From the lips of Bellas of Larimich, recounting the events of 1 Brix, 462 N.D.
We started the expedition just like we'd done the last two. Early morning, climb down into the canyon, and begin walking. There were twenty-four of us. Mages, scribes, scholars, and, of course, some mercenaries to cover our backs and do some heavy-lifting.
It took us maybe an hour to get back to where we stopped last time. Divines, it was massive. I mean, we've found bits of dragon skeletons before, of course. Kima's littered with them. But to see one so intact, so pristine. It was beyond words. I can't imagine facing one of those things now. It was blocking what looked to be a collapsed entrance, so the other mages and I moved it. I made sure we were careful to avoid damaging it. That's where things…that's where things got strange.
I heard noises coming from behind the rock. I know the others heard it too. Some of us heard it last time, but we thought it was in our heads. It wasn't. I suggested that we leave…Dučan protect me…I tried to warn them. I wanted to go. I wanted to leave––
I'm sorry for my outburst. We broke through the rock to the other side. It was so dark. The Abyss is dark, too, obviously, but this was even more…I didn't know the darkness could suck the breath out of your lungs, or press down so deeply onto your body that you feel as if you can't stay standing. We manifested light and had torches, but it's like they were swallowed up by the shadows. I…I hung back. It was cowardly, I know, but that's how I survived.
We heard the sounds again. They were no trick of the mind, we knew then. The creatures slid from the darkness like they were a part of it. They were hunched over, their knees and feet resembling that of a wolf-person. Even when hunched, they towered over us. They must be at least nine feet tall when standing upright. Each one had four arms that dragged on the ground behind them. I could hear the sound of their claws scraping over the stone. Their eyes…Divines, their eyes…did they have eyes? I couldn't tell. They were so empty, so dark. Like pools of ink. They didn't have noses, either, and their jaws were slack, hanging open like some kind of…I don't know. Their teeth were sharp like knives. It looked like bits of their gray skin was missing, blackened and charred like it had been burnt away. When they finally decided to attack, they emitted this unearthly sound. It was––it was tortured and broken. At that moment, I felt hopeless. I knew they would kill me.
I'm not––I'm not sure how I survived, really. Nueleth and I were at the back. We ran as fast as we could, boosting ourselves with mojy. Those things were just as fast. They cut Nueleth down and I managed to drag them out, past the skeleton. That's where the…šluaks stopped. It's like they were afraid of the sun. They wailed at us from inside the cave. I could see their bloody teeth and claws. I wanted to just lay down and die right there, but I made myself get up. I broke a piece off of the dragon skeleton and blocked the entrance again. Divines, I can still remember their faces. I see them every night.
Those things are real, and they killed twenty-three people, including skilled mercenaries and battlemages. That dreadful place should be left alone. Forever. I don't care what Ancient artifacts are down there. Nothing is worth that nightmare.
