(IR) The Imaginary IR

[Paxus Asclepius]

The Wolf God begins selling land in the mountains at truly exorbitant rates, knowing that the desperate refugees whose home are destroyed by flooding will have no recourse but to pay anything he asks. To minimize competition, he makes frequent visits to the Lortmils and other mountains which he does not control, and eats any non-natives purchasing land.

 

[Rikandur Azebol]

There's been some sort of strange development in the Empire of Iuz.
Lady Shadow, the Dark Drow Leader, got ahold of a magical box with some funny markings on it.
She called it a Lament Box, or (perhaps) a Box of Lamentation.

Anyways, she opened it up, and then ...

Well, nobody knows for sure what happened then.
Dark Drow who escaped the event have reported to Iuz events just a little too unbelievable to take seriously.
Apparently, though, Lady Shadow is dead, having been ... apparently ... torn to pieces with ... hooks?
And something is now free, something real bad. Nobody knows what it is. A number of people who initially tried to find out disappeared. Wizards scrying the area were found shredded in their towers.

Aliador is speculating this could be the Big Bad they foresaw coming. Perhaps this is Vecna?

OOC:
My, My ... this is crazier that I thought. Thanks for Festy that he announced me about this.

Edena :
And Aliador elves that returned to their homes after slaughter of hapless women and children in Dorakaa, found burned ruins. Several survivors, claimed that man in green mask slaughtered them all. He were just passing by ... but was given warm beer in the inn. And it seemingly pissed him. He wandered ito unknow direction, followed by pale man on iron gnomish bike. One girl claimed that Masked Terror was less menacing than second one ...

"And he have this scary red eyes ! And killed uncle who asked him for help ... with hook on the chain. He was worse than Old One."

Shortly after that plagues spread trough Aliador. Visibly they were carried back by forces assaulting Dorakaa. Elves watched as Howling Death consumed their children and beloved ones. Like Faceless Hate turned them into terrible monsters slaughtering their beloved. Like Festering Anger turned them into frenzied berserkers. Like Chaos Warp turned them into monsters.

Beside this, all over Aliador were to be found small ivory boxes. "Druzil & Pleeancis INC" add them to every bought product. For free.

"Best toy for Your children ! Take Lamentation Box until we run out of supply ! All kids love it !"

And Iuz ? Iuz take his revenge by founding true goddnes within his black heart and moved to convent of Saint's of Last Days and became contemplative man and monk. Regularly sharing his rich experience on Anonymous Demons gatherings with all willing ot listen, and teaching all willing how to make their own Lamentation Boxes. And started Anonymous Devils and Anonymous Demon Princes where both groups of being could enjoy presence of their own without judging other's. He opened school of Philosophy, opened for everybody.

It's main theme could be said in short words.

"A man that I admire, and why Iuz ?"

OOC:

Nasty elves. Good Lamentation Box.

 

[Endur]

Fionar the Rude steps in

Fionar the Rude, ruler of the Dwarven Stronghold of Greysmere, announces at a press conference in the City of Greyhawk that the Infamous Merchant Bendigund has delivered unto him The Legendary Axe of the Dwarven Lords as partial payment for past misdeeds.

With the axe held tightly in his grip, Fionar announces that he is claiming the High Kingship of the Dwarves, the first Dwarf to be named High King in one thousand years.

As his first official act, he is ordering all dwarven kingdoms to shut their gates.

(This reporter was unable to ascertain whether those orders were in fact carried out).

 

[Edena_of_Neith]

Aliador under attack, appealing for help to everyone

The Lord of Aliador has been found slain in the Theocracy of the Pale, after confronting a pale faced apparition with needles sticking out of him. Not only the Lord of Aliador dead, but a very large number of elves that had accompanied are dead, all of them torn literally limb from limb.
The elves that survived the encounter (the ones that ran immediately, and could run faster than their unfortunate companions) are in a state of shock, relating stories of a gory massacre so awful the details are a little difficult to believe.

