The platform vibrated softly beneath their feet as they stood before the entrance to the Sunken Temple. The colossal obsidian doorway gleamed in the golden orb summoned by Kainith, its surface etched with intricate patterns that swirled and pulsed with an otherworldly blue light. A sense of anticipation, laced with a prickle of unease, settled over the group.
Lucian stepped forward, his gaze drawn to the arcane symbols adorning the doorway. They were faint, partially obscured by layers of dust and time, yet a flicker of recognition ignited in his memory. These were the same runes he had encountered in an old dusty book he had read before, forgotten relics of a long-lost civilization.
"Wait," he said, his voice barely a whisper. "I think I can read this."
The others gathered around him, their faces etched with a mix of curiosity and apprehension.
"You can read these but not the ones where the cylinder sank?" Kainith questioned.
"Yeah, I didn't recognize them but these ones specifically were in a book I read once. This group I was a part of in hell The Mask had a library where we stored ancient books we may or may not have stolen. That is where I saw these runes. Hold on, let me try and focus to remember all of these. "
Lucian traced the symbols with a calloused finger, muttering the forgotten words under his breath. The runes seemed to respond, glowing brighter with each syllable he uttered.
A low, resonant hum filled the air, and with a groan that echoed through the desolate landscape, the massive doorway ground open. It moved with agonizing slowness, revealing a gaping maw that led into the inky darkness of the temple's interior.
A wave of stale air, thick with the scent of dust and forgotten time, washed over them. Rory coughed, waving a hand in front of his face. "Well, that doesn't smell like fresh desert roses," he grumbled.
"Well shit." Rance said absently. "I'm glad Kainith found you."
"Thanks but no time for compliments let's go inside to get this over with. I can't imagine the inside will be pleasant." Lucian stated.
Lucian took a deep breath and stepped into the unknown, the others hesitantly following behind. The interior of the temple was a stark contrast to the barren desert outside. The air hung heavy with humidity, and the faint glow emanating from the entrance barely penetrated the oppressive darkness. The floor was slick and uneven, carved from the same obsidian as the exterior walls.
As they ventured deeper, the sound of dripping water echoed through the cavernous halls, amplified by the oppressive silence. The walls were adorned with faded murals depicting nightmarish creatures and scenes of ancient rituals. Each step forward sent a flurry of dust motes dancing in the dim light, revealing intricate tripwires and pressure plates embedded in the floor.
"Looks like someone wasn't too keen on visitors," Rance muttered, his voice a nervous whisper.
Suddenly, the ground beneath Lucian's feet gave way. He yelped in surprise, plummeting into a hidden pit. Dust billowed upwards as he landed with a thud on a soft, moss-covered platform several feet below. Relief washed over him as he realized he'd escaped unharmed.
He looked around to see a precarious rope bridge spanning the gap between the platform and the floor to the left. In a pit below were a series of rusted spikes, their razor-sharp points glinting menacingly in the dim light.
"Nice booby trap," Rory called down, his voice tinged with dark humor. "Looks like someone forgot to leave out the welcome mat."
The rest of the party jumped down the small drop to party back up with Lucian.
"God damn not another rope bridge." Rance grumbled.
"Well, there's nowhere to go but the other side." Kainith said with a smile.
Lucian led the way and scrambled across the rickety rope bridge, his heart pounding in his chest. As he reached the other side, a hail of darts whizzed past his head, embedding themselves with a soft thunk into the stone wall behind him.
"Hey guys, be careful. There are traps absolutely everywhere. Rance you should be happy there must be some pretty good treasure in here!" Lucian shouted across the gap.
"Seems this place is more than just dusty murals," Kainith said, his voice grim. He plucked his lute from his back, his fingers flying across the strings in a rapid, almost frantic melody. The haunting notes seemed to vibrate through the very walls of the temple, momentarily silencing the clatter of the falling darts and deactivating the surrounding pressure plates.
Lucian drew his sword, its polished surface reflecting the faint blue glow. "Hey thanks for disabling these traps," he said, his voice tight with urgency. "Just be careful where you step. I'm sure there are many more around us."
