"Yeah. Not so much, no." Justin grumbles, but holds short casting his fiery sphere just yet.
"Alright Casper, you got ONE chance. Talk. Tell me what it is you want, why you kee coming back, and what it will take to convince you and your friends to go away and never bother these nice folks again. Otherwise I make Magical Post-Ghosties out of your skanky mask."
"Wait who or what is Teneborous?"
The spectre laughs, a horrible sound
::kill me human. I have been killed many times::
It swivels to Merle
:: Tenebrous will be the last scream on your lipsss...::
It laughs again, the crazed sound like Hell's loudest organ
Oh, and Tenebrous - knowledge (planes) or knowledge (religion) to see if the name rings a bell
"Hey spooks, as long as you're in a talkative mood you recognize this axe?" Karrins says holding up Ferissirion, "I'll give you a much closer look in a moment, but it freakn' hates you guys for some reason, I mean I don't care for you myself or anything, but Ferissirion here hasn't displayed that kind of hate before. I just figured I'd ask ya before I axe ya"
Ekuur has not heard of the name. It doesn't fit any pantheon the has studid
The spectre hisses at Karrin
::a curse on you, devilkin, and your axe:: ::you carry poison shaped in a blade:: ::you will lie dead soon, your weapon buried in your friend's chest::
Justin bristles at the creatures comments to Karrin.
"Yeah well, while we're all waiting to die of old age. I get the feeling this guy isn't going to be all that helpful." The wizard mutters to the others. His mood seems dark, whether because of the insult to Karrin, or the troubling image the creatures words conjured,...
"So Spooky, You say you've died before? Let's see if we can make THIS time memorable, shall we? FUEGO!" With a gesture Justin causes one of his signature flaming sphere spells to materialize INSIDE the entrapping sphere with the spirit. The wizard turns his back on the spook with a dark but satisfied look on his face and brushes his hands together.
"So. Karrin. What's the background on your axe? Whatever it is these things do NOT seem to like it. We might need to see if Ferrisson has any friends. Also, I do not like that this guy" he jerks a thumb over his shoulder, "seems to think he's a reincarnation of a previous spectre. I still have that mask from our last encounter. Let's make sure we get ALL of them this time. If these things are some kind of spiritual parasite we need to limit their means of entry." Justin's voice is light enough to be normal, but his face holds the tension he is carefully not voicing.
"Quite unusual that her axe would have such an effect. Aren't the dead typically unaffected by cold?"
The spectre scheeches and laughs manically as Justin's flame boils off its ectoplasm. Soon nothing but a charred, cracked mask lies in the bubble
[dice=knowledge religion]1d20+14
"Hey spooks, as long as you're in a talkative mood you recognize this axe?" Karrins says holding up Ferissirion, "I'll give you a much closer look in a moment, but it freakn' hates you guys for some reason, I mean I don't care for you myself or anything, but Ferissirion here hasn't displayed that kind of hate before. I just figured I'd ask ya before I axe ya"
Karrin:
the Prince of Death
Might rule on high
But within stranger Aeons
Even death may die
But what is death
To Death's pale King
A tenebrous fate
His end will bring
Karrin nods at her companions questions, "Fraid I can't offer much to that mystery despite attempts by my good friend Olli, I found it in a bar being wield by one of the biggest goblins I'd ever seen. It took an immediate liking to me and I to it, but the best Olli could figure out were these runes you can see on it were written by frost giants . . ."
"Oh, before this very moment I have never heard Ferissirion talk, I know I pretended to hear him talk before, but this is the first time I heard a very distinct warning inside my head. I mean I always knew Ferissirion was intelligent, he can manipulate my emotions, but usually we never have a two sided conversation."
"Okay, one other thing is, that name Tenebrous, let me lay a little poem on you:
The Prince of Death
Might rule on high
But within stranger Aeons
Even death may die
But what is death
To Death's pale King
A tenebrous fate
His end will bring
Not sure of what to make of that, but I saw it in an old book once and hearing that name again brought it to mind.
