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Shilsen's Eberron SH (Finished - The Last Word : 9/20/15)
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<blockquote data-quote="shilsen" data-source="post: 5558044" data-attributes="member: 198"><p><img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" class="smilie smilie--sprite smilie--sprite8" alt=":D" title="Big grin :D" loading="lazy" data-shortname=":D" /></p><p></p><p>Well, here's some more to distract yourself...</p><p></p><p>* * * * * * * * * *</p><p>The third and last army that the Guardian Angels encounter consists of a smaller number of dolgrims than usual, with only two hundred of the four-armed creatures present. Conversely, they are accompanied by a somewhat larger proportion of more powerful creatures than is usually the case, with about a third as many runehounds, dozens of cloakers, half a dozen mind flayers, another half a dozen gauths, and two beholders present.</p><p></p><p>There is little apparent sophistication to the Angels' tactics when they attack, Nameless simply <em>dimension door</em>ing them within a few hundred feet of the army once they have spotted them. Myriad cries of alarm ring out from the aberration forces, hurriedly followed by a huge volley at the obvious targets. To the utter delight of the dolgrims, the five attackers go down almost instantly under the hundreds of crossbow bolts. With triumphant cries, they swarm toward the fallen enemies, the runehounds racing forward while cloakers swoop overhead and the beholderkin follow more ponderously.</p><p></p><p>The shouts falter a few seconds later, as the Guardian Angels leap to their feet in perfect unison, just as the runehounds are almost upon them.</p><p></p><p><strong>“BOO!”</strong></p><p></p><p>And then the cries turn to screams of horror and pain, most of them swiftly snuffed out, as an avalanche of destruction engulfs the army.</p><p></p><p>Some of that is not even metaphorical, with Luna bringing down one <em>earthquake</em> after another in the area*, first utterly devastating the army and then decimating the short-lived survivors who desperately scramble to flee.</p><p></p><p>Nameless completes the large-scale destruction by hurling a <em>meteor swarm</em> into the midst of the aberrations, before switching to more precise attacks. A well-placed <em>sunburst</em> catches the beholders, blinding both as well as a number of the gauths and cloakers around them. A moment later, he uses a quickened <em>wall of fire</em> to cut off the retreat of the runehounds. </p><p></p><p>Gareth causes a magical eruption of earth and stone** in the midst of the mind flayers, bringing down a couple of them. As one of them dodges desperately away, a flying shard of rock reverses direction in mid-air and neatly skewers its head, thanks to Six and his <em>ring of telekinesis</em>. The warforged then quickly pulls out a scroll and touches the paladin's shoulder while activating it and, an instant later, they appear right next to the remaining mind flayers. While Gareth slashes into the enemy, eviscerating or decapitating whatever is within range, Six focuses on tripping one of the mind flayers and then bashing it into unconsciousness. He then <em>dimension door</em>s out, with both the unconscious illithid and the paladin in tow, the latter depositing a <em>blade barrier</em> among the few remaining foes as a parting gift. </p><p></p><p>Terrific as the destruction they cause might be, none of the Guardian Angels take quite as much pleasure in the battle as Korm. Pausing only to cast a <em>resist energy</em> to negate their acidic breath, the Gatekeeper rushes forth and hurls himself gleefully into the midst of the runehounds. With their retreat blocked off, most of the creatures pounce upon him too, eliciting only a loud shout of “Yes! Everyone – leave them to me! Nameless – can you stop them getting away?”</p><p></p><p>The alienist silently complies, two more <em>wall</em>s <em>of fire</em> enclosing that section of the battlefield, penning Korm and some fifty runehounds into one area. Unable to see what is occurring within, the other Guardian Angels continue mopping up the rest of the army and bringing down the remaining flying aberrations in various ways. </p><p></p><p>Sounds of battle continue to emanate from beyond the area within the <em>wall<em>s, though the growls and snarls from the runehounds diminish dramatically as the others hear Korm pronounce the words of a <em>horrid wilting</em>. Some of the growling also devolves into fairly pathetic whining, accompanied by inarticulate shouts of glee from the Gatekeeper.</em></em></p><p><em><em></em></em></p><p><em><em>Then, just as it seems the short-lived affray is winding down, one last enemy appears. The one surviving beholder appears past the far corner of the <em>wall</em>s <em>of fire</em>, firing its eyebeams blindly and roaring in frustration as it floats only a couple of feet above the ground. </em></em></p><p><em><em></em></em></p><p><em><em>Before the other Guardian Angels can respond, there is a loud shout of “Sit! Stay! Good runehounds!” and then a bulky shape—or collection of shapes—bursts through the <em>wall of fire</em> closest to the beholder. It is Korm, streaming with blood, his hair kindling as he rushes through the flaming barrier. His state, however, is hardly as poor as that of the three runehounds he drags along with him, their fangs still buried in his flesh. The creatures, all horribly wounded, shudder and collapse as the magical flames roast them.