The heavy stone doors groan open. They reveal the sanctum, a massive circular chamber dominated by a pulsating obsidian pillar. The Hooded Figure hurries toward the center, their robes fluttering in an unnatural, cold draft.
Derick Force
The air here is thick with a metallic taste that makes my skin crawl.
Kellan
Place the stone, Derick Force. The connection is fraying. Do not let the shadow reach the spire tip.
Joi paces the perimeter, her claws clicking on the ancient flagstones. She stops, ears swiveling toward the dark, vaulted ceiling as if tracking an invisible predator.
Kellan
It is already here. I can feel the pillar trembling against the void.
Derick Force steps forward, his boots heavy on the floor. He prepares to approach the pillar, but the violet light from the stone casts long, frantic shadows that seem to dance independently of the light source.
+ Scene Quest Added
Prevent the shadow from reaching the spire tip
“You remember how Joi's presence burned away the shadows of the last creature you fought. With that in mind you get an idea. You command Joi to bite at every shadow you point at, hoping this idea works.”
SUCCESS (Superb Animal Handling, rolled +3)
Derick Force
Joi, watch the floor. Clear them out.
The dog obeys instantly, her form a blur of russet and white. She lunges at the flickering violet shapes as if they were vermin, her jaws snapping the dark light into non-existence with each contact.
Kellan
A predator of spirit. I did not realize his companion possessed such a lineage.
As the shadows dissipate under Joi's relentless assault, the obsidian pillar stops its erratic shuddering, settling into a deep, rhythmic hum.
Kellan
Now, Derick Force. The pedestal is receptive. Set the stone before the void recovers.
A sudden, booming crack echoes from the rafters above, and a shower of stone dust descends as the entire spire begins to tilt.
Quest Complete
Prevent the shadow from reaching the spire tip
+ Scene Quest Added
Place the obsidian stone in the pedestal
“You quickly take the stone and place it on the pedestal”
SUCCESS (Fair Agility, rolled +1)
Derick Force
The floor feels like a ship caught in a storm.
Derick Force lunges forward, his boots finding purchase on the slick, vibrating stone. With the grace of a seasoned warrior, he crosses the distance to the pedestal in a single bound.
He presses the obsidian stone into the waiting groove atop the pillar. The fit is perfect, a seamless reunion of parts that have been separated for ages.
Kellan
Hold it steady. The architecture of this place is rejecting the intrusion.
The violet light flares, blindingly bright, as the stone locks into place. The structural groaning shifts from a sharp screech into a low, resonant thrum that vibrates through Derick Force’s very marrow.
Joi
A sharp, warning whine escapes the dog as she stares at the ceiling where a jagged crack begins to race across the center of the chamber.
Quest Complete
Place the obsidian stone in the pedestal