You gradually wake to find that a dull ache behind your eyes, and everything seems washed out, a lack of colour in your surroundings. The slightly tinny music you heard as you fell asleep still pervades your surroundings yet aside from the headache doesn't seem to have done anything to you. Your swords, Anvilchild and Gorehelm, still rest where you left them and your room appears to be undisturbed.

With a slight grimace of shame you rub the parts of your chin bereft of beard, scorched off by Kald's last attack. What's left is blackened and ratty, the previous grace and beauty lost. Slowly getting up and mildly dizzy from the headache, you put on your armour carefully as ever and take stock of your situation. Supposedly six mages remain, though the music hints that Rampant is not truly dead. To recap to yourself, the remaining mages are -
Elizrah Teufel, the transmuter.
Jharkor Teufel, the illusionist and brother to Elizrah.
Haesten Gilt, the Evoker.
Piern Lhor, the Force Mage.
Dethis Merrin, the Necromancer and finally,
Simons Westas, the Teleporter.

- What would you like to do, Executioner? -

>>7527749
FIND WIZZERD

DRINK WIZZERD

>>7527908

Shaking your head slightly you see if the pain will go away, you leave your room and make your way through the castle. It seems oddly quiet compared to the usual, and by the time you exit you realise you've not seen any of the servants at all. Outside the music is much louder, and provokes a slight nausea. Looking around, you can't see any of the mages and reflect that everything would be a lot easier if you could.

Thirsty and yet without a mage to liquefy and drink you instead make your way back to the Royal Guard camp outside the school on the horse and cart you used last time. The horse seems sluggish, and gets progressively worse as you approach the school eventually resulting in you walking just under half the distance back.

When you reach the camp you find it deserted. None of the soldiers are there, and you find the campfires that remain are cold. Evidently the soldiers left during the night, yet the last time you saw them they had a specific guard rotation and looked to be healthy.

- What would you like to do, Executioner? -

>>7528280
Inspect the camp.

>>7529684

You look around the camp, cautiously inspecting the tents and remaining campfires. After a few minutes you tear a piece of cloth from a tent and wrap it around your head in a band to cover your ears and the pain lessens, as does the nausea. What you find in the tents is worrying. Aside from a few peronal mementos and standard weapons, there's no sign of the soldiers themselves.

You don't have much experience tracking, having had friends do that for you in the past, but you can still make out the tracks of the mass of soldiers, left behind as they moved off. Oddly they don't appear to go towards the school but rather around it. Following the tracks, you see that they go completely past the school and in to the distance, leading towards another city. From what you remember it's called Khelmar and a fairly welcoming and open minded place.

The music is still piping from the ruins, though thankfully it's too quiet to effect you too much.

- What would you like to do, Executioner? -

>>7529970
Let's explore the school, then follow the tracks to Khelmar.

>>7530240

Deciding to see where the sound is coming from, you make your way through the rubble of the schhol once more. It takes a while to traverse it all, but eventually you find what appears to be a small metal cage covered in a layer of mesh. The sound is coming from inside and, when you have a slightly closer look, you can just about make out a swirling inside. You pull your goggles down to enhance your vision and see that there is clearly a small portal inside, through which the sound is coming.

Once outside again you follow the tracks to Khelmar after gathering a reasonable amount of supplies from the abandoned camp. Knowing you definitely won't go hungry is a plus and, after several days of following the tracks, you eventually come to Khelmar's city gate. Something is clearly wrong here, as there are no guards on the gate and you've not seen any travellers on your way.

- What would you like to do, Executioner? -

>>7530314
Do we know where the ruler of Khelmar would usually be? If so, go there, otherwise, just go to the biggest building.

>>7530474

Unfortunately it's been a while since you were last in Khelmar but you still have a rough idea of where the local rulers would be. Being an oligarchy, Khelmar usually always had one figurehead in the city whilst the rest carried out duties elsewhere, so you head towards the Candridae, the large circular building in the heart of Khelmar where the oligarchy convene.

On your way there you note that there is still a lack of people of any kind and, when you reach the Candridae, there are no guards to stop you. You walk inside and within a few minutes reach the central chamber, forbidden to all but the oligarchy. Even so there's again no one to step you and when you step inside your heart sinks.

Arrayed in front of you is the oligarchy - all thirteen members are present and seated. However, each one has a javelin on reformed bone impaling them though their heart and pinning them to their respective chairs, save the member in the head seat. He has only been pieced through both shoulders and knees and the wounds have clearly been tended to to ensure he stays alive until he runs out of food. No doubt it's a message for you. Though alive, he is currently unconscious and his breathing is shallow.

- What would you like to do, Executioner? -

May as well turn this in to writing till someone responds then.

----------------------------------

Ulfgar advanced slowly towards the dying man, a look of resignation etched in to his face. Wearily he placed a hand on the man's shoulder and gently shook slightly to try and wake him. A slight moan slipped past the mans lips as he was roused in to consciousness and, upon seeing Ulfgar, silent tears fell down his cheeks.

"Why did you do this to us..?" the man whispered. From the sound of his voice he was fading quicker by the moment, and wouldn't last longer than another day or so.
Ulfgar sighed. "Was this done by a man named Dethis?" the dwarf asked, though he was fairly sure it would have been no other.
"Because of you.." the man wheezed, closing his eyes as sadness overtook him.

Several questions later and Ulfgar knew, for the most part, what had happened. It seemed Dethis has shown up with his fellow mages and not only ensorcelled the entire local populace, but had left with them to use as a mobile and submissive army. The poor man left in the central chamber was just a goad, s piteful little note to let Ulfgar know just what he had unleashed.

Inspecting the bone javelins impaling the corpses the the room, and trying to remove one, it was clear that the ends were serrated and barbed. Removing them from the single man left alive would just cause horrific injury and suffering, with no known clerics anywhere nearby.

