Zienvus zaps both dreamscrapers with lightning. Batman bashes his opponent, then Sylva takes it out with three brutal strikes! The last monster attacks Zienvus, but the wizard's form flickers, causing it to miss!
Sylva watches with satisfaction as another smoldering foe crumples to the ground.
When Zeinvus warns not to use cold attacks, the aquatic fairy is relieved she chose flaming fists over her Ice Scream Cone.
“Osoyo gifted me with the power of ice, a power that can’t hurt him. So I’ll rely on the opposite power to kill him. It’s not your weakness, but… that hardly matters, dream-scrapper, because I’m your nightmare.”
Sylva tumbles into flank position and mercilessly beats the hell out of the last dreamscraper.
Sir Batman suppresses a giggle at Sylva's remark. The Champion of Mazludeh Raises his Shield, Strides into a Flank, and Strikes!
The sprites annihilate the final dreamscraper. With its death, you awaken from the dream back in the explorer's yurt. The memories unlocked by your visit to the Dreaming have awakened more of your deviant abilities, and you can no longer be affected by Osoyo's nightmares.
Sir Batman excitedly awakens, jumps to his feet and gathers his things.
It's clobbering time!
The Final Chapter: Whispers in the Ice
Your first sight of the Nameless Spires signals the imminent end to your expedition north. The six monolithic towers surrounding the ruins are visible first, jutting from the horizon like dark gray horns. Once, these towering cones of gray stone stretched 2,000 feet into the sky and tapered to a point; today, three of the six have crumbled down to uneven heights of 1,500, 1,000 and 800 feet, respectively. The size of them belies the distance from which they were first spotted, distorting the perception of how many miles remain before the travelers reach the ruins themselves.
As you draw closer, it becomes clear that one spire is noticeably darker than the others. At its base, this spire shifts from gray to black. Closer still, the cause of the change becomes clear: great vortices of wind laced with what looks like black ash curl around the spire, painting it darker and darker at a slow but inexorable pace.
Nestled within the six spires, the city comes into view only as the group draws within a dozen miles of it. Its stone structures are much smaller than the spires themselves but no less strange in appearance. Domes, twisted towers, and angular facades clash and compete for the viewer’s attention. These buildings are made of a strange, dark-green stone, and the twisting streets between are paved in massive slabs of gray basalt. At the city’s heart, looming 500 feet over the ruined buildings around it, stands a giant hexagonal pyramid, though it’s still dwarfed by even the most damaged of the city’s spires. This, as Seshu said, is the First and Last Temple of Aqakaru, the Snow Mother.
A sense of déjà vu washes over you. You've been here before.
Snowy Owl steps forward and announces that Ruun has something to say. moment later, she rises a few feet into the air, suspended by ghostly wings and surrounded by wisps of faint energy that evoke the shape of a great owl. When she speaks, it is with a deep, ancient voice—the voice of Ruun himself.
"You gaze upon the Nameless Spires, and I gaze upon my future tomb. Know that, long ago, before the sky struck the world, I stood at Aqakaru’s side. Her people worshipped her here, called her the Snow Mother, and when they discovered the Blackfrost Whale buried deep below, they built this city above its tomb to keep it in place. Aqakaru died to keep the Blackfrost Whale entombed, but the power of her sacrifice has waned. You must bring me to my mother’s temple. There I shall renew her sacrifice with my own—but first, we must ensure that the Blackfrost Whale’s whispers are, at least for the time being, silenced."
Snowy Owl then descends back to the ground, tears in her eyes. She confirms what she feared, that her quest has been to bring Ruun here to sacrifice him to keep Osoyo imprisoned. She quickly wipes her tears, though, and is ready to proceed, not worried what Ruun’s loss might mean for herself.
Sylva flutters before Snowy Owl. She wipes a tear from the woman, and for a moment, she is too terrified to do anything else. But the dream was shared… so Snowy Owl has already heard her and her friends. She knows what they’re willing to do. It seems it bears repeating—
“Why should anyone else die because of that whale, except for that whale? Ruun’s sacrifice is admirable, but it doesn’t solve the problem. It only postpones it.
“We already said we would stop Osoyo. After what he’s made us do? We’re not innocent. Yeah, I can say The Space Whale Made Me Do It, but if I just walk away after Osoyo’s contained, that makes me a true murderer. Whoever suffered or died by my hand when I was a puppet, that wasn’t my choice. Whoever suffers and dies in the future, after I walk away—their blood is on my hands.”
She realizes she’s babbling.
“Do you… or does Ruun think like… we were just talking tough? That we weren’t serious? Or…?” …that we can’t do it?
