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Steel Dragon's "Tales of Orea"
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<blockquote data-quote="steeldragons" data-source="post: 6123712" data-attributes="member: 92511"><p>The companions began their deliberation without the dwarven rogue. Braddok opened.</p><p></p><p>“It is my belief, that if we hope to completely undo the schemes of Tresahd, we should return to Nor Gorthok as soon as possible. His armies here are scattered to the winds. Before they regroup within the Feldmere, we should go ruin their rallying point.</p><p></p><p>"Also, Tresahd himself made no move in this latest conflict. His lieutenant, or general or whatever the Bulgruch was, is gone. If we press in a timely fashion, I believe our chances of success are much improved and we could finish this business and move to the matters in the west.”</p><p></p><p>“But...well, he’s still got that horrid behir...and the wights” Haelan said softly, shuddering visibly at the mention of the wights. “Not to mention the army of hobgoblins we saw there...and MORE demons! What are we supposed to do about MORE demons!?”</p><p></p><p>Buttercreamshadowfeet came hopping up to the pavilion and sniffed about the table and the food thereon.<em></em></p><p><em></em></p><p><em>*What‘s all the hubbub now!*</em> the ferret‘s feminine voice came to Haelan’s ears. <em>*OO fish!* </em>the ferret grabbed a large whole salted fish from the table.</p><p></p><p>“Braddok wants us to go back to Nor Gorthok and finish tresahd once and for all.” Haelan explained.</p><p></p><p> <em>*Munch. Munch. Buh! ECK! Why is it sooo salty. Stupid elves can’t even prepare a proper fish! Wait...what!? Go BACK?! These humans are as stupid as they are mad.*</em></p><p></p><p>Haelan found the ferret’s words somewhat out of character, but supposed none of them had had decent rest in several days. </p><p></p><p>“The Hilltender speaks true. But for me that only manates our return all the more. The knowledge that there are abominations just sitting there unhindered in this world is an affront to the Balance. Braddok’s words resound with reason.” Fen said in all severity. </p><p></p><p>“I am sorry to say, my newfound friends, that I shall not be journeying further with you.” Pyrnion interjected.</p><p></p><p>“What?! Oh no, Pyrnion...” Haelan whined.</p><p></p><p>“My I ask why, Pyrnion?” Alaria finally spoke.</p><p></p><p>“My assignment was to reamin in Miralosta to aid the elves in defense of their homeland. My charge to aid you in the same. That goal has been achieved. My work here is complete. I would return to my beloved master and the quiet peaks and aeries of my kind.” the feather-headed man said solemnly.</p><p></p><p>“I would hope you reconsider, my friend.” Braddok said. “We are warriors, you and I. Your charge is not entirely complete so long as the dark wizard remains alive to rebuild his forces. Would not the true completion of your task require his utter destruction? I would greatly value your axe by my side.”</p><p></p><p>These words seemed to give Pyrnion pause. The winged zephari crossed his arms, one hand to his chin and pondered.</p><p></p><p>“I thought we proved Tresahd was the dragon...and a 'she’ not a 'he’.” Haelan questioned to the assembly.</p><p></p><p>“We did indeed, Hilltender.” Fen answered without a hint of emotion.</p><p></p><p> “A dragon?!” Pyrnion said in disbelief. </p><p></p><p>“Yeah. He..er...she...or whatever wants to resurrect his or her dragon mommy. ..who I am to understand was waaaay worse than he...or she....is.” Haelan explained as best he could. “She’s after the Windsoul from Alaria for some reason...has something to do with the rite or who knows what magical reason.”</p><p></p><p>“The ‘Wind Soul’?! YOU possess the <em>Kalanaptra</em>!?! A<em> human </em>mage?!” <<em>Kalanaptra translates as “Wind Soul" in the language of the zepharim</em>> Pyrnion’s eyes bulged in disbelief as he looked at the R’Hathi magess in an entirely different light.</p><p></p><p>“We know it as the Ihs Repahl...but yes. It seems so.” Alaria pulled the crystalline orb from her largest hip pouch. </p><p></p><p>Pyrnion’s eagle-like amber eyes widened more at the sight of one of his people’s most ancient legendary treasures. “This is...unusual circumstances...I may have to reconsider.” Pyrnion looked deeply into the Ihs Repahl. “I can not stand by to let the Kalanaptra fall into evil hands.”</p><p></p><p>“We have no intention, my good master zephari, to let the Ihs repahl fall into evil hands.” Alaria defended.</p><p></p><p>Buttercreamshadowfeet began to heave the entire length of her being.</p><p></p><p>“Buttercream?" Haelan asked concerned.</p><p></p><p><em>*I do not think</em> *URK*<em> the salty fish agrees </em>*URGLE* <em>with me...</em>* the ferret’s voice came haltingly between convulsions.