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NOW LIVE! Into the Woods--new character species, eerie monsters, and haunting villains to populate the woodlands of your D&D games.
Shilsen's Eberron SH (Finished - The Last Word : 9/20/15)
- Thread starter Rackhir
- Start date
shilsen
Adventurer
Revelations
As the floodgates of memory open and all of his earlier life comes rushing back, Nameless realizes that Kitan was telling the truth. He is ... or rather was, Edgar Thorn. He recalls growing up in Arjon Ford in Cyre, he remembers his parents and family and friends, he remembers a life and a personality that is completely alien to what he has known for the last couple of years. The sensation of recovering these memories is a strange one, in many ways like recollecting the details of a favorite and well-read book, rather than containing the visceral and emotional resonance that one’s past normally has.
The one portion of his memories that do evince some emotion from Nameless is the section to do with the experience that changed him. Nameless recalls now that he did join the Cyran military, and as one possessing a little proficiency in magic, was eventually assigned to a special forces unit.
He remembers that in 994 YK, members of his unit were to locate a group in Metrol that had stolen something that the military desperately wanted returned. Nameless’s team found the group, which turned out to be a small but particularly powerful cult of the Dragon Below, as well as the stolen item, which he now realizes was a dragonshard that looked exactly like the Key. Nameless recollects the detection of his team by the cultists before reinforcements arrived, and falling unconscious in the subsequent battle.
Nameless’s next memory is of waking up (with other members of his team) tied to what he now knows was a dimensional seal. In view of the knowledge he gained later and his recent experiences, everything that happened then takes on new meaning. The prisoners were intended to work as fuel for the stolen Key, which the leader of the cultists attempted to use to open the seal. The energy released killed all of his companions, but before the seal could actually open, an incredible backlash of energy killed everyone in the room and blew the Key apart. Somehow, Nameless survived.
His previous flashbacks of the event had involved a voice speaking to him moments before the explosion, and continuing to do so, in a changed form, afterwards. Nameless now recalls the words and understands them perfectly. The voice was that of a powerful daelkyr lord, the Nameless One, whose lair in Khyber is beneath Cyre. Feeling the weakening of a dimensional seal above his realm, he attempted to break through mentally from the opposite side.
The Nameless One latched onto the minds of Nameless and his comrades through the temporarily weakened seal and was in the process of turning them into mindless minions when the explosion killed the others. The seal snapped shut at that point, severing the connection. Even with the information he has now, Nameless doesn’t understand exactly how, but the momentary contact with the Nameless One left something behind in his psyche. It’s almost as if the daelkyr lord left a mental footprint in his mind, permanently warping and changing the terrain around it.
The voices in Nameless’s head, his detection as an aberration, his ‘instinctive’ ability to activate the Key, his interest in (and affinity towards) Xoriat, in all likelihood his spellcasting ability (which, before the incident, was adequate, but nowhere close to exceptional), are probably all the result of this mental wound. What would be lost (or what gained – or regained) by healing it, is left only to conjecture and Nameless’s imagination. Just as disquieting are the questions of what could heal such a wound, and the possibility that that powerful magics Nameless and his companions experience on a daily basis could do so inadvertently.
While Nameless is running through these revelations in his head, so too is Naxaliyen, as he reads and rereads Nameless’s memories. Finally, the mind flayer stops and retracts his tentacles, leaving Nameless with a splitting headache. Naxaliyen gazes at him for a long moment and then gurgles, “I have never met a creature quite like you before, Edgar – or Nameless, if you prefer. You are a gift to me, and I shall use you quickly, before your imbecile companions or others can interfere. But now I must think upon this.”
The mind flayer turns away to the slab holding Nameless’s equipment and quickly extracts the box holding the Key. Holding it carefully, he signals to the dolgaunt, who walks over and picks up the rest of Nameless’s things. The pair then head toward the sphincter, which slides open to reveal a dark corridor. Naxaliyen looks over his shoulder and says, “Sleep. I will require you soon.”
As they exit, the crystals in the ceiling pulse thrice quickly and everything goes black for Nameless.
**********
DM comment: I'd actually been expecting and planning for Nameless's past to take a lot longer to emerge, but once he got nabbed by the mind flayer's, I figured this would be the perfect method and moment for it to emerge. I'm curious to see what Rackhir does (or doesn't) with the info.
I also added the following to the earlier post about the other PCs' preparations in Sharn:
As the floodgates of memory open and all of his earlier life comes rushing back, Nameless realizes that Kitan was telling the truth. He is ... or rather was, Edgar Thorn. He recalls growing up in Arjon Ford in Cyre, he remembers his parents and family and friends, he remembers a life and a personality that is completely alien to what he has known for the last couple of years. The sensation of recovering these memories is a strange one, in many ways like recollecting the details of a favorite and well-read book, rather than containing the visceral and emotional resonance that one’s past normally has.
The one portion of his memories that do evince some emotion from Nameless is the section to do with the experience that changed him. Nameless recalls now that he did join the Cyran military, and as one possessing a little proficiency in magic, was eventually assigned to a special forces unit.
He remembers that in 994 YK, members of his unit were to locate a group in Metrol that had stolen something that the military desperately wanted returned. Nameless’s team found the group, which turned out to be a small but particularly powerful cult of the Dragon Below, as well as the stolen item, which he now realizes was a dragonshard that looked exactly like the Key. Nameless recollects the detection of his team by the cultists before reinforcements arrived, and falling unconscious in the subsequent battle.
Nameless’s next memory is of waking up (with other members of his team) tied to what he now knows was a dimensional seal. In view of the knowledge he gained later and his recent experiences, everything that happened then takes on new meaning. The prisoners were intended to work as fuel for the stolen Key, which the leader of the cultists attempted to use to open the seal. The energy released killed all of his companions, but before the seal could actually open, an incredible backlash of energy killed everyone in the room and blew the Key apart. Somehow, Nameless survived.
His previous flashbacks of the event had involved a voice speaking to him moments before the explosion, and continuing to do so, in a changed form, afterwards. Nameless now recalls the words and understands them perfectly. The voice was that of a powerful daelkyr lord, the Nameless One, whose lair in Khyber is beneath Cyre. Feeling the weakening of a dimensional seal above his realm, he attempted to break through mentally from the opposite side.
The Nameless One latched onto the minds of Nameless and his comrades through the temporarily weakened seal and was in the process of turning them into mindless minions when the explosion killed the others. The seal snapped shut at that point, severing the connection. Even with the information he has now, Nameless doesn’t understand exactly how, but the momentary contact with the Nameless One left something behind in his psyche. It’s almost as if the daelkyr lord left a mental footprint in his mind, permanently warping and changing the terrain around it.
The voices in Nameless’s head, his detection as an aberration, his ‘instinctive’ ability to activate the Key, his interest in (and affinity towards) Xoriat, in all likelihood his spellcasting ability (which, before the incident, was adequate, but nowhere close to exceptional), are probably all the result of this mental wound. What would be lost (or what gained – or regained) by healing it, is left only to conjecture and Nameless’s imagination. Just as disquieting are the questions of what could heal such a wound, and the possibility that that powerful magics Nameless and his companions experience on a daily basis could do so inadvertently.
While Nameless is running through these revelations in his head, so too is Naxaliyen, as he reads and rereads Nameless’s memories. Finally, the mind flayer stops and retracts his tentacles, leaving Nameless with a splitting headache. Naxaliyen gazes at him for a long moment and then gurgles, “I have never met a creature quite like you before, Edgar – or Nameless, if you prefer. You are a gift to me, and I shall use you quickly, before your imbecile companions or others can interfere. But now I must think upon this.”
The mind flayer turns away to the slab holding Nameless’s equipment and quickly extracts the box holding the Key. Holding it carefully, he signals to the dolgaunt, who walks over and picks up the rest of Nameless’s things. The pair then head toward the sphincter, which slides open to reveal a dark corridor. Naxaliyen looks over his shoulder and says, “Sleep. I will require you soon.”
As they exit, the crystals in the ceiling pulse thrice quickly and everything goes black for Nameless.
**********
DM comment: I'd actually been expecting and planning for Nameless's past to take a lot longer to emerge, but once he got nabbed by the mind flayer's, I figured this would be the perfect method and moment for it to emerge. I'm curious to see what Rackhir does (or doesn't) with the info.
I also added the following to the earlier post about the other PCs' preparations in Sharn:
Last edited:
Sidekick
First Post
Nice one Bruvva, nice one.
Now that is what I cann a good update!
Nameless once again has a name, and a moral quandry for what to do about his power and his connection to the Nameless One.
Shilsen - very sinister and very cool. You get a cadbury milk tray (because one cookie/choccie simply isn't enough).
Now that is what I cann a good update!
Nameless once again has a name, and a moral quandry for what to do about his power and his connection to the Nameless One.
Shilsen - very sinister and very cool. You get a cadbury milk tray (because one cookie/choccie simply isn't enough).
shilsen said:
Do with what information? About the only new piece of information is exactly why Nameless has the connections he has had. Which doesn't really change anything.
It's been clear to me what the shard could do since we acquired it and that is one of the reasons why he is adamantly against handing it over to Gareth/Church of the Silver Flame.
Its also why he's never mentioned anything about his flashbacks to anyone. It's as if he was the only person who knew what could happen if you brought two sub-critical masses of plutonium together and he was sitting on a pair that he couldn't get rid of.
shilsen
Adventurer
Sidekick said:
Thankee, kind sir!
Ooh, gimme!
Rackhir said:
I guess I took the confirmation of exactly what Nameless's past was, the explanation of why he has the unique talents that he does, and the knowledge of the daelkyr "footprint" in his head and its potentiality for increased/further effects in the future, as a combination rich enough to be defined as new information.
Mechanically, no. Roleplaying-wise, I think it has potential for all sorts of interesting use, both for internal character development and for external character interaction with other PCs and NPCs. But since he's your PC, that's pretty much your bailiwick.
I'd havepreferred you not to be as underwhelmed as you apparently are, but it won't be the first time I thought something was cool and a player didn't, and it won't be the last.
shilsen
Adventurer
The Rescue of Nameless, Pt. 1.
The never sleeping Six wakes the others early on the morning of the 26th. The entire group heads to Carosten Park, where Surr’kal has been making preparations. The ritual itself is a simple enough affair, mainly involving everyone sitting in a circle meditating (or rather, in the case of some, simply sitting silently), interrupted once in a while by Surr’kal placing a small sprig of mistletoe on each individual or sprinkling them with a couple of drops of fresh rainwater. At the end of the hour, everyone feels an aura of well-being temporarily envelop them and then fade away.
Surr’kal says, “You will now be more resistant to the powers of aberrations, whether it be poison or paralysis or anything else. The protection lasts five days, but ends instantly if you use healing or protective magic on an aberration.”
“Really not a problem,” says Gareth.
“I don’t know about that,” wonders Korm aloud, “What happens if we need to heal Nameless? Will that affect the protection?”
“Honestly, I do not know,” says Surr’kal. “Nameless’s situation is an, forgive me, aberrant one.”
“We’ll find out when we do,” says Trillia briskly. “We have no time to waste.” She gives Surr’kal a short bow and says, “Thank you, Gatekeeper. Hopefully, we will all see you soon again.”
Surr’kal bows back silently, though the worry is evident in his face, and the Angels take their leave.
Back at Trillia’s, the group waits while she produces a scroll and goes through the hour-long process of scrying on Nameless. At the end of the time, the large mirror that she has been gazing into blurs and its surface turns smoky. While the others see nothing else, Trillia stares into it intently and describes what she alone sees.
“I can see him. And he’s somewhere else. And not naked - praise be. He has his normal clothes on and is in an open chamber of some sort. No doors. I can see a tunnel coming and going out. That mind flayer which I saw before—Naxaliyen, I think—is there too, as is that dolgaunt with the floating eye. It’s got a tentacle wrapped around Nameless’s throat. I don’t see the … damn, the mind flayer’s seen my sensor and…”
“That’s it. Let’s go now!” interrupts Korm.
Trillia nods and steps away from the mirror, which returns to normal, and begins to pick up nearby scrolls and cast the few remaining protective spells that the group has not already cast. She opens the last one and speaks the words. Immediately, all of the Angels other than Six shrink to half their size.
“Grab hands,” orders Trillia, placing a hand on Luna’s shoulder and casting a spell. And teleports the group to Nameless’s location.
Or tries to. The adventurers get a fleeting glimpse of the chamber Trillia had described, with Nameless and the two aberrations in it, and then have a sense of an irresistible force shunting them to the side.
A split second later, they fully reappear, but in a very different place. This is an empty chamber, fifteen feet to a side and about ten high. There are three closed sphincters, each about two feet in diameter, in the ceiling and a larger one in the wall. The entire room stinks abominably, due to the dirty fluid and refuse that the group is knee-deep in. Or, in the case of those unfortunate enough to have been reduced, about chest deep.
“Ugh!” says Trillia, covering her nose and mouth, but remembering to pronounce the words to end the spell.
Which brings Luna, Gareth and Korm back to normal size and makes the room a lot more crowded.
“What happened?” asks Six. “Did something go wrong with your spell?”
“No. Didn’t you feel us being shoved to the side? That was definitely a magical effect of some sort. Probably a protection against teleporting in.”
“Hope it’s not a protection against teleporting out,” says Korm.
Gareth, listening to the interchange and scraping off the refuse that covers him from chest to knee, says, “Can we get out and discuss this?” As he speaks, he feels something brush against his leg. “Hold on! We’re not alone in here.”
“What?”
Gareth doesn’t have to explain. A pale white tentacle thicker than his arm shoots out of the water, wrapping around his leg. With a jerk, it pulls him flat on his back and under the water.
Luckily for Gareth, his ring of adaptation prevents him from swallowing any of the fluid in surprise, and he hacks at the tentacle with Kizmet. The blade bites deep into the tentacle, and promptly sticks there.
His startled companions also strike at the tentacle as well as they can in the restricted space and with the intervening fluid and muck, as well as the fact that most of it is wrapped around the paladin’s leg.
