Part 7>>>The Shadow of Love (an LoF adventure)

[Elif Godson]

Vincent Pathfinder 93/98

When the dust cleared Vincent almost dropped his weapon's and had to fight hard the urge to soil himself. A demon, Blessed Mother protect us.. he thought, then sheathing his dagger he attempted to keep his sword between himself and the whirling dervish of weapons before him and reach into his pouch to pull forth his pouch of blinding powder. His timing on the throw would have to be of surprise and without miss. This would be a good time for the shadows to be a bit darker. , just as Tao did something to the floor that brought the demon closer to them. Not a moment after that Tao yelled "My power is waning, protect the girl and do not try any magic against the demon, she will prevail against you. Let us try to draw her away from the portal, and see what happens..." and then fainted. Reaching the desired pocket he pulled out the small pouch and skirted around the demon to help aid Tao.

[Legolas]

Inquisitor Marcos of Snowdale - 82/98

So much for the witch. The tellings of her secret and forbidden powers were many and worrying, but her actions here did do them no justice.

The paladin knew that he had not failed thusfar. His strategies were the best he could think to apply, and if they did not suffice time and again, that but meant this test was not yet over.

Facing them now, however, was a creature to dwarf their skills entirely. The inquisitor saw that neither magic nor swordsmanship would be like to win the day, and thus there was truth in the witch's words. Well did he know that none would search so desparately for a way out of peril as a practitioner of evil magics.
The priestess would need be protected.

"Walk back through the complex," he instructed, "Be it to mount a defence elsewhere or in flight. If you withdraw entirely, alert other powers who may vanquish this daemon. If you do not, consider collapsing a passage. I remain to bring you time; perhaps a second, perhaps sixty. Leave those who can't walk, they'll slow you down. This is a matter greater than personal preference."

[Larry_OHF]

In ages past, a great sage by the name of Myron faced off against Ssayonele, a powerful demon from the lower abyss. History has forgotten this ancient battle, and only two exist that can actually tell it. The demon herself and Myron, who gets so involved into studying and learning that he has not taken the time to realize that he died long ago.

The defeat and imprisonment of Ssayonele this day has been undone. Her spirit which had been transferred to another plane of existence has been reunited with her body that had suffered containment within an emerald. Those that learned of her existence and tried to bring her back as a leader of their society have paid the ultimate price. Along with their blood, many sacrifices had been made and absorbed by the emerald until which time the body was strong enough that the spirit could reunite with it and be returned to this land. How she got here in the first place cannot be guessed at, but the fact remains that here and today she stands…and what appears to be those that would contest her, standing in the very room where she was banished by Myron, imprisoned in the very jewel she wore around her neck.

Ssayonele was not in the mood to entertain visitors to her home. They would have to be dealt with.

Long imprisonment such as this had been had weakened the Marilith and she needed a moment to feel her way into her body again, have the inner strength return to her limbs and her mind to focus. She knew who she was, what she could do, and who stood against her. It was time to take back what was hers and rule in absolute power!

Rising up to her full height of nine feet, her long tail extending her body out to be 20 feet in length, this horrific creature was a sight to behold!

She did not straight-way attack. She wanted to see who it was she was facing-off against, what the territory was like, and what weaknesses she could find. Already, the female one that had miscast the spell had fallen unconscious while the human in armor bravely told everyone else to run if they could, he being a sacrifice to their possible safety. An elf with nice-looking blades was near the door and an elven cleric stood in shock and fear at her power! There was another, a mixed breed who held a peculiar weapon, and she could feel that it was special. She wanted to add that blade to her own collection.

Deciding to talk, she decided that normal human language would be best understood by this group.


”What foolishness is this that you have come to stand against such as I,
knowing that your deaths are certain?
How is it you can compare your strength to mine?”

[Morgeruat]

Yevaud

Ignoring the pathetic human's rambling attempt at nobility, Yevaud swung the dessicated mummy he held once, twice, and released it, directly at the fiend. He knew enough of their kind to know that listening to it's poisoned words would be hazardous to one's soul, and so his feet were churning beneath him even as the corpse left his hands. His blade was moving as an extension of himself, and he called out to the blade, even as fiends used misdirection above physical prowess he would use his own misdirection to combat it, if only for a few seconds. "My masters trained me by making me fight windmills in tornados, this bitch can't be much different" He dropped into a fully defensive routine as he neared melee range, using his bladesinging skills for defense and concentrating specifically on blocking her attacks, after an initial thrust or three to draw her attacks against him.

[img]graemlins/elf.gif[/img]

[ 03-04-2006, 02:05 PM: Message edited by: Morgeruat ]

[Larry_OHF]

~Bold and cunning, marilith are the generals and tacticians of the demon race.

