ltclnlbrain
First Post
Sorry I haven't updated in a while: once more, real life is slowing me down. I promise to have something up for you before the week is through.
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The VOIDRUNNER'S CODEX is coming! Explore new worlds, fight oppressive empires, fend off fearsome aliens, and wield deadly psionics with this comprehensive boxed set expansion for 5E and A5E!
DM Brainiac's Prison of the Firebringer (Updated 12/21/05)
- Thread starter ltclnlbrain
- Start date
ltclnlbrain
First Post
Chapter 24
Autumn came to the Silver Marches as a month passed by. A chill wind blew through the city almost daily now, and the leaves on the trees had turned brilliant hues of red, yellow, and gold. Terenon spent the majority of his time in the laboratory at the wizard's guild with Serrila, working on a unique magical item guaranteed to be the subject of some discussion later on. Jelani worked on some items of his own while Rhys brewed up a few potions that may come in handy later. The priest also checked in on Philosten, who had by now regained his wits and recovered from his ordeal in the prison. He was well on the road to recovery and was able to head back to his home within a few days. Rhys also spendt a lot of time around the Temple of Torm, contemplating his deity's teachings and conducting services every so often.
For his part, Rumar spent a tenday in ritual with his sword Pergium, reflecting upon the battles they had fought together and awakening the celestial spirit within to even greater potential. Once this was completed, he lingered about the lab with Serrila and Terenon, supervising their activities and making sure no funny stuff happened under his watchful eyes. Allanon spent time with Deirdriel perfecting the new spells he had discovered, as well as helping Lisa LaBurton with her wizard training. It went quite well, and by the end of the month, Lisa had mastered all of the basic cantrips as well as a few fledgling dweomers.
Grundar spent the month enjoying the copious amounts of treasure he had acquired. Stories spread through Silverymoon about the elf being seen swimming through enormous piles of coins, though these were written off as merely tall tales.
As the month came to a close, Allanon and Deirdriel invited everybody to the half-elf’s tower to catch up on the past month and to plan for the coming excursion to the Spine of the World. All of the adventurers, including Deirdriel, Serrila, and Lisa, gathered in a large, comfortable seating room. Several magical effects kept the room at a comfortably warm temperature, and numerous unseen servants moved about the room bringing food and drink to the group and tidying up after themselves.
Terenon entered Deirdriel's tower with Serrila on his arm. He sported the new magic item he had been diligently working on the past few tendays: a cloak that looked to be made of leathery mottled red skin. It appeared to be the skin of Bazim-Gorag. It billowed as he walked and stretched to the heels of his feet. A gold and silver chain with two small gold skulls as clasps anchored the cloak to him. He strode in and sat with Serrila next to him. He absentmindedly placed his hand on her knee. Taking some wine offered by one of the invisible servants, he gave his salutations to the others.
“Nice cloak, Terenon,” said Rhys approvingly, looking over the mage’s new duds. “What does it do?”
“That, my friend, you will see very soon,” Terenon replied cryptically. He shared a smile with Serrila, then turned back to the others. “So, what’s are next step, friends? I think the first thing we should do is deal with the beholder mage Orichalxos. That floating ball might cause trouble for us and others down the line if we don't deal with him now. The scepter of the ar-magus is still a powerful magic item, and I'm not sure we can leave it with him. Besides, he still owes us a reward for dealing with the Acolytes. We still haven't collected."
Rumar’s face twisted up in disapproval. "I find it hard to believe that he will simply give us our reward and then send us on our way. If we do choose to go speak with Oriichalxos, we had best plan for a confrontation."
"You guys probably won't be able to just barge into the observatory like you did last time," said Serrila, stroking Terenon's hand. "Orichalxos probably learned his lesson last time, so he will be more prepared to deal with adventurers. I also doubt he has been idle this past month, so he will probably have gathered more guardians and servants to him. You should be careful."
Terenon smiled at Serrila. "I knew there was a reason I'm smitten with you," he said teasingly. "The thing is nothing but head, so assuming it would fortify itself with protective measures would be a safe bet. Still, I can't help but wonder what it needs with the scepter. A vote seems in order. Do we forget about it, and concentrate on the dragon? Or do we deal with the beholder now?"
Lisa LaBurton sat slumped in a chair, looking bored. Several new pouches lined her belt, and a small embroidered satchel rested on her hip. The satchel had an interesting rune on it, basically a stylized lowercase "l" next to a stylized uppercase "B." She let out a small sigh, then wiggles her fingers and muttered a short incantation. Three small glowing red balls appeared in the air over her hands. She moved them through the air in intricate patterns; then, she grabbed one and rolls it back and forth across her knuckles, causing it to emit small tinkling noises.
