[Alliance] Chapter Five: Session Seventy-Six
Appearing Characters: Chulainn, Elissa Cross, Gilveradin Windrunner, Liiraluma, Myzrael, Teemo Manabrake, Thenan, Uther Menethil, Velameestra Windrunner
November 25th
Chulainn crossed his arms as they approached the Circle of Binding.
Vel asked if they were able to identify where the circles were being tampered from, if there was a specific stone, and Chulainn winced and admitted that they were good at covering their tracks. However, he offered to explain how the Circles of Binding worked, and he went on about how the Circles of Binding functionally acted as anchor points. It really did sound like the network of them created a massive magic circle, but the pathways were likely in line with the ley lines beneath the Highlands, and the Circles were likely on prominent nexuses or lines.
It was if the Circles were the nodules where lines of a magic circle would connect.
Vel ran her hand along one of the stones and allowed her senses to reach out to the ambient magic. She had noted one stone that was smaller than the others, and as she mentally mapped it out, she surmised it was likely the most important one in the circle. There was something hidden in the stone.
She opened an eye and she looked at the stone.
Chulainn placed his hand on it and they heard a faint rumbling.
Vel walked over to the anchor point and Gil asked if unmasking it would set it off.
Chulainn nodded.
Vel moved over to the anchor point and tried to sense if there was magic masking the anchor, and she sensed a curse buried in the stone. There was a corruption in the circle, and it was buried deep underneath the Circle of Binding. It was expertly hidden. Whoever had created the spell to hide it was incredibly gifted, and the spell was so specific that it would have had to be completely rewritten if a single thing was different. It was created for this stone and this stone alone.
It was functionally an override. A powerful magic that she believed was meant to use the framework to overwrite the magic circle to become a planar binding.
Chulainn studied the stone, but he was unable to sense what she was talking about.
Vel explained the process of creating the magic would have been a lengthy one, but actually affixing it could likely be done overnight. She surmised that it would have to be done at each of the anchor points, and Gil said they needed to check each of the Circles of Binding and find out if any of them had not yet been compromised.
As Vel plunged into the flames of the enchantment, it looked as if the magical parasites had burrowed within the magic. In order to pry the magic off without some sort of feedback, she’d have to have to find each nodule and with exceptional precision, remove each of the arcane masks.
Vel asked Chulainn to take them to the other stones so they could see how far along they were in their process. They went to the Circle of Inner Binding, which was attuned to earth. She once again found the corruption deep within the magic. Rather than magical parasites, it was like it was a massive wall of stone with keys that allowed one to see the corruption. There were logic puzzles that needed to be found like needles in a haystack.
They went to the Circle of Outer Binding, which was the one attuned to storms. It also had tampering. It was hidden, as if it was a chaotic cipher that needed to be cracked. They needed to be ordered.
Then lastly they arrived at the Circle of East Binding, which was the one attuned to water. But there was also tampering there. All four of the circles had something buried within them. But this one was deep, as if a dam had been built and the magic had been replaced with a copy that did the bidding of the usurper.
All four of the Circles had corruption within them.
Vel called Luma over and they took a deep look at the magical enchantment, and they found the dam where the magic of water was located, but it was trapped behind the dam. Vel asked Luma the best route to release water behind a dam, and Luma said they should start with small trickles or create a steady flow, but not release it all at once. In order to lift the backseat on the corruption, they needed to successfully guide the original magic through a series of three mazes. They would have one minute to complete each maze.
They immediately launched into it, and they were able to clear past the first maze. And then the second maze. And then the third as Luma pulled up an arcane interface and they were able to realign the magic around. It started to rain, and they heard the crystalline, cracking voice that they had heard before.
But this time it was indistinct, and they couldn’t quite make out what it was saying: “Help.”
Teemo winced and Chulainn staggered.
Chulainn used sending to contact Fozruk and inform him, and he relayed to the group that he was going to touch base with his brother. However, he hadn’t heard the voice.
Vel teleported them back to the Circle of Outer Binding and started to interface with the anchor stone. They would have to discover the ciphers and attempt to break them. They felt a storm of wind start to whip around the binding circle, and Vel felt the wind ripped from her chest. However, it did nothing to negatively harm her as she didn’t need to breathe.
She reached out over the telepathic bond.
They managed to successfully crack the ciphers, and they heard the keening call from the earth again. Gil and Vel were able to make out “is anyone there? Please! Help me!”
The ringing continued, and Vel was able to make out that she seemed convinced that breaking the corruption would make them come for Myzrael, and Gil heard her say that she believed it was those who would bound her like she was bound before.
