Wizardru's Story Hour (updated 11/21)

[Zad]

Fire in the Blood - Chapter 1

Hey I'm workin' on it


Fire in the Blood

Chapter 1

OOC Notes:
Exp is TBD

Rules changes:
The Death by Massive Damage rule is hereby not applicable to anything considered “epic” or over 20 hit dice.

Also such creatures no longer die when their hit points reach -10. Instead of 10, it’s now equal to their level or hit dice. (So for instance, Kayleigh will not die til she reaches -23 hit points.)

This Week’s Adventure:
I wasn’t certain if this was simply a location of convenience, or was in some way sanctified to Ralishaz. The very air was thick with judges and Bolo had merited a guard detail that kept a discreet distance. I could barely see Dyvers in the distance through the haze many miles away.

We were standing within the outline of a square traced on the ground in energy. Chance hovered overhead but was changed. She was still a woman over six feet tall with greenish skin, but she had a more pearlescent look to her now, and she was wrapped in white silks that flowed around her. They fluttered in the breeze coming off the choppy Nyr Dyv and she looked regal indeed. For a moment I mourned the loss of her more playful nature, but she is a creature of divine will and perhaps doesn’t even notice the difference.

She looked down with not entirely cold eyes and for a moment I saw a wry smile. Perhaps her playfulness is not gone but simply muted. She spoke with a commanding, official voice. “Your Petition For An Audience Has Been Granted. Speak.”

Bolo said “Thank you My Lady. It appears there is an issue with my new body. I am assuming that you know who I am. I was a Halfling at the time.”

Her skin flushed to red and her aspect changed to a taller man. Her silks became his leathers and the symbol on the ground became a triangle. It was Gamble now.

“We Are Aware Of Who You Are, Brandybuck.”

Bolo nodded. “Unfortunately I met a rather gruesome but temporary end earlier this week and, as is our way, I was reincarnated, but this time as a Jann. But I am still Bolo Brandybuck. I was born and raised here.”

Gamble was unmoved. “This Is A Matter Of Unmitigated, Unbending Law. You Have Returned In A Form That Is Against The Law. The Circumstances Are Irrelevant. We Are Bound By Mutual Agreement By Deities Of Different Aspects To Enforce This Law. It Cannot Be Bent Merely By Favoritism.”

Scorch, sensing that a “spirit of the law” argument was not going to be even remotely effective, stepped in to examine the letter of the law. “Is the objection to his mere existence or due to the material from which he is made?”

Again, the arbiter’s form shifted. Metal replaced leather and a circle replaced the triangle. It Is Not Merely A Matter Of Energy.”

“Well if it’s a matter of his soul, the soul is native to this plane.”

“His Reincarnation Overrides That Fact. Reincarnation Draws Material From Whatever Source It Needs. He Is No Longer Of The Prime.”

Dravot suppressed a smirk. “Then why do the judges become unhappy with Scorch when he takes the form of a solar?”

“It Offends Them.”

Sensing an opening, I chimed in. “So it is a matter of preference and not the law?”

Cheat showed no emotion. “When He Takes The Form Of A Solar With That Powerful Spell, He Absorbs Some Of The Essence Of The Outsider.”

Scorch continued. “What about the judges? Are they considered native to the Prime now?”

“They Are Native To The Prime.”

“Well can Bolo be considered in the same category?”

“No. The Judges Are Specifically Exempted, As Are The Others.”

Looks were quickly exchanged and Aethramyr spoke first. “Others? What others?”

“The Forlorn. Those Without Gods. The Dragons. They Cannot Have Gods And Therefore Are Not Bound By The Accord.”

Scorch said “Well if exceptions can be made, perhaps the accord needs to be extended or amended.”

The body shifted back to Chance. “That Would Require A New Agreement To Be Forged, And The Current One Dissolved First. The Odds Of Such An Event Are… Small.”

Bolo was becoming frustrated. “What if I become a judge? Or swear to Ralishaz?”

“No. One Who Has The Blood Of Dydd Cannot Become A Judge.”

“Well where did the blood of Dydd come from? What makes it special?”

“We Do Not Know.”

Over the mental link, Scorch began asking Valanthe to slip away from the proceedings to check on something. But before they got very far, I casually mentioned “You don’t think they can hear you now?” Scorch looked sheepishly at Chance.

Chance looked back. “Just So We Are Clear Here, Twenty Miles Away In Dyvers, Someone Is Playing A Dice Game.” Chance snapped her fingers sharply. “They Just Lost.”

