JollyDoc's Shackled City
Mortepierre
First Post
gfunk said:
That's not entirely true, is it? If I remember correctly, you yourself mentioned at the time that Jollydoc (via the Tyrian priestess) had offered you a chance to get back Pez. No?
Well let me ammend my last statment a bit then. I prefer to play the same character if the corpse is still available for raising within 24 hrs or so. I don't want to wait for half the adventure while every one levels up (leaving me with nothing to do besides) until they can raise me.
Actually, JD wanted me to keep Pez and I indicated interest in keeping him. But the 24 hr raise was just not possible.
Actually, JD wanted me to keep Pez and I indicated interest in keeping him. But the 24 hr raise was just not possible.
Mortepierre
First Post
gfunk said:
Quite understandable. It's rarely fun to sit in silence while the others struggle to finish the adventure.
Still, despite Caine's coolness factor, I regret Pez's .. er .. unique way to handle most situations
Okay, Sunday night preview. We are almost through the Black Egg module and we have a new PC entering play (for a total of 7). We had not one, not two, but THREE fatalities! Pluse we had one PC go to -9 hp before his life was saved.
Keep in mind that this module is supposed to "buff" us up a few levels.:\
And for those of you who think JollyDoc is a total rat bastard DM, he spared the life of the new PC! Taking damage from two elemental effects, the PC would have died with the damage that JollyDoc rolled, but our DM was benificent and instead let him take average damage, leaving him with 1 hp.
Unfortunately, he was slain by something else several rounds later.
This PC was with our party for about oh, 90 seconds before he was toast! Man the half-life of new PCs is not very good . . .
Keep in mind that this module is supposed to "buff" us up a few levels.:\
And for those of you who think JollyDoc is a total rat bastard DM, he spared the life of the new PC! Taking damage from two elemental effects, the PC would have died with the damage that JollyDoc rolled, but our DM was benificent and instead let him take average damage, leaving him with 1 hp.
Unfortunately, he was slain by something else several rounds later.
This PC was with our party for about oh, 90 seconds before he was toast! Man the half-life of new PCs is not very good . . .
JollyDoc
Explorer
GIANTS AND TIGERS AND LICHES, OH MY!
“We haven’t got much time,” Caine said as he watched the approaching dragon draw nearer. “Prepare yourselves as best you can.” For his part, the sorcerer began imbuing himself, Tilly, Wathros and Grimm with the power of flight, the better to meet the dragon’s attack head on. “It’s a black,” Kaurophon’s voice said, for he had once again rendered himself invisible. “They breath acid.” Hearing this, Wathros immediately wove magical protections from caustics about himself and Grimm. “Here he comes!” Rusty shouted, just as the druid completed his last spell. The dragon was now barely a hundred feet from them, and some sixty feet above. Rusty instantly let fly with a flamestrike spell, causing holy fire to erupt from the clouds above the monster, singeing its ebony scales and wings. Bellowing its rage, the dragon opened its maw, and spat forth a sizzling stream of bile. The spray caught Grimm full force, but merely rolled off the ogre’s hide like water. “Spell me,” the big warrior barked at Caine. Knowing the half-ogre’s intent, Caine quickly covered him with an advanced spell of invisibility, one that would allow the fighter to attack, and yet still remain unseen. With that, Grimm leaped into the sky, taking the fight to the big lizard. Despite his bravado, the planar champion found that he actually had a bad case of the jitters. Being so close to a bonafide dragon unnerved him.
Rusty wanted one more shot at the critter before Grimm got his licks in. Focusing his magic once more, he sent a searing beam of light into the sky. Unfortunately, the spell simply bounced off the dragon. Apparently it had some resistance to magic, though not complete.
Grimm charged straight in, swinging his chain around his head, and bellowing a terrifying war cry. However, as he struck, his weapon seemed to bounce off of some invisible wall or force in front of the dragon. It seemed to have magic of its own. Dragons, by nature, have very keen senses, and Vorkaire, as this wyrm was called, was no exception. He had been hunting these plains for years, and quite successfully. He had grown tired of the stringy, fiendish buffalo that he’d been forced to subsist on, and he welcomed the fresh meat he had spied from on high. However, it seemed this prey would not be taken so easily. No matter, he sensed his unseen attacker’s presence, and its concealment would not avail it. Shrieking, Vorkaire back-winged suddenly, extending all four claws and pounced cat-like upon the spot where he knew his victim to be…and yet somehow was not. The dragon’s assault missed the mark completely, and as he wheeled about for another pass, he saw something that confused him. A large, horned beast was flying thru the air towards him, yet it had no wings. It vaguely resembled one of the buffalo, but as far as he knew, they couldn’t fly. No matter. He was willing to bet it would fall readily enough once he flayed its flesh from its bones. As the animal closed in, Vorkair’s neck snaked out, and he sank its teeth deep into its hide. He licked his lips in satisfaction. Strangely enough, it tasted a bit like…elf.
Back on the ground, Caine continued to buff his companions. He gave Kiko the power of flight, and then rendered Tilly invisible, urging them both into the air to join the fray. Kaurophon did his part as well, though from a safe distance. Though the dragon had some innate spell resistance, the sorcerer still managed to deal it some damage with a few well-placed fireballs.
As Wathros’ charge carried him past the dragon, the beast tried to land on his back and bear him to the ground, but the rhino was not as slow and clumsy as he looked. Whipping his head about, he managed to gore the dragon’s foreleg, knocking it away from him. The monster began to wingover to regain its momentum, but just then Wathros heard a whip-crack from behind him, and then a large rent appeared in the dragon’s underbelly, the telltale wound inflicted by Grimm’s chain. Wathros quickly began a spell, calling upon his newly gained holy powers to summon up several star-shaped balls of energy. These he hurled at the creature, each one impacting solidly and opening even more wounds.
Vorkaire was being harried from all sides. This fight was not going as planned at all. He had to bring at least one of them down to even the playing field. The biggest one was now visible to him, but too far away. Closer at hand was a human, charging at him with no weapon! What a fool! Vorkaire slapped out with his tail, batting the puny man away, then he charged in full fury at the ogre. He struck the creature full on, and wrapped all four of his claws around it. Ha! It was all over, he thought with satisfaction, but then he found his prey had slipped thru his grip like an oiled pig. What trickery was this?
Grimm thanked all the powers of good, and Wathros that he was protected by the Freedom of Movement charm. It allowed him to slip free of the dragon’s potentially fatal grapple. As the dragon tried to recover, Wathros continued to pelt it with his holy stars, and then when they were exhausted, he charged once more. Once again, the dragon struck first, tearing even more deeply into the rhino’s hide. Grimm used the opportunity to strike repeatedly at the monster, but none of his blows could penetrate whatever defensive magics the creature possessed.
From the ground, Rusty reached the same conclusion. With quick thinking, he conjured a dispelling field around the dragon, dismissing its spells in the blink of an eye. Grimm’s next blows struck true and deep.
Vorkaire felt himself weakening. He had suffered many wounds and was losing blood fast. He spat one more stream of acid at his opponents, but to no avail. Seeking now only to escape, he folded his wings and began to drop towards the ground, but as he did so, he was struck twice, once across his spine by the great chain, and once in his throat by the human he thought to be unarmed. His neck and back snapped simultaneously, and he fell with a crash to the oozing plain below.
_________________________________________________________
As the ground continued to slope upward toward the base of the Skull, the light from the lantern Tilly bore shone directly upon a perfectly round ulcer pool. A shadow at the bottom of the pool may have been a trick of the light, but it seemed to be a passageway under the caustic fluid. However, what immediately caught the halfling’s eye was what looked like a raven-winged angelic human lying on the ground next to the pool. It struggled weakly against several iron spears that pinned its wing to the earth, then lay still.
