JollyDoc's Savage Tide-Updated 10/8!

[Bryon_Soulweaver]

You're very welcome! We appreciate our readership as well. We are having a blast with Savage Tide, and now that the group has made it to the Abyss, things should really kick into high gear!!

Just how many demons are they going to piss off? I mean, two-head-face (can't remember how to spell his name, and I'm too lazy to look it up) has more than a couple so-called allies, doesn't he? Plus all those thousands of demons he commands?



Ouch.

 

[Neverwinter Knight]

We are having a blast with Savage Tide, and now that the group has made it to the Abyss, things should really kick into high gear!!

Yeah, I'm sure that the encounters ahead should be enough to satisfy even Octurus' hunger for demons.

Can't wait for your update!

 

[JollyDoc]

Just how many demons are they going to piss off? I mean, two-head-face (can't remember how to spell his name, and I'm too lazy to look it up) has more than a couple so-called allies, doesn't he? Plus all those thousands of demons he commands?



Ouch.

It ain't called "the Infinite Layers of the Abyss" for nothin'!

Update on update: Speaking of trips to the Abyss, I just returned from that Hell-on-Earth known as Disney World today, so the game will be on again next Sunday, and I'll get this past's Sunday's update done ASAP.

 

[JollyDoc]

INTO THE ABYSS

“What’s that you’ve got there?” Urol asked as he watched Mandi, levitating beneath the Sea Wyvern’s figurehead, place a teardrop-shaped, purple gemstone against the wood.
“It’s called a wakeportal,” Mandi replied distractedly as the pointed end of the stone embedded itself in the planks, leaving only the smooth, convex surface showing.
“Oh?” the gnome said. “What’s it do?”
“You’ll see,” Mandi answered, rising back to the deck of the ship. “In fact, I’d like you to assemble the crew for me. I have an announcement.”

Several minutes later, the entire complement of the Sea Wyvern stood gathered on the main deck as Mandi, flanked by her fellow Legionnaires, addressed them from the foc’s’le.
“As you all know,” she began without preamble, “we have recently achieved a great victory against the Kraken Society.”
A rowdy cheer greeted this.
“However,” she continued after the cacophony had died, “we failed in our mission. Lavinia Vanderboren is still missing, as is her demonic brother. It is my intention to continue our quest to rescue Lavinia, using information that we recovered from the Krakens. I ask you, is this still your desire?”
Another chorus of ‘Ayes’ were shouted back to her.
“Excellent!” Mandi nodded. “Then I have no qualms in telling you that we shall be sailing into troubled waters. Our path shall not be an easy one, but each one of you knew that when you volunteered for this voyage. Fear not! We do not ask more of you than we are willing to undertake ourselves. Though our path be treacherous, we will walk it together…wherever it may take us!”

After the crew was dismissed, Mandi made her way to the helm where she could focus her mind on activating the wakeportal.
“I notice you didn’t tell them exactly where we’re going,” Sepoto said, mounting the aft deck behind her.
“They’ll find out in due course,” the sorceress replied.
“And what do you think they’ll do then?” asked the goliath.
“By then it will be too late for them to do anything,” Mandi answered, quirking one eyebrow. “Now, I suggest you prepare yourself, and tell the others to do the same and keep a sharp eye out. The transposition shouldn’t take more than ten minutes or so, but we’ll be vulnerable during that time. Also, in case any of the crew should prove unable to…handle…our journey, I want you, Cleaver and Octurus ready to restrain them.”
Sepoto shrugged and nodded. He wasn’t sure he agreed with her tactics, but the truth of the matter was that they needed the crew, and technically, all of the seamen had volunteered for what they knew would be hazardous duty. He made his way around the main deck to pass the word to his companions.

Mandi kept the Sea Wyvern under full sail as she concentrated on the wakeportal. Within minutes, the ship’s wake began to sparkle and flash with mauve light. A heavy tang of salt and blood filled the air and the sky began to darken. Several crewmen gasped and pointed at the water. Things bubbled up from the depths there…bits of flesh and oily streaks oozing across the surface. The stench began to thicken. Soon the waters around the Sea Wyvern turned foul, as if some great beast had disgorged all the filth and rubbish ever thrown into the sea in one great heave. As the sky took on a ghastly hue of red, clouds swirled and spun with dreadful violence, and mauve lightning lanced across the heavens. Many of the crew threw themselves to the deck, covering their heads in panic. Suddenly, bolts of lightning arced up from the ship’s wake and struck its sails, mast and rigging. An instant later, an enormous hole ripped open in the fabric of reality directly before the Sea Wyvern. It reached out like a black, gaping maw to engulf the ship, and then just as abruptly snapped shut, leaving calm seas once more in its wake…

