Friday, October 22, 2010
Table of Contents
Chapter Nine: City of Lights
01: Home to the Past, Present & Future
02: The Harbingers Reunited
03: The Iris of the Far Realm
04: In Search of Answers
05: A Trip Down Memory Lane
06: Carray On
07: Wisdom
08: Scheduled for 29-10-2010
Session 07: Wisdom
It happened so fast, no one immediately realized what we were all looking at. At one moment, Pellegri was singing a soft tune to herself. And then she was at the fountain, her life blood spilling from her wrist that she herself had sliced open. Of all the people to run to her aid, it was Soulerio who was by her side in a heartbeat, his torn robes in hand ready to bandage our mad friend. And indeed she was mad, as she swung her sword and sliced open her would-be savior. Elena quickly moved in to intercede between the two warring factions, only to receive the same treatment. She was however able to wrench the blade away. That giving me the time to heal our bardic friend’s wounds. As if that was an off switch, Pellegri was again herself. Soulerio commanded his lover to recount why she had done what she did, else suffer the neck-snapping actions of Minion. After healing her friends, she explained that she had no idea. It was established that the magical book may have affected her in some dire way, yet none of us truly believed that. After some discussion, Pellegri and Elena theorized that perhaps it was some magic cast by Soulerio himself in order to stop her from finding Obox-Ob, god of memories. It seems there was something very dark that had transpired between the Master of Undead, and former Champion of Undeath. Yet it was a memory that only the former seemed to know of. Since there was no evidence, we could only give everyone the benefit of the doubt. There were more doors to open, and I volunteered to read the next spell.
As the acid splash trickled through my fingers, a terrible shape appeared in the hallway I had thrown it. A miasma of inky darkness, whose exterior was pierced by leathery wings, and long serpentine tail. We knew right away that we faced a black dragon.
As was customary, Elena and I stood our ground, and thus were we the first to be on the receiving end of the cone of acid that came forth. Soulerio sent his tendril of rot into the cloud, but could not clearly see the target and missed. Elena moved in and swung blindly, failing to connect. As she retracted her chain, the dragon whipped out its tail and swapped her. I tried my call to arms attack, but failed to pierce its mind and thus could not pull it out of its protective acid cloud. Pellegri also failed to hit with her psychic bolt, but did heal Elena as she was already in need. The dragon then lashed out with its head and bit our chain wielder, sending caustic acid into the wounds. Again Soulerio missed with a rot, but Elena was able to get in a glancing blow. Seeing where she struck, I smashed my warhammer home on the same spot. Pellegri still could not see the dragon and her thunderous shout fell on def ears. The dragon then breathed more acid out, targeting only myself as so far I had inflicted the most pain. It then reached out and bit my shoulder for good measure. Soulerio had timed his next rot at that perfect moment and sent it right through the wyrms exposed head. With its jaws clamped upon me, I could feel its scream of pain reverberate through my body.
Minion came from behind to aid my defenses and Elena again missed with her threshing weapon. I summoned my most powerful attack and sent a majestic halo into the beasts hide. Pellegri, seeing her long range attacks were having no effect, charged in and slashed with her scimitar, drawing blood. She also sung a song to heal my wounds, a song I was becoming more and more familiar with. I believed I could perhaps mimic that same octave on further practice, but that was for another time.
With my halo in place, the dragon knew that pain would follow if it attacked anyone but me. And so, despite Minion’s limited help, it snapped its neck out and bit me. Again, Soulerio had timed his attack for just such an eventuality as his rot spell penetrated the beast’s neck. At the same time Pellegri slashed down with her blade, slicing through throat muscles, and making a perfect target for Elena to aim for as she too finally hit with her chain. By then I was too wounded to stay in the fight and so extracted myself from harm, healing myself as I left.
The dragon followed in my foot steps, casting another darkness upon itself in the process, and making it just as difficult to hit with sword and spell. Still wounded, I directed the attacks of Elena, to no effect. Now Elena became the target of the dragon’s wrath as she was repeatedly tail slapped and bitten. Pellegri was there to mend her wounds and moved into a flanking position with myself. Not wanting to stay in the position, the dragon bit down in my direction, but its teeth bounced off my pink plating. I retaliated with an upsweeping hammer hit to its nose. It in turn sent acid at me and Elena, but it seemed dizzy at that moment and missed us both. Elena finally was able to get her chain around its hind leg and yank it out of its concealing cloud. This gave Soulerio the chance to send another one of his massive rots through the dragon’s heart. Yet still it stood, even after another strike from myself and Pellegri. Again it summoned its cloud, making life difficult for us all. It then breathed its acid upon myself and Soulerio. Soulerio in turn used his life-leach spell to siphon energy from our foe into me, healing some of my burns. That last attack left it barely standing, and a last hammer strike from me finished the test for us.
As per the usual, the basin filled with a yellow liquid. Yet with Pellegri’s blood still filling the bottom, no one wished to drink; save for Pellegri oddly enough. Perhaps her lifeline contained a vampire within it.
After a few more healing spells were cast around, I read the next spell in the book, sending a blast of thunder to start our next test. Out of the door came four elementals, basically miniature storms among themselves. Soulerio used a spell I had yet to see, and spooked all four into staying where they were. These things did not need to move in order to hurt as three of them sent bolts of lightening at Elena, while the other one sent a bolt right through my head. Elena moved into to strike, walking into an unseen aura of electricity surrounding them, while Minion aided in her attack. It seemed his guidance paid off as her descending chain sent a cry of pain from one of them. Pellegri sang a song to hurt the same one. I meanwhile backed away and pulled one with me. There was nothing it could do as my gods wrath pulled it into my warhammer’s head, killing it instantly.
Suddenly from the dead ones body, a charge of energy began building up, and we al knew that things in this world tended to blow up when they died. We all moved back, with Elena firing a holy ray at one of the elementals from afar. Soulerio drained some of the same ones life away, using Minion as a conduit. Barely standing, it and its two friends fired their lightening at Soulerio. Still sensing the charge in the air, but knowing it was going to hit us anyway, I ran back into the fray and killed the injured one. As if on cue, it exploded, sending rivulets of pain into myself and Minion.
Elena pointed to one of the remaining ones and commanded it to move closer. Its will gave way to her magic, and suddenly it was beside her. Soulerio used his rot to boil away some of its life force but it stood. And as a lasting memory of itself, it used a thunderous strike upon Elena, dropping her. Yet as usual, Pellegri was there to bring her back from darkness, and just in time as another rot from Soulerio sent the thing to oblivion and thus on the verge of an explosion. She was able to get out of the blast radius, but Pellegri was not as fortunate. Meanwhile, I had been battling one of the survivors and was able to get in a lucky hit, sending it spiraling into the air to explode. The last one meanwhile send a bolt of energy at Soulerio. His friends Pellegri and Elena combined their efforts to bring it down. The explosion rocked over their ducking heads, but hit me square in the back. It was not enough to bring me down however. And with this battle over, that left only the cold door remaining.
Before the previous battle we had cleaned out the basin of blood, and thus this time when a familiar liquid appeared, we were not repulsed to drink its sweet nectar. In a moment, our tired arms were no longer leaden with weary and our limited magic was again a part of our repertoire.
As I read the magic book and sent a shivering touch upon the last remaining door, I did not flinch at all at the small backlash of energy. From the door walked two chillborn zombies, and at seeing these undead creatures, Elena smiled in pleasure, for these were what she was bread to destroy. From what I understood, her destructive abilities over undead was almost like her personal way of getting back at Soulerio for a past wrong I still did not understand he had done. To me, it seemed as though she was racist against the powerful necromancer, as many people often are when confronted with something they obviously don't understand. But I digress.
As the slow moving undead moved towards us, I pulled one closer with the power of holy might and shattered its jaw with my warhammer. Its futile punch missed me by an ogres club. The other one lunged towards Elena, but it to was simply pushed aside by the green-haired beauty. She in turn slashed her chain across its back, bringing a cry of pain from its cold, dead, lips. Her twin sister Pellegri moved in to flank the same one and slashed down hard with her scimitar. A rot from Soulerio seemed to have no effect. I switched my target, bringing down my Harbinger hammer on the weaker one, killing it. As I mentioned previously, nearly all enemies in this world seemed to explode when they died, and this zombie was no different. All three of us ladies were hit with stinging icy shards as it exploded. The one remaining lunged at me again but I parried its pitiful attack with my shield. Still blinded by pain, both Elena and Pellegri could not bring their weapons to bear upon the creature, but my warhammer connected upon its bony ribs. Soulerio sent his hand of doom at the creature, but again it seemed as though the thing was immune to the attacks of our necromancer. Changing tactics, the chillborn lunged at the unsuspecting Pellegri, dragging its claws across her throat. Backpedaling, she gurgled two quick healing songs to ease her suffering. Again I connected with my warhammer, sending it to one knee. Another smile from Elena was all it had as a warning as she wrapped her chain around its throat and decapitated it. Again the explosion ripped through all of us, save Soulerio who was wisely standing far back.
The basin again filled with gold and a circlet of authority which Pellegri took into her possession as she was our leader. As she donned the trinket, the room around us disappeared, and suddenly we were in a similar room with only four doors. Each door had a label on it: Chronology, Truename, Ascension, and Pact. In the middle of the room was an unconscious gnome, who was undoubtedly Mr. Obox. In the air, an ancient sounding voice echoed, saying we should go down the path we wanted to in order to gain its knowledge.
Soulerio announced that his wish was to become a lich and said he wished to go through the Ascension door. Before doing so, our attention turned to the one we had faced near death to see. A quick healing spell from Pellegri brought the god back to consciousness. He was quite confused at first, speaking of being attacked by Boccob and Wee-Jas of all people. Soulerio was quite irate at the pitiful man not acknowledging his presence, given the test we had all just endured. Pellegri calmed the Professor down, at which point Obox noticed that his book was missing, a book that Soulerio had immediately pilfered upon seeing it beside the god when we had entered the room. Obox figured that Boccob or Wee-Jas had stolen it and began running from room to room looking for it.
After some discussion we figured that allowing the god to find the book might be the best plan and so persuaded Soulerio to throw the book into the Truename room, so that it could be found. As there were four rooms, each of us took a room to research. In doing so, there was a fundamental understanding that we were each granted, but which neither of us could quite make out as of yet. Some of the more pertinent information was shared after several hours of research in the rooms with the floating books. The first was what Pellegri discovered in the Truename room. It seemed if one could discover someone’s Truename, the name that tied them to existence, one could manipulate that person, or even eliminate them completely, even from the memories of those who knew them. At this, Soulerio couldn't keep back a snicker of delight. From what I knew of his alleged actions towards Pellegri in our time, it did not take a genius to see that perhaps our dark friend had indeed already used such magic against his former friend. More evidence to this effect was given when Pellegri announced she wanted to study the Truename books, and Soulerio all but begged her not to.
Another useful information was what Soulerio was able to gather in the Ascension room. It seemed the godly relics that each deity possessed were in fact not their key to the pantheon. In fact, at the time of ascension, the gods would gather at the base of a tower where AO would appear. It was he and he alone that decreed what the gods would represent and whether they would even keep their divine powers. Given this information, it was logical to assume the children of the gods we knew of would provoke some sort of attack by the parents. Given this, AO would likely be quite angry and would reverse the rolls he had intended for them.
As for myself, the Chronology room gave me insight into Malfurion's recollections. It seemed that each timedragon lived in multiple realities. Thus, the Malfurion we had recent dealings with, might not be the one who had actually sent us to Ptolus.
On that matter, we discussed with Obox, who had found his book, what we might do for the timedragon. We went over his condition and pleaded with the god of knowledge to help us. Indeed, we had chosen the perfect ally to entrust our faith in. After some research, he was able to perform a strange rite that cured Malfurion of the Kyuss plague that infested his being. However, there was nothing that could be done to bring Malfurion back to actual life. The timedragon was cursed to remain a ghost for now, but it was a good start. This entire trial of magic had given to us wisdom we never would have found elsewhere. Now at least we had a general idea as to what was going to happen.
And it seemed that Pellegri now had wisdom into what had already happened. For of all the knowledge we had gained, it was the Truename pages that were of greater import than anything else. In my humble opinion, it was a nail in the silver coffin of her companion Soulerio, a man she was trying day in and day out to come to terms with. Soulerio had used the Truename magic to destroy her heart for no reason other than to be evil. The question now was, with this new insight, would Pellegri be able to do the same to her dark friend?
As the acid splash trickled through my fingers, a terrible shape appeared in the hallway I had thrown it. A miasma of inky darkness, whose exterior was pierced by leathery wings, and long serpentine tail. We knew right away that we faced a black dragon.
As was customary, Elena and I stood our ground, and thus were we the first to be on the receiving end of the cone of acid that came forth. Soulerio sent his tendril of rot into the cloud, but could not clearly see the target and missed. Elena moved in and swung blindly, failing to connect. As she retracted her chain, the dragon whipped out its tail and swapped her. I tried my call to arms attack, but failed to pierce its mind and thus could not pull it out of its protective acid cloud. Pellegri also failed to hit with her psychic bolt, but did heal Elena as she was already in need. The dragon then lashed out with its head and bit our chain wielder, sending caustic acid into the wounds. Again Soulerio missed with a rot, but Elena was able to get in a glancing blow. Seeing where she struck, I smashed my warhammer home on the same spot. Pellegri still could not see the dragon and her thunderous shout fell on def ears. The dragon then breathed more acid out, targeting only myself as so far I had inflicted the most pain. It then reached out and bit my shoulder for good measure. Soulerio had timed his next rot at that perfect moment and sent it right through the wyrms exposed head. With its jaws clamped upon me, I could feel its scream of pain reverberate through my body.
Minion came from behind to aid my defenses and Elena again missed with her threshing weapon. I summoned my most powerful attack and sent a majestic halo into the beasts hide. Pellegri, seeing her long range attacks were having no effect, charged in and slashed with her scimitar, drawing blood. She also sung a song to heal my wounds, a song I was becoming more and more familiar with. I believed I could perhaps mimic that same octave on further practice, but that was for another time.
With my halo in place, the dragon knew that pain would follow if it attacked anyone but me. And so, despite Minion’s limited help, it snapped its neck out and bit me. Again, Soulerio had timed his attack for just such an eventuality as his rot spell penetrated the beast’s neck. At the same time Pellegri slashed down with her blade, slicing through throat muscles, and making a perfect target for Elena to aim for as she too finally hit with her chain. By then I was too wounded to stay in the fight and so extracted myself from harm, healing myself as I left.
The dragon followed in my foot steps, casting another darkness upon itself in the process, and making it just as difficult to hit with sword and spell. Still wounded, I directed the attacks of Elena, to no effect. Now Elena became the target of the dragon’s wrath as she was repeatedly tail slapped and bitten. Pellegri was there to mend her wounds and moved into a flanking position with myself. Not wanting to stay in the position, the dragon bit down in my direction, but its teeth bounced off my pink plating. I retaliated with an upsweeping hammer hit to its nose. It in turn sent acid at me and Elena, but it seemed dizzy at that moment and missed us both. Elena finally was able to get her chain around its hind leg and yank it out of its concealing cloud. This gave Soulerio the chance to send another one of his massive rots through the dragon’s heart. Yet still it stood, even after another strike from myself and Pellegri. Again it summoned its cloud, making life difficult for us all. It then breathed its acid upon myself and Soulerio. Soulerio in turn used his life-leach spell to siphon energy from our foe into me, healing some of my burns. That last attack left it barely standing, and a last hammer strike from me finished the test for us.
As per the usual, the basin filled with a yellow liquid. Yet with Pellegri’s blood still filling the bottom, no one wished to drink; save for Pellegri oddly enough. Perhaps her lifeline contained a vampire within it.
After a few more healing spells were cast around, I read the next spell in the book, sending a blast of thunder to start our next test. Out of the door came four elementals, basically miniature storms among themselves. Soulerio used a spell I had yet to see, and spooked all four into staying where they were. These things did not need to move in order to hurt as three of them sent bolts of lightening at Elena, while the other one sent a bolt right through my head. Elena moved into to strike, walking into an unseen aura of electricity surrounding them, while Minion aided in her attack. It seemed his guidance paid off as her descending chain sent a cry of pain from one of them. Pellegri sang a song to hurt the same one. I meanwhile backed away and pulled one with me. There was nothing it could do as my gods wrath pulled it into my warhammer’s head, killing it instantly.
Suddenly from the dead ones body, a charge of energy began building up, and we al knew that things in this world tended to blow up when they died. We all moved back, with Elena firing a holy ray at one of the elementals from afar. Soulerio drained some of the same ones life away, using Minion as a conduit. Barely standing, it and its two friends fired their lightening at Soulerio. Still sensing the charge in the air, but knowing it was going to hit us anyway, I ran back into the fray and killed the injured one. As if on cue, it exploded, sending rivulets of pain into myself and Minion.
Elena pointed to one of the remaining ones and commanded it to move closer. Its will gave way to her magic, and suddenly it was beside her. Soulerio used his rot to boil away some of its life force but it stood. And as a lasting memory of itself, it used a thunderous strike upon Elena, dropping her. Yet as usual, Pellegri was there to bring her back from darkness, and just in time as another rot from Soulerio sent the thing to oblivion and thus on the verge of an explosion. She was able to get out of the blast radius, but Pellegri was not as fortunate. Meanwhile, I had been battling one of the survivors and was able to get in a lucky hit, sending it spiraling into the air to explode. The last one meanwhile send a bolt of energy at Soulerio. His friends Pellegri and Elena combined their efforts to bring it down. The explosion rocked over their ducking heads, but hit me square in the back. It was not enough to bring me down however. And with this battle over, that left only the cold door remaining.
Before the previous battle we had cleaned out the basin of blood, and thus this time when a familiar liquid appeared, we were not repulsed to drink its sweet nectar. In a moment, our tired arms were no longer leaden with weary and our limited magic was again a part of our repertoire.
As I read the magic book and sent a shivering touch upon the last remaining door, I did not flinch at all at the small backlash of energy. From the door walked two chillborn zombies, and at seeing these undead creatures, Elena smiled in pleasure, for these were what she was bread to destroy. From what I understood, her destructive abilities over undead was almost like her personal way of getting back at Soulerio for a past wrong I still did not understand he had done. To me, it seemed as though she was racist against the powerful necromancer, as many people often are when confronted with something they obviously don't understand. But I digress.
As the slow moving undead moved towards us, I pulled one closer with the power of holy might and shattered its jaw with my warhammer. Its futile punch missed me by an ogres club. The other one lunged towards Elena, but it to was simply pushed aside by the green-haired beauty. She in turn slashed her chain across its back, bringing a cry of pain from its cold, dead, lips. Her twin sister Pellegri moved in to flank the same one and slashed down hard with her scimitar. A rot from Soulerio seemed to have no effect. I switched my target, bringing down my Harbinger hammer on the weaker one, killing it. As I mentioned previously, nearly all enemies in this world seemed to explode when they died, and this zombie was no different. All three of us ladies were hit with stinging icy shards as it exploded. The one remaining lunged at me again but I parried its pitiful attack with my shield. Still blinded by pain, both Elena and Pellegri could not bring their weapons to bear upon the creature, but my warhammer connected upon its bony ribs. Soulerio sent his hand of doom at the creature, but again it seemed as though the thing was immune to the attacks of our necromancer. Changing tactics, the chillborn lunged at the unsuspecting Pellegri, dragging its claws across her throat. Backpedaling, she gurgled two quick healing songs to ease her suffering. Again I connected with my warhammer, sending it to one knee. Another smile from Elena was all it had as a warning as she wrapped her chain around its throat and decapitated it. Again the explosion ripped through all of us, save Soulerio who was wisely standing far back.
The basin again filled with gold and a circlet of authority which Pellegri took into her possession as she was our leader. As she donned the trinket, the room around us disappeared, and suddenly we were in a similar room with only four doors. Each door had a label on it: Chronology, Truename, Ascension, and Pact. In the middle of the room was an unconscious gnome, who was undoubtedly Mr. Obox. In the air, an ancient sounding voice echoed, saying we should go down the path we wanted to in order to gain its knowledge.
Soulerio announced that his wish was to become a lich and said he wished to go through the Ascension door. Before doing so, our attention turned to the one we had faced near death to see. A quick healing spell from Pellegri brought the god back to consciousness. He was quite confused at first, speaking of being attacked by Boccob and Wee-Jas of all people. Soulerio was quite irate at the pitiful man not acknowledging his presence, given the test we had all just endured. Pellegri calmed the Professor down, at which point Obox noticed that his book was missing, a book that Soulerio had immediately pilfered upon seeing it beside the god when we had entered the room. Obox figured that Boccob or Wee-Jas had stolen it and began running from room to room looking for it.
After some discussion we figured that allowing the god to find the book might be the best plan and so persuaded Soulerio to throw the book into the Truename room, so that it could be found. As there were four rooms, each of us took a room to research. In doing so, there was a fundamental understanding that we were each granted, but which neither of us could quite make out as of yet. Some of the more pertinent information was shared after several hours of research in the rooms with the floating books. The first was what Pellegri discovered in the Truename room. It seemed if one could discover someone’s Truename, the name that tied them to existence, one could manipulate that person, or even eliminate them completely, even from the memories of those who knew them. At this, Soulerio couldn't keep back a snicker of delight. From what I knew of his alleged actions towards Pellegri in our time, it did not take a genius to see that perhaps our dark friend had indeed already used such magic against his former friend. More evidence to this effect was given when Pellegri announced she wanted to study the Truename books, and Soulerio all but begged her not to.
