Something Wicked this way Comes...

[LordDice]

"How can he be dead...did the blight get to him somehow ? Malthos seemed to think the Blight a god, could it actually be more powerful ?"

[LordDice]

Pondering the Blight still as they try to take in everything that's happened, he wanders over to the Brand he threw aginst the wall earler in a fit of anger.


Mostly to himself he mutters "There must be something...he wanted this quite badly"

Looking at it with his Arcane Sight he tries to work out something he must have missed.

Spellcraft check I guess [roll0]

[Mr. X]

For Karazi:

The Iron Brand is a fairly crude bit of ironwork, but is heavily enchanted so as to syphon the power off of the user, to produce am extraordinarily powerful Cerulean Seal.

You'll need to heat the brand, apply it to a surface, and succeed on a DC 15 Spellcraft check.

On a success, the user will take 1D4 Wisdom Drain, and the surface shall be branded with a perminant, active, CL 20 Cerulean Seal.

(You suspect that this is where Fredric got his.)

[LordDice]

Reaching into his sack he tosses some old potions to his brother "Here, drink these...we're not done for yet"


Tossing him some Potions...that we actually looted from Malthos way back when.
2 Cure Moderates [roll0]
3 Cure Lights [roll1]


So after that 12 charges from the wand should have him healed completely

Edit: Changed number cause I can't math

[LordDice]

Pulling out the Plane Shift wand he'd gotten off of Vark he looks it over a bit "It...should take us where we need to go....but it might be preset somewhere"


"I've no idea, and it would be the only way back today....I don't think I can repeat my previous trick that often"

[LordDice]

Seeing his brother barely caring about the details of the magics involved he continues "Guess we'll give it a shot then...those people need help"


"Kinda hate to leave this place...Might make a home here one day...like the old tunnels"


Looking around the place a bit he sighs, seeing the small pile of gemstones he'd shifted from the wall he scoops them into his satchel...might need something like that later.

Seeing his brother already ready and waiting he triggers the wand...and with a pulse of magical distortion they vanish.


Big money, no whammy [roll1d4[/roll]

[Mr. X]

The air crackles with arcane energy, and you emerge floating weightless... The air misty and gray, an immense structure surrounds you... An iron latticework of impossible scale reaches near to infinity before you...

... Near as soon as you can comprehend it, it begins receding from you at an impressive rate...

A great wind surrounds you, howling in your ears, and blustering your backs, as though attempting to blow you towards the structure, even as it recedes from you...

... Turning, or perhaps rolling, your perception sways sickeningly as you perceive the great city stretched out across the surface of the earth before (or rather, below) you...

... The roots of the impossible, iron-lattice structure reach out to embrace and plant themselves within the far reaches of the city...

... It is a marvelous sight, even as the buildings and earth race up to meet you.

You have almost no time to react, as you impact the steepled roof of a taller building, smash through it, briefly witness a study or library, and the horrified face of the female occupant, before smashing through the intervening floor, and into a modest ballroom...

Both take Falling Damage:
[roll0]

A Reflex Save, DC 15, will halve the damage.

I am afraid that Evasion, and similar abilities that negate damage on a successful reflex save, shall not be effective in this case.


As you gather your senses, you are suddenly aware of riotous throngs filling the streets outside.

"HE'S ESCAPED!!"

"FIND HIM!! VENGENCE FOR OUR SONS AND FATHERS!!"

"DOWN WITH THE BOY KING!! AND DEATH TO ANY LOYALISTS WHO WOULD DEFEND HIM!!"

[LordDice]

Crunching on broken glass and fragments of roofing as he rolls himself upright...looking over at his brother "...Well, it sounds like I didn't drop us into some alien abyss...That boy king stuff is familiar."


"First things first though"

Swinging his staff up, a small shockwave of power breaks over them. Afterwards with a few words his eyes start glowing a cerulean blue.
Pulling out a wand he swishes it at himself, watching the magic bounce over to his brother and Sid as well.

Refreshing Heart of Earth, for another 30 temp hp. casting Detect Abberation...tired of being suprised :/ that's in addition to Arcane sight running all the time, for detect magic uses.

and finally another use of the infamous wand...for a little healing.

So took 33 Damage from the fall, -10 epic damage resistance. I still gotta roll reflex for Sid and figure out how crushed he ended up

[Mr. X]

Your magics go off in a crackle of power, as you move to the window to purview the people outside...

There is chaos in the streets, with people rushing in all directions toward some unknown goal... No doubt they are searching for someone.

As your enchantments take effect, you can see that there are many among the crowds who are blighted, but just as many and more who are not...

...

As you scan, your eyes are drawn almost inexplicably upward, to meet the eyes of the woman who's house you are occupying, peering speechlessly down on you through two stories of wreckage.

[LordDice]

"Sorry about the damage Miss....Magic isn't always as precise as we'd like. Was trying to get back to the Wizards College and had a mishap"


"I don't suppose you know what's going on out there ? Last I heard the Boy King was decently well liked"

[Mr. X]

The woman blinks, before gathering herself.

"Oh, you're all right. Yes I do, just give me a moment."

She vanishes for a moment, but you soon hear her footsteps approaching down the stairs.

She enters from a parlor off to your left, and you are able to get a good look at her...

Of middle age, she is a straight and proper woman, in a heavy, blue velvet dress. A glance is enough to know she comes from solid wealth (if the house you are standing in doesn't say it alone), and while her hair is streaked with gray, and the creases of worry line in her face, she is an admirable sight to look upon.

"Aye, the Boy King was well liked here... Until he led a full generation of our people to their deaths."

She glances out the window.

"It took them some time to rally themselves, but they're out for blood now... The Silver Horsemen aren't stopping them either, so either they agree with the revolt, or someone higher up is in on the coup..."

She peers upward at the hole through her ceiling and roof, chewing her lip.

"Curses, that's going to notably diminish the re-sale value of this house."

[LordDice]

"The King did his duty, trying to prevent the end of this age of Man. The Blight is practically unstoppable now...The death of so many at Beluvah and beyond was regrettable to be sure. but if we had not tried...well. Maybe it was folly in the end...for even now more than half those running around outside are Blighted.




Wiping his face in a weary moment he continues "Would that we could have stopped them there, bottled the blight within somewhat...but we still didn't understand just how insidious the Blight could become"

"Brother...Let's find the king and see if we can't give him a hand in return for the help he gave you at least...I know we have no time to spare but debts must be repaid"

[Mr. X]

The woman skews her face.

"You'd be loyalists, then, eh? Fair enough, though I'd keep it to yourselves at this juncture."

She glances at out the window to the riotous throngs.

"Most would take offense at that mindset these days."

She straitens her skirts.

"You'll be off then, I expect? I'm not looking for any more trouble than I've already got."

She glances again toward the gaping hole in the ceiling.

"Might I trust that you'll provide some recompense for the damage you've done to my home?"

[Barthac]

Taalkar glances at his brother, You think you could... you know..., he points towards the large hole.

[LordDice]

Chucking a few gemstones he'd gathered right before leaving towards the lady he then pulls out a wand, with a quick swish his eyes go pitch black as he gazes into nothingness for a moment.


"No idea what kinda gemstones etc. Using a wand of Scrying to find the King"

[Mr. X]

The woman catches the bag of gems, and peers into it with an appraising eye, before closing it again with a satisfied nod.

For Karazi:

Peering through the mists of the veil, your eyes settle upon the Boy King...

He sits in some basement or catacomb laboratory, where nearly every inch of shelf, desk, and table is littered with bottles and beakers, and vials, and glass tubes, most brimming with strange alchemical fluids and potions.

He sits huddled over a cleared corner of a desk, intently writing a letter or a missive.

The center of the room is taken up by some great, churning machine, unlike anything you've ever seen... It's closed furnace blazing at its core, countless pipes, axles, and connected gear-wheels whirl and grind in upon each other, while other belts and pistons spin and pump for some unknown purpose.

[Barthac]

Taalkar watches the woman retreat back upstairs. Shaking his head he says, It's quite literally the end of the world and she's worried about her roof.

He notices his brother's intense concentration, You find 'em?

[LordDice]

"Aye, We're heading there now"

Swapping out wands he proceeds to cast again, with a quite different shimmer from his usual method they seem to fade out, flashes of the worlds between worlds as they rip their way through the Plane.



Wand of Teleport

[Mr. X]

Instantly you find yourselves standing in the basement laboratory.

Behind you a woman shrieks, and before you the Boy King leaps from his chair, his sword flashing into one hand, while he seizes one of the viscouse potions with his other.

He is unreasonably fast, and nearly fulfills his intended strike against you when he pauses... The dim light of recognition glimmering in his eyes, before he lowers his sword altogether, and looks quizzically at you.

"My lords Falgen? You are the last people I expected to turn up at this hour."

Seeing him, you are reminded of the tough youth, well mannered, and prepared to take on the Blighted at Beluvah alone, if needs must...

But to see him now, it is clear that whatever weight he carried then has only magnified ten fold in the intervening months. His eyes are sunken and heavily shadowed, his hair (where it had already been receding) has nearly completely fallen out, and the nobility of his stature has almost completely vanished, leaving him hunched and scowled.

Even so, you'd wager that he has only grown stronger... Already a robust lad, the bulk of his arms and legs have only grown greater(indeed, shockingly so)... And his eyes, while sunken and weary, are still razor sharp.

Upon recognizing you, he relaxes, and takes a step back... Sheathing his sword, and returning his quill to the inkpot from where he'd dropped it upon the desk... The potion, he retains, gripped tightly in his off hand.

"Might I be so lucky as to still count you among my friends? How came you to be here? Why are you here?"

[Barthac]

Aye, ye might'n be the only friend we have left in this world.

A lot has happened since we last spoke... he scratches his head for second thinking of where to start.

Oh yeah first things first, he snaps to attention and bows crisply, Taalkar Falgen, special envoy to the king, reporting, sah! I was unable to locate the elves and I fear they may have left their forest home. Additionally, I must report that one of the kings horses has been lost in service to the crown.

[Mr. X]

The Boy King scoffs.

"I'm not a king anymore, sir, so I cannot lay claim to the horse you possessed, nor can I punish you for its loss, or reward you for your services."

He chews his lip.

"But if the Elves were not to be found, no doubt they made good on their promise to leave these shores... A shame, but I doubt that their help would do us much good at this late hour."

He sighs, and looks back to the letter he was writing, and you note that it is not written in a language that you immediately recognize.


You may both roll Knowledge(Linguisticts), to identify the language, and perhaps decipher it, if you wish.


Turning back to you, he sags, saying,

"To be honest, at this juncture, I am somewhat uncertain of how to proceed... I am deposed, with few friends and little power. Great Gate stands uncontested, while Deep Mote has fallen and my people flounder in rebellion..."

He sighs,

"And the Blighted of Beluvah? They never even needed to stir from that desecrated city to defeat us."

[LordDice]

"At this point I think we're somewhat unsure as well. We were at the College a short time ago, but lost a battle with Malthos and ended up having to flee....I can only hope he hasn't made great inroads in our absence, short as it was."

"We ended up here on accident honestly, but we owe you and when we heard a crowd calling for your head ...well, we might as well try to help you on our way back. If you need someplace that might be safe and just want to flee...come with us."

"Otherwise what can we do to help, bearing in mind we must be on our way somewhat quickly so the College isn't lost"

[Mr. X]

Claudus Clay, no longer the Boy King, nods.

"Malthos... Would that I had given him the axe when first he was afflicted..."

He sighs,

"Knowing then what I know now, perhaps I wish I had... But knowing only what I knew then?

I'd have needed a much harder heart, and that might have doomed us equally so."

He looks to the letter, and then looks past you.

"Lady Tornfoot, you may come out, these men are not dangerous to us."

A woman emerges from the shelves and tables behind you... Smaller and fairer than a dwarven maid, but not so small as a halfling.

"Allow me to introduce Lady Tornfoot, Ambassador of the Gnomish Isles.

She and her superiors have been so gracious as to grant me asylum on their shores, and I had intend to accept..."

He rubs his chin,

"But what news have you? I received a letter from the Bonefoot saying he had seized command of the College at Clearwater, but he implied that he had done so under Great Gate's standard... If Clearwater yet stands independent, it is indeed an interesting development."

He taps the desk,

"And what of the Blight? My deposition here began nearly as soon as I returned to the city, and I was unable to produce the Bonefoot's Seal on any significant scale... I have seen some evidence of the affliction taking some of my people, and I fear that my city may already be lost."

[Barthac]

Aye, we spotted the blighted among the mob.

I'm afraid Great Gate is destroyed and I fear the same for Deep Mote.

We went to Clearwater with Freddy... err... Bonefoot and found more blight. Vark the planeswalker was blighted and Elias was under his sway. We cleared the college itself of the blight but Clearwater is still threatened. Velora the halfling has also fallen. It looks like ol' Fred is the last of the so-called Godsent, he sneared when he said that last word.

His thoughts spoke silently with Karazi, Brother, you think this gnome can get us to the last font? We may be running out of time for plan B. Do we dare tell him about Moradin and the other Gods... Do we tell him about us?

[LordDice]

"Aye, I don't think we've much to lose at this point...tell him what happened to you and the result..maybe we can get some help to reach the gnomish Font"

With a somewhat sour look upon his face "Well we did ask Frederic to take over the College after we cleared the Blight from it...but it's news to me he's claiming it for Great Gate...but honestly, despite the massive treachery the Blight itself is still far more dangerous. But now I worry what else he might have been misleading us about"

"Let me be completely honest, Not even 10 minutes ago my brother and I were safe as could be, in a completely diffrent Plane....and I've got to say, if the Blight can't truely be stopped. I'm inclined to just escape with those we can"

"My Brother experienced something that lead us to wondering the state of the Dwarven forces at Deep Mote...but to hear it had fallen completely...I guess I should ask what happened in the end, Was it the Gate or the Blight ?"

[Mr. X]

The Boy King nods grimly.

"It was the Gate... After the Battle at Beluvah I'm told that Guntar's necromacer's raised all the fallen of Deep Mote's host, and sent them home... I cannot speak to what other strategies were used, but a few weeks ago a letter I had sent to the Mountain King was returned with Great Gate's standard, and an ultimatum demanding my suplication or face conquest."

He sighs.

"I refused, of course, but Star Spire is in no position to go to war with the Gate... Now that I've been deposed, the city and council are in chaos. If Guntar wants my throne, he won't have to fight me for it, but he will have to devote resources and manpower to establish control... If we are such a high priority at this point that he chooses to do so, then there will be swords and spears to defend my people where I can provide none."

He shifts uncertainly in his seat.

"As for Fredric, I cannot speak to what deal he may have struck with Guntar, but as a ruler, I cannot honestly fault him... Clearwater stands closer to Great Gate than Star Spire, and is both wealthier and weaker... Particularly if the Colledge had to be scourged, and the Planesmage executed... He has no other allies to call upon, including myself (for I can be of no help), and so must have either bent the knee or faced annihilation."

He chews his lip.

"I cannot claim to know Fredric well, but he did strike me as clever enough to know when he was beaten, and perhaps wise enough to play for time..."

He shrugs,

"It's what I would do."

[Barthac]

We can take you away from this, lord. You alone... well maybe Freddy... have been kind to us. I feel we owe you that much and more. Let us take you to Clearwater. It's the safest place in this world right now.

Turning to the gnome, What of the Gnomish Isles, how do they fare?

[Mr. X]

The Gnomish woman steps forward and bows deeply.

"My lords Falgen, it is a fair fine honor to make your acquaintance.

The Gnomish Isles remain untouched by the conflict that has gripped the continent, and I have it on good authority that such a state shall remain, for a time, at least.

Even so, our seers foretell dark days to come."

She bobs her head, and smiles somewhat sheepishly.

"I must admit, my lords, I am surprised to meet you here, rather than there... Your visit to the Isles has been expected for some time now."

[Barthac]

What could the Gnomish Isles want with a pair of outcast dwarves?

[Mr. X]

The Lady Tornfoot smiles.

"You'd have to ask them yourself, honestly, but the seers are quite apt at identifying individuals of significance."

She shrugs,

"Possessing such information is a vital part of doing business, after all."

[LordDice]

"Would your Seers allow us access to the Font there ? I must admit I know very little about that part of the world or your kingdom"

[Mr. X]

Lady Tornfoot shrugs.

"I fear that I cannot speak to what aid or access the Seers may or may not see fit to provide you with... That being said, I would anticipate that they are most likely open to negotiation with yourselves. What comes of such negotiations would rest, I presume, upon yourselves."

Nodding, the Boy King cuts in.

"Bet that as it may, there is work yet to be done...

Karazi, by merit of your entrance here, I presume that you possess the Planesmage's formula. The ship we are to take to the Gnomish Isles departs on the morning tide, and I have assurances that it shall be allowed to make way unmolested.

Can you get us to Clearwater to coordinate with the Bonefoot, and return us here by then?"

[Barthac]

Brother, check 'em for the blight before you agree he thinks to his brother.

[LordDice]

"Can't again today, already wore off. Although you would think they would have an adverse reaction to the Brand being nearby. Didn't it work for Frederic like that ?"


"I'm sure we can transport you with, mostly no problems. The Planesmage's method of travel is different than the one my Brother and I use.

That said I'm forced to use his method of Teleportation in order to bring you to the College, once there I'm sure Frederic can transport us again, or in a pinch I could manage it"

"I'm somewhat curious why you would want to return here just to take a boatride though, wouldn't it be better to attempt a Teleport straight to the Isles ? "

[Mr. X]

The king raises an eyebrow.

"Ettiquite, mostly... It ill suites a guest to arrive before his hosts have had a chance to prepare for him."

He chews his lip,

"Though, a degree of haste may be in order... Are you, indeed, able to carry us so far?"

[LordDice]

"Perhaps I'm having some second thoughts...That magic isn't as known to me as my own traveling method, and I'd hate to have an error at such a time...I know at least we can get you to and from here...the more you know a location the better it seems to work, that would be my only waryness in traveling to the Gnomish isles with such a manner"

"Our normal traveling manner, although similar doesn't have nearly the risks involved. So shall we be on our way to the College for now, you never know Frederic might have information that would change all this entirely after all"

[Mr. X]

The Boy King nods.

"Indeed he might. Let us be off then."

[LordDice]

"Grab hold, and we'll be on our way"

Pulling out the wand he'd just used a few minutes ago, he waits until everyone's got a good hold of another before activating it.

[Mr. X]

The Boy King steps forward, and takes your wrist with a firm grip.

