The Sisters' Chronicles Thread 2: Nobody likes Abadaius

[Xihirli]

Alifa shot potshots back, Repelling anyone who got too close to her sister.

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Can that count as Helping?
(2d20)[18][5](23) + 9 to higher one.

[Valmark]

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Alifa doesn't seem to be very helpful :p

Boots started gaining distance as she flew faster then the army could- the only one who was gaining ground was the zombie dragon, and it was still little difference. Then the Phantom fell backwards into a portal and disappeared, reappearing in front of Kathleyîënis, Alifa and the Steed.

"How rude, to run away like that"

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He Dimensional Doored in front of Alifa etc. He'll be Opportunity Attacking the Steed if he can- either way, if Boots cannot teleport past a long a distance he'll be able to take a strike or two at her as well.

The rest of the army is losing ground though, except for the flying physical dragon who still is (A) farther and (B) doing worst at chasing

[Xihirli]

Alifa lifted her arms and her staff pulsed for a second. Cracks in reality formed around the ghost. Nothing visible appeared from the cracks, but Alifa knew that the space to get out of his spot didn’t exist anymore, so could not be used to travel.

Boots angled herself over the Phantom as she flew, Misty Stepping to add her distance over his head and move 90 feet.

[Valmark]

"Come on- I only wanted to talk" the Phantom fell into another portal, reappearing again in front of Alifa, Kat and the Steed.

"I can teleport more times then you have spells, wizards"

The army meanwhile was in the back, not a concern unless they stopped.

[Xihirli]

"Prove it… call the army off and we’ll talk!" Alifa shouted, directing Kat to slow down a bit to do so safely.

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Phantom Steed disengaging should be able to stay ahead of the army with our lead. Boots will keep going a bit up as she flies to keep the phantom far away.

[Valmark]

"You assaulted my castle and I should be the one showing goodwill?" the Phantom plunged his blade in the dodging Steed, blocking its advance, then pulled the blade out lifting it staring down at Kat.

"You're the rider, correct?" but then Kat bailed so he shrugged and struck Alifa.

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Kat... Well, she can turn invisible but that's not going to help. And she's one level too weak to get Misty Step.

Not that it'd help.

Alifa takes 79 damage.

Alifa blocked a strike, then the other two cut into the houri.
"I suppose you still won't stop?"

[Xihirli]

"Run ahead of me! He'll have to pick a target!" Alifa urged Kat as she dropped through another tear in reality, springing out far away from the Phantom and leaving behind a rumbling charge. She started running on her own two feet.

Thanks for the info. I don't suppose you could hurry the lich queen up? Boots asked the hot necromancer as she moved, trying to stay directly above Alifa.

[Valmark]

As Alifa teleported forward, she felt a rush of air- running, she could feel movement as the Phantom was soon flying past her and in front. He lifted the blade again.

"Why struggle? You know I'm faster" he asked "If you surrender now, I can still make you into a nice ghost- and your corrupted body will be so much more powerful"

There was no reply to Boots- and yet, she felt a voice in her ear, despite the fact that there was nobody around.
"It's funny. Whenever your sister is in danger you're too far to help... Or actually can't protect her. And she runs out on you and hides her activities. Let's face it- you've overall been more of an hindrance. But I'm not here to judge! Say... If you wanna help, just say that you owe me one"

[Xihirli]

Alifa vanished again. Help was on the way. She could keep this up for a little while longer. And he wasn't chasing Kat.

Be more specific, Boots said. She wasn't a fan of this whole "let's start this negotiation with an open insult" thing.
"Hey, *******! You don't get to touch her!" Boots pointed at the phantom and pink lights started shimmering around him, weighing the ghost down. She then started flying away again, keeping her distance from the phantom.

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Earthbind. Strength Save.

[Valmark]

The Phantom groaned as Alifa ran again, and flew after her.
"Last offer" he said "I will kill you in the next few seconds if you don't stop" and his hand crackled with necromantic magic.

"The lich queen. She can arrive right now, if you accept my help. But I'll be able to force you into doing me one favor" Boots heard cackling in the back of her mind- no, not quite. It was the innocent laughter of a kid, the maniacal cackle of a murderer, the desperate cry of someone mourning, the ruckus of friends drinking and laughing together- all joined in a single sound.

[Xihirli]

This time when Alifa pulled back out of reality, she reformed a full five hundred feet away, still running and crying a bit.

I'll let you know in a second. Boots dropped down so she was face-to-face with the Phantom.
"None of that! You're fighting ME!" And the lava of Fiamma's Court burst forward, surrounding her in a haze of heat. Her whip flashed forward, cutting into the undead as the Paladin, a shining beacon of light, faced him head-on.

