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{She's going to ask a few more questions just to be sure, such as "do you know Vanestin?" and "What does he look like?", etc just to verify this is the guy.}
The old man looked at her suspiciously. "Why should I tell you who I am? To me, you look like that ogre's replacement. I know how Mordraneth's servants advance... over the still-warm blood of their predecessors! If you want me to trust you, you'd best give me a good reason to!"
Mumbling about stubborn old men, Darian took the half-ogre's keys. As a sign of good faith, she unlocked his shackles. She then repeated her questions. The old man cautiously answered. He said that he was indeed Alsander. He described Vanestin well. As he did so, he warily moved towards his robes, keeping his eyes on Darian at all times. It was clear that he didn't fully trust her.
Darian was not happy about this. She'd expected a story-book, romantic rescue. What she ended up with is a man who was old enough to be her grandfather. And he wasn't even grateful.
Then Darian realized she still had her alter-self effect on. She'd gotten so comfortable playing the part of a questioner, she forgot to cancel the spell. She immediately did so, but she was still fuming. Then she ripped the unholy symbol off her neck. Darian was so exhausted she sure if she wanted to cry, or throw something.
"Listen, pops! Over the past few days, I risked my life repeatedly to save you. I'm still bleeding from this open chest wound. You know, the one I got saving you from that bastard. So if you think you've had it tough!"
She calmed down a little, taking a few deep breaths...
"I know you're studying this Children of Amathar thingy, and you probably have a real bone to pick with Mordraneth. But you're of no use to me dead. I've got a reward waiting for me when I bring you back. So I'd really appreciate it if you'd just follow me."
The man who had recently been undergoing excruciating torture had a bemused smile on his face as he listened to Darian rant and rave. He had been this young once.
"I'm sorry for my suspicion, young lady. You must understand that the past little while hasn't exactly been... what was the phrase... a picnic for me, either. I'm also sorry to say that your work is not yet done."
He paused, gauging Darian's reaction to that statement.
"Ah, cunning Mordraneth. Of course; he fooled Vanestin into a wild goose chase on the mainland. Now Vanestin and his fellow wizards will be completely off guard when Mordraneth lands in Moonshade."
"Mordraneth isn't on the mainland at all. He's here. He is scheming a monstrous evil, deep within the foundation of the Iron Crypts, in his Empire of Illusions, as he calls it. There he is harnessing a dreadful power, one to drive men to madness and death, in order to unleash it on Moonshade to bring even greater power to his master, the Witch King. If he can achieve his goal, the already awesome might of Amathar would be so great that none could challenge him."
"Mordraneth has found a way to steal souls -- more precisely, he has found a magical way of stealing images and emotions of terrifying things from the minds and spirits of the dead. Fear of darkness, fear of death, terror of the dark night when spectres and wraiths roam the world, fear of falling, phobias of many kinds. From these emotional energies and images he creates illusions of such power to drive those who witness to madness and death. He has also found that he gains his best results from those freshly dead, preferably killed by himself. Hence, he will unleash his illusory army on Moonshade to wreak havoc, so that he will have more souls... the souls of wizards, to steal. I will have to teleport to Moonshade to give them what warning I can. I only have enough energy to do that much. But it is only here that he can be stopped. You are our only hope of stopping him now!" Alsander clutched Darian's arm and gazed deep into her eyes. "Thousands of innocents will be slain if you refuse to help. But... ah, I see you are reluctant. You must have gone through so much! I suppose I would understand if you refused. Maybe I could find another way to stop Mordaneth in time...."
Darian noticed that he didn't seem too optimistic on that.
Darian looked stunned. This is where, again, she would be wrapped up in one of those nebulous, immeasurable things - a cause for the common good. In the past, if a similar situation arouse, Calidor would give her a look that silently but firmly meant "if you don't cooperate, I'm never going to associate with you again". Then she would reluctantly go along. She was never motivated by the cause of good itself. It was the prospects of treasure, and the possibility of protecting (and impressing) friends. But now, she was alone, and the treasure didn't seem half as lucrative. Not anymore, once she'd heard how powerful Mordraneth was. Why was it so immoral to look out for oneself?
