Living tombs of Zar'Roc

 Living tombs of Zar'Roc 

Deep within the underground remnants of Old Zar'Roc, certain Lennoxian scholars have taken refuge to perform less than ethical experiments. Experiments which might get one beheaded for heresy against Lux. Nevertheless they continue their studies even as the threat of being found out gets closer and closer with each passing day, as Zar'Roc gets rebuilt.

The scholars have dug ancient scrolls from before the time of the Sand Republic, scrolls which should have never seen the light of day ever again. Most were burned, torn, with many fragments missing.

But old dusty scrolls weren't the only thing they found when they descended into the heart of Zar'Roc. No... the scrolls were just the tip of the iceberg.

An exiled arcanist from the capital found his way into the catacombs together with a small team of 9 followers. One of them broke his neck on the way down but his body... his body continued to move forward. He screamed in agony and became aggressive. The others tried to put him down but 2 more died attempting that and just like him, they both turned to madness. The arcanist eventually disintegrated them after witnessing this. He could have done it earlier but his curiosity knew no bounds. This expedition was something else.

His group of followers dwindled. First there were 6... then... then 4... then 2... only 2 followers remained.

Together the 3 descended into the lowest pits of the ruins...

And then there was only 1…

Below are a more than annonymous scholar's logs

 Gnavilos' log -day 15 

''Today we I tried getting Suhij's body to move. He convulsed a bit, looked at me with horror in his eyes then fell back down, dead. Failure. My studies are incomplete. (Scribbles) I believe that the divine has an agenda against me. Ever since I left the capital, nothing went like I planned. Jiwa used to tell me that my hubris will be my downfall but she's dead. I on the other hand still live I need to keep going. No great discovery was ever acomplished without great sacrifices and my name surely will be engraved in history books to come. If I succeed here, my name will be immortalised in history among the greatest minds of Lennox. Yes... that's a great source of determination indeed. Back to work now. Log over.''

 Gnavilos' log -day 27 

''The statues on the lower levels are nothing more than tombs. Twice as big as a man but not that much wider. I previously contacted a trusted aquintance of mine to come help with the excavation. I told him to not bring anything as to not attract the attention of Lennoxian authorities. Those simple-minded brutes could never allow such discoveries to occur. They would just burn it all down. Anyways, the mead he brought did help keep me up after my sense previously dwindled. Not too long before I started writing this, I told him to prepare my tools, we are about to remove one of the tombs from it's confinements in order to get a closer look at it. I can hear him getting back, this is going to be a long day. Log over.''

 Gnavilos' log -day 30 

''The tomb is heavy and isn't exactly easy to get a grip on. There are many bladed edges to it It seems to have been weaponized to some extent. Still, I cannot figure it's inner workings. It seems to have been broken a long time ago. I lit a flame and I found veins convulsing. This helped us see its "circulatory system". Cyan veins pulsing bright. Almost like the light was trying to get out. Like something was trying to get out. And it wasn't alone. Log over.''

 Gnavilos' log -day 34 

''I got sloppy these past days, I barely managed to focus on my work. I hear sounds coming from the upper levels. Authorities most likely, they must have heard of my location whereabouts. I doubt they know I am hiding in these old ruins but it's something to keep an eye out for. Not many are brave enough to wander within these old ruins, especially not the ones weak of heart. Few are the ones brave enough to wander within these old ruins. Nonetheless, my knowledge of these "War Tombs  has increased ever so slightly. The plethora of tiny cylinders which trap the unknown entities from within the tomb appear to be surprisingly flexible. Odd since they seem as resilient as Lennoxian steel. According to my calculations, they are very much mobile capable of locomotion but appear inert… for now at least. Perhaps I could figure something out… (scribbles). Log over.

 Gnavilos' log -day 47 

''I've been slowly deciphering the scrolls down here but I need more time. My acquaintance has moved to the surface for the past 5 days under the pretext of scouting the area, only having returned about 2 hours ago. I can understand why he's unsettled by spending time down here, I cannot expect everyone to be on the same level of intellect as me. Nevertheless, his little trip wasn't quite pointless as it did offer me a closer look at the schedule of Lennoxian patrols. Very helpful in the long run.''

''Back to what I was saying, the writing still seems very foreign but I can find a word which appears to show everywhere: "immortal" or more accurately, "deathless" although the latter does sound like a poor translation on my part. Log over.''

 Gnavilos' log -day 50 

''I have stumbled across a whole new area of the ruins, leading much deeper below. The writing on the walls might help me better understand the meaning of the scrolls I dug up. might help with my studies. Magical presence in this area seems much higher. ~Before I could barely feel a dim presence but now? Now I can feel it coursing through the broken walls. The essence of this magical current seems to grow stronger the deeper I venture. Tomorrow I shall descend down below. My acquaintance will guard the area from the surface to make sure no one interferes with my studies. I sense cowardice but his words do have logic to them. Log over.''

 Gnavilos' log -day 54 

'' As I descend into these ruins The descent was a difficult process as whatever methods of reaching these levels may have once existed are now gone. Nonetheless this area appears to be of great importance. The statues here appear to have been modified with ornaments and the like in addition to having more impressive bladed limbs. I count only 8 7. All of them reside in cavities inside the great pillars of the room. Only one cavity seems to be empty. The pillars are arranged in a circle formation around what seems to be a cavity in the stone floor. There used to be something there, something whose energy I presume still lingers within these walls. I will try removing one of these statues from it's confinements to get a closer look at the tomb within. Log over''

 Gnavilos' log -day 78 

''(There are drops of blood on the paper) No great discovery comes without sacrifice. The attempt to remove the statue from it's pillar have been unsuccessful to say the least. Besides the loss of my lower left arm moderate physical injury inflicted upon me, I have not lost my determination to finish these studies. My theory for now is that these seemingly unkillable ancient tombs can never leave the lower levels. It's as if they have a task to accomplish. I however have not been able to figure out what this task implies. I still hear them moving down there but since me and my acquaintance sealed their only way to the surface, I doubt they will be much of a problem… for now. The sound of rocks being slashed countless times does however make sleeping all that much harder. My wound unfortunately still hasn't been healed despite my attempts to cauterize it, the blades seem to have some strange properties to them. ''

''A simple man would have quit at this point but I'm no simple man. The things I saw down there were much more complex than I initially realized. I think it's time to start our experiments. Log over''