[center][b]Infriet Oloth,
Underdark Passages.[/b][/center]

Orders had been handed out and various house guards, looking with hate and holding hands on their weapons looked at rival houseguard warriors, but grudgingly released their grip and went on to carry out the tasks assigned to them. Border patrols and Underdark patrols were halved to make room for expeditions beyond the borders of Infriet Oloth, to map out more of the underground realm and scout for suitable caverns to set up new settlements or find places of note, veins of valuable ore for smithing, forging or other resources that could be used by the houses and nation.

These scouting forces were being equipped as if going to war, it was necessary for dark things lurk in the darkness of the underground realm they inhabited, from Hook Horrors, to Umber Hulks, Hydras and even the rare Dragon inhabiting a cavern under the surface, not to mention other... civilizations lurking underneath much like the Drow of Infriet Oloth. Captain Jahkan of house Kazir was leading his band in the deep tunnels a territory far from any settlement of Infriet Oloth and he and his band were unnerved, they had not encountered a single thing in these tunnels, no monsters, no sign of any presence, animal or otherwise and that fact made each and every warrior, himself included, feel a shiver down their spines and a urge to return the way they came. But they couldn't, orders were orders, even if they brought them to places that were unnatural. Besides what is a little fear now and again, kept the senses sharp.

He had lost count of the days spend in these tunnels when the scout up ahead had halted and upon his captain's approach turned around and gestured to a opening in the tunnel ahead, "That isn't on the maps we have, the wall must have given way."

Jahkan looked on and frowned, nodding slowly, "Well then we better add it to the map after we explored it." With a gesture to the troop behind them they started moving once more to the collapsed section to see what it revealed, upon the sigh everyone halted, genuine fear and worry on their faces as they looked on what lay beyond.

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One of the soldiers dryly summed up what everyone was thinking, "That... is a lot of water."

Some of the men snorted and backed away, "You don't say smartass, well that's that, big cavern with lots and lots of water, nothing to see there." One said and spat on the rocky surface of the tunnel, "Water is always a bad omen."

"Can't live without it though." Jahkan said and looked at the cavern in front of them, it was massive, a entire underground lake was present here and he pondered, "Might be worth to the house, if we can drain the water and have it add to the aqueducts already in place, can double the water supply with this amount of water..." He pondered out loud.

That silence was broken by a cry, some of the men had steeled their resolve and had gotten closer and were pointing at something on the shores of the lake, "That glint, is that gold down there?"

At that sound several of the men who had backed away disgust and fear sharply turned around and approached to see what their fellow warriors had seen. More cried seeing a glint that might be gold and greed settled in their eyes, if there was a gold vein here and they reported it back their reward would be quite the take, more than their pay and the benefits as a household guard would grant them.

Then someone else cried out, but in fear, pointing at the middle of lake. "There's something in there!" At that several felt their resolve vanishing again and stepped back at the sudden cry, others looked, frowning and muttering when they saw nothing for the soldier to man up and stop shouting about something that wasn't there. "I swear there's something in there and it was massive! That gold is just a lure for something dark to snatch us!" He shouted and backed away from the water, looking at his comrades and the captain.

Jahkan looked on but did not see what the man meant, he saw nothing in the waters, except the glimmer of gold, but he stepped back wit ha sigh, one of his men had said it, a large amount of water, while both a blessing was also a curse, a bad omen. He took a deep breath and addressed the band, "This is what we are going to do... mark this location on the map and we report back to the house leadership that we found this lake... with possible gold... and a possible creature inhabiting it." Some scowled at this, feeling their hopes for a big reward slipping through their fingers. "I know what some of you are thinking, but if we didn't report this... and there really is some big creature in there... then we all would be executed, can't spend your reward if you are dead. Now mark it on the map and let's move on, plenty of tunnel to explore still."

The band headed out, Jahkan lingering behind taking one last look at the lake, for a second he could have sworn he saw something moving under the surface but then it was gone, shaking his head he followed after the warriors.

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[b]Ssussun wun Oloth[/b][/center]

The lich arch mage, Ze'zhuanth Uss, was in his study placed in the house Uss compound in the capital, muttering in a arcana tongue that sounded disturbing to any who would hear it, weaving his hands around as energies cackled around his bony fingertips and suddenly darkness erupted from his fingertips and hovered above him, he let out a shout, almost one of glee but then it seems the magic shifted and then died as the energies evaporated with a dry crack as if a whip was being wielded by someone. With a shout of rage the lich smashed his fist down and send a crystal goblet crashing on the ground where it shattered in a dozen pieces, glaring with his glowing eyes at the spot where the darkness had been a moment before. "So close... and yet so far... much more experimentation needed... much more..." He muttered darkly.

He looked at the mess on the floor and clenched his skeletal hand, picking up a orb on his table, peering at it with dark purpose. "One day I will achieve it... one day..."