Finnegan lays a hand on the half-orc's shoulder. "She's right, you know. While there are many fine words I would use to describe you, 'sneaky' is not among the list."
And with that, Finn goes to inspect the next door.
"Well let me provide more light, after all we will lose the element of surprise anyway if we blunder about in the dark."
Henry will move forward to help Finnegan, torch in one hand and his whip ready in the other.
Anatoly stops and smiles to himself as the others begin to inspect the door, pleased with himself that he has spurred the others to action, and amused that Finnegan at least thinks him to be not 'sneaky'. The reputation my people have for bluntness and brutality makes others underestimate me. And my accent supports this image, I think. I will have to at some point let my companions know what skills I truly have, but not just yet, I think; not until I trust them more.
William positions himself to take a shot on anything that may be behind the door.
Saul moves near William. His gun is also at the ready just in case...
James positions himself nearcthe back, protecting the rear
I wonder why no one knew of this place....that is a mystery unto itself....
standing around the doorway with the others behind him, Finn begins to peer at the stone-framed opening.
His eyes in the darkvision spectrum, he sees little strange runes float around at various intervals upon the frame. But strange as it seems, even his darkvision cannot pierce the black veil that shrouds the other side of the doorway.
Even the light from the lantern doesnt pierce the black veil.
"Its as dark as a moonless sky through here. I see nothing. Not even shadows. Isabella, what would your old gran say about this one?"
Finnegan closes his eyes and reaches out with his soul - his prayer extending like fingers out into the darkness. He tries to feel the magic, grasp it, and analyze it, trying to decipher what message his god has for him...
"Not a blessed clue," Isabella says as she squats next to Finnegan and stares at the darkness. "We were never what you'd call close even before she started going senile and started showing off the witchery where it shouldn't be seen. I'm trying to recall if she ever mentioned anything..."
Even as she casts her mind back, Isabella unconsciously casts the web of her thoughts outward.
"Did i tell you about how to avoid the fairy queen and her little stables at wayland smithy back in my homeland? Well you need to stand in a fairy ring to see the entrances to their kingdom, unless you know how to look beyond looking, otherwise you can walk right in and be trapped there for years. I met a man once who had become trapped there and i kid you not, he was born in the same year as Queen Elizabeth, God rest her soul"
William shakes his head and grins over at Saul before readying his weapon again. "Well, whatever is over yonder, y'all probably talked it to death by now."
Saul chokes back a laugh and grins with amusement.
Trying to egg William on, Finn says, "Will you be quiet? We are trying to concentrate!"
praying wiht all his might, the small man from new york in his out of place hat seems an interesting sight to a passerby, as he looks to be praying to the darkness.
At first, there is nothing. Then its there, strong, very strong illusion. The blackness is a simple illusion.
"I wonder..." Finnegan takes out his dagger and begins to scratch the nearest rune outlining the door, attempting to debase the illusion.
a bright flash, bright enough to throw your shadows up on the walls behind you, and to be seen from outside the main entrance fills the room. a loud POP makes your ear drums ring.
As you blink away the bright points in your vision, you see that the illusion of blackness is gone. instead your light shows into a small landing area and then the top of a set of stairs going down...
"Hey, what do you know? It worked!"
Finnegan smiles at the trio holding their rifles and motions them onward, "After you, ye disbelievers."
That is odd....
Jame heads in, his senses straining to find any hidden danger.
William jumps in surprise from the flash and sound. "Well I be a monkey's uncle, Padre! Little warning before you try to kill us next time, hows a bout?"
Anatoly flinches back from the bright flash, cursing in russian and shielding his eyes with one hand, "Sukin syn! What you do Finnegan?"
He recovers quickly, blinking to try to clear the afterimage of the flash from his eyes, his bow half raised and looking all about for any threat.
"I...my power...dissipated the darkness. It flew like a sparrow from the hawk."
"That," Isabella says, "hurt."
She lightly slaps Finnegan in the back of the head before getting back to her feet and rubbing her eyes and ears. "Man, that hurt!"
Finnegan reaches down to pick up the hat the Isabella nocked off his head as he grumbles something intelligible to himself, hopefully out of earshot from the elf.
see the discussion page
Was a good story, i liked the unknown aspect of it all.
I liked it, would be good to continue/restart. Really like the concept.
Oh hey. There was a ping. ;)
Pong. :p
Pang!
June 1st... be ready...
I am.
Ping!
Woooo
-Posted with Wayfinder
Ok, i have isabella, prof henry, anatoly and william.just missing saul and finn, and james.
<-- Is here. (and apparently will be checking this thread more often now. :P)
Poke
as you stand in ankle deep water, your light flickers across the walls and ceiling, casting strange shadows movements beyond the lights radius.
30 feet in front of you is a black darkness of something. a single step leads out of sight from your vantage point. This area, this alcove, is devoid of the strange runes, and odd carvings that dominate the larger room you currently stand in.
"Well.. I've seen a fair bit in my time, but this 'ere does take it I do believe." Saul remarks in his Southern drawl.
Holding a torch in one hand and a tomahawk in the other, he moves slowly forward, watching for traps, or sinkholes, or just anything at all that looks like it might be worrisome.
Anatoly moves in behind Saul with an arrow on the string, focusing more on what he may be able to see beyond the firelight, "This is certainly a new on in by books, too."
"Meh," Isabella says, smirking. "I've seen catacombs before. It's all pretty much the same past the little details. Stone. Darkness. Cold air. Peril in aforementioned darkness. Buried wealth, sarcophagi and bones."
What on earth have i let myself in for! Well perhaps there will be more gold where those runes came from.
Bringing up the rear torch and whip in hand, Henry creeps forward.
"Sorry, but why are we coming down here? And why are there no runes in here I wonder? "
William still holds his rifle ready as he glances at the other. "Well I ain't ever seen nuthin like this here."
stepping up to the ledge, you all stop in wonder as your torchlight is cast into the darkness below, refracted a million times by the massive crystals that are embedded into the dark walls.
standing opposite you is a face, similar in nature to the one that guarded the entrance to this catacomb. Chiseled and carved out of granite laced with gold and marble, the stern face sits upon shoulders, that form into a squat body of a creature that you have never seen before. thick arms, treetrunk legs, a barrel chest are given life in the stone. a large hammer sits down upon the floor 100 feet below. And next to the hammer head, a doorway.
the stairs appear to be carved into the sides of this chamber, making the person circle the room 4 times before reaching the bottom.
Far below, you see a large bundle of something, unmoving, uncaring of the massive statue that stands above it...
"Here's where it's usually a solid idea to drop a torch or something down," Isabella says. "'Cept with all this water, it'd go poof before we could see anything."