Osana

^{Location: Abandoned Tower - Underground Path}

---

Osana stared down at her hands and found them covered in dirt. Thick was the smell of the freshly churned earth, mingling with the cool breeze on the back of her neck. As she looked away from her hands, Osana felt as if she lost her breath. Rolling fields of grass spanned as far as her eye could see but, what was most breathtaking, was the shattered cracks spreading across the sky. Each crack was thick, black, and snaking along the sky away from the sun, as if the sun itself were shattering the sky. A heavy metallic scent came upon her senses suddenly and Osana looked back down to her hands.

They were slick with dark blood, stinking and cold. A rasping noise caught her attention. Before Osana lay the corpse of something formerly humanoid, in a pool of inky blackness, taking gurgling and rasping breaths. From the mouth of this corpse writhed translucent tendrils, dripping with the inky black blood, thrashing weakly toward her. With sick fascination, Osana's eyes traced down the corpse's back, watched the writhing of unnatural movement beneth the skin threaten to tear through the flesh. She looked away once more and still found the green grass swaying in the soft breeze and softly, quietly, they began to speak to her.

Voices which rose from within Osana, around her, threatening to tear her apart, whispered softly their questions and conversation. The sky split and began to rain gold as they spoke to Osana, because of Osana, and for Osana all at once. Great hands formed in the cracked sky. There were no two alike, none which belonged to the same creature, and some were only hands as far as her perception understood them to be-- for the were not hands at all. One and all, they pointed toward the slowly building pile of gold as a crown fell upon it. And then there came shadow-- brick and mortar surrounded her-- and flames alone tried their hardest to illuminate the massive chamber. At the end of the corridor stood a beast-- a wolf, a fiend, an enemy-- whatever it was, it was hungry, and had it's attention focused on Osana.

Slowly Osana stood as her eyes adjusted to the light. She felt a sticky wetness between her fingers, then looked down at her hands. Black blood covered one and her dagger was firmly grasped by it. Hurried steps approached her, soft, high cadenced-- the beast leapt toward her with a snarl. Reflexively she crouched, ducked, then rolled beneath the beast's projected leap. Harmlessly it soared until it landed but, by then, Osana had already began charging toward it. She kept her stance low and dagger to her side-- the timing would be key. Furiously, the beast charged then began biting toward her, savage in it's attacks, swiping quickly with it's sharp claws.

Osana was forced to dodge but, it gave her plenty of time to see the holes in the beast's assault. As tooth and claw lashed out, so too did Osana stab and slash, til blood and fur was splattered against the walls. Her attacks were quick, small, but soon the beast's assault became fatigued. For a moment, Osana nearly felt bad for the twisted abomination bleeding out before her.

The twisted mangy body was so corrupted by this sick world that Osana could not imagine what it must have been. A truly prideful wolf? A noble wildcat? Perhaps a family's beloved dog? But still, here it was, crazed and bleeding-- dying but not truly. How many thousands of deaths had this beast died before now? Unceremoniously, the creature fell to it's side and stopped moving. For now it would become inactive, as close to death as anyone could become in this foul world, before once more the beast was awakened by the cruel god-broken world to move once more-- to hunt and try to sate it's endless hunger, once more. Ah-- that's right, she was in the basement of a tower. Osana shook her head as the memory came crawling back to her.

This was her shelter for an urgent dream the spirits had for her. All about Osana, in the several days prior, the signs had presented themselves all along her path. Here, stones fallen in symbol-- there, birds calling in the cadence-- the symbols all calling her to dream again. Days had passed since Osana dove into the dream, she was sure, but it had taken days for the message to complete itself. Somewhere there was a fiend covered in gold, leeching the life out of the world, full of only care for their own survival, and Osana was to execute it. This was a dream without need for interpretation-- so strong and clear in it's message. Spirits were never so blunt with their messages unless they were serious.

Osana's pace picked up upon this recollection.
If the spirits needed such bluntness-- had such powerful intent-- then she needed to carry out their guidance with haste.

Ordam

^{Location: Outer Palisades - Interior}

---

Ordam opened his eyes and glanced around, he studied the room and realized that he had no memory of this place. He was leaning against the stone wall of a small room that seemed to be an armory, or was an armory at one point. There where weapon and armor racks along the walls but the weapons where long gone or damaged to the point of uselessness. He looked down to examine the bandages stained with blood and rusted armor. He was in a sad state he knew and there didnt seem to be an immediate fix for his shoddy equipment. He rubbed at his eyes trying to remember where he was or why he was here.

