James McMurray
First Post
Kirenalo’ Juhalsonarost was free again. The call for blood screamed through her veins and demanded attention. Her six arms reached around and behind her to her sheathes, and she drew forth 5 blades: a great sword, a rapier, a scimitar, a long sword, and a short sword. It was this last one which thrilled her the most, and terrified those around her. The Tanar’ri Death Blade had been gifted to her by Orcus himself in part for appreciation of her service. Of course, she did not think that it was also because he wanted a weapon capable of utterly destroying her to always be within reach if she were to turn upon him.
The Tanar’ri death blades had been forged millennia ago as ultimate weapons in the Blood Wars. They were nearly sentient swords, each with a thirst for life and souls that even outstripped that of their creators. The means of their creation has been lost or hidden by all except a few demonic lords, of which Orcus was the most powerful.
As the blade was removed from its sheathe, all those around her could feel its scream in their minds. A lucky few of the humanoids freed around Kir fled instinctually when their minds registered the presence of two of the multi-verse’s ultimate predators (both blade and mistress). A less lucky group of those who fled managed to flee directly into the gargantuan legs of Drach, the Goristro, where they were smashed almost unthinkingly. The least lucky of the humanoids freed around her were those whose minds could not bear the presence at all and shut down. These terrified people soon had their souls drank by the blade, and their blood by the Marilith.
“Guide us home mistress.”
Kir felt the voice in her mind and immediately recognized Carnolathingaraniteioqwafiti, Orcus Cerebelith “diplomat”. Of course, his diplomatic skills were limited to forcing others to his will with his powerful mind, but even with those “limitations” he was still found to be useful. Calling Carn and Drach to herself, the group began to move outward, searching for someone or something they could force to return them to the Abyss, where she could begin the enjoyable process of hunting Conrad Adar.
The three had not gone far when the dispersing throng of humanity parted to reveal several celestials. Striker’s team has been freed as well. He immediately orders his Hound Archons in to delay the fiends, knowing that reinforcements will arrive shortly.
They charge forward and surround Carn, but cannot hurt him, even in the form of legendary wolves. Their teeth bounce off his rocky hide. Mar-ket, Striker’s Astral Deva lieutenant erects a blade barrier between Kir and the celestials, hoping Striker will be able to anchor her in place. As a bonus to his tactic, he also manages to catch Drach within the swirling blades, and the massive bull-demon cries out in pain.
Striker calls upon Pelor’s blinding light, and a green ray coalesces in his hands. He point to the Marilith and the ray shoots forth, splashing and washing over her, encasing the Tanar’ri in a dimly glowing emerald field, and preventing her from leaving this plane. Seeing that stratagem 114 from the Lower Planar Field Manual has managed to work, Mar-Ket and Striker fly upwards out of reach of Kir’s return assault.
Kir slithers her way forward and intensifies her unholy aura, but the Leonal’s wall of force rebuffs her. Carn reaches out with his mind to ensnare the hearts of the hound archons around him, and although the dogs are too weak to resist his call, the inner strength of Pelor holds him back for now. Drach charges forward out of the spinning blades and jumps high into the air. As he lands, the ground beneath them ripples and shakes. The Leonal and two hound archons fall to the ground.
“Excuse me missus. That sure does look like hard work. You could probably use a drink.” A diminutive figure, apparently without fear, calls up to the towering Marilith. Looking down she sees three gnomes. One of them holds a massive keg (larger than himself) on his back, while a second fills a mug from a spigot on the keg’s side. The third takes the mug from him and holds it out to Kir. “First one is free!” he says cheerfully.
Kir recognizes the brewer gnomes and grabs the mug. Tossing it back she begins to feel a pleasant tingling sensation in her nether regions as the Passion berry tonic takes hold. She promises herself that she will find these gnomes again once the hated celestials have been destroyed.
As the ground shakes, the hounds and the Leonal are left to bounce up and down on the ground like jumping beans. The flying Deva and Marilith are not as helpless. Mar-Ket slams the Cerebelith with a holy smite, but it washes off of the beast’s scales. Striker flies over the group and calls again upon Pelor’s might. Carn feels himself being pulled inward, but his powerful mind reaches out and snaps the magical connection before he implodes. He responds with a mental barrage that sends the Planetar reeling, but does not bypass Striker’s formidable mental barriers.
Kir maneuvers her way around the spinning disk of blades, and as the last of the shakes from Drach’s jump die out, he lashes outwards. One of the hound archons is crushed to a pulp beneath his massive arm, while another is sent running.
