Lost Anchorage - Into the Underworld
Like a vise made of inky cold, it lifted him up off his feat and drew him into the pool.
The other members of the party, who were busy searching the room for secret doors, whirled as they heard his strangled scream, but most were too far away to help. The Sturg was the only one close enough, and alert enough, to intercede. He bounded over toward the druid, drawing his sword.
But the water moved fast. Whisperleaf had a chance to choke out a spell, attempting to burn his enemy, but to no avail, the water snuffed out his fire. The Sturg tried to make a grab for him, but he was too far and had to settle for striking at the black surge with his sword.
Welkin, the Sword of Andronicus, bit deeply but then both Whisperleaf and the Shadow Elemental were gone, down into the darkness of the deep deep well.
Whisperleaf was cold, choking and trapped, dragged deeper into the darkness. At first he struggled vainly trying to free himself, but then he remembered his teachings and forced control over his thoughts, searching for a place of calm. As he cleared his mind and stilled his body, an old saying came back to him, something his master had oft repeated when he was but an acolyte, walking between the stands of the giant trees, lost in the great northern groves.
"Empty your mind, be formless. Shapeless, like water. Put water into a cup, becomes the cup, put water into a teapot, becomes the teapot."
Nature doesn't always resist and fight. Nature adapts and changes.
Whisperleaf's form shimmered. And changed.
He immediately disguised his escape with a great cloud of ink, and under it's cover found a niche in the wall beneath a narrow circular stair to wedge himself into.
The Sturg peered into the well, trying to decide what his course of action was. He could jump in after the Druid, but wearing full plate, he wasn't much of a swimmer. The Sturg was not good at complexity. He turned his helmeted head toward Dakhir, somehow conveying a question.
"I have no i... " Dakhir's reply was broken off as the Shadow Elemental suddenly shot out of the well, lunging for him.
Somehow The Sturg radiated contentment. Now he was back on familiar ground. His shield blocked the attack against Dakhir, and his sword got to work.
The Elemental didn't last long under the combined fire of the entire party. Once it collapsed into shadows, Ricmo jumped up on to the lip of the well, balancing precariously and looking downward.
"Something else coming, get ready!"
And Whisperleaf-the-octopus was very nearly slaughtered by his own friends. Except for Marus' sudden "Hold!" command he might well have ended his adventures right then and there.
The Sturg looked at Marus, irked. He pointed his sword at the giant octopus and made a chopping motion.
"It's Whisperleaf " she said. "He favors that form"
The Octopus waved cheerily with all eight of his arms at the Sturg, who grudgingly lowered his sword.
"There is a spiral stair going down into the well" said the newly human Whisperleaf. "Very narrow."
"That's helpful, but it's under water" said Ricmo.
"Is it?" said Dakhir. "Looks more like shadows pretending to be water to me".
Ricmo walked over to where he had left the lantern, fueled with shadow oil, and climbed back up on to the rim of the well. "Well I'll be damned" he said
Where the lantern light fell, the water vanished away.
Slowly the heroes made there way down into the well, taking care to keep close to Ricmo's light, as both above and below the dim globe of shadowlight, the water remained. Down and down they went.
"It's like we're walking in a bubble" admired Whisperleaf.
"This is kind of ridiculous" said Ricmo. "We must be, what hundreds of feet below sea level. We were already in the basement of the tower. We should be flooded and crushed."
"I don't think we are in that plane anymore" said Dakhir. "I think we are...somewhere else."
Ricmo considered that statement for a moment. "Does this 'somewhere else' have treasure, you reckon? Or beer?"
Eventually they came to the bottom of the well, and were met by a plain, ordinary door. After a quick invesitagtion, Whisperleaf and Ricmo both nodded. Dakhir motioned to The Sturg. "After you".
The Sturg opened the door and stepped through it.
Out into the night sky, under the bright stars. He took a minute to get his bearings, and was somewhat surprised to find himself standing on a rocky spit of land surrounded by a dark, still sea. A little ways away he saw a small archaic ship sailing toward him.
The party emerged onto the narrow rocky spit of land and looked around wonderingly. "How in the hell...." said Ricmo. They party gazed in awe at the scene
"Dakhir, do you notice the stars?" asked Freddy quietly.
"Unusually bright" said Dakhir. "No moon."
"No, the constellations" said Freddy more urgently.
"Huh I don't really recognize them" said Dakhir. "That's odd"
"I know them, and so do you, by reputation at least. There are many legends and songs of these stars. They are 'the stars who do not set. Who are not paled by the coming of the day' as described in the Travels of the Sparrowhawk. Look, there is the Sickle, and the Scythe, and the Lady of Pain, and on the horizon the Star That Guides, the only star in this sky that shares the sky of the living world."
