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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Droid101" data-source="post: 1783940" data-attributes="member: 942">“Hey, when did you learn how to heal?” Eltharion asked Bink as they flew toward castle Brunswick.“I am a master of the arcane arts, I can…” Bink started.“Arcane isn’t healing!  Where did you learn how to heal?” Eltharion asked again.“Don’t worry about it.  Just know that I’ve got us covered,” Bink replies.“Good to know.”Ogrim and Bink, carrying Eltharion, fly over the inner castle walls and approach the castle doors.  Two guards come running at them from the wall.“Hey!  You can’t do that!  W… wait a minute, you’re that group of criminals, aren’t you?” the guard stammers.“And we just obliterated the squad that came looking for us, including the Dungeon Master.  Still want to stop us?  We need to talk to Adlai.  We promise not to hurt him,” Bink explains.“Unless he tries something…” Eltharion adds.“Open the door!” the guard calls out, and the large doors swing open slowly.  Adlai approaches them from the main hall.“What in the world is going on?  I heard you all were going to be arrested,” Adlai says.“Yeah, and we want to know who set it up,” Bink responds adamantly.“Well, generally, unless it is an assassination attempt on the king, then it is handled by the Dungeon Master and the other guards and guard captains.  The king and the knights don’t get involved unless it’s really serious.  So I was unaware.  I hear the Dungeon Master has been investigating crimes for days that you all have committed,” Adlai is flabbergasted.“We didn’t do any of them!” Eltharion exclaims.“I don’t know what you all did, but the Dungeon Master already apprehended Damaré, Senman and Misani.  They are being kept in the Oubliette.  Come with me, we should go talk to them,” and Adlai leads them to the jailroom.………Xyxtactil; his alien mind prying into Adlai’s.  He easily maneuvers around any mental defense Adlai tries to put up, digging his psionic talons in deep.  Invisible and silent, Xyxtactil the mind-flayer sits in the corner of the room, dictating all of Adlai’s movements as though a marionette.They’re going to the Oubliette now.  Be ready.  Xyxtactil’s mind reaches out to Dendybar and Kev’Zen.……….“What is the Oubliette?” Bink asks.“It’s a place where we keep the most powerful criminals we capture,” Adlai explains, as they walk to the end of the hall in the small jailroom.  Adlai presses a block on the stone wall, and the wall slides open, revealing a staircase leading down.  The room is 80 feet in diameter; the staircase spirals down along the wall almost 100 feet down, when they reach the bottom.  It is dark and damp, eight iron doors surround them.  One of them has been sealed off by several large stones.“What’s in that room?” Eltharion asks about the cell blocked off by the rocks.“Something… terrible happened in that cell.  We sealed it off shortly after,” Adlai explains.  “This way.”He leads them to another one of the iron doors, produces a key, and opens it.  It swings in with a loud rusty creak.  A long, dank, 20 by 30 chamber is revealed.  Manacles attached to the wall hold Senman, Misani, and Damaré stationary.  They are all battered and bruised.“Oh, am I glad to see you…” Damaré stirs slightly.  “Guys, we’ve been framed.”“Yes we know, we’re getting you out of here,” Bink says, shooting a glance at Adlai.  Adlai shakes his head slowly.“I’d like to stop you all, but it does seem a bit odd that you would want to help us destroy the threat of giants, and then flip flop over to being common criminals… wha, what the!” Adlai is startled by a form running into the cell from behind them.Dendybar charges in, stabbing Ogrim viciously with his dagger, jamming it deep into his shoulder.“By Moradin!” Ogrim grunts loudly at the pain, his arm going numb.  Eltharion quickly cuts the chains from Damaré.  Bink fires a volley of magic missiles into Dendybar.  Ogrim draws his Orc-Killer and shield.  Adlai pulls out his longsword and backs off a step.Just then, another form materializes in the room.  The dark elf, Kev’Zen, appears, with a glowing dagger in hand.  Eltharion whips around and slashes into the dark elf five times, connecting with a solid hit twice.  The dark elf groans slightly, but stays on the defensive.In good position, Ogrim stebs back from Dendybar and flanks the dark elf.  Damaré similarly moves in, and they have the dark elf surrounded.  Ogrim pounds into him, connecting on three solid axe strikes.  Damaré slaps him with his chains.  The dark elf’s vision blurs as the pain mounts, and the blood seeps into his vision.  He concentrates, while keeping his defenses up.  His eyes gloss over silver and a flash of rainbow light surrounds him, and he vanishes.  Adlai, at that moment, begins an arcane casting.  Bink recognizes the spell.“Adlai, what are you doing!!” Bink yells, as the fireball goes off, enveloping everyone.Well, almost everyone.  Dendybar, with unearthly speed and agility, flattens himself to the ground and evades the flame completely.  Eltharion, Damaré, Ogrim and Bink dodge somewhat, only singing slightly.  Adlai stays put, the flames engulfing him entirely.  He is badly burned.Senman and Misani, however, are still manacled to the wall, and are unable to dodge at all.  The flames burn into their flesh.  They are covered with third degree burns and both fall lifeless to the ground; their bodies filling the room with smoke.With everyone coughing and putting out flames, Dendybar decides to retreat.  He runs out of the room and on up the stairs.  The Heroes do not follow.  Eltharion tackles Adlai and holds him down.“What is wrong with you!  Do you realize what you just did!” Eltharion yells at him, slapping him in the face.“Ouch, hey, stop... what… what happened?  Oh no… no no no, that wasn’t me… I, I couldn’t.  I didn’t… it wasn’t me…” Adlai fumbles for words.  “You know that it wasn’t me… it, it wasn’t…”“It’s okay Adlai…” Eltharion shakes his head.“Tell that to Senman and Misani…” Bink checks their vital signs; or lack thereof.“I could feel his tentacles in my mind.  What a horrible creature,” Adlai says, defeated.“Look, you didn’t do it, so stop beating yourself up,” Eltharion puts bluntly, and gets up.The Heroes carry the bodies of Senman and Misani up the stairs.  They give them over to the castle’s coroner and gather in the meeting hall for a few minutes before going back to their inn.“So, do you think that whatever was controlling you was also controlling the Dungeon Master, or possibly even the king?” Bink asks Adlai.“I have no idea.  How could it control all three of us at once?” Adlai asks incredulously.  “That would be some kind of power…  Plus, the king is a deific being.  I don’t think that mundane magic or mind powers could affect him at all.”“Maybe just the Dungeon Master?” Eltharion reasons.“I have no idea.  This is so strange, why would somebody do this…” Adlai starts.  A messenger comes running up to their table.“Urgent news, a runner just arrived from the Tormyr forest.  It seems that the king and his knights will be staying for another few weeks.  They’ve got a read on the undead wizard and the dragon down there.  But, that doesn’t make sense sir, as the king returned home already,” the messenger hands Adlai the missive, bows, and goes back to his business.  Adlai looks the note over.“It’s official; king’s seal and everything.  Then… who is the guy up in the king’s study right now…?” Adlai asks, in complete horror.“Uh oh…”Will this busy day never end?  Are Dendybar’s plans ruined?  Will the Heroes ever kill that guy?  All these questions and more, will be answered (or raised) next time!</blockquote>

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