The Fall of the House of Maerimydra
Session Three of the Fifth Iourn One-Off

Terday, 16 Keenaxe 204 [continued]

It is with a deep sense of dread that Xyleria pours a few drops of healing potion onto the dry lips of Neceres. The effect is instantaneous. The burns on the face of the cleric disappear, her mad eyes snap open and she sits bolt upright. "I live!" she declares, and cackles insanely.

Xyleria and Brack quickly apprise Necreres of the situation. A quick glance around the devastated cavern quickly proves their words to be true. Neceres laughs again at the body of Velina Maerimydra and mutters that such a fate finds everyone who crosses her church.

Xyleria shows Neceres the holy symbol of Orcus, and the cleric of Kiaransalee's eyes narrow in hatred and anger. They were wise to stop whatever it was that Velina was up to. Neceres takes the scrolls and the book Xyleria took from Velina's body and spends the best part of an hour going through them. Unlike her companions she can read Abyssal, and what she finds in the text is very disconcerting.

"Where is Nina Cross?" Neceres demands, "she must be found and killed." Xyleria explains that Nina Cross was taken back to the surface with Kaledas several hours ago. Even Brack could not track a cleric of Vhaeraun through the Underdark, the chances of finding them are hopeless. Neceres screams in rage. Trying to calm the cleric, Xyleria explains that although they know what Velina and Duleth were planning to do - the whole summoning Orcus into the body of Nina Cross and then binding the demon lord to do their bidding - they do not know why. Only Neceres has the power to find out why, by using her magic to interrogate the corpses of Velina and Duleth.

Necreres agrees. Kiaransalee gives her the right to ask three questions of any corpse. They must choose their questions wisely. Intoning the name of her goddess, Neceres chants for ten minutes over the body of Velina. The broken neck of the matron mother of House Maerimydra cranes toward her, in readiness to answer her demands.

"What did you intend to do with Orcus once you had summoned and bound him?" Neceres asks. There is a pause, and the corpse replies, "Destroy the Changelings." Neceres glances at the others. Xyleria is worried. Assuming these chaos creatures are the changelings that Xyleria speaks of they have already won a great victory over both the drow and the illithids. If Velina had a way to stop them, was killing her such a good idea in the first place?

"Tell us all you know about the Changelings," commands Neceres. The corpse of Velina replies: "They are ancient beings of pure chaos, created from the matter left over when this world was created. In ages past, while the dragon war raged on the surface so did the Changelings sweep across the Underworld destroying all before them. Eventually they were imprisoned, and there they remained for countless ages until, within the last six lustres they were freed. Now they are beginning again where they left off. From the deepest places of the world they have risen, and now we are threatened by them again."

Neceres says, "What are you motives in stopping the Changelings?" Velina replies: "If they are not stopped they will destroy the drow as they destroy everything else. All out cities will fall. Kalisaan will fall. They must be stopped."

Xyleria is now seriously thinking they may have made the wrong move. Yes, she completed the orders of her matron mother to the letter, but at what price? If Velina had been allowed to succeed, maybe she could have stopped the Changelings. Of course, then she would have Orcus in her power. Neceres has no such qualms. Orcus is the enemy of Kiaransalee. They fought long ago, and an ancient tennet of her priesthood is to oppose the activity of Orcus and his worshippers. Even if it saved the drow race, she would never have gone along with Velina's plan.

Brack is puzzled. He has something on his mind more pressing than Shredder trying to hump the corpse of a hunched giant. His mind goes back to the words Hadala Klazid said in Hadras many months ago. If the dates are right then the Changelings were freed at around the same time the wards on the Aegis that holds Karatath were weakened. Could this be a coincidence? After all he has seen, does Brack even believe in coincidence any more? He voices these fears to Xyleria, whom he has begun to trust.

In the meantime, Neceres sews Duleth back together and then casts her spell upon his corpse. New questions are formed and Neceres asks the body of the Maerimydra archwizard: "Who released the changelings?" The corpse animates roughly, and its speech is slurred where the neck has been inexpertly refastened, but its reply is understandable enough. "I do not know," it says.

"Who were involved in dealing with the Changeling threat?" Neceres demands. Duleth replies that an alliance exists between House Maerimydra and the ruling houses of fifteen other drow cities. The matron mothers of all those houses were involved. A drow alliance! Such a thing is almost unthinkable. They must have taken the threat very seriously, but in Kalisaan only House Maerimydra knew what was going on. "House Maerimydra was probably chosen to carry out this mission because of Kalisaan's proxity to the Isle of the Corpus," says Xyleria and everyone agrees.

