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<blockquote data-quote="Delemental" data-source="post: 3120232" data-attributes="member: 5203">The Legacy spent the next three days at Morladim’s castle, learning everything they could about Baron Rebukkax and about the Shadow Node that the Vampire Prince wanted to construct.&nbsp; They gathered on the second afternoon to discuss what they knew so far.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; “Rebukkax lived about five hundred years ago,” Lanara said, skimming through a dusty tome that one of Morladim’s servants had brought them at the command of its master.&nbsp; “He was a goblin warlord, and by all reports was both a cunning strategist and a very charismatic leader.&nbsp; He managed to assemble an army of ten thousand goblins for the assault on Praxos.”&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Arrie whistled.&nbsp; “That’s a lot of goblins to keep in line.”&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; “And how.&nbsp; They attacked Praxos and overran their defenses pretty handily, since no one expected goblins to fight that well or that organized.&nbsp; But Rebukkax had his forces withdraw before they finished sacking the city – the prevailing theory is that he felt his troops were getting too much into the looting and were overextending themselves.&nbsp; He was about to order the army back into the city to finish the job when he was killed – by his own men.”&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; “Why?&nbsp; It seems they had a good thing going,” Kyle asked.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; “Well, simply put the goblins got greedy.&nbsp; Wanted a bigger share of the spoils.&nbsp; But after Rebukkax died and wasn’t there to hold the army together, they started fighting amongst themselves, and by the time the Tlaxan army got there they were hardly a challenge.&nbsp; Rebukkax’s ghost must have formed there where he died and fled back to the mountains.”&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; “Where he made his way to the Dark Hills,” Autumn concluded.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; “And pledged his fealty, exactly.&nbsp; He must still have a lot of the charm he held when he was alive, because he’s attracted all sorts of undead to him – ghosts, of course, and shadows, wraiths, dread wraiths, and spectres, as well as a few of the more esoteric forms of incorporeal undead like cryptchanters.&nbsp; Some of his subjects have been with him for centuries, so they have a fair bit of life experience… or, well, unlife experience in this case.”&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; “So what’s his angle in this rebellion?” Osborn asked.&nbsp; “Power grab?”&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; “Very possible,” Kyle replied, “but bear in mind that Rebukkax and ghosts like him have no need to feed, don’t reproduce, and are pretty rare in any case.&nbsp; It’s his other subjects that do that.&nbsp; It is possible that this is some sort of uprising among his own subjects, and he’s either unable to stop it or not wanting to put a lot of effort into stopping it.”&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; “I suppose that’s what we’re going to go find out,” Arrie said.&nbsp; “What does Morladim have to say about it?”&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Everyone looked at Lanara.&nbsp; It was no great secret that the bard had spent quite a bit of time around the vampire since they had arrived, and seem quite entranced with the handsome lord.&nbsp; Once they’d confirmed that her interest was not magically influenced, and that there were no bite marks appearing on Lanara’s neck, the rest of the party let her do as she wished.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; “He says that if Rebukkax has demands, and they’re reasonable, then he’ll negotiate.&nbsp; Otherwise, he says we’re free to discorporate Rebukkax and his ghostly subjects, and any other undead we wish.&nbsp; The ghosts are the real lynchpin down in that barony, and if they’re out of commission for a few days Morladim should be able to get things under control.&nbsp; He doesn’t want Rebukkax or the ghosts destroyed, but that’s not really an issue, unless we intend to help him finish sacking Praxos.”&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; “Maybe if the Taurics take it,” said Autumn, “for now, though, no.”&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; “All right, then,” Tolly said, “what of our other task?”&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Kyle produced a sheet of parchment from a pocket.&nbsp; “I have the list of the materials that Morladim needs for the Node,” he said.&nbsp; “There’s a lot of stuff here, from all over Affon.&nbsp; Some of it’s going to be hard to get our hands on – the black sapphires Morladim already mentioned, a few hundred pounds of silver, virgin darkwood from a tree at least one hundred years old, obsidian glass from the Red Archipelago, stuff like that.&nbsp; And some of it will be very hard to get – the soul of an archmage, for example.”&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; “Well, we don’t have to worry about that until we finish this business with Rebukkax,” Arrie said.&nbsp; “Then we can probably split up, or something.”&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Osborn snatched the paper from Kyle’s hand.&nbsp; He picked up a quill pen sitting on a nearby table, and started checking things off.&nbsp; “I can get that, and that, and that,” he said.&nbsp; “Probably not that, maybe that, that, that, that’ll take me a few days, that, not that, not that either, that.”&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; The hin handed the list back to Kyle, who stared amazed at the number of items checked off.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; “I may need a ride into town, if you don’t mind, Kyle,” he said.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; “Sure, just let me know.”&nbsp; Kyle folded the paper and put it away.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Lanara winked at Osborn.&nbsp; She knew better than any of them how Osborn was able to get his hands on the needed supplies.&nbsp; “And what about our third task?” the cansin asked.&nbsp; She was referring to Morladim’s daughter, Genevieve, and their efforts to get a sense of what kind of person she was before springing her on the Tlaxan Imperial Court.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; “Our feeling is that she definitely takes after her father,” Autumn said.&nbsp; “She certainly isn’t looking after the greater good.”&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; “It’s what you’d expect, from someone who’s grown up around here,” Arrie said.&nbsp; “But she’s young, no more than sixteen, so…”&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; “Thirty-five,” interrupted Tolly.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; “What?”&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; “She’s about thirty-five, by my guess.&nbsp; She may look sixteen, but I’d attribute that to her status as a half-vampire.&nbsp; She acts and speaks like someone who has the experience of at least three decades of life.”&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; “I wasn’t aware you’d spent that much time around her to figure that out,” Arrie said.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Tolly’s ears reddened just a little.&nbsp; “I’m an Inquisitor.&nbsp; I’m trained to pick up these sort of little details.”&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; “Right,” said Arrie, “details.&nbsp; Any other observations you’d like to share?”&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; “Well,” said Tolly, feeling very much in the spotlight, “she’s definitely been raised with the expectation of living in court, but she lacks experience.&nbsp; I have admittedly been trying to impart to her some of my own wisdom in these affairs.”&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; “Right,” repeated Arrie, “wisdom.”*&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; *&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; *&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; On the evening of the third day of their stay, the party set out for Baron Rebukkax’s manor house.&nbsp; They had been given horses out of Morladim’s stables (which sat well away from the castle itself, to keep the horses from dying of fright being so close to so many undead predators) as well as a guide and liaison, a vampiric thrall named Marc.&nbsp; Marc had once been a priest of Erito and an adventurer out of Sargia, until he and his party entered the Dark Hills in search of tombs to plunder about ten years ago.&nbsp; Their encounter with Morladim and some of his vassals changed everything.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; “It should take about a night and a half before we reach Rebukkax’s lands,” Marc said.&nbsp; They were traveling at night and resting in the day, not only so Marc could aid them during their journey if needed, but because it was much harder for the Baron’s shadows, spectres, and other light-sensitive minions to ambush the campsite in the middle of the day.&nbsp; A single horse-drawn wagon pulled Marc’s coffin along with the party as they traveled.&nbsp; “His territory is almost on the coastline.”&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Along the way, Autumn noticed Arrie staring pensively out into the countryside.&nbsp; She reined her horse back to draw near her.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; “Silver for your thoughts,” she said to the warrior.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; “You should save your silver for the war effort,” Arrie said.&nbsp; “Werewolves, you know.”&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; “You seem a thousand miles away, Arrie.”&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; “Oh, I was just thinking about what it must be like to live only at night, never seeing the sun again,” she said.&nbsp; “You know, Morladim is kind of fascinating, in a way.”&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Autumn’s eyes narrowed.&nbsp; “Fascinating in what way?”&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; She looked back calmly at the sentinel.&nbsp; “Oh, you know, in a kind of an ‘I have no afterlife’ sort of way.”&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Autumn’s eyes widened.&nbsp; “No…”&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; “Hey, you have somewhere to go when you die.&nbsp; I don’t.”*&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; “But we’re working on that!” Autumn protested.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; “I didn’t say I made any decisions, I’m just considering my options,” Arrie said.&nbsp; “We can discuss this later.”&nbsp; She spurred her horse forward, leaving Autumn trying to stammer a response.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; They encountered no resistance as they rode to Rebukkax’s territory.