Upgrade your account to a Community Supporter account and remove most of the site ads.
Rocket your D&D 5E and Level Up: Advanced 5E games into space! Alpha Star Magazine Is Launching... Right Now!

Reply to thread

Message: <blockquote data-quote="Lazybones" data-source="post: 2210473" data-attributes="member: 143">I'd agree, if that battle was the climax of Book IX.  I don't think you'll feel slighted. I think I'll need to double-post to set up a proper Friday cliffhanger. So I'll post 380 now, and 381 later this evening. * * * * * Chapter 380Benzan knelt on the hard stone floor, his body shaking.  The eerie illumination cast by the surrounding lava flows framed his features with a diabolical glow that seemed to highlight the faint hints of his mixed ancestry.  He’d always been able to pass for human, unlike his daughter, but at this moment, in the depths of his grief, he seemed more alien than ever before. Directly above him was the soulcage containing the dead body of his daughter.  Her friends and family stood arrayed behind the tiefling, offering quiet support and witness.  A short distance away lay the sagging corpse of Dyr’ryd, a hissing sound occasionally rising from it as runnels of demodand blood trailing from the decapitated body found their way into the surrounding lava streams. For several minutes they were silent, respecting the man’s grief and each sharing it.  Dana stood closest, but she knew the man better than anyone ever had, knew that he needed to be alone, at least for the moment.  After a time, Cal spoke.  “We have to go.  We must find the failsafe device that Wiejeron spoke of.”“Go,” Benzan said.  “I will wait until you are clear, and then destroy the Tree.”“Benzan, we can’t…”  Lok began.“I know what you are going to say.  But Cauldron is already destroyed; everyone who can get away has already done so.  Isn’t it more important to be certain?  What if Wiejeron was lying, and while you’re looking for something that doesn’t exist, the ritual is completed?  There’s only one way to be certain that this is done, now.”“I share your conviction, and if it comes to that, I will help you destroy the Tree,” Arun said.  “But a cataclysmic eruption would mean certain death for the refugees from Cauldron, and suffering for many thousands more.  We must seek out what options remain, swiftly, before taking the ultimate action.”“He’s right,” Dana said.  “And if the Tree must be destroyed, we’ll all do it together.  Its destruction may disrupt the interference that prevents teleportation magic to function, which would give us a chance to escape.”“I was thinking, that room with the summoning diagram looked like it might have belonged to the wizardess, the one that Wiejeron mentioned,” Mole said.  “Maybe we can find some clues there.”“I was thinking the same thing,” Cal said.  “I would suggest we start the search there.”“Benzan?” Dana asked. The tiefling rose, and slide his sword into the sheath at his waist.  Deliberately, he turned to them, an iron look in his eyes. “Let’s go.”The adventurers hastened back through the complex to the chamber of Freija Doorgan, where they proceeded to tear the place apart in a hurried but intense search.  Mole found a secret door near the summoning diagram that opened onto a small hidden workshop cluttered with stone tables and shelves along the perimeter of the room, along with a weathered desk in one corner.  Everything was laid out with precision, and there was not a speck of dust to be found anywhere within the room.  A small fountain full of bubbling lava provided heat and light.  After a quick examination Cal reported that the materials here were used in the creation of various magical items, possibly including the evil rings that each of the members of the Thirteen wore.  They had six of those rings now, stored in a velvet bag tucked deep inside Cal’s handy haversack. Mole found a hidden drawer in the desk and produced a folio of papers that she quickly shared with Cal. “Abyssal,” he said, examining the ugly script that covered the parchment sheets.  The gnome had permanently empowered himself with the ability to comprehend languages, so he had no difficulty understanding the text.  He read quickly while the others finished their examination of the room.  “No other exits,” Benzan reported.  “What do you have there?”Cal held up a hand to forestall him, while he continued reading.  His augmented intelligence allowed him to grasp the content of the documents faster than most scholars, but it was still nearly a full minute more before he responded. “We’re looking for something called a ‘dispersal collar,’” he reported.  “Doorgan constructed it at Regidin’s direction to be able to abort the ritual, if necessary.”“And where is this collar now?” Arun asked. Cal frowned.  “The only reference to its location is here.  The entry reads that it has been given for safekeeping, to “that fiery beast from Gehenna.”“That doesn’t sound promising,” Lok said. Arun and Dannel exchanged a look.  “The lava cavern,” the elf said. “I think I be needin’ a drink,” Hodge said.</blockquote>

Verification