 

[JollyDoc]

Aside from the blood-red sky and filth strewn water, where strange, scaled creatures would periodically breach, the Abyssian Ocean was not so very different from any other waters Mandi had sailed. Convincing the crew of that, however, had been another matter entirely. After their initial transition to the Abyss, the sailors had been ready to mutiny. After Mandi adroitly pointed out to them that only she could activate the wakeportal, and what their fate would be if they sailed off blindly across the alien landscape, they eventually came to see reason…or at least to accept their fate with resignation. Shortly after their arrival, Mandi had charted a course for Gaping Maw…the layer of the Abyss ruled by the Prince of Demons, Demogorgon. It stood to reason that if Vanthus took Lavinia anywhere, it would be to his master. Distances were meaningless on the Abyssian sea. Mandi only knew that it would take several days to reach the Maw’s Teeth, the point where the endless ocean touched the border of Demogorgon’s domain. She had no idea what they might encounter on their voyage, but she had taken numerous precautions, not the least of which was imbuing herself with the ability to detect approaching vessels within twenty miles of their location.

So it was, near the end of their first day under sail that she sensed the presence of a large caravel directly along their path of travel. She alerted her comrades and prepared to take the ship beneath the waves, encased in a large bubble of air at the first sign of trouble. When the unknown vessel finally appeared on the horizon, Mandi’s divination told her that it was called the Sapphire Griffon, and that it hailed from no one home port. The flag it flew was a mercantile banner, so she ordered the Wyvern to slow its course and allow the other ship to approach. Soon, it was close enough for her to make out its sleek lines and transparent sails, and the fact that it left no wake as it skimmed across the water. Several red-skinned humanoids bustled about on deck and in the rigging, while five nine-foot tall, blue-skinned giants gathered at the rail and hailed the Wyvern. Mercanes. Mandi had studied them…planar merchants, whose travels knew no borders. They were neutral in their outlook, never interfering in the politics of the planes they visited, but instead simply plying their wares…and information.

The Sapphire Griffon came alongside the Sea Wyvern, and ropes were cast between the two ships, tying them together, while long planks were lowered as walkways. Mandi and the rest of the Legionnaires crossed to the merchant vessel and greeted the mercanes, who bowed low. The ship’s main deck was set up like a marketplace, with several booths and stalls displaying a wide variety of exotic goods. The red-skinned crew, on closer examination, also sported small, vestigial horns on their heads…tieflings.
“Greetings, fellow travelers,” one of the merchants said as he came forward. “I am Lothar. We are pleased and honored to have the opportunity to engage in commerce with you.”
“We are not particularly interested in your merchandise,” Mandi said, drawing a curious look from the mercanes. “It is information that we seek.”
“Ah!” Lothar replied. “That to is our stock-in-trade…but it comes with a price.”
“Understood,” Mandi nodded. “We will ask our questions, and you name your price.”
“Ask,” Lothar said.
“We’re looking for a ship called the Crimson Scar,” Sepoto said, stepping forward. “It’s captained by an undead warrior by the name of Vanthus Vanderboren.”
Lothar nodded, then turned to confer with his associates. After a few moments, he turned back, smiling.
“We offer this information at the price of one-thousand gold coins.”
“Agreed,” Mandi replied.
“The Crimson Scar did indeed sail these waters recently. It made for Lemoriax, but did not stay long. It was last reported to be on course for Divided’s Ire.”
“Where is Lemoriax?” Tower Cleaver asked.
“What is Divided’s Ire?” Sepoto asked simultaneously.
Lothar smiled broadly. “The answers to those questions were not calculated in our original price. Each will require another thousand gold coins.”
“Who needs pirates when we’ve got these guys?” Sepoto shouted, outraged, but Mandi held up a warning hand.
“Agreed,” she said simply.
Lothar nodded again. “Lemoriax is the capitol city of Demogorgon’s domain. As for Divided’s Ire, it was once a pleasure palace of Demogorgon’s in Gaping Maw, but it is now a notorious prison.”
“Prison?” Mandi asked. “What sort of creatures are imprisoned there?”
At Lothar’s knowing smile, the sorceress produced another bag of coins.
“The Prince of Demons was never too particular about who or what he sealed up in his grand prison. Over time, it has come to hold all sorts of creatures, including mortals, celestials, and agents of rival demon lords and archdevils.”
Mandi considered this, then nodded, and turned to leave.
“We thank you for your help,” she said over her shoulder.
“An honor,” Lothar answered, “and if you should ever have further need of our services, you may Send to me directly, and we shall come. Just one other thing before you leave…”
Mandi turned back, eyes narrowing.
“It’s just this,” Lothar said, clasping his hands, “As I said, we deal in information, and it may be that we could encounter others asking about a ship such as yours, and passengers such as yourselves. Per our code, we would be willing to part with that information…for the right price.”
“I see,” Mandi said, dryly, “and what would the price of your silence be?”
“One thousand gold coins,” Lothar replied.
“Agreed,” said Mandi.