Ulfgar sighed again, before muttering an apology. Gorehelm lashed out in pity more than anything else. Turning, he left the chamber and walked outside, the doors closing behind him just slowly enough to leave a glimpse of the severed head upon the foor. The chamber was now merely a home to the dead.

Well shit, let's bump this motherfucker back to the TOP! I'll stick with this as long as I can. Now then. . .

Any additional notes to see? Anything that may give trace to where this MASSIVE ARMY OF PEOPLE have tromped off to? Find them, most likely find the mages.

Looking around, the dwarf realised he had no clear idea of where to look next. The chamber had held no real answers as to where to go next and Dethis didn't seem the type to orchestrate his own downfall. Regardless, there were at least still a few animals left in Khelmar, as well as food and naturally water. It was the work of a few moments to rig together a servicable cart and secure it to a decent horse. No music piped through this city as it had the last and so the horse seemed healthy and acceptably docile.

"Useful beasts." Ulfgar fondly muttered, before loading the cart with a wealth of supplies. By the afternoon he was trundling back towards his home in Castellis Maloriceen, the now empty castle of his old friend and monarch King Maloriceen of Hlallenheim. It was worrying to wonder where the King and Queen had gone, but such speculation was no doubt worthless. There was no where safer for the King than his own castle and since he was gone no doubt Dethis had taken him.

As Ulfgar reached the city he made sure his improvised ear muffs were in working order before swiftly making his way back to the meshed cage. Drawing Anvilchild with an angry mutter he smashed the cage to pieces. Almost instantly the music stopped. The vague remnants of energy he could see with his goggles were all that remained of the miniature portal within. With a sigh of relief Ulfgar removed the tattered cloth around his ears and visited his room.

His belongings were still in their rightful places and so he picked up his extensive backpack after making sure everything was tucked away properly, before returning to the cart. On the way he glanced in to the room Illandis had been in before and to his dismay, though not surprise, the body was missing.

>>7532453

On the road once more,you point the cart towards the next city past Khelmar. It's a long way off and would take several days travel even with the cart, yet you have enough supplies and nothing to lose. With any luck there'll be something for you to find there, though it seems unlikely.

As the days of travel wear on, you manage to find a corpse sprawled upon the road. Looking at the clothing, you know this person originally came from Khelmar, and it's as promising a lead as any. Looking in to the distance, you can just about make out the city of Ghestail, it's characteristic towers as ever foreboding. From what you remember, it's a dark place where evil abounds and the laws aren't truly kept.

- What would you like to do, Executioner? -

>>7532488
Bugger.

Inspect the area with your magical goggles, check and see if there's anything of import. Spot checks ought to be improved. . .

>>7532541

Thinking back to Khelmar and Hlallenheim, nothing stands out as a worthwhile lead as to where Dethis and the other mages would go. Even with your goggles nothing overly magical was readily noticeable, aside from the faint traces of magic in the air that were reminiscent of a single person or maybe a pair being teleported.

- What would you like to do, Executioner? -

inspect the dude on the road. Anything on him? any noticable marks or tattoos?

also look at him with the magic goggles

>>7533019

Rolling the corpse over, you don't at first see any specific marks on him, or even a cause of death. With a small apology you start rifling through the clothing and belongings to see if there is anything of note, to no avail. A frown and some concentration later and you carefully pull up the man's tunic, revealing a hideous wound upon the chest.

It looks like it was carved in a short time after death, as there isn't much bleeding and certainly not enough to have gone through the tunic. The wound itself looks like a crude sphere, within with are three representations of skulls. Runes wind around the circle carved in to the flesh, though you can't recognise exactly what they say. Overall it's very reminiscent of Ghestail, since it seems the kind of thing they'd do there.

As you're about to turn away, you notice one of the runes looks vaguely out of place. Peering closer you see that the lines of the rune are actually the name 'Dethis' carved repeatedly with a much finer blade than the one used for the rest of the grisly work. Thinking back to how the corpse was arrayed before you turned it over, you distinctly remember both arms flopped over towards the northwest, towards the festering marshes.

- What would you like to do, Executioner? -

>>7533087

To make sure you've not missed anything you strip the corpse completely and scrutinize it with your goggles activated. The wound on the chest has been seemingly made from what could only be a blade of pure force, though the odd Dethis rune was made by a scalpel.

Upon the back of the corpse is a simple message, a fine illusion woven in to the shape of letters and words. All it says is 'Seek your death within the marsh'.

- What would you like to do, Executioner? -

hmmmm.... seems like an obvious trap. What do we know about the marshes? Do we know anything about evil city that would explain why they would do something like this to a person from Khelmar, like being at war or something?

Also can we have an inventory check?

>>7533135

A kinetic force mage, in a swamp, you say?

It would appear that the deployment toxins may be in order.

>>7533161

From what you remember, the marshes are a deadly area, full with horrific failed experiments from Ghestail that have managed to thrive in the dark evil environment. It's rumoured that a black dragon even dwells there, though in your adventuring days when you visited the marshes to combat certain threats you never came across any trace of a dragon.

Ghestail is never technically at war with anyone, since everyone else knows that the inherent losses from fighting them would make any conflict worthless. Instead certain borders are simply patrolled more forcefully to ensure that residents of that dark place never stray too far in to other territory.

Checking your belongings, you find your rack of bags of holding still intact - all 8 of them. Within them are contained all your items of worth, with a full three of them housing what can only be described as full armouries. The others contain sentimental effects and a few trinkets, and a couple are full collapsible rooms.

Currently you're wearing your main set of armour, though there is a fissue across the backplate from Kald's attacks before. You are helmetless at the moment, but have several spares, and currently wearing your goggles which ensure your sight is true. On one hand you're still wearing the ring of flight and around your neck is the necklace taken from Illandis, though you still don't quite know what it does. Anvilchild and Gorehelm, you best pair of swords, are scabbarded at your hips.

