For behold, it came to pass in the days of tumult following the entrance of the Ascended that there appeared in Scarlet Gorge a great beast. The people, fearing the schemes of Queen Vallnara, did pray to the gods to intervene. The gods had mercy upon the people and sent to them a group of five Ascended. Ltol the Mage, Corvinadea the Cleric, Rayko the Rogue, and Promdawg the Cleric came from the Sanctum of the Guardians to answer the call. As a fresh graduate of Gaiscioch's renowned war college I, Elsimer, led them. While I was a grizzled veteran of many foreign campaigns, this was my first as a leader and I had been tasked by the gods with leading in an unknown land.
I trekked up from the porticullum towards the cave entrance known as the Foul Cascades, where the beast and her minions were rumored to be at work plotting the return of Regulos. After dispatching the undead minions littering the dry gulch leading up to the cavern, I prayed to the gods for guidance. Once again they showed their favor and moved my group as a whole towards our destiny and through the scintillating barrier. This day would bring much bloodshed - if all went well most of it would be the dark ichor of unholy minions of the one who called herself a queen. Nevertheless, as the gods will it so shall it be.
The first thing we saw was a duo of locals standing on a decaying giant's corpse. They gave us some much-needed intelligence regarding the situation and what they needed from us. They also suggested we head to the right and work our way around the path in order to gain whatever information we might need to thwart Vallnara's plot.
After slicing and dicing our way through animated corpses, giants, bats, and demolishing mounds of spider-like creatures we came upon the first lieutenant of Vallnara. Matron Verosa was deep in conversation with her two stooges, the spirit Lesch and the walking corpse of Gurze. Behind her was an altar. Knowing that the altar might contain valuable information, we formulated a battle plan. We would begin with the Matron, bringing her attention to bear solely on me. In her arrogance she would probably send her favorite lackey, Lesch, at us to save herself first. When it became apparent that we were intent on destroying Lesch she would extend her power to Lesch and have her brutish Gurze try his luck before throwing caution to the wind and putting all her resources at us.
As we made our final preparations, Promdawg's pet razorback mistook the old hag's leg for a new chew toy and leaped at it! The element of surprise was lost, yet our faith would yet see us through! The hag looked down in surprise at the enthusiastic gnawing on her bony femur, which gave me the opportunity at a perfect shot at her cowled head as I charged into battle. After realizing that she faced not a wayward beast and his master but many Ascended, the hag sent Lesch against us and concentrated her demonic powers on making herself invulnerable. I leapt once again to the aid of my fellows and the rest of us moved into the melee, preventing the vengeful spirit from using her most debilitating abilities at range. Even Ltol, more comfortable casting his powerful fireballs from the back ranks, encased himself in fiery hands and moved to the attack! Of course, in retrospect perhaps I should not have been surprised - one should NEVER underestimate the ferocity (nor overestimate the sanity) of a man who is manly enough to wear a dress! Within moments, Lesch was desperately clawing away in vain at the wolf pack carving out her ghostly heels. Seeing her non-corporeal minion flailing about in vain, the Matron sent Gurze after us in hopes that his brawn would triumph where Lesch's spells had not. She desperately extended her resources to cover Lesch in an invulnerable globe as well. Seeing this new threat I leapt to carve a smile on Gurze's misshapen face. My compatriots, seeing that the Matron's protection thwarted their attacks yet also kept Lesch from attacking us, dispersed and joined me in a more conventional assault on the gangly corpse. Our daggers, sword, shield, and spells all moved in harmony with one another as I blocked and parried blows meant to decapitate myself. Gurze's large scythe was met with firm shield and returned by fiery sword, whilst the combined healing powers of Corvinadea and Promdawg continued to maintain my vigor. As Gurze's blows became less frequent and puss began to ooze from the wounds of his reanimated body, I saw fury grow in the Matron's eyes. She withdrew her protection from Lesch, and Lesch's fury was returned on us. Furious at seeing her "brother" so effectively handled, Lesch turned her attention on those sworn to act in the name of the Gods above all else. Promdawg and Corvinadea fell almost before they knew what hit them. Disaster! Ltol crumpled before my eyes, and Rayko cried with anguish at his fallen brothers. Gurze turned for but a moment, but a moment is all it took to fell poor Rayko. To this day, I do not know if it was Gurze’s scythe or Lesch’s spell that took me at the last – it might have been both.
In anguish, my soul cried out – I had failed my god! My family! I must be avenged! The gods heard my Ascended prayer and my body was reconstituted around my soul. Moments later, the remainder of my band had similarly been reconstituted. All but one, that is. Poor Ltol, his robes in ribbons and his body smashed and slashed beyond repair. We mourned his passing and the passing of so much knowledge from our midst. He had been a righteous soul and our hearts were consoled somewhat in knowing he had been destroyed in the manner of his choosing – fires blazing in the cause of righteousness on a mission to save our world from Regulos.
We retreated with the hag’s triumphant cackles still ringing in our ears and Ltol’s broken corpse carried in our hands. We blessed his body and commended his spirit to the gods whom he had served so diligently. In gratitude for his years of service to them, the gods took his body in a shimmering light up to the heavens. When our eyes cleared and the pillar of light had diminished, there stood a figure among us – a being with a ferocious mask upon his head swathed in shadow! He introduced himself as Mythgarr and the joy in our hearts swept away the grief of defeat with the speed of a dwarf left alone with a pint of good mead.
I see your eyes glazing over a bit, friend. I'm afraid I don't have a bard's gift for telling tales. I'll cut to the point as a thief's dagger to a heavy purse. We gained victory that day. After pressing forward yet again, this time with pet’s leash firmly in hand and surprise thus ensured, we beat the haggardly Matron. On her altar we discovered (quite by accident, I admit) the means of disguising myself as the Matron. We found out the plans of the spider Vallnara, who calls herself Queen. We went on to defeat Vallnara’s plot to weaken and perhaps free Regulos, disguising one of us as the puppet that lay defeated at our feet at each section. In time, we defeated Vallnara herself as we defiled her nest and the eggs within it with much dancing and song. Our joy was increased when we found that Ltol had been returned to us and yet roamed this plane of existence, albeit it seems to me with a slight limp on rainy occasions.
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