</em></em></p><p><em><em></em></em></p><p><em><em>Letting them fall, Korm looks up and shouts, “Mine!” With a flap of the cloaker-like wings emanating from his shoulders, he hurls himself at the beholder, rising above it to get in a better blow. Which, blind though it is, actually manages to roll around in mid-air and strike him with the <em>antimagic</em> field that still emanates from it***. With a disappointed, “Ah, crap!” Korm falls, but luckily he's close enough that he manages to grab onto the creature. Gatekeeper and aberration roll on the ground together in a whirl of snapping jaws, writhing eyestalks and a slashing blade.</em></em></p><p><em><em></em></em></p><p><em><em>“Should we help?” asks Gareth.</em></em></p><p><em><em></em></em></p><p><em><em>“Pfft! Looks like he's doing fine!” scoffs Luna. “Look – he just bit it in the eye!”</em></em></p><p><em><em></em></em></p><p><em><em>Sure enough, Korm finally rises, grinning triumphantly above the globular corpse which bobs just above the ground near his feet. “That was … awesome!” says the Gatekeeper happily. “Nameless – can you get rid of the <em>wall</em>s?”</em></em></p><p><em><em></em></em></p><p><em><em>The alienist complies, <em>dispel</em>ling two of the fiery barriers, to reveal an area littered with the corpses of the runehounds that he had penned within less than a minute ago – and nine live runehounds sitting patiently in a row. As the <em>wall</em>s disappear, they whine like a bunch of overly large and deformed puppies.</em></em></p><p><em><em></em></em></p><p><em><em>Korm grins back at them and calls, “All right – come over here!”</em></em></p><p><em><em></em></em></p><p><em><em>The creatures leap up in unison and rush forward, hurling themselves onto the Gatekeeper and bowling him over in their enthusiasm. Korm rolls around on the ground with them, his magical protection leaving him unaffected by the acidic saliva dripping from the tongues that loll from the long heads growing out of the middle of their backs. .</em></em></p><p><em><em></em></em></p><p><em><em>Luna laughs at the sight and then says, “So someone charmed nine of them while fighting the others? Nice job! Can we keep them?”</em></em></p><p><em><em></em></em></p><p><em><em>Nameless, Gareth and Six exchange long-suffering glances and simultaneously say, “No!”</em></em></p><p><em><em></em></em></p><p><em><em>While Luna pouts, the warforged decides to provide a quick distraction and picks up the unconscious mind flayer lying at his feet. “Korm – come see if you can charm this one too. I'd like to know what they were doing so far north.”</em></em></p><p><em><em></em></em></p><p><em><em>When the Gatekeeper complies, having once more commanded the runehounds to sit in one place and behave themselves, Six revives the mind flayer. The creature shakes its head and glances around blearily for a moment before freezing, partly in alarm and partly because the Gatekeeper's gaze takes effect upon it.</em></em></p><p><em><em></em></em></p><p><em><em>Then, after a moment, it telepathically addresses Korm, “<em>Why have you done this … my friend? Who are these others with you?</em>” The telepathic tone is a puzzled one, as the creature's mind struggles to make sense of the contradictory emotions that it feels in its charmed state. </em></em></p><p><em><em></em></em></p><p><em><em>“<em>Don't worry</em>,” Korm transmits in return, chuckling inwardly as he replies, “<em>These are the … disciples of Snookums. They are important people. They were sent with me</em>,” he adds, “<em>to bring the information that the Silver Flame is not destroyed. It is inside us – the Guardian Angels. Make sure to let the other aberrations know that.</em>”</em></em></p><p><em><em></em></em></p><p><em><em>The mind flayer remains silent, clearly having some difficulty in digesting the message – and working out what it means. Taking the opportunity, Korm continues over their mental link, “<em>What were you doing in this area? Was there something particular you wanted?</em> ”</em></em></p><p><em><em></em></em></p><p><em><em>Sounding almost relieved to be able to deal with a subject it understands, the mind flayer promptly replies, “<em>We were sent by the generals to seek out a particular stone in the forest. It supposedly has much power. I don't know any more about it. Kttchrshlekm was the one who knew. He was in communication with the generals through the graft.</em>”</em></em></p><p><em><em></em></em></p><p><em><em>Though the Angels have suspected something of the kind for a while, Korm reflexively asks, “<em>Graft?</em>”</em></em></p><p><em><em></em></em></p><p><em><em>“<em>The one all the communicators have implanted in them? You know about that – don't you? Are you sure that …?</em>”</em></em></p><p><em><em></em></em></p><p><em><em>Seeing that the mind flayer is growing suspicious, Korm changes his mind about sending it off as a messenger and calmly buries his sword in its skull. Looking at the others, he explains what it communicated. </em></em></p><p><em><em></em></em></p><p><em><em>Nameless frowns thoughtfully at the information. “Fascinating. I presume it was referring to the Madstone. I had never truly considered that it might have a connection with Xoriat – primarily because I had no particular reason to even think about it before this point.”