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DM Brainiac's Prison of the Firebringer (Updated 12/21/05)
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<blockquote data-quote="ltclnlbrain" data-source="post: 1512013" data-attributes="member: 12882"><p>Chapter 9</p><p></p><p>The chamber north of the gate was evidently a forehall in the tower's earlier days. Enough remained of the floor above to enclose the room, but the walls were little better than mounds of rubble, and the beams overhead sagged alarmingly. A passage to the north led through the rubble. To the west, an archway leading to another hall had been boarded up. Part of the northern wall seemed to be in better condition than the rest of the room.</p><p></p><p>Allanon felt a slight change in the fabric of the Weave as he stepped into the hall. "Terenon, Rhys; be careful casting spells in this place. The magic feels unstable in this hall. It is a zone of wild magic. Anything you cast could be...altered by the energy of this place."</p><p></p><p>“Well then,” said Terenon, “I’ll just cast my spell from back in the courtyard.” The wizard muttered some arcane syllables and an invisible magical sensor appeared. He sent the arcane eye to scout ahead of the group, floating along the northern path. It curved around a hallway to the east before turning north and then west on the other side of the wall.</p><p></p><p>Like the forehall outside, this portion of the ruined keep still had something of a ceiling, although the rafters were bent and broken. This chamber seemed to have been the main kitchen of the old citadel--the walls still housed several large hearths with iron fittings. The area was divided by the remnants of interior walls into what must once have been storerooms. The rubble and debris had been cleared away from a steep stone staircase that lea down.</p><p></p><p>There was another boarded doorway at the western end of the hall. The eye slipped through a crack in the boards to see the room beyond. This hall was open to the sky but surrounded by the remaining old citadel walls. Heaps of rubble filled most of the room, making the footing uneven. The floor, in the few places where it was visible, was made of black, glossy tile flecked with brilliant white stars. There was no indication of what the boards' purpose was.</p><p></p><p>Seeing nothing else of interest, the sensor floated back into the kitchens and down the stairs. The stairs descended about 30 feet before ending in a narrow passage with iron doors at either end. Several old skeletons in rusted hauberks had been shoved to the sides of the staircase. An iron door stood at each end of the hall; however, they sat rather flush with the floor and ceiling and the sensor could not find a way to get past them.</p><p></p><p>Terenon dismissed the sensor and told the rest of the group what he had seen. “I’ll go first and check the pathway for traps,” said Grundar. “Then we can take a look at that boarded-up room.” The elf set off along the path, but before he got far, he noticed something strange about the north wall. Looking closer, he noticed an extremely thin outline of a doorway etched into the wall and a tiny latch to open it.</p><p></p><p>He pulled on the latch and the door swung open easily. Behind the secret door laid a remarkably well-preserved chamber, octagonal in shape. The walls were built of silver-flecked black granite, and the floor was made of veined black marble. Inscribed in the floor was a circle of gleaming silver, about 6 feet in diameter.</p><p></p><p>As the rest of the group gathered around the entrance, Grundar turned to the mages. Any idea what this room is? I wonder what is with all this black stone."</p><p></p><p>"I recognize the diagram,” said Allanon. “We have a few like it back at the Harpell mansion. The diagram is a teleportation circle. Stepping into it will send you to the spot designated by the caster. This is a very difficult spell to cast. This doesn't bode well. The Acolytes must have a very powerful magic user among them. We should leave it alone for now. There is no telling where it might lead. Let’s keep going."</p><p></p><p>"Allanon, I agree with you except for one thing,” said Terenon. “This architecture is reminiscent of the style of the ancient Netherese. That suggests that the cultists did not create this teleportation circle. In fact, it was secreted away and it's likely the cultists do not even know of its existence. It might be beneficial for us to use it. I can't make that decision for the group, but I suggest we find out where it leads."</p><p></p><p>"If the thing leads somewhere too hot or simply doesn't lead back at all, can ye just pop us on back with a spell?" said Berek. He snapped his fingers loudly as he said this, giving off a small *crack*.</p><p></p><p>Terenon nodded in response, and Rhys shrugged as he considered the options. “I believe that we should make use of the circle. If the cultists don’t know about it, then we may be able to surprise them by using it. We may be able to catch them defenseless.”