The Lady Tornfoot gathers a satchel, and hands it to the King, but does not join the circle.

"I shall remain to keep watch upon the engine."

She gives an almost motherly look to the king.

"Mind you keep your schedule with the medicines, your Highness... And be aware, the side effects shall worsen before they recede. As always, keep a steady mind, and let not the furies consume you."

So saying she steps back, as the magic takes effect, and around you the world vanishes.

[Mr. X]

You're beginning to grow accustomed to the yanking sensation in your gut, as the world restores itself before you, now in the entry chamber of the College.

The gate rumbles with the force of the howling winds outside, but, as yet, remains secure.

Most of the refugees have been cleared out now, but a few are still being tended by the wizards... Everyone starts for a moment at your appearance, but quickly settle back into what they were doing once they see who you are.

The Elder Scribe scurries forward to greet you.

"My lords, you've returned! Have you word from the Bonefoot?"

[LordDice]

"No....but I have a bad feeling he might still be down in the city or possibly taken. Ran into one hell of a fight there, had to flee. Blight may have taken him, was rather hoping he'd be here"

"Other news, there may be another "type" of Blighted now, unaffected by the Seals possibly...let me give you a small cut, it would be the quickest way to tell...afterwards we'll need to check the others"

"A Blighted agent in the city seemed to have a black blood almost, as if decaying ...unaffected by the Seals but serving the Blighted"

"Vark had a Mirror if I recall, that should let us find Fredric quickly enough...presuming it hasn't been re-purposed or the magics altered"

[Mr. X]

The elder scribe frowns, holding out his hand, and pricking his finger with the tip of his dagger, where a bead of healthy crimson quickly appears.

"That is troubling news... Though many of the refugees suffered minor injuries on their journey here, and I did not note any anomalies in what blood they let."

He clenches his jaw.

"None the less, I shall inform the infirmary to conduct a study, and a series of tests upon the townfolk."

He nods in the direction of the school's interior.

"Regarding Master Vark's Mirror, the Bonefoot had it moved to the Headmaster's office... He was quite explicit that it remain whole and untouched. It is there, if you wish to employ it."

[LordDice]

"Very well, we're going to head up there, see if we can find Frederic and perhaps gather a bit more information about what's going on as well"

[Mr. X]

Winding your way through the maze-like passages of the College, you find many of the halls and rooms all but thronging with rescued town-folk and refugees of the storm...

Working your way through the more crowded areas is simple enough, but you honestly hope that Fredric had some plan for them all... It is a lot of mouths to feed. And while the College is by no means wholly secluded from the outside world, it similarly no small task to approach and supply... And who is to say what may remain of the city once the Storm passes over... IF the storm passes over...

... These are problems to be dealt with later, though.

Reaching the Headmaster's quarters, you find Fredric's study an odd conglomeration of maticulous organization, and disheveled research work.

Crates of tomes and notebooks have been brought up from the Planesmage's libraries, and were carefully organized before he apparently set to work... Those that appear to have been of interest, now lay open, and spread about the whole of the room, along with sheefs of notes and piles of experimental material.

If nothing else, it is clear that Fredric has not been idle in your absence.

Outside, the wind howls violently... Rattling the window shutters bolted firmly on their hinges, and all but swaying the stone foundations of the tower...

Tucked in the back corner, with a sheet hanging over it, stands Marius Vark's Mirror.

[LordDice]

Ripping the sheet off the mirror he looks at it a minute before wondering how to activate it...probably should have paid a bit more attention when the elders were describing ancient artifacts.


Nevertheless he just wings it, gripping onto the side of the mirror he tries to hold an image of Fredric forefront in his mind has he channels a bit of magic into the mirror.

[Mr. X]

A cloud fills the mirror, blotting out your own reflection in it...

The mists are gray and dense, and streaked by particulate matter (ice? snow? Bits of glass?) swirling and whistling by and terrible speeds...

Through the gale your vision begins to close in, and the dense clouds give way to an almost unreacognizable scene, being actively battered by the fury of the storm...

Of the ships that were at dock, many have sunk... Others have ripped free of their moorings, and were tossed ashore and wrecked by the mountainous swells upon the lake... Still others have be ripped to pieces by the winds, their tree-like masts fallen, dragging their carcass hulks to the bottom, or oddly anchoring them to the shore, to be bandied and smashed by the raging gale...

Upon the land, several of the buildings have been ruined by the storm... Roofs and walls torn away by the storm's fury. The site of Fredric and Taalkar's slaughter of the blighted seems, for a moment, swept clean, before you note the dark piles at the feet of still standing walls, where the bodies have been blown and piled up in grizzly drifts...

... The Temple of Lathander yet stands, it's stone walls weathering the storm solidly. It's bells still ringing, barely audible over the roaring of the storm, it remains a beacon of safety and salvation...

A thick lump huddles in the overhang before the temple's gates... A clearly recognizable longspear protruding from the depths of the tattered cloak...

Fredric, still holding guard over those holed up in the temple.

[LordDice]

"Fredric is safe enough it seems, still watching out at the Temple...I would imagine after the storm he'll head back up here"

"I've a couple more folks to check out...since it seems we'll be staying the night anyhow at least"

Trying to recall the girl that assisted Malthos in stealing the Seal he once again puts his mind and magic towards the mirror.

[Mr. X]

The mists fill the mirror again, parting this time to reveal the woman...

...Sitting upon the crest of a wall of immense stature, and overlooking a city who's titanic buildings dwarf the wall itself...

Timaril... The Titan's City.

A length of chain curls over to her, proffering a grizzly chunk of raw meat, which she takes and devours ravenously... Malthos sits beside her, overlooking the city...

... The sun cuts through the heavy clouds in places, and it is apparent that the city was badly damaged by the passage of the Storm, and may have even been sacked before that...

... Whatever happened here, the people who remain, scurrying and scavenging through the littered streets below, are now clearly blighted.

Here and there, you can pick out torn flags, and broken bodies in black armor... The Crimson Horde played a role here, as did Great Gate... But whatever plan they had in motion, has clearly been delayed, or wholly stopped.

Where Guntar and Great Gate's army may be now, you cannot say.

[LordDice]

"Well Brother, on a hunch I was able to get a location on Malthos at least...he's in Timaril at the moment. At least not at our front door...with Fredric waiting out the storm I think the best bet will be to bed down and ride out the storm...I would imagine he'll be here as soon as it passes"

[Barthac]

Taalkar suddenly feels very tired. Good call, Brother.

Stretching his arms over his head produces a loud pop and smaller creaks. By Moradin's beard, Dyin' sure takes it out of you.

[Mr. X]

Finding a cots amidst the refugees, you settle in to wait out the storm.

And as the hours slip away, it's difficult not to think back to the Giants of the northern valley, and their song which tore this storm from your grasp, and sent it on its path here...

The howling of the winds outside almost yet carries that barely remembered tune, and you can't help but imagine the living mountain beneath you shifting and breathing in time to the tune...

...

You are startled awake suddenly by a brilliant flash of light, blinding even through the shuttered windows.

CRRRAAACKKKK BOOOOOOOOOOOM

The deafening boom of the thunder rocks the very foundations of the College, and sends many of the refugees into a panic.

... The storm is not passing by or subsiding... It's getting worse...

... And as that truth dawns on you, you feel the barest, near imperceptible tremor of the stone beneath you...

The Font of the mountain is active and alive... And it is beginning to interact with the heart of the storm.

[LordDice]

The realization that the storm is going to be the end of this new Stronghold for them makes for a foul mood as he tries to figure out something to save these people. Rushing back to the Planesmage's ..and now Fredrics room he tries to work out if Fredric figured anything further out...or perhaps something could be gleaned from the notes of the Planesmage.

Graspin at Straws

Stonecunning (no idea what this check is, so have a d20) [roll0]
Knowledge Nature and Arcana (knowledge nature for a spellcraft check, next for a idea of how long they'll have until the storm takes down the place [roll1][roll2]--- Arcana...just for ...whatever [roll3]

Knowledge Planes...also for whatever researching purposes [roll4]

[Mr. X]

Racing up the stairs to Fredric's study, your mind races...

Outside, the winds howl and scream amidst the flashing lightning and booming thunder, the the stone walls and parapets of the Collage weather them stoically...

The storm cannot be controlled, for it defeated your grasp long ago... But as the winds shriek and the thunder roars, it is the tremoring stone beneath your feet that heralds your doom...

The mountain, it's fury dormant these many centuries, will wipe this pitiful structure from its crown with little effort, should it choose to do so.

Before your boot, Fredric's door crashes open, scattering a swath of papers and notes across the room... Bits and pieces no doubt irrelevant at this juncture.

Lunging for the desk, you rifle through the drawers, quickly coming up with a weathered leather bound journal... What secrets it might contain are of little value to you now, as you flip to the final few entries. The last few pages are filled with tightly packed arcane formulae, and perhaps even bits in code... These mortal scribblings keep no secrets from you, however, and you decipher them easily...

... It appears that Fredric's efforts have been fruitful. It appears that he has successfully traveled beyond this plane and returned. It also appears that he has successfully re-created Vark's formulae for a stable gateway to this world, and intends to create a further gateway from it (as Vark apparently did), but has yet to actually make the attempt... The complete formulae are there, and you could no doubt work them yourself, if you had a few hours to study them.


The bit from Fredric's journal that you've read provides the formulae for both the spells Plane Shift, and Gate.


The mountain rumbles again beneath your feet, more potently this time...

Fredric's planar achievements might be significant, but they are of little immediate help.

You spin, your eyes searching the room... Nothing...

... Nothing...

Curse the absent gods!!

When you suddenly notice an old poster fastened to a far wall...

... It's a topographical map of the Collage island... And it looks reasonably accurate too...

... The Collage sits high on the mountain, apparently on a sort of jutty of stone, clinging to the only flat and stable outcroppings the mountain had to offer. The way it sits now, if (when) the mountain erupts, the billowing magma will be all but funneled directly onto the school owing to the shape of the stone...

... But...

Outside the 'funnel' area, the mountain slopes away steeply... Were the stone to be mined and reshaped appropriately, the school could be shielded from the worst of the flow and falling rocks...

... The ground quakes again, violently this time, nearly throwing you from your feet.

Time is short.

You might ask the gods to save you, but your God is dead... You are the Masters of the Stone now.

[Mr. X]

The Map:

http://i1176.photobucket.com/albums/x321/chaunceyparsons/Mobile%20Uploads/1452497683_zpsxpqgjgyl.jpg

Clearwater surrounds the greater portion of the lake, but the city's closest point to the island sits about six miles North West.

At its widest points, the island is 5 miles long (North to South), and 4 miles wide (East to West).

The volcano's peak is just over 2 miles high.

The Collage climbs steeply up the mountainside, it's peak tower standing a little over 500ft from the mountain's crest, and the Font's opening.

The final stretch between the the Collage and the font levels off a bit, in comparison to the steep drops that begin a short ways further out, and on the other sides of the Font. (No doubt from magma buildup from a previous eruption.)

[LordDice]

With a touch of hope as he looks at the map of the college he turns to Taalkar with a still grim look upon his stone face...

"There might be a way, If we can get closer to the now VERY active font, it might be possible to tap into it's power somewhat to boost my stone shaping spells in such a way as to create a zone of safety for the college."

"Perhaps even bulk up the walls even, make it stronger to sustain versus this incredible storm. But I'm not sure this is possible with the Volcano in this state....Risky doesn't even begin to cover it. I want you watching my back...not all of us have as many lives as you after all Brother !"



Hollaring into the corridor for a page, he sends out word to round up a handful of good Wizards.

After they funnel into the Archmages room he quickly addresses them "I've a risky idea to keep our asses from getting blown off the side of this mountain, but I'll need help."

Gesturing at the nearby scrying mirror he continues
"My brother and I will decend to the font, as near as we can get anyways. I will engage the power of the Font once again, much riskier with it now being fully active. Channeling the power of this font I will reshape the mountain itself to give us protection from an eruption and even stronger fortifications for the storm, and the future.

"When I get through this mountain will be as unassailable as the fabled Vaults of Deep Mote, a dragon itself wouldn't be able to break my fortifications"

"You will be scrying through this mirror, with which you can cast spells. Should my Brother or I need help while we attempt this, Anything you can think of that might help our situation will be vital."

"Any Questions ?"

[Mr. X]

The Wizards you've assembled listen to your plan with a mixture of awe and uncertainty, and perhaps consideration as to whether you may be a madman.

None the less, they all nod their acquiescence once you finish.

Once you've finished, they'll cover the both of you in an array of wards and protections against the environment, take positions around the mirror, and activate it, such that your reflections appear in it regardless of your position before it.


The Wizards cast Endure Elements(will help a bit), Protection from Energy(60 damage, fire and Ice), Resistance(+1 saves), Expeditious Retreat, Resist Energy (Fire and Ice), and Heroism (+2 attack, skills, & saves).

Totalled, that's:
- +3 Saves
- +2 Skills
- +2 attack
-Movement rate is doubled
-Protection from Energy shall soak the first 60 points of fire and cold damage (individually).
-Once Protection from Energy burns out, Resist energy soak 10 damage per damaging event from fire and cold.

The stage is set, it's your move.

[LordDice]

Seeing everything in place he turns to his brother "Once we get down near to the font, I need you to try and attune with the font at the same time. We're going to try something akin to the Ritual casting of the wizards. That's the only plan I've got right now though. So lets head out"

"If everything goes wrong, well....we'll figure it out then Brother"



Some of those buffs likely wont even stick, as an example we've got Superiour Resistance running at +6 already and a handful of other buffs...we'll figure it out when you start trying to kill us :/

[Mr. X]

The stage set, you proceed again down the rear corridor, and open the door...

The mere breaking of the seal is all the wind needs to begin wrecking havoc...

Barely open an inch, the door is torn from your grasp, ripped free from its hinges, and lost into the howling storm... The violence of the storm is stunning, as you are hit by a blast freezing air, and are pummeled by fist sized chunks of hail and blown gravel...


Both take damage: [roll0]
This damage is half Cold damage, and half Bludgeoning damage.


Despite the onslaught, your enchantments, protections, and sheer stubbornness hold, and you trudge your way forward toward the Font.

But even as the storm rages about you, bare meters beyond are clear skies... The sun glares brilliantly down through the gaping hole in the clouds, pushing the wind and ice and snow before it like a wall of golden flakes, and with it, comes a palpable, crushing pressure... The great eye of the storm fast approaches...

Ahead, the fires of the Font blaze wild and alive, licking over the edges of the precipice, while the earth shifts and balks ever stronger beneath you. Already, the crackling energies of the place are waxing, the storms winds caught up in the funnel of the pit, swirling and spinning in a veritable cyclone of overwhelming energy and power...


You may both take your actions...

As before with this Font, roll 1d20 with each of your actions, DC 1. This time, however, the DC shall increase by +3 with each successive roll.

On a failed roll, the Font shall vent an excessive blast of power, shattering any protective magics you have woven around yourself, and probably taking a turn for the worse.

Good luck.

[LordDice]

As they get near enough to the font he shouts to his brother over the storm"HERE, WE MAKE THE ATTEMPT HERE !"

Slamming his staff into the ground he grasps for the huge wild power of the font, forcing it through himself into his magics. Stone reforms all around him, forming a shield wall around them...just the beginning as he pictures the entire college from the map. Reaching out through the stone and trying to feel the entire mountain.

Feeling power surging from his brother through their link he almost loses control, flakes of stone start falling off, molten rock underneath as his very core absorbs far more power than it was ever meant to.

[Barthac]

Energy crackles around Taalkar and magic bolts of energy zip around the room. This was unfamiliar territory for Taalkar. He had never been one for magic and now this. He stopped for a moment staring agape, slightly unsure what to do. Suddenly, a huge sphere of rock surrounds them and the font, jarring him into awareness.

Taalkar quickly summoned the mote, noting that it was now an intense blue. It's dance had changed. It was riding the hot currents of the volcano only to be beaten back by the storm. He watched it for a moment, as it settled between cold and hot. It reminded him of his brother, how the stones rattled and danced but settled in harmony. Surely there was some truth here, some half hidden nugget that evaded his reckoning. He looked over to ask his brother but noticed he was deep in concentration.

Oh yeah, the mote! his thoughts drifted back to the mote and it's new dance. This was gonna be fun. With his eye on the mote, he began to move. The dance was strange but not together unfamiliar. The mote driven and beaten, a cork caught between sea and sky in a violent storm. So was his dance as his jabs and twists were mixed now with disappearing and reappearing as he shifted reality to his needs. All the while, he felt the power of the font and the storm raging through him.

[Mr. X]

Lightning streaks overhead, and thunder fills your ears as your make-shift shelter trembles beneath the ripping winds, and the mountain roars and heaves beneath your feet...


Both please make Balance checks, DC 20.

If you succeed, please make Concentration checks, DC 10.

(If you fail the Balance check, you'll loose your footing, and must at 30 to the concentration DC, as you knock your head against the ground or wall.)

[Barthac]

Balance Check[roll0]

[Mr. X]

The heaving ground cracks the hastily created walls of your shelter, even as Taalkar coolly sways to maintain his footing... Behind him Karazi staggers, falling back, but a fresh surge of power from the font crystallizes around him, rooting him to the spot, as all around, great lengths of stone jut skyward...

Even as the storm shrieks around you, an odd, distant booming catches your attention...

Boom

BOOM... BOOM...

BOOM

A boulder the size of a house, broken free from somewhere, and cast tumbling on the winds, smashes into your shelter, shattering a great hole in the ceiling and one of the walls, and leaving you naked before the storm...

The winds catch the shredded stones and gravel, whipping them about you... And as you gather yourself once more, the first violent explosion can be heard from within the mouth of the font... Searing flames burst from the font, sucked upward by the cyclonic winds, reaching a thousand feet into the sky, and filling your vision before you... And with the flames go the first great rocks and globs of magma... Thrown high, before falling earthward in yawning arcs...

... There is much to see, but one black spot catches your eye amidst the inferno... Thrown high, but then seeming to remain stationary for some time, as it grows steadily larger...

... It appears near the size of a hourse, when you realize it is a rock that is going to hit you...

[Barthac]

Taalkar stops and boggles at the energy flowing around the room. He had no idea his brother could do something like this. He best not make him mad anymore.

Spying the large rock he springs into the air with a flip his axe singing. He pulls it back for a overhead strike. As his axe comes down he moves directly in front of the rock and completes the smash.

Ancient Mountain Hammer on the rock, full Power Attack shunted from AC.

