** Part I: Fire and Ash **

[TristenC]

I think we should, yes. Also, Karnak spoke of meeting at a summit at the end of the month. We should consult Karlene regarding that.

[spike]

Yes, Whisper is awake but goes back to sleep after Idrys disposes of the Meazen's corpse.

Karlene enters via the lift.

It is now 11:30 pm game time, fyi.

Erodan said 'ah, indeed. I pray you'll have use of my counsel regarding it if it so pleases you'

Karlene is wide awake but Idrys yawns and is extremely sleepy, ready to crash on the floor if need be (vs. CON: failure)

Karlene is on watch duty, as Idrys and Whisper sleep fitfully. During his watch, aside from the meazel Idrys has oiled and filed down his weapons witha whetstone and did some 250 pushups to get his blood warm.

Whisper, in his sleep cries out 'damn you, Lomag! I'll destroy you if it's last thing that I do!' or something or other to this effect (he sort of whispers it beneath his breath, difficult to tell) and he sounds as if he's chanting words to a spell 'xiombarg nularch heldemite sinagong!' he intones fluidly.

What does Karlene do during her watch?

[Chris1234]

Karlane beckons Erodan to stand beside her in the corner of the room farthest from the wardrobe.
"Talk on, Erodan," she says quietly, so that they won't disturb the others.
"I would like to hear your words on the disposition, the dispersal if you will, of both the former prisoners here and also the Tridents. The ones that volunteered, that is the ones that enjoy rapine and murder for purely the pleasure of it trouble me. I would not wish to inflict Harby with such; it has troubles enough."

She continues, after they have talked, "After this, I would ask you to stand near Idrys. If anything steps out of the wardrobe, wake him immediately. I shall need to go and attend to some things in preparation for the morrow."

[spike]

Erodan: "Ah, rapine and murder are behaviors that can be easily thrust upon even in the most indomitable willed men, however cut the root at the source and the pattern is shattered. This lass is less of the issue that I see, but rather it is that the masks would allow them to live undetected in any town or village nearby practically invisible in plain sight. A clever ploy, really, simple too. I'd imagine it would allow them to get close to their enemies and eliminate the ones who investigate them. However since you put down their leader, doubtless another will arise and aspire to the former's glory...in Scarn's case infamy. I found it both peculiar and comedic that these masked devils seemed to be lulled into loving murder, as though it were a delightful pleasure. Regardless, I believe you crushed their lust for killing, at least long enough to show them that there are others who would stand in their path to thwart their evil'

While on her watch: Karlene senses something is awry.

Soft, squelching footfalls and a strange, moldy odor indicate that some creature is nearby, but nothing can be seen.

What do you do?

[Chris1234]

Erodan: "Ah, rapine and murder are behaviors that can be easily thrust upon even in the most indomitable willed men, however cut the root at the source and the pattern is shattered. This lass is less of the issue that I see, but rather it is that the masks would allow them to live undetected in any town or village nearby practically invisible in plain sight. A clever ploy, really, simple too. I'd imagine it would allow them to get close to their enemies and eliminate the ones who investigate them. However since you put down their leader, doubtless another will arise and aspire to the former's glory...in Scarn's case infamy. I found it both peculiar and comedic that these masked devils seemed to be lulled into loving murder, as though it were a delightful pleasure. Regardless, I believe you crushed their lust for killing, at least long enough to show them that there are others who would stand in their path to thwart their evil'

"All well and good, Erodan. I will trust that you have the right of it and follow this course. Team talk in the morning then," replies Karlane.

She continues, after they have talked, "After this, I would ask you to stand near Idrys. If anything steps out of the wardrobe, wake him immediately. I shall need to go and attend to some things in preparation for the morrow."

She adds, "I'll be about half an hour. That ok?"

Unless he flatly refuses, or claims inability, Karlane goes to the sacred carvings room and studies her spell book for the 15 minutes required to commit Identify to memory and her second and final arcane spell of the day. She shakes her head as she realises just how busy the day has been - she hadn't got round to memorizing the spell she'd originally intended. Just a well as it turns out.

The half-human offers a prayer to Lor, ~By Your Will may all the secrets of this device{star gem} be revealed to me so that Idrys and I may be better able to continue to frustrate and reverse your foes.~
She then spends the necessary 10 minutes to Identify the star gem they'd found in this place.

If it's a quick process, Karlane will re-password the teleports, certainly the one in the cell-room and then, assuming nothing untoward, return to relieve Erodan.

While on her watch: Karlene senses something is awry. Soft, squelching footfalls and a strange, moldy odor indicate that some creature is nearby, but nothing can be seen.
What do you do?

Trying to not show that she's detected anything, Karlane removes a speck of imaginary dirt from her mace and move 5' or so diagonally away from the approximate direction of the noise. Under cover of polishing the mace head on the sleeve of her off-hand, the priestess swings around in the direction of the noise. if the squelching sounds immediate and close she fires the mace/net at it, adding, "Show your self in the name of Lor."

======
{OOC: Not quite sure how the mace-net thing works, but I'm fine if you want to correct/edit me.}

[spike]

You were about to cast identify on the lesser stargem but the sudden sense of a presence nearby shatters your concentration. You need absolute silence and the desk to work on for the identification to be as forthcoming as it can.

Erodan stirred and shook Idrys awake, handing him his sword 'be alert, something is afoot!' the artiste-forger draws a dagger from his wrist-sheathe.

Whisper is roused from sleep by Erodan.

