Grim Tales

----> "There used to be outdoor stairways leading up the temple's lower halls and into the main floor, but we found them to have been…er… removed," Yohon answers. "We had to climb the side with grappling hooks and ropes."
----> "Yes," Aegeon expands, "and we left them draped over the backside of the temple, so, if they are still there, we may be able to climb back in the same way."
----> "The upper portions of the temple seem to be abandoned by all except the macaques," Yohon continues, referring to the gray-haired monkeys that even now draw curiously closer to the group. He looks around at the attentive faces watching him. "If I had the cartographs, I could brief this better…"
----> "You have maps?" Grant asks. He is obviously in his environment now. All the talk of soldiering and recon teams and strategic briefings has him scowling, but with an inner smile somehow.
----> "Had maps," Aegeon corrects him. "Felwyn was carrying the cartographs when he was killed."
----> Tilwic urges Yohon to continue, despite the lack of visual aids.
----> "Once we descended beyond the main floor, the halls were crawling with Other. We had to—"
----> "I'm sorry," Alliandra interrupts. "'Other'?"
----> Yohon and Aegeon look to Tilwic to explain. The Blackrobe's forehead crinkles for a moment and then he gives an answer no one wants to hear.
----> "Not dead. Not alive. But Other," he states. "Undead."
----> Alasdair groans. Alliandra stands and makes the sign of a cross. Grant spits a dwarven curse into the grass. Tharg looks to Conner to explain what is going on. "Bad-bones," he says shaking his head sadly. Tharg's face turns a bit pale. The two barbarians step back from the group with downtrodden expressions.
----> Grant needs more logistical information. "So your team fell to these Other?"
----> "No. Not there," Aegeon answers, brushing his golden hair out of his face. He kneels and draws a rough sketch in the grass, making muddy lines in its rich, emerald blades. "Once we got a bit further to here [he points at a point that seems somehow outside the map], we had a cave-in. There's no telling how far we fell."
----> "That's where Lonka died. In the cave-in," Yohon adds.
----> "We wandered around a bit, trying to gain our bearings," the other marryk continues the recap. "We stumbled onto a room full of stink and worms. Black water lined the floor. It was there that the rest of our team fell."
----> "The thing came out of nowhere." Picking up the tale where his companion left off, Yohon paints a gruesome portrait of battle. "It sucked the life right out of Aerrik and Thorsh before we could even see it." The silver-eyes on the marryk's face have dilated. He seems very far off as he finishes detailing the encounter. "By the time we had a chance to react, Felwyn was dying. His blood filled my eyes and my mouth as I screamed. When Jeavor called the retreat, there was only four of us left."
----> Aegeon stands, nodding his head. He takes a step away from Yohon, drawing the attention away from his friend's glossy stare. "We wandered about for days. It was Yohon and I, Jeavor, and Sarrek. Sarrek was hurt. He had what looked like a shark bite on his thigh. It was infected and he drifted in and out of waking. He wouldn't eat and he spoke in gibberish. We thought for sure he'd die."
----> "But he didn't?" Meggana jumps in.
----> "No," Aegeon answers. "Not right away. We had to…" He grows silent. "It was…"
----> Yohon, still staring down at the grass, but far, far beyond the green carpet, finishes, "I killed him."
----> The chill runs through the group, slapping each member once on the cheek as it passes.
----> Aegeon quickly explains. "I awoke on the fourth night to hear Sarrek finally eating. He was sucking his teeth and laughing. I was so thrilled that he was conscious and eating that I rushed to his side and embraced him. My dear friend Sarrek." A tear seems to form in the marryk's eye, but a moment later it is gone. "That's when I saw his face. It was covered in blood and gore. His teeth had grown misproportioned and sharp. His eyes were sunk deep into his skull and had filled with a milky-gray color."
----> The group held its collective breath as Yohon finished the account.

----> "He was eating Jeavor."

----> Meggana's shock is evident. Alliandra and Cyrdan, too, are horrified by the tale. Even Grant's hardened sensibilities are shaken.
----> The marryk go on to say that the thing that once was Sarrek took a beheading before it was finally stopped.

Entrances