</em></em></p><p><em><em></em></em></p><p><em><em>“The Madstone?” asks Gareth, a vague memory coming to him from his childhood in Karrnath. “I seem to remember hearing stories about that. Something about …”</em></em></p><p><em><em></em></em></p><p><em><em>“A monolith,” Nameless continues as if the paladin hadn't said a word, his raspy tone taking on the simultaneously meditative and pedantic tone which tends to indicate the sharing of information that he possesses but has no personal memory of, “which has existed in the Icewood for centuries, though nobody seems certain of its source. It is rumored to have an inimical effect on the minds of those who encounter it, but—again—accurate information is lacking, since no claims from explorers and adventurers of having seen it have ever been clearly substantiated. Every few years, there are cases of humanoids who emerge from the forest, evincing extreme strength and hardiness – and attacking every living creature in sight until they are slain. They are known locally as the Madborn and are supposed to be the result of having come in close contact with the Madstone. There are also rumors of a tribe of centaurs in the forest that revere and guard the monolith but, again, no clear evidence.”</em></em></p><p><em><em></em></em></p><p><em><em>“So,” says Six perceptively, “You have some … theory about this stone?”</em></em></p><p><em><em></em></em></p><p><em><em>“Yes,” says Nameless, slipping into what passes as a more normal tone for him. “Based on the legends and the interest of the aberrations in it, I'm considering the possibility that it might be warpstone. That would explain both its source and the effect it has on creatures that encounter it. And would mean it's a potentially useful weapon for the aberrations – or us. I wonder ...”</em></em></p><p><em><em></em></em></p><p><em><em>A loud laugh from Luna interrupts. Frowning, the alienist looks over to see that Korm has summoned one of the <em>phantom stag</em>s and attached the two dead beholders to it with ropes. Naturally buoyant as they are even in death, the two aberrations bob sluggishly in mid-air. As the conjured stag moves slowly forward, the pair of corpses float along behind it – with Korm balancing on them.</em></em></p><p><em><em></em></em></p><p><em><em>“What <em>are</em> you doing?” asks Nameless, causing the Gatekeeper to glance over, at which point he promptly loses his balance and falls off. </em></em></p><p><em><em></em></em></p><p><em><em>Sitting up, Korm chuckles and rubs his head. “Sorry. Just an experiment. I thought something of the kind would completely terrify any aberrations we meet in future.”</em></em></p><p><em><em></em></em></p><p><em><em>“Not really necessary, you know,” chuckles Gareth at the odd sight. “We have Luna!”</em></em></p><p><em><em></em></em></p><p><em><em>Korm chuckles and then rubs his stomach thoughtfully. “Plus I ate some beholder. I'm looking forward to seeing what abilities that lets me manifest.”</em></em></p><p><em><em></em></em></p><p><em><em>“Maybe you'll be able to make your butt puff up into a ball and float around?” opines Luna, with a grin.</em></em></p><p><em><em></em></em></p><p><em><em>“Right now, however,” Nameless interrupt, “we should be returning to Sharn. I want to consider this new information and what we might do with it. You need to bid goodbye to your hounds.”</em></em></p><p><em><em></em></em></p><p><em><em>“Aww! But they're so nice! See?” The Gatekeeper calls out and, once more, disappears under a mound of leaping bodies. </em></em></p><p><em><em></em></em></p><p><em><em>“You've clearly been spending too much time with Luna,” Six says, before making preparations to depart.</em></em></p><p><em><em></em></em></p><p><em><em>Despite his protestations—and Luna's support—Korm does accept that taking the runehounds back to Sharn would be not just difficult but highly inappropriate, so after playing with them for a bit, he bids the aberrations goodbye. “Run free and … eat any other aberrations you meet, but keep yourselves safe, okay?” he commands before leaving. The last sight that the Angels see as Nameless <em>teleport</em>s them away is that of the creatures loping away toward the southwest.</em></em></p><p><em><em></em></em></p><p><em><em>* * *</em></em></p><p><em><em>Once back in Sharn, Nameless visits the Esoteric Order of Aureon and Morgrave University to further research the Icewood and the Madstone. While the basic information he already had is accurate, he discovers a fair number of additional details.</em></em></p><p><em><em></em></em></p><p><em><em>The Icewood is a large forest, stretching 200 miles at its longest. The forest’s name supposedly emerges due to its position in the northeastern part of Karrnath, an area which tends to suffer from particularly chilly winters, and has a reputation for being unnaturally cold. It is also reputedly the home of many kinds of rare monsters, especially those drawn to frigid areas, such as winter wolves or cryohydras. There are even legends of frost giants having been seen in the area. It is difficult to say how much of this information is fact, since the forest has never been really explored, and outside contact with it has diminished drastically over the last century. Even before the Last War began, the dangers of the forest and its location far from the urban centers of Karrnath meant there was little contact with it. Shortly after the start of the War, trappers and hunters trading with members of a large centaur tribe that dwelt in the forest were told that the centaurs had unearthed a giant gray magical stone deep in the forest. They learned nothing more about it, mainly because the centaurs cut off contact with traders shortly afterward. Over the following years, creatures would sometimes emerge from the forest, stumbling around in an uncoordinated manner and muttering about the “Madstone” and its “commands”. The creatures were of many different types, though almost always