The hound archons, knowing that with time their shape changing abilities can fully heal them, turn to flee. Mar-Ket unleashes another smite, and this time it works. Drach’s eyes are blinded by the might of Pelor. Striker turns his attention to the Goristro as well, trying to implode him, but again he fails. Carn’s mental assaults keep up, but both the Planetar and the Deva are too strong willed. Drach fumbles his way around the wall of force, heading towards where he last heard the Leonal.
Lorelei and Meourgetok’s battle has moved across the plain, and they come within sight of this battle. The celestials’ joy at seeing such a powerful force for good on the field is replaced with terror moments later when they see what she is fighting. The very essence of the mummified god seems to reach out and grip the hearts of demon and celestial alike, and all who see him are paralyzed with fear. Striker and Mar-Ket fall from the sky, unable to even maintain the flapping of their wings.
Unable to see what is happening past the whirling blade barrier, Kir projects her image into the midst of the demons and celestials. Moments later when her consciousness shifts, her eyes follow those of the petrified Cerebelith, and she too falls to the ground in terror.
The brave Leonal is the first to regain his senses. He rapidly moves forward and prepares to deliver a killing blow to the Cerebelith.
As he does so, the sky cracks open. A huge gate appears in the air above the battlefield, and on the far side can be seen the towering Spires of Krichton, city of splendors on the shores of Mount Celestia. Flying through the gate come the celestial reinforcements.
Five squads of five lantern archons each lead the way, followed by two Ghaele celestials, their massive swords gleaming in the sun. Behind them comes Soren Kerguard, Solar in charge of Krichton’s security. Having been told of the need for reinforcements by a Trumpet Archon who fled the battle, he looks around the battlefield. Quickly assessing the situation, he dispatches 15 lantern archons to the far side of the field, with a Ghaele to lead them. He himself, along with ten archons and another Ghaele drop low over the battle, and target Kir.
Unable to teleport away due to the dimensional anchor, Kir at first decides to fight back. She tries to keep her distance, and both her and Soren exchange shots. Soren fires his mighty bow, and several times manages to pierce the demon’s skin with his arrows. She returns fire via telekinesis, hurling her blades at him. Although a strike from the Death Blade hits, Soren does not fall, he is too strong for the weapon to affect.
Severely outnumbered, Kir changes form to that of a massive dragon and tries to fly away. The Ghaele, Planetar, and Solar give chase, but cannot keep up with her, and she disappears over the horizon.
Carn and Drach do not fare as well. They are utterly annihilated by the celestial forces.
The Tanar’ri death blades had been forged millennia ago as ultimate weapons in the Blood Wars. They were nearly sentient swords, each with a thirst for life and souls that even outstripped that of their creators. The means of their creation has been lost or hidden by all except a few demonic lords, of which Orcus was the most powerful.
As the blade was removed from its sheathe, all those around her could feel its scream in their minds. A lucky few of the humanoids freed around Kir fled instinctually when their minds registered the presence of two of the multi-verse’s ultimate predators (both blade and mistress). A less lucky group of those who fled managed to flee directly into the gargantuan legs of Drach, the Goristro, where they were smashed almost unthinkingly. The least lucky of the humanoids freed around her were those whose minds could not bear the presence at all and shut down. These terrified people soon had their souls drank by the blade, and their blood by the Marilith.
“Guide us home mistress.”
Kir felt the voice in her mind and immediately recognized Carnolathingaraniteioqwafiti, Orcus Cerebelith “diplomat”. Of course, his diplomatic skills were limited to forcing others to his will with his powerful mind, but even with those “limitations” he was still found to be useful. Calling Carn and Drach to herself, the group began to move outward, searching for someone or something they could force to return them to the Abyss, where she could begin the enjoyable process of hunting Conrad Adar.
The three had not gone far when the dispersing throng of humanity parted to reveal several celestials. Striker’s team has been freed as well. He immediately orders his Hound Archons in to delay the fiends, knowing that reinforcements will arrive shortly.
They charge forward and surround Carn, but cannot hurt him, even in the form of legendary wolves. Their teeth bounce off his rocky hide. Mar-ket, Striker’s Astral Deva lieutenant erects a blade barrier between Kir and the celestials, hoping Striker will be able to anchor her in place. As a bonus to his tactic, he also manages to catch Drach within the swirling blades, and the massive bull-demon cries out in pain.
