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Story Hour
(4e) Saga of Valor
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<blockquote data-quote="Netherstorm" data-source="post: 5732342" data-attributes="member: 84943"><p><em>11/14/11:All Seven players made it and we got plenty done. Listed next to each character is the title the King has bestowed upon them.</em></p><p></p><p style="text-align: center"><span style="font-family: 'Arial Black'"><span style="font-size: 12px">Saga of Valor </span></span></p> <p style="text-align: center"><span style="font-family: 'Arial Black'"><span style="font-size: 12px"> Book One - NyrodSpace War 3</span></span></p> <p style="text-align: center"></p> <p style="text-align: center"></p> <p style="text-align: center"><em>Chapter Three: Belgos & Silussa</em></p> <p style="text-align: center"></p><p></p><p><strong>Ardra</strong> - Eladrin Bladesinger <em>Vovoidja</em></p><p><strong>The Blue Monk</strong> - Half-Orc Monk <em>Almoner</em></p><p><strong>Hartaniel</strong> - Elf Barbarian <em>Groom of the Stool</em></p><p><strong>Lucky</strong> - Human Warlord <em>Constable</em></p><p><strong>Ryltar</strong> - Drow Avenger <em>Constable</em></p><p><strong>Scarlet</strong> - Human Fighter <em>Constable</em></p><p><strong>Veris</strong> - Half-Elf Warlock <em>Hostarius</em></p><p></p><p>King Thenrynnia had selected a band of heroic survivors of the Drow assault to become his new advisors. During the assault, the survivors had encountered a woman with a scythe and a strange demon at her side. She was also attended to by a number of strange physicians. They had killed a physician and found a map of nearby Dagger Rock with an X on it, and decided to go investigate it.</p><p></p><p>The King asked them to leave in 2 days' time. During that time, the citizens met up with different factions to hone their skills, to better prepare them should they battle the drow again.</p><p></p><p>Veris, the 12-year-old former slave of the drow, headed to the clock tower of the Shadowborn clan. There, Skelogha Shadowborn trained Veris in the ways of a warlock. Paunchcrammer the imp was nearby. It waved politely. Veris stared it down, scaring it.</p><p></p><p>Skelogha had Veris kill some bats with his eldritch blast, dodge thrown daggers, and then practice detecting magic. "You're pretty good, kid." Skelogha said. "One day you're gonna be a pretty good warlock."</p><p></p><p>Lucky, Scarlet, and Ryltar headed to the Church of Io. There, Ambril the deva showed them a magic door in a mural depicting Bahamut and Amyria that only they could see. The door led to a temple on Nyrod's moon, the world of Dracos. Lucky peered at it and sighed, "We're probably going to die. It's not a big deal."</p><p></p><p>As they stepped through, Ryltar heard Ambril quietly arguing with herself. He didn't know what to make of it.</p><p></p><p>They appeared in the Mountainroot Temple, a sacred place that held portals to a number of different places. There, the Azer Caretaker brought them to a great door. One other hopeful member of The Hundred was present. Her name was Tam.</p><p></p><p>The Azer said, Open the door and gaze beyond it. It will either give you great power, or it might kill you."</p><p></p><p>"Sounds good enough to me", Scarlet said.</p><p></p><p>Ryltar nodded and said, "Those are some good odds".</p><p></p><p>Tam, the woman who'd been at the temple when the heroes arrived, backed away and whispered fearfully, "One of you open it."</p><p></p><p>They opened the door, which led to the Astral Sea. Weird energies washed over them. Tam was overcome and passed out. The others absorbed the energy, and wielded its' power (<em>they now possessed the Spellscar theme power</em>).</p><p></p><p>Ardra headed down beneath the city to Thunderspire Labyrinth and met with Vortrax Battler, a tiefling mage of Saruun. When she walked in, his back was to her. He was punching the wall angrily. Ardra quietly watched him. He grabbed his head and yelled "Bats! Everywhere! Yarrggh!". He grabbed his head and thrashed about. Then he noticed Ardra watching. He straightened up and snapped, "Were you going to watch me forever?!".</p><p></p><p>"Depends on how long you were stuck in your.... state," she said.</p><p></p><p>"The name's Vortrax Battler. We don't have a lot of time. so don't waste ... my time." He realized how stupid that sounded, and so did she.</p><p></p><p>She laughed. "That sounds logical."</p><p></p><p>"Shut up and read this book," he said, and tossed her a tome. "If you have any skill at all, you'll soon be able to comprehend any language you've heard recently. I'll go get myself together."</p><p></p><p>She read the book. He returned and began to speak to her in Infernal. And she understood. "My father was a devil named Vilitrax. I escaped his cages after a time, but I still remember the bats. Picking at my skin! They'd descend on me every night!". He began to shout and pound the wall, suffering more flashbacks. Then he straightened up and said, "You've done well." They proceeded to train for two days. She learned to wield magic through her blade.</p><p></p><p>The Blue Monk met with some other Blue Monks in a ruined temple in the city. There, Elder Teal said, "I know you are already a great warrior, but I wish to teach you a new technique."</p><p></p><p>Another Blue Monk produced a bound and bloodied lolthbound goblin.</p><p></p><p>Elder Teal showed him four pressure points on the goblin, which, when struck in rapid succession, caused instant death!</p><p></p><p>The Blue Monk struck the goblin in the four points, and watched in amazement how it gagged and expired as blood poured from its' nose. "Thank you, sir," he said.</p><p></p><p>Hartaniel headed to the Seekers Enclave, which was in an old museum. There he met with Darvana Violet, who had her nose in a book. She looked at him and said, "About time you got here."</p><p></p><p>He said nothing.</p><p></p><p>She said, "Stop talking so much!", and laughed. "My name's Darvana. If you want to be a Seeker you have to go downstairs. Are you ready?".</p><p></p><p>"Yes."</p><p></p><p>Downstairs was a dungeon area, where a crude obstacle course had been made. "You know what I like to do?", Darvana asked. "I like to go to ancient ruins, find antique pottery, and break it!". Her voice dropped to a whisper. "Isn't that funny?". He just looked at her. His task was to jump over a pit. "Don't fall in the pit!", she called. "Poison spikes in there!".</p><p></p><p>Hartaniel jumped and easily crossed the pit. Then he swung across some ropes. And then she tested him on dungeon slopes. His knowledge of Dungeoneering was sub-par. He failed the test.</p><p></p><p>She said, "You suck at dungeon slopes. Here's your Seeker pin. You should be donating stuff to us once in a while, don't keep it all. It could be knowledge or magic items. I'll make sure it gets stored safely."</p><p></p><p>Hartaniel wasn't sure if she'd just break whatever he brought her. He bowed.</p><p></p><p>As they trained, the spirit of nature known as Stormhawk hovered over the city, striking it with lightning and blasting it with heavy rain. Stormhawk was angry that gods had stepped upon the mortal world and done battle.