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Last Stand of the Dorinthians
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<blockquote data-quote="Deuce Traveler" data-source="post: 3439797" data-attributes="member: 34958"><p>The party saw no sign of the enemy as they moved north into the mage dorms. Most of the doors to this circular area were kicked in and there was no further sign of the enemy, although they did hear the slight sounds of battle further to the east towards the administration area.</p><p></p><p>Peering into the workshop, the advanturers saw the bookcases were lit aflame. Several apprentices had been slaughtered and were beyond the point that healing magic would be useful. The inferno rose to the ceiling, while ash and fiery papers crashed down around the room. Unable to do anything at this point, the group was prepared to seal the entrance and move on when Rix spotted movement near Horacios' workbench. A blood-covered gnome sat on the floor, his back to the workbench. He grasped desperately at two long knives which were buried through his calves, one for each limb. He screamed in frustration as he scrambled to remove the blades that kept him from moving away from the encroaching flames. Suddenly a weakened bookcase crashed between the party and the gnome, hiding him from vision in a bright flash of fire and blackening smoke.</p><p></p><p>Without hestiation Dartis ran into the room, leaping over the burning bookcase to where the injured gnome was. With a strong jump, he cleared the majority of the bookcase, but his foot quickly stepped onto a flaming shelf before he launched himself past the fires and next to the gnome, the hero unburned. (DM's Note: Dartis made some great rolls.)</p><p></p><p>Lifting him up in his arms, Dartis saw that it was Horacios, the teacher of magic. The noble looked back to the bookcase and realized that it was going to be a lot more difficult jumping through the flames unburned with the extra weight he just took upon himself. Seeing Dartis' look of determination, Horacios realized his thoughts and said, <span style="color: teal">"Gods no! You're crazy! Leave me here or we'll both die!"</span></p><p></p><p><span style="color: Green">"I'll be damned if I leave you here to be burned alive."</span> Dartis replied as he quickly pulled out both knives from the gnome's calves, eliciting a scream from the small man. Picking the gnome up, Dratis wrapped his blue cloak around the wounded magic teacher to shield him from the flames. With a great inhalataion of breath Dartis half-dashed, half-leapt back through the burning wreakage of the bookcases.</p><p></p><p>The party watched in amazement as the silhouette of the nobleman was seen through the smoke running back out. He made a strong jump, but it was not enough to carry him over the tall flames leaping forth from the various books. Dartis collapsed once past the flames, attempting unsuccessfully to douse the fire that had begun to appear on his leggings and scorched his flesh. From Dartis' arms fell a bloodied gnome that was falling unconscious from the shock of his wounds, two deep ones of which were in his thighs.</p><p></p><p><span style="color: Green">"Kel! Tend to this one, 'tis Horacios,"</span> shouted Dartis horsely as he beat at his smoldering clothes while crawling further from the fire.</p><p></p><p>When Alexander got to the door of the room and saw Dartis coming through the fire curtain, he hastily closed the doors so that they don't all end up as the bookcases. Then he tried to help Dartis quench the flames. <span style="color: blue"><em>This one is one of those <strong>I</strong> they call nobles; 'tis not in the blood, 'tis in the heart.</em></span>. He left it to the others to take care of the unconscious gnome. <span style="color: Blue">"Rise Dartis, that was plain foolishness... had you got stuck in there, you'd forced me to go for you."</span></p><p>With Alexander's help, Dartis was able to extinguish the rest of the flames before taking any more harm onto himself.</p><p></p><p>Kel quickly went to check on the gnome, but the wounds were too severe. Only healing magic was capable of stabilizing him with injuries this bad, and the elf was nearly out of magic. Horacios began to mumble, <span style="color: teal">"Astraughlay.... it was Astraughlay Kondeeistreigh that sent them. Kobold told me. He's gone insane... I thought it might be him, but didn't want to believe... Go south... follow the Salz River until you come to a great lake near the sea. Look for the five peaks. He is researching... he is... go towards second peak from left... you will know when you see..."</span> Horacios was fading fast in Kel's arms, so the elf used up the last of his spell slots in an attempt to save Horacios.</p><p></p><p>The color of the gnome returned to his face, and his eyes fluttered open. Looking up at the party and hearing the sounds of battle to the east he asked, <span style="color: teal">"It's not a bad dream, is it? We are really being attacked by gnolls, kobolds, and goblins aren't we?"