From the journal of Kenari Sanura
The unmistakable sounds of gunshots echo in the distance, followed by a chilling howl of agony.
"Gunshots? Here?" gasps Lenata.
"It must be the Scro looking for the key," barks Ef Utan angrily as he draws his sword. "Come on, Kenari!"
I leap down from the roof and roll to the ground with a snarl as I sheath my hands into my clawed gauntlets. "Maybe they can answer some questions!"
Vedis summons her mindblades to her hands as Lenata draws her guns and we run through the brambles towards the sounds of the gunshots. Crazy, I know…. We come to a clearing some 500 yards away and I wave to the others to halt as I scout around the clearing. Unfortunately Vedis was a little too eager and the noise she made crashing through the bushes alerts the four Scro clad in red and black armor standing over the body of a cloaked Halfling with a strange hand comprised of keys for fingers.
I take a moment in my hiding place to draw "The Locksmith" card from my sash as I recognize the man from the vision, and as the tell-tale energy falls over my head I am blessed with the knowledge that his strange hand is actually a minor artifact called "5 Fingers" that allows you to cast magical unlocking spells… so long as you're willing to sacrifice your hand in its place.
Hmmn… I like my hands the way they are… but I still wouldn't mind having it. You never know when it might come in handy after all.
I edge around the clearing in an attempt to flank the Scro as one of them draws a wicked looking rifle and the most well-dressed of the bunch swings about a shining staff in the direction of my friends. To my dismay, I find them all much easier to see as a blue fire seems to outline them all. Crap… Fairy Fire!
I reach into my haversack for one of my last thunderstones and hurl it into the clearing when the Scro rifleman wheels about and with one shot introduces me to one of the worst pains I've ever felt as I fall to the ground trying to staunch the blood coming from my upper thigh with my scarf. Damn… going to have to go to Spiral again someday when it's not occupied by these bastards and get a new scarf! Red is so not my color!
With a yell, a wave of energy pulses out from Vedis and all but the well-dressed Scro fall to the ground unconscious. Ef Utan leaps into the clearing wielding his sword and mug and attacks as I scan the clearing looking for Lenata. There… that flash of white… next to the unmistakable hat of Melchior.
I chuckle to myself and with a grimace concentrate on the gunslinger as I focus my power. "Sorry, Mel… but at least you're not blind or sick this time." With a pop of air I've switched places with the gunslinger and suddenly find myself next to the cleric across the clearing. Hopefully Melchior will be able to get the drop on the Scro from his new position.
"Oww," I groan as Lenata crouches down and shakes her head in admonishment.
"What would you do without me?" she jokes as her hands glow with healing energy.
An ear-splitting shatter rings out as Ef Utan's katana shatters against the wizard's staff. The Scro then reaches back with a glowing hand and lunges forward with a lightning bolt to Ef Utan's stomach, knocking him to the ground in a crackling heap.
"Be Celestian's blood!" Lenata swears as she runs to help him. Vedis screams as Ef Utan falls and the Scro grunts in pain as he grabs his head from her psionic attack, giving Lenata the precious moments she needs to heal Ef Utan with her magic.
With a grunt the bodyguard rises and leaps back into the fray with his wakizashi as red energy begins to swirl around the Scro wizard. "Blood magic!" Lenata warns as his body seems to grow in mass.
I slip my hands into my gauntlets with a snarl and pounce on the wizard's back, slashing across his shoulder blades. I catch the signs of Vedis' attack just in time and manage to push off and roll out of the way of her Energy Push as a beam of fire rams into him. I can't help but feel a chill despite the heat as I notice that the wizard was barely moved. Ef Utan leaps again at the Scro, but this time is launched backwards into the briars by a viscous backhand as Lenata bombards the Scro with an array of magic missiles from her fingertips. I swipe again at his chest with my claws and roll away as an enraged Ef Utan unsheathes Flametongue and with a blast of magical fire rearranges the wizard's face into something much more appealing – a dead Scro.
