and More...

Name: Gorath

Gorath is an Uthuk. And a merciless one at that.

He started his life on the planet Mangonarr in the Outlands. The Dragon Empire had not colonized his planet and life was rather primitive. He lived in a tribe 200 members strong. He grew learning up Hunting and Farming, but his biggest training came in fighting and raiding. Their Uthuk tribe was a parasite on the region, sucking it's resources dry and then moving on. Neighboring people were always in terror when the Uthuks were nearby.

The Uthuks, and Gorath in particular, worship the dark goddess Yllan. She saved the tribe from death and starvation ages ago, and they repay her in blood. One of the core activities of Uthuk society is the bonding ritual. In this ritual, the spiritual leaders of the tribe, the Qi'noks, weaved tales of astounding beauty and grotesque horror as they described the thousand faces of their goddess. They channeled their energy into the people as everyone fell into an hallucinogenic blood orgy. 

Gorath was never the strongest. He was tall and very tough, though. His best quality was his presence. He had a the strength of a leader, and he could always stare down an opponent. But he was young. His future was unclear. Already, fighting and raiding was not fulfilling any more. As he was about to turn 18, his future seemed to be nothing more than raiding villages and dying in the process. He wanted something different. He was always intrigued by the Qi'Noks, but he had not received the gift of the "Qi'Bacc" from his goddess. Not yet...

Gorath turned 18. His 18th birthday marked the start of his ritual initiation. He was strung up by his arms and legs parallel to the ground, and his limbs were stretched to their limits. He endured this torture for 27 hours. Then, to finish the ceremony, the tribal chief walked up and thrust a knife into each shoulder. All who lived through this ceremony were welcomed into the tribe as a new person. Some died. Some lived. But this time was going to be different. Almost as soon as the knives pierced his flesh, a vision of Yllan appeared before him and yelled: "Unleash Yourself!" With a primal scream, flames burst suddenly from Gorath's body, engulfing him and the tribal chief as wounds appeared in the chief's shoulders and blood spewed from them. The fire burned the ropes away and Gorath fell to the ground, still on fire. The chief fell back on the ground and died quickly. Everyone was too stunned to help him. Gorath managed to put the flames out, as the people stood awestruck and confused. Nobody knew what had happened. Nobody but the Qi'Noks. 

It didn't take long for Gorath's wounds to heal, and then the Qi'Noks arrived to tell him of a new future. Gorath started learning the ways of magic. Under the tutelage of the elder Qi'noks, he was able to harness his magical abilities. Amazed at the power within him, he realized that this was the future that he wanted. Gorath was never able to determine what had happened at his initiation, but he suspected that the other Qi'Noks knew and weren't telling him. After years of training, he was admitted into the ranks of the priestly class. The goal of the Qi'Noks is to see all of the faces of Yllan. Once Gorath became a Qi'nok, his lifelong goal was to witness all of them and finally "Touch" the goddess himself! Life, though, added a little twist. Two nights after he became a Qi'nok, he witnessed a very telling omen. Raving and drooling outside at the dead of night, high on I'tala root, a blood red moon shone down on him. He knew what this meant: Death and Change were coming. He had never seen this omen before, but by the next day, it had already come to pass.

Giant metallic beasts, the likes of which no one had ever seen, came out of the sun. The tribe scattered but was completely captured by the slavers. Nobody had a chance of escaping as long as the slavers had "Technology". Gorath later learned that this was the first wave of the Dragon Empire's colonization efforts of his planet. The tribe was thrown into large barred cells, twenty people to a cell. They were all sanitized and branded. They were taken to a slaving center in the largest starport on the other side of their planet. They didn't even know the city existed. Here they were indoctrinated and learned their place in the galaxy.

