54. Pyramid of Stone and Destiny
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We have gained another member of our party, so to speak. A small orb of light now follows Nekaya. She tells us it is a creature of good sent to her by her gods, and it will not harm anyone not of an evil nature. She calls it 'Sunshine'. She is able to converse with it in her native tongue, though it does not seem capable of speech itself. It gives off no more light than a candle flame, but in this dark tomb any light is welcome.
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We have gained another member of our party, so to speak. A small orb of light now follows Nekaya. She tells us it is a creature of good sent to her by her gods, and it will not harm anyone not of an evil nature. She calls it 'Sunshine'. She is able to converse with it in her native tongue, though it does not seem capable of speech itself. It gives off no more light than a candle flame, but in this dark tomb any light is welcome.
A moment after Rock had entered the
stairway exiting the first chamber, I heard the sound of metal snapping and a
blade came hurtling out of the stairwell to land on the floor near the horses.
Rock called out an apology. Liadan had entered the stairway with the intention
of healing his wounds, but he proceeded on into the next chamber. He called out
to us that we should join him.
I ascended the stairs into a room
furnished with two plinths. A pool occupied the center of the chamber. To my
left I saw Rock and Liadan engaged in destroying more of the walking skeletons.
A figure wrapped in strips of linen lay upon a plinth near the skeletons - they
had been occupied in wrapping this figure when Rock entered. This is the manner
in which the people of Mulhorand dispose of their dead. When she and Rock had
eliminated the skeletons, Liadan began to cut the wrappings from this body, for
Rock had seen signs that someone living had preceded us into the tomb, and
Liadan reported that the figure still appeared to move. Thinking the walking
skeletons had been about to bury some poor soul alive, she endeavored to free
him.
When the wrappings were removed from his
head this revealed that his eyes and mouth had been sewn shut and despite his
motions he was quite dead. Then he began to shudder, and a great mass of
beetles erupted from within his body, far more than could have been contained
therein. They swarmed down the plinth onto the floor and began clambering over
Rock and Liadan, biting through the gaps in their armor. Liadan summoned a holy
flame in Lathander's name and turned them to cinders. The body had fallen to
the floor and still somehow squirmed about, so Erim drew a wand from his belt
and burnt it also.
Nekaya wished to continue through the
tomb until we could find and destroy the gong that continued to ring, each time
causing the hairs on my neck to stand on end. Liadan agreed with Nekaya that we
must stop the gong and lay the dead to rest. The sounding of the gong seemed
not only to raise the dead but to make weaker the powers of the gods to turn
aside such abominations. As we did not wish to leave our mounts unattended, and
we could not bring them through the tomb with us, Nekaya asked Pakkin to remain
and watch over them.
Beyond the second chamber the stair
descended rather than rising. Nekaya explained that this was typical for such
tombs. Rock preceded us into each passageway to disable any traps set to
prevent desecration of the tomb, which is also typical. When he could not
disable or destroy the traps he marked them so that we could avoid activating
them. But one such trap managed to slip past his notice. He trod on a stone and
suddenly the stair swung away beneath him, dropping him into darkness. Before
the rest of our party could draw nearer the stair had closed again.
Erim made a gesture and a wide section
of the stair vanished, leaving an opening into darkness. Rock had managed to
catch hold of the lip of the opening and then before it closed he had activated
his immovable rod, such that he now hung from the rod through his belt,
suspended above the pit. He advised us that he had found someone else in the
pit, evidently the persons who had preceded our entry into the tomb. Nekaya
sent Sunshine down to give healing to one of the three folk who had tumbled
into the pit together. The other two had been slain by the long fall. The man
who survived was badly injured.
After a rope was tied to the immovable
rod, Rock descended to the bottom of the pit to retrieve the injured man and
the rest of us hauled them out. The man was unconscious when brought out of the
pit, but this did not appear to Liadan to be a result of his injuries. When she
granted him Lathander's mercy, his injuries improved but he also seemed to
suffer. We had already observed that his skin was the color of soot, which did
not seem to be a result of his wounds. Nekaya suggested that he might be a
denizen of the realm of shadows, similar to the shadow creatures that had
attacked us in the park in Arrabar.
Bearing the insensible man with us, we
continued our journey deeper into the tomb. Nekaya warned us that it was the
custom of great rulers of her native land to take servants into their tombs
with them, to continue to serve them in the afterlife. We came upon more such
servants, brought to a semblance of life by the ringing of the foul gong. My swords
were of little use against these walking skeletons, for swords are made to
cleave flesh better than bone. But I found that I could deprive them of the
sickle-shaped swords they bore easily enough. In one room I disarmed two of
them in this manner while Liadan and Nekaya smashed them to bits.
In the next room we met more difficult
foes, for the pharaoh had taken some of his elite retainers to his tomb as well
as his weaker servants. These had some desiccated flesh on their bones, but
this made them no easier for me to harm. Fortunately the linen wrappings that
held their flesh in place were susceptible to fire. Rock had lent me
Brimstone's flaming blade and I could scorch them with its flames even though
the blade itself did them little injury.
As we passed through a chamber
containing two thrones and several chests, we heard music faintly from the next
room. Entering it, we found that it contained many of the pharaoh's treasures,
including his chariot and even a river barge. Among these waited yet more of
his unliving servants, one of them playing a harp while another sang an ancient
tune. Two warriors wrapped in linen stood at either side of the entrance.
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Quips & Quotes:
Erim: "Can we find the nearest miniature sun out of here?"
GM: "This creature, once human, is only lightly covered in burial wrappings."
Liadan: "It's casual Friday."
Liadan: "I probably had the wand out to heal Rock."
Nekaya: "But you might have had your mace in your other hand to pacify him first."
GM: "You can tell the chamber is intended for preparation for unlife - ahem - the afterlife."
Telemnar: "Mummies - very flammable. You go first."
GM: "The urns are full of herbs and spices. I think there are 11 of them."
Rock: "So Ahnukileal was a colonel?"