Thinking of the force used on the corpse, it seems likely that it's the work of Piern Lhor, one of the mages you're hunting, since the remaining ones have no doubt banded together.

- What would you like to do, Executioner? -

>>7533265

Recruit army of assassins.
Employ toxins.

I say head to evil town and try to get some information, or maybe an adventuring crew together to hunt the mages down. They've obviously teamed up and have a sizeable army at this point. Its also been pointed out that we cant really track. Maybe buying some slaves their freedom in exchange for some help? evil towns have slaves right?

>>7533298
>>7533333

You decide you head to the dark city purely on the basis that it's likely to have been left alone and that you can no doubt purchase help there. You sensibly keep your cart and belongings hidden a fair way from the city itself, though keep your most valuable bag-o-fax with you.

Walking in to the city when you eventually arrive, you see that the place definitely hasn't been attacked by Dethis or any of the other mages. There are plenty of people around, though none of them look that pleasant. It's not too long before you've visited the slave markets and made a few relatively cheap purchases. Looking at your new 'properly' you feel that you've probably picked the best of the slaves.

Taking them to one of the more quiet taverns, you buy them a drink and sit them all four of them down at a table. Nearly all of them seem surprised by your kindness, and they sup the drinks warily. Looking over them, you ask each one what they used to be and, as expected, the results are rewarding.

The human Y'Thuain used to be an assassin, enslaved as his previous target was in fact a higher member of his own sect. Grimmbled StoutMak is a fellow Dwarf, who was captured when he tried to fend off a raiding party on his own to let his family escape. They did, but he doesn't know whether they remain safe. Colchis doesn't drink the beer given to him and simply regards you impassively, his elvish features clear to see. When pressed, he explains that he was a ranger, though doesn't elaborate much further. The last slave is in fact a Kenku, and drinks the beer with a slight amount of difficulty. Not surprisingly, he was captured due to thievery.

(cont)

>>7533432

You explain the situation, and offer freedom in exchange for helping to track down and kill the mages. All of them agree, though clearly for different motives. In an act of trust you give them a small amount of gold each and tell them to get equipped. Within the hour you're relieved to note they've all returned fully armoured, armed and supplied, though the Kenku sheepishly confides that all his stuff was free.

- What would you like to do, Executioner? -

ask the kenku for the money back. Proceed into the swamp and leave you cart where it was. Hopefully the ranger can help us out here. Also who seems the most trust worthy? I wanna be dwarven bros, but i dont trust him cuz i want to like him.

>>7533451

Ask how much they like swamps, snakes, and sepsis.
Visit poison merchant.
Perhaps locate a guidebook/map/swampguide.

>>7533517

Let him keep the money. Good faith.
It'll make him happier in is last moments of being mage-murdered.

>>7533526

good point, let him keep the money. didn't know how jewy a dwarf our guy is

>>7533517
>>7533518
>>7533526
>>7533550

"How much do you guys like swamps, snakes and sepsis?" you ask your new group, to which they tend to just raise eyebrows.
"Not a lot guv." the Kenku says, pleased and friendly due to your acceptance that he can keep the money you gave him for supplies.
"Well," you say, "that's where we've going regardless. It's likely a trap, but we now have a ranger to help navigate, an assin to aid in killing the mages, a stalwart fighter to aid in our protection, and a thief to inconvenience the mages more than they expect." With each role you give a pointed look to the individual concerned, and they all calmly match your gaze with varying degrees of interest. You notice that Grimmbled is looking at you with a respectful amount of pity, noting the condition of your beard and filling in the gaps in what you've told them all himself.

A short shopping trip later and you have a wide variety of poisons which you give to Y'Thuain to use as he sees fit. You've also managed to get a quick patch job on your armour to fix the fissure as best as possible in the time concerned. During your time thus far with your new compatriots the dwarf seems the most trust worthy, if only because he's a dwarf. As of yet you've not really known them enough to tell, but at least they all came back and the kenku told you about the money.

Soon enough you've made your way to the swamp, and your companions, technically still your properly, look in with differing shades of apprehension. In the distance within the swamp it gets darker, though most of your group don't mind this. You hear the usual sounds of a swamp, mixed with the odd scream of terror in the distance.

- What would you like to do, Executioner? -

>>7533618

Ask the sexy elf what manner of creature made the scream.

>>7533656

Turning to Colchis, you ask what made the scream. Vaguely disinterested, he turns away as he quietly states, "Human child, likely female, aged four to five years. From the intonation, missing a lung." He casually walks up to a sickly tree growing from the marshy land and stips off a brance, coating the tips of his arrows in the sap.

The Kenku looks mildly disturbed at this pronouncement, and the human's eyes narrow in the direction of the scream. Grimmbled turns to the elf, a slightly accusing look in his eyes, and asks, "How in the hell can you tell so specifically the age of gender of a child screaming?"

Colchis looks at the other dwarf dispassionately for a few moments before turning to you. "Shall we go?" he asks, his voice a monotone drawl.

- What would you like to do, Executioner? -

>>7533618
Tracker on point, thief flanking, assassin also flanking, fighter with us. Triangle formation- short and sweet. Head on through, hunt out anything mage-ish, and end the motherless sons of whores who think they may ruin us.

yep. Keep going, weapons drawn and ready for a fight.

>>The Kenku looks mildly disturbed at this pronouncement, and the human's eyes narrow in the direction of the scream. Grimmbled turns to the elf, a slightly accusing look in his eyes, and asks, "How in the hell can you tell so specifically the age of gender of a child screaming?"

>>7533743
This again, but the first thing we do is go for that child- avenge her if that's the only option. Move quickly and move quietly.

>>7533743
>>7533752

You carefully advance in to the swampy terrain next to the other dwarf, the assassin and thief flanking you as the ranger moves ahead. Every now and then he gestures for you all to wait and navigates a particularly difficult area of terrain before bidding you all to follow. Now and then what appears to be a snake rears up from the thick waters, only to be beheaded quickly by one of your band.

