Kroxigor
skink chief
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Part I: The Vision.
It was a clear night. Stars filled the sky with light and glow.
The Skink Priest was in trance. His face lifted up towards them.
Eyes closed but intensly focused. In meditation he was looking for their
destination, their meaning. He was out in the Jungle,
sitting on the mountaintop. A temple room was not for him.
He liked coming here, where the stars are out, where he felt at home
between them.
There it was, the spark. Countless nights this revered Priest glazed at
the nightsky. Looking for patterns, looking for connections, looking for
answers. The spark does not come often but when it does, a vision will
appear.
He saw the edge of a jungle, temples in the distance.
The vision brought him closer. Patches of mist upon patches of mist.
Was his vision this clouded? No,... no it was not.
These were no ordinary mists. These mists were glowing green and brown.
The vision stayed put, he could not go any further.
He would have to decipher this image before venturing onwards.
After some thought, he found it. This was the defiled city of Quetza,
but why was he brought here?
Nothing happend. Was he wrong? Was this not Quetza?
The image stayed with him. What now? What is it he needed to venture forth?
He was able to look at the sky, and there it was, or rather it wasn't.
The Constalation of the rat was missing from the sky. This was it, the answer he
needed. The mists then dissapeared and the city was in full vieuw.
At the very edge of the jungle he stood, then the vision went further.
This time however, he felt a presence. After concentrating on this
presence, he saw it. Footsteps were leading him to the city.
The footprints were those of a skink, but the skink itself could not
be seen. This was new to him. He had visions before, but when
a presence was felt, a body would be present. Not this time...
The presence brought him to a great temple. Instead of venturing up
the templestairs, the footsteps made it's path to the undercellars.
Trough what seemed like a maze filled with serpents, an opening
was in vieuw. This opening was not made, but created by devestation.
Upon entering the room it was pitchdark. But in the darkness there was a glimmer.
Two Shining plaques, he saw. It was then that the vision abruplty ended.
For days he pondered on the vision he had. Searching it's meaning.
Finally he thought he had the answer. The constalation of the rat had ended.
The defiled city of Quetza would no longer be uninhabitable, as the
foul mists in the vision had clearly lifted to unveil the city.
This he came to rather quickly, but it was the presence that kept him in struggle.
Why was their no body, only footprints in the sands?
He thought he figured it out...
Part 2: Seeking approval.
He knew Time was short, but his vision would have to be discussed with the
greatest of the Slann. He seeked to find them in meditation.
Telepathicly he was able to gather a few of the greatest Slann's.
Upon speaking of his vision, and his plan, the Slann's stated they would
meditate on it. Time was against him. Only 7 months remained before the
end of the constalation of the rat, and the Slann's would take their time,
as they allways did.
The waiting made him do the unthinkable. Lord Mazdamundi would had to be
disturbed. Telepathy did not work, the Slann was in to deep a
meditational state. A state the skink priest could not enter. So he went
to the temple where Lord Mazdamundi resides. The skink priest praised himself lucky.
His revered status would persuade the guards to wake the great Lord.
After speaking with the Lord of the Solar-city and telling him his vision and plan,
the answer of Lord Mazdamundi was the same as the answers he had received
from the other great Slann's. Though he tryed to reason, begging and
stating that time was against them, it did not matter. His efforts seemed
futile.
What was he to do? Wait for the Slann's? They would be to late to answer,
of this he was sure. If he did not wait on their approval,
he would be going in against their will. Something not easely done.
If the outcome of the plan was not as he invisioned or if he misinterprated
his vision and acted upon it, he would fall of his revered status.
The thought was tormenting him, but he felt he had no choice.
The vision was of great importance. He could feel that fact in every
inch of his body. Two shining plaques... It was all he could think of.
Surely this must be a vision concerning the great plan.
The first Coming, Sotek... It was a skink then that was praising his coming.
Might this be yet another coming? One that will again come from a skink?
There was no time left. It was time to act.
Chapter 3: Finding the unseen.
