# Lords of Brightstone - Can a Moderator please delete this thread? Thanks.



## Look_a_Unicorn (May 8, 2003)

Greetings everyone,
I've been a story-hour lurker for ages now, and about 6 months ago began to write up the on-going campaign I play in.
The campaign has been running for nearly two years, so the first thing I did was write up the summarised history of the party's adventure. This is in two parts, the first I'll post now.
Session write-ups are in much greater detail than the history summaries!

Disclaimer: Haven't written anything in years, so I'm a little rusty, grammatically. The writing style improves, I promise 
Character profiles are not included in history, too many die off.

Kudos: To Metin for creating such a wonderful game world. To Sepulchrae, Nemmerle, PirateCat & Dr. Midnight for crafting the Story Hour's that got me hooked in the first place!

The History of the Lords of Brightstone (adventure summary)


Adventurers made Lords, Ruins are Explored & The Battle of Marikest

A 3e D&D Campaign run by Metin Ozturk (aka Balthazar Karamak, the Dark Overlord)
Document created by the player of Malachi Grimward

Singly, or in pairs, a notice posted throughout the City of Nharden Keep was read and responded to: Adventurers wanted at Divik's Pass.
The diverse group of adventurers that responded were quickly informed of the towns troubles, the silver mine that was the source of much of the towns wealth had been overrun with goblinoid invaders.
After a successful expedition to clear the mines the group was rewarded & informed that further troubles still plagued the town- merchant trains travelling south to Marikest were being ambushed and destroyed, any guards being slaughtered apparently with ease.

The group travels to Marikest and quickly discovers the source of the problems.
A small keep overlooking Marikest and it¡¦s environs, named Brightstone, had been occupied by a force of Orcs and Ogres. The fate of the keep's guard contingent was unknown.

A frontal assault against the keep by the inexperienced adventurers was easily rebuffed, so upon discovering a small gem mine near to the Keep the group decided to explore the mines, perhaps finding an alternate route into the Keep. Not only were no alternate entrances found, but the group became split and lost in the twisting underground catacombs (Rule 1: Never split up in cavernous areas).
When the sun dawned the next day, only two adventurers had made there way back out to see it: Ugman, a Half-Orc warrior with most impressive strength and Moolab, a Halfling with nimble fingers.

Returning to Marikest, the remaining adventurers sought reinforcement from the towns inhabitants. Although most of the town was unwilling to risk the dangers of attacking the Keep, three stepped forward. Malachi: the towns alchemist/wizard, Hrothgar: a stalwart Cleric of the feared god Hextor & a mysterious cowled figure, Shade, a cleric of the Hidden God Vecna.

The reinforced group returned to Brightstone Keep, and in a swift attack smashed their way into the Keep and commenced a running battle with the many dangerous inhabitants. Eventually all the inhabitants were slain, but none would call it an easy victory as only one party member remained conscious, although teamwork and quick thinking ensured that all the party members survived.

An investigation of the once proud Keep revealed many captured prisoners, most of whom left after thanking the party, however some stayed at the Keep, agreeing to help the party restore it to it's previous existence as a protector for the surrounding lands. The fate of the keep's previous inhabitants was also discovered.

A year previously the Council of Onrek funded a massive military campaign that was to sweep through all the lands bordering the North of Onrek & destroy all the monstrous inhabitants. After many pitched battles the campaign ended, with the belief it had restored peace to the troubled North. The current Commander of Brightstone, Setesh Ve'takah, thinking likewise, took his men and set off on an expedition to investigate several ruins whose location he had discovered in the ancient library of Brightstone. None have yet returned.

Next turning their attention to the gem mine neighbouring Brightstone, the party descended into the depths and although were successful in freeing several enslaved captives of the orcs, could find no trace of the other party's previous companions. Thinking of the future of Brightstone, the group conferred and decided to enslave several of the defeated Orcs and Goblins, and thus the tables were turned and any willing released captives were armed and put in charge of the mine.

Amongst the freed captives who chose to remain behind, in addition to several villagers willing to remain as guards or servants were:
Three Paladins of the Chalice, a sect devoted to fighting devils and demons. Led by Kira & responsible for training the soon-to-be-formed Brightstone guards.
Maros, a dwarven aristocrat who agreed to become Seneschal of Brightstone
Gothram, a Dwarf who became the Smith & Overseer of the gem mines.
Put to work in the mines were 12 Goblins and 10 Orcs.

Marikest Town Council consists of:
Mayor: Gerard Ishkar (human)
Smith: Hubrid (dwarf)
Bard: Sara Ty'djarling (1/2 elf)
Sheriff: Reg Ty'djarling (elf)
Cleric of Pelor: Lorren (human)

Returning victorious, the small town celebrated the groups victory long into the night, however the Council was quick to point out that if they wished the status of being the town's defenders & the possession of the Keep, they had to continue to prove their worth and valour by defeating a group of brigands operating from somewhere within the forest surrounding Marikest, who had been preventing all trade & gradually starving the town. 
Deciding to masquerade as a trade caravan, the group set out and, as expected, was promptly ambushed. The resulting battle was nearly a disaster with the bandits vanishing back into the forest after inflicting serious damage. However one bandit who had attempted to sneak up on the rear wagon was captured by Shade, who had been hiding amongst the trade goods. The captive was unwillingly recruited to lead the party to the bandit's lair, and to help prevent treachery the knowledgeable Sheriff and woodsman, Reg was asked to accompany the party into the forest.
The bandit's lair was well defended, with keen-eyed bowman positioned in several treetop platforms. The group's magic users were able to swing the tide of battle, bringing down the occupants of the platforms until all discovered bandits were defeated. The bandit leader, Haigian, was cornered in a hidden underground chamber that held the bandit's captured loot. 10 of the bandits were returned alive to meet the Council's justice, and at Malachi's suggestion were put to work in the mines of Brightstone.

Again victorious without losses, the group returned to Marikest and were officially declared the Lords of Brightstone, Protectors of Marikest & Environs. Malachi, as an already existing Council Member, was expected to take control of the administrative responsibilities of the Lords. Thus he passed on his shop to his cousin, Undru & took up residence at the Keep. The portion of the loot given to the Lords was put towards repairing and expanding Brightstone, the recruitment of additional guards & the hiring of servants.

As work on Brightstone commenced, the party decided to follow the previous Guard Captain, Setesh Ve'takah & explore the chain of elven ruins to the East.
As the party travelled into the mountains, Moolab was caught by surprise as a Dire Ape leapt upon him and in the space of a few seconds was literally torn to shreds. Although the party avenged his death, little could be done except for burying his pieces. Saddened by the loss of the halfling the party forged a path through the mountains and encountered the first ruin marked on the ancient map, the Tomb of Vosh the Defiler. Vosh had been a human Warlord who, in ages past, had united his forces with a tribe of barbarous half-giants, referred to as Ugarri, in order to raid into the shattered and crumbling Elven empire. This Empire had once spanned the entire continent, and much other land that had now either sunk beneath the ocean or turned into a swampy morass, in some ancient cataclysm

As the Tomb was investigated & it's many traps bypassed, several decaying corpses in Onrek tabards were discovered, along with one survivor, a flamboyant warrior who had accompanied the expedition, known as Lord Flashheart. Prepared for the coming dangers by Flashheart's knowledge the party forced it's way through flames, supernatural creatures and finally the mummified remains of Vosh and his cohorts. Once again the party was victorious. In Vosh's Chamber, Malachi discovered a small stone resonating with ancient elven enchantment. Upon noticing that several grooves in his Sceptre seemed to match exactly the shape of the small stone, Malachi attempted to join the two. With a click the stone slipped into place, and the head of the Sceptre burst into flame. At last the reason why so many of the Sceptre's legendary powers no longer functioned became apparent- the stones whose powers the Sceptre had channelled had been removed.

Turning their attentions to the next ruin marked on the ancient map, the party built several rafts in order to bypass the surrounding jungle & instead travel down the wide, swiftly flowing river to their next destination. - A ruin marked as Etara'Seyishi. Enroute a giant serpent arose from the rivers waters and attacked the vulnerable rafts. Powerful magicks and missile fire forced it to retreat, but not before the powerful Ugman was spilled into the river where he sank like a stone. Thinking regretfully of another chance to study a new spell lost, Malachi activated one of his few recovered scrolls, causing a floating disk to raise the drowning warrior to the river's surface.

The remainder of the journey was uneventful, the party cautiously approached the area of the ruins, finding a crumbling elven fortress. Observing the fortress, the party watched a troop of goblins mounted on wargs riding out from the fortress gates. Unsure if their presence had been spotted by guards, magically noted or if it was just a routine patrol, the party successfully hid as the troops swept past. 
Realising their presence was unknown, an ambush was planned to destroy a portion of the inhabitants forces without alerting the bulk of the force. Hiding behind the low walls of the ruins of a guardhouse, Malachi set his weasel familiar, Squeak to watch for the return of the Orcish forces, planning on magically communicating to the rest of the party when the time to strike arose.
The impatient Lord Flashheart disrupted the carefully laid plans. Standing up to survey the surrounding terrain, his bright armour stuck out like a sore thumb to the approaching warg riders and his cry of "There they are" alerted any short-sighted Orcs. The ambush now a failure, the group did all it could to stop the warg riders, however many slipped past, running at full speed to the safety of the Keep.
Shortly after, the sounds of a large group of Goblin warriors could be heard heading back to the party's position. Deciding that such numbers were unfavourable, the party returned to the river & using their rafts crossed to the opposing bank.
Soon several dozen goblins prowled the recently vacated shore, under the command of dark-skinned elves. Able to use the rafts as makeshift pavises, the party was reasonably sheltered from the arrow fire of the goblins, as the party struck down goblin after goblin with crossbow fire & Malachi's wand of magic missiles.
Deciding to show that divine magicks could be just as useful as arcane, Hrothgar summoned a large crocodile & commanded it to swim over and attack their enemies. Seeing the sleek animal enter the waters under Hrothgar's firm command, Flashheart decided he'd had enough of waiting and leapt after the crocodile, grabbing it by the tail and being taken back across the river. When the two reached the opposing bank, both crocodile and Flashheart were fallen upon by the numerically superior Goblins and hacked to pieces.

In an effort to prevent Flashheart's demise the remaining group members had already set about returning across the river, Umgar and Hrothgar well in front of Malachi and Shade as the two used the last remaining ammunition to grant a measure of cover to the two crossing.
Umgar & Hrothgar crossed successfully & managed to hack down all the foes that did not flee. As Malachi & Shade began to cross a shrill scream ripped through the sky as two harpies appeared & commenced to lure the party members to a watery death with their siren song. All save Malachi succumbed to their song and he was able to kill the harpies with the last of his magicks before any more companions perished.
After resting for the evening in an easily defended location, the party pressed on to the crumbling fortress, which was divided into an outer & inner section. Fighting their way up through the remaining goblinoid forces, the party continued on to the Inner Keep & found here many well-armed & prepared drow opponents. As a web spell split the party, Hrothgar found himself alone in a magically darkened room, his entire body burning phosphorescent purple as many opponents struck out at him.
The stalwart warrior managed to fight his way out of the ambush & rejoin the group as they were about to assault the chamber of the Drow Priestess in command of the fortress's forces. The priestess's guards sacrificed themselves to allow the priestess enough time to escape the party, and thus the running battle ceased, as the party chose to close off the underdark entrance rather than risk pursuing the priestess down.
Exploring the remainder of the fortress, the party uncovered a stairwell heading into a basement, holding a ferocious many-headed beast guarding the drow treasury. Attempting to attack the creature head-on proved to be a mistake, as Shade was torn to pieces by the beast. Cunning tactics prevailed as the group finally brought the creature down, giving the 3 remaining party members access to much treasure, including another elf-stone for the Sceptre- and a chained Drow captive. Requesting mercy, the drow explained that he had been sent to assassinate the wayward priestess but had been captured. Having failed he knew his life was now forfeit if he returned home & begged the party to allow him to accompany them, whom warily agreed.

While attending to their responsibilities at Brightstone, the group received received rumours of groups of Orcs being sighted moving throughout the inhabited land's borders, but as the Orcs seemed to be avoiding contact, none knew for what purpose they travelled.

Leaving the loot gained from the first two ruins behind to finance the ongoing repairs & extensions to Brightstone, the group retraced its path back to the second ruin with little trouble. Continuing downriver to the third ruin, the party noticed that their progress was being shadowed by groups of pygmies, but as the little guys made no aggressive moves the party passed by without troubling them. After many weeks of travel, the third ruin marked as "The Lord's Home" was reached. Little remained to mark what had previously been an elven town- some walls a few feet high, crumbling & overrun with jungle foliage.
A group of trolls lodged in caves near the ruins took exception to the group¡¦s trespass and attacked, but were driven back. The plant life itself sought to harm the party, with shambling mounds, tendrilocus & assassin vines all being encountered and overcome. Having found nothing but a journal telling of a terrible creature which came and destroyed the town, the party decided to leave the area and return to Brightstone, the rumours of the Orcs troubling the more duty-conscious members. The terrible creature, or perhaps an ancestor thereofof, was disturbed by the magic use of the party and sought to destroy them. In the end the creature later identified as a Behir was defeated and the party began the long trip back to Brightstone.

As the party journeyed through the pygmies lands once more, the small warriors set upon the party whilst astride the backs of Shocker Lizards. Easily defeating their adversaries, the party decided to find the pygmy village and mount a retaliatory attack, knowing they would have to pass through these lands again. The pygmies at the village were being cut down when they called upon their God, El'Chubenebrah, to aid them. At this a giant shocker lizard arose from the nearby river, but was vanquished by the sword of Ugman.

Once again back at Brightstone, and thoroughly regretting the lack of teleportation magicks, the rumours of trouble with the Orcish hordes have increased. Scouting parties are sent out to try to ascertain the motivations of the Orc movements, and plans for defensive walls for Marikest are prepared.

The party, requiring additional wealth if construction is to continue for more than a few months, set out to the fourth ruin marked on their map. After a journey of many weeks (untroubled by pygmies) they arrive at the site of what was once a Great Temple to Corellan Liathan, the elven God. Nearby they find a tribe of lizard men, who warily welcomed the party & informed them that many of their kindred who had decided to worship an adult black dragon, Karamak, inhabited the temple the party sought & would kill intruders on sight.

With the assistance of the lizard-man shaman, the party sought out and slew both Karamak the Black Dragon and his lizard men defenders. Taking the gold and magic items from the dragon's vast horde, the party decided to leave the less portable wealth behind for those of the tribe who had aided them.

With their hard-fought wealth now acquired, the party returned as quickly as possible to Brightstone, where repairs had been completed and the expansions were well underway. Ugman announces that he wishes to remain at the Keep in order to train their forces into the foreseeable future.

Several of the scouting parties had returned, who reported a horde of Orcs massing. Wishing to ascertain the situation for themselves, and see if there was anything that could be done to stop the momentum of the Horde, the party travelled to the reported location and found thousands of orcs, a force far more powerful than any other in the area- and on their return were given reports of two other similar such forces building in other areas nearby.

Exercising his newly researched travelling magicks, Malachi travels to Onrek (the capital city of the nation Onrek) and goes before the Council, requesting aid for Marikest, Divik's Pass and Nharden Keep. A small force of troops are posted to Marikest to avert any surprise attack from small forces, and the wheels of bureaucracy begin to turn to organise a larger force to help defend the beleaguered North.
In the midst of the Council session a strange female appears and requests to speak- given permission she distributes some scrolls which detail how a suit of armour can be enchanted to fight as a capable warrior once given appropriate direction, these powerful soldiers are known as Grogs. In addition a Paladin, Karrick asks to be allowed to assist the party.

Later Karrick discovers the Drow Assassin's store of poison and consumes it, protected from any ill effects. In a rage the assassin attacks the Paladin and is cut down.

Brightstone soon after comes under attack by an advance contingent of Orcs and Ogres, led by an Ogre-Magi. This initial surprise assault is repulsed, with the Ogre-Magi inflicting heavy losses & single-handedly facing down the party. Eventually the group organises and the assault is repulsed, the Ogre-Magi fleeing after being covered in minor wounds. Shortly after, another larger force arrives and prepares to lay siege to Brightstone, cutting off access to Marikest.