As they are striking at it, another one snakes out of the water and grabs onto Korm too, who seconds later has his sword too stuck to it. The adventurers note that as each blow hits, green fluid oozes from the wound and a network of vein-like green color shoots up the tentacle and across the nearby wall. Not that they have time to pause and study it now.
Things don’t improve much as Luna reflexively turns into a bear, almost flattening Trillia with her increasing bulk and making space even more of a premium than it already is. Especially since one of the walls shudders and slowly begins to close in on the others.
“Screw this!” shouts Trillia. “Let’s get out of here!” She gestures and a coating of grease covers Gareth, which allows him to slide his way out of tentacle’s grasp. Only to discover that Kizmet is still stuck to it and his locked gauntlet means that he is too. “Damn!”
Luna growls her agreement for the sentiment, though it is slightly muffled by the fact that she has her mouth and both front paws stuck to the tentacle on Korm.
Six, having noted in all the thrashing around that the tentacles are growing out of the floor and walls, says, “Good idea. I’m attacking the sphincter!”
Korm, having grabbed onto his attached sword and trying to push down and drive it deeper into the tentacle, mutters, “That may be the first time I heard that move as a tactical option.”
Ignoring the comment, Six strikes repeatedly at the sphincter, ripping deep slashes into it and the nearby wall. Immediately, deep green fluid gushes from the wound and the entire chamber shudders. A second later, the sphincter slides open. The thrashing, and by now mostly severed, tentacles release their targets and retract into the water, releasing the attached swords and bear.
The group hurries out through the sphincter into the ten foot square area beyond and part of the way up the flight of stairs leading out of it, before the sphincter slams shut behind them.
“Probably another mimic,” says Trillia, calling up a prestidigitation to clean herself.
“This place really has strange mimics,” says Korm.
“Strange everything!” says Gareth.
The group proceeds cautiously up the staircase, applying healing magic as needed on the way. The stairs ascend for about fifty feet, before ending in a long tunnel. It twists and turns for a bit, with no turn-offs or doorways, before coming to a crossroads, each tunnel of which stretches beyond the group’s torches or darkvision. After a little discussion, they head down the left fork.
They travel for over a hundred feet without a turn, before those in the group with keener hearing pick up the soft sounds of moaning coming from up ahead.
The group moves forward, to see that the tunnel ends at a large doorway, beyond which is a bridge that extends a hundred feet to another doorway. The moaning, with an odd sob or shriek, comes from chamber below, as does the smell of refuse.
The group cautiously looks in at the floor of the chamber thirty feet below, dimly lit by crystals set into walls. The entire floor is covered in giant fungi, standing six to eight feet high, many of them with something attached to them.
After a few seconds, the watchers realize that what look like fungi are actually hobgoblins and bugbears, which seem to have been fused with a fungal mass. Small vestigial arms hang down uselessly and they seem to have no eyes. They do have relatively normal noses and mouths, as already evidenced by the moaning. What floats above them seem to be dozens of embryos, complete with placenta and umbilical cord, the latter attached to one of the fungal creatures.
The Angels study the chamber for a while and then discuss whether to head back and take another route. Nobody is very keen to venture in. The decision to turn back is hastened by half a dozen of the closest embryos, which detach from the fungi and begin to float quickly towards the bridge.
Seeing six of the creatures floating into the entrance to the tunnel behind the group, Gareth turns and charges them, almost cutting one in half with Kizmet. The one he hit screams and then opens its eyes, which are completely blank white orbs. It emits an anticipatory gurgle and quickly swells in size, till it is the size of a small dwarf, while a large rubbery pair of champing, tooth-filled jaws expand from its mouth.
The creature bites at Gareth, and its floating umbilical cord simultaneously lashes out. The cord splits into ten thinner pieces as it strikes, each of them tipped with a small red claw. As the surprised Gareth cries out, each of the other five creatures follows suit, enveloping him in a hail* of claw attacks. In seconds, Gareth is covered in gore, his magical armor and multiple protective spells barely keeping him alive. The paralytic venom that he fights off is only icing on the cake.
As he staggers back, Korm yells, “Get between Gareth and the babies!” As Six, Luna and he rush to the rescue, he mutters, “Never thought I’d get to use that battlecry either!”
Trillia drops a black tentacles spell in the rear, catching three of the creatures. The others quickly dispose of the remaining three, though not before all of them are at least somewhat bloodied.
Standing back a few seconds later and watching the tentacles squeeze the creatures into mush, Korm says, “What in the Hells were those things?!”**
“I don’t know. And I don’t need to know,” says Gareth shakily. “Different route?”
“Definitely different route.”
The Angels retrace their steps to the last junction and follow the next tunnel. After a couple of twists and turns, they hear dolgrim voices ahead and pull back to make a plan.
The four unfortunate dolgrims on guard duty almost die of fright when a large warforged rushes soundlessly around the nearby corner, followed by a muscular orc and then a bear. The two humans in the rear are barely noticed.
A few seconds later, Six closes his fist around the coin with a silence spell that he was carrying, waves the terrified dolgrim hanging from his other hand at Trillia, and says, “Ask away.”
The interrogation happens very quickly, the biggest opposition mustered by the dolgrims consisting of an ever-growing pool of urine around the Angels’ feet. It is evident, even without Gareth’s ability to detect thoughts, that the dolgrims are not lying.
Apparently they are one among a number of guard groups posted around the area, since Naxaliyen has called a meeting of various aberration leaders at the seal. The dolgrims do not belong to his faction—the creatures in the city dwell in separate groups led by one or more powerful aberrations—and do not know what the meeting is for.
The dolgrims quickly provide the Angels with directions to the seal chamber, as well as the information that they will run into another such group on the way. They are just as quickly rewarded by being summarily dispatched.
The Angels proceed, following the given directions. Reaching the area where they expect the next set of guards, they are greeted with silence. And then with the sight of four dead dolgrims. Each has an expression of absolute terror on its face and a trickle of blood running from its mouth.
“O-kay,” says Trillia slowly, “What happened here?”
Six casts around and says, “No tracks,” and Korm adds, “No wounds on them.”
“This place just gets weirder,” says Gareth, with a corroborating growl from Luna. “Let’s head on.”
A couple minutes later, the group reaches a closed door, which should lead into the seal chamber. Listening at the door, Six says that he hears the murmuring of many voices. After some discussion and the casting of multiple preparatory spells, which includes turning everyone invisible, they carefully open the door and look in.
“Damn!”
* Gareth took 66 attacks in one round. I don’t think I’ll ever beat that record.
** Mechanically just grell with a couple extra HD.
The never sleeping Six wakes the others early on the morning of the 26th. The entire group heads to Carosten Park, where Surr’kal has been making preparations. The ritual itself is a simple enough affair, mainly involving everyone sitting in a circle meditating (or rather, in the case of some, simply sitting silently), interrupted once in a while by Surr’kal placing a small sprig of mistletoe on each individual or sprinkling them with a couple of drops of fresh rainwater. At the end of the hour, everyone feels an aura of well-being temporarily envelop them and then fade away.
Surr’kal says, “You will now be more resistant to the powers of aberrations, whether it be poison or paralysis or anything else. The protection lasts five days, but ends instantly if you use healing or protective magic on an aberration.”
“Really not a problem,” says Gareth.
“I don’t know about that,” wonders Korm aloud, “What happens if we need to heal Nameless? Will that affect the protection?”
“Honestly, I do not know,” says Surr’kal. “Nameless’s situation is an, forgive me, aberrant one.”
“We’ll find out when we do,” says Trillia briskly. “We have no time to waste.” She gives Surr’kal a short bow and says, “Thank you, Gatekeeper. Hopefully, we will all see you soon again.”
Surr’kal bows back silently, though the worry is evident in his face, and the Angels take their leave.
Back at Trillia’s, the group waits while she produces a scroll and goes through the hour-long process of scrying on Nameless. At the end of the time, the large mirror that she has been gazing into blurs and its surface turns smoky. While the others see nothing else, Trillia stares into it intently and describes what she alone sees.
“I can see him. And he’s somewhere else. And not naked - praise be. He has his normal clothes on and is in an open chamber of some sort. No doors. I can see a tunnel coming and going out. That mind flayer which I saw before—Naxaliyen, I think—is there too, as is that dolgaunt with the floating eye. It’s got a tentacle wrapped around Nameless’s throat. I don’t see the … damn, the mind flayer’s seen my sensor and…”
“That’s it. Let’s go now!” interrupts Korm.
Trillia nods and steps away from the mirror, which returns to normal, and begins to pick up nearby scrolls and cast the few remaining protective spells that the group has not already cast. She opens the last one and speaks the words. Immediately, all of the Angels other than Six shrink to half their size.
“Grab hands,” orders Trillia, placing a hand on Luna’s shoulder and casting a spell. And teleports the group to Nameless’s location.
Or tries to. The adventurers get a fleeting glimpse of the chamber Trillia had described, with Nameless and the two aberrations in it, and then have a sense of an irresistible force shunting them to the side.
A split second later, they fully reappear, but in a very different place. This is an empty chamber, fifteen feet to a side and about ten high. There are three closed sphincters, each about two feet in diameter, in the ceiling and a larger one in the wall. The entire room stinks abominably, due to the dirty fluid and refuse that the group is knee-deep in. Or, in the case of those unfortunate enough to have been reduced, about chest deep.
“Ugh!” says Trillia, covering her nose and mouth, but remembering to pronounce the words to end the spell.
Which brings Luna, Gareth and Korm back to normal size and makes the room a lot more crowded.
“What happened?” asks Six. “Did something go wrong with your spell?”
“No. Didn’t you feel us being shoved to the side? That was definitely a magical effect of some sort. Probably a protection against teleporting in.”
“Hope it’s not a protection against teleporting out,” says Korm.
Gareth, listening to the interchange and scraping off the refuse that covers him from chest to knee, says, “Can we get out and discuss this?” As he speaks, he feels something brush against his leg. “Hold on! We’re not alone in here.”
“What?”
Gareth doesn’t have to explain. A pale white tentacle thicker than his arm shoots out of the water, wrapping around his leg. With a jerk, it pulls him flat on his back and under the water.
Luckily for Gareth, his ring of adaptation prevents him from swallowing any of the fluid in surprise, and he hacks at the tentacle with Kizmet. The blade bites deep into the tentacle, and promptly sticks there.
His startled companions also strike at the tentacle as well as they can in the restricted space and with the intervening fluid and muck, as well as the fact that most of it is wrapped around the paladin’s leg.
As they are striking at it, another one snakes out of the water and grabs onto Korm too, who seconds later has his sword too stuck to it. The adventurers note that as each blow hits, green fluid oozes from the wound and a network of vein-like green color shoots up the tentacle and across the nearby wall. Not that they have time to pause and study it now.
Things don’t improve much as Luna reflexively turns into a bear, almost flattening Trillia with her increasing bulk and making space even more of a premium than it already is. Especially since one of the walls shudders and slowly begins to close in on the others.
“Screw this!” shouts Trillia. “Let’s get out of here!” She gestures and a coating of grease covers Gareth, which allows him to slide his way out of tentacle’s grasp. Only to discover that Kizmet is still stuck to it and his locked gauntlet means that he is too. “Damn!”
Luna growls her agreement for the sentiment, though it is slightly muffled by the fact that she has her mouth and both front paws stuck to the tentacle on Korm.
Six, having noted in all the thrashing around that the tentacles are growing out of the floor and walls, says, “Good idea. I’m attacking the sphincter!”
Korm, having grabbed onto his attached sword and trying to push down and drive it deeper into the tentacle, mutters, “That may be the first time I heard that move as a tactical option.”
Ignoring the comment, Six strikes repeatedly at the sphincter, ripping deep slashes into it and the nearby wall. Immediately, deep green fluid gushes from the wound and the entire chamber shudders. A second later, the sphincter slides open. The thrashing, and by now mostly severed, tentacles release their targets and retract into the water, releasing the attached swords and bear.
The group hurries out through the sphincter into the ten foot square area beyond and part of the way up the flight of stairs leading out of it, before the sphincter slams shut behind them.
“Probably another mimic,” says Trillia, calling up a prestidigitation to clean herself.
“This place really has strange mimics,” says Korm.
“Strange everything!” says Gareth.
The group proceeds cautiously up the staircase, applying healing magic as needed on the way. The stairs ascend for about fifty feet, before ending in a long tunnel. It twists and turns for a bit, with no turn-offs or doorways, before coming to a crossroads, each tunnel of which stretches beyond the group’s torches or darkvision. After a little discussion, they head down the left fork.
They travel for over a hundred feet without a turn, before those in the group with keener hearing pick up the soft sounds of moaning coming from up ahead.
The group moves forward, to see that the tunnel ends at a large doorway, beyond which is a bridge that extends a hundred feet to another doorway. The moaning, with an odd sob or shriek, comes from chamber below, as does the smell of refuse.
The group cautiously looks in at the floor of the chamber thirty feet below, dimly lit by crystals set into walls. The entire floor is covered in giant fungi, standing six to eight feet high, many of them with something attached to them.
After a few seconds, the watchers realize that what look like fungi are actually hobgoblins and bugbears, which seem to have been fused with a fungal mass. Small vestigial arms hang down uselessly and they seem to have no eyes. They do have relatively normal noses and mouths, as already evidenced by the moaning. What floats above them seem to be dozens of embryos, complete with placenta and umbilical cord, the latter attached to one of the fungal creatures.
The Angels study the chamber for a while and then discuss whether to head back and take another route. Nobody is very keen to venture in. The decision to turn back is hastened by half a dozen of the closest embryos, which detach from the fungi and begin to float quickly towards the bridge.
Seeing six of the creatures floating into the entrance to the tunnel behind the group, Gareth turns and charges them, almost cutting one in half with Kizmet. The one he hit screams and then opens its eyes, which are completely blank white orbs. It emits an anticipatory gurgle and quickly swells in size, till it is the size of a small dwarf, while a large rubbery pair of champing, tooth-filled jaws expand from its mouth.
