Chapter 12: Shadows in the Dark

[Ken]

Belarin stares closely at the bridge/ladder. "I believe this one is real," he says as he advances.

________

Eldritch Sight continues.

[Jeff]

You find the ascension up the walkways to be a bit awkward, as they really are half bridge, half ladder. But they are surprisingly sturdy. They barely creak, even under Adamant's weight. Tangat manages to cross them with minimal assistance needed. As you go up the first one, you see two of the wraiths drift down to flank the final bridge like a pair of toll-exacting guards.

Kal, Shorak, and Streko notice a figure silhouetted in a window on the right-hand tower of the mansion, back-lit by a dim light. It seems to be watching them.

And then, those at the front of the line are the first to notice the unmistakable shape of the yugoloth standing on the ground about eighty feed northeast, as if he had approached the manor from that direction. He appears to be detained by another pair of tall hooded skeletons. Although his wings are folded behind them, their claws flex and shiver as he stares up malevolently as the group.

[Brian]

Condign glances at the lurid trees and remembers the grotesque flying heads that had attacked them...how many days ago? Time runs in a jangled stream in this realm, and the past gets mixed up with the present, or so it seems. He is having trouble keeping his thoughts straight.

He flicks his tail irritably. Without armor he feels vulnerable and useless. Worse, Lorjad would have his horns for donning strange armor before it could be identified. He cannot escape the feeling he let his mentor down; and perhaps his friends. Should any of them die because of his youthful impetuousness....

Condign pushes aside his distracting thoughts. Escape may be near at hand, and he needs to focus.

Then he notices everyone ahead of him has stopped. "What is it?" he says. "What do you see?"

[Dave B.]

"Great!" Shorak hisses. Turning towards the back of the group he adds, "The nycaloth has arrived and there are wraiths ahead." Turning forward again he motions for those ahead to keep moving. "Let's get to the door, quickly!"

[Darren]

"Peace, Shorak," Kal says calmly, his eyes on the nycaloth. "The rest of you, show no outward sign of distress. We do not wish to bring trouble here, remember. This place is well guarded and the yugoloth is clearly bound by the same rules we are.". He turns his head to look back at his friends. "People who would set up a place like this demand, above all else, that their authority be respected. Remember to show proper deference and remember who is in charge." Kal stands up straighter and takes a step forward. He raises his voice so he can be heard from the house and looks up at the figure in the window as he speaks. "We seek an audience with the master of this house. May we enter?"

[Dave W.]

"In particular," Adamant says softly to the group, "remember that we are not to draw weapons in this realm."

[Joe]

"Or anything, for that matter. Who knows what the master might consider a weapon, aside from the obvious choices."

[Ken]

Belarin angles his head forward to get a glimpse of the nycaloth. "He doesn't look happy," he says. "He never looks happy. He should get over that."

As they get closer to the residence, and he hears the reminder to keep their weapons sheathed, he adds, "We'll be fine with our words. I hope."

[Jeff]

The green-skinned yugoloth appears to be speaking with the skeletal sentries but so far has not been allowed to come forth. He continues to glare your way, even as you work your way up the walkways toward the house, which somehow looms taller now.

After Kal speaks, there is a long pause. The two wraiths drift even closer to the final approach, but the ornate double doors swing gently inward then. You can feel the coldness of the air around the black shroud-like creatures. Their eyes swirl not with light, but with a different sort of dark.

Histra speaks quietly to those nearest her. "Wraiths, what remains to them, embody the hatred of their existence. Do not give them any reason to touch you or they will quickly drain the life out of you. Fortunately, these appear to be fully under the command of a master. Rashade, I assume."

Kal is the first to glimpse beyond the open doors, into a vestibule, across which a second set of doors has opened. He spies the firelight from a hanging chandelier in the great hall beyond it but he can't make out any details. The entire place seems lavish and out of place for Dolurrh. The stone of the house is dark and gray like all in this realm, but some windows have colored glass; though dulled on this plane, the colors are still uncommon. Here are there are elvish-inspired architectural designs.

"Come forth," one of the closest wraiths says. "Enter slow. Speak no lies. Submit to the master's wishes."

In Belarin's sight, the outer doors of the house are limned with enchantment, but it is something he can't see within the vestibule that glows brighter in his sight than even the ambient chandelier light beyond it. It is a cold light, revealing equal parts necromancy and divination.

