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<blockquote data-quote="Samnell" data-source="post: 1239" data-attributes="member: 130"><p><strong>XVII-When Elves Deserve to Die…Twice</strong></p><p></p><p>Wherein Meepo is right again.</p><p></p><p>"Ooooooh!" Colvin cooed at the shrine. "I think we have something here, folks. Come take a look at this!" He motioned for the group to come forward without looking away from the shrine. Meepo knew no good would come of this.</p><p></p><p>"Ok, but if anything moves, I'm outta here." Jaryth stepped forward. Meepo hoped he died in an entertaining manner.</p><p></p><p>Burble took a few tentative steps forward and Colvin moved a bit to the side to point out a hidden compartment he'd found on the altar. "Good job Colvin and nice spot. Now if I might step forward, how about letting me check the hidden compartment for any traps or trip wires on it, hmm?" Without waiting for an answer Burble strode in and did just that.</p><p></p><p>Rillith slowly entered the room behind Burble, and Meepo reluctantly followed. The short, hooded figure who'd yet to reveal her face to the party took small, deliberate steps as she gestured and chanted clear, strange words. She fell silent for a moment before saying, "Don't touch them.... They're magic... They're all magic..."</p><p></p><p>Meepo looked at her. "What's magic? Altar? Candle?" Anything magic could be a trap as easily as a treasure. Meepo remembered the fountain that spewed dragon water and made Rowland breathe fire.</p><p></p><p>"The whistle, the candle, and the scroll... they're magic... don't touch them." Rillith referred to the items on the altar. At least it wasn't the altar itself. Meepo had seen enough human god doings in the above-world, he didn't need yet more now that he was back out of the accursed sun. He bent over the altar to peer closely at the whistle, scroll, and candle, "Rillith sure?"</p><p></p><p>She had damned well better be. If it was the altar and it resurrected Thurston Meepo and Burble would have to kill him all over again.</p><p></p><p>"What kind of magic?" Jaryth asked tremulously. “Will it hurt us?” Nevermind us, will it hurt him? That was what Meepo wanted to know. Would it be slow? Could it hurt Lorn too? This magic had wonderful potential for constructive mayhem.</p><p></p><p>Rillith passed her hands close over each of the items. "Mmm... Protective magics..." she commented on the scroll. Meepo resolved to keep that one from Lorn and Jaryth. It would have better uses than saving their worthless lives. Saving his and Burble's worthless lives, for example.</p><p></p><p>"Ah.... Death magic..." That was the whistle. Rillith sounded amused. She thought death magic was funny. Meepo smiled to himself. This one might be mad, but this kind of madness had its uses.</p><p></p><p>"I... I can't tell. I don't know." Rillith sighed over the candle. Meepo wondered if perhaps its magic had to do with the dancing green flame burning on it without consuming the candle's wick or melting any wax. Really, and they said that upworlders studied to learn magic.</p><p></p><p>Jaryth walked over to the whistle. Meepo took a step back to keep from touching the mad whelp. He might be infectious. "Protective magic, hunh? Maybe... I could… um… test it for ya?"</p><p></p><p>Meepo gritted his teeth. No, don't waste the protection on him! Of all of them only Lorn deserves to die more! Meepo realized Jaryth was after the whistle. I suppose that he could test out the death magic, though. In fact, why not give it to him? As much as he'd like…</p><p></p><p>"DON'T!!!!" Rillith motioned to the whistle... "Are you prepared for the magics of death and the undead?" Meepo was especially prepared for them. Looking forward to them, even. He was sure they'd put on a good show as they slowly burned away Jaryth's soul over a lifetime while tiny morsels of his flesh were stripped away and fed to- Meepo shook himself out of his reverie. Now was not the time for daydreaming, however pleasant.</p><p></p><p>"OH!! In that case, here..." Jaryth seized the scroll instead. "Hmm what kind of protective magic? I wonder if the whistle wakes up the people in the sarcophagus, and the scroll protects you from them, and the candle lets you command them?"