A Broken Family (Naomi)
From Toosigma
| Title | A Broken Family |
|---|---|
| Author | Philip Mann - Naomi |
| Campaign | Convergent Threads |
| Session | A Broken Family |
| Posted | |
| Game Date |
Hero made an appearance and we left straight away using Maerin's substantial power. I had no idea of exactly how to contact the Kalishtar in Adar, but I knew that I could also not wait for that information while my Love was in jeopardy. Maerin also had Syria traveling along our route, prepared to meet us at our destination, using her best speed aboard Frost Zephyr. The trip, while incredibly fast, seemed an eternity for me. Every hour felt like a week, and each moment brought horrible fears of what could be happening to my loved ones. During the passage, I knew that I felt the horrible emotions that Hero seemed to avoid at all costs, but I would never be rid of love simply to not feel pain. No, I could feel everything he has cast from his life and it hurt, but I could never see those feelings through a veil of regret of how I got them. His is an island unto itself, and I would want no part of it even if it meant I would never feel this way again...
We touched-down in the mountains that I knew were close to where we needed to be, but for the rest of the journey we would have to be found. And, found we were, but not by the Kalishtar as I hoped. No, we were set upon by agents of the Inspired, and they hit us quite hard. I managed well, but it was the assistance of a very strong Kalishtar named Lanharath that won the day. As we were fighting his enemy he did not turn on us, but neither did he give us the benefit of assuming we were friendly. He seemed to be one of the guardians that I imagined kept the forces of the Inspired away from their outposts in the mountains. If so, he was protecting his friends and family and I had nothing but respect for the fact he was wary of us. Eventually, after extricating us to a more concealed location to avoid any more entanglements with the Inspired patrols, Lanharath agreed to take us to Taratai Zaranth.
He lead us through a maze of tunnels and passages that were obviously constructed to confuse and delay an invasion force. In a few minutes I could no longer determine the direction we were traveling, which I am sure was the intent. I considered for a moment what these people must live with knowing that it may be just a matter of time before their mortal enemies overcome the barriers that keep them safe. If that time ever comes, when the Inspired are hunting the Kalishtar through the passages of their home, I hope that I can be here to help push the horrible invaders from Eberron.
The greatest surprise awaited once we were inside of the outpost proper. A leader figure, Elder Rystari, was expecting us. She granted us an audience that we had not yet requested, and informed us of many things. Oddly, she referred to us by names that were not our own; “Shadow Walker” for Hero, “Guardian of the Light” for Maerin, and “Tri-Soul” for me. I was struck at what these names implied, but I had no time to consider them at the time. When I asked for information, Elder Rystari not only gave it, but also cautioned that those I sought were deserving of my enmity though were not the ones that had taken my Love. She also offered assistance in the form of Lanharath, the Kalishtar warrior that had found us outside. I thanked her for all she had provided, but when she offered to allow us to rest, we declined. Granted, we could have used the rest, but I sympathized with Maerin's request to speed back to Frost Zephyr before Syria wasted more time traveling after us. Also, were I in his place, I would not miss a moment that I could spend with her.
We returned to the Eyrie to plan our next move. Hero ventured out and did some reconnaissance, but every foray was met with an increasingly capable band of guards. Soon, the enemy was at the door of the inn and we were forced to flee while papa bought us a precious few seconds to get away. We had no choice now but to take the fight to our enemy and hope that they had some answers as to the location of my loved ones.
Once we began our assault on the Deneith compound, however, I realized that this would not be as bloodless as I had hoped. The compound was prepared for us and it seemed as though every person in the area was possessed by a Quori spirit, acting as a hive-mind to pursuing us. They closed from all sides, heedlessly engaging us with a weight of numbers that we found difficult to deal with. When I saw the streets begin to choke with would-be assailants, I brought a Blade Barrier into existence to delay their approach. That tactic, combined with Maerin's Holy Word, kept all but the most powerful at bay, which in turn gave me enough space to enter the tower and look for Kayli and Cald.
