Lost City of Gaxmoor - The Borderlands Campaign

[S'mon]

Lord Maugraign’s Shade

Leo and his companions moved forward towards the Temple area. Fjorent’s spirit, eyes twinkling in the darkness, had warned that “unquiet” dwarven spirits guarded the area. It did not feel comfortable going any further. Fjorent herself flew away briefly saying she had to go on a spirit quest but then came back swiftly.

So Leo and the others edged cautiously down a corridor. The walls were smoother and worked. The darkness seemed even more inky than before. Cailin still went first but only a few feet in front of Ghost Bear, looking for traps. As she turned a tunnel corner she motioned the group to stop. Then she came back, with whispers that she had seen a shimmering form in a room ahead. Thus warned the group moved forward carefully until they were almost inside said room. It was small, square and empty with another corridor leading out. As soon as the front warriors moved into the room, seven shimmering skeletal forms manifested around them. Their size proclaimed them to be either dwarves or duergar. They shimmered and pulsed with unholy light. They were transparent, one moment substantial, another almost invisible. They struck the warriors quickly and ferociously. Their cold dead hands reached into the warriors, ignoring their armour and twisted viciously inside their bodies. Raven and Xiang spasmed each time this happened, their flesh turning insubstantial around the skeletal hands. Raven called out a holy prayer, trying to dismiss these creatures but they ignored him, seemingly mocking his attempt. Both Leo and Tarquin seemed affected by their long stay in the Underdark. Their reactions were sluggish, slow. Tarquin finally reacted and used the power of Urnus Gregaria. This time, the Phylactery on his forehead glowing, five of the creatures shimmered out of existence. The other two were struck by Xiang and Raven, although they seemed to have trouble hitting them as they pulsed in the darkness. Another was struck by Fjorent’s strange lightning. Again they struck the two warriors who wilted more under the attacks. Then Tarquin called on the Power again and the remaining two shimmered out of existence; but the other five suddenly came back, ready for the fray. At this point Leo cast his Chain Lightning, causing three of them to wail mournfully as they turned into a small pile of black dust that floated slowly down to the flagstones. Xiang and Raven, struck the others. Tarquin saw that both the warriors were extremely weakened and moved forward into the room, casting a spell on Xiang which restored a great deal of his life energy. This enemy struck to the very soul. Then the other two appeared again but by this stage the warriors were able to deal with them. Again and again they struck, their weapons passing harmlessly through the shapes more often than not but doing enough harm that one by one the others were turned into floating clouds of black dust after mournful wails.

The others went into the room. Quick healing had to be done. Deorn was posted as a lookout on the corridor by which the group had traveled. There was another corridor leading out of this opening. Cailin posted herself there as another lookout. Then the priority was to look after the warriors, especially Raven, who had been badly wounded. Tarquin had just cast a life-restoring spell on Raven when there was a shout from Deorn. Everyone turned and Leo saw with horror three large duergar appear down the corridor and charge rapidly towards the group. This was very bad. Everyone was out of position, waiting for the healing to finish. The duergar had taken advantage of their capability to go invisible. They were different from others the group had seen. They were wearing spiked black armour, had bizarre tattoos and a maniacal gleam in their eyes. Quickly they struck Deorn who was wounded so badly he fell unconscious. Then they reacted again incredibly swiftly and struck Ghost Bear, Raven and Xiang. Raven, had not had healing since the battle with the spirit guardians. He fell to the ground, gushing blood. Mysteriously, his Holy Axe disappeared from his hand. Leo feared the worst. The enemy also had gained access to the room, making it difficult for the group to set up a line of defence. At the same time, two spells were cast, one at Tarquin which he shrugged off but the other made the area around Leo go silent, making spell casting impossible. Leo cursed. The situation was desperate. The group was being overrun. Tarquin had managed to get cast one spell and it revealed that the corridor was full of duergar, who again wore this spiked metal armour. Thankfully, Cailin and Fjorent were out of harm’s way; and Balto and Korbon rushed forward to plug the gap. They stood bravely for a brief moment but they stood no chance. They were cut down but at least they bought the group a little time. Briefly Leo decided that if they survived this expedition, he would make sure that the three Goldhammer dwarves were brought back to life. He would find the money somewhere. Leo decided to gamble; it was unlike him but he felt he had to try. He wanted to move out of the silent area of the spell and then cast a spell, one that would seal the room from duergar reinforcements, allowing the group to deal with the few that were in the room and then organise themselves. As he tried to do so, four duergar axes thudded into him. At the last moment he realised he had made a horrible mistake when everything went black….

Leo opened his eyes. The battle was still raging. He was on the ground, with many images of himself shimmering around him. His Contigency had been set off. Cailin was bending over him, an empty potion bottle in her hand. Leo was mesmerised by that bottle. For a moment he could see every little detail of it. His life still hung by a thread but he wasn’t dead. Somehow, Cailin managed to see past the images to the real Leo.

Then he was brought back to the real situation. He was still in a silent area. He mouthed a “thank you” to Cailin. Almost next to him was a massive duergar. This one had ritual tattoos across his face and had lost an eye in a past battle. Like his comrades, he was a grizzled veteran of numberless battles in the Underdark. Past him, Leo could see that the corridor was still glowing with heat and he assumed that Fjorent had cast her fire spell down there. He could also see that there were fewer duergar warriors around the front and more corpses, though the corridor was still full of them. Leo took the opportunity to get up and move. The duergar next to him attempted to strike him but somehow he missed. Leo didn’t know how. Maybe being a companion of a priest of a Luck god somehow helped him. Maybe having only one eye made it difficult for this warrior to hit. Maybe it was Avanthe who for the briefest of moments focused her attention on Leo. Whatever the explanation, one of his images winked out and Leo managed to scramble out of reach of the duergar, into a corner of the room. Cailin followed him, another potion bottle in her hand, which she promptly fed to Leo.

Leo took stock. The situation was desperate. Tarquin had moved forward to plug a gap in the line. The priest was no warrior although he was normally very difficult to hit. The duergar, in their fanaticism, had no difficulty and Leo winced as he saw axes thud into Tarquin again and again. Baron Ghost Bear was swiping with his claws, ripping viciously into the duergar but one had slipped past and was threatening Fjorent. Xiang was fighting cleverly, making himself difficult to hit. The duergar had almost no thought for their own lives so long as they could make people die with them. True fanatics. Fjorent managed to let loose another fire spell down the corridor, this one felling several warriors. Leo finally managed to cast his spell, creating an impenetrable but invisible wall to block the corridor. He breathed in relief. It would not last very long, but hopefully long enough to allow the warriors to mop up and the group to recover briefly. The warriors soon managed to dispatch the remaining three duergar. The others disappeared although Leo could see them marching back down the corridor.

Tarquin quickly healed people while Leo kept a very careful count of the time. Looking down at Raven, Xiang remembered that the dwarven warrior was very specific that if he died in battle, he did not want to be brought back to life. It was not his creed. Gently, Xiang took his many potent items and carefully put him in the Bag of Holding. His body would be given a correct burial once the opportunity presented itself.