“The Exceptions Are Clear. He Must Be One Of The Forlorn, Or A Judge, Or Not Be An Outsider.”

[OOC Excursion: And someone asked “So if he died again and reincarnates again in another form, that’s acceptable?” And Bolo started objecting. And I turned to Wizardru and said “Ok how about this. You’re the betting type. I bet if we just give it…say…two weeks, the problem will sort itself out on its own.”

Hilarity ensues.]

I asked a few questions about why it had taken so long for the judges to act on his presence. It was revealed that normally an extraplanar place such as Ru’un Khazai would be wiped from the earth but for reasons I can only describe as sentimental, Ralishaz ordered it left alone. The judges apparently look the other way due to this and do not patrol the area vigorously.

Dravot uttered a few words, and he quickly turned into a wooden root and sank into the ground. Before we could even express confusion, he returned, growing out of the ground and returning to his normal form. He was holding an eerily familiar red and white fruit and I could immediately make out its alluring scent.

Dravot looked at Bolo. “Ehlonna says hello. She says there is a solution here but she wants to see if you’ll figure it out for yourself. Eventually I’m allowed to reveal it.”

I could detail what followed, but it would probably be more direct to just skip to “Eventually”. The solution lay with Lord Gelban.

“Gelban?!?” Bolo said. “I don’t understand.” But lacking other ideas, he attempted to contact him. After a few moments, he gained a portion of Lord Gelban’s attention.

After Bolo gave a quick explanation, Lord Gelban just said “I’ll be right there.”

The skies grew dark and the clouds swirled and out of the funnel came Lord Gelban in dragon form diving to the earth. He smashed into the ground at the shore, and standing up out of the crater was Lord Gelban in golden armor with a golden cloak in his human form.

He said quietly to Bolo “I’m glad you contacted me.” Then to the assembly “I would put in a petition on behalf of the Brandybuck. He is a descendant of Dydd, and therefore part red dragon, and thereby not in violation.”

He handed Bolo a red scaled wristband. Bolo simply looked at it in confusion until Lord Gelban muttered “Put it on.” The wristband adhered to his skin and caught fire, and slowly began pulsing with red energy.

The form shifted back to Chance. “This Is Acceptable Testimony. Let It Be Entered Into The Record With Proof Provided. He Is One Of The Forlorn And Thus Not In Violation. As Blood Of Ashardalon, You Are Hereby Exempt. I, Opportunity, Have Spoken. This Court Stands Adjourned.”

The avatar(s) faded away, after politely asking if we needed transportation. The guard and the other judges dispersed and we were left on the shores with Lord Gelban.

“So Dydd is Ashardalon’s offspring. Fascinating.”

Lord Gelban nodded. “Indeed. Ashardalon has a weakness for those of his descent. Know also that he has emerged from the Durance Vile and is taking part in the war, mostly in battles on other planes.”

“So how powerful is Ashardalon?” I asked.

“It is difficult to say. I believe I could defeat him, but that may come at the cost of my own life. Were I to fight him, I would prefer to have help. You must realize he is viewed as the worst kind of coward in the eyes of all dragons, good and evil alike. He fears death and will do anything to avoid it.”

We took some time to exchange information. The Underdark, what little Lord Gelban knew about it, was a seething cauldron of war. The Githyanki have been very quiet. Some cities are all but abandoned. And the Silverring was still asleep, and the People of the Testing unable to reach him.

When our conversations were complete, we each separated to attend to our own business. Having no desire to return to Kobold Country, I returned to Celene while the others scattered to various parts of the world. But it seems that cursed place has a habit of drawing us to it. A few days later, I was told of a disturbing presence that required our attention.

We found the githyanki standing idly in the square. He had been asking to speak to “the liberators”. His skin was not pale yellow but bright red and had the slightest hint of scales, although he did not look like one of the usual Duthka Gith.

As we approached, he produced the pieces of a silver sword, broken half way down the blade. He dropped them on the ground. “I am the Thezziz of the Waking Dream. I am here for you to kill me.”

We stared.

“I am here for you to kill me.”

Aethramyr said “Why would we wish to kill you?”

“I was supposed to kill you and I failed. You left me for dead in one of your battles. Since you are probably going to battle my people, I thought you should start with me since there is no way I can kill you now. You are beyond my power.”

Aethramyr said “We attacked in retaliation. We attacked to defend our homes. We have defended them. We have no wish to attack further unless we are again threatened.”