</p><p></p><p>“What wrong with the ferret?” Fen said.</p><p></p><p>“She doesn’t like the fish.” Haelan answered reaching out to pet the ferret in hopes of soothing her.</p><p></p><p>All of the companions watched in corcern which transitioned immediately to disbelief as the ferret’s whole body shuddered from rump to nose and Buttercreamshadowfeet opened her mouth wide to expel a cloud of billowing black and fiery orange smoke.</p><p></p><p>In an instant, the smoke swirled and congealed upon the table between them into a towering form giving off flames and noxious clouds and in an instant more, the solid form of the great vulture looking dirty feathered form of the demon they had seen in the summoning dungeons of Nor Gorthok.</p><p></p><p>The force of the burst sent all of the companions reeling back from their seated places around the table. The vulture demon screamed into the day, its piercing shriek echoing throughout the wood. </p><p></p><p>“Who wuh huh!?” Duor’s groggy form bolted upright, sending the still unconscious Jovias rollign back off of him. The satyr groaned softly.</p><p></p><p>*I’ll take that for you.* the screechy demonic voice entered all of their heads. A taloned hand reached forward to grasp the orb from Alaria. It missed by an inch.</p><p></p><p>“DEMON!?” cried Haelan in disbelief.</p><p></p><p>“Abomination!” shouted Fen in apparent anger, moreso than surprise. The druid gripped his leaftip spear and the delicately shaped blade flared with green energy.</p><p></p><p>A burst of light came up before the demon’s eyes. The magical light, while not divine, had a disturbing, disorienting effect on the misshapened figure’s vision. The creature shrieked again.</p><p></p><p>The companions saw, across the table, the bandaged zephari with an outstretched hand pointed at the demon. The winged humanoid’s wounds were still too grave to attmept to take up his weapon, but the minor magics of his race were still available to him.</p><p></p><p>Shouts of alarm went up away from the heroes’ pavilion, elvish cries from the remaining soliders and captains in alarm at the sudden appearance of a creature from the netherworld in their midst.</p><p></p><p>Two arrows struck true, but bounced from the demon’s feathers hide. The capatains were raacing for the heroes position with slender elvish blades drawn and shining in the late day sunlight.</p><p></p><p>“<em>Beriz Theran!</em>” Alaria managed to shout out, forming a circular field of blue light between her and the momentarily disturbed demon as he reached out again in a blind grab for the orb. The taloned hand crashed against the conjured shield.</p><p></p><p>Fen’s green-glowing spear tip sank into the demon’s lower back, beneath its putrid smelling wings. </p><p></p><p>The demon whirled around with a roar, wrenching the weapon from Fen’s grip. Its lunching razor sharp curved beak blocked, abruptly, by Haelan’s small magical round shield (still attached to the daelvar’s arm).</p><p></p><p>Haelan whirled around in the opposite direction with his mace to clobber the demon’s close head. Without the magical blessing from his goddess, the blow served to deflect the creature’s attack but not cause any actual damage.</p><p></p><p>The demon raised its arms and wings and its entire form was bathed in rippling heat and flames.</p><p></p><p>Quickly ushering Alaria behind him and tellign her to get away, Braddok lunged up onto the table as well, ripping Kandu from its sheathe. The blade blazed with sapphire blue light even as it was drawn.</p><p></p><p><em>*This is not a creature of undeath, warrior, my enchantments alone will not slay it.*</em> Kandu said to Braddok's mind.</p><p></p><p>“Yeah yeah, just cut it!” Braddok found himself shouting out loud. And, indeed, Braddok did lay a woeful wound upon the creature.</p><p></p><p>The demon howled in pain and rage. Again, it whirled around to face the latest assault from the round table. Its great bulk of black and orange feathered form, serpentine tail and swiping claws threw Braddok from the table to some distance off the pavilion.</p><p></p><p>“MMPH!” expelled the drunken satyr as the warrior’s great armored body bounced off of him and rolled off the pavilion’s low platform. “‘EY! Washtit!” Jovias managed to get out, not knowing what had roused him. His eyes rose to see the vulture demon towering over them all. His eyes widened and he let out a high-pitched scream.</p><p></p><p>“Not so loud, fer cryin’ sakes.” Duor mumbled at his new friend. “Take SISH!” the dwarf forcefully called as a bolt flew from his hand crossbow to sail, harmlessly, into the tent covering above. “Oh. hmph.” the dwarf scowled unapproving and grabbed another dart from his hip quiver. The dwarf’s eyes widened as he thought he saw his weapon glow with a honey-colored light for a moment.