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Message: <blockquote data-quote="shilsen" data-source="post: 4244613" data-attributes="member: 198">Fine, fine - no more cliffhangers!Maybe.* * * * * * * * * *Xagygyrag proceeds around the corner with Gareth, moving surprisingly fast for a creature of his size. He takes the first side turning, one which the Angels had passed by on their way to the area where the battle occurred, and emerges into a dark chamber. This one is smaller than some of the others, and has two rows of what must be shelves placed around the circumference, beginning some fifteen feet above the ground. Gareth sees objects in many of them – scroll tubes, boxes, rods, etc.Not that he has much leisure to consider them, since Xagygyrag places him on the ground with surprising gentleness and reaches up to pick up a rod. The dragon stares at him for a moment, anticipation burning in the huge eyes, and says, “Do not try to resist!” Then he makes a quick arcane gesture, places the rod against Gareth's chest and says a word. And everything goes black.Meanwhile, the others are still in the tunnel where the battle occurred, Nameless and Luna and Six on one side of the wall of force and Korm on the other. “Come on over to this side, Korm!” Luna says hurriedly, “We all need to get out.”“Not me,” says Nameless, shaking his head firmly. “I am staying, as I promised. But you can take these.” Removing the portable hole from a pouch, he spreads it open on the floor and begins to place his valuable items inside it.As Luna gapes at him, Six says thoughtfully, “Actually, I intend to stay and talk to the dragon too.”The tendriculos shrinks down into Luna’s normal shifter form, leaving her standing there next to the giant crystal ball that she had swallowed. “Are you two insane?!”“Perhaps,” Nameless smiles slightly, but doesn’t pause in his actions. “But I live up to my end of a bargain.”“Not to a giant dragon that’ll probably eat you! And I don’t think Six should stay either!” Luna protests. “Listen, this is nuts. I’m getting out of here post-haste, before he starts looking for his crystal ball.” She carefully rolls the item into the portable hole and adds, “And if you guys aren’t coming with me and I can’t get out magically, I’m turning into the smallest, fastest, flying thing I can and going!”Korm, having used a spell to shape the stone under the wall of force and climb under, brushes himself of and nods. “I agree. I’m leaving too.” He frowns. “But we do need that information, and we’ve just lost a lot here. Six, are you sure about this?”“Yes,” nods the warforged. I think.“All right,” says Korm. “Best of luck. Luna, we can leave together. Get in the portable hole and I’ll transport us to the house in Karrnath. Six, when you get out, meet us there.”“If you get out,” says Luna, darkly, but she doesn’t argue, jumping into the hole as Korm suggested. The Gateekeeper picks up and folds the magical cloth, before sliding it into his pocket. He opens his mouth to say something, and then Xagygyrag walks sinuously around the corner ahead. Gareth is not with him, but he carries a large rod, looking like a toothpick in the grasp of his left forelimb. Nameless detects multiple magical auras on it, and a few more on the dragon, who has evidently raised some more magical defenses.“Ah!” the dragon smiles, revealing all his fangs, “I thought you might not be here when I return.” He says a word and the wall of force fades away. As he walks forward, Xagygyrag asks, “Are the rest of you waiting to see your comrade leave? Or do you wish to stay too?”As the dragon strides forward, Korm says simply, “Not me!” and casts a spell. The Gatekeeper sinks into the ground instantly and disappears, the powerful druidic magic* transporting him instantly through the earth towards his destination.If he were human, Six would take a deep breath. Instead, he sets his shoulders and steps forward to ask, “Can you tell me anything about the dimensional seals? How to make them, how they work, etc.?” Xagygyrag stops and considers him for a moment, and then his giant bulk begins to shake. Luckily, it is with amusement, and a few seconds later, once the booming laughter has ended, he says, “You amuse me, little construct, who not only dare remain but question me so. Yes, I know of the seals. This is Khesavuthir, the fount of knowledge. And where oaths are sworn and forever bound in blood. What do you offer me for this knowledge? Yourself?”Hmm – bargaining? It's probably a gnome. Gah! Six replies, “Well, I was hoping something I have discovered would be of interest to you.” He produces a drawing and displays it. “Here is the sign that appeared above the Mournland when the seed to Xoriat sprouted. Perhaps that interests you, as a guardian of knowledge? As for oaths, I would like to know what I am getting into, present situation notwithstanding. Also, I don’t have actual blood, if that makes a difference.”Xagygyrag flashes another fanged smile. “Lacking actual blood is not a problem. As we recently established,” a huge claw indicates the spot where Six had lain unconscious barely over a minute ago, where a large patch of alchemical fluid still lies, “I can find ways to extract what I need. As for that sign,” he snorts, causing a small spray of acid, “I know of it already. The eyes of Khesavuthir are in many places – including your land. You will need to offer me more for the information you want. I presume you have no wish to die here, since you must want to hold back Xoriat with the knowledge of the seals. But perhaps you can offer me something else. And if we come to an agreement we will swear binding oaths that neither of us shall renege on our bargain. Do you have anything to offer? And even if you do, how do you plan to leave here?”