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Message: <blockquote data-quote="el-remmen" data-source="post: 4448494" data-attributes="member: 11">Session #25 – “Smoke & Ruin” (part 3 of 3)Jakos Ilmari led the Signers into his laboratory.  It was a large room, noted for the far wall being made of thick panes of frosted glass on a metal frame set in the stone supports of the tower outer wall.  There was also a large window adjacent to it that led out to a small balcony, but this and the larger structure were covered over with ice from above.  To the right of the door was a metal spiral staircase that led up to the parapet above; the area that was enclosed by the ice.  There were several stone tables, a hearth, two small iron stoves, and the left wall was covered in shelves and cabinets filled like those in the study, minus the books.As Jakos explained how the ritual would work, Markos climbed to the top of the spiral staircase with two crossbows.  He left them loaded at his feet and prepared his repeating crossbow.  He would be the one to open the trapdoor to the top of the tower allowing the nightmare demon back into the lab to be sucked towards the protective circle that would be made with Laarus’ blood.  Bleys set up on the left side of the room by one of the tables, with a spare crossbow at his side as well, while Victoria, Telémahkos, Telémahkos and Laarus stood around where Jakos would draw the circle, one at each compass point. “Victoria, put the amulet on as long as you are going to carry it, you might as well benefit from it,” Bleys said to the militant, but when she took it out she passed it to Timotheus, who smiled and slipped it around his neck and tucked it under his shirt.Laarus Raymer of Ra held out his hand, and Jakos began to chant and grabbed hold of it with his right hand and quickly dragged  a curved knife across the priest’s palm.  Laarus winced.  Jakos held the hand open and shook it, letting the blood pool. [sup]1[/sup]  He then dipped his fingers in the blood and got down on his hands and knees and began to draw the circle lined with <a href="http://aquerra.wikispaces.com/Language+-+Seriph" target="_blank">Seriph</a> runes. He renewed the bloody ink from Laarus’ hands a few times as he worked, still chanting the whole time.  As he stood, still in it, the circle began to glow.Victoria called on <a href="http://aquerra.wikispaces.com/Anhur" target="_blank">Anhur</a> to bless their efforts against the demon, while Timotheus grimaced and gulped down a vial of <a href="http://aquerra.wikispaces.com/Magical+Item+-+Blood+of+Ashronk" target="_blank">the blood of Ashronk</a>.Laarus of Ra took a step back away from the circle as Jakos’ chanting became more frantic, and he readied himself to call on <a href="http://aquerra.wikispaces.com/Priest+of+Ra+Characters#gloryofra" target="_blank">the glory of Ra</a> at the proper moment as Jakos had instructed before the ritual started.  The old wizard’s voice became a high-pitched indecipherable wheeze and then he threw both arms in the air and pointed to Markos at the top of the spiral stairs.  “NOW!”Markos unlatched the trapdoor and it opened with bang, as he ducked reflexively from the sudden sound and violence of its dropping.The thing came down, an inky black tear in the very fabric of reality that was vaguely shaped like a man, but with undulating limbs that grew and shrunk and merged and separated again. It’s very presence hurt the eyes and fogged the brain of the onlookers as it crackled with purple and black lightning flashing disturbing scenes of twirling pulsing tentacles covered in puss-oozing suckers beyond its being/non-being.“RA!” Laarus called out to his god. “Use me as a vessel for your holy light to help drive this creature from our world and back to the foul realms from which it emerged!”  There was a pulse of light as he clutched his holy symbol and the strange creature let out an echoing sound like metal scraping against metal that warped into a monstrous bellow.The creature went hurtling down towards the circle of blood, leaving a sizzling smell of sulfur as the air around it curdled.  Jakos moved to step out of the circle as the creature flew down, its flashing and changing fading to pure black as it fell, and just as the wizard was stepping over the threshold, the thing fell inside of him, disappearing into his very flesh.  Jakos’ flesh rippled inky black, and his eyes turned bright burning red.  He snarled and looked at all the young nobles around him. The nightmare demon now had a physical form; Jakos’ form. Telémahkos was the first to act. He tumbled towards the possessed wizard and thrust at him with his rapier, but the creature bent its elbows back and leapt towards Laarus.“Wait! Was this supposed to happen? Do we have to kill him now?” Timotheus was unsure of himself, but Laarus did not hesitate he swung his morningstar the Jakos-thing heavily, and it yanked its arm back as the tines on the club scraped its swirling forearm.  It fell into a tumble, avoiding a follow-up swing from the priest as it spun around Timotheus and revealed gleaming fangs in the middle of its featureless face as it bit his shoulder.  