Escape Your Own Skull (Cervantez)

[Aegis]

Vhalar 81st, 718

It was a bright, clear night. The clouds had receded and the moons and stars shown bright over the temple that Cervantez had spied upon many days back. The cultist patrols had not changed since the Necromancer had last visited. What did change was how visible the entire area was. Yaralon this time of year was terribly bright, even at night.

The two man patrols on the treeline were Cervantez's first obstacle. There were three of them this evening, fifteen minutes behind each other. The first pair were both men, one wielding a shortbow with knives hanging on his belt, the other carrying a torch with a sword in hand and a wooden shield on his back. The second pair was a man and a woman, the man carrying a large battle axe and the woman empty handed with no visible weapons. The third and final pair consisted of two women, one wielding metal claws and the other two pistol crossbows.

The four man patrols around the entrance were present, some with torches, others without. The archers stationed in the eyes were hidden in the darkness of the "caves". And today, the mouth had a bright, green glow spilling out of it, accompanied by a fog that spilled out over the area.

Around the temple, the swamps were still terribly wet, as Dry Season hadn't fully taken hold yet. The mud was deep, the water dark and abundant. Animals were rather abundant. Prey were out finding the newly grown food and predators were following those prey. Insects were low, and temperature was kept moderate. All in all, it was a good night for a raid.

Meanwhile, with Cervantez, the tree-skull beacon began to glow. For some reason, it was glowing brighter, and in a way, more insistently than it normally might. It was hot to the touch and vibrated as it grew closer toward the temple. Tonight, it would not be ignored.

Tonight, Cervantez would have to undergo his mission.

Or else.

[Cervantez]

☠ Vhalar 81st, 718 ☠
☠ Mood: Collected, Determined
☠ Company: Himself
☠ Current Thought: The time has come
☠ Current Theme: Bloodstained Philosophy
☠ Attire: Masterwork Armor

"Common Speech"

"Xantheon Speech"

☠ It was finally time, trials leading up to this moment, preparing for this. So much had transpired to get him to where he was now. From first being attacked by the cult, to learning of who they were, then to hear a first-hand account from a descendant and former member.

Decked out in his new armor, Cervantez made his way to the base, making sure to remain out of the line of sight of the guard detail. He watched and waited till the last of the group passed over him, contemplating the best approach to taking them out. The question that was haunting him, however, was if he wanted to try a stealthy approach or did he wish to go in breaking the door down?

He needed to choose fast, as several feet back, Njama was digging into the muddy terrain, tunneling to meet his master at the mouth of the cult base. With that in mind, he decided it was best not to wait, and sprung into action. Moving through the wet terrain, Cervantez release a thick fog of Sapping miasma. The black and purple smoke crackled as it rushed up against any and everything in its way.

The treeline the guards were on was no exception. Using the dark of the night and the muck and mire Cervantez crept his way over to the tree struggling to hold the branches up and in conjunction with the sapping miasma, he laid his hands upon where the beastly branch connected to the tree. Lacing his hands in withering energy, the branch was quickly devastated, crippled and collapsing into the marsh as well as the thick fog of sap.

He hoped he could finish all six of them in one go, in order to meet Njama at the entrance, though he was not worried about the massive hound and what he was capable of. ☠

[Aegis]

Timestamp

Njama, being the type of beast he was, found tunneling through the wet marsh mud and roots and easy task. So easy that he was able to make such good progress that he was soon out of earshot distance of his partner, keeping on with his digging. It would be a while before he reached the destination he was tasked with meeting Cervantez at. He was doing his job, and doing it well.

However, Cervantez was not near as stealthy as he thought himself to be. His sap reached two of the outer six members on patrol, and his magic overwhelmed them. They dropped to the muck as husks, their life drained out. They were not fully dead, but too far gone as to be of any use. The branch Cervantez caused to fall crushed them, ending their lives. This was a noisy affair after all. The other two pairs of patrols immediately began to converge on his position.

A shout rang out as well, and an arrow zipped past Cervantez's ear, burying into a tree behind him. The first pair of patrols were closing in on his position from the west, the man with a torch and sword leading the way, while his partner with the shortbow was drawn, covering his approach. The remaining pair, the two women approached from the east, adopting a similar formation. The woman with the metal claws advancing, while the other with the twin pistol crossbows covered her.

