Pharuan was indeed taken to a prison hidden deep beneath the ground, a hole that was thrown away from the world. The inmates here are allowed to roam the tunnels freely but all this did was make it a prison run by gangs, the guards to make sure none escape they did not care what they did to one another while they were here. In the days or maybe weeks, it's hard to keep track of time, Pharuan has spent in this place he has seen that outsiders could come in to perform whatever dark desires on inmates they wished. He assumed this came with a hefty price tag but as in most the world money will buy pretty much anything.
He has heard the screams of men and woman both from these encounters. Bone chilling screams from torture. That was the true horror of this place, the gangs would commit plenty of violence but that was to keep order. Leaders of each faction keeping their positions secured and the rules in place. Pharuan is not an unknown force in the world, few know his face and can put his true name to his code name as a hunter but few have not heard one tale or another of his great hunts.
Someone leaked who he was and quickly the gang leaders all sought to recruit him but he refused them all. Not wanting to get involved in the politics of this place, none likes this but most left it be as long as it remained a refusal to all and their rivals would not gain such a powerful ally. He had no visitors in this time and unsure if this was a good thing or a sign of something even worse to come, Pharuan kept to his dirt cell. Magic was void in this dungeon but he spent his time keeping his body honed and ears open to any and all information he can devour. How the gangs, guards, and special guests moved, personal relations between them all, how some preferred to torture or worse yet use the prisoners they would visit. Any bit of information he could file away in his mind with the hope of someday being able to use to his advantage.
His routine today is broken. Coming back to his cell after what makes for lunch in this place he finds 2 smirking guards waiting for him. "Congratulations you have your first visitor today."
The guards shove him along the path taking him to one of the torture chambers he has heard many a scream come from. "Oh this should be good. Whoever this bloke is has paid a lot of money to keep anyone else from having a Crack at you in your first month here. He wanted you all to himself."
The 2 guards keep up this sort of mocking banter as they escort Pharuan to what will be the start of his nightmare. He gives them no response to the mocking, knowing doing so will only gain him a quick beating from these lowly creeps who only desire to feel better about their own crappy lives they have no real power in.
Entering the chamber he sees countless items of various types waiting to be used on his flesh. Some obvious on how they could be used, others complex gadgets that even Pharuan is unsure of their exact purpose. He is strapped into a wooden chair and left there in the room.
Some time later the door swings open yet again and before he could see this newcomer he hears that voice lined with gravel. "I told you I'd come visit you." The man comes into his view, a large frame but a mask hides his face. He can make out red skin beneath the flowing dark robe that hides the man further. Whoever those people in the stone chairs were, they do prefer their secrecy.
The figure slowly walks about the room, examining different tools as he monologues to Pharuan like some damned super villain in a movie. "I have spent many hours imagining what this encounter would be like. I will admit I always pictured having those whores here to really drive my point across to you. Don't you worry though you'll be here long enough that in time I'll find them again. You'll see those lovely ladies once more yet you might regret that. I always desired my freedom from the chains that had bound me, always serving others always using my power not for what I desired but for the wishes of other idiotic fools that would somehow find my lamp."
Pharuan's eyes flicker for the first time showing a reaction and the man did not miss that. "Ah, are you starting to figure it out? That's right you had given me hope that you could free me from that damned thing and to be fair you did. You just failed to mention you'd be replacing it with an even worse master. That demoness is the most skilled in the art of torture I have ever had the displeasure of witnessing. Even with all I have seen and done myself in my long life she had me cringing just watching her care of others when I first found myself in her household. If that is what you grew up with, how could I begin to break you here? It will be long and difficult but we will figure it out together. You will tell me where you have hidden your lamp and I'll bring you back to her under my command and she will finally acknowledge that I am superior to you."
The large red hand of the once genie pats him on the cheek. He then pulls out an old rusty bucket and a wave of the finger fills it with water, something allowing magic in this room, Pharuan notes. Leather straps are used to bind Pharuans bare foot into the water. With another flick of magic a fire begins to heat the water. Slowly as the water's temperature begins to rise he feels discomfort but quickly that changes to pain. The steam rising up to scorch the flesh around his ankle, steam burns always much worse than direct heat but the true pain started as the water went from a simmer into a rolling boil.
