January 16-27th Affter several weeks of taking things easy the group feals that they have mastered the changes to magic. Wall provided plenty of non-threatning combat situations to test spells and items. Goblin patrols made a nice change from demons and devils. Some items ceased working during the disruption, but most of the groups equipment still seems to fuction though some items do not feel quite the same. While restoring their powers the group was again approached by Loch whom was slightly less civil this time. He blamed the group for the current chaos but stated he was here on behalf of another power. Theringil was approached by Loch as an emissary of a god-class entity interested in making a deal. The god has no priests, and Loch stated that Theringill had no god currently. The god does not wish to make its godhood public out of the fear that it will scare the living shit out of the other gods. There is onlyone thing the god wants and it is willing to work with the group to get it, but it will not or can not answer many questions. Theringill asks for time to think on it and then asks the group after Loch leaves if they think this power is in fact Loth? And if so why does he have power when no one else does? The elves have something major against Loth since he is an abomination of all that they know but all that he asks for in return for his assistance is a soul. A completely untainted soul. And he feels the group can get it for him. While Theringil ponders his choice other decide to travel back to Lothia incognito and get some equipment identified. If the equipment is any good it might enable the group to replace some of the defunct magic items. Qualintal and Heronaro go. Herunaro is disguised as an Inevitable punishing jaywalkers. The group takes items to a small buy/sell/trade item shop and get their pile of loot looked at. While Herunaro and Qualintal keep a careful watch they do not notice when the shop keeper switches a ring with an item from beneath the counter. After travelling across town one of the people buying items states that the angel's halo is in no way just a toungues circlet and is likely geased or cursed in some way. Suspicious Heronaro goes over the remaining items and notices the aura on one item is different. Going back to the shop where things were identified the shop is closed with a sign "be back in 15 minutes". After waiting an hour they teleport inside. Heronaro notices a silent alarm going off and he saturation dispells the store. A lot of the "magical" display items were just nystul's auras. They bag everything that stays magical and go back across town to sell the stuff that was appraised earlier.. The lothians artificers guild is under instruction to give the party full trade in credit for items (due to the party's history of useful service for the government). The party is not estatic at the recognition but they don't seem to mind the discount. Hundreds of thousands worth of gear are traded. Qualintal borrows heavily from other party members to get an item made since he had a deal to get a single item at cost. He books an entire team of wizards for the next couple weeks The expected delivery day of the completed product is Feburary 17th. January 28th Herunaro and Quelental return to Wall where the othersw are waiting. Goods and money are distributed amongst party members. Theringil finds the location of the shopkeeper that stole the ring and the party portals in and find that the shopkeeper has moved to the coast and is in a seedy in with the Fallen angel the party had slain. The group kill the merchant and angel without too much hassel and discover that the merchant traded whatever he had stolen for a ring of wishes to bring badk the angel. (At least that is what they expect) They recover a good bit of money and items as well. January 29th Heronaro and Qualintal go back to the capitol to sell the new stuff. This time Swiftwind comes along to watch for shady dealings. The group finds a fraternity of aprentice mages that seem happy to perform identifications in return for components and book money. The apprentices identify all the items happily and seem loath to part with a couple of the items the party found in the store. Boots of dance training and the crossbow of drunkeness are expeccially popular. Most of the equipment from the store was pretty shoddy or cursed, the party still finds buyers for most of it. The ring of wish they keep however. It seems to have been made by an archmage name Kelish. Some discrete inquires reveal that Kelish is known to be rather underhanded and very powerful. The party consider asking for their rings return but decide they do not want to deal with any-more shifty characters. The group got a large amount of money and if the ring was what the group thinks they couldn't have sold it anyhow. (too expensive) January 30th Party decide to head back to the Iron Fortess. Morloch asked them to do so, and more importantly the group wants to reclaim the loot from whomever took over the tower after they left. The group planeshifts to Acheron since last they knew the Rigus portal was just to deadly to be near. (If it even exists anymore) The tower has been fortified and is being guarded by orcs. The orcs are dealt with offhandedly and the party enter the fortress to scenes of carnage. Orc bodies lay mauled around one room where it looks like they fought a couple iron cats and a dragon. The cats are scattered ablut the room but of the dragon there is no sign. Everything has been looted already so the party pass onward. Many rooms have been pillaged. Even carpets and tapestries have been torn up and packaged for someone to carry off. While searching Swiftwind sees movement in a room and he points it out to Herunaro whom saturates the room with fireballs. Belatedly Swiftwind calls off the attack when he realizes that whatever is in the room is not evil. It appears to be a badly mauled Lilend. The lilend claims to have been prisoner of the tower and to have escaped in the chaos of the orcs invading. Her wings were pulled off and both arms appear to be badly broken. Also all manner of meathooks and scewers hang from her flesh. She states that the torturers here took delight in there work. She would have left but she was hoping to retrieve her sword. An orc looted it from her captor while the lilend was playing dead. While talking to the Lilend there is a scream from the hallway and the party pour out prepard for battle. In the hallway it appears that there is some infighting among the orcs. Then on closer inspection there appear to be spectral orcs fighting real orcs. The real orcs fare badly against the spectors though one orc escapes by climbing over his allies to make it past the spectors. The party cut down both orcs and spectors alike. One of the spectors is a very powerful specimen. It looks and feels real and has multiple attacks per round. Berrik loses several levels to the spectors bloody spear before the creature can be taken down. The party gathers to take care of the fallen orcs as they turn into spectors and as they are slaying the newly risen spectors the group is suprized by magical tenticles fillign the hallway and large orcish javalins crashing into several group members. SESSION END January 30th 217B NEXT TIME : Ambush!!! EXPERIENCE TOTALS (Session 54) ----------------- Herun. Swift.Berrik Quelin.Therin. 134236 133851 129194 133851 133776