The room beyond the door seems larger than expected, especially considering how small and insignificant the doorway was. Perhaps it is a trick of the eerie, dim, greenish lighting, but once the party gets past the various racks and piles of boxes near the entrance, the chamber opens up and appears quite cavernous.
The air inside seems a bit thick, and its aroma is a weird combination of ozone, solvents, warehouse mustiness, old bapf, vomit, some sour scent that defies explanation, Yangae-style spiced room freshener, and even spicier dasch smoke. (Widjgleeby is not amused.)
In one corner there is a sort of platform whose surface is very shiny black, but the reflected light betrays a sort of mottled appearance, as if it were made up of many thousands of tiny tiles. A low hum which fills the room clearly emanates from this bizarre edifice (which looks quite familiar to Mon'Fargret and Pru).
A tall, apparently female humanoid in armor with a multitude of weapons stands guard next to the platform. On seeing Par'deth, she bows stiffly but remains in position.
Not far away, there is an untidy-looking half circle of tables holding control panels, monitor plates, cased or rack-mounted machinery, a variety of equipment tossed about, and a veritable collection of drink cups, food containers, dirty dishes, and ashtrays. The floor in the vicinity of the tables is even messier.
A female Bolgan is busily examining the machinery. She doesn't respond to the party at all. She doesn't look happy, either.
Next to the tables, seated in chairs and apparently restrained, are two Yangae men (of the Yangae ethnic group). One of the two, who doesn't look familiar to the party, immediately greets Par'deth with a torrent of curses and thrashes about helplessly. The other, however, eyes the party calmly as they come in. There is no mistaking who it is.
"Be still, Mek," he says with apparent amusement, making no attempt to hide his Noble caste pronunciation. "We have new guests!" He glances about the party and offers a nod of greeting, a grin crossing his face. "Ah! The honorable artist! With his blue sidekick, of course! And the oversized mock-Hergoth investigator or spy known as...what is it...Zayton? Here with the warrior whore from Wirg's? How interesting! In fact, I believe I saw that Farbett at Wirg's, too, only yesterday! I remember she was with a very talkative Zorlan who had a spiny, alien sidekick! I don't see either of those or the sickening, hooded thing they latched onto; otherwise I'd suspect half of Wirg's lunchtime clientele had dropped in for bapf!" He squints a bit looking at Ham. "I don't remember that one. I'm probably the better for it." Then he turns his gaze to Pru. "I do know you, however. Pru! A true citizen! What are you doing mixed up with this lot?" He lifts scornful eyes to the priestesses.
Sunday, April 19, 2009
Monday, April 6, 2009
As The Soundtrack Switches to a Slightly Ominous Theme...
Atop the hill...
The lay priestesses and acolytes succeed in clearing all the tourists out of the Temple, making way for the party to enter. Once the group is inside the sanctuary, the doors are closed behind them...with the lay priestesses and others outside.
The three priestesses with the party look at each other briefly with apparent puzzlement, and then their silent questions are apparently answered by a sudden swirl of green soulfire. A priestess appears who the party hasn't seen before. She gives the party nothing but a stern glance before turning her attention to the three younger priestesses. A silent conversation is shared, and then the higher-ranked priestess leads everyone through the passages down to the gate as before.
The gate chamber is empty save the gate itself; there is no sign of Par'ai.
"Par'ai is busy elsewhere," explains Gaima. "Kal'mai Ash-Light will operate the gate. I will send Keil'i Glowing-Hill and Bina with you. I will stay here with Mey'Luskar. Par'deth is waiting for you on the other side. Hopefully this won't take long."
With that, the higher ranking priestess turns to the gate and sings to it in the eerie vocal/psychic harmony. It responds by activating as before, forming a glowing portal beneath the shimmering gem.
Mey'Luskar whispers something in Mon'Fargret's ear, kisses him on the cheek abruptly as if it burns her, and moves away from the group with Gaima.
"Come!" says Keil'i, and she steps through the portal.
***
On the lower circle...
Nekshi and Kuluf board the vehicle without any trouble. Granite Spear seems a bit more reluctant (not to mention a bit clumsier when it comes to climbing in). Soon the little truck is humming its way around the main circle road toward the Museum.
"Are you lost?" asks the Yangae man pleasantly in his native tongue.
"She's troubled," cuts in one of the Hergoth women, also in Yangae. "She's searching for something!"
"Well, isn't that why people usually come up here?" asks the Yangae man. "To search for something? The thing is you never quite know what you're gonna find! Bet you didn't expect this lot to come your way!" Then he laughs out loud. The two Hergoth women join him, uttering the low wail that serves as the Hergoth equivalent of a laugh. Then the man says, "So tell us, what's your story, anyway?"
The lay priestesses and acolytes succeed in clearing all the tourists out of the Temple, making way for the party to enter. Once the group is inside the sanctuary, the doors are closed behind them...with the lay priestesses and others outside.
The three priestesses with the party look at each other briefly with apparent puzzlement, and then their silent questions are apparently answered by a sudden swirl of green soulfire. A priestess appears who the party hasn't seen before. She gives the party nothing but a stern glance before turning her attention to the three younger priestesses. A silent conversation is shared, and then the higher-ranked priestess leads everyone through the passages down to the gate as before.
The gate chamber is empty save the gate itself; there is no sign of Par'ai.
"Par'ai is busy elsewhere," explains Gaima. "Kal'mai Ash-Light will operate the gate. I will send Keil'i Glowing-Hill and Bina with you. I will stay here with Mey'Luskar. Par'deth is waiting for you on the other side. Hopefully this won't take long."
With that, the higher ranking priestess turns to the gate and sings to it in the eerie vocal/psychic harmony. It responds by activating as before, forming a glowing portal beneath the shimmering gem.
Mey'Luskar whispers something in Mon'Fargret's ear, kisses him on the cheek abruptly as if it burns her, and moves away from the group with Gaima.
"Come!" says Keil'i, and she steps through the portal.
***
On the lower circle...
Nekshi and Kuluf board the vehicle without any trouble. Granite Spear seems a bit more reluctant (not to mention a bit clumsier when it comes to climbing in). Soon the little truck is humming its way around the main circle road toward the Museum.
"Are you lost?" asks the Yangae man pleasantly in his native tongue.
"She's troubled," cuts in one of the Hergoth women, also in Yangae. "She's searching for something!"
"Well, isn't that why people usually come up here?" asks the Yangae man. "To search for something? The thing is you never quite know what you're gonna find! Bet you didn't expect this lot to come your way!" Then he laughs out loud. The two Hergoth women join him, uttering the low wail that serves as the Hergoth equivalent of a laugh. Then the man says, "So tell us, what's your story, anyway?"
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