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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Joe Jolly" data-source="post: 7446633" data-attributes="member: 6870626">4 Rova, 4718 - 4 Neth, 4718 - Nythoggr The Eternal“It’s just on the other side of this wall,” Katarina. “That’s where the linnorm sleeps.”“I doubt he’s sleeping,” Kelvin said. “So since he no doubt already knows we’re coming, why delay any further?”He extended one finger and a beam of green light struck the wall, turning it into a pile of dust. Before the cloud had even cleared, Nythoggr rushed from the darkness, falling upon them like leviathan. He opened his great maw and breathed forth a cloud of acid and cold death that reeked like an open grave. Most of the companions had prepared for this and had rendered themselves immune to the acid cloud. The living members, however, were not so fortunate when it came to the soul-stealing magic imbued in the linnorm’s breath. Tardaesha and Grumblejack charged forward, but Nythoggr was much swifter than his age and size belied. He swatted Taradaesha aside, then seized Grumblejack in his coils and began squeezing the ogre until his eyes bulged. He managed to move one hand just enough to touch a silver button on the magic jerkin that he wore. In a flash of light, he vanished and then reappeared across the room, gasping and massaging his ribs. His little parlor trick didn’t save him. Nythoggr charged across the chamber and pounced on him once more, rending and biting savagely, leaving the ogre bleeding out and barely breathing. Suddenly, from the opposite side of the room another ear-splitting roar sounded. The cavern floor buckled and fell inwards, creating an enormous sink hole. Then, from out of the darkness rose an immense, mottled-purple worm, its mouth ringed by horns and spiked fangs. Just as the companions turned to gape at this new threat, Hugo called out from the entrance of the cavern. He was backpedaling rapidly from the opening as a huge, amorphous white blob oozed into view.“This just keeps getting better,” Kelvin snarled. His tactical mind knew that the first thing to do when chaos erupted was to regain control of the situation. Parse it into more manageable pieces. He cast a spell and erected a wall of force across the entrance, blocking the approaching ooze. Then he turned and hurled a fireball at Nythoggr, just as the linnorm grabbed Jeratheon in his coils and began constricting the dragon. To Kelvin’s dismay, instead of being immolated by the explosion, Nythoggr instead gathered the flames about him, and then unleashed them into Jeratheon. Huma tried to scramble away from the sinkhole, but the great worm struck like a cobra, clamping down on her with its entire maw. She died instantly, turning to mist and drifting towards Hillary. The worm then turned towards Hillary and, to her horror and dismay, belched forth a great gout of fire. “Fire-breathing worms, arctic oozes,” Kelvin shook his head. “What’s next? Giant, psychic bees?”He cast another spell and sent a disembodied fist flying at the worm, where it began pummeling at the behemoth’s head. Then, despite his better judgement, he threw another fireball at Nythoggr. That time, however, the linnorm seemed to take the full brunt of the blast. The linnorm turned towards him, his eyes blazing with cold hate. As he leaped into the air, Dak opened fire and Kat hurled her daggers, but Nythoggr didn’t notice. He flew towards Kelvin and Hillary, but at the last possible moment, Kelvin wove a sphere of force around himself and the witch. Nythoggr bounced off, and before he could recover, Kelvin stopped time. As the battle froze around him, Kelvin calmly dismissed his force sphere. He saw Jeratheon paused in mid-breath as he spewed acid at the purple worm. He saw Dakota reaching for another arrow, and Tardaesha halted in mid-stride as she charged the linnorm. Kelvin took his time as he cast another spell, causing a scirocco of hot winds to funnel up around the form of Nythoggr. Then the wizard moved himself as far away from the linnorm as he could before the flow of time resumed.Dak’s arrow snapped free of the bowstring as the funnel cloud began buffeting Nythoggr. Hillary, still right in front of the linnorm cast a spell of horrid wilting, pulling the moisture from the bodies of both the wyrm and the worm. Tardaesha reached Nythoggr and slashed once across his exposed belly before driving her sword through his black heart. He roared loudly enough to crack the ceiling of the chamber, and then fell like a tumbling mountain. The great purple worm was unphased by the demise of its erstwhile ally. It destroyed the force fist Kelvin had set upon it by repeatedly chomping on the thing. Then it returned to breathing gouts of fire down on the companions. Hugo and Kelvin combined their spells and hurled several volleys of force missiles at the beast, while Dakota continued firing arrow after arrow until, finally, the beast collapsed back into its hole. “Bravo! Bravo! Nicely done!” The gravelly voice and the sound of clapping came from the blasted cavern entrance. The companions whirled, weapons and spells at the ready against a new threat. Standing at the gaping hole was a massive creature. Four arms graced the torso of the towering monstrosity, and its eyes shone with a mix of intelligence and cruelty. Behind it stood several creatures that resembled a twisted cross between men and  gigantic vultures.“You would be wise to tread and speak cautiously, demon,” Tardaesha hissed. “We serve the Lord of Lies, and as you can see from our handiwork, we serve Him quite well.”“Yes, yes, I have heard of the Nessian Knot,” the glabrezu nodded. “And now I may bear witness that the rumors are well-founded. Rest assured, violence is the last thing I would wish from you.”“Then why are you here?” Kelvin asked.“I and my companions have actually been here for quite some time,” the glabrezu said. “I am Kallibos. I came here seeking an Abyssal artifact, but I have been biding my time, as the might of the linnorm seemed beyond me.”“Not us,” Dakota smirked. “And why should we give you such an artifact, if indeed such a thing even exists here?” Tardaesha asked. “Oh, it exists,” Kallibos said. “In fact it’s right there.”He nodded towards the corpse of Nythoggr, and when the companions turned to look, they could see that the linnorm had something grafted to one of its forelimbs. It appeared to be an appendage similar to Kallibos’s own.”