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Message: <blockquote data-quote="the Jester" data-source="post: 1602780" data-attributes="member: 1210">A row of glasses, set up on a bar.  Then, each targeted by a shatter spell, they explode one by one in quick succession.  The glasses each have different levels of water in them; each makes a unique tone as it shatters.  Beautiful music.  Jibber warbles at the top of his lungs, then turns and lopes outside.This is a street in the city of Sigil, the City of Doors.  Jibber is a pale off-white; there’s just a hint of pink in his color.  He is a slaad- a frog-like humanoid standing about 6’ tall.  Grinning to himself, he starts warbling again, filling the streets with the sound of slaadi singing.  Jibber is one of the bards of his kind; his sense of what is musical is not the same as that possessed by other creatures.  Several sharp glances are shot his way as he ululates and capers for a few moments, stopping only after several passersby have shouted imprecations at him.Jibber notices the approaching human long before the human arrives, but he is unconcerned.  He has had dealings with humans and their ilk on several occasions.*  He likes humans, though he wishes that they were more open to different types of music.  (Ah, the sound of breaking glass!)“Jibber,” the woman greets him.  She is tall, with dark brown wavy hair and a hawk nose.  She wears fancy clothes, like she’s important somewhere; and there’s some kind of symbol on her that, once Jibber glances at it, he recognizes as the symbol of Na’Rat, the Chaos-Bringer.“Hello!”  Jibber chortles.  “What?”She looks him over carefully.  “I have need of a herald.  One such as yourself.”  She smiles.  “You must have sensed the gathering storm.  The forces of Law surround Pesh, but Na’Rat will not be contained.”Jibber shrugs and ignores her while she jabbers on for a while.  He isn’t really listening; humans never have much to say.  But herald- now, that’s a job for a singing slaad!  At least until it gets boring.  But what’s she saying now?“...many hard battles, full of excitement.  And stories to be told-““Jahhhh!” Jibber cries.  He sticks out his tongue and starts making funny faces.  She makes a few back at him, so he says, “YES!!!”  Grinning, he adds, “Stories to tell, glass to break, many fell and died in a lake!”  Nodding, burbling, he finishes, “I want to be a herald.”The woman smiles.  “Good.  My name is Zevatta.”  And you are the first link to the one who knows where the war can be won.***“All right,” Orbius announces, “my divinations have revealed that the only Elemental Prince of Evil still on the Material Plane is Ogremoch- the Prince of Evil Earth Creatures.  The others retreated to their home planes.”“Except Imix,” snickers Lester.  They killed him.The group is sitting around the dining room table in Reina’s manor house.  She’s still in bed, but the cook is working up some breakfast while the group plans their day.  A day, that it seems, ought to include kicking some elemental evil ass.“I also learned that it’s ‘unnecessary’ to go strike the Temple of Elemental Evil again- I think it’s safe to say that we’ve overthrown it pretty damn completely.”  He smiles.“Between the Temple, Felenga and Acererak, we’ve taken out pretty much all our enemies!” Sir Maxwell exclaims enthusiastically.“Not all of our enemies,” Thrush says grimly.  “There’s still the Bile Lords, and I’m sure these guys have more,” gesturing towards the party members who’ve been with the group longer.  Lester, Drelvin and Sybele nod.“Well, one thing at a time,” says Lester.  “Let’s finish Ogremoch off, or at least drive him away.”***Esteliasia, as the simulacrum calls herself, looks just like her progenitor.  She has the long silver hair, trailing nearly to the ground; the deep amber eyes; the high cheekbones framing a long face; the same grey elven atures.  This is partially a result of magic, used to place a disguise upon the true face, which is not quite the same as that of Estelias.  Though Esteliasia is greater than her creator, she’s an enhanced version of most of her, rather than all of her.  She has stronger versions of most of Estelias’ traits, but is missing some.  She does not have the delicate birthmark on Estelias’ thigh.  She does not recall the time when, as a young lady, Estelias watched in horror as a Forinthian and a Strogassian fought over her, threatening to tear her apart until she charmed one of them.That incident was pivotal to the real Estelias.  That incident, which seemed a metaphor for the larger conflict between Galador and Bleak, good and evil, Law and Chaos, illustrated to her the futility of it all.  In the end, it was all about the conflict- an unending, unendable battle. That single incident, more than anything else, drove Estelias to always remain apart from the so-called ‘greater’ interests of Law and Chaos, and to always seek neutrality and independence for her small homeland of Tirchond.  Without that incident, she might have chosen sides.Sitting at a table in a hidden glen on northwestern Tirchond, Esteliasia and the devil masquerading as a man spoke in low tones.  Her goal is to eliminate and replace Estelias.  His goal is to bring Prayzose to the fore in the forces of Law.  As a simulacrum of Estelias, Esteliasia knows exactly how to free the Empress.  And the devil, ever a smooth, suave talker, is more than willing to help with the ‘Estelias issue.’“I believe,” he says softly, stroking his goatee, “that I have just the thing to take care of her.” ***Orbius’ magic has ascertained that Ogremoch is near something called ‘the Granite Heart.’   Our heroes easily divine the location of this place- deep in the Underdark- and transport themselves thence.  They find themselves in a large cavern, dark and moist.  The smell of earth and loam is strong in the musty air.  Drelvin immediately moves forward, while Horbin and Orbius invoke defensive magicks that cover the rest of the party.  The group is wary; there is a definite sense of menace here.  They start moving forward- and as their light advances, a half dozen large earth elementals come into view!“This is it!” cries the L, and he casts an antielemental bolt.  In seconds the wave of elementals crashes into a bristling wall of adventurers, and the battle is truly joined!  For an instant, it seems that a quick victory is assured- then there’s a huge rumbling noise, and the earth seems to shake as something gigantic moves forward.  Then a loud cone of sound blasts out, catching Lester in its area.  “AAARGH!” the L cries, then shakes his head to clear it.“Look out!” cries Sybele.The ceiling above Lester collapses from the sonic attack, and tons of rock slam down, burying him.  Sybele hears a horrible hissing and whirls.Dragon.Next Time: Battle for the Granite Heart!  *Including with some of our heroes, back in the Agents of Chaos days.</blockquote>

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