[Alliance] Chapter Five: Session Forty-Three
Appearing Characters: Deathwhisper, Gilveradin Windrunner, Heigan Capless, Kel'Thuzad, Loatheb, Marrowgar, Motah Tallhorn, Remnii, Rommath Pyrewing, Samia Inkling, Seria, Tamsin Roame, Teemo Manabrake, Thal'ena Dawnseeker, Uther Menethil, Velameestra Windrunner, Zagarra
October 18th (Early Morning)
As the fight unfolded, they were joined by Tamsin Roame, as she wasn’t about to allow the group to keep all of Heigan’s secrets for themselves. She stepped forward and they began to glow with a shadowy aura.
She flicked her hands and threw a scroll into the air, which she started to incantate upon.
A doomguard steps forward, summoned from a fel rune. It looked back at Tamsin.
Tamsin held out a hand and chains whipped around the fiend’s arms.
The doomguard was compelled to look back at Marrowgar and prepared to fight as Tamsin hurled a [Dispel Magic] at the bone wraith. Bones had started to swirl around him, but the bones shattered and clattered to the ground. A violet skull then appeared in her hand and she hurled it at the bone wraith, but it was deflected by Marrowgar’s axe. Tamsin grunted and stepped back, but the doomguard charged forward and drove his flaming sword at Marrowgar. The bone wraith parried the blows.
Lady Deathwhisper wove a spell in her skeletal hands and a frigid skull swirling with necrotic energy sailed towards Tamsin. The necrotic energy swirled around her, temporarily halting her ability to heal.
A cultist teleported down to the arena, and Deathwhisper laughed as she wove a ward around her. Complex sigils of necrotic energy swirled and encased her in a shield of rime and hatred. There was an enchantment woven within them that Vel was able to identify as having a chance to blow back damage. Deathwhisper floated up into the air and her eyes flared with supernatural power as she looked at the doomguard.
Her voice resonated with power, and fear moved through the doomguard. The demon dropped its weapon and staggered back in fear.
Deathwhisper continued to weave a series of spells as wailing specters streaked towards Gil and Uther. They were both able to avoid the howling specters. She then hurtled bolts of death energy at Vel and Seria. Vel was able to evade, but the bolt slammed into Seria. She then turned incorporeal and then moved back to her original position.
Lord Marrowgar swung upwards and a line of cold flame erupted right through the middle of the group. He then swooped forward and, in a flurry of attacks, he spun in a fearsome circle. Bone shards started to pick up into the whirlwind.
He swept through the group, and the chilling rime overtook them. Vel snarled as her [Metamorphosis] fully took hold and her spectral wings unfurled. She reached out and used [Dimension Door] to ferry herself and Uther across the room to Deathwhisper, where she broke off to flank Deathwhisper. Meanwhile her bats started to swirl around Marrowgar.
Deathwhisper grabbed one of the specters around her and transformed it into a blade that she brought down on Uther. The wail of the spirit that had been broken and twisted seared through Uther’s mind. Uther grit his teeth and he swung his hammer into her barrier, and it splintered, sending shards of ice back at him. Chains swirled around Deathwhisper and she looked down at Uther.
The chains pierced Uther’s armor as it tried to pull something from deep inside him. He felt a pain, but he was able to resist the secondary effect of the attack.
Gil teleported away from Marrowgar and he used [Summon Dragon] behind Marrowgar, which manifested as a radiant crimson dragon. It roared and tore into Marrowgar, and then opened its mouth and released a cone of radiant fire over the wraith.
Remnii opened her eyes, and they started to glow with a supernatural light. She used [Exorcism], and with an explosion of light some of the bones that made up his body were cast from him.
Seria roared and started to rip and tear into Marrowgar as she tore more bones from his body. The spirit of Seria’s mother appeared on the other side of Marrowgar and started to harry him. The cultist that had appeared hurled a deathbolt at Seria, and she felt the curse of the magic linger on her, numbing her attacks. He then temporarily raised some of the bones into a skeleton that fired a flurry of bone arrows at Remnii, which also numbed her ability to heal.
Gil teleported south and aimed his bow at Deathwhisper. He fired two shots, and he broke through her shield. The lingering aspect of the shield shattered and ripped at Gil. Meanwhile his dragon continued to maul Marrowgar.