</p><p></p><p>The city's five immortals directed the clean-up effort.</p><p></p><p>All dead bodies were to be brought to Burnglow for incineration.</p><p>All live enemies were to be brought before Maleficia the Hag, to become part of her carpet of ladybugs.</p><p>All trash was to be brought to the Incomprehensible one so that it could be transformed into a prism that transmuted light into weird, unearthly music (sounds like space whales).</p><p>All wounded or dead citizens were to be brought to the Barbarian to be healed or laid to rest.</p><p>All disputes were to be abjudicated to the seven-headed demon Lord Foul.</p><p>And the church of Dispater was even doing its' part, collecting all of the soul shard created by the colossal death titans. They were even offering to pay for them, so they could be stored safely beneath the church.</p><p></p><p>It was also noticed that the church of Mari, goddess of luck, had been hit by lightning twice. The heroes heard rumors of the legendary hero Tiger-man boarding one of the spelljammers and heading into wildspace to hunt down drow ships. The Silverfist clan led the army of Olwynn to Dunnwynn, which had been overtaken by the drow.</p><p></p><p>Two days had passed. The heroes met with the King and were given titles. He told the heroes he'd used a ritual to observe his missing council member, Darsidian. The dragon was imprisoned with the goddess of luck Mari and her dragon exarchs in a dungeon somewhere far away.</p><p></p><p>He'd also used a ritual called History Revealed on the drow prisoner in the white dress. He learned she had been ordered to build a tower out of webbing in the ruins of Olwynn. He also learned many details of her harsh life. She was addicted to poppy juice, and was begging for more. He asked the heroes and the other advisors if he should give her some.</p><p></p><p>Strom Wakeman said yes.</p><p></p><p>Lady Tarentia said no. "We should kill the prisoner and be done with her. The drow cannot be trusted!".</p><p></p><p>Scarlet said to her, "King Thennrynnia is a drow."</p><p></p><p>She stammered and said, "He is a demi-god." She fluttered her eyes at the king. "No slight intended, your highness."</p><p></p><p>The King brought the heroes to drow's cell. Her name was Derinnil. "Is she not beautiful?", he asked.</p><p></p><p>"She's alright," shrugged Scarlet.</p><p></p><p>The King asked, "Would it help if I let her out?".</p><p></p><p>The heroes all said "No", in unison.</p><p></p><p>The King grabbed the hilt of his sword, the legendary artifact known as Blackrazor. "Blackrazor yearns to eat her soul...". He told Hartaniel to go procure some poppy juice.</p><p></p><p>Hartaniel quietly pulled Ryltar, his drow ally, aside. He asked him if he knew where any poppy juice was. Ryltar explained he'd only been in Olwynn a few days and had no idea.</p><p></p><p>Hartaniel headed out into Olwynn to find some poppy juice. The city was still in chaos, everyone pitching in to clean up the rubble of many ruined buildings. He wasn't having much luck.</p><p></p><p>Lucky headed into the city, and approached some sleazy orcs and half-orcs. Long ago it had been controversial to allow the orcs to live in ghettos, but now they were accepted as equal citizens.</p><p></p><p>Scarlet walked the devastated streets as well. It made her remember... </p><p></p><p><em>She was about 10 years old, raised by friends of her parents who had joined a cult of Bane. The cult had laid siege to a small village. Scarlet then was known by her given name, Nemesis.</em></p><p><em></em></p><p><em>Her step-mother had paused in the midst of battle. She was staring at the Red Sun. It's evil curse flooded her mind, begging her to raise eight death knights so that they could free Ebonbane and Lord Soth from their prison. As she stood, entranced, a farmer rushed her with a pitchfork. Nemesis tried to stop the farmer's charge but slipped. She watched as her mother calmly snatched the pitchfork away and killed the farmer with it.</em></p><p><em></em></p><p><em>Then Nemesis heard her step-father arguing in a nearby hut. Nemesis rushed in to find her step-father arguing with his rival, Banelar. They had killed the family in the hut. Banelar wanted to kill the wife as well, but her step-father said she could be indoctrinated to speed the cult's growth. Nemesis convinced them to let the woman live.</em></p><p><em></em></p><p><em>Nemesis hated the cult. She began to try to think of a way to destroy it from within....</em></p><p></p><p>The heroes returned with the poppy juice and gathered on a balcony overlooking Olwynn. Lady Tarentia offered to have a network of pixies travel with the heroes and report back to her, so the King would be aware of how their trip was progressing.</p><p></p><p>The heroes were off. They made their way through the forest to the west, heading to Dagger Rock.</p><p></p><p>They came upon a few shattered statues with pink webbing inside. Some had hatched Lolthbound goblins, who were seemingly long gone. They also came upon the broken remains of a Roc. Judging from the tracks around it, it had hatched a tremendously huge spider.</p><p></p><p>The heroes were passing through a clearing when suddenly a spelljammer came rocketing toward them! As it passed overhead, the heroes scattered. The drow onboard gleefully fired their crossbows down. The poison in the bolts put Scarlet and Ardra sleep. The ship continued on to the east.</p><p></p><p>Teddy, Veris' floating skull familiar (<em>who was a young drow in life</em>) said, "Wow! I wonder where they're going!".</p><p></p><p>"We'll soon find out", the Blue Monk said grimly.</p><p></p><p>The heroes rested for a few minutes and awoke those who were poisoned.</p><p></p><p>Soon after, they came to a bridge. On the bridge was the statue of a beautiful woman, and a bunch of lolthbound goblins were poking at it. They wondered aloud why it hadn't hatched.</p><p></p><p>The heroes decided to surprise them. Ardra blasted one with a magic missile, and the Blue Monk charged forward and bloodied one with punches. Ardra killed it with a second magic missile. Two goblins were on the far side of the bridge. They fired arrows at the heroes. The Blue Monk was hit, and nearly killed. Lucky healed him, and he stumbled back.</p><p></p><p>Some of the heroes on the periphery of the battlefield noticed a number of rats and bats about. They weren't sure what to make of it.</p><p></p><p>Ardra teleported behind the enemies on the bridge and stabbed one in the back, killing it. Another goblin let out a thunder blast that dropped Lucky and Ardra.</p><p></p><p>Ryltar turned invisible and ran over the bridge to deal with the two ranged attackers. The goblins on the bridge were cut down. The archers tried to flee. The heroes kept one and questioned it. It knew little.</p><p></p><p>Hartaniel said "Give us your money, fool."</p><p></p><p>The goblin sheepishly offered a pouch of gold coins.</p><p></p><p>Hartaniel continued, "..and leave your weapons."