...could this be it?......
*Seeing that the creature's main body assaulted, Kaelar, DbJ, Kiba, and Sky wish to finish it off before any suffer more injuries. As they shout for everyone to get out of the way, they begin one of their combo-assaults
Kiba: Slams his hammer into the ground, cause a spire of rock to erupt from the earth sending the lady-hydra into the airSky: A massive bolt of lightning lances into the creature
DbJ: A blast of white-hot flame sears the Zhedal's flesh
The Bard: Ice slams in on it from all sides, encasing it in a frosty-prison until in shatters when it hit the ground.*
*Each of the four are obviously tired.
Kiba leans on his hammer.
Sky leans against a tree.
The Bard is breathing heavily.
DbJ just let's himself slump to the ground.*
*Kaelar walks over the monk*
"Is it finally finished?"
*Kaelar looks up suddenly, his eyes glowing*
"It seems I'm needed elsewhere. Till we meet again."
*Water swirls around him, and when is settels, he is gone.*
I'd like to hope so, but one cannot truly be sure his foe dies
The Emperor tends the small grove where Spring Sapling grows. The grove has attracted larger residents as it has grown. He feels the evil in the world flare up as a portal opens.
At the edge of the woods connecting the grove an evil version of himself, JH, and LJ appear. They march thru the woods towards the circle, JH splitting trees with the force of his blows, LJ ripping them from the ground with her wind powers, and his evil counterpart strangling the wildlife with his roots or thrashing them with his branches.
'Leave this hallowed place cursed ones!' the Emperor shouts as he begins casting multiple spells.
The priestess calls upon the powers trapped within her orbs to command the beasts of this place, but she is unable to overcome the Emperor's power. She attempts to summon undead and demonic allies, but to no avail. She reverts to destructive spells, but decides to keep her distance.
The lure of Death is too much for HoD to ignore. He charges with reckless abandon straight for the hallowed inner circle.
The Hangman's Tree continues to slash at the living, small and large alike. The blood from the wounds he inflicts flow up into him.
A large dire bear tries to rip into him and is skewered by several braches at once. It flails and snaps at the branches, succeeding on a few, but the blood from its body is visibly drained each moment. New branches sprout to replace the destroyed ones.
The Emperor senses that, far away on the distant asteroid where he had gone dormant, the fresh battle at the site were he last fought threatens to stir the exiled Flame Troll...
E7 finishes his first castings. Waves of mist fill the druid circle, spreading outwards. In the mists can be heard the cries of an army of wildlife.
Several giant eagles appear behind the faux-LJ, and manage to attack her in the midst of her own castings. With each strike her true appearance is revealed.
An anti-life spell is centered upon the Hangman's Tree, driving away its animal attackers and denying it sustenance.
The ground beneath the charging berzerker opens up and swallows him whole. His screams of frustration can be heard as the ground closes up over him.
The Emperor senses that, far away on the distant asteroid where he had gone dormant, the fresh battle at the site were he last fought threatens to stir the exiled Flame Troll...
Sensing the renewed threat E7 realizes he must end this soon.
Well this isn't going as I had planned.
The priestess goes incorporeal and vanishes, leaving her allies to fend for themselves.
Well played Umpire. How about you come out from your circle and battle me one on one?
Tempting but no. You see, time denies me the pleasure of prolonging your destruction.
With that E7 summons a whirlwind large enough to pull the Hangman's tree from the ground. Being disconnected from Life and Earth weakens the abherration. The winds gather speed, eventually ripping HT to splinters.
As he is torn apart a voice is heard hissing over the winds
You know that this isn't the end for me. I shall come back for your granddaughter...
As the last splinter is blown away the winds form into a large air elemental.
For someone who is concerned about the relationship between earth and sky, you certainly don't hesitate to call upon our assistance when danger threatens.
For a moment, flames flickered in the air, catching shards of the Hangman's Tree and turning them to puffs of ash and smoke, but they failed to take hold on anything else and the possible planar breech subsided.
The Flame Troll sinks back into quiesence...
As the last splinter is blown away the winds form into a large air elemental.
For someone who is concerned about the relationship between earth and sky, you certainly don't hesitate to call upon our assistance when danger threatens.
Force of habit. Been using all of the elements for centuries. Just prefer earth. Besides, this battle was drawing too much attention.
E7 surveys the damage wrought by this brief battle and tears come to his eyes.
So meaningless...
The destruction wrought by evil is always meaningless. Yet they persist. I have already lost a daughter and a grandson to that fight. I fear I will lose another before this is over.
The destruction wrought by evil is always meaningless. Yet they persist. I have already lost a daughter and a grandson to that fight. I fear I will lose another before this is over.
E7 considers the words
My granddaughter! The Hangman's Tree was after my granddaughter!
I may have increased his threat by disembodying him!
The small slender willow shivers
Grandfather ..
The small slender willow shivers
Grandfather ..
The small voice throws E7, and his form reverts to that of the elf lord.
Granddaughter?
Gandfather. It is time for me to wake. Please, help me ..
Gandfather. It is time for me to wake. Please, help me ..