"How can we defeat the Changelings without summoning and binding Orcus?" is the last question posed by Neceres. "I do not know," Duleth says truthfully and the spell ends. So why Orcus? Of all the demon lords that are trapped in the Abyss what can this particular one do that none of the others can? It is a question which has no answer, at least for the moment.

Brack thinks that maybe one other thing could stop the Changelings: The Vathek Stone. But he says nothing about it. The thought of any drow getting their hands on it, and really using it is too terrible to contemplate.

The party gather their belongings and make ready to leave for Kalisaan. There is nothing else to be done here. Neceres animates more dead bodies to replace the ones destroyed in the battle with the Changelings. Fortunately, she still has her skeletal dire bear (Lieutenant Bonekin the Deadly) and Girallons (Privates Bonebreak the Crusher and Bonecrush the Horrific). The journey ahead of them will be long and dangerous - particularly if those chaos creatures are still about. However, they have nowhere else to go and as Xyleria rightly points out, staying within the caravan is not an option. The predators all these dead bodies are likely to attract would not be condusive to their health and long life.

Neceres is intent on taking the symbol of Orcus and the corpes of Velina and Duleth (that she is carrying in a bag) back to her superiors in Kalisaan. She gathers them up, and downs a flash of something she calls liquid pain - something that makes her even happier and more insane than before.

Caladay, 18 Keenaxe 204

The Underdark has been uncharacteristically quiet for Brack and has companions. Nothing has assaulted them from the darkness and, although the dwarf has detected traces of the changelings on the cavern floor, there has been no sign of them. They are just beginning to feel at their ease when disaster strikes.

They are in a wide cavern, following as they are the route the Maerimydra caravan originally took. Something detaches itself from the ceiling forty feet above them and plummets to the ground, landing solidly in front of the party. It is has the height and bredth of an ogre, but its skin is reptillian and a dull grey in colour. Its head looks draconic and is filled with razor sharp teeth, it has a long vicious-looking tail and clutches a spiked chain in one hand. Its eyes have an evil, devilish intelligence about them, and it smiles as it unfolds its massive bat-like wings.

Before the party can react the creature lashes out with its chain, catching Xyleria in the temple and almost striking her dead. She falls in a crumpled heap, stunned. Neceres orders the undead dire bear and girallons forward to attack it. She recognies this creature. Drow scholars classify it as a cornugon - it is a greater devil, a being dedicated to Law and Evil. It cannot be in alliance with the changelings, but that does not make it any less dangerous. Neceres realises that they are almost certainly outmatched in this fight. This does not deter Brack who spurs Shredder onwards into battle.

The dire bear succeeds in wounding the devil, mainly because of its strength and its bulk, but the girallons and even Brack seem to make no impression upon it. Neceres calls forth the power of Kiaransalee and tries to summon the creature's heart to her hand. The magic fails.

Fortunately for the party the devil concentrates its attacks on the dire bear - the only credible threat to it. But the skeletal dire bear is large, and somewhat resistant to the effect of the spiked chain. Brack continues to press the assault. Neceres sends a beam of enervating energy at the devil, but it bounces off the thick hide of the creature. Xyleria slowly comes to her senses, and quickly downs a healing potion. She surveys the scene and identifies their attacker. They are in severe trouble. "Pull back!" she yells to her companions.

Neceres backs away. A second enervation spell rebounds from the devil's magic resistance. As Brack disengages the dire bear hurls itself forward engaging the devil in a grapple, and holding it in place for a moment. Brack spurs Shredder away from the fight, grabs Xyleria, and drops her eighty feet from the battle.

Xyleria surveys scene. She has plenty of destructive magic, but nothing that will take down the devil before it makes mincemeat of the party. Then she remembers the scrolls she took from Duleth. There is one there that might be able to help her. The chance is remote, but it might be there only chance. She grabs the scroll with the charm monster spell inscribed upon it, and reads the contents.

It is a difficult spell for Xyleria to master, but she is equal to the challenge. Her magic penetrates the devil's intrinsic resistance to magic and attacks its mind. For a moment the will of the devil, and the power behind the scroll battle one another and then, miraculously the spell takes effect. The cornugon has been charmed. It will be Xyleria's friend for the next thirteen days. The question now is can Xyleria stop the creature from killing everyone else?