humanoids, monstrous humanoids or giants, but the one thing they had in common was that they violently attacked anything that they encountered, displaying unusual strength and resilience. They would also sometimes display random magical powers. Sometimes they dragged unconscious captives back into the Icewood. More commonly, they wandered around, slaying indiscriminately until they were killed. In Karrnath, these creatures are called the Madborn. </em></em></p><p><em><em></em></em></p><p><em><em>Unsurprisingly, little certain is known about the Madstone, since most of the information has only been gleaned from the insane mutterings of the Madborn. Nameless does manage to extract a significant amount of potential data about the subject, though he remains strongly aware that much of this might be incomplete or inaccurate. Based on what he finds, the Madstone is apparently a huge gray rock, probably with dragonshards embedded in it. Its presence has supposedly warped the forest around it, and there is also a possibility that it actually physically moves from place to place within the Icewood. It seems that it contains some sort of consciousness as well. Those nearing its current position can hear its call in their heads and are drawn to touch its surface, at which point they fall under its thrall. Losing their individuality, they wander around, usually with little direction from it, but sometimes being commanded to go forth and bring others back to the stone. The Madstone can evidently see through them and control their actions, causing them to fight with strange, unthinking coordination. It can also unleash bursts of magical power, usually mind-affecting, through them. Even when it is not doing so, they exhibit unusual strength and resistance to damage. </em></em></p><p><em><em></em></em></p><p><em><em>Despite the lack of clear information, the alienist is fairly confident that this is a huge chunk of warpstone – perhaps somehow left behind during the Xoriat invasion that led to the fall of the Dhakaani empire, perhaps exuded from the depths of Khyber by the influence of the trapped daelkyr lords or their minions.</em></em></p><p><em><em></em></em></p><p><em><em>While Nameless is completing his research, late at night, Gareth receives a <em>sending</em> from Sora Teraza. “<em>We need to speak as soon as possible. I have had a vision about your final battle with Mual-Tar. Can you be here tomorrow?</em>” The paladin responds immediately in the affirmative.</em></em></p><p><em><em></em></em></p><p><em><em>* * * * *</em></em></p><p><em><em>The next day, the Guardian Angels arrive at the Great Crag as promised, to find Sora Teraza and Sora Katra awaiting them as usual. The hags mention that the trolls from Sora Maenya's elite guard have been equipped and are ready to go, but the Angels decide not to take them for the moment, saving them for the inevitable battle with Mual-Tar.</em></em></p><p><em><em></em></em></p><p><em><em>“As you wish,” says Sora Teraza, her sightless eyes turned on the Angels. “That is what I had a vision of, but not of the Mournland. Instead, I saw you fighting Mual-Tar in a the midst of a shapeless void. And not just Mual-Tar. I saw you battling a creature that I knew was a daelkyr lord as well.”</em></em></p><p><em><em></em></em></p><p><em><em>“Yeah, we kinda knew he's back,” grumbles Luna. “Don't those things ever die?”</em></em></p><p><em><em></em></em></p><p><em><em>“Not really,” rasps Nameless. “I had considered that the divine energy of the Silver Flame might have had an effect that normal magic cannot, but we already had enough indications that it wasn't permanent. Tell me,” he turns to Sora Teraza, “did your vision tell you the name of this daelkyr lord?”</em></em></p><p><em><em></em></em></p><p><em><em>“No.” The seer shakes her head. “But there was more. As you fought, a strange facsimile of Eberron floated between you. It was a globe, with the continents—especially Khorvaire—clearly marked upon it. There were cracks all over its surface and, as you fought, streams of silver energy flowed from the daelkyr and Mual-Tar into the globe.” Sora Teraza points at the Angels and says, despite her physical blindness, “The same silver color that you all glow with now.”</em></em></p><p><em><em></em></em></p><p><em><em>She then continues, “In the vision, as the silver light flowed into the globe, the cracks expanded and blood began to leak from them. But then, even as the blood dripped around you, all of you simultaneously opened your mouths wide and swallowed the silver energy. When you did so, all of you, the daelkyr and Mual-Tar exploded into nothingness. All that was left behind was the globe, with a thin network of silver lines now binding the cracks on it together. That,” she concludes heavily, “was where the vision ended.”</em></em></p><p><em><em></em></em></p><p><em><em>“So,” asks Six, “do you have an interpretation for what you saw? It sounds like we will need to use—or take—the energy of the Silver Flame from the daelkyr and the Worm, which will destroy them, but kill us too.”</em></em></p><p><em><em></em></em></p><p><em><em>Sora Teraza smiles faintly. “You should be a seer. That was my interpretation too.”</em></em></p><p><em><em></em></em></p><p><em><em>“Wait a sec,” says Luna. “I'm not about to blow myself up! I'm having kids!”