Session+79

**9-19-15** **Marco's Defeat! The Echoes Released From Cruelty! Lies and Deceit abound!**

Amidst the training dummies and chests, the group walked cautiously through the room, doing a quick test to assume that the columns of colorful lights on the elves moved through floors and ceilings.

 Thorn led the way, disarming the poison needle trap and unlocking the door to get out. Mali wove barkskin over Wren, gently touching her arm to pass through her for a moment as the young witch seemed to flicker back and forth between existence and non-existence. The young halfling blinked, "Are you alright, Wren? Do we need to talk?" Wren smiled reassuringly at her druidess companion, "Thank you, Mali. I think I"m alright... I think it's just something with the drow mythal that seems to be affecting me poorly." Mali looked her over for a moment and then nodded, trusting her words.

 Erevin stepped through the open door out into the hallway with his moonblade in his hands. The archer Echo was at the end of the hall waiting for him with her bow drawn. Three arrows rapidly pierced into Erevin. He grunted from the pain of the blackened third arrow and looked down to notice the lesser runes of elf slaying. He glanced back up at the elven archer at the end of the hall and noticed two extra bows strapped to her back. It looked like she came prepared to deal with his bow stealing falcon this time.

 Wren wove a protective warding hex over Erevin and moved up to the doorway with Kale and Inali. Thorn peered through the doorway to see the arrows sticking out of his ranger companion, and he slipped out next to him to see the Echo archer lit by a column of colorful light... this one wasn't an illusion like outside. Mali and Melleron moved up to the other side of the doorway, and she wove a barkskin around herself as Posy moved out between Erevin and Thorn to throw her axe down the hall to impale into the archer's chest!

Shora pulled two black arrows and shot one at Erevin which he deflected with his moonblade, and shot the other into Posy, where it smoldered in her flesh as the elven ranger dashed down the hall. Erevin grabbed the deflected arrow and dashed after her, feeling a pit in the floor give way beneath his feet, but his quick feet stepped him back to the safety of the flooring in the hall. Wren, Kale, and Inali joined the others in the hall as the witch wove a hex of fortune over Thorn.

Thorn looked over the flooring hanging down, revealing the pit, "I could close it up and disarm it... but it would take a lot of time. We're better off just crossing over it." The others nodded their agreement. He threw a smoke stick across the pit to the corner of the hall to give them some cover from the waiting archer on the other side.

Mali began summoning a cloud of lightning as Wren used ventriloquism to throw the sounds of her landing on the other side accompanied by her voice gasping and calling back for Kale. A loud creaking came from the other side, followed by a deep impacting thwap! And Wren threw her voice again, screaming as though she'd been shot. Erevin seized the opportunity to leap across under the cover of smoke, realizing the noise had been a 6 foot bolt shot out of a ballista that now hung pierced in the wall behind him. Down the hall two thieves stood beside Shora peering down into the smoke, "Did we get her? Did we get her?"

Erevin shot Shora's black arrow of elf slaying back at her with his bow, piercing into her shoulder! Thorn dashed over the pit and tumbled smoothly out of the edge of the smoke to throw his ricochet hammer down the hall into the two thieves next to the Echo archer. He stepped back in surprise as he noticed the two guys along the wall who were invisible to Erevin, "Whoa! two guys right in front of me!"  Mali leapt on top of Melleron and rode him over the pit into the cover of smoke. Posy let go of her rage and looked worn and exhausted as she looked at the poison tipped spikes with fire ants at the bottom of the pit. She began to grow larger and took on a bear-like strength.

An arrow sailed from Shora to pierce into Thorn as she turned and dashed up the stairs behind her. Metal booted feet pounded on the stone floor as the two invisible rogues dashed in to stab Erevin! The other two started cranking the rope on the ballista as Wren wove a hex of good luck over Posy and giggled loudly, extending the fortune on Thorn. Erevin stepped back and shot a pair of arrows into the now fully visible young rogues attacking him as one of them struck him again with a knife. They appeared to be new recruits, missing that hardened look of criminals.

