The Catacombs of Wild Energy

[Fenric]

The wild surge draws energy through Aesa, as if she had cast a 1st level spell (1d10). A fireball explodes, centered on the wild surge. Due to Aesa's myriad connections through Seid, the energy is drawn through her from the plane of Pandemonium (1d100).

[AmberVael]

Aesa feels the energy drawn through her and shudders as she grows more exhausted, then uses her ring to create and Anti-Magic field around her.
One of the ten diamonds on the ring goes dim.
Rain begins falling.

[Fenric]

The wild surge is no more magic than Seid itself (unless I roll 100 on d100. I'll give "plane of your choice" to be the "Plane of Arcane Energy"), and draws again. The energy for a 9th level spell is drawn through Aesa from Elysium. Aesa is forcibly levitated into the air for 2 turns (20 rounds).

(( I am using the wild surge results from the 2nd edition Tome of Magic, by the way, not the Rod of Wonders table. ))

[AmberVael]

Aesa grits her teeth, not sure how much more energy she can stand to give away. She tries to encage the abomination inside a Wall of Force, while also encasing herself in a Prismatic Sphere.
She collapses in the middle of her protective sphere, gasping for breath.

[Fenric]

The Wall of Force expands to a 60' radius, and is pushed well into the stone walls, rendering it useless.

The prismatic sphere succeeds, but "Next phrase spoken by the caster becomes true, lasting for one turn".

The living surge uses the 10 absorbed spell levels to attempt a cross-energy Disjunction (10th level) to banish the sphere. This causes the wild surge's feet to enlarge, reducing movement to half normal and adding +4 to initiative. The surge isn't sure what that means.

[AmberVael]

The sphere doesn't collapse, but the next turn it fails due to the wild magic.
Aesa triggers her ring again, very glad she has it. It creates a prismatic wall between her and the living surge. hopefully leaving her with the chests, and the surge with the rest of the room.

[Fenric]

The prismatic wall is twice as strong, twice as thick, and seals the living surge off hopelessly (rolled 100: "spell effectiveness is doubled")

The surge tries to break the wall, but has no power to do so with. Aesa has all 12 of the chests on her side of the wall. (( WHY CAN'T INVISIBLE CASTLE GIVE ME 100s AND 12s WHEN I NEED THEM??? ))

[AmberVael]

((You need them? Hell, Aesa is about to be dying because of her spell drain. She is relying on magic items to survive))
Aesa quickly begins searching the chests, staggering and limping about.

[Fenric]

(( If it wasn't for that 100 and 12, "would be" would have been "has". I'm the evil DM right now, no matter how much Magician might like Aesa ))

The chests are mundanely locked by now, requiring STR checks at 15 to break. Aesa probably does this without trouble, and has just short of the rest of time to try, so we'll just assume she does.

She finds the rod in question.

The other chests have 6 potions of Harm, 1 rod of Inflict Serious Wounds (15 charges), 1 staff of Destruction (5 charges), 5 scrolls of Summon Planar Ally, 10 diamonds suitable for True Resurrection, 1 sword of 9-lives stealing (9 charges), a scroll of Magic Circle vs Good, a Tome of Chaos, and 6000 gold pieces.

[AmberVael]

Aesa looks at it all, shudders, then decides she can spare a bit more energy. She opens another extradimensional space and scoots it all in (except the rod). She is now bleeding from her nose, her eyes are extremely bloodshot, and she is barely able to walk.
She then triggers her ring to teleport her away.

[Fenric]

A Wall of Force appears surrounding the place where Aesa used to be.

The living surge relaxes once the alien presence departs, and eventually (a very, very long eventually in terms of rounds, but not so long in real-time) everything returns to how it was, with the exception of the library which is now not so weird.

[Fenric]

*************************

A haggard elf, ancient beyond all reason, and garbed in black with a strange skull half-mask limps into the wild zone. He makes his slow, painful way to the library, and stands in surprise at the absence of the relic.

{ ancient high elvish } Can it be? Has the time at last come?

He limps over to the pedistal, and places his hand on Myrkul's holy symbol. With a flare, the black base begins to siphon the wild energies that the statue had collected away to the astral plane.

The old priest limps away from the catacombs, heading for an unlikely destination.

[Fenric]

Krystal looks around. Aesa will recognize the end of the passageway past the gibbering mouther.

The maddening sounds of that particular monster can be clearly heard still, a bit ahead and to the left.

