Nasar looks over the domed chieftain, ”Yikes, and I thought what my team does was pretty brutal.” After realizing that Bezel mentioned magic behind the door, Nasar’s focus changes quickly. ”Well at least the door itself isn’t magical or that would be suspicious, let’s see what’s hiding behind door number 2. Hopefully it isn’t someone readying a domination spell.”
The door is locked but easily picked by Nasar in a matter of seconds. Belle nods and smirks, I always get the right guys for the job. And as Nasar opens it he sees a small corridor. Stone covers the hallway as a lone humanoid sits facing the wall at the end. A few candles sit lit on the floor wax seeping off the sides. Unmoving his old and withered body sits in a meditation stance.
As the team moves closer the man can be heard in a raspy and long lived voice, As it was foretold… All paths of life lead back to you don’t they? Nasar…
”Yea it’s been feeling like that for the last couple weeks honestly.” Nasar lets out a somewhat defeated laugh that devolves into a sigh. ”If I was a betting man I’d guess that you are the ‘Shadow Oracle’.”
He responds, Odd, it seems the other side has faltered in keeping my kinds existence secret to you. It is always entertaining to see how one opponents moved pieces change the course of the others plan. Nasar sees a faintly glowing purple sigil on the ground where the Oracle sits. His face is withered but moves to look at Nasar when Nasar comes into view.
Bezel looks at Nasar, Well if he’s some proclaimed Oracle what can he tell us?
The Oracle looks at Nasar, Not ‘Us’ only those of which the prophecy has aligned for. The prophecy holds a place for all of you, but you can’t do much with the information without the Leader.
Nasar crosses his arms as he tries to follow the Oracle’s roundabout way of telling Bezel to mind his own business. ”Well from the sounds of that it seems like you do have information for me.”
The Oracle meets eyes with Nasar still sitting idle, I have information of all kinds. For you yes a plethora of information awaits you, but we are not a race of people that simply divulge pertinent information. My kind does not take sides, most of us anyway. I simply flow with the sands of time, the sands of time right now hold information for you yes but in order to earn such leverage you must prove to me you are the Leader that fills the other Oracles gossiping tongues. A test of strength would suffice, if you are up for a fight? He challenges Nasar though still sitting idle and unmoving. He simply glares and awaits a response.
Nasar doesn’t take too long thinking about it before he answers. ”Well I don’t have anything better to do so it’d be foolish to turn down this opportunity.”
The Oracle's eye turn a shade of purple as Nasar is pushed back by an unseen force, he stumbles back as space distorts around him and everything fades away to darkness. He stands there now in complete darkness as his surroundings fade back in, he stands on a platform around him an aroura of purple and green hues like the arouras of the North Pole shine above. The Oracle sits high above the arena on the opposite end as it spectating like Varis the Overseer would. He hears the Oracle now clearly as if they were standing right next to each other, A battle within ones own mind, stand against your current demons and settle them. Only then will you have a clear mind to accept your prophecy. Where shall we start it is fairly cramped in here?
A silhouette of a large egg appears on the platform Nasar stands upon. It sits idle upon this large 50 x 50 platform silent and unmoving just like the Oracle.
”So this is what’s going on huh? Alright then.” Nasar positions himself 20 ft away from the egg as he awaits for whatever’s inside it to hatch.
I have a very strong idea what will come from the egg. This will be exciting.”
As Nasar thinks his inner monologue is heard all through the arena. The Oracle smiles as his purple eyes squint in eagerness. The mind thinks this will be easy, but it is truly a manifestation of your own struggles. We shall see how you battle your own shortcomings.
A long red tail busts out the egg. Then one deep red appendage after the other breaks free from the shell. Eggshell and embryonic fluid showed the area as a gigantic red dragon breaks free. It’s legs bear scars but after a brief look the scales look carved with the faces of his deceased first comrades. The dragon bellows out a laugh as it stares Nasar down.
The Oracle speaks, Let’s start from the top then.
Nasar looks on at the dragon and remains unmoving as he speaks draconic. ”While you may not be the real one, you’ll have to do. I have a lot that I have to get off my chest.” Nasar readies his weapons, but instead of charging the dragon right away, he readies to dodge the dragon’s breathe weapon first and then moving in close. ”You put me through a lot of turmoil over the last couple years you know? What you did to my first team was only the beginning of it.”
The dragon roars as it blows out a wicked red plume of smoke and fire.
Nasar dashes to the side as he feels the heat of the flames rush past him. And he rushes up to face the foe head on. As he nears the dragon he sees more and more detail with every foot closer he runs. Gashes and scars depict the final moments Nasars team met their demise, a fiery death is portrayed on each forelimb of the dragon.
