Quest Forgotten Treasures

[Syvis]

The Underrealm
Lokdrarlig

Syvis sat quietly on a rock, holding the map that she had been given just a few days before. The spot where she now sat was exactly where it had been marked on the map, and having arrived early she'd spent the last two hours studying the massive stone gate that she had found here.

The contact, or rather, the guide that was supposed to bring her down into the depths of the Underworld was to meet her here. She did not know his name, nor did she know what he looked like, but from all accounts he was as trustworthy as anyone else who might do the job. Many people had told her 'at least he's better than a Rous'.

Not inspiring words, but truthful ones.

With a sigh Syvis checked the small clock in her pocket. The thing had been a gift from Maestar Bavin, something he had invented to tell what time of day it was. A remarkable little device really, showing the position of the sun and powered by a small gem containing the soul of a minor elemental.

She flipped the lid of it closed, frowning and leaning back against the cliff.

Why didn't people understand that Punctuality was important?

 

[Lokdrarlig]

The axehead of Lokdrarlig's Urgrosh came down hard against the goblin. He may as well have been splitting paper with a knife, the weapon struck one goblin and produced two - effortlessly. The Duergar grunted, the exertion of such a feat was non-existent, he almost smiled as he relished in the combat. Almost. Violence had not aged with him, he did not enjoy needless fighting anymore.

A sigh escaped his lips and the Duergar trudged through the cavern - eventually spotting the daylight breaking through the edges of the rocky outcropping.

Despite his many years above the surface, the sunlight still wreaked havoc with his eyes and he made certain to don his special darkened spectacles to prevent light blindness. A brief backward glance before he stepped into the light confirmed he was not followed, confirmed he was alone.

It didn't take him long to spot the mage. She sat, visibly frustrated and annoyed, and the grey dwarf considered leaving her entirely. He didn't.

He had been recommended by one of his friends, Lokdrarlig would not wish to sully his friend's reputation because of something so silly as pride.

He coughed before he introduced himself. His voice thick, gravelly, and heavy like an avalanche. "Professor Syvis? Got here early to check the entrance, infested with goblins and cave trolls - or it was." He smiled a cheeky grin. Despite fighting for the best part of an hour, the Duergar seemed unfazed and unharmed.

"The UnderRealm is a big place, you got a destination in mind?"

 

[Syvis]

"Ah I see." She wasn't entirely sure if the Duergar was lying or if he'd just spent the better part of a day fighting to clear the entrance to the place she wanted to go. Either way though, Syvis tended to air on the side of believing someone until they proved they could not be believed. "Thank you for the diligence."

She offered with a smile in return.

Compared to the Duergar her voice was practically a squeak. A smile helped soften that though, and when he asked for a destination she quickly reached into her satchel and began to rummage around for a few seconds. Before long she produced a rolled up piece of parchment.

"Here." She said as she unfurled an ancient map.

The thing had been dug up in the Elbion library through the course of her studies.

"Krol'drak Hold." Syvis said, frowning for a moment before adding. "I'm sure I mispronounced that."

 

[Lokdrarlig]

Lokdrarlig chewed on a thought for a few moments. He'd spent a decade roaming the UnderRealm, he was familiar with a large portion of it, but that didn't matter. Everyone knew of Krol'Drak Hold. A nasty keep built by a powerful necromancer, rumour had it that a Mindflayer now took roost there, safe to say, it was a place best avoided.

"Almost, it's pronounced Krowl'Drrak. Are you sure you want to go there?" The trek would be dangerous, even before they reached the keep.

Between the entrance, she'd chosen and the depths they were venturing too, existed several goblin and troll strongholds. Worse still, he'd heard the Sviirfneblin's had been re-emerging this end of the region - he shuddered.

Lokdrarlig produced a fairly recent map and laid it beside her own ancient one. Several of the caverns marked on hers had since collapsed, new tunnels had been excavated, but overall the information still held roughly true.

"I ain't gonna sugar-coat it, it'll be hell... And if the rumours about the hold are true..."

