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Message: <blockquote data-quote="gfunk" data-source="post: 594226" data-attributes="member: 1813">Session 17 “Why settle for one balor when you can have two?” Desperately wanting to enter melee with the Balor, Noir flew down to meet it. Flying out of the Maelstrom, Badrazel rose to meet her. Bringing his huge greatsword to bear he held it aloft so that the Paladin could clearly see it. For on the sword was inscribed a Symbol of Death the Balor had often used to slay unsuspecting foes. Seeing the symbol, Noir felt a sudden surge of negative energy hit her as it tried to extinguish her soul. With the greatest effort, she managed to throw off the necromantic magic before it consumed her.Hasted, Joachim tried to damage the Balor as much as possible to aid his friend. Calling to Tyr he brought down two columns of flame and they enveloped his foe. Badrazel reflectively flinched but the divine energy harmlessly dissipated around him, his magic resistance nullifying it completely.After dancing with the Balor for so long, Noir felt this could be her only chance to damage it. Not only was her sword forged to destroy evil outsiders, but she called on the Powers of Good to smite the foul demon as she swung at it. The results were dramatic -- she struck her foe multiple times spraying black, caustic blood everywhere.Badrazel fell back at the barrage. Clearly he had underestimated his quarry, but the battle was not lost yet. He knew that without her sword this drow (Noir) could not even scratch him. The Balor briefly considered disarming her with his greatsword, but suddenly had a better idea. Speaking a single word, he unleashed a blast of pure evil energy that rolled over the Paladin. The Balor smiled in satisfaction as the spell knocked the drow senseless causing her to drop her powerful sword to the ground many feet below.Joachim tried to finish off the Balor with another Flame Strike but he could not penetrate its magical defenses. Drawing his sword, he approached the Balor hoping to finish it off quickly.Badrazel saw that he needed to even the odds to bring this battle to a successful conclusion. Stepping back from Noir, he concentrated and opened a channel to the Abyss and summoned one of his own kind. As the second Balor appeared, Badrazel telepathically commanded it to delay his foes. It complied by unleashing a burst of evil energy that stunned both Noir and Joachim. Badrazel took advantage of the situation by grabbing Noir and pulling her close to him, attempting to consume her with the flames emanating from his body.In the meantime, the second Balor (after being commanded by Badrazel) flew to the ground and picked up Noir's sword. The Fiendbane sword violently reacted to being handled by the demon and infused it with negative energy. The fiend ignored the pain, for he knew he would not be holding the sword for long. He teleported away.Recovering from the evil shockwave, Noir struggled to free herself from Badrazel’s grasp and managed to do so. However, without a weapon she could do no damage. Joachim attacked but the Balor deftly dodged the possibly fatal strike. At this point, Badrazel knew this battle was a foregone conclusion -- his foes would either flee or be annihilated. As he waited for his Balor companion to return, the demon stunned both the Paladin and Inquisitor yet again with a surge of evil energy.As if on cue, the second Balor returned sans Fiendbane sword. It was obvious he had deposited it somewhere that the Paladin would not find in the immediate future. The Balor hit Joachim with an abjuration that eliminated all but a few of the Inquisitor's remaining spell protections. Joachim ignored the summoned creature and focused on Badrazel, hitting him squarely. The enraged Balor responded by bringing his greatsword to bear, hoping to decapitate his foe.Before the strike landed however, the sky above all the combatants filled with smoke. Looking up they saw that the "smoke" possessed two eyes that blazed with fire and two appendages which ended in giant scythes. The creature flew directly above the second Balor and, with blinding speed, entered his mouth. The Balor coughed and swatted the air around him, but it was in vain. He suddenly began to cough up blood as the Smoke Paraelemental began shredding his internal organs.