The Price of Power

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Stepping through the portal as the connection and presence left her mind Lucile stumbled towards the figures waiting on the calcified webs. She recognised Alex instantly and had seen Viktira once or twice before but she didn’t know the drow. That was until one of them, Qistra, walked at her with a blade drawn. A coin dropped in her mind and she could see the resemblance to the head of the Melarn family – wealthy silk merchants who did business with the surface world occasionally.

But the young drow quickly changed her pace as she saw Lucile. A look of worry appeared and then hesitation as she stopped completely. “What happened to you? You look horrible.” Qistra said.

“I don’t remember much,” Lucile began before a wave of tiredness took over her. “I remember following a voice that called me to the deep dark and then finding myself in a trance in another space. The chanting I was doing was in a language that I didn’t know but it left a foulness in my mouth that it must have been infernal or abyssal. But I feel fine now, just a bit tired. I think the presence lost interest in me. Where are the adventurers that were with you? I must warn them…” she began before being cut off.

“They went in to stop you releasing whatever was trapped in there. Last we saw them the portal closed and they were hurrying across the fields in the other dimension. But you don’t look fine, were you attacked or touched by the fiend or a creature in there?” Viktira said as she approached Alex.

“Lucile, you better look at yourself.” Alex said as he fished out a mirror from a bag. Lucile looked down at her reflection and couldn’t believe her eyes. She had aged significantly. It was like she had had her youth, drained by a ghost or spectre. Her youthful face was wrinkled and sunken, her eyes were cloudy and the colour from her hair was receding. The hair she could fix easily enough but the rest she just simply couldn’t believe.

“I guess, this is the price of power. I got too close to real power and it took all that it could and now I have to live with the consequences.” she said as she touched the image in the mirror. Somewhere behind her the portal shimmered as a battle raged on in the dimension and the visage of a fiend flickered and wavered as the heroes that Andrasa found fought for their lives, and the future of all.

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The Mages Sacrifice

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Determining, with the aid of the priestesses, that the dimension was likely to collapse and spew forth its contents within the next day regardless of their involvement or not the party watched as the fiend continued to gain power, long wings now appearing on its otherwise large humanoid form. The portal would be one way and sealed after to ensure that they would not let the creature out, but regardless if they were successful or not they would probably find themselves back in the material plane shortly if the dimension was collapsing… probably.

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Stepping through the portal wasn’t the weirdest thing, even the change in gravity where movement felt odd as they floated and bounced across the ground. Nor was it the creatures that dwelled here, strange oddities that appeared to have no reason for being other than to confuse who witnessed them. No, the strangest thing was the sense of being watched and the scattered images of battles that were fought once upon a time.

Every few minutes another set of mirages, broken images of people would appear. A man wielding a great hammer, a dwarf throwing bolts of light, an elf firing arrows from the flank and a human casting spell after spell after spell. Each attack was flung towards a winged creature that parried, dodged or endured the strike before lashing back. The images were scattered as if the battle was captured by magic and it was failing, fragments of the images were present at times and the fight was brief and sporadic.

The winged creature appeared most broken as if the magic wouldn’t dare to capture its form except for the vague human appearance and the great set of wings that sprouted from its shoulders. Other creatures appeared in the fight occasionally, mostly lesser fiends, as they rushed at the man, dwarf, elf and human before being obliterated by hammer, axe, arrow or magic.

Continuing further into the dimension the images began to tell a more frantic tale. The Elf was no longer appearing in the replaying battles and the dwarf appeared to be gravely injured. The man fought with a ferocity that seemed to tell of its wounds not slowing it down but the hammer was cracked, the armour was shredded and they witnessed as claw, blade and beak tore into him. The mage continued to occasionally blast creatures with spells but was otherwise standing still and channelling a spell.

Following the fragmented images they came to a stone shrine which was bathed in a calming warm glow. A broken Hammer, a holy symbol to the god Tyr and a jagged dagger lay on the altar along with their names “Bjorne, Grumbar, Carasedrieth” under each item. The fallen combatants that they had seen in the images had been laid to rest here and a shrine erected to commemorate their sacrifice.

“Hello. I was certain this day would come but I was hoping it wouldn’t have occurred for centuries more,” a voice said from nearby, distorted as if talking through a door or pane of glass. “But it appears that my seals have eroded away and the final stages of the fiends release are here. I believe that there was another from the material plane that has assisted the fiend, consciously or otherwise I am not sure but that matters not now. I am Andrasa, well a shade of what I was. In order to keep the creature here I poured my magic, my knowledge, latent power and connection to the weave into a ritual that was self-sustaining for a while. But it appears that the Giant Oskarg and the tribe that guarded the well of souls have fallen and so the seals were broken. A Pity”

The speaker of the voice was another mirage, but this one clearer, stronger and more defined. The magic that saturated this image was clear and still strong, yet fragments of the image floated away from the main body – as if the source of its power was failing. “The creature, a fiend of considerable power, will be free soon and it will raise its legions once again. I have kept it bound here, well my arcane essence – my astral form has powered the seal here for as long as I can. But the creature has overpowered my wards. I have a failsafe that when the ritual would completely fail that I would collapse this dimension and all that it contains. But it would only work if the magic within the ritual was stronger than the creature. Currently the creature is more powerful, a byproduct of consuming souls from the material plane I would imagine.” a thoughtful look appeared on the image of Andrasa’s face.

“If we could weaken the creature, defeat it so it’s on death’s door I could collapse the dimension and take it with me. But we would need luck on our side. I can complete the final components of the ritual if you can deal a killing blow to the creature.” Andrasa’s form stopped and looked towards a crater not far from where she and the shrine was. “We don’t have much time as it calls the shades of its legions to its side as we speak. What say you, do you want to save the world?”

