Entering the Tower of Ghenjei

[blue_ajah]

They enter a large round hall, stretching into the distance and curving around as though spiraling away. The ceiling is lost in the shadows at its height. Everything in the hall is curved; there are no straight lines or angles anywhere. Spiraled yellow columns twine up the sides of the room like vines, and white and yellow stripes spiral in turn from a circle in the middle of the floor. A strange glow lights the room from a few golden globes atop spiraled metal coils, and a few windows are set into the walls; these, too, are round, and three curved silver spires can be seen outside.

To one side, a great distance away, an opening in the wall is barely visible.

Comments

[sign-seeker.livejournal.com]

*He crouches to bend over Tom, his eyes flickering around the hallway they are in.*

*quietly* Left pocket, you said?

*Tom, slumped and nearly unconscious, makes no answer, but Will finds the small vial. He uncorks it and, still glancing warily around them as often as he looks at Tom, manages to pour it down the other man's throat.*

[flame-and-void.livejournal.com]

Rand watches as Will attends to Tom, and looks about, trying to discern a way to get to Moiraine.

The compass arrow in his palm points straight upward, toward the center of the tower.

"Mat, is there a stairway in this place?"

[torollthedice.livejournal.com]

"Wouldn't know," Mat shrugs. "The two times I was here, the ter'angreal took me right to the chambers of the blighted things. I wasn't exactly wandering about this place."

He keeps his spear close by his side. "We're just going to have to pick one of these hallways, and see where it goes. Unless I miss my guess, we'll probably find a welcoming party eventually, no matter what way we go."

[flame-and-void.livejournal.com]

Rand says grimly, "If they don't already know we're here."

[seeks-sixfinger.livejournal.com]

Inigo's voice is grim.

"We will take care of any welcoming party."

He jerks his head at Tom-on-the-floor.

"'e must be carried?"

[young_tmriddle]

*Normally a Revitalization potion would work instantly, and have the subject up on his or her feet, feeling fresh and ready for anything. Either the magic’s efficacy has been changed here, or this act of Opening has taken more out of Tom than he ever thought it could. He comes to slowly and hears Inigo.

He shakes the cobwebs from his head and sits up, every muscle complaining.*

No, he'll be able to walk. I think.

*Tom stands up, leaning against the wall for support, and takes his wand out.*

[flame-and-void.livejournal.com]

He walks over and puts a hand on Tom's shoulder. "Thank you for getting us in. Just don't overstress yourself. I'd rather you were standing completely when we face this. If you can't walk, I can support you on a disc of air until a time we need you to stand."

[theravenboy]

*Bran glances at Tom and Rand, quickly, but his attention is elsewhere. He has been tense and alert since the mention of foxes. Now he tilts his head, and sniffs, in an attitude more like a hunter than like a prince, or like a hunting dog. Thoughtfully, distantly:* Through the opening, she is, and up, and left.

[young_tmriddle]

*Tom smiles weakly and stands a little more firmly on his feet. The potion is working slightly better now.*

Might take you up on that. If I need it.

[snakesandfoxes]

"It has been a long time, though not as long as once it was. Although it has been longer still since any entered through this path."

A figure uncoils from where it had been leaning against a column and steps forward. Clad in yellow, it is tall and barefoot, and far too thin to be human. Instead of skin, it has scales, and black slits for eyes. Its voice is light and strangely sibilant.

"Do you abide by the ancient agreement? Do you seek answers?"

[torollthedice.livejournal.com]

Mat steps forward, and gestures to the others with one hand to keep silent.

"We come under the terms of the ancient treaty. We agree to the terms, and request the three answers promised therein," he says clearly.

In the Old Tongue, he adds the first line of words engraved on the shaft of his spear. "Thus is our treaty written; thus is agreement made."

[flame-and-void.livejournal.com]

Rand watches passively. For him, that means he's tightly focused, tensed, and ready to spring into action at a moment's notice.

[seeks-sixfinger.livejournal.com]

At this, Inigo, who has clearly been fuming upon the first appearance of the snake-like figure, advances half a step. His fists are clenched. One of them holds a pebble, because if it's necessary to beat the snake-thing over the head he'd like his father to be at least somehow involved.

"Where is -"

Fortunately, he is stopped before he can get any further.

