Ch 6: Part 1: Descent Into Midnight: Session 95

[15:56] <@Kilarra> *****Second Darkness*****
[15:56] <@Kilarra> ~~~Chapter 6: Descent Into Midnight~~~
[15:57] <@Kilarra> It all began with a strange shadow in the sky over the city of Riddleport—an eerie precursor to a cataclysmic falling star that shook western Varisia. Yet this falling star was no natural event; it had been plucked from the sky by the drow using ancient glyph magic, the same magic that the aboleths used ten thousand years ago to destroy the continent of Azlant and bring about the Age of Darkness.
[15:58] <@Kilarra> Now, with this destructive magic at their hands, the drow of House Azrinae are preparing an ultimate act of destruction. The dawn of the Second Darkness is at hand.
[15:58] <@Kilarra> \Part 1: Preparations/
[15:58] <@Kilarra> -Session 95-
[16:05] <@Kilarra> The party has just teleported back into Iadara in the heart of Kyonin. However, their greeting this time is much different. Not two minutes after their arrival, a company approaches them up the street. Queen Telandia herself leads a half dozen royal guards, and she is accompanied by two familiar faces. Kwava, the apprentice Shin'Rakorath from Riddleport, and Shalelu, one of the Elf Captains from Crying Leaf.
[16:07] <@Kilarra> The Queen stops her small procession in front of the party's brief Iadaran residence and spreads her arms wide. "Welcome back, friends of Kyonin." She gives them a swift but friendly greeting, then becons them. "We have much to discuss and little time. Please, come with us."
[16:08] * Aluthyra nods, showing no objection to being whisked away so quickly, and follows the Queen's troop.
[16:08] * Kilarra blinks in a bit of surprise. She hadn't been expecting the Queen herself to greet them. As well... "Why are you here?" She asks, stepping up to Kwava as she follows the Queen's group.
[16:09] <@Kilarra> Kwava answers, "The Queen summoned us here to bear witness for both your character and your exploits in assisting out people."
[16:09] <Aluthyra> Kahree shrugs, following in back, still in a rather dour mood.
[16:10] <@Kilarra> Kjell falls into step as well, not wanting to keep a Queen waiting.
[16:12] <@Kilarra> Queen Telandia and her entourage lead the party back to the palace, and into a small but extravagant meeting room. The guards stay outside, but inside the room are a pair of elen clerics of Calistria, on standby to tend to any lingering injuries or malignacies the party might be afflicted with.
[16:14] <@Kilarra> There is also a selection of food and light, fruity wine for refreshment. The seats are quite comfortable, although notably the Queen's is a bit more fancy than the others
[16:14] * Kilarra takes a seat and helps herself to some fruit. Bread and cheese were filling, but bland, and even if there was no meat, elven food did tend to be rather flavourful.
[16:15] <@Kilarra> Kjell seats himself as well, producing Hialin's notes, suspecting they might be needed in what was to follow.
[16:15] * Aluthyra sits next to Kilarra, grabbing a small piece of bread and cheese to complement it.
[16:16] <Aluthyra> Kahree sits a tad further from her companions, pouting as she notes the lack of meat. Wine it is then.
[16:17] <@Kilarra> Once the party is settled in comfortably and tended to, she bows her head to them, looking sincerely apologetic. "I am so very sorry about my prior deceptions and misdirections."
[16:18] <@Kilarra> The Queen explains, "There were, amongst my court, nearly two dozen nobles in league with the Winter COuncil, and had I acted against them publicly, the political fallout could have caused a great deal of upheaval when my people already have quite a fair deal on their plates as it is."
[16:19] <@Kilarra> She adds with a bit of a smirk, "In the hours since the Winter Council splintered, many of them have either fled the country, or professed a newfound loyalty only to the crown."
[16:19] * Aluthyra nods. "It is understandable, after we found the scope of the Winter Council's grasp." She smiles. "It is in the past now, and there is still much to deal with."
[16:20] <@Kilarra> Queen Telandia nods, "Indeed there is. Again, I thank you. Had the Council not been subdued, their interference might have inadvertently spelled doom for us all. They might have harrowed you or otherwise delayed my own plans long enough that we would be at serious risk."
[16:21] <@Kilarra> Queen Telandia concludes, "But as you said, there are more important things. My diviners have confirmed everything you spoke of when first we met to be the truth. Now we must stop her."
[16:25] <@Kilarra> Kjell nods and opens Hialin's tome. "There is much information here pertaining to Allevrah's method. As well, there are some clues about how this Aboleth glyph magic might be undone."
[16:28] <@Kilarra> Kjell flips to a page showing some almost obscenely complicated looking magical runes. "These are the Earthfall Glyphs. The larger the destruction to be wrought, the more of them the ritual requires."
[16:29] <@Kilarra> Kjell adds, "Creating them is a long and time consuming process, and they must be placed below the intended point of impact."