The group sallies forth & decimates large numbers of the Orcish infantry, however Karrick is killed as the party attempts to withdraw as a large group of warg-riding cavalry takes the field. Efforts to raise the Paladin from the dead prove fruitless and it is discovered that the Paladin was also a half-fiend, nobly struggling against his demonic heritage.

Meanwhile additional support has arrived in Marikest, in response to the announcements posted around Onrek of the plight of the North. This help was in the form of Ahktor: a powerful Sorcerer, Tara, an accomplished swordswomen & and Arwen Falohuil, an elven thief who has heard of a Lord in the North with a large collection of elven artefacts.
The thief visits the upper room of Brightstone in the dead of night, after using her cloak to transform into a bat, but upon entering Malachi's room is promptly set upon by Squeak. Unable to shake off the determined weasel familiar, Arwen changes back and is thrown into prison by the irate Malachi. Escaping the cell and returning to Malachi's chamber, she explains that she was just after information & would like to accompany the party. Somewhat doubtful, Malachi agrees- but is secretly pleased to have an elf companion who he can ask questions about her people's history. Unfortunately Arwen knows little of her heritage and so Malachi is once more disappointed.

Arriving from the skies, Ahktor announces his arrival and requests to see the Lords of Brightstone, who are quite glad to have such a powerful person join their group, but as pleasantries are being concluded the guard tower reports an armoured warrior attempting to break through the siege in order to reach Brightstone. After breaking through the lines, the party cheers on the noble warrior's valiant effort to reach their gates, but can see that a large group of wolf riders will be able to cut off the warrior's approach. Quickly mobilising, the gates are opened and the group sets out to help the determined warrior. However they do not arrive in time as the brave warrior stops her flight when the first wolf reaches her horses heels & she wheels and charges headfirst into their midst. By the time the party reaches the melee the rider has been cut down. Reclaiming the body Malachi teleports with the female warrior to Marikest in order to have her raised, whereupon the courageous fighter, Tara, vows to assist the Lords however she can.

Returning to Marikest, the group spends that evening preparing plans to attack the sieging force once again, unaware that they are being magically scried upon. Thus when the campsite is attacked the next day it is found deserted, and Malachi is the victim of a magical trap, finding himself surrounded by many powerful summoned apes. Despite his best efforts & magical defences, the mage is dragged down and only the fireballs of Ahktor exploding above the grappled Mage (whose Salamander Harness, taken from the tomb of Vosh the Defiler protects him) allows him to escape certain death.

Hrothgar's prayers of guidance to his God direct the group to explore further the catacombs beneath Brightstone, closed now for years. After several encounters, the group encounters an insectoid race known as the Klackons, and are taken to their labyrinthine city far underground. Able to explain to the Klackons who the strange green-skinned attackers are who have been invading their realm, and what their purpose is, the party is then also able to prove their good intentions to the Klackon race by hunting down a giant Delver which had been undermining the stability of their city, but only at the cost of their valued companion Hrothgar. (Leaving only two of the original Lords of Brightstone alive, Malachi and Ugman).
Desiring to learn more of their surface-going neighbours, the Klackons ask if Malachi will allow one of their best warriors, a Monk named Chitric, to accompany the party. Malachi happily agrees, and in addition negotiates arrangements for trade of material goods and arcane knowledge both to begin between the two realms.

Malachi again returns to the capital, Onrek, to campaign for further assistance & inform the Council of their strange new allies, and while he is away the remainder of the group receive reports of strange happenings in the forests to the North East of Brightstone. Animals and Orcs have been found apparently zombified by a strange fungal infection, centred around a particular region of the forest.
Travelling to this region the party find a giant fungal growth, towering 100 feet into the air, with hundreds of fungoid minions surrounding it's base. Deciding it would be best to cleanse this threat immediately, the group attacks, easily slaughtering the minions, however the fungus is more than capable of defending itself with tentacle-like growths, and before the fungus finally falls both Tara and Arwen have been killed.
Strange druidic powers present in the region cause reincarnation magicks to affect the bodies of both Tara and Arwen, Tara returns in the form of a brown bear, and Arwen becomes a mindless bat.

Malachi, experimenting with new flight magic, locates and travels to the party, and they begin their trip back to Brightstone. On the way they encounter a ragged looking group of kobolds that immediately form a defensive position. Calming hostilities, Malachi is able to convince the kobolds to return to Brightstone with them and asks why they are travelling in the region. The kobolds have been forced out of their ancestral lands by the Orcish armies; all the rest of their tribe has been annihilated. The same has been occurring everywhere the Orcs have travelled. It appeared that the military expedition through Northern Onrek over two years ago had destabilised the region, allowing Orcish tribes deeper in the mountains to enslave the weakened enemy tribes closer to Onrek lands, and these conquests have had a snow-balling effect.

Arriving at Brightstone Malachi offers the kobolds a home in the mines, working as allies and overseers, responsible for the prisoners but protected from external threats. The kobold leader agrees.

A patrol of Onrek troops intercepts a small Orcish contingent, falling upon & slaughtering them. These Orcs had been messengers, carrying an offer from the Ogre-Mage in control of the Horde to the Frost Giants in the mountains to the West of Marikest, paying them tribute and asking if they would like to join the Orcs in annihilating the humans. Also encountered is a half-giant named Umgar, who agrees to help the party with their current problems if they agree to travel to the lands of his people, the Ugarri, to render any assistance they are capable of. The ancient map carried by the Orcish delegates notes a number of settlements in the mountains, but also indicates a pass through the Dragon Spine mountains to the South, the previously-thought impassable barrier between northern Onrek and the much more settled Southern Onrek.
Amongst the treasure recovered from the Orcish contingent was a powerful magical artifact known as a Deck of Many Things, a magic that can have both powerfully beneficial and incredibly deadly effects.
Tara's draw from the Deck of Many Things results in two things. The first card grants her the ability to create a small castle, which she does in the region believed to contain the pass, and names it Tara's Keep. The second card damns her soul to the clutches of an otherworldly being, and her body freezes into stasis. Her horrified companions look on, impotent to save their friend.

News arrived that the Orcish army is on the march, with forces being diverted to Nharden Keep and Divik's Pass. The largest army is heading straight for Marikest, apparently the group's presence on the Horde's flank had been recognised as a threat .
Quickly teleporting to Onrek, Malachi informs the Council that the Horde's arrival is imminent as Chitric travels to the Klackon City to request aid for the surface dwellers. The remaining party members continue preparations to defend Marikest & look for any threats advancing on Brightstone.

As the troops & commanders from Onrek begin to arrive in Marikest via teleportation circle, and word arrives that the Klackons will be sending 3000 warriors to help, the party realises that the Orcs will arrive before defensive preparations can be completed. Thus they take the Grogs that they have so far been able to create (300 or so) and set out to delay the advancing Orcs.
After many pitched battles, the Grogs are all destroyed and the party is driven back, depleted of resources and magicks, but they had bought enough time for all the army units to arrive & organise. As an added bonus the group had also killed over a thousand Orcs.

The Orcish army attacks immediately, and the Battle of Marikest begins. Despite the far superior numbers of Orcs and their monstrous allies the advantage of better equipment, powerful magic users and the assistance of the deadly Klackons turn the tide of battle in Onrek's favour. Ahktor attempts to reach the pavilion holding the Ogre-Magi in order to prevent them completing some bizarre ritual, but arrives too late and watches helplessly as with a mammoth explosion, the Ogre Magi's Master, and Mastermind behind the invasion, the powerful pit-fiend Musharvik appears. He in turn calls forth a legion of Barbazu, glaive-wielding demons. Ahktor turns his attention to the Ogre-Magi and manages to kill two before returning to his companions
The remaining Orcs flee at the appearance of the Demonic army in their midst, who begin to indiscriminately slaughter Orcs and Onrek troops alike.
The party plunge into the think of the demons, cutting down several, fighting hard to reach Musharvik. The Onrek cavalry, led by the famous Knight of the Chalice Sir Ector, strike hard into the demonic ranks, and the combined efforts allow the Onrekian army a reprieve to rekindle their faltering courage. Sir Ector manages to force his way to where Musharvik waits, and a titanic single combat begins. The party also manages to reach Musharvik, just as Sir Ector is struck down. The party charges Musharvik, with the exception of Malachi who pours his most powerful healing potion down Sir Ector's throat, saving his life.
As the party is battered by Musharvik's powerful blows, Ector is able to approach unseen and plunge his sword deep into the back of the embattled pit-fiend. With a scream of pain and rage, Musharvik realises if he does not leave then he will be destroyed and departs the battlefield. The remaining Barbazu are drawn to the Hells in Musharvik's wake, and the Onrek army is left alone on the battlefield, hundreds of orcs scattering throughout the countryside, victorious.

There is much to be done in the wake of the battle, organising patrols to hunt down the scattered Orcs, thousands of bodies to bury, and a major victory to be celebrated. It is discovered that the smaller armies sent to Nharden Keep & Divik's Pass have also been staved off, and with the loss of many of their leaders it is believed that nothing will remain to unite the Horde, with the remnants dispersing back into the mountains.


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## Look_a_Unicorn (May 9, 2003)

*History Summary, Part 2/2*

Here is the second part of the history. Once again it's a bit sketchy, but that's because the two posts have to cover nearly 2 years of half-remembered gaming 

Future posts will be much more up to date. I will be happy to answer any questions, and any criticism would be greatly appreciated!

*The History of the Lords of Brightstone (adventure summary)*

Battling the Frost Giants, the Undead Menace & The Migration of the Ugarri 

Having just emerged victorious in the climactic Battle of Marikest, the party feels honour-bound to fulfil the oath pledged to Umgar; to assist the Ugarri people against the Frost Giants that were waging a vicious war against his people.

Despite Umgar’s desire for haste, the aftermath of the Orcish attack has led to many pressing issues that needed to be resolved before the journey can begin. Malachi reports to the Council that there may be a pass linking the two halves of the continent and displays the ancient map recovered from the Orcs. After a period of deliberation the Council decrees that Malachi is duty-bound to investigate the possibility of this path through the Dragon Spine Mountains. The Dragon Spine mountain range has split the smaller "barbaric" Northern Onrek (it has only been a few hundred odd years since the now-prosperous frontier settlement of Nharden Keep was colonised by sea travel) from it’s much more developed Southern mother.
In accord with the recent prosperity and the importance that Marikest would have as a major trade city, Malachi is also given access to one million gold pieces to build fortifications to protect Marikest and the trade route. Permission was also granted to use a portion of the gold to upgrade Brightstone. Thus plans are laid to begin construction of a great castle facing the monster infested West of Marikest. In addition to being placed in a strategically important area, accommodation would be needed for the several hundred well equipped troops sent to protect the region.

Previously, a draw from a Deck of Many Things is known to have resulted in Tara’s Keep being magically created in an area of the Dragon Spine Mountains, near to where the pass is believed to begin. To date all traffic and trade between Northern & Southern Onrek has been by either teleportation, expensive despite the prevalence of magic in the Empire, or ship, which is becoming increasingly dangerous as more and more pirates begin to ply the waters. Thus Malachi posts a notice in the Guilds of Onrek that scouts are needed to investigate the general region for monstrous lairs that might be in a position to threaten Tara’s Keep.

Ugman had long been voicing a desire to leave Brightstone and travel to the 5th and final Elven ruin marked on the ancient map recovered from Brightstone. His sentient sword has informed him that it is the most likely location to find the suit of armour that is matched to the sword. Malachi councils the Half-Orc Warrior to await the organisation of a sea-faring expedition, talking of the many advantages in that the travel time to the ruins will be greatly reduced, the dangers along the way will be fewer and it would be possible to transport a greater quantity of recovered wealth and materials. In order to placate the increasing wanderlust of the retired Half-Orc, organisation for such an expedition begins.

Thus the group of adventurers: Malachi the Mage-Noble of Onrec, Ahktor the Sorcerer, Chitric the Klackon Monk & Umgar the Ugarri Cleric begin their long journey into the harsh frozen mountains to the West of Marikest. Ugman, unwilling to wait once his old adventuring companions had set out, left on his own quest to locate the armour.

The party’s journey is quite perilous, and many monstrous creatures are encountered in the frozen mountains that are the homeland of the Ugarri. All the monsters are safely killed or driven off until, after one particularly ferocious battle, Chitric is torn to pieces in the death throes of a gigantic Polar Worm. Although Malachi is able to teleport home with the insectoid Monk, after he is raised his inner powers brought out via inner tranquillity & self-confidence are shaken, and he bids farewell to the other party members and returns home.

In the interim whilst Malachi & Chitric were absent, the other two party members have been awaiting Malachi’s return in the shelter of Ahktor’s extra dimensional Magnificent Mansion. They are quite surprised when, with a tearing sound, a strange creature emerges from empty air and plummets to the ground. Quickly ascertaining that the creature was not going to present an overt threat, the group is unsure what to make of the strange creature, until in perfect Common it introduces itself as Bes. Bes explains that it is a Planar Traveller, and would like assistance to return to it’s home plane if the opportunity presents itself. Knowing little about any Plane other than their own the two decide to await Malachi’s return- who is quite excited at the thought of the knowledge the small creature says it is willing to share. Thus having gained a new companion the party travels on.

The party soon approaches the nearest Ugarri outpost, a small town on an easily defensible plateau, named Retheim. Umgar is saddened to see that the outpost has been overrun, most of the town destroyed and now the Frost Giants are re-building an outpost sized more to their liking.
Taking note that the forces arrayed against them included some dozen frost giants, many winter wolves & a large number of Ogres and re-animated zombie Ugarri minions, the two magic users realise that, flying and invisible, they should be able to stay out of harm’s range and destroy their enemies with powerful magicks from above.

The plan was thrown somewhat out of kilter by the arrival of a white dragon. After a fast-paced aerial battle, the dragon is blasted from the skies & the two magick users resume their attack on their remaining foes, who had taken the opporunity to seek protection in the partially rebuilt Fort. Unaware that foes still remain, Ahktor enters the Fort and is nearly ground into a thin smear for his dangerous oversight. Fleeing back into the skies, the remaining Frost Giants are killed with the assistance of Umgar, Bes and another Ugarri warrior, Teame. Teame had emerged from hiding, having been awaiting a chance to free his kinsmen from the cells of the Fort.

The party now decides to travel on to Grondheim, the greatest of the Ugarri strongholds. The travelling is slow as the group now escorts several dozen freed Ugarri but is able to ward off a series of monstrous attackers and safely reach the walls of the immense Stronghold of Grondheim.

Taken before the leaders of the Ugarri, a wise group of Elders, the group explain that they have come to render what assistance they can. They are warmly welcomed, and thanked having saved the few remaining Ugarri of Retheim.
The Elders are troubled by the news that Retheim had fallen, as it means that the last two remaining strongholds, Grondheim & Morheim, are gradually being encircled by the Frost Giant forces, and the Elders admit that there seems little that can be done to stop the annihilation of their people. The Ugarri and Frost Giants have long been at war, but in recent years the Frost Giants stopped limiting themselves to raids and began successfully attempting to conquer all the ancestral Ugarri lands. To make matters worse they have heard no news from Morheim, the second greatest & only other remaining Ugarri stronghold, in some time. 
While at Grondheim, Umgar takes the opportunity to pray in the Great Temple to Surtur. During his religious observations, Umgar is granted a vision of a legendary weapon, known as the Tongue of Flame, which may be able to help stave off the Frost Giant attackers. However it is believed that only Surtur himself, on the Plane of Isgard, knows the location of the weapon.

To the rest of the group however, of more immediate urgency was the fate of the inhabitants of Morheim, so after a few days recovering from the rigours of the journey, again the group set out. Teame decided to continue accompanying the group, as he thought them to be the best chance at helping his people. Malachi, estimating the time it will take to travel to Morheim, realises that a Greater Council session (of some importance) is to be held at about the time they shall arrive & informs his companions that he will have to leave for a time & would try to contact them again when he got back to Brightstone.