</span> Looking at their faces, he nodded to himself and grabbed Kel's arm. <span style="color: teal">"Help me up, young elf. I'm not as spry as I used to be and we got some gnolls chasing to do."</span></p><p></p><p>Between the party and Horacios, the sputtering attack on the last of the gnome defenses in the administration tunnels collapsed. The battle could have gone either way, until the gnolls found that they themselves were leaderless and being attacked now from both sides. The gnomes that were beseiged on one side, and the party and Horacios on the other. Some got away, along with a few kobolds, but most died beneath the defenders' combined wrath. The goblins appeared to have fled when they took heavy casualties earlier on, their courage never being strong enough anyway after the party had killed their commander more than a week ago. The enemies of the gnomes had been crushed, and the small demi-humans would likely flourish in the power vacuum that was created. But it would take a long time. Half the population of the gnome hills had been either killed or severely wounded.</p><p></p><p>The despair felt was great, and became greater still when Horacios informed the settlement of the next piece of bad news. First, though he told what he knew to the gnome leader, Laughphray, and the part during a long, private meeting. <span style="color: teal">"These creatures were sent here by a traitor. One of our own has been actively seeking our destruction. Astraughlay Kondeeistreigh, the Master Illusionist and my former teacher, has gone insane. I was informed of this by the DragonEye kobold leader, and although there were clues before this, I did not want to believe that a man we all respected could do something like this despite the crimes I've seen him perform."</span></p><p><span style="color: teal"></span></p><p><span style="color: teal">"Many of you know the work that I and Astraughlay were working on in the old ruins to the south of here, but for our companions from Dorinth, I will elaborate. Astraughlay Kondeeistreigh took me and two other students as his aids while he searched for the location of an ancient elven structure three days south of here, along the crest of a hill near a large lake. My teacher was very excited at this opportunity to study a magical culture many thousands of years separated from our own. It took us a month of searching using clues from old texts, but when we did find the location, we found something that took our breath away. The structure is comprised mostly of a tall, stone platform with large, petrified trees forming an inpenetrable canopy. At the end of the platform stands an open dome with an circular pit that was once filled with magical flame. At the far end of the dome is a second level, where we found a curious sphere made with black glass and with swirling smoke inside. We also saw a stone chair with a strange, dome-like contraption and several small crystals laying in a stone alcove nearby. After months of research, we finally determined that the sphere and the chair were artifacts used by an ancient race of elves to bestow wisdom. Both the chair and the sphere had a slot to place the crystals, and we put them inside them. Astraughlay is not the bravest of gnomes, and nervously asked us which would like to sit in the chair and receive the wisdom of the ancients. Young Phylstray eagerly agreed. We... we thought he was going to gain something special... Instead the poor lad screamed as the dome moved over his head and the crystal pierced his brain, killing him painfully. Even more horribly, the crystal changed colors as the liquids in the brain were sucked away."</span></p><p></p><p>It took Horacios a moment before he could continue again, although a stiff drink from a flask he had by his side helped. <span style="color: teal">"In the next weeks, we discovered what went wrong. The crystals were meant to be used on the elven elders before their deaths. Their spirits would then be planted into the device with the black sphere, where they would be able to grant a vision of possible futures to those who watched the surface. The stronger the elder, the stronger and longer the visions. It was meant as one last gift from a dying elven elder to the people he served for so long. Phlystray's death was avoidable if he had only spent more time in study, and I fear this realization caused Astraughlay Kondeeistreigh to slowly become unhinged."</span></p><p><span style="color: teal"></span></p><p><span style="color: teal">"The night we read about the true purpose of the crystals, the second apprentice, Morious, convinced Astraughlay to use the crystal that had killed the our friend on the black sphere. I stood outside the platform, taking notes on the magical field around the dome, while the other two took their observations of the sphere's surface. I know they saw something, for I heard both of them gasp even from where I was, near the pit. What I saw was also surprising, for after they placed the crystal, the pit lit aflame with a magical fire that burned so hot that I had to step away in fear. Shortly after that I heard Morious scream. I ran up the steps to find Astraughlay Kondeeistreigh over the apprentice's still body, a crystal buried deep in his chest."