Iron Realm Log Seven

Year of Darkness 1123

13th day of the Wolf

The party's attempts to dissuade Lord Horatio Haddon not to execute Karnak, the barbarian king, fall on deaf ears. In fact the glee with which the lord looks forward to the execution of his enemy is quite sickening.

They head for the library and Elgir, the librarian who desperately wishes to study the unique magic of the duomancer. After a brief discussion with the party, Elgir decides to take a quick trip to see King Vainner to plead for clemency.

Kysan'tel tries to reason with Lord Haddon, but when that fails she attempts a hypnotization, which also fails. For his troubles she finds the chancellor's blade at her throat - Maldarus Knifehand warns her that if there are any more attempts to influence the lord he will be forced to punish the Wildling. She decides to leave the room but not before promising that if he does that again she will kill him.

Mallepus scours the library for any clues as to the nature of duomancy, but the ranger finds himself in trouble. His body has been swapped by Karnak by some strange magic thought to originate from Karnak's blood sharing ritual. It takes several minutes before the treachery is discovered but the party leave the ranger in the cell in case they become implicated in the barbarian's disappearance.

The bells ring out throughout the citadel, calling the population to the inner citadel for the execution. Elgir returns to intercept Lord Haddon as he is about to take the barbarian to the axeman's block. But there is astonishment - and towering rage from Haddon - at the discovery of the switch. Mallepus is more upset that the barbarian has his magic (which includes the Bracelet of Kalados, the Ring of the Stricken, the Eye Patch of Seeing, and the Longbow of Silence amongst others) as is Kysan'tel as some of Mallepus' missing kit was on loan from her.

Kysan'tel slips away into the inner citadel, followed by Plo'koon, and in turn followed by Isirion. The Wildling is convinced that Karnak is still in the city and moves down to the harbour where the sense of sorcery is most prominent. As they hunt shadows Valorn, the archer, starts to sow the seeds of a riot amongst the people with subtle lies and half truths. What begins as a scuffle in a tavern begins to expand into something dangerous, unrest that threatens the safety of the lords themselves.

Kysan'tel joins up with Plo'koon at the Dragons' Tooth tavern, with Isirion roaming outside and keeping track of heartbeats and magical items. The two inside sense magic upstairs and go to investigate. Kysan'tel assumes the guise of a serving wench to deliver food to the door behind which the sorcery is located. Plo'koon waits nearby with his greatsword held loosely in one hand.

The man inside the room is not keen on opening the door to them, but has no choice when the Wilding elbows the door open forcefully and steps inside, closely followed by Plo'koon. An old grey haired man calling himself Sumiar the Clocksman is not pleased with their intrusion.

Kysan'tel tries to subdue the old man, who reacts violently and tries to scratch them with an elongated fingernail. Plo'koon sidesteps the attack and lops of the old man's right arm at the elbow before hacking a large hole out of his chest and propelling Sumiar back into the room. Blood spews forth from the wound as Isirion is quick to climb the walls and head for the fight.

But Sumiar drops a timepiece on the floor and in the blink of an eye he is gone. But Isirion and Kysan'tel sense temporal magic and discover that the old sorcerer has merely stopped time to facilitate his escape. Isirion has no trouble tracking a man with such terrible wounds and catches up with him in the back yard of the tavern. An emotion spell brings on hopelessness and Sumiar falls to the ground.

Plo'koon helps Isirion get the sorcerer back into the room. He is dying. They realise quickly that this is not Karnak, but discover an amazing cloak (Cloak of Temporium worth 2,500,000 gp) and three timepieces designed and created by the dying sorcerer.

Plo'koon discards the body as the sorcerer dies, stuffing him under the bed before they head out.

The riots are now in full swing. It is becoming dangerous to be caught out on the streets as there are soldiers and militiamen everywhere, seemingly quashing the uprising with brutal and indiscriminate force. Valorn rejoins them and they soon realise that the inner citadel is in lockdown.