As the rest of the group gathered round, Kaurophon let out a gasp. “That’s Saureya!” he cried. “I met this pitiful creature many years ago. He told me then that he knew many secrets about the Test of the Smoking Eye!”
“Who is this being?” Caine asked, eyeing the angel suspiciously.
“He was one of the celestials who fought against Adimarchus,” Kaurophon replied, “but I believe he was taken captive, and forced to remain here.”
“Is he evil?” asked Caine.
“I do not believe so,” said Kaurophon, “though I do not believe he is wholly good either. In any case, we must help him. He may have information we can use.”
Caine motioned to Rusty and the priest moved to the side of the fallen angel, chanting lowly as he passed his hands over the creature’s grievous wounds. Soft blue light flowed, and slowly Saureya began to revive. Groaning, he attempted to sit up, but found his wings still pinned. Growling in frustration, he ripped the spears from his flesh, and then stood shakily. He closed his eyes, and then a golden light surrounded him. Instantly, all of his injuries closed over, leaving not even the faintest scar. However, from head to toe, he was covered in rough, black spiral tattoos.
“Thank you,” he sighed, opening his eyes and gazing at his benefactors. “Ah, Kaurophon,” he said as he noticed the sorcerer. “You’ve returned. I would have thought you’d learned your lesson last time. But some fools never learn. Nevertheless, I’ll take my leave now. Thank you again.” Without another word, the angel turned and began striding across the plain.
“Wait!” Caine called after the retreating figure, who stopped momentarily and turned a questioning look on the old man. “Can you help us? After all, we just saved your life. Kaurophon tells us that you know something about the Test of the Smoking Eye.”
“Know something about it?” Saureya asked, laughing out loud, “I helped Adimarchus create it. Is that good enough for you? He confided in me throughout its construction. After all, I was exactly the kind of successor he wanted. However, I was able to introduce a flaw in the test because Adimarchus wasn’t always thinking clearly. Ruling a layer of the Abyss will do that to you.”
“A flaw?” Caine asked.
“Well,” Saureya continued, now walking back in their direction, “you don’t need to complete all three parts of the test…just the last one. The first two parts simply point you in the direction of the final part, which is the one that really matters. The proctors, those mummies Adimarchus created, can’t tell who’s passed previous parts of the test and who hasn’t. I suspect that’s what the rakshasha is doing. The flaw is a little subterfuge on my part, from back when I dreamed of rescue. I imagined a powerful angel would come and rescue me, and together we would come here and perform the third part of the test before Adimarchus knew what was going on. Then all of Occipitus would be born anew, lifted right out of the Abyss and reconnected to its rightful place in Celestia.” He chuckled to himself. “More the fool I. I’m no longer so naïve.”
“You mentioned a rakshasha,” Caine prompted.
“Yes,” the deva said, unconsciously massaging his wings, “it was he and his giant bodyguard who left me as you found me. They tried to torture information about the third test from me, but they failed. I have endured far worse, from one more cruel and cunning. Nevertheless, that pair have moved on towards the final test. I’d catch up to them if I were you, unless you want to grow whiskers when they recreate Occipitus in their image.”
“Can you tell us anything about the final test?” Kaurophon interrupted eagerly.
“No,” he answered tersely. “That’s your problem. Knowing in advance won’t help you prepare in any meaningful way. You could succeed. You could fail. You could turn your back on the whole idea, as I have. I’m not going to meddle in your fate. My own fate is trouble enough.”
“Won’t you come with us?” Caine asked sympathetically. “Help us, and we shall help you return to your home.”
“Home?” Saureya barked. “What home? There is no place in Heaven for me any longer. Nay, I need nothing from Celestia, and they shall have nothing from me. Go your way, and leave me to mine.”
The deva turned once more, spread his wings, and launched himself into the roiling skies above the ulcerating planes.
Caine hung his head in sorrow. One lone tear fell from his eye to the blasted ground at his feet.
_____________________________________________________
After a brief, unpleasant swim through the ulceric fluid, the group found fresh air and a tube-like tunnel. The rounded passage featured a smoother, firmer “skin” than Occipitus’ surface. It descended steeply for some twenty feet or so, and then leveled out before quickly changing course, rising and spiraling in a series of clockwise twists and turns.
They had steadily ascended for what seemed like several hundred feet, and felt they must surely be within the mountain proper by now, when Grimm raised one huge hand, bringing the company to an abrupt stop. Motioning for silence, he listened intently for a moment…and then he heard it again. Definitely voices. At least two as far as he could tell, and if he was not mistaken, they were speaking Infernal.
_________________________________________________________
“Blast!” Motruk bellowed, throwing the pungent haunch of meat to the floor. “I’m tired of the same meat day after day! These abyss-spawned buffalo are stringy and rank! Bah!” Zaur Sza sighed. The rakshasa had heard this same melodramatic rant from his fire giant companion at least a dozen times already. “As I’ve already told you,” the tiger-headed creature purred in his most calming voice, “once we complete the final test and control this plane, we can mold it into whatever we like. Then you may fill that bottomless pit in your belly with anything you can imagine. You can even…shhh!” The rakshasa’s head suddenly cocked to one side, and his ears pricked up. “Did you hear that?” he asked in a lowered voice. “I ain’t heard nothin’ but my stomach growling,” Motruk rumbled. “I think we may have company, my friend.” Zaur Sza said slyly. “The angel warned us that more might be coming. Perhaps your hunger will be satiated sooner than anticipated.”
________________________________________________________
Wathros, still in rhino form, had taken the lead. Once Grimm had heard the voices cease, the company knew they had been detected, so there was nothing for it now but to advance and face the threat. The druid had taken the time to prepare his Call Lightning invocation, and all that now remained was to begin hurling the devastating bolts at whatever target presented itself. As he rounded a final bend, he saw with dismay that the target had been expecting him. A massive giant with coal black skin and a flaming red beard stood just on the other side of the turn. With an ear-shattering battle cry, the giant raised a greatsword above its head and charged. For a split-second Wathros thought he was back in Vaprak’s Voice, facing the fire giant smith who had nearly killed him with a thrown anvil. He tried to clear his mind and focus his thoughts on blasting his current assailant, but he was a split-second too late, and the giant’s blade smashed down upon him. Though in agony, he still managed to call forth a strike, and a searing bolt of electricity struck the giant, causing its beard to stand on end.
At that moment, much to Wathros’ relief, Grimm barreled around the corner, adding his own battle cry to the giant’s howl. The half-ogre’s chain slammed past the giant’s defense, slicing deeply into his black hide. Before Grimm had a chance to follow up on his attack, a whirling wall of scything blades suddenly appeared before him, catching the giant in their midst. “That’ll teach ye some respect,” Rusty chuckled, walking casually up behind Grimm and Wathros and nodding at his handiwork.
Though badly wounded, Motruk was far from defeated. Pushing himself out of the blades so that the wall now separated him from his opponents, he gripped his sword in both hands, summoning all his strength. Then, raising it high above his head, he drove it thru the blade barrier, deep between the shoulder blades of the rhinoceros. That one alone would make a fine meal, he thought. To his immense satisfaction, the beast collapsed in the middle of the tunnel.
Grimm stared in disbelief at the devastating effect just one of the giant’s blows had achieved. He was in for a fight with this one, for sure. He began whirling his chain about his head, and snapped it forward once, then twice, both strikes finding their target behind the blade wall. Two could play at that game.
Truhl stood much farther down the corridor. He could hear the fighting from up ahead, but his new friend Caine has instructed him to remain here, out of harm’s way. Truhl still wasn’t sure why he remained with this lot, instead of trying to find Velasia, but for some reason he trusted Caine. What the sorcerer said made sense. Truhl was seriously considering rethinking his priorities and some of the life choices he had made.
