Chronicles of the Accursed (Group 2)

(OOC: Here's the final list of purchases / exchanges with Balbor, as discussed in the OOC thread.)

Purchases:

• Longbow, +1 for Jodie
• Lance of Warning for Hildegard
• Dust of Disappearance to make the whole party invisible for a few minutes, probably at the start of the fight
• Elemental Gem (Blue Sapphire) - a powerful summons with flight (and the 5.5e version of this item does not risk the elemental going berserk)
• Pipes of Haunting for Jodie in case we get mobbed by kobolds or something
• Wand of Magic Missiles  for someone (Gorash?) to do a nice burst of damage (3 charges for 5 missiles at once) vs. a high AC opponent.  Or it could be used to force spellcasters to make concentration saving throws or burn their reaction on Shield.
• Spell Scroll of Dispel Magic - Helps us conserve on level 3 spell slots
• Spell Scroll of Mass Healing Word - for Nickeline or Jodie to get everyone back on their feet
• Spell Scroll of Protection from Energy - In case we realize that what we really need is resistance to acid / fire / lightning / thunder
• Spell Scroll of Call Lightning - for Hewelathan could be fun.  It works well outdoors, and it gives him something effective to do if he cannot get into melee range with the opponents
• Potion of Cold Resistance x 4
    OR 3 xpotions + 4 x Spell Scroll of Absorb Elements <-- If Tamphalic, Ruby, and/or Gorash are interested in this option.
• One Potion of Healing (Greater) or four Potion of Healing
  I'm not sure how we're doing on healing resources.  If everyone still has a healing potion available, maybe we get a stronger potion for one of the melee fighters?
• 50 gp of powdered silver for Nickeline

That costs 4250 gp.  To pay for it, we'll mostly be trading some of our existing treasures:

• The last 300 gp of treasure from Talice's crypt.
• 4 suits of half-plate that we took from the cultists in the last fight (each worth 750 gp / 2).
• Tamphalic's Spider Staff
• Hewelathan's Rust Bag of Tricks
• Nickeline's Amulet of Proof Against Detection and Location
• Korba contributes 50 gp of his own coin that he never spent (in thanks to Nickeline for contributing her amulet)

Having made their purchases, the party moves on, leaving Balbor a richer man and residents of the Radiant Citadel terrified by the presence of two chromatic dragons.

But you make it to the teleportation circles without incident, and are able to return to the Shaded Isle with your new companions.

As you emerge from the portal, you can smell smoke, and ash covers the landscape like fine snow. Flames still lick ancient architecture of the once-great island city. Bodies litter the landscape, as spirits slowly rise from them, reanimated by the profane magic that has long plagued these shores, ready to join the fray one last time and fight alongside their still-living brothers against the forces that threaten the world.

Lord Akkron stands before you... and... he looks worse for wear. Several of his ribs are visibly broken. His robes are charred. His posture is tired. Yet he still stands, undefeated.

You have returned, he says. That is well... I can sense that they shall return soon. And with them they shall bring something more devastating than the Isle has felt since that day eons ago...

He points towards the sea. Even from here, you can see it. A gargantuan form... stretched across multiple massive ships, it almost looks like another island slowly floating towards the Shaded Isle. But... you can see a near-skeletal wing hanging out of the bindings. It's the body of an ancient dragon, long dead... but... knowing the dark magic the Cult wields, perhaps it is destined to rise again...

Tamphalic looks at the devastation and wonders for a moment how they can help in this fight. But than he looks around at their bunch. 

They are not just on their own anymore they acquired a lot of allies along the way, including two dragons. They have already defeated Firion and now they will have to make sure they defeat the cult, here, at this isle. There is no other option. 

"when do you think they will attack?" he asks "And what is left of your defenses?" 

Quote from Mister_Whisker >>

Quote from Ben_Evolent >>

If it is basically a Sending Stone, he proposes Sending a message like this:

Shards transferred.  Firion killed but soul fled.  Captured Arkhavel Spike and Dragon Vessel.  Zolgu escaped, empowered with dragon heart. 
Party returning.  Requests status on island.

The message comes back from the Shaded Isle:
Island attacked. Dark forces swarmed en masse, but driven back for now. Called reinforcements, both sides. Cultists have something big coming to the island.

(OOC: Hewelathan is still hanging out as a Brown Bear, assuming that it has been less than 2 hours from the end of the fight with Firion.)

