04-26-2016, 08:23 PM
Chips of brittle, blue stone flew outwards as Grundy easily smashed through the outline door in the wall, showering his compatriots with shiny flecks of rock and bits of the strange, luminescent moss. A satisfied grunt punctuated his powerful blow, and he stepped away from the hole in the wall to reveal a long, winding tunnel leading further into the mountain. Subterranean moss, glowing a pale and sickly yellow lined the stone walls. Said walls were oddly smooth and contoured, looking like they had been worked with tools unknown to man or Prime.
"HOORAY! GRUNDY FIND SECRET!" A wide open palm gestured towards the revealed hallway, the big man letting other, perhaps smaller traveling companions through first. He would be a tight fit, and woe betide him if his bulk managed to collapse the entrance while there were still friends outside! Better to get everyone in first. He could always just smash his way out again, since the stone gave way easily under his meaty attacks.
As the party piled inside and their eyes adjusted to the gloom, Grundy squeezed himself into the narrow tunnel. The jagged edges of chipped stone takes his undead flesh, moss staining the alabaster skin slightly turquoise. It was barely a flesh wound and the zombie paid it no mind as he brought up the rear.
The tunnel stretched ahead near endlessly, although as the adventurers moved forward the walls drew back, as if the mountain itself was eager for guests. The passageway split many times, as did the group, although they never parted for more than a hundred feet or so. The winding holes merged back into each other further down, although they were different from each other. All along the branch tunnels were runes, markings, and drawings of figures, shapes, and other interpretations. Jade even pointed out a section of script written in the same odd symbols that had drawn them there, although there was no understanding to be found this time.
Grundy had been bracing his bulky frame against the tunnel walls, and so was not surprised to see the turquoise moss growing a thin film over his fingers and hands. He -was- made of plant matter, and the giant had also found that mushrooms occasionally grew on him as well, so he was not too bothered by it.
".....haven't the foggiest idea where he went, all he said was that he would be back tomorrow..."
"...It's not like him to be late, Mister Hendy....do apologize..."
Faint, echoing whispers sounded in his dead skull, although the lumbering revenant paid them no mind. Voices in his head were nothing new. Raising a dirty, moss covered fingernail, he picked at his ear reflexively. The moss now stained his earlobes and neck, worming it's way into his pumpkin sized skull. The zombie continued marching obediently forward, and it seemed that they were finally free of the confining and winding tunnels. They had opened into a humongous chamber, a wide bridge of ice, stone, and snow drifts from a gap in the ceiling high above them. The walls of the cavern were sheer and reflective, illuminating the dark spaces with near blinding light, and something else too...
Hundreds of reflections of the motley group of adventurers stared back at them from the shining crystal walls. Jade held up a hand and they came to a stop, marveling at the sight of so many copies of themselves upon each other. Squinting, the alabaster hulk recognized copies of himself every few feet along the wall and bellowed out a playful greeting. "HELLO, GRUNDY!...ELLO, GRUNDY.....UNDY...UNDY....undy.....undy..." Solomon's booming timber reverberated around the chamber, jostling chips of ice and stone from the edges of the platform they were on, the scree dropping into a deep deep void below them.
"Hrm....would you look at that...now?"
Tartaros had cautiously approached the edge of the chasm, and was staring down intently into the dim gloom. He pointed at a spot about two hundred feet down, at what could be recognized as a medium sized group of people. Very familiar looking people. "Is that....us?" The marine intoned aloud to the rest of the group, and those who had braved close enough to the edge seemed to agree. Just as soon as the sight had been noticed, the phantom group of travelers far below had walked into another section of the deep gulf, beyond the sight of those higher up.
However, while the others had clustered around the marine's observation, something was happening in the center of the platform to Solomon Grundy. He tried to move his legs to join the rest of his compatriots, but the turquoise moss that had been growing on him was crawling up his dead skin, pooling from underneath his ragged clothes and his spongy flesh. It slithered into his eyes, his ears, his mouth, and his nose, freezing his movement and action. Not a sound came from the undead man as he stood there, ramrod stiff, his eyes glowing bright blue in contrast to their normal hungry yellow.....
