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<blockquote data-quote="Richards" data-source="post: 7595249" data-attributes="member: 508"><p><strong>ADVENTURE 42: THE SHADOWS BETWEEN</strong></p><p></p><p>PC Roster: </p><p style="margin-left: 20px">Daleth Stormsea, elf wizard 12</p> <p style="margin-left: 20px"> Galen Thorne, human paladin 13</p> <p style="margin-left: 20px"> Kaspar Hardstrike, elf monk 13</p> <p style="margin-left: 20px"> Orion Nightsky, halfling rogue 13</p> <p style="margin-left: 20px"> Syngaard, human fighter 13</p><p></p><p>Game Session Date: 17 April 2019</p><p></p><p>- - -</p><p></p><p>Almost nobody noticed the shadowy figures gliding through the throngs of people in the crowded marketplace. While generally of humanoid build, their bodies seemed less substantial the closer to the ground they got, simply vanishing from sight at about knee level. Furthermore, while some were of about human height, others were nearly twice that tall, towering over the unconcerned citizens in the Durnhill marketplace. Regardless of their size, each of these shadow-things made their way through the crowds, their incorporeal bodies never bumping or even touching those around them as they looked this way and that, scanning the people all about them.</p><p></p><p>But not everyone was unaware of the ghostly presences around them. Everyone once in a while, one person in the crowd would feel a sudden shiver, look up, and make eye contact with one of the shadow-things, seeing perfectly the dark, human-shaped void before them. Inevitably, this resulted in a strangled cry from the poor market-goer as the shadow-thing advanced upon its prey, striking out with an ebon limb that phased directly into its victim's body. The only notice this ever attracted from those around were looks of confusion as the others in the crowd saw a neighbor suddenly acting in a crazy fashion, waving their arms about to fend off attacks from something that wasn't there.</p><p></p><p>One of the larger of these shadow phantoms moved directly toward an armed guardsman - as the kingdom of Durnhill was at war with Ossirna, the country to the south, there was always an armed presence in the kingdom in areas where the populace congregated. A look of pure horror crossed the poor guard's face as he brought up his pike to fend off his invisible-to-everyone-else attacker, but to no avail: the ghostly form passed right through his weapon, unaffected by the sharpness of its blade, and put its hand right through his torso, effectively touching his heart from the inside. With a cry that had those around him stepping away in wariness, he dropped his weapon and fell to the ground.</p><p></p><p>Another ogre-sized shadow-thing approached a young man wearing mithral armor and carrying a shield whose painted emblem told of his service to Hieroneous, the god of valor. All of the hairs stood up on Galen's arms and the back of his neck; whirling around with a hand reaching for the hilt of the <em>sword of Zehkar</em> at his belt, he saw the shadow phantom reaching for him, its ebon, skeletal fingers passing through his shield and striking him on the shoulder, beneath the protection of his armor.</p><p></p><p>Nearby, two of the human-sized shadow-things glided over to a pair of elves, one elf wearing the robes of a wizard and other sporting the loose-fitting robes of a monk. The elves sensed the unnatural presences just before the phantoms struck, hitting Daleth in the back and Kaspar on the forearm when he instinctively held it up to block a blow that passed right through him. He felt the skin tighten where he was struck; it felt as if he had just taken a heavy blow that would cause a nasty bruise.</p><p></p><p>Some blocks away at Mama Kat's establishment, Syngaard was busy at his bouncer work, escorting an unruly patron out of the building with extreme prejudice. With one hand on the lout's collar and another at his belt, he pitched the drunk out the front door and onto the street. "I catch you comin' back here again, I won't just be usin' my bare hands!" Syngaard promised, pulling his morningstar from his belt for emphasis. "And you ever try beatin' on one of our girls again, I'll give you a beating you won't soon forget!"</p><p></p><p>Seeing the drunken lout scramble to his feet and shamble away with a final hand gesture in the scarred fighter's direction - a last, feeble attempt at some sort of dignity - Syngaard was about to turn back into the building when he spotted something disturbing: a flickering figure, like a ghost but entirely black - at least until it faded away at about knee height. Its head was covered by a hood but Syngaard locked eyes with the thing and it immediately began gliding in the fighter's direction.</p><p></p><p>Syngaard immediate released his grip on the morningstar and reached into his pants for a better weapon: his Dick. Pulling it out from a pocket and rubbing it in his hand, he hurled it at the approaching shadow-thing. Dick took full form in midair, attacking the black figure seemingly made of shadows and, surprisingly, getting a grip on the thing's arm in his sharp beak. Seeing this, Syngaard grabbed the morningstar from his belt and made his way around the griffon toward their common foe.</p><p></p><p>In the marketplace, Galen backed away from the shadow-thing towering above him and pulled out the <em>sword of Zehkar</em>, readying an attack if it approached him again. "Stay back!" he called to the crowd about him, surprised that they were just giving him puzzled looks: didn't they see the ogre shadow before them? Even more surprisingly, he sensed no evil in the aura around the hulking black phantom. If this was an undead shadow, surely it would have an aura of evil? Such had been the training he'd received at the Temple of Hieroneous.</p><p></p><p>Daleth likewise backed away from his attacker, but in his case that was his natural inclination; it was easier to cast spells - defensive or otherwise - if he had a bit of space between him and his nearest enemy, who could otherwise attack in the span of time it took to get off his spell. He cast a <em>magic circle against evil</em> spell encompassing not only himself but also his pseudodragon familiar Todd walking by his side. Todd's scorpionlike tail arched up, ready to strike if the shadow got any closer, although it was unlikey the pseudodragon's sleep venom would be useful against an incorporeal shadow.</p><p></p><p>For her part, Orion had been riding Carl through the Ethereal Plane, passing incorporeally through a row of buildings that lined the marketplace. While she could see onto the Material Plane from her vantage point, she was confident that no one in her immediate vicinity could see her. Of course, if she wanted to actually steal anything from any of the buildings she'd first have to get Carl to manifest back onto the Material Plane, but Orion saw nothing that particularly caught her eye; to the halfling, this was a bizarre form of "window shopping." But as she spun Carl about and they passed through the front of a storefront to head over to the buildings on the other side of the market, she saw her friends outside in combat poses - but they didn't seem to be actually fighting anything. Galen had his longsword out aimed at a point before and above him, while Daleth was cringing and Todd seemed ready to stab at something with his tail; beside him, Kaspar's hands were in a readied stance, from which he could block and redirect a blow or strike out with deadly speed - but again, there was nobody there attacking them. Were they fighting something invisible? None of the other people in the market area apparently saw anything, either, for they were just giving the heroes odd looks. Orion looked all around, seeing the Ethereal Plane as a misty cloud in all directions and the nearby inhabitants of the Material Plane superimposed on the cloudiness, but there was nothing on either plane she could see menacing her friends.</p><p></p><p>Kaspar struck out suddenly with his right hand, encompassed as it was in his <em>tenryutsume</em>. That blow sent fire and electricity coursing into the shadow-thing before him as well as the strength of his blow, and it was followed immediately with blows from his other hand and his elbows. Without a sound, the ebon phantom evaporated into nothingness there in the mid-day sun. Kaspar grinned grimly; at least these phantom attackers could be killed!</p><p></p><p>Suddenly, as one, the shadowy figures turned their attention away from the heroes, save for one which got stung by Todd but successfully struck him back in return. The phantoms seemed to either be looking about for more targets or else fleeing the scene. Todd noticed an odd bruise where he'd been struck - a discoloration among his small scales - and telepathically informed his master of the situation. Daleth cast a <em>magic missile</em> spell at one of the larger retreating shadow-figures, the spell striking unerringly. Galen channeled a blast of positive energy through his <em>illumium scabbard</em>, hitting the shadow phantom that had just struck Todd; if these were undead creatures they were fighting, the healing energy should act like acid on the undead forms, eating away at their very substance. But the attack seemed to have no effect on the retreating phantom, not causing it any partiular harm but not healing it, either.