Nasar looks over all the different scars covering the dragon. ”So what is all this? All scarred up to represent the mental scars you gave me all those years ago? Well at least what you’re wearing and what I’m wearing looks pretty similar.” Nasar says while gesturing to his chest and abdomen. ”The marks you left on me used to be a constant reminder of my failures. No matter how hard I tried I could only make them worse. Having to see them day after day; constantly reliving that nightmare pushed me to the edge of insanity. And there were days when I was ready to dive head first into that darkness. I barely managed to avoid that fall but I kept myself sheltered away from the world, I built up walls to keep everyone away and to keep you hidden within.” Nasar sets in full defense, expecting the dragon’s next attack to come quickly.
The dragon lifts up its front legs and roars as it tries to slam down onto Nasar.
Nasar defensively moves to the side and dodges the attack, the oracle watches from above. You'll make no progress monologuing to it. Face your fears and worries head on so that you my clear your mind.
”You’re making a mistake, while this may be a demon lingering in my past, it certainly isn’t a fear anymore.”
”I spent so long having nightmares of this dragon, I used to wake up in a cold sweat in the morning. But there was a day that came when those dreams stopped.”
”I managed to make myself a team of people that I care for, and it seems like they care for me too. At first my fear was that you’d come back, and take them away from me. Much like you did before!”
”But I realized something, you are nothing compared to what I face further ahead. Not only that, I finally understood that I couldn’t reach this point without you. I wouldnt have isolated, I wouldn’t have become a leader that can be respected, I would never have gained the power of a shadow.”
Nasar slashes with a flurry of blows and slashes the dragon, as it draws blood one of the scars glows and the dragons foot raises. Nasar's old comrade lays behind the foot, leg broken from taking a fall that day off a building to save a family. He recites one of the last things Nasar heard from him before he was dispatched, G-go I got a spare potion in my satchel, make sure they get to safety!
The dragon blows fire at the ground at Nasar and his old friend-
Nasar deftly moves to the side but his friend gets caught in the flames as his screams fade with the flames.
As the flames billow past him the area around him looks more and more like that fateful day. Ash and smog fill the air as the once 50 x 50 area is now a town wrought with terror and disaster.
The Oracle now unseen speaks aloud, Yes! Clear your mind of this uncertainty once and for all! Nasar sees his friends lifeless charred corpse under the dragons low-hanging chest.
He shakes off the sight and keeps his focus on the dragon and whatever else it may bring. Citizens of the town so far forgotten he can't make out faces run past Nasar to flee the scene.
”You don’t get do you! There’s nothing that you can show me that I haven’t seen in my nightmares!”
”I have relived your assault on my team over and over and over again. Just because I don’t have those dreams doesn’t mean I forgot what burning bodies smell like. The sight of charred clothes peeling off with skin.”
”If you think these mediocre attempts to get to me are going to work, then you really know nothing about me!”
Nasar slashes and swings relentlessly at the dragon as the other scar on the dragons leg draws blood, the image of his other comrade manifests on the dragons leg just as it was that day. The fighter ruthlessly stabbing at the leg gripping tightly as to deal as much damage as possible. He looks over to his friend, Go around back I can take him from the front, WOAH! The dragon whips its tail at the figure sending him hurtling through the air, just as Nasar remembers his long time friends end the fighter is stopped by a runaway cow. The loud crack of his back breaking can be heard as it echoes through Nasar's subconscious. The fighter lay there briefly before the dragon breathes in deeply and exhales a plume of smoke and fire.
Nasar dips out the way like clockwork but his friend not so much, the scream of his friend shoots through Nasar like a blade through his heart.
Nasar has seen this too many time, the dragon jets upward to rain fire on the rest of the village. His dying friend lays there reaching for Nasar like they have done in the past to both escape from hairy situations, Nasar was just too far away that day to grasp onto.
The Oracle is pleased, It seems you need not face that fear no longer, you have came to terms with your shortcomings and the consequences you and your friends suffered because of it. The illusion starts to fade back to a purple aurora and the platform.
Nasar watches everything fade away, letting out a sigh once it’s gone. ”If I passed your test then that means I’m ‘ready to hear my prophecy’. That was the whole point of this wasn’t it?”
The Oracle speaks still siting idle, Indeed.
