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Steel Dragon's "Tales of Orea"
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<blockquote data-quote="steeldragons" data-source="post: 5871374" data-attributes="member: 92511"><p>Alaria took a step back from the zombie-boar she had just dispatched, with a bit of help from Festus' flashing blades. The magess looked around the crowded battlefield as the satyr ranger leaped away for his next foe, a nearing zombie-buck.</p><p></p><p>"We're spreading out too much." she thought aloud. They had moved quite a distance from the edge of the light and the embankment/island on which the spire sat. Alaria realized with some concern that they were squarely in the middle of the lake bed. Nearly 40 feet from the walled garden (20 feet from the edge of the daylight) and a good 30 or 40 feet ahead of them to the edge of the black forest.</p><p></p><p>Fen was slashing and stabbing with his spear, at the vanguard with Braddok close to his side.</p><p></p><p>Erevan was far to her right, doing his best to protect Fen's right flank. Haelan was being of some assistance with his mace, flickering with its coating of honey-colored holy blessing.</p><p></p><p>Duor let off another dart from his hand crossbow, keeping himself rather "in the middle" of the rest of the companions. Out on the open dry cracked lake bed, the dwarvish rogue felt uncomfortably exposed even in the dim silvery starlight of the night sky. He saw no recourse, in the absence of trees or brush or walls or shadows, but to keep himself securely in the midst of the rest of the party.</p><p></p><p>The number of zombied men and forest creatures had definitely dwindled. Either they were succeeding in slaying everything the desolate woods had to offer or the rest of the creatures in the realm simply had not arrived, yet. It was plainly evident that they horrid beasts were drawn to the new golden day that shone over Evaranthriine's freshly restored garden.</p><p></p><p>Then, the R'Hathi magess noticed to her horror, that the daylight behind them was shedding long shadows out before them toward the trees.</p><p></p><p>Almost as soon as she thought that, a solid shadow form rose up out of the her own shadow and reached for her. She nearly tripped over herself backwards to avoid the swiping knife-like claws that stretched forward from the wholly black creature. Alaria knew, too well, the shadow's touch came not only with physical pain but the strength-sapping chill of the netherworld.</p><p></p><p>The magess uttered a command and the tip of her staff sparked with a ball of electrical crackling light, causing the shadow to shrink back from the painful light. It disappeared back into the shadow from which it had emerged, which was quickly diminished in the new light source.</p><p></p><p>A cry of pain from behind her, Duor for sure, let her know that the dwarf was also facing one of the shadowy undead.</p><p></p><p>"Ack! Dammit. Haelan! Them shadows're here! Do yer holy-light thing!" the dwarf called across the field as he ripped his dagger from its sheathe and slashed at the assaulting undead. He missed, but did give the shadow pause and himself a bit of breathing room. </p><p></p><p>The halfling was quick to pull his pinecone-shaped amulet from beneath his pine-green tunic and begin to invoke his goddess to "cast out the shadows of evil from Her holy presence."</p><p></p><p>A shadow again rose from one of several Alaria was now casting off, from the light behind her as well as the light in front from her staff.</p><p></p><p>"Behind you!" called Erevan as he pulled his slender longsword from the dead lump of a zombie-bear he'd finally put down.</p><p></p><p>Alaria swung with her staff at the shadow before her, not making contact, but still whirled around to see another of the creatures had risen out of a shadow behind her and was reaching forward with its sharp wisps of fingers.</p><p></p><p>Then there was a flash of green and Alaria saw the point of Duor's dagger, very near the edge of her face, sticking straight out of the "chest" of the shadow that existed for only a moment more.</p><p></p><p>With a shrill shriek and trailing hiss, the shadow dispersed before her eyes into fading ribbons of blackness. Duor stood before her, formerly behind the shadow with a smug grin on his bearded face. "Who needs a cleric? HaHA!"</p><p></p><p>By the end of that sentence, Alaria and Duor found themselves in a ring of three shadows, all reaching forward for the trapped adventurers.</p><p></p><p>Alaria's mind raced for a spell but before she could pick one, she, Duor and the shades were bathed in a burst of golden light and the scent of summer breezes and pine trees. Again, the creatures shrieked and hissed as they faded from existence. their "arms" thrown up as if to protect themselves from the radiant energy that, literally, ripped them to shreds.