"It would make the most sense to take out the most immediate threat first," Lisa said idly, her eyes on the floating balls. "On the streets of Baldur's Gate, we learned to deal with local rivals before setting our sights on the other side of town. By looking far away, you blind yourself to your immediate surroundings, and it only takes a small opening for one of those blighters to stab ya in the back or take your marks."
Jelani shrugged. “If we’re presuming that the creature knows something more about the dragon, then we should find out what we can. But otherwise there’s no need to deal with the thing now. Of course, I’d like to get rid of it so I can start paying people to clean up that fort, but sometimes the big things are more important than the little ones. Did anyone get a chance to do some divinations to see if we’d just be wasting our time?”
"Slaying a force of evil like the beholder mage is hardly a waste of time, Jelani," Rumar responded dryly, doing his best to avoid thinking about Terenon’s and Serrila’s activites off to the side of his view. "If the thought of permanently removing Orichalxos from his position of power in this web of vile deeds does not interest you, focus instead on it's treasure or spellbooks or some other pointless folly."
“I’m afraid you missed the point,” the mystic theurge replied, turning to the paladin. “I was trying to give us some options. I’d be happy to see the creature cleared out, but you have to look at the whole picture rather than just one battle if you want to wage an effective war.”
"We're going to confront and likely kill both of these creatures, correct?" Rumar asked rhetorically, leaning forward on his knees. "So why bother to waste time debating the options? I simply fail to see why the order we seek them out would have a large affect on things. If you insist we consider things though, I vote we go after the beholder mage first; I imagine it will simply hide itself if we slay its companion. The dragon, on the other hand, should be less inclined to leave behind its hoard at the first sign of trouble."
"I vote we go after the beholder,” said Grundar, “since we already know he has the staff of the ar-magus. Although the Firebringer is already dead, we should not let an evil creature like that have his time with it. I wonder what else the staff does. Anyway, I'd like to poke the rest of his eyes out. I don't like beholders. They’re freaky."
“I tried scrying on the beholder before I came,” said Terenon. “All I saw were hazy gray clouds. Either the creature resisted my spell, or he has put up defenses against scrying. Either way, we have no way of knowing what he might have waiting for us in the observatory. We should teleport outside in the Vale and make our way from there.”
The discussion was interrupted by a knock on Deirdriel's door. She excused herself as she moved to answer the door. After a minute or two, she returned. Standing beside her was an unexpected visitor and an old friend: none other than Gillian Lightfoot. The halfling lass' face was solemn as she bowed formally before you. "I heard you had a party a while a back. I am thoroughly shocked and disappointed that I was not invited. The manner in which you treat your former allies is appalling to say the least."
The halfling maintained her scowl for a few moments before a smile slowly spread across her features. The smile soon turned to laughter, and she chuckled heartily at the adventurers’ expressions of disbelief. "I had you for a second there," she said, grinning.
“Gillian!” cried Rhys, rushing over to embrace the halfling in a crushing hug.
“Whoa, easy there,” she said uncomfortably, as the priest set her down.
“It’s great to see you, Gill,” said Grundar enthusiastically. “I guess you heard that the Firebringer is dead? Rumar there really laid the smackdown on him at the end. I trust your people are well?”
The halfling resumed a serious expression as she addressed the group at large. “Word recently reached Rivermoot and the other nearby halfling communities of your accomplishments in your battle against the Acolytes. It seems you were able to bring an end to their tyranny, and from what Grundar said, their chaos lord as well. My people are grateful for your assistance, and I am grateful that it did not come to us having to defend our lands from a rampaging slaad lord."
“Have you come to rejoin us?” asked Terenon. “We could realy use your skills and expertise.”
"Unfortunately, no. I have not come to rejoin the party. My job in this area of Faerun is done, and I am soon bound for Calimshan to aid the local halflings there with some problems they have been facing. I wanted to stop by and give my regards before I left, though, for we may not cross paths again. You have done well for yourselves, all of you, and I wish you nothing but the best of luck in all your future endeavors. May Yondalla always smile down upon you."
“We were concerned for you, Gillian,” said Rhys, “and we thank you for your visit. We wish you could stay longer, but you must do what you must do. Torm be with you.”
Gillian smiled again, perhaps wistfully, and bowed low. She then nodded to Deirdriel, who got up and escorted the halfling out.
“Alright,” said Terenon, once everybody was ready. “Let’s go poke out some eyes.”
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
With a flash of light and the now-familiar pulling sensation, the adventurers were transported back to the Selskar Vale. It was a sea of gold and red, as the green leaves that adorned the forest last time they were here were beginning to fall out for the winter. Birds chirped merrily in the trees and several small animals scurried about.
As they began to get their bearings and determine their next move, the sounds of the forest suddenly fell silent. A loud roar attracted their attention to the sky, where they saw something they were not expected.
An enormous red dragon flapped through the air on leathery wings.
And it was heading straight for them.
