RP:Monster in the House of Death

Part of the Saurian Onslaught Arc

Summary: Gevurah leads a large congregation of drow in worship of Vakmatharas. She's praying for the God of Death's guidance on how to take down the saurian's blockade in the tunnel west of Craughmoyle. Her worship is cut short by the arrival and bizarre decomposition of a fetid monster.

Temple of Endless Death

Gevurah stands before the throngs of chanting drow in a heavy robe the color and pattern of a deep bruise. Her arms rise above her head in supplication of the God of Death's favor. Her noble nose is held high above the silken white heads of the common drow. Her gaze slides down the bridge of her nose into the shallow pool of blood in a bronze bowl on the altar before her. Her voice booms above the others, its volume bouyed by the fervor of her faith and the divine gifts her God bequeaths on her, his favored servant in this city. Those who speak the drow tongue will understand that Gevurah prays for guidance (or better yet a weapon) to defeat the Venturil plains of the saurian blight. Typically the drow do not concern themselves with surface struggles, but the underground city's vital trade supply routes have been cut short. At first only the poorest died of starvation, and Gevurah, the city's ruler, was untroubled by the loss of life replaced so cheaply. But soon the lower noble houses began to grow disatisfied with the loss of meat, sugar, magical reagents, jewels, and gold. A murmur of rebellion rode the city's whisper network to Gevurah's ear and she was finally forced to act, or at least to appear to act. The high nobility and House D'Artes (her ruling clan) have not yet felt the sting of the saurian's blockade.

Saares almost toppled over as he emerged from the darkness and on the outside of the congregation. Some of the surrounding drows had noticed his arrival and began turning in numbers to the disturbance as the nine foot tall abomination came to a halt and stood motionless. His skin began drying out rapidly and within seconds the desiccation had worked its way from the feet up and ultimately ossified him like a mummy before the crowd. His foundation crumbled and broke apart before an abrupt collapse sent him piling onto himself entirely. A stray gust of wind rolled in and traversed the remains, stirring them into the atmosphere as the air began to cloy and turn ammonia laden, fumigating the vicinity almost instantly.

Gevurah :: As Saares falls apart, the drow nearest the foul monstrosity immediately get up and flee! They rush towards the altar, because they dare not squeeze past Saares to flee through the door. "What is this?!" Gevurah snaps. She cuts her incantation short and the purplish light which was beginning to glow in the bowl of blood extinguishes with an audible hiss. "Move!" she commands as she storms down the center aisle of the congregation. She utters a spell in an ancient tongue. As the force of her spell gathers, her robes billow wildly behind her. Her hand stretches out before her face and crackles with a blue and gray energy. "What are you?" she shouts at Saares. "Speak or be banished to the abyss!"

Saares *** Another stream of wind made its way through the area fast, pulling detritus along with it that rematerialized the head of the monster before almost immediately disintegrating back to particles. An obscure voice followed in its path, speaking a few indistinguishable words that were of unknown origin to Hollow before departing in the ceasing wind. The air cleared up and it was over just as fast as it happened.