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Cards Reshuffled 247


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#1 Laufey

Posted 23 April 2005 - 09:30 AM

Cards Reshuffled 247 – At The Shadow Altar

When in a perilous situation, trite as it may sound, remember that it’s always darkest before dawn, and that person you least expect may lend you a helping hand.

Excerpt from ‘Ruminations Of A Master Bard’


“Only one casualty,” Jaheira summarized, thoughtfully eyeing the enormous corpse of the Shadow Dragon. “We were lucky.”

Zaerini had to agree with that. After she and Edwin had finished pouring as many healing potions as they could spare into Jaheira’s and Anomen’s wounds, as well as down their throats, the two healers had gone to work on the other wounded. Anomen had been badly affected by the dragon’s black breath though, he was weak and shaky, and explained that many of the spells he would normally be able to cast were currently beyond him. The same held true for Jan, and although Jaheira was able to restore them to some extent, their spells were still temporarily lost. Also, now the druid was weakened in turn, and Rini had more or less had to order her to sit down and catch her breath for a moment. Not for too long though – they all knew that the Shade Lord was still close by, and could return at any moment.

There was nothing to be done for Mazzy. Anomen explained that while Helm might now possibly consent to give him the power of life over death, that spell still required an intact corpse to work on.

Rini had briefly considered bringing the hand along for some sort of burial, but then decided against it. She’d probably be happier this way. It’s all very knightly, after all, being eaten by a dragon. While she wouldn’t exactly miss the Halfling as a person, she had to admit that the way Mazzy’s sword had penetrated the roof of the dragon’s mouth and into the brain was very impressive. Not to mention the way her body had got stuck in the dragon’s larynx, choking it to death. And she was good in a battle – we could have used her against the Shade Lord. Especially now, with so many of us hurt.

While they were all currently healed enough to be out of mortal danger, Jaheira and Anomen had been forced to pick and choose where to dispense their healing, and they were clear out of potions too. Rini herself still had a rather bad headache, and Jaheira had told her that although there wasn’t any bleeding inside her head, her brains had still received a nasty jolt. Also, that she ought to be in bed, not fighting.

Well, that’s true for more than one of us. Not that we have any choice. Once Jan had recovered somewhat, he had turned himself invisible again, using one of his few remaining spells, and gone back up the stairs to scout. He’d reported that the way back was blocked by a veritable army of shadows, far too many for them to fight through. So why aren’t they coming after us? For that matter, why isn’t the Shade Lord himself coming after us?

“I believe I can answer that,” Valygar quietly said, and only then did she realize she’d spoken aloud. “He wants us to come to him, to fight him in a place of his choosing, where his evil powers are strongest. For one, there is this shadow altar that Mazzy mentioned, and that is likely to strengthen his powers. If he simply wanted us dead, he would send the shadows down to us, so he must have some other plan in mind.”

“He spoke of making the annoying miniature knight into his consort,” Edwin said, giving the Shadow Dragon cadaver a thoughtful look. “With her dead (and good riddance too) it would make sense for him to fall back upon an alternative plan.”

“Oh,” Rini said, not feeling very encouraged by this. “Yes, he would, wouldn’t he? Well, I don’t feel like taking up the post, and I don’t think any of the rest of you do either. Still, I can’t see that we have any other choice but to go up there. We don’t have enough spells or potions to keep us all hidden in order to sneak past him.”

“Another battle then,” Anomen said, and for once he didn’t seem cheered by the idea. “While such an evil as the Shade Lord must surely be destroyed, we are uncommonly ill prepared.”

“We should have a short while, at least,” Jaheira suggested. “Then, the Shade Lord is likely to send his minions down here to flush us out, before we recover too much of our strength. We should use our time well.”

“For once, you are entirely correct, my dear tree hugger!” Edwin agreed. “We have before us a dead dragon in its lair. So tell me, what does one usually find in a dragon’s lair?”

“Well, it depends,” Jan said, scratching his beard. “My second cousin, Otto Jansen, the burglar, he once found this princess. Lovely lass, but foul tongue when he tried to rescue her. Said the dragon was a better companion than any man she’d ever met, because it had this really large…”

“DON’T!” Anomen almost screamed.

“Hoard, Ano,” Jan filled in, smirking. “The princess was a bit of a gold-digger, you see, and preferred not having to do any actual digging. What did you think I meant?”

The cleric merely muttered something inaudible into his beard, but Edwin nodded enthusiastically. “Its hoard, yes,” he agreed. “And in fact, I believe I spot something interesting over that way, a chest by the looks of it. (Imagine the magical treasures a dragon might have collected over its long and lonely years! And all for me! Well, for her too, of course.)”

What they did found rather disappointed the Red Wizard though. There was gold, a couple of thousand, and some gems, though only a couple of any particular value. The only other item within the chest was a scroll, but Edwin made a sour grimace as he read it. “Bah!” he scoffed. “It is merely some text on how to create another tool for mindlessly bashing in monster heads. (Magical hammers…what next, a Saw of Searing?)”

“Not just any hammer, Eddie,” Zaerini disagreed as she looked it over. “A really, really powerful dwarven warhammer. Still, we don’t have any of the parts needed, so it doesn’t really help us at the moment. There’s one more thing though.” And she walked back to the dragon corpse, and started cutting loose as many as she could of the shimmering dark scales. “Dragon scales make for great armor,” she explained. “If we can find a skilled enough smith, we’ll put them to good use.”

“Do not sell your dragon scales just yet,” Valygar said in a dry voice. “The Shade Lord still stands between us and freedom.”

“Not for long,” the bard said. “Least I hope so.”

The party set out again, making their way up the second set of stairs, towards their waiting foe. So focused were they on what they were soon about to face, that not one of them noticed the terrible and deadly thing that silently crawled across the floor of the cavern behind them, and then started up the stairs, hot on their trail.

-*-

The Shade Lord was waiting for them, of course. The stairway led them onwards and upwards, until they eventually emerged through a wide doorway into a dense forest clearing. The dead trees leaned in even more closely here than before, and there was barely a sliver of dark sky to be seen between them. Once again, there was the deep and rolling mist, drifting across the bare and blackened ground, and the heavy and cold smell of rotting vegetation hung in the air.

In the centre of the clearing, there was an altar. It, too, was black, but not naturally so. Instead, it seemed to be darkened with a thick and sticky residue of soot and old blood. A very large amount of old blood, in fact. There was a statue bending over it, grimly staring down at these remnants of old sacrifices, and it was equally soiled, so that you could really only tell that it was a humanoid shape.

The Shade Lord himself was there, standing by the altar, and surrounded by about a dozen or so of his shadow retinue. Rini couldn’t help but notice that one of those shadows was quite small – another Halfling. As for the Shade Lord, he was wearing a long black cloak that obscured him from head to foot, and nothing of his face could be seen. She could see his hands though. Corpse-white, with long and slender fingers, their fingernails were long and ragged. In places, the rotting skin was falling off, leaving muscle and tendons clearly visible.

He’s an undead then, it seems, but far more dangerous than any regular old zombie. Still think we can beat him though…just as long as I can get close enough. The Reading told me as much.

“I see you have misplaced my consort,” the Shade Lord said, and Rini was struck by how oddly shrill and buzzing his voice sounded. It was almost as if his vocal cords were the wrong size for him – she was reminded of a large man trying to force his hands into a small glove, one that was straining at the seams. “Pity. One of the rest of you will have to do instead, I suppose.”

“Well, sorry to have to tell you this,” the half-elf quipped. “But the Rotting Corpse look is pretty out of fashion and the whole ‘I’ll tie you up on my Evil Altar Of Doom’ thing doesn’t really appeal either. I think I speak for all of us here.” She edged her hand carefully towards her sword as she was speaking, anticipating the attack that was sure to come, and took a cautious step closer. Closer…closer…

The Shade Lord laughed. “What will not be given, shall be taken. Come, my shadow slaves! To me!”

The shadows swarmed around him, even as the Shade Lord himself began casting a spell. It wasn’t one Zaerini could cast herself, but she thought she knew it. Horrid Wilting. Bad. Bad, bad, BAD!

Minsc and Valygar were trying to plow their way through the shadows, attempting to get at the Shade Lord, but their steps were slowing, faltering. The shadows were many, and closing in rapidly.

Rini narrowly escaped the grasping cold fingers of the former Halfling who had been Mazzy’s lover, swatting at him with her sword, and once again attempted to get to her quarry. But there were more shadows now than there had been before, far more. They were streaming out of the altar, summoned from their usual haunts by their master’s will, and they were neatly blocking her way. Out of the corner of her eye she caught a glimpse of Anomen, raising his holy symbol, and a brief hope flared up. However, it seemed not to be enough. Some of the shadows were destroyed, those who came to close to Anomen as he protected the spellcasters, but the Shade Lord and his closest retinue remained unaffected.