[16:30] <@Kilarra> Queen Telandia frowns, "You mentioned the Land of Black Blood, in what you learned from the Vonnarc Archmage. That region of the Darklands is directly beneath Kyonin."
[16:33] * Aluthyra frowns. "Do you know how long -exactly- it takes, Kjell? It would be helpful to know how long until..."
[16:34] <@Kilarra> Kjell shakes his head, "I do not." He looks to Queen Telandia, "What about your diviners?"
[16:35] <@Kilarra> The Queen shakes her head, "This Allevrah has powerful magic of her own, and my diviners could not find her. However, an astronomer did report seeing a new star in the sky. I suspect our time is running out."
[16:36] <Aluthyra> Kahree frowns. "Then shouldn't we get going instead of talking about things we already know?"
[16:39] <@Kilarra> Kjell nods and continues, "For an event this large, there will be a single master glyph, surrounded by a number of smaller focus glyphs. Most likely the master glyph will be the most well protected. As well, each of the focus glyphs provides wards for each of the others, and the master glyph cannot be destroyed while any of the focus glyphs remain."
[16:41] <@Kilarra> Kjell frowns a bit, "Unfortunately, Hialin's notes are incomplete, and the types of wards Allevrah has in place, and the number of focus glyphs she is using, remains unknown."
[16:45] <@Kilarra> Kjell notes, "That said, there are some clues as to how to destroy them once we have located them. Physical destruction works, as do certain spell combinatons, although the specific combinations are unique to each glyph, so they would have to be seen up close first."
[16:46] * Aluthyra raises an eyebrow. "Is physical destruction more difficult? Else, why would we try a complex spell combination?"
[16:47] <@Kilarra> Queen Telandia nods, "Then it seems I must ask you once again to place yourselves at risk for the sake of Kyonin. I do not wish to cause panic, and mobilizing the elven army to deal with this threat would do just that. As well, such a large force would be far easier to notice, and more difficult to move, and give Allevrah time to mobilize defenses of her own."
[16:47] <@Kilarra> Kjell answers Aluthyra, "Not more difficult, just... there might be backwash from destroying such a powerful magic construction."
[16:48] * Kilarra shrugs, "A bit of backwash wouldn't be too much of a problem compared to an entire nation getting wiped, but we can hold it as the plan b."
[16:48] * Aluthyra nods, then looks to Telandia. "Of course I will still see this to the end. "
[16:49] <@Kilarra> Queen Telandia adds, "Although I am certain my forces could overcome Allevrah's, I am far less certain they could do so with sufficent alacrity to prevent this catastrophy. As a small group, you have proven yourselfs most capable, and would have the advantages of swiftness and surprise."
[16:50] <@Kilarra> Queen Telandia follows up by saying, "I shall prepare my forces as a fallback measure, but I pray it will not come to that."
[16:50] <@Kilarra> The Queen looks at the party almost pleadingly, "What say you?"
[16:51] <Aluthyra> Kahree sighs and nods. "Yeah... I said I'd finish it, so I will."
[16:51] * Aluthyra nods, already having answered.
[16:52] * Kilarra nods, "Undoubtedly the destruction of Kyonin would have more repercussions than simply on elves, and I happen to quite like the world, warts and all."
[16:52] <@Kilarra> Kjell nods, "I would not have spent this time studying these magics if I did not intend to help undo them."
[16:54] <@Kilarra> Queen Telandia smiles with genuine appreciation. "Then there is more aid I can offer you." She produces a map. "This is a map of the land of Black Blood, given to me by a reliable source who once travelled there. In addition to helping you navigate, it also has something else of note." She unfurls the map and points to a marker. 'The Shrine of Bound Earth'
[16:56] * Aluthyra quirks her head. "And what would be this shrine's significance?"
[16:57] <@Kilarra> "This shrine," she notes, "Is home to a Shaitan Genie. While the Land of Black Blood is not ruled by any one creature, this genie is a notable figure, and oversees the lands."
[16:58] <@Kilarra> "Her name," Telandia continues, "Is Haiten Bhaq, and she is a Pasha, a shaitan noble of sorts. She sees herself as a caretaker of sorts, and for the right price, according to my source, she is willing to offer much advice."
[17:00] * Aluthyra smiles. "Thank you. We may make use of this."
[17:02] <@Kilarra> Queen Telandia nods, "If you choose to seek out Bhaq's aid, this-" she produces a flawless emerald the size of a grapefruit (worth 5k) "-should suffice for her price."
[17:03] * Kilarra smirks, "Well, we should probably take advantage of that. If we have no idea where these glyphs are or what they do, maybe she will."
[17:04] <Aluthyra> Kahree, a bit interested in seeing a genie again (not in binds), takes the emerald with an appreciative nod.
[17:10] <@Kilarra> Queen Telandia nods. "If that is all then, it is best we see you fully prepared for the perilous journey you are about to undertake. I am opening the treasuries of the capital to you, and I advise you to take this day to make sure you are well fed, well rested, and have purchased all that you will need for this undertaking."
