This is an account of Corune's expedition to find his guild sister Aoibhihn. Aoibhihn had gone to the Face by herself to smite the evil. Corune found only a piece of the emerald crystal that she was carrying and her journal. The crystal shard showed him a vision of Aoibhihn going through the portal.
Corune had heard that his guild sister had returned from Wyldwood, but now she was missing. Knowing she was Anfa's sister, Corune had an idea of where she may be. Aoibhihn craved excitement and danger and Corune could imagine that she had gone to what was now a most interesting and dangerous place, the Face. Knowing that Anfa could not return to the Face, Corune decided to search for Aoibhihn himself.
When he reached the Face, Corune knew he had been right. A gappling hook was affixed to the right eyelid with a rope dangling down into the open mouth. They must be Aoibhihn's. Only she would be so headstrong as to put herself in the danger that was the Face.
Climbing up the Face from the top of the head, Corune reached the eyelid, where the rope was attached. He felt a cold chill emanating from the mouth as well as the stench of decay. Holding the rope tightly, he peered down for any sign of his sister. Looking down into the gaping mouth, he could see only about 15 feet, before the darkness took over. Though, as he continued to look, straining his eyes, he thought he saw a greenish glow far below him. Indecision tugging at him, Corune decided to call out. Softly, at first he called, "Aoibhihn. Aoibhihn. Is that you?" The only reply was an echo and the rather intense smell that continued to radiate from the mouth.
Tugging on the rope, he tried to evaluate whether it will hold his considerable kran weight and whether it was long enough for him to climb out if he moved in a little closer. Feeling a little too much give, he was not sure this rope, meant for his dermorian sister, would be strong enough for him. Grunting in frustration, Corune wished he had brought his own rope. Better I return to town and get help than to have two people lost, he thought. Though, before he left, he couldn't help trying once more. This time watching the green light carefully, he called out a bit louder, "Aoibhihn!" The light seemed to fade some, but was still there. Frustrated that there was nothing he could do, Corune slid off the side of the Face and hurried back toward town.
Even though he did not know for sure what had happened to Aoibhihn, he needed to let Anfa know what he had found. Searching through Hydlaa, he found her near the temple. Panting, he tried to spit out the story.
Corune pants.
Anfa turns to Corune
Anfa says: Greetings Corune it is good to see you
Corune says: Anfa.... Looked for your sister.
Anfa says: Aoibhihn? Did you find her?
Corune says: At the face...
Anfa says: What?!
Corune says: I saw her hook and rope.
Corune pants
Anfa begins to tremble
Anfa says: Hook and rope?
Corune says: There was a green light down in the mouth.
Anfa says: Corune..what has she done?
Anfa looks stricken
Corune says: She has gone down.
Corune says: I'm sure it was her.
Corune says: I could not follow. The rope was too weak.
Anfa says: Green light...the missing emerald..
Corune says: I called out. There was no reply.
Anfa says: Oh Gods...but if the crystal is there, where is Aoibhihn?
Anfa feels faint
Anfa says: Corune..where is my sister?!?!
Corune catches his breath.
Corune says: Anfa, she is surely down the mouth.
Anfa says: Noooo...
Anfa says: No no nonononon...they can't have her..I won't let them have her..
Anfa begins to look abit crazed
Corune says: I must return for her, but I need a stronger rope.
Anfa says: It is not safe Corune
Anfa says: Not alone
Anfa says: I know...but me?
Anfa says: Maybe they will trade, maybe they will give her back if I offer myself?
Corune says: Maybe she is not yet captured, only injured.
Anfa says: You want to go down and look for it?
Corune says: Yes!
Anfa says: You must stay away from the tunnels that lead out of the main chamber...anyone of them could be the portal to the underdark,
Corune says: Ok, but I could see the green glow from the top. I could go down only that far.
Anfa says: Oh Gods, if I go back I am lost...please Corune..try to find Aoibhihn for me..
Anfa looks at Corune with tears in her eyes..
Corune says: I will try, Anfa.
Corune says: I go now to get more rope. Then I will go to the face.
