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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Emperor Valerian" data-source="post: 1503266" data-attributes="member: 15043">Graz’zt”Siabrey?  Siabrey? the fighter heard Luke’s voice in her mind.  ”Protect me!  Siabrey, my mother wishes to harm me, to kill me!  Protect me, love!  Pick up the staff!  Use it to destroy the Countess!  Then we will be safe!  Then I will be safe!  And I can always be by your side, forever and ever...”“Luke?” Siabrey asked aloud, looking at the head of the young man that was still slung on her back.  He looked at her wide eyed.“Do you hear it too?” he asked quietly.“Hear what?  Your voice?  Why do you keep asking me to pick up the staff?” the fighter said, slowly edging closer towards the black rod.  If I touch it, Luke will be protected!“Siabrey... get away from it,” she heard his voice say, firmly.  “That was not my voice you heard... I didn’t activate my telepathy spell... I’m to tired to do that.”The fighter suddenly stopped, and backed away quickly.”Shauny?  Your wife is beautiful, isn’t she?  She is lovely... and she needs protection... as do your unborn children.  Shauny... I can fix whats wrong with your unborn son... El-en was what you named that one, right?  I can also make you and your wife fabulously wealthy... imagine it, Shaun... bathing in money... no cares left in the world... all of your friends safe... you just need to pick up my staff... Shaun... reach over and grab it...””Go screw a pig in Pelor’s temple!” Shaun snarled back.  (he rolled a nat. 20 on his Will save)”It is the great and powerful monk... I shall quake at your feet... you who can leap into the clouds...”Can it! Orion’s mind cut off the demon (19 + insane Will save)Tess’ mind was worn and tired, and this new intrusion was greeted immediately with hostility.Get out of my head!  What are you doing here!  Leave me alone, dammit! her mind snarled.”Poor Tesseron!  Your brother was slain, your friends have been hunted, and now a man that you toyed with and led on is dead... poor Tess!  Why do I say poor Tess?  I shouldn’t!  You are a vile woman!  You are an evil creature!  You lead men on!  You slaughtered, in cold blood, three bound, harmless people!  MURDERER!” the voice roiled in her mind, shouting and screaming.I am not a murderer!  They had it coming!  They hurt me! They hurt my friends!  They killed my brother in cold-“The same cold blood you killed them in?” the voice asked her.  But they were... I didn’t... her mind sputtered, and the voice tightened its noose even more.”Were you aware that the assassin whose throat you slit had a daughter... a daughter who died between then a now of starvation?” the demon lied.  ”Now you have the blood of innocents on your hands as well!  MURDERER!”Outwardly, Tess was immobile, her face unchanged, inwardly, her soul was crying.  I... I’m sorry!  I’m sorry I hurt Pellaron!  I’m sorry I hurt the little girl!  I AM a murderess!  I am evil!”There there... Tesseron,” the demon’s voice echoed in her head, no longer vicious and accusing, but quiet and comforting, ”There is a chance for you to make it all right... just pick up the staff.”  The demon let a pause fill the air, letting the idea sink into her brain, before pressing hard, ”With my powers, Tesseron, you can bring back Pellaron, and shower him with the treatment he deserves!  With my powers, you can bring back that little girl!  With my powers, you can make sure you’ll never lose your brother again!  With my power, you can keep Luke, Siabrey, and all of your friends safe!  Think of it, Tess!  All you must do, is reach for the staff...”Siabrey was shaking her head, shuddering that the pull of Graz’zt was that strong, when she saw Tess’ mouth open and close, as if she was speaking... but no words came from her mouth.  The bard’s eyes were focused dead ahead, on the staff... and before Siabrey could say anything, the bard lunged.Shaun was fortunately close enough to grab her legs, and Tess tumbled to the ground, kicking and screaming.“No!  Let me go!  You don’t understand!  I need the staff!  I need it to bring back Pell!  I need it to save all of you! LET GO!” she screeched like a banshee, before a slap from Siabrey caused her to go silent momentarily... long enough they dragged her back.  Some thirty feet from the staff, the bard suddenly went still... and blinked.“What... what happened?” she asked.“Graz’zt had you for a bit... till Siabrey slapped the crap outta you,” Shaun grinned in relief.  “That and we dragged you away from it... its about 30 feet range I’d guess.  Anyways... you’re fine now.  Just don’t go too near it.”“So,” Siabrey scratched her head.  “Mr. Do Right Monk, how are we going to move this staff... and where can we put it safely?” Siabrey sighed.  Orion’s order is strict and good... maybe he knows people that could move it... and a place we could store it till we can find out how to get to the Abyss to destroy this thing....”We need someone completely pure of heart... not me,” Orion shrugged.  “I don’t know who would fit that...”“High Priest of Pelor?” Siabrey suddenly asked, and Orion stopped in mid-sentence, before shrugging.“Well, can’t hurt.  If Graz’zt takes him, we’ll just have to knock him out and drag him away like we did with Tess.”It took nearly a half hour before His Most Holy Glory could be found, and brought in all of his golden armor trappings to where the party waited, thirty feet from the staff.  As the High Priest came, Siabrey and Tess explained the situation to him... and initially he didn’t believe them.  However, as he approached and Graz’zt tried to talk to him, he decided they might not be telling a tale.  The priest reached down, and picked up the staff, with seemingly no ill effects.“Its burning my hands,” he complained loudly.  “Where are you wanting me to take this thing?”“Um... uh...” the party stammered collectively.“We have some baptismal pools that are currently not in use in the Pelor Temple... if you send a messenger ahead to fill the Morning Glory pool to the brim with the holiest of holy water, we might be able to store it there... temporarily,” the priest winced, “at least until you all can tell me a more permanent location to put it.  I can’t hold it too long!”Messengers were sent dashing out, as the regiment and part, all well clear of the priest, cleared a path for him to the Pelor temple.  There, the staff was ignominiously doused into the massive pool of holy water, literally 40 feet long by 30 feet wide and ten feet deep.  As the staff sat in the pool, the holy water began to boil furiously, rising into the air as steam.“We can keep replacing the holy water for a while... but I’m afraid this is only a temporary holding place,” the High Priest said.  “We already have the most powerful wards possible in this room... if he burns through the holy water, I doubt they can hold.”“We just need a few weeks to finish finding a better place to put him,” Siabrey said quickly.  “Is that too long?”“I think we could keep him in here for a year, at most maybe.  After that...” the High Priest gave a shudder.“So... the victory has been won... but at terrible cost,” Shaun said quietly.  “Where to now?”Siabrey looked to the still weak Lucius, and sighed with relief and sadness at his state.  “The Imperial Palace... Luke is still weak, he needs rest.”As the party made their way through the less damaged portions of the city, aides and messengers continually stopped them with reports.  One quarter of the city had burned.  Bodies have been stacked so high that it will take days to cart them off.  Requests from the temples to immediately start funeral proceedings, to dispose of bodies and reduce disease.  Finally a message arrived, one that Siabrey knew was bad by the look on the face of the page boy who bore it.Alexander was badly injured.The party quickly dashed to the palace, where the message said he was being treated.  No protocol required now... the party merely shoved past the guards, who dared not stop the Crown Princess and her retinue.  After dashing through corridors and halls, they finally arrived to a room inside the Imperial apartments.”Alex?” Siabrey said softly and carefully, opening the door servants indicated he was behind.  Inside they found the Emperor in bed... a bloody bandage in place of his arm.“Oh god... Majesty!  Why haven’t you let clerics heal you!?” Siabrey snapped.  Dammit... you WILL NOT die on me Alex! I will NOT be happy if I have to talk to petitioners on a daily basis!”There were other people hurt worse,” the Emperor sputtered out with a thin, pained smile.  “They gave me some stuff for the pain, after I ordered them to treat the other injured people first.  They’ll take me tommorrow,” he smiled thinly.“Alex!” Siabrey chided, looking at Grumki.  The half-orc gave a shrug.“The strength of Kord is spent today.  Perhaps tomorrow, as the Emperor requests,” his rumbling bass suggested.Siabrey looked at him, and then Alexander, and gave a sigh.  Stubborn boys.“Well.. Majesty, there’s nothing you’re going to do to keep me from getting some food!  Servants!”  Siabrey dashed out of the room, before Alexander could complain.When she returned, herself carrying a tray of food, she found that Luke and Alexander had both fallen asleep... along with the other tired, spent members of the party...   Siabrey goes out and quietly gets blankets fetched for them all, and after tucking her Lucius in with a gentle kiss, she heads upstairs... back to the throne room with an dark growl.= = = = = = = == = = = = == = = = == = = = = == = = == = = == = =That’s the end of that session... which was the longest I think we ever played.  Everyone agrees, however, it was probably one of the best.  Soon, the next week’s session will be posted... and now, officially, we are only four sessions behind! <img src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f642.png" class="smilie smilie--emoji" loading="lazy" width="64" height="64" alt=":)" title="Smile    :)"  data-smilie="1"data-shortname=":)" /></blockquote>

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