Erim rolls the damage for two charges of scorching ray from a wand. His first roll is 6, 6, 6, 3. His second roll is 1, 1, 1, 5.
Liadan: "It's been en-eviled. I'm an en-eviler."
Rock: "I have an uncanny trap sense. Ow! There's one."
Rock (as Rock falls down the stairs): "It's a Rock tumbler!"
Nekaya: "The skeleton can claw me."
Rock: "It's in their contract. It's a claws."
Rock: "You could pick up a femur and hit it with that. That'd be humerus."
Erim: "Can we find the nearest miniature sun out of here?"
GM: "This creature, once human, is only lightly covered in burial wrappings."
Liadan: "It's casual Friday."
Liadan: "I probably had the wand out to heal Rock."
Nekaya: "But you might have had your mace in your other hand to pacify him first."
GM: "You can tell the chamber is intended for preparation for unlife - ahem - the afterlife."
Telemnar: "Mummies - very flammable. You go first."
GM: "The urns are full of herbs and spices. I think there are 11 of them."
Rock: "So Ahnukileal was a colonel?"
Erim rolls the damage for two charges of scorching ray from a wand. His first roll is 6, 6, 6, 3. His second roll is 1, 1, 1, 5.
Liadan: "It's been en-eviled. I'm an en-eviler."
Rock: "I have an uncanny trap sense. Ow! There's one."
Rock (as Rock falls down the stairs): "It's a Rock tumbler!"
Nekaya: "The skeleton can claw me."
Rock: "It's in their contract. It's a claws."
Rock: "You could pick up a femur and hit it with that. That'd be humerus."
55. A Voyage to Distant Places
As we stepped from
the spiral stair into the next chamber, I saw that it was a very large room,
filled with pillars and statuary. In the center of the room the woman reclined
on a couch, attended by two skeletal servants. The chamber was lit by solar
disks of beaten gold upon the pillars, but these seemed dim until Liadan's
spell of daylight struck them and they brightened.
The woman on the couch was neither fleshless nor living, or so it seemed to me, for her flesh seemed somehow insubstantial. She was not actually playing a flute, but eerie tones of a flute could be heard emanating from her direction. A gong also stood by her, but it did not ring, though we could still hear the sound of the evil gong that seemed to summon the unliving back to their semblance of life.
When we entered, four chariots began to array themselves as for battle, each driven by a fleshless charioteer and attended by a warrior. As they moved skeletons bearing javelins followed on foot. From behind me I heard the now-familiar tones of Erim's voice chanting his spell of haste before we moved out of range of its magic.
I moved forward to meet one of the entry guardians as Rock pitted himself against the second sentry. Liadan strode past us and called upon Lathander's might, causing two of the unliving warriors and their equally lifeless horses to explode in clouds of dust. But as I began to make my way further into the chamber, the haunting melody of the flute captured my mind and I stood helpless.
After a moment I was able to shake my thoughts free of my desire to follow the sound of the flute, but I could only observe as the woman on the couch arose into the air and assumed an upright position floating a short distance above the tiled floor. Liadan summoned a burst of holy flame to destroy one of the threatening chariots. Nekaya then ran to face the hovering woman. She spoke to the woman in her native tongue, but whatever she said appeared to make no impression on the figure. The woman's insubstantial form suddenly descended into the floor and disappeared from my sight.
One of the chariots had circled the room by this time and drew near to where I stood. I struck the driver a heavy blow with Brimstone and he fell to bits. I followed with a crushing blow to the chariot itself. Once the chariot had been destroyed the skeletal horses drawing it plunged forward and dashed themselves against a wall.
One of the foot soldiers struck me with a javelin, but I was not badly hurt. While I was dealing with the chariot, Liadan had blasted the ghostly woman with Lathander's divine light and she was vanquished, but this did not prevent the remaining skeletons from continuing to struggle with us. We made short work of laying them to rest, though while the gong continued to sound we knew we could not be assured their rest was permanent.
Nekaya was determined to locate the gong and silence it. The next stair also led downward. Nekaya took the lead and encountered no trap. As our party approached the foot of the stair, we heard the sound of something large walking about. By crouching on the steps I could glimpse a large pair of feet that appeared to be made of stone standing at the bottom of the stairway. Nekaya spoke to this mobile statue, which then used its staff to gesture as though granting us entry.
Then a second statue appeared. This one seemed to disturb Nekaya somewhat, for her voice took on a tone of concern when she addressed it, though I could not understand her words. The second statue scratched a line in the floor with its staff before stepping beyond my line of sight. Nekaya then turned to tell us that she had observed the entry to another passage a short distance from this doorway. She encouraged us to hurry through the statue room and make our exit.
As I entered the room I saw that there were a number of statues within it, not all of them moving about. The two statues that had greeted us in the doorway now seemed to be struggling with one another. Then we heard the sound of feet ascending a stair coming from the next passage. We did not wish to remain within the statue room, but neither did we wish to become trapped on a staircase with enemies. As we struggled to determine which way to proceed, several unliving figures came into the chamber and bowed deferentially to Nekaya.
One of these figures seemed to be attired as a priest. He gestured toward our group and spoke to Nekaya, though I do not see how a being with so little flesh could speak. Then another figure emerged into the chamber from the other passage. Even though I cannot speak the Mulhorandi language, I could easily recognize that this person must be a member of royalty. His wrappings were of finest linen, and he was adorned with numerous jewels and a tall, oddly-shaped headpiece. The other unliving ones bowed to the floor and covered their faces at his appearance, and a moment later Nekaya followed suit.
As I wondered whether I, too, should abase myself thus, I heard a voice within my mind telling me that I must also kneel and hide my visage from the king. Somehow I knew that this voice came from the strange glowing entity that Nekaya had dubbed Sunshine. I decided it would be best to comply and knelt, murmuring the command to banish Brimstone's flames as I did so.
