeth bite at his thigh, the man swings his dagger down, sinking the blade deep into the zombie's skull. Luckily, his padded clothing allows for some protection from the wailing creatures and their snapping jaws, but one of them does manage to sink its teeth into his free hand. This zombie suffers a similar fate as the his brother, a glowing dagger stabbing deep through an open eye socket. By flailing his limbs about the paladin is just able to push the onslaught back enough to skoot out from under them. Pushing himself quickly to his feet, he whips about and raises his dagger, the weapon shining brighter than before. In an effort to keep his companions safe, Eli cries out for the zombies' attention, soon finding himself completely surrounded by the creatures as the press forward to consume him. From the outside, the legionnaire's companions would hear a final roar of defiance from the man before the light flickers and disappears.

Josleen turns back to face the paladin as he sprawls onto the floor with every intention to rush to him, but Karwyna grabs her wrist, shouting, “Janet, no! COME ON, JANET!” The bard struggles against the elves, crying out the paladin’s name like a broken record, then impotently demanding his safety. “LEAVE HIM! ELI! GODS! SPARE HIM!” Carredel make look slight, but the lean muscles possess a freakish strength. He pulls the women into the next room, slamming the door behind him. Without a second to waste, the archer turns a loaded arrow towards the window and begins firing two arrows at a time towards the zombies that attack Eliason, his night vision ensuring his years of training and combat prove as accurate as always. He is fearless in his onslaught, braving targets very close to the legionnaire himself. Josleen pounds on the wood of the door, hoping to make as much noise as possible to draw the zombies towards the wooden barrier. “ELI!” she cries, her voice hoarse and desperate, tears affecting her voice. “Come back to me!” she cries pathetically, each word raspier than the last. Catching on quickly, Karwyna begins to make as much noise as possible as well, hoping to draw the zombies to livelier prey and deadly arrows. These zombies have not only had their musculoskeletal systems altered, but their endocrine and immune systems have also been modified. They carry more variants of disease than a typical zombie, each bite infecting a cess pool of infectious strains. Should he survive the mob, as Carredel’s aid suggests that he may, he risks dying a slow, painful, unflattering death if left unhealed.

Eliason does not take the time to look back as two zombies sink to floor next to him, arrows sticking out of the heads. Slipping a second dagger from his belt, the legionnaire whips his arms about in a furious tangle of steel and gnashing teeth. As the zombies begin to fall around him, the faint glow of the man's blades can be seen through the mass of undead bodies. He has been lucky so far, only the one bite on his hand, but the sickness is already spreading and the legionnaire is weakening once more. Several of the undead move away from the pack and move toward the door leaving them open to Carredel's arrows. The adrenaline rush within the paladin has ebbed and the reality of his own death is beginning to grow clear as he turns toward the opened path due to the help of the elf and moves as quickly as he can toward the door, hoping that the piles of bodies behind him will afford him just enough time to escape.

Carredel is a cunning ranger as well. Once Eliason starts running towards the door, free of the zombie mob, he shushes the women. Karwyna, relatively safe compared to the paladin and comfortable with her husband’s safety as well, has more wits about her than the bard and quiets down immediately. Josleen/Janet/Julia takes a moment to be shushed. Karwyna whispers quickly the plan she intuitively understands from her mate without vocal elaboration, such is the way of strong couples. With the woman now quiet, the rangers aims the next two arrows off to the side towards thin glass vials. The arrows whizz over the zombies heads and shatter laboratory equipment, making as much noise as possible to lure the remaining zombies away from the door and into a corner of the room. He continues to fire arrows so that the shattering glass’s volume may mask the paladin’s rushed, heavy footfalls. The zombies quickly hone in on the new target, sprinting away from the door en masse. Carredel opens the door for Eliason. Slightly behind and to the left of the ranger, Josleen leans forwards, arms open wide towards the Paladin, ready to receive him. Mutely, her lips pantomime a simple prayer, “Please, please, please.”

Eliason rushes as fast as he can toward the door, he is too tired and his hand hurts too bad to know how much Carredel has helped him. Once he has made it through the portal, he sinks to his knees, his large frame falling forward toward the bard with a groan. "I'm alright," he mutters softly, though the quickly festering wound upon his hand is apparent for any who care to look. "I just need a second... "

Josleen embraces Eliason tightly as Carredel shuts the door behind them with a loud, zombie-attracting bang followed by an equally loud hiss as he slips an iron bolt into place. Josleen presses her face against the paladin’s cheek, sobbing uncontrollably, her will broken. The horrors are too much, and the risk of losing him, twice, fray her nerves. Between sobs she manages to whisper sloppily against him, tears soaking them both, “Don’t do that again. Don’t leave me. I can’t bear it... I can’t bear to...” The sobs choke her words once more, her entire body shuttering under the weight of her breakdown. She gingerly cups his injured hand with her own, helpless to save him.