Another cultist jumped down onto the battlefield and joined his fellow. Deathwhisper called upon one of the cultists to shed their mortal coil, and the cultist laughed and plunged the dagger into his own chest. With an explosion of necrotic energy, Gil was blasted by the ritual and the draconic spirit he had summoned faded. However, the cultist then started to stand up, his flesh sloughing to the ground as he ascended into undeath.
The Scales had arrived to help with the fights and Thal’ena rushed in to use [Rejuvenation] on Uther, and she also channeled additional healing into Uther, restoring some of his stolen vitality.
Remnii continued channeling the Light through T’uure, this time increasing the power behind the spell as she shivered in the cold.
She used [Exorcism] again as the sound of windchimes echoed in the air. He exploded, and his axe soared through the air and crashed into the ground.
She hurled three gravebolts at the newly arrived cultist. Two of them blasted into the cultist, and it barely was able to avoided the last one.
Vel looked over at Uther and started to channel a [Life Transference]. Deathwhisper rounded on Vel and used a [Counterspell].
She tried to use her oppressive presence but Vel snarled back at her.
Deathwhisper tried to hurl a number of deathchill bolts at Uther, who turned them aside with his shield. She then launched shadowy tendrils at Vel, who was able to dance out of the way as Deathwhisper started to move away and put distance between them. However, Seria charged up from behind her and tore into her robes. Lady Deathwhisper moved to try and rip Uther’s spirit from him again, but Seria grabbed onto her arm and tore her away.
Uther took the opportunity to vault over to Deathwhisper and slam into her with his hammer.
The risen Cult of the Damned fanatic tried to focus on Gil, but the gravebolt went wide. Vel hurled a [Shadow Bolt] at the living cultist as her bats swarmed around the undead one, and she then also closed on Deathwhisper. Deathwhisper looked at Seria and glowered.
She reached out to Seria, who roared straight in her face as another cultist teleported into the battlefield. Deathwhisper tried to ensnare Uther with shadowy tendrils, but Uther blocked it. Gil continued fire at Deathwhisper, and her robes caught alight.
Deathwhisper turned shadowy and passed through Seria. She tried to use her glare of undeath on Gil, but he was able to simply shrug it off.
Deathwhisper grabbed another restless shade and an arrow of pure malice was shot into Seria. She then hurled a bolt of icy necrotic energy into Seria, and tendrils of shadow gripped around her and shoved her backwards. She then tried to hurl a deathchill bolt at Uther, but he ducked under his shield.
One of the living cultists tried to use a deathbolt on Uther, but he deflected it aside.
Deathwhisper unleashed a wave of life-sapping energy across the battlefield. As the energy started to sap the group, the life essence started to coil around Lady Deathwhisper. Tamsin destroyed one of the living cultists and then hurled another gravebolt at the other living one.
The doomguard continued to struggle against the glare of undeath, and Tamsin cursed at him as he remained immobile. Seria closed on the remaining cultist and started to cleave into him. The cultist panicked and hit her in the face with a gravebolt, but he was only just barely able to survive the onslaught. The undead cult of the damned fanatic continued to focus on Gil.
Uther ran up to Deathwhisper and readied his hammer. He channeled the Light into his second strike, which caused Deathwhisper to falter momentarily before she reaffirmed her control. Remnii, however, used [Exorcism]. Deathwhisper tried to use [Counterspell], but Uther stepped in with his hammer and she momentarily flinched as there was a pulse of energy that countered her counterspell. Deathwhisper was blasted with holy light.
Vel moved on the last living cultist and sliced through his throat before she hurled a [Shadow Bolt] at Deathwhisper, but it missed. Gil conjured some [Minute Meteors] and sent them at the risen undead right before him. He then fired his bow, and the skeletal creature started to falter into tatters.
Meanwhile, Vel’s bats massed around Deathwhisper and her concentration finally broke just in time for Seria to rush through them and tear into Deathwhisper, but the lich just barely became incorporeal to avoid it. However, Seria did a reverse strike and fractured the shield. Uther then swung in with his hammer as it was wreathed with a strike of holy fire. Lady Deathwhisper was just barely able to hold on to her mortal presence, and she glared at Remnii but then hurled Seria across the field. She was then blasted with a sensation of futility.
Remnii took a few steps forward and used [Sacred Flame]. Deathwhisper tried to counterspell, but Tamsin then countered it and the flame erupted around the lich.
Deathwhisper laughed as her body crumbled.