Sylva doesn’t finish that sentence for fear that a part of her wants to be talked out of going toe-to-tailfin with a massly-murderous marine mammal. (She wishes she said the alliteration aloud though, because Sir Bat might appreciate it.)
Zienvus awakes from the dream with a start, first, checking his physical form only to find himself outwardly unharmed. Inwardly, to his surprise, he feels his power has grown.
Over the next days of travel he commits himself to study and preparation for the inevitable fight to come, honing his skills and strengthening his resolve.
In response to Ruun's revelation, Zienvus stands stoically by, nodding only slightly along with Sylva's rambling. With her lingering question still hanging in the air, he declares, "None else shall be sacrificed. We will be successful and see this to the end."
When Zienvus chimes in, echoing Sylva’s intended meaning succinctly and confidently, the aqua-fairy snaps her fingers and points. “Yeah. What he said.”
Sir Batman only smiles knowingly at Sylva. He then bows his head solemnly at Ruun's revelation and at Snowy Owl's grief.
Do you understand the words that are coming out of our mouths? That bloated whale will be donating his carcass for perfume once we get done with him!
Snowy Owl cocks her head, as if listening to Ruun talking to her. "We won't know for sure what awaits us until we reach Osoyo's prison. So let us delay no further."
As you draw near the edge of the plaza, a fissure ahead splits the ground, cleaving streets and structures alike. The edges of the fissure seem infected, crusted with dark ash, and appearing porous compared to the surrounding terrain. Within, the fissure drops away to darkness. Unsettling sounds—almost whispers—drift up from these inky depths on cold blasts of wind.
Fortunately, your powers render you immune to the blackfrost infection. You cross the rift and find yourselves in a large square plaza that has crumbled along one edge into the chasm. Ribbons of black ash infuse the remaining street entrances. One of the ruins’ immense spires looms high above the plaza just beyond the chasm. Swirls of wind laced with black ash periodically drift through the plaza to gyre up along the sides of the towering monolith, while the stones of the plaza itself are littered with dozens of bodies that appear to be frozen to the ground—bodies that continue to twitch and chant, despite being obviously dead.
An undead woman stands near the edge of the plaza nearest the spire, leading the ritualistic chant.
But your arrival quickly gets her attention. She flourishes her cloak, which transforms into a pair of batlike wings that flap and lift her into the air. She hisses a command, and six of the frozen dead lurch to their feet and begin staggering towards you!
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
"This is the opportune moment!" shouts Zienvus, mostly to himself. He draws out a wand and points at the risen dead. A single bead of golden light floats from the tip of the wand to land amongst the frozen undead, erupting into a globe of fire that quickly consumes them.
Sir Batman seems unimpressed by the Dead Lady of Ice. The Champion of Mazludeh Raises his Shield, Enters his Stance and..,. fluttering his Majestic Energized Wings, flies 25' towards the Dead Lady of Ice!
You just got to have a little patience...yeah, yeah, just a little patience....
Sylva soars towards the undead woman!
She closes in and, thanks to her bat-winged friend, flanks the undead and—
—strikes her winged backside!
Zienvus' fireball proves effective, burning the icy undead. Three of them are very badly damaged while the other three escape with less injuries. Snowy Owl manifests a spectral pair of owl's wings and grabs hold of Zienvus, lifting the elf off of the ground and out of the zombies' reach! Batman takes off towards the archer, but Sylva gets there first, flying behind her and hitting her with a burning kick!
Hissing in rage, the woman's cloak flaps to keep her aloft as she fixes Sylva with a swirling stare, attempting to dominate her mind!
“That stupid space whale already overtook my mind and forced me to do horrible things, I ain’t letting that happen to me again!”
Furious, Sylva barrel rolls for another burning kick to the back!
She relentlessly continues, fire lighting up the little sprite!
—and she doesn’t stop! As soon as Sir Bat lands an attack, Sylva will strike yet again!
Raising his Shield, Sir Batman's energetic wings flutter relentlessly to soar (kinda) the Champion of Mazludeh through the icy cold air to Flank with Sylva!
I know I can. I know I can.
Arriving as he was meant to (even though he is not The Wizard), Sir Batman Strikes!
Being held aloft by Snowy Owl and safe from the zombies, Zienvus attempts to help out his companions with the, well what she she?
Well, unlike her minions, she seems to be intelligent, so Zienvus targets her mind.
Zienvus identifies the woman as an ice mummy! The cold of high places coupled with strong winds and less oxygen creates an effect that can preserve bodies, mummifying them through natural processes. Many are created deliberately by cults, and a rare few voluntarily transform. The resist cold but are weak to fire.
Unfortunately, the mummy's will is strong, and she completely resists Zienvus' spell! Snowy Owl flies closer to the aerial melee and casts bless. Sylva tumbles around her and lands three burning blows. As Batman bashes the mummy, Sylva strikes again, and the mummy shrieks and plummets from the air, her smoldering body slamming into the ground.
