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<blockquote data-quote="PHDungeon" data-source="post: 5506426" data-attributes="member: 86320"><p>Session #40</p><p></p><p>PCs</p><p></p><p>Melek (level 16,Tiefling, hybrid warlock/wizard)</p><p>Bella (level 17, Changeling rogue with a touch of sorcerer)</p><p>Turak (level 16, Minotaur, Warden)</p><p>Ardyn (level 16, Elf, Ranger)</p><p>Smar (level 16, Shifter, Ranger)</p><p>Corvin (level 16, Human, Cleric) this session Corvin is retired to be replaced with:</p><p>Harbek (level 16, Dwarf, Runepriest)</p><p></p><p></p><p>Melek's Journal:</p><p></p><p>We arrive more or less where we expected, in a teleportation circle in Celduloin, the Eladrin city near to where we first entered the Fey Wild.</p><p></p><p>It turns out the circle is in the garden of the Eladrin noble family that Malena belongs to. While the situation is slightly tense at first things quickly calm down as they realize that we are not responsible for Malena’s condition but in fact have rescued her from a foul fate.</p><p></p><p>We are led to Lady Arethmere, the matriarch of the family. I'm quickly reminded how much I despise some of our aristocratic families for their boundless arrogance and their conviction that they are better than anybody else. Wait, what am I saying? I'm NOT an Eladrin. I don't even speak their language. I'm a tiefling. </p><p></p><p>The oh so elegant Lady Arethmere almost chokes on the thanks that she, perforce, has to give us as she extends the poorest possible hospitality consistent with her honour. Or lack thereof. To add insult to injury she even explicitly orders us to remain in her house. As if we didn't already get the hint. Well, all of us except possibly Turak and Smar and maybe Ardyn. Ok, maybe the explicit statement was justified after all.</p><p></p><p>At least she seems an equal opportunity bigot. She doesn't even take to Ardyn, and he’s an elf. She insists that I clean up despite the fact that my clothes and body is spotless due to my magics. And she has nothing but contempt for Turak and Smar.</p><p></p><p>The hospitality so begrudgingly given was at least adequate. But they were definitely giving us their poor vintages at dinner, a dinner that we ate alone.</p><p></p><p>Later in that evening, after she has recovered somewhat from her ordeal, we talk to Malena. She can give us only a little bit of information. The female leader of the Drow is called Xune, her second in command is a male called Elkantar. Apparently they work for a Lord and not the expected female leader. Furthermore, Malena overheard a comment to the effect of, "We have to remember to follow our instructions to inscribe the symbol of the King Who Crawls on their chests", referring to the symbols of Torog we found carved into the flesh of the eldarin captives, including Melana. While certainly not conclusive that would seem to imply that the inscription was intended as a ruse to misdirect us (or others).</p><p></p><p>But other than that we have nothing to go on. We do not know where the drow are to be found. </p><p></p><p>That night the dreams again come to me. In one of them, the Maiden appears to me. She promises to protect and to help me if I serve her above all others. I don't remember making any agreements but I do remember her kissing me on the forehead and my feeling a massive surge of fey power in me. I'm not sure what was going to happen because suddenly I am wakened by the sound of crashing coming from Bella’s room. Most of us go to investigate and find that Bella seems to be having some form of fit. She is crying out and saying something about a dream. Perhaps I'm not the only one who is being driven insane by the Feywild. If that is, indeed, what is happening to me.</p><p></p><p>She insists that we go conduct an experiment our on the grounds even though it is the middle of the night. This is much to the displeasure of the household guards, but they don’t interfere. She asks Ardyn to leap as high as he can. Ardyn obliges her, and at the same time, Bella’s makes a motion with one hand and mutters a few arcane words. He soars far into the air; much farther than he could jump on his own. Being the athletic sort that he is he takes no damage from the sudden fall. As Ardyn lands, Corvin mutters, "That is what you get for trusting a thief".</p><p></p><p>It would appear that Bella has a newfound power. Interesting. I wonder if she also had a visitation in the night. Or if it is something rather more mundane and she has just advanced in power in the usual way.