However, it was coming from Myzrael’s perspective, and there was a certain desperation in her voice. However, she believed that some of it might have been overblown, and it might be partially an act. Meanwhile that she potentially might have been trying to convince them *not* to clear the corruption.
Meaning, as far as Vel was concerned, they should continue doing what they were doing.
They arrived at the next Circle of Binding, which was the one attuned to earth. As they connected to the riddle of earth, they got the sense that they needed to solve a few riddles. They found the solutions for the first two almost immediately, but one evaded them for longer. The binding circle started to rupture and fall apart, and an earthquake started to rumble through the Highlands. However, they locked in, and they were able to successfully purge the corruption, and the tremors slowed.
Vel, Chulainn, Gil, and Luma were able to piece the words together, and Vel was able to ask her if the people tampering with the stones were working with Myzrael. Myzrael claimed no. Gil asked if the people trying to free her were working with the shadows, and she confirmed they were, and they were using ancient magics to bind her. Vel said that she wanted them to stop breaking the corruption, and asked if she wanted to be bound. Myzrael said she wanted to go home, and Vel asked if that was Deepholm.
Myzrael clarified she wanted to go home to her mother, and it was obvious in Vel’s eyes the elemental princess had struck a chord.
Vel sighed heavily.
Luma shrugged.
They arrived back at the Circle attuned to fire and Vel tapped into the anchor stone. The group felt the heat of the area begin to swell to exceptional levels. They decided to brute force through the defenses, and Vel used her cryomancy to try and counter the increasing heat. Uther continued to push forward, ignoring the heat as Luma hunkered down as Gil used control fire to try and vent the heat away.
Things started to look bad. The prairie around them started to catch ablaze as Uther continued to tank the fire. Chulainn built walls of stone as Teemo fabricated a portable cooling unit. Uther managed to push through, and he successfully pulled the last magical parasite free.
The fire subsided, and the binding still seemed to be in place.
He suddenly looked at the mountains, seemingly having received a sending.
He explained there was something going on at the Circle of Elements, and Vel said they should go. He thought he could get them there, but he would need to use the last of his magic, and Vel assured him that they would take care of whatever was happening.
Chulainn harnessed his magic and swept them to the Circle of Elements, but they were greeted with a very different scene from the last time they were there. It was mistaken, for a moment, as a blanket of snow, but then they realized it was small, microscopic specks of crystal. It coated the runestones.
Luma opened their bag to collect the crystal shards.
There were build ups of erratic crystals erupting from the ground, and on them were bodies. They were dark-robed cultists of the Twilight Hammer impaled upon the crystalline spikes. At the very center, hovering in the middle of the stones, was a beautiful prismatic diamond just over their heads.
Vel quickly scanned the area for living enemies, but there wasn’t anyone alive. Amongst the slain was one figure that didn’t look like any sort of humanoid they had seen before. It was some sort of strange being that was likely human once, but he had succumbed to a heavy elemental corruption of molten rock. However, it had happened before his death by the crystalline spike, and it seemed that it had started to encapsulate him, and fill his molten cracks with crystal.
He was likely formerly the leader.
He looked at one of the cairn stones that was not there the last time they were at the Circle of Elements. It was another mountain giant. His body was getting consumed by crystal as well. They heard the voice from the crystal, but this time it wasn’t dissonant. It was almost the opposite.
Vel translated over the telepathic bond.
The crystal continued to spread out from the crater, as if it was being spontaneously created.
Vel gestured at the crystal that was overtaking the ground.
Vel raised her hand.
A keening called ripped through the air.
They felt some of the crystals grow at their feet.
The dust started to coalesce around the crystalline heart, and the rage and the grief and the madness came to bear as a not-fully empowered form started to manifest around the crystal. She was a tall, 30 foot woman with opalescent hair and a flowing dress of refracting crystal.
Bodies of crystal broke off into prismatic servants that hearkened to the command of Myzrael, the Prismatic Princess. She released a keening call. Elissa, Teemo, and Chulainn pushed back against the elemental servants.
Myzrael’s scream reverberated off the crystals, and the party braced themselves against the noise as one of the large crystalline elementals rushed at Gil. Its sharp crystalline shards scraped against his cloak. Myzrael’s body glowed with magic as light refracted through her hair and emitted a blinding flash.
Crystals had started to glow across the side of Gil’s face and partially covered his eyes. However, his eyes flashed as he tapped into his draconic magic, expanding his senses as he then teleported away. He fired a shot at one of the Prismatic Geodes and it exploded into crystalline shards, and he then refocused on the Prismatic Exile that had attacked him.
Another Prismatic Exile slammed its fist into Luma while a Prismatic Geode attempted to spike its shard into Uther, but he deflected it with his shield. Luma cursed loudly.
