As Korba holds his hand out as the spy is revealed, sand begins to swirl around it, but seeing that it appears to be only a single foe, completely surrounded, he halts summoning his sword and lets the dust fall to the ground. He then grins as Jodie casts her spell, using her charms even on an enemy. He then says to Akkron, "It would be good to learn more about how our 'issues' are connected with this cult."
The cultist is also close enough for Hewelathan to sink his teeth into the guy (since he was trying to listen in on your conversation)... go ahead and roll your attack and damage, please.
Meanwhile, even if the wolf misses, the cultist is going to be difficult to charm while being attacked by a giant wolf...
The cultist is also close enough for Hewelathan to sink his teeth into the guy (since he was trying to listen in on your conversation)... go ahead and roll your attack and damage, please.
OK. I wasn't sure whether Lord Akkron or someone else was going to act first. Details with apologies to Jodie for messing up her charm person)...
Movement: up to 50' to the cultist Bonus Action: wild shape into a dire wolf, still wearing the belt and cloak Action: Melee Weapon Attack, Bite: 15 Damage: 12 piercing If the target is a creature, it must succeed on a STR saving throw (DC 13) or be knocked prone. Free Action: talking (before the wild shape)
OK. I wasn't sure whether Lord Akkron or someone else was going to act first. Details with apologies to Jodie for messing up her charm person)...
Tbh, I just wanted to give you guys a moment to do something if you wanted as a bit of a character moment. Once Lord Akkron gets a full round, this 'fight' is over.
If the target is a creature, it must succeed on a STR saving throw (DC 13) or be knocked prone. Free Action: talking (before the wild shape)
(OOC: Mediocre. If Hewelathan is going to attack, he'd better hit. Spending a luck point to reroll the attack. "You can choose to spend luck points after you roll the die, but before the outcome is determined.")
Alternate roll from [feat]lucky[/feat]. Attack: 17
Use that roll if it's higher than the original roll of 15.
Lord Akkron pulls out a dusty tome and writes a few notes as Hewelathan transforms into a massive lupine and rakes his claws across the cultist's armor while the cultist desperately dodges out of the massive wolf's path. It's almost like he's gauging your reactions to the reveal of the cultist in your midst.
Then he shuts his book and turns his dreadful gaze upon the cultist. The lich opens his mouth and utters a single word: Fall
The cultist gasps in shock as he is hit with the lich's spell. He drops to his knees and then topples to the floor in a stupor. The lich beckons to the nearest Cleric.
Call the guards to secure him... he will most likely recover soon, and hopefully when he does he will be able to tell you what happened to your brother whom he replaced.
The lich, having dealt with Firion's latest (and least impressive) attempt to make your lives more difficult decides to address Rhaenys' and Korba's questions.
There are no more like him in this temple, though I will not rule out the possibility that there may be others on the island. I think it would be in everyone's best interests if the town guards do a thorough sweep of the town, along with the mages to check for illusion spells. Now... I suppose you all wish to know what part you play in this drama that unfolds in front of you. Do you already know of the mad dragon lord whom the Order seeks to bring back into the world?
With the cultist taken care of and Akkron's assurance that there aren't any more of them (in the temple at least), Rhaenys dismisses the psychic spike, her hand falling relaxed at her side. As she turns her attention to the lord the Shaded Isle again, her face shows a little relief and ... A LOT of admiration. Such power! It was almost as if the lich had only needed to wave a hand to uncover the cultist and utter a simple word to stun him. The changeling now wishes she could do just the same some day!
Trying to focus in the question at hand, she begins to answer:
- We did hear of Dragon Lord Sserrah Nightbane, yes. FromLady Elora Hercan, a descendant of one of the seven heroes that defeated him all those years ago. And she also told us ... - the sorceress tries to recall all the details, suddenly remembering that Elora mentioned one Mattic Akkron, who happened to be the seventh of those heroes, and how he was deceived by a certain drow, his island lost to the invasion that happened as a result. The changeling is suddenly lost for words as she finally realizes who they're standing before and feels an inevitable wave of sadness and compassion towards the one who suffered such a terrible fate, along with his land and people - ... oh.