</span></p><p><span style="color: teal"></span></p><p><span style="color: teal">"I don't know why, but I moved forward thinking I could still save him, when Astraughlay grabbed me by my shoulders and said, 'Leave him, Horacios! It is better this way. He doesn't have to suffer anymore. They don't have to suffer anymore. I know how to make it better. We'll kill them all fast before they do it. Before they kill them slowly and horribly. We can make it right by ending their lives quickly. Horacios, help me kill them.'"</span></p><p><span style="color: teal"></span></p><p><span style="color: teal">"In fear and confusion I asked who 'they' were. He answered, 'We have to kill them all. Elves, gnolls, kobolds, goblins, humans, dwarves. All the races before the great sin occurs. By the gods, Horacios, you don't know what they are going to do! How could they! Damn them, but we can fix it. We can make it quick so they don't suffer. You can't stop it! Gods, Horacios, in every vision I watched Saleentra burn! They're still alive, Horacios, but I can see the elves burning and screaming for salvation. And their the lucky ones. Oh, gods... you don't believe me. You don't believe me and you won't trust me. I'm sorry, Horacios, but I'll make this painless.'"</span></p><p></p><p>Turning to the party, he continued. <span style="color: teal">"With that, he cast his magic, but I somehow resisted his illusions and ran. I thought the madman would die out there without help, but he lives still and he almost got us all killed. You must stop him. We can reward you with gems, if that is what you want. And of course, we can replenish your equipment. If what I heard is to be believed, he learned necromancy from the kobold, and they turned that damned chair into a device to make living zombies to control and later use the crystals for more divining. And Horacios undoubtedly is using some kind of enhancement to his illusion magic to make others see the future he thinks they want to see. I believe its the power of the sphere, and its making him powerful in both illusions and divination. It is likely he knows everything about you as is, and is likely he already considers you an enemy. You've killed his supporters except... we found an old flesh golem inside the structure. An ugly, bald brute. He didn't attack us when we came in to study, and Horacios was able to find a way to control it. If you must resort to brute force, best you have a plan."</span></p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Deuce Traveler, post: 3439797, member: 34958"] The party saw no sign of the enemy as they moved north into the mage dorms. Most of the doors to this circular area were kicked in and there was no further sign of the enemy, although they did hear the slight sounds of battle further to the east towards the administration area. Peering into the workshop, the advanturers saw the bookcases were lit aflame. Several apprentices had been slaughtered and were beyond the point that healing magic would be useful. The inferno rose to the ceiling, while ash and fiery papers crashed down around the room. Unable to do anything at this point, the group was prepared to seal the entrance and move on when Rix spotted movement near Horacios' workbench. A blood-covered gnome sat on the floor, his back to the workbench. He grasped desperately at two long knives which were buried through his calves, one for each limb. He screamed in frustration as he scrambled to remove the blades that kept him from moving away from the encroaching flames. Suddenly a weakened bookcase crashed between the party and the gnome, hiding him from vision in a bright flash of fire and blackening smoke. Without hestiation Dartis ran into the room, leaping over the burning bookcase to where the injured gnome was. With a strong jump, he cleared the majority of the bookcase, but his foot quickly stepped onto a flaming shelf before he launched himself past the fires and next to the gnome, the hero unburned. (DM's Note: Dartis made some great rolls.) Lifting him up in his arms, Dartis saw that it was Horacios, the teacher of magic. The noble looked back to the bookcase and realized that it was going to be a lot more difficult jumping through the flames unburned with the extra weight he just took upon himself. Seeing Dartis' look of determination, Horacios realized his thoughts and said, [color=teal]"Gods no! You're crazy! Leave me here or we'll both die!"[/color] [COLOR=Green]"I'll be damned if I leave you here to be burned alive."