There was no Calidor (or Andarra, or Kayla) to speak to her in a voice gooey with virtue. She could go back, and hopefully no one would know. Except her. She would know. And she would always remember the cowardice she expressed here. She would have to accept this task.
Her face flushed as she realized she had been pondering this in front of Alsander a few moments too long.
"I'll do it. But I know that Vanestin and you are respected in Moonshade. I want your promise that if I accomplish this, there'll be some sort of recognition for me." If she was going to risk her life - again - there had to be something given for it. She didn't know if she wanted royal, political, or just historical recognition. Just an official badge she could wear proudly.
Alsander chuckled. "Spoken like a true Moonshadian. Vanestin offered you a reward of gold. That is because you are not from the Isle of Mages. You see, in Moonshade, gold is used for simple trade. To the Sorcerers there, it has very little real, intrinsic value. His offer of gold was something of a sign of disrespect, I'm afraid. Moonshadians consider the love of gold that outsiders have to be a sign of barbarism. Oh, take no personal offense, young lady. Most Moonshadians share this prejudice. No. To a Moonshadian, only magic has any real value. For trades of substance, an exchange of magic, or a favor with the use of magic, is the norm. I will not offer you a favor. On the Isle, we learn from an early age and through observation and experience exactly how much a favor is worth. You, not of the Isle, would either ask too much, or too little. No, that would not be fair. Instead, I will offer you magical power itself. I sincerely doubt that Vanestin would have recruited you had you known no magic. Should you defeat Mordraneth, seek my spellbook. Ah, get no ideas, for only I can open that tome. From it, I am willing to teach you a number of spells. Note that what I offer you is unheard of on the Isle. ONE spell is the best anyone can expect from a deal, ever. This is a sign of how dire the situation is, and how much I owe you."
"I also need to know more. Is Mordraneth in the next room, through that black door with the thick iron banding?"
"He is near, in fact, that metal door is a ruse... a magically trapped thing for the unwary. No," Alsander pointed to a section of wall, "there is a secret door over there. That is the entrance. Beware, however, for down the passageway are two of Mordraneth's strongest servants... they are Drow of the Underdark. Beware of them, and avoid them if you can, for they may be too much for you, for all your might."
"Do I just have to kill him, or is there also something special I must do, such as destroying an artifact he has?" she asked.
"Fortunately, Mordraneth is quite mortal, and can be slain by normal means. His power is a magical technique he has learned, and no artifacts or such need destruction. However, his domain is filled with his evil illusions. These illusions have substance! Though images, the harm they can do is real, and no simple mental trick will destroy them. However, I can help you in this regard."
Alsander reached inside his robe. There was a sound of stitches being popped, and he produced a scroll of soft cloth.
"This is something I had prepared for an emergency. The cloth is special... most magic scrolls do not allow for such a material. Anyway... that is beside the point. This is a magic scroll. On it, two spells are inscribed. One will dispel an illusion, the other will remove magically induced fear. Be careful, though, for once a spell is used, it will vanish from the scroll. Thus, save them for when you truly need them."
"Is Mordraneth expecting me?" Darian asked.
"I fear that once you enter his inner sanctum, he will be aware of your presence. Once you confront him, you will have to face an alert enemy."
Darian took no offense at being offered gold by Vanestin. In fact, she was proud of how she'd managed to squeeze an additional 200 gold crowns out of him. The reward of magic, however, appealed more strongly to her.
"I accept your offer of magical power," she said, smiling. Taking the cloth scroll from Alsander, she thanked him for the information, and bid him a safe teleport back.
Alsander looked at her, and said, "Good luck. I fear you'll need it. Remember, each spell on the scroll can be used only once!" Mumbling a few words, he then teleported away.
Darian drank the last third of her Extra Healing Potion. Knowing that Alsander was teleporting out of here, she was sure she needed it more than him. She also slipped on her Ring of Hide in Shadows.
{Regain 8 hit points.}
She walked over to the secret door Alsander had pointed to. Feeling around, she attempted to open it.
Darian found the secret door Alsander told her about without difficulty, and quietly pushed it open. The smooth passageway beyond was dark, but she could see a dim light coming from a gap under a door at the end of it.