&nbsp; Soon they came to the ruins of an old manor house, little more than four crumbling walls, which sat atop a grassy hill in the midst of a forest.&nbsp; A ruined cobblestone path led up the hill to the archway that once held the front door, though ironically with so many stone dislodged and broken stones, the path was more treacherous than the grassy hill to either side.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; The party dismounted at the bottom of the hill and tied up their horses, and then proceeded up the hill.&nbsp; Lit torches flickered on the walls of the manor, silhouetting the hulking forms of two dread wraiths standing next to the entrance, each the size of an ogre. As they drew close, a voice emanated from one of the wraiths.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; “…Who comes…?”&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; “A diplomatic party,” answered Lanara.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; “…From whom…?”&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; “From your lord.”&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; “…Rebukkax is inside… who do you serve…?”&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; “We are emissaries from Lord Morladim.”&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; “…Wait…”&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; One of the wraiths floated back through the wall behind him, while the other moved in front of the doorway.&nbsp; Minutes later, the wraith emerged, accompanied by two other spectral figures.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; One was a goblin, dressed in fine clothes that were ripped and torn.&nbsp; The goblin himself looked as if he had been torn to pieces by bare hands, with flesh hanging loose and scored with claw marks.&nbsp; Despite his horrific appearance, Baron Rebukkax seemed to carry himself as a leader, someone who expected to be obeyed.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; The second ghost was an elven female, dressed in the robes of a priestess of Erito.&nbsp; Her head looked as though it had been severed, hanging on only by the trachea.&nbsp; Lanara recognized the elven ghost as Deathmistress Elissinara, a priestess of Erito who lived long ago and was executed by her own church for following the Entropic Heresy, the splinter cult of Erito’s faith that held that the power of entropy and decay would eventually overwhelm the world and even Erito’s ability to maintain the cycle of life, death, and magic.&nbsp; There wasn’t time to relay any of this to her companions, however, because they were awaiting acknowledgment.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Lanara bowed slightly.&nbsp; “Baron Rebukkax, Deathmistress Elissinara.&nbsp; We are honored to meet you.”&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Rebukkax made a snorting noise.&nbsp; “So this is what he sends.&nbsp; Tell me, are you here to negotiate, or are you a snack?”&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; “We would prefer diplomacy,” Lanara said with a smile.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Marc spoke up from the back.&nbsp; “I can confirm that my master did not send them as an offering.&nbsp; If you have not heard of The Legacy, this is them.”&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Rebukkax looked over the party for a while.&nbsp; “So, he’s finally decided to come to his senses.&nbsp; That’s good.&nbsp; Did he even tell you what our demands are, or did he just send you here on a lark saying ‘go take care of that for me’?”&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; “We have come to find out what it is you seek,” Lanara answered.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; “I want independence from that… moron who lives in flesh.&nbsp; I want my barony to be mine.&nbsp; I don’t want to report to him, and I don’t want him telling me what’s best for my people.&nbsp; He needs to get out of our business and let us exist.&nbsp; If he thinks otherwise, he can come down here himself.”&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; “You do realize that all barons have to report to someone,” Lanara mentioned.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; “What can I say?&nbsp; I like to make history.&nbsp; I’ve done it before.”&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; “I don’t doubt your abilities, Baron.&nbsp; Is it safe to assume that you don’t wish to settle this amicably?”&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; “If he wants to back off, then we’re done,” replied the Baron.&nbsp; “I don’t really care.&nbsp; But if he keeps sending his people in here to enforce the status quo, then it won’t be amicable.&nbsp; He’ll keep losing his people.”&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; “Is there anything short of autonomy you would be willing to consider?&nbsp; An adjustment to the terms of your vassalage, perhaps?”&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Rebukkax scowled.&nbsp; “I don’t know.”&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; “As I understand it,” Lanara continued, “if you allow your subjects to hunt and reproduce without limitations, you’ll soon find you’ve run out of… snacks, as you put it.&nbsp; Things could get terribly crowded even for the undead.”&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; “We do know when to say when,” Rebukkax retorted.&nbsp; “We just say it much later than Morladim thinks we should.&nbsp; He keeps my people at a bare subsistence level, in constant starvation.&nbsp; One feeding a month, and no spawning unless he approves it.&nbsp; Undeath is unpleasant enough, breather, there is no need to deliberately make it worse.”&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; “There are reasons,” Tolly said slowly.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; “Yeah, and they’re not good ones!” Rebukkax shot back.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; “Outside of complete autonomy,” Lanara repeated, “acknowledging that we must all live under some form of rules to prosper, what would you consider a more equitable set of rules?”&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; “If you want to get into specifics, then I should be speaking with Morladim directly.&nbsp; If he wants to come down here and talk, I’ll see him to discuss what can change.”&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; “He has authorized us to negotiate on his behalf,” Lanara said.&nbsp; “What would be a reasonable limit to you?&nbsp; Feeding once a week?&nbsp; Twice a month?”&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; “At least once a week will keep my people sated,” Rebukkax said.&nbsp; “It will give them what you would consider a ‘comfortable existence’.&nbsp; Some of my subjects wish to feed daily, and even I recognize that is too much.”&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; “How many lives does once a week represent?” Tolly asked.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; “Depends.&nbsp; Some mortals have stronger life force than others.&nbsp; If we were to capture the lot of you, it’d probably take months to finish you off.”&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; “But how many of our stature exist in this region?”&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; “None,” Rebukkax admitted.&nbsp; “For most, a single touch from a wraith will destroy them.”&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; “That’s why Lord Morladim controls your feeding,” Tolly explained.&nbsp; “You realize that if you kill too many, the mortals will begin to oppose you, and eventually call in forces you can’t deal with.”&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; “I’m well aware of this.&nbsp; I just think his strictures are far too harsh.”&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; “If the feeding limit were raised,” asked Lanara, “could you persuade your people to reinstate the limits on spawning?”&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; “I could probably pull that off,” he said.&nbsp; “Tell them we need to cut down on the competition for food.&nbsp; They’ll grumble a bit, but they’ll go along.”&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Lanara smiled.&nbsp; “May we withdraw for a moment to discuss your offer and relay the information back to Lord Morladim?”&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; “Sure, take your time.&nbsp; I’ll go back to what I was doing before.”&nbsp; With that, the Baron and the Deathmistress floated backward through the walls into the ruined manor.&nbsp; The party walked down the hill about thirty feet before talking.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; “Well, do we take this to Morladim?” Lanara asked.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; “We can present it to him,” Tolly said.&nbsp; “In my mind, he is disobeying the orders of his lawful lord.”&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; “But is willing to compromise,” Lanara pointed out.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; “Vassals press their liege lord for additional rights and privileges all the time,” Kyle pointed out.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; “We are dealing in mortal lives, you understand,” Tolly said.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; “I know,” said Kyle, “but no matter what we do, the undead of the Dark Hills will continue to feed off the living regardless of what we do here.&nbsp; I’d rather have some sort of limit on that than none at all.&nbsp; If we just go in and destroy Rebukkax and his people, then they stay under Morladim’s thumb for a while, but then eventually this whole rebellion starts up again.”&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; “I agree that some structure is better than none,” Tolly said.&nbsp; “And I don’t relish the task of having to obliterate all of them.&nbsp; There are a few Tauric commanders I’ve met who I’d love to loose the undead upon.”&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; “Well, we did come here originally to try and get Morladim to join the war,” Kyle pointed out.&nbsp; “Why not just tell Rebukkax that if he stays under the current strictures for now, when Morladim joins the war effort, his people can feed off the Taurics?&nbsp; If they’re hungry, there are thousands… millions of Tauric troops.”&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; “That’s an excellent point,” Lanara said.&nbsp; “Should we present that option to Rebukkax?”&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Arrie frowned. “Are you sure Morladim’s going to be okay with us essentially drafting his subjects?&nbsp; We would be putting them in harm’s way on a battlefield, incorporeal or not.&nbsp; We don’t want Morladim angry at us for killing off his people.”&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; “True, but often a leader will deal with a rebellious faction in their ranks by sending them elsewhere.