She disappeared. As the final creatures fell, Tamsin asked if everyone was in one place. Everyone confirmed, and Vel quipped she had questions about the doomguard, however. Tamsin agreed she had questions too and she threatened the doomguard that if he performed like that again she would cast him to the furthest reaches of the Twisting Nether.
Remnii used a [Mass Cure Wounds] over the group, and Gil summoned a white flame that moved across himself, Uther, and Remnii and bolstered them as he used [Luminous Barrier]. Seria shifted her acidic claws to lightning.
They headed toward the main office, deeper in the necropolis. They ran into a hallway with a surprisingly nice rug, but the walls were covered in grim lanterns cast out of the bones of various creatures. They heard a voice echo through the hallways.
They entered another long chamber that appeared to be an office, a ritual chamber, and a lab all in one. There was a large cauldron at the center, and bones jutting along the edges. Moss and fungus grew off the side of the bone, which created a horrific concoction of death and decay. Above, there were pods, and within them they saw the figure of Heigan, and then another, and another. There were dozens of the pods filled with the image of Heigan and plague slime.
But they were infused with the plague itself.
An image of Heigan stepped out before them.
Gil drew his bow and fired an arrow through Heigan’s head. He dropped to the ground, but another replaced himself.
They killed more and more of the homunculi, but there were still dozens more.
At that moment, a plagued wind blew through the room, and the true form of Heigan the Unclean appeared before them. He had long ago cast aside his mortal visage, and instead he was a 16-foot-tall skeleton, larger even than Deathwhisper. A tome floated above one hand, and a plague-ridden staff was in the other.
The cauldron started to bubble, and a large fungus-covered arm pulled itself out as a massive entity emerged. It was like a fenstalker, but it looked infused with the plague, as mushrooms and dead growths were all over its body.
The ground beneath them started to seep in three of the quadrants, and Heigan brandished his staff. A plagued skull careened at Vel and slammed into her. She noticed the poison damage cut partially through her poison immunity, and then Heigan teleported into one of the seeping quadrants.
Gil teleported into the non-seeping quadrant and drank the potion of haste. Gil conjured a [Meteor Swarm] and Heigan attempted to counter it. Vel, however, used a counterspell herself, and as she sliced upward with her blade, she glared pointedly at Heigan.
Heigan looked at her with a glance of curiosity, but then the entire room erupted into flaming dragons. He then fired his bow at Loatheb, and the creature erupted in fire. Loatheb then lurched forward and slammed into Gil. It engulfed the dragonsworn into its body, and over the telepathic link Gil asked for help as he realized he couldn’t see. The mycelium tried to invade his mind, but he was able to resist. Loatheb then extended the spores out to the group. Tamsin and her doomguard coughed and Tamsin’s eyes looked dead as she opened them again.
Heigan started to conjure a massive spell that even Vel had never seen before. Vel shouted out a warning as nine spears of necrotic malice formed around him that he declared was Scourge of the Living. She recognized it was a modified form of comet swarm, but Uther threw up a massive divine shield that blocked all of them.
The floor then exploded beneath them in a caustic mixture of plague. Several of his homunculi then emerged from the various pods.
At that moment, the Scales burst into the room to try and aid Gil. Thal’ena channeled dragonfire into her blade, and she carved into Loatheb. She then cast a healing magic over Tamsin, who coughed and hacked and cursed at Loatheb as the disease was purged. Teemo then put on a special connector on her blaster and fired a concentrated beam of dragonbreath on Loatheb. Motah opted to slam into one of the homunculi, which dazed it. Zagarra also slammed into Loatheb with a flurry of sand-enshrouded strikes. Samia then manifested and coated the creature with lava. Loatheb tried to protect himself, but his body was ravaged as the Scales then turned to focus on the extra homunculi. Loatheb forced the still-charmed doomguard.
Vel used her bladesong and hovered above Seria as she used [Wish] to imitate exorcism on Heigan. She screeched as the holy light burned away her flesh and left her hands momentarily skeletal as it poured through her. Heigan was able to resist, but she flew into the safe zone.
Seria followed her and worked on mauling Loatheb with her sparking claws. She ripped pieces off him and he exuded more spores, but Loatheb was reduced to mangled pulp as Gil was thrown from his restraints.