</p><p></p><p>Just outside Mama Kat's, the shadow creature attacked the griffon scratching at it with his claws. A large bruise appeared where the phantom's hand passed through the griffon's flank. Syngaard came running up along Dick's side to bring his morningstar crashing through the phantom's body, seemingly having no effect. Over in the alley, the drunken lout who liked beating on working girls saw the scarred fighter swinging around at nothing as a no-kidding winged lion-eagle monster stood by his side and vowed to have nothing to do with this particular craziness.</p><p></p><p>Orion and Carl shifted back to the Material Plane to see if they could help their friends with whatever it was they were fighting - or at least thought they were fighting - and was surprised to see the shadowy figures suddenly pop into view. With her magically enhanced vision, she could see their shadowy bodies were not coursing with negative energy in the way an undead being's would; it followed that whatever these things were, they weren't undead. Urging her ghost-dog forward into battle, the little halfling drew the <em>nightflame short sword</em> from her scabbard and attacked the nearest of the phantoms, her blade cutting into the insubstantial thing but not before it could strike out at her in return. Kaspar ran forward, stepping in front of a retreating ogre-sized phantom and striking at it with his <em>tenryutsume</em>-covered hand; the shadowy figure dissipated at once into nothingness. Galen's sword cut another shadow-thing into two, causing the phantom to discorporate. The paladin frowned; the sensation he'd felt cutting the shadow-thing in twain reminded him of something...after a moment's consideration, he remembered when he'd felt something similar: when cutting through Ashfall Dave's <em>shadow conjuration hell hound</em>. Were these phantoms just spell effects? And if so, for what purpose?</p><p></p><p>Daleth pulled out his <em>wand of magic missiles</em> and destroyed the only other shadow-figure still within range. At the same time several blocks away, Dick finished off the shadow-thing he'd been fighting, but not before it had a chance to strike Syngaard on the arm holding the morningstar, resulting in a large, black bruise on the place where it had hit. "Well, crap," muttered Syngaard, rubbing his sore arm. He popped his head back into Mama Kat's, calling to the receptionist that he needed to step away for a bit, then leaped up onto Dick's broad back and sent him flying in the direction of the <em>Enchanted Flagon</em>. If anybody could make sense of this weirdness, it was probably Skevros.</p><p></p><p>In the marketplace, the heroes took stock of their situation. Nobody was seriously hurt, although they all seemed to have the same black bruise where they'd been hit by the shadow-phantoms, including the guardsman who had also been attacked. An application of positive energy at Galen's touch did nothing to heal the angry-looking bruises, either. "This can't be good," the paladin mused to himself. "It's as if we've all been marked."</p><p></p><p>"For what purpose?" asked Orion, a shiver running down her spine. It was bad enough that the Mithral Mage could be watching their every action at any time; now this as well? Sometimes it seemed that their enemies were everywhere.</p><p></p><p>"We should consult with Skevros," Kaspar suggested. "The current threat is apparently taken care of; these people are in no further danger." He looked at the crowd who had gone back to their business now that these adventurer weirdoes were done with their pantomime games.</p><p></p><p>"Agreed," said Galen, leading the way back to the <em>Enchanted Flagon</em>. Upon their arrival, they were surpised to see Dick standing just outside the front door, as the griffon had no physical existence unless Syngaard activated him and the bald fighter had no normal reason to activate him unless there was combat involved.</p><p></p><p>Galen strode through the front door and was amazed at what he saw. Skevros lay upon the floor, his clothes and body covered in an unhealthy, metallic sheen. Dow's astral golem lay on the floor next to him, unmoving. At the main table, sitting in the seat normally reserved for Skevros, was Alexandos, the self-styled Mithral Mage. Syngaard was there as well, but sitting at a far table glaring at Alexandros, while Karen stood by his side, providing the scarred fighter a much-needed ale. At their entrance, Syngaard looked over at his fellow conscripts and said, unnecessarily, "We got company."</p><p></p><p>"Sheath your weapons and have a seat; I am only here to talk," Alexandros said. Galen seemed ready to disregard the Mithral Mage's command, his hand on the hilt of the <em>sword of Zehkar</em>, when he recalled Andromeda's prophecy in the Nightforge that the heroes were not yet ready to face Alexandros directly. Instead, he retorted as he took a seat beside Syngaard, "Then why is Skevros a mithral statue?"</p><p></p><p>"As a bargining chip to get you to do what I want," replied Alexandros. "Now please sit down so we can talk like reasonable adults." The others took seats at Syngaard's table; nobody wanted to get any nearer to Alexandros than was necessary.</p><p></p><p>Seeing their compliance, the silver-clad wizard smiled briefly, then his face broke into a frown. "I'm disappointed in all of you," he said. "You were prophecized to free me from my own personal Hell, but you never showed - I had to take measures into my own hands."</p><p></p><p>"What prophecy--?" began Syngaard before being shushed by Daleth; no point in letting their enemy get any angrier than he already was with them; there was no telling just what he'd do.</p><p></p><p>"However," continued Alexandros, "I have no desire to kill you. In fact, I still hold out some vain hope that we can all still be friends."</p><p></p><p>"That seems unlikely," countered Galen.</p><p></p><p>"Well then, we need at least not be enemies," replied the Mithral Mage. "In any case, I have an assignment for you."</p><p></p><p>"We takin' orders from you now?" asked Syngaard.</p><p></p><p>"You are if you wish me to restore your master to flesh and blood."</p><p></p><p>"What is it you wish us to do?" asked Kaspar.</p><p></p><p>"I want you to fetch an <em>Eye of Prophecy</em> - it's a magical eyepatch that can be used to glean more information from prophecies. You - or rather, your master here," said Alexandros, indicating the still form of Skevros encased in mithral, "still have 'The Prophecies of Alexandros,' the book you got in Ossirna written in code. I need one of you to read the book while wearing the eyepatch; that will allow me to see the words in clear language."</p><p></p><p>"I ain't spendin' my free time readin' no damn book," grumbled Syngaard.</p><p></p><p>"It needn't be you," Alexandros answered.</p><p></p><p>"Where are we to find such an eyepatch?" asked Daleth. "I have never heard of such a thing."</p><p></p><p>"No worries there. I know exactly where one is located: in the treasure vault of the Diviners Guild of the Azure Glade - I just don't want to alert the Seekers of Eternity that I don't give a damn about their ridiculous organization by stealing it myself. Hence, you will be my proxies and perform the work for me."</p><p></p><p>"This a payin' mission?" asked Syngaard, as ever cutting to the chase.</p><p></p><p>"Oh, but of course," replied the Mithral Mage. "I seek only the <em>Eye of Prophecy</em>; you may take anything and everything else you find in the vault for yourselves. In addition, I will return Skevros to his living self."</p><p></p><p>"What about Dow?" asked Orion.</p><p></p><p>"Yeah, what about her?" scoffed Syngaard. As far as he was concerned, the creepy doll-homunculus was no loss.</p><p></p><p>"The thing in Skevros's astral golem?" Alexandros asked. "I have no idea. She just collapsed when I turned her master into mithral." Orion approached the astral golem and saw two thin, barely-visible strands of light whipping about from the astral golem's shell. Another two seemed to be coming from the pocket of the robe Skevros wore, now as much a chunk of solid metal as the king's adviser himself was. The halfling was puzzled by the twin threads, for it seemed to be life force flowing through two of the silvery cords associated with the Astral Plane, but she was pretty sure there should only be the one.</p><p></p><p>"And what of the shadow conjurations?" Galen asked, briefly explaining their battle in the marketplace.</p><p></p><p>"I have no idea - they were not of my doing," Alexandros admitted. "Now then: does anyone have any questions before I <em>teleport</em> you to the vault?"</p><p></p><p>"Certainly," answered Kaspar. "What can you tell us about this vault we're to enter?"