Conjunction of Planes

The Return to House Sheridan

by Dennis••0•Posted inConjunction of Planes

Second Day, Third Ride, Summer Light, 1262

(Silvermoon is waning. Bloodmoon is waning. Darkmoon is in low sanction.)

The rat-men lay dead at the feet of the adventurers while the albino got away. The adventurers quietly discussed what to do next and the popular opinion was to go back to report to Lord Jonathan what they had found in the catacombs. The adventurers saw no way to resolve the problem on their own and thought that the next best thing would be to share their findings. The idea was raised to bring one of the corpses as proof, which was immediately refined since dragging an entire body with them would likely prove to be burdensome. And so Astrid, with all the pragmatism of a butcher, began to separate one of the rat-men’s heads from its torso, put it in a sack and slung it over her shoulder.

Meanwhile, Luca was examining the rat-men and had discovered that many of them had what appeared to be lash marks and scarring around their wrists and ankles, much like what the adventurers had seen on the body of the dwarven engineer. The conclusion was that some, if not all of them, were or had been slaves. The weapons they used seemed strange, poorly maintained and scavenged. The leathers they used for armour was of a strange source that none of the adventurers could really place.

Finally, the adventurers left the hall and tried to make their way back to the aqueduct. James took the lead, trying to stay as far ahead of the rest of the group so that he would not be bothered by the lantern they were carrying to guide their way, nor be too affected by the clumsy way in which their footsteps and movements were echoing through the catacombs. Emrys took up the rear, also making sure to stay out of range of the light and noise coming from the humans in their group.

James started to notice sounds off in the distance and waited for the rest of the group to catch up. Quietly it was decided that James and Emrys would sneak towards the sound, to make sure that it was not a threat, while Luca, Emma and Astrid would continue back to the aqueduct using the lantern to guide them.

The humans set off. At each junction Emma checked for traces of the markings she had left behind on the walls with the hammer and chisel she took from the equipment of the dwarven engineers. Luca confident in the knowledge that they took a left turn at every junction, simply took a right turn in order to get back. Astrid simply followed.

James and Emrys, guided by their elven ability to see in the darkness of the catacombs, using nothing more than the faint light coming from the bio-luminescent moss. Eventually, they start to get closer to the sounds, and what they first mistook for sounds of stone-on-stone, or metal-on-stone, they could clearly discern to be sounds of battle.

Meanwhile, Emma felt her heart sink when at the next junction she no longer found her markings. Luca, somewhat annoyed, said that it was a simple matter of take right turns at each junction. They continued on, but Emma’s conviction that something was wrong grew evermore.

James and Emrys finally followed the sounds to a dead end chamber with a drain in the middle of it. Drainpipes fed into the chamber from the height of a full grown man’s chest in each wall. A faint bit of light a large amount of noise was coming from one of the drain pipes and the two adventurers moved towards it and looked inside.

You follow the muffled sounds of battle, vicious screeching as well as the ringing of steel, to a room which appears to be a dead end. The room holds a central drain which is fed from several circular holes in the walls at the height of a full grown man’s chest. The battle is being waged beyond one of these holes, you’re sure of it.

After a brief moment of concentration you make your way to one of the holes. It has light coming from beyond it and the sounds seem to be clearer when you approach.

You gather around the large hole and look inside. The drain is about an arm in length, and has thick, cast iron bars set vertically in the center of it. The bottom of the drain, as well as most of the bars are covered in a slimy, green muck, collected there over long centuries.

On the other side of the drain you look out into a large room whose floor starts at the drain’s entrance. The source of light becomes immediately apparent as you see four heavily armed and armoured knights stand, defensively, in a circle of light coming from the blade of a fifth knight who is standing in the middle. They are probably at least a dozen paces away from the drain’s entrance you are peering through.

