The Secret Is Ours < SolInvictus

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Thousand Faced Man Markuran rises and speaks up once again, smugly grinning. "Shall we?"

Cerinfernal gestures for the man and spirit to lead on.

Thousand Faced Man Markuran once again reaches up and tears a hole in the world with his outstretched hand, and he steps through the open ring of fire.

Cerinfernal follows him through the ring

Thousand Faced Man Cerin emerges into the warm salt winds of Creation's southwestern direction. He stands upon one of the viciously jagged rocks that dot the Stonebirth region; other such mountains, reddish-brown and dusty, rise up all about him, dotted with thin outbursts of shrubbery and other mountain flora. Markuran is standing, clearly gleefully enjoying the wind that blows his hair back from his face.

Cerinfernal ignores the being for the moment, concentrating on slowly readying himself for combat, his body saturated with a dark energy, gesturing as a bow of gleaming red essence appears in his hands, strung with shadow. "Let us go and find the lunars." He says, and pads off silently in the direction the map had indicated for the city. Occasionally black cutouts appear in the world behind him, a reminder of where he was stalking. This far from the city, he wasn't concentrating too much on stealth.

Cerinfernal This far from the city, he wasn't concentrating too much on stealth.

Evil Marku nods, and raising his arms up, begins to hover through the air in the indicated direction; a trail of greenish-black polluted Essence trails after him before being broken up by the sea breeze.

Cerinfernal shakes his head. Even possessed by evil incarnate, marku had no subtlety.

alsoquin The path winds around the bases of a few of the small mountains, before the two reach another hill, largely identical to the others -- but a small cave, perhaps twenty feet up the side, lies open, and the disturbances in the dust make it clear that it has been recently entered.

Evil Marku looks around the entrance for a moment. "Two of them left about an hour ago. The rest are inside."

Cerinfernal Cerin casts his viewpoint forward and through the hillside, following the line of the cave down and towards the lunars.

Evil Marku The cave stretches inwards some distance, splitting and winding through the rock as such caves do. It is near the edges of Cerin's perception where the rock begins to shift -- tiny veins of gold and crystal running through it, growing thicker and more frequent as it continues downwards to an elaborately patterned doorway, that stands closed.

Evil Marku The Essence trails that wind through it are complex -- one of the more elaborate Essence lock devices that Cerin has dealt with, actually.

Cerinfernal considers. "We are best served by killing those within the lab complex. If they return while we are doing so, so be it." And with that he stalks into the cave and through it, studying the lock as he goes.

Evil Marku The lock is reasonably elaborate, making use of the subtle essence refraction capabilities of the crystalline medium. The Essence matrix that directs it is spread out throughout the rock -- the outpost was clearly built purposely directly into the heart of the mountain, and the heavy Essence interference of its operation makes seeing beyond difficult.

Evil Marku The lock itself seems to operate on a mixed Essence tumbler system utilizing four of the mote orientations -- not too long before it would have stumped even Cerin's attempts at picking, but now the mechanism by which motes of different orientations are slid into three distinct tumblers seems evident to him.

Cerinfernal shakes his head and forms the nessessary picks, allowing the careful oriented essence to slip into the locks, pushing in and then openning the door before it can react to the infernal taint of the essence and flare up in defence. Once the door is open, he casts his sight through the complex, seeking the lunars within.

Evil Marku The door slides open with a nearly silent hum and Cerin's sight flows out into the corridors beyond. The walls beyond the door are composed entirely of the gold-crystal melange, and powerful Essence flows through them -- the principles are similar to a Manse, but seemingly put to different purpose.

Evil Marku The corridors stretch up and downward, branching off frequently; the entire complex seems to be perhaps 400 yards tall, and about as far around. A variety of individuals are walking through the halls -- most humans, some the twisted human-beast offspring that Lunars can sire, in a variety of shapes.

Evil Marku In one hallway, one of the Lunar Exalts -- a reasonably experienced one, it would seem -- walks with a group of three beastmen. His proud silver antelope head, impossibly glorious horns of moonsilver spiralling from it, sits upon a well-muscled southern body, and he wears a cloak of blue and silver.