Autumn came to the Silver Marches as a month passed by. A chill wind blew through the city almost daily now, and the leaves on the trees had turned brilliant hues of red, yellow, and gold. Terenon spent the majority of his time in the laboratory at the wizard's guild with Serrila, working on a unique magical item guaranteed to be the subject of some discussion later on. Jelani worked on some items of his own while Rhys brewed up a few potions that may come in handy later. The priest also checked in on Philosten, who had by now regained his wits and recovered from his ordeal in the prison. He was well on the road to recovery and was able to head back to his home within a few days. Rhys also spendt a lot of time around the Temple of Torm, contemplating his deity's teachings and conducting services every so often.
For his part, Rumar spent a tenday in ritual with his sword Pergium, reflecting upon the battles they had fought together and awakening the celestial spirit within to even greater potential. Once this was completed, he lingered about the lab with Serrila and Terenon, supervising their activities and making sure no funny stuff happened under his watchful eyes. Allanon spent time with Deirdriel perfecting the new spells he had discovered, as well as helping Lisa LaBurton with her wizard training. It went quite well, and by the end of the month, Lisa had mastered all of the basic cantrips as well as a few fledgling dweomers.
Grundar spent the month enjoying the copious amounts of treasure he had acquired. Stories spread through Silverymoon about the elf being seen swimming through enormous piles of coins, though these were written off as merely tall tales.
As the month came to a close, Allanon and Deirdriel invited everybody to the half-elf’s tower to catch up on the past month and to plan for the coming excursion to the Spine of the World. All of the adventurers, including Deirdriel, Serrila, and Lisa, gathered in a large, comfortable seating room. Several magical effects kept the room at a comfortably warm temperature, and numerous unseen servants moved about the room bringing food and drink to the group and tidying up after themselves.
Terenon entered Deirdriel's tower with Serrila on his arm. He sported the new magic item he had been diligently working on the past few tendays: a cloak that looked to be made of leathery mottled red skin. It appeared to be the skin of Bazim-Gorag. It billowed as he walked and stretched to the heels of his feet. A gold and silver chain with two small gold skulls as clasps anchored the cloak to him. He strode in and sat with Serrila next to him. He absentmindedly placed his hand on her knee. Taking some wine offered by one of the invisible servants, he gave his salutations to the others.
“Nice cloak, Terenon,” said Rhys approvingly, looking over the mage’s new duds. “What does it do?”
“That, my friend, you will see very soon,” Terenon replied cryptically. He shared a smile with Serrila, then turned back to the others. “So, what’s are next step, friends? I think the first thing we should do is deal with the beholder mage Orichalxos. That floating ball might cause trouble for us and others down the line if we don't deal with him now. The scepter of the ar-magus is still a powerful magic item, and I'm not sure we can leave it with him. Besides, he still owes us a reward for dealing with the Acolytes. We still haven't collected."
Rumar’s face twisted up in disapproval. "I find it hard to believe that he will simply give us our reward and then send us on our way. If we do choose to go speak with Oriichalxos, we had best plan for a confrontation."
"You guys probably won't be able to just barge into the observatory like you did last time," said Serrila, stroking Terenon's hand. "Orichalxos probably learned his lesson last time, so he will be more prepared to deal with adventurers. I also doubt he has been idle this past month, so he will probably have gathered more guardians and servants to him. You should be careful."
Terenon smiled at Serrila. "I knew there was a reason I'm smitten with you," he said teasingly. "The thing is nothing but head, so assuming it would fortify itself with protective measures would be a safe bet. Still, I can't help but wonder what it needs with the scepter. A vote seems in order. Do we forget about it, and concentrate on the dragon? Or do we deal with the beholder now?"
Lisa LaBurton sat slumped in a chair, looking bored. Several new pouches lined her belt, and a small embroidered satchel rested on her hip. The satchel had an interesting rune on it, basically a stylized lowercase "l" next to a stylized uppercase "B." She let out a small sigh, then wiggles her fingers and muttered a short incantation. Three small glowing red balls appeared in the air over her hands. She moved them through the air in intricate patterns; then, she grabbed one and rolls it back and forth across her knuckles, causing it to emit small tinkling noises.
"It would make the most sense to take out the most immediate threat first," Lisa said idly, her eyes on the floating balls. "On the streets of Baldur's Gate, we learned to deal with local rivals before setting our sights on the other side of town. By looking far away, you blind yourself to your immediate surroundings, and it only takes a small opening for one of those blighters to stab ya in the back or take your marks."
Jelani shrugged. “If we’re presuming that the creature knows something more about the dragon, then we should find out what we can. But otherwise there’s no need to deal with the thing now. Of course, I’d like to get rid of it so I can start paying people to clean up that fort, but sometimes the big things are more important than the little ones. Did anyone get a chance to do some divinations to see if we’d just be wasting our time?”