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Quickened Spirit Guardians. (3d8)[15]
Whip.
(1d20+10)[25]; (1d6+6)[8]
(1d20+10)[22]; (1d6+6)[10]

Third level smites. (5d8)[29] and (5d8)[18].

[Valmark]

"Mpfh... I hate your kind, paladin" the Phantom took a look at Boots, inspecting her features.
"Shame... If you weren't a paladin you'd probably make a strong darkling. But you are" and he teleported again saying "I'll leave you to my army"

Alifa found herself face to face with the Phantom, again.
"Missed me?"

And then Boots heard "Oh, that's funny. The Lich Queen's going to arrive just a second too late to stop the Phantom from doing one more thing. Forget the favor- I can talk to a dead person. Wanna bet a gold coin on wether she manages to get away?" the voice added.
"Well, you can still give me that favor. I can just halt him for a second- essentially the same thing"

[Xihirli]

Alifa felt so weak... but she could manage. She knew she could. She had a pretty good chance.

Alright, Boots said. One favor.

[Valmark]

"Smile, you protected your sister"

And there was a burst of black sparks that threw the Phantom on the ground, a big crimson smile cackling before dissipating- the ghost scrambled to his feet, barking "Who was THAT!?"

And then sounds of war could be heard- as the presents turned, they saw that the army had halted. The ghosts, Repears and various incorporeal beings turned on the darklings, the army tearing itself apart as the pure undeads started slaughtering anything carrying corruption.

'No... How... But... That..." "That would be only possible if the Lich Queen showed up?" and the air broke, a woman that had once been beautiful stepping forth- clad in robes, a piece of her face still looked alive except for the pale skin- long, black hair and a single curly horn identified her old appearance as the dead eyes stared at the phantom, while the rest of the body was just bones, tendons and organs. Following her, a knight clad in black armor with green flames enveloping his skull and a scythe stepped forth.
"Unfortunately for you, I am here"

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We're out of initiative. You can stand aside and I'll just narrate the fight or chip in- in any case you won't be dying, not with the Knight Vassal and the Lich Queen on your side.

[Xihirli]

Alifa knelt. "Great Queen, we examined this area with Baron Taddeus Parsimmon Vassimius Emerhet the Third. We would be happy to share all we know, but the short version is that The Phantom has somehow been corrupted by the Darkrot, and is trying to turn others into Darklings."

Boots sort of jogged toward her sister to make sure she's alright.

[Valmark]

"SHE'S LYING!" The Phantom yelled and moved to fly past the Queen to Alifa, but the other undead threw his scythe- the blade swirled around the ghost as if alive, the chain wrapping around it and burning with purple flames as he yanked the Phantom into the ground. He tried teleporting but the Queen manifested a staff that ate his magic right up- the staff was a thin, black pole marked with religious symbols and arcane words.

"I don't need to believe this girl- your army was advancing side-by-side with darklings, and the sky's polluted" the Lich Queen said "And it only takes half a brain cell and a minimum of expertise in necromancy to know what a fool you've been. You found the corpse of a corrupted dragon, haven't you? Thought you'd turn bodies puppeteered by ghosts into darklings? But, you see, you cretin" the lich plucked the air, letting a few white strings become visible- they went from the Phantom to his army, and a few of those were black.
"Corruption spreads from bodies to souls- and to spirits. By commanding your own physical body you didn't even realize you made it possible to be corrupted"

She looked at Alifa.
"Rise. He hurt you, didn't he? Do you desire... Revenge? Do you wish to see him suffer? Or should his death be quick?" she extended her staff for Alifa to take.
"He who has tortured hundreds of people... Including kids, if my eyesight doesn't fail me. You who were personally hurt and saw his actions up close- what do you think should happen to him?"

Meanwhile Kat made her way back, looking terrified.

[Xihirli]

Alifa's hand closed around the staff, and her eyes glinted with vengeance. Then the staff glowed with sunlight that came out in narrow beams hitting all around the ghost, but leaving the center and the head intact. Alifa zapped and zapped again, and realized she was grinning. She was holding in a laugh as she brought the ghost lower and lower, blasting with bright summer days that diminished the ghost, literally making him less until she was looking down at an ectoplasmic puddle. Staff over her head, she brought it down once more right at the center of his head.
The beam expanded over his body slowly, frying all away until there was a crater in the earth... and no ghost.

