NOW LIVE! Today's the day you meet your new best friend. You don’t have to leave Wolfy behind... In 'Pets & Sidekicks' your companions level up with you!

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Message: <blockquote data-quote="ltclnlbrain" data-source="post: 1548083" data-attributes="member: 12882">Well, this is what happens when you have problems falling asleep several nights in a row.  I had to do something to keep me busy. At least you guys get an update out of it.  :\ Chapter 14Degradzel never stood a chance.Grundar tumbled across the workbench an amazing acrobatic display that culminated in him stabbing the secretary deep in the chest. She shrieked in pain as a large gout of multicolored blood shot out, staining the floor and some of the scattered papers. Allanon, who had polymorphed into a lammasu, sent forth a freezing cone of cold; it caught Degradzel full in the blast, tearing her skin with thousands of ice shards and chilling her to the bone. Terenon, who had polymorphed into a naga, conjured a magical sword of force that slashed her upper chest, eliciting more blood that seeped down her robe and the leather armor beneath. Jelani sent forth a barrage of magic missiles that tore through the woman's body, leaving several gaping holes and causing her to drop to the ground, lifeless. Once there, her form began to shift and change. Within a few seconds, Degradzel reverted to her natural form: that of a gray slaad.“And stay dead!” said Grundar, standing over the fallen slaad.  “Let’s find the others quickly.”“Lead the way,” said Rumar.The adventurers hustled out through the room’s east door into a short hallway with double doors at its end.  The doors stood open to reveal a scene of carnage.  Carnage caused by the adventurers.  Five dead slaadi, two red, two blue, and one enormous green one, laid scattered about the floor. The corpses and the pools of drying blood gave testament to the battle they had fought here one day hence. To the south, the hallway connected with the main hall leading east to west. At the far south end were a set of stuck bronze doors. Allanon puts his considerable lammasu strength behind him and started slamming into the door. It took a few tries, but the doors gave way and opened into the room beyond. Gold-flecked red stone circled this magnificent chamber, and a carved decorative frieze ringed it in a band about ten feet above the floor. Eight pillars of red marble supported a ceiling made of inky black stone set with chips of glittering white to resemble a starry sky. The floor, some forty feet below the ceiling, was made of glossy tiles in a pattern of red, black, gold, and white. Signs of ancient battle scarred the room's beauty. A dozen or so skeletons lied scattered about, some in rusted armor, others unarmored. The frieze seemed to have been damaged in spots by powerful impacts.An unnatural chill seemed to settle over the room as a spectral form materialized atop the dais. The translucent form was that of a regal human wizard dressed in rich robes of ancient design. He had a shaven head, a long, drooping mustache, and piercing eyes that fixed on the party as he spoke in an icy, whispering tone.“Does anybody know what he’s saying?” asked Rhys.Jelani smiled. “He is speaking Loross, the ancient language of High Netheril. I will translate for you.”“Defile not the Close of Stars, interlopers,” the ghost said in a cold, harsh voice. “Here the might and glory of the Selskaryn came to its end, as all things must in time. Bow your heads in reverence, and consider well the futility of mortal achievements."Terenon rolled his snakelike eyes and turned to Grundar. “We have no time for this nonsense. Let’s try the next door.”The ghost frowned and glared at Terenon angrily. "Ignorant fools! You dare turn your backs on the wisdom of a Magus of the Selskar? Only by learning about the past may you prevent yourselves from repeating our mistakes! Once we were glorious and mighty; now, we are nothing, brought low by the accursed Firebringer. Heed my words, lest I be forced to eliminate you for your impudence!”“Obviously not a friendly ghost," Jelani added after his translation.Terenon arched an eyebrow at the ghost.  His tongue flicked in and out of his mouth in agitation, but he spoke in a calm voice. “The Selskar Order was destroyed by the Firebringer, and now as we speak, the Acolytes of the Flame are days, hours, perhaps minutes away from releasing it again. They believe they can control it like you did. I don't need a history lesson from you to tell me that the Firebringer is a paragon of destruction. We search this wretched tomb for the remnants of the cult and plan on destroying them before they can perform the Ritual of Unbinding.”The ghost frowned as it spoke. "I know of the Acolytes, though there is little I can do, since my spirit is bound to this room. Just stopping this cult is not enough to insure the Firebringer's defeat. There is no telling how far their influence may have spread, and it will only be a matter of time before another group comes to free their lord. Even if you bury the Well of Stars in rubble, sooner