</p><p></p><p>As the light faded, her eyes came to rest on the daelvar Hilltender (now standing in the midst of the companions, where Duor had been). He wore his big bright smile and nodded to the magess and dwarf before again hefting his mace and beginning to run up to Braddok and Fen, and now Festus', position.</p><p></p><p>Braddok had hacked his...fifth? Sixth? zombie into multiple pieces. Sending his blade into the still reaching crawling decayed creature's skull with an audible *CHOK*. The swordsman had lost count of how many of the creatures he'd slain. But a cursory glance around the field revealed to him that there were no other mottled flesh or half skeletal creatures moving around them.</p><p></p><p>His blue eyes went to movement at the forest's edge. He raised his blade in preparation of another wave before he noticed is was a singular movement. A singular <em>large</em> movement, just within the trees.</p><p></p><p>Then the shambling roughly humanoid of the plant monster stepped, with seeming caution, out of the treeline into the open air of the lake bed. It bellowed through the open "mouth" of leaves and mud and twigs. Its "eyes" were squarely on the source of the golden day light. </p><p></p><p>"Uh. Haelan? Your friend has arrived." Braddok called over his shoulder, unwilling to take his eyes off the plant-creature after his less than effective combat with it when they had arrived in this realm of unending night.</p><p></p><p>"INSKUEL!" Haelan called across the field. He raced on blond-topped bare feet to get to reach where Braddok, Festus and Fen waited with weapons pointed at the large inhuman monster.</p><p></p><p>The creature stopped its bellowing and its attention seemed drawn to the halfling at the mention of his name. It slouched a bit and rose its "arms" in what might have seemed like a defensive or protective maneuver.</p><p></p><p>"Do not harm him." Fen shouted to his companions. "And no lightning!" he added over his shoulder, obviously meant for Alaria.</p><p></p><p>"Don't worry, Inskuel. Yes. Yes we know who you are. I'm going to help you. We're going to help you." Haelan called, stopping about 30 feet from the creature and closing his eyes to begin the powerful invocation that he had never attempted, nor any like it.</p><p></p><p>"You must keep me from harm." he said more quietly to the surrounding warriors. "This will require a bit of time and a LOT of concentration. I can not be disturbed. But also, he can not be allowed to leave." with that, seemingly contradictory, statement Haelan stuck the butt of his mace into the dry cracked ground and closed his eyes. His lips began murmuring some unheard prayer almost immediately.</p><p></p><p>*<em>Stormriders</em>* Everanthriine's voice was heard within all of the companions' minds. *<em>She is coming. You must return to the tower.</em>* then there was a mental <em>gasp</em> and softly, apparently unintended for the "thoughts" of the party, the word *<em>Inskuel?</em>* accompanied by a crushing sense to all of sadness, longing, remorse.</p><p></p><p>"She is not coming, dear sister. She is HERE!" a cracked harsh unseen voice from above came to the ears of the party.</p><p></p><p>Even as Alaria began to hear words of power she did not know, a ball of flame appeared high in the air to their south/left, for only a moment before the form of the demon-horse and its black-robed rider shimmered into view. The horse "stood" about twenty feet in the air, the ball of flame grew in size in the poised hand of the rider.</p><p></p><p>Now so close, the party could see the rider for what she was. Alaria gasped to herself.</p><p></p><p>'Eeeeew," Duor muttered aloud.</p><p></p><p>Having met the "pure as the driven snow" white lady, Amthyriine and the darkly beautiful, if stoic, Evaranthriine, it had been assumed their middle sister would also shine with a grace and otherworldly beauty of some kind, in flowing gown or skirts of fine material....maybe bathed in or trimmed in smoke or, based on their initial encounter, fire. </p><p></p><p>None of the party expected to see the horrid, wart and boil covered face of leathery violet skin. Not the large hooked nose or sharp fang-filled mouth, the steely grey hair that whipped and flowed up above her head, nor the tattered black robes flowing in streams, like ribbons, in some unnoticed wind. </p><p></p><p>"Haelan!" Alaria shouted.</p><p></p><p>The Hilltender was already chanting frantically, thankful to his goddesses, beyond thanks, that he had not yet begun the long ritual to remove the curse from Inskuel.</p><p></p><p>"<em>Deisa Faerantha, benifica spiritumas con u guda...</em>" Haelan incanted as fast as he could while maintaining his connection to the Hill Mother.