As I crouched there with my friends Nekaya carried on a long conversation with the king, speaking somewhat haltingly as though the words of his ancient tongue did not come easily to her lips. Thanks be to Corellon that the elven tongue does not change so much with time. After some discussion we were permitted to stand and were conducted down the stairs and through what was no doubt the king's treasure vault, so filled with golden furnishings and precious gems that it glowed. I could only admire the finery briefly, before we entered what appeared to be a makeshift throne room.
More skeletal servants attended the king here, and had evidently been disassembling his sarcophagus in order to build him a proper throne. But not all of the occupants of the chamber were unliving. Here I saw a grey-skinned man, similar to the injured man we had left bound in one of the unoccupied rooms behind us. But this man had glowing sigils encircling his head, leading me to think him a mage. Several of his companions also had greyish flesh. The rest appeared to be human. All of them looked the worse for their experiences in the tomb.
By this time both Liadan and Erim had cast some spell that permitted them to understand the exchange between the king and Nekaya, though they could not speak to the king themselves. They were able to relate to the rest of us that the king was unhappy because he could not pass on to the afterlife of his people. The grey-skinned folk had evidently had some hand in this, but now they had returned to seek an alliance with him. At first the king accused my friends and I of being party to the other invaders, but Nekaya was able to convince him that we had no involvement with them.
The king appeared to be seeking his lost heir, and was interested when Nekaya told him of the prophecy that had led her to this place. He wished for us to go out and seek the missing heir. Unfortunately since we could not speak with him, he took whatever Nekaya said as an assent from all of us. Not that I wished to refuse to him aid, but I should have preferred more consultation over the matter before reaching a decision. I must only pray once more that Lord Corellon keep my dear Erendis safe until I can seek her again.
The priests conducted us back to the chamber where the mummies were prepared. A stone descended over the black pool we had seen there, and this stone lifted all of us and our horses up into another chamber. Once we had all gathered there - without the priests - a bright light filled the chamber until I could no longer see.
When my vision returned, I saw that we stood upon the deck of a huge boat of some sort. The boat was covered in gold and silver so that it gleamed. Around it lay a fiery dome through which I could see a darkness. But beyond the boat I did not see water or a horizon. Instead I saw strange swirling colors. One of my companions exclaimed that what I saw beyond the boat must be the Astral Plane. The boat upon which we stood was the solar barge of the Mulhorandi sun god! The very god himself was before us, a huge being with the body of a man twice my height, surmounted by the head of a hawk. As we all stood together gaping in awe, a squat golden figure approached us and exclaimed, if I recall correctly, "Are you just going to stand there or are you going to get to work?"
The woman on the couch was neither fleshless nor living, or so it seemed to me, for her flesh seemed somehow insubstantial. She was not actually playing a flute, but eerie tones of a flute could be heard emanating from her direction. A gong also stood by her, but it did not ring, though we could still hear the sound of the evil gong that seemed to summon the unliving back to their semblance of life.
When we entered, four chariots began to array themselves as for battle, each driven by a fleshless charioteer and attended by a warrior. As they moved skeletons bearing javelins followed on foot. From behind me I heard the now-familiar tones of Erim's voice chanting his spell of haste before we moved out of range of its magic.
I moved forward to meet one of the entry guardians as Rock pitted himself against the second sentry. Liadan strode past us and called upon Lathander's might, causing two of the unliving warriors and their equally lifeless horses to explode in clouds of dust. But as I began to make my way further into the chamber, the haunting melody of the flute captured my mind and I stood helpless.
After a moment I was able to shake my thoughts free of my desire to follow the sound of the flute, but I could only observe as the woman on the couch arose into the air and assumed an upright position floating a short distance above the tiled floor. Liadan summoned a burst of holy flame to destroy one of the threatening chariots. Nekaya then ran to face the hovering woman. She spoke to the woman in her native tongue, but whatever she said appeared to make no impression on the figure. The woman's insubstantial form suddenly descended into the floor and disappeared from my sight.
One of the chariots had circled the room by this time and drew near to where I stood. I struck the driver a heavy blow with Brimstone and he fell to bits. I followed with a crushing blow to the chariot itself. Once the chariot had been destroyed the skeletal horses drawing it plunged forward and dashed themselves against a wall.
One of the foot soldiers struck me with a javelin, but I was not badly hurt. While I was dealing with the chariot, Liadan had blasted the ghostly woman with Lathander's divine light and she was vanquished, but this did not prevent the remaining skeletons from continuing to struggle with us. We made short work of laying them to rest, though while the gong continued to sound we knew we could not be assured their rest was permanent.
Nekaya was determined to locate the gong and silence it. The next stair also led downward. Nekaya took the lead and encountered no trap. As our party approached the foot of the stair, we heard the sound of something large walking about. By crouching on the steps I could glimpse a large pair of feet that appeared to be made of stone standing at the bottom of the stairway. Nekaya spoke to this mobile statue, which then used its staff to gesture as though granting us entry.
Then a second statue appeared. This one seemed to disturb Nekaya somewhat, for her voice took on a tone of concern when she addressed it, though I could not understand her words. The second statue scratched a line in the floor with its staff before stepping beyond my line of sight. Nekaya then turned to tell us that she had observed the entry to another passage a short distance from this doorway. She encouraged us to hurry through the statue room and make our exit.
As I entered the room I saw that there were a number of statues within it, not all of them moving about. The two statues that had greeted us in the doorway now seemed to be struggling with one another. Then we heard the sound of feet ascending a stair coming from the next passage. We did not wish to remain within the statue room, but neither did we wish to become trapped on a staircase with enemies. As we struggled to determine which way to proceed, several unliving figures came into the chamber and bowed deferentially to Nekaya.
One of these figures seemed to be attired as a priest. He gestured toward our group and spoke to Nekaya, though I do not see how a being with so little flesh could speak. Then another figure emerged into the chamber from the other passage. Even though I cannot speak the Mulhorandi language, I could easily recognize that this person must be a member of royalty. His wrappings were of finest linen, and he was adorned with numerous jewels and a tall, oddly-shaped headpiece. The other unliving ones bowed to the floor and covered their faces at his appearance, and a moment later Nekaya followed suit.
