Session+104

**Session 104** **7/8/2017** **Finishing the War Against the Drow to Open the Plane of War!**

Screams came from within the drow city as the companions made their way through the tunnels. Amongst the chaos of clanging swords and explosions of magic, one of the squads of elves turned to Erevin, "Do we kill them all? Put the men and the children to the sword as well?" Erevin nodded, "Kill them all... If there are infants, spare them... we'll take them home and teach them the ways of Eilistraee." The squad nodded, "Yes, sir!"

Elven clerics and the injured had taken over the temple of Lloth as they healed their wounded. Erevin stood looking over the burning city and watched red tendrils of mist rolling through the tunnels, flowing to Uthgart who stood in the temple building a red swirling aura around him. Elves ran through the city cutting down the drow citizens who were trying to flee.

Alive and walking with her arm in a sling and a patch over her eye, Sariandi Swordstar came from the infirmary with her star pommeled sword faintly glowing at her side, "Sariandi Swordstar reporting in, sir." She bowed to Erevin. "Swordstar," he nodded to her, "I heard you did well in the last battle." "It was a group effort," she replied. "That's what I like to hear," he nodded in approval.

"We've cleared the majority of the city. What is left of the city have fled to their citadel. It is a smaller cavern, and when we approached we were met by some powerful magic," she continued on, "There have also been some difficulties... the drow had some elven and dwarven prisoners. We freed them, but they've slowed us down. And several of the drow we've killed have gotten back up as zombies... so we had to put them down again. We've adjusted... when we kill a group of drow, we gather the bodies and burn them, but the white tower mages have assured us that there is definitely necromantic magic in the area. What would you like us to do?" "Simply holding them there is enough, we will go in and finish them off," Erevin nodded to her. <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #222222; display: block; font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">"It doesn't seem like they have any passageways out," she replied. <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #222222; display: block; font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">"They are making their last stand," he nodded, and then added with disgust, "Raising the dead..." He spit the filth of it from his lips. <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #222222; display: block; font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">"You have exemplified yourself. Eltrue will hear of your efforts," Erevin nodded to her, "Remain here to hold the area."

<span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #222222; display: block; font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">Mina escorted the companions through the tunnels where a fortress stood with glowing orbs on either side on top and in front. Two fire giants were standing guard a the door while several zombies shuffled in the open courtyard surrounding it. The fire giants looked oddly pale... perhaps vampiric.

<span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #222222; display: block; font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">The companions took the moment to buff up with magic. <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #222222; display: block; font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">Erevin started the assault with a holy arrow into one of the fire giants that hissed back at him, exposing it's long fangs! <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #222222; display: block; font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">Thorn and Azarius went invisible and stealthed in opposite directions as the mage began summoning. <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #222222; display: block; font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">Kale cleared the way for Wren, taking a zombie's head as they moved in. <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #222222; display: block; font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">Posy and Uther strode forward, and the tall colorful mushrooms in front of them begin screaming! <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #222222; display: block; font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">Melleron took down a zombie as he and Melleron moved up toward one of the two globes in the courtyard.

<span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #222222; display: block; font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">A full volley of holy arrows came from Erevin, piercing with a hiss into the vampiric fire giant! <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #222222; display: block; font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">Alarms sounded from the fortress and the orbs in the courtyard lit up with changing color lights. Magic could be seen going off on the towers of the fortress as mages buffed the drows around them. <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #222222; display: block; font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">Rocks rained down from the ceiling, pelting the companions in the courtyard and scattering over the ground, making it difficult to travel across.

