Fall of the New, Rise of the Old (IC)

[kentma57]

The dragon lays slain at your feet, it was foolish enough to raid a village where several of your followers where staying and this could not go unpunished.
For most of the day, those with magic had been feeling anxious. Your first though was that it was just adrenalin and the expectation of a fight, but with the fight over and you loot divided, that has been ruled out. Soon your feeling of anxiety turns to foreboding, as you exit the lair of the dragon an unexpected sight meets you eyes, a total eclipse.

[Woodsman]

Cal looks to the sky, noting the eclipse. "That can't be good,", he speaks aloud to the others.

[PId6]

Vlad

A apparition floats in the darkness of the day, green eldritch energy swirling around his body like will-o-wisps. His spectral eyes glance up at the terrible portent of the blackened sun, and he gives a snort of derision. "Don't be so superstitious, Cal, it's just an eclipse. They only ever mean something in old wives' tales. Next, you're going to be telling me ghost stories."

[Woodsman]

"It's better to err on the side of caution, Vlad," Cal responds, not taking his eyes from the eclipse.

[vampire2948]

Aortal, being blind, notices nothing.

Latora stares at the sky, looking curious.

[vampire2948]

Aortal

Where shall we go now, friends? I am rather tired...perhaps we could go and rest somewhere?

Aortal uses Latora's eyes to check if any of her friends have sustained injuries in the fight, and if they have, I will bandage them.

[WhiteKnight777]

Gilgeam

Gilgeam stood over the dragon, his form shuddering. He slowly shrank back to his normal size as the fallen beast bled its heartsblood onto the ground. He threw back his head and sang a chant in the Sylvan tongue, a haunting, melancholy air of victory, loss, and longing. As his eyes opened, he saw the eyes of the sky go blind, the strange unlight of the eclipse bathing his handsome features.

'Tis a sign, I'm fer thinkin'.

[PId6]

Vlad

"What is it with you people and your mystical signs, anyway," Vlad muttered under his breath, then said louder, "What time is it, anyway? So hard to tell when these blasted eclipses are covering up the sun. I believe the next time I meet a powerful wizard, I'll pay him to develop a spell to tell time. You'd think after a few thousand years, one of them would have thought to make such a spell, yet nope, hasn't happened." He stares at the sky for a moment, contemplating, then gives a slight shake of his spectral head, and finally turns to the others again, "Well, what are we standing out here for? Shall we return to the village?"

[Woodsman]

"Probably a good idea," Cal says, finally turning his head away.

[PId6]

Vlad

"Very well. Care to take a walk or would you rather we get there faster?" Vlad asked, shadows swirling around him as he prepared to make a teleport.

[vampire2948]

I'd prefer a little speed, friend. Aortal says, drawing her cloak closer around her.

[PId6]

Vlad

Vlad does not answer, but his brows furl in concentration. The shadows around you seem to get deeper and deeper, and a black cloud begins to swirl around you, obscuring all sight besides that of the vanished sun. You feel no movement, yet when the shadows disappear, you realize your surroundings have changed from the rocky entrance of a dragon's lair to cobblestone streets of a village square.

Spoiler

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Use Shades (Greater Teleport) to teleport everyone to the village.

[kentma57]

While you have returned the vilage much has changed. All around you people are in a panic, the local clerics give surmons in the streats trying to calm people, the population of this small town has grown significantly too.

All around the town square have apeared groups of people at the center of each a sorcerer(though a few doubtful wizards seem to be there too), they do their best to shout over the cleric "The magic! So much of it concentrated over the capital!" and similar warnings ring in your ears.

Through all this the eclipse continues to hold it's place in the sky.

[PId6]

Vlad

"Well this certainly doesn't sound good," Vlad remarked, "The magic over the capital? I wonder what they mean by that... Should an eclipse normally last this long, by the way?" he mused.

He flies over to one of the rambling sorcerers in the street, gliding directly through anyone that stands in his way. "You!" he shouts to one of the mages as soon as he's close enough, "What are you talking about? Magic over the capital? How can you tell?"

[kentma57]

"How could I sense it? I'm a sorcerer, I can practicly tast the magic in the air around me, we all could. Those of us with the powers fled with our families, we even convince some wizards to follow us. Wizards think of magic as a science, but we know when it comes to magic intuition is what you need and our intuition told us to get out. As for the clerics most are to buisy assuring their flocks that this is not the end of the world, I hope their right."

