[Alliance] Chapter Four: Session Twenty-Six
Appearing Characters: Aramar Thorne, Broll Bearmantle, Ebru, Makasa Flintwill, Mutanus the Devourer, Muyani, Muyoh, Naralex, Remnii, Riff, Samaara, Seria, Tol'vas Moonshadow, Uther Menethil, Velameestra Windrunner, Zap Rusthammer
June 18th
As Muyoh and Muyani continue to chant the ritual to awaken Naralex, the mad denizens of the caverns start to attack as snakes swarm up from the river.
A swarm of snakes surges around Remnii, hissing and spitting as they bite her. Meanwhile a deviate adder strikes at Nutters, but its fangs clatter harmlessly off him. Vel whips a [Frostbolt] at another deviate adder, a maelstrom of cold erupting around her as she allows her cold snap to activate.
One of the sylvar reinforcements slices his blade through one of the other adders. Seria follows up with [Wrath], radiant life energy coursing through the snake’s body as it gets washed away in the river.
The adder that Vel attacked tries to lunge at her, but its body starts to freeze and it rapidly succumbs to the chill of her cold snap.
Another of the sylvar fires off a shot with their shortbow, grazing an adder. Another adder bites Broll, who brushes the snake off, while a large deviate adder tries to attack Remnii--but a jack in the box jumps out of Nutters’s chest and deflects the snake aside.
Remnii could have sworn Nutters may have winked at her as he strikes a pose. Two other sylvar fire off on various snakes, and Zap blows another snake out of the water with two strikes from his gun.
Nutters taunts the deviate viper as he strikes into the nearby deviate adder with his buzzsaw.
Broll continues to tank bites from snakes, none of the venom seemingly able to take hold. Remnii holds a hand out and casts [Mind Sliver] on the closest deviate viper, and the magic strikes through the beast’s mind.
Broll roars as he takes the Form of the Claw and starts to rake through the snakes that had closed on him, tearing flesh from the biggest viper. Meanwhile, Uther is able to smash an adder into the earth with his hammer.
A swarm of snakes surges onto Vel despite the freezing aura around her, but they are unable to make purchase on her flesh. Tol’vas fires a [Wrath] at a viper, but the snake twists around it.
Aramar cuts into the deviate viper, trying to distract it and draw its attention to give Zap and one of the sylvar an opening. The sylvar complies, slicing into the snake while one of his fellows finishes off another adder Seria hurls another [Wrath] at the snake in Broll’s mouth, and the serpent goes limp and is dropped to the ground.
The swarm of snakes coiling around Remnii continue to bite and nip her, and the ones of Vel continue to try--but they are unable to find an opening between her armor and the frigid winds.
Zap manages to finish off the deviate viper near Aramar.
Nutters starts to shoot a tiny machine gun at the swarm of snakes on Remnii.
Naralex, meanwhile, is sweating and tossing and turning as the life magic flows into him.
One of the sylvari continue to duel with the viper near Uther, and Uther works to try and smash as many of the snake swarm as he can. One of the snakes gets under Uther’s gorget, but Uther grabs it and hurls it aside--snapping its neck.
Broll sweeps his claws through the snakes on Uther, decimating several of their number. Vel finishes them off with a [Frostbolt] as she swirls her blade around and starts to work on the swarm that had amassed around herself.
Tol’vas starts to work through the snakes on Remnii with a swing of his scythe, and several oozes start to bubble up to the surface of the river. They look to be almost charred in appearance, flecks of red floating inside them.
Seria manages to finish off the remaining massive viper as she blasts it into the ground with life energy. The snake blinks, the surge of life energy overwhelming the deviancy of the creature, and it opts to flee.
One of the sylvar hunters cuts through one of the newly arrived oozes, its blade cutting through the slimy form.
Zap shoots at the oozeling that had splurged onto Aramar, the blasts sending chunks of ooze flying while Nutters continues on snake removal protocol, reducing the swarm to scraps of their former number at Remnii’s hooves.
An ecotoplasm gloops onto Remnii with it pseudopod, a small acid burn appearing on her skin. Another oozeling attaches onto Seria. Remnii struggles to get some healing onto herself, the light mending the acidic burns.
