The Thomb of Ddud #00

    Helo, and Be welcome to the Blog.

    This is a resume version of the Story, Stolen Dreams.

    To follow the final version, go to this post.

    About the Story

    I did lost track of time, again, because the real play was one year ago. I have the notes, but I did not included the date on the notes.

    The Tomb of Ddud

    Torièn received a message from Mai, and he invites her to his sanctuary.

    His sanctuary's inside the eternal icy mountains, Fronzenlant. An enormous number of chambers lay inside, with most unknown rooms, and secrets.

    Torièn's the only one the dangerous ice ancient elemental lets enter the chambers of that place, or those who he invites to enter, so everyone must wait for the alchemist to let them enter first.

    So, Torièn waited for his group to come to the meeting.

    Báech and Kristalla were the first, and so Tacke, and Hadesh, then they prepared to enter the chamber with the inscription down there.

    ----- The Tomb of Ddud -----

    Hadesh and Kristalla come at the front. She disarmed the traps, and Hadesh was aware to enter her front in case any trap was activated. The entrance's a number of rooms, to make someone get lost, so there's a staircase, which goes zigzag, with numerous traps, basically all magical. All the structure's made of a strange rock, non native to this place, a rock like marble, polished and beautiful, but they all sense this is dangerous, because it may be part of a magic enchantment to control their minds.

    Several minutes later, Hadesh stoped.

    - Kristalla vanished - he resumed to the others.
    - She's fine (says Torièn). Believe me. She's the best rogue I've ever seen.
    - We know it (considers Báech), Torièn, but don't you think,...
    - This,... - the mage pointed to the opening wall.

    The wall started to open, to let a passage on it, and they finally came to the inner chamber.

    Kristalla's on the side of a staircase, disabling a mechanic trap. As they were able to enter, they saw the marvel of a cube made of a strange material, obviously magical. The cube's dark blue, with many many slots and things that look like lines, all connected to each other.

    All of a sudden, they can't see Kristalla and Torièn senses danger.

    - Teleport Kristalla back, Báech - says Torièn - This is my turn.

    Of course, Torièn activated a number of traps while coming to the cube. Blood started to stain his clothes, but a small problem, considered where they are.

    Torièn came closer, and he started to see the lines, with a very old version of the sun chang script. Old runes, with inscriptions in line. He started to read 'em. It says "And so He created the Illusion. The illusion of matter. Saw by the eyes of those who want to see. Pleasure, pleasure which cures even the Enemy", and Torièn senses corruption, but corruption in raw state. He keeps reading, and started to ask the Ring of intelligence to help. The sense of corruption's so strong it even pushes Torièn backwards. He reads words he never saw, as "Doxa", in the lines which say "Death is reserved to them. The Doxa of Choice", and he ignores the cuts on his flesh to ask the Ring what was that, after all.

    - Doxa is the universal law of free choice. To not chose's still chose - says the ring.

    Suddenly, the cube changed.

    - What's happening, ring?
    - Well, I assume the cube will open, if you read it all - suggests the ring.
    - He's still alive, inside this prison. It's even worse than,... damn, I forgot his name,... Saint Krunk's brother. What do you think, Ring?
    - I think you're right.

    To know finally what the Fronzenlant mountain hold down there's enough. Torièn goes back, and is hitted again, into another trap. It near misses him. He freezed the blade, and hits it to break with his staff of power, at the time it passes trying to cut his head off. Together, they start to go back, and notice all traps come back to it's armed position, while they backwards.

    Off the tomb, Lena was waiting for them.

    - I think I saw inside the tomb, Torièn. (says her) It looks as a sun chang baby. And it's, like,... sleeping.
    - To know what is in there is enough for me, princess. We need to be careful, because this chamber cannot ever be opened, I'm pretty sure of it.
    - What's written in the lines, Torièn?
    - Well, Hadesh. I prefere not to talk about that.
    - Why?
    - Oke. It's a huge collection of sayings about Free Choice, but that doesn't make sense.
    - That doesn't make sense to You - says the takkar.
    - What are you saying? I know what is free choice, and you're not the one to tell me that.
    - Why? Are you saying my choice of protecting you all during all the time, risking my head everysense, is not a sure demonstration of free choice? No, no,.. I'm doing it just because you're nobles. And of course, this is my destiny, to serve the royalty of the ejik race. This is nonsense, Torièn.
    - Watch your mouth, Hadesh - says the mage.
    - YOu wanna know what? I'm TIRED of it! I'm always risking my LIFE! MY life. And you give not the credit for that, no no, you're the biggest of us, you go on the front. TIRED! You're a bunch of INGRATES!
    - HOLD YOUR MOUTH, TAKKAR! YOU DON'T TALK TO ME LIKE THAT!
    - EXACTLY! TAKKAR! I'M NOT YOUR EJIK SERVANT, SIR!