</p><p></p><p>“Well,” said Terenon, “since I can only 'pop' a total of five of us, one should remain here to guard the entrance. The rest of us can see where it leads, and return for the other if it's beneficial."</p><p></p><p>"I'll stay behind if you guys want to go through,” Gillian volunteered. “Just don't be too long. I don't want to stay here by myself longer than I have to."</p><p></p><p>“Well, we don’t even know if the thing still works,” said Grundar. “But there’s one way to find out.”</p><p></p><p>"The third canto of the Scrolls of Trantos says ‘Let not fear guide your actions, rather accept the opportunity of what it represents,’” said Rhys.</p><p></p><p>Allanon, Berek, Grundar, Rhys, and Terenon stepped onto the teleportation circle. At first, nothing seemed to happen. Several seconds passed without any sign that the magic is still active. They were about to give up when suddenly there was a bright flash of light and they felt themselves being pulled to another place.</p><p></p><p>As they emerged from the ether at their destination, the first thing they noticed was the biting cold wind that assaulted them. The adventurers had appeared in some arctic climate on Faerun; snow and ice covered the landscape as far as they could see. Here and there, a glacier poked out of the ground, but the terrain for the most part was flat. This was probably not the destination the portal was intended to go to.</p><p></p><p>Grundar shivered against the cold and wondered why it was bothering so much, then he looked down and it hit him: he was stark naked. All of his clothing, armor, weapons, and items were missing, presumably left behind in the Selskaryn keep. Looking at the other adventurers, he saw that they too were as naked as the day they were born. Apparently, the ancient Selskaryn had a sense of humor.</p><p></p><p>"Terrreeeennoonnn... gggettt uss outtt off heeeree..." he cried, shivering against the cold.</p><p></p><p>Terenon laughed through chattering teeth, and then instructed the others to join hands. He tried not to look at the others, but it was hard to avoid. Even in the cold weather Berek’s wedding tackle was inordinately large. He now knew the myth about the dwarves was true, to his shriveled dismay. For his part, Berek seemed unfazed, fishing some lint out of his belly-button. </p><p></p><p>The mage uttered a few words and, with another bright flash, the adventurers appeared back inside the room of the Dungeon of the Ruins. All of their clothing and equipment was piled in the teleportation circle. Gillian stared dumbfounded at the men when they reappeared, then blushed tremendously and quickly turned the other way.</p><p></p><p>"You guys might want to put your clothes back on," she said sheepishly. "Glad I didn't go through the circle, or you boys would have gotten a free show," she added, chuckling.</p><p></p><p>“Well, that was interesting,” said Rhys. “A most intriguing destination.”</p><p></p><p>"Might bit nippy through the spell-hole, eh?" Berek commented wryly as he began to pull on his pants. "What say we not do that again?"</p><p></p><p>"I don’t think that was the circle’s intended destination,” said Allanon. “Obviously a key that’s attuned to the gate is needed for it to function the way we want."</p><p></p><p>“Yes, obviously,” muttered Berek.</p><p></p><p>“We’ll come back here later,” said Terenon. “Grundar, why don’t you and I go check out that boarded-up room?”</p><p></p><p>“Berek and I will go down to the courtyard and watch our backs,” said Gillian. “I don’t want anything sneaking up on his while we are unaware.”</p><p></p><p>Grundar twisted a small ring on his finger and uttered a command word. This ring gave him the power to ‘blink’ back and forth between the Ethereal and Material Plane, so he could walk through small doors and walls with it. When Grundar first activated the ring of blinking, though, he was surprised to see that Rhys started blinking instead of him. Frustrated, he stopped the effect and tried to activate it again. This time, though, a thin green ray shot out of the ring and struck the wooden barricade, disintegrating it into ash as Terenon did to the giant a few minutes earlier. “Must be the wild magic zone,” said Grundar as he and Terenon entered the room.</p><p></p><p>The footing in the room was treacherous because of all the rubble, so they were careful to keep their balance as they looked across the room. After a few seconds in the room, though, all of Grundar's and Terenon's magical items began to glow with a soft white radiance. They were then surprised to see two translucent figures suddenly appear in the air in front of them. They appeared to be ghostly humans, one male and one female, clad in full plate and wielding halberds; they glowed with a faint green radiance and their faces were contorted into expressions of anger. They didn’t look happy to see the adventurers.