Xorian Wars: Alliance and Rebellion

[Anxe]

Alliance Session #60/Total Session #76

Danar and Eathirilu were pulled into Tartarus with Davonisi, the shapeshifter. Eathirilu had been eaten by Davonisi and Danar was on his last leg fighting against her. Hektor, Amalius, Zelus, and Tagenadi had gathered together above Myrina on Lemnos to follow their companions into hell.
Zelus concentrated and in a flash the four of them were in Tartarus, a realm normally forbidden to mortal travelers, but accessible due to Zelus’s divine status. Unfortunately, the plane shift magic that Zelus had used merely got them to the correct plane, not the correct location.
Amalius said, “Danar and Davonisi were mind blanked. I sensed it during the fight. But Eathirilu wasn’t. Zelus, can you scry him?”
Zelus waved his hand in front of his chest. The air rippled in front of him, then grew still. “No. The magic failed completely. He is dead or beyond my reach.”
“I’ll have to try something a little different then.” Amalius pumped magic into his fourth dimensional self speeding up to five times faster than the normal flow of time. He dipped his mind into the fabric of the universe, risking his very soul to learn things he could never know. His goal, the location of Danar. A minute for him, but only a few seconds for the others, he had the answer.
“I’ve got it. Gather around. Teleport on three, two, one…”

Amalius, Zelus, Hektor, Hektor’s summoned creatures, and Tagenadi appeared a few dozen feet away from Danar and Davonisi. Seeing that Danar was injured, Tagenadi shouted, “Stop!” at Davonisi as he charged her. Zelus flew in and healed most of Danar’s wounds.
“Where’s Eathirilu?” Tagenadi asked Danar.
“Inside her!”
Hektor shot a disintegration ray at Davonisi. Her enormous body resisted the destructive magic. Davonisi tried to swallow Danar, but Tagenadi’s defensive position prevented her. Amalius followed Hektor’s lead and shot Davonisi with a disintegrate. She resisted it once again, only losing a few pieces of skin that smoked as they turned to ash.
“Give him back! Give back Eathirilu!” shouted Danar. He swung his bardiche, cutting down the mouth of Davonisi’s worm form in an attempt to reach Eathirilu. Davonisi screeched and began to change forms again. She regurgitated Eathirilu’s half digested corpse as her own body twisted and shrunk. As she changed her form became more and more transparent until she seemed to shrink into nothing. Those who still had their true seeing spells up saw Davonisi in her true form, a one and a half foot tall pixie. Her eyes glowed a molten red and her skin was covered in green scales.
Davonisi opened her mouth to cast a spell. Her teeth were as sharp as a wolf’s. Dark energy flowed from her words into her left hand. She pointed a finger at Danar and the blackness shot forward. A black mist surrounded his body then poured into Danar’s own mouth. The negative energy thrummed within him and overcame him. Danar fell to the ground, dead.
Amalius said, “Don’t worry! I’ll fix it!” He bent over Eathirlu’s body and sent him back in time. The acid sores on Eathirilu grew smaller and vanished. Then he was coughing and spitting up blood. Eathirilu lived once more! Zelus sent positive energy flowing into Eathirilu, healing more of the wounds inflicted by Davonisi’s spell reaving.
Davonisi attempted to flee, but she was out of options. Tagenadi hunted her down with Hektor directing him where to strike her invisible form. Amalius turned the clock back on Danar, bringing him back to life as well. Eathirilu’s trained ears picked up on Davonisi’s location. He wild shaped into a T-Rex and rushed her. His teeth clamped down, trapping her in his jaws. Davonisi struggled to escape, but she was well and truly stuck.
Tagenadi and Eathirilu cut into her, opening more and more wounds. Davonisi cast a spell and teleported a short distance away. She made to run, but Amalius flew directly in her face. His mind focuses and unleashed freezing energy on the dark druid. Frost covered Davonisi and she fell silent. For a moment she was frozen solid and then she melted. Her clothes fell to the ground, moist and empty. Her belt buckle, bracers, and rings clanged against the rocks, echoing through the realms of Tartarus.

