The Seven Keys.

[The GrandMage]

Yrismir

Yrismir glanced over, and then back down into the 'scary roots' of this damned-annoying tree. How bad could it possibly be? How tough could parasites for an organism that has no defenses be? He shook his head, and motioned her towards him.

"Naw. Let's just get going and get gone."

 

[Vixandra]

Cali

"Your homeland, so I'm hopin' you be right about this," I said before following him into the tree.
It was rather dark inside though the first sixty feet or so were lit by the opening we'd come though.
"Must get really dark down here if that hole we came through closes..."
Me and my big mouth.

 

[LadyFairy]

Seeing two of her new companinons disapear into the tree Tela ran forward to try and make it inside before the opening closed, but was too late. Searching around the tree she begain looking for an entrance.

Tela searched all night for an opening but had been unable to find one and moving back to the Inn she lay down where she could see the tree and fell asleep hoping that maybe the tree would open, and her companions would pop back out from where they had entered.

 

[RoneLith]

Look Look I bumped the Thread Bump bump bump thumppitdy thump thump look at frosty go. Sorry wrong season.

 

[Vixandra]

Cali

The darkness around us was almost touchable, I mused as I pulled out my whip. A flick of my wrist brought a butterfly made of flame into exsistance.
The light from the creature was enough to brighten the tunnel for about twenty feet a head of us, long as it flew above our heads.
"Yris," I asked aloud. "What exactly are we looking for down here? Another key? And if so, what clues do we have to finding it?"


OOC: got a bit impatient, so moving things along a smidge.

 

[LadyFairy]

Tela awoke the next day streatching. Looking over at the tree it didnt look as tho much had changed from that night. Bounding over she sniffed the air hoping to catch fresh sents, but found nothing save for the old one leading into the tree.

Returning to her quarters Tela changed into her human form and dressed, gathering her wepons and supplies she decided to go and find the others, and let them know what she had seen.

 

[The GrandMage]

Yrismir

Yrismir unsheathed his sword, and yawned. "A clue, yeah. My mother's diary. Down in some secrety room down here. Although why she'd have a room down here is beyond me..."

Yrismir wandered around the roots, leading the way. Every now and then they'd run across a bug of great size, but none of they had great reaction times, and none were a match for a Half-Orc who'd been a Soldier for as long as Yris had. After a while, he got thinking about his mother, and the room she was supposed to have.

Around that time he and Cali stumbled upon some openning that seemed to react to their approach. Inside was a small room. "This must be it," Yrismir said, carefully pointing out the obvious, in case the tree could still hear him. As he entered, Yrismir looked around.

He walked around the wall, looking over a few random objects lining a shelf, reading the titles from a bopokshelf, at leats, those ledgible and understandable. He glanced around at the few other objects in the room, and grabbed the diary as he moved, sitting down on the bed. He noticed an odd light, and looked up.

"Oh, hey Mother. So,...is this thing the Key then?"

 

[Vixandra]

Cali

I followed Yris through the tree's depths, keeping a fire butterfly active and letting him kill the bugs. Seemed to aleviate some of his vexation over having to deal with the tree.

We stumbled into a room that was apparently the big secret room of Tenora. Looking around, it looked like any other orcish bedroom, except for the huge alter and the pedistle bearing a diary.
Leaving that for Yris, I explored around the room, looking over the keepsakes that lined shelves along with books.
A woven band of hemp spun with rubies caught my eye and I looked over to Yris before touching it. "Any idea what this is? No one said a key had to be large you know. Or did they?"

 

[Mantra]

Viktor

He did not know how long he had been uncontious, laying there in the dark, but Viktor's eyes finally opened which was better then nothing. He was in complete darkness but he lay very still and silent. Who knew if there were other enemies nearby, so he reached out to his surroundings with his other senses. He heard nothing, save for the occasional patter of shifting pebbles and the like. The air smelled greatly of dust, blood and rotten garbage and there was a great weight all about and atop him. No doubt the after effects of the collapse of the celing above him. In his right hand, he still held his death grip on the hilt of his broadsword. By the feel of it, and the presence of sound, he was obviously laying on the blade, muffling it's power.
Viktor attempted to pull himself forward and away from the wreckage around him, but white hot fire rippled up and along his whole body, causing his breath to hiss between clenched teeth. In spite of the pain, Viktor smiled, drinking in the agony. Beautiful, sweet pain. Pain was like liquid love, pain told you that you were still alive, let your mind know where the body was damaged, it fed the fires of hate, it motivated one to action, to fight on and live or give up on the pain and die. Pain inspired vengance and when properly applied to others; pain revealed secrets and compelled truth. In other cases, pain was just...entertainment.