Hewelathan-Bear believe that Lord Akkron must have received the message that they sent.  He looks into Lord Akkron's eerie eye sockets when the lich greets them, perhaps looking for some sign of human emotion in the skeletal visage.  He finally concedes something to the lich: "We owe you a debt, Lord Akkron.  With the assistance of Selariel -- and others -- we were successful with our task in the Deep Etherea.  Firion fell in the fight, but Zolgu escaped, and it appears that the Cult of the Dragon Lord Sserah continues to pursue its mad plans, undeterred.  I think that we all want to put a stop to the cult."  He looks around at the other Accursed, and their allies, for agreement.  "These powerful magic items came to us, and the gods brought us together just in time.  We have an opportunity, now, to use them in defense of your people.  And -- hopefully! -- to put an end to Firion and Zolgu and this cult.  Even if you had not provided us with such invaluable assistance, I would want to help those who live on this island from the cult's attack.  It is the Right Thing to do." 

Quote from Mister_Whisker >>

A gargantuan form... stretched across multiple massive ships, it almost looks like another island slowly floating towards the Shaded Isle. But... you can see a near-skeletal wing hanging out of the bindings. It's the body of an ancient dragon, long dead... but... knowing the dark magic the Cult wields, perhaps it is destined to rise again...

Hewelathan-Bear is sad to see the devastation on the Shaded Isle, but he's at least glad that their group didn't arrive right in the middle of a raging battle.  He peers out to sea in horror at the gargantuan monster.  He sounds disturbed by what he sees and asks Lord Akkron, "We heard that Zolgu was trying to get the heart of a dragon, but I assumed that it was to empower himself in some way.  But his project must have been raising this...this thing!  Do you know what it is?  Is it...that isn't the the body of the Sserah Nightbane, is it?"

Hewelathan also wants to know whether Lord Akkron has gotten a closer look at the approaching ships.  Does one of them carry Zolgu?  He doesn't know whether Nickeline could scry on the ships with her crystal ball, but it might be worth a try.  If that doesn't work, Hewelathan suggests that some of them could fly out there (Hildegard + Perdita, Hewelathan on one of his draggonels, Tamphalic or Ruby on Nordaka, or maybe just Selariel.)

Three quarters of our forces remain, the lich says. Most of the casualties were spirits of the Isle, rising to our defense in our greatest time of need.

He pauses then... almost as if he is hesitant to say something. But he sighs, and continues.

But... though many lives have been saved, we have failed. As I battled dragons and demons... the Deck of Souls was captured by a strike force. Four beings... a death knight, and three powerful dark elves managed to fight through my defenses and located the deck while I was preoccupied.

He pauses, then answers Hewelathan's question about the corpse.

I fear that may be exactly what it is. I dread to consider how it was acquired... but I know what they intend to do. As we speak, the kobold is likely performing a rite to bring her back, even with only a single shard in his possession, her corpse and the heart of a dragon he may succeed in raising a broken remnant of what she once was...

The lich looks towards the waters, where the dark shape juts out against the sky. The Baron's war ships are already firing at the massive figure with trebuchets and spells, but even from here you can tell that it likely will not be enough to defeat the four iron-clad war ships before the ritual is complete.

Quote from Mister_Whisker>>

Three quarters of our forces remain, the lich says. Most of the casualties were spirits of the Isle, rising to our defense in our greatest time of need.

Hewelathan-Bear nods.  He's glad to hear that the undead both defended the living and were unmade in the battle.

But... though many lives have been saved, we have failed. As I battled dragons and demons... the Deck of Souls was captured by a strike force. 

Hewelathan-Bear exclaims / roars, "But that is awful news!  So the cult, and presumably Zolgu, possesses one of Sserah's soul shards now.  Grrr.  Let us hope that they has not found Rhaenys and Tytus.  If not, then they just have the one soul shard.  We captured Firion's Dragon Vessel, and we have kept them from obtaining the three soul shards that were held in our items."   He looks to Jodie and says, "Maybe you should explain what you did with those four soul shards, Jodie?  Perhaps Lord Akkron can help us ensure that those, at least, do not fall into the cult's hands." 

He pauses, then answers Hewelathan's question about the corpse.
I fear that may be exactly what it is....As we speak, the kobold is likely performing a rite to bring her back, even with only a single shard in his possession, her corpse and the heart of a dragon he may succeed in raising a broken remnant of what she once was...

Hewelathan-Bear isn't sure how Lord Akkron can speak about such things so calmly.  "So then, why do you wait here?  Shouldn't we all attack the approaching ships?  Now!  I think it's better to prevent Zolgu from completing the ritual than to wait here until he finishes and attacks the island with the combined forces of the cult and the revived remnant of the Dragon Lord?!"