Now, this apparition has arrived in Aliador, promising eternal pleasure and pain for the elves.
The border city of Vhandor, Guardian City of the West, has been evacuated. An attempt at defense was made against the apparition. What happened to the defenders is a story of red horror. Some of those who survived are now insane, just from having witnessed the massacre.
The apparition is heading for other elven cities in Aliador.

-

There have been several terrible fights with the man in the green mask. Many elven lives have been lost.
The pale man has also killed a number of elves.

The elves are using their clerical magic (it exists in the Imaginary IR) against the plagues, but the Howling Death is taking a toll nevertheless.
The elves don't know what to do about the Faceless Hate afflicting their people. They have no experience with atrocities of this kind. They are suffering many casualties from it.
The elves also do not know what to do about the Festering Anger and the Chaos Warp.
Many more elven lives are being lost to both.

-

Wintershiven, the capital city of the Theocracy, has been evacuated, along with all other towns and cities in the Theocracy, and the people have fled into the safety of Varna ... although many have fled south instead into Greater Nyrond, seeing no safety in Aliador period.

Aliador has called in help from all it's own allies. Arden of Keoland, Hazen of Veluna, forces from Furyondy, the Lord of Ratik, Lady Moonbow of the Lendores, the Lord of the Yeomanry, forces from the Lortmils, both Yolande and Melf of Celene ... huge forces.
The entire elven army of Varna is on full alert, ready to defend the capital city.

-

Lady Gwyndilyn of Aliador, now ruler, is requesting to the Baklunish Empire, Greater Nyrond, Aerdi, Polaria, the Scarlet Brotherhood, and Orcreich for direct aid.
She is also requesting help from the Greyspace Alliance, Highfolk and from anyone else (regardless of alignment) willing to help. She is even asking for help from Acererak and the Solistarim.

She is certain this apparition with the needles sticking out of him is Vecna, and is behind the whole attack.
She thinks if he were killed, the whole attack could be halted.

Lady Gwyndilyn is now sure this man with the needles is Vecna, that he is wielding 10th level magic, and that a terrible showdown is going to occur soon in Varna itself.

-

(In a special, well hidden place in the Empire of Iuz, protected from all scrying, Lady Shadow holds a certain box, having made a certain deal with a certain apparition and thus started all of this.
The High Lady of the Dark Drow watches the scene with her magic ... and laughs, and laughs, and laughs. Indeed, says she, most the drow turned to good, and this is a fitting reward for such treason. Let their new elven friends protect them! HAHAHAHA.)

 

[Rikandur Azebol]

The Lord of Aliador has been found slain in the Theocracy of the Pale, after confronting a pale faced apparition with needles sticking out of him. Not only the Lord of Aliador dead, but a very large number of elves that had accompanied are dead, all of them torn literally limb from limb.
The elves that survived the encounter (the ones that ran immediately, and could run faster than their unfortunate companions) are in a state of shock, relating stories of a gory massacre so awful the details are a little difficult to believe.

Now, this apparition has arrived in Aliador, promising eternal pleasure and pain for the elves.
The border city of Vhandor, Guardian City of the West, has been evacuated. An attempt at defense was made against the apparition. What happened to the defenders is a story of red horror. Some of those who survived are now insane, just from having witnessed the massacre.
The apparition is heading for other elven cities in Aliador.

-

There have been several terrible fights with the man in the green mask. Many elven lives have been lost.
The pale man has also killed a number of elves.

The elves are using their clerical magic (it exists in the Imaginary IR) against the plagues, but the Howling Death is taking a toll nevertheless.
The elves don't know what to do about the Faceless Hate afflicting their people. They have no experience with atrocities of this kind. They are suffering many casualties from it.
The elves also do not know what to do about the Festering Anger and the Chaos Warp.
Many more elven lives are being lost to both.

-

Wintershiven, the capital city of the Theocracy, has been evacuated, along with all other towns and cities in the Theocracy, and the people have fled into the safety of Varna ... although many have fled south instead into Greater Nyrond, seeing no safety in Aliador period.