As the group of friends ventured deeper, the air itself seemed to thicken with a malevolent presence. Flickering light from the green eternal flames barely penetrated the oppressive darkness, forcing them to rely on the golden orb that followed Lucian. The occasional drip of water echoed through the cavernous halls, a sound that sent shivers down their spines in this oppressive silence. The once-grand murals on the walls were now a grotesque tableau, depicting scenes of sacrifices and rituals dedicated to some forgotten deity.
"Some of the people on these murals have explosive magic." Rory pointed up to a mural with a man wearing common clothes pointing a stick at someone with explosive balls coming out of it.
"Look at that one…" Rance pointed up."That one looks like the beams of light that cut the walls of my old employer's house.
The party continued onwards down the winding hallways and they encountered another trap. Rory was leading the group and was distracted by the murals letting his guard down. His boot landed squarely on a pressure plate, and with a sickening thud, a section of the floor beneath him gave way. He plummeted into a hidden pit lined with razor-sharp spikes.
Rance reacted instantly, lunging forward and grabbing Rory's outstretched hand just as his fingers brushed the deadly spikes. The weight of his friend threatened to pull him down as well. With a surge of adrenaline, Rance dug his heels into the crumbling stone and hauled Rory back onto solid ground. Rory, pale and shaken, scrambled to his feet, thanking his lucky stars for Rance's reflexes.
The incident served as a stark reminder of the dangers that lurked within these hallowed halls.
"How about you let me lead the way now Rory." Kainith stated.
Rory nodded all too happy to let someone else take the lead after his close brush with death.
They proceeded with agonizing slowness, Kainith leading the way with his keen eyes scanning the floor for hidden triggers and tripwires. Rance cautiously prodded the walls with the handles of his daggers, searching for secret compartments that might hold concealed traps. Lucian brought up the rear, his hand never straying far from the hilt of his sword.
Their path was a gauntlet of deadly traps. They dodged swinging blades triggered by pressure plates hidden beneath layers of dust. Crumbling staircases, their edges eroded by time, gave way underfoot, sending them scrambling for precarious handholds. Poison darts, launched from ingeniously concealed blowholes in the walls, whizzed past their heads, embedding themselves with a soft thunk into the ancient stone.
"What the hell!" Kainith exclaimed. "This place is the most stereotypical group of traps. If I read this in a book I'd assume it was fiction." He said, shaking his head in disbelief.
Rance laughed. "I can't wait to see the looks on peoples faces when you decide to tell this story."
The party continued onward down a different hallway leading them to a set of oddly well manicured stairs. As they descended the stairs the air grew thick with the stench of burnt flesh and the metallic tang of blood. The group came upon a massive chamber with walls of dripping gore and fountains of mostly congealed blood. There, in the middle of the room on a pedestal, was an obsidian altar. Rance broke away from the group and slowly walked over to the altar. As he got closer he saw a metallic glint that looked like gold from a distance. Sure enough on top of the altar there was a dagger made of pure gold with sapphires and emeralds encrusted in the hilt and blade. He snuck back to the group and showed off his loot.
"Oh I'm sure that won't curse us." Rory said with a small amount of fear in his voice.
"Oh shut up." Rance retorted. "If it does, who cares. We are about to get a gem that can be used to break curses. We need more money to continue this little adventure if we are going to continue to venture across the world."
The party found stairs going up out of the chamber. They continued to venture down more hallways that twisted and turned. As they emerged from the final, harrowing corridor, a vast chamber unfolded before them. In the dim light filtering through cracks high above, they could just make out the immensity of the space. Towering columns of obsidian flanked the walls, their surfaces etched with indecipherable symbols that glowed faintly with an otherworldly luminescence. But their attention was instantly drawn to the center of the chamber.
There, upon a towering pedestal of polished obsidian, stood a sight that stole their breath away. It was a necklace, crafted from some unknown metal that shimmered with an ethereal blue light. Suspended from its center, nestled in a cradle of intricately woven chains, was a single, perfect sphere. It pulsed with a soft, rhythmic glow, and within its depths swirled a maelstrom of colors that defied description. This, they knew instinctively, was no ordinary artifact.
Legend spoke of the Tears of Aela, a celestial being known as the Weaver. Imbued with the power to mend the very fabric of reality, her tears were said to be crystallized within a necklace, each one a conduit to her immense power.
A reverent silence fell over the group. Rory was the first to break it. "Well," he rumbled, his voice barely a whisper, "that's one shiny bauble."