The creature bites at Gareth, and its floating umbilical cord simultaneously lashes out. The cord splits into ten thinner pieces as it strikes, each of them tipped with a small red claw. As the surprised Gareth cries out, each of the other five creatures follows suit, enveloping him in a hail* of claw attacks. In seconds, Gareth is covered in gore, his magical armor and multiple protective spells barely keeping him alive. The paralytic venom that he fights off is only icing on the cake.
As he staggers back, Korm yells, “Get between Gareth and the babies!” As Six, Luna and he rush to the rescue, he mutters, “Never thought I’d get to use that battlecry either!”
Trillia drops a black tentacles spell in the rear, catching three of the creatures. The others quickly dispose of the remaining three, though not before all of them are at least somewhat bloodied.
Standing back a few seconds later and watching the tentacles squeeze the creatures into mush, Korm says, “What in the Hells were those things?!”**
“I don’t know. And I don’t need to know,” says Gareth shakily. “Different route?”
“Definitely different route.”
The Angels retrace their steps to the last junction and follow the next tunnel. After a couple of twists and turns, they hear dolgrim voices ahead and pull back to make a plan.
The four unfortunate dolgrims on guard duty almost die of fright when a large warforged rushes soundlessly around the nearby corner, followed by a muscular orc and then a bear. The two humans in the rear are barely noticed.
A few seconds later, Six closes his fist around the coin with a silence spell that he was carrying, waves the terrified dolgrim hanging from his other hand at Trillia, and says, “Ask away.”
The interrogation happens very quickly, the biggest opposition mustered by the dolgrims consisting of an ever-growing pool of urine around the Angels’ feet. It is evident, even without Gareth’s ability to detect thoughts, that the dolgrims are not lying.
Apparently they are one among a number of guard groups posted around the area, since Naxaliyen has called a meeting of various aberration leaders at the seal. The dolgrims do not belong to his faction—the creatures in the city dwell in separate groups led by one or more powerful aberrations—and do not know what the meeting is for.
The dolgrims quickly provide the Angels with directions to the seal chamber, as well as the information that they will run into another such group on the way. They are just as quickly rewarded by being summarily dispatched.
The Angels proceed, following the given directions. Reaching the area where they expect the next set of guards, they are greeted with silence. And then with the sight of four dead dolgrims. Each has an expression of absolute terror on its face and a trickle of blood running from its mouth.
“O-kay,” says Trillia slowly, “What happened here?”
Six casts around and says, “No tracks,” and Korm adds, “No wounds on them.”
“This place just gets weirder,” says Gareth, with a corroborating growl from Luna. “Let’s head on.”
A couple minutes later, the group reaches a closed door, which should lead into the seal chamber. Listening at the door, Six says that he hears the murmuring of many voices. After some discussion and the casting of multiple preparatory spells, which includes turning everyone invisible, they carefully open the door and look in.
“Damn!”
* Gareth took 66 attacks in one round. I don’t think I’ll ever beat that record.
** Mechanically just grell with a couple extra HD.
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shilsen
Adventurer
The Rescue of Nameless, Pt. 2
The huge chamber the Angels look into is roughly circular, stretching more than 500 ft across and standing over a hundred feet deep. Giant crystals are set into the ceiling and walls of the cavern, bathing it in a pale blue light. There are multiple entrances, most at the bottom but some entering on balconies thirty or sixty feet above the ground, with stairs leading down. They are looking in from one of the latter.
The chamber is dominated by what seems to be a giant mound of pale flesh in the center, a hundred feet across. Grown in the shape of a four-sided ziggurat, it rises in multiple levels to a height of sixty feet, with a steep ramp on two opposing sides making the ascent easier. Each corner has a pillar-like structure that extends all the way to the ceiling. Set into the top of the mound is a circular structure marked with crystals and sigils of various kinds, which the Angels instantly recognize as a dimensional seal.
More than the seal, their attention is drawn by the occupants of the chamber. Approximately a hundred dolgrims are in the cavern, divided into three clear groups, which stand equidistantly from each other near the chamber’s walls. Each group also contains four dolgaunts, standing closer to the central mound and fully focused on the very distinctive group that stands beside it.
The group includes two mind flayers, one with the amputated tentacles and the single eye that the Angels recognize from the battle with Naxaliyen’s “messengers”, and another with tentacles intact but also with a single eye, which Trillia whispers is the one she saw while scrying, probably Naxaliyen. He seems to be animatedly discussing or arguing with the large bulbous creature floating before him, its large staring eye and writhing eye-topped stalks instantly identifying it as a beholder. What looks like a large black cloak with a protruding, bony tail, floats lazily back and forth beside them, and two large muscular ogres (each with a head topped with a fringe of tentacles) in spiky plate-mail stand nearby. Also nearby is a ten foot high and long structure, roughly cubical in size. It constantly shifts and emits a buzzing sound, and it takes a few seconds before the Angels realize that it seems to be completely made of flies, clustered together into a solid, yet malleable mass. A somewhat louder buzzing sound emerges from within it, and when Naxaliyen turns to address it, they realize that the structure, or something within it, is actually joining in the conversation.
Despite all of these singular individuals, the two who most draw the invisible watchers’ eyes are the two who stand closest to the ziggurat. A couple of steps behind Naxaliyen stands the dolgaunt who originally accompanied the mimic-wagon, with the floating eye buzzing around his head. One of his tentacles sways back and forth idly, but the other is wrapped securely around the throat of Nameless, who stands quietly beside him. Nameless gives no sign of any interest in the ongoing discussion but simply stands there placidly.
Seeing him, the Angels pull back for a quick discussion. “Okay - what do we do?” asks Trillia. “I’d have suggested me dimension dooring all of us right next to him and grabbing him, but I don’t want to risk ending up back in that chamber we appeared in.”
“And there’s that damn beholder,” says Korm. “One look from that eye and we aren’t teleporting anywhere.”
Luna, having shifted back to her normal form, asks, “What about if just I or a couple of us, fly out there, grab Nameless and fly back in here? And then we can leave whatever way works best. If we’re invisible we can surprise them.”
Korm shakes his head. “As soon as we get out there, the bloody dolgaunts will know we’re there.”
“There’s also the issue of the Shard,” reminds Gareth. “We have to get that too. It‘s definitely here, since we all started feeling better once we reappeared here, but what if Naxaliyen doesn’t have it?”
As the discussion is proceeding, Six, who has been keeping an eye on events outside, says, “Hey! The beholder’s leaving!”
The others hurry to see that he is correct, with the large creature flying straight up to the ceiling, where an unseen doorway opens and lets it through, revealing sunlight beyond for a few seconds before it shuts. Naxaliyen watches it go and then makes a gesture that even in a mind flayer is obviously irritated dismissal. He then turns and says something to Nameless, who promptly produces the Shard from within his clothes and heads towards the nearby ramp, the dolgaunt walking beside him.
“Crap!” says Trillia, “He’s going for the seal. Must be mind-controlled or something. We’ve got to go now!”
The Angels quickly swig a last couple of potions, Trillia hastes the group and they all fly out, heading for the ziggurat as fast as they can. With the combination of spells, within seconds they are most of the way to it.
But, as Korm mentioned, they do not approach undetected. As soon as they leave the safety of the tunnel, all eight dolgaunts in the two closest groups snap their heads around and stare in their direction, and the one accompanying Nameless up the ramp does so as well. A second later, it yells a warning in daelkyr. Naxaliyen throws a surprised glance in the direction it points and then shouts instructions in various directions. He ends by hurrying up the ramp after the dolgaunt, which continues with Nameless, who shows no signs of noticing the commotion. One ogre follows him, while the other takes up a position near the other mind flayer, who raises a hand and prepares a spell against the first enemy who reveals himself. The cloaker rises cautiously to intercept the flying attackers, unsure where they are. Strangest of all, the structure made of flies slowly slouches its way towards the ziggurat, their buzzing rising in timbre.
The Angels have over two hundred feet to cover, and as they zoom down on the ziggurat, over fifty crossbows send a hail of bolts to meet them. Despite the invisibility and layers of magical protections, a couple of the Angels take minor wounds along the way. Amusingly, some of the dolgrims firing are not as lucky, being nailed by falling bolts fired by another group.
Six, in the lead, starts off things by dropping a smokestick, enveloping the waiting spell caster (and ruining his opportunity to cast a spell) and the ogre beside it. The warforged doesn’t pause, flying down to land on the top of the ziggurat, snapping out his spiked chain to await the dolgaunt and Nameless. A little distance behind him, Luna drops a flame strike around Naxaliyen and the ogre following him. Naxaliyen bursts through the flames without a pause, untouched by them, but the ogre growls in pain. The dolgaunt shouts a warning to him, pointing at the invisible Six, and Naxaliyen pushes by Nameless and him. He stares in the direction of Six and the warforged feels a blast of mental energy assault his mind, which he barely resists.
Now close enough to detect some of the others, the cloaker emits a strange moan, that slightly nauseates both Korm and Gareth, but both of them shake it off. Gareth dives at it and slashes it powerfully. Korm, deciding that stopping Nameless by any method is worth it, swoops away and replicates Luna’s flame strike, this one around Naxaliyen, the dolgaunt and Nameless. The former again ignores the magic, but both of the others are scorched, though they remain upright. Naxaliyen looks around at all the enemies appearing and then shouts. Though it is unclear who he is calling to, Trillia translates worriedly, “He’s asking for someone to send him the beholders! Plural!” She follows up by conjuring three pseudonatural wolves, two on the ramp and one next to the others on the ground.
The battle devolves into a chaotic melee. And not just at the ziggurat. Six, in the best position to see the dolgaunts and dolgrims swarming towards the battle, sees one group stop as screams of pain and fear erupt among them. Those in the lead stop and turn to see what’s going on, while the next group also stops in confusion. Six catches a glimpse of something red moving through and among them, but the numbers make it impossible to catch details, and he flies into the melee.
The crowded ramp becomes even more so as the two druids fly down to join the fight. Korm cuts the dolgaunt in half, dropping it twitching to the ground. As its tentacle falls off Nameless, they reveal a large red mark on the back of his neck, and he continues to try to head up the ramp with the Key in hand. Luna reaches down with a large paw to grab him, but a strange spell from the mind flayer wizard, who has finally wandered out of the smoke, simultaneously dispels and hurts her, sending her crashing down. The bear barely grabs onto the ramp and avoids falling. Nameless falls to his knees and then staggers up again. A large wolf falls past her, knocked flying off the ramp by an ogre’s sword. Korm only avoids the same fate due to his fly spell, being knocked backwards but landing in mid-air.
Gareth, meanwhile, cuts down his enemy, but only has a moment of relief. As the cloaker falls in a heap, a huge hole appears in the structure of flies and a ten-foot long creature comes flying out. It looks like a ten-foot long fly, except for the single multifaceted eye that crowns its bulbous head. As it nears Gareth, it breathes a stream of acid that sizzles painfully on his skin. He catches it with a powerful blow and then it rips into him with its clawed forelimbs and clutching him with its others.
Six, having landed a blow on Naxaliyen, discovers that the aberration leader is almost unhittable as soon as he can see the attacker, dodging his blows with ease. “Luna - try to grab him!” he shouts, but even as the growling bear clambers onto the ramp and prepares to attack, the wizard hurls an orb of fire burning her and dazing her, so that she stumbles and almost falls again.
Looking down at the wizard, Six now sees past him what the distraction for the dolgrims is. Dozens of them lie dead, along with a few dolgaunts, and most are fleeing in terror. Rising from among the dead is a wraithlike red figure that he recognizes immediately. Six shouts gleefully, waving his chain, “Snookums is here!” Even as he speaks, the strange creature charges into one of the small groups of dolgrims that remain. Urged on by shouting dolgaunts, the dolgrims unleash a volley of bolts that shoot right through the creature. Seemingly unaffected, it simply flies into and through the group. As if passes through a series of dolgrims and a dolgaunt, all of them fall screaming and writhing to the ground. Seconds later, only one of them remains alive, painfully crawling away.
As the other Angels glance at their unexpected ally, they catch sight of a possibly even more unexpected enemy. A few seconds earlier, a gaping hole had appeared in the far side of the ziggurat, with a loud buzzing sound emerging from it, but nobody has been at leisure to investigate. The buzzing grows louder, and the Angels see a beholder emerge. Along with approximately three hundred more. It is a swarm of beholders, each about six inches wide.
Trillia stares at the swarm and sums up the Angels’s collective opinion. “What the crap?!”*
Korm, giving the swarm a wary look and flying down to cut at Naxaliyen, sees the mind flayer sway away and then strike back, his tentacles slamming into the big orc’s face. Korm tries to pull back, but Naxaliyen skillfully wraps the tentacles around him. Six, seeing that Naxaliyen cannot as easily dodge his attacks, strikes deep into the mind flayer’s back, but he holds on.
Gareth has similar problems, the fly creature’s grasp making it impossible for him to strike it. Trying to buy time, the paladin calls on Kizmet’s healing ability. As some of his wounds close, Gareth calls down to the others, “Some help here?”
“I’m on it,” says Trillia, sending an orb of cold arcing up to strike the huge fly. Already wounded, it shudders and falls, Gareth barely managing to extricate himself from its weakening grasp. Even before it hits the ground, Trillia turns to encase Korm with a layer of quickened grease.
Korm feels Nayaliyen’s tentacles begin to lose their grip on his suddenly slippery skull, but before he can escape, the swarm of beholders envelops them. None of the creatures have any eye stalks as larger beholders do, but apparently the antimagic properties of their large central eye remains, though the range is severely limited. Not only does the grease on Korm disappear, but so do the magical protections on him and the others. A surprised Luna suddenly finds herself back in shifter form, while Six drops and barely catches himself on the edge of the ramp. The one wolf remaining on the ramp promptly disappears as well.
Naxaliyen’s tentacles take a tighter grip and then begin to burrow into Korm’s skull. Now with none of his magical protections, Korm falls back on the berserker blood of his ancestors. With a bestial roar, he hurls himself forward, lifting a startled Naxaliyen off his feet and taking both of them over the ramp’s edge. As they fall, the pair falls outside the effect of the mini-beholders’ gaze, and Korm feels his strength and health magically augmented again. Naxaliyen’s tentacles dig deeper and deeper, but through the pain Korm concentrates on keeping the mind flayer on the bottom as they fall, smashing him against the ledges of the ziggurat.