Warned by Leo that his wall was going to finish soon, the group quickly left the room by the other opening. The priority was to leave the area. The group was weakened. One of the major warriors had been lost and they were dangerously low on spell resources. Cailin led the way, finding a set of stairs sloping upwards. These led to a strange circular chamber, which had a large anvil with a hammer above it inlaid on the floor. Some instinct made Cailin hesitate before entering into this room. She investigated and then said the room was magically trapped. There were three other exits out of it. Fjorent concentrate and managed to suppress the magic in the room briefly, allowing the group to move through it. Then the group came to a set of stairs sloping downwards. Again they moved on, coming to a set of chambers which looked semi ruined and long abandoned. The look of age was everywhere. Debris was strewn across the floor. Dust floated gently as the group strode through. True to dwarven building though, the walls were still intact. Set in an opposite wall in front of the group, there was a door. It was a masterpiece of dwarven manufacture. Stone, strong, melding into the wall so it was almost invisible. Casting an expert eye on it, Cailin thought it was the back of a secret door. She then examined it and said that she believed it was not only stone but also had mithril sheathing. During this time, Baron Ghost Bear was becoming increasingly restless. He started towards Fjorent and they communicated briefly. She then turned to the group and said that Ghost Bear told her there were unhappy spirits beyond that door. It was better to leave it alone. She also said that Ghost Bear was unhappy but he was still going to go with her. That was enough for the group. There were other ways out of this series of chambers and the last thing they needed was another battle with shimmering dwarven skeletons.

The group moved past a complicated series of chambers. In one of them, Cailin thought she caught a glimpse of patch of dark that “wasn’t right” but wisely the group decided to leave it alone. Just as they were leaving this area, Cailin said she heard faint cries from an area which could be the circular chamber with the inlay of the hammer and the anvil. They then moved through as series of corridors, which led mainly upwards. Finally they came to what again looked like the back of a secret door. The group prepared themselves.

Expertly, Cailin opened the door. It opened into a massive chamber. The scale was the largest they had seen in the Underdark with the exception of the Duergar Cave. The ceiling was invisible in the darkness. They could see the floor and the walls but they were only just visible. Most impressive was the enormous statue of Grom, the dwarven All-Father. He was represented as a dignified, thirty foot tall dwarven warrior. Long cold, at his feet was a fire pit. Several skeletons were scattered on the floor. They were armoured, both duergar and dwarven. The armour was still in very good condition but Leo felt it would be sacrilege to disturb anything in this Hall. The walls had been decorated with friezes of dwarven triumphs but they had long been defaced. The group had opened a door high up on the wall, next to the statue, but saw a set of stairs leading down. They investigated the Hall. Luckily there were no guardian spirits. The group was now looking for a place to rest. Again, the floor was littered with debris and the remains of a long-forgotten battle. There were various exits out of the Hall. One led to a series of corridors, which were caved in. Another two exits had corridors, which linked to a small chamber. Inside this chamber was a series of vestments. As Cailin searched it, she also found a small indentation inside of which was a small box. Inside this box were seven distinctive amulets, one of black volcanic rock set with diamonds and the others silver, again of a hammer and anvil. A simple spell revealed them not to be magical but the group decided to wear them in case they helped to show the dwarven guardian spirits they were friends.

The group decided to rest in this room, using the defence capabilities of a Wall of Stone spell, which Leo still had in his ring. The spell was cast and the group settled down. Fjorent decided to summon a spirit of the area to see if we could find out more information. This time the spirit looked like a dwarven warrior richly dressed in a mithril chaimail bearing a large axe. He and Fjorent started conversing and as usual Fjorent translated. Right from the start, this spirit seemed more assertive, commanding and knowledgeable. Then Fjorent asked its name.

“I am Maugraign” it replied.

There was a stunned silence. None of the group had expected this. The Shade looked at the group. The first order was to introduce everyone to the former ruler. Then to inform him of the purpose of the mission. Upon hearing of the duergar purpose, Maugraign frowned.

“The Duergar are mad,” it said. “They do not have the full information about Ustroda-Eloth. I could control him but they won’t. It needs very specific rituals and information which I am positive they don’t have. They have been listening to the abominations again. The Illithids and Aboleths.”

Leo shuddered. He had only very vaguely heard of these beings of legend and hoped never to meet one. They were referenced briefly in ancient chronicles dealing mainly with the outer planes and the Deep Underdark.

Maugraign continued. “Once they summon Ustroda-Eloth, it will loose the fault and the lava will flow. It is a being of fire and flame. The lava will burst through the hills and maybe go as high as the surface. That is its nature. They will destroy themselves, these Halls and probably whatever is on the surface.”

He then put his ears to the ground.

“I can hear where they are. I can also hear where the dwarven prisoners are. They are within days breaching the walls of the summoning chamber”.

Leo was able to provide Fjorent with more information about the dwarven nation of today. In some ways, Maugraign reminded him of Lucius Mageris, another being who had been dead for thousands of years and who was hungry for information about the world. Once Magraign was told that the group intended to rescue the dwarven prisoners and stop the duergar if possible, he also provided the group with detailed maps of the whole of his Halls including the location of the prisoners and the Summoning chamber. The conversation continued for a long time. Maugraign was willing to help the group in stopping the potential disaster.

 

[Mathew_Freeman]

Xiang's Training

Whilst the others spoke to the Shade, the Ghost, whatever it was. Xiang moved away. He knew that his ideas and skills would come into play when the map was complete, when the information was there and he could look at it. Getting information was something he'd never been good at - he was too impatient, not subtle enough in his words. Xiang was a fighter, and proud of it. He knew his melee skill was amongst the best around. Few in Mount Fire could match him now, at least in toe-to-toe fighting.

Something was niggling at the back of his mind. Xiang tried to relax, to forget about it. It'd come to him.

The day had been interesting. Fighting insubstantial spirits was a learning experience - Xiang had struck with the Spear and it had passed straight through his opponent. Without Tarquin's ability to hurt them the whole group might have died.

Not that Raven had lived much longer anyway. A sudden Duergar attack had seen to that. The Paladin's reluctance to fight defensively had truly cost him. Xiang had realised that against larger foes all you could do was try to outlast them. Make yourself hard to hit, make them trade power for accuracy, and get a stoneskin from a friendly wizard so that any blows that did get through didn't do so much damage. Xiang smiled to himself - he'd caught himself thinking of Leo as "the friendly wizard". Leo would get the joke, thought Xiang.

The niggle in the back of his mind crystalised.

Xiang considered it carefully, trying it out in his mind before physically moving through the paces. His mind went back through all the fights of recent times - ogres, goblins, orcs, giants, duergar, spirits...all of them had hurt him. Xiang had a realisastion.

Every time they'd hurt him, they'd left themselves open. Combat relied on this idea - if you hurt your opponent he would be unable to strike back. Xiang saw, in his minds eye, that if he could block the pain from his mind at the moment of impact he could strike back in return. He began to practise quietly, making small adjustments in his footwork and positioning. This was a huge difference. The ability to strike his opponents in this way would make a great deal of difference.

When Fjorent glanced up from her conversation, she was surprised to see Xiang balanced on one leg, the Spear thrust out, and a wide grin on his face.