Melchior and Vedis patrol the edges of the clearing for any more of their party and I keep the cleric busy searching the wizard as Ef Utan goes about finishing off the still unconscious Scro from Vedis' psionic sleep attack.
"Ooo… now look at this, Lenata!" I say as I clean off an intricately decorated staff with runes dedicated to divine powers inscribed in silver bands around the top. "This is a Staff of Revelations! This Scro was apparently a priest… of Grummish, maybe? But anyway, I think clerics use these to help them communicate with spirits, gods, that kind of thing."
"Indeed, this is a precious find, Kenari. Thank you. Once I have cleansed it in Celestian's divine light, this should become useful." Lenata runs her hands along the staff in admiration and then straps it securely to her pack. As she leans over the Scro I notice that the Heart token around her neck seems to be tugging towards a large emerald on the wizard.
"Aha! What have we here?" I remove the emerald and toss it to Ef Utan. "I think that makes six!"
"Bloody fantastic," he replies. "Finish up what you two are doing, then we'll see what these babies can do!"
After a few minutes with Lenata's help we're able to sort out any items of worth, and quickly divvy them up. Melchior lays claim to the rifle that causes me such pain as Lenata takes the staff and a star chart describing the Shadowsphere. Ef UTan takes a Pouch of Holding and some spell components, and I take a new healing wand, as well as the 5 Fingers artifact.
Vedis looks at me curiously as I pick up the hand. "Do you want it? All you have to do is cut off your hand…" I flop the fingers in her direction with a jingle of keys and grin.
"Oh no… you can keep your sick treasure," she laughs and steps back with a wave of her hands.
"All right, these tokens seem to be pulling in an eastern direction when we have them all together… so if that's going to take us to the Walking Castle, perhaps we should have a quick camp away from this clearing to prepare for whatever battle is sure to come." says Ef Utan matter-of-factly. "I figure four hours tops for any prayers or meditations for spells?"
The rest of the party quickly agrees as we could all use a breather after that last fight. We move 100 yards to the east and set a quick fireless camp as Ef Utan, Lenata and Vedis conduct their prayers and meditations, and Melchior and I go about cleaning our weapons.
Finally… the Walking Castle. I can only imagine what we'll find. Is the Patchwork Lord holding Melchot's other half along with the Dream Stone in order to conduct a ritual to bring him and the Dreamjammer into existence in order to fulfill the 10th Pit's multi-planar conspiracy? What of this red-skinned bard… does she have the power to make the Harrowing right again? What of the Witchlight Marauder Key? Even if we do manage to find it… can we in all good conscience hand such a weapon to anyone, even if they say it's to use against the Scro?
Gods… it's a good thing I have that ring to sustain me, because I don't think I'll be getting much sleep anyway.
After the 3rd hour I am shaken by my daydreaming thoughts of furry embraces by the rumble of thunder yet again… but instead of lightning the noise is followed by a crashing shriek of metal on metal as the setting prop sun in the sky stops moving and the rising prop moon crashes into it, causing bits of the sun to crumble and fall to the ground in yellow chunks of wood and metal.
"By Celestian… look at the sky!" Lenata calls out as the sky turns blood red and the moon begins to grow.
I am more concerned, however, with the increasing number of moaning sounds as the ground around us shifts from the sheer number of zombies starting to come out of it.
"This way!" yells Ef Utan as he holds up the collection of tokens pulling towards the east. With a blast of golden light Lenata clears a momentary path through the zombies as her divine light crumbles them to dust around us, and we all run to keep up with Ef Utan as he charges past the thorns and grasping hands of the undead.
With a quick thought I pull "The Eclipse" card from my sash and whisper a prayer to any god that might be listening that it helps. Instead of the usual sparkling lights, however, a single ball of light forms in the clearing ahead and shoots straight into the moon, causing it to begin to crack and crumble. That's it! "We have to destroy the moon!" I yell to the others before I pull a Potion of Tumbling from my pack and gulp it down in the hopes that it will help me dodge their cold touch of death.
