“An obsidian crown,” he muttered, lifting it reverently. “Provides resistance to magic and I can activate it to repel a spell back at someone, sweet. It also has resistance to status ailments.” He grinned, then gave Lorelai a look. “It's a good thing I called dibs, isn't it?”?
Lorelai shook her head. “It matches your ego.”?
He bowed deeply after placing it atop his head. “A crown fit for a king of sarcasm.”?
Among the other fragments, Aeryn dug out two glass vials sealed with wax—potions glowing with faint silver mist. “Healing, and something else... this one smells like honeysuckle and pepper.”?
Kael took a vial, turning it in his fingers. “Resistance to mental debuffs. Nice.”?
The rest of the spoils were scattered and eclectic: a charm carved in the shape of a waning moon that pulsed with illusion magic, a tattered journal written in a forgotten dialect, and a shard of tourmaline that sparked on touch. Lorelai couldn't place it but she felt this stone was meant for her and pocketed it. Calder took the charm and Kael pocketed the journal with quiet fascination.?
“Time to go,” Nyra called, already ascending the spiral stairs. “The second floor awaits us.”?
The descent from the frozen lake was abrupt, as if the dungeon itself had exhaled winter and inhaled something older, drier, and far more patient.?
The third floor unfurled like a secret tomb long sealed from the world above. The walls shifted from glacial ice to massive sandstone blocks, weathered with age and etched with sprawling murals in flaking gold leaf. Columns lined the stairwell, their surfaces covered in depictions of sun-headed gods and snake-bodied figures offering tribute to an unseen power. Dust, fine and undisturbed, carpeted the ground like a forgotten snowfall, muffling the sound of every footstep.?
As they reached the main chamber, the scale became clear—it was shaped like an inverted ziggurat, a massive pit carved with concentric terraces that descended toward a central dais far below. Each level held niches carved into the stone, some empty, others still housing statues that loomed in eternal prayer or judgment, their eyes inlaid with gems that glinted in the flickering torchlight.?
At the lowest level, the floor was composed of worn obsidian tiles, many cracked or chipped by time. In its center lay a stone altar encircled by concentric rings of script, carved deep and filled with dark resin that shimmered like spilled oil. Behind it, half-sunken into the stone, stood a sarcophagus bound in thick iron chains. The bindings themselves seemed to pulse faintly, as though holding back more than just stone.?
The air was thick with incense that had long gone bitter—traces of myrrh and something acrid, like scorched parchment. It clung to the walls, the statues, the bones of the chamber itself. Every breath tasted of ancient rituals and the kind of silence reserved for tombs that had been sealed with purpose.?
High above, near the ceiling, an oculus of blackened glass filtered the light down in narrow shafts, casting geometric shadows across the terraces. It felt like a sun that had long since died, preserved only in memory.?
The deeper one gazed into the chamber, the more it seemed the room gazed back—unmoving, unblinking, and utterly unwilling to forget.?
As they descended the terraces, the oppressive silence was broken by a low, grinding sound. The chains binding the sarcophagus began to rattle, the iron links vibrating as if struck by an unseen force. Dust cascaded from the ceiling, and the air grew heavier, laden with the scent of decay.?
“Looks like we’ve found the boss,” Thrax muttered, tightening his grip on his axe.?
With a deafening crack, the chains snapped, and the sarcophagus lid exploded outward, sending shards of stone flying. From within, a figure emerged—tall and gaunt, wrapped in tattered linen bandages stained with age. Its eyes glowed with an eerie blue light, and a golden headdress rested atop its head, adorned with a serpent motif.?
“I am Setekh, Guardian of the Eternal Rest,” the mummy intoned, its voice a dry rasp that echoed through the chamber. “You shall not defile this sacred place.”?
Without warning, Setekh raised his arms, and the murals on the walls began to shimmer. From the niches, the statues stirred, their stone forms cracking as they came to life. The party found themselves surrounded by animated guardians, each wielding ancient weapons.?