Just then, he heard a low rumbling sound coming from behind him. Whirling around, his daggers already in his hand, he was stunned to find no approaching enemy. Rather, the entire floor seemed to rippling towards him, like a wave cresting. He turned to shout back up the tunnel, “Caine! There is danger! Flee!”
Caine saw what was going to happen in the clarity of a split-second, yet he was powerless to prevent it. Rusty was kneeling beside Wathros, administering healing magic to revive the druid, and even now the rhino was opening his eyes, blinking in confusion. Just at that moment, the rolling wave of the floor passed beneath Caine, pushing him further up the corridor several yards. “Rusty!” he screamed, “Lower the barrier! Now!” Rusty glanced back at the sorcerer in irritation. “What are ye on about man? Can’t ye see we’ve got wounded here?” By then it was a moot point. The peristaltic wave struck the front line. Rusty, having a low center of gravity, was able to resist the surge, and was not budged. Likewise Grimm, due to his large size, was able to keep his feet. Wathros, despite his current bulk as a rhino, was not so fortunate. Though awake, he was still lying on the ground, and so could not brace himself against the impact. He was lifted by the wave and flung forward…straight through the blade barrier! What arrived on the far side of the barrier was no longer alive, and no longer in one piece.
Tilly, who was behind Wathros, Grimm and Rusty when the wave struck, had a moment of horror as he witnessed the druid’s fate, and then he too was thrown forward. He put his arms up in a futile attempt to protect himself, and then he felt his flesh being sliced again, and again. The agony, though only lasting an instant, seemed to go on for an eternity. Then, abruptly, he was on the floor on the far side of the barrier…lying at the feet of the giant. He was still alive, but he wondered for how much longer.
Motruk roared in laughter at what had just transpired. The tide had literally turned. He had been unmoved by the wave, and Zaur Sza had merely been pushed back a few feet. Their opponents, however, were in total disarray. The fire giant seized the opportunity, and once again struck with his sword through the barrier. This time Kiko was the target. The monk had been carried close to the blade barrier by the wave, but not thru it. Nevertheless, he was in prime striking distance of the giant, and as he struggled to regain his balance, he was hit three times in succession. Everything went black as he crumpled to the floor.
Kaurophon, lurking invisibly further down the tunnel, knew that he had to act before his traveling companions were slaughtered to a man. He couldn’t have that. He still needed them. Running up the tunnel, he came within sight of the battle and the devastation. Drawing his wand from his robes, he sent five glowing missiles straight at the giant, causing the behemoth to rock back several steps. “Lower the barrier!” the sorcerer cried as he heard another peristaltic wave forming somewhere in the distance.
Rusty didn’t hesitate this time. He was guilt wracked over the disaster his blade barrier had caused, but how could he have known? He gestured, and in an instant the blades vanished. Grimm didn’t hesitate either. He stepped towards the still reeling giant and proceeded to flay the hide from the monster. Motruk’s eyes were still opened in shock and surprise as his immense bulk hit the ground.
Throughout the battle, Zaur Sza had been busy layering himself with preparatory defensive magic. He had been confident that Motruk could deal with these interlopers, or at least delay them. And so the giant had, but now he was down, and the rhakshasa was on his own. Still, he knew these cretins had little chance of harming him. His unique nature made him immune to most magics, and resistant to most forms of physical damage. Let them come. He would deal with them one by one.
Caine was the first to reach the tiger-headed creature. His aura of calm washed over the rakshasa, and the apostle began to speak. “You are outnumbered, and at a clear disadvantage. We offer to spare your life if you surrender now and leave this place. We have no further quarrel with you.”
Zaur Sza smiled a toothy grin. “So, I should just leave dominion of Occipitus to you, human?” he laughed. “I think not. When you call me Lord, and bow before me, I may forget your temerity and spare your own life. We shall see.” Then, with a gesture, he vanished from sight, rendering himself invisible. Before Caine could react, a second wave struck, knocking the sorcerer from his feet.
By this time, Grimm had closed in. “You had your chance,” he snarled at Caine as he stepped over the fallen apostle, “Now I’ll take over negotiations.” Zaur Sza sneered, unseen, chuckling to himself at the false bravado of the ogre…until Grimm’s chain wrapped itself around the rakshasa’s legs and pulled him from his feet. In a panic now, Zaur Sza desperately called upon his magic. He tried to let his voice be soothing, calm, suggesting to the ogre that it was too dangerous here for him and his companions. They should leave and find safer prospects. He saw the utter failure of his ploy in the beast’s eyes as the massive flail struck again, and then he knew no more.
_____________________________________________________
Rusty set about tending the wounds of Tilly and Kiko, who was not dead, but badly injured. Wathros was beyond his help at this point, and the druid’s remains had to be placed inside Kaurophon’s extra dimensional bag for safekeeping. “I know we are all distraught over this,” Kaurophon said as the company went about the recovery effort, “but we must not let this deter us. The end of our journey is nigh. We must move on!”
Caine eyed the sorcerer askance. Something about his demeanor seemed odd to the apostle. Why was he so desperate to complete the Test? Hadn’t it been around for decades now without being won? What difference would a few more minutes or days matter? But he kept his opinions to himself…for the moment. This drama would play itself out in whatever manner the Fates saw fit, and Caine would play his part, as would they all.
_____________________________________________________
The tube’s upward spiral ended in a round chamber with a doorway on the far side leading to a spiral staircase. Furniture in the room was limited to a massive iron throne festooned with spikes. Most of the back of the throne was missing, although the framework remained. Before the throne lay a pile of wood and debris, along with ceramic shards, as if someone had smashed dozens of clay pots. A rhythmic pounding sounded repeatedly from behind the throne, but came to an abrupt halt as the party stepped into the chamber. A large, humanoid creature, resembling a child’s attempt to sculpt a man out of clay, stepped around the giant seat. It gazed for a moment at the intruders with blank, stupid eyes…and then wordlessly, it charged.
Caine recognized the beast as a construct, an animate collection of inert material given a grotesque semblance of life. The apostle had no compunctions at all about ending the existence of such an abomination. Jules, sensing his master’s displeasure, erupted from beneath Caine’s robes, pulsing in anger, and unleashing a barrage of electrical jolts at the golem. The behemoth slowed for a moment, but then came inexorably on. Grimm, readying his chain, stepped to meet the charge. Before the construct could close within striking distance, Grimm snaked the chain forward, wrapping it around the golem’s legs, and then jerked it cleanly off its stumpy feet. Quickly freeing the chain, the half-ogre proceeded to flail at the golem, knocking loose great chunks of clay, which shattered against the floor and walls, adding to the shards already present.
Not wanting to miss out on the fun, Rusty joined Grimm in the fray, but for his overzealousness, he received a mighty clout from the beast, flat on its back though it was. “Why ye blasted overgrown flower pot!” the dwarf raged, and then he cleaved through the golem’s misshapen head with his axe, shattering it into a thousand pieces.
After the battle had ended, Kaurophon moved to examine the remains. “This was obviously set here as a guardian,” he mused, “but it appears there was another one at one time.” He indicated the other clay shards. “Apparently, this one went berserk and destroyed the other. That would only happen if its master had abandoned it. This bodes well for us. The final Test may be unguarded.”
______________________________________________________
Myaruk turned abruptly from his contemplation of the Nexus as he heard the sounds of battle from below. He had hoped not to be disturbed in his research. The Chosen of Kiaransalee had been very explicit in her instructions. He was to learn all that he could about the source of the Nexus’ power. The Chosen felt that it might be harnessed to fuel the Portal she wished to establish between this world and the Far Realms. Now it seemed someone else was interested in his find. Not for long. The golem would only delay them, but it would be enough. Grinning evilly, he stepped into the Nexus and began chanting.