Vedis and Lenata do their best to launch attacks at the moon with missiles of light and fire while the rest of us keep the ever growing zombie swarm away. Suddenly a large chunk of the moon falls and crushes a particularly fast zombie that had its eye on Ef Utan (figuratively, folks). I look up and notice that the moon is not only missing a few pieces… but it's beginning to spark as fissures spread through what is left.
"Get ready to duck!" I yell out in warning as the moon explodes into fragments and rains down debris. Lenata thankfully manages to dodge out of the way thanks to the auspices of her god I am sure… but Vedis seems to have a rather stubborn zombie holding on to her ankle. I curse profusely in Abyssal as I focus on the Maenad and manage to switch places with her just in time to roll out of the way of a jagged piece of metal that imbeds itself into the unlucky zombie (are there lucky zombies?) with a thud.
As the dust of the moon finally settles, I look around with relief to see that everyone seems to be okay… and that the zombies have stilled and returned to their graves. Except… wait a minute…
"Where's Melchior?"
"Shit! We must have lost him when we ran from the zombies!" Ef Utan replies.
"We have to go back for him!" Lenata pleads. "He could still be alive!"
The ground shakes around us with the echo of a loud WHOMP.
"I have to say it," says Ef Utan, WHOMP – WHOMP "but I think we've got bigger concerns WHOMP right now."
Trees crash down to the ground east of us as the thumping noise increases and large mechanical legs storm through the brambles bringing the Walking Castle into view for the first time. I pull the self-named card that I had been saving for this occasion from my sash and play it as the sparkling energy falls over us all and disappears. We all then proceed to take cover in the trees, hopefully out of view of the Scro on the turrets above as we let the castle pass and scope it for alternative entrances.
"Did you see who was on that main balcony?" exclaims Vedis. "I swear I saw another Scro wizard and a sparkly guy like Tain the Reigar holding a body by the hair! I'll bet a week's tips that was Melchot the Dreamer!"
There's a whistling in the air interrupting Ef Utan's reply just seconds before the bombs start to explode around us. I dodge for cover as Vedis gets knocked onto her rear and lashes out with her Energy Push at the castle above. The resulting scream of the gnome falling to his death and the sub sequential explosions tell us she must have hit her mark.
"I think that's our way in!" I declare as I pull my rope and grappling hook from my pack. Lenata hands me her rope as well, and with a few deft knots we've got a rope that's sure to be long enough. Ef Utan mutters a quick spell as he takes the grappling hook, and with a few quick swings for momentum he launches it into the air with a satisfying clang of metal on metal. A quick tug confirms that the rope is secure.
"You've still got those vials of gaseous form, right, Ef?" I ask and he nods. "Why don't you three drink those and get up there safely while I draw their attention on the rope?"
"A bit dangerous, don't you think?" he asks with a raised eyebrow.
"Hey, it's me!" I joke and begin my climb. "See you at the top!"
Bullets zing by me from the multiple Scro snipers in the turrets above, and I keep my toes crossed in hope that I'm not forced to eat my words with a side helping of lead. A cloud of purple mist passes by me and I smile in relief knowing that they'll make it up there without harm. Eventually I make it up to the slightly splintered balcony, just in time to get a good view of the Scro mage Vedis mentioned waving his arms in incantation and sending a ball of energy our way. I don't even want to find out what that is! Some of the purple mist follows me as I quickly make my way down a set of stairs from the balcony to take cover and find myself face to face with a locked door.
One of the forms of mist, however, floats down towards the wizard. "That must be Vedis…" I mutter. "I just hope she doesn't do something stupid… that's my job!"
I do my best to keep at the task at hand, however, as a potentially dangerous spell is coming our way and we've still got a locked door in front of us. Thankfully I work best under pressure, and the door is soon unlocked to reveal a large round room bisected by sets of iron bars to form prison cells. In one of the cells hangs an unconscious red-skinned woman in black leathers from chains on the wall. From the look of the vivisection tools and bloody table nearby, we probably got here just in time.