</p><p></p><p>It placed its' pick on the ground.</p><p></p><p>"Now I'll crush his head!" Ryltar exclaimed, raising his weapon in the air. Other heroes protested.</p><p></p><p>"Why would you want to do that?", Veris asked. The 12 year old boy walked up to the goblin, looked into his eyes and cast spiteful glamor. The mere sight of Veris became anathema to the goblin. It shrieked and bled from the eyes.</p><p></p><p>Lucky laid in a puddle of her own blood, watched, and took a drink from her flask.</p><p></p><p>Ryltar asked him about the statue of the woman. The goblin indicated that he didn't understand why it hadn't hatched a goblin. He looked at the heroes with a cheesy smile and said "<em>Lolth tlu malla</em>, everybody...?". That was drow for 'praise Lolth'. The heroes sternly shook their heads and said "No!".</p><p></p><p>Scarlet bashed his head in.</p><p></p><p>Then the statue began to shimmer. It became flesh! Before them stood a beautiful blonde-haired eladrin wearing filmy garments.</p><p></p><p>"Thank you!", she said in a sultry voice.</p><p></p><p>The heroes were suspicious, and asked her what was going on.</p><p></p><p>She said, "I was wandering the forest, alone, when I saw the goblins. I had learned a trick from my master long ago, which allowed me to turn to stone for safety.</p><p></p><p>Ardra asked, "Who's your master?".</p><p></p><p>The woman began to swoon at the thought of him. "A handsome man named Belgos! He's my beloved."</p><p></p><p>"Where were you headed?" asked the Blue Monk.</p><p></p><p>She brushed back her hair. "My friend Nilonim was captured. And I was looking for help!"</p><p></p><p>"Is he still captured?" asked the Blue Monk.</p><p></p><p>"The evil drow have taken him. He is a good drow." She gestured to Ryltar, who she presumed also to be a good drow.</p><p></p><p>"See, she gets it." Ryltar said approvingly.</p><p></p><p>Scarlet asked where the evil drow were. She explained that they lived in a small underdark community called Honglath. An entrance to it could be found in a cave not far from Dagger Rock.</p><p></p><p>Veris knew of Honglath. He'd been a slave in a drow city called Rilauven, which sometimes traded with Honglath.</p><p></p><p>"I could lead you there. Perhaps you could free my friend? I'd be ever so grateful, as would the handsome Belgos." She sighed at the thought of him. "He's so handsome. Perhaps you'll meet him some time."</p><p></p><p>Scarlet asked about the bats and rats around. She claimed not to see any bats or rats. Ryltar pointed out five bats in a nearby tree. She said it was odd, but didn't know why.</p><p></p><p>Lucky solemnly said, "Must be just another ill omen."</p><p></p><p>"Belgos is lost in the forest. Perhaps we'll encounter him on our journey. I know he'll find me one way or another."</p><p></p><p>Ryltar said, "If he's so great, how did he get lost - eh it's not worth it." Hartaniel agreed.</p><p></p><p>The heroes looted the goblin corpses. The lantern of Vecna whispered to Hartaniel, "Beware the one in the filmy clothing! There are secrets abound!".</p><p></p><p>Ryltar said, "The cloud is talking again."</p><p></p><p>"Tell it to shut up if it's not going to give us treasure", Scarlet added.</p><p></p><p>"The lamp is probably right," Lucky said mournfully. "She's probably going to lead us to doom and peril." Lucky took her peg leg off, re-adjusted it, and put it back on.</p><p></p><p>The heroes healed up for half an hour. During that time, the woman told them that Honglath held a total of about 70 drow and slaves. The two leaders of Honglath were dangerous. There was Commander Pellanistra, who had a magic arm made of an adamantite alloy. And the matron was called Yathrin Faeryl, a priestess of Lolth.</p><p></p><p>Once rested, the heroes headed off, led by the mysterious woman. She said her name was Silussa.</p><p></p><p>"Maybe we could free the slaves," Ryltar said.</p><p></p><p>Hartaniel responded, "You'd be ending their lives."</p><p></p><p>Ryltar was taken aback. "Yes - you'd be ending their lives as slaves."</p><p></p><p>"Everything they've lived for. They would not know what to do next."</p><p></p><p>"All right. So. You're kind of an idiot."</p><p></p><p>Hartaniel calmly explained, "I was a slave. I liked it! I wanted to stay there."</p><p></p><p>Veris said, "You must not have been enslaved by the drow."</p><p></p><p>Ryltar shook his head. "Impressively weird."</p><p></p><p>Veris' skull familiar, Teddy, said "You're all probably going to be drow slaves soon." He cackled.</p><p></p><p>Lucky patted the skull and said, "Ah you're a good kid."</p><p></p><p>Teddy looked down at the ground, floated away from Lucky and said quietly, "Thank you, matron".</p><p></p><p>The Blue Monk scouted ahead. He saw a lot of bats in the trees, and rats on the ground. The heroes could not figure out what that was all about. Lucky got drunk off her flask and began shouting at the rats. "I'm tired of this magic nonsense!". The rats scattered.</p><p></p><p>After hours of walking, it was becoming dark. They made camp. They sat around the fire. Silussa sat next to the boy, Veris.</p><p></p><p>She asked him, "What's a young man like yourself doing adventuring with these people?"</p><p></p><p>Veris nervously said, "Killing drow?"</p><p></p><p>Teddy whispered to him, "I think she likes you!".</p><p></p><p>Hartaniel threw a rock at the skull. Teddy flew over to him and said, "You got a problem?!"</p><p></p><p>Hartaniel said, "Let the boy become a man!"</p><p></p><p>Teddy the skull responded, "that should be me! When I was alive, I used to beat him up all the time!".</p><p></p><p>"I see how that ended".</p><p></p><p>Silussa asked, "Do you want to take a walk, Veris?"</p><p></p><p>"OK!".</p><p></p><p>The Blue Monk tried to follow them without being noticed, but he stepped on a branch. Silussa turned, annoyed, and waved him off. Two other heroes crept in the woods, watching to make sure something horrible didn't happen to Veris.</p><p></p><p>Silussa asked, "Have you ever had a girlfriend?"</p><p></p><p>"I'm 12," Veris answered.</p><p></p><p>"When I was 12, I was a long way away from meeting Belgos. But I met a lot of nice young boys."</p><p></p><p>"..."</p><p></p><p>"Tell me about the prettiest girl you've ever met."</p><p></p><p>"Probably my mommy. I burned her alive."</p><p></p><p>"Oh. How about someone not related to you?"</p><p></p><p>"She wasn't related to me. She was the woman who raised me."</p><p></p><p>"Where did you grow up?"</p><p></p><p>"In her house, as a slave."</p><p></p><p>She sighed. "OK, lets go back to the camp."</p><p></p><p>They returned and she plopped down on a log. "Oh, Belgos...." she moaned. Lucky handed her a flask.</p><p></p><p>Scarlet leaned over and said to Silussa, "Honestly! He's 12!"</p><p></p><p>Silussa scowled at her and said, "You have a lot to learn."</p><p></p><p>Everyone went to sleep. Ryltar and The Blue Monk laid awake and talked of the Raven Queen.</p><p></p><p>Hartaniel got up early and practiced shooting a crossbow he'd got from a goblin. He fired bolts into the trunk of a tree. He spotted some bats. He shot one, and killed it. Suddenly, in all of the trees around, 30 bats squealed and took flight! They headed off to the east.