Shadows of the Past 2 (IC)

[AlanBruce]

@Dantie: You flydown as fast as you can and land beside Old Balion, with your divine mace flanking him. The spiritual weapon attempts to strike him down, but the supernatural aura around hi repels the attack.

"I AM ALWAYS PROTECTED BY HER. NONE MAY TOUCH ME!"

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@Dantie: At this point, you may make an AoO, two if spiritual weapon can make one as well.

@Tarith: Old Balion charges towards you with scythe held high. This one glows with eldritch power as his eyes resonate with the weapon.

[Archmage1]

Balion charges at Tarith, accepting attacks from both Dantie, and the mace, but these paltry attacks don't divert him from his goal: Killing the annoying one. As he nears the thief, he can see the fear in Tarith's eyes, and he can already see his Scythe striking home. Just before it strikes, he feels a slight pain in his chest, but somehow, the thief dodges his attack. How? The small man has seemingly vanished, but as Balion turned to look around, he felt his knees trembling, and he looks down instead, seeing the pommel of a dagger sticking in his heart. He then looks up.

Old Balion, mortally wounded, stands tall and covered in blood, the glow from before gone. He looks at the Dantie and Xander and coughs blood.

Arrallae....

The Guardian walks towards the great seal and his bulk falls against it as he slides slowly down to the floor, leaving a trail of his blood on the Great Seal.

ARRALLAE!!!!

Old Balion drops to the ground and the Great Seal begins to resonate as a golden lining forms around it and the circular door begins to open.

[AlanBruce]

@The Party: The Grand Seal begins to open with a tremendous rumble. The entire arena where you fought the Guardian is filled with light brighter than the sun itself. You feel a surge of tremendous power emanating from the other side of the seal as the smell of roses fill the arena. Your legs shake as you feel compelled to drop on your knees before this presence. Vaguely, through the tremendous light shining through the opened portal, you see a silhouette- that of a woman, tall and robed, but cannot see her face, since the light seems to emanate from her, like a solar crown.

Balion...

The voice is tender and calms you immensely. Even the growling from the mummies has subsided upon the appearance of this being.

Old Balion crawls up to her and stretches out her hand.

"A...A...Arrallaeee... You are here... Please... forgive me."

The sunlight subsides and then you see her. A tall elven woman dressed in fine white robes. She appears unarmed. Her long golden hair is adorned with a tiara of flowers of intense colors. Her skin is fair and flawless. Never have you seen a being sculpted in such way. Her eyes, though, that stare. As if looking at her you were looking at the cosmos itself in all its purity and grandeur.

Arrallae kneels down and cradles Old Balion in her arms.

"I am so sorry, old friend. Had I know. Tis I who must be forgiven."

Old Balion holds her hand and places it on his cheek.

"It's so warm... My lady, please. Release me... I am so tired."

Arrallae sobs as she closes her eyes and places her forehead against the dying Guardian.

"Please don't ask me to do that Balion... I can't..."

Balion smiles at her. "I have been waiting to see you all these years, my lady. Now I have. Guide me to the other side by your hand, please..."

Arrallae places both her hands on Old Balion's face and opens her eyes. You watch her eyes glow with an incandescent white. Balion's sighs a deep relief and his entire body bursts forth in an explosion of white light, which flashes through the arena and all the way through the door leading into the Thorn Gate. When the flash has subsided, nothing remains of the Old Guardian, except for Arrallae standing looking at all of you.

"Welcome to Swan's Rest..." her voice sounds heavy in mourning and enters the portal, leaving you in the arena.

[Archmage1]

Tarith stares, open-mouthed at the spectacle before him, amazed at what he sees, but after Arrallae leaves, he seems to come to his senses once more.

"It would seem that the hard part of this battle is over, but we still need to destroy the mummies that were once my friends. After that, we can proceed into Swan's Rest."

Tarith moves over to retrieve his dagger, and as he does so, he draws his crossbow, and fires a bolt at the nearest mummy.

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So, move action to retrieve the dagger, and draw the crossbow, standard to shoot it at a mummy(no sneak attack of awesomeness)
(1d20+15)[24] damage(1d8)[5]

[AlanBruce]

*********

Meanwhile, in the Ward....

A young man with long white hair sits on a desk deep in thought. He immediately raises his head and beckons for an elf in black robes to come forth.

"She is now within sight. The seal is broken."

The elf looks at him quizzically.

"Master Kalinas, are you sure..."

"OF COURSE I AM SURE! I WOULD KNOW THIS, WOULD I NOT?!"

