Marcus opened up Discord and pulled up he and his friends' personal group chat. After having bought some new dice and the latest content book for magic items, he was ready to DM another session of his group's Dungeons & Dragons campaign. They had been playing for over six years at that point, with all of their characters having reached epic level status.
Marcus was a highly dedicated DM, crafting his own homebrew rules for portraying superhuman feats outside of combat, replacements for some of the lacking level 20 Class features, such as for Monk and Sorcerer, and what features character Classes would get for each level past level 20. Despite all the fun he and his friends had had with this campaign, all of their characters were at level 31 and had become Demi-gods in training. As such, they were planning to play just a few more sessions to have their characters reach level 32, the capstone level of Marcus' homebrew rules.
Despite having a sense of melancholy that came with the campaign he'd put so much work into coming to an end soon, Marcus was also satisfied. He would get to see how players, particularly his friends, would enjoy the max level he'd crafted. Once all this was completed, Marcus planned to sell his homebrew rules, campaign setting, NPCs, monsters, quests, magic items, and spells as a large PDF online. He had been making a living working at a hardware store as well as a part-time DM at his local game shop. He would also occasionally sell his childhood collectibles online for extra money. Marcus hoped his campaign's PDF would be his biggest money-maker to date, allowing him more financial freedom than he'd been used to up until then.
After a few minutes, Marcus' friends had logged in, each of their screennames matching their in-game characters' names.
The first to arrive was Nilrem, the High-Elf Wizard. His character was one-hundred-twenty-two years old, stood at six-foot-five, had spiked-up blond hair, blue eyes, and a short beard along his jawline. His character was dressed in a white and gray robe with arcane sigils patterned into it with gold trimming on its sleeves and collar. He had a hawk familiar named Arthur on his shoulder and carried an Adamantine short-sword at his waist in case it was needed, but primarily relied on his godly arcane staff and large light-blue spellbook with golden wing-shaped clasps. Around his neck was a medallion with an upsidedown purple heart-shaped gemstone, and on his fingers were a few magic rings.
(Nilrem)Hey, Lexkey do you know if everyone else is gonna be here soon?
Lexkey was Marcus' screenname, matching the name of his DM-controlled Human Monk. Marcus had made sure to make his DMPC an uneducated and naive young man who behaved like the little brother/sidekick of the group so that he wouldn't steal the spotlight from his friends' during their adventures. Lexkey was a twenty-three-year-old who stood six feet tall, with messy, shoulder-length black hair and green eyes. He was dressed in a heavily enchanted gi. On his hands and shins were spiked, enchanted, and fingerless gauntlets and shin-guards made from Adamantine. Like Nilrem, Lexkey had a few magic rings and the same heart-shaped medallion
(Lexkey)They should be here any minute. How are you holding up, man?
(Nilrem)Not bad. I got a job working at an animal shelter a couple days ago and the pay is alright and I like taking care of dogs so it should be a decent job. Before Eric could congratulate him on that, the rest of their friends logged in as well.
(Grotool)Hey, guys. I'm ready to start once everyone else is.
Grotool's character was a twenty-eight-year-old Human Fighter who stood at six feet tall. He wore a red, magical mask that had a crown sewn into it with a fire-shaped gemstone at the front. His mask made it so his turquoise eyes were the only visible part of his head. For the rest of his gear, he wore a suit of white blue dragon scales, sewn together with Adamantine thread. He had a silver quiver of arrows at his waist, with the mouth of the quiver glittering with golden sparkles. On his back were two longbows crossing over each other and a greatsword with a shield-shaped handguard at the hilt. One of Grotool's bows looked as if it were made from shimmering porcelain and gold, and seemed to have a faint blue glow to it. The second bow was a mix of pitch-black and bleach-white colors and had an open-mouthed skull just above its grip for arrows to be fired through. Grotool also had magic rings and the same medallion as the others.
(Lyra)You got a job? Congrats, Nilrem! Oh, I'm good to go too, BTW.
Lyra's character was a Human Fighter as well, except she was a twenty-four-year-old woman. Her character was the smallest of the lot, standing at five-foot-five, her player enjoying the contrast of a small person being as physically powerful as she was. Lyra had blue eyes like Nilrem, but her pupils were poison-green in color, and her long hair was reddish-brown and tied up in a warrior's braid. She wore a suit of full Adamantine plate armor. Her suit was silver and gold in color and had shoulder plates designed to resemble small draconic wings. Attached to her armor was a flowing cloak made from golden scales that shimmered like finely polished metal at all times. Lyra had a small hand-ax at one side of her waist with arcane sigils glowing on it. On her back was a sheathed greatsword with a saw-toothed edge, as well as a longbow. Her bow was a fiery red color with the ends of its limbs looking frayed and seemingly having ash constantly flaking from them. Like the others, Lyra also possessed a couple of magic rings and the same heart medallion. However, she also had a pair of boots with small wings on their heels.
(Auria)Congrats, dude. Now let's get to the game. Everyone's here, right?
Auria's character was a six-foot-two Aasimar Warlock of twenty-six years with pure white eyes and silver hair, which went halfway down her torso. She adorned herself in a magical blue robe. Decorating the robe were black and white patterns that held the symbol of Pelor on them. Auria was armed with a quarterstaff that had several glowing white rings encircling it and a ball of faintly glowing light floating just above the top of it. In addition, the staff had a pocket watch tied to its end. Riding on Auria's shoulder was a light-blue Quassit Familiar that had a golden halo floating above its head. Just like the others, Auria had magical rings and a matching purple medallion, as well as the same type of boots as Lyra.
(Jehunn)I'm here, so that ends the roll call. Let's do this thing, nerds!
Jehunn was the team's leader in-game. His character was the biggest one, being a six-foot-seven Platinum Half-Dragon Paladin of Bahamut, his other half being a Dragonborn. Like Lyra, he wore a full suit of Adamantine. His armor was ocean-blue and had a lightning and storm design with the symbol of Bahamut etched into the chest plate. The armor was also designed specifically to accommodate Jehunn's draconic tail and wings. Crossing on his back was a warhammer with stormcloud insignias and a greatsword with a sharp-toothed pattern running down it that radiated holy energy. Resting on top of both these weapons was a kite shield that seemed to be made of pure darkness.
Marcus snickered at Jehunn's way of making his presence known, before typing, (Lexkey)Okay, I'll start the voice chat so we can all stop typing. With that, Discord's thumping chime went off, stopping only after all the players had answered the call.
"So, how's everyone doing?" Marcus asked through his microphone.
"Like I said, not bad," Nilrem answered.
"I am good," Auria replied.
"Life's going as good as can be on the base right now," Jehunn responded.
"Same here," Grotool added.
"I've been having fun with my dance club," Lyra told them.
"How are you doing, Lexkey?" Jehunn asked.
"Pretty good actually. When I bought Iggwilv's Endless Inventory, there was a new woman working at the game shop. So, first off, she was missing an arm and I think she might've been blind, cause she was wearing sunglasses indoors."
"Geez! That's rough," Auria commented.
"Yeah, but she seemed completely comfortable with it. Oh also, she was even shorter than Lyra, so I thought she was a kid at first, but after we got things straightened out, she was really fun to talk to. When I mentioned I homebrewed the setting we play, she asked me pretty much every conceivable question about it. After I was done, she gifted me these special dice. They have some kind of effect in them that makes the numbers on them glow. I'm gonna use them today," Marcus explained.
"They better not be weighted," Jehunn joked.
"They aren't. I tested them," Marcus reassured.
"Riiiight," Auria and Grotool retorted in unison.
"Alright, alright. You guys ready for the recap?" Marcus asked.
One after another, all of them gave their good to go, prompting Marcus to declare, "Alright then, let's get started, then."
When we last left off, our Heroes, the Adventuring party known as Tyrants' Bane, had returned to their Material Plane, the world of Noqtrus. They had just left the Lower Plane of Carcia with a Wish spell, after having slain Moloch and his armies before they could make a move onto the Blood War.
Now that they had returned with treasures from one of the Lower Planes, the King of the nation they resided in, that being Aurix, wished to have an audience with them. As with the other times that the party had killed an Arch-Devil or Demon Lord, the current King, Vallick Orston, wished to have their treasure examined so as to avoid the risk of such great heroes being undone by cursed or corrupted items.
The party entered the throne room alongside their NPC fiend, the Half Human/Half Gold Dragon Pugilist named Svergith Aurix. Leading the party as they marched was, naturally, Jehunn.