As the minutes wear on in to hours, darkness begins to fall. With evening approaching and no real stable land to camp on the situation looks mildly bleak, until Colchis gestures another stop. Turning round to you, he simply states, "There are a sizable number of people in the distance, stretching across my field of vision. I assume they are the citizens of Khelmar."

- What would you like to do, Executioner? -

>>7533781
Psh. We're here to kill wizards.

>>7533781

Looking at the elf, you say, "Just one question before we go in. How were you able to tell so accurately the age and gender of the child screaming?"
With a shrug, Colchis replies, "I never hunted animals." He offers no further elaboration, though you can tell from his slightly dusky skin that he's probably not a full-blooded wood or high elf.

- What would you like to do, Executioner? -

I posted this after you'd left last time, OP. Given that we had a major portion of our beard burned off, at the first opportunity need to sing a dirge for our lost beard. Then replace it with chainmail strips embedded into our skin. Pic related.

>>7533843

Don't worry, I have in mind a good way to get this accomplished.

>>7533815

Ask if he can identify their principle activities and any nearby buildings.
Also ask if he notes any weapons or magical occurrences.
Ask if he can detect any patrols stretching away from the main mass.

probably an ensorcelled army. Does the ranger see anyway around? Any magic getting picked up through the goggles?

>>7533830
Good. Three of our four companions I'd trust to kill without qualm a diabolical mage of some kind from behind.

Can either the ranger or assassin locate the mages of the force?

Oi- and take a goggled gander at the forces. WATCH FOR TRAPS ON THE APPROACH TO THE ARMY.

make sure to tell our allies that the mage's blood is ours and our swords want to taste them first.

>>7533917

As long as they die, that is good enough.
Perhaps a nice painful poison will work its magic.

>>7533868
>>7533878
>>7533899
>>7533917

Looking at the force yourself, you see that the large crowd of people are indeed from Khelmar and most likely Hlallenheim also. They don't seem to be doing anything except stand there, and at the distance you are you can just about make out a small aura around each head that seems to be the enchantment dominating them all.

Checking with Colchis, there are evidently no patrols and you can't see any trace of magical traps en route. Asking the assassin and elf to be watchful for the mages, you and your group slowly and carefully make your way forwards. It takes another hour of careful movement to avoid the natural pitfalls, but soon you're very close to the people and still none of them have moved. They seem to be from all walks of city life, and of a wide array of ages. As per usual, the majority of them are indeed human.

- What would you like to do, Executioner? -

fly over them. They built a wall out of people, lets just avoid the wall.

>>7533990

My trap senses are tingling. And by tingling, I mean such a clamor and alarum as it would deafen all those within ten miles if it were outside my mind.

Send the assassin and the ranger closer- I can't trust the others not to be spotted. Tell them to scout as best as possible- and report back the mages. They HAVE to be here somewhere, they set a trap for us. Oh, and they're doubtless scrying abouts now, so keep an eye out. . .

>>7533990

Are we aware of methods to break such an enchantment?
Do we have an area-effect poison?
Can we detect a central water supply?

>>7534034
>>7534037
>>7534038

You personally know of no means to break an enchantment, and it's doubtful your companions do either. As such, you send the ranger and assasin forwards to scout out the group, and use your ring to fly slightly higher in order to see over the people. From what you can see it's a solid mass of thousands of people, all standing still and next to eachother. At the very center of this large formation appears, to you at least, an individual wrathed in barely contained power. Blocked as it was by the sheer number of people around him you were unable to spot it from the ground. The individual is robed and no doubt one of the mages, though you don't recognise him.

It's likely to take your allies an age to cut their way to him, even if the people don't attack back. The sheer density of people means you can't spot any water supply per se, barring the spongy ground and marshland, though it's doubtful the mages truly care if their charges die or not. If they did die it would probably be even easier for Dethis to control them.

The poisons you bought were powerful but, enchanted as they are and due to their numbers, it's unlikely to have that much of a dent in the overall mass. The mage himself appears to be looking directly upwards, though at the distance you are from him, slightly further out from the edge of the human mass as you are, you can't see the exact expression on his face.

- What would you like to do, Executioner? -

>>7534094

Drop a neurotoxin on him from high above.
Perhaps have the sexy elf plot the trajectory.
Or arrow him from above.
Or poison arrow him.
From above.
*twitch*

goggle the mage and look around for any others hiding in the mass of people. the force mage killed the guy that lead us here, but the necromancers name was on it.

can draw our best ranged weapon and put poison on it, just to be careful?

>>7534124

From your vantage point you note the assassin and ranger circling round the group of people, though it's likely to take a while. Unfortunately the assassin has the poisons and toxins, and the ranger can't fly. For Colchic to do you you realise you'd have to give him your ring of flight, whichs doesn't seem like a good idea at all.

- What would you like to do, Executioner? -

>>7534152

The other mages are likely hiding in the mass of people.
The force mage will probably deflect arrows.
Perhaps we could find a bird, or snake.
Train him to carry a poison bomb.
Or maybe we can just...
Summon the Dragon.

>>7534094

Call him out. Tell him to stop cowering behind a shield of men, and that true men fight those at their strength or above it one on one.

When the crowd clears, proceed to have the assassin and ranger and yourself simultaneously gank the motherfucker. Mention that you are, point in fact, no man, but a dwarf.

>>7534161
That's why we fly back down and get one of the poisons! Or carry the ranger.

>>7534174

If you were the mage, would you leave at that?
Warning: Answering 'yes' will cause Darwin to kill you.

>>7534172
lets try to avoid the dragon if at all possible. Its really a no win situation

>>7534172

Collect snakes. Put snakes in armor. Drop snakes from sky.