"Better late than ever, I suppose". Stafford whispers. And not for the first time since he was bound to Rhaenys, the staff feels the urge to slap his forehead with a hand. If only he had a forehead and hands to do so!
Hewelathan has trouble getting traction with his paws on the temple library's polished stone floor. He fails to get through the cultist's armor and skids to a stop on the other side of him, snarling in frustration. Then, suddenly, with a word from the lich, the cultist is incapacitated, and the threat has passed. Hewelathan stops growling and, still in dire wolf form, slinks back over to the party. Perhaps he's still wary of additional threats, despite what Lord Akkron said. Perhaps he doesn't trust Lord Akkron. Or maybe he simply forgot that he's still in the form of a wolf!
In any case, Hewelathan-wolf joins the party and sits down next to Rhaenys. Even sitting, the dire wolf is taller and takes up more space than Hewelathan normally would. He listens intently to what Lord Akkron says. His tail wags approvingly, swishing back and forth slightly on the floor, when Rhaenys summarizes what they learned from Lady Elora and the connection that they made between her ancestor and "the Broken Lord" of the Shaded Isle. He looks to the lich to see whether Lord Akkron elaborates.
Korba, as always, is glad for his companions' memory and ability to easily summarize what they have learned. He asks, "Are the things that we carry needed to bring this Dragon Lord back? Even with the, eh, issues, that our things carry?"
Yes... I was one of those who fought and defeated Sserah, he says tiredly before turning to Korba. It is not in spite of, but instead BECAUSE of the dark magic in these items that Firion seeks them.
He pauses
...when Sserah was defeated, we feared that simply killing her would make it possible that her soul could be reborn, or that her followers could draw her back from Tiamat's realm. So... we found a way to tear her soul apart and buried her body deep within the earth. We split her soul it into seven pieces, and bound each one to an object of power. Some of the items you carry I recognize as the very ones that we brought with us into the battle against the dragon lord... some I do not. Perhaps some of them were remade into new items, but I would need to study the items in question further to say with certainty whether that is the case or if their presence is an odd coincidence. In any case... Firion does not know the identity of the objects he seeks, and has been forced to cast a wide net to recover any object of power that could hold a piece of the dragon lord's soul. But it seems that you have drawn special attention...
"Is the dark magic in our items integral to the magic in the items themselves?" Korba asks, concerned that perhaps removing the curse would remove the other properties of his weapon. He then asks, "Also, what would happen were we to have a master smith look at the item? I am hoping to add weight to mine if it were possible."
Each of the objects that Sserah's shattered soul was bound to were items of power already. If you were to find a way to remove the pieces of her soul from the items they would still hold great power... but... if the curses were simply removed, the broken pieces of her would be free and could come together again... and with each curse dispelled, her spirit would become stronger. I doubt I need to explain what will happen if all seven pieces of her soul are released...
Lord Akkron reaches out a bony hand towards Korba.
May I see the item you bear? he asks. I cannot tell you any specifics until I actually examine it. I cannot even say with certainty yet whether or not it is one of the seven that contains a piece of the dragon lord.
Rhaenys cannot help but look disappointedly at Akkron and her companions. Having come so far, the sorceress had expected to gather information on how to end the curses, not to discover that is precisely what they mustn't do ... if the items they carry happen to contain a fragment of Sserah's soul. She wondered if that was Stafford's case.
"I know not the answer to that, Rhaenys."
"Yeah, had kind of figured that already. Really! I think we have more than enough being just the two of us. Two plus 1/7 strikes me as 1/7 too many. Especially since that portion belongs to a person that doesn't look to have been particularly nice."
The changeling watches as the lich examines Korba's sword and says:
- High Priest Alaion said that we might be able to be free of our curses in the Ethereal plane, as it seems the fabric of reality can be altered there contrary even to the desires of gods. What are your thoughts on this, Lord Akkron? Could that perhaps be the key to remove Sserah's soul pieces from our artifacts and deal with the fragments in some other way? Because I guess something will have to be done about them once they are out the artifacts...?
The lich sighs at the look of disappointment on Rhaenys' face.