</p><p></p><p>In the morning, I cast Hand of Fate to try and determine where best to go next, but I get a very, very strange response. No information at all is revealed. I feel that I managed to contact Odin, but he just didn't want to respond. I wonder if that has anything to do with how quiet and peevish Corvin has been. He is obviously displeased with what we have managed to accomplish, but I get the impression that there is more to it than that.</p><p></p><p>Exceedingly eager to get rid of us, Lady Arethmere has managed to obtain a Scroll of Planar Portal, and she "subtly" indicates that she thinks that we should leave. Now. Or spend a month in the swamp waiting for the moon gate to open. We decide that it is time to return home so we use the scroll to portal back to Grimmsburg. </p><p></p><p></p><p>Back in Grimmsburg things are more or less as we left them except for a massive rainstorm. It looks like Odin (or perhaps Thor) is rather upset.</p><p></p><p>The news is fairly dire. Apparently Cannon Wulgrin has had a visitation from Odin and the fragment of the Divine Engine that was kept in Odin’s vault in Valhalla has also been stolen, hence the storm outside. I think it is safe to assume that our enemies are now in possession of three of the five pieces of the divine engine. </p><p></p><p>We fill in the Jarl and his inner council on what has occurred. Although it isn't likely to lead anywhere in particular various scribes start searching for the names of the drow in the records. Perhaps we'll get lucky. There is also ongoing research being conducted by Dean Danzig of the Scarlet Stone Academy that may possibly be lead somewhere. Apparently he’s close to discovering the location of one of the fragments, the one said to be located in the Shadowfell. The hope is that there will be more information in the library at Hammerfest.</p><p></p><p>We then all go our own ways for a couple of weeks. I head off to my village only to discover that the people in Grimmsburg refer to it as “Deviltown.” I admit that I kind of like that name. It has a certain ring to it.</p><p></p><p>Unfortunately, I also get disturbing news there. My sister Kallista is very unhappy with her position in charge there. She doesn't want the responsibility. She is a bard and being stuck in one place administering a fledgling settlement does not suite her. Also, as a human in whom the curse has never revealed itself she is resented by many of the tieflings there.</p><p></p><p>I'm honestly not sure how I'd have reacted even a few days ago, but now my response is immediate and crystal clear. I release her from her promise. I had no right to put her into that position.</p><p></p><p>The other news is also somewhat disturbing, as is my incredibly strong reaction to it. My father Ammon and my brother Leucis have been over at the village and are trying to get the inhabitants to start following their foolish dream to raise the fallen empire of Bhal Turath. I can't allow that. The goal of the village is to transform the tieflings both spiritually and physically. Oh, that goal is as distant and difficult as is the rebirth of Bhal Turath. But, if it is to have any chance at all, they must distance themselves from the dreams of the glory of yesteryear. They must look forward and not backwards.</p><p></p><p>I have to confront my father. I have to force him to leave my village alone. But how can I do that? Since my earliest days it has been drilled into me that I am of House Zolfura and that I must obey the head of the House (my father). To openly oppose my father is to give up my heritage, to disinherit myself. And it is a heritage that I have been proud of. Certainly my ancestors have done many awful things, but they have also done many things to be proud of, and they are my blood. </p><p></p><p>Even as little as a fortnight ago I'm not sure that I'd have had the strength to turn my back on my heritage. But I find, to my considerable surprise, that the decision is now an easy one.</p><p></p><p>I'm not really sure what has changed. Perhaps it is just my adventures. But I think that it is mostly the dreams. More and more of his life is coming through. I now have a name. Allain. And he was a half elf. Well, half eladrin I suppose.</p><p></p><p>He was a commoner, an outcast from eladrin society. And he transcended that. He took up service with the Maiden of the Moon. He lived a full and happy life. And he also accomplished great things. He knew what was important, and it certainly wasn't social posturing.</p><p></p><p>Perhaps it was Lady Arethmere that also helped to open my eyes. She is so like my father in so many ways. So like the way that I used to be. More concerned with power, reputation and family than anything else.</p><p></p><p>I go and lay down the law to my father. He and Leucis are to stay away from Deviltown, they are to leave the inhabitants alone. If they do not, then I will inform the Jarl about their illicit business dealings. If they try and have me killed or assassinated I will take whatever measures I need to in order to protect myself.