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="Droid101" data-source="post: 1822001" data-attributes="member: 942">The grand hall is a circular room with a ceiling that soars up five stories.  From it hangs four intricate chandeliers, each casting a greenish-yellow jaundiced glow over the room.  The ground is covered in polished flagstones, each the size of a coffin.  A huge staircase leads from the middle of the room up to the fifth story.  A throne surrounded by spider webs sits on the floor between two 20-foot tall cloaked skeletons, holding equally huge bastard swords.“Watch out, they’ll probably animate…” Bink says warily, his hand on his spell components.Eltharion feels brave.  He walks right up to the ornate throne and sits down.  A sudden rush of images and emotions that no mortal can describe thunder through his mind.  He gets out of the throne, his head throbbing slightly.“Ouch…” Eltharion mumbles as they head toward the staircase.As they ascend the huge staircase, they hear heavy footsteps moving toward them from inside the doors at the top.  A hideous creature comes into view.The thing is seven feet tall, and an amalgamation of hands.  Wearing black robes, the Heroes can see the thing’s face and hands are actually dozens of smaller hands sewn together.  Its feet are even large, gauntleted giant hands.  The Heroes grab their weapons.I mean you no harm, strangers in the house of Vecna, the thing communicates telepathically.  Its “voice” sounds like a raspy whisper accompanied by the sound of the golem snapping its many fingers at random.“And, we mean you no harm,” Bink replies out loud.You have come here in search of the other trespassers, and I am here to take you to their leader, the Hand says in their minds.“No, we came for V…” Balophan starts, but Bink hits him in the stomach.“Yes, yes we have,” Bink responds to the Hand.This trespasser poses a threat to my master, the Whispered One, and I want you to eliminate him, the Hand’s “voice” is soothing.“What is going to happen?” Eltharion asks.It is in your best interested to defeat Iuz.  If he is successful, the first thing he will do is destroy Citadel Cavitius, and all its inhabitants.  That includes you.  Using my master’s power, the Old One will add your life to his own, becoming so m ighty that he will ascend to full God-hood, the Hand responds.  Quickly, follow me, we will properly arm you from the armory, and then stop the Old One from destroying our beloved Vecna.And so the Heroes are led quite quickly through the palace.  They ascend to the top of the huge staircase, and pass into a hallway with many doors.  The Hand leads them quickly down yet another hallway with many more doors.  Finally, the Hand opens a door made of red and black marble, and they head into a room.Evil energy pours onto the Heroes, each of them gritting their teeth.  The ground in the room is carved to look like writing humans and snakes intertwined.  It makes it slightly difficult to walk.Inside, there are nine wall panels, each with an intricate scene carved into it.  They seem to tell the story of Vecna’s ascension.  It starts with a young Vecna gaining power.  It goes on to show his ascension, war, and then imprisonment in the Citadel.  The seventh panel, in the process of being carved by invisible artisans, shows Iuz stabbing Vecna with a wickedly serrated blade.“Looks like Iuz wins… that’s bad,” Eltharion says.The final two wall panels are blank.The Hand leads them to the back wall, and after a moment of concentration, it slides open, revealing what looks like an evil church.The walls and floor are black marble, inlaid with red veins.  Black pews stand in neat rows, and an altar and spiral staircase are at the front of the chamber.  The room is dimly lit, so Eltharion pulls out his Sun-sickle to light it up.Several banners bearing Vecna’s eye-in-hand symbol adorn the walls.  The Hand heads straight for the stairs, hardly stopping.  The Heroes keep pace.The staircase is made of a harder black marble than any of the Heroes have ever encountered before.  The walls of the claustrophobic stairwell are carved with images of naked humans and demihumans being stabbed by various instruments, along with being crushed by snakes.  Even the steps themselves are each a naked humanoid in a different state of torture.The Hand leads them up to a smooth marble door, and concentrates.  The door opens, and the Hand motions to another door in the new hallway.Go into that room and talk to the Eye.  