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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Cerebral Paladin" data-source="post: 4398286" data-attributes="member: 3448">As soon as we had secured control of the tower, we began moving the matrix up, although with additional precautions to deal with a potential attack by the wraith.  Sideh and the best of the mercenaries stayed at the top of the tower, while Twang, Buzz, and I guarded the group of mercenaries that we ordered to carry the matrix up.  As we expected, the wraith rushed one of the soldiers who were carrying the matrix as we neared the entrance to the tower.The wraith embraced its target killing him instantly.  The other mercenaries showed good discipline and attacked after placing the matrix on the ground, but their weapons passed through the wraith harmlessly regardless of their skill.  Twang and I assaulted it with spells, Twang blasting away parts of its essence with his magic missiles while I cast a maximized, extended Demon Dirge.  By that point, Sideh reached the bottom of the tower, having run the four flights of stairs at the first sounds of combat.  He banished the wraith into the wastes by invoking his god, and the Demon Dirge burned away the rest of its essence until it was destroyed.After that battle, we carefully decapitated the dead soldier and the Rappa dead and burned their heads.  Sideh and I agreed based on our studies that that should be sufficient to prevent the creation of additional wraith spawn.With those matters dealt with, we finally had the matrix in position, complete control of the tower, and everything in readiness to move the Shadowline.  Sergeantanis’s forces posed an interesting problem, however.  If we moved the Shadowline while his forces were in the area that would now be outside of Shadow, we would inadvertently unleash a sizable Shadow army that could then assault villages, Hastur Circles, or whatever else it would choose to.  Moreover, if he doubled back to Circle Treehaven, he could likely retake the Tower from us and undo all our gains while also capturing a matrix and possibly even killing some of the Hastur.  We decided to wait for Sergeantanis to clear the new Shadowline in his trip towards Dragonhold Greatclaw.  We estimated that he would be beyond the new line in three days, but we decided to wait four days to install the matrix, just to be safe.That night, almost immediately after nightfall, Alveera returned.  “I have notified Dragonhold Greatclaw, Master.  They were inclined to believe that I was indeed from the Tyrant because of the great size of his harem.  They will be ready when Sergeantanis arrives, and there will be a great bloodletting.”Perhaps an hour later, a different woman strode boldly up to the tower.  I slept through the entirety of her visit, but I received reports from Alveera later.  By purely physical appearance, the visitor seemed almost human, but she did not seem quite like a true human—perhaps a succubus who had concealed her wings.  A panther stalked behind her, and she carried a crystal wedge in her hand.“Ho the tower and the inhabitants therein.”Twang went to the battlements and called back.  “What news do you bring to Lord Twang?”“There is one that will soon be here.  Do you wish me to turn him away?”“Of what nature is he?”“He is a chaos champion.” “That might be well.  Do as you please.”“Do you wish them turned aside?  I know that I could do so.  But I will claim a portion of the strength of five of your men in exchange.  I will not take their souls, nor even partake of their flesh.  But I must have my due if I am to turn them aside.”Twang said to Sideh and Buzz, “Her offer sounds reasonable to me.”“I am loath to ask any for that,” replied Sideh.“We could ask for volunteers,” said Twang.  “Some of the troops might be quite willing to give a little of their strength.”  He returned to the battlement and said, “What strength do you require from our men?”“A bit of their essence of masculinity.”“Will it regrow over time?”“Of course!  The point is in the quest for men’s masculinity, not to take it permanently.”“And the procedure?  How will you take the essence?”“Any who wish to give it in the traditional manner, may do so.  Otherwise, a kiss will suffice.”After some further discussion, my companions asked for volunteers among the troops.  Many of the mercenaries were willing, even eager, to agree, heedless of the peril in which they placed their souls.Eventually, Twang selected four of the mercenaries by lot, choosing himself as the fifth volunteer.  He kissed her and lost some of his strength—a small matter, as he does not rely on physical prowess.  The more worrisome aspect was Twang’s continued willingness to deal with the forces of Chaos.  Kisses such as that carry a far steeper price than their mere physical effects.  But, doubtless because they knew that I would object, none of my companions saw fit to consult me before entering into a deal with a demon.  If I have failed in my duties by continuing to associate with them, I will seek penance from the Church.  But the chaos champion did not approach the tower, if indeed the chaos champion existed at all as more than a bogeyman to coerce a deal.  [In fact, a chaos champion had been heading towards the tower, having detoured from his previous plans.  The succubus approached him and accepted his advances.  She kept him occupied for the entire night, and when the morning broke, he turned aside from the tower, lacking the time to continue on a diversion from his duties.]In the middle of the third day, we noted a steady but rapid movement of a vast number of goblyns, running in sight of the tower.  They headed roughly northwest, coming from the southeast.We sent out a scout who asked them from whom they fled.  A goblyn answered, still hurrying by, “We do not flee.  We go, commanded by the mighty one who drives us before him.”“Who is the mighty one?”“We are not worthy to speak his name.  He is too mighty for such as we to speak of him.”They ran by for the whole day, four thousand or more goblyns in all.  We pulled all of our troops back into the tower and doused the lights.  Whatever drove them forward would almost surely be something that we did not want any contact with.  Finally, a carriage made of interlinked bones rolled by, pulled by monstrous zombies the size of giants.  The tower likely looked abandoned or inactive, and the carriage rumbled on its way without stopping.End of Session 10</blockquote>

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