The time was nigh to investigate. A small band of gallant adventurers departed the nervous village and trekked the two day journey up the treacherous mountain trail. Upon arriving at the chilly summit, they found the entire area to be oddly serene. With no hesitation they entered the monastery and quietly prowled around the long, torch lit corridors. The air was stagnant and musty and although no signs of occupants were obvious, the troupe knew better.
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| Prowling around the monastery of Ivan the Executioner. |
Eventually, they stumbled upon a massive door that gave no resistance when pushed open. A gust of frigid air from beyond unnerved the intruders as they cautiously gazed into the black, seemingly lifeless room.
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| What lies beyond these ancient doors? |
They advanced inside as their torch light slowly exposed the secrets beyond. The sparse light unveiled a lectern and chair at the far end as well as many rows of empty benches aligned in perfect formation. This spacious chamber appeared to be some sort of pristine oratory that lay undisturbed for many decades.
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| A cold, dark oratory. Is anybody here? |
As they advanced deeper into the mysterious room, two braziers mounted high on the back wall unexpectedly flared up with intense, dancing flames and the new found light unveiled a massive, demonic idol sitting on a pedestal, atop a tiered platform. The flash of light from the braziers startled the men and upon catching sight of the wicked statue, an uneasy feeling began to grow within them.
A thick chain adorned with a human skull hung around its neck and after a brief moment the eyes on the demon suddenly came alive with an intense, crimson light that pierced into the room - almost hypnotically. Adrenaline drove though them as their anxiety intensified. What sort of deranged cult worshiped this evil image? Who or what caused the fire to ignite? Was the spirit of Ivan the Executioner still roaming around these worn out hallways and playing tricks on them?
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| The adventurers discover an ancient demonic idol! |
Struggling to steady their nerves, they took the opportunity to quickly glance around the room. Stained glass windows embellished the back walls of the chamber and the archer noticed that there were two peculiar doors made from some sort of thick metal located down short passages on both sides of the room.
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| Stained glass windows adorn the back walls. |
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| These metal doors seem out of place... |
Suddenly, panic ensued as a loud rumble caused the floor to shake. The wall and statue atop the raised platform began to rotate!
The wall spun to expose some odd machinery that was unfamiliar to the men. Numerous lights randomly blinked and flashed on the strange object. With pounding hearts and racing minds, they cautiously held their ground. Confused, none dared approach the ungodly device for fear of it placing a curse on them.
Before a moment passed, the machine began to spew forth many bizarre sounds - pops, whirs, clicks, whistles - as if it were trying to communicate. Instantly the two metallic doors automatically opened and in rushed numerous strange creatures of some advanced mechanical race. They quickly surrounded the men and began to attack. Larger, more advanced creatures followed and it appeared they were telepathically commanding the smaller ones. What were these creatures and where did they come from?
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| The doors opened and many small, black mechanical creatures poured into the room and attacked! |
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| Surrounded! |
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| A brain-bot telepathically commands the smaller bots to attack. |
The men desperately fought to stay alive, but they were severely outnumbered and the advanced technology of these odd beasts made them too difficult to vanquish. All seemed lost....
