Upgrade your account to a Community Supporter account and remove most of the site ads.
Rocket your D&D 5E and Level Up: Advanced 5E games into space! Alpha Star Magazine Is Launching... Right Now!

Reply to thread

Message: <blockquote data-quote="Henry" data-source="post: 2270956" data-attributes="member: 158">Black Eyes of the Demon Scorpion, Pt. 6Brandis stared for the fourth time that day into the face of doom. After picking the lock on the small yet heavy door, he carefully opened it a crack, and peered inside. He was greeted by a scene from the heart of unholy darkness.Just beyond lay a huge hall – dwarfing the size of his raiding party’s current room. A War Room this was, full of the props of generals and commanders of armies – including a large diorama that took up thousands of square feet in the chamber’s center, a strategy board that tracked movements of armies, both Sythian and Emorian. Just to one side, a large set of steps led upwards, to an exit from the chamber – Brandis could just barely make out a curtain beyond that closed off whatever was there. At the base of the steps, a pool of water glistened, shimmering with a pearly light that constantly moved.And the room – the room was swarming with Sythians. Guards around the perimeter, foot soldiers moving pieces on the diorama, officers watching from balconies as the battle progressed.Dominating the scene though was a beautiful fair-haired woman – A Sythian Fire Witch, by her dress, engaged in a frightening act. A swirl of dark, malignant-looking energy swirled from the curtains far behind her, corkscrewing through the air, and feeding directly into the back of her head, as if supplying her with dark power begging to be used. She channeled this power into the pieces on the diorama in front of her, smiling wickedly as she watched the scene in the pool the whole time. She was beautiful, deadly, and malign all at the same time; Brandis shivered.Had he stopped there, he would have never noticed her guards – two Sythian Cavalry, riding Scorpions. Yes, Scorpions of huge size, sitting tamely, were waiting for their masters’ commands. Good gods, the size of those things! They could snap me in half without straining!Brandis leaned back from the doorway, exhaled quietly, and relayed through Handspeak the information to Myrwyn, Varus and his fellow agents. Then, preparing his magic dust, he sprinkled himself with it, and vanished.Boldric, Maxian, and the rest stood quiet as death behind the slightly cracked door, waiting for a sign.Ironically enough, it was Boldric who provided the sign.Brandis moved in, and skulked closer, listening to the events.“Tell Commander Mufid that we are near success,” The Fire Witch intoned. “The Scorpion brings us strength, and the Emorian cattle are in dire straits.” The officers in the balcony perches mumbled approval, as one officer pointed. “What of the left flank?”With a slight adjustment of posture, she poured more power into the icon of the Sythian armies on that flank, and looking into the pool after a few seconds seemed satisfied. “They rout the Emorians there, soon.”Brandis realized quickly that as she channeled this power, the Sythians were bolstered and sure to win. What demonic strength it gave them, he didn’t know, and didn’t want to figure it out. They had to stop her and the other users of this power, and there would never be a better place of time.Boldric, meanwhile, grew irritated. He longed to kill off all the roomful of Sythian dogs, but was ordered to stay here. He shifted uncomfortably……just enough to make the door give a loud *SQUEAK*.Brandis’ blood froze, as did the group behind the ajar door. Even Myrwyn froze, hand paused to slap Boldric in the back of the head assuming they weren’t detected.Of the two nearest guards, standing mere feet from Brandis, one shifted and stifled a yawn at his exciting work, and the other glanced behind him. He grew curious at the slightly opened door, and unknowingly stepped past Brandis to investigate. Boldric, hearing the movement, choked up on his glaive’s point, ready to strike. Brandis stalked the wayward Sythian all the way to the door, ready to strike. The Sythian reached for the open door, ready to strike…</blockquote>

Verification