Long Way Away: The First Verse [Talea, Valeria, Leoman]

[EtherealNoire]

Amidst the vile curses she walked, alighting o'er bones and ash where bodies lay in tethered heaps, trapped in an endless web of time. Their names were etched in carnage like markers on their graves, yet no homage had been granted them at mortal soma's final throes, none but the kiss of demise and the brush of her tears like dew when she bowed before their haunt.
Eyes, blinded yet all-knowing, marked her passage to the wall, stirring in the silence between words as her own gaze rested upon the runes seared from life's most vital essence. And whilst she stood nigh the woman of valor, tresses falling about shoulders pale as marble, her song began.
Faint as the rain's melody, it echoed in the gloom, washing away sorrow with solace and calling forth ice to shatter chains. She sang of waiting realms and sins reversed where peace found those who pined for vengeance. And deep within her choir chords another harmony awakened, one ancient as the name of darkness, a voice who sang of death.

[EloHim]

Leoman saw things clear.Behind the iron door was a room of the same size, with a large pit, almost as wide as the room itself - from which smoke and smell of burning flesh were rising upwards to a large grate in the ceiling. From that hole - light of the outside world was trickling in through the smoke downwards into the deep. There was no other doors...the only way from there was to fall.

Talea was successful... The chains that bound the souls were broken, and they seemed happy, whispering "thank-you's" to their saviour trough stitched lips as they disappeared into thin air.

But then the sound around her, around all present in the room became condensed and clear as if some barrier was removed... They all heard the rumbles beneath the ground, the whispers of metal and earth...something beating under it all...like a Heart. And then...in their minds...a voice, distorted, raging, echoing, grasping at the very psyche of the trio, leaving a trace.


"THESE. ARE. MINE."


The wooden door through which they entered suddenly closed, some invisible unstoppable force forcing it shut the trio away from the corridor, their way back. The metal door was not going to budge, the lock on it - rusted shut. The runes of blood lit up with red...And burned bones began to gather near the door, as if some will was putting them back together. There were many things that torch didn't brought to light…Like daggers and clubs covered by ash and soot… which flew right into the hands of the four skeletons whichnow were standing there, ready to kill.

[Spookery 💉]

It was definitely worse than she had expected. The ground trembling, pulsing underneath her feet threatened to throw Valeria off-balance, but she managed to steady herself, and clenched her jaw as the room began to transform around them and a voice with no speaker boomed. So the rumors of this place and its unholiness were true. Valeria gripped the handle of her halberd and lowered the blade to aim it at one of the forming skeletons. The sudden presence of the commanding voice sent a chill up her spine, but she would not be swayed. This is what she had been called here to do. She steeled herself.

“Do not let the devil shake you,” she said firmly. “This land belongs to the Light, and we are here to reclaim it!” With that, she lunged forward, thrusting the blade of the halberd toward the nearest amalgamation of bones and ash.

[EtherealNoire]

Through song, the voice of Night consumed her, pouring forth against such eldritch pulse that dared contest their might. It gathered in the shadows like a fog amidst their din, growing sharper, lethal, as its spirit coiled against her flesh, sewing bitter veins of wrath.
And as she welcomed its form about her throat, raising a sole hand entwined in darkness, their rage erupted beneath the starvelings' readied charge. All consuming, a mesh of thorns wound keen against bones, spreading frigid as ice beneath their feet, in shadows and in thought. The vengeance of Night.

[Kidney]

Leoman peered now, eyes darting around the setpiece before his hand rose to take his goggles from his eyes. Tint gone, he took in as many details as he could, before turning at the sound of shufflings. He replaced his goggles, "Well, I didn't find shi-"

His breath was ripped from him, and he was struck dumb staring at glowing runes and reformed skeletons. "Hey, hey, hey, HEY!" Leoman yelled, holding his knife before him as he reached behind himself, shoving a hand into his rucksack, trying to grasp hold of a vial of alcohol. He watched one of his companions attacked, gulping down a mouthful of spit before rushing towards a skeleton not yet engaged. 

"F-FUCK YOU!" 

[EloHim]

The Night protectd Talea. Thorns of darkness climbed their way trough the bones, grasping at them, restricting any movement that might've came from them. One was just pushed into a wall, as thorns pushed him, slowly breaking the skeleton apart... The other was stuck in its place,his insides filling with thorns to the brim whilst his hand swung about trying to cut the vines of dark with the dagger.

Leoman...was not a lucky man. He came down here with only a knife, no magiks to support him. And against a fleshless pile of burned bones with a club, his weapon was...not effective, to say the least. His attempt was not without valor but still, he broke one rib at most but got a swing coming at his left side.