I ran through the rooms and up the stairs as though speed alone would get me through any obstacle in my path. To my surprise, not a single being intercepted my path and I found myself facing Hero's grandmother and a contingent of guards in mere seconds, but completely alone as I had outpaced all of my companions. Hero was somewhere nearby in the Etheral Plane, but I knew that I could not count on him to assist with anything that lay before me, save mayhap his grandmother. It was no surprise that Lorisryn was present, or that he attacked with such surprise and vanished just as quickly. The tactic, not unlike those Hero employs, was very calculated and very effective. After a couple of attacks by him from which I was unable to defend myself or counterattack, I sought to break my own pattern to set a trap for his return.
I increased my momentum enough so that I could appear to have taxed my efforts on the guards, but I held in reserve enough strength to unleash a flurry of blows on him before he could vanish again. The tactic worked, and as he appeared and began attacking, I was able to counter with a capacity that he believed I did not have. I put everything that I had into those attacks, knowing that such a feint would not work on my adversary more than once. In the split second he appeared, his body lay shattered on the floor. I had no hope that I had destroyed him, and I knew that my only chance would be to think as quickly and clearly the next time we meet.
During my final attack on Lorisryn, the woman that was with him when we first met appeared and removed Hero's grandmother from harm's way. At that moment I began to consider that all of the forces here were assembled simply to lure us in using the elderly woman as bait. It worked well, but as I searched the remaining rooms, I was immediately struck that Elder Rystari had all but spelled-out that this assault was unnecessary in order to find my missing family, but still we came. We had no choice but to confront Karashtelle about the abduction.
We went to the Riadran Ambassador's office and found her expecting us, but pleasant. She explained that she had nothing to do with Kayli's disappearance, and in fact it took a significant portion of her resources simply to keep track of us and our “meddling”. She did offer a possible alternative to our theory that it had been the Quori, a sect that had a vested interest in tricking us into doing their dirty work by attacking as we did. Almost as soon as she said it, however, Hero and I both recalled a kidnapping that we resolved many months ago. We immediately knew that she had been truthful, but I also knew that this was not the last time I would confront the beautiful but dangerous Inspired.
Getting to the Depths from high in the spires of the Central Plateau as we were required only that I stop allowing the buildings to keep me from falling. Without a word to the others, trusting that they would find a way to follow, I dove from the spires and guided my decent with gentle nudges until I arrived at the lowest part of Sharn.
During the descent, I recalled that it had been just over a year since my first night in Sharn and things had changed so much. I awoke a frightened animal with nothing on my mind save survival. Nobody meant anything to me beyond what they could do for me. Now, nothing at all would be able to stand in my way as I try to save the one I love above all others. Now, where the animal within would have me sacrifice her as a casualty in keeping myself alive, its pleas fall on ears deafened by my willingness to see all I have and all I am cast away if it will bring her home safely.
We arrived in the depths, back at the doors of the Temple of Light Eternal, where even Hero seemed impatient. He blasted the doors with his powers and we entered to quickly discover that that dangers here had changed. Two of the cultists that stood in the foyer beyond the door exploded when Hero and Lanharath approached too close. The attack, some sort of mental detonation, stunned both of my companions and covered them with the gore that used to be human bodies.
Once inside, however, we discovered the layout to be as we remembered it. There were rooms along the side passages, and a main ceremony room directly ahead that we knew to be a false temple in spite of the cultists milling about. Once our stunned members were again able to function, Kal'ryu turned the two of us invisible. Hero used his stealth to venture inside to investigate, but he only made it to the back wall beyond the alter before he was discovered and stunned again by an exploding cultist. The remaining cultists pounced on him and tied his unmoving form up and began some sort of impromptu sacrifice. I could not allow him to die at the hands of these vile beings, so I flew in quickly and silently to pluck him from their grasp. Since they never sensed my approach, I concluded that they were actively seeking those with psionic power, making the gifts of both Hero and Lanharath to be potential liabilities.