Boots huffed up next to Alifa then.
"You must be... the Lich Queen," she panted. She bowed. "Honored to meet you. I am Clephesia, Scion Unseelie. Princess Heir to the Winter Throne. First of My Name."
"It's a bit of a long story where we're from. But there are different fey courts."

[Valmark]

"Good..." Alifa felt a chilling hand pat her shoulder as the Queen took back her staff "I look forward to when someone like you will be able to use such magic without the aid of objects"

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It doesn't take high insight to understand that by 'someone like you' she refers to Alifa picking a brutal way to punish the Phantom.

As Boots started her titles Serendipity waved them away "Don't care. Titles are meaningless- they won't stop a blade, nor turn away a spell. A name's enough" she looked around and added "Should I assume Vassimius was discorporated?"

[Xihirli]

"He was. He seemed confident that he would be back, though."
Alifa let her take the staff, looking… pleased with the lich queen’s assessment of her.

[Valmark]

"He's a vampire- once the sun sets he should be able to recorporate in his castle. Mmm..." she looked towards the army, as the dragon zombie and its rider got taken apart "That'll make sure the Phantom cannot regenerate. For good measure I'll have his castle be broken down- now" and the lich turned towards the sisters and Kat.

"I suppose you aren't here just to do me a favor, correct? In a letter sent to me I was told about three people seeking audience- it'd be a weird coincidence to find three living adventurers completely unrelated to that within my lands"

[Xihirli]

"We bring two messages. One – The Fey Monarch Nasa has returned, and is gearing up for a war to take the Deadlands and end the darkrot. I would recommend seeking an alliance, as I understand you wage a similar campaign at times. The second – Monarch Nasa believes that the darkrot may come from another world, and is spreading into yours through rifts in the fabric of this realm. Their library was destroyed and is being reconstituted. We were hoping you would have information on the lost art of sealing away such rifts."
"For our own reasons, as well," Boots added. "And yes, we are those three." She gave her sister a kiss on her biggest boo-boo and sealed it.

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Lay on Hands for... 40.

[Valmark]

"A paladin- although laying lips is an unhortodox method" the lich said with disgust (at the paladin part) "What's darkrot?"

"The corruption. What turns creatures into darklings"

"Ah... That's... Mmm, it would explain something. I never heard of any 'lost art' but I may be able to go somewhere where it has to be if it exist" the Queen mused "I trust you've heard of the Infinite Library? At least one of you?"

[Xihirli]

"Yes, Queen," Alifa said. "Though I lack the talent to make it there myself... for now."

Boots was not used to all the paladin hate.

[Valmark]

"Interesting. Any major enemy you've made?" the Lich Queen inquired "The Library is not as safe as it sounds- the Guardian defends those who want to study in it, but he's just the one person ultimately. Have enough enemies willing to risk it and powerful enough to get there and you'll put us both in danger"

[Xihirli]

"Oh, yeah. Abadaius seems to have sent his entire cult after us specifically," Alifa said. "We're from another realm and I guess that makes him angry."

[Valmark]

The lich stared. Her dead eyes still managed to show how foolish she considered the words she just heard.

Though she didn't seem surprised in the slightest at hearing 'hey I've realm jumped'.

"So... You're enemies of the second angriest god in the universe and want to go to the Library. Funny. Well, since you did expose the Phantom I'll be gentle and go there to find out information for you as well" Serendipity said, seemingly thinking about going alone.

[Xihirli]

"Thank you," Alifa said with a nod. She didn't want to add too much... if the Lich Queen was willing to help, there was no need to push their luck.

[Valmark]

"Good. Knight" she turned to her follower and pointed at the army of ghosts "I leave them in your care- go and cleanse every trave of the fool's work" at that, the Knight Vassal headed towards the castle.

Boots noticed something at the corner of her eye- a tall figure wrappes in a black robe, insanely thin- the hood was pulled over, and she could see a crimson smile with teeth bared under it.
"Real shame- I looked forward to you visiting the Library. No matter... There's more then one way to skin a cat" a coin was flipped in her direction.
"I was about to bet on your sister's demise so you won that gold- enjoy it. Don't tell anybody until tonight please~"

Nobody else seemed to have noticed anything- except a gold coin apparently falling out of one of Boots' pocket.

[Xihirli]

Is not telling people the favor? Boots asked. Cuz if not I'm gonna tell everyone.

[Valmark]

Boots heard a mixture between the racous laughter of a drunken men and the whimpering of an abandoned puppy.
"You're way funnier then your sister, I like you. Sure, tell everybody, that's not the favor- it'll be all the more amus- mh, I'm required elsewhere" and the figure dissipated.

The Lich turned back at them "Anything else?"