Allansia Wildlands Campaign.

" No.... only from those cursed. Are there cursed ones who aren't with you today?"

Ennwyn nodded her head, " I believe so....those who fought Pelucidus."

" Garet who is probably in Blacksand or Fang.

" Shalana who is no longer active and is inside Firetop.

" Zeltheris I do not know where they are at all..."

" Brocc who joined us in Firetop for a time....but....did others?  I do not recall....it is like a dream...fleeting..."

" And Banzo and Herman who are here."

The woman starts tapping on her leg rhymically  then she begins to sing, but her voice is that of Zeltheres, the bard.

“those who went into the depths of dwarven caves. Friends fought great demon of rock and flesh, claws and fangs. A warlock and his chaos gang. They showed determination, faith, forgiveness of one in pain. None did fight for wealth or fame, but to save Allansia from bane.”

she seems lost in her thoughts, her eyes glazed over as if she experienced the battle.

“Peluciduss is an Elemental Dee cheroes found in the depths. Dis was Shakors ( spits left) pet. I believe she was deeply angered when the elemental fell, thus Dee curse. It did not help dadt dey chav since killed Zagor and another servant sent to keel us.”

Yaztromo frowned, " It is still doable.....but I'll need an item for each of the four that are not here....preferably one they handled or encountered.....or at the very least....one with some sort of resonance with their form or spirit."

" Then we will retire downstairs to the ritual room and see what can be done........just be glad it was a Night Demon and one who didn't mind tipping her hand.....if it had been one of the greater Princes or one of the Dark Lords we may not have gotten a warning or sign before the final stages of the Curse went into effect."

Tzedaka closes her eyes and pays to Libra, considering if Yaztromo is missing anything to remove the curses or if she has any additional knowledge to increase the success of the ritual.  

Banzo can't help but get a little excited at seeing Yaztromo's ritual room as he doesn't yet have a tower of his own or any similar base of operations, the closest he could think of was the tavern back in Chalice that they sometimes returned to but those visits were very seldom indeed.

Yaztromo collected himself and lead the others to a spiral staircase which lead downwards into the bedrock beneath the tower, at the base of the staircase was a mahogany door covered in Arcane symbols and wards that Yaztromo simply knocked on twice and the door opened.

Stepping through beyond is a large cavern hewn from solid stone, the walls are smooth and carved with ancient sigils that Banzo recognise as having originated within the School of Magics of the Forest of Yore and he noted several Glyphs first inscribed by Vermithrax Moonchaser the Grand Wizard of Yore and teacher of the trio of Yaztromo, Nicodemus and Pen Ty Kora, The Healer.

Yaztromo tapped the floor with the golden staff that appeared in his hands and hundreds of inlaid circles of summoning, warding and containment scintillated into being.

" Well....that's the basics....alright those to be cleansed sit within the central helix with your sacrifice before you.....I will need to create  additional nexus nodes for the missing four and we will need to stand in for the missing......having reviewed their impressions from your memories.....I would apologise for the intrusion but needs wants...."

" Tzedaka you stand here for Shalana holding this wand of missiles."

" Ennwyn you stand here for Zeltheris holding this potion of heroism"

" Tannin you take this mattock of maintainence and stand for Brocc here."

" Vermithrax come here.", his crow flew over to land on the floor and with a wave of his hand the bird became a rather dishevelled looking young man with raven hair.

" Vermithrax you stand there for Garet holding this dagger of sensing."

" Banzo and Herman hold out your items as well."

He began to transcribe a circuitous path around the group pouring both holy water and demons blood in intricate patterns, a hundred bronze braziers appeared at specific points within the room burning oils and incense and casting strange flickering patterns upon the tableau.

He cast a kings ransom of gems into the air; diamonds, Ruby's, emeralds, pearls where they shattered and turned to dust which filtered down to adhere to the patterns drawn and the illuminated sigils and circles upon the walls and floors.