or later the Firebringer's minions will excavate a path to his prison and resume their efforts. We wouldn't even be worrying about this now, if it weren't for meddling adventurers such as you. Without their interference, Bazim-Gorag would still be rotting where he deserves, alone and forgotten. But seventeen years ago, a group of adventurers unearthed his vault before falling prey to the beholder-mage who dwells in the Vale. With the path to his prison cleared, Bazim-Gorag lured the Acolytes into his service and put them to work trying to release them. There is a way to stop them for good. Retrieve the scepter of the ar-magus from the slaad lord's hoard. It is needed to complete the ritual, and without it the Acolytes cannot prevail. The best thing would be to eliminate the slaad lord once and for all, though I doubt you'll be able to.  The entire might of the Selskar Order could only confine him to the Hedged Gaol.”“Where is this prison?” asked Terenon."The Well of Stars leads down to the lower levels. The door halfway down leads to the cistern and the crypt, where the leaders of the cult are holding out. The bottom of the well opens into a vault that connects a fire rift far beneath the ground. North of the lava lake is the entrance to the Firebringer's prison, guarded by his mount, the Beast of Nine Flames, a legendary hydra. You will need protection against fire when you confront Bazim-Gorag, as well as magical weapons. The slaad lord has two heads that make him exceptionally resistant to enchantment spells. He is unable to harm anyone who is not within his hedged prison. East of here is our treasury. Within is a terra cotta statue of a dwarf warrior: hidden within it is a powerful greataxe enhanced with cold. You may find it effective against the Firebringer. In return for this information, I ask this of you: bring my remains to the Crypt of the Magi below and inter them with my fellow wizards. Then I will be able to rest in peace. Refuse and I will see to it you don't get further than this room." The ghost gestured to one of the skeletons on the floor, indicated his remains.Terenon nodded.  “It is a deal then. I promise to lay your remains to rest.”The ghost curtly returned the nod. "There is one more thing. The well is enchanted with a permanent levitate effect so you may travel it without fear of falling, but the motes of light are pure positive energy. Make sure to ground yourselves by keeping at least one hand on the walls of the well, lest you swell up with positive energy and burst."“Does that mean the well can heal you?”“Yes,” the ghost said, irritated at having to explain everything, “the positive energy will heal you. But too much positive energy infused into your body is very dangerous. If you are fully healed and receive a charge of pure positive energy, it may be too much for your body to handle and it will simply burst. Quite messily, I might add: not a pretty sight”“Your help is appreciated,” said Terenon.  As the ghost became ethereal once more, the mage turned to Grundar.  “Stow the bones in the portable hole.  Let’s move on.”--------------------------------------------------------------------------The adventurers hustled over to the Well of Stars, levitating down its side to the door set into it.  Again, Allanon the lammasu bashed the door down, and the party passed into a long, narrow hallway that opened up into a larger hall lit by smokeless, flickering torches.  To the north, a stairway climbed into darkness.  Two doors were set into the north wall, one a large double door made of bronze, the other a single door made of rusted iron plate.“I’ll check the rooms beyond the doors,” said Grundar tersely, activating his ring of blinking. Grundar blinked through the double doors into the room beyond. A great, dark pool of water filled most of this low-ceilinged hall. Burning brands floated atop the still, black waters. Several square columns dotted the chamber, rising out of the water to meet the ceiling. Broad steps of moss-covered stone led down to the water's edge, and across the chamber another set of steps led up out of the pool to the other side of the hall. A wooden table and a pair of large chairs furnished the area.A hulking troll in chainmail loomed near the chamber's door. Across the pool, a man with a shaven head wearing robes of iridescent green sat at the table, examining documents. A sheathed longsword lied across the table within easy reach. Flame Lord Durzhul stood near him. All of them seemed surprised to see Grundar appear through the door without opening it. "That's one of them!" Durzhul cried. "The others can't be far behind!"Eyes wide, Grundar leapt back through the door. “I found them! Durzhul, a troll, and another guy! Door’s locked from the inside.” Allanon nodded and quickly touched all the others, transporting them instantly inside the room. Jelani grasped the prayer beads about his wrist, calling upon the strength of Akadi as he cast a spell. "So you've finally arrived," the High Conflagration said calmly. "This game shall not go on any longer. Prep--" The rest of his words were cut off as Jelani blanketed the area in a field of silence.Rolling his eyes, the bald man concentrated on Terenon. The very air around him seemed to compress inward, crushing the mage before the others’ eyes. Terenon let out an anguished scream as his bones snapped in two and his muscles were reduced to paste. In the span of a few seconds he collapsed, a tangled ball of compact flesh. The bald man smiled and turned to Allanon, still concentrating on his power.The others’ screams of anger and terror were negated by Jelani’s silence effect.  