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Message: <blockquote data-quote="JollyDoc" data-source="post: 6569513" data-attributes="member: 9546">Enemies and Allies2 Calistril, 4715A single door on the far side of the ruined barracks led deeper into the keep, but no sooner had Lucian pushed it open, than a horrendous stench washed into the room. He immediately felt a wave of nausea, and from the sound of the retching coming from behind him, his companions were succumbing to the smell as well. Through watery eyes, he saw four figures advancing out of the adjacent room towards him. They stood on two legs, but their skin was more like reptile hide. Their heads were reptilian as well, and a large red crest ran from their scalps down to a long tail. They brandished heavy wooden clubs in their clawed hands, and they hissed angrily as they moved in. "Troglodytes!" Shalelu shouted in warning, the only one of the group who wasn't gagging. She quickly loosed a volley of arrows at the first trog, dropping it with three direct hits to the throat. From behind the ranger, Piotr spoke the words to a spell, and a dazzling blast of light filled the room. The troglodytes hissed, rubbing furiously at their eyes, and then Haroldo and Mazael were among them. The two big men, hacked and slashed furiously, making quick work of the reptiles, leaving the room quiet, but still repulsively pungent. A large table lay in shambles in the middle of the room, while crumbled suits of armor that bore decorations of dragons twisting around castle towers lay in heaps along the walls. A flight of stairs wound up along a curved wall to one side. A number of documents, maps and troop lists that dated back to the night Brinewall was attacked, lay scattered among the debris. Reading over them, it became obvious that the guards believed that the citizens of the village were rioting, and that several buildings had caught fire. The guards were preparing to mount and expedition to investigate and restore order, but there was no further indication of their success or failure. Boris crept quietly to a door on the far side of the room and pressed his ear against it."No, no, no!" he heard a shrill voice shouting from the other side. "You can't fly any more! I need more feeling! More emotion!"The goblin pulled away from the door, his face puzzled."Crazy man yelling at not-flying people," he shrugged. "Well, what are we waiting for?" Koman asked. "Sounds like a party!"The door opened on to a long hall, draped with rotted, faded banners that depicted a stylized castle sitting on a seaside cliff. Thick stone pillars supported the ceiling, while at the far end of the hall sat an old wooden throne, its back carved to resemble the towers of a castle wrapped in the coils of a serpentine dragon. Seated upon the throne was a wild-eyed man, obviously of Tian origin, with a bristly goatee, deep red skin, and a truly prodigious nose. No fewer than eight dire corbies were clustered before him."Ah!" the man laughed, and clapped his hands when he saw the newcomers at the door."Just what we needed! An audience! Come in! Come in! Tell me what you think of my latest masterpiece! It's a story about a flock of ravens who find themselves magically transformed into humans who can no longer fly. Isn't that wonderful?!"Without hesitation, Boris marched into the room. Yannus cursed under his breath."Stop him!" he hissed at his brother.Koman started after the goblin, and Haroldo followed. "Excellent!" the Tian man clapped again as the trio entered. "All of the players are in place! Now, my actors and thespians, kill them all!!"The corbies swarmed about the three heroes, while one of them rushed to block the door, preventing Yannus and the others from coming to the aid of their friends. Haroldo, as the biggest threat in the room, drew the most corbies to him. The swiped with beaks and claws, badly mauling the blood rager. "Catch!" Boris shouted as he tossed a flask to the big man.Haroldo caught it one-handed and quickly quaffed it, closing some of his wounds. He then swung his blade at the red-skinned man, who was still laughing and clapping maniacally, while dancing a little jig on the dais. The stroke missed by a hair's breadth, and the man recoiled in shock. "How dare you?!" he screamed, his voice going up several octaves. Just then, Koman plunged  his own blade into the man's back. He screeched again, and then vanished in a flash of light. Back at the door, Shalelu, Lucian and Mazael made quick work of the corby blocking their way, but another took its place a moment later. It fared no better. The heroes rushed into the room just as Haroldo went down under a flurry of blows from his assailants, and did not rise again. Enraged, the companions redoubled their efforts, fighting to reach Koman and Boris. One after another, more corbies fell before them, but not before Boris was taken down as well. Finally, Mazael reached Haroldo, and hurriedly cast a healing spell upon him. His bleeding instantly stopped, and his eyes popped open. Without missing a beat, he seized his sword from where it had fallen and, still laying on the ground, swept the legs from under a corby that stood above him. As the last of the dire corbies succumbed, Mazael knelt beside Boris and set about stabilizing and reviving the goblin.It was the consensus of the group that it might be time to fall back and take stock of the situation. Despite this, Boris still insisted on poking around in corners on the way out, laughing gleefully when he triggered a hidden door concealed behind a tapestry. The fact that a quartet of troglodytes waited on the other side, didn't deter him. Even after they were quickly dispatched, with the aid of his none-to-happy companions, he again crept quietly down a stairwell on the far side of the room. It was only after listening through a door at the bottom, and hearing what sounded like several creatures speaking in a hissing, sibilant language, that he finally decided that discretion was the better part of valor, and rejoined the others as they made their way out of the keep and back through the ruins of Brinewall.