ity n he ky - art 4
ron, bsidian & one (ii)

"Get me out of here!" said Cain, still struggling with the web.
"This may hurt a bit." Said Jodotha touching a burning torch to the fibres of the web. The sticky threads burnt swiftly with minimal damage to the trapped mystic who swiftly healed what wounds he had.
Inside the room stood a pair of chests a couple of caskets and a shelf with a number of books bound in dark leather. Trimus and Colloran examined the books first. They appeared to be texts on anatomy and necromancy.
"Evil tomes." Growled Colloran. "They must be destroyed."
"Not this one though." Said Trimus pulling one book, larger than the rest from the shelf. "It's the mage's spellbook."
They pulled the chests and caskets back into the main room before Jodotha threw a couple of flasks of lamp oil into the small chamber followed by a lit torch. The oil ignited swiftly and soon started to lick the wall by the books. Almost instantly the mage reappeared beside the invisible Darkhawk. However it seemed that the mage could still see the apprentice Celestial Knight. He swung his gnarled staff up and almost lifted Darkhawk off his feet with a blow under the chin. With a wicked grin Trimus casually tossed the mage's spellbook into the growing flames within the chamber.
"Fetch." He said with a sarcastic smirk.
"Bastard!" cursed the mage and disappeared once more only to appear moments later, robes smoking and his face and hands charred. In his hands was the spellbook, blackened but it's heavy leather binding appeared to have protected the arcane writings inside. Colloran's blade flamed and the mage screamed again as the holy flames flared around him. Jodotha quaffed a potion and said in a calm tone. "Put the book down, friend. You don't need it any more. It is far to heavy."
"Pah!" spat the mage easily overcoming the rogues attempt at control. Darkhawk, Colloran and Cain all attacked the mage and for the first time appeared to do some serious damage. The mage uttered an incantation, floated into the air and drew a wand. He pointed it at the momentarily stunned party and uttered a guttural word of command. Bursts of energy hit each of the companions, Trimus more than the others. The mage groaned and sagged to the floor as did Rellan both looked badly hurt, close to death. Colloran grabbed the whip from Trimus' belt and tossed it to Cain who caught it easily. The paladin then leapt into the air and wrapped his muscular arms around the evil mage's calves. The mage cursed as Colloran's armour bit into the soft flesh of his legs. Cain flicked out the whip in an attempt to entangle the mage's arms but only succeeded in opening up a long wound across the mage's left cheek.
Colloran's weight slowly dragged the mage to the ground but before anyone could take advantage of this the mage loosed another spell. Strands of sticky silk encased much of Colloran binding him to the floor in a grey cocoon. Cain dropped the whip and leapt through the air head butting the mage and knocking him to the floor. The mystic knelt astride the mage and grappled with him furiously.

Meanwhile Ako moved between Trimus and Rellan doing what he could. Both were breathing shallowly and were near to death. The cleric was low on healing magic and he called upon Normanus to aid his casting at this time. It appeared that the Immortal heard him as both the mage and the elf looked better, but still very weak, after the cleric had cast the spells. With a brief whispered thank you to his patron Ako stood up, grasped his mace and turned to aid his companions. To his horror he saw that the mage had turned himself into green dragon. The creature filled most of one half of the room. Jodotha threw one of his last potions towards the gapping maw of the beast but groaned as it clattered to the floor off one of the creatures dagger like teeth. Cain was still astride the mage but instead of a scrawny human he now had a bucking, writhing lizard to contend with. The polymorphed mage tried at first to throw Cain off of his back but then changed tactics and instead reared up and crushed the mystic against the ceiling. At first Cain managed to hang on but after three of these crushing blows he slid down the lizard's rough, scaly back to lie in a broken heap on the floor. Trimus weakly pointed a wand at the hissing creature and uttered a word of power but nothing happened. Darkhawk quaffed a thick potion, gagging at the cloying sweet flavour. Almost immediately the Celestial Knight grew to twice his normal size and started to hack at the dragon.