</p><p></p><p>By these actions I have forfeited my right to be heir to House Zolfura. I am no longer of high birth. I am now a nobody, of no family and so much the better for it.</p><p></p><p>As if one crisis of the soul was insufficient, I have two more. I go to Canon Wulgrim to discuss how my connection to Odin seems weaker than it was, how the Hand of Fate ritual is now difficult to cast and far less revealing. He explains to me that what I've been fearing is, in fact, true. Since my trip to the Feywild, the Maiden of the Moon has altered my very soul. She has put a claim upon my soul, and this is greatly interfering with the fragment of Odin that I somehow obtained during my days at Thunderholme Abbey. </p><p></p><p>I cannot serve two masters. It is not clear whether I even have a choice in the matter. But, if I do have a choice, I realize that I'd choose the Maiden. The life that she has shown me (assuming that I'm not just going crazy) is better than the one that I had. I've never been completely happy with the Skanzi goal of going to Valhalla for an eternity of endless fornication and cheap mead. And the one thing that I desperately want to lose, that I need to lose, is the constant sense of anger, the constant bloodlust. Odin inspires one to anger and to bloodlust; he doesn't help one to counter that. I still worship and serve Odin, but I no longer possess a piece of his divine energy.</p><p></p><p>Since I made that decision I've found that my anger is slowly decreasing. Not, at least yet, hugely. But it is diminishing. And since I've made my decision I've noticed my connection to the Feywild has been strengthening. I can almost shift through it, as does an eladrin. Not quite, but it’s close.</p><p></p><p>I've chosen to fully adopt the way of the Skald. Between what I can gather from dreams and what I can learn from Kali, I've managed to pick up a whole smattering of knowledge, including a few new Rituals. I've been training constantly these last few weeks. I was always reasonably good with the flute but now I've learned how to sing at least a little and gained the basics of various other instruments.</p><p></p><p>I've been practicing my physical skills as well. It’s amazing how quickly and easily I've been picking up things. It’s as if I'm remembering things as opposed to learning them for the first time.</p><p></p><p>And so several weeks passed. I've managed to replace Kali with a new tiefling mayor, Kairon by name. He isn't the most charming of people but he is a hard worker and a good administrator and is more than capable of knocking some heads together when required since he has seen considerable service as a mercenary. At least as importantly, he is a man of no pretensions and he shares my dream of a community where tieflings can grow up amongst their own kind.</p><p></p><p>Over the past several days, I've heard from Corvin that he is most unhappy with our lack of progress, and that he plans to pursue his own interests and no longer quest with us for the Divine Engine.</p><p></p><p>Finally after about three weeks of much needed downtime, we were called to a meeting with the Jarl. Harbek, a dwarven emissary from Hammerfest had come to Grimmsburg with bad news, especially for Turak. Recently there have been many raids on caravans going to or from Hammerfest, and it would appear that the Golden Horn Clan is responsible for the attacks. Harbeck had been sent to ask the Jarl for help investigating what has transpired that would cause the formerly peaceful minotaurs to turn to evil and lawlessness.</p><p></p><p>Turak is, of course, flabbergasted by this and wants to find out what is happening. The rest of us (well, except for Corvin) agree to accompany him.</p><p></p><p>________________________________________________________________</p><p></p><p>We head off by portal to Nimorzan’s Tower in Fallcrest where we have a rather amusing interlude with his apprentice Lazlo, a quite foolish Halfling wizard who has finally mastered the magic missile spell. He insists on demonstrating his skills, and takes us to the top of the tower. By this time night has fallen, and the little Halfling proceeds to shoot several magic missiles off into the darkness. I do the obvious, and I use my Ghost Sound cantrip to start having the darkness scream in agony as the missiles attack it. Yes, I'm certainly getting a lot more enjoyment out of life than I used to.