4 - 051: The Fourth Piece

[K Man]

Romar -

The council nods, duly noting your response. You spin on your heels and make your way back through the desert Ziggurat, rising higher and higher in the stone structure. When you reach the outdoors once again, you almost regret leaving because the air is so hot here. However, the sun is in the process of setting and the air is only getting cooler.

You again make your way to the shore of the 'Life-Giving Lake' and sit underneath one of the many trees there. This time, you are alone around the lake, its glittering surface a reflection of the molten orb of a sun that is setting. You begin to ponder what is being said beneath this lake.

Will they release the crystal willingly? What if they don't? How long will the council take to make a decision?

Your mind begins to hurt from so many thoughts at once and you lose track of time. The land darkens around you, and your mind slips unknowingly, bringing with it the sweet release of a much needed nap...



The night breeze is cool, the moon reflected in the surface of the lake like some watery pearl just out of your reach. Telena still has not returned and you are just about ready to go down there and see what progress the council has made.

Then, you smell it...you smell her...The sickly sweet combination of well-worn leather and mountain flowers.

Veya!

Spinning around so fast that you nearly fall headfirst into the lake, you see her standing just behind you. Her body is draped in a clean white gown, her hair flutters in the light breeze. Her face is pure and white, unmarked from the fall you know she took from the tower that fateful night.

You open your mouth, but she cuts short before you can even mutter a single word.



"What are you doing Romar?"

Her words are cold, not quite what you had expected. Again, you try to retort, try to force any one of the million questions from your lips so that your mind can be at ease.

However, Veya is stern and takes a few steps towards you, placing one of her ivory hands over your mouth. The glow of the moon gives her a faint glow, like a spectre of your past coming to form into the real. You close your eyes, only for a moment and drink in what it feels like to have her touch again.

She looks dead into your eyes.



"You are carrying too much Romar...too much anger, too much hate, and too much revenge. We have all lost and we yearn to lash out, but you have gone too far."

"Sturmguard loved you as he loves all, but you tried to break his bond of blood...can you really hate him for how he responded?"

"You were so angry when you came back...I didn't know how to deal with you...."

Her hand drifts down the side of your face, her eyes melt with a sadness you didn't think Veya ever possessed.

"You would not calm down and your rash actions placed you in the dungeon...and even more rash actions placed you here. Far from the home and King you loved, and they drove me away from you..."

The cold gaze returns, the lamentation over her death gone.

"And now they have driven you here for what end? To do the bidding of wicked people?

She looks to the lake an instinctively your eyes drift to follow. There, upon the once moonlit surface is an image you immediately recognize. It is the Queen's audience chamber in Ephemiryl - where you were hours ago. You see the Queen and her son, discussing something. You cannot make out the words for the image is silent, but the message is clear.

The Queen has gone mad with her desire for power. She continually points to a set of designs on the table, presumably for the weapon the Elves have built, and cackles wildly. The hate and rage in her eyes are clear, the insanity of her plan is glaring. Her son looks meager compared to her, a meek man in the presence of a madwoman.

The image fades and Veya returns her gaze to you.



"Think about this. You are about about to fuel a weapon with a shard that no one can know anything about. 'The Master' desires the shards so do you really think their power can harm him...?"

Her gaze is penetrating, frightful.

"I loved you for the straight path you always walked, how you could never be dissueded from your goal..."

"Don't let it be a goal of madness. Think about your actions and follow your heart, not your lust for revenge..."

"Do you understand me Romar? Romar? ROMAR?..."



You snap awake to find Telena standing over you, gently shaking your shoulders.



"Romar? Romar!"

Once your eyes focus on her, she smiles and stops the shaking. She takes a seat next to you, letting you awake slowly. Her gaze is cast over the lake, the surface glowing with the pale moon just like you imagined.

Telena's words are strangely calm and filled with hope.



"The council has decided to help you, but in their own way."

"The crystal will be moved from the bottom of the lake, but we will fashion a cart to carry it and the water it produces so that the old and young may walk with us without threat of death."

"Our best artisans have already begun work and they should be done by midday tomorrow. The city evactuation will be announced at dawn."

She turns to look at you, her smile wide.

"You filled us with hope Romar, given us a purpose. We will do all we can to defeat 'The Master'..."

------------------------------------------------------------------------

All but Romar -

Slinking up the steps, you do all you can to spread out before the beast can gain its senses about you.