To someone like Viktor, pain was at the heart of everything, one way or another.

There was a brief sound of metal scraping against stone as Viktor drew his sword up from underneath him. The blade was sticky and smelled strongly of gnoll blood, but that was unimportant. Viktor had pulled the sword out about a foot when he lay his head down, breathing heavilly with the effort. The blood he was seeking was nearby. It was too dark to see it, but Viktor knew it was there, it was always there. Not the gnoll blood, but bloody letters, written in the groove running half the length of the thick blade. The eternally red and bloody words; Pain Is Pleasure

Viktor bent down and licked the letters. Almost instantly, the pain slid away to be replaced with eccstacy. The pleasure flooded into his body and Viktor began to wriggle forward, kicking and squirming as he struggled to free himself. His sword, QuietKill was freed and with it, the deathlike silence returned, ending the sounds of his escape attempt and his labored breathing. He didn't know how long it took, but Viktor finally managed to kick free of the debris and drag himself to what he thought was a nearby wall. His swordarm was capable and although his right hip felt weak, his legs were still servicable, but his left arm and shoulder refused to obey his commands at all. Likewise his breathing remained labored with each breath seeming to be squeezed in his chest. The rapture of the ingested blood was wearing off and the dull throb of pain was returning, becoming stronger as time crept forward. The return of pain was as welcome as the rapture, it reminded Viktor that it was time to go.

He took one more ragged breath, feeling the familiar twinge come from his ribcage. Then, using his broadsword as a cane, Viktor moved off, sliding along the wall wrapped in silence, deeper into the darkness.

 

[LadyRozes]

Within the tree ...

the quiet apparation of Tenora appeared before Yris and smiled.. "I see you like to get right to the point dont you.. ?" She looked over towards him and the other occupant in her sanctuary .. she watched as Cali went through the little objects Tenora would create in her spare time.. here ina way this was the safest place for Tenora .. here was where she created anything of important.. She smiled as her eyes passed over her staff.. it had been a long time since she even used it.. and wondered if anyone else would benefit from teh use of it.. She then gazed over Cali; it seemed she had picked up one of her first creations she smiled as she recalled the making of that first ring..

The ring had seven rubies intwined within the ring as soon as Cali picked up the ring she felt a wierd sensation run through her mind as if trying to inform or detect something and then it passed.. when she looked over to Yris in question the apparation of Tenora said, "IF you are good of heart then you may put it on.. it may surprise you.."

 

[The GrandMage]

Yrismir

Yrismir stood up, flipping through the diary as he moved in front of the image of his mother. He cleared his throat, and waved the diary in front of her face. He looked down at the pages, trying to find something.

"Yes, Mother, you know very well I'm not one to beat around the bush. It's why I became a a soldier, after all. Now, is this what we came for or not? I'd like to get out of here soon, if possible."

 

[Vixandra]

Cali

I pondered the ring for a moment before setting it back down. I knew I wasn't good of heart. Knew I wasn't bad of heart either. I was a rouge, helping with one hand, harming with the other. Balance.

With a brief prayer to Lyris for aid in staying balanced, I prowled through more of the room while Yris waved the diary in front of Tenora.
"He does have a point," I said, eyeing a carving of my Goddess, complete down to her twelve toes. "We do need to hurry up. I have no doubt in my mind the evil team isn't planning something nasty."

 

[LadyRozes]

Tenora

The ghost Tenora looked between her son and the heir.. and sighed .. it seemed everyone was in a rush but sheknew they had reason to be rushed. She nodded slowly, "Yes within my diary there is a clue.. but unfortunately if you take that diary out of this cave it will turn to dust.. already you can see the pages are curling.. and you simply took it off the pedestal.. that book you hold is very old.."

she looked over to the ring Cali put down thought, its good that one is honest because that is what makes them a good person.. its not the fact that they are purely good simply that they believe they have not always done good.. Tenora walked towards the ring and picked it up the solid object raised by sheer hands.. "everything within these walls is enchanted in someway.. and you can take with you everything except the book which you hold.. you have my permission to enter my sanctuary anytime you wish to... as for the clue.. that is within the book.. you must search within it to find it.."

She walked towards Cali and lifted her hand after giving her a questioning look she slipped the ring within her finger..

 

[Vixandra]

Cali

I looked down at the ring on my finger and shrugged. "Thank you, Tenora, I think."

Prowling over to Yris, I looked around him (for I'm no where near tall enough to look over his shoulder without some massive heels) at the dairy.
"Any hints on what part of the diary we need to be looking at or is this a read the whole thing night?"

