Round 28 Transcript

As I peer down into the pit, I hear Varrika's voice crackle over our comms system, her expression grim. "DM, we're getting reports of a massive creature moving through the rubble above us. It's at least 30 feet long and looks like it's made of the same dark stone as the walls. I think it's some kind of giant skeleton, but it's not just one skeleton - it's a pack of them."

I look up to see Serrine's face pale with fear, her eyes fixed on the pit. "We need to get Merrin out of here, now," she says, her voice barely above a whisper. I nod in agreement, my mind racing with the implications of Varrika's words. Suddenly, Jeane's voice crackles over the comms system again, her tone urgent. "I've got movement on my left! It's like... something's trying to flank me! I'm raising my mace, but I need more time!"

The whispers in the darkness grow louder, more urgent, and I can feel the air vibrating with malevolent energy. The blue glow from the runic symbols pulses faster, like a warning signal.

I freeze mid-descent, my fingers digging into the ancient stone as the whispers coil around me like spectral vines. The sound isn't just in my ears—it's in my mind, scratching at the edges of thought itself. I've faced magical threats before, but this... this feels older than anything I've encountered. The voices aren't speaking to me directly, not yet. They're just there, a constant low hum beneath the silence that seems to carry the weight of centuries. I can feel the magic pressing in on all sides now, thick and dark and suffocating. Whatever sealed this place shut didn't just leave guards—it left them. I take a deep breath, trying to calm my racing heart. If I panic here, if I lose focus for even a second, those voices will pull me under like quicksand. I need to move carefully, methodically, like I'm disarming a trap rather than descending into one. The runes on the walls pulse with an eerie blue light that seems to throb in time with my heartbeat. Each step down feels like it takes me deeper into something ancient and alive—a living darkness that's been waiting for company. The temperature drops further as I descend, and the air grows heavy with the smell of decay and something else... something old, oily, and wrong. It reminds me of the scent in the tombs of corrupt priests we found during our first adventures—this is darker though, more absolute. The whispers grow louder now, less like rustling paper and more like chittering teeth. I reach a landing about fifteen feet down and pause to catch my breath, letting my eyes adjust to the deeper darkness. The blue glow from those runic symbols seems to pulse now, like a heartbeat in the dark. I can't see Serrine or Varrika anymore—they're above ground level with Merrin's unconscious body. Below me, the darkness stretches into an abyss where something heavy drags itself across stone. I erect a basic ward spell around myself—it won't stop whatever's coming completely, but it should give me some warning before they get inside. "Serrine?" I call out above. "Talk to us—what do you see up there? Any changes?"

The silence stretches for a moment too long before she responds, her voice strained: "Jeane... I think something's moving down here. In the shadows around you—I can't tell what it is but..."

Of course. Because naturally whatever is guarding this place would wait until I'm trapped in its domain to show itself. But we need to get Merrin out of here—she's unconscious and needs Serrine's healing magic. And I can't let Varrika or Serrine come down without knowing exactly what they're walking into. I finish my descent onto a wider stone platform—what looks like an actual floor rather than just carved-out rock—and immediately begin scanning for threats. The blue glow from the runic markings seems to pulse now, like a heartbeat in the darkness. And beyond the circle of light cast by my descending companions above... The shadows are moving. Not just my eyes playing tricks—actual physical movement in the darkness beyond the platform's edge. I draw my heavy mace with one hand while maintaining the ward spell with the other, positioning myself between whatever is lurking down here and the point where Serrine will bring Merrin to safety. If something wants a fight, it'll have to go through me first. "Okay," I mutter, more to steady my nerves than anything. "Show yourself, you floating ghost bastard."

The shadows coalesce into a shape near one of the corridor intersections—something humanoid but wrong, too many arms and angles that don't belong on any human form. It hisses as it sees me, a sound like air escaping rotten flesh. I swing my mace instinctively, connecting solidly with what passes for its head. There's a sickening crack followed by the sound of shattering ceramic—the thing dissolves into dust and blue sparks that fade quickly in the darkness. One down—or one aspect, more likely. I lean against the wall, breathing hard as I try to process what just happened. That wasn't solid matter—it was magical construct, some kind of animated guardian bound to this place through those runes. And if one can be destroyed... "Maybe they're not all immortal," I mutter to myself, a grim smile tugging at my lips.

The whispers stop abruptly as the dust settles from my mace strike.
A heavy silence falls over the chamber, broken only by the distant sound of Varrika's voice filtering down from above. "Jeane? What was that noise?"
I can hear the strain in her tone, the unspoken question hanging in the air: Are you okay? Is it over?
I take a slow breath, my heart hammering against my ribs as I survey the area around me. The corridor walls seem to close in for a moment, the blue glow from the runes pulsing even more frantically now, casting strange, shifting patterns on the ancient stonework. Whatever this thing was, it wasn't alone.
I can feel it out there, watching me from the shadows. Waiting. The others need to know what happened, I think, my mind racing through possible explanations and warnings. "I destroyed one of them," I call back, my voice echoing oddly in the confined space. "It was some kind of magical construct, animated by those runes. But it wasn't solid matter—it was made of dust and energy, bound to this place."
I think back to what we faced at the entrance—the giant skeletons, the dark magic sealing this tower shut. If these are the same type of guardian...
If there are more down here, if they can be destroyed by physical force like that... It changes everything about how we need to approach this place.
"Serrine, Varrika, listen up," I continue, my tone growing more urgent. "Whatever is guarding this tower, it's not just magical—it's a combination of arcane and physical threats. We need to be ready for both."
I glance back at the hidden panel I emerged from—the one that opened so easily when I passed by. Maybe they can be tricked or lured, I ponder. Or maybe they're drawn to movement, to noise...
Or maybe it was just a single guardian bound to protect a specific area.
"Stay alert," I say, my eyes scanning the shadows for any sign of more movement. "And watch your backs. These things can come from anywhere—the walls themselves seem to be part of their domain."