>>7534152
>>7534174
>>7534180

Looking through the mass of people carefully, you can't trace any more magic coming from them. Mildly troubled, you swing your rack of bags around and root through one of them, getting out a gleaming mechanical crossbow of beautiful manufacture. You carefully load an explosive bolt in to it, before swinging you packs back around to your back and beginning to take aim.

The moment you point your weapon towards the mage however, unsure of who it is, you see him shudder and his head snaps around to where you are, looking directly at you. Even though his face isn't clear, you can guess that he's at least grinning. You can just about make out his mouth moving, though the sound completely escapes you. Warily, you shout out a challenge to him to see how he responds.

"Face me you coward! Stop hiding behind such a force and face me one on one!" you yell, unsure if he can hear you or not.

"I accept" are the two words that rumble from all around you, and immediately every single enchanted person explodes in a welter of gore, completely catching the assassin and ranger by surprise and forming an absolutely huge lake of blood. Slowly but surely a gigantic individual, a myriad of horns sprouting from his necrotic flesh, rises the the lake of gore. Steam streams from his emaciated form, dank flesh dripping from his bones.

- What would you like to do, Executioner? -

>>7534223
this also seems like a bad idea.


Hey, can kenku fly, or do they just look like birds?

>>7534252

They unfortunately can't fly.

>>7534243

Request that Darwin engage his mighty scythe, rending the challenge-accepting mage to molecules.

>>7534243
Holy fuck! right on, man.

Ok, ok, ok. fire the bolt, fly up to the things head and start to hack away with the two swords. Also keep looking through the goggles for anything magically interesting (i.e. magic flowing out of one particular spot on his back, etc.

>>7534283
Darwin? something cool im not aware of?

>>7534324

Before the large summoned 'thing' can get in the way you quickly fire the explosive bolt. It explodes on contact with a satisfying explosion, but you can see through the smoke he's completely unaffected, and in fact there are two more individuals with him who weren't a moment ago. When the smoke is mfully gone you see one of the people next to him has a hand extended out towards you, and a glimmering shield of force is held in it. The other man you again don't recognise, but can guess as he grabs the two others. With a sharp crack they disappear, and you're certain the three of them were Haesten Gilt, Piern Lhor and Simons Westas, the evoker, force mage and teleporter respectively.

Your goggles clearly show the massive individual, over fourty feet tall, is almost entirely magical. Even so, he's very, very real. The physical stench radiating off of him is enough to make you gag and retch, but even so you fly through the air and charge him, holstering your crossbow and drawing your swords as you do.

His booming chuckle fills the air as the assassin launches a few darts in his direction. All it takes is one step of his massive strike and the assin is completely crushed, now a simple smear on the ground. You note with respect that the human didn't scream as he died, though he didn't really get a chance. You see the kenku running for his life, and don't really blame him for it. As you turn your attention to the summoned thing, you're slapped from the air by a massive palm. Your swords carve through the rotting flesh, but you're flung down and crash in to the ground with a thunderous impact.

As you groggily pull yourself to your feet, you notice your armour is starting to discolour to a dark reddish brown.

- What would you like to do, Executioner? -

fuckfuckfuck

wheres the other dwarf? Time for some giant-hunting tactics!

also, goggles to make sure that the mages teleported far away and not just behind us.

>>7534444

Glancing around, you see the other dwarf not too far away. As you go to yell out to him, a giant foot comes crashing down, utterly obliterating him. Cursing, you quickly look around to take stock of the local area. A reasonable distance away you can see the ranger concealed in some scrub, and you realise you only noticed him because of the goggles - he's well hidden. The kenku is in the distance and still running, though a couple of steps would be all that's needed to flatten him too.

Slowly the giant rotates round to you, his perpetual grin dripping with not only flesh, but cruel mirth. You see your armour slowly fall away in clumps of rust, prone to such a powerful force even in spite of all the enchantments upon it. Thankfully you note your swords are utterly unaffected, though caked in old gore from the thing's hand.

- What would you like to do, Executioner? -

dammit... ok lets try to keep our distance with the ring. Hopefully the force mage is the one that stopped the bolt the first time. I vote for raining down exploding fire

>>7534544

I agree, try and fly above his reach and fire a couple of bolts at the face.

>>7534504
Did you just say ALL of our armor was destroyed?

DWARVEN RAGE

UNLEASH THE MOTHERFUCKING FURY

>>7534583

I think its only the good stuff. We should still have some other stuff. Still though, UNLEASH THE MOTHERFUCKING FURY!

>>7534544

Activating the ring of flight, you quickly get some distance between you and the undead monster. Sheathing your swords, you note that you're distinctly quicker moving through the air without your armour. To your relief your crossbow is still intact, and so you quickly draw it and load an explosive bolt.

The giant seems to take great glee in taking a longer step to kill the Kenku, his attention momentarily shifted from you. As such you aim the bolt carefully before firing. To your satisfaction you manage to land the shot in one of its eyes, and a large chunk of his head is blown clear away. With a deep roar of anger it swings towards you and lashes out, narrowly mising you with its dead hands.

Flying ever higher, you pepper the creature with explosive bolts, gradually blowing the thing to pieces over the course of several minutes. After you've completely annihilated it's head it begins to seep back in to the blood and down in to, presumably, the realm where it came. Even so you wreck as much of it as you can before it's gone.

When it's finally over, the elf Colchis calmly steps from cover, surprisingly clean compared to when he was first covered in gore.

- What would you like to do, Executioner? -

These mages took our beard... now they've taken our armor.

But you know what? I don't see the need to fight this giant fucker. We can fly around him. He doesn't appear to be using one of the mages as a host, and while a danger to the land we have our vengeance to pursue.

Ascertain that the elf is still on our side. Use the goggles as needed. Ask why he's clean.

Check our armory for other armor options.

alright, hunt for clues. This was clearly a trap, but theirs got to be a way to find where their staying. What does the elf say? Is the kenku still around?

What the hell was that thing? Rack our brains for some idea, maybe we've heard a tale about it at some point.