    Tacke immediately casts the No Physical Attack spell, waiting for the problem.

    Hadesh and Torièn kept shouting each other, until Torièn teleport him outside the temple, from inside the mountain to the outside frost.

    Torièn went to a corner and got that "No talking" face.

    (The Enemy's waiting)

    Hadesh immediately saw where he was.

    At the place the elemental Ice lives, the most aggressive elemental ever. He says "Shit" in takkar race language, but there was no time to run.

    An imense mass of ice urged from beneath the ground, and attacked.

    - I challenge you, ancient elemental of ice! - he shouted.

    But the elemental really wants to kill him, and that doesn't made him stop.

    Hadesh got his Book off the Bag, because he knows he's not enough to confront a tremendous beast of nature, and he was lifted by a mass of ice. He took so much damage he believed he'd die in some next moment. No hope, no chance.

    Up there, he was thrown at the ground, and lifted up again.

    He assumed takkar beast form, to start regenerate, and opened the Book, trying to focus the most powerful spell the Dark Grimoire could ever let him cast.

    (At the Sanctuary)

    - Torièn! Hadesh's being attacked! - cried Tacke.
    - What do I have to do with this? I don't care what happens with him.
    - It's the ice elemental, only you can do something.
    - Ahh! Why do I have to help him? Oke. Let go outside, and see what's happening.

    They all got off the sanctuary, by teleport lightning, except Mai.

    (The Death of a beloved Friend)

    - Hellfire! - Hadesh shouted, at the same time the group gets there by teleport.

    A huge ball, of fire and icy storm, that's what they see.

    - That's black magic! - cries Torièn.
    - Now, you're concerned about black magic, Torièn? - asked Tacke.
    - He killed the ice elemental! HADESH! - shouted the mage.
    - You teleported him (says Tacke). It's your fault.

    Most of the icy mountain simply melted, and the mage's angry with his fellow, but they see him.

    When Hadesh assumed snakedragon form, the elemental broke his left wing.

    Hadesh was in pain. Real pain. So, he senses something. He senses there is someone in there, wainting, in the woods down there. He can't see anything, and the pain is terrible. It didn't helps much. He focus his special abilites, every and each one, on finding what's wrong.

    Then, he sees, a man completely melted with the trees by the base of the icy mountain.

    He can't do anything, and he's just focusing on the little life in himself.

    So, the man moves and starts to come near, up there. He's using strange clothes, like those of Haratchi, the witch of the planes.

    - You,... - the man says to the group - must know this book must be destroyed.
    - I don't care if you do that - Torièn's angry, and he can't believe Hadesh had killed the elemental, so furious he's not even trying to cure his fellow.
    - What do you want, stranger? - says Tacke.
    - You don't have the power to destroy this Dark Book, but I do.

    They all stay in silence, waiting.

    - So be it - says the man, and he destroys Hadesh'es book, the Dark Grimoire's dead.

    The group could not believe, nor Hadesh.

    Hadesh fainted, and Tacke levitated him back inside the sanctuary.

    (At The frequecy of Light, again)

    - I know, Tacke. But he desearved that. The book was dangerous, anyway, even if I can agree with you that the book was his.
    - You keep saying there's a relation between the Mummy King and the basyliskes, but I can't see what - says the professor, and he sees Lena's on a corner with Mai, explained what happened.
    - I don't know. I need to meditate, Tacke.
    - Go for it.

    Daytel, who he's known outside his territory, entered the frequency of Light.

    The last time was when the Mummy King was created.

    And there is someone in there. A lone mind. He focused that presence, saying helo in the form of energy, in the form of a mind looking for answers.

    - Helo - he says.

    The presence says nothing.

    This way, he starts to say all his worries. Not any information that could be a secret. He's not an idiot. Just what happens, his group, fellows, family. He hates politics. They all make things too complicated, all the time, and he's tired of saying this and that, and nothing works. He's sure of these things, and nobody listen. Not even the Council of Light, in here, this mind metaplane. No one's doing a thing to solve what's wrong. Why people just want to do things their way, and not listen to any sense, to his solutions?

    He's tired of trying to keep the balance between the group.

    Good times were those with Dudin and Tayala.

    They all needed to solve a mystery, of why the magic faul was happening. Why? Because they wanted to do what was right. They did found a solution, and he has passed the tests from the greater god of Shadeza, to be able to get the bumppers, and put them in the needed place.

    Those were two people who listen, even if they're not much friendly most of the time.

    Why does he needs this group?

    Why does he needs to stay into unending labyrinths, with no action. They don't agree, when he's pretty sure of everything he says.