Have to get through! Have to!

One of Jan’s crossbow bolts whizzed past her ear, nearly clipping the tip, but although it passed directly into the Shade Lord’s deep hood it did no visible damage. Edwin still had spells left, as always she was amazed by just how many he memorize each day, but she still doubted they would be enough.

Then, it happened. Something small and white, something that looked a bit like a spider, launched itself through the air, and attached itself to the Shade Lord’s face, digging deeply into the hood. The Shade Lord screamed, a scream that was as much one of surprise as of rage, and his spell was broken. The shadows momentarily fell back, confused as their master’s will faltered.

This is it, Softpaws tersely told her. He’s distracted. Hurry, Kitten!

Zaerini didn’t need telling twice. She sprang forward, raising the newly reassembled Sunblade, and she drove it directly into the Shade Lord’s ribcage, activating its magic as she did so. Sunlight, gloriously brilliant and dazzling sunlight, spread through the clearing, illuminating all. The shadows shrieked, torn apart by the magic, banished into oblivion, and there was a loud crack, as of thunder as the Shadow Altar cracked in two.

When the spell passed, Zaerini drew a deep breath, supporting herself against the now deactivated altar. The Shade Lord was on the ground before her, unmoving, and seemingly quite dead. And there, on the creature’s rotting face, fingers buried deeply into the unseeing eyes, there It was. Something small. Something white. Something with five fingers, and an air of aggression about it as it strode towards her, balancing on its fingertips.

While it didn’t have an actual mouth, Mazzy’s undead hand managed to give a definite impression of smirking.
Rogues do it from behind.

#2 Guest_Theodur_*

Posted 23 April 2005 - 10:27 AM

When in a perilous situation, trite as it may sound, remember that it’s always darkest before dawn, and that person you least expect may lend you a helping hand.


A helping ‘undead’ hand? :D

“Only one casualty,” Jaheira summarized, thoughtfully eyeing the enormous corpse of the Shadow Dragon. “We were lucky.”


And one nobody’s going to cry for, really. ;)

Zaerini had to agree with that. After she and Edwin had finished pouring as many healing potions as they could spare into Jaheira’s and Anomen’s wounds, as well as down their throats, the two healers had gone to work on the other wounded. Anomen had been badly affected by the dragon’s black breath though, he was weak and shaky, and explained that many of the spells he would normally be able to cast were currently beyond him. The same held true for Jan, and although Jaheira was able to restore them to some extent, their spells were still temporarily lost. Also, now the druid was weakened in turn, and Rini had more or less had to order her to sit down and catch her breath for a moment. Not for too long though – they all knew that the Shade Lord was still close by, and could return at any moment.


Not a nice situation, no… too bad it’s not a game and you can’t just have eight hours of refreshing sleep by the stairs leading to the Shade Lord’s altar.

There was nothing to be done for Mazzy. Anomen explained that while Helm might now possibly consent to give him the power of life over death, that spell still required an intact corpse to work on.


Yup. Though some of those high-level resurrection spells (wasn’t it True Resurrection?) apparently don’t even need a body – but it does sound a bit too convenient, doesn’t it?

Rini had briefly considered bringing the hand along for some sort of burial, but then decided against it. She’d probably be happier this way. It’s all very knightly, after all, being eaten by a dragon. While she wouldn’t exactly miss the Halfling as a person, she had to admit that the way Mazzy’s sword had penetrated the roof of the dragon’s mouth and into the brain was very impressive. Not to mention the way her body had got stuck in the dragon’s larynx, choking it to death. And she was good in a battle – we could have used her against the Shade Lord. Especially now, with so many of us hurt.


Yeah, and you may need someone else to feed to Firkraag, a bit later. :)

“I believe I can answer that,” Valygar quietly said, and only then did she realize she’d spoken aloud. “He wants us to come to him, to fight him in a place of his choosing, where his evil powers are strongest. For one, there is this shadow altar that Mazzy mentioned, and that is likely to strengthen his powers. If he simply wanted us dead, he would send the shadows down to us, so he must have some other plan in mind.”


That’s a nice explanation. Sadly, I don’t think he’ll let them set up a camp and sleep over for a bit, ey?

“Another battle then,” Anomen said, and for once he didn’t seem cheered by the idea. “While such an evil as the Shade Lord must surely be destroyed, we are uncommonly ill prepared.”


That’s a worrying sight indeed – also I notice that Minsc isn’t issuing loud butt-kicking, either. He must be damn tired, too.

“For once, you are entirely correct, my dear tree hugger!” Edwin agreed. “We have before us a dead dragon in its lair. So tell me, what does one usually find in a dragon’s lair?”


Wow! A compliment? From Eddie? To Jaheira? Awwww! :)

“DON’T!” Anomen almost screamed.


“Hoard, Ano,” Jan filled in, smirking. “The princess was a bit of a gold-digger, you see, and preferred not having to do any actual digging. What did you think I meant?”


*snicker* Those pure and pristine ones like Ano, always have such dirty thoughts in their heads… :)

“Not just any hammer, Eddie,” Zaerini disagreed as she looked it over. “A really, really powerful dwarven warhammer. Still, we don’t have any of the parts needed, so it doesn’t really help us at the moment. There’s one more thing though.” And she walked back to the dragon corpse, and started cutting loose as many as she could of the shimmering dark scales. “Dragon scales make for great armor,” she explained. “If we can find a skilled enough smith, we’ll put them to good use.”


They haven’t met Cromwell yet, then? Wonder if you’ll give Crom Fayer to Ano… I don’t like to sacrifice the girdle and gloves for it, myself. The Flail of Ages isn’t worse than that hammer, anyway.

The party set out again, making their way up the second set of stairs, towards their waiting foe. So focused were they on what they were soon about to face, that not one of them noticed the terrible and deadly thing that silently crawled across the floor of the cavern behind them, and then started up the stairs, hot on their trail.


Yikes! :)

The Shade Lord himself was there, standing by the altar, and surrounded by about a dozen or so of his shadow retinue. Rini couldn’t help but notice that one of those shadows was quite small – another Halfling. As for the Shade Lord, he was wearing a long black cloak that obscured him from head to foot, and nothing of his face could be seen. She could see his hands though. Corpse-white, with long and slender fingers, their fingernails were long and ragged. In places, the rotting skin was falling off, leaving muscle and tendons clearly visible.


Nice and disturbing. Have to remember though, that it’s poor Merella’s body… :(

“I see you have misplaced my consort,” the Shade Lord said, and Rini was struck by how oddly shrill and buzzing his voice sounded. It was almost as if his vocal cords were the wrong size for him – she was reminded of a large man trying to force his hands into a small glove, one that was straining at the seams. “Pity. One of the rest of you will have to do instead, I suppose.”


I don’t think so, buddy! :D

The shadows swarmed around him, even as the Shade Lord himself began casting a spell. It wasn’t one Zaerini could cast herself, but she thought she knew it. Horrid Wilting. Bad. Bad, bad, BAD!


:shock: I think only a few of them could survive that spell, now! :)

Then, it happened. Something small and white, something that looked a bit like a spider, launched itself through the air, and attached itself to the Shade Lord’s face, digging deeply into the hood. The Shade Lord screamed, a scream that was as much one of surprise as of rage, and his spell was broken. The shadows momentarily fell back, confused as their master’s will faltered.


Go, uh, hand! :D

Zaerini didn’t need telling twice. She sprang forward, raising the newly reassembled Sunblade, and she drove it directly into the Shade Lord’s ribcage, activating its magic as she did so. Sunlight, gloriously brilliant and dazzling sunlight, spread through the clearing, illuminating all. The shadows shrieked, torn apart by the magic, banished into oblivion, and there was a loud crack, as of thunder as the Shadow Altar cracked in two.


Woohoo! Daystar is lovely to have here, indeed! :D

When the spell passed, Zaerini drew a deep breath, supporting herself against the now deactivated altar. The Shade Lord was on the ground before her, unmoving, and seemingly quite dead. And there, on the creature’s rotting face, fingers buried deeply into the unseeing eyes, there It was. Something small. Something white. Something with five fingers, and an air of aggression about it as it strode towards her, balancing on its fingertips.


Ohh, that was very naughty! Why did that hand become undead and came back to ‘life’, though? :(

While it didn’t have an actual mouth, Mazzy’s undead hand managed to give a definite impression of smirking.