I don't remember if I need a ToHit roll for an object /shrug
Tohit: [roll0]
Damage: [roll1] + [roll2]
The manuever overcomes all hardness and DR

[LordDice]

Sid reaching up through the surface, begins to hold him firm to the ground while still staying fairly safe underneath. Almost in a trance he watches his brother intercept the massive stone. Continuing to fight the font for every fragment of magical energy he keeps channeling.

[Mr. X]

Behind the crenalling juts reach higher, adding incredible thickness to the College walls, and filling in the gaps between weaker towers with solid stone, as Taalkar takes to the sky...

His leap is inhuman, his aim perfect... But as he soars, the is a palpable waver in the veil between the planes, and the rock peels open... Stony, crusty skin covers a giant bony frame... Beaked and bird-like, with awful stunted wings, webbed, with a single, bat-like talon, and grasping clawed feet...

Even so, Taalkar strikes true... His mountainous blow slices the creature cleanly in two, as you watch more and more of the falling stones likewise peel open into the freakish creatures.


Please roll initiative.

Monsters: [roll0]. There are perhaps a dozen appearing in reasonable proximity to you.

Karazi you won't be able to do much while you are casting, unless you want to stop, but Sid can act just fine. You may take simple actions with a Concentration check, DC 22.

Taalkar, while Karazi is fortifying the college into the mountain behind you, it is yet still vulnerable to the imminent eruption... You'll need to make sure his casting isn't interrupted (so long as that plan continues to be the one you guys are working with).

You are both immediately aware that there is nothing natural about these creatures... They pulsate with a psychotic evil that not even the Blight can truly compare with.

These are demons.

[LordDice]

Eyes widening a bit as he glimpses Taalkar slicing the boulder-demon in twain he refocuses, with Sid holding him firmly to the earthen crust of the Volcano he power continues to flow.

[Barthac]

Oy... now everyone's flying, he complains falling back towards the sphere and stone walls knitting themselves together. The surface of the stone sphere quivers, a thin tendril of stone reaches out toward the dwarf. Taallkar lands gracefully on the pillar. Spotting another bird-demon, he scowls. Now we have a party!

He puts out his foot to take a single step. Bending reality his foot lands on a similar pillar of stone on the far side of the sphere. Quite conveniently this pillar is within easy reach of another bird-demon.

So I will take a 5ft step to the other side of the room (fractured reality is op) so I can keep up my Mountain Fortress Stance (the pillar thing) and take a full attack on another bird. Going to be a little more safe this combat.

Manuevers Ready: Ancient Mountain Hammer, Iron Heart Surge, Mountain Hammer, Pouncing Charge, Death from Above, Iron Bones
Stance: Mountain Fortress (Pillars) & Stonefoot (I get a +2 ac if they are larger than me)

I will use PA10, (against my tohit this time, which the Momentum Swing manuever from Combat Brute will x3 for me) in a full attack against the closest bird. If I don't kill it I will use Stone Curse. Stone curse is a Will save (DC 26 [10 + 7(1/2CL) + 9(Str)]) or become unable to move for 1 round (should drop them for a round anyway)

Rolls
Tohit1:[roll0]
Damage1:[roll1] + [roll2] (sparky)
Tohit2:[roll3]
Damage2:[roll4] + [roll5] (sparky)
Tohit3:[roll6]
Damage3:[roll7] + [roll8] (sparky)
Tohit4:[roll9]
Damage4:[roll10] + [roll11] (sparky)


My AC is 40 (42 if they are larger than me)
My HP is 97

[Mr. X]

The alien creature is obliterated beneath Taalkar's onslaught, cut to pieces, and reduced to smoldering rubble...

Those other creatures nearby, flap madly to the ground, were they walk with awkward, bent knee gaits, and shriek ear piercing caws and sqeeks...

The wind rips through the area, carrying one or two away to be lost over a far precipice, or smashed to pulp against the mountain side, while those that remain strut and balk into an uneven circle... Their shrieking intensifies to cacophony, as they squat and leap and whirl and flap their awful wings is some bizzare and unsettling dance...


This doesn't look good...

[Barthac]

Rolling to act: [roll0]

[Barthac]

Mantle of second chances reroll [roll0]

[Barthac]

Noticing the circle of weird creatures he thinks out loud, That can't be good

He started to take a step, when a familiar twinge went up his spine. It was the same feeling that happened last time he was near this font, right before things went REALLY bad. He couldn't stop now though. He had to keep these things away from his brother.

Taalkar jumps out into thin air as the large pillar beneath his feet falls away. Falling he brings his axe head around in a wide arc. Mid-swing he appears amidst the circle of dancing bird demons as Sparky spins and swings in a serious of attacks. Continuing to fall, Taalkar appears near his brother, where he lands neatly.

Jumping out and the use alter realty to attack the demons but finish landing close to Karazi on a nice pillar of stone from Mountain Fortress Stance. With 10' reach I shoud be able to reach a nice 20 foot diameter section of the birds. No clue how many that will actually hit.

Also, I regained ancient Mountain Hammer last round.

Manuevers Ready: Ancient Mountain Hammer, Iron Heart Surge, Mountain Hammer, Pouncing Charge, Death from Above, Iron Bones
Stance: Leaping Dragon

Leap Attack with Power Attack 14 shunted to AC this time and pouncing charge to get a full attack. My AC is now 24.

Attack 1: [roll0] Damage 1: [roll1]+[roll2]
Attack 2: [roll3] Damage 1: [roll4]+[roll5]
Attack 3: [roll6] Damage 1: [roll7]+[roll8]
Attack 4: [roll9] Damage 1: [roll10]+[roll11]

Let me know if I need additional rolls for the birds.

[Mr. X]

Taalkars sudden appearance in their midst, his flurry of attacks, and his sudden disappearance, leaves four of the demons dead, the remaining ones off balance, and squawking and shrieking in confusion... When the whole of the area is plunged into the glaring sunlight...

... Overhead the eye of the Storm settles over the Font, and for a moment, there is a stillness... The winds die down to naught but the barest breaths, the mountain quiets and is silent, the tremors cease and the earth is still...

... Ahead, the demons cuckol and puck, and behind, Karazi's wall creeps higher... Curling now, over the highest crenalations of the nearest towers...

... But the peace is short lived...

The world suddenly bends sickeningly sideways, as a sharp ripple flips through the fabric of reality, and for a moment, the veil is stretched so thin that every one of the infinite planes nearly touches yours...

... But the sensation passes nearly as soon as it occurs, and with a deafening crack of thunder, the storm's fury kicks up once more.

... Faster and faster the storm clouds whirl... Darkness falls again as the tightening storm closes its eye, and a cyclonic cone of cloud, dust, and debris, reaches down into the pit of the font... Pulling the rest of the storm with it, like water down a drain...


The storm is draining its power into the font, and supercharging it.

You may take another round of actions at this time.

Karazi, your wall is about as good as it's gonna get, the same for the magma channel.

Both give me a Spot check, DC 12

[Barthac]

[roll0] ...

[LordDice]

Spot [roll0]

[Mr. X]

For both:


It is almost as an afterthought, that you glimps the squawking demons calcify, and crumble to gravel before the overwhelming power leaking off the font... Not doubt the buckling of the veil severed whatever tenuous connection they had to this plane, undoing them where they stood.

[LordDice]

Shouting to Taalkar over the windstorm "BACK TO THE COLLEGE, THIS IS ALL WE CAN DO".

Still getting Sids help in keeping himself on the ground through all the rumbling and incredible winds he starts making his way back to the College.

[LordDice]

Realizing there's even less time than he thought to get away, he motions he brother closer and slams his staff once again into the ground...the small gemstone fades in power at the top as the spell he had pours its energies into the ground, shifting them into the headmasters quarters.

[Mr. X]

In an instant, you appear amidst the scattered notes and books of Fredric's office. The Wizards you'd appointed to watch over you still stand huddled around Vark's mirror. Behind them, the Boy King paces impatiently, and is the first to notice your return.

"You're ba--" he begins, but is cut off as a deafening explosion erupts from the mountain.

Beneath you, the ground bucks and heaves with a fury yet unseen, throwing you from your feet, upsetting cascades of books and notes from their shelves, and raining rocks and loose gravel from the ceilings above.

Down the corridors you can hear the distant cacophony of panicked screams from refugees and wizards alike, soon drowned out as explosion after explosion thunders from the mountain like vollies of cannons raining death upon their foes.

...

...

... It continues like this for what might be hours...

And while it seems that the quacking must shake the college to gravel, it's foundations hold, and at length, a tense calm falls over the castle.

[LordDice]

"I thought that'd never end...such violence. It's hard to even imagine the amount of power there....and that's what we tap when we get even a fraction of the Font !" he comments to his brother...before realizing there's plenty of other ears.

"Time to see the damage though... I'm going to glide through the stone fortifications and make sure it's safe, afterwards maybe open a passage for folks"

Turning he heads towards what was once a grand window...now covered in rough stone. Slipping within he slides through just barely poking out of the stone at first..never know when you'll hit a magma pocket after all ! before sticking his head out to look around, gliding around the once tall spires of the college. Still tall now...but squatter, perhaps less grand, but having withstood the true test.

[Mr. X]

Peering through the rock, you are treated by a wash of intense heat... But not so intense as stepping into pocket of lava...

The ground before you has been scorched clean of snow, and a heavy brownish haze fills the air. Ahead, the already cooling flow of lava works its way at a crawl down the channel you created for it... It's surface already blackened and crusted.

Overhead, the sun burns dimly through the haze, and a thick ash fills the air like blizzarding snows, but the winds have died, and while it is still cold away from the lava flow, the temurature has decidedly risen.

Beneath your feet, the ground glistens with streaks of obsidian and rivulets of volcanic glass... Behind, the walls of the College, now hulking and unadorned, are pockmarked... Cracked in places, and melted in others, where it appears it was struck countless times by great stones belched from the mountain, and where it appears the lava flow initially spilled over the confines of your channel, and crashed upon the College as ocean waves upon a cliff, before ultimately receding...

This side of the castle was reinforced against wind and weather, not such siege-like assault... Without question, the College would have been utterly destroyed without your intervention.

Far below, you can see an immense plume of steam rising from the lake, where the lava flow has reached its shores...

All around, the snow covering the island has been blackened and dirtied by the ash filling the air, and looking over the city, you see drifting fingers of smoke where fires must still burn...

There is little hope that the city escaped the mountain's eruption entirely unscathed, but even so, the damage appears to be fairly minimal.

...

Looking over the scene, you can't help but feel a sort of peace fall over you. Despite the damage, and the scars of this most recent battle, the view is strikingly beautiful. And well worth taking in.

[LordDice]

Looking out over the surroundings with a sense of accomplishment and a bit of pride, he concentrates a bit and starts reshaping the stone nearby to the window he exited. Forming a grand balcony, albeit still quite a heavily fortified one to most non-dwarven thinkers before finally finishing by opening a tunnel passage back to the old Planeswalker's chamber.

As he finishes his voice echos through the short, curvy tunnel he made "Might want to have a look for yourselves...It's something else out here"

[Mr. X]

The Boy King is the first to emerge onto the new balcony, followed slowly by the other wizards in the room.

They gawk openly at the scene... At the damage, and by deduction, the events which must have taken place to cause it.

"... We should all be dead." The Boy King states. "How is it that we're not all dead..?" He queries, almost vacantly in his wonder.

Glancing at the Wizards, he says,

"We all saw what you and your brother did... But it was impossible... Impossible for a legion of wizards... It is impossible to even believe...". He drifts off, still staring at the channeled lava flow, the wall behind, and even the balcony on which he now stands.

[Barthac]

Aye, it is an awesome sight... Taalkar leans on the railing staring out at the now calm sky...

It really was something from the legends of the stoneshapers. Have you ever visited any of the dwarven cities? Truly beautiful. I imagine if Karazi wasn't being threatened by demons and murderous storms, he could'a done even more here.

[Mr. X]

The Boy King nods absently, and seems about to respond, when the elder scribe scurries forth onto the balcony.

"My lords, my lords! We've just had word from a runner! The Bonefoot ascends the Wizard's Way, and shall be here in but a few hours."

The old man wrings his hands as he faces you.

"I have little doubt that he shall have an urgent desire to speak with you, my lords, if you will remain for so long."

[LordDice]

"Of course we'll wait, I wanted to spend a few minutes looking at some of the Planesmages notes anyhow."

"But that's for later, lets go around and make sure everyone is okay here. I'll spend some time reshaping some of the windows and the like that were completely covered for safety. I think this place will end up much more of a dwarven looking place. But I don't think you can argue with the results of this masterwork of craftsdwarfship."



This is a basalt wizards college. All craftsdwarfship is of the highest quality. It is encrusted with oval tetrahedrite cabochons. On the item is an image of Taalkar Falgen. the artwork pertains to the killing of demons at the mouth of the Clearwater Volcano.

[Mr. X]

The Wizards depart to attend to the refugees and students, while Karazi continues to shape the stones.

For Taalkar:


Standing by while Karazi works, you find the Elder Scribe once more scurrying toward you.

He leans in close, speaking secretly, despite you being alone in Fredric's chamber.

"My lord Taalkar, you asked us to conduct a census among the refugees, testing them for putrefied blood... We have found one..."

He gulps uneasily.

"I think you'd best come and have a look."

[Barthac]

Taalkar grips the scribes shoulder, All right my goodman, let's go see

Slinging his axe over his shoulder, he moves to follow the scribe.

[Mr. X]

The old man scurries off before you, leading you through the lower stretches of the College, and you can see many areas where roofs and passages were badly damaged or collapsed.

"Your brother's strengthening of the upper towers no doubt saved us all, but we didn't escape the mountain's fury unscathed."

He nods absently, almost as though speaking as much to himself as to you.

"We've had several injuries, but by the grace of the gods, very few deaths."

You cannot help but take note as he gives thanks to gods he doesn't realize are no longer in any position to help... Yourself excepted... He doesn't know that it is, in fact, you and your brother, whom he is thanking.

Unaware, he continues.

"The infirmary and dormitories are overflowing, so we've moved many of the refugees to the mess hall, and set up beds and blankets there, having had to clear them from the damaged areas of the school."

He shrugs, bringing you before a door leading to a now vacated passage.

"Indeed, we must count ourselves lucky... Without the damage to the school, we doubtless would never have found the creature in the chaos... I suggest you cover your nose."

So saying, he covers his own face with a perfumed cloth, and swings open the door...

The putrid stench from within hits you like a wave. Your eyes water, your knees weaken, and it is all you can do not to empty your stomach onto the floor where you stand...

... After a moment you steady yourself, and peer within...

Debris litters the corridor where the roof and one of the walls has caved in... Amidst the wreckage, a townsperson lies crushed beneath a fallen beam...

It's impossible that they could have survived, but as you watch, he squirms weakly, hissing in pain, and wearily gripping the beam to try to lift it off himself...

The ground around him is soaked in brakish congealed blood, from which the stench in overpowering.

[Barthac]

I don't understand. Why not just burn it and be done with it.

[Mr. X]

The Elder scribe blinks, but then shrugs.

"We certainly could... I merely thought you would like to view the man."

He fingers a beaded bracelet about his wrist.

"I can dispose of him at once, if you wish."

[Barthac]

Something about the congealed blood catches Taalkar's attention.

Weren't we exposing the townsfolk to the seal before we let them into the college?

[Mr. X]

The Elder Scribe nods. "Yes, we were..."

With a waive of his hand, and a muttered incantation, a brilliant cerulean light fills the passage, as the Seal appears floating in the air before you, and lingers there a moment...

The man pinned beneath the beam flinches at the flash of light, but is, as far as you can tell, uneffected by the magic.

The Seal dissipates after a moment, and the man continues to squirm under the heavy beam, heaving in his attempts to lift it and free himself... To no avail.

The Elder Scribe shrugs uncertainly. "To all appearances, the man is not Blighted... He exhibits no reaction to the Seal, just as you or I do not. Nor, does he exhibit the fungal or crystalline growths typically caused by the Blight.

What his condition is, I cannot honestly say... As far as I know, he has committed no crime here in the College, since his arrival, and so I hesitate to execute him out of hand... Still, if, as you say, his kind are in service to the Blight Shaman, such an outcome may well be necessary."

He wrings his hands.

"I admit, I am uncertain as of how to proceed."

[Barthac]

By Moradin's Beard... you were right to call us. We need to get Freddie and Karazi down here. In the meantime, we can't assume anyone isn't... one of those things. Taalkar thinks for a moment. Maybe if we have everyone cut off a finger... nah... I wonder... maybe just some blood? He glances at the creature under the pillar again, now thinking of a more diplomatic approach.

Hey you! Yeah You! What is your name?

[Mr. X]

The pinned man stops squirming for a moment, and cranes his neck to look at you.

"Now 'at yer done talkin' about burnin' me, ye wanna know my name?"

He chokes a pain filled laugh.

"If'n it'll help ye git this log off o' me, I'll tell ye what'ere ye like. Ma name's Jory, as it please ye m'lords."

He looks at the beam laying over him,

"An' I dare say I could use a bit o' help."

[Barthac]

Taalkar leans in and whispers to the scribe Go tell Karazi to come here and send Fred as soon he finishes climbing.

Looking back at Jory he squats to look at him better but stays well out of reach from the pinned man. I don't think that's a good idea, yet. You see, we are surrounded by unnatural slavering hordes waiting to devour our souls and what not. That, he points to where the beam has crushed the man, just ain't natural. But you don't look or act like any of the blighted we seen so far.

Taalkar leans back and sits on the floor, Dwarves aren't known for curiosity. Hell, I almost had you burned already. But you got me thinking. Just what in the hell's are you?

[Mr. X]

The man winces, but manages a chuckle.

"Heh, I ain't blighted, that's fer sure."

He sniffs,

"It never seemed to take on me an' my lot... Tha Master seemed te think it was cuz we'd all died already, but e'en he wasn't too sure"

He shrugs, and heaves a sigh.

"As fer what I am precisely, your guess is as good as mine..."

He glances down at the beam.

"All I know, is 'at I don't die right anymore... An that ma inners smell somethin' fierce when'ere they get spilt."

He shrugs.

"T'ain't tha first time I been in a position like this, I'm afraid.

I do appreciate ye not burnin' me. It woundna do ye any good, an it stings like hell till ye git all tha skin off."

For Karazi

You are just finishing hollowing out a grand set of stain-glass windows, when the Elder Scribe approaches you.

"My lord, if you have a moment, your brother requires your presence.

