The Ritual

[Supreme Taco]

Zhur'kel had the abominations raid the Ogre caves, slaughtering them in the masses. His smile stretched out his leathery flesh as the Ogres blood sprayed across the walls, splattering on his golden crown.

"Perfect. This'll be enough," he cackled, lifting up his staff and commanding the Flesh Golems to pile up the bodies, "The ritual will begin."

There were more Ogres than he expected, but it was of no consequence. He would have his abominations hold them off while he prepared the ritual. Drawing the circle, carefully placing the runes, and then ... The Crystal. The single most important component of all of this.

His skeleton-like fingers wrapped around the crystal as he held it upwards and began chanting.

Too slow. A group of adventurers barged into the room and began to assault his abominations. He dropped the crystal and began to chant offensive spells.

...

[Rugabug]

At the time of the event, Sywyn Elle was scouting the country side out near Crossroads, inquiring the locals about sightings of the necromancer, trying to devise a timeline. In addition, he begins to plot the earliest sightings on a map he bought in town. Sywyn unfortunatly did not see the portal at the time of its opening, however he did hear about it later on and decided it was worth checking out. He however did not understand that it all involved people he cared about and upon arriving was devastated to learn the news.

[EndsBeginning]

Following the rumors of something big Meram went to the temple of the Triumverate. Cybil's babies had been taken by a necromancer. The sheer horror of it took Meram by surprise. While she'd never been close friends to the bulk of the religious zealots Cybil had struck her as one of the rare good ones. Hearing the travesty of what had happened she was determined to help. You simply don't harm children, ever, especially not like that. However, there wasn't much she could do, not know much about or having any ability to work with portals. Well, time to see if any of her contacts could help, and what that would cost.

[Kaeldorn]

They were just on their way outside, Cirion and herself, to get some fresh air and to see if they were needed anywhere. By anyone, besides each other. Yashia stood idle, watching and not really listening to the man she loved when he spoke to the old innkeeper Betty about some things seemingly unimportant. Little did she know that the dwarven warrior who entered, armoured from tip to toe and followed by the ever considerate Etria, was the bearer of grave news. He spoke to them, taking his helmet in his hands and looked down with a face filled with regret.

Gloirin Ironforge told of what had happened. What was supposed to have been a routine mission into the ogre caves of Stonegarb, turned into an assault of flesh golems and their master, a dabbler in the tainted magics of death. Their group had found defeat and was captured at his hands, and nothing could be done to keep the vile necromancer from taking Cybil's children from her womb. Cirion's children, Yashia thought immediately, and she held his hand more firmly than she had been before. His own grip weakening as his fingers grew numb...

Cybil. How foolish she had been to endanger herself like such while she knew her responsibilities and that she had been attended to loud and clear, more than a single time, by the wiser she called her Brothers and Sisters of the Triad. Yashia wanted to hate her, not only for failing to give her children the protection they needed, but also for doing this to the man she loved. The man Yashia loved herself, more than she ever would. But the fallen had promised Cirion not to despise her, so she shook the thought out of her mind and set it to something much more important. To be there for him, and do whatever she could to bring them back, even though they should never have been to begin with.

They were alive, said Etria. Cybil and Ru'umel, but the children too. But where they were or how to reach them, none knew. Any magic to find out more was difficult to handle. Contact through Sending was blocked, and the only location that was revealed was unknown to all. The madman's laboratory, it sounded like. With no leads to go on other than the wizard's name, Yashia led the group to the Schild Mountain in hopes of Rismal lending his mind and hand to put this rogue necromancer's practices to an end. Her attempts were in vain, as was almost usual to expect from the Hands...

Powerless, pondering and grieved, the four of them settled. At a loss, knowing not where to look further. Waiting for a miracle, almost. And a small one came when Etria's focus went to an incoming train of thoughts that weren't her own. Cybil finally could give a message in return. The necromancer was gone and she and Ru'umel saw a chance to escape through a portal to the Crossroads. But without the children, who could most likely only be saved if the life of the man who did this was spared. If he was ever found at all. Etria and Gloirin quickly made their way westwards, but Yashia and Cirion stayed behind for a while longer.

"They won't be there..." Cirion said. "He still has them."

He turned to the blonde woman he called his true, and quickly took her in his arms. He needed her now. He didn't know what to do or what would happen, but he needed her near.

"It is almost like I am not meant to have a family. They are taken from me no matter how hard I try." His eyes filled with tears while his love held him close, with the impossible desire to comfort him.

"Don't talk like that." Yashia said softly, with a meaningfully sad but hopeful look in her eyes. "Don't give up now, Cirion. There is still hope."