Please tell me they are not going to keep it as a pet… :D

#3 Guest_Melle_*

Posted 23 April 2005 - 10:31 AM

When in a perilous situation, trite as it may sound, remember that it’s always darkest before dawn, and that person you least expect may lend you a helping hand.


Hidden in plain sight. Well done.

There was nothing to be done for Mazzy. Anomen explained that while Helm might now possibly consent to give him the power of life over death, that spell still required an intact corpse to work on.


Yay! :shock:

“For once, you are entirely correct, my dear tree hugger!” Edwin agreed. “We have before us a dead dragon in its lair. So tell me, what does one usually find in a dragon’s lair?”


Someone with priorities. :D

“Well, it depends,” Jan said, scratching his beard. “My second cousin, Otto Jansen, the burglar, he once found this princess. Lovely lass, but foul tongue when he tried to rescue her. Said the dragon was a better companion than any man she’d ever met, because it had this really large…”

“DON’T!” Anomen almost screamed.

“Hoard, Ano,” Jan filled in, smirking. “The princess was a bit of a gold-digger, you see, and preferred not having to do any actual digging. What did you think I meant?”


*snerk* No amount of negative levels will denature a Jansen.

What they did found rather disappointed the Red Wizard though. There was gold, a couple of thousand, and some gems, though only a couple of any particular value. The only other item within the chest was a scroll, but Edwin made a sour grimace as he read it. “Bah!” he scoffed. “It is merely some text on how to create another tool for mindlessly bashing in monster heads. (Magical hammers…what next, a Saw of Searing?)”


I guess the dragon didn't get out much.

“Well, sorry to have to tell you this,” the half-elf quipped. “But the Rotting Corpse look is pretty out of fashion and the whole ‘I’ll tie you up on my Evil Altar Of Doom’ thing doesn’t really appeal either. I think I speak for all of us here.”


Poor Shade Lord, nobody likes him. :D

Something with five fingers, and an air of aggression about it as it strode towards her, balancing on its fingertips.

While it didn’t have an actual mouth, Mazzy’s undead hand managed to give a definite impression of smirking.


Most interesting. For starters, I doubt Arvoreen will be very happy about her Truesword so readily turning down joining her in afterlife, instead accepting negative energy and an unnatural existance in search of vengeance.

Very, very Mazzy-like, that. I don't think the goddess has quite as foaming-at-the-mouth a view of ends and means as her late champion.

And of course, one can't help but wonder if they'll meet the rest of Half-Chewed Zombie Knight on the way down. :) (and gloat at her loss of a happily-ever-afterlife)

#4 Guest_Userunfriendly_*

Posted 23 April 2005 - 10:36 AM

Cards Reshuffled 247 – At The Shadow Altar


When in a perilous situation, trite as it may sound, remember that it’s always darkest before dawn, and that person you least expect may lend you a helping hand.


:D :D :D (you did that deliberately didn't you?) :shock:

Zaerini had to agree with that. After she and Edwin had finished pouring as many healing potions as they could spare into Jaheira’s and Anomen’s wounds, as well as down their throats, the two healers had gone to work on the other wounded. Anomen had been badly affected by the dragon’s black breath though, he was weak and shaky, and explained that many of the spells he would normally be able to cast were currently beyond him. The same held true for Jan, and although Jaheira was able to restore them to some extent, their spells were still temporarily lost. Also, now the druid was weakened in turn, and Rini had more or less had to order her to sit down and catch her breath for a moment. Not for too long though – they all knew that the Shade Lord was still close by, and could return at any moment.


level drained...and they didn't have any restoration scrolls? :lol:

Rini had briefly considered bringing the hand along for some sort of burial, but then decided against it. She’d probably be happier this way. It’s all very knightly, after all, being eaten by a dragon. While she wouldn’t exactly miss the Halfling as a person, she had to admit that the way Mazzy’s sword had penetrated the roof of the dragon’s mouth and into the brain was very impressive. Not to mention the way her body had got stuck in the dragon’s larynx, choking it to death. And she was good in a battle – we could have used her against the Shade Lord. Especially now, with so many of us hurt.


:) oh dear...mazzy choked the dragon? :lol: probably found her attitude to be indigestable... :lol:

“Oh,” Rini said, not feeling very encouraged by this. “Yes, he would, wouldn’t he? Well, I don’t feel like taking up the post, and I don’t think any of the rest of you do either. Still, I can’t see that we have any other choice but to go up there. We don’t have enough spells or potions to keep us all hidden in order to sneak past him.”


they really need mass invisibility...

“We should have a short while, at least,” Jaheira suggested. “Then, the Shade Lord is likely to send his minions down here to flush us out, before we recover too much of our strength. We should use our time well.”


yeah...no resting in the dungeon before facing the shade lord after killing the dragon... ;)

“Well, it depends,” Jan said, scratching his beard. “My second cousin, Otto Jansen, the burglar, he once found this princess. Lovely lass, but foul tongue when he tried to rescue her. Said the dragon was a better companion than any man she’d ever met, because it had this really large…”


“DON’T!” Anomen almost screamed.


“Hoard, Ano,” Jan filled in, smirking. “The princess was a bit of a gold-digger, you see, and preferred not having to do any actual digging. What did you think I meant?”


anomen has a dirty, dirty mind!!! ;) :) :) :)

What they did found rather disappointed the Red Wizard though. There was gold, a couple of thousand, and some gems, though only a couple of any particular value. The only other item within the chest was a scroll, but Edwin made a sour grimace as he read it. “Bah!” he scoffed. “It is merely some text on how to create another tool for mindlessly bashing in monster heads. (Magical hammers…what next, a Saw of Searing?)”


a big hammer...of course the other components are in some really nasty places... :(

“Well, sorry to have to tell you this,” the half-elf quipped. “But the Rotting Corpse look is pretty out of fashion and the whole ‘I’ll tie you up on my Evil Altar Of Doom’ thing doesn’t really appeal either. I think I speak for all of us here.” She edged her hand carefully towards her sword as she was speaking, anticipating the attack that was sure to come, and took a cautious step closer. Closer…closer…


yeah...its so last year...

The shadows swarmed around him, even as the Shade Lord himself began casting a spell. It wasn’t one Zaerini could cast herself, but she thought she knew it. Horrid Wilting. Bad. Bad, bad, BAD!


fun if you cast it, bad if its cast on you... :)

Rini narrowly escaped the grasping cold fingers of the former Halfling who had been Mazzy’s lover, swatting at him with her sword, and once again attempted to get to her quarry. But there were more shadows now than there had been before, far more. They were streaming out of the altar, summoned from their usual haunts by their master’s will, and they were neatly blocking her way. Out of the corner of her eye she caught a glimpse of Anomen, raising his holy symbol, and a brief hope flared up. However, it seemed not to be enough. Some of the shadows were destroyed, those who came to close to Anomen as he protected the spellcasters, but the Shade Lord and his closest retinue remained unaffected.


turn undead...best used with sanctuary spell... :D

Then, it happened. Something small and white, something that looked a bit like a spider, launched itself through the air, and attached itself to the Shade Lord’s face, digging deeply into the hood. The Shade Lord screamed, a scream that was as much one of surprise as of rage, and his spell was broken. The shadows momentarily fell back, confused as their master’s will faltered.


Gomez: GO THING, ATTACK!!! :D :D ;)

When the spell passed, Zaerini drew a deep breath, supporting herself against the now deactivated altar. The Shade Lord was on the ground before her, unmoving, and seemingly quite dead. And there, on the creature’s rotting face, fingers buried deeply into the unseeing eyes, there It was. Something small. Something white. Something with five fingers, and an air of aggression about it as it strode towards her, balancing on its fingertips.


While it didn’t have an actual mouth, Mazzy’s undead hand managed to give a definite impression of smirking.


oh my...they got a cat, a monkey, now they got Thing??? :( :D :D

a rather interesting chapter...its almost like you used a plot device to save the characters...yay!!! :) :) :)

#5 Guest_Kulyok_*

Posted 23 April 2005 - 11:25 AM

Cards Reshuffled 247 – At The Shadow Altar

When in a perilous situation, trite as it may sound, remember that it’s always darkest before dawn, and that person you least expect may lend you a helping hand.


I often notice the wonderful meaning only after I've finished the chapter. :)

Rini had briefly considered bringing the hand along for some sort of burial, but then decided against it. She’d probably be happier this way. It’s all very knightly, after all, being eaten by a dragon. While she wouldn’t exactly miss the Halfling as a person, she had to admit that the way Mazzy’s sword had penetrated the roof of the dragon’s mouth and into the brain was very impressive. Not to mention the way her body had got stuck in the dragon’s larynx, choking it to death. And she was good in a battle – we could have used her against the Shade Lord. Especially now, with so many of us hurt.


