Page 170 of 289
Posted: Sat Jun 06, 2015 5:05 am
by Spoonweaver
While Kalar is telling his story, a gruff looking farmer approaches the party. The party recognizes the man as the lookout for the entrance to the underground library. He nods at the party. "An escort will arrive soon to lead you to the library. I'll take your horses, your living ones anyways. Also your wagon and anything else you'd like to leave behind." Kalar judged the man's reaction to his undead minions. The man's jaded look told Kalar that either the man had seen worse or held no ill will against Kalar's undead.
While the gruff farmer spoke to Rob about Stumby, a man with a lantern exited the nearby rocky out cropping. It was the same man that had lead them to the library before. The man waved at the party.
Posted: Sat Jun 06, 2015 5:08 am
by BMR
"Ah, it seems our escort has arrived. Lynda, if you would lead the way. I'll stay in the back to keep an eye on things."
Kalar turns to Voulton and says,
"Incidentally, could I have my dagger back? I'm going to need to buy some new armor, and lacking funds I may have to sell it."
Posted: Sat Jun 06, 2015 6:52 am
by Gizmog
Voulton stares in disbelief at Lynda. As she explains that the ring allowed them a wish and that she wished them HERE of all places, HERE! instead of their respective homes he's overcome with disbelief and slumps to the ground. As a child he'd heard stories about wishes, what child hasn't? Of magical powers that grant your hearts truest desires. He'd heard the stories too of those who wasted that gift, but never believed anyone could actually be so foolish!
And to explain it so casually before looting the dead! His fists clench his axe, still poised to strike at a bear that's no longer there through Kalar's story. The words register and bounce around his brain, but he says nothing. So close to home. So close.
He pays no heed to the escort or the lookouts. It's ultimately Kalar's request for his dagger that rouses the half-giant back to useful conciousness. A thought goes through his mind. A wasted wish.. looting the bodies.. all the weird powers and immunities... how easily she'd taken out the colossus...
Voulton fumbles through his pack and finds the dagger. When he walks it over to hand it to Kalar he leans in close and asks his shiny friend in all seriousness "...are we sure Lynda hasn't been... taken over?"
Posted: Sat Jun 06, 2015 7:43 am
by Gizmog
Having forgotten about the dagger, Voulton wondered if there was anything else in his sack he'd forgotten about. Asides the frickin heavy phylactery (How could I forget that? slime, it squashed my jerky!) he finds* a suit of leather armor and flask he'd taken from the corpse of the werewolf. The flask is useless without something to put in it, but he shows the armor to Kalar in case it would be of any use to him.
If I'd already done something with the armor, obviously I don't find it an obviously I don't offer it. And if there's anything else I'm forgetting about, feel free to remind me.
Posted: Sat Jun 06, 2015 10:20 am
by BMR
"Hmm, interesting point. I doubt she is being controlled, but unless we check her for any this" Kalar says as he gestures towards his silvery face, "we can't be sure. It's certainly a possibility, but right now I believe we have no way of knowing."
"As for the armor, I'll take a look at it for you. I prefer heavier armors though, so you might be better off selling it, but let me see if it has any magical properties. Incidentally, do you still have that phylactery? I'd like to check it for any magical properties."
Kalar manifests his sword in his hand and identifies the armor.
That done, he says to Hrulgin, "Hrulgin, grab Rachelle's body, if you would be so kind. I'll tend to her tomorrow. Or if we can find someone inside who can bring her back, all the better."
Posted: Sun Jun 07, 2015 8:43 am
by Spoonweaver
Hrulgin scooped Rachelle's body parts up in a bag he found on the edge of Vyones that had been used to carry onions. The bag dripped as the party stowed their wagon and proceeded to follow their guide into the cave labyrinth. Rob had opted to bring Stumpy who was proving less spooked by the cave than horses normally would be, much to everyone's relief.
The party arrived back at the familiar library. A sense of ease washed over them as they set foot in what seemed to be the safest place in this crazy kingdom. The notions of time distortion related to the library seemed not to matter at the moment and the party set about to visiting the library's various shops. Arrangements were made to bring Rachelle to see Moriamis in hopes that she could bring her back in the same way she helped Kalar when they first met.
