Hell's Precipice

 

 The gates of Komalie are open.  Speaking to a gentle lost soul in our safehold, I learn that the gates are closed by "Soul batteries".  The chosen are sent as sacrifice to keep the gates closed.  This is what we were sent for, to reclose them with our lives, but I have a suspicion that should we time it right, the Vizier, i'm sorry... the Lich, would be enough to close the doors for good and end this prophecy. If I am to die, I will not die withou taking a few of grenths bastards with me.

Ring of Fire

We have reached the islands.  The air is thick with ash from the volcanic rocks. Brechnar, Jalis' brother, stands with us on the port and we are instantly despaired, as the path is thick with mursaat guards and it seems hopeless.  He turns to me with a wink, and yells "FOR THE DWARVES!" and alone he runs, taking all the Mursaat with him.  A heroes death, much like Saidra.  We do not waste our moment and run up the opposite path scarcely seen by enemy eyes.  We reach a magical ward that blocks our progress.  Carefully, I distract the Jade guards with my longbow, and then we go in for the kill.

Thunderhead Keep

The Deldrimor Dwarves are in trouble.  Everyone is in trouble these days, but they are the only ones who can transport us to the fire island so we must get their fortress back.  The White mantle, along with their mursaat, have broken the gates and overrun the sacred place.  King Jalis is in a temper, red with rage at the befouling of his beloved keep.

Iron Mines of Moladune

 Up the mountain we climb.  The chilled air thinning with every step.  I am going to kill Markis. The traitourous swine needs his heart cut out, and served to Saidras monument on a platter of gold.  I am also off to see if the Seer can aid our fight. Evennia's intelligent officers tell us the Seer is holed up in a cave atop the mountain.   Fiends of all types dog our feet while we take the mountain backpathes.  To face the mursaat now would be a suicide mission. A price we cannot afford to pay. 

What the Seer has is store for us in a mystery.  The secrets to the mursaat much the same.  When we reach him it is with nervousness, and awe to finally have a way to defeat these terrible beasts.  The seer stands by a fire.  Or floats, I should say.   It hovers over the ground, a creature unlike any i've ever seen.  Its body wide and rectangular as a stone coffin, its voice faintly feminine and robotic.  I can scarcely believe a creature such as this would need our help, but it tells me that it wants to help us because I will do what its kind never could; defeat the Mursaat for good.  It cannot help me as it stands though.  There is a beast, a Eidolon, in a cave nearby and its skin is naturally immune to the agonizing touch of the Mursaat.  Naturally, I must kill it and bring its guts steaming freshly to the Seer and he will infuse my armor with it.  Also naturally, I do as it asks.

Time to test this spectral beings work.  I leave the cave to go further up the mountain and encounter my first Mursaat.  I am stronger, and he does not overcome me like before.  It works!  Praise be to Dwayna.  The playing field is now even.  Before killing Markis, I decide to take my new gift for a spin.  I am going to release all their prisoners, and dismantle their trebuchets, annihilation of the white mantle and mursaat is also on my menu.  I climb back down the mountain through the enemy camps until I find Blade Scout Ryder.  Only one prisoner? I had wished to hit them much harder, but Ryder tells me there is a Judge. And Inquisitor if you will, and he is leaving to meet with Markis at this moment.  I will take his head for Ascalon.

Taking a moment, I breathe.  I put myself back on track. We come up to Markis' keep, and dispatch of his watch from outside the wall.  Inside, he scoffs at us seeking revenge, but  he is grossly outnumbered now, and we are immune to the Mursaats agony.  He is dead, and Evennia curses him in death to spend his time in the mists in torture for those he's gotten killed and betrayed.  Saidra has been avenged.

Ice Caves of Sorrow

I have returned the Shiverpeaks.   It is time to save Evennia.  I meet with the Dwarves of Droknars and they fashion me armour of the highest quality, though a bit drab, and they send me to my rendezvous point.  The Dwarves and the Shining Blade have come together against this common foe, the White Mantle, joined by the Stone Summit who are all now led by the fearsome Mursaat.  I've yet to see one, but I hear they are quite ungodly.  Crosses between magi, birds, and undead, the very images to freeze your soul.  We leave the safe point in to the dunes of snow, my breath freezes in my lungs.   We must find the Seer, but first, Evennia needs my help.