_____________________________________________________
The spiral staircase led to what appeared to be a naturally hewn cavern. A bonfire of utter blackness dominated the center of the chamber. It crackled as if it was normal flame, but it was a slick, glossy black rather than the orange-red of a true fire. Surrounding the flames was a pale yellow corona that casts light about the room. A sheaf of papers lay scattered near the base of the bonfire. More than a dozen passages originated in the cave, with at least some of them seeming to double back on themselves.
As soon as Grimm reached the top of the stairs, he could hear the fell voice chanting from somewhere within the room. “We are not alone,” he growled to his companions. Tilly peered out from behind the hulking warriors leg, and immediately his sharp eyes picked out faint movements coming from within the black flames. “There!” he cried, pointing to the bonfire, but before any of them could act, the chanting stopped, and from out of thin air appeared a gigantic snake!
Kiko was a blur of motion. Leaping past Grimm, he slammed his fist into the side of the snake’s head. The constrictor reeled back from the blow, momentarily disoriented. Tilly saw his chance, and rushed around behind the animal to plunge his longsword deep into its sinuous body. As the giant ophidian thrashed about in agony, Grimm’s chain snapped its neck. In a puff of sulfuric smoke, the snake vanished.
“We’re facing a conjurer,” Kaurophon said to Caine near the head of the stair. No sooner had the words left his mouth, than a second creature appeared in the chamber. This one looked like a giant bird, with four wickedly clawed legs. “An achaierai!” Kaurophon cried. “Ware it! Its stench can cause madness!” As if on cue, a noxious black cloud emanated from the monster, and then a second, oily blackness coalesced around Tilly, Kiko and Grimm. This second attack had appeared after more chanting from within the bonfire. Rusty recognized the effect as a divine magical attack…an unholy blight.
The three advance guard stumbled from the cloying mists, coughing and retching, their faces pale. Kiko recovered first, and launched himself bodily at the giant avian, pounding at it with his fists. Rusty was not far behind, and he sent an answering Holy Smite to engulf the achaierai and the bonfire as well. He was rewarded by a pained cry of outrage from within the flames. Tilly wasted no time. While the achaierai was still reeling from the combined attack of his friends, the little rogue finished it off with a well-placed thrust of his longsword. However, the halfling had stepped a bit too close to the black fire in his effort to gain a flanking position on the monster. He did not see the skeletal hand that snaked out from the flames. He only felt the cold hand of death seize him by the throat. His body went rigid for a moment, and the suddenly limp. He slumped to the stone floor, and the hand withdrew, an evil chuckle filling the air.
Grimm couldn’t believe it. One minute Tilly had been fighting beside him, and the next he was dead. The half-ogre leaped back from the bonfire before the same fate befell him. Though he couldn’t see his opponent clearly, he sensed a presence within the flames, and he began flailing his chain repeatedly into the fire. He was rewarded by a solid thunk as his weapon connected at least once, but almost immediately, he sensed a presence behind him. “Watch out!” Kiko cried in warning. Turning, Grimm saw that another monster had materialized in the room. This one appeared to be a cross between a spider and a kobold. It lashed out at Grimm, trying to tear at him with its multiple clawed appendages. Grimm dodged back several paces, and as the xill turned to follow, Kiko leaped on its back, bringing both hands down in knife-hand chops on either side of the beast’s neck. Before it could react, the monk had jumped away again, but Rusty stepped up to meet the xill’s attack, and he buried his axe in its gut. Simultaneously, Grimm’s chain banished it back to whatever foul plane it called home.
“This is going nowhere fast,” Kaurophon hissed to Caine. “The mage, whoever he is, keeps summoning as fast as they can take the monsters down. Tilly’s already fallen. It’s only a matter of time before they go down as well. We’ve got to do something.” The sorcerer withdrew his wand from his sleeve, and launched a volley of streaking magical missiles into the fire. A shriek of pain and anger told him he was right on target. As he prepared to fire a second barrage, Caine quickly darted across the chamber towards the bonfire. As he neared it, he focused and concentrated on the forces of good. Instantly, a golden light flowed from his body like a corona. It flared bright white against the black flames, and from within those fires he heard the wizard cry out. Those of pure evil would burn in the presence of his holy aura!
Seeing an opening, Kiko tumbled towards the nexus, intending to strike within the fire and hopefully dislodge their opponent from its concealment. As his hand passed thru the flame, it went completely numb with a bone-chilling cold. Crying out, the monk snatched his arm back, and cradled it against his chest. He felt the chill traveling thru his entire body, sapping his very life force from him.
Grimm prepared to strike at the fire again, hoping he would get lucky a second time, but once more an opponent appeared before him. It was a second achaierai, and it immediately released its toxic cloud over the ogre as well as Rusty. Caine stepped back from the expanding vapors, only to feel a bony hand fall upon his shoulder. His throat opened in agony. Slowly turning, he came face to face with the master of the nexus. It was a liche! The skeletally gaunt figure was clad in archaic armor, and around its neck hung a symbol engraved with the image of an albino drow female. With a tremendous effort of will, Caine wrenched himself free, staggering a pace or two away. He felt dizzy and nauseated, barely able to stand. With the last of his strength, he rendered himself invisible, and then turned to flee. The last thing his felt was the hammer like blow of the liche’s fist to the back of his skull. “May the White Banshee feast on your soul!” Myaruk laughed.
Rusty shook off the effects of the achaierai’s fumes once again. They were wasting time with this cannon fodder. Rather than fight toe to toe with the beast, the priest had a better idea. Calling upon Mystra’s grace, he summoned a dispelling, ending the magical effect which allowed the monster to remain on this plane. It faded away as quickly as it had come. The respite didn’t last, however. Again the sounds of a summoning incantation came from within the bonfire. This time, the resulting creature was at least familiar to the dwarf. It was a howler. Kazmojen had a pet one named Prickles, as the priest recalled, when they had met him in the bowels of the Malachite Fortress. Whereas Prickles had been little more than a pup, this horror was full-grown. It immediately charged towards Kaurophon, ripping and tearing at the sorcerer and trying to bury its spear-like quills in his flesh.
“Monk, shake it off if ye want to live!” Rusty cried, slapping the still cowering Kiko, and pointing towards the howler. “If the sorcerer dies, we don’t stand a chance! Come on, blast ye!” Kiko stared uncomprehendingly for a moment, but then the dwarf’s words began to sink in. Yes, he still had a duty, regardless of his own injuries. He would see it through or die trying. Together the priest and the monk charged, screaming at the howler. They began raining blows down upon its prickly hide, quickly putting an end to its brief sojourn to Occipitus.
Jules could feel that his master yet lived. Since he himself still survived, their bond had not been broken. The archon was wary of the evil that lurked within the black flames, but his master’s safety was paramount. Flicking between dimensions, Jules appeared next to the spot where Caine had fallen. He felt the apostle beneath him, and he began to infuse a bit of his own power into his friend. Caine came awake slowly, but one glance at the glossy fire before him snapped him back to the present. He was still far too weak to stand and fight, but perhaps he could still aid his companions. He focused his magic, and cast one final spell of hastening to speed his friend’s attacks, and then he surged to his feet, and retreated to the far side of the cavern to await his fate.
Not like this, Kaurophon thought ruefully to himself. It was not going to end like this. He had strung these fools along for far too long now to see them slaughtered before he had accomplished his goal. Once more, he would have to save their miserable skins. Perhaps he had chosen the wrong group to help him. Ah well, as the old saying went, beggars could not afford to choose. They would have to do. Concentrating on the shadowy form within the flames, he began sending blast after blast of his missiles at the liche. One such barrage even managed to interrupt the creature’s summoning. Finally, the oafish half-ogre was moving in for the kill. Even a mindless brute could be trained, he thought smugly. It was Caine he was going to have to keep his eye on. That one he should never underestimate.