The battle pauses temporarily, the others watching in a combination of horror and hope as the two entwined enemies come to a stop on the bottom level. For a moment Korm thinks the bruised and bloody mind flayer is done, but then Naxaliyen stirs. His one eye glares balefully into Korm’s and the mind flayer sinks all of his tentacles into the druid’s brain**. Korm stiffens and goes limp.***
Naxaliyen, too weak to rip out his enemy’s brain, rises painfully to his feet. Flinging Korm away disdainfully, he prepares to command the mind flayer wizard, already into the motions of a new spell, but another spellcaster is outside the area of the beholder swarm.
“You’re dead,” says Trillia in daelkyr, and completes a spell. Instantly, a pair of pseudonatural bison appear on either side of Naxaliyen. As the mind flayer leader opens his mouth to scream, the two creatures hurl forward, smashing him between them into a crumpled, lifeless mass.
The mind flayer wizard shouts, “Get out!” and immediately dimension doors away. The surviving ogre turns and runs (unfortunately for him, right into Snookums), and even the beholder swarm floats away, heading back towards the orifice they emerged from.
With no enemies immediately attacking them, the Angels grab Nameless (whom Luna has knocked out in the interim) and the near-lifeless Korm. The mangled body of Naxaliyen is quickly secured as well.
“Do we risk teleporting?” asks Trillia.
“Do it,” nods Six. “That mind flayer did a dimension door, you said, so either it works on the way out. Or it’s in that garbage room and we can surprise the hell out of it!”
“Okay.” Trillia quickly shrinks everyone and prepares to cast a teleport.
As she is casting, the opening at the top of the chamber opens and this time three beholders appear, all normal size. “Too late,” says Trillia, as she completes her spell. As the Angels fade away, their last sight is the spectral wraith charging the beholders, eyebeams ripping away parts of its incorporeal form as it speeds towards them.
A second later, they reappear in Trillia’s laboratory. As soon as they do, the red splotch on Nameless’s neck, which they can now see is a scarab-like creature, crumbles to dust and falls off. Nameless shakes his head confusedly and his eyes focus.
“What happened?”
Six, kneeling beside the recumbent Korm, looks up and says, “Korm’s brain came out his ears, that’s what happened.”
* The player expressions when I said, “You see beholders. Three hundred of them.” was just beautiful. I wish I’d had a camera.
** Korm’s player, in keeping with his regular form, rolled a natural 1 on his grapple check.
*** Action pt keeps someone alive again.
The huge chamber the Angels look into is roughly circular, stretching more than 500 ft across and standing over a hundred feet deep. Giant crystals are set into the ceiling and walls of the cavern, bathing it in a pale blue light. There are multiple entrances, most at the bottom but some entering on balconies thirty or sixty feet above the ground, with stairs leading down. They are looking in from one of the latter.
The chamber is dominated by what seems to be a giant mound of pale flesh in the center, a hundred feet across. Grown in the shape of a four-sided ziggurat, it rises in multiple levels to a height of sixty feet, with a steep ramp on two opposing sides making the ascent easier. Each corner has a pillar-like structure that extends all the way to the ceiling. Set into the top of the mound is a circular structure marked with crystals and sigils of various kinds, which the Angels instantly recognize as a dimensional seal.
More than the seal, their attention is drawn by the occupants of the chamber. Approximately a hundred dolgrims are in the cavern, divided into three clear groups, which stand equidistantly from each other near the chamber’s walls. Each group also contains four dolgaunts, standing closer to the central mound and fully focused on the very distinctive group that stands beside it.
The group includes two mind flayers, one with the amputated tentacles and the single eye that the Angels recognize from the battle with Naxaliyen’s “messengers”, and another with tentacles intact but also with a single eye, which Trillia whispers is the one she saw while scrying, probably Naxaliyen. He seems to be animatedly discussing or arguing with the large bulbous creature floating before him, its large staring eye and writhing eye-topped stalks instantly identifying it as a beholder. What looks like a large black cloak with a protruding, bony tail, floats lazily back and forth beside them, and two large muscular ogres (each with a head topped with a fringe of tentacles) in spiky plate-mail stand nearby. Also nearby is a ten foot high and long structure, roughly cubical in size. It constantly shifts and emits a buzzing sound, and it takes a few seconds before the Angels realize that it seems to be completely made of flies, clustered together into a solid, yet malleable mass. A somewhat louder buzzing sound emerges from within it, and when Naxaliyen turns to address it, they realize that the structure, or something within it, is actually joining in the conversation.
Despite all of these singular individuals, the two who most draw the invisible watchers’ eyes are the two who stand closest to the ziggurat. A couple of steps behind Naxaliyen stands the dolgaunt who originally accompanied the mimic-wagon, with the floating eye buzzing around his head. One of his tentacles sways back and forth idly, but the other is wrapped securely around the throat of Nameless, who stands quietly beside him. Nameless gives no sign of any interest in the ongoing discussion but simply stands there placidly.
Seeing him, the Angels pull back for a quick discussion. “Okay - what do we do?” asks Trillia. “I’d have suggested me dimension dooring all of us right next to him and grabbing him, but I don’t want to risk ending up back in that chamber we appeared in.”
“And there’s that damn beholder,” says Korm. “One look from that eye and we aren’t teleporting anywhere.”
Luna, having shifted back to her normal form, asks, “What about if just I or a couple of us, fly out there, grab Nameless and fly back in here? And then we can leave whatever way works best. If we’re invisible we can surprise them.”
Korm shakes his head. “As soon as we get out there, the bloody dolgaunts will know we’re there.”
“There’s also the issue of the Shard,” reminds Gareth. “We have to get that too. It‘s definitely here, since we all started feeling better once we reappeared here, but what if Naxaliyen doesn’t have it?”
As the discussion is proceeding, Six, who has been keeping an eye on events outside, says, “Hey! The beholder’s leaving!”
The others hurry to see that he is correct, with the large creature flying straight up to the ceiling, where an unseen doorway opens and lets it through, revealing sunlight beyond for a few seconds before it shuts. Naxaliyen watches it go and then makes a gesture that even in a mind flayer is obviously irritated dismissal. He then turns and says something to Nameless, who promptly produces the Shard from within his clothes and heads towards the nearby ramp, the dolgaunt walking beside him.
“Crap!” says Trillia, “He’s going for the seal. Must be mind-controlled or something. We’ve got to go now!”
The Angels quickly swig a last couple of potions, Trillia hastes the group and they all fly out, heading for the ziggurat as fast as they can. With the combination of spells, within seconds they are most of the way to it.
But, as Korm mentioned, they do not approach undetected. As soon as they leave the safety of the tunnel, all eight dolgaunts in the two closest groups snap their heads around and stare in their direction, and the one accompanying Nameless up the ramp does so as well. A second later, it yells a warning in daelkyr. Naxaliyen throws a surprised glance in the direction it points and then shouts instructions in various directions. He ends by hurrying up the ramp after the dolgaunt, which continues with Nameless, who shows no signs of noticing the commotion. One ogre follows him, while the other takes up a position near the other mind flayer, who raises a hand and prepares a spell against the first enemy who reveals himself. The cloaker rises cautiously to intercept the flying attackers, unsure where they are. Strangest of all, the structure made of flies slowly slouches its way towards the ziggurat, their buzzing rising in timbre.
The Angels have over two hundred feet to cover, and as they zoom down on the ziggurat, over fifty crossbows send a hail of bolts to meet them. Despite the invisibility and layers of magical protections, a couple of the Angels take minor wounds along the way. Amusingly, some of the dolgrims firing are not as lucky, being nailed by falling bolts fired by another group.
Six, in the lead, starts off things by dropping a smokestick, enveloping the waiting spell caster (and ruining his opportunity to cast a spell) and the ogre beside it. The warforged doesn’t pause, flying down to land on the top of the ziggurat, snapping out his spiked chain to await the dolgaunt and Nameless. A little distance behind him, Luna drops a flame strike around Naxaliyen and the ogre following him. Naxaliyen bursts through the flames without a pause, untouched by them, but the ogre growls in pain. The dolgaunt shouts a warning to him, pointing at the invisible Six, and Naxaliyen pushes by Nameless and him. He stares in the direction of Six and the warforged feels a blast of mental energy assault his mind, which he barely resists.
Now close enough to detect some of the others, the cloaker emits a strange moan, that slightly nauseates both Korm and Gareth, but both of them shake it off. Gareth dives at it and slashes it powerfully. Korm, deciding that stopping Nameless by any method is worth it, swoops away and replicates Luna’s flame strike, this one around Naxaliyen, the dolgaunt and Nameless. The former again ignores the magic, but both of the others are scorched, though they remain upright. Naxaliyen looks around at all the enemies appearing and then shouts. Though it is unclear who he is calling to, Trillia translates worriedly, “He’s asking for someone to send him the beholders! Plural!” She follows up by conjuring three pseudonatural wolves, two on the ramp and one next to the others on the ground.
The battle devolves into a chaotic melee. And not just at the ziggurat. Six, in the best position to see the dolgaunts and dolgrims swarming towards the battle, sees one group stop as screams of pain and fear erupt among them. Those in the lead stop and turn to see what’s going on, while the next group also stops in confusion. Six catches a glimpse of something red moving through and among them, but the numbers make it impossible to catch details, and he flies into the melee.
The crowded ramp becomes even more so as the two druids fly down to join the fight. Korm cuts the dolgaunt in half, dropping it twitching to the ground. As its tentacle falls off Nameless, they reveal a large red mark on the back of his neck, and he continues to try to head up the ramp with the Key in hand. Luna reaches down with a large paw to grab him, but a strange spell from the mind flayer wizard, who has finally wandered out of the smoke, simultaneously dispels and hurts her, sending her crashing down. The bear barely grabs onto the ramp and avoids falling. Nameless falls to his knees and then staggers up again. A large wolf falls past her, knocked flying off the ramp by an ogre’s sword. Korm only avoids the same fate due to his fly spell, being knocked backwards but landing in mid-air.
Gareth, meanwhile, cuts down his enemy, but only has a moment of relief. As the cloaker falls in a heap, a huge hole appears in the structure of flies and a ten-foot long creature comes flying out. It looks like a ten-foot long fly, except for the single multifaceted eye that crowns its bulbous head. As it nears Gareth, it breathes a stream of acid that sizzles painfully on his skin. He catches it with a powerful blow and then it rips into him with its clawed forelimbs and clutching him with its others.
Six, having landed a blow on Naxaliyen, discovers that the aberration leader is almost unhittable as soon as he can see the attacker, dodging his blows with ease. “Luna - try to grab him!” he shouts, but even as the growling bear clambers onto the ramp and prepares to attack, the wizard hurls an orb of fire burning her and dazing her, so that she stumbles and almost falls again.
Looking down at the wizard, Six now sees past him what the distraction for the dolgrims is. Dozens of them lie dead, along with a few dolgaunts, and most are fleeing in terror. Rising from among the dead is a wraithlike red figure that he recognizes immediately. Six shouts gleefully, waving his chain, “Snookums is here!” Even as he speaks, the strange creature charges into one of the small groups of dolgrims that remain. Urged on by shouting dolgaunts, the dolgrims unleash a volley of bolts that shoot right through the creature. Seemingly unaffected, it simply flies into and through the group. As if passes through a series of dolgrims and a dolgaunt, all of them fall screaming and writhing to the ground. Seconds later, only one of them remains alive, painfully crawling away.
As the other Angels glance at their unexpected ally, they catch sight of a possibly even more unexpected enemy. A few seconds earlier, a gaping hole had appeared in the far side of the ziggurat, with a loud buzzing sound emerging from it, but nobody has been at leisure to investigate. The buzzing grows louder, and the Angels see a beholder emerge. Along with approximately three hundred more. It is a swarm of beholders, each about six inches wide.
Trillia stares at the swarm and sums up the Angels’s collective opinion. “What the crap?!”*
Korm, giving the swarm a wary look and flying down to cut at Naxaliyen, sees the mind flayer sway away and then strike back, his tentacles slamming into the big orc’s face. Korm tries to pull back, but Naxaliyen skillfully wraps the tentacles around him. Six, seeing that Naxaliyen cannot as easily dodge his attacks, strikes deep into the mind flayer’s back, but he holds on.
Gareth has similar problems, the fly creature’s grasp making it impossible for him to strike it. Trying to buy time, the paladin calls on Kizmet’s healing ability. As some of his wounds close, Gareth calls down to the others, “Some help here?”
“I’m on it,” says Trillia, sending an orb of cold arcing up to strike the huge fly. Already wounded, it shudders and falls, Gareth barely managing to extricate himself from its weakening grasp. Even before it hits the ground, Trillia turns to encase Korm with a layer of quickened grease.
Korm feels Nayaliyen’s tentacles begin to lose their grip on his suddenly slippery skull, but before he can escape, the swarm of beholders envelops them. None of the creatures have any eye stalks as larger beholders do, but apparently the antimagic properties of their large central eye remains, though the range is severely limited. Not only does the grease on Korm disappear, but so do the magical protections on him and the others. A surprised Luna suddenly finds herself back in shifter form, while Six drops and barely catches himself on the edge of the ramp. The one wolf remaining on the ramp promptly disappears as well.
Naxaliyen’s tentacles take a tighter grip and then begin to burrow into Korm’s skull. Now with none of his magical protections, Korm falls back on the berserker blood of his ancestors. With a bestial roar, he hurls himself forward, lifting a startled Naxaliyen off his feet and taking both of them over the ramp’s edge. As they fall, the pair falls outside the effect of the mini-beholders’ gaze, and Korm feels his strength and health magically augmented again. Naxaliyen’s tentacles dig deeper and deeper, but through the pain Korm concentrates on keeping the mind flayer on the bottom as they fall, smashing him against the ledges of the ziggurat.