 Thorn dropped his hammer to the ground and pulled Rose from her sheath, throwing his dagger down the hall into the back wall behind the ballista. He teleported next to her, using his twin dagger. Mali brought down a bolt of lightning from her called dark cloud to light up the two rogues at the end of the hall! Thorn's silhouette showed behind them in the bright flashes of light. Melleron leapt forward out of the smoke to pin his claws into the thief next to Erevin, and mauled him with his sharp teeth! The newly recruited rogue screamed in anguish as he struggled to get away from the immense and fearsome beast! Posy, Wren, Kale, and Inali crossed over the pit to join the others, stepping into the smoke.

  Erevin brought up his moonblade, shaking his head at the young rogue in front of him, "Poor career choices..." He drove the blade into him twice, dropping the corpse to the ground! Thorn slipped up behind one of the rogues at the end of the hall, fatally driving one of his blades into the young man's back as he pierced twice more with his second blade to drop the thief to the ground in a pool of his own blood. The last young rogue quickly cranked on the ballista, shooting a large bolt into the massive roaring lion! Melleron charged down the hall to maul and ragdoll the thief, dropping the body at Mali's feet proudly. The tiny halfling scratched him under the chin, praising him.

Thorn looked over the hall, halting the group to point out the exploding drow-runed mines. Everyone moved cautiously, avoiding them while Thorn disarmed the door in the hall. The halfling rogue flung it open, fully prepared for whatever might jump out. There were some beds and tables overturned in the room with half a dozen young thieves hiding behind them, whispering in terror, "Do you think they're coming in here?! ...They have a fucking lion!! ...It ate Fritz!"

Melleron roared loud in the hall with Wren echoing it into the room with her ventriloquism. Thorn glanced in the door, "Count to 100 and then run... leave this place." The group closed the door and moved on, letting them go. Erevin cut the rope on the ballista as Thorn grabbed his ricochet hammer and led the way up the stairs where Shora had gone.

Thorn rolled his seeing marble across the room at the top of the stairs to see the Echo archer in the room, tracking the sphere with her bow as it rolled across the floor. Mali used her healing wand on Melleron, closing up some of his wounds. Posy moved up the stairs and engaged her green dragon helm to blow a thick cloud of acid into the room! Shora sent a barrage of arrows into the gnome as her delicate elven skin burned and bubbled with the green mist clinging to her! Wren stepped around the corner into the room next to Posy, with Kale and Inali following her in as Shora deflected the arrow the young witch shot from Cirdan.

Shora's eyes settled on the black fox padding through the door. Thorn slipped into the room next to Kale as Mali walked in next to him to send another bolt of lightning from her cloud, the bolt grazing across the archer. Erevin sent a barrage of arrows into the ranger, "She's trying to delay us... push her!" Shora shot an arrow into the witch before dashing through the next door and through the hall into another door.

Posy followed her to find another 20ft pit in the floor, crossing over it easily on her way to the door. Wren stepped out into the hall with Kale and Inali, squeezing close to the wall as they tried to leave room. The others moved up to the doorway as Posy dashed into the next room to see 2 enormous ice devils, a rogue, a drow woman, Shora, and Marco with his hands placed on some sort of runed sphere as he concentrated. The young gnome engaged her ring of retribution sending out a bright circle of fire to wash over all of them! Surprisingly, it seemed the ice devils were immune.

"If that was Posy's ring... that means that there are several in there. We need to move to help," Wren took Kale's hand and led them across the hall. They witch put good luck over him as the elven warrior headed in ahead of her through the doorway to engage one of the great ice devils. Erevin sighted the other devil from the hall and whispered it's name to his bow as he sent in a barrage of arrows to strike through it's icy hide. Two massive cones of cold washed out over Posy and Kale as both devils wove their spells at the same time! Ice crackled across the floor and up the walls of the hallway outside of the door! 3 arrows pierced into Kale from Shora, and a drow voice came from within the room, "So the elves have finally arrived! Finally... I have the chance to use the mythal to do this..." A horrible scream of agony came from Kale within the room!

Thorn called his mirror twin from Rose and moved quickly into the room as Echo's voice filled his mind, "Help us..." He nodded as he moved, answering, "I'm trying!" Mali sent in a bolt of lightning into one of the devils and called Posy back to her! Barely clinging to life... the young gnome hesitated only for a moment, staring at Marco behind the devils before grudgingly pulling back to the druidess.