Waiting for them was King Vallick, sitting on his throne, the walls lined with the kingdom's Elite Guards. At the King's sides were a couple members of his council, Beloise Aurix, Sveargith's Human mother and former queen of the country, as well as Phaironix, the court Sorcerer and head of the Royal Magic Academy. In addition, there was also the leader of the Elite Guard, Top-Captain Elaran.
King Vallick was a dark-skinned man that people of Earth would recognize as being of African descent. He had dark dreadlocks and deep brown eyes. His age was hard to pin down, for while his facial features suggested a man in his mid to late forties, his physique suggested a man no older than his mid-thirties. In truth, the king was simply an extremely fit forty-nine-year-old. While he wore a kingly robe and crown, along with some enchanted jewelry, he bothered with no shirt or armor, making do with just his pants and the golden bracers on his arms. While this may have seemed improper to most, Vallick's former life as a Barbarian Adventurer allowed him to dress as he saw fit in the eyes of his subjects. To complement his warrior king appearance, Vallicks waraxe of thunder and lightning rested against his throne.
Beloise was an absolutely beautiful woman with green eyes and white hair. She wore a tight-fitting, cleavage-exposing black dress with white speckles patterned across it that had no sleeves. Instead, she wore two gloves of the same design as her dress, with the exception of having arrow insignias on each of them. She had a white celestial owl resting on her shoulder and carried a metal staff adorned with wing decorations, as well as a metal circle with an X going through it at the top of it. Above her gloves, she wore a number of magical rings with various effects, and on her dress and around her neck was a magical broach and amulet. Even though she was only the former queen, she held still held a place on the council due to her experience with politics, as well as her position as the head Cleric of the Church Of The Life Circle. While she was still technically Human, Beloise had long since become immortal, due to her position as a Demigod candidate making her ageless and undying. Because of this, despite having the appearance of a woman in her mid-twenties, Beloise was actually over two hundred years old by this point.
Phaironix was a healthy-looking man who appeared to be in his mid-fifties to early-sixties. His eyes were a deep red color and his skin was ash-gray. The Sorcerer's physique was rather average, with no definitive musculature. Phaironix's most noteworthy feature was the red flames on his bald head. All of these unnatural traits of his were due to his heritage, being that of a Fire Genasi. His body was adorned in a heavily enchanted red and white robe, and on his face was a featureless metal mask with depictions of flames, snow, and storm clouds etched into it. On his hands were big metal gauntlets that looked as if they'd be too heavy for him to wear, which had depictions of roaring Ogres on them. In one of his hands, he clutched a metal staff that was colored red and light blue and which was designed to look like a storm of snow and a torrent of flames encircling each other in a pillar. In addition, floating above the staff, there was a red crystal ball that looked as if it had an eagle-like eye staring directly out of it regardless of the angel it was observed from. In addition, he also wore a few pieces of magic jewelry, some of which matched a few pieces Beloise wore.
Captain Elaran had crimson red hair that flowed out in elegant curls along his stoic and handsome face. Complementing his red hair were his piercing green eyes. In regards to his age, he appeared to be a man in his late twenties at the oldest, however, his ears that came to fine points made it clear that his physical appearance did not reflect his actual age. He was outfitted in a suit of black and gold Adamantine armor, which had a large golden dragon scale in place of a chest piece. Draping his armor was a red-trimmed, golden scale cloak. Resting in sheathes on his back that stuck out from the cloak was a pair of twin greatswords, each one looking too heavy for a normal person to possibly wield with just one hand. Normally, Elaran would be wearing his helmet like the rest of the Elite Guard, a solid metal helmet designed to resemble a dragon's face which was designed to be transparent from the inside. However, due to his familiarity with the members of Tyrants' Bane, he felt comfortable enough to not be fully armored.
As said before, Sveargith was a Half-Dragon. However, unlike most other Half-Dragons, his body was mostly Human in appearance. His face, torso, upper arms and legs were all purely Human, while his forearms and lower legs were covered in golden scales and had thick black claws in place of fingernails. In addition, he had a pair of horns coming from his forehead, his teeth were all razor-sharp, he had a dragon tail coming out of the base of his spine, a pair of membranous wings that ran from the top of his shoulders to the end of his tail, getting smaller as it went down. Normally, he would keep these wings wrapped around himself like a cloak. Finally, his eyes were almost entirely gold in color, with only the edges of them still retaining any white to them at all. Sveargith was fair-skinned and built like a heavy-weight fighter. With that said, his young but rugged face would look to a Human as someone no older than eighteen. Cascading down past his shoulders was Sveargith's long shimmering golden hair, not blond, but literally golden. He wore a tattered-looking gray cape over his wings, while a heavily magically enhanced suit of leather armor covered his torso as well as his upper arms and legs.
Keeping his posture straight, Vallick greeted Tyrants' Bane with a familiar but refined tone, "Welcome home, returning Heroes. I trust things went well on your quest in the Lower Planes."
Nodding, Jehunn answered, "Indeed. The Arch-Devil's armies have been slain, his artifacts retrieved, and he himself had been sent back to the Nine Hells."
Leaning casually on his staff, Nilrem added, "And considering how much that guy is hated by Asmodeus, I'm fairly certain he'll spend the next few millenniums, if not eternity, as a Lemure."
"Well. That's one less problem for the multiverse, then," Phaironix commented.
"Indeed. That said, I assume that the majority of the magic items you recovered from the Banished One have some form of curse or another placed on them. As usual, I would like you to turn them over to me so that I may have the curses removed before returning them to you," King Vallick explained.
"Of course. Everyone, if you would all be so kind," Jehunn said as he turned around to address his party.
"Right, no problem," Sveargith replied while producing a magic ring from a pocket in his armor and flicking it over to Vallick's feet.
"I found this cool shield. It's small, but I like the effects. I hope taking the curse away doesn't get rid of all the magic," Lyra told the King while taking the shield in question off of her hip. She then slid it across the floor, landing it perfectly next to the ring.
"I found this kick-ass sword that melts through things with acid. I don't really need it, so I won't be too broken up if it loses its magic. I just thought it was neat," Grotool explained while tossing this sword into the pile.
From her robe, Auria produced this white mask and said, "I got my hands on this. It's supposed to have been made with an Angel feather, but... Well, it was in Carceri, so it's likely corrupted in some way."
As Auria had her Familiar carry over the mask, Jehunn pulled out a black cloak from under his armor, crumpled and chucked it, and told them, "Somehow, Mortum's cloak was amongst the treasures in the Banished One's castle. I don't believe it has any curses, but considering the crazy bastard this thing used to belong to, it's better to be safe than sorry."
"That's certainly bizarre. I suppose it had to end up somewhere, though. It was in the Astral Plane after all," Beloise remarked.
Lexkey was next, as he walked up to the pile and pulled out his Bag Of Holding. Unlatching the flap, Lexkey started tossing out various treasures and gold pieces.
"This is all the stuff no one else wanted. I carried it back for everyone. The gold pieces are always good to grab, and I figured it could be good to get rid of cursed items anyways if none of them are useful," Lexkey explained before walking back over to Jehunn's side and taking a seat on the floor.
Normally, such behavior would have been seen as disrespectful. However, this wasn't the case when it came to Lexkey. The young man had a disdain for overly-rigid authority. As such, from him, such relaxed behavior was the ultimate sign of respect from the Monk.
Smirking, King Vallick said, "That's sound logic, indeed. Now, with all that done... Hold on. Nilrem, did you not recover any items?"
Putting his hand into his pocket, Nilrem looked away and said, "Nope. Didn't find anything that interested me."
Pausing for a moment as Captain Elaran folded his arms, King Vallick eventually asked impatiently, "Really now...? You didn't find anything you wanted?"
Exchanging a glance with Arthur, Nilrem answered, "Nope, nothing."
It was at that moment that Marcus rolled an Insight Check for Vallick in order to contest Nilrem's Deception Check. Marcus used the special new dice he'd been given. However, as he rolled his dice into his dice cup, a continuous plume of multi-colored smoke poured out of it.
As Marcus started coughing, he smacked the cup off of his table and heard his friends say something through his computer.
"What the Hell!?"
"Aaah! A fire!?"
"Where'd this smoke come from!?
"Ack! What's going on!?
"Gah! Wait, you guys are seeing that smoke too?!"
Before Marcus could even stand up, his entire room had filled with the alien smoke. As he desperately tried to fan away the smoke and fumble for his door, he suddenly felt as if the floor had disappeared underneath him.