Evil Marku The thick Essence interference from the structure makes it too difficult to see beyond any of the closed doors for Cerin, but his group is approaching one near the bottom of the complex.

Cerinfernal Cerin looks around for stairs to descend. He may as well start with a foe he can see. As he moves down, he makes no sound, barely even disturbing the dust - at least until he comes across members of the entourage. Any of those he finds go on the way to swift, though painless death. As he walks, he keeps half an eye on Siram through the floors.

Evil Marku stands and watches Cerin move through the hall for a moment and waits 'til he's passed out of his own sight, then ducks into a hallway and swiftly snaps a passing human's neck. His hand grows bright with fire and incinerates the body entirely; then, a moment later, Marku's features begin to shift in a manner like they were being forcefully pulled into place by unseen hands; his flesh shifts and flows disturbingly while

Evil Marku then, a moment later, Marku's features begin to shift in a manner like they were being forcefully pulled into place by unseen hands; his flesh shifts and flows disturbingly while waves of black essence flow over it, until he has come to exactly resemble the slain individual.

Cerinfernal Maybe he can be subtle Cerin shakes his head and moves down into the complex.

Evil Marku As Cerin draws near to the group, their voices -- unquiet, confident in their own security, clearly -- filter up the hallway to him. The Exalt seems to be speaking to those who accompany him. "Since we discovered this place a few months ago, we've been doing everything we can to figure out what it does, what we've got on our hands here..."

Evil Marku There is some murmuring from the entourage, and he speaks up again. "I think we've finally figured it out." He grins -- an odd expression on the antelope face -- and walks up to one of the larger doors in the complex. "Shall we?"

Cerinfernal wraps concealing essence tighter around himself and approaches the group, aiming to slip into the room behind them, slipping into a corner to watch the proceedings.

Evil Marku With a flourish, the Lunar opens the door to a small chamber within. Here, the gold of the outside walls has been replaced with bluish metal, and the squarish crystals from outside have twisted into pointy, spindle shapes. At the center of the room is an elaborate crystalline structure, with multiple tendrils of crystal stretching from the ceiling and floor to form a tiny cage in the center. (...)

Evil Marku Within the cage is what looks like a tiny bird, as if painted in a rapidly changing series of black and white abstract paintings. It flaps in place slowly, as the Lunar gestures to it.

Cerinfernal Cerin watches with detached interest, examining the flows around the imitation bird.

Evil Marku On raised platforms around the center of the room, a variety of crystalline devices of various shapes sit, but one in particular catches Cerin's notice -- a diamond-shaped fragment of mirror-like crystal that seems to hum with far greater Essence than the pieces around it.

Evil Marku The bird itself seems to be a variant on the concept of a spirit -- a self-sufficient Essence pattern, but instead of being suspended in an akashic medium, its soul seems to be suspended in a larger pattern of Essence, where units of celestial and infernal Essence pull and tug at one another.

Evil Marku Somehow, the contrast between the two creates an internal tension that allows pure Essence to support itself in this fashion...

Cerinfernal Now that is interesting. It is a shame Crystal would be inconvinient to secure. With the power that offers ...

Evil Marku The Lunar speaks up again. "It's taken a lot of careful examination, but we managed to realize what they've discovered here. What will let us bring about a new era." He reaches down and picks up the diamond shard that Cerin noticed earlier. "Please observe."

Cerinfernal does so

Evil Marku Picking up another crystal -- a small wand of some kind -- he holds up the fragment near the cage, and lightly taps it with the wand. A cool, soothing, pure tone is sounded and washes over the room. As it passes through the creature, the tones of its sound seem to interfere with and disrupt the being's existence... its Essence unravels and falls apart, the form of the bird dissolving into a grey malaise.

Evil Marku Two of the entourage begin to "ooh" when the Lunar holds up a hand to shush them. "Wait. That is not the demonstration."