It seemed the tide was turning, Grimm mused, and in their favor for once. As the liche reeled from Kaurophon’s onslaught, Grimm was able to close in. With Caine’s magic bolstering him, the half-ogre whirled like a dervish, hammering at the fire, feeling his weapon connect repeatedly. But still, the undead horror would not fall. Just as he was bracing himself to charge into the fire and bring the demon out, an explosive shock wave, that just for a moment seemed to be shaped like a ghostly hammer, detonated at the center of the flames. With a sigh, the liche toppled to the floor, and then quickly crumbled to dust within his armor. “That takes care o’ that,” Rusty smirked, dusting off his hands.
“We haven’t got much time,” Caine said as he watched the approaching dragon draw nearer. “Prepare yourselves as best you can.” For his part, the sorcerer began imbuing himself, Tilly, Wathros and Grimm with the power of flight, the better to meet the dragon’s attack head on. “It’s a black,” Kaurophon’s voice said, for he had once again rendered himself invisible. “They breath acid.” Hearing this, Wathros immediately wove magical protections from caustics about himself and Grimm. “Here he comes!” Rusty shouted, just as the druid completed his last spell. The dragon was now barely a hundred feet from them, and some sixty feet above. Rusty instantly let fly with a flamestrike spell, causing holy fire to erupt from the clouds above the monster, singeing its ebony scales and wings. Bellowing its rage, the dragon opened its maw, and spat forth a sizzling stream of bile. The spray caught Grimm full force, but merely rolled off the ogre’s hide like water. “Spell me,” the big warrior barked at Caine. Knowing the half-ogre’s intent, Caine quickly covered him with an advanced spell of invisibility, one that would allow the fighter to attack, and yet still remain unseen. With that, Grimm leaped into the sky, taking the fight to the big lizard. Despite his bravado, the planar champion found that he actually had a bad case of the jitters. Being so close to a bonafide dragon unnerved him.
Rusty wanted one more shot at the critter before Grimm got his licks in. Focusing his magic once more, he sent a searing beam of light into the sky. Unfortunately, the spell simply bounced off the dragon. Apparently it had some resistance to magic, though not complete.
Grimm charged straight in, swinging his chain around his head, and bellowing a terrifying war cry. However, as he struck, his weapon seemed to bounce off of some invisible wall or force in front of the dragon. It seemed to have magic of its own. Dragons, by nature, have very keen senses, and Vorkaire, as this wyrm was called, was no exception. He had been hunting these plains for years, and quite successfully. He had grown tired of the stringy, fiendish buffalo that he’d been forced to subsist on, and he welcomed the fresh meat he had spied from on high. However, it seemed this prey would not be taken so easily. No matter, he sensed his unseen attacker’s presence, and its concealment would not avail it. Shrieking, Vorkaire back-winged suddenly, extending all four claws and pounced cat-like upon the spot where he knew his victim to be…and yet somehow was not. The dragon’s assault missed the mark completely, and as he wheeled about for another pass, he saw something that confused him. A large, horned beast was flying thru the air towards him, yet it had no wings. It vaguely resembled one of the buffalo, but as far as he knew, they couldn’t fly. No matter. He was willing to bet it would fall readily enough once he flayed its flesh from its bones. As the animal closed in, Vorkair’s neck snaked out, and he sank its teeth deep into its hide. He licked his lips in satisfaction. Strangely enough, it tasted a bit like…elf.
Back on the ground, Caine continued to buff his companions. He gave Kiko the power of flight, and then rendered Tilly invisible, urging them both into the air to join the fray. Kaurophon did his part as well, though from a safe distance. Though the dragon had some innate spell resistance, the sorcerer still managed to deal it some damage with a few well-placed fireballs.
As Wathros’ charge carried him past the dragon, the beast tried to land on his back and bear him to the ground, but the rhino was not as slow and clumsy as he looked. Whipping his head about, he managed to gore the dragon’s foreleg, knocking it away from him. The monster began to wingover to regain its momentum, but just then Wathros heard a whip-crack from behind him, and then a large rent appeared in the dragon’s underbelly, the telltale wound inflicted by Grimm’s chain. Wathros quickly began a spell, calling upon his newly gained holy powers to summon up several star-shaped balls of energy. These he hurled at the creature, each one impacting solidly and opening even more wounds.
Vorkaire was being harried from all sides. This fight was not going as planned at all. He had to bring at least one of them down to even the playing field. The biggest one was now visible to him, but too far away. Closer at hand was a human, charging at him with no weapon! What a fool! Vorkaire slapped out with his tail, batting the puny man away, then he charged in full fury at the ogre. He struck the creature full on, and wrapped all four of his claws around it. Ha! It was all over, he thought with satisfaction, but then he found his prey had slipped thru his grip like an oiled pig. What trickery was this?
Grimm thanked all the powers of good, and Wathros that he was protected by the Freedom of Movement charm. It allowed him to slip free of the dragon’s potentially fatal grapple. As the dragon tried to recover, Wathros continued to pelt it with his holy stars, and then when they were exhausted, he charged once more. Once again, the dragon struck first, tearing even more deeply into the rhino’s hide. Grimm used the opportunity to strike repeatedly at the monster, but none of his blows could penetrate whatever defensive magics the creature possessed.
From the ground, Rusty reached the same conclusion. With quick thinking, he conjured a dispelling field around the dragon, dismissing its spells in the blink of an eye. Grimm’s next blows struck true and deep.
Vorkaire felt himself weakening. He had suffered many wounds and was losing blood fast. He spat one more stream of acid at his opponents, but to no avail. Seeking now only to escape, he folded his wings and began to drop towards the ground, but as he did so, he was struck twice, once across his spine by the great chain, and once in his throat by the human he thought to be unarmed. His neck and back snapped simultaneously, and he fell with a crash to the oozing plain below.
_________________________________________________________
As the ground continued to slope upward toward the base of the Skull, the light from the lantern Tilly bore shone directly upon a perfectly round ulcer pool. A shadow at the bottom of the pool may have been a trick of the light, but it seemed to be a passageway under the caustic fluid. However, what immediately caught the halfling’s eye was what looked like a raven-winged angelic human lying on the ground next to the pool. It struggled weakly against several iron spears that pinned its wing to the earth, then lay still.
As the rest of the group gathered round, Kaurophon let out a gasp. “That’s Saureya!” he cried. “I met this pitiful creature many years ago. He told me then that he knew many secrets about the Test of the Smoking Eye!”
“Who is this being?” Caine asked, eyeing the angel suspiciously.
“He was one of the celestials who fought against Adimarchus,” Kaurophon replied, “but I believe he was taken captive, and forced to remain here.”
“Is he evil?” asked Caine.
“I do not believe so,” said Kaurophon, “though I do not believe he is wholly good either. In any case, we must help him. He may have information we can use.”
Caine motioned to Rusty and the priest moved to the side of the fallen angel, chanting lowly as he passed his hands over the creature’s grievous wounds. Soft blue light flowed, and slowly Saureya began to revive. Groaning, he attempted to sit up, but found his wings still pinned. Growling in frustration, he ripped the spears from his flesh, and then stood shakily. He closed his eyes, and then a golden light surrounded him. Instantly, all of his injuries closed over, leaving not even the faintest scar. However, from head to toe, he was covered in rough, black spiral tattoos.