"Aaaaah!" Marcus shouted as he fell and fell. Eventually, he realized he was falling farther than he should have if his house's first floor were still below him. Additionally, no matter how far he fell, the smoke still enveloped him.
After falling for what felt like ten minutes or more, Marcus finally felt his feet connect with a floor. To his surprise and relief, Marcus was completely unharmed as he touched the ground.
The smoke was still all around him, but it was no longer making him cough. As such, he instinctively began trying to feel out his surroundings. As he went through this process, he felt different. Not in a bad way, though. In fact, he felt healthier than he ever had before in his life. And as he reached out around himself, he swore that his reach was just a bit longer than before and that there was something wrapped around his hands.
Only a few seconds into this, the smoke around Marcus suddenly dissipated. He suddenly found himself standing in what appeared to be a throne room so extravagant that it was straight out of a fairy tale.
All around him were other people who looked as if they had been fumbling around as well. However, what was far more concerning was the fact that these people all looked exactly like his friends' player characters. That included the Elf Nilrem, the Dragonborn Jehunn, and the Aasimar Auria.
For a fraction of a second, Marcus wanted to shout in panic, yet he was strangely able to keep himself under control. While Marcus had considered himself respectfully mature, he never over-estimated himself as someone who wouldn't panic in such a bizarre situation.
Yet, that's what he was doing, as he almost instantly calmed down and asked, "What's going on? Where am I?" However, the voice that came out wasn't his own. It was slightly higher-pitched and much more youthful.
As Marcus wondered if that smoke had done something to his throat, he heard a deep and commanding voice ask, "Tyrants' Bane? Are you all alright? Your Familiars vanished and you all started stumbling around the room when I started interrogating Nilrem."
Looking at the source of the voice, Marcus lost his breath as he saw King Vallick, surrounded by his royal entourage.
"Hey, I didn't do that. Everyone else was being the weird ones," a youthful, charming, and buttery male voice said.
Turning around to look at the massive doorway to the room, Marcus saw the Half-Dragon Sveargith standing there with his arms folded, and with a concerned expression on his face.
"Vallick's right, though. You guys okay?" Sveargith asked.
Before Marcus could give an answer, Grotool suddenly shouted, "What's happening?! Where am I?!"
As the room recoiled at Grotool's outburst, Lyra added, "Seriously, what's going on here?! Was that smoke some kind of drug?!"
"Wait... You saw the smoke too? Tess, Drew, is that you guys?" Auria asked Lyra and Grotool.
Realizing the same thing Auria had, Marcus exclaimed, "That's it! I heard you guys talking about the smoke too! Whatever happened, it happened to all of us. It's me, Marcus!"
"Um... It seems like those magic items were most certainly cursed. If you would all calm down for a moment, I can have Beloise remove any curses on you. Beloise, would you mind?" King Vallick said.
Nodding, Beloise answered with a voice as sweet as honey, "At once, my king."
However, when Beloise began to approach the party, her gate as elegant as her figure, Nilrem, or Anthony, pointed his staff at her and exclaimed, "Stay back, you! I don't know what's going on, exactly, but keep away from me and my friends!"
"Anthony, if I had to guess, I'd say we were all pulled into an alternate reality where our game world is the real world," Marcus explained.
As Anthony's new Elven face was overcome with bewilderment, Jehunn, or Harry, asked, "How... How did you know that...? Marcus?"
"I... I don't know... I remembered that I've read stories that have multiverse theory in them, and it just came to me... Harry?"
Speaking up with a voice that exuded refinement, Top Captain Elaran remarked, "My liege, they're either possessed or cursed. Either way, you're right that the former Queen should take a look at them. Considering their abilities, it would be difficult, likely even resulting in a few casualties, but I and the rest of the Elite Guard can restrain them if need be."
"Restrain us...? Um... I promise that's not necessary. We want to understand what's happened to us too," Marcus said while raising his hands defensively.
"You're not talking at all like Lexkey. There's definitely something weird going on," Sveargith remarked with some hostility.
Standing from his throne and grabbing his axe, Vallick stated, "The former prince is right. You say it's not necessary, but for all we know, you're possessed by Fiends or undead spirits."
Raising his hand, Phaironix studiously stated, "If I may, King Vallick, that is highly unlikely, if not borderline impossible. The castle is heavily warded against Fiends and Undead. Even if they had been possessed before, it almost certainly would have ended as soon as they entered the castle. In addition, Auria and Prince Jehunn are under the protection of a Solar Angel, and Bahamut himself. Not to mention that all of them, aside from Sveargith, have a Divine Shard within themselves. So, unless they are being possessed by a higher power, it is unlikely that they're possessed at all."
"We're not gods, I promise," Harry/Jehunn reassured.
Looking between Beloise and Phaironix, Vallick asked them, "Would either of you have a way to tell if they actually were?"
As Phaironix thought over his options, Beloise answered, "I could consult Lathander. Certainly, my Deity would be capable of recognizing the presence of others."
Beloise was a level 32 Cleric and was just one step away from becoming a Demigod herself. As such, she had an easy and direct way to contact her god through the Divine Intervention ability. At lower levels, this ability would only have a small chance of working, but after reaching the 20th level, Beloise was guaranteed to succeed in her attempt.
However, before Beloise could even begin the prayers needed to contact Lathander, another guard came storming into the throne room. This wasn't one of the Elite Guard, but he still had full Mithral plate armor, a longsword, and a longbow with a quiver.
"M'lord! There's an emergency!"
Keeping his composure, Vallick replied, "Can you summarize, soldier? We're dealing with a situation here as well."
Pointing to one of the large windows that went along the walls of the throne room, the guard exclaimed, "Sire, look outside! The castle has been transported to a new location!"
For only a fraction of a second, Vallick was stunned, quickly pushing past those feelings as he darted at one of the windows with inhuman speed. Following Vallick, Marcus and his friends, as well as Elaran, Beloise, Sveargith, and Phaironix.
As Marcus ran, he found himself moving at speeds that almost disoriented him. In fact, if it hadn't been for his improved sense of health, he would have almost certainly been dizzy.
"Whoa... What the Hell?" Marcus asked himself.
However, once Marcus looked out the window, he had much larger concerns. The surrounding landscape wasn't the surrounding city that he would have expected. Instead, there was nothing but large mountains completely surrounding them.
"But... It would require 12th level magic to teleport the castle... Either a Deity or someone close to it is all that could have done this," Phaironix remarked, his voice slightly unnerved.
Letting out a quick sigh through his nostrils, Vallick stated, "Beloise, Elaran. I want you two to stay here. Beloise, examine Tyrants' Bane, and Elaran, stay here with an Elite Guard squadron for security. Phaironix, I want you leading the recognizance force. I'll remain here as well. I expect a full report within an hour at the latest."
"Ah... Understood. Guard, Squadron Two, come with me. We'll meet up with the other soldiers and formulate our plans for recognizance." Once Phaironix gave these commands, the soldiers gave their signs of recognition and left with him as he exited the room.
"Right away, my king," Beloise replied as she gripped her staff and began her prayers.
Pointing his massive war-axe at Marcus and company, Vallick told them, "You best all remain cooperative. If you truly are not hostile, then you'd have no reason not to stay calm."
"Um... Right, of course," Marcus answered. Once more, he was staying far calmer than he thought he had any reason to. Not only that, but so were his friends.
Well, that is, except for Anthony/Nilrem, who pointed his staff at Vallick and stated, "We have no way to know where we are for certain, and no way to confirm that you don't intend us harm!"
Along with the other Elite Guards, Elaran drew his twin greatswords and coldly declared, "On behalf of everything you, or rather, the person your possessing, has done for our country, you have thirty seconds to stop threatening the King before I drop you, Elf."
"Elf...? Oh, I guess I must be one now... Wait, you're an Elf too," Nilrem shot back.
Approaching Anthony/Nilrem, Marcus told him, "I'm guessing you forgot, but Captain Elaran isn't a fan of his own species. Now listen, Anthony. If this really is King Vallick, we can trust him. Just put the staff down before you really tick off Elaran. He really can take you down."
"But what if they aren't really the characters from the game? We could be in real danger here."
Walking up and putting his clawed hand on Anthony/Nilrem's shoulder, Harry/Jehunn told him, "Listen, we can either be in possible danger by listening to these people or be in certain danger by arguing with them. Let's just keep our heads cool for now, alright?"
Lowering his staff, Nilrem/Anthony told Jehunn/Harry, "Dude... You're aware that you have the body of a nearly seven-foot-tall dragon person right now, right? That's a bit disconcerting."