The Thezziz sneered. “Oh yes. You attacked. And then you abandoned us.”

“Your general seemed to have things under control.”

The Thezziz laughed wryly. “He is not my general. Were you also this helpful to the drow?”

Aethramyr shook his head. “We didn’t do anything to the drow.”

“The civil war has led to desperate times. I swore once I would kill you when I saw in a premonition that you would destroy everything dear to me. But instead of me killing you, you left me for dead after killing all my men.”

I sighed deeply. “There is much here we do not understand. And we will not act without understanding. If you wish to be destroyed, that is your choice. But first you will have to explain all this. From the beginning.”

He nodded. “From the beginning then…”

 

[WizarDru]

A brief note: Longtime readers may recall that we've met the Thezziz of the Waking Dream in prologue before. He's changed a bit, since then. The PCs never knew him as an individual.

Quite a bit happened in this session with individuals, including Guild Business, A conversation with Fraz, Tea and Cakes with Ehlonna and a few other things. Hopefully they'll be detailed by those involved, but if not, I'll fill in the details later.

Chance, Gamble and Cheat have now become Opportunity, Uncertainty and Imbalance, I believe (my notes are at home). Each has, essentially, acquired Divine Rank 0. The observant will note they correspond to NG, N and NE, respectively.

Kayleigh's suspcions are correct. The lakeshore of the Nyr Dyv is Ralishaz's Place of Ascension, and as such is sanctified.

 

[Argent Silvermage]

The air was sweet as Bolo made his way to the First Ash. The ancient trees cast an emerald glow as the bright sunlight passed through leaves the size of small buildings. The Elder Treants stood unmoving drinking in the light. Bolo could only think of them as the ultimate worshipers of Pelor and Beory combined. He smiled and the act felt good. He had smiled very little since the trial.

Tailcatcher rushed to his friend knowing Bolo from his energy not his form. The druid laughed as the St. Cuthbert dog bowled him over. Picking himself up and kissing Tailcatcher on the nose Bolo continued to the Ash. He needed to speak to the wisest being he knew and that was Alara the guardian of the First Ash.

They spoke for some time about the metaphysics of druidic magic and the Primals but Bolo really wanted to talk about Dydd. “Alara I’m confused. I understood Dydd to be a Halfling like I am, sorry, was. But she was a red dragon?

“No Brandybuck, She was half dragon and half Halfling. I did not have the honor of meeting her myself but I knew her to be the kindest and best person, a true power for good.” Alara said.

Bolos face scowled a bit. “I have the blood of Ashardalon flowing in me. I’m not sure how I feel about it.”

“Do you fear it? Do you think it makes you destined for evil? Dydd did not. She felt the dragon’s blood was an honor what ever dragon it came from.”

“I’m glad to hear that but that is not my concern. I have always looked at the Great Ones as a core power in the world almost an extension of the elemental energies and their bond with the world. Now I find in some small way I’m linked directly to them. I’m exhilarated and yet fearful for my family. Now I understand why the Brandybucks are such targets. Geo especially. My family is so fractured. Most are living in the Grove of Beory while my son whom they don’t even know about and his mother live in Kobold Country. I need to do something about this but I don’t know if this should even be done. Having them apart makes the whole safer until my ancestor is destroyed.” Bolo sighed and stroked Tailcatcher’s fur. “I have much thinking to do.”

The guardian of the Ash stood up and kissed Bolo motherly on the head. “I will leave you to your musings young druid. I have to say though your new form is quite pleasing. I especially like the turban you are sporting now.”

Bolo grinned. “That is actually a bandage. I’m so tall now that I sometimes forget to duck. I’m clocked myself on more than a few tree limbs in the past few days.” And they both laughed.

 

[dravot]

My Lunch with Ehlonna

Dravot's Journal

We stood on the banks of the Nyr Dyv and argued for what seemed like hours. The judges had a circular logic that led them to their conclusion: Bolo must either die, or be banished from his beloved Prime. I shook my head in disbelief that the Gods would be so short-sighted in their Compact to allow such a thing to occur.

The entire time, I couldn’t shake one notion…how would Ehlonna select such a form for Bolo without knowing that this might happen? Surely, She wouldn’t do this if there wasn’t an out, but in my most introspective moment I couldn’t figure out what it would be.