</em></em></p><p><em><em></em></em></p><p><em><em>“We might not have a choice in the matter,” rasps Nameless, before addressing the hags. “Thank you for the information. We will keep it in mind. I also have some information for you, about a new possibility that has appeared for us.” The alienist proceeds to explain what the Angels have learned about the aberration interest in the Madstone and that they are planning to try to claim it themselves. </em></em></p><p><em><em></em></em></p><p><em><em>When he finishes, Sora Teraza says, “I cannot be certain, but it seems to me that is a worthy aim. Warpstone can be a strange and unreliable weapon, but better you be the ones to wield it than Xoriat.”</em></em></p><p><em><em></em></em></p><p><em><em>After some more discussion, the Angels take their leave of the hags. Before they depart, Nameless casts a <em>sending</em> of his own, contacting Essirise and saying, “<em>Have possibility of gaining large quantity of warpstone. Opinions on subject? Also have interesting information from Teraza to share. When will you arrive here?</em>”</em></em></p><p><em><em></em></em></p><p><em><em>The dragon replies immediately, “<em>Good idea. Warpstone possibly very useful. Will arrive tomorrow at noon with Siberys battalion and powerful magic. See you at location near Mournland we discussed.</em>”</em></em></p><p><em><em></em></em></p><p><em><em>After relating to the Daughters of Sora Kell what their plans are, the Angels depart for the Icewood and the Madstone.</em></em></p><p><em><em></em></em></p><p><em><em></em></em></p><p><em><em></em></em></p><p><em><em>* She used four of them, thanks to Undermaster (from the Spell Compendium)</em></em></p><p><em><em></em></em></p><p><em><em>** Ice Flowers (also Spell Compendium)</em></em></p><p><em><em></em></em></p><p><em><em>*** I had them roll opposed initiatives and the beholder, with a 4, beat the 2 that Atlatl naturally rolled</em></em></p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="shilsen, post: 5558044, member: 198"] :D Well, here's some more to distract yourself... * * * * * * * * * * The third and last army that the Guardian Angels encounter consists of a smaller number of dolgrims than usual, with only two hundred of the four-armed creatures present. Conversely, they are accompanied by a somewhat larger proportion of more powerful creatures than is usually the case, with about a third as many runehounds, dozens of cloakers, half a dozen mind flayers, another half a dozen gauths, and two beholders present. There is little apparent sophistication to the Angels' tactics when they attack, Nameless simply [i]dimension door[/i]ing them within a few hundred feet of the army once they have spotted them. Myriad cries of alarm ring out from the aberration forces, hurriedly followed by a huge volley at the obvious targets. To the utter delight of the dolgrims, the five attackers go down almost instantly under the hundreds of crossbow bolts. With triumphant cries, they swarm toward the fallen enemies, the runehounds racing forward while cloakers swoop overhead and the beholderkin follow more ponderously. The shouts falter a few seconds later, as the Guardian Angels leap to their feet in perfect unison, just as the runehounds are almost upon them. [b]“BOO!”[/b] And then the cries turn to screams of horror and pain, most of them swiftly snuffed out, as an avalanche of destruction engulfs the army. Some of that is not even metaphorical, with Luna bringing down one [i]earthquake[/i] after another in the area*, first utterly devastating the army and then decimating the short-lived survivors who desperately scramble to flee. Nameless completes the large-scale destruction by hurling a [i]meteor swarm[/i] into the midst of the aberrations, before switching to more precise attacks. A well-placed [i]sunburst[/i] catches the beholders, blinding both as well as a number of the gauths and cloakers around them. A moment later, he uses a quickened [i]wall of fire[/i] to cut off the retreat of the runehounds. Gareth causes a magical eruption of earth and stone** in the midst of the mind flayers, bringing down a couple of them. As one of them dodges desperately away, a flying shard of rock reverses direction in mid-air and neatly skewers its head, thanks to Six and his [i]ring of telekinesis[/i]. The warforged then quickly pulls out a scroll and touches the paladin's shoulder while activating it and, an instant later, they appear right next to the remaining mind flayers. While Gareth slashes into the enemy, eviscerating or decapitating whatever is within range, Six focuses on tripping one of the mind flayers and then bashing it into unconsciousness. He then [i]dimension door[/i]s out, with both the unconscious illithid and the paladin in tow, the latter depositing a [i]blade barrier[/i] among the few remaining foes as a parting gift. Terrific as the destruction they cause might be, none of the Guardian Angels take quite as much pleasure in the battle as Korm. Pausing only to cast a [i]resist energy[/i] to negate their acidic breath, the Gatekeeper rushes forth and hurls himself gleefully into the midst of the runehounds. With their retreat blocked off, most of the creatures pounce upon him too, eliciting only a loud shout of “Yes! Everyone – leave them to me! Nameless – can you stop them getting away?” The alienist silently complies, two more [i]wall[/i]s [i]of fire[/i] enclosing that section of the battlefield, penning Korm and some fifty runehounds into one area. Unable to see what is occurring within, the other Guardian Angels continue mopping up the rest of the army and bringing down the remaining flying aberrations in various ways. Sounds of battle continue to emanate from beyond the area within the [i]wall[i]s, though the growls and snarls from the runehounds diminish dramatically as the others hear Korm pronounce the words of a [i]horrid wilting[/i]. Some