Diary of Zaaz Bloodfortune
My body still entwined with the transformed seer, I could hear the calls of battle outside. Our need has been powerful and urgent and fast. What one would expect of a first time and I was starting to consider a second, but slower match. Still, my eyes strayed towards the door as the screams and explosions sounded.
“Go,” she said gently. I looked into her eyes to be sure of her meaning. “The crisis is past and one particular future dissolves to dust. Your friends will need you now.”
Giving her lips one last peck, I extricated myself and dressed quickly. Letting myself out the door, I ran quickly down to the courtyard and out to where my friends fought. Just in time to catch the end I thought, when suddenly a wild gibbering in my head did come. Looking up to the sky I did see four new opponents flying above. Two were just copper dragonkin, but two were a sight that froze one’s soul. Dracolitches they were and where they flew, men turned to stone statues.
The battle was now desperate as the defending crossbowmen were largely defeated. It became clear these things had a limited range of effect so our fight with them became a fight of distance. Luckily, I can fly fast enough to avoid the fate of the crossbowmen and so moved off enough to stay just within range of my longest spells. As we fought to take down the opponents, I heard a strange cry of summoning and saw movements in shadow all around. They did flow to the center of the courtyard and a massive creature came into being. Some kind of strange bird of gargantuan size. Fear of some new horror pulled at me, but as quickly as my thoughts fell in that direction the creature struck at one of the Dracolitches. I should have know with the flow of shadow that this was another spell of Tauvums, somehow massively overpowered.
Between this shadow-beast and for the next wave a Tauvum summoned Ankou we manage to hold the keep. In the fight we managed to save Shatha from being beheaded and managed to kill her attackers. After we revisit the council to see what they have planned next. After much arguing the consciences is to attack the enemy camp at dawn. Two wings of attackers will attempt to draw off the bulk of the enemy generals guard and then we will move in to the attack. In the night I commune with Grrrr to change my spells readied and between Tauvum and we are able to remove the flesh to stone effect of the Dracolitches from dear Yoska and bring him back to life. While he makes a fine statue, he makes a much better active participant in our adventure.
Preparation is the key to successful battle and knowing the enemy general’s penchant for cold, we ensure to cast resist cold as we head to battle in the morning. As we move past the defensive wards, Tauvum and Gretta dimension door into the enemy general’s tent. Sadobras rides out on Nevrah who has offered to let Sadobras ride her into battle. Yoska and Dalomar go invisible as well while I fly boldly, perhaps stupidly visible. As we get close, I see the ruse has worked and many of General Malesinders forces have been drawn off. I cast a lightening bolt from distance to fix his attention on me. I had used the handbook of arcane augmentation to imbue the bolt with sickness, yet Malesinder shrugs off the effect. As I get closer, I can see how formidable he seems to be. Massive and strong with large white wings he stares imperiously up at me. In his hands he holds a terrible looking blade of blue, a Rime blade seemingly carved from ice. As I get close, he uses his breath weapon on me and I give silent thanks for Tauvum for his gift of cold resistance. Behind him the doors to his tent open and Gretta strikes at him with a javelin. Following up his lover’s attack, Yoska also strikes at the general, but misses. A black skeleton steps from the tent as well and shoots a searing ray of light at the general, but misses. Enervation from me also claws at his soul, but I also miss my target. This general will certainly be no easy prey.
Or, so I thought. Dalomar appears having struck a critical hit on the general sending him staggering. His allies bring two Cuestodaemons to assist him, but before they can have any real effect on the battle Yoska hits with an intensified shocking grasp. The general is finished and Sadobras and Yoska finish off the two Cuestodaemons.
Quickly we hack off the general’s head and Tauvum has his strange skeleton take to the air with the head showing the defeat to the remaining battlefield. Soon, the forces of the general are in route and the day is won. Gathering the papers and treasure from the general we soon head back to the keep. Going through the papers we see that this was just a small part of the battles here. The forces arrayed are quite formidable and this was just one front in a massive invasion.
The council in the keep rewards us with quite a few items of magic and wealth to thank us for our part in ending the immediate threat. Additionally, we receive the two headed eagle as promised. It was decided that Gretta will take the eagle back to the hut and await us there as we head to finish off the Dragon who has started this all.
The next morning we make all haste towards our destination. As we travel on borrowed Hippogriffs, we spot an Adlet being threatened by several huge insect creatures we later found are called Ursikka. The Adlet is quite handsome and covered in downy white fur so of course we have to save it. Tauvum seems to want to joke a bit with it, but we still move to defend. Strong opponents the Ursikka were. One of their attacks consisted of spitting a thick and sticky saliva at us and it was enough to entangle. Yoska managed tag the three of them with a large fireball and their screams make it clear they didn’t appreciate the attack. Yoska and Tauvum are soon covered with the spittle and fighting to escape it. Sadobras moves up to the attack and though he misses Nevrah doesn’t. Dalomar spring attacks, but the creatures shell is hard to break. Upset with the attack from Nevrah, the creature she attacked bites Sadobras from his saddle and swallows him in an instant. Calling forth my evil eye I manage to hex the one swallowing my companion to make it easier to attack in the future. As I move into position to try to lightning bolt the creature, Yoska manages to shock the creature strongly. It starts to fall over, apparently killed, yet suddenly regains its strength and starts to fight again. Some of our mounts are killed by the various attacks and so it looks like we shall fly no further. Yoska moves in again and strikes at the one that has swallowed Sadobras, bringing it down for good this time. Dalomar and I strike one of the remaining ones with lightning and sword and wound it greatly. Again, we manage to take one to the edge of death just to have it surge back to the fight. Still, now with two of them remaining and both wounded we manage to finish them off.
Standing after the fight I thank Dalomar for finishing off one about to breath its spit on me. All of us let out great rollers of steamy breath as we stare at the dead creatures. Turning to the Adlet, I’m about to ask his name, when Tauvum starts off with, “So, how much are you going to pay us for saving you….”
Somehow, I don’t remember Tauvum being so mercenary. Frankly, he wasn’t quite this talkative when Snori was here. Does that mean I’m missing the days when Snori travelled with us? Gods forbid. This quest is one enough to tangle one’s mind.
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