I liked the explanation. :D It very clearly describes what have happened, so no more questions left.

By the way, how did Rini see all this? I would understand if, for example, Anomen, Valygar or Jaheira was standing next to the body, and musing about the injuries it got. But I'm a bit confused about how Zaerini saw the sword got stuck in the larynx, while she's not even standing close to the corpse.

While they were all currently healed enough to be out of mortal danger, Jaheira and Anomen had been forced to pick and choose where to dispense their healing, and they were clear out of potions too. Rini herself still had a rather bad headache, and Jaheira had told her that although there wasn’t any bleeding inside her head, her brains had still received a nasty jolt. Also, that she ought to be in bed, not fighting.


Oh, yes. And she'll get nausea, too. :)

“I believe I can answer that,” Valygar quietly said, and only then did she realize she’d spoken aloud. “He wants us to come to him, to fight him in a place of his choosing, where his evil powers are strongest. For one, there is this shadow altar that Mazzy mentioned, and that is likely to strengthen his powers. If he simply wanted us dead, he would send the shadows down to us, so he must have some other plan in mind.”


Good one ! :)

“Well, it depends,” Jan said, scratching his beard. “My second cousin, Otto Jansen, the burglar, he once found this princess. Lovely lass, but foul tongue when he tried to rescue her. Said the dragon was a better companion than any man she’d ever met, because it had this really large…”


Come to think of it, I've never thought of dragons having these organs. *snicker* I mean, in BG they look pretty sexless, don't they ?

Oh, and while we're at it, could I ask an off-topic question? The ring "protection against pregnancy" that Rini had stolen, is she using it? :D

What they did found rather disappointed the Red Wizard though. There was gold, a couple of thousand, and some gems, though only a couple of any particular value. The only other item within the chest was a scroll, but Edwin made a sour grimace as he read it. “Bah!” he scoffed. “It is merely some text on how to create another tool for mindlessly bashing in monster heads. (Magical hammers…what next, a Saw of Searing?)”


Hey, a couple of thousand is not "just a couple of thousand" ! :) It's part of your future Robe of Vecna, Edwin. :shock:

“Not just any hammer, Eddie,” Zaerini disagreed as she looked it over. “A really, really powerful dwarven warhammer. Still, we don’t have any of the parts needed, so it doesn’t really help us at the moment. There’s one more thing though.” And she walked back to the dragon corpse, and started cutting loose as many as she could of the shimmering dark scales. “Dragon scales make for great armor,” she explained. “If we can find a skilled enough smith, we’ll put them to good use.”


Hmm, for Valygar or Jaheira, I wonder? :D

“Do not sell your dragon scales just yet,” Valygar said in a dry voice. “The Shade Lord still stands between us and freedom.”


Yes, that woud sound good in Russian, too. We also have a simular proverb. ;) "To divide up the bearskin before the bear is shot", I believe.

The party set out again, making their way up the second set of stairs, towards their waiting foe. So focused were they on what they were soon about to face, that not one of them noticed the terrible and deadly thing that silently crawled across the floor of the cavern behind them, and then started up the stairs, hot on their trail.


Was it a hand? Or something else?

The Shade Lord himself was there, standing by the altar, and surrounded by about a dozen or so of his shadow retinue. Rini couldn’t help but notice that one of those shadows was quite small – another Halfling. As for the Shade Lord, he was wearing a long black cloak that obscured him from head to foot, and nothing of his face could be seen. She could see his hands though. Corpse-white, with long and slender fingers, their fingernails were long and ragged. In places, the rotting skin was falling off, leaving muscle and tendons clearly visible.


*faints in disgust* A very good description.

Btw, I've noticed you've used "Halfling" with capital letter, twice, was it your intent?

“I see you have misplaced my consort,” the Shade Lord said, and Rini was struck by how oddly shrill and buzzing his voice sounded. It was almost as if his vocal cords were the wrong size for him – she was reminded of a large man trying to force his hands into a small glove, one that was straining at the seams. “Pity. One of the rest of you will have to do instead, I suppose.”


Rini, Edwin, Jaheria, Minsc (and Boo), Valygar, Jan, Anomen. Nope, sorry, no possible consorts here. :)

“Well, sorry to have to tell you this,” the half-elf quipped. “But the Rotting Corpse look is pretty out of fashion and the whole ‘I’ll tie you up on my Evil Altar Of Doom’ thing doesn’t really appeal either. I think I speak for all of us here.” She edged her hand carefully towards her sword as she was speaking, anticipating the attack that was sure to come, and took a cautious step closer. Closer…closer…


Evil Altar of Doom ? She's chanelling Minsc. *snicker*

Then, it happened. Something small and white, something that looked a bit like a spider, launched itself through the air, and attached itself to the Shade Lord’s face, digging deeply into the hood. The Shade Lord screamed, a scream that was as much one of surprise as of rage, and his spell was broken. The shadows momentarily fell back, confused as their master’s will faltered.

This is it, Softpaws tersely told her. He’s distracted. Hurry, Kitten!

Zaerini didn’t need telling twice. She sprang forward, raising the newly reassembled Sunblade, and she drove it directly into the Shade Lord’s ribcage, activating its magic as she did so. Sunlight, gloriously brilliant and dazzling sunlight, spread through the clearing, illuminating all. The shadows shrieked, torn apart by the magic, banished into oblivion, and there was a loud crack, as of thunder as the Shadow Altar cracked in two.

When the spell passed, Zaerini drew a deep breath, supporting herself against the now deactivated altar. The Shade Lord was on the ground before her, unmoving, and seemingly quite dead. And there, on the creature’s rotting face, fingers buried deeply into the unseeing eyes, there It was. Something small. Something white. Something with five fingers, and an air of aggression about it as it strode towards her, balancing on its fingertips.

While it didn’t have an actual mouth, Mazzy’s undead hand managed to give a definite impression of smirking.


AWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW !!! :( :( :D

Very, very nice, original, wonderful, fun, great... (*runs out of breath*) My personal taste screams in approval !

I must admit, Mazzy eaten by a dragon after you've promised something really Eeeeeeeevil got me a little bit disappointed. I felt sorry for her(oh well, I still feel, nobody deserves to be eaten in my book) and that was it. But now... I'm entirely happy with your version.

Edited for a too long "AWWWW" - IE was stretching the window because of it... *snicker*

#6 Guest_Kulyok_*

Posted 23 April 2005 - 12:09 PM

Sorry, double post. :shock: Stupid computer.

#7 Laufey

Posted 23 April 2005 - 12:18 PM

[quote]
“Only one casualty,” Jaheira summarized, thoughtfully eyeing the enormous corpse of the Shadow Dragon. “We were lucky.”
[/quote]
[/quote]

[quote]
And one nobody’s going to cry for, really. ;)
[/quote]

Not me, at least.

[quote]
[quote]
Zaerini had to agree with that. After she and Edwin had finished pouring as many healing potions as they could spare into Jaheira’s and Anomen’s wounds, as well as down their throats, the two healers had gone to work on the other wounded. Anomen had been badly affected by the dragon’s black breath though, he was weak and shaky, and explained that many of the spells he would normally be able to cast were currently beyond him. The same held true for Jan, and although Jaheira was able to restore them to some extent, their spells were still temporarily lost. Also, now the druid was weakened in turn, and Rini had more or less had to order her to sit down and catch her breath for a moment. Not for too long though – they all knew that the Shade Lord was still close by, and could return at any moment.
[/quote]
[/quote]

[quote]
Not a nice situation, no… too bad it’s not a game and you can’t just have eight hours of refreshing sleep by the stairs leading to the Shade Lord’s altar.
[/quote]

Yes, I'm cruel to my characters that way. :(

[quote]
[quote]
There was nothing to be done for Mazzy. Anomen explained that while Helm might now possibly consent to give him the power of life over death, that spell still required an intact corpse to work on.
[/quote]
[/quote]

[quote]
Yup. Though some of those high-level resurrection spells (wasn’t it True Resurrection?) apparently don’t even need a body – but it does sound a bit too convenient, doesn’t it?
[/quote]

*nods* Far too easy, removes too much excitement.

