DM Brainiac's Prison of the Firebringer (Updated 12/21/05)
ltclnlbrain
First Post
Imruphel said:
Thanks for reading! I love hearing that others are enjoying my work. Makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside.
Chapter 43
The scream echoed down the hall, awakening Serrila and Terenon in an instant. The aasimar sat bolt upright in the bed, golden eyes wide with terror. "That scream came from Lisa's room!" she cried.
Terenon was already on his feet, running down the hall. The night air was cold on his naked body, but he barely noticed as he burst into the guest room, into a waking nightmare.
The bed was stained bright red with blood. Lisa's corpse laid sprawled across it, a bloody hole in her chest, her face contorted in an endless scream. Over the body stood Felespar, the ice devil Terenon had faced months earlier in Baldur's Gate, its spear tip drenched with gore. The devil turned as the mage appeared in the room and it clicked its mandibles together in what almost seemed like glee. "I come with a warning from the white wyrm Acessiwal. Cease your meddling, or this girl will only be the first to suffer. One by one, your loved ones will be slaughtered."
Terenon did not waste time with words, launching into the words and gestures of a spell. Magical energies washed over the gelugon, apparently to no effect. The fiend laughed hollowly. "It is a fight you want, mage? I have been looking forward to this rematch for some time." It hefted its spear in anticipation.
Terenon heard a gasp behind him, and turned to see Serrila standing in the doorway in a state of shock. "Serrila!" he cried. "Get out of here!" The mage wove a quick spell, and numerous illusory doubles appeared of him, moving and weaving about in an intricate dance.
The aasimar swallowed down her bile, but resolutely shook her head, weaving a spell of her own. "You can't take it alone! I can help!" Likewise protected by mirror images, she strode to her lover's side.
"Your illusions will only delay the inevitable," Felespar called as it lashed out with spear and tail. The weapons pierced several of Terenon's and Serrila's images, causing them to wink out of existence.
The mages again work in synchronization, casting the same spell and further warding themselves with displacement effects. Forced to fight without equipment or even clothing, the two would have to rely on their spells and luck to survive. The devil snarled and focused its ire on Terenon, furiously tearing apart mirror image after mirror image. "You've got to be one of them!" it spat.
"Right here," Terenon growled, gathering necromantic energies to his hand and blasting the fiend with a ray of enervation. The devil snarled as its life force was suppressed. Before it could retaliate, Serrila lent her own magic to the battle, firing off a powerful bolt of lightning at Felespar. The devil turned aside, avoiding the brunt of the blast, and the bolt continued on and punched a hole in the wall behind it. The electricity crackled out into the night sky before dissipating.
Already, the burns from the lightning bolt were beginning to regenerate. Felespar knocked out Terenon's last mirror image, then cackled as he laid into the mage with his spear--or so he thought. By some small miracle, each of the fiend's attacks hit not the mage, but his magically displaced image! The cackle turned into a shriek of frustration.
Terenon seized on the advantage, sending another enervation ray at the devil. Serrila launched another lightning bolt, and hampered by the negative energy, the fiend caught it full in the chest, scorching its carapace and filling the room with the stench of ozone and charred flesh.
Reeling a bit, Felespar took a few steps back and took one hand from its longspear, thrusting it forward. A spiraling barrage of cold and ice assaulted the two mages, freezing their skin and tearing at their flesh. Serrila took the blast much harder than Terenon; she was forcibly knocked back against the wall, numerous lacerations appearing on her body.
Seeing Serrila hurt, Terenon felt a rush of emotion surging up inside him: concern, fear, anger. He had to end this quickly. Focusing on another spell, the mage took a gamble. He hoped that the enervation had eroded the fiend's will enough for the spell to be successful.
Felespar raised its hand to send another chilling blast at the mages, when suddenly it locked rigidly in place. Its eyes burned with inner fire, but it could no longer move. "Serrila!" Terenon said. "Get my dagger to finish him off!" The aasimar raced out of the room, but even as she did, the devil's mocking laughter echoed in Terenon's mind.
"You may have bested me, but you are too late to save the girl's soul. Remember the warning well." There was a blinding flash of light, and when it clears, the devil was gone.