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“We’ve got company!” Kael shouted, nocking an arrow and firing at the nearest statue. The arrow struck true, shattering the guardian’s head.?
Calder slammed his fists into the ground, causing a shockwave that toppled several of the animated statues. “Focus on the mummy!” he bellowed.?
Lorelai charged forward, her spear crackling with crimson energy. She aimed for Setekh’s chest, but the mummy raised a hand, conjuring a barrier of sand that absorbed the blow.?
“He's got a strong defense,” she shouted in warning.?
Nyra vanished into the shadows, reappearing behind Setekh and slashing at his back. Her blades cut through the bandages, but the mummy seemed unfazed.?
Setekh turned, his eyes locking onto Nyra. With a gesture, he unleashed a wave of necrotic energy that sent her flying across the chamber.?
“We need to disrupt his magic!” Aeryn called out, summoning her wind spirit, she sent several air blades hurling at the mummy. The blades exploded on impact, causing Setekh to stagger as cuts opened over its body.?
Kael took the opportunity to fire a volley of arrows, each one imbued with mana. The arrows struck Setekh and seemed to do measurable damage to him. "I'll time my arrows against his casting, hopefully that'll interrupt the spells," Kael shouted to his teammates.?
Thrax roared, charging at the mummy with his axe ablaze. He swung with all his might, but it was blocked by sand. Thrax went for another powerful overhead cleave, but this time when the mummy went to raise his hand again to use the sand shield, a mana imbued arrow interrupted his cast and Thrax cleaved the mummy in twine. Setekh’s let out a guttural scream, its form beginning to unravel.?
With a significant amount of mana channeled into her fingers, Lorelai thrust them forward [Zakir], crimson lightning raced towards the two halves of Setekh’s, who was just barely lingering. The mummy’s body was engulfed by the large lightning bolt leaving only a pile of dust and bandages.?
The chamber fell silent once more, the animated statues crumbling to pieces. The party gathered around the remains of Setekh, examining the loot that had materialized.?
Loot:?
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Pharaoh’s Aegis: A shield that grants immunity to necrotic damage and reflects a portion of magical attacks back at the caster.?
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Hourglass Amulet: Allows the wearer to cast slow, giving debuffs to enemies, greatly slowing their movements and reaction speed. cd: 4hours?
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Scarab Ring: Summons a swarm of spectral scarabs that distract and damage enemies.?
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Ankh of Sand: Grants the wearer control over sand; shaping it, moving it around and changing its density at the cost of mana.?
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Mystic Fang: A fang imbued with unknown magic. Lorelai picked it up, feeling a strange energy emanating from it.?
“What kind of fang is this?” she wondered aloud, examining the object.?
Kael shrugged. “Hard to say. We’ll need to have it appraised.”?
They distributed the loot among themselves, each member taking an item that suited their abilities. As they prepared to ascend to the next floor, the chamber began to tremble.?
“Looks like the tower is preparing for our ascent,” Nyra noted.?
“Let’s move before it collapses,” Thrax urged.?
With that, the party ascended the staircase, leaving the tomb behind and venturing into the unknown depths of the tower.
With weapons drawn and loot secured, they turned and climbed the winding stair hidden behind the dais. Each step echoed with anticipation, the dust of ancient ages trailing from their boots.
Fourth Floor: The Verdant Labyrinth
The transition was immediate and jarring. One moment they were surrounded by stone and death; the next, the world around them bloomed with color and warmth.
They emerged into a lush jungle. Trees towered above, their canopies nearly touching the ceiling far overhead. Massive roots coiled along the ground like sleeping serpents, and thick vines curled across every surface, some heavy with luminous flowers that glowed faintly in shades of violet, gold, and crimson. The air was humid and rich with the scent of blooming life—wet soil, crushed leaves, and the faint trace of honeyed nectar.
Instead of torchlight, this level was lit by bioluminescent fungi and floating motes of greenish-blue light that drifted lazily through the air. Strange birdcalls echoed in the distance, but there was no wind—just the ceaseless symphony of unseen creatures and rustling underbrush.