So, you have heard about that... he says. Yes, there is a way, and it needs to be done on the ethereal plane. Manipulating a soul... especially one as powerful as Sserah's... is normally in the domain of the gods alone. But in the ethereal realm things work differently than they do here. But... the fact is that a soul cannot simply cease to exist, note entirely at least. It can be broken, trapped, even consumed in some cases... but there is always something left behind.
(Note: I'm just going to go ahead and assume Korba let Lord Akkron look at his sword).
If you wish to be free of these curses, then this sword demonstrates exactly what needs to be done... there is indeed a shard of the mad dragon lord here, even though I have never before seen this blade. It seems to me that whoever placed the curse upon it must have had access to one of the original seven items and found a way to transfer and transform the dark power within to craft a nearly unbreakable curse. If the fragments of Sserah's soul can be bound and anchored to other things, then you can be free from the burden they impose.
Also... yes, I think it would be possible to get this sword remade into a larger and blade more to your liking without diminishing its magical properties, though it would take an incredibly skilled elvish craftsman to do the job.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
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When the lich asks for Korba's sword he pauses only a moment tensing a bit in anticipation. His sword of course has been in its pocket dimension since they were on the ship. Holding his hand outstretched, palm down, a thin whirlwind of sand appears from his hand and as the sand fades the sword has appeared in his hand. 'Unsheathing' it he feels it shake in his hands before he cuts lightly into his left arm ((3 dmg)). He then holds the blade out for examination.
After hearing his Lich's analysis, he pauses for a second, and holding his blade up he looks at it closely through his dark lenses, thinks of the person who cursed the blade before he was able to escape and says, "How have these soul fragments remained hidden for so long, only to now be needed?"Quickly swinging the sword, feeling his confidence return slightly holding it tightly in his hand it again disappears as a small dusting of sand falls to the floor. "Would a master craftsman be able to remove the curse? Is the soul fragment inhabiting it possible to be destroyed once removed? Or can it only be placed into another container, similar to whatever held it before it was...given... to me?"
Jodie waits quietly for her turn for Lord Akkron to inspect the Ollamh Harp. "Be careful not to play any notes, as you will find the harp is unforgiving to a player other than its owner... My 'curse' is more than fell magic, there's an evil fey trapped in the harp. He goes by the name 'Smiler the Defiler'. Perhaps he is some incarnation of Sserah."
Jodie hesitates before continuing, but then relents to telling more to Lord Akkron. "I have also seen Defiler use what I understand is a soul coin. If one of Sserah's soul fragments was trapped in a coin, I fear what that means if Smiler emerges from the harp and releases it."
Once Lord Akkron examines Jodie's harp, the dire wolf (Hewelathan) stands and walks up to the lich. He sits back down on the stone floor and then curls slightly so that he can scratch his neck with his back leg. By the time he stops, there's a little cloud of wolf hair floating toward the ground around him. He then looks at the lich and then cranes his neck back, pointing his noise to the ceiling as though he's about to howl. But he just sits like that, stretching his neck to show the "belt" that the wolf is wearing as a collar, and waits for Lord Akkron to examine the belt of giant strength, too.
Once that's done, Hewelathan-wolf stands and turns away from the lich. He shakes vigorously, trying to forget the feeling of the lich's hands near his neck. The large wolf quickly pads back to where Rhaenys is standing. It looks like he's about to sit down next to the sorcerer again, but as he turns to face back toward the lich again, the wolf lower's its large head and then raises it sharply to nudge Rhaenys forward toward Lord Akkron. She feels his head and long nose push forward against her back. Then the wolf finally sits back down where he had been sitting before.
The lich pauses as he looks at the harp. He places a hand gently on the instrument.
This one... this one I know too well... he says, his already unhappy voice somehow sounding even more depressed than before. Smiler was not always known as 'the Defiler.' When I knew him, all he wanted was to bring joy into this world...
A sigh escapes the undead creature's body as he looks at the harp. It takes him a moment to compose himself before he continues.
He was one of us once... but the war against Sserah broke him. Years of watching, and sometimes being forced to commit, acts of extreme violence slowly twisted him into a grotesque parody of his former self. It wasn't long after Sserah was defeated that he lost what was left of his sanity and was reduced to raving madness, probably in no small part due to holding onto a piece of Sserah. You're right about the coins... one of them indeed houses a piece of the dragon's soul, though we at least had the foresight to make sure that the coin containing the shard could not be broken or used up so easily as a normal soul coin.