Tim turned around and out of the way, withdrawing to put himself between the thing and Bleys. The thing’s red eyes glowed more brightly and Tim felt a tickle in his mind, but shook it off. [sup]2[/sup] At the same time, Victoria felt some foreign will press itself against her own as she ran through the circle towards the changed wizard.  She shook it off.  “Stay away from the circle,” she warned the others, but it was too late. Her companions could see a trail of shining black and purple motes hovering about her head.  Markos and Bleys sent crossbow bolts into the combat, Bleys’ nicking the thing as it dropped to the ground from the weight of Laarus’ morningstar falling on its shoulders.  Telémahkos danced around and thrust at it with his rapier again, but was being too cautious.  “Victoria! You have something floating near your head!” He warned the militant without looking at her.“Seriously! Do we have to kill him?” Timotheus asked his companions as he slammed his flail into the creature as it stood, and it bent backwards as if broken, its legs morphing into the top of its body as its arms, head and shoulder became legs.“Anhur!” Victoria cried out, letting the divine fury of her god fill her. “Give me the might to strike this thing from beyond!!!”  In her rage she over-extended the thrust of her spear at the thing, and Timotheus barely stepped aside to avoid the blow. [sup]3[/sup]  The motes about her head trailed over to Timotheus and suddenly his eyes glassed over.  His muscles bulged and he immediately crouched and drooled and howled.“What in the Hells happened to Tim?” Telémahkos’ eyes widened.  He circled about the far end of the possessed wizard Jakos trying to pen him in, while waving to Timotheus with his free hand. “Over here!”Bleys chanted as he cast protection from evil, but Timotheus jumped away before he could be touched by the spell that would break the possession.  He snickered and then guffawed as he charged towards Telémahkos, obeying his cousin’s summons.  He wore a lascivious look, licking his lips repeatedly.  Timotheus grabbed at Telémahkos, “Come ‘ere!”“Eek!” Telémahkos shrieked and barely leapt away in time, feeling the tug on his toga.  Tim ran after him, shrinking and growing fat as his form rippled and turned, avoiding Bleys’ attempts to imbue him with the protection from evil spell. “C’mere ya little turd! I’m gonna slap your ass raw!”  Timotheus now looked like his uncle, Telémahkos’ father, <a href="http://aquerra.wikispaces.com/Agamemnon+Briareus" target="_blank">Agamemnon</a>.   Again, Telémahkos was able to avoid Timotheus’ grasp, and he danced around flicking his rapier in front of him to keep his cousin, now looking like his father, away.  “Somebody do something!”Meanwhile, the possessed form of Jakos was reeling from a heavy blow from Laarus and started moving towards the spiral steps. Startled by the thing’s sudden approach, Markos dropped his crossbow and hurriedly slammed the trapdoor shut.  He pulled a dagger.“An injury may give him another chance to shake off the effect,” Laarus suggested as he took off up the metal steps after the demon-possessed-Jakos.  He slammed him in the back with his morningstar once again and the form collapsed on the stairs, sliding painfully down the stairs a bit and becoming tangled in the priest’s legs and the metal railing.   A black living figure of swirling shadow emerged from Jakos’ twisted form and began to fly back towards the circle.  Markos shoved his dagger through the latch of the trapdoor, to wedge it shut even more tightly and then, picked up one of the loaded crossbows and fired.  The quarrel few through the living shadow to no effect.  Victoria roared as she thrust her spear up at it as it flew past her, but like the crossbow bolt, the weapon seem to have no effect despite the violence of her blow.“Huh? What happened?” Timotheus shook his head a moment after Bleys touched him and he changed back into himself. The watch-mage had finally gotten the protection from evil spell to at least temporarily ward him from the possessing influence.“You’re lucky,” Telémahkos quipped to his cousin with a wink. “I was about to run you through!”  He skipped over towards the shadow and whipped his magic blade through its essence feeling the slightest resistance as he cut shadow stuff from its insubstantial form.  Telémahkos felt something enter his mind, but he shook it off, encouraged by Laarus’ words to Ra, as he channeled divine energy through his holy symbol, filling the room with a pulse of it.  The shadow turned and reached for him but he backed away, as Timotheus rejoined the fight, and Victoria and Laarus came clanging down the metal steps to surround it.  Finally, one of Victoria’s spear thrusts seemed to have effect, while Tim’s mighty blows seemed to do nothing.Bleys made his way around the melee, scooping up one of the spare crossbows on his way, and spotted Markos doing what he was on his way to do, checking on Jakos.  The smaller mage poured a potion of cure light wounds down the older wizard’s throat, and in a few moments he was sputtering to consciousness.“What should we do? The creature seems mostly unaffected by our weapons!” Markos asked, shaking the man by the collar of his robes.“Tutila ex malum!” Bleys spun around and cast protection from evil once again.  