 

[JollyDoc]

‘Two ships in as many days,’ Mandi thought to herself as a silent ‘ping’ sounded in her head. ‘The Abyssal seas are busier that I had expected.’
The crew had settled into an uneasy peace with their situation, seeing as how they had not immediately been devoured by demons, as most had expected, and their first encounter with the locals had been peaceful and profitable. Still, Mandi had a wary feeling about the vessel which was currently on an intercept course with their own, especially when it was not visible at a point where she guessed it to be no more than half a mile from them. It was not until the craft was within a thousand yards that she first spotted it. It had a very low waterline, making it difficult to see from long distance. At its center flickered a bright light, like that of a bonfire. As it drew nearer still, Mandi was revolted to see that it was actually an enormous clot of blood and meat stretched over a bony frame. A cage of dark iron rocked about at its center, inside of which howled what appeared to be a twisted angel shrouded in tongues of fire. The creature reached a thin hand out from between the bars of the cage and screamed for help over and over again. A terrified murmur went through the crew as the grotesque coracle bumped up against the hull of the Sea Wyvern. As it did so, the surface of the clot began to bulge in two places as a pair of immense, purple horrors tore themselves free, rearing back and shrieking with rage. They were ogre-sized humanoids, with thick, scaly hides and four arms. Their faces were wolf-like with glowing eyes and large teeth.

As the blood fiends prepared to leap for the Sea Wyvern, Gregor cupped his hands above him and called down a column of holy fire upon the nearest demon. Though its flesh was scorched and smoking in places, the fiend still leapt with surprising agility. As it crouched on the foc’s’le, its brow furrowed, and Mandi knew that it was preparing to unleash some unholy magic of its own. With a second’s thought, she hurled a thin, green beam of energy at the demon, and when it struck, the creature evaporated into a cloud of smoke which quickly streamed back into the substance of the floating clot. A split-second later, the second demon landed on the main deck, and this time there was nothing Mandi could do to stop it from calling upon its own magic. A wave of blasphemous power washed over the ship, instantly bringing all of the Legionnaires, save Mandi, to their knees. Fortunately, the crew had very sensibly retreated below decks when the demons appeared, or Mandi knew every one of them would have been dead. Thinking its prey to be easy kills, the demon leaped for Sepoto, but with a surge of willpower, the crusader shook himself free of his stupor and met the fiend’s attack head-on. His chain ripped across the creature’s torso, flaying the skin from its chest as it was knocked back several feet. A moment later and Octurus was there, pouncing on the demon like a hunting cat and impaling it through the throat with both scimitars. With a wail, the second fiend’s body turned misty and insubstantial before drifting back towards the coracle.