</p><p></p><p>The next day, they continued their journey. The spelljammer returned from the east! The heroes ducked under trees and behind rocks for cover. The drow fired down on Silussa with bolts and elemental fire. She looked up at the ship, barely harmed and furious!</p><p></p><p>She suddenly changed. Yellow bat wings sprouted out from her shoulders. She was a succubus! A bunch of bats from nearby treetops flew up to join her. One was larger and made of mist. They flew up to the ship.</p><p></p><p>The drow onboard recoiled in fear. "Belgos! Silussa! We had no idea it was you!"</p><p></p><p>Silussa angrily shouted at the drow, who turned the ship and flew off.</p><p></p><p>Silussa and the mist bat flew down and hovered over the heroes. "It's ok! I'm not going to hurt you." The mist-bat shape-shifted into a shirtless drow with vampire fangs. she looked at him and said, "Oh Belgos, I missed you so!"</p><p></p><p>Belgos said, "I missed you as well, my darling! Every moment where I had to watch you try to seduce that boy... it tore me up inside!"</p><p></p><p>"But now we're together again!"</p><p></p><p>"Nobody understands us, my darling!"</p><p></p><p>"No one!"</p><p></p><p>Scarlet whispered, "They're talking about the really creepy thing that happened in the woods last night."</p><p></p><p>For a moment, Ryltar wondered how a vampire was appearing in broad daylight. Then he remembered that because of the mind flayers tampering with the three suns of Nyrodspace a hundred years ago, things worked differently. (<em>The mind flayers had shunted much of the suns' energy into a device called the Engine Consummate. The Engine's ultimate goal was to pull an alternate reality into this one. A band of heroes stopped them.</em>)</p><p></p><p>The heroes noticed a horde of bats and rats closing in from all directions.</p><p></p><p>Belgos said proudly, I am a master of bats and rats!"</p><p></p><p>Silussa added, "It's true! They just flock to him naturally!"</p><p></p><p>"And Silussa can turn into a statue at will. No other succubus can do that! She's special... aren't you, my darling?" He put his hand on her face. She touched it.</p><p></p><p>He addressed Veris. "You had a rare opportunity to become a man, my friend! You will rue the day for the rest of your life."</p><p></p><p>Veris looked at him and said, "I repeat - I'm 12."</p><p></p><p>Silussa looked at the heroes and said, "Maybe I lied to you a little."</p><p></p><p>"Or a lot..", Scarlet said.</p><p></p><p>The succubus continued, "But. Those drow made me angry. I am supposed to be working with them. But Pellanistra punched me with her metal arm. And they did capture Nilonim. We're not helping them any more, are we, Belgos?"</p><p></p><p>"No, my darling! They don't treat us with any respect at all!"</p><p></p><p>Lucky rolled her eyes and said sarcastically, "The world has never seen a love like theirs." The heroes chuckled.</p><p></p><p>Belgos said, "While I urge you to go to Honglath to kill the drow, I only hope that you all one day can find love the way that I have!". He lowered his gaze on the most beautiful female in the group - Scarlet.</p><p></p><p>"Perhaps a raven-haired beauty such as yourself could go for a walk with me some day." He turned to Silussa and asked, "You wouldn't mind, would you my lover?"</p><p></p><p>Silussa said, "Of course not, because I know you're coming back to me at the end of the day with wonderful stories to tell!"</p><p></p><p>Scarlet said, "I'll be busy washing my hair. Forever."</p><p></p><p>With that, the succubus and the vampire said farewell and flew off.</p><p></p><p>The lantern of Vecna muttered to Hartaniel, "You know, they could be powerful allies, Hartaniel! And vampires - they live forever..."</p><p></p><p>Hartaniel wasn't interested.</p><p></p><p>The adventurers decided to go to Honglath and see what was going on.</p><p></p><p>Later that day, they came upon a cave with vines that had roses growing from them. The heroes were certain that a secret entrance was inside somewhere. Ardra reached out with her arcane senses, and realized a rose had to be pressed three times.</p><p></p><p>The back wall slid open and revealed a large stone disc that acted as a type of elevator leading down. Ardra activated it, and the heroes sunk into the underdark.</p><p></p><p>At the bottom, Ardra disabled a drow wayfinder rune trap. In the cave beyond was a herd of Rothe being hunted by a single bugbear. A tunnel lead off to the north. The heroes tried to sneak into the tunnel but the bugbear noticed them. Ryltar raced forward and cut its' head off. It was a slave, he realized, a bit sadly.</p><p></p><p>The tunnel was lit by little cages with fire beetles in them mounted on the walls. It led to Honglath. The small drow community was little more than a few caves surrounding an altar to Lolth. In a hanging silver cage next to the altar was a drow male, who had a number of scars on his body.</p><p></p><p>The heroes crept around. They slipped into a ritual room, where they found a ritual book and notes on their dealings with the cult of Urgathoa. Apparently the drow of Honglath's role in the drow invasion was to protect a cult in Dagger Rock, and to transport whatever the cult was making to the larger drow city of Rilauven to the east.</p><p></p><p>Veris shuddered. He'd been a slave in Rilauven, until he set fire to his master and made his escape.</p><p></p><p>Ardra found a magic secret page in the ritual book, which detailed the cult of Urgathoa. Urgathoa was one of the King of Terror's three exarchs. The cult in Dagger Rock was run by a priestess called Ilcanya Alonar, assisted by a necromancer called Rolth.</p><p></p><p>The heroes snuck about a bit more, and saw a bunch of sleeping bugbear slaves in a cave. Ryltar took off, turned invisible, and crept past the bugbears... Then he became visible as he stumbled upon the ruler of Honglath herself! Yathrin Faeryl was reading a prayerbook of Lolth as her handmaiden sewed up some silk garments.</p><p></p><p>Yathrin Faeryl turned, and scowled at the drow. "What is the meaning of this?!", she hissed. She looked at his collar, confused by the lack of a drow house insignia. "Where is your.."</p><p></p><p>Ryltar let out a shout, grabbed her, and put the blade of his scythe to her throat. She called out for Commander Pellanistra,slipped out of his grasp and immobilized him with a pain web spell. Ryltar called forth a cloud of ravens to blind the drow if they came close.</p><p></p><p>The other heroes ran to help Ryltar. Hartaniel came over to Nilonim's cage. Nilonim promised to get help from his House, House Kilsek. Hartaniel chopped the silver cage open and the drow raced off.</p><p></p><p>Commander Pellanistra burst out of a door near Hartaniel and threw off her cloak, revealing an arm made of adamantite! The arm glowed blue with magic! She ran over and punched Hartaniel, sending him flying back ten feet. He got up and cut her. "<em>Vith Dos</em>", he said, which was drow for f- you. She laughed. Pellanistra grabbed him with her adamantite arm and tossed him into a human-shaped depression in the altar of Lolth. Little holes in it came alive, about to wrap him in a cocoon of webbing!