Diligence, 94 Letum 1999 GR [continued]
Sharday, 40
Autumn Colours 204 LE
Everyone bar Gazahi and Clara reconvenes at the Darkmantle to compare
notes on what they have discovered. Lycaon reveals that Herdzig
Lucifer is a member of the Voice Macabre, and Alarius enjoys verbally
joining the dots and deducing the motivations of the Voice Macabre:
they were after the Grey Minstrel because he was the antithesis
of all they believed. He was giving the people of the Great Dark
hope.
Alarius believes that the Grey's Minstrel's "Gift of Ysberyl"
could be the force that is weakening the Enceinte and allowing powerful
beings to flee the Great Dark. Should they pursue this Gift? Jirokichi
says that before the Great Dark was the Great Dark it was the home
of the glorious Nezumi empire. He would like to see the Enceinte
fall and return to the glory days of his people.
"His people"? The Scribe asks exactly what bit of Jirokichi
is nezumi. After some deep thought, Jirokichi reveals that his closest
relative who is a pure-blood nezumi would be his great-grandfather.
In his defence, nezumi breed really quickly so it wasn't that long
ago.
Back at the house, Clara continues to watch the giants from her
hiding place. She decides to step into the ethereal plane, sneak
past the giants and check out the house. As soon as she does so
she is attacked again by the ethereal slayer she faced the previous
day. However, this time she is uninjured and quickly drains its
strength and will to go on. It is only by pure bad luck that her
attacker manages to retreat to the ethereal plane without being
destroyed.
Gazahi is getting a little bored. He moves to over fly the back
garden and get a better idea of the house, when suddenly a draconic
creature flies over head. It looks utterly emaciated. It has a twelve
foot body and a forty foot whip like tail. It doesn't see Gazahi
and flies over the city on its way to Old Tharkis. Gazahi waits
a moment then takes to the air.
He spies the giants in the back garden and makes a note of them.
Amazingly, they see him as well. He then flies back to the Darkmantle
to report. The Scribe says that the giants look to be hunched giant
half-golems and as a result will probably be resistant to most (if
not all) magic the party can throw at them. Clara also returns (without
checking out the house) and offers her unique perspective on things.
The party talk and talk. And plan and plan. And then they talk
some more. What is the best strategy to assault the house with?
How do they take down Herdzig Lucifer? How many assailants are likely
to be there. Do they attack from the front or the back? All this
talk is driving Lord Revda mad, and he is on the verge of going
without everyone. This Voice Macabre has slighted and all he wants
to do is go to the house and stab them repeatedly until they all
fall over. Is that really too much to ask?
Eventually (after several hours) the party leave the Darkmantle
and head to Fisk's house. All the planning wasn't really worth it
as only Clara, Alarius and Gazahi can easily get to the back garden
for a rear assault. They decide to go in through the front. Clara
flies up to the roof and uses her major image power to create the
illusion of a rust monster in the hope of keeping the giants in
the back garden occupied.
Abstinence, 95 Letum 1999 GR
Morday, 41 Autumn
Colours 204 LE
The door is heavily trapped, so Gazahi suggests going in through
one of the windows instead. Pausing briefly to allow a band of the
Black Guard to march past, the party easily break open the window
and climb into a parlour at the front of the house. There are several
shelves of books in here that Jirokichi and the Scribe immediately
begin to pilfer and read.
Gazahi leaves the room into the dark entrance hall. The stairs
to the upper level rise up from here. There are two corridors heading
further into the house (one leads to the library where Alarius was
taken yesterday). There is a large creature at the end of each corridor
- out of the range of Gazahi's darkvision. More giants? Lycaon crosses
the hall and checks out a room on the far side (it is empty). The
giants are moving down the corridors to engage them in battle.
About time, thinks Revda, and draws his sword. Alarius and Gazahi
fly up out of the way. Jirokichi runs out of the room and climbs
up to the landing where he hides in the shadows. The Scribe is still
reading books. As the giants emerge, Revda and Lycaon race to engage
one giant each.
The fight is brutal, but fortunately Revda's armour and Lycaon's
quickness prevent the giants from landing many blows. When they
do connect, they do a terrific amount of damage. Revda suffers badly
and is close to ultimate death. However, he is confident he can
take these things down and doesn't bother to haste himself out of
principle. Alarius shoots a number of arrows at the giant attacking
Revda. Although they do some damage, they do not easily penetrate
the creature's hide. Gazahi tries to tumble past the other giant,
but is knocked back by the giant's warhammer. Drawing his swords
he engages it in melee with Lycaon. Gazahi's swords are the only
weapons that easily harm these creatures.
Meanwhile, Clara overplayed her hand with the illusionary rust
monster, and the giants in the back garden destroy it. She descends
through the house and checks out some of the bedrooms upstairs (all
empty). The ethereal slayer appears again, realises that Clara is
its target and tries to flee. Clara intercepts it and takes great
joy in destroying the creature once and for all.
At the battle, four veiled men teleport from the shadows and try
to abduct the Scribe. Three are overcome with apathy (thanks the
Scribe's magic robes), and he manages to fight off the fourth. The
other three make a run for the far room and close the door. Four
undead shadows appear on the scene and fly to attack Alarius. He
dodges three, but the forth drains his strength. Alarius flies off
upwards, dumping a glitterdust spell on the fight behind him.
Revda's giant finally falls and the Death Knight is happily triumphant.
Lycaon's foe is grievously wounded but still swinging its warhammer.
The shadows close in on Lycaon. Clara suddenly appears from the
ethereal plane and immolates one with her magic. Jirokichi sends
three magic missiles hurtling toward a second. Meanwhile, the assailant
fighting the Scribe doubles over in pain, as if he was connected
to the Shadow. The Scribe takes the opportunity to cast confusion
on him.
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