A somewhat odd situation has arisen, I'm afraid.

[Barthac]

Who is this Master?

[Mr. X]

Jory shrinks back a bit, and chews his lip shamefully.

"'e's none to popular around these parts o' late, I'm afraid... 'E's the Chained Man..."

He almost flinches away from you as he says the name.

[LordDice]

Looking mighty satisfied at the window he'd just finished, pondering just how nice it was to be able to create for awhile..working on his still lacking Stonecrafting skills.

Almost startled by the scribe, he quickly follows after "What did he get into, we're not out of Mead are we ?"

[Mr. X]

The Elder Scribe raises an eyebrow at you, before responding.

"Ah, no, my lord, the mead stores are as yet adequately supplied.

Rather, we have caught an unusual specimen in the collapse of one of the castle passages... The man appears to be somewhat akin to the woman you mentioned was traveling with Mathos prior to your arrival here."

[Barthac]

Taalkar jumps to his feet, If you work for Malthos, then you ARE the blight!

He paces a few steps muttering to himself. Stopping, he turns and glares at the man with a predatory gleam, Where is he? He must be stopped!

[Mr. X]

Jory shinks away from you.

"No! No! No! That's just it, don't you see?? The Bonefoot has this place Sealed up so tight that the Blighted can't get in here! That's why Mathos sent me!"

He curls up further.
"Not that it did any good... I was supposed to find some brand wit tha Seal on it, but it ain't here. Tha Bonefoot musta taken it wit 'im when he went out b'fore tha storm hit."

He chews his lips,

"If'n 'e did, Malthos must'a got it from 'im by now, an' 'e's probably off ta Great Gate... See, he don't want the Blight's god eatin' e'erything any more 'an anyone else does! 'E means ta fight it!"

[Barthac]

You ain't just filled with pus... you're filled with lies. I saw Malthos on the field, saw him fight FOR the blight, not against it. Now we know he's got some blighters that can pass the seal. We'll have to figure out another way to sniff you lot out.

He paces around the room, steaming with rage at Malthos, his vision clouded in red. That man is a murderous, wicked, conniving, deceitful, son of a beardless gnome. If'n he wants that brand it has to be powerful against the blight. But if he's figured out someway to beat the brand... He stops and points at Jory I aint fallen for none of your lies... where's that scribe with the lamp oil

[Mr. X]

"Wait! Wait! O' course 'e was fightin' wit tha Blight, 'e's Blighted! But when the god comes, it's gonna eat up EVERYTHING!"

He sags.

"... Blighted or not...

The blighted are all scared ta death o' it... An' they certainly weren't tha one's ta wake it up... Ye got tha Bonefoot ta thank fer that."

[Barthac]

Hold on. Why would the blight be afraid of it's god? And ol' Fred wouldn't wake it on purpose. He's a lot of things but he's been against the blight since I met him.

[Mr. X]

Jory snorts a laugh.

"Why are beef cattle afraid o' tha slaughterhouse?

The Blighted know 'at their lot is ta be food fer that thing... That don't make 'em actually wanna get eaten, though."

He shrugs.

"As fer how or why the Bonefoot woke the thing, I dunno... Malthos was pretty adamant that it must have been him though... Mayhap ask 'im yerself."

[Barthac]

So what are you, exactly? You say you ain't blighted... but you ain't human neither.

[Mr. X]

Jory shrugs,

"Honestly, I ain't sure. I know there's just o're twenty o' us..."

His face darkens, recalling an unpleasant memory.

"We were all in Beluvah when it fell... I watched the Worm appear and destroy half o' tha city wit my own eyes... Saw the blighted goblins spill out o' the hole it left behind..."

He stretches his neck.

"It was madness. Everyone was panicking. I saw a guy stab another just ta take 'is horse ta try to escape..."

He nods to himself.

"That's when I first laid eyes on Malthos an 'is lot... Though it weren't Malthos that caught the attention... It were the big'un, Kulkov.

'e rallied the common folk, ma self included, an' led us out o' tha city while it were burnin' behind us... Gathered a column maybe a thousand strong, all o' whom prolly woulda got eaten by tha Blighted, were it not for 'im.

It weren't long after that 'at people started callin' 'em 'tha Godsent'.

Tha Godsent, they got us all tha way ta Market, where the Lord there was acceptin' refugees... Had a camp o' thousands set up outside o' town.

We weren't there fer more 'an a day, when tha camp got hit by slavers... Filthy pieces o' ****e.

But jus' like that, tha Godsent were back, fightin' 'em off...

They say Malthos let off some great burst o' magic, that wiped out most o' tha slavers... Somethin' went awry, though, an' a bunch o' the captured refugees were caught in tha blast as well...

... I was dead for six, maybe seven minutes...

They say that after it was all over, Malthos cut off 'is left hand to get tha power 'e needed ta bring us back.

An bring us back 'e did...

I woke up a mite sore, but else wise right as rain."

He shrugs.

"We all went our ways after that... The Godsent left to do whate're it was they did, a lot o' the refugees moved on down ta Star Spire, though a fair number joined up wit tha Boy King's army as it were marchin north ta Beluvah.

We dinna find our ways back ta Malthos till after Great Gate turned on tha Dwarves... By then we'd all figured we weren't right anymore, an somehow, knew how ta find 'im."

He sighs,

"I know Malthos ain't been the best o' folks, but tha world's fallin' apart... An' 'e gave 'is hand ta save a nobody like me...

Least I can do fer that is ta follow 'im."

[Barthac]

Ya seem to be forgetin' the part where Malthos killed you before he brought you back. Now I suppose you heave to serve him? You have to do what he says? You might be better off if I just ended it for you hear.

[Mr. X]

Jory chuckles.

"Heh, yeah, 'e did. But 'e paid a steep price ta undo it too... An' naw, I ain't required ta do nothin. I always got a feel fer where Malthos is, cuz him raisin' me made some kinda hoo-doo connection between us, but I answer to 'im only cuz he's done right by me so far.

As fer killin' me here, yer welcome ta try, but like I said before, I don't die right anymore."

[LordDice]

Turning at the last bit of statement with some shock "You found one of those sub-blighted ? blast it man, why didn't you say that at first....let me sit here daydreaming !"

[Mr. X]

"Yes, m'lord, I am afraid so. If you would follow me..."

As the scribe leads you down through the College, it is apparent that the fortress did not escape the mountain's wrath unscathed... Even so, damages are limited, and not terribly severe.

At length the Elder Scribe pauses before a doorway to an outer passage, and covers his face with a perfumed handkerchief.

"I suggest to cover your face, m'lord. The smell beyond is quite pronounced."

So saying, he pushes open the door.

The wave of stench strikes you almost like a physical blow, and it takes all the force you can muster not to empty your stomach on the spot.

Within, you see your brother standing, speaking to a man pinned beneath a fallen beam... The man's putrid and congealed blood pools about him, and it seems impossible that anyone could survive being crushed in such a manner. Even so, the man lays back almost relaxed, as you catch his last phrase...

"... Like I said before, I don't die right anymore."

[LordDice]

"What have you found here Brother ? Is it a new type of blight, have they beaten the seal so quickly ?

[Barthac]

Not the blighted exactly... more like a victim of Malthos. Ask him about the brand. We'll talk more later

[LordDice]

"Ah yes, the other Foulblooded stole the Seal from Fred, they must desire it something fierce. All working with Malthos, I'd almost forgotten he had killed you.

Turning to the humanoid sack of goo somewhat crushed upon the floor "Why do you want the seal, or I should say Why does Malthos want the seal"

"While I may have missed some of the conversation I can't help but notice your cavalier attitude towards death...but I assure you that unkillable or not being entombed in a few tones of obsidian and tossed into a volcano will ruin anyone's decade.

[Mr. X]

Jory nods to you somberly.

"Aye, I've little doubt that it might. I've no intent ta try ta keep any secrets from you, I know well enough that you'd get 'em anyway. An' Malthos dinnae ask me ta keep 'em, anyway."

He nods his head toward Taalkar.

"Like I was tellin' 'im, 'e means ta use it ta fight the god when it rises... Dunno how it works, or how 'e plans on doin' it, but that's why 'e said 'e needed it.

'E had a vision o' some kind, made 'im think tha thing was gonna appear near Great Gate."

[LordDice]

"So you were here only to attempt to get a hold of the Seal for Malthos ? He sent a single Foulblooded to secure it from one of the most secure locations in the world and from one of the strongest wizards."

"Malthos might be a monster, but he's not a stupid monster. That doesn't even make sense. How are you communicating with him and how many more of you are in here ?"

[Mr. X]

Jory bobs his head.

"Well, yes an' no... Ye're right, he ain't a fool, but bein' how things'av been o' late, the Collage is a lot less secure fer tha common folk 'an it has been in times past, while bein' a lot more secure against the Blighted specifically... We figger we got tha Bonefoot ta thank fer 'at.

I wasn't sent here ta steal the thing personally (unless such an easy opportunity showed 'erself ta me), but just ta find that thing, an figger where it was, an' how it was kept.

Malthos sent a bunch o' us all over, ta anywhere 'e figured tha Bonefoot might show up wit tha thing... An' yeah, 'e sent us alone, as it'd be easier to slip in 'at way. Plan was 'at once one o' us found tha thing, we'd holler back, an 'e'd set a specific plan ta get it then.

'E cast a spell on tha lot o' us 'at let us talk telepathic like... I'd used it ta tell 'im tha Brand weren't here, but the storm was hittin', an' they were lockin' tha place down. So I told I'm I'd hunker down, an slip back when tha weather'd cleared. It's just ma foul luck 'at got me stuck 'ere, else I'd be long gone by now.

Worst part is (fer me, at least), that spell 'e cast on me ran out a couple hours back, before this blasted beam got me.

So yeah, my bit's got a mite complicated over the intervenin' hours."

[LordDice]

"Well lets check that part out at least...an maybe a little more to see if you're telling the truth"

With but a thought the cantrip finishes and his eyes flash with an inner light, looking upon the poor sod. Moments later runes of arcane light burn themselves into the ground in a circle surrounding Jory.

"Now with that spell going, run through what you said before...and we'll see where to go from there"

Just casting Detect Magic, then CL 21 Zone of Truth (yeah, shoulda cast that earler)

Checking for evidence of any running spells on him.

[Mr. X]

Jory gawks at the magic being cast for a moment, before shrugging, and repeating his story in full.

Your detection spell picks up a few minor magical items (bracers, belt, and boots), and the bearest thread of supernatural force, entwining him, and disappearing off into the ether... It isn't an active spell, and definitely isn't strong enough to allow for any sort of direct communication, but it is there... It's more like some tying of fates, not so dissimilar in principal from the link that ties you to your brother. It may be by this means, that Jory could claim to always be able to find Malthos, and indeed be drawn to him, regardless of the distances separating them.

The Zone of Truth doesn't pick up any deceit from the pinned man... He is being straight and honest, at least so far as he is aware (and so far as the subjects that have been discussed).

Once he is finished, he nods, and looks hopefully at you.

"So that's the lot... If'n yer spell thinks it's ok, do ya think ye might give me a hand with this beam here? It ain't killin' me, but that don't make it pleasant."

[Barthac]

Now why would we do that? You're working for Malthos, the enemy, and you are our prisoner. I don't see any reason to move that beam. Besides all you'll do is run back to Malthos with every bit of information you've learned about us and the college.0

[LordDice]

"Well, near as I can tell...and I'm no expert in these things. You're tellin the truth, so just executing ya seems a bit wrong...even if you are a sworn enemy by standing with Malthos and his Ilk."

"That said, Can't have you wandering around neither. So don't resist this next part, and you might actually get to your afterlife someday"


With the last bit said he slams his staff upon the ground and begins shaping stone, at first working to remove the debris and reshape the rubble before quickly working it into a solid sarcogophagus around...leaving the face open so he can still talk.

Sid picks it up shortly after "We're just going to have to keep you around for a little while, I highly suspect Fred will want to speak with you as well"

"Sid'll take him over to one of the antechambers by Fred's quarters and stand guard"

"I've got to go meditate and get some of my spells back, that was quite the night and it threw me off my usual rituals"

[Mr. X]

Jory's protestations are half hearted at best, and easily drowned out as Sid carts him off.

It takes a little time to find adequate chambers to rest and recoup in, but once found, sun shines pleasantly through the window, as the hours slip by...

...

Your reprieve is upset by a sinister and unsettling chill curling through your bones.

A moment later your door opens, and Fredric peers in to find you.

"The cold get to be too much for you two? I expected to see you again at the temple."

He chuckles.

"Not that your presence would have made much difference there, and I am told it made a grand difference here. My thanks to you, for rescuing the Collage."

[LordDice]

"You know for as long as I've been up on the surface I still never got used to the idea of weather changing...let alone that horrible storm. Is it any wonder we just stayed up here by the nice warm volcano" chuckling at the last bit.

"I'm glad to see you made it through the storm alright, we were worried when we had to flee from Malthos how you would fare. But when we came back and checked on you via a bit of scrying. Well, we're glad to see you still among the..uh..Living....you know what I mean.

"I dare say you might recall that lass that managed to steal the Seal ? We found another of her kind, sworn to Malthos in the college. Got him locked up and under guard. Some sort of rotting re-animation of a person. Just like the girl that stole your Seal, he was after it as well, or scouting for a chance at least."

[Mr. X]

The mirth drains from Fredric's face.

"Wait, Malthos was here?"

[LordDice]

"I guess you never even glimpsed him, but down in the city, when the brand was stolen by that lass. HE was there, We fought him with everything we had."

"He killed Taalkar, after that things became a bit of a blur. I ran....from there. I had to help my brother, surely you understand ?"

"I figured Malthos would have turned towards your church afterwards, but I guess without the Seal there to retrieve he decided to flee as well"

[Mr. X]

Fredric frowns.

"Indeed, he did not... You have the Brand then? And you are all right?"

[Barthac]

Before we answer, I got a few questions for you. First, what were you doing in that chamber when we first found you sealed in that chamber. It seemed like some sort of ritual and you seemed pretty tired afterwards.

[Mr. X]

Fredric raises an eyebrow, the red lights in the pits of his eyes glimmering steadily.
"I suppose, to put it simply, I was testing a magical theory..."

He indicates himself.

"With the results as you see them."

He peers at you.

"Why do you ask?"

[Barthac]

Ol' Jory told me quite a tale. A story about how you woke some god of the blight. It got me a little curious.

[Mr. X]

Fredric's gaze sinks.

"Ahh, yes... I am, unfortunately, responsible for that catastrophe... Come with me."

He leads you back up to his study, where he gives a pained look at the scattered notes and papers, before turning to a closet, and withdrawing a long, burlap wrapped package.

"There was a prophecy that essentially stated 'when the Sleeper's Key falls into Evil Hands, the Titan will awaken.' and like most prophecies, I failed to comprehend it (or truly, to even be aware of it) until it was too late."

He heaves a sigh and unwraps the package, revealing an immense, adamantite greatsword. Seemingly forged into the very metal of the sword is a cancerous organic mass, with an amalgam of eyes that roll oddly and look about... Very much alive.

"When Malthos and I returned to the fountain chamber, it was protected by an animate guardian, wielding this sword.

It drove off Malthos, and took me alive, sealing me within the chamber.

It was implacable... It didn't kill me, nor did it interfere with my experiment (which at that point had become necessary for my mere survival), but it was unresponsive to me or any request I made of it."

He sags a little further.

"My experiment was successful, and flooded me with new power... And in my foolishness, I sought to steal also the guardian's power, that it might further aid our cause..."

He pauses a moment, fingering his heavy gauntlets, both bearing Moradin's mark.

"The effort did not go as intended, and I was forced to destroy the guardian... This sword was the only thing that remained of it.

My purpose defeated, I took it up... It was at my touch that it's eyes opened, and I was struck by the terrible awareness of the god stirring."

He heaves a sigh.

"I don't know if the experiment is what left me tainted, or if I have always been of sufficiently vile outlook... Whatever the case, I believe this sword was the final chain that bound the god... And it was my touch that undid it."

[Barthac]

Taalkar's eyes catch a moment on the gauntlets and Moradin's mark. He tries to hide his interest by flopping in a nearby chair as Fred speaks. Pulling out his cup, he wills it full of ale and takes a swig.

Just who or what is this god? Jory said it intends to devour blight and to be honest I didn't rightly understand that.

[Mr. X]

Fredric chews his lip.

"It's an excellent question, and this Jory is no doubt correct... Though I think that stating that the thing 'Intends' to do anything may be giving it too much credit...

The Blight itself is a thing of insatiable hunger, which, if you accept Malthos' accounts, is as happy to consume itself as anything else. Beneficial side effects aside, that appears to be its primary function; to eat and to be eaten."

He flexes his hands, as his thought gets going.

"The goblins of Beluvah, and Malthos by extent, have employed those side effects to their great benefit... But if their god is but a manifestation of that same base instinct, only a great fool would presume himself to be safe from its hunger... Be he blighted or no."

He shrugs

"Honestly, I would be shocked if the beast proved capable of sentient thought at all... Which lends the profecy's verbage, calling it a Titan (a force of nature), a degree of favor over the more common adage of calling it a God (implying that it is a thinking, governing being)."

He wrings his hands.

"Regardless of how we may title the thing, however, it's awakening no doubt spells doom for the continent. Even Malthos, when I met him after Great Gate's betrayal at Beluvah, argued for striking a treaty of peace between the Blighted and those unafflicted, over any wholesale obliteration of one side or the other... A position, had I been wiser at the time, I might have taken up myself."

He looks up at you.

"Do you know what Malthos wanted with the Brand? With the god (or Titan) approaching, the Seal's power to protect such limited areas could hardly be considered a significant obstacle to such a thing, even if he were to mean to ease its way."

[Barthac]

I don't know but it was important enough for Malthos to send Jory and his other "children" looking for it. Were you there when Malthos killed Jory and then brought him back? It seems that being brought back to life is becoming more and more common around here.

[Mr. X]

Fredric nods.

"I don't know this Jory personally, but if Malthos raised him, then yes, I was there.

It was just after Beluvah had fallen. Kulkov had rallied a large column of refugees, and we led them south to Market, were the lord there took them in...

A day or so later, the refugee camp was hit by slavers.

We rushed to fight them off, with a degree of success... Several escaped with their captives, and while Malthos employed some impressive magics to wipe out most of their force, many of the refugee's they'd captured were held close, and were caught in the blast."

He sighs,

"Deep in the Blighted's prison, we found an alter to some horrid, abominable god... An aspect of the Blighted god, perhaps.