When his gaze came back up he noticed a floor to celing Banner that bore a mark he did not recognize. He was sure it was not the mark of his kingdom, although what his own mark was he couldnt remember. He followed the logic, if he was not in his home and he was not in a cell, and he was armed... he must be an invader. The logic seemed sound, but the battle must be long over if he was alone and couldnt hear the battle raging around him. Finally he decided he needed to get his bearings. Scraping himself off the floor he stood and took a couple shaky steps towards the door near him. The moment he touched the door something on the other side slammed into it like a battering ram and sounded like a rabid beast trying to get at him. He stumbled back and raised his sword, noticing then that it ended much shorter than he expected. He looked down at his bandages again to notice that several where stained by long gashes that ran along his arms, maybe that was why he had hidden in this room. to escape from a slavering monster, and he was to exhausted to contine so he collapsed in this room.

The other door he decided was his best bet. As he had tangled with whatever was behind this door and lost already, best to take his chances elsewhere. With the remains of his sword in hand he shoved the door open and prepared for anything to leap out. When nothing did he examined the passage closer. The hall was smooth stone with several archer slits along its length. The archer slit nearest him was damaged, the opening broken open wide. He looked out to the grounds, and could see an ancient battle long forgotten. Siege towers sat in ruin with moss and creepers running up their sides. he studied the scene in awe, This must have been a great battle with many thousands of soldiers.

While he took in the grand scene he heard a raspy voice holler "Cterian will never fall!" Ordam turned suprised by the creatures sudden apperance. What he could see was a simple soldier, a man at arms with a light breast plate and tattered chainmail, wielding the haft of a spear without the steel tip. It still seemed sharp but not as dangerous. "I am Odam of..." his sentence died in his throat as he realized he couldnt name his home, he cleared his throat trying to gloss over the blunder of his memory.

"Stand aside, i have no wish to harm you" he said with a tight grip on his blade. The creature simply started chanting, "cterian" again and again like an insane mantra while stepping forward and charging Ordam with the spear out streched. Ordam tried to turn the blow with his armor, the dull wooden spear should have easily glanced off the armor but it found a weakend dent and punched through. Ordam grunted, it was still a superficial wound but it hurt none the less. Ordam slashed his blade still coming to terms that it was much too short, the broken blade merely scrached the crazed soldier across the chest rather than cleaving him in half. Grunting Ordam took hold of the spear and shoved back, proving to be much stronger than the one attacking him. The crazed soldier tumbled back to the ground and Ordam was on him quickly leaping into the air while bringing the blade down onto his opponent. Ordam impaled the wretch to the stone and it let out its last groan of "Cterian"

Ordam reached up and felt the wound in his chest, a flesh wound, little more. it would heal on its own soon enough. He sighs marching on through the walls looking for a way up, od down to the ground so he could get his bearings. he continued lost and alone.

Osana

^{Location: Abandoned Tower - Underground Path}

---

Dust clouded around every step Osana took. Above her head hung roots and moss, grasping through every nook and crack in the stonework of the ceiling. At a distance, she could hear water rushing, but it was muffled in a way that mad her believe it were deep underground. Silence hung like curtains within this hall, disturbed only by the soft sliding of feet against the stone. Her steps halted at a corner. As she pressed herself against the wall, Osana leaned as far as she felt was safe, just to peek into the room. The area opened into a circular chamber with a pillar solely in the middle. Ancient figures were carved into the stone pillar, familiar yet too worn to distinguish. The pillar was so large that it obscured a large portion of the wall opposite from Osana. Then she caught sight of movement. While Osana expected to encounter more beasts, she didn't expect there would be another this soon.

It's head hung low, mouth agape, as it wearily dragged it's paws along the stone. She could see what seemed to be a path in the dirty floor from where the beast tread. It was patrolling, following some ancient path that it had been trained to do long ago, from the looks of it. Her eyes narrowed as the beast's shadow fluttered about slightly-- there must have been firelight nearby. Why couldn't she smell the smoke? Osana found it strange that this fact would stand out to her the most about the situation-- as if there were no more unsettling things than the lack of smoke. Still, it was important as a detail, she knew it must have been. Taking a soft breath in, Osana slowly began to creep from around the corner.

