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Message: <blockquote data-quote="gfunk" data-source="post: 926946" data-attributes="member: 1813">Session 40 Impersonating druids and Eco-terrorism Noir placed both her hands over her eyes and massaged her forehead.  In one sense, she had convinced herself that she had done no wrong.  After all, Dorina T’ssaren had raised her as a revenant – an undead thing with no freedom of thought.  Noir was a mere slave to the Revenancer.  Of course, she had agreed to become a pawn of Kiaransalee, but what choice did she really have?  Death?  Forced servitude?  Neither appealed to her.Now, with her untimely demise at the hands of an iron golem, she had been returned to life by Amal the Dreadmaster.  There could be no further illusions, she was now a fully conscious, living being who had dedicated her soul to the White Banshee.  Gone were the blessings that the Red Knight had bestowed upon her and, in their stead, Noir had inherited a multitude of dark powers more suited to an evil deity.  Was it worth it?  Ultimately, it was a futile question for there was no going back.Accepting her fate, she rose to her feet and exited the room.  From henceforth, she would be known as Noir the Blackguard.----------------------------------------------The scene was one of pandemonium and death as scores of corpses littered the marketplace.  Any commoners who stood in the demon’s path instantly had their souls extinguished by its evil energy.  Those warriors who did not flee in abject terror were either decapitated or smothered in a fog of inky, black death.  All the while, in the raging inferno of Hillsfar’s market district, the balor made his intentions crystal clear.“You have Joachim Dethick to thank for your suffering!!  You will all perish in his dark, unholy name!!  Gropdar will know the folly of spurning the hand of Tyr!!”Behind the fiend appeared a trio of wizards, veritably glowing with protective spells.  “Your evil shall be stopped here demon-spawn!  Prepare to return to your master in the Abyss!”The first mage boldly held forth a vial of holy water and a symbol of Lathander, the Morning Lord, as he invoked his spell.  The abjuration was well-prepared and designed to send the minion of Demogorgon careening back into the depths of the Abyss, but the demon resisted.  The second mage conjured a sword constructed of pure force behind his foe as it tired to slash into the balor’s hide, but the demon was able to side-step the blow with his magically-enhanced speed.  The final wizard attempted to disintegrate the fiend outright but the thin green ray of energy was utterly thwarted by the demon’s spell resistance.The balor, without so much as a gesture, stripped the first mage completely of protective magics and, with sheer force of will, imploded the mortal for his impudence.  His fellows tried to retian their focus as they were showered with the blood and organs of their fallen comrade.  The first mage directed his force sword into the demon and was able to deal a significant blow.  He followed up with a large disembodied hand that stood in front of the demon attempting to push him away. The second wizard fired off a tremendous discharge of electricity,  severely burning his foe.Playtime was over.  In a howl of rage, the demon blanketed the entire block of the city with roaring columns of flame that did not merely ignite but rather consumed all in their path.  One of the enemy spellcasters fell over, nothing more than a charred husk.  His companion had wisely warded himself but choose to retreat rather than continue to imperil himself against such a dangerous foe.A large portion of the district had been reduced to a smoking ruin, the stench of charred flesh and burnt wood heavy in the air.  The fiend’s orders had been clear – after causing maximum carnage he was to take the bloodbath directly to Lord Gropdar’s castle.  As the demon concentrated on his teleportation spell, he paused momentarily to view a large bright oval that had opened in the sky above him.A master of spellcraft, the balor immediately recognized it as an interplanar gate.  Had his foes summoned a celestial to defeat him?  Or perhaps another demon?  The answer came out of the gate in the form of a whirlwind of razor sharp spiked chains which sliced the demon to ribbons.Immediately, the balor fell to the ground, his exploding body simply adding to the surrounding wreckage.----------------------------------------------“Noir, what the hell took you so long?  Now, have a seat.  Amal was just describing to me the Church of Elements.”Expressionless, the blackguard tipped her head to Entropy as she took a seat at the table.The Dreadmaster continued, “As I was saying, it is a conclave of powerful druids located within the forests of Cormanthor.  Sadly, we know little about their activities in this region except that they remain neutral on most matters . . . militantly neutral I might add.”Nurn spoke up, “Bah, what does this have to do with anything?  The Dreamer Prime has already told us how to get into the Bastion.  All we have to do is go to Phlegethos and ‘convince’ this so-called Eco to let us in to Desayeus’ prison.  Then we help ourselves to the Soul Totem.”“My dear slaad, certainly you can appreciate my apprehension in facing Nalavara,” purred Entropy, “and to that end this Church may prove useful.  It is well-known that Dydd was one of their most prominent members.  I’m sure that as Dydd’s last living descendant, I would be received well.”“So, is it settled then?”“Yes, tomorrow we go to Cormanthor.”----------------------------------------------The party moved rapidly through the forest and, thanks to Amal’s divinations, were able to close upon their goal in relatively short time.  Though the area was quite thick with foliage, a bald hill rose off in the distance, crowned by a circle of Standing Stones.“How do I look?”“Like a stupid elven druid,” Nurn snapped, “Look, do you really think this farce is necessary?  I mean it won’t be terribly hard for them to figure out who you are.”