Turning back to Korba, he shakes his head.
I'm afraid that it will take more than a skilled craftsman to remove the fragment from your sword. As to why these items have resurfaced after all these years... I do not know the answer to that question with certainty. I suppose the simplest explanation would be 'fate' or 'one of the gods wills it,' but I suspect that there is a more concrete answer that these sages of Boccob will be able to uncover eventually.
He takes a moment to briefly examine the wolf's "collar"... he doesn't have as much to say about it as he did about Korba and Jodie's items. He simply confirms that it houses a fragment of Sserah's soul. It seems that he can sense Hewelathan's discomfort at being in the presence of a powerful undead and thus limits his interaction with the Druid to what is absolutely necessary.
Rhaenys watches in silence asLord Akkron examines Jodie's harp and smiles when the dire wolf scratches himself and a few strands of silvery hair land on the lich's dark tunic. As the dire wolf approaches her again, the sorceress scratches his head and when Hewelathannudges her towards Akkron she says:
- Oh, okay, okay! My turn now, yes.
The changeling then moves to stand before the lord of the Shaded Isle and holds Stafford horizontally on both of her hands, raising them so that the lich can take a better look.
- Stafford can be a bit clingy and returns to my hands in the blink of an eye whenever I to drop him or try put him away, but after many mental arguments and some training, we've learned to control this a little. - Rhaenys lowers her eyes from the lich to look at the staff in her hands and says - Remember not to do that if Lord Akkron decides to pick you up, okay, Stafford? This is one of those times in which I need you not to be that clingy - Raising her eyes towards the lich again, the sorceress waits for Akkron's inspection.
Hewelathan's initiative: 19 (in game log)
As Korba holds his hand out as the spy is revealed, sand begins to swirl around it, but seeing that it appears to be only a single foe, completely surrounded, he halts summoning his sword and lets the dust fall to the ground. He then grins as Jodie casts her spell, using her charms even on an enemy. He then says to Akkron, "It would be good to learn more about how our 'issues' are connected with this cult."
PbP 🎲: Tyekanik; Moneo Noree; Korba Muris; & occasional DM:
The cultist is also close enough for Hewelathan to sink his teeth into the guy (since he was trying to listen in on your conversation)... go ahead and roll your attack and damage, please.
Meanwhile, even if the wolf misses, the cultist is going to be difficult to charm while being attacked by a giant wolf...
Wis save vs. charm person: 17
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OK. I wasn't sure whether Lord Akkron or someone else was going to act first. Details with apologies to Jodie for messing up her charm person)...
Movement: up to 50' to the cultist
Bonus Action: wild shape into a dire wolf, still wearing the belt and cloak
Action: Melee Weapon Attack, Bite: 15 Damage: 12 piercing
If the target is a creature, it must succeed on a STR saving throw (DC 13) or be knocked prone.
Free Action: talking (before the wild shape)
Tbh, I just wanted to give you guys a moment to do something if you wanted as a bit of a character moment. Once Lord Akkron gets a full round, this 'fight' is over.
Also, your attack missed.
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(OOC: Mediocre. If Hewelathan is going to attack, he'd better hit. Spending a luck point to reroll the attack. "You can choose to spend luck points after you roll the die, but before the outcome is determined.")
Alternate roll from [feat]lucky[/feat]. Attack: 17
Use that roll if it's higher than the original roll of 15.
Lord Akkron pulls out a dusty tome and writes a few notes as Hewelathan transforms into a massive lupine and rakes his claws across the cultist's armor while the cultist desperately dodges out of the massive wolf's path. It's almost like he's gauging your reactions to the reveal of the cultist in your midst.
Then he shuts his book and turns his dreadful gaze upon the cultist. The lich opens his mouth and utters a single word: Fall
The cultist gasps in shock as he is hit with the lich's spell. He drops to his knees and then topples to the floor in a stupor. The lich beckons to the nearest Cleric.
Call the guards to secure him... he will most likely recover soon, and hopefully when he does he will be able to tell you what happened to your brother whom he replaced.