Were she to stick to the shadows, keep low, and keep her dagger ready, perhaps she could escape a fight. Then again, sometimes Osana swore the creatures of this world held a higher sense for finding others. She had been detected from behind a solid wall of stone once, after all, and the results of this had caused a rather grisly injury-- Osana had ever seen her own bone until that day and didn't ever want to again. So with careful moment and soft steps, Osana made her way around the corner and into the same room as the beast. While it was dangerous, her position very uncovered, Osana felt that perhaps the dog or wolf would keep it's head turned away from her, so she followed along behind it.

Slowly the two walked along. The light of the flame became brighter as she made her way along the wall. When it finally came into sight, Osana's footsteps halted and a chill crept up her spine. The flame was inside of a lantern that was held by a shambling sight of a person. Their skin was taunt, as if they had been dried up, and they were clothed in rusted chain mail. A spiked mace rested at their side. As Osana stared at the guard, the dog making it's way further ahead of her, another detail began to creep up on her-- behind the guard was a doorway. Halting her breathing for a moment, Osana could hear the sound of rushing water again, the soft steps of the dog, and the ragged breathing of the guard. Was the water louder here?

Shaking her head slightly, Osana pushed the thought to the back of her mind, then focused on her situation. Soon, the dog would make it's way around the pillar and up behind her, and she was sure the guard wasn't exactly going to be friendly either. Again she shook her head then charged for the guard, quickly, quietly. Osana made it within arm's reach before she caught the guard's attention-- it rasped something-- then flame erupted from seemingly everywhere at once.

Osana yelped then hit the ground, rolled forward, and found her dagger in the side of the guard's knee. Barking called out. The ground beneth her was slick and pain shot through her arm. Again flame swirled through Osana's vision and inky-blackness coated the ground. Osana leapt back-- her back hit the wall-- she spun away as a heavy object cracked the stone next to her. Barking-- the barking-- it was obnoxious. Tendrils wrapped themselves around her throat as she spit blackness at the dog, then watched it writhe and leap, buck and bark, fur and flesh began falling to the stones-- Osana ducked as air whistled above her head. Flames once more erupted and she saw herself cast this time-- the whip of her arm conjuring the black shield of water-- flames hissing and the water bubbling sickly. With a furious growl, Osana whipped her leg low, swept the feet of the guard, then pounced upon them.

Squishy coldness clenched in her right hand and cold steel in her left. Before she knew it, Osana found the guard's head grasped in her hand, held at shoulder level. Osana stared into the face of the corpse, her fingers deeply within their eye sockets, gripped through flesh, her thumb in their mouth, before she shook the skull free in surprise. Numb all over, Osana felt around her neck, found it free of... of... of what? She stood in a daze, stared at the open doorway before her, then staggered into it. A long corridor, dark and dusty, greeted her in the dying firelight. Her steps halted.

Trembling, Osana turned then scooped up the guard's lantern, and noticed the blood all over the ground. Her eyes followed it's drops toward the desiccated corpse of the dog, toward the guard's headless body, then over to her own leg. She could have sworn there was more skin on her leg than that previously. Pain began to creep up on her. Osana looked up and away from it, turned, then began to limp down the corridor once more.

Ordam

^{Location: Outer Palisades - Interior}

---

Ordam found a window looking towards the interior of the castle, it was a pitiful sight of what was once a great keep. Sections of the keep had collapsed and fallen. One of the towers leaned to the side lazily, a stiff breeze whould threaten to knock down. Gold gilded stone and immaculate marble statues lay on the court yard grounds, with creeper vines growing across them like fingers trying to drag them back into the earth. Those vines would take years to grow up and across the statues that way, how long had he sat in the armory? It didnt matter really did it? he had to get to the keep. Although he was entirely unsure as to why.

He walked through the halls of the defenses for a while longer before he found a way down. It was a long stair running to the ground floor, finally. But there was a guard standing at the base of the stairs staring out at the courtyard. He was a little farther away he was surely better armed and armored than the half rotten soldier he had fought before, a knight of some kind more than likely. He looked formidable carrying a long spear and heavy shield. However the knight's back was to him, and his rifle should punch through the armor easily. Ordam leaned his sword against the wall next to him, in easy reach should he miss or not kill the knight out right. He knelt down bringing his rifle to bear.