“Tsk, tsk, my froggy friend, appearances can be quite deceiving.  You don’t seem to appreciate who I am.  I am Dydd’s direct the descendant, a messiah if you will.  Besides, first impressions are very important.”As the group advanced, they walked past a long line of trees.  Noir whispered in Entropy’s ear, “Mistress, I do believe these plants are sentient.  We should proceed warily lest these druids try to ambush us.”At the crest of the hill, within the circle of menhirs stood a strikingly beautiful elven druid kneeling before a small sapling.  She seemed unaware of the party’s approach until her pet, a massive tiger, growled a warning.  She slowly rose to face her guests, “I welcome you visitors, to the Church of Elements."Expecting a fierce battle once again, Amal, Nurn and Noir were quite flabbergasted with how Entropy began the encounter.  Moving forward, the Alienist bowed deeply then stood tall with her hands outstretched to the sky, “Be ye not jealous druid!  I am the descendant of Dydd, slayer of Nalavara, yea!”While her companions simply rolled their eyes, the druid continued to smile passively.  “My greetings to you Entropy.  Semphelon told us of your coming.”“Semphelon?  Who is that?”The druid indicated the sapling behind her, “Semphelon is nature incarnate and is tended by the druids of this conclave.  I consider it a privilege to be so honored.  You seek information about Nalavara, correct?  Please allow me to explain further.  Hundreds of years ago, the Great Wyrm Nalavara ravaged the continent with her sheer destructive power.  Many powerful and noble heroes fell to her depredations, but one druid, your ancestor Dydd, managed to stop Nalavara by destroying the dragon’s heart.  Mortally wounded and too stubborn to become a dracolich, the wyrm instead grafted an artificial heart into herself.  This was no ordinary heart, no, but it was a living demon.”Entropy thought for a moment, “A living heart, eh?  Well that makes some sense I suppose.  What should I do now?”“Semphelon states that your path is clear, descendant of Dydd.  You must slay Nalavara and end the abomination of soulless births.  Only you have the power to restore the balance.”“You’re joking right?  Why in the Nine Hells would I want to do that?”“I do not pretend to understand your motivations, descendant of Dydd, but only relate to you the future as Semphelon has revealed it to me.  But fear not, slaying Nalavara will not be an insurmountable task as a mystical link exists between Dydd and you.  When facing the Great Wyrm, utter this phrase, ‘In the name of Dydd, whose blood is my blood, who slew your heart, feel again the pain of your heart’s demise.’”“That’s it?  Then we can paste her?”“Unfortunately, no.  This will hamper Nalavara somewhat but will by no means give you absolute dominion over her.  However, it may allow you to survive long enough to strike the killing blow.”----------------------------------------------Back in the Undying Temple, a battle plan was being drawn.Noir spoke first, “What I don’t understand is why others are not trying to stop these soulless births.  Shouldn’t the clerics of Tyr, Lathander, and Ilmater be fighting over who gets the honor of slaying Nalavara?”“The Ban of the Unborn prevents direct divinations regarding the Bastion from succeeding,” answered Amal, “even the Dreadlord cannot penetrate this veil.  It is possible that others have not pieced together as much information as we have.”“Regardless, our mission is clear.  I wish to prevent Aamuel from slaying Hethradiah and Entropy wants to remain alive.  For all our sakes, I suggest we move to relieve Desayeus of his Soul Totem post-haste,” Nurn offered.Without replying, Entropy moved towards the crystal ball mounted on a pedestal in the room.  She concentrated, as the ball began to glow, “Show me this Eco, scourge of fiends, gatekeeper to Desayeus, the god who was banned!”Inside, the Alienist saw a magnificently beautiful celestial standing eight feet in height with silver eyes, golden skin and gleaming white wings.  If Entropy didn’t know better, she would have guessed that Eco was a statue rather than a living creature.“A Solar . . . a freaking Solar.  This will not be easy, and negotiation is certainly not an option.”----------------------------------------------“Brahmin, I may be called upon to perform my duty once again.  I feel that the sanctity of Desayeus' prison is in peril.”The Planetar looked at his companion with sympathy and respect, “My place is here, with you.  Together we will smite all who dare defy the Ban of the Unborn.”Eco thought carefully.  She was a celestial of the First Choir, a member of the vaunted and sacred Seraphim – the most powerful servants of the Lords of Good.  Her power and virtue was so great, that Helm himself sought to elevate her to the rank of Archangel, thus freeing her forever from the heavenly hierarchy.  For a celestial, there could be no greater honor.  But then had come the foolish actions of Desayeus, the short-lived god of the unborn.  He had committed the supreme crime in the eyes of Lord Ao.  Once he had been dispatched, Eco volunteered to stand over his prison for eternity.  Though she regretted doing so, for her chances for advancement were thus eliminated, she decided to sacrifice herself for the greater good.The millennia of her vigilance had been punctuated rarely by incursions from demons, devils, and the random extraplanar traveler.  All had been coincidental however, for none knew of Desayeus' state.  A century ago, she had befriended Brahmin, a Planetar of the famed Cherubim.  He too had agreed to serve as guardian to the fallen god’s prison and was able to pass the time in conversation with Eco.Now, it seemed, in the screaming, howling madness of Pandemonium that her vigilance would be sorely tested.  Whether it was a trial by the Lords of Good or an actual attempt to free Desayeus, she could not know.  But she would be ready.</blockquote>

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