Our heroes confront Magnik in the final showdown
Score: 393 | 12/21/18 |
21st Strassa, 1517
Having approached the Ungada Liferock, Sean Shamshara, Vyktor Wyvernjack, Valteri Tomser, and Boris Hillmens prepare to battle Magnik and his automaton creations. Magnik has already killed the guards and begun chanting in a strange language, painting symbols in blood onto the liferock. Sean notices that these symbols are around a small satchel attached to the rock itself.
Knowing that he will be in the thick of battle, Vyktor casts Mage Armor on Boris while Valteri quickly flies right next to Magnik, hoping to distract him from whatever he's doing long enough for the heavy hitters to arrive. Boris steps in and begins to dismantle one of the Brass and Crystal Falsemen, hitting so hard he knocks the thing down.
Vyktor, attacked by another falseman, casts Mind Dagger and then runs to join Sean, who is sending arrows at Magnik. The remaining two falsemen surround Valteri, who is defensively fighting for his life. Magnik, annoyed by the flitting Windling, tosses down a vial, which explodes to no effect on flying man.
Soon, the bigger three are clumped together against two falsemen. Being surrounded, the automatons began to spin more wildly and randomly attacking with more ferocity, but to little effect as Boris slices one into four pieces. The other one wobbles randomly, missing its mark.
Sean attempts again to take down Magnik, but a falseman gets in the way and takes the arrow in the chest. At this moment, Veran runs in to the cavern with another guard, lunging into the fray. Sean fires again at Magnik, declaring that his evil is at an end, only to have his bowstring break and the arrow to drop to the floor. However, Magnik did not have much longer, as Valteri stops being defensive and flies down, repeatedly stabbing Magnik until he drops, dead.
Veran strikes true with his spear, taking down another falseman. Unfortunately, on the other side of the cavern, the surrounded falseman viciously slices through Vyktor, nearly knocking him unconscious. Screaming vengeance, Sean slams his dagger into the creation, nearly being hit by its blades as the light dims in its crystal eyes. Valteri strikes lightly at the remaining falsman, and Veran hits it harder. With his strike, Veran brings his footman's shield up behind himself and braces it. Boris runs up Veran's shield, leaps, and slams his giant Troll ax down on the final enemy, destroying it.
With Magnik's death, the glyphs he was drawing began to fade. The air pulses, a low thrum reverberates though the cave, then nothing, silence, The sigils flash, then disappear.
Veran sends the other guard to fetch a Questor of Garlen to heal Vyktor of his wound. Soon, he returns with Alorna, the Elf who tended to Valteri just a week prior. She begins to administer to Vyktor with her Devotion Garlen's Relief, healing his wound and all the damage he sustained over the next half-hour.
Meanwhile, though, they begin to investigate the satchel, which is apparently glued through some alchemical process to the side of the liferock and filled with strange alchemical ingredients. Both Sean and Boris unsuccessfully attempt to pull the satchel off the liferock. Vyktor begins to research with the notebook they found in Magnik's chambers. While he does not find anything about the satchel, he does look more in depth at the potion, likely the poison plaguing Kaer Ungada, which called for lizard guts, Obsidiman blood, rotten meat, and other things. The blood is crossed out and a note written next to it reads "Liferock???".
Valteri searches Magnik's body and finds a small bronze disc pinned to his shirt with a broken blue crystal in it. He notes that this was used by Magnik to control the falsemen, and Veran pointed out that those creations seemed to fight more strongly while they were surrounded. Vyktor chimes in with knowledge from the notebook that, while experimental and easy to knockdown, the Brass and Crystal Falsemen became more wild and better able to strike the more people surrounding them. Magnik was clearly a genius when it came to these sorts of things, even if his magical theory itself was sorely lacking, as evidenced by what Vyktor was reading. Using those notes as a starting point, he was certain he could greatly improve the falsemen.
Lead by two more guards, Sheyloon and Kergnon Hurlgak arrive to assess the carnage before them. Sheyloon thanks Alorna for her help in healing one of the Stalwart Stones, and Alorna leaves once Vyktor is fully healed. Valteri finishes searching Magnik's body to find a brass pipes, a small blue crystal, and a pouch with 120 silver. Vyktor gets the larger crystal out that Magnik gave them so the others can compare; Vyktor, himself, refuses to bother, still researching the notebook. Boris, strangely being the most perceptive of the group, notices that the crystal gets warmer as one brings it closer to the liferock and cools as one walks away. Sheyloon, for her part, also attempts to pull the satchel off the liferock but fails.Soon, Vyktor declares to the group that he's going to go rest. When the others ask if he's taking the notebook with him, he backs down and says that, instead, he'll just stay there and read. Boris and Sheyloon agree that that's a good idea, with Sheyloon posting the two guards on his flanks, made aware by the group that the notebook is likely cursed. Valteri and Sean, however, begin to question Vyktor about how he feels and whether he's hearing the Name Benkariim. Vyktor dissembles, but ultimately refuses to set the book down.
Sheyloon asks who or what "Benkariim" is. At the mention of it being a Horror, she immediately yells to Boris that he take the book from Vyktor. Boris grapples the human while Sean and Valteri miserably fail to yank the book from Vyktor's grasp. Sheyloon steps up and grabs it, tossing it to Sean. The elf and windling use their supplies and burn the notebook while Vyktor protests that there is too much he could do with the book. Weeping, he slowly calms down, apparently freed from whatever accursed compulsion was driving him to read the notebook.
Sheyloon suggests the group rest, as they have done a great service to the Kaer. She orders Veran to organize some guards to search through Magnik's lab for any more evidence, clues, or cursed items. Kergnon is to escort the heroes back to the Hall of Elders so they can report to Elder Meshra and perhaps sleep. Sheyloon will go fetch Ghehennis Jakreen and have him look at Vyktor and confer on what to do next.
Legend Points Awards:
- Automaton Removal Service Redux- 200
- Stopping Magnik - 200
- Destroying the Notebook - 200
- Total: 600