The Realms of Enlightenment: The Grey Companions

[Jon Potter]

[Realms #414] Pulled Away

Shamalin watched in horror as it bore down on Huzair. The wizard was, as always, sleeping near the fire and had only just begun to stir from Morier's shouted warning when the thing slithered toward him. The attack was hasty, and would have missed had the mage been on his feet, but lying prone and wrapped in a blanket, Huzair could do little to avoid the attack. With an obscene slurping sound, the wizard disappeared head first into the formless spawn.

Nearby, Anania rolled to her feet, bow in hand and an arrow at the ready. She hesitated for an instant as the mage was swallowed whole, afraid that she might transfix Huzair if she fired into the creature's mass. She needn't have worried, for as she drew her sight further along the trailing length of the thing's oily black body - away from the engulfed wizard - she sent her shaft uselessly into the hard ground beside it.

"Oi, Shelia, time to brim with Frost!" Karak bellowed as he jumped lithely to his feet. "Now if'n I can only get there before that damned elf!" Only Morier and Ixin had seen Karak fight without his armor on, and it was easy to forget how fleet of foot the dwarf really was when so unencumbered. He was a blur of motion now as he charged. He leapt over the fire that separated him from the thing and brought his holy axe down in an mighty overhead chop that cut through the creature's gelatinous body and bit deep into the earth beneath. The thing let out a shriek that clawed madly at the senses.

Ixin winced momentarily at the sound and then she was getting to her feet. She felt dragon breath aching hotly to be freed from her chest, but there was no clear target. She would burn either Karak or Huzair if she used it, so instead she called on the Weave and solidified mana into a pair of crimson-tailed Magic Missiles that strobed briefly in the darkness. They struck unerringly and then rebounded immediately on her, sizzling into her chest. She yelped and clutched at the smoking holes cut into her scales.

Ayremac rose to his feet with a single pull of his wings and Windblade was in his hand as if some sleight of hand trick. There was no way for him to reach the creature as Karak had done, so he called down a Holy Smite on the ooze. Unlike Ixin's Magic Missiles the spell was not turned back onto the Holy Warrior, and it burned along the blasphemous thing's unwholesome flesh like divine fire. Again it let out a wail of pain, but it still held fast in its gullet the wizard.

Shamalin protected herself with a Magic Circle Against Evil and moved closer to the melee.

Morier started forward as well, but seeing that the shapeless mass was engaged with others for the moment, he paused to imbue himself with Bull's Strength.

The creature writhed about beside the fire, roiling about like a snake in its death throes. That horrendous tearing sound occurred again and the black mass seemed to drain away into the ground. Karak was the only one close enough to strike at it and he did so, but his axe passed harmlessly through its insubstantial form as it disappeared...

...taking Huzair with it.

 

[Jon Potter]

What the? That's it?

Gah! That was too short...

Let's try another, shall we?

 

[Jon Potter]

[Realms #415] Allegations and Recriminations

"Oi! By Shaharizod's beard!" Karak scoffed as he yanked his waraxe from the semi-frozen earth. "It took the wizard! I do nae believe it." Anania moved forward quickly, squatting down over the ground where the mage and his attacker had disappeared.

"Perhaps it's taken him underground," she suggested, but the idea seemed foolish as soon as it had left her lips. Clearly the creature hadn't burrowed into the ground with the wizard in tow. It had just... vanished.

"That thing struck fast! I mean Shelia got a bite inta it for sure, but I could do nae more," the dwarf went on. His breath came in great silver clouds as he stood there talking, steam rising from his skin. "Morier, did you see my last strike go right through the beast?" Morier trotted up, his muscles swollen with the power of his Bull's Strength spell, Stoneblade in his hands.

"I saw," the elf said. "I think the creature went incorporeal there at the very end. Just before it disappeared with Huzair."

"Hrmpf!" the dwarf replied, fingering his waraxe lovingly. "Well, that makes at least some action for ye, Shelia. You sure did brim with the frost that time."

"Could he be dead?" Ixin asked, hesitantly. She'd grabbed a blanket and drawn it about her broad shoulders as some protection against the chill. There was a silence for a moment but then Karak harrumphed.

"For reasons I do nae know, I do nae think the wizard was killed in that gulp," the dwarf told her. "But where he could be now, only Malak would know."