</p><p></p><p>In answer, the Mithral Mage pulled a <em>crystal ball</em> from his pocket and passed a hand over it. "Well, to begin with, it's guarded by two red dragons," he said. An image appeared in the crystal globe, that of a pair of red dragons lounging atop a pile of loose coins. The larger one looked to be sleeping, while the smaller one was stacking coins into little piles. "But I'm sure you'll be able to handle them. Well, most of you, in any case."</p><p></p><p>"We'll want to prepare spells," said Daleth.</p><p></p><p>"Oh, by all means," agreed Alexandros, waving a hand in permission. The elven wizard cast a <em>fly</em> spell upon himself and Todd, while Galen cast a <em>resist fire</em> spell on himself and a <em>bless weapon</em> spell upon his sword. Orion unstoppered a <em>potion of mage armor</em> and fed it to Carl, always eager to lap up liquids like he did when he was still alive. Kaspar and Syngaard just stood nearby, expressing opposite ends of the patience spectrum, while the others made their magical preparations.</p><p></p><p>"You got one of them spells that allows us to talk amongst ourselves?" asked Syngaard when Daleth appeared to be done.</p><p></p><p>"Alas, I do not have that spell prepared," the elf admitted, and Syngaard just shook is head in disbelief. What use was knowing all them fancy spells if you didn't have the good sense to have the right ones at hand?</p><p></p><p>"I have a <em>Rary's telepathic bond</em> spell at hand I can cast upon all of you," offered up Alexandros.</p><p></p><p>"To cast it, wouldn't you need to be part of the link?" asked Galen, his voice full of distrust.</p><p></p><p>"Certainly."</p><p></p><p>"I'm not so sure I like that idea," said Orion.</p><p></p><p>"Well, get over it," snarled Syngaard. "Wizard-Pants don't got it; this dude does; we need it; end of story." With some apprehension, the group allowed Alexandros to cast the spell that linked them all together telepathically.</p><p></p><p><There, isn't that nice?> Alexandros mugged over the shared mental link. Orion just frowned deeper and hugged herself as if suddenly cold.</p><p></p><p>"Let's go over strategy," suggested Syngaard. "Since we don't know where in the vault the doodad is, it'll be the thief's job to find it. She can do that best on Carl, where the dragons won't be able to see them. They won't, will they?" he asked Daleth.</p><p></p><p>"Dragons cannot normally see onto the Ethereal Plane," assured the elven wizard.</p><p></p><p>"Okay, so maybe we all get <em>teleported</em> here" - Syngaard pointed to the far side of a large mound in the middle of the vault, with a set of steps winding all around it in an ever-decreasing spiral until it reached the top - "and let Orion and Carl do the scouting around. Once she finds the eyepatch, she can let us know over the link."</p><p></p><p>"She won't be on the link while she's ethereal," pointed out Daleth. "It's another plane of existence."</p><p></p><p>"Will it work if she comes back to the real world?"</p><p></p><p>"Yes, of course."</p><p></p><p>"Well then she comes back to the real world and lets us know! Sheesh, Wizard-Pants! You know what I'm sayin'!"</p><p></p><p>"I think we'd be better off showing up here," interrupted Galen, pointing directly behind the dragons.</p><p></p><p>"Seriously?"</p><p></p><p>"Like you say, Orion will be the only one moving about, and she'll be doing so ethereally so the dragons won't see her. And Carl floats over the ground, so they shouldn't hear them, either. And one of them's already asleep."</p><p></p><p>"So why so close?"</p><p></p><p>"Just in case one of them wakes up," answered Galen. "Once the jig is up, I want to be in position to strike - and strike hard."</p><p></p><p>"Yeah, okay," agreed Syngaard. "I like it."</p><p></p><p>"I will fly reconnaissance at the top of the chamber," suggested Daleth. "Todd and I can give a silent warning over the link if we see the sleeping dragon stirring or the wake one noticing you."</p><p></p><p>"You crazy? Dragons're supposed to have even better hearing than elves! I don't want Todd flapping around and wakin' him up!"</p><p></p><p>"He is under the same <em>fly</em> spell that I am," replied Daleth, levitating silently a few inches above the ground to demonstrate. Seeing his master's intent, Todd did likewise.</p><p></p><p>"Okay, fine," agreed Syngaard. "We all ready, then?"</p><p></p><p>"One moment," Orion said, slipping a ring from her finger and passing it over to Galen. "Put on my <em>ring of invisibility</em>," she said. "You can dish out the most damage with that sword of yours; if it comes to combat, I'd rather they didn't even see you coming." The paladin slipped on the proffered ring, impressed that it automatically resized itself to fit over his much-bigger finger. Then, concentrating, he faded from view. "Ready," he said.</p><p></p><p>Daleth cast a <em>greater invisibility</em> spell upon Todd and himself. "As are we," he announced.</p><p></p><p>"Weapons out and ready," commanded Syngaard, hefting his magic morningstar. The sound of the <em>sword of Zehkar</em> being pulled from its <em>illumium scabbard</em> could be heard from Galen's direction and Orion pulled out her own blade, which was sheathed in ebon flames.</p><p></p><p>"Okay, we're all ready," Syngaard told Alexandros, and with a word from the Mithral Mage the conscripts were no longer in the <em>Enchanted Flagon</em> but inside the vault they'd seen through the <em>crystal ball</em>.</p><p></p><p><Hey, I just thought of something!> said Orion over the link. <How'd Alexandros <em>teleport</em> us from the tavern? I thought the city was shielded from anyone <em>teleporting</em> in or out?></p><p></p><p><Oh, please,> came the Mithral Mage's scoffing voice over the mental link. <Such puny magics are beneath me! Now enough chatter: off about your business!></p><p></p><p>As Carl and Orion faded from view as they went ethereal, it looked to Syngaard as if he and Kaspar stood alone in the chamber to the side of the sleeping dragon and behind the one focused on his coin-stacking, but he knew Galen was there beside him with his blade drawn. <I'm in position,> announced Daleth. <We're directly above the top of the hill.></p><p></p><p><Good to know. Keep us posted on the dragons' activities.></p><p></p><p><Snoring and stacking, respectively.></p><p></p><p>Orion, in the meantime, was looking all about her as Carl walked slowly back and forth along the piles of scattered treasure. The dragons had apparently piled up the coins into a loose hoard and were using them as a bed, but intermingled with the gleaming coins were the occasional weapon or necklace. <Ooh, this one's pretty!> Orion marveled, casting her eyes on a necklace of pink pearls.</p><p></p><p><Leave it for later,> advised Galen. Orion pouted and continued her search.</p><p></p><p>After a bit, she saw what she thought she was looking for: a black eyepatch lying among a few loose coins by the sleeping dragon's side. <What the--?> she gasped over the link. <Is it supposed to have an <em>eyeball</em> in the middle of the patch?></p><p></p><p><Yes, that's the one!> confirmed Alexandros. <The eyeball is partially ethereal; when you wear the eyepatch, the eyeball sits partially inside your eye socket, allowing you to see through it.></p><p></p><p><Guh! I'm not wearing that!></p><p></p><p><You need not - just fetch it and bring it back to me. I'm sure Skevros will wear it, once you complete your mission and I restore him to life.></p><p></p><p>Orion steeled up her nerve and brought her hand close to the eyepatch. Since part of the <em>Eye of Prophecy</em> was ethereal, it seemed the safest way to get it from beneath the sleeping dragon was to pick it up by the back half of the eyeball, which in theory was already ethereal. Gritting her teeth, Orion touched the eyeball with her fingers and picked it up without dislodging any of the nearby coins when the rest of the eyepatch went ethereal. She pocketed it away. <Got it!> she reported back.</p><p></p><p><If we wish to leave now, I have the <em>ring of return</em> at hand,> advised Kaspar.</p><p></p><p><Well, hold on - no sense in us not scooping up some treasure for ourselves while we're here, is there?> asked Syngaard. <Paying mission, remember?></p><p></p><p><By all means knock yourselves out. Just don't endanger your ability to bring the <em>Eye of Prophecy</em> back to me in one piece, or you'll come to regret it - this I can promise.></p><p></p><p><Okay, let me at least get a couple of the more valuable pieces I saw,> Orion said, leading Carl back to the pearl necklace she'd spotted earlier. It was out of view of the dragon counting his coin piles, so the halfling had Carl remanifest on the Material Plane, she picked up the necklace, and then they shunted back to the Ethereal Plane. Orion led Carl back to the the others standing motionless beside the sleeping dragon, then remanifested besides Galen, nearly startling a gasp from the surprised paladin.</p><p></p><p><Give me back my ring,> Orion said. <I can get us some valuable stuff as long as I can appear before the dragon who's awake without him seeing me.> Reluctantly, Galen took off the ring, popping back into full visibility as he did so. Orion returned the ring to her right hand and faded from view. <I saw a valuable-looking greatsword and a heavy mace that looked promising,> she said.