IBEzra-Thrice-Damned's page

"Priestess, I beseech you in the meantime to answer us one last question; can you tell us how many thrones outside the Horn?

"More than you know. Less than you fear. More than you'd like."

"it would help to know just how vulnerable we are."

The spirit swirls around casually, enjoying every moment of her advantage over you.

"Bet you miss it, don't you?"

In one fell swoop, the gray maiden screams and dives into the rocky floor of the Horn, only to emerge half an inch in front of Talon - blocking his view, enveloping his world, as she rises from the stone like a smoky volcano of hatred. Her robes ebb and flow dangerously close to Talon - and she knows he knows that all it takes for her to snuff him out is one short, gentle touch.

Oh. And of course, she screams. She screams! Boy, does she scream!

"mmmmmMMMMiserable bird!! Insolent, insignificant, ignorant parakeet! You're not worthhh the air you breathhhe!"

But, before she can end the Strix' miserable existence, Cala intervenes with her excellent theatrical performance - and the spirit uses all her mental flexibility to restrain herself, returning to (and basking in!) the role of worshipped priest.

"Of course I know thhhe desthhhination command words! Do you thhhake me for a fool?! But mere morthhhals do not deserve thhhhem. Firsthhh - I would hhhhave you do somethhhing for me!!! You see - I grow tedious of your endless procrastinating. I have figured out a methhod to bolden our Prince's resolve and hhhelp hhhim burst thhhrough the hhhhindrance of the pallid seal of thhe Sarenraeans in hhaalf the time required!"

Ezra goes on to explain how your healing magic (which disgusts her, as she does not mind to explain in quite colorfo(u)l language) can help you increase the speed at which the seal breaks down. Remember that the horsemen of the Apocalypse who used to run this place are a death cult; she claims that by using a special sacrifical blade (specifications for which will be provided) to disembowel yourself as you perform the ritual, you would significantly invigorate Vetra Kali and desecrate the seal at the same time. With your healing magic, FOUL AND DISGUSTING AS IT MAY BE, this would be a mere inconvenience to you - but it could have great effect.

"You will try this for me at the midpoint of the ritual and the week afterwards, and ***then*** I will provide the target words!"

A whispering voice, sweet as honey, dripping with sarcasm, asks Caladwhen:
"Trouble, honey?"

It never rains, but it pours...

Gabriel and his team proudly take the defensive wounds. As soon as the locations of the dead decoys are agreed on, they leave for Farholde - taking the direct route this time.

That very evening, loud bangs surprise everyone. Brightly colored flashes light up the upper floor and southern face of the Horn.

Ezra even pops up from one of the walls, screaming her head off at the loud bangs that disturb her....whatever she's been doing.
"Rhaaaaaaaaaaaghhhg! Hhhumans are such a deplorable plague.. What is thissssenseless ritual of polluting the darkness with cosssmettic fires?! Insolence...". She mutters on for a while, but she goes back to lurking in shadows.

Indeed, rather spectacular fireworks adorn the skies over Farholde. It’s a pretty sight to gaze at, from high up on the tower.
Apparently, the (remainder of the) town’s leadership has heard the victorious reports of the Banner Verdant, and deemed the news good enough to organize an impromptu festival to raise the town’s spirits. Surely it won’t be long until Elise either pays the Horn a visit or contacts the Cardinal...!

Here's my proposed character.. Crunch isnt complete yet, but you get the idea where im going..

Bard 1/Rogue 4(Charlatan)/Assassin 2/Master Spy 1

hahaha, wuh-wait-what? can-see-where-you're-going? Honey, you're Everywhere! Excellent.

Meet our resident poltergeist, by the way:
"Another Elf? mwahahaa... Be prepared to deal with a vengeful witch who seems to feel she is elegance embodied. Oh, look, here she is now."
*points to above post*

Then, casually, Ezra pops up her head through the floor between the balcony and the stairway. She looks around, as if expecting Sindran to have already cleaned up and made tea for her.

As soon as she appears though, the Seal pulsates, emanating a wave of raw holy magic which *almost* reaches your spot on the balcony. Ezra though...catches the full load of it, and burns her pretty face almost clean off.

"YAAAAAAAAAARGHH!!!(followed by a seemingly endless string of colorful swearing that fortunately would not translate well)I WILL NOT TOLERATE THIS!!!"

screaming, the spirit disappears into the floor.

Ezra turns her full attention towards Sindran, and appears to notice his presence for the first time.

The vengeful spirit appraises the Half-Orc, but it's clear how 'high' she estimates the being she -until now- thought of as...
"Oh? You're not a pet Goblin then? Well, tool, prove your worth; take me there. You - sorcereres, this way."

She doesn't think Sindran can complete the task; so Ezra takes Caladwhen along so she doesn't need to get her when Sindran fails.

Ezra does not wait for you however; she simply floats up, through the ceiling.

not half a split-second later, Ezra floats out of the walls between Morvius and Caladwhen, rudely interrupting their intellectual debate regarding the thrones.

"EEEEEEEYAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHH!!!"
(she is smiling, though...)

Ezra pokes an ethereal finger at Caladwhen.
"Hmm. You are competent, sorceress." as if she didn't quite believe it from the earlier encounter.
"Took you long enough. Now! Ssshow me that ssseal you mentioned."

Now that the area is no longer consecrated, her speech seems to have lost their 'soft' edges. her S now has an unpleasantly harsh, grating timbre to it - much like a broken bottle scraping on metal.

Ezra can now move freely throughout the horn. You'll see her popping up when she feels like it.

"Can't imagine where we could get a scroll of that without too many questions asked."

Ezra stops her raging only to look you square in the eyes.

Think really hard about what it would feel like to be in a staring contest with a Banshee, almost twice your level...!

The ghastly apparition disappears into a wall - screaming madly. The wraithspawn remain behind, passively, mindlessly floating like a discarded toy.

Moments after Ezra screamed her heart out, she returns, rising through the floor.

Ezra is obviously furious about something she discovered on the 2nd floor.
A ceaseless stream of abyssal guttering spawns from her mouth.

The look on her already enraged face suggests she believes she's provided enough information and is surprised you are still here.

Ezra, while waiting for your answer, suddenly twists her face as if spattered by onions.

Suddenly uninterested in your presence or answers, she leaves - by floating through the floor. The spawn follow her.

Moments later, a visceral scream much like the one before echoes through the entire complex - you quietly count yourself *very* lucky that you're not on the same floor as Ezra right now.

This might be the high priestess, I'm guessing.

yup.

(Abyssal)"We have done nothing to your priests and acolytes," Sindran says, looking at the woman in the eye. "They have been slain by the Victor and have likely gone to Abaddon."

Ezra is surprised to learn this news. Her eyes flare brightly for a second.

Mumbling to herself, she adds:

Her stormy appearance is somewhat settled down by the course of the conversation. She eyes each of you up and down, before turning to the kneeling, frightened Cala. Ezra smiles at the appropriate gesture of reverance.

The apparition remains at the edge of dark, well within the treasury. It stares at you all down its nose, in disbelief. Then, a whisper tears through the icy silence. The words are so cold, they send involuntary shivers down your spines.

(Abyssal:)"Hail Vetra Kali."(/Abyssal)

Authority radiates from this obviously undead creature. Partyl because despite those layers of mist, rotting carcass, and ghostly limbs, there are hints of what can only have been a Half-Elf woman of unsurpassed beauty in life.
You have no trouble at all imagining hordes of men crying for the privilege to kneel at her feet. and even now, she is still quite easy on the eyes.
That whole chamber of delights thing almost makes sense...almost :p

as Sindran politely tries to open up a conversation, she floats closer.