Rob, having never been to this fantastic place, found the open magic trade both daunting and wonderful.
Meanwhile, on a battlefield the party wished to never visit again an inquisitor called for his fellows to drop there weapons for the hundredth time that day. A dagger was stabbed into the man's head by his superior officer who didn't seem to care for the man's orders. The man, Jehan, was known for his gift at killing. He looked over the battlefield with the gaze of a seasoned scout.
Posted: Sun Jun 07, 2015 10:00 am
by Gizmog
Voulton, having seen what they're up against (and having missed the easy route home) redoubles his commitment to the mission... and to surviving it. After showing the phylactery to Moriamis (Who hopefully will have some greater insight into its nature and whether or not it should be destroyed... a task Voulton would be happy to perform after having hauled that heavy crap all over), he begins his war preparations:
Firstly, he'll find the scribes he talked to last time and fill them in on the latest developments. The colossus, the inquisition's unwillingness to act or to reason (which is probably more surprising to Voulton than it is to them), the trip to the past, the ghost of Sephora and the werewolves. Juicy stuff! Hopefully in telling of their recent trial, the direbears, Rachelle's death... the wish... he'll be able to come to better terms with what happened... though he's still keeping a careful eye on Lynda. Who knows what happened to her when she got "lost" in Sephora's tower?
Secondly, he'll solicit advice about fighting a demonic general and seek books on the subject. Voulton's best guess is that they're a pretty hard nut to crack.
Thirdly, recent events have forced Voulton to rethink his approach to conflict. Smashing weapons and demoralizing your foes is fine when you're fighting a certain kind of war, but religious extremists aren't easily discouraged. He'll pore through religious texts looking for information on the holy symbol found with the Inquisition. What beliefs do these men have? And is there anything that can be used against them? Anything to challenge their faith? Any deities opposed to them who might offer aid?
There's other stuff he knows he needs to do, but he isn't ready to think about it yet. Whenever he gets bored or has some time to kill, he'll work on Kalar's mask. Making things is good.. that other stuff is bad.
Posted: Sun Jun 07, 2015 10:41 am
by BMR
Kalar asks one of the scholars if he might request an audience with lady Moriamis as he has much that needs to be discussed.
While waiting for an answer though, he decides to join Voulton in searching for clues about the general they will have to fight. He'll use his knowledge of the various deities to aid Voulton in his search, while relying on Voulton's more lack of knowledge in such to provide insights that he would otherwise miss.
He will also look around, seeing if there are any other interesting items for sale. Who knows? Last time around there was a silvery potion just sitting on a shelf. There may yet be something else of similar value.
In addition, he decides that while he's at it, he might as well get some shopping done.
Posted: Sun Jun 07, 2015 6:21 pm
by Spoonweaver
Moriamis joined Voulton and Kalar in the library while the others were shopping or otherwise engaged. "So, where is your friend Rachelle? I hear she died and you would like me to reincarnate her. A service I will gladly offer to adventurers such as yourself." Hrulgin carefully emptied the bag of Rachelle out on the floor, placing her pieces where they would go if they weren't detached. Moriamis began then. Her spell seemed even more majestic than the last time they had seen it. A splash of oil and a rub of diamond dust caused the spell to go into full swing. Rachelle's body decayed and moss grew over it in the blink of an eye. Then, from the moss, Rachelle's new body began to slowly form. Moriamis looked a bit surprised as a scaly arm reached into the air. It wasn't long before a Rachelle the Lizardfolk fully emerged from the spell's effects. Dazed and confused, Rachelle remained on the ground in a state of loose consciousness. Moriamis sat down after casting the spell, looking very tired.
Posted: Sun Jun 07, 2015 7:59 pm
by Gizmog
First a midget and now a lizard... Voulton really hopes he isn't the next one to try this roulette wheel of resurrection. "I can see that took a lot out of you, and I'm sorry to bother but it seems urgent." He produces the phylactery, that awful, heavy thing. "We found this in a 100 foot tall rotting monstrosity that was attacking Vyones. We weren't exactly sure what it was. Should we destroy it or can it be twisted to our advantage?"
