Lost in the Second Age...
1 hour, 22 minutes left
Warforged
The Lords of Chaos
One look at the party and Vectorburn gaped disbelieving. He assured Relic they were better off without the group, spurring a few to angrily question why. The final rift was in a fishing village called Kelmarane, where the Lords of Chaos had manifested. Relic explained the lords were monstrous future versions of the party twisted by an alien evil called Chysaor, an entity that birthed Laz and Delilah and killed nearly all the Old Gods.
Selja objected she was a lady, not a lord, but Vectorburn called the Lords of Chaos more its than any sort of true gender. He reflected on the horrors he'd seen in his confrontations with them, how Lord Portia once infiltrated a nursery and wielded screaming newborns in the murder of an entire town, or how Lord Selja led herself around by a leash and collected pets of the dead which she dragged behind her in gilded cages. Lord Vilthamios endlessly argued with himself and cut all his spoils in half to appease both sides, while Lord Diana once wooed an entire regiment into cutting their own throats in her name. Lord Kaylan, tormented by the memory of love, desperately clawed for affection, a kiss, a hug, a hand held in friendship, but whatever she touched turned to ash.
A Plan
Of course the party was resolved to help despite their potential selves, and Relic agreed every man and woman was needed. It was a hopeless endeavor, anyway, as the Lords drew more and more voidspawn from the rift, an army without limits.
But the group could close the rift, thanks to Portia's pyramid, a scientific marvel beyond even the scope of the future warforged.
Lords of Chaos
Quest for the Saviors
Finduilas was dead...
The Power of Nature
As the party despaired, and much more so Matthias, even Tasha reflected a sense of loss. Victoria couldn't much be bothered and Serren was still upstairs battling the last of the Bishop's soldiers. Sev looked perturbed, but rubbed his hands together and knelt before the expired cleric. Ruing his manipulation before he'd even begun, the Archdruid bent the powers of nature to heal the wounds and ignite the spark of life once more. It was an awe-inspiring process, once which kept all present in total captivation, and when finally completed, Finduilas leaped up in a gasp. She was alive once more and immediately hugged her druid friend. Sev's expression was mixed.
Matthias was overjoyed and embraced his Finch, the two sharing on a passionate kiss, even as the tower began to collapse around them. Serren materialized long enough to send everyone out and out they went, a tear-choked Thamior following after, stupefied by the resurrection. He cast side all belief about Sev being the Green God at that moment and honored the name Sev Torban from then on.
Kaylan, meanwhile, was a comatose wreck outside the collapsing Tower of the Bat, with Selja and Portia doing their best to comfort their silent, sobbing friend. How fate had played her these past twenty-four hours, forced her to endure things no right-minded sixteen year old girl could ever recover from. However a warm light on her back and a familiar voice spurred her to turn and see a living High Priestess. She ran to her foster mother, hugging her tightly, crying and praising Kalinda.
The Saviors and the party reunited, a couple moments respite to simply laugh and chat and revel in the miracle just worked went a long way. Selja even dared a few moments addressing Sev, where the Archdruid began to suspect...
And their second tower today collapsed quickly behind them.
One Last Task
The party recruited the Saviors for one last battle for Creation. There was a mixed response, but Finduilas spoke for her comrades in saying she dared not refuse. Most were still giddy off the resurrection and hope was in the air. They headed back for Spellforge.
Along the way, Thamior intercepted Relic. The way the Quakeheart flashed in his chest, coupled with the strain of the time storm, seemed to be effecting the machine man, at least in the feladrin's eyes. It was not in Relic's character to ever lose his patience, yet he'd abandoned the group to meet the warforged, and stormed off as the Saviors weighed the risks and rewards of this last battle. Relic dismissed his actions because of duress, but Thamior recognized a violent correlation between Relic and the Quakeheart.
Eleven Hours Well-Spent
The Spelltowern forces were assembling, but there was no way to get from the floating Spelltower to Kelmarane below. They couldn't clear away the rift on the city teleportation circle, for it would dismiss the Saviors back to their time, the portal Lehm and his dwarves had been working on would have to do. However even with Vectorburn's instruction, the process could take days, when Creation only had hours.
Victoria, Serren, Finduilas and Blitzwing carted the necessary warforged technicians from base camp to Spellforge, each looking unique and with a particular personality. All of them paid respects to Relic before getting to work, and over then next eleven hours a portal was constructed through superior science.
