A Forgotten Crypt. (SOLO)

[Mutant_Lorenor]

(Solo unless people take an interest.)

He checked the location on the map. It depicted an image of the graveyard he was about to enter. Several bodies were already present that Lorenor had dispatched. He was Spider Magi, and death was second nature. The dead were simple guards of the ancient burial site. Lorenor had caught them unprepared. He was more skilled than they were and dispatched the patrolling guard before they could raise an alarm. He hid the bodies amongst the tombstones. The target was requested from his current handler: a powerful spider magi named Wrath Conner. The order was simple: raid one of the ancient Hero's crypts in the royal cemetery of Radasanth. An object was said to lurk in the royal crypt. It was not as heavily guarded as Lorenor assumed it would be.

I have to retrieve the item... Lorenor knew the quest was a training mission. The brass was testing him after he had fallen and lost his power. He had to start all over again from the beginning, just like the other spider magi. He was no different and would get no special treatment. Spider Magi training was harsh and brutal. He looked up from his most recent kill to make certain there were no more guards on patrol that could catch him during the mission. There didn't seem to be any. Lorenor was dreadfully paranoid, and did not want any surprises to show up during the mission. He was on the move again, at best speed. The royal crypt, his target, was likely one of the larger structures on the graveyard.

It was night time, Spider Magi functioned best at night. Under the cloak of shadows provided by the matroness: N'Jal. Lorenor covered a lot of ground of foot. His object was close, and he could see a swirling of tremendous power flowing from one of the buildings. He didn't need to be subtle, he only needed the object intact. There was a simple padded lock present at the gates to the elegant marble crypt. It was a large crypt, and it probably had several layers above and and below ground. He could see the glow from the object with his senses. It was deep in the building, and he would need to find it before he was caught. He used his elegant sword to slash at the chain holding the lock. It easily came apart, and Lorenor swung the gates open. He didn't bother trying to be quiet. He knew he was alone.

I must hurry. Within the building, he saw a big coffin in the center. It had a finely crafted figure etched on the top of the lid. Probably some forgotten Hero or other. Lorenor marvelled at how quickly Radasanth forgot her Heroes. No respect for the fallen. He hated the fact that he was nothing more than a tomb robber, but he didn't care. He would regain what he had lost with all amount of his skill he could muster. The object lurked deep in the crypt. He looked about for a way to go to the underground portion of the crypt, and found one ten minutes later. This is taking too long. Lorenor thought to himself. He kept his weapon at the ready. Just in case there were any surprises during the affairs of the night. Lorenor made his way down a staircase he located.

It lead down into the underground portion of the crypt.

Where terrible things often lurked.

The walls were part of the crypt, and were made of the same marble. His eyes narrowed as he moved deeper into the dark. He smelled death and decay all around him, and felt an empty feeling from the crypt. They do not honor their Heroes. For some strange reason, the thought affected Lorenor more than it should have. It meant an age was lost, and another had begun. He held his weapon aloft. The scent was more potent the lower he climbed down the staircase, and it went on for quite a distance. Something happened when he reached the bottom that he did not count on: he heard voices. He looked with his enhanced senses and saw several living humanoids nearby.

This is going to get messy.

"Are you sure it's tonight?" Asked one of the men before him.

"The scrying tool never lies. It said tonight would be the night it would come." Another responded. There were four men present representing several different races. But the one mentioning the scrying tool was a Human wizard. "I am certain of it. We have to wait until it arrives, and hopefully we can reason with...we are not alone." The wizard suddenly said and turned to look in Lorenor's general direction. "You there." The wizard spoke. "Are you Spider Magi?" He felt silly asking a Spider Magi such a question, but he wanted to be certain.

Lorenor hesitated for a moment. Though he was armed, he saw that the fellows did not draw their weapons. Furthermore, the wizard did something quite unexpected. He took off his glove, walked over towards Lorenor and showed him the N'Jal signet on a ring. It was a ranking member's ring at that. "I am a Spider Magi." Lorenor said without hesitating upon seeing the ring. He was in the midst of allies. "Why are you lot here though?"

"Probably the same reason you are here." The wizard said. "However there is a complication."

"There usually is." Lorenor nodded in agreement. "Tell me about it though, so we can compare notes."

They walked towards where Lorenor had pinpointed the glow earlier. It was a powerful energy source, as his comrades had described there would be. However, Lorenor saw it right away. "A glyph." It would explain why the crypt was so lightly guarded. He saw a glowing energy guarding the vault he needed to get in. There were several power signatures inside of the vault, but only the one item interested him. He turned to look at the wizard. "It is beyond my power to undo." Lorenor admitted. "However, I may have another means to undo it."