"Slaying a force of evil like the beholder mage is hardly a waste of time, Jelani," Rumar responded dryly, doing his best to avoid thinking about Terenon’s and Serrila’s activites off to the side of his view. "If the thought of permanently removing Orichalxos from his position of power in this web of vile deeds does not interest you, focus instead on it's treasure or spellbooks or some other pointless folly."
“I’m afraid you missed the point,” the mystic theurge replied, turning to the paladin. “I was trying to give us some options. I’d be happy to see the creature cleared out, but you have to look at the whole picture rather than just one battle if you want to wage an effective war.”
"We're going to confront and likely kill both of these creatures, correct?" Rumar asked rhetorically, leaning forward on his knees. "So why bother to waste time debating the options? I simply fail to see why the order we seek them out would have a large affect on things. If you insist we consider things though, I vote we go after the beholder mage first; I imagine it will simply hide itself if we slay its companion. The dragon, on the other hand, should be less inclined to leave behind its hoard at the first sign of trouble."
"I vote we go after the beholder,” said Grundar, “since we already know he has the staff of the ar-magus. Although the Firebringer is already dead, we should not let an evil creature like that have his time with it. I wonder what else the staff does. Anyway, I'd like to poke the rest of his eyes out. I don't like beholders. They’re freaky."
“I tried scrying on the beholder before I came,” said Terenon. “All I saw were hazy gray clouds. Either the creature resisted my spell, or he has put up defenses against scrying. Either way, we have no way of knowing what he might have waiting for us in the observatory. We should teleport outside in the Vale and make our way from there.”
The discussion was interrupted by a knock on Deirdriel's door. She excused herself as she moved to answer the door. After a minute or two, she returned. Standing beside her was an unexpected visitor and an old friend: none other than Gillian Lightfoot. The halfling lass' face was solemn as she bowed formally before you. "I heard you had a party a while a back. I am thoroughly shocked and disappointed that I was not invited. The manner in which you treat your former allies is appalling to say the least."
The halfling maintained her scowl for a few moments before a smile slowly spread across her features. The smile soon turned to laughter, and she chuckled heartily at the adventurers’ expressions of disbelief. "I had you for a second there," she said, grinning.
“Gillian!” cried Rhys, rushing over to embrace the halfling in a crushing hug.
“Whoa, easy there,” she said uncomfortably, as the priest set her down.
“It’s great to see you, Gill,” said Grundar enthusiastically. “I guess you heard that the Firebringer is dead? Rumar there really laid the smackdown on him at the end. I trust your people are well?”
The halfling resumed a serious expression as she addressed the group at large. “Word recently reached Rivermoot and the other nearby halfling communities of your accomplishments in your battle against the Acolytes. It seems you were able to bring an end to their tyranny, and from what Grundar said, their chaos lord as well. My people are grateful for your assistance, and I am grateful that it did not come to us having to defend our lands from a rampaging slaad lord."
“Have you come to rejoin us?” asked Terenon. “We could realy use your skills and expertise.”
"Unfortunately, no. I have not come to rejoin the party. My job in this area of Faerun is done, and I am soon bound for Calimshan to aid the local halflings there with some problems they have been facing. I wanted to stop by and give my regards before I left, though, for we may not cross paths again. You have done well for yourselves, all of you, and I wish you nothing but the best of luck in all your future endeavors. May Yondalla always smile down upon you."
“We were concerned for you, Gillian,” said Rhys, “and we thank you for your visit. We wish you could stay longer, but you must do what you must do. Torm be with you.”
Gillian smiled again, perhaps wistfully, and bowed low. She then nodded to Deirdriel, who got up and escorted the halfling out.
“Alright,” said Terenon, once everybody was ready. “Let’s go poke out some eyes.”
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
With a flash of light and the now-familiar pulling sensation, the adventurers were transported back to the Selskar Vale. It was a sea of gold and red, as the green leaves that adorned the forest last time they were here were beginning to fall out for the winter. Birds chirped merrily in the trees and several small animals scurried about.
As they began to get their bearings and determine their next move, the sounds of the forest suddenly fell silent. A loud roar attracted their attention to the sky, where they saw something they were not expected.
An enormous red dragon flapped through the air on leathery wings.
And it was heading straight for them.
ltclnlbrain
First Post
Gah, it's so hard to keep the thread on the first page these days! 
I'm working on the next update. Hopefully I'll have it up in the next few days.
I'm working on the next update. Hopefully I'll have it up in the next few days.
ltclnlbrain
First Post
Sorry about the long delay folks...here's an update for you.
Chapter 25
Terenon looked up in wonder. There was little in the world that could measure up to the majestic sight of a dragon in flight. Unfortunately, when the dragon was flying in your direction, it was another matter entirely.
