Graywolf-ELM
Explorer
Zaruthustran said:
And due to her grief, she manifests multiple levels of Warlock, that she didn't know she had access to.
GW
JollyDoc's Savage Tide-Updated 10/8!
And due to her grief, she manifests multiple levels of Warlock, that she didn't know she had access to.
GW
Neverwinter Knight
First Post
Yeah, and it would also turn her to neutral / chaotic evil. ![:]](http://www.enworld.org/forum/images/smilies/devious.png "Devious :]")
Zaruthustran said:
Well to be honest with you, I was less keen on the Amella-Anwar-Lavinia love triangle than I was on impersonating Avner. I was going to have a field day with that one! Anwar took a skill trick called assume quirk that eliminates the Spot bonus given to penetrate your disguise checks from friends/associates.
I was probably going to maintain my relationship with Amella -- she sounds like she likes "bad boys" anyway.
Plus Anwar could Dipolamcize his way out of anything, including a little lipstick on the collar when coming home at night. 
JollyDoc
Explorer
THE ENEMY WITHIN
Author’s Note: Samson’s player was not in attendance at the following game session, and so no mention will be made within of the dragon shaman. I could always come up with some inane reason for his character not to have been there, but it would be implausible at this point. Your temporary suspension of belief is appreciated.
________________________________________________________
The chamber beyond the great doors was stained with blood. Two stone thrones sat on either side, set into alcoves. On the far side of the room was a blood-caked altar of greasy green stone, topped by a pair of black tallow candles. Iron-framed mirrors stood on either side of the altar, their reflections warped and indistinct.
“If you don’t mind,” Thrisp said, with a sarcastic twist of his lips to Sepoto, “I’ll go first this time. Your less than subtle detection of that patently obvious cave-in trap left much to be desired.”
Sepoto shrugged. “I found it, didn’t I?”
Thrisp shook his head in mock-exasperation, motioned the others to wait by the doors, and began slowly working his way inside the room. As he examined each of the items in painstaking detail, Basil called to him from the corridor.
“Be wary, Thrisp,” the mage said, a tone of awe in his voice, “I’ve never seen such powerful magic as is radiating from the thrones, the mirrors, and the candles.”
“Now you tell me,” Thrisp muttered under his breath, and continued his search.
It was only when he reached the mirrors that the gnome discovered anything worrisome. Something about them and their odd, distorted reflections, sent a pang of warning through his senses. When he lowered his goggles to look more closely, he thought he saw the vaguest shadow of an image in the depths of the south-most one. It was obviously a trap of some sort, but magical in nature, not mechanical. It would be very tricky attempting to deactivate it, but it had to be tried nevertheless. He spent several long moments just staring at the mirror, before he nodded to himself, and pulled a small tin of grease from his belt. Using a wooden spatula, he carefully spread a layer of the unguent across the entire surface of the glass, and then leaned back in satisfaction, blowing out the breath he’d been holding.
“That’s one,” he called over his shoulder to his companions. “I’m going to try the other one now, but I’m going to take a few precautions first.” Closing his eyes in concentration, he cast first one spell, then another, cloaking himself in overlapping layers of silence and invisibility. To his friends, he simply vanished. He then worked his way over to the northern mirror and began the disabling process over again. He was over halfway done when his hand slipped. Just a fraction, but it was enough. His skin made contact with the surface of the mirror, and everything happened instantaneously. If Thrisp’s friends could have seen him, they would have been horrified at his sudden transformation. His hair grew wild, jutting out at all angles, and his eyes became bloodshot with rage. His voice grew thick and guttural with phlegm, and only one though filled his mind: Death!
Sepoto and Marius were standing nearest to the doors. Basil, stating that he wanted to have a clear, ranged shot at the room should trouble arise, had retreated down the hallway and around a corner. What the goliath and the warmage saw was Thrisp’s reflection suddenly appear in the northern mirror. It seemed to be screaming something and pounding on the glass from the inside. From his position of concealment, Basil could see Marius, and noted the puzzled look on the gnome’s face. The young wizard peeked around the corner and saw what had drawn their attention.
“He’s triggered the trap,” the mage said. “The mirror’s somehow sucked him in! Stand back! I’ll handle this!” Shaking back his sleeves, he began casting, weaving a counter spell designed to dispel other magical effects. He focused it on the mirror, yet when he’d finished, nothing had changed. The image of Thrisp still screamed silently.
“It’s no use!” he said. “The magic is too powerful!”
The thing that had been Thrisp smiled to himself at Basil’s stupidity. Still cocooned within his zone of silence, he cast another spell, wreathing himself in a more powerful dweomer of invisibility that would not dissipate when he struck…and the time to strike would be very soon.
“If magic won’t do it, then we’ll have to try brute force,” Sepoto said, tightening his grip on his chain and striding purposefully towards the mirror. When he was in range, he swung, the image of Thrisp reflexively covering his face. The chain struck the glass, but it might as well have been striking iron. It merely clanged off, vibrating in the goliath’s hands.
“He’s out there!” the image of Thrisp suddenly screamed audibly. “Don’t kill me! Don’t kill me!”
“What are you talking about?” Sepoto shouted in confusion. “Who’s out here?”
At that moment, he heard Marius grunt in pain behind him. Turning, he saw the gnome doubled over and down on one knee.
“What happened?” the goliath said.
