DeepThought Forum

I give her a fractional nod. "Make sure all are alert. Agreed, exit it is."

"Yes, about those 'unknown capabilities'," I mention quietly while we attempt our exit. "I am a servant of the Sovereign Host--unordained, mind you--nevertheless, they have seen fit to bestowing upon me gifts necessary to smite our enemies and heal our allies with divine power. Wait--did anyone else here a swooshing?"

I take a bare second to unloose the knot holding my bow, not that it's terribly useful down here, at the same time saying. "Let's go, quickly and watchfully. NOW." I pick up my pace, alert, all thoughts of sleep swept aside.

I mutter under my breath and move to the front drawing my crossbow as I walk.

"What is it sir? I can't make anything out."

[Arcana check for magic anything: 4 + 14 = 18]

"Sounds like a great idea to me," I mutter.

"Er, Captain sir, in deference to our undead friend, perhaps smiting undead en masse may not be a good idea," I say looking over at the Captain and indicating the pretty ghost.

Mari alone can tell that Valenae isn't being entirely ingenuous here.

As you enter line of sight with the tunnel to the left, those of you with darkvision (Mari and Valenae - anyone else?) can, in the distance, clearly see the source of the ocean noise, or at least a slice of it.  The rest of you, with low-light vision, can catch just the shadows of it, at the very limits of your torchlight.

The carved hall opens into a huge natural unlit cavern, of which a small portion is visible to you through the opening.  Even in just that field of view, you can see dozens - hundreds? - of skeleton warriors.  Almost all of them are in neat, close-packed rows, standing passively - think terracotta soldiers - but a handful mill aimlessly through your field of view, perhaps those who were given vague or conflicting orders, leading to disorganized behavior?  Or perhaps - and this thought gives you a little chill - the ones moving around maintain some tiny echo of self and will, trapped in an otherwise barely functional mind?  The rhythmic wooshing noise comes from the countless undead's slow, small shifting to maintain balance, against the many micro-disturbances - wind, vibrations, the motion of neighbors.  The rows of undead waver slightly in place, in wave, like cilia, as they stand there.

Near where the corridor meets the cavern, there is a table with a tiny handful of undead seated around it, different from the others.  They're awake.  And...playing cards?


Most of the cards players ignore you, but one waves a skeletal hand in a friendly wave.

I clench my jaw and my grip on my weapons both, then carefully nod to the waving skeleton.  It's fine.  They're all bound, it's fine.  All ten fucking thousand of them.

"What do we do Sarge? I've never seen controlled Skeletroops playing cards Ma'am."

"You a gambler Ma'am?" I ask, wondering how a ghost holds cards.

"Ghost seems happy staying here, sir," I murmur to Corporal Valenae, mindful of his weird liking for the unbound undead.  I keep my eyes on the skeletons, both due to their numbers and so as not to be staring suspiciously at the ghost.  "Might be better all around?"

"Ghost seems happy staying here, sir," I murmur to Corporal Valenae, mindful of his weird liking for the unbound undead.  I keep my eyes on the skeletons, both due to their numbers and so as not to be staring suspiciously at the ghost.  "Might be better all around?"

I shoot a warning glance at her. Superiors everywhere.