In my heart of hearts, in order to protect my friend, there was only one thing I could do. I knew that Bolo would be irked, and Chavram would be livid, but I had to protect my friend, and by extension help the Prime through it’s crises. I wasn’t completely sure it would work, but I invoked a Miracle, asking Pelor for permission to speak with Ehlonna.

Pelor saw the wisdom in my request, and I knew that it had been granted when I felt a small bit of my life force drained and the Miracle was granted. I felt a strange sensation, as my feet sank into the ground and the sun took on a new meaning for me.

I then found myself in a mountain meadow. The sun was warm and inviting, and the air smelled of late spring: full of hope and promise. I heard a brook not far away, burbling merrily away. Just off to the left I saw the most beautiful woman I’ve ever laid eyes on.

“Welcome, Dravot. Please come and sit with me while we eat and discuss matters of the Prime.”

She looked at me with hungry eyes. I briefly wondered who would be more betrayed if I took her up on that look: Pelor or my betrothed? Ehlonna read my countenance and laughed at the notion that I’d look upon such a tryst in purely theological terms. “I am a product of my upbringing, and the worship of my God” was my reply, as I tried not to blush.

In any case, I enjoyed a lovely afternoon tea with Her, including farnocakes exactly like I ate growing up. As we ate, we talked about what was going on.


“Of course I know why you're here, but I would be most pleased to hear about it in your own words.”

"Certainly. We find ourselves in a difficult mind, as Bolo's very existence on the Prime has offended those who protect it from Outsider influence. I have trust in Your wisdom, my Lady, but I confess that I am confused at Your choice for Bolo's reincarnation. It does us no good to have Bolo banished from the Prime, nor does it do anyone good to have him killed, reincarnation or not."

She smiled and my entire world consisted of her face. The smell of the mountain flowers was the scent of her hair, and the burble of the brook almost caused me to lose my concentration and …hrm…the very memory of that moment still has a strong affect upon me. Anyway, she smiled and spoke.“Ah, my dear, sweet Bolo. He’s such an impetuous young man. I love that aspect of him. That spirit should be a part of more people. Yes, I chose this form for him for a reason. It will come in handy at some point in the future.”

I raised an eyebrow at her, and she tut-tutted me into remaining quiet. She continued,"If Bolo were to go off of the Prime, he would still serve Me quite well, but he is indeed still needed there. I would not have chosen that form without knowing that he’d be safe in it. As with the other Gods, I agreed to observe the Compact"

This was news to me. In retrospect, it isn't that surprising, but I admit that I hadn't taken the cooperation of the other Gods into consideration when I first learned of the Compact.

“So what would that reason be?”

Again, she smiled, and my world focused solely on her."Lord Gelban knows. Ask him to attend you, and all will be revealed.”

This startled me a bit, but since I've started dining with the Gods, my surprise was nowhere near as much as it might have been in times past.
“Oh, and do be a dear…I want to see if Bolo can figure it out. If he doesn’t, please ask for Gelban’s help. I’ve left enough clues for dear Bolo over time, but I guess We’ll have to cut this game short. More’s the pity…”
I smiled back at her. I'd never been a willing participant in a Divine joke before, and I liked it.

I bowed before her and agreed to do just that. She smiled at me one last time, and I was back on the Prime.



Argh...The color switch is causing all kinds of problems...hopefully this time it'll work out.

 

[Scorch]

Inside Scorch's Head

Zad does an awesome job at writing our story hour. Unfortunately since it is from Kayleigh's point of view a lot of stuff that happens outside of her view is left out and it is up to the rest of us to fill in some of the blanks. The other player's in WizarDru's game do contribute to fill in these holes but I have not done so up until now. The reason is that most of what I do in private is done offline with WizarDru through email so that not even the other players know what the heck Scorch is up to. Last game we had about an hour of role-playing focusing on Scorch and the organizational challenge of running the Guild. As such I have decided to take up the pen and write a side-Story Hour from Scorch's point of view.

Please note: Some characters and situations are mentioned here that have not shown up on the story hour. I would be willing to answer any questions people may have about them. Currently there are two documents WizarDru and I have been passing back and forth concerning the Guild and the Hand.

Enjoy:

A soft snap of air preceded Scorch and his companion’s arrival back at Ru’un Khazai. Aethramyr, Bolo, and Dravot arranged around him looking momentarily confused by the fact that when the wizard said he would teleport them back to Kobold Country that he did not have them join hands as was normal with a teleportation spell. Time and distance were becoming relative in Scorch’s mind when it came to magic and such small requirements were becoming unnecessary.

