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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Jeremy" data-source="post: 273440" data-attributes="member: 4036">Collin stared at the streaming wave of mud and muck with a look of intense concentration knowing that any second it would be leave a temporary tunnel for them to escape through, but he was cutting it close."NOW!  GO!"  He called as the rushing current stopped.  The mountain of muck he had collected had filled every crevice of the lab and was less than five feet from them, but the precision would hold little consequence if the tunnel, supported only by entropy and it's own sticky nature, collapsed.Zerin charged in, shield raised with Frederick directly upon his heels, Tylette followed swiftly and Collin was only an instant behind her.  They dashed through the tunnel as it began to fold in on itself and dove out the other end as it gave in to gravity.Another day at the grindstone.Twin doors of ancient make stood before them.  In the wan orange light of their continual flame rods they appeared very similar to the locked arches of the Temple of Elemental Justice.  Set into the door was a familiar symbol, the large plaque with three triangles and a disk that when brought together formed a symbol resembling a mountain range.  Collin opened the small steel box that contained Tiztserak's blackened amulet and pressed it into the inset disk on the doors.At first nothing happened, then a low hum began and the doors began to glow softly.  Brighter and brighter they grew until a single crack appeared as the doors parted slightly.  They ground inward ever so slowly still glowing brightly until the amulet fell into Collin's waiting hand.  The doors faded back to normal and swung the rest of the way open."Well now, that is an unexpected bonus.  Bring that amulet to me child."  A voice came to them from the depths of the chamber.  The vaulted hall before them was lined with columns that had rotted to muck; each was mounted with a continual flame torch that glowed with a ghostly blue flame.  At the end of the columned procession was a large dais also rotted away to filth above which floated a massive vertical ovoid chunk of granite that slowly rotated in the air.  The granite was still solid but it was covered in leeching purple and white vines oozing bile and puss.  Surrounding the huge Anchor were five braziers that burned with black fire and crackled black arcs of charged energy that flicked out and struck the Anchor constantly.Sitting rather nonchalantly in front of it was a tall and very gaunt man with his legs crossed."Come and get it."  Collin taunted with a menacing tone as the group entered the room.  Tylette added her sentiments in an even less polite manner.Perhaps it was the two empty potion vials at his hip, or maybe the twin seven and a half foot tall humanoids in front of him with the huge shoulders and arms that drooped down almost to the floor, but Tiztserak's clone did not seem perturbed by their entrance.  He rose to his feet and stated rather matter-of-factly, "You will give me that amulet and the staff."Collin and Frederick exchanged worried glances as both of them had read about the creatures before them.  Clay Golems.  Utterly impervious to Zerin's blade, talons, and bite.  They informed him of that over the mindlink but he still began advancing."So?"  He replied over the mindlink as he grabbed his shield in both hands and strode forward."Oh please.  Deal with that would you?"  Tiztserak motioned his two guardians forward as Frederick and Collin began casting and Tylette drew upon her energies.  Tiztserak was apparently a little slow on the draw and began casting a moment later.Tylette reached out to try to link the Fate of the two golems before her as Zerin stopped about twenty feet in front of them and readied his shield to smash the first golem to come into his range.  But Tylette's power failed against their unliving bodies and their shambling gate proved slower than Zerin had anticipated.In a flash Collin's spell was complete and he entered the whirling time slipstream of his haste spell, he was able to begin and finish a second casting while Frederick's now ponderously slow looking movements were still working on his first.  Of course he second spell brought Frederick too into the accelerated time slipstream.  Zerin saw Tiztserak's eyes widen a little.In a flash accompanied by a bellowed roar Frederick’s spell was complete.  The entire party felt heartened as their strength and toughness increased.  In Collin’s case it nearly doubled.  Recognizing the seemingly slow movements of those around him he swiftly took advantage of Collin’s spell and began casting Negative Energy Protection on himself.  It was then Frederick noticed that Tiztserak was not one of the people who appeared to be moving slower.The tight cluster the group was in that allowed Frederick’s spell to affect all of them worked against them as Tiztserak targeted the cluster.  His hands rose and with them wailing ghosts and spirits rose out of the ground with terrible wrenching cries of agony.  There were so many of them that they formed a solid dome that encompassed Tylette, Collin, and Frederick.  The horrible moans of the spirits tore and clawed at their sanity and Collin, who had simply seen too much death, snapped.  All plans forgotten he simply fled in panic from the grisly apparitions and their terrifying screams.Opaque as the spirit wall was Tiztserak turned his will on the dragon man and tried to bend his will, but the slave had been charmed one too many times by his draconic owners and shook off the influence easily.Frederick gritted his teeth and forced the mental image of Equitus in all his glory into his mind, forcing the cries of the spirits from him.  Over the mindlink he told Zerin, “Cut off the head and this all ends now…”While Zerin did not particularly like leaving the others undefended he couldn’t deny the logic so as he charged forward his mighty wings unfurled and launched him up and over the twin golems.  Their arms were longer than they looked, but their pathetic attempts to strike the fast moving extremely heavily armored dragon man were almost laughable.  Tiztserak back-pedaled quickly as the creature sent all of his bulk hurtling straight at him, shoulder set firmly behind his shield.Meanwhile Frederick was not idle, bracing himself he cast a spell on himself and stepped onto the air, climbing through the roof of the dome.  The spirits gouged and clawed him but he paid them little mind as his target came into view.  “Now it ends.”  The 40’ column of fire and holy power that slammed down on Tiztserak and totally engulfed him accentuated his cold statement admirably.  When the flame strike cleared and he saw Tiztserak stumble out of it hammered but not charred he altered his second casting subtlety and instead launched a searing blast of radiant energy at the necromancer.  Unfortunately his spell protections held true and diverted the powerful blast just enough for him to avoid it.Of course that was not going to help him much if Zerin got to him.Tylette raised her arms to her face and ran through the wall getting savaged by the spirits as they drained her life away, she came out the other side dazed and tried to see what was going on.  Collin didn’t fare much better as he ran panicked the other direction.Tiztserak backed up as fast as he could but had no room behind him as Zerin closed, he cried out in desperation and hurled his most powerful remaining magick at just the dragon man.  Frederick felt his heart clench as he recognized the spell.Circle of Death.</blockquote>

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