</p><p></p><p>As Jaryth's hand fell on the scroll, for a moment Meepo saw a strange web of glowing light melt into existence between the scroll, the altar, and the sarcophagi lining the walls. Sudden plumes of gray light rode the strands of the web, devouring it as they went and reached each sarcophagus in turn. Then Meepo blinked and it was gone.</p><p></p><p>Jaryth hardly finished his words before six of the sarcophagi burst open, their lids thrown aside to reveal four thin skeletons whose eyes glimmered with baleful motes of red light; tiny sparks of roiling hellfire. They strode out of their sarcophagi as two gaunt figures, flesh twisted and leathery burst out flanking the altar. Their teeth we sharply pointed, befitting a kobold even, and their hands twisted into claws. Long tongues rolled out of their mouths and flicked back and forth as they moved to join the skeletons, claws drawn up menacingly. Pointed ears were still visible on their heads. They were the only things worse than elves, undead elves.</p><p></p><p>The undead formed two neat lines along either side of the wall. Burble, Meepo, Jaryth, Rillith, and Colvin were nearly surrounded.</p><p></p><p>"YOU SAID THIS WAS PROTECTION MAGIC!!!!!!! WHAT THE HELL KIND OF BLOODY FLAMING MAGE ARE YOU RILITH!!!!!!?" Jaryth howled. Despite the circumstances and the not at all trivial threat to his own life, Meepo had to choke back a laugh at the whelp's indignant shout in the face of the fate he'd brought on himself.</p><p></p><p>"The kind that will explain it to you, if you live to see another day..." Rillith said calmly, her owl taking flight and landing atop an idle sarcophagus.</p><p></p><p>Burble clawed for his weapons and yelled back, "Damn you Jaryth, We TOLD you not to touch anything yet. Hope you live through this so I can kick your arse in." Meepo was reminded of a kobold proverb: Never beat your hatchlings. Kill one of their clutchmates in front of them instead. They will respect you for it. If they do not, kill them. Jaryth had his chance. Now he had to die more than ever.</p><p></p><p>Meepo screamed at Jaryth as he drew his stolen goblin sword, not yet sure if he'd use it on live human or dead elf first. "Worthless boy woke dead things!"</p><p></p><p>"GYAAAAAAAAAHH!” Colvin screamed, a bit slow on the uptake. "Good job, kid..." he continued. "Looks like you flushed them out!" Meepo thought the humans might enjoy this. Colvin stepped back and nocked an arrow. "Yes, I think this one should stick!"</p><p></p><p>"Blame Rilith! She said it was a protective scroll! Protective scrolls don't do make skeletons come to life!" Jaryth protested.</p><p></p><p>"Unless, of course, the protective magic was what was keeping them in their tombs until you picked the scroll up. But hey, who's counting, right?" Colvin smiled. It was very worrying to Meepo that the humans thought this was a time to joke. For a moment he considered the possibility that Jaryth was the sanest of them.</p><p></p><p>"Oh shut up and fight kid. Next time just keep your hands to yourself till someone clears the damned room. This is the second time we have had to battle something you caused when if you had just ... never mind, Battle on people." Burble snarled.</p><p></p><p>Lorn called to Sal somewhere behind Meepo. The thought of having Lorn at his back worried the kobold greatly and he wasn't happy to be reminded of it. "Sal, why don't you do the honors? I will cover you."</p><p></p><p>"Last time I did this..." Sal grumbled. Jaryth conjured his ghostly spider and scurried up the wall to the ceiling as Sal trailed off. Colvin fells back and drew a bead on one of the two undead still sheathed in some semblance of flesh. Meepo thought those two the most dangerous himself. The archer's shot missed and in making it he almost took a raking blow to the arm from the skeleton to his side. Meepo was vaguely disappointed.</p><p></p><p>"What? I missed? Nonononono....uh uh. I. Do. Not. MISS!" Colvin protested. Meepo thought Colvin could benefit from a closer relationship with reality. All the humans could, really.