The party did not have long to recover their thoughts and strength before the smokey sky/cavern roof darkened. The distant grey smoke above their heads turned black. Purple sparks moved through the air. A swift black cloud detached from the roof and rocketed to the earth. The smoke dissipated and Hades, God of the Underworld, emerged. He stood fifteen feet tall with a dark complexion, dark eyes, and dark hair. His silver armor featured skull decorations including some eerily realistic skull pauldrons. At his hip rested a large sword that seemed simple at a glance, but whenever you weren’t looking at it a sense of dread filled your mind.

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“Welcome back Tagenadi. I see you have brought your companions. And just in time for lunch too. Won’t you join me?”
Knowing better than to refuse a god, the group followed him into a smokey cloud that he conjured. They appeared at Hades’s Silver Palace in Erebos. Dead servants brought dishes of pork, duck, and steamed vegetables with garlic and butter. Bowls of pomegranates were available all along the table. Tagenadi dug into the food. Surface world food all tasted like maggoty wood to his undead senses. This was food for the dead and did not taste like maggoty wood. Zelus ate as well. The others, familiar with the myth of Persephone, ate nothing.
Conversation during the meal (which I have unfortunately forgotten the specifics of in the time from when the session occurred and when I am writing this) focused on who Davonisi was and why she was in Tartarus. The party dodged the questions, attempting to keep the Druid’s Prophecy and their purpose in Lemnos hidden. They feared that Hades might be planning to use the Prophecy for himself instead of on Zeus. Hades confronted the flaws in their story by producing the captured soul of Davonisi. Her shriveled form screamed within a lantern cage when Hades brought it out. Her skin perpetually burned and sloughed off her body, only to be replaced once more. The smell of burning flesh was sickening.
Tagenadi answered what questions he could about the Druid’s Prophecy and Amalius filled in the blanks, truthfully. Hades was particularly interested in the Condors’ portion of the Prophecy.

Find a voice both strong and pure
Better than the gods to be sure
Sing the song both well and true
When the potion's foam turns blue

“A voice better than the gods?” said Hades. “Why that can only be Orpheus, my personal singer. ORPHEUS!”
A silver door opened near the back of the banquet hall. The famous singer’s shade emerged with his lyre and a stool. He set the stool down beside Hades’s throne. He seated himself, ensured that his lyre was tuned, and began to sing.
Song 1, Song 2