"I'll tell you what's disconcerting, the fact that you just used the word disconcerting, Anthony. I thought something like that was outside of your verbal wheelhouse," Auria/Anya commented.
In all fairness, Anthony had never been the smartest one around. Marcus suspected he played a Wizard to feel better about that. So, hearing him so well-spoken all of a sudden was rather baffling.
Resting his staff on the ground as Beloise's eyes glowed with holy radiance, Anthony/Nilrem replied, "My mind has felt... clearer since we arrived here. I'm unsure why."
"I would assume that, while we've kept our personalities, we seem to have obtained the physical and mental statistics of our DND characters," Marcus theorized.
"That makes sense to me," Auria/Anya added as Vallick and Sveargith looked at them with restrained confusion.
"I'm sorry, but how does any of that make sense?" Grotool/Drew asked.
"Well, Lexkey and Auria both had maxed out Wisdom Scores. In turn, we are able to come to educated conclusions as fast as we have been. Also, Nilrem has maxed out Intelligence, so it would make sense that Anthony has suddenly found himself more articulate. I also think the reason we're staying as calm as we are is due to Jehunn's Aura Of Courage keeping us from panicking."
Blinking at Marcus' words, Grotool/Drew scratched his masked head for a moment before responding, "When you say it like that... It actually kind of makes sense."
"Yeah. I think I actually get it too," Lyra/Tess added.
"I would hope so. While not as smart as Nilrem, both Lyra and Grotool have genius-level intellects," Auria said.
As the friends continued to talk, their enhanced mental stats and magically induced calm helping them converse, Sveargith commented to Elaran, "What in the name of the gods are they talking about?"
"Hopefully, we'll have just that answer in a moment, once your mother is done communing with Lathander," the Elven knight answered.
Just as Elaran said that, Beloise's eyes halted their glow, as the woman rose to her feet and Sveargith remarked, "Oh. Speaking of which. What's the deal, mom?"
A worried grimace spread across Beloise's beautiful face, as she took a few breaths.
"Beloise? What's the matter? Did they do something that horrible?" King Vallick asked with genuine concern for her well-being.
Taking in one last deep sigh, Beloise answered, "Yes and no. It's not really their fault, but Lathander has informed me of some dire news... Though, there is some good news with it... Alright, first of all. We don't need to worry about the souls inhabiting Tyrants' Bane's bodies."
His posture immediately growing more alert, Sveargith exclaimed, "Hold on. So they actually are being possessed?"
"No... Or, at least, not necessarily..."
Relaxing his stance, Sveargith asked, "Uh... You gonna explain further, Mom?"
Placing her hand to her bosom, Beloise answered, "Apologies. It's just that it's an enormous amount of information..."
Keeping his grip on his axe as he glared at the party, King Vallick told her, "Take a moment to collect your thoughts and explain clearly."
Looking at the former Queen, Marcus asked her, "Did you... Learn who we are, Beloise?"
"Not specifically, but I learned the basics..."
After taking a half-minute to collect her thoughts, Beloise finally explained, "So, first off, in regards to this possession. The souls within those bodies are all Humans who reside from a different Material Plane than our own. One in which they played a game of make-believe that perfectly mimicked our world. They didn't come here willingly, but were instead transported against their will by a spell from another outsider."
Shifting his gaze to the group, Sveargith's face grew more sympathetic as he scratched his head with his claws and told them, "Oh, wow. Sorry to hear you guys got taken from your home like that."
"Um... Thanks. Apologies for taking control of your friends' bodies," Harry/Jehunn replied.
Growing a fraction more alert, Sveargith turned back to Beloise and asked, "Wait, so, Mom, how is this not a possession, then? Did my friends' souls get put into their bodies?!"
Shaking her head, Beloise explained, "No. You see, my dear, there were no souls in those bodies to be sent elsewhere in the first place. Those are simply copies of Tyrants' Bane."
"Huh?!" Everyone in the room exclaimed.
Her lovely face growing more dower, Beloise went on, "They aren't the only copies, I'm afraid. Lathander explained to me that the Deities of The Life Circle, The United, and Eternal Effort banded together and, with assistance from the Over-Deity, created a copy of Castle Aurix, as well as the bodies and souls of everyone within it, and sent them all to this world..."
Even Vallick's calm was gone when this explanation was given. Although not as shocked as the Noqtrusions, Marcus and his friends were rather stunned as well.
For a few moments, the room entered a silence. No one could find the words to speak. Some wanted to ask if Beloise was serious, but they all knew and respected her too well to even think that she could be lying or mistaken.
However, the silence was suddenly broken when a few gasps rang out at the noise of a door at the back of the room being unlatched.
Suddenly, stepping out from a secret passage behind the throne was a single man.
It was a man who appeared to be a Human in his late twenties to early thirties. However, he had features that clearly showed he wasn't purely Human. Most notably was the fact that his eyes were an even more intense gold than Sveargith's, and lacked any white whatsoever. Although not quite as long as Sveargith's, he had the same golden hair as him. This man was dressed in a highly magical, sleeveless vest of gold, blue, and red colors, and matching pants. This garb helped to reveal the man's extraordinarily well-toned arms. The golden stubble on his face gave his visage something of a shimmer anytime light hit him as he walked. On top of all this, his facial features were nearly as handsome as any man could hope for. Truly, there were few who could look at this individual and say that he wasn't the definition of male beauty.
At the sight of this perfect specimen, Lyra/Tess and Auria/Anya couldn't help but let out involuntary moans. Even the men in the group couldn't stop their eyes from bulging out in order to absorb more of this individual's rugged yet elegant appearance.
"Is... Is that really...?" Jehunn/Harry muttered.
"Yeah... I think he is," Marcus/Lexkey answered.
After taking a few more steps, the man stretched out his neck and remarked playfully with the most charming voice any of them had ever heard, "Well, I wasn't expecting to be awake so soon. Anyone have any idea what caused this?"
Smiling faintly while glancing lovingly at this man, Beloise stated, "Ah, right. The good news."
When he saw this man, despite the news he'd just been given, Sveargith couldn't help it as joy and relief overtook him
Sprinting over to the man, Sveargith suddenly gave him a tackling hug, which failed to knock him over and only slid him backward, as he exclaimed, "Daaaad! It's you! It's really you!"
Returning the hug with an even stronger one, the man lifted Sveargith slightly and told him, "You haven't been this happy to see me in over one hundred years, my boy! It really tugs on your old man's heartstrings."
Even after being the first to get the news of their situation, Beloise was the next to approach.
Once she was within reach, the man set down Sveargith, telling him, "A moment, son."
He then placed his hands on Beloise's smiling face and planted a kiss on her, one which she returned in kind.
Once they separated, Beloise cooed to the man, "Good morning, my love."
"It's nice to be awake and in your arms again. And six years early on top of that. Surprises can be pleasant sometimes... However, based on the looks on everyone's faces when I entered the room, I have to assume that there's some unpleasant news to be heard as well."
However, just as Beloise was about to explain, Captain Elaran rushed up and exclaimed, "King Geros! You've returned! Oh, thank the gods!"
Smiling as he turned to face Elaran, Geros put his hands on the Elf's shoulder pads and shouted back, "Elaran, old friend! It's wonderful to see you in the waking world once again! C'mere you!"
Geros then picked up the fully armored Top-Captain of the Elite Guard and embraced him in a bear hug like that he gave to his son.
Setting Elaran down, Geros told him jovially, "But come now. I'm not the King anymore. Vallick was appointed King, remember? Have you been suffering from memory loss or something?"
Letting out an awkward chuckle, Elaran responded, "Sorry. Force of habit, sir... Er, Geros."
Turning to face the stunned but smiling Vallick, Geros asked him, "Speaking of which, how are you holding up, King Vallick?"
"Hehe... Somewhat better now that you've returned," Vallick answered truthfully.
"Wow, Marcus... I don't think you ever did justice to how well Geros could work a room," Jehunn/Harry remarked.
"No offense taken. Even I'm surprised here," Marcus replied.
Despite what appearances might suggest, this was no Human man standing before them. This was Geros Aurix, the Ancient Gold Dragon, and most powerful of his kind to ever be born on Noqtrus. Despite his immense shape-changing abilities, he almost always remained in his preferred Human form, the form of the race he loved more than any other.
Aside from his strong personality, Geros had been the most powerful character in Marcus' campaign setting. Aside from being the strongest of all the Gold Dragons, Geros was also a 28th level War Wizard.
Placing her hand gently on Geros' shoulder, Beloise addressed him somberly, "Dear. I'm sorry, but there's quite a bit of news you need to hear."