Tamsin also ran into the quadrant and used [Dispel Magic], which stripped the bone shield from Heigan before she hurled a gravebolt at him. Tamsin barked at her doomguard to do something, and the doomguard raced at the lich and ran him through with his flaming greatsword.
Uther then raced under Seria and Vel and cast [Holy Weapon] on his hammer. He swung forward as his hammer erupted with radiance that coursed through the lich.
Remnii then stepped into the safe quadrant and used [Exorcism] on Heigan. Once more, the lich erupted in holy light as his body was ravaged by the holy light. Heigan teleported most of the group away from him.
Gil used [Swift Quiver] and then aimed at Heigan. He unleashed a series of rapid-fire shots. Heigan’s body was punctured with a series of burning arrows. One of the homunculi attempted to suggest Vel to focus on him. Vel evaded him and charged straight across the battlefield as she used [True Strike] to empower her strikes against him. Heigan’s body was faltering as he summoned the last of his strength, just in time for Seria to surge across the battlefield and slam into him.
Heigan was scrambling on the edges of his existence. The floor erupted in an explosion of caustic acid. He teleported over by Remnii and tried to immolate her with an acidic burn. Remnii looked at him and started to use [Exorcism] again. Heigan moved to counter it, but Gil used [Earth Shock], and then Tamsin used [Counterspell]. Remnii’s spell erupted through the lich.
He started to channel the Scourge of the Living as, once again, the spears materialized. Uther and Seria exchanged a look and Seria launched Uther into the air. He shattered the spears out of the sky and he fell directly toward Heigan. The last spear pieced through Uther, but he was able to carry through. Heigan looked at Uther with actual shock, but he had no chance to save himself as Uther landed.
Uther heaved his hammer back and he slammed it into Heigan, who disintegrated into golden flecks. A sickly, dark green energy manifested and started to flow toward the phylactery. But Vel was watching as Uther spoke, and she had withdrawn a silver cage from her belt. Spectral blue chains had started to wrap around her hand, the beginning of a spell manifesting.
She held up the hand and the chains lashed out around the mote of energy and coiled around it.
her voice was a hiss. The chains tightened, and the soul transitioned to an icy blue glow as it was pulled back and flowed into the cage, which now had a brilliant glow in its core, as if it was a lantern in the dark. She bared her fangs, her expression twisting in disgust and anger as she glowered at the soul she had entrapped, her voice echoing with the power of her metamorphosis as her wings unfurled behind her.
She held the cage before her, the spectral chains around her wrists and her hair flowing around her head as she fixed her masked gaze entirely on the entity she had secured to her mercy.
She tightened her hand, and the light in the cage pulsed as she compelled the spell to pry the answers from Heigan that she sought.
Heigan’s voice echoed throughout the room, compelled to answer.
Vel scowled.
Tamsin went over to the cauldron and used magic to lift out a deep forest green crystal that scintillated with foul magic.
Vel looked over at the staff Heigan had wielded, and she realized the gemstone at the top of the staff was, in fact, the phylactery of Lady Deathwhisper.
Fear flashed across Tamsin’s eyes.
Vel’s voice had a dark echo to it, the statement uncharacteristically final. Tamsin pulled out her grimoire and started to cast.
Her eyes exploded in light, and her body fell to the ground as her spirit imprinted itself on the phylactery.
Vel blasted her magic through the soul cage, crippling the spirit as he was released. Heigan rushed to the phylactery and struck the side of the crystal, but Tamsin started to laugh.
A claw reached out of the crystal, grabbed the spirit, and crushed it. Magic began to swirl around Tamsin as she emerged fully as a lich. Tamsin cackled, her hair a flowing wisp of magic as she hovered over her body.
Tamsin cracked her neck.
She looked over at the party, her eyes glowing wildly.
She moved to her living body and effectively possessed her own corpse as it twisted and shifted, hiding her massive skeletal form behind an animated vessel.
Tamsin laughed.
Tamsin’s eyes turned black, and her voice projected through all of Naxxramas.
Over the telepathic bond, the group asked what had happened, concern evident in their voice as they heard the new proclamation. It seemed in the transition, Tamsin had been dropped from the link.
They headed to the top of the necropolis to see how much damage was done. It was completely dark, nearly three in the morning. The open gates that had formerly been spewing plague were now closed, but as they looked down they realized about a third of the Eastweald had been affected. Naxxramas had stopped right before Stratholme.
But it could have been so much worse.
