For Hooves the Bell Tolls - Chapter Nine

Sun in the swamp Quthbert, Thorzan, Marinus, Malbrix, & A.G.R.

653 Post Maelstrom

The ruins are made of old worn stone that hasn't been touched in generations. The air is old and stale like that of a tomb. It takes the party nearly an hour to reach the bottom. They enter into a small antechamber at the bottom of the stairs, ahead is a large room. Once the final party member touches down the stairs begin to rise behind them.
The party enters the larger, square room with a large yellow crystal in the center. There appears to be someone or something inside, but it is difficult to be sure. There are fours runes etched into the floor. Thorzan recognizing the symbol of the sun god goes over to inspect it. Nothing happens as Thorzan, but Quthbert approaches to see what Thorzan is looking at and when he does the rune begins to glow with pure white sunlight. Thorzan stumbles back shocked as another doorway like they came though opens on the wall to the left of the entrance.
Inside the room alone on an alter lies a book. An anceint sun bible. Carved into the alter is one word "Quthbert." Thorzan picks up the book and begins flipping through it. At first it is difficult to translate as though written in a very ancient form of what is now common, but before Thorzans eyes the letters shift into the modern interpretation of the writing. The writings that he sees are all the same as the original texts that most are familiar with. Thorzan felt disappointed as he reached the end, but when he reached what should have been the final page the book continued. New text was written here, but the ink appeared fresh as though it was written in just moments before. The text described not only Quthbert, but their whole parties journey so far up to the very moment of Thorzan opening the book. Only some of the minor details are wrong, the major points are all the same, but some events are shifted around like the writer themselves didn't have a perfectly clear picture.
While Thorzan inspects the book, and shows it to Quthbert, the others further inspect the runes. Marinus and Malbrix walk around the room and under Marinus one of the runes begins to glow a deep dark blue, but none of the runes glow for Malbrix. AGR, following Marinus's lead, also travels around the room and finds a runes that glows a fiery red under his feet. With AGR and Marinus both on runes a second door opens to the right of the entrance.
This finally pulls Thorzan away from the book as he realizes a forge lies through the next door. Passing the book off to Quthbert for the time being Thorzan crosses the room to the forge. Which he finds still hot, not with fire, but an essence of sunlight. Stacked on the anvil is enough silver for a fine weapon.
While they wait Malbrix takes out her dagger to try and inspect the runes again. When she pulls it out it tugs on her soul, as if to lead her to strange runes carved into the wall. The runes are in a different language and style from those on the floor and appear to have been written more recently, although still hundreds of years ago, but they do appear to be similar to those on her dagger. She pulls out her book and this time does manage to translate properly.
They read “When the SUN burns too bright, you see shade and SHADOW.” Still feeling the draw from the runes Malbrix reaches out and touches them. They glow a deep shadowy purple. Then with a rush their power surges into Malbrix, forever tainting her, but also infusing her with their essence. After the rush of energy thee runes in the wall are gone, leaving nothing but smooth stone behind. Malbrix's eyes now seem to faintly glow that same deep shade of purple and they now know the spell false life.
Thorzan finishes up in the forge and comes out brandishing a newly forged silver hammer that seems to softly glow with the suns radiance. Thorzan walks back into the center room. This time crossing over the final rune which begins to glow a soft stone gray. The party all step on the floor runes that glow for them, the yellow crystal in the middle of the room shatters and a dragonborn in golden plate falls to the floor. Half of the dragonborns face was just muscle and bone, but the rest of his face looked normal.
He is expecting Quthbert, but cannot identify him. He was told to wait here for Quthbert by his god, but was given little else to go on and trusted instead to faith. His name is Orn Goldenscale. The name tickles the back of Thorzans mind, but he cannot quite recall where he knew the name from.
Orn tells the party of his past. How he went into the crytstal at his gods command thousands of years ago. In a previous era of the world. He was trapped there by his sun god. Not Vitta, Brother of the Sun, but an older god he calls Nalandan. He also tells the party of the threat they face in the final room. An ancient demon trapped here for this very trial. One that can only be slain by silver or radiance.
The fight was long and grueling. Quthbert trying to finish the beast off is slain by its wroth. Thorzan finally manages to crush the best with his silver hammer. As it burns away it leaves behind a golden flame of sunlight. Orn solomly turns to Thorzan and makes Thorzan promise to make this right. With a heavy heart, and a look of dread on his face, Orn reaches out and grabs the flame. He shudders as he draws it toward himself, then releases all of the energy into Quthbert. Orn shakes as the power rushes through them and he begins to degrade and crumble.
As Orn is burned away to ash his armor clatters to the ground and Quthbert snaps back to life with a scream of angish. Quthbert rips his shirt open to reveal a tattoo of the ancient sun religion being burned into Quthberts chest with a sunlit radiance. Eventually Quthbert slumps back exhausted as the light fades from the tattoo.
The party leave the demons chamber back to the center room where the first found Orn. The decide to rest before travelling back up to the surface, and Thorzan takes this time to reshape the armor the Orn left behind to better fit himself. The metal seems to fold into the correct shape with minimal effort from Thorzan as though the armor itself believed in the change.
Exhausted and confused about the meaning of all this the party falls into a fitful rest...