--------------------------------------------------------------------------------To Entropy's surprise and relief, the Reality Maelstrom deposited her in a plane of eternal sky where everything fell forever. With her encyclopedic knowledge of all things extraplanar she realized that she had been deposited in the Elemental Plane of Air. Fortune again smiled on her! Not only was the environment breathable, but she could prepare before she returned to help her companions.Empowered by magical flight, the sorcerer halted her fall and began casting a series of abjurations on herself. When she was ready, she took a deep breath and plane shifted back to the Prime -- above the Moonsea to be exact. She knew that such a spell was wildly erratic and could deposit her hundred of miles from her intended destination, but it did not matter in this case. Looking down, she saw the vast blue waters of the Moonsea extending in all directions. Holding her staff aloft, she teleported herself 200 feet above where she had originally entered the Maelstrom. Unlike planar travel, this mode of transportation was very precise.Entropy appeared exactly where she had envisioned, but could not see more than a few dozen feet ahead of her due to the darkness that Lolth had spread over the Cormyrian sky. No matter, she thought, she didn't intend to pay the Balor a personal visit anyway.Casting a spell, she opened a channel to both the Elemental Planes of Air and Fire summoning a huge Smoke Paraelmental. It immediately dove towards the ground to engage her foes . . .--------------------------------------------------------------------------------In a fury beyond reason at this turn of events, Badrazel attempted to banish the creature back to its home plane -- but the power of Entropy's summoning held as the Paraelemental continued to devastate the demon's comrade. With the greatest of effort, the second Balor managed to cough out the intruder and tore into it with his greatsword.Taking advantage of the chaos, Joachim swung again at Badrazel and landed a blow that put the demon near death. Before the Balor could recover, another Smoke Paraelmental descended from the sky and attempted but failed to enter his lungs. Trying desperately to banish his foes, the second Balor tried to hit both Paraelementals with the same abjuration that his summoner had attempted. This time he had more luck as one of the Paraelementals returned to its home plane.Seeing that Noir was obviously defenseless, Badrazel entangled her with his whip, bringing her close to his body once again and closer to death. Before he could issue the coup-de-grace, however, another creature descended towards him. A native of the Elemental Plane of Air, the monster resembled a small tornado. Creating a sharp vacuum above Badrazel’s head, it completely took the Balor by surprise.The blow virtually caved in the demon's head causing him to release Noir. As Badrazel felt his life slipping away, he knew he would give his slayers a fine parting gift -- the Balor exploded in a flash of light that damaged everyone, including the remaining demon. Joachim looked towards Noir and saw that she was barely conscious and bleeding freely. Invoking one of his most powerful healing spells, all of his allies were instantly restored to full health.With this sudden turn of events, the second Balor didn't last long against the onslaught of the two powerful Elementals and the Inquisitor. Instead of exploding, though, the demon disappeared as he returned to his plane of origin.--------------------------------------------------------------------------------After some time, Entropy flew down to meet her comrades, relating her "travels." She regarded Badrazel’s two weapons, which now remained on the ground -- the whip that nearly ended her life and a greatsword shaped like a bolt of lightning. The sorcerer explained, "This demon was called not conjured. Don't you realize what this means? The Balor is among the greatest of Tanar'ri -- his master must be of amazing power! Not only did someone summon this fiend, but he also had the might to force the Balor serve him!"Noir and Joachim agreed that the foe they faced must be mighty indeed. Noir picked up the greatsword, "Well, since my Fiend bane is nowhere to be found, I suppose this will have to suffice." "Be careful with that thing Noir! It is no ordinary weapon, its blade is so sharp that it can decapitate a foe in one strike," Entropy warned.At this point, the party was in a bit of a quandary. If they faced such stiff opposition OUTSIDE the city then things must be truly abyssal within (pun intended). Quite obviously, disguising themselves as drow had been completely worthless -- even counter-productive. They began to debate their remaining options."Perhaps we should simply go as humans. They must certainly be a bit more tolerated here than the drow seem to be," suggested Noir.Suddenly Entropy struck on a "brilliant" idea. "Why don't I disguise myself as a