of the growling also devolves into fairly pathetic whining, accompanied by inarticulate shouts of glee from the Gatekeeper. Then, just as it seems the short-lived affray is winding down, one last enemy appears. The one surviving beholder appears past the far corner of the [i]wall[/i]s [i]of fire[/i], firing its eyebeams blindly and roaring in frustration as it floats only a couple of feet above the ground. Before the other Guardian Angels can respond, there is a loud shout of “Sit! Stay! Good runehounds!” and then a bulky shape—or collection of shapes—bursts through the [i]wall of fire[/i] closest to the beholder. It is Korm, streaming with blood, his hair kindling as he rushes through the flaming barrier. His state, however, is hardly as poor as that of the three runehounds he drags along with him, their fangs still buried in his flesh. The creatures, all horribly wounded, shudder and collapse as the magical flames roast them. Letting them fall, Korm looks up and shouts, “Mine!” With a flap of the cloaker-like wings emanating from his shoulders, he hurls himself at the beholder, rising above it to get in a better blow. Which, blind though it is, actually manages to roll around in mid-air and strike him with the [i]antimagic[/i] field that still emanates from it***. With a disappointed, “Ah, crap!” Korm falls, but luckily he's close enough that he manages to grab onto the creature. Gatekeeper and aberration roll on the ground together in a whirl of snapping jaws, writhing eyestalks and a slashing blade. “Should we help?” asks Gareth. “Pfft! Looks like he's doing fine!” scoffs Luna. “Look – he just bit it in the eye!” Sure enough, Korm finally rises, grinning triumphantly above the globular corpse which bobs just above the ground near his feet. “That was … awesome!” says the Gatekeeper happily. “Nameless – can you get rid of the [i]wall[/i]s?” The alienist complies, [i]dispel[/i]ling two of the fiery barriers, to reveal an area littered with the corpses of the runehounds that he had penned within less than a minute ago – and nine live runehounds sitting patiently in a row. As the [i]wall[/i]s disappear, they whine like a bunch of overly large and deformed puppies. Korm grins back at them and calls, “All right – come over here!” The creatures leap up in unison and rush forward, hurling themselves onto the Gatekeeper and bowling him over in their enthusiasm. Korm rolls around on the ground with them, his magical protection leaving him unaffected by the acidic saliva dripping from the tongues that loll from the long heads growing out of the middle of their backs. . Luna laughs at the sight and then says, “So someone charmed nine of them while fighting the others? Nice job! Can we keep them?” Nameless, Gareth and Six exchange long-suffering glances and simultaneously say, “No!” While Luna pouts, the warforged decides to provide a quick distraction and picks up the unconscious mind flayer lying at his feet. “Korm – come see if you can charm this one too. I'd like to know what they were doing so far north.” When the Gatekeeper complies, having once more commanded the runehounds to sit in one place and behave themselves, Six revives the mind flayer. The creature shakes its head and glances around blearily for a moment before freezing, partly in alarm and partly because the Gatekeeper's gaze takes effect upon it. Then, after a moment, it telepathically addresses Korm, “[i]Why have you done this … my friend? Who are these others with you?[/i]” The telepathic tone is a puzzled one, as the creature's mind struggles to make sense of the contradictory emotions that it feels in its charmed state. “[i]Don't worry[/i],” Korm transmits in return, chuckling inwardly as he replies, “[i]These are the … disciples of Snookums. They are important people. They were sent with me[/i],” he adds, “[i]to bring the information that the Silver Flame is not destroyed. It is inside us – the Guardian Angels. Make sure to let the other aberrations know that.[/i]” The mind flayer remains silent, clearly having some difficulty in digesting the message – and working out what it means. Taking the opportunity, Korm continues over their mental link, “[i]What were you doing in this area? Was there something particular you wanted?[/i] ” Sounding almost relieved to be able to deal with a subject it understands, the mind flayer promptly replies, “[i]We were sent by the generals to seek out a particular stone in the forest. It supposedly has much power. I don't know any more about it. Kttchrshlekm was the one who knew. He was in communication with the generals through the graft.[/i]” Though the Angels have suspected something of the kind for a while, Korm reflexively asks, “[i]Graft?[/i]” “[i]The one all the communicators have implanted in them? You know about that – don't you? Are you sure that …?