&nbsp; It may be exactly the opportunity Morladim needs.”&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; “Well,” said Osborn suddenly, “just so you know, they know what we’re talking about.&nbsp; One of them is right there.” He pointed at the ground in the center of their circle.**&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; “It figures,” Arrie said.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; “So much for being sly,” Lanara sighed.&nbsp; “Hey, Baron!”&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Baron Rebukkax popped out of the ground, grinning.&nbsp; “Yes?”&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; “Clever trick, Baron.”&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; “Great, isn’t it!”&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; “Wish I could learn it,” Lanara said, “but I’m still rather enamored with my flesh and blood existence, and all the things that go with it.&nbsp; Eating, for example.”&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Rebukkax scoffed.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; “So, what do you think of feeding off Tauric invaders?” Lanara asked.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; “You know, the words ‘inexhaustible supply’ are music to my ears,” he said.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; “Would you be willing to agree to strict feeding and population controls once you got back?”&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; “I’m sure we could work something out,” Rebukkax said.&nbsp; “I’m sure that my people will be much more agreeable when they’re glutted.&nbsp; It’s not the easiest thing to do with a wraith, but it can happen.&nbsp; And I can even tell them there’s no limit on spawning.&nbsp; Most of them don’t know this, but for the most part only humanoids can be made into undead spawn.&nbsp; Things like centaurs and minotaurs won’t rise as wraiths or shadows.”&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; “Lycanthropes?” Tolly asked.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; “They will spawn,” Rebukkax admitted, “though they’ll be ‘cured’ of their affliction, so to speak.”&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; “Well, I think we have enough to contact Lord Morladim and present him with the option,” Lanara said.&nbsp; “Kyle, can you issue a sending to him?”&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; “Sure,” he said, “but I think this one is going to require two of them.”&nbsp; Kyle thought for a moment, and then began casting.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Morladim, Rebukkax wanting looser feeding/breeding limits.&nbsp; Refuses status quo.&nbsp; However, has been appraised of Tauric invasion, intrigued by unlimited feeding possibility. Continued…&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; May be willing to return to strict limits at war’s conclusion.&nbsp; Rebukkax will meet with you to negotiate specifics.&nbsp; Will you meet?&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; As Kyle recited the words, he suddenly heard a hissing from behind him.&nbsp; One of the dread wraiths that had been at the door stood there, its eyes burning hatefully as it looked at its leader.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; “…Rebukkax… you have betrayed us…your people… we thought you would see to our needs… but you listen to the lies of the breathers…now we shall show you what breeds in darkness…”&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; The ground started to rumble.&nbsp; Rebukkax looked perplexed.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; “Oh, crap,” Lanara said, as she began to lift off the ground in flight.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; All around them, the darkness moved.&nbsp; Three huge forms erupted out of the night at once; from the cloud-covered night sky came a large, black, bat-like shape.&nbsp; From out of the trees on the far side of the hill came a hulking black humanoid form with glowing blue eyes.&nbsp; And erupting from the ground on the opposite side came an enormous black worm, with chitinous black plates.&nbsp; They were all nearly overwhelmed by a palpable wave of pure evil.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Nightshades.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; The area erupted in a frenzy.&nbsp; The various shadows and wraiths that had been slowly gathering in the region began to rush forward, but the vampire Marc, who charged in with fangs bared and chanting prayers to Erito, challenged them, keeping them away from the Legacy.&nbsp; Lanara, in a panic, shot straight up, trying to get away from the abominations all around her.&nbsp; The rest of the party seemed momentarily unsure of what to do.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; The nightwing swooped down toward Arrie, barely missing her as its claws raked the air.&nbsp; In response, she raked it with her chain as it went by, tearing into its black flesh.&nbsp; She was dismayed to see many of the wounds close up almost immediately.The nightwalker turned and looked at where Osborn was standing, its eyes glowing brighter for a moment, and suddenly the hin’s mind clouded over, and he started to rave nonsensically.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Crystal was the first in the party to move, rolling under the nightwing’s claws and quickly cast a healing spell, using it to touch the creature and disrupt the negative energy that suffused the nightwing’s essence.&nbsp; It shrieked and rose higher, looking to circle around.&nbsp; Autumn uttered a spell of her own, consecrating the area to Bail, which drove back some of the oppressive evil they felt.&nbsp; The air seemed to clear even further when Tolly uttered a holy word.&nbsp; The nightwalker reeled, but did not vanish at Tolly had hoped.&nbsp; The nightcrawler didn’t even flinch.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Then there was a mighty roar of flame, as Kyle unleashed a massive fireball at the nightcrawler.&nbsp; It was bigger and more powerful than anything they’d ever seen him unleash before.&nbsp; Black chitin burned to a crisp and dropped away as the monstrosity screeched in pain.&nbsp; Kyle’s triumph was short-lived, however, because moments later he was caught in a cone of cold from the nightcrawler as it loomed overhead.&nbsp; Most of the party, save for Lanara and Crystal, were caught in the numbing cold.&nbsp; He was also struck by a black ray from the nightwalker which sapped his vitality, and moments later was raked by the nightwing.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; The nightcrawler’s gaping maw shot out and crunched into Autumn, picking her up like a rag doll and tossing her about before swallowing the helpless sentinel.&nbsp; The crawler’s stinging tail pierced Tolly’s armor, though fortunately the cleric’s recent reforging by Ardara had rendered him immune to the venom coating the razor sharp spine.&nbsp; Both Crystal and Lanara tried to cast spells on the worm, but its innate resistance to magic protected it.&nbsp; Tolly looked around, to see if the area was clear for his next spell, but saw Kyle was standing too close, looking wounded but still on his feet.&nbsp; Sorry, Kyle, he thought, and then uttered a dictum.&nbsp; Like the holy word before, neither the nearby nightcrawler nor the nightwalker were affected, but Tolly saw Kyle clasp his hands to his head as blood trickled out of his ears.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Arrie activated the psicrown she’d recently acquired through Aran, and took off into the air after the nightwalker, who had begun to move around to flank the battle.&nbsp; She considered that perhaps using some special metal might cause more permanent wounds to nightshades, but she didn’t know what kind.&nbsp; She drew her morphic weapon, transforming it into a long spear, and also formed the spearhead into cold iron.&nbsp; I’ve got one shot in three…&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Osborn, still unable to control his own actions, looked around the battle wildly.&nbsp; There were enemies everywhere!&nbsp; He was surrounded!&nbsp; He’d have to fight his way out.&nbsp; From the corner of his eye, he saw a hulking dark shape approaching, and he unleashed his fury, throwing dagger after dagger into the enemy until it stopped moving and collapsed.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Autumn was being battered about in the nightcrawler’s intestines.&nbsp; Worse still, she could feel it leaching off her life essence.&nbsp; Autumn reached into her belt pouch and managed to pull out a potion she’d saved, one of the enhanced potions made by the master alchemist Neville.&nbsp; Pulling the seal off with her teeth, she drank the contents, and willed herself to Kyle’s side.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; There was a shift, and Autumn was outside again, but standing on uneven ground.&nbsp; As she stepped back, something moved under her boots, and she looked down to see her husband’s body sprawled on the hillside, with eight of Osborn’s daggers protruding from his body.***&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Meanwhile, the nightwalker snatched the spear out of Arrie’s hands, and clawed her with a contemptuous backhand swipe.&nbsp; The warrior rolled with the blow, drawing her spiked chain as she did so, and quickly wrapped it around the spear and pulled it free before the nightwalker could crush it.&nbsp; The nightwing raked at Tolly, Lanara tried to dispel the confusion on Osborn but couldn’t break the spell’s grip, and Crystal stabbed at the nightcrawler, though the wound closed up instantly whenever she struck it.&nbsp; Tolly summoned the energy for a heal spell, and used it on the nightwalker, causing it to shriek in agony.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Autumn stared across the battlefield at Osborn.&nbsp; Tears streaked the hin’s face, betraying his grief over actions he had no control over.&nbsp; They shared a brief moment of agony together before Osborn suddenly ran off, screaming at the top of his lungs, and was gone.&nbsp; The sentinel fought back her own tears, and turned angrily toward the nearest foe, looming over them all.&nbsp; And then something happened no one expected.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; There was a flash of white light, and erupting from Kyle’s body came a familiar form, surrounded with an aura of holy power, his greatsword gripped tightly in two hands.&nbsp; Righeous fury blazed in Phanuel’s eyes.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; “Back to the depths with you, abominations!” he shouted, and unleashed a spell, covering Autumn, Tolly, and Arrie in the same blessed aura that enveloped him.&nbsp; In the confusion of the planetar’s arrival, however, the nightcrawler managed to get a hold of Crystal with its razor-sharp teeth and began lifting her high into the air.