As usual the small town was a study in chaos. People of the various humanoid and non-humanoid races bustled about, most taking no heed at the group’s arrival in the town square. Scorch noted that the water fountain in the center of the square had acquired some more carvings of kobolds and wolves.

During the aftermath of the hearing, Dravot had asked Scorch if he knew anything about the powerful necromantic spell, Soul Bind. Scorch was somewhat taken aback for two reasons at the question. One, it was a spell that was already accessible to clerics, and two, it was necromantic in nature.

“Why would you need to know about this spell?” the wizard inquired, some paranoid part of his brain wondering if this was a morality test of some sort sprung upon him by the cleric.

“My grandfather has access to both arcane and divine powers. I can access the divine version of this spell, though it is repugnant to me, but know nothing of the arcane version.” Dravot paused and then looked away from Scorch. “I would like to know what he knows of both variants of the spell”.

“Ah!” thought Scorch. The possibilities opened up by the question answered his own. The cleric was beginning to think outside the box as to how to deal with his animus relative. Scorch had an array of possible solutions he had thought up months ago but he knew that most of them would seem repugnant in the eyes of the cleric, the paladin, and possibly the druid. Their recent encounter with Chavram and his revelations of his plans for his grandson had rattled Dravot. He was now ready to make sacrifices to his precious morality in order to do what needed to be done.

“The Library should hold all that you need. We will need to gain access to the more… restricted portions of it.” said Scorch “In any event we need to return to Ru’un Khazai.”

Aethramyr and Bolo had elected to go back with them. Valanthe begged off saying that she had some shopping she wished to do. Kayleigh, as usual, would have nothing to do with Kobold Country.

Scorch found himself drawn back to the present when the heated words of an argument carried over the usual murmur of the town.

“I’LL KILL YOU!” came a scream from a nearby building. This was succeeded by the door of the structure bulging outward and then shattering as a man in robes was used as a battering ram by a heavier fellow armed with a shield.

Scorch and his companions made there way over to what looked to be a fist fight.

“What is going on here?” asked Aethramyr quietly.

It was if a silence spell had been cast in the area following his words. When the Paragon spoke, the citizens of Kobold Country tended to listen.

Scorch peered around the large man who had pushed the hapless on the ground through the door. The building was obviously a brewery of some sort. The sign hanging above the door announced the business as the “Wolf and Kobold” with a painting of the namesake above the words.

“A very popular theme, it seems.” noted Scorch.

“Err… hmm… begging your pardons, m’lords,” mumbled (what Scorch assumed to be) the brew-meister, “but this mage here seemed to think that casting a ball of fire in my brewery would be a good idea.”

Scorch glanced down at the man on the ground who seemed to have trouble getting back up again. He recognized him as Murgen, a wizard of middling level who worked as a scribe in the Guild.

“What is this all about, Murgen?” asked Scorch.

“Well, Guild Minish’tur… welllllll… Guild Minish’tur.” slurred Murgen “I thought that a shhhhh’pelll of the third valunsh would scherve to sch’peed up the brewing proshush.”

The miasma of alcohol and the prone wizard’s slurred speech was all Scorch needed to determine what had happened.

“Dravot.” Scorch turned to the cleric “Could you sober this fellow up for me, please, but do not spare him the hangover.”

Dravot reached down and touch the drunken Murgen. A golden glow briefly outlined his body.

“Hey… what the… OOOOGGHHH!” Murgen groaned as his eyes focused from sudden sobriety and then unfocused again from the throbbing pain that Scorch knew to be driving its way through his brain.

“Guild member Murgen” said Scorch, in his iciest tone, “You will turn yourself over to the local constabulary for whatever punishment they deem fit. You will pay for the repair of this door. Finally, you will report yourself to the dean of your college for behavior unbecoming of a guild member in public. Do I make myself clear?”

Murgen gave a pathetic squeak on the ground and managed to nod his head.

Scorch noted that the strange fellow who wore the straw hat was making his way over to the scene. The man’s name escaped Scorch at the moment but he knew that he had taken on the duties of local law enforcement and that things were well in hand at this point.

The druid and the paladin elected to stay behind as Scorch and Dravot went in search of Morris, the current Guild Librarian.

They did not need to look far for they found him and his wife, Maude, relaxing on their porch, enjoying a light meal.

“Guild Minister.” acknowledged Morris Denby.

