”And down here are the library and catacombs.”
A rain of ice falls as he forces the door open, the shattered flakes creating a brief snow flurry around Hoshikata’s form as the portal into a dark abyss widens before him. Stair led down a winding staircase of stone, the light vanishing into shadow as it turns. Hoshikata, in his black robes with the gold trim, moves down them using the pure white light coming from his staff as a guide. The Staff of Verin was warm in his hands, almost as if it were a living thing eager to go home. If only it knew what awaited it below.
The floor below was dark, a palpable void that made one feel as if a single misstep would lead to being lost forever. A clacking sound echoes through the emptiness as sparks begin to fly. Soon the torches on the wall catch and light flares from them as the rocks move from one to another, slapping together to send off the spark needed to light them. Once they were lit the rocks drop to the floor and he steps into the room fully. To his right was an open door that appeared to lead to a long tunnel. This he ignored, heading through the door just ahead of him.
Here it was, the library of the ancient clan. A pedestal stood in the middle of a tow of bookshelves, each covered with enough writings to make even the main library of Kirigakure green with envy when it existed. Here were the histories of his clan, the writings of his people, and the lives of those who came before. And in the middle of the room, atop that pedestal, was the Tome of the Deep, the religious texts of the Deep One, a god no longer, only a corpse at the bottom of the lake of the dead and damned.
Hoshikata looks back at the one following him, his golden eyes shining in the torchlight. ”I suggest bringing a torch or two along. Just in case.” He moves to one wall and pressed his hand against it, heat radiating out and melting the ice covering it. Then his hand moves, fingers pressing in certain areas. With a creak and more shattering ice, the hidden doorway opens to reveal another flight of stairs leading down.
These stairs were wide and long, each one capable of being laid across either way by a grown man. They were in horrible disrepair, cracked with fungus growing up between the empty grooves in them. The walls were natural rock, not even carved into a better shape. A blue lichen hung on them, giving off a faint azure glow to everything. Hoshikata leads the way once more, heading down into the caverns of his god and expecting her to follow.
A rain of ice falls as he forces the door open, the shattered flakes creating a brief snow flurry around Hoshikata’s form as the portal into a dark abyss widens before him. Stair led down a winding staircase of stone, the light vanishing into shadow as it turns. Hoshikata, in his black robes with the gold trim, moves down them using the pure white light coming from his staff as a guide. The Staff of Verin was warm in his hands, almost as if it were a living thing eager to go home. If only it knew what awaited it below.
The floor below was dark, a palpable void that made one feel as if a single misstep would lead to being lost forever. A clacking sound echoes through the emptiness as sparks begin to fly. Soon the torches on the wall catch and light flares from them as the rocks move from one to another, slapping together to send off the spark needed to light them. Once they were lit the rocks drop to the floor and he steps into the room fully. To his right was an open door that appeared to lead to a long tunnel. This he ignored, heading through the door just ahead of him.
Here it was, the library of the ancient clan. A pedestal stood in the middle of a tow of bookshelves, each covered with enough writings to make even the main library of Kirigakure green with envy when it existed. Here were the histories of his clan, the writings of his people, and the lives of those who came before. And in the middle of the room, atop that pedestal, was the Tome of the Deep, the religious texts of the Deep One, a god no longer, only a corpse at the bottom of the lake of the dead and damned.
Hoshikata looks back at the one following him, his golden eyes shining in the torchlight. ”I suggest bringing a torch or two along. Just in case.” He moves to one wall and pressed his hand against it, heat radiating out and melting the ice covering it. Then his hand moves, fingers pressing in certain areas. With a creak and more shattering ice, the hidden doorway opens to reveal another flight of stairs leading down.
These stairs were wide and long, each one capable of being laid across either way by a grown man. They were in horrible disrepair, cracked with fungus growing up between the empty grooves in them. The walls were natural rock, not even carved into a better shape. A blue lichen hung on them, giving off a faint azure glow to everything. Hoshikata leads the way once more, heading down into the caverns of his god and expecting her to follow.