Captain's Log: Still the 10th of Nachenheim, I think, 2514.
Right, this might be it. I'm getting this written down while we take a deep breath and prepare for the worst. We're in the catacombs beneath the Temple of the Ancient Allies right now. At least if we're found dead we can cut out the middle man... assuming we don't become one of THOSE things. By Sigmar, the tubes and patterns are still maddening to consider.
Two stones at knee height to push at the southern point of the temple, or is it the north? By the hammer these maps confound me sometimes! If you drew such a map of the sea or rivers you would be the forced to walk the plank immediately. A crew has no time for such glaring inaccuracies or needless confusion. One time I was told of a crew that sailed to Lustria with a faulty map and a delusional man named Marl- sorry, I need to lower my voice. I can hear them upstairs. They've caught wind of our presence. Haven't caught sight of us but we've only got so much time before they check the catacombs. Maybe I shouldn't be dictating an entry. On the other hand, they haven't been too adventurous in their search yet. Maybe they're scared of going down here. I know I am. Right, so it was two stones at knee height. The marine was going to use this opportunity to slight our doctor, so I got down and pressed the damn stones myself. Opened up to an old storeroom with a leaning, heavy box of vegetables. Barely got it stable and upright, just in time. Nearly a complete disaster. Nearly thwarted by bloody vegetables. I saw a small furry hand from my coat snatch an errant vegetable as it fell from the top. Fine work, Mr. Crumbles.
The One found two items of interest. A small "Y" symbol and a tube decorated with the moon and stars. A bit like a wand. The One declared that they were faintly magical objects. Funny how wizards and witches have a scale of magic from lesser to greater potency. I mean, I understand, but I consider all of these enchantments and charms a giant problem regardless of their power. A door to the north let us sneak out and espy something down the corridor to the... west? Damn map... anyway, if you find this journal on my body you will most likely find the map. See the things in the bottom part of the corridor? Those are cells where the blasted cultists resided when not committing blasphemy. Some slept, some studied, but all were a problem if even one spotted us. At the end of the corridor was a deader sentry. Obviously couldn't see us at this distance even if we pranced like elf dancers. His life sense would kick in when we got close, however, so that way was out of the question. Took the north door and entered a small bedroom. A couple of chests, a simple bed and a series of crazed entries in a journal. Ha, it seems like no competition to mine. Wasn't exactly the nutty room we expected but the writings looked the part. We left that room, book in hand, and to the north was a library. More books. Fantastic. Couldn't find anything useful in there and carried onward to the north. Storage. Chests and robes with a wall dedicated to Tal, Rhea and Ulric. The remnants of the temple's former function. Didn't check it too closely by that point. We wanted immediate, concrete evidence of Chaos and then we would get the hell out of here.
The northernmost point of the temple was a huge semi-circle in shape, with a large circle like a moon right in the middle. Made me think of Morrslieb's awful grinning face. Sigmar, please let me banish this horror like we did that horrible moon... on the left and right sides of this semi-circle were two smaller rooms. Harbull had a strong feeling about the one to the right, so we decided to investigate that one first. I admired his decisiveness and determination. It contained a small wooden block for an altar. Nothing more, nothing less. If we weren't in a temple I could have easily mistaken it for a footstool. The One claimed that the moon and stars symbol responded sympathetically with its magical energies but that they felt "cold and inimical". That was all I needed to hear to leave the room. The altar in the room to the left was more what we expected. A hastily etched "Y" symbol onto its surface, like it was done in a frenzy, covered with sawdust and blood. Bloody Chaos. Werner decided to offer it some blood and to prove its nature, despite our warnings, while Harbull decided to further search the rooms to the south. Blood trickled onto the altar and smoke billowed forth into the marine's nostrils. He fell to the ground, as if struck dead, and lay seemingly lifeless. I had to try to not scream. The doctor came back and saw what was happening. He told us to stand aside and let him "invigorate the testicular area to revive his intrinsic, subconscious life energies". He punched Werner solidly in the Murrmann family jewels but it was no use.
Werner woke up laughing. Not how I'd react to being punched in the bollocks, but each to their own. Said he was fine but alluded to talking with SOMETHING. I hope he is okay and I pray for his soul. Harbull brought us to the "necromium" to the south, right next to the quarantine room. The latter was for holding fresh victims, for the ever growing army of the undead. The former was even worse. It was an enormity of horrors packed into a seemingly small room. The damned tubes, corpses drained and filled with strange potions, bodies and devices enchanted in ungodly ways and chthonic liquids held solidly in the air by sorcery. Contraptions and runes side by side, alchemy and ancient deviltry combined in a twisted mockery of modern invention. I had enough of these works of Chaos and turned away. The One and Harbull were able to put their learning of scripts and runes together to discover that the room was dedicated to one named Necoho. Perhaps that was the Chaos god of that wooden altar?
To reach the sanitarium south of the quarantine, we had to get past that undead sentry down the corridor. The One used her blessed spells to create an area of pure silence. We took this opportunity to run past the cells and ambush the unliving guard but damn, there was a monk nearby! I drew my rapier and thrust it through his arm, straight through to the heart. I would describe it as clean if there wasn't so much blood. The other guard was utterly destroyed by the combined efforts of Jim's blade and Death Dealer. The only part that survived was the legs. They did the smart thing and fled. The sanitarium was incredibly unpleasant but nothing compared to what we found in the "cleansing fire" room next to it. It contained a barrel contraption with a means of lowering someone or something into it. Covered again with runes and thus sorcery. At least we know how they get rid of unwanted bodies. We could hear a group of cultists panic outside of the sanitarium. Apparently it was Brother Sergei that I killed, if my Kislevite is still sharp. Guards were posted at the door and bolted it. SHITE! We legged it to the storeroom with the secret door. Harbull pointed out that we never took anything of use from the library or properly checked the storage room north. He was absolutely right. Unfortunately. We got some logs of Julius Olvoga's from the library and headed towards the storage room. First chest, nothing. Second chest, cloths. Third chest, a mechanism that revealed a hidden trap door!
So here we are on its steps to the catacombs below. I won't lie to you. I'm very frightened yet I feel a holy fervour unlike anything else. I think we should barricade the storage room door and then venture towards the horrors below. Daemon, man, or anything else, I feel with this crew and blade of mine that they will be slain.
FOR THE HAMMER!
- Johann Dasbuut.
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