With her destruction, the eerie wind infusing the spire fails. All the blackfrost zombies in the plaza slump to the ground, reverting to frozen corpses. A moment later, the constant whispering from the nearby blackfrost rift grows thunderous! At the same time, cracks radiate along the spire’s towering length. While they look ominous, it soon becomes obvious that they’re layers of blackfrost hardening into flakes that begin falling like black snow.
The shimmering field of wind and black snow that had previously surrounded the temple fades away. It would seem that the way forward has been revealed...
Sir Batman watches the rogue burn the ice mummy last to cinders.
That seemed to work. We should fight more of those.
The smiling Sprite springs forward to protect the other two from the falling black snow! He looks at it landing harmlessly to the ground. He shrugs.
Noticing that the shimmering field of wind and black snow that had previously surrounded the temple fades away, he prepares to Sally Strudders....errr....sally forth!
It would seem that the way forward has been revealed...
The Champion of Mazludeh will Lay on Hands anyone injured prior to refocusing and leading the way ...
Sylva takes the Cloak of the Bat and drapes it on Sir Bat’s shoulders. “Well, who else would wear the Cloak of the Bat?”
She says to Zienvus, “I suppose I’m the only one here who can shoot straight?” as she takes the bow.
"My mind is the only weapon I need, Sylva," answers Zienvus, "If I were to ever wield that bow, we'd be in grave danger."
Turning to Sir Batman, "Looks good on you."
After some time to refocus, Zienvus is ready to continue towards the temple.
Sir Batman proudly allows Sylva to place the most appropriate Cloak of the Bat around his bronze-color bat-shaped shoulders. He flutters his bronze bat-shaped wings and smiles.
Suppose I get four wings now!?
The Sprite seems serious.
You head to the massive temple, a solid mass of stone blocks, stacked high and covered with plates of black basalt. A short entry hallway at the base of the hexagonal pyramid ends at an immense set of stone double doors. Handles are carved directly into the doors and positioned at a height of six feet, driving home the impression that creatures twice the size of a human built this place.
Two rows of stone pillars support the sixty-foot ceiling of the large hall beyond the doors. A stone door is set in the wall to one side, while further down sits a large, abandoned sledge, its top heaped with ropes and canvas sheets. Additional pieces of arctic travel and exploration gear lie in discarded heaps around the sledge.
As you approach the sledge, the hairs on the back of Sylva's neck stand up as she hears something shifting quietly above her. There are invisible enemies about, and they're about to strike!
Sylva has no idea what the safest play is—to be close to Sir Bat’s shield, not clustered with the group, not alone—and she seriously doubts that her ice power is helpful at all.
But…
Sylva screams a warning to her friends:
“Invisible enemies!”
She looks up in the direction of the disturbance and screams at the sky!
After blasting, Sylva prepares to move quickly!
Snarls of pain reveal that the invisible creatures have been hurt by Sylva's icy breath. The air ripples as they become visible, two creatures clinging to the columns above you. They resemble hairless, emaciated tree sloths with glowing red eyes, wicked claws, and mouths full of needlelike teeth!
The monsters fix Batman and Sylva with malevolent stares as they try to confuse the sprites!
Sylva babbles nonsensically, “Hrmmna-faa!” —then shakes off her funk. She soars! —striking the nearest sloth! (She will await her flank buddy if he has his wits about him.)
Sir Batman seems confused as to what the Rogue is showering with ice cream?
The Champion of Mazludeh wishes someone else could Knock Sense into him!
The Confused Sprite begins to Strike about involuntarily!
Zienvus tries to make sense of the situation.
Then he tries to save Batman from himself.
Neither Zienvus nor Snowy Owl are able to dispel Batman's confusion. The sprite moves up to Zienvus and bashes the elf in his confusion. Sylva, meanwhile, tumbles through one of the creatures, though she is unable to trip it. She kicks it in the shin!
Yelping in pain, the monster claws at Sylva, hitting once but failing to grab a hold of her. The other one climbs over and attacks, this time managing to ensnare the rogue!
Sylva escapes the enemy’s grasp—
—barely!!!
She then attacks the creature that she already hit!
Sir Batman seems saddened by his recent activities.
My bad!
The Confused Sprite begins to Strike about involuntarily!
Zienvus grips tight his staff as Batman continues to batter him with his shield. "Be free from this sir knight!" exclaims spits blood and draws from his bonded object to cast once again.
Fearing for his life, he withdraws away from Batman.
Sylva tumbles through the creature's space again but fails to trip it. Zienvus fails to counter the confusion on Batman as the champion pummels the wizard again. Snowy Owl soothes Sylva's wounds. "We have to snap Sir Batman out of it!" she calls out.