He zeroes in on the knight's back, a clean shot through the heart should put the knight down for good. His finger squeezes the trigger slowly until there is a click and a flash of sparks next to him as the flint ignits the powder. A sharp crack echoes through the halls and across the otherwise quiet courtyard. The Knight stumbles several steps forward as a chunk of his side is blasted from his body. The bullet missed its mark but still tore a sizeable portion from the knight's belly. The knight whirled on Ordam and charged up the stairs with alarming speed. Ordam dropped his rifle to the ground and hefted his sword readying for the knight.

He was less groggy now, more confident in his movements and when the knight reached him he fought with vigor and ability. Unfortnately the kight did as well. The two traded blows, Ordam used his body armor to turn the spear while trying to strike the knight in return, but the knight expertly used his shield stopping each blow before it could land. The two where locked like this for a while, but the Knight's shield was a simple wooden one that could not take the repeated hammering of Ordam's sword. The knight's shield shattered under a risky blow by Ordam, the blow would have left him open if the sword did not cleave through the shield and the knight's arm, cleanly severing it just below the elbow.

The knight hardly seemed to notice, though thrown off balance. Ordam pressed his advantage, getting greedy for the kill. He struck again, heavy and slow the knight caught blow with his armor. The blade bit deep into the chest plate but not deep enough and the knight replied with a sweep of his spear, the sharp point digging a furrow into Ordam's leg. He cursed with surprise and pain before he wrenched the blade free and came in again, determined to put the knight down. He swept the knight's spear, cutting through the haft and sending the sharp point skittering across the stone. Ordam swept the blade again burying the blade into the knight's helm.

With the knight slain he recovered his rifle and sat against the wall, tired and bleeding. He wound scraps of cloth from the knights clothes around his wounds and reloaded his gun. All he could think was getting to the keep, a dash through the courtyard and defeat any guards before claiming his prize...

Prize? what was in the keep? wealth? artefacts? he didnt know, but the keep was his goal for whatever reason.

Osana

^{Location: Underground Path - Dungeons - Waterway}

---

A mountain of rubble rose before Osana from the darkness. Holding her lantern higher, she squinted as the light struggled to fight off the darkness. Just barely, she could make out a large hole in the ceiling above herself. Looking back to the rubble, Osana took a moment to examine the pieces-- they were large and flat enough that she figured it was worth a shot using them to climb. With another glance behind herself, Osana raised her lantern again just to check and see if she had missed any doors or passages, though she knew that wasn't the case. The tunnel had proceeded without a single turnoff, door, or turn for nearly twenty minute's walk. Such a tunnel gave her the impression that it was made solely for some kind of escape route. Unfortunately for whoever had built it, there was a collapse. Upon checking the wall of rubble before her again, Osana felt confident in the fact that there was no way to move the heavy blocks of stone aside. With a sigh, she stepped up upon the first stone, then made her ascent.

Though the climb was painful, her injured leg not doing her any favors, Osana scaled the wall of rubble with relative ease. She placed her lantern down on what was the floor of the upper corridor, then pulled herself up into the darkness. Here she took a moment to catch her breath, huddled close to her lantern, as the dark seemed to press too closely in this hall. What was it about the coolness and silence of this corridor that gave Osana a bad feeling? A cold claw scraped itself down the back of her neck as the darkness began whispering.

There were spirits about.

Heavily she exhaled, picked up the lantern, then stood to take stock of her current position. Before her was another pile of rubble but this rubble surrounded a giant arrow of sorts? She squinted at the object curiously. Was this the weapon of a large being or some type of battle device-- what were they called? With a huff, Osana turned her attention away from the large arrow, and faced the opposite direction from it. By the dim light of the lantern, Osana took in a chilling sight, then began stiffly toward it.

Rusted metal cage doors lined the hall. Behind each of the cage doors were rotted wood piles and scraps of cloth, torches which had long since been spent, assorted piles of hay-- her steps halted. Osana turned to face a cage with shackles and chains hanging from the walls, but that wasn't all that caused her to halt. Raising her lantern slightly, so that it could shine it's light further into the cell. The dried and taunt flesh of an animated corpse twisted sickly by the torchlight as it moved. Chains jingled lightly as the corpse began raising it's shaking fragile arm, skin warping beneath the weight of the chain, as it grasped and clawed at the air toward her. Sound came flooding into her mind suddenly.