The words she spoke had a double meaning. Though for now it was only important that she could keep him from letting down not only the ones who cared for him and needed him, but especially from losing himself. A feeling which she was all too familiar with. A few moments he took to recollect himself, and then they headed down the road in the same direction the others had left some time ago.


They ended up with the Triumvirate temple as their destination, for Cirion was given a Sending that Cybil had been brought there to be taken care of. They arrived, and Cirion immediately let go of Yashia's hand to step forward and care for the other woman he still had feelings for. Yashia could do nothing but watch. To see over her love's shoulder, with no room for her to stand by him, how one of the Broken Ones took care of the scars of Cybil's torture.

The favored had all the eyes of the many people present, and none noticed that Yashia began to cry. Until after a long time, Etria came to listen. And if she could, give her counsel.

"I wanted them to never have existed." Yashia said with a shaky voice, regret and sorrow taking a hold of her. "I wished them gone, but not like this."

"It is understandable." Was the only reply given by the elven woman for a while, but she continued on after some seconds passed. "It would be inhuman if you didn't feel this sadness. But sad moments are needed in one's life to make the happy ones count."

Yashia kept her eyes on Cirion without pause. While she almost couldn't bear to see him so close to Cybil, her heart told her to support him. "What if he can't believe in his dreams anymore? If he can't be happy at all any longer?"

Etria looked to her when the human woman for an instant glanced at her, and answered quietly. "Then you will hold him, and renew his faith. He embraced death to be with you. It's you he wants to be with. You, who can give him that happiness."

She already knew what would be said, though Yashia took a deep breath and sighed heavily before asking her final guidance for this night. "Should I leave him to his privacy with her for now? Or should I go to him..."

"Go. He needs you now." she said without any sign of doubt.

Yashia pushed herself off the pillar that had supported her weight up to now, and took one step closer to her love. Where she halted to speak two more words. "Thank you."

Slowly, she walked on and sat down by the wall right next to him. The smile he gave her, however small it was on his face engulfed with seas of sadness, said it all. A hand was turned to lay open and welcoming on his leg. It was for her. Their fingers interlocked, almost like his hand was molded to hold hers. And hers to hold his.

[RPMike17]

(( OOC edited due to information I did not know before, but would have known IC ))

Ru'umel awakes at the Triumvirate, sees his Dear Cybil is resting peacefully, he kisses her gently, trying not to wake her, and sneaks outside to walk and think...

While he walks, trying to gain strength by chewing on some jerky, he shudders thinking of the events that unfolded.

"I will not rest until I find Zhur'kel, he deserves nothing death, but, first we must save Cybil's children. Hopefully the log in Cybil's pack will have some clues. And what does Kharhaz have to do with all of this?

He continues to walk, going over everything in his mind. "What scared him so much in the end? What did he see in me that terrified him so? Maybe that is a key to defeating him... I need to seek wiser counseling for this."

He stops suddenly and looks down at the ground and whispers. "And the jar..." A small tear rolls from his eye. "I just hope it is enough."

He looks up the the heavens, rain soaking his face and shouts, "Please, Gods, help the children, make what I have given enough to save them!"

He looks down the road towards the Post and trots off, anyone who knows him notices he is frail looking and more pale than he used to be...

[Fezzik]

Sacrifice

"Forward, to the door," She spoke the words, but she didn't realize what she was getting into. The first two beasts had been felled with relative ease, they were just poorly made, fragile. The next two were the same. The ogres were falling about them, unsure whether to go after the hideous monstrous beasts that were in front of them, or the 4 of them, behind them. Had they any sense, they would have helped defeat the constructs, but they didn't.

Something told her to go back, in her mind, but she knew she couldn't; she didn't understand until later why. They needed information on this man's doings. No one else had managed to find anything in the last week or so - no one had looked.

They came through the door, confronted by two more, and something else. Her defenses fell quickly, the protective magics spun off. She fell into unconsciousness and awoke to the madman's voice. A golem picked her up, along with Ru'umel, leaving Etria and Gloirin on the floor, her sight lit up for a moment, the door opened, and Rena appeared for a brief second before her jailor, her elf, and herself vanished along with the necromancer.

She continued to struggle. She was forced onto binding circle, unable to move. He examine her, through her. His eyes became gleeful, sadistic. He knew what she was carrying, and he wanted them for his own. His excision was creul, painful and tore at everyfibre of her being. He took them, but they were alive - she didn't understand.