During the pause, the party was able close the unnecessary rifts via the pyramid. Even the warforged were amazed at the power of the pyramid, a science far beyond their own.
When all was done, four thousand surviving Spelltowerns had massed, including the Scepter Guard, Scepter Academy cadets, the Wizards of the Moth, Sorcerers of the Bat and Bards of the Nightingale, and the clergy of Raya, Lordanna and Altan.
Base Camp
Between Lehm's portal and the transporting rituals by the various Wizards of the Moth, the Spelltowern forces joined the warforged camped on the plain come nightfall. It was a hot summer night without a cloud in the sky, revealing a vast span of Void pierced by billions of stars, some in cosmic fogs of pink, orange and green. The moon was but a sliver and most light came from the various metal-and-wires pods crashed into the ground, warforged tents of sorts.
The only other light was a cosmic purple glow like that of the Strangeheart and the rifts, which shined over the village of Kelmarane on the river's shore. Only a quarter mile away, the few dozen buildings seemed to squirm. Longer inspection discerned slimy, tentacled creatures flooding the town like maggots and spiders.
The group found among the gathered army nearly everyone they'd met during their stay in Spelltower, armed and ranging from nervous to terrified. Kaylan led a prayer, which Diana and Thamior joined in, eventually garnering the chorus of Priest Grum and Priestess Alisandra, Elewoon, Loradan, Acantha and Fread, and maybe a hundred others. Finduilas went around anointing those that wished it, while the rest of the Saviors prepared for another impossible fight.
Kaylan's affections towards Thamior, despite having slept with Loradan only a few hours ago, seemed to wound the man, and he left immediately after the prayer to ready the forces.
Selja was able to spend a few more precious minutes with Filias, where they both expressed their feelings for one another. The moment was short-lived when cadets Sweefel and Horatio pledged their lives to protecting him and he was forced to join ranks with the others.
The little boggart's emotions in flux, she gathered enough courage to call on her father's aid.
Inheritance
Vectorburn led Relic inside the largest pod, down a darkened hall and onto a command deck. General Ruin awaited, a twelve foot warforged titan slouched in his chair with electronic innards spilled over his lap. His cannons were broken and sparking, much of his armor cracked and eaten away, and the Quakeheart at his core flickered in and out. In a static-choked voice, he welcomed his past self.
Relic shared some heartfelt words with the General and watched the great respect Vectorburn had for him. In the chaos of the time storm, the warforged had appeared too near the Lords and with too few soldiers. It was a massacre, one which General Ruin suffered mortal wounding. They managed to escape to the outer plain, but the Lords considered themselves victorious, for Ruin was clearly in his last phase.
He bid Relic lead the army, to be what he no longer could, and ordered Vectorburn to salvage what parts he could from his broken body and install them into his past self. Vector objected, falling to Ruin's side, and if a warforged could cry he would have. Ruin reminded him he was still a soldier and that the fight must go on, and must be a victory. Relic agreed.
General Ruin took Relic's hand and instilled something, a flash of light and knowledge, proper interfaces, the resilience to continue, and with his other hand tore the core from his chest. General Ruin was gone. Vector took a few moments to collect himself before ripping apart his best friend.
Lets Kick Some Ass
The pod door slid open in a flourish of sparks and steam, and out walked General Relic, a head taller and broader, with a diamond-edged sword arm and platinum-and-scale plating. The warforged and Spelltowerns hushed, even as the mutant army advanced.
"I am General Relic! Now lets kick some ass!"
Everyone cheered! The warforged's legendary sire would lead them into another battle, and the Spelltowerns fed off their jubilation. Maybe it wasn't hopeless.
The army formed ranks and the party was forced to split. Relic, along with the Saviors, would lead the city in battle against the Lords and their voidspawn. Gods willing, it would provide enough distraction for Portia, Selja, Diana, Kaylan, Thamior, Kriznob and Vectorburn to infiltrate the ruined village of Kelmarane and close the Lord's rift.