Voices, screams, words, all mingled together over the noise of jingling chains and rushing water. Osana stumbled away from the cage then further down the hall. Torchlight illuminated more and more cages-- more filled with corpses in varying stages of animation or decay. When she passed a group of voices, another called out. When they became silent, there came another scream or cry-- the crack of a whip long gone-- clang of steel against steel and gold. Glittering and polished gold. Rusted metal cage bars began to take on a lighter tint as she walked down the hallway. Every step Osana took became more damp, deep, until she was up to her shins in water. Blackened walls accented by glittering gold contrasted against the dark waters. She could feel the pull of the water against her legs now and knew that it must have all been rushing toward something close by.

Ordam

^{Location: Outer Palisades - Interior + Castle Courtyard}

---

Ordam rose with his wounds newly bandaged and his gun reloaded. He stood slightly off balance as he tried to releive pressure from his wounded leg, and walked with a slight limp. He decended the stairs down to the ground level, spattered with blood that had fallen from the knight he had shot not long ago. It was a long decent at his pace, slowly lumbering down each step as it made his leg twinge in pain. He needed to be more careful he decided, wounds like this would kill him eventually, either through making him too slow to avoid a killing blow or through infection. What he needed was a healer, these wounds bound in filthy cloth would not do for long.

As he thought he reached the ground level without noticing at first. It was when he tried to take another step down and his foot struck solid stone before he expected it and threw his balance off slightly that he realized he was out of stairs. He glance around to see the courtyard of the keep far more busy than he had seen before. Hundreds of people, or emaciated ghouls more like, filled the plaza. They fought like savages over any scrap of gold they could get their hands on, but the moment one of them did the others would fall upon the new owner of the gold and brutalize him until he lost the gold and the mob moved on to another. Ordam could see several gold coins circulating through the throng. He stared for several long seconds in amazement, surely he would have noticed this maddness before. It hardly mattered though, the ghouls where so transfixed on the gold they payed him no mind. It was only after he wrenched his eyes away from the maddness that he noticed a dozen soldiers with shields and spears surrounding the chaos, why Ordam could not tell.

The Greedy mob seemed to take up the majority of the courtyard and the armed guards blocked Ordam's only visible path to the keep. He cursed and began to examine the courtyard closely, seeing several sets of stairs up like the one he had come from and a barracks.. Barracks? how did he know that? It was just a non-descript stone building, it could be a store room or armory or servant quarters for all he knew. He made his way towards the building, more and more convinced that it was. The door was 'closed' but it hung precariously from its hinges, as if a stiff push would knock the whole door out of its frame. So with sword in hand he shoved the door down and inspected the interior. It was a barracks alright, dozens of cots lined the walls with a footlocker along the center asile. On the other side of the barracks he could see a small shrine, that looked like it was made of gold and silver but he was unsure at this distance. He began crossing the barracks to examine the shrine. When he got about half way across a ghoul, much like the the crazed mob outside, Shouted at him from beneath one of the bunks.

"MINE!!" it screamed

Ordam scrambled back from the noise, being taken by suprise. The ghould didnt move from its hiding place, Ordam looked under the cot and could see the ghoul had a death grip on a small gold coin but was staring at Ordam with death in its eyes, daring him to try and claim the coin. He didnt bother and continued to the shrine It was an impressive little figure immaculately wrought in solid gold and silver. Ordam only scoffed, gods and magic where not worth his time.

Osana

^{Location: Underground Path - Dungeons - Waterway}

---

As the path went on, Osana decided now was the time to ask for a bit of mending. She reached to her waist and tugged at a steel chain, then felt her way to the gourd attached to it. Quickly stashing her dagger away at her hip, Osana took the gourd into one hand, while holding her lantern in the other, then halted where she stood. There was no telling what lurked within the darkness before her but, Osana felt as safe here as she felt anywhere-- that was to say, not safe at all. When she closed her eyes, she wondered what it was like to truly feel safe and if she ever had in her lifetime. Taking a deep breath in, Osana exhaled gently and blew the thought away-- the fire of a candle out.

Behind the cages stood spectral forms in the form of pale green mist. All of their shapes varied. Several were already fully shapeless, having died long ago and forgotten their forms, yet still they were trapped within their cells. Osana looked to these spirits and saw gold-- rootlike in it's form-- snaking through the spectral energies which represented the departed. Hands gripped at the cages, the more recently departed still somewhat human shaped, and they tried to scream for guards, though their words turned into language Osana couldn't understand, she could feel the message. All of them, corrupted and pained even in death, they had no escape from this world though they had passed long ago.