Dropping his playful demeanor, Geros replied, "Oh, I see. May I, then?"
"Of course," Beloise answered with a nod as she closed her eyes.
Placing the palm of his hand on his wife's forehead, Geros closed his eyes as well and began reading her thoughts.
Once he pulled his hand back, Geros had a hint of concern on his face for a brief moment, before turning stoic and placing his hand to his chin.
"Hmm... Would you like to finish the explanation to everyone else, Beloise?" Geros asked.
"Of course."
"There's more?" Lyra/Tess asked.
"I'd hope so. We know some of the how, but we still don't know any of the why behind us being here," Anya/Auria remarked.
Addressing the room once more, Beloise spoke up and said, "It appears that a dimension traveling caster found her way to our guests' world and, after hearing of the tales of pretend of these individuals' mimic world, casted a spell on them. Using their souls as a catalyst, this caster's spell contacted the gods of our world to create us copies and send us to this world. In exchange, it opened a path for our Deities to this world, in hopes that we'll spread their worship to the people on this Material Plane."
With a dumbfounded expression, Marcus/Lexkey asked himself, "Is that why she was so interested in hearing about my campaign setting...? I just thought she thought it was cool. Now I feel like an idiot."
"You should. It seems rather obvious," Nilrem/Anthony commented.
"You're only saying that because of hindsight and that you've got a super brain now. There's no way I could've known that an actual Wizard would cast a spell on us through fucking dice," Marcus/Lexkey snapped back.
"Guys, come now, we need to listen to what's happening for our own good," Jehunn/Harry told them, nipping the argument in the bud with his newly acquired powerful voice.
Putting his hand to his head, Sveargith asked, "But... Why would this Wizard even do all this in the first place?!"
"Well, that's the part that makes me consider doing as the Wizard wanted. Apparently, we're supposed to save this world from an evil force being led by a specific individual. We were sent to the point in this world's history that this individual first arrived here. For you see, in the future, a Lich calling himself The Sorcerer King Ainz Ooal Gown will lead a force known as Nazarick and, after conquering this world, will eventually annihilate all life residing here."
Once again, the room went silent at Beloise's words.
His stance becoming more reserved, Lexkey/Marcus commented, "I... I think I can understand her tricking us now. Or at least I can sympathize with her."
Putting his hands to his head, Sveargith growled out, "But... But I'm... I'm a damn fake because of her!"
Folding his arms behind his back, Geros spoke up again, "Yes, about all that..."
Geros then approached his son, placed his hands on his shoulders, and looked him dead in his eyes. Or, at least, everyone assumed he was. His lack of pupils made such a notion an uncertainty.
Just as Sveargith began to say, "Dad. I don't know what-." Geros tightened his grip and squeezed as hard as he could.
While Sveargith tried to push away, he yelled, "Dad! Stop it, that hurts!"
Shaking his son for emphasis, Geros snapped at him as his voice unnaturally dropped an octave, "That's right! I'm your father, and that fact is real! And this hurts because you're real! You may not be the Sveargith Aurix of the world of Noqtrus, but you are the Sveargith of this world! Will you lay down and cry about it, or will you rise to the challenge and make this life your own!?"
"But... But I don't want this world. I want to go-."
As Sveargith whimpered out his words, Geros exclaimed, "Son! You are one hundred and twenty-nine years old! But you have a very long life ahead of you! You're going to face one thing after another that you don't want but have to accept! That is simply a part of living! You can either grow and adapt to it as a Human would, or you can follow the path of the Dragon and live in stagnation, demanding everything go exactly the way you want! We're in unknown territory, and we don't have time to cry about it!"
Taking a few deep breaths, Sveargith put his hands on his father's arms and told him, "Okay... Okay. Let's get control of our surroundings before I make life-altering decisions about my existence."
Releasing his grip on his son, Geros gave him one final pat on the shoulder and said, "That's the spirit. Now..."
He then looked at Vallick and asked him, "My King. If I may make a suggestion?"
Initially, Vallick gave Geros a confused glance, before smirking and walking up to him. He then removed his crown with one hand and thrusted it into Geros' chest.
"Would you just take the position back? I was only elected to be your replacement after all."
With some genuine concern and guilt on his face, Geros asked, "Vallick, are you sure? The laws of our democracy clearly state-."
Pushing the crown harder into Geros' chest, Vallick shook his head and told the dragon, "That's great for a country with over a thousand years of established rules and order. We don't have time for that here. We're in a strange land, and you're the most capable leader among us, so you should take charge."
Letting out a huff as he frowned, Geros took the crown from Vallick and replied, "Very well... Then on to the first order of business. I believe we should put, quote on quote, Tyrants' Bane in the dungeon for a short period of time until all our forces are brought up to speed on our current situation."
"I'm sorry, what?!" Tess/Lyra shouted.
"I have to agree. Why are you throwing us in a dungeon, exactly?" Jehunn/Harry asked far more patiently.
Readying his staff, Anthony/Nilrem stated, "I don't think so! I know how to use Nilrem's magic, and I'd have to assume my friends have the same instinctual knowledge of how to use their abilities! We can fight you guys!"
Pulling out the Greatsword on his back, Drew/Grotool added, "I don't know about that for certain, but I was a soldier back in my world, and I can feel how strong this body is! Even if I can't use Grotool's powers, I bet I can put up a Hell of a fight!"
Raising a hand, Geros calmly explained as the Elite Guards grew hostile, "Hold on, there's no need for violence. This is for your benefit."
Pausing, Geros waited for a reply, which he got from Anya/Auria, "What are you talking about? How so?"
Nodding, the dragon King explained, "What I mean is this. There will undoubtedly be those amongst our forces who resent and blame you all for this situation. If you stay in the dungeon until we get that all sorted out, you at least won't have to deal with any open hostilities. In addition, while I'm sure Jehunn's Paladin Auras have helped you all keep a relatively calm head, the anti-magic properties of the holding cells will cancel that out and allow you all to converse freely and get your thoughts sorted out. I'm sure you all have much you need to discuss with one another, all things considered."
While Grotool/Drew and Nilrem/Anthony still had their guards up, Marcus/Lexkey took a moment and looked at the balded gauntlets on his hands and feet.
After weighing his options and considering the best course of action, Lexkey/Marcus spoke up, "I think Geros is right. That's probably the best choice right now. I'd like to talk to you guys about our situation with all our emotions and real thoughts intact."
"He's right. That is the best decision right now," Anya/Auria added.
"What makes you so sure about that?" Tess/Lyra asked, partially with judgment and partially with concern.
Tapping her head forehead, Auria/Anya explained, "Like Marcus said. He and I've got maxed out Wisdom. If I understand correctly, that means we can make the best possible decision with the information available to us."
"Oh... I guess that's fair," Tess/Lyra replied.
"Well, I suppose it's best we do as they suggest then. If it comes down to it, Lyra, Grotool, and I could break us out. We're all as strong as a Tarrasque now, after all," Jehunn/Harry stated.
"Exactly. The only way for us to hold you is if you're all willing. As such, you have nothing to worry about," Geros proclaimed cheerfully.
Lowering his sword, Drew/Grotool remarked, "I guess we've got nothing to lose then."
Although more begrudgingly, Nilrem/Anthony also lowered his staff and commented, "If it's what everyone else is doing, then I'd better go along with it too."
Nodding his head with a smile, Geros told the group, "Thank you all for seeing reason. I promise we'll work to get everyone informed as soon as possible. You'll be walking freely in no time."
However, before anyone could start readying themselves to head to the dungeons, Tess/Lyra walked up to Harry/Jehunn and grabbed him by his armor's waistline while giving off the most disarming smile he had ever seen. Before he could ask her what she was up to, Tess/Lyra picked up the huge Half-Dragon Dragonborn and lifted him over her head. She then transitioned to using just one hand, causing herself to laugh hysterically.
The contrast between Tess/Lyra's appearance and what she was doing was more than just a little jarring for those from Earth. Her current body was incredibly physically fit, but it was still very small. Sort of like a miniature Wonder Woman. As such, seeing someone that short lifting a creature as large and heavy as Jehunn as easily as she was left her friends stunned for a moment.
However, the enhanced minds of Auria and Lexkey allowed Anya and Marcus to recompose themselves in less than a second.
"Whoa. Tess, what are you doing?" Harry/Jehunn asked.
Setting Harry/Jehunn down, Tess/Lyra told him with a giggle, "Hehe. Sorry about that. It's just, you pointed out how we've got super strength now, and I wanted to try it out."