The lich, having dealt with Firion's latest (and least impressive) attempt to make your lives more difficult decides to address Rhaenys' and Korba's questions.
There are no more like him in this temple, though I will not rule out the possibility that there may be others on the island. I think it would be in everyone's best interests if the town guards do a thorough sweep of the town, along with the mages to check for illusion spells. Now... I suppose you all wish to know what part you play in this drama that unfolds in front of you. Do you already know of the mad dragon lord whom the Order seeks to bring back into the world?
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With the cultist taken care of and Akkron's assurance that there aren't any more of them (in the temple at least), Rhaenys dismisses the psychic spike, her hand falling relaxed at her side. As she turns her attention to the lord the Shaded Isle again, her face shows a little relief and ... A LOT of admiration. Such power! It was almost as if the lich had only needed to wave a hand to uncover the cultist and utter a simple word to stun him. The changeling now wishes she could do just the same some day!
Trying to focus in the question at hand, she begins to answer:
- We did hear of Dragon Lord Sserrah Nightbane, yes. From Lady Elora Hercan, a descendant of one of the seven heroes that defeated him all those years ago. And she also told us ... - the sorceress tries to recall all the details, suddenly remembering that Elora mentioned one Mattic Akkron, who happened to be the seventh of those heroes, and how he was deceived by a certain drow, his island lost to the invasion that happened as a result. The changeling is suddenly lost for words as she finally realizes who they're standing before and feels an inevitable wave of sadness and compassion towards the one who suffered such a terrible fate, along with his land and people - ... oh.
"Better late than ever, I suppose". Stafford whispers. And not for the first time since he was bound to Rhaenys, the staff feels the urge to slap his forehead with a hand. If only he had a forehead and hands to do so!
Diving deep to the surface ♫ Nessa | Saxa | Auriel | Chase | Shenua | Arren | Lyra
Hewelathan has trouble getting traction with his paws on the temple library's polished stone floor. He fails to get through the cultist's armor and skids to a stop on the other side of him, snarling in frustration. Then, suddenly, with a word from the lich, the cultist is incapacitated, and the threat has passed. Hewelathan stops growling and, still in dire wolf form, slinks back over to the party. Perhaps he's still wary of additional threats, despite what Lord Akkron said. Perhaps he doesn't trust Lord Akkron. Or maybe he simply forgot that he's still in the form of a wolf!
In any case, Hewelathan-wolf joins the party and sits down next to Rhaenys. Even sitting, the dire wolf is taller and takes up more space than Hewelathan normally would. He listens intently to what Lord Akkron says. His tail wags approvingly, swishing back and forth slightly on the floor, when Rhaenys summarizes what they learned from Lady Elora and the connection that they made between her ancestor and "the Broken Lord" of the Shaded Isle. He looks to the lich to see whether Lord Akkron elaborates.
Korba, as always, is glad for his companions' memory and ability to easily summarize what they have learned. He asks, "Are the things that we carry needed to bring this Dragon Lord back? Even with the, eh, issues, that our things carry?"
PbP 🎲: Tyekanik; Moneo Noree; Korba Muris; & occasional DM:
The lich looks at Rhaenys for a moment.
Yes... I was one of those who fought and defeated Sserah, he says tiredly before turning to Korba. It is not in spite of, but instead BECAUSE of the dark magic in these items that Firion seeks them.
He pauses
...when Sserah was defeated, we feared that simply killing her would make it possible that her soul could be reborn, or that her followers could draw her back from Tiamat's realm. So... we found a way to tear her soul apart and buried her body deep within the earth. We split her soul it into seven pieces, and bound each one to an object of power. Some of the items you carry I recognize as the very ones that we brought with us into the battle against the dragon lord... some I do not. Perhaps some of them were remade into new items, but I would need to study the items in question further to say with certainty whether that is the case or if their presence is an odd coincidence. In any case... Firion does not know the identity of the objects he seeks, and has been forced to cast a wide net to recover any object of power that could hold a piece of the dragon lord's soul. But it seems that you have drawn special attention...