The Uthuks were not about to be slaves, though. One fateful night, the Uthuks, chewing away on their I'tala root, started raging and broke free of their cells. They fought hand to hand with their captors. It looked like "Technology" was going to turn the tide, but finally the Uthuks defeated them, and slipped into the night. Most of the tribe died that night, remembered by Gorath as "The Night of Thinning". The rest scattered throughout the city, learning what they could about this new "Technology". Some tried to go back to their tribal lands and were captured again. Gorath wouldn't think of going back. He had tasted this new "Technology" drug and wasn't letting go. He learned that they lived on a planet and that there were thousands of others, each with their own uniqueness. Gorath had an Epiphany: "A thousand worlds for a thousand faces! I have found the path! I WILL reach You, Yllan! You will be my Blood Mistress, and I will become your Master!!!!!!"

Gorath left his home planet, never to return. Needing money to travel, he took to doing what he knew best: Raiding, but now as a Mercenary. Sometimes, he would be an assassin, sometimes a tracker. But always, a killer. Before he kills, though, he always tells his victim: "Your blood is my Apotheosis!" As he travels from planet to planet, he visualizes the unique character of the world, performs a bonding ritual, and finds himself one step closer to Immortality.

---

Gorath must find a way to hide his alignment or he can have an amulet or ring of undetectable alignment. No one will trust you anyway... your an Uthuk. We will work on that.

How did Gorath get to Thonia? 
Can Gorath cast teleport? If not a powerful Mage teleported him to the planet. This Mage was never met in person but Gorath was paid 50,000 talons, credits, to capture G'Banrak. Gorath may get the sense that the Mage was a Dragon Duke. Gorath knows that G'Banrak is a vital key in acquiring some information about the Gates. Contrary to popular belief, not all citizens of Thonia know anything about the Gates. Gorath knows only that the gates exist. G'Banrak will definitely not leave willingly and may need to be subdued. Gorath was told that some menace is attacking the planet Thonia.

How did he get to the Tower of Glass?
Gorath arrived in a small cave north of the Tower of Glass. Gorath knows that the tower is some sort of power center and was told to enter the tower area via tunnels. On the way to find a tunnel entrance in the northern mountains, Gorath may Spot thousands of zombies gathering near the edges of the force field. The zombies appear to be coming from the West. Gorath wasn't interested in zombies although he knows Zombie Corp may be. Gorath knows that Zombie slave labor is a huge commodity especially for some worlds with hostile environments. 

Gorath crawled for days on his belly, going progressively deeper underground; until he found some sort of shaft protected by a force field. Gorath noticed a change in the fields timing and managed to climb past the field at a moment of failure. Gorath climbed for hours until he came upon a n air ventilation unit. Gorath attempted to bypass the unit but managed to stop it. Multiple droids were alerted. By the time Gorath exited the shaft, dozens of buff droids surrounded him, most of the droids were heavily armed.

One platinum droid was quite cordial and invited him in for refreshments. Gorath was asked to relinquish his weapons and must make a Hide Check or reverse pick pocket Check for each weapon he attempts to hide. Gorath noticed that his magic gloves were faulty or failing (he might have been able to hide a weapon or two) roll against a chance of spell failure to determine each item that may be hidden. If it fails, the weapons are relinquished to the droids.

Gorath had never seen such workmanship that the droids possessed. They were quite fancy and armed. Obviously nothing he had ever seen before. A knowledge robotics would give more info.

Gorath was then placed in a room alone for 2 days. He is fed well and he has access to some computer terminals to query.... If he has a reasonable use device he can ask the AI questions. The AI will be quite reasonable but most of its answers will be vague or almost unrealistic.

He can also try a listen check to hear a noisy group of humanoids gathering in a nearby room. If he hears them he realizes they are about 2 rooms away and he hears them through the ventilation shafts. Of course Gorath has been relatively quiet since he hasn't had anyone to communicate with.

Gorath may have ideas about entering the ventilation system. Gorath believes he is in a lower level of the tower of glass. Gorath also gets a sense (magically wizard eye, clairvoyance, ESP ... something) that his stuff is stored on the next level above.