In the cell, he took Ru'umel next. What would he do to her sweet Ru'umel? She yelled, screamed, and ended up anoying the madman. He approached her cell, with a frying pan?! The golem opened up the door, and he stepped in, beating her continueously in the face, she was unable to put up a fight, to weak from the fighting and the loss of her babies, she fell into unconciousness again, only hearing bits and pieces of the Madman's exposition.

Ru'umel had sacrifced somthing for the children, to keep them alive, so they would survive the ordeal.

They found a journal. She knew then why it was not only important to get the chldren back, but why it had happened. He was looking for a powerful soul, to fuel his quest for immortality, to touch the gods. Her children, her sweet love sacrifice would mean that the two lionhearts would not be taken. Two, pure innocent souls wouldn't be either, and she would fight with every last strength in her being to make sure that this madmen didn't accomplish his goals, or everything, everyone, would be lost.

[Rugabug]

After having arrived and cried for an hour, Sywyn finally gets his act together.

"I'm done standing around Os, I am going to go help the others. Bye Cybil, I am really sorry what happened to you.

Leaving immediatly, Sywyn heads towards the crossroads, stopping briefing to buy a few helpful scrolls. Shortly after arrival, Alyrian tears upon an unstable portal and begins to be Sucked into it. Sywyn tried to stop him but in the end, was dragged along for the ride. Ending up in the plane of shadow, trapped in vision prepared by the necromancer, Sywyn does all he can take tear Alyrian away from his horrors. Finally succeeding by casting a light spell, such a simple cantrip did so much, the two turned for the portal to complete their journey to the laboratory. A gruesome scene greets them as they stumble out from an unstable portal.

To himself "Gods blood, cybil, what has he done...

Sywyn uncontrollably vomits a few times. Shortly thereafter, Aly begins to read a book he found and falls victim to a curse. Kicking the book away and tending to his friend, sywyn loses hope as it seem the curse would be permanent for the time being. He turns to the bookshelves and start taking everything he thinks useful. A groan tells sywyn that alyrian is awake and alive now, so Sywyn hurries up what he is doing (generally vandalizing the necromancer's lab, including telling him who screwed it up) and takes shows Alyrian the way out. Upon arriving back in the crossroads with everyone else, the two shared everything they knew. Within an hour, Sywyn was in a room in the Four lanterns.

I can not believe I was actually useful this time...Take that Uncle.

[Janus]

Darkness, fear, then pain, overwhelming rivers of pain stretching from her gut into her mind then out infusing her entire being. Her mind was alive with it, swimming in it.

It had all started so simply, body guard Cybil, keep her safe and alive. Try to keep her from doing something foolish, like going into a cave infested with Ogres. She sighed through the pain, trying to stop Cybil doing anything she had set her mind on was like try to stop the tides with a spoon. All she could do was act as a buffer against the darkness, hoping against hope that her spells and skills would be enough.

The Ogres had attacked with their usual gusto, but they were no match for Rage, the sword she had crafted to honour the Seldarine, especially when joined by the likes of Gloirin and Cybil with the Star of Ilmater. For all her foolishness her skill at arms was not inconsiderable.

But then it had all gone wrong. The first sign of it had been the flesh golem that had lurched out of the darkness not at them but attacking the Ogres. Someone was attacking the ogres and like a bunch of rookies we charged off into them.

The pain in her gut spoke of the depth of their mistake. Her elven eyes stared out of the bloody mask of her face at a human as he leered down at them. Abrupt commands ordered the army of flesh golems about. He was their creator, a necromancer of great power, he had defeated them with a few well placed spells and now was his time to gloat.

A tiny voice in her mind spoke.

“I can save you from this.” It promised softly. “Just say the words. You know the words. You hear them in your dreams.”

The pain made her head swim and for a moment she couldn’t see why not. Humans were the cause of the pain... why should she not.

“Heed me thou who are darker, than dusk...” Said the voice. “Say it!”

The human stalked up to her staring gleefully at the mess he had made of her abdomen.

“You should get someone to look at that.” He taunted.

“Don’t mind if I do...” Came her croaked response reaching half heartedly for a potion.

The voice sighed.

“Soon, soon you will let me out. You cannot fight me forever.”

His foot came down hard on her hand, her gauntlets the only thing preventing the fragile bones from breaking, but the war inside her was won.

A wave of sickness and a dizzying nightmare of pain and jibes she had to bite her lip to stop herself replying to. Sass wouldn’t keep them alive, wit would only get them killed. Erevan’s gifts could save her soul, but sometimes silence was the best option. And then he was gone taking Cybil and Ru’umel with him.