The mage scrambled for the cover of a nearby bush, glad to see that the others were following suit. The dragon flew closer, and Terenon noticed that a humanoid rode on the wyrm’s back. He feared that the patrol had already spotted them. But about a hundred feet away, the rider steered the dragon in a looping circle around back the way it came. Terenon could now make out the rider in greater detail. He was clad in black full plate armor and carried a heavy lance. He had rough yellow skin and russet hair pulled into a pair of topknots. His eyes had a sinister gleam, and his ears were pointed and serrated in back. The dragon wore fine barding of chain.
Completing its turn, the dragon started heading back the way it came. Off in the distance, the group could make out two small red shapes circling around another part of the Vale, before the hill on which sat the Dungeon of the Ruins. It seemed to be where the barracks house was located.
Terenon emerged from the bush, his jaw dropped in amazement. “By all the gods! Chromatic dragons with githyanki riders!”
Grundar frowned thoughtfully, tracking the wyrm with his sharp eyes. “Don’t tell me Acessiwal’s forces have already mobilized.”
“If this is an example of the army the dragon has amassed, Silverymoon, hell, all the Realms are in deep trouble. This does not bode well, not at all," said Terenon. "Rhys, can you divine a way in to the observatory? We cannot stay out here. I doubt we can take on three dragons and their riders, plus there is no telling how many githyanki ground troops there are here."
Rhys flushed profusely as he looked from the dragons to Terenon, shame evident in his eyes. “I’m sorry, Terenon. I thought about praying for Torm to grant me such a spell, but in the end I did not. I have failed in my duty to you.”
Allanon came up to Rhys and laid a comforting hand on his shoulder. “Hey, cheer up, big guy. It’s not your fault. We’ll find some other way in, right?”
Grundar’s eyes gleamed as he suddenly remembered something. "We could teleport into the storage room just outside the well room. It had a bunch of crates, sacks and stuff. From there, its just the double doors to reach the beholder’s lair."
“I can do it,” said Jelani. “Just a dimension door away.”
“Then let’s not stand out here in the open like bait,” grunted Rumar. “Do it.”
As the group prepared for the upcoming fight, they failed to notice Rhys’ embarassment. They shame me by ignoring my failure! the priest thought to himself. How could I've been so stupid as to not take that spell today. Oh, sure they figured a way around it. Perhaps that's the problem: THEY always figure out a way around my short comings. With a relatively blank look, Rhys prepared a few defensive spells. Then he joined the others around Jelani, who cast his spell, sending them off through the ether.
--
“Damn! He’s not here!” cursed Grundar.
The group had appeared in the storage room and quickly raced into the orrery, to find it empty. Orichalxos’ spellbooks and personal treasure were all about the room, but the beholder-mage were nowhere to be seen.
The elf sighed and moved to kick at the mobile of globes in the rooms center, when the faintest whisper of movement caught his attention. Turning swiftly around, he noticed two horrid creatures floating down the stairs and moving to block the hallway. They looked like sickly-green floating man-of-war jellyfish. Their bodies pulsed and rippled, and dangling from them were a number of barbed tentacles.
“We’ve got company!” he shouted, pointing to the two grotesque beasts. The others turned to look, though Allanon, Rhys, and Rumar could see nothing but empty air. The other members of the group all had enchantments up that allowed them to see invisible creatures.
“I’ll take your word for it!” said Allanon, weaving a spell. “Shield your eyes!” With that, he sent a scintillating spray of colors at the invisible assailants. The spray washed over them, but he could not see what effects it had had on the creatures.
“One of them’s gone!” said Grundar. “Good work!” He drew his rapier and watched the thing approaching, ready to stab it when it came within range.
“May Torm guide my aim,” Rhys prayed as he sent three bullets sailing at the thing from his sling. Two of the shots went wide, but the third connected, puncturing its body. A jet of greenish, foul smelling gas shot out of the hole.
Rumar shifted about uneasily as the gas emerged from a seemingly empty patch of hallway. He preferred his enemies visible; obviously evil was also always a bonus. "I suppose I'll just have to wait for whatever it is to come to me then, eh?" he grunted, stepping in front of the mages and assuming a defensive stance.
Jelani blinked at the remaining creature. It was certainly ugly enough. Who knew if it was actually dangerous, but it would be best if everyone could see it all the same. He began to chant holding his holy symbol of Akadi in front of him, and a glowing golden wisp of smoke floated from his hand, curling around the room and causing the invisible creature to appear to those who had been previously unable to see it.
The hole in its body began to close as the thing suddenly jetted through the air and lashed out at Grundar with a barbed tendril. The elf stabbed the thing as it drew up in front of him, but his rapier doesn't even penetrate its body. The tendril went straight for Grundar’s eyes, but the nimble rogue dodged aside as the tendril shot past his head.
Terenon wove a spell and sent a thin green ray at the thing. It struck the creature's gassy body, tearing a small hole through it. Even as he watched though, the hole began to grow back.