Concerned at the lack of movement from the mystic, Trimus crawled around the edge of the room, feeling the shards of broken glass pierce the skin of his hands and knees as he made painfully slow progress towards Cain. His worst fears were realised when he got there. Cain was lying on his back, barely breathing and with a blood seeping from a crushing blow to the back of his skull. Trimus used what little healing skill he could which seemed to take away some of the mystic's discomfort.
"Don't worry. Ako will be here in a moment. Just hang on." Whispered Trimus putting his body between Cain and the mage who's dragon form was taking a battering from Darkhawk and Colloran. Rellan had taken a step or two backwards and was muttering and incantation over a pair of long red feathered arrows. He held one between his pearl white teeth and loosed the other towards the dragon. As the shaft left the bow it transformed into a yard long streak of flame which struck the dragon in the chest and burned there for a moment or two. The dragon screamed and changed back into the mage who started to run for the door. Rellan followed him with his bow drawn back for a second before loosing the second of his enchanted arrows. This bolt struck the mage between the shoulders and he stumbled towards Cain and Trimus. Trimus stuck out his leg and swept the mage to the floor stunning him. Trimus stood over the mage and swept a dagger across his foe's throat, smiling weakly as the crimson blood soaked the flagstones. Jodotha put his hand on his friends shoulder and puled him back.
"It's over Trimus. He's dead now." The rogue whispered. "Ako's seen to Cain, he's going to be all right."

Ako picked up the mages charred spellbook and stowed it in his pack.
"What are you doing!" demanded Rellan storming over to where the cleric stood, arms folded across his chest. "Give me the book! If you don't trust me, give it to Trimus."
"No" replied Ako simply and calmly.
"Why not!" fumed Rellan.
"I have my reasons." Ako continued calmly, despite the angry elf's aggressive stance. "Cain, may I have a moment of your time?"
The mystic nodded and the two huddled together in the corner of the room while Rellan stormed over to Trimus.
"Say something to him!" spat Rellan, jerking his head towards Ako.
"He must have his reasons for doing this." Said Trimus, calmly. "He has saved my life on a number of occasions and yours today I believe. Cain will not allow him to do anything stupid. Here they come now."
"I have the book." Said Cain. "When we are safe I will allow you to study it. In this place, which Colloran and Ako assure me is full of evil, it is not safe to study a tome such as this."
Jodotha meanwhile had opened and rummaged through the chests to find anything of value and had returned with a few small gems, trinkets, a sack of coins, a sword, a warhammer and a crystal ball. He also woke Gilbo who was none to pleased to have been put to sleep in the magical duel. Secretly he stashed four small clay pots and an emerald necklace in his pack before returning to the others.

They returned to the large room at the foot of the stairs and after clearing the bodies from it barricaded the doors and rested for what remained of the night. Jodotha kept the first watch but woke again during the third, Gilbo's, watch to keep a wary eye on the gnome. After a few minutes the gnome moved to the barricaded door and opened it. He gave a furtive look back into the room before stepping out. Jodotha followed, keeping to the wall as he didn't have the gnome's ability to see in the dark. He tracked the quiet footfalls of the gnome back to the laboratory where his quarry lit a torch and started to poke around amongst the debris. A few small items, metal wire, instruments and such like disappeared into Gilbo's pockets before Jodotha stepped out of the shadows and coughed.
"Hello Jodotha, I thought I heard you following me." he said innocently. "I just wanted a look around. I've finished now." The gnome then walked past Jodotha into the corridor and back to the others, extinguishing his torch before sitting back to keep watch. Jodotha watched him for a while before drifting off to sleep once more.

The following morning Jodotha checked his backpack while he told the others of Gilbo's nocturnal adventures. Trimus did what he could for the wounds by bandaging them carefully while Ako cast a few healing spells. While he did this he explained to the others his actions from the night before.
"I was worried that you were going to destroy the spellbook."
"Pah!" Ejaculated Rellan and Trimus simultaneously. "No chance!"
"But you did throw the book into the flames." Said Ako.
"Yes." Replied Trimus. "I was trying to distract the mage so we could regroup. It seemed to work as well."
The cleric smiled. "Then it is settled. Let us search the bodies and see what we can find out about Heydrech and his allies. When we are away from this den of evil we shall study the book in more depth".
"Less of the we." muttered Rellan darkly behind the cleric's back.

