Dogman cancels update: interrupted by family obligations x47The long week of having my much, much younger cousin stay over and having to constantly entertain him is over, and now I can finally get back to updating. I know I said I have a couple of special things planned, but one of them didn't work out too well, but I hope you enjoy the story nonetheless.
___________
From the Journal of Mistem Athellal:
11th of Limestone, 377
I was dining in our rather fine dining room (I’ll have to thank Haven for making all those exquisite chairs and tables) when suddenly one of my fellow Dwarves, Edem Koganzenon, threw up his bowl of wild strawberries and ran out of the dining room. Naturally this caught my interest; he was babbling like a Dwarf possessed. He claimed Udil’s craftshop and started collecting all manners of materials. I counted three felsite boulders, a rough green Zircon, 2 turtle shells, and 2 panels of Hoary Marmot leather. Then I went back on my break. It isn’t often I get to sit and relax with the other Dwarves. These things sort themselves out, and since it seems Edem’s gotten everything he needs, there won’t be any trouble from him.
Perhaps I was too hasty about my break. The yearly Dwarven caravan arrived just as Edem’s possession took hold. Back to work, I guess.
12th of Limestone, 377Once again I must thank Udil for his wonderful crafts. It took some haggling, offerings, and counter-offerings, but I managed to buy the caravans entire supply of wood, alcohol, and various foodstuffs. I should mention that I decided to splurge a little and buy a bundle of giant cave spider meat. I’ve never had such a delicacy before, and it will be interesting to see how it tastes; the nobles back home were always going on about it.
17th of Limestone, 377Edem finally came out of his shop today. He carried with him the object of his possession: a felsite mug entitled Idlelshislug Ashzos Fazis, or “Bustmuddled the Distraction of Celebrations”. A little longwinded, I think. Still, it is a very valuable looking mug, with a masterfully carved image of a Dwarf and a group of Dwarves standing before a series of tall crosses opposite the handle, which menaces with spikes of turtle shell and hoary marmot leather on the top and underside. A very fine mug, that is.
I think his possession has left him a little shaken; he hasn’t been nearly as celebratory over the artifact as a Dwarf should. Perhaps it was just the shock of it…
The events as they occoured on the night of the 18th of Limestone, early autumn of the year 377Edem had been milling over the recent events in his head as he sat at one of Haven’s fine tables in the dining room, sipping a pint of Dwarven ale from the very mug he had found in his hands the day before. The image carves so delicately into the face of the mug captivated his interest. The Dwarf stared at it, tracing the lines of the various figures with his eyes, contemplating their meaning.
Deduk Inodsakrith, an animal trainer, took the chair beside Edem’s, and greeted the brooding Dwarf. “Hello there, Edem. I couldn’t help but notice that wonderfully crafted mug you’ve got there. Beautiful imagery on it; what’s it about?”
Edem simply stared at the image of Dwarves and crosses; something about it was very unsettling to him.
“Edem, are you listening? Hello?” Deduk shook Edem by the shoulder, getting his attention.
“What? Oh, uh... Deduk is it?” He was a little startled, his memory leaving him for a moment.
“Yes. I was asking about that picture there. Do you know what it’s about?”
“I haven’t a clue. I’ve been wondering about it myself.” replied Edem flatly. Honestly he felt cheated, slighted by fate. Here he had made this masterpiece, the latest item of praise from The Hill, yet he could not remember a thing about it, how it came to be, or even how it was his hands that worked the leather and shells into place. The Dwarf was no better at stonecrafting than he was before; that spirit that had possessed him took all knowledge and memory with it when it left his body.
And yet still, there was something off about that engraving. The other Dwarves all praised its beautiful imagery, saying it was worthy of the finest artists in the Mountianhomes. Only Edem seemed to notice something not quite right about it.
Edem forced it out of his mind, turning to speak to Deduk, “Well, friend, I think I’ll sleep now. I am quite tired. I’m sure you understand.”
“Of course, Edem. Completely understandable,” came the reply, “Have a pleasant sleep, and make sure you keep that mug safe.”
With that, the stonecrafter took to his feet and shumbled out of the dining hall, making his way towards the living quarters, “Thank you, and I will.”
