Lunar: Magic Empire Session 81 Log ============================================================ Cast of Characters: Rune as "GM/Narrator, Par, Phoenix, Damon, Voice/Jarrek, Lira, Dayus, T'lain, and ~Valina" Seath as "Earendil" GORN as "Rein" Hahn as "Kadan" Aes as "Valina" Mia Ausa as "Geint" SOLaike as "Tarrant" Dyne as "Arzel" Ayeye as "Ayeye" ============================================================ GMRune: --------game on--------- GMRune: The great Phoenix found Arzel worthy of wielding his power and gifted him with the Phoenix Robe and the powerful spell, Phoenix Fire. GMRune: From the doorway behind the party, the spectre of Jael watches approvingly. Geint gives Arzel a hug. ^_^ Par grins. "Congratulations, Arzel." Arzel hugs Geint back, kinda.. Arzel: Thanks. Geint smiles in a cat-like manner. "You're welcome! ^_^" Phoenix: Was this the last of the tribal artifacts you wished to collect? Kadan nods. Earendil: There is still the armor of the black dragon. Kadan: D'er... Oh yeah, that... But we have a handle on that I think. Valina: :P The Phoenix nods. "Very well. You should leave now. It is not my duty to watch out for the living and I have done my part. I can offer no further guidence." Earendil goes back to Elanor and Liana. Kadan: Yes, we had best leave. Arzel follows Earendil. Valina stands... GMRune: As the party leaves the inner sanctum, Jael closes the door behind them. Resting in the chamber outside are Liana and Elanor. Both are curled up against the glowing stone walls and are apparently asleep. Geint follows with a coot smile with her hands behind her back. Valina slowly follows. Earendil: I think that I should take them back via the Dragon Wings. Valina: No! Airship! Valina: I wanna fly. :D Kadan shakes his head. "I've been through my share of cuts and bruises, but I don't think I'd ever want to know what it's like to have my very mind ripped away from me." Earendil: Not all of you, just Elanor and Liana. Kadan nods. "Alright. You come back in a jiff, then we'll take the ship out of here. Agreed?" Earendil: Um, come back . . . Valina nodnods! Earendil: Somebody has to tend to them. I'll just wait at T'lain's tower until you return. Valina: Okay. :D Earendil phews. . o O(Thank Althena) Earendil holds up the Dragon Wings and wills Elanor, Liana and himself away. Valina toddles back to the airship. Kadan goes with Valina. GMRune: The White Dragon Wings shimmer, then darken slightly, then vanish with Earendil, Liana, and Elanor. Geint blinks, notices people going to the airship and follows. GMRune: The party follows Valina back outside to the airship. The exterior of the cave is steaming, and hot gas bursts through the smouldering surface of rock between you and the fishlike airship. Valina: Ouch! Valina: It's hot! Kadan: It's not too bad. Arzel likes the heat. Valina enters the airship. GMRune: The airship is settled on the ground, though it appears to have drifted a few meters out towards the desert. Arzel wanders onto the ship and finds a corner. Tarrant steps into the airship and wanders about. Arzel: H..hey... there's something in this corner! *jumps up and turns around to look* Kadan climbs aboard and finds an unoccupied corner. Valina prepairs to take off. GMRune: The shadows of Arzel's corner coalesce into a cloaked form of human height. Geint goes on the ship. Valina turns around. Valina: o_O Damon: Greetings... bearer of the Phoenix Robe. Arzel: ...Damon... Damon: I see you have collected the Robe, Feather, and the Mask. But... where is your Dragonmaster? Arzel: Not here, apparently. Damon folds his hands deep into the sleeves of his robes. "Apparently so. I thought the group of you actually were more efficient than this. I thought you might have everything ready by now. My mistake." Arzel: We're just full of supprises.. Damon: There is something you may want to know, however. Damon's voice carries an unwelcome hiss to it. Kadan turns his head slightly. Arzel: Oh? What could that be? Valina just looks coot. Damon: We no longer need the pendants to open the tome you so kindly found for us early in your journey. You collecting will do nothing for you, because Lord Kargeth is already preparing to open the book! Valina: o_O Valina: Nani???? Kadan: ... Kadan: How can he do that? Damon draws in a breath, letting it out again as another hiss. "He can. As for how you have no need to know." Valina: :( Damon: Since you no longer have the Dragonmaster with you I'm afraid I cannot carry out the mission I intended, but I