</p><p></p><p>Indeed, all of their weapons, other than Fen’s spear which the demon had wrenched out of its back and thrown far into the nearby field, glowed. And while duor could only smell the satyran whiskey on his beard, the rest of the assembled heroes smelled pine trees and summer rain.</p><p></p><p>Two more arrows from nearby elfin archers bounced harmlessly from the demon’s body.</p><p></p><p>The vulture demon reached down with his other taloned hand to swipe at the obviously wounded zephari...He remembered these creatures. The gods‘ divine messengers and servants. Stupid subservient weaklings. Some of their ancestors had been foolish enough to be exiled from the immortal realms by the gods, willingly accepting their fate, and shackled with mortal existence. Not like the demons, they were smart and strong enough to conquer and retain their own immortal planes. Ending this feathered man‘s life would be doing him a favor!</p><p></p><p>The talon swipe was minor, but in his already weakend form, Pyrnion succumbed to unconsciousness from the wound and corresponding demonfire.</p><p></p><p>“HHHhHHHYAR!” Haelan roared with a telling swipe at the vulture demon’s legs with his pinecone-headed mace. With the added divine magic, the weapon struck the beastly appendages with a thunder.</p><p></p><p>The blow knocked the creature from its feet, sending it ‘chin’ first to the floor of the pavilion.</p><p></p><p>*THPT* After needing three tries to properly load his hand blurry crossbow, another dart from Duor went wildly awry and pireced the delicate fabric of the tented roof. “Frag." the highly drunken dwarf mumbled under his beard. “Wait! Hangon h’ngon...I’ll geddim." and began to fumble, once again to grasp and load another dart.</p><p></p><p>“Your dagger, Duor! Use your dagger!" Haelan cried.</p><p></p><p>“R’yeh MAD?!" Duor said in complete increduity. “Tha’s a demon!” </p><p></p><p>Two elfin captains arrived, leaping up to the pavilion in the fluid movements only elves possessed. One elfin captain tried to drag the large, heavily muscled zephari out of the immediate melee. The other made a swipe at the demon with his silvery blade. He missed.</p><p></p><p>Fen shouted his tried and true spell. The vines and sprouts of verdant green tendrils lept from all around the pavilion, moving to ensnare the fallen demon. The growth struck toward the creature, but seemed constantly “backed away”, appearing unable or unwilling to trap the vulture demon. The ends of the green ropes charred and smoldered in the demon’s fire shield.</p><p></p><p>Fen’s eyebrows rose in surprised understanding at the realization his “natural” magic was unlikely to thwart the demon’s <em>unnatural</em> occult power. The half-elf made a dash to where his spear had been thrown, nearly an entire glade away.</p><p></p><p> Enough of this folly, the demon thought to himself. He was here to get the crystal orb. Only that would release him from the dark master’s hold on him and permit his return to the Abyssal realms from which he’d been torn.</p><p></p><p>The creature rose with a scathing glare to the srrounding heroes and elves, he found where Alaria stood, backed away out of the pavilion but refusing to flee. Seemingly impossibly, his solid beak-like mouth twisted into a wicked grin. With a waver of the air, the demon disappeared from view.</p><p></p><p>“Where is it!?” Haelan cried in alarm. </p><p></p><p>“Shut this area down!” Fen declared as the elves, daelvar, Braddok who had regained his feet and was moving again for the monster, and the staggering dwarf looked around in confusion. </p><p></p><p>Alaria had been murmuring one of her only other defensive incantations. From what little she recalled of creatures of the lower planes, the illusion <em>might</em> work...or it might not. Even as the demon disappeared, the form of the magess split into 5 distinct forms, each identical to the next.</p><p></p><p>“Haelan, to me! Invoke your <em>Sanctuary</em>!” Alaria called out in panic as the towering feathered form appeared for a moment to swipe through one of her mirror images. A shriek of frustration went up before it disappeared again.</p><p></p><p>Haelan rushed for Alaria’s position, the words of the tried and true protection upon his lips. Then he realized the creature might not be stayed by such a phsyical barrier. It was huge and strong and obviously highly magical. No, this required the true circle of protection. "Of course," though Haelan, "the prayer that stays magic and magical beings, not physcial assault."</p><p></p><p>Braddok, with his longer legs, bounded two strides ahead of the daelvar priest and when the demon again appeared to dispel another of Alaria’s illusions, the Grinlian swordsman made a desperate attempt to strike. The blue energy of his blade ripped through air even as the demon again disappeared with a goading smirk.</p><p></p><p>Haelan came up before 3 Alaria’s.