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Message: <blockquote data-quote="the Jester" data-source="post: 3245876" data-attributes="member: 1210">Our heroes spend a subjective week in the demiplane provided by the new gods, resting and recuperating and preparing to face their foes again.  The Arrows of Law must be defeated.  If not, they certainly will not rest until they have destroyed our heroes.  A week will be but the blink of an eye on Cydra- but even the goddess of time warns our heroes not to underestimate the chronomantic skills of Marius.  The new gods provide information, gear and resources.  Alcar is mortified to learn that, after he slew the orcish paladins, his spells were not being granted by Galador (at least, not until he defeated his aleax).“Then who did?” he demands.“Graz’zt,” Boccob informs him. Alcar glares at Graz’zt/Veil, who smiles sweetly (or is it viciously?) back at him.  Sybele asks about the origin of the Great War of Ethics, and the gods tell our heroes a tale of a primordeal conflict, ages ago and more.  The forces of Law and Chaos have always been at war.  But, for eon after eon, there was a partial detente: the war only continued on the scarred and ravaged battlefields of the Lower Planes. “The Blood War,” observes JJ.Indeed.  The Blood War- the eternal conflict between demons and devils- is but a reflection of the greater War of Ethics.  And now the entire thing has heated up again.  Chaotic good devas battle lawful good devas.  “It was Na’Rat’s awakening that caused it to heat up over the last century or so,” Froth continues.  “Na’Rat, the Chaos-Bringer, will never stand for the status quo if it can help it.  It was asleep for a long time, but then archaeologists on Pesh unearthed the first of his obelisks.  It was only a matter of time before others were discovered- or created.  And the more that were found, the more awareness of Na’Rat spread, the more power it attained.  “Every Chaos gift it gave was an investment, spending energy to spread knowledge of it- which came back to it as more energy, as the faith of Na’Rat spread again on Cydra.  It poked and prodded and provoked the flare-up.”  Froth smirked.Gerontius speaks up.  “You zere, Hush or whatever your name is- I ‘ave been thinking.  I pledge myself to you.  If you are part of the secret plan, you must be worthy- and you wield a rapier, a quick weapon, eh?”“My name isn’t hush, it’s-”“Not the time yet,” Boccob intervenes.“Oh, yeah, sorry.”  “Hush” grins.  “But I accept your service, and I think you will find my portfolio... appropriate.”“Yep,” Alcar agrees.“And I will pledge myself to you, pretty triple goddess lady,” Sybele exclaims, bowing to Garnet’s three aspects.  “Well, I’m not pledging myself to anyone, but can you do anything with this, to make it more potent in its Chaos powers?” JJ asks.  He is holding his fragment of an obelisk of Na’Rat.  And he is holding it out to Froth.“I believe that I can,” the god of rape, necrophilia and cowardice declares.  He is almost crowing in near-triumph.Near the end of the subjective week, the party receives new, impressive gear from Tade.  Each of those who suffered the worst from the Mordenkainen’s disjunction that Marius hit them with receives an item or two of impressive potency.  Garnet then establishes two telepathic links, as the group has previously discussed- one secure against Prayzose’s telepathic eavesdropping and one not, which they can use for subterfuge and misdirection.  Froth smirks as Tade hands something to JJ- a codpiece formed from the obelisk piece.  As profane as they could make it.  “Defile the Arrows or the pool or any other object or creature of Law with that,” sneers Froth, “and it will be tainted forever!”The party is antsy to get back to the battle.  They are all tense and keyed-up.  The new gods have offered to deliver them back nearly anywhere they wish to go.  “Are we ready?” wonders Sybele.“I think so,” says Thrush.“Wait,” Baron Lillamere speaks up.  “Wait.”  He turns to the nameless, rapier-wielding figure that both Gerontius and Alcar have sworn to.  He stares directly at the unknown deity.  “I don’t know who you are or what you represent, but maybe you could give us a few inspirational words of wisdom before we go.”“Hush”, as our heroes are calling him (for now) grows solemn.  He steps forward and seems almost to grow in stature.  “All right,” he states.“I am not a god of words and speech, so I will keep this short and simple.  No matter what, no matter how bad things look, no matter how close the enemy is to a complete and overwhelming victory, no matter what, never give up.  Never surrender.  Fight to your last breath, fight to the last one of you, give it your all and you just may triumph.  Victory can come, even in the face of overwhelming odds, if you persevere.”He looks each of them over one more time. “You have mettle.  