A charnel smell lingers in the bore hole. The tunnel slopes down at a 45-degree angle, the bark just rough enough to allow for sure footing.
Justin makes a wry face at Karrin.
"Um. I'm no poetry aficionado, but that's kinda creepy. Hanging around Sigil in general, and you guys in particular, I know there are things out there that even Powers should fear. Sounds like this 'Tenebrous' might be one of them. Or at least is trying to be."
After (carefully!) recovering the now-scorched mask from where it lies and securing it inside a BLESSED cloth inside his backpack, Justin makes a small effort of will and brings a few small, multi-colored balls of light into existence. With a casual wave of his hand he sends them ahead of the group to light the way into the large borehole.
"After you, oh fearless Leader-ette?"
The dancing lights illuminate the large ragged-bark tunnel. The splintered wood of Yggdrasil sends odd shadows skittering here and there as the magic lights glide by.
The group descends about 300 feet until a round chamber is reached, with no other way out. The temperature drops, and their breath comes out in long plumes. The entrance to the chamber is mounded with dessicated corpses., blocking easy access to the interior, although the contents of the chamber can be seen.
The chamber's floor has been polished smooth, and an intricate circle pattern has been burnt into the wood. At the center of an elaborate weave of runes and sigils a small circle of darkness sits flickering.
"Oh joy. THIS doesn't look ominous AT ALL." Justin mumbles to the others in a low voice.
As the others look for a way to make the access into the chamber easier, The wizard studies the runes scorched into the wooden floor. And the ominously floating ball of darkness,...
Justin:
"Um,... guys?" Justin says softly, and noticeably paler.
"That thing in there? It's a portal. An always on portal. I'm not sure how, I wasn't even certain it COULD be done except in theory, but this is some potent shrek we're looking at. Those runes powering it are all dark magics. I can read the Aklo and Abyssal from here. I have NO idea where it goes, and I'm pretty sure I DON'T want to find out."
He looks at Karrin, and his face falls.
"We're gonna go and find out, aren't we?"
Justin's eye picks out a word in Abyssal runes he missed before. It sounds very familiar:
Ranaïs
"Wait,... Ranais,... Isn't that the 'deadworld' or rather, "UNdead world" That we passed through that once? Not quite briefly enough?"
"Well those things seemed to think they knew us," Karrin says, "Maybe we left an impression, thought I don't remember anything special about that trip"
"So can we just I dont know smash the thing or put a wall in front of it or something?"
"Normally I'd say yes Merle. Erase or scratch out a few runes and render the portal inoperative. But THIS thing is being perpetually powered by,... something. I'm not even sure it can be wrecked. Without, you know, catastrophic consequences."
He looks at the others.
"And by 'Catastrophic Consequences' I mean 'Killing everyone within a league or three of here, or maybe opening a dimensional rift which would suck this realm into that one.'" Justin says, plainly pronouncing the Capital 'C's'.
"We need to find out what's powering this thing and shut it down. And I'm guessing whatever it is is on the OTHER side of,...that." He gestures vaguely towards the inky blackness hovering above the sigils in the magic circle.
"The other thing is," Karrin says, "is that specters can float through walls."
Justin opens his mouth to reply, shuts it with a snap, and edges nervously away from the tree-burrow wall.
"Yeeeaaaaaaaahhhhhh,..."
The small circular shield of force from his magic ring snaps into existence with a barely audible hum.
"How about a dispel will that work at all?"
Justin shakes his head, then shrugs.
"Maybe. Not LIKELY. But maybe. For about 10 seconds. Then whatever is powering that thing kicks back in and it just starts up again."
Justin sighs. "That rift door was opened from the other side. Then anchored here by means of the circle. But whatever is powering it and opened the original gate is on the other side of that. And we're going to have to go to where the power source is if we're going to shut it down."