The central knight is wearing a plate armour, engraved with an intricate feather pattern, gilded in lapis lazuli. The other four are dressed in polished plate armour as well, engraved with paisley and floral designs. Two of them wearing armour which is gilded in silver and platinum, one carrying a sword, the other carrying a halberd. The remaining two are carrying swords and shields and their armour is gilded in vermilion.

They seem to have been surrounded by a large host of the rat-men, and they are listening intently at orders being barked by the central knight as the rat-men move in on them. A dozen rat-men already lay dead at their feet.

“Gloria!” the central knight bellows. “Desideratus bellum!” the other knights exclaim in unison, just before the second wave of rat-men engage.

The knights are out-numbered at least three to one, and initially they manage to fend off the attack well. Eventually, despite their tight formation, several of the rat-men manage to drive a wedge between them and slowly start to break their ranks.

One of the knights in the silver gilded armour eventually goes down under a barrage of attacks. Her screams turn into a gurgle as her lungs fill up with blood. A coordinated rush from both shield-bearers clear the rat-men from the body of their fallen comrade and the rat-men are pushed back.

The central knight in the lapis lazuli sweeps a dangerous arc with his sword, battering aside several rat-men from their exposed flank, quickly turns around and kneels at the side of their wounded comrade. A halo of light appears to surround his head as he touches his free hand on the forehead of the fallen knight.

Miraculously, the wounded knight is pulled back to her feet and she quickly picks up her halberd to rejoin the fight. Strengthened by her resurrection, the five continue to press into the rat-men and wear away at their numbers. The tide quickly turns, the rat-men find themselves fighting less favourable odds and they start to vanish back into the shadows.

The five take a moment to asses their wounds and quickly assert that they will continue.

“Decerte!” the knight in the blue gilded armour barks. “Adversa!” the other return in unison, before all running out of sight.

Before the knights departed, James caught their attention and they crowded around the drain pipe. Conversation was difficult because of the difference in height of the rooms the two parties were standing in. The knight with the radiant sword introduces himself as Ser Arman de Courtenay and explains that he and the other knights had gone into the catacombs from the Courtenay estate close to Lynnecombe. The knights had been fighting a running battle with the vermin who also seem to have been under the leadership of an albino.

They asked why James and Emrys were down there and they explained that they were working for house Sheridan. Ser Arman concluded that both estates had been attacked. When James and Emrys told about their plan to return to the estate, he warned them to burn any of the diseased bodies. He also explained that he and his fellows would continue on to find the source, which they later took to mean the source of the disease.

It was during this time that the human adventurers walked straight into an ambush. Luckily the number of ambushers was small, which they later attributed to the knights having fought a great number of them at the same time. While the adventurers made short work of the ambushers, Emma did get viciously stabbed in her side and left her wounded.

After the fight, they returned back to the last junction where Emma saw the markings on the wall. Confident, they continued on to the next junction where the markings were missing. There, upon further inspection, they noticed that like a mirage, the markings suddenly reappeared. They had been tricked by illusions and foul sorcery. They continued on, now more the wiser and determined not to fall for the rat-men’s tricks again.

Astrid tried to support Emma as they walked, but instead, Emma suggested swapping weapons so that she could use Astrid’s spear as a crutch while Astrid could make use of Emma’s mace and carry Emma’s shield on her back.

James and Emrys found their way back to the aqueduct but found no traces of the other group. They decided to split up, James staying behind to scout out the catacombs and await the other group’s return, while Emrys made his way down the aqueduct and back to the well to get reinforcements. They decided it prudent to burn the body of the diseased guardsman on the way back so James handed his remaining oil to Emrys.

While Emrys makes sure to thoroughly burn the body of the Sheridan guard, James finds more places where tunnels have been dug. Some of them have been dug to reveal other catacombs, some of them have been dug and left abandoned, while some have been dug to reveal hidden chambers. It appeared to James as if the rat-men were looking for something.

Upon returning to the well, Emrys talks to Cpt. Hallis Mollen, who takes a quick account of the situation and frees up three guardsmen to come down and aid Emrys. They set off back up the aqueduct.