As I wondered whether I, too, should abase myself thus, I heard a voice within my mind telling me that I must also kneel and hide my visage from the king. Somehow I knew that this voice came from the strange glowing entity that Nekaya had dubbed Sunshine. I decided it would be best to comply and knelt, murmuring the command to banish Brimstone's flames as I did so.
As I crouched there with my friends Nekaya carried on a long conversation with the king, speaking somewhat haltingly as though the words of his ancient tongue did not come easily to her lips. Thanks be to Corellon that the elven tongue does not change so much with time. After some discussion we were permitted to stand and were conducted down the stairs and through what was no doubt the king's treasure vault, so filled with golden furnishings and precious gems that it glowed. I could only admire the finery briefly, before we entered what appeared to be a makeshift throne room.
More skeletal servants attended the king here, and had evidently been disassembling his sarcophagus in order to build him a proper throne. But not all of the occupants of the chamber were unliving. Here I saw a grey-skinned man, similar to the injured man we had left bound in one of the unoccupied rooms behind us. But this man had glowing sigils encircling his head, leading me to think him a mage. Several of his companions also had greyish flesh. The rest appeared to be human. All of them looked the worse for their experiences in the tomb.
By this time both Liadan and Erim had cast some spell that permitted them to understand the exchange between the king and Nekaya, though they could not speak to the king themselves. They were able to relate to the rest of us that the king was unhappy because he could not pass on to the afterlife of his people. The grey-skinned folk had evidently had some hand in this, but now they had returned to seek an alliance with him. At first the king accused my friends and I of being party to the other invaders, but Nekaya was able to convince him that we had no involvement with them.
The king appeared to be seeking his lost heir, and was interested when Nekaya told him of the prophecy that had led her to this place. He wished for us to go out and seek the missing heir. Unfortunately since we could not speak with him, he took whatever Nekaya said as an assent from all of us. Not that I wished to refuse to him aid, but I should have preferred more consultation over the matter before reaching a decision. I must only pray once more that Lord Corellon keep my dear Erendis safe until I can seek her again.
The priests conducted us back to the chamber where the mummies were prepared. A stone descended over the black pool we had seen there, and this stone lifted all of us and our horses up into another chamber. Once we had all gathered there - without the priests - a bright light filled the chamber until I could no longer see.
When my vision returned, I saw that we stood upon the deck of a huge boat of some sort. The boat was covered in gold and silver so that it gleamed. Around it lay a fiery dome through which I could see a darkness. But beyond the boat I did not see water or a horizon. Instead I saw strange swirling colors. One of my companions exclaimed that what I saw beyond the boat must be the Astral Plane. The boat upon which we stood was the solar barge of the Mulhorandi sun god! The very god himself was before us, a huge being with the body of a man twice my height, surmounted by the head of a hawk. As we all stood together gaping in awe, a squat golden figure approached us and exclaimed, if I recall correctly, "Are you just going to stand there or are you going to get to work?"
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Quips & Quotes:
Erim: "It's the Ben-Hur room."
Rock: "We've Ben Hur. Let's go to the next room."
Liadan: "Everybody's ben hur."
GM: "The charioteers snap their little lashes."
Nekaya: "That's quite a blink!"
Nekaya: "I could do bludgeoning damage but it would all be subdual."
Telemnar: "You'd be spanking the skeletons."
Nekaya: "I'm not into that."
Nekaya: "If we're on the Plane of Positive Energy, Sunshine might know."
Liadan: "But are there any snakes on this plane?"
56. Shadows of the Sun
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As we stood upon the deck of the solar barge, I
wondered if I should bow or kneel to the diminutive golden being who addressed
us. I looked to Nekaya for an example of proper behavior in the presence of
deities, for I realized that even this being was a minor divinity.
Nekaya at once began to explain to the being
how we had come to be aboard the barge, to which the divinity responded that he
knew why we had come: to bring the end of night. This statement left me
bewildered and he did not elaborate. Instead he offered to show us where our
horses might be stabled during the voyage.
We followed the deity, whose name I learned was
Up-uate, into the hold of the barge. I was hard pressed to keep my thoughts on
my destination. The barge appeared to be made entirely of precious metals,
gleaming with silver and gold. Beyond it I could see the fiery sphere that
formed the outside of the solar orb. A number of other lesser deities such as
Up-uate hurried about the golden deck with long-handled implements, reaching
out with these extensible tools to remove patches of darkness from the solar
corona. Other deities worked to repair scorch marks and scratches on the golden
deck and sides of the barge. I was too amazed to wonder what might have caused
such damage.
The hold seemed far too expansive to be
contained beneath the deck on which we had appeared. It was filled with massive
quantities of goods, from heaps of gold coins and ingots to bales of fine cloth
and urns and jars of every description. Nekaya kept up a running conversation
with Up-uate, who seemed content to answer her many questions. I busied myself
in tending to Aratan and did not hear all of what she asked, but I did overhear
that the goods filling the hold were the belongings of Mulhorandi citizens who
had become 'lost'.
Nekaya later explained that this meant they had
died without being interred with the proper rituals. These lost souls would
wait in the caverns of the afterlife until the solar barge passed by on its
journey into the night. If the lost souls could fight their way through the
demons of the night and board the barge, they would be borne over the Western
Mountains into paradise, and their worldly goods would be returned to them.
I found this explanation of the afterlife very curious.
I do not recall any mention of such strictures among my people. Though there
are many handsome tombs in Evereska, there is no requirement that one of the
Tel'Quessir have any type of burial or ritual in order to pass into Arvandor.
As I listened to the discussion between Nekaya
and Up-uate, I realized that though it seemed to me that he spoke in my native
tongue, when Nekaya spoke with him she seemed to comprehend him perfectly,
though she has confessed in the past that despite her elven heritage she does
not know the language of our people.