“Thank you,” he sighed, opening his eyes and gazing at his benefactors. “Ah, Kaurophon,” he said as he noticed the sorcerer. “You’ve returned. I would have thought you’d learned your lesson last time. But some fools never learn. Nevertheless, I’ll take my leave now. Thank you again.” Without another word, the angel turned and began striding across the plain.
“Wait!” Caine called after the retreating figure, who stopped momentarily and turned a questioning look on the old man. “Can you help us? After all, we just saved your life. Kaurophon tells us that you know something about the Test of the Smoking Eye.”
“Know something about it?” Saureya asked, laughing out loud, “I helped Adimarchus create it. Is that good enough for you? He confided in me throughout its construction. After all, I was exactly the kind of successor he wanted. However, I was able to introduce a flaw in the test because Adimarchus wasn’t always thinking clearly. Ruling a layer of the Abyss will do that to you.”
“A flaw?” Caine asked.
“Well,” Saureya continued, now walking back in their direction, “you don’t need to complete all three parts of the test…just the last one. The first two parts simply point you in the direction of the final part, which is the one that really matters. The proctors, those mummies Adimarchus created, can’t tell who’s passed previous parts of the test and who hasn’t. I suspect that’s what the rakshasha is doing. The flaw is a little subterfuge on my part, from back when I dreamed of rescue. I imagined a powerful angel would come and rescue me, and together we would come here and perform the third part of the test before Adimarchus knew what was going on. Then all of Occipitus would be born anew, lifted right out of the Abyss and reconnected to its rightful place in Celestia.” He chuckled to himself. “More the fool I. I’m no longer so naïve.”
“You mentioned a rakshasha,” Caine prompted.
“Yes,” the deva said, unconsciously massaging his wings, “it was he and his giant bodyguard who left me as you found me. They tried to torture information about the third test from me, but they failed. I have endured far worse, from one more cruel and cunning. Nevertheless, that pair have moved on towards the final test. I’d catch up to them if I were you, unless you want to grow whiskers when they recreate Occipitus in their image.”
“Can you tell us anything about the final test?” Kaurophon interrupted eagerly.
“No,” he answered tersely. “That’s your problem. Knowing in advance won’t help you prepare in any meaningful way. You could succeed. You could fail. You could turn your back on the whole idea, as I have. I’m not going to meddle in your fate. My own fate is trouble enough.”
“Won’t you come with us?” Caine asked sympathetically. “Help us, and we shall help you return to your home.”
“Home?” Saureya barked. “What home? There is no place in Heaven for me any longer. Nay, I need nothing from Celestia, and they shall have nothing from me. Go your way, and leave me to mine.”
The deva turned once more, spread his wings, and launched himself into the roiling skies above the ulcerating planes.
Caine hung his head in sorrow. One lone tear fell from his eye to the blasted ground at his feet.
_____________________________________________________
After a brief, unpleasant swim through the ulceric fluid, the group found fresh air and a tube-like tunnel. The rounded passage featured a smoother, firmer “skin” than Occipitus’ surface. It descended steeply for some twenty feet or so, and then leveled out before quickly changing course, rising and spiraling in a series of clockwise twists and turns.
They had steadily ascended for what seemed like several hundred feet, and felt they must surely be within the mountain proper by now, when Grimm raised one huge hand, bringing the company to an abrupt stop. Motioning for silence, he listened intently for a moment…and then he heard it again. Definitely voices. At least two as far as he could tell, and if he was not mistaken, they were speaking Infernal.
_________________________________________________________
“Blast!” Motruk bellowed, throwing the pungent haunch of meat to the floor. “I’m tired of the same meat day after day! These abyss-spawned buffalo are stringy and rank! Bah!” Zaur Sza sighed. The rakshasa had heard this same melodramatic rant from his fire giant companion at least a dozen times already. “As I’ve already told you,” the tiger-headed creature purred in his most calming voice, “once we complete the final test and control this plane, we can mold it into whatever we like. Then you may fill that bottomless pit in your belly with anything you can imagine. You can even…shhh!” The rakshasa’s head suddenly cocked to one side, and his ears pricked up. “Did you hear that?” he asked in a lowered voice. “I ain’t heard nothin’ but my stomach growling,” Motruk rumbled. “I think we may have company, my friend.” Zaur Sza said slyly. “The angel warned us that more might be coming. Perhaps your hunger will be satiated sooner than anticipated.”
________________________________________________________
Wathros, still in rhino form, had taken the lead. Once Grimm had heard the voices cease, the company knew they had been detected, so there was nothing for it now but to advance and face the threat. The druid had taken the time to prepare his Call Lightning invocation, and all that now remained was to begin hurling the devastating bolts at whatever target presented itself. As he rounded a final bend, he saw with dismay that the target had been expecting him. A massive giant with coal black skin and a flaming red beard stood just on the other side of the turn. With an ear-shattering battle cry, the giant raised a greatsword above its head and charged. For a split-second Wathros thought he was back in Vaprak’s Voice, facing the fire giant smith who had nearly killed him with a thrown anvil. He tried to clear his mind and focus his thoughts on blasting his current assailant, but he was a split-second too late, and the giant’s blade smashed down upon him. Though in agony, he still managed to call forth a strike, and a searing bolt of electricity struck the giant, causing its beard to stand on end.
At that moment, much to Wathros’ relief, Grimm barreled around the corner, adding his own battle cry to the giant’s howl. The half-ogre’s chain slammed past the giant’s defense, slicing deeply into his black hide. Before Grimm had a chance to follow up on his attack, a whirling wall of scything blades suddenly appeared before him, catching the giant in their midst. “That’ll teach ye some respect,” Rusty chuckled, walking casually up behind Grimm and Wathros and nodding at his handiwork.
Though badly wounded, Motruk was far from defeated. Pushing himself out of the blades so that the wall now separated him from his opponents, he gripped his sword in both hands, summoning all his strength. Then, raising it high above his head, he drove it thru the blade barrier, deep between the shoulder blades of the rhinoceros. That one alone would make a fine meal, he thought. To his immense satisfaction, the beast collapsed in the middle of the tunnel.
Grimm stared in disbelief at the devastating effect just one of the giant’s blows had achieved. He was in for a fight with this one, for sure. He began whirling his chain about his head, and snapped it forward once, then twice, both strikes finding their target behind the blade wall. Two could play at that game.
Truhl stood much farther down the corridor. He could hear the fighting from up ahead, but his new friend Caine has instructed him to remain here, out of harm’s way. Truhl still wasn’t sure why he remained with this lot, instead of trying to find Velasia, but for some reason he trusted Caine. What the sorcerer said made sense. Truhl was seriously considering rethinking his priorities and some of the life choices he had made.
Just then, he heard a low rumbling sound coming from behind him. Whirling around, his daggers already in his hand, he was stunned to find no approaching enemy. Rather, the entire floor seemed to rippling towards him, like a wave cresting. He turned to shout back up the tunnel, “Caine! There is danger! Flee!”
Caine saw what was going to happen in the clarity of a split-second, yet he was powerless to prevent it. Rusty was kneeling beside Wathros, administering healing magic to revive the druid, and even now the rhino was opening his eyes, blinking in confusion. Just at that moment, the rolling wave of the floor passed beneath Caine, pushing him further up the corridor several yards. “Rusty!” he screamed, “Lower the barrier! Now!” Rusty glanced back at the sorcerer in irritation. “What are ye on about man? Can’t ye see we’ve got wounded here?” By then it was a moot point. The peristaltic wave struck the front line. Rusty, having a low center of gravity, was able to resist the surge, and was not budged. Likewise Grimm, due to his large size, was able to keep his feet. Wathros, despite his current bulk as a rhino, was not so fortunate. Though awake, he was still lying on the ground, and so could not brace himself against the impact. He was lifted by the wave and flung forward…straight through the blade barrier! What arrived on the far side of the barrier was no longer alive, and no longer in one piece.
