Antiva - Bringer of Life

Arrival and Confluence

A moment after being told what Lord Aergarnion expected of me, I was blown backwards and appeared in a structure that wasn't any place I recognised. It was fairly large, made of dressed stone, but thankfully there was no roof so I could see the sky above clearly. It did look as though one might have existed once, though, so was this a ruin? There was a raised area to one side with a tall, strong looking woman stood next to an older man that was being dragged away by some pale, pointy-eared figures in armour. I later learned that he had drawn a circle around the woman, "Antinniera", and activated it with his blood to protect her before he was clubbed over the head. He was dragged through what looked like a hole in the world, which then closed behind them leaving no evidence it was ever there.

In the centre of the raised area was a six-pointed gold star with four gems set into the points. Another point was empty, and the final one looked like it had recently held a black stone, but more of the armoured pale figures had surrounded it and now the stone lay in two pieces on the floor. I later learned that their leader had pried the stone free with his sword, but the stone had split and caused an explosion that had thrown him backwards and his friends had taken him through one of the holes in the world to wherever they had come from. Beyond this star was a circle that looked like perfect black glass against the wall, but vertical.

At my own level, on two sides, Saloroc (green burly creatures) were holding back a pack of small, snarling, dog-headed creatures - Kobolds apparently - that seemed eager to get past them. This level was about six feet below the raised area, and connected with stairs at the centre. The stairs were being guarded by four more of the pale-skinned people, who watched warily with weapons ready. Just in front of me was another armoured figure, although he wasn't pale like the others, and the armour looked heavier and was adorned with striking colours of red and yellow. He held an impressively large warhammer, although he did not appear to be immediately expecting a fight. The only side that appeared empty was opposite the raised area, and I could see double doors were closed in the wall at the end.

There were several bodies around where I had appeared, all the dog-like creatures from the looks of it, and behind the rest of their folk were two crude doors, one on each side. I was able to take this in quickly because I had caught my balance and kept my feet, but it was a chaotic mess of sound and confusing sights compared to the calm of Lord Aergarnion's court. Looking back at the raised area, seeking perhaps to find the emissary I was seeking, I saw two worm-like creatures emerge straight out of the stone floor, trying to grab the two parts of the black gemstone. One took a piece in its mouth and disappeared back into the rock, but the other caused a small explosion of light when it tried to take it and withdrew looking slightly charred. The next moment four elemental creatures appeared, one each of Air, Water, Fire, and Earth, arrayed around the star, each near a gem that was still within its proper place.

The garish armoured figure held out his hand as if to help me, but then withdrew it the moment I reached for it, laughed and then took my hand, pulling me fully to my feet. He was slightly shorter than me, and seemed a strange fellow. He introduced himself as "Pieniteh", or "Pi" as he was often called. I, of course, introduced myself as "Aapyaunggaalell Lay", or "AapLay" if he preferred something shorter. He did seem friendly, at least, which was more than the others in the room appeared to be. It had taken a few attempts to find a common language, though, eventually we used the course Common of the human races, although it was not a tongue I had learned to use well.

As we introduced ourselves, the Elemental representatives swatted away the pale-skinned creatures casually and took the gems, one each, and then departed. The Water rolled over the wall nearest them, and the Air (did my father know him?) rose over the same wall. The Earth simply sank into the floor, but the Fire headed towards us. The pale-skinned creatures all departed in the same way the others had, leaving just the four on the lower level, who were just trying to get out of the way of the Fire bearing down on them. I also noticed the Saloroc and Kobolds were shuffling closer to me and Pi, perhaps growing in confidence as people were leaving.

As suddenly as I had arrived, so too did a winged snake, dazzling in colour with blue-green scales growing lighter in hue towards its head, which was almost iridescent green, with orange and yellow wings, darkening towards the flight feathers at the end. They appeared right in front of the female warrior on the raised section, beating their wings to raise their body up. The whole body must have been roughly eight feet long, but some remained curled on the floor.

Antinniera reacted badly, doubling over whilst retching and vomiting in front of the Coatl. Instead of recoiling, though, it uncurled its tail and lifted her up gently until she had recovered slightly. Despite this distraction, I remembered my instructions and took a moment to focus on the air. There was no wind, but the air was strangely in turmoil; there was constant movement, but without direction it never went anywhere and the air could not move freely. I had never seen the like before, and found it uncomfortable.

I noticed that Pi looked confused too, and in fact he didn't seem to know where we were or what was going on. I heard the Coatl, who I would later learn was named "Xlotl", greet the Fire in Elemental Common. This was a tongue I knew well, but the column of Fire rather rudely ignored the greeting and kept moving. I suggested to Pi, in my broken Common, that the Fire seemed to be in a bad mood and that it might be best to avoid him.

I cautiously called out to Xlotl, addressing them as "Lord", hoping that they were the emissary. I informed them that I had sensed the air and found it to be in chaos, and that I should return to Lord Aergarnion. Xlotl seemed to think there was much more to sense than the immediate turmoil, though, and I bowed my head in deference.

Antinniera was still dry heaving, and not able to join the conversation, so I didn't know whether she was following what was going on. Pi, though, had started to speak to the Saloroc, introducing himself again. All he got in return, though, was an instruction to leave at once or he would be the first to die! The last of the pale-skinned creatures departed, again throwing a stone at the floor and stepping through a hole in the world that appeared before it closed after them. That left us in the path of Fire, which had continued straight towards the doors behind us, and the smell of acrid burning became more noticeable as he drew near.

It was then that one of the little dog-faced creatures drew a stubby blade and tried to stab me! Pi was stabbed as well, so at least it wasn't just me. I wondered if I had been impolite, so I tried an apology and introduced myself to the creature. It seemed to just be wild-eyed and drool dripped from its jaws, so I wasn't sure that I was getting through to it.

Pi reacted more violently, turning a bright red colour and swinging his warhammer down onto the one that had stabbed him. There was a sickening crunch, and the thing collapsed into a crumpled mess on the floor. Almost as soon as Pi lifted his warhammer, though, the bits of the body started to come together and reform - what bad air could cause such a thing?!

The Saloroc attacked Pi, his blow clanging loudly against Pi's armour but failing to penetrate the thick metal. A bolt of ice formed in front of Xlotl and streaked into the Saloroc, making him stagger backwards. It was clear that Xlotl wanted us to fight, so I struck at the one that had attacked me, using the air to harden the blow as the way of Kahkohneyinn taught us, and it was knocked unconscious by the force of the air.

I felt the heat as the Fire drew closer still, stepping away as Pi started to smoulder slightly. One of the dog creatures just combusted as it lingered too long, dropping to the floor in agony. I asked Xlotl for his guidance, but I was beginning to suspect that he wasn't the emissary that I was seeking, and he just said that I should defend myself. I struck another of the dog creatures that was attacking me, leaving that unconscious as well, hoping not to kill any if I could avoid it.

Antinniera finally recovered from her sickness and shouted at Xlotl to leave her alone and get out of her circle. I wasn't sure whether she was angry, confused, or both, but she had a stormy temper, so I decided to keep away from her for now. Xlotl gently lowered her to the ground and relaxed his coils to release her, showing no emotion... although I'm not sure how to tell the emotional state of a Coatl.

More immediately of concern, though, was that the body of the doglike creature that had been consumed by fire had melted into the floor, leaving a liquid pool behind. Surely this wasn't supposed to happen? As I stepped around it, Pi was stabbed in the back by the second Saloroc with a longsword! That just wasn't nice. I reached out with my hand and with a flurry managed to focus my mind and give Pi enough energy to recover his feet. He jumped to his feet and cried out: "everybody stop"! For a moment it looked like it might work, but then the Kobolds darted forward again. Instead he started praying to someone called "Lord Admir", but that just disturbed the air even more.

I struck at the Saloroc that had stabbed Pi in the back, the air around my fist blasting into him with some force, but not enough to fell him. Antinniera ran towards us, gripping a long pole with a pointed end and what looked like a axe blade near the top. She was about my height with long, brown hair and piercing green eyes; her skin was tanned, and her shoulders broad and muscular. She wore plain leather armour with a bow across her back and a buckler on one arm. Behind her, Xlotl soared into the combat from the raised platform, using their wings to extend their leap and biting down into a Kobold, picking it up bodily and spitting it back down at the floor. I heard a voice in my mind say: "there is nowhere for their souls to go!", possibly that is why the bodies were changing?

The stone double doors swung open as the Fire reached them, revealing a glimpse of scrubby grassland beyond them. I was still focused on one of the Saloroc, but missed with my next blow and was punished for over-committing with a stab into my side. Pi called out that something was not right - no disagreement there - and then shouted "Boo!" at one of the foe, with no obvious effect. Xlotl bit another, dropping that to the ground as well, as one of the bodies started smouldering before erupting into a cloud of ash and smoke.