I spent more time than was truly necessary with
Aratan, for I felt overwhelmed by the divine presence of the barge. At its
tiller stood the god Re-Horakhty, a massive being with the head of a hawk. He
did not speak to us nor acknowledge our presence, but I could feel his presence
wherever I went on the golden barge.
My friend Rock set to work with the godlings
who were engaged in reparing the damage to the barge, using his skill with
metalwork to polish away the scratches. As I have no such skill myself, I
offered to aid the godlings in removing the dark spots and debris that had
accumulated on the barge and the solar corona. Evidently there are many things
of an unknown nature floating about beyond the solar orb, and when they strike
the fiery globe they are burnt to ash.
After a time the godlings rested from their
labors, pausing to play a game they called 'Exodus'. My companions and I were
permitted to join them, though I must confess I was a poor student. The game
involves bowling balls of sun-stuff at a course laid out on the deck, which
sounds simple enough, but I could not contrive to steer my ball in the proper
direction.
We were introduced to the rest of the barge's
crew during this time, and I will transcribe their names here if only so that I
may remember them. The captain of the barge was called Kherp; he had the head
of some beast though I could not determine what manner of beast. The lookout
was called Nehes. The remaining deckhands, who all resembled Up-uate, were
called Her-heken, Saa, Hu, and Afu. Afu appeared to be a very devout person,
constantly in prayer to Horus-Re.
We were not the only mortals traveling aboard
the barge at that time. The other passengers were a woman called Panya and a
man named Habeth. Both of them were evidently lost souls who had managed to
board the barge to be transported to their afterlife. Habeth kept descending to
the hold to carry up treasures at Panya's behest. Unlike the divinities, their
speech could not readily be understood by my ears.
After a time - I could not say how long, for it
is difficult to judge the hours when one is within the Sun itself - we began to
approach a range of mountains. The barge dipped down toward them, revealing
that all the land below was golden and dotted with vast caverns containing
cities of gold. As we approached this dazzling landscape Habeth and Panya
simply vanished.
Up-uate announced that we were approaching a
particular peak called Mount Manu. An enormous cleft opened into the interior
of this mountain. The barge entered into the cleft. As it did so it seemed
somehow darker to me on the deck, though I did not observe any decrease in the
light of the solar fires.
I was startled to observe the appearance of a
tall reptilian being on the foredeck. Strangely, this being was Afu, somehow
transformed from his squat golden appearance. Nekaya explained to us that now
our work would truly begin: soon the demons of Night would begin to attack the
solar barge as the evil god Set attempted to prevent the Sun from rising again.
It would be our duty to help defend the barge.
Then I saw sinister dark shadows begin to swoop
toward the barge.
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Quips & Quotes:
GM: "You're in an extraplanar
space."
Rock: "Good thing I brought extra
snakes."
Rock: "I remember who is Hu, but do I see
Saa?"
Erim: "So he's the sun pool boy."
Telemnar: "It's the divine pooper
scooper!"
Erim: "Does Captain Kherp have a
phaser?"
Rock: "Is it set on sun?"
Erim: "I make some offhand comment about
the weather..."
GM: "'Sunny today'."
GM: "'Sunny today'."
Rock (in Mr. T voice): "Aw, I pity
Afu."
57. Fun in the Sun
As the shadowy
minions of Set amassed to storm the barge, Liadan called our small company to
her side and said a prayer to Lathander to imbue our weapons with his
righteousness. The golden godlings had advised us that though Set's forces
would assault the barge all throughout the twelve hours of night, the first
onslaught would be most crucial to withstand, for it was then that the demons
would attempt to wrest control of the barge from the gods who steered it.
Innumerable snake-like and reptilian creatures began to fall upon the solar barge like a rain of evil. The lesser of such creatures burnt up when they met the fiery orb surrounding the vessel, but their ash left cooling spots in the flaming corona. The golden godlings rushed to clear away such debris with their long-handled implements.
Suddenly something struck the barge that was heavy enough to make the vessel tremble. I turned to see a large monster of serpentine form, its six arms each bearing a weapon, alighting upon the deck near the stern. I shouted out "Brimstone!" and the blade of my borrowed sword burst into flames. As I ran toward the creature I called upon Corellon Larethian to bless me and give me his aid.
The creature menaced Kherp, the captain of the barge. I struck upon a strategy of moving rapidly about it, striking with both of my blades at once. This did not permit me to escape the blows of its many limbs. But I did not lose heart. I was determined to prevent it from harrassing Re-Horakhty, the hawk-headed god who operated the tiller of the barge. Strangely this deity appeared oblivious to the battle that raged around him.
Now and again as I circled the many-armed horror, I caught glimpses of my friends engaged in their own struggles with similarly frightful creatures. Rock had been about to join me at the stern when a fiery creature alit beneath the canopy at the center of the barge. He turned to deal with it. I saw Erim being menaced by a swarm of repulsive snakes. Liadan fired off blasts of searing radiance at a woman flying overhead astride a fiery creature with the semblance of a horse. Once my dwarven friend had dispensed with the flaming thing beneath the canopy, he turned to face a huge metallic creature that had somehow managed to pinion Nekaya on the spikes protruding from its armor.
Despite the efforts of the lesser gods Kherp and Her-Heken, and my own feeble efforts, the six-armed creature managed to advance upon Re-Horakhty and strike him. The god did not react to the attack on his person except to swing the tiller sharply to one side, causing the barge to tilt dramatically. Strangely this did not affect anyone on the deck; had I not seen him shift the tiller I should not have known there had been any change to the vessel's orientation. I can only presume that the god behaved as he did in order to avoid some obstacle in the vast chasm we now traversed.
I gave up my strategy of keeping in motion and positioned myself between the tiller and the six-armed monster, slashing at it in a frenzy of whirling blades. Brimstone's flames appeared to have little effect upon it, but I felt that the measure of Lathander's righteous energy that now filled my weapons was somewhat more efficacious.