Enroute to Morheim, Ahktor hears a telepathic request for help, and separating himself from the party comes across a well-hidden cave, being investigated by a small group of Frost Giants. Inside the cave a young dragon named Ash had re-made her lair. She had been forced to flee her lair deeper in Frost Giant territory as the encroaching army had threatened the safety of her young. After destroying the hunting Frost Giants, Ahktor helps her transport the eggs and young into the treasure hold of Brightstone and in thanks for saving her young, Ash agrees to serve Ahktor.

Rejoining the group with his dragon companion in tow, Ahktor explains that the young would be temporarily housed in Brightstone. Malachi is not too pleased to have dragons, even small ones, inhabiting his home but manages to hold his tongue. He did however somewhat regret having made Ahktor a Lord of Brightstone after the Battle of Marikest.

Arriving at the outskirts of Morheim, Ash reports that the city appears deserted, and the massive central castle has all it’s windows covered. There is no sign of any Ugarri.
Unwilling to simply begin investigating the city directly, the party decide to spend the remainder of the day trying to provoke a response from anything inhabiting the seemingly deserted city.
Flying, Malachi and Ahktor begin travelling to each of the boarded over windowsof the castle and smashing open each in turn. Eventually they get a response in the nature of crossbow bolts from a recently smashed open window with additional fire being directed their way from the roof. Simultaneously, a flood of zombified Ugarri emerge from the houses onto the streets. With great gouts of flame Ash incinerates the enemies firing from the Castle’s roof & the group charges headlong into the midst of the clumsy zombies emerging from the houses, smashing them apart with reckless abandon.

As night falls the group decides to leave the immense Stronghold alone until the following morning, although it means they will be entering without Malachi, who wishes them well & teleports to Onrek.

*Malachi:* After catching up with a few acquaintances in Onrek, and requesting their help with the etiquette of Council meetings, Malachi spends the evening studying the proposed agenda of the upcoming Council meeting, and notifies the Council Steward of his desire to discuss the issue of the Ugarri, as relates to his charter to investigate a pass between Northern and Southern Onrek.
Several items of business of no note to Malachi pass quickly, until the Council closes the session to non-Council members and the important issues begin to be dealt with.

First is the unpleasant task of deciding the fate of High Council member Grimnar, a gnome charged with treason and inciting riots. In an overwhelming majority (Malachi abstains) the Council votes to strip Grimnar of title and rank and imprison him (as per the spell).

Next is the necessary task of appointing a new High Councillor from the ranks of the Council Members. Several people are nominated, including Malachi (who graciously declines the nomination). Finally, a Draconian by the name of Krolach is chosen. Then nominations for a new Council Member to fill Krolach’s vacancy begin, and Malachi persuades the Council to accept Ahktor (as a recognised Hero of the Battle of Marikest) into their ranks.

Next High Councillor Zarek is asked to report on the progress of his charter, a flying warship that he has named the “Arma”. Apparently it has reached the stage where it is ready for testing, and has arranged a demonstration to display its effectiveness tomorrow morning, with any interested Council Members invited to attend.

Finally Malachi is called forth to impart to the Council his plans for the expenditure of the money granted & any other related issue. The Council accepts the plans for the distribution of the money, is informed that the groups sent to scout the area of the pass should be returning shortly, and then Malachi explains the plight of the Ugarri. Called upon to explain the relevance of their plight, Malachi explains his proposal that they be allowed to migrate and resettle around the area of the Keep. Malachi is able to make quite a persuasive argument, cantered around the strength of the warrior-race and how their presence would make an ideal “guard-force” for the region. High Councillor Zarek suggests that, rather than sending troops to aid the Ugarri, the warship is used instead. Zarek believes that the Frost Giants would provide an excellent opportunity to allow the Arma’s capabilities to be tested in a non-vital cause.
All business concluded the Council session disbands, and the members either depart or linger to discuss events of interest with their fellow Council members.

The next day the warship demonstration performs flawlessly, a group of Orcs is set free and allowed to make use of a variety of siege weaponry. The Arma quickly approaches them and blasts them with a barrage of fireballs launched from it’s side turrets. The dents and tears in the hull from the few ballista bolts & catapult stones the manage to strike the Arma quickly close back over. Malachi is quite impressed with the awesome power thus displayed.

After concluding other minor business, including the purchase of a high-quality mirror for use in a newly researched ability, Scrying, Malachi returns to Brightstone.

*Group:* The party decides to head into the fortress at daybreak, with Bes scouting ahead & Ash remaining outside the Castle to ensure the party’s exit does not become blocked. The group is able to pass undisturbed through the town proper, and warily enters the main doors to the Stronghold. All is quiet, and appears deserted. Bes, who was scouting ahead of the rest of the party, allows his wariness to drop enough for a lurking vampire to ambush him. Only his innate ability to breathe fire allowed him to break the deadly embrace of the creature. Finding the rooms in the ground and upper stories of the Stronghold deserted, the party decide to head down a corridor bypassed previously that heads down into the depths below Morheim.
Entering an area where it appeared the Ugarri had been excavating more rooms, perhaps in case of siege, they discover an Ugarri journal that belonged to one of the miners. Apparently those digging had broken into an underground complex further below that had been undisturbed for centuries, and over time several workers had vanished without trace. Then a large number of hideous creatures had swept out from the underground complex… and here the journal ends.
Investigating further, the group comes to a set of massive doors- behind which lay an immense library, thousands upon thousands of ancient tomes carefully placed in shelving that extended 60 feet into the air of the gigantic chamber.
As Bes carefully removed many of the tomes and placed them inside his magical backpack, the rest of the group began to search the library’s environs, unable to see very far in front of them due to the maze-like shelving.
The first sign of danger came when incorporeal undead emerged from the bookshelves to attack the surprised party members. Soon after, armoured wights, vampiric warriors and Ugarri zombies joined the fray. The battle was desperate, but seemed to be going in the party’s favour as Umgar unleashed massive walls of fire through the library to separate their foes, and destructive magical rays leapt from Ahktor’s hands to incinerate or petrify their enemies. As an unfortunate side-effect, much of the library was soon burning or shattering under the increased weight of stone tomes. That is when two unseen magic users began to assault the party with powerful magicks. Panicked searching through the labryinthine library & choing gas eventually revealed the source of the magicks. Liches.
Cut off from the rest of the party by a mass of aggressive tentacles, Ahktor attempted to escape by leaping into his Magnificent Mansion. Soon after, Umgar realised the situation was hopeless and, after grabbing Teame and Bes, Plane Shifted to Isgard.

*Ahktor:* Believing his escape to the mansion was unnoticed, Ahktor was quite shocked when the walls of the Mansion dissolved around him & he was dumped out of the portal into the ruins of the library, surrounded by foes. Discovering his powers were nullified by an anti-magic field there was little the Sorcerer could do to prevent the Draconian Liches from capturing him. Ahktor was then geased by the Liches to travel the lands above, doing all he could to identify potential threats to the newly re-awoken race of undead Draconians, and is told to tell is companions that he had destroyed the Undead menace & removed all items of worth (and was given an assortment of minor items to validate this story). To ensure his cooperation, a cursed silver belt was also attached to him. Through this belt, not only could the Liches see and hear everything Ahktor said, but could also cast spells onto Ahktor at will. The Liches only demonstrated the second ability to the impotent Sorceror.
Returning to Ash, Ahktor flies to Onrek and pays the High Priest of Pelor to perform a true resurrection on him in several hours time. Ahktor then teleports back to Brightstone and discovers that Malachi has returned & explains the massive battle in the underground library. Malachi drools slightly as the existence of the library (but not it’s fate) is revealed. Ahktor goes on to explain that he does not know what has become of the rest of the party, but that he had destroyed the Undead menace, etc.
After the geas caused him to thus decieve his friend , Ahktor goes to his room, strips off all his items (sans the cursed belt) and disintegrates himself.

*Malachi:* Malachi discovers Ahktor’s items neatly stored in his room and the grey dust covering his bed- fearing the worst he flies to visit Lorren, Marikest’s cleric. Handing over the grey dust and a valuable gem, Malachi beseeches the friendly cleric to raise his friend. Lorren attempts to do so but nothing happens. Lorren informs Malachi that either his friend is not dead, or that more powerful magicks are required.
Thus Malachi returns to Brightstone & attempts to scry on his friend, but his mirror remains empty..
Teleporting to Onrek he contacts Lorren’s superiors and promises to pay the High Priest handsomely to return his friend. The priest blinks & informs Malachi that he will be attempting to do so in thirty minutes time, as previously instructed. This attempt also fails. (Metagame: The grey dust was insufficient to perform a Raise Dead, and Ahktor was still dead when Malachi attempted to scry on him. The Liches had true resurrected him just before the High Priest had been instructed to do so.)

Both the High Priest and Malachi were baffled as to what had happened to Ahktor. The next day Malachi returns to Brightstone and endeavours to scry on his other companions & locates them crossing a foreign Plane. Magically communicating with Umgar, Malachi is informed that they had fled the battle with the Liches and were now seeking the Tongue of Flame. Malachi has no magicks enabling him to join his friends across planar boundaries & says he will do what he can to help the Ugarri people, and will try to contact them regularly..

Making use of two days in study before the scheduled arrival of the Arma at Brightstone, Malachi is able to uncover nothing on the fate of his friend Ahktor. In addition all appears to be going well with his other companions’ quest on Isgard. Overcoming many adversaries, they had arrived at the divine adobe of Surtur and been granted an audience, the awe-stricken Umgar was given cryptic directions as to the location of the Sword.

When the Arma arrives at Brightstone, Malachi is introduced to Kelmek, the elven captain of the Arma & his Lieutenant Zala. The leader of the guard contingent, Sir Mandrake is reputed to be a mighty warrior and Malachi is very intrigued by a Holy warrior named Ull, an envoy from the Pale Keep.
And so the Arma sets out, first stop- Retheim. Frost Giants working to make it an outpost of their own, but this time with a much larger contingent of guards again populated the overrun Ugarri outpost. Their numbers serve them to no avail however, as the Frost Giants are torn apart by the powerful fireballs erupting from the Arma’s turrets. A few Frost Giants taking shelter in the partially reconstructed Fort are killed in melee by Sir Mandrake, William (Mandrake’s squie) & Ull whilst they were supported by Malachi’s magicks, A few Frost Giants are allowed to escape in order to carry word of the powerful warship to the rest of the Frost Giant army.

Continuing on to the only remaining Ugarri outpost, Grondheim. The Ugarri have heard no word of the Undead inhabiting Morheim, and thus are grief stricken when Malachi relates what they have found. Wishing to see for himself the great library spoken of by Ahktor, Malachi invites the Council Seer to travel aboard the Arma to Morheim. 
He then explains to the Ugarri the nature of the help that Onrek is willing to offer the Ugarri people. New lands, far more clement than the icy wasteland they currently inhabit were available around Tara’s Keep. Military assistance in the form of the Arma, to keep at bay the Frost Giant forces. In return however it was required by the Council that they become vassal allies of Onrek & permissive of trade without interference through the region they would inhabit.
The Ugarri have their doubts about abandoning their home, but realising that they have little choice if they wish to continue the existence of their people, decide to organise a migration of all those who are willing to leave. However such an expedition would take a number of days to organise, so Malachi decides that in the interim the can quickly visit Morheim in the Arma & then do what they can to prevent the Frost Giant’s interfering with the migration.

Visiting Morheim, the place is utterly deserted. The library is a mass of charred or petrified wreckage; only a small number of scraps are saved. The library also has two side rooms, one containing a massive astrolabe, the other what was once an arcane laboratory. Both immense doors to these rooms are inscribed with arcane of engineering lore, as appropriate, and unwilling to leave behind any knowledge that could prove interesting, Malachi orders the massive doors to be removed and taken aboard the Arma.
Devastated by the destruction of the eagerly sought-out library, Malachi makes use of powerful magicks granted to him by his Staff of Divining to discover that not only as there ANOTHER library similar to the one which had been destroyed, but that Bes had taken a portion of the now-destroyed library with him.

Travelling deeper into Frost Giant territory, several patrols are encountered and destroyed, any survivors giving directions to the location of their main city. This city is then approached & it is discovered that it is in fact a massive cave complex- virtually immune to bombardment from the warship.
Malachi, Sir Mandrake, William and Ull are set down a short distance away & continue on foot towards the cavern complex. Enroute a group of Frost Giant warriors confront the party, but are dissuaded from attacking the party possibly from fear of the massive ship hovering nearby. Malachi successfully persuades the Frost Giant patrol leader to take them into the city in order to arrange an audience with the Frost Giant King, who is referred to in a deific fashion by the Frost Giant troops.

Despite the fear of treachery from the Frost Giants, the party allows themselves to be led deep into the cavernous complex, and eventually to a reception with the Frost Giant King.
Malachi attempts to convince the Ugarri King that he need not lose anymore of his army to the might of the Arma, if he just allows the Ugarri to leave peacefully. 
The King is tempted to agree to a temporary armistice, however knowing he cannot be seen as weak by his people, informs the group that before he can agree to such a deal the party must prove their might by defeating a powerful creature.
Wondering what they are getting themselves into, the party agrees & are given permission to rest and prepare for the coming battle. The next morning they are led to a giant arena, on the opposite side of which are a pair of immense doors looking as though they weighed at least several tons. And then these giant doors are slammed open by a mere gesture from an immense creature that was half-Frost Giant, half Dragon. And the party was a tad concerned that they may have bitten off more than they could chew….
However, well protected and enhanced by the magicks of Malachi, Ull, Mandrake and William fearlessly attack the monstrous creature and eventually it topples to the ground, bleeding from dozen of mighty wounds. The party is little better off, but still, victory was theirs & the King agreed to stop pressing into the Ugarri lands for one month, at which point they will be free for the taking.

Returning to Grondheim, the Ugarri are able to complete their preparations and in a matter of days set out in a giant train of…. Giants. Protected from danger by the ever-vigilant Arma, the Ugarri begin the first stage of their journey: to Marikest, where additional supplies are being prepared for them.

*Umgar, Teame and Bes:* After several successful combats on the plane of Isgard, an audience with Surtur himself, the assurance that Malachi is meeting with some success as the Arma rains death on the Frost Giants & after having gained a new companion, an elven Druid named Lia Nailo, the small group is beginning to feel that they may also be successful in their dangerous quest.
Their hopes become dashed as, with a piercing scream, the group is bombarded with harsh lances of sonic energy from above. Ythraks with riders begin an attack against the ill prepared party. Unable to do much as their foes circled overhead, out of the range of the party’s ability to strike back, Bes flees the battle, his fate unknown. As their erstwhile companion departs Umgar realises this is a battle they cannot win, grabs Teame & Lia and prepares to escape the only way available, via plane-shifting back to their home plane.
However the inaccuracy of such magicks results in disaster, they arrive high in the air of their home plane, and all they can see around them is ocean. (Metagame: Onrek is a relatively small continent & Umgar missed his target of Brightstone by a considerable margin.)


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## Look_a_Unicorn (May 9, 2003)

*Question for Moderators*

I'm probably missing something blatantly obvious, but can someone tell me what steps I need to take to change the title of the thread (ie from "Lords of Brightstone, updated 8/5/2003" to "Lords of Brightstone, updated (date)")?

Thanks for your help!


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## Drawmack (May 9, 2003)

we would be happy to have you list your updates on http://www.suryvial.com


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## Look_a_Unicorn (May 9, 2003)

*My Second non-History post, my first was evil and must be destroyed....*

Firstly, thanks for the offer Drawmack, what would be involved?

And now, an honest to god (mostly) present tense post 
The first section conatins the character summaries that are currently available. Some of the other players have given me a character history to put in here, but where they have not the entries are just based off my knowledge & impresions.