More shouting was made as the guards at the mouth of the temple coordinated with the patrols. The guards at the mouth were well trained enough to not abandon their positions. Their shouts were answered by the covering member of each patrol. Cervantez wouldn't have much time before the patrols reached him, and it seemed the entire exterior guard was now on high alert.

!	Message from: Aegis
	Do try to be a tad more specific with the actions and location of your PC in regards to the other specific NPCs. This is a combat scenario now, so posts from me will be shorter, so respond appropriately.

[Cervantez]

☠ Vhalar 81st, 718 ☠
☠ Mood: Cautious, Excited
☠ Company: Himself
☠ Current Thought: Raskalarn give me strength
☠ Current Theme: Bloodstained Philosophy
☠ Attire: Masterwork Armor

"Common Speech"

"Xantheon Speech"

☠

"Raskalarn give me strength."

he whispered as he whipped his head to look at the arrow that flew by him. Hearing the shouts he knew things were going to escalate fast. They had reacted far faster than he would have liked. He needed to dispatch these patrols, and now that they knew he was here, subtly was no long the course of action, which was good in his mind.

The Sapping fog he had released was still permeating the area around him and he sprinted forward, choosing to take the swordsman and archer down first. He had size and better equipment on his side, not to mention his magic, so he was confident he would come out fine. Closing the distance Cervantez came in with a heavy swing which the smaller man easily evaded, but found the sapping smog effective, seeing his fight drain the moment he was within its radius.

The Necromancer smirked seeing his chance, raising the massive blade above the man's head, only to take an arrow in the eye from the archer. She quickly pulled her partner away as they watched as Cervantez stood there and pulled the arrow from the bone it had lodged itself in. His smirk only became wider as he broke it in his hand, and charged them.

It wasn't something they were used to, seeing their reactions to him and his skeletal eyes, and he used that to his advantage. Pushing his partner out of striking distance Cervantez and the swordsman clashed with an exchange of swings, the sparks of steel grinding against steel lighting the area between them.

It was difficult for the shortbow woman to get an accurate shot lined up, as both warriors were making it hard for her. As both warriors danced in the muck of the swamp, Cervantez could hear the sloshing of feet moving toward him; the other patrol was getting close which meant this needed to end.

Like smoke released from a tightened jar, the sapping fog erupted from Cervantez, severely crippling the swordsman's will to fight which allowed for the Lotharro to deliver a killing blow. As he impaled the man with his greatsword, he could tell the other patrol was close enough to strike, and the assessed his options.

Within the trills he had, he quickly through a plan together. Kicking the swordsman from off his greatsword Cervantez rolled out the way as the clawed woman lunged at him, the mage holding on to the swordsman's weapon, only to come out of his rolling dodge to toss it at the crossbow guard.

Whether it hit or not was of no concern to him, he just needed to throw her aim off, evident as the bolts that were fired missed him and hit the other two; the shortbow in the head and the clawed guard in the left shoulder. He wasn't expecting that tactic to work, anything but a fluke, but he'd take advantage of it,

Getting close he allowed his sap to drain the clawed woman, and as she fell to her knees from fighting to stand, he lopped her head from her shoulders. Now all that remained was the crossbow woman. She was reloading her weapon as Cervantez approached, the sapping miasma billowing around and about him like an ominous envoy of death.

She ran, thinking she could evade the miasma and the mage creating it, only to trip over the branch that killed the first patrol. Fighting to get back on her feet, the swamp working against her efforts, she found the cold embrace of steel on her skin, kissing her neck as her body went limp. She could feel a pressure on the back of her head as it was forced into the mud and held there. Cervantez didnt have to put all his weight into it as she couldn't even fight back, the sap fog doing its job as she suffocated in the muck.