Player: JC

Name: Milo Fasthand

Environment
Around 450 halflings live in the shire where Milo Fasthand grew up. Milo Fasthand's feels comfortable with shipboard life and any island small enough that the dominant terrain feature is the sea that surrounds it. Milo Fasthand grew up with cold winters, but warm summers.

Family
Both of Milo Fasthand's parents are alive and healthy. Milo Fasthand has 3 older siblings and 3 younger siblings. Three of Milo's grandparents are living (his mother's mother died of an illness a few years back). Milo Fasthand has 2d12 living relatives.

Milo Fasthand's family is poor. Although they have never had to beg for food and shelter, they own little property other than their gunsmith shop and their income barely covers basic needs. Milo Fasthand's family holds to the letter of contracts and agreements. Milo Fasthand's family supports the current political structure and rulers. The male members control Milo Fasthand's family. Milo Fasthand's family’s ethical reputation matches their private ethics. Milo Fasthand's family has worshiped a patron deity (Yondalla) for years, but may not observe religious commitments consistently. In general, Milo Fasthand's family is upstanding, but one or more members of family are known to be disreputable. Milo Fasthand's father is an expert gunsmith (and the best marksman in the shire).

Milo Fasthand's great-grandfather was an artisan of unmatched skill who left a legacy of excellence that is still used as a standard gauge of quality. Milo Fasthand's family frequently use and improve their shooting skills and could be prepared for combat with a few days of last-minute preparation.

Education
Milo Fasthand learned basic wilderness survival skills. Milo Fasthand learned a craft -- gun-smithing. A top-notch instructor, Milo's father, taught Milo Fasthand more advanced small firearms techniques.

Major Events
Milo Fasthand took a two-way trip with his oldest brother on a new caravan route to a trade fair in the capital of his homeworld to learn about trade, caravans, firearms, and the world.

Milo Fasthand edged someone out in some affair of the heart, and they hold a grudge. Unfortunately, Milo is now leaving town and in his absence his rival may succeed in winning the favor of their common desire. Or will she wait for Milo to return?

Friends
Milo Fasthand doesn’t make friends easily, but Milo Fasthand is a good friend to those he has. Milo Fasthand has a few close friends.

Player: Mike

Name:  Gordon

Centuries ago the Church of Malaki, called a Cult by some, prophesized the
coming of the Karuk Nactoral. It wasn't soon afterwards that the Dragon
Empire came to the planet of Alak, the home of the Church. Remaining within
the shadows, the Cult began to gather the technology the Dragon Empire
brought with it for their own sinister ends.

The day of prophecy had come. The Karuk Nactoral was finally to be born.
Strenuous genetic engineering had finally found the key to unlocking the
being that would allow the Church of Malaki to rise to prominence, the key
to perhaps even overthrowing the Dragon Empire and claiming galactic
domination for themselves.

The child was named Gordon Veyers, in honor of the two scientists who had
'created' him, Dr. Karik Gordon and Dr. Jim Veyers. Gordon was given the
best of everything as a child. He was trained in multiple weapons, trained
in stealth and deception. And he proved to be everything the Church had
hoped for. Incredibly fast, enhanced healing capabilities, and even
extraordinary innate combat abilities. He was everything the Church had hoped
for except for one thing.

He found the philosophical standards of the Church evil and vile. He
rejected their teachings and scorned their rituals. It was not long before
the Church came to the decision that he could not be the Karuk Nactoral
that had been prophesized. Even worse, with him to stimulate research, it
was possible other factions could duplicate the powers he possessed.

The order for execution was easily obtained.

When the guards came for Gordon, he knew what they were coming from. He had
long suspected that he could not live with the Church long. Springing into
action, Gordon killed the guards who had come for him.

Taking their weapons he quickly moved through the underground compound that
housed the main branch of the Church. Following a route he had memorized
earlier, Gordon gunned down his 'creators' and then activated another one of
their projects, this one a gateway.

Knowing they had not yet found a way to stabilize the gate, Gordon jumped
through anyway. Time stopped and he felt his blood boil and his bones burst
from cold. And then he was through.