The Lords of Brightstone, Session played on 7/3/2003

*Current Character List:

Malachi Grimward, Lord of Brightstone Keep & Council Member of Onrek, Lvl 12/2 Mage/Mage-Noble of Onrek. Played by Me (Mortimer)

The only child of a proud family line, Malachi was born into a prosperous life. His parents however, instilled in Malachi the awareness that the benefits that he was born into existed only to allow him to better serve & protect those who were less fortunate.
Malachi’s protected upbringing was thrown into disarray upon his father’s courageous death. In a large battle between Onrek troops and several united Orcish tribes, Malachi’s father had volunteered to lead a squad of soldiers in a rearguard action, thus allowing the beleaguered Onrek troops time to withdraw & regroup.
Shattered by her husband’s death, Malachi’s mother retreated to a monastic lifestyle and used a large portion of the family wealth to send Malachi to the Academy Magicka. The Mage Academy catered well to Malachi’s fascination with such varied subjects as the ancient history of the Elven Empire, alchemy & the arcane arts. His agile mind and voracious desire to learn quickly allowed Malachi to be recognised as a very promising student.
Upon graduating many mages sought the promising young Mage as their apprentice. Malachi took service as a journeyman to the esteemed Council Mage Korugan, learning much & forming a healthy respect, although little true feeling for his harsh Mentor.
After a number of years serving his master, Malachi became curious as to the Master Mage’s secrecy regarding his research. Eventually his youthful curiosity overcame his innate desire to obey his master’s commands, and he undertook to watch his master experiment.
The reason for the secrecy quickly became clear: Malachi watched in horror as Korugan summoned and bound a demon- a black art strictly forbidden in the lands of Onrek. 
Hastening to the authorities Malachi quickly convinced a hastily assembled Council of the truth of his words & led a squad of troops back to arrest his old Master. Catching him by surprise, Korugan and his demonically summoned allies were quickly defeated and Korugan was given over to the land’ justice. As a reward, Malachi was promoted onto the Onrek Council to replace the now-disgraced Korugan’s position and even granted Korugan’s preferred weapon, the Scepter of Ve'arteal. This Scepter was known to be a relic of the elven empire, rumoured to have numerous powers- none of which seemed to function.
Wishing time alone to reflect and study, Malachi spent most all the remaining wealth bestowed on him by his mother purchasing and equipping an alchemist’s shop & laboratory in a small town named Marikest in the quiet north of Onrek. Malachi believed that the profits from the alchemy business would easily be able to fund his continued studies. 
After several years, while he had amassed a deal of wealth selling his valuable wares, it became apparent that maintaining the shop would take the majority of his time, leaving little for study & even less to fulfill his duties as a Council Member. 
Becoming impatient with the restrictions the life of a shop-keeper placed upon him, Malachi is thus quite prepared to join a group of adventurers after they declare a desire to clear the land around Marikest of a dangerous group of Orcish raiders. Malachi asks his cousin Undru to take over the running of his shop.

Malachi exemplifies a lawful good Lord. He is working hard to increase the prosperity of Marikest, and of Northern Onrek. He believes that this is the only way to protect those whom he feels responsible for, although he thinks longingly of all the research he could be engaged in if his duties did not rest so heavily on his shoulders.
Malachi is currently responsible for trialing High Councilor Zarek's flying warship, "Arma". He has been given permission to use the warship as a foil to the Frost Giants while an evacuation of the remaining Ugarri is carried out.

Teame, Ugarri (Half Giant) Berserker, Lvl 2/8/3
Barbarian/Fighter/Ugarri. Played by Chunky
A rugged, well traveled adventurer from the harsh icelands of the North. Unlike most of his kind, Teame had a feirce desire to leave his community and see fortune and fame out in the big wide world. He has traveled over most of Onrek, sometimes in small advernturing partys like the current one, often alone. His experiences taught him much, and his combat skills improved
as did his desire to help others in need, no matter what their race.
Scattered over the world are villages and towns indebeted to him for some act of heroism, and in some parts he is quite famous. He never stays in one place too long however, his soul is restless, ever seeking new challanges and new people to assist. 

An event occured a few years into his career that changed the half giant forever. While traveling the wild lands to the south, he came upon an isolated temple, dedicated to the Kord. Previous to this encounter, Teame had never worshiped any gods, save for a polite acknowledgement of
the gods worshiped by the Ugarii. The warrior decides to check the temple out, maybe they have some sort of quest for him. However, as he approaches the temple, out comes a hoast of Bugbears and Ogers. The monstors attack the warrior, but Teame's battle experience and resolve see him through. The monstors are driven off, but not before Teame suffers several mortal wounds. Inside the temple are a several clerics of the god kord, captured by the monstors, who are rescued by Teame upon his arival. The clerics heal the Half Gient back to perfect health over the next few weeks, during which time Teame is forced to remain at the temple. Teame is taught much by the priests of Kord, and learns that the ideals of the god are identical to his own. Having witnessed the miricles the god has to offer first hand is more enough to convert him
to worshiping the God. Teame returns often to the temple over the next few years, learning from the priests, and protecting the temple with his sword. Teame swears a sacred oath to always perform the work of Kord, always seeking out and destroying evil wherever it lurks, and spreading
the word of the great god's power. In return the clerics combine their powers to forge two twin Holy Blades, Mecurial Greatswords, imbued with the might of Kord, tempered in the holy waters of the Temple. As a symbol of his oath, the symbol of kord is tatooed to his chest. 
Not long after leaving the Temple, Teame learns of the threat to the Ugarii nations, and immediatly heads for his homeland. He meets Malachi and the others during the journey, and together they are able to give aid to the Ugarii people. Teame and a few other adventurers are forced to travel to another plane by magic, in order to escape undead horrors
disturbed in an ancient tomb. It just so happens that they arrives on the plane on which Kord himself resides. It is clear to the warrior that fate is guideing him towards a meeting with his god. Things do not go well however, for Teame and the others of the party are ambushed by
Ythrax, and forced to flee the plane once more. They return home, having gained nothing for all their journeys, and now they are in worse danger than ever before, for the magics have gone wrong, they have fallen into the ocean.. possibly miles off shore...

Ull, Envoy of the Pale Keep, Lvl 13 Paladin, Played by Is’mael
Attached to High Councilor Zarek's flying warship project as a gesture of goodwill between Onrek and the reclusive forces of the Pale Keep. Has a slight dislike of Mages and their "meddling with forces better left undisturbed", especially the arrogant Magocracy of Onrek.

Sir Mandrake, Knight of Onrek, Lvl 13 Fighter, Played by Griffin
(Sir Mandrake' Cohort/Squire is named William & is served by a Page, John)
A loyal Knight of Onrek charged with upholding the law of Onrek and the Virtues of Knighthood. As a reward for successfully executing a small war in southern Onrek has been given the charge of Guard Captain for the troop contingent aboard the Arma. Any association with the Arma is considered most prestigious.

Umgar, Ugarri Cleric/Ugarri, Lvl 11/3, Played by Rurik
As the Frost Giants pushed steadily into the Ugarri homelands in the mountains west of Marikest, Umgar left on a mission to request aid from the forces of the humans that oral histories indicate allied with the Ugarri in times past. Arriving near to Marikest he found Lord Malachi's group battling an encroaching Orcish horde set to decimate all of Northern Onrek united by a cabal of Ogre-Magi under the leadership of a powerful Warlord (secretly under the control of a pit-fiend, Musharvik).
A bargain was struck, Umgar would assist the Lords of Brightstone and then the Lords would turn their efforts towards helping the Ugarri people. After many adventures, and the hard-fought Battle of Marikest where the Cabal was destroyed by the combined forces of the Marikest militia, their recently discovered allies the Klackons, troops sent from central Onrek and magical suits of armor animated by the magicks of Ahktor and Malachi, as well as the Lords themselves.
Thus Malachi, true to his word, worked within the council to succor aid for the Ugarri people, and was granted the use of the warship Arma, as well as permission to resettle the Ugarri people in the mountains dividing Northern Onrek and Southern Onrek as part of Malachi's plan to re-discover a lost pass through the mountains that would allow trade to commence between the two halves of the continent.
However while traveling throughout the Ugarri lands in an effort to reestablish contact with the besieged Ugarri strongholds, the group encountered an Ugarri stronghold untouched by the Frost Giants, but destroyed from within and now host to many undead creatures. In a pitched battle with Liches in a vast library discovered below the stronghold, Umgar, Teame and Bes were forced to flee to another plane, while Ahktor fled the battle. (Malachi was in Onrek (the capital) at the time.)

While only a few know what befell Ahktor during this time, Umgar, Teame and Bes have since had many adventures on this other plane...
(That I was not present for and those cannot write up, except in a general fashion)


Relevant NPC's
Ahktor, Recent Appointee to Council of Onrek, Sorcerer Lvl 17. Last played by Griffin.
Ahktor returned to Brightstone after his battle in the library somewhat subdued. He informed Malachi that he had eventually proven victorious over the undead forces and spoke of a great library underground. A few days after this, Ahktor inexplicably vanished with all his items neatly stored away and only pale grey dust remaining. It should be noted that during the adventures to free the Ugarri he befriended a dragon named Ash and her young, who are temporarily lodged in the upper (treasure) hold of Brightstone.

Bes, Planar Wanderer. Half-Kobold, Half-Dragon, Rogue/Gatecrasher Lvl 6/5, last played by Is’mael
Appearing in the middle of Ahktor's extra-planar Magnificent Mansion one day, he agreed to accompany the group for a time and grant to Malachi all he knew of planar travel, and in exchange required the party to assist him in returning to the outer planes once they had finished aiding the Ugarri. In the library battle he grabbed several tomes (all that would remain of thousands, as the library was destroyed in the fight). During the planar travels he flees in the final battle against Ythraks.

Tara, human fighter (reincarnated as a black bear) Lvl 10, last played by Is’mael.
Once a Lord of Brightstone, now her giant furry body remains in stasis, completely mindless after a bad draw from a Deck of Many Things. Malachi hopes to one day research what has happened to her soul and free his friend from whoever has her ensnared.

Ugman, Half-Orc Fighter Lvl 10, last played by Is’mael
The only Lord of Brightstone apart from Malachi remains of the original group. He has been retired from active adventuring for many months, training the guard contingent of Brightstone. However the powerful sword that he wields has been pressing him to find it's twin armor, and despite Malachi's urgings to wait for the expedition he has assembled to set-out (the expedition awaits only Malachi, whose other duties have so far kept him busy) he is sore tempted to leave and begin searching at once.


Current Day (Session played 7th March, 2003)

Plunging into the ocean’s depths, Teame is inexorably dragged into the ocean’s depths by the weight of his armour and giant long swords. He struggles to cast them off, but before shedding the encumbering plate he has been dragged hundreds of feet into the ocean's murky depths. Breathless, his mouth opens, yet only water pours in. As blackness starts to film over his vision he finds himself in the gauzy light of a strange elsewhere. A cowled figure offers him another chance of life in return for future service.

Having no choice but to accept, Teame awakes to find himself on the shores near Nharden Keep, his armour & swords returned to him. Locating a mage, Teame asks to be teleported to Brightstone Keep, and after paying a stiff fee finds himself in the home talked about by his adventuring companions.
Explaining himself to be a friend of Malachi’s, the guard summons the Seneschal to deal with the confused warrior. Seneschal Maros arrives and Teame asks to talk to Malachi, but is told that Malachi is currently on board the Arma, escorting the column of Ugarri refugees, but that he can talk to Ahktor!!
Pleased to discover his friend safely home, Teame meets Ahktor and after a few desultory attempts at conversation with the seemingly distracted Sorcerer, is taken with Ahktor on board the Arma. Without another word Ahktor vanishes back to Brightstone.
Somewhat hurt by his companion’s cold welcome, he explains to the guards now levelling weapons at him that he is a friend of Malachi’s & asks to be taken to him. Looking over the rail of the warship he is pleased to see that his people have been able to begin their migration successfully.
Teame is taken to Malachi’s room on ship and despite an initial surliness at having his studies interrupted, once his visitor’s identity becomes apparent Teame is warmly welcomed.
Teame relates the tales of his adventures on Isgard & after removing his armour shows Malachi two strange burn marks that have appeared on his chest that still glow as though they are charcoal. Not knowing what to make of them, Malachi introduces Teame to Ull and Sir Mandrake who are also not able to shed much light on the strange marks, but think they may have some religious significance.
As the small group catch up with each other’s recent history, Malachi is shocked to hear of Bes leaving the others, but decides that all can be forgiven if Bes returns the books taken from the library to them… but is then heartened to hear of Ahktor’s return to Brightstone.

The column of refugees have now reached the vicinity of the grandiose castle being built to house forces to protect the North, and Malachi leaves the Arma to inspect progress. Noting the large numbers of Gnomish slaves working at the site, Malachi is given a tour of all work now completed. The overworked Overseer is quite glad to hear that now that Ahktor has returned, he should be given some assistance. Malachi also requests that more local labour be used in the construction rather than slaves.
Finally Malachi asks to be taken to the Engineers and Architects responsible for the castle. After sharing a drink with them he gives them copies of notes taken from the strange engineering designs copied from the massive doors taken from below Morheim, asking them to see if they can determine their function.

While the Arma continues on with the refugees, Malachi teleports ahead to Brightstone where he immediately visits Ahktor to welcome him back. Ahktor seems somewhat distracted and not that interested in what his friend is saying, until he is presented with the Council Ring & Deed that Malachi has been awaiting the chance to present. Additional animation fills the withdrawn Sorceror once the chest containing Ahktor’s previously abandoned items is presented to him.
Malachi then details the steps he took to ascertain his friend’s fate, and expectantly awaits an answer as to why all the magicks used failed. Ahktor explains that he had been working on focusing his powers into a new spell and the experiment went badly wrong. Unsure of what happened, he regained consciousness on the outskirts of Onrek- butt naked- a few days ago. Although unsatisfied with this answer, Malachi does not press his friend further & instead asks if he has any knowledge of another library, similar to that destroyed in the battle with the Liches, as Malachi had used arcane magicks previously to determine that such a library MUST exist, but had found no hints of it’s location in the ruins of Morheim. Ahktor is again of no assistance.
Ahktor then declines to join Malachi in a drink to celebrate his return, explaining he has much work to do and that he must shortly leave to begin overseeing the castle’s construction. Glad that his friend is safe and taking his Council duties seriously, Malachi is still somewhat hurt by Ahktor’s coldness.

Returning to his own chamber Malachi summons Maros, the 
Seneschal, who gives a full report on local events. Maros then informs Malachi that there is someone he should talk to. Taken to Brightstone’s small infirmary, Malachi meets Marcus, Reg Ty’djarling’s deputy. Marcus is covered in many wounds & residual fear remains in his eyes. Marcus haltingly explains that Reg had taken his two deputies with him to explore the area around Tara’s Keep in the Dragonspine Mountains. All was going well until they located & began exploring the Keep itself. They had been set upon by vicious foes who attacked from the cover of darkness. Marcus relays how he managed to escape & return, but does not know the fate of the others.
Realising he will have to delay the departure of the waiting expedition to the Elven Ruins once again to deal with this new threat, Malachi sends a messenger to the underground Klackon empire requesting a small number of scouts to assist in exploring the darkness of Tara’s Keep.

As soon as the Arma arrives the next day, Malachi leaves orders to make the refugees comfortable while the small group of adventurers & the Klackon scouts continue on to investigate whatever new dangers are infesting Tara’s Keep.
The swift airship allows them to reach Tara’s Keep in under a day, and the companions set down on the roof. The party then begins to cautiously search the levels of the Keep one at a time.
An attack by Orcs & Goblins is easily repulsed, with the few remaining Goblins fleeing to the keep’s lower levels. Teame, Ull, Sir Mandrake & William chase after them in close pursuit. Malachi and the Klackons choose a more cautious approach and ensure that no other foes remain on their current level before descending.
The goblins manage to evade their pursuers. Or perhaps their intent was to lure them into a trap, for as the warriors begin to retrace their steps, slithering black ooze appears, blocking their return. Possessing the fastest reflexes, William hurls a sword deep into the quivering mass.
The ooze splits and the thrown sword clangs to the ground, melted away to almost nothing.
Not noticing the fate of his companion’s weapon, Teame steps forward and delivers a multitude of powerful blows to the creature, each one causing it to split into multiple portions of the original entity, but even more worrying dissolving his most valued possessions, the two mercurial great swords that had been his closest companions for years.
The numerous split oozes strike back at the group, pseudopods dripping acid slamming hard against armour. The warriors manage to avoid or fling off most the acid before it could do much damage to them, but are dismayed when another of the Black Puddings emerge from the staircase behind them, cutting off a retreat in that direction. Unable to use their weapons to any effect, Teame draws forth a Javelin of Lightning, and although the blaze of electric energy damages his friends, it also smashes apart all but one of the segments of the original pudding.
Taking advantage of this opportunity, Ull springs past the pudding which fails to connect as it lashes out at the agile warrior. Taking advantage of his freedom, Ull breaks into a sprint in the direction of the upper levels, realising that the magical powers of Malachi will be far more effective against these creatures than any weapons the warriors currently wield.