I managed to waft the smoke away, dodging backwards, but it seemed to affect some of the Kobolds and Xlotl that were too close to avoid it. I punched the Saloroc attacking Pi again, and this time it was enough to knock him down, clearly out cold. Pi tried another ruse, pointing behind a foe and saying: "what's behind you?" It twitched, but then stabbed him anyway. They didn't seem to be in the mood for entertainment.

Antinniera cut into one with a slow, but powerful, arc of the axe head. Her foe collapsed, blood spurting everywhere, but then the blood started to flow back into the body! I breezed into a gap and struck the other Saloroc, dropping him to the floor unconscious with his companion. Flame erupted from Antinniera's hands, consuming one; as it collapsed, though, ice started to form around it. Was the way the body died important to what happened to it?

Xlotl recovered from the smoke cloud, swooping around to bite another Kobold. When that one dropped it burst into flames! Pi smacked a foe with his warhammer, and the colour drained from its face with the pain. Just then, the one that had frozen exploded and sent shards of ice flying everywhere. Antinniera was caught in the spray, passing out with the pain, so I stepped over to revive her. Xlotl picked her up again when she showed signs of life, but as soon as she was on her feet she ran back towards the raised area.

One of the fallen stood back up, having come back to some semblance of life, and clawed at Pi. The claws scraped off his armour painlessly, though, and Pi muttered some words, holding out his hand and making it flinch backwards. I needed to focus on my own fight, though, as I was struck a glancing blow. There was so much strangeness to witness for Lord Aerganion!

Antinniera was picking things off the floor back where the star was, including the part of the gem left by the worm and the black sword the pale-skinned leader had dropped in the explosion when he gem was split. It seemed to cause her pain even to hold it, so she quickly stowed it within the straps on her back. Xlotl bit another foe, and again the body combusted... speaking of which, the last one that burst into flames had turned into a small elemental Fire creature! Xlotl said to leave that one to him, though, and Pi seemed to have some dominance over his opponent, forcing it back simply with words.

I moved away from those fighting with me, calling on the air itself to defend me. With a thunderous clap the air responded to my movements, flowing down and slamming outwards, knocking the foes back. One was killed, actually for the second time it seemed, and for the first time I saw the air swirling in a clear pattern around it.

Xlotl bit down on the fire creature, ice forming where they connected, and the Fire dissolved into nothing. A second one formed, though, from the other body and Xlotl had to recoil from it. Pi picked up a sword from one of the fallen Saloroc and threw it towards this new threat, somehow managing to spin it perfectly so the blade cut into it, and just like that it was extinguished.

For the first time since the fight started there was calm. I optimistically looked to the air again, hoping that it had improved, but it was still chaotic and lacking focus. The others were introducing themselves, and it was then that I learned all of their names. Xlotl bowed to Pi, which surprised me - apparently he was not human, even though he looked it to us. He hadn't acted much like a human, that was for sure.

Sadly Xlotl was not the emissary, and now I wasn't sure how we were to get back home. I didn't even know where we were! This was supposed to be where all winds started, and life for that matter, but it was in chaos and pretty lifeless. I doubted any wind could find a direction to blow in this air. Antinniera and Pi both served someone called "Lord Admir", although I didn't recognise the name. They were seeking Antiva, the bringer of life. This was apparently a gem, of which Antinniera now had half, but the other half had been carried off by a stone worm.

There were six gems at one point, four were taken by the elementals and one split by the dark elf, but one was missing - Xlotl said that the gem of Death had been taken by Verlon already. Verlon was the Prince of the pale-skinned ones, servant of chaos and death. The order of the gems should have been Air - Life - Water - Earth - Death - Fire in a clockwise direction, but now all were gone.

The stone doors were curious, though, being the only original doors here. They were marked with eight-pointed stars, which made me think what happened to the other two points! I headed back to the centre of the room, where Pi and I had appeared, to investigate. Pi seemed bored already, and went out of the doors to see what was outside. He found scrub that was almost dead, and it was dusty and warm in the sunlight. Antinniera looked behind one of the makeshift doors off to the side, finding a rough living area that the Saloroc and/or Kobolds must have used.

I was right! When I searched the centre of the room, having to get on my hands and knees to do so, I found faint marks where once an eight-pointed star had been embossed. Why had they changed it? Xlotl was near the newer, six-pointed star, which looked much clearer. The old star had been ancient, but this look recent. The new symbology was fairly clear - the elements were marked, and life and death were the same but one was the reverse of the other. Xlotl warned that the black glass circle was trying to draw him in, so the weak-willed should stay away from it.

The Compass and an Eventful Journey

Antinniera and Xlotl were deep in discussion over an artifact, a compass, that could show the way to Antiva. It had belonged to Antinniera’s mentor, but he had never got it to work for him. Pi tried placing it in the centre of the old star pattern and orientating it in different ways to see if there was a reaction. I couldn’t resist, when he placed it to point towards where Air was on the new star, having a little fun and blowing the compass towards the edge of the pattern. I confessed before anyone read too much into it, but it was funny to see them think they had found a way to use it. The truth was that there was no reaction, and Antinniera recalled being told that it would respond to life energy.

Xlotl pushed the compass back into the centre, floating it above the floor, which was impressive. More importantly, Xlotl appeared to find a way to connect with the compass. It was indicating that what we sought was in the direction of one of the corners of the room, but apparently it also indicated that the way we needed to go was through the double doors. I jogged ahead and stepped outside, interested to see if the air was different. There was a wall around a compound outside the temple, although it wasn’t in a great state of repair, but there were also more Saloroc and Kobolds within the compound, as I found out when a crossbow bolt slammed into my chest!

I staggered back inside, slumping against the wall to one side and warned the others. Pi was able to heal the wound, which I was grateful for, and Antinniera stepped back from the doors saying that we seemed to be surrounded. With my wound healed, though, I preferred to move like the wind and not stay still like dead air. I raised a disturbance of air around myself and jogged out, headed to one side where one group of the foes had positioned themselves. Pi tried something different, changing into a perfect imitation of one of the pale-skinned creatures. He stepped out and announced loudly that everyone should just leave and let him handle things in the temple. Neither of our approaches was particularly successful, as we both got hit by crossbow bolts!

I kept moving, and found that I was quickly swarmed by Kobolds, with one blade finding its mark. Pi was swarmed too, and a blade also found its mark despite his armour. Antinniera kept back and loosed an arrow, flooring one of the Saloroc with a powerful strike to its torso. Pi crushed a Kobold with his warhammer, which started to melt into water, and Antinniera leapt over the puddle to join the fray, having dropped her bow. I called on the air to defend me again, throwing three of the foes back and away from me, one starting to dissolve into mud where they fell. Pi smashed another one down but was stabbed again and now looked like he was struggling. One of the creatures I had forced back rose to their feet again, looking very unwell. Nothing wanted to stay dead!

Antinneria slashed with her polearm now that she was in the melee, and two more fell. I took out Calm and Storm to fight my two opponents, successfully distracting them enough to cut the throat of one… but again it seemed like it didn’t want to die! I cut it down again, and this time it stayed dead. Antinniera rushed the last crossbow holder, swinging a powerful blow that cut the Saloroc in half. The body immediately started to freeze, and Antinniera moved away, knowing that the last body to freeze exploded. Pi moved up behind the last foe and smashed it down with his warhammer. It seemed that killing them twice seemed to work whenever they refused to lie down.

I took a moment to check the air, sensing a still area nearby, but then recognised it was Xlotl. He was invisible to most eyes, but whenever he moved, I could see the air move around him. We moved up to the exit of the compound and could see some of the lay of the land around us for the first time. We were on a plateau with a track leading down to lower ground ahead of us. The ground was lower all around the temple area but fell away much more steeply to the sides away from the path. It was clear that we were on an island that was narrow but long, and we could see the far shore on both sides. It looked like the island had been a grassy forest, but all the vegetation now looked nearly dead. The trees were devoid of leaves, and there was no fresh green anywhere in sight. Beyond the water around the island, on the right side we could see hills rising, but on the left was a forested plain and a structure of some kind that punctuated the cliffs. That seemed like the best place to head for… assuming we could find a way to cross the water.

We were all sore and wounded from the fight, and we had no idea what we might yet face, so we decided to rest for the night while we had somewhere that was easy to defend. Pi volunteered to keep watch all night, which seemed strange, but it didn’t seem to bother him. He was kind enough to heal my wounds in the morning as well, so I felt quite refreshed when we eventually set off. We followed the trail, as indicated by the compass; we had discovered that the compass sometimes responded to any one of us, but not always, and it was Pi that carried it that morning. As we had noted the day before, the vegetation was dying all around us, but it looked like it had happened quite recently because the leaves had grown before withering and were still attached to the trees and shrubs. It didn’t look natural, that was for sure. I was glad to see an eagle circling high overhead, but there were no other signs or sounds of life as we moved through the forest, or what was left of it. We began to pick up a few signs as we got closer to the water level, although it was still predominantly dead.