James, getting impatient, decides to start making a ruckus in the hopes of attracting the attention of the rest of the group. The plan works and he is once again reunited with Luca, Emma and Astrid. It is around this time that Emrys returns to the catacombs with the three guards. A decision is made to return to the estate, taking the dead guards back with them. By the time the group arrives back at the well, it is deep into the evening and the three moons are visible in the clear night’s sky.

A late night audience is arranged with the members of house Sheridan, but first the adventurers get a chance to freshen up and make themselves presentable. Astrid hands the severed rat-man’s head to Cpt. Hallis.

Third Day, Third Ride, Summer Light, 1262

(Silvermoon is waning. Bloodmoon is waning. Darkmoon is waxing.)

Upon entering the Sheridan mansion, James decides to surreptitiously leave a mug of beer he was given as one of the refreshments behind on a shelf of books on the first floor of the mansion.

The audience with the members of house Sheridan takes place in the study on the third floor, where they were initially introduced to Lord Jonathan. The defacto head of house Sheridan is this time flanked by his brother Lord Marcus on one side, and Ser Benten the Purple on the other side. It becomes clear now that Ser Benten is even taller and more impressive in stature than the two noble brothers are. The balcony door is still open, letting in some fresh evening air. The elderly patron of the house is sitting in a wheelchair, his back turned to the open door, looking out over his estate.

In quick order the adventurers told Lord Jonathan about what they had encountered in the aqueduct and the catacombs beyond. Lord Jonathan concluded that while the adventurers had not achieved the goals he had set out for them, he did believe that they had risked themselves enough to be paid what they were owed. He did, however, want them to go back down after a good night’s rest, while Cpt. Hallis kept a close watch on the well’s entrance. The adventurers were to make sure that the infestation of vermin was brought under control and that the tunnel whose rubble blocked the aqueduct was sealed and running water was restored to the well.

When Lord Jonathan asked whether the adventurers needed anything, Emma said she required healing. When it became clear that Emma’s health was worse than her wound would suggest, it was decided to quarantine her to the stables and that Ser Benten would tend to her. Cpt. Hallis then brought the adventurers back to the servant’s quarters, where Astrid was given a room, and Luca, James and Emrys were given a room. She also brought Emma to the stables, where a cot was erected for her to sleep on.

Ser Benten did come by to see Emma, who was busy washing herself in her nightly ritual of worship. He looked at her wound and concluded that he could do little for it. He said that what she needed was the aid of a high ranking priest, like the one that could be found at the Cathedral of the Platinum Father in Kingsport. He told her that in all likelihood, the closest person to aid her was Ser Arman de Courtenay, down in the catacombs below Lynnecombe. He did give her a pendant, with a clear orange crystal and said that it would prevent the spread of her malady and aid her in fighting its creeping affliction.

Meanwhile, James, who had not been content in the quarters he’d been given, had taken to roaming the servant’s quarters in search of a better place to sleep. He tried to convince a guard but got nowhere, and ended up picking the lock on a trapdoor leading to the attic, where he nestled himself in a pile of old clothes and drapes.

Emma, Session 3

by Dennis••0•Posted inConjunction of Planes

2nd day of the 3rd ride, month 6 , 1262

I am dying.

My survival is far from certain and this has led me to doubt my actions. After the dream at the Sacred Baths of Sedna I followed the right course of actions to ascertain the signs in my dream. I have successfully identified each individual part of the vision but am still uncertain about the meaning of the message.

Was I warned to avoid the horrors in the darkness, or was I supposed to find them and face them?

I chose the latter and find myself dying of a disease. It promises a bleak end indeed, since my bodily remains will be given to the Flame upon my demise.

I have spent my life with a healthy dose of fear for the Sea and the Lord of the Deep, knowing … no, trusting, that I would be welcomed in his halls after a life of service to the Mother of Streams. Now it seems that even this fate might be denied to me. That this might happen in the summer I find to be an even crueler irony.

