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Post by Ya'qub on May 23, 2005 9:06:43 GMT -7
Looking at Yaqub she shakes her head "I dont like the look of this" Still silent, Ya'qub slowly reaches for his dagger, and grasps the hilt underneath his clothes.
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Post by Keesha on May 23, 2005 10:56:46 GMT -7
Nodding she moves forward behind Waleed, an eye on the strange creature, an eye on the road ahead of them..
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Post by Gamemaster on May 24, 2005 9:53:01 GMT -7
Nalv lead the way into the compound pushing the heavy wooden door open effortlessly. The shrine itself stood in the center of the compound, a small domed mosque dedicated to Zann. Although the exterior has been eroded by time, the recent earthquakes appear to have inflicted far more damage than the relentless elements. Many small cracks traced the foundation and the mosques single dome was networked with fissures.
Wells near the mosque were covered by leather tarps- a common method of keeping brush and debris out of the clean water. Beyond the shrine, countless eroded tombs bore silent testimony to travelers who never survived their pilgrimage.
The holy site is clearly deserted and has not been maintained for some time.
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Post by Gamemaster on May 24, 2005 9:54:17 GMT -7
Having a hard time remembering anything she asks Adila and Yayup.. "ever heard of Imam Suhai?" Adila shook her head negatively.
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Post by Waleed Ibn Alurah on May 24, 2005 11:19:32 GMT -7
"It is as you have said, Nalv. What can we do to help?" Waleed's offer was genuine and he hoped he hadn't gotten his friends in over their heads.
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Post by Ya'qub on May 24, 2005 12:33:17 GMT -7
Still not speaking much, a look of grim determination spread over Ya'qub's face, replacing his usual good-natured smile.
He slowly moved to a position just behind Waleed's right shoulder, drawing a small measure of confidence in the handle of his dagger hidden beneath the folds of his clothes.
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Post by Gamemaster on May 24, 2005 13:54:51 GMT -7
Nalv seemed intent on demonstrating the damage of the mosque and didn’t pause to answer questions. Perhaps it considered the problem sufficiently obvious and precluded the need to scratch the words in the sand or perhaps its strange insect mind could only focus on one task at a time, it was impossible to know.
It opened the door to the mosque with a surprisingly dexterous claw. Inside, the damage was more apparent. Intricate blue tilework had been shaken off the walls and ceiling by the tremors and now covered the floor in a carpet of debris. Afternoon sunlight streamed though cracks in the dome overhead. The supporting walls appeared stable… Despite the damage, a number of verses are still visible on the temple walls. Most are in an ancient script similar to that on the clay seal but one verse appears to have been translated into midani below the original text.
We cannot destroy what we do not understand. Fate is a woman, carrying us towards our Kismet; Only a fool thinks he can escape her embrace. We must learn from the mistakes of our forbears. The written word is a gift to the Lions of Tomorrow.
You stand reading the text when Nalv begins to chitter excitedly. Spinning you see it backing hurriedly out of the mosque, one black arm flicking back and forth repeatedly. Then you feel it- the ground begins to tremble beneath your feet. From the ceiling flecks of dust fall glittering through the rays of sunlight.
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Post by Waleed Ibn Alurah on May 24, 2005 14:04:08 GMT -7
Waleed quickly exits the mosque and grabs Ya'qub on the way out. "Sorry for dragging you into this my friend, but it could be an adventure worth retelling some day, right?"
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Post by Ya'qub on May 25, 2005 8:32:22 GMT -7
Waleed quickly exits the mosque and grabs Ya'qub on the way out. "Sorry for dragging you into this my friend, but it could be an adventure worth retelling some day, right?" "Quite right, " Ya'qub smiled but those who knew him could tell it was a forced smile, not the easy, gap-toothed grin he often wore. "How about we follow Nalv back the way we came?" The caravaneer begins making his way despite the tremors for the door.
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Post by Keesha on May 26, 2005 17:18:31 GMT -7
Looks relieved as she sees both exiting the temple, worried for a minute they might get trapped inside..
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Post by Gamemaster on May 27, 2005 10:18:47 GMT -7
Following Nalv safely outside the mosque, you paused only long enough for a quick glance over your shoulder. The heaving ground sent cracks snaking up the mosque walls and crevaces in the dome pulled open slightly wider. Having stood for only the gods in their infinite wisdom know how many centuries, the shrine of Suhail min Zann was slowly behind destroyed.
