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… Vildar adjusts himself, dazed and confused. Several of the party have taken him down and a drugged arrow from Thanodel has found itself, painfully and awkwardly, into Vildar’s rear-end. The book of vile darkness is now nothing more than ash in the fire.
The party get a chance to collect their thoughts. They have taken something of a pounding from the clerics and mages of Thanatos, and the elves, seeing their plight, perform healing. It is a sunny day, colourful and pleasing on the eye.
Ganymede has an idea that Thanodel promptly poaches and claims recognition for – as it is clear the clerics have at least one of the “talking stones”, the party and the elves can place false traffic on the “airwaves”.gh
The plan takes fruition, and during the day the elves and the party make reference to a meeting of peace with the Kalari elves – in the hope that the supporters of Thanatos will overhear, and fall into the trap. Thanodel meanwhile, receives further plaudits from the elves – Ganymede responds by uttering a stream of profanities in 5 different languages.
The day passes; the party rest and prepare themselves for the evenings events….
At 12 o’clock, the clearing is set-up to resemble a site of a celebratory supper, to properly recognize the “new truce” between the disparate groups of Elves. Thanodel and 9 elves act as decoys in the middle of proceedings, Braylek stands ready near the portal, invisible to all thanks to a spell cast by Ganymede. Ganymede, Shaylea, Vildar and Tiyana meanwhile take up positions with ranks of elven archers around the clearing, casting beady eyes on the portal – awaiting a stream of opponents to surge outwards…
…. Suddenly, a movement, as 3 of the elves by Thanodel drop to the ground in spasm! Thanodel, being narrowly missed by a cowardly assassins blow himself, turns to confront his aggressors. Suddenly 4 burly fighters with similar ebony blades become apparent and begin attacking the elves!
Braylek and Thanodel immediately enter the fray, whilst Shaylea, Vildar and Tiyana hold back. Ganymede casts dispel magic, revealing another 4 would-be assailants but sadly highlighting Braylek’s position too.
As further assailants continue to (invisibly) stream forth from the portal, Thanodel and Braylek find themselves surrounded by multiple attackers. Thanodel’s wolf joins the fray, and Vildar steps from the woods to join in the fight. The elven archers find themselves in a position where they are unable to bring their considerable firepower to bear.
Meanwhile, Ganymede and Tiyana cast “grease” and “wall of thorns” (or similar) at the portal – there is a crash as an invisible assailant tumbles to the ground infront of the portal.
4 evil mages appear at the boundary of the woods, and before the party can react multiple fireballs slam into the massed ranks of elven archers. Screams can be heard as the proud elves suffer their casualties, and Tiyana takes damage from the remnants of one fireball.
Unfazed, she collects her thoughts sufficiently to harden her wall of thorns into a wall of wood, creating a further barrier for additional assailants to overcome.
Thanodel, Vildar and Braylek confront the mages, as the battle starts to turn in the parties favour. However, suddenly a prismatic wall goes up around the clearing, isolating the elven archers and Shaylea outside and leaving our party to fight alone. Meanwhile Ganymede is felled by an ebony blade and lies, unmoving and ineffective, on the ground.
A dark voice appears from the portal, commending the party for their cunning but reminding the party that they are all about to die. Braylek feels a strange sensation, and then turns on the party like a man possessed! Braylek makes short work of a nearby elf, and turns insanely looking for further combat when Vildar bravely confronts him!
Meanwhile, Thanodel and his wolf companion make short work of several more assassins, whilst Tiyana ably assists from distance with her trusty bow. Ganymede, unmoving, becomes aware of an aerial battle going on in the skys above him as his trusty owl, Basil, finds itself attacked by an evil bird of prey!
Vildar draws his sword towards Braylek, but is swiftly dispatched by the giant Northman as vildars bloody body slumps to the ground, bleeding profusely.
Meanwhile, as Thanodel unleashes a volley of paralyzing missiles at Braylek with minimal effect, Braylek starts to transform into wolf form!
At this stage the prismatic wall collapses from the combined efforts of the elves. As Braylek transforms, Shaylea runs in and applies minimal healing onto Vildar – enough to ensure his consciousness, but he must get aware from the now animalistic Braylek!
The elves fire repeated volleys of arrows into Braylek, as a now-conscious Ganymede volleys a fireball into the portal and onto the powerful mage. It is now apparent that the mage has somehow transferred his consciousness into Brayleks now-lupine body, and in mild panic is running towards the wall of wood! Thanodel fires another volley of drug-laced arrows into Braylek, but without effect as the enraged beast shrugs them off! It becomes apparent that Tiyana’s efforts are hampered by her weapon’s lack of magic, and so Vildar and Thanodel take it upon themselves to confront Braylek.
Ganymede, meanwhile, has dropped a flaming sphere into the portal and several magic missiles – it is now apparent the evil mage is trapped in Braylek’s body and must recover the magic jar kept on his (now) corpse in the portal! As the mage / Braylek breaks down the wall, Thanodel’s arrow strikes – but a bloody, bruised and barely standing Mage / Braylek makes a leap towards the jar and safe exit via the portal! Vildar has one chance to deal a significant blow to the mage / Braylek to prevent his escape.
….. with a mighty swing of his blade, Vildar connects, and the wolfine body of Braylek slumps to the floor. The blow was a mighty one…. And as Vildar examines the prone form of his great friend, his eyes widen, as his heart slumps. He turns to the party, a tear in his blood-soaked and heavily bruised eyes… “Braylek is dead”.