Something completely invisible momentarily materialized into existence and takes a ginormous monstrous bite out of Erodan, killing the doomed man where he stood. Just as he died, the thing becomes invisible once again. It looked like a fungus type creature with tentacles and a monstrous tooth filled maw full of sharp teeth.

As Whisper roused from slumber he is painted in a splatter of Erodan's blood.

REACTION

[Chris1234]

Thinking ~Where the feck did that come from?~ Karlane stands, relying on her boots to keep her silent and therefore hopefully undetectable by the creature as it appeared to have no eyes, and moves to close the door so that the creature can't go and eat the ex-prisoners. She waits for it to show again so that she can hit it with a set of magic missiles.

[spike]

Exactly the moment she asked herself this very question, Karlene's (alertness: success) eyes rested on a trail of slimy ichor leading from the ventilation shaft in the wall. Idry's depositing of the dead Meazel carcass fed this thing a very satisfying substantial meal, and it has come in search of even more sweet meat.

[TristenC]

Idrys lays into the space where he last saw the creature flicker with both of his weapons; looking to the cloor for any indications of where it might be in bloody smears or slimy trails. I will avenge you, Erodan. Lucien, can anything be done?

[spike]

KARLENE: (1: fumble, 45%) the net shoots out of the handle, flies upward then entwines you in its mesh (entangled for 3 rounds). The weapon's mace-head fires out toward a target, and shoots forth spikes that form a net which resembles an inverted umbrella. It is shot via a canister of compressed gas in the handle.

IDRYS rushed into the fray, twirling his swords at empty air (4, 9) sensing the invisible beast has moved elsewhere.

LUCIEN scratched the unseen thing with his dagger scratching it, 'this vile beast hath no soul!' the assassin quips.

WHISPER got out of the bed, began chanting furiously 'Xombrith Noieegria Kroi malefeznera loombiag!' extended his hands so his palms were outstretched two glowering, orange runes wrought of pure flame emblazoned in either hand, unleashing a scorching fiery beam from two lesser ones that solidified into one stronger ray, striking the invisible creature full on bathing it in pure agonizing flame, the smell of charred mold releases from the things body. Karlene is unaffected by the smell, but Idrys keels over and begins vomiting immediately, as if overwhelmed by a stinking cloud.

Suddenly the thing appeared briefly as it tried to bite at Whisper, missing the mage it immediately reverted to an invisible state.

ROUND 2:

Idrys lifted himself up and quickly regained his composure from the reeking foulness of charred fungus. Recovered, he swung in and impales the invisible beast with his invisible longsword ironically, killing it. A minute later its dead carcass faded into existence.

[Chris1234]

"Well done. Care to help me out of this thing, please?" requests Karlane.

[spike]

AFTER the brief battle with the invisible fungus-creature, Idrys goes back to sleep still very much tired and worn out, and so does Whisper.

Karlene roused her brother after maintaining watch and got some shut eye herself, and she fell into a deep coma sleep. She had a nightmare where she was being chased by a tall, lanky grey skinned giant whose head was adorned with a helm, and it brandished a huge mace.

As morning came, Karlene was able to take some time to complete the Identification on the second lesser stargem. Some of the aura was maligned by a mixture of her own handling of it and some others, whoever perhaps hid it within the mace originally. However this is what she is able to glean from it. You expend one of the black pearls for the material component:

only 1 binding: to the temple of Lor IN Lor, specifically into a secure section called the Forbidden Archives --activation word: gazrath access to the forbidden archives is considered blasphemy unless approval of the arch-priest is granted, and typically that only happens on the most rarest of special circumstances. That said, only the arch-priest himself could have created this binding.

this gem only has a total of 3 bindings
x1 week: wind walk
x3/day: Air Walk, wind wall

This lesser stargem was crafted out of a greater one, and wrought in the elemental plane of air. It was stolen out of the royal museum in Corealus at behest of the arch-priest of Lor who felt it better protected in the vaults of the Lorian underground temple beneath Lor city, which is guarded by all manner of traps, wards, and clay golems. The gem acts as a key to gates which can be bound to particular designated binding points.

[SARRMATT]

Before going back to rest Whisper checks on the fallen man to see if by any chance the vicious bite hadn't been fatal. "I am sorry for the loss of your ally. He seemed a decent and well educated man from the brief moments I spoke with him. "

[Ooc:] What spell did Whisper cast and is it depleted from his 'new' day spell list?

[spike]

Scorching ray, you regain it during re-sleep.

Whisper knelt down and examined the very limp form of Erodan. The older man was very dead, the creature took a huge bite out of his rib-cage and devoured some of his entrails in its brutal attack.

THE LIFT rose up from below and in came a portly woman with kind, shining eyes that bespoke of mirth and even a little bit of mischief. She strode easily across the floor toward you all and was whistling the tune of some song or other and introduces herself as Drusilla. She has a quiet air of dignity about her, like one accustomed to the company of greatness. She shakes Whisper's hand 'Good to see you're up and about, lost child. You probably don't remember me do you? Scarn sent me north with a patrol to find some ginger root for his diarrhea, which ironically I gave him through some herbal tea he shouldn't have drank, heh heh. We found you in a cave, butt naked and plum out of your mind, speaking gibberish and nonsensical things really. The trident's were going to put you out of your misery, and would have but I talked them out of it. Sorry I made up the story that you were Lord Altradeaus and possibly worth some money, it was the only story I could come up with for these murdering lunatics to spare your life. Sorry I chose that house because they're known for their wizards, and well Scarn was constantly in dire need of one. I think that helped that you actually were a mage!'

[TristenC]

[Idrys was asking Lucien if anything could be done about Erodan. I guess it's suddenly tomorrow now?]