Azzim's plan had been to summon powerful localized lightning but as he soared over the battlefield he realized Arlo and possible Terex where at what would be ground zero. So instead he fell back to his other mainstay of battle, Jatambe's Ire which wouldn't target either of them.
So with a word of power, the entire battlefield was transformed as dozens and dozens of vine like tentacles erupted from ground, each independently seeking out evil to crush and destroy!
From cover at the shore, Azzim summons a forest of glowing vines which tear apart the two Juju Zombies and the injured red fire ghost and grab and mangles the green-glowing animate armor... Rather than struggling with the vines, the creature in the armor seems to vomit a cone of green ichor at Arlo .
Meanwhile, gift rushes to through the mist-gate and destroys the corpse-caster with a single ray of green energy...
As this happens, two figures appear, struggling at the top of castles, an older Tiefling woman is screaming and trying to escape from a juju zombie armed a rope and a cudgel. The zombie is expressionless as it clubs her and pulls on the rope.
Meanwhile, the remaining red fire ghost disappears from view.
Arlo grunts as he rushes to defend the old tiefling woman.
She had to keep herself in check, that blast could have done a lot more damage, but the corpse-caster has taken it all.
"Dad, The red fire ghost used a dimension-door-ed behind a statue next to the woman it may attempt something like a sneak-attack on anyone heading that way"
And she ports behind it.
::Good eyes, my girl! Let's get to that woman before something terrible happens!:
Terexaltherin darts forward, though he stays low and as hidden as he can as he goes. Suspicious of the timing, he quickly starts detecting magic as he nears the woman, trying to determine if there's an aura of illusion in the area.
As Arlo runs up the stair, the strange hyena hybrid known as a red fire ghost, slips next to the tiefling, laying it's muzzle next to her neck while muttering a stream of strange demonic curses as its eyes flash white in silent challenge to the dwarf paladin and another long clawed limb wraps around her waist. She stands frozen in fear. The Zombie expressionlessly pulls its rope tighter.
Terex moves silent forward as well, taking in the scene and not detecting any illusions...
As the dwarf runs, he slowly lets out a loud roar, in hopes of distracting the two fiends from the old woman.
Gift enters a faster time frame temporal-acceleration
reality slows, she moves to the tifling and touches her,
"I'm going to move us, so my fellows can deal with this Ghost"
Terexaltherin slips closer, trying to get behind the action unnoticed while Arlo is so nicely providing a distraction, so he can be in position to do something about what's happening.
There's a bare flicker as Gift appears and then both she and the tiefling vanish...
At that point, the Juju Zombie advances towards Arlo brandishing its club and rope, and manages to give the dwarf a solid thump meanwhile the red fire ghost again vanishes and isn't visible anywhere.
35 perception tells the room where the sadistic canine is using it's fire breath to torment two young children trapped in a crude iron cage...
Once she gets a moment, the tiefling woman shouts, "My children!"
The dwarf paladin rams into he juju zombie.
Soaring over the battlefield, Azzim groaned inwardly, clearly something awful was about to happen to the Tiefling woman. So he swooped across the mist barrier and pointed at her Juju Zombie tormentor, crying "BEGONE FIEND!"
A sudden blast of holy fire smote down from the heavens, slamming into the zombie.
It went in the castle somewhere! Terexaltherin informs the rest of the group. He cautiously flies to the nearest entrance he can find to the castle (a window if he can fit through one) and checks it for traps.
Azzim enters the mist-gate to the area of castle and the Juju zombie at the gate explodes into dust next to Arlo (who get a little on his beard).
Meanwhile, Terex enters the castle's main gates - the only entrance not magically sealed - and finds a large foyer with two Juju at the entrance to main room behind them - they draw their swords and advance but Terex is able to fly around them to a hallway to the left where he hears two children crying. He arrives to see the red fire ghost shooting flames inches from the skin of two caged children and gibbering in a fashion that seems to bend the minds
The dwarf looks around for the red dog ghost he was told was there.
::"I have the location, Hexqill got to dad and aid him to the kids"::
She ports her psicyral to her father's side. She then deals with the woman.
"Do not fear, the others will save them, now let me check you for harm."
Nexqil comes into being next to Arlo moves and locks onto his shield, sending.
::"My lord, activating battlesense Please follow the arrows::
Arlo a HUD-like tactical display comes up showing you your statues and also directions winking in red arrows.
Arlo was startled when the psicrystal popped into his perception, but listened to his daughter's 'crystal familair', as he called Nexqil.
"Alright, Nexqil. I'll follow you!"
This way! Watch out for the zombies! Terexaltherin 'says' to those on his side of the gateway, doing his best to send an image of the way he went in the castle.
He comes around the corner and sees the 'ghost' tormenting the children. Knowing he has backup behind him, Terexaltherin doesn't figure he needs to kill it, just distract it for a second.