Shamalin approached the place where Huzair and the monster had disappeared, despair showing plainly on her features. "Does anyone have any Knowledge of the Planes?" Her question was greeted by silence, and in the pit of her stomach a cold realization began to spread. She pushed it away and studied the ground where Huzair had been sleeping. Placing her hands flat upon on the earth, she closed her eyes in a desperate attempt to think of something that might help track the wizard. "Does Huzair still wear the communication ring?"

"Yes!" Ayremac cheered and brought the Ring he wore to his lips. "Huzair? Are you all right?" Nothing but silence replied.

"Mayhaps the blinkin' he always be doin' has attracted the notice of planar beasties. I jus do nae know. If Malak were 'ere, he would know," Karak grumbled into his beard. "Shamalin, do you have a way to commune with planar beasties?"

"It wouldn't do any good," Morier told him. "There'd be no way to tag along with a Summoned Monster when it returned to the planes."

"Is that what we think happened?" Ixin asked. "He was taken to another plane of existence?" Several of the others muttered their assent.

Shamalin's sense of fear and frustration was growing. She knew from her religious training that Flor could send creatures from other planes, but never had she tried to follow one in its return. Could it be done? Morier seemed to think not, but he practiced a different kind of magic than her own. "You're from from another plane originally, right?" She implored Ixin. "Do you remember that tearing sound? Can we make an opening?" Ixin looked uncomfortable and she shrugged.

"I really don't remember, Shamalin," the drakeling admitted. "I barely recall my journey to this world, and it certainly was not my choice to do so. There was a witch... a snake witch, I think... or a dragon witch..." Karak thumped the haft of his waraxe on a rock, drawing everyone's attention.

"Does anyone 'ere know how to track down the wizard?" the dwarf implored and was answered by silent stares. "Well, then, I will inspect the area where it disappeared. Morier and Ayremac I suggest you set up a perimeter an' maybe inpect around as well."

"I don't think that thing will return," Ayremac observered. "It has obviously not just gone underground for the time being."

"That does seem unlikely," Anania offered in a small voice.

"I do admit that it sure be a mite quieter aroun' 'ere, with the wizard gone, though," Karak joked without any humor. "Heh. Heh."

"Damn!!" Ayremac cursed and hurled Windblade away into the night. The sword spun end over end with a metallic whickering sound before impaling the ground some distance away. The elemental blade swayed back and forth for a moment before vanishing and reappearing in Ayremac's hand. "Shamalin, you have nothing to aid in this situation?" the Officer of Umba blurted out, the tension of the moment overwhelming his normal sense of decorum. The priestess of Flor looked at him in shock.

"Excuse me?" she asked. "Why is this-" Ayremac held up a defeated hand to silence her, shaking his head.

"I am sorry. That was out of line," he told her and she could see the great sadness and anger that his impotence was causing him. "One would think with Celestial blood flowing through my veins I could do something to help... Dah! I hate feeling helpless!!" She nodded. That was a sentiment she could well understand.

"Perhaps a prayer to Umba will offer some guidance," she suggested. "I fear that this is out of our hands for this evening at least." He nodded and with a wan smile went to erect his portable altar.

"So that is it, then?" Anania asked, confused. "You just leave the wizard to his fate?" Shamalin turned to face the new elf with a visible effort to contain her anger.

"Do you realize what has happened here?" the Mercybringer asked through gritted teeth. "It's quite possible that your message has compromised this company and its mission." The elf drew back, confused.

"What do you mean?" the scout asked as she forced her expression back into one of passivity.

"I mean, what sort of protection does your 'eye' have as it flies back to Hofrilax?" Shamalin pressed.

"Protection?" the archer replied. "Against what? Birds?" She looked around to assess if the others shared Shamalin's feelings. Morier, Karak and Ixin watched with interest, their faces hard.

"We found one such eye in the forest near the tainted cave, intercepted!" the cleric went on. "And if that can happen, then you've pretty much just announced our every intention to the world!" The elf favored Shamalin with a patronizing smile then as understanding finally filled her eyes.

"I see," Anania said. "You fear that our enemies have intercepted the monitor eye and learned what was intended for Lord Hofralix. That is impossible. The eyestalk can only impart its knowledge to the monitor which gave up the eye and the Sovereign himself. It is possible that the eye might have been intercepted and destroyed, but the knowledge within is secure against anything but the most powerful magic."

