The trio arrived in Ellador with relative ease, with Sharian leading the venture through the snowy landscape despite Saria's protests to lead in his stead. Calcifer calmed her by playing a cheery tune over his lute as they pushed past the freezing winds, aiming to reach their destination before nightfall.
Arriving at the dungeon entrance by dusk, the trio set up camp beneath the crumbling stone structure of the entrance, keeping a close eye on the fairly rusted metal latch that led below the surface. Making use of his brawn, Sharian set up the sturdy tent whilst Saria made handy use of her fire magic, creating a cosy campfire for the trio to huddle around. Calcifer played his part as the bard whilst they broke bread and talked plentifully - namely regarding what might lay below.
Having sailed many voyages, Sharian was certain that this dungeon would be his 'big break', stocked with chests of gold and gems. Being the wiser member of the group, Saria instead explained that the dungeon they sat upon was foretold to stock old artifacts from time long passed - after all, she was the one who'd procured the map to reach the place to begin with. The ever hyper Calcifer instead claimed he'd find the great sense of adventure within, reigniting a passion in his life otherwise lost within the drab streets of Regalia, to which the trio laughed, eventually falling asleep.
Though Sharian insisted on keeping first watch, Calcifer insisted that he'd take on the task himself, all too confident on his defensive static field abilities. Despite his bravado, Sharian awoke a few hours later to find Calcifer fast asleep at his post, after which point he took over, leaving his ally within the tent - now all huddled amidst the warm furs. Saria was the last to keep watch, making breakfast over the flame as the sun rose over the horison. She'd kept the longest watch with most ease, given her insomnia. She could have sworn that she'd heard a strange scratching noise below, though passed it off as another irrational fear soon enough.
Having eaten and prepared themselves both physically and mentally, the trio prepared to descend into the depths below. Prying off the metal trapdoor was child's play to the aspiring Metallic Bend mage Calcifer, with Sharian dropping a ladder down the dark hole to support their descent. Saria's fear of loneliness kept her stuck close to Sharian as he led on, leaving the fragile woman sandwiched between the brute and the bard.
The caverns were dark and desolate, clearly long abandoned to the naked eye as Sharian waved his torch over the walls. What the trio hadn't expected to find however, were tracks - from the looks, they seemed to be human tracks, but with strangely clawed feet and thicker toes. Calcifer mentioned that he'd heard whispers of strange creatures lurking within the Elladorian forests when he'd last visited, though he'd paid it no mind. The group proceeded with caution, until finally, disaster struck.
A screech echoed across the already cramped tunnels as the group made it through to a far more open underground room. The area was littered with rusted cages and long forgotten torture equipment. Moreover, Calcifer felt the heavy presence of void energy within the room - it was almost suffocating to the practiced mage, and he had the highest intent to leave. His advice was drowned out by the determined Sharian, who drew his blade in anticipation of the enemy's advance, with Saria lighting a small yet bright fireball to illuminate the area. Begrudgingly, Calcifer readied his focus, not casting a field just yet.. and the screeching skidded to a halt, replaced by the ever ominous scratching noise. Like claws scraping against stone.
A thought struck Saria's mind as she brought her flame's light to the previously unseen ceiling, only to alert the beasts above - now descending upon the trio. They were clearly void mutated in form, having grown scales from their flesh and horns from their bone. Their eyes were a haunting black, irises nowhere to be seen as they attempted their assault. Calcifer's static field held the beasts at bay however, sending another chorus of screams through the room as the void mutants were zapped. Sharian took this opportunity to cut the beasts down with a fierce sailor's battlecry whilst Saria kept the group from certain blindness.
Though they'd held off the two beasts that descended primarily, their vile brethren soon followed, outnumbering the group nine to three. In the chaos of the battle, Calcifer's shield was broken through by sheer force of one of the larger hulking beasts, sending the mage hurdling into the wall near the entrance whilst Sharian was clawed into, leaving a bloodied three-strike scar across his chest. With the group retreating towards the path from which they'd arrived, Calcifer spotted a few labeled barrels of firebite across the room. Using the last of his magical reserves, he hurled the barrels towards the beasts, with Saria exhausting her fire magic by setting the firebite aflame. The result was a massive, blinding explosion that knocked the trio back, consuming the beasts in alchemical flames.
With the oncoming threat little more than ash, Saria put her medical knowledge to use, patching up Sharian's claw wound with her bandages. In their fatigued state, they hardly cared to carry on into the deeper depths of the dungeon below. However, the explosion unearthed what seemed to be a cubby hole in the corner of the room, having been hidden beneath a plethora of heavy stones. Within the hole the trio found garbled, decaying records of the horrific experiments that took place in the dungeon, related back to Evocarorum experiments. The records went into great detail as to how the failed experiments were locked away below. However, the group also found a number of wrapped up Foci Crystals - in specific, two Void Foci and one Exist Foci. What the group did with this loot was to be decided amongst them.
Not wanting to stick around any longer than they had to, the trio escaped the clutches of the deadly dungeon, soon setting sail back to Regalia at the peak of dusk as they'd arrived. Despite his brushed chest, Calcifer played the somewhat victorious group a flute song as Sharian drank himself merry with the crewmates, Saria silently vouching to fall asleep on deck, given her previous exhaustion of magic. All in all, a relatively successful venture and one hell of a tale to be told!~
with special thanks to @TheBioverse for writing the story!