Is this punishment for mistaking the meaning of the dream? If so, it seems unseasonably cruel.

But let us pick up where we left off.

We were in the room where we faced the White Gnome and its minions. After our victory we discussed how to proceed. It was decided to retire to the burrowed tunnel from which we entered into these vaulted tunnels. We agreed that it was too dangerous to linger or to press on.
We reasoned that we had done enough to fulfill the terms of our agreement. I suggested that we bring back one of our gnomish attackers as evidence. Upon James’ further suggestion, Astrid severed one of their heads to take with.
I was almost certain that we could expect an ambush on the return trip, a concern I did not voice aloud, unwilling to cause undue concern. Unfortunately I was to be proven right.

The two elves of our company took the front and the rear and we methodically made our retreat. All went well until we all noticed clanging noises coming from somewhere deeper inside the vaulted tunnels.
James was immediately eager to investigate. I was less enthusiastic about the idea, but found that an argument would not help our desperate situation so I stayed my tongue. After a short discussion the elves departed, leaving the humans with their single lantern to make their way back to the tunnel on their own. Thank Sedna I had placed the markers!

It was very difficult not to liken the departure of our elven companions to the betrayal of Elvenkind to Humankind in their hour of need.

Luca was entirely confident in his own recollections and did not pay attention to the markers at all. I did, and found that at some point the markers were gone. Luca scoffed at the possibility of being mistaken and we persisted on our path.

We walked right into a trap.

Three of the gnomish miscreants appeared from the darkness and started wailing at me with their crude weapons. After one feeble attempt to strike at them I cowered behind my shield while Astrid tore our attackers to shreds.
I was savagely cut and am now dying from a disease inflicted by one of their blades.

I then convinced Luca that we were on the wrong path and we tracked back until we found the markers again. A little later we discovered the truth: the gnomes had employed some kind of illusory magic to obscure the markings and so waylay us. We recovered the right path and successfully found the burrowed tunnel.

The ambush could have been much more disastrous had there been more gnomes lurking in the darkness. I later found out that this was not a stroke of luck, but related to the clanging noises we had discerned earlier on.
I later learned that these noises had come from a fight between five well equipped Lyrian knights and a host of these gnomish rats. The knights prevailed, and our elven compatriots had conversed with them. They warned of a terrible disease and they explained that they had come from the De Courtenay estate nearby. Their leader was Armand de Courtenay, a Paladin of the Platinum Lord, and they were seeking the source of the disease.
Surely the struggle with the knights distracted the majority of the gnomes and secured our survival in the ambush, as well as preventing harm to our elven compatriots in their recklessness. But in fairness, them encountering the knights has been useful.

Upon returning to the tunnel we were immediately ridiculed by the arrogant one. He seemed to take pleasure in the fact that we were waylaid by monsters and nearly slain. I confirmed that we had indeed been tricked by magic of the gnomish rats. He also complained that he had wasted so much time looking for us.
My happiness at recovering our way out was severely dampened by all of this. Luca appeared mostly angry.

Emrys had apparently summoned reinforcements from the estate. Much to the relief of the house guards we decided to retire back to the surface, bringing with one severed gnomish head, and the slain guardsman in the tunnel. The one in the aqueduct had been set on fire by Emrys.

On the surface things started to get a bit blurry for me. We first spoke with Captain Mollen, after which we ate and rested a little. I inspected my wounds and found that I was quite likely mortally wounded.
I failed at proper etiquette when we visited the Lords of Sheridan for our debriefing, but they were kind enough to forgive my transgression. I have missed much of what was discussed but I seem to understand that we are meant to go down into the accursed tunnels again tomorrow.
When they started staring at me as to whether or not I would come with I could only blurt out that I required healing and that I might be corrupted by an affliction.