Anfa nods thankfully
Loaded down with rope, Corune reached the Face again. He tied several ropes off on the trees near the Face and looped then around the Face's nose. Then, before lowering himself down, he looked once more into the mouth. The cold welled up once again from inside. Corune carefully lowered himself into the mouth. He could still see only about 15 feet down. The green glow was still there though. It had to be about 150 to 200 feet down and it was dim, but it was there. Corune continued down, trying to make his way toward the green glow, hoping … He made it down part way. There were bits of ancient and recent gore and decay all about him and there was something now obscuring his view inside. Aoibhihn's rope was beside him, but it was broken about half way down. Perhaps a sharp rock, thought Corune. I must make sure it does not cut my ropes. Corune tried to guide himself away from what ever was obscuring his view, and continued to make his way down. Recalling Anfa's story of her journey, he watched for movement in the darkness.
He found the bottom well lit and looked around for signs of Aoibhihn and the emerald crystal Anfa had mentioned. The crystal cast a greenish glow. The smooth walls of the statue itself gave way to corridors leading off in four directions. The emerald lay on the ground. No, it was only a small piece of the emerald crystal. In front of it was a back hole in space that randomly sputtered with white electrical enrgry. Frustration once again surged through Corune. He reached for the emerald shard, keeping his body as far from the black hole as possible. The lightening seemed to arc out as his hand got closer to the stone. He yanked his hand back and the electrical energy likewise receded.
He noticed what looked like the other half of Aoibhihn's rope trailing off into the black portal. She went in, Corune thought. Corune looked around for a stick, or bone, that he could use to get the crystal piece. He easily found a leg bone on the floor and reached out with it, hoping to rake it away from the portal. As he reached out, the electricity arced out as before. Expecting the arc, Corune contiued, hoping the bone would take the brunt of any harm. It did. As the bone touched the crystal shard the energy darted out, charring the bone. But he had moved the piece of crystal several inches closer to himself. Continuing to move the shard closer, he watched the arc carefully hoping he could move the crystal far enough away that the arc could not reach it. After a few tries and another bone was found after the first shatters, he was able to get the piece of crystal in his hands. As he grabbed the crystal, he had a vision.
He saw Aoibhihn tying the rope off to a rock and heading toward the portal. She put the emerald crystal in her pack and entered the portal. Now there could be no doubt about it, Aoibhihn had been there. The rope was still tied, but it was slack going into the portal. Corune tugged on Aoibhihn's rope, testing to see whether anything was tied to the other end. When he touched the rope lightning moved up the rope toward him rapidly. The rope seemed slack and he dropped it before the lightning reached him.
He concentrated on the vision, trying to bring it back to tell him more about what happened. He saw Aoibhihn entering the mouth, lowering herself down on her rope, the emerald crystal tied to her pack to provide light. The rope broke and she fell. A small shard of the crystal broke off when she struck the ground. She didn't notice the small piece of the crystal where it lay on the chamber floor. He pictured her investigating the cave using the emerald crystal as a light as he now was using the shard. She investigated the portal then went down one of the corridors. The vision faded and Corune could clearly see which tunnel Aoibhihn had gone down.
Confused about the sequence of things the shard of crystal was showing him, Corune turned toward the tunnel that he saw in the vision and began to slowly walk toward it. He stopped before entering and held the crystal out to shed some light in the tunnel as he peered inside. Noticing there seemed to be a lack of bodies piled up near the opening, he continued forward. As he moved down the corridor he found it becoming muddy. Looking down, he saw that it was a reddish sludge and the bones in this corridor seem to be chipped and broken to small slivers. Odd, thought Corune as he looked at the sludge closer. It seemed as though the floor was soaked with blood rather than water. He could only guess that something was feeding on the bodies that were dumped into the mouth. He could not be sure, but there were no rats and that was odd.
Corune looked around, now unsure of the visions he has seen. Anfa had told him not to go down the tunnels. But surely Aoibhihn was down one of them, this one. Corune moved forward watchful for whatever caused the bloody mud. He now saw footprints, many of them. There were two sets, one going in and one coming out. It maked sense, he thought. She went down this way, and then went back out and into the portal.
