Anauroch - The Great Desert

[raith0]

Peering ahead at the group gathered a ways away still.  Doyle shouts "Hail and well met!  I have come with news and aide we had another who moved ahead to quickly for me to follow.

Then flairing his greatsword out as he does takes a deep low bow flashing a smile

[Sohala]

"...get a small amou..." The dwarf's ramblings were cut short by the shout. He turned towards the voice and raised an eye brow at the new sight. Speaking a little soft, as to keep it from the newcomer, "Friend of yours?"

[Omen of Peace]

Mael shakes his head in vehement denial.
"Never seen him in my life."

As Devanar comes into sight, however, he recants:
"Ah, this priest was a companion of Maglugath and Daelric when I met them. The head of the expedition, I think."

"Devanar, you had some strange encounters? They can't be stranger than ours, I assure you!"

The halfling is content to let everyone introduce themselves. He usually doesn't mind playing master of ceremony but this is just too chaotic.

[Brainpiercing]

[ooc]

True enoug. Well. Let's go on from here.

[PRIVATE for Isul]

As Isul was watching from hiding, a creature suddenly appeared near him. On the outside it looked like an old one-armed goblin, but underneath that, Isul's true sight revealed a gruesome creature, a large hound-like fiend with blue skin and glowing orange eyes. The face, however, was strangely goblinoid, but nevertheless filled with sharp teeth.
The creature seemed wary, but not overly hostile. It withdrew back to the rest of the strange gathering, after the halfling had called his challenge.
[Aura 13]

Mag had wanted to surprise the newcomer, but then had remembered his near-fight with Cat from the previous chance meeting. He instead alerted the group and reappeared from hiding, then trotted back to the rest of the group. Cat hovered near the entrance, until yet more newcomers appeared on the edge of his mindsight - among them the old priest.

As Devanar approached he let his gaze wander across the group, finding new faces - but missing old ones. His heart sank.

'Where is Agnak?' he asked, with a sense of foreboding. Then his eyes found the small heap of remaining posessions of the once proud warrior. He rushed forward, and dropped to his knees in front of the remains. Tears filled his eyes, and he looked around frantically.
'What happened? These are his posessions, where is he?'

Mag left the newcomers to the others and came back to Devanar.
'He died a warrior's death. He can be proud.'

Devanar shook his head.
'Where is his body? We can revive him. We could muster the gold, I'm sure.'

Mag's stare was devoid of feeling.
'His soul is now fused with mine. There is nothign to revive.'

Devanar was incredulous.
'What? You damned fiend, you sucked him up like the demons? He was our FRIEND!'
Tears were streaming down his face.

The old one-armed goblin shrugged.
'He was a warrior, I honoured him by fusing him with me. Who knows, if we had revived him now, his next death might have been less glorious.'

Devanar's body shook, anger mixing in with the grief.
'WHY? His life wasn't nearly over. He still had a great future. Who knows, maybe his LIFE would have been more glorious. And who are you to suddenly talk about glory? We had an agreement. No evildoings. You promised.'

Mag waved his hand, a mild annoyance crossed his face. He was not quite oblivious to Devanar's pain, but the reason eluded him.
'What evildoings? I honoured him, that's all. The greatest warriors of the tribe would always be fused to me when they died, that was the way things were. And now I honoured him the same way. He is in good company. You humans are too obsessed with life and death. Creatures live, and they die, interfering with death is unnatural.'

Devanar felt utterly hollow. He had brought the goblin here. He had vouched for him. It was his responsibility. Maybe this was Lathander's will? This was his final task? He could still feel no evil from the goblin's words, but the act alone... it was VILE. He could not let this go further.

He got up, and wiped his tears away.
'Honoured... and I regret ever calling you that... no, vile fiend Maglu'glath. I am sorry, but I cannot let you go on in this way. The souls you have devoured must be freed.'
He grabbed his holy symbol with his left hand, and held it aloft, murmuring some words.
[Spellcraft DC 19 to identify]
Mag was irritated, but he still couldn't understand the priest.
'What "must be freed"? You can't free them, they're with ME....'
Devanar finished his spell, and strength washed through him. He stood erect.
Then he began casting another spell.
[Spellcraft DC20 to identify]

Mag watched him without moving. His understanding of magic was limited.
'What are you doing, Devanar?' he asked.

Devanar finished, and GREW to greater height, his voice booming the final words of the incantation.
'WITH THE MIGHT OF LATHANDER, I MUST DESTROY YOU!' he boomed. Hefting his morning star in both hands he advanced towards the goblin.

Maglu'glath sighed.
'What's this now? We are compatriots, what are you doing?' he said.

Devanar swung at him, but Mag evaded the blow.
'Stop this foolishness, Devanar', he growled, with growing menace in his voice.