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The Creature Once Imprisoned

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Larituron had been defeated and the flow of energy had ceased. What’s worse is that the fiend had borrowed some energy from the creature to corrupt and use the ritual the witch Andrasa had used to bind it in the pocket dimension. Upon the fiends death that energy was lost forever and as the ritual to siphon souls to it was ceased, permanently now, the creature was nowhere near strong enough to emerge itself, yet. 

However the adventurers who had defeated Larituron still stayed close to the Deep Dark. They had proven themselves capable enough and their essence, if consumed, would be enough to break out of the pocket it was contained within. But, the creature hesitated on that thought, that would mean confronting these adventurers and that was something it didn’t like the odds of. Well, perhaps a fair fight would be one sided in their favour but it was rare when there was a fair fight.

The creature had one or two more agents at play and eventually it would find a way out, but it needed these adventurers dead. Calling in a deal the creature expended some of its precious energy to reach out to the mind of one that had been foolish enough to barter with it. Soon the mortal would find out what it truly means to sign a deal with a devil.

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As the party watched the slow exodus of the cavern they noticed a few stayed back and watched the party nervously. The Melarn sisters, Morali and Viktira had survived through it all and were walking over to the party.

Their faces were rife with nerves but that was probably due to the battle with the giant fiend, the capture and then life-draining that they had just witnessed and gone through. “So, you never mentioned that you were this powerful before. Do you mind if we stick near you for a bit? I figure it’s probably safer by your side for the time being.” Morali asked, with the Melarn sisters nodding in agreement, somewhat reluctantly.

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Beyond the veil

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The creature marvelled at its minions ability to siphon souls to it through the binding that the witch Andrasa had placed upon it. The energy that was coming through was enough to sate its appetite and help regain its strength. Being tracked in a pocket dimension wasn’t such a big deal for a being of kind. But the binding, the three separate places of power that were guarded by champion, civilization and location had bound its power.

But with the fall of the giant, the betrayer, the gradual destruction of the well of souls (aided by a vampire that was foolish enough to believe it could control the necromantic energies) and now, its servant siphoning energies through the deep dark… The time of the creature’s emergence was nearly here. However, these adventurers have proven difficult to manipulate and they keep showing up. The first instance they helped with the frozen seal, in a way. At the jungle they nearly stopped its plan, but it was too far gone. But here they may actually stop it.

It was not powerful enough to push through and be in a state to fight. No he needed more time and more souls. His servant had better kill these adventurers before it was too late, or they could ruin everything.

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The creature in the darkness stirred as thoughts, projections from beyond the veil came to her. As she hung from the webs and ceiling she looked over the cocoons that she had provided to the deep dark as an offering. Satisfied that her servants had captured the intruders and had dealt with them she had left them alone for some time now.

But the voice, her master, came crashing like a cacophony of sound through her mind as the urgency in killing them turned from a suggestion to a demand. It was useless arguing with her master, it was too powerful and despite her own strength she learnt a millennia ago that to go against the one that watches was something not done, or possible.

Moving slowly through the cavern she measured the souls she had provided, a talent she had and she lamented. The interlopers were strong enough to count for several souls and their death would not feet through to the deep dark and onto where her master was. She would need to raid another town to get enough energy to sate her master’s demands and needs. Whatever… The hunt and the planning was exciting to her and watching her brood do her bidding was fine. Her master would have to wait longer but that was something she was fine with.

Besides, she needed to get more servants after these adventurers had killed so many.

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Lord of the Pit

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The Families of Ravencreek

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The Bucklewheat family are farmers and tend to the land and the animals. They have a strong bond to most of the village as their family has always provided food to the community since the founding of Ravencreek. Although they are slowly dwindling in numbers their bloodline had hope with Elenore recently becoming engaged but her untimely death stopped those wishes. It’s up to her ageing uncle and her more elven great uncle now to continue on the ancient line of farmers in Ravencreek

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Morali O’Lorun

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The Merchants of Kalehgrul

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As the party got used to their surroundings they found some materials and soon those that couldn’t see in the dark could view their surroundings. Dozens of giant spiders moved across the cavern they were in and created vast net-like webs that were big enough to catch the giant bats the flew through the skies. Above them mushrooms and long plant-like tendrils shed a soft glow that confirmed they were far from a source of light.

The spiders moved calmly even when the party drew near and merle scurried out of the way instead of viewing the party as a snack. Content to feast upon the bats that they caught in their webs. As they moved around a squeak could be heard in short rhythmic patterns coming from a passage up ahead. As they approached the passage they were greeted by a Rothe, a large bull like creature, that was pulling a wagon with three drow onboard.

After a few moments of speaking quickly in drow and brandishing crossbows the male urged his two female companions to lower and he spoke in common. “Easy, we don’t want no trouble. I am Izzrysn and these are my daughters and we are merchants. I must ask though, what are you doing in this cavern?”

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Umnel Melarn

Umnel is the younger sister of Qistra and tends to the spiders of the Melarn family. Whilst not blessed to be chosen by Lloth she is still able to understand and handle these creatures with ease. This helps the family collect their silk for their business but has one a few occasions protected the family when her abilities can come into use.

Qistra Melarn

When business is poor Qistra, the oldest daughter of the head of the Melarn family, gets involved. She is rash and impulsive but will still listen to her mother, sister and father. She oversees production of the spider silk and inspects it for quality. Whilst her father has a business understanding and her sister can tend to the cluster of spiders she has a fine eye for quality when it comes to silk.

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