Unable to pull his foot free, the boiling water renders flesh and muscle, loosening it from the bone itself. Pharuan attempted to hold back the screams but he knew it would only be a matter of time. Indeed the screams came, the genie however did not speak, did not ask about the lamp nor anything else. He only sat and watched, piercing yellow eyes borrowing into pharuan.
Again time lost meaning to Pharuan, even the release of blacking out from the pain was stolen from him for when that happened smelling salts and a back hand across the face were dealt out to bring him back to reality. Eventually the bucket was removed, his gnarled foot left limp but again no questions asked only a new device of torture selected.
This bastard didn't want answers too quickly, he wanted to make him suffer. This time he selected an iron link of chain, magic bringing it to life in his hand. It begins to squirm in his hands like a snake. Gently placing the tip of the chain against his lips it starts to push its way into his mouth. First just poking at him and when he did not open his mouth it began to be more forceful. Knowing it would shatter through his teeth if he refused, the tiefling gives up and lets his mouth fall open. No time is wasted as the serpentine chain shots down his throat.
He gags, chokes and vomits around the chain as it slithers down his throat into his stomach before it falls dormant. With the other end of the chain resting in his hand he bursts into flame, heating the metal. The searing pain immense through his esophagus down into his stomach. Pharuans stomach acid burping as it is heated up. The metal tears him open from the inside but also cauterizes into the soft interior. Once cooled the chain is torn out of him quickly, reopening wounds and pulling chunks of him out with it. Magic is used to make sure he does not die but these and more torture methods does show the mistresses hand that this monster learned from.
Pharuan once more loses track of time. He wants to cave, he wants to make the pain stop but he know giving the genie what he wants will only be a temporary relief from pain and once the lamp is in his hands even worse torture can be inflicted directly onto his soul not to mention the evils he can be forced to commit.
Spells were woven forcing pharuan to dig chunks of his own flesh out with an old spoon and he was forced to eat them, these and more pains were inflicted upon him. The hours, days and weeks all passed. Pharuan would scream until his vocal cords would tear but then magic would heal them so his nightmare could be heard once more by the other inmates.
Finally some sort of business called the genie away so pharuan was dragged out of the torture chamber and thrown back into a cell. Eventually the fog lifts as the cell of dirt comes into focus to his broken body. His injuries all healed enough to not be life threatening but the scars and both on his flesh and his nerves linger making his weakened frail body twitch uncontrollably.
Laying on his back he slowly turns his head looking around the room. The cells all appear to be the same but the fact a fairly fresh looking decapitated head rests on the floor next to a pale of water tells him this is probably a different cell than he previously had.
Pharuan begins to pull his limp broken body along the floor towards the disgustingly murky water that still has his mouth watering, or it would be if he was capable of producing any liquid from his body. The head resting up against the water pale is a man's approximately mid 30s if he had to guess, short rugged beard to match the dusty mop on his head. Eyes shut with his tongue hanging out of the man's mouth.
"Was that you making all that ruckus?" A dusty cracking voice sounds out causing Pharuan to twitch away spilling a ladle full of water. His eyes dart around towards the cell entrance looking for the speaker but no one is there. "You know it's hard to get any good sleep with you screaming like that."
Looking down before him he sees the eyes now open, tongue no longer hanging from the man's mouth for it is this head looking upon him as it speaks. He has seen many things in his life but most often when your head is separated from your neck you can't do those sorts of things anymore. He attempts to talk back but his own throat is too dry to bloodied and it takes him some water and several cracking attempts before real words are able to form.
"How are you still alive? Or are you not really alive?"
The man's head chuckles with laughter. "I am alive, well mostly alive. I think at this point I'd be considered an undead creature but whatever label you want to throw at me. As for how I don't really think I need to give you my life story right now but I'll tell you this, if you are gonna piss off powerful people it's a good idea to have an in with a death god."
Indeed this man must have been spared by death in such an extreme manner. He must be either very important or very powerful, maybe even both for a God of death to grant him whatever form of life this could be considered. "What is your name?"