His mind was made up. With each passing day chances of succeeding
dwindled. Seeking out Tiktaq-to was the first step to complete his plan. The vision
was clear. He could not venture forth without the answer, and the answer was
found in the sky. Tiktaq-to, the Master of Skies, he needed him and none other.
A good hunter that could travel great distance in a short amount of time.
Someone of note that would have audiance and influence to carry out the mission.
He sent out his followers with word to seek out the hero.
It did not take long for Tiktaq-to to reach the temple of the skink priest.
After telling the hero about the mission he had planned for him,
It became clear that Tiktaq-to would not do his part without any persuasion.
The Slann's did not give the skink priest reply, and Tiktaq-to did not
feel comfortable helping with a plan that had not been accepted by their
councel. But the priest was cunning. Tikraq-to is foremost a very
pridefull skink leader, and talking in on his pride would be the key to
convince the hero of helping the priest.
Tiktaq-to's mission was incredably hard. He had to find Oxyotl.
Tracking him, would be like tracking a ghost. The cameleon skink
would at times not be seen or heard from for years on end.
They were fortunate though. Oxyotl was last seen in Tlaxtlan,
the city of the moon, only 4 weeks ago. This could give Tiktaq-to some
clues as to where he might possibly find the cameleon or his tracks.
Nine weeks passed without any word from the Master of Skies.
Then there he was. Oxyotl entered the chamber of the Skink priest.
He looked eager to hear what the priest would have to say. The priest
was taken by joy. How did Tiktaq-to find him? Upon asking the question,
only laughter came out of the cameleon skink. Oxyotl was not found at al.
It did not take long for him to realise he was being tracked.
When he found out that the one that was tracking him was the Master of Skies.
Oxyotl presented himself.
The priest and Oxyotl were enjoying themselves over the story.
It was a good thing the cameleon skink did what he did.
He was the only one that could do the task. That was why there were
only footsteps in his vision. That's why there was no body to
place the presence. The unseen hunter, a name that the vision
had taken rather litteraly. Atleast this was the hope of the priest.
The cameleon skink suprisingly did not seem to care too much that the
Slann's did not yet agree to the priest's plan. Though the problem
was that he needed to enter Quetza. A task that might claim his
life. Being taken by poisenous mists or infested pools,
is not an end any are eager to meet. If anyone were to live up to the task,
it would be him. He lasted in the Realm of Chaos and he was even able to return
from it. What was a defiled city compared to that.
Part 4: Thread carefully.
The priest had explained exactly what was requested of him. The Temple he had
to enter, the lower level maze, the finding of the crack in the wall.
All was explained and Oxyotl was prepared to give his life if the priest happened
to be wrong. But none was as important as the timing, the priest had said.
The very first night when the constalation of the rat had ended.
It had to be that night. The vision had so abruplty ended that the priest was in
fear of being too late. A collaps of the room, a devestation of some kind, maybe
another that would find the plaques. It was unthinkable, for if these plaques
were lost or got into the wrong hands, who was to say what would happen. This
concerned the great plan, and his mission would have to be executed perfectly.
Oxyotl came to the last strip of jungle. From here on out it were marshes,
sinkholes, twisted rotten trees and mistbanks ahead. However, it was the silence
that worried the cameleon skink the most. None of the two moons were visable,
they were hiding behind the clouds. Distant light in patches of nightsky was the
only light that could guide him, but even in darkness Oxyotl would find his way.
The light was not enough to distingiush color though. That very fact made his
mission more dangerous. Unable to define if these mists had weird colors from
a distance, he would have to go forth gambling his life, he would have to get close
enough to catch their smell.
He sniffed the air. Tainted, foul. A bad omen to begin with. There was no other way.
Oxyotl held his pace for a moment. Was he being trapped? He had blindly followed
the priest's words out of great respect. He found himself doubting the true nature
of his mission. Ever since he had come back from the Realm of Chaos, Slann's would
avoid him. He wandered the jungles not to be near to society. Did the priest want
to get rid of him? He shook his head. If this were to be his end, then so be it.
Part 5: Entering Quetza.