The gate had brought him to some strange, unknown planet. There was no way
to tell where, but then again, there was no way for the Church to follow
him. He was safe, for now.

Player: David

Name: Orendil

Climate
Whether it’s a tangled jungle or sparser pines, trees are the dominant feature of the landscape, that makes Orendil feel at home. Orendil welcomes the cold all year long, although where he comes from seasons are still discernible. The length of day and night changes greatly from season to season.

Education
Orendil learned basic wilderness survival skills. Orendil has advanced studies in a formal church setting. Includes training as an acolyte or special functionary for religious practice. Orendil studied biology and geology.

Events
Orendil had an earthshaking brush with greatness, such as meeting a king or being contacted directly by a god. Orendil found a unique aptitude or talent such as extremely keen vision or a knack for ventriloquism. Orendil's home community is faced with a new faith recently created, a schism tears an existing faith apart, or a prophecy is announced.

Family
Sometimes Orendil's family had to beg for food and shelter. They own no property and income barely covers basic needs. The female members control Orendil's family. Orendil's family maintains a low level of readiness including a few weapons and an occasional discussion of how to defend against raiders or low-level monsters. Orendil's family is known for involvement in the community and acting to help others. Orendil's family’s ethical reputation matches their private ethics. Orendil's family has no specific political stance. Orendil's family is deeply committed to a patron deity (you choose which one). Orendil's family is known as stalwart companions. Orendil's family are like most laborers and servants. Orendil's family has no ancestors of note.

Relationships
Both of Orendil's parents are alive and healthy. Orendil is an only child Orendil's father’s parents are deceased. Orendil has other relatives out there somewhere, but doesn’t know who or how many. Orendil doesn’t make friends easily, but Orendil is a good friend to those he has. Orendil has a few close friends. A particularly good instructor taught Orendil the basic skills (choose alive or dead, note NPC details) Orendil has no known enemies, yet.

I was born into a poor elven family in a forest settlement in the northern regions of (insert location). I grew up amongst the evergreens and snow, learning how to hunt and trap from my father. My mother's grandparents taught me to follow the ways of (insert appropriate nature deity for setting). Although religion held little interest for me, I did my duty, learning my prayers and my parables. My parents, though respected members of the community, never achieved nor cared particularly for material wealth. It was during a foraging trip that an event occurred which brought change into my life. It was an extremely cold day, and the snow was coming down in large and numerous flakes. I was ready to turn back towards the settlement, but I saw something about 100 meters away in the snow. What it was, I didn't know, but it appeared to be glowing with a bluish-white light. As I approached, the glow diminished, but I saw what appeared to be an animal in the snow. It was a doe, and upon inspection it was clearly sick or internally injured. Killing doe was not allowed at that time of year. Not knowing how I could help, touched the doe's coat and said a quick prayer that my grandmother had taught me. As I turned to walk away, I felt warmth behind me. Turning around, the doe was gone. I confided in my grandmother the story. She insisted that I had the "Gift of (insert deity)".

Player: Ryan

Name: Alahandra Windchacer

Climate
Highlands, cliff dwellings, and any other rugged terrain makes Alahandra Windchacer feel at home. Alahandra Windchacer grew up with cold winters, but warm summers.

Education
Alahandra Windchacer learned basic wilderness survival skills. Alahandra Windchacer spent time seeking animal skins or meat in the wilderness. Alahandra Windchacer studied "defenses against the dark arts" and learned ways to fight monsters and battle the influence of black magic.

Events
Evil men came and took her from her family when she was a child. She attempted to aid in the defense of the community against the raiders but was forcibly taken prisoner and was used in one of the  bio wizard weapons. The last she saw of her village was her parents murdered in front of her. She does not know if anyone made it out alive.

