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Message: <blockquote data-quote="S'mon" data-source="post: 1702196" data-attributes="member: 463">Leo account:The Palace of  Crane.Three months to the day after his travels, Leo returned to Gaxmoor. He had found his trip very useful. The last place he had visited was the city of Plainton in Kardus. He was hoping to visit another major city in the Plains of Do Chakka but he had been told that the city of Gallak was now behind Mongali lines. It would have been foolish to try to reach it. It was also another reason why the atmosphere in Plainton had been so sombre and dejected. Leo made his way back to Gaxmoor in a leisurely manner. He traveled first East back into the lands of the Scornic League. The changes there were palpable. People were grim but the sense of confidence much greater. They knew they were part of a large empire now. Everywhere there were subtle signs of mobilisation for war. These people knew they were going to be in the front line. Some would leave but others would stay. Leo stayed in the local inns and listened. Little of what he learned was interesting but it helped him to judge the mood of the land. The mood was apprehension but defiance. Let the Mongali come! He made his way South to the borderlands. Finally he reached Gaxmoor. There he found Elaith, Xiang and surprisingly, Krysteel. The Blue Light mage seemed to have made herself very much at home here. They had important news. Krysteel had taken Xiang and Cailin to meet Zalindra and via her they had also met Tarkane. In a brief conversation, Tarkane had said that he considered Kung a disloyal subject and that if Xiang could take the throne of Mount Fire it was his. He had given Xiang permission to attack Kung. It was one headache out of the way. The next piece of news concerned a large caravan. It was carrying weapons from Mount Fire to the Mongali. Everyone seemed very keen attack it. Leo questioned the reasoning behind this and at first he was given woolly headed answers to his questions. Along the lines that they should go after it because it was there. His reasoning was that if they were going to go after Kung, their first strike should be much more telling than that. They would have the element of surprise only once. However, after further research had been done, it was found that this was a major supply caravan that was carrying composite longbows capable of being fired from horseback. These would increase Mongali offensive capability significantly. So the decision was made to attack. First the three mages met with a professional caravaneer who gave them an idea as to how a caravan would be set up and where it would have guards and outriders. That was most useful. Then the mages decided that it was time to physically see the caravan. One morning, Krysteel, Leo, Tarquin, Elaith and another companion met. This was an elven priest, Thran by name. He wore the emblem of Carellan Larethian, the elven god. Elaith introduced him as his bodyguard. Privately Leo hoped that this one would last longer than the last one. Tarquin turned everyone into vapour and they sped into the sky. The speed was exhilirating. This was even faster than the phantasmagoric steeds Leo could conjure. As ever the view from the sky was much different than from anywhere else and the distance the group made was extraordinary. The pace took its toll however and as the day wore on, Tarquin had to stop to heal himself from his exhaustion. Finally, they reached the Sea of Dust, a rolling, seemingly endless desert. The sun beat mercilessly onto the hot sand and rocks below. The change in temperature must have been immediate although the group couldn’t feel it as vapour. Flying generally in the direction that they believed the caravan was taking, it didn’t take Tarquin long to spot their trail. They were close to the Western mountains. After that, spotting the caravan itself was not difficult. Well over twelve hundred feet long, it looked as if there were hundreds of men in it, both slaves and guards. The main beasts of burden were donkeys although there were also five very large shaggy beasts. The group overflew the caravan and then landed some distance away to discuss what they had seen and also to familiarize themselves with a location to which they would then be able to transport themselves. That done, they then made themselves into vapour again and followed the caravan until it had stopped for the night. Then everyone went back to Gaxmoor to plan. That evening, Leo took Red Ivy out for a meal, partly to talk over old times and partly to try to recruit her for this enterprise. They both had a good evening but she reasonably pointed out that Leo didn’t really need her for this. Leo agreed so they both went back to their separate quarters. The next morning, the three spell casters got together to co-ordinate their spells. That being done they transported themselves back to the spot with which they were familiar. Straight into an ambush!The group appeared from a teleport only to find that a fireball, a flame strike and several odd flying metal stars raining on them. Once those had finished, over a dozen guards rushed them. Swords drawn they hacked into the magicians. The situation was grim. Elaith, Thran and Krysteel were badly hurt. Leo reacted the quickest. To the words of “Go, Go” from Elaith, he grabbed Tarquin and Krysteel and transported them to Gaxmoor. He was badly shaken. How had the enemy known where and when to expect them? The spells rained in as soon as they had appeared. They had been waiting for them. He was Mind Blanked. No one could scry him. Tarquin was almost unknown. Elaith was also Mind Blanked. Thran had joined them only recently. Was Krysteel being scried?. Was she now that well known outside the Blue Light? He would have to talk to her at some point about that. Or was it Xiang? Maybe the innocent seeming caravaneer to whom they had talked was a spy. He would have to mention that to Cailin. Whatever was the answer, that caravan was very heavily protected. So now Leo wanted to go to Crane’s Palace. This, to him, was a far more important undertaking than the caravan. If something could be done about the powerful