Although Harry/Jehunn's new inhuman face was a bit harder to read for some, the more intuitive in the room could tell he was shifting between expressions of confusion, surprise, and, finally, amusement.
Letting out a deep and hearty chuckle of his own, Harry/Jehunn replied, "I get what you mean. Now that you point it out, I'm looking forward to testing out just how strong this body is myself."
"Hey, yeah. That will be pretty fun. Especially with my Healing Blood ability," Drew/Grotool added.
Observing his arms as he flexed them, Marcus/Lexkey pondered over his own strength. As a Monk, Lexkey had been built to use his Dexterity for attacks, so his Strength wasn't nearly on the same level as his warrior friends. That said, Lexkey still possessed physical lifting strength equivalent to a Grizzly Bear.
Marcus had always worked to at least remain in above-average shape, but now his muscles surpassed anything his previous body could have done even if he had dedicated all of his life to physical training.
Simultaneously, Anthony/Nilrem and Anya/Auria were both doing the same as Marcus/Lexkey.
Despite being a Warlock, Auria's character had one more point put into Strength than Lexkey's had, so despite her robes hiding it, she actually had a physicality equivalent to that of a Polar Bear.
Meanwhile, Nilrem's character, as the Wizard, was the physically weakest of the group. Despite this, Anthony had still put some points into Nilrem's Strength, so, physically speaking, he was equivalent to the pinnacle of what a Human from Earth could achieve. That said, Nilrem also had an ability called War Mage that allowed him to replace the damage and attack modifiers for his physical attacks with his Intelligence. So, while he didn't have the same lifting strength as his friends currently did, he could still deliver a physical strike with comparable force, so long as his magic wasn't disrupted.
Stepping forward with his squad of the Elite Guard, Elaran proclaimed, "If you're all done having fun, King Geros ordered you all to the dungeons, so-!"
Blocking Elaran's path with his arm, Geros calmly explained, "Oh, calm down, Elaran. These people seem to be those whose abilities were more similar to those of untrained Humans. It's understandable that they'd be excited over suddenly having godly levels of strength."
Turning his attention back to the group, Geros told them, "Once you're all done and ready to go, Elaran will escort you peacefully to the dungeon. Just let us know when."
Unclenching his fists, Lexkey/Marcus addressed his friends, "I think we should probably get there sooner rather than later, guys. We don't know the kind of world we're in. Geros and his forces need to be prepared, and we're just holding them up."
Tilting his head as he folded his arms, Sveargith remarked, "Man. Lexkey always had his moments of intuition, but never like this. It's so weird hearing his voice talk like that."
"Well, that's not really Lexkey, dear," Beloise told him.
Frowning slightly, Sveargith replied somberly, "Don't remind me."
Ceasing to admire themselves, the others in the group snapped to attention.
"Oh. I'm sorry."
"Yes. Of course. We'll leave at once."
"Apologies for that."
"Yeah, we got more pressing stuff to deal with."
"Right, right. Let's go."
Turning to Elaran, Marcus/Lexkey told him, "Sorry about that, Captain Elaran. We're ready when you are."
His face staying stern, Elaran nodded and walked to a statue of a Chimera by the door. After twisting the Dragon head on the statue, Elaran stepped back as the floor next to it opened up, revealing a staircase underneath.
"Follow me."
Without another word, Elaran began walking down the steps. Just as wordlessly, Marcus, Harry, Anya, and Tess pursued him.
It was only Anthony/Nilrem and Drew/Grotool who spoke up. Both of them simply yelling for Elaran to wait for them.
Walking down the secret path to the dungeon, none but Elaran recognized how poorly lit the passageway was. Either through magic items or abilities, everyone could see well enough in the dim light that it made no difference to them. The only reason Elaran even recognized that he was in poor light, was due to his familiarity with the castle as a whole.
The staircase itself was constructed from simple but sturdy stone and was large enough to comfortably accommodate rows of two people walking down it at a time. If they squeezed, or if they were small folk, then that could be increased to rows of three.
After walking for a few minutes, curiosity overtook Marcus' creative mind, and he asked, "Excuse me, Elaran?"
"Hm? Yes?" He asked back without turning to look at Marcus/Lexkey.
The fact that he wasn't dismissed immediately grew Marcus' excitement, as he explained, "I was just curious about something. See, back on my world, I was the one who wrote the story and directed the game that my friends and I played. So, I was just interested in confirming exactly how similar you are to the version of you I wrote in my campaign."
"What do you mean?" Elaran asked with just a hint of greater curiosity.
"Well, you're an Eldritch Knight, so you're smarter than me, thusly, you'd be smarter than I could have portrayed you as. That much I assumed already. However, I was also curious if how I wrote your relationships was accurate."
Finally turning to look at Marcus/Lexkey, Elaran asked, "Did you give me a wife and kids or something? I have been with a few women, but I've yet to settle down at all. I still have over four hundred years left to my life."
"No, not that... But that is interesting to know. I didn't think that up for you. But, no. I was thinking more about your relationship with King Geros and the other Stars Of Aurix," Lexkey/Marcus explained.
"What about them?" Elaran asked more cautiously.
"So, in the stories I created, they were all your closest friends. And your loyalty to King Geros isn't just from being a trained guard, but also from him being your best friend, due to you both bonding over the fact that you prefer Humans to your own species."
Elaran almost broke his stride when Marcus/Lexkey told him all this. However, he corrected his gate faster than what would have been perceptible to any normal person.
Giving as much attention as he could to Marcus/Lexkey, Elaran told him, "Your assumptions are correct about my relationships and my feelings for my race. King Geros and I both dislike our own species for their egotistical and lazy tendencies. At least with Humans, my efforts for continual self-improvement are approved and appreciated as opposed to scoffed at."
"Really? Well, it's good to know that at least that's correct," Marcus/Lexkey stated.
"I think it would be safe for us to assume that all knowledge you had of your campaign setting, up until it was sent here, is going to hold true, Marcus," Auria/Anya told him.
"That seems accurate so far. And we have no reason to think otherwise as of yet," Nilrem/Anthony added dryly.
"I'd certainly hope as much. It will make our interactions with these people much easier if we can be at least somewhat familiar with their personalities," Harry/Jehunn commented.
"What are you guys talking about? Does it have anything to do with why I'm here too?" A new feminine voice asked.
Everyone but Elaran was somewhat surprised when they heard this voice. After spending a second searching for the source, the group saw an Elven woman casually standing in the center of them all as if she'd been there the whole time.
This woman was dressed in modest but efficient garb clearly designed to make spotting her more difficult. Her long hair was the same shade of red as Elaran's, and her eyes were the same green. However, she was noticeably shorter than him, nearly as small as Lyra, but not nearly as muscular. Her facial features were as beautiful as Elaran's were handsome, and while not as curvaceous as Beloise, this woman's body still had a subtle and refined charm to it.
The mere sight of this woman was enough to cause the hearts of all the single men in the room to skip a beat. That is, again, except for Elaran. When Elaran saw this woman, he looked relieved and happy but not smitten like some of the other men were.
"Macera. It's unexpected but good to see you," Elaran told her.
"Likewise, little bro. One second I was on a mission hunting cultists, the next, I'm in the castle. I was making my way up the stairs to talk to King Vallick when I came across you all. So, what's going on with Tyrants' Bane here?"
This Elven woman was Macera, Elaran's older sister. She was a level 30 Rogue and the head of the Royal Inquisition, a task force created by Geros in league with the Church Of The United to hunt down Fiends and their cultists.
Macera didn't have the same disdain for her own kind as Elaran did, but was still a hard worker like him. When Elaran had left Eleven territories in his younger days, she came along with him to keep him safe and ended up in Geros' service as one of the Stars Of Aurix, just as Elaran had. The Stars Of Aurix being Geros' most trusted circle of friends.
Gesturing to the group with his thumb, Elaran explained, "It's a long story. You should head up to the throne room for a full explanation. By the way, King Geros is awake early, so that's at least a bit of good news. The rest of what's happening might come as a shock to you, though."
"Ooo, ominous. But, as you said, silver lining, Geros is up... Or is that more of a gold lining? Well, whatever is going on, I'm sure we can handle it. See y'all later," with a wink and a wave of her hand, Macera teleported away in a blink.
"Wow..." Anthony/Nilrem remarked uncontrollably.
"Seconded," Drew/Grotool added mischievously.
Recognizing what the tones of their voices meant, Elaran stated, "The only one biologically old enough for her tastes amongst you would be the one in Grotool's body. The rest of you are too young for my sister. Even still, Macera is something of a heartbreaker, so don't expect any commitment if she does get together with you."
