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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Wraithdrit" data-source="post: 1163993" data-attributes="member: 10820">Sunny GladePlane of Avandor, Home of the SeldarineTime Between TimesKalan Argin had lived a life full of adventure in the service of his lord, Corellon. After a few hundred years though, the young elf had been cut down in battle with a minotaur lord named Gulgooth. The young cleric had been readily accepted into Avandor, and had served just as faithfully. He was elevated by Corellon to a guardinal of Avandor, and gifted with the huge powerful form of a leonal. It was in this capacity that he now served, protecting the Seldarine, and fighting for justice and peace for all the Seldarine’s people. When the prayers came to Corellon for aid in the Underdark, he hand picked Kalan Argin to answer the call. Kalan stepped through the rift to the prime material plane, knowing that he was serving his master. Still he had to wonder what it would be like, returning to Toril after so many lost years. He had a role to play though, and did not have time to sight see.As he stepped through the glowing light of the portal the leonal let his head fall back and he shook his massive mane and let out a soft growl. The air of the Underdark was just as he remembered from his few times into the underworld in centuries past. It was cool, clammy and even smelled damp. The leonal’s eyes instantly adjusted to his surroundings. A motley crew of adventurers stood staring at him, waiting for him to speak.So he did. “Greetings mortals! I am Kalan of Avandor. What service to you seek my aid in?” He focused his attention on the elven cleric that had called him.Amador nodded at the greeting, “Greetings great one. I am Amador, and these are my companions. We seek your aid in destroying a foul temple of the drow.”“Ah! Spider kissers. We shall rip them limp from unholy limp!” The leonal puffed his massive muscular chest and balled his massive hands into fists, cracking each and every knuckle of his hands in turn. His hands flexed open and his massive claws gleamed in the light of the portal behind him.A human, Kalan knew his name after a moment, Will Farseeker, stepped forward. “Actually these drow worship the White Banshee, Kiaransalee.” Kalan studied the human a moment as he talked. Interesting, thought the leonal, the bond between the physical and the metaphysical in this one was weakened. Whisps of elemental fire licked through his aura, marking him as one tempting his humanity with elemental taint.“I see. Well, you have a plan then?” Will nodded, and began to go over the plan.After a few moments Kalan nodded. He rolled his head back and feathers soon replaced fur. Wings sprouted from his back. Soon his form was that of a griffin. “Let us go then!” He leapt up, snatched up the one called Marcus in his claws and flew out into the chasm. “For Corellan!” ***Delorian shook his head as the leonal flew off. He had a bad feeling about this, and the guardinal’s presence did not make things any better. He pulled the shadows near him over his form, cloaking himself in invisibility. Pulling another shadow out into a doorway he stepped through, out onto the web in front of the opening to the cult’s temple. Pausing a moment till he saw Amador in place and ready. He pulled a shadow out and formed another doorway. When Amador completed his wall of stone spell, sealing off one of the two exits from the entry area, the monk stepped through the doorway a globe of silence in his hand, ready to smash it on the other exit. This would mask the blast from the coming fireball.Stepping through a dimensional shadow door had always been a strange feeling. It felt as if your front half was jerked from existence, and pulled to wherever you were stepping to. The pulling sensation seemed to bring the rest of you along for the ride, and then before you knew it, you were standing at your target location.Not this time. He stepped through the doorway, and nothing happened. The shadow walk had failed. Something had prevented it.In front of him, flames erupted from the ledge as Will’s empowered fireball cooked the four quth-maren standing in the entry room. As the blast receeded, the monk leapt toward the ledge. If could not shadow step there, he would have to get there the same way the rest of them did.*** Marcus was dropped on the ledge by Kalan and rolled between the surprised and burned quth-maren. The skinned undead never had a chance to respond to the nimble dungeon dweller racing through their midst.A burning sensation ripped at him as he entered the entry area. Some sort of enchantment was covering the area and tore at his very soul as he forced his way through the room. It hurt badly, but he was able to focus on what he was doing, and push through. He could taste blood in his mouth and feel it running from his ears and nose. He had to fight through it though, so he did.Concern joined pain in Marcus’ mind when he realized the plan was not going completely as they thought. Where was Delorian with the globe of silence? It did not matter; there were two guards in the next room. He was hoping to catch them off guard. After all he was