Evil Marku They wait with bated breath for a moment as the pattern of Essence hangs in the air; Cerin is the first to detect what is happening: the gravity of the conflicting Essences is actually pulling the scattered motes back together, even after their dissilusion. In a moment there's a brief flash of light, and the bird has re-emerged, intact. The oohs and aaahs return with a vengeance.

Evil Marku The Lunar smiles. "The secret of immortality. It's sat buried here for millennia. And now it's ours."

Cerinfernal It was yours Cerin thinks as he draws back his bow, letting three motes of the brilliant carmine essence lay themselves across the bow, black shadows slipping out from them to complete the arrows then letting them fly at the lunar, each of the essence projectiles seeking his heart.

Evil Marku Taken unawares, the Lunar doesn't even have time to react in advance to the bolts, which rip through his sternum and send a gout of sickly steam into the air as they cauterize his blood on impact and he keels forward. The entourage, fragile as they are, make whatever haste is available to them to escape.

Cerinfernal Cerin runs in a strange bounding motion that leaves shadows in the air behind him, heading over to the lunar to pick up the crystal. As he makes his way across the room, three of the cutouts are clearly left in a shooting pose. It's as he bends to pickup the crystal, leaving a shadow looking towards them, that they fall over, similar holes in their heart.

Cerinfernal stalks from the room, closing the door behind him as the last of the shadows, somehow seeming to wear a satisfied smile, fades within the room. He looks around for fresh victims.

alsoquin Cerin picks up the crystal, which sits surprisingly light in his hand. As he looks at it, he notices that some tiny scrap of life clings to the Lunar, who looks up at him in terror. "You... why..." he whispers hoarsely as he expires, and Cerin finds his perceptions cast backwards, in a brief flash:

alsoquin a table before him, with thirteen scraps of mirrored crystal just like the one he holds; and out the window, fifty feet below, an antelope-headed woman performs graceful katas in the great garden outside.

Cerinfernal shakes his head and pockets the crystal. I wonder who she was He doesn't himself that long to wonder however.

Cerinfernal ** now the stuff about stalking above quin's post

alsoquin The complex is reasonably busy. Perhaps twelve others, including another Lunar -- this one pure white, with bird feathers growing through his hair -- wander the halls now.

Cerinfernal looks about to see which one of the people is Siram as he climbs up through the complex, closing with the white lunar.

alsoquin Siram is making his way slowly through one of the side corridors, pausing to knock on individual doors, be admitted, and incinerating the room's inhabitants.

Cerinfernal shoots an arrow that takes out the neck of the female beastman descending the stairs next to him as he climbs up onto the level occupied by the feathered man, tracking him through the corridors until he can get a clear shot.

alsoquin A few twists and turns and the Lunar stops, turning to examine something on one of the walls.

Cerinfernal turns his attention to what it might be the lunar is examining, as he raises his bow to take a shot.

alsoquin Some of the Essence flows in the walls of the structure seem to have shifted, grown more intense; the crystals have taken on a bit of an odd reddish coloration in response.

Cerinfernal Curious, very curious He lets loose the crimson arrow which flies towards the head of the distracted lunar, trailed by brief flickering shadows.

alsoquin The bolt strikes true and the Exalt drops dead on the floor.

Cerinfernal walks forward, idly dispatching the lunar's four shocked companions as they turn towards the sound of the collapsing body, standing over the corpses to study the changed essence more closely.

alsoquin It seems that the Essence within the structure is building up, growing unstable, increasing in volume... it does not seem that sticking around would be entirely wise.

Cerinfernal That is vexing Cerin stalks away from the corridoor full of corpses, looking for more items that might be of interest or more lunars.

alsoquin Cerin watches Markuran surprise another Lunar who opens a door down the hall and snap his neck viciously, then come running up the hall to where Cerin is stalking along. "We should be going."

Cerinfernal "Yes, I think that would be wise." He starts to walk towards the entrance. "Did you find anything of interest?"

alsoquin Marku holds up a sheaf of papers -- research notes, it looks like -- and a moonsilver necklace bearing three crescent moons. "I think I bedded the wench who wore this, in another time." He grins. "Quick." He walks out into the cave entrance again, as the Essence grows more and more intense.