[/i]” Seeing that the mind flayer is growing suspicious, Korm changes his mind about sending it off as a messenger and calmly buries his sword in its skull. Looking at the others, he explains what it communicated. Nameless frowns thoughtfully at the information. “Fascinating. I presume it was referring to the Madstone. I had never truly considered that it might have a connection with Xoriat – primarily because I had no particular reason to even think about it before this point.” “The Madstone?” asks Gareth, a vague memory coming to him from his childhood in Karrnath. “I seem to remember hearing stories about that. Something about …” “A monolith,” Nameless continues as if the paladin hadn't said a word, his raspy tone taking on the simultaneously meditative and pedantic tone which tends to indicate the sharing of information that he possesses but has no personal memory of, “which has existed in the Icewood for centuries, though nobody seems certain of its source. It is rumored to have an inimical effect on the minds of those who encounter it, but—again—accurate information is lacking, since no claims from explorers and adventurers of having seen it have ever been clearly substantiated. Every few years, there are cases of humanoids who emerge from the forest, evincing extreme strength and hardiness – and attacking every living creature in sight until they are slain. They are known locally as the Madborn and are supposed to be the result of having come in close contact with the Madstone. There are also rumors of a tribe of centaurs in the forest that revere and guard the monolith but, again, no clear evidence.” “So,” says Six perceptively, “You have some … theory about this stone?” “Yes,” says Nameless, slipping into what passes as a more normal tone for him. “Based on the legends and the interest of the aberrations in it, I'm considering the possibility that it might be warpstone. That would explain both its source and the effect it has on creatures that encounter it. And would mean it's a potentially useful weapon for the aberrations – or us. I wonder ...” A loud laugh from Luna interrupts. Frowning, the alienist looks over to see that Korm has summoned one of the [i]phantom stag[/i]s and attached the two dead beholders to it with ropes. Naturally buoyant as they are even in death, the two aberrations bob sluggishly in mid-air. As the conjured stag moves slowly forward, the pair of corpses float along behind it – with Korm balancing on them. “What [i]are[/i] you doing?” asks Nameless, causing the Gatekeeper to glance over, at which point he promptly loses his balance and falls off. Sitting up, Korm chuckles and rubs his head. “Sorry. Just an experiment. I thought something of the kind would completely terrify any aberrations we meet in future.” “Not really necessary, you know,” chuckles Gareth at the odd sight. “We have Luna!” Korm chuckles and then rubs his stomach thoughtfully. “Plus I ate some beholder. I'm looking forward to seeing what abilities that lets me manifest.” “Maybe you'll be able to make your butt puff up into a ball and float around?” opines Luna, with a grin. “Right now, however,” Nameless interrupt, “we should be returning to Sharn. I want to consider this new information and what we might do with it. You need to bid goodbye to your hounds.” “Aww! But they're so nice! See?” The Gatekeeper calls out and, once more, disappears under a mound of leaping bodies. “You've clearly been spending too much time with Luna,” Six says, before making preparations to depart. Despite his protestations—and Luna's support—Korm does accept that taking the runehounds back to Sharn would be not just difficult but highly inappropriate, so after playing with them for a bit, he bids the aberrations goodbye. “Run free and … eat any other aberrations you meet, but keep yourselves safe, okay?” he commands before leaving. The last sight that the Angels see as Nameless [i]teleport[/i]s them away is that of the creatures loping away toward the southwest. * * * Once back in Sharn, Nameless visits the Esoteric Order of Aureon and Morgrave University to further research the Icewood and the Madstone. While the basic information he already had is accurate, he discovers a fair number of additional details. The Icewood is a large forest, stretching 200 miles at its longest. The forest’s name supposedly emerges due to its position in the northeastern part of Karrnath, an area which tends to suffer from particularly chilly winters, and has a reputation for being unnaturally cold. It is also reputedly the home of many kinds of rare monsters, especially those drawn to frigid areas, such as winter wolves or cryohydras. There are even legends of frost giants having been seen in the area. It is difficult to say how much of this information is fact, since the forest has never been really explored, and outside contact with it has diminished drastically over the last century. Even before the Last War began, the dangers of the forest and its location far from the urban centers of Karrnath meant there was little contact with it. Shortly after the start of the War, trappers and hunters trading with members of a large centaur tribe that dwelt in the forest were told that the centaurs had unearthed a giant gray magical stone deep in the forest. They learned nothing more about it, mainly because the centaurs cut off contact with traders shortly afterward. Over the following years, creatures would sometimes emerge from the forest, stumbling around in an uncoordinated manner and muttering about the “Madstone” and its “commands”. The creatures were of many different types, though almost always humanoids, monstrous humanoids or giants, but the one thing they had in common was that they violently attacked anything that they encountered, displaying unusual strength and resilience. They would also sometimes display random magical powers. Sometimes they dragged unconscious captives back into the Icewood. More commonly, they wandered around, slaying indiscriminately until they were killed. In Karrnath, these creatures are called the Madborn. Unsurprisingly, little certain is known about the Madstone, since most of the information has only been gleaned from the insane mutterings of the Madborn. Nameless does manage to extract a significant amount of potential data about the subject, though he remains strongly aware that much of this might be incomplete