[/COLOR] Dartis replied as he quickly pulled out both knives from the gnome's calves, eliciting a scream from the small man. Picking the gnome up, Dratis wrapped his blue cloak around the wounded magic teacher to shield him from the flames. With a great inhalataion of breath Dartis half-dashed, half-leapt back through the burning wreakage of the bookcases. The party watched in amazement as the silhouette of the nobleman was seen through the smoke running back out. He made a strong jump, but it was not enough to carry him over the tall flames leaping forth from the various books. Dartis collapsed once past the flames, attempting unsuccessfully to douse the fire that had begun to appear on his leggings and scorched his flesh. From Dartis' arms fell a bloodied gnome that was falling unconscious from the shock of his wounds, two deep ones of which were in his thighs. [COLOR=Green]"Kel! Tend to this one, 'tis Horacios,"[/COLOR] shouted Dartis horsely as he beat at his smoldering clothes while crawling further from the fire. When Alexander got to the door of the room and saw Dartis coming through the fire curtain, he hastily closed the doors so that they don't all end up as the bookcases. Then he tried to help Dartis quench the flames. [color=blue][I]This one is one of those [B]I[/B] they call nobles; 'tis not in the blood, 'tis in the heart.[/I][/color]. He left it to the others to take care of the unconscious gnome. [COLOR=Blue]"Rise Dartis, that was plain foolishness... had you got stuck in there, you'd forced me to go for you."[/COLOR] With Alexander's help, Dartis was able to extinguish the rest of the flames before taking any more harm onto himself. Kel quickly went to check on the gnome, but the wounds were too severe. Only healing magic was capable of stabilizing him with injuries this bad, and the elf was nearly out of magic. Horacios began to mumble, [color=teal]"Astraughlay.... it was Astraughlay Kondeeistreigh that sent them. Kobold told me. He's gone insane... I thought it might be him, but didn't want to believe... Go south... follow the Salz River until you come to a great lake near the sea. Look for the five peaks. He is researching... he is... go towards second peak from left... you will know when you see..."[/color] Horacios was fading fast in Kel's arms, so the elf used up the last of his spell slots in an attempt to save Horacios. The color of the gnome returned to his face, and his eyes fluttered open. Looking up at the party and hearing the sounds of battle to the east he asked, [color=teal]"It's not a bad dream, is it? We are really being attacked by gnolls, kobolds, and goblins aren't we?"[/color] Looking at their faces, he nodded to himself and grabbed Kel's arm. [color=teal]"Help me up, young elf. I'm not as spry as I used to be and we got some gnolls chasing to do."[/color] Between the party and Horacios, the sputtering attack on the last of the gnome defenses in the administration tunnels collapsed. The battle could have gone either way, until the gnolls found that they themselves were leaderless and being attacked now from both sides. The gnomes that were beseiged on one side, and the party and Horacios on the other. Some got away, along with a few kobolds, but most died beneath the defenders' combined wrath. The goblins appeared to have fled when they took heavy casualties earlier on, their courage never being strong enough anyway after the party had killed their commander more than a week ago. The enemies of the gnomes had been crushed, and the small demi-humans would likely flourish in the power vacuum that was created. But it would take a long time. Half the population of the gnome hills had been either killed or severely wounded. The despair felt was great, and became greater still when Horacios informed the settlement of the next piece of bad news. First, though he told what he knew to the gnome leader, Laughphray, and the part during a long, private meeting. [color=teal]"These creatures were sent here by a traitor. One of our own has been actively seeking our destruction. Astraughlay Kondeeistreigh, the Master Illusionist and my former teacher, has gone insane. I was informed of this by the DragonEye kobold leader, and although there were clues before this, I did not want to believe that a man we all respected could do something like this despite the crimes I've seen him perform." "Many of you know the work that I and Astraughlay were working on in the old ruins to the south of here, but for our companions from Dorinth, I will elaborate. Astraughlay Kondeeistreigh took me and two other students as his aids while he searched for the location of an ancient elven structure three days south of here, along the crest of a hill near a large lake. My teacher was very excited at this opportunity to study a magical culture many thousands of years separated from our own. It took us a month of searching using clues from old texts, but when we did find the location, we found something that took our breath away. The structure is comprised mostly