"The stars of the Underworld." said Dakhir quietly. "We are in the land of the dead.".
The heroes considered this quietly.
"So, no beer then?" said Ricmo.
A few minutes later the silent ship glided up to the rocky outcropping and quietly stopped. It had only one passenger, carrying a staff with a bright light affixed to it. The passenger was familiar.
"Navigator!" said Ricmo happily. "Pleasure to see you again, though a strange place for a meeting."
"Really?" said "Ricmo".
"Yes. Well, give or take about fifteen minutes, precision is hard in these things"
"Why are you here?" asked Freddy
"We are here to find your friend, the Cleric, Lightbringer. Remember I promised to help you in that task."
"That doesn't make any sense" said Ricmo. He's back at the boat, sleeping".
"Is he?" said the Navigator.
A few minutes later Ricmo stood at the bow of the boat, holding a glowing medallion high above his head. The same star medallion he had lifted from Darcy's desk in the tower. The Navigator had one just like it tied to his staff in the stern of the ship.
"Hold that medallion high" he had instructed the Halfling. "And focus your mind on your friend. Especially your emotional connection with him,"
Ricmo didn't trust people, not really. Growing up on the mean streets of Valoria had taught him to keep his relationships fun and casual and at arms length. He certainly never would have hung around anyone like Lightbringer. Lightbringer was possibly the biggest square Ricmo had ever met. He never shut up about his god. He was immensely serious, had absolutely no sense of humor. Ricmo suspected he had never experienced the word "fun". But he was always there and he never hesitated when the shit hit the fan. He had literally dove into lava to save the Halfling. That was hardcore and Ricmo respected that. He concentrated on his friend.
The rest of the heroes did the same. They each had some memory or other of the cleric that the held to, as the ship sailed the dark sea under the cold bright stars.
And after an unknowable period of time, they saw the sails of a ship on the horizon.
"The Lady Jezebel" said Marus. "It's OUR ship! But we left it anchored in the harbor! How is this possible?"
"Tell me again, about this friend of yours" said the Navigator. "What god did he worship, and what was that's god's domain?"
"You wouldn't have heard of Mithra" replied Dakhir. "He is a new god. A god of the sun, and of light."
"There is no sun down here." said the Navigator quietly. "Nor moon. Only the stars. One of the reasons why they cult of the Star that Guides was so popular in Annwyn, especially among the Fleet, only that Star can illuminate your way down here, and only the Orrery can guide you. That is why these pendants are so essential."
"Wait. You said the Fleet? Did the Fleet of Annwyn sail on these seas?" aske Dakhir in wonder.
"Of that I cannot speak." said the Navigator. "However, if your friend is looking for his god, as I suspect, he will not find him by sailing this sea."
Eventually their ship caught up with the Lady Jezebel and came alongside. The Sturg threw a grappling hook, caught the Lady and pulled the two ships together. This normally difficult maneuver was made easy by the calmness of the sea, only low, slow swells disturbed it's dark water.
The heroes boarded the quiet ship, in many ways so familiar, but silent as the grave. The shadowy figures ignored them as they made their way to the quarterdeck.
Lightbringer stood at the helmsmen's position, gripping the wheel. His vacant eyes starring at the horizon, unblinking and unwavering.
"Lightbringer, are you there?" said Ricmo. "We've come to rescue you!"
"Lightbringer didn't respond. Ricmo kicked him in the shin. Nothing.
"Perhaps the medallion" said Whiperleaf. "Ricmo held the medallion up to Lightbringer's face. He still didn't move, but his eyes tracked the bright light.
"Lightbringer, there may not be sun nor moon down here my friend, but there is still the light of the stars. Come back to us" said Whisperleaf.
"I cannot find him". whispered Lightbringer. "I cannot hear his voice".
"He is still there Lightbringer, he is just separated from you by the Shadow" said Dakhir. "Come back to us."
"The fog may obscure the mountain, but nonetheless the mountain remains. Comer back to us" said Marus.
"All is darkness". whispered Lightbringer. "I cannot see his light".
"Freddy didn't say anything but he strummed the first chord of the 'Sunrise Hymn' the most sacred of the Mithran hymns. Tears welled up in Lightbringer's eyes.
"WAKE UP AND STOP BEING A TOSSER" yelled Ricmo and kicked Lightbringer with all his might right in the testicles.
"Hey, that really hurt" said Lightbringer.
---------------------------------------------------
A few moments later...
"So how do we get back?" asked Ricmo to the Navigator.
"You can't really." he replied. "You have to go through. You must finish what you start or else the Shadow will claim you."
"Lady Ophelia. Darcy. The spirits of the town?" theorized Whisperleaf.