Inside the Necromancer's Room

Synopsis: Beside a small bed, a wall indents concavely with five mirrors forming a semi-circle. The mirrors are shaped like necromancer runes. On the desk beside the lantern, two rocks with more typical, standard, elven magic runes sit in blood-filled shallow brass dishes. The rocks also sport five shallow grooves, like a manicurist’s stone. The only exit is swarmed with zombies and the heroes can hear more beasts clamoring through the temple to join the zombies. The bard can read some basic even runes thanks to her father's pedantic schooling and reads that the stones say 'left' and 'right'. She holds the corresponding stone in each hand and turns to face Eliason, and in the process faces the mirrors and vanishes. The stones return to their perch in the shallow brass bowls. After a brief argument with the elves, Eliason follows suit. He is transported through hell for what feels like months, but is actually a matter of minutes. Josleen waits for him as he reappears on the grass outside the temple. The elves soon join them. They go to a hospital where Josleen stays by Eliason's side until he is well enough to leave.

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Their new location is also not lit, but quickly Carredel lights a lantern on a desk, then a torch on the wall. They currently inhabit a ghastly bedroom, decorated with undead body parts, necromancer runes, and the accoutrements of your typical lich. Beside the bed, a wall dents concavely with five mirrors forming a semi-circle. The mirrors are shaped like necromancer runes. On the desk beside the lantern, two rocks with more typical, standard, elven magic runes sit in blood-filled shallow brass dishes. The rocks also sport five shallow grooves, not unlike a manicurist’s stone. In fact, the rocks pumice rocks may have once been just that. Before the group thanks their lucky stars the lich is not present, a cursory glance at the room would reveal that the only exit is back out the way they came towards the zombies. The cease fire on the laboratory equipment and the slamming door draw the hungry zombies back towards the door. They pound against it, but do not threaten to break the reinforced barrier any time soon. The occasional undead hand rips through the barred window, but so long as the party keeps clear of the zombie door, they will remain unscathed. Deep beyond the zombies, back the way they came, unfamiliar screeches and howls grow louder, underpinned by the rustle and clatter of paws, claws, and feet. The noise has awakened even more terrors of the evil deep, and they’re hungry - always hungry. As their predicament dawns on the elves, Karwyna too starts to lose her steel, crying out as the last bit of courage escapes her that they are surely going to die. Carredel can’t possibly offer a convincing counter argument. For now, he welcomes the final moments he can spend with his wife, embracing her tightly. This is it, the seasoned adventurer feels it in his gut.

Eliason lifts his eyes, swiveling his gaze between them. For a moment, his hope begins to wane and he allows his arms to slip around Josleen in defeat. He holds her close for awhile, trying to offer what comfort he can in their final moments. There is something, however, that is gnawing at him. Closing his eyes, he allows his mind to sink down and seek the presence of the Divine within. The light is easily found and the paladin pushes himself into it, bathing in the light and washing himself clean of depair. As he does this, the man's physical appearance begins to change. His back begins to straighten, his muscles bunch and tighten within his clothes, and the despair in his features disapates. Letting the bard loose, he pushes himself to his feet and turns to regard the others. "I'm not done! I will not give in to this! There has to be a way out!" As if he was not physically drained, the man moves about the room pounding on walls, breaking mirrors, he even presses his fingers into the five grooves of the stones... just in case.

Josleen meets Eliason’s rousing speech with a defeated frown. His efforts, from her perspective, are a futile last stand against death. As he tears apart the room, ghouls, lesser vampires, wraiths, and the like begin to flood into the laboratory and join the zombies. Encouragingly, when the wraiths try to pass through the door, it shudders with an electric snap and they cannot pass. Maybe they will be able to make peace with their maker before they rot in this room, rather than be torn apart by wraiths. An encouraging sign, one would hope! The ranger looks down at his loving wife, and in her eyes finds the inspiration to keep fighting, and joins Eliason in turning over the room in search for any exit. Josleen and Karwyna eventually join in, though their bodies, unaccustomed to such exertion, can barely move. The bard takes the stones from Eliason, explaining, “I know a little of elven runes. I learned from my father. Basic sygils... but...” As the paladin moves on to the mirrors, Josleen focuses on the rocks. Curiously, when the paladin pounds on rune-shaped mirrors, instead of breaking, they ripple as though made of gelatin. Simultaneously, the bard’s brow creases in confusion as the runes’ meanings become clear. “...Left and right?” She hesitates before placing the left stone on her left hand and the right stone on her right hand. Nothing happens. “Huh...” she begins to turn towards Eliason to witness the ripping mirror’s surface. As soon as she faces the mirrors at such an angle that her image reflects completely in all five mirrors, she disappears. Without ceremony, noise, nor flash, the bard simply vanishes. The stones have seemingly gone with her, but anyone who glances back at the table will witness the stones mysteriously returned to their original post in the dishes.

Eliason turns just in time to see the bard vanish as if she hadn't been there. It takes several moments for him to come to terms with the fact that this is reality. A wild hope surges through him that this is all just a nightmare. But, alas, the pounding and banging of the creatures outside of the room is too immediate, too present to be dismissed. What had Josleen been doing just before she disappeared? Thinking does not come easy to a panicked mind, but the thought finally comes to him. The stones! His eyes find them upon the table and rushes forward to grab them. Turning toward Karwyna, he sets them in her hands. "She did something with these...! Did you see, do you know what she did? Do you know what the symbols mean?" His words are harsh, but under the circumstances he hopes that his desperation can be forgiven.