<span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #222222; display: block; font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"> A haunting drow dirge bard called upon Lloth for victory and death to the surface elves from somewhere within the fortress. Erevin laughed from the archway, "You call upon deaf ears!" An icewall formed at the entry to the cavern, cutting off the barbarians and Erevin from the others. Posy made her way through the rocky floor, and the gnome hefted her hammer into the same giant that Erevin already had several arrows into. The giant growled out in agony! Directing Inali to wait near the barbarians, Wren grabbed Kale and flew over the rocky terrain to set the elven warrior down near the vampiric fire giant. She wove an ill omen over the 2nd giant, cursing him with bad luck. Melleron deftly moved over the boulders toward the fire giants as Mali A giant celestial ape answered Azarius's call and began smashing into one of the orbs with it's fists to form a crack! The charismatic sorcerer turned back and blasted a scorching ray to melt away part of the icewall.

Erevin remained outside of the wall, using the melted section to fire another barrage of holy arrows into the second vampiric fire giant. Thorn took out a zombie and continued forward over the difficult terrain. A ray of fire shot out of the glowing orb as it turned red, severely burning the giant ape beating on it! A ray of frost came from the other orb as it rolled into blue, blasting Kale and Wren with a burst of cold!

One of the mages on a tower of the fortress, wove a greater dispel over Wren, Kale, and Posy, eliminating several of their protective and enhancing spells. A female crossbow-slinger drow leapt off of each of the two towers, flying over the courtyard, but as the ability to see invisible left the elven witch and warrior they could no longer see them. The pair each wielded a pair of hand-held crossbows. Two small bolts pierced deeply into Wren's soft flesh from one of them causing the witch to scream out in pain! Mali glanced up to see javelins fire out from the ballistas on top of the tower, one of them jabbing into her!

A pair of bone devils flew out over the fortress as Wren put a protective ward over Kale. Standing back to back with her elven warrior, she threw a swift bolt of electricity through a zombie into the glowing orb near them as it rolled into a red color. The zombie fell as the globe shattered! Kale took a step forward from Wren, and slashed into the fire giant, finishing it off. The giant turned to mist that rolled into the castle. Posy made her way toward other giant as Melleron joined her, clawing into it's vampiric pale flesh! Mali quickly dispatched a zombie coming close to her as the ice wall reformed behind her to again close off Erevin and the barbarians at the archway. Erevin wielded his moonblade in two hands to slash into the icewall, cutting his way halfway through.

Thorn moved up to the open entryway toward the heavy wooden doors into the fortress as one of the flying crossbow wielders shot him with a pair of bolts into his back! The other fired a barrage of bolts into Wren, crumpling her lifeless body to the boulder strewn ground! Magic missiles slammed into Posy as she glanced backward, yelling at the elven warrior behind her, "Get Wren out of here!" Kale pulled Wren back, pouring a healing potion down her throat to stop her from bleeding and mend some of her wounds, but the witch still lied unconscious in his arms. Posy turned back and decimated the fire giant with heavy smashes of her hearth hammer in her rage! Melleron leapt up onto the cracked orb with the ape, clawing and beating it with his enormous paws! A second huge ape answered Azarius's call to join the other, pounding on the orb!

Erevin broke through the icewall with another heavy smashing of his moonblade to see Kale carrying Wren's unconscious body. Thorn slipped carefully into the archway to disable the pit trap in the floor. One of the bone devil landed on a large pile of rocks to lean over near the invisible Azarius, "I hear you casting, spellcaster..." while the other landed in front of Mali, swiping out to miss the little halfling. Kale poured another healing potion down Wren's throat, bringing her just to consciousness. Her golden eyes opened to see his green ones staring worried down at her as bolts impacted his back. Her voice was a whisper, "My hero." She wove a hex heal over herself and nudged him, "Shield yourself." Fatigue wore down the little gnome as she threw her axe toward one of the flying crossbow slingers. A protective swirling gust of wind forced the axe away from her target.