'I WILL NOT STOP', the towering priest yelled, and swung again. This time the morning star connected. But it was sadly inadequate at making a big dent in the goblin - old and feeble as he may have looked.
However, at this point Maglu'glath realised that Devanar was not joking. He might be mad for the moment, but there were too many others - and humans at that - around. Mag didn't want others to join the fight, and he had no way of knowing how the others would react. So... he blinked out of existance.

Devanar cursed.
'STAY AND FIGHT', he yelled. He heard receding footsteps - but there were no imprints in the dust - and charged in the general direction, but his blind swing met no resistance.

Mag is invisible.
Hide +35 (+ invis for those who can't penetrate it)
Move silently + 23

[PRIVATE for Daelric]

Cat gave a mental chuckle.
Now what is wrong with those two? Anyway the gobby is leaving... want me to follow?

[Omen of Peace]

Mael can't help but shiver when he realizes the goblin is, for once, not joking when he talks about absorbing souls.
Abomination! My soul... It is not for you to consume, ever.
Unlike Devanar however, his instinct is to recoil from the shaman rather than confront him.

He is relieved when Mag chooses to scarper.

[McPoyo]

Isul stepped from hiding into the presence of the others by removing a small orb of light no larger than a marble from a pouch. "He has had a trying time up above. It may be best for someone to calm him down before he hurts someone, or himself. I am Isul, the Walker of Sands," the small beguiler calmly stated, though he appeared to keep his eyes observantly turned, scanning the entire cavern and the party.

[Private for anyone with detect thoughts or telepathy who can hear Isul's thoughts]

Was that a barghest? Why did a priest of Lathander keep company with such a creature prior? Surely he knew its nature. This is indeed a motley assortment of outcasts in this party.

[Ooc]

I couldn't remember if there was light in the cavern, and I'm invisible to darkvision thanks to the ring of the dark hidden.

Aura [12]

[ooc for Brainpiercing]

knowledge (planes) 19, which should be enough to identify lesser and greater barghests ascreatures, if not what they can do.

[Brainpiercing]

[PRIVATE for Isul]

Yes, it is indeed a greater Barghest. It's alignment shows up as Neutral, if you check.

[Sohala]

Utterly bewildered by the turn of event, the dwarf took the only action that seemed reasonable; he drew his hammer and took up a position interposed between the now large human and his own small group. "If someone doesn't start explaining something, he might not be the only one hurting somebody. Now what is this about eating spirits and killing allies?"

Detect Evil on the newcomers.
Aura [12]
BP will have to give the others.

[raith0]

As Devanar begins to attack the goblin Doyle Readies himself watching the other around him.  "Absorbing souls!? what manner of being is this?
"I am Doyle Nightwolf, i am here to aide where i can in your tasks and bring news from Baulders Gate and Lundeth Doyles says as he watches the others for reactions.
"i think first we should let Devanar a moment to collect himself and calm down.  the loss of friends and family can be hard on some one and i am sure we can spare a moment

[Omen of Peace]

Mael makes no move towards the fat and now giant priest; he hasn't known Devanar for very long and is not ready to risk his skin.

[OOC]
Aura 11
There is light in the cavern; Mael doesn't have darkvision so he needs it.

[Brainpiercing]

The pattering footsteps withdrew out of the central cavern and away from those present.
[PRIVATE for DAELRIC]

Last chance... Cat thought towards Daelric, inching on tiptoes in the direction that Mag had left in, but looking back at Daelric for confirmation or denial.

Devanar threw up his arms in frustration, and dropped to his knees.
'And even this I cannot do... even though it's all my fault. I vouched for him. I was lenient. Oh, Lathander, I AM a failure', he moaned, for the moment oblivious to the others around him.

[McPoyo]

In the quiet that followed, Isul's voice carried clearly in the cavern "It seems to me, Devanar, that were your god truly as displeased with your self-proclaimed continual failures he would have stripped from you his divine powers, or at least made his displeasure clear. In the day and a half I have known you, you have allowed your fears and lack of self-confidence to rule your life and make you a sniveling excuse for a man, one prone to emotional outbursts like a woman. To steal a phrase from your tongue, 'Sack up'. By being timid and fearful, you will never enact the change you've professed to want. Glory does not come to the fearful and meek, but to those willing to seek it. Your god must see something in you, which means you need to do your duty and stop worrying about failing. The past is the past, this I well know, and has nothing to do with the choices you make in the present." Isul walked over to Devanar and took his face in his worn and weathered paws that burned with the heat of the Anauroch at noon, pressing his face in closely and speaking with breath that felt like a scorching sirroco's winds, "And know this, son of Lathander; if your quivering honor and timid duty bring harm to the desert, I will burn you from it's face as your god does the desert sands. I have my duties to my god as well as you do, and I never shirk them." [Intimidate 19] This last bit was pitched so it wouldn't travel farther than Devanar's ears without highly trained ears, and was barely a whisper.