 

[Syvis]

She nodded her head. "Yes I know."

Syvis couldn't help but appreciate the fact that he tried to beg her off this particular quest. For some reason it made her trust him more. Perhaps because if someone who did not have her best interest would have just lead her half-way and then left her for death.

Or maybe she was just a fool.

"I believe I can find something pertaining to my research there." Syvis decided that he deserved to know the truth at least. "And I am no lost little mage, I can assure you of that master Duergar."

She might not have been a Dreadlord, but she knew how to fight better than most of the Professors in Elbion. She'd had to learn for her studies. "If you are willing to take me, that is where I want to go."

 

[Lokdrarlig]

He smiled. The girl was brave, he wondered if her stubbornness would protect her from the Mindflayer.

He shuddered at the thought. "It's going to be hard, the Sviirfneblin's have been roaming the region closest to the keep and we might have to deal with a Mindflayer. You'll need your wits about you or they will, and I cannot stress this enough, shatter your sanity."

Fear was good. Any emotion was good. Duergar taught anger and fury, it kept them centred and anchored to the present. It helped to ward off tricks, schemes and hexes from all sorts of mind-bending wizards. He hoped his racial resilience would be enough for them both.

Lokdrarlig nodded briefly but said no more on the matter. Instead, he turned - twirling his urgrosh around slowly in his hand - several small flicks of green ichor slid off from his encounter with the goblin earlier.

Content with her answer, he stepped into the darkness, ready to face the upcoming trial head-on.

 

[Syvis]

Syvis nodded her head emphatically, frowning for a brief second but making sure to take on his words.

There was no doubt in her mind that the dangers of the Underrealm were incredibly real. Goblins, Drow, and of course the Mindflayers. Syvis had studied them all, as someone of her stature had to. As soon as she'd found the map and decided on this undertaking the Professor had done her best to study and learn as much as she could.

All of that had been noted down in a small journal which she now carried in her satchel. Syvis wouldn't reveal that just yet, mostly because she did not want to upstage her guide. The man seemed rather kind, and Syvis had no intention of making him feel bad.

"Has the Underrealm been...normal lately?" She asked slowly, not entirely sure how to phrase the question.

 

[Lokdrarlig]

As he stepped into the darkened tunnel, Lokdrarlig took a moment to remove his spectacles and attune his eyes to the darkness. He didn't question Syvis about her eyesight, he assumed the mage would have accounted for the light-levels, or at least brought a torch.

"I haven't been back in almost a century... But I hear things." He paused, making his way slowly into the passage, his hand gripping the urgrosh firmer as he listened and watched for signs of activity.

"The Sviirf's are roaming these parts, for them to be here means something - or someone - forced them out of their domain." He shuddered. The Deep Gnomes were to be treated with caution. Adept with all manner of grizzly poisons, their magic capable of depriving you of all your senses, memories and, the most skilled of them, capable of summoning illusory phantasms.

"Well, it's only a guess, but I've never known them to leave their settlements." He sighed. He had tried to research the state of the 'realm before he took this job, but it seemed as chaotic and dangerous as ever.

 

[Syvis]

Syvis nodded her head in understanding. "It seems there's trouble all over."

Back home the city of Elbion was in discussion with other Great Cities about events in the world. Vel Anir and the Empire were both posturing for war, Alliria's navy was ever expanding and even Cerak was rebuilding after the latest naval attack. Things were complicated on the surface, and it seemed the Underrealm was no different.

"May you live in interesting times." She quoted to herself with a frown.

She supposed whoever had said that must have lived a very boring life indeed.

"Well, whatever Chaos we step into I'll be sure to steel myself." Syvis assured him as they walked. "Thank you."

She offered him a warm smile.

This trip would be essential in furthering her research, and she would not have it go wrong because of pride.

 

[Lokdrarlig]

"I'd much prefer to live in peaceful times. However, I know whatever we encounter will be interesting." He turned as he spoke, his pale eyes cutting through the deepening darkness. Part of him felt comfort in the nostalgia of returning to the depths.

