The room you have entered is large, with several columns surrounding the walls, and a large sarcophagus in the center. The sarcophagus has faint etchings that have faded with time all over the top and sides.
Archibald examines the walls.
Felicity gazes around the room, and starts looking at the sarcophagus.
Ebony approaches the sarcophagus and examines the runes.
Archibald moves from the walls, and begins to check the sarcophagus.
Giselle grins at Cuin. "Mmmm...perhaps we could get rid of ze others..." she says nodding her head at the sarcophagus-top.
Ebony studies the stone a moment then pulls out her book and starts scribbling in it.
Ebony: "I don't think we should open this..."
Ebony: "These are runes of binding. something could be inside...
Ebony whispers, face inches from the sarcophagus as she studies it.
Cuin smiles, "In a bit m'girl. Lets make sure that thing isn't coming after us."
Gibble starts sniffing around the sarcophagus.
Ebony shuts her book and looks expecantly at the others.
Giselle gives Cuin a regretful look and walks over to the sarcophagus, sitting on the lid, leaning back, and crossing her...legs?
Ebony: "I think that the runes have bound a spirit to the area...it could be in the box, or in the room.."
Felicity: "What do you know, Eb?"
Giselle bounces the leg on top and listens to Ebony.
Felicity looks in the air.
Ebony clears her throat and looks around uncertainly.
Felicity: "Hmm...."
Archibald: "Perhaps this is the king."
Ebony: "I wonder if he has treasure....or if there is a mummy inside!"
Ebony starts to look more interested in the sarcophagus.
Giselle leans over and cups her mouth to the box. "What do you hold within you, pretty box?" she whispers.
Felicity: "Mummy!"
Felicity grins.
Archibald shakes his head at the children.
Giselle sits up. "Ze box told me that within is the remains of Lioshand, the King's Champion!"
Felicity: "Let's look at him!"
Cuin: "Aye, that must be the one standing on the bridge."
Ebony: "oooooh...."
Giselle keeps sitting on the lid. "I do not know if zat eez such a good idea..."
Felicity: "Maybe he's got a shiny mask on him..."
Felicity: "Or maybe he's ... he's not decomposed...."
Ebony: "Maybe his spirit went back into the box..."
Cuin shrugs...
Felicity: "I WONDER what it looks like inside."
Cuin: "Maybe, or maybe there's something more to be seen in there."
Archibald: "Or maybe he's waiting for some curious children to set him free."
Ebony arches an eyebrow at Archibald.
Cuin shrugs.
FFelicity: "I can take it...."
Ebony: "If he's trapped, maybe we should let him out. I wouldn't want to spend eternity in a box...."
Cuin: "Well then, its up to you if you wants t' look or not."
Archibald: "Some things are better left alone, and something about this says 'leave it be.'"
Giselle looks back and forth from one teammate to the other in concern.
Felicity: "LET'S LOOK...."
Felicity: "PLEASE!!!!"
Archibald: "If you want to look, it's on your own head."
Felicity: "I know."
Felicity tries to lift the lid.
Felicity: "Its too heavy..."
Giselle shrieks and stays on the lid.
Felicity: "Get off, Giselle."
Felicity pushes Giselle off.
Giselle falls off.
Felicity: "I WANNA OPEN THE BOX"
Ebony: "Let me help, Felicity!"
Felicity lifts the lid.
Giselle glares up at the Pooka.
Ebony joins Felicity and pushes at the lid.
With a mighty heave, the lid falls off...a cloud of dust rises from the aincient crypt...
Giselle crawls over to Cuin and stands up. "Tres fou....tres stupides..."
Ebony quickly catches the dust in an empty pouch she had hanging at her waist.
Felicity waves her paw in front of her face. "cough, cough..."
And as it settles, you and make out a large pile of ashes covering an ornate sword and a suit of fine sidhe mail.
Felicity glares at Giselle. "Oh yeah... at least pookas don't run."
Ebony reaches out gently and touches the ashes.
Giselle: "*I* do not run, small one..."
Felicity: "uh... huh. and that knight just fell over on his own."
Giselle watches Ebony nervously.
Felicity: "Hmm.... that wasn't as interesting as I thought."
Ebony cups her hand around some of the ashes and brings it to her face, where she whispers quietly to it.
Felicity: "Let's put everything back."
Giselle takes Cuin's arm. "Come Cuin...let us try out ze other door you found..." she says, giving a nervous glance at the girls hanging around the sarcophagus.
Ebony frowns and then looks at the lid of the coffin, bending over to get a better view of it.