</p><p></p><p>For his part, Terenon was not happy to see the ghosts either. He knew they were capable of devastating attacks and he wanted no part of it. "I guess that's why it was boarded up,” the mage said. He cast a quick spell that created several illusory duplicates of himself then retreated, Grundar hot on his heels.</p><p></p><p>Rhys watched Grundar and Terenon flee the room, as if they'd seen a ghost. The priest took a look in and sees that they did, in fact, see two ghosts. He walked into the room, his hands held out in a diplomatic gesture. “I am Rhys Thurn, a priest of Torm,” the aasimar cleric said. “My friends and I have come seeking answers and knowledge about this place. I would ask what it is that has kept you here and not allowed you to complete your final journey."</p><p></p><p>The ghosts made no indication that they could understand Rhys. Instead, they held their palms out at him and a blue ray shot out of them, striking Rhys in the chest. The rays were extremely cold, and Rhys felt his chest go numb, as if the rays were sapping away at his very life force. Gritting his teeth, the priest held forth his holy symbol and shouted, "Get back ye creatures of death! Let the might of Torm dispel the power that binds you here!" Unfortunately, the holy energy that resulted did not affect the ghosts at all.</p><p></p><p>“Fall back to the courtyard!” cried Grundar as he and Terenon began to hustle back the way they came. Allanon stepped up to the room, though, determination on his face. “I’ll take care of them!” he cried. Once more drawing upon the chaotic fabric of the Weave, he attempted to use the magic to halt the ghosts in their tracks. One of them succumbed to the surge and ceased movement, but the other was unaffected. Unfortunately, the raw magical energies backlashed through his body and cause him to...change...</p><p></p><p>His body shifted and stretched painfully, contorting his features and musculature. His hair grew longer, his beard shortened and disappeared, his chest stretched outward, and his hips widened. In the space of a few seconds, he was transformed into a woman! Allanon had little time to consider his new form as the second ghost blasted him with its chill ray, draining his…er, her life force.</p><p></p><p>Once outside in the courtyard, Grundar activated his ring of blinking, then grabbed for a potion at his belt. "The wild magic zone is wreaking havoc in there with two ghosts attacking us,” he told Berek and Gillian. “Rhys and Allanon are in there. We have to get in there and help them."</p><p></p><p>Terenon kept looking back in shock at the wild mage as he ran to the courtyard. For all he knew, this change might be permanent. “No sane man would ever consider wild magic a vocation!” he shouted as he raced ahead.</p><p></p><p>Allanon felt her life force being drained away and decided to put the questions about her new anatomy on the back burner. She ran down the hall after the others. As she passed Terenon she yelled back, "This..." Pausing a second at the sound of her melodious voice, she continued, "...is nothing. For four years of my life I was a halfling. Shame that it took that long to find out a simple dispel would lift the transmutation. Of course, it took a year of dispel attempts to revert me to my true form. I guess I'm stuck like this for the moment."</p><p></p><p>Gillian raced along the path and entered the rubble filled room, striking a ghost with her holy spiked chain. Apparently the attack was successful as the ghost’s body wavered and distorted momentarily. The ghost fired off a chill ray at the halfling, but she nimbly dodged the bolt and it struck naught but rubble. </p><p></p><p>Berek, pausing only to first fling a rather large nose goblin he discovered lodged within his nose, charged up towards the others. <em>Gauging from all the belly-achin' going' on up there, the mystic ones done messed-up yet again...like children, they are,</em> he thought as he hustled along the path.</p><p></p><p>Terenon cast a spell as Berek ran by, and his form shifted and wavered. Within the space of a few seconds, he had transformed himself into a large naga.</p><p></p><p>Finally reaching the end of the wild magic zone, Allanon stopped running. She took a moment to examine her new form. She seemed to be a hair taller than before, but she had a lighter skin tone. Her face was now beardless and its skin was smooth and unmarred. Her hair was a silky black and reached to below her shoulders. She also had some new parts that she was pretty sure weren't there in the morning. From what she saw, she wouldn't call herself endowed, but all the parts of her seemed to fit together in a complete beauty that must be breathtaking to behold. Figuring she'd better get to helping her friends, she moved her now delicate fingers through the motions of a familiar spell. A slight tingle caressed her body as the mage armor encompassed it.</p><p></p><p>Gillian attacked the ghost a few more times, but her spiked chain passed harmlessly through its body. Berek swung his hammer about, trying to connect with the nearest ghost without falling over if his weapon simply went right through it. The dwarf's concentration admittedly was a bit off, owing largely to a few thoughts running rampant about in his mind. <em>Did a funny-lookin' woman and a big-ass snake-man just run past me?