Girud is first up. Amazingly, the large Half-Giant slips up quietly enough to not be noticed.

He is followed by Galdren. The steps of the samurai alert the beast to the presence of creatures behind it. In one fluid move, it spins its body on the ceiling and prepares for a charge!

[Initiative: Mordrock, Krysta, Alton and Galdren, The Hound of Gloom, Girud, Garor, Adelia.]


Map;

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                 4

[/pre]
<<<Legend>>>

* = Top of Staircase
# = Exits, 1-4
H
H = Hound of Gloom
A = Galdren
G = Girud

{The remainder of you can file up this round, but consider it a move action to get up and out of the staircase.}
__________________________________________________________________________________________

[Fangor the Fierce]

Mordrock, hearing that the thing he turned on them, quickly moves out of the striarcase, and behind the two in front of him, allowing passage for the others to come out. He then moves to hide, trying to become a fly in this place, absentmindedly ignored....

Hide +27, without penalty of being watched.

Krysta on the other hand, follows on the heels of Mordrock, coming out of the staircase to come into full view of this thing that is now watching them with the intent to tear them apart. With a fluid motion, she makes sure it thinks twice, as she lets a single arrow fly at the creature.

+13 to hit, 1d8+2 +1d6 Elec dmg, 20/x3, 100', Piercing

Making sure she leaves room for the others to escape the staircase and get up here as well, she readies another pair of arrows for next round...

"Get up here quick!" she calls out, hoping they can move quickly to their aid.

[Fangor the Fierce]

Adelia, being last, will move up the staircase if it is cleared by her turn. If not, then she will try next round.

[Japic]

Alton is at first thankful, then peeved as Galdren alerts the beast of their coming. Moving quickly he comes out of the staircase and Looses an arrow at the beast while it's still farther off.

+9 to hit, 1d4+1 dam

---

Not pleased about having been spotted so quickly Girud decides that it's time to rock this beast. (Assuming it charged at it's nearest target, Galdren) As close as the critter was Girud charges in to hopefully do some damage to this thing.

{I'm sure I'll get AoOs against me if it's got reach, but that's gonna have to be ok.}

{+2 Large Warmace (two handed): +15 (+17 if charging) to hit, 3d6+11 damage

{AC 21}

[Jevva]

OOC: ...Oops. I never was a very sneaky one...

Seeing the beast turn around suddenly, Galdren's instincts kick in and his body automatically sets up into a defensive position, hoping to minimize the damage the beast might do.

Ready against a charge with my katana (no extra damage, but I attack first, right?):
+13, Flaming Katana of Ooze Bane 1d10 +5 +1d6

AC: 24

[Fangor the Fierce]

jevva said:

Ready against a charge with my katana (no extra damage, but I attack first, right?):

Not if it has reach....

[VemuKhaham]

Kman, seriously, you've outdone yourself! Brilliant one, really. It's gonna give Romar much food for thought later on.

---

Given the fact that he is so abruptly shaken out of his troubling but nonetheless pleasantly reminiscing dream by Telena, Romar is forced back into reality again... back into the twisted schemes, the sticky webs of intrigue and politics, the sick games. But Telena doesn't seem to notice one bit of it, hopeful as her ignorant voice is.

"That is good, Telena. I am thankful for your support during the council. I am thankful for the help of your people. This turn of events relieves me."

As a matter of fact, no, he was not relieved. His plan had just taken a turn into the wrong direction. He had feared it in advance. Now the crystal would be surrounded by an entire tribe. It could still be successful, but it would be all the more difficult.

"A few questions though; how many will there be? How long will the journey to the coast take by estimation? To move so many people, old and young, will take much time, I am afraid. I fear we might lead many people into danger if we are with so many. But... if the council thinks it's best, I shall agree. I had better get some sleep before tomorrow, or I might be caught twice taking an unplanned nap."

He looks at Telena worriedly, the dream still playing around in his mind. Veya... he could not set aside these thoughts so easily. But right now there was no time to ponder on them.

'Maybe during the night - he had much to do during the night', he thought, as his eyes turned to look at the little amulet he had carried around his neck.

[GeneralMHB]

Yuri, hearing the excitement going on upstairs, decides it best to hide and lay an ambush on whatever lies beyond. He changes into the form of a bat and flies to a good vantage point.

(OOC: Sorry for the no-post, IRL stuff came up)

[BluSpecs]

Garor moves into the room on his turn if possible....