Family
For some reason, Alahandra Windchacer's family's economic status was difficult to measure. Perhaps Alahandra Windchacer lived a solitary life on the frontier as a trapper or scout, living entirely off the land. The oldest members control Alahandra Windchacer's family. Alahandra Windchacer's family relies on magical protection. Alahandra Windchacer's family is known for involvement in the community and acting to help others. Alahandra Windchacer's family's ethical reputation matches their private ethics. Alahandra Windchacer's family has no specific political stance. Alahandra Windchacer's family is deeply committed to a patron deity (you choose which one). In general, Alahandra Windchacer's family is upstanding, but one or more members of family are known to be disreputable. Alahandra Windchacer's family is considered the "upper crust" of the home community. Alahandra Windchacer's family produced a wizard or sorcerer of some repute.

Relationships
Both of Alahandra Windchacer's parents are deceased, murdered at the hands of the collectors. She has an identical twin who was strangely absent the day of the attack. Alahandra Windchacer remembers her grandparents, but they have passed away. Alahandra Windchacer has few living relatives that she knows of. Alahandra Windchacer's significant friend is dead or captured. Master Willowtree taught her the basic skills of fairy magic, and a little sneaking about on the side. One or more local villains have chosen to direct their hatred toward Alahandra Windchacer, perhaps because of some minor adventure Alahandra Windchacer completed.

Player: Mandy

Name: G'Banrak

NPC Sorceress Aasimar

Little is know about G'Banrak except what the group has experienced.  She claims to be a sorceress from Thonia with hidden knowledge about portals that her people created thousands of years ago to get around the galaxy.  The Dragon Empire specifically, the ISPD, apparently would like this technology.  Thonia is under some invasion of sorts by some menace, revealed recently as Beholders.  G'Banrak is in love with Orendil and used her most powerful spell to reverse events which could have caused his death.  G'Banrak has had multiple attempts on her life, apparently there are those out to get her.  After the Aphex riot, G'Banrak hooked up with this group, later she was forced to reveal the location of a gate to the ISPD and the group.  She holds no ill will to the ISPD, but doesn't particularly like the Drow.  She has strived to do good for Thonia and realizes that Gorath is out to get her, apparently someone has hired a bunch of Uthek mercs to capture her.

Missing:

Name: Amio

NPC Drow ISPD Agent

NPC

Name: Super Commie

Player: Mark

Adventure 38

Communicating with the AI - Reunion

Meanwhile Super Commie wakes in the tower of glass and heads towards the armory to recover his stuff.  He finds a box, opens it and an MBK-702 appears.  The MBK is friendly enough and helps SC find his stuff.  SC and the MBK proceed to find the rest of the group at the City of the Gods.  They walk and make their way to the south side when they realize there is a battle going on to the north and west side. 

Gordon wakes inside a stasis chamber to find that Amio is gone.  Gordon looks around but can't find his stuff.  Gordon proceeds to climb through the tubes to get to the main level.

Super Commie finally reaches a cave entrance near the base of the City of the Gods plateau and heads in to find a ghastly figure of a Monk.  An undead Wang attempts to attack, but SC dodges and runs past the monk.  SC and the MBK blast the monk, but it doesn't appear to phase him.  As SC reaches the interior of the city, he stumbles across Gordon.  Gordon and SC get together and the MBK tells them to enter a certain tower to head to the second level.

Milo and the group attempt to disable quite a few traps and finally reach some large machinery where Milo discovers spheres hooked into the wire ways.  Milo deduces that the spheres don't belong and attempts to remove a few.  Milo had some success and tossed the spheres into a trap that basically burned the spheres into nothingness with hot magma or plasma of some sort.  Milo disabled dozens of traps like remote gun turrets and other defense systems. 

The MBK convinces SC and Gordon that there are intruders on the 2nd level tampering with the computer systems.  The group of 3 heads towards Milo and crew.

Level II: Destruction and Restoration

           It was with a mixture of relief and dismay that the party witnessed Super Commie’s approach.  He was alive, and with all six limbs intact!  But, prior comm transmissions had indicated a serious problem.  Super Commie had picked up a Mechanical Beholder Kin and, bless his idealist soul, couldn’t be convinced of the sheer evil of the MBK and their masters.