"Like the kind of magic necessary to pull a wizard out of the Prime against his will?" Morier mused. "That kind of powerful?"

 

[Burningspear]

Okay..., wizard kebab and elf gets blamed!!.., Extra extra, last edition!!... read all about it..

and the first time i read it, i actuALLY MISSED THE SHORT BIT BEFORE IT...LOL.

 

[Hairy Minotaur]

"Like the kind of magic necessary to pull a wizard out of the Prime against his will?" Morier mused. "That kind of powerful?"

Who said it was against his will? Just like Huzair to negociate a sympathy bargain with a morally questionable being to sway the group. Heck he's probably in the Far Realms mutating right now.

This show of concern for Huzair from Morier is exactly what a manipulative control freak like Huzair likes to see.

 

[Jon Potter]

This show of concern for Huzair from Morier is exactly what a manipulative control freak like Huzair likes to see.

Have you been talking to Huzair's player?

 

[Jon Potter]

[Realms #416] Asking Questions of the Gods

"I suspect that the two are not-" Anania began, but, not letting the conversation drop, Shamalin pressed on. She did, however, take a measured breath in an effort to keep her voice from rising further with the emotion coursing through her.

"We were scried, Anania, just before the attack," the cleric said, her voice even but nevertheless strained. "No one but your messenger eye had any knowledge of the swords." The elf arched an eyebrow, cocking her head to the side.

"No one but the Dominion of Flesh Reborn, you mean?" she said. "They are allied with the Weavers and you yourself admit to an encounter with a wererat before finding one of our monitors' eyes. Is it not possible that the mage whom you allowed to escape brought word of your swords?"

"We did not use the swords in that battle," Ixin defended. She looked questioningly at the others and asked, "Did we?" Karak harrumphed.

"Ayremac did," the dwarf admitted and they glanced over at where the half-celestial was knelt in prayer. "But anyway, the wizard knew about the keys before then. He was there to take the Keys. Just like the rat pile knew about them before we left the cave."

"So clearly others apart from my messenger eye knew of the swords, Shamalin," Anania told her. She sighed and looked off into the dark night. "If you do not trust me, then there is nothing I can say to sway you; my actions will have to do that for me. If it is simply that you do not like me... well, that matters little to me. I am here because it is my Sovereign's wish, not because I seek new friends." She began walking away from camp, adding, "I will check our perimeter while you decide whether or not you will abandon Huzair."

There was silence for a moment until the scout had disappeared fully into the gloom. At last Shamalin spoke up. "We are not abandoning Huzair," she said. "That monster had a purpose, and six of us still remain. If it returns again, I can prepare a Dimensional Anchor to prevent it from disappearing again. Or perhaps a Planar Ally can aid us in the search. Or a Command spell... But I can do nothing without time to prepare. Unless someone has a better idea?" She looked around, but no one did. Morier caught her eye and frowned.

"I hate to leave and just give up on Huzair... but we don't really have a lot to go on do we?" the albino said, hesitantly. "As cold and soulless as this sounds, I think we can only afford to wait it out just a little bit before we need to move forward... unless, as Shamalin says, someone has a better idea. We'll wait for long enough to scout the area really well and see if there's any sort of clue anywhere to be found... and then... we... move on."

Once again Shamalin found herself at odds with Morier. She hustled to him and sought his gaze in an effort to read in his face how he could give up on Huzair so easily. "Linger just long enough to scout the perimeter?! You're giving up!? What kind of a party does that?" She threw her arms wide as the weight of her words hung in the air. Then she turned and addressed the others. "Listen to me. I need long enough to prepare for what seems to be the only real attempt we have at tracking Huzair, or eliciting that monster's return." She took a deep breath and added quietly, "I have to try."

Ixin laid a comforting hand on the cleric's shoulder. "How much time do you need?" she asked.

"I can pray for the spells at dawn," Shamalin said and Karak looked up at the sky.

"It be passed midnight now," the dwarf announced. "So we be talkin' about a few hours only." Ixin nodded and stared at Morier.