</p><p></p><p>“Uh..." the Hilltender looked, frenzied, from one to another. “Which one is you?!” </p><p></p><p>Bollux, Alaria thought. Her illusion was working too well, perhaps.</p><p></p><p>Suddenly one of the three remainign images burst out of existence (like a cloud or smoke being blown apart).</p><p></p><p>“I GODDIM! Oh...wait...” Duor exclaimed with glee and then squinted in the direct of most of the combatants.</p><p></p><p>“STOP FIRING THOSE DAMN THINGS!” Braddok called out.</p><p></p><p>With only two Alarias left, the magess decided the cleric’s protection was more important than her own magic and quickly dispelled the enchantment. Haelan immediately began to invoke <em>Protection from Evil</em> which, he was sure, would hold off the creature until the others could destroy it. Likewise, Alaria and himself would be able to cast spells out of the circle, unlike the invocation of Sanctuary.</p><p></p><p>This proved a moment too long as the demon became visible. Directly in front of the daelvar the demon swung his forearm, that Haelan noted looked like the "scaly" part of a chicken's leg, with its black talons, well over the Hilltender’s head. Slashing and throwing back the magess in a scream of pain and spray of blood.</p><p></p><p>A second swipe from his other “arm” sent the daelvar tumbling across the ground.</p><p><em></em></p><p><em>*Now, my dear ‘Storm Rider’, I will be taking that orb.*</em> the demon’s voice sounded in Alaria’s head. </p><p></p><p>“I think not.” Alaria huffed as she tapped the demon’s vulture-leg like ankle with the tip of the Staff of Azanna. The demon looked down at the plain copper-twined staff at its feet.</p><p></p><p>With a thought, a lightning bolt shot up from the end of the staff, throwing the vulture demon up and away from the magess. The thunder rolled even before the demon’s smoldering and burned form crashed down some 20 yards away, out in the glade.</p><p></p><p>“Give me this!” Fen said in annoyance as he swiped the ethereal dagger out of its sheathe on Duor’s hip. The druid raced for the demon’s position, collecting his spear as he went. Immediately the leaftip spear again flared with its green glow. The druid seemed quite the hero of elvin legend as he raced across the field, a green flaming blade in one hand and green glowing spear in the other.</p><p></p><p>The vulture demon rose and launched itself into the air, flying directly for the magess as she regained her feet.</p><p></p><p>“I know your tricks too, demon.<em> REPLEESH</em>!” Alaria called with the Ihs repahl in her hand. Immediately the magess wavered out of normal sight. Still, she narrowly dodged the demon’s flying charge.</p><p></p><p>It rose up into the air and looked down at Alaria’s former position.</p><p></p><p>*<em>Will take more than your weak illusions to hide from my sight, witch!</em>* the demon said. Its eyes glowed an unholy red light and the form of the magess became immediately visible to the demon.</p><p></p><p>The elf captain now stood near to where Alaria had disappeared. Braddok also was holding his blade at the ready, not knowing his was by the wizard’s side.</p><p></p><p>“Fair enough.” Alaria said as she dropped the invisibiility charm and returned to normal vision.</p><p></p><p>As the vulture demon dove for her, a thought to the Ihs Repahl brought into being a blast of air, striking the flying demon with force of a battering ram, veering it off course and slamming into the ground.</p><p></p><p>The demon took in the scene. The magess was bleeding across her chest, soaking into her storm blue robes. She seemed to be leaning heavily on her staff. The Ihs Repahl pulsed with blue-white light on her other hand. The warrior and elf captain, blades at the ready, raced for its position. The daelvar priest was intoning some prayer or the other, though he too was bloodied. From its flank, the druid was running up with strange green-glowing weapons in each hand. It seemed it had blown its cover prematurely.</p><p></p><p>Again, with a casual launch from its powerful haunches, the demon took to the air and sought to fly away. He got some height and was winging above the treeline of the glade before he was redirected, as if be a brick wall of air that swirled around him. One direction then the other, then the opposite, and back around again. The demon began to spin, caught in a conjured whirlwind.</p><p></p><p> Through the leaf and grass filled winds, it looked down to the magess, holding the Ihs Repahl, commanding the winds to bring him down, closer. It flapped and dove, tried to ride the winds and escape their hold. It could not. The ground came up closer and closer, very quickly now, until it slammed into the ground.</p><p></p><p>Before it could recover, human, elf, half-elf and daelvar were upon it, slashing, stabbing and pounding with enchanted and blessed weapons.