E7 circles the willow sapling slowly, extending his senses into it. The warnings of the elders are fresh on his mind, and he clears the emotion from his thoughts. He worries that the Hangman's Tree has influenced this, but there has been no blood sacrifice.
He mutters the spell of merging and steps into another realm, prepared to embrace or kill his granddaughter.
Long has it been since E7 hunted in elf-form. He summons a blade of druid fire, knowing that its flames will not hurt the plants of this surreal landscape. At least those plants untouched by evil.
He heads to the green light in the distance.
As the Tree Emperor attempts to wake his grandchild, a thought from the Great Erl reaches him
::Tree Emperor. The Wasp Priestess has arrived near the Grove. She is close to death. Her form is badly torn and she readies to go to her next incarnation::
The small willow shakes
Grandfather. Where are you? I cannot see you..
The small willow shakes
Grandfather. Where are you? I cannot see you..
I come little one.
E7 follows the voice to its source. The news of Alaina causes him to hurry, but he is wary. The short journey is still much longer than it should be. Finally he arrives.
The dreamspace of the willow is shaped like a butterfly chyrsalis. The Tree Emperor can see the shadowed form of Spring Sapling with the dim confines
Shine your love on me Grandfather. Help me emerge ..
One hand still holding the druid fire scimitar E7 summons pure sunlight in the other. He holds the sunlight on
the coccoon and recites Spring Sapling's lineage.
Awaken, Spring Sapling, daughter of the Earth. Gaze upon the Druid Fire as you are reborn into a world of flame. See how this flame does not consume the Green. See how this flame is not greedy, how it can be used to heal, how it can purify. Know this flame well so that you may recognize its evil twin.
The chyrsalis splits and the spirit of Spring Sapling comes out. Her form looks as if she has recovered from a long disease. Her face is drawn and her colors are a paler shade of green than Emperor7 remembers.
The slight girl hugs E7, her spirit glowing in love
Grandfather! Thank you for rescuing me!
The chyrsalis splits and the spirit of Spring Sapling comes out. Her form looks as if she has recovered from a long disease. Her face is drawn and her colors are a paler shade of green than Emperor7 remembers.
The slight girl hugs E7, her spirit glowing in love
Grandfather! Thank you for rescuing me!
He hugs her close.
E7 tries not to react to her condition, but this is not the way new life usually begins. Perhps the scars from the Fire Troll or the giggling blasphemer have had an effect, perhaps both.
He casts a number of spells to try to discern her condition, throwing in Naturewatch and True Seeing for good measure. He searches the chrysaiis as well.
Grandaughter. We should visit the Elders to announce your rebirth.
And have you partake of pure soil and water, he says to himself. Nature seeks balance in all things. We shall seek balance.
The Tree Emperor can sense that Spring Sapling's life essence has been stretched by the travails she has undergone. He can also see carved in her aura as clearly as it was carved in her tree-form's flesh the evil grinning sigul of the Giggler. The hateful symbol flickers red amongst the pale green of Spring Sapling's lifeforce, like a patch of beetle wormholes in an otherwise flawless trunk. The Giggler has marked her spiritually as well as physically.
E7 can also sense that Spring Sapling is being reborn before full healing has been accomplished. He feels that this is as fate requires
The glowing figure stares up at him
I am ready to emerge from my willow Grandfather. Thank you for the sunshine of your love.
E7 finds himself back in the small sacred grove he planted to ward his granddaughter. The small willow shivers and the naked form of his Spring Sapling emerges, shivering as well. Along her taut stomach a faint scar of the evil grinning sigul gleams whitely against her nut-brown skin. She takes a few colt-like steps and grasps E7.
"G-G-Grandfather. I am awake!"
Yes dearest, you are.
E7 weaves her a robe from the leaves and grasses of the grove with but a thought.
I must tell you, your reincarnation happened much quicker than I thought. In its haste you are weaker than usual, and you still bear a scar from evil's touch. The scar concerns me.
Perhaps a drink from the One Tree's Spring will give you strength? Do you feel strong enough commune with the Mother of us all?
Spring Sapling nods
Yes Grandfather, I'd like to see the Grove again. I feel so tired...
Then we shall go.
E7 takes Spring Sapling and heads to the Ancient Grove.
In a woodland clearing near the gates of his citadel, the dwarven lord is waiting, with a dozen guards.
You are late, the dwarven king growls. The date you promised me that you would have the information by, regarding the evil one who destroyed Arnblast, many dwarven folk and my brother, was a week ago.
So did you find her, or not?
With regard to your selling of arms to those undead, where my writ ran, yes, if you tell me only truth. I do not like it, the dwarf frowns, but the codices allow you to plead for your freedom, in exchange for the bringing to justice of a much greater criminal.
A retainer takes the scroll, opens it, looks at it, and passes it to the lord. Berholm frowns, then nods.
Yes, you may go.
Once they are well gone, the dwarven lord glances at a long low hillock. It shimmers, and the lines and colours of the illusion break up.
Well? the dwarven lord growls.
Interesting. Smagnavast the Black rumbles. I believe, your majesty, we might be best advised to withdraw to your hold to discuss this further. There are various angles to this current situation, depending on just who is named as your brother and his people's killer, which it might be possible to exploit, to bring the criminal to justice.