</em></p><p></p><p>Rhys attempted to turn the undead again, but failed. He then beat a hasty retreat toward the courtyard, full of doubts about his faith and his abilities. Rhys ran out into the hall right before Grundar downed his potion and raced the way he came. Terenon, now in the form of a naga, maneuvers into the hall and fired five bolts of energy at the ghost. They slammed into its form and cause energy to course all through the undead creature, ultimately dissipating its incorporeal body. Unfortunately, the second ghost overcame Allanon's spell of holding. Its chill ray struck Gill, freezing her lifeblood and striking at her very constitution.</p><p></p><p><em>...I mean, that's what they looked like when they zipped past. Only, see, there are all these wizard-types movin' about; maybe one of 'em did it on purpose?</em> Berek's lips moved slowly as his mind struggled over this puzzle. Thankfully, his arms moved about on their own, leading the way with his weapon as he steadily moved about. <em>But why would one of them purposefully turn into a woman? I mean, the snake thing I can kinda figg'r out...but a woman? Maybe a woman is more magical than a man? Bah. Stupid wizards.</em></p><p></p><p>Gillian, Berek, and Grundar furiously attacked the ghost with their weapons, but many of the attacks simply passed through its body. Terenon blasted it with more magic missiles, but it remained intact. It fired its chill ray at Grundar this time, but he managed to avoid it.</p><p></p><p>As Rhys restored some of the damage the ghost had done to his body, Allanon reentered the room and sent out five magical missiles at the undead. Unfortunately, the missiles merely impacted harmlessly with its body; apparently, the ghost had some resistance to magic.</p><p></p><p>Terenon had basically run out of spells to cast, so he decided to change into a more powerful form. "If you’re injured, drop your weapon and run,” he told his friends. “I'll take the weapon and keep on fighting."</p><p></p><p>Terenon's voice and ludicrous idea abruptly steered Berek's mind back into reality. <em>'Drop your weapon'? Why would someone be injured off enough to drop their weapon? This creature is hardly even worth noticing, nonetheless slaying. Or...er...whatever this counts as. Re-slaying? What if someone brought it back afterwards? What would that be?</em> Berek's face crinkled with thought as he considered this deep philosophical question.</p><p></p><p>Gill's chain passed harmlessly through the ghost's form, and Berek only found purchase on his final swing. Grundar's rapier found purchase twice, and finally the ghost dissipated.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="ltclnlbrain, post: 1512013, member: 12882"] Chapter 9 The chamber north of the gate was evidently a forehall in the tower's earlier days. Enough remained of the floor above to enclose the room, but the walls were little better than mounds of rubble, and the beams overhead sagged alarmingly. A passage to the north led through the rubble. To the west, an archway leading to another hall had been boarded up. Part of the northern wall seemed to be in better condition than the rest of the room. Allanon felt a slight change in the fabric of the Weave as he stepped into the hall. "Terenon, Rhys; be careful casting spells in this place. The magic feels unstable in this hall. It is a zone of wild magic. Anything you cast could be...altered by the energy of this place." “Well then,” said Terenon, “I’ll just cast my spell from back in the courtyard.” The wizard muttered some arcane syllables and an invisible magical sensor appeared. He sent the arcane eye to scout ahead of the group, floating along the northern path. It curved around a hallway to the east before turning north and then west on the other side of the wall. Like the forehall outside, this portion of the ruined keep still had something of a ceiling, although the rafters were bent and broken. This chamber seemed to have been the main kitchen of the old citadel--the walls still housed several large hearths with iron fittings. The area was divided by the remnants of interior walls into what must once have been storerooms. The rubble and debris had been cleared away from a steep stone staircase that lea down. There was another boarded doorway at the western end of the hall. The eye slipped through a crack in the boards to see the room beyond. This hall was open to the sky but surrounded by the remaining old citadel walls. Heaps of rubble filled most of the room, making the footing uneven. The floor, in the few places where it was visible, was made of black, glossy tile flecked with brilliant white stars. There was no indication of what the boards' purpose was. Seeing nothing else of interest, the sensor floated back into the kitchens and down the