[Alliance] Chapter Five: Session Sixty-Seven
Appearing Characters: Atal'arion, Elissa Cross, Eranikus, Gasher, Gilveradin Windrunner, Hazzriss, Hukku, Jammal'an, Liiraluma, Loro, Mijan, Morphius, Motah Tallhorn, Ogom, Riff, Scyther, Seria, Teemo Manabrake, Uther Menethil, Velameestra Windrunner, Weavra, Zanzil, Zolo, Zu'Lor
November 12th
Jammal’an regarded Riff as he said, “Welcome home.” The spirits and partially translucent echoes of the many priests of the Hakkari dropped to their knees and became to proclaim exultations to Hakkar around the blood-stained altar.
Vel could tell that Jammal’an appeared to be some sort of lich, though he was a different kind from what they had seen with Zalazane or Heigan. It appeared that his soul had been bound to Hakkar, and as long as his patron existed, he could continue to come back indefinitely.
Jammal’an looked at Seria.
Seria grit her teeth, clearly resisting the urge to transform into a bear and start to rip him apart. Seria and Gil noted there appeared to be two types of beings in the chamber: there were spirits and corporeal individuals. The corporeal individuals included a brute of a jungle troll who was wearing what appeared to be warrior vestments that appeared to belong to a sworn holy warrior of a loa. His were of Hakkar, and he appeared to be a prelate of Hakkar. He was quite undead as well, and there were several other undead trolls in the area. One was a priest, one was a dark magic user, one with a large glaive, one with two twin axes, and several others. The others, including Jammal’an, were incorporeal spectral forms.
Jammal’an smiled.
Riff looked at Seria.
Jammal’an held up his hand and a glob of blood hovered in the air.
He looked at Seria.
Riff looked both like he could never have imagined what he was being told, and also that it somehow made sense.
Jammal’an laughed.
Jammal’an scowled.
Teemo’s ear twitched, as did Seria’s. They heard the sound of something large moving. The chanting of the spectral entities intensified. Something was coming from a passage Vel had not ventured down.
One of her hands was resting on the Demon Soul, which was almost physically shaking.
Jammal'an smiled and started to cackle.
At that moment, from the depths of the gilded halls, a massive scythe-like claw scraped against the wall, and slithering into the chamber was a massive figure. It was a regal, horrific visage of a great serpent. Its chest revealed a bright, glowing heart which beat within a split rib cage, and two technicolor wings spread far. It moved with an unnatural movement, one that suggested something was off about it. Vel could tell it wasn’t an actual manifestation of Hakkar, but instead the reanimated parts of his body.
And she could piece together the being had a similar glamor. It wasn’t moving like a creature of Hakkar’s strength should be moving. It looked to be almost controlled, as if it was being used as an offering to Riff.
Riff looked to the group.
He stepped forward.
Riff looked at Seria, as if he was seeking validation that he didn’t like what was happening.
Riff furrowed his brow and got a determined look.
He stepped forward and started to take his true form. His body elongated and his wings spread out.
He gestured with his snoot at the avatar of Hakkar.
Riff flew into the air.
He lurched forward and with a snap of his jaws, he consumed Jammal’an. A moment later one of the spectral forms glitched and became Jammal’an. He raised a clawed hand.
The room began to tremble and shudder as Jammal’an and the cursed Atal’ai turned against them.
Luma’s eyes narrowed, and Teemo pulled out one of the batteries from her devices. She clocked some energy and held it up onto the Demon Soul to try and supercharge it. She started to try and absorb the energy in the chamber, as it was tied to the power of Eranikus.
The Demon Soul started to crackle with energy and rent the space time around them. It absorbed energy in a cone around it, and drew time itself into it. The pristine, gilded, new construction was drawn away and sucked apart into the Demon Soul.
Vel realized the only way it was able to do this was if the energy was partially in it. What Teemo had done was connect the Demon Soul sympathetically to Eranikus and was devouring his energy. The spectral insubstantial individuals were also drawn into it, as they were also projections of Eranikus’s power. The avatar of Hakkar’s glamor faded, revealing an ancient, decrepit skeleton that was scraping across the ground. Its featherless wings were useless, yet sharp and deadly.
Jammal’an was torn apart, as he too was nothing more than the consciousness of the Prophet projected into the place.
He was rent asunder as the portal collapsed.
But then they heard a loud roar that echoed from deep within the temple as the dream was broken, and Eranikus awakened from his slumber. The only things that remained were the undead champions, the skeleton of Hakkar, and the echo of danger from down the hall.
Teemo staggered back, panting heavily, but she retained her consciousness.
Riff spread his wings out to his full wingspan, and a magic circle appeared behind him. A [Bless] washed over himself, Vel, Uther, Seria, and Gil.