or inaccurate. Based on what he finds, the Madstone is apparently a huge gray rock, probably with dragonshards embedded in it. Its presence has supposedly warped the forest around it, and there is also a possibility that it actually physically moves from place to place within the Icewood. It seems that it contains some sort of consciousness as well. Those nearing its current position can hear its call in their heads and are drawn to touch its surface, at which point they fall under its thrall. Losing their individuality, they wander around, usually with little direction from it, but sometimes being commanded to go forth and bring others back to the stone. The Madstone can evidently see through them and control their actions, causing them to fight with strange, unthinking coordination. It can also unleash bursts of magical power, usually mind-affecting, through them. Even when it is not doing so, they exhibit unusual strength and resistance to damage. Despite the lack of clear information, the alienist is fairly confident that this is a huge chunk of warpstone – perhaps somehow left behind during the Xoriat invasion that led to the fall of the Dhakaani empire, perhaps exuded from the depths of Khyber by the influence of the trapped daelkyr lords or their minions. While Nameless is completing his research, late at night, Gareth receives a [i]sending[/i] from Sora Teraza. “[i]We need to speak as soon as possible. I have had a vision about your final battle with Mual-Tar. Can you be here tomorrow?[/i]” The paladin responds immediately in the affirmative. * * * * * The next day, the Guardian Angels arrive at the Great Crag as promised, to find Sora Teraza and Sora Katra awaiting them as usual. The hags mention that the trolls from Sora Maenya's elite guard have been equipped and are ready to go, but the Angels decide not to take them for the moment, saving them for the inevitable battle with Mual-Tar. “As you wish,” says Sora Teraza, her sightless eyes turned on the Angels. “That is what I had a vision of, but not of the Mournland. Instead, I saw you fighting Mual-Tar in a the midst of a shapeless void. And not just Mual-Tar. I saw you battling a creature that I knew was a daelkyr lord as well.” “Yeah, we kinda knew he's back,” grumbles Luna. “Don't those things ever die?” “Not really,” rasps Nameless. “I had considered that the divine energy of the Silver Flame might have had an effect that normal magic cannot, but we already had enough indications that it wasn't permanent. Tell me,” he turns to Sora Teraza, “did your vision tell you the name of this daelkyr lord?” “No.” The seer shakes her head. “But there was more. As you fought, a strange facsimile of Eberron floated between you. It was a globe, with the continents—especially Khorvaire—clearly marked upon it. There were cracks all over its surface and, as you fought, streams of silver energy flowed from the daelkyr and Mual-Tar into the globe.” Sora Teraza points at the Angels and says, despite her physical blindness, “The same silver color that you all glow with now.” She then continues, “In the vision, as the silver light flowed into the globe, the cracks expanded and blood began to leak from them. But then, even as the blood dripped around you, all of you simultaneously opened your mouths wide and swallowed the silver energy. When you did so, all of you, the daelkyr and Mual-Tar exploded into nothingness. All that was left behind was the globe, with a thin network of silver lines now binding the cracks on it together. That,” she concludes heavily, “was where the vision ended.” “So,” asks Six, “do you have an interpretation for what you saw? It sounds like we will need to use—or take—the energy of the Silver Flame from the daelkyr and the Worm, which will destroy them, but kill us too.” Sora Teraza smiles faintly. “You should be a seer. That was my interpretation too.” “Wait a sec,” says Luna. “I'm not about to blow myself up! I'm having kids!” “We might not have a choice in the matter,” rasps Nameless, before addressing the hags. “Thank you for the information. We will keep it in mind. I also have some information for you, about a new possibility that has appeared for us.” The alienist proceeds to explain what the Angels have learned about the aberration interest in the Madstone and that they are planning to try to claim it themselves. When he finishes, Sora Teraza says, “I cannot be certain, but it seems to me that is a worthy aim. Warpstone can be a strange and unreliable weapon, but better you be the ones to wield it than Xoriat.” After some more discussion, the Angels take their leave of the hags. Before they depart, Nameless casts a [i]sending[/i] of his own, contacting Essirise and saying, “[i]Have possibility of gaining large quantity of warpstone. Opinions on subject? Also have interesting information from Teraza to share. When will you arrive here?[/i]” The dragon replies immediately, “[i]Good idea. Warpstone possibly very useful. Will arrive tomorrow at noon with Siberys battalion and powerful magic. See you at location near Mournland we discussed.[/i]” After relating to the Daughters of Sora Kell what their plans are, the Angels depart for the Icewood and the Madstone. * She used four of them, thanks to Undermaster (from the Spell Compendium) ** Ice Flowers (also Spell Compendium) *** I had them roll opposed initiatives and the beholder, with a 4, beat the 2 that Atlatl naturally rolled[/i][/i] [/QUOTE]
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Shilsen's Eberron SH (Finished - The Last Word : 9/20/15)
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