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Message: <blockquote data-quote="the Jester" data-source="post: 3255991" data-attributes="member: 1210">KABOOOOMM!!!!The facade of the Museum of Conjuration explodes.  Over the epic mindlink, the Delphin cries, We cannot shield the entire city!  We must counterattack!Over a mile off in the distance, circling overhead, are several metal somethings.  They are large enough to see, and the Delphinate’s defenders have already sent one strike force out against them- with disastrous results.  In seconds they were annihilated, falling off of the epic mindlink in a blaze of strange weaponry.  The Delphin’s mask remains expressionless, but behind it he clenches his jaw.  “More seeker missiles?” someone suggests aloud, but the Delphin shakes his head. “They have some kind of shielding,” he sighs.  “And they have a very impressive range.  They can fire at more important buildings than we can shield.”Churr dimension doors to the Delphin’s side, and after a momentary disorientation, the gnoll wizard growls, “I may have an idea.”Yes?  The Delphin switches to a second, permanent Rary’s telepathic bond that he shares only with the resurrected former Delphins.If we can get the population, within acceptable losses, into a place we can surround with some sort of water tight barrier, we may be able to submerge all of Sevlon.*The Delphin stares at him in shock.  What! During my tenure as Delphin, Churr tells his successor, I developed several defenses against catastrophic assault.  As you may know from your history- or the Mask- during my time we were assaulted by a strong force from the City of Brass.  An army of elementals and efreeti sought to crush us and steal certain artifacts for their master, Imix, so that he could destroy a powerful enemy named Kembrith.**  We managed to drive them off, but in case of a future assault I created a transvalent spell that would submerge the entire isle.The Delphin’s mask remains impassive, but he can feel his lips turn up in a smile.  What is required?Quickly, Churr replies, Aquamarines and pearls, many of them- we must gather all of the ones in the country as quickly as possible.  The material components are... considerable.  And we will need to find wizards who have high-valence spells remaining.  We need at least five transvalent casters...The Delphin is shocked.  Five!  That may be a challenge... but we can do it.  We could contact Horbin-I do not think he would work with me, Churr states.  But we are strong enough.  We can do it.  We will need dozens of other casters of varying power as well.The Delphin purses his lips.  And you never developed a spell to protect the people and places of the Delphinate while it was submerged?Churr answers, I was working on it when I was killed.  Please, there is no time-The Delphin attacks.  A volley of extremely powerful spells races at Churr, who vanishes instantly.  Churr is a traitor, the Delphin broadcasts over the epic mindlink.  Do not trust him or aid him.  He seeks the downfall of the Delphinate.Grimly, he turns back to the defense.  The Mask of the Delphin shields his face, but it is stricken.  I should have known the previous Delphins would seek to take their old place again, and I knew it was risky, he thinks to himself.  Churr was lying, I am sure of it.  I would know of such a powerful spell.  I must check the libraries when this is over- if we survive- but I know he was lying.  I believe that he has developed such a spell, and I believe that it has the requirements of which he spoke- but I do not believe that he developed it during his tenure.  He has developed it since his return.  He was doing research for quite some time and now it seems that I know what he was researching- or at least a piece of it.  He wants to sink Sevlon, leaving most of it in ruins.  Then he can claim it for himself.  I must be very careful.There is another explosion as a missile explodes against the Clocktower of Force, but this time there is no damage.  “We need twenty gates to summon creatures with the ability to fly and to teleport at will,” declares the Delphin.***The Shining City, TirchondIt is not all bad for Chaos and good for Law, however.  On Tirchond, which the Forinthian Empire occupied (yet again!) some months ago, Chaos celebrates a rare victory.In his very palace, one by one the Imperial Governor’s bodyguards died.  They died silently but not unnoticed; but nobody saw anyone doing anything.  It was just one after another, dropping dead to the ground with throat slit.Finally, when it is down to the last guard and the Governor, Sheva steps from the shadows.  “Run,” she tells the guard.  She is a stunningly gorgeous woman with hair the color of flame, garbed only in a chain mail bikini.  She holds an impressive-looking greatsword casually in each hand.***  Her green eyes stare the guard down; with a glance at his fallen comrades, then a glance at the Imperial Governor, he flees.  Then Sheva turns to the Governor.“I’m not going to soul bind you,” she explains, “because, before you die, I’m going to explain some things to you and I want you to be able to explain them to your masters if they raise you or speak with your while you’re dead.  So listen.”The Imperial Governor doesn’t listen.  Instead, he jumped Sheva, hands balled into fists.  This leads immediately to a black eye, a headache and a face down position with the tips of two greatswords just barely breaking the skin of the back of his neck and groin.  At this point, the governor starts listening.As if he hadn’t ever interrupted, Sheva says, “Tirchond is under my protection- mine and Coila’s.  You have probably heard of me...”“Revolutionary scum!” the Governor groans.“...good, you have.  Then you know- as I have just shown you- that I can get to whoever governs this place and kill them.  I can make it too painful to stay here.  I’m giving you a chance to deliver this message before I really get started.  This is just a preview.  Get off of Tirchond.  It doesn’t belong to Forinthia.  It doesn’t belong to Law.  It belongs to Tirchond.  Do you hear me?  Were you paying attention?  Did you get all that?!”“Y-yes,” the Imperial Governor stammers.  The swords are pushing ever so slightly deeper.“Good,” Sheva says, and pushes down hard on both swords.***The Bastion of Law Horbin arrives via teleportation, and is shocked at the ferocity of the great battle taking place.  It is at a fevered pitch like he has never seen before.  He shakes his head; he is here to talk to Prayzose.But Prayzose’s curt response to Horbin is quite blunt: Go Home.  You can’t do anything here.  Go help your people in Var.Cursing, Horbin orbits the Bastion.  Where are my friends? he agonizes.A good question; but Horbin is a distraction put in place out of necessity by our heroes.  For, instead of the Bastion, they are attacking one of the Arrows.A superior teleport from Lillamere takes them straight to the Judge of Worlds.  Brelana is burning around them and Lillamere cries out in distress and rage. Gerontius, Thrush, Alcar and Wankerman rush to melee, while Sybele fires arrows.  Though several blows spatter against some kind of magical shield, they deal immense damage to the Judge.  Blazier misses with a dimensional anchor attempt, while JJ fires a large chunk of psionic crystal at the lashing construct, shaking the Judge’s entire body with the impact!  The Judge of Worlds itself batters Alcar with weapon after weapon, breaking his hand while jabbing long spear-like weapons at Lillamere himself!  Both Lillamere and Mabrack attempt punctures, and both fail (either missing or fizzling against the Judge’s spell resistance).  Lillamere also wisely throws up a greater anticipate teleport, and an instant later he cries out, “We have incoming!!  Multiple targets... and they’re big!”“We have to destroy the Judge before they arrive!” declares Chakar.Next Time: Who or what is incoming??  Will our heroes destroy the Judge before backup arrives??  Will they manage to kill an Arrow of Law at all??  Find out next time!*Sevlon is the island upon which the Delphinate lies.  It is several hundred miles in length.**Kembrith has been mentioned at various points in this and the previous story hours as one of the contenders for the throne of the Archomental of Evil Fire.***That’s right, dual-wielding greatswords.  Those of you who read the earlier adventures of the epic party prolly remember Sheva and her Monkey Gripping ways from that period.</blockquote>

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