I quickly make my way in followed by the mist that turns into Lenata & Ef Utan, and close the door behind me in hopes that the spell will activate in contact with it before it contacts us.
"Can you unlock the cell so I can check her wounds?" asks Lenata.
"Stand back just in case," I warn as I pull out my tools. "Ef?"
"Do what you can to help here… I think I've found that brain cylinder over here from the vision!" he calls out as he investigates a large metal cylinder resting on an obsidian altar.
I nod and carefully investigate the lock to her cell. "Woah… check this out!" I say as I step back and point to some of the tiny runes inscribed on the bars. "There's a dimensional anchor on each of these cells to prevent teleporting abilities from getting you out… but if I fail the lock, something is definitely going to come in and make me pay for it."
"Can you unlock it?" Lenata asks worriedly.
"Well yeah… I just wanted you to know how hard it was," I chuckle as I use my picks and with a click the door springs open.
My fur stands on end and I can't shake the oddest feeling. Wait a second… I know I disarmed that trap correctly, so why does it feel like… "Someone's coming!"
Energy crackles and forms into a ball of light in one of the other cells as it coalesces into a humanoid form… and with a POP Word of Wisdom, the Psiforged who had gone missing soon after we first arrived in the Harrowing, collapses in the cell.
"Where have you BEEN?" I ask in surprise as I hurry over to unlock his cell and Lenata begins her spells on the unconscious woman.
"She's been damaged in ways I am not strong enough to repair," Lenata laments as she lowers the woman to the ground and waves her glowing hands over her body. "While her physical wounds will be healed, her soul has been damaged by these abortions."
"Where am I?" asks Word. "The last I recall I was trying to teleport out of the Harrowing when I felt my essence… grabbed… and then found myself here."
"It looks like the dimensional anchor of this room brought you to the Walking Castle," I explain as he looks at me with what I can only assume is confusion. "Look at it this way… you're where you need to be, you're with us, and you got the short trip."
"Just in time, too," says Ef Utan as he stands near the exit down another staircase on the other side of the room. "From the sound of the voices below, I think we're going to have company."
"Let's be sure to give them a proper welcome, then!" I reply as I toss a thunderstone down the stairs. Ef waits for the resulting bang, smiles, and then charges down the stairs with a battle cry, mug and Flametongue in hand.
Vedis suddenly forms out of mist beside me with a pleased look on her face and I almost pop my neck doing a double-take as I swear I heard the words "Kiss me, Big Boy!" from down below.
"Guess what I did!" she exclaims as the Psicrystal leaps from her shoulder to run to her mistress resting on the floor.
"Can't talk… fighting…" I reply as I leap down the stairs to the oddest sight of a naked and rather voluptuous brunette smiling at Ef Utan and beckoning to him seductively with her slim fingers.
Word uses his teleportation powers to appear down the stairs behind the woman and warns us of the presence of two more men further down the stairs past him. I focus my abilities on the Psiforged and switch places with him to try and get a sneak attack on the woman, but unfortunately for me she's not just exceedingly beautiful… she's quick. She turns on her heel and easily dodges my claws before sticking out her bottom lip in a rather sexy pout.
"Now why would you want to attack little old me? Don't you want to attack them instead? It would make me ever so happy… and you know you want to make me happy."
She reaches up to caress my cheek and I shiver in anticipation and what else she might do… because Gods help me, I find she's right… I would do anything to make her happy.
The succubus steps aside with a smile and a wave of her hand and I leap past to strike Ef Utan across the chest with my claws in glee. Seeing his blood on my claws is so beautiful… I hope she likes it…wait… it's Ef Utan! Come on, Kenari!
I shake the strange thoughts out of my head and refocus on the deeds that my mistress commands of me. These people are a danger to my mistress! But the white haired one… she is the one my mistress hates the most. "I will make you happy, mistress," I cry out as I roll and slash my way past the others towards the offending cleric, "If I have to kill everyone here to do it!"
"Of course you will," she replies with a sly smile and disappears in a puff of brimstone.