Felicity: "Nah... let's leave it," Felicity says as she tries lifting the lid to put it back on.
Ebony: "Giselle don't be scared, he's sad," Ebony says.
Giselle looks at Ebony in surprise. "He eez? Why eez he sad?"
Ebony blinks in surprise.
Ebony: "He's trapped! Look at the lid! It says 'free me"!"
Ebony 's black eyes shine with determination. "We can't just leave!"
Felicity frowns, and stops moving the lid.
Ebony points to the ancient sidhe script along the inside of the coffin.
Giselle: "Oh mon dieu...and what would 'ee do if we freed 'im?? Thank us an' let us on our way?? After everything else we've been through in zis cave?"
Felicity: "Why is he sad?"
Faint scratches spell out...."Free me..." upon the inside of the lid.
Ebony looks at Giselle.
Felicity frowns. "We should try to help him, Eb."
Ebony: "I think most of what we have been through in this cave was our fault."
Ebony looks sad.
Giselle thinks for a moment, biting a nail. "Well...you could 'ave a point zere..."
Archibald: "And... how would you free him?"
Giselle folds her arms. "Oui-- 'ow do we free 'im?"
Ebony frowns, thinking.
Ebony: "Well... there are wards on the coffin. I bet if we broke the wards, it would let him go!"
Felicity: "how do we do that?"
Giselle walks over to the sarcophagus hesitantly and peers in.
Ebony looks at Gibbletooth.
Ebony: "Smash them?"
Giselle turns back around. "Why you are figuring ziss out, I will try something I just learned..."
Felicity kicks the sarcophagus.
Ebony: "Or.."
Felicity: "Ouch!"
Ebony starts gathering the ashes and places them outside of the coffin.
Ebony is careful not to drop any.
Ebony: "Careful Felicity!"
As Ebony finises taking out the ashes that are all that remains of the cursed sidhe hero, a faint wind blows through the tomb...
Ebony looks up eagerly.
Felicity lifts the sword and Chimerical armor, placing it next to the pile of ashes.
Ebony clasps her hands together and grins at Felicity.
Giselle reaches into her pack and brings out a small tree-branch with a few leaves still clinging to it. She goes to each person, touching them on the head with the branch, and then running the branch down each arm, leg, and over their backs and fronts, chanting, "Wand of wood, give strength to ze brood..."
Ebony watches Giselle curiously and shivers when she runs the branch over her.
Giselle looks at the pile of ashes and armor by Ebony. "Eez ze knight 'appy now?" she asks nervously.
Ebony feels the breeze on her skin and waits expectantly.
As Ebony takes out the last handful of ash, a quiet wind blew through the room, and a quiet voice could barely be heard.
Giselle freezes and listens.
"Thank....you..."
Felicity claps her hands in glee.
Ebony smiles with satisfaction and whispers 'you're welcome!'
Giselle: "Aaaw little Ebonee!! You were right!" Giselle throws her arms around Ebony and hugs her.
Ebony smiles shyly and hugs Giselle back.
Cuin smiles and shrugs...
Cuin then turns back to the second door that leads further on.
Giselle notices Cuin leaving and motions for the others to follow him.
Archibald follows Cuin.
Giselle: "Aah Ebonee...what a happy ending...*sigh* poor, sad knight!"
Cuin starts to pry open the second door.
Gibble runs over to Cuin and helps him.
Ebony hurries to catch up with the rest of the group after saying a last goodbye.
Archibald helps Cuin open the door.
The door creaked slowly open. A dark passage lay beyond the door, and Cuin again called forth his glowing ball of light to lead the way.
Felicity: "I'm glad everyone thought that was a good idea," Felicity says as she nods and follows cuin.
Giselle raises an eyebrow at Felicity.
The corridor streached deeper into the mountain, eventually coming to another room. A large statue stood in the center of the Room, its hand extended, its fingers spread apart.
Archibald studies the statue.
Giselle tries to figure out what it's a statue of.
Felicity runs up and gives the statue a "High Five!"
The statue was a tall Sidhe, wearing the robes and crown of a king.
Giselle cringes as she watches Felicity.
Felicity jumps up and touches her palm to the statue ... "High Five!"
Giselle: "Aaah...ziss must be ze Sidhe..."
Perhaps it was a trick of the light, but the statue seems to frown.
Giselle runs forward and grabs Felicity. "S'il vous plait...do not do zat again, Felicitee!!"
Felicity backs away. "This statue ... did it just look sad?"
Archibald remembers the last Sidhe King he "dealt" with, and hopes this one is just as easy.
There seems to be some more of of the old writing around the base of the statue.