&nbsp; The axani stabbed at the creature’s mouth with her dagger, but the blade couldn’t even get past the thinner chitinous plates around its maw.&nbsp; Autumn charged in, her axe glowing with holy power and her eyes wild and glazed over, but her blow skittered off the nightcrawler’s hide as well.&nbsp; Phanuel released a burst of positive energy, simultaneously wounding the nightcrawler and healing Autumn and Crystal.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Nearby, the nightwing had swooped down over the battle, using one of its innate abilities to speed the movements of both itself and the nightwalker, who was in a fierce exchange with Tolly and Arrie.&nbsp; Lanara, taking a page from the nightwing, decided to inspire Tolly to greatness with her bardic music.&nbsp; The nightwalker’s claws raked Tolly, nearly taking his head off; in response the cleric used a heal spell on the abomination again, searing its inky black flesh.&nbsp; Arrie tried to pull the nightwalker off its feet, but the behemoth proved too strong.&nbsp; She was able to retrieve the spear she’d lost, and used its innate abilities to mimic any material to transform it into adamantium.&nbsp; The cold iron had failed to do any significant damage earlier.&nbsp; Fifty-fifty chance I’m right…&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; The nightcrawler spat out Crystal, and went after the more dangerous foe; Phanuel.&nbsp; Its massive mouth locked around the planetar, biting into his emerald flesh; in response Phanuel called down divine fire on the giant worm, though the flames rolled off its back like water.&nbsp; A far more effective attack came from Autumn, as Crystal used her dagger to pry up one of the crawler’s thick scales and exposed the softer flesh underneath.&nbsp; Crystal grabbed the edge of the scale and pulled it back.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; “Here!” she cried out to the aasimar.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; The axe bit deep, and the nightcrawler roared in pain as Autumn poured holy power into the wound.&nbsp; It released Phanuel, and immediately lunged for the sentinel, snatching her off the ground and once again swallowing her.&nbsp; Just before she vanished into the nightcrawler’s gullet, Crystal tossed Autumn a dagger she would be able to use to cut her way out from inside. Phanuel began swinging his blade at the beast’s head, slicing away chunks of flesh that seemed to grow back as quickly as they fell off.&nbsp; The nightcrawler tried to dissuade the planetar with a finger of death, but although the angel winced as the necromantic energies struck him, he did not fall.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Arrie’s spear found its mark, and bit deep into the nightwalker’s side.&nbsp; It roared, and then raked her with both hands, hitting her several times.&nbsp; As she stumbled back, bleeding heavily, she saw with dismay that the wounds she had inflicted were healing up again.&nbsp; Nearby, Tolly was also faring poorly.&nbsp; He had tried to cast another spell, but an attack by the nightwalker forced him to duck, ruining his concentration.&nbsp; Grimacing, the Ardaran stepped back, and then unleashed Ardara’s clenched fist at the monster, hitting it squarely and forcing it to stumble back.&nbsp; This gave Arrie enough time to drink a healing potion, which she desperately needed.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Overhead, there was a brief aerial battle between Lanara and the nightwing.&nbsp; The flying creature tried several times to rake Lanara, but she dodged its blows.&nbsp; In response, she blasted it with a shout spell, and then hit it with a sling bullet filled with holy water.&nbsp; From her position high in the air, the bard caught a glimpse of Osborn several hundred feet away, still raving and waving his arms wildly, though occasionally a lone shadow would approach too close, and end up getting shredded by the hin’s short sword.&nbsp; She wanted to help Osborn, but she had no way to break the powerful enchantment on him.&nbsp; The best she could to was to begin playing her inspiring music as loudly as she could, hoping her words might reach him somehow and help soothe his troubled mind.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Deciding to try for an easier target, the nightwing dove down and struck Tolly across the back, though it received a cut on its wing from Arrie for the trouble.&nbsp; The nightwing attempted to render the warrior immobilized in revenge.&nbsp; Arrie felt the nightwing’s power trying to overwhelm her, and she had to dig deep into her reserves of psionic power to bolster her will, just barely resisting the spell.&nbsp; Fortunately for her, Phanuel’s attention was wholly occupied by the nightcrawler, who had tried to bite the angel’s head off after Phanuel had healed the undead worm.&nbsp; But Arrie had worries of her own, as the nightwalker was still pressing its attack.&nbsp; It had dispelled Tolly’s clenched fist, and was going after both of them with renewed fury.&nbsp; Just as Arrie began to wonder if either of them would make it out of this battle, Tolly struck the walker with searing light, and with a scream of rage the shadow beast dissolved into nothingness.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; “Let’s go!” Tolly shouted, pointing at the nightcrawler.&nbsp; But Arrie was already most of the way there, using psionic power to speed her flight.&nbsp; She jabbed at the monster with her spear, even as Phanuel hacked at it with his blade.&nbsp; Nearby, they heard Lanara unleash another shout at the nightwing.&nbsp; Tolly stopped near the massive worm, and cast a mass cure serious wounds, channeling it through the armbands he wore that amplified healing magics.&nbsp; The spell touched nearly everyone remaining on the battlefield, healing wounds all around.&nbsp; More importantly, it proved to be the burst of positive energy that finally overwhelmed the nightcrawler, and it dissolved, dropping an ichor-covered Autumn into the deep hole the shadow worm had left in its wake.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; All attention now turned to the nightwing.&nbsp; Arrie flew up toward the bat-like creature and stabbed at it, even as Phanuel flew up and unleashed a mass cure spell of his own to heal Arrie and hurt the creature.&nbsp; Seriously wounded, and seeing its brothers had fallen, the nightwing wheeled away and plane shifted back to Shadow.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; The party nearly collapsed to the ground, exhausted, oblivious to whatever else might have been happening around them.&nbsp; Phanuel flew off to break the spell on Osborn, and Arrie took the opportunity to fly down and retrieve Autumn, putting her back on the ground and ending her psionic flight power before the planetar returned with the hin.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Osborn immediately fell to his knees in front of Autumn.&nbsp; “Please,” he said, sobbing, “forgive me, Autumn.&nbsp; I couldn’t control myself. I…” He broke down into tears.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Autumn laid a hand on Osborn’s head, her own vision blurry from tears.&nbsp; “I know, Osborn, I know.&nbsp; It wasn’t your fault.”&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; A short distance away, Arrie approached Tolly.&nbsp; “So,” she said quietly, “by process of elimination, I assume that nightshades are vulnerable to silver?”&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; “Enchanted silver, yes,” replied Tolly.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; “It would have been good to know that,” she commented.&nbsp; “You know, from someone who knows a lot about the undead and all.”&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; “I was busy,” Tolly said curtly.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; “Never mind,” Arrie said.&nbsp; “We have more important things to worry about.”&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; The Ardaran nodded.&nbsp; “Kyle.&nbsp; And Rebukkax.”&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; “Worse than that,” Arrie said.&nbsp; “Nightshades come from the Plane of Shadow, right?&nbsp; Isn’t Morladim building himself a Shadow Node?&nbsp; We may be seeing these things again sooner than we’d like.”&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Tolly looked grimly at Arrie.&nbsp; “You have a talent for taking a bad situation and pointing out how much worse it can get.”&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; They watched as Phanuel walked over and put his arm around his daughter’s shoulder, whispering words of comfort to her as she knelt over Kyle’s corpse, gently removing the daggers stuck in his body and tossing them aside.&nbsp; Lanara gathered up the daggers and cleaned them off, intending to return them to Osborn later when his grief was not so fresh.&nbsp; The hin had walked down to where they had tied up the horses, and was cradling Rupert’s head.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; After a while, Phanuel stood up, leaving Autumn to her mourning.&nbsp; Arrie and Tolly walked up to the planetar.&nbsp; “Thank you for your help, Phanuel,” Arrie said. “Pardon my language, but we would have been f*cked if you hadn’t shown up.”&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; “No thanks are needed, Ariadne,” Phanuel said.&nbsp; “It is my sacred duty to combat evil and aid the righteous.&nbsp; I had given Kyle the means to call me if my daughter was ever in mortal peril.”&nbsp; He held out his hand, which held a large, greenish pearl, split neatly in two.&nbsp; “I was somewhat surprised to learn that it was Kyle’s death that triggered the calling, however; the bond between him and Autumn must be very strong.”&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; “I’m sure that Kyle will want to thank you in person,” Tolly said.&nbsp; “I will be petitioning Ardara to have his spirit returned to his body tomorrow after I have rested and prayed.”&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; “Save your strength, child of Earth,” Phanuel said.&nbsp; “For I can return on the morrow as well to perform the rite you speak of, and I will be able to petition my master to pay the Tithe on Kyle’s behalf.&nbsp; You may need what power Ardara grants you for other purposes, if you intend to tarry here.”&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Phanuel suddenly pulled himself up to his full height, and his eyes blazed.&nbsp; “And speaking of this place,” he said, in a loud, strong voice, “who is responsible for the binding of these unholy abominations?”&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Slowly, from the edge of the forest, the vampire Marc approached the planetar timidly.&nbsp; He gestured with one hand, and the two dread wraiths that had been at Rebukkax’s door slid forward, looking as though they were being forced to comply.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; “Bright one, I believe that these two creatures of shadow were responsible for the harvesting of souls required to create the nightshades,” he said, bowing.