Upon that dismal note we retired to our resting places. I was offered a corner in the stables, where Benten the Purple visited me in person. He examined my wound and said that he was unable to heal it. He did provide me with an amulet that should stop the affliction from gaining in strength. He explained that the surest way to recovery would be at the Cathedral of the Platinum Lord, but that the closest servant of the Platinum Lord could be found in the tunnels from which we had just returned.

I should have asked him what the masks in the mansion mean.

So now I face the same question I faced yesterday. Do I avoid the darkness and its horrors, or do I go towards them?

In my current weakness and despair I am inclined to go back to Kingsport.

But what if it is part of the test? Should I persist?

Will my servitude to Water end in Flames?

I need to sleep …

The Crimson Tower, Pinefall, Silverpine Hills

by Dennis••0•Posted inConjunction of Planes

The story goes that a powerful member of the Silver Crusade was corrupted by a high ranking devil prince and convinced to lead a several hundred knights into a battle they couldn’t possibly win.

The knights were resoundingly defeated and their bodies were magically kept from dying. Neither truly alive, nor truly dead, the knights were stripped of their precious arms and armour and taken to the tower.

Their bodies were nailed to the tower until it was a writhing mass of bleeding bodies, moaning and howling in pain. Their blood soaked the walls and permanently stained them crimson, which is how the tower got its name.

The demons flew around the tower and raked at the bodies with talons and claws, and lashed them with barbed whips, and still the knights wouldn’t perish.

Eventually, a large host of griffon riders made their way down from Gryphon’s Roost to free their captured comrades, but when they arrived the tower was gone and so was any trace of the knights.

A search was conducted; griffon riders flew far and wide, the woods were combed by hunters and footmen, lakes were dived by fishermen, but not a trace of the tower or the knights were recovered.

Over the following decades, the tower was spotted appearing and disappearing, and the screeching of demons and the howling of the damned knights could be heard at night. Each time it was followed by another search by the Lyrian knights for their captured comrades, and each time the were disappointed to find no traces.

Knights of Lyria – Ranks

by Dennis••0•Posted inConjunction of Planes

There are two types of ranks and several special titles which fall outside of these two categories. The first category is that of common ranks, which are used for unknighted members of the Knights of Lyria. They cover aspiring knights and men at arms. The latter are paid to be in the service of the knights, and are exempt from any of the vows that the knights take when they are inducted in the order (poverty, no family, etc.) It is simply a paying job.

Common Ranks

Squire

Every aspiring knight, no matter their background, starts off as a squire. They are responsible for a lot of menial tasks in service of the rest of the knights.

Armsman

The armsman are the auxiliary troops that stand in service of the knights. They are either permanent soldiers with no ambition for knighthood, or simply in it for the coin (as knights are to hold no wealth and are to tithe all their earnings to the order), squires who were never accepted as knights, but felt a calling to stay, or conscripts from the lands held by the orders.

Sergeant

This is an armsman who has showed themselves to be naturally gifted leaders. They take leadership of up to eight armsmen.

Sergeant Major

These are veteran armsman who have risen past the rank of sergeant and have proven themselves to be steadfast, reliable and skilled soldiers. They are paid very well by the orders and next to knights they are considered the backbone of their fighting force.

Knight Ranks

Knight

The bulk of the knighted forces. They have been knighted and they are part of an order. This is the lowest, knighted rank. During a campaign, each knight commands a squadron of infantry, made up of a sergeant and seven armsmen.

Knight Lieutenant

The knight lieutenant is no higher in rank than an ordinary knight, but gets special tasks and privileges. This could be temporary, while escorting nobility or a diplomat, or more permanently when overseeing the construction of a new windmill or granary.

Knight Commander

A knight commander oversees up to eight knights and dispenses orders. Also becomes responsible for their actions.

Master Commander

The master commander is, like the knight lieutenant, usually a temporary title, bestowed upon a knight commander for the duration of a special mission. It grants them the ability to do what is necessary in order to complete their task, like commandeering possessions with the promise of reimbursement, conscripting armsmen, committing troops to a theatre, etc. It is considered a very special rank and is very carefully granted due to the wide implications of their actions.