</p><p></p><p>Orion discovered that stealing magic items right out from under the noses of red dragons was actually rather exciting. She'd find something worth taking, have Carl manifest (he was visible when on the Material Plane but translucent as a ghost, and the <em>ghost touch saddle</em> Orion sat upon stayed invisible with her) long enough for her to put her hands upon the desired item, then they shunted back into the Ethereal Plane where she'd transfer the item into her <em>bag of holding</em>. Then it was move on to the next item, and the next, and the next.</p><p></p><p>She managed to steal a staff carved from a length of azurewood and the greatsword before messing up trying to take a jeweled circlet from the hoard; her hand was unsteady and she knocked over a small pile of coins. The clinking of metal on metal was nearly imperceptible to the halfling's ears, but the smaller of the two dragons raised his head and turned immediately in her direction, staring at the unexpected sight of a ghost dog hovering slightly above the coins of the dragon's shared hoard and a circlet disappearing from view as it was lifted from the pile of coins.</p><p></p><p><It's seen her!> Daleth called over the link.</p><p></p><p><Get out of there!> hissed Alexandros. <Bring me my <em>Eye of Prophecy</em>!></p><p></p><p>Beside the sleeping dragon, three men sprang into sudden action. Kaspar lunged forward and delivered a frenzied flurry of blows at the sleeping dragon, and while his <em>tenryutsume</em>'s fiery powers did nothing to increase his damage potential, its electricity and holy energy certainly did their parts. At the same time, Syngaard brought his magic morningstar swinging down in a series of crushing blows, each strike sending the spikes from his weapon head driving deep into the dragon's hide. Galen likewise brought the <em>sword of Zehkar</em> crashing down upon the dragon's side, his first strike suffused with the holy energy of Hieroneous. The dragon woke with a scream of fury as she found herself in sudden, inexplicable pain.</p><p></p><p>The pain got even worse as Daleth, from his perch along the ceiling of the cavernous vault, sent a <em>cone of cold</em> spell down upon the dragons. He targeted the cone such that it encompassed the front halves of each dragon without catching any of the other heroes in its area of effect; the men were all at the larger dragon's back half and Orion and Carl were shielded by the creature's thick neck and head. Just to be sure, the halfling urged her ghost-dog into the Ethereal Plane, and Carl didn't actually need much in the way of prompting.</p><p></p><p>The vault was now filled with the sounds of roaring fury; none of the conscripts could say whether or not the roars would bring reinforcements from the Diviners Guild and if so, how long it would be before they showed up. Best to get this fight over with!</p><p></p><p>Daleth cast a <em>chain lighting</em> spell, making the larger, female dragon his primary target and arcing the spell off to her little brother. Both dragons hissed in pain as the electricity arced over their reptilian bodies. Kaspar was still attacking the female with his hardened fists, his elbows, and roundhouse kicks, while Orion suddenly manifested nearby and threw a couple of electrified daggers from her <em>bag of blades</em>. (They both missed, but if nothing else they served as distractions for the red dragon so rudely awakened from a deep slumber.)</p><p></p><p>Then a wave of flames erupted over the heroes - all but Daleth and Todd, still invisible and afloat at the top of the chamber - as the smaller dragon (the size of a heavy war horse or bigger) unleashed its breath weapon at the intruders attacking his sister. Carl howled in pain and Orion found herself floating gently to the ground - courtesy of her <em>ring of feather falling</em> - as her faithful steed was obliterated into nothingness.</p><p></p><p>Syngaard roared in pain as the flames shot across his back and over his shoulders but he kept at his target, swinging his morningstar again and again into the dragon's side, the sharp points of his weapon carving a hole in the great beast's side as if he were chopping at a tree with an axe. Finally, with a final roar of fury, the larger of the two dragons fell over, dead, not having gotten to even attack any of these interlopers in her supposed place of safety.</p><p></p><p>Galen wasted no time; seeing Syngaard fell the greater dragon, the paladin turned and charged straight at the lesser one. A <em>lightning bolt</em> spell, courtesy of Daleth, dropped onto the dragon's head as the beast concentrated on the approaching paladin. The dragon proved his resiliency by shooting forth another gout of flames, catching both Galen and Syngaard; Orion and Kaspar used their respective types of training to evade the fiery explosion. The elven monk then used his increased speed to run up beside the dragon - taking a hit from a claw as he did so - and striking him with his most powerful blow, fueled by his <em>tenryutsume</em>. Orion ran the other way to flank the dragon with the monk but the dragon's tail lashed out at her, causing her to stumble and fail at her own sword-strike.</p><p></p><p>But while it was busy concentrating on the other heroes, Syngaard came running up to the dragon and brought his morningstar crushing down upon the beast's head. The scarred fighter actually heard the dragon's skull split from the power of his blow, and the fire-breathing menace crashed to the ground, causing a small explosion of coins to spill out from beneath him in all directions.</p><p></p><p>"YEAH!" exulted Syngaard, pumped up with adrenaline and psyched by getting to drive home the killing blow on each of the two dragons. "I LIKE fighting reptiles!" he called out to the universe at large, realizing the last time he'd had a combat go this well for him was when the group had been fighting kobolds in the Sanguine Swamp at the southern end of Durnhill's borders.</p><p></p><p><I'll stay on guard for reinforcements!> Daleth called over the link, although any need to remain quiet was likely moot after Syngaard's whooping and the roar of the dragons in combat. <You guys start scooping up the loot!></p><p></p><p>That seemed like an eminently practical idea, given that each of the four heroes on the ground had a <em>bag of holding</em> and Daleth did not. Into the magical bags went coins, bars of gold, gems, jewelry, and the occasional potion or weapon.</p><p></p><p>"I got a glowing mace!" called out Syngaard.</p><p></p><p>"Just grab it up - we'll figure out what everything does and what we're keeping and what we're selling when we get back!" answered Galen.</p><p></p><p><Let's get on with it!> advised Alexandros. <I'm getting impatient!> That spurred the conscripts on to greater speeds, until finally every gem, every bauble, and every last copper coin had been stashed away. Kaspar pulled out the <em>ring of return</em> and everyone took hold of it; the elf said the word and in an instant they were outside the gates of the city.</p><p></p><p>"Weird," commented Kaspar. He'd expected them to reappear in the <em>Enchanted Flagon</em>, where they'd left, but apparently the Mithral Mage had no way to overpower the anti-teleportation effects in place around the city when it came to a magic device not of his own manufacture. But the guards let them in without question and they all high-tailed it back to the tavern, only to find Skevros sitting in his chair, brooding.</p><p></p><p>"Are you all right?" asked Orion, leaping up onto her chair beside him. On the floor, Dow's astral golem lay unmoving.</p><p></p><p>"I'm fine," replied Skevros. "The last thing I remember is Alexandros touching me with a spell-charged hand. When I awoke, Dow was scrambling frantically out of my pocket and running for the door. She seems to have closed her mind off from mine again for some reason and my attempts to find her have failed. There was also this," he said, passing a sheet of parchment across the table to her. Orion read a quick note from Alexandros, stating that he'd borrowed Skevros's troops for a quick job but would have them back soon.</p><p></p><p>Galen reported all that had happened that day to Skevros, while Syngaard had Karen pass around tankards of ale. Once he'd been apprised of the situation, Skevros agreed that he'd be the one to wear the <em>Eye of Prophecy</em> to read the cryptic book in his possession.</p><p></p><p>"But that will have to wait until tomorrow," he amended. "I need to find Dow...."</p><p></p><p>- - -</p><p></p><p>This adventure provided us with massive amounts of loot. Logan rolled it all on the treasure tables; the only change he made was to decide the <em>staff of healing</em> was made of azurewood, since that's a local type of wood in this campaign. (Galen kept it; he's the only one in our group who can use it.) Syngaard was half-tempted to keep the <em>+3 heavy mace</em>, but since all of his fighter feats are geared toward morningstars and scimitars, he eventually opted to sell it. Galen argued to keep the <em>+3 frost elemental bane greatsword</em> as a backup weapon, so now we're hoping we get to meet up with more of those fiendish fire elementals again some day. As for all the other valuables, they totaled over 50,000 gp, so all in all we're pretty happy with this adventure, even if we ended up working for the Mithral Mage and not getting to lay a finger on him.