As Ull ascends several flights of stairs, Malachi hears his cries for assistance. Realising the situation must be urgent for the Warrior to call upon a mage for assistance, Malachi recklessly plunges down the stairs.
Ull quickly explains the situation & with no time wasted the two arrive at the scene of the battle, Malachi lets forth a barrage of magical missiles, unwilling to let loose more powerful magicks as his companions would also be caught in their area of effect. Quickly enough the weakened ooze is dispatched and the embattled warriors are able to flee behind Malachi, who erects a defensive shield and batters the remaining ooze with powerful spells. In one swift & smooth motion the ooze glides towards Malachi, punches through the defensive screen in a shower of sparks and envelops him inside it’s acidic bulk. Magical defences temporarily absorbing the ooze’s acid, Malachi is in a dire situation as he cannot get a hand free to cast any spells to destroy the creature. Although his companions try to tear the ooze off Malachi there is little they can do. As his defences fail, Malachi remembers the circlet about his brow, retrieved back at the Tomb of Vosh the Defiler. With a thought, Malachi unleashes a blast of magical energy directly into the core of the creature blowing it apart into hundreds of swiftly dissolving gobbets (Metagame: Critical hit from A Circlet of Minor Blasting)
Trailing a depressed Teame who believed that the loss of his swords indicated that he had fallen out of favour with his god Kord, the weary group returns to the Arma to rest & reequip.


And if you don't know why it's titled "My Second non-History post, my first was evil and must be destroyed...." it's because I accidently posted the exact same thing originally as a new thread rather than reply. If it still exists it needs to be hunted down and painlessly put to sleep...*


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## Look_a_Unicorn (May 10, 2003)

Hmmmm it would appear that my old write-ups are in the past tense, even though they are not history summaries. I think it took me a while to become accustomed to writing in present tense 


*The Lords of Brightstone Keep, Session played on 24/3/2003 *

*Previously:* After having safely escorted the Ugarri refugees to Marikest, it was discovered that since it’s creation, Tara’s Keep had become infested by an unknown enemy. 
The party flew from Brightstone to Tara’s Keep aboard the Arma, intent on discovering the fate of the scouts that had not returned..
The party disembarked from the Arma on to the roof of the Keep and began to methodically work their way down through the levels. In a series of skirmishes the warriors spread ahead of the rest of the party and soon find themselves trapped in a corridor between two acidic oozes that their weapons cannot harm. Before Malachi could arrive to assist, Teame’s swords, granted to him by the clerics of Kord, had been dissolved into useless scrap. The party narrowly escaped becoming dissolved into ooze mulch.



Upon returning to the Arma, the ship’s cleric healed many of the party’s burns, however he could do nothing for Teame’s spirit. Believing that his God had abandoned him due to his failures in combat, Teame withdrew into a cabin to ponder. When he emerged it was to grimly announce that he wished to rejoin the Ugarri survivors at Marikest, and that he would not travel with the party any further. He did not think that the presence of a god-forsaken warrior would be of any benefit to the group.

Saddened that the indefatigable warrior would not continue, Malachi requested that those who wished to continue investigating the Keep meet in his chamber aboard ship after they had rested. The following morning Ull, Sir Mandrake with William & the Klackon scouts joined Malachi, quite prepared to continue the good fight.
Malachi then opened his magical Haversack and laid out item after item foreign to the warriors. He explained that they were various alchemical concoctions that might be useful if their steel were ever again insufficient to combat their foes: Alchemist’s Fire, potent Acid, luminous packets of fine powder, strange spheres filled with a sticky mess & spherical rocks that reverberated alarmingly at the slightest touch were all offered to the warriors, however only the Alchemist’s Fire, Acid and Glow Powder were of any any interest.

Thus equipped the group again disembarked on the roof of Tara’s Keep. After ordering the Klackons to double-check for re-infestation of the already explored levels, Malachi took point and the group descended into the unexplored regions.
The levels down to the ground floor all seemed to be uninhabited, but a stairwell in a smoothly carved corridor descended deeper into the earth beneath the Keep.
Suspicion of the seemingly innocent stairwell proved justified as Malachi’s probing staff located a stair that wasn’t….quite right. Not willing to test the results of stepping on it, Malachi warned the other warriors & carved a glowing warning into the wall beside the step, to warn the following Klackons of the trap.

The stairwell terminated in a room that was split by a gaping chasm, easily 10 feet across. Peering over the edge it seemed to extend far beyond the range of Malachi’s lantern, although the sound of dimly rushing water could be heard.

The room on either side was bare, with no place to anchor a rope to allow easier crossing. “I could Fly across and then hold a rope for you to….” Malachi began to offer but Ull interrupted with a sharp “Do you need to use magic for everything Malachi, it is not that far across- if we jump from that higher section of the room we should be able to clear the gap easily.”

Somewhat irritated Malachi responded “Of course I need not use magic for everything. But I still think it better if I cross first with a rope, if I fall my magic can prevent it being a fatal drop- something all your strength would not be able to prevent.”

Handing one end of his rope to Sir Mandrake & tieing the other about his waist, Malachi then prepared himself to leap across the chasm. With a heave of exertion he flung himself across the yawning blackness below…then exhaled sharply as his midriff impacted heavily against the lip of the chasm on the other side. Managing to prevent himself sliding off into the chasm- and ignoring what might have been snickering coming from his onlooking companions, he laboriously levered his winded body up onto the comfortingly horizontal floor on the other side, content to lay there catching his breath right up until Ull’s heavily booted feet crashed into the ground barely a foot from his head. All he had to meet the grin of the Holy Warrior was a disgruntled glare, so he handed his end of the rope to Ull with the comment “Our strength combined is far more likely to be able to support the weight of Mandrake if he fails to make the jump”. This was to be a somewhat prophetic statement as with a grunt Sir Mandrake slammed into the chasm wall several feet below the edge, and only just managed to cling onto the rope with panicked strength. Concerned for his Master’s safety, William leaped across the chasm without awaiting the return of the rope and was able to land lightly next to those struggling to hold the weight of his Master. The strength of the three combined was enough to haul the heavily armoured Knight back up and over the edge- albeit not without a horrific screeching of plate mail on rock.

Aware that any enemies waiting nearby would have had time to prepare for their coming, the party moved south down the single corridor exiting the room, Malachi behind the two warriors with flaming Sceptre raised high to provide light for the group.
The corridor was quite short and terminated in a smoothly featureless square room with further passages heading off to the left and right. The group’s caution upon entering the room was justified as two clusters of orc archers on either side of the room let fly at Sir Mandrake, luckily his sturdy armour & upraised shield prevented all but a few of the arrows from causing more than superficial wounds.
As Sir Mandrake & William charge the Orcs on the left, Ull and Malachi chase after those on the right. The Orcs hold firm for a short time as they are reinforced by a goblin magic user. The resistance is short lived however, as well placed blows from Ull’s sword & Malachi’s sceptre are quite adept at bringing down their green-skinned foes. Several Orcs in the back ranks turn tail and flee into the darkness beyond the range of the light cast by Malachi’s sceptre. As Ull & Mandrake pursue the fleeing Orcs, the Scepter’s light is no longer available to Sir mandrake & William- light that they needed to be able to fight their own foes.

Able to do little other than attempt to shelter behind their shields as the Orcish archers sent volley after volley of arrows into the blind warriors, Sir Mandrake shouted over his shoulder for Malachi to get his arse back over here…and realising the predicament he had left his companions in Malachi returned with all haste.
At last able to strike back against their assailants, William and Sir Mandrake leapt forward and hacked down the Orcish archers with vicious glee.
Regrouping again a short time later, Malachi handed his lantern over to William, sternly disapproving of the lack of forethought displayed by the supposedly experienced adventurers.
As the group discussed their next step, William pointed out a chute in the roof above, again of an unnaturally smooth nature.
Volunteering to explore the chute, Malachi casts Fly upon himself and rapidly ascends into the dark chute mouth. Finding nothing other than smooth tunnels branching off in three directions, to the South, East & West, Malachi calls down to the others that he would explore further & return if he encountered trouble. Setting off down the Eastern passage, the chutes seem to follow the same layout as the corridors below, with vertical chutes opening up into the rooms below. 
Not long after Malachi vanished into the darkness of the chute, Ull, Sir Mandrake & William hear a heavy thudding. Progressively it gets closer, and the three warriors prepare themselves, setting the lantern on the ground to shine at the corridor from which the ominous sound is emerging. A vaguely humanoid shape, easily 15 feet tall, emerges out of the darkness. It appeared to be composed of entirely of mud & earth, and as each club-like foot came down the corridor reverberated with the weight of the impact.
Realising that this was not a creature that would be willing to sit down to tea & biscuits, the warriors leap into action. William hurls one of his long swords like a spear. It plunges into the chest of the creature and emerges with a slurping noise on the other side, apparently without effect. Sir Mandrake & Ull both stop forward and endeavour to hack chunks from the torso of the creature, but their swords emerge with a similar slurping sound with the rents caused closing over instantaneously. The creature then brings its immense arms round in a series of slow but deadly attacks. The warriors are able to deflect or avoid the full brunt of the impacts for a time, even taking opportunities that arise to leap forward and sink their blades deep into their opponents, until finally Ull’s guard drops and he is smashed to one side by a solid blow, his sword flying out of his hand & off into the darkness.
Fortunatly, Sir Mandrake has managed to occupy the creature long enough for Ull to get back on his feet and rejoin the fray, but with his sword lost in the gloom Ull is forced to rely on the adamantine gauntlets that encase his fists. This proves fortuitous, as, with a series of powerful blows to the creature’s chest, Ull is able to force the creature to back. It appears that while their blades have no impact on the creature, Ull’s adamantine gauntlets have the capability to smash pieces off the creature, weakening it. As Sir Mandrake attempts to act as a distraction to allow the Paladin to concentrate on attacking, Ull slams his fists again and again into the earthen bulk of the creature. The slugging match is not entirely one-sided however, as numerous blows drive both Sir Mandrake & Ull to their knees, battered & bruised, their armour crushed in many places. With a final surge of strength Ull leaps back up & with a massive uppercut, causes the creature to rock back….and finally crumble into a pile of mud as the magicks binding it together fail beneath the Paladin’s reckless attacks.
Malachi rounds the corner a few moments later after having heard the sounds of combat to find Ull & Sir Mandrake clutching numerous wounds with William attempted to watch all approaches at once for further attackers.
Realising that the warriors were on the verge of death, Malachi attempts to heal their wounds with healing potions & alchemical salves. Ull stops him saying that such healing does not appear to be powerful enough to close the wounds the creature had caused.
Malachi is quite curious as to the nature of the attacker that can cause such wounds, but grows apprehensive once the warriors describe the humanoid attacker composed of mud & earth. Malachi shares his fears, “I believe that your foe was a Clay Golem. Such constructs are powerful guardians indeed, far more powerful than you would expect a nest of Orcs & Goblins to possess.”
Malachi beseeches the others to cross the chasm once more and wait for him there, as he would like to explore the one room he found that seemed to lead deeper into the underground dungeon- a room barred on each side by massive portcullis’s, the nearer side being open (presumably to let loose the clay golem, as evidenced by the trail of large muddy footprints leading out through it…).
Investigating the far portcullis, Malachi can find no means of opening the barrier. Even daring to risk his weasel familiar, Squeak, to investigate the corridor beyond for levers or pulleys availed no further information. Malachi knew that none of his spells would be powerful enough to move or destroy such a solid barrier and so is somewhat at a loss.
Hearing guttural Orc voices approaching from the darkness of the corridor behind the portcullis, Malachi decides to try a more stealthy means of entry. After turning invisible he flies up to hide against the roof of the room…then curses his stupidity as the Orcs give a shout of surprise as they notice the seemingly source-less light floating on the roof. Malachi had forgotten to deactivate the flames on the Sceptre and although he was invisible, the Sceptre was still throwing off light.

Realising he would have no chance of sneaking in now, Malachi glumly returns to where the others wait (flying easily over the chasm, and with far more grace than his earlier leap). The group ascends through the levels of the Keep without incident, regaining contact with the vigilantly patrolling Klackons who report that the upper levels had remained completely deserted. After reboarding to the patiently waiting Arma it is decided to travel back to Marikest in order to locate healing powerful enough to close the still bleeding wounds of Ull & Sir Mandrake.


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## Look_a_Unicorn (May 13, 2003)

I should be able to post another update tonight or tomorrow night.
Two more, and then I'll only be able to update as aften as we play- and seeing as how the DM is spending most of his waking hours working on his final year project- a form of electro-magnetic propulsion, that will most likely only be once a fortnight or so.

So should I maintain this story hour, or should the moderators prune it as dead weight?
Do not view this thread if you opt for pruning 

And writing style criticism is still, as always, greatly appreciated.


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## Look_a_Unicorn (May 13, 2003)

Session Played on 5/4/2003, Part 1

*The Feacal Material Strikes the Rotating Air Displacers *

*New Characters:*

*Arrold* (Human Male Mage/Rogue/Arcane Trickster) Played by Chunky
Arrold should have been amongst the same group of Alumni from the Academy Magicka as Malachi, however many accumulated minor infringements, primarily as a result of jokes played on fellow students or teachers, resulted in Arrold being dismissed from the Academy on the grounds of “A soul not suited to the dedication needed to master serious Arcane Arts”.
After bidding his friends goodbye, he then began to jaunt around the Planes- however he unwisely “borrowed” an item of some importance from a Succubus who tracked him down & made him her servant. It took Arrold a long time, two years in fact, to discover a means of breaking the magical compulsion bonding him to the Succubus- but break the bonds he did, and studies he had conducted in secret allowed him to master the arts necessary to bond her to HIS will.
Returning to the Prime after his long enforced servitude, he left the Succubus to pursue certain goals while he took one of her minions, a Quasit, along as his new familiar. The Quasit, Geeh, allowed him to keep in regular contact with the Succubus. Once on the Prime he found a job advertising what seemed to be easy, quick cash- a Lord Malachi of Brightstone needed explorers to investigate an area on the fringes of civilisation & report back any dangers in the area, a snip for someone with Arrold’s talents…. More importantly if he played his cards right he might get a chance at this Lord Malachi’s treasury as well….

*Lia Nailo* (Half-Elf Female Druid) Played by Nerinda
Lia helped Teame, Umgar and Bes to fight a group of Githyanki who were torturing a group of villagers on the Plane of Isgard, and then agreed to accompany them further as the same group of Githyanki recently defeated had already devastated the area that was originally her charge.
As the ill-fated plane-shifting back to the Prime & into the Ocean, took place, Lia was able to change her form into that of a whale & thus not drown, but could do little as Teame & Umgar plunged swiftly into the depths, dragged down by their armour. Swimming in what she hoped was the right direction, Lia eventually came across land & a nearby village was able to give her directions to Nharden Keep. However the villagers had never heard of “Brightstone Keep” that Teame and Umgar had detailed as the home of their friends.
Luckily, at Nharden Keep Lia was able to get directions to Brightstone. (“Head on that road leading South love, you’ll get there eventually. Brightstone is the Keep that watches over Marikest.”)