Thinking perhaps at least to confirm what he thought, Corune continued down the tunnel a little further, keeping an eye out for danger and trying to follow the tracks. The sludge got deeper and the smell became overpowering. He could barely stop himself from being sick. He was in mud up to his ankles and was about 30 feet in. The corridor ceiling seemed to widen some until he could not see the roof beyond the outer range of the light. Just as he turned to return to the main chamber, he saw a book half sunken in the muck. The feeling of cold intensified and he thought he heard breathing in the distance. He pulled on the book and it moved from the muck with a sploork. It the distance, he heard a hiss. The mud at his feet began to slowly bubble. Time to leave, Corune thought. He hastily retreated to the main chamber. In his haste he came a tad to close to the portal and Zap! Lightening struck the crystal burning his hand until he moved out of the range of the arc. Instead of being burnt though he had been intensely frost bitten.
Resigned that Aoibhihn had gone through the portal, Corune began the slow climb out of the mouth. As he grabbed the rope to go up, the hissing got louder and the mud seemed to boil. The corridor belched a large amount of mud into the area by the rope and his lower body was covered with an ooze of dirt and human remains and bone fragments. He climbed and the hissing and noise grew quieter.
He finally made it out. He was in one piece though badly frost bitten on his hand where the portal had touched him and the emerald. Corune slid down the side of the face to the ground. It felt much better being in the open air. His body was covered with teeth and bone fragments and muddy blood. He just wanted himself cleaned. Wiping some of the muck from himself, he sat on a nearby rock to look at the book. The book was labeled "Aoibhihn's Glyphs and notes". It fell open to where a page had been torn out. After the torn out page, he read. "Dear Journal it is dark here and almost boring if you can stomach it …" That sounded like Aoibhihn. He needed to find Anfa and show her what he had found and tell her the bad news. Returning to Hydlaa again, he found her at last.
Anfa says: Greetings Corune and news on my wretched sister?
Corune says: Anfa, at last I found you.
Anfa frowns worried now
Corune says: News, yes, but it's not good.
Anfa says: Where is Aoibhihn Corune?
Corune says: I'm afraid she has gone into the portal.
Anfa blinks and than shudders
Corune says: I found a shard from the emerald.
Corune says: And I found her journal.
Anfa says: Oh no Corune...
Anfa says: What has she done?
Corune says: There was a rope, leading into the portal.
Anfa moans while the shadows thicken around them laughing quietly
Anfa nods remembering that
Corune says: The piece of crystal showed me a vision of her going in.
Anfa shakes her head not wanting it to be true
Anfa says: You found only a piece?
Corune says: Yes. Only a piece.
Anfa says: The rest of the crystal was not found?
Anfa thinks furiously
Corune says: No. Only a piece. I could find nothing else.
Anfa whispers to herself and to the shadows "She must still have the rest, enough to protect her from the darkness..."
Corune says: I would have tried to follow her through the portal, but I thought I would need more help.
Anfa nods and smiles sadly at Corune
Anfa says: I would not lose you as well
Corune says: I feel cowardly.
Anfa blinks away tears thinking of Aoibhihn
Anfa says: No..what she did was foolish...
Anfa says: To go in alone...
Corune says: I want to go back, but know almost nothing of the portal.
Anfa shakes her head in disbelieve
Anfa says: What did her journal say Corune?
Corune says: I have only read the first few words.
Anfa feels a coldness running through her as she tries to contain the need to run in after Aoibhihn
Corune says: It said, "It is dark here, and almost boring if you can stomach it."
Corune says: Perhaps you should read the rest.
Anfa can't help but smile at the words of her sister..
Corune offers the journal and the shard to Anfa
Anfa reaches out to take the journal and the Shard of crystal
Anfa takes both hoping this is not all that is left of Aoibhihn
Corune says: I want to help, but don't know what to do.
Anfa says: As she tucks them into her pack she smiles sadly at Corune
Anfa says: Corune, I thought her dead once and I was proved wrong..
Anfa says: I will continue to believe I will find her again..
[Thanks to Xillix for providing the environment for Corune]