stairs. The stairs descended about 30 feet before ending in a narrow passage with iron doors at either end. Several old skeletons in rusted hauberks had been shoved to the sides of the staircase. An iron door stood at each end of the hall; however, they sat rather flush with the floor and ceiling and the sensor could not find a way to get past them. Terenon dismissed the sensor and told the rest of the group what he had seen. “I’ll go first and check the pathway for traps,” said Grundar. “Then we can take a look at that boarded-up room.” The elf set off along the path, but before he got far, he noticed something strange about the north wall. Looking closer, he noticed an extremely thin outline of a doorway etched into the wall and a tiny latch to open it. He pulled on the latch and the door swung open easily. Behind the secret door laid a remarkably well-preserved chamber, octagonal in shape. The walls were built of silver-flecked black granite, and the floor was made of veined black marble. Inscribed in the floor was a circle of gleaming silver, about 6 feet in diameter. As the rest of the group gathered around the entrance, Grundar turned to the mages. Any idea what this room is? I wonder what is with all this black stone." "I recognize the diagram,” said Allanon. “We have a few like it back at the Harpell mansion. The diagram is a teleportation circle. Stepping into it will send you to the spot designated by the caster. This is a very difficult spell to cast. This doesn't bode well. The Acolytes must have a very powerful magic user among them. We should leave it alone for now. There is no telling where it might lead. Let’s keep going." "Allanon, I agree with you except for one thing,” said Terenon. “This architecture is reminiscent of the style of the ancient Netherese. That suggests that the cultists did not create this teleportation circle. In fact, it was secreted away and it's likely the cultists do not even know of its existence. It might be beneficial for us to use it. I can't make that decision for the group, but I suggest we find out where it leads." "If the thing leads somewhere too hot or simply doesn't lead back at all, can ye just pop us on back with a spell?" said Berek. He snapped his fingers loudly as he said this, giving off a small *crack*. Terenon nodded in response, and Rhys shrugged as he considered the options. “I believe that we should make use of the circle. If the cultists don’t know about it, then we may be able to surprise them by using it. We may be able to catch them defenseless.” “Well,” said Terenon, “since I can only 'pop' a total of five of us, one should remain here to guard the entrance. The rest of us can see where it leads, and return for the other if it's beneficial." "I'll stay behind if you guys want to go through,” Gillian volunteered. “Just don't be too long. I don't want to stay here by myself longer than I have to." “Well, we don’t even know if the thing still works,” said Grundar. “But there’s one way to find out.” "The third canto of the Scrolls of Trantos says ‘Let not fear guide your actions, rather accept the opportunity of what it represents,’” said Rhys. Allanon, Berek, Grundar, Rhys, and Terenon stepped onto the teleportation circle. At first, nothing seemed to happen. Several seconds passed without any sign that the magic is still active. They were about to give up when suddenly there was a bright flash of light and they felt themselves being pulled to another place. As they emerged from the ether at their destination, the first thing they noticed was the biting cold wind that assaulted them. The adventurers had appeared in some arctic climate on Faerun; snow and ice covered the landscape as far as they could see. Here and there, a glacier poked out of the ground, but the terrain for the most part was flat. This was probably not the destination the portal was intended to go to. Grundar shivered against the cold and wondered why it was bothering so much, then he looked down and it hit him: he was stark naked. All of his clothing, armor, weapons, and items were missing, presumably left behind in the Selskaryn keep. Looking at the other adventurers, he saw that they too were as naked as the day they were born. Apparently, the ancient Selskaryn had a sense of humor. "Terrreeeennoonnn... gggettt uss outtt off heeeree..." he cried, shivering against the cold. Terenon laughed through chattering teeth, and then instructed the others to join hands. He tried not to look at the others, but it was hard to avoid. Even in the cold weather Berek’s wedding tackle was inordinately large. He now knew the myth about the dwarves was true, to his shriveled dismay. For his part, Berek seemed unfazed, fishing some lint out of his belly-button. The mage uttered a few words and, with another bright flash, the adventurers appeared back inside the room of the Dungeon of the Ruins. All of their clothing and equipment was piled in the teleportation circle. Gillian stared dumbfounded at the men when they reappeared, then blushed