</p><p></p><p>The next day we ascend to the skies on the backs of Giant Eagles. As always, Turak thoroughly hates the entire process while I am still exhilarated by the whole thing. We are following the caravan route to Hammerfest when we spy below us what appears to be the ruins of a caravan with several minotaurs looting it.</p><p></p><p>We land to investigate. </p><p></p><p>There are only a handful of Minotaurs and Turak definitely recognizes them as embers of his clan. But accompanying the minotaurs are several demons. Some appear to be similar to orcs and I recognize them as Tanaruk, several are nasty little carnage demons, and their leader is a large demonic minotaur with blazing red eyes and steam blasting from his nostrils. It’s not a minotaur that Turak recognizes.</p><p></p><p>Turak attempts to reason with the minotaurs but, judging from the fact that the demons all charge us, I think that we have to consider this attempt at diplomacy a failure.</p><p></p><p>Harbek, a RunePriest of Odin, is quite a competent fighter. He uses Runes to create magical effects. The most interesting by far is an effect that stops enemies dead in their tracks as they get close to the source of the blazing rune. It only affects the enemies when they first enter into the zone. But when that is combined with a hypnotic pattern drawing the enemies back out of the zone the effect is considerable, and quite amusing to boot.</p><p></p><p>At least partially because I couldn't resist showing off, I summoned a plague of carnivorous hopping frogs to great effect. Admittedly, given that most of the demons were unable to move, it was hardly sporting. But I can control the frogs and stop them from actually killing anybody that I didn't want dead.</p><p></p><p>So, the net result was a fairly short and one-sided fight, that resulted in lots of dead demons and several unconscious but basically unharmed minotaurs. Well, unharmed until Turak got through with them, as the rest of us agreed with my suggestion to allow him to decide what to do with the prisoners.</p><p></p><p>He first questioned his kin, determining the obvious. The Minotaurs have turned away from the spirits and are now worshipping Baphomet. We also find out that the instigator of this was the shaman of the clan, somebody who Turak knew and used to respect. After first humiliating the prisoners by showing that he is far stronger and more powerful than any of them, he then decides that a fitting punishment would be to remove one horn from each of them. Apparently for Minotaurs this is a massive disgrace, and I expect quite painful too.</p><p></p><p>We then release the minotaurs and remount the eagles to head off to his clan’s labyrinth. While the Minotaurs will doubtless also head back to the clan, we'll be there long before them and so will be able to attack with the advantage of surprise.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="PHDungeon, post: 5506426, member: 86320"] Session #40 PCs Melek (level 16,Tiefling, hybrid warlock/wizard) Bella (level 17, Changeling rogue with a touch of sorcerer) Turak (level 16, Minotaur, Warden) Ardyn (level 16, Elf, Ranger) Smar (level 16, Shifter, Ranger) Corvin (level 16, Human, Cleric) this session Corvin is retired to be replaced with: Harbek (level 16, Dwarf, Runepriest) Melek's Journal: We arrive more or less where we expected, in a teleportation circle in Celduloin, the Eladrin city near to where we first entered the Fey Wild. It turns out the circle is in the garden of the Eladrin noble family that Malena belongs to. While the situation is slightly tense at first things quickly calm down as they realize that we are not responsible for Malena’s condition but in fact have rescued her from a foul fate. We are led to Lady Arethmere, the matriarch of the family. I'm quickly reminded how much I despise some of our aristocratic families for their boundless arrogance and their conviction that they are better than anybody else. Wait, what am I saying? I'm NOT an Eladrin. I don't even speak their language. I'm a tiefling. The oh so elegant Lady Arethmere almost chokes on the thanks that she, perforce, has to give us as she extends the poorest possible hospitality consistent with her honour. Or lack thereof. To add insult to injury she even explicitly orders us to remain in her house. As if we didn't already get the hint. Well, all of us except possibly Turak and Smar and maybe Ardyn. Ok, maybe the explicit statement was justified after all. At least she seems an equal opportunity bigot. She doesn't even take to Ardyn, and he’s an elf. She insists that I clean up despite the fact that my clothes and body is spotless due to my magics. And she has nothing but contempt for Turak and Smar. The hospitality so begrudgingly given was at least adequate. But they were definitely giving us their poor vintages at dinner, a dinner that we ate