The trees started to thin even more as we approached the shoreline, and we could see two crude-looking longboats hauled up on the beach up ahead. They were still some way off, so Xlotl went on ahead (he was still invisible) as we walked more steadily towards them. When he was much closer, he whistled to get someone’s attention, and a Saloroc popped their head up from one of the vessels. He noticed us approaching, although we were still half a mile or so away, and he shouted an alarm. Antinneria sprinted forward for some reason; had she misjudged the distance? I used the air to move quickly and keep pace until she slowed, with Pi not far behind. I suggested that perhaps we shouldn’t look too aggressive as we approached, as we wanted to avoid a fight if we could. She did not heed my words, though, and sprinted off again, this time with Pi matching her pace. I think they were just racing each other at this point and seemed to have forgotten about the boats!

Meanwhile, Xlotl spoke to the alerted Saloroc to try and calm them, but they wouldn’t trust someone they could not see, and just demanded that whoever was talking should show themselves. They were preparing a firing line of archers as we approached, although were in no particular hurry. Xlotl slid into the water, which seemed to be comfortable for him, unnoticed by the Saloroc.

Pi was winning the "race", as Antinniera stopped again to catch her breath. I waited with her and called to Pi, who obligingly slowed down. As soon as she was able, though, Antinniera ran off again. I jogged behind and again asked that people calm down as we didn’t want the sailors to think we were attacking them. Pi said that he needed to run, so I suggested that he tried running sideways to appear less threatening. Only too happy to help, Pi turned sideways and started side-stepping in the same direction. He was certainly a strange one.

When we were within four hundred yards or so, Pi called out that we were friends, although the charging warrior next to him was probably not selling that idea to the Saloroc. As we entered bow range, a brazier "fell over" in the boat, probably helped by Xlotl, and the vessel almost immediately started to catch fire! Pi said a prayer, which he assured us would aid and protect us, whilst half of the Saloroc started to push the other boat out to keep it safe.

Some of the archers had held the line, though, and a warning volley thudded into the ground ahead of Antinniera. About the same time, a cloud of steam erupted from the burning boat as if water had been sprayed onto the fire – which I also put down to Xlotl, perhaps a master of water? The Saloroc shouted for us to stay back, to which I simply replied “OK”. They did seem to be dealing with quite a lot, after all.

Antinniera shouted back: "but we need your boat"! Whilst true, this perhaps did not help to diffuse the tension. I tried asking if we had come at a bad time, but there was no answer. Pi ran forward anyway, despite the warnings, and the only thing that prevented him from being an immediate target was a sudden downpour of rain that just fell on the line of archers out of nowhere. Xlotl was certainly up to something!

Antinniera didn’t wait, though, loosing an arrow at them. It fell short, but they responded by attacking Pi, as he was the closest, and one arrow found its mark. Xlotl suddenly appeared in the moving boat, wings flapping, and air buffeted the Saloroc, knocking one into the water and leaving another clinging to the side. Pi surprised us all by changed his form into a Saloroc, calling out that his spell had worn off and that he was one of them! I suspected it was a ruse, having seen him change before, but I didn’t have long to think about it as two arrows clipped me – the Saloroc had switched targets.

Xlotl jumped off the boat again, getting punched on the way, and I was struck with another arrow. I used the air to run as fast as I could, closing down on the archers so they couldn’t keep firing at range. Pi started running… this time away from Antinniera, who now suspected him of being in league with the enemy!

Xlotl pulled another Saloroc off the boat, and both Pi and Antinniera closed up with me, ready to fight in melee. One of the Saloroc just dropped to his knees in front of Antinniera, clearly intimidated, so she put her foot on his head and pushed it into the sand, getting no resistance. Pi smashed his warhammer into one of the foes fighting me, crushing it with the force of the blow, and its body started dissolving into water.

Xlotl got back into the boat and threw one Saloroc into the side, winding him, whilst coiling around their leader to pin him. Xlotl quickly followed up, tipping one over the side and stunning another. I punched my foe, staggering him, but then a tentacle of water reached out of the puddle that had formed and grabbed my ankle. As soon as it had me, it froze and an icy chill made me shiver involuntarily.

Xlotl battered another Saloroc off the boat, whilst still constricting one. I hit my foe with another punch, knocking him senseless, but I couldn’t pull my leg free of the ice. Another tentacle reached out for my other leg, and I passed out as the chill spread up my body. Pi crushed his foe, twice because it kept twitching and he didn’t want it to come back, then grabbed my shoulders to stop me sinking into the ice.

Antinniera had joined Xlotl in the boat and grabbed a Saloroc that Xlotl had stunned. She couldn’t lift him out of the boat, though, as she slipped on the wet boards. Pi used a prayer to heal me, keeping me alive but not able to revive me. Antinniera found her feet then and hoisted the Saloroc into the water. Xlotl simply slithered over the side and plopped into the water, still gripping the Saloroc leader. It was a while before they resurfaced, with the Saloroc spluttering and gasping for air when they did. Pi could just make out the leader shouting “take the fucking boat” when he could speak again! Xlotl left him splashing in the water.

Pi finally hauled me out and managed to revive me, for which I was very grateful. After a moment, I stepped over and took a look at the boat that was still on the shore. It was charred but intact, but as I looked it over the Saloroc leader hauled himself into the far end out of the water. He looked very unimpressed with the whole situation. I apologised for the misunderstanding, but he made it quite clear that he just wanted us to “fuck off” with the other boat and leave him alone.

Pi, directed by Antinniera, had reached her bags. She had wisely left them before entering the water, and had kept some drafts of an unknown liquid she had found in the temple within her pack. She wondered whether they might help to heal our wounds. Pi passed me a piece of chalk, asking me to choose a hand and keep it behind my back. This was unusual, but I went along with it. He picked the wrong hand, though, and as a result decided not to drink the liquid, passing it to me instead.

I had no idea what it was, so I wasn’t about to drink it, but I asked the Saloroc if I could offer it to him by way of some compensation. He simply said “yes” and drank deeply from it! Antinniera seemed a little upset that I had given it away, but I pointed out that it was not ours in the first place. She didn’t seem happy with my logic, though.

We gathered our things and boarded the boat that the Saloroc had kindly invited us to “fuck off” in. We discussed what was happening to bodies when people were killed for a moment, although we couldn’t really work out why. Antinniera was still unsure whether Pi was friend or foe, so I described how he had saved my life, which made him a friend as far as I was concerned. I also asked why we had to be so violent all of the time – if we had done as the Saloroc had asked and just waited we might have been able to explain our position and ask for their aid.

Pi eventually decided that he wasn’t welcome, or perhaps even safe, around Antinniera and simply disappeared! I bowed my head and a sad, lamenting noise played through the ropes of the boat as I wondered whether we would see him again. Xlotl tried to pick up my mood, saying that I was more than just a messenger now, and perhaps I should try to connect with Lord Aergarnion. The very idea shocked me, but I reached out to sense the air again. It was so chaotic, though, that I couldn’t “see” beyond where we were right then, let alone reach into another Realm!

We rowed slowly around the island, those of us with arms anyway! I was relieved when, after a while, Pi reappeared. Unfortunately for him, he appeared in the water beside the boat and not in it! Just as he did so, Xlotl warned that he had seen a water creature keeping pace with the boat on the other side. Xlotl splashed into the water, taking hold of Pi to keep him from sinking in his heavy armour. At the same time, I tried speaking to the water shape in Common Elemental, hailing it and asking what its intentions were. All I got in return, though, was a little splash and the boat being bumped.

Xlotl spoke to it through the water, but it was clear that the elemental was single-minded in its obsession with the gem that Antinniera was carrying. It just said "Mine!" repeatedly, and the water started to slam into the side of the boat with more force. Pi had managed to grab hold of an oar that Antinniera was offering him, and climbed into the boat, but some of the boards were starting to crack and splinter under the assault from the water creature.

Pi didn't seem phased by his appearance in the water, and apparently had communed with Admir directly! I politely acknowledged that this was good... but we were under attack! He tried concentrating for a moment, but nothing seemed to happen and then another blow from the water smashed a hole into the side of the boat, thakfully above the water line. This was quickly followed by another strike that made it worse, and a splinter of wood drew blood from Antinniera.