Ven... She was mostly left in the back away from the action, so the action came to her. Another burned contraption bearing two daggers in the hands that missed a couple of fingers... It came at her, to stab her, to maim her and gut her...

[Kidney]

With a grunt, the gangly pyromaniac broke a rib off the horrible mangle. With a scream, he hit the rapidly moving arm of it, stopping the club from hitting him altogether. "F-fuck!" He yelled, shoving the skeleton with a good amount of force. Though, in his haste, he did not fully yank free his knife, and while the skeleton's body shifted, it's ribcage remained attached to the knife. With a grand clattering, bones flew around as a human ribcage sat impaled on Leoman's steel blade.

He gagged. 

[Spookery 💉]

Valeria moved quickly, brow furrowing in concentration as she dodged the two slashing blades, and thrust her halberd forward again. The unholy thing had made a fatal mistake by coming so close, and she would make sure it regretted challenging her. Her halberd slipped between its ribs and snapped bone when she turned the blade sideways roughly before yanking it back out. While the skeleton didn’t collapse on the spot, it certainly looked worse for wear. Her heart was pounding in her ears; this was what she lived for.

“I’ll drive you to the pit from whence you came,” she snarled.

[EtherealNoire]

Their song shredded bone and blood to ashes, a cacophony of rage that marked the ruins there with death. As it roared within her words, smashing thorns against the walls, the shattered splinters fell like rain to feed the blackened bones below. None could oppose the voice of darkness. None could halt the claims of Night.  His will ensnared her very essence, etching scarlet appellations in the scars across her neck. And as they whirled as one to face the wretched carcass held within their bonds, crimson tresses parted o'er hollow, opal eyes.
In a dauntless cry, with fingers clenched about his thorns, they rent the final wight asunder.

[EloHim]

As the skeletons got smashed into pieces, the victory seemed to be in the hands of the group. And whatever was there controlling the skeletons, felt that too as the last of them fell apart by itself… The ash and soot flew off the walls and started to swirl around the group like a whirlwind in the making. It encircled them, hiding walls and doors…

There was nothing around them. All black. Everything.

And each of them heard a voice in their mind. Each saying different things.
Voice talking to Talea...was aimed more at the one covering her with his presence.Filled with anger, filled with desire to harm and kill and rend.
"I WILL REMEMBER YOU, HORNED PRETENDER. YOU WILL FIND NO RESPITE ON MY LANDS. NO MATTER WHAT SHELL YOU PUT ON, UNDER WHAT ROCK YOU HIDE - I WILL SQUASH YOU LIKE A PESKY LITTLE BUG YOU ARE."

The pressure on each of their minds was strong as if something was trying to worm its way into their minds...and that something was...A̴̼͊̌ļ̶̈́̎l̷̢͍̓̀ ̵͍̜͘b̶̲͌͜ĺ̷̫͒a̶̮̜̿̚c̵̦̏͆͜k̶̥̓.̴͒̀͜ ̵̺͋̊E̵͍̓v̶̻͊e̶̜̹̿̚r̷̡͐̔y̸͚͗̾t̷̍͜ḩ̸̤̀̈́i̸̬̳͛̑n̴̯͍̍͠g̵̭̐͝.̷̜͍́̑

Leoman, the pyromaniac heard a different song. A promise of the thing most desired.
"SUCH A BRAVE WARRIOR. THIS HORNED BITCH CAUSED THIS. PRAISING HER DEMON OF DARKNESS, SUMMONING THINGS SHE CANNOT CONTROL. KILL HER, STAB HER IN THE BACK LIKE A DARK THING SHE IS...SET HER ABLAZE...AND I WILL GRANT YOU FIRE AND FLAMES ETERNAL TO BURN THE WORLD AWAY WITH ALL ITS HORRORS.”