What stood out the most about these lingering spirits was their apparent need to remain in their cages. They were all trying to summon the guards against her-- as if she were an enemy to them, prisoners in their cages. Another deep inhale and exhale while Osana focused her attention inward. Slowly she kneeled, letting her energy course through the physical plane to secure herself firmly in the spiritual. As she continued her meditative breathing, the voices faded away, replaced slowly by the gentle whispers of the gods. Slowly she raised her gourd to her lips, then removed the cork-stopper.

A heavy metallic and musky scent filled her nostrils as the gourd was opened-- the scent of Aether. Osana opened her eyes and looked into the gourd-- both in the physical and spiritual planes-- before closing her eyes once more to whisper. Osana's lips did not move in the physical realm but, her spirit whispered into the gourd, driven to focus by the gods. They had read Osana's will before she started this process and deemed her fit for the blessing. She could feel the gourd's weight slowly increase as it became filled with whispers, the aether within becoming physical as it was blessed into being. Once full, Osana began pouring the contents over her injured leg, wincing as her wounded flesh became coated in the substance.

Osana re-corked the gourd, placed her gaze high, then stood. She didn't want to watch the healing process take place-- it always made her feel sick. Around her, the world wavered slightly, as if viewed through water. Shaking her head, Osana tried to focus on the ground, it's feeling beneath herself, the weight of her body, her breathing-- all things in the physical world. Why had staying within herself become such a struggle recently? While Osana knew the question likely had no answer, she couldn't help but wonder why reality was becoming less real to her than the other realms. A chill crept up her spine, forcing her gaze to the side.

Through a golden barred cage she stared. A rusted door was beyond this cage, very plain compared to the gilded nature of everything else in this hall. She looked down to the water rushing around her feet then, taking a moment to note the direction of flow. Part of Osana had expected to be traveling toward the door but, it still surprised her a little to see that it was. Curious, Osana observed the cage bars for a moment. How had she completely missed the oddly bent bars on the path behind her? Perhaps it was her pain and focus on walking that had distracted her. Either way, Osana retraced her steps slightly to get to the opening.

The bars looked as if something had been placed between them in order to pry them apart. Whatever it was had been powerful enough to bend three bars on each side of the opening. She placed her fingertips against the cold metal, where the thin layer of gold had peeled away to expose hearty looking iron, and wondered what was strong enough to force the bars apart in this manner. Cautiously, Osana stepped through the opening that was more than wide enough to let her in, then turned and looked at the bars once more. Their bend was forced outward slightly-- away from her-- as if something broke through the cage and away from the door behind her. Osana set her jaw at the potential implications but, she turned and walked toward the door anyway.

Ordam

^{Location: Outer Palisades - Castle Courtyard}

---

Ordam noticed a passage near the statue, and decided to use it rather that start the ghoul raving again. He felt a little more sluggish from his wounds as he rounded the corner carefully with his blade in hand. He knew he couldnt take too much more punishment, not that it really mattered. He couldnt just sit down and wait for his wounds to heal. he would die of thirst or starvation before his wounds fully healed. At least he thought he would. He couldnt remember the last time he had eaten or drank anything nor did he feel hungry or thirsty. He tried to work out how that was possible, but it just didnt make sense. He pondered this while he walked down the empty corridor. That seemed to run along base of the wall towards the keep.

He was alive right? He was sure he had to be, he could bleed, he could feel, he could think. However his wounds didnt pain him like he was sure they should. The gash in his leg should have crippled him and left him with the doctors and priests for weeks. He simply sighed, it didnt make any sense at all, it was a puzzle for a smarter man than he. Ordam rounded a corner turning towards the keep and noticed a small water feature. It was a little basin being filled by a simple pipe jutting from the wall. He walked over to it and examined the water. It didnt flow like water should, staying at the same level even with a steady supply of water flowing into it and no sign that the water was flow out in any way. He grunted at the feature, a strange puzzle he did not care enough to solve. However gazing into the water made him immensly thirsty.

He reached down and dipped his hand into the water, it was cold and crisp, with a small handful of the water he lifted it up and smelled it. It smelled just like water, no obvious contaminants like a corpse in the water source or salts. It was good enough for him, he plunged his face down into the basin and drank until his air ran out. When he pulled his face out of the water he noiced the pipe supplying the water stopped flowing and the basin was not only empty as well, but totally dry. "what sorcery is this?" Ordam muttered to himself. He didnt like the magic but he also felt refreshed, immensely so. Pain had left his body and he felt strong again. He felt under his bandages, The sores where still there, but nothing had ever healed them before so that was not a suprise. However the gash on his leg was nothing more than an old scar now. He took a step back from the basin, "Th- Thats impossible" he said quietly.