</p><p></p><p>The creature screeched out in defiance even as it knew, it felt, the cold abyssal fires ripping into it. The painful, but unpleasantly so, burning fires of being ripped from one plane into another.<em> *NO! NO! I’m not finished!NOOOOOooo<span style="font-size: 10px">oo</span><span style="font-size: 9px">ooooo</span>*</em> the demon cried out to who knows what dark powers.</p><p></p><p>In a final burst of flaming energies, sending all around it flying back 20 feet to their backs with force, a smoldering black scorch mark stained the glade where the vulture demon had been.</p><p></p><p>As the companions stared in shock where the demon had been, a dart thudded in the center of the scorch mark.</p><p></p><p>“IIIIIII GOTTIM!” Duor shouted in self-adulation from the pavilion.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="steeldragons, post: 6123712, member: 92511"] The companions began their deliberation without the dwarven rogue. Braddok opened. “It is my belief, that if we hope to completely undo the schemes of Tresahd, we should return to Nor Gorthok as soon as possible. His armies here are scattered to the winds. Before they regroup within the Feldmere, we should go ruin their rallying point. "Also, Tresahd himself made no move in this latest conflict. His lieutenant, or general or whatever the Bulgruch was, is gone. If we press in a timely fashion, I believe our chances of success are much improved and we could finish this business and move to the matters in the west.” “But...well, he’s still got that horrid behir...and the wights” Haelan said softly, shuddering visibly at the mention of the wights. “Not to mention the army of hobgoblins we saw there...and MORE demons! What are we supposed to do about MORE demons!?” Buttercreamshadowfeet came hopping up to the pavilion and sniffed about the table and the food thereon.[I] *What‘s all the hubbub now!*[/I] the ferret‘s feminine voice came to Haelan’s ears. [I]*OO fish!* [/I]the ferret grabbed a large whole salted fish from the table. “Braddok wants us to go back to Nor Gorthok and finish tresahd once and for all.” Haelan explained. [I]*Munch. Munch. Buh! ECK! Why is it sooo salty. Stupid elves can’t even prepare a proper fish! Wait...what!? Go BACK?! These humans are as stupid as they are mad.*[/I] Haelan found the ferret’s words somewhat out of character, but supposed none of them had had decent rest in several days. “The Hilltender speaks true. But for me that only manates our return all the more. The knowledge that there are abominations just sitting there unhindered in this world is an affront to the Balance. Braddok’s words resound with reason.” Fen said in all severity. “I am sorry to say, my newfound friends, that I shall not be journeying further with you.” Pyrnion interjected. “What?! Oh no, Pyrnion...” Haelan whined. “My I ask why, Pyrnion?” Alaria finally spoke. “My assignment was to reamin in Miralosta to aid the elves in defense of their homeland. My charge to aid you in the same. That goal has been achieved. My work here is complete. I would return to my beloved master and the quiet peaks and aeries of my kind.” the feather-headed man said solemnly. “I would hope you reconsider, my friend.” Braddok said. “We are warriors, you and I. Your charge is not entirely complete so long as the dark wizard remains alive to rebuild his forces. Would not the true completion of your task require his utter destruction? I would greatly value your axe by my side.” These words seemed to give Pyrnion pause. The winged zephari crossed his arms, one hand to his chin and pondered. “I thought we proved Tresahd was the dragon...and a 'she’ not a 'he’.” Haelan questioned to the assembly. “We did indeed, Hilltender.” Fen answered without a hint of emotion. “A dragon?!” Pyrnion said in disbelief. “Yeah. He..er...she...or whatever wants to resurrect his or her dragon mommy. ..who I am to understand was waaaay worse than he...or she....is.” Haelan explained as best he could. “She’s after the Windsoul from Alaria for some reason...has something to do with the rite or who knows what magical reason.” “The ‘Wind Soul’?! YOU possess the [I]Kalanaptra[/I]!?! A[I] human [/I]mage?!” <[I]Kalanaptra translates as “Wind Soul" in the language of the zepharim[/I]> Pyrnion’s eyes bulged in disbelief as he looked at the R’Hathi magess in an entirely different light. “We know it as the Ihs Repahl...but yes. It seems so.” Alaria pulled the crystalline orb from her largest hip pouch. Pyrnion’s eagle-like amber eyes widened more at the sight of one of his people’s most ancient legendary treasures. “This is...unusual circumstances...I may have to reconsider.” Pyrnion looked deeply into the Ihs Repahl. “I can not stand by to let the Kalanaptra fall into evil hands.” “We have no intention, my good master zephari, to let the Ihs repahl fall into evil hands.” Alaria defended. Buttercreamshadowfeet began to heave the entire length of her being. “Buttercream?" Haelan asked concerned. [I]*I do not think[/I] *URK*[I] the salty fish agrees [/I]*URGLE* [I]with me...