Knight Captain 

The knight captain oversees up to eight knight commanders, for a total of seventy-two knights. These knights are organised in a chapter, with their own heraldry. The knight captain is also referred to as the “prior”, if they are a follower of Paladine, or as “chapter master.”

Knight Grand Officer

This is the person who oversees an entire order and all its chapters. They are legendary knights and their names are known in most of the twelve kingdoms. They are the heart and soul of their order and embody everything the order stands for. They are also responsible for writing the statutes, bylaws and the directives for the order. The knight grand officer is also referred to as the “grand prior”, if they are a follower of Paladine, or as “grand master.”

Special Titles

Knight Primarch

During the time of conjunction, a knight primarch is chosen from the grand officers of the three orders. They represent all three of the orders to the outside world and determines the direction of all three orders. There hasn’t been a knight primarch in countless generations. The most famous primarch was Ser William Garamond, the first king of Lyria.

Knight Seneschal

The seneschal is second in command to the knight grand officer and is in charge when the head of the order is indisposed. Other duties include liaising with other orders and overseeing recruitment.

Knight Secretary

Both the knight grand officer as well as the knight seneschal are aided by a knight secretary. These are often veteran knights who are being groomed for positions of high command. They act as bodyguards, councillor and advisors and help in the day to day planning of their charge’s duties.

Knight Chronicler

The chronicler is in charge of records. This is a very broad host of duties, ranging from being the order’s historian, accountant and record keeper. This task is usually kept by a veteran knight with a penchant for letters and numbers.

Heraldry Officer

Lyrian knights take heraldry very seriously as a means of recognition, comradery and pride. Each order keeps track of their own heraldry, the heraldry for each of their chapters and making sure that it’s clear and consistent. Once heraldry is approved, it is also sent to the heraldry officers of the other orders and to the royal palace in kingsport. 

Standard Bearer

Before each engagement, a knight is honoured by being allowed to carry the order or chapter’s standard into battle. These are usually junior knights and it is a coveted position carrying a lot of prestige.

Knight Errant

The “errant” adjective to the title of knight simply means that the knight is not attached to one of the three orders. There can be several reasons for that, most commonly they were honourably or dishonourably discharged from their order. Leaving an order doesn’t mean you lose your title as a knight. Once knighted, you remain knighted, but you become a Knight Errant until such a time you join a new or different order of knights.

Emma, Session 2

by Dennis••0•Posted inConjunction of Planes

2nd day of the 3rd ride, month 6 , 1262

We are standing at the edge of a large pool at the entrance to the aqueduct that used to feed it, but is now run dry. Behind us, on the pool, the light of summer dances playfully on the water. In front of us beckons a dark, dry, but mostly dark tunnel. I have just finished drying out my belongings and refitting my attire. I suggest we look for tracks in the tunnel, but it is self-evident that there is only one way to go, and that is up the aqueduct.

My compatriots proceed into the darkness soaked to the skin.

The darkness dulls my senses and I become anxious. I am left with only one thing to do, and that is keeping upright and not fall over in this tunnel with the sparing light from the two lanterns we brought.
James has taken point and proves himself impatient and arrogant: in other words a city-dweller. His sharp tongue takes no care to hide his impatience and to offer blistering critiques of the others. He gives me the impression that we are but an unwelcome hindrance in his path towards a pile of Golden Crowns. This, together with the overwhelming darkness makes the mood quickly grow oppressive and tense.

I fear this one’s sharp tongue will suppress the best in us.

