Gannagroth was lost to me before the doors of Throal closed. I was young then and had left my Liferock to wander Barsaive as is our way. I was making my return when the Great Darkness started to fall. I had foolishly tarried and my journey was beset by Horrors and ruin that changed the very lands. I had to seek refuge in Throal and was among the last who entered the kingdoms before the great doors were shut. When the great gates were finally opened I set foot into a world I no longer recognized. I could no longer find my way - Gannagroth was truly lost to me then. Even if it had survived I could not set my feet on the path because I could no longer see the road.
Learning of this trapped Obsidiman who others called The Hidden renewed a sense of both hope and urgency within me. If this Illusionist was awake in the time before the Scourge there was a chance he would know of Gannagroth or at least may know of its fate or location.
I was able to assemble a team of Adepts to assist me. Vlolkir the Troll Skyraider had journeyed to these caves before. Jael the Elven BeastMaster and Sandrin the Elven Air Sailor also shared their Talents with me. I knew Sandrin and have walked the world with him previously and found his presence comforting.
Our course took us south from Throal and then east, through the foothills and then up into the steep peaks of the mountains. We encountered local wildlife but it was easily discouraged and we met no true hardship. After a steep climb we entered the Caves of Koilos and met Sif, the Earth Elemental that resides in bones of the earth of the caves.
Sif told use the Hidden was in a form of stasis and was fighting off some form of invader using only his mind. She opened a way for us to communicate with him by offering to entomb us in living crystal.
The experience was not unpleasant for me, very similar to subsuming oneself in the embrace of a Liferock. When awareness returned to us, we were standing in a snowy mountain pass with bodies of Obsidimen around us. A lone Obsidiman moved aimlessly from corpse to corpse and when I tried to speak with him, his sense of shame and despair and grief took physical form and attacked us.
Seeing the bodies of my kin spread among the rocks brought memories to the surface that I had long repressed and I was taken off my guard. The embodiment of Shame sprang at me, forcing me to the ground, tearing at me with words and claws.
As shame does, it shames me to admit I was deeply wounded by the assault. My own pride turned against me and I faltered when my companions needed me most. It is an encounter I will not forget.
My companions were equal to our foes. Vlolkir seemed impermeable to the negative forces attacking us and Jael and Sandrin pressed the advantage and we won through.
When I turned to find the wanderer, I found myself desiring rest and suddenly the scene shifted and we found ourselves on a hillside, in a place of comfort. Vlolkir laughed and suddenly a tent with a feast appeared before us. He had grasped the truth of where we were - everything around us was mere illusion and will.
Below us, a happy scene played out. A trio of Obsidiman and several children of various races played and took their ease in front of a simple cabin of wood and stone. Suddenly, a large eye of alien origin appeared in the sky above us. Jagged crystal spread from the iris and fell upon the cabin, leaving it a desolate wreck.
We explored the ruins to find them being ransacked by creatures made of stone, fire and pure anger and rage.
Stung by my earlier encounter, I carefully guarded my mind as we engaged our foes. This encounter went better than our first and we were able to overwhelm our foes.
We found objects tied to various memories on the shelves of the house. Among them was a memory of the Hidden writing in a journal about my Liferock, about Gannagroth. Apparently there is a great secret buried in my Liferock that this Obsidiman was seeking. Concentrating my will on this memory brought us to our next encounter.
We found ourselves in a ruin, ancient and unrecognizable. Towers of stone that used to be parts of walls surrounded a broad stairway that descended to a portion of stone floor. In the center of the floor, a large and glowing black-purple sphere hovered and glowed menacingly. Several shades, reflection of pure madness, immediately attacked us, seeking to protect the sphere. One of them even had the ability to cover us in darkness while others bowled and screeched incomprehensible things at us.
Once we had quieted these horrific apparitions, the sphere opened and we found the Hidden within. The depth of our conversation would take too long to record for we spoke in the Stone Tongue and translating from my language to others is difficult when the meaning is so deep. He confirmed that Gannagroth still existed and provided a landmark to find it - a river that always flows to Gannagroth regardless of the changes to the land.
He also told us that his presence here was holding back a Horror and he could not be freed. He was seeking a secret within Gannagroth that could help him defeat what he was only holding at bay.
Sandrin was able to craft an amazingly detailed map using what the Hidden showed us and I swore a vow to return with the secret of Gannagroth once I had retrieved it.Statistics:Posted by OldKingCole — Tue Apr 28, 2020 11:44 pm
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