Codex Bridge Of Feysal

The Bridge of Feysal
A Contemporary Account of the Unsealing of the Portal
Written by Peitho the Iridinian on the 22nd day of Scran in the year 262.
What follows is a true and historic record of events in the city of
Iridine.


On the 16th day of Scran in the year 262, the entrance to the portal in the
sewers beneath the city of Iridine was reopened. Access to the portal had
been made impossible several months ago, due to an underground tremor that
caused a large sinkhole to be opened in the passageway directly in front of
the portal.


We discovered on that day that the sinkhole had been spanned by a sturdy
wooden bridge. A cry for help had been raised in the sewers, and the
words, "Feysal" were heard throughout the city. Constable Danasei,
Galerus, Culexus, and myself ventured down into the sewers to investigate,
and to render what aid we could. When we arrived, we discovered the
bridge, and the bodies of two dead men lying before Feysal and the portal.
The path had been restored!


We searched the bodies. They had been badly cut in several places, and
their throats had been opened. They appeared to be laborers, as they were
wearing tool belts and were dressed for such work. Judging by his
features, at least one of the men appeared to hail from the town of
Vetallun. Constable Danasei found a scrap of parchment on one of the
bodies, with a short message that we were shocked to find was addressed to
him.


Not only did the message name the constable himself, it also warned him to
stop any investigation, because according to the words written, he knew
what the consequences of his previous investigations had been. A man named
Murst was also mentioned. Danasei explained that this man Murst had been
killed for cooperating in an investigation against a madman who had been
murdering people within the city of Iridine.


According to the constable, this madman had been hired to go after the
people who owed money to a pair of merchants in the city. However, even
the two who hired him fled the city when they recognized the monster they
had unleashed. The constable claimed that the investigation had hit a dead
end and everything had been quiet for months, but the appearance of these
bodies and the message seemed to indicate that this madman had returned to
his vile ways.


We entered the portal to see if there was anything to be found, and as soon
as we passed through Feysal's threshold we discovered the body of a third
worker, who had clearly been killed in a similar fashion to the others.
Standing over the corpse was a great beast, a giant bird of carrion,
already pecking away at the poor man's remains.


Although Culexus protested, the rest of us unsheathed our weapons and slew
the hideous beast, and pulled the man's body back through the portal and
laid him near the other two. We then came across some other residents of
the city who had come to help the laborers after hearing their cry for
help, among them Reever and Bathartius.


As we ventured back into the misty portal, we were set upon by a gaggle of
monstrous ghosts and spirits. We were nearly overcome by a nest of
horrendous death vipers; I myself was badly bitten, and feared the poison
would be the end of me. Among them were also a dozen eyeless figures. To
say that they had the rough shape of a man would deny the true horror of
their appearance. They clawed at us and tried to drag us down with them to
drown in the foggy depths of the portal.


Somehow, we managed to destroy or run off these terrible creatures, but
Reever was badly hurt. Galerus picked him up and disappeared into the mist
in an attempt to carry him to safety. Somehow he found his way out, and
was able to return to us again after some time. However, that was not the
end of our trouble.


As we trudged deeper and deeper into the mysterious lands beyond that
mystical gate, searching for any clue that might have something to do with
the murder of the men we found, we realized that we had been turned around.
It seemed as though we were going in circles. We were often watched by
less malevolent spirits, who would appear and disappear at random through
the fog, simply watching us as we passed by.


Suddenly, we ran right into a man wearing the helmet of a centurion of the
Legio. Before we realized what had happened, he had already run past us.
We gave chase, but it was impossible to find him in the swirling mists.
Every step we took seemed to lead us back to the same uncanny place, and
there was no hope to catch him now. It quickly dawned on us what had
happened: the infamous brigand and murderer Occulo was now within the very
walls of the city of Iridine!


With great haste, we tried to make our way back to the entrance, but as we
made our way, the constable lieutenant Danasei suddenly disappeared before
our very eyes! We feared he had been snatched up by the spirits that
roamed the shadowy pathways of this strange realm. Without his guidance,
we seemed to move in circles once again, struggling to find our way out.


Luckily, as we journeyed further, we discovered Danasei walking towards us
in the opposite direction. I feared at first he might be a shade of his
former self, but his body appeared to have physical substance, and his
personality was intact. We turned about, and continued on our way towards
the entrance.


As we neared the gateway once again, Culexus vanished as well. We feared
that he too might have been carried away by some sort of wraith or ghost,
but unfortunately he was able to find his way out on his own. We finally
found the way out of this unearthly domain, but as the others passed
through the portal, the mist and fog twisted about and the shimmering
doorway disappeared just before I could reach it!


I suddenly realized that I was alone, closed off from the rest of the
world. I traveled through the banks of fog and mist, seeking a way out.
After what seemed to me to be hours, I finally was able to find the gateway
once again. As I passed through the threshold once more, I found Danasei,
Galerus, and Culexus waiting for me. It seemed to them as if only a few
minutes had passed since last I'd seen them.


We quickly hurried back through the stinking passages of the sewer, and
finally reached the surface. Danasei raised the alarm, and warned everyone
in the city to be on the lookout for a man wearing the helmet of a
centurion, but without a phalerial, as we were now certain that Occulo had
gained access to the city.


All of us who had been exposed to the weird region within the portal were
already suffering from the side effects of travel in that otherworldly
place. We accompanied Danasei to the Temple of Ereal, where he gave each
of us a pinion feather, for which we received a blessing from the priest
there. Thanks to the blessing, much of the weight of our troubles and
tribulations were lifted from our hearts, although we feared this was only
the beginning of a new spate of mayhem in the city.


We parted ways, and Danasei and Galerus returned to the sewer to collect
the bodies and bring them to the pyres. A request was made for the Steward
of the City, to deal with the bridge that had been built. As to who
ordered the bridge to be built, and who funded the project, that remains to
be seen. It was obviously done quite quickly and with some secrecy, as
nobody had seen any sign of the construction until that day.


I do not yet know what will be done with the bridge, and whether or not it
will be demolished, or left standing. As Occulo is already within the
city, it seems that tearing it down it at this point might be a fruitless
endeavor, but time will tell. The return of the madman who killed the
laborers is also of great concern, for it seems that with or without access
to the portal, no one has been able to capture him, or even prevent his
evil doings. May Ereal watch over us and grant us luck in these dark
times!


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