House Millithor in the City of the Spider Queen

[Pyrex]

Carcelon focuses on her insignia and Messages Dariel:
"When your first attack strikes him I'll Dispel him.
When you want help, make it look like you're casting your Summon spell and I'll send assistance"

Carcelon then moves to the back of the box, looking for a hiding place in which to don her "disguise".

 

[Endur]

Endur walks down to the arena entrance. He exchanges words in dwarven with Django and then enters the arena.

Marckarius's eyes are drawn when he notices two more Illithids entering the Arena area and heading towards the third Illithid in the stands. The Illithids are followed by several grimlock and quaggoth guards armed with weapons. All three Illithids from my dream are here, Marckarius suddenly remembers that the Illithid with the most ornate clothing was called 'the Illithid Master Klaxeon' by the Duergar Auctioneer. He wonders why he can still remember Klaxeon's name.

Quertus watched the Matron's fingers move. He focused on his orders and begun to bring the incantations to mind so that he would be ready to cast the relevant spells. Then Quertus fell into a trance.


Sleeping. Stretching out my tail and wings and rolling over on the bed of coins and gems. Yawning.

Not hungry enough to get up yet. But soon.

What is that pain in my side? Scratching my side with a claw. It feels very soft and its coming away from my side?!?!?

Eyes open, I stare at my claw and the remains of a dwarf?!?

There are dwarves with weapons all around!

"Thieves!" I bellow.

I jump to my feet and exhale a cone of fire, spreading my wings to expand the fire as much as possible.

The smell of fried dwarf wafts its way up to my nostrils. But there are still more of them.

My eyes grow wide as I see the dwarf with the adamantine axe that shines like the Dawn and the adamantine armor covered in dwarven runes.

With a great two-handed blow, I watch his axe cut through my neck.

With my last breath, I pronounce my dying curse, the curse of Dragon Greed upon my treasure.

Some of the dwarves, including the dwarf with the rune covered armor, refuse to take any of the treasure and leave. Other dwarves refuse to take heed of the warnings and are eventually destroyed by the curse.


Quertus recovers from his meditation and realizes the dwarf in the dream wore different armor and carried a different weapon, but the runes on the armor were identical and the weapon had a very similar glow to it.

All of a sudden, Quertus realizes that Carcelon has already left the luxury box and the Matron has been waiting for him to follow his orders.

 

[Xael]

Quertus snaps out of the trance again, nods to Matron Mother while pocketing the coin again, and leaves to look for a place where he can don his disguise without being seen (by too many at least).

After experiencing the attempt to influence his mind (or something) Quertus decides to keep an eye on Django (Quertus assumes he tried to read his thoughts), and if he doesn't look suspicious, he tries to scan the crowd for anybody who do.

*Again, but not quite what I had hoped for. Nevertheless, near enough to prove my assumptions right. I think. But who the hell was that? The damnable dwarf? The coin? I need to find out...*

If he finds a suitable spot, Quertus will cast Disguise Self and make himself look like a duergar (if he can change to short enough, I don't remember dwarf heights) or (if former is not possible) to any race that seems to be have many members in the audience (not including drow) and is withing the height limit of the spell (human, bugbear?).

He will then prepare to cast Dispel Magic when the fight starts, preferably again from somewhere out of sight.

 

[Endur]

Carcelen disguised herself as a tall goblinoid (of the kind sometimes called hobgoblins) and left the luxury box.

Quertus hides near the rear of the luxury box and casts Disguise Self, disguising himself as a tall duergar. He then leaves the luxury box.

After Quertus has left the luxury box and is looking for a good hiding spot, he has a sudden sense of impending danger. As if someone cast a spell at him that failed. Looking around, he doesn't see any obvious spell effects.

Then he notices that he is being quietly surrounded by several grimlocks. Behind them are half a dozen Quaggoths and three Illithids walking directly toward him.

Quertus figures he has two or three rounds before the Grimlocks have cornered him, and maybe a couple of more rounds before the Illithids and Quaggoths arrive at their current leisurely walking pace.

Marckarius, who has been watching the three Illithids all along, realizes that they are walking straight towards a Duergar. Marckarius isn't 100% sure whether that Duergar is Quertus, but he thinks the Duergar is probably Quertus.

 

[Xael]

*Wonderful...*

Quertus tries to look like he hasn't spotted the would-be-ambushers (probably in vain), and touches his House Insignia and utilises the Message power (trying to do the pointing with as little movement as possible), sending a message to all other members of the house (not Dariel and Carcelion), in order of Matron, Narcelia, Krecil, and the other males.

The message goes like this: "This is Quertus, I'm being supposedly attacked soon by three Mind Flayers, Quaggoths and Grimlocks. I'm disguised as a tall duergar and I'm near the Luxury box (I think, if not, the real location) and I would be grateful of any assistance. I'm not going flashy...

...yet."

*Come and get me, I might have a little present for you...*

Quertus proceds to cast some defensive spells, in order of importance: Displacement, Haste (affecting all members of the house near enough, including Dariel) and Shield.

OOC: Please let me now when the Grimlocks get too close, Quertus prefers to have an action readied...

 

[Serpenteye]

Ki'Willis replies,
Cast Haste and return to the box, Dariel will have to make do with Carcelon's assistance and the aid you have already provided.

If he went to hide with the Duergar and the Illithids dispelled his disguise... she sneers slightly. We do not need even more complications.

She speaks in a calm and commanding voice, A number of Illithids have just used their powers against Quertus but failed to affect him, they and their servants will likely follow him here. Prepare yourselves for battle, but make no offensive move until I give my signal.

 

[Xael]

Quertus listens to the Matron's reply, and follows her orders. He quickly casts Haste (affecting those mentioned in last post) and leaves for the Luxury box.

 

[metrostar]

The drow slave girl Jena remains kneeling by Lady Yyssiriryl's side. She looks around, not really understanding what is happening in all the confusion. Then her eyes come to rest on Torellan, the handsome drow who was admiring her earlier. She gives him a subtle smile with her pouty lips. What a handsome creature he is! Such a beautiful example of the great drow race. She sees the blank faces on the members of House Millithor and wonders if they are communicating to each other with their House Insignias.

OOC Brother Shatterstone, what's the matter? Kilcif only likes bugbear females?

 

[Endur]

As the Grimlocks close in, Quertus casts Displacement. Then, hearing Matron Ki'Willis Millithor's reply, he casts Haste upon himself and Dariel (the house members in the luxury box being out of range for his spell).

The Grimlocks are fifteen to twenty feet away from Quertus, content to pen him in and reduce his options. The Illithids and Quaggoths are walking ever closer. Quertus uses his hasted speed to run up the luxury box before they can trap him in the audience stands.

Throughout this time, Quertus continues to feel the effect of narrowly dodging a deadly danger, although he sees no spell effects.

The five Grimlocks, the three Illithids, and the follow him towards the entrance to the luxury box.

Just as Quertus enters the luxury box, and is among his kin once again, he feels an alien presence intruding upon his mind. The presence does not seem to be having any impact... yet.

 

[Serpenteye]

ooc: Metrostar, Ki'Willis didn't use her Insignia to tell the others about the impending attack, she wanted Yyssiriryl too to know about it, so she spoke the words out loud enough for all the people in the box to hear.

Ki'Willis sends a Message to Carcelon,
Three Illithids and their thralls are approaching the luxury box, likely with hostile intent. They may be able to recognize you for who you are. Stay alert and if they seem to be heading for you return to the Box.


She then rises from her seat, straightenes her clothing and, with a pleasant, charming, and slightly arrogant smile, prepares to unleash either hell or diplomacy on the attackers.