Another useful information was what Soulerio was able to gather in the Ascension room. It seemed the godly relics that each deity possessed were in fact not their key to the pantheon. In fact, at the time of ascension, the gods would gather at the base of a tower where AO would appear. It was he and he alone that decreed what the gods would represent and whether they would even keep their divine powers. Given this information, it was logical to assume the children of the gods we knew of would provoke some sort of attack by the parents. Given this, AO would likely be quite angry and would reverse the rolls he had intended for them.
As for myself, the Chronology room gave me insight into Malfurion's recollections. It seemed that each timedragon lived in multiple realities. Thus, the Malfurion we had recent dealings with, might not be the one who had actually sent us to Ptolus.
On that matter, we discussed with Obox, who had found his book, what we might do for the timedragon. We went over his condition and pleaded with the god of knowledge to help us. Indeed, we had chosen the perfect ally to entrust our faith in. After some research, he was able to perform a strange rite that cured Malfurion of the Kyuss plague that infested his being. However, there was nothing that could be done to bring Malfurion back to actual life. The timedragon was cursed to remain a ghost for now, but it was a good start. This entire trial of magic had given to us wisdom we never would have found elsewhere. Now at least we had a general idea as to what was going to happen.
And it seemed that Pellegri now had wisdom into what had already happened. For of all the knowledge we had gained, it was the Truename pages that were of greater import than anything else. In my humble opinion, it was a nail in the silver coffin of her companion Soulerio, a man she was trying day in and day out to come to terms with. Soulerio had used the Truename magic to destroy her heart for no reason other than to be evil. The question now was, with this new insight, would Pellegri be able to do the same to her dark friend?
Wednesday, September 22, 2010
Session 06: Carry On
No one said it openly, but everyone was wondering what we were doing here. We came to meet Obox-Ob, only to be thrust into a test of magic whose ultimate outcome was merely to allow us freedom from this prison we found ourselves in. Yet there was no second guessing my decision to follow my friends into this pocket dimension. In truth, there was almost a feeling of trying to make amends for past wrongs.
Ironic that those events had yet to even occur. But I digress.
As we drank from the fountain, we found more courage in our swings. That courage would be needed as we carried on with these tests of magic. I had presumed that the bloody book contained spells that would allow someone without the necessary elements to access the doors. We decided to test the theory out as our next "test" would be the thunder door. With no knowledge of such spells in our inventory, Pellegri took the book in hand and cast a thunderbolt at the thunder door. And what we feared would occur happened, as a backlash of energy struck our friend hard. There was only a few seconds to heal her wounds as, from the door, two harpies emerged.
Elena and myself stood our ground, facing these foes we had never fought even in our own world. Pellegri sang a Dissonant Strain song at them, but they seemed immune to her magic. They in turn sent a screech upon myself and Elena that caused blood to stream from our ears and noses. Wanting to separate them, I moved away and used one of my new powers to pull one of them towards me. So fast was the manoeuvre that my subsequent uppercut with my warhammer into its jaw seemed to surprise it less than its displacement from its friend.
Soulerio sent a putrid rotting tentacle at the one I hit, but it failed to grasp its chicken leg. Elena had more success as she nailed it from behind with her chain, while Pellegri slashed it with her new scimitar. It seemed the Malcanthian had decided to show more bravery that was usual in getting so close to the enemy. Yet her strike was a mere glancing blow, but seeing her fighting by my side seemed to inspire us all to strike harder. The unwounded harpy sang a song whose magic pulled all of us right next to it, preparing us for its decimating sonic scream. The other one, slashed at Elena's back with its claws. I gave it a mighty blow with my warhammer, while Soulerio sent his rotting tentacle through its body. Elena used her chain to great effect and slashed it twice. Barely standing, it sent out its screech. Everyone was hurt bad, yet somehow the song failed to penetrate my helm. The other one continued to claw at Elena.
Pellegri again slashed with her sword and finally downed the one we had been teaming up on for some time. As these creatures were bound to this place of magic, there was no feeling to flee in its heart of the remaining one. It did all it could to bring us down, but could not possibly match our strength in our numbers. A final screech pounded everyone’s brains, save my own. By then it had already been battered, chained, and rotted to near death. A final strike from Pellegri ended the test of Thunder.
Soulerio hadn't even seen his friend’s triumphant swing as he was already staring into the basin. The man was a man of magic after all, and a basin that seemingly made almost anything appear was one of the most fascinating things he had ever seen, His eyes lit up when a strange liquid appeared in its depths and his lips opened to consume a small portion of it. Suddenly, he felt as though his body had rested a full eight hours, a relieving blanket for all of us after the last battles we had been through. As we drank and our fatigue drained away, and we decided on the Force door next.
The Professor reasoned that Pellegri, being not a true mage, had read the spell wrong from the book and offered to read the next one. I was amazed by this, as his bravery seemed to be getting stronger and stronger. Indeed, now that I think of it. Pellegri too seemed to be more and more courageous. It was as though the two of them were silently competing against each other. As Soulerio read the magic missile spell however, there was indeed a backlash of energy. Its power was so great that the robed man dropped on the spot. Fearing him dead, I ran to him and laid a healing hand upon his body. At the same time, Pellegri was singing a song whose music also eased some of his hurts.
There was little time to reflect on the hint of almost love in that song, as from the force door stepped a dire guard. With me out of my usual position, only Elena stood tall against it, and thus it was she who became the target of its force ball. The magic was like a thousand hits from my warhammer. Still, she stood her ground and threw her chain around the things throat and yanked it closer. As Soulerio rose, we could all see the anger in his eyes as he had just been nearly destroyed by the force. Summoning the dark side of his soul, he sent the most powerful rotting tendril I had ever seen him use. Its tip pierced the guard and almost seemed to expand in its chest, causing it to scream in pain. I tried to bring it closer to me, but it shook off my prayer as though it were nothing. Pellegri did strike it with her sword, but it was clear that this thing was far from done in.
The dire guard reached into its chest and pull out several balls of force, launching them in rapid succession. Pellegri, Elena and myself were hit square on and were thrown back several feet. Still standing, Elena whirled her chain in the air and connected mightily on our foe. I charged at it and summoned a majestic halo of energy to ravage the beast. Pellegri again connected with her sword.
Seeing that its own armored hide was not armored enough, the guard summoned a magical shield around itself. While it cast, we all smashed our weapons into its bony hide. It again reached inside its chest and all three of us were thrown back, clutching at our broken ribs where the force had struck us hard again. It was not far enough however as Elena, still holding on to consciousness charged in again and pierced its magical barrier. Soulerio commanded his Minion into the fray. I sent magic through my next strike, causing the dire guard to reach into itself and pull out one of its own ribs. Again Pellegri hit it hard with her scimitar, the enchanted blade cutting away more of the beast. Near death, the thing through one last ball of force in my direction, but I dodged it aside. And then Elena was there in its face again, dropping it with her chain.
Looking behind use, we were not surprised at all to see Soulerio reaching into the basin and pulling out a magical bag of holding, and filling it up with the gold that it sat upon. After he was done, he went over to the fire door and activated his cloak to start this next challenge. There was almost no time to prepare as three fire bats suddenly swooped from the doors opening and through us, burning everyone they touched. My new armor resisted most of the damage. This test was obviously a lesser one as the small creatures were easy to hit and easier to kill. In small order, we teamed up to drop one. Pellegri's song, though easy on our ears, caused the bats great pain. More soul rots by Soulerio, chain strikes by Elena and hammer strikes from me ended the battle quickly. The only nearly casualty was Minion, whose body was consumed by flames. Luckily, I was able to send a quick wave of energy to douse them, allowing for our valuable undead ally to stay with us.
After a quick mending of wounds our attention turned upon the necrotic door. Yet before we attempted this new challenge, there was one matter that came up; my place in the group. I was adventuring with the famous Harbingers of Faith. The ones who had saved the world from disaster, something which I and my mates were unable to do. All this time, I felt out of place as I truly was unworthy to be a part of the group. How the four was able to stay together was honestly a mystery, given their obvious mixture of hate and admiration for each other. Yet it was decided unanimously, if Soulerio's sneer could be counted as a yes, to include me as an official member. No longer were they the Harbingers of Faith however, for that latter they seemed to have been lost a long time ago. Now they were the Harbingers, a name that seemed so very fitting. For it was not a name as much as it was a question. Of what we were the Harbingers of, we had no idea. And perhaps we would not be alive to ever know. After drinking the new liquid that appeared in the basin which bolstered our defence, we looked to another door.
Our attention thus turned to necrotic. Soulerio seemed to only have to smile in its general direction and it opened up, revealing a pair of ghosts. The first one clawed at Elena, while the second one did something none of us expected, it entered into my body and took control. Elena assaulted the one ghost in front of her. As for me, I used all my willpower to try to break free of the hold the other ghost had upon my body. Yet all I found myself doing was slamming my warhammer hard upon pour Pellegri. She retaliated with a bolt of energy right through my skull. The pain was excruciating, and I felt the ghost laugh almost mockingly as it was unscathed by the attack. Yet Pellegri, former mistress of undead slaying thought that she was harming phantasmal presence within me and directed her friends to strike at me in order to obviously push the ghost back into a place where it could be physically hurt.
Taking her instructions, Soulerio used his rot upon me and leached away some of my life. My armor protected me partially from the effects, but the damage was still great. Again though, I felt the ghost escape harm and I began to wonder how much Pellegri, or for that matter, Soulerio, Master of the Undead actually knew about ghosts. I tried to send my body out of its form, but it held onto my psyche and commanded me to slam my hammer down into Soulerio's frail body. It seemed that I was the main threat now so Pellegri, Elena and Minion teamed up to finish of the other ghost in order for me to be their complete focus. Soulerio sent his rot into my body again but this time my mind shrugged off the attack. My uncontrolling eyes turned again upon Pellegri and I charged her, but she saw the attack from a mile off and easily side-stepped the attack. Again I struggled with the Will of the ghost and finally was able to escape it's possession. Now my friends saw its uninjured state and my own bloody and bruised state. It was only then they realized they had only hurt me with their attacks. In my mind, it was the ghost who had inflicted all these injuries on me, and so I prepared my own personal vengeance upon the entity that had stolen my body away from me.
Elena was the first to get to it however and she wounded it with her chain. After a healing song from Pellegri that healed she and I, we all closed in upon our foe. Realizing it was done for, it quickly possessed Soulerio. There would be none of that. I sent a silent prayer to my god and pushed the ghost away from my friend’s soul. I then brought my hammer down twice upon the floating undead, imbuing a suicidal instruction into my second strike. It responded and cut its own wrist while also clawing at Soulerio. Pellegri sent a bolt of energy into its transparent skull that seemed to nearly obliterate it. In a desperate attempt, it moved into Elena's body and she slashed her chain twice in my direction. Luckily both strikes bounced harmlessly off my armor. Our strong hero was obviously much stronger in mind than I as she was then able to thrust the ghost from her body. Barely holding onto its undead life, it was no match for the final rotting tentacle thrown by Soulerio. And just like that the Necrotic door was done.
The basin then filled with a liquid we had previously seen that granted us a feeling of a full days rest.
We looked next to the Poison door. Elena used the book to send a blob of slime at it, taking only minimal splash damage as a result. From the portal walked a pair of carrion crawlers, vermin we all had dealt with in our previous world. The battle was fast and, well... fast.
Soon, Soulerio was reaching into the basin and loading more gold into the bag of holding. He then pulled out a holy symbol. After several moments of study, he declared it was a symbol of battle and tossed it between Elena and I. Looking towards her; I stepped aside, leaving it for her to wield. Now with just a few doors to go, our hopeful meeting with Obox-Ob was at hand. Our only hope was that all this time and effort would not be in vain.
Ironic that those events had yet to even occur. But I digress.
As we drank from the fountain, we found more courage in our swings. That courage would be needed as we carried on with these tests of magic. I had presumed that the bloody book contained spells that would allow someone without the necessary elements to access the doors. We decided to test the theory out as our next "test" would be the thunder door. With no knowledge of such spells in our inventory, Pellegri took the book in hand and cast a thunderbolt at the thunder door. And what we feared would occur happened, as a backlash of energy struck our friend hard. There was only a few seconds to heal her wounds as, from the door, two harpies emerged.
Elena and myself stood our ground, facing these foes we had never fought even in our own world. Pellegri sang a Dissonant Strain song at them, but they seemed immune to her magic. They in turn sent a screech upon myself and Elena that caused blood to stream from our ears and noses. Wanting to separate them, I moved away and used one of my new powers to pull one of them towards me. So fast was the manoeuvre that my subsequent uppercut with my warhammer into its jaw seemed to surprise it less than its displacement from its friend.
Soulerio sent a putrid rotting tentacle at the one I hit, but it failed to grasp its chicken leg. Elena had more success as she nailed it from behind with her chain, while Pellegri slashed it with her new scimitar. It seemed the Malcanthian had decided to show more bravery that was usual in getting so close to the enemy. Yet her strike was a mere glancing blow, but seeing her fighting by my side seemed to inspire us all to strike harder. The unwounded harpy sang a song whose magic pulled all of us right next to it, preparing us for its decimating sonic scream. The other one, slashed at Elena's back with its claws. I gave it a mighty blow with my warhammer, while Soulerio sent his rotting tentacle through its body. Elena used her chain to great effect and slashed it twice. Barely standing, it sent out its screech. Everyone was hurt bad, yet somehow the song failed to penetrate my helm. The other one continued to claw at Elena.
Pellegri again slashed with her sword and finally downed the one we had been teaming up on for some time. As these creatures were bound to this place of magic, there was no feeling to flee in its heart of the remaining one. It did all it could to bring us down, but could not possibly match our strength in our numbers. A final screech pounded everyone’s brains, save my own. By then it had already been battered, chained, and rotted to near death. A final strike from Pellegri ended the test of Thunder.
Soulerio hadn't even seen his friend’s triumphant swing as he was already staring into the basin. The man was a man of magic after all, and a basin that seemingly made almost anything appear was one of the most fascinating things he had ever seen, His eyes lit up when a strange liquid appeared in its depths and his lips opened to consume a small portion of it. Suddenly, he felt as though his body had rested a full eight hours, a relieving blanket for all of us after the last battles we had been through. As we drank and our fatigue drained away, and we decided on the Force door next.
The Professor reasoned that Pellegri, being not a true mage, had read the spell wrong from the book and offered to read the next one. I was amazed by this, as his bravery seemed to be getting stronger and stronger. Indeed, now that I think of it. Pellegri too seemed to be more and more courageous. It was as though the two of them were silently competing against each other. As Soulerio read the magic missile spell however, there was indeed a backlash of energy. Its power was so great that the robed man dropped on the spot. Fearing him dead, I ran to him and laid a healing hand upon his body. At the same time, Pellegri was singing a song whose music also eased some of his hurts.
There was little time to reflect on the hint of almost love in that song, as from the force door stepped a dire guard. With me out of my usual position, only Elena stood tall against it, and thus it was she who became the target of its force ball. The magic was like a thousand hits from my warhammer. Still, she stood her ground and threw her chain around the things throat and yanked it closer. As Soulerio rose, we could all see the anger in his eyes as he had just been nearly destroyed by the force. Summoning the dark side of his soul, he sent the most powerful rotting tendril I had ever seen him use. Its tip pierced the guard and almost seemed to expand in its chest, causing it to scream in pain. I tried to bring it closer to me, but it shook off my prayer as though it were nothing. Pellegri did strike it with her sword, but it was clear that this thing was far from done in.
The dire guard reached into its chest and pull out several balls of force, launching them in rapid succession. Pellegri, Elena and myself were hit square on and were thrown back several feet. Still standing, Elena whirled her chain in the air and connected mightily on our foe. I charged at it and summoned a majestic halo of energy to ravage the beast. Pellegri again connected with her sword.
Seeing that its own armored hide was not armored enough, the guard summoned a magical shield around itself. While it cast, we all smashed our weapons into its bony hide. It again reached inside its chest and all three of us were thrown back, clutching at our broken ribs where the force had struck us hard again. It was not far enough however as Elena, still holding on to consciousness charged in again and pierced its magical barrier. Soulerio commanded his Minion into the fray. I sent magic through my next strike, causing the dire guard to reach into itself and pull out one of its own ribs. Again Pellegri hit it hard with her scimitar, the enchanted blade cutting away more of the beast. Near death, the thing through one last ball of force in my direction, but I dodged it aside. And then Elena was there in its face again, dropping it with her chain.
Looking behind use, we were not surprised at all to see Soulerio reaching into the basin and pulling out a magical bag of holding, and filling it up with the gold that it sat upon. After he was done, he went over to the fire door and activated his cloak to start this next challenge. There was almost no time to prepare as three fire bats suddenly swooped from the doors opening and through us, burning everyone they touched. My new armor resisted most of the damage. This test was obviously a lesser one as the small creatures were easy to hit and easier to kill. In small order, we teamed up to drop one. Pellegri's song, though easy on our ears, caused the bats great pain. More soul rots by Soulerio, chain strikes by Elena and hammer strikes from me ended the battle quickly. The only nearly casualty was Minion, whose body was consumed by flames. Luckily, I was able to send a quick wave of energy to douse them, allowing for our valuable undead ally to stay with us.
After a quick mending of wounds our attention turned upon the necrotic door. Yet before we attempted this new challenge, there was one matter that came up; my place in the group. I was adventuring with the famous Harbingers of Faith. The ones who had saved the world from disaster, something which I and my mates were unable to do. All this time, I felt out of place as I truly was unworthy to be a part of the group. How the four was able to stay together was honestly a mystery, given their obvious mixture of hate and admiration for each other. Yet it was decided unanimously, if Soulerio's sneer could be counted as a yes, to include me as an official member. No longer were they the Harbingers of Faith however, for that latter they seemed to have been lost a long time ago. Now they were the Harbingers, a name that seemed so very fitting. For it was not a name as much as it was a question. Of what we were the Harbingers of, we had no idea. And perhaps we would not be alive to ever know. After drinking the new liquid that appeared in the basin which bolstered our defence, we looked to another door.
Our attention thus turned to necrotic. Soulerio seemed to only have to smile in its general direction and it opened up, revealing a pair of ghosts. The first one clawed at Elena, while the second one did something none of us expected, it entered into my body and took control. Elena assaulted the one ghost in front of her. As for me, I used all my willpower to try to break free of the hold the other ghost had upon my body. Yet all I found myself doing was slamming my warhammer hard upon pour Pellegri. She retaliated with a bolt of energy right through my skull. The pain was excruciating, and I felt the ghost laugh almost mockingly as it was unscathed by the attack. Yet Pellegri, former mistress of undead slaying thought that she was harming phantasmal presence within me and directed her friends to strike at me in order to obviously push the ghost back into a place where it could be physically hurt.
Taking her instructions, Soulerio used his rot upon me and leached away some of my life. My armor protected me partially from the effects, but the damage was still great. Again though, I felt the ghost escape harm and I began to wonder how much Pellegri, or for that matter, Soulerio, Master of the Undead actually knew about ghosts. I tried to send my body out of its form, but it held onto my psyche and commanded me to slam my hammer down into Soulerio's frail body. It seemed that I was the main threat now so Pellegri, Elena and Minion teamed up to finish of the other ghost in order for me to be their complete focus. Soulerio sent his rot into my body again but this time my mind shrugged off the attack. My uncontrolling eyes turned again upon Pellegri and I charged her, but she saw the attack from a mile off and easily side-stepped the attack. Again I struggled with the Will of the ghost and finally was able to escape it's possession. Now my friends saw its uninjured state and my own bloody and bruised state. It was only then they realized they had only hurt me with their attacks. In my mind, it was the ghost who had inflicted all these injuries on me, and so I prepared my own personal vengeance upon the entity that had stolen my body away from me.
Elena was the first to get to it however and she wounded it with her chain. After a healing song from Pellegri that healed she and I, we all closed in upon our foe. Realizing it was done for, it quickly possessed Soulerio. There would be none of that. I sent a silent prayer to my god and pushed the ghost away from my friend’s soul. I then brought my hammer down twice upon the floating undead, imbuing a suicidal instruction into my second strike. It responded and cut its own wrist while also clawing at Soulerio. Pellegri sent a bolt of energy into its transparent skull that seemed to nearly obliterate it. In a desperate attempt, it moved into Elena's body and she slashed her chain twice in my direction. Luckily both strikes bounced harmlessly off my armor. Our strong hero was obviously much stronger in mind than I as she was then able to thrust the ghost from her body. Barely holding onto its undead life, it was no match for the final rotting tentacle thrown by Soulerio. And just like that the Necrotic door was done.
The basin then filled with a liquid we had previously seen that granted us a feeling of a full days rest.
We looked next to the Poison door. Elena used the book to send a blob of slime at it, taking only minimal splash damage as a result. From the portal walked a pair of carrion crawlers, vermin we all had dealt with in our previous world. The battle was fast and, well... fast.
Soon, Soulerio was reaching into the basin and loading more gold into the bag of holding. He then pulled out a holy symbol. After several moments of study, he declared it was a symbol of battle and tossed it between Elena and I. Looking towards her; I stepped aside, leaving it for her to wield. Now with just a few doors to go, our hopeful meeting with Obox-Ob was at hand. Our only hope was that all this time and effort would not be in vain.