 

[StalkingBlue]

Alliance



The Witch starts up, gasping. The third time tonight. The dreams come ever more frequent – and this time, it was very near.

***

A lake, an ice film, fragile enough to shiver in the winter wind; yet unpierceable by the Witch spirit who flutters, tiring yet too intrigued to give it up.

A burst. Ice, water and fish scales scatter as a feathered shape rises, sharp blue piercing the pale blue sky.

Ice Phoenix.

The slim little blue bird with its prey of fatfish flits past her, oblivious. Below on the thinly-iced lake, the shadow of an enormous crane wheels away royally.

***

The Witch shakes herself fully awake. Not again?

Spirits intruding upon your dreams, my dear. Too much mushrooming.
After this long absence, the taste of freshly cut mushroom. The colours of the True, undiluted by distance or age or dust. It has been exhilarating, yes: dangerously so. But … a mortal spirit? It has taken many repetitions of this dream for her to be sure that was what Ice Phoenix is. A disappointment at first to realise that – a person in her own right that one is, not one that would need a Witch to visit the Pale. Disappointment; then, when the dreams kept coming and closing in on her, worry.

Pursuers? Hakemon? Mongali? A renegade Forest Witch?

You are growing paranoid. Too much time with Eastern thinkers does that.

The Witch sits and ponders. Stars wheel. The Forest of Beskarn whispers around her. As is bound to happen when thoughts insist on being thought when it is time to be sleeping, no solution presents itself. Instead, a root persistently pokes into her lower back.

So finally, annoyed and sleepy, the Witch rolls her shoulders and curls up into bat shape, to fly up into the ancient blood oak and hang down and try to finally perhaps get some sleep.

***

A grumpy, dream-shaken bat wakes just as the first sunlight fingers its way down the tips of the treetops. Below crouches a white splotch of a figure. The bat blinks to clear her day sight, reaches for concentration, reassures herself of a mostly-full arsenal of spells. Considers the intruder.

A human, female. Shirt, sandals and trousers in the square cut typical of the Heavenly Mountains: in death white. No weapons. Yet muscled, the loose readiness of a warrior. Oblivious of the observer hanging upside down above her, she’s rewinding a length of frayed, ancient cloth around her left hand with slow care.

The bat braces against that instant of memory and nausea that still finds her unerringly every time she does this, draws breath into her tiny lungs and lets go. She drops –

– tumbling, huge paws whirling, the rock of that shaft whistling past her – just a memory – it just hurt a bit –

Robes billow around her as her body stretches into its natural shape and size.

Before her feet touch the soft ground, the woman crouching beneath her flips backwards into the air and rises, cloth-wrapped feet thudding faintly as she lands on a low branch opposite the little clearing. Hands loosely extended, ready.

A Warrior, yes, if not a Guardian, one of the few survivors. More importantly, the Witch has recognised the sharp rising move.

Ice Phoenix.

The Witch stands, head cocked slightly upwards, barely hiding her boiling excitement, holding the slanting brown eyes in that calm Heavenly Mountains face. She considers.

The looseness of bearing. The overly simple clothing. The arrogance in that humility.

The serene cold of a long-trained killer. Loneliness. Purpose. What fish will you catch me from underneath the crust of ice?

Time in the clearing holds its breath as their stares wrestle.

Finally, the Warrior woman spreads her arms slightly; bows with a square, compact sort of grace.

“I have no hostile intentions, o …. Witch. Forgive me if I intrude upon a place of ritual.”

“That was an impressive leap.” The Witch smiles: the smile that has unsettled politicians and made spirits melt. The Warrior woman seems unimpressed.

“I was given guidance to come here and wait. The night after the full moon. That which was told me would occur has not. The error was mine. I will leave now.” She makes a move, seems to see the Witch’s readiness, stops. More wariness.

“I am Fjorent, Witch of Beskarn. The night is not yet over. Not until the sun touches the mosses underneath those trees.”

“The one I seek is a Warrior. Of great power. I have come to the wrong place.”

Patience now. The Witch has tamed spirits haughtier than this one. She keeps her smile.
“I saw you in my dreams. You were approaching. I named you Ice Phoenix. A friendship name, you understand.”

“This Warrior’s name is Tsui Yio Cho.” The tone is one of challenge.

So I have ruffled you. The Witch smiles, bones clicking as she throws up her chin. “Ice Phoenix. We are agreed, then.”

The Warrior woman stares at her, slanting eyes unblinking, cold.

 

[S'mon]

Cho's back! Hurray!

 

[S'mon]

The Summoning Chamber

Fjorent, Leo and the others talked with Maugraign’s Shade for a long time. Over the hours, it grew less overbearing when it began to understand that Leo and the group were not treasure hunters but genuinely here to rescue kidnapped dwarves if possible but also to put a stop to duergar plans. It drew a detailed map of the Halls, revealed the progress of duergar occupation and above all related that to summon Ustroda Eloth, the duergar needed several things. Mysterious ritual scrolls, two arcane anvils and a greatly dweomered sword. A little mischievously, he revealed that the duergar believed they already possessed the sword but it was not the right one. The true sword was locked in a cave leading from the Summoning Chamber. He showed the group where the other items were situated with the warning that the last Scroll, one which controlled Ustroda Eloth, had been destroyed. Leo thought that Maugraign must be a little desperate to give out so much information. Then again, by his calculations, the miners were very close to breaching the rubble to the Summoning Chamber. Once they had done so, it would take the Duergar little time to begin the summoning and potentially flood the halls with lava. This lava could potentially erupt to the surface, creating havoc.

Discussing the information given to them, the group decided to try to obtain the sword. It was close and it was the one unique object that was needed for the summoning. Without it, the duergar would fail. Maugraign had one last piece of wisdom to impart before he went back to the spirit world. The amulets would tell the dwarven guardian spirits that the wearer was an ally and not be harmed.

So the group made ready. Everyone rested. Spells were regained. Fjorent changed into a hawk and wore her amulet. The rest of the group was changed into vapour by an effect from Tarquin. This allowed them to fly at great speed. Thus they set out. The first part of the journey was uneventful. Then the group came to a spiral staircase as had been shown on their map. The group moved down when suddenly they started seeing bits of green mould appearing on the stairs. It was green and looked quite feathery. Any steps would disturb it scattering it into the air. A glimpsed room ahead was full of the stuff. Cailin concentrated. Moments later she said that she could hear banging from the room where they had been resting recently. People solidified. Fjorent said she was not going to be affected by any of this stuff and she moved forward with a torch. A little later she was came back, looking smoky. She said one could burn this stuff but it was very slow. At the same time, the pursuit was getting too close so Leo made a stone wall appear behind them, blocking the stairs. Tarquin was able to make the group temporarily immune to poison. Then the group made their way down the stairs towards a door. Cailin used the keys she found in the Temple and opened the door. Inside the next room were two elves!

One was obviously a warrior of some type. He was armed, had a bow and wore armour. The other wore no armour but his eyes glowed an eerie blue colour. As soon as Leo saw that, he recognised the effect. He had it. It was useful to an extent, letting the caster know the relative power of the people he was looking at, especially if they were spellcasters. He himself rarely used it as the blue eyes made you very conspicuous to everyone, and to people with the right knowledge, it immediately told them that you were a wizard.