Lucian, his brow furrowed in concentration, knelt before the pedestal, his fingers tracing the intricate runes etched upon its surface. "These symbols," he murmured, his voice low, "they speak of a warning. A test of one's worthiness to wield such power."
Rance, his eyes gleaming with avarice, scoffed. "Worthiness? Let's not get all philosophical now. That thing could buy a king's ransom!"
Lucian ignored him. His gaze was fixed on the Tears of Aela, mesmerized by the swirling colors within. He felt a tugging sensation deep within him, a yearning for the power it promised.
Taking a deep breath, he turned to the others. "We need to be careful," he said, his voice firm.
A tense silence settled over the chamber. The Tears of Aela pulsed with an almost hypnotic rhythm, a silent challenge hanging heavy in the air. Lucian was the first to break the silence. "Then let's decipher this test," he said, his voice echoing in the vast chamber. He traced the runes on the pedestal with a calloused finger, muttering under his breath. The others gathered around him, their faces a mix of apprehension and determination.
As Lucian deciphered the inscription, the air crackled with a strange energy. The swirling colors within the Tears of Aela intensified, pulsing in sync with the rhythmic glow. The runes spoke of a celestial alignment, a convergence of the two moons that would bathe the pedestal in a specific light pattern. Only then could the necklace be safely removed.
Disappointment washed over Rory. "Both moons? We might be here for weeks!"
Kainith, however, saw a glimmer of hope. "Weeks are better than never. We have shelter, supplies… and Lucian, the master decoder." He clapped the sorcerer on the shoulder, a hint of amusement in his voice.
Lucian grimaced but accepted the compliment with a nod. "Indeed. We need to establish a camp, explore further for supplies, and perhaps… decipher the rest of these enchanting murals." He gestured towards the walls, where grotesque depictions of sacrifices and rituals seemed to writhe under the faint, flickering light.
"Wait, hold on. We are underground. How the hell are we going to have the moons shine on the pedestal." Lucian reminded everyone.
"Maybe the temple is magically aligned with the moon and the pedestal is on a timer and doesn't necessarily need to be bathed in the light." Kainith wondered.
"I'm going to just try and grab it." Rory said. "I mean maybe that inscription is just there to ward people from even trying."
Rory reached towards the floating necklace and as soon as he was within grabbing distance he flew backwards as the feeling of electricity surged through him.
"Rory, are you okay!" Rance shouted as he dashed over to help Rory.
"Yup, I'm fine. Just in a lot of pain." Rory said through ragged breaths. "I guess we can't just grab it."
The following days were a blur of activity. They set up a makeshift camp in a relatively safe corner of the chamber, using fallen debris from the crumbling walls. Rance, surprisingly adept at foraging, discovered a hidden chamber filled with preserved rations and flasks of a strange, glowing liquid that provided a weak, otherworldly light.
Meanwhile, Lucian, fueled by endless cups of a bitter herbal tea brewed from hidden plants, diligently translated the murals. He learned of ancient rituals performed by a forgotten civilization, a civilization that worshiped Aela and revered her power to mend reality. The murals also depicted a series of trials, challenges designed to test the worthiness of those who sought the Tears of Aela.
One particularly unsettling mural displayed a figure, bound and helpless, being offered to a monstrous entity with glowing eyes.
As days turned into a week, a strange routine settled in. They explored the temple in small groups, meticulously documenting their findings. The oppressive silence was broken only by the rhythmic dripping of water, the occasional clatter of falling debris, and the scratching of Kainith's charcoal on stone as he documented their discoveries.
Then, one night, as they huddled around their flickering fire, a collective gasp escaped their lips. The pedestal that the necklace was sitting on started to slowly rotate.
"Click, Click, Click."
After a few seconds the pedestal suddenly dropped and the necklace was now even with the floor and the faint blue glow faded.
"Go!" Rory shouted.
The inscription's words echoed in their minds: "When the moons align, bathe the Tears in celestial light." With a surge of adrenaline, they rushed towards the pedestal, their hearts pounding in their chests. Lucian reached out towards the Tears of Aela.
The air crackled with energy, the swirling colors within the necklace intensifying as his hand got closer. He felt a surge of power course through him, a raw, untamed energy that threatened to overwhelm him.