Elaran had said all that very flatly. One might have confused his intentions as him being protective of his sister at first, but even a shred of insight would allow one to understand that he was looking out for the well-being of these people instead.
"Hmm... I guess I should have written down more about the characters' relationships if I wanted to know about them ahead of time," Marcus/Lexkey lamented under his breath.
Taking another step down the stairs, Elaran gestured for the party to follow him as he told them, "Regardless, we're almost to the holding cells. Come on." With that, the group picked up their pace to keep up with the Top-Captain.
However, Nilrem/Anthony remarked, "We're following him so eagerly to a jail cell. This doesn't sit right with me."
"Marcus seems to think it's okay. Even without that Monk Wisdom of his, I'd still trust his judgment... That said, I'm still willing and ready to fight alongside you if things do turn out bad," Drew/Grotool whispered into his friend's pointed ear.
Despite being at the front with Elaran, Marcus/Lexkey's passive perception allowed him to easily hear his companions' muttering. This caused him to try and remember what Elaran's Passive Perception was and whether or not he could hear them. And for his friends' sake, Marcus hoped he couldn't.
After arriving on the floor that held the dungeon, the group was escorted in through an Adamantine door. The doorframe was only large enough for one person at a time to pass through it, designed that way to make it just that much harder for any potential escapees.
The room they entered was best described as a large stone box. There was a complete lack of windows in this space, which would have given it a sense of utter gloominess if not for the magical lamps on the ceilings and walls mimicking the effects of sunlight.
There was actually a fair amount of comfortable furniture throughout this large room. However, there were also a set of gated barricades blocking off the eastern half of the room from the more comfortable half. On the other side of this barricade was a set of Adamantine double doors that led into the section of the Dungeon where the prisoners were actually being held.
Meanwhile, on the western side of the room were two more Adamantine doors. One led into a storehouse, while the other led to the guards' residence.
Speaking of the guards, there were two squads of Elite Guards in charge of the dungeon, with both squads having a Captain. This made for twelve Elite Guards in total. Aiding the Elite Guard were fifty Greater Veteran soldiers as well as twenty War Wizards, making for eighty-two guards on this floor in total.
Both of the Elite Guard Captains were equivalent to an Adamantine Ranked Adventurer in terms of combat strength, while the rank and file Elite Guards were equivalent to Mithral Ranked Adventurers. Meanwhile, the Greater Veterans were all a match for Platinum Ranked Adventurers. Finally, the War Wizards all had power that bordered between Platinum and Mithral.
The combined strength of this force would be enough to even hold at least one individual whose power lay in the Realm Of Legends. Albeit, the guards would take heavy casualties in the process.
All the guards were not gathered in this room at once, though. Instead, they had spread their forces out to patrol the dungeons. At the moment, only half the total forces were gathered here to prevent any potential prisoners from slipping through.
Of the ones in this room, most of them were finding ways to pass the time. A number of the Greater Veterans were keeping themselves preoccupied by playing dice and cards, while some of the braver ones were sparing with a few of the willing Elite Guards. At the same time, the War Wizards were exchanging notes on their spellbooks and aiding each other in their arcane studies. Meanwhile, the Guard Captain was standing at attention and overseeing all the events in the room at once.
However, the fun and games came to a stop once everyone noticed Top-Captain Elaran and Tyrants' Bane enter the room. All at once, the guards all dropped what they were doing, snapped to attention, and saluted them.
"At ease," Elaran told them with a gesture almost immediately.
"To what do we owe the honor of your and Tyrantsss' Bane'sss presssence, sssir?" The Elite Guard Captain asked with a snake-like voice while relaxing his posture only slightly.
Pointing to the group, Elaran explained, "It's a long story, Sazk. But first off, Tyrants' Bane needs to be escorted to one of the cells."
The moment that the guards started murmuring words of bewilderment and concern, Elaran raised his hand, quieting them and stating, "There is no need to be concerned. They're simply looking for a place to talk with each other where Prince Jehunn's auras won't hinder their true emotions."
"Indeed. There's nothing to worry about with us," Harry/Jehunn added charmingly.
"Once they're settled in, I'll explain the situation to you all. Sazk, I'll be taking an escort force with me through the dungeon to take them to their cell."
In response to Elaran's instructions, Sazk wordlessly pointed at a number of the guards and gestured for them to step forward.
Moving as if they were machines on gears, a single Elite Guard, two War Wizards, and five Greater Veterans walked past Sazk and up to Elaran.
With a salute and a bow, the Elite Guard of the group exclaimed, "It's an honor, Captain Elaran."
Turning to face the barricade with a flourish of his cape, Elaran proclaimed, "Very good. Follow me."
Rushing ahead of Elaran, one of the Greater Veterans opened the initial gate for him. After that, one of the War Wizards cast a Knock spell on the double door to temporarily undo the Arcane Lock on it, causing a loud echoing knock to sound out.
As the War Wizard and the Greater Veteran went to open the magically suppressed doors, Drew/Grotool remarked, "Wow. These guys are well trained for procedure."
"Yeah, no kidding," Harry/Jehunn agreed.
"These guys almost move like they're robots," Tess/Lyra added.
"Hehe. Are they toy soldiers or something?" Anya/Auria asked jokingly.
"They're just inhumanly well trained. Even if they aren't members of the Elite Guards directly, any of the Castle Geros guards have physical and mental training that goes beyond what any Humans on Earth could achieve," Marcus/Lexkey explained.
The group was staying behind the guards and whispering as they opened the doors, their intention to keep their conversation somewhat private. This had little success, though, as most of the guards staying in the room could at least make out snippets of their conversation and gave the friends befuddled glances.
Once the doors were opened, Elaran stated, "Alright. Let's move, Tyrants' Bane."
"Aight," Marcus/Lexkey replied as he crossed his arms behind his head and followed.
The more relaxed attitude Marcus/Lexkey suddenly took to following Elaran into the dungeon helped to alleviate some of the tension that Anthony/Nilrem had been feeling. As such, he and the others walked with him without hesitation.
Upon entering the actual dungeon, Marcus and his friends found themselves walking into a maze of stone hallways that were lit by the same magical lamps as the initial chamber.
Lining the walls were, of course, cells that were outfitted with basic amenities such as beds and toilets. Embedded on the ceiling of each cell was a pair of crystals. One was a naturally luminous yellow gemstone that shined brightly enough to illuminate the entire cell.
The reason for the yellow gem's presence when there were magical lamps lining the walls was due to the second, antimagic field-generating gem beside it. This purple stone was infused with an Antimagic Field spell that had an expanded area of effect to accommodate for the cell's fifteen-foot ceiling.
Due to the Antimagic gem's presence, the light from the magic lamps didn't reach within the cells, thus making the glowing gems necessary. Additionally, the Antimagic gems took away some of the magical aspects of the cells' Mithral bars. Fortunately, all this resulted in was that the metal lost its lightweight properties and still retained its durability. As such, it would have taken an individual with the strength of an Adult Dragon to break through these bars before the guards could stop them.
As such, these cells would prove no issue for the members of Tyrants' Bane to break free from if they wanted to.
"Which way are the open cells?" Elaran asked the Elite Guard at his side.
"This way, sir," the Elite Guard answered while pointing down the nearest right-hand hallway.
"Lead on, then."
Following Elaran's orders, the guard walked beside his Top-Captain while leading the whole group.
As they walked by cells, the party came across a few individuals that they recognized as similar to the simple artwork Marcus would do for the NPCs in his campaign.
First, there was a huge and borderline impossibly buff man. The level of bulk on this man would have been enough to easily win him first place in a Mr. Universe pageant. However, this hulking individual had one trait that was unmistakably inhuman, and that was the bull hooves he had in place of his feet. Additionally, he was chained up in cuffs of pure Adamantine that almost completely hindered his ability to use his hands.
In the next cell was a humanoid with pointed ears, a nearly flat nose, greenish-yellow skin, and feminine traits. This was a female Githyanki with a noticeably fit build and a trained and focused gleam in her cold eyes.
After the Gith, there was a male Goblin with long black, dirty hair. He was noticeably smelly, even for a Goblin, with an unpleasant odor radiating from his cell. In addition, his skin was covered not only in stretch marks that indicated the prior weight that he must have lost during his time imprisoned, but also a series of patches of green scales. His jaw also extended into somewhat of a snout, which had a muzzle over it, and his pupils were slits like a reptile's. All this was due to the Goblin's Half-Green Dragon nature.