[quote]
[quote]
Rini had briefly considered bringing the hand along for some sort of burial, but then decided against it. She’d probably be happier this way. It’s all very knightly, after all, being eaten by a dragon. While she wouldn’t exactly miss the Halfling as a person, she had to admit that the way Mazzy’s sword had penetrated the roof of the dragon’s mouth and into the brain was very impressive. Not to mention the way her body had got stuck in the dragon’s larynx, choking it to death. And she was good in a battle – we could have used her against the Shade Lord. Especially now, with so many of us hurt. [/quote]
[/quote]

[quote]
Yeah, and you may need someone else to feed to Firkraag, a bit later. :)
[/quote]

:shock:

[quote]
[quote]“I believe I can answer that,” Valygar quietly said, and only then did she realize she’d spoken aloud. “He wants us to come to him, to fight him in a place of his choosing, where his evil powers are strongest. For one, there is this shadow altar that Mazzy mentioned, and that is likely to strengthen his powers. If he simply wanted us dead, he would send the shadows down to us, so he must have some other plan in mind.”[/quote]
[/quote]

[quote]
That’s a nice explanation. Sadly, I don’t think he’ll let them set up a camp and sleep over for a bit, ey?
[/quote]

Heh, don't think so...and if he did it would be so he could roast them over an open fire.

[quote]
[quote]
“Another battle then,” Anomen said, and for once he didn’t seem cheered by the idea. “While such an evil as the Shade Lord must surely be destroyed, we are uncommonly ill prepared.”
[/quote]
[/quote]

[quote]
That’s a worrying sight indeed – also I notice that Minsc isn’t issuing loud butt-kicking, either. He must be damn tired, too.
[/quote]

I think they all are, at this point.

[quote]
[quote]
“For once, you are entirely correct, my dear tree hugger!” Edwin agreed. “We have before us a dead dragon in its lair. So tell me, what does one usually find in a dragon’s lair?” [/quote]
[/quote]

[quote]
Wow! A compliment? From Eddie? To Jaheira? Awwww! :)
[/quote]

Isn't it sweet? :)

[quote]
[quote]
“Hoard, Ano,” Jan filled in, smirking. “The princess was a bit of a gold-digger, you see, and preferred not having to do any actual digging. What did you think I meant?”
[/quote]
[/quote]

[quote]
*snicker* Those pure and pristine ones like Ano, always have such dirty thoughts in their heads… :)
[/quote]

Oh yeah - totally repressed. :(

[quote]
[quote]“Not just any hammer, Eddie,” Zaerini disagreed as she looked it over. “A really, really powerful dwarven warhammer. Still, we don’t have any of the parts needed, so it doesn’t really help us at the moment. There’s one more thing though.” And she walked back to the dragon corpse, and started cutting loose as many as she could of the shimmering dark scales. “Dragon scales make for great armor,” she explained. “If we can find a skilled enough smith, we’ll put them to good use.”
[/quote]
[/quote]

[quote]
They haven’t met Cromwell yet, then? Wonder if you’ll give Crom Fayer to Ano… I don’t like to sacrifice the girdle and gloves for it, myself. The Flail of Ages isn’t worse than that hammer, anyway.
[/quote]

Flail of Ages is very good indeed.


[quote]
[quote]
The shadows swarmed around him, even as the Shade Lord himself began casting a spell. It wasn’t one Zaerini could cast herself, but she thought she knew it. Horrid Wilting. Bad. Bad, bad, BAD!
[/quote]
[/quote]

[quote]
:D I think only a few of them could survive that spell, now! :D
[/quote]

Yes, it would wipe pretty much all of them out.


[quote]
[quote]Zaerini didn’t need telling twice. She sprang forward, raising the newly reassembled Sunblade, and she drove it directly into the Shade Lord’s ribcage, activating its magic as she did so. Sunlight, gloriously brilliant and dazzling sunlight, spread through the clearing, illuminating all. The shadows shrieked, torn apart by the magic, banished into oblivion, and there was a loud crack, as of thunder as the Shadow Altar cracked in two. [/quote]
[/quote]

[quote]
Woohoo! Daystar is lovely to have here, indeed! :D
[/quote]

The perfect weapon, really.

[quote]
[quote]
When the spell passed, Zaerini drew a deep breath, supporting herself against the now deactivated altar. The Shade Lord was on the ground before her, unmoving, and seemingly quite dead. And there, on the creature’s rotting face, fingers buried deeply into the unseeing eyes, there It was. Something small. Something white. Something with five fingers, and an air of aggression about it as it strode towards her, balancing on its fingertips.
[/quote]
[/quote]

[quote]
Ohh, that was very naughty! Why did that hand become undead and came back to ‘life’, though? :D
[/quote]

The Shade Lord's necromantic magic, coupled with Mazzy's urge for revenge.

[quote]
[quote]
While it didn’t have an actual mouth, Mazzy’s undead hand managed to give a definite impression of smirking.[/quote]
[/quote]

[quote]
Please tell me they are not going to keep it as a pet… :D[/quote]

That would be terribly unsuitable and undignified, wouldn't it? :)
Rogues do it from behind.

#8 Laufey

Posted 23 April 2005 - 12:25 PM

[quote][quote]
When in a perilous situation, trite as it may sound, remember that it’s always darkest before dawn, and that person you least expect may lend you a helping hand.
[/quote]
[/quote]

[quote]
Hidden in plain sight. Well done.
[/quote]

Thank you!

[quote]
[quote]
“For once, you are entirely correct, my dear tree hugger!” Edwin agreed. “We have before us a dead dragon in its lair. So tell me, what does one usually find in a dragon’s lair?”
[/quote]
[/quote]

[quote]
Someone with priorities. :D
[/quote]

Utterly practical, that's our Eddie. :)


[quote]
“Hoard, Ano,” Jan filled in, smirking. “The princess was a bit of a gold-digger, you see, and preferred not having to do any actual digging. What did you think I meant?”
[/quote]
[/quote]

[quote]
*snerk* No amount of negative levels will denature a Jansen.
[/quote]

No indeed. :D

[quote]
[quote]
What they did found rather disappointed the Red Wizard though. There was gold, a couple of thousand, and some gems, though only a couple of any particular value. The only other item within the chest was a scroll, but Edwin made a sour grimace as he read it. “Bah!” he scoffed. “It is merely some text on how to create another tool for mindlessly bashing in monster heads. (Magical hammers…what next, a Saw of Searing?)”
[/quote]
[/quote]

[quote]
I guess the dragon didn't get out much.
[/quote]

Well, it hadn't got any virgins handy, it had to occupy itself with something.


[quote]
While it didn’t have an actual mouth, Mazzy’s undead hand managed to give a definite impression of smirking.[/quote]
[/quote]

[quote]
Most interesting. For starters, I doubt Arvoreen will be very happy about her Truesword so readily turning down joining her in afterlife, instead accepting negative energy and an unnatural existance in search of vengeance.
[/quote]

[quote]
Very, very Mazzy-like, that. I don't think the goddess has quite as foaming-at-the-mouth a view of ends and means as her late champion.
[/quote]

[quote]
And of course, one can't help but wonder if they'll meet the rest of Half-Chewed Zombie Knight on the way down. :shock: (and gloat at her loss of a happily-ever-afterlife)[/quote]

Well...I've set it up somewhat differently. But then again, one never knows...the afterlife is a tricky place.
Rogues do it from behind.

#9 Laufey

Posted 23 April 2005 - 12:28 PM

Cards Reshuffled 247 – At The Shadow Altar



When in a perilous situation, trite as it may sound, remember that it’s always darkest before dawn, and that person you least expect may lend you a helping hand.


:D :lol: :lol: (you did that deliberately didn't you?) :shock:


Of course. :)


Zaerini had to agree with that. After she and Edwin had finished pouring as many healing potions as they could spare into Jaheira’s and Anomen’s wounds, as well as down their throats, the two healers had gone to work on the other wounded. Anomen had been badly affected by the dragon’s black breath though, he was weak and shaky, and explained that many of the spells he would normally be able to cast were currently beyond him. The same held true for Jan, and although Jaheira was able to restore them to some extent, their spells were still temporarily lost. Also, now the druid was weakened in turn, and Rini had more or less had to order her to sit down and catch her breath for a moment. Not for too long though – they all knew that the Shade Lord was still close by, and could return at any moment.


level drained...and they didn't have any restoration scrolls? :(


Afraid not...


Rini had briefly considered bringing the hand along for some sort of burial, but then decided against it. She’d probably be happier this way. It’s all very knightly, after all, being eaten by a dragon.
While she wouldn’t exactly miss the Halfling as a person, she had to admit that the way Mazzy’s sword had penetrated the roof of the dragon’s mouth and into the brain was very impressive. Not to mention the way her body had got stuck in the dragon’s larynx, choking it to death. And she was good in a battle – we could have used her against the Shade Lord. Especially now, with so many of us hurt.