Wednesday, September 1, 2010
Session 05: A Trip Down Memory Lane
These short rests are beginning to take a toll on me. The wounds inflicted upon my body simply pale in comparison to the state of my ever diminishing resolve. I’m granted just enough time to think about all the, “wrong things”. The melody sooths me to a certain extent, but as long as I’m oblivious to its source, I fear it may eventually compliment the hurt I feel inside. I’ve tried so hard to put on a brave face thus far, but…, it just feels like its all… slipping away from me. When I look at Crimson, I see the result of our battle against a pair of Goliath Sunspeakers. Her body charred and broken, yet she is able to maintain a state of composure. You can tell she has a plan and her expression is free of uncertainty. Elena, she had always been the strong one in the past, she hasn’t changed at all. If she has misgivings, she hides it well. As for Soulerio, well, he’s buried in his book as we speak, grinning from ear to ear and chuckling away, not a worry in the world. They make everything look so easy yet, I continue to fall behind. The last few months have indeed been frustrating, to say the least…, but I was unable to cope with the events that transpire earlier today.
Things really began to go sour the moment I entered the library to confront Malfurion. To my surprise, a green-tinted ghostly Kyuss-like monstrosity stood before me, a version of the Wormgod Legacy I have yet to encounter. Aside from the dozens of Kyuss worms infesting his broken body, it was the foot long purple worm protruding from his left eye socket that got my attention. In addition to the latter, several worms were bathing in a nearby pool of green acid, clearly the remains of one of his attackers. Again, another phenomenon I had no knowledge of. I approached cautiously with my Flame Blade ready. A lot was going though my mind and I began to rant aimlessly. In all the banter, I made references to the Dark One, Lashonna, Kyuss, Obox-Ob and Iggwilv. Thankfully he stopped me before I got carried away. What he had to say was troubling indeed.
To make a long story short, he had come from an alternate reality. One led by the Gods of Light, partially under Carcerian rule and consumed by an Age of Worms, yet there was no sign of Demogoragon, nor mention of his Savage Tide. Both he and Celeste had visions of heroes that never came, heroes that never existed. Of course he was referring to the Outsiders and the Harbingers. Apparently, he and Celeste had found a way to reach us, thus explaining his being here. He was most please to know that his myth was reality, he recognized us almost instantaneously. A series of questions and debates followed, many of them leading nowhere. One thing was for certain; our situation wasn’t getting any better. In a nutshell, the Dark One remained a mystery, Malfurion, though not a carrier was still dangerous if not cured, Lashonna was nearby and our future has already shown signs of being tampered with. And all that talk of allying with one side or another, to becoming Gods ourselves, to eliminating AO himself left me at a loss for words. So many questions unanswered and I’ve yet to begin my search. The others pressured me, on several occasions, to vote on a plan of action, but the thought of making a wrong choice made me sick to my stomach.
Whilst we began talking in circles, Crimson was the first to take action. She walked off with the intent to offer the now “Stolen” staff, as she put it, to the “Children”. And in return we would get…, something, something she failed to disclose. Unimpressed with her reasoning, I was quick to point out the obvious and numerous flaws of such a careless and foolish gambit. She replied with a cold shoulder and simply brushed me off as a noblewoman would a beggar. I was so…, angry, to the point that I nearly sent forth a psychic blast from my wand. With the staff gone and a Time Stop effect near its end, I now had the pleasure to explain this whole mess to the Goddess of Love. I called out to my friends for aid in the task at hand. I wanted to reveal as little as possible, so I suggested a little white lie in order to grant us some time to conceive our next course of action. Still bitter for my involvement in his capture, Soulerio continued to apply pressure and demanded that I quit stalling and make a choice then and there. And that when it happened, the moment I had lost all composure, I simply buckled under the stress. My feelings on the matter had been revealed. To be put simply, I didn’t know what to chose, I…, didn’t want to choose. I’ve already failed, my world, my home, my loved ones…, all gone. What could I possibly do? I’m no hero…, why can’t I be the one to be saved? As I cried, Soulerio had found amusement in my vulnerable state and simply retreated to his books. It had been apparent that Elena and I were alone to deal with Malcanthet.
Fearing that our stay within the Sisterhood would come to an end. I had asked Malfurion to hide in a Rope Trick of sorts, as he suggested, and to meet us at the Spire if the library was no longer accessible. It would only be for a couple of hours, just enough time to sort out our current dilemma. Just before we left, I approached Soulerio in order to offer the Spellbook I had purchased for him earlier that morning. I was hoping to present it under better circumstances, but it couldn’t wait, a wizard needed his Spellbook. Besides, the guilt was too much to bear, being the one directly responsible for having him stripped of his magical trinkets that is. Anyhow, I was cold in my presentation, but his reaction did take my by surprise. He stared at it, unwrapped it and paused for a moment. I was sure he’d throw it at me but a few seconds had passed and he…, thanked me. We’ve shared one or two genuine moments such as these in the past, but…, I…, well…, it was nice. I was planning on going back to the Delver’s Square later that day to get some air and made the offer to have his trusted dagger enchanted, he agreed.
Upon exiting the cathedral, all was back to normal, save for two Kyuss pools. I quickly disposed of any visible worms and found an Orb in the process. The sisters were in the process of retrieving their crossbow bolts as both Shami-Amourae and Nephilim were closely flanking Malcanthet who was pacing about nervously. My suspicions as too why were confirmed the moment I had motioned the staff and its whereabouts. She had mentioned that the staff, apparently, is required for her ascension to Godhood, and without its secret powers, she is as vulnerable as I. First, I explained what had transpired, revealing all but our conversation with the Time Dragon. My version of the story stated that a ghost fitting Malfurion’s description had vanished before we made contact. I then convinced her that it be best if we conducted an exclusive investigation to locate him. Finally, Crimson ran off to follow up on a lead with the borrowed staff in hand. Luckily, she deemed the ruse genuine, but insisted that the staff be returned as soon as possible. I was confident Crimson would have come to her senses, the contrary would have been unthinkable. That last bit somewhat eased Malcanthet’s concerns, but she still felt compelled to lock herself in a room. I for one was in dire need of fresh air and I took my leave on that note. Elena joined me; the company was much appreciated under the circumstances.
We traveled to the Delver’s Square to peruse its wares. I was here earlier this morning, but I still felt a little out of place. I had the intention to gather a few things to aid my friends. I took a few moments to analyze the Orb in hopes to gain knowledge from it, alas; it was no different that another I had spotted on a table. We had put it to good use and acquired a splendid suit of Leather armor and matching cloak for Elena, she was most pleased. While the tailor made the proper adjustments, I had spotted something that caught my eye, something familiar, a Long Sword of all things. The merchant handed it to me. All of a sudden, I had remembered acquiring training in the blade several months ago. What was that guy’s name again…, can’t remember; he must have left a bad impression or something, pity. It was right around the time Soulerio had sent a small contingent of undeath to Riddle Port to spite me. He was having issues with his imaginary girlfriend that day. Elena’s expression was priceless; she had never seen me wield a blade with relative ease before. Anyhow, the merchant told me of the blade’s power, one attuned primarily to bards. I’m no story teller, but I knew I could use it to great effect. The blade lacked appeal so I was able to get a good “Deal” as they say. I surrendered the Scimitar in exchange thus leaving me the Flame Blade to bargain with. Luckily, the merchants approved of me on this day as not only did I have Soulerio’s dagger enhanced, I was able to leave with an Amulet and a Scroll. Pelor was no where in sight; I had hopped to lure him into striking a conversation with me. That way, bringing up a touchy subject would be less suspicious. I then pondered weather or not to confront Obox-Ob in hopes to resolve my personal issues and validate the possibility that he may be the Dark One himself. I opted to postpone these leads as we’d been running a little late. Crimson had surly returned to the cathedral and was potentially causing mischief.
Upon our arrival at the Library, both Crimson and Soulerio were in the process of discussing some scheme and quickly halted at the sight of our presence. More importantly, the staff was missing, I was really cross. I demanded she explain herself. “It’s gone” she replied. Unamused with her evasive banter, I harassed her into giving me a straight answer. The term “Gone” was an understatement, apparently Vecna and the others had it destroyed. Gee, great plan… And all we got out of that was the supposed Dark One’s name; Tharizdun, the God of Chaos and Destruction. And this coming from a bunch of sleaze balls from the Onyx Spider, a reliable source no less. I could have yelled until I’d be blue in the face, but that would have accomplished nothing, I conceded and opted to play along. Soulerio refused to believe that a lesser God such as Tharizdun would be involved in such a ploy. Normally, I’d have to agree, but we hadn’t anything else to go on. Mind you, I found it odd that the “Children” would be so bold to destroy the staff at this point in time. I didn’t think they’d want risk attracting that kind of attention. Surly one of the Gods of Light will find out before the deadline and potentially put an end to the threat. Not to mention its destruction will certainly hinder their efforts in securing a major piece of their puzzle. At the very least, Crimson’s poor judgment did supply us with the means to defeat the Gods of Light if we wished to do so. Just a matter of producing a Disjunction Pulse I suppose. As the others continued to debate, I drifted to my little bubble to keep a clear head.
Then came the issue to face Malcanthet. Crimson got us into that mess so I voted that she get us out, under supervision. We agreed on a simple plan, Crimson was attacked by an unknown and fell unconscious; the staff had gone missing when she awoke. I had no doubt she’d pull it off; besides, she had the wounds to prove it. The complex was vacant as the sisters had been assigned to guarding the thrown room and its contents. With a simple gesture, we were granted an audience with the Queen. Upon entering, we heard the sound of several crossbow chambers being pulled back. Dozens of sisters, including Shami-Amourae and Nephilim, had their weapons pointed at us, ready to fire at the first sign of treachery. Malcanthet found the cold reception regrettable but insisted that it was necessary. She had hoped for good news, yet we had none. Crimson had told our lie and Malcanthet believed it. Soulerio did make a good point; those who haven’t known “Evil” are less likely to be suspicious of others. She deemed the cathedral closed to outsiders and asked us to leave until further notice. Luckily, I was able to exclude us from the terms if certain conditions were met. And on that note we all parted to get some much needed rest. Before retiring, I returned Soulerio’s dagger, offered him an amulet and invited him to meet me in the library later to study the Enchant Magic Item scroll I had acquired. He said he’d think about it.
Just before meeting with Malfurion, the Professor was kind enough to spare a few hours to help decipher the scroll. We spent most of the time bickering but we made good progress. In the end, one of the equations eluded us. Suddenly, Malfurion appeared just as the others had arrived. He was not doing well, he pleaded that we deal with his ailment immediately as he felt the fever consuming him at an accelerated rate. I had informed him that a Cure Disease would sufficient if caught early, unfortunately, I hadn’t a prayer to spare. I also suggested a Remove Affliction, another procedure beyond my reach. He didn’t care who but was adamant that someone be found with the power to do so. Both Soulerio and Crimson agreed to seek out the aid of Orcus, one who will eventually have no quarrel with aiding an undead. I deemed that course of action unwise, I didn’t want others to get involved in our affairs; our efforts to remain “Invisible” would have been jeopardized. I suggested that we consult Malcanthet as she had already been compromised. Crimson then looked to me and awaited her leader’s final word. Again I was put on the spot; I was somewhat flattered, but only for a moment. It was clear that they had followed my suggestion out of pity. I sent word to Malcanthet to supply us with someone with the ability to remedy the situation, someone she could trust under the circumstances. She referred us to her son Pelor, the master healer. Soulerio was the first to object for obvious reasons; he had opted for her secondary option being Obox-Ob, an arcane master.
I was disappointed in both references as I didn’t want either one involved, but I did have an interest in seeking out those exact two, go figure. I reluctantly voiced out my desire to pursue Obox-Ob, if he was indeed bad news, I’d have everyone by my side. Pulling a few string, we acquired his place of residence, another library. We also found out that he’d been the one chronicling Ptolus’ history books. It never occurred to me that the records could be false, definitely something worth looking into. When we arrived, the library was vacant and the doors locked. Many found this strange as the establishment had always been opened to the public. How strange indeed, to have “Gone Fishing” the day of the attack. I was about to befriend another local while Soulerio opted for a more direct approach. He had opened a window, clambered in, opened the front door and signaled us to enter. Not very graceful, but effective, and unexpected. The portal led us to a vast room filled with knowledge. An opened book rested on the floor nearby, next to it, shattered spectacles. Still proud of himself, Soulerio made his way to the manuscript and began examining it. Upon touching it, he vanished, by means of teleportation. I quickly approached, drew my sword and propped up the book to read its title as Crimson suggested. “Arcane Power” by Iggwilv it read. Another name that came to mind earlier, the Demonomicon author did exist here, another lead to add to my list. Fearing that Soulerio may be in grave danger, I read a passage from the book and witnessed my surroundings distort.
Now, I find myself here, in a circular room with no exits, made of stone. Other notes of interest, a fountain in the room’s center, another book resting in a pool of blood and eight alcoves. Each of them, symbolizing an arcane element; Fire, Cold, Lightning, Thunder, Acid, Necrotic, Radiant, Force and Physic. Soulerio, meanwhile, going back, was pleased that someone followed suit, he then opted to suppress his curiosity and keep his hands to himself. Elena was quick to react but Crimson took more time. She appeared moments later, with a torn page from the Tome, a clever move on her part. She read the page to see if it would provide us with an exit, alas, nothing. The page’s contents were vague, describing some sort of test. Having mastered several arcane Physic powers, I suggested that I target the wall marked with the Physic rune with a Dissonant Strain. The others distanced themselves and waited. I closed my eyes, targeted the alcove with opened hand whilst grasping my blade with the other and sent forth a hymn in two pitches.
Suddenly, the rune began to glow and a voiced beamed “Physic test will commence in 10”. Both Soulerio and I stood our ground, Crimson planted herself in front of the wall, Elena hid in a nearby alcove and Sir Minion was nearby. We awaited the countdown and the wall vanished, revealing a pair of Mad Wraiths. The minute long battle that followed left us all with lingering headaches and several self inflicted wounds. First, they clearly did not approve of Minion; his destruction was proof of that. Crimson, unable to fight off their charms, had attacked me on one occasion and failed to strike Elena on another. Their dark auras left us mostly in a daze the whole time, but those of us still strong in faith would be their undoing. I was able to hold my own in melee, but it was both Elena and Crimson, in all their radiance, that made all the difference. Soulerio, sadly, did not diversify himself enough to make an impact this time around. But in the end, we prevailed. Suddenly, a mound of gold and a warhammer had appeared in the fountain, obviously some sort of prize. The room beyond the wall led to a dead end and still no exits could be found.
Bitter over the outcome of our first battle, Soulerio demanded that we lay waste to the Radiant challenge, the element that, logically, opposed his own. Coming to the conclusion that we had to face all of them, we decided to honor his request. I stood before him at a distance as the other two stood before the wall. Elena pointed her holy symbol to the wall, initiating a battle with the Goliath Sunspeakers. Our foes were highly resistant and their attacks, potent. I had used up all of my healing abilities early as the two warriors rained steel upon the enemy. Leading the way was Soulerio’s Hungry Spirit, devouring all in its path. All attempts in charming the Sunspeakers had failed; probably due to my lack of inspiration. Perhaps I am of more use in the front lines, channeling my pain through my blade… The battle ended poorly, but we held on to consciousness. A liquid flowed through the fountain as a reward, granting us all a blessing.
Looking around the room, the others are now again at full strength. All looked at me and nodded in approval as they found inspiration in my song. Alas, with two battles in the books and six more to come, our bodies will clearly fail us long before we reach the end. We will need exercise caution if we are to succeed. *Sigh*, I wonder what thoughts will haunt me during our next short rest.
Things really began to go sour the moment I entered the library to confront Malfurion. To my surprise, a green-tinted ghostly Kyuss-like monstrosity stood before me, a version of the Wormgod Legacy I have yet to encounter. Aside from the dozens of Kyuss worms infesting his broken body, it was the foot long purple worm protruding from his left eye socket that got my attention. In addition to the latter, several worms were bathing in a nearby pool of green acid, clearly the remains of one of his attackers. Again, another phenomenon I had no knowledge of. I approached cautiously with my Flame Blade ready. A lot was going though my mind and I began to rant aimlessly. In all the banter, I made references to the Dark One, Lashonna, Kyuss, Obox-Ob and Iggwilv. Thankfully he stopped me before I got carried away. What he had to say was troubling indeed.
To make a long story short, he had come from an alternate reality. One led by the Gods of Light, partially under Carcerian rule and consumed by an Age of Worms, yet there was no sign of Demogoragon, nor mention of his Savage Tide. Both he and Celeste had visions of heroes that never came, heroes that never existed. Of course he was referring to the Outsiders and the Harbingers. Apparently, he and Celeste had found a way to reach us, thus explaining his being here. He was most please to know that his myth was reality, he recognized us almost instantaneously. A series of questions and debates followed, many of them leading nowhere. One thing was for certain; our situation wasn’t getting any better. In a nutshell, the Dark One remained a mystery, Malfurion, though not a carrier was still dangerous if not cured, Lashonna was nearby and our future has already shown signs of being tampered with. And all that talk of allying with one side or another, to becoming Gods ourselves, to eliminating AO himself left me at a loss for words. So many questions unanswered and I’ve yet to begin my search. The others pressured me, on several occasions, to vote on a plan of action, but the thought of making a wrong choice made me sick to my stomach.
Whilst we began talking in circles, Crimson was the first to take action. She walked off with the intent to offer the now “Stolen” staff, as she put it, to the “Children”. And in return we would get…, something, something she failed to disclose. Unimpressed with her reasoning, I was quick to point out the obvious and numerous flaws of such a careless and foolish gambit. She replied with a cold shoulder and simply brushed me off as a noblewoman would a beggar. I was so…, angry, to the point that I nearly sent forth a psychic blast from my wand. With the staff gone and a Time Stop effect near its end, I now had the pleasure to explain this whole mess to the Goddess of Love. I called out to my friends for aid in the task at hand. I wanted to reveal as little as possible, so I suggested a little white lie in order to grant us some time to conceive our next course of action. Still bitter for my involvement in his capture, Soulerio continued to apply pressure and demanded that I quit stalling and make a choice then and there. And that when it happened, the moment I had lost all composure, I simply buckled under the stress. My feelings on the matter had been revealed. To be put simply, I didn’t know what to chose, I…, didn’t want to choose. I’ve already failed, my world, my home, my loved ones…, all gone. What could I possibly do? I’m no hero…, why can’t I be the one to be saved? As I cried, Soulerio had found amusement in my vulnerable state and simply retreated to his books. It had been apparent that Elena and I were alone to deal with Malcanthet.
Fearing that our stay within the Sisterhood would come to an end. I had asked Malfurion to hide in a Rope Trick of sorts, as he suggested, and to meet us at the Spire if the library was no longer accessible. It would only be for a couple of hours, just enough time to sort out our current dilemma. Just before we left, I approached Soulerio in order to offer the Spellbook I had purchased for him earlier that morning. I was hoping to present it under better circumstances, but it couldn’t wait, a wizard needed his Spellbook. Besides, the guilt was too much to bear, being the one directly responsible for having him stripped of his magical trinkets that is. Anyhow, I was cold in my presentation, but his reaction did take my by surprise. He stared at it, unwrapped it and paused for a moment. I was sure he’d throw it at me but a few seconds had passed and he…, thanked me. We’ve shared one or two genuine moments such as these in the past, but…, I…, well…, it was nice. I was planning on going back to the Delver’s Square later that day to get some air and made the offer to have his trusted dagger enchanted, he agreed.
Upon exiting the cathedral, all was back to normal, save for two Kyuss pools. I quickly disposed of any visible worms and found an Orb in the process. The sisters were in the process of retrieving their crossbow bolts as both Shami-Amourae and Nephilim were closely flanking Malcanthet who was pacing about nervously. My suspicions as too why were confirmed the moment I had motioned the staff and its whereabouts. She had mentioned that the staff, apparently, is required for her ascension to Godhood, and without its secret powers, she is as vulnerable as I. First, I explained what had transpired, revealing all but our conversation with the Time Dragon. My version of the story stated that a ghost fitting Malfurion’s description had vanished before we made contact. I then convinced her that it be best if we conducted an exclusive investigation to locate him. Finally, Crimson ran off to follow up on a lead with the borrowed staff in hand. Luckily, she deemed the ruse genuine, but insisted that the staff be returned as soon as possible. I was confident Crimson would have come to her senses, the contrary would have been unthinkable. That last bit somewhat eased Malcanthet’s concerns, but she still felt compelled to lock herself in a room. I for one was in dire need of fresh air and I took my leave on that note. Elena joined me; the company was much appreciated under the circumstances.
We traveled to the Delver’s Square to peruse its wares. I was here earlier this morning, but I still felt a little out of place. I had the intention to gather a few things to aid my friends. I took a few moments to analyze the Orb in hopes to gain knowledge from it, alas; it was no different that another I had spotted on a table. We had put it to good use and acquired a splendid suit of Leather armor and matching cloak for Elena, she was most pleased. While the tailor made the proper adjustments, I had spotted something that caught my eye, something familiar, a Long Sword of all things. The merchant handed it to me. All of a sudden, I had remembered acquiring training in the blade several months ago. What was that guy’s name again…, can’t remember; he must have left a bad impression or something, pity. It was right around the time Soulerio had sent a small contingent of undeath to Riddle Port to spite me. He was having issues with his imaginary girlfriend that day. Elena’s expression was priceless; she had never seen me wield a blade with relative ease before. Anyhow, the merchant told me of the blade’s power, one attuned primarily to bards. I’m no story teller, but I knew I could use it to great effect. The blade lacked appeal so I was able to get a good “Deal” as they say. I surrendered the Scimitar in exchange thus leaving me the Flame Blade to bargain with. Luckily, the merchants approved of me on this day as not only did I have Soulerio’s dagger enhanced, I was able to leave with an Amulet and a Scroll. Pelor was no where in sight; I had hopped to lure him into striking a conversation with me. That way, bringing up a touchy subject would be less suspicious. I then pondered weather or not to confront Obox-Ob in hopes to resolve my personal issues and validate the possibility that he may be the Dark One himself. I opted to postpone these leads as we’d been running a little late. Crimson had surly returned to the cathedral and was potentially causing mischief.