"There are subtler ways to kill something," said Allanon, shaking his head. He invoked the words to a spell and felt wild magic surging through him, adding power and effectiveness to the spell (and not blowing him up for a change). A shadowy image appeared and touches the creature. The thing jerked smasmodically as it died from fright, then suddenly its body exploded in a blast of toxic gas. Grundar was caught in the poisonous fumes, and he coughed violently as he stumbled out of it. He felt weak and sick.
Rhys quickly moved to check on the poisoned elf. Terenon gave Allanon the thumbs up for his selection on spells. It was true that the mage usually went with brute force when other options were available, but he was an evoker after all.
Terenon paced the room for a bit then his eyes lit up. "I think I know what’s been happening here. I think the beholder and the scepter of the ar-magus are still in the area."
The mage saw the questioning looks on his companions faces. He continued, "The beholder was doing quite a bit of research on the Selskar Order, but cared nothing of the prison of the Firebringer. He only wanted the Acolytes gone. He said he wanted the Vale for himself."
"I think that the scepter was originally created for some other purpose than imprisoning the Firebringer. I think the scepter was originally created for a ritual for opening a portal to the plane of Limbo, for the deal with the Firebringer. The Ar-Magus disovered that instead he could use the power of the scepter to imprison the Firebringer."
"Remember the room opposite the lava room where the Firebringer’s prison was? I think that room was where the portal was supposed to be. I don't believe the beholder has any ties to Acessiwal, but instead has made a pact with the githyanki. Why? Well, who are the sworn enemy of the githyanki, besides mind flayers? The githzerai. And where do the githzerai live? On the plane of Limbo."
"The beholder is probably playing two fronts. One with the githyanki and another with the slaadi. If he can open the gate he will have great pull with both cultures. As for why the red dragons are here, the githyanki have a pact with them on the Prime Material Plane."
"I believe Orichalxos is still here and working on opening the portal. I can teleport us to the gate room, but I won't have another to teleport us out. We can fight our way there, but I doubt we will reach it with enough power to fight the beholder."
Jelani listened to Terenon’s theory with interest. It was fascinating the way the man’s mind worked. He was very bright, but for someone so...rigid, he tended to jump to a lot of conclusions. “Well, that’s one way to look at it, and it’s certainly a valid possibility,” the mystic theurge said. “Another thing to consider is that most times when you destroy a creature from another layer of existence, it is actually banished back to its own plane; the Firebringer was specifically barred from doing that. So then, perhaps the creature’s destruction on this plane, combined with that barrier reacted in a way no one had foreseen, creating sort of an inter-dimensional explosion; weakening or even tearing the fabric between our two existences. Though I suppose warping would be a better word.”
“Or I suppose that the githyanki could have just been there when the sealed doorway that had been created summoning Bazim-Gorag suddenly opened…any or all of this could be true: the question at hand is what we can and should do about it.”
“The githyanki presence makes more sense to me now,” said Rhys. “As Jelani had mentioned the Firebringer’s death has attracted some attention to both the event and to us. Beings of that stature tend to take notice when one of their kind passes. Even while bound, his presence was a focal point and now the balance--or perhaps I should say the game that they play--has been altered. A piece has been removed from the game and new ones have appeared. Make no mistake: we've all been added to the game as pawns, though I say that with no measure of disrespect. Whomever each of us serves is taking a new look at us.” The passion in Rhys's eyes and tone of his voice showed a firm conviction to his belief in what he's saying.
Jelani glanced at his companions, making sure they were all paying attention. “The truth is that we’re unaware of the situation within the complex and we have several options. First, we can do as Terenon suggests and teleport blindly into the gate room, not necessarily a bad plan, but one to be taken with caution. Secondly, we could fight through all the forces that are there and then confront the beholder. We could return to Silverymoon, and spend a day or two preparing ourselves for this specific fight, but that would let our foes more time to prepare as well. Lastly, we could teleport into the ruins near where the gate is located, say the tomb, and take it from there, but then we might have to fight some of the beholder’s guards. Am I missing anything? Whatever we decide, I’ll be able to teleport us out if the situation gets grim.”
Terenon nodded in agreement. "Anything is possible, but one thing is for sure. Something is being protected here, and we have little alternative but to investigate. The plan of teleporting to the Crypt is a good one. It is secreted away, and probably of little interest to anyone. As long as we don't disturb the crypts, it will be a safe place to teleport into. The ghosts there may even have some information for us."
"Unless there any objections. I will take us there now."
Chapter 25
Terenon looked up in wonder. There was little in the world that could measure up to the majestic sight of a dragon in flight. Unfortunately, when the dragon was flying in your direction, it was another matter entirely.