Cerinfernal why does that not surprise me? Cerin reads the notes as he proceeds away from the facility, concienciously locking the door behind him as he exits and letting enough infernal essence flow into the lock to quite throughly corrupt it for a few minutes at least. After that, he continues up the tunnel, reading the notes and watching the edges of the warding behind him.

alsoquin The notes seem to describe in detail the experimental process that led to the discovery held within -- the numerous permutations of Essence that were tried before one was finally discovered that worked.

Cerinfernal memorises the text of the notes. He will study his memory in more detail later to actually comprehend them.

alsoquin Cerin hears the sounds of those within the complex trying in vain to open the lock that he'd successfully gummed up, as he and Markuran cross back out into the light. Marku hovers over to the mountain across the way and beckons for Cerin to join him.

Cerinfernal follows after him, half-waiting for the explosion.

alsoquin It does not take long -- the Essence within the structure charges up to a fever pitch, and suddenly the entirety of the mountain is blown into the air in a red and gold blast of Essence, instantly vaporizing hundreds of tons of rock.

alsoquin For a few moments, nothing but smoke can be seen rising up from the crater where the mountain once stood... and then the tiny form of a little black and white bird rises up from within, and begins to fly off into the sky.

Cerinfernal watches the bird fly off. Definately quite impressive

alsoquin Cerin and Markuran re-emerge into the Isles of Ash from their previous assignment.

alsoquin The Nightshade stands gloomily as ever in the void; but someone is waiting for them: an emaciatedly thin woman, her body made of five wisps of flame (two green, two black, and one white), around which dance six tiny crystal planets, each with a symbol from a dead (or never born) language carved upon it; Hirada, The Slough of What Shall Come, Demon of the Second Circle.

Cerinfernal "Hirada." Cerin says in greeting, studying the demoness. "Why do you greet us?"

alsoquin Cerin intuitively knows, as he sees her: she is the Reflective Soul of Sarifen, The Brazier of Once Glory, Third Circle of Malfeas.

Hirada raises one thin-fingered hand, and three of her planets move to orbit carefully around it. "I bear tidings from Sarifen. He requires your services, and asks that I convey his purposes to you."

Cerinfernal "Ah. I would very much like to converse with Sarifen on certain matters, so perhaps you could convey us to him? Unless such a conversation can be had entirely through you?" He says to the demon, before turning aside to Siram "Are things always this ... driven here, or is this the eclipse?"

Hirada Marku laughs. "There has been little time for sleep in the Demon City or the villages that surround it in recent months."

Hirada speaks up. "Sarifen is currently indisposed. He will receive the results of the tasks I am about to impose upon you directly when you return."

Hirada looks over to Markuran, inclining her oddly thin head at an angle as she does so. "Our preparations are almost complete, but several unexpected complications have arisen."

Cerinfernal nods. "So, what is this task you would have us perform?"

Hirada "We have two requirements. The first is that a subject has... expired and requires unexpected replacement. We have need of a suitably powerful Air aspected Dragonling."

Hirada Markuran spits. "Are we here to do meaningless errands for you now?"

Cerinfernal "For what purpose are they to be put? How powerful is 'suitably'?"

Hirada continues, clearly unimpressed. "We also require additional trappings. Those in question lie in a tomb that has been taken over by... others. We require you to enter the tomb of the Azure Wind and retrieve them."

Hirada turns to Cerin.

Hirada "They will serve in our new honor guard. Our previous subject proved to be insufficiently willful to survive his induction; simply ensure that your chosen subject is strong enough to avoid this fate."

Cerinfernal "Others?" His voice holds a great many questions, though his tone suggests that a basic idea would be most helpful for their success.

Hirada "A group of what were once humans, who have bargained with a small group of the Unbecoming."

Hirada "We do not expect them to present a dangerous level of resistance."

