(OOC) Fri Mar 6 1998 03:50 PM by "Malachi" -->

Back in the room that Brishen has been spending so much time in, while in the Palace, her attendants fuss over her, scolding her for undertaking that little 'adventure' to go meet Reico. "Why, just think! You could have hurt yourself!" "Or what if the guards mistook you for a prowler?" "Or an assassin?" "That's what I meant." "Well, it's a good thing you're safe."

Brishen brushes a lock of hair from her eyes, slumping a bit as she looks around at her now very familiar room. "But I had to see him… "

Sunrise squeaks, "Well, you'll be lucky if you ever see him AGAIN, now! You can be sure, the guards will be keeping a closer eye on you while you're staying at the Palace. I'm sure they can't risk having an Incident. Not NOW."

The doors to the chamber swing open, without any proper protocol such as knocking first. A couple of Eeee warriors, dressed in ceremonial skedat armor and black capes, stride in, then make way for a robed official to pass through. The advisor, Hotep, has deigned to try to take the place of Thath during his extended leave … and apparently this means that he is of sufficient importance to do basically whatever he pleases. "Heroine Brishen, it is my pleasure to deliver you word of a very special blessing. You are to have the special honor of seeing the heart of the Tower of Babel."

The subject of the handmaid's attention is curled disconsolately on a strange, curved chair, once more attired in a dress befitting a young woman of her stature. She doesn't look particularly happy about it, however, her dark brown eyes downcast, her wings folded. "But, I… " She looks up as the guards stride in.

Brishen tilts her head slightly. "The heart of the Tower?"

Hotep, his eyes rimmed with thick black lines and a couple of runic squiggles, grins knowingly. "Yes. The Tower is not solid stone, like many suppose. It does indeed hold many wonders. And you will be witnessing a great moment in history, along several of the Sabaoth's most trusted lords and advisors." His hands rub together gleefully at the prospect. "You shall witness the awakening of the Plaguebringers!"

"I… I am honored, sir," Brishen finally manages to squeak. I can think of other words to describe this, too.

"Splendid! Splendid … Well!" Hotep claps his hands together, the many bracelets about his wrists jangling as they collide. "As soon as you are presentable, these fine young men will escort you to the Tower. And if your attendants cause you to be late, don't worry, they'll be promptly executed. Good day!"

Brishen slumps, looking over at Sunrise.

Sunrise just gulps, eyes wide. She says nothing.

Hotep cheerily spins on one foot and glides out of the chamber. The two warriors remain just inside the doors, expressionless.

Sunrise squeaks, "Almost done!" The wide grin she paints her face with quivers. "Honest!"

Brishen looks down at her dress, grumbling inwardly. As if in revenge for her adventures over the evening, she's attired in a dress that makes it hard to walk in anything other than a delicate, proper fashion, let alone fly. "Don't worry. Just finish working on my hair, and I'll be ready to go."

---

Not very long at all later, after the fastest beauty parlor session Brishen has had during her entire stay (and not a sloppy one, either), the lady bat is escorted by two severe-looking Eeee warriors to a raktor-borne palanquin, whereupon she is lifted up in the cushioned box-like "vehicle" by the group of oversized birds, and is ferried (with an escort of Eeee attendants who herd the birds along) toward the great Tower that rises above the city – and many of the surrounding mountains.

Brishen's eyes grow a little wide as she gazes up at the Tower. Even after being here for as long as she has, the sight of it still awes her.

Approaching the Tower, the carriage slowly descends. So close to the Tower, more of it can be seen … level after level, progressively wider as the tower descends through the multi-layered city, reaching to the hidden ground some great distance below, buried amidst the various structures of the city, some of which have been partially swallowed up by the slow outward expansion that has taken place over the centuries to broaden its base.

Eventually, it is evident that, hidden by the skyline from the viewpoint of most of the city, there is indeed an entrance on one of the lower tiers of the Tower … and there's no telling how many more tiers there are below that. The airborne carriage touches down lightly, the raktors settling down on ornately- decorated perches, and an Eeee attendant opens the door to the reinforced 'box' for Brishen. "Welcome to the Great Tower, Honored Lady."

Brishen finds herself looking down, not at the Tower's base, but the buildings around it. How many people down there fight against the Sabaoth? How many support him? In a city of war, who are her allies? She nods politely as she gathers her dress up, and steps carefully from the palanquin. "Thank you."

An elderly white bat waits at the entrance, dressed in the robes of an honored noble. He is the same Eeee who sat beside Brishen at the banquet. He bows to her, to the proper inclination to indicate honor to an equal.

Two rows of honor guards wait as well, in heavily ornamented armor, standing as still as statues. The air down this far is quite still, hardly a breeze making its way through the tightly-packed buildings this far down toward the Tower's base.