"Go on." The wizard responded. "Perhaps, if we pool our resources we may yet take what we are all after."

"I just want one object that is in there. After that you lot are free to take whatever you want." Lorenor said. With Spider Magi, there was no squad structure. No central leadership. They simply worked well together, and meshed well together under the common teachings of N'Jal's precepts.

"Maybe you can tell us what you are after so that we can leave that to you?" The wizard asked.

Lorenor hesitated. "I know it's in there. Which is why I am here." Lorenor continued. "There weren't many of it made. I am after a Key."

"You don't mean the..." The wizard looked shocked.

"Aye The Gates of Sensibility." Lorenor said. "My people want to access it. You are only being told because you will help me accomplish this goal." Lorenor commanded. Assuming his natural leadership role.

The wizard hesitated for a moment. "Very well. I shall leave you to this key." The wizard knew better than to argue against a Spider Magi. "I will help you undo the lock."

"Good." Lorenor said in response. "Have your men watch the passage. We will need a little time to undo this work." Lorenor removed his large backpack and placed it on the ground. The backpack had a slight glow to it, and he knew why. He opened the backpack and removed three books. In truth, they were a fel chaos engine. Lorenor configured the books in a certain spread, and turned to a specific page on each book. They contained rites and incantation for the Spider Magi to utilize. Normally, the glyph would be far too powerful for Lorenor to unlock. But Lorenor knew symbols and their uses. "Lend me your power, Wizard." Lorenor commanded.

"I see nothing on those pages...but I..." He looked at the books for a moment. "By the Thayne, is that the Necronomicon itself? How did you acquire this?"

"I have my methods." Lorenor said in response. "But I need the means to undo this lock." Lorenor began to glow with power as he concentrated on the books. HE could see the fel symbols on the pages. They were not meant for the eyes of the living. The symbols he needed popped off each of the pages he had prepared. Lorenor began to chant in the ancient tongue of the Old Spider Magi. A powerful language, and the wizard immediately handed Lorenor an object.

"Here." It was a small talisman that was used to combine multiple symbols together, as a channelling object. Lorenor knew what they were. He simply had never used one before in his studies. Then the wizard sat down in front of Lorenor and began to channel the power of the talisman. "Focus your symbols on the talisman. It shall amplify their use twofold."

[Mutant_Lorenor]

The talisman was set in front of the books. The three books were spread out in an even fashion, opened to very specific pages. As a chaos engine, the three books held terrible power waiting to be unlocked. Lorenor's hands moved skillfully across the pages as he worked the weave to conjure the symbols. Glowing at that point, the pages came to life before Lorenor's eyes.

"I see nothing." The other wizard commented.

"Your eyes are not meant to see the secrets of the books." Lorenor responded plainly. "Not all are gifted in our ways." Lorenor knew that the words within the books were meant only for fully trained Spider Magi. The floor felt a bit uncomfortable against the high priest, but he would endure. His eyes could see the symbols written on the pages of the books, likely by a priest of N'Jal like he was. His eyes were narrowed as he invoked the power of the fel engine. The glowing light cast shadows around the room that flicker. The torches burst a few moments later with a blue flame that flared outward briefly.

Each of the blue flames were as hungry beasts.

They settled down on the cage of their torches. The wizard concentrated alongside the high priest. He was invoking the power of the talisman in order to assist Lorenor.

Lorenor worked to combine the symbols he needed. Once he had the script configured, he took a blank piece of parchment and transferred the script to the piece of parchment. In essence, he constructed a scroll. Lorenor took the books immediately after that fact, closed them and replaced them in his packs.

Taking the scroll in his hand, Lorenor grinned at the wizard. "I have constructed the necessary script to undo the lock." He tapped the wizard's forehead with the scroll. "I thank you for your help, the hour grows late. We must hurry." Lorenor said. Lorenor thought to take the talisman, but he wasn't given permission to do so previously. So he decided against that. He looked at the glyph ward that prevented entry into the chamber within. It was a fancy round door made of some kind of heavy metal. Likely steel. The glyph was present, etched around the exact middle of the door.

It glowed within a circle, various symbols giving off a light that would prevent the Spider Magi and all others from trespassing. Lorenor chanted the words on the scroll he'd loosely constructed. It wasn't an exact science, but he was certain he'd chosen the correct undoing script. As he chanted the words of N'Jal in the tongue of the spider magi, the glyph ward began to react. It began to physically vibrate under an unwelcome power. Lorenor's symbols manifested around the glyph ward and began to interact. His symbols were, in essence, rewriting the meaning of the glyph. Once the process was complete, the ward shattered into a million pieces of magical debris.

