CHAPTER 4.08 - THE SUNKEN CITY

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Wulfram is standing on a wide rock ledge 150' above the highest level
of the ruined city that stretches in front of him far below. As Wulfram rests upon the ledge, overlooking the ruined city, he feels his strength return and he is invigorated. (LEVEL 5 attained – Paladin 2/Ranger 3).

The ledge is 150' above the highest level of the ruined city that lies below. It is dimly lit in places by glowing lanterns and Wulfram can see the ground slopes downward and is covered by water, the depth of which is unclear from his vantage point. The buildings below are clearly made of stone and the construction type is unfamiliar to him. The walls of the buildings appear to be very smooth. The ruined city extends as far as he can see into darkness although the glowing lanterns do provide pinpoint references of light. PERCEPTION 22. INTELLIGENCE 17.

Wulfram realises his own sputtering torch on the ledge may have drawn some attention from below. He also notes that a precarious 20' wide crumbling stone stairway exists at the right side of the massive ledge he is standing on. The stairway appears to wind its way down following the contour of the ledge and stone wall below at a 5' incline. Its carved and chiseled steps are man-sized. He douses the flaming torch to avoid being seen so easily and contemplates the stairway. It doesn't look very safe.

There is a commotion far below and Wulfram can make out humanoid creatures moving below. They look thin and emaciated; definitely not human. But they are agile and move with a purpose notheless. PERCEPTION 20. And then there is a tremendous rock breaking sound and the ledge shakes as many boulders and a section of the rock wall collapses inward at the northern edge of the cavern. The figures are very agitated and respond by rushing towards the collapse and take up defensive positions amongst rubble and broken buildings. This is followed by an ominous loud insect sound and from the collapsed portion of cavern wall a massive ape-like beetle creature assaults the defenders. They respond with a volley of spears and lose six of their warriors before the creature retires.

Reinforcements arrive to assist the defenders soon after and the fallen are retrieved. The humanoids have entered a heightened state of alert. PERCEPTION 31. Wulfram obseves the creatures and realises they are reptilian, clearly well armed with basic weaponry and unfriendly. He continues waiting and watching from the dark ledge until he sees the bulk of the reinforcements and original defenders retire back into the city. They leave perhaps six scattered warriors on guard once they are satisfied the threat has passed.

Wulfram considers the creatures are "lizard-men" for that is the closest thing they look like to him. He again contemplates the stairway and then makes his way slowly down it. REFLEX (three checks, none lower than 18). He reaches the cavern without incident and undetected.

Then, suddenly, Wulfram experiences an odd sensation. The hair on the back of his neck stands on end and his head starts pounding. There is a snarling sound in his head that gets louder. WILL 17 - He consumes some more wolvenwort ... the snarling inside his head subsides and becomes understandable – WILL 27. He resists the urge to become a wolf. Bestial. Something unmistakably powerful and very old is calling out to him, seeking to influence and control. Forcing and willing him to change. Wulfram resists as the urge grows more intense. It is very distracting and dangerous. Wulfram realises this is very familiar and recalls who this might be. Fenris ... !

Shaking the effect off Wulfram realises the lizard men are drawing close to his position by the stairs. He senses they are evil and he can hear them hissing. He retires into the shadows and moves to the opposite corner, concealing himself in a narrow crevice. As he does so he hears movement high above on the rock ledge where he had been standing and sees the flicker of shadows under a sudden flare of magical light. He catches a glance of hooded figures and then he hears one of them calling out above the others chanting. "Stop the Son of Fenris and hold him ... he is among you ... stop him ... he has evaded us ..."

There are hissing responses. Wulfram remains in the dark.

PERCEPTION 30. He hears the lizards splashing in between the houses and splashing sounds get closer. Remain concealed. Slow deliberate footsteps splash towards his direction. Hissing sound draws very near. High above there is chanting and then the magical light subsides from ledge, leaving total darkness.

The splashing sounds move away, back towards the ruined houses. Then it is quiet. The occasional splash sounds in the distance. INT 11 – judging by the sound of the splashing there must be a lot of water out there, but it sounds like it can be walked through.

Wulfram waits and rests in the small alcove he has found in the rock face. He spends a few hours. Nibbled some rations and feel well rested. Moving quietly and very slowly he edges towards the ruined houses. He reaches them and stays in the shadows. The houses are stone but have have been sundered. If they were intact they would have been very nice houses. The stonework is very smooth and was covered by an outer layer of painted plaster. He moves deeper into the ruined city.

PERCEPTION 28. A small lizard is watching him. It has a bluish sheen to its skin. It is motionless. Wulfram looks at it. It returns his gaze, flicks its tongue and scuttles away with a splash and it swims through the shallow water.

Wulfram moves south between illuminated patches and comes to a road. About 100' away is a large structure, one of several he observed from the ledge.

PERCEPTION 28. Looking East down the road, Wulfram sees a band of six lizard warriors advancing in his direction. They have not seen him. He ducks out of sight. HIDE 14. Their splashing footsteps get closer. Suddenly they stop about 20' away (Wulfram is concealed inside a more intact stone house) and one of them starts snarling and the others disperse and he hears them searching amongst the adjoining buildings.