Kale's scream crawling over Wren, the young witch turned firmly to her familiar, "Give me a few seconds. Wait here." She moved quickly into the room, sidestepping Posy to see Kale's soul being pulled from his body by the drow woman in the back corner. With an ice devil in her way to get to the woman, the young witch laid her hands directly on his icy scales to send in a wave of harm... rocking the devil back as large wounds ripped across it's body! Erevin sent in another fatal round of arrows to finish him off!

The second ice devil leaned over Kale, who was struggling to hold onto his soul, to pierce his spear into the witch, slowing her with an icy cold as her frosted blood sprayed on the wall behind her! Shora moved to a vantage point and shot Thorn as the drow continued to fight the elven warrior for his spirit. Marco continued to concentrate with a soft glow around him as his hands gripped the runed sphere in front of him.

Thorn high-fived his duplicate and moved in to stab Marco repeatedly with his daggers! Echo called to him again, "Help us..." Thorn glanced at the sphere, "Help me to help you!" Mali wove a spell over Posy, closing some of her wounds. The young druidess pointed through the doorway, directing her lion, "Guard Kale!" Melleron charged into the room with a mighty roar to engage the second ice devil leering over the warrior and witch. Posy threw her axe from the doorway into the drow, impaling the woman's chest with a meaty thunk, streams of blood pouring down! Barely clinging to life, Wren pointed to the back corner, "Cirdan, cold bolt that drow..." and wove a hex over herself to close some of her wounds. The black feathered bird released the witch's spell to send a blue bolt across the room, covering the drow's dark skin in frost and continuing on into Shora behind her, flickering the archer as she barely remained in existence.

Reeling from the axe and the cold, the drow stumbled back, releasing her hold on Kale as his soul flooded back into his body and he gasped in air! Erevin stepped into the doorway, whispering the drow's name to his bow. He sent in an arrow to impale her abdomen! Despite the pain, she glanced up to her attacker hungrily, "A better soul..." The weight of the drow mythal fell heavily over the elven prince, but his will was strong! Shora sent 3 arrows into Erevin's body in rapid procession like stitches! The ice devil battled mightily against Melleron who despite the great wounds ripping over his body continued to hold him back from the others!

Thorn moved again, hearing Mask's voice in his mind, "What are you?" The young halfling answered, "I am the slayer of fools!" He lunged forward with his two blades to stab into Marco's back! Mass amounts of blood sprayed out from his glowing body, but the rogue lord stubbornly held on to the gem in front of him. Echo appeared behind Thorn and he heard Mask's voice again, "What are you?" He glanced to notice that the orb was not glowing like the rest of Marco.

The spirit's returning her axe, Posy again threw it out to impale the drow through her forehead! She disappeared with a teleportation spell returning her corpse likely to her church. Kale sat up gasping, his skin white as a ghost. Erevin charged across the room to try and tackle into Marco to knock him away from the sphere... but much to his surprise, the rogue lord was like running into a marble pillar as his arms wrapped around him!

Echo turned to slice into Wren with her daggers, leaving two wide ribbons of blood across the witch's body! Melleron continued to hold back the ice devil, going toe to toe despite the gaping wounds ripping across his body! Thorn darted in, sliding his hands around the runed mythal, and the room fell still.

Echo's voice sighed with relief, "Finally..." Thorn could feel Marco trying to keep control of the orb, but the halfling's will was strong and an elven soul helped him. Erevin could feel the body of Marco finally give and he toppled him to the ground away from the mythal. In full control, Thorn looked around with a grin, "Ladies... ladies... ladies..." The rogue and the archer and the other echoes arriving in the room turned to Thorn, "What is thy bidding, oh my master?" "Oh!" Thorn blinked in surprise for a moment and shook his head, "Go... be free... you are no longer bound to this." The elven women turned to Marco with deep hate in their eyes, "Your vile touch has held us prisoner for far too long... it is now time for you to pay for playing with magics far greater than your understanding."

