After a series of events, which will be detailed later, the andventuring party and segue find themselves under stormwatch tower. There is a staircase beading down into the depths. They run down the steps, for what seems like forever, until eventually they reach the bottom of the steps which open into a chasam. In the chasam is what appears to be a lake, but not of water. It seems to be made up of storm energy, with rolling bands of light in all the colours of the storms. There surface explodes into showers of sparks, in all it seems to be like the storms distilled and contained. In the centre of the lake is what appears to be an alter. Running down to the shore, the party find what appears to be a vessel for crossing the lake, and 8 orbs of glowing storm energy, suspended over pedastals. Under the pedastals are written the names of the elements the orb above represents, they read, Fire, Water, Lightning, Light, Dark, Acid, Radiation and Chaos The inscription reads, ” To activate what you seek, you must take the elemental orbs across the lake of storms, to the central island, once across the orbs will ctivate the ancient mechanisms, and you shall be granted what you seek. However it is not as simple as it sounds. There are limitations to the orbs that may travel, and which may be left together. Firstly the vessel can only carry two orbs at a time, due to the systems required. Secondly Water may not be left with Fire or Lightning without the energy of Radiation to keep them stable. Simarly Radiation may not be left alone with Acid or Chaos without the calming influence of water. Darkness may not be left with any of the other elements without the presence of Light to negate it. Finally to get the vessel to move, it must be powered by either by Water, radiation or Light.”
Hawthorne ponders the inscription for some time before speaking “Hmm… I’m not sure whether I can actually work this out. I can figure out how to get most of the difficult orbs across, but then I get stuck. Initially, we must use Light to power the boat, since removing either Radiation or Water breaks the rules. Thus we take Light and Dark over, and return with only Light. Again removing either Radiation or Water breaks the rules, so we use Light and take Lightning. We leave Lightning and must return with both Light and Dark. Since we now have orbs on both sides, Light and Dark must now travel as a pair, so we need to use Radiation to power the boat and can take Fire over, returning only with Radiation. Since we still have Chaos here and we can’t leave Radiation with it, we take Water and Radiation across and return with Water. Now we’re able to take Water and Acid across, but we can’t leave Water or Radiation on the far bank, so we have to return with both. The trouble is that now we have both Acid and Fire on the far bank, so we can’t take Water there without Radiation and vice versa. So I’ve got Lightning, Fire, Acid to the far bank but can’t see how to move forward from there.”
Valk listens grimly to the noises coming from upstairs and stares with obvious discomfort at the roiling river of storm.
“These ancients never make anything easy…”
He falls silent as he reads the inscription again and then slowly turns his gaze to Hawthorne, a calculating expression falling across his features.
Catequil breaks himself away from a series of feverish drawings in the dust just long enough to say “No they really don't” and then turns back to his diagram muttering under his breath things like “If the cog and the cam can't work under the gear shift…”
“Eureka! At least, I think” cries Quill. “Right, abbreviating the representations to R = Radiation, F = Fire, W = Water, L = Lightning, Li = Light, D = Dark, A = Acid and C = Chaos; then Step 1: To: Li & D Back Li (R,F,W,L,A,C,Li || D) Step 2: To: Li & C Back Li & D (R,F,W,L,A,D,Li || C) Step 3: To: W & A Back W (R,F,W,L,D,Li || A,C) Step 4: To: R & W Back R (R,F,L,D,Li || W,A,C) Step 5: To: Li & D Back W (R,F,W,L || D,Li,A,C) Step 6: To: R & W Back R (R,F,L || D,Li,A,C,W) Step 7: To: R & F Back Li & D (D,Li,L || R,F,A,C,W) Step 8: To: Li & L Back Li (D,Li || R,F,A,C,W,L) Step 9: To: Li & D Back NONE (EMPTY || R,F,W,L,A,C,Li,D) “How does that sound?” Quill asks hopefully
Hawthorne: “Since we still have Chaos here and we can't leave Radiation with it, we take Water and Radiation across and return with Water. Now we're able to take Water and Acid across, but we can't leave Water or Radiation on the far bank, so we have to return with both. The trouble is that now we have both Acid and Fire on the far bank, so we can't take Water there without Radiation and vice versa.
“So I've got Lightning, Fire, Acid to the far bank but can't see how to move forward from there.”
Sarr looks a bit confused for a moment. “Surely getting chaos is easy enough too… you send that across with water or radiation and then bring that one back again…
“Hmmm… I see what you mean… this then leaves us with Light, Dark, Water and Radiation on our side of the Lake… If we power the boat with light we have to take dark and then on the other side its exactly the same so we gain nothing… If we power the boat with Water or radiation then taking dark doesn't help because we have to bring it back still, taking light isn't allowed and if we take the other of water or radiation we can't leave either of them there… We must have to get light and dark to the other side earlier I think…”
“There you go, told you we had to get light and dark moving a bit earlier.
“Good man.” Shall we go then?” Says Sarr
“You got it? Great, Hawthorne get moving. Segue give me a hand over here.”
Crouched at the foot of the stairs Valk ties thin wire across the last step, anchored to a piton hurriedly driven into the wall. As Segue moves over to help, Valk draws a small bundle of grenades from his satchel and begins tying their pins to the other end of the wire.
“Just out of sheer curiousity Valk, why the grenades?” Asks Anja.
Valk looks up
“A little surprise for whoever comes charging down those stairs.”