Upon our arrival at the Library, both Crimson and Soulerio were in the process of discussing some scheme and quickly halted at the sight of our presence. More importantly, the staff was missing, I was really cross. I demanded she explain herself. “It’s gone” she replied. Unamused with her evasive banter, I harassed her into giving me a straight answer. The term “Gone” was an understatement, apparently Vecna and the others had it destroyed. Gee, great plan… And all we got out of that was the supposed Dark One’s name; Tharizdun, the God of Chaos and Destruction. And this coming from a bunch of sleaze balls from the Onyx Spider, a reliable source no less. I could have yelled until I’d be blue in the face, but that would have accomplished nothing, I conceded and opted to play along. Soulerio refused to believe that a lesser God such as Tharizdun would be involved in such a ploy. Normally, I’d have to agree, but we hadn’t anything else to go on. Mind you, I found it odd that the “Children” would be so bold to destroy the staff at this point in time. I didn’t think they’d want risk attracting that kind of attention. Surly one of the Gods of Light will find out before the deadline and potentially put an end to the threat. Not to mention its destruction will certainly hinder their efforts in securing a major piece of their puzzle. At the very least, Crimson’s poor judgment did supply us with the means to defeat the Gods of Light if we wished to do so. Just a matter of producing a Disjunction Pulse I suppose. As the others continued to debate, I drifted to my little bubble to keep a clear head.
Then came the issue to face Malcanthet. Crimson got us into that mess so I voted that she get us out, under supervision. We agreed on a simple plan, Crimson was attacked by an unknown and fell unconscious; the staff had gone missing when she awoke. I had no doubt she’d pull it off; besides, she had the wounds to prove it. The complex was vacant as the sisters had been assigned to guarding the thrown room and its contents. With a simple gesture, we were granted an audience with the Queen. Upon entering, we heard the sound of several crossbow chambers being pulled back. Dozens of sisters, including Shami-Amourae and Nephilim, had their weapons pointed at us, ready to fire at the first sign of treachery. Malcanthet found the cold reception regrettable but insisted that it was necessary. She had hoped for good news, yet we had none. Crimson had told our lie and Malcanthet believed it. Soulerio did make a good point; those who haven’t known “Evil” are less likely to be suspicious of others. She deemed the cathedral closed to outsiders and asked us to leave until further notice. Luckily, I was able to exclude us from the terms if certain conditions were met. And on that note we all parted to get some much needed rest. Before retiring, I returned Soulerio’s dagger, offered him an amulet and invited him to meet me in the library later to study the Enchant Magic Item scroll I had acquired. He said he’d think about it.
Just before meeting with Malfurion, the Professor was kind enough to spare a few hours to help decipher the scroll. We spent most of the time bickering but we made good progress. In the end, one of the equations eluded us. Suddenly, Malfurion appeared just as the others had arrived. He was not doing well, he pleaded that we deal with his ailment immediately as he felt the fever consuming him at an accelerated rate. I had informed him that a Cure Disease would sufficient if caught early, unfortunately, I hadn’t a prayer to spare. I also suggested a Remove Affliction, another procedure beyond my reach. He didn’t care who but was adamant that someone be found with the power to do so. Both Soulerio and Crimson agreed to seek out the aid of Orcus, one who will eventually have no quarrel with aiding an undead. I deemed that course of action unwise, I didn’t want others to get involved in our affairs; our efforts to remain “Invisible” would have been jeopardized. I suggested that we consult Malcanthet as she had already been compromised. Crimson then looked to me and awaited her leader’s final word. Again I was put on the spot; I was somewhat flattered, but only for a moment. It was clear that they had followed my suggestion out of pity. I sent word to Malcanthet to supply us with someone with the ability to remedy the situation, someone she could trust under the circumstances. She referred us to her son Pelor, the master healer. Soulerio was the first to object for obvious reasons; he had opted for her secondary option being Obox-Ob, an arcane master.
I was disappointed in both references as I didn’t want either one involved, but I did have an interest in seeking out those exact two, go figure. I reluctantly voiced out my desire to pursue Obox-Ob, if he was indeed bad news, I’d have everyone by my side. Pulling a few string, we acquired his place of residence, another library. We also found out that he’d been the one chronicling Ptolus’ history books. It never occurred to me that the records could be false, definitely something worth looking into. When we arrived, the library was vacant and the doors locked. Many found this strange as the establishment had always been opened to the public. How strange indeed, to have “Gone Fishing” the day of the attack. I was about to befriend another local while Soulerio opted for a more direct approach. He had opened a window, clambered in, opened the front door and signaled us to enter. Not very graceful, but effective, and unexpected. The portal led us to a vast room filled with knowledge. An opened book rested on the floor nearby, next to it, shattered spectacles. Still proud of himself, Soulerio made his way to the manuscript and began examining it. Upon touching it, he vanished, by means of teleportation. I quickly approached, drew my sword and propped up the book to read its title as Crimson suggested. “Arcane Power” by Iggwilv it read. Another name that came to mind earlier, the Demonomicon author did exist here, another lead to add to my list. Fearing that Soulerio may be in grave danger, I read a passage from the book and witnessed my surroundings distort.
Now, I find myself here, in a circular room with no exits, made of stone. Other notes of interest, a fountain in the room’s center, another book resting in a pool of blood and eight alcoves. Each of them, symbolizing an arcane element; Fire, Cold, Lightning, Thunder, Acid, Necrotic, Radiant, Force and Physic. Soulerio, meanwhile, going back, was pleased that someone followed suit, he then opted to suppress his curiosity and keep his hands to himself. Elena was quick to react but Crimson took more time. She appeared moments later, with a torn page from the Tome, a clever move on her part. She read the page to see if it would provide us with an exit, alas, nothing. The page’s contents were vague, describing some sort of test. Having mastered several arcane Physic powers, I suggested that I target the wall marked with the Physic rune with a Dissonant Strain. The others distanced themselves and waited. I closed my eyes, targeted the alcove with opened hand whilst grasping my blade with the other and sent forth a hymn in two pitches.
Suddenly, the rune began to glow and a voiced beamed “Physic test will commence in 10”. Both Soulerio and I stood our ground, Crimson planted herself in front of the wall, Elena hid in a nearby alcove and Sir Minion was nearby. We awaited the countdown and the wall vanished, revealing a pair of Mad Wraiths. The minute long battle that followed left us all with lingering headaches and several self inflicted wounds. First, they clearly did not approve of Minion; his destruction was proof of that. Crimson, unable to fight off their charms, had attacked me on one occasion and failed to strike Elena on another. Their dark auras left us mostly in a daze the whole time, but those of us still strong in faith would be their undoing. I was able to hold my own in melee, but it was both Elena and Crimson, in all their radiance, that made all the difference. Soulerio, sadly, did not diversify himself enough to make an impact this time around. But in the end, we prevailed. Suddenly, a mound of gold and a warhammer had appeared in the fountain, obviously some sort of prize. The room beyond the wall led to a dead end and still no exits could be found.
Bitter over the outcome of our first battle, Soulerio demanded that we lay waste to the Radiant challenge, the element that, logically, opposed his own. Coming to the conclusion that we had to face all of them, we decided to honor his request. I stood before him at a distance as the other two stood before the wall. Elena pointed her holy symbol to the wall, initiating a battle with the Goliath Sunspeakers. Our foes were highly resistant and their attacks, potent. I had used up all of my healing abilities early as the two warriors rained steel upon the enemy. Leading the way was Soulerio’s Hungry Spirit, devouring all in its path. All attempts in charming the Sunspeakers had failed; probably due to my lack of inspiration. Perhaps I am of more use in the front lines, channeling my pain through my blade… The battle ended poorly, but we held on to consciousness. A liquid flowed through the fountain as a reward, granting us all a blessing.
Looking around the room, the others are now again at full strength. All looked at me and nodded in approval as they found inspiration in my song. Alas, with two battles in the books and six more to come, our bodies will clearly fail us long before we reach the end. We will need exercise caution if we are to succeed. *Sigh*, I wonder what thoughts will haunt me during our next short rest.
Session 04: In Search of Answers
Closing the massive doors behind us, we look towards the hoard of demonic creatures that entered as they seem to split off in various groups each choosing a corridor and running, or in some cases, flying off. Some clearly headed in the direction of the library which I had recently come from, another group headed towards the thrown room which was currently vacant, while the third group headed in the direction of the resting chambers for the Sisterhood. None of us had recently ventured there and thus should Malfurion be present it would only stand to reason that that would be the logical place he would be. Crimson was first to voice her thoughts about the matter and considering we all agreed, we ran off towards the resting chambers in hopes of rescuing the Time Dragon who most likely suffered injuries with his battle with Lashonna. About mid way we took a breather to heal our wounds and orchestrate a battle plan. Crimson took the opportunity to study the staff that she stole from her Goddess and decided to wield it in battle hoping that it would provide extra powers to aid her. As she put it... she wielded the staff of the Gods and none should touch her... and then she mumbled something else but in all honesty I had no interest in her feeble minded ramblings.
Entering a large corridor we bumped into five of our foes whom appeared to be scouting the area. Crimson quickly announced in a booming voice that she would protect “Malfurion” and faced me. Honestly... are the Gods trying to kill me? Why on Earth would she point to me? I'm a blasted professor NOT a silly mindless warrior?! I nearly died minutes ago and here she is trying to get more of these creatures to attack me. I must admit though... from my observations between her and her former companions, I'm not really surprised at her treachery at all. Then Pellegri began mocking the Far Plane creatures. For a moment I thought she would make them believe I attacked them as well, luckily for me that did not happen... YET! The larger beast, what I believed to be a Thought Eater approached Crimson and stared at her. The medium sized creature, a Pulsar, lashed out with one of its tentacles that seemed somewhat incorporeal that managed to strike at everyone that stood before it. Lucky for me I was anticipating such a move and dodged out of the path along with Sir Minion, but my companions were not as lucky. Elena ran up and retaliated striking true. Crimson followed suit and stroke at the Thought Eater. I began summing forth what this realm called a Hungry Spirit and sent him forwards along with Minion. The lashers moved forwards as well but not before my Hungry Spirit siphoned some of their life force. Pellegri yelled violently at one of the lashes killing it in its track and pushed the other two backwards a few feet. The Thought Eater focused its attacks on Elena as it believed her to be the weakest… mwahahahahha. The pulsar moved forwards and lashed out hitting Elena almost downing her. She retaliated on the Thought Eater. Crimson yelled out some virtuous words and stroke at the Thought Eater hoping to down it, but it still hung onto life... barely. Meanwhile my Hungry Spirit continued to fill is incorporeal stomach with the life force of all the foes around it and Minion destroyed the Thought Eater saving Elena. The lashers advanced and stroke randomly at my companions. Pellegri ran up beside Elena and began closing some of her wounds with that melody she seems to hum often. My Spirit completely absorbs one of the lashers and Crimson and Elena downed the remaining Lashers.
Running forwards some more without rest, we ran into two more Pulsars and what I believed to be two Warp Wenders. The Warp Wenders attacked both Elena and Crimison as they were both in the lead stunning both of them. Sensing great danger, Pellegri began mocking a pulsar and attacked its mind confusing it slightly should it attack someone. Once again I dodge the pulsars tentacles while Pellegri decided to do the complete opposite. Though Crimson was dazed she still managed to avoid one of the two tentacles. Elena moved forwards and stroke back. Crimson followed suit and killed one of the Pulsars. I sent forward once more Minion and my hungry Spirit to do some damage. Pellegri decided to insult the Warp Wender as she approached the Pulsar. With her recent visitations I believe that apart of myself has rubbed off on the once bright Pelorian. To curse and utter harmful words at her foes is not something a Pelorian would normally do. Either way it distracted the Pulsar enough for Crimson to make a running charge at the creature. Back and forth the two battle it out until only Crimson was the victor. Meanwhile Elena continued to assault whatever moved and I drained the life of our enemies to further imbue Crimson’s endurance with new life energy. Meanwhile both Elena and Pellegri suffered some minor injuries whilst Crimson took the blunt of the attacks. Crimson lays one of her gentle hands upon herself relieving some of the pain she suffered. Looking around at the lifeless bodies, we decided to rest for a few minutes to regain our strength to continue on. As we stood there we took notice of a hidden hatch just behind a nearby couch. A staircase leading downwards and we believed it possible that Malfurion was hiding himself down below.
Making our way down, we entered a very dark chamber with very low luminescence. There were massive crates everywhere and honestly I have no idea how the crates would have even got down here. We suddenly heard voices coming from behind the crates… taunting voices begging the Time Dragon to appear before them so that they could slay the hidden one. Rounding the corner we saw one of three large skeletal warriors. Crimson took the opportunity to catch one off guard as she ran into it with brute strength striking at it. I tested the waters and unleashed my most powerful spell at the same skeletal warrior, only to witness it absorb my necrotic powers. I was clearly going to be utterly useless in the next few minutes unless I changed tactics quickly. Pellegri follow suit and attacked the warrior injuring it further. Only then did we learn that these forms of skeletal warriors upon sustaining great injury would unleash a powerful wave of necrotic energy themselves injuring all those nearby. The warrior then faced Crimson and slashed at her with its great scimitar nearly cutting her in two. Blood trickled down her arms as she held it, clearly unable to sustain a similar hit. From behind us two more warriors appeared and were blocked by my faithful Minion. Sadly he was only there temporarily as they smashed him to pieces. But his sacrifice bought us a few seconds to reposition ourselves. Elena began using divine magics to weaken the skeletal warrior allowing Crimson to give the finishing blow. Upon its death, it once again unleashed a massive wave of necrotic energy. I strategically move away from the battle scene and slowed the movements of one of the skeletal beings so that we were not overpower in the seconds to come. Pellegri began to heal some of Crimsons wounds and “pushed” one of the beings with a thunderous shout. Crimson believing that she had the capability to destroy one of the warriors in one swoop of her sword begged us all not to approach and maintain a distance away from any necrotic waves that would ensue. Sure enough Crimson managed to forcefully attack one of the warriors triggering only one of the two necrotic waves. It still stood however and Crimson herself was down on one knee. Draining some of the undead life into her, it helped renew her slightly but in the end she fell unconscious from another round of attacks. Realizing that our main tank was down and fighting any of the warriors this close to her body could kill her should another wave be produced; we all backed up further into the room luring the enemies towards us. Pellegri stayed behind to bandage the noble fighter as Elana readied an attack and I readied to slow their movements. Both our attacks failed and we were soon confronted with both beings. We both decided to part ways having each warrior pursue. I luckily climbed up on a crate and began unleashing my powers upon the weakened warrior below finishing it off. Elena was less fortunate as she battled the warrior for what seemed minutes. The two were locked in battle each dodging and parrying each others blow. However eventually one had to drop and Elena fell unconscious leaving just the Pelorian and I. She continued to harass the warrior even though the undead could not comprehend or feel such matters, but she did managed to persuade the being into thinking I was the bigger threat. With nowhere left to go, I back away as far as I could upon the massive crates as it climbed up and made its way toward me. Praying to no God in particular I waited till the last moment and jumped off. With it in pursuit and distracted, Pellegri snuck up behind it and shattered its spine destroying it and unleashed the last necrotic wave. Nodding to one another we gathered our downed comrades and began to rest for a few minutes to regain our strength and the will to continue.
We soon took the time to properly search the hidden chamber only to reveal a disturbing sight. Kyuss worms. We did not know how they came into being here, but the thought of another attack from Kyuss upset me greatly even though I did not show it. The worms themselves seemed to be wriggling around a greenish ooze like substance upon the wall... oddly enough the ooze pattern was that of a humanoid. I suggested that perhaps some form of ectoplasm was left behind, and Pellegri once again took the opportunity to cut my sentence short and finished my brilliant idea. We deduced that a being had once been here until they traveled through the wall leaving behind the ooze and worms, and headed towards the direction of the library. From that conclusion we all agreed that we would head towards the library.
As we approached we were yet again confronted by far realm creatures. Two Lashers and two flying creatures that I was unfamiliar with. Believing these creatures to be as week as all the other far realm creatures I advanced first unleashing a wave of necrotic energy of my own in hopes of destroying them all. Unfortunately my assumption nearly cost me my life as both flying demons survived, advanced, and ate me nearly to death. The pain was too much to bear causing me to loose consciousness. In the battle that followed I was told that Crimson soon became immobilized and they nearly ate crimson to death as well, but not before she decapitated one. Elena and Pellegri managed to destroy the remaining one and advanced towards the two Lashers that had kept attacking them from a distance the whole time. With blood lust in their eyes Elena and Pellegri like two sisters, back to back took on the two Lashers alone. Pellegri would insult one, Elena would strike one, Pellegri would stab at one, while Elena would decapitate one. The two worked in unison as if they were the same person.
Slightly dazed and confused Pellegri was once more on top of me... I mean she was beside me bandaging my wounds. I saw Crimson sitting next to me, stern face and all. I never saw her drop so many times in battle as she always had her companion Gustav, Glaive and Garland to back her up and protect her. Now it was she who was protecting us. I wanted to thank her... but before I could utter something Pellegri stormed off. I watched her leave and she barged into the Library and began yelling at someone.
Entering a large corridor we bumped into five of our foes whom appeared to be scouting the area. Crimson quickly announced in a booming voice that she would protect “Malfurion” and faced me. Honestly... are the Gods trying to kill me? Why on Earth would she point to me? I'm a blasted professor NOT a silly mindless warrior?! I nearly died minutes ago and here she is trying to get more of these creatures to attack me. I must admit though... from my observations between her and her former companions, I'm not really surprised at her treachery at all. Then Pellegri began mocking the Far Plane creatures. For a moment I thought she would make them believe I attacked them as well, luckily for me that did not happen... YET! The larger beast, what I believed to be a Thought Eater approached Crimson and stared at her. The medium sized creature, a Pulsar, lashed out with one of its tentacles that seemed somewhat incorporeal that managed to strike at everyone that stood before it. Lucky for me I was anticipating such a move and dodged out of the path along with Sir Minion, but my companions were not as lucky. Elena ran up and retaliated striking true. Crimson followed suit and stroke at the Thought Eater. I began summing forth what this realm called a Hungry Spirit and sent him forwards along with Minion. The lashers moved forwards as well but not before my Hungry Spirit siphoned some of their life force. Pellegri yelled violently at one of the lashes killing it in its track and pushed the other two backwards a few feet. The Thought Eater focused its attacks on Elena as it believed her to be the weakest… mwahahahahha. The pulsar moved forwards and lashed out hitting Elena almost downing her. She retaliated on the Thought Eater. Crimson yelled out some virtuous words and stroke at the Thought Eater hoping to down it, but it still hung onto life... barely. Meanwhile my Hungry Spirit continued to fill is incorporeal stomach with the life force of all the foes around it and Minion destroyed the Thought Eater saving Elena. The lashers advanced and stroke randomly at my companions. Pellegri ran up beside Elena and began closing some of her wounds with that melody she seems to hum often. My Spirit completely absorbs one of the lashers and Crimson and Elena downed the remaining Lashers.
Running forwards some more without rest, we ran into two more Pulsars and what I believed to be two Warp Wenders. The Warp Wenders attacked both Elena and Crimison as they were both in the lead stunning both of them. Sensing great danger, Pellegri began mocking a pulsar and attacked its mind confusing it slightly should it attack someone. Once again I dodge the pulsars tentacles while Pellegri decided to do the complete opposite. Though Crimson was dazed she still managed to avoid one of the two tentacles. Elena moved forwards and stroke back. Crimson followed suit and killed one of the Pulsars. I sent forward once more Minion and my hungry Spirit to do some damage. Pellegri decided to insult the Warp Wender as she approached the Pulsar. With her recent visitations I believe that apart of myself has rubbed off on the once bright Pelorian. To curse and utter harmful words at her foes is not something a Pelorian would normally do. Either way it distracted the Pulsar enough for Crimson to make a running charge at the creature. Back and forth the two battle it out until only Crimson was the victor. Meanwhile Elena continued to assault whatever moved and I drained the life of our enemies to further imbue Crimson’s endurance with new life energy. Meanwhile both Elena and Pellegri suffered some minor injuries whilst Crimson took the blunt of the attacks. Crimson lays one of her gentle hands upon herself relieving some of the pain she suffered. Looking around at the lifeless bodies, we decided to rest for a few minutes to regain our strength to continue on. As we stood there we took notice of a hidden hatch just behind a nearby couch. A staircase leading downwards and we believed it possible that Malfurion was hiding himself down below.
