======================Turn 4[CONT]=================================
Recall last time when . . .
For the first time, Kaliban looks down and sees the form of Styles
sprawled over the entrace. His howl of grief is deafening as he
turns his head to the heavens and bellows over his long time friend
and partymember.
Huvis begins to speak in a strange language to Cragspider who
begins to respond in one tongue and then switches to another. Then,
Tremir breaks in by saying ``Cragspider, I have known you for
centuries! We are just as real as you! We deserve the chance to
live.'' Cragspider says ``Bah! Exist? You have no idea what `real'
existence is!'' She waves her hand absently toward Tremir, and a
complex series of symbols appear in front of her. The symbols are
aligned in linear formations, apparently some type of language.
Cragspider appears stunned, and she mumbles ``impossible!''
Balinor sees his break, and he disappears from the view of the
remainder of the party. Guy begins to stir on the floor (Risk remains
quite motionless), and Miriya invokes a WORD which lights the runes of
Magic and Infinity befor her. Guy's prostrate form is covered in red
sparkles. Miriya's hand is a blur as a throwing start darts unerringly
to and through Guy's head, apparently impacting with nothing solid.
The throwing star bounces off of the floor and hits Cragspider with a
crackle and smell of burnt iron, rousing her from her stupor.
Miriya's mouth drops open in amazement, but she quickly recovers and
invokes another spell flashing the runes of Movement, Magic and Void
before her. As she intones the spell the floor beneath Guy begins to
glow in dull greyish light. Guy gestures and the runes of Air and
Movement appear over him. Branham says ``someone familiar is nearby.''
A gateway appears beneath Guy, and immediately a human female head
appears through the opening. She has raven black hair and eyes like
liquid rainbows. Her thin, pale features are lit from below by some
flickering, multicolored light source on the other side of the gate. A
circlet on her head bear inscriptions of the runes of Magic, Infinity
and Illusion. Branham and Tremir both look at the woman as though
trying to remember someone. Miriya looks to Branham for some
indication of who this might be. Once the woman's chest clears the
gateway she proclaims ``ah! Free at last! I've been waiting
*CENTURIES* for someone to open a gateway to Limbo somewhere I could
escape and wreak my revenge. Phineas thought by stomping out my
religion he could destroy *ME*! Well, he was WRONG!'' She wears a
dress of black chemise, trimmed in silver spiders. Tremir and Branham
yell as one ``Gabrielle! Miriya! Shut the gate! SHUT THE GATE NOW!''
Miriya does not hesitate, and the gate snaps back. Gabrielle tries to
fight it, but it is too strong for her. She is cut neatly in half at
the waist.
Gabrielle topples with a look of outrage, and puts out a hand to
stop her torso from falling to the ground. Multi-colored lightning
crackles above her head, and the runes of Fertility and Mastery appear
above her as she states ``it's not *NICE* to fool with the Mistress of
Lies!'' Gabrielle is whole again. Huvis, Branham and Granth launch
simultaneous devastating attacks, and Gabrielle becomes a fiery orb,
consumed in magical destruction. After a moment, Huvis breaks off his
attack. Gabrielle falls in a withered heap on the floor.
As the other party members press their attacks, Miriya, quite
outraged at the ``cheatiness'' of the Void creature's abilities, casts
a spell invoking the runes of Magic and Movement. Guy is teleported to
Miriya's feet, but he no longer appears human. He actually resembles a
haphazard pile of chopped, black luminescent jello. Miriya and Huvis
follow immediately with incantations using the stasis rune, and the
jello stops its movement. Miriya and Huvis give each other a ``high
five.''
Outside the obelisk, the trolls chanting changes again, clearly
becoming ``AN-NIL-LA AN-NIL-LA AN-NIL-LA!'' Leoshi says to the group
``if we can just hold on a bit longer, help is on the way!''
Trahk-Chi says to the howling Kaliban Keen-Eye ``so, you are Zorak
Zoran too?!'' as much a statement as a question. Kaliban Keen-Eye
answers in the gutteral tones of Darktongue. Kaliban and Trahk-Chi
snort together in admiration and respect as would of the broo (who
tried to sneak up on them) had Trahk and Kaliban not smashed it in two
with their great mauls at that particular point in time. Trahk-Chi
looked up at the lip of the crater and said ``who is that?'' as he
points to a human male coming working his way down the edge of the
crater toward the obelisk.
The man appears mature (40ish), greying a little but still hale.
He has brown hair and is very short (5'4") but quite muscular. His
surcoat bears the Nerrian crest, the device of the Lands of the
Overlord superimposed by a laurel wreath and a unicorn rampant. He
wears field plate, but he walks under the weight unhindered. A chain
hangs from his neck bearing inscriptions of Death, Truth and Good.