Melleron managed to finish off the other glowing orb as Mali shot a lightning bolt through the bone devil leering over her! An enormous celestial roc answered Azarius's call and grabbed one of the flying bolt aces in its beak! Azarius blasted the bone devil searching for him with powerful magic as the celestial ape leapt on top of it to pound it with it's fist. Erevin stuck his moonblade in the ground as he pulled his bow to him, firing a volley at the dis-spelling mage on one of the towers, rocking her back! Thorn moved on to disarm the traps on the double entrance doors as the drow in the roc's beak shot the enormous bird with her crossbows! The second bolt ace flew to her aid, shouting, "Sister!" as she joined her in shooting the roc with additional bolts.

Wren made it to her feet and sent a swift bolt of lightning into the bone devil attacking her druid companion before using a hex heal over Kale. Posy stepped through the arch to join Thorn as Melleron leapt off of the rocks on his way to aid Mali. Mali shapeshifted into a huge earth elemental as the giant ape beat on the devil leering over Azarius.

<span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #222222; display: block; font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"> Azarius followed up the ape's attack with a powerful green ray turning the bone devil into dust! Erevin fired another shower of arrows across the courtyard killing the next drow he could see. Thorn made it through the traps to unlock the large double doors that swung open to reveal a drow who stabbed into the young halfling. The mythic rogue was able to resist the poison as he glanced back to the gnome, "Posy! The door is open!" Flying outside of the castle, the roc rended the crossbow slinger in his beak, dropping her body in bits to the ground!

The bone devil, unable to damage the huge earth elemental, turned from Mali to leap toward Wren. The elven warrior beside her heroically intercepted with his shield as Wren slipped behind him out of the way. The young witch stepped back out to impact the devil with a powerful destructive spell, shattering him into bone bits! A bolt pierced into Erevin from the other bolt ace, but her second bolt glanced off of a large rock in the courtyard covering him. Posy turned around to sling her hammer through the air at the black-winged drow flying just outside of the arch, but it didn't seem to impact him as much as she counted on. She caught the hammer in the air as it returned to her, turning back around to step up beside Thorn. Melleron mauled a zombie in the courtyard on his way toward the gates as Mali easily slid along the boulder strewn ground to join him. Azarius began summoning once again.

Two drow from the tower double teamed the roc, to take it down as the black-winged drow turned his attention to the witch. Drow came out of the door of the castle, swarming to look for casters to kill off. Magic missiles came from the tower to hit Kale as a ballista javelin pierced into Erevin!

Wren took flight and sent a swift lightning bolt into the closer winged drow as Kale decimated the zombie moving up to them. The crossbow slinger doubled back to the fortress as Posy smashed her hammer into drow attacking Thorn at the door. A huge air elemental answered Azarius's call to rip into one of the black-winged flying drow. Erevin eyed the mage on the tower who appeared as 7 images, taking down one of the mirror images. Thorn slashed again and again with his two daggers, taking down one of the drow at the door, able to see the bard looking more worried from the fountain.

Another drow dashed out of the door to pull the secure pin from the trap door in the floor, dropping himself and Thorn into the pit! A spike at the bottom gouged into Thorn's side, but he managed to avoid the others. A hissing sound emitted from the inner walls as he seen the drow dead on three spikes. He managed to squeeze low into the corner as a fog ate the drow down to bones. Fiery arrows pierced into Wren from the winged devil, leaving her barely standing as another pair of flaming arrows pierced into Azarius. The bolt ace made it to the healer on the tower to mend her wounds as the two mages sent several magic missiles into Erevin. Cirdan landed on Wren's shoulder to push health back into her before she flew to the top of the tower to emit a storm of lightning bolts!

<span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #222222; display: block; font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"> The others glanced up toward the tower where brilliant arcs of light danced over the tower. Posy smiled from the doorway, "That has to be Wren." Kale bolted toward the doors at full speed, knowing his witch was about to be in extreme trouble, halting at the edge of the pit where Thorn was at the bottom. On top of the tower, the drow priestess coughed out smoke rings, charred but still standing. Everyone else had fallen to the lightning except for a rogue who had managed to fully dodge and dance out of the way!