“The Claw of the Glabrezu,” Kallibos confirmed. “It has...sentimental value.”“Again,” Tardaesha asked. “Why should we give it to you? Why should we not just kill you and your minions outright?”“Because I offer you a trade,” Kallibos replied. “It is within my power to grant a mortal one wish. This I will do in exchange for the Claw.”“I accept!” Katarina shouted before any of the others could reply. “Done,” Kallibos nodded. “The compact has been sealed, and I know your Lord is so very fond of his contracts. Surely none of the rest of you would violate such an agreement.”Kat’s siblings glared at her as she sliced the morbid artifact from Nythoggr’s leg and presented it to Kallibos.“Now,” Kallibos asked Kat, “what is your heart’s desire?”“To be as swift, deadly, and silent as a shadow,” Kat smiled.“Granted,” Kallibos said. In his arms appeared a massive, leather-bound tome.“Read this, meditate upon it for a day,” he said, “and all of your wildest dreams will come true.”____________________________________________________________________Nythoggr’s horde was enough to make the richest king weep. The accumulated wealth of the linnorm could have supported Talingarde for a decade, but there was only one item that the companions were interested in. Buried deep inside the mound was a sturdy wooden coffin and inside that was a silver holy symbol of Asmodeus and a finely wrought golden chest, which in turn held a withered burned human heart pierced with iron thorns. Cardinal Thorn’s phylactery. The Ninth Knot claimed their prize and made their way out of the cairn. No sooner had they cleared the entrance, than a fiend appeared in their midst in a rush of brimstone and hell-smoke. Bigger than a ogre, what emerged could easily have been mistaken for some sort of draconic creature. But its wicked eyes and wry smile unmistakably revealed its infernal origin. The scaled figure bristled with barbs and razor-sharp scales. Its massive head was crowned with horns and its toothy maw looked equal to the task of eating an elephant. It was winged, sporting broad leathery bat wings likewise edged with sharp dagger-like bone-spurs. A dexterous yet muscular tail coiled around its feet almost like a self-willed serpent and terminated in a terrifying assembly of lethal hooks and bone spikes. The monster wore no armor and his only item of gear was a wicked looking heavy chain of wrought iron covered in hooks and barbs that mirrored his natural weaponry. This was a true monster from the pit. “Wait!” The devil spoke, holding up one hand. “Thorn has sent me but I do not wish to attack you.  If you wish to speak, you must help me with three tasks. First, bring before me something I can kill. Quickly now!”The companions looked to Tardaesha, who considered for a long moment, and then nodded. Grumblejack cast a spell and conjured up a pair of red-skinned dolphins with black horns sprouting from their heads. The fiend fell upon them as they flopped helplessly on the ground. “Now that you have seen me slay something,” the devil asked, “would you all agree that you have been taught a lesson in bloody slaughter?”The companions looked skeptical but all of them nodded and murmured their assent. “Lastly,” the devil smirked, “all of you must prick your fingers and let me taste your blood.”Once again, dubious looks were exchanged, but in the end, each of the group who was still capable of bleeding pricked a finger and offered a drop of blood to the fiend. After tasting their blood, he smirked once more. “Delicious. I have done as my master commanded me. I have found you. I have slain. I have taught you a lesson in bloody slaughter and tasted your blood. My mission is near its end. I must also report back and bring him his phylactery, but he didn't specify when. I think I'll get right on that in a century or two assuming the master still survives. Now, it is my understanding that Naburus has appointed one of you the new high priest of Asmodeus. Is this so?” “You are speaking to her,” Tardaesha replied. “So mind your forked tongue if you want to keep it in your head.”“Hah! Excellent,” Zaerobos laughed. “Send the Marquis of the Fourth Misery my regards when next you see him. Ah, pardon my rudeness. I am a Zaerabos, Emissary of the Duke Zaebos, exalted and immortal lord of the Seventh Suffering. I have heard much of your deeds and long desired to meet you. Truly you serve Hell well and I admire the many atrocities you have authored in your wake. I have just come from the Agathium. It is Thorn's belief that you will be visiting him shortly. Is this so?”“Indeed,” Tardaesha said.“No doubt it will be a grand family reunion,” Zaerobos chuckled. “I suppose you are wondering why I have not killed you all, as my master Thorne instructed. You see, your friend Dessiter approached me and bade me to reconsider my loyalties. He stated, quite boldly, that your group was more than capable of killing Thorne and taking his mantle as your own. I can see that by so handily dispatching that old wyrm Nythoggr that the conniving lawyer was not lying...this time.”“You are trying my patience,” Tardaesha snapped. “What is you want...exactly?”“To the point then,” Zaerobos nodded. “Simply put, I have information to trade. I have been in the Agathium. I am familiar with its layout. I know those whom Thorne has put his trust in. All this and more I will give to you...in exchange.”“Ah, and now we get to it,” Tardaesha smiled. “What is your ‘fee’ for this magnanimous gift you bring?”“Two things, actually,” Zaerobos grinned. “First: Thorne possesses an amulet that bears my true name. It is how he commands me. I would have you retrieve it and returned to me, unopened and unscryed. I would not simply trade one master for another.”“And the second thing?” Tardaesha asked.“I wish to have a voice in the council of whatever kingdom you establish once you rule. I would make a fine assassin. Just be sure to be specific with your orders.”“I am sure we can come to some sort of an accord,” Tardaesha smiled. “And I happen to know a good lawyer.”</blockquote>

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