*Previously:* Deeper expeditions into the strange underground region carved beneath Tara’s Keep have been dogged by traps, geological perils, ambushes and monstrous defenders. It is revealed how woefully short of adventuring equipment the party currently is. And after all that, the progress of the mighty adventurers was thwarted by a mere physical barrier.


Back onboard the Arma, Malachi researches what is necessary to heal the wounds inflicted on his companions by the powerful Clay Golem. As the tip of his Diviner’s Staff casts a pale light against his old student’s tome on Construct Lore, it becomes apparent that the wounds will only be closed by very powerful healing magic. “Lorren, back in Marikest has the awesome power to raise the dead from their graves, alive and not gibbering on about “braaiiiinnns.” Surely these wounds will not be beyond his piety” Malachi told his suffering companions.
Coincidentally the word brain was also currently passing through Arrold’s mind, in the context of “Where are these guardsmen’s brains” as he explained himself to the gate guard for the second time “Yes, I’m here to speak to the Lord of Brightstone. A notice in Onrek said he was after scouts and…”
“Ahhhh” The light dawned upon the Guard’s face, “Sorry, it’s just that the Lord has already returned, trailing an army of giant men too, can you believe it!! They’re just outside Marikest now.” An impatient glint in Arrold’s eye caused the guard to get back on track. “Well, the scouts came back already you see. Leastways, some of them did. And Lord Malachi returned just yesterday.”
“Well where’s he gone and how long will it take, how many days travel is it to this Tara’s Keep?”
With a slight stiffening of displeasure the guard angrily responded to the insulting tone in Arrold’s manner “Lord Malachi’s ordered that flying ship to take him on some kind of rescue mission to Tara’s Keep. He always has been a bit daft like that.”
“Well who is in charge with Lord Malachi gone?” Arrold managed to ask with a degree more civility.
“Why that would be the Lord Ugman usua..” was all the guard managed to get out before Arrold interrupted with “Well then, may I speak to Lord Ugman?”
Closing his still open mouth the guard sucked in his breath before responding “Usually it would be no because Lord Ugman is quite happy sticking to proper fighting & training, not messing around with anything red-tapey, thank you very much. This time it’s no because he’s gone off on some quest or something. I think he was getting a bit irritable being cooped up. After all he hasn’t had anyone to fight since the Battle of Marikest.”
This time Arrold interrupted the guard by holding up a gold coin in front of his face “Look, I’d love to hear you yap on all day, but instead, I’ll give you this if you take me to whoever it is that can get me in touch with Lord Malachi. Nod if you understand and agree.” Slowly the guard nodded, and then much faster took the offered coin. A curt reply of “I’ll take you to the Seneschal, my Lord” was far more satisfactory to Arrold then a history lesson from a guard with abominably bad breath.
A few minutes later the guard had discreetly attracted the attention of a harried looking Dwarf in very fine garments. Fine garments by dwarfish standards that is, meaning that the metal was of very high grade indeed.
“Seneschal Maros, I have a visitor by the name of Arrold who has business with Lord Malachi”. With a nod from Maros the guard saluted & headed back down the corridor to his post. Maros had meanwhile discreetly looked over the stranger with a critical eye. “Very well then, if you would like to accompany me, for the trivial cost of 20 gold you may use one of our communication stones. The fee is both to offset their cost, and to prevent you disturbing Lord Malachi with trivialities.” Maros’ broad grin indicated that it would probably also assist in purchasing a suit of mithral chain at some later date.


As the Arma rose into the sky once more, with orders to ascertain if any Frost Giants had been shadowing the path of the Ugarri, Malachi, Ull & Sir Mandrake bid farewell to Teame. With a final farewell the giant warrior began to stride off towards his people at their temporary encampment outside Marikest.
Malachi led Sir Mandrake & Ull through Marikest towards the recently expanded Temple of Pelor, home to the kindly cleric Lorren. Malachi was gratified to notice that although some children running after the intriguing sight, trying to match their giant strides, the Ugarri refugees seemed to have found a degree of acceptance amongst the people of Marikest.  There did however still appear to be some mixed reactions to the few insectoid Klackons who had begun to explore the human society in the lands above their underground Empire.
The acolyte standing outside the door to the Temple eyed the battered group with some concern, but his greeting was filled with respect and good humour as he informed them “Another acolyte has already gone to inform Lorren of your arrival, Lord Malachi. He will also be aware that you would have injured companions. We found out via the excited children gossip network a good 5 minutes ago.”
Malachi thanked the acolyte with a small smile and entered the temple antechamber, beautifully adorned with symbols of Pelor’s radiance. Shortly thereafter the aged cleric Lorren strode in with a wide smile for the group. The smile diminished somewhat once he viewed the condition that the warrior’s were in but with calm efficiency asked what he could do to help.
“Good Lorren, the magicks available to us have not the strength to heal these wounds. They require the most potent healing that the Gods provide to we mortals. Are these magicks that you can perform?”
“Ahhhh it saddens me that I cannot help you. I have not yet received such grace. However I think the temple vault may contain such powerful spells. Please wait here.” The aging cleric quickly left the room as acolytes brought the party watered wine & indicated that they should sit while they waited Lorren’s return. After a few minutes Lorren returned, clutching a dusty scroll case. He seemed somewhat hesitant as he approached the party.
“My Lord Malachi, I have located two scrolls that will perform the healing required- however they are the only such scrolls that we possess.”
“Good Lorren, it would be my pleasure to provide you with twice as much gold as you need to replace these scrolls!”
With a grateful nod, Lorren unfurled the fine vellum. As he began to speak in deep tones, light beamed through the stained glass windows over Sir Mandrake & Ull, until it was far too bright to look at directly. Suddenly the light dimmed, then died … and the grievous wounds that had been plaguing the warriors were gone as though they had never existed.
Lorren was left with both a writ to recover the gold from Malachi’s chest and the profuse thanks of the party. After spending some time chatting to the townsfolk of Marikest, the group then returned to the Arma & continued on to Brightstone.


Pocketing the small pouch tossed to him by Arrold, Maros turned to a shelf with a number of objects & picked up a small rock. “What message would you like to convey, good Sir?”
Before Arrold could respond a guard stepped in, saluted then announced “The watch has spotted the Arma approaching from the direction of Marikest, Seneschal.”
Maros cheerfully replaced the stone on the shelf and indicated that Arrold should follow him “It would appear that you have the opportunity to speak to Lord Malachi without need of the stone. Allow me to take you to him.”

Quashing the urge to regain his gold by making use of his small pouch-cutting knife, Arrold follows the Seneschal into Brightstone’s feasting hall, which apparently serves double duty as Malachi’s meeting room. Arrold has only to wait a short time before a small cluster of people entered the room, messengers being drawn into the swirl and then rocketing out again at a frenzied pace. Two heavily armoured warriors, one in strange purple plate-mail covered in arcane runes, seem amused by all the activity centred around their bearded companion in blood and travel-stained robes. Maros, standing slightly apart from the swirl waits for the flow of orders erupting from the Mage’s mouth to dry up, and then discreetly coughs to attract his attention.
“My Lord, this is the visitor Arrold, who desires a meeting with you.”
A surprisingly youthful grin split the Mage’s face, lightening his grave features considerably. “Arrold, old friend! We haven’t seen each other in…. six years now?”
Arrold looks puzzled as the unknown Lord extends a hand in greeting.
“Ummm, my Lord…it’s…good to see you…again?” Arrold uncertainly replied.
Malachi’s smile diminished slightly in disappointment “Arrold, it’s me. Malachi. Surely you haven’t forgotten the Academy already. Or perhaps you’ve been enchanted by a spell that effects your memory…” The Mage then stared intently at Arrold, as though he could dispel any such magicks with a mere gaze.
The intent gaze reminded Arrold of someone from the Academy Magicka…a friend in fact, constantly directing that same gaze at one dusty text or another.
“Malachi… as in Book-Nose Malachi?! You’re a Lord now? By Olidammara, of course I didn’t recognise you. The stories I had heard made me think of The Lords of Brightstone as great Heroes, and to be completely honest I had pictured you as more of the incredibly well qualified librarian type. It … took me a while to place your face under that beard too” said Arrold with good humour. “It is truly good to see you again! I’ve been wanting to tell you for ages how impressed I was when I heard of how you thwacked old Korugan!”
Malachi face turned slightly away as he replied in a distant tone “I thought that all who knew of that had been spell-bound to prevent them speaking of it with anyone but Council members?”
Arrold’s eyes darted imperceptibly to the left “An acquaintance of mine let it slip in a period of indiscretion.” he grinned with easy humour.
“Never mind… that. They are not the most pleasant of memories in any case. Although, you must then also know what he was doing? Summoning demons? I had to stop him, surely you would agree” the calm manner with which this is spoken nearly hides the beseeching need in Malachi’s eyes.
Aware of a topic that would always lead into far safer waters, Arrold begins with a sincere agreement, before asking “And is that not the Sceptre of Ve'arteal, one of the relics on which you based the research for your Graduating Exhibit”?
Malachi grinned and said, “Why else did you think I chose to work beneath Master Korugan? It was to get a chance to study the Artefact up close… and since then, in action.” Malachi grinned as he patted the weapon.
“It is indeed a pleasure to see you again Arrold, but I am most curious as to why you came to Brightstone in the first place, given that you couldn’t have been coming to see me.” Malachi politely inquired.
“Ahhhh, I have only recently returned to the Prime, and needed some fast cash. I read about the need for scouts & thought I’d come along and volunteer. Maybe earn a bit extra by actually taking out the monsters rather than just finding them” winked Arrold.
“Well to date the job of protecting this area from threats has fallen on the shoulders of those that are either Lords of Brightstone or on their way to becoming one. And as far as “something extra”, you would be receiving an equal share of any acquired treasure. I may even be able to make a few items for you.” The serious look on Malachi’s face lightens slightly as he raises an eyebrow to add, “It would be an honour to share your company once again, as long as you have not continued your habit of irritating pranks…” 
Arrold begins regaling Malachi with a few tales of pranks played, and by the time dinner is served Malachi is holding his sides for fear they will split.

As the servants bought out the evening meal, Malachi remembered his duties and introduced Arrold to his other two companions, Ull & Sir Mandrake. While Mandrake welcomes the newcomer, Ull remains slightly distant, wary of travelling with yet another magic user.
Feeling a gnawing on his boot, Arrold looks down to see Squeak going to work on the tough leather. He is about to…nudge… the animal away with his boot when he hears Malachi laughing at him. “You remember my companion Squeak, surely? He says he’ll leave your boot alone if you let whoever it is he smells in your pocket out to play with him”
With a grin, Arrold pulls a squirrel out of his side pocket & the two animals begin to chase each other around the room. “I didn’t think weasels lived this long Malachi?”
“Well no, not normally. But after I found out how to bond a familiar to aid me, well Squeak seemed the natural choice. He’s been with me ever since, and hardly looks a day older” Malachi smiled fondly at his scampering companion.
“And your squirrel, how did you come by him?”
“Ahhhh, Geeh was a gift from an acquaintance” Arrold replied evasively.
The conversation was interrupted as a guard strode up to the group, saluted and announced that another visitor had arrived at Brightstone’s guards.
“And the name of this visitor” inquired Malachi
The guard paled slightly as he realised that he hadn’t even thought to ask, “Sorry my Lord, I’m not sure. I was a bit taken aback when she appeared in front of me.”
“Appeared? She was invisible before then?”
“Well no my Lord, she was a bird.”
“A bird. Hmmmm. Well check her for weapons & spell components then send her in.”

The guard hurried out, quickly returning with a slim Elven lady clad in what looked to be sections of timber, joined by leather & horn.
The elven lady smiled pleasantly and introduced herself to the seated companions. “Good evening my Lords, I am Lia Nailo. I have come to ask you, the friends of my most recent companions, for assistance.”
Each of the party members greeted her & introduced themselves in turn before Sir Mandrake confidently asserted, “Fear not, good Lady. I am always willing to assist a damsel in need.”
Having heard of how she had changed from bird-form, Ull was not so quick to trust appearances “If she is truly in need, then of course we shall help. But first, my Lady, who are these companions that you call our friends.”
The blush that Sir Mandrake had caused to bloom in her cheeks faded somewhat as Lia Nailo turned to Ull and replied, slightly stiffly “I was referring to Bes, Umgar and Teame. They had mentioned Brightstone Keep as the home of friends of theirs. But if my presence here is a nuisance to you, then I shall depart.”
Malachi sought to break the tension as Ull & Lia eyed each other “Oh yes! How foolish of me to have forgotten. You are the companion that Teame spoke of, the one who joined them in the village where they fought the Githyanki, correct? Please, join us for dinner and tell us what assistance you seek.”
Breaking eye contact with Ull, Lia turned to Malachi and gave him a gracious nod before seating herself. As a servant brought out food & wine to the newly arrived Elf, Lia slowly began to speak “I am sorry to bear such ill tidings, but I must first inform you that Umgar & Teame have drowned. I tried to save them, but their armour dragged them into the depths too quickly for me to follow.”
Lia’s words did not have the devastating impact she had anticipated. Although an element of sadness crossed the features of Malachi, there was only understanding in his voice as he leant forward and softly spoke “We already had received words of these tiding from Teame. He returned by the power of some unknown being, and has gone to seek absolution from his God amongst his people. He told us of your efforts to rescue him & Umgar, for which I think you.”
As Lia opened her mouth in disbelief and started to speak, Malachi anticipated her question “I’m sorry, but no. We have not yet heard from him. It would seem that whatever creature saved Teame had no interest in Umgar.”
“Well. I see… will you drink with me? To Umgar’s memory” spoke Lia, as she raised her glass high.
The group all drank to the lost companion. Those who had never met Umgar still had great respect for the Warrior-Cleric, due to their companions’ tales of his courage and heart.

After a quiet moment, Sir Mandrake remembered his Knightly obligations. Turning to Lia he quietly asked, “My Lady, if there is no more news perhaps you will be so kind as tell us in what manner we may assist you?”
Looking around at the expectant faces, Lia heaved a sigh and replied, “I began to travel with Umgar, Teame & Bes as my home & friends on Isgard had all been wiped out by those Githyanki murderers. Now I am on a foreign Plane, with no friends & no place to call home. While I have many powers at my disposal, I know not which cause to wield them in.”
After waiting for the chorus of “Never fear my Lady” “You may accompany us!” and other such sentiments to be echoed around the table, Malachi spoke up “This is happy circumstance indeed, my Lady. I have been seeking a Druid to take up residence around Marikest- or indeed in Brightstone itself, if that is your wish. Although I know little of non-arcane magicks, by all reports your ilk have many powers which could be put to good use in ensuring the comfort and prosperity of this land.”
“What powers were you referring to, my Lord?”
“Well, stopping vile weather destroying the town’s crops, keeping wild beasts away from the town, preventing plagues & diseases. That kind of thing.”
“While such abilities have indeed been granted to me, they cannot be made use of lightly, or for the wrong cause.”
“Well, I do not think you will ever have cause to disagree with the requests I foresee being asked of you, but even so, if you agree to help us, you shall have complete autonomy over whether or not you grant the requests we ask of you.”
With a smile Lia acquiesced “Such an offer is most respectfully made. I will happily accept your offer of home & companionship. In return I will offer use of my powers to help your people… when such use does not conflict with my own views. And although I will gladly dine at your table, it is indeed my preference to sleep in the Mother’s care.”
With that same youthful grin, Malachi raises his glass and toasts “To new & old friends both. May Vuk smile upon us all!”