[/I]* the ferret’s voice came haltingly between convulsions. “What wrong with the ferret?” Fen said. “She doesn’t like the fish.” Haelan answered reaching out to pet the ferret in hopes of soothing her. All of the companions watched in corcern which transitioned immediately to disbelief as the ferret’s whole body shuddered from rump to nose and Buttercreamshadowfeet opened her mouth wide to expel a cloud of billowing black and fiery orange smoke. In an instant, the smoke swirled and congealed upon the table between them into a towering form giving off flames and noxious clouds and in an instant more, the solid form of the great vulture looking dirty feathered form of the demon they had seen in the summoning dungeons of Nor Gorthok. The force of the burst sent all of the companions reeling back from their seated places around the table. The vulture demon screamed into the day, its piercing shriek echoing throughout the wood. “Who wuh huh!?” Duor’s groggy form bolted upright, sending the still unconscious Jovias rollign back off of him. The satyr groaned softly. *I’ll take that for you.* the screechy demonic voice entered all of their heads. A taloned hand reached forward to grasp the orb from Alaria. It missed by an inch. “DEMON!?” cried Haelan in disbelief. “Abomination!” shouted Fen in apparent anger, moreso than surprise. The druid gripped his leaftip spear and the delicately shaped blade flared with green energy. A burst of light came up before the demon’s eyes. The magical light, while not divine, had a disturbing, disorienting effect on the misshapened figure’s vision. The creature shrieked again. The companions saw, across the table, the bandaged zephari with an outstretched hand pointed at the demon. The winged humanoid’s wounds were still too grave to attmept to take up his weapon, but the minor magics of his race were still available to him. Shouts of alarm went up away from the heroes’ pavilion, elvish cries from the remaining soliders and captains in alarm at the sudden appearance of a creature from the netherworld in their midst. Two arrows struck true, but bounced from the demon’s feathers hide. The capatains were raacing for the heroes position with slender elvish blades drawn and shining in the late day sunlight. “[I]Beriz Theran![/I]” Alaria managed to shout out, forming a circular field of blue light between her and the momentarily disturbed demon as he reached out again in a blind grab for the orb. The taloned hand crashed against the conjured shield. Fen’s green-glowing spear tip sank into the demon’s lower back, beneath its putrid smelling wings. The demon whirled around with a roar, wrenching the weapon from Fen’s grip. Its lunching razor sharp curved beak blocked, abruptly, by Haelan’s small magical round shield (still attached to the daelvar’s arm). Haelan whirled around in the opposite direction with his mace to clobber the demon’s close head. Without the magical blessing from his goddess, the blow served to deflect the creature’s attack but not cause any actual damage. The demon raised its arms and wings and its entire form was bathed in rippling heat and flames. Quickly ushering Alaria behind him and tellign her to get away, Braddok lunged up onto the table as well, ripping Kandu from its sheathe. The blade blazed with sapphire blue light even as it was drawn. [I]*This is not a creature of undeath, warrior, my enchantments alone will not slay it.*[/I] Kandu said to Braddok's mind. “Yeah yeah, just cut it!” Braddok found himself shouting out loud. And, indeed, Braddok did lay a woeful wound upon the creature. The demon howled in pain and rage. Again, it whirled around to face the latest assault from the round table. Its great bulk of black and orange feathered form, serpentine tail and swiping claws threw Braddok from the table to some distance off the pavilion. “MMPH!” expelled the drunken satyr as the warrior’s great armored body bounced off of him and rolled off the pavilion’s low platform. “‘EY! Washtit!” Jovias managed to get out, not knowing what had roused him. His eyes rose to see the vulture demon towering over them all. His eyes widened and he let out a high-pitched scream. “Not so loud, fer cryin’ sakes.” Duor mumbled at his new friend. “Take SISH!” the dwarf forcefully called as a bolt flew from his hand crossbow to sail, harmlessly, into the tent covering above. “Oh. hmph.” the dwarf scowled unapproving and grabbed another dart from his hip quiver. The dwarf’s eyes widened as he thought he saw his weapon glow with a honey-colored light for a moment. Indeed, all of their weapons, other than Fen’s spear which the demon had wrenched out of its back and thrown far into the nearby field, glowed. And while duor could only smell the