The other part felt anxious for the journey ahead. "So, what is it you're after in the dark?" He turned on the balls of his feet, despite his conversation with Syvis, he kept his ears attuned to the sounds around them.

While he'd cleared the entrance initially of any potential threats, he had no doubt there would be surprises in store for them both. For now, however, he wanted to keep such things to a minimum and kept an ear to the ground.

Additionally, he wondered silently to himself if it was worth asking the mage about the reason for her journey. He'd seldom encountered her kind, but the few he had had made him regret that question.

"You'll need a torch or a spell in the next few minutes, once we reach the monument there the natural light will be consumed by the darkness." In his field of vision, Lokdrarlig could clearly make out a statue several hundred yards in the distance, yet to any without such keen senses he would simply be pointing off into a void.

 

[Syvis]

"Hm." Syvis realized quietly, then quickly opened her palm and spoke a few short words.

The spell was a simple one, beyond simple in fact, but Syvis had never really seen the point in making things complex. A ball of light suddenly sparked into life over her hand, it slowly floated into the air and then quietly began to follow along with the two travelers.

"I believe that at one point in time all magic was connected by a single tether." Syvis explained. "I call this tether the Ether."

She has discovered some small evidence for this, and her theory alone was based off of dozens of writings and times she'd found in the Elbion Archives. The belief was not an especially important one, but it allowed for a view into what magic actually cost. The price as it were. "The hold we are traveling to was once him to a powerful artificer, as I'm sure you know. I believe I can find information there to support my theory."

At least she hoped.

 

[Lokdrarlig]

Lokdrarlig winced, the sudden light caused a sharp pain in his eyes. Thankfully, however, the mage was smart enough not to make it too bright. The dimmed wisp that followed behind them both was enough to give her room to see ahead, but not so much as to deprive him of his dark vision.

He didn't particularly understand her theory, nor a lot of what she was saying. His attention was focused almost entirely on their surroundings - in the distance, he could hear the faint dripping of water. Drip, drip, drip.

He sighed, however, letting his attention shift as he considered her goal. "You're chasing Dhinloduhr's cache?" Lokdrarlig spoke incredulously.

His race was insular. They considered them above the other denizens of the Underrealm. The frequently waged war and enslaved the lesser communities. Yet Dhinloduhr had been the first to successfully engage them, they had been a fledgeling race then - only just having split from their Dwarven cousins.

His name, roughly, meant race-killer. It was the closest word they had to genocide. Almost a millennia passed and he still spread fear within the Underrealm.

The dripping paused, briefly. It had gone from a rhythmic and predictable dripping, yet it had been interrupted - briefly.

Something was coming towards them.

"There's something on the way, they may not be enemies, but I cannot guarantee they're friends either." He spoke calmly, still shaken from her revelation, and fingered his Urgrosh.

 

[Syvis]

"He was despicable." Syvis answered curtly. "But undoubtedly powerful. I wish to make something good come from his works."

She had no designs on power herself, in fact she'd turned down the position of Maestar at the College several times now. Her knowledge in the fields of magic were vast, but none of it had ever made her want to be a leader.

The Professor had a natural curiosity, and that was the only thing which drove her.

As soon as Lok spoke of someone coming Syvis spoke three soft words. In an instant the globe of light above her shoulder began to dim, not dying out completely but letting it's light fall low enough that it would barely allow her to see. "I am ready."

She said, fingers flexing slightly as she prepared a spell in her mind.

 

[Lokdrarlig]

He nodded but didn't speak. While he had no doubt that Syvis seemed no harm, Lokdrarlig had lived enough lifetimes to know that no bad-guy ever does. Hopefully, however, he was wrong. Hopefully, this time at least, her intentions and desire would hold out and whatever it is that she did find could be used for good.

In the distance, two cave goblins rounded the corner. Despite a ceremonial dagger at their sides, the two seemed relatively unarmed. Lokdrarlig eased slightly, the tight grip on his weapon loosening for a brief moment and he awaited the duo to spot them.