The battle pauses temporarily, the others watching in a combination of horror and hope as the two entwined enemies come to a stop on the bottom level. For a moment Korm thinks the bruised and bloody mind flayer is done, but then Naxaliyen stirs. His one eye glares balefully into Korm’s and the mind flayer sinks all of his tentacles into the druid’s brain**. Korm stiffens and goes limp.***
Naxaliyen, too weak to rip out his enemy’s brain, rises painfully to his feet. Flinging Korm away disdainfully, he prepares to command the mind flayer wizard, already into the motions of a new spell, but another spellcaster is outside the area of the beholder swarm.
“You’re dead,” says Trillia in daelkyr, and completes a spell. Instantly, a pair of pseudonatural bison appear on either side of Naxaliyen. As the mind flayer leader opens his mouth to scream, the two creatures hurl forward, smashing him between them into a crumpled, lifeless mass.
The mind flayer wizard shouts, “Get out!” and immediately dimension doors away. The surviving ogre turns and runs (unfortunately for him, right into Snookums), and even the beholder swarm floats away, heading back towards the orifice they emerged from.
With no enemies immediately attacking them, the Angels grab Nameless (whom Luna has knocked out in the interim) and the near-lifeless Korm. The mangled body of Naxaliyen is quickly secured as well.
“Do we risk teleporting?” asks Trillia.
“Do it,” nods Six. “That mind flayer did a dimension door, you said, so either it works on the way out. Or it’s in that garbage room and we can surprise the hell out of it!”
“Okay.” Trillia quickly shrinks everyone and prepares to cast a teleport.
As she is casting, the opening at the top of the chamber opens and this time three beholders appear, all normal size. “Too late,” says Trillia, as she completes her spell. As the Angels fade away, their last sight is the spectral wraith charging the beholders, eyebeams ripping away parts of its incorporeal form as it speeds towards them.
A second later, they reappear in Trillia’s laboratory. As soon as they do, the red splotch on Nameless’s neck, which they can now see is a scarab-like creature, crumbles to dust and falls off. Nameless shakes his head confusedly and his eyes focus.
“What happened?”
Six, kneeling beside the recumbent Korm, looks up and says, “Korm’s brain came out his ears, that’s what happened.”
* The player expressions when I said, “You see beholders. Three hundred of them.” was just beautiful. I wish I’d had a camera.
** Korm’s player, in keeping with his regular form, rolled a natural 1 on his grapple check.
*** Action pt keeps someone alive again.
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shilsen
Adventurer
Once Trillia has explained a little about what occurred while he was gone, Nameless says that Naxaliyen mind-probed him and learned what the Key did, and then left with it. He is next memory was being back in Trillia’s chamber with the others, though he now retrospectively remembers what occurred during the battle. Though unaware of it at the time, he now recalls it as if he had been a silent spectator throughout it. Nameless doesn’t mention the fact that the rest of his memories, to the best of his knowledge, have now been restored.
“Naxaliyen’s not a problem any more,” says Six, indicating the mind flayer’s battered corpse, “But since that mind flayer wizard got away, do you want to go back and take him out for safety’s sake?” Though Six’s metal face cannot grin, the expression is clear in his voice. “And revenge, of course.”
“Yes!” says Korm emphatically, just having emerged from the rejuvenation cocoon without any holes in his skull, “I like this whole ‘teleport and decapitate aberrations’ strategy.”
Luna gives a feral grin and says, “I would have said teleport and flame strike, but I think it’s a damn good idea.”
“Me too,” says Gareth, and for once Nameless agrees with him. “Yes,” says the alienist, “I think that is definitely worth doing.”
The only person who doesn’t seem that enthused with the prospect is Trillia. “Do you really think that’s necessary? With Naxaliyen dead, I doubt that one—who seemed like a follower to him—will try something.” A little reluctantly, she adds, “Though admittedly it can teleport, it seems.”
“Yes,” says Nameless, “And if we can scry them they can scry us.”
Trillia sighs and says, “Honestly, I’d rather not go back there. We all got out alive this time and I’d rather not push our luck. We did recover a number of valuable things and I learned some useful information. Some of the things on that mimic-wagon will keep me busy for a while. Still, since going there in the first place was my idea, if you do want to return I’ll come along and help.”
The discussion is interrupted by the entrance of her steward Glauster, with an unexpected visitor. It is Bodo, and he excitedly hurries up to and greets the group. “Hi, Gareth! I haven’t seen you in days! Hello, Luna! Nameless - oooh, what happened to you? You look like
!”
Gareth smacks him on the back of the head and says, “Be polite,” drawing an aggrieved “Ow! I was just being concerned - he really does look like!” Bodo quickly sidesteps the next smack.
Glauster, who has been trying vainly to speak over Bodo, looks at Trillia and says, “This boy said he had a message from the Archierophant for Gareth, so I let him in. Is that all right?”
“Yes, Glauster, that’s fine.”
“A message?” asks Gareth.
“Yes. The Archierophant was going to send you a message and since a lot of people there know that I know you and I was on a break, they decided to send me.” Bodo beams and adds, “Which is great. I haven’t seen you in days, and the rest of you in ages! Plus I get to miss a couple of classes!”
Gareth looks disapproving at the latter information. “So what is the message?”
“The Archierophant wants to know heard you’d come looking for her yesterday and wanted to know what it was for. She’ll be there today between 3 and 4 if you want to meet her.” Bodo plops down on a couch. “So, what is going on? What happened to Nameless? And can I get some food. I’m hungry!”
A couple of the others chuckle at the obstreperous boy, and Trillia opens her mouth to ask Glauster for some refreshments, but Gareth forestalls her. “You need to go back to the Cathedral now. Trillia, could Glauster take him back there, if you don’t mind?”
The expression on Glauster’s face says that he definitely does, but it pales next to Bodo’s cry of anguish. “Gareth! I told you I’m on a break and I haven’t seen you guys in so long. Come on!”
“No,” says Gareth sternly, ignoring Bodo’s continued arguments. Trillia shrugs and tells Glauster to do the needful.
As the steward leads his mournful charge away, Six suddenly says, “Bodo - I’ll walk you to the door,” and follows the two out. Once they are out of the door, he asks quietly, “Bodo - do you know someone called Thurik Davandi?”
Bodo scratches his head. “He’s one of the city councilors, right? A gnome. I don’t really know anything specific about him. Why?”
“I just need a little information about him. Do you think you could do some checking for me?” Six extends a hand and a silver piece suddenly appears in it.
Bodo grins broadly, his earlier glumness gone. “Sure. Anything in particular you want to know?”
“No. Anything you can find out.” Six chuckles. “Maybe you could write a report on him for something at school.”
“Yeah. I didn’t think about it. There’s this one boring class about civics, where I could use it for Sharn politics.” Bodo looks a little more excited. “Anyone else you could use a report on?”
“Let’s just start with this one, shall we?”
“Sure, Six. No problem. See you soon. And put in a good word for me with Gareth and get him to let me hang out with you guys again. I‘m being good with school but this is way more fun.”
“I’ll try,” says Six, thinking, Unfortunately, not a chance of it happening.
The big warforged heads back to the others, just in time for the start of an argument between, as usual, Gareth and Nameless. The latter, on asking where the Key is, has been informed that Gareth picked it up. And when he asks Gareth to return it, the paladin refuses, saying that Nameless is too risky a person to carry it, since he’s already lost it twice, once via mugging and now to the mind flayer. Nameless responds that Gareth’s hardly any safer, bringing up his mugging and kidnapping in Grayflood and the fact that Nameless can escape magically as Gareth cannot. Which is then followed by mutual statements of a lack of trust in the other, Gareth saying that Nameless might be mind-controlled to use the Key, which the others cannot, while Nameless says he fears that Gareth might hand it over to the Archierophant.
Korm and Six reluctantly join in and try to persuade Gareth to let one of them carry it as a compromise, while Luna glowers at the two and mutters something about them being a serious pain in the ass and being tempted to flame strike both of them. Trillia simply watches, grins and shakes her head.
As is usually the case, the argument goes nowhere and the group settles for Gareth temporarily carrying the Key. The group then heads out, to take care of various tasks, one of them being getting the ill effects of Nameless’s interrogation by Naxaliyen taken care of.
Though Gareth offers to speak to the Archierophant in that regard, Nameless says he’d rather just visit the Jorasco enclave in Dragon Towers and pay. He does so, quickly ending up in front of a dragonmarked halfling healer.
The healer asks Nameless how he obtained his condition, since customers asking for a restoration are rare. Nameless evades the question, simply saying, “I’ve just had a very rough day and would rather not talk about it.”
“Very well,” says the halfling, seemingly unperturbed by the lack of information. “This’ll only take a few seconds.” He places a hand on Nameless’s shoulder and concentrates, and the watchers see the dragonmark on his arm turn darker in color, giving off a surge of heat that Nameless can feel. The alienist also feels a warmth envelop his body momentarily, and when it passes, he feels substantially more healthy. He thanks the healer, hands over the payment and leaves.
Nameless and Gareth then proceed to the Cathedral, where they meet Ythana Morr in her office. She inquires about their situation and asks Gareth why he needed the scrolls. Gareth explains in some detail about their visit to Yarkuun Draal, which the Archierophant isn’t really aware of.
She seems quite concerned about the temporary loss of the Key, but doesn’t say much about it besides mentioning that they need to take much better care of it. Then she looks at Nameless. “I presume you are not ready to hand it over to my safekeeping?”
“Not if I have anything to say about it,” replies Nameless calmly.
Ythana holds his gaze and then says, “At least you are honest.” The tone of voice says that it is only a minor saving grace. Turning to Gareth, she adds, “As I have said before, it is your choice, but it is a great responsibility. Remember that I am here to aid you.”
“Speaking of which,” she continues, “I have a proposition for you. Your position here, as a Karrnathi, as someone who is not truly a member of our congregation, but also as a valuable member of the Church, is a nebulous one. Would you consider becoming a templar of the Flame?”
Gareth is momentarily surprised, but quickly responds that while the offer honors him, he is not sure how it would impact his personal choices and the work he needs to do, as well as his plan to join House Deneith.
While not apparently displeased at the news, Ythana says that if he is to be a member of the Deneith Blade mark (the mercenary branch), then it is difficult to see how he could serve as a templar as well. Gareth explains that he presumes he would end up in the Defender’s Guild (protective services to individuals) and has been informed that he will have certain freedoms, due to his religious affiliation. The Archierophant says that then the offer from her remains open, and he should consider it and let her know what she thinks.
She also asks Nameless if he and the other Angels would be willing to work with Gareth if she finds an assignment for him. “After all,” she says, “People with your group’s unique talents are in very short supply, even in Sharn.”
“That would definitely be possible,” replies Nameless, “As long as we’re not busy with some other situation.”
“Very well. Incidentally, Gareth, you should stop by Coldflame Keep sometime. I think you‘ll be pleasantly surprised.”
Gareth says he will do so and asks where he can make a donation to the Cathedral. Ythana tells him to do so to the priest on duty at this time. Gareth also asks about Bodo’s education, saying that he fears Bodo might be getting too much free rein. Ythana reassures him that’s unlikely to be the case, considering the severity of the Master of Novices, who deals with such matters.
With that, she dismisses the two. On the way out, Gareth donates 250 galifars to a pleased priest, and then heads off to Carosten Park with Nameless.
Korm and Luna are already there, having headed there from the Jorasco enclave. Surr’kal meets them, eager to know what happened during the rescue attempt. He appears very relieved at the recovery of Nameless and the Key, politely adding that the group really needs to work out what to do with it and that he is eagerly awaiting Gurr’khan’s return.
Six, meanwhile, is back in the Deathsgate district, looking for a good taxidermist. He finds a shop not far from Trillia’s home, which apparently caters to the adventurers of the Deathsgate Guild (according to a plaque on the door). The quality of the work, as evidenced by the trophies that line the walls, is quite good and Six asks the owner and primary taxidermist how much he’d charge to mount a mind flayer.
The man stares at Six for a moment and then says, “Okay, who sent you? Are you from the Sharn Inquisitive? Is this a joke?”
Six reassures him that’s not the case, and when convinced of the warforged’s veracity, the taxidermist is very excited. He doesn’t hide the fact that nobody he knows of has got to stuff a mind flayer, and it will be a significant benefit for him professionally to have done so. The eventual price he sets is a hundred galifars, with a full refund if anything goes wrong, and the chance to buy the damaged mind flayer. Though a little suspicious about the last bit, Six says he will speak to his companions and return.
Once the Angels reconvene and are on their way back to Trillia’s, they find a huge hubbub and commotion everywhere. Rumors are flying around about an assassination attempt on King Boranel and Queen Aurala during the latter’s visit to Wroat. By the time they reach Trillia’s, the adventurers have heard many stories, ranging from the death of both monarchs and the declaration of war on Karrnath, which sent the assassins (Gareth’s obvious accent draws dirty looks from those relating this story), to different stories that each say one is dead and Aundair and Breland are going to war, to the more positive one that both are fine.
Within a couple of hours, official heralds are speaking at skybridge junctions, proclaiming that the monarchs are both fine and reminding people to stay calm. They promise that official details about the affair will be available early the next day.
Despite the reassurances, Gareth still picks up a few dirty looks on the way to Coldflame Keep that evening, some for being Karrnathi and some for wearing the symbols of the Flame and presumably being Thranish in origin.
When he reaches Coldflame Keep, Gareth finds numerous workmen moving around and renovation work in progress. Mazin Tana greets Gareth and thanks him, saying that the Archierophant sent a substantial amount of money for improving the place, which must have happened due to Gareth’s advocacy. He soon has reason for further thanks, as Gareth provides him with another donation of 250 galifars towards the temple.
When Gareth asks about him, Mazin says that Cedric is away. There has always been a hermit priest of the Silver Flame guarding the white obelisk called Warden Tower, which stands among the mausoleums and crypts of the so-called City of the Dead, where the people of Sharn used to be entombed in the cliffs to the north (whereas they are commonly cremated now). Cedric knows the current Warden, a priestess called Gaia, and has gone up to visit her. He will be staying the night there and should be back the next day.
