Ozimudu's Vigil

Kagura

A featureless bunker.
This circular room has been wrought from the cold stone of the Tareas, buried someplace far beneath its roots. Singular and open, it has fallen into significant disrepair, with what look to be the remnants of wooden bunks rotted and fallen in upon themselves. Exposed privies stand at the room's far edge, absent any door or barrier - an empty well stands not far from the entryway, long since run dry, chain and bucket rusted to nothing. Empty stone shelves, a rusted stove, and several other sparing accouterments stand testament to the remnants of a kitchen. Save for these aspects, no other furniture nor signs of habitation can be discerned throughout the ruined, inhospitable hall. Eyes fixed upon a vacant spot on the ground, a revenant of shadow manifests here, presence dimmed by a grayish mist. A black marble pedestal has been knocked over, cracking the bowl that once rested upon it. The walls have been inscribed with countless chirographed runes of Kalsu, each glimmering with a silver light.

Ozimudu is a short, thickly built revenant... or at least they might have been in life, with the wide, muscular impression their shadow leaves. Wreathed in a fine, grayish mist that never strays too far from their ethereal, decaying frame, the revenant's armor may be made out, and likewise, the menacing suggestion of a warhammer in their powerful hands. Little else about Ozimudu is readily discernible beneath layers of darkness and obfuscation, save for the distant pinpoints of their eyes, burning like suns somewhere beneath the detritus of their once-mortal being.

Ozimudu, the revenant suddenly looks sharper and more alert.

Formally, you say to Ozimudu, the revenant, "Greetings, Revenant of the ages."

"Sciomancer," Ozimudu, the revenant intones, turning an emotionless gaze upon you that contains the hollowness earned from centuries of unending guard, "I will maintain this vigil, as I always have. You will let your Shadow Warden know, yes? She has been very insistent about getting me to abandon my post of late."

You say to Ozimudu, the revenant, "Yes, the Shadow Warden had been trying to reach you for some time, but she had to rest. The Sciomancers Guild wished to extend to you our invitation to come to Spinesreach. But we respect your wishes to stay at your vigil. The Shadow Warden's concern was that the Shadowrot would affect you, as it has consumed everything that it has reached."

"Yes, the shadowrot will undoubtedly consume both this place and me," Ozimudu, the revenant affirms. There is no dread, nor anything, in the revenant's voice as he gestures to the inscribed Kalsu words upon the walls before continuing, "I have inscribed protections." A pause, and then a simple fact follows: "They will not hold for long." Despite the conveyed lack of emotion, the centuries-old wraith cannot help but give an instinctive shudder through its cloak of obfuscation, "The shadow is insidious as always. It will learn to break through them, and then they will never work again."

Kagura glances at the scribed runes of Kalsu on the walls, "I have noticed that you have strengthened the defenses here." Her tone is sombre and her speech patterns archaic, though the intonation is a little strange, as though she was unused to the formality, but she frowns in consternation. She is silent for a moment before she continues, her lips set in a harsh line, "The Sciomancers Guild are witness to your unending vigil. Your dedication to your duty is an inspiration to us all. Before this is over, and after this is over, forever more."

You give Ozimudu, the revenant a respectful salute.

Ozimudu, the revenant nods solemnly, returning the salute with one of his own.

You say to Ozimudu, the revenant, "If you have need of anything, let us know. We will support you with everything we have."

Returning to his watch, Ozimudu, the revenant says, "Aye, Sciomancer. If you find a way to hold off the shadow before my vigil ends, you know where to find me."

Ozimudu, the revenant's attention drifts, returning to their usual tasks.