alone. Later in that evening, after she has recovered somewhat from her ordeal, we talk to Malena. She can give us only a little bit of information. The female leader of the Drow is called Xune, her second in command is a male called Elkantar. Apparently they work for a Lord and not the expected female leader. Furthermore, Malena overheard a comment to the effect of, "We have to remember to follow our instructions to inscribe the symbol of the King Who Crawls on their chests", referring to the symbols of Torog we found carved into the flesh of the eldarin captives, including Melana. While certainly not conclusive that would seem to imply that the inscription was intended as a ruse to misdirect us (or others). But other than that we have nothing to go on. We do not know where the drow are to be found. That night the dreams again come to me. In one of them, the Maiden appears to me. She promises to protect and to help me if I serve her above all others. I don't remember making any agreements but I do remember her kissing me on the forehead and my feeling a massive surge of fey power in me. I'm not sure what was going to happen because suddenly I am wakened by the sound of crashing coming from Bella’s room. Most of us go to investigate and find that Bella seems to be having some form of fit. She is crying out and saying something about a dream. Perhaps I'm not the only one who is being driven insane by the Feywild. If that is, indeed, what is happening to me. She insists that we go conduct an experiment our on the grounds even though it is the middle of the night. This is much to the displeasure of the household guards, but they don’t interfere. She asks Ardyn to leap as high as he can. Ardyn obliges her, and at the same time, Bella’s makes a motion with one hand and mutters a few arcane words. He soars far into the air; much farther than he could jump on his own. Being the athletic sort that he is he takes no damage from the sudden fall. As Ardyn lands, Corvin mutters, "That is what you get for trusting a thief". It would appear that Bella has a newfound power. Interesting. I wonder if she also had a visitation in the night. Or if it is something rather more mundane and she has just advanced in power in the usual way. In the morning, I cast Hand of Fate to try and determine where best to go next, but I get a very, very strange response. No information at all is revealed. I feel that I managed to contact Odin, but he just didn't want to respond. I wonder if that has anything to do with how quiet and peevish Corvin has been. He is obviously displeased with what we have managed to accomplish, but I get the impression that there is more to it than that. Exceedingly eager to get rid of us, Lady Arethmere has managed to obtain a Scroll of Planar Portal, and she "subtly" indicates that she thinks that we should leave. Now. Or spend a month in the swamp waiting for the moon gate to open. We decide that it is time to return home so we use the scroll to portal back to Grimmsburg. Back in Grimmsburg things are more or less as we left them except for a massive rainstorm. It looks like Odin (or perhaps Thor) is rather upset. The news is fairly dire. Apparently Cannon Wulgrin has had a visitation from Odin and the fragment of the Divine Engine that was kept in Odin’s vault in Valhalla has also been stolen, hence the storm outside. I think it is safe to assume that our enemies are now in possession of three of the five pieces of the divine engine. We fill in the Jarl and his inner council on what has occurred. Although it isn't likely to lead anywhere in particular various scribes start searching for the names of the drow in the records. Perhaps we'll get lucky. There is also ongoing research being conducted by Dean Danzig of the Scarlet Stone Academy that may possibly be lead somewhere. Apparently he’s close to discovering the location of one of the fragments, the one said to be located in the Shadowfell. The hope is that there will be more information in the library at Hammerfest. We then all go our own ways for a couple of weeks. I head off to my village only to discover that the people in Grimmsburg refer to it as “Deviltown.” I admit that I kind of like that name. It has a certain ring to it. Unfortunately, I also get disturbing news there. My sister Kallista is very unhappy with her position in charge there. She doesn't want the responsibility. She is a bard and being stuck in one place administering a fledgling settlement does not suite her. Also, as a human in whom the curse has never revealed itself she is resented by many of the tieflings there. I'm honestly not sure how I'd have reacted even a few days ago, but now my response is immediate and crystal clear. I