</p><p></p><p>Logan used the <em>Arcane Dungeons</em> battle mat from Paizo's "Flip-Mat" series for the red dragons' lair. The red dragons were a Huge plastic figure I bought at a local Michael's hobby shop and a Large dragon mini Logan bought and painted in shades of red. The "shadow" manifestations were Darkness Elemental tokens I had made for our earlier "Adventures of Baabby and Sam" Skylanders campaign - we're still not sure what that business was all about, nor what the deal is with the bruises that won't heal. (Future plot hooks, Logan assures us.)</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Richards, post: 7595249, member: 508"] [B]ADVENTURE 42: THE SHADOWS BETWEEN[/B] PC Roster: [INDENT]Daleth Stormsea, elf wizard 12[/INDENT] [INDENT] Galen Thorne, human paladin 13[/INDENT] [INDENT] Kaspar Hardstrike, elf monk 13[/INDENT] [INDENT] Orion Nightsky, halfling rogue 13[/INDENT] [INDENT] Syngaard, human fighter 13[/INDENT] Game Session Date: 17 April 2019 - - - Almost nobody noticed the shadowy figures gliding through the throngs of people in the crowded marketplace. While generally of humanoid build, their bodies seemed less substantial the closer to the ground they got, simply vanishing from sight at about knee level. Furthermore, while some were of about human height, others were nearly twice that tall, towering over the unconcerned citizens in the Durnhill marketplace. Regardless of their size, each of these shadow-things made their way through the crowds, their incorporeal bodies never bumping or even touching those around them as they looked this way and that, scanning the people all about them. But not everyone was unaware of the ghostly presences around them. Everyone once in a while, one person in the crowd would feel a sudden shiver, look up, and make eye contact with one of the shadow-things, seeing perfectly the dark, human-shaped void before them. Inevitably, this resulted in a strangled cry from the poor market-goer as the shadow-thing advanced upon its prey, striking out with an ebon limb that phased directly into its victim's body. The only notice this ever attracted from those around were looks of confusion as the others in the crowd saw a neighbor suddenly acting in a crazy fashion, waving their arms about to fend off attacks from something that wasn't there. One of the larger of these shadow phantoms moved directly toward an armed guardsman - as the kingdom of Durnhill was at war with Ossirna, the country to the south, there was always an armed presence in the kingdom in areas where the populace congregated. A look of pure horror crossed the poor guard's face as he brought up his pike to fend off his invisible-to-everyone-else attacker, but to no avail: the ghostly form passed right through his weapon, unaffected by the sharpness of its blade, and put its hand right through his torso, effectively touching his heart from the inside. With a cry that had those around him stepping away in wariness, he dropped his weapon and fell to the ground. Another ogre-sized shadow-thing approached a young man wearing mithral armor and carrying a shield whose painted emblem told of his service to Hieroneous, the god of valor. All of the hairs stood up on Galen's arms and the back of his neck; whirling around with a hand reaching for the hilt of the [I]sword of Zehkar[/I] at his belt, he saw the shadow phantom reaching for him, its ebon, skeletal fingers passing through his shield and striking him on the shoulder, beneath the protection of his armor. Nearby, two of the human-sized shadow-things glided over to a pair of elves, one elf wearing the robes of a wizard and other sporting the loose-fitting robes of a monk. The elves sensed the unnatural presences just before the phantoms struck, hitting Daleth in the back and Kaspar on the forearm when he instinctively held it up to block a blow that passed right through him. He felt the skin tighten where he was struck; it felt as if he had just taken a heavy blow that would cause a nasty bruise. Some blocks away at Mama Kat's establishment, Syngaard was busy at his bouncer work, escorting an unruly patron out of the building with extreme prejudice. With one hand on the lout's collar and another at his belt, he pitched the drunk out the front door and onto the street. "I catch you comin' back here again, I won't just be usin' my bare hands!" Syngaard promised, pulling his morningstar from his belt for emphasis. "And you ever try beatin' on one of our girls again, I'll give you a beating you won't soon forget!" Seeing the drunken lout scramble to his feet and shamble away with a final hand gesture in the scarred fighter's direction - a last, feeble attempt at some sort of dignity - Syngaard was about to turn back into the building when he spotted something disturbing: a flickering figure, like a ghost but entirely black - at least until it faded away at about knee height. Its head was covered by a hood but Syngaard locked eyes with the thing and it immediately began gliding in the fighter's direction. Syngaard immediate released his grip on the morningstar and reached into his pants for a better weapon: his Dick. Pulling it out from a pocket and rubbing it in his hand, he hurled it at the approaching shadow-thing. Dick took full form in midair, attacking the black figure seemingly made of shadows and, surprisingly, getting a grip on the thing's arm in his sharp beak. Seeing this, Syngaard grabbed the morningstar from his belt and made his way around the griffon toward their common foe. In the marketplace, Galen backed away from the shadow-thing towering above him and pulled out the [I]sword of Zehkar[/I], readying an attack if it approached him again. "Stay back!" he called to the crowd about him, surprised that they were just giving him puzzled looks: didn't they see the ogre shadow before them? Even more surprisingly, he sensed no evil in the aura around the hulking black phantom. If this was an undead shadow, surely it would have an aura of evil? Such had been the training he'd received at the Temple of Hieroneous. Daleth likewise backed away from his attacker, but in his case that was his natural inclination; it was easier to cast spells - defensive or otherwise - if he had a bit of space between him and his nearest enemy, who could otherwise attack in the span of time it took to get off his spell. He cast a [I]magic circle against evil[/I] spell encompassing not only himself but also his pseudodragon familiar Todd walking by his side. Todd's scorpionlike tail arched up, ready to strike if the shadow got any closer, although it was unlikey the pseudodragon's sleep venom would be useful against an incorporeal shadow. For her part, Orion had been riding Carl through the Ethereal Plane, passing incorporeally through a row of buildings that lined the marketplace. While she could see onto the Material Plane from her vantage point, she was confident that no one in her immediate vicinity could see her. Of course, if she wanted to actually steal anything from any of the buildings she'd first have to get Carl to manifest back onto the Material Plane, but Orion saw nothing that particularly caught her eye; to the halfling, this was a bizarre form of "window shopping." But as she spun Carl about and they passed through the front of a storefront to head over to the buildings on the other side of the market, she saw her friends outside in combat poses - but they didn't seem to be actually fighting anything. Galen had his longsword out aimed at a point before and above him, while Daleth was cringing and Todd seemed ready to stab at something with his tail; beside him, Kaspar's hands were in a readied stance, from which he could block and redirect a blow or strike out with deadly speed - but again, there was nobody there attacking them. Were they fighting something invisible? None of the other people in the market area apparently saw anything, either, for they were just giving the heroes odd looks. Orion looked all around, seeing the Ethereal Plane as a misty cloud in all directions and the nearby inhabitants of the Material Plane superimposed on the cloudiness, but there was nothing on either plane she could see menacing her friends. Kaspar struck out suddenly with his right hand, encompassed as it was in his [I]tenryutsume[/I]. That blow sent fire and electricity coursing into the shadow-thing before him as well as the strength of his blow, and it was followed immediately with blows from his other hand and his elbows. Without a sound, the ebon phantom evaporated into nothingness there in the mid-day sun. Kaspar grinned grimly; at least these phantom attackers could be killed! Suddenly, as one, the shadowy figures turned their attention away from the heroes, save for one which got stung by Todd but successfully struck him back in return. The phantoms seemed to