[Ken]

"I think the wraiths mean what they say," Belarin whispers to those closest. "There's a powerful divination spell at work. They'll know if you lie. Pass the word up."

[Brian]

Condign simply nods at Belarin's words and waits for Kal to give the signal to proceed.

[Darren]

"Quickly, Histra," Kal says for her ears alone, "is there any reason you can think of to fear your family name here? Must we continue the deception?"

[Jeff]

Histra shakes her head. "My family is discreet in Stormreach, but we are known of in arcane circles. I do not know what a syndicate like the Shrouds knows of us—we approach our magic very differently—but it is too late now to be concerned about it." She looks at Belarin, then back to Kal. "I do not care for aliases anyway. Why you insisted on them before now is beyond me."

[Darren]

"Because," Kal answersays quickly, "your family has a reputation and Belarin is tied in with you now. I didn't know who we were dealing with, and it is always better safe than sorry. I will explain to our host and hope we can be forgiven. We will remain honest, but vigilant with the information we share."

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I'll post again later. That's all I've got time for right now.

[Dave B.]

Shorak nods his understanding. He fights back the urge to childishly stick out his tongue at the nycaloth.

[Ken]

"Persuasion will be our best tool right now," Belarin whispers.

[Dave W.]

"Well, playing the part of Redoubt was considerably more delightful than recent... events, but we must be truthful whatever the repercussions here."

[Darren]

Kal nods at his friends. "Watch your tongues," he says, then fixes a smile onto his face and turns back to the wraiths. With a bow, he says, "Rashade's hospitality is most welcome. We promise to be perfect guests." Kal moves forward into the house.

[Joe]

Streko pats Tangat on his rump and smiles, nodding his head slightly at the wraiths. "A little honest friendliness can't hurt, either."

[Brian]

Condign waits for the others to follow Kal, then slowly proceeds forward. When the yugoloth comes into view, he tenses. But he sees the creature has its own troubles, and he focuses on getting into the castle. He does, though, keep an eye on the yugoloth as long as he can.

[Jeff]

The two wraiths do not move as Kal advances, and when he passes between them his body shivers violently, if briefly. For a moment he wonders if they feel the terrible, wasting cold that radiates from whatever passes for their bodies. Then he leads the way up the final span, up the not-so-smooth inclined rock to the open front doors. The chilling cold of death subsides away from the spirits, and although no real warmth issues from within, the chandelier light two rooms in makes the household seem inviting by comparison.

But only for a moment.

Kal pauses at the entryway, for across the short foyer he sees a new figure. It it tall and exceptionally thin, dressed in a fashionable, well-tailored valet's coat. But the coat hangs open, and the servant's body is wrapped neatly from leg to neck in funereal wrappings—which are elaborately stitched with faded runes. Tall black boots, a bronze-buckled belt, and what can only be a holy symbol are his only trappings. The symbol resembles a curved dagger but it is clearly fashioned from a single Khyber dragonshard of lustrous blue gradiants. Something less cold than the wraiths, and yet more disturbing and far older, exudes from this figure.

The Keeper—whose carved aspect you last saw in a statue at the entrance to Delera's Watch cemetery—is one of the Dark Six, the Sovereign of Death and Decay. It is said he also represents greed and gluttony. The presence of his holy symbol and the figure that wears it, once again reminds Streko and Adamant (when they soon look upon them), of what the Keeper represents in their faith. It is said that the Keeper—one of the Dark Six, the Sovereign of Death and Decay, the wayward son of Olladra and the brother of Kol Korran—exerts his evil in Dolurrh. According to the stories, he alone can of the gods can waylay the deceased on their journey to Dolurrh, and no soul once ensnared can escape the Keeper’s chill embrace. While some scriptures of the Host do support this possibility, it is also overstated for the Keeper cannot claim just anyone for his own.

The figure's head is uncovered. Wisps of long black hair still cling to it, but decay has thinned it remarkably. The face is elvish, or perhaps half-elvish, it is difficult to say, for it has not aged well in death. It looks like the skin shriveled to the skull but was at some point fleshed out again with alchemical solutions. The ears are pointed, however, so some part of his heritage is still clear. The eyes are dead white. With the funereal wrappings and religious icons, Kal thinks he knows what manner of undead this is.