</p><p></p><p>The ball of fire shot forth from the hag's hand and roared toward to the band. </p><p></p><p>Even as Haelan's voice rose in her ears to a fevered pitch, "...<em>Y TIEM PARAS!</em>" <<em>cleric spell: Resist Fire</em>> the thoughts came to Alaria.</p><p></p><p>This is it. They would perish here...in a ball of flame...burned to nothing like the persecuted sorcerers of old...in this dead place, not even on their own world...No one would know what became of her. </p><p></p><p>Her eyes closed instinctively and she raised her arms as if to protect herself from the pain she expected in that second. The burst of heat was incredible. The force of the fireball spell threw her to the ground. It was hot. So hot. The flames roared and crackled in her ears to a point she thought she'd go deaf..but...</p><p></p><p>Alaria opened her eyes. She was not burning. The furious glare of the flames bursting all around her forced her to close them again. But, she did not feel like she was burning. Maybe she was already dead?</p><p></p><p>A moment later. The roaring of the flames stopped and the golden glare behind her eyes was gone.</p><p></p><p>She opened her eyes once more and looked around in absolute disbelief. Smoke was wisping off her garments and the ground around her, but... </p><p></p><p>There was a patch of blackened earth here and there that had flames upon it. The rest of a broad swathe of the grey cracked lake bed was entirely blackened. The streaking marks of the outer edge of the burst stretched out some ten or more feet before her. </p><p></p><p>She turned her head to see who of her companions had been hit. They were all on the ground, even as she. Peeking slowly from behind shields and arms placed over their heads. Fen rose from a crouch behind his druid's cloak which also smoked but did not appear to be burned. he began to race toward where Erevan lay prone, obviously also thrown by the force of the blast.</p><p></p><p>All except Haelan. The cleric still stood, arms to the heavens, and glimmered momentarily with a reddish light before it flickered and extinguished.</p><p></p><p>Unbelievable. Alaria thought.</p><p></p><p>"Unbelievable." Duor said aloud. "The hairfoot's n'er gonna let me live this'un down." he said before rising and helping Alaria to her feet.</p><p></p><p>A maniacal cackle filled the air from Madagbueil. "Well done, champions. Well done, indeed. This should prove most entertaining. Wouldn't you agree, sister. KAHAHAHA!" </p><p></p><p>Evaranthriine scowled at the creature that had once been her sister. She stood, now visible to all as a dark silhouette of flowing black hair and twinkling stars upon a narrow ledge behind the wall of the garden.</p><p></p><p>"This need not be, Madagbueil. Let the heroes help you. They can do it." the voice of the night-clad sorceress filled the open air.</p><p></p><p>"Nonsense. I've taken one champion from you. I can certainly deal with this haggard band of mortals. Though," Madagbueill returned her attention to the party, "I <em>am</em> impressed, I must say."</p><p></p><p>"Now," Haelan whispered to Braddok, who was on his feet and wondering how he was going to fight this evil witch floating twenty feet in the air. "Cover me. I can not be disturbed again."</p><p></p><p>"Beast, take them." Madagbueil shouted down at the hunched vegetative creature, who thankfully she had not included in her would-be deadly fireball.</p><p></p><p>The creature made a growling rumble in the direction of the tainted sister. </p><p></p><p>"You <em>dare</em> speak back to me?! You miserable heap of so much rot. You have no purpose but to serve me. Destroy them!" she commanded.</p><p></p><p>The shambling mound looked toward the party and its shoulders, if it had shoulders, seemed to slump a bit as it began to shamble slowly forward.</p><p></p><p>Two bolts of blue-green energy flared up to the wicked rider hovering in midair. One struck the black horse with flaming hooves and mane with an apparent lack of any effect. The other struck Madagbueil herself. Again, the energy seemed to simply burst upon her without effect.</p><p></p><p>The completely unphased hag looked down at the outstretched arm of the grey-haired elf even as the green cloaked one helped him to his feet.</p><p></p><p>"HAAAAHAHAHAAH" the witch again cackled. "So it's a wizard's duel ye would like. Good. <em>Everx zaar</em>!" she cried and pointed outstretched fingers down at the party.</p><p></p><p>Four bolts of silver-while evergy flew from the clawed fingertips. Two struck Erevan squarely in the chest, sending the elf flying back to the ground again. The other two struck the green cloak.