Darian entered the passageway. As she moved along it, she checked for traps. Approaching the door, she listened carefully.
Moving up to the door, she carefully placed her ear on it. At first, she thought she heard nothing... but wait! Faint, very soft voices could be heard through the portal. It was too faint for her to make out exactly what they were saying... not that she would have understood the language anyway. It faintly resembled Elvish... but it was harsher sounding than that normally melodious tongue.
Remembering Alsander's warning, Darian tried to remember all she could about dark elves. They called themselves, what was it? Drow. They appeared to be elves, but shorter than usual, and most notably they had midnight-black skin and stark white hair. Drow were rumored to be clever, swift, and extremely cruel. They were also known to have innate magical powers, resistance to magic, and a fondness for poisoned weapons. Darian seriously wondered if she could beat them in battle. Maybe she could find a way by them without a fight. She wasn't too sure about another con job, though. Drow were supposed to be highly intelligent, and well versed in deception.
{The torture room is 20 by 20. The ceiling is about 12 feet high. The secret passageway is about 15 feet long, 8 feet wide, 8 feet high. Please try to remember, that drow are FAR from stupid, and have magic resistance. I say this because they can be deadly.}
{Let's take this really slow because Darian could die here.}
Darian knew she was in for a serious battle. Moving silently, she quietly crept back into the torture room. There, she hid most of her belongings.
{Darian left everything in her large sack except for the following: Her sword, dagger, spell components, bodysuit, gloves, boots, wand, Alsander's scroll, and the ring of hide in shadows.}
Now she felt much lighter, and less bulky. Darian then casted Fly on herself, and floating silently, she slipped back into the secret passage, holding her wand. Above the Drow's door, she floated up, toward the ceiling. Melding into the upper wall and corner, Darian carefully hid in the shadows.
{Remember, she has that ring, which I think gives her something like +10%; her normal Hide in Shadows is 65%. If I was DM, I would give a bonus for the darkness, as well as for the fact that she is above the normal line of sight (flying).}
{No bonus for darkness... Drow spend their entire lives in pitch blackness.}
She then imitated Mehrabian's voice, also trying to make it sound slightly muffled. "Help! Alsander's escaped!" She paused a few moments, then "Hey! Help me find -- HUNH!!" That last sound was the deep, gutteral grunt of a large creature dying.
Darian did her best to imitate the deep voice of the half-ogre. She had no particular talent for mimicry, and her naturally high voice didn't help. She just hoped that the door would muffle the sound enough that it would fool them.
Darian waited. She was hoping the Drow were curious enough to investigate. If she could get behind them, that would give her a serious advantage.
The door opened. A dark elf appeared, dressed in strange, vaguely alien-looking armor. He had two short swords, one in his hand, the other sheathed at his belt. In his other hand, he held a hand crossbow, which was loaded. He moved down the hallway, making no sound at all.
As he did so, another drow, similarly dressed and armed, appeared at the door. He remained just inside the room, however, readying his crossbow and covering his companion. His eyes, pure yellow with no pupils or irises, scanned the area warily. It appeared that the drow were going to be cautious here... as was the way of these treacherous people.
The double swords reminded Darian of Lenear. In fact, a lot of the Drow's behaviour reminded her of Lenear. The way he dressed, and his fascination with all things abyssal.
Darian waited for the Drow that walked down the hallway to enter the torture room. She expected him to be surprised when seeing the body of Mehrabian, and the open cell door. In fact, she was expecting him to call back to his dark companion that the situation was real; Alsander *had* escaped!
This was the moment of decision. Was the Drow in the doorway going to advance to verify (with his own eyes) the situation, and cover his companion in the torture room? Or would he remain stationary?... Or worse - move back into the room? Darian twisted her wrist around to point the Wand of Paralyzation down at the elf standing almost directly below her.
She knew she had to kill them. She couldn't risk going ahead, with these two still alive. Otherwise they might come up from behind her, and surprise her when she was facing another creature. It was just a matter of when to strike, and who would have the advantage.