This time he touched Telémahkos as soon as he noted the slender Briareus had been overtaking by whatever malevolent force was flittering around the room in the form of the shining motes.  He picked up his dropped sword, and it was only Bleys’ spell that kept the thing from possessing him once again, as he left himself open to its attack.  The shadow creature swept down at Laarus and the priest of Ra crumpled to the ground asleep. Markos looked up from where Jakos was giving him advice on how to handle the situation in a raspy whisper and ran over to his cousin, and began to shake him.  “Wake up!  Jakos says you need to use the power of Ra to drive that thing back into the circle!”  Laarus started awake again, and Markos left him to go back to Jakos, who handed him a wand he pulled from his belt.  “Just point this at the thing and say ‘telectus!’” he croaked.As Bleys dropped the crossbow and drew his saber, Victoria and Timotheus had the creature between them.  The militant priestess was still having more luck than the brawny warrior, but still her spear thrusts were not as effective as if she had been stabbing at a corporeal body.  The motes floated over to Bleys and he felt a malevolent tickle in his mind that he was barely able to shake off. [sup]4[/sup] Telémahkos danced around, paranoid of the motes, but trying to drive the thing towards the circle, keeping it between Victoria and Tim.“Telectus!” Markos flicked the wand and three magic missiles flew from the wand and burst as they passed through the shadow. It shuddered and shrunk visibly, spinning around as if in agony.Now on his feet, Laarus of Ra grasped his holy symbol one more time and called out, “Ra! Send this creature back to my circle of blood!”  He felt the energy of his god pass through him and the thing moaned as it flew towards the great arching window, and bounced against the glass twice like confused fly, and then swooped back towards the circle.“Now! Now!” Jakos called.  Timotheus dropped his weapon and drew a dagger throwing it at the shadow as it bounced around in the circle, trapped by some unseen force. The dagger seemed to slow as it passed through and the thing fell to the ground transforming into a blonde young woman. It was Timotheus’ sister Ivy… “Please Tim! Please don’t kill me,” she begged through tears.“Telectus! Three more arrows of light flew from the wand Markos was using and Ivy shuddered.  “No, Markos is trying to kill me! Stop him!” She cried.“Let this travesty end now,” Victoria said.  She stepped back and hefted a short spear and threw it right through Ivy’s chest.  She fell back and melted back into a liquidy shadow form, and began to dissipate, leaving behind a pile of black ashes.“Good try, but my family doesn’t beg,” Timotheus said, stepping over to spit in the ashes.“We should go and see how the rest of the town fares,” Victoria said.Jakos Ilmari was able to get to his feet with help from Markos, and took back his wand, shoving it into his belt.  He began to walk out towards his study, but Bleys the Aubergine stepped in front of him.“Before we go anywhere, I need to remand you into custody,” the watch-mage told the old wizard.Jakos nodded. “I understand, but I would like to break the plague of insomnia first…”Bleys nodded and let the man by, but followed closely, as did the others.“All that needs to be done is to break this,” he lifted the crystal sphere from his desk.“Then break it!” Markos said.  Jakos let it shatter against the floor, and amid the tinkling of glass was the sound of a chime.  Suddenly, Laarus, Victoria and Telémahkos collapsed to the ground asleep, as the others felt a wave of fatigue wash over them.  Jakos stumbled back against the desk, his eyes heavy.“I need to sleep,” the old man said.“Why don’t you sleep now?  We are done here,” Markos suggested.”I thought I was being remanded,” he replied.“Can’t that wait?” Markos asked, turning to Bleys.“No, it cannot,” Bleys said in his usual flat tone.“Come on, give the man a break,” Timotheus said. “Think of how much more difficult this would have been if he had not cooperated.”“Very well,” Bleys acquiesced. “You have earned a temporary reprieve. Timotheus, you shall stay here and watch over him, while I run to retrieve Captain Firth, and inform the authorities at <a href="http://aquerra.wikispaces.com/Havesting" target="_blank">Havesting</a> what has occurred.”“I’ll stay too and look through some of his books,” Markos added.“No sir, you will not…” Jakos replied.  As Bleys left, he heard Markos go into a long-winded argument meant to persuade Jakos to give him access to his tower’s secrets and lore.Soon after, Tellum woke up, and came rushing to his master’s defense, but Jakos calmed him down. [sup]5[/sup]Out in Sluetelot the danger of the fire had been averted. All that was left were several smaller fires surrounded by townsfolk with pails, and <a href="http://aquerra.wikispaces.com/Waveservant+of+Tefnut" target="_blank">priests of Tefnut</a> from the temple in Havesting creating water to fill the buckets.  There were people scattered in various places having fallen sleep where they stood, and some were being carried off by friends or family. Bleys found Captain Firth and informed her of what had happened, and how the magical plague had been banished. He told her of Jakos and his henchmen, and how they being held back at the tower.  