When Gareth returns and tells the others, Nameless grins and says, “Staying the night? Knowing Cedric, I can’t imagine why!”
“Naxaliyen’s not a problem any more,” says Six, indicating the mind flayer’s battered corpse, “But since that mind flayer wizard got away, do you want to go back and take him out for safety’s sake?” Though Six’s metal face cannot grin, the expression is clear in his voice. “And revenge, of course.”
“Yes!” says Korm emphatically, just having emerged from the rejuvenation cocoon without any holes in his skull, “I like this whole ‘teleport and decapitate aberrations’ strategy.”
Luna gives a feral grin and says, “I would have said teleport and flame strike, but I think it’s a damn good idea.”
“Me too,” says Gareth, and for once Nameless agrees with him. “Yes,” says the alienist, “I think that is definitely worth doing.”
The only person who doesn’t seem that enthused with the prospect is Trillia. “Do you really think that’s necessary? With Naxaliyen dead, I doubt that one—who seemed like a follower to him—will try something.” A little reluctantly, she adds, “Though admittedly it can teleport, it seems.”
“Yes,” says Nameless, “And if we can scry them they can scry us.”
Trillia sighs and says, “Honestly, I’d rather not go back there. We all got out alive this time and I’d rather not push our luck. We did recover a number of valuable things and I learned some useful information. Some of the things on that mimic-wagon will keep me busy for a while. Still, since going there in the first place was my idea, if you do want to return I’ll come along and help.”
The discussion is interrupted by the entrance of her steward Glauster, with an unexpected visitor. It is Bodo, and he excitedly hurries up to and greets the group. “Hi, Gareth! I haven’t seen you in days! Hello, Luna! Nameless - oooh, what happened to you? You look like
!”Gareth smacks him on the back of the head and says, “Be polite,” drawing an aggrieved “Ow! I was just being concerned - he really does look like
!” Bodo quickly sidesteps the next smack.Glauster, who has been trying vainly to speak over Bodo, looks at Trillia and says, “This boy said he had a message from the Archierophant for Gareth, so I let him in. Is that all right?”
“Yes, Glauster, that’s fine.”
“A message?” asks Gareth.
“Yes. The Archierophant was going to send you a message and since a lot of people there know that I know you and I was on a break, they decided to send me.” Bodo beams and adds, “Which is great. I haven’t seen you in days, and the rest of you in ages! Plus I get to miss a couple of classes!”
Gareth looks disapproving at the latter information. “So what is the message?”
“The Archierophant wants to know heard you’d come looking for her yesterday and wanted to know what it was for. She’ll be there today between 3 and 4 if you want to meet her.” Bodo plops down on a couch. “So, what is going on? What happened to Nameless? And can I get some food. I’m hungry!”
A couple of the others chuckle at the obstreperous boy, and Trillia opens her mouth to ask Glauster for some refreshments, but Gareth forestalls her. “You need to go back to the Cathedral now. Trillia, could Glauster take him back there, if you don’t mind?”
The expression on Glauster’s face says that he definitely does, but it pales next to Bodo’s cry of anguish. “Gareth! I told you I’m on a break and I haven’t seen you guys in so long. Come on!”
“No,” says Gareth sternly, ignoring Bodo’s continued arguments. Trillia shrugs and tells Glauster to do the needful.
As the steward leads his mournful charge away, Six suddenly says, “Bodo - I’ll walk you to the door,” and follows the two out. Once they are out of the door, he asks quietly, “Bodo - do you know someone called Thurik Davandi?”
Bodo scratches his head. “He’s one of the city councilors, right? A gnome. I don’t really know anything specific about him. Why?”
“I just need a little information about him. Do you think you could do some checking for me?” Six extends a hand and a silver piece suddenly appears in it.
Bodo grins broadly, his earlier glumness gone. “Sure. Anything in particular you want to know?”
“No. Anything you can find out.” Six chuckles. “Maybe you could write a report on him for something at school.”
“Yeah. I didn’t think about it. There’s this one boring class about civics, where I could use it for Sharn politics.” Bodo looks a little more excited. “Anyone else you could use a report on?”
“Let’s just start with this one, shall we?”
“Sure, Six. No problem. See you soon. And put in a good word for me with Gareth and get him to let me hang out with you guys again. I‘m being good with school but this is way more fun.”
“I’ll try,” says Six, thinking, Unfortunately, not a chance of it happening.
The big warforged heads back to the others, just in time for the start of an argument between, as usual, Gareth and Nameless. The latter, on asking where the Key is, has been informed that Gareth picked it up. And when he asks Gareth to return it, the paladin refuses, saying that Nameless is too risky a person to carry it, since he’s already lost it twice, once via mugging and now to the mind flayer. Nameless responds that Gareth’s hardly any safer, bringing up his mugging and kidnapping in Grayflood and the fact that Nameless can escape magically as Gareth cannot. Which is then followed by mutual statements of a lack of trust in the other, Gareth saying that Nameless might be mind-controlled to use the Key, which the others cannot, while Nameless says he fears that Gareth might hand it over to the Archierophant.
Korm and Six reluctantly join in and try to persuade Gareth to let one of them carry it as a compromise, while Luna glowers at the two and mutters something about them being a serious pain in the ass and being tempted to flame strike both of them. Trillia simply watches, grins and shakes her head.
As is usually the case, the argument goes nowhere and the group settles for Gareth temporarily carrying the Key. The group then heads out, to take care of various tasks, one of them being getting the ill effects of Nameless’s interrogation by Naxaliyen taken care of.
Though Gareth offers to speak to the Archierophant in that regard, Nameless says he’d rather just visit the Jorasco enclave in Dragon Towers and pay. He does so, quickly ending up in front of a dragonmarked halfling healer.
The healer asks Nameless how he obtained his condition, since customers asking for a restoration are rare. Nameless evades the question, simply saying, “I’ve just had a very rough day and would rather not talk about it.”
“Very well,” says the halfling, seemingly unperturbed by the lack of information. “This’ll only take a few seconds.” He places a hand on Nameless’s shoulder and concentrates, and the watchers see the dragonmark on his arm turn darker in color, giving off a surge of heat that Nameless can feel. The alienist also feels a warmth envelop his body momentarily, and when it passes, he feels substantially more healthy. He thanks the healer, hands over the payment and leaves.
Nameless and Gareth then proceed to the Cathedral, where they meet Ythana Morr in her office. She inquires about their situation and asks Gareth why he needed the scrolls. Gareth explains in some detail about their visit to Yarkuun Draal, which the Archierophant isn’t really aware of.
She seems quite concerned about the temporary loss of the Key, but doesn’t say much about it besides mentioning that they need to take much better care of it. Then she looks at Nameless. “I presume you are not ready to hand it over to my safekeeping?”
“Not if I have anything to say about it,” replies Nameless calmly.
Ythana holds his gaze and then says, “At least you are honest.” The tone of voice says that it is only a minor saving grace. Turning to Gareth, she adds, “As I have said before, it is your choice, but it is a great responsibility. Remember that I am here to aid you.”
“Speaking of which,” she continues, “I have a proposition for you. Your position here, as a Karrnathi, as someone who is not truly a member of our congregation, but also as a valuable member of the Church, is a nebulous one. Would you consider becoming a templar of the Flame?”
Gareth is momentarily surprised, but quickly responds that while the offer honors him, he is not sure how it would impact his personal choices and the work he needs to do, as well as his plan to join House Deneith.
While not apparently displeased at the news, Ythana says that if he is to be a member of the Deneith Blade mark (the mercenary branch), then it is difficult to see how he could serve as a templar as well. Gareth explains that he presumes he would end up in the Defender’s Guild (protective services to individuals) and has been informed that he will have certain freedoms, due to his religious affiliation. The Archierophant says that then the offer from her remains open, and he should consider it and let her know what she thinks.
She also asks Nameless if he and the other Angels would be willing to work with Gareth if she finds an assignment for him. “After all,” she says, “People with your group’s unique talents are in very short supply, even in Sharn.”
“That would definitely be possible,” replies Nameless, “As long as we’re not busy with some other situation.”
“Very well. Incidentally, Gareth, you should stop by Coldflame Keep sometime. I think you‘ll be pleasantly surprised.”
Gareth says he will do so and asks where he can make a donation to the Cathedral. Ythana tells him to do so to the priest on duty at this time. Gareth also asks about Bodo’s education, saying that he fears Bodo might be getting too much free rein. Ythana reassures him that’s unlikely to be the case, considering the severity of the Master of Novices, who deals with such matters.
With that, she dismisses the two. On the way out, Gareth donates 250 galifars to a pleased priest, and then heads off to Carosten Park with Nameless.
Korm and Luna are already there, having headed there from the Jorasco enclave. Surr’kal meets them, eager to know what happened during the rescue attempt. He appears very relieved at the recovery of Nameless and the Key, politely adding that the group really needs to work out what to do with it and that he is eagerly awaiting Gurr’khan’s return.
Six, meanwhile, is back in the Deathsgate district, looking for a good taxidermist. He finds a shop not far from Trillia’s home, which apparently caters to the adventurers of the Deathsgate Guild (according to a plaque on the door). The quality of the work, as evidenced by the trophies that line the walls, is quite good and Six asks the owner and primary taxidermist how much he’d charge to mount a mind flayer.
The man stares at Six for a moment and then says, “Okay, who sent you? Are you from the Sharn Inquisitive? Is this a joke?”
Six reassures him that’s not the case, and when convinced of the warforged’s veracity, the taxidermist is very excited. He doesn’t hide the fact that nobody he knows of has got to stuff a mind flayer, and it will be a significant benefit for him professionally to have done so. The eventual price he sets is a hundred galifars, with a full refund if anything goes wrong, and the chance to buy the damaged mind flayer. Though a little suspicious about the last bit, Six says he will speak to his companions and return.
Once the Angels reconvene and are on their way back to Trillia’s, they find a huge hubbub and commotion everywhere. Rumors are flying around about an assassination attempt on King Boranel and Queen Aurala during the latter’s visit to Wroat. By the time they reach Trillia’s, the adventurers have heard many stories, ranging from the death of both monarchs and the declaration of war on Karrnath, which sent the assassins (Gareth’s obvious accent draws dirty looks from those relating this story), to different stories that each say one is dead and Aundair and Breland are going to war, to the more positive one that both are fine.
Within a couple of hours, official heralds are speaking at skybridge junctions, proclaiming that the monarchs are both fine and reminding people to stay calm. They promise that official details about the affair will be available early the next day.
Despite the reassurances, Gareth still picks up a few dirty looks on the way to Coldflame Keep that evening, some for being Karrnathi and some for wearing the symbols of the Flame and presumably being Thranish in origin.
When he reaches Coldflame Keep, Gareth finds numerous workmen moving around and renovation work in progress. Mazin Tana greets Gareth and thanks him, saying that the Archierophant sent a substantial amount of money for improving the place, which must have happened due to Gareth’s advocacy. He soon has reason for further thanks, as Gareth provides him with another donation of 250 galifars towards the temple.
When Gareth asks about him, Mazin says that Cedric is away. There has always been a hermit priest of the Silver Flame guarding the white obelisk called Warden Tower, which stands among the mausoleums and crypts of the so-called City of the Dead, where the people of Sharn used to be entombed in the cliffs to the north (whereas they are commonly cremated now). Cedric knows the current Warden, a priestess called Gaia, and has gone up to visit her. He will be staying the night there and should be back the next day.
When Gareth returns and tells the others, Nameless grins and says, “Staying the night? Knowing Cedric, I can’t imagine why!”
shilsen
Adventurer
The (Short, and Not So Sweet) Return of Desro
The next morning, Gareth and the two druids, having spent the night at Coldflame Keep and Carosten Park respectively, arrive at Trillia’s simultaneously to find a small sack nailed to her door.
When they give it to Trillia, she says she has no idea who it’s from and asks them to check it for unwelcome surprises and open it. Nameless detects no magic and Six opens the sack to find two boxes inside. As he opens the larger one, a magical explosion rocks him. After the smoke clears, Nameless says, “Must have had a spell to mask it. Sneaky!”
After he heals Six, the latter checks to find a note and a map. The note reads, “This is Dala. My kidnappers want me to write this note to show that I am still alive. They say that you have something of theirs and if you want to see me alive, you will come and meet them here. They will put the location in another note. They have told me that you have returned safely to Sharn. Please save me. I am counting on you. Dala”
“Great!” says Trillia, “I’d wondered why she didn’t show up yesterday to check on what happened with the Key. Now we know!”
“Wait,” points out Six, “There’s more.”
Below the first part of the note, in different writing, it says: “Wish I’d seen the looks on your faces when the glyph went off. Oh, come on - it was funny. And I’m sure you’re all fine. Seems you’ve been getting famous since we last met. I’ve been doing well too. We need to talk about a mutually beneficial proposition I have. I’m sending you a map, and Dala and I’ll be there at 6 pm. Don’t bring backup, since I’ll consider that a breach of trust. And don’t keep me waiting, since I might get bored and have to entertain myself with your little friend. In fact, I did get a little bored already, as you’ll see in the box. Consider it a sign of my seriousness. Your former acquaintance. Desro.”
“Who’s Desro?” asks Korm.
“One that got away,” says Nameless. “He’s actually the reason we met Gurr’khan. We were trying to collect the bounty on him and fought Desro right after he killed Gurr’khan’s apprentice and broke into the dimensional seal he guards. Broke Gareth’s sword and dimension doored away. He’s a cleric of the Traveler.”
“Evil cleric,” adds Gareth.
“I almost caught him,” says Luna. “Maybe this time…”
“Oh, nice!” says Six, having opened the smaller box. It contains a little toe, evidently taken from a right foot.
“I see this one needs killing,” says Korm grimly. “I wonder why he decided to kidnap Dala. Where does he want to meet us?”
Six smoothes open the enclosed hand-drawn map. It begins with an entrance to the Ashblack Cogs and provides directions to a large chamber in a part of Khyber’s Gate.
