[RP] The Shadowed Vaults

For Oral Fane and Mahluk:
You step into a vast, natural cavern, where the very floor is a sea of molten lava, glowing with a fierce, fiery intensity. The bright orange and red hues of the molten rock illuminate the entire space, casting the cavern walls in an eerie, pulsating glow. The air is thick with heat, and the oppressive warmth washes over you like a wave, making each breath feel labored.

Suspended above this seething river of lava, two long stone bridges hover precariously. Their ancient stone surfaces are dark and worn, etched with time and perhaps forgotten battles, stretching out over the molten expanse below. The bridges run parallel, each leading from the prison cells behind you to a distant ledge at the far side of the cavern. There, carved into the rock, is a massive door shaped like an open, gaping mouth, its wide, toothless grin both inviting and menacing.

Above the door, two large, round "eyes" stare down from the cavern's wall, each glowing brightly. The eyes are not natural; they are windows or balconies, carved into the stone like the watchful gaze of some ancient, monstrous face. Each "eye" is ablaze with the light of torches, their flickering flames illuminating the ledge and creating long, dancing shadows across the cavern walls.

The entire scene feels oppressive and foreboding, as though the very cavern is watching you, daring you to cross the bridges toward whatever waits beyond that ominous, gaping mouth.



For Hambul and Kruul
As you are resting in the archway that leads back to the dark corridor, movement across the great rock chamber catches your attention. Emerging onto a ledge connected to the far end of the cavern by the second stone bridge, you see a coppery skinned humanoid draped in some kind of magical cloak of shadows and a smaller(?) humanoid trying to stick to what few shadows remained. Feel free to describe yourselves in other ways.

Kruul and Hambul are on the left side (on the stone outcropping near the archway that leads back to the Vaults.)
Oral and Mahluk are on the right side (near the archway) that leads back to the vaults.

With a grunt of effort, Kruul grips the rim of the massive shield, his calloused fingers digging into the blackened metal. The shield, dark and warped from the heat of the cavern, groans as he begins to slide it toward him. Inch by inch, it moves, scraping against the stone floor with a heavy, metallic rasp. Even though it responds to his strength, Kruul can already tell this is no ordinary shield—it is colossal in size, easily as wide as an ox and just as thick, its surface marred by the searing touch of the flames that had claimed its owner.

He tries to lift it, his muscles straining, but the shield remains stubbornly rooted to the ground. The weight of it is staggering, far heavier than any shield he’s ever encountered. It feels more like a slab of iron than a warrior’s tool—as heavy as a horse, perhaps even more. Sweat beads on Kruul’s brow as he realizes that lifting it outright is impossible, not without some greater leverage or strength beyond even his considerable might.

Still, the shield seems to hold some kind of importance—its size and weight a testament to the power of the one who once wielded it. The charred leather enarmes, still attached to the inside of the shield, sway slightly as he shifts it, a reminder of the hulking warrior who had once carried this massive piece of armor into battle.

Kruul takes a step back, sizing up the formidable shield once more, wondering if there’s more to it than meets the eye. It might not be a weapon for him, but its very presence commands respect—and a nagging curiosity.

For Oral and Mahluk

As Mahluk steps onto the stone bridge, a sudden, sharp clicking noise reverberates through the cavern, followed by a brief, unsettling silence. Then, with a roar that shakes the very walls, two bursts of flame explode from the burning eyes above the door, each stream of fire racing down its own bridge.

The first torrent of flame surges toward Mahluk, hurtling down the span of the bridge he now stands upon. The fiery wave twists and writhes, its heat blistering the air as it barrels toward him with terrifying speed, threatening to consume everything in its path.

At the same time, a second jet of fire streaks across the parallel bridge. This inferno, equally fierce, is heading straight for Kruul, even though he hasn’t yet set foot on the bridge. Leaning over the edge, he can already feel the searing heat building, the flames bearing down on him, promising certain destruction if he doesn’t act quickly.

The two bridges are ablaze in a matter of moments, each one a river of roaring flames, cutting off any safe passage. The cavern is bathed in the orange glow of the fiery onslaught, casting long, flickering shadows against the jagged walls.

Mahluk, you have a chance to leap back onto the rock by making a Reflex save (test against the lower of Intelligence or Dexterity). Kruul, the same applies to you—leap back, or if you’re prepared to face the flames, let me know.

The deadly firestorms continue their relentless charge down the bridges, with the heat growing more intense by the second, threatening to consume both Mahluk and Kruul unless they act quickly.

For a brief moment, Kruul strains against the weight of the massive shield, his muscles tensing as he tries to lift it off the rock. The shield barely budges—its immense weight proving too much, even for his formidable strength. The heat from the approaching flames is nearly unbearable, and time is running out.

At the last possible moment, with a surge of effort, Kruul manages to heave the shield just enough to drag it with him. He leaps back from the bridge, pulling the colossal shield along as the roaring flames surge past, missing him by a fraction of a second. Both Kruul and the shield escape unharmed, though the heat still lingers in the air, a reminder of the danger that nearly claimed them.