Tilly, who was behind Wathros, Grimm and Rusty when the wave struck, had a moment of horror as he witnessed the druid’s fate, and then he too was thrown forward. He put his arms up in a futile attempt to protect himself, and then he felt his flesh being sliced again, and again. The agony, though only lasting an instant, seemed to go on for an eternity. Then, abruptly, he was on the floor on the far side of the barrier…lying at the feet of the giant. He was still alive, but he wondered for how much longer.
Motruk roared in laughter at what had just transpired. The tide had literally turned. He had been unmoved by the wave, and Zaur Sza had merely been pushed back a few feet. Their opponents, however, were in total disarray. The fire giant seized the opportunity, and once again struck with his sword through the barrier. This time Kiko was the target. The monk had been carried close to the blade barrier by the wave, but not thru it. Nevertheless, he was in prime striking distance of the giant, and as he struggled to regain his balance, he was hit three times in succession. Everything went black as he crumpled to the floor.
Kaurophon, lurking invisibly further down the tunnel, knew that he had to act before his traveling companions were slaughtered to a man. He couldn’t have that. He still needed them. Running up the tunnel, he came within sight of the battle and the devastation. Drawing his wand from his robes, he sent five glowing missiles straight at the giant, causing the behemoth to rock back several steps. “Lower the barrier!” the sorcerer cried as he heard another peristaltic wave forming somewhere in the distance.
Rusty didn’t hesitate this time. He was guilt wracked over the disaster his blade barrier had caused, but how could he have known? He gestured, and in an instant the blades vanished. Grimm didn’t hesitate either. He stepped towards the still reeling giant and proceeded to flay the hide from the monster. Motruk’s eyes were still opened in shock and surprise as his immense bulk hit the ground.
Throughout the battle, Zaur Sza had been busy layering himself with preparatory defensive magic. He had been confident that Motruk could deal with these interlopers, or at least delay them. And so the giant had, but now he was down, and the rhakshasa was on his own. Still, he knew these cretins had little chance of harming him. His unique nature made him immune to most magics, and resistant to most forms of physical damage. Let them come. He would deal with them one by one.
Caine was the first to reach the tiger-headed creature. His aura of calm washed over the rakshasa, and the apostle began to speak. “You are outnumbered, and at a clear disadvantage. We offer to spare your life if you surrender now and leave this place. We have no further quarrel with you.”
Zaur Sza smiled a toothy grin. “So, I should just leave dominion of Occipitus to you, human?” he laughed. “I think not. When you call me Lord, and bow before me, I may forget your temerity and spare your own life. We shall see.” Then, with a gesture, he vanished from sight, rendering himself invisible. Before Caine could react, a second wave struck, knocking the sorcerer from his feet.
By this time, Grimm had closed in. “You had your chance,” he snarled at Caine as he stepped over the fallen apostle, “Now I’ll take over negotiations.” Zaur Sza sneered, unseen, chuckling to himself at the false bravado of the ogre…until Grimm’s chain wrapped itself around the rakshasa’s legs and pulled him from his feet. In a panic now, Zaur Sza desperately called upon his magic. He tried to let his voice be soothing, calm, suggesting to the ogre that it was too dangerous here for him and his companions. They should leave and find safer prospects. He saw the utter failure of his ploy in the beast’s eyes as the massive flail struck again, and then he knew no more.
_____________________________________________________
Rusty set about tending the wounds of Tilly and Kiko, who was not dead, but badly injured. Wathros was beyond his help at this point, and the druid’s remains had to be placed inside Kaurophon’s extra dimensional bag for safekeeping. “I know we are all distraught over this,” Kaurophon said as the company went about the recovery effort, “but we must not let this deter us. The end of our journey is nigh. We must move on!”
Caine eyed the sorcerer askance. Something about his demeanor seemed odd to the apostle. Why was he so desperate to complete the Test? Hadn’t it been around for decades now without being won? What difference would a few more minutes or days matter? But he kept his opinions to himself…for the moment. This drama would play itself out in whatever manner the Fates saw fit, and Caine would play his part, as would they all.
_____________________________________________________
The tube’s upward spiral ended in a round chamber with a doorway on the far side leading to a spiral staircase. Furniture in the room was limited to a massive iron throne festooned with spikes. Most of the back of the throne was missing, although the framework remained. Before the throne lay a pile of wood and debris, along with ceramic shards, as if someone had smashed dozens of clay pots. A rhythmic pounding sounded repeatedly from behind the throne, but came to an abrupt halt as the party stepped into the chamber. A large, humanoid creature, resembling a child’s attempt to sculpt a man out of clay, stepped around the giant seat. It gazed for a moment at the intruders with blank, stupid eyes…and then wordlessly, it charged.
Caine recognized the beast as a construct, an animate collection of inert material given a grotesque semblance of life. The apostle had no compunctions at all about ending the existence of such an abomination. Jules, sensing his master’s displeasure, erupted from beneath Caine’s robes, pulsing in anger, and unleashing a barrage of electrical jolts at the golem. The behemoth slowed for a moment, but then came inexorably on. Grimm, readying his chain, stepped to meet the charge. Before the construct could close within striking distance, Grimm snaked the chain forward, wrapping it around the golem’s legs, and then jerked it cleanly off its stumpy feet. Quickly freeing the chain, the half-ogre proceeded to flail at the golem, knocking loose great chunks of clay, which shattered against the floor and walls, adding to the shards already present.
Not wanting to miss out on the fun, Rusty joined Grimm in the fray, but for his overzealousness, he received a mighty clout from the beast, flat on its back though it was. “Why ye blasted overgrown flower pot!” the dwarf raged, and then he cleaved through the golem’s misshapen head with his axe, shattering it into a thousand pieces.
After the battle had ended, Kaurophon moved to examine the remains. “This was obviously set here as a guardian,” he mused, “but it appears there was another one at one time.” He indicated the other clay shards. “Apparently, this one went berserk and destroyed the other. That would only happen if its master had abandoned it. This bodes well for us. The final Test may be unguarded.”
______________________________________________________
Myaruk turned abruptly from his contemplation of the Nexus as he heard the sounds of battle from below. He had hoped not to be disturbed in his research. The Chosen of Kiaransalee had been very explicit in her instructions. He was to learn all that he could about the source of the Nexus’ power. The Chosen felt that it might be harnessed to fuel the Portal she wished to establish between this world and the Far Realms. Now it seemed someone else was interested in his find. Not for long. The golem would only delay them, but it would be enough. Grinning evilly, he stepped into the Nexus and began chanting.
_____________________________________________________
The spiral staircase led to what appeared to be a naturally hewn cavern. A bonfire of utter blackness dominated the center of the chamber. It crackled as if it was normal flame, but it was a slick, glossy black rather than the orange-red of a true fire. Surrounding the flames was a pale yellow corona that casts light about the room. A sheaf of papers lay scattered near the base of the bonfire. More than a dozen passages originated in the cave, with at least some of them seeming to double back on themselves.
As soon as Grimm reached the top of the stairs, he could hear the fell voice chanting from somewhere within the room. “We are not alone,” he growled to his companions. Tilly peered out from behind the hulking warriors leg, and immediately his sharp eyes picked out faint movements coming from within the black flames. “There!” he cried, pointing to the bonfire, but before any of them could act, the chanting stopped, and from out of thin air appeared a gigantic snake!
Kiko was a blur of motion. Leaping past Grimm, he slammed his fist into the side of the snake’s head. The constrictor reeled back from the blow, momentarily disoriented. Tilly saw his chance, and rushed around behind the animal to plunge his longsword deep into its sinuous body. As the giant ophidian thrashed about in agony, Grimm’s chain snapped its neck. In a puff of sulfuric smoke, the snake vanished.