Dispersing the sapping fog, Cerv took a breath, before sending his ether out to seize the fresh corpses he just created. Except for the unlucky duo that was crushed by the branch, his former enemies were now his tools. With that he went forward, hoping to get to the rendezvous point and make his pincer attack effective. ☠

[Aegis]

Timestamp

And so the patrols fell, four corpses joining Cervantez's assault. The first hurdle was leaped, but there was one thing that Cervantez would find nagging in the back of his mind. Or rather, the back of his head. While he had no eyes to be stabbed by an arrow, it had lodged itself in his skull. The effect was a quite literal skull splitting headache radiating through the man, one that would affect his concentration for the upcoming trials. With it would come occasional bouts of nausea and dizziness.

The temple entrance continued to glow bright, and the two archers in either eye still stood watching, waiting. They'd heard shouting from the patrols, but they knew their duty. They were not to leave their posts unless explicitly commanded to do so. And so, both archers watched and waited, defending the temple, green light continuing to spew out of it into the night.

Njama's digging was going well. Too well. In moments, he was beginning to break through the damp soil at the template entrance, an action not going unnoticed by the archers. One peered out over the area, seeing a muddy beast beginning to appear. A quick consultation with his mate, one archer continued to keep look out, while the other drew a bead on Njama. Just as the dog broke through the soil, as commanded by Cervantez to do, an arrow was loosed, burying deep in the dog's right shoulder. With a whimper, the dog retreated into the cover of the tunnel, and the archer continued to watch, continued to wait.

[Cervantez]

☠ Vhalar 81st, 718 ☠
☠ Mood: Cautious
☠ Company: Himself & thralls
☠ Current Thought: Njama Come back!
☠ Current Theme: Bloodstained Philosophy
☠ Attire: Masterwork Armor

"Common Speech"

"Xantheon Speech"

☠ With the four new undead at his control, he moved toward the entrance of the cave, only to see that Njama had already come through the tunnel he had been digging. The poor hound, seeking refuge within the temple, as the necromancer noticed the Archers in the eyes of the large skull. With some direction, he ordered the two ranged thralls to take them out, both training a bead on them, and firing on both watchmen.

When the last of the outward sentries were dealt with Cervantez moved in, his undead entourage following, two in the back, and two in the front. His ether reached up to where the two sentries had been and he had added them to his collection of thralls. He was at six thralls now, and he would use every last one to take down this cult. He moved into the temple, enveloping himself in the eerie green light.

Once inside he looked for Njama, as he was too big to hide and would attack anything that got close. As bad as it was to think, the hound would be a wonderful distracted to allow him to slip inside and get a viable place to ambush them, but his love for the hound was too great to let him be used as bait. Not only did he have to wipe out this cult, but he needed to save his friend.

Blade at the ready, he moved further in watching his surrounding for anything that would be hostile. ☠

[Aegis]

Timestamp

And so, Cervantez and the injured Njama were inside the temple entrance. The sentries and guards outside had all been dealt with and now Cervantez had a fair collection of recently acquired thralls. The entrance lead down a long, stone hall, lit with green flame torches. It was on a downhill incline, and every thirty yards, there were two doorways into side rooms.

From Cervantez's position, he would be able to see three of the intersections, as well as the far end of the hall disappearing down some steps. He and his horde were seemingly alone in this hall. The first set of doorways had no doors in them, but were rather just open archways. The left hand room held a table and chairs and had various equipment laying about. It was a breakroom of sorts for the sentries and guards on the outside.

The right hand room, however, had a mirror within it, and a lit fireplace, glowing green. Around it were various adornments and ornaments, all depicting a skull that was broken and cracked. Within the mirror, though, was not a reflection of the room, but rather another scene entirely. It showed a large sword, stabbed through an obsidian alter, while several men and women were circled around it, all in deep purple robes, and all were chanting.

The sword was glowing softly, in rhythm with the chanting. The language was unknown to Cervantez, but simply listening to it, one would be able to hear power in it. True power. The question now was, what would Cervantez do next?

[Cervantez]

☠ Vhalar 81st, 718 ☠
☠ Mood: Cautious, Enthralled
☠ Company: Himself & thralls
☠ Current Thought: Must Have that Sword!
☠ Current Theme: Bloodstained Philosophy
☠ Attire: Masterwork Armor

"Common Speech"

"Xantheon Speech"

☠ There was something about that blade just called to him. He couldnt really explain why, but it felt like it wanted him to wield it, and he had the urge to go and take it. But he had to deal with the cultist worshiping it first.