Grinning, Durzhul hustled into the pool of water, sloshing through the get out of the area of null sound. Across the pool, the troll let out a howl of rage and started violently frothing at the mouth. He began trudging through the water, roaring loudly, as if daring somebody to attack him. Rumar obliged, unfurling his feathery wings and charging at the troll across the room. As the aasimar got within his reach, the troll stabbed at him with his spear. The spear pierced Rumar's armor and stabbed deep into his shoulder, but the aasmiar ignores it as he struck the troll a hearty blow with Pergium. The troll reared back in rage from the burst of holy energy that accompanied the stroke, and Rumar's sword thrummed, as if pleased with itself."While you may not be able to truly slay the creature, Pergium,” he told his sword, “we can disable him. An unfortunate state of affairs, I must admit; we have little choice but to batter the creature until it surrenders. Know that while I do not approve of this, there is little choice here. No doubt he will refuse to surrender to us, owing to his regenerative capabilities."Grundar blinked back through the door to see the battle already underway, and Terenon lying mangled on the floor.  Crying out in anger, he rolled into the pool of water and stabbed the troll in the back.Allanon felt the air closing in around him and knew he had only moments to act.  Backing out of the silence field, he sent a lightning bolt straight at the High Conflagration.  It broke his concentration and then arced to the troll and Durzhul, burning their flesh and setting the durzagon’s cloak ablaze.Jelani gazed dispassionately at Terenon’s corpse. One minute everything’s fine, the next you’re crushed into a pulp. Frowning, he cast another spell, attempting to dominate the man’s mind, but his will was too strong to be controlled and the spell did not take effect.The bald man’s wounds begin to slowly close up as he pointed his finger at Allanon.  Instantly, the wild mage felt negative energy course through his body, stopping his heart dead in its tracks. His eyes rolled back into his head as he sagged to the ground, dead.As Durzhul cast a defensive spell, the troll stabbed Rumar in the chest with his spear.  He then whirled and stabbed Rhys, then whirled once more and tried to bite Grundar, but the elf dodged his vicious teeth.“May Torm guide my strikes against this evil beast!” cried Rhys, pummeling the troll with both ends of his staff. "Surrender, abomination!" Rumar bellowed, rising a few feet higher with his wings before plunging down towards the troll once more. The winged aasimar bobbed about, slashing at the giant with his holy longsword, and after several strikes the troll fell face-first into the pool, drenching Grundar and Rhys.Vaulting over the fallen troll, Grundar moved in front of Durzhul and stabbed the durzagon clean through his black heart. The dwarf stared down in disbelief and began to work his mouth, but nothing came out. Durzhul collapsed into the pool as the water around him began to turn red.Jelani grit his jaw as he began casting another spell, summoning a shadowy image of the bald man’s worst fears in an attempt to strike him dead on the spot.  The man disbelieved the illusion and targeted the mystic theurge with his finger of death.  Negative energy coursed through his body, and Jelani began coughing up blood, but he resisted the death attack.Rhys looked at the bodies of Allanon and Terenon, tears stinging his eyes.  Things were going very poorly, but he still had a trump card to even the odds.  “I call upon the aid of Ganamemnon!” he cried.  With a flash of light, the astral deva appeared in the room. Quickly taking stock of the situation, the angel cried out a phrase in Celestial and charged the bald man. He bashed the man across the chest, causing him to grunt in pain and anger.Rumar gave a polite nod to Ganamemnon, and then grimaced at the wounds from the troll’s massive spear. Closing his eyes, he laid his hands upon the worst, a brilliant pearly light flaring briefly. When he had finished, a portion of the cuts had sealed themselves.  He then brought his sword and shield to bear as he flew to engage the High Conflagration.Grundar sloshed through the pool onto dry ground.  