release her from her promise. I had no right to put her into that position. The other news is also somewhat disturbing, as is my incredibly strong reaction to it. My father Ammon and my brother Leucis have been over at the village and are trying to get the inhabitants to start following their foolish dream to raise the fallen empire of Bhal Turath. I can't allow that. The goal of the village is to transform the tieflings both spiritually and physically. Oh, that goal is as distant and difficult as is the rebirth of Bhal Turath. But, if it is to have any chance at all, they must distance themselves from the dreams of the glory of yesteryear. They must look forward and not backwards. I have to confront my father. I have to force him to leave my village alone. But how can I do that? Since my earliest days it has been drilled into me that I am of House Zolfura and that I must obey the head of the House (my father). To openly oppose my father is to give up my heritage, to disinherit myself. And it is a heritage that I have been proud of. Certainly my ancestors have done many awful things, but they have also done many things to be proud of, and they are my blood. Even as little as a fortnight ago I'm not sure that I'd have had the strength to turn my back on my heritage. But I find, to my considerable surprise, that the decision is now an easy one. I'm not really sure what has changed. Perhaps it is just my adventures. But I think that it is mostly the dreams. More and more of his life is coming through. I now have a name. Allain. And he was a half elf. Well, half eladrin I suppose. He was a commoner, an outcast from eladrin society. And he transcended that. He took up service with the Maiden of the Moon. He lived a full and happy life. And he also accomplished great things. He knew what was important, and it certainly wasn't social posturing. Perhaps it was Lady Arethmere that also helped to open my eyes. She is so like my father in so many ways. So like the way that I used to be. More concerned with power, reputation and family than anything else. I go and lay down the law to my father. He and Leucis are to stay away from Deviltown, they are to leave the inhabitants alone. If they do not, then I will inform the Jarl about their illicit business dealings. If they try and have me killed or assassinated I will take whatever measures I need to in order to protect myself. By these actions I have forfeited my right to be heir to House Zolfura. I am no longer of high birth. I am now a nobody, of no family and so much the better for it. As if one crisis of the soul was insufficient, I have two more. I go to Canon Wulgrim to discuss how my connection to Odin seems weaker than it was, how the Hand of Fate ritual is now difficult to cast and far less revealing. He explains to me that what I've been fearing is, in fact, true. Since my trip to the Feywild, the Maiden of the Moon has altered my very soul. She has put a claim upon my soul, and this is greatly interfering with the fragment of Odin that I somehow obtained during my days at Thunderholme Abbey. I cannot serve two masters. It is not clear whether I even have a choice in the matter. But, if I do have a choice, I realize that I'd choose the Maiden. The life that she has shown me (assuming that I'm not just going crazy) is better than the one that I had. I've never been completely happy with the Skanzi goal of going to Valhalla for an eternity of endless fornication and cheap mead. And the one thing that I desperately want to lose, that I need to lose, is the constant sense of anger, the constant bloodlust. Odin inspires one to anger and to bloodlust; he doesn't help one to counter that. I still worship and serve Odin, but I no longer possess a piece of his divine energy. Since I made that decision I've found that my anger is slowly decreasing. Not, at least yet, hugely. But it is diminishing. And since I've made my decision I've noticed my connection to the Feywild has been strengthening. I can almost shift through it, as does an eladrin. Not quite, but it’s close. I've chosen to fully adopt the way of the Skald. Between what I can gather from dreams and what I can learn from Kali, I've managed to pick up a whole smattering of knowledge, including a few new Rituals. I've been training constantly these last few weeks. I was always reasonably good with the flute but now I've learned how to sing at least a little and gained the basics of various other instruments. I've been practicing my physical skills as well. It’s amazing how quickly and easily I've been picking up things. It’s as if I'm remembering things as opposed to learning them for the first time. And so several weeks passed. I've managed to replace Kali with a