Inside the castle, a drow warrior riding a large lizard creature was running for the doors toward Posy as Mali, in her earth elemental form arrived at the pit in the archway. She laid down over the 50' deep hole so that Kale and Melleron could cross over her to the gnome at the doors. From the bottom of the pit, Thorn threw his dagger up to the top to chink into the rock skin of the earth elemental where he teleported up to cling onto Mali's arm.

The celestial ape beat his enormous fists on the black winged devil out in the courtyard as Azarius shot another green disintegrate ray to finish it off! Erevin turned his attention to the remaining black winged devil, filling her chest with brilliant energy arrows before she crumpled to the ground!

The charred and smoking drow priestess stepped forward on top of the tower to inflict pain directly against Wren's skin just before the bolt ace filled her body with three bolts before the witch fell unconscious! The drow rogue grabbed her, holding her up between the parapet to show her to the courtyard, "Surrender, elves!" The sneaking drow in the courtyard slipped out from his hiding crevice to stab Erevin into the back!

Inside the castle, the drow and his riding lizard collided with Melleron in a clash of claws of teeth as crossbow bolts clattered against the stone floor around them, one of them sinking into the lion's shoulder as he mauled the rider! Kale charged through the doors with great strides as he called back over his shoulder to the others, "There are more inside!" Posy stepped inside, attempting to throw out her blade barrier, but some sort of magic wall between the pillars prevented her. Three vampiric drow were in a balcony within the pillars and in the corner, as the elder drow, who had asked for the truce, was directing children quickly through a magic portal. Mali moved through the archway through the doors, leaving the pit open behind her, as she shifted back into her red-haired halfling self. Thorn smiled charmingly as she scowled at him, and he offered her a healing potion in apology.

Azarius began to summon again as the air elemental swooped down to rip into the sneaking drow attacking Erevin, drawing it's attention to allow the ranger to step forward in response to the rogue on the tower, "I do not bargain with drow!" Naming him to his bow with endless hate, he riddled the drow's body with a volley of brilliant energy arrows! The rogue face showed shock as the energy arrows went through the parapets to eviscerate him, dropping Wren's unconscious body back to the floor! The bolt ace flew quickly to grab up the witch into her arms as the priestess healed herself. The vampires leapt from their balcony down to the ground, one of them slashing into Mali's back with his claws and draining away some of her levels!

The drow on the lizard stuck his javelin into Melleron as a mage began stealing away some of the lion's protective magic. The bolt ace ran across the narrow side wall taking Wren with her toward the portal, "Her suffering will be legendary..." Thorn's mirror form came out of his dagger as the two flanked the vampire on Mali, cutting him down in a blur of dagger blades! The dirt and rocks settled on the courtyard outside, making the ground easier to traverse again. Erevin bolted across the courtyard as he engaged the rope gem on his glove, firing a rope up to the top of the tower.

A second vampire slashed into Mali, sapping away more of her power and strength as Kale raced across the inner courtyard, matching the pace with the bolt ace running across the wall with Wren. Magic missiles riddled Thorn from somewhere off of the second tower as Posy bolstered her defenses. Mali wove out her own storm of bolts that lit up the inner courtyard with great arcs of lightning burning through the two vampires, the drow, and his riding lizard to clear the area! The air elemental ripped apart the drow in the courtyard as another roc answered Azarius's call to attack everyone remaining on the other tower.

Azarius wove his time magic around himself and flew up over the castle to see everyone frozen in position, including the bolt ace who was carrying Wren toward the portal. He used a spell to wish that the portal would collapse! As the last child made it through the portal with eyes of hatred, the magic portal collapsed! In an epic acrobatic display, Erevin dropped his bow to run up the tower wall, using his rope to sling up and over the narrow ledge side wall! With the area around them cleared, Thorn attempted to silence the drow bard with a flurry of dagger slashes! The bolt ace came to a shocked halt as she realized the portal was gone. She dropped the witch and shot 3 bolts into Thorn!

