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Message: <blockquote data-quote="shilsen" data-source="post: 4058813" data-attributes="member: 198">The face stares at the Angels expressionlessly for a moment and then smiles. Though the result is a dazzling smile, the process is gradual and jerky, different parts of the face moving abruptly and individually, as if the owner knew what a smile was but not quite how it occurs. Then, beaming at the adventurers, the face says, “Greetings. Enter!” To Nameless, the voice sounds exactly like the one he sometimes hears in his head, and there is a brief wordless chittering behind his eyes in response. The others do not experience that, but they all hear the voice in their heads a full second before their ears hear the words.The Angels exchange one brief communal look and then promptly begin to cast protective spells as fast as they can. The watching face waits for a couple of seconds and then says, “That is not really necessary.” Nameless mutters, “I’ll take my chances, thank you!” “Is that actually a daelkyr?” Luna growls. Nameless shakes his head, “It’s a daelkyr, but I don’t think it’s actually physically here, or at least not completely.” Though presumably able to hear them, Antaratma makes no reply.Only after casting an incredible array of spells do the Angels warily enter the chamber, spreading out quickly so that they cannot be easily targeted. But the daelkyr makes no offensive moves. It simply continues to smile and looks over them, before saying, “You are very punctual. Your years and days matter little to me, so I sometimes have difficulty predicting when things shall occur. I was wondering if you would arrive in time.” As it speaks, there is a rumbling sound and the floor beneath them shakes. It continues, “Tell me – what do you expect to do here?”“To destroy you,” says Gareth flatly. Nameless smiles thinly and says, “Or fill out our survey, if you don’t mind.”The entity’s smile remains the same, but the roiling cloud churns for a moment before the face replies, “Amusing. I would be beyond your power if I was truly here, but I am not. Yet you are. And now you shall be rewarded.” The Angels ready for an attack, but apparently that was not a threat. It continues, “Without your efforts the seed would not have been planted, and the thirteenth seal would not be now ready to open. And now you have done more. You have purified your essence at the altar of R’lyeh and brought it here, to make the ritual of opening perfect. If it were only for that, I might not reward you, since I only need to claim your essence, whether you will or no. But look at you!”The tone warms as it speaks, and there is genuine – or very well feigned – appreciation. “You are all works of art. Stronger, finer, more beautiful than you once were. To destroy you would be such a … waste. And I can make you better. Give me of your essence willingly and I shall let you live.”“Sorry,” says Nameless, “But my ‘essence’ is spoken for. Go talk to Cyäegha.” The others quickly add their refusal.Antaratma continues to speak, its expression unchanging. “You do not understand my generosity. You have no choice and nowhere to go. Nobody can enter this place any more and none can leave. See!” For a second there is a sharp pain in each of the listeners’ heads and then the scene they are seeing disappears. Instead, they have a vision of the outside of the Seed. Now all of it is visible, revealing that it is a rough sphere, as it floats through the air above the Mournland. The Seed is rising gradually, heading towards the huge sign in the sky, and so are the Angels within it.“See?” repeats Antaratma as the vision fades. “That changes nothing,” growls Korm. This time, the smile disappears. “You are certain?” “Yes!”“So be it. Perhaps I shall recreate you later. But now, if you will not comply, you shall be destroyed.” With these words face recedes into the cloud, which simultaneously begins to darken and apparently solidify. It simultaneously floats higher till it is ten feet above the seal and multiple large, black tentacles begin to extend from it. The outer surface begins to resemble the surface of the seed, the cloud swiftly resembling a small version of it. Dark liquid wells up on and drips from the surface, making it seem like a giant bleeding cyst of darkness. Not that the Angels pause to study the change. Gareth, borne aloft on a pair of feathery, angelic wings, soars towards the cyst immediately, and Korm does likewise from the opposite side, leathery wings like a cloaker’s carrying him. As the Gatekeeper and the paladin near the creature, a wave of energy flows outwards from it, washing over them and continuing across the chamber. Reality seems to warp around the Angels, blurring their vision and