“The one with the blue glowing eyes is a wizard”, Leo called out.

Fjorent, first inside the room, said: “Who are you and what are you doing here?”

The stranger replied: “You first,” but then his eyes widened as the rest of the group came in. His eyes seemed particularly fixed on Leo. “Archmage”. Leo could hear the whisper. Dammed arcane sight.

Muttering, Leo put his magical amulet back on.

“Ah, hum” he said, “my name is Elaith. I am here searching for woundrous dwarven weapons. Unfortunately we ran across some duergar a few minutes ago and I had to run away from them. This is where I ended up. This is my companion and bodyguard Kai. Errr…you wouldn’t want some temporary companions would you? Just until we get out of here that is.”

Leo looked at the others. “They are elves. If we leave them here they’re dead meat. Whatever we do, we have to do it soon.” The others nodded.

The room contained two doors. One of the left wall and another on the front one. Instructions from Magraign said that the group should go to the front door and turn left as and when they could. Everyone got into their order and Cailin opened the door. Looking through, Cailin could see a large opening. In it there was a large lizard like creature, at least 20 foot long with a long armoured tail and a duergar rider. This must be one of the fabled duergar war beasts. Other duergar were dotted around the area. Cailin closed the door without being noticed. The group held a quick consultation and in the end it was decided that a direct confrontation was the best course of action in this case. Xiang opened the room and moved into the room. A stream of acid shot from the Black Spear and hit the beast. Cailin also moved in. She shouted that there was another beast and rider next to the one she had seen before as well as more duergar. The Fjorent loosed one of her fire spells at the creature and the rider. Leo moved next to her and did the same and Elieth, not to be outdone, repeated the procedure. The beast hissed, but looked more angry then hurt. The group realised the beasts were much tougher than expected. A lot of the duergar were scorched to death thankfully. Tarquin moved forward into the room, putting a glow on Xiang, making him more difficult to hit. Then, ponderously, the beasts swung their tails and both hit Xiang, staggering him. He had several dents in his armour and blood started seeping down one of his arms. A small cloud of arbalest bolts came flying towards him and two struck, causing more bleeding.

Fjorent shouted for everyone to get back into the room. The fighting would be more advantageous there. Leo saw she was ready to ready to shut it but she had to wait for everyone. Xiang moved out as did Cailin. Leo saw an opportunity. He moved forward and again cast the multi coloured light cone he had used before. This time, the effects were equally impressive. One of the of the war beasts simply disappeared. The other was racked with electricity and briefly contorted, hissing in pain this time. Several duergar simply fell over having been licked by fire, electricity or acid. A few turned to stone and one stared vacantly into space. Then Leo used his new ability and transported himself back into the room. After that, this group of duergar was quickly dispatched.

That left two problems. One was the very secure secret door. To follow Magraign’s directions the group had to go through it. Luckily, Cailin realised that she needed to wear one of the dwarven amulets to open it. She opened it very expertly. Behind it was a corridor. Elaith told everyone that there was strong magic emanating from it. Then the group realised that they did not have enough amulets for everyone to go through the area of the spirits. It was decided that Tarquin, with his transport ability, would wait outside and then use his magic to join the group once they came back and instructed him. So the group moved forward. They were moving when many, many stone fists, claws and limbs suddenly came out of the wall and seemed about to strike. Then they froze in their positions. It was eerie. There was shout from Cailin that Tarquin was under attack. Everyone ran back only to find the priest in the corridor. The duergar had found them already. Cailin moved forward and shut the secret door. Dorn, looking very dubious, was put into the portable hole and the group moved forward.

The corridor ended on a landing in front of a door. Above it was a banner carved into the stone. Moving forward, Leo and Elaith were both able to read the dwarven runes.

“The Hall of the Kin,
“Ware all who Enter.”

Cailin quickly opened the door which led into a large chamber. The front section of it was separated by a row of columns across the room. Beyond this row was a vast pit. This matched the Maugraign’s description. The group almost there. Then Elaith said there was very strong magic emanating as a barrier between the columns. After a little discussion, Leo cast another of his spells which suppressed magic around him for a period of time. Thus he was able to create a passage through the barrier. The group then examined the room. There were several chests, magical candlesticks, two lecterns and two large iron tubs in the room. The group left most of these alone although the chests and a book were put into the portable hole. The group turned vaporous and flew down the shaft. The two elves and Fjorent were going down by other means. The first inkling that the vaporous group had that there was a problem was when they slightly buffeted as a large bear dropped past them down the shaft. It landed with a loud thud. Leo winced. They flew down as fast as they could and then they solidified. The bear had turned into Fjorent, looking angry and bloody. Tarquin healed her.

She and the two elves had been flying down when they were attacked by a group of large scaly gargoyles. Evil flying creatures. Fjorent told us that all three of them had been grabbed and she turned herself into a bear. She became too heavy for them to lift. So she dropped. She didn’t know what had happened to the others. Suddenly, Elaith floated down to the group. When he was asked about Kai, his face said it all. Diplomatically everyone held a moment’s silence for the elf.

“One hundred and fifty years…..” whispered Elaith.

Then the group looked around them. It was a huge chamber. From the description, the summoning chamber. Cailin looked around and found the expected concealed door. Quickly she opened it, revealing a cave which contained a chest. The group moved forward. Cailin took a little longer in opening this chest. Muttering to herself about bloody dwarves, she gave several clever twists and extracted a spike from the lock. Then she set to work again and this time opened the chest. It revealed a little cache of jewelry, some platinum coinage and a large, beautiful, expertly crafted, very magical greatsword. By its description, this was the sword needed fort he summoning.

So, the group now had the means by which to stop the duergar summoning. The next step was to rescue the dwarven prisoners. One side of the summoning chamber had collapsed. The miners were on the other side of that rubble. Leo changed his shape into that of an earth elemental and went under the rubble to take a look into the cave beyond. He saw many more slaves, including gnomes, humans, orcs, hobgoblins as well as the dwarves. There were also a group of duergar guards. Leo came back to let everyone else know. A plan was hatched. It would involve a major change in spells for Leo and Elaith but it was the only way they could attempt a rescue.

They would have to rest. Elaith created a little pocket of extradimensional space. Leo stoneshaped a little gap of stone in the cavern wall and hid the portable hole and the bag of holding inside it. The chest containing the sword was emptied and left in the middle of the cave. Then the group started resting.

The group had almost finished resting when Cailin woke everyone up carefully. She pointed to four duergar and one other who looked like a senior priest. This one moved forward to the centre of the room and opened the chest. Finding it empty he snarled something into the air. Then his eyes widened and he started gesturing at the pocket plane. He had obviously found the spell and he was trying to disrupt it. Suddenly he seemed to realise his position and he barked an order. All the duergar withdrew and he shut the door. The group quickly organised themselves and then Leo transported them to the Temple. There they finished learning their spells. A plan was quickly discussed and the group reached a decision. They would attempt the rescue but if they couldn’t do it, the priority was to stop the duergar from summoning Ustroda Eloth. If the rescue was not feasible then the priority was to get out.