    Why?

    - Helo - says a voice of a man, ejik - I notice you're angry, and if you can enter this attune state metaplane, you're not a bad person, for sure. I have not understood what you said about the Council of Light, but I,... I mean, do you want to talk?
    - I just can't see the actions being taken, by the Council.
    - That doesn't mean the Council's doing nothing. I pretty think you know there's an Enemy,... I mean,... an Enemy no one knows who he really is. That needs much more actions from the Council of Light, who usually gathers using this metaplane, than mortals could imagine.
    - I just,... think,... (says Torièn),... that doing things to entities, without questioning, is to become a fanatic, and there is no good in this.
    - I'm here,... for the same question as you, by the way it looks.
    - What's your problem, then?
    - I'm Don Kaowe, the leader of monks. This invasion to Royal Tachiza, and the holding of the Duke heirs, this,.. is,... my fault. I'm the one responsible for training monks, and we should be able to predict any attack, but this time the royal vampires were better than us.
    - What is the real problem?
    - The real problem, well,... who are you?
    - Daytel, the alchemist - says Torièn, trying to keep this safe.
    - I see - says Kaowe - An alchemist with so much knowledge, enough to enter the frequency of light, you must be the most powerful alchemist on Toj.
    - I know a lot, specially about the elements.
    - Good. Well, the real problem is that if you're occupying the place of enemy of yourself, the war is over since the beginning. We monks protected people for the last five hundred years, we tought people, we fought wars, we studied nature, and medicine, we repaired the population clothes. And now that the goddess of Magic died, now, we noticed how magic is important, how stones of power, which stores magic the non arcanist can use, or the items of power which can perform some magic, how this all is important.
    - I can accept the challenge of not being my own enemy.
    - Huh-hng - he laughed - You've already done it, Daytel. Those who pass at Shadd'z tests are worthy, that's what that tests are for. To define, in a divine way, who are the ones the gods can rely on, to make a better world, and to keep the world safe from the enemy or enemies we're facing now.

    Torièn stays in silence, because that make sense.

    He remember the tests were not to make any more sense, if this were not true.

    So, this must be true.

    - Once, a mantis looked to a centipede, and he asked "How can you walk with so many legs", "Ohe, I don't know. Let me think about it", she answered, and she could not walk anymore.
    - I,... don't understand, Kaowe.
    - But you will - says him - Well, you helped me. To think about those tests was a real thing, something I had almost forgot, and there are people, yes, like you, who we can rely on. Some time ago, I thought I've lost my most prominent student, Torièn. But he's done the tests. Not from Shadd'z, but from the monasteries. He's still working, and now, I understand I can wait him to understand what he's doing, at Abbas. We're facing the same enemy, Daytel, and my old best student just beat me in a challenge of courage, invading Royal Tachiza.
    - And you made me to remember I've passed the tests.
    - So, good luck, Daytel the alchemist. We must honour those tests, and remember we have an Enemy to defeat, because we were tested, and we passed all the tests.
    - Honoured talking to you, Kaowe.
    - Do never forget, Daytel, that what's good on this life is that ours are some coices for we to make.
    - I won't forget that, Kaowe. Thank you.

    Torièn came back from the trance state, and he saw Hadesh being cured by Mai.

    He doesn't want to talk, but he had to admit.

    There's no way someone could defeat an ancient elemental of ice, and stay alive to tell the story, so this was, even if Hadesh had cheated using black magic, this was his test.

    (That night, at the Priatel ruledom,...)

    Torièn listened to the Ring of Intelligence's voice, and it says Mai needs to gain a lot of experience on life. She just can't ignore she's a powerful goddess.

    He agrees, and called her to a chess match, to start talking.

    Mai says she had a dream.

    She was a bit older, about fifteen, and she changed her name to Maika.

    That remembers her of Magic.

    Then, Torièn senses a visitor waiting for him at the entrance, the base of the mountain. He'll need to make this sanctuary him home, and move things a bit inside of it, until he can fina an ice elemental to stay at the place the old ancient elemental lived.

    It's Aksias, his master.

    - Hadesh and Tacke were attacked, by dark elves. We could arrest three of 'em.
    - How are them? They've been harmed?
    - The two are fine, and we must go interrogate those alves.
    - I'll send Mai to the sanctuary castle, first. I think it's time for her to mix with her kind, and Ayasta needs to start training her.
    - And I'll need to come to the Family Council, to explain what's happening.
    - Oke. We meet as soon as possible.

    (End of Session)

    Some Considerations necessary

    Now the Dark Grimoire's dead, how Hadesh is going to keep his Magic studies up to date?

Hope you're enjoying the reading, thank you, and,...
        ... Stay Plugged.