The goblins were deep in conversation, but immediately stopped when they sensed they were being watched.

"Oi, whats you looking at rockhead and pigs skin!" The lead goblin shouted to the duo, Lokdrarlig smiled, his free hand dipping into his pocket to withdraw a few anirian crowns. He nodded to Syvis to remain calm.

"Here's how it's gonna go you green-skinned, trash-gnome bastards." He snickered, the goblins - in turn - snickered. They certainly seemed more metropolitan and smart than the ones he was used to dealing with.

"There's coin in it for both of you, if you can tell us how to get to the Thaluud Tunnel with the least amount of danger possible." He smiled. He didn't trust either of the pair to tell the whole truth, but he knew enough to know if they were lying. Regardless of their answers, there would be some merit to the discussions.

"My friend here's a sparkler too, so I'd be careful about trying to con us." He smiled, gesturing back towards Syvis. Hopefully she wouldn't be too offended at his choice of words.

 

[Syvis]

Syvis had been called worse than a Sparkler.

The terminology in fact was fascinating to her. It was easy to forget that the Underrealm was a wholly different place than the surface. There were traditions and ways of speaking here that were utterly foreign where she came from.

She had to resist pulling out her second journal and taking some notes, deciding instead to draw herself up slightly taller and twitch her finger. As soon as she did the globe of light seemed to grow a bit brighter, casting light behind Lokdarlig.

The intended infect was to punctuate the Duergar's words.

She was a mage, and was more than willing to use that fact to their advantage.

 

[Lokdrarlig]

Whether intentional or not, the light cast menacing shadows over the Duergar and he seemed to grow several feet taller in the eyes of the Goblins.

The smiles were wiped from their faces as quickly as they had come and the two figures soon began to exchange brief words in Goblin.

"Uh, Thaluud tunnels... Yes... Uh" The main goblin glanced towards Lokdrarlig and Syvis, unsure of who to be more afraid of. His comrade, however, bit the bullet and took over his place as designated speaker.

"Finks it's safer to avoid Oldunnari" The figure slowly withdrew his knife and began to sketch out a route for the two. He gestured towards some of the tunnels that immediately followed their chosen route.

"Lottsa trolls shifting, heard talks of a minotaur or two as well. Safer to detour through Soubar's gate, carry on down that ways until you reach Derith Oasis." He spoke a few more names and places that Lokdrarlig was unfamiliar with.

When the goblin finished, Lokdrarlig passed him a few extra coins. His points, for the most part, seemed true and if there were minotaurs roaming Oldunnari the detour he suggested would make sense - even if it made the journey longer.

The duo scurried away and Lok sighed. "Don't like the signs of all this activity. We'll do as he says, make our way to Derith - it's a decent-sized mining city. Be a good place to find rumours and stock up on information. It's about half-way to the keep as well." He turned, catching a glimpse of the goblins as they scurried off towards the surface.

 

[Syvis]

Syvis did not descriminate by race. Elbion was a city of diversity almost unparalleled, and she had many times over befriended others of different species.

For some reason though the Goblins were hard for her to trust.

Perhaps it was because she did not know this place, or perhaps it was because all the names they listed hardly sparked a memory in her mind. It didn't matter the reason why, but she felt extra cautious here. Lips thinned, but as Lol agreed with their course of action she slowly nodded.

"I trust you." If he thought it the best way, then she would believe him.

What was the point of hiring a guide if you didn't follow what they said? Syvis had personally seen the disaster that such foolishness could bring, and she was not eager to repeat such idiocy herself.

"Should we hire mercenaries? She asked. "If the way is really that dangerous."

It wasn't like money was really an object, the College was paying her way.

 

[Lokdrarlig]

He nodded and carried on through the neverending darkness. The drip, drip, dripping of the well slowly grew louder with each step until a small spring of clear water came into vision. Lokdrarlig smiled, bending down low to meet the body of water and splashed his face a few times before taking a sip.