Etria couldn’t tell how long she lay there in the dark before relief came. Soothing magic healed her, magic that came from a Halfling. Rena, sweet Rena had found them and now her spells washed away the pain in her gut leaving only the pain in her heart. She had failed and now Cybil was in the hands of a Necromancer, but more over he had the children.

Etria screamed her rage into the darkness attracting the few ogres that had remained away. Spells and steel slammed into them with equal vigour and soon they were outside.

[Cirion]

Cirion and Yashia were on their way out of the Comfort Inn, when Gloirin and Etria found them, immediately telling of bad news. with in a few moments, they were told how Cybil and Ru'umel came to be captured and couldn't be found.

Before long, the four then tried to think of where to search, however soon decided it would be best to find a person actually more capable of divining Ru'umel and Cybil's location. However the search would prove pointless as no-one was capable or they "didn't have the time" to help out.

But during this time, Cybil and Ru'umel were able to find their way to the Crossroads, though a portal, and were soon brought to the Triumvirate by a group of people. And being sent a message through arcane means, Cirion and Yashia headed there too.

Cirion was quick to learn Cybil was not only captured and hurt, but her children were taken away. Her unborn children, the unborn children Cirion was to be the real father of. His children, somehow still alive, were taken by a Necromancer for his own vile plans.

Once again, his children had been taken away. Several times in the past, he was to be a father, wanted to be a parent. His thoughts were still on the children as he tried to calm Cybil down, tried but couldn't figure out what to say to her. After several moments, Cirion just leaned back against the nearby wall, feeling powerless and unable to do anything at all.

His mind ignored most people, save for a few. He listened to Cybil and quietly spoke to her. And when Yashia finally sat next to him, he smiled to her and had his hand out to her despite his sad mood. Her being near him was the only bit of happiness he had in his current state.

But his mind was still on his children and, after several minutes, he decided: He would do all he could for them. He wouldn't fully lose them, and he would get them back. Nothing will stop him; he and Cybil will have the children back.

[Ashard]

The forge burned brightly the warmth of it did nothing to ward away the chill that ran through Gloirin. The iron to be worked placed with care on the anvil.The hammer lifted memories fall shaping the iron.

It started out to be a good day, good company an a good plan, help out Ru with a ogre chief. My how that changed when the first bulky mishapen golem crawled from the darkness.With Etria an Cybil the golem fell with little trouble. With the golem unravling at our feet the sound of battle pierced the darkness...seems we where not the only one that had a trip to the ogres caves in mind.

The hammer raise an falls in a steady pounding, much like that of his axe on that day.White knuckles grip the hammer tightly, Strong arms swing it down with great force.

Just not strong enough on this day,deeper into the cave we went ogers an golems falling in our wake....a door...the sounds of chanting...a reckless dwarfs charge.To late ,I yells over the din of battle back to the door we can bottle neck them ,fall back...Cybil goes down...then Ru followed by Etria...then there was darkness.

Gloirin opens his eyes an looks upon the anvil at the twisted metal mishapen and ruined. As the metal is thrown across the forge in fury.The sound of a dwarf sobing can be heard

Its all my fault I could not protect her life and that of her unborn children.

[Supreme Taco]

Far away, deep within a den of caverns, the Necromancer walks. Dragging behind him is the young daughter of a farmer, kicking and screaming while he tugs on her golden locks of hair, reciting formulas in a harmonic tone.

The caves are dark, dank, and smelled of rotting corpses, but it only seemed to bother the farmer's daughter. Or maybe she didn't care about it, being more concerned about her life, as she was in fact being kidnapped by a rather unpleasant fellow. Maybe she did not like the splattered blood across the walls and the left-over limbs and hollowed out carcasses decorating what would be empty spaces on the floor? Khur'zel pondered on this for a moment and shrugs, picking up his stride while tugging her.

"Two black obsidian, no THREE black obsidian~" he hums, striking his staff on the ground with each step to the beat. "Four black obsidian, no FIVE black obsidian."

"Six bla -- " He is cut off by the woman's screaming that reaches a rather annoying pitch.

Strike that, extremely annoying ... perhaps extrannoying? Hm, may -- His train of thought is lost again, and he can not tolerate it any longer. He puts all of his effort into tugging on the hair, dragging the woman to in front of him while ripping out chunks of hair in the process.

"SHUT UP! SHUT UP YOU STUPID WHORE," he throws the hair he ripped out of her skalp in her face, "STOP MAKING THE NOISE! You fly and your tumultuous, unyielding, excruciating, unha --" She screams even louder now.