It was good to know however, maybe this basin would replenish itself eventually or he would find others around. At least he didnt have to barricade himself somewhere and wait for a few weeks for his body to knit itself back together. He left the basin and walked again towards the keep, but keeping a mental note of the basin so that he could return if need be. The halls where empty save for a few windows overlooking the mass of ghouls fighting over a half dozen coins. Ordam shuddered every time his gaze passed over the mob.

Osana

^{Location: Underground Path - Throne Room}

---

Beyond the heavy door, the room opened up into a massive area. While the door was right next to the wall, she was also next to a second smaller wall from what she could tell. A layer of water was on the ground, just deep enough to splash underfoot. What caught Osana's attention the most was the fact that the room itself was so wide and high, she couldn't see the ceiling from where she stood. Next to her, a massive stone wall rose, but she could just barely tell it didn't extend all the way to the ceiling. Light filtered in from above and far off-- possibly windows but again, Osana couldn't make out the details. Massive black stone columns rose from the ground and up toward the ceiling, spiraled by a thick band of gold, which was detailed to have the appearance of flames. Osana stared around in wonder before she realized that, beneath her feet, were old coins, rings, rusted and murky in the layer of water.

Slowly she walked into the room, then realized that before her, far off at another wall, was a second door. Curiously, Osana began walking toward it then halted suddenly when whispers picked up within her mind-- there was something else here. Hastily Osana pressed herself into the wall, then began to walk along it. Up ahead she could tell that it ended and probably gave her a view of the rest of the massive room. Sure enough, when Osana reached the end of the wall, then slowly peeked around the corner of it, the vast length of the room greeted her-- along with the glittering reflection of light off of water and gold.

Mountains of gold and treasure were within her sight-- along with the twisted and retched skeletal remains of what had to have been people at some point. All of them were posed in different states-- reaching to the sky, toward the end of the room, cowering-- and they were all unnaturally upright and stiff. Whatever manner of magic had caused their apparent paralysis wasn't immediately obvious but, Osana knew it must have been the reason she heard voices. Powerful spells were at work within this room. While part of her wanted to get a better view of the room, the majority of her warned against it. Fearfully, Osana withdrew from the corner then pressed her back to the wall once more. Why was there a deep feeling of dread creeping up on her all of a sudden? Why did it feel as if she were somewhere she wasn't wanted yet, she was being coaxed further into?

A foggy feeling began to settle over her mind, dulling her senses and leaving a numbness on her tongue. Osana's knees shook and she felt as if her lungs were filled with cotton. Slowly she sank to her knees then tried to center herself. Something was pulling at Osana, drawing her deeper into the room, and she suddenly felt herself fighting against it. Yet, a powerful voice came from within her, one Osana didn't recognize, and it commanded her once, but with powerful demand, as it said, "Wait." Confused and trembling, Osana stared across the vast length, toward the other door across the room. It was so small from here that she knew it must have been quite a distance away. Osana stared and obeyed, waited for whatever was going to come through that door.

Ordam

^{Location: Outer Palisades - Castle Courtyard/Throne room}

---

Ordam turned another down another corridor weaving his way through what seemed like a maze towards the keep. He had gone too far, he was sure of that. This passage must have gone underground at some point, there where no windows sunk into the stone walls any longer. There was the smell of earth in the air, mixed in with the ever present decay he had been ignoring. After several minutes he took a more relaxed posture, his sword resting on his shoulder and no longer peering around a corner before turning. This area was empty as far as he could tell. He thought it was strange but not so much stranger than anything else that has been going on so he removed it from him mind. Until he came to a door, a heavy iron door like one that would be built to protect a treasury or throne room during a siege.