Pi healed the wound, saying that "trust has to be earned", although I wasn't sure whether he was trying to earn her trust or asking her to show her worth. Xlotl was still trying to speak to the creature that was attacking, but wasn't even getting a response at this point. Pi picked up a basket that had been left in the bottom of the boat and lobbed it over the side, somehow arcing it perfectly so that it struck the centre of our attacker. It was disrupted for a moment, but quickly reformed.

It ducked under the boat, possibly because Antinniera was on the other side, emerging close to her and lashing out again. This time the water struck her directly, and almost unbalanced her. It seemed to want to knock her into the water, which made sense. Xlotl swam towards it, emerging to try and engage it but missing. Pi fell off the boat! Thankfully it seemed deliberate, as he turned into a shark and quickly swam to assist Xlotl.

Another jet of water caught Antinneria, and this time slammed her against the side of the boat. She caught her head and fell unconscious, luckily staying inside the boat for now. Shark-Pi bit the creature a couple of times, swift in this new form of his, and I knelt by Antinniera and revived her with a burst of energy.

Whether worried about her own safety, or trying to save the hull of the boat, Antinniera decided that she should start climbing the mast! She did well, to be honest, getting about ten feet up using the ropes for grip. Xlotl, though, bit the creature and hurt it badly, manging to wrap coils around and constrain it. It just wanted to take the stone to his Lord, but Xlotl convinced it that the stone was being protected (having a chunk bitten out of you and a snake coiled around you can be very convincing). When Xlotl released it, the creature sank into the water and we never saw it again. Pi returned to a human form, joining us in the boat, and we continued rowing without any additional interruptions.

We soon approached the structure we had seen from the island. The dock appeared run down and abandoned, and we softly crashed into the jetty so that we could scramble out. I tied the boat to the jetty, although it was looking a little worse for wear now, and we searching the structure for anything of use. We did find some more of the potions the Saloroc had used, so we shared them between us. There were also some live insects that Xlotl and I were able to catch and eat, giving a brief sense of normality before we had to move on.

Pi told us that the compass was directing us up a path that led away from the jetty up the slope. We had only gone a couple of hundred yards, though, we we saw what looked like a pile of bodies on the path up ahead. Antinniera ran off the path suddenly, calling out that she had "found it". She had seen one of the worms that had emerged in the temple and grabbed the other half of the stone. It was ready for her, though, and bit into her leg as it rose from the earth. Antinniera passed out from the pain, and the worm dragged part of her leg into the soil.

Pi and I rushed over; he focused on healing her first, but then we both pulled until we were able to rip her leg free. We had to do this a second time, though, as the worm latched on to her again! Antinniera started stabbing at the ground madly, which just led to her being bitten again, even though we were shouting at her to get back on the path. She seemed to have this objectionable habit of refusing to listen to others or do what they suggested! Pi even tried to carry her back, but couldn't get hold of her as she was focused on stabbing into the earth again and again. At one point she did seem to connect with something, but that just encouraged her to keep doing it!

Xlotl had joined us by this point, and used his mind to blast the earth, which I certainly felt, and gave me a headache for a minute or so. A few minutes passed after this without incident, giving us hope that the threat had passed. Antinniera still didn't get back to the path like we had suggested, though! We continued, leaving her for a few moments, and found that there had been a battle up ahead. The pale-skinned tall creatures, Saloroc, and Kobolds had fought, and bodies of all of them were lying dead on and around the path.

Antinniera was finally taking the hint and moving up to join us as I reached this scene. The air itself seemed dead here, so I decided to walk around where the bodies laid... but doing so meant that I was attacked by one of the worms! It was my turn to pass out in pain, although Antinniera was able to pull my leg out. This time it left a hole, though, perhaps because it had already let go and was moving on to another target.

Xlotl attacked the earth with his mind again, then seemed happy with the result. Once he had done this, he made a flask of potion appear from nowhere and it moved towards Pi, who was happy to take it.

I was revived by Pi. Sespite his strange nature, I appreciated his help and attention; it felt as if I could grow to like him and his wild naivety. He helped me back to the path, and this time we were able to walk on for hours without being disturbed. Towards the end of the day we reached an actual forest with green leaves! This sign of life was uplifting, but it did make the path harder to follow.

We made camp for the night, with Pi again keeping watch. He woke us early in the morning, warning that something was moving nearby. I sensed some good air at last, so I went to investigate. Pi woke Antinniera as well, and she tried to climb the tree to reach Xlotl. She ended up falling before she could reach him, though. Pi shouted something loudly, but that didn't wake Xlotl either.

Meanwhile I spotted someone moving through the trees, so I started to greet them but suddenly found a sword was at my throat! A voice whispered that they had come for the sword, and from the look of the hand they were more of the pale-skinned pointy-eared people. I realised they meant the black sword that Antinniera had picked up, so I sent a warning to Xlotl with my mind and called for Antinniera to bring the sword over to me quickly.

I tried to use a burst of air to push him away so that I could escape, but his sword barely waivered and it bit into my neck as I turned and ran. These people meant business! I suggested to Antinniera that this fight wasn't one we could win, so she should consider just giving them the sword. She wasn't keen on the idea, though, which wasn't really a surprise. One appeared right next to her, ordering her to stop as they held their sword out... but then they just dropped dead! Having said that, they then slowly climbed to their feet and stood staring into the air. Maybe they weren't dead, then? It wasn't clear.

Despite this turn of fate, we were hopelessly outmatched. Thankfully Antinniera changed her mind and placed the sword down. One of them picked it up, used it to kill their companion that was just staring into space, then slashed the air with it to open a way to another Realm, and they stepped through quickly to leave us. It was a strange encounter, but I suppose it was inevitable that they would come for the artifact at some point.

We took some time to heal the wounds some of us had sustained, and then set out to follow the compass again. We actually had a day of travel that didn't involve any more fighting, which was nice! We reached a line of hills and the compass led us to turn and follow them but staying witin the forest. When the light began to fade we rested again, and this time managed a good night's sleep.

The Surprisingly Unnecessary Fight

The next day, as we were still traveling through the forest, Xlotl warned of Kobolds up ahead, quite close, and we could hear the sound of yapping and hollering from our right. Most of us took cover, but Antinniera just kept wandering forwards. There was at least one Saloroc with the Kobolds, directing them as usual.

The Saloroc was wary of Antinniera, but seemed happy when he found out that she served Lord Admir. In fact, the whole patrol were going to pass peacefully, but Antinneria had to have the last word. I can't even remember what was said, but she was basically insisting that they were only "allowed" to pass with her permission. The Saloroc was wound up by this, and it was all starting to kick off! I tried rustling some leaves nearby to distract her, which did seem to de-escalate the situation slightly. Xlotl also reported that he had noticed a pale-skinned short humanoid (not the same as the tall ones we had seen before) stroking one of the worms that had taken the gem shard, and that it was on the hillside to our right.

At that moment, though, Antinniera dropped to the ground without a sound! Alarmed, I ran over to see if she needed help. This startled the Saloroc, though, and he ordered me to stay still. I explained that I was just trying to help my companion, but he kept threatening me if I didn't stay still. Frustrated, and not knowing whether Antinniera was in danger, I Ran forward and punched him instead!

This caused the Kobolds to go into a frenzy, rushing to attack. Xlotl sent an ice bolt shooting into one of them, although it didn't seem to do much damage. Pi leapt into air, transforming into an eagle and soaring into flight! I punched one unconscious, and then was surprised to see Antinniera jump up (apparently unhurt), grab the Saloroc and kiss it on the head! She told him to stop fighting, but he tried to headbutt her, apparently not convinced.

There was lots of shouting between us and the Saloroc, but we did at least seem to agree that we should back off as fighting wasn't helping anyone. Unfortunately the Kobolds didn't get the message and one stabbed me, causing me to pass out with blood loss. Xlotl rushed forwards, terrifying all of the foe, and bit deeply into the one that had attacked me, killing it outright.

Pi, as an eagle, soared over the hillside and spotted the pale, short figure and the worm. As he watched they both sank into the ground out of sight. He banked back towards the forest, screeching. Despite what had just happened, both sides on the ground were starting to back away from each other. That was until the eagle dived onto the Saloroc and its talons left one lying on the floor bleeding.

Antinniera managed to force some of the healing liquid down my throat, and I woke up spluttering. I saw the majestic eagle flaring its wings as it turned to climb, so I jumped up and rushed towards it, crying: "Are you the emissary? Are you here to take me away?" As it flew off, I heard it say "I might be"... but then Xlotl stilled my excitement by telling me it was just Pi in a new form.

The moment was well and truely lost when the other Saloroc loosed an arrow that pierced eagle Pi right through his body. He tumbled to the ground, turning back into human form as he fell. The Saloroc was overjoyed, asking if we had seen what a shot that was! To be fair, it was a good shot. Unfortunately, Antinniera lost her patience and ran behind the growling Kobolds, flames suddenly shooting from her hands and engulfing the unsuspecting creatures. One died at once, and one looked a little charred but still standing.