They returned to the ruined laboratory, the smell of ash and death filled the air. The small antechamber had been totally gutted by the fire but the blaze had not spread to the rest of the room. Colloran knelt beside the fallen Nagpa and pointed at a lantern nestling in a niche in the wall.
"That is evil, utterly evil." Said the paladin. "Do not touch it or it will corrupt you."
Ako concurred and held open a sack. Trimus nodded and using his ring of telekinesis moved the lamp from it's niche into the sack. Jodotha help open another sack and Ako placed the closed sack containing the lamp inside it.
Meanwhile Rellan and Darkhawk had searched the body of the nagpa, they had placed the items they found on a bench. A small knife, an ornate pendant, a wide belt or girdle, a ring and three potions.
Colloran looked at the items before speaking. "I demand the lamp. My order is researching the creation and destruction of undead. This lamp could be a major breakthrough in our studies." When nobody argued he continued. "I will now speak to Heydrech's shade to see if I can glean any information from him. I feel it will be a pointless task as he will evade my questions but I must try."
He knelt beside the corpse and placed the hilt of his blade upon the nagpa's forehead.
"Come back shade, come back. By the powers vested in me I summon you. Questions three you must answer me."
There was a pause before the air above the body shimmered and thickened into a semblance of a nagpa. For a moment it blinked and looked confused before it turned it's attention towards Colloran.
"Ask me the questions and let me depart." Rasped the spirit. "It is cold here and the light pains my eyes."
"Who was your master?" asked Colloran.
"I was my own master." Replied the spirit, thinly.
"What are the powers of the lamp?"
"The powers are evil."
"What items were used to create the undead?"
"Items that were suitable for the purpose."
"Begone shade." Muttered Colloran, slightly disappointed and the shade thinned like smoke in a breeze and vanished.
"That proved little." Said Jodotha. "But it confirmed your thought that the lamp was evil and is a key item."
"I got little information it is true." Muttered Colloran sheathing his sword. "But no less than I expected." Jodotha, Ako and Colloran each pouched a potion while Trimus took the pendant which Ako had already determined was not evil.

They left the laboratory and climbed the stairs to the upper storey of the house. Not taking any risks, Darkhawk transformed himself into a Celestial Knight while others waited with weapons drawn. Jodotha listened at the first door but could hear nothing. Inside was a small laboratory with a bench and shelves. All were empty to Trimus' disappointment. As Jodotha knelt before the next door he smelt the acrid stench of burning and brimstone. They opened the door carefully to reveal a room blackened and scorched. In the centre of the wooden floor was a painted pentagram. Gilbo whooped and leapt into the centre. He danced for a moment before screaming in agony. Clutching his throat he fell to the floor and lay their jerking for a moment before going still.
Ako stepped forward but before he could breach the boundary of the occult symbol the gnome jumped to his feet and laughed. "Fooled you!" said Gilbo in a jovial tone as he brushed the dust and soot from his clothes. Ako went purple with anger.
"You stupid little man!" he exclaimed. "Don't ever do that again."
The gnome shrugged his shoulders and continued to look around the room. The others reluctantly joined in but found nothing of interest as did the rest of the rooms in the building.

After retrieving the bodies of the mage and the nagpa the companions returned to the tower's entrance.
"What are we going to do now?" asked Darkhawk.
"Evil has seeped into the very stones of the building." Said Colloran seriously. "We should try and destroy as much as possible."
"That can be arranged." Said Trimus calmly. "Jodotha if you would be so kind as to break a window."
With a grin Jodotha picked up a fist sized stone from the grass and flung it at the nearest window. To his chagrin and the amusement of the others he missed. Colloran rolled his eyes and flung a stone of his own. His aim was true and a window on the upper floor shattered.
"It may be best if we all stood back." Said Trimus preparing a spell. He waited till everyone was back near the fence. He pointed his hand at the window and uttered the magic phrase he had prepared. As the last syllable was uttered a small ball of red flame scorched across the gap between the mage and the broken window. Once inside it expanded rapidly. The roof of the tower was burst asunder and all the windows shattered showering everyone with glass and shards of slate. Once everyone's eyes had adjusted to the bright flare of the fireball they could see that the whole building was ablaze. It's walls weakened by the heat and the shock wave the tower started to collapse in on itself, burying forever the corridor of experiments, the laboratory and the remains of the undead creatures created by the evil mage.

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ity n he ky - art 4 ron, bsidian & one (ii)

ity n he ky - art 4
ron, bsidian & one (ii)