You have strength.  Be worthy of it.“That’s all I have to say,” he finishes after a pregnant pause.“Wow, thanks,” Lillamere replies.  He looks thoughtful. “Is there any way that you can disguise us?” asks JJ.  “Prayzose is perceptive,” Zelman- the god of illusions- says slowly.  “I can cloak you so that you are disguised against him for a brief time, no more.” “At least they wouldn’t be able to tell which of us was which,” notes Sybele.“Very well, then,” the emerald-skinned god nods, and he passes his hand before the party.  “What would you appear as?”“Something small and relatively harmless,” suggests Sybele.  “Like gnomes!  That way nobody will connect us with, er, us.”“So be it,” Zelman declares, and so it appears to be.“Now are we ready?” wonders Sybele.  Long-duration spells are already being cast by some of the party, and she begins to initiate some of her psionic abilities as well.  “One more thing,” Zelman says.  “If you’re in disguise, we can send you somewhere that you can try to buy more equipment to re-equip with.”“I don’t think we have a lot of liquid cash right now,” Thrush says grimly.“I can cover that, too,” Zelman grins.  “It won’t be real money, and there’s a chance that a powerful spellcaster could detect the ruse, but I can create some fake trade bars for each of you.”“We might make enemies that way,” points out Chakar. “Zey would only know as us gnomes anyway,” counters Gerontius.“Good point,” nods Baron Lillamere.“I don’t think it’s a great idea,” comments Alcar, “but it might be our best option under the circumstances.”“Well, but where are we going?” JJ asks.“How about that flying city?” suggests Lillamere.  “You know, the one with all the magic and stuff?”“Kseethee,” Alcar states.Zelman nods.  “A good choice.  Very well, Kseethee it is.”“One more thing,” Baron Lillamere says.  I’m going to regret this, he thinks, and steps up, grabs Froth and kisses him on the mouth.It stretches out for about three seconds.  It is one of those ‘what the hell!’ moments that everyone has, and half the time they prove to be regretful.  This, sadly, is one of those days, as Lillamere stiffens and falls dead to the floor.  Froth smacks his lips.  “He’s quite a good kisser,” he remarks, and winks at the others.Sybele springs forward and psionic revivifies Lillamere.  “What did you do that for??” demands Alcar a moment later, shaking his head.  Lillamere shrugs in reply.“Had to know,” he gasps.  Zelman sighs.  “There is one more thing,” he says.  This is certainly not the first ‘one more thing’ our heroes have said or heard today, but this one is, perhaps, the best. Zelman looks squarely at Lillamere.  “This may help you,” he declares.  He hands his staff to Lillamere.Lillamere’s jaw drops.  “The Staff of the Emerald Mage,” Zelman says solemnly.  “Among other things, it can lead you to Darkhold.”Then the gods open a gate, and our heroes head to Kseethee.  There, once they reach Bigsby’s Scrollworks, the party’s plans change abruptly.Over their new, secure telepathic link, Lester slowly says, These guys have an almost unlimited supply of scrolls of even the most powerful spells.  Screw getting new gear- I say we load up on wishes and use them to make ourselves stronger, healthier, quicker- whatever we need!  With Zelman’s money, and with the number of wish and miracle scrolls available here, we can probably buff ourselves up as much as we want!What ensues is a back-alley wish-fest like nothing ever seen before on Cydra.  In the space of a few minutes, a total of 35 wishes and miracles are read off of scrolls (either newly purchased or existing) and cast.  In the end, so much eldritch energy is expended in the alley in question that a magical aura was permanently etched into the fabric of the street and the walls, a curiosity to remain unexplained by most of the locals for all time.“Now what?” wonders Gerontius, spinning daggers around his fingers at lightning speed.  Back to the Bastion! declares Chakar.  Let us return to the fight!  Just then a sending comes to Sybele from Horbin: Prayzose in mind.  Var hostage.  Remember, the sun wobbles.  Don’t attack the Bastion of Law- work remains undone.Sybele hesitates for only half a second.  Either Horbin, like Inoke, has been co-opted, or else he isn’t in a position to help.  Either way, there can be no turning back, no surrender- as Hush said, the party must fight to the end.  And the emperor high priest guy is in my pal’s mind, Sybele muses.  He is bound to hear whatever I tell my friend.With a smile, Sybele replies: We are devastated and weakened.  We need your help.  When you see us, you can see the true color of Law.  Then she winks to the others and relays the message over the secure link. “All right,” Thrush snaps, “it’s time.  Let’s do it.”Next Time: The battle resumes!!</blockquote>

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