In the fourth cell that they went by, inside was a bulbous, gray humanoid with a body covered in swirling tumors. Its hands were like mittens of melted, fused flesh. It had jagged ears, empty white eyes, and a permanent mischievous grin plastered on its face. This creature was a thing known as a Star Spawn Far Seer.
Every time Marcus and his friends passed one of these inmates, the criminal would either give off a growl or a scowl in disdain.
There were three guards, two Greater Veterans, and a War Wizard, posted at each cell that held a prisoner. When the party walked by, some made moves to intercept them. However, each one stopped before taking a step when they noticed Elaran at the front of the pack. Once the Top-Captain's presence was known, every guard simply bowed their heads in respect as he and his entourage passed them by.
"Are those the villains we took alive?" Tess/Lyra whispered to Marcus/Lexkey.
Glancing at the cells, Lexkey/Marcus remarked, "Well, we didn't take all those guys alive. The big guy, Rictor, we killed him before the guards revived and brought him here for questioning. And as Lyra, you advocated for killing Telcor, remember?"
"Uh... Which one?"
Gesturing back with his thumb as they continued walking, Marcus/Lexkey explained, "The Githyanki. The yellow one. You were mad in-character about her boss, Dilvish, destroying your hometown."
Looking up at the ceiling, Lyra/Tess remarked, "Oh. Right... That was a while ago, IRL. I'd actually forgotten about her."
"Tess this is IRL now... At least for now," Auria/Anya chimed in.
Her face registering the appropriate amount of surprise, Lyra/Tess responded as if the air had been knocked out of her, "Uh... Um, right. This was all just so weird that I hadn't thought about that... Wow, this is all real."
It was obvious to both Lexkey/Marcus and Auria/Anya that if it hadn't been for Jehunn's Aura Of Courage, their friend would have been having a panic attack at that moment.
At the same time as Tyrants' Bane conversed, the Elite Guard walking beside Elaran whispered to him, "Um, sir. What are they talking about?"
"Don't worry, soldier. I'll explain everything in due time."
"Oh. Of course, sir. Thank you."
As the Elite Guard gave his obedient response, Elaran began pondering to himself, I have to wonder what exactly the world these people came from was like. Based on what they said before, it sounds like the one in Nilrem's body wasn't an Elf before coming here. But what race was he? I know Queen Beloise said they were all Humans, but there's always a chance she didn't get the correct information. That said, based on how well he is handling the new body, I'd have to guess he was a Halfling or Human beforehand. But what of the others? I suppose I could ask them if it's truly important to me, but there's no guarantee they'll be honest. However, seeing as the mists have not turned on them, they aren't evil creatures, but... That doesn't mean they aren't the types to turn on us if it means preserving their own safety. Best to be cautious with them going forward.
After walking a good distance away from any cells that held any of the actual prisoners, the group finally came to the one that Tyrants' Bane would be held in.
Opening up the cage door, the Elite Guard told them, "Step in when you're ready, Adventurers."
Naturally, even if they had come this far of their own volition, being asked to walk into a cage made Marcus and his friends cautious. As such, they all paused while thinking over one last time if this was a good idea.
"You can also step away from the door, soldier," Elaran instructed.
"Hm? But sir, shouldn't I-?"
Raising his hand to the Elite Guard's face, Elaran explained, "They aren't here as prisoners. They're just here to speak to each other freely and privately. They can close the door on their own when and if they want to. In fact, let's leave them here to give them the privacy they need. Come along, men. We're heading back to the guard station."
"Yes, sir, Captain Elaran, sir!" All the guards exclaimed in unison.
Soon enough, all the guards had left, leaving the friends by themselves.
"It seems as if Elaran understood our trepidations from our body language alone. Smart man," Nilrem/Anthony remarked.
"Well, he's a level 31 Eldritch Knight. His Intelligence is almost as high as Nilrem's," Marcus/Lexkey replied.
"Right... Wait, really? You made his Intelligence Score that high?" Anthony/Nilrem asked.
Shrugging, Marcus/Lexkey explained, "I mean, I always tried to keep the high-level hero NPCs off doing other things to not steal any spotlight from you guys, so I figured I'd have fun and make them really powerful."
"Well, if we manage to stay allied with them, then that's a good thing. If not... We should probably try to stay allied with them," Jehunn/Harry postulated.
"Eh, I'm sure we can take them if it comes to that," Anthony/Nilrem chimed.
His face becoming dead-serious, Marcus/Lexkey explained, "If you're referring to using your Cataclysm spell, may I remind you that it can only be used once per day? If we were to fight them, you'd have to use it on either Geros or Beloise. They're the two strongest, after all. But after that, whichever of them survives would likely end you. Or did you forget what those two can do? At best, I'd give us a fifty-fifty chance of winning against the people in this castle. And that's being generous, and only if we fight as smart as possible."
"Hey, if we're gonna keep talking about stuff like this, then let's do it in the Antimagic field, okay?" Auria/Anya complained.
In response to Auria/Anya's sentiment, Drew/Grotool stated, "Yeah. Let's talk about this with our heads cleared of magic."
"Heh, right. Let's go, guys," Lexkey/Marcus said/
Leading the group, Lexkey/Marcus was the first one to walk into the cell. The moment he entered this area of Antimagic, he felt as if a dam that had been holding back his fears and concerns had crumbled apart.
As the tsunami of anxiety crashed throughout his body, the only thing still holding Marcus/Lexkey together was his new body's incredible strength of will.
After taking a few steps into the cell, Marcus/Lexkey turned around to look at his friends as they walked in as well. Within only a moment, Lexkey's power of Insight allowed Marcus to tell that all of his friends were suddenly hit with similar emotions as him. He could also tell that they weren't all handling it nearly as well as he was and that they'd be sitting around talking about their predicament for quite a while.
Hello, readers. I figured I'd break down the level conversion that I'm using for the characters from my setting to Overlord.
DND Levels/Overlord Levels
32/102-105
31/100-101
30/97-99
29/94-96
28/92-93
27/89-91
26/86-88
25/84-85
24/81-83
23/78-80
22/75-77
21/73-74
20/70-72
19/67-69
18/63-66
17/60-62
16/56-59
15/53-55
14/49-52
13/46-48
12/42-45
11/39-41
10/35-38
9/32-34
8/28-31
7/25-27
6/21-24
5/18-20
4/14-17
3/11-13
2/7-10
1/3-6
The Tiers Of Power In Aurix In DND Levels.
Demi-Gods: 32
Legends: 24-31
Adamantine: 17-23
Mithral: 13-16
Platinum: 9-12
Gold: 6-8
Silver: 4-5
Copper: 1-3
Character Stats(Without any equipment).
Prince Jehunn(Heir To Divinity)
LVL 100
HP: 93
MP: 51
PHY ATK: 100
PHY DEF: 70
AGILITY: 64
MAG ATK: 60
MAG DEF: (Over Max)
Resistance: 76
Special: 95
Total: Over 709
Alignment: Lawful Good
Lexkey(Pure-Hearted Punching Whirlwind)
LVL 100
HP: 100
MP: 21
PHY ATK: 97
PHY DEF: 93
AGILITY: (Over Max)
MAG ATK: 37
MAG DEF: (Over Max)
Resistance: 75
Special: 77
Total: Over 700
Alignment: Neutral Good
Lyra Lockridge(One Woman Army)
LVL 100
HP: (Over Max)
MP: 1
PHY ATK: (Over Max)
PHY DEF: 84
AGILITY: 86
MAG ATK: 23
MAG DEF: 92
Resistance: 80
Special: 84
Total: Over 650
Alignment: Neutral Good
Nilrem(Arcane Destruction Incarnate)
LVL 100
HP: 100
MP: 95
PHY ATK: 52
PHY DEF: 60
AGILITY: 76
MAG ATK: (Over Max)
MAG DEF: 100
Resistance: 64
Special: 80
Total: Over 727
Alignment: Chaotic Good
Auria(Celestial Witch Senior)
LVL 100
HP: 99
MP: 39
PHY ATK: 50
PHY DEF: 54
AGILITY: 83
MAG ATK: 100
MAG DEF: 100
Resistance: 73
Special: 84
Total: 682
Alignment: Lawful Good
Grotool(Undying Sniper)
LVL 100
HP: 93
MP: 20
PHY ATK: 100
PHY DEF: 91
AGILITY: (Over Max)
MAG ATK: 44
MAG DEF: 86
Resistance: 68
Special: 80
Total: Over 682
Alignment: Chaotic Good