While the others are examining it, Nameless re-reads the note and notices something strange about the section from Dala. Some of the letters look slightly off-center.* After a few seconds of consideration, Nameless picks up a pattern. “Hey!” he says, “There’s a coded message in here.”
“Huh?”
“Dala stuck a coded message in here. Very smart of her.”
“What does it say?”
“Let’s see … it says … ‘Three of them. One cleric. One wizard. Be careful.’ I guess the cleric is Desro.”
“Makes sense.”
“Anyway,” continues Nameless, “I’d like some more information before we do anything. I’ll try to scry Dala once I have my spells ready.”
While they are discussing the situation with Dala, Glauster brings in the special one-page report on the assassination attempt that has been published by the Korranberg Chronicle. The report confirms that there was a failed assassination attempt on King Boranel and Queen Aurala, as well as a planned terrorist attack on Scion’s Gate South. The two Scion’s Gates (one in Fairhaven and one in Wroat) are mirror images of each other and were built as a sign of solidarity between the two nations. Scion’s Gate South was destroyed during the War and has just been rebuilt. Queen Aurala was in Wroat for the opening, which many Aundairans had issues with, since her visit was seen as giving too much importance to Breland.
According to the report, a group of militant Aundairans planned an assassination of both Aurala and Boranel, as well as the destruction of the rebuilt monument, hoping to cause further turmoil between the nations. The plan was reportedly hatched in Sharn, but a double agent planted by the King’s Citadel discovered the plans. As a result of this pre-information, the assassination attempts and the planned destruction of Scion’s Gate were foiled. Deneith Sentinel Marshals guarding Boranel had a major part in the action, including the well-known twins Lalia and Tasra from Sharn. The KC can’t confirm it, but it believes that the brave Citadel double agent was a half-orc named Raskalorn, who remained with the terrorists to keep feeding the Citadel and Sentinel Marshals info, and was regrettably killed by the terrorists during the operation. He is due to be buried with full military honors.
The report also includes opinions from various relevant sources. Unsurprisingly, the Brelish sources are discussing the quality of their security service, the loyalty of the Brelish people (who are clearly too loyal to assassinate their ruler), and their protection of the Aundairan queen. Just as unsurprisingly, Aundairan sources are much less happy, ranging from comments that the Citadel should have revealed the plot as soon as detected without putting Aurala in danger, to suspicion that the Brelish made the plot seem more dangerous for political capital, to even an accusation or two that the entire thing was faked by Breland.
After they have read the entire report, Six asks, “Wasn’t Raskalorn the guy we helped that Citadel guy capture?”
“Talleon,” reminds Nameless. “And yes.”
“So you really think he was a double agent?” asks Luna.
“Not a chance,” says Gareth. “I’m guessing they’re just using the story to dispose of him neatly. He was probably dead by the time this occurred.”
“I love the way things are done in your cities,” says Korm with a scowl. “At least in the Marches all you have to worry about is running into the odd hungry beast and one of the wilder tribes going on the warpath.”
“Now you know why I want to go and live in a forest,” agrees Six. “At least when Gurr’khan returns, we may get a chance to see your Marches.”
The next couple of hours are spent making preparations for the evening meeting with Desro. Nameless attempts a scrying from Trillia’s sanctum but all he sees in the ornate mirror is a dull gray haze. “She didn’t just resist it on reflex,” he explains. “It’s a protective spell. Probably a Private Sanctum.”
Trillia, who has politely explained that she’ll be happy to provide some protective spells but will not be accompanying them (“The stories you guys relate are a lot funnier when one isn’t part of them”), says, “Which means someone there has access to or is capable of casting spells of the 5th valence.”
“Yes,” says Nameless. “I’d like to go there a couple hours early and set an ambush or surprise them.”
“Good idea,” says Six, “But for now, somebody help me stick Naxaliyen in a cart and put something over him. I’ve got to go make the taxidermist have a heart attack, and I don’t want to get arrested on the way.”
***
Luckily, Six isn’t, and a few hours later he is moving carefully through the tunnels near Khyber’s Gate, heading for the rendezvous point. The symbiont that Naxaliyen’s dolgaunt minion used now orbits his head, the mental link he needs to build to use it allowing him to see in the darkness just as Korm’s natural and Gareth’s divinely-granted abilities allow them to do.
A dozen or so turns before the meeting location, Six notices a large “ANGELS” chalked on the tunnel wall, with smaller writing below it. The writing says, “Guess what…,” but before Six can read further there’s a loud explosion around him.
The other Angels, moving through the tunnels some sixty feet behind him, come rushing up at the sound, spells and weapons at the ready. They see a somewhat battered Six standing next to the sign. “Look!” he says disgustedly.
They read the inscription: “Guess what - I prepared Explosive Runes this morning. Man, I crack myself up sometimes! See you soon. Desro.”**
“This joker really needs killing,” says Korm.
“You’re telling me!” says Six, feeling the dents in his breastplate.
After repairs are made, the group continues, Six moving ahead as before. A couple of turns after the ‘joke’ trap, the tunnels widen and become less neatly carved. Entering a large, empty chamber with more natural rock formations, Six casts around for tracks and picks up traces indicating that three human-sized creatures had passed through here.
After telling the others what he found, Six heads on. A couple of turns before the supposed meeting area, he enters another such large chamber. As he crosses the entrance, a loud ringing sound begins. As the alarm ceases, Six hears the sounds of movement from around the corner of the sole tunnel exiting the chamber, on the opposite wall but to the side of the entrance. He quickly steps to the side and snaps out his chain, also noting the sound of hurrying feet from his allies.
Moments later, two very recognizable figures enter from the exit tunnel. In the lead is Dala, this time wearing a very ornate set of heavy plate mail, which seems to sit very easily on her thin frame. As does the saw-toothed falchion she holds in her small hands. Behind her walks Warden Balan Cord of the Blackened Book, now garbed in a finely made dark robe with no decorations, though some variations in the shading indicate that there are symbols on the cloth. Six is instantly sure that both are disguises, but if so, they are flawless.
Balan smiles at Six and then at the rest of the Angels, who come racing around the corridor. “Welcome, mighty heroes!” he says pleasantly. The voice too, like the suspected disguise, is perfect. Dala, standing before him with her falchion in a ready stance, says nothing, settling for an anticipatory, feral grin.
Balan is about to continue, but Nameless forestalls him, casting a spell as soon as he sees the pair. A bead of flame leaps from the alienist’s hands and a fireball envelops the two. As startled and pained cries erupt, the bear Luna turns to give Nameless a dirty look, as if to say, “Wait - that’s my job!”
The flames disappear to reveal an untouched Balan, though Dala looks burned and angry, and battle is promptly joined.
Things go badly initially, as the Angels make some unwelcome discoveries. Six, leaping in and out to slash Balan across the face, discovers that he has some powerful protection against weapons, since the blow leaves only a scratch on his cheek. As his more martial allies rush forward to join the battle, Nameless is suddenly confronted by Desro, who steps out of the wall of the tunnel to confront him, greatsword at the ready. Nameless quickly backs away, says, “You're not running away this time,” and hits Desro with a dimensional anchor.
But the most painful discovery is a positional one. Balan, ignoring Six, steps forward and pulls a small glass rod from his pouch. As he casts, sparks crackle along the rod and then shoot out as a large lightning bolt shoots down the tunnel that the Angels have conveniently arranged themselves in. Apparently Desro has some preplanned protection against it, since he is barely touched by the spell, while the others stagger from the pain.
Gareth and Korm rush forward, both striking at Dala, who has moved to block their entrance. Gareth lands a powerful blow, but discovers that she has similar protection as Balan. The return blow is even worse, only his armor keeping him from being disemboweled***. Luckily for him, Korm**** responds with an equally powerful slash, and even with Dala’s protections, blood sprays across the chamber.
Korm’s response buys the paladin time to back up out of the fight, letting a growling Luna squeeze past him to join Korm. She swipes powerfully at Dala, and tries to pull her into a bear-hug. To her (painful) surprise, Dala pivots away smoothly, slashing deeply into the reaching paws, again and again.*****
With Dala landing powerful blows on the druids, one of which drops Korm in a bloody heap, Balan providing magical support and Desro assaulting Nameless with nobody to stop him, things look very dire for a moment. But then the situation changes in the blink of an eye, at least partly due to a miscalculation on the part of the enemies.
Desro, though seeing Gareth use Kizmet to heal himself, decides to focus on dropping Nameless first and presses the attack. A deep slash staggers Nameless, but he manages to barely dodge away from the next one. Nevertheless, one more attack like the lightning bolt would probably kill the alienist. Luckily for him, Balan decides to help out Dala, who is being worn down despite her protections. He sends a scorching ray each into Luna and Korm, and then casts a quickened magic missile to drop Nameless.
The five missiles zoom at Nameless, and then blink out a foot from him, intercepted by the shield he had cast while running up. This buys him just the time he needs and Nameless does what he excels at, summoning two pseudonatural wolves to assault Desro and Dala.
Desro, caught off guard, cries out as fangs rip through his armor and then pull him off his feet. Which gives Gareth just the opportunity he needs. Calling to the Flame to strengthen his hand, he strikes down at the prone Desro. Kizmet blazes with silver fire as it strikes, literally cutting the evil cleric in two.
“They’re too strong! We have to get out!” shouts Balan, the shock and fear evident in his voice. Dala, just having been bitten by the wolf and struck by Six, drives Luna back with another blow that almost drops the bear******, and nods. She steps back and Balan touches her shoulder, dimension dooring the two away.
Six, his agility and defensive fighting having left him the only Angel completely unscathed, cautiously moves down the corridor Dala and Balan emerged from, checking if there’s any other danger. By the time the others join him, Six has found that the tunnel, after two more turns, ends at a half-open door leading into a central chamber with two doors leading off it, as well as a short corridor with another two doors.
Over the next hour, the Angels search the area, making a number of interesting discoveries. The first of the rooms is a well-furnished alchemist’s laboratory, and Nameless takes the opportunity to collect a few costly reagents and other useful materials.
The second room is a combination study and bedroom, simply furnished but comfortable. A chest at the foot of the unmade bed contains a locked, heavy metal box, which Six opens with a key found on Desro. It contains a small folding altar to the Traveler, along with valuable incense, as well as material components and foci for certain divination spells. The Angels recognize it from their first encounter with Desro.
A desk in the room seems to contain nothing of real importance, but Six discovers a small sliding panel. Behind it is a bag that contains 200 galifars, a scroll of spells, an ivory wand, as well as a heavy gold ring with a small dragonshard set into it.
Having identified the spells as disguise self, invisibility and fly, Nameless says, “Looks like a little stash for escape purposes.”
“Fat lot of good it did him,” smirks Gareth.
Moving on to the corridor, the group finds the first door there to open into a similar room, though this one is much more ornate and comfortable than the first one. It contains two beds, both immaculately made and hardly seeming used.
There are also a couple of closets that contain collections of fine clothing (one for a man and one for a woman) in them. Six holds up a particularly beautiful—and revealing—glamerweave gown. “Anybody else think Luna would look pretty in this?” The druid, still in bear form, settles for a baleful glare and a growl in response.
The desk in this room contains no hidden compartments that Six can find. Korm, however, finds a crumpled note in the wastebasket, in Desro’s handwriting. It says, without an opening salutation, “I’ve found a job that might be our best one yet. Remember those idiots I told you I fought at the Seal? Well - let’s just say that I’m planning another, much more profitable, run-in. Meet me at the usual place in two days. D.”
“Looks like Desro hired those two in Sharn,” comments Gareth. “I wonder who they are.”
“That wizard was powerful,” adds Nameless. “Somebody or other in the underworld would know them. But we have other ways of locating them.” He holds up a vial filled with the blood that the fake Dala spilled during the fight.
“Where’s the real Dala, is the question,” says Korm.
The last room in the area answers it. This one is a torture chamber, its walls lined with objects and implements built specifically to cause pain, while keeping the unfortunate recipients alive. They are clearly quite old, but most are in good repair.
What immediately catches the Angels’ attention is the form against the far wall. The naked figure of Dala hangs by her wrists from manacles dangling from long chains. For a moment, the watchers think that she is covered in blood, but then realize that they are seeing her muscles and organs laid bare.
“They skinned her!”
As they slowly move forward towards the gory mess that was recently a human being, Nameless asks, “She’s not alive, is she?”
Korm gently lifts Dala’s face, to reveal her throat and display a slash that almost decapitated her. He looks down at the volume of blood on the ground and the state of the flesh around the cut. “No, she’s not. But she was when they skinned her.”
* In seven years of gaming, I’m the only DM that I’ve seen using Decipher Script at all.
** Yes, I owe Varsuuvius for this one.
*** Crit on first attack. Gareth took 82 pts of damage in that round.
**** And a crit in return
***** Close-Quarters Fighting
****** Took 120 pts of damage in the fight
The next morning, Gareth and the two druids, having spent the night at Coldflame Keep and Carosten Park respectively, arrive at Trillia’s simultaneously to find a small sack nailed to her door.
When they give it to Trillia, she says she has no idea who it’s from and asks them to check it for unwelcome surprises and open it. Nameless detects no magic and Six opens the sack to find two boxes inside. As he opens the larger one, a magical explosion rocks him. After the smoke clears, Nameless says, “Must have had a spell to mask it. Sneaky!”
After he heals Six, the latter checks to find a note and a map. The note reads, “This is Dala. My kidnappers want me to write this note to show that I am still alive. They say that you have something of theirs and if you want to see me alive, you will come and meet them here. They will put the location in another note. They have told me that you have returned safely to Sharn. Please save me. I am counting on you. Dala”
“Great!” says Trillia, “I’d wondered why she didn’t show up yesterday to check on what happened with the Key. Now we know!”
“Wait,” points out Six, “There’s more.”
