Chapter 7: Flee to the wilds

Here it is, Chapter 7. Real Life, friends, work and other things (including my laziness) have delayed it, but here it is. I welcome all comments and criticisms, so please tell me what you think. For new readers, chapter one is here.

Mere days later, Ægon and his group escaped, fleeing into the catacombs below Romah. When questioned, the priests of Morr only revealed that they were built for the "chosen of Morr" and would reveal little else. Since they were already equipped and prepared for a long journey, the group could leave the city prepared for their treck. Their location - anywhere else, away from Romah, and the group of people trying to persecute them. They had been pointed towards the west, and to try and alert the high-priests of Morr there to the persecution of the Romah chapter. Although the Romah Chapter was a minor power politicaly, and held no political clout, the church as a whole held a much greater power, particularly in the Westerlands.

Walking through the dark catacombs the group lit torches to help them find their way. Flickering flames sent dancing shadows across the earthy walls. The walls were earth, held up by a macabre display, made of wood, tree roots, stone and human bone, forming grim arches and supports holding the ground above them. They walked quietly and touched nothing, afraid of disturbing the balance that kept the maze of confusing tunnels open.

Iryl detected magic in the arches and the tunnels, but kept this to himself. He also suspected they were being watched, and stayed silent on this point too. finally he stayed silent about the abundance of death mana which flowed into him from his surrounds, like a parched cloth soaking in water once plunged into a pond.

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The group traveled like this for a long time, the passing of time under the earth was a mystery, but they marched, ate, marched more, ate more then slept in a cycle, moving many miles under the surface. This cycle was repeated 5 times, before they emerged into sunlight. Iryl and Jarrond were blinded by the sudden light, whereas the trio of ghosts merely faded in the sunlight. The intense light however was merely the dark green ambient light of the forest floor; dark and gloomy to the outside world, but a bright world of colour to our adventurers. They marched without halt until dusk, when they halted, ate, and then began to march into the night. The group were untired, and had in fact slept shortly before their emergence. They marched until they saw a the light of a camp, oft and away in the silhouettes of the woods.

Ægon strode through the trees in a disturbingly literal way. Flanked by Marie and Bjorn the ghostly trio were even more disturbing, as the dappled moonlight breaking through the living roof cast beams of light through their ethereal bodies. Iryl and Jarrod stalked slowly though the shadows, the latter with much more stealth then the former. However it proved sufficient for the group to sneak up on the camp ahead. Ægon whispered to Iryl to stop some distance from the firelight camp, and then did the same for Jarrod. Casting off the vestiges of his visible form with as much ease as one would cast off a cloak, Ægon strode into the camp and watched.

If you want to read on, chapter 8 is here.