Terenon's skin showed red despite the blast of cold he had suffered. The rage he felt was immense. He paced back and forth in the small room. A scream of anguish escaped his lips as his fists slammed against the wall. "NO! No, no, no, no!" His fury had no vessel. He could only rage against the empty air.
After a time, he became aware that Serrila had returned. The aasimar was on her knees, sobbing. His arms wrapped around her as he held her close. He began to cry. For the first time since he was a child, he cried. For what seemed like forever, he let the grief overwhelm him. How petty he was to think the thoughts he did earlier in the evening.
Felespar's words echoed in his head. "I come with a warning from the white wyrm Acessiwal. Cease your meddling, or this girl will only be the first to suffer. One by one, your loved ones will be slaughtered."
Hours passed. Sunlight streamed in through the wall in Lisa's room, but it brought no warmth.
ltclnlbrain
First Post
And lo, we have returned...
Chapter 44
A small grin crossed Jelani's face, wholly inappropriate. “It sounds a little bit like a challenge. Not that it matters, but this is an obvious trap.”
The servant of Akadi sat with his other companions around the table in the inn's common room. Terenon had just finished recounting the events of the previous night, and while the others were alternatively depressed or concerned, Jelani could not help but congratulate Acesiwal's servants. It wasn’t every day that an enemy read everyone like a book. They had found something that was almost guaranteed to bring an enraged Terenon right to their doorstep.
"I doubt it. At least, I doubt the attack from last night signifies some new level of trickery we will have to face," Rumar rumbled, doing his best to appear unconcerned about the bits in the story Terenon mentioned involving his sister. Not terribly difficult, so long as he focused instead on the anger he felt that the his sister was with the mage when the attack happened. "They clearly already know we are coming, if not outright where we've been at any given day - the golems hounding us have certainly 'hinted' at that."
"No, I do not fear this new development. I do, however, fear for the girl's soul. I do not know for certain what the devil meant, but if it had some way to drag Lisa along with it into the hellish realm..."
Rhys nodded severely. "I fear for the poor girl. I tried to bring her back from the dead earlier this morning, but the prayer was unsuccessful. It was not that her soul did not want to return; I couldn't even locate her soul at all."
Grundar looked away in contemplation, watching as a well-built, silver-haired half-elven woman made her way down the stairs into the common room. He followed her progress as she sat at a table across the room and called a serving girl over, then the elf sighed and looked back at his companions. "This dragon is starting to annoy me. First Zan, now this. From the looks of this, Serilla is in grave danger if we leave her here. That ice devil sure had an easy way of getting in and out of this place. Just like Zan. I hate that! Makes me wish i had powers like that too..." Grundar banged his fist on the table in frustration.
"So Terenon, are we still going to go after Zan now? Or shall we deal with Acessiwal first?"
Terenon looked hard at Grundar. "My main concern now is to ensure Serrila is safe from harm. I am going to petition Lady Alustriel for her personal protection of our loved ones. I don't see how she can refuse once I explain the situation. As far as what do do next. Jelani is right. This was done to prevoke our ire, especially mine. The intent I'm sure is to have us race into a trap. Zan will be taken care of later."
"I feel we should be concerned about who's behind the attack," said Rhys softly, glancing over his shoulder as if somebody was there listening. "The dragon, though certainly wishing our demise, has no reason to have gone after Lisa. He could've accomplished the same, and more, by going after Serrila. Also, the fiend that slayed the girl was the same devil that was looking for her after she stole that gem from a mage, I believe. That mage would have reason to go after Lisa, so we may want to conclude that whomever the mage is, he is probably working for or with the dragon. That would also explain the scrying I felt the other day."
Terenon was surprised at the extent of Rhys' paranoia as of late. He was beginning to think the cleric had caught it from him. "The gem was stolen from the mage Helios, that is true. The fact that it was out from under its protective magics and in Lisa's hands allowed it to be pursued by both celestial and demonic forces, that is also true. The same Ice Devil did kill Lisa under commands of Acessiwal, but it is a stretch to say Helios works for the dragon. I do agree that the coincidence does bear investigation. There is something linking the wyrm and the mage, but it could be anything.
"The preparations I spoke of will address questions being answered. But I must take my leave now, and take Serrila to a safe place." The wizard bowed stiffly before moving quickly for the door.