Amalius listened closely to the song. His trained mind memorized every line, every note that Orpheus sang, and every strum on the lyre. If Hades was resistant to give them the genuine article then perhaps Amalius could recreate it.
Once Orpheus was done Hades said, “You find the other pieces of the Prophecy and return here. Orpheus will be ready to sing into the cauldron.”
Tagenadi said, “Then it’s all settled. We should get back to the surface world.”
“Not just yet. I need the Lots. I can sense that you have them.”
“Zelus has them,” said Tagenadi. “We’ve got them, don’t worry.”
“You will give them to me before you leave.”
Zelus said, “They’re mine, Hades. You cannot take them from me and you cannot prevent me from leaving. I have eaten your food. I am protected by guest rite.”
“The same cannot be said for your companions. How would you like it if they ended up like Davonisi?”
“If you attack them you will never get the Lots.”
“So let us bargain,” Hades said in a velvety tone.
Hektor said, “We can give you gold, magic weapons.”
“I have gold. I am the God of Gold! What use do I have for more of it?”
“Magic then-”
Zelus cut Hektor off, “We should not be giving him weapons. If Hades wants the Lots so badly then let him offer us something.”
“You think I would grant boons to such as these?! When I have them in my power?”
“Yeah. We deserve it. We've done alot to fight the Dragovinians who cheat death,” said Amalius “If you really look at it were the ones helping you out.”
“You think you have done so much?! FOR ME? THEN YOU CAN FIND YOUR OWN WAY OUT OF THE UNDERWORLD!” Hades disappeared in a flash and the palace dissolved around the party. Soon they were standing in the desolate wasteland of the lands of the dead.
The party discussed how to win Hades to their cause, but still get something out of him. Soon they called out his name, asking him to return.
Hades reappeared, “Yes?”
Zelus said, “The Lots are valuable to you. We will not give them to you without an equal exchange. Something we can use against the Dragovinians. Surely you can see that we would both benefit from such a deal?”
“The Dragovinians that you claim to have so easily bested before? No, you need no help against them,” Hades spat. “Perhaps something else though for another enemy. You spoke of needing to take the Pitchfork of Doom from the Dahak monster. The Dahak has a spark of the divine in him. He would be too strong for you, unless I gave you a weapon… The Spear of Iapetus. It could pierce through his divine armor, opening him up to your inconsequential mortal weapons.”
The party talked it over and agreed this was a good deal. They might even be able to use the Spear against Blendegad. While in the final parts of their discussion Amalius asked Zelus, “Could I see the Lots for a second?”
“Why?” asked Zelus.
“Just for a second.”
“Fine, here.” Zelus dug the Lots out of a pocket in his clothes and dropped them in Amalius’s outstretched hand.
And Amalius teleported away.
“No. No No NO!” shouted Zelus. “Traitor! Bring them back!”
Fuming, Zelus could do nothing. Amalius was mind blanked and thus undetectable.
Amalius spoke to Hades separately and made his own deal for the Lots. Soon they returned. Hades held the etched bones in his dark hand. “I have taken the Lots. In exchange you will be returned to the world above along with all the Second Alliance soldiers and Lakatians killed by the Xorians. In addition all Second Alliance leaders will be returned to life if they so wish, including Amalganus Halkias, son of Amalgami. I will also take the soul of Kruk-Ma-Kali.” Hades’s arm snapped forward with lightning speed to claim the black sword in Hektor's portable hole. Kruk’s screams could be heard for a moment before Hades crushed the sword in his hand, turning it to smoke.
Hades turned to look down at Amalius beside him, “And you. Remember your promise to me, for I will hold you to it, one way or another.”
Hades began to turn to smoke. He and all the land of the dead blurred and swam out of focus. Was Hades turning to smoke or were they?

The group materialized in the real world on the plains southeast of Jipangu. Hektor, Amalius, Zelus, Tagenadi, Eathirilu, and Danar looked around confused. More people came into being beside them. Mostly unknown faces, but Astyanax, Junai, and more of the recently deceased Alliance leaders were there. More and more soldiers arrived with smoke on their heels. Some from Bradel Fields, some from Jord, some from Phoenix, Shalerton, and Restnor’s Point. Humans, Elves, Dwarves, Halflings, and even Goblins from Astyanax’s slave army. All arrived in simple white tunics with puzzled expressions on their faces.
Amalius took off from the rest of the heroes into the growing sea of people. He scanned the crowd with his eyes, ears, and mind for the slightest trace of his father. Nothing. Hades had said that any who wished to return would come to the plains by Jipangu. Had his father really chosen to stay in the Underworld?
“Amalius! Amalius!” Amalius’s ears pricked up at the sound of a familiar voice calling his name! He turned, but it was not his father.
Amalius’s dead squire, Endi, ran towards him and grabbed him in a hug. “Master! It's so good to see you again. Did you do this?” (Endi was killed by Devanane in Alliance Session #13/Total Session #21)
Amalius sighed then said in an enthusiastic voice, “Yes! Yes I did! It's good to see you again. Endi, we must spread the word. Tell everyone that the Alliance is reborn! With a new symbol. An infinity symbol for the Alliance everlasting.”
“An excellent idea, master.”
“Here, use this.” Amalius took a scrap of fabric from his portable hole and worked some magic on it. The scrap turned into a banner bearing the new symbol he'd described.
“Of course master. I will let everyone know!” Endi hoisted the banner and moved off into the crowd shouting, “We are risen thanks to the efforts of my master, Amalius! We are risen thanks to Amalius Halkias!” Amalius added his mental voice to the shouts and beaming a more complete explanation of events to those that needed one.