Felicity looks at the writing. "Hmmm....."
Felicity walks around the base.
Giselle notices where Felicity's looking, and bends down to see if she can read the writing.
Ebony hangs back, content to watch this time.
The writing is very old, and very worn, but it seemed to say, "Adorn the hand of the King."
Archibald checks the writing.
Archibald searches for something around the room for "The King."
Felicity: "Hmm..."
Archibald: "Anyone have a ring? Or bracelet?"
Giselle: "Ah ma coeur...but I only 'ave two necklaces left!"
Felicity: "I have a hairball."
Giselle: "NO Felicitee!"
Ebony: "it probably wants a ring..."
Archibald: "Somehow, I doubt that'll help us."
Felicity grins.
Ebony looks down at her silver rings and sighs.
Ebony takes off the ring on her thumb and tries to fit it on one of the king's fingers.
Giselle walks up to the statue and leans to it, cupping her hands around her mouth and whispering. "What would you like your 'and to be adorned with, oh mighty king?"
The ring slid easily onto the statues fingure.
Felicity backs away, and watches what happens.
And as the ring slid home, the statue seemed to smile, and closed its hand.
Giselle's eyes shift to what Ebony's doing while she waits for an answer.
Felicity: "Yay!"
Felicity looks around.
Small whisps of smoke began to come from the ring, and the motley was suddenly thrown from their feet as the room started to move!
Ebony stumbles and tries to catch herself.
With terrifying speed, the room dropped down.
Giselle falls to the base of the statue, and scampers to her hands and feet, and moves back quickly.
Giselle screams.
The walls sped by at a tremendous speed, and within a few minutes the motley was miles beneath the surface.
Ebony clutches her bag tightly to her chest and squeezes her eyes shut.
Giselle screams a very long and dramatic scream.
Then, finally the room began to slow, and finally came to a stop.
Felicity gets back up.
The statue's hand returned the way it was, the ring consumed in the process, and the door swung open again.
Ebony shakily gets to her feet, looking for an exit from this hellish room.
Felicity peaks around the corner, out the door.
Archibald gets to his feer.
Cuin climbs to his feet. "That was a bit o' a ride, wasn't it?"
Giselle crawls to the exit whispering, "Oh mon dieu! Mon DIEU!"
Beyond the door was another huge room. Two giant metal doors stood closed against one side, separated by a small box.
Archibald examines the box.
Felicity looks at the contraptions.
Felicity: "Hmm........."
And on the other side were several strange contraptions. They looked like large platforms connected to two large circular tubes.
Giselle stands and walks shakily over to Cuin. "Are you all right, mon amour?" she asks, looking him over.
Archibald looks for any writings.
On each of the platforms was a small tower.
Cuin: "Aye, I'm fine lass. I'm a bit tougher than that, ta get bashed aroun' in that wee drop."
Cuin smiles.
Giselle laughs and looks at Cuin admiringly.
The platforms were approxamatly 10' by 10'.
Ebony studies the strange forms.
Felicity: "Hmm...."
The tubes seemed to run the length of the platforms on either side.
"What's new, pussy cat" Felicity says as she shifts into a small black and white housecat.
Felicity walks around the tube, rubbing up against them as she walks.
Giselle looks at Felicity in surprise, and watches her carefully. "What are you doing, Felicitee??"
Felicity jumps over the tube, onto one of the platforms.
Felicity slowly walks around the small towers, gazing at them intently.
Story On each of the towers, were a series of small levers.
Felicity gazes at Ebony, then at the levers.
Felicity paws the air at Ebony. "Purrrrrrrrr"
Ebony arches an eyebrow and walks up to the levers.
Felicity: "Meow"
Ebony: "Which one, Felicity?"
Felicity: "purrrrrrr" Felicity says as she gently paws at each, then at Ebony.
As Felicity paws at one of the levers, she accidently flips one...
Ebony reaches out...
Giselle: "Ah Merde..."
Several vents in the two cylenders open up, and air screams out of them. The large platform starts to lift up off the ground.
Felicity jumps off the platform.
Ebony: "ooh!" Move!"
Ebony runs out of the room through the door.
Archibald heads out the door.
Felicity looks at the tubes.
The platform hovered for a moment, before careening out of control and into one of the doors.
Ebony covers her ears and shrinks back from the crash.
With a horrifying crash, the door buckled and burst from its hinges. The huge door fell away from the room, carried by the momentum of the platform.
Giselle clings to Cuin, cringing at the crash.
The door fell away into the dark cavern beyond, revealing the largest cave any of the motley had ever seen. It was several hundred feet high, and the other side was lost in the thick mist that clung to the cavern.