I ran to look at Pi's body; I had never seen a body so broken, with all the bits smashed and caved it, but somehow there was still some sign of life, with blood still spurting from some of the wounds. I tried healing him, which didn't do much, but I did feel some transfer of energy so it might still be possible to save him. I had no idea how much power it would take, though.

I jogged back to the others, explaining that his body was broken but somehow still had some life. Xlotl intimidated the last of the foe, and they wisely chose to leave in a hurry. There was just one left, which had reanimated after being killed. We fought badly, but eventually I was able to cut it down from behind as the others kept it busy.

Alone at last, we all moved to Pi's side, noticing a figure sinking into the earth near him as we approached. Could we try the stone of life, we though? I noticed that the air was particularly chaotic around the stone, and it seemed to have spread to Antinniera as well, and she certainly wasn't happy to part with the stone when Xlotl asked for it. I let Xlotl know my suspicions, and between us we were able to trick her; Xlotl whipped it out of her hands with his mental powers, throwing it at me as he did so. I was able to catch it, but it wouldn't respond to me either and then Xlotl had to force it out of my hands too!

Finally, Xlotl tried to use it himself and had more luck. The stone responded to him, and we saw Pi's body knitting back together before our eyes! After a minute he was whole and awoke with a start.

I was overjoyed to see him live, giving him a hug and excitedly asking about his flight and how it felt. To soar through the air with your own wings must be incredible. The others seemed more interested in how the stone had worked, and the effect it had on some of us. Pi ended up giving Xlotl a turban which he could wear with the stone nestled inside atop his head.

We continued to travel what we reckoned was west, and came across a cart track towards the end of the day. The track crossed our path, running from north to south, and Antinniera got quite excited that it was one she recognised - apparently it linked her temple with a nearby town. We crossed over, as the compass was still directing us west, and found a spot in the forest to rest for the night.

Most of the night passed uneventfully, but in the early morning Pi heard something close by and woke me. I stood with him, listening, but could not heard anything out of the ordinary. I did sense that he air was moving slightly, though - the first hint of a breeze, however faint, was very welcome! With nothing else happening, though, I returned to my feathered mat to rest and left Pi as sentinel as usual.

About half an hour later, Pi's leg was grabbed from within the earth - not by a worm, but by a hand! Pi managed to stomp on it with his other foot, crushing it slightly before it sank into the ground again. He hurriedly moved back to the tree we were resting against, standing on a root to stop any hands from grabbing him again, but nothing returned. He did spend the rest of the night watching nervously, though.

The next day was quite pleasant, and we traveled through the forest whilst deciding to avoid any patrols (which we could hear some way off due to the yapping of Kobolds). It was a relief to pass peacefully, even if our progress was slowed slightly. Towards the end of the day, we reached a body of water with a structure projecting into the water from the shoreline. Antinniera recognised it as an abandoned moathouse that once guarded the waterway here. It seemed the water was flowing slowly from our left to right.

Stone, Air, Death and Pervading Chaos

We took cover in the trees and watched for a while, seeing a Saloroc and Kobolds approach the structure and walk through the doors, which were left ajar. There were some strange flashes of light from within that we could just about see, but had no way of knowing what had caused them. Xlotl volunteered to scout ahead whilst invisible.

Xlotl did see a hole in the wall on the right side of the structure, and entered the water to get closer. He noticed a tentacled beast beneath the drawbridge, but it looked like it was curled up and resting for the time being.

The hole looked like it had a slimy residue on it, so he avoided that and continued around the wall. There was a small way in, which he was able to squeeze through, but it just led to a room with large rats inside with a closed door. He did hear something in the Elemental Air language, which sounded like someone telling someone (or something) else to stop.

When Xlotl returned to the water, he saw a strange translucent creature slide out of the crumbled wall and into the water, moving quickly towards him. He decided to turn the corner to get behind the moathouse rather than confront it, noticing that there was still flashing of light from inside. There was another part of the wall missing, which had been patched up with wood from the inside. After that, he returned to us so that we could consider our options.

The compass was definitely indicating that we should enter, and that the stone was most likely below the ground floor. We came up with a slightly bonkers idea which saw us all separate and try to meet up later. Antinniera started distracting those inside loudly from the door so that Pi and I could scale one of the walls.

I jumped over the channel of water between the moathouse and the land, using the air to lift me so that I was sure of making it across. I was able to scale the rough wall easily, and from the top I could see that most of th structure was covered with some roofing, although some was definitely better than others, and any second storey had long since crumbled. There was a courtyard near the door with some Kobolds and a Saloroc within it, and I could hear one shouting at Antinniera to go away.

I looped a rope around one of the crennelations and tried to throw it down and across to Pi. He caught it on the second attempt, and he swang across with a bit of a splash and used the rope to climb up beside me.

While we were doing this, Xlotl smashed the wooden barricade blocking the hole he had found, watching as it collapsed impressively and loudly. A Saloroc looked out of the gap, searching for a threat, and Xlotl could see that he looked like he'd been in a fight recently, and hadn't done particularly well!

The front door was eventually closed on Antinniera, who had been quite annoying and persistent. She walked off into the forest, but then doubled back and started swimming to where Xlotl was, leaving her pack behind so it wouldn't get soaked.

I was moving along the walls with Pi, aiming to reach the back somewhere near Xlotl. A yapping rose from the yard, though, where one of the Kobolds had noticed us. Worryingly, though, a Saloroc just shouted "Good luck!" and chuckled. What were we getting ourselves into?!

Xlotl had got into the room with several of the Saloroc looking particularly beaten up and singed. He was trying to open a door that the Saloroc had barred, but any attempt to do so was being noticed and causing some consternation. We found that the walls were in a better state near the rear of the building, so we were moving quickly towards the corner where we knew Xlotl had entered, and Antinniera had nearly reached the breach herself.

Pi checked the compass, saying that what we sought was straight down from where we were. I nodded, but said that we should try to find the others first if we could. Antinniera was making an entrance, surprising the Saloroc. They seemed more impressed that she had dared swim in the water than threatened by her, though. Although initially wary, once they found out that she wanted to go through the door they were quite keen on the idea, noting with some sarcasm that they "wouldn't want to underestimate" her ability to deal with what was on the other side!

They spoke of something that had appeared out of the air, and they seemed genuinely terrified of it. I had managed to reach Xlotl's mind and told him where we were. Once he had explained that they were about to enter, we set about breaking through the roof beside us. By alternating Pi's warhammer blow with my own punch of Air, it didn't take us long to make a hole.

I stuck my head through, seeing a massive air elemental made of storms, with lightning bolts occasionally arcing off it. One bolt struck the wall near me, and another blew the door off, thumping Antinniera as it flew backwards! I could see the Air Emmissary, though, and he was holding the stone of Air. I called out to him, offering aid, and he responded: "You must stop them, the chaos here is too much and I cannot control him for long. You must stop them; kill them if you must." The air elemental exploded through the ceiling after that, with the Emmissary following, rising high into the air.

We dropped down into the room which was full of scorch marks from all the lightning strikes, and the others entered the same room through the door. Pi said that the compass was leading us towards an exit in the corner by the outer wall, and we found some stairs leading down after a short corridor, with light in the room they entered.

Pi led the way, emerging into a room with four Saloroc that challenged him and drew weapons. He tried to say that we were friends, but they ignored him and just said "you don't belong here". He apparently didn't like their manners, because he started a fight, so I rushed down and tried to help. I did land a punch, but it was fairly ineffectual; thankfully Antinniera was just behind me, and we formed a semi-circle around the base of the stairs to stop them surrounding any one of us.

Antinniera was inexplicably waving her buckler around rather than striking with her weapon, though, and was then stabbed and fell. Pi crushed one his warhammer, the body turning to dust as it crumpled. I fought with Storm and Calm, and each managed to hit in turn, blood spurting from my foe's neck, until that too turned to dust. I joined Pi in combat, drawing blood and distracting a foe that Pi then smashed with his hammer. Once again the body tured to dust, quickly followed by the last one as Pi crushed him as well. We helped Antinniera, and her near death experience had refocused her mind... onto the pack of belongings she had left behind in the forest!

Xlotl said that he would return and retrieve it, as he could pass unnoticed, but that meant we had to wait here. There was a corridor with what seemed at first glance to be prison cells leading off from the room we had entered, and a door nearby that was locked or barred. There were strange arrow-slit like depressions in one wall facing the stairs, but with stone within where we would have expected openings.

Pi had turned a funny red colour as he had been fighting, and it took him a while to calm down after the fight, so I kepy my distance. After a while, when we had all relaxed a little bit, two Saloroc came barging out of the door, and the slits that had looked like stone opened as the covers dropped down to reveal more Saloroc with crossbows.