***
It was an uneasy sleep; strange visions clouded Edem’s mind as he tossed uneasily. The half-dream-like state fell before a more solid image. Edem walked amongst a crowd of Dwarves, each one with a blackened veil studded with black onyx gems covering their faces. He could barely make out their various features; through their shrouds the other Dwarves appeared as if they were shadows.
He was carried along by the current of Dwarves, ushered into a large hall; a hall in which massive stone pillars, each one menacing with gargoyles perched upon crevices seemingly eroded into the sides, interrupted the flow of the smoothed, swirling floor pattern. A light fog permeated the air, swirling and roping around Edem as he walked through the hall.
At the end of the hall, before two tall crosses emerging from the floor, stood a lone Dwarf clad in the most elegant of robes, every edge and corner embroidered with a brilliant aqua thread that could only be the famed adamantine. The threads glinted in the light pouring in from a shaft cut into the roof above the Dwarf. Openly drooping sleeves gave way to a tighter wrap of fine giant cave spider silk dyed in a deep violet. The wrap continued from the Dwarves forearms to his palms, even going so far as to tightly bind every individual finger in thin strips of silk. The royally dressed Dwarf’s face was hidden in shadows by a heavy hood; Edem wasn’t quite sure, but he could almost make out an unearthly glint in the Dwarf’s eyes.
It became clearer as Edem was pushed closer by the crowd at his back. The dwarf pulled back his cloak from his head, and raised his arms outwards, as if to beckon the crowd. Edem simply stared, mouth agape; that glint was not from the Dwarf’s eyes, but from the two identically perfect Smoky Quartz crystals that had been inserted into the empty sockets. Moreover, his skin had the appearance of worked leather, his cheeks were sunken in, and for all the world the Dwarf looked as if to be half-dead.
The crowd of Dwarves took their places to form a semi-circle around the central figure, a low chant rising from their throats. Edem looked about the room frantically, his mind becoming wracked with revulsion as the details on each veiled Dwarf’s face were revealed to him. They were the same as the central figure: leathery, dried skin, sickly, starving features, and a half-dead appearance in their eyes.
Edem found himself forced to his knees by two veiled figures that had silently positioned themselves behind him as the chanting reached its fevered height. The Dwarf tried to resist, take to his feet and run, but it felt as if some unnatural force was holding him to the floor, paralyzing his limbs. Edem cried out in agony as a blade effortlessly cut into his back, swift and concise strokes leaving a pair of tall crosses; bloodied mirror images of the stone carvings in the hall.
The sound of stone grinding upon stone began to emanate from the floor tile in front of Edem, and soon a large, dark pit opened before the marked Dwarf. The dark figures behind Edem locked their arms around his and dragged him to the pit, chanting a different tune than the others. Edem was violently shoved into the black abyss of the pit; for the mere second he had to gather his senses from the shock of the flurry of events it looked as if it was an endless chasm.
Fortunately, or perhaps not, the drop was no more than 7 feet. Edem landed on his back with a heavy thud and stinging pain from the earlier cuts. He was stunned and breathless, and his senses were none too quick to return. The Dwarf gained the strength to stand again and raze his gaze to the single opening. The light pouring in was almost blinding compared to the darkness around him; Edem shielded his eyes with a hand and called out desperately, but there was no answer from the Dwarves above.
A puff of dust falling from the ceiling above forced Edem to lower his gaze; the pit had begun to be sealed off. More frantic pleads came from the Dwarf trapped below as the light was slowly cut off. A shadow from the corner of his eye caught Edem’s attention, and he spun to look upon it directly. With a startle Edem realized what had caused that shadow: in the fading light he could see the bloody history of the pit. Nearly every surface of the wall was scratched and carved with what could only be the desperation of the previous victims. Ageless skeletons and dried leathery husks surrounded him; some broken, some with half of their fingers missing, and most contorted and curled into feeble, pathetic poses. The clunk of stone against stone as the pit was completely sealed off signed Edems fate.
Author
Topic: The Ghost Fortress of Tongsrenown (Community Story) (Read 7896 times)