assure you that I will return when you have the Dragon Armor. The beastly half-dragon will not hide herself forever! Arzel: ...half-dragon? Kadan: ... She always showed up when we didn't want her to before... Arzel: Ahh... Shea. GMRune: The black smoke erupts around Damon and he boils away into mist. Arzel finds another corner and checks it this time before sitting in it. GMRune: The corner appears to be safe. Tarrant looks towards the smoke and decides to take a nap. Valina takes off quickly.... so we can get to Earendil ASAP. :P Kadan claps his hands together in frustration. "Well, this is just great. I wasn't aware that Kargeth had that much power over the tome. What on Lunar can we do to change things now?" GMRune: The airship responds to Valina's controls and begins to lift itself up into the sky. It bobs graciously before setting a return course to T'lain's Spire. Valina flys gracefully and nicely. GMRune: The airship hits another empty pocket of air and drops several dozen feet before leveling out again. Valina: AHHHH Valina: Sowwy!!! Geint: It's OK. It happens. =b Arzel looks pale and goes "errp". Valina gains control again! Tarrant is getting air sick. GMRune: The ship passes over the mountains that cut the steaming desert off from the rest of Lunar. In the distance to the north the party can see a town spread across a river. The people of the town look up and point wildly when they see you. Valina: I hate that town. :P Kadan: ... GMRune: As the party begins to sail over the badlands they sight something reflecting off the ground. It is a brillant spark of light directed at your ship. Valina: ??? Valina tries not to pay attention... as she flies. GMRune: The light flashes, shimmering, seeking your attention. Valina flys softly... Valina: Okay?? What is that? Arzel looks out a window. "What is that?" Geint tries to see. GMRune: It would appear that a mirror is being used to capture your attention. Valina: Hummm... Valina: Should we check that out? Geint: I don't know! Where are we around? Kadan: What is that, anyway...? Valina begins to lower the airship toward the signal.. Valina: Let's get a closer look... GMRune: The ship lowers, the party sees a red-haired young man below them. You will have to get lower to get a better look at his face though. He is definitely flashing a mirror at you. Geint blinks. Valina CAREFULLY Lands the ship. GMRune: The ship touches down with only a soft bump of discomfort. Kadan looks around. Tarrant wakes. GMRune: There is a tapping on the hull of the airship, presumably from the person outside. Geint: ...Could someone heal me? Valina: Me too. Tarrant heals Geint. GMRune: Tarrant casts Recovery Litany. Geint goes to full hp. Valina could use some hp too you know. Kadan looks over. "Who's there?" Voice: Hello? Is anyone in there? GMRune: The person thunks on the outside of the ship some more. Apparently the ship is quite soundproof while closed up. Valina opens the door. GMRune: Outside is the red-haired young man. You had met him once before, in the fight against Damon and House Nissa at Mertyl. He is the young leader of the Mertyl defenders, Jarrek, Ayeye's brother. Jarrek: Phew! For a moment I thought you guys might not be in here! GMRune: Behind Jarrek stands a quicken, one of the swift equine beasts House Flysse bred years ago for the fastest mounts possible. Arzel stays in his corner, but watches. Jarrek: How are you guys doing? Valina: Don't ask. :P Kadan scratches the back of his head. "That's a really complicated question, Jarrek." Jarrek bobs his head. "I know Ayeye thought I would be better off helping out in Mertyl, but I had to go find you guys. Something's up. You probably haven't been around Shelladon, Vane, and Mertyl lately but... Well, the Goddess Tower is glowing!" Geint goes to sit next to Arzel in his corner and listens intently to the conversation. Arzel turns and looks at Geint, and gives her a nod of recognition. Tarrant: What is the cause of the glowing? Jarrek: I know it's a stretch to say so, but I think the goddess is in trouble. The light... it's not the holy light we have come to know through the healing litanies of Althena's followers. The light is sickly, and yellow in color. Jarrek: I would not be surprised if House Nissa has something to do with that. Geint: =\ Jarrek: I don't know what you could possibly do about that, but I understand that potential Dragonmasters have to go there anyway... so I thought I'd warn you. Tarrant: Well, we're going to have to do something. Kadan