A sylvar that had been blinded with venom manages to ram into one of the oozelings that had appeared.
The snakes on Vel manage to get a good bite on her, pumping venom into her veins before retreating towards Aramar. However, Vel decimates them with a [Frostbolt] as they retreat, and she then slashes into one of the oozelings that had appeared.
Broll finishes off the swarm of snakes on Remnii, and she thanks him in relief.
The oozeling tries to draw moisture from Vel but is unable to find a hold on her, while Aramar continues to contend with the oozeling on him. Uther shoots a [Fire Bolt] through Vel’s cold snap, setting the nightmare ecotoplasm in the water ablaze. However, it struggles through the cold snap to Vel, ice starting to coat the ectoplasm.
Tol’vas drops a bear totem, which roars in tandem with Broll as it bolsters Tol’vas’s allies. He then casts wrath on an ectoplasm, sending several bones sailing from its glooping body. Seria starts to cough and hack as the disgusting stench of the creature hits her nostrils. In frustration, she tries to rip the oozeling off of her, but it holds firm.
The blinded sylvar continues to slash into the nearest ooze. However, the oozeling manages to latch onto it, starting to sap on the moisture in its body.
The oozeling next to Vel attempts to attach to her, but it is too frozen to manage to land an attack. She instead turns her focus on the ecotoplasm, frigid cold materializing around her blade as she cuts through the creature with a devastating strike, a reverse slash from her sword triggering another blast of icy cold.
Aramar also manages to land a critical blow on the oozeling on him, destroying the creature as he brings his sword around to another. Uther obliterates the ectoplasm that Vel was engaged with using [Fire Bolt], the combination of fire and ice causing a small isolated explosion.
Zap manages to destroy the remaining oozeling engaged with Aramar, and then backs off to cover Muyani. Nutters opens up a container of salt on the ecotoplasm, the salt starting to eat away at the ooze as it has an adverse reaction. Broll sweeps around with his claws, tearing chunks off of it. Tol’vas finishes it off with a [Wrath], the life energy exploding inside of it and melting it into nothing.
Naralex’s sleep starts to become more and more restless, and the life energy touching him starts to darken to jet black. The lamp nearby turns blood red, and the shadows start to dim all around the area, and the shadows start to move. They twist into horrifying creatures seemingly made from corrupted bark, and they make horrible sounds, too many eyes and tentacles emerging from the water. Something starts to whistle an off-key lullaby, and Seria sees more shadows twitch--a strange creature with a blood red eye locks eyes with her, long claws dripping with black and red ichor. It walks across the wall with nightmarish speed.
A shadow darkens in the water behind Aramar, and a massive creature emerges from the water. It’s writhing flesh is covered in chitinous armor that looks like a nautilus shadow. It has bright red, glowing eyes, and tentacles, with a shriveled, distended arm. It gurgles in a language that can’t be understood other than brief spurts of distorted common.
Uther feels his heart stop for a second, and Vel and Uther recognize the creatures in an endless, dark sea that had nearly destroyed them both had it not been for the aid of Locus-Walker. For a moment, Uther’s legs lock up, as distant, foggy memories return, but he looks at Vel, who is resolutely facing the creature, and he steels himself as well.
The nightmare stalker emerges from the shadows behind Remnii, and Seria tries to warn her, but she is unable turn quickly enough as the massive creatures starts to claw repeatedly at her. Fortunately, the bolstering effect of the bear totem had mostly protected her. It then disappears, and reappears next to Muyani.
Muyani looks absolutely terrified as she tries to concentrate.
A nightmare horror goes for Seria, but is unable to connect. Naralex continues to toss and turn.
Zap runs at the nightmare stalker near Muyani, and his armor starts to spark as he charges it and knocks it to the ground. He then starts to punch the stalker in the face.
However, the stalker grabs his fist and starts to laugh. It reminds him of a lullaby he heard as a child.
Nutters plucks the oozeling off of Seria, and Nutters gets attacked by a nightmare horror--which misses wildly.
Remnii reaches for the nightmare stalker and attempts to attack its mind, but its voice just echoes back into her mind--it seems to be immune to psychic damage. Even so, the radiance of her magic manages to push through slightly.