Ssayonele

A corpse came flying at her as she spoke, and she raised one of her terrible blades up and impaled it in the air, then slung it to the side as the elven bladesinger came running in to fight.

She admired his decision, for she was also born to fight, and welcomed the chance to kill with a great smile as though invited to play her favorite game.

The bladesinger used a two-sword technique, and was very skilled in his two-handed approach to sword play. She decided to meet him with two of her own, one from the left and one from the right, both from her lower appendages. He had taken the defencive to test her and she decided to turn the testing back on him, for he was the student in this melee. Within a few strokes and teases, she changed her right arm out for another one on the right, giving a completely different angle on her approaches. However, he had been ready for such a move and was easily converted to the new defence. This told her that his big brag a moment ago was not in total vain. At least she was not dealing with an incompetent.

In a few more slices and jabs, she replaced the left arm with a fresh one, but this time it was a second arm coming from the right while the three on the left was in defencive rest.

None of the others had yet made an attempt to combat her, so she wondered how long this favorite pet of her's would last before she tired of him.

OOC>>Of course, she's in no hurry and likes to play with her victims...


Anarrima 55/67

The great fear that gripped her heart held her like a stone fist. She dared not move. She had never felt like this, even in the imprisonment of the drow. A true demon from such a horrible abyss wounded her eyes just to behold it! What could she do? She only then realized that Tao had fallen.

"Lady! Lady please! We must flee, and I cannot carry you! Awake Lady Tao! Do not let it end like this!"

Tao had been her traveling companion before, and they had defeated a great evil in the land before this. Certainly they still stood a chance in this world! Would it end so soon? Marcos had called for the others to leave, and let him abide the time but she could not abandon anyone to such a fate. She refused to accept that the only way out of this fight was to leave everyone and flee the castle while the others died. Yevaud had already taken to fight. She had to stay for him, if nobody else.


Tao had fallen into unconsciousness for her failing health, since Lady Senora still roamed the land and the bite of the Banewolf had poisoned her body with the taint of the grave, pulling her closer to it. Spells that were cast and endured, sped up the process in which Tao would die.


Marcos knew that his mundane weapon had no powers against such a fierce foe that was not from this world. He wanted to fight, but knew that it was foolish to charge the demon with nothing but determination. It would take more than that to scratch her.

Vincent was trying to get to Tao's side, feeling that she held the key to any chance of victory, and so continued his sneaking approach towards her and Anarrima.

Anarrima50/67

Ana peered up at the fight between Yevaud and the demon. He was certainly impressive to watch, but knew that the marilith was not even fighting at her full potential. She was teasing her poor friend. She had to help!

She closed her eyes and felt her way through her mental inventory or possibilities.

1. The demon was too power for her to turn or banish. Ana could feel the evil and it was overwhelming her already.

2. She looked into her spells that she knew the goddess would grant her upon asking. They were a safer bet than trying to petition the goddess for a spell that was not in her repertoire...and faster.

She found one that might be of some use. It was called Greater Magical Weapon, and would enhance one normal weapon up to a +3, since Ana was not high enough in level to reach the maximum potential of the spell. She did not know how Marcos would react to this blessing, but decided to cast it.

Calling aloud, she cried, "Ahurani Fairhand! Hear the plea of thy daughter, Anarrima Culurien! I ask for a blessing of divine intervention come upon the weapon that thy daughter's companion Marcos of Snowdale holds in his hand that it might benefit us in battle and save innocent souls from a demon most foul!"

Marcos's hammer glowed and took on the appearance of a weapon made of platinum. There was a warmth in its hilt as it had been goddess-touched.

Anarrima did not stop there. She had to work fast, and moving from this task to the next, she now had to wake Tao up. She grabbed Tao's hand and pulled, calling forth with a command of godly power and having the faith necessary to perform the task she cried:

"In the name of Ahurani Fairhand, the goddess of health, arise and receive your strength Lady Tao of the Wolves!"


OOC>>>Ahurani is a water goddess from ancient Persian mythology. She watches over rainfall as well as standing water. She was invoked for health, healing, prosperity, and growth. She is either the wife or the daughter of the great god of creation and goodness, Ahura Mazda. Her name means "She who belongs to Ahura". http://www.pantheon.org/articles/a/ahurani.html


Marcos: Your hammer has become a +3 magically enhanced weapon by the grace of a goddess if you choose to use it to assist Yevaud in occupying the Marilith.

Tao: Ana's call for you to awake and arise has a special healing element to it that would benefit you where normal healing spells would fail, since the goddess can look straight into what has caused your unconscious state and revive you from it. It does not negate the effects of the banewolf bite, nor the fact that your shadow is sapping your life from you. It has given you some extra strength to stand and operate despite these conditions. This extra life will be subject to the negative effects of draining and loss that your normal strength is. Let it suffice to say that the goddess gave you enough inner strength to get you through this trial...but not enough to overdose you towards imploding, much like a battery would if it were overcharged.