 

[The GrandMage]

Yrismir

Yrismir closed the book. Openning it from the first page, he began slowly and carefully turning the pages, spending a few seconds scanning each page before moving on. He let out a small, angry laugh.

"What, put it out in the open? No, then to other side could get to it too easilly if they ever made their way done here. No, obviously everything needs to be made complicated so as to make things harder on the other side. It doesn't help us, but,... That's what we have to deal with."

 

[Vixandra]

I looked at Yris and had to laugh. "This is truely insane, you are aware of that, aren't you, Yris m'dear? I mean, here we are, trying to figure out a clue within a clue when the woman who planted said que has her noncorprale, demi-touchable body floating right over there. The gods must be crazy."

 

[Strolling Gecko]

Ramas is back

I sat in my room sharpening my blade. Tana laid asleep on a nearby cot. It had been a couple of hours since I had last heard from anyone in the party. Yrismir ran off to attend to some duty and Cali had gone after him. I had left the dwarf drunk in the tavern. Tela had also gone after Yris and Cali and she too had not returned.

Trianna had been with me when I returned to our quarters with Tana, but when I awoke she was gone, only a note saying that she had business to attend to and that it required her immediate attention. I was saddened, but understood. After all, we all answer to someone. I figured it may have to do with our quest. I supposed time would tell.

I finished sharpening the blade and held it up to inspect it one last time. I stood and returned it to it's sheath. I looked over to the cot and saw Tana had awoken and was rubbing her eyes.

"Good morning. What do you say you clean up and we'll head down for some breakfast?" I asked her smiling.

 

[LadyFairy]

Tash's nose as she passed her compainons courters told her that they were still in their rooms. They were the same sents she had caught that night in the bar.. Tasha did her best to remember names..

Tana was one and the other Ramas..the other female Tela's sent was their also but it was not as strong. Tasha guessed that she was still with her friend Garin.

Not wanting to pry but knowing that she needed to tell them where the others went she knocked on the door.

 

[Strolling Gecko]

"Who's knocking this early? Perhaps is Yrismir or Cali, eh?" I asked out loud to no one really. I walked over to the door, ready to draw my sword if need be, and opened it. The elvish girl from the night before stood there. I quickly ran through my head for her name. I released my grip on my blade.

"Tasha, good morning. What can I help you with?"

 

[LadyFairy]

i am sorry to wake you so early, but i need to speak with you, and the others. She said and begain to explain about seeing Yrismir and Cali going into the tree, and how she had tryed to follow but was to late. i would have come sooner but i hoped they would be back by now.

 

[Strolling Gecko]

I listened to Tasha explain what happened to Yrismir and Cali. When she mentioned that she was worried about them not being back yet, I smiled calmly.

"I'm sure whatever trouble they found inside that tree they are more than capable of handling. Still, I'd rather be there with the princess. It is my job after all," I half joked. Turthfully, I did know Cali could handle herself. And with Yris there, forget about it. Besides, Tana needed to be guarded. And that was equally important.

"Anyway, I believe Tana is finally awake enough to go hve some breakfast. I'm in the mood for some eggs. Care to join us?"

 

[LadyFairy]

Tasha nodded he had known them longer than she had and hoped that he was right. Yes if you truly do not mind then i would be glad to join you. Should i come in or would you rather meet in the tavern? She asked waiting for a reply.

 

[Strolling Gecko]

"Actually," I replied looking at Tana as she approached, "I believe we're ready to go to the tavern now. And of course we'd appreciate your company. Stay by my side, Tana."

I led Tana and our new friend down to the tavern and sat at the same table as the night before. We recieved our food quickly. I drank heavily from my mug of water. I sighed. I was definately missing the comforts of the Whisper.

 

[LadyFairy]

Tasha eat her meal with her companions and wondered where the others were and what was taking them so long, they should have been wake by now, but then there had been much drinking the night before.

Catching the sent of the air as another patron entered the tavern she wondered what had happend to her friend Garin, and where he had gotten off to, but knowing that it was not her right to pry she contiued to eat her meal.

 

[The GrandMage]

Yrismir

Yrismir nodded. "The gods are crazy. That's why I never wasted any time with them, much to the clergy's regret. I still hold that if a god's got a problem with the way I do things, they can tell me themself. Anyway, I seriously doubt if Mother will help. Will you? Of course not. I mean, just the trouble I had to go through to get here. No shortcuts."

He started poring over the book, muttering to himself as he looked through it. "Maybe you should go back up and see to the others? I could be here a while."