tremendously and quickly turned the other way. "You guys might want to put your clothes back on," she said sheepishly. "Glad I didn't go through the circle, or you boys would have gotten a free show," she added, chuckling. “Well, that was interesting,” said Rhys. “A most intriguing destination.” "Might bit nippy through the spell-hole, eh?" Berek commented wryly as he began to pull on his pants. "What say we not do that again?" "I don’t think that was the circle’s intended destination,” said Allanon. “Obviously a key that’s attuned to the gate is needed for it to function the way we want." “Yes, obviously,” muttered Berek. “We’ll come back here later,” said Terenon. “Grundar, why don’t you and I go check out that boarded-up room?” “Berek and I will go down to the courtyard and watch our backs,” said Gillian. “I don’t want anything sneaking up on his while we are unaware.” Grundar twisted a small ring on his finger and uttered a command word. This ring gave him the power to ‘blink’ back and forth between the Ethereal and Material Plane, so he could walk through small doors and walls with it. When Grundar first activated the ring of blinking, though, he was surprised to see that Rhys started blinking instead of him. Frustrated, he stopped the effect and tried to activate it again. This time, though, a thin green ray shot out of the ring and struck the wooden barricade, disintegrating it into ash as Terenon did to the giant a few minutes earlier. “Must be the wild magic zone,” said Grundar as he and Terenon entered the room. The footing in the room was treacherous because of all the rubble, so they were careful to keep their balance as they looked across the room. After a few seconds in the room, though, all of Grundar's and Terenon's magical items began to glow with a soft white radiance. They were then surprised to see two translucent figures suddenly appear in the air in front of them. They appeared to be ghostly humans, one male and one female, clad in full plate and wielding halberds; they glowed with a faint green radiance and their faces were contorted into expressions of anger. They didn’t look happy to see the adventurers. For his part, Terenon was not happy to see the ghosts either. He knew they were capable of devastating attacks and he wanted no part of it. "I guess that's why it was boarded up,” the mage said. He cast a quick spell that created several illusory duplicates of himself then retreated, Grundar hot on his heels. Rhys watched Grundar and Terenon flee the room, as if they'd seen a ghost. The priest took a look in and sees that they did, in fact, see two ghosts. He walked into the room, his hands held out in a diplomatic gesture. “I am Rhys Thurn, a priest of Torm,” the aasimar cleric said. “My friends and I have come seeking answers and knowledge about this place. I would ask what it is that has kept you here and not allowed you to complete your final journey." The ghosts made no indication that they could understand Rhys. Instead, they held their palms out at him and a blue ray shot out of them, striking Rhys in the chest. The rays were extremely cold, and Rhys felt his chest go numb, as if the rays were sapping away at his very life force. Gritting his teeth, the priest held forth his holy symbol and shouted, "Get back ye creatures of death! Let the might of Torm dispel the power that binds you here!" Unfortunately, the holy energy that resulted did not affect the ghosts at all. “Fall back to the courtyard!” cried Grundar as he and Terenon began to hustle back the way they came. Allanon stepped up to the room, though, determination on his face. “I’ll take care of them!” he cried. Once more drawing upon the chaotic fabric of the Weave, he attempted to use the magic to halt the ghosts in their tracks. One of them succumbed to the surge and ceased movement, but the other was unaffected. Unfortunately, the raw magical energies backlashed through his body and cause him to...change... His body shifted and stretched painfully, contorting his features and musculature. His hair grew longer, his beard shortened and disappeared, his chest stretched outward, and his hips widened. In the space of a few seconds, he was transformed into a woman! Allanon had little time to consider his new form as the second ghost blasted him with its chill ray, draining his…er, her life force. Once outside in the courtyard, Grundar activated his ring of blinking, then grabbed for a potion at his belt. "The wild magic zone is wreaking havoc in there with two ghosts attacking us,” he told Berek and Gillian. “Rhys and Allanon are in there. We have to get in there and help them." Terenon kept looking back in shock at the wild mage as he ran to the courtyard. For all he knew, this change might be permanent. “No sane man would ever consider wild magic a vocation!” he shouted as he raced ahead. Allanon felt her life force being drained away and decided to put the questions about her new anatomy on the back burner. She ran down the hall after the others. As she passed