Making our way down, we entered a very dark chamber with very low luminescence. There were massive crates everywhere and honestly I have no idea how the crates would have even got down here. We suddenly heard voices coming from behind the crates… taunting voices begging the Time Dragon to appear before them so that they could slay the hidden one. Rounding the corner we saw one of three large skeletal warriors. Crimson took the opportunity to catch one off guard as she ran into it with brute strength striking at it. I tested the waters and unleashed my most powerful spell at the same skeletal warrior, only to witness it absorb my necrotic powers. I was clearly going to be utterly useless in the next few minutes unless I changed tactics quickly. Pellegri follow suit and attacked the warrior injuring it further. Only then did we learn that these forms of skeletal warriors upon sustaining great injury would unleash a powerful wave of necrotic energy themselves injuring all those nearby. The warrior then faced Crimson and slashed at her with its great scimitar nearly cutting her in two. Blood trickled down her arms as she held it, clearly unable to sustain a similar hit. From behind us two more warriors appeared and were blocked by my faithful Minion. Sadly he was only there temporarily as they smashed him to pieces. But his sacrifice bought us a few seconds to reposition ourselves. Elena began using divine magics to weaken the skeletal warrior allowing Crimson to give the finishing blow. Upon its death, it once again unleashed a massive wave of necrotic energy. I strategically move away from the battle scene and slowed the movements of one of the skeletal beings so that we were not overpower in the seconds to come. Pellegri began to heal some of Crimsons wounds and “pushed” one of the beings with a thunderous shout. Crimson believing that she had the capability to destroy one of the warriors in one swoop of her sword begged us all not to approach and maintain a distance away from any necrotic waves that would ensue. Sure enough Crimson managed to forcefully attack one of the warriors triggering only one of the two necrotic waves. It still stood however and Crimson herself was down on one knee. Draining some of the undead life into her, it helped renew her slightly but in the end she fell unconscious from another round of attacks. Realizing that our main tank was down and fighting any of the warriors this close to her body could kill her should another wave be produced; we all backed up further into the room luring the enemies towards us. Pellegri stayed behind to bandage the noble fighter as Elana readied an attack and I readied to slow their movements. Both our attacks failed and we were soon confronted with both beings. We both decided to part ways having each warrior pursue. I luckily climbed up on a crate and began unleashing my powers upon the weakened warrior below finishing it off. Elena was less fortunate as she battled the warrior for what seemed minutes. The two were locked in battle each dodging and parrying each others blow. However eventually one had to drop and Elena fell unconscious leaving just the Pelorian and I. She continued to harass the warrior even though the undead could not comprehend or feel such matters, but she did managed to persuade the being into thinking I was the bigger threat. With nowhere left to go, I back away as far as I could upon the massive crates as it climbed up and made its way toward me. Praying to no God in particular I waited till the last moment and jumped off. With it in pursuit and distracted, Pellegri snuck up behind it and shattered its spine destroying it and unleashed the last necrotic wave. Nodding to one another we gathered our downed comrades and began to rest for a few minutes to regain our strength and the will to continue.
We soon took the time to properly search the hidden chamber only to reveal a disturbing sight. Kyuss worms. We did not know how they came into being here, but the thought of another attack from Kyuss upset me greatly even though I did not show it. The worms themselves seemed to be wriggling around a greenish ooze like substance upon the wall... oddly enough the ooze pattern was that of a humanoid. I suggested that perhaps some form of ectoplasm was left behind, and Pellegri once again took the opportunity to cut my sentence short and finished my brilliant idea. We deduced that a being had once been here until they traveled through the wall leaving behind the ooze and worms, and headed towards the direction of the library. From that conclusion we all agreed that we would head towards the library.
As we approached we were yet again confronted by far realm creatures. Two Lashers and two flying creatures that I was unfamiliar with. Believing these creatures to be as week as all the other far realm creatures I advanced first unleashing a wave of necrotic energy of my own in hopes of destroying them all. Unfortunately my assumption nearly cost me my life as both flying demons survived, advanced, and ate me nearly to death. The pain was too much to bear causing me to loose consciousness. In the battle that followed I was told that Crimson soon became immobilized and they nearly ate crimson to death as well, but not before she decapitated one. Elena and Pellegri managed to destroy the remaining one and advanced towards the two Lashers that had kept attacking them from a distance the whole time. With blood lust in their eyes Elena and Pellegri like two sisters, back to back took on the two Lashers alone. Pellegri would insult one, Elena would strike one, Pellegri would stab at one, while Elena would decapitate one. The two worked in unison as if they were the same person.
Slightly dazed and confused Pellegri was once more on top of me... I mean she was beside me bandaging my wounds. I saw Crimson sitting next to me, stern face and all. I never saw her drop so many times in battle as she always had her companion Gustav, Glaive and Garland to back her up and protect her. Now it was she who was protecting us. I wanted to thank her... but before I could utter something Pellegri stormed off. I watched her leave and she barged into the Library and began yelling at someone.
Tuesday, August 17, 2010
Seesion 03: The Iris of the Far Realm
There are few famous people I know of. Soulerio, I knew nothing of until I saw him shackled to my mistress’s wall. Pellegri too was but an unknown until I saw her wearing the same colors as I. Indeed, their entire group, though whispered, was nothing to my history lessons. Elena, was the exception however. All know her name. Indeed, all worship her name. For she was the one who gave the killing strike against Kyuss, and thus, according to the bard’s songs, single handedly slew the Worm God, preventing the apocalypse. It was why she had to be saved, for we needed such a hero with us if we were to prevent yet another destruction of the world we knew.
There was another group of adventurers as well that were famous. In fact they were perhaps the most famous. These were the Outsiders. A warforged and his obsession with creating magical trinkets. The mummy and his obsession with uniting all religions. And their leader, the half-tielfing whose lust for the Far Realm, created the magic that would summon creatures from said place.
These three were famous for two reasons. The first was their achievement in defeating an evil that was very personal to them and the ones they cared for. Before them, there were so very few adventurers who gained true fame. Yet for such unlikely allies to come together and easily (if the stories are to believed) stop the plane of Carseri from enveloping the Material plane, is a true inspiring tale; one that would encourage others to oil their scabbards and take up their own personal causes.
The Outsiders are also famous for another reason, though there are none to pen this. For indeed, no one outside my circle of current companions is alive to even do so. I speak of course of the destruction by Vanthas and Demogorgon of my world. The Outsiders were famous and powerful warriors, much more than me and the piddly band I was forced to bring with me to stop the demon lord and his lackey. What could the Outsiders have possibly had to do that was more important than saving the world?
Now they, like the Harbingers, have been conscripted into the mission. It would have been easier if people had stepped up when everything was much easier a task to accomplish. Now it will take a mission outside of time itself, to do something that the Hand of God, the collection of divine powers, and a delayed blast fireball should have been able to take care of with ease. Their inaction however has created a situation of absolute chaos.
Trickery, anarchy, and my divine calling are what I live for these days. It is why I wake up in the morning, for it follows me wherever I walk. And on this morning, that cycle continued in a big way. There is another calling however, one that almost bothers me. This too came knocking upon my conscious, to loud to be ignored. I will not speak in riddles or anything, rather straight to the point; loyalty. Today the bell tolled for champions to fight side by side in the face of certain death, and rather than flee to a comfortable corner, I answered the cry with great fervour. This is how it began...
It was only moments after the defeat of the goblin hexer. Pellegri used her new songs of awakening to heal the wounds of Soulerio and Elena, allowing them to rise to their own two feet. A moment to be thankful for sure as it was our true first test in this new world. We had won. Barely, but we had done so, and as a team. Now discussion turned as to what to do next? In our old world, we would have spoken to the head of the dead goblin for information, yet such powers were beyond our grasp at the moment.
It seemed there was no love whatsoever between Elena at Soulerio. An offer by the latter to neuter the Deadman was turned down. As there was no "Dumber than a grain of sand," reply, I deduced correctly that Soulerio's fear of Elena ran deeper than his hatred of Pellegri. This was quite the disheartening revelation as Malfurion was counted on us all to work together to stop the omega.
On the subject of Malfurion, my trust of him was not very great. It was he who had betrayed my actions to Gustav, thus nearly ruining my whole plan to even get the man and his wench to the Isle of Dread and try to stop all of this mess in the first place.. And although "Dark One" was one of the names of my goddess Malcanthet, in this world, the term might also refer to another being. Malfurion, Demogorgon, Vecna, perhaps even AO? There were many possibilities, but we knew that simply standing around would get us nothing.
Through our discussions, Soulerio suggested something of value, that being that we should leave clues to the other groups of adventurers that would be trying to do what we were doing in this timeline. Soulerio also admitted to something that suddenly became a detriment to our mission. He revealed that he had been telling every god who would listen what their place would be in the next creation. This in itself was likely the cause of the good gods being subjugated by the demons.
At the moment there seemed only one person we could trust, that that being Malcanthet. And so it was to her that we went. We left the wererat above for Elena to slay and then began the walk to the great chapel of the Sisterhood. Along the way, Soulerio donned the flame robes we had found and was quite fond of their fit. I left them to their own research in the library while I myself went to talk to my friend Fharlanghn. Along the way I stopped a most eloquent suit of plate armor in shop window, but sadly my funds were not nearly enough.
As I awoke the next morning, a breakfasted with Fharghy. Our repast was soon interrupted by an event in the sky. At first, it seemed to be an eclipse as a black dot opened up, covered part of the sun. Soon however, more of these dots opened up, and it became evident that these were portals. I asked Fharghy to fly me closer, and as we approached, we noticed creatures swarming out of them. They were like nothing I had ever seen and are all but indescribable. Their flight was directed towards the Sisterhood chapel.
I directed Fharghy to fetch Soulerio and Elena, and the three of us flew to try to save my goddess. Fharghy left us a few feet from the temple and then flew off, not wanting any part in the fight. At the doors were Malcanthet, Shami, and Nephilim, along with a host of priestesses, including Pellegri. They readied their crossbows and fired at the influx of eyes and tentacles bearing down on them.
And then everything stopped.
Only myself and my comrades were unaffected, as well as the hundred of creatures. That left the question as to whether we run or die. Pellegri stood her ground. Elena stayed by her side. Soulerio cast a barrier to prevent anyone from going through the doors, and I stood in front of my goddess to prevent harm upon her.
A small wave attacked us, included three small tentacled ones and two that were all eyes. Elena used an attack called Aspect of Might and obliterated one of the small ones in a one-two hit with her chain. I charged at an eye one, feeling the feelers of a tentacled one failing to reach into my mind. Summoning a Majestic Halo, I smashed the larger one to writhing pieces of flesh. Soulerio separated his mind in two as he concentrated on the impeding bubble, while sending a snaking line of dark energy to rot away the flesh of one the other tentacled ones. It retaliated by sending a cone of slowing fog, encompassing everyone but myself and Pellegri. The fellow priestess of Malcanthet used her magical voice to send a Thunderous Shout through the minds of all our enemies. The remaining tentacled one took a chain strike from Elena, that, though slowed, still did some damage.
Sensing the bubble, one of the small ones charged towards it, but its feeble mind could not penetrate the barrier. Selfishness is something I know well. And even though my mind said to strike at an enemy, my heart screamed to do something to help someone out. Thus I used a power I had held back for myself and instead sent the beam of energy towards Elena, removing her slowed state. Soulerio meanwhile rotted away more of tentacled flesh, yet still it stood, and it was becoming more and more evident that all of our attacks were having a reduced effect on our foes than they would a normal monster.
Tentacle backed up a step and fired a ray of magic that left my mind unable to make my body do any sort of actions. Even in this state, my armor was solid and the little monster that came after me simply bounced harmlessly away as it connected with my shoulder plate. The other one however went right for my exposed throat, and there was nothing I would do to stop it. Pellegri sent a devastating psychic suggestive magic into Tentacle and Soulerio finished it off with his rot magic. With Pellegri's last song, it became evident that these things had at least one vulnerability.
With this revelation, Pellegri sent the same song into the mind of a small one, obliterating it in an instant. Elena used an Overwhelming Strike to wound the remaining small one. It retaliated and after hitting the woman, she found herself paralyzed. Both myself and Soulerio struck the thing hard, but it was Pellegri's song that slew it.
All this time, the many hundred of other creatures were flying high above and looking upon the battle as though analyzing all of our actions. And it soon became evident that they had determined the one who was keeping them at bay as four large ones suddenly flew down towards Soulerio.
Elena charged one and hit it hard with her chain, while Soulerio summoned a disembodied but it failed to grasp one of them. Two of the creatures lashed out a full twenty feet with their tentacles and struck Soulerio. The other two, larger Eye versions of the previous small ones, fired to energy rays at the Deadman that nearly sent him back to the grave as he barely stood after the attacks. Pellegri sang to him to heal some of his wounds but it was evident that the man was doomed. She sent another psychic attack at a Tentacle beast and slew it instantly. I took on an Eye one, but the Challenge it felt from me went unheeded as still had its sight upon Soulerio. It looked at Soulerio and it seemed as though Soulerio and the things position switched places several times, before Soulerio stayed where he was, clearly out of breath as though he had just fought a titanic battle.
Another tentacle lashed out at Soulerio, hitting the defenceless man. Nothing I could do seemed to bring the things at me to face. The Eye one facing me accepted the divine wrath of my god for not trying to strike me and instead sent a ray of pain that dropped Soulerio without even a cry of pain. The bubble magic wavered, but Pellegri sang a song to heal some of Soulerio's wounds. Not knowing what happened, but knowing instinctively what to do, he kept his concentration upon the bubble; no enemies would pass while he was alive!
A flurry of attacks by myself and Elena dropped a Tentacle beast as it seemed the most damaging ones. Yet that was not the case as an Eye one again looked upon Soulerio, and this time, as end of the rapid exchange of bodies that took place, it was the Eye one that was in the doorway of the chapel, and the bubble of with Soulerio several meters away.
Needing some sort of weapon to end the fight quickly, I saw the staff that Malcanthet held solidly in her timeless hands and thought it might be a more powerful weapon against these things if she had come out to face them with only that. Thus, used precious seconds to wrench it from my goddess's grasp, gaining a weapon of unknown power, and discouraging looks from my allies as they clearly thought I was stealing it. Soulerio moved himself back to the doorway as the Eye one that had entered was making his way deeper into the chapel. The other Eye one took mighty mock from Pellegri, sending it crashing to the cobble stones.
Now more of the things were flying towards us and we were faced with an impossible decision; fight or flee. Some noble heart was guiding us all that day as we closed the doors on the Chapel, finding ourselves inside its walls. It seemed that we had all silently decided to fight to the end. We prepared ourselves to run after the one that was already in the chapel. The urgency of this was made more evident as a booming voice from outside ordered it and its fellow being to slay the time dragon.
It seemed Malfurion had been under our noses all this time and we had been unaware. If we could save him, then perhaps he could finally give us the answers we sought. But there was one answer I believed I had. I knew who or what this being was who was organizing this attack, and in all likelihood who the dark one was. I looked to my companions and said the only name that made sense...
It was a flawless plan. Or nearly so. These saviours from the Material Plane were not supposed to be so resilient. But they didn't stand a chance. After all, know one could stand up to the Master of Timestop and the Far Realm.
He looked on with admiration at the hundreds of his children around him. They would slay Malfurion, of that there was no doubt. In the same world, in another time, his other self was currently in the process of slaying Sur'Kil. Once their powers were his, his ultimate goal would be complete. For he was not content with his current position. No, he had a much greater crown to seize. He would become the Master of the Past and Present. No one had ever claimed to be such. But he, Verodemocrium Moraztardia, would become the one and only to do so.
There was another group of adventurers as well that were famous. In fact they were perhaps the most famous. These were the Outsiders. A warforged and his obsession with creating magical trinkets. The mummy and his obsession with uniting all religions. And their leader, the half-tielfing whose lust for the Far Realm, created the magic that would summon creatures from said place.
These three were famous for two reasons. The first was their achievement in defeating an evil that was very personal to them and the ones they cared for. Before them, there were so very few adventurers who gained true fame. Yet for such unlikely allies to come together and easily (if the stories are to believed) stop the plane of Carseri from enveloping the Material plane, is a true inspiring tale; one that would encourage others to oil their scabbards and take up their own personal causes.
The Outsiders are also famous for another reason, though there are none to pen this. For indeed, no one outside my circle of current companions is alive to even do so. I speak of course of the destruction by Vanthas and Demogorgon of my world. The Outsiders were famous and powerful warriors, much more than me and the piddly band I was forced to bring with me to stop the demon lord and his lackey. What could the Outsiders have possibly had to do that was more important than saving the world?
Now they, like the Harbingers, have been conscripted into the mission. It would have been easier if people had stepped up when everything was much easier a task to accomplish. Now it will take a mission outside of time itself, to do something that the Hand of God, the collection of divine powers, and a delayed blast fireball should have been able to take care of with ease. Their inaction however has created a situation of absolute chaos.
Trickery, anarchy, and my divine calling are what I live for these days. It is why I wake up in the morning, for it follows me wherever I walk. And on this morning, that cycle continued in a big way. There is another calling however, one that almost bothers me. This too came knocking upon my conscious, to loud to be ignored. I will not speak in riddles or anything, rather straight to the point; loyalty. Today the bell tolled for champions to fight side by side in the face of certain death, and rather than flee to a comfortable corner, I answered the cry with great fervour. This is how it began...
It was only moments after the defeat of the goblin hexer. Pellegri used her new songs of awakening to heal the wounds of Soulerio and Elena, allowing them to rise to their own two feet. A moment to be thankful for sure as it was our true first test in this new world. We had won. Barely, but we had done so, and as a team. Now discussion turned as to what to do next? In our old world, we would have spoken to the head of the dead goblin for information, yet such powers were beyond our grasp at the moment.
It seemed there was no love whatsoever between Elena at Soulerio. An offer by the latter to neuter the Deadman was turned down. As there was no "Dumber than a grain of sand," reply, I deduced correctly that Soulerio's fear of Elena ran deeper than his hatred of Pellegri. This was quite the disheartening revelation as Malfurion was counted on us all to work together to stop the omega.
On the subject of Malfurion, my trust of him was not very great. It was he who had betrayed my actions to Gustav, thus nearly ruining my whole plan to even get the man and his wench to the Isle of Dread and try to stop all of this mess in the first place.. And although "Dark One" was one of the names of my goddess Malcanthet, in this world, the term might also refer to another being. Malfurion, Demogorgon, Vecna, perhaps even AO? There were many possibilities, but we knew that simply standing around would get us nothing.
Through our discussions, Soulerio suggested something of value, that being that we should leave clues to the other groups of adventurers that would be trying to do what we were doing in this timeline. Soulerio also admitted to something that suddenly became a detriment to our mission. He revealed that he had been telling every god who would listen what their place would be in the next creation. This in itself was likely the cause of the good gods being subjugated by the demons.
At the moment there seemed only one person we could trust, that that being Malcanthet. And so it was to her that we went. We left the wererat above for Elena to slay and then began the walk to the great chapel of the Sisterhood. Along the way, Soulerio donned the flame robes we had found and was quite fond of their fit. I left them to their own research in the library while I myself went to talk to my friend Fharlanghn. Along the way I stopped a most eloquent suit of plate armor in shop window, but sadly my funds were not nearly enough.
As I awoke the next morning, a breakfasted with Fharghy. Our repast was soon interrupted by an event in the sky. At first, it seemed to be an eclipse as a black dot opened up, covered part of the sun. Soon however, more of these dots opened up, and it became evident that these were portals. I asked Fharghy to fly me closer, and as we approached, we noticed creatures swarming out of them. They were like nothing I had ever seen and are all but indescribable. Their flight was directed towards the Sisterhood chapel.
I directed Fharghy to fetch Soulerio and Elena, and the three of us flew to try to save my goddess. Fharghy left us a few feet from the temple and then flew off, not wanting any part in the fight. At the doors were Malcanthet, Shami, and Nephilim, along with a host of priestesses, including Pellegri. They readied their crossbows and fired at the influx of eyes and tentacles bearing down on them.
And then everything stopped.
Only myself and my comrades were unaffected, as well as the hundred of creatures. That left the question as to whether we run or die. Pellegri stood her ground. Elena stayed by her side. Soulerio cast a barrier to prevent anyone from going through the doors, and I stood in front of my goddess to prevent harm upon her.
A small wave attacked us, included three small tentacled ones and two that were all eyes. Elena used an attack called Aspect of Might and obliterated one of the small ones in a one-two hit with her chain. I charged at an eye one, feeling the feelers of a tentacled one failing to reach into my mind. Summoning a Majestic Halo, I smashed the larger one to writhing pieces of flesh. Soulerio separated his mind in two as he concentrated on the impeding bubble, while sending a snaking line of dark energy to rot away the flesh of one the other tentacled ones. It retaliated by sending a cone of slowing fog, encompassing everyone but myself and Pellegri. The fellow priestess of Malcanthet used her magical voice to send a Thunderous Shout through the minds of all our enemies. The remaining tentacled one took a chain strike from Elena, that, though slowed, still did some damage.
Sensing the bubble, one of the small ones charged towards it, but its feeble mind could not penetrate the barrier. Selfishness is something I know well. And even though my mind said to strike at an enemy, my heart screamed to do something to help someone out. Thus I used a power I had held back for myself and instead sent the beam of energy towards Elena, removing her slowed state. Soulerio meanwhile rotted away more of tentacled flesh, yet still it stood, and it was becoming more and more evident that all of our attacks were having a reduced effect on our foes than they would a normal monster.
Tentacle backed up a step and fired a ray of magic that left my mind unable to make my body do any sort of actions. Even in this state, my armor was solid and the little monster that came after me simply bounced harmlessly away as it connected with my shoulder plate. The other one however went right for my exposed throat, and there was nothing I would do to stop it. Pellegri sent a devastating psychic suggestive magic into Tentacle and Soulerio finished it off with his rot magic. With Pellegri's last song, it became evident that these things had at least one vulnerability.