He is knowledgable, and may be able to help you defeat Iuz, the Hand states, and stays in the stairwell.The Heroes go into the room, and see hundreds of mirrors all over the walls.  On the opposite side of the chamber, a black-cloak clad golem stands, however, this one is made out of many eyes.  All the eyes dart to the Heroes.What do you want here? The Eye communicates telepathically.“The Hand sent us to find out how to defeat Iuz,” Bink says.I know nothing, leave this place now, the Eye curiously responds, and turns away from the Heroes, sitting back down.The Heroes go back to the Hand and are led up another set of stairs.  The Hand opens yet another door, and points out into the hall.Arm yourselves quickly, we must get to our lord Vecna! And the Hand remains motionless in the inky black spiral stairwell.  The Heroes run out into the hall and see three figures.  One is the half-ogre who had insulted them when they fought the ogres when they first arrived in the Citadel.  The other two are the ones who retreated from their battle with the orcs.  They are arguing about the doorway they are standing in front of.  They are all clearly injured from previous battle.“We need another spell, just use it, and then we’ll be fine!” the human says to the half-elf.“Well, look who we have here…” Eltharion chuckles, his hands on the hilts of his fine Sun- and Moon- blades.  Grog growls at them menacingly.  Bink snaps his fingers; his thumb lighting on fire.  Balophan hovers over them, as well.“We surrender…” the half-elf concedes.“Good.  Now leave the palace,” Bink states flatly.“But, we might get killed on the…” the half-elf starts to argue.“You might get killed right here.  Go, now,” Bink reiterates.  The three followers of Iuz don’t argue any more, and they leave.Bink knocks the door, and they head in……and see the most vast collection of armaments they’ve ever witnessed.  Bink shifts his vision to the magical spectrum, but has to switch back out, because he is practially blinded by all the magic radiating off the items therein.“What a treasure trove…” Eltharion’s eyes quickly meet a set of woodlands-inspired items, including a staff, bow, scimitar, and several other trinkets.Bink, Grog, and Balophan are similarly struck, and wander to items listlessly.“It’s gonna take a bit more ‘n a bunch of googley eyed ‘eroes to defeat the likes of a God,” a voice (think Chutney Englishman) is heard from a dark corner of the treasure trove.  A figure steps out.  The thing is clearly undead.  A once full head of curly red hair and thick beard is all but white and stringy now.  His pale skin is pulled tight over his face.  He wears dark black cloaks, and has two longswords sheathed at his sides.“And I suppose you’re going to help us…” Bink’s eyes dart to Eltharion and Grog, then back to the undead creature.“Perhaps.  Perhaps I’ve got a bone to pick wit ‘em Gods.  Perhaps I’m the one oo’s takin’ you along wit me,” the thing responds.“So how can you help us?” Bink asks.“ ‘ow rude of me!  Name’s Bloodthorne.  Pleased to make your acquaintance,” the undead creature offers a decayed hand.  Bink shakes it tentatively.  “Now den.  You ‘ere to kill the Old One, or da Whispered One?”“Hopefully both,” Eltharion puts in.“I don’t know nothin’ ‘bout Iuz, really.  ‘cept that I’m probly as old as ‘im,” this brings a throaty chuckle to Bloodthorne; the Heroes listen on with raised brows.  “Vecna, ‘owever, is simple.  ‘aint you ever ‘eard the tales?  The traitor Kas, wielding the Sword of Kas, using the ‘and of Vecna, is able to defeat his former lord, sending him to this hell they call Ravenloft.”“I think I have heard that,” Bink says.“So, it’s simple.  Find the relic, the ‘and of Vecna, put it on.  Take this sword, the Sword of Kas, den cut Vecna.  Simple as pie,” Bloodthorne says, tossing them a wickedly serrated blade that he picks up off a nearby table.  The sword looks exactly like the ones depicted on two of the panels in the shrine they passed through.  Both times it was stabbing Vecna (once by Kas, his traitor general, and once by Iuz, the Old One).Bink catches the blade.“Any volunteers?” Bink says a little sheepishly.  He tosses the blade to Eltharion.  Eltharion feels the weight, and then tosses it to Grog.“Weighted like my katana…” Grog says reluctantly.“I guess we have a winner.”Will Grog put on the Hand of Vecna?  Will a little goblin be the savior of mankind (again)?  Will Bloodthorne betray them at first opportunity?  Find out all this and more, next update!</blockquote>

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