Scorch sighed inwardly. It seemed that all members of the Guild would be addressing him as that. Scorch was the one who had come up with the new hierarchy and interim constitution of the organization of wizards and sorcerers and had agreed to serve as Guild Minister for a one year period but already he could feel himself drawn into a bureaucratic monstrosity of his own design. Order needed to be imposed upon the spell casters of the Flaness but it had to be as loose knit as possible. During his brief membership in the Grey Guild Scorch had learned to abhor how centuries of secret tradition, cronyism, and territorial infighting had wrought.

“Denby, you know Dravot, he has need of use of the Library again.” Scorch stated “This time he needs to access one of the restricted sections. The necromantic one.”

If he had asked this for any other person Scorch assumed Denby would raise an objection but Dravot was almost as well regarded as Aethramyr in Kobold Country.

“I’ll get a guest key with the appropriate security for the shield guardians placed on it.” replied the librarian “Have a seat, you two, we got some tea brewing.”

“I have to beg off. I need to find Dirgah. Where is he these days?” Scorch asked.

“Oh, I dunno… maybe in that oversized cottage next door.”

Scorch turned his head to where the librarian indicated and indeed saw what might be described as a small, cozy cottage if not for the scale. It was if someone had increased all dimensions by a factor of two.

“I would be glad to join you.” Dravot said, pulling up a seat. “Tell me, Mister Denby, what other books of note do you have on the undead in the Library?”

With that, Scorch, left the three of them and walked the short distance over to Dirgah’s front door. Even though the scale of the door was for a giant, a human sized door with appropriately scaled door-knocker was set into the larger portal.

Scorch used the knocker and entered after he heard Dirgah’s voice boom “Come!” from within.

The cottage was a simple, one room affair. Though cozy by giant standards to Scorch it was a large chamber that he had to navigate through piles of clothing and books to reach the desk the giant sorcerer was seated at. A stack of books formed a staircase which he climbed to get up to eye level with Dirgah.

“I implemented those policies you sent me, Guild Minister.” Dirgah began. Scorch was glad that he and the giant at least shared the same attitude that opening pleasantries could be dispensed with. He treated Scorch in the same taciturn manner he treated everyone. It was this no nonsense attitude that allowed the wizard and the sorcerer to get so much accomplished in such a short period of time.

“Good. One other change has come to mind. Make sure that the eight colleges know that they can run their own internal affairs. Just as long as they follow the overall charter of the Guild. I want to dispense with all that House nonsense the Grey Guild was using. It was a good idea two hundred years ago but before the Fall it had degraded into nothing more than secret societies backstabbing one another.” Scorch spoke this as he paced across Dirgah’s desk. “Also, members can belong to multiple colleges if they wish. Or they can belong to none either. Call this the Universal College I guess…”

“Good riddance to that House nonsense.” Dirgah snarled “I’m also glad that we now recognize equality between sorcerers and wizards.”

“It’s all arcane magic to me.”, the human wizard stated. “Such quibbling distinctions are nonsense. Oh, get a message to Profion. Tell him that I have decided to hear his request to be admitted into the new Guild. He is to show up here at 11 bells tomorrow. I shall have Dravot present to verify that he is on the level.”

Scorch did not mention that he would have Valanthe present as well, hidden. This would be her first official assignment as the leader of the Hand. Scorch had told his suspicions to Dravot and her that the reason the three demon lords on the prime had not been sniffed out by the Judges yet was because they were hiding themselves in mortal shells. The news of the Burning Skin being spotted coincided a little too close to Profion’s request to come back into Scorch’s good graces. He wanted to make sure that Profion was not one of these hidden demon lords or not in the thrall of one of them. A Zone of Truth and some detection spells would be a good test as such. Scorch still stung at the memory of what the Shadow Taker did to him and the others in the Guild.

“Do you want me to mention that the cleric will be present?” asked Dirgah.

“Hm. No.” the wizard replied “If he turns around the moment he sees him in the room with me then I will have my answers.”

“OK, I’ll get a sending scroll and get that off to him today. Anything else?” Dirgah shifted in his seat and Scorch knew the questions the giant was itching to ask.

“Yes. I have news of a binder…” Scorch began. He quickly related the destruction of the transmutation binder and the freeing of the djinn prince within.

Dirgah reached under a desk and pulled out a large chart which noted the current dispositions of the nine Binders. He crossed out transmutation and updated the notes on the location and ownership of the others. He studied it for a moment and then nodded.

“Good. I’ll get this to the others.” he said.