Lorenor looked at the wizard, but was stunned by what he saw next.

"You're skilled, but you're also far too trusting." The wizard began to conjure a spell, and was prepared to aim it at Lorenor. His companions, two of the guards walked towards Lorenor and unsheathed their weapon.

"I wouldn't advise that..." Lorenor said.

"Why, you undid the lock...we can go in there now and take what we wish." The wizard said.

"Actually I had enough time to think that something like this might happen." Lorenor said. "I don't trust outsiders, even those who bare the mark of our Matron." Lorenor grinned. "I wrote the script so that only me and my people can pass through the lock."

"You couldn't have..." The wizard said, lowering his guard for a moment. "You're bluffing."

"Am I...?" Lorenor chuckled. "I have waited a long time to acquire the item I am after. I can wait an eternity longer..." Lorenor gathered himself and prepared to leave. "You sad back stabbers will be long dead by the time I return but my script will still be in effect." Lorenor began to walk away. He heard a shock from where the wizard attempted to pass the lock. Lorenor laughed the entire time he walked. Never trust a Spider Magi... Lorenor thought to himself.

"Stop him!" The wizard yelled.

Lorenor was preparing just for this moment and had already passed the guards. There was too much confusion in play in order for the crypt robbers to react quickly. Lorenor saw to that. Just in case, he had prepared a shadow bolt for his personal use. He would take them out if need be, but he wanted to be certain that they were crazy enough to attack him first. They didn't. Lorenor turned around as the wizard approached him.

"Wait." He said carefully. "We can work out a deal..."

"You don't have anything I want." Lorenor responded.

"I need a certain object in there, I won't interfere with your gathering of what you want." The wizard said.

"You don't get this do you?" Rebellion. Lorenor had always fancied himself an upstart of his people, someone who dared to question their own ways. "This isn't about you and your wants. This is about the will of N'Jal." Lorenor frowned angrily. "I have no desire to help you at this point, you're fucked." Lorenor threatened.

The wizard's eyes went wide for a moment. "You don't understand who we work for..." The wizard attempted to plead.

"You're right. I don't care either." Lorenor shrugged and walked away from the situation. The wizard reacted a moment or two later and launched a powerful spell after Lorenor. It was a fireball. Crackling fire elemental energy swirled through the air, symbols flowing through the fire. The head of the fireball swirled towards Lorenor's back side. Lorenor kept his demeanor calm and reacted at the last possible moment, to give himself a sure hit. He turned in a pivot on his ankles and launched the shadow bolt he had concentrated on the entire time. Once prepared, the shadow bolt was capable of tremendous damage. Though a basic level spell, Lorenor had trained it's power personally.

Darkness manifested around the high priest as he launched the spell forward. It connected with the fireball and there was a tremendous burst of energy. The two spells collided, and for a moment their wording interacted. There was a magnificent explosion of arcane energy, spilling residue everywhere. By the time the burst of light settled, Lorenor was gone. The mission had been a failure because of outside interference. Next time I meet that guy, he won't get so lucky. Lorenor had been successful in one sense, he managed to use the wizard for his own purposes.

The tombstones of the graveyard were made of ancient alabaster marble. He looked around for a moment, hearing shouts from within the crypt. They were angry and confused. Panic. Lorenor thrived on such negative emotions, fear was his weapon. He walked across the cemetery sticking to the trees, and poorly lit areas. It was still night, he would have to return again to complete the mission another night.

Spider Magi functioned different than a normal military structure. Prospective students could attempt missions over and over, across all of eternity until it was done. Lorenor would see the mission through to it's conclusion. He knew that Radasanth would not send people to rework the ward anytime soon. He would see the mission complete sooner or later. He doubted the grave robbers would continue to wait for his return.

In the meantime, he would have to entertain himself through other means. The night was young, and there were other soft targets in the area...

[Mutant_Lorenor]

A month later...

Why am I still doing this? Why have I opted to follow the path of a lowly peon? Once I had achieved everything I ever wanted. Now, there is nothing left. Only emptiness. They expect me to start at the bottom again... Lorenor shook his head. I no longer hear the voice of N'Jal. I am cut from the very thing that make my people what they are...my people...