Aliador has called in help from all it's own allies. Arden of Keoland, Hazen of Veluna, forces from Furyondy, the Lord of Ratik, Lady Moonbow of the Lendores, the Lord of the Yeomanry, forces from the Lortmils, both Yolande and Melf of Celene ... huge forces.
The entire elven army of Varna is on full alert, ready to defend the capital city.

-

Lady Gwyndilyn of Aliador, now ruler, is requesting to the Baklunish Empire, Greater Nyrond, Aerdi, Polaria, the Scarlet Brotherhood, and Orcreich for direct aid.
She is also requesting help from the Greyspace Alliance, Highfolk and from anyone else (regardless of alignment) willing to help. She is even asking for help from Acererak and the Solistarim.

She is certain this apparition with the needles sticking out of him is Vecna, and is behind the whole attack.
She thinks if he were killed, the whole attack could be halted.

Lady Gwyndilyn is now sure this man with the needles is Vecna, that he is wielding 10th level magic, and that a terrible showdown is going to occur soon in Varna itself.

-

(In a special, well hidden place in the Empire of Iuz, protected from all scrying, Lady Shadow holds a certain box, having made a certain deal with a certain apparition and thus started all of this.
The High Lady of the Dark Drow watches the scene with her magic ... and laughs, and laughs, and laughs. Indeed, says she, most the drow turned to good, and this is a fitting reward for such treason. Let their new elven friends protect them! HAHAHAHA.)

IC:

Iuz, in simple robes of a monk wanders trough ruined Aliador, bening smile on his lips while he walks past all misery and horror occuring there. Nobody dares to attack him, nor even gaze in his voidlike eyes. Several stubborn demons follow his patch spreading news right and left that Iuz ascended beyond mere good and evil and his understanding of things is so avesome that it is unrivalled by anything with lesser mind. Unknow ituition led him in seemingly accidental way, that all those wishing to harm him seem to lost his track by some strange occurence. His fanatical disciples do their best to attend to his needs ... but even them are aved seeing that he trascended bodily needs and have them no more. Strange aura of calm sourrounds him and small birds and animals seem to observe him without fear. One daring robin even nested in his hair and is usually found sittin on one of Iuz's shoulders.

OOC: Evil versions of several Exalted Feats are in work here. Sacred Vow, Vow of Povetry, Vow of Nonviolence and Vow of Peace. Iuz still radiates extremly strong aura of evil and chaos.

IC:
Man in Green Mask seemingly bored with all this violence dissapeared mysteriously. Next day Lady Shadow found something green on her doorstep.

Pale man was heard shouting loudly, seen smoking foul cigarretes, and pissing into Evergold Pool. Witnessed claims that his Iron Bike with attached skull of metal, is possesed by demon, it roars so furiously and fumes greatly when Pale one is riding trough the sky. He seems to look for someone, and grows angrier with every hour he don't see tracks of man in Green Mask.

 

[Edena_of_Neith]

The Elves of Aliador remind their TEC Pact allies that the TEC Pact REQUIRES the intervention of other TEC Powers, to protect a TEC Pact member under attack.
Aliador is a TEC Pact member, and it is most definitely under attack.
So, is the TEC Pact going to respond?

Varna is untouched, as of yet. Over 2 million people, elves and others, are in refuge there.
Eilistraee is there, using her status as a demipower to ward off the Apparition (the Apparition seems wary of someone with that much power) and Iuz, and the other threats.
And the elves are gaining control over the Howling Death and other threats.

However, most of Aliador, all of the Theocracy, and all of Ratik are deserted.

The Apparition has gathered an army to himself.
An army, of spirits ... of the slain elves. These spirits are multilated (the SPIRITS, not the bodies are multilated) and in obvious agony.
Among them are Lord Leathnor, once Lord of Aliador, and thousands of his most valiant elves, men and women, who tried to stand against the Apparition.

Meanwhile, Lady Shadow gathers the scores of thousands of drow in the Empire of Iuz.
It is time for her people, states Lady Shadow, to put the DARK in Dark Drow.

The equivalent of 1 Epic Army, 10 Elite Armies, and 20 Regular Armies assemble.