Balor? I can certainly do it with magic and it will seem all the more real if I carry that greatsword and whip. Seriously, think about it . . . who is gonna screw with a Balor?"Joachim took the proposal further, "I will disguise myself as a Priest of Velsharoon, the god of undeath. We will say that we are coming from Thay and that you (pointing to Entropy) have been called by me as a servant. Noir can disguise herself as a male human fighter -- my bodyguard."Everyone agreed and the party continued forth -- a priest in dark robes flanked by a human warrior and a 12 foot tall monstrosity.As they entered Tilverton, the companions saw another structure that they had missed earlier. A massive coliseum stood off in the distance, dotted by numerous campfires just like the Royal Palace. They continued forward towards the ruined Fane of Lolth and ran into another group of humanoids. This particular lot was apparently headed by a large Fire Giant.Entropy muscled her way forward, "Let me take care of this," she whispered.The Fire Giant, not missing a beat, calmly strode towards the "Balor." As he neared, the Giant dropped to one knee. In Undercommon he spoke humbly, "My Lord Badrazel. Who are these humans that accompany you, are they your slaves?"Unfortunately, the sorcerer's "brilliant" plan did not take into account the fact that she spoke not a word of Undercommon. She tried not to look confused as she waited for Joachim or Noir to respond.Improvising, Joachim stepped forward and addressed the kneeling Giant in Undercommon, "I am Glendarol the greatest priest of Velsharoon in Thay. This demon is *my* slave. I suggest you address his master lest I order him to rip you apart!"Not even turning to face the priest, the Fire Giant kept his gaze on the Balor, "My Lord, why do you bear the indignity of this puny wretch? Do you not serve Lord Kurgoth? Please command me and I will gladly crush this impudent insect.""WHAT! Do not address my servant fool! Look at me!" Joachim fumed.Entropy knew that this charade was wearing thin so she began weaving arcane phrases that would allow her to speak and understand any language. Fortunately for her, the Fire Giant knew not a bit about Spellcraft -- had he known, however, he would have quickly seen through the ruse as Balors do not cast spells as do mortals."Giant. I am not this Badrazel you speak of. My name is Hrrothuck and Master Glendarol has summoned me to do his bidding. I suggest you speak to him with respect, lest you incur his wrath," Entropy finally responded in Undercommon.The Giant rose and spoke to the priest, "What are you doing here human? There is nothing for you here, this whole city is ruined and the drow have been slaughtered," he waved his massive hand toward a pair of drow in shackles, "or enslaved.""We wish to see the ruined Fane of Lolth. It is my understanding that the Lady of Spiders has gone silent and I wish to see it for myself," Joachim was now making things up as he went.The Giant furrowed his brow, "Nevertheless, powerful though you may be you must have Kurgoth's permission before you enter Tilverton. Will you allow me to take you to him?"Entropy barked at the Giant, "Fool! How dare you command my Master! He goes where he pleases and will not be ordered around by the likes of you," turning towards Joachim, "Master, please grant me permission to crush this group of weaklings!"Seeing where Entropy was heading Joachim responded appropriately, "Do not be so hasty, my friend. We are in another's kingdom and must follow custom. Lead on Giant, we will meet this Kurgoth."As the quartet moved towards the coliseum, the companions were shocked at the state of the city. Most of it had been reduced to a smoking ruin and much of the damage had been done recently.Trying to pump as much information as she could, Entropy the Balor queried the Giant, "I understand that Kiaransalee is the official deity of this city now.""WHAT DID YOU SAY?!" The Giant whirled around to face the group his jaw dropping in utter shock."Err . . . I was just wondering what the deal with Kiaransalee was?" Entropy offered, quickly seeing that the sightseeing was over.The Giant pulled out his massive greatsword and charged the group. Needless to say, he was quickly and quietly dispatched. "Now what," asked Noir, "going to meet this Kurgoth fellow by ourselves is probably not a very good idea. I never thought I'd be saying this but the safest place in this city might be the Fane of Lolth. Let's check it out."