“Speaking of which… Any news from the other organization to whom your loyalties also lie?” Scorch asked. It was always interesting to hear what went on with the secret war that the Silent Brotherhood was engaged in.

“We are still attacking Black Brotherhood strongholds of power. We seem to be winning but they are not putting up as much of a fight. It’s almost too easy.” Dirgah said.

“Well, subterfuge is one of their more potent weapons. If you suspect they are up to something then look not at where they are drawing your attention but instead to where they are curiously absent.” Scorch resumed his pacing “That is where their true plans lie.”

“We’ll do that.” Dirgah rolled the chart back up and stashed back underneath the desk. “I got contacted the other day by an organization out in Rel Deven that wants our help and possibly join. I gotta warn you, though, they are bards.”

Scorch winced at that. It was easy to include equality for both wizards and sorcerers in the new Guild but bards? That was a distinction he did not want to make at the moment.

“Shelve that for now. We can discuss it later. Oh, do you know of any good enchanters? I have some items that need to be made.”

“Hmm… a few, I guess. How about that fellow you said was out at that old newly repopulated dwarven stronghold?”

“Oh, yes. I had forgotten about him. The Concordant out at the Forge of Fury.” Scorch came to a stop next to an inkwell the size of a bucket.

“Perfect.” he thought. Valanthe would probably be making a stop there already for some canoodling with the Hammer.

“Well, I must be off then. You’ll let me know when we get enough people together to start leveling that mountain top? We will probably have to have some sort of ceremony before we start laying the foundation.” Scorch began descending the book staircase back to the floor.

“Yes. Yes. I am compiling a list of those who can cast the appropriate spells. Fortunately we still have a large pool to draw upon who can do that as well as cast cooperatively.” Dirgah absently waved at a stack of papers. His attention already being drawn back to paperwork he was going over before Scorch entered.

The wizard left without further word.

He made his way across the town square towards the old academy building that was the heart of Ru’un Khazai. Townsfolk avoid getting in his way. Even though he had given no reason for them to respect his personal space rumors of what he had done and could do in the future lead to a healthy respect for the wizard from the inhabitants of Kobold Country. Not the fierce “We will follow him to the Nine Hells” loyalty that the paladin commanded or the “We will trust you with our eternal salvation” loyalty that they threw at Dravot. No, it was more of the “We know what he can do… let’s not get on his bad side” respect that most wizards of any power seemed to gather.

As he strode through the parting crowd, wheels turned within the wizard’s mind. “Always something coming up. Always something that is commanding our attention.” he thought. Sometimes he felt like one of those performers who spun plates on the end of pointed sticks. One had to keep running from plate to plate and make sure they were always spinning at the right speed or they would come crashing to the ground. Then someone would come along and add more plates.

Well, that was the reason he wanted to get the Guild up and running as quickly as possible: to get other plate spinners into the process.

“Valanthe.” he sent over Gelban’s Scale. “Are you there?”

“Yup.” was her reply. “We still on for tomorrow?”

“Yes. If you are stopping by the Forge could you talk to the Concordant about those medallions we talked about.”

“Sure. Any other special abilities you want on them other than being able to identify other members of the Hand? Sendings, detection, super secret code rings…?”

“I leave that to your discretion. You know better than I what sort of magical resources would be best for the kind of work we want the Hand to do.”

“Okey doke. Later.” She broke the connection.

“I should have asked her to inquire with the Concordant about the soul migration mechanisms we had observed back on the Astral.”, thought Scorch. “Ah well, it can keep for now.”

He thoughts flitted briefly to the issue of the Hand. When he first thought up of the secret intelligence gathering and enforcement arm of the Guild Scorch had wondered who he could trust with it. He came to the conclusion that he could only trust an outsider who had no ties with the Guild at all and who had no interest in its internal machinations.

Valanthe was the obvious choice with her innate abilities that even Scorch feared. Her total disinterest in the acquisition of power was another plus as well as a problem. The question was how to get her interested in taking on the burden of running a cell based covert operations organization.

The answer was simple: pose it to her as a challenge to her abilities. Normal thieving no longer held Valanthe’s interest. She could slip into the most secure location, re-arrange the furniture, pants the guards, and leave with the treasure ten minutes before anyone noticed anything amiss.

“Ho-hum!” she would say.

But to sneak into the demiplane of a half-god sorcerer, bypass the most diabolical magical traps ever created, and slip past his demonic servants to steal his most protected spell books. Now that was fun!