The creatures swipe at Sylva, hitting her twice but not grabbing a hold.
Sylva tries to tumble and strike back—
—but she looks more like a stumbling opportunist. Having botched her attempt to surprise her foe, she changes tactics!
She blasts her foes with an icy shout, and if she can, she blasts Sir Bat (seeing that Zienvus has withdrawn away from him).
“SNAP OUT OF IT SIR BAT!!”
Sir Batman seems to snap back to reality! The sad blue eyes of the sprite look at the bruises and welts on the face of Zienvus.
Oh! What a tragedy!
Angry redness erupts from the normally bronze-color bat-shaped Sprite!
That was not cool!
Raising his Shield, Striding into a Flank with his Rogue, the Champion of Mazludeh Strikes!
Sir Batman frowns.
It seems my prowess has been reduced by not striking a Wizard.
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
Eventually, Batman snaps out of his confusion and helps defeat the strange beasts. From there, you descend deeper into the temple. You battle past more of Osoyo's blackfrost undead. In the depths, you again encountered the strange dream creature who you first met in Dr. Ritalson's hidden laboratory. Here, it does its best to stop you from progressing further, battling to its death. After a tough fight, you defeat it and continue on to the great alien's inner sanctum.
There, beneath a half mile thick ice made supernaturally clear, you catch a glimpse of Osoyo himself. The vast dark shape imprisoned beneath the eerie streets and twisting spires of a vast underground metropolis lit by flickers of pale blue and violet radiance. In a far alcove in the sanctum above lies a slumped pile of matter, bloody fur, all that remains of the last saumen kar Ainamuuren after you brought him here under Osoyo's influence during the Missing Moment. But the remains rise up again as fully corrupted Ainamuuren rises up to attack you, his captors!
The battle is fierce, but you ultimately prevail. However, a tremor wracks the north pole of the world as Osoyo thrashes in his prison below, causing cracks to radiate outward through the ice. As Ainamuuren lies dying, Snowy Owl begs you to help her to focus on her bonded god Ruun, saying that she must guide the god’s essence out of her soul and into the fallen saumen kar to restore the ancient wards that keep Osoyo imprisoned. Ruun manifests, a great snowy owl rising from his host's body. You focuse your mental powers to bolster Ruun and guide him to Ainamuuren.
As the god merges with the saumen kar, he purges all trace of the Blackfrost Whale’s influence from the saumen kar. Doing so puts Osoyo back into suspended animation within his prison and cuts him off from the outside world once more. At the same time, Snowy Owl collapses to the ground, unconscious. A few moments later, shimmering white energy similar to windblown snow begins swirling through the air, engulfing you, Snowy Owl, and Ainamuuren.
You feel a presence in your minds, and instinctively recognize this as, in part, the presence of Ruun, the lingering presence of dead Aqakaru’s divine soul, and, in part, a final few whispers from Osoyo. At this oint, you have a choice to make: should you cling to the deviant powers Osoyo granted you and allow Ainamuuren to die, or should you release your powers and allow this “gift” to drift back down through the ice to its source, to rejoin Osoyo while also allowing Ainamuuren to survive?
Ultimately, you make the right choice, relinquishing your powers. You feel as if a great weight has been lifted from your souls. The strange marks you've carried on your flesh painlessly fade away as well, reappearing on Ainamuuren’s body to further bolster the wards that hold Osoyo in stasis. The saumen kar awakens as if from a particularly long slumber, stretches, and then somberly thanks you for all you have done. He bears you no ill will for the role you played in his capture, for he knows more than anyone that once Osoyo gets in your head, you are not yourself. Instead, he reminds you that it was your actions as yourselves you should be proud of, not those of your enemy. Snowy Owl returns to her previous persona of Sakuachi, and is back to her old, bright-eyed and playful self, and swiftly becomes fast friends with Ainamuuren. She informs the group she wishes to remain at the temple for now, to aid Ainamuuren in bolstering Osoyo’s prison further and then assisting him in his search for survivors of his people.
You have, at least for the time being, put Osoyo back to sleep and made the world a safer place. Your fates are now your own to pursue. And when next you sleep, your dreams will, for the first time since your fateful step into the Missing Moment, belong to you and you alone...
THE END!
Sir Batman's blue eyes tear up, running rivers of joy, sadness and even a bit of resentment, finally flowing outward, despoiling his soul no longer.
The bronze-colored bat-shaped Sprite then rejoices for the reawakening of a good Ainamuuren, a returned Sakuachi and the finality of closure!
Hmmm....I wonder what I should do next? I actually just heard a Runelord is accepting applications. Whatever a Runelord is.....