either be looking about for more targets or else fleeing the scene. Todd noticed an odd bruise where he'd been struck - a discoloration among his small scales - and telepathically informed his master of the situation. Daleth cast a [I]magic missile[/I] spell at one of the larger retreating shadow-figures, the spell striking unerringly. Galen channeled a blast of positive energy through his [I]illumium scabbard[/I], hitting the shadow phantom that had just struck Todd; if these were undead creatures they were fighting, the healing energy should act like acid on the undead forms, eating away at their very substance. But the attack seemed to have no effect on the retreating phantom, not causing it any partiular harm but not healing it, either. Just outside Mama Kat's, the shadow creature attacked the griffon scratching at it with his claws. A large bruise appeared where the phantom's hand passed through the griffon's flank. Syngaard came running up along Dick's side to bring his morningstar crashing through the phantom's body, seemingly having no effect. Over in the alley, the drunken lout who liked beating on working girls saw the scarred fighter swinging around at nothing as a no-kidding winged lion-eagle monster stood by his side and vowed to have nothing to do with this particular craziness. Orion and Carl shifted back to the Material Plane to see if they could help their friends with whatever it was they were fighting - or at least thought they were fighting - and was surprised to see the shadowy figures suddenly pop into view. With her magically enhanced vision, she could see their shadowy bodies were not coursing with negative energy in the way an undead being's would; it followed that whatever these things were, they weren't undead. Urging her ghost-dog forward into battle, the little halfling drew the [I]nightflame short sword[/I] from her scabbard and attacked the nearest of the phantoms, her blade cutting into the insubstantial thing but not before it could strike out at her in return. Kaspar ran forward, stepping in front of a retreating ogre-sized phantom and striking at it with his [I]tenryutsume[/I]-covered hand; the shadowy figure dissipated at once into nothingness. Galen's sword cut another shadow-thing into two, causing the phantom to discorporate. The paladin frowned; the sensation he'd felt cutting the shadow-thing in twain reminded him of something...after a moment's consideration, he remembered when he'd felt something similar: when cutting through Ashfall Dave's [I]shadow conjuration hell hound[/I]. Were these phantoms just spell effects? And if so, for what purpose? Daleth pulled out his [I]wand of magic missiles[/I] and destroyed the only other shadow-figure still within range. At the same time several blocks away, Dick finished off the shadow-thing he'd been fighting, but not before it had a chance to strike Syngaard on the arm holding the morningstar, resulting in a large, black bruise on the place where it had hit. "Well, crap," muttered Syngaard, rubbing his sore arm. He popped his head back into Mama Kat's, calling to the receptionist that he needed to step away for a bit, then leaped up onto Dick's broad back and sent him flying in the direction of the [I]Enchanted Flagon[/I]. If anybody could make sense of this weirdness, it was probably Skevros. In the marketplace, the heroes took stock of their situation. Nobody was seriously hurt, although they all seemed to have the same black bruise where they'd been hit by the shadow-phantoms, including the guardsman who had also been attacked. An application of positive energy at Galen's touch did nothing to heal the angry-looking bruises, either. "This can't be good," the paladin mused to himself. "It's as if we've all been marked." "For what purpose?" asked Orion, a shiver running down her spine. It was bad enough that the Mithral Mage could be watching their every action at any time; now this as well? Sometimes it seemed that their enemies were everywhere. "We should consult with Skevros," Kaspar suggested. "The current threat is apparently taken care of; these people are in no further danger." He looked at the crowd who had gone back to their business now that these adventurer weirdoes were done with their pantomime games. "Agreed," said Galen, leading the way back to the [I]Enchanted Flagon[/I]. Upon their arrival, they were surpised to see Dick standing just outside the front door, as the griffon had no physical existence unless Syngaard activated him and the bald fighter had no normal reason to activate him unless there was combat involved. Galen strode through the front door and was amazed at what he saw. Skevros lay upon the floor, his clothes and body covered in an unhealthy, metallic sheen. Dow's astral golem lay on the floor next to him, unmoving. At the main table, sitting in the seat normally reserved for Skevros, was Alexandos, the self-styled Mithral Mage. Syngaard was there as well, but sitting at a far table glaring at Alexandros, while Karen stood by his side, providing the scarred fighter a much-needed ale. At their entrance, Syngaard looked over at his fellow conscripts and said, unnecessarily, "We got company." "Sheath your weapons and have a seat; I am only here to talk," Alexandros said. Galen seemed ready to disregard the Mithral Mage's command, his hand on the hilt of the [I]sword of Zehkar[/I], when he recalled Andromeda's prophecy in the Nightforge that the heroes were not yet ready to face Alexandros directly. Instead, he retorted as he took a seat beside Syngaard, "Then why is Skevros a mithral statue?" "As a bargining chip to get you to do what I want," replied Alexandros. "Now please sit down so we can talk like reasonable adults." The others took seats at Syngaard's table; nobody wanted to get any nearer to Alexandros than was necessary. Seeing their compliance, the silver-clad wizard smiled briefly, then his face broke into a frown. "I'm disappointed in all of you," he said. "You were prophecized to free me from my own personal Hell, but you never showed - I had to take measures into my own hands." "What prophecy--?" began Syngaard before being shushed by Daleth; no point in letting their enemy get any angrier than he already was with them; there was no telling just what he'd do. "However," continued Alexandros, "I have no desire to kill you. In fact, I still hold out some vain hope that we can all still be friends." "That seems unlikely," countered Galen. "Well then, we need at least not be enemies," replied the Mithral Mage. "In any case, I have an assignment for you." "We takin' orders from you now?" asked Syngaard. "You are if you wish me to restore your master to flesh and blood." "What is it you wish us to do?" asked Kaspar. "I want you to fetch an [I]Eye of Prophecy[/I] - it's a magical eyepatch that can be used to glean more information from prophecies. You - or rather, your master here," said Alexandros, indicating the still form of Skevros encased in mithral, "still have 'The Prophecies of Alexandros,' the book you got in Ossirna written in code. I need one of you to read the book while wearing the eyepatch; that will allow me to see the words in clear language." "I ain't spendin' my free time readin' no damn book," grumbled Syngaard. "It needn't be you," Alexandros answered. "Where are we to find such an eyepatch?" asked Daleth. "I have never heard of such a thing." "No worries there. I know exactly where one is located: in the treasure vault of the Diviners Guild of the Azure Glade - I just don't want to alert the Seekers of Eternity that I don't give a damn about their ridiculous organization by stealing it myself. Hence, you will be my proxies and perform the work for me." "This a payin' mission?" asked Syngaard, as ever cutting to the chase. "Oh, but of course," replied the Mithral Mage. "I seek only the [I]Eye of Prophecy[/I]; you may take anything and everything else you find in the vault for yourselves. In addition, I will return Skevros to his living self." "What about Dow?" asked Orion. "Yeah, what about her?" scoffed Syngaard. As far as he was concerned, the creepy doll-homunculus was no loss. "The thing in Skevros's astral golem?" Alexandros asked. "I have no idea. She just collapsed when I turned her master into mithral." Orion approached the astral golem and saw two thin, barely-visible strands of light whipping about from the astral golem's shell. Another two seemed to be coming from the pocket of the robe Skevros wore, now as much a chunk of solid metal as the king's adviser himself was. The halfling was puzzled by the twin threads, for it seemed to be life force flowing through two of the silvery cords associated with the Astral Plane, but she was pretty sure there should only be the one. "And what of the shadow conjurations?" Galen asked, briefly explaining their battle in the marketplace. "I have no idea - they were not of my doing," Alexandros admitted. "Now then: does anyone have any questions before I [I]teleport[/I] you to the vault?" "Certainly," answered Kaspar. "What can you tell us about this vault we're to enter?" In answer, the Mithral Mage pulled a [I]crystal ball[/I] from his pocket and