Round 29 Transcript

A fresh pulse emanates from the stone tower, signaling an increase in dark energy. The ward's response is immediate and intense, as if it senses the party's growing unease. Jeane carefully makes her way down the crumbling stairs, her eyes scanning the ground for any sign of hidden traps. As she reaches the bottom floor, she notices the air is heavy with the scent of decay and dark magic. The stone beneath her feet seems to vibrate with an otherworldly power, making her skin prickle with unease. Suddenly, a skeleton shambles into view, its eyes fixed on Jeane with a malevolent glare. The undead creature lunges forward, its bony fist swinging wildly.

I descend the stairs slowly, crossbow aimed low, every nerve singing warning. The air grows thick here—cold, damp, smelling of decay and something else, something wrong that makes my skin prickle. Merrin's torchlight flickers far below like a trapped heart. A skeleton shambles into view around a crumbling corner, then another, their bones grey in the weak light. The runes on the walls here are different—they glow with a faint, pulsing light that seems alive somehow, unsettling even to my eyes used to darker magics. Seraphine's right: this isn't just old curse-work. Something fresh is feeding into these bones. I signal Varikka to hold the entrance—her steady presence back there grounds me—and then to Halie and Seraphine to proceed with utmost caution. We need to map this floor before we attempt anything else, even for Merrin. If we rush in blind, we risk making things worse—or getting more of us trapped. I feel guilty leaving her down there—I can hear the tremor in her voice—but methodical planning serves no one if it gets us killed trying to be heroes. The skeletons shamble closer now, bone-fingers clicking with unnatural purpose. Time to earn my keep. Crossbow fires true—one disintegrates in a shower of dust and broken bone, but its companion just keeps coming, undeterred. Fine. Let's dance then.

I fumble with my tinderbox, desperation clawing at my throat. The darkness presses in, thick as mud. I can't see Merrin's face, but her voice trembles through the stone. "Merrin? Are you alright?" I call, keeping my voice low. The torchlight flickers, sending shadows dancing across the walls. "I'm here," Merrin's voice echoes up from below. "I think... I think there might be a way out."
I strain to hear her over the pounding of my heart. "Can you see anything?" I ask, edging closer to the pit's edge. "I don't know yet," Merrin replies, her words hushed with fear. "The stairs... they just appeared. Like they were waiting for me."