Suddenly, a chilling shriek echoed through the chamber, shattering the silence. Before their eyes, the shadows writhed and twisted, coalescing into grotesque figures with glowing eyes and wispy tendrils. Specters, drawn by the potent energy of the Tears, materialized from the darkness.
Rance was the first to react. With a snarl, he drew his daggers and lunged towards the nearest apparition. Rory, his great axe raised high, followed suit, his battle cry echoing through the chamber.
Kainith, his bardic lute momentarily forgotten in the heat of the moment, grabbed a torch and hurled it at the encroaching specters, the flames momentarily banishing the darkness. As the specters dissolved, Kainith's eyes darted back to his lute, lying neglected on the ground. He quickly dashed over to it and snatched it up, the familiar weight a comforting presence in his hands.
He could barely make sense of the chaos unfolding around him. The specters, their forms shimmering and translucent, moved with an unnatural grace, their attacks swift and silent. Rance, despite his agility, was soon overwhelmed, his daggers glancing harmlessly off the ethereal forms. Rory, though a formidable warrior, struggled against their spectral touch, his great axe passing through them like smoke.
Lucian, his heart pounding, realized the specters were immune to physical attacks. He needed to use the power of the Tears, but how? He closed his eyes, focusing on the raw energy coursing through him, desperately seeking a way to channel it.
He closed his eyes and aimed to tame the surge running through him like he did to his innate magic when he was younger. As his party struggled against the specters he grabbed hold of the magical force inside of him and weaved it into his own magic. Lucian's eyes flicked open and aimed his palms towards the group of specters. After a few magic words an intense radiant light left him bathed. The room is a light so bright and hot it signed the parties armor and burned away the specters. Lucian was able to direct most of the energy at the specters and leave his party just lightly damaged. The power leaving Lucians body was so intense Lucian just screamed in pain. The specters reeled back, their forms flickered and wavered, their tendrils fading like smoke. One by one, they dissolved into nothingness. After the short flash that felt like an eternity ended all of the specters were no more but Lucian also fell to the floor his flesh singed.
The rest of the party turned and ran towards Lucian after seeing him collapse on the floor of the temple.
"Lucian!" Kainith shouted as he ran towards the fallen devil.
As soon as Kainith approached Lucian he was already playing a soothing song on his golden stringed lute. As he confined the burns on Lucians body started sealing up and they were healing.
"Thank you friend." Lucian said with a ragged breath.
"What the hell happened?" Rance asked.
"As soon as I touched the gem I felt a huge surge of raw magical power running through me. I knew my daybreak spell would eliminate the specters but I wanted to tap into that surge. I grabbed its tail and twisted it with my magic." Lucian stopped to take a breath. "It turned my spell to one-hundred and I couldn't handle it."
"Well thank you for not taking us with you." Rory smiled as he helped Lucian up.
"Ahh." Lucian muttered as he winced getting up.
Rory was the first to speak up about getting out of here. "Alright, let's get out of here," he said, his voice gruff but determined. "That stranger back in the village needs our help."
Kainith nodded, his face grim. "Indeed. But remember, the traps are no less deadly on our way out. We need to be even more careful."
Lucian sheathed his sword. "We won't let him suffer any longer," he said, his voice firm.
They retraced their steps, their senses heightened by the knowledge of the dangers that lurked around every corner. The air hung heavy with anticipation; the silence broken only by the rhythmic dripping of water and their own ragged breaths.
Finally, they reached the precarious rope bridge that led back to the entrance. With a shared breath, they carefully crossed, their bodies aching from the exertion and their nerves frayed by the constant danger. They found the entrance to the temple.
"We did it," Rory muttered, as he sighed with relief. "Now, let's get back to that village and use this thing to save that poor guy."
The journey back was a blur of dust and fatigue, but their steps were lighter now that they carried the Tears. The oppressive silence of the desert was a welcome change from the suffocating darkness of the temple.
As they approached the village, they saw a group of villagers huddled around the entrance to Elara's shop, their faces etched with worry. The cursed stranger lay within, his once vibrant skin now a sickly gray, his eyes vacant and filled with pain.
Lucian pushed his way through the crowd. "We have it!" he declared, holding up the Tears of Aela. "We can save him!"