Vel activated her bladesong and she held out a hand to use [Banishment] on Myzrael. Vel clenched her hand into a fist as arcane runes manifested and tore open a portal to Deepholm that tried to drag Myzrael through, but the elemental princess shrieked out a “NO!” and shattered the portal.
Uther charged forward and used [Holy Wrath] as he ducked under Myzrael, which sent out a shockwave of holy energy across the Circle of Elements as he slammed his hammer into the ground. Cracks appeared in the remaining Prismatic Geodes, and they exploded into sparkling crystalline snow.
Myzrael panicked and covered herself with her arms to brace against the thundering blast as parts of her crystalline hair cracked off. However, as the holy Light refracted off her, she looked at Uther in rage. Energy reflected off her body in a technicolor blast and slammed into Uther.
Myzrael glided backwards and one of her locks of hair whipped around and struck at Gil. More crystals began to build up on his skin.
Uther used [Holy Wrath] as he slammed his hammer into the ground again. The elementals were knocked to the ground, including Myzrael. Vel once again tried to banish Myzrael, but she was able to resist it once more, and Vel danced around and leaped over Luma as she did a twirling slash into the Prismatic Exile. Her sword coated with frigid, crackling arcane energy and she left a frosty, glowing slash in the side of the Prismatic Exile.
Gil ran his hand over his bow, and small sigils rearranged on it. It began to vibrate, and he fired what appeared to be a sonic boom into the other Prismatic Exile and exploded it into shards of crystal, leaving the dead body of the cultist it had corrupted on the ground. He fired into the remaining elemental, and then he used [Swift Quiver] to get another two shots into the elemental, leaving it destroyed as well.
Myzrael glided up and unfurled her hair. Shards of crystalline hair swept at Gil, but Uther used [Righteous Defense] and the strike was promptly redirected to him. It struck into Uther as he lifted his shield with a resounding gong. Myzrael continued her assault on Gil, but Uther’s interference once again turned them aside.
Crystal started to form on Uther as well, but Myzrael held out a hand and ripped the crystalline growths from both Uther and Gil, leaving bleeding wounds in their flesh. Her eyes glowed, and the crystalline growths spawned into more Prismatic Exiles and Geodes.
The nearest Geode and Exile went for Uther, but they both missed their strike.
Luma used an explosive [Shatter] from their position on the ground that rocketed through most of the elementals and Myzrael, causing the two Prismatic Geodes to explode as the Prismatic Exiles were left cracked and shaken.
One of the Prismatic Exiles swung at Gil and dropped him to the ground where he started to get consumed by crystal again. Meanwhile, a second one rushed at Uther, and he dropped briefly to his knees from the impact, but Uther remained standing just barely.
Two more Geodes and another Exile manifested around Vel and Luma. Vel and Luma deflected the attacks away, but Myzrael faded over towards Vel and her hair shot out at her in a barrage of razor sharp slashes. Vel deflected them aside as Myzrael closed on her.
Vel shoved one of the hair blades aside, and once again she clenched her fist as the portal opened.
There was the sound of a crack as the portal to Deepholm fully opened.
Crystalline tears started to fall down her face as she clawed at Vel, trying to keep herself from being swept away into the portal.
The portal closed on her, and the elementals all turned to Vel as she secured the banishment and focused on maintain concentration.
Meanwhile, Luma harnessed her magic as they pulled out an hourglass, and they warped time around Uther, Gil, and themself as they undid the damage in rapid succession, reversing time on their bodies. Gil got back to his feet.
He used [Meteor Swarm], and fire exploded from Gil and rained in a barrage over the area. The cairns of the ancient site, as well as the crystals, were shattered in an explosion of fire that left the fire a scorched wasteland as protective wings of energy shielded his allies.
The elementals continued to focus on Vel as she erected an arcane [Shield] to help protect her against the blows.
Uther leaped into the air and put his shield beneath his boat. He slammed into the ground as Uther once more used [Holy Wrath]. The Prismatic Exile by Gil exploded into shards of crystal. He swung his hammer around, and another elemental shattered as he carried the blow into a third, and then into the remaining fourth.
The elementals were left in shattered chips on the ground.
Luma continued to sit on the ground and just offered a thumbs up.
Vel felt the banishment complete, and the opening to the elemental plane closed.
Vel returned the notion.
Luma got to their hooves and brushed their knees off.
They looked about, and they noted Chulainn stood in the center of the crater of the place he had spent his life protecting. He stared at the shrapnel that remained, both of the cairn stones and one of the last few mountain giants that remained.
And then he dropped to his knees, and dropped his staff.