Experience: 400 xp each (15,902 total)
Magic: Frostlick (Portia), +3 Warsoul Blade (Relic), Final Messenger (Relic), Green Battletech Armor (Relic)
Money: None
Loot: None
New NPCs:
Chrysaor (mentioned), Diana was able to question the Strangeheart about this ultimate alien entity; Tiberius could only liken It to the blackness between stars, the cold, darkness and infinity of space; It despises all life and light, which has corrupted and sickened It; It initiated the God War, fathered Laz and Delilah (and incidentally is the 'grandfather' of all demons, undead and aberrations); It succeeded in killing most of the Old Gods, but the defeat of Its avatars (Laz and Delilah) prevented Creation's total annihilation; ten years in the party's future, Chrysaor lands on Othyr and finishes Its mission, destroying the nine planes; the future warforged believe It was somehow guided back to Othyr and the party should seek to prevent that at all costs
The Lords of Chaos (mentioned), the alien-possessed group members from a nightmarish future; sent by Chrysaor to kill General Ruin and wipe out the last race of Othyr, the warforged; Each an it and thus titled a lord, they number Lord Portia, Lord Selja, Lord Kaylan, Lord Diana and Lord Vilthamios.
New Monsters: Voidspawn (thousands of aberrations crawling over the village of Kelmarane)
Time Storm (7/9 rifts closed)
New Quest: The Road to Oblivion
Ten years in your future, the alien entity described in religious texts as Chrysaor, the ultimate chaos, who spawned Laz and Delilah and killed nearly all the gods, lands on Othyr and finishes Its work. The nine planes are destroyed and their inhabitants corrupted into nightmarish alien servants. The warforged suspect something helped guide Chrysaor back to Othyr. If any good came of the time storm, perhaps it is learning of this terrible fate and somehow preventing it.
Frostlick
A thin layer of frost coats the business end of this blade.
Level: 8
Price: 3,400 gp
Weapon: short sword
Enhancement: +2 attack rolls and damage rolls
Critical: +2d6 cold damage
Power (At-Will • Cold): Free Action. All damage dealt by this weapon is cold damage. Another free action returns the damage to normal.
Power (Daily • Cold): Free Action. Use this power when you hit with the weapon. The target takes 1d8 cold damage and is slowed until the end of your next turn.
Warsoul Blade
When this weapon is attached, you strike with superior speed and agility.
Level: 13
Price: 17,000 gp
Weapon: Longsword (attached component)
Requirement: You must have the living construct racial trait to use this item.
Enhancement: +3 attack rolls and damage rolls
Critical: +3d6 damage
Property: You gain a +2 item bonus to initiative checks.
Power (Daily): Immediate Interrupt. Trigger: An enemy adjacent to you shifts. Effect: Make a melee basic attack with this weapon against the triggering enemy.
Final Messenger
This warforged communication device is built to resemble a small winged animal, yet it is an intricate assembly of clockwork pieces.
Level: 6
Price: 1,800 gp
Wondrous Item
Prerequisite: (embedded component)
Requirement: You must have the living construct racial trait to use this item.
Property: You have a mechanical messenger within you. The messenger has speed 8 and can function for 8 hours once it leaves you (see below). After 8 hours, the messenger deactivates. A creature can reactivate the messenger by making a DC 20 Arcana check and then spending a healing surge, at which point the messenger continues in its task to deliver a message (see below). A warforged can reactivate the messenger by embedding it.
A creature that is not the recipient of a message can make a DC 25 Arcana check to view the messenger’s programmed image and hear its message. A creature that makes a DC 30 Arcana check can learn the messenger’s intended destination and recipient.
Power (Daily): Standard Action. You program the messenger with an image of what you currently see, a statement of up to 25 words, and a destination or a message recipient. The messenger retains this information until you use this power again or until you die.
Power (At-Will): Free Action. You activate the messenger, and it leaves for its programmed destination or recipient and delivers its image and statement.
Power (At-Will): No Action. Trigger: You are killed. Effect: You activate the messenger, and it leaves for a destination or a message recipient you choose. The messenger carries an image of the last image that you saw while conscious, and it delivers the message that you have been killed.
Special: Only a warforged character can use this item.
Green Battletech Armor
The armor of the future warforged, Battletech is a mithral alloy plating reinforced with cybernetics. These pieces have been supplemented with Ghisidhran's green scales to offer protection from poison.
Level: 8
Price: 4,200 gp
Armor: Plate (attached component)
Requirement: You must have the living construct racial trait to use this item.
Enhancement: +2 AC
Property: This armor has no armor check or speed penalty.
Property: Resist 5 Poison
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