Then to my surprise Re-Horakhty took action of a sort. The hawk-headed deity emitted a piercing cry of such purity that it was almost painful. Yet at the same time I felt a rush of something I can hardly describe, powerful and fulfilling, and in that moment fully half my wounds closed. I renewed my assault upon my foe with a smile upon my lips and a prayer of gratitude in my heart.
At last the horror fell, and Her-Heken pushed its carcass from the deck with his long pole. It burned to a cinder in the corona of the solar orb. My friends too had been succesful in defeating their opponents and all stood weary but triumphant. More creatures still rained down upon the divine vessel, but their numbers were less and they were not difficult to defeat. We had survived the first major assault upon the barge of the sun.
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Quips & Quotes:
Liadan: "You don't have to be Mrs. Righteous, you just have to be Mrs. Righteous Now."
GM: "It slams into you and rocks you back."
Rock: "Uh-uh - I Rock here!"
Erim: "When you're helpless don't you drop stuff?"
Rock: "You keep hanging onto stuff."
GM: "What spell is it?"
Liadan: "Summon Pack and Herd."
Nekaya: "Summon Pakkin?!"
Innumerable snake-like and reptilian creatures began to fall upon the solar barge like a rain of evil. The lesser of such creatures burnt up when they met the fiery orb surrounding the vessel, but their ash left cooling spots in the flaming corona. The golden godlings rushed to clear away such debris with their long-handled implements.
Suddenly something struck the barge that was heavy enough to make the vessel tremble. I turned to see a large monster of serpentine form, its six arms each bearing a weapon, alighting upon the deck near the stern. I shouted out "Brimstone!" and the blade of my borrowed sword burst into flames. As I ran toward the creature I called upon Corellon Larethian to bless me and give me his aid.
The creature menaced Kherp, the captain of the barge. I struck upon a strategy of moving rapidly about it, striking with both of my blades at once. This did not permit me to escape the blows of its many limbs. But I did not lose heart. I was determined to prevent it from harrassing Re-Horakhty, the hawk-headed god who operated the tiller of the barge. Strangely this deity appeared oblivious to the battle that raged around him.
Now and again as I circled the many-armed horror, I caught glimpses of my friends engaged in their own struggles with similarly frightful creatures. Rock had been about to join me at the stern when a fiery creature alit beneath the canopy at the center of the barge. He turned to deal with it. I saw Erim being menaced by a swarm of repulsive snakes. Liadan fired off blasts of searing radiance at a woman flying overhead astride a fiery creature with the semblance of a horse. Once my dwarven friend had dispensed with the flaming thing beneath the canopy, he turned to face a huge metallic creature that had somehow managed to pinion Nekaya on the spikes protruding from its armor.
Despite the efforts of the lesser gods Kherp and Her-Heken, and my own feeble efforts, the six-armed creature managed to advance upon Re-Horakhty and strike him. The god did not react to the attack on his person except to swing the tiller sharply to one side, causing the barge to tilt dramatically. Strangely this did not affect anyone on the deck; had I not seen him shift the tiller I should not have known there had been any change to the vessel's orientation. I can only presume that the god behaved as he did in order to avoid some obstacle in the vast chasm we now traversed.
I gave up my strategy of keeping in motion and positioned myself between the tiller and the six-armed monster, slashing at it in a frenzy of whirling blades. Brimstone's flames appeared to have little effect upon it, but I felt that the measure of Lathander's righteous energy that now filled my weapons was somewhat more efficacious.
Then to my surprise Re-Horakhty took action of a sort. The hawk-headed deity emitted a piercing cry of such purity that it was almost painful. Yet at the same time I felt a rush of something I can hardly describe, powerful and fulfilling, and in that moment fully half my wounds closed. I renewed my assault upon my foe with a smile upon my lips and a prayer of gratitude in my heart.
At last the horror fell, and Her-Heken pushed its carcass from the deck with his long pole. It burned to a cinder in the corona of the solar orb. My friends too had been succesful in defeating their opponents and all stood weary but triumphant. More creatures still rained down upon the divine vessel, but their numbers were less and they were not difficult to defeat. We had survived the first major assault upon the barge of the sun.
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Quips & Quotes:
Liadan: "You don't have to be Mrs. Righteous, you just have to be Mrs. Righteous Now."
GM: "It slams into you and rocks you back."
Rock: "Uh-uh - I Rock here!"
Erim: "When you're helpless don't you drop stuff?"
Rock: "You keep hanging onto stuff."
GM: "What spell is it?"
Liadan: "Summon Pack and Herd."
Nekaya: "Summon Pakkin?!"
58. End of Night
Our battle was far
from finished, but for a time our foes were fewer and less troublesome. I was
able to meditate and to see to Aratan. I said a prayer to Corellon Larethian,
though in that place I could not determine where the moon lay. When I had
rested and prayed I took up position amidships to aid the golden godlings in
repelling those demons that sought still to board the barge.
Our hosts informed us that after we passed through a vast cavern known as Respite we would come to the end of our journey - and to the most difficult struggle of the Hours of Night. There the sun god's barge must face his eternal foe, the dark god Set, who would seek with all his might to forestall the rising of the sun.
Respite proved to be a cavern of such immense proportions that Set's swarming minions appeared as ants to my vantage. But all too swiftly the barge traversed that great space and I could see ahead a rift in the cavern wall, swirling with shades of brown and green. My companions and I assembled beneath the canopy to once more be blessed by the righteousness of Lathander, and my friend Rock also gave to me a potion he carried that would arm me against any poisonous venom of Set's minions.
The cleft loomed before us, and now it became apparent that bright sky could be seen beyond, a sight I found heartening until I recognized what formed itself around the opening. Set himself lay in wait there, a serpentine form so large that even the great barge seemed small by comparison. Only my faith held my heart from sinking at that sight.