Ebony blinks.
Giselle slowly releases her grip on Cuin's arm and watches. "Felicitee...let us know what eez in ze cavern!" she says with a little smirk.
Felicity walks over to the threshold of where the door was.
Archibald coughs a bit from the dust, and looks at the cave.
As you looked out the door, you can see that it is a drop of several hundred feet to the cavern floor, and the entire cavern floor is covered in thick vegatation. The ceiling, hundreds of feet above you, seemed to glow with a warm yellow light.
Ebony follows Felicity and peers in, her eyes easily looking through the darkness.
Felicity rubs up against the door frame, and sticks her head over the threshold.
Ebony picks up Felicity so she can see better.
Felicity purrs.
Ebony pats Felicity on the head and throws a warning glance over at Archibald and Giselle.
Cuin: "Aye, now thats a bit o' a cave."
Archibald: "What?"
Felicity hisses at Archibald and Giselle, then continues purring.
Giselle walks forward and stand just behind Ebony, and looks over her shoulder.
Archibald: "I don't know what you two are getting angry about."
Ebony ignores the two and continues petting Felicity, looking into the cave.
Giselle squats down and pats the drop just after the doorway to see if there's an invisible bridge of some sort.
Cuin: "Well, any ideas from here?"
Giselle: "Well...we do 'ave ze rope, ma coeur..." Giselle says, glancing up.
Cuin: "Aye, but I don't think we brought THAT much rope."
Cuin looks down into the cavern below.
Felicity continues purring, then jumps down onto the floor of the room, rubbing up against Ebony's ankle. The kitty walks away a few feet, then makes a sound like the Meox Mix commercial, as she shifts into her normal pooka form.
Felicity: "I think Giselle could make it."
Giselle peers back at Felicity. "I probably could, little one..."
Archibald: "I could jump down. And possibly bring the rest of you with me."
Ebony: "I can climb down...."
Felicity: "Ebony, are you still friends with that friendly dragon?"
Giselle turns to Archibald. "How, Monsigneur Blacksin?"
Ebony: "Hmmmm......I don't know how he'd get down here...
Archibald: "You aren't the only one's with tricks," he says with a grin.
Giselle grins at Archibald and winks.
Cuin: "Well, what do you all think? I think I can climb down...but what about the rest of you?"
Ebony takes off her shoes and puts them in her pack, then rubs her hands together, muttering something.
Ebony pulls out something silky from a pouch (spiderwebs) and rubs them on her palms and the soles of her feet.
Giselle watches Ebony carefully, still squatted down near the edge.
Ebony stretches her hands, and places them experimentally on the stone wall nearby.
Archibald looks over the edge.
Archibald frowns.
Felicity: "Maybe that statue can take us further with another ring on its finger?"
Ebony: "I think we wrecked the platform..." Ebony muses as she tests her hand on the wall.
Felicity looks around the room.
Giselle looks back "Zere eez another platform..."
Felicity walks to another platform.
Archibald: "What about the other door?"
You can see the other door from where you're at...it opens into the same room.
Felicity runs over and opens the other door.
Giselle runs over to the platform and glances at it. "We could use ziss if we could figure out 'ow to steer it..."
Felicity: "What's new pussycat?" Felicity says as she shapeshifts again.
Ebony reluctantly takes her hand from the wall and sits down to tie her sneakers back on.
Felicity jumps on the other platform.
Felicity lets out a pleading "MEOW".
Giselle climbs onto another platform and peers at the levers.
Felicity jumps off the platform, looking at it. Then goes over to the threshold again, "meow meow meow meow...." shifting into a pooka again.
Felicity looks straight down at the threshold.
Archibald examines the other platform, WITHOUT touching any levers.
Felicity waves to Ebony before she begins climbing down.
Ebony grins and waves back.
Giselle is too busy staring at the levers with Archibald to see what's going on behind her.
The motley watches as Felicity deftly starts to decend the cliff face.
Ebony walks to the edge and watches Felicity.
Giselle hears a little comotion behind her and looks over her shoulder. "Felicitee?" she turns and hurries over to the edge and peers down.
It takes her quite some time, but Felicity eventually makes it to the bottom.
Ebony hefts her bag over her shoulder and follows Felicity.
Giselle turns to the Archibald. "Need any 'elp?"
Gibble turns and starts scrambling down the cliff.
Archibald: "No, I'll be perfectly fine."
Ebony, her molded fingures clinging to the wall, followed Felicity to the bottom, followed closely by Gibble.
Giselle nods to Archibald, and turns to Cuin. "Are you coming, mon amour?"
