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.

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.

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.