The Cradle of Souls - Chapter 8: The Ties That Bind Us

Great is the tie of family and blood, for they shall be with you to the end. Great is the tie of wisdom, for with it comes the path of guidance and truth. Terrible is the bind of power and magic, for it is Eternal.

Saying from the Tribal Plainsmen of Arambashia

The coming days were ones of rest as they processed what had happened to them. For hours the Shal'tan grilled Ulias and Altherton, attempting to determine what had provoked the attack on his kingdom. Already rumors were beginning to ride out of the kingdom that others were attacking the kingdom of Brend which would only serve to grow tensions in the region.

These worries were far from the mind of Kaden, who sought only to secure a place to sleep for the night for himself and those who remained with him. Arden Krueler had left them without so much as a word as evening set in, and it was presumed that he had gone to find an inn more befitting of his newly acquired status.

Setting his sights on the local temple to the lord of the Wilds, Kaden made an offer with them for a place to stay and to heal the wounds of his companions, most grievous of which was Katria. The loss of her arm was affecting her stability greatly, and something needed to be done soon. Digging through his meager possesions, Kaden scooped up the three seeds of a Chronolily he had acquired during his travels and offered it as a donation and payment for healing Katria's wounds. The temple agreed and opened their lands to him and whoever he might bring as companions in the future. They would receive any blessings and healing that was within the Temple's power to provide. After regenerating Katria's arm, the group settled down for the evening to relax and recover.

In the meantime, Arden Krueler set out to the tower of the magi within Castle Norhearth's walls, seeking both a place of rest and study. There he took the time necessary to officially name Kaden as his apprentice in the annuls of the Council. Satisfied with this, he began preparing a load of coursework to place upon his charge in order to develop Kaden's arcane powers further.

Back in the main hold of the Castle, Altherton poured through the texts dealing with the Xirsz Phasygn hoping to find something that would tell them what it was capable of and the effect it would have on those exposed to its power. One of the ancient texts gave him dreadful insight into the possible problems they would soon face. Translated the text read:

Use of the Cradle does appear to have negative results beyond the aforementioned observations. Subjects using the device begin to suffer these drawbacks approximately one to one and a half weeks after the last use. After studying these affects, they appear to be similar in nature to prolonged use of Halkesh* addiction with symptoms appearing first as mild nausea, headaches, and irritability. Wrinkling of the flesh seems to occur in varying degrees depending on the original age of the effected subject.

Other subjects had greater negative effects occur after greater exposure to the device. These subjects fell into bouts of great pain, racked by what medicinal practicians call a seizure, though the subject appears to be aware of their surroundings and pain while it occurs. Chills and paling of the skin also appeared in these subjects. As skin paled, susceptibility to common diseases became more pronounced.

In the worst cases subjects began to have body parts drift out of phase, becoming ethereal in nature for short spans of time. Attempting to move while phased caused “excruciating pain” as described by Runemaster Vorjin, one of the initial advanced exposure subjects. Use of the device during these bouts removed the negative effects, making them more pronounced after another week passed. No deaths occurred during these trials.

All subject were exposed to absorption of minor wraiths and darkly spirits in small doses. Individuals in close proximity to the Cradle experienced both positive and negative effects of exposure to a lesser degree than that of the user. Based on these results it has been determined that prolonged exposure to the Cradle would bring about dangerous drawbacks as the body begins to deteriorate into the Ethereal Plane. There is speculation that transportation into the Ethereal Plane would reduce the chances of bodily failure from phasing but could result in drawing spirits to the negative energy signature created by the decrepification. The worst case scenario based upon this research would indicated complete bodily failure due to extended exposure to both primary and secondary subjects.

* Halkesh is a chemical substance formed by the Halkesh plant and Foad Weed. Helkesh was one of the commonly grown plants in Persyfn during the Runic Age and is a plant the resembles wild leek. Foad Weed is a natural seaweed that consquently grows in the coral attol near the ruined city.

Understanding the implied message, Altherton sought the group and gathered them together in order to address the issue. After finding them he gathered the group at the tower of the magi with Krueler and discussed their course of action. The powers of the Xirisz Phasygn had been used in their presence, and therefore had bound them by its power. It would only be a matter of time before the degradation described in the text began to take effect.

Attempting to find a method to save themselves they decided to seek out the source of healing that they had planned to use when Ulias was infirmed (having then been possessed by Corwin Degalli who was then siphoning his life energy). Using the healing artifacts power, they would hopefully be able to break the curse of the Cradle, even if that meant using the device as they went to make sure it did not kill them before they could save themselves. Finding the artifact would prove to be the bigger issue.

Fortunately a tablet inside the headquarters of the Brend-Forman Society was inscribed with a clue to discovering the location of the healing artifact. Following the clue they would hopefully have a better idea of what needed to be done.

The tablet contained the following text, broken and rubbed away from time:

archiv co thedral in Anequis harborage et

The most obvious clue stood out plain for them to see. What they sought was contained somewhere in the ruined city of Anequis, deep inside the ruins of Simod, one of the kingdoms that was once part of Fal Tishor (the Glorious / Golden Kingdom). Anequis is a place of great danger, where spirits remain alive and adrift, defending their pillaged home. These unfortunate souls are said to be so strong they can fling wall stones with but a thought, and are completely invisible.

Despite the risks, it was soon decided that Anequis was to be their goal, though their course had yet to be decided. The fastest route would take them through the forest rather than the road, passing by the ruins of Yansolm where they could hopefully refuel on any lingering souls. This journey would take them the better part of a week, where the roads would bring them closer to two weeks. Having chosen their route, the group set out as soon as the sun rose.

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