At the bow of the barge I saw a spider the size of a horse land and threaten both Nehes the navigator and Nekaya, who had taken up a position to defend him. The spider's bloated body seemed to be made entirely of squirming snakes. Then my gaze was drawn away as a serpentine creature landed upon the deck before me. I cut it to ribbons in two slashes and prepared to move toward the bow when I felt something so large land behind me that the entire vessel shook.
I turned to face a huge reptilian blue monster. The beast landed near the center of the barge and let forth a bellow of such fearsome quality that I was left trembling for the space of several breaths. Once again I placed my faith in Corellon and darted in to slash at the beast with both my swords. Rock, too had turned to face the creature. Out of the corner of my eye I saw an armored woman astride a fiery steed land upon the deck, but I determined that the blue horror was the greater threat.
My surmise was confirmed when Rock rushed the creature and it stopped him in his tracks. I rained as many blows on it as I could, but the wounds I made began to close almost as soon as my blades left them. Corellon forgive me, but I felt a touch of despair then.
Then I heard Nehes shout, "It is the End of Night!" and caught a glimpse of a white figure fighting on the wall of the cavern. I could see little more, for my view was obstructed by my terrible foe. The blue beast carried a sword longer than I am tall and swung it at me but I was able to leap over it. Rock determined that thought we could not harm the creature, perhaps he could relieve it of that weapon and struck the monster's blade a mighty blow.
The beast turned to swing at me again and this time I was not quick enough. I was knocked from my feet and sent tumbling across the deck. It was then I saw that some of Set's minions had managed to get into the hold. Little did their efforts avail them, for they were now fleeing the wrath of Pekuah and Califax, and I was proud to see my own Aratan just behind them.
Before I could regain my feet I saw Nekaya leap astride Pekuah and charge across the deck, vaulting over the side into the fiery corona. Califax pursued her with a might bound. Once beyond the solar flames both horses began to fly as though they had grown wings. Then I scrambled to my feet and faced the blue beast once more.
Rock shouted to me, "The sword! The sword!" and I recalled that Brimstone could do more than cut. I exclaimed the command and a ray of flame shot out of the blade to strike the beast. This seemed more effective that stabbing or slashing, but sadly the blade could only perform such an act once each day.
I had observed the monster turning to the woman on the fiery horse more than once, seeming to communicate with her. Surmising that perhaps she commanded the creature, I determined that it might be more effective to eliminate her. Rock appeared to have come to the same conclusion. She attempted to stop him by summoning a hand of magical force to knock him from his feet. I saw that my friend did not look well and moved to aid him when I heard a strange voice pronounce the words, "Re-Horakhty, heal this vessel" and felt my wounds closing. A moment later Rock also seemed recovered.
As Rock and I moved to flank the woman, the blue beast came to assault me once more, sending me off my feet for a second time. The woman chanted some foul spell and Nekaya, who had landed once more upon the barge, suddenly tumbled from Pekuah's saddle to land prone beside me. Her face was pale. I climbed to my knees and quickly administered a healing potion I had carried.
I made to rejoin the fray, but the woman had now called all of the creatures in the area to her side and I could not reach her through the crush of writhing bodies. I saw one of Liadan's rays of holy light sear her, and then she cast the same evil spell she had used a moment earlier, dropping Nekaya near death. I rushed to administer another potion to our brave paladin.
Liadan called on Lathander's power once more, and this time his light dropped the sinister woman to the ground. When she fell the huge blue creature ran to the bow and vaulted off into the cavern. As I caught my breath and turned to follow his retreat, I saw clearly the awesome form of Set looming over the vessel. I could not see how we mere mortals could defend against such a terrible creature. Surely he could consume any of us as easily as we might consume a morsel of food.
Then suddenly a huge figure of a woman with the head of a cat sprang over the barge and began to claw and bite at the serpent god. As they struggled the barge passed through the opening and emerged under the bright sky of day. The godlings called out praises to the goddess Bast for her timely aid.
Gasping in relief, I turned to find that Califax had also landed on the deck safely, and that a man in white was now astride him. It took me a moment to realize how strange this was, for in the past Covenant's steed would scarcely suffer anyone other than his master to touch him, let alone sit astride him. More amazing still was the revelation that this man was Shahu-Se, the End of Night - but he was better known to Nekaya as her former master, Re-Hoten, who had been slain by the wizard Nethimil before ever Nekaya met the rest of our company.
Califax has left us to serve Shahu-Se in the lands of the gods. I am sorry to see the great steed leave us at last, but it was heartening to see him restored to a semblance of his old self, full of strength and beauty. He will serve the End of Night well. This meeting has meant that Nekaya no longer need feel sorrow at the loss of her master. Now she knows that he continues to fight for good even beyond his mortal life.
When Nekaya and her master had said their farewells and Shahu-Se had given Nekaya his blessing, one of the godlings turned to my friends and I and remarked to us that mortals had seldom traveled so long on the barge of the sun. He then asked where we should like to be taken. Nekaya replied that we wished to go to the city of Calimport, our destination before we were carried off to Mulhorand from Havin's keep.
We had no more time than it takes to blink before we found ourselves elsewhere with all of our possessions and mounts. One of the horses let a cry of fear, and I looked around me in awe to realize that we stood upon a winding stair leading up the outer wall of a tall, narrow tower, overlooking a great city.
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Our hosts informed us that after we passed through a vast cavern known as Respite we would come to the end of our journey - and to the most difficult struggle of the Hours of Night. There the sun god's barge must face his eternal foe, the dark god Set, who would seek with all his might to forestall the rising of the sun.
Respite proved to be a cavern of such immense proportions that Set's swarming minions appeared as ants to my vantage. But all too swiftly the barge traversed that great space and I could see ahead a rift in the cavern wall, swirling with shades of brown and green. My companions and I assembled beneath the canopy to once more be blessed by the righteousness of Lathander, and my friend Rock also gave to me a potion he carried that would arm me against any poisonous venom of Set's minions.
The cleft loomed before us, and now it became apparent that bright sky could be seen beyond, a sight I found heartening until I recognized what formed itself around the opening. Set himself lay in wait there, a serpentine form so large that even the great barge seemed small by comparison. Only my faith held my heart from sinking at that sight.