bewitchment then it would have very serious strategic ramifications in the whole region. The mages again selected their spells and vaporised to travel rapidly to the Palace in the Heavenly Mountains. Winding below them they spotted the caravan but they gave it a wide berth. A little later, they spotted Crane Palace. It was a breathtaking sight. A path wound its way up the mountainside to a pair of massive wooden gates bound with metal. These gates formed part of a set of enormous walls, which seemed to be rooted in the side of the mountain. The walls surrounded a large wooden building with several towers. Again it seemed to be perched on the side of the mountain. The whole structure had a roof with strange upturned edges, which had also been painted yellow giving it a golden glow. Leo couldn’t tell from this distance but the wooden building also looked to have been painted in bright colours. The whole effect of this walled structure perched on the side of the mountain pass looked magical but Leo knew from his research that it was skilled architecture as opposed to arcane means which made it possible. Most disturbingly, Leo felt a void in the Flux emanating from the structure. He had never felt anything like it before. The group landed on a ledge nearby. Leo produced his magical eyes and sent them towards the building. They came back and didn’t reveal anything that had not been revealed before. The group then decided to make their way up the path towards the gates. Cautiously, the group made their way up the path. Suddenly, five figures appeared out of thin air. Two were large, revolting creatures with wings and the heads of vultures. Leo immediately recognised as Vrock Tanarii. He had one cursed to look like a parraqueet, formerly belonging to the undead archmage of Gaxmoor. There was a stunning woman with large bat wings which Leo as recognised as a succubus. He had also met one of those in Gaxmoor before. It had tried to seduce him. The last two looked huge, dark brown hulks with toothy maws and paws like shovels. From his research Leo recognised them as Hezrou. Big, strong but not particularly bright. Altogether though, this was a powerful set of guards. No doubt Ling Wa had bound them here to defend the Palace. They had been hiding, waiting to spring their ambush. The two vrocks rushed forward to grab Krysteel and Leo while the others cast spells. These spells caused a little damage though it could have been worse. Luckily there were few good members in the group. Tarquin reacted the quickest this time. He turned and cast a spell on Leo. Elaith blinded the Vrock holding Krysteel. She transported herself out of the group but unfortunately she took the Vrock with her. Leo magically wriggled out of his Vrock’s grasp thanks to Tarquin’s spell. The Vrock then grasped Tarquin. The two Hezrou charged forward to hit anything they could. Thran, the priest, created a wall of whirling blades which chopped into the succubus who shrieked angrily and flew into the air. Krysteel transported herself again, this time leaving the blind Vrock behind. Leo cast a spell, causing the Vrock grappling Tarquin to disappear but not affecting the Hezrou. Elaith cast force missiles at the succubus who slumped. Tarquin then stepped forward and caused one of the Hezrou to disappear. The blind Vrock disappeared. Tarquin stepped forward again and made the last Hezrou disappear. Everyone checked themselves. Everyone was hurt but no one seriously. The priests dispensed healing. Now the problem still remained with the Palace. With his permanent Arcane Sight, Elaith could see the incredibly powerful transmutation magic emanating from the building. Krysteel cast a True Seeing and did not see anything different on the Palace but she did find a cave entrance leading into the mountain. This had been hidden by an illusion. Further investigation by Leo’s eyes revealed a tunnel leading into a chamber. This round chamber had a shrine with a Hawk and a Crane and an alcove, which contained an empty armour stand. There was also a pool of ichor on the floor, which Leo recognised as demon blood. No exits could be found from this chamber.  Leo realised that they had to do as much as possible at this point. The Vrock who had been blind would sooner of later go back to Ling Wa to report its failure. It was a cowardly creature so it would take it some time to work up the courage. Once it did though, Ling Wa would move heaven and earth to get here as quickly as possible in force. So, Leo had one of his more powerful effects memorised. This was the field that suppressed magic. He cast it and approached the gates. Elaith shouted that he could see a bubble in the field of transmutation magic. So Leo’s spell worked. Unfortunately, these gates were designed to withstand sieges and could not be opened. After a little thought, Tarquin and Thran were given flying spells and Leo tied a rope around himself. The fliers, keeping well away from the field of magic suppression, took the end of the rope,  lifted Leo over the stone walls and lowered him into the courtyard of the Palace. In the courtyard, Leo could see many years of dust, eerily still in the stasis. Figures were lying motionless on the ground. No wind or air stirred. Leo motioned to be lowered next to one. As he got within ten feet of it, he could see her eyes flicker and suddenly she sprung up with her spear, and pointing it at Leo, shouted something in a language he didn’t understand. Quickly he ran through his gamut of languages. Finally, he saw a glimmer of understanding in her face when he tried Old Imarran. As quickly as possible he explained the situation to her with a spear point aimed at his throat. Grudgingly she listened to him. Five years had passed. The sorceress Ling Wa had caused this bewitchment on the Palace of Crane after destroying the Palace of Hawk. It was imperative that Leo found Ling Da, the Lady of Crane. The woman told him reluctantly that Ling Da was in her tower. Finally, she agreed to be lifted with Leo to the outside providing she kept a knife at his throat in case he betrayed her. Under these conditions, they were lifted out.</blockquote>

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