passed a hand over it. "Well, to begin with, it's guarded by two red dragons," he said. An image appeared in the crystal globe, that of a pair of red dragons lounging atop a pile of loose coins. The larger one looked to be sleeping, while the smaller one was stacking coins into little piles. "But I'm sure you'll be able to handle them. Well, most of you, in any case." "We'll want to prepare spells," said Daleth. "Oh, by all means," agreed Alexandros, waving a hand in permission. The elven wizard cast a [I]fly[/I] spell upon himself and Todd, while Galen cast a [I]resist fire[/I] spell on himself and a [I]bless weapon[/I] spell upon his sword. Orion unstoppered a [I]potion of mage armor[/I] and fed it to Carl, always eager to lap up liquids like he did when he was still alive. Kaspar and Syngaard just stood nearby, expressing opposite ends of the patience spectrum, while the others made their magical preparations. "You got one of them spells that allows us to talk amongst ourselves?" asked Syngaard when Daleth appeared to be done. "Alas, I do not have that spell prepared," the elf admitted, and Syngaard just shook is head in disbelief. What use was knowing all them fancy spells if you didn't have the good sense to have the right ones at hand? "I have a [I]Rary's telepathic bond[/I] spell at hand I can cast upon all of you," offered up Alexandros. "To cast it, wouldn't you need to be part of the link?" asked Galen, his voice full of distrust. "Certainly." "I'm not so sure I like that idea," said Orion. "Well, get over it," snarled Syngaard. "Wizard-Pants don't got it; this dude does; we need it; end of story." With some apprehension, the group allowed Alexandros to cast the spell that linked them all together telepathically. <There, isn't that nice?> Alexandros mugged over the shared mental link. Orion just frowned deeper and hugged herself as if suddenly cold. "Let's go over strategy," suggested Syngaard. "Since we don't know where in the vault the doodad is, it'll be the thief's job to find it. She can do that best on Carl, where the dragons won't be able to see them. They won't, will they?" he asked Daleth. "Dragons cannot normally see onto the Ethereal Plane," assured the elven wizard. "Okay, so maybe we all get [I]teleported[/I] here" - Syngaard pointed to the far side of a large mound in the middle of the vault, with a set of steps winding all around it in an ever-decreasing spiral until it reached the top - "and let Orion and Carl do the scouting around. Once she finds the eyepatch, she can let us know over the link." "She won't be on the link while she's ethereal," pointed out Daleth. "It's another plane of existence." "Will it work if she comes back to the real world?" "Yes, of course." "Well then she comes back to the real world and lets us know! Sheesh, Wizard-Pants! You know what I'm sayin'!" "I think we'd be better off showing up here," interrupted Galen, pointing directly behind the dragons. "Seriously?" "Like you say, Orion will be the only one moving about, and she'll be doing so ethereally so the dragons won't see her. And Carl floats over the ground, so they shouldn't hear them, either. And one of them's already asleep." "So why so close?" "Just in case one of them wakes up," answered Galen. "Once the jig is up, I want to be in position to strike - and strike hard." "Yeah, okay," agreed Syngaard. "I like it." "I will fly reconnaissance at the top of the chamber," suggested Daleth. "Todd and I can give a silent warning over the link if we see the sleeping dragon stirring or the wake one noticing you." "You crazy? Dragons're supposed to have even better hearing than elves! I don't want Todd flapping around and wakin' him up!" "He is under the same [I]fly[/I] spell that I am," replied Daleth, levitating silently a few inches above the ground to demonstrate. Seeing his master's intent, Todd did likewise. "Okay, fine," agreed Syngaard. "We all ready, then?" "One moment," Orion said, slipping a ring from her finger and passing it over to Galen. "Put on my [I]ring of invisibility[/I]," she said. "You can dish out the most damage with that sword of yours; if it comes to combat, I'd rather they didn't even see you coming." The paladin slipped on the proffered ring, impressed that it automatically resized itself to fit over his much-bigger finger. Then, concentrating, he faded from view. "Ready," he said. Daleth cast a [I]greater invisibility[/I] spell upon Todd and himself. "As are we," he announced. "Weapons out and ready," commanded Syngaard, hefting his magic morningstar. The sound of the [I]sword of Zehkar[/I] being pulled from its [I]illumium scabbard[/I] could be heard from Galen's direction and Orion pulled out her own blade, which was sheathed in ebon flames. "Okay, we're all ready," Syngaard told Alexandros, and with a word from the Mithral Mage the conscripts were no longer in the [I]Enchanted Flagon[/I] but inside the vault they'd seen through the [I]crystal ball[/I]. <Hey, I just thought of something!> said Orion over the link. <How'd Alexandros [I]teleport[/I] us from the tavern? I thought the city was shielded from anyone [I]teleporting[/I] in or out?> <Oh, please,> came the Mithral Mage's scoffing voice over the mental link. <Such puny magics are beneath me! Now enough chatter: off about your business!> As Carl and Orion faded from view as they went ethereal, it looked to Syngaard as if he and Kaspar stood alone in the chamber to the side of the sleeping dragon and behind the one focused on his coin-stacking, but he knew Galen was there beside him with his blade drawn. <I'm in position,> announced Daleth. <We're directly above the top of the hill.> <Good to know. Keep us posted on the dragons' activities.> <Snoring and stacking, respectively.> Orion, in the meantime, was looking all about her as Carl walked slowly back and forth along the piles of scattered treasure. The dragons had apparently piled up the coins into a loose hoard and were using them as a bed, but intermingled with the gleaming coins were the occasional weapon or necklace. <Ooh, this one's pretty!> Orion marveled, casting her eyes on a necklace of pink pearls. <Leave it for later,> advised Galen. Orion pouted and continued her search. After a bit, she saw what she thought she was looking for: a black eyepatch lying among a few loose coins by the sleeping dragon's side. <What the--?> she gasped over the link. <Is it supposed to have an [I]eyeball[/I] in the middle of the patch?> <Yes, that's the one!> confirmed Alexandros. <The eyeball is partially ethereal; when you wear the eyepatch, the eyeball sits partially inside your eye socket, allowing you to see through it.> <Guh! I'm not wearing that!> <You need not - just fetch it and bring it back to me. I'm sure Skevros will wear it, once you complete your mission and I restore him to life.> Orion steeled up her nerve and brought her hand close to the eyepatch. Since part of the [I]Eye of Prophecy[/I] was ethereal, it seemed the safest way to get it from beneath the sleeping dragon was to pick it up by the back half of the eyeball, which in theory was already ethereal. Gritting her teeth, Orion touched the eyeball with her fingers and picked it up without dislodging any of the nearby coins when the rest of the eyepatch went ethereal. She pocketed it away. <Got it!> she reported back. <If we wish to leave now, I have the [I]ring of return[/I] at hand,> advised Kaspar. <Well, hold on - no sense in us not scooping up some treasure for ourselves while we're here, is there?> asked Syngaard. <Paying mission, remember?> <By all means knock yourselves out. Just don't endanger your ability to bring the [I]Eye of Prophecy[/I] back to me in one piece, or you'll come to regret it - this I can promise.> <Okay, let me at least get a couple of the more valuable pieces I saw,> Orion said, leading Carl back to the pearl necklace she'd spotted earlier. It was out of view of the dragon counting his coin piles, so the halfling had Carl remanifest on the Material Plane, she picked up the necklace, and then they shunted back to the Ethereal Plane. Orion led Carl back to the the others standing motionless beside the sleeping dragon, then remanifested besides Galen, nearly startling a gasp from the surprised paladin. <Give me back my ring,> Orion said. <I can get us some valuable stuff as long as I can appear before the dragon who's awake without him seeing me.> Reluctantly, Galen took off the ring, popping back into full visibility as he did so. Orion returned the ring to her right hand and faded from view. <I saw a valuable-looking greatsword and a heavy mace that looked promising,> she said. Orion discovered that stealing magic items right out from under the noses of red dragons was actually rather exciting. She'd find something worth taking, have Carl manifest (he was visible when on the Material Plane but translucent as a ghost, and the [I]ghost touch saddle[/I] Orion sat upon stayed invisible with her) long enough for her to put her hands upon the desired item, then they shunted back into the Ethereal Plane where she'd transfer the item into her [I]bag of holding[/I]. Then it was move on to the next item, and the next, and the next. She managed to steal a staff carved from a length of azurewood and the greatsword before messing up trying to take a jeweled circlet from the hoard; her hand was unsteady and she knocked over a small pile of coins. The clinking of metal on metal was nearly imperceptible to the halfling's ears, but the smaller of the two dragons raised his head and turned immediately in her direction, staring at the unexpected sight of a ghost dog hovering slightly above the coins of the dragon's shared hoard and a circlet disappearing from view as it was lifted from the pile of coins. <It's seen her!