Rumar was about to say something, when the half-elf Grundar had been looking at earlier began speaking to the innkeeper. Her voice was strong and carried across the nearly-empty room with ease. "Excuse me sir, but do you know where a girl of my talents might be able to make some honest money? I need to find me some work that pays well, but most of all is honest. I would prefer to meet up with an adventuring group that share the same view on life as I do. Do you happen to know someone who could help me with that? Or do you happen to know such a group yourself?” The woman looked over her shoulder at the adventurers gathered at the table before turning back to the innkeeper.
Rumar's first impulse was to think the situation blatantly suspicious. After all, someone openly declaring their desire for work with a group such as theirs at the precise time when they needed help was...well...pecuiliar. The incidents of last night had also shown that the enemy could strike from anywhere at anytime. Of course, unless Taigiel had some ingeniously cunning plot in motion, he was counter-proof that not all things suspicious need be feared. One way to find out, he thought, narrowing his gaze as he searched for traces of evil in the woman's aura. Finding none, he stood from his chair and strode over towards the half-elf.
The proud woman held her ground as the aasimar approached, seeming to size him up in much the same way he was appraising her. Her eyes, a strange blue on gold, sparkled as she took him in. "May I help you?" she asked.
"That would depend," the paladin declared loudly, head, as always, hidden deep within his helmet. "Do you have the courage and fortitude to follow orders and stay true in the face of danger and almost certain death?"
“That depends indeed. I would like to know who is asking. Call me paranoid, but I have been around too long to answer, let alone trust someone, who addresses me without showing his or her face. I would see your face before agreeing to anything, but know that, once given, my word is my bond and I will follow any righteous order or die trying.” The woman shrugged, her movements tinged with a strange tenseness.
"A fair enough request," Rumar responded, nodding. Reaching up with gauntleted hands, the man smoothly pulled his helmet off. With his head exposed, it was pretty much impossible to miss that he was clearly not human. Two eyes that blankly swirled with milky whiteness, a head either naturally bald or shaved clean, and skin which, while it could be called olive-tinged, could also just as easily be named green. Of course, there were also those two huge, pearly-white wings twitching now and again along his back. Not that the helmet being on or off must make much of a difference there.
Rumar kept still for a moment to allow the half-elf to look upon his face, but, within seconds, he had hidden his visage back beneath the shroud of steel. "It is difficult enough to keep from drawing attention," the warrior muttered, flexing and unflexing one hand unconsciously. "If you would not mind, I'd prefer we continue our conversation like this. As such; I am Rumar. My companions and I are in the midst of preparing to hunt down and face a honorless dragon; perhaps we may talk over there, to work out the fine details?"
The woman visibly relaxed. "Well met, Rumar. I am called Galiana Silvermane. Those whom I call friends call me Gani. And yes, I would gladly accept your invitation if the goal is to rid the world of some overgrown lizard with an attitude."
Rumar nodded and lead Galiana over to their table. Grundar, Jelani, and Rhys looked at the woman with interest as the paladin said, "This is Galiana Silvermane. She has agreed to join our group and help us defeat the wyrm."
"Greetings, Galiana," said Rhys. "I am Rhys Thurn, priest of Torm. I'm not sure what Rumar told you about us, but you can count on it being true."
The half-elf's face lit up in a bright smile. "Fortunately Rumar here has told me only good things about you. Well met Rhys Thurn, it is always good to meet people who strive to make the world a better place."
"That's us alright," said Grundar, He stood from his chair and bowed before Galiana, taking her hand and lightly pressing his lips to the back of it. "I am Grundar, and it is quite a pleasure to meet you."
Gani felt herself blushing a bit. "It's nice to meet you too," she said quickly. "Well, I am ready to head out whenever you are. I just need to grab my gear from my quarters."
Rumar looked to Jelani, who nodded slightly. He then shifted his gaze to Grundar. "You still plan to stay here and help the mage?"
The elf nodded in reply. "I promised him I would. Besides...I don't think he should be alone at a time like this."
"Very well, then," said Rumar. "GAliana, retrieve your equipment and meet us outside. We will go to Rhys' temple to fetch our friend Taigiel, and then we will be teleporting far to the north and resuming our journey. I suggest you dress warmly."