Sharp brown eyes watch the elderly Eeee, then, after an instant's pause, Brishen returns the bow. She smiles faintly.

The elderly Eeee does not smile in return. He turns, offering Brishen his arm. "We are just in time. I do not think your attendants were given fair enough warning. I suspect the Sabaoth may have been displeased with their usual tardiness and looking for an excuse to make an example of them."

Brishen nods, her faint smile fading as she takes the offered arm.

The two nicely-dressed bats and their sinister-looking escort head into the entrance of the Tower, passing under a heraldic archway sculpted with forms in relief of Eeee with wings and arms outspread, as if holding the archway in place with their bodies. Past this, a long corridor leads into the Tower, large enough to fly down … but it would seem none of this procession are planning on taking that mode of transport.

Brishen's steps are measured as she walks alongside her companion, her dark brown eyes glittering as she looks ahead. Nevertheless, she can't help but glance to either side now and then, her eyes passing over the assembled guard.

Thankfully, they do not have to walk terribly far, before approaching a wheeled carriage set on tracks in the tunnel, the walls of this vehicle sculpted from wood such that it seems to be wholly made up of bejewelled female Eeee who form the framework and canopy with their bodies and wings. Though the carriage itself shows age, the cushions inside look quite new. A set of steps rise from the floor, providing easy access to the carriage, and a small table between the seats – set so that they face each other – bears bowls of fruit, steamed bugs, stoppered flasks of more mobile insects, and a few flasks, presumably holding a selection of drinks for the passengers.

The elderly Eeee gestures for Brishen to take her choice of seating first.

Brishen inclines her head slightly, her eyes fixing on her companion for a moment, then steps into the carriage to take a seat. Wires – what kind of carriage is this?

Several Savanites rush up to the carriage, once the elderly Eeee has taken his place, and then start pulling it down the slowly-slowing corridor, once the wooden chocks are removed. The ride is quite smooth, unlike even the best carriage ride through any city. But then, there certainly is no traffic to deal with, either.

The Eeee noble takes a handful of tiny pala-fruits, and nibbles on them. After a swallow and a suitable pause, he says, by way of conversation, "How are you doing?"

Brishen tilts her head slightly, then breaks the seal on a stoppered flask. She can't help but smile as a shiny beetle crawls out. In a moment, and with a faint crunch, it's in her mouth. She too pauses, chewing thoughtfully before answering, "I'm well. I've not seen you in some time."

The elderly Eeee nods. "I have been busy. Much has been happening abroad."

Brishen reaches up to brush a lock of hair from her eyes, then carefully plucks a steamed waterbug from a bed of dark green reeds. "So I imagine. In the Palace, as I am, I've not had the opportunity to see a great deal of Ashdod."

"Perhaps that should change," the elder Eeee says in a sober tone. "You are not a prisoner here. If you asked to be allowed to go back to Rephidim, even that request would likely be granted. Tell me – Have you heard about the Himar?"

Brishen tilts her head slightly. "They would allow that?" A faint pause as she takes a bite of the water bug, then, "I have heard of it, though I've never seen it."

"Well, you won't," the elderly Eeee says flatly. "It's gone now."

Brishen blinks. "Gone?"

The elder nods. "Yes. Gone. I have my contacts among the Collegia Esoterica. Eeee Air mages are a notoriously loose-tongued lot, especially with their courier spells. And the Light mages surely know by now, too. The word in the court is that the Sabaoth will announce that he has a great weapon in his possession which can destroy entire cities and even countries. He will say that Himar has been used as an example, for being a lackey of Rephidim."

"What he will not say," the elder adds, after a pause, and in a lower tone, "is that he had only two such weapons, and one was expended. The other he is bringing back to Babel to his Palace for safekeeping."

Brishen's ears grow an ashen hue as she stares at the elderly bat. "But… how? What kind of thing could do that?"

The elder Eeee shrugs helplessly. "An Exile weapon of great power. That is all I know for certain. I am suspicious that some accident was involved. I have heard the weapon destroyed the wilderness of Himar, but was not centered on Elamoore. I do not know if Elamoore survived, but if it were the true target, for certain, the weapon would have been brought there. If it were meant to be a harmless demonstration, the Himaat would have been more appropriate."

Brishen lets the remnants of her food fall to the table with a faint clatter. "It's insane… " She finally whispers.

The elder nods, then softly says, "The stakes have been raised too high. Tell me … do you have any family or friends in Babel?"

Brishen whispers, "One." She shivers as her thoughts turn to her family, her knuckles growing white as she wrings her hands. "My family doesn't live in Babel."

The elder nods. "Then I recommend that you and this unnamed one consider taking a nice vacation." He frowns, then looks up. "It would seem we are about to arrive." There is a small group awaiting at the end of the sloping corridor, near another archway leading into yet another chamber.