Upon it, we found a sacrificial dagger, powerfully enchanted and attuned to the god to channel the god's power with appropriate sacrifice... In this particular case being a finger or a hand."

He chews his lip.

"After the slavers were drive off, Malthos chose to make the sacrifice to recover those he'd lost... With great success... Though now that I think on it, I wonder if that might have been when we lost him to the Blight as well."

He reaches into a pouch on his belt, and brings out a broken serpentine dagger blade, and separated hilt and grip, and shows them to you.

"I've still got it, though I unmade it at the request of your friend Doilin... Or rather, the lady Mirianna, who was possessing him at the time... I could, potentially, re-make it, if you would find it valuable."

[Barthac]

Doilin? Taalkar takes a sip of ale and tries to remember OH yeah, that tattooed dwarf.. whatever happened to him?

Taalkar breaks his reverie, So that's how Malthos got blighted. Jory said that Malthos works against this titan you awakened and he also said the blighted were afraid of this coming titan. Do you think this titan would really consume the blight? Maybe if we allowed this titan to consume the blight we would at least be fighting one enemy.

[LordDice]

"Somehow I don't think just having one enemy would be our only problem at that point. Jory says Malthos wanted the seal to fight off the Titan when it awoke. I kind of doubt such a thing, Jory seemed to be telling the truth, but we don't know if Malthos lied to him in case of capture"

"Rather than use it to fight off this Titan, what research have you done to rebinding it ? perhaps not in the same manner...but it was done once before. Surely some of the framework for sealing it away is still there."

[Mr. X]

Fredric chuckles.

"I somewhat doubt that the Titan is going to be too picky about who or what it consumes when it arrives... Which might lend some credence to the idea that Malthos might try to fight it."

He clicks his teeth.

"As for containing the thing, I fear that ship may have sailed as well..."

He passes his hand over the greatsword, and the fingers of the gauntlet pulls free a few glowing strands of the sword's bonded enchantments...

"As you can see, these are simply basic enchantments to make the weapon more potent in combat... The primary enchantment that bound the Titan was broken when I first touched the blade, and so can no longer be read or replicated."

He passes his hand back over the sword, and the glowing threads lay back into the weapon, and vanish.

"The prison which held the Blighted until recently still stands, as does the Fountain which powered it's seals... Had Timaril's army not been defeated by the barbarian horde, and had Great Gate not betrayed the dwarves, we might have driven the blighted back into their hole, and re-sealed them there then."

He sighs.

"Now, they have spread so widely that even pushing those in Beluvah back into the prison would have little effect on the state of the world. If that weren't enough, Kulkov's glaive, which was fashioned from the key to that prison, is now held by Great Gate."

He shrugs.

"Though much infrastructure remains, I am uncertain of a method by which it might benefit us.

[Mr. X]

"I do have one theory that might be relevant, however."

Fredric continues.

"I believe that the organic mass on this sword must be a piece of the Titan itself, implying that the sword and it make up an effigy of sorts."

He pauses intently.

"As such, it stands to reason that magics cast upon the sword would effect the Titan directly... Which would be in keeping with the manner in which it was bound the last time."

He shrugs.

"The enchament used to bind the thing is lost, but its mechanism remains, and may potentially be employed to our benefit."

[LordDice]

"Now that is interesting...A way to target the Titan directly. This is a twofold problem really, There is the Blight itself and the Titan. Sure we can't force the Blight back into the Prison, but surely re-sealing the Titan will weaken them. At it sounds like Malthos and the Blight themselves don't want the Boss to come ruin everything."

"As much as this pains me to even consider, it's possible with Malthos help, the Guardians sword and the Seal. Maybe we can put the lock back together"

"Lets face it, the main deterrent to even working at this problem seems to be the fact the Blighted hold the actual location"

[Mr. X]

Fredric nods.

"Whatever he's become, Malthos once fought the Blight as whole heartedly as any of us... And indeed, he is strong enough that he makes a very bad enemy.

If a relationship with him might be restored, he could be a powerful ally."

He shrugs.

"And if that relationship is restored, it stands to reason that he might be able to grant us access to Beluvah, and the Prison beneath it."

[LordDice]

[COLOR="#000080"]"Perhaps you should go question Jory, I daresay you're a little more canny than us when it comes to figuring out if he's telling the truth.

"If he is...damn. I don't know we'll go from there. Maybe we can send a message to Malthos, Freaking Blight is so untrustworthy though. He might just be looking to take a bite of us...and then try to stop the Titan himself."

"I just had an idea, I wonder what could be done to make someone blight-proof, So their very soul and flesh rejects it completely. So they cannot convert or gain anything from the flesh....I'm going to give that one some thought. If that was possible, perhaps undo-ing the blight in someone could come next"

"Aside from that, I think just Interrogate Jory and see what he has to say for now, might see a piece we missed."

[Mr. X]

Fredric nods.

"I've considered 'Blight Proofing' myself, and have come up with a few theories... Though, sadly, none of them are realistically implementable on a large scale."

He ticks the examples off his fingers.

"First, there is the Seal. Branding someone with the Seal should effectively make them unblightable, and a potent weapon against the Blight... As I have yet to encounter the blighted, Malthos himself included, who could stand up to the Brand's Seal.

Employing the Brand comes at a high cost, however, and so branding every member of our population would be a crippling expenditure.

Second, Velorah touched on this theory while she lived, and I believe it may have proven correct: The devout of the gods seem to be more resilient against the blight than the more atheistically inclined... This implies that even minor influence from the divine can prove a potent protection from affliction... Unfortunately, given the saddened state of the world, and the destruction and desecration of Beluvah, faith in the gods is at an all time low... And doubtless, will not be a quantity we can count upon.

Finally, scorching the earth, and depriving the Blight of new hosts to afflict and devour... This is the most extreme measure, and one that could only haphazardly be expected to succeed. Even so, a scourged area could feasibly protect those living within it... At least for a time (or until they starved)."

He shrugs.

"These are far away from ideal solutions, I know, but they were my initial thoughts on the subject... Perhaps you can make something of them while I speak with Jory."

He turns to leave, but then pauses, scratching his chin.

"On a side note, I had one of my assistants brand a Blighted man that I had captured and sealed in the dungeon here, to interesting effect... It dropped the creature into a catatonic state, from which I expect they shall never recover.

The subject might interest you, should you care to observe it."

That being said, he departs. Leaving you alone in your chamber.

[LordDice]

Curious about this already Sealed-Blighted man Fredric described he decides to head down to the dungeon to check it out. Turning to Taalkar "I'm kind of stuck on this idea, I'm going to go inspect this fellow Fredric has Sealed.

[Mr. X]

Moving through the crowded common areas of the college, toward the dungeon, you are stopped by the Boy King, coming up the passage from the opposite direction... He doesn't look good.

His flesh hangs moist and sallow, his eyes are bloodshot, and his hair sags depressingly... Even so, his girth is impressive... Perhaps even more-so than you previously noted... The muscles of his arms, chest, and neck bulge tight against his armor, and his near ham like fists (you'd never noticed them before) clench and flex un-noticed by him at his sides.

Despite his less than regal appearance, he greets you in a pleasant, if somewhat strained, voice.

"Ho, Karazi. I'd heard that the Bonefoot had returned, and was just on my way to see him."

He gives you an up and down glance.

"Have you any news?"

[Barthac]

Taalkar watches everyone leave, thinking about what Fred said about the blight. Gods can't be blighted, huh he muttered, his thoughts turning to Moradin and the other former members of godhood. He wonders what this new found power of theirs must grant them. He certainly didn't feel god-like. Moradin certainly couldn't help him. If only there was some vast repository of general knowledge about these types of things.

Hey scribey... he looks around for the head scribe or anyone else that can help I got some research to do!

I want to see if I can dig up anything on deification and the way deific powers work.

[Mr. X]

For Taalkar:

You get a frazzled looking student, filling the task of an organizer and guide for the townspeople.

"The Library is down that way, take the stairwell down one level, and then take a left. There's a sign on the wall, so you shouldn't miss it."

She pants.

"Religeous studies are in section 67-D, but our collection here isn't the best... Or, well, it might be, now. Beluvah had the best collection, but I suppose it's probably burned or something, now."

She sags a bit at the thought, but then nods to you, and patters off.

[LordDice]

"Aye, we've got a prisoner that works directly for Malthos. We're working on a plan now, I'm currently about to go look at one of the Blighted Fredric did some experiments on, see if I can learn a few things to help us"

"You don't seem quite yourself, are you okay ? ....but aside from that Fredric went to go speak with Jory, this fellow working for Malthos."

[Mr. X]

The Boy King nods.

"That is good to hear. I--"

His face twitches badly, cutting him off mid sentence... And for a moment, you glimps what might be a freakish mania lurking beneath his noble facade.

He recovers himself quickly, appologizing.

"Forgive me. The side effects of the medicines I am required to take are becoming difficult to hide."

He sags a bit but shrugs.

"It is not unexpected... I have been taking and increased dosage, at an accelerated regiment pace, ever since Beluvah fell... Desperate times, and all.

I am sorry for my appearance. I ought not allow myself to be so diminished."

[LordDice]

"Quite right... he says leery of this new side to the King.

"Perhaps some of the learned men of the college could help with your affliction, what kind of medication have you been taking if I might ask ?

[Mr. X]

The Boy King chews his lip, hesitating, before letting you in.

"I have no affliction, as such...." he states, bringing out a leather box holding a number of potion bottles of varying colors.

"Rather, these are my birthright... The crutch that has upheld the kingdom of Starspire for so long."

He heaves a sigh, preparing to give up what is obviously a long held secret.

"Some said my father died of an illness. Others suspected that he was assassinated with a poison.

The truth, is that the machinations of his family, that granted him the success as a ruler that he enjoyed, are what ultimately undid him."

He wets his lips.

"I shall be no different."

He makes the statement coldly, before withdrawing one of the potions.

I was not born a prodigy... I was not destined to be a great ruler. These are what made me what I am..."

He swirls the potion in the bottle. A red one, streaked with black clouds.

"It was my great grand-sire's alliance with the gnomes that gave them to us... They are the only ones ago to practice their particular art with consistent result."

He chuckles.

"I always liked the names the Wizards gave to their augmentative potions; 'Bull's Strength', 'Owl's Wisdom', 'Fox's Cunning'... Cute, and reasonably descriptive of their effects."

He hands you the potion.

"this, rather, is an infusion of demon's blood... And it has made me stronger and wiser than I have any right to be at my age."

He leans back. Finished speaking for the moment, but clearly expecting a question from you.

[LordDice]

"I suppose I cannot judge ones Birthright such as that, For I myself was infused with the Living Earth. You've seemingly done right with what you had, in that at least I see no issue."

"So are you running out of this supply, ah crud. In all the Calamity that has occurred I forgot we were to get you to the Gnomish Isles. This is why you were so hesitant to take leave of your Gnomish adviser I take it ? "

"I will admit to some concern if these Gnomes can hold this supply from you to ensure compliance sometime in the future, as I don't know what their motives are at all. I would hate to see a staunch ally such as yourself be beholden to another so thoroughly"

[Mr. X]

The Boy King chews his lip.

"It isn't so much a hostage situation as all that. That box there shall keep me supplied for a little over a month, and with the powers at your disposal, I have little doubt that you could deliver me there with ease at anytime.

In all honesty the only reason I sought to move to the isles was, as I had been dethroned, I did not feel I could do any further good for the continent alone and lacking allies of any worth...

... That was until you and your brother appeared so serendipitously before me."

He shrugs.

"Now it appears that there may yet be some good we can do together after all."

He pauses for a moment.

"The only real danger, is that of the potions themselves.

They have granted me exceptional strength and wisdom far beyond my years, but I have been taking them heavily for some time now, and am nearing a point of critical exposure to the demonic blood."

He sighs.

"When my father neared this point, he had the gnomes seal him beneath the castle in a circle enchanted against evil... I wasn't there, but they said that at the penultimation, a powerful demon was born from within him. It killed him in the process, and would have been a catastrophic danger to the city, had it not already been imprisoned by the prepared magics, and subsequently banished."

He shrugs.

"I have no reason to believe that my end shall be any different, but I would endeavor to ensure my final hours are of value to my people and to my world."

For Taalkar:

You find your way to the library easily enough, but nearly get lost as soon as you enter...

The endless maze of books and shelves (some askew and strewn about after the volcano's eruption) seems to extend without end, and without obvious reasoning behind it's organization.

After wandering for a bit, you sort out how various signs and subjects direct you about the [apparently] cavernous room, and you do ultimately find your way to the 'Religious Studies' section...

When the girl you met stated that this library did not possess the finest collection of religious study material in the land, she must either have been joking, or your concept of what constitutes 'more books on a subject than one could possibly ever want' must be sadly lacking.

The section might as well go on for miles. Here, there are copies of the base religious scriptures, followed by expanded editions delving into the nuances of each individual god... These are followed by stacks of hymnals, lists of rites and rituals, annotated translations of the same works into dwarvish, low-elvish, and orkish? Catechisms, prayer books... There, there's a statistical analysis of population percentages proclaiming to worship particular gods, and how sociatal strata appears to impact an individual's choice of favored god... Apparently, the priesthood of Nerul will buy your body when you're done with it, and pay you the gold in advance(?). There is a book on the established temples that will give you the best rates, and are least likely to attempt to collect on their purchase early... "Lathander and Me" a child's guide to kneeling...

... It's like looking for a polished stone in a cave in...


Please make an flat Intelligence check, or a Knowledge(Religion) check. (Whichever is higher)

[Barthac]

My Int used to be higher than Karazi at one point. Nout sure anymore.

[roll0]

[Mr. X]

Discussions on how the gods became gods, are not ones that come up very often.

It's clear that the gods you know are the only gods there have been since anyone can remember, but unfortunately, that memory is not a particularly long one...

And as might be expected, Guntar the Fist is to blame for most of the issue.

During his conquest and subsequent reign of most of the continent, it is noted that he had a great penchant for burning libraries, and extinguishing the written word wherever it suited him... And where he did not, he had the histories re-written to his satisfaction, as befits the victor in such cases.

Most contemporary scholars credit him for the near total loss of historical events pre-dating his reign. And being that the gods that were worshiped during his reign were, by and large, the same gods worshiped today, any stories of how they became gods, or of gods that pre-date them, have similarly been lost.

That being said, there is some speculation on the matter... Many of the more useful bits put forward, in fact, by the recently departed Planesmage, Marius Vark.

In one entry he states:
... The gods, as a whole, are frequently assumed to be what I would refer to as a "Permanent Phenomenon." This is to say that they are ageless, unchanging in their views, and supremely powerful in their domains.

I would, theoretically speaking, however, contest this view as being fundamentally flawed for a few reasons:

Firstly, many myths and stories of the gods and their actions, and the actions of their chosen heroes and avatars frequently describe them willfully taking courses of action in direct conflict with their stated laws and glorified purposes.

The clergy of these gods typically interpret these events as tests for the faithful or lessons in lawful exception, or dangers of avarice... And perhaps rightly so...

I would hazard to suggest, however, they the gods themselves might be more human in their outlooks, and thus more changeable, and indeed wiser, than we might give them credit for.

Indeed many times in the stories, the gods are shown to be more brutal than they might have truly had reason to be, but equally so, have been shown to have been merciful when they might justly have been cruel... These examples speak to me of entities who learn and evolve from their experiences much as we do, and indeed, who are just as potentially flawed and virtuous as we are.

Secondly, we come to their timeless nature.
Agelessness is a curious state that is difficult for us mortals to study in its entirety, but that is not so say that much my not be derived from what we are able to see.

The undead servants raised by the priests of Nerul have no meaningful limit on their lifespan. Indeed, it is said that the holy protectors which guard the great temple of Nerul in Great Gate, were placed at their posts when the ground for the temple was first marked, and stand there still to this day... As strong and capable as they were then... And yet, an undead creature may be struck down and destroyed just as surely as any mortal might be, and indeed, more permanently most cases.

Similarly, demonic and celestial beings my be conjured and bartered with, and they too may similarly trapped and slain in permanent fashion... Despite their otherwise lasting and timeless nature.

Even the immortal spirits and souls of us mortals, through the proper applications of powerful magics, may be imprisoned and destroyed... Something the masters of Black Harbour have perfected to a science and an art.

This brings me to the third and final of the stated presumptions of the gods: Their supreme powers... This, if my above theorized potential weaknesses and fallacies are true, they must indeed be supremely powerful in order to exist at all.

But if they are inconsistent... If they are destructible... If it is possible for their wisdom to have its limits, and their lives to come to an end... Then at some point, they must also have had a beginning... A birth... And some form of forbearance that evolved into the gods as we know them today.

What this might be, I cannot guess, but it stands to reason that in whatever heavenly or hellish realms that the gods live their lives, we might be given the answers we so desire... As the holy books so frequently tell us.

[Barthac]

Taalkar closes the book. Cursing the day he ever met Vark.

... heavenly or hellish realms...

Vark was the planeswalker, he would know about these things. Probably more than Fred even though Karazi's methods were a bit easier on guests. Taalkar rubbed his shoulder where Fred touched him, he swore it was still cold. He thought about that time he traveled with Fred. What happened when he touched him. It was odd how he had gotten so accustomed to his newfound powers and still didn't really understand them or where they came from. He was hoping that this library might some answers, but all he found was dust and more questions.

... heavenly or hellish realms...

The words echoed in his mind. He thought of Moradin, that kindly dwarf. Vark certainly had one thing right, the gods were not immutable and they were dying or already dead. Moradin made it seem like his power, and the power of the other gods, came from their worshipers. The blight was twisting those worshipers, changing their faith. That blighted villager certainly seemed to worship the blight, right up until he exploded, that is.

... heavenly or hellish realms...

He certainly didn't feel very godlike. All though, he wasn't tired at all, he hadn't been thirsty or needed to eat in quite some time. What made a god god-like then? Churches? Holy Books? Followers? Heaven? If only he had some answers, some place to look beyond this dusty library with books filled with guesses.

... heavenly or hellish realms...

Maybe Moradin had something for Taalkar. Something he ran out of time to give him. Some bit of knowledge or tome. Handbook for the Recently Deified

... heavenly or hellish realms...

Was it that easy? He stood, closed his eye, and thought of Moradin's hall. Trying to bring that bit of realty in front of him, much like his view of this world. With a great deal of faith, he took a step forward, hoping it was really into another plane.

[Mr. X]

It is with heart filling ease, that you step out onto the dizzying hights of that mountain...