So he withdraws a flask of liquid ice from his pack and hurls it at the fiery creature.
It's fur blackened by it's flames, the red fire ghost snarls softly as Terex' missile hits it and then once again vanishes, appearing ten feet from Gift, the tiefling woman and Azzim at the mist-gate. The creature looks ready to rush out the portal gate but is stopped momentarily by the dimension-door disorientation.
Immediately after it vanishes, Arlo and Nexqil rush into the room and see the children in the iron cage.
Gift has 360 vision.
"Let's put you in a bottle shall we"
As one incorporeal being to another.
When time kicks in again she says,
"Get ready it will follow us."
Azzim was about follow Arlo and Nexqil when the red fire ghost popped into being more or less right next to him. The fire ghost seemed momentarily disoriented by the dimensional travel, and Azzim took advantage of this by moving so that the ghost was between him and the woman, ensuring she was was far enough away not to get hit.
Once he'd gone far enough away, he whispered a secret word of power, briefly opening a conduit into the para-elemental plane of lightning, unleashing a cataract of energy which slammed into the the red fire ghost and anything else unfortunate enough to be nearby!
Thanks to Azzim's attack, Arlo could now make out the red ghost's outline in the air.
Well... I guess you don't need me, Terexaltherin comments as Gift teleports in to reunite the children and their mother and, he assumes, shortly thereafter get them out.
Without anything better to do, he starts exploring around a little to see what else is in this 'castle'.
With a final word, Azzim destroys the strange canine in a flash of lightning... You are able to clear the area of the remaining Juju zombies and investigate the castle as you speak with the tiefling woman... She identifies herself as Leandrew Colnalia, sister of Poinifaxsis, her two young children are Efee and Ardu. "For six months, these creatures kept me here with spells and illusions but when those faded, they used fear and force. Conditions were worsening, I think..." Leandrew walks around the island, appreciating her new found freedom...
You find few clue here but enough to confirm the Dark Traders are involved. The castle has a supply of grim rations and some crude weapons, tools and garments and little else. Leandrew mentions that more powerful entities seemed to teleport in regularly...
Gift plays with the kids as the woman gets to freedom.
"I will take you all back to your brother, are any other family members you know of being held?"
She asks.
So, after gathering any further evidence available on the small island, the party exits the mist-gate and teleports with Leandrew and her two children back to an area outside of Poinifaxsis' small family house/apartment. Leandrew is still a bit in shock but eager to return home. Some or all of you can ring the bell to bring her in.
Gift sends him a message and rings the bell.
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Over the hive mind, Azzim noted ::Well we've just kicked the Trader's Door down, there's going to be a reaction. Maybe we can use that to our advantage? I'm thinking if we setup a little honeypot for them to find... Show them what they expect to see, perhaps us holed up with Poinifaxsis's family, somewhere secure but not that secure. It could prove irresistible, but all is not as it seems for I've been reading about veiled mindscapes. Properly designed I think we could keep their agents busy and hopefully keep Poinifaxsis and family safe, elsewhere.::
Good thinking, Azzim. We definitely want to keep a step ahead of them, Terexaltherin agrees, a note of deep thought in his telepathic communication. They'll probably strike at our allies in the library too, though... maybe we should split up? Some of us can work with the Poinifaxsis and the rest of us could go to our South Wing employers?
So Gift rings Poinifaxsis' door bell and Poinifaxsis answers and the party enters and unites sister, brother and children. As the group briefly hugs, the tiefling noble turns to you and says "So what comes next?". Azzim outlines the plan and Poinifaxsis and family agree to whatever is needed.
::"This place is a little constraining I will have to be careful so I may not be of much use other than dealing with the odd threat"::
She seems genuinely worried about causing caltural damage
::"This place is a little constraining I will have to be careful so I may not be of much use other than dealing with the odd threat"::
She seems genuinely worried about causing caltural damage
As he leaves for the safe house, Poinifaxsis seems to sense Gift's motives ... "I wouldn't worry much about any ruckus, this city has seen nearly everything and shrugged it off..."
I'm going to go warn the South Wing, Terexaltherin 'says' to the rest of the group. I'm sure they have their own preparations for attacks, so I'll work with them to see what I can do to help. Anyone coming with me?
::Right behind ya!:: The dwarf paladin follows the flying psuedodragon.
Gift and Azzim get Poinifaxsis and his sister to a safe area and set-up a "honey pot" at the Colnalias house. Not attack comes ... not immediately..