"More then likely" agreed the Navigator. "This place doesn't run on logic and cause and effect like you are used to. It runs on symmetry, sympathy and contagion. More like stories and song. Your bard" nodding to Freddy "is a great asset here."
"So how do we reach the Lady White?" asked Ricmo. "We don't even know her."
"But you know her story" said the Navigator. "Darcy reached across the shroud and made sure of that much. Still, some kind of physically connection would be helpful, you don't have anything of hers do you? Anything that was precious to her?"
"I have this marble" said Ricmo. "from her child, Vangeline".
Ricmo was back in the prow of the ship, holding the glowing star medallion aloft with one hand, clutching Vangeline's marble in the other, and thinking hard about what he knew of Lady Ophelia. He didn't have much to go on, just a few snippets of dreams. She had been beautiful, and distant, white and cold....
"Iceberg Ho, huge, off the port bow" sang out Marius from her perch on the crows nest.
"That would be our destination" said the Navigator.
There was a cave leading into the interior of the iceberg.
"This would be where I take leave of you". said the Navigator. "Good luck".
"Thanks for all your help" said Ricmo. "We really appreciate it. We will do our best to save your immortal soul from eternal damnation."
"Thank you" said the Navigator. "That would be nice." And he raised his staff and set his sail and sailed off into the darkness, humming a dry tune to himself.
The cave didn't go far, leading into an ice cavern whose walls were so polished they shown like mirrors. A narrow bridge crossed a deep fissure, ending in a blank wall of mirrored ice.
"This bridge is dangerous" said Marus. "We must travel single file, no cover, open to attack, difficult to escape if the exits are blocked by enemy."
"Not a lot of choice though". remarked Dakhir. "Do you see any enemies?"
"No" admitted Marus. "But nonetheless."
Carefully the party adjusted their marching order and made their way to the bridge. The cavern was deathly cold, full of light and shadow as the light from the shadowoil lantern and the star medallion danced crazily off the walls.
Whisperleaf tried to conjure flame to add to the illumination but his light seemed pitiful and dull
As Ricmo crossed the narrowest part of the cavern, he noticed the two sides of the cavern wall turned to run parallel to one another. The walls were so polished that for a moment, he got the disconcerting sensation that comes from walking between two mirrors, as a multitude of reflections went off into either distance, millions of little Ricmo's outlined with light and shadow
For a moment he noticed The Sturg in front of him seem to flicker. He rubbed his eyes and the moment passed, The Strurg was simply trudging forward in his Sturglike way.
As the party neared the end of the bridge, Ozraeline looked over to ask Marus whether she saw anything new, and momentarily froze. Marus in all ways looked like her normal self, but where her face should be, mostly obscured by her hood, was a white, porcelain mask.
The Sturg was angry. One moment he had been walking across a bridge, then he had been between two mirrors and somehow he had gotten confused by that and ended up entombed in ice. He wasn't sure exactly how that had happened. He didn't know how to get out. Generally when a situation got complex and he didn't know what to do, he resorted to brute strength. His mighty thews clenched and strained against the ice that entombed him. The ice cracked, but held. He tried again....
Meanwhile the heroes were fighting for their lives. As soon as Ozraeline had penetrated the illusion of the Marus doppelganger, the other illusions had broken as well. Three of the heroes (Marus, Lightbringer and The Sturg) suddenly vanished only to be replaced by tall gaunt creatures, dressed in black and wearing white porcelain masks, wielding long, sharpened chains like flails or whips.
And Ozraeline was squaring off against two of them.
"I really need to reconsider this rearguard thing" she thought to herself as her great curved scimitar leapt out. Her two opponents whirled their chains around in complicated arcs.
"A little help please" she called out. She saw an opening and quick as a striking snake her blade leapt out, neatly disarming one of her opponents by depriving him of a few fingers. "Oops you dropped something" she laughed, the light of battle in her eyes. She turned toward the other one, flashing him a slightly mad smile and like lightening her blade leapt out again, drawing a long red line from ear to chin, exactly outlining where the mask met his flesh. She murmured "I like your mask. I am coming for it sweetie. For you." The creature hesitated. Spawn of shadows he might be, but that smile unnerved him. He stepped sideways into a shadow and vanished.
Near the front of the party, Whisperleaf was in trouble. The Sturg-double had gotten the drop on him, the long chains wrapping around him, immobilized, biting into his fresh and burning him with cold. Spells fell from his lips and suddenly the hissing of snakes filled the room. Everywhere.
Even as the Dancer’s chain wrapped around Whisperleaf, Freddy's eyes widened in horror as his spell leapt from his guitar. He reached forward as if to claw it back, but it was gone. And the chain that had just wrapped around Whisperleaf started to glow red hot.
"Fuck" said Freddy.