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Tolly turned toward the ruined manor.&nbsp; “Baron!” he shouted angrily.&nbsp; “Come out here!”&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; From a nearby rock, Baron Rebukkax poked his head out.&nbsp; “Is it safe to come out?” he asked.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Tolly glared at the goblin ghost.&nbsp; “You have some explaining to do.&nbsp; How could you possibly not know what was happening in your own domain?”&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; “I’m a busy goblin!” Rebukkax said defensively.&nbsp; “You look like you’ve led troops before; do you know what every single one of them is doing, every moment of the day?&nbsp; No!”&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; “I would know it if some of them were conjuring nightshades,” Tolly said.&nbsp; “Unless I were either deliberately blind or a great fool.”&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; “Like I’m supposed to know what they were up to!&nbsp; I don’t ‘do’ spells.”&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; “You don’t ‘do’ what is necessary to be a baron,” Tolly retorted.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Rebukkax snarled and sneered.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; “Judgment has been passed on these two creatures,” Phanuel said solemnly.&nbsp; “What of the ghost and the vampire?”&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; “The vampire is currently an ally,” Tolly explained.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; “Then I suggest you remove him from the area.”&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; “Got it,” Marc said.&nbsp; “Goodbye.”&nbsp; The vampire spoke a word, and vanished.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Tolly turned to the goblin ghost.&nbsp; “Baron Rebukkax,” he said slowly.&nbsp; “Flee.&nbsp; Now.”&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Spitting a final curse, Rebukkax also vanished.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; “Those of you who may not be of purest heart, I suggest you also depart,” Phanuel said.&nbsp; Arrie and Crystal slowly wandered away.&nbsp; A moment later, they heard the echoes of a holy word rebounding from the trees and rocks.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; “It is done,” Phanuel said, turning to the Legacy.&nbsp; “I will return on the morrow to help with Kyle.”&nbsp; He looked at each of them carefully.&nbsp; “I would not linger long in this place if I were you.”&nbsp; Then, with a great flapping of wings, the planetar was gone.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; “We need to find that other ghost,” Tolly said after Phanuel had left.&nbsp; “The Deathmistress.&nbsp; I have a suspicion that she knows more about all of this than Rebukkax does.&nbsp; Though I could be wrong.”&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; “You admit it?” Lanara asked, “Is the world coming to an end?”&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; “Have you seen the north lately?”&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; “Well, I have to give you some credit, Tolly.&nbsp; You may be right.&nbsp; The legends say that after her death, Elissinara sought out powerful patrons to continue her goals.&nbsp; She could have seen the Baron’s followers as a means toward an end.&nbsp; She’s nothing if not patient, though, so if I had to guess she may very well have fled the area and will just look to pick up where she left off somewhere else.”&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; “We shall see,” Tolly said.&nbsp; “But what do we do now?”&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; “We should go back to Lord Morladim’s castle,” Arrie said.&nbsp; “Fortunately, with Marc gone, presumably back to his master’s side, we’ve been left with a convenient wagon and a coffin.”&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; “That is a good idea,” Tolly agreed.&nbsp; “Let’s give Autumn and Osborn a few more minutes, and then we should move.&nbsp; The area is clear now, but the undead could return, and there are still several hours until dawn.”&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; The party quickly made preparations to depart.&nbsp; After a few minutes, Osborn came over to help, though he didn’t say much.&nbsp; They were nearly ready to go when Autumn came, carrying Kyle’s body, and placed it into the waiting coffin.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; “Let’s get out of here,” was all she said, as she began to climb on her horse.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; “That may not be the best idea,” Crystal said suddenly, pointing.&nbsp; “Look.”&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; A short distance up the hill, they saw a large bat descending rapidly from the night sky.&nbsp; It suddenly shifted form, and standing there, looking extremely angry, was Lord Morladim himself, his hands clad in black iron gauntlets.--------------------------------------------* Recall that as a being with developed psionic powers, Arrie's soul has nowhere to go when she dies, since the psionics portfolio was destroyed along with the Consort during the Cataclysm.&nbsp; If she dies, she's doomed to wander the Shadow Plane for a while until she either gets absorbed by the plane, or turns into an undead creature.** This was definitely one of those &quot;Duh... we am smart adventurers!&quot; moments...*** A bad day for Kyle... from 112 hp to -24 in less than two rounds.This was probably one of the hardest battles we've had - Kyle dead, Autumn, Arrie, and Tolly&nbsp; very wounded (single-digit hp, if I recall), Osborn confused for something like another 20 rounds... it was a blast.&nbsp; <img src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f642.png" class="smilie smilie--emoji" loading="lazy" width="64" height="64" alt=":)" title="Smile&nbsp; &nbsp; :)"&nbsp; data-smilie="1"data-shortname=":)" /></blockquote>

[QUOTE="Delemental, post: 3120232, member: 5203"] The Legacy spent the next three days at Morladim’s castle, learning everything they could about Baron Rebukkax and about the Shadow Node that the Vampire Prince wanted to construct. They gathered on the second afternoon to discuss what they knew so far. “Rebukkax lived about five hundred years ago,” Lanara said, skimming through a dusty tome that one of Morladim’s servants had brought them at the command of its master. “He was a goblin warlord, and by all reports was both a cunning strategist and a very charismatic leader. He managed to assemble an army of ten thousand goblins for the assault on Praxos.” Arrie whistled. “That’s a lot of goblins to keep in line.” “And how. They attacked Praxos and overran their defenses pretty handily, since no one expected goblins to fight that well or that organized. But Rebukkax had his forces withdraw before they finished sacking the city – the prevailing theory is that he felt his troops were getting too much into the looting and were overextending themselves. He was about to order the army back into the city to finish the job when he was killed – by his own men.” “Why? It seems they had a good thing going,” Kyle asked. “Well, simply put the goblins got greedy. Wanted a bigger share of the spoils. But after Rebukkax died and wasn’t there to hold the army together, they started fighting amongst themselves, and by the time the Tlaxan army got there they were hardly a challenge. Rebukkax’s ghost must have formed there where he died and fled back to the mountains.” “Where he made his way to the Dark Hills,” Autumn concluded. “And pledged his fealty, exactly. He must still have a lot of the charm he held when he was alive, because he’s attracted all sorts of undead to him – ghosts, of course, and shadows, wraiths, dread wraiths, and spectres, as well as a few of the more esoteric forms of incorporeal undead like cryptchanters. Some of his subjects have been with him for centuries, so they have a fair bit of life experience… or, well, unlife experience in this case.” “So what’s his angle in this rebellion?” Osborn asked. “Power grab?” “Very possible,” Kyle replied, “but bear in mind that Rebukkax and ghosts like him have no need to feed, don’t reproduce, and are pretty rare in any case. It’s his other subjects that do that. It is possible that this is some sort of uprising among his own subjects, and he’s either unable to stop it or not wanting to put a lot of effort into stopping it.” “I suppose that’s what we’re going to go find out,” Arrie said. “What does Morladim have to say about it?” Everyone looked at Lanara. It was no great secret that the bard had spent quite a bit of time around the vampire since they had arrived, and seem quite entranced with the handsome lord. Once they’d confirmed that her interest was not magically influenced, and that there were no bite marks appearing on Lanara’s neck, the rest of the party let her do as she wished. “He says that if Rebukkax has demands, and they’re reasonable, then he’ll negotiate. Otherwise, he says we’re free to discorporate Rebukkax and his ghostly subjects, and any other undead we wish. The ghosts are the real lynchpin down in that barony, and if they’re out of commission for a few days Morladim should be able to get things under control. He doesn’t want Rebukkax or the ghosts destroyed, but that’s not really an issue, unless we intend to help him finish sacking Praxos.” “Maybe if the Taurics take it,” said Autumn, “for now, though, no.” “All right, then,” Tolly said, “what of our other task?” Kyle produced a sheet of parchment from a pocket. “I have the list of the materials that Morladim needs for the Node,” he said. “There’s a lot of stuff here, from all over Affon. Some of it’s going to be hard to get our hands on – the black sapphires Morladim already mentioned, a few hundred pounds of silver, virgin darkwood from a tree at least one hundred years old, obsidian glass from the Red Archipelago, stuff like that. And some of it will be very hard to get – the soul of an archmage, for example.” “Well, we don’t have to worry about that until we finish this business with Rebukkax,” Arrie said. “Then we can probably split up, or something.” Osborn snatched the paper from Kyle’s hand. He picked up a quill pen sitting on a nearby table, and started checking things off. “I can get that, and that, and that,” he said. “Probably not that, maybe that, that, that, that’ll take me a few days, that, not that, not that either, that.” The hin handed the list back to Kyle, who stared amazed at the number of items checked off. “I may need a ride into town, if you don’t mind, Kyle,” he said. “Sure, just let me know.” Kyle folded the paper and put it away. Lanara winked at Osborn. She knew better than any of them how Osborn was able to get his hands on the needed supplies. “And what about our third task?” the cansin asked. She was referring to Morladim’s daughter, Genevieve, and their efforts to get a sense of what kind of person she was before