satyran whiskey on his beard, the rest of the assembled heroes smelled pine trees and summer rain. Two more arrows from nearby elfin archers bounced harmlessly from the demon’s body. The vulture demon reached down with his other taloned hand to swipe at the obviously wounded zephari...He remembered these creatures. The gods‘ divine messengers and servants. Stupid subservient weaklings. Some of their ancestors had been foolish enough to be exiled from the immortal realms by the gods, willingly accepting their fate, and shackled with mortal existence. Not like the demons, they were smart and strong enough to conquer and retain their own immortal planes. Ending this feathered man‘s life would be doing him a favor! The talon swipe was minor, but in his already weakend form, Pyrnion succumbed to unconsciousness from the wound and corresponding demonfire. “HHHhHHHYAR!” Haelan roared with a telling swipe at the vulture demon’s legs with his pinecone-headed mace. With the added divine magic, the weapon struck the beastly appendages with a thunder. The blow knocked the creature from its feet, sending it ‘chin’ first to the floor of the pavilion. *THPT* After needing three tries to properly load his hand blurry crossbow, another dart from Duor went wildly awry and pireced the delicate fabric of the tented roof. “Frag." the highly drunken dwarf mumbled under his beard. “Wait! Hangon h’ngon...I’ll geddim." and began to fumble, once again to grasp and load another dart. “Your dagger, Duor! Use your dagger!" Haelan cried. “R’yeh MAD?!" Duor said in complete increduity. “Tha’s a demon!” Two elfin captains arrived, leaping up to the pavilion in the fluid movements only elves possessed. One elfin captain tried to drag the large, heavily muscled zephari out of the immediate melee. The other made a swipe at the demon with his silvery blade. He missed. Fen shouted his tried and true spell. The vines and sprouts of verdant green tendrils lept from all around the pavilion, moving to ensnare the fallen demon. The growth struck toward the creature, but seemed constantly “backed away”, appearing unable or unwilling to trap the vulture demon. The ends of the green ropes charred and smoldered in the demon’s fire shield. Fen’s eyebrows rose in surprised understanding at the realization his “natural” magic was unlikely to thwart the demon’s [I]unnatural[/I] occult power. The half-elf made a dash to where his spear had been thrown, nearly an entire glade away. Enough of this folly, the demon thought to himself. He was here to get the crystal orb. Only that would release him from the dark master’s hold on him and permit his return to the Abyssal realms from which he’d been torn. The creature rose with a scathing glare to the srrounding heroes and elves, he found where Alaria stood, backed away out of the pavilion but refusing to flee. Seemingly impossibly, his solid beak-like mouth twisted into a wicked grin. With a waver of the air, the demon disappeared from view. “Where is it!?” Haelan cried in alarm. “Shut this area down!” Fen declared as the elves, daelvar, Braddok who had regained his feet and was moving again for the monster, and the staggering dwarf looked around in confusion. Alaria had been murmuring one of her only other defensive incantations. From what little she recalled of creatures of the lower planes, the illusion [I]might[/I] work...or it might not. Even as the demon disappeared, the form of the magess split into 5 distinct forms, each identical to the next. “Haelan, to me! Invoke your [I]Sanctuary[/I]!” Alaria called out in panic as the towering feathered form appeared for a moment to swipe through one of her mirror images. A shriek of frustration went up before it disappeared again. Haelan rushed for Alaria’s position, the words of the tried and true protection upon his lips. Then he realized the creature might not be stayed by such a phsyical barrier. It was huge and strong and obviously highly magical. No, this required the true circle of protection. "Of course," though Haelan, "the prayer that stays magic and magical beings, not physcial assault." Braddok, with his longer legs, bounded two strides ahead of the daelvar priest and when the demon again appeared to dispel another of Alaria’s illusions, the Grinlian swordsman made a desperate attempt to strike. The blue energy of his blade ripped through air even as the demon again disappeared with a goading smirk. Haelan came up before 3 Alaria’s. “Uh..." the Hilltender looked, frenzied, from one to another. “Which one is you?!” Bollux, Alaria thought. Her illusion was working too well, perhaps. Suddenly one of the three remainign images burst out of existence (like a cloud or smoke being blown apart). “I GODDIM! Oh...wait...” Duor exclaimed with glee and then squinted in the direct of most of the combatants. “STOP FIRING THOSE DAMN THINGS!” Braddok called out. With