wolff96 said:
The only time it was mentioned was in the flashback to the past, when he was meeting with his friend.
I'm not sure what it was supposed to be, but it seemed like a fragment of an artifact that has been embedded in his chest throughout his life. With the loss of his magic as the sacrifice to force the door, it suddenly seemed to grow. My bet is that his magic held it in check -- once it was gone, he was dying of the crystal anyway. And his sacrifice took out Orcus' wand... which is *huge*.
Yes, that's pretty much it. Alderis's story and his involvement with the crystal artifact (including flashbacks) is covered in chapters 119, 152, 279, and 350. He originally discovered it in a cavern not far from Aelvenmarr. The device was evil and powerful, and associated with Orcus (either created by him or planted to help facilitate his intrusion into the Prime). When Alderis uncovered it and accessed its magic, it responded eagerly. There was a flash of power, and a part of it was buried in his chest (see chapter 279). At the time, he didn't realize what had happened, and when he recovered he took the large crystal with him. He could have gotten help from the Conclave and the powerful elven clerics in those early stages, but in his greed for power he elected to keep the artifact for himself. Eventually it started to drive him mad with visions about the post-Orcus future. He was forced into exile by the elven leadership, which confiscated the artifact and destroyed it. The part that remained within him, however, continued to work its baleful influence, driving him fully insane, and leading him eventually to Rappan Athuk.
The sacrifice of his magic in chapter 350 sundered the bond that connected his soul to the crystal fragment inside him. No longer anchored, it started to absorb all of the demon magic it came into contact with, causing it to grow. Ultimately, as a thing crafted by Orcus and swelled by his power, it was the only thing that could sunder his
Wand (Orcus's big hit unlocked a lot of stored demon magic, and a truly titanic Sunder roll).
I'm just waiting to find out how they'll deal with Orcus once and for all. I'm not quite sure what Varo was trying to accomplish, but I'm betting on Dar intercepting Orcus' rush across the chamber, buying Varo the time he needs... for whatever it is that he's actually doing.
You know me too well.
* * * * *
Chapter 362
JUST A MOMENT’S DELAY
With Varo unable to master the raw power he’d unleashed through the planar gate, Orcus charged forward to personally put an end to him. The Demon had been battered, its
Wand sundered, but it seemed no less awesome and terrible as it charged in its full fury across the gap to where the cleric stood in a blazon of white light and black fire. Nothing, it seemed, could stop such a monstrosity.
But something tried.
Corath Dar’s cry was primal, all of the fury and violence of Man bundled into a single shout as he leapt out from the ruins of the dead marilith and hurled himself into the path of the Demon.
Beatus Incendia’s brilliant flames seemed weak and fitful, in this place, but there was no dedication lacking in the man that held it. Its attention focused on what was happening to Varo, the Demon nevertheless perceived the threat rushing at its flank, and as Dar entered its reach it smashed down hard with its good hand with an almost desultory blow. Dar came in under the sweep of the black sword that Orcus carried, but as it struck him the pommel jammed down hard into Dar’s shoulder, bruising him even through his armor. The sheer strength of the Demon drove a painful jolt through his entire body, and he fell almost to one knee, staggering free before it could follow up with a second strike. He still showed the signs of the beating he’d taken earlier from the marilith, and even with Allera’s
mass cure spells he was barely able to stand after absorbing that hit.
But Dar did not hesitate, lunging forward and swining the holy sword into the Demon’s side. The fighter felt a cold chill pierce him to his very soul as he passed through the black aura surrounding the fiend, threatening to snuff his life force out like a candle’s flame. But the drive that had carried him through the deadly perils of Rappan Athuk withstood the power of the
dread aura, and he felt the sword bite on
something through that black cloak, even as a sudden backlash of released power drove him back a step. Several dark droplets sprayed out in the air in his wake; one struck his arm and sizzled into the armor of his bracer, eating away at the metal like a strong acid. Even the blood of Orcus was death.
The Demon had not been seriously injured by the fighter’s desperate attack, but he had gotten its attention. Orcus turned and lifted the black sword again. Dar tried to circle around behind the Demon, to shift his face toward its damaged side, but he was just a bit too slow, his foe just a bit too quick. Knowing he was going to take a hard blow, he raised
Beatus Incendia in both hands in a desperate attempt to block, or at least turn, the attack.
The black sword struck the holy blade six inches above the crossguard. A terrible sound crashed through the chamber, and then, oddly, was followed by a strange silence that crept up and lingered for almost a full second. Then, finally, it was broken by the clatter of steel on stone as the pieces of the sundered holy sword fell to the ground.
Dar stood there, looking up into the burning stare of the demon prince. The connection between the two lasted for another second, and then the Demon yanked its sword from where it had finally lodged, deep in Dar’s sternum, having cut through the dragonscales of his breastplate, then leather, cloth, flesh, clavicle, muscle, rib, and lung on its way. Blood fountained up from his chest as the sword departed, hissing as it touched the black steel of the weapon. And then Corath Dar fell back, the light in his eyes fading even as he touched the cold ground, droplets of bright red blood falling around him to stain the shards of bone scattered around his corpse.
![:]](http://www.enworld.org/forum/images/smilies/devious.png "Devious :]")