"STUPID WHORE!" He exclaims while driving the butt of his staff into her nose, which snapped sideways as blood sprays out across her lips and the floor. "WHY WON'T THEY LISTEN?!" He continues to assault the defenseless woman who could do nothing more but shield her face with her hands.

Each kick and each swing of the staff grew more violent as his rage fed on the violence that fed on his rage. Her face was easily warped from the meek pale blond with blue eyes into a horrendous figure, leaking blood with fresh bits of flesh dangling from where they should be attached.

He continued, even after she had fallen silent from either death or unconsciousness.

*thwak, kick, thrust*

"... Wait ... The song ended at six black obsidian anyway, so why am I so angry? Ohwell."

*kick, thrust, thwak*

"It's not like I need her anyway. Just her womb."

*thwak*

"Ok, so I'm going to stop this and get her womb."

*kick*

"... ahem."

Her face now thoroughly smashed into the stone floor, and after being covered in her blood and bits of brain matter, he manages to stop himself, reaching into his robes for a sharp dagger, The Scalpel. With it he would acquire the organ he sought on the cold and dank cavern floors.

"With this my children will be born. Through them, I will touch the Gods."

[Grae]

((Nice ))

[RPMike17]

So many undead...

Wave after wave, relentless, our party fought with a vengeance that I have never seen before. Magic filled the air, shouts of pain, moans of the undead, oaths to Gods, steel on steel, the battle fury in us took on a new level. After what seemed like an eternity, Cirion lead us to a spot we could catch our breath. A safe place? It is hard to imagine one existed there...

Once we were safe we all took a well deserved rest. Cybil put some unfortunate souls to rest that we found in some sort of hideous lab. I cannot believe the things I have seen.

Our rest is short lived, we must press on, Cirion leads us back into the den of evil. And the battle continues...

With barely the strength to continue and almost no healing kits left we come to a room where we fought and defeat a group of necromancers. While searching the bodies Cybil found another book, similar to the first. We think our search is over, so much for “talking” to the Advent to get the information we need... Cirion then tells us he knows a “shortcut” out of this place. We follow. Again, more undead pour from the darkness, there stench of them making my stomach churn, but on we fought, until finally, we were in the clear, battered bruised, and needing real rest. First though, the books must be brought to the Temple of Oghma to see if they can help us. Our rest must wait. No one complains, but no one smiles, we walked not much unlike the zombies we had just annihilated, to the Temple...

“For the children...” The words roll over and over in my mind giving me strength.

I look to Cybil, her tired form, knowing she aches to find her children, and, deal with the one who brought us to this, Zhur'kel.

My hand falls to the pouch at my hip again, and wraps around the obsidian that I found behind the painting...

[Narse]

The appraiser looks up to Fenton, large telescopic glass still in place over his right eye. "Sorry son, but this is a run of the mill cut you got here." Fenton looks to the appraiser with a nearly silent sigh of disappointment and frustration. "Are you sure?" he asks. "Is there any kind of magic in it that would make it of value?" The appraiser shakes his head as he hands the gem back to Fenton. "Sorry boy, not my department. I can't help you anymore."
As he leaves the store, Fenton stares at the stone in his palm, wondering why he took it from the ogre cave in the first place and why he did not hand it over to Osclow with everything else he had found. As he stared into the stone, it yielded no answer but a light twinkle in return and a memory of the ritual site among the ogre's home and the massive bodies cut apart with surgical precision. Not only were the bodies cut apart with speed and skill, but many of the remains were ripped free in a manner that suggested a genius at ogre biology or perhaps some dark entity that could see into the massive forms of the ogres to sniff out exactly what it needed.
That memory was behind Fenton now, but not completely forgotten. Tossing the stone up and down, he could not help but wonder what happens next.

[Fezzik]

Necromancers chambers

Cybil approached the door and took a deep breath. The last time she was here talking to to him she did not get a good reaction as to the possible success of their quest to get her babies back. Brother Melchior was likely the most potent and able healer in the valley. If he could not help restore her babies with the help of the diagram in the book, then she would only have one hope left. He told he to expect the worst, and hope for the best, but she couldn't. She had to have them back. She knocked on the door and entered.

"Hello Revered Brother, I've come to talk to you about something we found in the Necromancers book. A diagram that is keeping the children alive. I believe that other than the one that made it, you are the only hope I may have to restore the children to their rightful place when the time comes. I need to know if you can understand what this means, and if it can be done. We have also sent a Favoured of Jergal out on reconnaissance about the areas we have seen the activities of the necromancer for signs of undead. We are still looking for a way into the lair to track him down."

She stood patiently waiting while he pondered the diagram, and finally giving his answer...