“A…spell…” the warmage panted. “One…that Thrisp…uses…It…weakens target…gradually…inevitably…”
Slowly, Marius used the wall to climb back to his feet. With effort, he cast his own spell, immolating his body in green fire. He knew that the magic that had afflicted him required the caster to touch his target. He was going to make sure that wouldn’t happen again.
“Damn it!” Sepoto roared pulling the mirror off the wall and shouting at Thrisp’s reflection. “What’s going on here?”
A moment later, he saw both Marius and Basil reel as some unseen force washed over them. Both looked stricken and pale, but Marius looked by far the worst. He was almost out on his feet. Cursing, the goliath cast the mirror aside and rushed to Marius. The warmage had managed to pull a healing elixir from his belt and was quaffing it just as the crusader reached him and cast one of his own spells, albeit a minor one, capable of healing only superficial injuries.
“Something’s using Thrisp’s powers against us!” Basil cried. “Thrisp was invisible when he went to the mirror, and magically silenced. So is whoever it is that we now face. Prepare yourselves! I’m going to try and reveal our attacker!”
The mage then conjured another counter spell, only this time he engulfed the whole room with it. Though less powerful than a targeted attack, the dispelling effect could still bring down some magical effects including, unfortunately, some of their own. Case-in-point was demonstrated when Marius’ fire shield suddenly snuffed out. Somewhat to their fortune, however, it also affected their assailant. They all heard a snarling voice, which vaguely resembled Thrisp’s, spitting out the words to a spell. An instant later, Sepoto was buffeted by a magical force which knocked the wind out of him, as if he’d been punched in the gut by a giant. They all heard light footsteps padding away.
“To the Hells with this!” Marius snarled. Casting blindly, he filled the hall outside the room with fire, hoping to catch their unseen enemy within it.
“What are you doing?” Basil shouted. “What if it really is Thrisp that we’re fighting and he can’t control himself?”
“Then he’d better get control soon,” the warmage snapped, “or it’s better him dead than me!”
“But…” Basil started to say, but then another spell triggered, and another blast of force struck the mage, as well as Sepoto. Basil swooned, slumping to the ground unconscious. Again Marius cast, this time filling the room with flames. Sepoto joined him, striking out around him with his chain, a deep growl in his throat.
Their feral, unseen attacker chuckled to himself as he moved to stand over the fallen form of Basil. Drawing a dagger from his robes, he knelt beside the mage…and drove the blade into his heart. All Sepoto and Marius saw was a gout of blood explode from Basil’s chest, but they knew what had happened.
“Now Sepoto!” Marius cried. “He has to be right beside Basil!” The warmage hurled a fireball into the corner, and grinned fiercely when he heard a guttural scream of agony. It was only momentary, however. An instant later, he heard the beguiler casting again. It was the same spell he’d hit Marius with in his first salvo…and he’d have to touch the wizard to affect him. Marius braced himself. He felt a faint whisper of fingers on his cheek and quickly ducked, shouting out his own magic as he did so. He exploded in fire, first only in his immediate area, but then widening out to fill most of the room. Unfortunately, Sepoto was caught in the effect, but the gnome knew that the goliath was made of sturdy stuff. He would have to be. Once again he heard the invisible killer scream, and that was when Sepoto struck. His chain whip-cracked out and the goliath felt it connect solidly. When he drew it back, it was drenched in blood. Slowly, something materialized on the floor in front of him, right beside Basil. It was Thrisp, looking completely normal, and unquestionably dead. The image in the mirror had vanished.
_________________________________________________________
Amella and Tavey were stricken when Sepoto and Marius delivered the news.
“So…where does that be leavin’ us now?” the Captain asked, Tavey huddled close next to her. After having heard that it was Sepoto himself who had delivered the killing blow to Thrisp, the boy’s attitude towards the goliath had cooled. There was fear in his eyes as he looked at his one-time hero.
“With few options,” Marius answered. “We could wander in this swamp for weeks or months, and never find our way out, especially not without Urol. Going back into the shrine seems less than optimal as well. With only Sepoto, Samson, and myself, I don’t like our odds. Still, we can’t just do nothing. When Samson returns from his scouting mission, we’ll have to discuss it more, but I tell you this, and I don’t say it to be needlessly cruel, but if we do go back in and not return…well, there are many ways to die in a place such as this, most of them slow and painful.”
“I hear what ye be sayin’,” Amella said, setting her jaw, “an’ if it comes t’that, I’ll do what needs doin’.”
“Speaking of Samson,” Sepoto said, changing the subject when he saw Tavey’s face go even paler, “he’s been gone awhile. What do you think might be keeping him?”
The little goblin had left over an hour before, searching for a suitable shelter for the night. It had been Marius that pointed out the fact that Basil’s little rope trick would be expiring sometime in the middle of the night, and this time the wizard wouldn’t be around to recreate it. They needed to find a safe place to hold up until morning.
“Hail the camp!” a voice called at that moment from the jungle. It was Samson’s. “Coming in!”
“Come ahead!” Sepoto answered.
A minute later, Samson stepped into the clearing…and he was not alone. He was accompanied by two individuals. The first was a young man with flowing, blonde hair, and eyes so amber that they sparkled like gold. He wore a religious medallion around his neck, one engraved with the symbol of Shaundekal the Traveler. The second was a beautiful woman, obviously of elven blood, her fine, sculpted features complimented by her fiery, red hair and green eyes. The first thing Marius noticed about her, however, was the Seeker signet she wore on the fifth finger of her left hand.