The mage scrambled for the cover of a nearby bush, glad to see that the others were following suit. The dragon flew closer, and Terenon noticed that a humanoid rode on the wyrm’s back. He feared that the patrol had already spotted them. But about a hundred feet away, the rider steered the dragon in a looping circle around back the way it came. Terenon could now make out the rider in greater detail. He was clad in black full plate armor and carried a heavy lance. He had rough yellow skin and russet hair pulled into a pair of topknots. His eyes had a sinister gleam, and his ears were pointed and serrated in back. The dragon wore fine barding of chain.
Completing its turn, the dragon started heading back the way it came. Off in the distance, the group could make out two small red shapes circling around another part of the Vale, before the hill on which sat the Dungeon of the Ruins. It seemed to be where the barracks house was located.
Terenon emerged from the bush, his jaw dropped in amazement. “By all the gods! Chromatic dragons with githyanki riders!”
Grundar frowned thoughtfully, tracking the wyrm with his sharp eyes. “Don’t tell me Acessiwal’s forces have already mobilized.”
“If this is an example of the army the dragon has amassed, Silverymoon, hell, all the Realms are in deep trouble. This does not bode well, not at all," said Terenon. "Rhys, can you divine a way in to the observatory? We cannot stay out here. I doubt we can take on three dragons and their riders, plus there is no telling how many githyanki ground troops there are here."
Rhys flushed profusely as he looked from the dragons to Terenon, shame evident in his eyes. “I’m sorry, Terenon. I thought about praying for Torm to grant me such a spell, but in the end I did not. I have failed in my duty to you.”
Allanon came up to Rhys and laid a comforting hand on his shoulder. “Hey, cheer up, big guy. It’s not your fault. We’ll find some other way in, right?”
Grundar’s eyes gleamed as he suddenly remembered something. "We could teleport into the storage room just outside the well room. It had a bunch of crates, sacks and stuff. From there, its just the double doors to reach the beholder’s lair."
“I can do it,” said Jelani. “Just a dimension door away.”
“Then let’s not stand out here in the open like bait,” grunted Rumar. “Do it.”
As the group prepared for the upcoming fight, they failed to notice Rhys’ embarassment. They shame me by ignoring my failure! the priest thought to himself. How could I've been so stupid as to not take that spell today. Oh, sure they figured a way around it. Perhaps that's the problem: THEY always figure out a way around my short comings. With a relatively blank look, Rhys prepared a few defensive spells. Then he joined the others around Jelani, who cast his spell, sending them off through the ether.
--
“Damn! He’s not here!” cursed Grundar.
The group had appeared in the storage room and quickly raced into the orrery, to find it empty. Orichalxos’ spellbooks and personal treasure were all about the room, but the beholder-mage were nowhere to be seen.
The elf sighed and moved to kick at the mobile of globes in the rooms center, when the faintest whisper of movement caught his attention. Turning swiftly around, he noticed two horrid creatures floating down the stairs and moving to block the hallway. They looked like sickly-green floating man-of-war jellyfish. Their bodies pulsed and rippled, and dangling from them were a number of barbed tentacles.
“We’ve got company!” he shouted, pointing to the two grotesque beasts. The others turned to look, though Allanon, Rhys, and Rumar could see nothing but empty air. The other members of the group all had enchantments up that allowed them to see invisible creatures.
“I’ll take your word for it!” said Allanon, weaving a spell. “Shield your eyes!” With that, he sent a scintillating spray of colors at the invisible assailants. The spray washed over them, but he could not see what effects it had had on the creatures.
“One of them’s gone!” said Grundar. “Good work!” He drew his rapier and watched the thing approaching, ready to stab it when it came within range.
“May Torm guide my aim,” Rhys prayed as he sent three bullets sailing at the thing from his sling. Two of the shots went wide, but the third connected, puncturing its body. A jet of greenish, foul smelling gas shot out of the hole.
Rumar shifted about uneasily as the gas emerged from a seemingly empty patch of hallway. He preferred his enemies visible; obviously evil was also always a bonus. "I suppose I'll just have to wait for whatever it is to come to me then, eh?" he grunted, stepping in front of the mages and assuming a defensive stance.
Jelani blinked at the remaining creature. It was certainly ugly enough. Who knew if it was actually dangerous, but it would be best if everyone could see it all the same. He began to chant holding his holy symbol of Akadi in front of him, and a glowing golden wisp of smoke floated from his hand, curling around the room and causing the invisible creature to appear to those who had been previously unable to see it.
The hole in its body began to close as the thing suddenly jetted through the air and lashed out at Grundar with a barbed tendril. The elf stabbed the thing as it drew up in front of him, but his rapier doesn't even penetrate its body. The tendril went straight for Grundar’s eyes, but the nimble rogue dodged aside as the tendril shot past his head.
Terenon wove a spell and sent a thin green ray at the thing. It struck the creature's gassy body, tearing a small hole through it. Even as he watched though, the hole began to grow back.