The head raises an eyebrow as he licks his lips seemingly trying to remember his own name. "My name? Hmmm yes definitely had a name. Oh it's been so long. What was it? Rolo? No Ralph? No no that wasn't it either. Rand! That's it, I am Rand my good sir and I'd tip my hat to you if I had one or well if I had hands to do so."
The 2 lay there, one nothing more than a head unable to move the other so beaten and broken he is hardly able to move. Rand does not seem to remember much of anything. He woke up in this place long ago, joined one of the gangs as a low level grunt just to get by and someone paid to torture him like they do. They never spoke a word to him, just a cloaked masked figure who wasted time. Walked in the room, picked up a giant ax and brought it down on his neck. All he knows of the man is that a unicorn was inked onto his forearm.
Next thing he knows a winged figure is tisk tisking him for his brash foolish lifestyle and with a glowing strand of gold they used some sort of magic to preserve life in his head. Told him his time on the earth is not done yet and than left him here in this cell. Hunger thirst and boredom has driven him made time over but here he is finally with someone to talk to.
Pharuan told him how he ended up in the prison himself, told him about his companions that he prays to any gods who might be listening that they are doing better than he is. He explained to him who this genie is and why he has such a grudge but does admit he has no idea who this group is the man seems to be part of.
In time pharuan gains enough strength to push himself into a seated position and then to even stand so he might venture out to find some food. Tearing rags from what can only be described as a bigger rag he manages to tie Rand's head to his hip and the 2 new companions set out to the grub hall.
As Pharuan slowly stumbles through the hall he notices the other inmates give him a wide berth. Not being involved in any of the gangs he often will be ignored, shoulder checked out of the way and such but now it's like they fear the man. It is Rand who makes the connection from Pharuan's face though. "It isn't you they fear, whoever that genie is has made it known you aren't to be touched by anyone but him."
Each time Pharuan wakes from his slumber he expects to be dragged back into that chamber and new horrors unleashed onto him. Yet he is surprised with the time that seems to pass without such an incident. Pharuan and Rand spend the time talking, mostly Pharuan sharing stories of his past adventures seeing as the head remembered very little of his life. The tiefling did learn that the man loved horrible puns, pranks and the like.
They did come to realize that Rand has been left in this prison cell for far longer than either would have imagined. He has heard many many things about the prison, able to learn a great number of things about its workings. The most interesting thing in Pharuan's eyes is that on the guards level above them is a portal system that allows the coming and going to this place. No physical means seems to exist. Even the head has not been able to figure out whatever it is that voids the magic in the lower levels.
Pharuan has never even heard of this prison with all his connections better yet an escape from it so he has no idea how he will use this knowledge to his advantage but his hope of figuring it out has not been crushed out of him yet. He has always strived to keep hope alive no matter the struggles he has faced and to his mind that has been his greatest strength.
Finally the guards come and drag Pharuan out of the cell and back into another torture chamber. No idea if this is the same one or not he is strapped down once more and the doors open to the cloaked masked genie, his eyes seem to rage with a fire as he pierces through the target of his rage or maybe just the outlet for it. As soon as his feet cross the threshold of the room a small searing bolt of flame shoots out from the tip of a long claw like finger, piercing through Pharuan's shoulder. The smell of burning flesh quickly fills the air. No words are spoken, the genie just grunts as he stomps towards his victim. Grasping him by what has grown into a long mangled mess of hair he forces his head up to face him. "Bastards have left me with little time to toy with you so today is the day you will break and give me the lamp."
Noticing the seemingly lifeless head strapped to his side the genie pulls it free looking it over. "Maybe I left you more broken that I had thought." He throws the lifeless head behind him onto a table. He holds up his hand showing his 5 Fingers as flame flickers to life at the end of each like candles. As they burn the red orange of the flame shifts into a pink burning light. Pharuan has heard of this type of flame, uncommon magic only very skilled pyromancers can attempt better yet master. Psychic flame that does not burn flesh or any other material object but instead burns into the mind. Forcing the brain to relive horrible trauma from the past as it amplifies the negative feelings and emotions by ten fold. He presses his fingers into the forehead of Pharuan and the flames sink into his skull.
