Friday, January 5, 2018

Clearing the Mirrors

"So we are against Soth in every situation?" wondered Baru as the party saw the change in the figure on the throne.  Grunyar suggested setting some sort of trap for Soth, "When he is fully animate, we want some defense against the Death Knight!"

"How should we attack the next mirror?" posed Arvien, "Should we try and stop the Kingpriest from continuing his ceremony?"  Ralom suggested that he would ignore them and continue with the ceremony no matter what.  "But we look like acolytes" countered Drovic, "Maybe we could convince him."
With the decision to just try and attack Soth and not let him out of the hallway in mind the party stepped through the third mirror into the hallway with double doors on both ends.  To the right was a rook, chained to a birdstand.  "Through," it cawed.  "Through."
Beyond the open doors they could hear the Kingpriest's voice, "People of Istar! O ye of the faith!  Today we command the gods themselves.  Today we banish evil from the face of Krynn.  Join with me in solemn prayer as I prepare to conduct the final part of my holy ritual."
Grunyar hurried to the doors, closed and staked them shut.  Ralom summoned earth elementals and just as Soth turned the corner of the hallway, Arvien cast a web across the intersection.  This didn't seem to slow Soth as he advanced on the mass of heroes and elementals lined up across the hall.  Battle was quickly joined, Arvien summoned her Dire Boar as the group tried to keep Soth from advancing to the portico.  Whenever there was an opening Soth moved forward but was stymied, even as the group heard the flaming debris start to fall from the sky, panicking the crowd.
As Soth fell in the halls of the Kingpriest, the party found themselves back in the Throne Room.  Immediately looking at the throne they saw that the knight was sitting blot upright.  He shook his head, as if clearing sleep from it.  Suddenly his eyes opened to reveal brilliant pinpoints of orange within blackened eye sockets.  The knight stared intently at each of the heroes is turn, then slowly looked away.
Ralom started dragging portions of the broken chandelier to the throne, placing them over and atop the figure of the knight.  The knight still appeared somewhat translucent and immaterial.  Arvien was musing on the next mirror, the Conquest of Palanthas.  "Maybe we don't have to kill Soth,"  she wondered, "Maybe just keep the crown away from him.  Could we kidnap Tanis and hide him?"  Ralom said that when he donned the crown he was certainly unstoppable, the fireballs were vast.  Baru was all for continued attacking the Lord, stay away from the draconians if you can.  Grunyar wondered if Dirk could somehow make away with the crown.  Arvien quickly proposed that Summergale could sweep down and pluck the crown from Tanis.  Maybe that way she could keep it from Soth.  So into the fourth mirror they headed.
The heroes stood in a narrow street filled with dark smoke.  The smoke stung their eyes and choked their lungs.  A nearby building was on fire, and menacing shaped rushed through the gloom.  Overhead was the flapping of mighty wings.  Tanis came stumbling out of the darkness carrying a sword and a black rose.  "Kitiara, my love," he said.  "I fight for you this day."  He looked up and saw the party,  "My friends!" he cried.  "There you are.  Rally to my side and fight well, or Palanthas will surely fall."
Just then Summergale swooped down and grabbed the crown from the head of Tanis, delivering it to Arvien farther down the street.  She took the crown and ran around the corner and into a doorway of the nearest building.  Meanwhile Lord Soth strode out of the smoke, challenged Tanis and was surrounded by draconians.  A large black bird winged its way past him, barely clearing the fair locks on his head.
"Lord," it cawed.  "Lord."  And then it was gone in the smoke.  Soth approached Tanis as they both began to battle.  The draconians advanced and the party rushed to attack.  Varrid was looking for an advantage, Drovic let loose fire, lightning arcs and acid attacks.  Seglun rushed in to the fray, Baru right behind him.  Tanis again fell, but he had no crown for Soth to grab, which heartened the heroes. Arvien came out from the building summoning the Dire Boar, Seglun fell to Soth's sword and reappeared in the Throne Room.  He was soon joined by the other party members.  The knight had risen from the throne, stood just in front of it.  One skeletal hand rested upon the hilt of this long sword, and his blazing orange eyes swept the room. As his gaze fell upon the heroes, they could see his blackened mouth was still working, and they could hear faint whispers which were not understandable.

DM's Notes: The party earned 2000XP for the night and now have 31,472 XP needing an additional 3,528 XP to reach 6th level.

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