</p><p></p><p>Ardra cast suggestion on the four groggy bugbear slaves. She urged them to join her. They did! They surrounded her and protected her. One raced over and pulled Hartaniel off of the altar.</p><p></p><p>Four drow of House Tormtor emerged from a nearby area to aid Commander Pellanistra. They killed one of the bugbears.</p><p></p><p>In Faeryl's chamber, The Blue Monk aided Ryltar as they fought her while Scarlet blocked the exit. Ryltar bloodied the handmaiden with a slash. The Blue Monk finished her off. Faeryl tried to barrel past Scarlet, but Scarlet grabbed her by the leg and flipped her to the ground. Ryltar ran over, and slashed her guts open with his scythe. She was dead.</p><p></p><p>Outside, Pellanistra continued to fight alongside her drow allies. From a tunnel came Nilonim and his men, a dozen drow with crossbows. They plugged Pellanistra's men full of bolts, killing them.</p><p></p><p>Pellanistra knew she'd lost. Lucky wanted her adamantite arm. Nilonim smiled. The bugbears placed her on the altar. The webbing shot out and wrapped her up. Nilonim raised his blade staff and hacked off the adamantite arm. He tossed it to the warlord.</p><p></p><p>He thanked the heroes, and told them that they were welcome in Honglath any time.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Netherstorm, post: 5732342, member: 84943"] [I]11/14/11:All Seven players made it and we got plenty done. Listed next to each character is the title the King has bestowed upon them.[/I] [CENTER][FONT=Arial Black][SIZE=3]Saga of Valor [/SIZE][/FONT] [FONT=Arial Black][SIZE=3] Book One - NyrodSpace War 3[/SIZE][/FONT] [FONT=Arial Black][SIZE=3] [/SIZE][/FONT] [I]Chapter Three: Belgos & Silussa[/I] [/CENTER] [B]Ardra[/B] - Eladrin Bladesinger [I]Vovoidja[/I] [B]The Blue Monk[/B] - Half-Orc Monk [I]Almoner[/I] [B]Hartaniel[/B] - Elf Barbarian [I]Groom of the Stool[/I] [B]Lucky[/B] - Human Warlord [I]Constable[/I] [B]Ryltar[/B] - Drow Avenger [I]Constable[/I] [B]Scarlet[/B] - Human Fighter [I]Constable[/I] [B]Veris[/B] - Half-Elf Warlock [I]Hostarius[/I] King Thenrynnia had selected a band of heroic survivors of the Drow assault to become his new advisors. During the assault, the survivors had encountered a woman with a scythe and a strange demon at her side. She was also attended to by a number of strange physicians. They had killed a physician and found a map of nearby Dagger Rock with an X on it, and decided to go investigate it. The King asked them to leave in 2 days' time. During that time, the citizens met up with different factions to hone their skills, to better prepare them should they battle the drow again. Veris, the 12-year-old former slave of the drow, headed to the clock tower of the Shadowborn clan. There, Skelogha Shadowborn trained Veris in the ways of a warlock. Paunchcrammer the imp was nearby. It waved politely. Veris stared it down, scaring it. Skelogha had Veris kill some bats with his eldritch blast, dodge thrown daggers, and then practice detecting magic. "You're pretty good, kid." Skelogha said. "One day you're gonna be a pretty good warlock." Lucky, Scarlet, and Ryltar headed to the Church of Io. There, Ambril the deva showed them a magic door in a mural depicting Bahamut and Amyria that only they could see. The door led to a temple on Nyrod's moon, the world of Dracos. Lucky peered at it and sighed, "We're probably going to die. It's not a big deal." As they stepped through, Ryltar heard Ambril quietly arguing with herself. He didn't know what to make of it. They appeared in the Mountainroot Temple, a sacred place that held portals to a number of different places. There, the Azer Caretaker brought them to a great door. One other hopeful member of The Hundred was present. Her name was Tam. The Azer said, Open the door and gaze beyond it. It will either give you great power, or it might kill you." "Sounds good enough to me", Scarlet said. Ryltar nodded and said, "Those are some good odds". Tam, the woman who'd been at the temple when the heroes arrived, backed away and whispered fearfully, "One of you open it." They opened the door, which led to the Astral Sea. Weird energies washed over them. Tam was overcome and passed out. The others absorbed the energy, and wielded its' power ([I]they now possessed the Spellscar theme power[/I]). Ardra headed down beneath the city to Thunderspire Labyrinth and met with Vortrax Battler, a tiefling mage of Saruun. When she walked in, his back was to her. He was punching the wall angrily. Ardra quietly watched him. He grabbed his head and yelled "Bats! Everywhere! Yarrggh!". He grabbed his head and thrashed about. Then he noticed Ardra watching. He straightened up and snapped, "Were you going to watch me forever?!". "Depends on how long you were stuck in your.... state," she said. "The name's Vortrax Battler. We don't have a lot of time. so don't waste ... my time." He realized how stupid that sounded, and so did she. She laughed. "That sounds logical." "Shut up and read this book," he said, and tossed her a tome. "If you have any skill at all, you'll soon be able to comprehend any language you've heard recently. I'll go get myself together." She read the book. He returned and began to speak to her in Infernal. And she understood. "My father was a devil named Vilitrax. I escaped his cages after a time, but I still remember the bats. Picking at my skin! They'd descend on me every night!". He began to shout and pound the wall, suffering more flashbacks. Then he straightened up and said, "You've done well." They proceeded to train for two days. She learned to wield magic through her blade. The Blue Monk met with some other Blue Monks in a ruined temple in the city. There, Elder Teal said, "I know you are already a great warrior, but I wish to teach you a new technique." Another Blue Monk produced a bound and bloodied lolthbound goblin. Elder Teal showed him four pressure points on the goblin, which, when struck in rapid succession, caused instant death! The Blue Monk struck the goblin in the four points, and watched in amazement how it gagged and expired as blood poured from its' nose. "Thank you, sir," he said. Hartaniel headed to the Seekers Enclave, which was in an old museum. There he met with Darvana Violet, who had her nose in a book. She looked at him and said, "About time you got here." He said nothing. She said, "Stop talking so much!", and laughed. "My name's Darvana. If you want to be a Seeker you have to go downstairs. Are you ready?". "Yes." Downstairs was a dungeon area, where a crude obstacle course had been made. "You know what I like to do?", Darvana asked. "I like to go to ancient ruins, find antique pottery, and break it!". Her voice dropped to a whisper. "Isn't that funny?". He just looked at her. His task was to jump over a pit. "Don't fall in the pit!", she called. "Poison spikes in there!". Hartaniel jumped and