The remainder of the dinner was a pleasant affair as each party member relaxed with the assistance of fine food, excellent wine & pleasant company. As the delicate pastries that were the final course were consumed, Malachi attracted the gathered companies attention. “This has been a most pleasant evening, but I must now tell you of some recent events as you will each need to make a decision on whether or not you accompany me tomorrow morning.” The group listened carefully as Malachi explained his plans to link the Council’s charge to open a pass from North to South, the magical creation of Tara’s Keep and the role of the Ugarri in guarding the pass. Continuing, Malachi told of Marcus’s return without his companions and what the group has thus far encountered in their forays into Tara’s Keep. Finally Malachi explains his plans to rescue any prisoners “I believe I know Reg well enough to be able to locate him by scrying. If he is still alive, and I can find him, my mirror will allow me study the area that Reg is being held in. Once I know the area well enough then I can simply teleport us all in to his location, we free him and any other prisoners there and then we return to Brightstone. On the following day we return, and with the prisoners safe we can root out whoever has created the catacombs beneath Tara’s Keep and they will not be able to use the prisoner’s safety against us.”
“A reasonable plan, although heavily reliant on magic. What I’m concerned about is if they have more of those clay guards, it wasn’t easy taking it out with my fists!” Ull exclaimed.
“I will be able to help you with the teleport, Malachi. I’ve learned a few new tricks over the years” interjected Arrold “but what I really need is a weapon of some kind, if we’re going into an iffy situation.”
Lia & Mandrake had no problems with the plan, although Lia decreed that if trouble arose, she would stay with the prisoners to ensure their safety.
“In the morning I will take those who need additional equipment to Brightstone’s armoury. And I am more concerned with the creator of the Clay Golem, rather than the Golem itself.”
“Yeah, the only reason your not concerned is because you didn’t have to face the damn thing!” Ull interjected
“Hardly fair Ull. I am fully aware of how powerful such creations are. What I am concerned of is that only a very powerful individual could make such guardians. Now if there is nothing else, I will leave you for the evening, as I have many studies to attend to.”
Arrold, realising he may never have as good an opportunity to unveil an unpleasant surprise decided that it would be far better if it was discovered now, rather than in a more volatile situation.
Arrold whistled to Geeh, and as the squirrel jumped up on the table in front of him, he cleared his throat “Ummm, everyone.” Once he had the full group’s attention he continued by saying “There is something I should probably show you now, but I don’t think you’ll like it.”
That said, Arrold sent a telepathic command to Geeh, and the familiar changed back into it’s true form- the twisted body of a Quasit.
The response was electrifying. While Lia & Sir Mandrake looked on with only a degree of apprehension and curiosity respectively, Ull’s chair toppled backwards as he sprang out of his chair and drew his purple edged blade in one swift motion. Malachi’s chair rocketed backwards as well, as the Mage rose with one hand levelled at the small demon, his fingers crackling with potent magicks.
As Arrold moved to protect his familiar, Ull managed to turn his blow so it carved the table’s wood rather than Arrold’s flesh. As he drew his sword back, ready to strike again, Ull bellowed “Do you know what that thing is! It is demon-spawn! Seek not to protect it, Mage”
“YOU FOOL! You bring a demon beneath my roof, have you lost your senses!” Malachi’s face was red with rage
At this, Sir Mandrake also stands & draws his weapon, though seems unsure as to who he should be using it on. Lia rises and calmly begins to say “Wait, put your weapons away. I’m sure Arrold…” before she is cut off by Arrold “Wait, don’t hurt Geeh. Yes, I know it’s a demon but it’s under my control, just let me expl…” who was in turn cut off by Malachi’s cold voice threatening “Explain quickly then… friend.”
Arrold attempts to defuse the situation his announcement had caused by earnestly explaining “When I was travelling the planes I got trapped by a Succubus, forced to do her labour for nigh on two years. But I found a way of breaking her hold on me, then bound her in turn. This Quasit is how I ensure she is still under my sway.”
Ull spat & responded “Foolish Mage! Demons are not bound to their word! It is devils that will abide by a compact. Demons promise one thing and then do the other.” 
Arrold began to glare, before remembering he probably shouldn’t provoke the Holy Warrior “I know that. The Succubus is magically bound, not contractually. She has had to carry out my wishes precisely. She would have killed me first chance she got if she was allowed to do so.”
Malachi snorted contemptuously at this “Ull is right. Arrold, you are a fool. I don’t care if the hell-spawn is bound to your will or not. We both passed the same courses on Onrekian law, you know that any dabbling in the black arts means your death. You are doubly a fool as you have already shown that you are aware I turned in my own Master for that very reason! Do you think I will be any more forgiving of your trespass!! Those who conspire with demons become tainted by demons.”
Arrold, slipping into habitual boredom by Malachi’s lecturing tone, notices Geeh surreptitiously trying to grab hold of a fork with his agile tail. A stern mental command stops the Quasit before it can continue it’s undoubtedly malicious action.
Arrold, adopting his most pleading look, spreads his arms wide and explains, “You’re right, I did do the same courses. But remember, the law only condemns summoning demons, this one accompanied me, I did not summon it!! As to being tainted, well what can I do to convince you I am under no demon’s thrall?”
Malachi hesitates a moment before firmly responding, “You cannot. This is what WILL happen. That thing is banished from Brightstone & all the lands we protect. If I see it again in this realm I will destroy it. You, Arrold, will stay under the supervision of the group until we are certain you are not under any demon’s thrall.
Ull, turning his innate ability to detect evil on Arrold, addresses Malachi and says “I can’t detect anything actively evil in his soul at the moment, but I think it’s too risky. What will stop him murdering us all in our beds, in a demon does control him?”
Malachi gives a grim smile before saying “We will have to look into measures to prevent just that. But Ull, please do me a small favour.” Ull raises an eyebrow “After dinner, please show Arrold the way to his room. It is the one coming off yours.”
With a satisfied nod, Ull agrees to the “small favour”. Arrold, looking relieved, clears his throat and interjects in a quiet voice “Thank you for the chance to prove myself.”
With a final sweeping gaze that meets the eyes of all present in turn, Malachi announces “Good night everyone. Make your way to my room as the rooster crows on the morrow” before turning & striding out of the room. Each group member then makes their way to their own beds, reflecting on the night’s discussion.

Edit: Auto-censor smilied out "As the co....ck crows on the morrow. Damn context insensitiveness!"


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## Look_a_Unicorn (May 18, 2003)

*Session 5th April, 2003- Part 2/2*

* So I was Wrong, NOW the Faecal Meterial etc etc *


*Previously:* The group left Tara’s Keep to have it’s wounds healed in Marikest. Lia Nailo & Arrold seperately arrive at Brightstone’s gates and agree to join with the party. A pleasant dinner ends on a sour note as it is revealed that Arrold’s familiar is a minor demon, which is subsequently banished from Brightstone & it’s environs. A plan to rescue the captives is formulated & the group then retires for the evening.


Ull is still alert enough after his long vigil to notice a polite knock on the door. Opening it reveals one of Brightstone’s servants “My apologies for the early hour my Lord, but Lord Malachi asks that you & Arrold meet with him now.”
Ull, still fully dressed after having passed a fitful night in a chair watching the door to Arrold’s room, is more than happy to pound on Arrold’s door, bellowing “Get up, Malachi wants us for something.” After a period of sleepy grumbling the door is thrown wide to reveal a bleary Arrold. Ull scans the room thus revealed for any sign of Geeh, the demonic familiar, but his magicks can detect no trace of the creature.
“What. It’s not dawn yet. Let me sleep dammit.” Arrold mumbles
“Malachi want us, not sure why. Let’s go.” Ull curtly snaps off.
With Arrold muttering minor imprecations on Malachi’s head the whole way, the two snag a groggy servant to lead them to Malachi’s room. They enter a room that is essentially a library with a bed, although Arrold would hazard a guess that the bed would see more use as a shelf than as any aid to slumber. Despite the early hour, Malachi is bent over a desk, eyes squinting at a tome in some arcane script.
As the two enter, Malachi looks up, looks back at the tome wistfully before closing it with a small thud. “You two said you wanted more equipment? Come with me.”
Arrold replies “Well yes, we do, but dash it all, couldn’t you have at least waited till the rooster crowed”
Malachi looks somewhat confused “Why wait till morning when we can get this sorted before you go to bed?”
Ull, becoming accustomed to the Mage’s eccentricities, gives a weary smile & responds “Malachi, it is but a short time till the sun rises. We… or at least he “ jerking a thumb at Arrold “have been sleeping for the last 8 hours or so.”
Malachi looks somewhat startled at this relevation “Oh, I didn’t think it had been that long. Well, in any case, I’ve remembered some items in the vault that should fulfill your needs.”
He then leads them out of his room & up another flight of stairs at the end of the corridor, before stopping at a massive iron door.
“This is where we are currently storing Brightstone’s supply of spare items too powerful to dispense to the guards. Oh, I should also warn you- there are some dragons guarding this room” divulged Malachi. He then muttered an indistinct arcane chant, which caused the door to swing open.

Although this room was the largest in Brightstone, it was still crammed full to bursting. Around the edges were a wide assortment of weapons, shields & armour. Crashing around these were several small dragons, no larger than dogs, playfully chasing each other. In the center of the room was a large pile of gold whose gleam reflected avariciously in Arrold’s eyes. The larger dragon coiled atop this horde turned her head lazily to face Malachi and with cold eyes said “Actually Malachi, we do not guard this room. We guard Ahktor’s gold. Your trinkets are of no concern to me.”
Frowning slightly, Malachi replied “Yes, of course Ash. Now leave us be, we must retrieve certain items.”
The dragon curled up on the gold pile again, her thinly glowing eyes the only indication that she was not sleeping.
Avoiding the scampering young, Malachi walked around the room tapping his chin, before stooping down to pick up a rune-inscribed warhammer. Another survey of the room & then Malachi draws a surprisingly plain knife sunk deep into the wall of the room.
“This warhammer is powerful enough to smash any Clay Golems to bits- I can even store spells in it for you to release at will” explained Malachi, handing the warhammer to Ull.  Turning to Arrold, Malachi passed over the dagger with a brief “This dagger is made of adamantine, if you remember it’s properties from Old Silmar’s lessons, it should serve you well enough.”
The two accepted the weapons appreciatively. Malachi, after looking around the room once more, nods once to himself before scooping up a robe made of leather. Gesturing that they should leave, Malachi explained “the others should be ready now, we shouldn’t be late.”
After he had sealed the massive door with another word, Arrold muttered to Malachi “You have a Dragon in your treasure chamber, and you call me a fool!”
Malachi grimaced before responding “The dragon is not there by any will of mine. Ahktor, one of the Lords of Brightstone, granted her leave to stay there with her young.”
Listening in, Ull asked “Where was this Ahktor last night, will he be coming with us?”
“No, he won’t. He is very busy with some projects of his own. He’s also taken over responsibility for the castle’s construction, as I have so much to take care of already.”
Arrold asked curiously “Returned? Where did he go?”
Malachi hesitated before responding “He said he had an … accident. He’s been a bit… different ever since. To be honest I’ve only seen him twice, very briefly, since he returned.” With a nod back at the door, Malachi indicated the dragon close by. “We should talk about this some other time, for now let’s meet the others.”

The three stopped again briefly at Malachi’s chambers where he changed out of his rumpled robes into what he called his “adventuring gear”. Arrold muttered a low comment to Ull, causing the disciplined warrior to suppress a laugh.
Indignantly, the sharp-eared Malachi whirled, glared at Arrold and said “No, this has nothing to do with “my secret bondage fetish”. It was taken from the sizzling corpse of a powerful Salamander, and protects from elemental damage. You would have recognised the design if you hadn’t slept through Grizzt’s “Planar Foes” every week.” Feeling he’d regathered his dignity, Malachi turned, missing both Ull & Arrold’s eyes rolling.

At Malachi’ study, Lia Mandrake & William were already waiting. Greetings are exchanged. Turning to Lia, Malachi profers the leather robe that he had taken from the vault “Here, Lia. A gift. It has druidic enchantments on it. I’m not sure what they’re for, but they are beneficial.” Lia thanks Malachi, while on the other side of the room Sir Mandrake solemly asks Ull if he’d had any problems last night (with a less than discreet glance at Arrold). After being assured that the night was uneventful, the gathered companions turn to watch Malachi as he faces an enormous mirror hanging on one wall of the study. For 10 minutes they watch Malachi chant and throw glowing powder from a small jar at the mirror, which seems to absorb the dust’s luminosity. With a cracking sound, the lazily sparking mirror forms an image across it’s broad surface, that of a small dank room. Three humans, obviously prisoners, are chained up along one wall. Malachi identifies Rej and another of his deputies, but the third captive is a stranger.
Without warning the mirror suddenly goes blank… after a few seconds the image reappears. Unsure why this had occurred, Malachi moves the sensor about the room, doing his best to familiarise himself with it’s location & layout. There were other occupants of the room that could be made out, a few Orcs and a couple of humans. Malachi could not quite make out a portion of the room as the sensor winked out whenever it moved to get an angle in that direction.
“Arrold, take my arm & cast your Teleport through me, I will guide us. The rest of you, gather around & make sure your holding onto either myself or Arrold. Make sure you don’t let go, it could be… unpleasant.”

With a muttered “Vuk guide us,” Malachi uses Arrold’s & his own Teleportation energies. The group disapparated from Malachi’s study, and a few seconds later reappeared in the dungeon cell they had been viewing on the wall. The room was quite small, no more than 20*20, on one side the prisoners were chained up, to the left on the opposite wall was a metal door of bars & there was a foul-smelling grill set in the floor at the center of the room. Of more immediate interest to the arriving adventurers were the two Orcs & similar number of Humans turning towards them in surprise.
His instincts taking over, Ull takes a few paces forward, drawing his sword as he does so & with a battle cry, hacks through both Orcs in one mighty blow. They die with their surprised look still on their face.
Malachi, the next to get his bearings, turns to face the corner of the room he had not been able to scry & sees a large floating orb covered in a writhing mass of tentacular eyes. A portion of the creature splits open, revealing a large mouth rimmed with dozens of long fangs, from which a silibant hiss of anger emerges.
Not knowing what he is facing, just knowing it was DAMN ugly, Malachi lets loose the most powerful spell he knows. A jagged shaft of lightning erupts from Malachi’s hands, slamming into the creature and then arcing off to strike into the two other humanoid foes, one of whom screams, sizzles and dropped. The other narrowly evades the worst of the lightning by leaping swiftly to one side. The Orb hisses in pain & surprise as the lightning strikes it, then responds with a pink white ray that strikes Ull. The Warrior stumbles, then neatly folds over onto the ground. Massive snores soon reverberate throughout the chamber. A sickly green bolt of magical energy lashes into the roof above the creature, carving a tunnel through which the creature hastily vanishes.

Bellowing their battle cries, Sir Mandrake & William charge the only visible foe- the remaining human. As they do so an eye stalk emerges from the human’s hood & blasts a bolt of black energy at William, who screames in pain at it’s touch. Sir Mandrake is able to run forward unopposed and with a serious of quick blows ends both his Squire’s pain & his foes life.
While Arrold & Lia cast about for further threats, Malachi crouches over & shakes awake the sleeping Ull.
“Arrold, free the prisoners, Lia make sure they’re ok.” As Arrold removes some slivers of metal from his robes, Lia moves among the prisoners, healing their wounds & reassuring the frightened captives that they are here to rescue, not harm them. The three seem almost stupified from pain, terror & deprivation.

Attempting to secure their immediate area, William stands guard over the hole in the ceiling while Sir Mandrake, Ull & Malachi go to work on the dungeon door. After a number of armoured bodies crash into it, it is torn off it’s hinges & falls to the ground. The light of Malachi’s Scepter shows a short corridor that quickly turns to the right just outside the cell with no other visible features. 
As Arrold opens the chains on the last prisoner, the three guarding the corridor (Malachi, Ull & Sir Mandrake) come face to face with a unit of Orcs & Ogres led by another Ogre towering over them all and wielding a dimly glowing war hammer. Lumbering along behind this unappealing group is the menacing bulk of another Clay Golem.
Facing down the growling monstrous leader, whilst raising his Staff of Defense to erect a shield of shimmering magical power, Malachi declares “Foul creatures, you trespass on my lands at your own peril. Leave now or be destroyed!” 
Unsurprisingly, the creatures merely bellow a war cry and charge forward in response. The Ogre leader’s war hammer ricochets off Malachi’s shield with an explosion of magical energy.
Dropping his sword, Ull pulls out his newly aquired war hammer & meets the Clay Golem head on. Mandrake moves forward to engage the Orcs & Ogres. 