A breath of wind finds its way beneath your collar, raising the hairs on your neck, snows flurrying about your ankles, as you gaze up at the cyclopean fortress before you.

But even the chill is a pleasant one.

No longer do you feel any trepidation when faced with the structure... No fear of what might be held within.

Here there is only safety and comfort...

... It is home.

[LordDice]

"A defiant stand at the very end eh... We can't afford to be losing anymore. I'd wager a pint of Dwarven Rum Fredric could figure some way to delay the inevitable.

"But in the event such a thing is impossible, then I will make sure you don't suffer at the end. For all you've done for us...I will assure you that"

[Mr. X]

The boy king chews his lip grimly, but nods.

"In that event, I will appreciate it."

He glances down the hall.

"I'd best be off. I hope you learn something useful from Fredric's prisoner... We're running short on time, and we'll need the best plan we can get. Find me when you've got something to work with."

He strides off, leaving you.

[LordDice]

Heading onward to the prisoner he considers the options ahead.. Suddenly he notices his brothers presence Vanish from nearby....He can still feel it though, muted somehow but present.

It doesn't feel as though he is in danger, something to figure out later perhaps...for now onto the Blighted.

[Mr. X]

The College castle's dungeon is more an outlying structure, than a proper dungeon.

Built on a largish pinnacle rock, it stands alone, a sheer drop on all sides, save one, where it is connected to the College proper via a drawbridge.

Judging by the look of it, it hasn't been used for its intended purpose for many years... Until recently, apparently.

Within the structure, many of the cells are being used as bedding and living space for the refugees, and prior to that, it appears that they were frequently employed as dormatories for the students.

It is up near the top level, a little more secluded from the common folk, that you find Fredric's prisoner.

Stripped to the waist, the man hangs limply by his arms, where he is chained to the wall. His affliction is severly progressed; The rough, bark-like fungus covers most of his exposed flesh, strange mushroom caps protrude from his ears and one of his eyes, while his other eye rolls clouded and vacant.

His placid state is punctuated as he twitches, and convulses violently for a moment, before seizing in rigor mortis-like stillness, dangling from his chains.

The whole of the room is awash in a brilliant cerulean light, eminating from the Seal clearly branded upon his brow.

Against a side wall, a table sits, filled with a variety of laboratory equipment... Beakers and glass tubes, vials of labeled potions and components, scalpels, forceps, needles and threads, and other implimemts who's purposes you are not totally certain of.

Against the opposite wall, another table sits. This one empty, but for the manacles bolted to either end.

[LordDice]

With a slight frown as he finds the scene before him distasteful, yet necessary to the understanding of their enemy. Putting those thoughts aside he steps in front of the prisoner, examining him a bit he thoughtlessly creates a small stool from the stone floor.


Concentrating on the abomination in front of him he carefully lays his staff upon the creatures head, very carefully channeling power into his flesh..slowly but surely he can see the bark like fungus recede and so he presses on, continuing to channel even more power.


"This is just a Polymorph I've got memorized, at the normal spell level. So it shouldn't be permanant. In character reasoning is he's just trying to see if the change is possible."

[Mr. X]

The magic you are working is an odd and curious thing. Arcane powers are still a bit new to you, and while the principles are really the same, there's something about the... Aftertaste? That you'll probably never really grow accustomed to.

This particular formula, so the historians say, was first devised by a half-mad sorceress who lived in a tower outside of the town of Gathering (East of Last Port), bordering on Loc'Nethal's great forest.

A number of stories and myths are attibuted to her, and her tendency to terrorize the surrounding villages. She was said to keep a large and varried menagerie of animals and livestock... A collection that only grew larger whenever local townsfolk disappeared.

Ultimately, she met her end at the hands of a lynch mob, but after her demise, this formula was found written upon a scroll among her possessions.

The initial formula that was recovered, called for transmuting the subject of the spell into a toad, but later study revealed that the specificity of the subject's resulting form could be varied without compromising the integrity of the spell.

And indeed, under your application, the man's blighted flesh recedes... Until he is free from the affliction.

Under your treatment, the cerulean light slowly dims, until it fades completely, as the Seal branded upon the man deactivates.

[LordDice]

Just to be sure he mutters under his breath as his eyes glow cerulean blue for a moment, before fading quickly. he gazes upon this poor fellow, seemingly unblighted.

"Sir, Are you with us there ?....is there anything left of yer mind fella ?"


Just casting Detect Aberration

[Mr. X]

Hanging limply from the shackles, the man's head bobs, and his eyes flutter open.

"W-wha... Wha'd ya do ta me..?"

[LordDice]

"Well, in the most direct sense. I've altered the flesh of your body back to a normal human. Hopefully removing the taint of the Blight upon your soul as well...but we shall see"

"What do you remember ?"

[Mr. X]

The man tries to rise, but is quickly impeded by his chains. He flinches badly against them, and panic fills his eyes.

"What in the bloody hells are you doin' to me?!" he shrieks, his eyes rolling madly, "Red eyes! His b-bloody skeleton foot!! Stabbed me an' pinned me to the floor, an' made me watch 'im slaughter my family!!"

He lurches at your, gnashing his teeth, and clawing with his nails, but is pulled up short by the chains.

"WHAT IN THE BLOODY HELLS DO YOU WANT FROM ME?!!"

[Barthac]

Taalkar gazes up at the fortress for the second time. This was Moradin's home on the peaks of Mount Celestia.

By Moradin's beard... I wish he was here to greet me. A tear forms in his eye at the thought of Moradin. His god had died and he supposed he had been entrusted to take his place. He still had no idea what that really meant.

And standin' 'ere aint getin' ay no closer to findin' out, either, he berated himself out loud. Time to see if there might be some answers here. He marches proudly to the gigantic doors to claim his new home.

[Mr. X]

The immense gates swing open before you as before, and within, the great hall stretches off into the distance.

Empty and silent as before, a cool breeze wafts in at your back, causing the hanging chains and cranes to clink gently in the wind...

A calm settles over you as you enter the fortress...

Striding down the hall each great furnace you pass flickers in ignition, before roaring to life... And at the edges of your vision, shadowy, half-formed, ethereal forms flit to work their bellows, and draw their mine carts for ore... And from them, you can catch faint whispers...

He has returned...

... It's true...

... By Taalkar's Eye, we aren't lost..."

All around you, the fortress slowly awakens, and returns to life.

Passed the bottomless pit, and up on the Dias, the old dwarf's bed has vanished, along with his body... Though you suppose, being a god, he probably wouldn't leave one.

In its place sits an impressive throne, ornately carved from a single block of onyx.

[LordDice]

"Calm yourself man, The Bonefoot seems to have indeed performed quite a few experiments on you, I'll nary say it wasn't an evil act...but I'll wager it was a desperate one. I'm not sure if you recall the Blight, but solid information is a tad hard to come across. So he did what many might consider, but few would do. He experimented."

"I'm sad to say even I am taking part in such a thing, but I am quite hopeful since you actually seem to be coherent. I hesitate to say I do not believe this to be a permanent solution at the moment"

"In a few hours you could succumb back to your Blighted self. With I'm sure only agony meeting you once again as you have been Sealed against the blight. I believe one of the Bonefoots experiments to "cure" it"

Weary in the face of having to speak the truth to a tortured soul, and realizing even he was compliant in this torture seems to weigh heavily upon his stature. But he must endure and see it through"

"I understand the hate you would hold for the Bonefoot and even I. But if I could have your assistance, perhaps we could save Many MANY more. I would give you my personal assurance that I will do my best to see that your sacrifices, although not voluntary I suspect will not be for naught"

"I am very hopeful with a bit more research and perhaps even some assistance from you, I could see you permanently cured of the Blight"

"What say you ?"

[LordDice]

"Before you answer..perhaps I can help make this right as well, for to not only lose your family in such a manner, but to watch a monster do it in front of you...well I would not wish that upon anyone"

To make this right, I would go so far as to reverse the natural order of nature. For one such as I that isn't something I do lightly. But I too had my entire family killed, only my brother remains...

"And so I give you not only the incentive to help me vanquish the Blight. But I will return one of your family members, to the best of my ability.
This is no idle boast, I have renewed light and life to the dead before...and I likely shall again."

[Mr. X]

The man sags against his chains.

"D-... D-Diedre." He mutters, almost incoherently. "Her name was Diedre... My daughter... Bring back my daughter, an' I'll give you any help I can."

He sniffs, and heaves a long sigh, working hard to hold back tears of exhaustion and emotion.

"I was desperate, ya know? Sure, I knew the Blight weren't a pretty affliction to look at, but me wife an I an our girl was livin' 'neeth a bridge, an me tryin' ta keep 'em fed... An doin' a piss poor job o' it."

He sniffs.

"An it was cold, ya know...? So bleeding cold... Deidre never stopped shaking."

He hiccups, but continues.

"Tha Blight, when ya got it, it burns inside o' ya... Keeps you warm as the fire, even in the dead o' night... An it gives ya an aweful appetite... Makes ye wanna eat up anything you can chew threw... But that weren't much different from how we was anyway, an ye wouldn't get sick if'n ya ate food that had sat too long, or weren't really fit te eat in the first place."

He pauses for a moment,

"Come ta think on it, we weren't ever sick again, once we had it... Nobody was."

He scrabbles his feet under him, and sands weakly.

"But honest, I ain't nobody. I'm not sure how much I kin help, but I'll try... Fer ma daughter."

[LordDice]

"This pains me to hear....you accepted the Blight willingly. But I will stay true to my word, Now we begin some research though."

"Can you feel anything remaining of the Blight ? Do you remember any skills you may have learned while Blighted ? We know that the Afflicted can seemingly absorb knowledge from a single bite from their target.

"I need to test your regenerative abilities, it is known the Blight is quite resilient. One of those things which seemingly lead you to accepting such an Abomination into your soul....So I will make a small cut on your arm, to see if you're healing as you were or not"

Reshaping a bit of stone off his gauntlet into a small knife he cuts very shallowly into his arm, only about an inch long.

[Mr. X]

The man pauses for a moment, thinking.

"... No... No, the others are all gone."

He chews his lip,

"You got it a bit wrong, though. You don't really learn stuff from the people you eat... It's more like they live in your head with you. You can talk to 'em an everything, an if'n you need to do something they know how to do, you can sit back an' let 'em take yer reigns, an they do it for you."

He winces as you cut him, and a bit of blood wets your knife.

You wait a minute or so, but the wound doesn't heal, nor change in any appreciable fashion... Certainly it doesn't knit up the way the Blighted are known to do.

[Barthac]

Moradin's throne... Taalkar swallows loudly, I guess there's only one thing left to do. He climbs the dais and sits in the throne.

[Mr. X]

Wave of power washes over the entire fortress as you claim your rightful throne... Torches spring to life, the multitudes of the honored fallen fade into view, and the heraldry upon the great gate shifts from Moradin's Hammer and Anvil, to an image of a Single Eye, over a Lightning Wreathed Axe.

Before you, the assembled visages of the fallen stand before you, and as one, kneel... And among them, you can pick out those you once knew...

There kneel many of your Falgen brethren, and near them, just as many of the Whurgrim...

There, head bowed, stands your mother and father... And beside them, the Ironjaw.

An over all of these hover legions of archons and angels, flitting extensions of yourself and your will, waiting upon your whim.

And as you gaze over the assembled host, your thumb absently catches on a scratch, an unexpected flaw in the arm of your throne...

Glancing down, you see that it is an inscription, almost absently scratched into the otherwise flawless onyx of the great chair...

It reads:

Doubt is wise, but so is faith. Trust in yourself, as they trust in you, and their trust shall not be misplaced.

It is impossible to tell whether Moradin scratched the inscription for you, or for himself.

[LordDice]

Frowning slightly at the bleeding wound, he mutters a few words under his breath, as a slight green glow floats over it quickly restoring the minor wound.

"Why would these people...living within you, for lack of a better description actually help you. I fought a man with my own Brother's skills. He would have never assisted him, or the Blight. Can you somehow compel them to help you ?"

[Mr. X]

The man shakes his head.

"No, ya can't force 'em to do nothin', not like that."

He shrugs,

"I mean, ya could maybe bargin with 'em, and maybe never let 'em out to play, but I never had to... Even with some o' my mates who were right nasty before I got a bite o' 'em."

He looks shiftily around, obviously aware that you're probably not going to like what he's about to say.

"See, I know ya hate the Blight, an from what I heard happened to Beluvah, I can't say I blame ya... But the thing is, once you've got it, an' especially once you've tasted a few folks, you start to get a weird, sort of familial perspective o' everyone... Even folks who ain't Blighted."

He shrugs,

"Ya can't have someone else in your head without gettin' to know them pretty good, but that ain't even sayin' it right... See, when they're in your head, they ain't sittin' there with you, like you are here with me, they're a part o' you, an' you become a part o' them. You can't hardly help but find honesty an' common ground with each other, cuz you can't not implicitly know each other."

He presses himself back against the wall, fearful of you, but now that he's started talking, he won't stop.

"I'll be honest, the Blight was one o' the best things that ever happened to me... I wager it were the best thing that happened to a lot o' folks... I mean hells, I had to watch the Bonefoot wither my Diedra to a husk with his bloody hands, an then watch 'im throw her corpse onto the pyre with the rest o' the lot 'e found me with..."

He clutches his face, tears welling in his eyes,

"An ya know what? I could forgive him fer that... Cuz she was still with me... You never lose anyone who's been touched by the Blight, not truly... Sure, you might get gnarly awful skin, but your heart's the same... An' your soul's the same... An' if some fool hacks up your meat sack, it don't matter a whit, cuz you're with all the others too... An' yer warm, an' yer never alone."

He sags, hanging limply on his chains for a moment, before rubbing the Seal on his forehead with a middle finger.

"It weren't until he put this on me that I lost her..."

[LordDice]

"So the Seal didn't just incapacitate you ? You were cut off from the rest ? Could you describe the Seal effects for me, We know it's effective...but it clearly wasn't ever intended to be placed upon a Blighted such as yourself.

[Mr. X]

The man shrugs.

"Ya ever been so hung over that ya couldn't see or hear or breathe, an the only act you could make was to hurl your guts up? It's kinda like that, but worse.

If'n the others were still with me, I couldn't hear 'em or find 'em, an' they could'na find me either... But now you got rid o' it, they're gone."

[LordDice]

"Indeed...Well the last thing to do is see how the seal reacts with the Blight trying to re-emmerge. I'll return tomorrow morning to see if you survive the process."

"In the meantime I'm a dwarf of my word, I'll go speak with Fredric about getting some of the ashes from the pyre your daughter was burned upon."

With a rather resigned look upon him he strides quietly from the chamber.

[Barthac]

Looking back at the host spread out before him, he blows out a low whistle. Tears form in his eye as his gave lingers over his mother, father, and the rest of the Falgen clan.

He takes a deep calming breath to steady himself. He didn't really have time to contemplate all that was happening. So he did what he did best, he began to think out loud.

This is all a bit... frightening. What should I do now? What CAN I do? I wish I knew was going on with Karazi. Did Deep Moth stand? How many dwarfs are left? For that matter, how many of everybody is left? What can we do to figure whats going on down there? Taalkar looks around expectantly, hoping someone had a few answers.

[Mr. X]

There is a fair number of awkward looks and muttering amongst the host, but after a moment, Ironjaw steps forward.

"I'm 'fraid the news ain't very good, an things are about as confusin' here as they are back there. Deep Mote's fallen, it's people overrun by their own undead kin. Guntar's betrayal at beluvah was only the first step of his offensive against us."

He heaves a deep breath, even though he no longer needs to.

"Those that survived the battle with Great Gate, circled south, and have been putterin' around Star Spire e're since...

His face darkens.

"But we won't see 'em again. Th Blight's run rampant through their ranks... An once it's got you," he glances around, shrugging, "There's a lot o' ours that should be here, but ain't... Blighted souls don't come here... Not sure what happens to 'em."

He is gaze sinks,

"As fer the rest, I couldn't honestly say... We can only really watch our own lots from up here, so there's a lot we're blind to."

[Barthac]

Taalkar rubs his chin thoughtfully, Me brother, and a few other mages, used to be able to look at places in a bit o' water or in a mirror. Anyone up here able to do that kind of thing?

[Mr. X]

Ironjaw nods.

"Aye, I'll show ye."

Curiously, even as you ask the question, and Ironjaw turns to lead you, you intuitively become aware of the castle's layout, and the location of room which you at seeking.

Indeed, even as Ironjaw turns to lead you, you nearly stride passed him, as you know where you are going.

...

The chamber you enter into sits at the top of a high tower in an Eastern (it feels like) corner of the castle. The chamber is largely empty, but for a reclined chair sitting at its center... The cieling of the chamber is a high, polished dome.

Ironjaw stands off your shoulder.

"Ye dinnae need ta sit in tha chair of' ye don't want to. It's just there cuz Moradin liked it. All ye gotta do is look at the ceiling, and think o' what ye want ta see, an the room'll show ye."

[Barthac]

Oy, I know why he liked the chair! This is pretty inconvenient. We'll have to see about moving this later. Taalkr looks up and instinctively thinks about his brother.

[Mr. X]

Easy as seeing yourself in a mirror, the ceiling waivers, and you see your Brother... Standing before a man manacled to a stone wall, with Seal branded into his forehead, and an array of laboratory equipment standing on a table nearby.

You hear him speak,
"...Well the last thing to do is see how the seal reacts with the Blight trying to re-emmerge. I'll return tomorrow morning to see if you survive the process."

"In the meantime I'm a dwarf of my word, I'll go speak with Fredric about getting some of the ashes from the pyre your daughter was burned upon."

So saying, he departs the room, and makes his way through the various passages of the Collage, most likely headed toward Fredric's study.

[Barthac]

Taalkar watches his brother for a few minutes then changes his mind, I wonder what ol' Malthos is up to?

[Mr. X]

The ceiling whirls, and for a moment, your glimps the Blighted Shaman walking somewhere... But almost immediately, a putrid miasma clouds your vision, and you are nearly overwhelmed by the presence of the Titan...

You catch your breath as your lungs tighten, and the miasma congeals into a syrupy broth before you... Countless eyes and sensing orifaces bubble to its surface, and the roll and crane themselves madly about, as though searching for something...

... When one eye stops, it's pupil contracting to focus on you... Nearly as one, the rest whirl around to lock you in their gaze, and you are nearly driven to the floor under the crushing weight of the Titan's awareness...


You may sever this connection at will, if you like.

