The air grew heavier and heavier as they pressed on, leaving behind the frantic storm of the library’s cursed tomes. The corridor before them stretched long and narrow, the walls slick with moisture, the scent of damp stone and ancient decay clinging to every breath. It was dank and cold, the kind of chill that seeps into the bones, clinging to the skin uncomfortably, like a sodden cloak. Their hooves struck a loud, steady rhythm against the uneven stone floor as the narrow passage o...

Archaic and ancient, the latticed ceiling of the crumbling library towered far, far above their heads, the beams rent open like clawed hands praying to the shadows beyond. Light, cold and faint, dripped through the cracks and crevices in the stonework, painting the chamber in a ghostly hue that did little to permeate the endless dark. Dust swirled within those tendrils of light, rising like the whispered remnants of eons past, like the ashes of those who'd once dwelled here. The peace ...

The relentless descent was beginning to take its toll, each step falling heavier and heavier as exhaustion burned through their muscles and the strike of each hoof upon hard, cobbled stone ached dully. Castalla's thoughts spiralled, much like their climb down, and she remained in an uncommonly bad mood, lips clamped shut and expression arranged into something sour. The memories had left a bad taste in her mouth, still tormenting her mind even as she tried to reassure herself that this ...

One moment Castalla hovered at the edge of the sarcophagus, one hoof reaching out tentatively, and the next she was ensnared. The viscous liquid surged up, faster than a heartbeat, lashing out to seize her in its grip. It was cold, so cold, snaking up her leg and curling around her neck, forcing its way down her throat and into her mouth. She gasped, choking and stumbling back, thrashing with sudden and untamed panic. Tears pricked at the corners of her eyes as she kicked out wildly, t...

The group pressed on, Castalla keeping an unrelenting pace despite the dull ache in her foreleg and the blood now crusted to it. Every so often Karlach would cast her a concerned glance, which she would brush off with a tight smile and a quick press to the red mare's side. She'd never been one to dwell on injuries - if she could stand, she could fight and that was all that mattered. The cruel years of her life had bred into her an instinct to hide and deny any weakness, however costly that mi...

The gaping passageway loomed before them, shadowy and uninviting, heavy with the dungeon's chilly breath. Since passing through the door beneath the frowning face, the dungeon had barely changed and the question weighed heavily on their minds. What would have happened if they'd gone through the other door? It settled on them by way of a silence almost as deep as the tunnel they delved and the echo of their hooves on the uneven stonework was uncomfortably loud in their ears. As they rou...

It was often as though the dungeon was sentient, taking pleasure in entrapping those who dared breach it, relishing the coursers who stumbled blindly and second guessed every corner, ever fork in the path. Even the veterans, those who claimed some knowledge of the twisting tunnels and labyrinthian corridors, could find themselves walking in circles or wandering into a peril that they could swear hadn't been there last time.Wolf, Aislinn, Karlach and Castalla seemed to be victims of the ...

Choking. Gasping. Staggering. Acrid green fills the air, creeping like a ghost through cracks. Stealing breath from lungs, thick as poison. Their hooves stumble. Weak. Unsteady. The scent, vile and unfamiliar, claws its way down their their throats. Worse than rot. Worse than death. Eyes sting. Vision blurs.They blink, but there is no clarity, nothing beyond the creeping haze. Every breath is a struggle. Aching. Burning. Each step is heavier. Swaying. ...

It had started as a few puddles. Droplets spattering as hooves slapped carelessly upon the pristine surfaces. Then the faint smell of damp permeated the air, growing heavier and heavier as the air grew colder and colder. Soon enough, the group found themselves splashing through water that kissed the tops of their hooves, sending chills creeping up their legs. It grew deeper and deeper until they were wading, the ripples tickling their knees. Autumn had clambered onto Aislinn’s...

Grime and sticky, oozing slime covered all four of the Coursers as they ploughed on through the darkness, glad to be on a flat surface once more. Thankfully, Karlach always carried matches and oil, and soon they were once more bathed in the soft, flickering light of their torches as they followed the meandering path. Aislinn was shivering, more from the lingering adrenaline than from any real chill. Even so, Karlach stayed close to her, hoping her body heat might help. Wolf, usually th...

The shadows pressed in tighter and tighter on all sides, the gloomy air heavy with damp. Every hoof, echoing a haunting melody upon the cobbled stones, fell into darkness so thick the ground was obscured. Nothing, not even the dancing light of their torches, could pierce the obsidian veil. The whites of Aislinn’s eyes shone in the firelight, her mouth set in grim determination despite her fear. Pity clasped around Castalla’s heart, and she pressed close to the young mare, hoping to...

The library opened up around them like the jaws of some ancient, esoteric creature, poised to swallow them whole. Cobwebs clung to stumbling bookshelves, painted an eerie grey by damp and dust, wavering in the tiniest of drafts. Aislinn, doe-eyed and curious, wandered in without thought, lips alighting on book after book as she flitted between them like a dancer, more enthusiastic than she’d been the entire trip through the dungeons. “There must be centuries of knowledge her...

In the heart of the dungeon's abyss, where even the shadows lived in fear of what slumbered in the deep, Castalla, Karlach, Elrin and Quill stood before the entity they had awakened. Their arcane ritual, heathen and unholy, had torn open the veils and this figment, this skull, was to be their penance. The Skull loomed, no mere legend or relic of forgotten nightmares, but a primal being furious at being awakened by mere mortals. Rising above them, it dwarfed even...

Quill// "How did we get nearly defeated by a bunch of books?"  Quill lamented as he shook away the remaining adrenaline from his body. The musty scent coiled within his nostrils, stagnant and unappealing as his feet pressed into the first of the darkened waters. Ears pinned flat to his head, he waited for Walter to settle onto his back before he stepped forward. There was no reason f...

Castalla and Karlach// Like the serpentine coils of some ancient, slumbering leviathan, the dungeon’s dark corridors twisted and turned in an endless labyrinth of shadows. Karlach had been travelling separately for a few weeks but now that the two lovers were reunited, they were both gleeful and relieved. The shadows seemed far light, the air less oppressive, when they had each other’s company. Castalla found herself once more travell...