 

[Edena_of_Neith]

The Dark Raid

The drow commence what they name a Dark Raid upon Ekbir, capital city of the Baklunish Empire.

The drow strike from Doraaka, and return to there afterwards, since that city is immune to scrying as per Rikandurs' statement (and if an AFTS is used, the drow are underground anyways.)
The drow use the 3rd edition Teleportation Circle to go to Ekbir, bypassing the Prismatic Walls that protect the city since they cannot touch each other, and thus a tiny slit of an opening remains for incoming and outgoing teleports.

The attackers are not large in number, but they are large in power.
They use the 1st edition Shapechange spell.

This is not that wimpy 3.5 Shapechange spell.
This is not even the powerful 2E Shapechange spell. No sir.
This is the original, superpowerful spell, the one that gives you ALL of the creatures' power, PERIOD (except magic resistance, which the drow have anyways, and those powers depending directly on the mind, under the most favorable interpretation to the player possible.)

Now, even Shapechange cannot enable the drow to become the Tarrasque, or Solars, or Archdevils.
But they still have an awful lot of choices to pick from, and they use them.

What's worse, the drow are not attempting to kill the soldiers of Ekbir. Or it's Elite and Epic Forces.
These attacks are aimed at the civilian population (akin to the firebombings of World War II) and the city infrastructure.

Out of nowhere, Tempests (giant sentient thunderheads) appear over the city and rain lightning bolts and hail the size of baseballs down on an unprepared and confused populace (well, ok, the hailstones don't work in Ekbir, but they'll work in OTHER cities.)
Then dragons swoop down (they have Lifeproof up, so all that incoming damage from below does nothing to them) and play their fire back and forth across hundreds of buildings and tens of thousands of people.
Powerful monsters are conjured up and released into crowds, including things like spectres, vampires, ghosts (seeing it kills you), banshees (hearing it kills you), black and white puddings, beholders, titans (nothing like something big to attract attention, and did you know people make awfully good ants for stomping by titans), and nilbogs (you know, the guys who gain hit points when you damage them?)
Of course, fire elementals, salamanders, and hoards of killer cockroaches are hurled against wooden buildings and their terrified occupants.
Shadows by the hundreds move to make more of their own.

Spells like Cause Disease (the NINTH LEVEL version, where you pick the disease and it's 100% fatal and extremely contagious) are released. Blade Barriers and Storm of Swords are released in crowds. Virus Charm is thrown to confuse, and ultimately further the havoc.
Reverse Gravity is thrown on major buildings that contain hundreds of people, so that they disintegrate and fly upward ... right into the city's Prismatic Wall defenses, where the unlucky denizens are instantaneously killed.
Rock to Mud is thrown under other major buildings, bringing them down and drowning everything inside.

And Firestorm, Wall of Fire, Fireball, and dragons' breath is used to ensure large areas of Ekbir are left burning, the occupants of those areas to perish in the subsequent firestorm.

Then the Dark Drow withdraw to Doraaka, and close the Teleportation Circle.

Using a broken spell from 2E called Transforming Tune, the Dark Drow Archmages and Archmagistresses quickly (in a few minutes) regain their most powerful offensive spells, then a second attack begins.

In this way, through the Night of Terror, the following cities are hit with Dark Raids (and, hopefully, in each case, tens of thousands are killed, tens of thousands wounded and burned, and large parts of each city destroyed ...)


Zeif, capital of Zeif
Sefmar, capital of Tusmit
Lopolia, capital of Ket

The capital of the Celestial Imperium
5 other cities in the Celestial Imperium

The capital city of Orcreich
The capital city of Greater Khanate

Mitrik, capital of Veluna
Chendl, capital of Furyondy
Niole Dra, capital of Keoland
Istivin, capital of Sterich
Loftwick, capital of the Yeomanry
Tringlee, capital of the Duchy of Ulek
Enstad, capital of Celene

Highfolk, capital of Highfolk
Delpheel, capital of Delrune
Arlune, capital of Calrune
Schwarzenbruin, capital of Perrenland

Irongate, capital of the Iron League
Scant, capital of Onnwal
Naere, city of the Iron League
Pitchfield, capital of Sunndi

Lo Reltarma, city of the Lendores

Undoubtedly the Dark Drow take serious losses as the defenders strike back, but the Dark Drow are quick to flee after inflicting what damage they can, and quick to leave 2nd edition illusions behind to cause mass confusion (you should know how confusing 2nd edition illusion spells were!!)