[17:10] <Aluthyra> Kahree blinks. "...The treasuries? How... much is that?"
[17:12] <@Kilarra> Queen Telandia chuckles a bit, "Iadara's vaults are not infinite of course, and I must consider keeping the economy stable once this crisis is averted, but I should think twenty-thousand for each of you should do. Especially if you're going to do your shopping here in the capital."
[17:12] * Kilarra blinks in surprise. That was... surprising.
[17:14] <@Kilarra> Kjell smiles. He could also use the time that day to finish hammering out a few new spells that would certainly make the expedition easier.
[17:23] <Aluthyra> Kahree smirks, standing. "Alright, well, let's get shopping!"
[17:23] * Kilarra nods, "Yeah. There's an enchantment I've been meaning to add to my mace for a while now, and my armour could use some enhancement."
[17:26] * Kilarra bows to Queen Telandia as she leaves the room, "Thank you for your generosity. We shall put it to good use."
[17:27] * Aluthyra bows as well, exiting with Kilarra.
[17:28] <@Kilarra> Kjell follows his companions into the city
[17:28] <Aluthyra> Kahree just about leaves the room before thanking the queen. Just as she reaches the door, she coughs out of embarrassment, bows, then leaves.
[17:33] <@Kilarra> The party goes shopping!
[17:34] <Aluthyra> Kahree upgrades her maces, armor, and cloak for better resistance to pesky spells.
[17:35] <Aluthyra> She then waits for the others to finish. She, though, is ready to go!
[17:37] <@Kilarra> Kjell takes care of his shopping, but then returns to their Iadaran lodging so as to finish some additions to his spellbook. After that, they could rest a night and be fully prepared
[17:37] <Aluthyra> Kahree huffs, wanting to go, but quickly decides sleep is better once she reaches her bed.
[17:37] * Aluthyra waits for Kilarra to finish her shopping before heading to their lodging.
[17:38] <@Kilarra> Kjell has traded in his breast plate for an impressive suit of Full body Adamantite Armour, enchanted to boot. The black metal appropriately matched his black blade. He also had a stately new cloak.
[17:39] == RadioHooves [cbdxhqispec@Pony-mmv.4m8.159.67.IP] has joined #FoEFansdoDnD
[17:47] <@Kilarra> Kjell notes to his companions that he has finished his studies into teleportation magic, as well as having procured a couple scrolls, which would make traversing the Land of Black Blood much easier once they knew where to find the Glyphs.
[18:03] * Kilarra adds an undead disrupting enchantment to her mace that had a chance of immediately destroying undead creatures, upgrades the protective enchantment on her armour, and increases the wisdom granted by her magical headband. She also gets a nice stock of Diamond Dust as a precaution.
[18:04] * Kilarra returns to her companions with said diamond dust. "Now, I don't want to lose any of you," she gives Aluthyra a glance to indicate especially her, "But we all know that this will be extremely dangerous. Should any of us fall down there, we immediately retreat to a safe place until the following day so that I might take care of any... death."
[18:07] <@Kilarra> Kjell raises an eyebrow, "Are we certain there will even be any safe places down there?"
[18:10] * Kilarra shrugs, "Doubtful, but maybe if we can get on decently friendly terms with that Shaitan."
[18:10] * Aluthyra shakes her head. "No, we are not. But proceeding without one of our companions will certainly be a foolish move. Staying put and defending would be easier, then moving again after that is taken care of."
[18:11] * Kilarra nods, "Indeed. I hate to sound self serving, but I would be greatly appreciative if you all helped keep me alive, since if you -did- happen to die, you wouldn't be coming back without my help."
[18:11] <@Kilarra> Kjell chuckles a bit, "That makes a certain amount of sense, however morbid."
[18:13] * Aluthyra nods. "Of course. Kjell and I will take the lead. I do not think you will have a problem with that."
[18:14] * Kilarra nods, "Now, getting back to the Darklands should actually be easier than we might think. Remember that elf gate Alicavniss tried to send us to? Eviana told us that it is connected to a gate not far outside of Iadara. We just need to ask Queen Telandia to send us that way, and we can get back down there swiftly, after which the map she gave us should lead the rest of the way."
[18:15] <Aluthyra> Kahree nods. "Easy enough... to get there at least."
[18:18] <@Kilarra> Kjell brings the map back out. "The shrine itself is not too terribly far from the entrance indicated here. So it would make sense for it to be our first stop."
[18:21] * Kilarra nods, "Then lets get some rest and start early."
[18:22] <Aluthyra> Kahree nods, heading to her room to doze off for the night.
[18:23] <@Kilarra> Kjell leaves his armour off, knowing he would need a bit of help getting into it in the morning.
[18:23] * Kilarra takes Aluthyra to bed, intending to enjoy the night before the undertaking of yet another super dangerous mission, just in case
[18:25] <@Kilarra> -End Session-