Word teleports again down the stairs and I can hear him yelling that my mistress hasn't gone far as he proceeds to attack the two other men who had shown up down the stairs. Good… I don't know what I'd do if she left me!
Suddenly there's a scream as the tips of fingers go flying by. Apparently Word struck true with his halberd. I just hope they weren't friends of my mistress… because I might have to make him pay next.
Strange… either that man was hurt more than I thought, or there's something weird going on as the screams haven't stopped.
In fact, the screams of the man Word attacked begin to change from screams… into roars as I look over my shoulder to witness the beginnings of a frightening transformation. Mistress protect me… is he… a dragon?
Ripping fabric is soon followed by exploding brickwork as the force of the wizard's transformation proceeds to blow out the walls of the stairway in a massive BOOM! Friend and foe alike drop to the ground as shards of stone fly through the air. When the dust settles, there is now a massive blue dragon hovering over the stairs of what used to be a hallway.
I think….I think that's the Patchwork Lord? Doesn't matter now though… as I must kill the cleric! I seize my opportunity while the cleric is still shaken from the explosion and pounce, knocking her to the ground for the killing blow. I thrust my claw towards her exposed neck, but she manages to twist in my grasp and the claw merely scratches the side. The site of blood on the Aasimar's neck, while what my mistress wants…. but a voice in my head gives me pause. This is the woman who has helped me so many times… I'd be dead without her… and now I'm trying to kill her? This isn't right! I shouldn't be doing this… I shouldn't….can't….I won't…
I grab my head in pain and growl before reaching to my sash for my healing wand. "I'm so sorry, Lenata! Please forgive me…I couldn't help myself! It's not my fault!" With shaking hands and a few muttered words of activation I'm able to heal the wound to her neck as Lenata smiles in relief.
"Thank Celestian you're back to normal, Kenari…. now look out!"
There's a giant WOOSH of air as the dragon beats his wings, knocking Ef Utan off his feet towards us. I dodge the flying warrior with the thanks of Lenata's warning, but Lenata is not as fortunate since she was already knocked prone. She's sent flying by the weight of Ef Utan's armor and falls off the edge of the stairs with a scream into the now open air below.
"NO!" I scream in fear and look around frantically for something I can do. It's then that I catch the flash of the glimmering stones of the Psiforged's body and I get an idea. He can fly! I quickly focus my thoughts on Word, as well as a few prayers that I might do this in time… when with a pop of air and a THUMP, the cleric lands on the remnants of the stairs behind the dragon and Word of Wisdom, I hope, is flying somewhere below us.
Fire launches all around me as Ef Utan regains his feet and launches his attack with Flametongue, followed by an enraged Vedis with her energy attack. The dragon, nonplussed at this feeble resistance, shows his disdain by breathing lightning down upon us. I just manage to roll down the stairs under it as the lightning once again strikes Ef Utan. I swear, if we survive this, we've got to get him some protection towards that.
Suddenly amidst the fire and lightning, I just manage to pick out a strange thing… I think… it's a flute? As I look past Ef Utan and Vedis I can just make out the red skinned woman at the top of the stairs wearing a white feathered mask with a flute to her lips. Well that's a relief… if we survive this maybe we can finally talk!
There's another smaller explosion, then I hear a Scro scream behind me and turn just in time to witness its doom as it falls off the stairs by Lenata. The flutter of a cape zooms by me towards the dragon as Word charges the monster… only to be slapped back through the air by its tail.
Thinking quickly, I grab the Tyrant card from my sash and pray as I concentrate over it… hoping in my heart that whatever power that's in these cards might help us in our darkest hour. A ball of light shoots from the card, hovering in front of me as it grows in size and then shoots towards the dragon's chest. There's a blinding flash of light as it strikes… but as I clear my vision I see that it didn't harm it, per se… but it definitely changed it. The blue dragon is replaced by a sewn together golem that reminds me of the ones we saw on the Demiplane of Dread when this crazy adventure first started so long ago… but that's as much as I can describe as it's now falling towards the castle below.
"What in all the spheres just happened?" asks Vedis incredulously.