Again, we tried talking first, but they insisted on calling me an "abomination" and demanded that I leave before rest could pass. Pi wasn't having it, so a fight broke out again, and Antinniera comically tried to convince them that we came in peace before thrusting her halberd into one! Pi and Antinniera slaughtered the two that had entered the room, but a bolt from the side caught my shoulder. I pressed forward to get out of the killing zone, blowing the dust of the bodies down the corridor to give me space to step into. Unfortunately, Pi looked down in interest as the dust was disturbed, and ended up getting a faceful of it!

We stayed in the corner, out of sight of the arrow slits, but unwilling to go farther without Xlotl. When he eventually returned, assuring Antinniera that he had her equipment, Pi charged at the door and sent it flying off its hinges into the room. We rushed in, Pi smashing down one foe as I slashed another. They unloaded their crossbows at point-blank range, and Storm whipped across my face to deflect the bolt. I was sure it moved of its own volition, as I hadn't even seen it coming! Antinniera stabbed one, which crumbled to dust (it was clear that Earth was strong here), and then whacked the last defender with her buckler, knocking him out.

There was a door on the right wall, and I wondered aloud whether any of us might know anything about traps. The way was likely to be contested, after all. Pi said that he would take a look and stepped up to the door. After a minute of examining the door and its surrounds he slammed his foot into it, kicking it with such force that the door flew open and the handle clattered to the floor at his feet where the mechanism had broken off. I was expecting something more subtle, but it did seem to have worked.

There was a square, stone room beyond the door, about forty feet across and twenty high. There were five stone pillars within that made a regular pattern (like the face of a die), and they were carved with depictions of the worms we had encountered, although larger, two on each pillar snaking up and around. Most of the carving looked very old, but the central pillar was much better defined, the two worms looking almost lifelike such was the detail. The room was lit with oil lanterns around the walls.

I was cautious, and especially wary of the worms in a place of Earth, but Pi strode forward to investigate, asking me to cover his back. There was no reaction to his approach, thankfully, and I started to edge around the wall to the right, staring at the central pillar in case there was any movement. There was a door in the corner that I was headed towards, and I would be glad to leave.

That wasn't to be, though, as Antinniera rushed forward and poked one of the worms with her halberd! Both worms immediately snaked into the pillar, disappearing from view. I panicked and grabbed the door handle, lifting my feet off the floor and hanging from the iron ring. Antinniera kept striking the pillar, but (rather predictably) the worms appeared under me and Xlotl! I'm sure they could sense the Air in our natures, and now assumed we were foes.

Xlotl moved rapidly away, which I sensed as the air moved, and I tumbled backwards to land just the other side of the worm, its jaws snapping in the air where I had been a moment before. Pi had rushed to help, and struck it a solid blow with his warhammer. Antinniera joined us as well, hacking at it and cutting a chunk of stone away from it. I smashed my fist into it, compressing the air and smashing it into pieces.

The other worm had followed Xlotl, emerging under him and grabbing his tail, pulling it into the stone. We couldn't see him, of course, but Antinniera had a connection that meant she realised the danger, trying to get hold of Xlotl to pull him free, but failing to get a grip on his scaly body. On the second attempt she got hold, but was in a stalemate where she could keep him from being pulled down but not free him.

I had followed Antinniera, and asked what was happening just as Xlotl shouted that the worm had him and was pulling him down. I used the air to fill his wings, shouting at him to fly! It worked - the power of the Air was enough for him to tear free and lifted him up from the floor before floating back down. As soon as he was back on the floor he made off through the door as fast as he could go, drinking a potion to heal some of his wounds.

With Xlotl gone, the worm turned its attention to me. It snapped at my legs, and I only just avoided it. I tried punching down, but it was gone before I could connect. Antinniera managed to strike it with a spearing action, appearing to do some damage. It snapped at me again as I twisted around, not knowing where it would come from next, and I shouted that it would come for me because it hated the Air!

Antinniera suddenly calmed down, and started to talk to it in Common - she had changed her tune! Pi smashed it with a warhammer, which seemed much more effective. I felt shamed, though; I had let my fear of the stone worms get the better of me. I took a moment to centre myself and then spoke in Elemental Common, saying that just because we are Air and Earth we did not need to fight. I was surprised to get a response, reverberating from the floor itself - it said that they had been attacked first, which was true.

What followed was an interesting conversation. It seemed that these ancient worms were not the same as the smaller ones we had seen, and they knew the short pale-skinned things as "Dua'revs", and they were bad. When Antinniera spoke of Antiva, they called it the bringer of chaos and death! Apparently it had brought much death already. I was confused as to how a stone of life could become a bringer of death... but then I remembered the symbols on the six-pointed star in the temple. Life and Death were the same, just orientated differently, so of course Life could become Death - they were the same, just acting in different directions.

It said that the stone was here, all around us - I had certainly sensed it in the Air, so perhaps it affected the stone too. It offered to help take us straight to what we sought, but wanted us to bring its mate (definitely mate, not companion, mate of three centuries in fact) back to life in return. Um... could we do that? Apparently Xlotl might be able to, but would have to use the stone, and such a powerful act could only be performed rarely, so asked if we were sure that we wanted to do it. It didn't help that he had been hurt so badly in the fight.

I thought it was the right thing to do - we had wronged them, after all. Pi was with me too, but Antinniera was less keen, suggesting that it was time to move on. The worm rose again at that, mauling my lef. Yeah, thanks - great idea! No, we either had to help or fight. There was some discussion over whether the worm could be trusted, at which I pointed out that it had no reason to trust us either. Eventually the outline of a hidden door appeared in the far right corner of the room, and the worm spoke again, saying that it had shown faith and now it was our turn. Xlotl seemed convinced by this act, reassured that the worm would keep its word. Antinniera was impatient, and still inclined to violence, but Xlotl had made his mind up. He went over to the remains of the worm, and the stone's power drew the pieces together, restoring them to life, at which point the worm sank into the floor.

Almost immediately, the doorway opened in the corner, the stone just dissolving into the floor, and the worm said that the way was open, as it promised. It also warned that there was a trick that would close the way inside, though, and we should watch our step. We could see that a corridor led to stairs that descended not far from the door, and then the passage veered right. Pi heeded the warning, walking slowly forward with an eye on the floor, and found a tripwire across the passage. He marked the trap with chalk marks so that we could all step over it and continued.

I focused on healing some of my wounds, rectifying my mistakes - I needed to keep my head and remember my training. We all followed Pi, avoiding the fine tripwire and heading down the stairs. The stonework was better on this level, almost polished in appearance. The Air was slightly cooler, but still chaotic in nature. There was a juction up ahead, and Pi said that the compass directed us right. We followed a winding corridor with a brighter light up ahead where it opened into a room.

Mulluth and Madness

The room was medium-sized and rectangular, with an exit on the right and a door in the opposite corner on the left. The wall to our right, around the passageway, was lined with tables and benches. Pots of paint, brushes, rags, and basically lots of art supplies were arrayed across them. To our left were more tables, this time with mundane supplies of food, packs, rope, torches, some crossbows and bolts; basically everything you might need to go on a journey without knowing what obstacles you might face.

There were three dua'revs cowering against the far wall, crouched down and looking terrified. They wore no armour, but did have a hand axe and dagger at their belts. They were all splattered with paint, so it was likely that they were the artists that had been using the supplies in the room. Pi told them that they should put their weapons down and stay where they were, and if they did no harm would come to them. They hurriedly complied, seemingly no threat to us, and Pi said that they had done well and were safe.

The response was that noone was safe here! They said that "he" had gone mad and was killing everyone. I asked who had gone mad, and if they had the stone with them. As I suspected, "Gallack" (the name they gave) had been driven mad by the stone. He was their leader, apparently, and indicated the door in the corner when Pi asked where he had gone. Pi also confirmed that the compass indicated we should head through that door. We noticed that the door had been sealed with spikes driven into the gaps around it from this side to keep it closed.

I was curious, though, about what they had been painting - there was no mural or design in this room that I could see. I asked, and they pointed at the passage leading out of the room, saying that they had been painting murals as Gallack had directed them before he had gone mad, but now he cared for nothing. I cautioned that we should wait until we were all ready before trying to venture further, and Xlotol went down the passage to see what they had been working on.