invisible, Naria had masked him front sight just before they came down.As Marcus hit the corner he saw the two guards and the prisoner, just as Will had described them. The guards were looking at the wall of stone that blocked their exit one direction, and making hand signals to one another. One turned and raced toward the exit that Marcus was hiding in. Marcus almost felt sorry for the poor guard. He put the thought out of his mind as he waited for the best moment and thrust his rapier into the chest of the unsuspecting guard.It was as his arm came forward that Marcus realized something was wrong. He could see his own hand. Every time he had been invisible before he could not even see himself. He was visible! The guard had to know he was there. But the guard did not seem to care. He was just trying to run past him. The rapier pierced the guard’s chest, driving deep. Marcus knew the hit was good, and he drove the blade deep, to the hilt, trying to do as much damage as he could. The guard did not even miss a step. He shoved past Marcus with ease, ignoring the enchanted rapier sticking through his chest. As he ran past the rapier came loose and Marcus pulled back in horror. The drow guard had growled at him as he went past. Growling while exposing two inch long fangs where his canine teeth should be. Marcus saw the other guard coming forward. The guard saw Marcus’ surprise and laughing, his own fangs easily visible. Marcus’ mind raced as he backpedaled. Then he found his voice, “Vampires!”*** Kalan stepped onto the ledge and felt the telltale signs of a forbiddance spell ripping through his form. He ignored the pain and began moving in toward the undead that guarded the room. Throwing wedges went whizzing past him as the buried into the quth-maren in front of him. He growled out a challenge and saw the shade monk tumbling in beside him. The paladin, the guardinal, and the monk all stepped forward together, meeting the charge of the quth-maren’s head on. Kalan could see that each of his companions were suffering from the forbiddance. Blood ran from ears and noses, wiped away by some. Amador stepped in behind them all and held out his holy symbol, crying out loudly for the undead to feel the wrath of Corellon. Kalan knew that this was one of those areas that Corellon’s light would be hard pressed to shine in. He could feel the unholy aura of the area. It stunk like death to his sensitive nose. The fight was quick, the quth-maren, though unaffected by Amador’s turn attempt, were no match for the fighting prowess of Kalan, Delorian, Mytrym, and Plickit.The fire mage Will stepped up behind the line, staring down at the vampire fleeing away toward the back of the temple. Kalan heard Will mutter, “I think not.” At the elemental savants command a massive wall of fire sprang to life down the length of the hall. It cut the second guard off within the guardroom and ripped straight through were the other vampire was running. The vampire tried to continue through. He burst into flames as he dove head first through the mystic wall. Nothing but a misty form came out the other end.There was momentary pause as the group quickly healed its wounds. Potions were drank, heal spells were cast, and the group was ready to find the other vampire. Kalan and Mytrym swung the corner that was the only safe way into the smaller guardroom. Kalan heard a cry from the main room. It was Marcus yelling, “In here!”He and Mytrym spun around to see a misty form moving along the ceiling. Marcus was lashing out at it with his rapier, and Will was sending an orb of fire into it. When Mytrym joined in, the thing was doomed to stay in mist form. Kalan growled out, “Splendid fight! Well done!”Will came forward, “There are three coffins off the guardroom. We need to smash them.” The group quickly agreed. Moments later they stood before the massive double doors that lead into the temple’s inner sanctum. Marcus stopped to search the doors, and found no traps on them. He listened and heard nothing.A short quiet discussion ensued. Will wanted to cast a daylight spell on Kalan’s belt. Kalan lowered his protective aura and despite the look on Delorian’s face and his voicing the opinion that he would be no good to the group in the area of the spell, it was cast. Delorian turned away from the light and covered his eyes. The others looked to the doors. Mytrym kicked them open and he and Kalan moved in. The chamber was massive, and held an altar near one wall. A door led out of each of the two far corners. One of the doors was cracked open. Kalan loped toward it and kicked it open, daylight streaming into the hallway beyond. Another vampire guard stood in the hallway, he was stumbling back and rubbing at his eyes, obviously having just been blinded by the light.Kalan glanced back as he heard the others cry out. His daylight spell was not passing beyond his own protective sphere in the back. From either of the front corners of the room, massive globes of darkness moved forward, dissolving the light away as the spells countered each other. In the center of the darkness globes, a pair of driders was advancing. The fight was on once again.</blockquote>

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