At that moment the Shadowdancer fleeing from Ozraeline, stepped out of shadow next to Whisperleaf and brought his weapon down hard. The Druid went limp. The snakes vanished. The Dancer smiled.
And then Ricmo was there. His blades moved faster then the eye could follow as even the Shadowdancer's grace and speed was no match for the enraged halfling, as he stabbed his enemy a dozen times in the space of a breath. Black bolts from Dakhir finished the job, and the Shadowdancer fell.
In the rear of the party Ozraeline was making short work of her disarmed foe. He managed to reclaim his weapon but only by opening himself to her attacks. Her great blade delivered a flurry of strikes and despite the Dancer’s attempts at defense, he was no match for the Tiefling and he fell under her blade.
The last remaining Shadowdancer considered his situation, the odds arrayed against him, and stepped into a shadow, vanishing. Freddy meanwhile, howling in pain unwrapped the redhot chain with his bare hands from the still form of the druid.
"He still breathes" he said in relief.
At that moment the Sturg finally came bursting out of the wall of ice that contained him, followed a few moments later by Lightbringer and Marus. "Fear not" said Lightbringer, bending over Whisperleaf. "He is still with us, I will restore him".
------------------
The party gazed at the ice mirrorwall before them. "No sign of any exit" said Ricmo
"I have been thinking" mused Dakhir. "They came out of the mirror. I wonder if there is anyway we could go INTO one?"
The Sturg shrugged, reared back and crashed his mighty fist into the mirrorwall. The ice shuddered and bits flaked off. The Sturg shook the ache off his hand, and looked at Dakhir quizzically.
"Not exactly what I was thinking big guy" Dakhir answered.
"Shadow" said Whisperleaf. "Only exists at the borders between light and darkness. The first passage was unlocked by light...."
"Total darkness?" said Dakhir. "No shadows there. Trust me". He shuddered a bit with old memories.
Dakhir raised his hand. A globe of darkness sprang into being, covering the wall.
The Sturg waked through it
"Well the upside is this shadow-water vanished with the light just like the well did" said Ricmo cheerily.
"The downside was all the wraiths we released when you did that" said Dakhir sullenly
"Well you blew them up with hellfire nicely.
And the upside was we found the passage out" said Ricmo
"Yes but after the wraiths were done with us we were too banged up and tired to risk taking the passage"
"But then again, we had all those torches to keep us warm while we camped and recovered"
"Which evidentially attracted THAT" said Dakhir pointing.
"Who knows, maybe it's friendly" said Ricmo
"Sure. Probably just bringing us beer" said Dakhir.
"You are such a glass-half-empty kinda guy" said Ricmo. "She might have beer." Dakhir glared at the halfling. "It's not utterly impossible" muttered Ricmo
For a few moments the creature ignored them, then slowly it started floating toward them across the shadowy lake. Everyone's eyes turned toward Dakhir.
"Hey why are you all looking at ....fine fine I get it, I get it” he grumbled as he stepped forward.
"Greetings lady, I pray for a peaceful meeting".
The shape stopped, eyed Dakhir and then laughed a musical laugh
"Ahh. Your one of HERS. Off limits. Pity."
"Um. Yes?" said Dakhir.
"Perhaps you may still be of some assistance. I seek a lost lamb. Poor little thing. Ran away into the dark. Thinks to hide from me. Thinks to break his bargain. Silly little lamb."
"Silly indeed" said Dakhir.
"Perhaps you can help me? Seek him out and you will be rewarded."
"Alas Lady we are already on business most urgent, but we would be happy to deliver you any information we might come upon in our travels"
"So you agree to seek him?"
"I did not say that Lady. Our own business is pressing, but if we happen to encounter him you will know."
"That is a minor bargain, worthy of no reward. Unless you find him" she chided.
"Nonetheless"
The creature eyed the reast of the party
"The rest of you are not off limits. Surely someone will make a bargain? I can be VERY generous to those who please me."
"No thanks" the party said nearly in unison.
The creature looked disappointed.
"Very well Dakhir I will accept your proposal, as dissatisfying as it is. Step forward"
Dakhir looked nervous but walked up to the creature anyway. She slowly reached forward and with the long nail of her little finger pricked Dakhir's left arm, just above the elbow. The spot bled for a second and then immediately scabbed over into a small red dot.
"Touch that and call to me if you find my lost lamb". She slowly turned and drifted away.
---
After the party rested, they used the shadow lantern to drive away the shadow-water and lay bare the bottom of the lake. A stone staircase led down under the lake. They traveled those stairs further and further down until eventually they came to a cave mouth.
As the exited the cave, they found themselves once again under the sky. Whisperleaf gasped
"A Forest?" he said
Comments
Post a Comment