“I’ve brought company,” Samson said, smiling.
“Obviously,” Sepoto grumbled. “Odd place to stumble across pilgrims, don’t you think?”
“They’re from Farshore!” Samson said, still grinning. “They…”
“We are lost, much as you,” the young man said, interrupting. “I am Daelric Zorrin, and this is my traveling companion, Ozymandia.”
“Mandi will suffice,” the elf maid said, bowing slightly.
“Charmed,” Sepoto said. “You’ll forgive my suspicion, but we haven’t come across many friendly faces in this gods-forsaken place. How is it you two came to be here?”
“Your misgivings are understandable, and wise,” Daelric nodded. “Yet it is as your friend said. We come from Farshore. We were part of an expedition that set out from there over a month ago. We were envoys to the wilder tribes of Mazticans that dwell in the island’s interior. We had hoped to open trade negotiations, yet we never even reached the first village. We stumbled into Fogmire, whether by chance or some sinister plan, I cannot say. Yet we numbered almost a dozen when we set out, and now only Mandi and I remain. Samson told us of your encounter with the bar-igura. We have met him many times, and each time we lost one of our companions.”
Sepoto’s posture eased a bit, and he nodded for the newcomers to seat themselves.
“Did Samson tell you how we came to be here?” the goliath asked.
“He mentioned a shipwreck,” Daelric replied.
“Yes,” Sepoto nodded. “We were one of two vessels bound for Farshore. We were part of an expedition led by Lavinia Vanderboren. We were on our way to replenish the colony with supplies and personnel.”
“You came with Lavinia?” Daelric gasped. “I, of course, knew her parents well, and I even met her once as a young girl! We were part of the initial colonization expedition here. We expected Lord and Lady Vanderboren to return quite some time ago, but when they didn’t, it was decided that we should try and reach out to the island tribes in order to insure our survival.”
“Lavinia’s parents perished,” Sepoto said flatly. “Her brother, Vanthus, murdered them in order to inherit. Lavinia hired us to bring him to justice, and later to accompany her to Farshore to finish what her parents started.”
“I am saddened to hear of the Vanderborens’ passing,” Daelric replied. “But you say that Lavinia was with you? Please don’t tell me that she too has come to some bitter end!”
“We’re not sure,” the goliath shook his head. “Our ship was separated from hers during a storm. That’s been a couple of weeks back. You said you left Farshore over a month ago, so I don’t expect that you would know if the Blue Nixie arrived safely.”
“Sadly, no,” said Daelric. “We’ve had no contact with the colony since we left.”
“Well, I’m sure that Samson has filled you in on what’s happened to us since we entered Fogmire,” Sepoto said, and when the young man nodded, he continued. “So it doesn’t look like any of us are going to get to see Farshore unless we find our way out of this mess. Our best hope lies with our guide, a druid named Urol Forol. Unfortunately, if he’s still alive, he’s somewhere inside the shrine.”
“Then it seems you must go back in,” Daelric said, his eyes steady. “And if Mandi and I are to have any chance of escape, it seems as if we are obliged to accompany you.”
At this Sepoto raised one eyebrow. “Do you have any skills?” he asked. “I don’t mean to be rude, and no insult is meant towards our capable Captain here, but if you can’t fight and hold your own, you’ll be more hindrance to us than help.”
“Well, I have some skill with magic,” Daelric replied, “though mine is of a divine nature rather than the arcane.”
“So you’re a priest?” Sepoto asked, nodding towards his amulet.
“Not quite,” Daelric smiled. “You might say I was chosen by the Traveler while still in the womb. I have had no formal training. My power manifested itself while I was still a boy. I serve the will of Shaundekal.”
“And what of you?” Sepoto turned to Mandi.
“I also have skills in magic,” the elf replied coolly, “though my interests lie in the areas of xenobiology, and the nature of physical change.”
“Zeno-who?” Sepoto asked, confusion on his face. “Speak Common.”
“She’s a wizard,” Marius said, his eyes never leaving Mandi’s. “More specifically, a transmuter. She specializes in shape-shifting.”
“I see,” Sepoto said, though it was obvious that he didn’t. “Well, whatever. We need another wizard, what with Basil getting gutted by Thrisp and all. We could also use a healer, so I guess you two are in, like it or not.”
Marius most definitely did not. Though, as a rule, Seekers worked towards the same general goals, in reality they often found themselves at cross-purposes with one another. The warmage had not been aware that there were Seekers on the original expedition to Farshore, though it shouldn’t have surprised him. Still, that revelation changed much. He would have to be on his guard, and keep a careful eye on the elf.
_____________________________________________________________
The five teammates, old and new, stood once again upon the threshold of the mirrored room. This time there was no Thrisp to try and disable the trapped looking glasses, and perhaps that was not such a bad thing. It had been decided that Sepoto would be the one to investigate, for several reasons. Mainly, if he were to go insane, he had only minor magics to call upon, and though skilled as he was with his weapon of choice, the trio of spell weavers should be able to bring him down before he caused much harm.
The group had generally concluded that the candles, mirror and thrones were all interconnected in some way, since they all radiated powerful magic. Basil had said, before he died, that one of the dweomers possessed by the mirrors was that of Conjuration…a type of magic associated with arcane portals. It was quite possible that the entire chamber was a gateway leading deeper inside the shrine. They just had to figure out the key.