“We’re facing a conjurer,” Kaurophon said to Caine near the head of the stair. No sooner had the words left his mouth, than a second creature appeared in the chamber. This one looked like a giant bird, with four wickedly clawed legs. “An achaierai!” Kaurophon cried. “Ware it! Its stench can cause madness!” As if on cue, a noxious black cloud emanated from the monster, and then a second, oily blackness coalesced around Tilly, Kiko and Grimm. This second attack had appeared after more chanting from within the bonfire. Rusty recognized the effect as a divine magical attack…an unholy blight.
The three advance guard stumbled from the cloying mists, coughing and retching, their faces pale. Kiko recovered first, and launched himself bodily at the giant avian, pounding at it with his fists. Rusty was not far behind, and he sent an answering Holy Smite to engulf the achaierai and the bonfire as well. He was rewarded by a pained cry of outrage from within the flames. Tilly wasted no time. While the achaierai was still reeling from the combined attack of his friends, the little rogue finished it off with a well-placed thrust of his longsword. However, the halfling had stepped a bit too close to the black fire in his effort to gain a flanking position on the monster. He did not see the skeletal hand that snaked out from the flames. He only felt the cold hand of death seize him by the throat. His body went rigid for a moment, and the suddenly limp. He slumped to the stone floor, and the hand withdrew, an evil chuckle filling the air.
Grimm couldn’t believe it. One minute Tilly had been fighting beside him, and the next he was dead. The half-ogre leaped back from the bonfire before the same fate befell him. Though he couldn’t see his opponent clearly, he sensed a presence within the flames, and he began flailing his chain repeatedly into the fire. He was rewarded by a solid thunk as his weapon connected at least once, but almost immediately, he sensed a presence behind him. “Watch out!” Kiko cried in warning. Turning, Grimm saw that another monster had materialized in the room. This one appeared to be a cross between a spider and a kobold. It lashed out at Grimm, trying to tear at him with its multiple clawed appendages. Grimm dodged back several paces, and as the xill turned to follow, Kiko leaped on its back, bringing both hands down in knife-hand chops on either side of the beast’s neck. Before it could react, the monk had jumped away again, but Rusty stepped up to meet the xill’s attack, and he buried his axe in its gut. Simultaneously, Grimm’s chain banished it back to whatever foul plane it called home.
“This is going nowhere fast,” Kaurophon hissed to Caine. “The mage, whoever he is, keeps summoning as fast as they can take the monsters down. Tilly’s already fallen. It’s only a matter of time before they go down as well. We’ve got to do something.” The sorcerer withdrew his wand from his sleeve, and launched a volley of streaking magical missiles into the fire. A shriek of pain and anger told him he was right on target. As he prepared to fire a second barrage, Caine quickly darted across the chamber towards the bonfire. As he neared it, he focused and concentrated on the forces of good. Instantly, a golden light flowed from his body like a corona. It flared bright white against the black flames, and from within those fires he heard the wizard cry out. Those of pure evil would burn in the presence of his holy aura!
Seeing an opening, Kiko tumbled towards the nexus, intending to strike within the fire and hopefully dislodge their opponent from its concealment. As his hand passed thru the flame, it went completely numb with a bone-chilling cold. Crying out, the monk snatched his arm back, and cradled it against his chest. He felt the chill traveling thru his entire body, sapping his very life force from him.
Grimm prepared to strike at the fire again, hoping he would get lucky a second time, but once more an opponent appeared before him. It was a second achaierai, and it immediately released its toxic cloud over the ogre as well as Rusty. Caine stepped back from the expanding vapors, only to feel a bony hand fall upon his shoulder. His throat opened in agony. Slowly turning, he came face to face with the master of the nexus. It was a liche! The skeletally gaunt figure was clad in archaic armor, and around its neck hung a symbol engraved with the image of an albino drow female. With a tremendous effort of will, Caine wrenched himself free, staggering a pace or two away. He felt dizzy and nauseated, barely able to stand. With the last of his strength, he rendered himself invisible, and then turned to flee. The last thing his felt was the hammer like blow of the liche’s fist to the back of his skull. “May the White Banshee feast on your soul!” Myaruk laughed.
Rusty shook off the effects of the achaierai’s fumes once again. They were wasting time with this cannon fodder. Rather than fight toe to toe with the beast, the priest had a better idea. Calling upon Mystra’s grace, he summoned a dispelling, ending the magical effect which allowed the monster to remain on this plane. It faded away as quickly as it had come. The respite didn’t last, however. Again the sounds of a summoning incantation came from within the bonfire. This time, the resulting creature was at least familiar to the dwarf. It was a howler. Kazmojen had a pet one named Prickles, as the priest recalled, when they had met him in the bowels of the Malachite Fortress. Whereas Prickles had been little more than a pup, this horror was full-grown. It immediately charged towards Kaurophon, ripping and tearing at the sorcerer and trying to bury its spear-like quills in his flesh.
“Monk, shake it off if ye want to live!” Rusty cried, slapping the still cowering Kiko, and pointing towards the howler. “If the sorcerer dies, we don’t stand a chance! Come on, blast ye!” Kiko stared uncomprehendingly for a moment, but then the dwarf’s words began to sink in. Yes, he still had a duty, regardless of his own injuries. He would see it through or die trying. Together the priest and the monk charged, screaming at the howler. They began raining blows down upon its prickly hide, quickly putting an end to its brief sojourn to Occipitus.
Jules could feel that his master yet lived. Since he himself still survived, their bond had not been broken. The archon was wary of the evil that lurked within the black flames, but his master’s safety was paramount. Flicking between dimensions, Jules appeared next to the spot where Caine had fallen. He felt the apostle beneath him, and he began to infuse a bit of his own power into his friend. Caine came awake slowly, but one glance at the glossy fire before him snapped him back to the present. He was still far too weak to stand and fight, but perhaps he could still aid his companions. He focused his magic, and cast one final spell of hastening to speed his friend’s attacks, and then he surged to his feet, and retreated to the far side of the cavern to await his fate.
Not like this, Kaurophon thought ruefully to himself. It was not going to end like this. He had strung these fools along for far too long now to see them slaughtered before he had accomplished his goal. Once more, he would have to save their miserable skins. Perhaps he had chosen the wrong group to help him. Ah well, as the old saying went, beggars could not afford to choose. They would have to do. Concentrating on the shadowy form within the flames, he began sending blast after blast of his missiles at the liche. One such barrage even managed to interrupt the creature’s summoning. Finally, the oafish half-ogre was moving in for the kill. Even a mindless brute could be trained, he thought smugly. It was Caine he was going to have to keep his eye on. That one he should never underestimate.
It seemed the tide was turning, Grimm mused, and in their favor for once. As the liche reeled from Kaurophon’s onslaught, Grimm was able to close in. With Caine’s magic bolstering him, the half-ogre whirled like a dervish, hammering at the fire, feeling his weapon connect repeatedly. But still, the undead horror would not fall. Just as he was bracing himself to charge into the fire and bring the demon out, an explosive shock wave, that just for a moment seemed to be shaped like a ghostly hammer, detonated at the center of the flames. With a sigh, the liche toppled to the floor, and then quickly crumbled to dust within his armor. “That takes care o’ that,” Rusty smirked, dusting off his hands.
Neverwinter Knight
First Post
I totally agree with gfunk! That was a great update and it's nice to see Kaurophon's character revealed at last.
That buffing adventure is turning out to be the exact opposite...all those levels lost from dying will make the upcoming adventure more difficult.
That buffing adventure is turning out to be the exact opposite...all those levels lost from dying will make the upcoming adventure more difficult.
Similar Threads