</p><p></p><p>Fen's enchanted cloaked offered a bit of protection from the eldritch energy, but he still felt the pain. He looked down in concern to see Erevan unconscious. The small blackened bursts of the energy bolts still smoking on his violet leather jerkin. A bit of blood was trickling from his mouth.</p><p></p><p>Fen immediately knelt beside his<em> kiili </em>and began casting his only healing magic...his only remaining spell, at all. The regeneration of Evaranthriine's garden had spent nearly all of his energy for the day.</p><p></p><p>The druid's hands were surrounded by the soft spring green pulse of his spell and he mentally fought with the fading energy of Erevan's body that the curative spell allowed the druid, much to his displeasure, to sense. He had to pull it back, make it grow, just as he had done the garden.</p><p></p><p>"Grow, killi, you <em>must</em> grow!"</p><p></p><p>For every "where", every point of energy, he mentally patched, another seemed to open and flow. Fen furiously directed the healing energies as best he could, it was a battle he was unwilling to yield. The noise and bangs and cries of the rest of the battlefield fell from his ears. His attention was completely consumed.</p><p></p><p>"Aw." mocked Madagbueil. "One fallen, already? I had such hopes for a proper challenge. AAAAGH!" the hag's mocking trailed off in a cry of legitimate pain as she and her mount were washed in a waved of crackling electrical energy. When the onslaught had passed she looked down to the woman holding the still sparking staff and looking at her in a fury that might very well match her own.</p><p></p><p>"If it's a wizard's duel you want, Madagbueil, then I suggest you put your power to the test of an actual wizard!" Alaria called up in defiance.</p><p></p><p>"You'll pay for that little sorceress." Madagbueil seethed through pointed clenched teeth. All mockery or amusement was gone from the hag's tone. Her large black eyes glared down at Alaria. "No mortal's toy can defeat the true power of the Dark One at Madagbueil's command!"</p><p></p><p>The witch threw up her arms and incanted another spell which Alaria could not fully hear nor understand.</p><p></p><p>The ground all around the party began to rumble.</p><p></p><p>"Nice job, boss lady." prodded Duor from Alaria's side. "Make the crazy super-witch on the demon-horse<em> mad</em>. Great tactic." The dwarf fired off another of his small crossbow bolts, but this carried a little something extra.</p><p></p><p>To the tip of this dart, as a few others Duor had prepared some time ago, was tied a small shard of firestone which he had taken from their adventure in Shafton. The chips of explosive crystal had been a "gift" from the dwarf brothers...that they didn't know about. But Duor couldn't see the harm in a few missing shards. They <em>had</em> saved the whole mine and town, after all.</p><p></p><p>The well placed dart landed, as Duor had hoped it would, with exacting accuracy in the snout of the nightmare which periodically was expelling flickers of flame and smoke as it waited for command from its rider. The demon-horse's head flew up and it reared in the air, completely catching its rider off guard. </p><p></p><p>Duor watched in anticipation...Just another moment. the dwarf hoped silently.</p><p></p><p>Just as the bolt struck, the ground before the magess and rogue burst open from a huge arm striking out from it. It was black and gleamed like metal in the twinkling starlight. At the end was a single large claw-like hook. What came after was even more cause for the two challengers to back up more than a few steps.</p><p></p><p>Another arm, similarly ending in a great hook-claw burst form the ground and pulled the hulking black armored body of the creature from the ground. It had a snapping beak like a turtle or vulture at the end of its inhuman head. Large clawed feet stepped out of the great hole from which it rose and lifting both hooks and it's beaked maw to the heavens it let out a frightful shriek. The thing was easily seven or eight feet tall.</p><p></p><p>"By the Forge! Ok, fun's fun, Alaria. But it's time for a, uh, strategic retreat." Duor called over the creature's loud shrieking roar.</p><p></p><p>Alaria looked frantically around the field. Two other of the hook-handed creatures were rising, in similar fashion from the dead lake bed. One near where Braddok and Festus had engaged the shambler-Inskuel and another not far from where an oblivous Fen still knelt over Erevan's body.</p><p></p><p>Haelan seemed lost in some trance...Alaria assumed to help the cursed Swan Knight.</p><p></p><p>"Alaria! Need a little help here!" called Festus as he jumped over a swiping vine from the shambler's halfhearted attack. </p><p> </p><p>"We're not going anywhere, Duor. Your distraction was well timed. You keep it busy, while I draw the witch's attention."</p><p></p><p>"You want <em>more</em> of her attention!?!" Duor said in disbelief.