He walked up to the door and put his hand on it, lightly, he wanted to shift it and see if it was open. He was in luck, the door moved about an inch before Ordam stopped pushing. "Well" he thought aloud "i guess this is where my quarry waits." Just as his muscles tensed to push the door open again the order "Wait" floated under the door and hit Ordam. He froze for a heartbeat, confused at the order, it couldnt be an order directed at him. The spell dissolved a second after it struck him, too weak to overcome his fortitude. He sneered at the lightly glowing motes of magic at it fell away from him. Spell craft the work of cowards, annoyed he pushed the door hard swinging the heavy iron severl feet open. He glanced quickly over the room, his eyes passing over everything too quickly to catch anything that didnt stand out too harshly. He lowered his sword from his shoulder as he crossed the threshold of the door ready for one of the greedy ghouls to try and tackle him for invading this throne room. He was not prepared for seeing a woman kneeling on the floor with a look a panic etched on her face.

He looked out towards the rest of the room for a moment and could see the mountians of gold and gems, and bones. The thing paralyzing this woman in fear was nowhere to be seen as yet. He took another step into the room moving to the kneeling woman when it happend again, but louder this time. "wait" The voice echoed off the stone walls. Ordam felt what seemed like iron bands constrict around him. He grunted in suprise and pain but kept his feet, he grunted "coward" between short breaths before looking at the woman. Realization sparking in his brain, she was under the same magic he was. Ordam ground his teeth and took a step towards the magic laeden voice. With his step the bands holding him lessened cracking under his will to move and fight. He would not lie down and die like a coward. The bands broke after a few more steps motes of dying magic falling away from him as he shifted and drew his rifle.

---

"What's this? An insect?"
The raspy voice carried from the far end of the room, though it seemed to be but a whisper. Seated at the top of carved onyx stairs, so that he could gaze upon his piles of gold and treasure, was Cterian the Greedy, god to those who knew none other. His skin, blackened from corruption, and twisted by malicious magical symbols, stood out in stark contrast with the gleaming gold of his throne. Having been made by one of the most skilled artisans in the land, the golden throne that Cterian sat upon, with it's woven looking bands of metal and skillfully twisted legs, seemed to only further emphasize the hideous qualities of the being which sat upon it. Tilting his head to the side, light glared off of Cterian's mask, as he seemed to grow thoughtful of the presence within the throne room-- the new one, that was. Plenty of the undead shuffled and weaved about the massive room lethargically though prone to bouts of activity. Over and over again, small groups of the hundreds of undead would fall to their knees in reverence for Cterian or fight over gold coins.

A dreadful rhythmic rasp rose from Cterian's chest as he began to laugh. Beside Cterian floated The Soul of the King-- whose horns supported his crown-- and he had just spoke his third spell of command. The hilarity for Cterian came when a lone figure stepped from beyond the boarder wall of the throne room. Did this fool think that alone, as a mortal, they could possibly defy him? No... Cterian decided just then that he would not even waste his time conjuring a spell to destroy this creature-- but they didn't deserve to join even his most lowly followers. Without even a word, Cterian pointed ever so slightly toward Ordam, sentencing him to a more entertaining punishment. The hundreds of undead were immediately roused from whatever had occupied them. Collectively, the undead horde turned it's attention to Ordam and after a beat of pause, they all shouted in a ghastly chorus, then began sprinting toward Ordam with intent to kill.

Osana

^{Location: Underground Path - Throne Room}

---

Confusion mingled with the pain in Osana's body upon the sight of the far door opening. A warrior of sorts stepped through and Osana nearly feared he was bound to attack her before... well... something was different about this one. Was he not as mindless as the rest? Bright shimmering bands of light suddenly appeared around him and Osana suddenly understood-- there was a spell being cast upon them. The nature of the magic had eluded Osana, which wasn't a good sign at all. There were not many spells that she could not detect or sense at the least but, those of the older era were a well known blind spot for Osana. Already, Osana was a little impressed with the warrior-- he broke free from an old era spell on his own will, it seemed, unless he had some sort of blessing...

Deciding to push away the momentary wonder at the warrior's abilities, Osana quietly closed her eyes, separated herself from the spell, then left it an arm's length behind herself. A soft fizzle came from the empty space behind Osana, barely noticeable-- especially when the sound of so much activity suddenly started up. Pushing herself to her feet, Osana looked into the room again, then witnessed undead ghouls, in all manner of decay and rot, stumbling over themselves to get toward her-- they were coming for her?! No-- Osana looked toward the warrior-- they were coming for him. Osana drew the dagger from her belt then pressed herself into the wall once more. Striking from an unseen position, especially when so much attention was on the other person, would make casting spells far easier on her. With a quiet exhale, Osana separated herself from her body only slightly, enough to keep half of herself connected to the realm from which she pulled power, then concentrated on channeling energy.