Mali wove a spell around herself and her companions, healing them as Melleron again bit into the ice devil. Posy swung her axe, impacting heavily into it's icy hide, spraying out blue blood that coated her skin. The Echoes moved closer, "Stand aside, Prince of Myth Coramanth, and let us have our revenge." Erevin pushed Marco back into a pillar and moved to cover Posy from the cold of the demon. The ice devil looked for a moment to spray a cone of cold, but he faded from existence. Thorn shook his head, looking at the rogue, "You know, Marco... Garrett was foolish to put you in charge of anything... I would kill you myself, but I'm a gentleman, so... ladies first." He bowed slightly to the Echoes as he moved aside. "Damn you, Thorn..." Marco's voice was cut off into screams of agony as the women surrounded him, violently stabbing into his groin and giving him a slow and painful death... leaving the others to only imagine what that man had put them through.

Thorn and his double winced in the corner, "That's... that's not some kinky shit." The double agreed, shuddering as he faded from existence.

The Echoes turned to the others later, nodding deeply, "Thank you... words can not express the kindness you have shown us, Thorn and Prince of Myth Coramanth... we are sorry for all of the injury we have caused you." "How is it that you have come to be in this?" Erevin gestured at the mythal gemstone.

"Hundreds of years ago," Echo replied, "Several hundred drow invaded Myth Taryn, attacking our city. The gnomes of Lantan helped to build a device, and the warriors who volunteered to go into the crystal fought back the drow... slaughtering them to a man, but the mythal was damaged and most of the other elves were killed. We couldn't manifest for some time afterwards, and something took us out of the city we were in... the bodies of these elves are still there, encased in the crystals."

"Why do you all look alike?" Erevin asked. "I am the Echo, the mythal... not an actual person... and I project my look on the warriors who have volunteered," she nodded, "They still sleep... and I can not awaken them until I am repaired." "What do we need to do to repair you?" Wren asked. "You will need to speak with an expert on mythals if one exists in such an age... and the gnomes of Lantan who helped to construct me would be able to help also," Echo answered. Wren nodded, "We have Attalicus, a mage in Myth Coramanth." "And some gnomes from Lantan as well," Erevin nodded, gesturing toward Posy, "her relatives." "We are very weak now... Marco has drawn upon us far more than he should have... in order to kill you," Echo turned to Thorn, "It will be awhile before we are able to manifest again, but you can speak with me at any time." "Excellent," Erevin nodded. The elven women around them turned wispy, fading back into the sphere still in Thorn's hands.

As everyone searched the room, collecting things from Marco and the shelves and racks around the area... Wren found a small statuette of a woman dressed in robes, who's face was hidden, on a shelf. She picked it up and vanished in an explosion of mist as it erupted outward in the corner from where she was and then slowly started to recede. The others quickly raced into the mist after her.

The mist cleared after a moment and all around the area seemed to be a white misty space as far as Wren could see... almost a void. She sat on the chest of an enormous statue... several hundred feet long, but similar in appearance to the statuette in her hand. Other various formed statues were all around.

The mist rose around the statue she sat on and a woman with her face hidden spoke in a whispered voice to Wren, "Welcome, Wren Dreamspinner... to the Fugue Plane... the plane of dead gods." Wren moved to her knees and nodded, "Thank you... I can't imagine this is a place many mortals see." The goddess continued, "You have gathered the last of the pieces of my power. You have done well."  Wren nodded again, "Thank you. I couldn't have done it without their help." The elven witch gestured to her companions appearing around her. Thorn looked around and laughed, "We're standing on huge boobs..."

"I have everything that I need now to restore myself to power and to show Ciric the folly of his murder," Liera nodded. "I certainly wish you well in that endeavor, my lady... there are a great many important matters going on in the heavens as we speak," Wren nodded. "In my diminished state I have heard little... you are... the gods' chosen?" Liera looked around at the group, "to fight Ghaundahar." Wren nodded, "Yes." "In this, I will give you my blessing... for you will need some spark of divinity to survive in Ghaundahar's realm," Liera nodded. "Any and all that you grant us would be welcome and appreciated," Wren nodded. "It would only be you," the goddess nodded to Wren before turning to Inali, "Bring out the parts." Wren opened her bag, pulling out the keys and handed them hesitantly to the young fox. Inali carried them up to the soon to be goddess. "You have served me well, little one," Liera looked down at the little fox. Inali looked up at her nervously, clutching the misty items, "This will restore Wren, right? She will be alive again?" Liera nodded to her.