"B'ah!" Lorenor cursed out loud. He found himself alone on the den. It was little more than an underground crypt loosely set up like a personal living space. There were some books and scrolls everywhere, but not even The Necronomicon interested him any longer. He needed something, what he sought he would not find in the empty societary structure of the spider magi. They had nothing to offer him anymore. "Then why...?!" Lorenor thought to himself, asking nobody in particular. He half expected N'Jal herself to chastise him. However, he had not heard her once familiar voice in months. Ever since he was stripped of his power. At that point, Lorenor travelled with a small group of renegade undead that dared to remain loyal to him. There are others like them, but why should I care? Lorenor found himself lost in the dark.

He needed a new purpose. A purpose that the spider magi's fold could not provide him. Thaynes be damned. I want something that they cannot give me.

One of his cohorts entered the comfortable den and walked towards him.

"Lorenor..." It was a male. One that Lorenor had worked with many times before. "You have been down here for the better part of a week." The undead was a fighter, he stood a little taller than Lorenor and had a surprisingly solid build. The man had short, wild black hair and sinewy facial structure. He had a goatee. He looked at Lorenor with glowing blue eyes. The sounds of his metallic chain armor filled the den, and made an uncomfortably loud noise. "The scouts have reported that the key's sanctuary has been abandoned as of a few days ago. If you're gonna finish getting the second quadratic key, now is the--"

"Stop." Lorenor looked up from his sitting position and looked at the fighter. "Have you ever stopped to wonder what we are all doing here?"

The fighter looked at Lorenor with a sincerely confused expression. "I don't follow..."

"Besides the key. That is a current purpose, but that is not what I refer to." Lorenor looked at the fighter for a long moment. "What I am asking is if you know why we are HERE." It was a bold, philosophical statement. Lorenor sincerely saw his comrades as friends and allies. People he could relate to and trust. After all, like he, they were also exiled. Cut off from the fold. "I am worried that I will let you all down. You guys have followed me so far through it all." Lorenor heard several more sets of footsteps enter the den, the rest of his companions had arrived. All ten of them. Lorenor stood up. "I apologize for making you all wait so long. It was very selfish of me." Lorenor looked away from a moment. "After the many years of following N'Jal, I thought our purpose was to achieve a perfect unity with N'Jal."

"What have you discovered?" The fighter asked of Lorenor.

After all, he was their leader.

"The Thayne do not have the answers we seek." Lorenor stood up and looked at his companions. He had never lead them astray. "They are warring children, lacking a true purpose to give. No. There is no grand design. They are merely just another part of the design, and we have given them undue power." Lorenor folded his arms across his chest. "My brothers. My sisters. Hear me, we are the abandoned children of N'Jal. What does that make us?" Lorenor asked.

"Orphans." The fighter said simply.

Lorenor walked over to the fighter and tapped the man's head. "Precisely m'boy." Lorenor made an elegant gesture. "We hide in these crypts and call them dens. Decorate them as if they were our personal houses and hideouts. Hiding, and for what!? We can conquer ALL of Althanas by ourselves." Lorenor knew what he was saying, where he was coming from. N'Jal wanted revenge and destruction, but did not do anything but manipulate others. "No. I propose for us a new purpose." Lorenor said. He knew what the quadratic keys were, they were divided for a reason, and would need to be reassembled in order to fulfill their purpose.

"What are you asking of us?" The fighter asked.

"We take the keys, combine them together. But we do something bolder..." Lorenor felt excitement in his chest. Almost to the point of euphoria. "We use the key to rid ourselves of our enemy, N'JAL!"

For a moment, the small group of undead paused. There was an audible silence, and Lorenor could hear them breathing. Thinking. The machines of war slowly turning into one fine tuned engine of destruction. It was the fighter who did it first, he grasped the idea much faster than the rest of them.

"My Lord. Are you certain that this is our purpose? To strike against the creator?" The fighter asked.

"I am no longer certain of anything." Lorenor said honestly. "What I am certain of is that the quadratic key will give the power we need to weaken N'Jal enough for one of us to proceed with the killing stroke. N'Jal no longer answers my calling. Therefore, she must be discarded as quickly as we were discarded."

"What must be done?" The fighter asked.

"We must strike at the heart of N'Jal." Lorenor said simply. "When she is weakest, we will activate the quadratic key near her, and send her somewhere that she can never be summoned again. Soon after, the very knowledge of her name will become nothing more than a memory. And we shall triumph." Lorenor said. It was a fool's plan, he knew, but history was full of those who dared to become fools.

"Lorenor. She will be heavily guarded. You know because you were once a part of that coven." The fighter said.

"It won't matter." Lorenor said carefully. "We will get to the well when the time comes." Lorenor sighed. "In the meantime...we must prepared."

And the rebels, bowed before Lorenor.