The soldiers that remained were Gasher the Bloody Berserker, Zu’Lor Steel Sycophant, Zolo the Soulstorm, Mijan the Sacrificial Priest, Loro the Cursed Captain, Hukku the Damned Demoniac, and Ogom the Wretched Prelate.
Vel used her bladesong and she stepped forward as she drew her sword. She held her hands out and an eerie magic circle manifested beneath her she threw her head back and released an ear-piecing, echoing, banshee’s wail in a [Psychic Scream]. The energy of the blast washed over all the enemies and stunned all of them except for Gasher, the Bloody Berserker.
Elissa rushed forward.
She knocked Ogom’s weapon away and took two strikes at him. Motah teleported up to the platform next to Gasher and slammed into him.
He hurled them both off the platform and they landed in a crash on the ground.
Luma used [Floating Disk] and then stacked their turrets on it. Meanwhile, Uther called out the command word and charged straight at the avatar of Hakkar. He slammed into it with his hammer.
Gasher struggled against Motah and clawed up at the tauren. He shoved Motah back to break the grapple and got back to his feet.
Loro the Cursed Captain managed to overcome the effects of the psychic scream and shook it off. Seria transformed into a blood serpent and soared at the avatar of Hakkar. She opened her mouth and started to tear into it. Gil lined up a shot at Loro and with two strikes, the Cursed Captain was devastated amidst a rupture of gore and corrupted blood. Gil then used [Swift Quiver] and fired another two shots at Mijan, the Sacrificial Priest, who also ruptured.
At that moment, a living troll stepped from one of the other hallways. They were disheveled with wild hair.
Zanzil the Outcast and Atal'arion, the Banished Rot, joined the conflict. Zu’Lor, meanwhile, had shaken off the effects of the psychic scream.
Seria continued to tear into the Avatar of Hakkar. Teemo looked over at Motah.
Motah nodded and Teemo used [Vortex Warp] to hurl Motah over at Zanzil using a pair of portable teleporters. As Motah rushed at Zanzil, the troll regarded him.
He jabbed a dagger into Motah’s side, and the tauren released a groan of pain. He turned around toward his allies and reached out a hand to cast [Summon Beast]. However, it appeared right next to Gil and charged at him.
Motah started coughing.
The immediate effect of the poison had faded but Atal’arion lumbered toward Motah and grabbed the tauren. They wrestled for a moment, but then the dire troll bit into Motah, who buckled. He slashed into Motah’s side, and Motah slumped to the ground.
Teemo screamed as she was the one that had just sent him over there.
Luma looked over, only having just realized what happened as they commanded their turrets. They grit their teeth and loaded up Titanstrike to start firing at Zanzil. Meanwhile one of their eldritch cannons fired at Gasher.
Riff moved over Gasher and wrapped his coils around him. He then flew up to the ceiling of the chamber and dropped the undead troll, who slammed into the ground.
Gil moved forward and lined a shot up at Zanzil. As the arrow flew right at Zanzil, he screamed and flew up a ward. The body of Motah moved and jerked upward, taking the arrow instead as he animated Motah’s corpse. The arrow impact site was seeping with ichor.
He fired another series of shots that all sank into Zanzil. The Outcast started to weep.
A wash of fire erupted over Zanzil and Atal'arion. The fungus-ridden dire troll was knocked from his feet.
Gasher, meanwhile, got to his feet and ran at Gil, who was distracted. However, he was able to deftly avoid the strikes.
Elissa’s eyes had widened as she saw what happened to Motah, but she looked at Gasher and drove her blade into the undead troll.
He was knocked back, and exploded into a pile of bloody gore. She then ran back and swung at Ogom, who also toppled to the ground.
Vel looked over at Zanzil and she started to walk toward him. Her eyes flared with magic as she cast [Blink] and disappeared in a flurry of bats that rushed past Zanzil and Atal’arion and reformed into her elven guise directly behind the troll.
Her eyes flashed a bright magenta as she imposed her will over his own.
He looked at her with raw fear in his eyes as he tried to make himself look as small as possible. He looked over at Atal’arion and Motah.
She bared her fangs.
He waved at Motah, who turned to him, and he fed some sort of antidote to the undead tauren. Motah vomited and then collapsed on the ground.
At that moment, they heard a loud sound, and two bright, red eyes opened in the darkness of the northern-most passage. Four lesser dragons soared forward, swarming like bats. Madness and malice glowed in their eyes: Morphius, Scyther, Weavra, and Hazzriss.
Pushing through behind them was a massive green dragon whose body was pock-marked with wounds and missing scales. His eyes were wide and mad, his antler-like horns coated with blood. It was Eranikus, the Prime Consort of the dreamer.
Vel looked at Zanzil.
She then looked at Atal’arion.