[Barthac]

Taalkar spits on the floor, You goat herding gnome, he shouts at the Titan shaking his fist with fury What do you want! he screams his face turning red with rage.

[Mr. X]

The might of the Titan piles onto you, as if it would crush you into the dust by its mere presence.

But your fury burns brighter, and your strength is equal to the task of lifting its weight... And the might of your own will drives the thing before you.

Before the blaze of your will, the thing shrinks and withdraws, whispering a single word into your mind before the connection is severed...

EVERYTHING...

[Mr. X]

The titan's withdrawal leaves you shaking and cold, but aware that a victory was won, however small.

relaxing back into the stone chair, you gaze once more up at the ceiling, calling to mind those you know, and those whom might call upon you, to view...

Those closest to you are easily found. Karazi, finished with his interrogation and experimentation upon the blighted prisoner wanders the halls of the College deep in thought, moving generally towards Fredric's study.

Fredric himself stands in a sealed chamber, engaging in a low toned conversation with the foulblood Jory... Suddenly, and without warning, he lunges forward, gripping the foulblood by the throat, and lifting him off the floor. The act causes you to start, yourself having felt the effects of Fredric's touch, to say nothing of having watched him wither the blighted to husks merely by grasping them. Without question, he is prematurely executing a valuable informant, for what cause you cannot guess... The foulblood shudders in his grasp, but contrary to expectation, does not wither and die... Indeed, as you watch, the gastly wound it sustained congeals closed and heals...

Frowning curiously, Fredric sets the man down, and departs without another word. You expect that he is to return to his study to meet with your brother.

The Boy King you find already waiting in Fredric's study, presumably intent upon meeting with the Bonefoot... but oddly, he is standing in a corner... Absolutely still, his arms at his sides, and his face nearly pressed against the stone... Nearly as soon as you find him, he jerks violently. His arms and fingers seize and contort, and his head snaps nearly all the way around to face you, where you can see his eyes are rolled so far back into his skull that only the whites can be seen... You are suddenly very acutely aware that he can see you just as you can see him... And that it is not Claudus Clay, the Boy King, that you are actually observing, but in fact someone or something else.

The thing does not move again while you observe it. It remains in its seized and contorted stance, its white eyes peering coldly at you until you allow the vision to drift away.

-----

The woman who stole the Brand for Malthos, Silvie, you think her name was, is quite a lot easier to find than her master... As the chamber shows her to you, the first thing you hear is her panting... She is fleeing through the cramped streets of a large city... Immense structures and spires of cyclopean stature are just visible over the roof-line, as she vaults over a high fence... Whatever injury Fredric's spear dealt her is now clearly healed.

Upon landing, she ducks into a doorway, and crouches hiding... It is there that you are able to get your first good look at her.

Gaunt and starved, she is nearly unrecognizable. Her cheeks are hollow, and here eyes an odd brackish color... She hardly even looks human.

A few moments after she hides, you hear the padding footfalls and clattering bones of the undead following her... Nearly a dozen of them.

They pass her spot unawares, and she puts her fingers to her lips to let out a shrill whistle... From all around, doors and windows burst open, and Blighted men, women, and other creatures pour into the streets. The skeletal soldiers fight silently and efficiently, but are badly overmatched, and are quickly beaten into piles of broken bones.

-----

Turning away from the woman, you focus up upon the Black King, Guntar the Fist... Like Malthos, a veil of mist shrouds him from your view... But in this case you are able to perceive its distant edges, and a little of what lies beyond them... In nearly all directions, you perceive the edges of a military encampment that was badly damaged by the storm. The center and activities within the camp remain shrouded, but you can see patrols of undead soldiers coming and going from its edges... And off in the distance, the same colossal structures that towered over the woman Silvie.

-----

Turning your gaze upon your homelands is a difficult thing to do. The Mountain King now kneels before you in the halls here upon Mount Celestia, as do most others of your homeland. Even so, as you look and listen, you can hear your name whispered in the deep caverns, and far upon the Northern shores, where worshipers intuitively include your name in their prayers to any god who might listen...

... There exist a few bolt holes in Deep Mote and it's more central nearby keeps, where survivors have managed to wall themselves in from the tireless ranks of undead who roam the now desecrated halls, but they cannot last. They are poorly supplied and already barely alive. If the undead don't get them, starvation surely will before long. Their prayers are simple... Asking the patience to wait one more day for rescue that they know will not come, courage, for when they must accept the axe or chisel blade as their only escape, and guidance, to see their souls safely to your halls once their time has come.

In fair contrast, the dwarves of Cold Port survived better than most... Sitting far from the kingdom's boarders, and with a ready fleet of ships locked at hand, the city was able to evacuate quite effectively when word of the coming onslaught reached them.

Forced to make the perilous crossing to The Nests in trade ships ill suited to the severe winter weather, many were lost to the waves. Those few ships that survived, however, still accounted for several thousand dwarves that were spared from the national culling. As a further sign of luck, their welcome was safer and warmer than it might have been... There makes no better a quick slave than a refugee, but by some miracle, the market for slaves appears to have dried up in just the previous few weeks, and so the dwarves were met with ambivalence, rather than imprisonment.

Those that are now eeking out their lives in and around The Nests, give prayers both of thanks, and desirous of vengeance upon those who wrought such death upon them.

----

Considering the apparent drop in the slave trade, you bring Quickblade to the forefront of your mind... You recall Fink saying that the wizard council of the Collage was in negotiations with Black Harbour when you first arrived in town, and that such negotiations apparently broke down and allowed you to gain access to the island, ultimately to depose the Planesmage Vark, and institute Fredric as the head there...

... But even having had the hint of some dissonance in that awful city does not prepare you for what you see...

... A great wolf, its fur red with gore, with raw flesh and entrails hanging from its jaws, it stands over the half-eaten carcass of a bejeweld former slave master... A figure appears behind the beast... A man, slinking towards it, and eyeing its meal enviously.

The wolf catches his scent, however, and spins on him, snarling and growling... The man quivers, suddenly frightened... His flesh begins to boil and bubble, as he collapses... His body mass coming apart into a squirming mass of rats, which quickly scatter from view.

The wolf lets out a warning howl, as the dawn slowly breaks in the east over the smoldering and burnt out city...

... As the light falls upon the beast, it shakes itself, and seems to slouch and shift about... When it stands, it is no longer a wolf, but a man... Quickblade... He staggers off, bleary eyed and lost.

-----

Blinking, and pulling yourself away from the frightful scene, you turn back to people closer at hand.

The Elder Scribe has returned to his post at the Collage's front gate, where he is serving as a guide and director of sorts for the refugees housed in the Collage.

[Barthac]

Taalkar slumps at seeing the dwarven people, his people, in so much pain. He was always the outcast from dwarven society for so many reasons, many of his own making, but these were indeed HIS people and he felt deeply moved by their plight.

Leaving the scrying room he returns to the throne room and says, I'm new to this. Isn't there something we can do to help those in Deepmote?

[Mr. X]

Ironjaw shrugs.

"I wager you or Karazi could get to them an get them out, but where would they go? The Blight's winnin' this war... If'n they don't die there, it's only a matter o' time 'till they get blighted an' are lost ta us forever."

He tugs his beard.

"It's a foul course, but I wager it's better to let 'em die... By the undead, or hunger or their own hands... 'Least then they can rest here."

[Barthac]

Sounds like the only way ta help 'em then is to beat the blight.

I need to get back to me brother and Ol' Freddy.

Taalkar thinks about Fredriks study and attempts to take another step through reality.

[Mr. X]

Stepping through the shards back to the material plane is easily done, and is now almost second nature to you.

You appear in Fredric's study. Claudus is still standing facing into the corner of the room, but upon realizing you are there, quickly turns and greats you, as normal as ever.

It is only a moment later that Fredric enters, followed shortly by Karazi.

Fredric gestures you all to chairs where you may sit, if you like.

"Welcome all, I hope your inquiries were fruitful, as we are in rather dire need of a workable plan."

He sits himself, and begins.

"I spoke with the prisoner Jory, and I am afraid that I learned little more than you did. He does seem confident that he can lead us to Malthos, given the opportunity, and indeed claims that he would be happy to do so, if that is an avenue we see fit to explore."

He pauses for a moment, before continuing.

"I was able to make one discovery, although it may be of questionable use to us: While the prisoner Jory asserts that he has no understanding of what sort of creature he is, I believe that he may be a new example of undead phenomenon..."


"The dark energies, or negative energies, are the forces generally employed when working necromantic magics. They are primarily used to contact and conjure spirits from the underplanes that they may inhabit dead bodies, and animate them once more. The clerics of Nerul in Great Gate are the masters of this practice, but it is far from a secret one. Indeed, they are what keep me alive in my current state.

He glances towards Taalkar

"It is also well documented that these energies have a corrosive effect on the living, and an equally revitalizing effect upon the undead.

As Taalkar himself experienced at my touch, an accident which I shall eternally regret, the corrosive effects are significant and unmistakable.

Such it was that, contrary to standard expectation, when I applied my touch and thus the energies to Jory, that far from being harmed, his wounds were sealed, and the injury done to him was healed... The only explanation I have for this event, is that when he died in the slave raid outside of Market, he was never truly returned to life."

He sits back in his chair.

"So that is what I have gleaned. Has anyone else any news?"

[LordDice]

I made something of a bargain with the Prisoner you had Blighted. I did manage to find a cure for the blight, temporary for now I suspect...but very much possible to make it permanent."

"Speaking of which, I realize it's dire times...but some of the things he described regarding your treatment of him and his family were rather hard to stomach. By the way, I might require the remains of those burned."

"In addition I found some information regarding the Seal's effect...it seems it does cut them off from the whole when applied. If we could isolate that effect and make an effective delivery system for it it may be highly effective for combating the Blighted in a fight"

[Mr. X]

Fredric chews his lip at your mention of his treatment of the prisoner, and sighs heavily.

"No doubt you are correct, my actions were doubtless deplorable..."

He looks down at his gauntleted hands.

"When I underwent my experiment, and contracted my condition, I knew it would come with a cost... My soul, my ability to enjoy food and drink, a vast quantity of gold, and what have you.

These costs were paid as expected, but by far the highest prices that was exacted, was one I did not expect: My capacity to empathize with others on any level."

He cracks his knuckles.

"I have willingly taken some terrible actions in my life, and those actions horrified me daily, despite my willingness to stay the course for what I hoped was a greater good... But now, I am unable to frighten myself... I must remind myself that the suffering of others not only matters, but that they suffer at all... When a person screams under my touch, it illicits no response from me... I must remind myself that they feel pain, and from there deduce a viably reasonable course of action.

I am able to problem solve my way through morally questionable situations most of the time, but logic makes a poor substitute for genuine emotional intuition... For when you have a problem to solve, and an array of viable solutions, the world becomes a very black and white place very quickly, and moral horrors become very easy to inadvertently overlook."

He nods slightly, as much to himself as to you,

"I have not forgotten, however, that respecting the dead remains an important act. Those blighted that were culled were burned on pyres down to their bones. Their bones were collected, and I have spent what time I could to reassemble the skeletons into their complete forms... I, unfortunately, was unable to give names to many of them, but their remains have been returned to funerary jars, and marked by their age and gender, and sorted by the general locations from whence they were culled and burned. I know it isn't a lot to go on, but I hope that will suffice for you to find who you're looking for."

He sits forward suddenly, and you can almost see the wheel of his mind click to the next topic to be discussed.

"Regarding the prisoner, however, if you have indeed discovered a cure for the blight, that is brilliant news indeed. If it can be mass produced, we must begin immediately... Such a thing could potentially turn the tide for us, with regards to the blighted themselves, at least. The Titan remains an additional issue.

With regards to isolating a singular effect of the Seal, I am uncertain such a thing has ever been done... most spell research along that avenue that I am aware of tends to attempt the opposite; the blending of multiple effects... No doubt the library here will have useful material for reference, even if it lacks precise instructions, which will at least give us a place to begin... And simplifying the spell would certainly make it easier to produce."

[LordDice]

"I'm not sure how mass producible the Blight could be.. It may just be too late in the scheme of things to worry about such. But still, at least we have another option besides killing them"

"I've tried thinking of ways to deal with both the Blight as a whole and the Titan on it's way. But come up with much of nothing, it seems almost as if we could stand to buy more time."

"And there was always my final plan..If all there is left is the Blight and it's God...Maybe the world needs a fresh start"

But before I get that fatalistic, I've an idea for buying us not only time...but possibly a safe harbor too. I was going over the Planeswalker's notes and kept coming across information regarding the Astral Plane. I'm not sure how much time you've had to study it, but it seems to be a place ..between places"

"We've got a well defensible location sure, even weathered a freaking Volcano. But when the Blight comes upon us, with wave upon wave...we'll never be able to hold. Let alone a Titan"

"But what if we could shift this entire College into the Astral. We could build Gates, in hidden locations around the world allowing us to travel back and forth. ...I can't imagine it'd be easy, but I think with the amount of spellcaster's we have here, we could ritualize a spell large enough to manage this. I'll still have to research some things, but what do you think ?"

[Mr. X]

Fredric nods.

"I was thinking along much the same lines. I have even gone so far as to ready the ritual instructions for a trial of Vark's planar gateway formula... It was only the arrival of the storm and complications with the blight that prevented me from having conducted the trial already.

I am prepared to move on this attempt immediately, if you so desire."

[LordDice]

"I think we should indeed go ahead, Let us move forward on this and perhaps gain some precious time and safety"

[Mr. X]

Fredric nods, and opening a drawer in his desk, withdraws his journal which you had perused earlier.

"Then follow me. The ritual circle is prepared downstairs."

He leads you down to the lowest level of the tower of Planar Mysteries.

Karazi, the last time you were here, Vark had seized your brother, and Fredric had teleported you here to both escape Taalkar's axe, and to [hopefully] gain a more adventageous position against the Planesmage... While the scheme may not have gone exactly as planned, it did prove effective. Your brother is free, and Vark is dead...

... You catch yourself pondering how much the current state of the world was effected by that single event...

Regardless, the chamber is now both the same and different from what it was when last you were here.

The black cloth and sphere are still held in their respective displays, and the stone features of the room are as implacable as any.

However, where once the floor of the room was scattered with detritus, and the apparent smeared, and then ineffectual, ritual circle, it has now been meticulously cleaned, and the ritual circle has been carefully restored to full readiness.

Fredric surveys the circle for moment, before flipping through the pages of his journal, and then turning and handing it to you.

"I am aware that the purpose of a ritual circle can be obscure when simply viewing it, and that many wizards have been known to exploit this fact in gathering followers to serve one purpose, while putting their energies towards another.

I would not wish any of you to suspect my motives in this event, and as such, would invite you to check the veracity of this circle's function, and even conduct the ritual yourself, if you so desire."

For Karazi:

If you would like to check the circle's function, please make a Spellcraft check, DC 19, to determine its validity.

If you would like to proceed with the ritual itself, please make another Spellcraft Check, DC 19.

[Barthac]

Taalkar remains seated as Freddy and Kar leave the room, deep in discussion of the arcane. His eyes never leave Claudius.

I owe ye a great deal, lad, a horse being least among them. What can I do for you to end this pain you're in. Is there any way to undo it?

[LordDice]

Going over to check out the spell work he carefully checks out the ritual circle

Knowledge Spellcraft [roll0]

[Mr. X]

For Karazi:

As you are becoming more accustomed to reading arcane formulae, you catch yourself marveling at the apparent ease with which understanding dawns on you... Most wizards, including Fredric and even Vark, spend a lifetime in learning the function and notation of magical energies, to be able to simply read and comprehend the ritual you are perusing, to say nothing of being capable of attempting to cast such a profoundly complex and powerful spell.

And yet, you comprehend the ritual formula with ease. Noting here and there that Fredric's approach to the directing of energies differs somewhat from your own, and that you might word something this way rather than that way, all to such an extent that the depth and breadth of your mastery boggles even your own mind.

It is as if you have been touched by a divine illumination, that understanding comes to you so easily...

... Come to think on it, you suppose that is exactly what has happened...

None the less, the ritual formula is absolutely functional, and should indeed, as Fredric claims, open a gateway to the Astral plane.


For Taalkar:

The Boy King chuckles, smiling weakly.

He opens his mouth to speak, when his head suddenly snaps sideways, his eyes roll back, his limbs seize, and he speaks...

"whhhhaaat makes you think his paaaaiin needs unnndooing...?"

The thing's voices is cold and clamy... Like a blind fish from a deep pool.

here to heeeelp i ammm... a ffffriend too you am I... been waiting fffooorr thisss i haveeee..."

[Barthac]

Here I was, talking to Claudius and you had to go interrupt. Maybe you can do me the pleasure of letting me know who or what you are.

[Mr. X]

The Boy King smiles...

"i'm the one who heard your prayer, oh god..."

He smirks, white eyes blank and implacable.

"what was it you ssssaid...? 'i'm new at thissss... got any advice...?' heheheh."

He leans forward, his hands, claw like, almost dragging on the floor.

"... i've been around a while... an known a god or two... even dealt with your predacessor from time to time...

... Dare ssssaay i could give ye an earful if'n you wanted it..."

[LordDice]

"Everything looks right to me, always interesting to see how you Wizards do things. Lets give it a try though"

Knowledge Spellcraft [roll0]

[Mr. X]

Taking your place at the ritual circle, you are about to begin the spell's incantation, when Fredric raises his hand to stop you.

"A moment, perhaps, before we begin...

I would point out that this spell is of limited duration, and that we do not know what we are likely to encounter on the other side of the gate.

Perhaps it would be wise to gather your brother and his Majesty here prior to beginning... Unless you'd prefer to proceed without them."

[LordDice]

"Ah right right, I guess I got a little impatient. Although we should look into what would be required to make this last some time at least, if we're actually going to use it to relocate somehow."

"But I'll send a page for my Brother at least"

Opening the chamber door he beckons at a nearby scribe, telling him to request that his brother join him down here.

[Mr. X]

Fredric nods.

"Extending the duration of the spell, or even making it a perminant effect, are both within our means, and indeed I've made preparations for such eventualities... Such additions are extremely costly, however, so I thought it wise to forego them for the initial experiment."

--------

The page runs off, disappearing into the passages to find your brother.

For Taalkar:

As you sit stewing on the demon's words, a knock suddenly comes at the chamber's door.

Glancing that way only for a moment, the door creaks open and a young page enters, and bows deeply.

Turning back to Claudus, the Boy King blinks... The demonic visage having vanished as quickly as it came.