[sign-seeker.livejournal.com]

*sharply, with a command like a whipcrack that is completely automatic and not at all boyish* Inigo. Wait.

*indicates Rand and Mat with a small jerk of his head*

They know the rules here best. We follow their lead.

[seeks-sixfinger.livejournal.com]

Inigo stops, reluctantly, the pebble still clenched tightly in his fist. He mutters something under his breath in Spanish, but fortunately it is not a question of any sort, then says, louder, "Eh. Si."

[flame-and-void.livejournal.com]

Rand's head snaps about at the voice that isn't Mat's.

His glare could cut diamonds.

[theravenboy]

*Bran mutters something under his breath. It is probably not complimentary to Inigo but, as it's in Welsh, Inigo may possibly not recognize it.*

[young_tmriddle]

*Tom straightens up, feigning lack of exhaustion very well. He eyes the snakelike creature that in another time, or another place, he would be fascinated to know more about. And since this is a snakelike creature, he can't resist trying to speak with it.*

Kaaseee-esh? (Can you understand me?)

Hesszeeneth eshhh zow kess. (We intend to respect your rules to the best of our ability.)

[snakesandfoxes]

The creature blinks black eyes and looks at Tom with intent consideration, then smiles slightly. It turns to Mat and nods at the spear.

" 'What was asked is given; the price is paid.' Yes. According to the agreement, then; no devices of fire, no iron, and no instruments of music, and you shall receive true answers in return."

It gestures for them to follow with one long-fingered hand, then starts across the room away from the visible opening.

[theravenboy]

*to Will, in quiet urgency* The wrong way, I tell you. She's through the opening.

[sign-seeker.livejournal.com]

*a quick glance of acknowledgement, grey-blue eyes meeting Herne-tawny ones*

*to the others* Rand. Mat.

*he makes a small gesture towards the opening*

*And then, belatedly, he realizes how Tom's statement in the strange hissing sinuous language had been phrased, but there is nothing he can do about it now. And so he keeps his eyes on Rand and Mat and focuses, for the moment, on what Bran has said and what their goal is.*

[torollthedice.livejournal.com]

Mat resists a strongly rising urge to clip Tom upside the head with the shaft of the ashandarei. First Inigo, now Tom. They're barely in the Tower, and already his party of 'conquering heroes' seems determined to foul matters up. He settles for shifting his head to the side just enough to shoot Tom a fierce glare from the corner of his eye.

"Bloody fool! What did I tell you about being careful?" he hisses under his breath, just loud enough for the other man to hear.

"And that goes for you, too," he adds as an afterthought, turning briefly toward Inigo.

Mat returns his attention to the immediate decision, looking from the back of the retreating Aelfinn to the visible opening. Thinking quickly, he makes a fast decision.

"We go with the Aelfinn," he says resolutely. "We get the three answers we're promised under the treaty. The information may prove useful, and we don't want to let on too soon what our objective is. It won't do us any bloody good to be waylaid before we even know where she is."

[flame-and-void.livejournal.com]

"Good. I have a question that I need an answer to, anyway. And as Mat said, keep quiet. The smallest trip up in this place can cause devistation."

Resolutely, he strides after the retreating Aelfinn, watching his surroundings like a hawk.

[young_tmriddle]

*Tom is chastened and decides to not speak unless spoken to for the duration. And maybe not even then. After all, he is the only non-hero amongst heroes. He doesn't want to be the one to screw this up.

He takes a deep breath and joins the rest of the group, and they all head in the direction of the Aelfinn.*

[snakesandfoxes]

The creature leads them towards the far side of the impossibly high hall, where another rounded doorway can be seen. They pass through it and down a series of other halls, curving, always curving, with never a straight line or edge visible. Tilework and bronze scrollwork repeats patterns of spirals, and the effect is to give a slight feeling of uneasy, twisted motion.

They arrive at a final round door and pass through into a chamber where all the spiraling patterns are done in red and white. Atop three columns in the center of the room sit three more creatures, clad in red, who stare down at the new arrivals.

The guide walks to the center of the room. "These have come under the agreement, seeking answers here. That one, however," and it points to Tom, "has asked a frivolous question of me and must pay a price, according to the ancient laws." It hisses briefly, as though laughing, then vanishes.