Having made their preparations, the group was transported into the large cave which Leo had scouted before. Much had changed. There were only about a dozen slaves. The rest had gone. The group could see three war beasts. The duergar had also made a little encampment at the far end of the cave. The three war beasts were enough for Leo. With so much of his magic tied up for the rescue it would be suicide for them to remain here. A moment later, he transported them all to the main bridge outside the duergar cave. Then Tarquin made everyone vaporous again and he also gave himself an unerring sense of direction, which would lead them out. As they flew at great speed, on one occasion Leo saw two beings about which he had only seen vague references. Drow or dark elves, with white hair dark skins. They looked surprised. A couple of hours later, Tarquin’s direction magic wore off and the group relied on Dorn’s tracking.

Some time later the group arrived back at Goldhammer Hall. The group was welcomed back although the dwarves were still reserved. This reserve visibly melted when the group produced the sword. This was a mighty artifact which would aid the dwarven nation greatly against their enemies. Leo then closeted himself with Filum and related everything that had happened in the Underdark. He also promised the dwarven sage that he would write all this down and give him a copy as soon as he was able. The dwarves also purchased the dwarven jewelry from the Halls.

Then the group was transported back to Gaxmoor. There everyone briefly saw Kanor, who had been made and Archduke, and then they left on their own devices. Leo had much to do.

 

[S'mon]

Thanks Peter, give Leo 250 XP. BTW all the several dozen slaves were still in the cavern, not just 12.

Kanor was made a Duke, not an Archduke of course - there's only 1 Archduke in the Overkingdom, Archduke Ulfius of Colladel (Colladel population 3 million or so). The Borderlands at 125,000 people is small even for a Duchy, most Duchies have populations around 400,000+; before 2729 YE all of Imgart Province was a single Duchy, with 1 million people.

 

[S'mon]

Leo's account:
Things to do, people to see.


Leo breathed the cool air. It was splendid to be back on the surface again. After spending what seemed to be a never-ending time in the Underdark both hunting and being hunted by Duergar, it felt very good to look at the sun. Then he concentrated. He had a lot to do. First there was the dinner with Kanor tonight. No doubt there would have been some developments in the upcoming war plans. Leo wasn’t sure just how involved Kanor and the Borderlands were but he hoped that he would find out tonight. Before then, he had to go to the Tower, find out how the move back to Imarr was going. He had to communicate with various individuals, say goodbye to Tarquin the priest, who was going to stay in the Temple of Urnus Gregaria for a while and generally acquaint himself with the latest news.

The day went quickly. Leo had made arrangements to leave the next day to visit Clarendon and he packed and made ready. He found out that the White Way move had been remarkably trouble free.

That night, he went to the banquet hall with the others including Elaith, the elven mage they had met in the Underdark. Fjorent the Forest Witch had already gone on business of her own. The conversation ranged far and wide. Kanor was pleased that the debt to the dwarves had been settled and that an alliance had been strengthened. He was sorry to hear about the Holy Warrior Raven, forever lost. He himself had little to say. The Borderlands carried on pretty much as before. His recent promotion to Duke had obviously pleased him. He was also interested to hear Elaith’s story. The elf was a melancholy being, as was all of his kind. They still remembered the glory days of the Forest of Angar before they were almost completely destroyed by the Mongali. Elaith had heard that the Horde stirred again and had come out to help its opposition and provide his centuries-old knowledge of the enemy. He was quite ruthless. He was obviously also devastated about the death of his faithful bodyguard. He consumed a large amount of wine that night.

After the dinner everyone retired although Kanor did call Cailin for a conversation just as everyone was leaving.

The next morning Leo transported himself and a lot of his inks and writing equipment to Torrent. This was the headquarters of the Thrinian Knights. There, in a tall tower, he met Clarendon. Upon announcing his presence, a young squire led him to the Thrinian archmage. Leo was shocked at his appearance. Clarendon looked like an old man. His hair was snowy white, he had numerous crow’s feet and whereas once his eyes looked bright and clear now they were dim and watery. He smiled wryly.

“Ah, Leo welcome. Don’t look so shocked. I am an old man. For centuries I have been supported by anti-aging magic. Something happened recently. I don’t know what but the magic has stopped working. You will find many of the powerful mages in the land have suffered. Certainly Dovistar, possibly some of the Mongali Hakomen. My time is limited now. My dearest wish is to see the Mongali defeated and my homeland, the Settler’s Country, freed from their yoke. Now, what can I do for you?”

So it began. Knowledge was purchased and exchanged. Leo stayed in Clarendon’s scriptorium where he annotated his spellbooks. He was able to purchase and write several new powerful effects. He held long conversations with Clarendon, talking about anything and everything. The Knights left them alone. They were busy with preparations for war. Leo didn’t know if Ulfius was there but if he was the Archduke didn’t make an appearance. Towards the end of his stay, Leo received a message from Laera in Imarr. She asked him if he could call there. Leo had pretty much finished in Torrent. He said his goodbyes to the archmage, determined to visit and talk to the old man as much as possible before the sad event. The man knew so much. He still had many secrets.

Arriving in Imarr he quickly announced his presence in the tower. Laera quickly took him to her study, where she explained.

“Good to see you Leo. Dovistar has finally started involving himself in politics again. He is over two centuries old as I am sure you are aware. Due to his age, he knows where many bodies are buried and many skeletons rattling in cupboards. He has some scheme afoot at the moment otherwise he would be here to greet you himself. Anyway, the Blue Light has dispatched a powerful operative to Gaxmoor. He or she are there to recruit the elven mage you met. He is one of the most powerful elven mages left in the land that we know of. It is important that he be recruited for the White Way. It would go a long way to regaining some of the ground we have lost to the Blue Light. Possibly also forge links with the remnants of the elven community in the future. Since you have met him Dovistar feels you have the best chance of recruiting him.”

Leo agreed. He still had ambivalent feelings about Elaith. He didn’t know him. He could see how the society could benefit from his membership. The next day he transported himself to Gaxmoor. Quickly he was taken to see Kanor where he met Cailin, Xiang, Elaith and the Blue Light operative. Leo recognised her at once. The lady Krysteel. Scion of an ancient noble Imarran family, she was young but had distinctive grey hair. Leo also knew she specialised in conjuration, was a rising star in the Blue Light Society and very powerful. She was also known to be a close personal friend to the Empress to be, Zalindra. A formidable woman.

He greeted her politely and non-commitally. No point in burning bridges just yet, although there were probably no bridges there. Then he asked the others to join him for a proposal. They all moved somewhere private. However, as Krysteel moved to join them, Leo politely asked her to give them some privacy. She was not offended. Then he and the others went to the Temple of Urnus Gregaria. There, Leo outlined what he had in mind. A visit to Charasta’s cave to recover her treasure. He explained to Elaith and Cailin that Charasta was the White Dragon, which had been slain by some of the Heroes of Gaxmoor. Before they could recover her treasure, the group had been urgently summoned to Goldworthy Hall to aid the dwarves. Everyone was agreeable and plans were made.