His bearing is regal, befitting one who had expected and received
absolute obedience and respect. In his right hand, he holds a long
sword glowing faintly, covered in the ichor of a recently slain Chaos
beast. The blood smoulders and burns, leaving the blade clean as
Trahk-Chi watches. In the man's left hand he holds a hefty hand-axe
which would require a normal strongman two arms just to lift. His
eyes look like gatesways to Hades.
The regal figure pauses as he comes within ten meters of Trahk-Chi
and Kaliban Keen-Eye and states ``Hail and well met. I am Phineas,
the Humakti, I am here to prevent the taking of the World Machine by
those forces of Chaos and Void which are fast upon this place! Be
quick; we must be inside at once! There is but little time!''
Inside, Branham says ``King Phineas is just outside!'' Huvis
growls ``Phineas the Black'' through clenched teeth and levels his
sword at the gaping portal to outside. Just then, the party and
Cragspider notice Balinor moving stealthfull and apparently unaware
of his change in visibility through the three rings of metal to the
door. Balinor takes a small card, inserts it in the door and quickly
steps inside as the doorway opens. Leoshi notes the smirk adorning
Balinor's face as he steps through still believing himself
unobserved. Cragspider cries ``No!'' and steps through in a single
bound, springing off of Risk who remains impassive throughout the
scene.
Trahk-Chi is startled to see over one hundred feet from snout to
tail of dragon flesh above him! Kaliban Keen-Eye quickly surmises
``must of teleported!'' The dragon transforms into a Dragon-newt
noble wearing gold inscribed dragon-bone armor. He says ``we must be
inside!'' To punctuate his point, a horde of mishappen Chaos beasts
pour over the lip of the cavern and down to the obelisk. The dragon
steps inside, and Trahk-Chi, Phineas and Kaliban Keen-Eye perform a
fighting retreat into the interior of the obelisk, but the Chaos
beasts shy away from the entrance.
The party had taken the trollish chanting almost for granted, but
when it stopped, the thunderous silence caused all their collective
stomachs to knot. The entire complex shakes for a moment, and the
light outside the obelisk takes on a shimmering light blue color. A
thrum fills the air. The noise of battle immediately outside the
obelisk ceases abruptly.
Huvis says ``Phineas the Black you murderous &^%$*%&$!!! That is
as far as you go! Whether of Chaos or Void I don't know, but you are
certainly EVIL!!!'' Phineas regards Huvis calmly and looks pointedly
at Risk's spot on the floor. Risk remains motionless under Phineas'
withering gaze. Phineas states "I have no idea who you are, but
right now we don't have the time to settle any feuds. Any quarrel
that you have with me can wait until after we've defeated our common
enemy" Huvis reluctantly points the sword away from Phineas although
Huvis does not sheath it.
The dragon says ``We must go inside!!! NOW! or NEVER! The mad one
returns! QUICKLY!'' Phineas says ``yes, there is no time to waste!''
Gabrielle springs to her feet at this juncture and says ``Not so fast
Phineas! Who are you to say that Void and Chaos are any less suited
to rule than the likes of you! Spah! [she spits in Phineas'
direction] Look at what has come to the world because of you and your
ilk. Void and Chaos are but differing philosophies, and the
generations which follow will be thankful for the diversity. Besides,
you've well outlived your usefulness to anyone save yourself!'' With
a disdaining laugh, Gabrielle points a finger at Phineas and a scarlet
bolt of power springs toward Phineas.
A disk of gold flies from the hand of the dragon and deflects the
beam away from Phineas. The dragon remarks ``what foul spawn once
human is this? In all the millenia, I've not ceased to be amazed at
the evil lying coiled within the human frame!'' The dragon points a
menacing forefinger toward Gabrielle and says ``out of our way, and you
yet may survive!'' Gabrielle levels both arms at the dragon and
unleashes twin purple bolts of power at the the dragon's chest stating
``*I'm* a goddess whose waited far too long for her just revenge
dragon-newt scum!'' The dragon calmly bends, opening its mouth and
absorbs the incoming energy. ``You apparently have no idea who *I*
am'' says the dragon. Gabrielle is momentarily dumbfounded, and
Vorondil and Leoshi silently nod at the dragon. Vorondil knocks an
arrow, and Leoshi takes a fighting stance. The dragon utters a WORD
and the runes of Infinity, Mastery and Magic flare before Gabrielle.
She shrieks, but her cries are cut off by a well aimed arrow to the
chest and Leoshi's snap kick to the head. Gabrielle falls, unmoving
beside the introspective Risk.
``Let us be in my children'' says the dragon in a concerned tone,
but the party has already begun to file into the darkness beyond. As
the last party member crosses the threshold, the black jello once Guy
begins to slowly reform . . .
[Let the games begin!]