Hirada Cerin's Essence webs extract the fuller meaning: Ascendant Hundredfold of Zoru, creatures of subtle existence who use the lives of others like one might use a cloak in the night...

Cerinfernal nods. "That will be interesting. I have not hunted Ascendant before. Where is this tomb?"

Hirada "Deep within the southwestern ocean. Today, it peeks above the waves. Siram knows the way."

Cerinfernal nods. "So, to the tomb then? I am sure the dragonblooded of the Realm can wait a while..."

Evil Marku grins. "Yes, let's." He performs his usual space-tearing gesture and steps through the portal of fire, not pausing to make any sort of farewell gesture to Hirada.

Cerinfernal follows him through.

Evil Marku Cerin expects to be surprised before passing through.

Evil Marku Markuran hangs, a penumbra of blackish-green surrounding him, perhaps seventy feet above the roiling southwestern sea below, water so hot that faint wisps of steam seem to rise off of it. The tiniest glint of yellow peeks out from beneath the waves perhaps 300 yards away -- the top of an orichalcum-laced pyramid that rapidly vanishes beneath the waves.

Evil Marku None of that is surprising, particularly -- what (would be) surprising is that the portal has opened up onto thin air, providing Cerin nowhere to actually stand as he emerges.

Cerinfernal Cerin takes only a few moments to relealise that he has no solid ground beneath his feet and that he is plunging towards a boiling ocean. Disdaining to grab wildly for the possessed solar, he forms his body into a grafeful shape for plunging into the water and wraps protective essence around himself. He plunges deep into the scalding water with barely a splash, then surfaces, starting to swim towards the island with a powerful (...)

Cerinfernal stroke.

Evil Marku chuckles and hovers after him, floating towards the pyramid's tip.

Cerinfernal pushes himself out of the water with a powerful kick, drying almost instantly.

Evil Marku The pyramid's golden steps move downwards into the ocean's seeming infinity. The very top is marked by a capstone carved with Old Realm characters -- "Once The Remnants of Boja, Now The Tomb of Its Fallen King." It looks as if some sort of Essence mechanism holds it fast, but that it would slide to one side if properly unlocked.

Cerinfernal "You two must really get along in there." He says mildly, before setting his senses to study the mechanisms of the lock. Eventually, he decides on his strategy for openning it. First, he sets three motes of crimson essence around the lock to stress the lock, waits a few moments and sets a few more, then when the whole lock is vibrating from the infernal essence around it, he very carefully slides five neutral motes into the (...)

Cerinfernal chamber of the lock, and watches as it opens easily.

Evil Marku The capstone slides easily back from its position, while a blast of air is released from the stone around it, driving back the water and ensuring none flows into the structure. Markuran whistles insincerely, then hovers down into the new opening.

Cerinfernal drops down into the tomb

alsoquin The chamber within mirrors the outside -- a pyramid shape, stretching down perhaps twenty feet, and each wall ringed with ancient glyphs: seemingly, a litany of the great works that once made up the Floating City-State of Boja. Three tinier pyramids of gold sit upon the floor, each with a twistable knob of golden metal atop it.

Cerinfernal studies the litany with cold interest, slowly wrapping his combat magic around him as he extends his senses through the tomb.

alsoquin The pyramd extends downward some distance. Trap doors, elaborate turning wheels that shift entire geometric sections of the maze, and other geometric hazards allow movement throughout; the rooms are organized on the principle of Azusha, a prominent water-oriented geomantic principle favored in the First Age, which features uneven, downwards-cascading rooms. (...)

alsoquin Most of the rooms seem to be decorated with information about Azure Wind -- a tall man -- a Night caste -- with long hair of green and gold, tied into elaborate knots that ran to special collars upon his hands. Several "trappings" are easily visible in the pictures --

alsoquin a set of dual-bladed daggers, each half gold and half black as night; a choker, bearing five obsidian stones; and what appear to be five motes of light that circle about him at all times. (...)

alsoquin The decorations speak of his sobriquet: the Invisible Glory. Numerous difficult to distinguish tales of naval adventure and confusing trickery seem to follow.

alsoquin The tomb reaches down further still, a vast monuement under the waves... while above, the water level of the nearby ocean is rising, burying the entrance beneath deep, boiling waves.