Aramar almost backs up against the faceless one for a second, but then scrambles back to the nightmare horror and slices through it.
Vel looks at the faceless one and then disappears as she uses [Steel Wind Strike], destroying the two nearest nightmare horrors and doing a substantial amount of damage to the nightmare stalker and the faceless one. She remains where she is, the cold snap still swirling around her.
The oozeling near her is unable to move, its body too frozen to do much other than wiggle.
Seria tries to use [Moonfire] on the nightmare stalker, but the creature is able to resist.
A second nightmare stalker appears from the shadows goes for Aramar, but Broll roars to warn him.
The stalker releases a flurry of claws, dropping Armar to the ground. Claws pierce through the young man’s chest, and it continues to rip and tear at him--dropping him to the ground before surging in on the nearby sylvar.
Broll roars, slashing into the nearest nightmare stalker before shoving himself through to Aramar. Tol’vas also shouts, and the bear totem roars, bolstering his allies as he runs forward and drives his scythe into the prone creature--slicing it in twain.
Uther charges to Aramar’s side, light coating his hand as he tries to bring him back to consciousness with a lay on hands.
However, Aramar’s body does not respond. He’s gone.
There is a voice in Uther’s mind.
Uther slowly stands, his eyes on the faceless one in fury.
The faceless one ambles out of the water, and he swings his arm wildly around. The attack glances harmlessly off an arcane [Shield] that Vel erects, but it connects with Uther, the sylvar hunter, and Broll.
The nightmare stalker that remains starts to cackle wildly, and races around, slashing at Broll and the sylvar hunter. With devastating strikes, it brings the sylvar low, and the faun-like creature disappears.
The stalker vanishes, and materializes behind Zap. Vel immediately launches herself at the nightmare stalker, hissing loudly and baring her fangs as she cuts into it with her frost-rimed blade once, and then twice--shredding through its body. Zap steps back and fires twice, leaving it barely holding on as parts of it are dripping and trying to meld back together.
Nutters hurls the nightmare oozeling he has grappled at the nightmare horror on Muyoh.
Naralex continues to move back and forth restlessly.
Uther swings his hammer into the faceless one, and he is unable to get a solid hit, but the second swing manages to land stronger.
The sylvar hunter that was sparring with the deviate adder finally manages to get the killing blow on the snake.
The faceless one rounds on Uther, swinging with its massive arms. Uther manages to dodge around both strikes. Broll roars as he also starts to rip into the faceless one with his massive claws.
Remnii tries to [Mind Sliver] the closest nightmare horror, but it is unable to take hold. Seria uses [Wrath] on it to follow up, and the nightmare horror immediately melts away. Seria looks at Remnii.
Tol’vas casts [Wrath] on the faceless one, blasting it with radiant life energy. He then heals Remnii.
Naralex continues to toss and turn.
One last entity starts to emerge from the river. It’s a gigantic, pallid-white murloc that is barely hunched in the cavern. It’s arms and legs are too small for its body, and it opens up its mouth--three times larger than any murloc should be able to.
It roars with a murloc gurgle.
She snarls, as Broll swings into the faceless one--black ichor dripping all over the place.
Zap is looking at the massive murloc.
Zap runs for the murloc, one of the oozelings sticking to him.
Zap fires twice into the massive murloc.
She drives her blade into the nightmare stalker with a [Frost Strike] as she shouts at Zap, the creature melting around her blade before she whirls around and leaps on the faceless one, driving her sword into the neck of the creature and bringing it to the ground with a loud hiss. It tries to speak with her telepathically, but she refuses to allow it entrance to her mind.
Seria turns into a dream runner and then swoops under Remnii, teleporting her over to Aramar’s body.
Tol’vas turns to Naralex and starts to try and help Muyoh and Muyani, tapping his own life energies into the ritual and aiding in wearing down the miasma.
The sylvar hunters continue to fight oozelings and nightmare horrors.
The massive, barbed tongue of Mutanus the Devourer lashes out at Zap and wraps around him and starts to pull him into his massive, gaping maw. It clamps its maw down on Zap. Inside the murloc, it’s very hot--its insides effectively boiling water.
Remnii slides off of Seria.