OOC>>>I cannot resist another post! Senora and Morgie can make a post as they see fit to abide the time until Cyril can come back and get us to safety.

Larry Silverfall 07/23

Larry straightened up as he heard Morgie telling Senora off. It sounded like she had attacked him upon waking from her unconscious state. But he sounded fine and so did she.

But what about the drumming? They were sounding horrible on the other end of that wall that had blinded him. Yet for all he knew, it sounded like none of them had yet passed its magical barrier.

"Guys? Seriously...what's going on with that wall? How long will it keep the bad guys away?"

[ 06-24-2006, 04:35 PM: Message edited by: Larry_OHF ]

[Morgeruat]

Yevaud 39/45

Yevaud began to sweat a bit, keeping up with this was simple, a task that he could have performed as a child, and both he and the demoness knew it, when she decided to make things harder he would begin to really worry, until then he could toy with her just as well as she could toy with him, he took his enchanted blade working her attacks higher, then promptly cartwheeled to the right, catching the flat of one blade on his boot and keeping it back while simultaneously bringing the enchanted blade that was now conveniently next to the ground across in a low sweep towards her snakelike lower half, as he regained his footing, if the blade would bite it might at least irritate her enough to make her fight like she meant it.

[Elif Godson]

Vincent Pathfinder

Watching the fight between the demon and the bladesinger, Vincent was taken back momentarily to many of the sessions he had with his father. What a wonder it was to watch, but this was no time to reminisce, death was at the door and coming at them heartly. He thought about blasting her with the choking powder but the bladesinger was to close and more then likely would suffer more then the demon. Looking down he checked to see how Annarima was progressing and decided to try a shadow attack. slipping into the now dark corners of the room he made his way around for a strike, hoping that with all these arms, the beast didnt have extra eye's....

[Larry_OHF]

The Team that Fights

Tao had risen from her weery state of unconsciousness but needed a moment to clear her head of the swimmy, nautious feeling that came with the initial boost of life from a goddess.

Anarrima, who had channeled the magical elixer of life was also affected by the woosie feeling that made the world spin for a moment, trying to bring herself back into the focus of what was going on around her.

As well was affected Marcos, for he had not been expecting his hammer to be goddess-touched and so his initial shock at having a weapon blessed in such a way caused him to stop and wonder, losing focus on his task, which was to get moving as quickly as he could towards the threat.

That left Yevaud and Vincent to work things out for now. Yevaud was sparring beautifully against the demon, and if death were not on the line, it would have been a truely spectacular event to behold, for the elven bladesinger was holding nothing back, even throwing in some tricks that had the Marilith jealous. She prided herself in finding such a worthy victim to play with, even when he got close enough to her torso to scratch her with his blade, though she was able to pull her body back enough to not do serious harm. That had been evidence enough that she was dealing with a great swordsman, and could not remember too many lesser demons that she'd fought in generations past that was so dedicated to the art of sword-play. The scratch comes with the territory, for cuts are frequent in the life of a Marilith, so she suffered no embarrasing rage at his success in landing such a strike. Now it was time to get serious with him.

Using all six arms, she decided to see just how educated this bladesinger really was. Her two middle arms were used in defencive ways while the other four poked, prodded, sliced and swirled in full-on agressive combat. While she was engaged in melee in the front, her tail had worked around from the back and grabbed Marcos from behind, taking him by the heel and raising him into the air.


OOC>>>Marcos, when you were instantly and harshly scooped up by her tail into the air to be held upside down by your ankles, you dropped your hammer to the floor.

[ 03-29-2006, 01:45 PM: Message edited by: Larry_OHF ]

[Elif Godson]

Vincent Pathfinder

The Marilith to his knowledge had not seen slip into what few shadows were in the room, and so he took the opportunity when she went full on Yevaud and craftily scooped Marcos up to strike. Saying an internal prayer, he thrust his blades at her momentarily unprotected back side...

[TAOWolf]

Shaking her head to clear it, she looks around and checks to see where everyone is and narrows her eyes, watching Vincent and Yevaud.. She reaches over touching Anarrima's arm in thanks, and slowly stands reaching for her staff..

Looking at Marcos, she is not verra surprised to have mixed feelings about helping him. She knows that given the chance, the man will try to pull his inquistor job on her. And no way is THAT happening.. but.. still.. as tempting as it is to let the Marilith have him, she is deemed to help.

Reaching into a pocket, she pulls out two runes, and bringing them to her lips she whispers to them softly. She then throws one towards Marcos, and the other towards the legs of the Marilith..

[ 03-30-2006, 07:05 PM: Message edited by: TAOWolf ]