Chapter 12: Urban Renewal

"I cast Unwake. No wait - Wake!" -- Rosvenir

Rosvenir
  There were more of the solid threads of Darkness on the other side. I cast Utterlight immediately, and thats when I caught a glimpse of it: some form of giant arachnid, of the genus salticus if I am not mistaken though a better look at its mandibles could confirm it. Its legs were not clearly visible due to the enormous bulk of its body. Two long tentacles sprouted from afore, and some sort of scorpion-like tail from atop. The creature moved rapidly away, accompanied by a dry scraping sound like leaves on stone. A low muttering could be heard, not so much physically as mentally. This may indicate a potential for Mentalism magic in the creature.
  Mystical created a Wall of Fire in the center of the room, to burn away more of the webbing and throw enough light to see. The room was circular, and quick examination showed we had chosen badly in the location for our insubstantial tunnel. The wall was much thinner only a few feet down the hallway. As the spells had only a short duration remaining we moved down the hall and created an opening at the new location. I cast Presence to track the location of the Darkweaver. Fascinating creature, I shall have to try to get a sample to study.

The Narrator
  Renewing defensive magics, the adventurers charged through the second hole and into the chamber beyond. The webbing recently burned away by Rosvenir's Utterlight was slowly regenerating, once again obscuring the corners of the room. According to the Presence spell the Darkweaver had remained stationary near the back of the room until the party charged through. Then suddenly she was in the hallway they had just left. The Darkweaver could teleport.

  Rushing back through the insubstantial hole to the hallway, Zem crept towards the webbing where Rosvenir detected the Darkweaver but could not see the creature. His Holy Aura must have damaged her, because she rushed forward to strike a glancing blow against his arm. Incredibly, the weaver remained invisible during the attack. Nonetheless by attacking Zem she had revealed her location to the rest of the party. Rosvenir activated the Wand of Days, which blasted away the webs of Darkness surrounding Zem. Simultaneously, Endira began chanting a Holding Song, drastically slowing the movements of the arachnid. Haer threw a potion of utterlight which splashed the Weaver, burning one tentacle and finally making her visible. Zem's sword struck deep, his opponent unable to move quickly enough to defend, and the Lightning Blade arced across her body. Then the Darkweaver teleported away.

Kurik's report to the Church
  Since the time we entered Moil, though my dispatches have disappeared from the tithing bag I know not whether they reach the Temple. I have begun writing copies in the event they do not, and shall deliver them in person should I survive this place.
  The Darkweaver had teleported to a remote area of the tower. We crept back through the insubstantial hole to the central chamber, in hope that some clue as to her vulnerabilities could be found. The halfling noted it first: something metallic in the ceiling directly above the raging Wall of Fire. Mystical obligingly removed the flame, and we could see it clearly: a lever. An inscription in Common next to it read,

This is the mechanism you seek. Permanent activation will not only achieve one of your goals, but also set in motion events of great magnitude.

The Narrator
  Everyone charged out of the central chamber and back down the hallway. Rosvenir managed to maintain his concentration on the Presence spell, and yelled that the Darkweaver had teleported around the corner ahead of them. Mystical reached the corner first, and cast a Fireball down its length before ducking back. The spell exploded on contact with the webs of Darkness, burning away twenty feet of the stuff and singeing the Darkweaver within. Endira cast another Holding Song to slow the arachnids movements.
  The Weaver backed into the intact webbing, and cast a powerful Sleep spell which affected Rosvenir and Endira. Mystical threw another Fireball down the hallway. Zem charged forth even as it smoldered to slash at the Weaver, scoring several deep hits before she teleported away bleeding heavily.

Kahlen's Journal
  The shaking of the tower was becoming much worse. Walking was impossible, and we had to resort to Fly spells. I flew over to cast Awaken on Rosvenir, as Endira had managed to shake off the effects of the Darkweaver's Sleep spell on her own.
  With everyone able to move again, we made for the exit.
  The Darkweaver did not give up so easily. Wounded but not defeated, she lay in wait somewhere in the webs of Darkness. Rosvenir had lost the Presence spell when affected by Sleep, and was now too busy blasting away the webs of Darkness with Utterlight to cast it again. We did not know where the Weaver was.
  This was a terrible mistake. The Darkweaver attacked when only a small amount of the Darkness separated us from the exit. Mystical stood facing the tower entrance, her back to the webs behind her. Suddenly six tentacles extended forth and lashed about her, stinging her severely and pulling her backwards. It all happened in the blink of an eye. Kurik rushed forward to help, his Holy Aura inflicting damage even as he ran. Haer hit one of the tentacles with a sling bullet, loosening its grip though the other five held fast. Zem slashed at another tentacle just before the Darkweaver teleported away, dragging Mystical with her through the ether.