[AmberVael]

Aesa smirks and follows Krystal, trying to suppress the normal energies around her.
She manages, to an extent. But there is a still an odd buzzing sound following her.

[Fenric]

Krystal's fur turns all-over blue. The orb begins to sing softly.

This is going to take some getting used to... and what is that awful noise?

[AmberVael]

Probably another reaction. Most of us use energy all the time, so...
Aesa twirls her scepter, inadvertantly causing a trail of flowers to follow it.

[Fenric]

Krystal nods

I'll have to work on that... I'm so used to drawing shadows all the time now...

She stops as the ugly blob of flesh-colored ooze turns the corner. It seems to recognize Aesa, and screams... which affects it's own party.

Krystal winces

Eeew!

[AmberVael]

Aesa smirks and walks over to the creature, drawing out an absolutely normal dagger.
She jabs at it.
Hard.
Really hard.
Twice.

[Fenric]

The mouther bleeds, and retreats back to the torture chamber.

Krystal chuckles

I see... So, last time you were here...

She stops again, this time because someone is speaking rather loudly in old high elvish up ahead. A vaguely familiar voice, at that.

I've heard that voice before.

[AmberVael]

Aesa raises an eyebrow.
Should make for an interesting meeting then.
She follows the voice, trying to figure out what he is saying via the ever-handy polyglot feat.

[Fenric]

Ivellios seems to be lamenting the passing of the last high priest of Myrkul, and doubly lamenting having to go back to the thankless task of maintaining the Town Public Library.

Krystal also, at the cost of being rained on, listens in with Tongues.

Ivellios??? The town librarian?

[AmberVael]

Aesa chuckles a little.
Well well well...
She walks towards the voice.

[Fenric]

There is nothing, save a little patch of "normal", to hinder the passage to the room with a lake.

There the town librarian, in his rather ridiculous armor, is mourning quite loudly next to a little boat holding the body of an elf, old beyond all reason.

Ivellios turns with a shocked expression, and his gaze first falls upon Krystal and Exachix.

Foxes! Foxes! Always foxes! Is there nowhere you don't plague? Where is my doorman when I need him?

He draws a sword, clearly from the OmniShop. Unfortunately, the heavy enchantment causes Swords to Snakes to be spontaneously cast, and the librarian grapples with an angry viper instead of attacking.

[AmberVael]

Aesa winces and attempts a dispel, hoping for no disastrous effects.

[Fenric]

A fish walks out of the lake and tips its bowler hat to Aesa before leaving, but the snake turns to dust, leaving Ivellios laying on the ground.

I suppose I ought to thank you, even if you travel with foxes.

Krystal shakes her head

I've heard rumors of this... why do you hate us so much?

Ivellios sighs

One thousand, three hundred, fifty seven years ago a werefox sorceror killed my family. I survived only because my mother fell on top of me... I was one of very few who survived when Kalzarath came to us.

Krystal's jaw drops, then closes, then she looks at Aesa.

It couldn't be the same... lich... oh dear...

She looks back at the librarian

But we killed him: he is gone, now.

[AmberVael]

Aesa shakes her head, crossing her arms.
Because you know, if one person does something terrible to you, it means they all must be bad.

[Fenric]

Ivellios kicks at the rocky sand, causing a microscopic civilization to come into existance.

I know that. By the dark one, I run the library with its piles of sappy books. But it doesn't take the pain away. Pain turns to hate, given enough time...

Krystal shakes her head

And you joined the chucrh of Myrkul because of that?

Well... you have a lucky break: he's dead. Your oaths to him mean nothing. Come back to Town, come back to your place.

Ivellios scowls

Old hate is not easy to unlearn.

then he looks away

I'm too old to fight with any of you now, and my only friend lies in the boat...

he goes silent. Should Aesa look, the erstwhile priest of Myrkul played no small part in Ivellios' corruption.

[AmberVael]

Aesa shrugs.
Everyone dies. It's the way things go.

[Fenric]

Ivellios stands back up, slowly and painfully. He takes off the heavy and quite useless black armor and piles it in the boat.

Then let that part of me die, too.

A not entirely friendly gleam flickers in his eyes

Besides, who will torment the silly foxes if I am not there?

Then he folds his arms

Now... what brings you lot to the forbidden catacombs?

Krystal looks at the floor and shuffles in the stones.

[AmberVael]

Looting, pretty much.