From the black whirlwind something was looking at them. Thousands of eyes, thousands of heads all following the wind. Soundlessly screaming A̴̡̨̢͙͔̯̙̳̳̺̖͒l̷͚͔̈̔̏͐̕͠ĺ̸͙̄̋̈͆̍͘͝ ̸̢̰̻̖͉̫̞̥̯̪̏̒̀͑̇ḅ̵̡̟̰͑̈́̐͒͛͘l̷͔̮͑͐͘á̸̧̤͖̣̣̩̺̂̂̐̃̅̐͗͜͜ͅč̸̞̗͗̽̑̌͋͠͝k̴̡̪̣͓̳̘̱̫͘͜.̷̫̦͎̖̟͙̓́̐͑̕͘ ̴̯̼̲̣̫̺̩̣̫̈͐̚̚͝ͅE̵̙̘͓̫͇̕ͅv̵̧̲͐̽̽͛̇̕͝͠e̷͚̖̙̘̥̘͋̈́́͗̄͊̍ŗ̵̨̺̹̣̈̿̑͂̅̊̉͌̄͘̕͝y̶̨̭͓͓̫͙̝̳͇͒̈́̉̏͂t̵̛̝̹̤̅̑̽̏̽͌̽̀́͆͝h̸̡̞̼͎̯̆͂̀̿̾̇̄̄̐͝ï̵̯̞̜̣̲̟̠̣̋̂̎͆͛̍n̵̡̪͚͈̳͈̣̫͐̐̋̃̿̓̈̾͋̉͘g̵̢̧͖̘̳̲̘̖̩̩͔̘̊̓̊̆̉̑.̵̳̂͗̈́́͊̓̍

Valeria heard something completely different. Something that through its words challenged everything she believed in. It offered...something mad.
“WEEP. SCREAM. PLEAD YOUR LIGHT TO COME. BUT IT WILL NOT ANSWER. BECAUSE WHAT YOU CALL UPON DOES NOT EXIST. OR MAYBE IT DOES. MAYBE I AM THE LIGHT YOU SEEK, RIGHT HERE, BURIED IN THIS ACCURSED TOMB,FORCED TO SERVE AS A HOUSING FOR THE MONSTERS AND THE DEAD. NO THAT WOULD BE TOO IMPOSSIBLE NOW WOULDN'T IT BE? LET’S CHECK… PRAY…”

[Spookery 💉]

{Saving throw to ignore voice: 1d30, rolled 28 + 5 for 33...........bitch}
Valeria gritted her teeth, firming her grip on the halberd and staring into what eyes she could make out from in the darkness in front of her. Blustery nothings. The Light she served did not live in a shoddy pit in the ground. This was no tomb, nor temple. Just a forgotten room with soot lining the walls. She shifted her weight to stand at the ready, blade aimed at the hazy darkness ahead.

"Do not be afraid," she called out to her colleagues. "We have more strength than the voice of a ghost."

[EtherealNoire]

{Roll to avoid adverse side effects 1d30, rolled 18+5 for final 23}

She felt his laughter pool within her, Night's amusement at its menace. Such paltry threats it seemed to value while twilight claimed her parted lips.

"Thy words are naught but as the ash thou breathes: inutile."

Their voices melded together, a harmony styigan yet keen as a guide star in the cosmos. They feared not its commination. For what fear hath the darkness of mere shadows? Even amidst its storm, her song grew perfervid, pouring forth like a tide against the sand, wielding currents made crimson.
Rimmed in thorns and tongues of fire, she drew beside her comrade: light and darkness joined in battle for the foremost and final time. With one hand pointed towards the waiting eyes she chanted.

"Heed not the being's sordid verses, for in our wake, all shadows flee before our might."

[Kidney]

Laughter. Laughter in this darkened place. Leoman began to cackle, "Oh! Oh fuck me!" He said, eyes straining to comprehend all set before himself. He screamed, again and again, raising a knife to the darkness. "Ah, ah...AHHHHHHHH!" He roared, pulling finally a vial out of his rucksack, smashing the glass across the knife's edge. Teetering on the brink. He pulled then a matchbook from his rucksack, striking one alight on his own gloved forearm, and lighting his blade.

He silenced himself, staring at the fiery edge. Tinted eyes reflecting a cruel image of flame and vigor. Leoman did not hesitate. 

He turned towards Talea.

The blade swung towards the Witch within the darkness, the sickly man screeching high and loud, carelessly meaning to chop at her neck.

[EtherealNoire]

Words had scarcely fallen from Talea's lips when brittle thorns ensnared her, raking through her skin to bind her arms and twist her backwards. For a breath, whilst air rushed past her, flecked with crimson rain, the metal glint of death reflected in her eyes.
And its fury followed.

It tore through her collar, carving lava on her jaw and erupting forth in lapping flames that danced past her neck.

Night's warning cloaked her, shock consumed her, and as she collapsed against the ashen stone, severed locks of scarlet fell in blazes to the ground.

[Spookery 💉]

The sudden light of the flame caught Valeria's eye; she turned to the others in time to see Leoman lunge at Talea, but not in time to keep him from slashing at her--and landing his hit.
"Leoman!" she barked. The paladin rushed to reach out at his legs with her halberd. She wouldn't be able to restrain him quickly enough, but if nothing else, she could bring him to the floor. {Rolled 15 of 1d20 to swipe}