:D oh dear...mazzy choked the dragon? :lol: probably found her attitude to be indigestable... :P


Choked *and* stabbed it!



“We should have a short while, at least,” Jaheira suggested. “Then, the Shade Lord is likely to send his minions down here to flush us out, before we recover too much of our strength. We should use our time well.”


yeah...no resting in the dungeon before facing the shade lord after killing the dragon... :P



That would be way too easy. ;)



“Hoard, Ano,” Jan filled in, smirking. “The princess was a bit of a gold-digger, you see, and preferred not having to do any actual digging. What did you think I meant?”


anomen has a dirty, dirty mind!!! :P :P :P :)


So he does. :)


The shadows swarmed around him, even as the Shade Lord himself began casting a spell. It wasn’t one Zaerini could cast herself, but she thought she knew it. Horrid Wilting. Bad. Bad, bad, BAD!


fun if you cast it, bad if its cast on you... :P


Pesky liches...


Rini narrowly escaped the grasping cold fingers of the former Halfling who had been Mazzy’s lover, swatting at him with her sword, and once again attempted to get to her quarry. But there were more shadows now than there had been before, far more. They were streaming out of the altar, summoned from their usual haunts by their master’s will, and they were neatly blocking her way. Out of the corner of her eye she caught a glimpse of Anomen, raising his holy symbol, and a brief hope flared up. However, it seemed not to be enough. Some of the shadows were destroyed, those who came to close to Anomen as he protected the spellcasters, but the Shade Lord and his closest retinue remained unaffected.


turn undead...best used with sanctuary spell... :D


I *love* exploding undead. :)


Then, it happened. Something small and white, something that looked a bit like a spider, launched itself through the air, and attached itself to the Shade Lord’s face, digging deeply into the hood. The Shade Lord screamed, a scream that was as much one of surprise as of rage, and his spell was broken. The shadows momentarily fell back, confused as their master’s will faltered.


Gomez: GO THING, ATTACK!!! :D :D ;)


:) :) :)



While it didn’t have an actual mouth, Mazzy’s undead hand managed to give a definite impression of smirking.


oh my...they got a cat, a monkey, now they got Thing??? :D :D :D


Well...sort of.

a rather interesting chapter...its almost like you used a plot device to save the characters...yay!!! :) :( :(


Yeah, of course having the day saved by an undead hand is really all just a setup to make my protagonist look good, isn't it? ;)
Rogues do it from behind.

#10 Laufey

Posted 23 April 2005 - 12:38 PM

[quote][quote]Cards Reshuffled 247 – At The Shadow Altar
[/quote]

[quote]
When in a perilous situation, trite as it may sound, remember that it’s always darkest before dawn, and that person you least expect may lend you a helping hand.[/quote]
[/quote]

[quote]
I often notice the wonderful meaning only after I've finished the chapter. :)
[/quote]

Heh, that's the whole point. :D

[quote]
[quote]Rini had briefly considered bringing the hand along for some sort of burial, but then decided against it. She’d probably be happier this way. It’s all very knightly, after all, being eaten by a dragon.
While she wouldn’t exactly miss the Halfling as a person, she had to admit that the way Mazzy’s sword had penetrated the roof of the dragon’s mouth and into the brain was very impressive. Not to mention the way her body had got stuck in the dragon’s larynx, choking it to death. And she was good in a battle – we could have used her against the Shade Lord. Especially now, with so many of us hurt. [/quote]
[/quote]

[quote]
I liked the explanation. :D It very clearly describes what have happened, so no more questions left.
[/quote]

Thanks!

[quote]
By the way, how did Rini see all this? I would understand if, for example, Anomen, Valygar or Jaheira was standing next to the body, and musing about the injuries it got. But I'm a bit confused about how Zaerini saw the sword got stuck in the larynx, while she's not even standing close to the corpse.
[/quote]

I think I need to clarify that - some time had passed, so they had had time to compare notes and stuff.


[quote]
[quote]“Well, it depends,” Jan said, scratching his beard. “My second cousin, Otto Jansen, the burglar, he once found this princess. Lovely lass, but foul tongue when he tried to rescue her. Said the dragon was a better companion than any man she’d ever met, because it had this really large…”[/quote]
[/quote]

[quote]
Come to think of it, I've never thought of dragons having these organs. *snicker* I mean, in BG they look pretty sexless, don't they ?
[/quote]

Then again, Abazigal did sire a son. Ooooh...hot dragon sex.... :)

[quote]
Oh, and while we're at it, could I ask an off-topic question? The ring "protection against pregnancy" that Rini had stolen, is she using it? :D
[/quote]

Maybe... :)

[quote]
[quote]What they did found rather disappointed the Red Wizard though. There was gold, a couple of thousand, and some gems, though only a couple of any particular value. The only other item within the chest was a scroll, but Edwin made a sour grimace as he read it. “Bah!” he scoffed. “It is merely some text on how to create another tool for mindlessly bashing in monster heads. (Magical hammers…what next, a Saw of Searing?)” [/quote]
[/quote]

[quote]
Hey, a couple of thousand is not "just a couple of thousand" ! :( It's part of your future Robe of Vecna, Edwin. :shock:
[/quote]

So true. :(

[quote]
[quote]“Not just any hammer, Eddie,” Zaerini disagreed as she looked it over. “A really, really powerful dwarven warhammer. Still, we don’t have any of the parts needed, so it doesn’t really help us at the moment. There’s one more thing though.” And she walked back to the dragon corpse, and started cutting loose as many as she could of the shimmering dark scales. “Dragon scales make for great armor,” she explained. “If we can find a skilled enough smith, we’ll put them to good use.” [/quote]
[/quote]

[quote]
Hmm, for Valygar or Jaheira, I wonder? ;)
[/quote]

Remains to be seen...

[quote]
[quote]“Do not sell your dragon scales just yet,” Valygar said in a dry voice. “The Shade Lord still stands between us and freedom.” [/quote]
[/quote]

[quote]
Yes, that woud sound good in Russian, too. We also have a simular proverb. :) "To divide up the bearskin before the bear is shot", I believe.
[/quote]

Same proverb in Swedish, with the bear, I mean.

[quote]
[quote]The party set out again, making their way up the second set of stairs, towards their waiting foe. So focused were they on what they were soon about to face, that not one of them noticed the terrible and deadly thing that silently crawled across the floor of the cavern behind them, and then started up the stairs, hot on their trail. [/quote]
[/quote]

[quote]
Was it a hand? Or something else?
[/quote]

It was the hand. :)

[quote]
[quote]The Shade Lord himself was there, standing by the altar, and surrounded by about a dozen or so of his shadow retinue. Rini couldn’t help but notice that one of those shadows was quite small – another Halfling. As for the Shade Lord, he was wearing a long black cloak that obscured him from head to foot, and nothing of his face could be seen. She could see his hands though. Corpse-white, with long and slender fingers, their fingernails were long and ragged. In places, the rotting skin was falling off, leaving muscle and tendons clearly visible. [/quote]
[/quote]

[quote]
*faints in disgust* A very good description.
[/quote]

[quote]
Btw, I've noticed you've used "Halfling" with capital letter, twice, was it your intent?
[/quote]

*thinks* You know, I honestly can't remember. It could have been a typo.


[quote]
[quote]“Well, sorry to have to tell you this,” the half-elf quipped. “But the Rotting Corpse look is pretty out of fashion and the whole ‘I’ll tie you up on my Evil Altar Of Doom’ thing doesn’t really appeal either. I think I speak for all of us here.” She edged her hand carefully towards her sword as she was speaking, anticipating the attack that was sure to come, and took a cautious step closer. Closer…closer…[/quote]
[/quote]

[quote]
Evil Altar of Doom ? She's chanelling Minsc. *snicker*
[/quote]

:D


[quote]
While it didn’t have an actual mouth, Mazzy’s undead hand managed to give a definite impression of smirking.[/quote]
[/quote]

[quote]
AWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW !!! :D :D :D
[/quote]

[quote]
Very, very nice, original, wonderful, fun, great... (*runs out of breath*) My personal taste screams in approval !
[/quote]

[quote]
I must admit, Mazzy eaten by a dragon after you've promised something really Eeeeeeeevil got me a little bit disappointed. I felt sorry for her(oh well, I still feel, nobody deserves to be eaten in my book) and that was it. But now... I'm entirely happy with your version.
[/quote]

[quote]
Edited for a too long "AWWWW" - IE was stretching the window because of it... *snicker*[/quote]

*grin* Happy to hear you find it Evil enough. :D
Rogues do it from behind.