"I think it is time well-spent," she said. "Ayremac needs to pray to Umba for help and Shamalin needs to pray to Flor. Karak- you could pray too. It couldn't hurt and it may well allow us to retrieve Huzair. I have been on another plane and so has Morier. There is hope."

Freeday, the 26th of Fireseek, 1270 AE​

"Anania, if Hofralix was here, would he be able to retrieve our friend?" Ayremac asked the elf as she passed him a cup of strong tea. She looked at him impassively and shrugged.

"Lord Hofralix is capable of a great many things. I do not know the full extent of his power," she said. "I do know that I would feel better about the wizard's chances if the Sovereign were here."

"I ask, because I can fly back to New Mellorell and ask for his aid and then return to you," the holy warrior told her between sips of his cup.

"I don't know what Hofralix will do," Shamalin announced as she trudged back to the fire, her prayers complete. But if you fly back to New Mellorell, you may be at risk of being intercepted and attacked while you are alone."

"It may be a slim chance but I think I can do it!!" Ayremac said enthusiastically.

"You won't need to," Sahamlin reassured him. "My Divination revealed that summoning an extra-Planar Ally would allow us to find and retrieve Huzair."

"That's great!" Ixin said. "You are a valuable friend, Shamalin. Without you we'd be running around like fools half the time." Karak harrumphed at that and Morier got to his feet.

"So what is the delay?" the eldritch warrior asked and Shamalin looked pointedly at Ayremac.

"I wanted to enlist your assistance in this if I might," she said and the holy warrior's face brightened.



"What is it you would have of me, Mercybringer?" the Deva asked. She stared down at Shamalin with silver eyes that caught the flickering orange light from the flaming sword she carried in one slender hand. Her face was beautiful, serene and as pale as alabaster.

"We have lost an ally," she explained. "He was taken off this Plane by forces that seek to prevent our quest." The deva's eyes flicked to Ayremac and Shamalin felt a pang of jealousy as the attention drifted from her.

"Speak to me not of your quest," the celestial implored. "It is known to me, but the laws of Umba forbid me to interfere."

"Then you cannot help us?" Shamalin asked and the deva looked back at her and smiled warmly.

"I can help you," she said. "But I must act only on the task without and not linger long on the reasons of your quest."

"Thank you," Shamalin sighed and the deva nodded.

"I present you with a choice. I can act now and retrieve your wizard, but the price will be steep and non-negotiable, for it will not be without danger to me" she said. "Or I can give you the knowledge of how to retrieve him in a day or two yourself, for a lesser payment." She looked once more on Ayremac and, smiling, added, "Both will benefit those who defend the border between life and death."

 

[Hairy Minotaur]

"I hate to leave and just give up on Huzair... but we don't really have a lot to go on do we?" the albino said, hesitantly. "As cold and soulless as this sounds, I think we can only afford to wait it out just a little bit before we need to move forward... unless, as Shamalin says, someone has a better idea. We'll wait for long enough to scout the area really well and see if there's any sort of clue anywhere to be found... and then... we... move on."

translation = Loot the area for loose change then burn his memory from my mind.

"You won't need to," Sahamlin reassured him. "My Divination revealed that summoning an extra-Planar Ally would allow us to find and retrieve Huzair."

Ok, I know you like dropping hints as much as I do, so I wonder does wording as written mean Shamalin is going to summon an EXTRA planer-ally or does it mean she's going to summon an extra-planer ally if it the former then I'd be really interested to know what exactly she's doing with a "spare" planer-ally who up to this point has done nothing proactive.

 

[Jon Potter]

Ok, I know you like dropping hints as much as I do, so I wonder does wording as written mean Shamalin is going to summon an EXTRA planer-ally or does it mean she's going to summon an extra-planer ally if it the former then I'd be really interested to know what exactly she's doing with a "spare" planer-ally who up to this point has done nothing proactive.

Nope. She's just got the one Planer Ally at this point. I was just trying to put the game terminology into a more "in-world" vernacular. There are no seraphim hiding around her biding their time.

 

[Burningspear]

Nope. She's just got the one Planer Ally at this point. I was just trying to put the game terminology into a more "in-world" vernacular. There are no seraphim hiding around her biding their time.

Maybe he was wishing for a playfull/ kinky side to shamalin? having a Seraphim as a playmate... , that she was hiding from even the party?, would make Huzair jealous to the bone