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Message: <blockquote data-quote="the Jester" data-source="post: 2123636" data-attributes="member: 1210">Sensors lock on targets.  Range is ascertained by targeting lasers and the bounce of radar.  The thing acclerates toward the party, preparing for a bombing run.  Heavy weapons cycle up, drawing power from deep within the dragonfly’s metal abdomen, and then-Targets lost.They vanish from the dragonfly’s sites, reappearing instantaneously near it.  Several of them spend a moment or two taking steps to fly, while those in the party who can already fly strike back.  Lester’s powerful wings beat the air as he strikes with his sword.  Again and again it bites down- to no avail.  Some kind of force field surrounds the strange prototype horror.“I can’t get through its force field- Orbius, Lillamere, make it yield!” the L cries.“I’m on it!” Baron Lillamere calls back, and a greenish ray springs from his fingertips.  In a flash of green light, the field is destroyed.  From the monster’s central axis, long gleaming metal tentacles with whirling circular blades emerge.  The horror lashes out around itself, wounding Veil, Sybele and Lester.  Blood sprays scarlet in the sky.  Again and again the blades whiz in.  Lester parries several strikes, as does Inoke (once he reaches it).  More missiles spray out, blasting most of our heroes.  Strange beams shoot from large tubes on the thing. Sybele tries to grapple the horror, but it’s too big.  It throws off her attempts, badly wounding her with the spinning blades it sports in the process.  She curses after several failed attempts and finally starts trying to do battle with her sword.  The battle rages, the warriors spinning and dipping in the sky.  Blasts of incredible fury pound both our heroes and the horror, until finally a blast of seeker missiles leaves it smoking and wobbling in the air.  Sybele strikes with her greatsword, thrusting into one of the rents in the outer surface of the horror, and she feels a shock of electricity run through her arms as she penetrates something important.Then the dragonfly horror explodes.  Metal and flames burst out and Sybele gives a shocked yell.  She is torn and burned by the flaying spray of hot metal and crystal; but, though shaken, she survives.  So do the others that are caught in the area (Inoke, Lester and Gerontius).“What the hell was that?” she exclaims, turning to her friends.“Let’s get some ground under us,” suggests Inoke, and the party lands nearby.  Lester looks worried.  “A horror of clockwork, it seemed to be; we’ve fought them before, old enemies!”  ***9/19/370 O.L.G., 1:45 p.m., the Temple of Elemental GoodGerontius curse long and loud.  How many times am I going to get threats by sending?  And who is threatening me?  And why?  He shakes his head.  Not for the first time, he wonders when the other shoe will drop.Meanwhile, Orbius is preparing a suite of divinations.  First he intends to contact other plane twice; then he will verify the answers with a commune.  Having been told about the black cathedral in the Stinking Pit, and about the room that seemed devoted to Farenth, the old enemy of Dexter who had been the Son of Darkness to his Son of Light, Orbius is worried.  Farenth has lived twice, he thinks.  Things often come in threes... could it be?He casts his spell.Where can we find Farenth? Abyss.Why does he want to threaten  the Temple of Elemental Good? Revenge.  (The commune later reveals this answer, and several others, to be a lie.  Alas, Orbiusis meanwhile sent off on a tangent.)How long until he strikes? Days.  (Another lie.)Is it better for us to be ready or to make a preemptive strike? Strike.  (Yet another lie.  The dice were really against Orbius that game.)Who is the most powerful ally of his we’re likely to encounter on this strike? Zoriel.Who is Farenth’s current patron demon? Zoriel.What type of demon is Zoriel? Unique.Will I be able to gate us to Farenth? No.Will we be able to superior teleport once we’re on that plane of the Abyss? Yes.Are we likely to catch Farenth by surprise by using this tactic? Don’t know.Orbius chants and gestures, casting another one.Will we be able to gate our of Zoriel’s castle? Yes.Will we be able to superior teleport to Farenth once we’re on that plane of the Abyss? Yes.  (This, too, is revealed to be a lie by the commune he casts momentarily.Was I lied to about being able to gate in? No.What is Zoriel’s greatest weakness? Pride.What energy based attack will be most effective against Zoriel? Sonic.What type of damage is Farenth weakest against? Don’t know.Can Farenth or Zoriel prepare transvalent spells of epic proportions? Yes.Crap, Orbius thinks.What is the name of Zoriel’s most favored epic spell? Sun Twist.What members of our party would be most vulnerable to this spell? Everyone.What level of the Abyss does Castle Zoriel reside on? The Blasted Salts.“Crap,” Orbius says aloud.***9/20/370 O.L.G., 10:30 a.m.Our heroes are sitting around having tea and other similar beverages (and, in Lester’s case, smoking a joint) when Horbin receives a sending.Horbin- it’s Malford- very busy with important issues affecting whole kingdom and more- best way to contact is sending.Horbin, pleased to hear from the King, responds, telling him that there are dangerous worms and that they party was attacked by a clockwork horror.  Afterwards, after a considerable amount of thought, he casts a sending of his own, this one to the Tiger Empress.*This is Horbin the Holy.  Giant worms are attacking Cydra, we need to work togtether for the good of all.Her response: Horbin, swear allegiance to me and help me bring peace to Dorhaus- we must work together to end this conflict.  Horbin curses.  He wants her to see reason, not try to push her agenda on him.  Then he smiles ironically to himself.  Of course, that’s probably how she sees it too- she wants him to see reason, and not try to push his agenda on her.  The cleric chuckles.Once their beverages are finished, our heroes move outside.  The sun is shining; the ground, though moist from the rain of the last few days, is drying quickly.“All right,” says Orbius, “let’s go check out that egg-thing in the middle of the worms’ nest.”“Speaking of eggs,” Inoke remarks, “we should find out what’s going on with that egg from the gibbering garden.”“Well, Lester had the Temple of Elemental Good Water store it...”  Horbin frowns.“We’ll check after we examine the worm place,” Orbius nods.  “Good idea.”Our heroes depart for the center of the worms’ nest.Next Time: Our heroes fight their first epic slaadi!*The Tiger Empress is the descendant of Rajah, last of the ancient line that ruled Wotan, the southeastern quarter of Dorhaus before Fuligin came.  Now it is called the Tiger Lands, where she has come to make her claim.  She is Prayzose’s wife and Malford’s main rival on Dorhaus.  Horbin wants a unified Dorhaus, but neither Malford nor the Tiger Empress seem likely to budge of their own free will.</blockquote>

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