Chapter 44
A small grin crossed Jelani's face, wholly inappropriate. “It sounds a little bit like a challenge. Not that it matters, but this is an obvious trap.”
The servant of Akadi sat with his other companions around the table in the inn's common room. Terenon had just finished recounting the events of the previous night, and while the others were alternatively depressed or concerned, Jelani could not help but congratulate Acesiwal's servants. It wasn’t every day that an enemy read everyone like a book. They had found something that was almost guaranteed to bring an enraged Terenon right to their doorstep.
"I doubt it. At least, I doubt the attack from last night signifies some new level of trickery we will have to face," Rumar rumbled, doing his best to appear unconcerned about the bits in the story Terenon mentioned involving his sister. Not terribly difficult, so long as he focused instead on the anger he felt that the his sister was with the mage when the attack happened. "They clearly already know we are coming, if not outright where we've been at any given day - the golems hounding us have certainly 'hinted' at that."
"No, I do not fear this new development. I do, however, fear for the girl's soul. I do not know for certain what the devil meant, but if it had some way to drag Lisa along with it into the hellish realm..."
Rhys nodded severely. "I fear for the poor girl. I tried to bring her back from the dead earlier this morning, but the prayer was unsuccessful. It was not that her soul did not want to return; I couldn't even locate her soul at all."
Grundar looked away in contemplation, watching as a well-built, silver-haired half-elven woman made her way down the stairs into the common room. He followed her progress as she sat at a table across the room and called a serving girl over, then the elf sighed and looked back at his companions. "This dragon is starting to annoy me. First Zan, now this. From the looks of this, Serilla is in grave danger if we leave her here. That ice devil sure had an easy way of getting in and out of this place. Just like Zan. I hate that! Makes me wish i had powers like that too..." Grundar banged his fist on the table in frustration.
"So Terenon, are we still going to go after Zan now? Or shall we deal with Acessiwal first?"
Terenon looked hard at Grundar. "My main concern now is to ensure Serrila is safe from harm. I am going to petition Lady Alustriel for her personal protection of our loved ones. I don't see how she can refuse once I explain the situation. As far as what do do next. Jelani is right. This was done to prevoke our ire, especially mine. The intent I'm sure is to have us race into a trap. Zan will be taken care of later."
"I feel we should be concerned about who's behind the attack," said Rhys softly, glancing over his shoulder as if somebody was there listening. "The dragon, though certainly wishing our demise, has no reason to have gone after Lisa. He could've accomplished the same, and more, by going after Serrila. Also, the fiend that slayed the girl was the same devil that was looking for her after she stole that gem from a mage, I believe. That mage would have reason to go after Lisa, so we may want to conclude that whomever the mage is, he is probably working for or with the dragon. That would also explain the scrying I felt the other day."
Terenon was surprised at the extent of Rhys' paranoia as of late. He was beginning to think the cleric had caught it from him. "The gem was stolen from the mage Helios, that is true. The fact that it was out from under its protective magics and in Lisa's hands allowed it to be pursued by both celestial and demonic forces, that is also true. The same Ice Devil did kill Lisa under commands of Acessiwal, but it is a stretch to say Helios works for the dragon. I do agree that the coincidence does bear investigation. There is something linking the wyrm and the mage, but it could be anything.
"The preparations I spoke of will address questions being answered. But I must take my leave now, and take Serrila to a safe place." The wizard bowed stiffly before moving quickly for the door.
Rumar was about to say something, when the half-elf Grundar had been looking at earlier began speaking to the innkeeper. Her voice was strong and carried across the nearly-empty room with ease. "Excuse me sir, but do you know where a girl of my talents might be able to make some honest money? I need to find me some work that pays well, but most of all is honest. I would prefer to meet up with an adventuring group that share the same view on life as I do. Do you happen to know someone who could help me with that? Or do you happen to know such a group yourself?” The woman looked over her shoulder at the adventurers gathered at the table before turning back to the innkeeper.
Rumar's first impulse was to think the situation blatantly suspicious. After all, someone openly declaring their desire for work with a group such as theirs at the precise time when they needed help was...well...pecuiliar. The incidents of last night had also shown that the enemy could strike from anywhere at anytime. Of course, unless Taigiel had some ingeniously cunning plot in motion, he was counter-proof that not all things suspicious need be feared. One way to find out, he thought, narrowing his gaze as he searched for traces of evil in the woman's aura. Finding none, he stood from his chair and strode over towards the half-elf.
