As Dhran watched the entrance, Gunion examined the archway, studying the characters that Jose had found, carved into the stone. The script was an ancient one, but one still known to scholars, cuneiform. The language was old, but not ancient, and Gunion could puzzle out, to pass all that was necessary was to trace certain symbols.
The room ahead was a large chamber, seemingly impossible for where it was, the ceiling would be higher than the ground outside if sense prevailed. Farshad stumbled ahead, almost falling into a large pool occupying the centre of the chamber over which were flitting the perim sprites. The dived into the pool and exited by a dark passageway.
Juushur dived into the pool, only to find himself gently deposited standing on the floor, the water in the pool being a thin layer under which was fresh, breathable air.
The group passed through the passage into a second chamber, dominated at the other side, guarding an exit, a huge serpent with glowing eyes. The group approached it, Farshad circling right, Jushuur left. They looked, Gunion tried magic, but the spell either failed or revealed everything. The serpent did not show up particularly on Farshaad’s infravision, which is no great surprise as serpents are cold blooded, but the eyes still glowed though it ignored bait thrown by Jushuur.
Light dimly shone through it, and eventually Jose threw hard tack at the thing, it cracked the scaly hide, revealing it to be the discarded skin of a massive constrictor. The eyes proved to be two of the sprites who had changed colour.
The next chamber had a pool with mossy rocks around which the sprites flitted. Jose used his empathy, and the sprites were radiating so strongly that there was no change that he could not read them, there was feelings of loss and fear. The group surmised that the sprites were linked to the moss, and they discussed whether to leave without the moss.
The sprites made it clear that the group could take the moss from one stone, as they did so, the sprites of that moss were enfolded into other moss and nursed by the remaining sprites.
The group thanked the sprites and left, heading back to the marsh village to change, rest and be gifted with delicacies. They promised to pass word to the herbalist Roxyanna to see what aid could be sent to them should they need it.\n\nThe road back was the same as they followed, and this time they encountered Sakah warriors, armoured and ready for war, hunting Urtak. They had followed the infection from the north, noted Haraxan villages empty, a border fort overrun with Urtak, not just the shambling types, but full of demonic power. These Sakah exported them to Absvarh, into which some of the villagers had returned and were fortifying.
The ferry was fixed, so they crossed, arranged for the leather worker to be brought after them to get the cure. The last stage of the journey found an ash pit where a bunch of newly infected had been destroyed, and a couple of armed people were praying against the desecration of fire and earth.
Irbuk was also being fortified, closing off gaps between buildings, with soldiers building stakes. The garrison commander was with a tall women in the robes of a City Magistrate. The group persuaded them they had a cure,, and to let them try. They were given a limited time but Roxyanna was equal to the task. The patients were still guarded until morning came, but their colour returned, their wounds smelled more wholesome, their fever dropped.
The group told the magistrate Nirilha about the Sakah, the villagers of Dalbeh and the villages emptied. She started getting troops out on patrol and told them that an assistent of hers, Harvan, would be there in about four days, and he would have a task for them, if they were interested.\n\nThe group has a week to rest, heal, train and be ready”,
As Dhran watched the entrance, Gunion examined the archway, studying the characters that Jose had found, carved into the stone. The script was an ancient one, but one still known to scholars, cuneiform. The language was old, but not ancient, and Gunion could puzzle out, to pass all that was necessary was to trace certain symbols.
The room ahead was a large chamber, seemingly impossible for where it was, the ceiling would be higher than the ground outside if sense prevailed. Farshad stumbled ahead, almost falling into a large pool occupying the centre of the chamber over which were flitting the perim sprites. The dived into the pool and exited by a dark passageway.
Juushur dived into the pool, only to find himself gently deposited standing on the floor, the water in the pool being a thin layer under which was fresh, breathable air.\n\nThe group passed through the passage into a second chamber, dominated at the other side, guarding an exit, a huge serpent with glowing eyes. The group approached it, Farshad circling right, Jushuur left. They looked, Gunion tried magic, but the spell either failed or revealed everything. The serpent did not show up particularly on Farshaad’s infravision, which is no great surprise as serpents are cold blooded, but the eyes still glowed though it ignored bait thrown by Jushuur.
Light dimly shone through it, and eventually Jose threw hard tack at the thing, it cracked the scaly hide, revealing it to be the discarded skin of a massive constrictor. The eyes proved to be two of the sprites who had changed colour.
The next chamber had a pool with mossy rocks around which the sprites flitted. Jose used his empathy, and the sprites were radiating so strongly that there was no change that he could not read them, there was feelings of loss and fear. The group surmised that the sprites were linked to the moss, and they discussed whether to leave without the moss.
The sprites made it clear that the group could take the moss from one stone, as they did so, the sprites of that moss were enfolded into other moss and nursed by the remaining sprites.
The group thanked the sprites and left, heading back to the marsh village to change, rest and be gifted with delicacies. They promised to pass word to the herbalist Roxyanna to see what aid could be sent to them should they need it.
The road back was the same as they followed, and this time they encountered Sakah warriors, armoured and ready for war, hunting Urtak. They had followed the infection from the north, noted Haraxan villages empty, a border fort overrun with Urtak, not just the shambling types, but full of demonic power. These Sakah exported them to Absvarh, into which some of the villagers had returned and were fortifying.
The ferry was fixed, so they crossed, arranged for the leather worker to be brought after them to get the cure. The last stage of the journey found an ash pit where a bunch of newly infected had been destroyed, and a couple of armed people were praying against the desecration of fire and earth.
Irbuk was also being fortified, closing off gaps between buildings, with soldiers building stakes. The garrison commander was with a tall women in the robes of a City Magistrate. The group persuaded them they had a cure,, and to let them try. They were given a limited time but Roxyanna was equal to the task. The patients were still guarded until morning came, but their colour returned, their wounds smelled more wholesome, their fever dropped.
The group told the magistrate Nirilha about the Sakah, the villagers of Dalbeh and the villages emptied. She started getting troops out on patrol and told them that an assistant of hers, Harvan, would be there in about four days, and he would have a task for them, if they were interested