shakes his head. "I wish there wasn't so much to know about magic..." Jarrek nods. "It was a lot of work finding out what direction you had gone, and when I found out you had gone to the Phoenix's Lair I didn't know if you'd ever come back." Geint listens as she sits in the corner. She brings her knees to her chest and rests her chin on them, still watching the conversation. Jarrek: I don't think Nissa has been the only ones active though. Something else has been brewing. I don't know what yet, but those of us at Mertyl can feel it like the air before the rain. Kadan scratches his chin. "This is getting complicated. I'm not sure where we should head." Tarrant: Why don't you join us, you yourself said that you wanted to.3 Jarrek lowers his head. "I don't know. Things are getting way out of control now. This isn't the simple existence that I was raised to expect. I don't know how I can help you know besides giving information." Jarrek: Is there anything you think I may be able to help you with? If Ayeye doesn't have her memories back yet, I can try relating whatever I know about Nissa and the Serpent Staff. Kadan: The Serpent Staff... You know about the tome that describes it, yes? Kadan: Well, Kargeth has opened it somehow without the three pendants... Is there any limits to his power now? Tarrant: Well then, what do you know about Nissa? Jarrek thinks. "I believe it's possible to open the book without the pendants. Could he have done so yet? I don't know." Jarrek: The book only reveals how to use the Serpent Staff. Even for a warlock of his caliber that's bound to take some time. Jarrek: But... once he gets the Staff ready, he ought to be able to reopen the dimensional rift that allowed the first Urdians to enter Lunar. Kadan shakes his head. "Damon wouldn't tell us. I'm not sure where we could do the most good now." Kadan: Jarrek, once that happens, how will the lives of the Lunar citizens here be affected? Valina: ... Jarrek's quicken tugs on the reins, but Jarrek holds it steady. "I'm afraid I don't know. Many of our people were chased back to our home, and I do not know how many still survive in the world. It was already dying when they left centuries ago. But, if Nissa, our diety, still exists and seeks to enter this world, Althena herself will have a fight on her hands." Jarrek: Nissa did not come through the first time, but if given another chance... The Serpent Staff could let it happen. Kadan shakes his head. "That might destroy the Empire... or the whole world for that matter... There's probably nothing we could do." Jarrek: You say you met Damon. When? Kadan: Well, I'm not sure if it was really him... You know how warlocks are. He appeared for only an instant. Jarrek nods. "How long ago was this though?" Geint: On the ship, just a bit of a while ago. Jarrek: Hm... I wish I knew what he was up to. He appeared again in Mertyl today, taunting us for our beliefs. I thought he might have had the tome on him himself, but if you just saw him that wouldn't be right. Jarrek: Well, if there is nothing else, I should be returning to Mertyl. Good luck on your mission. I hope you manage to stop Kargeth. Kadan shakes his head. "It was just on the way here, actually. He appeared for a second to tell us of the Tome's opening." Kadan holds his forehead. "Mission... yes, it would be easier if only our goal weren't so muddled." Jarrek: I wish I could say something. Even if Kargeth really does have the tome open, he would need time to decipher it. At least I hope he will." Jarrek mounts his quicken and rides away. ~Valina shuts the door to the airship and promptly takes off, hitting a less than comfortable air current. Kadan shakes his head. "Now we just need to meet up with Earendil if possible." Geint smiles at Arzel, whom she is sitting next to in the corner. Par: Well, he should be back at T'lain Spire, waiting for us. I hope Liana and Elanor are recovering. Geint nods to Par. Geint: So, how are you enjoying the ride, Arzel? ^_^ *Geint speaks in a normal conversational tone, not a whisper! ;b* Arzel: I prefer flying a wyburn to mechanical and magical flight.. GMRune: After a while, the pinnicle of T'lain's Spire comes into view. It drifts gently closer and you begin to make out the features of the structure. The roof look flate enough to land on, despite the fact the airship never actually rested on it. Geint: It is a little bit jerky I guess. Valina lands SOFTLY on the roof!!! GMRune: The airship makes a soft and gently landing. It sways