Contrary to appearances... I am not invincible, the lich sighs. When I leave the Isle I am vulnerable. Still powerful... but I could be returned to the dust. If I were to appear myself before them, the Cult's forces would surely focus all of their efforts to destroy me... unless there were others to distract their attention. Those well-suited to the task.

His gaze turns onto the two dragons. It isn't hard to read between the lines... In them, he sees two perfect vessels of destruction to sew chaos against the cult.

I think that now we is the time, with our forces gathered, to make one final stand against the Cult of Sserah... you, my friends, will need to stop Zolgu's ritual. I suspect that the strike force from before will stand in our way, and it will fall to me to break them. The dragons we will need to clear the ships of cultists and their monsters.

(OOC: the strike force he is referring to consists of:

death knight

Drow arachnomancer

Drow shadowblade

Drow priestess of Lolth

There will be a LOT more than just that, though... you're up against basically everything that remains of the Cult of Sserah, and, if you fail to stop the ritual, Sserah's broken reborn form)

"If we have the time, I would like to see what we're up against. I can scry on Zolgu again, or failing that at least get a closer look at those ships," Nickeline says. Grasping for any alternative, however unlikely, to what is looking like another very dangerous mission, Nickeline goes on to suggest, "Maybe if I ask him nicely, Zolgu will just go home and never bother us again."

OOC

I had to double check because it's been over a year in real world time since Nickeline last scried on Zolgu, but he failed the save then and so is not immune for the following 24 hours, which I believe is still going on.

Nickeline still has something belonging to Zolgu, so Zolgu would make the DC 17 save against Scrying with a -4 penalty.

Zolgu Wis save: 11

The little white kobold appears in Nickeline's crystal ball, a clawed fist wrapped around a deck of cards.

Before him, you can see it: a massive heart lying on some kind of an alter. Zolgu stands in the darkness inside of iron-clad warship, whispering dark incantations in the midst of an intricate magical circle. The heart pulses, beating as if it were still inside of a living thing. Six cultists stand around the circle, each whispering their own incantations and occasionally firing spells into the heart...

What a nice sight.. 

"how long does the ritual take?" 

The ritual will take a few hours at most, Akkron says. And can likely be accelerated if they feel that they are in danger of being interrupted, at the risk of destabilizing their dark mistress further. 

The lich pauses.

Now... let the priests of Boccob bestow a great blessing upon you. Then we have no more time to waste.

Seven priests appear before you, including one woman in an ornate robe, adorned with both holy and arcane symbols. The High Priestess of Boccob. She smiles easily upon you.

"Let Boccob's power descend upon these great men and women," the High Priestess says. "To bring balance back to the Weave and prevent this encroachment upon magic itself!"

The six priests raise their holy symbols into the air, and you find yourselves engulfed in a blinding purple light. As the light fades, you feel magically rejuvenated.

((OOC: All of you recover all spent spell slots thanks to Boccob's great blessing))

Tamphalic looks at the priests and wonders what they are going to do, but immediately feels his full strength return when the light fades away.

He gives the priests a little bow "Thank you for the blessing, we could definitely use that after the last fight." he says as he looks towards the water "We are going to need all the strength we can get."

He isn't normally one to pray, having learned to put more trust in arcane magic than in the divine type. However, with this big fight coming up, with the gargantuan body laying there in the water, and after having just received a blessing of the god of the Arcane he turns to his companions and asks the priests.

"Can you lead us in a quick prayer before we get on with it?"

He puts his arms around his companions as he listens to the words and takes it all in, getting ready for whatever this day is going to bring.

Hildegard's heart pounds as she tucks Perdita's severed horn, pulsing with dark magic, securely inside her robe, next to the relic of Tali Windrunner. Perdita snorts fire at her side. All Hildegard can think of is returning to the Shaded Isle and finding a spellcaster powerful enough to heal Perdita and reunite her with her horn. But it cannot happen immediately. "Patience," she whispers to Perdita, who squeals and roars in response. But the celestial tack binds her fast with its blessings. "As soon as we can." She accepts the lance gratefully and prays silently as they head back to teleport to the Shaded Isle.

"Lord Akkron," she says, immediately dropping to one knee in front of the lich. She bows her head. When she rises to view the iron-clad fleet approaching, seeing the dark mass floating above them, she feels a terrible chill. This is what the Seven Heroes gave their lives to stop. Now so few of them stand with us. Lord Akkron. Tali Windrunner's steed. And us. Now we must be the heroes. She grasps Perdita's reins. Sir Stephen has fought his battle and been freed from his curse, leaving his armor with Hildegard in gratitude. May he watch over us from the blessed realm.