In Dread Carcosa, Dead Men Dream...
"HOORAY! GRUNDY FIND SECRET!" A wide open palm gestured towards the revealed hallway, the big man letting other, perhaps smaller traveling companions through first. He would be a tight fit, and woe betide him if his bulk managed to collapse the entrance while there were still friends outside! Better to get everyone in first. He could always just smash his way out again, since the stone gave way easily under his meaty attacks.
As the party piled inside and their eyes adjusted to the gloom, Grundy squeezed himself into the narrow tunnel. The jagged edges of chipped stone takes his undead flesh, moss staining the alabaster skin slightly turquoise. It was barely a flesh wound and the zombie paid it no mind as he brought up the rear.
The tunnel stretched ahead near endlessly, although as the adventurers moved forward the walls drew back, as if the mountain itself was eager for guests. The passageway split many times, as did the group, although they never parted for more than a hundred feet or so. The winding holes merged back into each other further down, although they were different from each other. All along the branch tunnels were runes, markings, and drawings of figures, shapes, and other interpretations. Jade even pointed out a section of script written in the same odd symbols that had drawn them there, although there was no understanding to be found this time.
Grundy had been bracing his bulky frame against the tunnel walls, and so was not surprised to see the turquoise moss growing a thin film over his fingers and hands. He -was- made of plant matter, and the giant had also found that mushrooms occasionally grew on him as well, so he was not too bothered by it.
".....haven't the foggiest idea where he went, all he said was that he would be back tomorrow..."
"...It's not like him to be late, Mister Hendy....do apologize..."
Faint, echoing whispers sounded in his dead skull, although the lumbering revenant paid them no mind. Voices in his head were nothing new. Raising a dirty, moss covered fingernail, he picked at his ear reflexively. The moss now stained his earlobes and neck, worming it's way into his pumpkin sized skull. The zombie continued marching obediently forward, and it seemed that they were finally free of the confining and winding tunnels. They had opened into a humongous chamber, a wide bridge of ice, stone, and snow drifts from a gap in the ceiling high above them. The walls of the cavern were sheer and reflective, illuminating the dark spaces with near blinding light, and something else too...
Hundreds of reflections of the motley group of adventurers stared back at them from the shining crystal walls. Jade held up a hand and they came to a stop, marveling at the sight of so many copies of themselves upon each other. Squinting, the alabaster hulk recognized copies of himself every few feet along the wall and bellowed out a playful greeting. "HELLO, GRUNDY!...ELLO, GRUNDY.....UNDY...UNDY....undy.....undy..." Solomon's booming timber reverberated around the chamber, jostling chips of ice and stone from the edges of the platform they were on, the scree dropping into a deep deep void below them.
"Hrm....would you look at that...now?"
Tartaros had cautiously approached the edge of the chasm, and was staring down intently into the dim gloom. He pointed at a spot about two hundred feet down, at what could be recognized as a medium sized group of people. Very familiar looking people. "Is that....us?" The marine intoned aloud to the rest of the group, and those who had braved close enough to the edge seemed to agree. Just as soon as the sight had been noticed, the phantom group of travelers far below had walked into another section of the deep gulf, beyond the sight of those higher up.
However, while the others had clustered around the marine's observation, something was happening in the center of the platform to Solomon Grundy. He tried to move his legs to join the rest of his compatriots, but the turquoise moss that had been growing on him was crawling up his dead skin, pooling from underneath his ragged clothes and his spongy flesh. It slithered into his eyes, his ears, his mouth, and his nose, freezing his movement and action. Not a sound came from the undead man as he stood there, ramrod stiff, his eyes glowing bright blue in contrast to their normal hungry yellow.....
In Dread Carcosa, Dead Men Dream...
“I don’t wanna be a product of my environment. I want my environment to be a product of me.”