</p><p></p><p>His disbelief went unanswered as his own attention turned back to their immediate foe just in time to let him dive and tumble away from the magess to avoid a thundering blow of the monster's giant hook into the ground where he had, moments before, been standing.</p><p></p><p>Alaria raced away from the hooked horror toward Festus and Braddok.</p><p></p><p>"Yeah. Great. NO PROBLEM! Really. You go ahead." called Duor after the magess as he tucked and rolled, again, away from a another swipe of a massive hook. Least the thing seemed to be a bit slow due to its lumbering size.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="steeldragons, post: 5871374, member: 92511"] Alaria took a step back from the zombie-boar she had just dispatched, with a bit of help from Festus' flashing blades. The magess looked around the crowded battlefield as the satyr ranger leaped away for his next foe, a nearing zombie-buck. "We're spreading out too much." she thought aloud. They had moved quite a distance from the edge of the light and the embankment/island on which the spire sat. Alaria realized with some concern that they were squarely in the middle of the lake bed. Nearly 40 feet from the walled garden (20 feet from the edge of the daylight) and a good 30 or 40 feet ahead of them to the edge of the black forest. Fen was slashing and stabbing with his spear, at the vanguard with Braddok close to his side. Erevan was far to her right, doing his best to protect Fen's right flank. Haelan was being of some assistance with his mace, flickering with its coating of honey-colored holy blessing. Duor let off another dart from his hand crossbow, keeping himself rather "in the middle" of the rest of the companions. Out on the open dry cracked lake bed, the dwarvish rogue felt uncomfortably exposed even in the dim silvery starlight of the night sky. He saw no recourse, in the absence of trees or brush or walls or shadows, but to keep himself securely in the midst of the rest of the party. The number of zombied men and forest creatures had definitely dwindled. Either they were succeeding in slaying everything the desolate woods had to offer or the rest of the creatures in the realm simply had not arrived, yet. It was plainly evident that they horrid beasts were drawn to the new golden day that shone over Evaranthriine's freshly restored garden. Then, the R'Hathi magess noticed to her horror, that the daylight behind them was shedding long shadows out before them toward the trees. Almost as soon as she thought that, a solid shadow form rose up out of the her own shadow and reached for her. She nearly tripped over herself backwards to avoid the swiping knife-like claws that stretched forward from the wholly black creature. Alaria knew, too well, the shadow's touch came not only with physical pain but the strength-sapping chill of the netherworld. The magess uttered a command and the tip of her staff sparked with a ball of electrical crackling light, causing the shadow to shrink back from the painful light. It disappeared back into the shadow from which it had emerged, which was quickly diminished in the new light source. A cry of pain from behind her, Duor for sure, let her know that the dwarf was also facing one of the shadowy undead. "Ack! Dammit. Haelan! Them shadows're here! Do yer holy-light thing!" the dwarf called across the field as he ripped his dagger from its sheathe and slashed at the assaulting undead. He missed, but did give the shadow pause and himself a bit of breathing room. The halfling was quick to pull his pinecone-shaped amulet from beneath his pine-green tunic and begin to invoke his goddess to "cast out the shadows of evil from Her holy presence." A shadow again rose from one of several Alaria was now casting off, from the light behind her as well as the light in front from her staff. "Behind you!" called Erevan as he pulled his slender longsword from the dead lump of a zombie-bear he'd finally put down. Alaria swung with her staff at the shadow before her, not making contact, but still whirled around to see another of the creatures had risen out of a shadow behind her and was reaching forward with its sharp wisps of fingers. Then there was a flash of green and Alaria saw the point of Duor's dagger, very near the edge of her face, sticking straight out of the "chest" of the shadow that existed for only a moment more. With a shrill shriek and trailing hiss, the shadow dispersed before her eyes into fading ribbons of blackness. Duor stood before her, formerly behind the shadow with a smug grin on his bearded face. "Who needs a cleric? HaHA!" By the end of that sentence, Alaria and Duor found themselves in a ring of three shadows, all reaching forward for the trapped adventurers. Alaria's