"And I bet it's very important to you to find some reason to laugh every now and then, Lord Matic Akkron!" Duwamilly beams "How boring would eternity be if we could never laugh? It will be a pleasure to try to keep your spirits up, as long as we are together!"

"Anyway, your courtesy is certainly no joke!" the ex-preceptor notes with pleasure, having an unseen servant bring her a steaming cup of Roiboos tea, with a drop of milk and a little honeydew honey.

While enjoying the hot drink, the gnome cleric declares: "Ready to talk about sleepy dragons, exalteds who want to wake them and related curses, as far as I'm concerned. Or any other topic you like, my Lord".

Lord Amir would let the travellers return to their firm and solid selves as they enter the ancient fortress of the lich. A cold shiver runs through the red-haired Half-elf's body as she sees the undead thing betyond the doorway. The djinni is less impressed but somewhat pleased with the respect he is shown. He is about to say something as the gnome starts talking again. He huffs but then laughs a roaring laugh at the joke echoing through the great hall. "Yes, that was a foolish lich not realizing it could not enjoy beverages." He says, patting his stomach. "You must tell me more jokes little one." He says to the ex-preceptor in a demanding tone, but the red-haired Half-Elf gives him a desperate pleading look, making him shrug and go silent, muttering something to himself.

"Thank you for seeing us Lord Akkron..." Yasmina says, taking a wary step forward. "...while we will gratefully accept your hospitality I believe those of us that has journeyd here would prefer to discuss the reason for doing so as soon as possible as we don't want to intrude on you more than necessary." She continues with a graceful curtsy. "We are all accursed and we seek your aid with lifting these curses before they take us, or the dark archmage Firion take the objects that has cursed us and use them to bring about the end of the world as we know it."

The lich takes a seat at the head of the table, in a stone chair that would probably be too uncomfortable even for an Ilmitari to tolerate for more than a few minutes. He, as expected, does not partake in any food or drink.

So, it is as I feared, he says in reply to Yasmina. The madman has not given up his quest. He is a powerful and dangerous foe indeed... the fact that you have survived this long is impressive if he has set his sights upon you.

A sound like a sigh escapes the ancient corpse as he turns his attention to the other problem of the cursed items.

I assume that you have already spoken to some religious order or another regarding these curses that trouble you... but that they were not able to help. I will tell you right now, I cannot simply wave my hand to dispel a curse that is too powerful for divine magic to touch. There are ways to do it... but it will come at a cost, not just to you, but to the fabric of reality itself. There is a delicate balance between Light and Darkness, what some would call good and evil but which I think are better recognized as the primal forces of creation and destruction. When a curse is broken, the Dark magic that it is woven from is released back into the world, and the more powerful the curse the greater and more unpredictable the ramifications of that release will be. There are some techniques to mitigate this fallout... but it is almost impossible to eliminate it entirely when dealing with powers of the highest order.

The djinni has already all but lost interest in the discussion, casually floating around to inspect the interior of the ancient fortreass for now.
The red-haired Half-Elf is all the more taken in awe by the moment though, listening attentively to what the Lich explains. "So, what can we do to free ourselves from these curses without tipping the scales between light and darkness?" She asks weakly.

Delvindra sips at a cup of water as she watches the conversation with interest. She's fully in awe of Yasmina and Duwamilly's ability to casually speak with their host as equals while she can barely keep her own fear in check.

"...I don't even want to think about what he must have done to become what he is now. But I know for certain that he still has humanity within his soul."

Sister Eila's words come back to Delvindra, along with her vow to be mindful of the Lich's humanity. Plucking up her courage, she waits for an opportunity to speak.

"Well, I used to teach kids general knowledge or history, so I'm out of my element, with magic..." Duwamilly warns "But if the point is to keep the destruction/creation balance... Could we have the destructive power of our curses' release be... driven somehow... directed towards Firion, for example?"