With this revelation, Pellegri sent the same song into the mind of a small one, obliterating it in an instant. Elena used an Overwhelming Strike to wound the remaining small one. It retaliated and after hitting the woman, she found herself paralyzed. Both myself and Soulerio struck the thing hard, but it was Pellegri's song that slew it.
All this time, the many hundred of other creatures were flying high above and looking upon the battle as though analyzing all of our actions. And it soon became evident that they had determined the one who was keeping them at bay as four large ones suddenly flew down towards Soulerio.
Elena charged one and hit it hard with her chain, while Soulerio summoned a disembodied but it failed to grasp one of them. Two of the creatures lashed out a full twenty feet with their tentacles and struck Soulerio. The other two, larger Eye versions of the previous small ones, fired to energy rays at the Deadman that nearly sent him back to the grave as he barely stood after the attacks. Pellegri sang to him to heal some of his wounds but it was evident that the man was doomed. She sent another psychic attack at a Tentacle beast and slew it instantly. I took on an Eye one, but the Challenge it felt from me went unheeded as still had its sight upon Soulerio. It looked at Soulerio and it seemed as though Soulerio and the things position switched places several times, before Soulerio stayed where he was, clearly out of breath as though he had just fought a titanic battle.
Another tentacle lashed out at Soulerio, hitting the defenceless man. Nothing I could do seemed to bring the things at me to face. The Eye one facing me accepted the divine wrath of my god for not trying to strike me and instead sent a ray of pain that dropped Soulerio without even a cry of pain. The bubble magic wavered, but Pellegri sang a song to heal some of Soulerio's wounds. Not knowing what happened, but knowing instinctively what to do, he kept his concentration upon the bubble; no enemies would pass while he was alive!
A flurry of attacks by myself and Elena dropped a Tentacle beast as it seemed the most damaging ones. Yet that was not the case as an Eye one again looked upon Soulerio, and this time, as end of the rapid exchange of bodies that took place, it was the Eye one that was in the doorway of the chapel, and the bubble of with Soulerio several meters away.
Needing some sort of weapon to end the fight quickly, I saw the staff that Malcanthet held solidly in her timeless hands and thought it might be a more powerful weapon against these things if she had come out to face them with only that. Thus, used precious seconds to wrench it from my goddess's grasp, gaining a weapon of unknown power, and discouraging looks from my allies as they clearly thought I was stealing it. Soulerio moved himself back to the doorway as the Eye one that had entered was making his way deeper into the chapel. The other Eye one took mighty mock from Pellegri, sending it crashing to the cobble stones.
Now more of the things were flying towards us and we were faced with an impossible decision; fight or flee. Some noble heart was guiding us all that day as we closed the doors on the Chapel, finding ourselves inside its walls. It seemed that we had all silently decided to fight to the end. We prepared ourselves to run after the one that was already in the chapel. The urgency of this was made more evident as a booming voice from outside ordered it and its fellow being to slay the time dragon.
It seemed Malfurion had been under our noses all this time and we had been unaware. If we could save him, then perhaps he could finally give us the answers we sought. But there was one answer I believed I had. I knew who or what this being was who was organizing this attack, and in all likelihood who the dark one was. I looked to my companions and said the only name that made sense...
It was a flawless plan. Or nearly so. These saviours from the Material Plane were not supposed to be so resilient. But they didn't stand a chance. After all, know one could stand up to the Master of Timestop and the Far Realm.
He looked on with admiration at the hundreds of his children around him. They would slay Malfurion, of that there was no doubt. In the same world, in another time, his other self was currently in the process of slaying Sur'Kil. Once their powers were his, his ultimate goal would be complete. For he was not content with his current position. No, he had a much greater crown to seize. He would become the Master of the Past and Present. No one had ever claimed to be such. But he, Verodemocrium Moraztardia, would become the one and only to do so.
Wednesday, July 21, 2010
Session 02: The Harbingers Reunited
The water within the pool was dark and murky. Purifying it was no easy task, the tangible variables required to perform such a feat were simply non existent in this world. Looked harmless enough though, save the poor smell. Crimson was the first to enter. Moments later, I heard a “clunk” as air bubbles began to surface. Crimson had suck to the bottom, weighed down by her tiny frame and heavy protective gear. Luckily, the dumfounded Wererat was gleefully staring at his small fortune and failed to notice her poor display of athleticism. I dove in and made my way to Crimson. I was able to grab her by the forearm and lifted her several feat, but she would have none of that. She kicked me thus releasing the hold and sunk to the bottom flailing her arms about hopelessly. I looked hard at Crimson and tugged on her shield; she bashed me in the nose in response and continued to struggle. She slowly made progress and eventually made it to the end of the underwater passageway. When I resurfaced near the entrance, Soulerio was smiling, almost chucking. Then he glanced at me and sighed in discontent. I invited him to join us and he reliantly agreed. He too instantly sunk to the bottom. Again, I offered a helping hand, and he too refused it as he took in water. Crimson sure was pig-headed and Soulerio was just being, a pig. I let him squirm at his request and easily made my way to the next chamber.
We found ourselves in another room, a statue of a Wererat to the east and 2 Kobold guards to the north. The guards simply nodded and looked at us curiously, almost as if awaiting our next course of action. Crimson showed them the 2 marks on her hand, they laughed as they revealed their 3 marks. Sadly that did not give us a clue where to go next. I reluctantly approached Soulerio and asked him why Minion had not followed. As much as I’d hated to admit it; I felt his presence would be beneficial to our cause, as it had in the past. Soulerio agreed but didn’t think he’d pass as a good Wererat, not to mention that he’d have to go back in the water. So I offered to go fetch him myself, Soulerio laughed at me and dared me to try. Back in the alleyway, Minion was hiding in the shadows. I signaled him to come with me; he frightfully refused. As an act of good faith, I attempted to unleash my first Resistive Formula. A little trick I had learned from Meerthan, a skill he too had begun to dabble with. Nothing more than a simple protective infusion, stored within my holy symbol, to be used in case of an emergency. As expected, several areas of his armor had suffused together to grant better protection. Minion was impressed, and even more so when I tried to explain to him that he would be granted an ounce of vitality when in dire need. And with a smile, I had successfully charmed the mindless skeleton into following me. We easily bypassed the Wererat and made our way to the others.
Soulerio was somewhat shocked to see his servant on a leash, more so when he noticed that Minion somewhat approved of me. Soulerio was very happy and relived that Minion was by his side; that much was evident. Soulerio tries so hard to belittle me, but for an instant, I could have sworn he expressed gratitude. Minion did take the Kobolds by surprise however, at that moment I had just remembered that Wererats only take the form of humans; a fact the Kobolds looked to be aware of. I attempted to save face with a lousy story. Luckily, Crimson’s “The Wererat’s Fourth Form” story won them over. Still, an exit to this room remained hidden. In an attempt to progress further, I approached the statue with the intention to inspect it. Unfortunately, I failed to notice the shifty looking tile right in front of me. The floor beneath disappeared, sending me into the depths below. I fell nearly 10 feet and landed awkwardly on my right leg. I heard a “snap” and felt a very sharp pain near my ankle. Even louder were all of those above, mocking me. “Stupid Wererat. Fell for the trap” said the Kobolds. Everyone was having fun at my expense. The pain was short as I quickly mended the wound and I attempted to climb out of the pit, but the walls were too sleek. No one felt the urge to extend a helping hand, this made me very cross. I even attempted to command Minion to approach, “Don’t you dare Minion” Soulerio said firmly. I spent nearly 2 minutes struggling within the pit before escaping.
Just as I made my way out, Crimson bumped into one of the Kobolds, insisting that he help me. The Kobold was annoyed by this, but before he could react, Crimson lunged and pushed him into the pit. She pointed at the other and told him he was next. I for one pointed my wand at him and called him a stupid little Gnome. As expected, he was quite insulted as Kobolds in our world despise them so. Living in Shendilavri all this time has changed me somewhat; I’ve been labeled “A Tease” by some. In retaliation, the runt ignited a stone in flame but felt somewhat compelled to attack Crimson. Sadly, Crimson walked into the inaccurate ranged attack and caught fire. Meanwhile, the other Kobold escaped his prison with ease only to breath in Soulerio’s vile dark cloud. The life essence of both foes were drained away and absorbed into Crimson. Once the vapors faded, Minion was standing before me wailing at the Kobold who had left the pit and Crimson’s ball and chain descended hard upon her chosen foe. I then let out a thunderous shout, “FALL” I yelled. The Kobolds blocked their ears and were pushed back by shear force. My plan somewhat failed as the one near the pit managed to avoid falling back into the trap. In retaliation, one called out for help after missing his mark with a rock. Suddenly, 2 Fire Beetles came into existence near the southern wall. Soulerio sent forth more of his vapors, only this time, one beetle erupted in acidic like boils. Minion slammed and disabled one of the Kobolds and took position between me and the Beetles. All of a sudden, the beetles spewed jets of flame all about the room. Both Crimson and I developed significant burns as Minion dodged aside. Soulerio was fortunate enough to be out of harms way. Again, I heard him chuckle “Yes. Very good Minion” he said. Crimson then rushed passed me to face the second beetle as she was successful at disabling the final Kobold and dousing the lingering flames. I backed off to the northern wall and fooled one of the beetle into thinking Soulerio had attacked it. Its eyes fixated on Soulerio, but had no way to reach him. Both Crimson and Minion made their mark as Soulerio sent forth a ray a vile energy at the Beetle staring at him, shriveling it to nothing. The other spewed more flames burning both Crimson and Minion, both dropped to one knee and began to buckle. Minion called upon the vitality I had promised and he was not disappointed, Soulerio was puzzled by this. The two warriors retaliated and failed to drop their foe. I closed my eyes and pointed my Darkwood wand in Crimsons direction and sent forth a verse from a mysterious melody. The soft and soothing music closed some of her wounds. I commanded the Beetle to crawl back to the rock he came from, unfortunately, he though my pun was lame. Soulerio unleashed his rotting ray and made the beetle disappear. Crimson was most impressed with Soulerio’s dark magics, at that moment, he turned to face me with a sinister smile, “Leave no evidence, that’s my motto” he said.
Clearly I’ve been reading books much too often as of late. One day I’m thwarting Worm Gods, the next I’m struggling against Kobolds and their vermin. I suppose it is only normal as I am but an arcane apprentice now. Battered, burned and bruised, I took a few moments to compose myself. Boasting that he had not taken any damage at all, Soulerio took charge in learning the mechanical properties of the trap in hopes to reactivate it. Crimson meanwhile, gathered supplied in the form of gold coins and a healing potion. After several minutes, Soulerio came to the conclusion that a missing component had prevented him to reset the trap. Crimson was quite adamant in pointing out Soulerio’s lie and insisted he simply admit to his failure. Soulerio was very cross. “You are as dumb as a gain of sand, don’t you EVER speak to me that way again” he said. Charming isn’t he, typical Soulerio. In an attempt to calm the storm of words, I closed my eyes and began to hum “that” melody. The mysterious rhyme without words still haunts me to this day; yet, I find it, very soothing. Not to mention the song was a key component to my arcane thesis. The melody mended our wounds quickly, even those inflicted upon Minion, Soulerio was somewhat perplexed.
After our short rest, I finally got my chance to inspect the statue. My search revealed a lever. Pulling it, the statue shifted to the north exposing a doorway and a pathway. It lead to a pair of Fire Beetles feasting upon some unknown remains. At first, they looked dedicated to their meal, but quickly reacted to Crimson as she passed by. After taking a bite, Crimson retaliated with a Fearsome Strike. Soulerio stood next to me and infected a Beetle with necrotic cysts before commanding Minion to engage. The Beetles spewed flames in our direction. Even while off guard, I managed to avoid their breath. Soulerio and Minion on the other hand, were on the verge of collapsing. “Hea…l me… wen…ch” said Soulerio desperately. And he had been doing so well calling me by name as of late, but I’ve grown an immunity to his foul mouth. Needless to say, both he and I know full well that I would never refuse such a request. I granted him a verse of my song and eased some of his burns without hesitation. Crimson meanwhile began reminding me of Elena, only more in control and more graceful. She descended her flail upon a Beetle, killing it and challenged the other to face her. Minion knocked the other to the ground leaving an opening for Soulerio to make the kill with his vile beam. Again we took some time to compose ourselves but our wounds began to linger.
The passageway lead south to a door. Singing coming from several creatures could be heard beyond, a song of sacrifices. Crimson suggested that we fool them into thinking that the hideout had been breached and that one (me) was defacing the statue. Soulerio and Minion would be nearby to aid me against the masses whilst Crimson attacks from behind. The plan was sound; it would give us at the very least the element of surprise. A better plan than simply wandering into the unknown. I positioned my self next to the statue and the pit trap, Soulerio was to my right and Minion had stationed himself in the pool. I prepared my self to unleash a thunderous shout whilst Soulerio prepared to fill the room with his necrotic fumes. Crimson opened the door and set the plan in motion. I heard her mention that only a few should investigate, but the Kobolds had other plans. One by one, in single file, all 12 of them made their way towards us. I allowed 4 of them to enter before reacting, “DEFILERS” I shouted. 3 of them were pushed back and fell unconscious leaving room for the others to approach. Soulerio on the other hand waited for them to reach me before acting. All of a sudden, a vile cloud had materialized before me. I ingested some of the fumes and began to choke. Oozing boils began to manifest upon the Kobold’s bodies as they fell unconscious, save for one. Luckily, my body was able to fight off the affliction. I looked at Soulerio sternly, he replied with a smirk “Now that wasn’t so bad, was it?” he said. The remaining Kobolds threw their javelins in my direction. I closed by eyes and turned away only to hear the sound of metal hitting the wall behind me. They fell quickly thereafter and failed to injure us. Crimson entered the room and proclaimed the coast was clear. Aside from a dozen javelins, we found several gold coins scattered about. Upon entering the passageway, blocking our path was a dead Stormclaw Scorpion, one who has suffered severe blunt trauma. Another wound looked self inflicted. Crimson bypassed it proudly and denied being struck by its electrically charged stinger. Soulerio was at a loss for words, he insisted that I misinterpreted the vermin’s abilities, yet he refused to correct my analysis.
The passageway led to a large chamber with 2 exits. One to the west and one to the south. The door to the west was locked and silent whilst the one to the south reeked of death. Crimson approached the one to the west as Soulerio insisted that we not waste our time with the one to the south. She knocked on the door and a voice instructed her to exercise patience and to go away. Another voice whispered in the back ground. Crimson offered them 50 gold to let us through, but these folk were determined to follow their orders. Apparently a Goblin cleric, under orders of “The Dark One”, was in the final stages of preparations and required a mere 15 minutes before opening the doors. Crimson then stated the obvious, linking “The Dark One” to Malcanthet. This made her very cross. What she had forgotten though is that Malcanthet goes under that Alias in our world; thus it would be premature to assume she’d be the one responsible here. I do plan on researching everyone’s role and title in a typical cycle later. That is, if I manage to get us out of this mess. In the meantime, I’ll just point the finger at Lashona, for all its worth. I fail to see how anyone else could have expected our arrival in Ptolus. Crimson questioned the Wererat above and gathered more intelligence. She was able to confirm that 4 Wererats, several dire rats, a Goblin and his Zombies would be all that stand in our way. We were led to believe that 2 Wererats awaited us beyond the door. Both Crimson and Soulerio formulated another plan, fooling them into believing that the Goblin’s spare Zombies in the southern room had escaped. I preferred the direct approach as I failed to see why they’d want to help fight off Zombies if they’ve refused gold. I was out voted 2 to 1, fair enough.
As expected, the Wererats insisted that we deal with our imaginary Zombies. To help with the ploy, I had everyone storm the door; unfortunately we lacked the strength to do so. Soulerio’s refusal to help made things a little more complicated. The Door splintered open on the fifth try revealing two large Wererats wielding Short Swords. Crimson pointed to Minion, “ZOMBIE” she said. Both Wererats lunged at and dropped Minion, freeing him of Soulerio’s servitude. Normally, I’d be happy for Minion, but not this time. Sadly, our foes had a good sense of smell and decreed that lilac, exotic fragrances and musty man smell were far too outlandish for their tastes. Crimson pointed and charged one of the Wererats and left quite the mark upon its torso. Suddenly a skeletal hand emerged from the ground near the same foe and began clawing at its leg. Meanwhile, the other Wererat positioned itself to flank crimson, both lunged and pierced vital organs; Crimson was in trouble. After closing some of her wounds, I told Soulerio to back away and fooled a Wererats into thinking he had been struck by the Professor. “I cannot believe you fell for his ruse” I teased. This irritated the Wererat. With new vigor, Crimson landed another blow upon her foe and felt rejuvenated as she absorbed some of its lifeforce thanks to Soulerio. Unable to get to Soulerio, the enraged Wererat charged me instead and landed a vicious bite upon my shoulder. The other missed its mark as he no longer had his friend’s aid. I failed to stab my attacker and safely moved aside whilst cradling my wound. I then heard a “thud”, and noticed that Crimson had positioned her self behind my attacker, her flail bloodied. Again, a skeletal claw emerged from the ground and began to abuse the lone Wererat. He attempted to chase after Soulerio, but was hindered considerably by the hand from the grave. Both Crimson and I took an opportunity to strike the foolhardy lycanthrope and failed to take advantage. Luckily, he barely moved at all, but opted to take on the form of a Dire Rat. Soulerio had retreated to the northern door, so I took position between he and the rat. “Couldn’t you have shifted into something a little more, say…, significant?”, I teased. He was furious; he turned to face me, showing all 36 teeth, coated with filth. The distraction served me well as Crimson charged and crushed the rat’s right hind leg and Soulerio struck the left leg with a rotting ray. The rat felt compelled to strike Crimson and failed to even reach, snapping his teeth aimlessly. “I’m sure a Kobold with no legs could have done better”, I mocked. The rat clenched his head in pain and fell unconscious. We quickly gathered a pair of Moonstones, an empty potion vile, as Crimson emptied its contents, and a set of keys. With little time to loose, we pressed on with our aches and pains.
We arrived at a set of locked double doors. The others contemplated upon what to do next, but I had little interest in the debate and opened the door using one of the keys. The scene was dire indeed. The chapel-like chamber was infested with 3 Dire Rats, a pair of Wererats, one wielding a Flaming Short Sword, and 2 Zombies flanking a Goblin in crimson robes, the later looming over Elana’s motionless body. Reacting quickly, I tested a Dire Rat’s mettle; fooling it into believing Soulerio had taunted it, sadly, it had little effect. Suddenly, the entire eastern portion of the room had been engulfed in obscuring mist, concealing most of our foes actions. The Wererats took a defensive position, blocking our paths. The room became even more inaccessible when a wall of hungry zombies came into existence. Soulerio was very proud, “Yes…, RISE…” he proclaimed. Crimson approached the lesser of the two Wererat’s and unleashed a Fearsome Smite and watched him quiver. Just before the Dire Rats filled in the gaps, Soulerio’s wall of death lashed out at any in reach. I unleashed a thunderous shout and pushed our foes back within the wall’s reach whilst Crimson backed away. All of a sudden, Crimson gasped, she had been commanded not to move or suffer the consequences. Soulerio meanwhile, targeted the Wererat with his ray; unfortunately, he accidentally struck one of his Zombie minions. His wall continued to feast upon our foes. Crimson charged the Wererat as she cried out in pain. Her sacrifice would not be in vain as she delivered a near fatal blow to her adversary. The rats moved away from the wall and attacked Crimson, yet the armor had repelled the vermin. I then resumed my assault upon the one Dire Rat from before, convincing him that he had been mugged by another. Suddenly, my eyes began to burn, so I closed them. The pain intensified as I staggered backwards. Opening my eye revealed nothing but darkness. Unaware of my surroundings, I continued to fall back, trembling, desperate to find a wall to lean upon. Amongst the sound of steel, spellfire and war cries, I heard both Soulerio and Crimson cry out in pain several times. I signaled a retreat but no one responded.
I didn’t want it to end here and now. There was too much at stake, so many questions unanswered. I wanted to see my friends, my home and those whom I’ve lost most of all. Seconds seemed like minutes, the sounds around me faded away. I began reminiscing past events, the good, and the bad. From times spent with my family and friends in Elmshire; the death of my parents; my upbringing within the Pelorian church; the departure of my fiends my transfer to Diamond Lake, the Age of Worms and Shendilavri; times spent with Elena and the corruption that sealed her fate; Soulerio… Suddenly the visions stopped and everything went silent, but only for a moment. Someone began humming “that” melody, it was my voice. Midway, another voice joined; that of a young girl. She sounded a lot like me back in the day. We finished the melody in perfect harmony.
“Again mommy…” the young girl whispered.