Conversation at the Gaming Table
GM: You take 6 'E' Heat criticals, and 6 'D' Void crits.
Mystical: <Gulp!> Good thing I cast Toughness before the battle.
GM: The first hit inflicts 15 hp, and an 'E' heat critical which your
	Toughness spell reduces to a 'D'. You take 3 more hits, two
	rounds of stun, and you're at -10. You also take a 'D' Void critical
	which gets reduced to a 'C'. Thats another 6 hits, another round of
	stun, you lose 6 power points, and you're at another -10.
Mystical: Ouch.
GM: The next tentacle hits you for 19 points. You take another 'E' critical,
	12 more hits and 3 rounds of stun.
Mystical: Don't forget the toughness.
GM: Oh yeah. Make the critical 8 hits and one round of stun instead. You take
	another 'D' Void crit which is actually a 'C', three more hits.
some time later...
GM: tentacle number 4... 21 hits, 4 rounds of stun.
Mystical: (sarcastically) thats only 12 rounds so far.
GM: The 'E' heat critical gets reduced to a 'D' (nice choice on the spell,
	by the way). 6 more hits, another round of stun. The 'D' Void is
	actually a 'C', 9 more hits and another round of stun.
still later...
GM: tentacle number 6, last tentacle... 22 hits, 1 round of stun.
	That Toughness spell is gonna save your butt. 5 more hits
	from the heat crit, and 8 more from the Void. Whats the total?
Mystical: 165 hits, 15 rounds of stun, 17 power points, and I lost track of
	the maneuver penalty but its huge.

The Narrator
  The Darkweaver had fled to the furthest depths of the tower to feed. This was probably not the best plan. Having only one hit point left, and bleeding 10 hits per round, the Weaver died immediately after teleporting. Healing magic might have been a better idea than grabbing a snack. Mystical found herself in a small chamber, badly injured and stunned. There was a statue of a robed man, his long beard flowing down to his belt in an alcove before her. The hands of the statue were cupped out before him, and twin pinpricks of light shone from the eyes. There was a copper plate on the base of the statue, with lettering in the demonic language of Moil. Her vision blurred from the trauma, and unfamiliar with the Moilian dialect, Mystical could make out only a few words: "thirst," "reward," and "great."

  Rosvenir cast two Utterlight spells in quick succession, destroying all remaining webbing between the party and the exit. While heading to the door he cast Finding to determine Mystical's location. The party rushed out onto the bridge.

  Mystical attempted to cast Intangible Form on herself, planning to walk straight through the walls of the tower to safety, but in her weakened state fumbled the spell. Recovering quickly, she tried again and succeeded. Having no idea where she was, she picked a direction and began to walk.

  The party moved away from the tower, guiding Rosvenir as he cast one final spell. The tower was visibly swaying back and forth, with large cracks appearing in the walls. Rosvenir completed the Mind's Door spell even as the stone began to crumble, teleporting Mystical to the bridge in front of him. The tower fell to the mists below in pieces, tearing away the section of the bridge closest to it. The adventurers ran across the remaining bridge to the Tower of Health.

  The group claimed an empty room and sealed the entrance for the night. Kahlen healed most of the damage done to Mystical, and let her sleep off the rest. Rosvenir cast Dream IV, to know of these things:

1. Who is Acerak's Tenebrous mentor?
2. What is the Vestige that guards the Sands of Time?
3. How can the Wand of Days be safely recharged in Moil?
4. What is the most useful magic item in Moil?

Rosvenir's Dream
  in one of the towers of Moil... not sure which one... it is completely empty... instead of the central support column, there is an hourglass filled with sand... the sand becomes translucent until it looks like a mist... there are murmurs now, mentally heard... the mist grows denser, pushing at the hourglass until it breaks out into the room... it almost fills the chamber, but then recoils back into a small ball...
  As the mist withdraws, the room is changed... now just a bare stone room... the last of the mist covers something written on the floor... the mist shrinks and blows away, the writing is a name: Tarnhem... there is power in that name... the power grows, and begins to glow... the glow becomes painfully bright and menacing... there is much power there... cover the eyes, trying not to be blinded by it... look again, the room has changed... in the center is the stand for the Wand of Days... it is empty, but is glowing with power... it requires something to release the power...

Experience awarded for this session:

• Haer 7,500
• Mystical 8,000
• Endira 7,500
• Rosvenir 7,750
• Kurik 7,500
• Zem 7,500