Thorn glanced at the others, "What does she mean? ...Wren IS alive." The elven witch's body flickered for a moment. "Okay... maybe only partially alive?" Thorn looked her over skeptically.  Wren turned to Liera, "What will happen to Inali?" The robed woman nodded, "My power is within her, so I will draw it out, and she will come and serve me in the mists." Inali nodded, "Whatever it takes... if only she will be alright." The black fox turned to look back at her witch with a big, sad, and yet hopeful face. Wren shook her head, looking sadly from her companion up to Liera, "If I have already lived my life and died by its own means... then I would rather not give mine for hers. If it takes taking her life... to restore mine, then please do not."  <span style="color: #222222; display: block; font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: small;"> Inali shook her head, "Wren! You have to save the world with your friends... one little fox isn't worth the world, is it? Think about Kale!" Wren could feel her heart breaking... Inali continued, "And your mom! And Prince Yummypants!" Wren wrinkled up her face, "Who is prince yummypants?" "That would be me," Erevin nodded to her. <span style="color: #222222; display: block; font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: small;"> Inali pressed on, "What would they do without //you//?" Wren sighed and shook her head, she couldn't possibly let her friend die for her... what kind of person would do that?! She sighed, "What would //I// do without //you//?" "Kale will take care of you," Inali nodded to her. Resisting the urge to glance back at the love of her life who she could feel staring at her, Wren continued on, arguing softly with her familiar, "I wouldn't even be a witch without you... what would I be worth to them... as a simple elven girl?"

Liera nodded to her, "You will be provided with another familiar... you will have all of the power that you had and more..." Power? power she could get on her own... look how far she had grown already... This was Inali... her friend... her companion... the voice of wisdom so often whispered against her recklessness... Wren looked into the shadowed hood of the woman before her and shook her head, "To lose //her//?"

Mali stared bewildered at the conversation in front of her and glanced at her other companions, "Are you all hearing this? Is Wren really deciding whether to live or die?" Wren sighed, "It's true... I have many obligations... to save the world... but Inali is important." "You will rejoin her," Erevin tried to console her, "When your deeds are done here and your mistress calls to you for the last time."

Wren felt weighted... this wasn't right... it was all horribly wrong... There had to be something she was missing... A conversation echoed into her thoughts between her, Erevin, and Yuki about the power Arabelle had bestowed on her goddess for sacrificing herself for love... that which her goddess ruled over.

Wren shook her head. Why? Why did Liera want Inali? ...if she could grant her a familiar, then why not this one with her own power removed? If Inali was such a sacrifice for power, then it had to be for a lie... a deception... but what?

Wren started to pace back and forth, arguing with herself in her head about the many possibilities... there had to be a lie... it was there...

Who was being lied to? Liera was lying to her? ...so was she not going to restore Wren to life? ...no ... it was far deeper than that... Inali would find out that Wren died... That didn't make sense...

Erevin walked with her, trying to help her discuss her whispered thoughts.

Where was the root of the deception? Inali is sacrificing herself for a lie... so Inali is being lied to... What was the biggest lie from Inali's point of view? That she doesn't have to do this...

Mali's voice came from behind her as she shook her head, looking to Posy, "Wren has been dead this whole time? But we've been //healing// her... I JUST healed her."

It was true... Wren had been near death many times... How many times had she woken up from Yuki's kiss on her lips? She had been healed on countless occasions. And what about the magic of Destiny and other worlds... surely some sign of this 'dead soul in an illusion' would have come up long before now...

But why would she flicker if she wasn't really dead? Because the goddess was doing it to propagate the lie... everyone was supposed to believe it ...but none of this was real... all of it was for nothing... Wren was never dead.

Water clung to her skin from the mists as though trying to remind her of a long ago memory... that even here... it couldn't let her forget.

The young witch gasped and whirled around as it all sank in, shaking her head at her fox, "Wait! Don't do this, Inali... It's all a lie... Lies and Deceit. Every... Last... Bit of it... I'm //not// dead... I was //never// dead." Inali shook her head, "But I seen it happen!" "You //did// see it happen... you seen me in the water... and you watched Kale save my life... everything else you may have seen was all just a lie," Wren shook her head again. The little black fox turned to Liera with tears in her eyes, trembling, "That's... that's not true... is it?" "Goddess of Lies and Deceit, Inali... Lies and Deceit!" Wren insisted behind her. Liera hissed at Wren angrily. The young witch shrugged, speaking casually, "You chose a truth seeker, m'lady... I have been shining light on lies and deceit for a long time." Liera grumbled, "How disappointing... a lie revealed gives no power to me."