affecting their control of their own movements. Korm and Gareth ignore it and strike at the same time, the Endless Blade and the meteoric sword both biting into the cyst’s carapace. The wielders quickly discover that it is incredibly hard and resistant to damage, ignoring even Gareth’s ability to pierce such resistance. The swords only put small cracks into the surface, the power of the Silver Flame allowing Gareth to do so a little more deeply. Worryingly, the wounds begin to close back up instantly.Behind them, Six activates the wand which is concealed in a sheath within his metal forearm, to haste his allies. Floating in the air above him, Nameless snaps, “Good! Luna – we need more allies!” The druid growls and proceeds to summon a huge earth elemental, which hammers at the cyst. But it seems that the reality-warping aura of the cyst affect it too, since it seems barely able to hit, and when it does, the rocklike fists have even less of an effect than the Angels’ swords. Nameless too uses his most powerful summons, but not to call elementals. The figures that appear seem to be tall, muscular humans, but they have long powerful wings instead of arms, and their legs ends in strong talons. The aquiline faces are topped by hair which resembles a feathery cowl, and their bright gold eyes are those of eagles. These eyes gaze at the scene before them and the celestial faces actually seem to pale for a moment as the cyst’s field of energy envelops them. “Heal him and him,” Nameless shouts, indicating Korm and Gareth, “When they’re hurt.” The avorals nod and spread their wings, hovering behind their charges.The timing is perfect, since the cyst’s offenses are apparently as strong as its defenses. The long tentacles lash out, hammering into Gareth with incredible precision, even though his magical protections provide some defense. Wherever they hit, his flesh pales, hardens and splits like a leprous sore. Worryingly, the cyst spins and rolls as it attacks, bringing every tentacle to bear on the one target, clearly attempting to eliminate one enemy at a time. Though Gareth has suffered much more powerful blows in his time and can deal out more himself with a single sword-slash, the sheer volume of them is too much. He weaves drunkenly in mid-air and then feels two wings brush over his back, channeling a large amount of healing energy into him. A second later, another tentacle smashes into his chest, but the avoral’s healing leaves him in the fight, though badly hurt.“Keep pounding it!” shouts Nameless, “Six – get in there!” The warforged says nothing, calling on another of his harness’ abilities, immediately growing and expanding till he is twice as tall and proportionately larger. “Pounding isn’t doing anything!” shouts back Korm, as Luna adds more summoned elementals to join the one already present. Though they swarm around the cyst, all of them seem to have the same problem. “We can barely scratch this thing, and Gareth will be dead in seconds!” Gareth adds, “Yeah – someone heal me!” Time for the big ones! thinks Nameless, and casts a spell. He feels a moment of resistance as the aura of the cyst encounters his own attempt to reshape reality through an act of will. But of all the mages on the surface of Eberron, he is the best versed and suited for dealing with this environment. After a moment, the alienist feels his limited wish take effect, and the concomitant flow of his own life energy. Simultaneously, Korm’s sword flares in his hand, the light settling into a soft silvery gleam. “Now!” shouts Nameless.Not arguing, Korm shouts his war-cry and slashes into the cyst. This time, as the sword hits, it carves deep, leaving a silvery trail which gleams bright against the dark surface. “Yes!” he bellows in triumph and attacks again and again. The warping aura still deflects some of his attacks, but some get through, each having the same effect. The cyst spins instantly to bring all its tentacles to bear on him, smashing Korm again and again. The other Angels and the elementals attempt to provide a distraction, while the avoral behind Korm heals as much as it can, but there is only so much that it can do, and the fusillade of attacks shows no signs of stopping. Gritting his teeth and ignoring the suppurating flesh that now covers his upper torso, Korm continues to hack into the creature before him, trying to inflict as much damage as he can before he goes down. One particularly powerful blow lays open the cyst’s surface in a diagonal slash and a thick spray of reddish fluid erupts from it.For just a second Korm hopes that he has inflicted a fatal wound. But as the spray of fluid hits the floor, it fountains back upwards, growing at incredible speed and solidifying slightly. Barely a second later, a gigantic fire elemental arises where the liquid hit, both taller and broader than the elementals that Luna had summoned. It swings a giant fist into Korm’s surprised face, spinning him sideways in mid-air and scorching his flesh. The cyst seizes the opportunity and strikes, two of its tentacles smashing down on the back of Korm’s head. There is a cracking sound and the Gatekeeper hits the floor, his neck bent at an impossible angle. The sword, the only weapon in the room capable of easily breaching the cyst’s defenses, falls from his dying hand.