easily crossed the pit. Then he swung across some ropes. And then she tested him on dungeon slopes. His knowledge of Dungeoneering was sub-par. He failed the test. She said, "You suck at dungeon slopes. Here's your Seeker pin. You should be donating stuff to us once in a while, don't keep it all. It could be knowledge or magic items. I'll make sure it gets stored safely." Hartaniel wasn't sure if she'd just break whatever he brought her. He bowed. As they trained, the spirit of nature known as Stormhawk hovered over the city, striking it with lightning and blasting it with heavy rain. Stormhawk was angry that gods had stepped upon the mortal world and done battle. The city's five immortals directed the clean-up effort. All dead bodies were to be brought to Burnglow for incineration. All live enemies were to be brought before Maleficia the Hag, to become part of her carpet of ladybugs. All trash was to be brought to the Incomprehensible one so that it could be transformed into a prism that transmuted light into weird, unearthly music (sounds like space whales). All wounded or dead citizens were to be brought to the Barbarian to be healed or laid to rest. All disputes were to be abjudicated to the seven-headed demon Lord Foul. And the church of Dispater was even doing its' part, collecting all of the soul shard created by the colossal death titans. They were even offering to pay for them, so they could be stored safely beneath the church. It was also noticed that the church of Mari, goddess of luck, had been hit by lightning twice. The heroes heard rumors of the legendary hero Tiger-man boarding one of the spelljammers and heading into wildspace to hunt down drow ships. The Silverfist clan led the army of Olwynn to Dunnwynn, which had been overtaken by the drow. Two days had passed. The heroes met with the King and were given titles. He told the heroes he'd used a ritual to observe his missing council member, Darsidian. The dragon was imprisoned with the goddess of luck Mari and her dragon exarchs in a dungeon somewhere far away. He'd also used a ritual called History Revealed on the drow prisoner in the white dress. He learned she had been ordered to build a tower out of webbing in the ruins of Olwynn. He also learned many details of her harsh life. She was addicted to poppy juice, and was begging for more. He asked the heroes and the other advisors if he should give her some. Strom Wakeman said yes. Lady Tarentia said no. "We should kill the prisoner and be done with her. The drow cannot be trusted!". Scarlet said to her, "King Thennrynnia is a drow." She stammered and said, "He is a demi-god." She fluttered her eyes at the king. "No slight intended, your highness." The King brought the heroes to drow's cell. Her name was Derinnil. "Is she not beautiful?", he asked. "She's alright," shrugged Scarlet. The King asked, "Would it help if I let her out?". The heroes all said "No", in unison. The King grabbed the hilt of his sword, the legendary artifact known as Blackrazor. "Blackrazor yearns to eat her soul...". He told Hartaniel to go procure some poppy juice. Hartaniel quietly pulled Ryltar, his drow ally, aside. He asked him if he knew where any poppy juice was. Ryltar explained he'd only been in Olwynn a few days and had no idea. Hartaniel headed out into Olwynn to find some poppy juice. The city was still in chaos, everyone pitching in to clean up the rubble of many ruined buildings. He wasn't having much luck. Lucky headed into the city, and approached some sleazy orcs and half-orcs. Long ago it had been controversial to allow the orcs to live in ghettos, but now they were accepted as equal citizens. Scarlet walked the devastated streets as well. It made her remember... [I]She was about 10 years old, raised by friends of her parents who had joined a cult of Bane. The cult had laid siege to a small village. Scarlet then was known by her given name, Nemesis. Her step-mother had paused in the midst of battle. She was staring at the Red Sun. It's evil curse flooded her mind, begging her to raise eight death knights so that they could free Ebonbane and Lord Soth from their prison. As she stood, entranced, a farmer rushed her with a pitchfork. Nemesis tried to stop the farmer's charge but slipped. She watched as her mother calmly snatched the pitchfork away and killed the farmer with it. Then Nemesis heard her step-father arguing in a nearby hut. Nemesis rushed in to find her step-father arguing with his rival, Banelar. They had killed the family in the hut. Banelar wanted to kill the wife as well, but her step-father said she could be indoctrinated to speed the cult's growth. Nemesis convinced them to let the woman live. Nemesis hated the cult. She began to try to think of a way to destroy it from within....[/I] The heroes returned with the poppy juice and gathered on a balcony overlooking Olwynn. Lady Tarentia offered to have a network of pixies travel with the heroes and report back to her, so the King would be aware of how their trip was progressing. The heroes were off. They made their way through the forest to the west, heading to Dagger Rock. They came upon a few shattered statues with pink webbing inside. Some had hatched Lolthbound goblins, who were seemingly long gone. They also came upon the broken remains of a Roc. Judging from the tracks around it, it had hatched a tremendously huge spider. The heroes were passing through a clearing when suddenly a spelljammer came rocketing toward them! As it passed overhead, the heroes scattered. The drow onboard gleefully fired their crossbows down. The poison in the bolts put Scarlet and Ardra sleep. The ship continued on to the east. Teddy, Veris' floating skull familiar ([I]who was a young drow in life[/I]) said, "Wow! I wonder where they're going!". "We'll soon find out", the Blue Monk said grimly. The heroes rested for a few minutes and awoke those who were poisoned. Soon after, they came to a bridge. On the bridge was the statue of a beautiful woman, and a bunch of lolthbound goblins were poking at it. They wondered aloud why it hadn't hatched. The heroes decided to surprise them. Ardra blasted one with a magic missile, and the Blue Monk charged forward and bloodied one with punches. Ardra killed it with a second magic missile. Two goblins were on the far side of the bridge. They fired arrows at the heroes. The Blue Monk was hit, and nearly killed. Lucky healed him, and he stumbled back. Some of the heroes on the periphery of the battlefield noticed a number of rats and bats about. They weren't sure what to make of it. Ardra teleported behind the enemies on the bridge and stabbed one in the back, killing it. Another goblin let out a thunder blast that dropped Lucky and Ardra. Ryltar turned invisible and ran over the bridge to deal with the two ranged attackers. The goblins on the bridge were cut down. The archers tried to flee. The heroes kept one and questioned it. It knew little. Hartaniel said "Give us your money, fool." The goblin sheepishly offered a pouch of gold coins. Hartaniel continued, "..and leave your weapons." It placed its' pick