lightly in the stronger winds at this altitude, but does not skitter off the roof. Valina: :D Par pops open the door and takes a deep breath of air. "It's good to get outside of this thing!" Valina: Ahhh but it is a nice airship! Arzel walks out of the airship. Tarrant hops out, careful not to slip. Geint walks off. Valina hopps on off ;P GMRune: A familiar head pops up from the ladder leading below. Lira: Hey! You're back! I thought I heard something! :) Lira: T'lain will be happy to know you've brought the ship back in one piece. Guess you didn't need the parachutes after all. Why don't you come on down? Someone's with him right now asking about you. Kadan nods and follows Lira. Lira climbs back down the ladder. Arzel follows. Tarrant climbs down the ladder. GMRune: Inside the laboratory of the fourth floor you see Seera sitting at T'lain's desk studying a shard of crystal. Standing are both T'lain and his visitor, Dayus of House Protectoriate. Both men turn from their conversation to greet you as you arrive. GMRune: The party notices that Earendil is nowhere to be seen. Dayus: It would appear that my timing is good. I have come here to request you all for some help. Kadan: Dayus...? Dayus bows slightly in greeting. Kadan tries to concentrate. "Alright. You need... our help? Why?" Dayus: Times have been harsh for the rebel warlocks of the Empire. Lady Jera has been executed for helping you, as has Lord Bask, who you may not remember. Lady Mileria and Lord Elron are still alive, however, and those of us who remain believe that Mileria had some plan in store for us. However without her we have no idea how to implement it. We must rescue her! Kadan: Jera... Dayus nods fiercely. "Damon ratted on her--that slime." Kadan seems alienated for a moment. "Yes... Mileria... Par, do you think she's strong enough to still be sound of judgement with all she's been through?" Par: I do not know Kadan, but if there is to be any rescue on her behalf I must go. However, I don't think it should be necessary for all of us to leave. A smaller party might have a better chance to creeping in after what happened last time. Par turns to Dayus. "Wouldn't you agree?" Dayus considers Par's remark. "Yes. I don't need everyone. It will be hard to get inside now that security has tripled. It will be even harder to sneak in people unaccustomed to warlock ways." Kadan pounds his fist into his palm. "Well, the rescue party can't be *too* small unless we run into trouble, and if there's anyone who's good at getting into and out of places, it's me. Count me in." Geint blinks. Par turns to Kadan. "No, Dayus is right. Warlock society is incredibly complex. If they are scanning everyone who comes inside Killith, only a warlock... or a former one... would have a chance at passing their tests." Par: I can go with Dayus. The rest of you have Althena and that book to find! Maybe while we raise hell over there you can find it. Geint nods. =/ Geint: Be careful! Arzel: Don't want to have to rescue three people instead of one... Par: I owe Lady Mileria more than I can say. I've been something of a third wheel ever since I got you involved in this struggle, but I'm sure you'll do fine. Par smiles gently. "I will take care of myself." Dayus: I should be able to round up a couple more warlocks to help us too. It won't be just the two of us. Kadan: I should hope so. Par and Dayus exchange glances. Dayus: Events are moving, faster than we would like. I hate to take Par from you so swiftly, but we should hurry. I'm afraid we must leave now. Par nods. "Look after Liana for me. I hope she won't be too upset once she wakes up." Kadan: Well... just take care of yourselves, and try to do some damage. Dayus smiles darkly. "We will. After Mileria and Elron's rescue of course." Dayus gestures and he and Par disappear. T'lain chuckles. "It seems you are quite popular these days. Lord Dayus dropping by, that young Urdian only hours before. People who embark on quests such as yours have a way of attracting the help and admiration of many." Kadan: ... Kadan: Well, not that I asked for any of this, mind you. T'lain's face becomes serious. "It is rare that any of us do. But, sometimes, things like this happen. By the way, where is your Dragonmaster friend? I do not see him with you." Geint: He's with his sister and Liana. T'lain: Where'd they go? Arzel: He was supposed to teleport here. Geint frowns and looks nervous. T'lain: That's strange, because he hasn't shown up. GMRune: --------end session---------