Striker calls upon Pelor’s blinding light, and a green ray coalesces in his hands. He point to the Marilith and the ray shoots forth, splashing and washing over her, encasing the Tanar’ri in a dimly glowing emerald field, and preventing her from leaving this plane. Seeing that stratagem 114 from the Lower Planar Field Manual has managed to work, Mar-Ket and Striker fly upwards out of reach of Kir’s return assault.
Kir slithers her way forward and intensifies her unholy aura, but the Leonal’s wall of force rebuffs her. Carn reaches out with his mind to ensnare the hearts of the hound archons around him, and although the dogs are too weak to resist his call, the inner strength of Pelor holds him back for now. Drach charges forward out of the spinning blades and jumps high into the air. As he lands, the ground beneath them ripples and shakes. The Leonal and two hound archons fall to the ground.
“Excuse me missus. That sure does look like hard work. You could probably use a drink.” A diminutive figure, apparently without fear, calls up to the towering Marilith. Looking down she sees three gnomes. One of them holds a massive keg (larger than himself) on his back, while a second fills a mug from a spigot on the keg’s side. The third takes the mug from him and holds it out to Kir. “First one is free!” he says cheerfully.
Kir recognizes the brewer gnomes and grabs the mug. Tossing it back she begins to feel a pleasant tingling sensation in her nether regions as the Passion berry tonic takes hold. She promises herself that she will find these gnomes again once the hated celestials have been destroyed.
As the ground shakes, the hounds and the Leonal are left to bounce up and down on the ground like jumping beans. The flying Deva and Marilith are not as helpless. Mar-Ket slams the Cerebelith with a holy smite, but it washes off of the beast’s scales. Striker flies over the group and calls again upon Pelor’s might. Carn feels himself being pulled inward, but his powerful mind reaches out and snaps the magical connection before he implodes. He responds with a mental barrage that sends the Planetar reeling, but does not bypass Striker’s formidable mental barriers.
Kir maneuvers her way around the spinning disk of blades, and as the last of the shakes from Drach’s jump die out, he lashes outwards. One of the hound archons is crushed to a pulp beneath his massive arm, while another is sent running.
The hound archons, knowing that with time their shape changing abilities can fully heal them, turn to flee. Mar-Ket unleashes another smite, and this time it works. Drach’s eyes are blinded by the might of Pelor. Striker turns his attention to the Goristro as well, trying to implode him, but again he fails. Carn’s mental assaults keep up, but both the Planetar and the Deva are too strong willed. Drach fumbles his way around the wall of force, heading towards where he last heard the Leonal.
Lorelei and Meourgetok’s battle has moved across the plain, and they come within sight of this battle. The celestials’ joy at seeing such a powerful force for good on the field is replaced with terror moments later when they see what she is fighting. The very essence of the mummified god seems to reach out and grip the hearts of demon and celestial alike, and all who see him are paralyzed with fear. Striker and Mar-Ket fall from the sky, unable to even maintain the flapping of their wings.
Unable to see what is happening past the whirling blade barrier, Kir projects her image into the midst of the demons and celestials. Moments later when her consciousness shifts, her eyes follow those of the petrified Cerebelith, and she too falls to the ground in terror.
The brave Leonal is the first to regain his senses. He rapidly moves forward and prepares to deliver a killing blow to the Cerebelith.
As he does so, the sky cracks open. A huge gate appears in the air above the battlefield, and on the far side can be seen the towering Spires of Krichton, city of splendors on the shores of Mount Celestia. Flying through the gate come the celestial reinforcements.
Five squads of five lantern archons each lead the way, followed by two Ghaele celestials, their massive swords gleaming in the sun. Behind them comes Soren Kerguard, Solar in charge of Krichton’s security. Having been told of the need for reinforcements by a Trumpet Archon who fled the battle, he looks around the battlefield. Quickly assessing the situation, he dispatches 15 lantern archons to the far side of the field, with a Ghaele to lead them. He himself, along with ten archons and another Ghaele drop low over the battle, and target Kir.
Unable to teleport away due to the dimensional anchor, Kir at first decides to fight back. She tries to keep her distance, and both her and Soren exchange shots. Soren fires his mighty bow, and several times manages to pierce the demon’s skin with his arrows. She returns fire via telekinesis, hurling her blades at him. Although a strike from the Death Blade hits, Soren does not fall, he is too strong for the weapon to affect.
Severely outnumbered, Kir changes form to that of a massive dragon and tries to fly away. The Ghaele, Planetar, and Solar give chase, but cannot keep up with her, and she disappears over the horizon.
Carn and Drach do not fare as well. They are utterly annihilated by the celestial forces.