#11 Guest_AlphaMonkey_*

Posted 23 April 2005 - 04:45 PM

Rini herself still had a rather bad headache, and Jaheira had told her that although there wasn’t any bleeding inside her head, her brains had still received a nasty jolt.


I think this is THE perfect place to use a line from Sam & Max Hit the Road:

Sam: "Awww... what a cute, little hydrocephalic kitten..."

Max: "Let's take him home and put tape on his feet."

:)

Said the dragon was a better companion than any man she’d ever met, because it had this really large…


Good Christ! Someone stop him!

:D

The cleric merely muttered something inaudible into his beard


Heh heh... some knight he is... look where his mind went! Just look! :D

Horrid Wilting. Bad. Bad, bad, BAD!


It's rather... horrid... yes.

The shadows shrieked, torn apart by the magic, banished into oblivion, and there was a loud crack, as of thunder as the Shadow Altar cracked in two.


Translation:

Boom. :shock:

#12 Guest_RickTaylor_*

Posted 23 April 2005 - 04:59 PM

Hi Laufey!

“Only one casualty,” Jaheira summarized, thoughtfully eyeing the enormous corpse of the Shadow Dragon. “We were lucky.”

You see, Rini? Mazzy was worth something after all! Why without her, ummmmmm.... I guess you wouldn’t have disturbed the dragon, and you’d be fine. (*Ahem*) Well, it’s possible someone else might have woken it instead. Then you’d have been in big trouble without Mazzy to save the day.



Zaerini had to agree with that. After she and Edwin had finished pouring as many healing potions as they could spare into Jaheira’s and Anomen’s wounds, as well as down their throats, the two healers had gone to work on the other wounded. Anomen had been badly affected by the dragon’s black breath though, he was weak and shaky, and explained that many of the spells he would normally be able to cast were currently beyond him. The same held true for Jan, and although Jaheira was able to restore them to some extent, their spells were still temporarily lost. Also, now the druid was weakened in turn, and Rini had more or less had to order her to sit down and catch her breath for a moment. Not for too long though – they all knew that the Shade Lord was still close by, and could return at any moment.

Oh dear. They’re really not ready for the Shade Lord. This is bad.



Well, that’s true for more than one of us. Not that we have any choice. Once Jan had recovered somewhat, he had turned himself invisible again, using one of his few remaining spells, and gone back up the stairs to scout. He’d reported that the way back was blocked by a veritable army of shadows, far too many for them to fight through. So why aren’t they coming after us? For that matter, why isn’t the Shade Lord himself coming after us?

Good questions.



“I believe I can answer that,” Valygar quietly said, and only then did she realize she’d spoken aloud. “He wants us to come to him, to fight him in a place of his choosing, where his evil powers are strongest. For one, there is this shadow altar that Mazzy mentioned, and that is likely to strengthen his powers. If he simply wanted us dead, he would send the shadows down to us, so he must have some other plan in mind.”

Uh oh.



“For once, you are entirely correct, my dear tree hugger!” Edwin agreed. “We have before us a dead dragon in its lair. So tell me, what does one usually find in a dragon’s lair?”

“Well, it depends,” Jan said, scratching his beard. “My second cousin, Otto Jansen, the burglar, he once found this princess. Lovely lass, but foul tongue when he tried to rescue her. Said the dragon was a better companion than any man she’d ever met, because it had this really large…”

(*sigh*) There is no situation is so desperate or dire that it will dissuade Jan from telling a story.



The cleric merely muttered something inaudible into his beard, but Edwin nodded enthusiastically. “Its hoard, yes,” he agreed. “And in fact, I believe I spot something interesting over that way, a chest by the looks of it. (Imagine the magical treasures a dragon might have collected over its long and lonely years! And all for me! Well, for her too, of course.)”

I do hope it contains a scroll of “Magically heal party while destroying Shade Lord and its minions.”



What they did found rather disappointed the Red Wizard though. There was gold, a couple of thousand, and some gems, though only a couple of any particular value.

Hey, that’s not chicken feed! If nothing else, it’s a couple thousand more gold towards Imoen’s ransom.



The party set out again, making their way up the second set of stairs, towards their waiting foe. So focused were they on what they were soon about to face, that not one of them noticed the terrible and deadly thing that silently crawled across the floor of the cavern behind them, and then started up the stairs, hot on their trail.

Shadow-Mazzy?



The Shade Lord was waiting for them, of course. The stairway led them onwards and upwards, until they eventually emerged through a wide doorway into a dense forest clearing. The dead trees leaned in even more closely here than before, and there was barely a sliver of dark sky to be seen between them. Once again, there was the deep and rolling mist, drifting across the bare and blackened ground, and the heavy and cold smell of rotting vegetation hung in the air.

In the centre of the clearing, there was an altar. It, too, was black, but not naturally so. Instead, it seemed to be darkened with a thick and sticky residue of soot and old blood. A very large amount of old blood, in fact. There was a statue bending over it, grimly staring down at these remnants of old sacrifices, and it was equally soiled, so that you could really only tell that it was a humanoid shape.

Another vivid, disturbing description.



The Shade Lord himself was there, standing by the altar, and surrounded by about a dozen or so of his shadow retinue. Rini couldn’t help but notice that one of those shadows was quite small – another Halfling.

:D Poor Patrick.



The shadows swarmed around him, even as the Shade Lord himself began casting a spell. It wasn’t one Zaerini could cast herself, but she thought she knew it. Horrid Wilting. Bad. Bad, bad, BAD!

:shock: Keep Edwin away from that.



Then, it happened. Something small and white, something that looked a bit like a spider, launched itself through the air, and attached itself to the Shade Lord’s face, digging deeply into the hood. The Shade Lord screamed, a scream that was as much one of surprise as of rage, and his spell was broken. The shadows momentarily fell back, confused as their master’s will faltered.

Yay!!!!!!!!



When the spell passed, Zaerini drew a deep breath, supporting herself against the now deactivated altar. The Shade Lord was on the ground before her, unmoving, and seemingly quite dead. And there, on the creature’s rotting face, fingers buried deeply into the unseeing eyes, there It was. Something small. Something white. Something with five fingers, and an air of aggression about it as it strode towards her, balancing on its fingertips.

Did you mean for the “It” in “there It was” to be capitalized?



While it didn’t have an actual mouth, Mazzy’s undead hand managed to give a definite impression of smirking.

:) :D :D
That is disturbing. Ummmm, I hope with the shade lord dead, her spirit will be released.



After reading the story, I went back to read the reading Rini did in Chapter 235. I’d forgotten much of it, and it was striking how everything is fitting in after the fact.

“I do not need my heart,” the armed warrior spoke. “Only my sword. For now, I am the sword arm of Arvoreen, and that is all I need to be and will be forever more. Bring me to the creature that took my heart, and his doom shall be my salvation.”

Brrrrrrrr!

--Rick

#13 Laufey

Posted 23 April 2005 - 05:53 PM

Rini herself still had a rather bad headache, and Jaheira had told her that although there wasn’t any bleeding inside her head, her brains had still received a nasty jolt.


I think this is THE perfect place to use a line from Sam & Max Hit the Road:


Sam: "Awww... what a cute, little hydrocephalic kitten..."


Max: "Let's take him home and put tape on his feet."


:)


I think anybody trying to tape Rini's feet will have to answer to Edwin. :D

Said the dragon was a better companion than any man she’d ever met, because it had this really large…


Good Christ! Someone stop him!


:D


*grin* What?

The cleric merely muttered something inaudible into his beard


Heh heh... some knight he is... look where his mind went! Just look! ;)


I tend to see Ano as somewhat struggling when it comes to holiness and purity. :D

The shadows shrieked, torn apart by the magic, banished into oblivion, and there was a loud crack, as of thunder as the Shadow Altar cracked in two.


Translation:


Boom. :shock:


Yep! :)
Rogues do it from behind.

#14 Laufey

Posted 23 April 2005 - 05:57 PM

[quote]Hi Laufey!
[/quote]

Heya! :)

[quote]
[quote]
“Only one casualty,” Jaheira summarized, thoughtfully eyeing the enormous corpse of the Shadow Dragon. “We were lucky.”
[/quote]
You see, Rini? Mazzy was worth something after all! Why without her, ummmmmm.... I guess you wouldn’t have disturbed the dragon, and you’d be fine. (*Ahem*) Well, it’s possible someone else might have woken it instead. Then you’d have been in big trouble without Mazzy to save the day.
[/quote]

*grin* Yes, Mazzy played her part, in her own way.