Terenon she yelled back, "This..." Pausing a second at the sound of her melodious voice, she continued, "...is nothing. For four years of my life I was a halfling. Shame that it took that long to find out a simple dispel would lift the transmutation. Of course, it took a year of dispel attempts to revert me to my true form. I guess I'm stuck like this for the moment." Gillian raced along the path and entered the rubble filled room, striking a ghost with her holy spiked chain. Apparently the attack was successful as the ghost’s body wavered and distorted momentarily. The ghost fired off a chill ray at the halfling, but she nimbly dodged the bolt and it struck naught but rubble. Berek, pausing only to first fling a rather large nose goblin he discovered lodged within his nose, charged up towards the others. [I]Gauging from all the belly-achin' going' on up there, the mystic ones done messed-up yet again...like children, they are,[/I] he thought as he hustled along the path. Terenon cast a spell as Berek ran by, and his form shifted and wavered. Within the space of a few seconds, he had transformed himself into a large naga. Finally reaching the end of the wild magic zone, Allanon stopped running. She took a moment to examine her new form. She seemed to be a hair taller than before, but she had a lighter skin tone. Her face was now beardless and its skin was smooth and unmarred. Her hair was a silky black and reached to below her shoulders. She also had some new parts that she was pretty sure weren't there in the morning. From what she saw, she wouldn't call herself endowed, but all the parts of her seemed to fit together in a complete beauty that must be breathtaking to behold. Figuring she'd better get to helping her friends, she moved her now delicate fingers through the motions of a familiar spell. A slight tingle caressed her body as the mage armor encompassed it. Gillian attacked the ghost a few more times, but her spiked chain passed harmlessly through its body. Berek swung his hammer about, trying to connect with the nearest ghost without falling over if his weapon simply went right through it. The dwarf's concentration admittedly was a bit off, owing largely to a few thoughts running rampant about in his mind. [I]Did a funny-lookin' woman and a big-ass snake-man just run past me?[/I] Rhys attempted to turn the undead again, but failed. He then beat a hasty retreat toward the courtyard, full of doubts about his faith and his abilities. Rhys ran out into the hall right before Grundar downed his potion and raced the way he came. Terenon, now in the form of a naga, maneuvers into the hall and fired five bolts of energy at the ghost. They slammed into its form and cause energy to course all through the undead creature, ultimately dissipating its incorporeal body. Unfortunately, the second ghost overcame Allanon's spell of holding. Its chill ray struck Gill, freezing her lifeblood and striking at her very constitution. [I]...I mean, that's what they looked like when they zipped past. Only, see, there are all these wizard-types movin' about; maybe one of 'em did it on purpose?[/I] Berek's lips moved slowly as his mind struggled over this puzzle. Thankfully, his arms moved about on their own, leading the way with his weapon as he steadily moved about. [I]But why would one of them purposefully turn into a woman? I mean, the snake thing I can kinda figg'r out...but a woman? Maybe a woman is more magical than a man? Bah. Stupid wizards.[/I] Gillian, Berek, and Grundar furiously attacked the ghost with their weapons, but many of the attacks simply passed through its body. Terenon blasted it with more magic missiles, but it remained intact. It fired its chill ray at Grundar this time, but he managed to avoid it. As Rhys restored some of the damage the ghost had done to his body, Allanon reentered the room and sent out five magical missiles at the undead. Unfortunately, the missiles merely impacted harmlessly with its body; apparently, the ghost had some resistance to magic. Terenon had basically run out of spells to cast, so he decided to change into a more powerful form. "If you’re injured, drop your weapon and run,” he told his friends. “I'll take the weapon and keep on fighting." Terenon's voice and ludicrous idea abruptly steered Berek's mind back into reality. [I]'Drop your weapon'? Why would someone be injured off enough to drop their weapon? This creature is hardly even worth noticing, nonetheless slaying. Or...er...whatever this counts as. Re-slaying? What if someone brought it back afterwards? What would that be?[/I] Berek's face crinkled with thought as he considered this deep philosophical question. Gill's chain passed harmlessly through the ghost's form, and Berek only found purchase on his final swing. Grundar's rapier found purchase twice, and finally the ghost dissipated. [/QUOTE]
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DM Brainiac's Prison of the Firebringer (Updated 12/21/05)
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