After slaying our foes Ragnar scoffed at the ease at which they fell beneath his blade. He bade us farewell as he sought out greater challenges to the west. We continued our journey to Kobold hall and soon came upon a bespectacled dwarf who upon seeing us waved us over.
Guy took it upon himself to act as mouthpiece for the party. The dwarf asked us our purpose in the area and when Guy responded we were asked for our license and it appeared to “check out and all be in order”. The bespectacled dwarf indicated that they were maintaining the level of the Kobold population by setting a “bag” limit on the amount that could be killed. This apparently was for the sole purpose of having adventurers kill them. That meant that they were bred to be killed for someone’s pleasure.
Upon hearing this I charged the dwarf and grabbed his throat while Phobos prepared to slash his jugular. At this the guards leaped out and bade me to stand down on pain of death. I shouted that it was a barbarous plan and that none should be bred just to avoid troubles and in my haste I also said that I will never be locked in the dark again.
Guy seemingly wanted this man dead for he asked “how many can we kill?” Rhodes spoke to the other dwarf in his own toung and after a brief discussion told me that the law of inevitability dictated that a creature bred for a misconceived purpose would rise up and kill them all. This gave us pause and when Phobos told me that the Kobold would soon use him as a gimp I had to laugh and because it was a human idea it was doomed. I decided to let this one meet his fate after bending him to my will, in such a contest there was no doubt who the victor was. To his credit he did well to cover his fear. We moved on, deciding instead to go to the city. We needed information on how to rescue our fallen friends trapped in another realm it seems.
Suddenly a horn sounded. As if by instinct Talos melded with the shadows as a pack of Orks appeared to challenge us. I reacted with lightning speed loading and firing an acid bolt that seared the flesh of the leader, whence I also vanished from their sight. Berrien’s shot went wide. The Ork leader, still melting from the effects of my bolt, charged Rhodes who neatly parried the blow, returning the favor his blow didn’t breach the Orks defenses but the second hit was a crushing one. The other Orks charged as one. One was cut in half by Rhodes as he passed by.
Guy called upon his god and the Ork leader’s strength drained from him. Guy called again and dealt the leader a vicious blow whilst annihilating another. Torin the mage sent a sphere of electricity toward our foes electrifying one and wounding another, following up this he spat his breath at them wounding them further.
From the shadows I loosed a bolt at the leader but it went wide and I vanished from view. Talos used his Eladrin ability and teleported behind the leader of the Orks and his swords bit deep into Ork flesh. Berrien fired the killing shot that pierced that leader’s heart.
Rhodes drew his hammer saying “now my arm is complete”. He struck one of the Orks and crushed another. The Orks, disheartened by the loss of their leader, failed to hit Rhodes. Guy on the other hand was not so distracted and sent forth a daunting light further hampering their efforts. Talos sent a chilling strike at one of the Orks but did not slay him.
Phobos and I surged forward ducking under the blades of our prey. We got in behind him and as one we drank deeply of his blood even as his life left him. Talos blades cut into the last mad Ork but he still stood. Berrien’s bow removed the last weaker Ork from this life. Rhodes struck a near fatal blow on the last mad Ork exclaiming “die vermin”. In response the Ork struck me receiving a blow from Rhodes however the Orks wounds healed. Guy’s god must have been elsewhere as even though he healed my wound he did naught to the Ork. Despite our combined skill the last Ork dodged Phobos and my attack but Rhodes’ hammer finished the job none the less.
A careful search of the bodies revealed two parchments that indicated that the Orks had put a hit out on the one who envisioned and created the kobold breeding plan, a Barron Münchhausen. Also it was discovered that there was a Orkish wizard in the olde hills that was experimenting in ways to access the very realm to which we were seeking---the shadow fell (if we had a minstrel he would play an ominous tune).
So we journeyed on toward Fallcrest but were intercepted by a lone figure wearing a circlet of silver. Before we could announce ourselves he dared to call Guy out. Indeed he seemed to want an honor duel with our cleric for some inexplicable reason. Phobos reminded me that because it was an honor duel I could not interfere unless attacked or given cause.
The duel started when the wizard sent out bolts of energy that went wide of the mark. Guy’s response was swift and accurate as a beam of light burned the wizards flesh. The wizard called forth a bolt of lightning that struck Guy true but did little in the way of damage. Calling his god Guy sent a lance of faith to strike down the wizard and nearly did so for when the smoke cleared the wizard meekly said that he had made a mistake and thought that Guy was some other person.
The others seemed convinced that this was a perfectly honest mistake but Phobos saw through the lies. As did I, and before the other could react we leaped at the weakened wizard and Phobos bit deep into the spine of our victim severing not only the spine but the tenuous link he had to existence itself. As the body of the wizard slumped lifelessly to the ground I found it amusing that only the dwarf called the action into question. Knowing that Phobos would want to defend her actions in a simple and effective way I would of course help her. I tried to use words to explain and justify our actions to Rhodes. This however proved to be a fruitless exercise and I ended up in a circular argument where instead of accepting what I had done he questioned the explanation, prompting another explanation, prompting another question and so on. What did settle and end the argument was not my explanation being accepted nor my action being revealed as EVIL (by their definition) but by the party reaping the rewards….after that nothing was said.
So once more we traveled on. As we did so I pondered my relationship with Phobos. Ever since rescuing her from the ruin and from the clutches of the creature that held her there, we have become almost as one, our thoughts and instincts are so in sync. She is always at my side and when I hold her I swear I can feel what she feels and in battle this intensifies ten fold.
Soon however we did reach our destination, Fallcrest, and after the obligatory spending we set about the mission. To get our friends back. This entailed drawn out dialogue with a more learned person than our mage. He was not only happy to receive our information about the Orks but actually had available not one, but two scrolls that would get us to and from the shadowy realm where we were now headed.
I ventured the option of getting the Ork wizard to aid us but the counter argument was that it may take too much time, due to the Orks reluctance to aid us without “compensation”. Accepting this I did my best to make my (they did elect me) team aware of the perils they did face. Rhodes mistook this for my reluctance. I cant fault him for that however another wrinkle was added when we received word that the realm would be full of shadowy mirrors of ourselves and people in this one. Undaunted the group decided to press on given that we did have a way to and from via a spell and the location of what I understood was and area that was like a wall between our realms and an amulet that would direct the wearer to whom they thought about. In their haste they have decided to give it to the rangers because of their “tracking abilities”. I probably shall remind them of the fact that it is an emotionally based item and considering even though I have fallen from the light I still wish to see my friend the paladin and return him dead or by the will of his god alive to this realm.
And so it is off to the realm of shadow. Where our opposites lie in wait, to rescue our friends. A fool’s errand perhaps but I dare you to try and stop us. For we may have to see if you are allergic to having your spleen torn out or lungs perforated by a arrow or bolt. Live or die this is now akin to an (un)holy quest. For I will not stop until I know my friends fate, even if both Phobos and I have to slaughter the entire realm to do it.