Xyleria calls for the battle to stop. The devil is released by the dire bear, and looks around. It seems to recognise Xyleria and the hulking creature stalks over to her. Xyleria cowers at its approach, which the devil finds rather amusing. "What are you doing here?" it asks in a tone of voice that might sound indulgent to another Cornugon but sounds like a roar from the ninth level of hell to everyone else.

Xyleria wastes no time in explaining absolutely everything to the Cornugon. She asks why the cornugon is present. "I am here serving my master," it explains. "He desires to learn more of these creatures of chaos." These words slightly calm Xyleria because it seems they are on the same side, but they also worry her because normally Cornugons are far too powerful to swear allegience to any master.

"Who is your master?" Xyleria asks tentatively. The cornugon replies telepathically so Brack and Neceres cannot hear. "I serve Qarathak," it says. Xyleria recognises that name and it horrifies her. Qarathak is better known to the drow as Asmodeus - he is one of Kartath's thirty! She doesn't want to think what this cornugon or its master will do to her once the charm wears off. She has to placate this creature and tell it everything it wants to know.

Xyleria explains that they too are searching for an answer to the changeling menace. She speaks of Velina Maerimydra's plan to summon Orcus. The devil screams in rage! Neceres shows the devil the symbol of Orcus that they found. The devil stares at the rod Neceres brandishes, and the eyes of the human skull glow a dull red. None of the drow or Brack truly understand the terrible hatred that exists between creatures of Law such as this devil, and creatures of Chaos such as Orcus. It is an animosity that is probably older than the world of Iourn.

The devil wants to take the symbol to its master. Neceres refuses, saying that her church must have it. The devil strikes Neceres sending her onto her back. "You will not question the will of my master!" it declares, and Neceres hands over the holy symbol.

Xyleria shows the devil the notes, scrolls and books to summon Orcus taken from Duleth. It examines them, but cannot read Abyssal. Neceres is forced to sit and translate for the creature. This takes several uncomfortable hours. When they are finished the demon asks of Xyleria, "Where is this Nina Cross?" Xyleria replies truthfully, she says that she does not know. "Do you have anything of Nina Cross in your possession?" Xyleria shows the devil the many flasks of Nina's blood. The devil takes on and tastes it. It says it should be able to track her down now.

Xyleria answers all the cornugons questions. It knows his master will be interested in this ritual, and seeks to learn all there is about it. Xyleria does not volunteer the information that Necreres is carrying the bodies of Velina and Duleth. When Xyleria speculates that there might be some connection between the release of the changelings and the reawakening of Karatath the devil becomes extremely angry. "Do not speak His name!" it shouts, and seems on the verge of striking even its friend.

In the end the devil has obtained all the information the party can give it. Xyleria says the illithids may know more as a group of them were recently attacked by the changelings. The devil is glad to have a new lead to follow and even agrees to use his power to dispel chaos on Brack's wounds so that the dwarf can be healed. "Return to your city, drow, and cower there," is the last thing the devil says to Xyleria before it takes to the air and glides off down the tunnel in the direction the party have just come from.

The group are much relieved. The cornugon took a single flask of Nina Cross's blood, the symbol of Orcus and all the summoning materials - they feel as though they have been mugged, but they are lucky to be alive. They quickly resume their journey to Kalisaan.

Terday, 23 Keenaxe 204

Eventually the party wend their weary way back to the vast Kalisbak Cavern where the city of Kalisaan can be found. The sight that greets them is terrible. The city of Kalisaan is under attack! The city is built atop a great plinth of rock that rises from the middle of the cavern. It is linked by a narrow bridge to a tunnel that leads down to the cavern floor and on to other part of the Underdark. Tens of thousands of changelings are swarming up that plinth, climbing over one another to get into the city. Circling the city are dozens of chaos dragons that unleash their breath below. Powerful spells can seen exploding from within, but it is obvious that the drow are losing and that Kalisaan is lost.

"Oh well," says Neceres, and begins to stroll off down the tunnel. Xyleria stops her. "Oh well?" she screams, "Oh well? The entire city is being attacked - your home is destroyed and all you can say is 'Oh well'?" Neceres shrugs.