"There are subtler ways to kill something," said Allanon, shaking his head. He invoked the words to a spell and felt wild magic surging through him, adding power and effectiveness to the spell (and not blowing him up for a change). A shadowy image appeared and touches the creature. The thing jerked smasmodically as it died from fright, then suddenly its body exploded in a blast of toxic gas. Grundar was caught in the poisonous fumes, and he coughed violently as he stumbled out of it. He felt weak and sick.
Rhys quickly moved to check on the poisoned elf. Terenon gave Allanon the thumbs up for his selection on spells. It was true that the mage usually went with brute force when other options were available, but he was an evoker after all.
Terenon paced the room for a bit then his eyes lit up. "I think I know what’s been happening here. I think the beholder and the scepter of the ar-magus are still in the area."
The mage saw the questioning looks on his companions faces. He continued, "The beholder was doing quite a bit of research on the Selskar Order, but cared nothing of the prison of the Firebringer. He only wanted the Acolytes gone. He said he wanted the Vale for himself."
"I think that the scepter was originally created for some other purpose than imprisoning the Firebringer. I think the scepter was originally created for a ritual for opening a portal to the plane of Limbo, for the deal with the Firebringer. The Ar-Magus disovered that instead he could use the power of the scepter to imprison the Firebringer."
"Remember the room opposite the lava room where the Firebringer’s prison was? I think that room was where the portal was supposed to be. I don't believe the beholder has any ties to Acessiwal, but instead has made a pact with the githyanki. Why? Well, who are the sworn enemy of the githyanki, besides mind flayers? The githzerai. And where do the githzerai live? On the plane of Limbo."
"The beholder is probably playing two fronts. One with the githyanki and another with the slaadi. If he can open the gate he will have great pull with both cultures. As for why the red dragons are here, the githyanki have a pact with them on the Prime Material Plane."
"I believe Orichalxos is still here and working on opening the portal. I can teleport us to the gate room, but I won't have another to teleport us out. We can fight our way there, but I doubt we will reach it with enough power to fight the beholder."
Jelani listened to Terenon’s theory with interest. It was fascinating the way the man’s mind worked. He was very bright, but for someone so...rigid, he tended to jump to a lot of conclusions. “Well, that’s one way to look at it, and it’s certainly a valid possibility,” the mystic theurge said. “Another thing to consider is that most times when you destroy a creature from another layer of existence, it is actually banished back to its own plane; the Firebringer was specifically barred from doing that. So then, perhaps the creature’s destruction on this plane, combined with that barrier reacted in a way no one had foreseen, creating sort of an inter-dimensional explosion; weakening or even tearing the fabric between our two existences. Though I suppose warping would be a better word.”
“Or I suppose that the githyanki could have just been there when the sealed doorway that had been created summoning Bazim-Gorag suddenly opened…any or all of this could be true: the question at hand is what we can and should do about it.”
“The githyanki presence makes more sense to me now,” said Rhys. “As Jelani had mentioned the Firebringer’s death has attracted some attention to both the event and to us. Beings of that stature tend to take notice when one of their kind passes. Even while bound, his presence was a focal point and now the balance--or perhaps I should say the game that they play--has been altered. A piece has been removed from the game and new ones have appeared. Make no mistake: we've all been added to the game as pawns, though I say that with no measure of disrespect. Whomever each of us serves is taking a new look at us.” The passion in Rhys's eyes and tone of his voice showed a firm conviction to his belief in what he's saying.
Jelani glanced at his companions, making sure they were all paying attention. “The truth is that we’re unaware of the situation within the complex and we have several options. First, we can do as Terenon suggests and teleport blindly into the gate room, not necessarily a bad plan, but one to be taken with caution. Secondly, we could fight through all the forces that are there and then confront the beholder. We could return to Silverymoon, and spend a day or two preparing ourselves for this specific fight, but that would let our foes more time to prepare as well. Lastly, we could teleport into the ruins near where the gate is located, say the tomb, and take it from there, but then we might have to fight some of the beholder’s guards. Am I missing anything? Whatever we decide, I’ll be able to teleport us out if the situation gets grim.”
Terenon nodded in agreement. "Anything is possible, but one thing is for sure. Something is being protected here, and we have little alternative but to investigate. The plan of teleporting to the Crypt is a good one. It is secreted away, and probably of little interest to anyone. As long as we don't disturb the crypts, it will be a safe place to teleport into. The ghosts there may even have some information for us."
"Unless there any objections. I will take us there now."
ltclnlbrain
First Post
I guess everybody got excited when the boards came up. I don't think many people got a chance to see the update. Normally I am loathe to post such a shameless BUMP, but perhaps it will be best for all involved.
Graywolf-ELM
Explorer
ltclnlbrain said:I guess everybody got excited when the boards came up. I don't think many people got a chance to see the update. Normally I am loathe to post such a shameless BUMP, but perhaps it will be best for all involved.
Nope, I read it. I am subscribed, so when I check My Account, I saw that it was updated.
GW