He smiled. The water beneath the surface had a certain taste, a silty rusty tang. It tasted familiar, it reminded him of home. "Good to hear it, we'll need to stick close if we're to survive." He cast a small smile towards the mage, running his wet fingers through his beard and slicking back his hair.

He paused at the question. He knew Syvis was good for her coin, he'd been paid a hefty deposit and was promised almost double that for a safe return.

"We'll see how the tunnels fare between us and Derith. We've got a lot of miles to go." He spoke calmly after a long delay, taking the appropriate time to assess the question. Mercenaries would have been a good suggestion - if they were still on the surface. He sighed. It would be hard to find trustworthy sellswords in the dark, but he knew the dangers ahead. He knew they might, in the end, have to settle.

 

[Syvis]

Syvis decided not to drink underground lake water, mostly because she figured her biome wouldn't be too pleased with whatever lurked in there.

Instead she waited for Lok to answer her questions, nodding in understanding. She would not press the cause, already knowing that he likely didn't trust those who would hire themselves out down here. It was a consequence of the danger in the Underrealm, and one she would accept.

"Let's continue then." She said as she cast the orb forward and allowed it to glow a bit brighter.

If the path ahead of them truly was as dangerous as he suggested then Syvis wanted to be able to see whatever monster would try for her head coming. There was a distinct unease in her about the dark, though she supposed that was only natural.

Still, she kept the globe of light going even as they traveled for hours.

 

[Lokdrarlig]

Time was a strange thing in the Underrealm. While the surface had dials, clocks or simply the moon and the sun to mark significant points in time, the Underrealm had nothing.

The endless blackness, sticking through labyrinthian tunnels and avoiding fellow denizens meant the darkness and the accompanying silence became all-consuming. Not only was it easy for one to become lost, but it was also equally easy to lose oneself in the abyss.

Some cultures or people had established routines, established times, they made their own equivalents to clocks and marked the passing of each day as such. That said, it was not universal. In the Underrealm everyone did their own. Everyone had different cycles. Everyone was different.

Lokdrarlig was aware of the consuming silence, the chatter between himself and Syvis had kept them going for the first few hours, but with the monotonous drudgery that was their hike conversation soon died.

He sighed. Glancing down at a watch he'd been given decades ago. Dwarven craftsmanship, but simple. It was elegant in a minimalist sort of way and it was built to last, to outlast even. Judging from the watch, he guessed they'd been marching a solid eight hours. Even his Dwarven stamina could not keep up this pace for more than a few more hours without rest.

"We'll make camp here." He led the duo off the tunnel they were following and found a small cavern, shooting off from their path - the only entrance.

Rest stops like this were littered throughout the Underrealm. Like this one, they often contained a brief sigil to both allow for a traveller to find it and to act as a marker for their journey.

He smiled as he began to build a campfire. He was looking forward to a bit of rest and some food.

 

[Syvis]

On the surface a cavern like this might have been called 'quaint', but down here it was really just more of the same scenery. Syvis didn't mind that really, she had been on similar expeditions in the Falwood and the story had been much the same.

Though of course it had been trees there. "That won't be necessary. One second."

She told the Duergar as he began to put together a fire. With a quick flip of her bag Syvis began to dig through the canvas, poking around for a few minutes until she found what she was looking for.

"Here we are." She stated a she took a few steps back and placed a cube onto the ground. There was a pause, she looked over at Lok and then motioned for him to step away. "Happens fast."

Syvis said as though that would be enough of an explanation. Then she pressed the top of the cube and stepped away.

Half a second passed, and then suddenly the cube opened up and from it exploded out an entire camp. Two bedrolls, a campfire, and two logs placed opposite the flame. They burst into existence as if from nothing, and Syvis looked quite pleased with herself. "Instant camp."

She said with a beaming smile.

The little magic artifact had been part of her graduation project. A display of her magical skill as well as a demonstration that she was eager for exploration of the greater world. It still worked a decade later.