springing her on the Tlaxan Imperial Court. “Our feeling is that she definitely takes after her father,” Autumn said. “She certainly isn’t looking after the greater good.” “It’s what you’d expect, from someone who’s grown up around here,” Arrie said. “But she’s young, no more than sixteen, so…” “Thirty-five,” interrupted Tolly. “What?” “She’s about thirty-five, by my guess. She may look sixteen, but I’d attribute that to her status as a half-vampire. She acts and speaks like someone who has the experience of at least three decades of life.” “I wasn’t aware you’d spent that much time around her to figure that out,” Arrie said. Tolly’s ears reddened just a little. “I’m an Inquisitor. I’m trained to pick up these sort of little details.” “Right,” said Arrie, “details. Any other observations you’d like to share?” “Well,” said Tolly, feeling very much in the spotlight, “she’s definitely been raised with the expectation of living in court, but she lacks experience. I have admittedly been trying to impart to her some of my own wisdom in these affairs.” “Right,” repeated Arrie, “wisdom.” [CENTER]* * *[/CENTER] On the evening of the third day of their stay, the party set out for Baron Rebukkax’s manor house. They had been given horses out of Morladim’s stables (which sat well away from the castle itself, to keep the horses from dying of fright being so close to so many undead predators) as well as a guide and liaison, a vampiric thrall named Marc. Marc had once been a priest of Erito and an adventurer out of Sargia, until he and his party entered the Dark Hills in search of tombs to plunder about ten years ago. Their encounter with Morladim and some of his vassals changed everything. “It should take about a night and a half before we reach Rebukkax’s lands,” Marc said. They were traveling at night and resting in the day, not only so Marc could aid them during their journey if needed, but because it was much harder for the Baron’s shadows, spectres, and other light-sensitive minions to ambush the campsite in the middle of the day. A single horse-drawn wagon pulled Marc’s coffin along with the party as they traveled. “His territory is almost on the coastline.” Along the way, Autumn noticed Arrie staring pensively out into the countryside. She reined her horse back to draw near her. “Silver for your thoughts,” she said to the warrior. “You should save your silver for the war effort,” Arrie said. “Werewolves, you know.” “You seem a thousand miles away, Arrie.” “Oh, I was just thinking about what it must be like to live only at night, never seeing the sun again,” she said. “You know, Morladim is kind of fascinating, in a way.” Autumn’s eyes narrowed. “Fascinating in what way?” She looked back calmly at the sentinel. “Oh, you know, in a kind of an ‘I have no afterlife’ sort of way.” Autumn’s eyes widened. “No…” “Hey, you have somewhere to go when you die. I don’t.”* “But we’re working on that!” Autumn protested. “I didn’t say I made any decisions, I’m just considering my options,” Arrie said. “We can discuss this later.” She spurred her horse forward, leaving Autumn trying to stammer a response. They encountered no resistance as they rode to Rebukkax’s territory. Soon they came to the ruins of an old manor house, little more than four crumbling walls, which sat atop a grassy hill in the midst of a forest. A ruined cobblestone path led up the hill to the archway that once held the front door, though ironically with so many stone dislodged and broken stones, the path was more treacherous than the grassy hill to either side. The party dismounted at the bottom of the hill and tied up their horses, and then proceeded up the hill. Lit torches flickered on the walls of the manor, silhouetting the hulking forms of two dread wraiths standing next to the entrance, each the size of an ogre. As they drew close, a voice emanated from one of the wraiths. “…Who comes…?” “A diplomatic party,” answered Lanara. “…From whom…?” “From your lord.” “…Rebukkax is inside… who do you serve…?” “We are emissaries from Lord Morladim.” “…Wait…” One of the wraiths floated back through the wall behind him, while the other moved in front of the doorway. Minutes later, the wraith emerged, accompanied by two other spectral figures. One was a goblin, dressed in fine clothes that were ripped and torn. The goblin himself looked as if he had been torn to pieces by bare hands, with flesh hanging loose and scored with claw marks. Despite his horrific appearance, Baron Rebukkax seemed to carry himself as a leader, someone who expected to be obeyed. The second ghost was an elven female, dressed in the robes of a priestess of Erito. Her head looked as though it had been severed, hanging on only by the trachea. Lanara recognized the elven ghost as Deathmistress Elissinara, a priestess of Erito who lived long ago and was executed by her own church for following the Entropic Heresy, the splinter cult of Erito’s faith that held that the power of entropy and decay would eventually overwhelm the world and even Erito’s ability to maintain the cycle of life, death, and magic. There wasn’t time to relay any of this to her companions, however, because they were awaiting acknowledgment. Lanara bowed slightly. “Baron Rebukkax, Deathmistress Elissinara. We are honored to meet you.” Rebukkax made a snorting noise. “So this is what he sends. Tell me, are you here to negotiate, or are you a snack?” “We would prefer diplomacy,” Lanara said with a smile. Marc spoke up from the back. “I can confirm that my master did not send them as an offering. If you have not heard of The Legacy, this is them.” Rebukkax looked over the party for a while. “So, he’s finally decided to come to his senses. That’s good. Did he even tell you what our demands are, or did he just send you here on a lark saying ‘go take care of that for me’?” “We have come to find out what it is you seek,” Lanara answered. “I want independence from that… moron who lives in flesh. I want my barony to be mine. I don’t want to report to him, and I don’t want him telling me what’s best for my people. He needs to get out of our business and let us exist. If he thinks otherwise, he can come down here himself.” “You do realize that all barons have to report to someone,” Lanara mentioned. “What can I say? I like to make history. I’ve done it before.” “I don’t doubt your abilities, Baron. Is it safe to assume that you don’t wish to settle this amicably?” “If he wants to back off, then we’re done,” replied the Baron. “I don’t really care. But if he keeps sending his people in here to enforce the status quo, then it won’t be amicable. He’ll keep losing his people.” “Is there anything short of autonomy you would be willing to consider? An adjustment to the terms of your vassalage, perhaps?” Rebukkax scowled. “I don’t know.” “As I understand it,” Lanara continued, “if you allow your subjects to hunt and reproduce without limitations, you’ll soon find you’ve run out of… snacks, as you put it. Things could get terribly crowded even for the undead.” “We do know when to say when,” Rebukkax retorted. “We just say it much later than Morladim thinks we should. He keeps my people at a bare subsistence level, in constant starvation. One feeding a month, and no spawning unless he approves it. Undeath is unpleasant enough, breather, there is no need to deliberately make it worse.” “There are reasons,” Tolly said slowly. “Yeah, and they’re not good ones!” Rebukkax shot back. “Outside of complete autonomy,” Lanara repeated, “acknowledging that we must all live under some form of rules to prosper, what would you consider a more equitable set of rules?” “If you want to get into specifics, then I should be speaking with Morladim directly. If he wants to come down here and talk, I’ll see him to discuss what can change.” “He has authorized us to negotiate on his behalf,” Lanara said. “What would be a reasonable limit to you? Feeding once a week? Twice a month?” “At least once a week will keep my people sated,” Rebukkax said. “It will give them what you would consider a ‘comfortable existence’. Some of my subjects wish to feed daily, and even I recognize that is too much.” “How many lives does once a week represent?” Tolly asked. “Depends. Some mortals have stronger life force than others. If we were to capture the lot of you, it’d probably take months to finish you off.” “But how many of our stature exist in this region?” “None,” Rebukkax admitted. “For most, a single touch from a wraith will destroy them.” “That’s why Lord Morladim controls your feeding,” Tolly explained. “You realize that if you kill too many, the mortals will begin to oppose you, and eventually call in forces you can’t deal with.” “I’m well aware of this. I just think his strictures are far too harsh.” “If the feeding limit were raised,” asked Lanara, “could you persuade your people to reinstate the limits on spawning?” “I could probably pull that off,” he said. “Tell them we need to cut down on the competition for food. They’ll grumble a bit, but they’ll go along.” Lanara smiled. “May we withdraw for a moment to discuss your offer and relay the information back to Lord Morladim?” “Sure, take your time. I’ll go back to what I was doing before.” With that, the Baron and the Deathmistress floated backward through the walls into the ruined manor. The party walked down the hill about thirty feet before talking. “Well, do we take this to Morladim?” Lanara asked. “We can present it to him,” Tolly said. “In my mind, he is disobeying the orders of his lawful lord.” “But is willing to compromise,” Lanara pointed out. “Vassals press their liege lord for additional rights and privileges all the time,” Kyle pointed out. “We are dealing in mortal lives, you understand,” Tolly said. “I know,” said Kyle, “but no matter what we do, the undead of the Dark Hills will continue to feed off the living regardless of what we do here. I’d rather have some sort of limit on that than none at all. If we just go in and destroy Rebukkax and his people, then they stay under Morladim’s thumb for a while, but then eventually this whole rebellion starts up again.” “I agree that some structure is better than none,” Tolly said. “And I don’t relish the task of having to obliterate all of them. There are a few Tauric commanders I’ve met who I’d love to loose the undead upon.” “Well, we did come here originally to try and get Morladim to join the war,” Kyle pointed out. “Why not just tell Rebukkax that if he stays under the current strictures for now, when Morladim joins the war effort, his people can feed off the Taurics? If they’re hungry, there are thousands… millions of Tauric troops.” “That’s an excellent point,” Lanara said. “Should we present that option to Rebukkax?” Arrie frowned. “Are you sure Morladim’s going to be okay with us essentially drafting his subjects? We would be putting them in harm’s way on a battlefield, incorporeal or not. We don’t want Morladim angry at us for killing off his people.” “True, but often a leader will deal with a rebellious faction in their ranks by sending them elsewhere. It may be exactly the opportunity Morladim needs.” “Well,” said Osborn suddenly, “just so you know, they know what we’re talking about. One of them is right there.” He pointed at the ground in the center of their circle.