Splashing enters the dwelling that Wulfram is hiding in. The hissing draws near and he hear the lizard man breathing and then it retires back to the entrance of that building. It is waiting. Then Wulframs hears hooting and whistling coming from the building next door and with a loud splash the creature in his building disappears, leaving him alone.

He waits and the creatures appear to have departed. It is very quiet outside. He waits. After some time has passed, Wulfram exits the building and moves out across the road towards the larger structure he saw earlier.

Ambushed by lizard men from rooftop – hail of spears ... odour ... FORTITUDE 22 ... sickness and nausea dissipate. Wulfram runs to get away as three lizards come down and the others prepare to throw another volley of spears. A spear strikes Wulfram in the shoulder as he runs (5hp plus poison). FORTITUDE 27. The wound stings as you remove the spear. He duck into a nearby group of houses. Sticking to the shadows he hides amongst the alley ways between them and keeps moving southward, still avoiding any direct illumination.

The lizards have begun searching again. There are whistling calls and responses from further eastward. Splashing comes from that direction towards Wulfram's location. HIDE 19. Stepping carefully in the shallow water, Wulfram remains hidden and enters another house. As he steps inside the footing underneath begins to give way. REFLEX 13. He dives sidewards and avoids falling through a sinkhole in the floor. He gasps and pauses, catching his breath. Two lizard men rush past outside.

He waits. Time passes. The cries of agitation and the splashing of the searchers ceases. Wulfram is alone again, in the dark and cold. He moves outside carefully. INTUIT DIRECTION 21. He recalls that SE of his current position he had seen a large domed structure. He moves towards it.

On reaching the building Wulfram realises it is a religious centre, a Cathedral. The high dome above holds a large cross. The massive decorative double doors and the wall beside them were breached long ago and the lower level has collapsed in many places. The building is flooded.

It is ominously quiet here. There are splashing sounds back towards where he came from. Cautiously, Wulfram leaves his cover and crosses the stone plaza. The water varies in depth in here between 3-5' in places. He goes inside through the breached entranceway.

The Cathedral is a dismal place that has obviously seen better times. Religious books and papers have been torned, shredding and water soaked. Only fragments may be salvaged. Wulfram does not bother as this is not his god. He explores the higher levels. There is clear evidence of fire and melee fighting throughout. He finds the bones and armour of religious warriors scattered upstairs. Two symbols are evident; the holy cross and the upturned one. INTELLIGENCE 14. Wulfram surmises these fallen knights were those who may have served the houses of Crosstenmarch and Madenstadt. SEARCH 24. Wulfram finds a wooden containing ten silver crosses. The presence of them inflames his silver sense and he leaves them because they are repulsive. In a small reading/study room he finds twelve sealed scroll cases. Each is marked with a cross and he takes them. On the lower level he wades through upturned wooden pews to reach the altar which is desecrated. Beside it he finds a large wooden cross that no longer stands upright. It has fallen at an angle; nailed to it in a crucifixion pose are the skeletal remains of the former high priest in tatter ceremonial robes.

WILL 25 – Wulfram feels Fenris calling again. Urging him to become his true nature. For a moment he feels like he really does want to but he resists.

Wulfram exists the cathedral cautiously – HIDE 15. He moves deeper into the city. INT 9. Wulfram is uncertain but he thinks there may have been another large structure slightly south of this one. He decides to investigate that direction. He creeps through dark alleyways and comes to another road where the water depth is 5'.

He crosses ... Net encounter. Several lizard men attack. He ducks under the water ... swims to evade the lizard men ... SWIM 16 ... towards the large structure.

The net splashes down hopelessly beside him, even its weighted ends aren't effective in trapping you. The three lizard men that burst out of the water are giving chase and swimming after him towards the Art Gallery structure.

Wulfram recahes the large structure. Once magnificent, the ground under its foundations sunk to make it flood. The structure is flooded with 2' water.

He stands his ground and pulls his axe out at the ready. The lizard men leap out of the water, snarling and brandishing stone-headed battle axes. Wulfram delivers a mighty blow against the first ... 29hp and kills the creatures. The remaining two swing their axes, missing. Wulfram swings his axe again, striking the second ... 23hp ... it falls to the ground bleeding and not moving. The last one again attacks and strikes Wulfram doing 5hp and it secretes a foul smelling oil into the water around it. FORTITUDE 34. No effect. As it shifts its footing to attack again, Wulfram hits for 27hp ... killing it. It fall backwards into the water and sinks out of sight.

Wulfram's wound is minor and the amulet of Freya heals it quickly. In the distance (across the plaza and the connected road) amongst the houses, Wulfram hears more splashing sounds as it is obvious that more of these lizard warriors are aware of his presence.

Wulfram goes inside. He sees evidence of this being an art gallery. The bulk of the collection is either missing or destroyed. He goes to the upper levels (drier).

He hears noises of the pursuing creatures outside. SEARCH 31.

WILL 22. There is a loud pounding in Wulfram's ears as the call to change into his true form grows stronger. Something is calling. Something evil. Something that feels familiar. Something beastial. Wolven.

INT 13. “Fenris,” Wulfram thinks as he consumes more wolvenmort.

“Yes, it is I. I command you. Change. Join me. Why resist? You are here to ... free me ... yes ... ”

“Get your precious Reisen Morgus to do it,” Wulfram mutter and resist the call.