Carefully he ventured forth, avoiding as many risks he possibly could. Finally
he reached the City of Quetza. Destruction and filth was all around. Bones of Ratmen
and lizardmen were everywhere. Though one thing gave him great joy, sound.
There it was. From the edge of the jungle to this very point, all sound seemed to
have dissapeared. Now, he heard the wristling of snakes in the temples. The joy
the sound gave him quickly dissapeared. The children of Sotek were the only beings
able to withstand the poisen and the plagues left behind by the ratmen.
They were no guaranty he would make it out with his life.
He stood in front of the temple he needed to enter. The sounds grew louder.
In the maze he would encounter them, thousands of poisenous snakes. When under control
these snakes would not hurt a lizardman, but he had no reason to trust them now.
Entering the temple undercellar would prove to be difficult. Climbing walls and
ceilings to avoid the snakes, all without making a sound. If a singles piece of wall
were to fall because of the weight, all hell might break lose.
The priest did not remember the path in the maze clearly, so he would have to enter
it blindly. Knowing his kin had traps in these places did not make him feel more
comfortable. He would have to use his skills to the best of his ability.
Dead end after dead end, he was beginning to lose hope. Tracking living things
that was his skill. But plaques leave no footprints, no smells... Smells. You dumb
skink, he thought to himself. Maybe the devestation of the temple happened after
the death of the rats. They would have stolen the plaques if they had found them.
Cleaner air was what he was looking for.
After a moment of intensly mapping the maze with nothing but his nose, he found it.
A room in the distance where the air seemed to be less tainted, less foul.
It took him some time to reach the room, but there it was. A crack in the wall,
an opening big enough for a skink his size to enter. As he entered the room,
it became clear this room was long fogotten. The air was less foul, but it was old,
very old. This crack was not created a long time ago, it couldn't have been.
The air was so old, it almost choked him. It had it's upsides though. The snakes did
not care for it either.
The room was filled with gold and ancient devices that must have surely come
from the Old Ones. This was a treasure even a skink would want to claim his own.
For Oxyotl it was an oppertunity, a chance to prove his worth to his kin.
To prove he was not tainted by Chaos, that he could be trusted.
It was a clear night. Stars filled the sky with light and glow.
The Skink Priest was in trance. His face lifted up towards them.
Eyes closed but intensly focused. In meditation he was looking for their
destination, their meaning. He was out in the Jungle,
sitting on the mountaintop. A temple room was not for him.
He liked coming here, where the stars are out, where he felt at home
between them.
There it was, the spark. Countless nights this revered Priest glazed at
the nightsky. Looking for patterns, looking for connections, looking for
answers. The spark does not come often but when it does, a vision will
appear.
He saw the edge of a jungle, temples in the distance.
The vision brought him closer. Patches of mist upon patches of mist.
Was his vision this clouded? No,... no it was not.
These were no ordinary mists. These mists were glowing green and brown.
The vision stayed put, he could not go any further.
He would have to decipher this image before venturing onwards.
After some thought, he found it. This was the defiled city of Quetza,
but why was he brought here?
Nothing happend. Was he wrong? Was this not Quetza?
The image stayed with him. What now? What is it he needed to venture forth?
He was able to look at the sky, and there it was, or rather it wasn't.
The Constalation of the rat was missing from the sky. This was it, the answer he
needed. The mists then dissapeared and the city was in full vieuw.
At the very edge of the jungle he stood, then the vision went further.
This time however, he felt a presence. After concentrating on this
presence, he saw it. Footsteps were leading him to the city.
The footprints were those of a skink, but the skink itself could not
be seen. This was new to him. He had visions before, but when
a presence was felt, a body would be present. Not this time...
The presence brought him to a great temple. Instead of venturing up
the templestairs, the footsteps made it's path to the undercellars.
Trough what seemed like a maze filled with serpents, an opening
was in vieuw. This opening was not made, but created by devestation.
Upon entering the room it was pitchdark. But in the darkness there was a glimmer.
Two Shining plaques, he saw. It was then that the vision abruplty ended.
For days he pondered on the vision he had. Searching it's meaning.
Finally he thought he had the answer. The constalation of the rat had ended.