Meanwhile, Terex and Arlo arrive at the South Wing, the normally quiet zone is filled with frenetic activity and confused shouts. In the first minute, you seen Dzitizim who call out "The library phantoms are revolting, pick a door and throw every protection spell you have on it...", a bit later, Aran grabs the party group and takes you into the head office. "A flock of library phantoms is besieging us but things could be worse. I'm receiving sendings of support from every existing faction. It seems the circle of hands refused the credentials of some fake 'Colnalias' and a battle started right in the heart of the council... Circle of Hands may not recover... We are vindicated..." Pauses to get his breath... "I think, I hope all the factions are on defending the city. It will be cold comfort if we can't survive this siege. I remember you're from an offworld military faction. Can you give us some tactics?"
As he tells her the city has seen everything she just raises an eyebrow.
"Sorry, I understand what you mean, but I was more worried about your buildings and belongings. I...can level cities if I am not carfull."
She helps move them.
"I am going to place a force field around you and will be here unseen. I will keep you safe"
We likely can, especially since we now have proof that our traditional enemies were behind much of what was going on, Terexaltherin replies to Aran.
He gives a brief explanation of what happened with Poinifaxsis and his family and how they'd just reunited them. This is likely why the Dark Traders are making their move now...
His mental 'tone of voice' turns more serious. What are the specifics of the situation? Have you seen more than the phantoms yet? Do they seem organized or are they just swarming? Where are our allies and enemies? What defenses do you have?
The little dragon questions Aran relentlessly until he gets a firm enough grasp of the situation to start making suggestions.
Aran listens to Terex and activates a device with a tank of liquid neon and a magnetic vibrating membrane that serves as a communication device and begins a conversation with the other library branches, relaying Terex' message.
Pausing for a second, he says "This clears things up a little. The phantoms began attacking people on the open stacks six hours ago. The branches closed their doors quickly but a phantom got into our lower area and slew Marinon and Kovil before Ethar targeted with it a sanitizing device... We have all the door barred and magically held at this point. The phantom began randomly acting but now seem to be concentrating on the Lower, East door but at least one at each door, keeping us in, you think you're 'Dark Traders' control the phantoms then? Or perhaps have corrupted them?..."
Azzim had been monitoring the honeypot while the others investigated the library phantasms. Naturally he was listening into the hive mind chatter when he realised something, ::The phantasms are concentrating on the lower east door? Curious. That's not far at all from several bricked off areas we haven't had a chance to explore. Maybe there's something of importance hidden?::
The honeypot that the party has set-up remains quiet ... for now.
Meanwhile, Aran quickly explains to Terex as discussion on the intercom continues, "The phantoms are not undead (as far as I understand) but beings of protoplasm created six hundred years ago by a 'security committee' of that time. Lately, they seem to have heavily sided with certain factions and are now finally 'rogue'... I am not sure why they seem to side with these Dark Traders you describe but I can't deny they have... "
Investigating the bricked-off section, you find first a variety of rare but only marginally important texts and media but beneath a sub-door, you find a chest...
The nearby door booms with the sound of battering ram but also holds...
That is odd... it's possible the Dark Traders are involved in it, but it's also possible there's something in that area driving them crazy...
Terexaltherin goes to take a look in the bricked-off section. Hunting around, he stumbles on the chest, and taking his time, he gets it open.
He examines the odd objects within it for a few minutes, including seeing if he can detect magic on them. Maybe they're... part of some planar machinery? Could they be associated with some of those things they'd found in the hidden compound outside the city?
"I can go room-to-room and take down the spirits", Arlo offered.
As Terex and others try to puzzle-out the contents of the chests, Arlo surprises the phantoms milling outside the large Lower Door to the South Wing, by emerging from a side entrance and wading into combat. Most of the phantoms scatter before his sword but one large ectoplasmic figure stands it's ground...
Still waiting in the honeypot, Azzim listened to Texrex's description of the contents of the chest and he made a wide eyed guess as to its purpose, ::We know that the traders subtly influence planes, introducing a weakness that they can exploit. We know they harvest Orichalcum from the dissolution of planes, but I don't think anyone has ever explained the specifics of how. I wonder... I wonder if that device is involved somehow? This could be quite the coup, although fair warning if it's what I think it might be, its very dangerous.::
It'd be a strange place for them to put it, and I'd think they'd guard it better, Terexaltherin disagrees. I still think it's more likely involved with the ancient planar equipment we found buried outside.
Taking a huge slice across his chest, the large phantom falls back a step and then his right hand turns into a tendril of ectoplasm that he hurls, whip-like, at Arlo, who dodges the strike ... and watches the whip like tendril rebound and wrap itself around the creature... who stumble several more feet back...
Meanwhile, the party puzzles over the chest contents as chaos. A dark trader gift? The salvaged remnants of planar machinery? ... then, looking at the Orichalcum shapes and what images you have of the battlefield seals you have reconstructed, it hits you. These are specifically seal openers, nefarious devices for ending the seals that clearly were designed at the time of seals themselves and somehow deposited here... It seems the defenders of Orguanion wished to have one more trick up their sleeves for further invasions ... a forgotten trick but apparently discovered by the Dark Traders...