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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Emperor Valerian" data-source="post: 1537161" data-attributes="member: 15043">Bear with me... I have no notes of the rest of this adventure, so I am going off of memory entirely from events... 5 weeks ago?Unpleasant Surprises“A what?” Tess shouted in confusion, even as Annette began sliding away from the party.  “Annette, wait!” Siabrey called.  “Wait!”The young girl’s face was already twisting, changing, and two tiny horns had spouted from the crown of her head.  Her eyes reflected fear and terror, and she continued to slowly back further and further into the crowd.“No,” she said, her voice panicky, “you’ll hurt me!  You’ll kill me!”“No! We won’t Annette!” Siabrey shouted, not caring what the opinion of the others was.  She might be a fiend herself, but she’s scared!  If we treat her with trust, we can find out why she is here!  Maybe she’s not here at all to watch us!“Annette, please!  Come back, and tell us why you are here!  We won’t hurt you!” Siabrey called plaintively again.  The screams of the girl as she watched her sister fall still rang in the Empress’ ears.“No!  You won’t understand!  I... I’ve found you, I’ve finished what I needed to do!” the girl screeched, her skin now changing to a slightly rosy pink, two enormous, feathery wings sprouting from her back.“An Erinyes!” Tess shouted.  “Stop her!”  Tess’ shouts were echoed by Grumki and Shaun, causing the young creature to suddenly leapt upwards, her wings flapping furiously as she rose into the air.Vin’s face had changed.  The woman, who had formerly been so kind, compassionate, indeed understand, was now twisted in hate.  I’ve been duped! her mind screamed, and hatred flowed into her limbs as she drew her bow, and pulled forth an arrow.  She aimed, even as the Erinyes twisted and turned in the air, and let loose.By all accounts, Vin’s shot should have missed, by a very wide margin.  Yet it seemed her arrow was attached, by some kind of tether, to her quarry.  It twisted and turned, following the Erinyes through her vicious dodges.  The arrow slammed into Annette with vicious force.  The devil twisted and cartwheeled slightly before regaining her balance, continuing her rise upward into the air.  (Vin’s bow is very special... details at the end)“Don’t kill her!” Siabrey shouted as Shaun also took aim, and another arrow slammed into the creature’s spine.  “Don’t kill her!  Shoot at her wings!”  Two more arrows slashed upwards from the party, both missing.It was Aeron, finally, who uttered several arcane words, causing the devil to seize in mid-flight, causing her to fall like a stone (hold person).   In the midst of the crowd however, the party saw a mercane maneuver himself to catch her.  The tall bluish creature briefly grew horns, before suddenly blinking out of existence... teleportation.“Dammit!” Siabrey gave a roar.  “We could’ve gotten information from her!  And she was scared!”“She was a spy,” Tess countered, her own face furious, “didn’t you hear her?  She’d finished what she needed to do!  Why would she have accompanied you?  To confirm you were here!”“I don’t like this one bit,” Shaun added.  “If she was a spy... then whoever took out the wizard up here will soon be after us... and an erinyes?  Aren’t those devils?”“Yup,” Tess turned to him... she was still livid.  “Devils... probably want to take the staff and destroy it!”“But she was... a little girl...” Siabrey said, still confused.  “I heard her scream when her sister was killed...”“She lied.  Plain and simple,” Tess snapped.  “They were both devils I bet!  And...” suddenly Tess stopped, and stared at Sarai, who was looking between Shaun and the crowd where the Erinyes had fallen in confusion.  “Shaun?!  Your little girl!?  Check her out!”“Paranoid, aren’t we?” Orion commented dryly.“Yes!  I AM paranoid after that!  Grumki!  Hidalas!  Is she evil?”“Evil?  Maybe, if I haven’t eaten in a few days I’ll steal some bread... does that make me evil?” the little girl asked innocently as both clerics looked at her, uttering small divine prayers.  Both clerics got surprised looks, and looked at Tess, shaking their heads.“She is neither good nor evil...” Hidalas said quietly.  “She, like most humans, is merely neutral.”“Siabrey, any magic on her?” Tess pressed.  Reluctantly, the Empress opened her eyes to her special sight... and saw there was no magic either.“There!  Happy?” Siabrey said testily.  “She’s a little girl!  Now, can we take care of her, and then put together our information to figure out what the hell we are going to do here!?”