After an hour of struggling we come upon a human body. Clearly a member of the Sheridan House Guard. His neck and face is purple and swollen, and pus-filled lesions occur near his eyes, ears, nose, and mouth. But the man is alive!
A tense discussion follows and we realize that the man is likely carrying a terrible disease and is beyond saving. Astrid suggests a mercy killing and burning the remains. Reluctantly we all agree and Luca suggests we burn the remains immediately. Given that we are in a confined space an immediate cremation is impractical and under Luca’s protests we must wait with the cremation until we return. James by this time has already lost his patience and has disappeared into the shadows ahead.
Astrid looks to me as someone with some moral authority to assist those departing the realm of the living. I take the long sharp knife in her hand and kneel over the dying man. After muttering a prayer beseeching Sedna to show mercy on the soul of this man I carefully plunge the blade into the man’s chest and heart.
The blood turns out to be much more viscous than it ought to be. Deeply revolted by the deed I just committed and the horror of the scene in general, I recoil. To complete the absurdity of this horror I notice a morbidly fascinated Luca crouching over the corpse to collect some of the viscous blood. He is assisted by James who emerged from the shadows to provide a flask for the purpose. Evidently having discarded a good amount of precious oil for our lanterns.
I return the blade to Astrid, visibly shaken, and exclaim that I will not make the fire. Astrid places the corpse on the ledge next to the main channel of the aqueduct to await our return.

We proceed. After another quarter or a third of an hour we come to a collapse behind which there is running water. It seems as though something tunneled, or burrowed into the aqueduct from the side and that the water is now diverted into that tunnel instead.
Here we find numerous stone-working tools that evidently belonged to the dwarven engineers. I collect the tools and place them on the ledge. These include three earthenware jars with waxen seals. Luca and Astrid open one to find a substance reeking of rotten eggs inside. They close the jar and leave it with the rest of the tools.
We decide that we must climb over the collapse and enter the new tunnel. I use some of the dwarven tools to affix a rope to the top of the collapse, so that we might more easily climb up or down on either side. I also take a chisel and a hammer so as to be able to carve markings on walls, should we need to.

Over the collapse I can wade in a small amount of the cleanest running water. My heart rejoices in greeting the Mother of Springs and Protectress of Wells.

James once again impatiently takes the lead as we plunge into the dark unknown. After another quarter or a third of an hour we come upon another body: another house-guard. This one was clearly dead, judging by the multitude of entry-wounds, lacerations and bite-marks. The bite-marks, Luca suggested, appear to come from unnaturally large rodents.
When we continue I have my shield readied and my mace close at hand. Will we run into red-eyed horrors soon?

Some time later we come to the end of the new tunnel. It was begun from yet another tunnel, but one that comprises impressive ancient, vaulted masonry. Covered by strands of bioluminescent moss. I have come to my dreamscape at last. It occurs to me now, that it is not unlike the Sacred Baths of Sedna in Kingsport, albeit without the marble and stucco facings. Is there a whole world of darkness hidden under our very feet?

James suggests we have done enough and that we might as well return. Despite his continual posturing and dismissive behavior towards us it seems that he too is scared. And he too knows that Lord Jonathan will hardly be impressed by what we have achieved so far. Ultimately, he tries to reclaim dominance be conceding to agree to continue for half a day onwards. How he will measure this in this forsaken darkness is a mystery to me.

Should we go left or right? Emrys, who had been remarkable quiet throughout the entire endeavor so far decides by flipping a coin. Left it is. Luca insists that, from now on, we will keep going left whenever we can. Supposedly that is the most intelligent way to approach a ‘labyrinth’.

We press on, and quickly I lose track of our path and direction. Although I mark every corner we take with an arrow that I chisel into the wall. James has taken point again and has disappeared from sight.