Throughout the battle, the prisoner in the cage had continued to shriek for help. Mandi lowered herself over the side of the Wyvern to the spongy surface of the coracle. The ‘angel’ was tall and emaciated with blood-red skin and bony, white, vestigial wings. Its body was sheathed with fire that changed color constantly.
“Tell me your name, demon,” Mandi commanded, “for I know you for what you are.”
The creature cringed, but still reached out imploringly towards the sorceress. “I am Azael,” it said, “and I beg you to free me! I am your humble servant!”
“Why are you imprisoned?” Mandi asked.
“I have angered my former master,” Azael replied. “Those blood fiends were to deliver me to Thanatos. Your rescue has spared me from an awful fate!”
“Whom do you serve?” Mandi pressed.
“Orcus,” Azael said softly, “Lord of Thanatos and Prince of Undeath…although I should add that I was an unwilling conscript in his service. He can be violently persuasive, as I’m sure you can imagine.”
“It would seem unwise to anger such a powerful master,” Mandi said grimly. “What exactly did you do?”
“I was to spy on Demogorgon,” Azael sniveled, “and learn something of his current plots. Alas, I am a poor spy and was found out. My cover blown, I did the only thing I could…I fled!”
“It seems you were no better at escaping than you were at spying,” Mandi chuckled mirthlessly. “What did you discover before you were found out?”
“Not enough, given my current predicament,” Azael said, eyes downcast. “Why do you ask? Are you somehow involved with the shadow pearls?”
Mandi’s eyes narrowed. “What do you know of them?”
Azael grinned. “Mistress, you are so coy! But I can play along! I know very little, of course, but I do believe the Prince of Demons intends to use the energies they unleash to spread madness and savagery throughout the Material Plane, though I know not why.”
“It seems our goals match those of your master,” Mandi murmured.
“Yes! Yes!” Azael said, nodding vigorously. “I can help you, then!”
“Perhaps you can at that,” Mandi said, tapping her chin with one finger. “What do you know about Divided’s Ire?”
“Demogorgon’s prison,” Azael said, fear in his voice. “Has he taken someone dear from you? I would advise against visiting the Ire, of course. Dangerous place, that. You’ll need a guide, naturally. I’ll be happy to lead you there, friends. If you are opposed to Demogorgon, assisting you can only help me to regain my place in Orcus’s favor. Orcus despises Demogorgon, and anything that would vex the Sibilant Beast is pleasing to my former master. You must hurry and free me, however! The blood fiends are not destroyed! They will regenerate soon!”
“Sort of like demonic vampires?” Mandi asked.
Azael nodded. “Just like that!”
“And if you’re still here when they revive, they’ll take you before Orcus?”
Azael nodded again, terror in his eyes.
“Excellent!” Mandi said, clapping her hands. “Then I have a message for your former master.” She pulled quill and parchment from her belt and began scribing a letter. When she finished, she sealed it and placed it on the surface of the clot, just beyond Azael’s reach.
“Be a dear, and deliver this to your liege, with my deepest regards.”
As she turned and reboarded the Sea Wyvern, ordering it under full sail, she could still hear Azael’s screams echoing behind her for several minutes.

 

[JollyDoc]

The border between the Abyssian Ocean and Gaping Maw was a violent, storm-wracked area known as the Maw’s Teeth. As the Sea Wyvern neared the transition point, the seas turned rough and the sky darkened to black. Hundreds of water spouts danced and writhed ahead, and the crew quailed in fear.
“We’ll never make it through that!” Urol squeaked as Mandi set their heading directly into the Teeth.
“You forget to whom you speak,” Mandi said, haughtily. “I am no mere sea dog. I am a sailor on the Seas of Fate, and I have more than just maps and star charts at my disposal. Do not fear, good gnome. I will see you through this safely, but once we reach the shores of Gaping Maw, I promise nothing.”

The rain and wind came at them in sheets as the Sea Wyvern traveled a serpentine course among the brutal, spinning columns of water. Though the journey was harrowing, and on more than one occasion it seemed as if the ship would be swamped or capsized, Mandi’s excellent navigational skills brought them all through to the relatively calm waters of Gaping Maw, which lay on the far side of the Teeth. Once there, using the coordinates provided to her by the mercanes, Mandi plotted a course for Divided’s Ire, which, if her calculations were correct, lay less than a day’s sail time.

When they finally spied the Demogorgon’s island prison, they saw that it was actually two islands. The eastern-most offered many places for a ship to moor, in the form of coves and deep water inlets. Its surface was lush and verdant with wild jungle growth, though the winged creatures that circled above the misty canopy looked anything but inviting. The western island, in contrast, was utterly barren, little more than a naked rock pierced with vents that spewed toxic gas and steam into the air, covering the place in a thick, poisonous fog. The top of the island was a fiery wound, a caldera that hemorrhaged lava which formed a river that spilled down to the sea, throwing up plumes of caustic steam. Straddling the peaks of the two islands were three massive buildings, connected by a series of bridges. The eastern structure was the largest, though in worst shape, structurally, while to the west were two large buildings on either side of the caldera. Between the eastern and western structures was a drop that descended almost two-thousand feet to the sea below, a gap that left an impossibly thin cliff face along the eastern side of the volcano. Crossing this gap were two massive bridges. A fourth, and final structure stood on a small island in the middle of the lava flow.