"Not that I usually wish one's bad..." the ex-Preceptor points out "But that scamp is so evil and dangerous... I would not mind him getting struck by the power of our curses, if possible..."

"Or, if not," the gnome cleric also reasons "can we maybe just transfert the curses? To other items, maybe useless ones, to be just kept away and forgotten once and for all?"

I cannot yet say for sure what the best way to deal with this problem is... the lich says after a moment. If you are finished with your meal, may I please see these items of power that have troubled you?

He reaches out a mummified hand towards whoever offers their item to him first.

Cal will be eager to pass his rod over.

Duwamilly holds her Cube on the palm of her hand, letting its mystical glyph shine in the light.

But she is not in a hurry... and  whilecwaiting her turn, follows intently what the powerful host does. She really hopes that something can be done immediately for poor Cal, so often troubled by the rod's bloodthirst...

Akkron takes first Cal's weapon, and then Duwamilly's cube and carefully examines each, whispering arcane words as he does so, coaxing the items to reveal their secrets to him...

I... have seen these before, he says quietly. These items... they were used two thousand years ago against Sserah Nightsbane.

He lays the rod of lordly might down on the table, almost reverently as he looks at Cal.

The curse your weapon bares was the price that its first wielder paid to use it against the Greatwyrm. The one who wield it was was named Sarya, one of the most skilled  hex warriors who has ever walked this world. But she made a deal with the Lady of Pain, the dark goddess Loviatar... this weapon was both the boon she received and the price she paid to fight against the mad dragon lord. Her will was strong, but not strong enough to resist forever...

Though his expression remains unchanging, it is not hard to figure out what happened to the once noble heroin who first used the rod. He sighs and turns his attention to Duwamilly's cube next.

This cube was also used by one whom I once knew... the orc warlord known as Brol Leghor. Like Sarya, he was gifted this item by a god to help defeat the dragon lord, but it came at a cost, which I am sure you are all too aware of. It seems that destiny has called these items together again.

He sits in thought for a moment.

The simplest way to banish the Dark magic that has been infused into these items is to go to the Ethereal Plane. There, you must cast the most powerful spell that a mortal being can cast, the spell simply known as wish. If you do that, it will be possible to banish the Dark magic from your items... but as I already explained, Dark magic, especially Dark magic that was woven into form by gods, will not simply dissipate. It will be released back into the world if it is not given a new vessel. So... to release such power in a relatively 'safe' manner, you will need to find another vessel to contain it.

"Could the curse be bound to a living thing?"

The sound of her own voice shocks Delvindra. Bowing respectfully to the Lich, she continues.

"Could the new vessel be a soul?"

He pauses in thought for a moment... then he nods.

Yes, you could siphon the Darkness into a soul, he says to the tiefling. But to pour the raw Darkness from four unwoven divine curses into a single being could create a monster powerful and insane enough to rival greatwyrm whom your enemy Firion seeks to awaken.

Yasmina listens attentively to the Lich, not having any appetite for food anyway, ready offer her hand to the lich whereupon he can find a sapphire ring for his scrutiny, fully expecting fate would have it that her ring too was among the artefacts used against Sserah Nightbane so long ago.

"If it lived," the Tiefling responds, still surprised at her audacity.

"The body can be destroyed, but the soul endures. So the energy from the curses could never be released. It would be trapped forever, in whatever afterlife awaited the host. Under the watchful eyes of a god."

Duwamilly isn't too convinced by Delvindra's suggestion... From what Matic is saying, the intended person would become incredibly powerful and insane - so they wouldn't be easy to kill, after. And even if the person was initially willing to commit a noble suicide, after becoming incredibly mad, they would surely change their mind.

The ex-Preceptor continues to believe that the last proposal she had put forward is more applicable... to designate one or more useless objects as a 'vessels' of the immense Dark Magic, to then be confined somewhere once and for all. But she leaves it to the Lord of the Shaded Isle to answer and judge the matter - and of course also to examine Yasmina's ring... if the magic items used against Sserah 'One Who Sleeps' Nightsbane are coming together, it is unfortunately likely that that ring also falls into that category.