Visions and images begin to form around Nasar as a story is animated around him, The Leader presents himself among his peers, unknowing of his own status yet holding the potential for so much power. The lust for power comes as a realization to oneself, he who wishes to obtain such a power must blaze his own path to victory. A vision of Young Nasar looting a market stall at midnight with one of his Tengu brethren flashes to him and his 2 old teammates scaling the side of a ravine to escape a giant slime, then to Nasar and Alex cutting the head of the dragon off on the ship, then finally to Deract and the gang knocking the Pathfinders unconscious. Now that the Leader has taken his position with open arms, all paths start to lead back to him. The Well of Darkness held the first oppressor's against the power of the Shadows. And soon after different circumstances always seemed to include the Shadows, he can no longer escape them as they have been weaved into his fabric of fate. And now he meets the one to tell him his status as the Leader. Visions appear that show Nasar leading an army of different humanoids into battle, it changes to Nasar standing at the highest point of a keep with his council around him, then finally to Nasar meeting swords with Jurastis himself. He who has woven himself into the Shadows thread of fate must now face all that the Shadows hold for him, good and bad. But not alone no he will never be alone. A Leader of his potential always has a council at his side to aid him. The visions start to fade to show the Oracle standing in front of Nasar. He finally moves to point at Nasar, Be the Leader you wish to be, fate will find you nowhere you travel or flee to.
Everything starts to fade away as Nasar snaps back to reality. The Oracle however is nowhere to be seen.
”Well we joked that trouble always finds us but its cool knowing that-“ Nasar sees that he’s returned from his oracle trip and that said oracle is gone. ”Where the f$&+ did he go?” Nasar looks around to see if everyone is gone or if the party is still there just waiting on him to finish dealing with the oracle.
Belle and her gang are looking around the room for any secrets or useful tools. They notice Nasar out of his trance and Belle approaches him, Now where’d that Oracle go off to? I wanted my palm read!
Diote laughes, He’s not your carnival mind reader Belle, just like we aren’t just high flying acrobats. Oh a chest! And he ironically punches through the weak wood to pull out a potion that he stuffs in his pocket.
”I don’t know why you need help reading text on your hand Belle but I seriously doubt the Oracle would have had any interest in helping you.” Nasar rubs his eyes as he looks around the room but sees that the rest of the team has already been exploring around. ”If there’s nothing else in this room then let’s keep moving, there’s still quite a lot of rooms to clear.”
As Nasar runs his eyes he notices something left in his hand, a ball of royal purple yarn. It feels as if it holds a great magical power within it. But it lays dormant until another catalyst comes into play.
The team goes back into the hall to pick one of three other doors.
After putting the yarn away, Nasar walks up to the closest door and readies to check it for sound on the other side like the room they just cleared. He looks back to the group and speaks quietly. ”Guess it doesn’t matter the order we go, so might as well just work down the hallway.”
The next room Nasar walks up to he presses his ear up to to listen to the sounds of clanging pots and silverware, muffled sounds of people can be heard talking.
His team should be back before nightfall tomorrow, after that we will use what we have and hopefully nothing throws a wrench in our windmill. The goblins should also be finished with that golem so we can- A sound of a dropped pan stops the conversation and instead turns to shouts of curses and profanities. Go get a rag to clean up this soup!
Nasar looks a little surprised before he waves Belle over to listen. He whispers in her ear when she stands by the door, ”Sounds like a kitchen? They were talking about a team coming back tomorrow night.”
Belle shrugs as she whispers back, Probably that lot of goblins we took out it the forest. Wait a sec. She listens to the door.
She and Nasar hear footsteps approaching the door.
Nasar looks at Belle and puts a finger gun up to his head, pantomiming a headshot as he points to the door. If they open the door we can get the jump on them. Belle’s suppressed weapon shouldn’t alert everyone and we can pick them off quickly.
Belle looks back at her group and motions a walking person and then her clasping her fist over them. They all nod as Bezel readies his book, Belle waves at him before putting a hushed finger to her lip. Bezel puts the book away as Diote steps up behind her.
Belle takes aim at the door as the knob turns and opens inward towards the room. The wizard in the doorway wears a ragged red robe adorned with stones and jewelry. A necklace is draped across his neck with a similar stones the crew found in the goblins chest. He swings the door open as he just stands there staring at the crew, Uhh… Who are- Belle cuts him off with a single shot dooming the wizard to whatever hell he believes in. He drops like a sack of potatoes as his spell book falls out his robe onto the floor as well. Before the wizards behind him at the table even have time to react the team rushes in.
Two wizards sit at a table eating food while two others farther back near a makeshift mineshaft entrance turn to see the fight just start.
Nasar charges at one of the wizards that were trying to eat.
Nasar runs up and shanks one of the wizards while the other on the out her side of the table steps back and casts a spell. One other from the back casts a spell too that both drum up a pack of Blink Dogs. Light blue clouds circle around these dogs as they step out from oblivion to attack. The last wizard by the tunnel casts a domination spell right before Diote trucks him.