This is a summary of the, masterfully painted, murals found in the second room. The directions show the order, but may not align with actual compass points. "South" was on the left as we entered. South: depicted a number of short, stout humanoids that were similar to the dua'rev but with more colour to their skin. They had the posture of a people defeated, and all bore injuries and damage to their armour. They huddled together, and some were stepping through a wall of earth near a six-pointed golden star formed by two overlapping triangles. There were burning braziers on the point nearest the earth wall and the point farthest away, but we couldn't see any symbology at the points. Those farthest from the earth were the most hunched over, and those nearest had expressions of rapt wonder and seemed healthier. In the background, beyond all of the short figures, was a doorway with humans in banded armour, perhaps those that had defeated the others? West: the same short, stout creatures were depicted, but paler in skin tone (not as pale as the dua'rev we had encountered, though). They seemed happy and healthy, and all were exploring deep mines and great caves dripping with precious metals and gems. North: a massive underground city, home to tens of thousands, remarkably engineered and glowing with lights was depicted, constructed around an open, central cavern with a huge stocky humanoid being made of pure clear diamond, the light glinting off it. All the smaller beings shown were facing it with rapt wonder, and all had pale skin like the dua'rev. This was Mulluth, Lord of Earth, we learned from the artists. East: Mulluth was on the left, directly the Dua'rev towards the passage entrance. Above the entrance was a large cylinder of pure black stone with lines of energy depicted flowing down to and around the entrance. To the right of the entrance, the Dua'rev were stepping out of the opening and walking towards the south wall. Were they returning to where they had come from? "Dua'rev" meant "Lost Ones" in the high tongue of the Gods, but who had they been lost by?

When I returned to the other room, Pi was lubing the spikes around the door with oil, using a quill to apply it, hoping to make them easier to remove. I crossed over to the tables near the door, and so I was able to respond when Antinniera asked whether we had any tools to remove the spikes with - yes, there were plenty here! Pi took one hammer, and Antinniera another, and they started to remove the spikes one-by-one.

As they worked, Xlotl and I mused about what we had seen. Why had Mulluth sent his followers here, to travel back to where they had come from? Was this a way to reach the source of all, and if so, did Mulluth seek to exploit it? The Dua-rev spoke of a "pit of death" that lay behind the door - it made sense that there was a gate to another Realm, but why death?

The tall pale-skinned ones had reacted badly to chaos and life (the stone Xlotl carried), but seemed ok with law and death. Life and death were the same, but orientated differently in the star, so it made sense that when split the stone of life became half life and half death, perhaps providing balance in the absence of the original stone of death. Perhaps the pale-skins sought control (law), but chaos rejected them.

Refresh some supplies... Antinniera seemed to load up with all sorts. Refresh my fire stick. Last spike falls and Pi eases door open. Well-lit corridor beyond with a side branch to left and an opening on right just before stairs leading down. A stench of death, and an all-pervading sense of death that chills us, sending shiver through body. Pi started retching, sending me shuffling backwards. I instinctively blow air back, taking some of the stench away, but the sense of life-sucking deathly chill remained. After he finishes retching, Pi tied underpants around his mouth before moving forward!

I follow, waving Calm to try and move the air. Corridor to left ends in dead end but something carved there. Pi and Antinniera had run forwards - compass almost pulling towards stairs. I urged caution, and moved slightly down the dead end to see what was there. Take a lantern and see an 8-pointed star inlaid on stone, dominating the wall, but only two symbols portrayed - Earth at bottom and Life next to it clockwise. Shout at others but no response - think it might be a mechanism for a gate. Looks old but not worn.

Walk around the corner, talking about what I'd found only to see Antinniera curled up on the floor sobbing. Xlotl chanted a prayer to Lord Aergarnion, asking that he make "our daughter" feel safe within his wings. She felt a warm, enveloping breeze and a soft feathery blanket over her, although it wasn't enough for her to move. She started talking, though, saying that we were all going to die, we couldn't go down there, we must find another way, this wasn't going to work. Great for morale. Pi went white as a sheet, looking rigid, saying that there was no way in Admir's realm he could go down those stairs, it's over!

I send an image of what I had found, and what I thought about it, to Xlotl as I moved up to the others. Stop short as I suddenly sense Xlotl moving in front of me, but then hear his prayer to Aergarnion, which was a real blessing. Sense the air change as well, and Pi was suddenly invigorated, apologised for having a moment, and then jogged down the stairs. Antinniera moved back, babbling about how it was too dangerous and we were going to die. I say how it must be the stone, which has taken on an aspect of death, but we must face it if we must have the stone. Xlotl moved to her side and again called on the blessings of Aerganion, this time seeming to help her shake of the feeling of dread.

Pi had reached a turn to the right just after the stairs, and just around the corner it opened into a room with a circular opening in the floor about twelve feet across. Suspended within this was a ten-foot diameter wooden platform, and leant against the far wall was a ten-foot diameter circle of stone with an eight pointed star embossed onto it. This had symbols on every point, including two that we hadn't seen before: a black circle, and a black circle with rays coming off it (like a stylised sun), set in opposition to each other. He heard voices coming from within the pit, possibly raised in argument or agitation.

I complimented Xlotl in his connection with Aergarnion, but he reminded me that the power he usually felt was not the same, and it did not seem to come straight from Lord Aergarnion as it would normally, even though he was still able to use the power. Antinniera had charged off to join Pi now that the dread no longer had hold of her, so I followed on more carefully with Xlotl close by.

Once we were all in the new room, we took a moment to reflect on the different symbology, although nobody could say what it meant. The symbols were also in a different order to the six-pointed star we had seen before, although the opposites all matched as before. We were determined to continue, despite the sense of impending doom that seemed to permeate the place. Pi peered down the pit, seeing a drop of about fifteen feet, narrowing slightly as it went down. Lower than that, although it wasn't clear how far from this angle, was a black floor of some kind. About ten feet below our level there was water tumbling from an underground stream within an opening in the side of the shaft, and it looked like there was a dry opening on the opposite side. There were definitely voices from below, although he couldn't see anyone from where he was looking. I noted that the air felt wrong, like it wanted to escape from the pit but was unable to move.

Pi jumped onto the wooden platform, wanting to be let down at once, but Xlotl cautioned that not all the dua'rev might be mad so some of them might need our help. Antinniera jumped on next, and released the pulley lock! They both started to fall, but Pi managed to grab the loose rope and slow their descent, burning his hands slightly. They stopped about ten feet down, roughly in line with the water, although it still fell just below the platform. He looked up and shouted that we should follow - "jump on quick"!

I suggested that we might seek to understand as much as we could before leaping into danger, but then leapt down to join them on the platform in case I was accused of being against them. Xlotl called out that there was some dweomer about the stone in the room above, and that was enough for Pi to haul us back up to have a closer look. He did grumble as he did this, though, reminding us that the compass was telling us to go down the pit.

Xlotl, who had taken a closer look at the stone, suggested that it might have been a seal of some kind lower down the pit, which would have allowed it to fill with water from the stream. The residual dweomer might have been because the seal had been broken by the dua'rev when they opened the pit. Pi, seeing that there was nothing we could use to aid us, became impatient and started lowering the platform (more slowly this time), at which point Xlotl said "very well, children" and joined us. I sympathised; Pi and Antinniera seemed to have no discipline at all!

Pi lowered us back down to the level of water, and we could see that the stone looked like it had been shaped to create a wider opening. The opening on the other side was much rougher, perhaps new or created in a hurry. The water was flowing from the side we had entered the chamber above from, with the dry passage on the other side. It was certainly narrow enough here that the stone plug above would fit and allow the water to fill the pit, as Xlotl had deduced.

I stepped off the platform and into the dry passage, bending and crouching because it was only about five feet high. It was obvious from inside that the worked tunnel was very rough, and didn't extend that far, which wasn't like the dua'rev. The others raised the platform slightly so that I could peer down below it. The black floor was actually the top of a black column with an open chasm surrounding it. The water fell onto one side of this column and then cascaded back over the edge. There were two Dua'rev stood on the column, and they were looking up at the platform and saw my head. They shouted up that they wanted help, and were willing to pay for it. Their lord had gone mad, and they needed to escape.

The others were wary of a trap, but the two below seemed genuinely shocked that there were only three left alive (that we had found anyway) in the halls above. They wanted the platform lowering, but Xlotl wasn't willing to take the risk. Instead he passed a rope to me (which appeared in the air and snaked its way towards me as if it were alive... slightly disconcerting), which I then fed down to the dua'rev. I pointed out that it was unlikely I was going to be able to lift them, especially in my awkward position, so Pi took up the weight as one of them climbed on. Pi hauled him up, hand-over-hand, until I was able to grab his leather armour and arm to pull him into the passage with me.

As the rope was lowered again, I spoke the first fellow. He confirmed that "Gallack" (their lord) was driven mad by the stone, which he called "Morsantiva"... well, it was what the stone called itself apparently. He said that they needed to flee, and reiterated that they would pay for safe passage. I asked about the column, and he said that it was what they had hoped to bring their people through from Mulluth's realm to populate this place, but that now Gallack sought to open a path to a dark place instead.