The lich nods gravely.

Possible perhaps... but difficult and dangerous as the subject would become both immensely powerful and completely insane. You might be able to find a subject with a strong enough will to commit the deed him or herself before the madness takes hold entirely, but the risk would be immense that he or she would either be unable or unwilling at the last minute.

He then takes Yasmina's hand, sending a chill through her body as gnarled and mummified skin touches against her soft living hand.

I see that fate has indeed decided to bring back all seven of the artifacts that once were used against the Greatwyrm, he says, sounding tired and slightly amused. Though when I saw it last, it was actually exactly the sort of item you find yourselves in need of now... a ring of three wishes. I had assumed that its magic was simply used up when the last wish was cast... but... that seems not to be the case.

He glances at Lord Amir and taps a finger in contemplation.

Now... this is entirely speculation on my part... but genies are birthed when a mortal soul is infused with power on one of the four elemental planes, in the case of the djinni that being the Plane of Air. I suspect that your master was likely a user of the ring at one time whose soul was bound and 'recycled,' for lack of a better term, after the death of his mortal body. The man who once used  the ring against the Greatwyrm was a powerful sultan and sorcerer of the storm... I suppose it makes sense that his soul became one with the tempest after his death. I confess, I do not know how Sultan Idris first came into possession of his ring of three wishes, as he already had it when I first met him... but if indeed your master and the late Sultan share the same soul, I suspect that he may have gotten it from a powerful and malevolent genie such as an Efreeti lord, a being on par with a lesser god in power, and his current situation was either an explicit part of a deal he made or the result of a cruel joke that the original owner of the ring decided to play. Now then... it seems there is one more item that needs my attention...

He looks at Delvindra expectantly.

Duwamilly also shows Wyvern's Staff: "Oh, I almost forgot this object, since it does not belong to me... it just 'absorbed' the poor kid who was its custodian... poor dragonborn sorceress Wyvern... but it may be that this artifact is also 'one of the family'?"

Delvindra holds out a not entirely steady hand to the Lich.

"I'm sorry. I can't take it off for you," she says softly, gesturing slightly to the absent ring finger.

"I met Bridgette's friend, Sister Eila, at the temple of Ilmater. She wanted you to know that your daughter rests in peace, with the blessing of Ilmater," the Tiefling whispers to the Lich as he examines the ring.

The lich pauses as Delvindra whispers the Cleric's message to him...

Ilmater... he whispers. The gods still have mercy after all... thank you...

It isn't entirely clear if he speaks to Delvindra, or perhaps to Ilmater himself... but he doesn't let it linger too long.

He carefully examines Delvindra's ring, the same way he examined Yasmina's.

Yes... this is another one of the seven items... given to Eradni by Asmodeus himself in a pact that she felt needed to be made for the salvation of the world, at the cost of her own soul... if it now belongs to you, then you may well trace your lineage directly back to her.

He then takes the staff...

This one though, I have not seen before. I can feel the presence within it... a powerful spirit of vengeance and a second weaker spirit... it is a strange thing for a spirit, no matter how vengeful, to be capable of performing such a feat, and there is no way of telling whether or not it could repeat such a feat. It seems strange that a completely unrelated item of such power should fall into your hands along with four of the seven that were used to defeat the Greatwyrm. Very curious indeed...

He sighs as he puts it down and looks at those assembled.

I discovered Zander and his blade during my campaign to aid Baron Ryder in driving the Cult of the Dragon out of his land... I doubt it will come as a surprise to any of you that Snicker-Snack was also wielded by a hero in the fight against Sserah Nightsbane. And... as you may have guessed, I still possess the sixth item which I used in the battle. The last one... is already in Firion's hands. If he is able to collect all seven then he will be able to release the Greatwyrm from its eternal prison.

"If we were able to transfer our curse to a new item, would you be able to be the keeper of these items?