My vision returned to me, I gasped for air as if I had been underwater several minutes. What had just happened? I was back at the chapel’s entrance. Several rats have already been disabled. Crimson was to my left fending off the Wererat wielding the flaming sword, she had just finished consuming a much needed potion, her wounds were grave and was suffering from lingering flames. A quick glance towards Soulerio revealed a broken man rubbing away at his eyes. Without much though, I stabbed the flame wielder, moved towards Soulerio, shared a verse with Crimson to close a few wounds and unleashed a Stirring Shout, disorientating the lone Wererat. Crimson felt the need to remain still once again just as a vile ray flew past and turned the Wererat’s shoulder into spoiled meat. Soulerio was rewarded as a small wound had closed after the attack. The Zombie wall had shifted somewhat and reached out, failing to scavenge any food, yet they managed to separate us from the Wererat. Crimson stood her ground as I decided to go after Elena. The mist provided me with all the cover I needed. I established a hold and began dragging her toward the entrance. By the time I had reached Crimson, she had fallen to the lingering flames. I quickly administered a potion and Crimson’s fluttered open, I then left the room with Elena. The Goblin gave chase and caught up with me avoiding danger. Soulerio managed to pull Crimson out of the room and closed the door. He quickly picked up the keys I had conveniently left on the floor and locked the Wererat within. Crimson got up and dealt a crippling first blow to the Goblin. Given the current circumstances, fooling the Goblin into thinking that Soulerio had wronged him was mathematically sound. My attempt was successful after I had released my hold on Elena. I then moved to block his path. He pointed at Soulerio’s eyes, giving Crimson and I an opportunity to make him pay, but we were too fatigued, too wounded, our weapons failed us. “My eyes” shouted Soulerio. He retaliated sending a wild ray into the nearby wall and stumbled closer towards the Goblin. To make matter worse, the Wererat busted though the doors. Crimson followed up with solid hit upon the Hexor whilst I swung wide and missed the Wererat. The Goblin managed to cloud Crimson’s vision and struck Soulerio upside the head when an attempt to rot the Wererat failed. Then his crimson robes ignited in flame momentarily as he unleashed a sinister laugh. The Wererat was exhausted, his Short Sword failed to find flesh, as did Crimson’s Flail, but her sight had returned thereafter. Still able to see, I plunged my dagger into the Wererat and watched it collapse before me. The Goblin opted to club the blinded Soulerio to unconsciousness and feasted his eyes on Elena. Soulerio began bleeding to death as Crimson dealt a near fatal blow to the Goblin. I made my way closer to Elena as I began a series of missed opportunities, from all parties. All on the verge of collapsing, waiving our weapons aimlessly, it was as if we were trapped in an infinite loop. Crimson broke the routine in order to stop Soulerio’s bleeding, and with a final cry, I pierced the Goblin’s skull with my Dagger. I released the Dagger and fell back, shaking, hoping it was all over. I dare not describe the Goblin’s expression at that very moment, but he has very much dead.
We moved everyone to a safer, cleaner environment and took a well earned rest. I was very quiet, I said nothing, Crimson neither. I helped recover our wounds, but was hesitant on who to revive first. I suggested that perhaps, we sleep on it, but Crimson wouldn’t answer. Her mind was clearly somewhere else, as was mine. I’ll give her a few minutes…
“COUGH”…, “COUGH”…, why does my chest hurt…?
We found ourselves in another room, a statue of a Wererat to the east and 2 Kobold guards to the north. The guards simply nodded and looked at us curiously, almost as if awaiting our next course of action. Crimson showed them the 2 marks on her hand, they laughed as they revealed their 3 marks. Sadly that did not give us a clue where to go next. I reluctantly approached Soulerio and asked him why Minion had not followed. As much as I’d hated to admit it; I felt his presence would be beneficial to our cause, as it had in the past. Soulerio agreed but didn’t think he’d pass as a good Wererat, not to mention that he’d have to go back in the water. So I offered to go fetch him myself, Soulerio laughed at me and dared me to try. Back in the alleyway, Minion was hiding in the shadows. I signaled him to come with me; he frightfully refused. As an act of good faith, I attempted to unleash my first Resistive Formula. A little trick I had learned from Meerthan, a skill he too had begun to dabble with. Nothing more than a simple protective infusion, stored within my holy symbol, to be used in case of an emergency. As expected, several areas of his armor had suffused together to grant better protection. Minion was impressed, and even more so when I tried to explain to him that he would be granted an ounce of vitality when in dire need. And with a smile, I had successfully charmed the mindless skeleton into following me. We easily bypassed the Wererat and made our way to the others.
Soulerio was somewhat shocked to see his servant on a leash, more so when he noticed that Minion somewhat approved of me. Soulerio was very happy and relived that Minion was by his side; that much was evident. Soulerio tries so hard to belittle me, but for an instant, I could have sworn he expressed gratitude. Minion did take the Kobolds by surprise however, at that moment I had just remembered that Wererats only take the form of humans; a fact the Kobolds looked to be aware of. I attempted to save face with a lousy story. Luckily, Crimson’s “The Wererat’s Fourth Form” story won them over. Still, an exit to this room remained hidden. In an attempt to progress further, I approached the statue with the intention to inspect it. Unfortunately, I failed to notice the shifty looking tile right in front of me. The floor beneath disappeared, sending me into the depths below. I fell nearly 10 feet and landed awkwardly on my right leg. I heard a “snap” and felt a very sharp pain near my ankle. Even louder were all of those above, mocking me. “Stupid Wererat. Fell for the trap” said the Kobolds. Everyone was having fun at my expense. The pain was short as I quickly mended the wound and I attempted to climb out of the pit, but the walls were too sleek. No one felt the urge to extend a helping hand, this made me very cross. I even attempted to command Minion to approach, “Don’t you dare Minion” Soulerio said firmly. I spent nearly 2 minutes struggling within the pit before escaping.
Just as I made my way out, Crimson bumped into one of the Kobolds, insisting that he help me. The Kobold was annoyed by this, but before he could react, Crimson lunged and pushed him into the pit. She pointed at the other and told him he was next. I for one pointed my wand at him and called him a stupid little Gnome. As expected, he was quite insulted as Kobolds in our world despise them so. Living in Shendilavri all this time has changed me somewhat; I’ve been labeled “A Tease” by some. In retaliation, the runt ignited a stone in flame but felt somewhat compelled to attack Crimson. Sadly, Crimson walked into the inaccurate ranged attack and caught fire. Meanwhile, the other Kobold escaped his prison with ease only to breath in Soulerio’s vile dark cloud. The life essence of both foes were drained away and absorbed into Crimson. Once the vapors faded, Minion was standing before me wailing at the Kobold who had left the pit and Crimson’s ball and chain descended hard upon her chosen foe. I then let out a thunderous shout, “FALL” I yelled. The Kobolds blocked their ears and were pushed back by shear force. My plan somewhat failed as the one near the pit managed to avoid falling back into the trap. In retaliation, one called out for help after missing his mark with a rock. Suddenly, 2 Fire Beetles came into existence near the southern wall. Soulerio sent forth more of his vapors, only this time, one beetle erupted in acidic like boils. Minion slammed and disabled one of the Kobolds and took position between me and the Beetles. All of a sudden, the beetles spewed jets of flame all about the room. Both Crimson and I developed significant burns as Minion dodged aside. Soulerio was fortunate enough to be out of harms way. Again, I heard him chuckle “Yes. Very good Minion” he said. Crimson then rushed passed me to face the second beetle as she was successful at disabling the final Kobold and dousing the lingering flames. I backed off to the northern wall and fooled one of the beetle into thinking Soulerio had attacked it. Its eyes fixated on Soulerio, but had no way to reach him. Both Crimson and Minion made their mark as Soulerio sent forth a ray a vile energy at the Beetle staring at him, shriveling it to nothing. The other spewed more flames burning both Crimson and Minion, both dropped to one knee and began to buckle. Minion called upon the vitality I had promised and he was not disappointed, Soulerio was puzzled by this. The two warriors retaliated and failed to drop their foe. I closed my eyes and pointed my Darkwood wand in Crimsons direction and sent forth a verse from a mysterious melody. The soft and soothing music closed some of her wounds. I commanded the Beetle to crawl back to the rock he came from, unfortunately, he though my pun was lame. Soulerio unleashed his rotting ray and made the beetle disappear. Crimson was most impressed with Soulerio’s dark magics, at that moment, he turned to face me with a sinister smile, “Leave no evidence, that’s my motto” he said.
Clearly I’ve been reading books much too often as of late. One day I’m thwarting Worm Gods, the next I’m struggling against Kobolds and their vermin. I suppose it is only normal as I am but an arcane apprentice now. Battered, burned and bruised, I took a few moments to compose myself. Boasting that he had not taken any damage at all, Soulerio took charge in learning the mechanical properties of the trap in hopes to reactivate it. Crimson meanwhile, gathered supplied in the form of gold coins and a healing potion. After several minutes, Soulerio came to the conclusion that a missing component had prevented him to reset the trap. Crimson was quite adamant in pointing out Soulerio’s lie and insisted he simply admit to his failure. Soulerio was very cross. “You are as dumb as a gain of sand, don’t you EVER speak to me that way again” he said. Charming isn’t he, typical Soulerio. In an attempt to calm the storm of words, I closed my eyes and began to hum “that” melody. The mysterious rhyme without words still haunts me to this day; yet, I find it, very soothing. Not to mention the song was a key component to my arcane thesis. The melody mended our wounds quickly, even those inflicted upon Minion, Soulerio was somewhat perplexed.
After our short rest, I finally got my chance to inspect the statue. My search revealed a lever. Pulling it, the statue shifted to the north exposing a doorway and a pathway. It lead to a pair of Fire Beetles feasting upon some unknown remains. At first, they looked dedicated to their meal, but quickly reacted to Crimson as she passed by. After taking a bite, Crimson retaliated with a Fearsome Strike. Soulerio stood next to me and infected a Beetle with necrotic cysts before commanding Minion to engage. The Beetles spewed flames in our direction. Even while off guard, I managed to avoid their breath. Soulerio and Minion on the other hand, were on the verge of collapsing. “Hea…l me… wen…ch” said Soulerio desperately. And he had been doing so well calling me by name as of late, but I’ve grown an immunity to his foul mouth. Needless to say, both he and I know full well that I would never refuse such a request. I granted him a verse of my song and eased some of his burns without hesitation. Crimson meanwhile began reminding me of Elena, only more in control and more graceful. She descended her flail upon a Beetle, killing it and challenged the other to face her. Minion knocked the other to the ground leaving an opening for Soulerio to make the kill with his vile beam. Again we took some time to compose ourselves but our wounds began to linger.
The passageway lead south to a door. Singing coming from several creatures could be heard beyond, a song of sacrifices. Crimson suggested that we fool them into thinking that the hideout had been breached and that one (me) was defacing the statue. Soulerio and Minion would be nearby to aid me against the masses whilst Crimson attacks from behind. The plan was sound; it would give us at the very least the element of surprise. A better plan than simply wandering into the unknown. I positioned my self next to the statue and the pit trap, Soulerio was to my right and Minion had stationed himself in the pool. I prepared my self to unleash a thunderous shout whilst Soulerio prepared to fill the room with his necrotic fumes. Crimson opened the door and set the plan in motion. I heard her mention that only a few should investigate, but the Kobolds had other plans. One by one, in single file, all 12 of them made their way towards us. I allowed 4 of them to enter before reacting, “DEFILERS” I shouted. 3 of them were pushed back and fell unconscious leaving room for the others to approach. Soulerio on the other hand waited for them to reach me before acting. All of a sudden, a vile cloud had materialized before me. I ingested some of the fumes and began to choke. Oozing boils began to manifest upon the Kobold’s bodies as they fell unconscious, save for one. Luckily, my body was able to fight off the affliction. I looked at Soulerio sternly, he replied with a smirk “Now that wasn’t so bad, was it?” he said. The remaining Kobolds threw their javelins in my direction. I closed by eyes and turned away only to hear the sound of metal hitting the wall behind me. They fell quickly thereafter and failed to injure us. Crimson entered the room and proclaimed the coast was clear. Aside from a dozen javelins, we found several gold coins scattered about. Upon entering the passageway, blocking our path was a dead Stormclaw Scorpion, one who has suffered severe blunt trauma. Another wound looked self inflicted. Crimson bypassed it proudly and denied being struck by its electrically charged stinger. Soulerio was at a loss for words, he insisted that I misinterpreted the vermin’s abilities, yet he refused to correct my analysis.
The passageway led to a large chamber with 2 exits. One to the west and one to the south. The door to the west was locked and silent whilst the one to the south reeked of death. Crimson approached the one to the west as Soulerio insisted that we not waste our time with the one to the south. She knocked on the door and a voice instructed her to exercise patience and to go away. Another voice whispered in the back ground. Crimson offered them 50 gold to let us through, but these folk were determined to follow their orders. Apparently a Goblin cleric, under orders of “The Dark One”, was in the final stages of preparations and required a mere 15 minutes before opening the doors. Crimson then stated the obvious, linking “The Dark One” to Malcanthet. This made her very cross. What she had forgotten though is that Malcanthet goes under that Alias in our world; thus it would be premature to assume she’d be the one responsible here. I do plan on researching everyone’s role and title in a typical cycle later. That is, if I manage to get us out of this mess. In the meantime, I’ll just point the finger at Lashona, for all its worth. I fail to see how anyone else could have expected our arrival in Ptolus. Crimson questioned the Wererat above and gathered more intelligence. She was able to confirm that 4 Wererats, several dire rats, a Goblin and his Zombies would be all that stand in our way. We were led to believe that 2 Wererats awaited us beyond the door. Both Crimson and Soulerio formulated another plan, fooling them into believing that the Goblin’s spare Zombies in the southern room had escaped. I preferred the direct approach as I failed to see why they’d want to help fight off Zombies if they’ve refused gold. I was out voted 2 to 1, fair enough.
As expected, the Wererats insisted that we deal with our imaginary Zombies. To help with the ploy, I had everyone storm the door; unfortunately we lacked the strength to do so. Soulerio’s refusal to help made things a little more complicated. The Door splintered open on the fifth try revealing two large Wererats wielding Short Swords. Crimson pointed to Minion, “ZOMBIE” she said. Both Wererats lunged at and dropped Minion, freeing him of Soulerio’s servitude. Normally, I’d be happy for Minion, but not this time. Sadly, our foes had a good sense of smell and decreed that lilac, exotic fragrances and musty man smell were far too outlandish for their tastes. Crimson pointed and charged one of the Wererats and left quite the mark upon its torso. Suddenly a skeletal hand emerged from the ground near the same foe and began clawing at its leg. Meanwhile, the other Wererat positioned itself to flank crimson, both lunged and pierced vital organs; Crimson was in trouble. After closing some of her wounds, I told Soulerio to back away and fooled a Wererats into thinking he had been struck by the Professor. “I cannot believe you fell for his ruse” I teased. This irritated the Wererat. With new vigor, Crimson landed another blow upon her foe and felt rejuvenated as she absorbed some of its lifeforce thanks to Soulerio. Unable to get to Soulerio, the enraged Wererat charged me instead and landed a vicious bite upon my shoulder. The other missed its mark as he no longer had his friend’s aid. I failed to stab my attacker and safely moved aside whilst cradling my wound. I then heard a “thud”, and noticed that Crimson had positioned her self behind my attacker, her flail bloodied. Again, a skeletal claw emerged from the ground and began to abuse the lone Wererat. He attempted to chase after Soulerio, but was hindered considerably by the hand from the grave. Both Crimson and I took an opportunity to strike the foolhardy lycanthrope and failed to take advantage. Luckily, he barely moved at all, but opted to take on the form of a Dire Rat. Soulerio had retreated to the northern door, so I took position between he and the rat. “Couldn’t you have shifted into something a little more, say…, significant?”, I teased. He was furious; he turned to face me, showing all 36 teeth, coated with filth. The distraction served me well as Crimson charged and crushed the rat’s right hind leg and Soulerio struck the left leg with a rotting ray. The rat felt compelled to strike Crimson and failed to even reach, snapping his teeth aimlessly. “I’m sure a Kobold with no legs could have done better”, I mocked. The rat clenched his head in pain and fell unconscious. We quickly gathered a pair of Moonstones, an empty potion vile, as Crimson emptied its contents, and a set of keys. With little time to loose, we pressed on with our aches and pains.
We arrived at a set of locked double doors. The others contemplated upon what to do next, but I had little interest in the debate and opened the door using one of the keys. The scene was dire indeed. The chapel-like chamber was infested with 3 Dire Rats, a pair of Wererats, one wielding a Flaming Short Sword, and 2 Zombies flanking a Goblin in crimson robes, the later looming over Elana’s motionless body. Reacting quickly, I tested a Dire Rat’s mettle; fooling it into believing Soulerio had taunted it, sadly, it had little effect. Suddenly, the entire eastern portion of the room had been engulfed in obscuring mist, concealing most of our foes actions. The Wererats took a defensive position, blocking our paths. The room became even more inaccessible when a wall of hungry zombies came into existence. Soulerio was very proud, “Yes…, RISE…” he proclaimed. Crimson approached the lesser of the two Wererat’s and unleashed a Fearsome Smite and watched him quiver. Just before the Dire Rats filled in the gaps, Soulerio’s wall of death lashed out at any in reach. I unleashed a thunderous shout and pushed our foes back within the wall’s reach whilst Crimson backed away. All of a sudden, Crimson gasped, she had been commanded not to move or suffer the consequences. Soulerio meanwhile, targeted the Wererat with his ray; unfortunately, he accidentally struck one of his Zombie minions. His wall continued to feast upon our foes. Crimson charged the Wererat as she cried out in pain. Her sacrifice would not be in vain as she delivered a near fatal blow to her adversary. The rats moved away from the wall and attacked Crimson, yet the armor had repelled the vermin. I then resumed my assault upon the one Dire Rat from before, convincing him that he had been mugged by another. Suddenly, my eyes began to burn, so I closed them. The pain intensified as I staggered backwards. Opening my eye revealed nothing but darkness. Unaware of my surroundings, I continued to fall back, trembling, desperate to find a wall to lean upon. Amongst the sound of steel, spellfire and war cries, I heard both Soulerio and Crimson cry out in pain several times. I signaled a retreat but no one responded.
I didn’t want it to end here and now. There was too much at stake, so many questions unanswered. I wanted to see my friends, my home and those whom I’ve lost most of all. Seconds seemed like minutes, the sounds around me faded away. I began reminiscing past events, the good, and the bad. From times spent with my family and friends in Elmshire; the death of my parents; my upbringing within the Pelorian church; the departure of my fiends my transfer to Diamond Lake, the Age of Worms and Shendilavri; times spent with Elena and the corruption that sealed her fate; Soulerio… Suddenly the visions stopped and everything went silent, but only for a moment. Someone began humming “that” melody, it was my voice. Midway, another voice joined; that of a young girl. She sounded a lot like me back in the day. We finished the melody in perfect harmony.
“Again mommy…” the young girl whispered.
My vision returned to me, I gasped for air as if I had been underwater several minutes. What had just happened? I was back at the chapel’s entrance. Several rats have already been disabled. Crimson was to my left fending off the Wererat wielding the flaming sword, she had just finished consuming a much needed potion, her wounds were grave and was suffering from lingering flames. A quick glance towards Soulerio revealed a broken man rubbing away at his eyes. Without much though, I stabbed the flame wielder, moved towards Soulerio, shared a verse with Crimson to close a few wounds and unleashed a Stirring Shout, disorientating the lone Wererat. Crimson felt the need to remain still once again just as a vile ray flew past and turned the Wererat’s shoulder into spoiled meat. Soulerio was rewarded as a small wound had closed after the attack. The Zombie wall had shifted somewhat and reached out, failing to scavenge any food, yet they managed to separate us from the Wererat. Crimson stood her ground as I decided to go after Elena. The mist provided me with all the cover I needed. I established a hold and began dragging her toward the entrance. By the time I had reached Crimson, she had fallen to the lingering flames. I quickly administered a potion and Crimson’s fluttered open, I then left the room with Elena. The Goblin gave chase and caught up with me avoiding danger. Soulerio managed to pull Crimson out of the room and closed the door. He quickly picked up the keys I had conveniently left on the floor and locked the Wererat within. Crimson got up and dealt a crippling first blow to the Goblin. Given the current circumstances, fooling the Goblin into thinking that Soulerio had wronged him was mathematically sound. My attempt was successful after I had released my hold on Elena. I then moved to block his path. He pointed at Soulerio’s eyes, giving Crimson and I an opportunity to make him pay, but we were too fatigued, too wounded, our weapons failed us. “My eyes” shouted Soulerio. He retaliated sending a wild ray into the nearby wall and stumbled closer towards the Goblin. To make matter worse, the Wererat busted though the doors. Crimson followed up with solid hit upon the Hexor whilst I swung wide and missed the Wererat. The Goblin managed to cloud Crimson’s vision and struck Soulerio upside the head when an attempt to rot the Wererat failed. Then his crimson robes ignited in flame momentarily as he unleashed a sinister laugh. The Wererat was exhausted, his Short Sword failed to find flesh, as did Crimson’s Flail, but her sight had returned thereafter. Still able to see, I plunged my dagger into the Wererat and watched it collapse before me. The Goblin opted to club the blinded Soulerio to unconsciousness and feasted his eyes on Elena. Soulerio began bleeding to death as Crimson dealt a near fatal blow to the Goblin. I made my way closer to Elena as I began a series of missed opportunities, from all parties. All on the verge of collapsing, waiving our weapons aimlessly, it was as if we were trapped in an infinite loop. Crimson broke the routine in order to stop Soulerio’s bleeding, and with a final cry, I pierced the Goblin’s skull with my Dagger. I released the Dagger and fell back, shaking, hoping it was all over. I dare not describe the Goblin’s expression at that very moment, but he has very much dead.
We moved everyone to a safer, cleaner environment and took a well earned rest. I was very quiet, I said nothing, Crimson neither. I helped recover our wounds, but was hesitant on who to revive first. I suggested that perhaps, we sleep on it, but Crimson wouldn’t answer. Her mind was clearly somewhere else, as was mine. I’ll give her a few minutes…
“COUGH”…, “COUGH”…, why does my chest hurt…?