Simultaneously, William watches with a degree of fear as a red-skinned, humanoid figure with a lower half that is a column of flame, known as an Efreet, emerges from the tunnel carved by the multi-eyed Orb.
As Arrold winks out of sight with Improved Invisibility, William valiantly attacks the threatening foe, but cannot inflict serious damage before, with an arcane gesture and muttered word, a huge wall of fire erupts through the prison chamber and up the corridor where the others are embattled.

Malachi’s protective magicks are able to absorb the flame wall’s damage, but he realises the attack is not affecting only him when he hears his companions screams of pain. Ignoring the vicious blades hewing at his protective shield, he turns and focuses his magickal energies… after a moment of concentration he is able to disrupt the forces binding the wall & as his companions shudder with the reprieve, the fire wall drops.
Taking advantage of the short lull caused by the flame wall’s banishment, Ull leaps forward and lands a series of heavy blows into the Clay Golem, driving it further back down the corridor. This temporary gain is capitalised on by Sir Mandrake, who moves into a position where several foes are within reach of his sword. With a series of precise attacks each of his foes drop, leaving Orcish & Ogre corpses littering the corridor.
The Ogre leader ceases his seemingly futile attacks at Malachi’s shield and turns to strike at Ull’s unprotected flank. A shouted warning from Malachi gives the Holy warrior time to move with the worst of the blow, but momentarily distracted, he cannot completely evade the inexorable clay golem. Two immense fists smash into Ull, knocking him off his feet & crushing a portion of his armour. Sir Mandrake can do little to aid his companion as several more Orcs occupy his time by charging forward to die on his sword, unable to land a single blow on the skillful Knight.
Back in the cell chamber, William continues his attempts to harm the creature of fire. Although he is able to carve a rent through the creature’s side, it is still able to complete it’s own Invisibility spell. William, casting about for the foe, catches sight of a another black-robed humanoid descending through the roof- just as a tentacular eyestalk protudes from the thing’s hood & blasts the unfortunate Squire with a pink-flecked white beam, similar to the one that had struck Ull previously. Gritting his teeth against the stupefying ray, William is able to bring his sword up in a powerful slice, carving a deep wound through the entity’s tough skin & flesh. The wound is a harsh blow to the robed creature, who gives a cry of deep pain. As it staggers back & begins to levitate whence it came, the the beam affecting the warrior winks off.
Arrold, completing his own spell mere seconds after the Efreet vanishes, let’s loose a volley of magickal orbs radiating bone-cracking cold. These orbs neatly divide between the air recently occupied by the Efreet & the injured robed figure. The robed figure gives a harsh cry of pain, which is in turn completely drowned out by a deep throated scream of purest agony as the cold orbs strike the invisible Efreet.
Moving among the recently released prisoners, whose bodies are showing near-fatal wounds from the wall of fire, Lia calls to the powers of nature, and summons forth three beautiful Unicorns. The equine’s charge at the sphere minion, however in crossing the grate covering the center of the room, one Unicorn becomes entangled. The trapped Unicorn gave a whinny of agony as it feels an acidic ooze rising on one side of it’s legs. With swiftly flashing horns the two other Unicorns spear the heavily wounded sphere minion, whose pain is cut short by a quite serious case of death.

The trapped Unicorn’s eyes roll in fear as a gelatinous Black Pudding rises up out of the grate beside it. Fortunatly for the trapped creature, the quivering ooze seems more tempted by the target of Arrold as it lashes out with an acid-dripping pseudopod, wrapping it about the leg of the surprised Arcane Trickster. As searing pain shoots up his leg, Arrold manages to wrench it free from the blob, suffering only minor burns. 
With a curse, Arrold unleashes another volley of Cold Orbs into the pulsing mass of the Ooze, damaging it heavily. Arrold’s attention is diverted from finishing the creature off as the same tentacular-eye covered Orb descends back through the roof, sharp teeth gleaming in the light of numerous rays that are lancing out from it’s eye tentacles. Many of the rays must have missed their targets as no-one falls beneath this onslaught.

	Meanwhile, Malachi has moved behind Ull, who is locked in a deadly combat with the monstrous Clay Golem. Both combatants have inflicted vicious wounds upon each other. A discharge of energy rocks through Ull’s frame as Malachi lays his hand on the warrior’s back, then soon the tide of battle turns as Ull’s warhammer begins to move so fast it is a mere blur, smashing again and again into the Golem’s torso. With a tremble that reverberates throughout the corridor, the Clay Golem’s bulk topples to the ground, irrevocably shattered. Ull steps up beside Sir Mandrake, and the two are quickly able to cut down several more Orc warriors.

	Arrold leaps away from the questing pseudopods of the Ooze & the flashing eye-beams of the monstrous Sphere both, and after casting See Invisibility spies the Efreet locked in concentration, and assumes the creature is invoking some dark power. He hurriedly casts yet another barrage of Cold Orbs into the unsuspecting Efreet, whose flames have now dwindled to the merest flickerings.
The two free Unicorns whirl to face the Orb & spear it through with their horns. Lia summons a ball of fire which is then forced against the side of the Sphere, which hisses in displeasure & focuses it’s rays against the attacking Unicorns, to no effect, but nicely distracting everyone in the room from two more cloaked humanoids who soundlessly Levitate down through the hole in the roof.

	Another jolt of energy passes from Malachi’s palm and into the armoured figure of Sir Mandrake, and then the two warriors step forward as one and with weapons whistling through the air in perfect harmony hack down the last of the Orcs, one of the Ogres & manage to drive the Ogre Leader back down the corridor. The Ogre Leader attempts to strike back, but with his troops mostly destroyed there is little he can do except try to stop his foes weapons from striking home.
Seeing that the Warriors have the situation in the corridor well in hand, Malachi turns & runs back into the dungeon room, unsure what was going on but fairly certain it wasn’t anything overly health-inspiring. Quickly assessing the situation, Malachi attempts to move into the corner of the room so as to catch all the percieved enemies in a blast of lightning- however he runs face first into the bulk of the Invisible Efreet and a swift blow from the creature leaves Malachi sprawled on the ground.
With features a rictus of pain from Arrold’s cold orbs, the Efreet quickly incants another spell which turns his body into a cloud of sparkling motes. This cloud (visible only to Arrold) swirls up into the air & then down through the grate in the floor.

	Facing their remaining foe in the flickering light emanating from the dungeon behind them, Ull sheathes the warhammer & draws his powerful blade once more. Sir Mandrake, stepping forward to engage the panicked Ogre while his companion readies himself, is nearly taken unawares as an Ogre hiding behind the corridor’s bend steps out to land a hefty blow. Sir Mandrake, reflexes honed by years of training, slides the blow to one side with a swiftly angled shield, leaving the Ogre overextended as Ull steps up and severs the loathsome creatures head from it’s shoulders.
Mandrake is again prevented from reaching the Ogre Leader, who continues to back away, as another contingent of Orcs come charging around the corner, and the fight becomes cramped and vicious as the bestial creatures press against each other in a tide of green skin in their urge to draw human blood.
Sir Mandrake & Ull’s greatly enhanced speed prevent any of the frenzied Orcs from landing a solid blow, able to deflect or avoid blows that seem to come at them in slow motion, however the weight of numbers is great and they are forced back several feet, a small mound of Orcish corpses testament to their prowess.

	The Ooze, unsuccessful in it’s quest to munch on Arrold, engulfs the trapped Unicorn as more of it’s bulk rises up through the drain.
The newly arrived cloaked figures announce their presence and unfriendly intent as a small crown of tentacles emerge from their hoods. A black ray strikes William as he endeavers to carve into the tentacled Orb, and he can feel his life draining away. Malachi, rising to his feet once more, is greeted by a grey-flecked blue beam from the other figure. He can feel his limbs begin to harden before he is able to focus his will and negate the magick’s effects on his body. Unable to unleash more powerful spells without harming his friends, Malachi resorts to trusted magic missiles that unerringly strike into the bulk of the tentacled Orb. Although wounds appear after the missiles strike, a slight discrepancy alerts Malachi, who shouts out “Ignore the Orb-thing, it is just an illusion!”
William, heeding the Mage’s words, abruptly turns on the robed figures and charges one down, hacking a bloody rent acoss it’s torso. With an injured scream it retreats back up the tunnel, followed closely by it’s cowardly companion.

	Past the wave of green-skinned foes who are charging heedlessly on to their blades, Ull & Sir Mandrake make out an ominous form. The real Orb has returned. Several beams lash out towards them, but in the tangle of combat, Orcish warriors are struck instead. One is turned instantly to stone, another Disintegrates into a grey dust. A sickly green beam strikes Ull, and he can feel the fabric of his existance being torn apart. With a wrench he moves to one side, and a hapless Orc dissolves into nothing in front of him. A violet beam lances past Sir Mandrake’s head, but a heavy scraping sound indicates to Mandrake that perhaps it wasn’t a miss after all. Hacking a small space around him free of foes, Mandrake whirls and sees the violet beam has latched onto the torso of the Clay Golem. The torso is lifted into the air & then flung directly at Mandrake with bone-crushing force. A shallow dive beneath the projectile prevents the object from striking… an Orc moving to strike the Knight is not so fortunate, however, and it’s chest caves in with a sharp crack.
“Come on, get out of this thing’s sight!” Ull yells, before darting back down the corridor and into the cramped fury of the dungeon cell, Sir Mandrake on his heels. Once sheltered by the comforting bulk of the stone wall, Ull calls upon the Virtuous Powers to protect his soul from being torn from his body.
Sir Mandrake watches in horror as another of the Orb things floats towards Malachi, who behaves as though he is completely oblivious to the approaching horror. With a sibilant hiss it’s fanged jaws gape wide and then close around the Mage’s head., who continues to remain completely oblivious. Noticing Mandrake’s horrified gaze, Malachi calls out again “Didn’t you hear me? I told you the Orb thing is just an illusion!”
Sir Mandrake’s tense reply disrupts the Mage’s composure somewhat “The one in here may be, but the one in the corridor is far more deadly.”

Lia’s unicorns have now turned to assist their engulfed brother, and with flashing horns & hooves… Succeed only in splitting the ooze into a number of segments, each as vicious as the first.
With a groan of masonry, the wall to the side of the door vanishes into a pale grey dust. A grey-flecked blue beam lashes through the haze and into the unidentified prisoner, who stiffens and topples to the ground encased in stone. Sir Mandrake is struck by a sickly green beam, but is able to dive into the cover of the existing walls before it can take effect.
Watching in horror as the ooze in front of him splits into identical foes, Malachi retreats back into the corner and flame begins to crackle around the tips of his fingers “Everyone get down!!” he shouts. After waiting a few seconds he completes his spell and a powerful fireball rips through the oozes, dissolving the substance of all but the largest segment. Much reduced in size it slithers back down the grate to await easier prey. Looking around, Malachi sees that everyone was able to heed his warning and although many have minor burns, none of them suffered the full force of his magicks.

Arrold, still invisible, moves to one side of the newly created opening & is about to step out and unleash his magicks when he notices that where his hand has passed the threshold of the wall, it has become visible once more. Uncertain of what he should do, he pauses momentarily. 
This pause is to prove most unfortunate as, after having healed his wounds & prayed to the powers of Good to aid his companions, Ull begins to charge back around the corner and into the corridor… and after but a few paces slams into the back of the invisible Arrold & both crash to the ground in a tangle of limbs.
Sir Mandrake, horribly wounded, retreats to where William is still standing guard over the hole in the roof and consumes a healing potion, which close but a few of the numerous wounds over his body.

Remembering that his main concern was meant to be getting the prisoners out of the dungeon, Arrold gets up and runs over to where the prisoners are huddled, and lightly touching each one, dimension doors away.
Now able to turn her attentions away from safeguarding the helpless prisoners, Lia casts a Wall of Thorns across the entryway to the cell room… however wherever the targeted area is in view of the corridor, masses of tangling briars bearing wicked thorns conspicously fail to appear.
As Malachi turns to ask Ull & Mandrake what’s going on out in the corridor, the wall behind him dissolves into a haze of grey dust. Responding quickly, Ull and William charge out into the corridor. Not expecting his prey to be so confident, the Orb begins to glide away down the side corridor. Ull throws himself at the only other remaining foe- the warhammer wielding Ogre. A furious exchange of blows begins, and although Ull is able to inflict several grevious injuries, the Ogre’s warhammer strikes his arm. Now totally numbed, his hand loses its grip on his sword which is knocked around the corner by the force of the blow.
As the Ogre raises his hammer to bring it arcing down at the unprotected warrior, William leaps forward and sinks his sword up to the hilt in the powerful creatures chest.
Disbelieving, it claws feebly at the human in front of it before slumping to the ground.
As Ull turns to retrieve his sword, he sees the loathsome Orb floating just in front of him. It strikes out at Ull & William with a barrage of rays, however the divine powers protecting Ull prevent major harm, and William appears to just be damn lucky. A final violet beam strikes the body of the fallen Ogre, and it is brought crashing into the unprepared William, pinning him beneath it’s bulk.
	In the now somewhat renovated dungeon room, Malachi turns to Lia and gesturing at the heavily bleeding Mandrake asks her to aid him. Lia moves over to the stricken warrior and with an invocation to the powers of nature, he is encased in a soft green glow. When it fades the Warrior’s wounds have vanished without even a scar.
Meanwhile Malachi has moved into the corner and is able to do nothing but watch through the bulk of the illusionary beholder still munching on his head as the multi-coloured rays lash out at Ull & William. Resolving to try to nullify the Orb’s eye-rays, Malachi moves to where Ull is trying to free William from the Ogre’s bulk. Drawing on knowledge recently gained from his overnight studies, Malachi erects a shimmering grey wall across the side corridor seconds before the Orb unleashes another barrage of destructive magicks at Ull & William. The grey barrier crazes into a rainbow hue for several seconds before returning to it’s previous state, and none of the eye-beams have been able to pierce the defensive screen.
Seeing that the effectiveness of it’s beams are now nullified, the Orb screams in rage before disintegrating the floor in front of the Barrier and beginning to retreat back down the corridor.
As the Orb floats away into the corridor’s darkness, Malachi attempts to send it a farewell gift of pain… before discovering that his wall blocks spells in both directions.
Ull watches as his precious sword tumbles into the pit created by the Orb’s parting ray. Unwilling to leave it behind, he leaps through the barrier and can feel all his protective magicks being stripped from him. Landing at the bottom of the pit with a thud, he retrieves his sword then begins to try & climb back up the side. Realising his companion will need assistance, Malachi leans through the wall as well (again being stripped of his defensive spells) and reaches down to help the warrior out. As the two stand up again Malachi realises that the illusionary Orb is still contentedly gnawing on his skull, so proceeds to pass his head through the grey barrier again and again until the annoying magic is dissolved.
Temporarily safe from attack by way of the corridor, the group gathers to discuss it’s options. Escape seems to be the most preferred as though the battle lasted less than 15 minutes, it left all the combatants tired & shaken from it’s ferocity.
Looking around the heavily armoured group, Malachi realises he does not have the arcane power to Teleport the weight of such a heavily armoured group. Lia assists by transforming herself into a small bird, but Sir Mandrake & Ull realise they will have to take off their armour & store it in Malachi’s magical backpack if they are not to be left behind. Working feverishly and with the assistance of the group, within a few minutes the two are standing in their rust-covoured gambesons. They quickly become less than anamoured of the amused looks thrown their way, as the two look nearly naked without their customary armour.
“I think we should leave. Now.” Ull glares. The amused gazes turn serious once more as threatening sounds can once more be heard echoisng down the corridor.
The group quickly form a circle around Malachi, who draws on his arcane powers to send them hurtling through the astral plane and back to the security of Brightstone.


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## Look_a_Unicorn (Jul 11, 2003)

*Looks around in a mildly depressed fashion*

Oh well, given that I haven't recieved a single comment or email, it would appear that noone is interested in this story hour (considering the quality it's up against I'm hardly surprised!!)

There will be no further updates, so can a moderator please delete this thread?


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