‘The candles first,’ Sepoto thought to himself as he cautiously crossed the room. He carried a guttering torch in one hand, and when he reached the blood-stained altar, he touched it to the candle on the left. He held his breath, waiting for the inevitable. For a moment, nothing happened, but then, out of the corner of his eye, he saw movement to his right. Turning that way, he noticed that the seat of the throne on the northern wall was now filled with a dark, red liquid…blood.
“I think we may be on to something,” he said over his shoulder to the others, who were still huddled outside the door.
“Just be careful,” Marius said, unnecessarily.
Sepoto moved over to the throne. The blood pool had stopped growing, not a drop spilling off of the seat.
“What do you do with a throne?” the goliath muttered to himself. Shrugging, he did the only thing he knew to do. He sat in it. Immediately, color began to swirl in the mirror hanging opposite him, on the south wall. The crusader leaped from the seat and approached it slowly. When he reached it, he saw a glow coming from somewhere deep within its inky depths. He reached out his hand.
“Sepoto, wait!” Marius cried, but it was too late. As soon as the goliath touched the mirror, an image appeared. It was a bestial, rabid caricature of himself, foaming at the mouth, rage in its eyes. Just for a moment, Sepoto felt that same rage blooming inside him, but just as quickly, it passed. He turned towards the others and gave a thumbs-up. The other mirror remained dark, and the other throne empty. Sepoto returned to the altar and lit the second candle. Immediately, the opposite throne began filling with blood.
“I think we’re in business,” he said, rushing over and sitting upon the throne. The northern mirror began to glow.
“This is it!” he nearly shouted as he rose from the chair and crossed to the second mirror. When he touched it, his feral reflection briefly appeared again, but then vanished as the images in both mirrors changed to swirling vortexes of darkness.
“You know, I had a dog once,” Sepoto said, a smile on his face as he faced his companions, “and his name was…Bingo!”
_________________________________________________________
Sepoto was the first one to step through the mystic portal. When he exited on the other side, he found himself in a huge chamber bathed in a strange red light that came from above. Thorny vines grew across the walls and toward the ceiling some forty feet up. A natural stone bridge crossed through the upper reaches of the room, directly above a large pool of crimson liquid. He had emerged from a large, free-standing mirror on the north wall, its warped surface framed in iron. The warm scent of wet fur was overpowering, and a furtive shuffling echoed from the bridge overhead.
A moment later, Daelric stepped out of the mirror behind Sepoto, closely followed by Mandi. The elf’s eyes grew wide as she looked about her.
“Watch out!” she screamed.
Immediately, Sepoto went into a battle crouch, but he saw nothing. “What?” he shouted. “What is it?”
“The demons!” Mandi shrieked. “They’re coming from both sides!” The mage had imbued herself with the power to see the unseen before stepping through the portal, and now she thanked her ancestors that she had. Two bar-iguras, cloaked in invisibility, were closing steadily towards them, one on each side. At her shout of warning, they rushed forward. Both of them appeared for an instant as they locked their hands around the arms of Daelric and Mandi, and then vanished. For an instant, the wizard and the holy man felt themselves pulled mightily. The demons had tried to abduct them, as they had their companions before. It was only by pure strength of will that the pair resisted, remaining where they were while the bar-iguras teleported.
Just then Marius appeared thru the looking glass.
“Ware!” Mandi shouted. “They could be anywhere!”
“I’ll flush them out,” Daelric said, and he began murmuring a prayer. When he’d finished, there was no obvious effect, until slowly, not twenty feet away, the two demons materialized.
“They won’t be able to disappear while my spell holds,” Daelric said, “but they can still teleport. Strike now!”
Sepoto didn’t hesitate, moving towards the nearest fiend. It was obvious that neither of these were the one that had killed Anwar. They weren’t big enough, but they were still deadly, and it wouldn’t do to underestimate them. To prove that point, the one that the goliath was not engaging rushed passed him, heading straight for Daelric. As it came, however, the young acolyte hurled a powerful blast of power at it, striking with a lance of pure sound. Simultaneously, Marius unleashed a blast of scorching fire at Sepoto’s opponent, though it only managed to singe the demon’s Abyss-spawned flesh. Frustrated, the war mage took note that the sonic burst Daelric used seemed to have wounded the other bar-igura greatly. Casting again, he manifested a clear ball of concentrated sonic energy, and slung it at Sepoto’s opponent. This time the demon reeled, and when Daelric struck with a second sonic spear, it collapsed into the pool, a fist-sized hole blown in its chest.
The tactic seemed to be working, so Mandi didn’t try to alter it. She struck out at the remaining bar-igura. As it roared in pain and rage, Sepoto struck as well, his chain cleaving through its spine like a razor, splitting it nearly in two.
“Well,” the goliath said, panting and surveying the carnage as Samson finally stepped through the mirror, “looks like we officially have ourselves two new Legionnaires.”
Author’s Note: Samson’s player was not in attendance at the following game session, and so no mention will be made within of the dragon shaman. I could always come up with some inane reason for his character not to have been there, but it would be implausible at this point. Your temporary suspension of belief is appreciated.
________________________________________________________
The chamber beyond the great doors was stained with blood. Two stone thrones sat on either side, set into alcoves. On the far side of the room was a blood-caked altar of greasy green stone, topped by a pair of black tallow candles. Iron-framed mirrors stood on either side of the altar, their reflections warped and indistinct.
“If you don’t mind,” Thrisp said, with a sarcastic twist of his lips to Sepoto, “I’ll go first this time. Your less than subtle detection of that patently obvious cave-in trap left much to be desired.”