The next day, certain spells were cast on everyone, including the ability to breathe underwater. Then the group transported themselves just outside the cave. As soon as they did, Leo spotted a large creature inside. Something had already taken over the cavern. Cailin snuck inside. She came out, reporting a large snake like thing, which had what looked like eggs made of ice next to it. The cave itself was colder and the former pool was now frozen over. As she was whispering the creature stirred and moved forward. Everyone reacted. Cailin first. She peppered it with arrows. Then Leo cast a ball of fire, which was almost a mistake as there was an ominous cracking sound from the cavern. He shouted a warning to the others. Tarquin had a beam of light spring from his hand and Elaith had three beams of fire spring from his hands. All of this caused the creature to shiver, writhe and then explode in massive cloud of cold air and ice shards, which hurt everyone.

Tarquin healed everyone. Then an effect was cast by Leo and Elaith transforming everyone into earth elementals. Then the ice was cleared from the ground and everyone dove into the earth. Eventually a flooded cave was found which contained an open casket in a small alcove. Cailin moved to the casket and as she approached it, she stiffened but suddenly shook herself and took the chest. Elaith moved forward to investigate some draconic markings nearby and managed to decipher the existence of another cave, which was not accessible through any tunnel and the group had not investigated yet. The group then moved back up into the main cave. The casket was left in a corner. No one wanted anything to do with that. Leo then made several calculations and worked out, with Elaith’s help, how to get to the hidden cave. The short transport spell was cast and everyone appeared in a cave, which had a large mound of coins in the middle. There were other items also including a tapestry and two finely carved candlesticks. There was also a chest, which Elaith said was radiating magic. The whole pile was surrounded by six human figures, which looked to be totally frozen. Cailin moved forward and carefully examined the chest. She produced her paraphenalia and with some deft rubs and twists with her tools she pronounced it safe. Then she opened and it produced a large key, a rod and three scrolls. Everything was put into various magical bags and then everyone was transported back to Gaxmoor.

Upon arrival, everything was shared and people were left to their own devices.

Privately, Leo had a conversation with Elaith. The elven mage had impressed him in the dragon cave. After several questions, Elaith agreed to become a member of the White Way.

Leo and Elaith left quickly after. They went to Imarr where they saw Dovistar and Laera. Like Clarendon, the mage was beginning to look all of his two hundred plus years. Leo was pleased Laera was such an able administrator. She also looked very taken with Elaith. Leo himself asked Dovistar to teach him the last stages of his study of the flux. After this, Dovistar had taught him all he knew. Anything further, Leo would have to research on his own. After that, Leo copied another spell into his book. Then he said his goodbyes to everyone and went on the road again. First he went to Trafalgis and spent a couple of pleasant days with King Sigurd. Sigurd was in a particularly good mood as he was counting soldiers and talking about his new ships. Something about gold dragon heads. Very tasteful, Leo though privately. He had never been to Sigurd’s Hall before and it was certainly different. He also spent several hours letting Sigurd know everything that had happened in the Underdark.

Then Leo went to Dulleaberg where he made some very specialised purchases. From there he made his way to Goldworthy Hall. He planned to craft certain items. He had arranged this with Fillum the dwarven sage, who was more than happy to be hospitable. This was an enjoyable time. The items were tricky but rewarding. At the end of almost two months, Leo had a stronger cloak, a pair of gloves and a ring. During the evenings, he discussed dwarven lore with the sage over mulled wine. Sometimes others joined them, eager for news of the outside world. Sometimes they would share knowledge of exotic creatures from deep in the Underdark. Leo was asked to relate his recent adventures in Lord Maugraign’s Hall again and again. He wondered what was happening with their sword but didn’t ask. It was now a dwarven treasure of Goldworthy Hall. He had brought a written account of the expedition to Fillum as a gift. He also still wanted to make a journey to Cirith Ardrad the great dwarven citadel but that was going to be tricky due to the presence of chaos forces.

After he finished his crafting, Leo went to the fabled Marrakeen Caliphate. This was the most exotic land he had ever visited with the possible exception of Arypt. As in that desert land, the sun shone eternally. Leo went to Marrak, the capital. He stood out as a foreigner blatantly until he purchased a local costume. It was much cooler and the variety of people was such that he was able to meld into the crowds reasonably well. The most immediate impression was one of wealth. He visited their markets. He later learnt they were known as suks or bazaars. Everything and everyone was for sale. No sale was too big or too small. People milled around in their thousands, all talking at once. Everyone was always selling something. Carpets, silks, exotic foods, nuts, strange drinks, slaves, weapons, jewelry, you name it and it could be found. It looked like a truly vibrant economy. He also saw the famed Zeereshi lizard cavalry. About the size of a horse, these large lizards looked strong and fast though Leo doubted they could be mixed with traditional cavalry. They looked like they would eat anything including horses. Overall, a very sophisticated city, one which Leo promised himself he would visit again. Just before he left, he purchased a few pieces of silk he had seen. He very much enjoyed the bright colours. He also purchased a Marrak noble’s outfit. He though he would gift it to Sigurd as a bit of amusement.

He then went to visit Plainton, the closest city to Scornel, which belonged to Kardus. The story there was very different. The warlord was not there but from what Leo saw of the population, they were already a beaten people. Morale was very low. Everyone knew that Kardus had failed to convince the League to ally with him and they realised that with Scornel joining the Overkingdom they had been left exposed. Many people were leaving and becoming refugees in the League. Leo stayed there for a few days, gauging the population. He knew about Kardus’s army already. It was said to be an effective, battle hardened force but like all armies it needed supplies. If its cities couldn’t supply it then it was useless. This city didn’t look capable of supplying it. He was thinking of visiting the city of Gallak, which he knew was much closer to the Mongali border. He was afraid of what he would find. If he found anyone at all.

 

[S'mon]

Leo account:



The Palace of Crane.

Three months to the day after his travels, Leo returned to Gaxmoor. He had found his trip very useful. The last place he had visited was the city of Plainton in Kardus. He was hoping to visit another major city in the Plains of Do Chakka but he had been told that the city of Gallak was now behind Mongali lines. It would have been foolish to try to reach it. It was also another reason why the atmosphere in Plainton had been so sombre and dejected.

Leo made his way back to Gaxmoor in a leisurely manner. He traveled first East back into the lands of the Scornic League. The changes there were palpable. People were grim but the sense of confidence much greater. They knew they were part of a large empire now. Everywhere there were subtle signs of mobilisation for war. These people knew they were going to be in the front line. Some would leave but others would stay. Leo stayed in the local inns and listened. Little of what he learned was interesting but it helped him to judge the mood of the land. The mood was apprehension but defiance. Let the Mongali come! He made his way South to the borderlands. Finally he reached Gaxmoor.

There he found Elaith, Xiang and surprisingly, Krysteel. The Blue Light mage seemed to have made herself very much at home here. They had important news. Krysteel had taken Xiang and Cailin to meet Zalindra and via her they had also met Tarkane. In a brief conversation, Tarkane had said that he considered Kung a disloyal subject and that if Xiang could take the throne of Mount Fire it was his. He had given Xiang permission to attack Kung. It was one headache out of the way. The next piece of news concerned a large caravan. It was carrying weapons from Mount Fire to the Mongali. Everyone seemed very keen attack it. Leo questioned the reasoning behind this and at first he was given woolly headed answers to his questions. Along the lines that they should go after it because it was there. His reasoning was that if they were going to go after Kung, their first strike should be much more telling than that. They would have the element of surprise only once. However, after further research had been done, it was found that this was a major supply caravan that was carrying composite longbows capable of being fired from horseback. These would increase Mongali offensive capability significantly. So the decision was made to attack.