Stepping through the mirror like passage, he sent commands to his thralls. The four ranged thralls would take positions up high, sniping them from above. Cervantez and the two combat thralls would engage them from the ground. Any cultist the were slain would be immediately raised and added till none were left standing alive.

As simple of a plan as it was, he knew that the best-laid plans could go array, and was hoping that it didnt come to that. As he waited for the right moment to strike, he could take his flaming orbs off the sword, now able to see it clearly....and admire its beauty. That was the sword that former cultist warned him about, calling it cursed or something to that extent.

The more Cervantez stared at it, the more he felt as if it was staring back at him....into him. He could feel the resonation of the energy it was giving off, coinciding with the chanting of the deranged cult members. Once his thralls were all in position, he snapped his fingers, and the archers began to rain down on them.

The shock and surprise from the ambush were just what he needed, as the two combat thralls went to work mowing those that tried to run or fight. Cervantez however, was carving a path to the sword. Cutting down two of the cultist closest to the blade, the necromancer sent his ether out, raising those two and sending them to join in the massacre of the remaining cultist.

While his thralls kept the cultist occupied, he kept himself occupied with the sword. It was far more enthralling than he thought, mesmerized but the unique metals used and craftsmanship. The urge to reach out and touch it was too strong to ignore, even for a man like him with a decent amount of restraint. He wasn't sure what would happen, but he reached out and took hold of the hilt of the sword. ☠

[Pig Boy]

Music

When Cervantez crossed through the mirror-like passage, into the blade room, he felt a subtle change both in himself, and in the atmosphere. Something about the sword drew him to it, but more than just a shiny object to be coveted. It was almost as if it had a sort of gravity, and his spark wanted him to move toward it.

His thralls entered the mirror-like passage as bid, and began their attack. Several of the cultists were taken by surprise, and taken down by the arrows immediately.

When Cervantez attempted to extend his ether, to try an make thralls out of them, however, the flow of his ether altered slightly from his intended path.

The ether flowed directly into the decorative cross-piece of the greatsword in that Obsidian altar. As it did so, the field of necromantic energies that ensconced the sword blew out and expelled the rest of the cultists, revolting against their chanting and manipulation.

This gave Cervantez the opportunity he needed, despite it not going exactly to his plan, to take up the sword.

As he approached, he could make out more details about the blade. Along the crossguard, were etched runes and pictographs in a language he couldn’t recognize. Although he had attention of detail enough to realize there were two different languages represented there.

As his hand was laid upon the hilt of the sword, he would feel a thrill of the etheric release he’d just unleashed enter back into him.

Within his mind, a wordless message conveyed its meaning through little more than intention.

Their souls, or yours. Choose well, but do make your choice, Necromancer.

The cultists were slowly coming around, after the blast of necromantic energies had knocked them back. They were beginning to realize what was going on, and shouted at Cervantez in some unknown language.

”Delenda Occultis! Nae!”

[Cervantez]

☠ Vhalar 81st, 718 ☠
☠ Mood: Cautious, Enthralled
☠ Company: Himself & thralls
☠ Current Thought: Must Have that Sword!
☠ Current Theme: Bloodstained Philosophy
☠ Attire: Masterwork Armor

"Common Speech"

"Xantheon Speech"

☠ The necromancer smirked at the words imprinted in his mind. Releasing the blade from the alter, he knew his answer already. If it was to be there souls or his, it was a simple choice.

For the moment though he marveled at the blade in his hand. His mind was flushed with curiosity as he had witnessed his ether harnessed and then redirected outward against the cultists. He remembered the rumors he learned about the sword, the superstition it held. He knew there were indeed risks with dealing with things he knew nothing of, but the call the blade had on him, it was far too great to ignore.

No, he had come too far to ignore this now, and those words echoed in his mind once again, asking him to choose between his soul or the cultists. He looked to them as they regained themselves from the shockwave of necromantic energy, chanting in an unknown tongue. He looked to them and this eyed the sword in his grasp.

With a wicked smirk he pointed the blade at the cultist before him.

"If i must choose between my soul or the souls of the cultists, then the choice is clear. You wont be taking my souls sword, but theres on the other hand."

☠