Xyleria says that they still have a mission. They have to get into Kalisaan and report what they have found to her matron mother, Larala Nelinderra. And if they can't do that she wants to get her belongings before she runs for the hills. Brack too wants to get back into the city. Beyond the fact that the Vathek Stone and the crystal library are still in there, so is Halbeara and he doesn't want to lose any more of his friends. Xyleria seems to sense this and she says, "We will free Halbeara," to Brack. It's an odd thing for a drow to say, but then Xyleria is an odd drow.

Their discussions on how to best get into Kalisaan are cut short when the part is attacked by a band of changelings who seem to materialise as if from nowhere. The amorphous, barely humanoid shapes throb with chaotic energy. They step forward and suddenly gravity is reversed in a large area. The changelings and the party fall to the ceiling some fifty feet above them. Although none are killed in the fall, many are badly wounded.

The changelings attack, inflicting more of that terrible chaotic damage that cannot be easily healed. The battle is swift and deadly. Xyleria attacks with a power invocation that blows all the changelings, but in death one of the changelings turns into a wraith and another explodes in an sonic scream that nearly kills her in return.

Climbing back down to the ground, the party prepare their plan. Brack discovers a command word on the stone golem of Duleth. The word "Shalzam" seems to grow and shrink the statue on command. Xyleria takes the golem as it will come in useful. Xyleria uses her spell-book and prepares a series of invisibility and spider-climb spells. The plan is to make everyone invisible and then give the dire bear and Shredder the ability to climb around the walls and ceiling of the cavern until they are directly over Kalisaan. Then they can use feather fall to drop into the war zone. The plan is a mad one, but they have no choice.

Soon they are setting off along the walls. However, dragons can see invisible creatures and the party are unlucky enough to be spotted by a chaos dragon that swoops into attack. Xyleria sees it coming and conjures an invisible wall of force in front of the swooping dragon. The creature crashes into into, and spirals toward the cavern floor. By the time the dragon recovers and flies back the party have scuttled away, and this time the dragon cannot see them.

"I believe I know a way to escape the city once we get in," says Neceres. "Beneath my temple are the bone yards where the husks of the dead are cast. There is way out of Kalisaan through there." Xyleria thinks for a moment and then says, "And why couldn't we have got in that way?" Neceres smiles sweetly and does not reply.

Arriving over Kalisaan, the party look down into seething chaos. One of the towers of House Maerimydra has been destroyed and the rest is on fire. There are pitched battles in the streets between drow warriors and changelings. But for each changeling that is destroyed nine more take its place. This is obviously a battle that the drow cannot win. The party steals them selves for action, feather fall is cast and they disengage themselves from the rocky ceiling, eighty feet above the city.

As they fall they see a drow sorcerer gesticulating wildly. He is preparing to cast a meteor swarm spell that will engulf the party. Fortunately, he is overwhelmed by changelings and killed before his spell can go off. Xyleria hangs out of the bottom of the dire bear, hurling lightning bolts earthward to clear a path. Ten feet from the ground she yells "Shalzam!" and the statuette she carries grows into a ten-foot tall golem. She commands the golem make them a path to House Nelinderra and off it charges through the throng.

They are heading into a part of the city that he Changelings have already destroyed. But there is still much fighting around them. Some drow shout for their aid, but Xyleria ignores them. Changelings are all around them, and close in over the party. They furiously fight their way onward as they are subject to dozens of attacks. Brack is hit the worse, as a changeling energy drains him, but he hangs on to life, and the party burst into the remains of House Nelinderra.

They hurry through a doorway and slam it behind them. Xyleria pockets her golem and they leave the dire bear to guard the doorway from this side. Xyleria pauses for a moment. The house she has grown up in, that she has lived all her life has been destroyed. She smiles, and tries to fight off the desire to burst out laughing. Brack, though mildly pleased that the drow are being thrashed, has to find Halbeara and he heads down in the dungeons. Everyone follows.

Brack calls out Halbeara's name as he heads from cell to cell flinging open the small viewing window in each door. There are countless slaves down here, but he doesn't have the time or the inclination to save them all. "It is this door," says Xyleria, "I'll find the key." But Brack doesn't wait for the key to be found. He and Shredder batter the door down. Inside, chained the wall is a naked and bloody Halbeara. She looks up as Brack enters. "I thought it sounded like you outside," she says. "What took you so long?"

Brack quickly frees Halbeara while Necreres uses her magic to vampiric touch some less fortunate slaves in other rooms. Halbeara catches sight of Xyleria when she is freed. "What is she doing here?" Halbeara demands. Brack explains that Xyleria is helping them. "You can trust her," says Brack. Halbeara despairs, "What is it with you and elves Brack?" she demands.