mind raced for a spell but before she could pick one, she, Duor and the shades were bathed in a burst of golden light and the scent of summer breezes and pine trees. Again, the creatures shrieked and hissed as they faded from existence. their "arms" thrown up as if to protect themselves from the radiant energy that, literally, ripped them to shreds. As the light faded, her eyes came to rest on the daelvar Hilltender (now standing in the midst of the companions, where Duor had been). He wore his big bright smile and nodded to the magess and dwarf before again hefting his mace and beginning to run up to Braddok and Fen, and now Festus', position. Braddok had hacked his...fifth? Sixth? zombie into multiple pieces. Sending his blade into the still reaching crawling decayed creature's skull with an audible *CHOK*. The swordsman had lost count of how many of the creatures he'd slain. But a cursory glance around the field revealed to him that there were no other mottled flesh or half skeletal creatures moving around them. His blue eyes went to movement at the forest's edge. He raised his blade in preparation of another wave before he noticed is was a singular movement. A singular [I]large[/I] movement, just within the trees. Then the shambling roughly humanoid of the plant monster stepped, with seeming caution, out of the treeline into the open air of the lake bed. It bellowed through the open "mouth" of leaves and mud and twigs. Its "eyes" were squarely on the source of the golden day light. "Uh. Haelan? Your friend has arrived." Braddok called over his shoulder, unwilling to take his eyes off the plant-creature after his less than effective combat with it when they had arrived in this realm of unending night. "INSKUEL!" Haelan called across the field. He raced on blond-topped bare feet to get to reach where Braddok, Festus and Fen waited with weapons pointed at the large inhuman monster. The creature stopped its bellowing and its attention seemed drawn to the halfling at the mention of his name. It slouched a bit and rose its "arms" in what might have seemed like a defensive or protective maneuver. "Do not harm him." Fen shouted to his companions. "And no lightning!" he added over his shoulder, obviously meant for Alaria. "Don't worry, Inskuel. Yes. Yes we know who you are. I'm going to help you. We're going to help you." Haelan called, stopping about 30 feet from the creature and closing his eyes to begin the powerful invocation that he had never attempted, nor any like it. "You must keep me from harm." he said more quietly to the surrounding warriors. "This will require a bit of time and a LOT of concentration. I can not be disturbed. But also, he can not be allowed to leave." with that, seemingly contradictory, statement Haelan stuck the butt of his mace into the dry cracked ground and closed his eyes. His lips began murmuring some unheard prayer almost immediately. *[I]Stormriders[/I]* Everanthriine's voice was heard within all of the companions' minds. *[I]She is coming. You must return to the tower.[/I]* then there was a mental [I]gasp[/I] and softly, apparently unintended for the "thoughts" of the party, the word *[I]Inskuel?[/I]* accompanied by a crushing sense to all of sadness, longing, remorse. "She is not coming, dear sister. She is HERE!" a cracked harsh unseen voice from above came to the ears of the party. Even as Alaria began to hear words of power she did not know, a ball of flame appeared high in the air to their south/left, for only a moment before the form of the demon-horse and its black-robed rider shimmered into view. The horse "stood" about twenty feet in the air, the ball of flame grew in size in the poised hand of the rider. Now so close, the party could see the rider for what she was. Alaria gasped to herself. 'Eeeeew," Duor muttered aloud. Having met the "pure as the driven snow" white lady, Amthyriine and the darkly beautiful, if stoic, Evaranthriine, it had been assumed their middle sister would also shine with a grace and otherworldly beauty of some kind, in flowing gown or skirts of fine material....maybe bathed in or trimmed in smoke or, based on their initial encounter, fire. None of the party expected to see the horrid, wart and boil covered face of leathery violet skin. Not the large hooked nose or sharp fang-filled mouth, the steely grey hair that whipped and flowed up above her head, nor the tattered black robes flowing in streams, like ribbons, in some unnoticed wind. "Haelan!" Alaria shouted. The Hilltender was already chanting frantically, thankful to his goddesses, beyond thanks, that he had not yet begun the long ritual to remove the curse from Inskuel. "[I]Deisa Faerantha, benifica spiritumas con u guda...