Inali collapsed against Wren's legs, sobbing! The elven witch pulled her into her arms, hugging her tightly on the side furthest from Liera as she stared at the woman before her. "My followers are not truth seekers," Liera shook her head. "Well then," Wren shook her head, "This is where we part ways."

Thorn stroked his chin, looking skeptically over at the young witch, "What was she lying about then?"

"You have cost me much this day," Liera stared at Wren, "I shall be reborn... but it will take longer now... and you, my... truth seekers... will have to find another power to aid you in your quest." "Then I will search for that other power," Wren nodded. Liera strode toward the witch who held her ground firmly, "It could have been sooo glorious... but you have to know that lies and deceit... hurt." "That they do," Wren nodded.

"Sticks and stones..." Mali started off from behind Wren until Erevin quickly grabbed her up, putting a hand over her mouth. Liera turned to gaze at the red-haired halfling for a moment before turning back to Wren. Thorn stood next to Erevin, whispering, "You might want to be quiet, Mali..." Everything faded from around them and they returned to the room where they had defeated Marco.

Kale put an arm around Wren who felt tingly all over, "Are you alright?" "Yes," Wren nodded with relief before gently touching his cheek, "Are you?" Kale nodded, "I... feel like someone tried to pull my soul out of my body... but... you thought you were dead? And you didn't tell me?" Wren's cheeks blushed pink as she nodded, "What would you have said? ...and I just heard the story today... and I didn't want any of you to worry... We had plenty of other things to worry about here instead of me possibly being a ghost." "Is that the truth, Wren?" he asked her, looking her over. Wren blinked at him, "Have I ever lied to you?" He raised an eyebrow, "//Have// you ever lied to me?" Surprised by the question, the young witch considered it... there had been some times where maybe she hadn't told him EVERYTHING... but she couldn't remember outright lying to him... certainly about nothing important. She grinned at him, the words 'Not that I'm aware of' holding on her tongue spilled out as, "Yes." Her gold eyes widened and she clapped a shocked hand over her mouth.

Thorn looked her over and started to laugh, "You can't lie anymore? ...Could that be because you pissed off the goddess of lies?" "B-but she TRIED to take my familiar! She lied to both of us... sent us on a quest that we fulfilled and our reward was that Inali would die and I would be the same person I was before?!" Wren flailed her arms angrily, "Fuck her! I hope she STAYS dead!" "Well... now you're the same person... who can't lie," Thorn shrugged casually beside her. Wren sighed, slowly calming, and nodded.

Erevin slipped an arm around her shoulders, "Might I suggest a god of truth? You're going to want someone in your corner... There's this wonderful god called Corellion..." "Oh, the Father of the Elves," Wren nodded, walking with him, "Tell me all about him. Is he much of a truth seeker?" "Oh yes," Erevin nodded, "Many are the wonders of our our elven god, Corellion... my mother would be so proud of me right now." He laughed softly, shaking his head, "Although... I've witnessed your customs and perhaps Eilistraee might suit you better." Wren grinned, "But you and Shri already have Eilistraee..." "Yes, but she does have many other worshipers," the elven prince laughed, "She's not just here for us." The elven witch nodded, "Yes... but we also need another power behind us against Ghaundahaur... so for me to find someone other than Eilistraee... might be in our best interests." "True," Erevin agreed.

She turned to the side, catching Kale smiling at her. He grinned, "So... you can't lie, huh?" Wren laughed. "Do you love me?" he asked her. She grinned at him, surprised that that was the first question he asked, "Yes," she smiled, gazing straight into his green eyes, "Yes, I do." He grinned and nodded, "I'll ask you some other questions later..." Wren laughed and nodded, "I'm sure that you will."

The group moved through the stone fortress, destroying it with magic as they made their way to the exit... they had to find their way back into Sabreen... to Shri, Goram, and the barbarians.