After getting clear with him, however, the group was able to get through the searching cultists and into the true temple that we discovered before. This temple, like before, was full of those who seemed to be praying for the return of the illithid master from the hole in the center of the chamber. Maerin proved to be quite powerful here as he dispatched virtually all of the opposition with but a couple of invocations. Those that escaped his spells were quickly put down by Lanharath or myself. I began to consider that I could get used to having another direct combatant in the group should he choose not to return home when we find Kayli.
Knowing that the only way out was into the hole that seemed to be full of water, I dropped into the chamber below. Unlike the spell anchor that I had dropped before, however, I stopped above the surface of the water and began looking around. I noticed right away that my Daylight was not as effective as it should have been, which alerted me to the likely presence of other creatures just waiting to ambush us. Maerin soon joined me, and we had to wait just a second before we found ourselves grappled by tentacles from the darkness. I fought with everything I could manage in the restrained position, eventually slaying the creature that had me, but I could hear that Maerin was not faring so well. Fortunately, our new Kalishtar ally entered the chamber and came to his aid while I carried my own battle. I should not have been surprised that Hero stayed above and did not enter the darkness until he knew it was safe to do so. He seemed to believe that he was being put-out by this rescue attempt, so I knew not to expect any overt assistance from him if any at all.
With the creatures destroyed and swallowed by the deep water, we began to search for an exit. As I had imagined, out only path out was beneath the surface and Hero was again hesitant to follow. Maerin quaffed a potion and followed me as best he could, so I tried not to put an excessive distance between us though I could have outpaced him easily. As both Hero and Lanharath stayed behind until we had a clear path to more air, I was not about to leave Maerin on his own should more creatures press the attack in the cramped tunnels.
Eventually, we exited a moon pool and directed the stragglers to our location. There seemed to be a series of natural tunnels leaving from this central location, so we picked one ahead and journeyed down for some distance. Inside the large cavern that we found, Maerin and I turned to the right while Hero and Lanharath turned to the left. Suddenly, the tunnel came alive with the sounds of wings and claws in the darkness. Maerin and I gave far worse than we got, but when the Wall of Fire on the other side of the room winked out of existence, we both knew that things were not going so well with our comrades. Rather than rush across the room and allow the creatures to focus their efforts on a single group of us, Maerin cast a Fireball on their location trusting that they were healthy enough to withstand the damage.
Once the fight was over, we discovered that the others had faired okay, but Hero seemed desperate to rest right were we were. Rather than find a secure location, he and Maerin concocted a plan to use the Rope Trick spell that had worked before. This time, however, it was dispelled by another more powerful creature and we were again in a battle, no better prepared than had we not tried to rest at all. After this fight was over, I cast aside the nonsense of resting in the cavern saying that we had to continue our search and hope to find a location better suited for rest along the way.
We returned to the chamber with the moon pool and took another passage hoping to have better luck locating Kayli. Some distance down, we came across Cald who seemed somewhat dazed but eventually came around. He said that he was okay and was searching for Kayli as well. My brother also told us that he had searched through the passage ahead of us and that there was nothing there to find. I believed it to be fortunate that we found him for I knew that he was another that I could trust completely. Before we could continue, however, we had to dispatch a group of monstrosities that descended upon us from the ceiling.
After some walking down another passage, we found ourselves in a hallway that seemed tooled by skilled artisans. It was not ornate, but the way it was created told me that it had certainly been made by beings who intended it to be here. At the end of the hall, we found a metal door and, after Hero checked it to be sure it was generally safe, we decided this was a good defensible position for everyone to rest. I ventured some distance down the hallway to be able to alert the group should an enemy approach, but I was as happy as they were to be unchallenged as the hours passed.
When everyone was ready, Hero opened the door and we carefully ventured into what appeared to be a domed room made from an exotic metal. Seeing nothing of interest, we immediately continued toward the door on the opposite side. When Hero got to the door, however, the room was plunged into darkness. I looked around and I watched in horror as Maerin's handsome features took on the cast of stone as he became petrified. Once I felt the floor give, however, I dove to him to arrest his fall before he crashed into the hemispherical floor far below. He was almost too much for me to hold, but I managed to keep him from shattering on the ground. So long as he was in one piece, I reasoned, I would be able to reverse the effects. After, that is, I took care of the beholder that injured him.