____________________________________________________________________________It was as the group was once more passing the Brinewall cemetery, that a small voice called out to them. Sitting atop one of the stone statues of Desna was a tiny female, no taller than a foot, with delicate butterfly wings. "I've been watching you," she said. "I'm Spivey. Did you just come from the castle? Did you kill all of the evil creatures there? There were more people like you here two weeks ago. They came in a boat, but the sea dragon at them. Well, most of them. One lady survived. She killed the dragon, and then she went to the castle. She never came back.""What...are you?" Yannus asked."Spivey," the little creature repeated. "I am a servant of Desna. I came her ten years ago after my mistress was killed by a hungry plant. I tried to restore the temple, but that attracted to much attention from the fiends in the castle, so I've just been tending the cemetery ever since. Did you kill all the evil creatures?""No," Yannus replied. "We killed many bird creatures called dire corbies, and a few troglodytes, but their leader escaped us. We are in no condition to pursue him at this point. We were on our way back to our caravan to recuperate and plan our next approach.""You're welcome to stay here," Spivey indicated the bone yard. "It is safe. The castle creatures don't come here. I've convinced them it's haunted. I am a healer as well. I can tend your wounds.""Any friend of Desna is ok in my book," Mazael agreed."Wait!" Boris chirped. "We going to stay in grave yard because butterfly lady says so?? What about dead people? Boris want to go back to wagons and Mama Koya.""The dead here are at peace," Spivey said. "They will not trouble you.""Boris not care!" the goblin said, throwing up his hands. "We have supplies for caravan! Boris must cook tonight! Boris leaving. No offense bug lady.""I'll go with him," Koman sighed, rolling his eyes. "Just to make sure he stays out of trouble. We'll meet you back here in the morning."____________________________________________________________________________The walk back to the caravan through the forest was not a long one, but Boris and Koman had barely made it halfway before the goblin stopped abruptly. He felt as if he were being watched, and when he looked around, he quickly found the culprit. Perched in a tree above them was another strange creature in a day full of strange creatures. She had the body and face of a lovely human female, but large brown feathered wings sprouted from her back, and her legs ended in sharp avian talons. A long bow was slung across her back. When she saw that Boris had spotted her, she raised her hands in a gesture of peace. "Why all these crazy animal people around here?" Boris asked in disgust. "What you want, bird lady?""Careful," Koman warned. "She's a harpy. They can hypnotize a man with their voice."The harpy shook her head, and then pointed to her throat."I don't think she talk," Boris said.The harpy nodded. Then she pointed to her mouth, her head, and then mimed touching Boris."Boris think she want to talk in Boris head," the goblin laughed, happy to play the guessing game.The harpy nodded again."Boris...," Koman warned again."Yes, bird lady!" Boris clapped and beckoned her. "Come talk in Boris head!"She fluttered down to the ground and cautiously approached Boris, one hand extended. She placed her hand carefully on his head.'I am Zaiobe,' Boris heard a female voice speak into his mind.'I Boris,' he replied, finding it surprisingly easy to communicate mentally.'A pleasure,' Zaiobe said. 'I know that you and your friends were at the keep today, and that you slew many of my lover's minions. Wait, don't be afraid. I did not come seeking revenge. Instead, I came to offer you a bargain: I want you to help me kill that sonofabitch!''Why you want to kill crazy boyfriend?' Boris asked.'He stole my voice,' Zaiobe answered. 'Well, not really. I lost my voice several years ago when my god took it from me and replaced it with his grace. No, Kikonu has the ability to steal others' voices, and he used this to mimic what my voice used to sound like as a cruel joke. He will learn that I have no sense of humor.''Who is this god you worship?' Boris asked.'He is called Pazuz, the Master of the Four Winds,' Zaiobe replied. 'Hmmm,' Boris mused. 'How we going to kill boyfriend?' 'I will meet you in the town tomorrow,' she said. 'I will call to Kikonu and tell him that I want to make amends. He will believe me. I will summon him to the courtyard. You and your friends will be waiting there to ambush him. Once he is dead, you may do with the keep as you wish. I will not hinder you.''Deal,' Boris said, and shook her hand. Zaiobe smiled and took wing."So what was that all about?" Koman asked."Bird lady want us to kill boyfriend," Boris shrugged. "She say she is priestess of Desna. We trust her.""Do you know how I know you're lying?" Koman asked, shaking his head. "Your lips are moving."____________________________________________________________________________Koman and Boris made it back to the caravan without further incident, and gave a full report of the day's events to Koya and Sandru. Ameiko's status had not changed, though no sooner had Boris finished telling about their encounter with Zaiobe, than she suddenly spoke again in a dreamy voice."Beware the cuckolded cuckoo...it is in his shattered silent love you should seek aid...""Well that would seem to be prophetic," Koya said. "Still, you must be careful, my son," she told Koman. He agreed, if only to placate his adopted mother. "I'd like to go back with you," Koya then announced. "I want to meet this Spivey, another sister of Desna. She sounds fascinating!"</blockquote>

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