</p><p></p><p>An arrow hit another skeleton, shot from behind Meepo. His heart leaped into his throat as he realized that the humans were firing into the fray. He knew all too well that they weren't above hitting their own as they tried to kill their foes. Meepo may have put an arrow into Embrill's back once himself, but Embrill was just another foe to him.</p><p></p><p>Lorn came diving into the fray with his rapier in hand, striking at another skeleton. Meepo was glad the human had changed over from a proper sword to a glorified needle. He'd die faster that way.</p><p></p><p>Burble somersaulted out of the fray, falling back into one of the corners of the room and invoked his god. Meepo felt power fill the room for a moment, laughing in the shadows. The undead were unmoved, save for one still clad in withered flesh. It looked straight into Burble's eyes and laughed, a hellish dry cackle that saw its overlong tongue falling out of its mouth past a row of pointed teeth.</p><p></p><p>With Burble in the corner, Meepo realized he was exposed. He fell back himself and drew his crossbow. Shoving a bolt home, he began looking for a shot that stood a fair chance of accidentally hitting Lorn or Jaryth. Sal charged past him and felled a skeleton with a single blow. That dwarf had his uses. It was no wonder Burble kept him around.</p><p></p><p>An arcane bolt streaked over his shoulder and blew apart another skeleton's ribcage. Rowland had his uses too, though clearly the most important and valuable purpose he could serve would be in giving over the power of his blood. Meepo looked forward to that day.</p><p></p><p>Nearly surrounded by a wall of undead next to the altar, Rillith was twice torn by one of the long-tongued undead and fell to the floor. Her blood ran red across the cold stone. She fell without even a twitch and her assailant ducked down. It came up with a stain of crimson on its lips and blood dripping from its tongue. Rillith's owl swooped down shrieking its rage at her attacker.</p><p></p><p>"RILLITH!! GET AWAY FROM HER YOU ROTTING MEATBAG!!" Colvin screamed.</p><p></p><p>"Hey Sal! You go to his left, I'll take his right. Let's hit this skeleton from both sides!" Meepo wondered how foolish Sal would have to be to follow Lorn's tactical advice.</p><p></p><p>Burble yelled at Colvin to stop trying to use his bow when the enemy was in arm's reach. Of course the wisdom was lost on a human, who insisted, "Trust me, it's better this way." Meepo would trust Colvin as far as he could throw the archer.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Samnell, post: 1239, member: 130"] [b]XVII-When Elves Deserve to Die…Twice[/b] Wherein Meepo is right again. "Ooooooh!" Colvin cooed at the shrine. "I think we have something here, folks. Come take a look at this!" He motioned for the group to come forward without looking away from the shrine. Meepo knew no good would come of this. "Ok, but if anything moves, I'm outta here." Jaryth stepped forward. Meepo hoped he died in an entertaining manner. Burble took a few tentative steps forward and Colvin moved a bit to the side to point out a hidden compartment he'd found on the altar. "Good job Colvin and nice spot. Now if I might step forward, how about letting me check the hidden compartment for any traps or trip wires on it, hmm?" Without waiting for an answer Burble strode in and did just that. Rillith slowly entered the room behind Burble, and Meepo reluctantly followed. The short, hooded figure who'd yet to reveal her face to the party took small, deliberate steps as she gestured and chanted clear, strange words. She fell silent for a moment before saying, "Don't touch them.... They're magic... They're all magic..." Meepo looked at her. "What's magic? Altar? Candle?" Anything magic could be a trap as easily as a treasure. Meepo remembered the fountain that spewed dragon water and made Rowland breathe fire. "The whistle, the candle, and the scroll... they're magic... don't touch them." Rillith referred to the items on the altar. At least it wasn't the altar itself. Meepo had seen enough human god doings in the above-world, he didn't need yet more now that he was back out of the accursed sun. He bent over the altar to peer closely at the whistle, scroll, and candle, "Rillith sure?" She had damned well better be. If it was the altar and it resurrected Thurston Meepo and Burble would have to kill