The fight went well, I thought, as I quickly dispatched one beholder and then the second as the others dealt with the floating balls' horrible powers in their own unique ways. After I saw one blast tear into Lanharath, I was secretly thankful that they had targeted Maerin with more of an inconvenience than anything actually damaging. So long as he was determined to be inert, I imagined that the beholders would not bother him while we were still threatening.
I spent a few minutes enchanting the abilities that would bring Maerin back to us. I wondered if the others might be able to do the same for him were I not here, but the answer was a resounding “NO!” He has helped them many times and has proven himself a friend in need, and I was certainly glad that I had the powers to help him as he has helped me.
When he was back to his normal fleshy state, we all climbed through the door that originally tripped the trap. Inside, we saw a large and barren room that seemed to be a ceremonial chamber of some kind. I barely noticed the opening to the lava pool in the middle of the floor because, encased in a transparent tube of some kind, was Kayli. She was screaming and fighting as though she was being tortured even as the huge illithid addressed us. When we got to the middle of the room, Hero and I found our movement stopped by some force that seemed to root our feet to the ground. The monster told me that we had to surrender one of the pieces of Shalel en Tanath, a sword, that we retrieved from Frostfell to get her back. My mind was not clear, I considered that he could mean Earon Skye, but even that possession of mine was not so precious as the girl to his side.
Hero stepped away and tried to perform some sort of deception, but the mind flayer saw through it even before it materialized. I could feel that he would not honor his bargain even if I was certain of what he spoke, so I placed a Wall of Stone to cover the pool of lava as a sign that I had no faith in his bargain. As if to fulfill my assumption, some of his minions attacked us from the shadows. None seemed to be focused on me though I destroyed as many of them as I could before the battle changed horribly.
The creature vanished from his dais and, seeing my Love released from her prison, I rushed to meet her. Instead, as she neared, I could see the fury in her eyes and I watched as her body took on a transformation meant to kill all of us. At the same time, Cald began to attack the others in the troupe and Lanharath stood impassive before the battle. I knew that no harm must come to Kayli, so I put my life before her to ensure none could strike her down as an enemy.
She struck me in a series of horrible blows, but I returned with everything I had directed only to subdue her. Again and again, blow after blow, I could feel her claws and tentacles ripping into me, but still I did not give into the voice that called on me to end her to save myself. I used all of my powers to stay in the fight, but each ability seemed only to compensate for destructive power momentarily. Then, with none to slow him, Cald attacked me from behind. I could not turn my attention from Kayli as he tried to bring me down, I could only try to keep the two of them from hurting each other or me. Fortunatel Lanharath, who had recovered and engaged the enemy with his might, saw Cald and wisely decided to tackle him away from me. The two became embattled, along with Maerin, but I could not their progress completely.
At the edge of my perception I saw Cald strike Lanharath down, but the distraction was just enough to allow the monster within Kayli to penetrate my body and cast me to the ground. My little companion Kal'ryu, however, chose his moment perfectly to bring healing to me and allow me to rise again and resume the fight. I almost could not believe what I saw, it was as if the world had slowed and nothing remained but the horror committed on one of my family. Hero, using some of his most lethal powers, had entered the fight and assassinated my brother. Cald was not himself, but neither was Kayli, and none deserved to die. Rather than subdue or even simply evade, Hero decided to kill. His decision at that moment showed as a beacon into his true nature, and I would never be able to look at him again without seeing my brother's horribly contorted form falling to the ground.
The last blow fell on my Love, and I caught her collapsing body before she could strike the floor. Her monstrous augmentations were no more, and she slept peacefully in my arms as the innocent young woman I had come to know. At the same moment, one of the subordinate illithids used his powers to disintegrate the stone I put over the lava. He then removed a small music box from below the floor, an item that I immediately knew to be of the same power as the other items of Shalel en Tanath that we had recovered to date. In our minds, we could hear him tell us to flee before his master returned, and we did exactly that, leaving none of my family behind alive or not...