She drops to her knees next to Aramar and pulls diamonds from her pouch, casting [Revivify] as she places her hands on his chest. There is a pulse of light. Aramar’s eyes shoot open, and he jerks awake.
She takes his chin in her hand, her expression softening.
A sylvar carves into one of the nightmare horrors.
Zap is still inside Mutanus, and the murloc starts to move forward.
He swings into the ooze attached to him, splurging it on the ground.
Broll pushes through his allies, devouring one of the nightmare horrors before slashing into the second.
Remnii helps Aramar to his feet.
She starts to guide him away from the water.
Seria rams into Mutanus, and the horn digs into his flesh, but it almost feels like she’s stabbing into mud. She reels around and kicks the massive murloc in its gut.
Vel tries to fire off a [Frostbolt] at Mutanus before dancing around to slash into one of the oozelings. Uther finishes the oozeling off with a [Fire Bolt].
Mutanus lashes out with his barbed tongue at Seria, drawing her into its maw as well, though she struggles and kicks to prevent herself from being swallowed.
Aramar shouts out in a language no one can understand (except Remnii who has [Tongues] up) and casts a [Guiding Bolt].
At that moment, Naralex awakens, the entire chamber trembling and shaking. The roots of the area start to expand and grow, splitting the earth. Long, lush vines spiral in every direction. Mutanus is impaled by several vines, and the massive creature starts to twitch.
The cave seems like it’s going to collapse, but the roots shoot upward and hold up the roof. Water shoots up in geysers, and the oozes and Mutanus start to fade into nothing.
Broll positions himself over his allies to try and shield them from any falling debris. Everyone braces themselves, but everything stops.
Naralex is breathing heavily, and he cautiously moves out from beneath Broll. There is now a massive tree in the midst of what was the cavern--a fully grown one. They aren’t underground anymore, either. Up above is the starry sky, and there is no sign of the cave--in every direction there are roots and trees and shrubbery and grass covering the badlands for as far as they can see.
Nutters is already looking around, and seems to be carrying a box.
He walks over to Uther, and holds the box out to Uther. Uther takes it, reading the letter on top.
Uther has a tear in his eye as he looks down to Nutters and gives a salute. Nutters returns the salute
Uther looks up at the night sky
Uther puts the box away and returns his compatriots. In the meanwhile, Naralex reaches his arms out in each direction and gives out a huge yawn.
He looks at the strange group, and Broll returns to his night elf form.
Muyoh and Muyani sandwich him in a huge hug, trying to explain, but they start to sob.
Naralex looks to the rest of the group, and to Tol’vas and Broll.
His eyes go to the Scythe of Elune.
There are some morose looks on the faces of the tauren, as well as the faces of some of the others who had also started to emerge from what remained of the Wailing Caverns.
Naralex grits his teeth.
He looks back to Tol’vas.
Naralex steadies himself, his legs nearly giving out as he tries to move.
Muyoh and Muyani gather the group together and provide a place for them all to take a long-deserved rest. Remnii is fussing over Aramar.
Remnii patches up the rest of his wounds.
Makasa runs over and grabs Aramar’s ear to look him over.
Riff immediately runs over to Seria and tries to heal her up as well.
Seria and Riff embrace and the group starts to make some sort of camp. Samaara is going through Remnii’s things, and she squints and pulls out a waterskin she doesn’t recognize. There is sand all over it, and there is an unfamiliar wrapped parcel as well. Suddenly, Remnii gets a scent that she hasn’t smelled for a very long time.
She unwraps the parcel, and inside is a warm, cooked talbuk leg.
Remnii looks at the leg and her mouth hangs open.
Samaara opens the waterskin and takes a sip.
She holds it out to Remnii, and Remnii takes a sip. It’s pure, draenic-blessed spring water.
She caps the waterskin and hugs it.
Remnii offers a soft smile and she pats the ground next to her as she tears off a piece of the talbuk leg which she offers to Uther.
Uther graciously takes the meat and almost seems to shudder joyfully at the taste. It’s perfectly seasoned. Remnii shares the bounty of talbuk around, and they see Colonel Nutters standing motionlessly nearby where he shut down. A squirrel scurries from one of the trees, and approaches the automaton. Two others join it, and they all stare at this robot. The group can’t help but wonder what’s going through their minds.