Session 01: Home to the Past, Present & Future
The only fortunate thing that has happened in these past few days thus far was my good fortune in finding this ragged journal and quill during my travel to the Onyx Spider. Being able to jot down my thoughts and sort out the mess that I find myself in is somewhat comforting in this very dark moment.
This entire ordeal happened whilst I was unconscious no thanks to Pellegri and her associates. While in this comatose state did the world that I once knew fall apart and in mere moments to be utterly destroyed. Luckily for me I was saved by a mysterious being known as Malfurion. He instructed my ruthless captors that in order to save the world they held so dear I was required as I held a pivotal role in the events to come. My captors graciously entered a portal constructed by this being that allowed transportation to the only known sanctuary whilst my limp body was tossed into the same vortex without care. Geared and awake my captors most likely laughed at my misfortune as they journeyed to the other side knowing full well that without any of my personal possessions I could not fight them back and thus be slaved to whatever they commanded. From what I've gathered Malfurion too was to travel through the portal but apparently an old enemy, Lashona intervened and began combating Malfurion. I can only assume that she wanted to survive as well and wanted revenge on those who previously thwarted her past plans and entered the portal as well. In the end she might be more of an ally than an enemy.
I had finally awoken. I was cold and found myself in a dark damp place. I didn't help that I was wearing just rags, though it was better than being stark naked. I was thankful that I did accept the clothing from Pellegri. I soon realized that I had been buried alive. I was inside a grave though the dirt was not yet thrown inside my final resting place. I knew my former comrades had probably orchestrated this whole ordeal and were just out of sight waiting for me to beg for my life. I yelled out that wenches name as loud as I could refusing to give in, however it wasn't her soft beautiful voice that answered but those of unknown assailants. Three beings peered over and I could do nothing but ask for assistance. Thanking them and responding to their questions, did I find myself once again in trouble. The mere fact that I was a professor in the dark arts intrigued the leader of the three, a Gnome who also happened to dabble in some form of dark arts. He proposed a dual of the dark arts where he would summon forth some form of minion who would combat a minion that I would create. My survival depended upon me winning this battle that was to be unfair from the get go as he summoned forth three minions with a magical incantation that I had never seen or heard of before. I certainly was impressed and couldn't let the opportunity to learn more of this incantation elude me, that and my life was in peril. Though I did not recognize the night sky or the city I was within I was quite certain that I was able to bring forth Minion from his slumber within my teaching room. In seconds did his skeletal form materialize and I noticed that the Gnome too for whatever reason was also intrigued with my special incantation. Worse case scenario should I loose I might have found myself some form of bargaining chip. The battle began minions v.s Minion. Unfortunately Minion hadn't been in any battles recently and his combat skills seemed quite lacking. Within seconds I was already looking for a possible escape route while commanding my undead servant to strike its targets rather than the bugs flying around him. Eventually Minion destroys one of the mobs but not before taking some serious injuries of his own. I tried to get in the way somewhat of the combat but the Gnome obviously did not take kindly to my move and instructed one of his remaining minions to strike at me. Luckily it missed but I soon realized that I had to intervene with magic or else Minion would fail. I had several Inflict Wounds spells still memorized from when last I held my arcane book and decided to cast that upon my servant. What happened next took me by surprise as much as did it the Gnome. Rather than focusing the dark energies into Minions, the dark energies came from the two attacking minions destroying them and revitalized Minion. I stood there flabbergasted for a few seconds before regaining my composure and confronting the Gnome. We both clearly had interest in each others powers and we began discussing the possibility of sharing some incantations. He handed me a card and instructed me to visit the "Onyx Spider" where he and some friends usually hung out. Within those walls would we further discuss our magics. Before departing I asked for his name so that I could call him by it; he responded with Garl Glittergold. At the time I was still confused and began laughing somewhat at his response. I don't know why I apologized but I questioned why his parents would name him after a God. Only now do I regret saying such a thing as it turns out that he wasn't a 'God' just yet. Further parley revealed that known associates of Glittergold in my world were in fact the same associates in this world. With the brief talk of the Gods of my world, Garl soon believed me to be a prophet telling him the future to come. He knew then that certain plans he and his comrades were plotting would in fact become a reality... one of these known associates of course was Vecna. If it is true and there is no way to change causality, then perhaps it was always meant for me to travel to this plane and speak to Garl. Perhaps the words I told him removed any doubt from him and his friends to rid the future world of their parent’s presence?! After all I was no longer on the Material plane but in the Realm of the Gods.
Pellegri had apparently found herself alone in a dark ally way. She was alone and scared just like the first day I met her at that rat hole temple of St. Cuthbert. How I miss the young girl I once knew before she was corrupted by the ways of Pelor. It was only fitting I suppose that she should be confronted by three assailants in the ally one of whom was named Cuthbert. Retribution can be a funny thing. I'm certain the Cuthbert of this Time and Realm also saw what I had seen in Pellegri and he attempted to comfort and help her find her way. He introduced his friends Hextor and Heironeous and assured her of their good intentions. They had agreed to escort her to a local inn where she would be safe. Cuthbert clearly had other evil intentions in his mind and Pellegri felt this dark desire from the man. This made Pellegri very uncomfortable and she attempted to flee the scene for her own safety. Cuthbert again stood before her blocking her path and tried very hard to calm Pellegri down. Grasping her firmly by the wrist had probably heightened the fear in her and she lashed out causing him to loose his balance for a second. This gave her the second she needed to run away as he attempted to strike her down but missed. Not knowing where she was she ran as fast as she could and began heading towards the only light source around. Hearing heavy footsteps not far behind her heart must have been racing. Stumbling into a stranger’s arms this man clearly saw how scared Pellegri was and offered his assistance. Looking back could make out her three assailants standing at a distance cursing and swearing at their misfortune. Looking up at her savior she knew the man to be Pelor, the lying bastard who caused us both so much pain. She accepted his offer of help but refused the healing he offered. Pelor then began leading her to his mother temple where the 'sisterhood' would protect her and keep her safe for the night.
I do not yet know the circumstances of Elena's arrival; however another of Malcanthet's servants Crimson had also appeared in this vast city via the portal. She had been unconscious only to be awakened by someone tripping over her. She too found herself in a dark alleyway and stood up just as the stranger began to speak. She begged Crimson to hide as someone was after her to kill her. Sylvana was looking around frantically for a place to hide and being the noble person that she was, Crimson offered her protection from whomever was in search of her. Had this stranger had known the lies that Crimson spewed forth from her mouth, she would have continued running down the ally keeping her distance and find somewhere else to hide. Instead the gullible little wench took some form of comfort in her words, trusted Crimson and hide behind some nearby barrels with the hopes of living another day. Soon another stranger entered the ally way cautiously smelling the air, tracking the scent of Sylvana's perfume. Finding Crimson in the middle of the ally all alone he questioned her on the whereabouts of the one he sought. A reward would be given should any leads lead to be capture. Always getting both sides of a story before making her final choice he found out that 'Fharlangn' worked for the city and it was the city that was in search for this criminal. Though Fharlangn himself didn't seem so on the up and up, but power of bribery swayed Crimson to reveal the wenches hiding spot. Pleased, Fharlangn took justice into his own hands before continuing his conversation with Crimson. Besides the reward she would receive she did ask if he could help located her missing companions and if he knew the location of Malcanthet. Fharlangn quested why she sought Malcanthet whom was leader of the Sisterhood and of course weaving another lie Crimson replied that she wanted to 'join' them. Obviously he saw some sort of potential in Crimson as a possible spy within the Sisterhood and he too instructed her to visit the Onyx Spider where she would wait for answers and her reward.
It was on the way to the Onyx Spider that I bumped into Crimson who helped me piece together the missing moments of time during my unconscious state and reaffirm my suspicions of where I found myself. I know not to trust Crimson and to keep a close eye on her but we did find ourselves at the same inn and as predicted she attempted to share a bed with me. I do not care what she may think of me but I share no bed with anyone and were separated for the night. As daybreak fell we gathered a map which would lead us towards the temple of Malcanthet were we hoped to gain further answers to questions we both had and to possibly locate the Pelorian and Elena. Though I insisted we did not need to find my old comrades as I utterly despise them, at the moment they were they only two I could... trust. On the way to the temple I toyed with the idea of causality. What would happen if either Parlor and / or Vecna should die her and now? Would it change the future I knew or would I forever be outside the time bubble and only I would know the change? Could Vecna be replaced? Or perhaps could Vecna be informed of Kaaz' future betrayal causing him to loose his Eye and Hand? Clearly such information was great power and would allow Vecna to be so much more? Would I want Vecna to be so much more? That bastard after all helped in my death! So many questions, so much potential and so much uncertainty. Even I don't have the answers.
We found ourselves before the gates to the temple only to find out that only women and eunuchs could enter the establishment. Before I could speak Crimson had already assured the guards that I was a eunuch. She spits out lies before I can even calculate the simplest of formulas. Dissecting and studying her brain would be make for an interesting project. Inside we are met by a kind little girl who would escort us. My attempt at being kind to the lil one I believe made Crimson think I was interested in very young girls. Perhaps that is to my advantage as it might keep that lying tongue away from parts of my body. Eventually we reunited with Pellegri who was already on her way to see her Priestess as well. I did try to be as cold as possible to the wench but I am uncertain whether or not my attempt failed. As we stood before the High Priestess we gave forth a lot of information of who were and where we had once came from, without giving away any crucial events that might jeopardize future events. Little do my companions know, I have already done so. This vast town is run by three individuals, Grazt, Demogorgan and Malcanthet herself though it is Demogorgan who holds the most power and influence. We ask access to the library so that we may study and research our purpose in the realm as Malfurion had yet to make any appearance. With all the information we gave Malcanthet she granted us access and I stayed behind to begin the large task ahead of us. Meanwhile Pellegri went off towards the Order of the Fist after gathering information that a newcomer with green hair was spotted near that location. Adimarchus the Lord of the Order had not seen the green haired girl Pellegri sough and instructed her to speak to his children. Pointing towards three familiar faces, she approached Cuthbert and his companions. Crimson too went off in search of answers and revisited the Onyx Spider where she was introduced to more 'associates'. Wee-Jas, Garl, Obad-Hai, Boccob, Vecna, Kord and Olidammara were all sitting at a table whispering and plotting and having a good time.
In the end whilst I studied and read both Pellegri and Crimson returned with news on where Elena might be. However the journey might be somewhat dangerous and they felt safer if I journeyed with them. I reluctantly agreed though I do not recall why. We headed out and stood before what we believed to be the entrance to the ratmen's lair where we believed Elena was held, soon to be sacrificed. We knew the ratmen could disguise themselves as humanoid and we identified one. Crimson once more with her skill in wording managed to speak and persuade the ratman into giving us quite a lot of information, where we used it to gain entrance to the lair. It was damp and dark as we made our way inwards. Soon we appeared before another ratman would was I would assume in charge of sacrificial seating. Crimson managed to swindle the stupid creature into giving us 2nd row seats. Worse case scenario... I had a good seat to watch Elena die.
This entire ordeal happened whilst I was unconscious no thanks to Pellegri and her associates. While in this comatose state did the world that I once knew fall apart and in mere moments to be utterly destroyed. Luckily for me I was saved by a mysterious being known as Malfurion. He instructed my ruthless captors that in order to save the world they held so dear I was required as I held a pivotal role in the events to come. My captors graciously entered a portal constructed by this being that allowed transportation to the only known sanctuary whilst my limp body was tossed into the same vortex without care. Geared and awake my captors most likely laughed at my misfortune as they journeyed to the other side knowing full well that without any of my personal possessions I could not fight them back and thus be slaved to whatever they commanded. From what I've gathered Malfurion too was to travel through the portal but apparently an old enemy, Lashona intervened and began combating Malfurion. I can only assume that she wanted to survive as well and wanted revenge on those who previously thwarted her past plans and entered the portal as well. In the end she might be more of an ally than an enemy.
I had finally awoken. I was cold and found myself in a dark damp place. I didn't help that I was wearing just rags, though it was better than being stark naked. I was thankful that I did accept the clothing from Pellegri. I soon realized that I had been buried alive. I was inside a grave though the dirt was not yet thrown inside my final resting place. I knew my former comrades had probably orchestrated this whole ordeal and were just out of sight waiting for me to beg for my life. I yelled out that wenches name as loud as I could refusing to give in, however it wasn't her soft beautiful voice that answered but those of unknown assailants. Three beings peered over and I could do nothing but ask for assistance. Thanking them and responding to their questions, did I find myself once again in trouble. The mere fact that I was a professor in the dark arts intrigued the leader of the three, a Gnome who also happened to dabble in some form of dark arts. He proposed a dual of the dark arts where he would summon forth some form of minion who would combat a minion that I would create. My survival depended upon me winning this battle that was to be unfair from the get go as he summoned forth three minions with a magical incantation that I had never seen or heard of before. I certainly was impressed and couldn't let the opportunity to learn more of this incantation elude me, that and my life was in peril. Though I did not recognize the night sky or the city I was within I was quite certain that I was able to bring forth Minion from his slumber within my teaching room. In seconds did his skeletal form materialize and I noticed that the Gnome too for whatever reason was also intrigued with my special incantation. Worse case scenario should I loose I might have found myself some form of bargaining chip. The battle began minions v.s Minion. Unfortunately Minion hadn't been in any battles recently and his combat skills seemed quite lacking. Within seconds I was already looking for a possible escape route while commanding my undead servant to strike its targets rather than the bugs flying around him. Eventually Minion destroys one of the mobs but not before taking some serious injuries of his own. I tried to get in the way somewhat of the combat but the Gnome obviously did not take kindly to my move and instructed one of his remaining minions to strike at me. Luckily it missed but I soon realized that I had to intervene with magic or else Minion would fail. I had several Inflict Wounds spells still memorized from when last I held my arcane book and decided to cast that upon my servant. What happened next took me by surprise as much as did it the Gnome. Rather than focusing the dark energies into Minions, the dark energies came from the two attacking minions destroying them and revitalized Minion. I stood there flabbergasted for a few seconds before regaining my composure and confronting the Gnome. We both clearly had interest in each others powers and we began discussing the possibility of sharing some incantations. He handed me a card and instructed me to visit the "Onyx Spider" where he and some friends usually hung out. Within those walls would we further discuss our magics. Before departing I asked for his name so that I could call him by it; he responded with Garl Glittergold. At the time I was still confused and began laughing somewhat at his response. I don't know why I apologized but I questioned why his parents would name him after a God. Only now do I regret saying such a thing as it turns out that he wasn't a 'God' just yet. Further parley revealed that known associates of Glittergold in my world were in fact the same associates in this world. With the brief talk of the Gods of my world, Garl soon believed me to be a prophet telling him the future to come. He knew then that certain plans he and his comrades were plotting would in fact become a reality... one of these known associates of course was Vecna. If it is true and there is no way to change causality, then perhaps it was always meant for me to travel to this plane and speak to Garl. Perhaps the words I told him removed any doubt from him and his friends to rid the future world of their parent’s presence?! After all I was no longer on the Material plane but in the Realm of the Gods.
Pellegri had apparently found herself alone in a dark ally way. She was alone and scared just like the first day I met her at that rat hole temple of St. Cuthbert. How I miss the young girl I once knew before she was corrupted by the ways of Pelor. It was only fitting I suppose that she should be confronted by three assailants in the ally one of whom was named Cuthbert. Retribution can be a funny thing. I'm certain the Cuthbert of this Time and Realm also saw what I had seen in Pellegri and he attempted to comfort and help her find her way. He introduced his friends Hextor and Heironeous and assured her of their good intentions. They had agreed to escort her to a local inn where she would be safe. Cuthbert clearly had other evil intentions in his mind and Pellegri felt this dark desire from the man. This made Pellegri very uncomfortable and she attempted to flee the scene for her own safety. Cuthbert again stood before her blocking her path and tried very hard to calm Pellegri down. Grasping her firmly by the wrist had probably heightened the fear in her and she lashed out causing him to loose his balance for a second. This gave her the second she needed to run away as he attempted to strike her down but missed. Not knowing where she was she ran as fast as she could and began heading towards the only light source around. Hearing heavy footsteps not far behind her heart must have been racing. Stumbling into a stranger’s arms this man clearly saw how scared Pellegri was and offered his assistance. Looking back could make out her three assailants standing at a distance cursing and swearing at their misfortune. Looking up at her savior she knew the man to be Pelor, the lying bastard who caused us both so much pain. She accepted his offer of help but refused the healing he offered. Pelor then began leading her to his mother temple where the 'sisterhood' would protect her and keep her safe for the night.
I do not yet know the circumstances of Elena's arrival; however another of Malcanthet's servants Crimson had also appeared in this vast city via the portal. She had been unconscious only to be awakened by someone tripping over her. She too found herself in a dark alleyway and stood up just as the stranger began to speak. She begged Crimson to hide as someone was after her to kill her. Sylvana was looking around frantically for a place to hide and being the noble person that she was, Crimson offered her protection from whomever was in search of her. Had this stranger had known the lies that Crimson spewed forth from her mouth, she would have continued running down the ally keeping her distance and find somewhere else to hide. Instead the gullible little wench took some form of comfort in her words, trusted Crimson and hide behind some nearby barrels with the hopes of living another day. Soon another stranger entered the ally way cautiously smelling the air, tracking the scent of Sylvana's perfume. Finding Crimson in the middle of the ally all alone he questioned her on the whereabouts of the one he sought. A reward would be given should any leads lead to be capture. Always getting both sides of a story before making her final choice he found out that 'Fharlangn' worked for the city and it was the city that was in search for this criminal. Though Fharlangn himself didn't seem so on the up and up, but power of bribery swayed Crimson to reveal the wenches hiding spot. Pleased, Fharlangn took justice into his own hands before continuing his conversation with Crimson. Besides the reward she would receive she did ask if he could help located her missing companions and if he knew the location of Malcanthet. Fharlangn quested why she sought Malcanthet whom was leader of the Sisterhood and of course weaving another lie Crimson replied that she wanted to 'join' them. Obviously he saw some sort of potential in Crimson as a possible spy within the Sisterhood and he too instructed her to visit the Onyx Spider where she would wait for answers and her reward.
It was on the way to the Onyx Spider that I bumped into Crimson who helped me piece together the missing moments of time during my unconscious state and reaffirm my suspicions of where I found myself. I know not to trust Crimson and to keep a close eye on her but we did find ourselves at the same inn and as predicted she attempted to share a bed with me. I do not care what she may think of me but I share no bed with anyone and were separated for the night. As daybreak fell we gathered a map which would lead us towards the temple of Malcanthet were we hoped to gain further answers to questions we both had and to possibly locate the Pelorian and Elena. Though I insisted we did not need to find my old comrades as I utterly despise them, at the moment they were they only two I could... trust. On the way to the temple I toyed with the idea of causality. What would happen if either Parlor and / or Vecna should die her and now? Would it change the future I knew or would I forever be outside the time bubble and only I would know the change? Could Vecna be replaced? Or perhaps could Vecna be informed of Kaaz' future betrayal causing him to loose his Eye and Hand? Clearly such information was great power and would allow Vecna to be so much more? Would I want Vecna to be so much more? That bastard after all helped in my death! So many questions, so much potential and so much uncertainty. Even I don't have the answers.
We found ourselves before the gates to the temple only to find out that only women and eunuchs could enter the establishment. Before I could speak Crimson had already assured the guards that I was a eunuch. She spits out lies before I can even calculate the simplest of formulas. Dissecting and studying her brain would be make for an interesting project. Inside we are met by a kind little girl who would escort us. My attempt at being kind to the lil one I believe made Crimson think I was interested in very young girls. Perhaps that is to my advantage as it might keep that lying tongue away from parts of my body. Eventually we reunited with Pellegri who was already on her way to see her Priestess as well. I did try to be as cold as possible to the wench but I am uncertain whether or not my attempt failed. As we stood before the High Priestess we gave forth a lot of information of who were and where we had once came from, without giving away any crucial events that might jeopardize future events. Little do my companions know, I have already done so. This vast town is run by three individuals, Grazt, Demogorgan and Malcanthet herself though it is Demogorgan who holds the most power and influence. We ask access to the library so that we may study and research our purpose in the realm as Malfurion had yet to make any appearance. With all the information we gave Malcanthet she granted us access and I stayed behind to begin the large task ahead of us. Meanwhile Pellegri went off towards the Order of the Fist after gathering information that a newcomer with green hair was spotted near that location. Adimarchus the Lord of the Order had not seen the green haired girl Pellegri sough and instructed her to speak to his children. Pointing towards three familiar faces, she approached Cuthbert and his companions. Crimson too went off in search of answers and revisited the Onyx Spider where she was introduced to more 'associates'. Wee-Jas, Garl, Obad-Hai, Boccob, Vecna, Kord and Olidammara were all sitting at a table whispering and plotting and having a good time.
In the end whilst I studied and read both Pellegri and Crimson returned with news on where Elena might be. However the journey might be somewhat dangerous and they felt safer if I journeyed with them. I reluctantly agreed though I do not recall why. We headed out and stood before what we believed to be the entrance to the ratmen's lair where we believed Elena was held, soon to be sacrificed. We knew the ratmen could disguise themselves as humanoid and we identified one. Crimson once more with her skill in wording managed to speak and persuade the ratman into giving us quite a lot of information, where we used it to gain entrance to the lair. It was damp and dark as we made our way inwards. Soon we appeared before another ratman would was I would assume in charge of sacrificial seating. Crimson managed to swindle the stupid creature into giving us 2nd row seats. Worse case scenario... I had a good seat to watch Elena die.
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