Chronicles of Lormere Chapter 13: Okkathi

Collection: Lormere
Chronicled by: Ghasty

​In a secluded corner of Queen Amelda's palace, Ahlogneir, Antlousai, Jaa, Meldontha, Novaci, and Toryna appeared. They hadn't been there long when a portal opened near them. Out of the portal flew a small book. After the portal spewed out its content, the portal closed as quickly as it had opened. The book landed at the feet of Toryna. Toryna picked it up and opened it. The book was a small, leather-bound journal with a brown string wrapped around it.

Toryna unwrapped the pages to reveal old, yellowed pages. The pages contained curling characters intertwined with each other. Toryna read through a few pages before a look of confusion came over her face.
"Am I having a stroke?" Toryna asked, handing the book to Antlousai, "I can't understand a thing." The book got passed around and it finally landed with Meldontha.
"What language is this?" Meldontha asked.
"Nothing I've ever seen," Jaa answered.
"I know somebody who might know," Antlousai said.
"Who?" Novaci asked.
"Xaneduazahl," Antlousai answered.
"We can't go after him," Meldontha warned.
"Why not?" Novaci asked.
"He is extremely dangerous. He's the cause of the downfall of the Okkathi. He can't be trusted."
"Well, we don't have time for this. We have a mission to finish," Jaa reminded.
"We could split up," Toryna suggested, "one group finds Xaneduazahl, the other protects the Amarastian palace and family."
"I could take Novaci and Jaa with me to find Xaneduazahl," Antlousai suggested.
"Be quick, we'll need you back," Meldontha informed.
"We will," Jaa promised.
"Ieg navu teupumi u chelo Okkathi." Antlousai chanted, causing Jaa, Novaci, and him to be enveloped in a glowing white light. The three reappeared in front of what looked to be a large gate at one point in time. Above them, they could see the ceiling of a vast cavern stretching out for miles. Around them sat a crossroads of sorts. There were four paths surrounding them, one behind them leading up the cavern wall to an exit of the subterranean city, one to their right leading to a roughly hewn staircase blocked by rocks which had fallen from the cavern ceiling, one in front of them leading through the gate which had since collapsed in several points, creating a blockage, and one to the left which was an almost mirror image of the right path, but unlike the right path, was not blocked.
"There seems to be only one way to go," Jaa remarked. The three went up the left path, which led to a small landing. On this landing, a small building sat, surrounded by more rock which blocked passage around the building. This small building had a sign to the right of the door, which read "PROGAZINI ZO CLJAVIGRIVA".
"What does that mean?" Novaci asked.
"Graykey's Storage Building," Antlousai answered. The three entered this building. As they walked in, they noticed the wall to their left had fallen over. Around them stood many compartments and a winding staircase leading upstairs. They began to check the compartments, but they mostly contained old cobwebs, bits of rusted metal, and scraps of paper. The three then walked through where the left wall once stood. They stepped out onto what at one time was a small patio. Rocks surrounded this area too. In the patio lay a stone sconce in which fire crackled.
"How long has this place been abandoned?" Novaci asked.
"Four-hundred and twenty-seven years," Antlousai answered.
"Then how come this is still ablaze?"
"The Okkathi were very adept in magic usage. They found one way to create spontaneous and eternal fire. They called it Zeobejof. This would be Zeobejof." Antlousai picked up the sconce. The three went back into the building and then headed upstairs. Upstairs contained a small bed, another sconce, a small bookshelf, and a skull. The skull sat cracked in the center of the floor. Part of the roof had fallen. One part of this roof had fallen inwards near the skull, the other part had fallen outwards, falling upon a pile of rock and onto the nearby building's roof. The three crossed the roof section into the other building. In the upper floor of the other building contained a larger bed, a small bed like the other building, another sconce, another bookcase, and three skulls, in the same state as the other skull. A staircase led downstairs into a small room with an anvil, a desk, and a stone counter. A sconce sat mounted near the doorframe. The three exited this building and looked at the sign at the doorpost. The sign read "KOVERBU ZO LUMCESALAS."
"It means 'Clearlight's Blacksmith,'" Troryna explained to Novaci.
"Got it," Novaci responded. Three began to look at their surroundings. Novaci took notice of a nearby well, which she went over to investigate. Novaci peered down into the murky depths of the well and saw a single scarlet light flicker near the bottom of the well.
“That’s odd,” Novaci remarked.
“What is?” Jaa asked while walking over to the well. Jaa looked down and saw the same sight. “I’m going to go down and see what that is.” Jaa unfurled his wings and descended down the well’s abysmal depths.