[/I]" Haelan incanted as fast as he could while maintaining his connection to the Hill Mother. The ball of fire shot forth from the hag's hand and roared toward to the band. Even as Haelan's voice rose in her ears to a fevered pitch, "...[I]Y TIEM PARAS![/I]" <[I]cleric spell: Resist Fire[/I]> the thoughts came to Alaria. This is it. They would perish here...in a ball of flame...burned to nothing like the persecuted sorcerers of old...in this dead place, not even on their own world...No one would know what became of her. Her eyes closed instinctively and she raised her arms as if to protect herself from the pain she expected in that second. The burst of heat was incredible. The force of the fireball spell threw her to the ground. It was hot. So hot. The flames roared and crackled in her ears to a point she thought she'd go deaf..but... Alaria opened her eyes. She was not burning. The furious glare of the flames bursting all around her forced her to close them again. But, she did not feel like she was burning. Maybe she was already dead? A moment later. The roaring of the flames stopped and the golden glare behind her eyes was gone. She opened her eyes once more and looked around in absolute disbelief. Smoke was wisping off her garments and the ground around her, but... There was a patch of blackened earth here and there that had flames upon it. The rest of a broad swathe of the grey cracked lake bed was entirely blackened. The streaking marks of the outer edge of the burst stretched out some ten or more feet before her. She turned her head to see who of her companions had been hit. They were all on the ground, even as she. Peeking slowly from behind shields and arms placed over their heads. Fen rose from a crouch behind his druid's cloak which also smoked but did not appear to be burned. he began to race toward where Erevan lay prone, obviously also thrown by the force of the blast. All except Haelan. The cleric still stood, arms to the heavens, and glimmered momentarily with a reddish light before it flickered and extinguished. Unbelievable. Alaria thought. "Unbelievable." Duor said aloud. "The hairfoot's n'er gonna let me live this'un down." he said before rising and helping Alaria to her feet. A maniacal cackle filled the air from Madagbueil. "Well done, champions. Well done, indeed. This should prove most entertaining. Wouldn't you agree, sister. KAHAHAHA!" Evaranthriine scowled at the creature that had once been her sister. She stood, now visible to all as a dark silhouette of flowing black hair and twinkling stars upon a narrow ledge behind the wall of the garden. "This need not be, Madagbueil. Let the heroes help you. They can do it." the voice of the night-clad sorceress filled the open air. "Nonsense. I've taken one champion from you. I can certainly deal with this haggard band of mortals. Though," Madagbueill returned her attention to the party, "I [I]am[/I] impressed, I must say." "Now," Haelan whispered to Braddok, who was on his feet and wondering how he was going to fight this evil witch floating twenty feet in the air. "Cover me. I can not be disturbed again." "Beast, take them." Madagbueil shouted down at the hunched vegetative creature, who thankfully she had not included in her would-be deadly fireball. The creature made a growling rumble in the direction of the tainted sister. "You [I]dare[/I] speak back to me?! You miserable heap of so much rot. You have no purpose but to serve me. Destroy them!" she commanded. The shambling mound looked toward the party and its shoulders, if it had shoulders, seemed to slump a bit as it began to shamble slowly forward. Two bolts of blue-green energy flared up to the wicked rider hovering in midair. One struck the black horse with flaming hooves and mane with an apparent lack of any effect. The other struck Madagbueil herself. Again, the energy seemed to simply burst upon her without effect. The completely unphased hag looked down at the outstretched arm of the grey-haired elf even as the green cloaked one helped him to his feet. "HAAAAHAHAHAAH" the witch again cackled. "So it's a wizard's duel ye would like. Good. [I]Everx zaar[/I]!" she cried and pointed outstretched fingers down at the party. Four bolts of silver-while evergy flew from the clawed fingertips. Two struck Erevan squarely in the chest, sending the elf flying back to the ground again. The other two struck the green cloak. Fen's enchanted cloaked offered a bit of protection from the eldritch energy, but he still felt the pain. He looked down in concern to see Erevan unconscious. The small blackened bursts of the energy bolts still smoking on his violet leather jerkin. A bit of blood was trickling from his mouth. Fen immediately knelt beside his[I] kiili [/I]and began casting his only healing magic...his only remaining spell, at all. The regeneration of Evaranthriine's garden had spent nearly