“Calm, calm,” Shaun raised his hands, coming between the two.  “Now, I didn’t find any information on the mages... you Siabrey?”  The fighter shook her head, and Shaun turned to Tess.  “How about you?”“I have a name... Asuri.  He’s an ancient mage, somewhat high-strung and irascible, but knowledgeable nontheless.” Tess had calmed down some... set at ease by the assurances of the others.  “I raised my eyebrows initially at Annette because Asuri does not have children.”“How far is he from where we are?” Siabrey said, her voice also calmed down by the change of subject.  “A few days?”“Three weeks, out in the Outlands by foot,” Tess said quietly.  “That’s six weeks to go talk to him, and come back.  Hey Aeron, do you have any means of teleporting us there, o Master Court wizard?”“I don’t have the proper spellbooks to teleport groups,” Aeron said quietly.  “I’d recommend someone teleporting back using the chambers here, and getting the staff...”“Maybe we could go straight from here to the Abyss, to save time?” Tess offered, causing Siabrey to groan.  Tess looked at her, the bard’s eyes softening considerably.  “I know... but going that route will let you get back to your Luke even sooner, dearest.”“I know,” Siabrey kicked at a pebble.  “Aeron.. go.  Get the staff... and see if there’s a way for you to try and keep it from talking to us as much.”While Aeron was back in their homeplane, a trip that would take a few days, the party set about trying to find someone, anyone that would be able to take care of Sarai.  For a while, it seemed a possibility that she could be put in a boarding school, until they were informed it was a school for rich merchants... and cost a thousand platinum per year.  Somewhat miffed, Shaun convinced the party to take Sarai with... perhaps Asuri would know what to do with her.  Otherwise, they could just teleport her back to the home plane, to become a ward of the Imperial state.When Aeron returned some three days later, the party was shocked not by his self satisfied grin, but what the staff looked like.  The plain, black staff, surmounted by a diamond, had a yellow sun disk of Pelor jammed into the other end, where the ‘Fire Stone’ would have normally gone.“What?”“I fixed it up so it doesn’t talk as much!” Aeron grinned.  “This here is the channeling icon of the High Glory of Pelor from the Iskeldrun temple himself!  Most powerful artifact of Church of Pelor in existence on our plane.  Graz’zt can still talk,” Aeron set the staff down, “but not nearly as often... maybe once or twice per day... at least thats how many times he tried to get into my head.  It was damn hard for me to resist... so someone else should carry this!”“How about Grumki?” Tess offered.“No!” Orion shouted.  “Don’t give an artifact like that to a wishy washy Kordling!”  Grumki frowned viciously at Orion, and the old staring contests between the lawful good monk and chaotic neutral cleric seemed as if they would start up again.  Orion suddenly gave a fierce grin.  “Let me carry it... and show Grumki the true ‘strength of Kord’ is in the mind!”“Fine,” Grumki said.  “I shall show the strength of Kord by not using my backslap to congratulate you.”  The comment was delivered dryly, but prompted Shaun to start laughing heavily.A few hours later, the party packed up their items, and headed out into the Outlands, the name of a wizard named Asuri in their heads, and on many of their minds, the fate of a small little girl, who eagerly and rabidly ate through trail rations as if she’d never seen that much food in a long time...= = = == = = = = == = == == = = = == = == = == = = == = == Vynystra’s Bow is a modified Skybow, which I made myself.Luminar's Skybow of VengeanceLuminar was a cleric of the elven god Corellon Latherian, whose worshippers now dwindle in numbers in the Empire.  During those ancient days, the boundaries between planes were not as hard to cross... and unfortunately, the cleric's love, the elf Syllistra, was killed by a demon.  He then, along with a mage friend, Lumistryra, created this powerful weapon, which he then used to hunt down her killers.  His quest was not satisfied in his lifetime... and now his anger has found its home in this bow.Lumiar's Skybow of Vengeance is a +2 holy composite longbow.  In addition, once per day, the wielder may launch an arrow against any target known to be in range, and the arrow travels to the target around all forms of cover, even around corners.  Essentially it is a patriot arrow.Game stats:  +2 composite longbow [1d8/x3 damage (1d8+2d6 damage when striking an evil creature)]</blockquote>

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