Cerinfernal reads the story as he follows the lines of the tomb deeper down, unconcerned by the water boiling above him.

alsoquin Markuran walks down, looking at the designs on the wall and occasionally laughing. "Your kind are even more full of themselves in death. Some of this isn't even true!" He notices a tale of a maiden rescued at sea and drags one finger across her name, melting the stone into illegibility.

alsoquin The construction of Boja has an entire floor dedicated to it, each room illustrating an aspect of its construction, with a grand central chamber bearing a scale model of the nine-times symmetrical floating city at its center. Still, in this part, no one can yet be seen, though slight wisps of unusual Essence have begun to rise from below.

Cerinfernal doesn't dignify Markuran's comment with a reply, reading the stories and studying the essence, silently stalking through the tomb.

alsoquin The trap doors and elaborate twists form no challenge to Cerin, and he continues downwards, as the story passes through the years of Boja's glory, and down onward until its fall -- the mysterious creature that tore it apart from within, killing all who dwelt inside it. (...)

alsoquin Near the bottom of the vast pyramid is a section enhanced by Essence-driven barriers, through which Cerin's senses cannot peer -- quite clearly the burial chamber and antechambers.

Cerinfernal "This is all rather sad really." He notes in passing, as he learns of the fall of the city. "Perhaps the wards on the tomb will be more interesting."

alsoquin The doors to the bottommost floor are not at all like those he's passed through before -- massive golden orichalcum gateways hold visible nets of green and gold Essence in place, so thick as to obscure vision beyond. The nets seem to almost sway in the wind, despite their non-corporeal nature.

alsoquin Markuran spits. "This is ridiculous. It's his fault that the damn city blew up in the first place."

Cerinfernal "Oh?" He asks, curious, as he studies the doors.

alsoquin "I'm sure someone must have told him that seeking power from the Chrysoclorous Lurker in Penumbral Depths was a bad idea, but that apparently did not stop him." There's something very strange, hearing Siram's already once-removed accounting of the First Age filtered through Markuran's... brutish personality.

Cerinfernal "Who or what was the lurker?" He makes idle conversation as he presses his hand to the door, watching what the few motes he releases do to the wards.

alsoquin The motes seem to strike against the nets and be absorbed... except one, which manages to squeak through a tiny hole between the strands of Essence. Markuran speaks up in the background: "A powerful aquatic being from before the dawn of humanity. Like so many others."

alsoquin The mechanism for disabling this barrier is definitely rather unorthodox, but once again it does not seem beyond Cerin's rather monumental capabilities.

Cerinfernal "Ah." He nods and concentrates on the hole, slipping one of the essence manipulating tools up to the hole, drawing out a sample of the net, letting it coat his hand as he gradually attuned to the net, pushing his hand through it and then tugging on the strands from the inside, letting the net fall apart.

alsoquin It takes seven distinct manipulations to enact, but a final tug collapses the Essence net and allows access to the burial chambers within. A strange darkness fills the area beyond, and a smell -- like mint leaves, burnt over a fire -- wafts out from within.

Cerinfernal draws in a subtle breath, trying to gain more clues from the scent on the breeze, listening carefully for any sound, probing the darkness for a break anywhere within.

alsoquin The sounds that emerge are subtle -- like air over wet cave rocks, like crunching leaves under a horse's foot.... though the sounds of human motion are interspersed between them. Behind him, Markuran cracks each fist in turn, then goes to work on his neck.

Cerinfernal shakes his head, and concentrates as a shadow in his hand burned crimson and his bow appeared.

alsoquin As the darkness begins to abate, Cerin catches a glimpse of the creature that sits within. Five humans -- perhaps "shells" would be more appropriate -- sit, their heads lolling like abandoned puppets, on a circular bench within... a greenish-blue haze hangs between them, tendrils reaching into their hearts and heads, animating them, flowing essence between them....