“Well,” says Six, “I can do some term of service. I have a harness made by the quori and reworked by Mordain the Fleshweaver that won’t come off, which could be of interest to you. Perhaps you want something outside this area I could go get. As for leaving, back the way I came in looks good. I could go back to where we teleported in to this area and teleport out.” The dragon does not reply, clearly waiting for him to continue, so Six does. “I was wondering, for the sacrifice, are you going to kill them? If so, I would like to recover the bodies. And what’s the sacrifice for? Whatever you decide to do with your sacrifices, I would be careful in the handling. We have been worked over by various entities and changed in subtle ways. All of us have been given changes that don’t go away even in an antimagic field, and one of those is a programmed amnesia that has a puzzling quality. Our personality traits were heightened so we would be more reactive in ways we are already. And other things that might cause problems for you.”Xagygyrag smiles again. He begins to speak and while doing so, walks forward towards Nameless, who has been listening without a word. “Thank you for the warning. There will be no problem for me. Modifications or no, your friends bear within them the blood of the dragonmarked, and there is rare power in that. I shall harvest and make fine use of it. Know this, little metal man, all forces in this world eventually, always, come down to blood."Reaching Nameless, the dragon looks down and addresses him in turn. “This will not hurt.” He touches the rod to the alienist’s chest and Nameless crumples over. Xagygyrag scoops him up and turns his attention back to Six. “I shall tell you what to do with the seals. I would not have the dragonmarked pass from this world. They are too valuable. And I will spare you to carry the knowledge back to your people. Still, a bargain must be made and you offer me little in return.” He gestures at the large room behind Six. “Go wait in there and decide what valuables you are willing to offer me. I have seen much magic on you and your allies.” He glances down at Nameless and grimaces slightly. “Though I see this one has disposed of much of what he had. Well, no matter – the bargain was for him. But go now into that chamber, remove what you will leave, and wait. I shall return with the knowledge you desire.” Xagygyrag adds, the tone of warning evident in his voice, “Wait there and do not go elsewhere.”Six proceeds into the large chamber, which is – as he had seen before – completely empty, except for a couple of tunnels leading away from it. After a few minutes, a dark mass appears at the end of one and makes its way forward, as Xagygyrag enters the room. There is a muffled voice from somewhere in the vicinity of the gargantuan dragon's head, and its source becomes apparent as he opens his mouth and spits something onto the ground in front of Six. The object hits the ground with a metallic clank attended by a soft squishing sound, followed by a now audible shout of “Hey!” The warforged sees that it is the Endless Blade, still attached to Gareth’s metal hand. And still extending from the back of the hand is most of the paladin’s arm, ending midway between elbow and shoulder in a jagged stump of ragged flesh and protruding bone. Fresh blood still drips from the amputated appendage as it hits the ground.“Take this thing with you,” says Xagygyrag, “Its chattering irritates me.”“Six! You ...,” begins the sword excitably, and the dragon growls, “Quiet! Or I shall change my mind!” The sword instantly falls silent. Xagygyrag glares at it, and when certain it will not speak, turns to the warforged. “Place your offerings on the ground before me.”“Very well,” says Six. “But first, I’d like to preserve this.” He produces a scroll of gentle repose on the stump, while the dragon watches. Then he says, “Well, I have an adamantine fist as an item. I can tell you of the daelkyr lord and his brother that started this mess. I can go retrieve an item or information you might want.” Hopefully the last.“An adamantine fist?” says Xagygyrag disdainfully, “That sounds like it would be of little interest. Maybe I should keep the sword after all.” He looks thoughtfully at the Endless Blade, which apparently has enough judgement not to say anything aloud, though Six thinks he hears a faint “Oh f*ck! Oh f*ck! Oh f*ck!”Finally, the dragon looks back to Six. “And unless you know something about the daelkyr and his brother that your companions do not, I will know it very soon through the sacrifices. Especially of the tentacled one.”He raises a claw and scratches thoughtfully at the base of the large horns on his head, and then says with finality, “I will choose. Remove all the magic that you own and place it before me. And empty that haversack. It seems that you have only a pittance, but I did say I would bargain with you, so I shall keep my word – unless I find you to possess absolutely nothing of value.”Damn! Six slowly removes the haversack saying, “This scorpion chain is the most expensive item I have. The haversack has scrolls, one of which is of the sixth valence – a word of recall. I would like to keep that one to leave via. The bulk of the rest are below fourth.” Six riffles through the scrolls, and then says, trying to sound a little plaintive. “You already have the paladin’s stuff – which, as you can see, is four or five times as much as I have. Those folks treated me badly. Sometimes I can’t understand why I’m still here. Oh yeah, must be the programmed amnesia. Which brings me back to what I can offer – to be the hand to stop the Xoriat invasion and prevent the corruption of the dragonmarks. If that isn’t enough, please accept our previous actions as the entertainment it was and I’ll be going.” Please?* Master Earth, from the Spell Compendium</blockquote>

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