Nasar feels a strain on his mind overtake him as he feels the compulsion run through him. The wizard who spelled him cries out, Dispatch my opposition! And with that Nasar’s targets are now that which he invaded this land with.
The shadows grow ever excited at this turn of events as Nasar’s blood now boils with rage at the thought of his actions not being his own will. The shadows scream in his head blinding his will further, BETRAY KILL BACKSTAB WORTHLESS DOMINATE STEAL.
With no resolve to resist the shadows’ voices, he palms up club and readies to launch it at the team, aiming to catch as many people in the blast as possible.
They want to give me orders just because i agree to help them out one time, I’ll show them just what kind of power I have!
Nasar haphazardly aims his arm at Diote and hurls it at the Oread who is being assaulted by more than half the Blink Dogs. An explosion erupts causing rocks and dirt to fall down the tunnel shaft. The wizard and 5 dogs are caught in the blast as Diote was surrounded.
Nasar’s arm feels as if he just stuck it in a boiling pot of water. Club cools down as he feels the hold release from him.
Luckily enough Diote hop, skip, and leaps his way out from most of the inferno. The wizard and dogs however go up in flames as they get caught in the epicenter of the explosion. The dogs vanish as the wizard falls leaving just two dogs and two wizards left. Bezelghast casts a lightning bolt that whizzes through the air taking out the other two dogs and Belle shoots the farthest wizard right in his dome. Leaving now one wizard.
”That was a weird feeling. I don’t think I’ve been that angry in a while…” Nasar charges at the last wizard and goes to slice his throat open before he has the chance to do anything else.
Nasar quickly slashes through the wizard as he screams at the ass whooping he’s about to receive. Diote follows up by laying his arms onto the wizard dropping him to the ground.
The group looks around as Belle shoots the last Blink Dog, Easy enough. You ok partner?
Nasar sheathes his blades and starts rummaging their bodies for any loot and spell books for Genesis. He looks up to Belle while doing so, ”Who me? Yea I’m doing well, you doing alright?”
Obtained:
4x Domination Spellbooks (You have no clue what they say)
2x potions of Shield
3x potions of cure light wounds
1x sack of marbles
3x rations
2x water skins
4x masterwork daggers
5x gps rocks (already have one)
Nasar finds overall 4 spellbooks minus one Bezel took from the first wizard. This is bound to have all the stuff we need Gidget. Now the problem lies of making sure there are no more wizards here to keep doing these dastardly deeds.
Diote and the rest nod as they hear someone approach from the door they came in. Phil the Kineticist and his party walk in holding a man tied by the arms as they are guided to that kitchen, So this is where the… oh hey guys! Seems you all got busy?
Belle frustratingly mocks him, Yes “Y’all got busy” now what did you find out about that there spider?
Tony points to the cave. Happy to give her information she might need in exchange for love and affection, R-right there ma’am! Down that cavern lies the big spider we have to take care of!
Nasar puts the spellbooks in his pack and leaves the rest of the stuff for anyone interested minus one potion of cure light that he’s going to use on himself. He lets out an exasperated sigh after drinking the potion-
and begins to speak. ”So how big if a spider we talking here? Person sized? Wagon sized? And do we have any sort of antivenom cause I can imagine that spider might have some potent venom. And do you just need to kill it or are you trying to get some sort of resource from the spider? Cause that would impact how we handle bringing it down.”
Tony rips the gag off the prisoner, Well. How big we talking?
The prisoner wizard breathes as he’s can finnaly close his mouth, I mean it’s big enough to need a small army to take down. I’m talking this things huge!
Tony slaps him across the face, Yea so is my ding-dong but I need exact measurements here!
The man looks back at him and simply says, Huge…
Diote walks over and picks the man up, holds him upside down and brings him over to the pot of boiling liquid, This sure looks like a huuuuuge pot of hot soup. Class how huge do we think it is?
The wizard breathes heavily as he finally cracks, Alright alright! It’s bigger than a traditional wagon like a Conestoga wagon! Things HUGE! Diote throws him back over to Tony, Gold star!
Nasar claps once they get the answer they are looking for. ”Fantastic! Now do we need anything else from him or has he fulfilled his purpose? Cause if so, I’m going to need you to hold him for me real quick.” Nasar says with a smile as he readies to suffocate him with club for practice.
Tony picks up the prisoner as Belle watches with anticipation as to what Nasar does. Nasar walks up to the prisoner and grabs him by his cheeks with one hand to ensure an open mouth as he sees Club slowly dribble into the wizards mouth. Nasar stares diabolically as the wizard takes his one way trip to the River of Souls.
