Last Stand of the Dorinthians (Chapter 4- The Second Invasion)

[Deuce Traveler]

Goreallis steps forward and looks over Barok for a moment then answers, "Ah, perhaps you have not changed much since the time you were Locusi. Conjure up your reward out of the air? No, but I can do the next best thing. I can conjure them from materials present." He reaches out and holds the pommels of Barok's blades, then turns to look at Phly and Caramip. "And now for you, grandchildren. Let me take one ancient gift from you and replace it with another," the Geomancer says as two tendrils of earth erupt from his back and touch both gnomes in the arm. The two scream, then slump to the ground as they appear weakened while a trace of yellow energy move from their bodies, through the tendrils, and into Barok's blades. Soon after, a bit of rust-colored energy flows from Goreallis and into Caramip and Phly.

"There... I think you'll find those more to your liking," he says to the surprised Barok, although he does not elaborate. He turns to Dartis and Silas to see the humans with their weapons at the ready and sighs. "Relax your weapons before you hurt yourselves. Your friends aren't hurt, I promised my daughter afterall. The are just... gifted now and I am giving them the heritage they missed. Still, I see I have overstayed my welcome and it appears time to visit the Fey and thank them also."

So saying he looks upwards and the center of the roof tears itself apart, causing a shower of small pebbles to land among the group. Light from the outside sky shines down into the chamber you are in, and the Geomancer falls into a pile of earth in front of your very eyes, before a whirlwind of air picks him up and carries him through the tunnel he had created. Just as seemlessly, the earth repairs itself as he passes, leaving you in a sealed chamber once more.

Caramip:
[sblock]
You are not sure what he did to you and Phly, but it feels like a part of your spirit was painfully removed and replaced with something else. You instinctively know that you are no longer able to use the natural gnome abilities of dancing lights, ghost sound, and prestidigitation.
[/sblock]

 

[Fenris]

Dartis sighs and shakes his head at Barok's greed. As Goreallis leaves he kicks a small pile of dirt, "I would rather face the blood and screams of battle than deal with these phantoms of the past" he says ruefully.

"Still, it appears our work here is done my friends. Goreallis has left on his own, and apparently does not need us to guide him. As kind as your people are Phly, I miss my beloved Dorinthia and her people, few though we now are. I have kept Silas too long from his family. We must go. Phly, Caramip, are you OK? We can carry you if you are still weak from the geomancer."

 

[Deuce Traveler]

"Gods..." Phly mumbles as Dartis helps the shaken gnome up. With Silas and Barok's help the party walks their two small allies out of the chambers and back out into the Great Hall of the gnomes where an amazed group of gnome civilians see them coming back from the tunnel behind the tall statue where they started the adventure. Phly and Caramip are wrapped in blankets and hot packs brought to them.

"It looks like your other friend wasn't the only casualty this last night," a pettite gnome healer says as she checks over Phly and Caramip. At your inquisitive looks she sighs and explains, "Your friends were sleeping in their quarters when we heard screams. It was your priest friend, Nikolos Viridikos, and we found him covered in blood. It seems that some faerie flew into the ventilation from the outside and came to find him. I'm sorry..."

"Is he dead," Phly asks weakly, deflated even more by the news.

The nurse shakes her head and stammers as she recollects what she had seen. "No... he... he's blind. They took his eyes."

Chapter 4 complete, and overdue XP for the last three sections will be posted tonight in the talking the talk section that is linked in my sig. Chapter 5 starts next week (hopefully Sunday) and will be called named after the campaign title, Chapter 5: Last Stand of the Dorinthians.

 

[Fenris]

Dartis hangs his head in shame that despite their success, someone still had to pay the price to the Fey queen, and worst of all it was not him.

 

[Nephtys]

Barok looks at the Geomancer in chock as the two gnomes scream in agony. "Bloody hell, that's not..." and then it's over. When the being makes his dramatic exit, Barok tries to put on his usual confident smirk, but fails.
"This is not the past," he says ruefully to Dartis, "it is the future."

-

On the way up he examines his blades, muttering a bit to himself, trying to find out what the Gnomian did to them

-

"They took his eyes..." Barok echoes in revulsion Well, better him than me, I guess.

 

[Fenris]

"They took his eyes..." Barok echoes in revulsion Well, better him than me, I guess.

"Queen Illiana said that even if we succeed, one of us would have to be punished. She said that it would rob us of what we most desired. Nikolos desired knowledge, so the took his ability to read away". says Dartis mournfully.

 

[Bloodweaver1]

Caramip Ashhearth

Caramip is still visibly shaken from the Geomancer's "Gift" when she hears the tradic news about Nik. The mis-fortune that has befallen her close friend is all that she can handle. With her soul savaged and her body weakened, she lets go of the blanket and crashes onto the floor sobbing. Her once happy go lucky deamur shattered.

 

[Fenris]

Caramip is still visibly shaken from the Geomancer's "Gift" when she hears the tradic news about Nik. The mis-fortune that has befallen her close friend is all that she can handle. With her soul savaged and her body weakened, she lets go of the blanket and crashes onto the floor sobbing. Her once happy go lucky deamur shattered.

His heart breaking at the sight of the gnome crying, Dartis bends down and gently picks up the young bard and carries her over to a bed far from Nikolos. Setting her down gently, he tells the gnome nurse "She has been through so much, please help her".

With that the young noble asks around a bit, and is seen wandering off into the darkness, alone but for a bottle in each hand. Finding some secluded, dark place, Dartis finds solace in the bottle that night, the darkness hiding his tears and shame. He cannot help but think of all the harm that has befallen his people. The danger that his brave party has faced, and the terrible prices they have paid. All for him, the all followed him, they all trusted him. And where has his leadership lead? It seemed that in this world Dorinthia was destined to fail, that the descendants of Berl Dorin were doomed. Whether they had too much Locusi or not enough, Dartis wasn't sure. The last few weeks had been too confusing. Too much history. Silas would sort it out later.

Still he was a Dorinthian cavalry man, and so long as he wore the Blue Cloak, he would fight for Dointhia 'I should have asked Goreallis to save Dorinthia' he thinks weakly, 'better than some gold like Barok wanted.'

As the bottles empty, Dartis dries his eyes and staggers back to camp. He still had a few scrapes and bruises from the fights in the tombs, but he didn't care about them too much. He went and sat down beside Nikolos, and held the man's hand through the night.