Afterwards, the Dark Drow replenish their spells once more with Transforming Tune (if you want a description of this spell, please refer to FOR2 Code of the Harpers), and then wait for the inevitable retaliation.

Since the Dark Drow returned to Doraaka, and Doraaka is immune to scrying ... nobody knows where the Dark Drow went to!!!
Everyone is welcome to hunt the butchers down ... seek for them in vain!

A message goes out:

If you think this was bad, wait for the next attack.
We have something special planned.
Your leader, Al'Akbar, believes in humility. Well, WE will teach ALL of you Surface Dwellers humility.
Before the end, you will beg to grovel before us!

 

[Paxus Asclepius]

The Wolf God goes to Doraaka. How does he know to go there? Simple: he knows everywhere that the Dark Drow aren't, and knows who lives in all of the other places his consort's scrying cannot see.

The Wolf God returns from Doraaka, only slightly less hungry than before. It appears that the Dark Drow, despite their alleged magical power, are lacking in significant nutritional value.

(For those wondering how the Wolf God could have inflicted that much damage, realize that A) by IR rules, he's worth twice their PL value and then some, and B) by standard D&D rules, his various protections make him immune to any spell that allows SR, most spells that don't, and just about any weapon attack a drow can make. They can flee, and many do, but to harm the Wolf God is beyond their power.)

 

[Endur]

Fionvar the Rude is sitting in his small fortress of Greysmare (far too small and pathethic for anyone to have bothered destroying yet), engaging in his favorite pasttime, a contest of insults with a visitor.

In the background, several dwarves and wizards are standing around a map covered table, moving various miniatures.

The visitor asks, "Are your <bleeping> minions recreating a useless battle?"

Fionvar responds, "The <censored> layabouts are simulating the total destruction of the <censored> world and the <bleeping> universe."

 

[Rikandur Azebol]

OOC:
When Iuz allowed such nonsense ? Tsk, tsk ... And Dorakaa is protected by very strong antimagical shell, not just against scrying. So Black Elves who performed such raids, will have to replenish their strength elsewhere.
So anyone wishing to invade it, will have to do it traditional way. And anyone wishing to travel ther will have to use his own feet. Or iron bike of Angry Pale Man. It is , probably, nonmagical.

IC:
Paxus:
Wolf God was held on the border for insane length of time, until he fulfilled all necccesary forms needed for walid permit for elf hunting. It seem that with Iuz so absent minded Empire turns for worse. Bureaucracy is overgrowing it like cancer ...
And working camps are full of traitors to the Caste Revolution. Big monuments are erected to Iuz, the Spirit of Revolution. Bening smile of Grandpa' Iuz is haunting every Wolf God's step in Dorakaa. He saw even Iuz himself sitting near the garbage can in lotus position, meditiating several inches above the ground. One of Iuz's disciples ... an Succubus in monk's humble outfit quietly warns Wolf God that his ill will would carry death to his people, just like Aliadores brought death to their beloved ones. Only those who don't force land to defend itself will come out unscathed. Moments later, after this moment of disturbing tranquility, Wolf God saw military parade. Agitators walking on the forefront and shouting loudly Revolutionary Slogans. Above them red banner with sickle and hammer.


Edena:
Howling Death couldn't be stopped by magic. It is classical D&D unstoppable disease, unless You hire adventurers to make it for You. "Neverwinter Nights" ...
Faceless Hate ? It simply turns it's wictims into homicidal psychopaths. Their trademark is loss of all facial features. They don't eat, sleep or breathe ... all they need is to kill, kill, kill !