Sepoto shrugged. “I found it, didn’t I?”
Thrisp shook his head in mock-exasperation, motioned the others to wait by the doors, and began slowly working his way inside the room. As he examined each of the items in painstaking detail, Basil called to him from the corridor.
“Be wary, Thrisp,” the mage said, a tone of awe in his voice, “I’ve never seen such powerful magic as is radiating from the thrones, the mirrors, and the candles.”
“Now you tell me,” Thrisp muttered under his breath, and continued his search.
It was only when he reached the mirrors that the gnome discovered anything worrisome. Something about them and their odd, distorted reflections, sent a pang of warning through his senses. When he lowered his goggles to look more closely, he thought he saw the vaguest shadow of an image in the depths of the south-most one. It was obviously a trap of some sort, but magical in nature, not mechanical. It would be very tricky attempting to deactivate it, but it had to be tried nevertheless. He spent several long moments just staring at the mirror, before he nodded to himself, and pulled a small tin of grease from his belt. Using a wooden spatula, he carefully spread a layer of the unguent across the entire surface of the glass, and then leaned back in satisfaction, blowing out the breath he’d been holding.
“That’s one,” he called over his shoulder to his companions. “I’m going to try the other one now, but I’m going to take a few precautions first.” Closing his eyes in concentration, he cast first one spell, then another, cloaking himself in overlapping layers of silence and invisibility. To his friends, he simply vanished. He then worked his way over to the northern mirror and began the disabling process over again. He was over halfway done when his hand slipped. Just a fraction, but it was enough. His skin made contact with the surface of the mirror, and everything happened instantaneously. If Thrisp’s friends could have seen him, they would have been horrified at his sudden transformation. His hair grew wild, jutting out at all angles, and his eyes became bloodshot with rage. His voice grew thick and guttural with phlegm, and only one though filled his mind: Death!
Sepoto and Marius were standing nearest to the doors. Basil, stating that he wanted to have a clear, ranged shot at the room should trouble arise, had retreated down the hallway and around a corner. What the goliath and the warmage saw was Thrisp’s reflection suddenly appear in the northern mirror. It seemed to be screaming something and pounding on the glass from the inside. From his position of concealment, Basil could see Marius, and noted the puzzled look on the gnome’s face. The young wizard peeked around the corner and saw what had drawn their attention.
“He’s triggered the trap,” the mage said. “The mirror’s somehow sucked him in! Stand back! I’ll handle this!” Shaking back his sleeves, he began casting, weaving a counter spell designed to dispel other magical effects. He focused it on the mirror, yet when he’d finished, nothing had changed. The image of Thrisp still screamed silently.
“It’s no use!” he said. “The magic is too powerful!”
The thing that had been Thrisp smiled to himself at Basil’s stupidity. Still cocooned within his zone of silence, he cast another spell, wreathing himself in a more powerful dweomer of invisibility that would not dissipate when he struck…and the time to strike would be very soon.
“If magic won’t do it, then we’ll have to try brute force,” Sepoto said, tightening his grip on his chain and striding purposefully towards the mirror. When he was in range, he swung, the image of Thrisp reflexively covering his face. The chain struck the glass, but it might as well have been striking iron. It merely clanged off, vibrating in the goliath’s hands.
“He’s out there!” the image of Thrisp suddenly screamed audibly. “Don’t kill me! Don’t kill me!”
“What are you talking about?” Sepoto shouted in confusion. “Who’s out here?”
At that moment, he heard Marius grunt in pain behind him. Turning, he saw the gnome doubled over and down on one knee.
“What happened?” the goliath said.
“A…spell…” the warmage panted. “One…that Thrisp…uses…It…weakens target…gradually…inevitably…”
Slowly, Marius used the wall to climb back to his feet. With effort, he cast his own spell, immolating his body in green fire. He knew that the magic that had afflicted him required the caster to touch his target. He was going to make sure that wouldn’t happen again.
“Damn it!” Sepoto roared pulling the mirror off the wall and shouting at Thrisp’s reflection. “What’s going on here?”
A moment later, he saw both Marius and Basil reel as some unseen force washed over them. Both looked stricken and pale, but Marius looked by far the worst. He was almost out on his feet. Cursing, the goliath cast the mirror aside and rushed to Marius. The warmage had managed to pull a healing elixir from his belt and was quaffing it just as the crusader reached him and cast one of his own spells, albeit a minor one, capable of healing only superficial injuries.
“Something’s using Thrisp’s powers against us!” Basil cried. “Thrisp was invisible when he went to the mirror, and magically silenced. So is whoever it is that we now face. Prepare yourselves! I’m going to try and reveal our attacker!”
The mage then conjured another counter spell, only this time he engulfed the whole room with it. Though less powerful than a targeted attack, the dispelling effect could still bring down some magical effects including, unfortunately, some of their own. Case-in-point was demonstrated when Marius’ fire shield suddenly snuffed out. Somewhat to their fortune, however, it also affected their assailant. They all heard a snarling voice, which vaguely resembled Thrisp’s, spitting out the words to a spell. An instant later, Sepoto was buffeted by a magical force which knocked the wind out of him, as if he’d been punched in the gut by a giant. They all heard light footsteps padding away.
“To the Hells with this!” Marius snarled. Casting blindly, he filled the hall outside the room with fire, hoping to catch their unseen enemy within it.
