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Message: <blockquote data-quote="el-remmen" data-source="post: 18297" data-attributes="member: 11">Session #21 (Part III)“Wha- what are you doing here?” Martin stuttered.“I am here on a mission for the Academy,” Richard the Red said.  “Come up to the top step, and have your companions step away and I will come out and talk with you.”“Do you not trust a fellow Alumnus?” Martin asked.“You, I trust.  Your companions I am not to sure about,” Richard’s smile shone.The party discussed it and it was agreed.  Martin climbed the lower steps, and the party stepped back about five feet.  The double doors of the enclave opened with a groan and a moment later, Richard the Red emerged.  He was not overly tall, but had a stately posture when he walked, almost gliding down the stairs.  His robes were varying shades of red, like the fire of a forge, and he is hair was a dull red fire as well, liked heated brass. And it was long, shoulder-length, put back in a braided pony tail in the Thrician style. (48)  He had thick beard, but trimmed close to his face, and bright blue eyes that shone like the ocean on a sunny day.  Richard smiled broadly as he put out his hand to shake Martin’s.  Martin the Green took his hand hesitantly.  He did not smile.“I heard the Watch-Mage of Gothanius died recently,” Richard said, his face becoming grave only for a second.  “Did I hear wrong?”“You must mean Tom the Silver (49),” Martin replied.  “He did die.  I am his replacement in the interim before the Academy chooses a more permanent replacement. Actually, I am quite surprised to find another Watch-Mage here.  I was certain I was the only one to be sent here.”“Well, they do not always tell us what all our brethren are doing, especially not a less experienced more recent graduate.  When did you graduate? Five Sixty -One?”“Five Sixty- Three,” replied Martin.“Then you probably knew my son, Gregori,” Martin said with a smile. “He graduated in Five Sixty.  They tell me he was the color brown.  Gregori the Brown.  (50) I have not seen my son in too long.”“Yes, I remember him,” said Martin.  “He was two or three years older then I was, so I did not know him well.”“So, look,” Richard put his hand on his hip. “I’m going to assume that your mission is less important than mine.  So why don’t you move along.  I have everything under control.”“Under control? Whatever do you mean?” Martin asked. “What is going on here?”“I am not at liberty to tell you. I’m sorry,” said Richard. “All I’ll say is that it is a joint venture between the Academy of Wizardry and the elves of Tempestas.” (51)“Well, we came here to consult with the elves, and to find an old ally of my companions,” Martin explained.  “I’m afraid we have to speak with the elves, especially since they seem to be acting strangely.Richard did not seem to be listening, he was looking past Martin’s shoulder at Ratchis and Kazrack, who seemed to have been inching forward and were whispering to each other.“Hey!” Richard yelled.  “I thought we agreed you’d step away.”“We did step away!” Kazrack yelled.“Then keep it that way,” Richard said.  “I want to trust you, but let’s not do anything stupid, okay?”“Perhaps if you just tell me what you are doing in a more general sense, we could figure out some compromise.  Perhaps I could even help you,” Martin suggested.  “I doubt you could do much to help me,” Richard said with easy arrogance.“Or at least let us see the elf maiden,” Martin tried.“I said that’s impossible,” Richard said.  “She is involved in a delicate elven ritual.  She cannot be disturbed.”“Then let us come in.  We’ll wait,” offered Martin.“I am charged with making sure this thing gets done uninterrupted.  I cannot just allow a pack of strangers into this sacred conclave and risk it,” Richard said.  “Look, you’re not in the Academy anymore.  You have to understand that not everything is so easy or cut and dry as they would have you think.  The Academy prepares you for your true learning. The experience you gather out here in the real world.”“But…”“As a Watch-Mage of experience and authority I am asking you to defer to me in this matter and take your companions and go,” Richard said, frowning.At that moment, Ratchis and Kazrack were quietly counting to three.  Ratchis had cast a Detect Magic  and noticed the elf behind the murderhole and the one up on the left lookout had the aura of enchantment on them.Ratchis charged at the Watch-mage.  “Martin get out of the way!” he yelled.