At the bow of the barge I saw a spider the size of a horse land and threaten both Nehes the navigator and Nekaya, who had taken up a position to defend him. The spider's bloated body seemed to be made entirely of squirming snakes. Then my gaze was drawn away as a serpentine creature landed upon the deck before me. I cut it to ribbons in two slashes and prepared to move toward the bow when I felt something so large land behind me that the entire vessel shook.
I turned to face a huge reptilian blue monster. The beast landed near the center of the barge and let forth a bellow of such fearsome quality that I was left trembling for the space of several breaths. Once again I placed my faith in Corellon and darted in to slash at the beast with both my swords. Rock, too had turned to face the creature. Out of the corner of my eye I saw an armored woman astride a fiery steed land upon the deck, but I determined that the blue horror was the greater threat.
My surmise was confirmed when Rock rushed the creature and it stopped him in his tracks. I rained as many blows on it as I could, but the wounds I made began to close almost as soon as my blades left them. Corellon forgive me, but I felt a touch of despair then.
Then I heard Nehes shout, "It is the End of Night!" and caught a glimpse of a white figure fighting on the wall of the cavern. I could see little more, for my view was obstructed by my terrible foe. The blue beast carried a sword longer than I am tall and swung it at me but I was able to leap over it. Rock determined that thought we could not harm the creature, perhaps he could relieve it of that weapon and struck the monster's blade a mighty blow.
The beast turned to swing at me again and this time I was not quick enough. I was knocked from my feet and sent tumbling across the deck. It was then I saw that some of Set's minions had managed to get into the hold. Little did their efforts avail them, for they were now fleeing the wrath of Pekuah and Califax, and I was proud to see my own Aratan just behind them.
Before I could regain my feet I saw Nekaya leap astride Pekuah and charge across the deck, vaulting over the side into the fiery corona. Califax pursued her with a might bound. Once beyond the solar flames both horses began to fly as though they had grown wings. Then I scrambled to my feet and faced the blue beast once more.
Rock shouted to me, "The sword! The sword!" and I recalled that Brimstone could do more than cut. I exclaimed the command and a ray of flame shot out of the blade to strike the beast. This seemed more effective that stabbing or slashing, but sadly the blade could only perform such an act once each day.
I had observed the monster turning to the woman on the fiery horse more than once, seeming to communicate with her. Surmising that perhaps she commanded the creature, I determined that it might be more effective to eliminate her. Rock appeared to have come to the same conclusion. She attempted to stop him by summoning a hand of magical force to knock him from his feet. I saw that my friend did not look well and moved to aid him when I heard a strange voice pronounce the words, "Re-Horakhty, heal this vessel" and felt my wounds closing. A moment later Rock also seemed recovered.
As Rock and I moved to flank the woman, the blue beast came to assault me once more, sending me off my feet for a second time. The woman chanted some foul spell and Nekaya, who had landed once more upon the barge, suddenly tumbled from Pekuah's saddle to land prone beside me. Her face was pale. I climbed to my knees and quickly administered a healing potion I had carried.
I made to rejoin the fray, but the woman had now called all of the creatures in the area to her side and I could not reach her through the crush of writhing bodies. I saw one of Liadan's rays of holy light sear her, and then she cast the same evil spell she had used a moment earlier, dropping Nekaya near death. I rushed to administer another potion to our brave paladin.
Liadan called on Lathander's power once more, and this time his light dropped the sinister woman to the ground. When she fell the huge blue creature ran to the bow and vaulted off into the cavern. As I caught my breath and turned to follow his retreat, I saw clearly the awesome form of Set looming over the vessel. I could not see how we mere mortals could defend against such a terrible creature. Surely he could consume any of us as easily as we might consume a morsel of food.
Then suddenly a huge figure of a woman with the head of a cat sprang over the barge and began to claw and bite at the serpent god. As they struggled the barge passed through the opening and emerged under the bright sky of day. The godlings called out praises to the goddess Bast for her timely aid.
Gasping in relief, I turned to find that Califax had also landed on the deck safely, and that a man in white was now astride him. It took me a moment to realize how strange this was, for in the past Covenant's steed would scarcely suffer anyone other than his master to touch him, let alone sit astride him. More amazing still was the revelation that this man was Shahu-Se, the End of Night - but he was better known to Nekaya as her former master, Re-Hoten, who had been slain by the wizard Nethimil before ever Nekaya met the rest of our company.
Califax has left us to serve Shahu-Se in the lands of the gods. I am sorry to see the great steed leave us at last, but it was heartening to see him restored to a semblance of his old self, full of strength and beauty. He will serve the End of Night well. This meeting has meant that Nekaya no longer need feel sorrow at the loss of her master. Now she knows that he continues to fight for good even beyond his mortal life.
When Nekaya and her master had said their farewells and Shahu-Se had given Nekaya his blessing, one of the godlings turned to my friends and I and remarked to us that mortals had seldom traveled so long on the barge of the sun. He then asked where we should like to be taken. Nekaya replied that we wished to go to the city of Calimport, our destination before we were carried off to Mulhorand from Havin's keep.
We had no more time than it takes to blink before we found ourselves elsewhere with all of our possessions and mounts. One of the horses let a cry of fear, and I looked around me in awe to realize that we stood upon a winding stair leading up the outer wall of a tall, narrow tower, overlooking a great city.
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Quips & Quotes:
Rock: "If it's an hour per level then we're set."
GM: "If you're Set then you should be out there." (Indicates the area beyond the barge.)
GM: "You're not considered large. It's the army that makes you look that way."
GM: "The nightmare is snorting smoke."
Nekaya: "But did he inhale?"
GM (puts a mini on top of a salt shaker to represent flight): "She a-salts the ship."
Telemnar: "He Rocked her world."
GM: "That staggers her."
Nekaya: "Does staggering provoke an attack of opportunity?"
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