>>7534649
>>7534660
>>7534674

Peering closely at the elf, you note no traces of magic on him. As you land nearby, you ask, "Why are you so clean? I saw you covered in gore."
With a completely emotionless expession he opens his mouth. You can see his tongue is covered in gore as well. Upon looking closer, all the areas that are cleaner he can reach with his mouth.

Mildly concerned, you make sure you're completely dusted off before retrieving and donning another suit of armour. It's not quite as enchanted as the last set, but it's still durable and allows reasonable movement. You know you still have a set of stone armour, but that's prone to turning you in to a nigh-immovable block of sheer dwarfishness. Useful defence, but not if you need to track people down.

You biefly lamet the deaths of the human assassin, your fellow dwarf and the Kenku, and note with some regret that you never bothered to ask the Kenku his name. Turning to the rapidly congealing lake of gore, you try to ascertain just exactly what the undead giant was. From the lingering smell of sulphur, now that the decaying scent is gone, it's likely that it was a devil of some kind, though you've not seen any that willingly choose to appear that way.

Turning back to the elf, who has remained still as you don your armour, you ask as to where he thinks the mages may have gone. ith a shrug, he gestures towards the dark city not too far away.
"That's probably a reasonable starting place. It's a secretive place."

- What would you like to do, Executioner? -

>>7534723
>>You can see his tongue is covered in gore as well. Upon looking closer, all the areas that are cleaner he can reach with his mouth.
>>Mildly concerned
>>Mildly

I run enough horror games that I'm immune to most creepy things simply by virtue of having used them myself, but that right there is disturbing me more than I care to admit.

back to evil city it seems. should we free the elf or keep him around. Im also in favor of killing him, but only if others think its a good idea. Hes a creepy mother fucker. Is this the way all elves act? more fey-ish? Either way i'm digging it.

Next step. Back to the city and find some place to stay.

Now that is my kinda elf!

We should inspect the gore pile. They have already risen the fire mage as a golem, a powerful foe. It wouldn't be too suprising if they did the same for the necromancer. It would take forever, but we have our goggles. Look for any magical auras in the goop.

The evoker, teleporter, and force mage did that sort of summoning/binding? Something weird is going on. And not just because it was an undead devil.

>>7534770
>>Weirded out by the unflappability
What part of DWARF don't you understand?

>>7534796
good point. lets inspect first.

>>7534786
>>7534796

Before you leave you inspect the gore lake with your goggles. From what you can tell there's just a residual trace of summoning magic, probably from the evoker and maybe from Dethis. From what you can see Dethis was never here, just his magic. It was probably a bound spell, but even so it seems concerning that the mages are starting to work together with more success in their magic.

Making sure you keep an eye on the elf, just in case, you make your way back to Ghestail. On reflection, the elf is a tad darker than the elves you've met with before, though his emotionless demeanour when conversing with you seems about right. As you enter the city, the elf merely states, "The Tavern. Go to it."

Shrugging, you go to enter a tavern before the elf stops you with his clean fingertips barely touching your shoulder. "You misunderstand. It is called The Tavern." he says in a quiet, almost respectful voice. Altering your route, you follow his nodded directions till you face what appears to be a relatively normal looking tavern. Sure enough it has a plain sign, and actually looks a hell of a lot less evil than the surrounding buildings. Your goggles show no magic going on inside, and you can actually smell nice food inside. Colchis deftly walks past you and inside.

- What would you like to do, Executioner? -

>>7534857
Right click, follow.

Be on our guard.

>>7534879
seconded

>>7534879

Warily you follow Colchis in to The Tavern and look around. It all appears to be incredibly normal - even disappointingly so. Colchis takes a seat at a table and peruses a menu, before raising a hand. As you join him, he calmly states to the waitress who walks over that he would like the lamb meal with some mead, and a damp towel. The waitness doesn't seem disturbed at all by his bloodsoaked appearance, nods and turns to you enquiringly. The menu in front of you appears to be a normal menu, with reasonable food upon it.

- What would you like to do, Executioner? -

Once we get inside, have a nice meal, a good pint, ask about enchanters in the city. See if there is one who has spell resisting bracers. I am sure we have enough gold to choke a dragon with, and such a purchase would only dent our savings.

>>7534915

You follow Colchis' example and order lamb, as well as the best mead they have. A mere fifteen minutes later and both meals are served to you, as is the mead, and it's simply excellent. Naturally the mead isn't Dwarven standard, but it's a damn sight better than you're used to getting.

Colchis looks up at you and answers your unasked question. "From your appearance I assumed you would appreciate a normal tavern. Do enjoy the lamb, it's very good." he says, before politely finishing off his meal, remarkably delicately. When the towel arrives he cleans the rest of his face, and removes as much viscera as he can from his hair.

When you're both done, you exit the tavern and you ask around about enchanters. It's not long before you locate one of the more impressively expensive ones, and enquire about bracers that will aid in resisting magic. The old man running the shop dutifully produces an exquisite pair, before mounfully explaining just how expensive they are. Even so it's a pittance for you and you pay the man, much to his amazement.

As you put the bracers on you see through your goggles a thin layer of magic envelop you, almost like a second skin. It appears to be transmutation magic, though you feel and can see no adverse effect. When you enquire about this, the man explains that it works by constantly changing your focus, so a spell can't really be directed at you. He assures you it's safe.

Before you leave, you have a private conversation with the man, who, after hearing, nods understandingly. He hobbles off in to the back of his shop and you can briefly see flashes of a large amount of magic being used through the doorway, before he comes back holding something. Wordlessly and with a smile he hands it to you, free of charge.

(cont)

>>7535008

As you leave, you look at his gift and grin, placing it to your face. Almost immediately it attaches, and you withdraw your hand to reveal a gleaming gromril chainmail beard of incredible worksmanship, adhered to the very bone of your jaw, painlessly and seamlessly entering your flesh.