The horrors of being sold off by his mother to a demon, growing up with that love and care she laid out for him. Pain from each task he was set on, the pain he was forced to deal onto others is what really has stuck with him. He sees the faces of every man woman and child flash before his eyes. The pain suffering in their eyes, the pleads and begging you wanted to give into but was unable to. Pharuan sits strapped unmoving in that chair, mouth hung open, eyes glazed over as he relives These horrors. A coughing choking sound comes from behind the genie, This causes him to lose his concentration as he turns to see who is foolish enough to disturb him. He sees no one and looks about in confusion. When he hears the hacking again he manages to follow it to the table where he had carelessly thrown what he thought was a decomposing head.
"What the abyss?" The masked genie slowly picks up the head that is now coughing up a lunge, or he would be if he had anything below the neck. Holding Rand by his shaggy hair he stands in confusion when he breaks free the object that was stuck in his throat. A large feather as black as coal comes out of his mouth like a projectile, the tip of the feather finding itself lodged into the eye hole of the mask. He lets out a scream as his eye is pierced, jerking away flinging the head into the air as both hands come to hold his bleeding eye. Rand comes crashing down into the lap of Pharuan with an audible "ouch"
While the genie blindly knocks into the tables throwing different torture tools onto the ground Rand uses his tongue like an appendage to roll himself around facing the leather strap holding Pharuans arm against the chair. He pulls the leather strap into his mouth, tearing at it to free his new found friend. Somehow the decapitated head manages to tear the thick Leather straps releasing Pharuan's left hand from the restraint. He remains in a mental fog from the flames that burned his mind. Rand starts yelling to break through the haze. "Hey! Hey numbskull! Time to wake up it's now or nothing."
Pharuan does seem to shake free the cobwebs in his head and quickly takes in the state of the room as he works the metal clasps of the remaining restraints. The genie reclaims most of his composure, one hand still pressed around the feather protruding from his eye but the other lighting up with a brilliant red flame as his fist clenches in rage. "Idk what the abyss you are but I will scorch every ounce of flesh from that skull and we will see how much life it still has left in it."
Jumping to his feet, Pharuan sees the old metal bucket that was used to boil the meat of his foot from the bone. In a step he kicks at it, sending it flying up into the genie's face. The fire wreathed hand smacks it away but in that moment the tiefling he had been torturing is upon him. Adrenaline aids his under fed broken body as he forces the fiery hand away, the flames licking at his hand in the process. A voice in his head tells him to grab the feather.
His instincts tell him to trust this voice therefore His free hand wraps its fingers around the feather yanking it free. A wet pop is heard as it pulls the eye free of its socket along with it. His jailor bellows out in pain but managing to force his flaming fist free, bringing it crashing into Pharuan's stomach. Nearly falling over the nearby table he starts an arcane chant in the abyssal tongue. Before Pharuan can do anything about the spell it takes hold. Golden sand swirls In a vortex around the genie the magic quickly transforms the caster into sand himself and the storm sweeps out under the closed door leaving Pharuan and Rand alone in the chamber of horror. "Hell yeah! We thought that hot headed masked sack of goblin dung a thing or two." Rand excitedly says, somehow Pharuan knows he would be pumping a fist into the air if he had one.
"He still breathes and we are still trapped down in this hole with who knows how my guards are probably lining up outside that door to strike us down. Wouldn't really call this a big victory for us my friend." Pharuan once more begins scanning the room, taking in what he has at his disposal and trying to form a plan. Plenty of choices for weapons but nothing that will help turn the tides of the fight to come. That is when he notices the black feather in his hand, green wisps of arcane swirling from it, the shish kabobed eyeball at the end of it is absorbed and the magic of it flares brighter. Now engulfed in the light the feather shifts forms into a simple looking key.
Rand gasps, "wow that's a neat trick brother. What's the key for?"
Pharuan shakes his head. "That was not my magic. I thought this feather was your magic."
"I have no clue where it came from I just found myself choking on something and well when it ended up stuck in his face and me laying in your lap just all worked out."