They charge out of the cell, but Xyleria asks Halbeara to hold back. "You want to know why I am helping Brack?" Xyleria asks. Halbeara nods suspiciously. Xyleria says, "I am helping because I am not like other drow. I may have been born into this society, but I do not agree with this society. I want to leave it, and I am helping Brack so that is possible."

It is apparent that Halbeara still does not trust Xyleria. She tells Brack that she expects the drow to betray them at a moment's notice and besides, "We have to find the stone!" Halbeara urgently whispers. Brack agrees, but where would it be? Anything of that degree of power would certainly have been handed to the matron mother, and if that was the case then it can probably be found within the matron mothers quarters. Xyleria accepts this and leads the way.

"You have what you came for!" announces Neceres, "Where are you going now?" Xyleria explains that they must try to find the matron mother. The cleric of Kiaransalee shakes her head. The destruction of Kalisaan is no disaster to her - rather it provides more raw material for her god to transform into undead creatures. However, she doesn't want to die before Kiaransalee has had a chance to turn her into a lich. She wants to head to her temple and be gone. However, she decides to stay with the others for the time being for mutual protection, and to find out what they are doing.

The great tower of House Nelinderra is disintegrating as the party climbs it. Great chunks of the wall are missing and Brack can see chaos dragons flying past. Halbeara is focused and slightly murderous. She grips the chain that once bound her as a deadly weapon. She asks Brack how they will "deal" with the drow when the find the Vathek Stone, and Brack is wracking his brains to think of a way to avoid Halbeara attacking his drow companions. He trusts Xyleria, and wants her to mineralise him at the first opportunity. But the energy drain he has suffered is making his mind clouded, and he cannot think of anything.

The entire top floor of the tower has been blown away. The floor on which the matron mother's appartments were has had most of the interior walls atomised. The changelings came through here, Xyleria hopes they do not come back. There on this floor they see movement. A creature is crouching in the middle of the rubble-strewn room and then it stands. It is a drow: Melimae Nelinderra - the priestess of Lolth who captured Brack and Halbeara in the first place. For a moment Melimae doesn't seem to see the new arrivals, and starts when Xyleria approaches her.

"You should not have come back, Xyleria," says Melimae dolefully. "It has all turned to ashes." Xyleria looks at the despair written on the face of Melimae and asks, "Where is the matron mother?" Melimae casts her eyes downward, and Xyleria sees the broken body of Larala Nelinderra on the ground. She is dead. The drow have paid a terrible price at the hands of the changelings and they are still paying it.

Brack and Halbeara move past this scene and towards the matron mother's private quarters intended to search it for the Vathek stone. "Stop!" yells Melimae, "What are your slaves doing, Xyleria? They cannot be allowed to defile the private quarters of the matron mother! I will not allow it!"

Halbeara turns, a murderous look in her eye. "It is time," she hisses at Brack. Melimae herself is on the edge. Xyleria can see a powder-keg about to explode. Neceres surveys the scene with dispassionate interest. A cursory detect magic has revealed a magical rod in Melimae's possession and a magical necklace on the body of the dead matron mother, but this isn't the time for looting. Brack steps in front of Halbeara and conjures a drow-wrought short sword from his magical rings for his companion. "You take Melimae," he says, "I'll deal with the others."

It all happens with such alarming speed that Xyleria is taken off-guard. Halbeara rushes for Melimae, and Brack follows her. He has no intention of attacking either Xyleria or Neceres if he can help it. In his enervated state Brack misses his target, but the whirling ball of hate that is Halbeara scores a series of brutal hits. Melimae snarls and conjures an enormous spider that snaps at Brack, barely missing him.

Xyleria glances at Neceres. She knows that if she is going to act to aid Brack then it must be now. She also knows that doing so will completely burn her bridges in regard to the drow. The question is - will Neceres care? Neceres calls on the dwarves to stop, but when they do not she shows no inclination to aid Melimae. In fact she shrugs and leaves the room, as if this entire conflict was no business of hers. Xyleria takes the opportunity to act. She activates the golem that creeps up on Melimae and hammers the cleric of Lolth into the ground. Still not quite dead she fumbles in her robes and produces a magical rod. She has no time to use it, however, as Shredder rips out her throat.

Halbeara is stunned. "You helped us. You killed your own kinsman." Xyleria shrugs. "Actually she was my aunt," she says retriveing the rod from Melimae's dead hand. "I always hated the bitch. Now find what you came for and hurry."