Arriving at the dungeon entrance by dusk, the trio set up camp beneath the crumbling stone structure of the entrance, keeping a close eye on the fairly rusted metal latch that led below the surface. Making use of his brawn, Sharian set up the sturdy tent whilst Saria made handy use of her fire magic, creating a cosy campfire for the trio to huddle around. Calcifer played his part as the bard whilst they broke bread and talked plentifully - namely regarding what might lay below.
Having sailed many voyages, Sharian was certain that this dungeon would be his 'big break', stocked with chests of gold and gems. Being the wiser member of the group, Saria instead explained that the dungeon they sat upon was foretold to stock old artifacts from time long passed - after all, she was the one who'd procured the map to reach the place to begin with. The ever hyper Calcifer instead claimed he'd find the great sense of adventure within, reigniting a passion in his life otherwise lost within the drab streets of Regalia, to which the trio laughed, eventually falling asleep.
Though Sharian insisted on keeping first watch, Calcifer insisted that he'd take on the task himself, all too confident on his defensive static field abilities. Despite his bravado, Sharian awoke a few hours later to find Calcifer fast asleep at his post, after which point he took over, leaving his ally within the tent - now all huddled amidst the warm furs. Saria was the last to keep watch, making breakfast over the flame as the sun rose over the horison. She'd kept the longest watch with most ease, given her insomnia. She could have sworn that she'd heard a strange scratching noise below, though passed it off as another irrational fear soon enough.
Having eaten and prepared themselves both physically and mentally, the trio prepared to descend into the depths below. Prying off the metal trapdoor was child's play to the aspiring Metallic Bend mage Calcifer, with Sharian dropping a ladder down the dark hole to support their descent. Saria's fear of loneliness kept her stuck close to Sharian as he led on, leaving the fragile woman sandwiched between the brute and the bard.
The caverns were dark and desolate, clearly long abandoned to the naked eye as Sharian waved his torch over the walls. What the trio hadn't expected to find however, were tracks - from the looks, they seemed to be human tracks, but with strangely clawed feet and thicker toes. Calcifer mentioned that he'd heard whispers of strange creatures lurking within the Elladorian forests when he'd last visited, though he'd paid it no mind. The group proceeded with caution, until finally, disaster struck.
A screech echoed across the already cramped tunnels as the group made it through to a far more open underground room. The area was littered with rusted cages and long forgotten torture equipment. Moreover, Calcifer felt the heavy presence of void energy within the room - it was almost suffocating to the practiced mage, and he had the highest intent to leave. His advice was drowned out by the determined Sharian, who drew his blade in anticipation of the enemy's advance, with Saria lighting a small yet bright fireball to illuminate the area. Begrudgingly, Calcifer readied his focus, not casting a field just yet.. and the screeching skidded to a halt, replaced by the ever ominous scratching noise. Like claws scraping against stone.
A thought struck Saria's mind as she brought her flame's light to the previously unseen ceiling, only to alert the beasts above - now descending upon the trio. They were clearly void mutated in form, having grown scales from their flesh and horns from their bone. Their eyes were a haunting black, irises nowhere to be seen as they attempted their assault. Calcifer's static field held the beasts at bay however, sending another chorus of screams through the room as the void mutants were zapped. Sharian took this opportunity to cut the beasts down with a fierce sailor's battlecry whilst Saria kept the group from certain blindness.
Though they'd held off the two beasts that descended primarily, their vile brethren soon followed, outnumbering the group nine to three. In the chaos of the battle, Calcifer's shield was broken through by sheer force of one of the larger hulking beasts, sending the mage hurdling into the wall near the entrance whilst Sharian was clawed into, leaving a bloodied three-strike scar across his chest. With the group retreating towards the path from which they'd arrived, Calcifer spotted a few labeled barrels of firebite across the room. Using the last of his magical reserves, he hurled the barrels towards the beasts, with Saria exhausting her fire magic by setting the firebite aflame. The result was a massive, blinding explosion that knocked the trio back, consuming the beasts in alchemical flames.
With the oncoming threat little more than ash, Saria put her medical knowledge to use, patching up Sharian's claw wound with her bandages. In their fatigued state, they hardly cared to carry on into the deeper depths of the dungeon below. However, the explosion unearthed what seemed to be a cubby hole in the corner of the room, having been hidden beneath a plethora of heavy stones. Within the hole the trio found garbled, decaying records of the horrific experiments that took place in the dungeon, related back to Evocarorum experiments. The records went into great detail as to how the failed experiments were locked away below. However, the group also found a number of wrapped up Foci Crystals - in specific, two Void Foci and one Exist Foci. What the group did with this loot was to be decided amongst them.
Not wanting to stick around any longer than they had to, the trio escaped the clutches of the deadly dungeon, soon setting sail back to Regalia at the peak of dusk as they'd arrived. Despite his brushed chest, Calcifer played the somewhat victorious group a flute song as Sharian drank himself merry with the crewmates, Saria silently vouching to fall asleep on deck, given her previous exhaustion of magic. All in all, a relatively successful venture and one hell of a tale to be told!~
with special thanks to @TheBioverse for writing the story!