“What are you doing?” Basil shouted. “What if it really is Thrisp that we’re fighting and he can’t control himself?”
“Then he’d better get control soon,” the warmage snapped, “or it’s better him dead than me!”
“But…” Basil started to say, but then another spell triggered, and another blast of force struck the mage, as well as Sepoto. Basil swooned, slumping to the ground unconscious. Again Marius cast, this time filling the room with flames. Sepoto joined him, striking out around him with his chain, a deep growl in his throat.
Their feral, unseen attacker chuckled to himself as he moved to stand over the fallen form of Basil. Drawing a dagger from his robes, he knelt beside the mage…and drove the blade into his heart. All Sepoto and Marius saw was a gout of blood explode from Basil’s chest, but they knew what had happened.
“Now Sepoto!” Marius cried. “He has to be right beside Basil!” The warmage hurled a fireball into the corner, and grinned fiercely when he heard a guttural scream of agony. It was only momentary, however. An instant later, he heard the beguiler casting again. It was the same spell he’d hit Marius with in his first salvo…and he’d have to touch the wizard to affect him. Marius braced himself. He felt a faint whisper of fingers on his cheek and quickly ducked, shouting out his own magic as he did so. He exploded in fire, first only in his immediate area, but then widening out to fill most of the room. Unfortunately, Sepoto was caught in the effect, but the gnome knew that the goliath was made of sturdy stuff. He would have to be. Once again he heard the invisible killer scream, and that was when Sepoto struck. His chain whip-cracked out and the goliath felt it connect solidly. When he drew it back, it was drenched in blood. Slowly, something materialized on the floor in front of him, right beside Basil. It was Thrisp, looking completely normal, and unquestionably dead. The image in the mirror had vanished.
_________________________________________________________
Amella and Tavey were stricken when Sepoto and Marius delivered the news.
“So…where does that be leavin’ us now?” the Captain asked, Tavey huddled close next to her. After having heard that it was Sepoto himself who had delivered the killing blow to Thrisp, the boy’s attitude towards the goliath had cooled. There was fear in his eyes as he looked at his one-time hero.
“With few options,” Marius answered. “We could wander in this swamp for weeks or months, and never find our way out, especially not without Urol. Going back into the shrine seems less than optimal as well. With only Sepoto, Samson, and myself, I don’t like our odds. Still, we can’t just do nothing. When Samson returns from his scouting mission, we’ll have to discuss it more, but I tell you this, and I don’t say it to be needlessly cruel, but if we do go back in and not return…well, there are many ways to die in a place such as this, most of them slow and painful.”
“I hear what ye be sayin’,” Amella said, setting her jaw, “an’ if it comes t’that, I’ll do what needs doin’.”
“Speaking of Samson,” Sepoto said, changing the subject when he saw Tavey’s face go even paler, “he’s been gone awhile. What do you think might be keeping him?”
The little goblin had left over an hour before, searching for a suitable shelter for the night. It had been Marius that pointed out the fact that Basil’s little rope trick would be expiring sometime in the middle of the night, and this time the wizard wouldn’t be around to recreate it. They needed to find a safe place to hold up until morning.
“Hail the camp!” a voice called at that moment from the jungle. It was Samson’s. “Coming in!”
“Come ahead!” Sepoto answered.
A minute later, Samson stepped into the clearing…and he was not alone. He was accompanied by two individuals. The first was a young man with flowing, blonde hair, and eyes so amber that they sparkled like gold. He wore a religious medallion around his neck, one engraved with the symbol of Shaundekal the Traveler. The second was a beautiful woman, obviously of elven blood, her fine, sculpted features complimented by her fiery, red hair and green eyes. The first thing Marius noticed about her, however, was the Seeker signet she wore on the fifth finger of her left hand.
“I’ve brought company,” Samson said, smiling.
“Obviously,” Sepoto grumbled. “Odd place to stumble across pilgrims, don’t you think?”
“They’re from Farshore!” Samson said, still grinning. “They…”
“We are lost, much as you,” the young man said, interrupting. “I am Daelric Zorrin, and this is my traveling companion, Ozymandia.”
“Mandi will suffice,” the elf maid said, bowing slightly.
“Charmed,” Sepoto said. “You’ll forgive my suspicion, but we haven’t come across many friendly faces in this gods-forsaken place. How is it you two came to be here?”
“Your misgivings are understandable, and wise,” Daelric nodded. “Yet it is as your friend said. We come from Farshore. We were part of an expedition that set out from there over a month ago. We were envoys to the wilder tribes of Mazticans that dwell in the island’s interior. We had hoped to open trade negotiations, yet we never even reached the first village. We stumbled into Fogmire, whether by chance or some sinister plan, I cannot say. Yet we numbered almost a dozen when we set out, and now only Mandi and I remain. Samson told us of your encounter with the bar-igura. We have met him many times, and each time we lost one of our companions.”
Sepoto’s posture eased a bit, and he nodded for the newcomers to seat themselves.
“Did Samson tell you how we came to be here?” the goliath asked.
“He mentioned a shipwreck,” Daelric replied.
“Yes,” Sepoto nodded. “We were one of two vessels bound for Farshore. We were part of an expedition led by Lavinia Vanderboren. We were on our way to replenish the colony with supplies and personnel.”
“You came with Lavinia?” Daelric gasped. “I, of course, knew her parents well, and I even met her once as a young girl! We were part of the initial colonization expedition here. We expected Lord and Lady Vanderboren to return quite some time ago, but when they didn’t, it was decided that we should try and reach out to the island tribes in order to insure our survival.”