[quote]
[quote]Zaerini had to agree with that. After she and Edwin had finished pouring as many healing potions as they could spare into Jaheira’s and Anomen’s wounds, as well as down their throats, the two healers had gone to work on the other wounded. Anomen had been badly affected by the dragon’s black breath though, he was weak and shaky, and explained that many of the spells he would normally be able to cast were currently beyond him. The same held true for Jan, and although Jaheira was able to restore them to some extent, their spells were still temporarily lost. Also, now the druid was weakened in turn, and Rini had more or less had to order her to sit down and catch her breath for a moment. Not for too long though – they all knew that the Shade Lord was still close by, and could return at any moment.
[/quote]
Oh dear. They’re really not ready for the Shade Lord. This is bad.
[/quote]

I wanted to make things feel really desperate here. :)


[quote]
[quote]
“For once, you are entirely correct, my dear tree hugger!” Edwin agreed. “We have before us a dead dragon in its lair. So tell me, what does one usually find in a dragon’s lair?”
[/quote]

[quote]
“Well, it depends,” Jan said, scratching his beard. “My second cousin, Otto Jansen, the burglar, he once found this princess. Lovely lass, but foul tongue when he tried to rescue her. Said the dragon was a better companion than any man she’d ever met, because it had this really large…”
[/quote]
(*sigh*) There is no situation is so desperate or dire that it will dissuade Jan from telling a story.
[/quote]

He wouldn't be Jan if there was. :D

[quote]
[quote]
The cleric merely muttered something inaudible into his beard, but Edwin nodded enthusiastically. “Its hoard, yes,” he agreed. “And in fact, I believe I spot something interesting over that way, a chest by the looks of it. (Imagine the magical treasures a dragon might have collected over its long and lonely years! And all for me! Well, for her too, of course.)”
[/quote]
I do hope it contains a scroll of “Magically heal party while destroying Shade Lord and its minions.”
[/quote]

Unfortunately not...

[quote]
[quote]What they did found rather disappointed the Red Wizard though. There was gold, a couple of thousand, and some gems, though only a couple of any particular value. [/quote]
Hey, that’s not chicken feed! If nothing else, it’s a couple thousand more gold towards Imoen’s ransom.
[/quote]

Of course, but he was hoping for a Scroll of Time Stop or something. :)


[quote]
[quote]
The party set out again, making their way up the second set of stairs, towards their waiting foe. So focused were they on what they were soon about to face, that not one of them noticed the terrible and deadly thing that silently crawled across the floor of the cavern behind them, and then started up the stairs, hot on their trail.
[/quote]
Shadow-Mazzy?
[/quote]

Not exactly....


[quote]
In the centre of the clearing, there was an altar. It, too, was black, but not naturally so. Instead, it seemed to be darkened with a thick and sticky residue of soot and old blood. A very large amount of old blood, in fact. There was a statue bending over it, grimly staring down at these remnants of old sacrifices, and it was equally soiled, so that you could really only tell that it was a humanoid shape.
[/quote]
Another vivid, disturbing description.
[/quote]

Thansk!


[quote]
[quote]
The Shade Lord himself was there, standing by the altar, and surrounded by about a dozen or so of his shadow retinue. Rini couldn’t help but notice that one of those shadows was quite small – another Halfling.[/quote]
:( Poor Patrick.
[/quote]

Yeah... :(


[quote]
[quote]When the spell passed, Zaerini drew a deep breath, supporting herself against the now deactivated altar. The Shade Lord was on the ground before her, unmoving, and seemingly quite dead. And there, on the creature’s rotting face, fingers buried deeply into the unseeing eyes, there It was. Something small. Something white. Something with five fingers, and an air of aggression about it as it strode towards her, balancing on its fingertips.
[/quote]
Did you mean for the “It” in “there It was” to be capitalized?
[/quote]

Yes, that was intentional.


[quote]
[quote]
While it didn’t have an actual mouth, Mazzy’s undead hand managed to give a definite impression of smirking.[/quote]
:shock: :) :D
That is disturbing. Ummmm, I hope with the shade lord dead, her spirit will be released.
[/quote]

More on that next chapter.

[quote]
After reading the story, I went back to read the reading Rini did in Chapter 235. I’d forgotten much of it, and it was striking how everything is fitting in after the fact.
[/quote]

Thank you! :) Yes, I had it all worked out as I wrote that, of course.

[quote]
[quote]
“I do not need my heart,” the armed warrior spoke. “Only my sword. For now, I am the sword arm of Arvoreen, and that is all I need to be and will be forever more. Bring me to the creature that took my heart, and his doom shall be my salvation.”
[/quote]
Brrrrrrrr!
[/quote]

[quote]
--Rick[/quote]

:D :D ;)
Rogues do it from behind.

#15 Guest_Wyvern_*

Posted 23 April 2005 - 07:00 PM

“Only one casualty,” Jaheira summarized, thoughtfully eyeing the enormous corpse of the Shadow Dragon. “We were lucky.”

especially considering who the casualty was.

“For once, you are entirely correct, my dear tree hugger!” Edwin agreed. “We have before us a dead dragon in its lair. So tell me, what does one usually find in a dragon’s lair?”

the bones of dead paladins.

The cleric merely muttered something inaudible into his beard, but Edwin nodded enthusiastically. “Its hoard, yes,” he agreed. “And in fact, I believe I spot something interesting over that way, a chest by the looks of it. (Imagine the magical treasures a dragon might have collected over its long and lonely years! And all for me! Well, for her too, of course.)”

Anomen has a dirtier mind than Edwin :shock:

While it didn’t have an actual mouth, Mazzy’s undead hand managed to give a definite impression of smirking.

Aww, poor Mazzy. Hee, she should go live with Nalia and Xzar now.

#16 Guest_Kulyok_*

Posted 23 April 2005 - 07:05 PM

Aww, poor Mazzy. Hee, she should go live with Nalia and Xzar now.


*snicker*

Makes me wonder who uncle Fester's going to be. :shock:

#17 Laufey

Posted 23 April 2005 - 07:25 PM

“Only one casualty,” Jaheira summarized, thoughtfully eyeing the enormous corpse of the Shadow Dragon. “We were lucky.”

especially considering who the casualty was.


Yep. :)

“For once, you are entirely correct, my dear tree hugger!” Edwin agreed. “We have before us a dead dragon in its lair. So tell me, what does one usually find in a dragon’s lair?”

the bones of dead paladins.


Heh, undoubtedly so.

The cleric merely muttered something inaudible into his beard, but Edwin nodded enthusiastically. “Its hoard, yes,” he agreed. “And in fact, I believe I spot something interesting over that way, a chest by the looks of it. (Imagine the magical treasures a dragon might have collected over its long and lonely years! And all for me! Well, for her too, of course.)”

Anomen has a dirtier mind than Edwin :shock:


I'd say they're about equal, but Anomen is trying to pretend not to.

While it didn’t have an actual mouth, Mazzy’s undead hand managed to give a definite impression of smirking.

Aww, poor Mazzy. Hee, she should go live with Nalia and Xzar now.


:D
Rogues do it from behind.

#18 Guest_Glittering_*

Posted 24 April 2005 - 06:55 PM

Could you please post these new chapters on the www.gamejag.com/Reshuffled website please?

#19 Laufey

Posted 24 April 2005 - 08:39 PM

Could you please post these new chapters on the www.gamejag.com/Reshuffled website please?


Oh, I will...eventually. :D I've started on the next update actually, but it'll be a long time before I get to this particular chapter.
Rogues do it from behind.

#20 Guest_Silrana_*

Posted 25 April 2005 - 01:11 AM

What they did found rather disappointed the Red Wizard though. There was gold, a couple of thousand, and some gems, though only a couple of any particular value. The only other item within the chest was a scroll, but Edwin made a sour grimace as he read it. “Bah!” he scoffed. “It is merely some text on how to create another tool for mindlessly bashing in monster heads. (Magical hammers…what next, a Saw of Searing?)”


There were no real dragon hoards in the game, unfortunately. I would have loved to been able to send my characters diving through coins.

“Do not sell your dragon scales just yet,” Valygar said in a dry voice. “The Shade Lord still stands between us and freedom.”


Where I grew up, we said, "Don't count your chickens before they hatch."

The party set out again, making their way up the second set of stairs, towards their waiting foe. So focused were they on what they were soon about to face, that not one of them noticed the terrible and deadly thing that silently crawled across the floor of the cavern behind them, and then started up the stairs, hot on their trail.


When I read this, I had this sneaking suspicion... we must be on the same evil wavelength.

While it didn’t have an actual mouth, Mazzy’s undead hand managed to give a definite impression of smirking.


Hee!

I assume that you turned Mazzy into some sort of revenant. Very fitting. I wonder what it will take to lay her to rest.

Great chapter!




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