Felicity claps when Ebony reaches the bottom.
Ebony grins and bows.
Felicity stares, looking up intently at the other members of the party.
Archibald climbs down to the bottom.
Cuin smiles, shifts to the massive crinos form, then starts down the cliff face, his massive claws digging into the stone.
Ebony peers into the cavern.
Giselle walks over to the edge and gets on her stomach with her hoofs on footholds, and then climbs down.
The motley eventually made it safely to the bottom of the cliff where they gathered in a small grassy field.
Felicity: "Yay!"
Giselle: "Aah, those platforms would 'ave been fun, tho', non?"
Felicity: "Don't worry, you can try them on the way out."
Giselle grins at Felicity. "Why...do you want to watch?"
Felicity: "No, but I think they go one way, " felicity says with a smirk.
Giselle glares at Felicity and turns her head with a flip of her hair.
Felicity goes on about her business. well, it made sense to her.
Cuin looks around. "There look like a few trails that lead off into the forest."
Giselle walks over to the trails and peers at them, thoughtfully.
Archibald looks around.
Cuin: "It looks like they' both to in the same direction though."
Ebony immediately walks over to the plantlife and begins to examine it.
Giselle stands and turns. "Does anyone 'ave good problem-solving skills? I could make it easier to decide which eez ze right path?"
Felicity: "If they go the same way... let's take... that one," Felicity says as she points to a random path, then, she starts walking the opposite one.
Ebony carefully gathers some of the plants and puts them in a specially-sealed pouch.
Giselle walks over to stand between the paths. She closes her eyes and holds out her arm between them. "Bon chance..." she says in a low voice, and waits to see if her arm is tugged in either direction.
Felicity starts walking down the one she started on.
Giselle opens her eyes and shrugs. "Zey are ze same." She turns and walks over to Cuin, taking his arm. "Let us follow ze Pooka to keep an eye on 'er..."
Cuin nods, and starts down the left path after the pooka.
Ebony follows the others.
Archibald starts down the path.
Cuin shifts to lupus form, and takes the lead.
Giselle starts jogging after him, following easily.
After nearly an hour on the trail, Cuin stops, and quietly dropping down and crawling though the tall grass. There, sitting calmly in the tall grass, is a huge reptillian beast with large diamond shaped plates on its back, a huge spiked tail, and a tiny head.
Giselle drops down on her hands and hoofs, and follows quietly.
Felicity stands still.
Ebony freezes in place.
It seems to be sitting quietly munching on the long grasses.
Archibald stops in place.
The huge beast, a stegasaurus, slowly turns its head towards you, and sniffs the air.
Felicity pauses, and sniffs the air.
Giselle gets on her haunches in a squatting-position, and moves her hand from her throat up and out, towards the beast.
Archibald slowly continues, not making a sound.
Giselle: "Hello! Who are you?" she whispers.
As Giselle speaks to it, the stegasaurus turns and looks at her. It paws the ground with one of its massive feet, and snorts the air, swinging its tail threateningly...
Archibald freezes.
Giselle puts her head down respectfully, and tries to speak to it again.
Ebony slinks off to the side.
Cuin grabs Giselle and pulls her away.
Ebony sneaks into the foilage.
Giselle looks scared, and allows him to pull her away.
Cuin pulls her slowly away, keeping his eyes on the dinosaur.
Cuin: "You gotta learn, lass, that not everything wants t' chat."
Giselle nods her head, shaking.
Archibald continues sneaking past the dino.
Giselle whispers "Bon chance..." tapping Cuin on the forehead, and then again, tapping herself, to give them luck sneaking past.
Felicity tries to stealthily sneak around the dino.
The stegosaurus watched them go, turning to face them the entire way, before turning back to its meal.
Gibble sneaking, too!
Ebony keeps close to Felicity, remembering how tough she was in the last fight.
Archibald looks around for Gibbletooth, making sure HE doesn't try to attack the creature.
Gibble sneaks ahead of Archibald protectively.
The path lead even deeper into the cavern, and the folliage grew even thicker.
Giselle looks around for anything edible as they walk.
The grasses eventually became small trees...and thick water grass. The motley also noticed the the ground seemed to be growing soggier.
Ebony is very interested in all the plants they're passing, and has to force herself to pay attention and keep up.
Eventually, the path broke through the small trees, into a large lake nearly three miles across.
Giselle looks down at her hoofs. "Quelle damage! Look at ziss? My legs are getting all wet!"
The path lead around the left side of the lake, while the trees grew even thicker to the right side.
Giselle ponders this dilemma.