The elf steps back in fear.

"Of course. She will be brought to you."

The man in white hair begins to shrivel slowly.

"It would seem your idea was merely temporary.... Before I lose my voice again, send Nerine and Luther, along with the rest. Get me to my bed. I want Arrallae killed, but do not retrieve. I must see something first."

The man collapses due to age rapidly as the elf carries him back to his bed.

[NathanB1486]

So this must be the goddess, I wonder the extent of her power, do any of you think she is a real goddess? Why do you think the lich left just before the battle...and wonder where he could have gone...

Xander casts chain magic missile on the nearest mummy, and walks toward swans rest.

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primary takes full secondary takes half. sorcerer lvl 4 slot.
(1d4+1)[2] (1d4+1)[2] (1d4+1)[2] (1d4+1)[2] (1d4+1)[3]

[AlanBruce]

@Xander: You watch Arrallae fo back into the Seal and direct your hand against the two mummies. As blasts of force cruise through them, the monsters growl i pain and collapse on the ground. This time, they are not getting up.

You walk past the party, avoiding the cracked ground and its uneven protrusions and pass the seal...

For a moment, it would seem that Balion had actually managed to slay you, since Swan's Rest looks like paradise on earth. For at least a mile around, you are surrounded by green rolling hills. Roads made of cobblestone snake through the green hills which sport lovely wooden houses, impeccable in design. What strikes you most is the color: everything is so vibrant. The smell of flowers permeates the entire place. Birds fly above you singing while human children play in the fields. There is a roof here, made of twisting roots, but for reasons unknown, an entire ecosystem has flourished in this place, having its own sky and clouds. Off in the distance, you see three grand statues, dispersed unevenly on top of grand fountains.

One shows a man with a lute.

Another shows an archer.

The third you have seen- Old Balion holding a scythe.

Farther in, you spot a large temple with trees growing out of it. The place seems to shine off like the sun itself.

The villagers watch you walk in and stop, aghast. Nobody has been here in centuries, so watching a stranger casually walk in is reason for much surprise.

Halt! State your name and business.

A man a tad younger than you sporting a blonde beard and wearing a suit of chainmail approaches you. He carries a bow in his back and two swords strapped to his belt. The man dresses like a huntsman.

[Archmage1]

"Well, that works as well. Time to proceed then."

Tarith enters Swan's Rest as well, following Xander

Isn't this rather fancy? Seems imaginary, as though no one real has ever lived here though. Despite the children, the houses are too perfect, no one who would be living in a house like that could aford to do so in the real world. Those statues must be of th ethree guardians, Steiner, Balion, and the third one. Wonder where he is.

When the remaining guardian appears, Tarith simply smiles.

"I am Tarith, But who are you? The last surviving guardian?"

[dantiesilva]

As Danties sees the dagger plunge into Balions heart he knows unless he is healed and fast the old guardian will die, and though he tries to get to him in time, the guardian makes it past him and to the gate opening it as Dantie had told him with his blood. I told you Balion your blood was the key. Dantie said sadly as he to walked up to old Balion trying to comfort the man. Balion, your might made it all right, just as you said. Rest now in peace. Dantie says starting to prey to Pelor to forgive this once proud guardian of his past transgression and to allow him into his glorious halls so that one day he to can be with his morning star once more.

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(1d20+6)[11] arcane (1d20+5)[16] history (1d20+15)[23] religion (1d20+9)[10] the planes (1d20+6)[23] spot

Once he sees Arrallae turn Balion into a golden blast he wounder if it was the same person who had attacked them in the tower of Bobboc. Where that person seemed hateful towards the world, she was happy and filled with joy. If not for her guardians death she would still be the same way it seems. But back to the Problem at hand, Dantie looks to the Mummies and then to Tarith. " This is your call Tarith. I can bring them back to life in the morning, or we can put them to rest, I promised you and your friends I would bring the back, and so I shall unless you say otherwise. As he hears Tariths answer he calls upon Pelors light once more to release these creatures from there bonds.

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(1d20+12)[22] turning check (2d6+11)[23] damage (I do not know if you want to count knowledge devotion for this but if you do both rolls get +3 added to them.

Once the bodies are nothing but sand and dust he walks into the seal and looks upon a sight nothing short of something from the outerplanes. By Pelors hand. Dantie says looking around at everything that he sees. Just then a man not much younger then him walks up to the group. Our business is not yet clear Guardian of the morning star, servant of pelor the shining one who lights the sky and provides us with warmth. But I hope that it will be revealed shortly. But I must ask that I speak to you alone first with my companions. My name is farther Dantie Silva and though we may be the first to visit your grand village we will not be the last I am sure. Dantie says wishing to speak to the last guardian alone so that he can question him about the jopurnal entries of Balion and how they had to kill her once only to have her come back to life. And to see if there is evil inside of her.