“You left on two!” Kazrack yelled, coming up behind the huge half-orc.  However, his stunty legs did not take him far enough. Ratchis has already pushed past Martin and slammed two devastating punches on Richard the Red, who groaned in pain. Richard the Red stepped back and suddenly there was a golden wire bent into a cup-shape on one end in his hand.  He waved his hand over is and shouted, “Levessess!”  The Watch-Mage began to ascend straight up into the air, coming to a stop twenty feet up.“Ratchis! What are you doing?” Martin stepped back agape, a look of horror coming over his soft boyish face.Jeremy moved up the stairs, passing Kazrack who was yelling, ‘The elves are ensorcelled.”  Arrows came hailing down from the lookouts and from the central murderhole above the door.  They bit at Jana and Ratchis, who was loading his crossbow.   Jana ducked behind the stone steps, seeking cover.“Argh!” Martin held his head in his hands. “You’re an idiot!”  He then looked up at Richard the Red.  “I’m sorry.  I don’t know why they are doing this.  Let’s talk more  Um…”“Looks like the Academy isn’t so good at picking its charges anymore,” Richard said, sardonically.Kazrack poured on the speed, and taking steps two at a time ran up the upper central stair for the double doors which were still ajar, going straight for the elves that stood just within them. “I was hoping it would not come to this,” Richard said, and he whispered and arcane word gesutured.  Below him appeared a flat plane of white light and he quickly descended into it.  He and the disk of light disappeared with a flash.“Why are you doing this?” Martin whined.“Prove these elves are not ensorcelled,” Ratchis yelled at Martin, scathingly.Jeremy took off after Kazrack and came through the doors, crossbow in hand.  The dwarf was already facing two elves, whose blows he deftly avoided despite the fact that he had left himself open to a flanking attack.There was a popping sound as Janx appeared beside Jeremy who was coming to Kazrack’s aid.“You cannot penetrate the sanctity of our compound,” both elves were saying in their flat voices that seemed to echo each other.“Martin, look at those elves. Can you tell me they are not ensorcelled,” Ratchis cried.“I can’t do this.  I can’t,” Martin was gibbering incoherently, still trying to find the words to say that would make this nightmare end, but the flying arrows were enough to scare him into action.  As he ran past Ratchis to go back down the stairs and take cover with Jana, the huge half-orc slapped the Watch-Mage hard in the side of the face.“We have to help the elves!” Ratchis screamed.  Martin whimpered and crouched beside Jana.“These people are crazy,” commented Jana, peeking over the steps.Ratchis snorted in disgust and ran up the steps towards the doors, dodging missile fire the whole time. “Remember these creatures are ensorcelled.  Do not try to kill them,” said Kazrack, stepping past the two elves, spinning around and sending the sword of one of them flying into the air.  The dwarf was now past the entry hall, back into perpendicular hall the last battle had occurred in.  He felt magic wash over him, but he shook off it, his dwarven resistance to magic serving him well.  He turned and saw Richard the Red still levitating, but in the room with the stairs to the lookouts and the large hearths.“Ha! Ha! Foul mage!  Rivkanal protects me from foul magics such as yours!” the dwarf laughed aloud.Jeremy slammed his crossbow into the face of the now unarmed elf, and he heard the crunch of the elf’s nose, as it stumbled back stunned.Ratchis joined the fray, hammer in hand and immediately felt the bite of the other elf’s sword.“You don’t know what you are getting into,” called Richard the Red.“Wizard, these elves are charmed!” Ratchis insisted. The unarmed elf stepped away from both Ratchis and Kazrack and tossing some rose petals in the air he said, “Dormu”.  Karack shook off a wave of drowsiness.Outside, Jana and Martin were pinned down by arrow fire, so Martin waved an open hand before him and spoke and arcane word.  Now, an invisible shield hovered before him.   Jana stood and pointed at the elf on the left lookout.  The archer stumbled back disappearing from view.  Martin took his chance and ran for the cover of the archway above the double doors.Ratchis ran towards Richard the Red, yelling “These elves are charmed!”  Kazrack was close behind.“It is no concern of yours!” the Watch-Mage replied, sounding annoyed.  “The agendas of the Academy are above the likes of you!”  “Nubes de Foetor!,” cried Richard punching into the air with his right hand that crushed a rotten egg while pointing with his left.  A billowing cloud of green gas unfolded from nothingness about forty fet ahead of him, filling most the room and the entire hallway.Ratchis and Jeremy felt their stomach rumble as the noxious gas filled their lungs and in less than a second both of them were puking up trail rations and bile.  One of the elves Jeremy had been fighting also began to lose his lunch, but Kazrak’s dwarven constitution allowed him to fight the nausea.  Jeremy stumbled out of the gas down the hall to the left, still puking, while Ratchis left his own trail of vomit as he left the cloud as well, still trying to get to Richard the Red.  “As you can see I am not trying to hurt you,” Richard the Red called.  “Please just leave.” Kazrack broke through to the other side of the cloud and seeing Richard floating there he dropped his halberd and pulled out a grappling hook to which he still had rope attached.“Don’t make me kill you to free these charmed elves,” the dwarf said angrily.“This is obviously an eventuality that calls for a different approach,” Richard the Red said cryptically, and lifting the edge of his cloak, whipped it around himself and faded from view.“Your invisibility tricks won’t work on me!” Kazrack cried, tossing the grappling hook with all his might to where the Watch-Mage had been floating.  The hook just sailed through the spot and landed on the ground. Kazrack cursed and then cried aloud in pain, as another elf appeared on the stairs to the lookout and fired an arrow at the dwarf, which sunk deep into his side, the cold metal arrowhead actually glancing off a rib, and bouncing away, taking a large chunk of flesh with it.Jeremy had recovered but still struggled with the no longer unarmed elf (he had drawn a dagger).  This elf had avoided the stinking cloud.  Martin had made it to the relative safety of the doorway.  Jana ran up the stairs after him and straight through the doorway, unknowingly passing beneath the trapdoor that led up to the lookout spot that the central murderhole was, and the elf above was wait, firing an arrow straight down, that was deflected by her collarbone, but was painful and bloody nonetheless.  She threw herself against the opposite wall, trapped in the entry hall by Richard’s spell, which still had not dissipated.Kazrack now had his halberd back in hand and went for the elf on the stairs from the ground level.  But the elf was too nimble and leapt away from the blow and off the stairs, striking the dwarf with his sword (having dropped his bow seconds before).   By this time Ratchis who was leaning against the hearth feeling his stomach and intestines spasming recovered.  He turned away from the hearth, which he noted had a mantle covered with a collection of mundane objects and ran for the elf fighting Kazrack, and gritting his teeth through the deep sword blow to his hip, slammed two punches into the elf’s face. “Oh, no. Not again…” the elf murmured as he collapsed into an unconscious lump on the ground.The elf above Jana and Martin, who now eyed the trapdoor warily, dropped sand through the open hatch and called, “dormu!”  Jana felt a wave of drowsiness come over her that she could not resist.  In a second she had slid down the wall she had been leaning against.  She was a asleep.Jeremy was smiling having seen the elf he battled wobble when the Neergaardian punched him in the face with the hilt of his sword, and blood had exploded in crimson streams from the elf’s delicate nose. But the elf was not giving up, and dagger flashed twice, making shallow cuts on Jeremy’s wrist and forearm.Martin shook Jana awake.End of Session #21----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Notes:(48) In Thricia it is common and fashionable for both men and women to wear their hair long, and have either one long braid, or a few smaller braids.(49) Tom the Silver is the former Watch-Mage of Gothanius.  Among the things Martin the Green was supposed to discover while in the Kingdom of Gothanius was more information about how he died.(50) Gregori the Brown was actually a founding member of the adventuring band known as the Oath, but interestingly he was not a member at the same time as Escher of Fallon. (See Sessions #5 and #6). (51) Tempestas is the island homeland of the elves of Aquerra, due east of the Black Islands Barony.</blockquote>

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