{Well, you get the idea. If the Drow in the torture room calls out, and it looks like the Drow below her will advance down the corridor too, then she'll wait. But if this Drow does anything else: turns around, backs up, looks up, etc, then she'll use the wand. And yes, I know they have something unfair like 75% magic resistance plus a save. But please remember, being hit from out of nowhere by a paralyzation ray doesn't automatically mean the target thinks "Gee, I've just been hit by an unsuccessful paralyzation ray, and it came from over there!". It should be possible that he won't notice.}
{True, but there's one thing... a wand is activated by a command word... one that the drow, being near, could possibly hear.}
The drow in the torture room called something to the one in the door. The language might once have been Elvish, but had been so corrupted from its original form that Darian couldn't hope to understand it. The one in the door called something back. The one in the torture room shook his head, said something... was the word Mordraneth in that statement? And started poking around in the torture room, obviously searching for something... or someone.
The other turned and started heading back to the room. This was Darian's chance. As quietly as she could, she whispered the command word for her wand, hoping the drow's sensitive pointed ears didn't hear. A green beam flashed out, and struck the drow square in the back. She bit back a curse as the drow seemed unphased. Fortunately, in his preoccupation he didn't seem to notice. Damned magic resistance. He stepped into his chamber, and Darian heard another door open. The first door, the one near her, was still open.
Darian was not concerned about Mordraneth being informed. Her adversary would have become aware of her presence soon anyway, according to what Alsander said. What she had accomplished was more important - she'd separated the two Drow. Divide and conquer could give her a powerful tactical advantage.
She slipped along the ceiling toward the open secret door. She casted Mirror Images on herself as she did this. She peeked down from the top of the doorway, attempting to get a glimpse of the Drow in the torture room.
Poking her head out of the opening of the secret door, she aimed her wand at the Drow and whispered the command word again. Hopefully, he wouldn't be looking at the door at that moment, and the attack would go unnoticed.
{If while Darian is doing any of this, she hears someone coming from behind her, she will flee the torture room by quickly flying overhead and exiting the fountain room. If the wand attack goes unnoticed and works, she will immediately kill the paralyzed Drow. If it goes unnoticed and doesn't work, she'll try once more with the wand. If the Drow notices either attack and it doesn't work, she will burst out of the passage (flying) and attack the Drow with her sword (remember she has Mirror Images on). Darian is trying to do this stuff quickly, before the other Drow returns.}
Unfortunately, the drow took that moment to turn in the direction of the door as Darian shot her wand at him. Nimbly, he dodged the beam. Well, there was no help for it now...
Darian came out of the door, accompanied by her images. She smiled, seeing the drow's confusion. Her smile vanished as the drow gave a feral grin and suddenly, the room went completely dark. In her mind, Darian swore. This drow was no fool. The images made no sound, while Darian did. He had effectively eliminated her advantage, and, being accustomed to total darkness, had given himself an edge.
Darian quickly moved forward to where she thought the drow was and slashed wildly. Her first slash caught some cloth... could it be his cloak? Slashing in the same area, she caught him, hearing him gasp in pain and surprise.
{We'll take it slow, on a round-by-round basis. This guy has a lot of tricks up his sleeve, and so do you.}
Darian felt fortunate she was carrying a +3 sword. She commanded it to light up. Although it was by no means bright, it was far brighter that most magic swords. And because she had Mirror Images on, the glowing Balisarda would be duplicated many times, adding more light.
{Combining her infravision and the light from several +3 swords, Darian should be able to see *something*. I believe the Cause Darkness (or whatever he used) would make the light less strong, but being an area effect, I don't think it would totally extinguish my sword. By the way, how many mirror images did I get?}
{Player's Handbook, Light (priest version) description: Magical darkness is equal to an unlit interior room--PITCH DARKNESS (emphasis mine). Any normal light source or magical light source of lesser intensity than full daylight does not function in magical darkness. A magical sword's light is nowhere near the equivalent of a light spell. Further, Drow of the Underdark specifically states that it is impervious to infravision. Ye cannae see a thing. Sorry. Anyway, you have 4 mirror images.}
Darian made another attack on the drow. She was also listening for sounds of the other drow returning.
