8/21/2010

[Just Rob]

I was aware of floating over a great plain when I heard a voice calling me. Surely nothing could interrupt my peace and tranquility since entering this land of Nirvana, but the voice became more and more persistent. Soon, I found myself traveling through a passageway of light and then found myself staring up at the faces of my comrades with the great cleric of Moradin chanting over me, bidding me return to my body that I had left behind after the blow that was the last I remembered before finding myself in my state of bliss and free of worldly cares. Sigh. I suppose that my companions need of me to show them the way to where I had entered was more important than my gentle repose there for eternity. I will continue on and lend what help I can to the peoples of the world who are in need of the order and the way of enlightenment.

Shortly after my return, we began exploring the caverns that continued beyond the realm of the lich that my companions defeated while I was away. We found a passageway that led to a cavernous area which our spellcasters reported was an area of dead magic that would neutralize many of their arcane abilities. We noticed several undead who were caged on a platform with a spellcaster of some kind directing her activities towards a black portal that seemed to be sucking the magic from the weave. It was our duty to disrupt this corruption of the way and restore order to the weave, so we prepared to enter the corridor. As the goliath crept forward hiding in the shadows and our dauntless psuedo-dragon flew to scout the area ahead, behold - a wall of fire from the bowels of the earth rose up and began to scorch all in our party and blocked us from continuing into the cavern. Some of us quickly returned back the way we had come and forced open the doors to the cavern while the steadfast cleric protected himself and plunged through the fire to emerge on the other side.

Several creatures in service to the cleric of evil quickly quaffed some potions and disappeared from our sight. Before he knew it, the goliath was engaged in a battle for his life and was quickly subdued by flails from the hidden attackers. We rushed to his aid and were almost too late, but he survived due to a timely spell freezing the armor of the two attackers before they could complete the deed. However, the casting of the spell was the sign the cleric was looking for and before we could stop her, a boney finger cast an unholy light towards our friend Amber and before our eyes, she withered and fell into a pile of ash amidst her items and was no more. Our hearts failed us. Tesha went mad with grief and attacked the cleric who had just destroyed her partner in life. The cleric of Moradin rose up in righteous anger and smote a god-powered hammer of retribution that left the enemy dashed and broken. Unfortunately, it was too late for our good friend, and we knew that nothing short of a miracle and the power of the gods would be able to restore her to life as was done for me.

But our work was not yet finished. After dispatching the two frozen undead warriors and the caged undead who were feeding black portal of magical destruction, the power of Selune came upon our master of the cork blade and by her power, the spell was disrupted and the power of the weave was restored to normal. Our happiness at this event was tempered by our great loss from our beloved companion and her great mystical abilities which will be sorely missed in the future, but for now, the challenge of this battle is done and our enemies are undone before us. We shall continue to tread the path that leads to the one true way in whatever form that takes us and if we lose companions along the way, we know we shall meet them again in a better place. I know. I have been there.