“Luna!” shouts Nameless, “You’ve got to heal him before it’s too late!” The giant bear is already rushing forward, but as she tries to pass around the giant elemental in the way, it hammers hard into her side. I have to get that out of the way! Nameless shouts again, but this time to a hearer who is not visible. “Kha’tvan’ga! Fulfill our pact and attend me!”Space bends and cracks behind the elemental as the Horror appears. Though dwarfed by the elemental’s bulk, it attacks instantly. One, two, three tentacles hit home, and as Nameless holds his breath, the fourth connects. They grasp the elemental firmly, and then space collapses around Kha’tvan’ga and it as they both pass into another dimension. Luna immediately touches Korm, channeling a heal into him. His wounds close and bruises disappear, even the warped and oozing flesh on his chest and arms disappearing, but Korm still lies there, his head still bent at an angle from his body. After one quick glance, Luna calls, “It’s his neck! He’d be dead if not for Mordain’s work, and he won’t get back up until that kicks in.”*We don’t have that kind of time. “Six, Gareth – you have to buy me a few seconds!” Nameless shouts, digging in his pouch.“What the hell do you think we’ve been doing?” shouts back Gareth, continuing to slash into the cyst, using the powers of the Silver Flame to do as much damage as he can. With Six attacking from a very safe distance with his enlarged chain and the elementals near ineffectual, the paladin is the only target for the cyst, and it switches its attention to him, battering him brutally.Pulling out the scroll he was looking for, Nameless activates it, using a limited wish for the second time in less than twenty seconds. With an audible snap, Korm’s head straightens and then his eyes open. As he looks up blearily, Luna shoves his sword into his hand. “Get up and hit that thing!”Almost at the same instant, Kha’tvan’ga reappears with the gigantic fire elemental. Despite its inhuman form, the elemental has a mind, one which is unequipped for a vision of Xoriat. Now completely insane, it beats at the Horror and then swings wildly at the others in the area. Luna growls again as another flaming fist scorches her hide and swats at it, but the huge creature barely notices. Six, leaping in and out to strike at the cyst, skids to a halt as the elemental’s bulk blocks access to his target, moving swiftly around it. “I’ll take care of it,” calls Nameless, knowing that they cannot afford any distraction. He casts again, this time using a spell he never has before due to the abortive cost. But for this fight, the alienist knows that pulling out all the stops is essential. As the valuable crushed ruby dust streaming from his hand disappears, the elemental’s fist smashes to a halt as an invisible barrier arrests it. The creature swings again and again, roaring in fury, but the magical walls of the forcecage now surrounding it are impervious to the attacks.In the few seconds that this has taken to occur, the cyst continues to inflict heavy damage on its attackers. Gareth is its primary target, but as the rejuvenated Gatekeeper flies up to again drive his sword into it, Korm immediately becomes its focus. Not that it ignores Gareth, however, with two more tentacles swinging at him. The paladin’s enchanted armor significantly diminishes the effect of one, but the impact still knocks him backwards in the air, and the second tentacle smashes him under his unprotected chin. Gareth’s eyes roll back and he drops like a stone, his armor clattering around him. The cyst spins instantly, a forest of tentacles waving over Korm. The Gatekeeper roars and calls on the berserker might of his ancestors, feeling additional strength and energy pour through him, but he doubts that he can withstand a full series of attacks. Blow after blow smashes down, warping flesh and bruising bones. And then there is a huge, hairy barrier in the way, as Luna forms a living shield, stoically taking the hits for him and trying to grab the cyst. The giant bear, substantially bigger than the cyst, wraps her arms around the creature, but after a second it simply spins and throws her off. “Luna! Heal Gareth!” shouts Nameless, wondering what else he can do