5 - 040: The End?

[K Man]

Romar -

Nearly every member of the council leaps to their feet, hands outstretched as though by some miracle they would stop your blade from entering your body from across the room. The lead cleric swiftly moves to a few feet before you and holds out his palms.

"I beg you Romar, these lands are not in need of yet another lost soul...a spirit that wanders the hillside always wondering if it could have done more in life."

The leader of the council gently moves his hand up to yours, placing his body between your blade and your heart that you desperately want to stop beating. He resumes his speech with a calming tone.

"I have told you. As with all in the Hidden City, we acknowledge the necessity of evil and the brilliance of good. More importantly, we acknowledge the need to keep everything in balance...to keep that freedom of choice for those that do not want to be forced down a certain path."

"We can hold a tribunal Romar, but it would take into account all you have done thus far in life and weigh it against your recent deeds." The cleric stares you dead in the eyes. "But I sincerely feel that your good would outweigh the bad if not just equal it."

The cleric looks up to the dome of this chamber, a wonderful diaroma of good and evil with neutrality between them. To one side angels, to the other, demons and between them...a wonderfully detailed picture of a man and a woman who are about to make a choice. He sighs heavily, finding some momentary solace in the painting before continuing.

"If judgement you truly seek, why not listen to what your faith has to say. You are patron of the traveler, the one who watches over the roads. Why not seek what your deity has to say as you wander as the deity wandered and seek his guidance..."

"Of course, if you would like, one of the clerics here could easily ask your deity one question, but I fear the answer is usually cryptic and may only frustrate you more." The cleric lets go of your sword hand and stands back. "So what say you Romar? The choice, as it has always been, is yours."

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All Others -

Yuri - Leaving the inevitable scene you know is to come, you float back over the rooftops and deeper into the city. Hopefully your friends have left for the tower by now....hopefully...

{You will arrive just in time as they do, see map below.}

The rest of you push up through the gate quickly and move into the empty streets above. Pushing the grating back over its hole, you rush to the North, sticking close to the awnings of the barracks to provide you at least a little shadow--to maintain that element of surprise.

It is only a few hundred feet before you spot the entrance to the Amber tower. You find a good spot to hide, about fifty feet from the doors, and crouch down to plan the attack. You find yourselves cringing and covering your ears as the air is filled with a constant hum of the Amber Tower. Like a ninety foot campfire, it pulstates and glows with the faint orange light from within. You can see darkened figures moving about within the tower, so you know the Queen is not alone.

Just as you expected, there are four guards at the tower double doors. They are clad in full plate, polished to a gleam...the Queen's personal guards. They all carry longswords and full shields, both at the ready since the call of 'The Masters' approach went out.

This won't be easy....

{I'm giving you guy one free round. If you want to move closer than 50 feet and remain hidden, I'll need Move Silently and Hide Checks, otherwise, most of you should be within charging range.}

Map;

Y
     ____________
    /            \
   /              \
  |                |
  |                |
  |                |
   \              / 
    \_____--_____/
          E E
         E   E


 ____            ____ 
|    |          |    |
|    |          |    |
|    |          |    |
|    |          |    |
|    |          |    |
|_/__|          |__\_|
  A  T          G  R
   M K            D

[/pre]
<<<LEGEND>>>
G = Girud
D = Galdren
Y = Yuri
R = Garor
T = Alton
A = Adelia
K = Krysta
M = Mordrock


E = Elven Royal Guard {HP 50/50, AC 21, t 13, ff 20}

Edit: Forgot Mordrock.

[Japic]

{If anyone's got a silence spell that'd be great to eep things on the DL, if not, then we'll jsut have to make due as quietly as possible.}

{action pending availibility of ideas/spells}

p.s. KMan, you forgot the drock on your map. (he's not just two bit goblin anymore)

[VemuKhaham]

"Your judgment is biased if such a tribunal can only exist when concerning all my life. Yet, my sword I shall only use as a last resort; as such I have been taught, and I do not aspire to be that hillside ghost. So if any of you powerful enough to do so will ask a single question to Fahrlanghn, than I shall try to see what I can do with that advice, cryptic though it may be."

Romar slowly lowers his sword, then thinks long and hard, trying to formulate a question that will bring him the most valuable answer.

"Ask my deity these words for me, exactly as I say them to you this moment: 'What, if anything, must I do to atone for the deeds I have commited since I returned to Ravenshead after my first visit here?' "

Before leaving the clerics to their actions, he adds in a thoughtful voice: "Though I do not wish for any of them to be my messenger to the gods." And Romar casts a glance at the group of necrotic evildoers at the right.

"Evil is not a necessity. Without evil there would only be good, though maybe we wouldn't recognize it as such, and ignorance is bliss. I had the same argument with Daniel once, who in the end proved no better than the demon occupying your city." He knew this might be dramatically opposed to the general views of those of the Hidden City, but it was a flaw in their theory and Romar wanted to (arrogantly perhaps) set that straight.

A few years ago, the shy peasant's boy would never have thought about speaking of such philosophical matters with such an intellectual audience. Yes, Romar had changed, for better and worse.

[GeneralMHB]

(OOC: I take it this tower isn't covered in stone like the fortress before? For instance, I could float inside perhaps?)