Khi/Raith Adventure #1

They  creeped up through the trees, using the shade and foliage to blend in. Raith’s braided hair hidden by the hood of his coat, for fear of the bright color giving away their location. They watched a large castle, in ruin and forgotten. Rumors abound of an old mage who had lived inside, who turned to necromancy and became a litch.

Raith had been looking for adventure, too long idle. So he researched, looking for rumors of magic or dangerous monsters. Hes grown bored while Khi was away, performing some ceremonies for the Church of Elistreea. When Khi returned Raith proposed the adventure. Defeat a litch, recover some artifacts.


They moved at night, Khi led, his swords drawn and at the ready.  Raith followed, one hand on Khi’s belt the other holding a shard of crystal, a spell held in time.  Rushing as one through the ruins the passed through the outer wall. Inside was the ruins of a soldiers barracks.

Slipping into the building remains they once more hunkered down, scanning their surroundings for any signs of movement. A patrol of skeleton warriors was making a round of the keep. Watching, keeping their breathing quite as possible till they drew near.

Khi darted out, his swords swinging in unison to shatter the skulls of the rear soldiers. Turning on his heels bring blades to bear on the others in time to see Raith’s spell wash across the bones. A bead of fire that swelled to a inferno and dissipated in an instant. Khi watched the flames swirl around him, safe in the knowledgeable that his husband’s spell would avoid him.

As the smoke cleared he saw Raith standing in the old barracks, his arcane focus in one hand and the wand of silence in the other. But he was gazing up, towards the keep looming above. They'd been seen.

Raith went into a sprint towards him, quickly taking position, and then Khi could hear again, a loud screeling sound came from the keep. A magical alarm? Or a response to the not so subtle fireball… no time to give a shit, they had to run.  He set a sprint for the keep doors, the loud clanging of Raiths boots on the old cobblestone slowly growing louder as the alarm faded.
Khi was at the door, Raith almost there, but he could see more skeletons coming out of the shadow to meet the . He threw him self at the doors, un-moved.
Again.
Again.
Again… they held. He turned towards the approaching foes.



Raith heard Khi throw himself at the door, unsuccessfully.  He pulled out the arcane Focus, staring at the large crystal shard and concentrating.  Thinking deeply about the shape, about every detail he could remember.


A roar filled the air as he changed. The arcane energy crackled and discharged, and where once stood Raith, stood now a minotaur. Its fur a faint blue, the eyes the same green/blue hue of his normal self. Raith jumped towards the foes, swinging a fist at the first to approach.
He watched Khi enter the fray, the moonlight glinting of his blades was entrancing.

A sharp pain brought him back to the moment as one of the skeletons caught him in the side. He saw it pull back, a rusty sword drawing a stream of blood through the air as it came it for a second swing. The blade stopped mid air as Raith ripped the arm of the body before promptly crushing the skull. He moved towards the door, swiping away a flurry of blows with one arm.
He threw his weight against the door, and again. The sound, like thunder, rolled across the grounds as he slammed. Again. The door was giving, splintering and crackling under every blow. Again.  He watched  Khi finish the last of the bone warriors. Again, and he feels the door give. And he falls to the floor, his bull face meeting the polished floors.

He let the spell fade. Returning to normal as Khi started pulling him to his feet.
“Always a door, yeah? We can fight off a small army of skeletons but a door is what stops us! Gotta love a classic.”  He said smiling and dusting off Raith. “But hey, we made it in. Always fun seeing you turn into things.”

“Yeah to bad i dont have anti floor magic, because that really hurt.” Raith stretched his shoulders. Still full of tension from the transformation. “Butttt we are closer. I… uhh, don’t quite know where to go from here. Statistically its up… but the litch could be down below too”

“Hush, we’ll find them. Can you detect magic? It should be a fairly strong sense”

“Yeah, watch my back while I prepare the ritual.”
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Khi watched as Raith drew a small set of arcane sigils in the floor, then a small matching on on his forehead. It was always a great sight. This tiny man that he had known forever, who was so smart and powerful.

He kept his sword drawn. The blades catching the faint light through the window. The thin blades a contrast to each other, one silver and shimmering, the other darkened grey.  But in the pommel of each was a carven moonstone representative of the lunar stages.

But his gaze did not dwell upon his blades, put upon the darkness surrounding them. It felt unnatural, arcane. His skins prickled as a cold rushed over him and a force grabbed his throat. “Wraith!” He yelled, attempting to bring the silvered blade to bear unseen spectre.
In a moment he felt it again, on his left. The blade arced, and a low screech filled the air as the wraith appeared. Khi watched it spiral for Raith, who was just not breaking from the ritual.
Out of time.