She raced up the side of the nearest balcony and her blade was covered in a frigid rime as she used [Frost Strike] and a burst of cold radiated around her. She closed on Morphius with a flurry of strikes. As his blood started to flow, Riff smelled the air and his eyes dilated.
Hazzriss rushed over to the group and released a blast of poisonous gas over the main group while Weavra released a line of acid over Seria, Uther, and the Avatar of Hakkar.
At that moment, Gil felt the earth crack beneath him, and a [Wall of Thorns] erupted from the ground. Luma’s floating disk was tipped and a turret fell off.
The turret that had fallen off released a shield burst and Luma aimed a shot at Scyther along with their other turret. The shot slammed into Scyther and then launched over to Morphius, and then Eranikus, though it fizzled on the scales of the Prime Consort.
Morphius rounded on Vel with a point-blank acid stream and then tried to claw at her, but she deflected the claws aside. Scyther swept down and also released a stream of acid, but was ineffective in trying to slash at Luma.
Gil conjured up a [Meteor Swarm] and the entire room erupted into an explosion of flames and stone. Zolo and Huku disappeared into the flames, and the four drakes were dropped from the sky. He then rounded and shot Ogom, who exploded in a blast of corrupted blood.
Eranikus started to use [Cenarion Ward] but Vel countered it.
He flipped his tail toward her and it crashed into the wall. She was able to avoid the brunt of the damage. Eranikus roared as he lumbered forward and then released a malefic cone of bright, sickly gas. He then immediately clawed at Gil.
Teemo cast a [Dispel Magic] at Eranikus and stripped the [Elune’s Grace] he had cast from the massive dragon. She then used [Spellsteal] and enacted the spell upon herself.
Seria rounded her focus on Weavra and tore into the drake.
Zul’Lor staggered to his feet and jumped down to the ground as he started to head towards Teemo. The Avatar of Hakkar was unable to shake off the psychic scream.
Riff flew over toward Morphius and held his wings out. He coiled into a circle and swirled his body into an intricate pattern. The blood dripping from Morphius started to contort, and Riff’s eyes glowed as the gaps between his scales scintillated with radiant energy. Riff commanded the corrupted blood to rip itself free. Like a thousand crimson strings, it was pulled from the drake and congealed into a single beam that slammed into Riff and sank into his scale.
Morphius howled in pain and Morphius collapsed to the ground, unconscious but breathing.
The magic coursing through Riff was prismatic, and it was evident he was growing more powerful by the moment.
Zanzil stepped back into the corridor to hide and pulled out a potion to drink as he commanded Atal’arion to attack Eranikus. Elissa cast [Holy Light] on Gil.
Uther hefted his hammer and slammed it into the Avatar of Hakkar. The skeletal creature exploded into holy light as Uther looked instead toward Eranikus. The hammer struck into the Prime Consort as Atal’arion also hurried toward Eranikus. Unfortunately he was unable to land a hit.
Vel touched the glistening component of voidal energy and used [Metamorphosis], tapping this time into the power of the void. Her color scheme inverted as her pale skin became the emulation of a dark galaxy and her hair began to float as tendrils of shadow carried her up into the air. Four additional glowing blue eyes opened on her face as her mouth and nose seemingly disappeared. She raised her sword and drove it into Eranikus.
Eranikus started to cast another spell, but Uther raised his hammer and slammed it into Eranikus’s claw, preventing the casting.
The poisonous cloud around Luma started to spin around them and clog their vision. One of the turrets flipped on their flamethrower mode and burned the fog away.
Hazzriss released another stream of acid, and Elissa enacted a ward to help shield Gil. Hazzriss landed and attempted to claw into the turret, but only one of her claws landed a strike.
Teemo grabbed a bomb and threw it between Hazzriss and Zul’Lor as she used [Gravity Sinkhole]. The bomb exploded and both the dragon and the troll were dragged to the center.
Elissa backed away from Eranikus and used her ring to rain shooting stars down on Hazzriss and Zul’Lor. She then used [Grasping Vine] to pull Scyther away from Luma.
Zul’Lor, meanwhile, ran at Elissa and struck into her with his glaive.
Weavra got back to her feet and dived on Seria. Gil used [Chain Heal] on himself, Luma, and Elissa. He then fired an arrow at Eranikus.
Scyther struggled against the vine that Elissa had summoned and fired a stream of acid at her. Elissa was driven back by the force of the acid, but she was just able to keep control over the grasping vine. However, Scyther broke free of the vine.
But as he wriggled free, Riff looked over at Scyther and Weavra. He spread his wings out again and the blood ripped free from both of the drakes. It swirled around Riff and made a cocoon of blood around him. Riff continued to grow larger, the prismatic magic scintillating off his feathers. He looked up at Eranikus and the last drake.
