An incorporeal presence gathers in the center of the cavern. You all turn to watch, as the presence gains in substance and form. The most beautiful woman appears in the center of the room, flooding the room with a pure white light that radiates from her. On the floor, beneath each of you, you see bodies arranged in pools of blood. Upon closer examination the bodies appear to be placed specifically forming an ancient rune. You each are sure that you have never read this language before but you somehow recognize this rune as an ancient symbol for �life�. A chill fills the room as you realize that the bodies laid out on the floor are your own. You somehow know, much like you knew the meaning of the symbol, that the blood is not your own.
The woman�s lips move and a voice pierces your consciousness. You understand her words, though none are physically spoken to you. �You have all been chosen. If you join me and die nobly, you will return to the earth to sleep once more. If you succeed, life wealth and all that you desire shall be yours. If you refuse, you shall return to your former masters to face an eternity of torment. You will not be forgiven if you do not even try.�
As the final word is relayed images flood your minds of your own deaths, dishonor, and failure to serve your own individual masters whether man, beast, or god. Images of torture follow. You wish to cry out, but are unable. Your own incorporeal forms shiver with despair and agony. When the images fade and the terror passes, the woman meets each of you one-by-one with an unsettling gaze.
�Very well. You have all chosen. Your fates are now Ours.� The lady holds her arms high over her head and begins to chant. Although no sound escapes her mouth, the boom of power fills the air. Candles flicker and blow out.
The agony that had subsided only moments before returns, building in intensity until it is unbearable. The pools of blood on the cavern floor begin to seep into the bodies lying on the floor. Where the body�s fill with blood, they begin to swell with life and all signs of decay begin to fade. You each notice tendrils of light beginning to rise from the bodies and reach to your incorporeal forms. You are each pulled back into your own bodies slowly, the pain unbearable. When each of you are finally unable to withstand any more, you slip into darkness.
Screams fill the cavern as each of you awake. Burned-out candles and dried blood litter the floor. Some of the corpses seen previously remain; they did not choose well. You see stacks of bodies lining the cavern walls; you assume the blood was theirs. Every movement sends shockwaves of pain coursing through your bodies. You feel stiff and weak. Your physical bodies were dead for countless years with only the memory of life. You are certain that this will pass. A woman comes to you and lifts a goblet containing an oily horrible smelling liquid to your mouth. She nearly forces you to drink. You choke a bit as your body remembers how to swallow.
�Drink now and sleep. When you awake, your body will be renewed.� Her voice is identical to the beautiful woman�s who brought you back. She is cloaked but from what you are able to make out, she strongly resembles the woman you saw. You try to speak but are unable. Your eyes close and once again you slip into darkness.
After several days of awakening, drinking the strong liquid, and returning to sleep, you are each able to stand and walk. You feel strong, renewed, much like you felt at the peak of your life. The woman leads you as a group out of the cavern and through a long series of tunnels, slowly gaining altitude. She speaks very seldom except to answer very specific questions. She remains cloaked and masked by shadows. You make camp several times before arriving to a stone door. The woman speaks very quietly to the door, and it swings inward. Beyond the door are stone catacombs. Rows upon rows of shelves hold dusty bits of bodies so badly decayed that mostly ash remains.
As the group moves upward through the catacombs, the bodies appear to be less and less in a state of decay. Several stone doors are opened in the same manner, the woman whispers, the door swings inward. Eventually the group is led to a spiral stone staircase. The woman announces that the group will finally make camp for the last time before climbing the stairs. You estimate the advance through the catacombs took more then the day, and each of you formulate your own theories on why the woman did not stop.
After a resting period, the group begins the ascent up the stairs. Several landings are passed before the group finally stops before a sturdy wooden door framed and hinged with metal. The woman knocks on the door and a panel is opened. �They are ready,� she says, very simply, and the door is opened.
The room in which you emerge is almost blindingly well lit. The woman removes her cloak, which in the light now appears well made. You see that she has flowing black hair that lays flat and perfect over her shoulders and down her back. The light seems to reflect perfectly off of each strand. Her skin is very pale and her eyes are dark, almost the shade of her hair. Although her features are indistinguishable, you are certain that she is the most beautiful woman you have ever seen. She is dressed as a priest in fine brocade robes, but something about her unsettling gaze tells you she may not be as she appears. She motions you all to be seated in very comfortable chairs and similarly robed individuals offer you refreshments to suit your own peculiar tastes. You realize for the first time since waking, that you are famished. You eat as much as you want and your platters are refilled until you are satisfied. When the plates are cleared away, the robed figures leave you alone with the lady.
�As I have told you before, you have all been chosen. You have each served different masters in the past, now you will serve only one until you are released of service, whether in death or in triumph.� The mention of death sends chills through each of you as you remember your corpses lain in pools of blood in the floor of the cavern. �Since some of you have certain special qualities, you will each appear to the untrained eye, as simple humanoids, more accepted in these lands. Who you chose to reveal yourselves to and when is your own affair. You will each be given tools that will aid you in this quest.�
As if on queue, a group of robed individuals bring bags into the room and place them at your feet. If you reach for the bags, the lady clears her throat and something tells you perhaps you should wait.
�I have been chosen as your guide. I too serve our new master. Master will know if you do anything to jeopardize the success of this mission or if you chose to abandon it before you are finished. IF that should be the case, I assure you, deliverance will be swift.� The room is silent now. You each have the feeling that now is the time for questions or to check your bags.
OOC: The bags are full of your equipment and gear that you possessed in life (your character sheets), perfectly preserved and exactly the way that you remember them. Each notch or stain is present. You can still recall exactly how you came to posses each item and when and where you used it. Anything beyond that, you are still unable to remember. You do not remember your death, only some of the vague images that haunted you in the cavern.
You can still be any alignment and have all abilities attributed to that alignment (i.e. Paladin, cleric domains, etc.) but you have the vague impression that your deity is somehow cut off from you. You sense the presence of a new master, but do not know who or what it is. You sense that this new master has granted the abilities of your chosen class.
We�re also assuming that out of the dozen or more corpses given the choice, the party is made up of those that chose the quest.