Halbeara turns to Brack who nods. The apprentice Maker draws upon the power of Moradin and searches for magical fields within the area. "The Vathek Stone isn't here," she tells Brack, "if it was I could detect something of its power through tens of feet of rubble." Neceres overhears the dwarf's words. She knows the Vathek Stone is an important dwarven artefact, a holy artefact although she does not know what it does. Neceres decides that she has nothing to gain from separating the dwarves from something holy to them; perversely Neceres respects the right of other races to worship their gods. It gives them comfort before the inevitable victory of Kiaransalee.

"If it isn't here, where is it?" demands Halbeara, sounding a little desperate. Brack thinks, and he and Xyleria come to the same conclusion. If the stone had been brought to the matron mother, Larala would have worked out what it did. It must never have go this far. In which case….. "Where are Melimae's quarters?" Brack asks Xyleria. Xyleria leads the way.

A few short minutes later they are ransacking Melimae's quarters. A quick detect magic reveals the presence of a sense-shatteringly powerful magical artefact concealed inside an antique wardrobe. Brack hammers through with his axe, and with one swipe the Vathek Stone and the crystal library are concealed inside his magic rings. Neceres watches all this with vague disbelief, but eventually the group is ready to head the temple of Kiaransalee and safety.

They run the gauntlet of attacks from the changelings once more as they race across the city to Necreres's temple, but eventually they fling themselves inside and bar the door. The temple is empty. Evidently all the other priests of Kiaransalee already escaped the city using the route the party hope to take. But they have one more hurdle. Neceres says, "The boneyards are a place most sacred to my church. It is possible Kiaransalee would take offence if I took non-worshippers into the boneywards, and therefore I must ask for a donation to the church. Something precious to you."

Xyleria can see where the cleric is angling. Xyleria managed to take almost all the magical items from the House Maerimydra caravan as well as stripping the bodies of Melimae and Larala Nelinderra. Neceres wants her share of that magic. Some hard bargaining ensues, as well as disbelief on the part of Halbeara who cannot understand how two drow can stand and bicker while their city burns around their ears. Xyleria admits it is a foible of their race. Only when Xyleria has handed over both the magical amulet and the wand does Neceres grant to take them to safety.

The boneyards are oppressive and creepy, but have nothing on the horror the party have experienced in the past few days. They eventually come out about half a mile from the city, and turn to look at Kalisaan one last time. Xyleria feels a sense of relief and expectation. The rest of her arguably infinite life is hers to explore. Assuming she is not hunted down and filletted by an annoyed corugon in nine days time.

Neceres announces that now it is time for them to party company. The others seem quite relieved by this. Neceres and her undead minions intend to go and explore the surface world - to see what the land above has to offer. When she has satisfied her curiosity she will return to the Underdark and seek out the remains of her chruch, that has probably fled to the next nearest drow city. Then she will plot and take her revenge on the changelings who dared to inconvinience a cleric of Kiaransalee.

"Farwell my friends," she says in an utterly normal voice. "What happened to your voice?" asks Xyleria. "I only use that voice to instill fear in my enemies," Neceres explains. Xyleria tells her that it worked, and the cleric is pleased. She leads her bizarre collection of animated skeletons off into the darkness.

"What now?" asks Halbeara impatiently. Brack says that they have to return to Kûlhazan with the Vathek Stone and the crystal library. He says that Xyleria is welcome to come with them. Halbeara raises an eyebrow at this, but Xyleria did save them inside the city, and the dwarf is having mixed feelings about the drow's nature. Also Brack has decided that he wants Xyleria to proceed with the Mineralise Warrior spell they discovered. Xyleria says that she will be pleased to, when they are further away from the chaos raging at Kalissan.

Sharday, 26 Keenaxe 204

The party are four days closer to Kûlhazan when Xyleria believes it is safe to try her spell. She wants to mineralise Brack before the charm spell on the devil wears off, in case it comes looking for them. As she prepares the scroll, the casting of which will take an hour, Halbeara interferes (as Brack knew she would).

"What are you doing?" Halbeara demands. She looks at the scroll that Xyleria is using and adds, "Where did you get that?" Xyleria explains, but Halbeara is puzzled. "That is a dwarven spell. It is cast upon the defenders of the High King in Dûnhazan - it should not leave that Hold. What were the drow doing with it?" Xyleria cannot explain. She now notices that this scroll was definitely not penned by Duleth. Halbeara says that it is a dwarven hand.