him all over again. "What kind of magic?" Jaryth asked tremulously. “Will it hurt us?” Nevermind us, will it hurt him? That was what Meepo wanted to know. Would it be slow? Could it hurt Lorn too? This magic had wonderful potential for constructive mayhem. Rillith passed her hands close over each of the items. "Mmm... Protective magics..." she commented on the scroll. Meepo resolved to keep that one from Lorn and Jaryth. It would have better uses than saving their worthless lives. Saving his and Burble's worthless lives, for example. "Ah.... Death magic..." That was the whistle. Rillith sounded amused. She thought death magic was funny. Meepo smiled to himself. This one might be mad, but this kind of madness had its uses. "I... I can't tell. I don't know." Rillith sighed over the candle. Meepo wondered if perhaps its magic had to do with the dancing green flame burning on it without consuming the candle's wick or melting any wax. Really, and they said that upworlders studied to learn magic. Jaryth walked over to the whistle. Meepo took a step back to keep from touching the mad whelp. He might be infectious. "Protective magic, hunh? Maybe... I could… um… test it for ya?" Meepo gritted his teeth. No, don't waste the protection on him! Of all of them only Lorn deserves to die more! Meepo realized Jaryth was after the whistle. I suppose that he could test out the death magic, though. In fact, why not give it to him? As much as he'd like… "DON'T!!!!" Rillith motioned to the whistle... "Are you prepared for the magics of death and the undead?" Meepo was especially prepared for them. Looking forward to them, even. He was sure they'd put on a good show as they slowly burned away Jaryth's soul over a lifetime while tiny morsels of his flesh were stripped away and fed to- Meepo shook himself out of his reverie. Now was not the time for daydreaming, however pleasant. "OH!! In that case, here..." Jaryth seized the scroll instead. "Hmm what kind of protective magic? I wonder if the whistle wakes up the people in the sarcophagus, and the scroll protects you from them, and the candle lets you command them?" As Jaryth's hand fell on the scroll, for a moment Meepo saw a strange web of glowing light melt into existence between the scroll, the altar, and the sarcophagi lining the walls. Sudden plumes of gray light rode the strands of the web, devouring it as they went and reached each sarcophagus in turn. Then Meepo blinked and it was gone. Jaryth hardly finished his words before six of the sarcophagi burst open, their lids thrown aside to reveal four thin skeletons whose eyes glimmered with baleful motes of red light; tiny sparks of roiling hellfire. They strode out of their sarcophagi as two gaunt figures, flesh twisted and leathery burst out flanking the altar. Their teeth we sharply pointed, befitting a kobold even, and their hands twisted into claws. Long tongues rolled out of their mouths and flicked back and forth as they moved to join the skeletons, claws drawn up menacingly. Pointed ears were still visible on their heads. They were the only things worse than elves, undead elves. The undead formed two neat lines along either side of the wall. Burble, Meepo, Jaryth, Rillith, and Colvin were nearly surrounded. "YOU SAID THIS WAS PROTECTION MAGIC!!!!!!! WHAT THE HELL KIND OF BLOODY FLAMING MAGE ARE YOU RILITH!!!!!!?" Jaryth howled. Despite the circumstances and the not at all trivial threat to his own life, Meepo had to choke back a laugh at the whelp's indignant shout in the face of the fate he'd brought on himself. "The kind that will explain it to you, if you live to see another day..." Rillith said calmly, her owl taking flight and landing atop an idle sarcophagus. Burble clawed for his weapons and yelled back, "Damn you Jaryth, We TOLD you not to touch anything yet. Hope you live through this so I can kick your arse in." Meepo was reminded of a kobold proverb: Never beat your hatchlings. Kill one of their clutchmates in front of them instead. They will respect you for it. If they do not, kill them. Jaryth had his chance. Now he had to die more than ever. Meepo screamed at Jaryth as he drew his stolen goblin sword, not yet sure if he'd use it on live human or dead elf first. "Worthless boy woke