- What would you like to do, Executioner? -

see if this guy can help us with the necklace we got.

>>7535021
Painlessly is hardly badass. But the fact that it's attached to the bone is pretty sweet. And it's good to not be beardless anymore.

>>7535021

WE NEED A NEW HELMET. LIKE THE OLD ONE.

I don't play DnD- but is there any item that can stop teleportation magic? Could we get that grafted into our armor? Also, we need an enchantment for our chainbeard. What'll it be, boys?

What if we made a "second us" going around to throw the mages off? We've been too passive in our pursuit, and let them keep the initiative--and look where it's gotten us. We need to get them reeling, and move in for the kill while they're shocked and awed, instead of giving them the time and means to generate new ways to kill us.

>>7535021

What the heck is gomril?

>>7535039
>>7535123
>>7535151

Before you walk off, you remember about Illandis' necklace, and enter the shop again. The old man looks confused till you explain and hand over the necklace, at which point he nods and appraises it carefully for you. With a confused look on his face he hands it back.

"It seems to be a necklace of teleportation, though it has one, maybe two charges and I can't tell where it goes. I'm fairly sure it's geared to a specific place." he says, his words mildly unsure. Nodding your thanks, you quickly ask about a helmet you can wear with your goggles, and emerge from the shop wearing a suitable helm. Colchis doesn't seem to have moved from outside, though you notice he still has the towel with him and it's a lot cleaner than it was, as is he.

- What would you like to do, Executioner? -

>>7535174

Gromril is a metal sometimes used in fantasy. Elves work with mithril which is leight and strong, dwarves work with gromril, which is heavier and stronger.

>>7535166
How about having it engulf in sacred fire, burning all who touch it save our own self, and especially harming demons and undead.

I'm sure some church or another would be willing.

Check our hoard for one of those statues that turns into an animal when you throw it to the ground. With any luck, we'll have one of the elephant variety. There are all sorts of ways you can use a magical elephant.

can we use two charges to bring the elf with us?

We need an axe. An axe that can project an anti magic field when we so wish it.

Let's gear up.

>>7535166
>>7535206
>>7535240
>>7535246

Walking around, you quickly locate another of the more unusual enchanters, and enquire about anything that would help you to stop teleportation. The female mage simply laughs in your face, before explaining that such a magic would be highly unreliable as a true teleporter would start manipulating everything around it. She's fairly patronizing about the whole thing.

Annoyed, you enquire about making your chain beard burn with holy fire that harms everything but yourself, especially daemons and undead. At this she appears thoughtful, and recommends one of the holy orders, though points out that in this city none reside, since it's a fairly evil city.

As you leave, you rummage around in your pack and confirm to yourself that you have a whole host of different animal stones, so there's no worry there. After a bit of thought about the necklace you're fairly sure you could bring the elf with you when you use it, though you're obviously not sure where you'll end up.

- What would you like to do, Executioner? -

We're pretty well geared up as it is. I say we get going before the mages have more time to find ways to fuck with us.

>>7535291
Pull out one of an elephant, or at least a rhino. Make sure the elf is set, and let's follow this lead up while it's still hot.

>>The female mage simply laughs in your face
>>She's fairly patronizing about the whole thing.

When we're done with the uppity mages we've already marked as our targets, she's next.

bring out a couple of big fucking animals, bears, rhinos, whatever. que the elf in on the plan, port in, and fuck some shit up.

>>7535314
Er, just to have easily accessible, that is.

>>7535336
>>7535341
er... yeah. The figurines, not the actual animals. Using up a few would be nice since its more chaos.

>>lots

Taking out several of the bigger animals, such as bears, rhinos, elephants and, just for kicks, a dragon figure, you tell the elf Colchis to come over. Taking hold of his sleeve, you place a hand on the necklace you're wearing and concentrate, thinking the keyword the old man who appraised it told you would activate it.

You feel a slight wrench and slam back in to existance with a violent jolt. Your eyes snap open to take in the surroundings and you find yourself in a beautiful meadow. As it's daytime here and it was night in the city, you can only assume you either travelled very far, or went to another plane. Looking at Colchis, you see an uncharacteristic glow emanating from his skin as he look around.

- What would you like to do, Executioner? -

>>7535377
More of a distraction for us, though.

>>7535396
Use goggles, look at skin. Ours too.

>>7535396

What the flying fuck?

"S'cuse me, your skin is glowing. Why is that?"

>>7535407
>>7535421

Looking at your own skin, you see it's completely normal. The goggles show nothing overtly magical with Colchis' skin, though you can vaguely detect a hint of it flowing through his blood. "S'cuse me," you ask, "your skin is glowing. Why is that?"

Colchis turns to look at you and, though his eyes are lifeless, a predatory smile slowly emerges across his face, revealing that all of his teeth actually appear to be canines, or fangs. "I'm home.... welcome to the Feywild."

- What would you like to do, Executioner? -

drop into a defensive stance. Wait to see what the elfs gonna do

>>7535466
This could be very good for us, or very bad. Tread lightly. Remember that he is still bound to our agreement, but let's not press it unless we have to. Much as I'd like to free him since he's home I don't think that'd be wise right now.

Also, very cool, sir.

>>7535500
Voting against this, let's not act like we're expecting a fight. Mentally prep for it at the most, else we could instigate something.

Then we are his guest.

What do we know about the Feywild?

. . . Well fuck.

Don't. Move. For the love of all that's dwarfy, don't react, and don't show fear. Do your dorfen best not to FEEL fear.

"Sense any of the mages?" Gruff, nonchalant tone you usually use.

>>7535500
>>7535503
>>7535510

You warily regard Colchis, before deciding that going in to a defensive stance, whilst practical, wouldn't be all that prudent. Especially as your goggles are helping you notice the gathering creatures at the edge of a nearby forest. You can't see through the trees, but the suggestion that they're more elves and a few others is quite realistic.