The proud woman held her ground as the aasimar approached, seeming to size him up in much the same way he was appraising her. Her eyes, a strange blue on gold, sparkled as she took him in. "May I help you?" she asked.
"That would depend," the paladin declared loudly, head, as always, hidden deep within his helmet. "Do you have the courage and fortitude to follow orders and stay true in the face of danger and almost certain death?"
“That depends indeed. I would like to know who is asking. Call me paranoid, but I have been around too long to answer, let alone trust someone, who addresses me without showing his or her face. I would see your face before agreeing to anything, but know that, once given, my word is my bond and I will follow any righteous order or die trying.” The woman shrugged, her movements tinged with a strange tenseness.
"A fair enough request," Rumar responded, nodding. Reaching up with gauntleted hands, the man smoothly pulled his helmet off. With his head exposed, it was pretty much impossible to miss that he was clearly not human. Two eyes that blankly swirled with milky whiteness, a head either naturally bald or shaved clean, and skin which, while it could be called olive-tinged, could also just as easily be named green. Of course, there were also those two huge, pearly-white wings twitching now and again along his back. Not that the helmet being on or off must make much of a difference there.
Rumar kept still for a moment to allow the half-elf to look upon his face, but, within seconds, he had hidden his visage back beneath the shroud of steel. "It is difficult enough to keep from drawing attention," the warrior muttered, flexing and unflexing one hand unconsciously. "If you would not mind, I'd prefer we continue our conversation like this. As such; I am Rumar. My companions and I are in the midst of preparing to hunt down and face a honorless dragon; perhaps we may talk over there, to work out the fine details?"
The woman visibly relaxed. "Well met, Rumar. I am called Galiana Silvermane. Those whom I call friends call me Gani. And yes, I would gladly accept your invitation if the goal is to rid the world of some overgrown lizard with an attitude."
Rumar nodded and lead Galiana over to their table. Grundar, Jelani, and Rhys looked at the woman with interest as the paladin said, "This is Galiana Silvermane. She has agreed to join our group and help us defeat the wyrm."
"Greetings, Galiana," said Rhys. "I am Rhys Thurn, priest of Torm. I'm not sure what Rumar told you about us, but you can count on it being true."
The half-elf's face lit up in a bright smile. "Fortunately Rumar here has told me only good things about you. Well met Rhys Thurn, it is always good to meet people who strive to make the world a better place."
"That's us alright," said Grundar, He stood from his chair and bowed before Galiana, taking her hand and lightly pressing his lips to the back of it. "I am Grundar, and it is quite a pleasure to meet you."
Gani felt herself blushing a bit. "It's nice to meet you too," she said quickly. "Well, I am ready to head out whenever you are. I just need to grab my gear from my quarters."
Rumar looked to Jelani, who nodded slightly. He then shifted his gaze to Grundar. "You still plan to stay here and help the mage?"
The elf nodded in reply. "I promised him I would. Besides...I don't think he should be alone at a time like this."
"Very well, then," said Rumar. "GAliana, retrieve your equipment and meet us outside. We will go to Rhys' temple to fetch our friend Taigiel, and then we will be teleporting far to the north and resuming our journey. I suggest you dress warmly."
A'vandira Silvermane
Explorer
At last. Finally I'm in the SH
ltclnlbrain
First Post
Imruphel said:Good to see an update!
Well, I'm rather greedy: more please!
Yes, yes, patience, I say!
I'm going to try to stick to at least one update a week, though don't beat me up if that doesn't happen. Just keep watching the thread; you'll see some new stuff eventually. 
HalfOrc HalfBiscuit
Adventurer
Glad to see you're keeping this storyhour alive 'brain. I'll keep on reading (and enjoying) as long as you do.
I'm not promising anything ...
I'm not promising anything ...
ltclnlbrain
First Post
Yes, I know. Unfortunately, PlaybyWeb.com is undergoing some issues and I can't access the old threads that I am basing the story hour on (or anything on the site for that matter). So the next update will be delayed a bit until they can fix the problems.