> Daleth called over the link. <Get out of there!> hissed Alexandros. <Bring me my [I]Eye of Prophecy[/I]!> Beside the sleeping dragon, three men sprang into sudden action. Kaspar lunged forward and delivered a frenzied flurry of blows at the sleeping dragon, and while his [I]tenryutsume[/I]'s fiery powers did nothing to increase his damage potential, its electricity and holy energy certainly did their parts. At the same time, Syngaard brought his magic morningstar swinging down in a series of crushing blows, each strike sending the spikes from his weapon head driving deep into the dragon's hide. Galen likewise brought the [I]sword of Zehkar[/I] crashing down upon the dragon's side, his first strike suffused with the holy energy of Hieroneous. The dragon woke with a scream of fury as she found herself in sudden, inexplicable pain. The pain got even worse as Daleth, from his perch along the ceiling of the cavernous vault, sent a [I]cone of cold[/I] spell down upon the dragons. He targeted the cone such that it encompassed the front halves of each dragon without catching any of the other heroes in its area of effect; the men were all at the larger dragon's back half and Orion and Carl were shielded by the creature's thick neck and head. Just to be sure, the halfling urged her ghost-dog into the Ethereal Plane, and Carl didn't actually need much in the way of prompting. The vault was now filled with the sounds of roaring fury; none of the conscripts could say whether or not the roars would bring reinforcements from the Diviners Guild and if so, how long it would be before they showed up. Best to get this fight over with! Daleth cast a [I]chain lighting[/I] spell, making the larger, female dragon his primary target and arcing the spell off to her little brother. Both dragons hissed in pain as the electricity arced over their reptilian bodies. Kaspar was still attacking the female with his hardened fists, his elbows, and roundhouse kicks, while Orion suddenly manifested nearby and threw a couple of electrified daggers from her [I]bag of blades[/I]. (They both missed, but if nothing else they served as distractions for the red dragon so rudely awakened from a deep slumber.) Then a wave of flames erupted over the heroes - all but Daleth and Todd, still invisible and afloat at the top of the chamber - as the smaller dragon (the size of a heavy war horse or bigger) unleashed its breath weapon at the intruders attacking his sister. Carl howled in pain and Orion found herself floating gently to the ground - courtesy of her [I]ring of feather falling[/I] - as her faithful steed was obliterated into nothingness. Syngaard roared in pain as the flames shot across his back and over his shoulders but he kept at his target, swinging his morningstar again and again into the dragon's side, the sharp points of his weapon carving a hole in the great beast's side as if he were chopping at a tree with an axe. Finally, with a final roar of fury, the larger of the two dragons fell over, dead, not having gotten to even attack any of these interlopers in her supposed place of safety. Galen wasted no time; seeing Syngaard fell the greater dragon, the paladin turned and charged straight at the lesser one. A [I]lightning bolt[/I] spell, courtesy of Daleth, dropped onto the dragon's head as the beast concentrated on the approaching paladin. The dragon proved his resiliency by shooting forth another gout of flames, catching both Galen and Syngaard; Orion and Kaspar used their respective types of training to evade the fiery explosion. The elven monk then used his increased speed to run up beside the dragon - taking a hit from a claw as he did so - and striking him with his most powerful blow, fueled by his [I]tenryutsume[/I]. Orion ran the other way to flank the dragon with the monk but the dragon's tail lashed out at her, causing her to stumble and fail at her own sword-strike. But while it was busy concentrating on the other heroes, Syngaard came running up to the dragon and brought his morningstar crushing down upon the beast's head. The scarred fighter actually heard the dragon's skull split from the power of his blow, and the fire-breathing menace crashed to the ground, causing a small explosion of coins to spill out from beneath him in all directions. "YEAH!" exulted Syngaard, pumped up with adrenaline and psyched by getting to drive home the killing blow on each of the two dragons. "I LIKE fighting reptiles!" he called out to the universe at large, realizing the last time he'd had a combat go this well for him was when the group had been fighting kobolds in the Sanguine Swamp at the southern end of Durnhill's borders. <I'll stay on guard for reinforcements!> Daleth called over the link, although any need to remain quiet was likely moot after Syngaard's whooping and the roar of the dragons in combat. <You guys start scooping up the loot!> That seemed like an eminently practical idea, given that each of the four heroes on the ground had a [I]bag of holding[/I] and Daleth did not. Into the magical bags went coins, bars of gold, gems, jewelry, and the occasional potion or weapon. "I got a glowing mace!" called out Syngaard. "Just grab it up - we'll figure out what everything does and what we're keeping and what we're selling when we get back!" answered Galen. <Let's get on with it!> advised Alexandros. <I'm getting impatient!> That spurred the conscripts on to greater speeds, until finally every gem, every bauble, and every last copper coin had been stashed away. Kaspar pulled out the [I]ring of return[/I] and everyone took hold of it; the elf said the word and in an instant they were outside the gates of the city. "Weird," commented Kaspar. He'd expected them to reappear in the [I]Enchanted Flagon[/I], where they'd left, but apparently the Mithral Mage had no way to overpower the anti-teleportation effects in place around the city when it came to a magic device not of his own manufacture. But the guards let them in without question and they all high-tailed it back to the tavern, only to find Skevros sitting in his chair, brooding. "Are you all right?" asked Orion, leaping up onto her chair beside him. On the floor, Dow's astral golem lay unmoving. "I'm fine," replied Skevros. "The last thing I remember is Alexandros touching me with a spell-charged hand. When I awoke, Dow was scrambling frantically out of my pocket and running for the door. She seems to have closed her mind off from mine again for some reason and my attempts to find her have failed. There was also this," he said, passing a sheet of parchment across the table to her. Orion read a quick note from Alexandros, stating that he'd borrowed Skevros's troops for a quick job but would have them back soon. Galen reported all that had happened that day to Skevros, while Syngaard had Karen pass around tankards of ale. Once he'd been apprised of the situation, Skevros agreed that he'd be the one to wear the [I]Eye of Prophecy[/I] to read the cryptic book in his possession. "But that will have to wait until tomorrow," he amended. "I need to find Dow...." - - - This adventure provided us with massive amounts of loot. Logan rolled it all on the treasure tables; the only change he made was to decide the [I]staff of healing[/I] was made of azurewood, since that's a local type of wood in this campaign. (Galen kept it; he's the only one in our group who can use it.) Syngaard was half-tempted to keep the [I]+3 heavy mace[/I], but since all of his fighter feats are geared toward morningstars and scimitars, he eventually opted to sell it. Galen argued to keep the [I]+3 frost elemental bane greatsword[/I] as a backup weapon, so now we're hoping we get to meet up with more of those fiendish fire elementals again some day. As for all the other valuables, they totaled over 50,000 gp, so all in all we're pretty happy with this adventure, even if we ended up working for the Mithral Mage and not getting to lay a finger on him. Logan used the [I]Arcane Dungeons[/I] battle mat from Paizo's "Flip-Mat" series for the red dragons' lair. The red dragons were a Huge plastic figure I bought at a local Michael's hobby shop and a Large dragon mini Logan bought and painted in shades of red. The "shadow" manifestations were Darkness Elemental tokens I had made for our earlier "Adventures of Baabby and Sam" Skylanders campaign - we're still not sure what that business was all about, nor what the deal is with the bruises that won't heal. (Future plot hooks, Logan assures us.) [/QUOTE]
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