of a tall, stone platform with large, petrified trees forming an inpenetrable canopy. At the end of the platform stands an open dome with an circular pit that was once filled with magical flame. At the far end of the dome is a second level, where we found a curious sphere made with black glass and with swirling smoke inside. We also saw a stone chair with a strange, dome-like contraption and several small crystals laying in a stone alcove nearby. After months of research, we finally determined that the sphere and the chair were artifacts used by an ancient race of elves to bestow wisdom. Both the chair and the sphere had a slot to place the crystals, and we put them inside them. Astraughlay is not the bravest of gnomes, and nervously asked us which would like to sit in the chair and receive the wisdom of the ancients. Young Phylstray eagerly agreed. We... we thought he was going to gain something special... Instead the poor lad screamed as the dome moved over his head and the crystal pierced his brain, killing him painfully. Even more horribly, the crystal changed colors as the liquids in the brain were sucked away."[/color] It took Horacios a moment before he could continue again, although a stiff drink from a flask he had by his side helped. [color=teal]"In the next weeks, we discovered what went wrong. The crystals were meant to be used on the elven elders before their deaths. Their spirits would then be planted into the device with the black sphere, where they would be able to grant a vision of possible futures to those who watched the surface. The stronger the elder, the stronger and longer the visions. It was meant as one last gift from a dying elven elder to the people he served for so long. Phlystray's death was avoidable if he had only spent more time in study, and I fear this realization caused Astraughlay Kondeeistreigh to slowly become unhinged." "The night we read about the true purpose of the crystals, the second apprentice, Morious, convinced Astraughlay to use the crystal that had killed the our friend on the black sphere. I stood outside the platform, taking notes on the magical field around the dome, while the other two took their observations of the sphere's surface. I know they saw something, for I heard both of them gasp even from where I was, near the pit. What I saw was also surprising, for after they placed the crystal, the pit lit aflame with a magical fire that burned so hot that I had to step away in fear. Shortly after that I heard Morious scream. I ran up the steps to find Astraughlay Kondeeistreigh over the apprentice's still body, a crystal buried deep in his chest." "I don't know why, but I moved forward thinking I could still save him, when Astraughlay grabbed me by my shoulders and said, 'Leave him, Horacios! It is better this way. He doesn't have to suffer anymore. They don't have to suffer anymore. I know how to make it better. We'll kill them all fast before they do it. Before they kill them slowly and horribly. We can make it right by ending their lives quickly. Horacios, help me kill them.'" "In fear and confusion I asked who 'they' were. He answered, 'We have to kill them all. Elves, gnolls, kobolds, goblins, humans, dwarves. All the races before the great sin occurs. By the gods, Horacios, you don't know what they are going to do! How could they! Damn them, but we can fix it. We can make it quick so they don't suffer. You can't stop it! Gods, Horacios, in every vision I watched Saleentra burn! They're still alive, Horacios, but I can see the elves burning and screaming for salvation. And their the lucky ones. Oh, gods... you don't believe me. You don't believe me and you won't trust me. I'm sorry, Horacios, but I'll make this painless.'"[/color] Turning to the party, he continued. [color=teal]"With that, he cast his magic, but I somehow resisted his illusions and ran. I thought the madman would die out there without help, but he lives still and he almost got us all killed. You must stop him. We can reward you with gems, if that is what you want. And of course, we can replenish your equipment. If what I heard is to be believed, he learned necromancy from the kobold, and they turned that damned chair into a device to make living zombies to control and later use the crystals for more divining. And Horacios undoubtedly is using some kind of enhancement to his illusion magic to make others see the future he thinks they want to see. I believe its the power of the sphere, and its making him powerful in both illusions and divination. It is likely he knows everything about you as is, and is likely he already considers you an enemy. You've killed his supporters except... we found an old flesh golem inside the structure. An ugly, bald brute. He didn't attack us when we came in to study, and Horacios was able to find a way to control it. If you must resort to brute force, best you have a plan."[/color] [/QUOTE]
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