“There’s a ship nearby, anchored on the far side of the eastern island,” Mandi announced as they drew near. “I can sense it.”
“Do you think it’s the Scar?” Sepoto asked.
“Likely, especially since I detect no other vessels within twenty miles,” Mandi replied. Ordering the helmsman to alter course, she directed the Wyvern around the southeast peninsula of the isle. In a small cove on the far side they saw a large caravel moored in a lagoon…the Crimson Scar. It appeared abandoned. Nothing moved on its decks, and its sails hung in tatters. Mandi pressed her fingers to her temples and began the words to an incantation.
‘Lavinia,’ she Sent telepathically, ‘we are at the prison on the Abyss. Where does Vanthus hold you? We will rescue you at all costs!’
After several moments, she heard a faint reply in her mind.
‘I am in Divided’s Ire,’ came Lavinia’s voice. ‘I’m no longer held by Vanthus. I was taken by a rival. I don’t know my exact location. Come quickly!’

A thorough search of the Crimson Scar showed it to be unmanned and completely picked clean. Even its wakeportal was missing.
“Scuttle it,” Mandi commanded the crew of the Wyvern. “We’re going ahead to the prison. Wait here until our return. If we do not return, may whatever gods you hold dear have mercy upon your souls.”

 

[JollyDoc]

“So…what now?” Gregor asked, looking around at the flat, featureless expanse of roof that Mandi had transported them to. They were atop the easternmost building of Divided’s Ire, with the western part obscured from view by the clouds of smoke and ash constantly belching forth from the caldera. High above them, winged shapes whirled and circled. It had been the sorceress’s hope that they might find an unassuming entrance into the prison from the rooftop, but it appeared they were not to be so fortunate.
“Plan B,” she shrugged as she held her hand palm down towards the stone. A beam of emerald energy flared forth, evaporating a ten-by-ten hole in the prison roof.
“Haven’t you people ever heard of stealth?” the druid snapped, throwing his hands up.
Sepoto smiled. “Of course we have, but we’ve found, over time, that the direct approach is so much more…entertaining.”

Looking down through the makeshift entrance, they saw below them a large, open expanse of cracked stone. To the north and west, two free-standing structures occupied the middle of the area. The nearest rose to a height twenty feet above the floor, with its entrance running from floor to ceiling. The further structure was forty-feet square. Its south face had a twenty-foot wide opening. Near its base were mounds of stinking offal mixed with feathers and bits of bone. Nothing living moved below, and so Octurus and Tower Cleaver leaped down the twenty-foot drop, the Maztican landing nimbly in a crouch, while the minotaur’s mass shook the floor around him, and added a few more cracks to the maze already there. Sepoto and Mandi drifted slowly to the ground via magical flight, while Gregor assumed the form of a great condor, shifting back to his true form as he alighted. That left only Daelric. The priest had been waiting for this moment, and he smiled at the startled looks on the faces of his companions as he unfurled a pair of beautiful, white feathered wings from beneath his cloak and soared down to meet them. The Traveler was well pleased with His favored one, and Daelric had seen in a dream that he was to be honored with the consummate token of Shaundekal’s pleasure. When he had awoken the next morning, the wings had simply sprung wholly made from his shoulders. This day, however, his joy was short-lived as he saw a half-dozen or more similarly winged forms erupt from the far building. Their entire bodies were covered with feathers, except for their taloned feet and claws, and their vulture-like raptor beaks.

“Vrocks!” Mandi swore, and enough of them to perform their much-feared Dance of Ruin twice over, if given the chance. Not if she could help it. Guttural words spilled from her mouth as she gestured towards the advancing flock. Simultaneously, all eight of the demons grabbed their heads as their minds became filled with a stunning cacophony of maddening whispers. Each of them plummeted to the floor, folding themselves into fetal balls and keening pitifully.
“Easy enough,” Mandi announced. “They’re all yours boys!”
Just then, Gregor pulled on the sleeve of her robe. “Yes, but what about that?”
He gestured towards the near building, where a huge creature was lumbering into view from around the corner. It bore the aspect of Demogorgon, but was obviously carved out of blackest obsidian. Mandi’s eyes widened. The last time she had seen such a construct was in the lair of the bar-lgura on the Isle of Dread. It was a Lemorian golem, but easily twice the size of the one that had killed Samson.
_______________________________________________________