He ran at the bald man and thrust his rapier in what should have been a crippling strike, but the blade was deflected by an invisible force field.Seeing Rhys begin a summoning spell, Jelani began one of his own, though this summons would be different in nature.The High Conflagration’s face curled into a snarl, but no sound came out. His form began to shift and change, and within a few seconds he had become something else entirely, a lean and quick-looking slaad with dappled gray skin and long, clawed fingers. It beckoned the adventurers in challenge, and its wounds healed slightly.Rhys completed his spell, and an enormous golden elephant appears in the room. Though it barely fit, the elephant trumpeted loudly as it attempted to gore the High Conflagration. The froglike creature barely managed to twist out of the way in time. Rhys then fired a ray of searing light at the slaad, but it is hard to hit a dextrous slaad, especially when it is engaged in melee combat, and it was not surprising when the ray connected harmlessly with the wall beyond him.Ganamemnon moved to flank with Rumar and attacked with a series of blows from his heavy mace, but he only managed to get one good hit in. The force of the strike seemed to have been ablated a bit; it should have done more damage then it did.Rumar slashed the slaad once with his sword, but the slaad was protected from his consecutive attacks by its natural armor, agility, and the force-field around it.Grundar unleashed a series of jabs and blows at the slaad, bringing to bear his full skill with his rapier.  The blade sunk deep into the High Conflagration’s back, and he opened his mouth to scream, but could not due to Jelani’s silence field.Jelani completed his summonings and a bearded devil appeared, complete with vicious saw-toothed glaive.  “Attack the frogface and make sure it doesn’t escape,” he commanded.  The devil flew into a battle frenzy, slashing at the salad with his glaive.  Jelani dismissed the silence effect, since it wasn’t doing much good any more, and immediately the room was filled with the sounds of heated combat.  “Akadi, protect us,” Jelani prayed, and the group felt more competent as the goddess’ strength flowed through them.The High Conflagration let out an enormous croak as he slashed at Rumar with his deadly claws.  The paladin blocked the first attack with his shield, but the second one tore a rent in his armor.Rhys’ elephant struck again at the slaad, again to no avail.  The priest then attempted to dispel the slaad’s magic defenses, but their were no obvious results of the spell.As Ganamemnon again bashed the High Conflagration with his mace, Rumar eyed the summoned devil with suspicion.  His eyes narrowed, twin pinpoints of light flashing in his helmet.  Words would have to be exchanged with Jelani when this fight was through.  For now though, he spoke quickly to his sword. “Lend us your aid, Pergium; I suspect we will have need of your magical power before this battle is completed.”  Instantly, his sword let out a pulse of white light as it blessed the group.  Wasting no time, the aasimar paladin brought the blade down on the slaad in several powerful blows, smiting the creature with the holy power of his faith.  The High Conflagration croaked in pain as unicorn blood from Pergium flowed through his veins and as the celestial blade tore large furrows across his torso.Grundar stabbed the slaad deeply again, pouring more of its multicolored blood on the floor. The thing’s health seemed to be dropping quickly, but he still had much fight left in him.Jelani's devil swiped a few times at the slaad, but he easily evades the attacks. Jelani decided it was time to join the thick of things.  The mystic theurge called upon the Weave to ensure his next strike would be true, then drew his spear and moved in on the slaad.The wound Grundar inflicted started to seal as the High Conflagration whirled at him, trying to strike his blinking form. The slaad got lucky and connects with all three attacks: the first claw swipe nearly knocked Grundar senseless, stunning him.  The elf reeled unsteadily on his feet as his rapier clattered to the ground.Rhys' elephant failed to connect once more with its attacks, so Rhys called upon the holy power of Torm to smite the foul slaad. A burst of positive energy issued forth, injuring both the slaad and the devil. The devil cried out in surpise as it was momentarily blinded by the pure energy.Ganamemnon bashed the slaad with his mace, but missed with his consecutive attacks. He eyed the screaming devil warily but said nothing, focusing on hitting the elusive foe.Rumar launched a furious combination of strikes at the slaad, but the creature managed to parry every blow with its bony claws. It smirked slightly at the paladin, but its smirk soon faded as it heard Jelani begin chanting the words to an extremely powerful spell.  The priest completed the spell, a small spiral appeared in the center of his palm.  “This ends now, creature!” he cried, stepping forward and slamming his palm into the slaad’s chest.  Normally Jelani would not have been able to lay hands on the creature, but his spell guided his hand true, and the High Conflagration’s body was consumed by negative energy.  He shuddered violently and emitted an agonized croaking wail as his life force drained away.  In a matter of seconds, the slaad collapsed to the floor, dead.</blockquote>

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