--------------------------------------------------------------------------------Still maintaining their assumed identities, the party entered the ruined Fane. They could see that the interior looked as bad as the outside. As they entered the courtyard, many globes of light illuminated the area. Before they could explore any further, a ghostly form approached them.The spectre, whose very touch drained the soul, reached out towards the Inquisitor but missed. Without batting an eyelid, the companions surrounded it and quickly sent it back to the realm of the dead. Before self-congratulation could begin, however, they all felt a bone-numbing cold.Both Entropy and Joachim looked at each other in terror. Joachim spoke first, "Tyr help us! A Nightshade is nearby!" Entropy remembered when the party had encountered a Nightwalker while traveling on the Plane of Shadow. More than mere Undead, the Nightshades were evil incarnate.The entire area immediately was filled with toxic green fumes whose poison caused each of the party members to choke in pain. Joachim and Noir quickly exited the cloud on the Inquisitors carpet, while Entropy caused gravity to reverse in the area, freeing herself from the cloud's poison. As the cloud lifted, the party saw a massive creature approaching them. It was utterly black, powerfully muscled and carrying the very stink of death on it. Moving forward it tore into Noir with unnatural speed, its claws making deep marks in her full plate. Noir jumped from the carpet and met the Nightwalker head on. Although she had not recovered her original weapon, Joachim had loaned her a holy sword. Unfortunately, it was not nearly as potent as the original and it showed. Noir barely scratched the dark creature.Entropy immediately put up a hemispherical wall around herself. Although it was invisible, it was completely immune to damage. She knew that only a precious few of her spells would work on the Nightshade. Joachim was a little more proactive as he summoned a Magma Paraelemental directly behind the Nightshade. It raised its massive fists and brought them down on the Nightwalker. The blow would have flattened a house, but the Undead didn't even flinch.The Nightshade concentrated briefly and banished the Paraelemental with a potent spell. Turning to face the Paladin, it deftly grabbed the holy sword out of her hands. Without a weapon (again), Noir tried in vain to retrieve her sword but could not reach it. Joachim rode forward on his carpet and landed several blows that even the powerful undead creature could not ignore. Without even a hint of effort, the Nightwalker snapped Noir's sword in half, rendering it useless. Just as effortlessly, it grabbed Joachim's weapon. Unfortunately for the Inquisitor, the longsword he wielded was fastened to his gauntlet; his arm was nearly torn from its socket from the immense strength of the Nightshade.Realizing what would happen, Noir grabbed Joachim's sword trying to prevent its destruction. However courageous her efforts though, the Undead ripped the weapon apart as easily as he did the first. It stared at the Paladin, a gaze of pure evil, and she felt her resolve begin to weakenWithout a weapon and knowing full well that his Flame Strikes could not even singe the Nightshade, Joachim made a tactical retreat on his carpet. Noir would not be deterred, she drew her final weapon, a masterwork short sword, and tore into her foe. Though the force behind the weapon was indeed powerful, it all but bounced off the black skin of the Nightwalker. In response the Nightwalker grabbed the Paladin with both arms and began to squeeze the life out of her.Entropy saw that she could not hold off any longer. Dismissing the force wall, she hit the Undead with one her most potent evocations -- a massive ball of sonic energy. To her surprise, it did absolutely nothing but enrage the Nightshade further. The Nightwalker began to tear into Noir who was utterly unable to defeat the creature's ferocious strength. In the death grip of one of the most evil creatures on Faerun, Noir beseeched her deity the strength to defeat her enemy. Whether through fate or divine intervention two massive bears appeared behind the Nightshade. A result of a summoning spell from Joachim, they were no mere animals but inhabitants of the Upper Planes. Sensing the evil in the creature before them, the bears tore into it, pulsing with divine energy.The barrage was more than the Nightwalker could take, as it fell over and nearly crushed Noir beneath it.Bloodied and beaten, the companions looked at each other wearily. They had survived this fight, but as they looked at their ruined weapons littering the courtyard they realized they could no longer underestimate the wile and intelligence of their adversaries.</blockquote>

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