Brishen nods, taking a deep breath as she attempts to regain her composure. It isn't true, really. There's Reico, but what about Sunrise, and the rest of her attendants? If something terrible is going to happen, how could she not tell them as well? And though they're not in Babel itself, is her family truly safe?

The passengers disembark, and are guided into the next chamber. A buzzing noise grows louder as they pass through the archway … and walk into a chamber with honeycombed walls. The heart of the Tower … is a colossal … hive!

Brishen gasps. Though, in the back of the mind she wonders just how much dinner she could get from a bug that lived in a honeycomb that large.

Down amber steps, the group descends to a platform observing rows of cocoons and structures of less identifiable form that line the floor far below. The Sabaoth can be seen, far below, amidst several Eeee warriors and workers, and several Savanite slaves.

Brishen whispers, her voice barely audible to her companion, "What sort of place is this? I've never seen anything like it… "

Hotep smiles, bowing to Brishen. "Your attendants have responded well to motivation." He answers Brishen's question before her companion has time to answer. "Welcome to the heart of the Tower of Babel. The cocoons of the Plaguebringers will open shortly."

Down below, the 'cocoons' indicated, when compared to the size of the servants and slaves, must hold creatures as large as raktors. Some of the cocoons are even bigger. The cocoons are wrapped in tangles of cables and metal gadgetry that would be worth untold fortunes if melted down for scrap.

Brishen bites her lower lip as she looks up, up, up at the rows of cocoons, sparing only a moment to cast a frightened glance at her companion.

The elder Eeee gives Brishen's hand a light squeeze, perhaps meant as a comforting gesture.

A cracking sound intermixed with a noise like that of tearing fabric echoes through the chamber, again and again. One by one, the cocoons split open, revealing glistening dark forms that reflect highlights of green and purple in the unnatural light that emanates from glowing 'honeycombs' in this great hive.

Brishen squeaks faintly. These bugs don't look at all edible.

Slowly, the great bugs crawl out of their sleeping places, straightening out, their wings slicked back across their carapaces. Their forms are a mixture of chitin and machinery, nothing by any stretch of the imagination that could have occurred naturally.

"Keeper!" calls out one of the assistants, getting the attention of a more ornately-robed priest. "Look!" Inside one of the opened cocoons, one of the bugs has failed to crawl out … and does not look as if it ever will. It is a dried husk, like an insect that has fallen in a windowsill, died and dried up before anyone could have time to make a snack of it.

A few more appear to have suffered a similar fate, but they are in the minority.

Brishen covers her mouth with a hand, shivering as she steps just a little closer to the elderly Eeee. The fact that a few of the insects seem dead is not at all encouraging.

I have to get out of here. I have to go HOME! Somehow, I have to warn everyone. Brishen trembles, staring at the priests in an attempt to avoid looking at the bugs.

Hotep grins, his eyes ablaze, as he looks to Brishen. "Overwhelming, is it not? These beautiful specimens, as ancient as the Tower itself, shall fly forth, and rain death upon all who oppose us! None shall ever again challenge the might of the Sabaoth!"

Below, the head of one of the great bugs cracks open, bits of goo suspending from the horizontal, clean fissure. At first, it appears as if the bug's head had opened a new mouth, but the shell rises … revealing the bulk of the head's interior to be open space … with … some sort of SEAT within it! An Eeee warrior in a strange suit of armor fashioned from chitinous shells crawls into the seat, reaching for levers that look like ingrown mandibles. The "head" slowly closes again, and the bug's wings straighten out, shedding their mucus coating.

Brishen's expression remains fixed as she stares at the priest. I hope these things eat you, you sick little freak. She attempts an impressed nod.

Hotep, apparently satisfied, turns back to watch the scene.

The elder Eeee leans over to whisper to Brishen, "You have seen now. You do not have to stay for the whole procedure. It may last for hours. The Plaguebringers have not been awakened for centuries."

Brishen nods faintly, then looks up at the taller Eeee. "I feel faint, sir," She squeaks, "Is there a place where I could rest for a moment?" There's a moment's pause, then the young courier closes her eyes.

"Certainly," says the elder Eeee. "Please excuse me… " He guides the courier away from the platform, back in the direction of the carriage. Their departure seems to be mostly unnoticed, as those gathered have their attention affixed to the grotesque wonders of the hive chamber.

Brishen's ears are ashen as she steps into the cart, almost stumbling. "There has to be a way to stop this," She whispers.

The elderly Eeee sits down as well, and motions the slaves to start moving the cart.

Brishen curls up a little in her seat, holding her head in her hands.

Brishen shivers, wrapping her arms around herself as the world grows dark and distant around her. To think – All along, the tower she dreamed about when she was a girl was rotten, and hollow and filled with monsters.