dead things!" "GYAAAAAAAAAHH!” Colvin screamed, a bit slow on the uptake. "Good job, kid..." he continued. "Looks like you flushed them out!" Meepo thought the humans might enjoy this. Colvin stepped back and nocked an arrow. "Yes, I think this one should stick!" "Blame Rilith! She said it was a protective scroll! Protective scrolls don't do make skeletons come to life!" Jaryth protested. "Unless, of course, the protective magic was what was keeping them in their tombs until you picked the scroll up. But hey, who's counting, right?" Colvin smiled. It was very worrying to Meepo that the humans thought this was a time to joke. For a moment he considered the possibility that Jaryth was the sanest of them. "Oh shut up and fight kid. Next time just keep your hands to yourself till someone clears the damned room. This is the second time we have had to battle something you caused when if you had just ... never mind, Battle on people." Burble snarled. Lorn called to Sal somewhere behind Meepo. The thought of having Lorn at his back worried the kobold greatly and he wasn't happy to be reminded of it. "Sal, why don't you do the honors? I will cover you." "Last time I did this..." Sal grumbled. Jaryth conjured his ghostly spider and scurried up the wall to the ceiling as Sal trailed off. Colvin fells back and drew a bead on one of the two undead still sheathed in some semblance of flesh. Meepo thought those two the most dangerous himself. The archer's shot missed and in making it he almost took a raking blow to the arm from the skeleton to his side. Meepo was vaguely disappointed. "What? I missed? Nonononono....uh uh. I. Do. Not. MISS!" Colvin protested. Meepo thought Colvin could benefit from a closer relationship with reality. All the humans could, really. An arrow hit another skeleton, shot from behind Meepo. His heart leaped into his throat as he realized that the humans were firing into the fray. He knew all too well that they weren't above hitting their own as they tried to kill their foes. Meepo may have put an arrow into Embrill's back once himself, but Embrill was just another foe to him. Lorn came diving into the fray with his rapier in hand, striking at another skeleton. Meepo was glad the human had changed over from a proper sword to a glorified needle. He'd die faster that way. Burble somersaulted out of the fray, falling back into one of the corners of the room and invoked his god. Meepo felt power fill the room for a moment, laughing in the shadows. The undead were unmoved, save for one still clad in withered flesh. It looked straight into Burble's eyes and laughed, a hellish dry cackle that saw its overlong tongue falling out of its mouth past a row of pointed teeth. With Burble in the corner, Meepo realized he was exposed. He fell back himself and drew his crossbow. Shoving a bolt home, he began looking for a shot that stood a fair chance of accidentally hitting Lorn or Jaryth. Sal charged past him and felled a skeleton with a single blow. That dwarf had his uses. It was no wonder Burble kept him around. An arcane bolt streaked over his shoulder and blew apart another skeleton's ribcage. Rowland had his uses too, though clearly the most important and valuable purpose he could serve would be in giving over the power of his blood. Meepo looked forward to that day. Nearly surrounded by a wall of undead next to the altar, Rillith was twice torn by one of the long-tongued undead and fell to the floor. Her blood ran red across the cold stone. She fell without even a twitch and her assailant ducked down. It came up with a stain of crimson on its lips and blood dripping from its tongue. Rillith's owl swooped down shrieking its rage at her attacker. "RILLITH!! GET AWAY FROM HER YOU ROTTING MEATBAG!!" Colvin screamed. "Hey Sal! You go to his left, I'll take his right. Let's hit this skeleton from both sides!" Meepo wondered how foolish Sal would have to be to follow Lorn's tactical advice. Burble yelled at Colvin to stop trying to use his bow when the enemy was in arm's reach. Of course the wisdom was lost on a human, who insisted, "Trust me, it's better this way." Meepo would trust Colvin as far as he could throw the archer. [/QUOTE]
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