{Question: How far is she to her sack of belongings?}
{Darian is disoriented in the darkness. She isn't really sure where in the room she is right now, after that first attack. I'll rule that lighting your sword and finding that it's still completely black didn't take any time. I'll give you a chance to alter your strategy based on this.}
{An illusion doesn't create real light. An illusory torch will not provide illumination in a dark area. It's sort of like a painting of a torch, a very good one, which you could swear was real, but just ain't the real thing.}
Darian guessed, at the best of times, that her sack was ahead and to the right of her. How far ahead and how much to the right she wasn't sure.
Darian did know one direction: up. She quickly ascended horizontally to the twelve foot ceiling, hopefully out of reach of the short drow. She then headed, using her best guess, in the direction she placed her sack of belongings (probably in a corner?). Dropping down, and feeling around, she tried to grab it.
{Let me know if she manages to feel the large sack. The first thing she wants to do is go back up to the ceiling. The second thing is to grab the torch out of the sack, if she got the sack. If not, she'll just ascend anyway. I'm assuming that a torch of Continual Light is somewhat like daylight. Glad I am not fighting two of these guys right now.}
Darian floated in the general direction of the sack. It was quiet... too quiet. Fumbling around, she searched for the sack. It HAD to be here somewhere! As she did so, she heard a soft "clack", and felt a sting in her side as a small crossbow bolt struck her. A wave of weariness hit her. It took all her strength to stay awake. After a moment of disorientation, she fought it off.
{Drow venom has a save at -4. You made your save by rolling exactly what you needed to. In case you're wondering, he shot in the direction of the noise made from rummaging for the sack. If Darian had failed the save, it would be game over.}
Darian was scared. She knew one hit from the drow would mean death. She'd already been lucky once. She needed to find that bag, fast.
Never, ever again would she travel alone. That is, if there was going to be another chance. She wondered why she never learned teleport, like all the other spellcasters she knew. A spell like that was invaluable now.
Darian decided to move silently. She also hovered horizontally near the floor, to cut down on the noise. Only her hands were feeling around for the sack. Having checked one part of the room, she moved along to check another part.
{She doesn't ascend to the ceiling this time. I have a feeling it's safer hovering above the floor. She needs to find that sack because it has all her stuff (including her spellbook). She should know exactly where the centre of the room is, just from the heat coming off that brazier.}.
Darian thought she was near the brazier, which was to her left. Trying hard to remember, she thought she was on the side of the brazier opposite the secret door, which was around where she left the sack.
Groping in the darkness, her hand brushed against something. Leather? It was too much to hope... probably just a whip or something. No... it was bigger than a whip... her bag! She quickly got a grip on it, and silently wondered why she decided that the bag was too bulky when it hadn't been hindering her up until that point. She almost swallowed her tongue as she heard another "clack". This time, the drow's aim was not true. She heard the soft sound of him reloading his weapon somewhat behind and above her.
Now Darian knew for certain where she was. She hooked the bag over her shoulder. Flying silently, she lifted up high, and across the room to where the door to this room should be. She slowed down with her hands outstretched and felt for the wall as she approached, and dropped down to feel for the opening.
{This should be easy to find now. You said my drawing was good, and the door was basically in a corner. Since she knew she was on the back side of the brazier, opposite the secret door, she should also have a pretty good idea where the main door to this room was. The door should still be open. (If not she'll try to open it quietly). If she can...}
Darian slipped out of the opening. She was now in the fountain room. She attempted to quietly exit the door to this room as well. Hopefully the drow would, for the time being, think she was still in the torture room.
{Sorry but she can't face Mordraneth, AND two drow, and whatever else is beyond, alone, with just two spells left. I'm going to have to somehow get her the hell outta here, and come back later. Basically, Darian is going to use the next three or four rounds to fly as quickly as possible back through the passages. If it's dark she'll pull out her torch. Let me know how far she gets. If anything significant happens meanwhile, I may need to stop her exit.}
Desperately groping around in the darkness, Darian searched for the exit. As her hands moved along the walls, she eventually hit an area of open air. The door! Swiftly, she moved through it.
Almost as soon as she was though the door, she found herself able to see again. With that, she made her way back out.
She lost track of time, she moved so quickly. Tracing her way back, she miraculously managed to avoid detection. Eventually, she found herself moving up those stairs, and outside.