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(1d20+21)[29] diplomacy

[AlanBruce]

@The Party:As you enter Swan's Rest, you immediately feel as your wounds heal, at a very fast rate too. It would explain how everything maintains itself so alive and vibrant. The man in huntsman gear addresses you.

"I am Jacob. Mayor of Swan's Rest and one of Arrallae's Guardians."

@Tarith: Jacob looks at you. "Last surviving? I see... So that would explain why she felt the seal opening."

Jacob lowers his face.

"Rest now, brother."

A light rain falls on the village as the children laugh and run around barefoot while their mothers carry them off inside.

"This is... strange. The last time it rained was when the Seal was shut."

@Dantie: "Honored to have you here , father Silva. As all of you. Shall we go to my house? The rain will subside shortly, but your presence may cause an alarm on the villagers, seeing as nobody has been here in a very long time. After that, you may go speak with Her. I am certain she has many questions for you as well."

[dantiesilva]

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Nothing gained from any of the knowledge checks?

As they Dantie enters the place known as swans rest he feels all his wounds closing almost instantly on their own as if he had not once taken any damage during the fight. He quickly scribes this down on his piece of parchment and has to hide it as he feels the rain start to fall. Wasn't it a nice sunny day when we first came to here? Wounder if she has powers over the weather as well, future research must be done. Dantie says before looking up at Jacob and then a tall the families around. That sounds like a very wise idea. Shall we? Dantie says following Jacob to his house.

Once inside and the door is shut Dantie turns to the man named Jacob and says as kind as he can So why was it allowed to get so bad outside? Why did no one open the door for Balion. Steiner told you how to open it if ever the need arose. Dantie was not happy the old guardian had to die. He felt a kindredship with the man and was sorry for his loss.

[NathanB1486]

To Jacob as they enter.
I am Xander Corillian, as for our business, it will be a lengthy discussion that should best be saved for more comfortable quarters, I assure you we mean you no harm however.

As they are leaving for his home.
This place seems to be able to support its own ecosystem, and to a to a extent I had not thought possible, Jacob would this place be able to exist if not for Arrallae residing here?

[Archmage1]

"If it has not rained since the seal was shut, then magic must be what keeps all of you alive. You may want to post guards at the entrance, as there was a lich that manipulated Balion, possibly to open the seal."

[NathanB1486]

I wonder, could the magic of this place be tied to the seal, in witch case could the rain mean the magic is now unstable?

[AlanBruce]

@Dantie: Jacob offers you a cup of tea as he serves Tarith and xander one as well.

You look at your surroundings before walking into the house. Even with the light rain plinking on your armor you sense something other worldly about this place. What it is exactly, eludes your mind at the moment, but if you had to compare it with the texts you read during your years as an acolyte, it could be compared to Elysium, or at least a small part of it.

"We have been shut off from the outside world for centuries. The spell Steiner cast was designed to keep us away from prying eyes. Nobody, not even Balion knew how to get back in. Steiner and I had thought that the best thing to do at the time, given what had happened. The three of us consented to this stipulation after the event, although Balion was unaware of the barred entry. We were unaware of his actions outside."

@Nathan: Swan's Rest is what you see now because of Her. When we brought Arrallae into our village, it was merely a camp, with but a few stragglers managing to make through. Her arrival brought forth great bounty. Crops here never wither. Our milk is never sour. Water is plentiful and one lives off to old age without harm and struggle. You may, of course, think of our decision to shut her off as selfish, and you'd be right to believe that. However, there is another side to the tale. A reason why this all has unfolded."

Jacob looks out the window where the rain hits the glass and slides down.

"That would be Arrallae's Lament. When she cries, rain is said to pour down. The first time we saw this was when we Steiner and Balion left. This would be the second."

@Tarith: Jacob places his cup down. "A lich? here? Balion would not have allowed that to happen! Unless... of course. Bal, you old fool."

[Archmage1]

"What do you mean? I know that he could turn himself into an undead being, as I stole the ability from him, although using it seemed to be a bad idea."

This place would never survive in the real world. They have too much, but don't seem prepared to defend it. Information about a threat should have prompted immediate action.

[AlanBruce]

@Tarith: "Balion as an undead? Impossible. He was always most caring and devoted to nature, to Her. Why would he adopt such a stance."