He drove an ivory handled dagger into his own forearm and the blood from the wound drifted upward to form a glowing crimson dome over the entire room, the sigils on the wall glowed golden and light shot out from them hitting the ruby dome and turning it gold and white.

" And now we can begin."

He reached out his right arm towards those arrayed before him and they felt themselves rooted to the earth unable to move.

" Hold onto your hats this is going to get a little rough......."

( This first stage is anchoring-

Everyone will need to make a DC 12 Con Save or take 9 Psychic Damage.

I will then need a DC 13 Wis Save from everyone-    At least 3 will need to pass otherwise the ritual will need to be abandoned for the day.  Luckily being a Familiar Vermithrax automatically passes meaning only two of you need to succeed.)

Banzo's CON: 20

Banzo's WIS: 20

Tzedaka: Con save, 24    Wisdom Save: 27.

Yaztromo smiled broadly, " Excellent, you are strong.   Now the channeling!  This will go much faster if you assist by gifting your energies....."

He grasped the staff in both hands and the tattoos on Banzo and Herman......and supposedly the others wherever they were......began to glow with golden light.....the magical items were subsumed in the same light and crystalline sparks of energy began to slowly emerge from the items and either rush into the golden dome and then into the ceiling above or flow down into the tattoos of Banzo and Herman.

" We need to force as much energy through the soul-brand as possible in order to break its hold."

(   You may either gift Spell Slots or HP, in 5 HP lots, the more given the faster the ritual but you know this is only the 2nd stage.....perhaps more will need to be called upon later?

I will calculate once the ' gifting' has been decided.)

Con save 19

Wis save 16

Herman cannot but give his own wounds as aacrifice.

He cuts whete the tattoo is

" at your disposal"

10 hp

Ooc praise to Damien for the description 

Banzo will 'gift' 15 hp and a 1st lvl spell slot to help the channeling.

Tzedaka casts bless on Herman, Banzo, Enwynn, and Tannin, tilting the scales in their favor

(add 1d4 to your saves)

she also carefully studies Yaztromo, both to learn the ritual and to make certain they are not being deceived. 

Tannin will gift his spell slots, if he can.

Yaztromo continued chanting as the blood and magical energies suffused into the golden dome, after a single hour he paused and nodded to the companions....

" And now.......we sunder."

He raised his staff drawing all the power stored in the dome above down then drove the butt of the staff down onto the central coils of the winding patterns on the floor, the patterns flashed with blinding arcane power and there was a strange flexing in the stone walls.

" She's onto us! Won't be long now!"

Suddenly a rumbling low frequency pulse ripped through the room and all present had to catch their breath and steady themselves....

" Oh, she is very unhappy....I....Aargh....", a long deep bleeding slash appeared across his cheek.

" We have a visitor......and its not happy......"

The room shifted suddenly as if a great weight had slammed down onto the ground above it...

" I can't stop now......whatever it is is attacking the tower...but I've defenses enough and this room is well defended."

Another thunderous vibration.

" At least I hope it is...."

" Regardless, None of us can move from our places.....none of us.", He suddenly took one hand off the staff and a scintillating diamond-like disk appeared above them all.

" Should slow it down...."

" Though any defences you can muster would be appreciated!"

( A single round to apply any spells, abilities, items etc that can assist with bolstering and/or defences.)

Herman looks at the others and holds his place tight,

He is clearly in distress and disarray, also because he does not know how to contribute to ayn barrier, apart from taking the maul in his hands (ooc: to protect te saves roll of the group)

"she?! who is she?"

(ooc: not sure what applies here but Banzo has a 6th lvl feature: Power Surge which usually allows a little more damage to spells (currently +3) and is described as a magical power surge... if allowed he will add it as a way of bolstering the ritual?)

Banzo adds his limited magical abilities to bolster the power of the ritual.

"I am limited in power but I'll lend what magical energies I can."

( Ok. 24 HRs and then we're moving on to the Crescendo.)