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"Is the dark magic in our items integral to the magic in the items themselves?" Korba asks, concerned that perhaps removing the curse would remove the other properties of his weapon. He then asks, "Also, what would happen were we to have a master smith look at the item? I am hoping to add weight to mine if it were possible."
PbP 🎲: Tyekanik; Moneo Noree; Korba Muris; & occasional DM:
Each of the objects that Sserah's shattered soul was bound to were items of power already. If you were to find a way to remove the pieces of her soul from the items they would still hold great power... but... if the curses were simply removed, the broken pieces of her would be free and could come together again... and with each curse dispelled, her spirit would become stronger. I doubt I need to explain what will happen if all seven pieces of her soul are released...
Lord Akkron reaches out a bony hand towards Korba.
May I see the item you bear? he asks. I cannot tell you any specifics until I actually examine it. I cannot even say with certainty yet whether or not it is one of the seven that contains a piece of the dragon lord.
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Rhaenys cannot help but look disappointedly at Akkron and her companions. Having come so far, the sorceress had expected to gather information on how to end the curses, not to discover that is precisely what they mustn't do ... if the items they carry happen to contain a fragment of Sserah's soul. She wondered if that was Stafford's case.
"I know not the answer to that, Rhaenys."
"Yeah, had kind of figured that already. Really! I think we have more than enough being just the two of us. Two plus 1/7 strikes me as 1/7 too many. Especially since that portion belongs to a person that doesn't look to have been particularly nice."
The changeling watches as the lich examines Korba's sword and says:
- High Priest Alaion said that we might be able to be free of our curses in the Ethereal plane, as it seems the fabric of reality can be altered there contrary even to the desires of gods. What are your thoughts on this, Lord Akkron? Could that perhaps be the key to remove Sserah's soul pieces from our artifacts and deal with the fragments in some other way? Because I guess something will have to be done about them once they are out the artifacts...?
Diving deep to the surface ♫ Nessa | Saxa | Auriel | Chase | Shenua | Arren | Lyra
The lich sighs at the look of disappointment on Rhaenys' face.
So, you have heard about that... he says. Yes, there is a way, and it needs to be done on the ethereal plane. Manipulating a soul... especially one as powerful as Sserah's... is normally in the domain of the gods alone. But in the ethereal realm things work differently than they do here. But... the fact is that a soul cannot simply cease to exist, note entirely at least. It can be broken, trapped, even consumed in some cases... but there is always something left behind.
(Note: I'm just going to go ahead and assume Korba let Lord Akkron look at his sword).
If you wish to be free of these curses, then this sword demonstrates exactly what needs to be done... there is indeed a shard of the mad dragon lord here, even though I have never before seen this blade. It seems to me that whoever placed the curse upon it must have had access to one of the original seven items and found a way to transfer and transform the dark power within to craft a nearly unbreakable curse. If the fragments of Sserah's soul can be bound and anchored to other things, then you can be free from the burden they impose.
Also... yes, I think it would be possible to get this sword remade into a larger and blade more to your liking without diminishing its magical properties, though it would take an incredibly skilled elvish craftsman to do the job.
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When the lich asks for Korba's sword he pauses only a moment tensing a bit in anticipation. His sword of course has been in its pocket dimension since they were on the ship. Holding his hand outstretched, palm down, a thin whirlwind of sand appears from his hand and as the sand fades the sword has appeared in his hand. 'Unsheathing' it he feels it shake in his hands before he cuts lightly into his left arm ((3 dmg)). He then holds the blade out for examination.
After hearing his Lich's analysis, he pauses for a second, and holding his blade up he looks at it closely through his dark lenses, thinks of the person who cursed the blade before he was able to escape and says, "How have these soul fragments remained hidden for so long, only to now be needed?" Quickly swinging the sword, feeling his confidence return slightly holding it tightly in his hand it again disappears as a small dusting of sand falls to the floor. "Would a master craftsman be able to remove the curse? Is the soul fragment inhabiting it possible to be destroyed once removed? Or can it only be placed into another container, similar to whatever held it before it was...given... to me?"