She dispatched some guards to the tower immediately, and filled Bleys in on the efforts to fight the fire as they walked. She told him how Holy Admiral <a href="http://aquerra.wikispaces.com/Korwait+Tenbrook" target="_blank">Korwait Tenbrook</a> had opened Havesting and sent out <a href="http://aquerra.wikispaces.com/Waveservant+of+Tefnut+Characters" target="_blank">Waveservants of Tefnut</a> to help.  Now soldiers were being mobilized to prevent looting.The Signers of the Charter of Schiereiland made their way back to Death & Taxes, where Victoria, Laarus and Telémahkos were put to bed and put under the watchful eye of Timotheus.  As they walked Markos was curious as to what would happen to Jakos and his tower.“Jakos will be imprisoned in gaol and his tower will be locked up pending his trial and the ruling of the Lord of <a href="http://aquerra.wikispaces.com/House+Tenbrook" target="_blank">House Tenbrook</a> or his agent,” Bleys replied.“As acting watch-mage of Sluetelot could you not request that the tower be placed under your command for now?” Markos asked.“No,” Bleys said flatly.”There could be other dangerous magics in there that could endanger the town,” Markos tried a new tack.“All the more reason to not go poking around in them,” Bleys said. “We’d be careful!” Markos grinned and then bit his bottom lip imaging what secrets he might find there,“You just want all his stuff!” Timotheus admonished.“No! Uh… No!” Markos protested.  “We did not even gather any of the ashes that remained of that nightmare demon creature, for example…”“Oh come on!” Timotheus smirked. “Are you even trying to be convincing?”Bleys ignored them, and at the inn Markos changed his strategy roping Tim into a conversation regarding sneaking in by means of being boosted through the broken shutters.“Tim!” Telémahkos called from his bed, still half-asleep. Timotheus went to his cousin’s side. “I forgot to tell you…” Telie rolled over and pulled a blanket close under his chin. “Floris is going to challenge you to a duel if you don’t apologize to him for whatever it is you did to him…”“Oh for gods’ sake,” Timotheus muttered.“And don’t leave me alone with assassins around,” Telémahkos’ voice grew sharp as he climbed back towards full consciousness to emphasize the point.Timotheus sighed his grudging agreement.From Death & Taxes Bleys went to Havesting where he spoke to Delilah Fairbanks, seneschal of the fortress.  They made arrangements for camps to be set up for the refugees from the fire and for food to be moved from Havesting’s stores to the camps.  Some of the displaced townsfolk would be allowed to use empty barracks in the fortress until they could reconnect with family living in other parts of the town or in nearby places.  The rest would be brought to field in New Sluetelot and given tents and other means of making temporary shelter.Over the next couple of days the extent of the fire’s devastation became clearer.  The dockworkers were freed to help with the clean up effort, and while grumblings of a Weirspierogen plot were to be heard here and there in drunken anger, most people came to accept the fire as a consequence of Jakos’ actions.  The young nobles found themselves at the center of attention for their efforts against the fire and the stories of them running off towards the center of the fire and certain death in order to find the source of the curse of insomnia.  However, not all of the attention was good, as many people gave Laarus wide berth once news of the people he killed got around.During this time Markos tried to visit Jakos in the gaol, but the warden insisted on permission coming from Bleys, and the salty mage decided against pestering his companion on the issue of the Jakos and the tower any longer.  Laarus Raymer of Ra did visit Jakos [sup]6[/sup], and as a priest of Ra no one denied him the opportunity.  He also had Euleria find out as much as she could about the two people he had killed while possessed so he could make some form of remuneration to their next of kin.Bleys wrote up a detailed report of the events of the plague of insomnia, Jakos Ilmari and the fire and encouraged his companions to do the same.  “We may be on the road by the time they get around to giving him a trial, our signed and witnessed affidavits will be useful to his prosecution,” he said.  Laarus agreed.But mostly they rested… [sup]7[/sup]End of Sessions #25-------------------------------------------------------------------Notes:(1) Laarus took 4 points of damage from the cut.(2) Timotheus had to make a Will save to resist the effect.(3) Victoria fumbled getting the following result:Reflex save (DC 20) or hit friend, normal damage. – She made her Reflex save.(4) Bleys’ player chose to use an <a href="http://aquerra.wikispaces.com/Action+Dice" target="_blank">action die</a> for this save, and as it turned out it made the difference.(5) Tellum had been defeated with non-lethal damage and tied up. He successfully escaped his bonds when he woke up.(6) See InterSession #25.1(7) I advanced the calendar a couple of days to reinforce the party’s fatigue and aching lungs from all the smoke they inhaled, etc…</blockquote>

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