Halbeara asks Brack if he knows the ramifications of this spell. If it is cast upon him he will gain great personal power - the power of stone, but he will become Xyleria's slave. Brack nods. "It is only for a season and a day," he shrugs, "after that I will still have the power." Halbeara shakes her head at Brack's one-track mind. She rounds on Xyleria. "I have no intention to abuse this power," says Xyleria. "I do not want a mindless slave."

"Think about this, Brack!" Halbeara beseeches, "Please reconsider." Brack says that he has made up his mind. He says that the last few weeks have taught him to trust Xyleria. He also says that the last few weeks have taught him that the more personal power he can amass the better. He foresees facing worse than drow in his future. He doubts the ties that bound him to the rest of the Chosen of Narramac unravelled when Mínaris died.

Halbeara despairs. "You may have a good heart," she says to Xyleria, "but I cannot believe you would not try and abuse your position. Such abuse is second nature to your kind. But there is a way I will allow this." Xyleria smiles and wonders why Halbeara thinks this is in her power to prevent. She bids the dwarf continue.

"There is a dwarven tradition where two comrades who become close through valor, bind themselves to one another. I propose that you and I become bondskin. Neither of us will ever be able to harm the other. We will look out for one another. We will be closer than sisters. The closest body guards of dwarven kings all become bondskin to their king. It is considered a great honour."

Xyleria is surprised. A rampaging xenophobe like Halbeara must care greatly for Brack if she is willing to do this for him. She thinks and says, "Very well." Halbeara nods. "The ceremony is known to all priests of Moradin. It comes from an ancient and more venerable tradition than the gods your kind worship." Xyleria thinks "bollocks", but says nothing.

For the rest of the day Halbeara and Xyleria are in prayer to the dwarven god Moradin asking for his blessing in this union. This is quite a bizarre situation for Xyleria to be in, as she has never actually worshipped a god for a considerable time. It is draining for her, but when it is over she is ready.

Morday, 27 Keenaxe 204

Halbeara takes her knife and makes a long incision in her left forearm. She gives the knife to Xyleria who does the same. The shock of cutting her own skin almost makes the drowess pass out. Halbeara takes Xyleria's arm and clasps the running wound to her own. The cut turns ice cold, and Xyleria can feel the mist of magic descend over her. She does not resist it. Halbeara releases her grip and Xyleria falls to her knees.

"Now we are bondskin," Halbeara says. "What you feel, I feel. What you want, I want." Xyleria knows the dwarf is right. She can feel the pain Halbeara is still in from her torture at drow hands. Instinctively Xyleria hunts with tongue for the missing teeth that Halbeara has. Halbeara turns to Brack. "I have done all I can. You can go through with this now."

Recovering herself Xyleria opens the scroll and begins to cast the spell. Over the next hour an amazing change comes over Brack Ogrebane. His skin hardens to the touch, taking on a slightly rocky appearance His skin is now hard enough to turn all but the sharpest of blows. And if his wit and intelligence are slightly dimmed by the process, his strength and his endurance are greatly increased. When Brack gets to his feet he feels more 'dwarf' that he has ever felt. It is as if he has a connection to the rock around him.

There is also something else. He feels incredibly grateful and beholden to Xyleria. He knows that he will do anything she says. A part of him realises that this was the magical effect he was warned of, but it doesn't matter. Xyleria is his mistress - at least for the time being.

The spell cast and Brack empowered, the trio and Shredder make their way to Kûlhazan. It is a long and dangerous journey, but a mineralised Brack has made it all the more likely they will arrive in one piece. Xyleria wonders what will be in store for her when she arrives in a city of dwarves. Will they lynch her, or will they let her live with them in peace? Halbeara says that she will speak on Xyleria's behalf, as a priest of Moradin she is respected. Brack says that he knows the king, Abrinthor, quite well. He is sure Xyleria will be safe.

Yet perhaps Halbeara was right. Perhaps Xyleria cannot resist abusing her power over Brack a little. As part of the agreement with the dwarf the Vathek Stone was handed to Halbeara for safe keeping before Brack was transformed. Now Xyleria asks Brack exactly what the stone does. Brack must obey and tells her the truth. Xyleria looks at the power that skipped through her fingers and she weeps.

The End of The Fall of the House of Maerimydra
Brack Ogrebane returns in The Wind from the West

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