only two Alarias left, the magess decided the cleric’s protection was more important than her own magic and quickly dispelled the enchantment. Haelan immediately began to invoke [I]Protection from Evil[/I] which, he was sure, would hold off the creature until the others could destroy it. Likewise, Alaria and himself would be able to cast spells out of the circle, unlike the invocation of Sanctuary. This proved a moment too long as the demon became visible. Directly in front of the daelvar the demon swung his forearm, that Haelan noted looked like the "scaly" part of a chicken's leg, with its black talons, well over the Hilltender’s head. Slashing and throwing back the magess in a scream of pain and spray of blood. A second swipe from his other “arm” sent the daelvar tumbling across the ground. [I] *Now, my dear ‘Storm Rider’, I will be taking that orb.*[/I] the demon’s voice sounded in Alaria’s head. “I think not.” Alaria huffed as she tapped the demon’s vulture-leg like ankle with the tip of the Staff of Azanna. The demon looked down at the plain copper-twined staff at its feet. With a thought, a lightning bolt shot up from the end of the staff, throwing the vulture demon up and away from the magess. The thunder rolled even before the demon’s smoldering and burned form crashed down some 20 yards away, out in the glade. “Give me this!” Fen said in annoyance as he swiped the ethereal dagger out of its sheathe on Duor’s hip. The druid raced for the demon’s position, collecting his spear as he went. Immediately the leaftip spear again flared with its green glow. The druid seemed quite the hero of elvin legend as he raced across the field, a green flaming blade in one hand and green glowing spear in the other. The vulture demon rose and launched itself into the air, flying directly for the magess as she regained her feet. “I know your tricks too, demon.[I] REPLEESH[/I]!” Alaria called with the Ihs repahl in her hand. Immediately the magess wavered out of normal sight. Still, she narrowly dodged the demon’s flying charge. It rose up into the air and looked down at Alaria’s former position. *[I]Will take more than your weak illusions to hide from my sight, witch![/I]* the demon said. Its eyes glowed an unholy red light and the form of the magess became immediately visible to the demon. The elf captain now stood near to where Alaria had disappeared. Braddok also was holding his blade at the ready, not knowing his was by the wizard’s side. “Fair enough.” Alaria said as she dropped the invisibiility charm and returned to normal vision. As the vulture demon dove for her, a thought to the Ihs Repahl brought into being a blast of air, striking the flying demon with force of a battering ram, veering it off course and slamming into the ground. The demon took in the scene. The magess was bleeding across her chest, soaking into her storm blue robes. She seemed to be leaning heavily on her staff. The Ihs Repahl pulsed with blue-white light on her other hand. The warrior and elf captain, blades at the ready, raced for its position. The daelvar priest was intoning some prayer or the other, though he too was bloodied. From its flank, the druid was running up with strange green-glowing weapons in each hand. It seemed it had blown its cover prematurely. Again, with a casual launch from its powerful haunches, the demon took to the air and sought to fly away. He got some height and was winging above the treeline of the glade before he was redirected, as if be a brick wall of air that swirled around him. One direction then the other, then the opposite, and back around again. The demon began to spin, caught in a conjured whirlwind. Through the leaf and grass filled winds, it looked down to the magess, holding the Ihs Repahl, commanding the winds to bring him down, closer. It flapped and dove, tried to ride the winds and escape their hold. It could not. The ground came up closer and closer, very quickly now, until it slammed into the ground. Before it could recover, human, elf, half-elf and daelvar were upon it, slashing, stabbing and pounding with enchanted and blessed weapons. The creature screeched out in defiance even as it knew, it felt, the cold abyssal fires ripping into it. The painful, but unpleasantly so, burning fires of being ripped from one plane into another.[I] *NO! NO! I’m not finished!NOOOOOooo[SIZE=2]oo[/SIZE][SIZE=1]ooooo[/SIZE]*[/I] the demon cried out to who knows what dark powers. In a final burst of flaming energies, sending all around it flying back 20 feet to their backs with force, a smoldering black scorch mark stained the glade where the vulture demon had been. As the companions stared in shock where the demon had been, a dart thudded in the center of the scorch mark. “IIIIIII GOTTIM!” Duor shouted in self-adulation from the pavilion. [/QUOTE]
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