Posted: Sun Jun 07, 2015 9:07 pm
by Master K
Lynda claps.
"Bravo, bravo!" She says. "I'll admit, I had my doubts when you first re-formed Kalar, but seeing you take Rachelle's mangled remains and recreate her is quite the miracle. Although, I'm not sure how she'll take being covered in scales..."
Lynda takes off her amulet. With all the magic users present, they shouldn't be too bothered by her ethereality. Perhaps someone could explain to her how it came about.
"Now if you'll pardon me, I need to go find somewhere I can change. I'd feel better venturing around the library not looking fresh from the battlefield." Lynda says, and excuses herself to find somewhere where she can change in to an antiquated dress.
Posted: Mon Jun 08, 2015 1:02 am
by BMR
"Lady Moriamis, I thank you for your assistance. If you are not too tired, there is much we need to discuss. If you would prefer to rest though, it can wait until the next day."
Posted: Mon Jun 08, 2015 2:49 am
by Feenicks
Rachelle had a faint vision of a tower in the middle of a forest that stretched to the horizon. She knew she had fallen instantly to a foe that should have been a pushover for the party, but couldn't seem to connect that fact and her current situation.
...before she could even begin to take a stab at figuring out what had happened, however, she was very suddenly not dead.
"Where is this? What happened?" Rachelle asks, still in the sort of daze you would expect from someone whose last living memory was getting torn into pieces.
Then she notices that her voice sounds notably different. And that she is now a lizard of some description.
"Augh?!" Rachelle cries. How would she explain this to everyone when she got back home? Would she still be able to use everything that she had with her beforehand? Would she have to start following a god that wasn't quite so elf-centric?
Rachelle eventually calms down, and thanks Moriamis. She then goes to look for a way to make herself look as presentable as she can in her current state, and then goes to look for some food and information on how being to live a life as a lizard. That would be in this library, right?
Posted: Mon Jun 08, 2015 2:54 am
by Bob the Hamster
unaware of Rachelle's strange revival, Rob and Stumpy meander around the horse-accessible areas, making conversation with people, trying to make friends. He wants to know if anyone here knows any of his magical item black market contacts (such as the enchanted rapier seller or the halter of horsespeak seller) he also want to learn more about Moriamis's organization, and their long-term plans for opposing the inquisition.
Posted: Mon Jun 08, 2015 4:07 am
by Spoonweaver
Moriamis looked dismayed at Rachelle's reaction to her new form. Rachelle and Lynda both drew a good deal of attention as they left to secure rooms and clothes. Moriamis shrugged after Rachelle had left, "It is what nature has decided was best." She turned her attention then to the many questions Kalar and Voulton were asking her.
She looked at the massive phylactery. A look of shock swept over her and she looked over at Kalar as if he were on fire. "WHAT IS THIS!" she exclaimed. She cast a spell as quickly as she could and laid a hand on the phylactery. A poof and a crack were all that seemed to take place. Voulton could see that the main gems in the middle of the phylactery were cracked and most of the glimmer coming from the phylactery seemd to fade away. Moriamis looked Kalar up and down in a somewhat frantic way. "I guess this wasn't yours. A giant undead colossus? I had heard of something like that. My sources said it was Nathaire that...." Moriamis stopped. "Was that Nathaire's phylactery?"
In that back of Kalar's mind, a faint call came forth. It was Bill. Kalar could feel his control over Bill return. At the same moment, he felt his control over the bloodhulks waning. His powers were being pulled too far and he felt like he might pass out if he didn't release something from his control soon.
Meanwhile, Rob and Stumby were chatting up the locals. They found that their magical goods sources were all known here. He wondered how much his sources marked up the items after likely getting them here to begin with. When talked turned to the plans to deal with the inquisition, Rob found that there were no plans at all. "That's a fools quest," one man said regarding any attempt to fight the inquisition. The people here all saw the inquisition as much to powerful to defeat, even for Moriamis.