First the three mages met with a professional caravaneer who gave them an idea as to how a caravan would be set up and where it would have guards and outriders. That was most useful. Then the mages decided that it was time to physically see the caravan. One morning, Krysteel, Leo, Tarquin, Elaith and another companion met. This was an elven priest, Thran by name. He wore the emblem of Carellan Larethian, the elven god. Elaith introduced him as his bodyguard. Privately Leo hoped that this one would last longer than the last one.

Tarquin turned everyone into vapour and they sped into the sky. The speed was exhilirating. This was even faster than the phantasmagoric steeds Leo could conjure. As ever the view from the sky was much different than from anywhere else and the distance the group made was extraordinary. The pace took its toll however and as the day wore on, Tarquin had to stop to heal himself from his exhaustion. Finally, they reached the Sea of Dust, a rolling, seemingly endless desert. The sun beat mercilessly onto the hot sand and rocks below. The change in temperature must have been immediate although the group couldn’t feel it as vapour. Flying generally in the direction that they believed the caravan was taking, it didn’t take Tarquin long to spot their trail. They were close to the Western mountains. After that, spotting the caravan itself was not difficult. Well over twelve hundred feet long, it looked as if there were hundreds of men in it, both slaves and guards. The main beasts of burden were donkeys although there were also five very large shaggy beasts. The group overflew the caravan and then landed some distance away to discuss what they had seen and also to familiarize themselves with a location to which they would then be able to transport themselves. That done, they then made themselves into vapour again and followed the caravan until it had stopped for the night. Then everyone went back to Gaxmoor to plan.

That evening, Leo took Red Ivy out for a meal, partly to talk over old times and partly to try to recruit her for this enterprise. They both had a good evening but she reasonably pointed out that Leo didn’t really need her for this. Leo agreed so they both went back to their separate quarters. The next morning, the three spell casters got together to co-ordinate their spells. That being done they transported themselves back to the spot with which they were familiar. Straight into an ambush!

The group appeared from a teleport only to find that a fireball, a flame strike and several odd flying metal stars raining on them. Once those had finished, over a dozen guards rushed them. Swords drawn they hacked into the magicians. The situation was grim. Elaith, Thran and Krysteel were badly hurt. Leo reacted the quickest. To the words of “Go, Go” from Elaith, he grabbed Tarquin and Krysteel and transported them to Gaxmoor. He was badly shaken. How had the enemy known where and when to expect them? The spells rained in as soon as they had appeared. They had been waiting for them. He was Mind Blanked. No one could scry him. Tarquin was almost unknown. Elaith was also Mind Blanked. Thran had joined them only recently. Was Krysteel being scried?. Was she now that well known outside the Blue Light? He would have to talk to her at some point about that. Or was it Xiang? Maybe the innocent seeming caravaneer to whom they had talked was a spy. He would have to mention that to Cailin. Whatever was the answer, that caravan was very heavily protected.

So now Leo wanted to go to Crane’s Palace. This, to him, was a far more important undertaking than the caravan. If something could be done about the powerful bewitchment then it would have very serious strategic ramifications in the whole region.

The mages again selected their spells and vaporised to travel rapidly to the Palace in the Heavenly Mountains. Winding below them they spotted the caravan but they gave it a wide berth. A little later, they spotted Crane Palace. It was a breathtaking sight. A path wound its way up the mountainside to a pair of massive wooden gates bound with metal. These gates formed part of a set of enormous walls, which seemed to be rooted in the side of the mountain. The walls surrounded a large wooden building with several towers. Again it seemed to be perched on the side of the mountain. The whole structure had a roof with strange upturned edges, which had also been painted yellow giving it a golden glow. Leo couldn’t tell from this distance but the wooden building also looked to have been painted in bright colours. The whole effect of this walled structure perched on the side of the mountain pass looked magical but Leo knew from his research that it was skilled architecture as opposed to arcane means which made it possible.

Most disturbingly, Leo felt a void in the Flux emanating from the structure. He had never felt anything like it before. The group landed on a ledge nearby. Leo produced his magical eyes and sent them towards the building. They came back and didn’t reveal anything that had not been revealed before. The group then decided to make their way up the path towards the gates.

Cautiously, the group made their way up the path. Suddenly, five figures appeared out of thin air. Two were large, revolting creatures with wings and the heads of vultures. Leo immediately recognised as Vrock Tanarii. He had one cursed to look like a parraqueet, formerly belonging to the undead archmage of Gaxmoor. There was a stunning woman with large bat wings which Leo as recognised as a succubus. He had also met one of those in Gaxmoor before. It had tried to seduce him. The last two looked huge, dark brown hulks with toothy maws and paws like shovels. From his research Leo recognised them as Hezrou. Big, strong but not particularly bright. Altogether though, this was a powerful set of guards. No doubt Ling Wa had bound them here to defend the Palace. They had been hiding, waiting to spring their ambush. The two vrocks rushed forward to grab Krysteel and Leo while the others cast spells. These spells caused a little damage though it could have been worse. Luckily there were few good members in the group. Tarquin reacted the quickest this time. He turned and cast a spell on Leo. Elaith blinded the Vrock holding Krysteel. She transported herself out of the group but unfortunately she took the Vrock with her. Leo magically wriggled out of his Vrock’s grasp thanks to Tarquin’s spell. The Vrock then grasped Tarquin. The two Hezrou charged forward to hit anything they could. Thran, the priest, created a wall of whirling blades which chopped into the succubus who shrieked angrily and flew into the air. Krysteel transported herself again, this time leaving the blind Vrock behind. Leo cast a spell, causing the Vrock grappling Tarquin to disappear but not affecting the Hezrou. Elaith cast force missiles at the succubus who slumped. Tarquin then stepped forward and caused one of the Hezrou to disappear. The blind Vrock disappeared. Tarquin stepped forward again and made the last Hezrou disappear.

Everyone checked themselves. Everyone was hurt but no one seriously. The priests dispensed healing. Now the problem still remained with the Palace. With his permanent Arcane Sight, Elaith could see the incredibly powerful transmutation magic emanating from the building. Krysteel cast a True Seeing and did not see anything different on the Palace but she did find a cave entrance leading into the mountain. This had been hidden by an illusion. Further investigation by Leo’s eyes revealed a tunnel leading into a chamber. This round chamber had a shrine with a Hawk and a Crane and an alcove, which contained an empty armour stand. There was also a pool of ichor on the floor, which Leo recognised as demon blood. No exits could be found from this chamber.

