Through the Portal

Tuesday, 24th of September, 1204 (Nightfall)
As they approach the cabin, they realize there are no windows. The door is cracked open slightly. Harvey approaches the door, and eases it open. There is no furniture, no cobwebs in the corners, and they room is strangely lit considered there are no torches. On the wall, there is writing in blood in some sort of strange script. Kimaris learns that this room is similar to a portal, and they have to find the door into a different plane. إشراق recognizes that the writing is deep speech. The wall says "Welcome to the Shadowfell." As إشراق reads the words, the room goes completely dark. Harvey opens his pack and lights a torch so إشراق can see the rest of the writing. It says "Here the darkens is the light, and the light is extinguished by the darkness. Extinguish your light to pass through." Harvey puts out his torch. The room darkens again and changes into a cavern. The wall are dripping with sticky black liquid, and there are tiny mushrooms and bones littering the floor. A whirring sound and a faint purple light can be seen ahead of them. They all go to the light in the distance.

As they near it, the cavern becomes clear. The noises become clear, it is the moaning and chanting of many men and women. Their speech is unintelligible, but as last the group can see the figures. Upon a raised altar, a humaniod silloette is masked by purple light, shooting viciously into the darkness. Aria recognizes that they are speaking deep speech, but their voices are so low that no one in the group can make it out. Around him, 20 or so figures are knelt and chanting. There are four statues of the same skeletal robed figure, sending light into the larger light. This skeletal figure is missing his right eye and hand. As they near, a raspy voice speaks in their minds. "Leave this place mortals, your world is doomed. You will die with it. I will be risen. Stop these meddling fools, so I can attain my rightful place. Hail Zarkath, Hand of Vecna."

Around the room, there are bottomless pits and ooze creatures surrounding them. Harvey tells one of the minions to jump into a pit. One of the minions sends a bolt of shadow at Aria. Kimaris kills the cultist that attacked Aria with a bolt of purple lightning. إشراق takes out her long sword and slays the cultist in from of her. Harvey convinces one of the cultists to destroy the statue, the statue cracks. Aria takes out her sheild and slams another cultist into the ooze, it rapidly devours him. إشراق blasts a cultist away, and cracks another statue. Harvey convinces another cultist to attack a statue, it cracks in half and the purple light beam stops shooting from the statue. Aria moves to attack the statue that إشراق had previously cracks, she takes out her longsword and cracks the statue apart. Harvey gets another cultist to attack the 3rd statue. Aria destroys the statue the rest of the way, and it crumbles to pieces. Kimaris shoots energy through the pit, and it comes out the other, and detroys the final statue.

Zarkath yells in fury, and collaspes to the ground on all fours. He struggles to stand, and begins to regain his strength. He glares at the group. His hands are glowing with purple energy. Harvey hits Zarkath with and arrow, and moves him a little closer to the ooze. Aria slams her longsword, glowing, into Zarkath's shoulder. Zarkath blast Aria with purple energy. Kimaris tries to blow up a cultist with energy, but it backfires into his own face. إشراق conjures up a flaming sphere and attacks Zarkath. Aria brings her longsword, glowing with radiant light, unto Zarkath. Zarkath spins around, and teleports five squares away. إشراق moves her flaming sphere, and attacks Zarkarth again. The oozes begin to close in on Harvey and إشراق, Harvey jumps away. إشراق barely escapes the ooze. Aria moves up to Zarkath, raises her sword with glowing radiant light and stabs Zarkath straight through the heart. Zarkath crumbles to the floor.

In his last moments, Zarkath turns his head to the right towards the darkness. He address the darkness, a new robed figure is standing just outside their line of sight. He is wearing a bone mask and carrying a staff. "You...you stole my power...I've failed. Vecna...No!" As he utters his last breath, he disintigrates in black dust, his greenish essence leeches into the robed man. Out of the darkness, a familiar voice is heard. "Hello friends, why don't you stay awhile?" Everyone's bodies are wrenched to the ground by skeletal hands. He approaches, pulls off his hood and reveals himself to be the warlock Zer. "I've been wondering how long it would take you. You're so naive. Zarkath was never Vecna's choosen. No, far from it. He failed Vecna a long time ago. No, he needed a new secret. And it was me. I was the one who killed Adrian all those years ago. I was the one leading abductions in River Bend. I was the one who whispered all your little secrets to the shadows every night. And I have been rewarded." He steps backwards into the circle, and the beacon erupts again, louder and more energetic than before. He laughs manically as his flesh is torn away and replaced with a rigged bone. His eyes melt into blue fire, and his teeth sharpen and grow stronger. "Until next time, mortals. Cling to your lights and your false gods. For I am risen! And I will raise the endless hordes of the dead and see Pelor's golden cities rot!" He laughs, and disappears with a massive swing of his cloak. The group is left in the dark cavern, the skeletal hands receding.


 * 1) TheLichKingZer1204