Below the first part of the note, in different writing, it says: “Wish I’d seen the looks on your faces when the glyph went off. Oh, come on - it was funny. And I’m sure you’re all fine. Seems you’ve been getting famous since we last met. I’ve been doing well too. We need to talk about a mutually beneficial proposition I have. I’m sending you a map, and Dala and I’ll be there at 6 pm. Don’t bring backup, since I’ll consider that a breach of trust. And don’t keep me waiting, since I might get bored and have to entertain myself with your little friend. In fact, I did get a little bored already, as you’ll see in the box. Consider it a sign of my seriousness. Your former acquaintance. Desro.”
“Who’s Desro?” asks Korm.
“One that got away,” says Nameless. “He’s actually the reason we met Gurr’khan. We were trying to collect the bounty on him and fought Desro right after he killed Gurr’khan’s apprentice and broke into the dimensional seal he guards. Broke Gareth’s sword and dimension doored away. He’s a cleric of the Traveler.”
“Evil cleric,” adds Gareth.
“I almost caught him,” says Luna. “Maybe this time…”
“Oh, nice!” says Six, having opened the smaller box. It contains a little toe, evidently taken from a right foot.
“I see this one needs killing,” says Korm grimly. “I wonder why he decided to kidnap Dala. Where does he want to meet us?”
Six smoothes open the enclosed hand-drawn map. It begins with an entrance to the Ashblack Cogs and provides directions to a large chamber in a part of Khyber’s Gate.
While the others are examining it, Nameless re-reads the note and notices something strange about the section from Dala. Some of the letters look slightly off-center.* After a few seconds of consideration, Nameless picks up a pattern. “Hey!” he says, “There’s a coded message in here.”
“Huh?”
“Dala stuck a coded message in here. Very smart of her.”
“What does it say?”
“Let’s see … it says … ‘Three of them. One cleric. One wizard. Be careful.’ I guess the cleric is Desro.”
“Makes sense.”
“Anyway,” continues Nameless, “I’d like some more information before we do anything. I’ll try to scry Dala once I have my spells ready.”
While they are discussing the situation with Dala, Glauster brings in the special one-page report on the assassination attempt that has been published by the Korranberg Chronicle. The report confirms that there was a failed assassination attempt on King Boranel and Queen Aurala, as well as a planned terrorist attack on Scion’s Gate South. The two Scion’s Gates (one in Fairhaven and one in Wroat) are mirror images of each other and were built as a sign of solidarity between the two nations. Scion’s Gate South was destroyed during the War and has just been rebuilt. Queen Aurala was in Wroat for the opening, which many Aundairans had issues with, since her visit was seen as giving too much importance to Breland.
According to the report, a group of militant Aundairans planned an assassination of both Aurala and Boranel, as well as the destruction of the rebuilt monument, hoping to cause further turmoil between the nations. The plan was reportedly hatched in Sharn, but a double agent planted by the King’s Citadel discovered the plans. As a result of this pre-information, the assassination attempts and the planned destruction of Scion’s Gate were foiled. Deneith Sentinel Marshals guarding Boranel had a major part in the action, including the well-known twins Lalia and Tasra from Sharn. The KC can’t confirm it, but it believes that the brave Citadel double agent was a half-orc named Raskalorn, who remained with the terrorists to keep feeding the Citadel and Sentinel Marshals info, and was regrettably killed by the terrorists during the operation. He is due to be buried with full military honors.
The report also includes opinions from various relevant sources. Unsurprisingly, the Brelish sources are discussing the quality of their security service, the loyalty of the Brelish people (who are clearly too loyal to assassinate their ruler), and their protection of the Aundairan queen. Just as unsurprisingly, Aundairan sources are much less happy, ranging from comments that the Citadel should have revealed the plot as soon as detected without putting Aurala in danger, to suspicion that the Brelish made the plot seem more dangerous for political capital, to even an accusation or two that the entire thing was faked by Breland.
After they have read the entire report, Six asks, “Wasn’t Raskalorn the guy we helped that Citadel guy capture?”
“Talleon,” reminds Nameless. “And yes.”
“So you really think he was a double agent?” asks Luna.
“Not a chance,” says Gareth. “I’m guessing they’re just using the story to dispose of him neatly. He was probably dead by the time this occurred.”
“I love the way things are done in your cities,” says Korm with a scowl. “At least in the Marches all you have to worry about is running into the odd hungry beast and one of the wilder tribes going on the warpath.”
“Now you know why I want to go and live in a forest,” agrees Six. “At least when Gurr’khan returns, we may get a chance to see your Marches.”
The next couple of hours are spent making preparations for the evening meeting with Desro. Nameless attempts a scrying from Trillia’s sanctum but all he sees in the ornate mirror is a dull gray haze. “She didn’t just resist it on reflex,” he explains. “It’s a protective spell. Probably a Private Sanctum.”
Trillia, who has politely explained that she’ll be happy to provide some protective spells but will not be accompanying them (“The stories you guys relate are a lot funnier when one isn’t part of them”), says, “Which means someone there has access to or is capable of casting spells of the 5th valence.”
“Yes,” says Nameless. “I’d like to go there a couple hours early and set an ambush or surprise them.”
“Good idea,” says Six, “But for now, somebody help me stick Naxaliyen in a cart and put something over him. I’ve got to go make the taxidermist have a heart attack, and I don’t want to get arrested on the way.”
***
Luckily, Six isn’t, and a few hours later he is moving carefully through the tunnels near Khyber’s Gate, heading for the rendezvous point. The symbiont that Naxaliyen’s dolgaunt minion used now orbits his head, the mental link he needs to build to use it allowing him to see in the darkness just as Korm’s natural and Gareth’s divinely-granted abilities allow them to do.
A dozen or so turns before the meeting location, Six notices a large “ANGELS” chalked on the tunnel wall, with smaller writing below it. The writing says, “Guess what…,” but before Six can read further there’s a loud explosion around him.
The other Angels, moving through the tunnels some sixty feet behind him, come rushing up at the sound, spells and weapons at the ready. They see a somewhat battered Six standing next to the sign. “Look!” he says disgustedly.
They read the inscription: “Guess what - I prepared Explosive Runes this morning. Man, I crack myself up sometimes! See you soon. Desro.”**
“This joker really needs killing,” says Korm.
“You’re telling me!” says Six, feeling the dents in his breastplate.
After repairs are made, the group continues, Six moving ahead as before. A couple of turns after the ‘joke’ trap, the tunnels widen and become less neatly carved. Entering a large, empty chamber with more natural rock formations, Six casts around for tracks and picks up traces indicating that three human-sized creatures had passed through here.
After telling the others what he found, Six heads on. A couple of turns before the supposed meeting area, he enters another such large chamber. As he crosses the entrance, a loud ringing sound begins. As the alarm ceases, Six hears the sounds of movement from around the corner of the sole tunnel exiting the chamber, on the opposite wall but to the side of the entrance. He quickly steps to the side and snaps out his chain, also noting the sound of hurrying feet from his allies.
Moments later, two very recognizable figures enter from the exit tunnel. In the lead is Dala, this time wearing a very ornate set of heavy plate mail, which seems to sit very easily on her thin frame. As does the saw-toothed falchion she holds in her small hands. Behind her walks Warden Balan Cord of the Blackened Book, now garbed in a finely made dark robe with no decorations, though some variations in the shading indicate that there are symbols on the cloth. Six is instantly sure that both are disguises, but if so, they are flawless.
Balan smiles at Six and then at the rest of the Angels, who come racing around the corridor. “Welcome, mighty heroes!” he says pleasantly. The voice too, like the suspected disguise, is perfect. Dala, standing before him with her falchion in a ready stance, says nothing, settling for an anticipatory, feral grin.
Balan is about to continue, but Nameless forestalls him, casting a spell as soon as he sees the pair. A bead of flame leaps from the alienist’s hands and a fireball envelops the two. As startled and pained cries erupt, the bear Luna turns to give Nameless a dirty look, as if to say, “Wait - that’s my job!”
The flames disappear to reveal an untouched Balan, though Dala looks burned and angry, and battle is promptly joined.
Things go badly initially, as the Angels make some unwelcome discoveries. Six, leaping in and out to slash Balan across the face, discovers that he has some powerful protection against weapons, since the blow leaves only a scratch on his cheek. As his more martial allies rush forward to join the battle, Nameless is suddenly confronted by Desro, who steps out of the wall of the tunnel to confront him, greatsword at the ready. Nameless quickly backs away, says, “You're not running away this time,” and hits Desro with a dimensional anchor.
But the most painful discovery is a positional one. Balan, ignoring Six, steps forward and pulls a small glass rod from his pouch. As he casts, sparks crackle along the rod and then shoot out as a large lightning bolt shoots down the tunnel that the Angels have conveniently arranged themselves in. Apparently Desro has some preplanned protection against it, since he is barely touched by the spell, while the others stagger from the pain.
Gareth and Korm rush forward, both striking at Dala, who has moved to block their entrance. Gareth lands a powerful blow, but discovers that she has similar protection as Balan. The return blow is even worse, only his armor keeping him from being disemboweled***. Luckily for him, Korm**** responds with an equally powerful slash, and even with Dala’s protections, blood sprays across the chamber.
Korm’s response buys the paladin time to back up out of the fight, letting a growling Luna squeeze past him to join Korm. She swipes powerfully at Dala, and tries to pull her into a bear-hug. To her (painful) surprise, Dala pivots away smoothly, slashing deeply into the reaching paws, again and again.*****
With Dala landing powerful blows on the druids, one of which drops Korm in a bloody heap, Balan providing magical support and Desro assaulting Nameless with nobody to stop him, things look very dire for a moment. But then the situation changes in the blink of an eye, at least partly due to a miscalculation on the part of the enemies.
Desro, though seeing Gareth use Kizmet to heal himself, decides to focus on dropping Nameless first and presses the attack. A deep slash staggers Nameless, but he manages to barely dodge away from the next one. Nevertheless, one more attack like the lightning bolt would probably kill the alienist. Luckily for him, Balan decides to help out Dala, who is being worn down despite her protections. He sends a scorching ray each into Luna and Korm, and then casts a quickened magic missile to drop Nameless.
The five missiles zoom at Nameless, and then blink out a foot from him, intercepted by the shield he had cast while running up. This buys him just the time he needs and Nameless does what he excels at, summoning two pseudonatural wolves to assault Desro and Dala.
Desro, caught off guard, cries out as fangs rip through his armor and then pull him off his feet. Which gives Gareth just the opportunity he needs. Calling to the Flame to strengthen his hand, he strikes down at the prone Desro. Kizmet blazes with silver fire as it strikes, literally cutting the evil cleric in two.
“They’re too strong! We have to get out!” shouts Balan, the shock and fear evident in his voice. Dala, just having been bitten by the wolf and struck by Six, drives Luna back with another blow that almost drops the bear******, and nods. She steps back and Balan touches her shoulder, dimension dooring the two away.
Six, his agility and defensive fighting having left him the only Angel completely unscathed, cautiously moves down the corridor Dala and Balan emerged from, checking if there’s any other danger. By the time the others join him, Six has found that the tunnel, after two more turns, ends at a half-open door leading into a central chamber with two doors leading off it, as well as a short corridor with another two doors.
Over the next hour, the Angels search the area, making a number of interesting discoveries. The first of the rooms is a well-furnished alchemist’s laboratory, and Nameless takes the opportunity to collect a few costly reagents and other useful materials.
The second room is a combination study and bedroom, simply furnished but comfortable. A chest at the foot of the unmade bed contains a locked, heavy metal box, which Six opens with a key found on Desro. It contains a small folding altar to the Traveler, along with valuable incense, as well as material components and foci for certain divination spells. The Angels recognize it from their first encounter with Desro.
A desk in the room seems to contain nothing of real importance, but Six discovers a small sliding panel. Behind it is a bag that contains 200 galifars, a scroll of spells, an ivory wand, as well as a heavy gold ring with a small dragonshard set into it.
Having identified the spells as disguise self, invisibility and fly, Nameless says, “Looks like a little stash for escape purposes.”
“Fat lot of good it did him,” smirks Gareth.
Moving on to the corridor, the group finds the first door there to open into a similar room, though this one is much more ornate and comfortable than the first one. It contains two beds, both immaculately made and hardly seeming used.
There are also a couple of closets that contain collections of fine clothing (one for a man and one for a woman) in them. Six holds up a particularly beautiful—and revealing—glamerweave gown. “Anybody else think Luna would look pretty in this?” The druid, still in bear form, settles for a baleful glare and a growl in response.
The desk in this room contains no hidden compartments that Six can find. Korm, however, finds a crumpled note in the wastebasket, in Desro’s handwriting. It says, without an opening salutation, “I’ve found a job that might be our best one yet. Remember those idiots I told you I fought at the Seal? Well - let’s just say that I’m planning another, much more profitable, run-in. Meet me at the usual place in two days. D.”
“Looks like Desro hired those two in Sharn,” comments Gareth. “I wonder who they are.”
“That wizard was powerful,” adds Nameless. “Somebody or other in the underworld would know them. But we have other ways of locating them.” He holds up a vial filled with the blood that the fake Dala spilled during the fight.
“Where’s the real Dala, is the question,” says Korm.
The last room in the area answers it. This one is a torture chamber, its walls lined with objects and implements built specifically to cause pain, while keeping the unfortunate recipients alive. They are clearly quite old, but most are in good repair.
What immediately catches the Angels’ attention is the form against the far wall. The naked figure of Dala hangs by her wrists from manacles dangling from long chains. For a moment, the watchers think that she is covered in blood, but then realize that they are seeing her muscles and organs laid bare.
“They skinned her!”
As they slowly move forward towards the gory mess that was recently a human being, Nameless asks, “She’s not alive, is she?”
Korm gently lifts Dala’s face, to reveal her throat and display a slash that almost decapitated her. He looks down at the volume of blood on the ground and the state of the flesh around the cut. “No, she’s not. But she was when they skinned her.”
* In seven years of gaming, I’m the only DM that I’ve seen using Decipher Script at all.
** Yes, I owe Varsuuvius for this one.
*** Crit on first attack. Gareth took 82 pts of damage in that round.
**** And a crit in return
***** Close-Quarters Fighting
****** Took 120 pts of damage in the fight
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