Cerinfernal watches the ascendant with interest, studying the group and the essence that flows between them, comparing them to the gaian ascendant on Elyssion.

alsoquin The creature is somehow utterly unalike the Haalime -- though physical in nature, it has qualities almost like the beings of the spiritual hierarchy, as it reaches out and puppets the human beings who have fallen in with it. At the two Exalts' arrival, the humans stand bolt upright, though their heads still loll uncontrollably to the sides.

Cerinfernal "Greetings. We have need of certain things from this tomb. If you wish to resist, you will die." He starts to walk forward, leaving black cutout in menancing poses behind him.

alsoquin One of the humans -- a young woman, with short hair -- her head becomes taut, held like a normal person might, though the remainder of her body hangs limply beneath it. Her mouth speaks, and her voice buzzes with four unusual harmonics. "Who are you? Why do you come to take what is ours?"

Cerinfernal "I am Cerin the Wolf. We have need of some of the contents of this tomb."

alsoquin The woman slumps over, and an older man speaks up in much the same fashion. "We intend to use the contents of this tomb."

Cerinfernal "That is quite unfortunate for you." He nods to Siram.

alsoquin Markuran's body nods. "Your elders have more vital needs for those items, whelp." Without moving most of his body, he swings a casual backhand and the Grim Reminder casually knocks free the head of the older man, leaving the body to collapse to the floor.

Cerinfernal observes the effects of the blow as he looses a pulsing red arrow that takes out the young woman's throat. His awareness pushes out once more, looking for further threats.

alsoquin With two of its hosts slain almost intantaneously, the creature seems to decide that discretion is the better part of valor, and the remaining three humans hold up their hands in the "stop" gesture.

Cerinfernal "You begin to see why your choice is unfortunate?" He shoots another of the bodies. "I trust you will not object further?" He asks, glancing over to the cut out shadow which had fired the shot, over on the other side of the room.

alsoquin The remaining two hosts nod in unison and step to one side.

Cerinfernal stalks deeper into the complex, the cutout across the room watching the pair until it fades into nothingness. He starts to look for the things they need.

alsoquin Beyond that room lies the burial chamber. A great round room, a thin line of gold surrounding its edge, water seeps in at the ceiling and flows to three spiral drains in the floor. At the center of the room, a vast stone sarcophagus sits, its lid tipped open by two other Unbecoming, whose hosts appear to be poking through the contents.

Cerinfernal examines the contents as he descends, simultaneously scanning the walls.

alsoquin Surrounding the skeleton that lies in state within are a set of small objects: the knives depicted in the murals; the choker; the bracelets; and a small golden sphere.

Cerinfernal "Ah, good. You have found what we came here to claim."

alsoquin A smell like cinnamon and burnt cloves emerges from behind Cerin, and the other two creatures back away from the sarcophagus. "That's RIGHT!" Markuran shouts from behind Cerin.

Cerinfernal "You killed it?" He asks dispassionately of Markuran as he descends the steps towards the sarcophagus.

alsoquin Markuran appears to have done some extra damage to the creature's former hosts but it still sits, its mist shifted to a reddish color, backed into one corner.

alsoquin The other creatures give Cerin plenty of room.

Cerinfernal nods and walks over to the sarcophagus, picking up the daggers.

alsoquin Their powerful capacity for Essence is evident at even a moment's touch.

Cerinfernal slips them into the pockets of the robe and picks up the chocker and then the bracelets.

alsoquin Each seems to be powerful in its own right. A few wisps of golden-green hair still cling to the bracelets.

Cerinfernal examines the hair as he puts the items in other pockets and reaches for the sphere.

alsoquin The hair has an almost unreal quality to it -- probably the latent Essence of Azure Wind continued to hold some charge upon it even after his death.

alsoquin Cerin is about to pick up the sphere when Markuran suddenly leaps forward out of his smirky daze. "Wait! Wait! Don't touch that!"

Cerinfernal "Oh?" He asks, fingers hovering just over the sphere.