As these words leave his lips he colapses, any of you with even the lightest connection to magic can feal what he was describing. All around you the mages who brought people to the town drop to the ground, even the local cleric colapses in the streat. Panic fills the streats and you are barly able to stay conscious as pure overwhelming magic sweaps over your minds....

The sun shine brightly in the sky, the eclipse is over.

[vampire2948]

Aortal

Are they dead? says Latora.

Activating her blindfold of blindsight, Aortal walks over to the body of the sorceror that just collapsed nearest to her.

I then examine the body, with Latora's help when I can't see or feel anything too well.

I try to find out if he's dead, or otherwise.

(1d20+38)[45] Heal Check

[Woodsman]

Cal feels the wave, but it doesn't affect him nearly as bad as the others. His warrior life had led him away from magic, but the Sublime Way was called magic by some.

[kentma57]

He(and all the others) are alive, the wave of magic was just to much for a lesser mage(no offence to the NPC's).

[PId6]

Vlad

"Well, a rather dramatic turn of events," Vlad said, his visage pulsing a little erratically from the magical energies about. He turns to his companions, "It's coming from over the capital, or so the sorcerer said. I'll be going over to see what this is about; seems interesting at any rate. Any of you care to come with me?" he asked, even as he begun raising the shadows again for another teleport.

[vampire2948]

We shall accompany you. Aortal and Latroa say, and walk towards you.

[PId6]

Vlad

Again the shadows beckon, and again came the movement without movement as the shadows closed around them in a shimmering sphere. When the shadows vanished, they looked out to see themselves standing outside the capital city.

[vampire2948]

So...where do we look first? asks Aortal.

I think we should take a look at how the people are reacting here, and perhaps find out if a similar thing occured to their spellcasters. replies Latora.

[kentma57]

All around you is silence, the city is empty not a soul in sight.
What was once the prestigeous city of Greyhawk is now a ghost town. It's great halls and markets once packed full of wealthy merchants, have been abandoned their wares left scatered. It's streats once home to races of all sort are empty, door are left half open and horse-less carts have stoped in the street.
Neither dead nor living dwel hear, this fact is clear to you all.

[Woodsman]

Cal remains silent, looking around the city.

He suddenly speaks up, "What in Baator happened here? I knew that eclipse couldn't be good."

[PId6]

Vlad

"Pure coincidence, I'm sure." Vlad said dryly, "I'll call us some allies to find out what happened around here." As he speaks, the shadows solidify around him, taking shape into humanoid forms. The shadows gather more and more into these forms, gaining volume and color, until they became a group of what looked to be short, stocky, silver-haired elves wielding glowing scimitars. A moment later, another group of these creatures appeared out of the shadows as well. "Go!" Vlad directed, "Search this city until you find a living being or some sign that may indicate what happened, then return to me." The creatures nodded, and took to the air like whirlwinds.

Spoiler

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Use Shades to copy Summon Monster VIII twice, summoning (1d4+1)[2] Bralani the first time and (1d4+1)[5] Bralani the second time. Have them all spread out and search the city for survivors or clues or anything relevant.

The first group lasts 25 rounds and the second group lasts 26 rounds. They have 100 ft flight speed and +13 Spot, +13 Listen each.

[WhiteKnight777]

Gilgeam

Gilgeam walked through the deserted streets, looking around in trepidation. Though he knew no fear, he was deeply suspicious of this, and despite Vlad's reassurances didn't buy for a minute that this was a coincidence. "So... did something come along and eat them up? Or were they spirited away?"

[kentma57]

Bralani are unable to find any living creatures other then youselves, and can not discover a reason for the cities abandoned state.

[PId6]

Vlad

Vlad frowned as he heard the reports from his minions, then dismissed them back into the shadows from whence they came. "No sign of anyone, or of what happened. Strange indeed. I'm not very familiar with the locals here, but perhaps we should search the local ruler/baron/caliph/king/emperor/sultan/duke/dynast/mogul/monarch/oligarch/tyrant/kingpriest/or whatever's seat of power? There must be some palace or governing body around here, and that could possibly give us some clues as to what happened." With that plan in mind, Vlad begins to search for just such a place of rulership, summoning more minions to help him find it if necessary, assuming nobody else objects.

[kentma57]

You are able to locate what you think was the city council building, but it is empty like every where else you visit.

[PId6]

OOC:

Spoiler

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Are there any arcane emporiums our characters should know about? Any large magi-mart that sells scrolls, for example? They don't have to be in the area; anyplace in the universe should be fine. I mean, Vlad should know of some place that stocks various scrolls, right?