on the ground. "Now I'll crush his head!" Ryltar exclaimed, raising his weapon in the air. Other heroes protested. "Why would you want to do that?", Veris asked. The 12 year old boy walked up to the goblin, looked into his eyes and cast spiteful glamor. The mere sight of Veris became anathema to the goblin. It shrieked and bled from the eyes. Lucky laid in a puddle of her own blood, watched, and took a drink from her flask. Ryltar asked him about the statue of the woman. The goblin indicated that he didn't understand why it hadn't hatched a goblin. He looked at the heroes with a cheesy smile and said "[I]Lolth tlu malla[/I], everybody...?". That was drow for 'praise Lolth'. The heroes sternly shook their heads and said "No!". Scarlet bashed his head in. Then the statue began to shimmer. It became flesh! Before them stood a beautiful blonde-haired eladrin wearing filmy garments. "Thank you!", she said in a sultry voice. The heroes were suspicious, and asked her what was going on. She said, "I was wandering the forest, alone, when I saw the goblins. I had learned a trick from my master long ago, which allowed me to turn to stone for safety. Ardra asked, "Who's your master?". The woman began to swoon at the thought of him. "A handsome man named Belgos! He's my beloved." "Where were you headed?" asked the Blue Monk. She brushed back her hair. "My friend Nilonim was captured. And I was looking for help!" "Is he still captured?" asked the Blue Monk. "The evil drow have taken him. He is a good drow." She gestured to Ryltar, who she presumed also to be a good drow. "See, she gets it." Ryltar said approvingly. Scarlet asked where the evil drow were. She explained that they lived in a small underdark community called Honglath. An entrance to it could be found in a cave not far from Dagger Rock. Veris knew of Honglath. He'd been a slave in a drow city called Rilauven, which sometimes traded with Honglath. "I could lead you there. Perhaps you could free my friend? I'd be ever so grateful, as would the handsome Belgos." She sighed at the thought of him. "He's so handsome. Perhaps you'll meet him some time." Scarlet asked about the bats and rats around. She claimed not to see any bats or rats. Ryltar pointed out five bats in a nearby tree. She said it was odd, but didn't know why. Lucky solemnly said, "Must be just another ill omen." "Belgos is lost in the forest. Perhaps we'll encounter him on our journey. I know he'll find me one way or another." Ryltar said, "If he's so great, how did he get lost - eh it's not worth it." Hartaniel agreed. The heroes looted the goblin corpses. The lantern of Vecna whispered to Hartaniel, "Beware the one in the filmy clothing! There are secrets abound!". Ryltar said, "The cloud is talking again." "Tell it to shut up if it's not going to give us treasure", Scarlet added. "The lamp is probably right," Lucky said mournfully. "She's probably going to lead us to doom and peril." Lucky took her peg leg off, re-adjusted it, and put it back on. The heroes healed up for half an hour. During that time, the woman told them that Honglath held a total of about 70 drow and slaves. The two leaders of Honglath were dangerous. There was Commander Pellanistra, who had a magic arm made of an adamantite alloy. And the matron was called Yathrin Faeryl, a priestess of Lolth. Once rested, the heroes headed off, led by the mysterious woman. She said her name was Silussa. "Maybe we could free the slaves," Ryltar said. Hartaniel responded, "You'd be ending their lives." Ryltar was taken aback. "Yes - you'd be ending their lives as slaves." "Everything they've lived for. They would not know what to do next." "All right. So. You're kind of an idiot." Hartaniel calmly explained, "I was a slave. I liked it! I wanted to stay there." Veris said, "You must not have been enslaved by the drow." Ryltar shook his head. "Impressively weird." Veris' skull familiar, Teddy, said "You're all probably going to be drow slaves soon." He cackled. Lucky patted the skull and said, "Ah you're a good kid." Teddy looked down at the ground, floated away from Lucky and said quietly, "Thank you, matron". The Blue Monk scouted ahead. He saw a lot of bats in the trees, and rats on the ground. The heroes could not figure out what that was all about. Lucky got drunk off her flask and began shouting at the rats. "I'm tired of this magic nonsense!". The rats scattered. After hours of walking, it was becoming dark. They made camp. They sat around the fire. Silussa sat next to the boy, Veris. She asked him, "What's a young man like yourself doing adventuring with these people?" Veris nervously said, "Killing drow?" Teddy whispered to him, "I think she likes you!". Hartaniel threw a rock at the skull. Teddy flew over to him and said, "You got a problem?!" Hartaniel said, "Let the boy become a man!" Teddy the skull responded, "that should be me! When I was alive, I used to beat him up all the time!". "I see how that ended". Silussa asked, "Do you want to take a walk, Veris?" "OK!". The Blue Monk tried to follow them without being noticed, but he stepped on a branch. Silussa turned, annoyed, and waved him off. Two other heroes crept in the woods, watching to make sure something horrible didn't happen to Veris. Silussa asked, "Have you ever had a girlfriend?" "I'm 12," Veris answered. "When I was 12, I was a long way away from meeting Belgos. But I met a lot of nice young boys." "..." "Tell me about the prettiest girl you've ever met." "Probably my mommy. I burned her alive." "Oh. How about someone not related to you?" "She wasn't related to me. She was the woman who raised me." "Where did you grow up?" "In her house, as a slave." She sighed. "OK, lets go back to the camp." They returned and she plopped down on a log. "Oh, Belgos...." she moaned. Lucky handed her a flask. Scarlet leaned over and said to Silussa, "Honestly! He's 12!" Silussa scowled at her and said, "You have a lot to learn." Everyone went to sleep. Ryltar and The Blue Monk laid awake and talked of the Raven Queen. Hartaniel got up early and practiced shooting a crossbow he'd got from a goblin. He fired bolts into the trunk of a tree. He spotted some bats. He shot one, and killed it. Suddenly, in all of the trees around, 30 bats squealed and took flight! They headed off to the east. The next day, they continued their journey. The spelljammer returned from the east! The heroes ducked under trees and behind rocks for cover. The drow fired down on Silussa with bolts and elemental fire. She looked up at the ship, barely harmed and furious! She suddenly changed. Yellow bat wings sprouted out from her shoulders. She was a succubus! A bunch of bats from nearby treetops flew up to join her. One was larger and made of mist. They flew up to the ship. The drow onboard recoiled in fear. "Belgos! Silussa! We had no idea it was you!" Silussa angrily shouted at the drow, who turned the ship and flew off. Silussa and the mist bat flew down and hovered over the heroes. "It's ok! I'm not going to hurt you." The mist-bat shape-shifted into a shirtless drow with vampire fangs. she looked at him and said, "Oh Belgos, I missed you so!" Belgos said, "I missed you as well, my darling! Every moment where I had to watch you try to seduce that boy... it tore me up inside!" "But now we're together again!" "Nobody understands us, my darling!" "No one!" Scarlet whispered, "They're talking about the really creepy thing that happened in the woods last night." For a moment, Ryltar wondered how a vampire was appearing in broad daylight. Then he remembered that because of the mind flayers tampering with the three suns of Nyrodspace a hundred years ago, things worked differently. ([I]The mind flayers had shunted much of the suns' energy into a device called the Engine Consummate. The Engine's ultimate goal was to pull an alternate reality into this one. A band of heroes stopped them.