Story 7/16/17

The session started off with the group descending down the long narrow tunnel on a ladder into the darkness. They climbed down almost a quarter mile, and the air crew musty and damp as they descended. Eventually, they found a magically lit room with a swirling vortex of black and orange smoke. The vortex was actually

fairly loud, and seemed to be a faraday cage for both vision and magic. Also in the room, were 6 pressure plates, blue, red, green, black, grey and gold. Around the edges of the room were 6 podiums, one with a tesla coil on top, one with a flexing arm, one with a brain, one with a green vial, one with a running man, and one with a purple magic ball. Erevan also noticed that one wall of the room had latent magical energy to it.

There was a raven in the back of the room, and Beorn shot the raven with his crossbow and killed it. Monashe and Klon were fairly miffed by this, and Geistabel even got to the raven first and pulled the arrow out of it. Beorn smashed the raven against the wall, and a piece of parchment fell out.

The parchment had 6 lines, with the same symbols starting it, similar symbols ending it, and completely different symbols in the middle.

Klon put his hand on the podium with the flexing arm, learned it was the test of strength, and ended up facing a rock golem in 1 on 1 combat. He was able to defeat the rock golem quickly and pass the test. His right hand began to show a brilliant religious power to it.

Aeowyn put her hand on the podium with the brain, and learned it was the test of knowledge. There was a stone on the podium, and she read an inscription that said 'I run smoother than most any rhyme; I love to fall but cannot climb.' She poured water onto the podium, it dissolved, and she passed the test.

Beorn and Klon worked on solving the puzzle, and Aeowyn learned about 6 magical energy lines where Erevan had been sensing power on the back wall.

Monashe put her hand on the green vial podium, which said test of faith. She was injected with a nasty green undead turning poison, and took damage until the other tests were passed, at which point she passed the test.

Khaelis put his hand on the running man podium, learned it was the test of speed, but unfortunately failed the test when he tried to give a glove to Klon to pass an obstacle. Beorn eventually passed that test.

Erevan put his hand on the purple magic ball podium, learned it was the test of magic, and fought against a water elemental that did not take non-magical damage. He almost drowned, but was able to defeat it and pass the test.

Khaelis put his hand on the tesla coil podium, which was the test of will. He took a massive amount of damage, barely survived, and passed the test.

The group then held up the parchment to the wall, and were able to decipher the following:

The one who killed one of us stands on blue (Khaelis)

The one who lost everything stands on red (Aeowyn)

The one who needs the others stands on green (Beorn)

The one who speaks the language stands on gold (Erevan)

The one who knows her fate stands on grey (Monashe)

The one who is cursed stands on black (Klon).

They stood on their respective pressure plates, and the black smoke swirl stopped. They suddenly found themselves looking at 7 figures with various orange ornaments. Desmond was in the center, with orange robes. Sivath was also in orange robes, and appeared undead (undead dragonkin don't exist to anyone's prior knowledge). Ustalar was also undead, and in orange robes. A male tiefling was in the back, and had an orange skull/sickle/branch amulet on. Zadicus was also in the back, with orange tattoos. A female drow was in the middle, with an orange necklace. A female orc with two great battleaxes was off to one side, with orange bracers and orange face paint.

The group also found themselves in the same timelock spell that Desmond had used earlier near Iym Nalore. While frozen, the group witnessed the following:

"That. Fucking. Dwarf. You will have years of torment for what you did to me." said Ustalar.

"This little dwarf killed your father? Pitiful, I could slice him two with one stroke." said the female orc. (This was a huge revelation for the group, now knowing that Ustalar is Marsay's son, and that Thorrak killed Marsay at Yawning Hold)

"We should kill all of them right now, too dangerous to be left alive." said Zadicus.

"If we kill them, we have to make sure they are still able to serve afterwards." said the Drow.

"The big one is mine, he led my people astray after he had them kill me." said Sivath.

The tiefling's amulet begins to burn him very painfully, he cries out.

"The master… he summons us… he demands to know why we failed him…" said the Tiefling.

A warping mist bubble begins to appear all around the 7. Desmond lifts his hands above his head and makes a conjuration motion.

"Once you are dead, if you are lucky, he will resurrect you as one of his slaves." said Desmond. The 7 disappear in the warp bubble, and an Avatar of Orcus appears where they were. It is a long, tough fight, but the

group manages to kill the Avatar, with the help of Monashe's entire group of animal friends.

As it is dying, it screams a demonic chant in common, and everyone who speaks common takes damage. The animal companions are dominated by the Avatar, and begin attacking the group.

Monashe is very conflicted, but ultimately decides to grab Giestabel and Hawkmoon, and jump on top of them with a lit bomb. The bomb goes off, killing all his animal companions and knocking her unconscious. Thorrak and Klon stabilize her afterwards, but her animal companions physical form seems to be gone.

The group then looks at where the warp bubble had been, and sees new scenes with the Serevictus.

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