The page lifts his head and speaks,
"My lords forgive my intrusion. Lord Karazi Falgen requests your presence in the lowest level of the Tower of Planar Mysteries, if it pleases you to meet him."

[Barthac]

Aye, turning to Claudius, after you, lad.

[Mr. X]

Claudus nods, and leads the way out of the chamber.

As you make your way through the twisted passages of the Collage, he glances at you apologetically.

"Forgive me, but we were discussing something, were we not? I seem to have lost my train of thought."

[Barthac]

Glancing from side to side to make sure no one is listening...

Aye lad, you were just telling me who in the nine hells you are. I don't remember praying to no one.

[Mr. X]

Claudus starts, taken aback, but then leans in conspiratorially as you walk.

"Bloody hells, it spoke to you, didn't it..."

He curses, his head ticking badly.

"What did it say? Did you make a deal with it?"

[Barthac]

Taalkar stops in front of the boy king, Yer gonna have to catch me up lad and quick. Who or what is that thing?

[Mr. X]

Claudus stops, and sighs... And for once he looks more like the teenager he is, than the monarch you've always known him to be.

"... It, is the demon connected to the infusions I have been taking... It is the source of my talent and my strength... And it will ultimately consume me, and be born into this world..."

He sags.

"It grows stronger with every infusion I take, and I am now heavily dependent upon them... I was aware that it was beginning to stretch its wings, as I have experienced blacked out periods of which I have no memory. But if it spoke... Then it has grown stronger than I realized, and my time is shorter than I'd hoped."

[Barthac]

Taalkar turns and start walking again, How do we stop it from eating you? How dangerous is this thing?

[Mr. X]

He follows you, shrugging.

"You don't... I understood that this would be the ultimate price of my deal when I made it initially.

As for how dangerous it is... I expect that, given entrance into this world, it will be dangerous in the extreme."

He sighs.

"My father spent his final days chained inside a magic circle to contain his demon, and to banish it when it emerged... I wasn't present for the event, but they say the beast he became was a terrifying horror, and might have razed the city, had it not been prematurely contained, and the banishing proved successful."

He shrugs.

"You and your brother might well be capable of defeating such a beast, but it seems almost a waste... I have been hoping that I might release the demon on its rampage in some manner that might benefit us... But have yet to come up with a set of circumstances where it might."

[Barthac]

After we see what these two have cooked up, why don't we go somewhere safe and see if he'll talk to me some more.

[Mr. X]

Claudus nods, and falls into step behind you.

--------

Entering into the lowest chamber of the Tower of Planer Mysteries, you find Fredric and your brother waiting for you, standing before a large, intricately patterned, arcane ritual circle.

[Barthac]

Just the kind of thing you'd expect to find in the basement of a wizard's school. What in the hells is it for?

[Mr. X]

"It is the framework for a spell that, in theory, shall form a bridge between this world and the Astral Plane."

Fredric replies.

He glances at Karazi,

"We are hoping to be able to create a safe haven for the people of this world on the other side, while the Blight and the Titan are dealt with here."

He nods, more to himself than to you.

"We are here to test the efficacy of master Vark's formulae, and to see what lies on this other plane, to determine if our plan has any hope for success.

[LordDice]

"Aye, A true Fortress....where you'd need magics hardly seen upon our world just to breech the outer defences !"


"Now that they've joined us, shall we start ?"

[Mr. X]

Fredric withdraws a sheet of parchments, and hands a hand full to Taalkar, and another to Claudus.

On them are written strings of somewhat non-sensical words, broken down into syllables, with notations for pronunciation and rhythm.

The strings are grouped in numbered paragraphs, so that you may easily distinguish one from another, and determine their order.

Fredric leads each of you to a position around the circle.

"For those of you who have never taken part in a major ritual before, I'll warn you that the process is fairly arduous."

He indicates the the parchments he handed you.

"You probably don't understand any of the words I've given you, and frankly, your comprehension, in this case, is not required.

The ritual demands merely that you keep Karazi at the front of your mind as you read the words, while he works the spell.

Keep an eye on me during the ritual, as many of your words are to be spoken in response to Karazi's, and occasionally along with him. I shall que you on when to speak, and on which paragraph to read, in case you lose your place."

He turns to Karazi.

"If we are all prepare, you may begin the ritual at your leisure."

[LordDice]

"Indeed, lets get this stone rolling then !"




Taking his position in the Ritual he pulls out a small jug, taking a swig before throwing it to his brother.."A little whiskey to calm the nerves never hurt."


Settling his staff before he he starts channeling magic through it and into the Ritual Circle...odd designs flare fade upon the staff as it conducts so much power.

Starting the Chant he slips into a semi-meditation...letting himself feel the Ritual, to know his place in the world and in the magics...Soon there is nothing but his magic and the blended magic of the Ritual.

[Mr. X]

The magic whirls and crackles around the circle as the words are spoken, and the energies are channeled...

... It is known that magics of this scale are rarely attempted, and that lesser practitioners have been broken and even killed by the mere forces drawn up in the casting...

But among this gathering, your powers eclipse those of all who have come before you, and the formulae is worked with relative ease.

As the final words are intoned, the space within the circle twists and warps, and is finally rent asunder, revealing a tear or rift in the very fabric of reality...

... A silvery mist drifts through the tear, spilling over the chamber floor like massless water from a tank...

Through the rift is a vague world of silvery clouds and mists... You cannot make out any features of terrain, but the way is open.

[LordDice]

"It works !....but I'm having to hold it open it seems. I cannot take my attention away enough to do much. We're going to need a more permanent version of this in order to proceed further I suspect."

"Fredric, create something in that void. We'll need something to locate ourselves, and find out if this portal is opening in the precice location upon the other Plane or not."

"We may have to add a secondary spell to target an area specficly in the Astral. In order to actually have a chance at building up a fortress in there"

[Mr. X]

Fredric withdraws a scroll from his pack.

"I can erect our first walls, but we ought to view the area beyond before we commit to it... Positioning may still be relevant in the astral plane."

He approaches the rift, before pausing and turning back to you,

"Come, and worry not about the duration of the gate. I can return us home without it if need be."

So saying, he steps through the rift, and vanishes into the mists.

[LordDice]

"Aye, I suppose you're right...Lets see what we've got to work with !" he comments, carefully stepping into the portal.

[Barthac]

Taalkar shoulders his axe, Sure... what could possibly go wrong... he passes through the gate.

[Mr. X]

Passing through the rift is a surprisingly mundane experience... Like passing through any other doorway or threshold.

The mists are thick and obscure your vision, and the are is cool, but just short of being cold.

Curious, however, is the click of your boots upon stone tiles beneath your feet.

The mists clear a little after a short while, and you find yourselves standing on a wide, flagstoned floor... There is no ceiling that you can see, only the mists above, and the edges of the floor are obscured by the mists as well... They might go on forever.

You pull up sharply, as you see a red line painted on the floor before you, with the word 'Clearwater' painted over it.

Fredric stands in the center of the floor before you, but a short distance passed him is another line, with the words 'Black Harbour' painted over it.

As you approach, Fredric nods his head to acknowledge you, but doesn't turn around.

"It appears that Vark already laid foundations for us."


It may be a trick of the shifting mists, and a bit of your imagination, but you catch odd, almost recognizable shapes forming and vanishing in the mists...

You are never able to focus on one, but you often catch them out of the corners of your eyes.

[LordDice]

"Just like a human to do something like this and not even bother to put a roof on it !....nobody wants the weight of such emptiness pressing upon them !"

"That said, this ought to make things easier to start setting up here"

With a quick wave of his staff he summons a giant block of stone. "More building material for later"

[Mr. X]

Fredric chuckles, at your mention of the ceiling, and moves to stand beside you as the great blocks of stone materialize before you.

"I had surmised that Vark was in the process of attempting to form some kind of bridge between Clearwater and Black Harbour, but I was somewhat uncertain..."

He trails off thoughtfully.

For Taalkar:

You and Claudus are a bit behind your brother and Fredric, and so it is only by luck that you catch a bit of the mist as it swirls upward, forming into an ethereal claw, and rests itself gently onto Fredric's shoulder has he speaks...

... The moment it touches him, Fredric trails off, and he looks weirdly at your brother, the red lights in the pits of his eyes flairing malevolently...


Please roll Initiative.

You have time for one action before combat begins.

[Barthac]

Taalkar tenses Brother, look out for Freddie... he thinks to his brother.

Stop right there, Freddy boy. He reaches out a open hand towards Fredrick and the clenches it dramatically... suddenly a fist appears around the mage and also clenches.


Using my 6th level strength domain spell, Grasping Hand (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/spells/graspingHand.htm).

Attack roll [roll0] +18(caster level/initiator level)+0(Wisdom, i guess thats still my casting ability since I am casting as cleric) + 10 (Hands strength) -1 (size)
Grapple Check [roll1] +18+0+10+4 (size matters)

[Mr. X]

The hand seizes Fredric for a moment, but nearly as suddenly a baleful green light bursts from within, shattering the hand...


Fredric casts Quickened and Stilled Desintigrate on the grasping hand, employing the Stage 3 power of the Hands of the Maker (Sacrifice Spell), and sacrificing one 5th level spell (5 spell levels, 4 for Quicken, 1 for Still) to apply the metamagic effects to the Desinitgrate spell.


Fredric slides away, bringing up his hands, as bluish light crackles along the runic inscriptions on his gauntlets... Before a a blinding explosion of raw energy erupts towards you.


Fredric employs the Stage 4 power of the Hands of the Maker (Unmaking). This produces a beam of raw destructive energy dealing 1d8 damage for each spell level Fredric pours into it.

He beam is wide enough to hit all of you, but you may halve the damage with a DC 28 Reflex Save.

Fredric sacrifices five 4th level spells, to deal a total of 20d8 damage to all of you.

Damage: [roll0]

[Mr. X]

Taalkar leaps away from the blast, while Karazi shapes up a wall of stone, providing him with significant cover...

Claudus attempts to roll away, but isn't fast enough, and takes the full brunt of the eruption.

You watch, almost in slow motion, as his flesh is pealed away, his clothing disintegrates, and his armor is weathered and cracked...

By some miracle, he survives... Staggering to his feet, a vial in one hand, his sword still hanging limply in his other.

In a single fluid motion, he pops the vial's cork, and downs the brackish fluid...

It is with freakish speed that his body recovers... Muscles knot and form, bulging even larger than before, skin flows back over them like molten wax, and he weaves weirdly side ways as he stands tall... Looking almost more like a snake about to strike than a man...

And in that moment, his wrist snaps, sending his sword whirling towards Fredric...


Claudus uses a Swift action to drink a Demonic Infusion.
He recovers 70hp, and receive a +8 enhancement bonus to his Strength, Dexterity, and Constitution.

Ranged attack vs Fredric (-4 for inappropriate weapon), DC 22: [roll0]
+1 Keen Longsword crits on a 17 or better. (x2)

Damage:[roll1]
If crit: [roll2]



The blade strikes Fredric in his booted foot... The Wizard pays it no mind, indeed he doesn't react at all, even as the blade pierces through flesh and bone, and even burries itself into the stone, pinning the him in place.

[Barthac]

ENOUGH! Taalkar screams as he leaps madly into the air. He disappears in mid flight, the only trace of him is the large arcing blade of his deadly axe.


Stance: Leaping Dragon Stance
Mauevers: Ancient Mountain Hammer, Iron Heart Surge, Pouncing Charge, Claw at the Moon, Iron Bones, Death from Above

Going for a charge using Leap Attack, Power Attack (+9), Shock trooper (-9 to hit Shunted to AC), Pouncing Charge Manuever (Allows a full attack action), and if I hit Stone Curse.

Now for the math
Jump check DC20(ish): [roll0]

ToHit (+2 for charge among other things)
1: [roll1]
2: [roll2]
3: [roll3]
4: [roll4]

Damage (PA +9, +18 Leap Attack)
1: [roll5] + [roll6]
2: [roll7] + [roll8]
3: [roll9] + [roll10]
4: [roll11] + [roll12]

If any of those hit:
Stone Curse: Will Save (DC 26) or or all movement modes except flight are zero for one round

My Final AC is 29.



As he moves through the broken panes of his reality he notices something odd above... a hulking shape... a familiar claw... he decides that this must be the thing controlling Freddy... Sparky doesn't seem to mind lashing out at this new threat instead. Landing a few paces behind the wizard, he looks up to see if his attacks had any effect.

[Mr. X]

Sparky rips through the creature with ease... It's bones and structures rupturing before the vicious blade, obliterating the creature...

You land solidly behind Fredric, as black chunks and drips of ooze rain from the mists above... The bits sizzling acidically as they touch your armor and clothing, though the damage they cause is negligible.

Before you, Fredric stands statue still, the clawed hand vanished from his shoulder.

Above, the shrunken soul of the man held within the creature drifts listlessly... He will be lost in the mists before long.


Karazi, it is your move.

[LordDice]

Glancing at Fredric's lifeless form for a second before looking back up at the Soul seemingly drifting off into the ether. Making up his mind he tries desperately to think of something.


Closing his eyes for a second he concentrates upon a spell he hasn't used much.

Casting Telekinesis...Thought since it's a force effect it'd be able to move an incoporeal thing too. maybe see if I can usher the spirit back into Fred like that. otherwise use it to pick up Fred and poke the soul with him.

Obviously very high level soul magics involved, that of just "bashing them together and hoping for the best"

[Mr. X]

Your powers gently grasp the soul, and bring it close to you...

The man is starved, his cheeks hollowed.

As you bring him closer, you see a single trinket still hanging about his neck... A dark iron dragon on a light chain... Tiamat.

[LordDice]

Looking askew at Fredric, trying to see if he'll come too anytime soon he starts looking around a bit more at the surrounding area..Not as secure as he was thinking that's for sure.

While he looks around he tries to talk to the Soul "Hello friend, we mean you no harm. Do you know what that was that seemingly ...ate you ?"

[Mr. X]

The man's eyes roll listlessly, slowly coming to focus on you.

"... She... She dissapeared... She left... Me..."

Behind you Claudus joins you, but remains silent, peering over your shoulder.

Off to the side, Fredric starts suddenly, returning to life like the flare of a tinder-twig.

He turns to approach you as well, but is caught by the sword piercing his boot. He considers it curiously for a moment, before grasping the blade, and yanking it free.

For Karazi:

Would you please make a Knowledge(Nature) check?

[LordDice]

"I'm afraid I don't quite understand..."

"You okay there Fredric ? Something had a grip upon your very soul there for a second. This fella here was inside him...probably been there awhile"



Knowledge Nature [roll0]

[Mr. X]

having pulled the sword free, Fredric hands it back to Claudus.

"It wasn't my soul, precisely, but indeed the creature's means were more than sufficient to compel me... I do apologize for any injury I may have cause. For what it is worth, I did attempt to pull my blows where I was able."

He eyes the soul, chewing his lip, but hesitates to speak.

For Karazi:

Despite your recent deification, the meddling in souls and spiritual planes is new and uncharted territory for you. Growing up under the Falgen Stoneshapers, your dedication to the gods was always more lip service than anything else. And so, beyond the usual afterlife myths of the heavens and hells and limbos, your religious understanding of what you're dealing with is severely limited.

However...

While you were neglecting your prayers, you were whole heartedly devoted to understanding the significant powers that you were directly dealing with, and the natural orders which pervaded them... The flow of the stone... The manners in which rocks gave way to soil... The circumstances under which trees would take root there, and the habits of all the creatures that dwealt above and beneath them, and how their fates were intertwined with that of the the mountain itself... And after a moment's consideration, you realize that your considerable education on the subject is perhaps a more applicable tool...

Your main realization, in fact, is more a memory of a phrase a tutor once said to you:

"Where there Can be life, there is life. And where there is life, there will be creatures to feed and prey upon that life..."

It stands to reason that the Astral Plane, being the sort of 'in-between' place you understand it to be, is a place that dead souls must travel through on their way to wherever they ought to end up... But souls are a life of sorts, and if they can survive in this place, them there must indeed be denizens native to this place... And some of these denizens must no doubt feed and prey upon the souls passing through...

A fact which could prove disasterous for the large number of refugees you wish to bring here.


As you frown in thought, Fredric finally speaks up.

He indicates the man's pendant.

"If this man's faith in his goddess was strong enough for him to carry her symbol with him into the afterlife, it is unlikely that she would have neglected to gather him, were she able..."

He sags,

"I had heard it suggested that Tiamat and Bahumat both died in conjuring the dragon over Beluvah...

I hadn't wanted it to be true... I had hoped that Kulkov's soul might have found its peace..."

He trails off into brooding silence.

[Barthac]

I dinna mean to hurt you, lad. Bahumat and Tiamat are indeed dead as is Moradin. Nerul and Lathander will soon follow. Those gods kinna help us, now. They fought the blight in the best they could and they failed.

Taalkar slaps him on the shoulder heartily, It's not all lost though. Not yet anyway. I've talked to the Titan of the blight. I've cursed him and spit in his eye and I live to tell about it. This thing is powerful, but it's dumb. It hasn't won this far with tactics or planning but sheer strength. We lost at beluvah because of betrayal and our ignorance of the blight. What we need are weapons to fight against the blight and a plan to seal up that Titan.

[Mr. X]

Fredric nods.

"That we do."

He glances around.

"There are at least ten thousand people in Clearwater that we will need to house and keep fed and watered here... Perhaps a million more on the Gnomish Isles, and several thousand from Bastion and the North, if they yet remain salvageable, and if we intend to rescue them from your purge.

To house that many shall require more than a castle... It shall require a city to contend with Timaril's vastness... But the space beyond the mists seems limitless. We might be able to do it.

[Barthac]

Taalkar turns to Karazi, I think I can help our lost friend there. He glances up, feeling slightly silly, thinking that on of those winged archons would be nice right about now, One of you flying things, get over here right now. I need ya!

[Mr. X]

The words are barely off your lips when you are all blinded a brilliant bolt of lightning, and nearly deafened by the air splitting with thunder, as it strikes the ground before you...

When your vision clears, a winged creature kneels on the stone before Taalkar. Dwarfish in stature, it radiates power... A flickering white light surrounding the heavy mace in its hand, it's helm and breastplate bearing the mark of a single eye over an axe wreathed in lightning, it's eyes brilliant points of pure light, beaming from within its helm, it's wings equal parts billowing storm-clouds and masses of gray feathers.

It doesn't speak, but clearly denotes it's servitude to you.

...

Fredric and Claudus gawk at you, visibly shocked by the appearance of the angel.