all of his energy for the day. The druid's hands were surrounded by the soft spring green pulse of his spell and he mentally fought with the fading energy of Erevan's body that the curative spell allowed the druid, much to his displeasure, to sense. He had to pull it back, make it grow, just as he had done the garden. "Grow, killi, you [I]must[/I] grow!" For every "where", every point of energy, he mentally patched, another seemed to open and flow. Fen furiously directed the healing energies as best he could, it was a battle he was unwilling to yield. The noise and bangs and cries of the rest of the battlefield fell from his ears. His attention was completely consumed. "Aw." mocked Madagbueil. "One fallen, already? I had such hopes for a proper challenge. AAAAGH!" the hag's mocking trailed off in a cry of legitimate pain as she and her mount were washed in a waved of crackling electrical energy. When the onslaught had passed she looked down to the woman holding the still sparking staff and looking at her in a fury that might very well match her own. "If it's a wizard's duel you want, Madagbueil, then I suggest you put your power to the test of an actual wizard!" Alaria called up in defiance. "You'll pay for that little sorceress." Madagbueil seethed through pointed clenched teeth. All mockery or amusement was gone from the hag's tone. Her large black eyes glared down at Alaria. "No mortal's toy can defeat the true power of the Dark One at Madagbueil's command!" The witch threw up her arms and incanted another spell which Alaria could not fully hear nor understand. The ground all around the party began to rumble. "Nice job, boss lady." prodded Duor from Alaria's side. "Make the crazy super-witch on the demon-horse[I] mad[/I]. Great tactic." The dwarf fired off another of his small crossbow bolts, but this carried a little something extra. To the tip of this dart, as a few others Duor had prepared some time ago, was tied a small shard of firestone which he had taken from their adventure in Shafton. The chips of explosive crystal had been a "gift" from the dwarf brothers...that they didn't know about. But Duor couldn't see the harm in a few missing shards. They [I]had[/I] saved the whole mine and town, after all. The well placed dart landed, as Duor had hoped it would, with exacting accuracy in the snout of the nightmare which periodically was expelling flickers of flame and smoke as it waited for command from its rider. The demon-horse's head flew up and it reared in the air, completely catching its rider off guard. Duor watched in anticipation...Just another moment. the dwarf hoped silently. Just as the bolt struck, the ground before the magess and rogue burst open from a huge arm striking out from it. It was black and gleamed like metal in the twinkling starlight. At the end was a single large claw-like hook. What came after was even more cause for the two challengers to back up more than a few steps. Another arm, similarly ending in a great hook-claw burst form the ground and pulled the hulking black armored body of the creature from the ground. It had a snapping beak like a turtle or vulture at the end of its inhuman head. Large clawed feet stepped out of the great hole from which it rose and lifting both hooks and it's beaked maw to the heavens it let out a frightful shriek. The thing was easily seven or eight feet tall. "By the Forge! Ok, fun's fun, Alaria. But it's time for a, uh, strategic retreat." Duor called over the creature's loud shrieking roar. Alaria looked frantically around the field. Two other of the hook-handed creatures were rising, in similar fashion from the dead lake bed. One near where Braddok and Festus had engaged the shambler-Inskuel and another not far from where an oblivous Fen still knelt over Erevan's body. Haelan seemed lost in some trance...Alaria assumed to help the cursed Swan Knight. "Alaria! Need a little help here!" called Festus as he jumped over a swiping vine from the shambler's halfhearted attack. "We're not going anywhere, Duor. Your distraction was well timed. You keep it busy, while I draw the witch's attention." "You want [I]more[/I] of her attention!?!" Duor said in disbelief. His disbelief went unanswered as his own attention turned back to their immediate foe just in time to let him dive and tumble away from the magess to avoid a thundering blow of the monster's giant hook into the ground where he had, moments before, been standing. Alaria raced away from the hooked horror toward Festus and Braddok. "Yeah. Great. NO PROBLEM! Really. You go ahead." called Duor after the magess as he tucked and rolled, again, away from a another swipe of a massive hook. Least the thing seemed to be a bit slow due to its lumbering size. [/QUOTE]
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