Carredel immediately slaps the stones out of Karwyna’s hand, growling fiercely at the legionnaire, “ARE YOU MAD, MAN?!” Karwyn jumps with a startle at the sudden confrontation. Taking a moment to let the men calm, she nudges the stones towards Eliason with her foot. “She said one reads left and the other reads right. I’m not sure which is which, but she held the left one in her left hand, right in right, then stood in this spot,” she points to where Josleen last stood, “And faced the mirrors. That’s all I saw.”

Eliason growls in frustration at Carredel, though he is suddenly chagrined at having possibly put Karwynna at risk. Leaning over, he takes the stones in his own hands and stands in the spot indicated. He takes turns holding the stones in each hand and switching them back and forth with now effect. Spinning about in frustration, draws a hand back to hurl one of the stones at a mirror. "Where is she, damn you?!" He doesn't know who he's yelling at, but he never finishes the sentence. Instead, he, too, simply vanishes from the room.

Evil magic is designed to transport evil, and when anything but evil attempts to teleport via its malevolent power, the evil seeks to consume the intruder and claim their soul before they reach their destination. The paladin and Josleen before him are taken to a roiling hellscape, strapped to a metal cot with chains on each limb that threaten to quarter them. Dark, faceless devils torture the poor soul who fell into this destructive portal. A teleportation of no more than a second in real time duration, feels like a month of agony in hell. Indeed, it wouldn’t be unusual for Josleen or the Paladin to believe they have died and gone to hell. Perhaps they weren’t good enough in their short time on the plane of the living. This is their destiny now, to spend eternity being disemboweled, shred, quartered, and flayed alive, only to be pieced back together again and repeat on a daily basis. It isn’t until after 28 cycles of this that they finally awake on the black lake’s shore just outside the abandoned Temple to Zaytor. In the plane of the living, their bodies do not escape unscathed, First comes the sensation of burning, then tearing, then pulsing pain exceeding the pain scale. The body hemorrhages internally. Nausea sets in so fiercely the stomach empties first, then comes bile, then blood. When the paladin opens his eyes, he’ll see Josleen on all four, spewing blood and screaming in agony, that is, if he can lift his head long enough from his own nausea. It takes a good ten minutes for the pain and vomiting to subside enough for Josleen to move. She limps as she crawls towards Eliason, too ravaged and in shock to speak or even cry. A few minutes later, Karwyna appears in much the same state, then Carredel. The stoic paladin, finds that, here in hell, stoicism is not possible. It is good that Josleen cannot see him, because he screams and cries out in agony with each buring disembowelment. All lucidity is lost in the torturous realm in which he is trapped. He tries to sink within himself to find that ever-present light of the Divine, but it has abandoned him in this place. Then, as quickly as it started, the nightmare ends. As he loses the contents of his stomach then the blood from the tearing at his stomach lining, he cannot help but think that death has finally found him. As with all of these sort of things, though, the vomiting finally subsides and he meets Josleen halfway through her trek to find him. Though his mind is playing at the edges of insanity, he is grounded by one concern. Lifting a hand to touch her cheek, he asks the most stupid question... "Are you okay?..."

Josleen gingerly lifts her hand to place it over his, pressing her cheek into his palm for comfort. She cannot answer, but the renewed hope in her eyes communicates that she will survive. But will he? That hopeful gaze is infected by dread as she looks at his other, bitten and diseased hand. :: Littering the clearing around the temple lie four dead bodies, including the young musician niece of the blacksmith, and three of the rescuers excluding the blacksmith himself. Their skulls and bodies have been caved in by what is clearly a blunt weapon, likely a large hammer given the square shape of the fatal blows. The bodies have gone cold and rot has already set in. Whoever murdered these people is long gone by now. :: A second group of people breaches the trees, pulling dollies and wheelbarrows into the clearing. Their original intent was not to stage a rescue sting, but to collect the dead. Seeing the badly injured, however, their mission immediately changes and they load up the legionnaire, bard, ranger, and ballerina onto separate dollies, speeding back as fast as they can to the small chapel in town. The priest’s first aid care and basic healing spells stabilize all in the group save the paladin. In his case, the priest can only stop his bleeding, restore his stomach lining, and slow the rate at which disease spreads in his body. Still, it buys Eliason enough time to be transported to a hospital in Cenril where he can be properly cured of the cornucopia of decay. The townspeople transport the sick in a wagon to Cenril, free of charge. During the short trip, the party’s escorts gossip about how the blacksmith went mad, killed his own apprentice, stole from his own shop, and fled town. In the hospital, once the elves are well again, Karwyna and Carredel pay their respects to Eliason and Josleen before announcing they must leave Cenril behind for a good long while. The bard, however, stays by Eliason’s side, reading to him from the only book she carries: a trashy romance novel about a paladin and an elf.