After a few minutes, the rain stops down to a drizzle.

"Her grieving is almost at an end. She will most likely wish to speak to you, as I am sure she has many questions. Shall we head for her temple?"

[Archmage1]

"If you don't believe me, I can demonstrate it. My ability is to borrow the powers others possess, and I borrowed this one from the Druid. However, if you don't want to see, then we might as well get moving"

As the rain dies down, Tarith shakes his cloak off, the water beading up and falling off.

[AlanBruce]

@The Party: You walk outside and a few drops fall off the rooftop. The sky has become rose colored and the light of in the temple gives off a beautiful sunset.

You walk through the cobbled streets and the villagers wave in a friendly manner. A few kids run around your legs and toss rose petals in the air as they laugh and run off to the hills as their parents call them inside. Jacob smiles as he waves to everyone as he passes by the idyllic town. Finally, you reach Arrallae's Temple.

The building is tall, about 1000ft. high and fashioned of white polished stone. Trees have grown around the temple with roots coming in and out of the walls at different portions of the building. The great arch leading in has no doors and is flanked by two enormous statues of Arrallae- one holds a longsword with the blade looking down. The other has a quiver and bow strapped to her back. White doves fly above and nest on the statues.

"She is inside. Please be gentle with her. She has just gone through a terrible loss. I will wait here."

Jacob stays in the entrance.

[Archmage1]

Impressive. Also, worrisome. If she has spent this much effort on her temple, she might be a bit more selfish than I was hoping for. Might make it eaiser to get what I want out of her, though.

Wordlessly, Tarith walks inside.

[AlanBruce]

@The Party: You walk in the temple and find that it has a small garden inside. The same rolling hills outside are present here. Birds, fawn and even a bear walk around the area, yet they aren't the least inclined to attack you or flee. Upon a hill you see her, sitting on a stone tablet fashioned into a divan. She is playing a lute as the solar halo on her head bathes radiance on the entire temple. She stops playing and places the lute down, then stands and looks at you.

"I hope you have enjoyed your stay thus far. I hope you do not take this as intrusive, but I would be honored to have you at dinner tonight. I have much I have missed in these years and you are the first outsiders I have seen since the Seal closed."

[Archmage1]

Well, she seems nice enough, but her goals and aims remain a mystery. Hopefully, I will be able to persuade her to raise Basil and Cecile. I think wandering around the town a bit might be a good idea, as you never know what you can find out.

Tarith bows rakishly, before standing up and facing her again

"We would be honored to do so."

[AlanBruce]

@Tarith: Arrallae smiles at you.

"There is a house here that has been locked for awhile. It belonged to a good friend. Please ask Jacob for the keys. You may stay there as long as you want. I will await you and your friends here in one hour."

Arrallae leaves her lute on the divan, bows to all of you and leaves for a door in the right of the garden.

[Archmage1]

"Well, that was... interesting. I wonder whether the house was Steiner's or Balion's. Either way, we need to take a look around the area."

Tarith heads out, looking for Jacob once more.

[NathanB1486]

Why do you think Jacob chose to wait outside? I wonder what type of literature they have here.

Your temple truly is a thing of beauty Arrallae. As Tarith says, it would be out honor to attend dinner this evening. I am sure we all have many questions for each other.

As they are leaving the temple.
If the place has been locked up for so long, I wonder at the condition it currently is in.

[Archmage1]

At Xander:
Does it really matter? We are only going to be there for an hour or so, andI am more interested in the contents, as they might be useful, or they might be things like a journal or something.

[NathanB1486]

The contents of the house will no doubt be intriguing. however I would prefer searching a clean intact home, rather than a dirty dilapidated one. Speaking of journals, do you still have the one from Balion's home? I can store it properly with the rest of my books if you like.

Once they reach Jacob.
Jacob, are we to remain in the home Arrallae offered us, or are we premitted to freely wander the city if we like?

[Archmage1]

I actually have several books and the like you could look through, if you are interested.

[NathanB1486]

I would very much like to see them. I trust you have taken proper care of them so far?

Xander takes whichever books Tarith hands him, looks over them briefly, then stores each in the right compartment on his havesack. He then goes back to looking over the scroll of haste.

[Archmage1]

Tarith hands Xander D.S. Diary(Draen's), Stiener's Diary, the letter with abjuration, knights letter, the pilgrims journel, and Balion's ledger.

As Tarith hands over the letter with abjuration
"Watch out for that one, it may explode if read"