She bows her head for the blessing from the priests of Boccob, and, at first joining Tamphalic's prayer circle, she then steps forward to make a request of the priests, holding her hands out imploringly. "This unicorn was severed from her horn," she says. "I was just able to recover it. I have her horn. Are you able to heal her? Is there time? If there is not... valiantly we will still fight. But how much more of a fight she can muster against evil when restored."

The priests of Bocob look at the horn... and at the Nightmare... and they quietly nod in unison. The High Priestess steps forward and gently takes the horn.

"What has been done is a violation of magic itself," she says. "But... it is something that we have the power to correct now that you have recovered the horn."

The priests nod in unison as the priestess whispers a word of restoration, holding the horn to Perdita's maimed forehead. Slowly, the horn reattaches to the Nightmare's skull. But it stands, a jutting, ugly thing connected to her.

Then... Selarial steps forward.

"I believe I have the power to perform the final restoration," she says. "If I may?"

The high priestess nods sagely, and Selarial strokes Perdita's neck. Then, she gently places a kiss on Perdita's muzzle. The nightmare bucks, rearing back on its hind legs in shock and horror. But before she has even returned her feet to the ground, her flaming mane has been replaced by one of white hair. Her burning eyes turned to soft blue. And her black coat has become snow white. The blood-red jewel that was fused to the horn falls with a clink to the ground at Perdita's feet, as the unicorn stands whole once again, with soft eyes observing the desolation that has been wrought yet again by Sserah and her followers.

After the prayers and the restoration of the unicorn, Korba says, "We should attack soon, before they can finish their ritual!" He looks to Lord Akkron for guidance, "But how can we all get to the ship in time?  Do you have a way, or must we sail or fly across the water?"  He looks to see whether Hewelathan's dragonnels are anywhere nearby.

Hewelathan-Bear thanks the priests for the blessing / assistance.

When Perdita is finally restored to a unicorn, the bear says quietly, almost to himself, in Elvish:

Then he exclaims in Common: "The Nightmare dreamed she was a unicorn!  But now your nightmare is over, and the unicorn awakens!"

As the group starts to get ready to attack the ship, he asks Lord Akkron and those others on the island who have been fighting against the cult for the last 24 hours: "Has the cult and their creatures shown any preference for specific types of magic?  Knowing that we faced Zolgu again, we brought some Potions of Cold Resistance with us, but I also have a scroll with Protection from Energy if you know that their forces have been relying on acid or fire, for example."

The most dangerous monster they have is the Death Knight, Akkron says gravely. The Dark Elves who have thrown their lot in with Sserah... quite possibly only to spite me... mostly deal in poisons. If I had to choose a type of attack to resist, I would say that the necrotic putrification of the soul will be the most prevalent force of destruction on the field... though I have seen first hand how much destruction a Death Knight can do with its hellfire orb.

He pauses, then tilts his head in a way that makes his skull seem to grin more than usual.

Fortunately... I did prepare a contingency against death magic for you, he says, nodding to the High Priestess. If you would...

The High Priestess produces a small wooden box, which she opens to reveal six vials of green liquid.

"His Lordship had us prepare potions for each of you in preparation for your final battle against the forces of Sserah," she says with a smile.

The magical tack, forged by the powerful divine magic of the monks of the Order of the Seven Stars, has done its job well, binding the damned unicorn to the hope and promise of her redemption and restoration. Now Hildegard watches in amazement as the healing magic pours over her, reuniting with her horn, snatching her soul from the pits of the hells. Divine radiance flares from the bridle and harness that bound her, and as Perdita's true form is restored, the tack bursts and burns away, its purpose completed.

Hildegard drops to one knee in front of the unicorn. "Thank you," she whispers to the priests, and to Lord Akron, and to Selariel. "She did not deserve what happened to her. Her faithfulness of eons to Tali and the monastery she founded has not been left unrewarded." She looks up at the unicorn, her smile radiant with joy and gratitude. "Welcome back, dear guardian of the Order! I ask no boon of you for my service, but the Cult of the Dragon and the mad Zolgu fast approach bearing a soul fragment of Sserah Nightbane as well as her corpse. A dark ritual is underway to resurrect her. Would you join us in the battle to stop this blasphemy?"

Perdita bows her head in acknowledgement, and a single tear falls from her eye.

"I have stood against this evil centuries ago, and I will stand against it again," she says softly.

Her gaze settles upon Lord Akkron, and recognition flashes in her eyes.

"...and it seems that I am not the only one who faces Sserah's forces a second time," she says. "What have you done to yourself, Archmagus of Mouver?"

(OOC: Constance, feel free to take over RPing Perdita now that I've had her say her part)