The tremor was abating as the flying Nalv led the way around the outer courtyard and behind the shrine to the rocky hill which overshadowed the compound. The giant wasp spun in the air, long legs dangling beneath its alien body, and landed before you. It hastily scratched the following in the harder ground at the foot of the hill.
It comes again Follow me Listen
Nalv’s wings buzzed and it flew a short distance up the rocky hill. Scrambling up the rocks your gaze follows its gesturing claw to a stone wall hidden behind a few large boulders. In the center of the wall is a hole, 1’ in diameter. Peering through reveals blackness and ancient, dry cavern smells underlaid with odors of something musky--as of cloves and myrrh.
Nalv scratched the following:
Boulders <gestures to large boulders> Closed Suhail’s Tomb. Moved!
Wall <gestures to wall> Is New!
Suddenly from the hole in the wall you hear a distinct rumbling, sonorous and deep, as though someone where shaking the bowels of the earth. That’s when you felt the temors returning.
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Post by Waleed Ibn Alurah on May 27, 2005 11:22:27 GMT -7
"Keesha, can you make us a way through this wall?" Waleed unsheathed his scimitar and moved back, hoping the powerful sorceress could open a way into the cave beyond.
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Post by Keesha on May 30, 2005 5:47:24 GMT -7
Looking at the wall she touches its edges for any clue on how it was created, following the rims of it and looking for any signs on wether it was magically or physically created.
"Who did this first and for what reason.. a barrier can be had to keep you from entering or from escaping, and we don’t want to find ourselves on the wrong end of things right?" then she keeps touching the wall while a small mouse runs around the rocks, obviously scared by the situation.
With her characteristic smile every time she gets a clever idea, she jumps towards it and grabs it by the tail. "sometimes the ways of the mouse are as powerfull as the ways of the lion… perhaps our little friend here can help us figure what is inside though". Slowly she mumbles something as she touches the mouse head.
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Post by Gamemaster on May 31, 2005 15:15:27 GMT -7
Keesha placed the trembling mouse she’d summoned on to the lip of the hole. It hesitated for a moment, trembling on the edge of the darkness with wide red eyes, then spun and scurried through. Keesha stood back and closed her eyes, her countenance that of deep concentration. Her companions might have supposed that she was having difficulties—they’d be partially correct. The casting of the spell had been easy enough; practiced many times with her familiar… it was the new perspective. When she peered through Eakon’s eyes she could spy just such a mouse from a mile above—even piercing heavy shadows. In contrast, this mouse scurried along walls in bursts of speed, feeling its way with its whiskers and following invisible paths of scent. It was like swimming through dark waters; small stones looming up like giant sentinels then sweeping by; great lines of depressions in the dusty floor that may or many not have been footprints.
Waleed felt a claw on his shoulder as another tremor followed the sonorous rumbling beyond the wall. He followed Nalv’s gesturing arm to the shrine below. The young ship’s captain Shabab was approaching with a member of the crew Waleed recognized but had never met. It was the faris Haroun El-ahrairah. Spotting the group they hastened up the hill.
“We heard the tremors and came to see if everyone was alright!” Shabab gasped, out of breath from his run.
Keesha continued to focus on her spell. Downward the mouse scurried—how far it was impossible to tell as there was no frame of reference and the mouse moved so erratically. Suddenly a vast darkness spread before the mouse as the descent stopped. Keesha gave the small creature a gentle “push” and it dashed to a wall and continued its exploration. For nearly a minute it raced when from above the slightest suggestion of movement pierced Keesha’s awareness. The mouse stopped dead. A gray hand of god filled the impossibly wide sky--Keesha’s mind struggled to process such a wide field of view--falling with slowness and lack of purpose as if lifeless.
Then the mouse leapt forward and scurried into a crack. Keesha felt her control snap like a dry desert twig. Darkness.
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Post by Ya'qub on Jun 1, 2005 9:04:09 GMT -7
Then the mouse leapt forward and scurried into a crack. Keesha felt her control snap like a dry desert twig. Darkness. Ya'qub quickly steps forward to catch Keesha if she swooned. "Are you all right?" he asked anxiously. "What did you see?"
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