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Message: <blockquote data-quote="TerraDave" data-source="post: 5782507" data-attributes="member: 22260">The dead and dyingThey carefully approach the pit, and through no little effort, manage to scale its blood soaked chains largely unnoticed.As when Lucian and Samm arrived here 1 year before. With the huge exception of the now somewhat transparent rift, with its view of a great and horrible beyond. That, and the multi-armed she demon. <img src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-wt0-5gReob8/Tgy1x2TW1xI/AAAAAAAACSk/6j7kq7dTXJw/s1600/Shadow+Rift.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " data-size="" style="" />The set up was slightly different this timeTogether with Kalarel, there is the Type V demon, and fluttering about the room, tormented souls from the Abyss. They all turn out to be quite dangerous. As the party comes down the chains…they go different directions. Most head for Kalarel, but Ghen heads for the Marilith, with the hopes of sending her into a pocket dimension for an extended period of time. They strike with surprise…but things don’t go exactly according to plan. They rip into Kalarel, who rips back. The souls on the other hand they have less luck with. Most attacks seem to pass through them much of the time, and those that do hit and destroy the soul lead to burst of deadly necrotic energy. <img src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/6/60/Type_V_Demon.JPG" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " data-size="" style="" />And then there is the Marilith. Ghen sends it away. And in mere seconds it returns, and proceeds to shred the shifter. Between the demon, the souls—who continue to arrive through the rift, a still undying Kalarel, and the parties’ healer dying, things looked grim.Earlier, Forge had a full breakfast with a few litters of ale. He got in a long argument with his brother. Had his weapons sharpened and armor patched up. (Well, he may have done those things). But then he thought he should get on top of this whole spreading of necrotic evil thing (see below), and headed to Winterhaven. Fortunately, the party had disrupted the ritual at the graveyard, so all he had to do was walk through a field of dismembered corpses, then find his way to the old keep. There, he had little trouble tracking his fellow adventurers.He arrived just in the nick of time. The demon is held at bay, Kalarel is driving to the edge—though he does use a Word of Orcus to revive those few souls destroyed by the party and rambles on about visions or something—and Ghen returns to consciousness. Forge also takes huge damage from the creatures six arms. The fighter charges Kalarel. And finishes him! Returning the priest from undeath to just death. The demon chases the dwarf, and in a brutal strike, finishes him. Forge is dead. Again. <img src="http://images.community.wizards.com/community.wizards.com/user/dere/personalities/2d7e2940cfcffb631c3b90f59870679f.jpg?v=139650" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " data-size="" style="" />Meanwhile, Lucian is struggling to keep Nar alive, and at some point only Buckthorn seems to be able to attack anything. By the time Ghen arrives with his radiant power, healing the others and striking the souls, its seems too late. Samm is down. Lucian is killed, joining Forge by the river seen through the rift. The ritual is finally disrupted by Nar and the souls stop coming, but the demon is still there. Samm’s soul arises from his now dead body, and in last act, pushes the  battered demon through the rift, which closes behind them. The battle is over, and the shadow that had spread through the land is gone. At least this shadow is. With Lucian and Samm dead, all those that ventured here that year ago—Lucian, Thaedrus, Samm, Donne, Bart, Rafa—were dead. (There was also a goliath that briefly joined them. It was a horrible accident. As for the mysterious Dog, it remained unseen). Lucian would have a second chance, along with Forge, who would get his third. Between Kalarel’s skull wand and the ritual’s components, both were able to be raised, truly turning evil intent to….well, something not that evil. They also found a semi-circle inscribed with runes that seemed vaguely familiar to the wizard. He and the others puzzled over it, Kalarels final ramblings, and the eldritch lore that Nar had been gleaning from the Book. Speculation led them to a remarkable possibility: that this could be a partial illustration of a portal. A portal to the infamous lost city of Moil, an ancient Demorian center of dark learning that had been lost in the Blight when the increasingly depraved first empire was final finished by divine retribution. In Winterhaven, they buried Samm next to his brother, and after being thanked by the local lord, now living Lucian left with the rest, returning to Thunderspire. Forge then led them deeper into the earth, to his hold, were it turns out he is some sort of notable, the son of the hold’s ruler. There they meet with the elders of the hold’s clans. The hold has been subject to attacks by the twisted corpse and spirits of its own dead, and undead of unknown origin. Ancient rites and wardings, which had survived for decades, even centuries, have been undone. Some dwarves have turned to ill-advised activities. Apparently, these also aren’t isolated instances. Similar incidents have been reported from a number of holds and settlements. The elders agree that these events and the parties own experiences are probably not coincidental, and encourage them to learn and do more to try to bring them to an end. Also, Forge’s brother is obnoxious, but is quickly intimidated into being less so.</blockquote>

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