Round 38

The wards' hunger pulses increased in frequency and intensity, feeding on something inside that was now wide awake. A shadow lingered at the uppermost window again, this time definitely a figure. Merrin was on the roof mapping alone, Halie casting a spell at the base, Varikka marking stones from the side, and Merrin providing overwatch. The ground shifted loudly under Merrin's feet—ward slab settling? Everyone now knew they were here, just not sure how the entity upstairs responded yet.

Seraphine stood in the crumbling archway of the ancient tower, the heavy weight of her pack pressing down on her shoulders as she stared at the ominous darkness beyond. The air here was thick with a malevolent presence, a predatory hunger that seemed to seep from the very stones themselves. It was a feeling she knew all too well—the touch of eldritch magic, twisted and corrupted by some unnatural force.

I remain on the roof, mapping the ward patterns by touch, feeling the pulsing malevolence beneath my fingertips like a second heartbeat. The hunger isn't passive—it's active, predatory, drawing power from something trapped below us in the structure. This isn't just an ancient trap, girls. I called down to where Halie and Seraphine waited on the ground with their defensive spells ready. `These wards are actively feeding. Whatever's chained to that altar downstairs isn't some forgotten guardian...

Merrin gripped her crowbar tightly, senses on high alert as she scanned the tower's interior for traps and hidden dangers. The air was thick with an unsettling energy, a malevolent presence that seemed to seep from the very stones themselves.

"Alright Varikka," she murmured to the dwarf beside her, "let's move fast and quiet." She stepped forward cautiously, her boots making barely a sound on the ancient flagstones. The ground shifted loudly under Merrin's feet—ward slab settling? Everyone now knew they were here, just not sure how the entity upstairs responded yet.

The wards' hunger pulses increased in frequency and intensity, feeding on something inside that was now wide awake. A shadow lingered at the uppermost window again, this time definitely a figure. Merrin was on the roof mapping alone, Halie casting a spell at the base, Varikka marking stones from the side.