The second of them was better armoured, and carried a large warhammer with what looked like dried blood on parts of it. As we helped them onto the wooden platform above, the second one crouched and spoke of Antiva - he feared that it would bring madness, and insisted that the stone must stay if they were to leave. He tried insisting that we all stay and that they would lower the platform back down after they had escaped, but we weren't so naive as to agree to that! We said that the stone would stay, but that at least one of us would go with them.

I backed up to make some space, and Xlotl started to move into the passage with us. As he squeezed past the dua'rev, though, one of them lunged with his warhammer, saying that Antiva was there! I didn't think he had connected, so I calmly said that if they would just let Antiva stay here then they could be gone and free of the madness. Pi was... less calm; he swept his warhammer down and took the legs from under the dua'rev with a crunch (that sounded painful), sending the one with a warhammer crashing to the floor with a loud thump. Xlotl spoke from nowhere, saying that he was an acolyte of Lord Aergarnion and that he had the stone under complete control and would let them live. This sent the other dua'rev scrabbling to get onto the platform, seemingly with a bit of a shove from behind. I helped the priest of Mulluth (or that's what I assumed he was) to his feet, whispering as I bent over him: "these people are crazy and dangerous - just get out of here"!

He was pulled up onto the platform, and Pi healed his wounds whilst "encouraging" him to leave as quickly as possible. The first dua'rev started pulling on the rope to lift them up as soon as they were both safe, taking Pi and Antinniera with them. When they reached the top, they hurried off, but not before offering payment. One thrust a satchel at Antinniera, saying "payment as promised", and the other offered his warhammer to Pi, saying that he needed it more than him! Pi was gracious enough to swap his warhammer so that he wasn't unarmed, and even offered some food so that they might have their strength. They did not refuse, but said: "go with the Gods, for you go to your death"!

Pi lowered the platform back down, allowing us to climb back on. I was glad to stretch properly again, even if the air wasn't quite right in the shaft. Pi continued to lower us, and our legs got a bit wet as the platform temporarily plugged the shaft. The water was really cold, and Xlotl noted that it was of the stone, but we passed through without any greater harm than cold legs. The water washed off as we went below the lip of the shaft, cascading below. As we neared the black surface, we could see that it was definitely glassy, not stone as we had first thought, and looked smoothly polished. Some rubble and dust had fallen onto the top, perhaps from the excavation above, and it was wider that the shaft above it. There was another wooden platform off to one side, presumably designed to lower people down beside the glassy column to whatever lay below.

Mors Antiva

We took a moment to examine the compass as we descended. There were eight points in total set into a circle, four extending outside it and four within it. Four blue stones were set onto the cardinal points, but within the circle, and slight scratches suggested that they could be changed for other stones. The structure looked as if it could be attached to another object, although we didn't know what.

I sensed the air around the falling water was fairly normal, but it soon returned to a chaotic state away from the water. As we drew close to the column below, it seemed that the air was aligning and angling down the length of it, but then in towards the base. Pulsing veins of light could be seen within the column (all colours of the rainbow) with no obvious pattern, and they were growing in intensity. Perhaps we needed to hurry?

Pi threw a grappling hook over to the other platform, easily catching in the ropes and allowing him to pull it over so that we could climb on. We carefully let the rope out to return to the side of the column, and I started lowering the platform as quickly as I dared whilst Pi re-stowed his rope. It was misty below us due to the water that was cascading down, although there was some light from within the mist. The temperature was dropping quickly, though, as if energy was being sucked out of the air (and possibly us), with the sense of dread still pervasive. We could see that the lights within the column were getting more intense, as was the light at the bottom, which certainly suggested urgency was important.

Pi checked the compass again on the way down, and this time the information was slightly conflicting. He sense that what he sought was both down at the bottom and up and away, and also nearby. Likewise, the way he needed to go was both down to the bottom of the column and back up to the platform above! This seemed like a combination of "get me out of here" as well as "find the stone", so perhaps Pi was influencing how the compass reacted?

Decide to go down, despite the numbing chill. Enveloped in the mist and get another, more intense feeling of dread, but feels like we might never leave here alive! Glass column tapers inwards looking like an impossible point when we lose sight of it, only five feet across. Obelisk below it pulsating brightly, with eight sides, about eight feet in width, fifteen feet tall, narrowing to point at the top - whole column suspended on the point of this obelisk!

Within the mist is a heavily armoured Dua'rev, half of a black diamond in one hand, glowing with the rainbow and being held against the surface of the obelisk, spreading out within from that contact point. Large axe in other hand. Ground is weird mixture of earth and stone, hard to tell what it actually is. Xlotl says that the stone has complete control of Gallack. Pi dropped a bolt and it clanged as if landing on a stone surface. Antinniera also tries with Halberd, and feels/sounds like striking stone.

Pulse of light from stone flashes past us, and four figures illuminated and animated by it - like dead dua'rev pulling themselves off the floor. Manage to strike with blowgun. Dead dua'rev close in around us... more appearing out of the mist as well! Antinniera rushed forward, but after two steps disappeared! I slash with both fans, cutting one of the dead to ribbons and clearing the way... but having seen what happened to Antinniera I check myself, not ready to go forward just yet. One blow was coming towards me, but at the last moment deflected by an invisible force. Thank you invisible benefactor! Pi stepped off onto the floor, but seemed to be staying with us, for now at least.

Antinniera within an earthy place, so strikes up a light.

I call out that I dare not step on the floor, what happened to Antinniera?! Pi says "I'll just extract some information from them" and then turns to melee. I am fighting, but failing to have the impact I did on the last foe. Pi smacked one, doing serious damage but not felling him. Antinniera suddenly appeared with a torch in hand right in front of one Dua'rev near Gallack. Tries punching him, but clangs on armour.

Another pulse of light from stone, but aimed at Antinniera this time, draining energy from her. Light from stone is now bright light and obelisk humming with energy, floor significantly more earth than stone. Antinniera disappeared again! Still failing to fight my way through. Suddenly a torso appeared between me an Pi - strange human with feathered headdress. Who the fuck is that?! One dua'rev drops to the ground, lifeless again. I'm cut down with two axe blows. Pi kills one of his foes.

Antinniera reappeared again and grabbed Gallack's arm, pulling him backwards. He stumbled backwards, ending up sitting with Antinniera holding his arm, still grabbing the stone. Antinniera feels an invisible force trying to rip her heart out, but despite the chill manages to resist it and stay alive! Strange human looming over me as I come round, some of my wounds knitting. Guardian air spirit!

I jump to my feet, lashing out with an elemental strike at nearest foe. The air punched into him and he crumpled and fell. I called out "thank you, Guardian of the Air, I am back"! Antinniera disappeared again! Not helping with Gallack! He got to feet, unseeing, and placed stone to obelisk again. Air Guardian ran forward and grabbed his arm, trying to pull it off. Works - stumbles again and sprawls down on the floor, with him holding the arm. Suddenly skin breaks out in sores and looks really unwell. Uses stone to heal himself, the sores disappearing.

I fall again, struck by another axe, and Antinniera appears right in front of the same dua'rev as it goes after the Air Guardian. Shocked by Air Guardian, so says "holy fuck, who are you?!". Thankfully axe swing is harmless as it wasn't aimed at her. Pi lands a powerful blow, but somehow still standing. "It is I, Xlotl! Help me get this fucking gem off him!" Holds Gallack with foot, although he wriggles free. Antinniera grabs Xlotl's hand by mistake. Some chemistry there, perhaps?

Pi finally finishes off his foe, and thankfully came to my assistance. I awoke with a start, disorientated again, but thank Pi. Antinniera disappeared again. I gather my fans and blowpipe, looking round to see what is going on. Dua'rev now clear to attack Xlotl, striking true. Antinniera appeared and fumbled around Gallack. I called out not to touch the stone, it's cursed! Strike dua'rev with the air, and Pi followed up with a powerful blow that felled him.

Pi charges in and swings Warhammer as Xlotl kicked Gallack back to the floor. I shouted that we should just carry him to the platform and get him out of here. I grabbed a leg, but Pi smashed his Warhammer into him! Xlotl shouted that we should stop hurting him! Antinniera tried to jab at the stone, but didn't connect. Xlotl started to drag him, but asked why as it still had control of him... better for us, not about him! Pi tried to punch hand with stone, but ineffectual. I disappeared into an earthy place! Urgh!

Another pulse of light from stone, both Pi and Xlotl drained of energy and Pi collapsed. Xlotl smashed arm repeatedly into ground and stone rolled free, arm and body going limp and lifeless. I reappear - help Pi and jump on platform - must avoid the floor as it is an earthy place! Pi has a pot, and agree to try to get it into the pot, so blow it in for him. He stuffs fur gloves in to hold it.