The defiled city of Quetza would no longer be uninhabitable, as the
foul mists in the vision had clearly lifted to unveil the city.
This he came to rather quickly, but it was the presence that kept him in struggle.
Why was their no body, only footprints in the sands?
He thought he figured it out...
Part 2: Seeking approval.
He knew Time was short, but his vision would have to be discussed with the
greatest of the Slann. He seeked to find them in meditation.
Telepathicly he was able to gather a few of the greatest Slann's.
Upon speaking of his vision, and his plan, the Slann's stated they would
meditate on it. Time was against him. Only 7 months remained before the
end of the constalation of the rat, and the Slann's would take their time,
as they allways did.
The waiting made him do the unthinkable. Lord Mazdamundi would had to be
disturbed. Telepathy did not work, the Slann was in to deep a
meditational state. A state the skink priest could not enter. So he went
to the temple where Lord Mazdamundi resides. The skink priest praised himself lucky.
His revered status would persuade the guards to wake the great Lord.
After speaking with the Lord of the Solar-city and telling him his vision and plan,
the answer of Lord Mazdamundi was the same as the answers he had received
from the other great Slann's. Though he tryed to reason, begging and
stating that time was against them, it did not matter. His efforts seemed
futile.
What was he to do? Wait for the Slann's? They would be to late to answer,
of this he was sure. If he did not wait on their approval,
he would be going in against their will. Something not easely done.
If the outcome of the plan was not as he invisioned or if he misinterprated
his vision and acted upon it, he would fall of his revered status.
The thought was tormenting him, but he felt he had no choice.
The vision was of great importance. He could feel that fact in every
inch of his body. Two shining plaques... It was all he could think of.
Surely this must be a vision concerning the great plan.
The first Coming, Sotek... It was a skink then that was praising his coming.
Might this be yet another coming? One that will again come from a skink?
There was no time left. It was time to act.
Chapter 3: Finding the unseen.
His mind was made up. With each passing day chances of succeeding
dwindled. Seeking out Tiktaq-to was the first step to complete his plan. The vision
was clear. He could not venture forth without the answer, and the answer was
found in the sky. Tiktaq-to, the Master of Skies, he needed him and none other.
A good hunter that could travel great distance in a short amount of time.
Someone of note that would have audiance and influence to carry out the mission.
He sent out his followers with word to seek out the hero.
It did not take long for Tiktaq-to to reach the temple of the skink priest.
After telling the hero about the mission he had planned for him,
It became clear that Tiktaq-to would not do his part without any persuasion.
The Slann's did not give the skink priest reply, and Tiktaq-to did not
feel comfortable helping with a plan that had not been accepted by their
councel. But the priest was cunning. Tikraq-to is foremost a very
pridefull skink leader, and talking in on his pride would be the key to
convince the hero of helping the priest.
Tiktaq-to's mission was incredably hard. He had to find Oxyotl.
Tracking him, would be like tracking a ghost. The cameleon skink
would at times not be seen or heard from for years on end.
They were fortunate though. Oxyotl was last seen in Tlaxtlan,
the city of the moon, only 4 weeks ago. This could give Tiktaq-to some
clues as to where he might possibly find the cameleon or his tracks.
Nine weeks passed without any word from the Master of Skies.
Then there he was. Oxyotl entered the chamber of the Skink priest.
He looked eager to hear what the priest would have to say. The priest
was taken by joy. How did Tiktaq-to find him? Upon asking the question,
only laughter came out of the cameleon skink. Oxyotl was not found at al.
It did not take long for him to realise he was being tracked.
When he found out that the one that was tracking him was the Master of Skies.
Oxyotl presented himself.
The priest and Oxyotl were enjoying themselves over the story.
It was a good thing the cameleon skink did what he did.
He was the only one that could do the task. That was why there were
only footsteps in his vision. That's why there was no body to
place the presence. The unseen hunter, a name that the vision
had taken rather litteraly. Atleast this was the hope of the priest.