** “It figures,” Arrie said. “So much for being sly,” Lanara sighed. “Hey, Baron!” Baron Rebukkax popped out of the ground, grinning. “Yes?” “Clever trick, Baron.” “Great, isn’t it!” “Wish I could learn it,” Lanara said, “but I’m still rather enamored with my flesh and blood existence, and all the things that go with it. Eating, for example.” Rebukkax scoffed. “So, what do you think of feeding off Tauric invaders?” Lanara asked. “You know, the words ‘inexhaustible supply’ are music to my ears,” he said. “Would you be willing to agree to strict feeding and population controls once you got back?” “I’m sure we could work something out,” Rebukkax said. “I’m sure that my people will be much more agreeable when they’re glutted. It’s not the easiest thing to do with a wraith, but it can happen. And I can even tell them there’s no limit on spawning. Most of them don’t know this, but for the most part only humanoids can be made into undead spawn. Things like centaurs and minotaurs won’t rise as wraiths or shadows.” “Lycanthropes?” Tolly asked. “They will spawn,” Rebukkax admitted, “though they’ll be ‘cured’ of their affliction, so to speak.” “Well, I think we have enough to contact Lord Morladim and present him with the option,” Lanara said. “Kyle, can you issue a [I]sending [/I]to him?” “Sure,” he said, “but I think this one is going to require two of them.” Kyle thought for a moment, and then began casting. [I]Morladim, Rebukkax wanting looser feeding/breeding limits. Refuses status quo. However, has been appraised of Tauric invasion, intrigued by unlimited feeding possibility. Continued… May be willing to return to strict limits at war’s conclusion. Rebukkax will meet with you to negotiate specifics. Will you meet? [/I] As Kyle recited the words, he suddenly heard a hissing from behind him. One of the dread wraiths that had been at the door stood there, its eyes burning hatefully as it looked at its leader. “…Rebukkax… you have betrayed us…your people… we thought you would see to our needs… but you listen to the lies of the breathers…now we shall show you what breeds in darkness…” The ground started to rumble. Rebukkax looked perplexed. “Oh, crap,” Lanara said, as she began to lift off the ground in flight. All around them, the darkness moved. Three huge forms erupted out of the night at once; from the cloud-covered night sky came a large, black, bat-like shape. From out of the trees on the far side of the hill came a hulking black humanoid form with glowing blue eyes. And erupting from the ground on the opposite side came an enormous black worm, with chitinous black plates. They were all nearly overwhelmed by a palpable wave of pure evil. Nightshades. The area erupted in a frenzy. The various shadows and wraiths that had been slowly gathering in the region began to rush forward, but the vampire Marc, who charged in with fangs bared and chanting prayers to Erito, challenged them, keeping them away from the Legacy. Lanara, in a panic, shot straight up, trying to get away from the abominations all around her. The rest of the party seemed momentarily unsure of what to do. The nightwing swooped down toward Arrie, barely missing her as its claws raked the air. In response, she raked it with her chain as it went by, tearing into its black flesh. She was dismayed to see many of the wounds close up almost immediately. The nightwalker turned and looked at where Osborn was standing, its eyes glowing brighter for a moment, and suddenly the hin’s mind clouded over, and he started to rave nonsensically. Crystal was the first in the party to move, rolling under the nightwing’s claws and quickly cast a healing spell, using it to touch the creature and disrupt the negative energy that suffused the nightwing’s essence. It shrieked and rose higher, looking to circle around. Autumn uttered a spell of her own, consecrating the area to Bail, which drove back some of the oppressive evil they felt. The air seemed to clear even further when Tolly uttered a [I]holy word[/I]. The nightwalker reeled, but did not vanish at Tolly had hoped. The nightcrawler didn’t even flinch. Then there was a mighty roar of flame, as Kyle unleashed a massive [I]fireball [/I]at the nightcrawler. It was bigger and more powerful than anything they’d ever seen him unleash before. Black chitin burned to a crisp and dropped away as the monstrosity screeched in pain. Kyle’s triumph was short-lived, however, because moments later he was caught in a [I]cone of cold[/I] from the nightcrawler as it loomed overhead. Most of the party, save for Lanara and Crystal, were caught in the numbing cold. He was also struck by a black ray from the nightwalker which sapped his vitality, and moments later was raked by the nightwing. The nightcrawler’s gaping maw shot out and crunched into Autumn, picking her up like a rag doll and tossing her about before swallowing the helpless sentinel. The crawler’s stinging tail pierced Tolly’s armor, though fortunately the cleric’s recent reforging by Ardara had rendered him immune to the venom coating the razor sharp spine. Both Crystal and Lanara tried to cast spells on the worm, but its innate resistance to magic protected it. Tolly looked around, to see if the area was clear for his next spell, but saw Kyle was standing too close, looking wounded but still on his feet. [I]Sorry, Kyle,[/I] he thought, and then uttered a [I]dictum[/I]. Like the [I]holy word[/I] before, neither the nearby nightcrawler nor the nightwalker were affected, but Tolly saw Kyle clasp his hands to his head as blood trickled out of his ears. Arrie activated the psicrown she’d recently acquired through Aran, and took off into the air after the nightwalker, who had begun to move around to flank the battle. She considered that perhaps using some special metal might cause more permanent wounds to nightshades, but she didn’t know what kind. She drew her morphic weapon, transforming it into a long spear, and also formed the spearhead into cold iron. [I]I’ve got one shot in three…[/I] Osborn, still unable to control his own actions, looked around the battle wildly. There were enemies everywhere! He was surrounded! He’d have to fight his way out. From the corner of his eye, he saw a hulking dark shape approaching, and he unleashed his fury, throwing dagger after dagger into the enemy until it stopped moving and collapsed. Autumn was being battered about in the nightcrawler’s intestines. Worse still, she could feel it leaching off her life essence. Autumn reached into her belt pouch and managed to pull out a potion she’d saved, one of the enhanced potions made by the master alchemist Neville. Pulling the seal off with her teeth, she drank the contents, and willed herself to Kyle’s side. There was a shift, and Autumn was outside again, but standing on uneven ground. As she stepped back, something moved under her boots, and she looked down to see her husband’s body sprawled on the hillside, with eight of Osborn’s daggers protruding from his body.*** Meanwhile, the nightwalker snatched the spear out of Arrie’s hands, and clawed her with a contemptuous backhand swipe. The warrior rolled with the blow, drawing her spiked chain as she did so, and quickly wrapped it around the spear and pulled it free before the nightwalker could crush it. The nightwing raked at Tolly, Lanara tried to dispel the [I]confusion [/I]on Osborn but couldn’t break the spell’s grip, and Crystal stabbed at the nightcrawler, though the wound closed up instantly whenever she struck it. Tolly summoned the energy for a [I]heal [/I]spell, and used it on the nightwalker, causing it to shriek in agony. Autumn stared across the battlefield at Osborn. Tears streaked the hin’s face, betraying his grief over actions he had no control over. They shared a brief moment of agony together before Osborn suddenly ran off, screaming at the top of his lungs, and was gone. The sentinel fought back her own tears, and turned angrily toward the nearest foe, looming over them all. And then something happened no one expected. There was a flash of white light, and erupting from Kyle’s body came a familiar form, surrounded with an aura of holy power, his greatsword gripped tightly in two hands. Righeous fury blazed in Phanuel’s eyes. “Back to the depths with you, abominations!” he shouted, and unleashed a spell, covering Autumn, Tolly, and Arrie in the same blessed aura that enveloped him. In the confusion of the planetar’s arrival, however, the nightcrawler managed to get a hold of Crystal with its razor-sharp teeth and began lifting her high into the air. The axani stabbed at the creature’s mouth with her dagger, but the blade couldn’t even get past the thinner chitinous plates around its maw. Autumn charged in, her axe glowing with holy power and her eyes wild and glazed over, but her blow skittered off the nightcrawler’s hide as well. Phanuel released a burst of positive energy, simultaneously wounding the nightcrawler and healing Autumn and Crystal. Nearby, the nightwing had swooped down over the battle, using one of its innate abilities to speed the movements of both itself and the nightwalker, who was in a fierce exchange with Tolly and Arrie. Lanara, taking a page from the nightwing, decided to inspire Tolly to greatness with her bardic music. The nightwalker’s claws raked Tolly, nearly taking his head off; in response the cleric used a [I]heal [/I]spell on the abomination again, searing its inky black flesh. Arrie tried to pull the nightwalker off its feet, but the behemoth proved too strong. She was able to retrieve the spear she’d lost, and used its innate abilities to mimic any material to transform it into adamantium. The cold iron had failed to do any significant damage earlier. [I]Fifty-fifty chance I’m right… [/I] The nightcrawler spat out Crystal, and went after the more dangerous foe; Phanuel. Its massive mouth locked around the planetar, biting into his emerald flesh; in response Phanuel called down divine fire on the giant worm, though the flames rolled off its back like water. A far more effective attack came from Autumn, as Crystal used her dagger to pry up one of the crawler’s thick scales and exposed the softer flesh underneath. Crystal grabbed the edge of the scale and pulled it back. “Here!” she cried out to the aasimar. The axe bit deep, and the nightcrawler roared in pain as Autumn poured holy power into the wound. It released Phanuel, and immediately lunged for the sentinel, snatching her off the ground and once again swallowing her. Just before she vanished into the nightcrawler’s gullet, Crystal tossed Autumn a dagger she would be able to use to cut her way out from inside. Phanuel began swinging his blade at the beast’s head, slicing away chunks of flesh that seemed to grow back as quickly as they fell off. The nightcrawler tried to dissuade the planetar with a [I]finger of death[/I], but although the angel winced as the necromantic energies struck him, he did not fall. Arrie’s spear found its mark, and bit deep into