The obsidian corruption recedes, leaving the catacombs to groan as they shift back into a structured, lethal maze of ancient masonry. Teal energy pulses weakly from Arion’s blade, casting long, jittering shadows against walls lined with intricate, lethal pressure plates.
Sivani
The creature is gone, but this architecture is worse. We are walking into a tomb that wants us dead.
Arion Touvengard
These halls were forged by masters of the occult. Every footfall is a potential trigger for a blade or a trap. I must navigate this with care, or the host body will perish before I can reach the surface.
Arion Touvengard
Stay close, Sivani. Do not step on the flagstones marked with the serpent sigil. The floor is shifting again, and I suspect the path to the exit is guarded by mechanisms that respond to blood, not just weight.
+ Scene Quest Added
Navigate the catacombs to reach the surface
“Looks aroumd the surroundings for any sign of a safe path through the myriad of traps in the halls.”
SUCCESS (Mediocre Perception, rolled +1)
Arion Touvengard
The geometry is ancient, but the dust patterns do not lie. The stones near the base of the pillars show subtle friction wear, as if they pivot inward under the slightest pressure.
Arion’s eyes track the faint, glowing residual mana clinging to the floor. A path emerges, weaving precariously between the pressure-sensitive masonry. He shifts his host’s weight, moving with a stiff, unnatural grace as he signals Sivani to follow.
Arion Touvengard
Keep your feet light. The center of each slab is a trigger. Walk only upon the seams where the stone meets the mortar.
Sivani
You speak as if you have walked these halls before. How can you be certain the floor won't simply vanish beneath us again?
Arion Touvengard
I recognize the design. It is not designed to kill quickly, but to frustrate. Follow exactly in my tracks.
As Arion steps forward, the ground beneath his feet gives a soft, grinding click. A hidden compartment in the wall slides open with a hiss, revealing a series of razor-sharp iron pendulums swinging into motion across the narrow path.
“Timing the swing of the pendulums, Arion ducks between them avoiding causing umdue damage to the crypt.”
SUCCESS (Superb Agility, rolled +1)
Arion Touvengard
These blades are timed to a rhythmic cycle. They react to the air currents displaced by movement. I must mirror the rhythm or lose a limb.
Arion draws a jagged breath, his host's chest heaving with a forced, mechanical rhythm. Teal energy flares along the length of his sword, bleeding into his veins as he pushes the host's agility beyond human limits. With a sharp exhale, he lunges into the gap.
Arion Touvengard
Stay exactly where you are, Sivani. Do not move until I am through.
Arion ducks, his body contorting in a stiff, unnatural arc. The first blade whistles mere inches above his white hair, carving a hot, dry breeze through the stagnant catacomb air. He slides across the dusty stone, pivots on a single heel, and emerges on the other side of the pendulum sweep, his teal eyes cold and unblinking.
Sivani
He moves like he is shedding his skin. If I touch him, will I feel the metal or the boy?
“Upon reachimg the other sude of the hall Arion attempts to locate the control mechanism to deactivate the pendulum trap so Sivani can pass.”
SUCCESS (Legendary Arcana, rolled +0)
Arion glides his hand along the cold masonry, his fingers trailing over runic carvings that pulse with a faint, dying violet light. He finds the pressure plate hidden behind a loose, moss-covered stone. With a sharp, sudden heave, he depresses the mechanism. The grinding of gears echoes through the hall, and the iron pendulums shudder, their jagged edges screeching as they grind to a halt in mid-air.
Arion Touvengard
The geometry of this trap is elegant but fragile. Its power source is tethered to the wall itself. Now that the flow is broken, the path is clear.
Arion Touvengard
The mechanism is disabled, Sivani. Move quickly. The catacombs are shifting again and I do not intend to be buried beneath the weight of this temple.
He turns, his movements stiff and doll-like, his teal eyes flickering as he monitors the shadows for any sign of further structural collapse.
Sivani
He didn't even flinch when the blades stopped. He is not a man. He is a machine of war wearing a ghost.
Quest Complete
Navigate the catacombs to reach the surface
Attribute Upgrade: Perception Mediocre→Fair