“Lavinia’s parents perished,” Sepoto said flatly. “Her brother, Vanthus, murdered them in order to inherit. Lavinia hired us to bring him to justice, and later to accompany her to Farshore to finish what her parents started.”
“I am saddened to hear of the Vanderborens’ passing,” Daelric replied. “But you say that Lavinia was with you? Please don’t tell me that she too has come to some bitter end!”
“We’re not sure,” the goliath shook his head. “Our ship was separated from hers during a storm. That’s been a couple of weeks back. You said you left Farshore over a month ago, so I don’t expect that you would know if the Blue Nixie arrived safely.”
“Sadly, no,” said Daelric. “We’ve had no contact with the colony since we left.”
“Well, I’m sure that Samson has filled you in on what’s happened to us since we entered Fogmire,” Sepoto said, and when the young man nodded, he continued. “So it doesn’t look like any of us are going to get to see Farshore unless we find our way out of this mess. Our best hope lies with our guide, a druid named Urol Forol. Unfortunately, if he’s still alive, he’s somewhere inside the shrine.”
“Then it seems you must go back in,” Daelric said, his eyes steady. “And if Mandi and I are to have any chance of escape, it seems as if we are obliged to accompany you.”
At this Sepoto raised one eyebrow. “Do you have any skills?” he asked. “I don’t mean to be rude, and no insult is meant towards our capable Captain here, but if you can’t fight and hold your own, you’ll be more hindrance to us than help.”
“Well, I have some skill with magic,” Daelric replied, “though mine is of a divine nature rather than the arcane.”
“So you’re a priest?” Sepoto asked, nodding towards his amulet.
“Not quite,” Daelric smiled. “You might say I was chosen by the Traveler while still in the womb. I have had no formal training. My power manifested itself while I was still a boy. I serve the will of Shaundekal.”
“And what of you?” Sepoto turned to Mandi.
“I also have skills in magic,” the elf replied coolly, “though my interests lie in the areas of xenobiology, and the nature of physical change.”
“Zeno-who?” Sepoto asked, confusion on his face. “Speak Common.”
“She’s a wizard,” Marius said, his eyes never leaving Mandi’s. “More specifically, a transmuter. She specializes in shape-shifting.”
“I see,” Sepoto said, though it was obvious that he didn’t. “Well, whatever. We need another wizard, what with Basil getting gutted by Thrisp and all. We could also use a healer, so I guess you two are in, like it or not.”
Marius most definitely did not. Though, as a rule, Seekers worked towards the same general goals, in reality they often found themselves at cross-purposes with one another. The warmage had not been aware that there were Seekers on the original expedition to Farshore, though it shouldn’t have surprised him. Still, that revelation changed much. He would have to be on his guard, and keep a careful eye on the elf.
_____________________________________________________________
The five teammates, old and new, stood once again upon the threshold of the mirrored room. This time there was no Thrisp to try and disable the trapped looking glasses, and perhaps that was not such a bad thing. It had been decided that Sepoto would be the one to investigate, for several reasons. Mainly, if he were to go insane, he had only minor magics to call upon, and though skilled as he was with his weapon of choice, the trio of spell weavers should be able to bring him down before he caused much harm.
The group had generally concluded that the candles, mirror and thrones were all interconnected in some way, since they all radiated powerful magic. Basil had said, before he died, that one of the dweomers possessed by the mirrors was that of Conjuration…a type of magic associated with arcane portals. It was quite possible that the entire chamber was a gateway leading deeper inside the shrine. They just had to figure out the key.
‘The candles first,’ Sepoto thought to himself as he cautiously crossed the room. He carried a guttering torch in one hand, and when he reached the blood-stained altar, he touched it to the candle on the left. He held his breath, waiting for the inevitable. For a moment, nothing happened, but then, out of the corner of his eye, he saw movement to his right. Turning that way, he noticed that the seat of the throne on the northern wall was now filled with a dark, red liquid…blood.
“I think we may be on to something,” he said over his shoulder to the others, who were still huddled outside the door.
“Just be careful,” Marius said, unnecessarily.
Sepoto moved over to the throne. The blood pool had stopped growing, not a drop spilling off of the seat.
“What do you do with a throne?” the goliath muttered to himself. Shrugging, he did the only thing he knew to do. He sat in it. Immediately, color began to swirl in the mirror hanging opposite him, on the south wall. The crusader leaped from the seat and approached it slowly. When he reached it, he saw a glow coming from somewhere deep within its inky depths. He reached out his hand.
“Sepoto, wait!” Marius cried, but it was too late. As soon as the goliath touched the mirror, an image appeared. It was a bestial, rabid caricature of himself, foaming at the mouth, rage in its eyes. Just for a moment, Sepoto felt that same rage blooming inside him, but just as quickly, it passed. He turned towards the others and gave a thumbs-up. The other mirror remained dark, and the other throne empty. Sepoto returned to the altar and lit the second candle. Immediately, the opposite throne began filling with blood.
“I think we’re in business,” he said, rushing over and sitting upon the throne. The northern mirror began to glow.
“This is it!” he nearly shouted as he rose from the chair and crossed to the second mirror. When he touched it, his feral reflection briefly appeared again, but then vanished as the images in both mirrors changed to swirling vortexes of darkness.
“You know, I had a dog once,” Sepoto said, a smile on his face as he faced his companions, “and his name was…Bingo!”