new tiefling mayor, Kairon by name. He isn't the most charming of people but he is a hard worker and a good administrator and is more than capable of knocking some heads together when required since he has seen considerable service as a mercenary. At least as importantly, he is a man of no pretensions and he shares my dream of a community where tieflings can grow up amongst their own kind. Over the past several days, I've heard from Corvin that he is most unhappy with our lack of progress, and that he plans to pursue his own interests and no longer quest with us for the Divine Engine. Finally after about three weeks of much needed downtime, we were called to a meeting with the Jarl. Harbek, a dwarven emissary from Hammerfest had come to Grimmsburg with bad news, especially for Turak. Recently there have been many raids on caravans going to or from Hammerfest, and it would appear that the Golden Horn Clan is responsible for the attacks. Harbeck had been sent to ask the Jarl for help investigating what has transpired that would cause the formerly peaceful minotaurs to turn to evil and lawlessness. Turak is, of course, flabbergasted by this and wants to find out what is happening. The rest of us (well, except for Corvin) agree to accompany him. ________________________________________________________________ We head off by portal to Nimorzan’s Tower in Fallcrest where we have a rather amusing interlude with his apprentice Lazlo, a quite foolish Halfling wizard who has finally mastered the magic missile spell. He insists on demonstrating his skills, and takes us to the top of the tower. By this time night has fallen, and the little Halfling proceeds to shoot several magic missiles off into the darkness. I do the obvious, and I use my Ghost Sound cantrip to start having the darkness scream in agony as the missiles attack it. Yes, I'm certainly getting a lot more enjoyment out of life than I used to. The next day we ascend to the skies on the backs of Giant Eagles. As always, Turak thoroughly hates the entire process while I am still exhilarated by the whole thing. We are following the caravan route to Hammerfest when we spy below us what appears to be the ruins of a caravan with several minotaurs looting it. We land to investigate. There are only a handful of Minotaurs and Turak definitely recognizes them as embers of his clan. But accompanying the minotaurs are several demons. Some appear to be similar to orcs and I recognize them as Tanaruk, several are nasty little carnage demons, and their leader is a large demonic minotaur with blazing red eyes and steam blasting from his nostrils. It’s not a minotaur that Turak recognizes. Turak attempts to reason with the minotaurs but, judging from the fact that the demons all charge us, I think that we have to consider this attempt at diplomacy a failure. Harbek, a RunePriest of Odin, is quite a competent fighter. He uses Runes to create magical effects. The most interesting by far is an effect that stops enemies dead in their tracks as they get close to the source of the blazing rune. It only affects the enemies when they first enter into the zone. But when that is combined with a hypnotic pattern drawing the enemies back out of the zone the effect is considerable, and quite amusing to boot. At least partially because I couldn't resist showing off, I summoned a plague of carnivorous hopping frogs to great effect. Admittedly, given that most of the demons were unable to move, it was hardly sporting. But I can control the frogs and stop them from actually killing anybody that I didn't want dead. So, the net result was a fairly short and one-sided fight, that resulted in lots of dead demons and several unconscious but basically unharmed minotaurs. Well, unharmed until Turak got through with them, as the rest of us agreed with my suggestion to allow him to decide what to do with the prisoners. He first questioned his kin, determining the obvious. The Minotaurs have turned away from the spirits and are now worshipping Baphomet. We also find out that the instigator of this was the shaman of the clan, somebody who Turak knew and used to respect. After first humiliating the prisoners by showing that he is far stronger and more powerful than any of them, he then decides that a fitting punishment would be to remove one horn from each of them. Apparently for Minotaurs this is a massive disgrace, and I expect quite painful too. We then release the minotaurs and remount the eagles to head off to his clan’s labyrinth. While the Minotaurs will doubtless also head back to the clan, we'll be there long before them and so will be able to attack with the advantage of surprise. [/QUOTE]
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