After the wizard drops Clubs slithers around Nasar’s neck before moving downward into one of his inward pockets. Tony smiles, Cool! So now let’s squish a big ol’ bug!
Belle halts hun before he dives headlong into the cavern, Hold on there Hyper. We need a plan of action to clear it out. It’s probably really close to the entrance guarding it.
Diote looks at Nasar, Got any ideas?
Nasar takes a deep breath and begins to fast talk his thoughts. ”Well like I said antivenom would be useful for the post fight recovery, but I can imagine fire will be useful to deal with webs or in case of swarms of smaller spiders. If there are swarms, anyone that can deal area of effect damage should focus on them. The actual spider can’t hide away from range attacks since Belle can chip away so it’ll have to come down and fight at some point where we can surround it. If we can predict where it lands if it isn’t on the ground we can avoid having to approach through its range of attacks. Once we have it in position we can just swing away.” Nasar takes a moment to catch his breath before finishing his thoughts. ”If worse comes to worse, I have that fireball like trick up my sleve still. The only drawback is some minor burns to my hand.”
Belle’s eyes spin for a second as she gets a grip on all that info, Bang up plan, should work fine considering… She glances at Bezel he nods with his spellbook.
Tony speaks as Phil crushes a rock in his hand, We can keep pelting the spider with rocks and such to keep him aggravated. Hopefully we don’t get webbed up or something!
Diote looks at the cavern, Guess bows a better time than never huh? He seems a bit wary.
Nasar opens up his pack and digs for a healing wand, ”Great. Now before we head into the fight, anyone need any last second healing before we go?”
Belle makes sure her weapons are in check as Diote takes a hit of the wand. They all seem ready to go.
As the crew descends in they see two goblins down low. They seems confused as to where they are until they see the crew coming. They point and speak gibberish as they run deeper into the cave with their lantern. The lantern soon shatters in the distance and screams can be heard. The team runs up to find a giant opening in the cavern as luminescent mushrooms and stones light the area. The goblins are cocooned on the roof as they struggle and squirm. The giant spider hisses on the ceiling as venom and saliva drip to the ground from its large jaws.
Belle immediately takes a stick of dynamite out her boot and lights it. She chucks it upwards as a giant explosion erupts on the spider from the dynamite, a giant scream can be heard as it drops to the ground to gorge on its new meal. The Kineticitists shoot off boulders at the gigantic spider and they slam into the spiders side.
I really don’t feel like getting in its range and getting bit…maybe i’ll throw a blast its way to start out to soften it up. Plus since it’s big it’ll be easier to hit. Nasar starts charging up a club fireblast again as the ranged attacks rain out. ”Don’t approach it yet! I’m going to blast it so cover me for a few seconds!”
Nasar holds his hand steady as he starts to heat up Club behind Belle. The vibrations echo through his hand as it reaches extreme temperatures. Belle whips out her lever rifle and blasts off a shot that lands in the big bugs back, blue blood spurts out as it screeches and fires off two webs to ensnare his enemies. Nasar and Belle look as the webs sail towards them.
Nasar while heating up Club fails to see the web flying right at him. As soon as Nasar sees it a knowing of what happens next shoots through him. Then around him as Club ignites and violently explodes. Heat rushes past Nasar as the webs burn off almost instantly, Belle also gets caught in the blast of fire as Nasar kamikazees himself.
Belle’s hat almost flings off as her singed clothes stay alight. Diote rushes past as he prepares to fistfight the spider, I got him guys! You handle all that?
Bezelghast flings his own fireball at the spider as one of the goblins webs are burned away and he falls to the ground. Gidget readies one of his turrets.
”S~~$ S~$% S%#@ STUPID SPIDER!”
Nasar frantically swats the burned crisps of webbing off his body while shaking his burned hand to relieve some of the pain. ”What kind of a#~!*#& THROWS WEBS AT SOMEONE!” Nasar charges at the spider with his blades drawn, ready to carve the spider up with Diote’s help. ”Diote flank with me, we can turn this thing into a pile of sludge!”
Diote runs up with Nasar as he gets behind the beast to give Nasar a sick flank. Nasar cuts into the spider as it’s blood spurts outward and onto Nasar’s arm.
The bubbling of the poison dosent seem to affect Nasar as the team continues barraging the spider with bullets and rocks.
The spider sweeps it’s legs out as it tries to slam the assailants,
Nasar manages to dodge the legs as more spiders flood out the walls and start to swarm the ranged teammates.