- - - - - - - - - -

Raith saw Khi get hit by the Specter, only just cleared of his ritual. He spirit let out a hiss as it dropped the silvered sword. It's very essence scorched by its divine nature. An opening

Raith lunged towards the fallen blade, his own still upon his back. It was foreign, a unfamiliar weight in his hands. These swords where specuto Khi’s church, special to the Blade Dancers. But, they can’t hate him for defending someone.

He held the long blade with both hands. Left foot forward, right foot back, a perfect angle. He paused. How do you remove a ghost? Possession… well, not the best idea.

He stabbed forward towards Khi, aiming the blade for his shoulder. He felt it connect, and he wanted to cry. But he heard the wraith howl and watched it disappear. perhaps fleeing, maybe gone for good.  But he also heard Khi grunt as he pulled the blade out.

“Thats not the textbook way to… uh stabg a ghost out of someone.” He stood there, holding a hand over his wounded shoulder and channeling the blessings of Eilistreea. The wound slowlystitched itself closed. The dark green skin a pale green, as it went, before fading to its natural hue.  He saw thw looks of shock on the smaller mans face, and quickly swept him into a hug that lifted him from the ground. “You did great my prince” he whispered into Raith ear, “you thought fast, and struck well. I love you, and we are safe.”

“Safe for now, we should probably keep going.” He kissed him gently and stepped back, “Khisaha, my world, I promise to protect you!”

“Raith, your being ridiculous.” He said, brushing back the hood. He held some of the sky blue hair, briefly enjoying the soft texture as the pain in his shoulder faded. “My moon, lets not stick around to long.” He let the lock of blue hair fall back against the face.



They moved slowly, creeping up the stairs with their weapons ready. It grew colder as they ascended the keep. The cold seeping into them, unnatural and unsettling.
A opening greeted them, the large chamber was barren. Raith held his focus to his head, quickly casting detect magic. His eyes flared blue as he scanned the room. Pulling Khi slowly forwards, side stepping a hidden arcane trap.

“Khi” a whisper “i can a lot of aura coming from the left most door. I think the litch is in there.” He slowed, pulling a pouch from his belt. “Im gonna cast chain lightning, once its subsided you’ll be good to come in”

“Sounds good, don't get to close Raith stay safe.”

- - - - - - - - -

Khi watched Raith move up, nearly as silent as a thunderstorm.  He saw Raith pull a handful of powder from the pouch, and his hand began to glow. A cloud of  sickly green electricity gathered around his hand. Time seemed to slow as Khi moved up behind Raith. He opened the door for the mage reaching over the smaller man.

The cloud shrouded hand shot forward and with a Snap lightning bolted forward, the once dark hall now awash in hues of green.

“Now!” Raith whispered, pulling his arm back and gathering more of the dust.

Khi rushed in, the sound of old bones cracking under foot alerting him to the spells effectiveness. But his gaze did not stray from the sight before him. A large skeletal figure stood upon a dais, robes burning from the previous spell.  A set of large horns spiraled back from its head.

He stared it down, the red of his eyes matched by the litch’s own glowing sockets. It seemed an eternity as they starred, but he saw an opening. The litch started to move to cast a spell and he rushed, blades drawn back.

He closed in seconds, the large room filling with sickly light as the litch began resurrecting its minions. He brought his baldes down simultaneously, crushing the litch’s arm as it was rising up. With a flash of radiance the arm was severed and the litch screamed. The force of its anger nearly knocking Khi back.

He changed his stance, sliding a foot back and lowering his body. Now braced against the force he held strong against the onslaught with a prayer on his lips to Eliistraee.

With the energy dispersed he looked up and saw the litch had replaced its arm with a lashing whip of arcane power.  He had but a moment before the litch turned once more on him and began casting another spell. He jumped to the side to avoid the spell but as it went to throw the spell it fizzled out.

Raith let out a small cheer as he countered the spell, and in a moment had begun his own attack. Where one he held his small Arcane focus he now held a large crystalline staff, jagged and sharp at the top while smooth and carven at the base.  He slammed it upon the ground, a cloud of bright light blinding the room.

Khi looked back at Raith and saw the smaller man had been wreathed in faint light. A spectral draconic form lingered over him.  Where his hands held his staff now had glowing claws faintly seen. And holding him just a hair off the ground where wings of radiant light.