Kysan'tel and Isirion use wraithform to get into the relative safety of the inner citadel before Isirion uses a phantasmal force to project the illusion that there are rioters within the walls. It is a simple yet effective distraction and the rest of the party sneak back into Elgir's library, the large tower is now guarded by an acolyte hardly suited for the task. Kysan'tel hypnotises him and they gain entry immediately.

Elgir studies the magical haul and tells them of Sumiar and the Immortality granted by the cloak. He explains that Sumiar is not dead and that he will return eventually to recover his items.

"Maybe Sumiar wanted to help you," Elgir says, "and by leaving you the Watch of Travel he may have just given you an advantage."

They discuss time travel. After a lengthy and fractuous discussion they decide that perhaps the reason that Karnak has not left the citadel is because they told him to stay. Isirion grasps the idea better than most, and since the timepiece can only be activated by a sorcerer, she volunteers to go back in time to the point Karnak shifted into Mallepus's body. It is a risky strategy.

But Isirion manages to turn the hour hand back to the exact time when Karnak made the shift. To her utter amazement she finds herself standing in front of the barbarian king Karnak at the precise moment when he appeared in Mallepus's body.

The duomancer regards the vampyre with curiosity and seems to grasp instantly what is going on.

"Meet me in the main library in exactly ten hours," she tells him.

Karnak nods and vanishes into the shadows.

At the allotted time Karnak appears to the party in the acolytes' library, minus Kysan'tel and Elgir, who believe their presence may upset the barbarian.

"Last time we met I tried to restrain him," Kysan'tel says, "so it would be better if I was absent."

Karnak regards Isirion carefully. The vampyre talks quickly, eager to find out what Karnak has in mind. The barbarian means to kill Lord Haddon and wants the party's help. "In particular yours, blood brother," he says to Mallepus.

"Where is my equipment?" the ranger says waspishly.

"I gave it away to the thieves in the harbour, I didn't want anything on me that could be tracked."

Mallepus is crestfallen and at first refuses to help Karnak. But the barbarian persists in his argument.

"With your help I can slay this lord; get me close to him and I will take your place Mallepus and behead him with the same enthusiasm that he would have my head."

"What's in it for us?" Mallepus says grumpily.

"You get to see Haddon's secret."

Mallepus sneers but the party soon come round to Karnak's way of thinking and decide to help him...even Mallepus who is instrumental in the plan. Karnak hands Valorn his greataxe, a massively magical blade that he will need in the fight.

At the entrance to the castle they are confronted by two guards, who refuse them entrance. Isirion uses suggestion successfully on one of them and the guards start to scuffle. Plo'koon BOOOOM unleashes the greatsword to decapitate one whilst Isirion uses ray of enfeeblement to fell the second. As they enter the castle proper Valorn puts a knife into the fallen guards neck to silence him forever.

The scene that greets Mallepus, Isirion, Plo'koon, and Valorn is not one they expected. Body parts from guards and servants lay strewn horrifically round the place. It is eerily quiet but Isirion can sense an enormous beating heart in the main courtroom.

They follow the vampyre with weapons drawn. The double doors are not locked and as they swing open the party recoil and gasp at the scene before them. Even as they take in the scenario Karnak 'switches' bodies and takes his greataxe from Valorn.

The palace guards, along with the chancellor Maldarus, kneel in supplication around the seat of power of House Haddon. But the chair is broken in two. In the middle is an enormous creature with the strange familiar face of Horatio Haddon but a face twisted into a grotesque evil mask.

The beast towers over fifteen feet into the air, two large black horns protrude from its forehead and its face is bisected by an ugly wide mouth framed with row upon row of razor sharp teeth. Lord Haddon's clothes lie in tatters, rages cling to the massive physique and leathery skin. Huge arms bear vicious looking talons that drip with blood.

The whole demonic shape is shrouded in fire and gives off a strong and powerful magical surge.

But it is the eyes that draw the party's attention. Blood red and penetrating; the center of the beast's power they miss nothing. Isirion feels that those eyes could look deep into her mind and deep into her weaknesses. She tries to ignore them...

Back to Chappies World of Grayhawk