Meanwhile, Zelus grumbled, “I can't believe he would do something like this. After all the times I've helped him. Healing his wounds, keeping his very soul in his body. Not to mention that it is I that stokes the fire in his heart to act on his mortal desires. This is my thanks? Theft and betrayal?”
“It's not as bad as all that,” said Danar. “I'm sure Amalius meant well. And he did get us an army or two back. There must be close to ten thousand people here.” It was true. Even more were pouring out of the city onto the field to welcome lost friends and family members.
“Mean well? He stole from ME! God of Zeal itself! And for what? To revive this inconsequential rabble? They are nothing compared to the power of the Spear of Iapetus. You have never seen the Piercer’s Spear, Danar. You do not know it's power. You do not know what we have lost; what Amalius has taken from us.”
“Rabble? These are soldiers, every one of them. This is a great opportunity to reshape the Alliance.”
“The Alliance? I've never cared for the Alliance. They don't have the courage to make the necessary choices to win this war. That's why I joined you Exiles, instead of them. And doesn't it bother you, all of you, that Amalius took the Lots and went against a decision we all made together. He's done this before and he could do it again.”
The group talked more on the topic. Hektor convinced Zelus to speak with Amalius. Danar and Eathirilu went to find Amalius (easy enough when he was sending out a psychic signal). They told Amalius how angry he'd made Zelus. The tension was strong enough that Zelus might never work with Amalius again if he didn't apologize and work make amends. Amalius agreed that unity was important and that he should speak with Zelus.
The two met. Zelus said, “Well?”
Amalius said, “I saved thousands when you would’ve let them perish. I won’t apologize for it and you should be thanking me for what I did for our cause.”
“Amalius…” warned Eathirilu.
“Seriously? Do you have any idea how much I’ve improved our position? We can start working with the Alliance again instea-”
“AFTER EVERYTHING I’VE DONE FOR YOU? THIS IS HOW YOU THANK ME?” Power crackled in Zelus’s hand and he seemed ready to lunge at Amalius. Eathirilu and Tagenadi quickly separated the god and the psion.
The group talked it over again. Zelus made it clear that he would not work with Amalius if he didn’t apologize and work to make amends. Tagenadi begged Amalius to swallow his pride and say whatever was needed to work with Zelus. Amalius refused making it clear that no such statement would be forthcoming.
Hektor called for a vote to decide which of the two the group would remain with. Tagenadi and Eathirilu abstained, wanting the group to stay unified and unable to choose one side over another. Zelus obviously voted for himself. Hektor sided with Zelus as he felt that Amalius too often acted independently instead of following explicit group decisions. Danar wished for unity as well, but after Amalius made no effort to mend the rift with Zelus… Danar voted for Zelus staying in the group. With no votes in his favor, Amalius accepted the group decision. He distributed the group wealth that he had kept in his portable hole and left to speak with the resurrected Alliance Council members.
The Alliance Council instantly agreed to readmit Amalius into the Alliance. Arendil frowned at the thought but agreed with the others. Notably absent from the group of revived members was Gradorian. Speaking with Junai revealed that her partner had never come to the Underworld! He was still alive! A quick scrying revealed that Gradorian was hiking east from Bradel Fields towards Jipangu while carrying a treasure chest filled with the majority of the Alliance’s wealth. Gradorian was teleported back to Jipangu and welcomed Amalius back into the fold along with the others.
Secure in the knowledge that he was back in the Alliance, Amalius teleported to Lakatia to bring his family back to their noble home with the walls of Jipangu. There he found his family crying tears of joy. Amalganus, Amalius’s father, had returned to them. Amalius joined his tears to theirs and embraced his father.

The session ended there. Amalius will be leaving the world of PCs to become a semi-NPC. Throgg will still be controlling Amalius’s actions but he’s going to leave the spotlight that shines on the rest of the group. Throgg will be bringing a new PC to the party in the next session.