The cameleon skink suprisingly did not seem to care too much that the
Slann's did not yet agree to the priest's plan. Though the problem
was that he needed to enter Quetza. A task that might claim his
life. Being taken by poisenous mists or infested pools,
is not an end any are eager to meet. If anyone were to live up to the task,
it would be him. He lasted in the Realm of Chaos and he was even able to return
from it. What was a defiled city compared to that.
Part 4: Thread carefully.
The priest had explained exactly what was requested of him. The Temple he had
to enter, the lower level maze, the finding of the crack in the wall.
All was explained and Oxyotl was prepared to give his life if the priest happened
to be wrong. But none was as important as the timing, the priest had said.
The very first night when the constalation of the rat had ended.
It had to be that night. The vision had so abruplty ended that the priest was in
fear of being too late. A collaps of the room, a devestation of some kind, maybe
another that would find the plaques. It was unthinkable, for if these plaques
were lost or got into the wrong hands, who was to say what would happen. This
concerned the great plan, and his mission would have to be executed perfectly.
Oxyotl came to the last strip of jungle. From here on out it were marshes,
sinkholes, twisted rotten trees and mistbanks ahead. However, it was the silence
that worried the cameleon skink the most. None of the two moons were visable,
they were hiding behind the clouds. Distant light in patches of nightsky was the
only light that could guide him, but even in darkness Oxyotl would find his way.
The light was not enough to distingiush color though. That very fact made his
mission more dangerous. Unable to define if these mists had weird colors from
a distance, he would have to go forth gambling his life, he would have to get close
enough to catch their smell.
He sniffed the air. Tainted, foul. A bad omen to begin with. There was no other way.
Oxyotl held his pace for a moment. Was he being trapped? He had blindly followed
the priest's words out of great respect. He found himself doubting the true nature
of his mission. Ever since he had come back from the Realm of Chaos, Slann's would
avoid him. He wandered the jungles not to be near to society. Did the priest want
to get rid of him? He shook his head. If this were to be his end, then so be it.
Part 5: Entering Quetza.
Carefully he ventured forth, avoiding as many risks he possibly could. Finally
he reached the City of Quetza. Destruction and filth was all around. Bones of Ratmen
and lizardmen were everywhere. Though one thing gave him great joy, sound.
There it was. From the edge of the jungle to this very point, all sound seemed to
have dissapeared. Now, he heard the wristling of snakes in the temples. The joy
the sound gave him quickly dissapeared. The children of Sotek were the only beings
able to withstand the poisen and the plagues left behind by the ratmen.
They were no guaranty he would make it out with his life.
He stood in front of the temple he needed to enter. The sounds grew louder.
In the maze he would encounter them, thousands of poisenous snakes. When under control
these snakes would not hurt a lizardman, but he had no reason to trust them now.
Entering the temple undercellar would prove to be difficult. Climbing walls and
ceilings to avoid the snakes, all without making a sound. If a singles piece of wall
were to fall because of the weight, all hell might break lose.
The priest did not remember the path in the maze clearly, so he would have to enter
it blindly. Knowing his kin had traps in these places did not make him feel more
comfortable. He would have to use his skills to the best of his ability.
Dead end after dead end, he was beginning to lose hope. Tracking living things
that was his skill. But plaques leave no footprints, no smells... Smells. You dumb
skink, he thought to himself. Maybe the devestation of the temple happened after
the death of the rats. They would have stolen the plaques if they had found them.
Cleaner air was what he was looking for.
After a moment of intensly mapping the maze with nothing but his nose, he found it.
A room in the distance where the air seemed to be less tainted, less foul.
It took him some time to reach the room, but there it was. A crack in the wall,
an opening big enough for a skink his size to enter. As he entered the room,
it became clear this room was long fogotten. The air was less foul, but it was old,
very old. This crack was not created a long time ago, it couldn't have been.
The air was so old, it almost choked him. It had it's upsides though. The snakes did
not care for it either.
The room was filled with gold and ancient devices that must have surely come
from the Old Ones. This was a treasure even a skink would want to claim his own.
For Oxyotl it was an oppertunity, a chance to prove his worth to his kin.
To prove he was not tainted by Chaos, that he could be trusted.
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