the nightwalker’s side. It roared, and then raked her with both hands, hitting her several times. As she stumbled back, bleeding heavily, she saw with dismay that the wounds she had inflicted were healing up again. Nearby, Tolly was also faring poorly. He had tried to cast another spell, but an attack by the nightwalker forced him to duck, ruining his concentration. Grimacing, the Ardaran stepped back, and then unleashed [I]Ardara’s clenched fist[/I] at the monster, hitting it squarely and forcing it to stumble back. This gave Arrie enough time to drink a healing potion, which she desperately needed. Overhead, there was a brief aerial battle between Lanara and the nightwing. The flying creature tried several times to rake Lanara, but she dodged its blows. In response, she blasted it with a [I]shout [/I]spell, and then hit it with a sling bullet filled with holy water. From her position high in the air, the bard caught a glimpse of Osborn several hundred feet away, still raving and waving his arms wildly, though occasionally a lone shadow would approach too close, and end up getting shredded by the hin’s short sword. She wanted to help Osborn, but she had no way to break the powerful enchantment on him. The best she could to was to begin playing her inspiring music as loudly as she could, hoping her words might reach him somehow and help soothe his troubled mind. Deciding to try for an easier target, the nightwing dove down and struck Tolly across the back, though it received a cut on its wing from Arrie for the trouble. The nightwing attempted to render the warrior immobilized in revenge. Arrie felt the nightwing’s power trying to overwhelm her, and she had to dig deep into her reserves of psionic power to bolster her will, just barely resisting the spell. Fortunately for her, Phanuel’s attention was wholly occupied by the nightcrawler, who had tried to bite the angel’s head off after Phanuel had healed the undead worm. But Arrie had worries of her own, as the nightwalker was still pressing its attack. It had dispelled Tolly’s [I]clenched fist[/I], and was going after both of them with renewed fury. Just as Arrie began to wonder if either of them would make it out of this battle, Tolly struck the walker with [I]searing light[/I], and with a scream of rage the shadow beast dissolved into nothingness. “Let’s go!” Tolly shouted, pointing at the nightcrawler. But Arrie was already most of the way there, using psionic power to speed her flight. She jabbed at the monster with her spear, even as Phanuel hacked at it with his blade. Nearby, they heard Lanara unleash another [I]shout [/I]at the nightwing. Tolly stopped near the massive worm, and cast a [I]mass cure serious wounds[/I], channeling it through the armbands he wore that amplified healing magics. The spell touched nearly everyone remaining on the battlefield, healing wounds all around. More importantly, it proved to be the burst of positive energy that finally overwhelmed the nightcrawler, and it dissolved, dropping an ichor-covered Autumn into the deep hole the shadow worm had left in its wake. All attention now turned to the nightwing. Arrie flew up toward the bat-like creature and stabbed at it, even as Phanuel flew up and unleashed a [I]mass cure[/I] spell of his own to heal Arrie and hurt the creature. Seriously wounded, and seeing its brothers had fallen, the nightwing wheeled away and plane shifted back to Shadow. The party nearly collapsed to the ground, exhausted, oblivious to whatever else might have been happening around them. Phanuel flew off to break the spell on Osborn, and Arrie took the opportunity to fly down and retrieve Autumn, putting her back on the ground and ending her psionic flight power before the planetar returned with the hin. Osborn immediately fell to his knees in front of Autumn. “Please,” he said, sobbing, “forgive me, Autumn. I couldn’t control myself. I…” He broke down into tears. Autumn laid a hand on Osborn’s head, her own vision blurry from tears. “I know, Osborn, I know. It wasn’t your fault.” A short distance away, Arrie approached Tolly. “So,” she said quietly, “by process of elimination, I assume that nightshades are vulnerable to silver?” “Enchanted silver, yes,” replied Tolly. “It would have been good to know that,” she commented. “You know, from someone who knows a lot about the undead and all.” “I was busy,” Tolly said curtly. “Never mind,” Arrie said. “We have more important things to worry about.” The Ardaran nodded. “Kyle. And Rebukkax.” “Worse than that,” Arrie said. “Nightshades come from the Plane of Shadow, right? Isn’t Morladim building himself a Shadow Node? We may be seeing these things again sooner than we’d like.” Tolly looked grimly at Arrie. “You have a talent for taking a bad situation and pointing out how much worse it can get.” They watched as Phanuel walked over and put his arm around his daughter’s shoulder, whispering words of comfort to her as she knelt over Kyle’s corpse, gently removing the daggers stuck in his body and tossing them aside. Lanara gathered up the daggers and cleaned them off, intending to return them to Osborn later when his grief was not so fresh. The hin had walked down to where they had tied up the horses, and was cradling Rupert’s head. After a while, Phanuel stood up, leaving Autumn to her mourning. Arrie and Tolly walked up to the planetar. “Thank you for your help, Phanuel,” Arrie said. “Pardon my language, but we would have been f*cked if you hadn’t shown up.” “No thanks are needed, Ariadne,” Phanuel said. “It is my sacred duty to combat evil and aid the righteous. I had given Kyle the means to call me if my daughter was ever in mortal peril.” He held out his hand, which held a large, greenish pearl, split neatly in two. “I was somewhat surprised to learn that it was Kyle’s death that triggered the calling, however; the bond between him and Autumn must be very strong.” “I’m sure that Kyle will want to thank you in person,” Tolly said. “I will be petitioning Ardara to have his spirit returned to his body tomorrow after I have rested and prayed.” “Save your strength, child of Earth,” Phanuel said. “For I can return on the morrow as well to perform the rite you speak of, and I will be able to petition my master to pay the Tithe on Kyle’s behalf. You may need what power Ardara grants you for other purposes, if you intend to tarry here.” Phanuel suddenly pulled himself up to his full height, and his eyes blazed. “And speaking of this place,” he said, in a loud, strong voice, “who is responsible for the binding of these unholy abominations?” Slowly, from the edge of the forest, the vampire Marc approached the planetar timidly. He gestured with one hand, and the two dread wraiths that had been at Rebukkax’s door slid forward, looking as though they were being forced to comply. “Bright one, I believe that these two creatures of shadow were responsible for the harvesting of souls required to create the nightshades,” he said, bowing. Tolly turned toward the ruined manor. “Baron!” he shouted angrily. “Come out here!” From a nearby rock, Baron Rebukkax poked his head out. “Is it safe to come out?” he asked. Tolly glared at the goblin ghost. “You have some explaining to do. How could you possibly not know what was happening in your own domain?” “I’m a busy goblin!” Rebukkax said defensively. “You look like you’ve led troops before; do you know what every single one of them is doing, every moment of the day? No!” “I would know it if some of them were conjuring nightshades,” Tolly said. “Unless I were either deliberately blind or a great fool.” “Like I’m supposed to know what they were up to! I don’t ‘do’ spells.” “You don’t ‘do’ what is necessary to be a baron,” Tolly retorted. Rebukkax snarled and sneered. “Judgment has been passed on these two creatures,” Phanuel said solemnly. “What of the ghost and the vampire?” “The vampire is currently an ally,” Tolly explained. “Then I suggest you remove him from the area.” “Got it,” Marc said. “Goodbye.” The vampire spoke a word, and vanished. Tolly turned to the goblin ghost. “Baron Rebukkax,” he said slowly. “Flee. Now.” Spitting a final curse, Rebukkax also vanished. “Those of you who may not be of purest heart, I suggest you also depart,” Phanuel said. Arrie and Crystal slowly wandered away. A moment later, they heard the echoes of a [I]holy word[/I] rebounding from the trees and rocks. “It is done,” Phanuel said, turning to the Legacy. “I will return on the morrow to help with Kyle.” He looked at each of them carefully. “I would not linger long in this place if I were you.” Then, with a great flapping of wings, the planetar was gone. “We need to find that other ghost,” Tolly said after Phanuel had left. “The Deathmistress. I have a suspicion that she knows more about all of this than Rebukkax does. Though I could be wrong.” “You admit it?” Lanara asked, “Is the world coming to an end?” “Have you seen the north lately?” “Well, I have to give you some credit, Tolly. You may be right. The legends say that after her death, Elissinara sought out powerful patrons to continue her goals. She could have seen the Baron’s followers as a means toward an end. She’s nothing if not patient, though, so if I had to guess she may very well have fled the area and will just look to pick up where she left off somewhere else.” “We shall see,” Tolly said. “But what do we do now?” “We should go back to Lord Morladim’s castle,” Arrie said. “Fortunately, with Marc gone, presumably back to his master’s side, we’ve been left with a convenient wagon and a coffin.” “That is a good idea,” Tolly agreed. “Let’s give Autumn and Osborn a few more minutes, and then we should move. The area is clear now, but the undead could return, and there are still several hours until dawn.” The party quickly made preparations to depart. After a few minutes, Osborn came over to help, though he didn’t say much. They were nearly ready to go when Autumn came, carrying Kyle’s body, and placed it into the waiting coffin. “Let’s get out of here,” was all she said, as she began to climb on her horse. “That may not be the best idea,” Crystal said suddenly, pointing. “Look.” A short distance up the hill, they saw a large bat descending rapidly from the night sky. It suddenly shifted form, and standing there, looking extremely angry, was Lord Morladim himself, his hands clad in black iron gauntlets. -------------------------------------------- * Recall that as a being with developed psionic powers, Arrie's soul has nowhere to go when she dies, since the psionics portfolio was destroyed along with the Consort during the Cataclysm. If she dies, she's doomed to wander the Shadow Plane for a while until she either gets absorbed by the plane, or turns into an undead creature. ** This was definitely one of those "Duh... we am smart adventurers!" moments... *** A bad day for Kyle... from 112 hp to -24 in less than two rounds. This was probably one of the hardest battles we've had - Kyle dead, Autumn, Arrie, and Tolly very wounded (single-digit hp, if I recall), Osborn confused for something like another 20 rounds... it was a blast. :) [/QUOTE]

Verification