[/I]) The heroes noticed a horde of bats and rats closing in from all directions. Belgos said proudly, I am a master of bats and rats!" Silussa added, "It's true! They just flock to him naturally!" "And Silussa can turn into a statue at will. No other succubus can do that! She's special... aren't you, my darling?" He put his hand on her face. She touched it. He addressed Veris. "You had a rare opportunity to become a man, my friend! You will rue the day for the rest of your life." Veris looked at him and said, "I repeat - I'm 12." Silussa looked at the heroes and said, "Maybe I lied to you a little." "Or a lot..", Scarlet said. The succubus continued, "But. Those drow made me angry. I am supposed to be working with them. But Pellanistra punched me with her metal arm. And they did capture Nilonim. We're not helping them any more, are we, Belgos?" "No, my darling! They don't treat us with any respect at all!" Lucky rolled her eyes and said sarcastically, "The world has never seen a love like theirs." The heroes chuckled. Belgos said, "While I urge you to go to Honglath to kill the drow, I only hope that you all one day can find love the way that I have!". He lowered his gaze on the most beautiful female in the group - Scarlet. "Perhaps a raven-haired beauty such as yourself could go for a walk with me some day." He turned to Silussa and asked, "You wouldn't mind, would you my lover?" Silussa said, "Of course not, because I know you're coming back to me at the end of the day with wonderful stories to tell!" Scarlet said, "I'll be busy washing my hair. Forever." With that, the succubus and the vampire said farewell and flew off. The lantern of Vecna muttered to Hartaniel, "You know, they could be powerful allies, Hartaniel! And vampires - they live forever..." Hartaniel wasn't interested. The adventurers decided to go to Honglath and see what was going on. Later that day, they came upon a cave with vines that had roses growing from them. The heroes were certain that a secret entrance was inside somewhere. Ardra reached out with her arcane senses, and realized a rose had to be pressed three times. The back wall slid open and revealed a large stone disc that acted as a type of elevator leading down. Ardra activated it, and the heroes sunk into the underdark. At the bottom, Ardra disabled a drow wayfinder rune trap. In the cave beyond was a herd of Rothe being hunted by a single bugbear. A tunnel lead off to the north. The heroes tried to sneak into the tunnel but the bugbear noticed them. Ryltar raced forward and cut its' head off. It was a slave, he realized, a bit sadly. The tunnel was lit by little cages with fire beetles in them mounted on the walls. It led to Honglath. The small drow community was little more than a few caves surrounding an altar to Lolth. In a hanging silver cage next to the altar was a drow male, who had a number of scars on his body. The heroes crept around. They slipped into a ritual room, where they found a ritual book and notes on their dealings with the cult of Urgathoa. Apparently the drow of Honglath's role in the drow invasion was to protect a cult in Dagger Rock, and to transport whatever the cult was making to the larger drow city of Rilauven to the east. Veris shuddered. He'd been a slave in Rilauven, until he set fire to his master and made his escape. Ardra found a magic secret page in the ritual book, which detailed the cult of Urgathoa. Urgathoa was one of the King of Terror's three exarchs. The cult in Dagger Rock was run by a priestess called Ilcanya Alonar, assisted by a necromancer called Rolth. The heroes snuck about a bit more, and saw a bunch of sleeping bugbear slaves in a cave. Ryltar took off, turned invisible, and crept past the bugbears... Then he became visible as he stumbled upon the ruler of Honglath herself! Yathrin Faeryl was reading a prayerbook of Lolth as her handmaiden sewed up some silk garments. Yathrin Faeryl turned, and scowled at the drow. "What is the meaning of this?!", she hissed. She looked at his collar, confused by the lack of a drow house insignia. "Where is your.." Ryltar let out a shout, grabbed her, and put the blade of his scythe to her throat. She called out for Commander Pellanistra,slipped out of his grasp and immobilized him with a pain web spell. Ryltar called forth a cloud of ravens to blind the drow if they came close. The other heroes ran to help Ryltar. Hartaniel came over to Nilonim's cage. Nilonim promised to get help from his House, House Kilsek. Hartaniel chopped the silver cage open and the drow raced off. Commander Pellanistra burst out of a door near Hartaniel and threw off her cloak, revealing an arm made of adamantite! The arm glowed blue with magic! She ran over and punched Hartaniel, sending him flying back ten feet. He got up and cut her. "[I]Vith Dos[/I]", he said, which was drow for f- you. She laughed. Pellanistra grabbed him with her adamantite arm and tossed him into a human-shaped depression in the altar of Lolth. Little holes in it came alive, about to wrap him in a cocoon of webbing! Ardra cast suggestion on the four groggy bugbear slaves. She urged them to join her. They did! They surrounded her and protected her. One raced over and pulled Hartaniel off of the altar. Four drow of House Tormtor emerged from a nearby area to aid Commander Pellanistra. They killed one of the bugbears. In Faeryl's chamber, The Blue Monk aided Ryltar as they fought her while Scarlet blocked the exit. Ryltar bloodied the handmaiden with a slash. The Blue Monk finished her off. Faeryl tried to barrel past Scarlet, but Scarlet grabbed her by the leg and flipped her to the ground. Ryltar ran over, and slashed her guts open with his scythe. She was dead. Outside, Pellanistra continued to fight alongside her drow allies. From a tunnel came Nilonim and his men, a dozen drow with crossbows. They plugged Pellanistra's men full of bolts, killing them. Pellanistra knew she'd lost. Lucky wanted her adamantite arm. Nilonim smiled. The bugbears placed her on the altar. The webbing shot out and wrapped her up. Nilonim raised his blade staff and hacked off the adamantite arm. He tossed it to the warlord. He thanked the heroes, and told them that they were welcome in Honglath any time. [/QUOTE]
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