“From desert tomb to jungle paradise,” Kael muttered. “The tower's got range.”
“Paradise?” Thrax grunted. “This place is crawling with ambush potential.”
They moved carefully, weapons at the ready, watching for signs of danger. A shallow river bisected the path ahead, the water crystalline and still, reflecting the dense foliage above like a perfect mirror.
“Watch where you step,” Nyra warned. “I don’t trust this quiet.”
As if summoned by her words, the trees around the river bent inward with a groan, bark cracking and twisting. From the center of the clearing rose an enormous form, half-plant, half-beast. Vines slithered across its body like muscles, and bark formed a natural carapace over its limbs. Eyes—six of them, arranged like a spider’s—glowed emerald from beneath a mask of thorn and petal. Its lower body was a tangle of roots, anchoring it to the riverbed, while its upper limbs resembled a fusion of raptor claws and thorned vines.
A soft chime echoed from within its chest, like wind passing through hollow reeds.
“You enter my grove uninvited,” it rumbled, voice like stone cracking beneath the weight of vines. “I am Thal’Zir, Warden of the Blooming Wound. Intruders will pay.”
From the river and underbrush, smaller creatures began to stir—plant-like beasts with fungal growths on their backs, and serpent-vines that slithered like vipers. Thal’Zir raised a limb, and the flora around him twisted violently to form spiked barricades and blooming spores that puffed into the air with sickly sweetness.
“That,” Lorelai breathed, "would be the boss."
class: Martial Force
3 Unused stat points
Agi - 27
Will - 25
End - 24
Int- 20
Lightning Animus: Scarlet Thunderbird
Aura of Purity (Rank II)- emanate a protective aura that radiates from you granting allies protection and curing against poison, charm effects, and status ailments such as paralysis and petrification. Cures minor curses. After a meditative prayer the caster can cause a small healing instead of purification
Bolt Slash/Piercer: A slash(sword)/Punch (Spear) that sends out lightning/radiant magic attack from a weapon. Small chance of paralysis effect, duration 1.5 s
Gravity Slash/Piercer: The slash presses down, the punch presses to a wall or other object. Str of gravity effect coordinates with WILL stat.
Daylight(light magic)- illuminates dark areas, weakens undead, and dispels magical darkness below a certain level/tier
Zakir- large bolt of lightning shot with two fingers, high piercing effect
Oppression- greatly increase the gravitational force in an aoe
Gravity Centrifuge-you create a focal point to create your gravitational pull point. Any enemy within a fifteen meter radius is pulled towards the center. The closer to the center, the stronger the pull. The ball of gravity explodes at the end of the spell dealing damage proportional to proximity to the center
Repulse- can repel or pull any metal object under the effects of lightning clad
Weight Manipulation (upgrade pending)- Alter the weight of yourself or target, concentration required. Drastic changes are available at a higher tier
Spatial Storage: Provides a pocket dimension to store non-living things in, the size of the space is dependent upon your INT stat.
Rapid thrusts - Give numerous quick thrusts, number of thrusts dependent upon AGI stat power of thrust dependent upon STR stat
Dash(Rank II)- rapidly increase movement speed for up to 2 meters cd 15 seconds. Speed of dash is dependent upon AGI stat, distance is dependent upon STR stat. At a small mana cost create an after-image to confuse enemies
Counterstrike- Parry and counter strike with a higher chance to critical. crit chance dependent upon WILL stat, damage dependent upon STR
Smite(Rank II) - coats weapon in radiant energy and provides a minor heal/stamina to allies within 60 feet when an enemy is slain by smite. Radiant dmg is scaled off of STR and WILL
Affinities: holy, radiant, light, lightning, gravity, spacetime, electromagnetism
basic skills- dash unarmed combat
Swordsmanship: Diamond Cutter: Dragonslaying Sword (third form)
Spearmanship: Spear of the Divine: Precision and Punishing (third form)
unique talent - shapeshifting (human only)