- - - - - - - - - -

Raith felt the power, the burning sensation spreading a he channeled the minor blessing of the Platinum Dragon. He took a step, his muscles heavy under the strain. Each movement felt like a lifetime. But soon he had drawn upon the Lich.

Getting tired every moment that passed he struck at the lich, his staff knocking it to its knees. He quickly stepped behind it, using his staff to restrain it.

- - - - - - - - - - - -

Khi watched in awe as Raith knocked their quarry to it knees. He began approaching it again, preparing his swords so as it finish it.

Raith stoon behind it, his crystal staff tight against its throat while the spectral hands restrained the lich’s arms.  The creatures cursed and spat at them in an unknown language.

He looked to Raith for confirmation, and without hesitation he sunk both blades through the lich’s body. The bones cracking and splintering under the radiant blades. The finally with a gust of sickly wind, the lich’s robes collapsed as the bones turned to dust.

Khi rushed to Raith as the spectral dragon faded away, leaving him weakened and sore.
“Easy, its gone.  You did great, and i know you're tired, but if you have it in you we need to find its Soul vial… thing. Whatever its called.” He helped his Husband sit, his green skin pale after the stress. “If you can locate it i can retrieve it!”he kissed Raith, pushing his hair out of his face.

“Okay, just… uhh. Let me use it as a ritual, it will be a few minutes.” Raith rolled onto his knees, pulling a stick of charcoal out of his component pouch. He began scrawling a sigil into the floor, all while Khi stood watch, checking around the room for any dangerous or valuable items.
 He move slowly around the room, ready the spines of books, and ignoring a actual spine on a separate shelf. He paused and loaded some alchemist tools into the bag of holdings, a lovely gift for a friend. And moved on, lots of bones, terrifying amounts of bones.

He was reaching for a small crystal object when he heard Raith yelp. Turing quick on his feet he pulled his sword into a two-handed grip.

Raith was standing in the middle of his sigil, with a few spectres around him. Khi lunged forward, asking Eilistraee for help, and with a flash from the symbol of Eilistraee upon his chest the Specters where banished.
 “There” Raith pointed, “the Phylactery is inside that statue!” Sure enough Khi saw Raiths target, a small carven Skull inlaid with brass and amber.

He pulled it down, heavy in his hands, and set it between them. “Raith, how do we destroy this? Your powerful, but i don't think you can cut through metal can you?”

“I think its a puzzle box… kinda. But fuck that, im gonna send this fucker to a other dimension.”

“Won’t he come back? In a few days, thats what the church taught.”

“Yes, but i was thinking the fire plane, should melt it and destroy the phylactary.  But, i get your concerns. So i can probably open the skull… box… thing.”
“Id prefer seeing it destroyed.”

“Sure thing!”  And he saf back down, pulling the skull close. He began twisting the small brass carvings and using the inlaid gems like buttons to unlock segments.

Khi resumed looking for valuables, putting some loose gems and coins into the bag. Every few minutes he would hear Raith swear or yip excitedly. He kept searching till he Raith called him over. Raith had opened the skull, and revealed a small red crystal.

“That should be it, if you smash it with your swords it should shatter.  Im gonna prep a teleportation circle back to the Shop. I want my real bed”

“Hush and stop pouting, this was your idea after all” Khi gently pushed Raith, causing him to giggle slightly. “But yeah, smash this, then head home, sounds like a solid plan!”

Raith watched as the two holy blades shattered the Phylactery, signaling the permanent end for the lich. And with the ornate skull box tucked under his arm he called Khi over and they disappeared back to their home.




- - - - - - - - - - -

Raze was tinkering with a large crossbow, fine tuning its new upgrades. Zendak out with Dagwren shopping.

Standing at a table when a flash behind him alerted him he spun, hefting the crossbow that was nearly as big as himself. He pointed it at the seeming intruders.

He saw his friends and lowered the hulking weapon, setting it gently onto the table. “Goddess save us, the two of you nearly give me a heart attack every time you do that.  I really need to move the workshop to another room.”

“Aww come onnnn” Raith whined playfully “is that anyway to treat the guys who got your Magic ingredients!”

“When I almost impale you to a wall… Yes.”

“Where is Dagwren anyways?”  Khi asked, while emptying out the bag of holding

“Shopping, with Zen. She’s in the mood to try cooking again.  So you’re back at the perfect time!”

“Uhh. I think we forgot something back at the lich’s castle!” Raith joked, half heartedly.

“Zen went to help her right?”

“Even he can only help so much.”




That's it, about all i can think of for this adventure.