Releasing the heavy priest's jowls, Isul turned towards the others, "There are demons moving in the desert, I have been told, and you lot were sent to deal with them. As I see no demons around here, I can only assume you are ready to return to your duties? Or shall I arrange for the magistrates to know you are abandoning your duty so that another group may be sent?"

[Brainpiercing]

Intimidate 19. Damnit, a good roll but a crappy modifier. I'm going to let a little of my drought ability loose and raise the temperature some in the immediate area around Devanar and myself to the low 100s while issuing that intimdation check, and clamp down on it again afterward. I don't know if that would impose a modifier to the check or not.

[Omen of Peace]

"You speak boldly for someone with no clue about what happened here not long ago." Mael replies, his brown eyes on the strange little creature.
He's not afraid of it; it has some power, yes, but it's also the only creature here smaller than him.

"Two slumbering enemies from ages past awakened and battled in this very chamber and lo, the very ground shook. Our new friend here" he gestures to Marc "prevailed. Then he turned the rocks to dust.

And portal travellers" he tilts his head towards the dwarf, drow and Celestials "arrived seemingly out of nowhere, with their own strange tales.

I am still trying to make sense of it all."

Of course Mael himself was not sent by the magistrate, but secretly it amuses him to speak for their group.

[McPoyo]

"Are there any here left who were sent by the magistrates, besides yourself?"

[Omen of Peace]

The halfling leaves time to Daelric to reply, if he chooses to.

If he doesn't, Mael shrugs.
"Does it matter? We were never their errant boys."

[Sohala]

Though he wouldn't show it, the dwarf was feeling some sympathy for the fat cleric, lost in his faith. His first appraisal of the diminutive newcomer raised a few notches with its light shedding speech. But his last statement was what worried him. "What do demons have to do with the grand scheme of things? The whole desert has been turned on its head because of the wide spread mutation, and you are worrying about demons?!" The dwarf was almost shouting the last bit.

[McPoyo]

"A demon army is always a good thing to worry about, dwarf. I don't know much about these mutated creatures, or cursed, or whatever they really are, and to be perfectly frank, I don't much care until it spills from the towns into the tribal families of the desert. City-dweller's problems are their own. The natives of the desert, however, are my problem."

[Sohala]

Still in his raised voice, "I'll have you know I was bor..." He suddenly stopped in mid-sentence, his face turned to deep thought, his anger apparently gone, and he started again. "An actual army...not just a handful of hell spawn?" Turning towards his traveling companions, "Do you know of any of these happenings?"

[raith0]

Raising his hands to try and calm the situation a little "The Armies of and War Machines of Baulder Gate are all moving as we speak here about this.  the City Lundeth is under a heavy quarantee and curfew.  Bicker isnt something we need to do.  if we are to lend a hand in this war than we have a few days of travel one way or another.  we all seem to be looking for similiar if not the same things lets not fight and expend any unneeded energies when we could encounter Demons or what ever else they have with them."  Doyle says hoping to stop another fight and move things along.

Diplomacy - 24 if needed

[Brainpiercing]

[ooc]

Indeed desert tribes HAVE been affected by the mutations, in fact, the effects are seemingly originating from the desert, and are its outermost occurances are Lundeth in the south and some place near Torgthen's town in the north. So Isul should be in fact quite concerned with them. However, as they have been random, and only happening for a few days now, Isul in his wanderings might not have come across them.

And mechanically, yes, they are templates, and have been affecting mostly those with poor saves .

Devanar was taken aback as the small rodent-like creature admonished him. The underlying threat re-awakened resources of anger that had been buried by self-pity. He wiped his face with his sleeve, then returned Isul's gaze.
'Indeed, honoured Isul, the desert is NOT my duty. This wretched piece of land can all go to hell, as far as I'm concerned.  It's its people - and Lathander's blessing extends to all sentients who are prepared to live peacefully - I'm concerned about, and whom I have failed.'

He got up, still Large in size, and turned away from Isul.
'Just to make things clear, we were not sent to deal with the demons. We were sent to find out what they may want here. And what is causing the mutations, or if indeed these two occurances are related. In any case, the only person now left with this duty is me. The others are chance meetings and may or may not choose to help.
Now with this news of the army moving that the honoured Doyle brought, I believe we should in fact examine the demonic dealings. From what we know, their portal and base of operations are not far north of here. I for one will try to cautiously approach that place. Fighting them, though, is hardly an option, but I am thinking if I were to get some help from those honoured persons present here, then we might manage to capture one of the smaller ones, and find out what they are looking for. Perhaps they have found information that we do not yet have.'