 

[Lokdrarlig]

He raised an eyebrow and followed the display with a small smile. Lokdrarlig enjoyed the simplicity and routine of making a camp and, as a whole, he was generally wary of magic. Yet even he had to admit, after the journey the two of them had just had, he enjoyed the prospect of putting his feet up for a little bit.

"Handy ability that" He conceded gruffly, before withdrawing a few bugs and worms he'd collected throughout the course of their trek.

"I'll cook, you must be tired out from setting up camp." He grinned towards the mage and placed a large tin pot from his supplies above the campfire.

He knew humans - as a whole - seemed squeamish about eating bugs and insects. Strange, they were happy to eat almost anything - yet they drew the line at that. He shrugged to himself, Underrealm food had whole different textures and flavours that could not be described.

He wasn't a bad cook either, which helped. He began by pouring some of the silty water he collected from the earlier spring. Boiling removed the impurities, but even that failed to remove the strange tangy flavour that would complement the stew.

"Interesting development. In the darkness, things evolve to have better senses. Food, likewise, evolved. You cook for it to taste good and, similarly, to smell vile, putrid, or, simply, have no fragrance at all" He grinned. He'd chosen a recipe of the latter variety. He didn't want to scare Syvis with some of the smellier dishes.

Eventually, the Duergar was done. Several spices, strange bugs, pale vegetables and everything you could imagine was contained in the dish. He grinned and ladled up a portion for them both.

"When you're ready to sleep, I'll take first watch." It was a statement, it left no room for manoeuvre.

 

[Syvis]

Syvis did not seem to mind the insect diet, or at the very least she said nothing about it. "I once took a trip to the Ixchel Wilds."

The Professor spoke as she blew on the wooden spoon containing her stew, chomping down on it after she felt it was sufficiently cooled off. A smile touched her face, though not at all because of the taste. The Flavor was something akin to eating an old sock, but she could manage it.

"They eat Scorpions there." She said with an odd expression. "Though they're covered with a strange sort of mixture made with the bean of a tree."

Her head shook. "A fascinating place, but very dangerous."

For a second something seemed to strike her, then she added. "I suppose much like this place is."

Arethil had many places that most would wish to avoid at all cost. Syvis wanted nothing more than to see and study them all.

 

[Lokdrarlig]

He was impressed that Syvis did not baulk at the prospect of eating bugs, nor did she seem too disgusted by his food. Humans, as a whole, had a pretty unrefined palate - something about their tastebuds being not as acute or fine as the other races. Lokdrarlig smiled as he wolfed down his delicious authentic stew - awash with exotic flavours and textures.

"Sounds nice, I enjoy a bit of bean and the occasional scorpion." He smiled. Lokdrarlig had been friends with some dwarven poison eaters. Folk who spend their lives consuming and training their body to consume the most dangerous substances known to mortal folk. Personally, he enjoyed a little bit of poison in his diet. Kept him regular and added a unique flavour.

"Can't say I've been. The Underrealm in Epressa... That's a whole 'nother territory. Very rare you see the two continents mingle." It was a curious thing. The bulk of Epressa - past the spine - was dangerous and uncharted. The lands underneath mirrored it, he often wondered what horrors lurked there.

"Wouldn't say it's too dangerous in the 'Realm. The biggest danger is getting lost, if you keep your head down and stay within settlements your life will be relatively harm-free." He grinned. It would be interesting to see some of the villages and towns on their way to the hold. Each one was unique, each one held character, and each one was a melting pot of several of the hundreds of races that called this subterranean world their home.

 

[Syvis]

The Underrealm reached to Epressa?

Syvis had no idea why she found that so shocking. It made sense if you really thought about it, particularly given that there were no oceans down here beneath the rock. A frown touched her face for a moment, and she wondered what else she did not know of this place. "Your people."

She prompted quietly.

"Where are they from?" Syvis never thought that such a subject might be a sore spot for him, mostly because she didn't consider such things. She was a scholar, and academic who would gather knowledge wherever and however she could.

What was a few hurt feelings in the wake of understanding?