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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Lazybones" data-source="post: 4070191" data-attributes="member: 143">From the comments I've read throughout my ENWorld stories, I get the impression that most of my readership falls in between these two views. I try not to let the game mechanics get in the way of the story, while at the same time staying within the bounds of what the rules lay out as plausible (and folks have called me on it when they felt that I've gotten too far off track in that regard). In the case of the combat scenes, the rules actually give me a framework that makes crafting combat sequences easier (even if the overabundance of high-level options adds a certain degree of challenge). Also, given that ENWorld is a D&D site, I don't want to get too far afield from the D&D roots of these stories. I've thought about setting up a Web site to post my other work, but thus far I haven't had enough impetus to pay for hosting space (my free provider only gives me 20mb for my current site). And now back to your regularly scheduled story. Today's post is another short one, but I can promise an interesting development of Varo's unique situation in tomorrow's chapter.* * * * * Chapter 363 SACRIFICEVaro was dying.Allera could see it, the black surge of energy surrounding him like a million tiny threads of death, slashing and tearing at his life force.  Somehow, Varo had stopped her gate from collapsing, and she could sense the golden-white blazons of power radiating within, all but obscured by the reactive black cloud that enveloped both it and the cleric.  She was not sure what Varo was doing, but it did not seem like he was in control of that power, and it looked as though the death-energy was winning out.  And that was not even considering Orcus.  The Demon was coming closer, although Allera could not see it clearly through the waves of distortion surrounding the tiny remnant of her gate. Allera’s decision was born of reflex, and she flung herself forward, into the outer radius of that black nimbus.  She cried out as the outermost tendrils brushed against her arms, each opening a tear as the skin died and gave way.  Her death ward had either expired while she had been knocked out by the blast coming from the destruction of the Wand of Orcus, or the release of energies had disrupted her protections in some way; she had only her own inner strength and force of will as a defense.  She did not know how Varo withstood it; he was utterly overwhelmed with those surges of power, and while she could not see his face clearly through the black storm, she could feel the pain rolling off of him like a wave.  Death closed on him like a surging tide. Against that, Allera had only one weapon: life.The healer wrapped her thoughts into an armored wedge, and strode forward into the devastating aura.  The pain hammered at her as wide swaths of skin on her arms and body crinkled and died, turning first gray, then black, then red as the decay spread to her tissues, and blood spurted from broken vessels into the gaps.  Life filled her, but she did not channel it into herself, even as her injuries grew more serious, and the black tendrils began to lash at her face.  She closed her eyes and thrust forward, to the core of the blackness, and unleashed the fullness of her power, the awesome potency of pure, golden life, into Licinius Varo.  The true resurrection spell cut away the darkness around him, and the black surges fell back with an inhuman, unnatural scream.  Allera stumbled back, her body covered with gruesome wounds.  She tried to cast a spell, but the healing power felt burned out of her.  She fell to the ground, clinging desperately to consciousness.  Her vision was damaged; one of the black tendrils had carved through her right eye, killing it, and a blood vessel had burst in the other, clouding her vision and giving everything she saw a garish red tint.  She was able to raise her head just in time to see Orcus strike down Dar.  She reached out a hand toward her lover, and tried to push herself up, to speak, to summon her magic.  But all of her efforts failed, and she could only watch as Orcus turned back toward them, the evil black sword pulsing in its hand as it continued toward Varo.It had all been for naught.  The healer sobbed, blood oozing from the rents in her skin with every breath she took, each one dragging her closer and closer to the inevitable.</blockquote>

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