PbP 🎲: Tyekanik; Moneo Noree; Korba Muris; & occasional DM:
Jodie waits quietly for her turn for Lord Akkron to inspect the Ollamh Harp. "Be careful not to play any notes, as you will find the harp is unforgiving to a player other than its owner... My 'curse' is more than fell magic, there's an evil fey trapped in the harp. He goes by the name 'Smiler the Defiler'. Perhaps he is some incarnation of Sserah."
Jodie hesitates before continuing, but then relents to telling more to Lord Akkron. "I have also seen Defiler use what I understand is a soul coin. If one of Sserah's soul fragments was trapped in a coin, I fear what that means if Smiler emerges from the harp and releases it."
Fargen Hill Dwarf Cleric/Barbarian - Hoard of the Dragon Queen, Jodie Olwen Half-Elf Bard- Chronicles of the Accursed
Once Lord Akkron examines Jodie's harp, the dire wolf (Hewelathan) stands and walks up to the lich. He sits back down on the stone floor and then curls slightly so that he can scratch his neck with his back leg. By the time he stops, there's a little cloud of wolf hair floating toward the ground around him. He then looks at the lich and then cranes his neck back, pointing his noise to the ceiling as though he's about to howl. But he just sits like that, stretching his neck to show the "belt" that the wolf is wearing as a collar, and waits for Lord Akkron to examine the belt of giant strength, too.
Once that's done, Hewelathan-wolf stands and turns away from the lich. He shakes vigorously, trying to forget the feeling of the lich's hands near his neck. The large wolf quickly pads back to where Rhaenys is standing. It looks like he's about to sit down next to the sorcerer again, but as he turns to face back toward the lich again, the wolf lower's its large head and then raises it sharply to nudge Rhaenys forward toward Lord Akkron. She feels his head and long nose push forward against her back. Then the wolf finally sits back down where he had been sitting before.
The lich pauses as he looks at the harp. He places a hand gently on the instrument.
This one... this one I know too well... he says, his already unhappy voice somehow sounding even more depressed than before. Smiler was not always known as 'the Defiler.' When I knew him, all he wanted was to bring joy into this world...
A sigh escapes the undead creature's body as he looks at the harp. It takes him a moment to compose himself before he continues.
He was one of us once... but the war against Sserah broke him. Years of watching, and sometimes being forced to commit, acts of extreme violence slowly twisted him into a grotesque parody of his former self. It wasn't long after Sserah was defeated that he lost what was left of his sanity and was reduced to raving madness, probably in no small part due to holding onto a piece of Sserah. You're right about the coins... one of them indeed houses a piece of the dragon's soul, though we at least had the foresight to make sure that the coin containing the shard could not be broken or used up so easily as a normal soul coin.
Turning back to Korba, he shakes his head.
I'm afraid that it will take more than a skilled craftsman to remove the fragment from your sword. As to why these items have resurfaced after all these years... I do not know the answer to that question with certainty. I suppose the simplest explanation would be 'fate' or 'one of the gods wills it,' but I suspect that there is a more concrete answer that these sages of Boccob will be able to uncover eventually.
He takes a moment to briefly examine the wolf's "collar"... he doesn't have as much to say about it as he did about Korba and Jodie's items. He simply confirms that it houses a fragment of Sserah's soul. It seems that he can sense Hewelathan's discomfort at being in the presence of a powerful undead and thus limits his interaction with the Druid to what is absolutely necessary.
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Rhaenys watches in silence as Lord Akkron examines Jodie's harp and smiles when the dire wolf scratches himself and a few strands of silvery hair land on the lich's dark tunic. As the dire wolf approaches her again, the sorceress scratches his head and when Hewelathan nudges her towards Akkron she says:
- Oh, okay, okay! My turn now, yes.
The changeling then moves to stand before the lord of the Shaded Isle and holds Stafford horizontally on both of her hands, raising them so that the lich can take a better look.
- Stafford can be a bit clingy and returns to my hands in the blink of an eye whenever I to drop him or try put him away, but after many mental arguments and some training, we've learned to control this a little. - Rhaenys lowers her eyes from the lich to look at the staff in her hands and says - Remember not to do that if Lord Akkron decides to pick you up, okay, Stafford? This is one of those times in which I need you not to be that clingy - Raising her eyes towards the lich again, the sorceress waits for Akkron's inspection.
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