"Maybe,... yeah. No,... yes?" Justin mutters to himself.
"Merle, if we can find the power source, and you can neutralize it temporarily by dispelling it,... and KEEP it that way,... I should be able to undo any runes and remove the power source. Of course, then we're all most likely trapped on the other side, without a way back, in a world of spooky undead Demon-Wraiths who are all pi$$ed at us for closing their gate,..." He points out.
Justin plants a big, goofy, and obviously unenthusiastic fake grin across his face.
"So,... Road Trip?!?"
:)
;P
"So we're off to disable a portal from the other side?" Karrin asks, "I know I'm not so smart but do you see any potential problems with that plan?"
Nari shuddered. The thought of going into that undead world made her so scared she felt like she was going to throw up. That mask thing had been bad enough. She had completely frozen, unable to do anything against it. And they were planning to face a whole world of undead things with no way back? She wiped her shaking hands on her pants and tried to get herself together.
"It's a terrible plan," she said, her voice quavering in spite of her best efforts to control it. "But this portal is making Yggdrasil sick. And letting in creatures that are hurting the people who live here. The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few. So unless someone has some brilliant idea of how we could shut the portal down from this side.....I think we have to go."
"Well I'm all out of ideas on my end so I guess in we go."
"Oh I see LOTS of possible problems with this particular plan Karrin. Unfortunately I DON'T see another alternative." Justin grumbles, nervously checking his spell components and arcane weaponry.
"But soon as I find one, you'll be the second to know!"
Justin turns his winning grin on Karrin and Merle.
"Ladies first?"
"So wade headfirst into an undead world to face off against a possible infinite number of soulless monsters." Rhiannon mutters. "The craziest partbis that I have to thik about it to know if it's the worst idea we've ever acted on."
"I ordered surströmming once at the World Serpent Inn once," Karrin says in response to Rhiannon, "That was the worst idea I ever had. It was horrible, I could barely stand to lick the plate clean, that's how horrible it was, worst thing I ever ate. If someone offers some of that at a party I'd only take enough to be polite let me tell you. I most certainly wouldn't take any home with me, unless they were going to throw it out, and even then I wouldn't like it.
"Well," Karrin says with a heavy sigh, "Everyone knows the risks, I guess we go though. Hero stuff and all, but just once it would be nice to have a town plagued by a generous buffet table instead of ghosts and monsters . . ."
"Oh there is a buffet table it just happens to be us."
"Hopefully they save the dessert for last."
"What?!? I'm sweet! No, really. Why are you laughing?"
Ekuur stands back, growing a bit weary at the banter. "I am perhaps best equipped to fight legions of the undying at once; I will head through first." Without waiting for a response, he grasps his obsidian holy symbol in one hand, says a quick prayer to the Sacred Flame, and steps through.
"Ekuu,...!" Justin stops, clears his throat, and stares at the portal.
"Gotta buy that guy a sense of humor for his next birthday,..." Justin murmurs.
"Still, when he's right, he's right! Hey Ekuur! Wait for us!" Justin cries as he takes his place next to Merle, allowing the armored warrioress(es) to precede the casters through the dark and spooky portal,...
Ekuur strides forward into the room. As he nears the pile of dessicated corpses that block the entrance they stir. A hungry moaning issues from their dead lips as two dozen zombies begin to rise
Check it out! Look who is back!
Ekuur, suspecting that something like this might occur, intones his prayer to the Sacred Flame much louder and more vehemently. A blue, fiery flash rushes out from him to sear the undead.
channel energy Will DC 16
Merle moves in and unleashes a burning hands on the zombies (DC 18 reflex)
Damage
The combination of sacred and arcane fire shrivels most of the zombies to husks. The few left are in bad shape
"Hmph. Showoffs,..." Justin mutters under his breath. He casually flicks his fingers and sends a single azure bolt of blazing energy into one of the remaining zombies.