S’Sharra looked up from her meditation as the diminutive quasit fluttered to her shoulder.
“What is it, my pet?” she asked, stroking the little demon’s head. “Visitors? Yes, I suspected as much.”
At that moment she heard the battle cry of the vrock sentries suddenly turn to shrieks of pain and agony. Creeping quietly to the shadows of the doorway, she peered out at the battle raging beyond. Just then, the patrolling Lemorian golem trundled past her, and she smiled. This was going to be fun.
____________________________________________________

“Octurus, Cleaver, follow me!” Sepoto cried, rushing towards the fallen vrocks. Though the golem was the more imminent threat, he knew that Mandi’s spell would not hold for long, and the last thing they needed was to be surrounded, fighting a battle on two fronts. He was confident that Mandi and Gregor could hold off the construct for just a few moments. The three warriors fell upon the stupefied demons like jackals, hacking and slashing at them as they lay helpless.

“Allow me,” Gregor said, stepping in front of Mandi as she prepared to cast a spell. Raising one hand above his head, he brought it violently down as he uttered his incantation. From out of thin air, a deadfall of rocks and logs appeared above the golem, crashing to the floor and burying it beneath the avalanche.
“Well done,” Mandi nodded approvingly, “but…” Her words trailed off as she felt magic crackle around her. In an eye-blink, she sensed several of her protective wards stripped from her, including her telepathic link to the crew of the Sea Wyvern. There was someone else present…someone far more dangerous than the vrock minions or the golem.
“Ware!” she cried, as she dabbed a bit of ointment on her eyes and spoke a word. Instantly, her surroundings leaped into crisp focus, allowing her to see even the now-invisible form of Daelric hovering nearby. Even so, she could spot no one else concealed on the battlefield.
“Daelric!” she called. “Purge this area! Now!”
Daelric cursed to himself. He hated doing that, knowing full well that his own concealment would be revealed by the ward, but he did not question, instead speaking the words to the prayer. Yet, even as he faded into view, he saw no similar manifestation of their hidden foe.
_______________________________________________________

S’Sharra watched the massacre, her expression grim. The vrocks were slaughtered one-by-one by the warriors, while the golem, when it tried to rise from the debris, was similarly cut down by fire from the elf witch. Ah well, she mused. There would be another opportunity. Melting back into the shadows, she called the quasit to her and vanished.

 

[JollyDoc]

EPILOGUE:

Prince of the Undead,

After listening to your sniveling 'spy' beg me to free him from whatever fate you have in store, I have become aware that our goals coincide with one another. We know what the Prince of Demons plans for the Shadow Pearls. We know the power he hopes to accumulate by their detonation. We know that the Abyss, and undoubtedly the multiverse, cannot stand for this to occur.

As a rule I do not believe in rewarding failure with mercy, so I did not heed your servant's desperate request. His escorts did, however, set upon us and had to be incapacitated as a result. They were not, though, destroyed. In time, they will leave their torpor and continue their journey to Thanatos, where it is my hope this message finds you.

I am an archmage of great power. My comrades, likewise, are highly skilled and can each be equally powerful weapons in our shared struggle against Demogorgon. True, we are but mortals, but we can act somewhat less noticeably than those of near-godlike power such as yourself. Currently, we find ourselves on the Abyssian Ocean tracking one of Demogorgon's lesser servants, but once we have destroyed that wretched piece of filth our attention shall be turned to the master and his plans for a Savage Tide.

My name is Ozymandia Enoreth. I give you this information at the risk of exposing myself to great harm at your hands and those of your servants. I believe, however, that I would be of much greater use to you as a living ally than a dead enemy.

Orcus folded the missive in his massive hands, a look of contemplation upon his goat-like features. The wheels were in motion, and events would begin to unfold very rapidly from this point. Things were going to be very interesting, and he might indeed need allies in the coming war. He had much to think about, and even the idle distraction of Azael being flayed alive before him could not lift the seed of worry that had crept into his mind.

 

[Neverwinter Knight]

Masterpiece, JollyDoc.

And kudos to the Legion for their game. Mandi is the worthy follower of Anwar. Let's see, if putting themselves on Orcus' map was a wise move.