_________________________________________________________
Sepoto was the first one to step through the mystic portal. When he exited on the other side, he found himself in a huge chamber bathed in a strange red light that came from above. Thorny vines grew across the walls and toward the ceiling some forty feet up. A natural stone bridge crossed through the upper reaches of the room, directly above a large pool of crimson liquid. He had emerged from a large, free-standing mirror on the north wall, its warped surface framed in iron. The warm scent of wet fur was overpowering, and a furtive shuffling echoed from the bridge overhead.
A moment later, Daelric stepped out of the mirror behind Sepoto, closely followed by Mandi. The elf’s eyes grew wide as she looked about her.
“Watch out!” she screamed.
Immediately, Sepoto went into a battle crouch, but he saw nothing. “What?” he shouted. “What is it?”
“The demons!” Mandi shrieked. “They’re coming from both sides!” The mage had imbued herself with the power to see the unseen before stepping through the portal, and now she thanked her ancestors that she had. Two bar-iguras, cloaked in invisibility, were closing steadily towards them, one on each side. At her shout of warning, they rushed forward. Both of them appeared for an instant as they locked their hands around the arms of Daelric and Mandi, and then vanished. For an instant, the wizard and the holy man felt themselves pulled mightily. The demons had tried to abduct them, as they had their companions before. It was only by pure strength of will that the pair resisted, remaining where they were while the bar-iguras teleported.
Just then Marius appeared thru the looking glass.
“Ware!” Mandi shouted. “They could be anywhere!”
“I’ll flush them out,” Daelric said, and he began murmuring a prayer. When he’d finished, there was no obvious effect, until slowly, not twenty feet away, the two demons materialized.
“They won’t be able to disappear while my spell holds,” Daelric said, “but they can still teleport. Strike now!”
Sepoto didn’t hesitate, moving towards the nearest fiend. It was obvious that neither of these were the one that had killed Anwar. They weren’t big enough, but they were still deadly, and it wouldn’t do to underestimate them. To prove that point, the one that the goliath was not engaging rushed passed him, heading straight for Daelric. As it came, however, the young acolyte hurled a powerful blast of power at it, striking with a lance of pure sound. Simultaneously, Marius unleashed a blast of scorching fire at Sepoto’s opponent, though it only managed to singe the demon’s Abyss-spawned flesh. Frustrated, the war mage took note that the sonic burst Daelric used seemed to have wounded the other bar-igura greatly. Casting again, he manifested a clear ball of concentrated sonic energy, and slung it at Sepoto’s opponent. This time the demon reeled, and when Daelric struck with a second sonic spear, it collapsed into the pool, a fist-sized hole blown in its chest.
The tactic seemed to be working, so Mandi didn’t try to alter it. She struck out at the remaining bar-igura. As it roared in pain and rage, Sepoto struck as well, his chain cleaving through its spine like a razor, splitting it nearly in two.
“Well,” the goliath said, panting and surveying the carnage as Samson finally stepped through the mirror, “looks like we officially have ourselves two new Legionnaires.”
Zaruthustran
The tingling means it’s working!
Deadly!
Tony Vargas
Legend
"It was only by pure strength of will that the pair resisted, remaining where they were while the bar-iguras teleported. "
Interesting. I vaguely remember the bar-igura from 2nd Ed, I think. None of the plain vanilla 3E SRD demons can teleport with others (they're generally restricted to possessions or a 50lb wieght limit, IIRC). Is it a (relatively) unique bar-igura trick, or am I missing something...?
Interesting. I vaguely remember the bar-igura from 2nd Ed, I think. None of the plain vanilla 3E SRD demons can teleport with others (they're generally restricted to possessions or a 50lb wieght limit, IIRC). Is it a (relatively) unique bar-igura trick, or am I missing something...?
demiurge1138
Inventor of Super-Toast
Abduction is a bar-lgura ability. They can explicitly take others with them when they teleport.Tony Vargas said:
Demiurge out.
Joachim
First Post
Supar said:
For the readers, don't think that JD took over my character and proceeded to lay waste to the other PC's; sadly it was all my doing. He took me aside and told me to play it as deadly as I could, so I was following orders...knowing Thrisp's abilities and the others' weaknesses I was certain that it was going to be trouble. When I came back to the table I simply told everyone that either I was going to be making a new character, or they were. Turns out I was right on both accounts.
As far as the coup de grace on Basil, the end result was regretable, but the other option was to Whelming Burst Sepoto and Marius...as a player I knew that both of those PC's were near unconsciousness with all of the Mass Whelm / Inevitable Defeat damage that I had been dealing. I also knew that my coup de grace damage was 2d4-2, so the fort save would be between 11 and 16...it turned out to be 1 point of damage, Fort save DC of 11. I took the risk that I could kill 1 PC (but probably not any) rather than a good chance of knocking all 3 out at which point I could simply coup de grace all of them repeatedly at my leisure.
Oh, well, death is a part of the game, but I don't think that I am done with the Beguiler class just yet...if anything happens to Ozymandia (Joe was the one that shortened it to Mandi, which I assume is because he doesn't want to have to repeatedly type all 9 letters of my name) we may see another incarnation of this kind of character, probably specializing in Enchantments rather than Illusions. Ozymandia was thrown together as quickly as I could (I usually spend days to weeks analyzing my characters, and I made her in about an hour), but the end result looks pretty interesting. I will post her build shortly.