After a while James reappears to warn us that if we take another left, we will miss something that is making sound ahead. It sounded like rodents. We went there instead.
We come upon another body, evidently a dwarf, covered by a swarm of rats, which are gnawing on the remains. We carefully approach when the rats turn on us and try to overwhelm us.
Emrys sets off a dazzling display of light that appears to startle a great many of the rats. We start picking off the rats one by one, but we will undoubtedly be overwhelmed when they recover from the lights. So I use my gifts to mimic the baying of hounds, hoping to scare off the critters, but to no avail. Emrys, shows quickness of mind and assists my effort by producing an illusory image of a large hound. Our combined efforts halts the swarm in its tracks.
Meanwhile, James had thrown a good deal of oil in the midst of the swarm of rats and used their moment of hesitation to throw one of the lanterns so as to ignite the pool of oil.
While many of their kin writhe in agony from being on fire, the remainder of the swarm scurries away. James complains that we have now forewarned all of our presence in this forsaken place. I am distressed to have even less light available from now on, and that we might run out of oil before our return. I voice not these concerns, since I feel that James’ arrogance is quite enough strain on our collective morale.

Death by fire is unusually cruel.

We inspect the body of the dwarf. His hands are bound behind his back and there are no clear signs of the way he perished, other than being gnawed on by rats. Could he have been left to be killed by rodents?

After a short while we were alerted by soft sounds further ahead. Possibly the scuffling off feet. James asked if Emrys would like to take the rear. When Emrys hesitated, James eagerly positioned himself in our rear, while he sarcastically urged ‘someone with heavy armor and a shield’ to take point.
Given the visceral logic of James’ taunting suggestion I was left little choice but to take point. My refusal would have broken the group’s teetering cohesion, a cohesion which James had so carefully been picking down to a thread.

I know now how a heifer must feel when it is led to the slaughter. There was darkness and dread in the eyes, there was the hint of death and decay on the nostrils. I could feel my heart thumping so loudly, I swear by Sedna the others must have heard it!
I inched forward hesitantly and clumsily seeing next to nothing in the darkness that lay ahead. All I could do is to take comfort in the proximity of the tall and powerful Astrid by my side.

Up until that point we had been following vaulted tunnels, but we now opened into a much wider room, with, as far as I could discern, endless pairs of columns, at an equal width to the tunnels, stretching onwards. In between the first set of columns were positioned a handful of small rat-like creatures, including a taller white one. These were the red-eyed horrors from my dreamscape. What by Sedna were they? Kobolds? Goblins? Gnomes? At any rate, they were here to kill us, judging by the jagged knives and swords readied in their hands.

I was stunned by the sudden revelation, but Astrid showed no hesitation: she charged headlong into our opponents and skewered one on her spear. Emrys meanwhile produced an illusory image of a House Guard in front of our adversaries, convincing enough to distract two of them. The white one, evidently their leader, dismissed it easily with a wave of its scythe.
James fired arrows from behind but to little effect. Our enemies bore down on Astrid and were sure to cut her to shreds unless we would intercede.
All I managed was to make use of my talents in the most feeble way.

Then I assumed that taking out their leader would likely dissuade these foul gnomes from further battle, so I beseeched Lady Sedna to mark the leader for death and I struck it with a Guiding Bolt. It recoiled and became illuminated in eerie green light, which assisted James in finding his mark with a satisfying thud.
Meanwhile, Emrys had used another display of light to confound two of the gnomes. Astrid had gone in to some sort of primordial rage and slew yet another of the little monsters.

All the while Luca had been throwing dark bolts of raw power from the tip of his staff that made our enemies writhe in pain and agony, and could snap their joints or spines with a sickening snap.
If magic is like a dog and takes after its master, then this one might well house a depraved soul indeed.

The efforts of mine and James proved effective: their leader cowered and withdrew. Although I seem to have caught a complaint by James that it had escaped, I was more than happy to see the back of the foul gnome. I had advanced forward to assist Astrid and Emrys, and found that Emrys made use of the opportunity to withdraw, letting the remaining gnomes bear down on me. They cut me terribly, after which, I won’t lie, I cowered behind my shield. Astrid slew yet one more while the last one scurried off into the shadows.

We survived!

I quickly turned to Astrid and poured water on her many wounds, uttering prayers to Sedna. Although she had to restrain herself in her rage, she allowed me to proceed. Her wounds healed before our eyes, with steam coming from the erstwhile shredded skin.