"I am the master's seneschel," the mummy says and he bows mildly at Kal. The voice doesn't sound as wasted as you'd expect, just seldom used. "You are welcome here. Master Rashade and the Sovereign of Death assure me that you will partake in no hostilities or falsehoods, and I am therefore content." The seneschel backs up to make room at the second set of open doors. "Please, do come in."

The seneschel waits by the doors but has made room for passing by. Beyond him there is a great hall and in the center a flight of wide stairs leads up to the second floor. But the seneschel is directing Kal and his friends to Kal's right, the seneschal's left. "If you will await in the parlor..."

That is when Kal notices that the vestibule itself is unusual. Both the left- and right-hand walls appear to be covered in great floor-to-ceiling mirrors, reflecting one another and making it look like an infinitely duplicated corridor. But there are unsettling dark shapes which seem to move only in some of the reflections versions of the room.

[Dave B.]

Shorak follows as soon as those ahead of him move forward.

[Darren]

"We will," Kal says to the seneschal, "but I do hope your master intends to hold to the rules of civility. We have been offered safe passage into your home and I hope that safety is what we will receive." Kal nods politely at the seneschal. "My thanks," he says with a smile as he moves into the indicated room.

[Jeff]

The seneschal only nods at Kal's words.

As Kal steps forward into the foyer, he feels his movement become sluggish. A weight more spiritual than physical seems to drag at his limbs and it makes him move stiffly for a few moments. Movement in his peripheral vision draws his eyes—he sees his reflection on both sides seem to be moving slightly off from his actual self, and off from each other.

He realizes with a spike of fear that his reflected selves are . . . dead. Or undead, at least. One stumbles as if terribly wounded, the other strides more confidently and with purpose but there is something still unliving about it. The question is: will he look at his reflections or keep moving, eyes forward? He can feel that he himself is unwounded, and gradually the stiffness in his limbs fades.

[Darren]

A cold fear grips Kal's heart. It is hard for him to breathe. Is he dead? His eyes try to dart to the side, but he cannot bear to look. What if that is the real Kalarian, and the shade walking through the center of the room is a fake?

Kal closes his eyes and takes a deep breath. He feels the air move into his lungs. Real, living lungs. This is him. Kalarian Jaeren d'Deneith. He slowly opens his eyes, keeping them fixed on the path in front of him, and strides further into the room. "Do not fear, my friends," he says calmly.

[Dave W.]

Adamant shudders passing past the wraiths and their aura of death. But having seen Kal's reaction he does not look into the mirrors. He has come to trust nothing in Dolurrh, least of all mirror reflections.

When he comes near to the seneschal, he make a short bow, "Master Seneschal, I thank you and your master for your hospitality. I hesitate to mention but think it might be helpful to make you aware that the yugoloth outside believes he has a grievance against us. I has repeatedly tried to murder us. I have no wish to involve you or your master with this other than to gently suggest you keep us separated."

[Darren]

Kal looks back quickly as Adamant speaks and scowls. He shakes his head slightly and raises a warning finger at the warforged but makes no other comment.

[Brian]

Condign nears the doorway and sees the mummy. He can barely hear the exchange Kal has with the seneschal and nods. Courtesy and manners he could do. Let's hope they are enough.

"The cold shoulder you have prepared for the yugoloth," he whispers to Belarin and Histra. "Do you think it will be a problem when we enter? I would not want us perceived as threatening."

[Dave B.]

Shorak tenses as he sees the mirrors and keeps his focus straight ahead. After his last experience with a mirror here in this place, he may have an issue with mirrors for a while.

[Ken]

Belarin whispers to Condign. "Combat contingencies, my friend. I hope they won't be needed."

As they walk, he is repulsed yet fascinated by the mirrors. "This makes sense," he says, his tone falling back into the manner of the scholar he was years ago. "Divination and necromancy working together in a way I've not seen before. The mirrors are showing us possible future versions of ourselves as undead. They don't show what WILL happen, but what MAY happen if we stay in Dolurrh."

He turns to the seneschal. "These are very impressive," he says admiringly. "Your master's creation?"

Although he knows he may regret it, he examines two of his own reflections.