at this moment. In the momentary pause, he realizes that he has been hearing something for the last couple of seconds but has not paid attention due to the distractions. The sounds are those of pounding feet and the sources appear a second later, running in through the entrance. To the Angels’ surprise, they are warforged, recognizable as four of those who accompanied the expedition which they had been traveling with. One is Saber, the leader of the contingent, and she quickly says, “Sorry – we tried to get here earlier.” Nameless notices that her voice sounds masculine now, but there is no time for discussion. Without waiting for a reply, all four of the warforged raise their arms and rays of energy shoot forth at the cyst. Two fizzle out instantly on contact, but the other two burn deep holes in its carapace.For the first time in the battle, the cyst staggers at an impact. Luna has already thrown herself flat beneath it, and her huge tongue licks out across the intervening gap to channel her last heal into Gareth. As the paladin opens his eyes, the Endless Blade yells, “Hit it, you idiot!” and pulls him upright and off the ground. Reacting on instinct, Gareth smites the cyst, silver flames flashing up along the blade as it bites deep into his target. Six’s chain flashes past his head to carve deeper into one of the many cuts marring its surface, and Kha’tvan’ga’s tentacles beat on its surface too.Of them all, Korm continues to inflict the most damage due to Nameless’ spell, carving deep gouges out of the cyst. But his foe is not yet done, and it focuses on him as the enemy most capable of wounding it. The tentacles beat on him again and again, quickly knocking him back down towards unconsciousness and death. One blow knocks him back to the ground and down to a knee, and the cyst rolls forward in mid-air, bringing a last crushing tentacle down on his defenseless head as he struggles to his feet.But just as the blow descends, Nameless shouts a word. The torc around his throat, taken from the lich Emrena’s lover, flashes into life. Though the tentacle apparently slams into Korm’s head, the Gatekeeper feels nothing, and it is Nameless’ scalp that splits instead as he takes the wound on himself instead.Surprised and relieved, Korm leaps back to his feet, driving the sword upwards point-first like a spear with all the power of his rising body. It slides deep into the cyst’s body, till the hilt rings against the carapace. Stinking fluid sprays from the wound and the cyst shudders, tentacles flailing wildly around it. Cracks appear all over its surface, a purple radiance shining out of them, and there is a groaning sound which fills the chamber.And then it explodes. A blast of energy flies around the chamber, knocking some of the Angels off their feet. A couple of the warforged are actually blown apart, hitting the ground in smoking heaps. Large cracks appear in the surface of the chamber that they are within and the groaning sound increases as the entire structure shakes violently.As the Angels recover themselves and look around, the warforged Saber says, “You need to get out – now! Do not worry about us. Our job was to ensure that you were successful and survived. If our shells are destroyed, that is of no matter.” Sh*t! Quori! “Forget it!” snaps Nameless, pulling out the portable hole and opening it. “You might not care what happens to your shells, but we do. Get in!” The warforged don’t argue and quickly comply, and as soon as Luna has changed back to her normal form, Nameless teleports the entire group away. To his relief, there is no mishap and they reappear outside the Mournland, near the expedition’s main camp. The area looks the same as before, except for the giant yellow sign in the sky. Luna looks up at it and then asks, “Did we win? That thing’s still there.”“I’m fairly sure we destroyed the Seed,” replies Nameless.“And if we didn’t,” growls Korm, in the process of healing himself, “I quit!”“And where did those warforged come from?” asks Luna. Six nods, “I’d like to know too.”“Let’s find out.” Once the portable hole is opened, the two warforged climb out. Saber says, “Congratulations on your victory. We are pleased that you all survived.”“You are quori?”“Yes.” Saber looks at Six. “I believe we have you to thank for these harnesses being in use, without which we could not have come here. Thank you.” Nameless and Six exchange glances. Sh*t!*** Though I allow use of cards to survive below -10, which Korm was, I don’t allow that PC to rejoin the fight when healed. In this case, since Nameless used a limited wish, I allowed Korm to get back up.** The expressions on the players’ faces at this point were the sort that warms a DM’s heart.</blockquote>

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