Iron Realm Log Twenty-Three
Just in case you've forgotten, the cast:
Tragladt - Dwarf warrior
- male
Atris - Lich assassin - female
Irmirsul - Vampyre - sorcerer - male
Tahlia - Vampyre thief - female
Drusila - Vampyre battlemage - female
Tammaret - Human sorcerer - male
Kysan'tel - Wildling battlemage - female
Wyrin - Wildling warrior - female
Taid Sef - Dwarf sorcerer - gender unknown
Caster - Human assassin - male
Year of Darkness 1123
2nd - 3rd day of the Tiger
Atris and Caster disguise themselves as street harlots as they make their way into the dangerous streets of the Merchant Quarter. They are on their first mission for the guildmaster, Galgoth, and have been tasked with slaying a rich merchant Galliard.
His house is well guarded. Atris uses her skill with the blowgun to silence one of the front guards whilst Caster breaks the neck of the second. The bodies are secreted away and both assassins gain access to the cramped five story merchant dwelling. Atris casts improved invisibility on them both as they stalk their prey.
Atris scours the abode for minds and finds five. They move up the floors carefully, eventually passing Galliard's slumbering family and reaching the bedroom of the merchant himself. Atris slips into the room without the merchant even knowing, the corpulent Galliard is say on his bed poring over trade agreements and documents of sale.Caster waits outside. Atris the lich is efficient; she drains the life force from the merchant and slips the black glove onto the corpse - a message from the guild.Atris and Caster fly back to the Crooked Staff to see Galgoth, who is impressed with their efficiency and pays them handsomely for their efforts.
"You need to stay indoors tonight," Galgoth tells them. "I believe there is going to be some blood shed this night. I hear rumours that the zealots will try to drive the undead from Castle Stormstone."
"Thank you for the information."
But Atris is not one to be scared by idle rumours. She returns to the Astral Tower and her tale is met with curiosity amongst the party.
Sure enough there is terror on the streets as Atris and Irmirsul sense a great power. Such potency can only be wielded by a god, or in this case the goddess Ashiran, who is abroad and leading her people to slay many vampyres.
Irmirsul, Taid Sef, Tragladt, Valorn, and Atris are out on the streets in an attempt to stem or even stop the crazed pogrom.
Atris senses danger too late. Her head turns just in time to see the goddess Ashiran, in the midst of hundreds of zealots, shoot an arrow of light into her face. Atris dies instantly . . . to be reincarnated into the body of a beggar boy. Atris wastes no time in returning to her normal form but takes a moment to hand the Ring of the Lich to another beggar.
The goddess Ashiran takes aim for a second time, her target the undead lord Irmirsul. The attempts by Taid Sef and Tragladt to deflect the arrow are futile - the semi ethereal shaft punctures Irmirsul's skull and the vampyre is destroyed instantly.
Meanwhile Lord Valorn uses Grolom's cravat to disguise himself well enough to get into the inner citadel, where he seeks out Salinar, the sorcerer whose tournament he won.
Salinar is aware of the dangerous situation in Vamp Town. "You must find a lich Lord Valorn."
Valorn realises he means the Dark Wanderer, but has absolutely no idea how to find him.
Taid Sef uses his unique rock walking abilities to watch the battle for Vamp Town in the relative safety of the rock. There are heavy casualties on both sides but it is the goddess Ashiran who is at the forefront of the atrocities.
Meanwhile Atris travels the Paths of the Dead and is confronted by the beauty that is Selene, the wife of Koosh'ti, the guardians of the Gates of Limbo.
She pleads with Selene to allow him into Limbo to rescue Irmirsul but Selene says. "You are too late to save the vampyre. He is gone forever."
So Atris turns her attention to finding the goddess. She has the distinct impression that she is being followed by something or someone but is too busy to even care. She wants revenge on the goddess.
Taid Sef is below any trouble. Atris finds the dwarf who is close to the center of the fight, even though he is beneath the action. On the roof tops Atris stalks the goddess, who is not difficult to find.
From the highest building she leaps off into the melee, spitting deadly poisoned darts as she goes. Ashiran squeals in pain as Atris's poison penetrates her stomach. The assassin knows that A Rainy Day in Slough is deadly as the goddess can testify. Already the poison spreads and makes its way inexorably to the heart.
Ashiran lunges at the assassin, who casts haste and joins the fray. Try as she might the goddess cannot hit Atris as she mercilessly spits poison at the injured deity.
Two more darts hit the failing Ashiran, who screams in agony and screams for savior. "Save me!" she yells into the air.
Atris is horrified as a large rent in the prime material plane opens up. Being a lich, Atris knows that in her desperation to survive the goddess has opened a gateway to Hell or perhaps the Abyss. Either way she has a bad feeling!
A fourth dart punctures the deity's left eye and she releases Jahick's Fire Curse to finish off the job. Taid Sef emerges and advises that he take Atris (because she is not living) and the body of Asiran into the rock.
Atris eyes the gateway before her. To her amazement the appearance of the Dark Wanderer is timely; the stranger uses powerful magic to close the festering hole. He nods to the fellow lich and is gone.
Atris wanders onto the Paths of the Dead and down to the very Gates of Limbo themselves. Koosh'ti is present, along with a delegation of minor gods and goddesses pleading with Koosh'ti to return their fallen comrade.
But Koosh'ti is having none of it and hurls the corpse into the gates . . . and the Godslayer is born.
The tide of battle turned the very second the goddess fell. The zealots lost their desire to fight and the priests of Ashiran all but vanished into oblivion when their leader fell.
Back in the Astral Tower the party divide up the magic from Irmirsul and head into the inner citadel to meet Salinar. The sorcerer is pleased to see them and tries to convince them that he can sponsor them to get into Vainnor's court.
"In this citadel," he explains, "it is not what you know but who."
But Atris is in front of Galgoth. The guildmaster explains that he does not want such notoriety in the guild. "You are the Godslayer and that has to be bad for business. You should leave us."
Atris's anger is fueled by the loss of her friend. Galgoth senses rebellion and leaps at the Godslayer. Atris finds a garrote round her throat and the guildmaster is strong. If she does not react she will be dead in seconds.
But Galgoth - like so many mortal souls - cannot cope with the sheer power of a lich. Atris draws out the guildmaster's soul quickly; the screams of the dying man can be heard across the entire citadel.
The lieutenants and other assassins gather at the doorway. Atris walks out calmly with the entire clientele of the Crooked Staff intoning "Mistress" as she goes . . .