Colchis himself turns from you however, and the predatory smile fades away in to his usual impassive expression. "I haven't been here in so long.." he murmurs. "I had no way back... I'm finally home." He sighs, before slowly taking a seat in the meadow and taking a deep breath. You see the colour around him dim slightly before strengthening again and, as the colours dimmed, Colchis himself develops a stronger glow. You can actually see the essence of the ground flowing up in to him now, and from what you know of the Feywild, he's getting very strong, very quickly.

- What would you like to do, Executioner? -

>>7535552
>>7535562

Racking your brains, you recall that in the Feywild, the Fey are effectively gods. They draw their power directly from the realm and, as such, can never die unless the realm itself ceases to exist. Elves technically aren't fey themselves, but from Colchis' dusky skin tone and your guess earlier that he wasn't a full elf, it seems that in fact he is part fey.

"Sense any of the mages?" you ask as calmly as you can, warily looking around you constantly for any hint of hostility.
Colchis doesn't bother to open his eyes as he responds. "No. They would not survive here. We would eat them."

- What would you like to do, Executioner? -

"deals still on. You're free to go when the mages are dead. Right now we got work to do. Why would the mages need access to the feywild? where could they be?"

>>7535573
"Glad to help."/"You're welcome."

Also, this sounds pretty good: >>7535562

I have a feeling our good elf comrade was exiled from this land for some great evil, and now is gathering power to begin slaughtering. We wait, and watch.

>>7535631

Minor point - the necklace is from Illandis, the Court mage who was an ally to attack the mages. It doesn't belong to any of the mages you're hunting and as such none of those mages actually had access to the Feywild.

>>7535573

"I need help destroying those mages still. If you can help me kill off the rest, you can take the teleport mage for yourself and force him to teleport you back here before you kill him in inventive ways. Or I could hand you this necklace, and you can come back when they're all dead."

"In exchange for the favor of bringing you home, I'd appreciate one from you before we part ways. Safe passage to a place in the Feywild that will bring me to the mage's headquarters, that I may bring my attack directly to them."

"Any chance you can take some of the power in here and use it to help you destroy the mages? Anyone here you could ask to help you end them?"

>>7535691
You're thinking too small. Imagine harnessing the Feywild against the mages. Cheat codes to the universe mean jack shit when you start changing the code to the universe itself.

>>lots

"I'm glad you help you return home then." you politely say, noticing the movement in the forest is increasing with every passing moment.
"Oh, how I missed being home..." Colchis whispers, his passive face giving nothing else away.
"I need help destroying those mages still. If you can help me kill off the rest, you can take the teleport mage for yourself and force him to teleport you back here before you kill him in inventive ways. Or I could hand you this necklace, and you can come back when they're all dead." you say, a hand resting against the necklace itself.

Turning towards you, you see that Colchis' eyes are a deep crimson, as if they've been flooded with blood. "You have nothing else to give me." he simply states, before he bursts in to motion. With a savage flick of his hands, several creatures in the forest are ripped apart, their screams of pain bringing the ghost of a smile to Colchis' face. Immediately they begin to heal, and he continues to race towards the forest, ripping creatures and plants apart with what appears to be a pair of bloody wines emerging from his fingers.

Within moments Colchis has disappeared, cutting a swathe of bloody destruction through the forest away from you.

- What would you like to do, Executioner? -

>>7535720

Well shit Geck, what happened to fey having to obey oaths? Sonofabitch. . . Being stuck in the feywild is not a good idea. Solution: follow that elf! The least amount of things going to kill us is directly BEHIND him, right where it's cut a swathe of bloody destruction.

I think our wording wasn't the best. Ah well. I don't know what else to do but follow him at this point. Staying here alone seems like a good way to get eaten.

>>7535720

Well shit, there goes our pet elf.

What are the chances of getting his help again? Should we just cut our loses and get the fuck out of dodge?

>>7535751
I think our oath wasn't exactly the completely binding sort. He was our legal slave there and he stuck around when we could apply the laws of the nation, but now he doesn't need us to release him. Also the power might be going to his head (ha, ha).

Fixed for accuracy on account of me needing sleep.

>>7535751
>>7535759
>>7535761
>>7535797

You regret elves being treacherous individuals who don't know how to hold a good oath, and doubly regret that even though Fey are meant to always uphold them, Colchis wasn't fully Fey. From his demeanour you could probably get his help again and, considering he was most likely banished before, he seems your best bet of actually leaving this realm.

You hurriedly run after him, noting that none of the beings he's attacked have died, and that they're simply, though painfully, healing themselves by drawing essence from the ground. It's not long before you've caught up enough to spot him again, this time deep in the woods. You're unsure of the safety of your surroundings, but from what you can tell anything threatening is being attacked by Colchis with relish.

---------------------------

I'll have to end it there I'm afraid, since I need to leave for work. I'll be back in the evening to start Mage Hunt Quest 3: Mage Hunt with a vengeance in about 12 hours. maybe earlier if I'm lucky. It'd also be nice to see if this is archive-worthy.

Cheers all, I hope you enjoyed taking part.

>>7535868
>>It'd also be nice to see if this is archive-worthy.

Yeah, and I'll take care of it. I had fun, as usual it's nice to read a quest with real prose coming from the GM instead of mere sentence-long responses. I am again surprised by the low amount of players.

>>7535922

Cheers, it's good to know people enjoy it. I generally get confused by sentence long responses as it doesn't seem immersive but hey, it's popular. Charmander quest steams along.

>>7535945
Quests with a gimmick like that often do.

>>Charmander quest steams along.
>>Charmander
>>steams

A punner, I see.

Quick thought - as mentioned earlier, channeling the power of the Feywild seems a good powerful plan, but how could it be done whilst not getting killed? Wouldn't we need some kind of link?

If we could get that, the whole 'endless' power thing is likely to really screw with the mages.