Red mist hung in the air, swirling from the area where the portal used to be to seep through the tunnels as though it was being drawn somewhere. The mage still up in the tower shot a green disintegrate into Mali, but the little halfling resisted it, taking only a burn from the spell. The massive roc swept two drow off of the tower with it's great beak! Two drow met Erevin on the ledge of the narrow side wall, barely scraping him with their blades. Kale angrily charged the elder drow leader, pulling his blade, "You'll never take her!" "i knew you would never keep to the truce," the elder drow grimaced, pulling his own sword, "You're not so different from us, are you?" In a full rage, Kale slashed his chest with a powerful swing of his sword!

Posy, feeling a sudden heavy fatigue, made her way slowly across the inner courtyard as Mali set off a storm of fire on one of the side walls, decimating all of the drow on it! Azarius turned his full attention to the drow priestess who had been taking away the protective spells of himself and his friends, and sent an empowered fireball to turn her to ash as fire washed over the tower! The air elemental moved up to the second tower to aid the roc in beating down the remaining drow. Erevin pulled his moonblade and skewered one of the guards on the other side wall. Thorn went invisible and vanished swiftly around the corner away from the bolt ace, so she flew to the other side, putting three bolts into Mali!

The drow mage remaining on the tower sent magic into the already fatigued Posy, sapping away over half of her strength! Posy, using the Lady's blessing from Wren's goddess as she poured a healing potion down Wren's throat, healed her to amazingly flawless! Despite her torn and bloodied clothing, there was no longer a scratch on her. "My hero," the young witch hugged her gnome companion, seeing Kale in the distance locked with the drow leader in an epic battle, clanging swords in rageful hate! Azarius pointed his wand at the second tower, sending another powerful fireball! A mage miraculously still stood standing! (WHAT?! Through a roc, an air elemental, and a fireball?! who the hell is this mage?!) She sent a lightning bolt back down into the charismatic sorcerer!

Outside the main courtyard, red mist swirled and coalesced to Uthgart's commands as he pulled the power built by the raging hate, battle, and death of war... slowly opening a portal that showed incorporeal figures in battle beyond. Thorn deftly went up the corner stairs up to the side wall. The bolt ace shot her crossbows at Erevin, one of her bolts bouncing off of his moonblade as he parried it away! One sank into his arm! Wren pulled the swift dispel from Cirdan to take the flight away from the crossbow slinger and then wove a grand hex of dire prophecy over the drow leader, dooming him! The elder drow turned his gaze to Erevin across the wall, "The war will never end!" Kale took the moment to shove his blade through the drow's chest, pulling it back out to take his head! The red mist rose up higher, making everyone see through red. Elves, humans, dwarves, angels, and devils were all battling tentacled figures around them as they faded from ethereal to corporal. The bard and the bolt ace drow who survived traveled with the companions, looking around in confusion!

A demonic figure 8' tall was shouting to his companions, "Sons of the tower, hold the line!" A line formed up with him, one of them a rat-folk. They used the line to create an opening for the companions to make it through. The demon turned to Posy, "Tempus has been expecting your arrival. Go to the onyx tower!" He gestured to a rusty iron tower behind him that was glowing with a reddish light. Erevin and Posy turned to take down the final two drow before they moved toward the tower! The demon raised an eyebrow, "You shouldn't keep Tempus waiting." Posy nodded, "We're going."

Various armored races were all around them fighting off tentacled creatures in war! The companions finally caught their breath as they arrived at the tower where a massive plate-male armored figure was sitting on a throne. Red mist hung in the air flowing to the god on the throne as he nodded, "Welcome, Posy. Your trial has only just begun."

Erevin set Shri down, forming out of his blade, "I didn't think you'd want to see where we were." She gasped, "You are all covered in blood!" They were given time to rest and recuperate as Tempus explained the situation.