Most importantly she shared Scorch’s hatred for bureaucratic organization. The Guild was a necessary evil, one that could grow in a monstrous mess much like its predecessor, ripe for corrupting by yet another one like the Shadow Taker.

Scorch paused and smiled to himself. What the new Guild needed was a mechanism the Grey Guild did not have. It needed a kill switch. That was probably the most important duty the Hand would have.

The wizard continued his journey to the distant structure.

“It is a mechanism I hope to never see exercised in my lifetime.” he whispered to himself.

 

[weiknarf]

niiiiice

good to hear what Scorch is up to

 

[Zad]

Very nice indeed.

Scorch is right - the choice of writing the story in first person perspective limits my ability to describe happenings that are outside the character's perceptions. I have a number of little tricks I use to deal with this a lot of the time, but with this session, it seemed better to just let it slide. A lot happened of a fairly personal nature and it'd be a stretch to include it. I thought it might be better to let people describe their experiences this time.

Judging by the quality of the reading posted, I was right.

 

[dravot]

Journal Entry: Ongoing Research

I have spent much of the past few days (with the exception of the odd crisis here or there) reading and re-reading through the family library, especially books known to have been collected by my grandfather. I have no idea how I missed the information, but then again, I now benefit from hindsight, though much of the information was with his treatise on reversing his animus process, which I had skipped over with intent to read later.


I’m not sure whether what I’m reading is accurate, or what Chavram wants me to believe, and that is something I continue to think about. According to the texts, Chavram apparently decided that the world was in chaos, as evinced by the rise of Ivid and the return of Iuz. I can hardly fault him for his concerns (if genuine). It would seem that he plans to convince, induce or force me to follow the path of apotheosis and usurp the god Iuz’s power. His hatred of things undead would seem to preclude him from seizing those reins for himself, and so he believes that I should receive this…honor.


The question has transformed itself: if his intent for me is genuine, is there an ulterior motive that I am not aware of? Does he seek to be the power behind the throne? Would he be satisfied and walk willingly into the night and end his existence upon this world? How mad is he, truly? And what do I do about it?


Though I have not decided my ultimate disposition in this matter, I have decided that I need to thoroughly understand the process of Ascension, that I may fully understand Chavram’s moves. Whether I sabotage the process or I willingly succumb, knowing will certainly help me plot what to do, as well as see things more clearly.


I will not state the exact details of my research here or in any other recorded text, but my research into apotheosis (and, by extension, Chavram’s plans) shows roughly the following requirements (organized by aspects of Law, Neutrality and Chaos):

-The first investiture is that of personal power, of a level that few mortals ever achieve. Amongst the undead it is virtually unknown. Such a being must bear one of the Five Marks of Power. I believe this to be the aspect of Neutrality.

-The second investiture is that of the soul. The catalyst to apotheosis requires a large number of souls or soul power. The method in which this power is attained (or, in the case of Zagyg, stolen) only determines the rituals used. I believe that this requires use or knowledge of the spell Soul Bind, either in original form or some variant. I am undertaking a further research into the Arcane version of the spell, in an effort to understand it. It is my fervent belief that this is the aspect of Law. I am uncertain whether I would need to cast the spell, or merely have knowledge of it.

-The third investiture is that of mortality, for if one becomes immortal, one must surrender their mortality. Every tome I have consulted is clear on this point, but none of them are salient on what it actually means. I find this to be terribly frustrating. Not surprisingly, this is most likely the aspect of Chaos.

Update: I have reviewed everything I can find on the Ascension of Iuz. As I feared, it is mostly the subject of conjecture and the divine equivalent of old wives tales. After his Ascension, Iuz orchestrated a terrible campaign to eradicate knowledge of the details in an effort to prevent others from replicating it. It is obvious that his Rise was based upon that of Vecna, so I will follow up that lead soon.

 

[Funeris]

Dravot, I liked your post. However, the text was invisible, so you might want to do something to correct it for others. Thanks.

 

[dravot]

Dravot, I liked your post. However, the text was invisible, so you might want to do something to correct it for others. Thanks.

But that would ruin the spoilers! =)

It looks fine to me in Firefox. What browser are you using? (For some reason, my incarnation of Firefox renders useless he text controls used for posting here, and when I converted the Divine text to gold/bold in M$ Word, the WYSIWYG aspect of ENWorld took the regular text to be black, and put it on the black background. Argh.)

Fixed it...it was fine in Firefox, and not so fine in Internet Exploder.