Borlis Pass

It is indeed dark times. Rurik has not been seen for days, and some fear the worst. It snows nonstop.  Jalis has taken a shine to me, and I am sent to negotiate the safe passage to Groobles Gulch for our people.  The way is covered with centaurs, and the dwarves are in a panic.  They want me to light their magical storm beacons in order to show pacifism towards us.  Ascalon Guard Hayden has the torch.  He fled in the initial charr takeover, and I should be cross with him for abandoning hope but I cannot help but feel sorry for him, leaving one storm only to come upon another. 

There are six beacons in all, and I must light them all.  Maladar is on the other side of the gate, and the Ascalon gate guard Tolis, whom I remember guarding the wall before the searing, waits to open the gate for us.  I give him the magical torch, and we forge on.  Rurik appeared to the guards not three days ago. We are close.  The Stone Summit have an advantage, beasts so large they shake the ground, and knock us off our feet.  There are more gates, and we must end the siege of Krok's Hollow.  Luckily it seems these rival dwarves are not very smart, and they leave pyramids of explosive powder kegs near every gate.  We slay their ballistae engineers, and leave bloody footprints in the snow. Behind one of these gates I find Rornak Stonesledge, ally and friend of the dwarven king.  He tells me the Stone Summit have a trick up their sleeves.  An ice drake, so large it rivals the dragons of old.  I have trouble believing this, and his breath stinks of ale, but I have no choice but to investigate.

Within a cave I see my first dryder.  I've heard of the from adventurers who made it this far, explorers spinning tales in pubs over free mugs of ale. Spindly creatures with 6 legs and fangs the size of my head. They string along our path the ice drake, and Rornak was not lying.   The accursed beast splays over the ice like a troop of yaks at rest.  What the Summit did not account for was a beast of such large breeding would be fat and lazy. Power as he may be, he is idle, and thusly put out of his misery.

More gates, more kills, we make our way to the final gate to the hold.   We pull the levers to open it and with a start we see something we did not expect.  Rurik stands behind the gate.  He has been trapped, much like Rornak, yet not captive.  Now freed and with a cleared path from us, he gives me his praise.  Praise from a prince! I am humbled. He sends me to King Jalis, who gives me the magical flame yet again and asks me to light the beacons at the Frost Gate.  This will ensure that his brother Brechnur allows us our safe passage.  An enemy of the Stone Summit is forever a friend of the deldrimor dwarves. 

Beacons lit, we and the prince march upon the small dwarven community.  They offer us kind housing and ale.   The prince can now congratulate me in true dwarven fashion, should our livers survive it.

The Road to Borlis

The more I travel, the more I realize that many people actually made it out of Ascalon.  Yak's Bend was full of travelers and craftsmen.  Even Captains of the kings army.  Captain Osiric holds a place by the fire where he teaches travellers new skills to protect themselves.  I was able to make a small fortune of some salvaged runes from my battle in Rin.   Rurik, former prince of Ascalon, has gone ahead to meet with our dwarven ally Jalis Ironhammer, King of the northern shiverpeaks.

If we thought our trip to Kryta would be uneventful after we escaped the infested Charrlands we were wrong.  Very wrong.  It seems unrest has spread through the Shiverpeaks, and possibly even to Kryta. The dwarves are amidst a civil revolution.  A group of dwarves, under the misguided malice of Maguuman Justiciars have decided to rebel against good King Jalis, and they plague his lands slaying innocents and former allies alike.  There are centaurs and rogues, heading in to the mountains where it was easier to pillage and thieve.  We must continue though.  As far as I know, Kryta is free still.  To the captial, Lions Arch, is where we aim to head.    Osiric warns us the way to Borlis is blocked by these rebel dwarves, the Stone Summit they call themselves, are murdering anyone who attempts to pass in to safety.  They are looking to succede Jalis and change the shiverpeak order.  They will fail, I know it. Unless they and their "power" Jusiticars can provide some foreign powers and enemies, they will never defeat Jalis.

I met Cynn along the way.  I remember her from my training before the searing.  Always sour-faced and jealous, her attitude much paralelled her specialty for fire magic, and burning passion.  She and Mhenlo, the monk from Cantha, are together I hear.  Oh to find love in such turmoil, they are truly blessed.  If only she didn't want to incinerate anyone he speaks to.

We arrive at Borlis Pass.  The dwarves here proved no match for my crew, and our new additions of Dunham, an enchanter, a very flamboyant and dramatic man, and Little Thom, a bearded barrel of a man.  He and Devona would make a perfect match I think.  I should introduce them should they survive long enough to be in the same place at the same time.