He stops and sighs reflectively.
“I'll try and make sure it doesn't kill anyone.”
So saying he taps his palm twice upon the stone of the floor and a small hole opens up next to the archway into which he carefully places the explosives.
“Should just blow the entryway now.”
“I assume for anybody following us…
“Oh, and I think there might be a quicker way to get across…
“Using Quil's abbreviations: R = Radiation, F = Fire, W = Water, L = Lightning, Li = Light, D = Dark, A = Acid and C = Chaos; then Step 1: To: R & W Back R (R,F,D,L,A,C,Li || W) Step 2: To: R & A Back R (R,F,D,L,C,Li || W,A) Step 3: To: R & C Back R (R,F,D,L,Li || W,A,C) Step 4: To: Li & D Back W (R,F,L,W || A,C,Li,D)
Step 5: To: W & F Back W (R,L,W || A,C,Li,D,F)
Step 6: To: W & L Back W (R,W || A,C,Li,D,F,L)
Step 7: To: W & R Back None (EMPTY || A,C,Li,D,F,L,R,W)
“I think that's right and should save a couple of trips. You might want to check its not going to blow us up or anything though… The light and dark is certainly always together, I'm fairly sure Water is never with fire or lightning without the boat around to keep them stable (or is it our storm energy that is keeping them stable?) and similarly I don't think radiation is ever with chaos or acid…
“I figure even with Valk's little booby traps that speed is probably important…” Says Sarr
“Uh, I do note that your plan does put Acid and Radiation together in the boat at the same time. I know the rules only explicitly say they can't be left together, but I do think that if they render each other unstable, then perhaps we shouldn't risk blowing up the boat with them. After all, then we can't get through at all.” Quill puts in a little nervously.
“Hmmm… true enough… We can take them towards the boat and I'm sure they'll show some signs of problems before they actually blow up the boat or anything. We take them to the boat, if they start glowing or fizzing or whatever else we bring them back and we can go with your plan…”
Valk looks between Sarr and Catequil and grimaces.
“Do it the long way. We don't wanna get blown to bits just cause the ancients' instructions weren't sufficiently fuckin' precise. I'll get ready to pull us out of here in a hurry.”
With the racket above increasing every second they linger in the chasm, they move the sphere's across the lake. Once all on the cental Island, the spheres begin to glow, leaving their pedastals, they fly off, lodging themselves in parts of the alter. The whole island becomes encased in a wall of light, as the lake explodes upwards. Hawthorne stands in the middle of the alter, and miniture spheres rise out of the alter, and begin to orbit him. It appears he must reach out and choose the element he wishes to take to the project. Hawthorne focuses on the Light sphere and carefully reaches into the swirling cloud to take hold of it. The alter becomes bathed in brilliant light, as it fades, a stone, pulsating with light is resting on the alter. Hawthone sweeps it up and the party begin to make its escape…
Valk pulls a piece of chalk from his pocket and bites down on it hard, breaking it in two. Chewing on one piece he tosses the other to Anja.
“Need everyone to bleed on that bit..urgh..stuff tastes grim…drip some blood on it and pass it on.”
“You want us to bleed on it? What for? What you up to Valk?” asks Anja.
Valk's attention is clearly focused somewhere else, but he turns to regard Anja with a pleading look, little white lines of chalky drool flowing out of his mouth as his speaks.
“Jubt bleed on it alreby. I'm geddin' ub out of here. Through te earbth”
Anja looks at Valk suspiciously. There is a slight cloudy sheen to her eyes. “Alright, alright. I'll bleed if you want.” She bites down on her thumb and smears the blood on the chalk before passing it on to Catequil.
“From the sounds of what is happening about I don't think getting out the way we came in is going to work. I'll bleed for you, blled for all of you.” says Quill as he draws his hand across a jagged edge of metal.
That's a little cliched, Quill.”
Sarr cuts the palm of his hand with his knife and drips some blood onto the chalk.
“Though I like the sentiment, brother.”
Valk is humming now, a strange deep noise that seems to echo off the walls of the Temple. Chalk white foam is bubbling on his lips and running in a thick trail from the corners of his mouth. He gestures the bloody chalk urgently at Hawthorne and Segue with one hand, the other drawing out his dagger.
Hawthorne grabs the dagger, nicking a finger and dripping blood onto the chalk, before passing both to Segue.
Who rolls his eyes and slits his hand slightly…
As Segue opens his hand Valk quickly draws the bloody chalk across his palm and then pops the gore stained fragment into his mouth.
From above comes the grating sound of the secret door sliding open and dozens of boots hammering down the stairs, Valk glances around at his companions. A mess of blood and burns. As they step back off the ferry and the shadows of the Fortresses defenders fall upon the stairwell he swallows and then mumbles.
“Hold your breath and close your eyes”
Then vomits.
A wash of chalky fluid spills across the floor, thin streaks of red flowing through it as the group's blood mingles with the earth. Then the chalk is flowing across the ground, writhing like a swarm serpents about the companions until a single pattern emerges, a simple mandala inscribed upon the soil. Which turns to liquid underfoot, a great current plucking the adventurers down into the earth and away, even as Stuttley rounds the last spiral of the staircase.
There is blackness, a horrible sense of pressure and speed and then finally light, as the stone spits the adventurers forth with some violence into the open cargo hold of the Misthorse.