Pharuan raises a curious eyebrow but with no time to consider what all this means he puts the key in the only key hole he sees. It flawlessly slides into the door and with only a moment of hesitation Pharuan turns it, sending out a wave of magic rippling over the door. Pulling the key free the magic swirls about it once more, this time shaping it into a curved long dagger vaguely looking like the pitch black feather.
Pharuan reties Rand's head to his waist as he prepares for whatever resides on the other end of the door. With a deep breath he steps forth grasping the door handle and pushes it open. The sounds of magical alarms and guards yelling orders as they scramble about hits his ear as he opens the door fully. It is not the hallway that he was dragged through that meets his eye but a large chamber with a rune inscribed stone gate standing in the center. Pharuan's eyes widen as he realizes the key took him to the upper floor with the portal out of this place. On soft feet he begins to creep towards the gate, actually believing he might escape this place with his life intact.
An open door across the room shows a hallway with Armored guards running along its path, weapons and shields in hand. Just a few feet away Pharuan starts to reach his free hand out towards the rippling magic of the gate. That's when he hears that gravely voice of rage filled fire. "Get down there you idiots! I want that door broken down in the next 2 mins and his arms and legs torn from their sockets. I'll burn them down to the stumps."
The last word falls short as the 2 make eye contact with the other across the room. "How the abyss did you? Guards guards, to the transport gate now!" Twin streams of flames swirl through the air towards Pharuan. As they quickly close the distance they solidify and take the form of large sand vipers hissing and snapping at the hand reaching for the portal. Pharuan pulls the hand away avoiding the fangs dripping with poison that looks more like lava.
As Pharuan readies the dagger in a defensive pose in front of him Rand gives him a warning. "Not to hurry you along or anything but it sounds like we will have even more company very shortly." The crashing of steel boots grows louder in the hall as guards grow near. The genie seems content to stay in the doorway allowing his snakes to keep a distance between the escaped prisoners and the portal while backup closes in.
Fangs lash out not in attacks but in warning to not come closer, but Pharuan knows his choices are to fight 2 vipers or 2 vipers and an onslaught of armored guards. When one viper lashes out its warning he shots forward as it recoils. Not at the striking viper but at the still waiting one. Its eyes had turned a fraction to watch its friends strike. A life of honing his skills has trained Pharuan's body to take advantage of even these small advantages on an almost reflexive level, the razor sharp blade cuts deep into the viper sending hot sticky blood spraying across the room. A good strike but the quickness needed to get back on the defensive stopped it from any chance of a deadly one. Yet the snake seems to trash from the wound more than it should, the first viper made another quick strike when pharuan lunged his, the quick feet Zarras has helped him train with her dancing helps him slide out of harm's way before fangs can sink into his neck. He notices the blood along the black blade appears to be getting drunk slowly into the dagger. This is truly a powerful artifact of some sort. The yellow eyes of the trashing viper turn black as its movements come to a statue-like halt. Sensing the change in its partner the other turns to have fangs strike at it. The 2 enter into a twirl as they bite and nash at one another.
Perfect timing, cus that is when the guards begin pouring into the room, but wasting no time Pharuan leaps over the snakes and dives at the portal. The clanging of metal and screams of commands all come to a sudden stop when he crosses through the magic portal, landing on his side in the grass he rolls to his back dagger outstretched to meet The first to follow through. The magic of the portal however is cracking with what appears to be some sort of competing arcane charge. Immediately looking at the dagger in his own hand he finds the same energy surrounding it. Both the dagger and portal flash out and all magical residue falls silent. The portal is just a standing piece of stone and the dagger shifting back into a simple feather.
pharuan can't help but lay there panting holding the feather before him like it is still a blade. After catching his breath he pants out. "Someone is definitely watching over us with that feather. The array of abilities and power it has shown is unbeknownst to most and it was just somehow given to us in the perfect timing."
He stands dusting himself off as Rand shakes his head to do the same. "Luck is kinda my thing, I somehow manage to survive the beheading thing and I'm pretty sure that's a small list of people who can claim that."
"Let's get as far away from this gate before they figure out how to power it back up and come after us." So Pharuan sets out in this unknown forest with his new friend on his hip, a black feather tucked away in the rags of clothing he has and not a single other piece of equipment to his name but he can feel his own magical powers starting to return