Leo realised that they had to do as much as possible at this point. The Vrock who had been blind would sooner of later go back to Ling Wa to report its failure. It was a cowardly creature so it would take it some time to work up the courage. Once it did though, Ling Wa would move heaven and earth to get here as quickly as possible in force. So, Leo had one of his more powerful effects memorised. This was the field that suppressed magic. He cast it and approached the gates. Elaith shouted that he could see a bubble in the field of transmutation magic. So Leo’s spell worked. Unfortunately, these gates were designed to withstand sieges and could not be opened. After a little thought, Tarquin and Thran were given flying spells and Leo tied a rope around himself. The fliers, keeping well away from the field of magic suppression, took the end of the rope, lifted Leo over the stone walls and lowered him into the courtyard of the Palace. In the courtyard, Leo could see many years of dust, eerily still in the stasis. Figures were lying motionless on the ground. No wind or air stirred. Leo motioned to be lowered next to one. As he got within ten feet of it, he could see her eyes flicker and suddenly she sprung up with her spear, and pointing it at Leo, shouted something in a language he didn’t understand. Quickly he ran through his gamut of languages. Finally, he saw a glimmer of understanding in her face when he tried Old Imarran. As quickly as possible he explained the situation to her with a spear point aimed at his throat. Grudgingly she listened to him. Five years had passed. The sorceress Ling Wa had caused this bewitchment on the Palace of Crane after destroying the Palace of Hawk. It was imperative that Leo found Ling Da, the Lady of Crane. The woman told him reluctantly that Ling Da was in her tower.

Finally, she agreed to be lifted with Leo to the outside providing she kept a knife at his throat in case he betrayed her. Under these conditions, they were lifted out.

 

[Mathew_Freeman]

Sounds like an awesome session! Wish I'd been there. Never mind, Xiang will hopefully join up with them next time...

 

[Goblyns Hoard]

Thoughts on a wedding day morning

Krysteel stared at the grey-haired woman before her, looking hard at the blue eyes and rather plain face. No, nothing different there. It seemed odd that nothing seemed to have changed in the past two weeks. Given how much else had gone on, surely something must have happened. She smirked briefly at the idea of her hair turning black from shock, or going red in her old age.

She picked up the brush and worked it through her hair once more. It didn’t need it, but as always she fussed over hair fastidiously. Normally it was her fervently denied attempt to make up for the colour, today she had a better excuse, today it was for her friend’s wedding. Always a bridesmaid, never a bride… well maybe her new robe would change that.

Nine days had seen such change in the world. After the failed ambush on the Mt. Fire caravan who would have expected them to be able to just order it to turn around. Everything had happened so fast since they had approached Crane’s Palace nine days ago. The rather mysterious Leopold had wanted to enter the palace in a field of anti-magic, so Krysteel and Tarquin had returned to Gaxmor to find the warrior Xiang, and Cailin. She would have been little help within the anti-magic field, so she waited outside with the elven mage, Elaith, his quiet friend Thran, and Tarquin, the priest that attended upon Leopold. The others must have got to where Ling-Da was imprisoned in the stasis field, as Krysteel was suddenly pulled onto the Astral plane along with the others and told that within moments she would be deposited in Warmaster Kung’s crown room.

As the astral plane swirled around them there was a flurry of spell-casting, and Krysteel prepared herself for the upcoming battle with a few choice incantations. Krysteel held off from summoning an elemental guardian, afterall it would be of little use here on the Astral Plane when she crossed over.

As soon as she found herself in the room she hurriedly began the summoning ritual that would bring an elemental to her side. She watched as lightning bolds hammered into Kung and Ling-Wa, and Leopold threw up a Wall of Force to cut off some of the room. Xiang now stood at twice his height thanks to Elaith’s magic, and he charged passed her toward the Warmaster, but again Lightning arced round the room and Leopold’s necromancy seemed to suck the very life out of half the people in the room. Sometimes she wished she hadn’t taken the decision to focus all her efforts in conjuration.

Suddenly she realised that she was visible once more, just as a crowd of bodyguards surged into the room behind her. Almost surrounded she was thankful for having armoured herself in stone whilst she waited outside Crane’s Palace. She finished the incantation and bathed in the light and warmth of the huge fire elemental that now stood behind the soldiers. As they felt the heat on their backs she took a step away and levelled her staff in their direction. But once more Leopold’s necromantic magic surged around the room and the guards dropped dead around her.

It was over before it began. The desiccated and scorched bodies of Kung and Ling-Wa lay where they had stood, they had barely even moved before they died. The giant Xiang stood over the body of a half-ogre that had been slain as it knelt in submission. Krysteel grimaced at the thought of so ruthless a man now taking control of Mt. Fire. Better than the demon-obsessed Kung no doubt, but what way would this new Warmaster take this strange western kingdom. There was a single survivor in the room, a darkclad shadowy figure knelt before Cailin, clearly out of his element in the light cast by the fire elemental towering over him. Krysteel reined in the elemental, and Cailin twisted him round and put a knife to his throat. But it was clear he knew where to throw his lot – of the seven that had arrived in the room, only Krysteel had been injured – a minor scratch from a soldier’s sword that had penetrated her magic. His surrender was gracefully accepted – unlike that of the half-ogre.

The next two days were a whirlwind. Xiang imposed himself as the new Warmaster, Ling-Li revealed that it was her time to leave this plane and that someone called Cho would be raised to the Ladyship of Hawk Palace, though there was some indication that another should have been chosen. Krysteel had spent some time with Cailin, and together they had swept the Witch-Queen Marena from Kung's dungeons to safety in Gaxmoor. It had seemed better to ensure it was done than to wait to see how Xiang would decide, and how long it would take him to learn of it. His priorities seemed to lie elsewhere. No doubt he would claim to have been willing, but Krysteel felt it was more important to ensure it was done than to worry about the sensibilities of so clearly ambitious a man.

Krysteel was permitted to accompany the Witch-Queen to Beskarn, and spent a brief day in the great forests. One day she intended to return and learn more of the how the witch’s magic differed from her own. But one day was not now… how she longed for the time to just return to her precious library with a new tome. Politics was definitely not her forte, everything happened too fast. She had been called back from Beskarn by Zalindra, and requested to take Cailin with her. Oh to return to her studies and learn the ritual for summoning Elder elementals.

And for now she had other tasks. She would spend the day waiting upon her friend, as is the responsibility of a bridesmaid. She would help ensure that everything flowed smoothly around Zalindra on this, her special day, keeping away the uncouth and the drunk, ensuring no one tried to take up too much of her friend’s time, afterall there would be hundreds of guests. She once again looked into the mirror… yes the hair would have to do, afterall it would not be right to try and outshine the bride.

She rose and gestured for her gown, floating it across the room from where it lay. As she used her magic to do up the elaborate ties her hands couldn’t reach, her mind drifted to the impeding threat on the Mongali horde. Cailin had indicated that the invasion was in fact the dream of their High Hakoman Omazad, wanting to rebirth the vast Mongali Empire. No doubt they would have to turn their attentions to him all too soon.

But that wasn’t important right now. No first she had to find that evoker that was responsible for the fireworks this evening and ensure he was ready. Then she would have to prepare for the summoning of the air elementals that would ensure Zalindra’s hair and gown flowed around her as she entered the grand hall for the wedding… and she had to ensure that the cook had finally finished the cake. Odd that the cook seemed so familiar, what was his name again? Oh yes, that was it… Leo.