          “You must destroy them,” said the MBK to Super Commie.

          “But, MBK, surely you are mistaken!  These are my friends, who help me defend the proletariat against the capitalist, imperialist aggressors!” replied Super Commie.

          “Very well,” asserted the MBK, “if you won’t destroy them, I will have to do it myself.”

          Super Commie cried out to the MBK, attempting to salvage the situation, but the battle was joined.  This time, however, the party had the advantage of familiarity with the underhanded tactics of these Beholder-servants.  Orendil and G’Banrak, knowing full well that their weapons and spells were useless, moved behind some nearby computer equipment for safety.  Gorath, being the only party member tall enough to reach the floating creature, moved close and chanted a series of arcane words.

“By the might of Gor’ith Slxrxf’binkra I command thee: Power Down!” screamed Gorath.  He then reached out and touched the robotic miscreant, but the spell fizzled.  In frustration, Gordon let loose a volley of fire from his blaster.  The MBK was obliterated, but another quickly appeared in its place.  Milo moved in carefully and tossed his grappling hook at the MBK, but couldn’t successfully reel him in.

The MBK shot the rope that was connected to Milo's grappling hook thus freeing itself.

The MBK turned ominously and began to fire his weapons on the party, wounding Gordon and then turning his attention to Milo.  A sickly black ray of light beamed from one of the creature’s eyestalks.  The beam hit Milo square in the chest, and Milo fell to the ground, lifeless.  Gorath seized the unfortunate situation by reaching up and seizing the MBK with both hands.

“NOOOOO!!!!! MIIILOOOOOO!!!!!” bellowed Orendil, running from his hiding place.  In fury, he grabbed at the creature’s eyestalks and ripped several out with brute strength.  Super Commie, finally coming to his senses, produced a length of rope and attempted to tie up the remaining eyestalks.  In short order, the MBK was neutralized.  Unfortunately, the battle was not over.  Gordon, in a grief-stricken rage, summoned his full superhero strength and smashed the central eye of the creature with the butt of his pistol.  The MBK disappeared in a blink, and another appeared in Gorath’s hands!  This one had all eyestalks once again.

          Thinking quickly and sensibly for once, Gordon began to tie up the new MBK’s eyestalks while Orendil commenced ripping out any eyestalks that he could grab.  The MBK, knowing he was doomed, shot a beam at the ceiling. A hole opened revealing the upper level.  A moment later another beam shot through the first hole, hit the ceiling above that level and a deluge of rocks poured in from above.  Gordon and Orendil, along with Milo’s fresh corpse, were buried in the rubble.  Gorath deftly finished the job of bringing the MBK under control.

          G’Banrak spoke a few words of magic, and the pile of rocks suddenly became a fluffy pile of feathers, allowing Orendil and Gordon to easily climb out.  Orendil took the MBK from Gorath and tossed it in a nearby computer cabinet.  While Gorath began to chastise Super Commie for not immediately trusting the rest of the party on the subject of the MBK, it was decided that the best course of action was to continue removing the Beholder-nodes and repairing the computer systems.  The only problem, of course, was that the party’s computer expert was recently deceased. 

Alahandra was unanimously voted as the party’s second-string computer technician.  She got to work immediately by attempting to remove a Beholder-node, and promptly caused an explosion that seriously wounded herself and Orendil. 

A small voice was then heard saying, “Ugh!  What happened?!?”.  Milo slipped off the shoulder of Super Commie; the party turned to see Milo standing there, clearly not dead.  Milo continued, “I remember a beam of black light, then I blacked out and I can’t remember a thing.  I feel funny…”

“You look funny as well, my little friend,” noted Super Commie with the agreement of the rest of party.  Milo’s skin looked gray, and he had a strange expression of horror and madness etched on his face.  “You look like…”

“A Bodak!  I’m a Bodak again!” exclaimed Milo.  The curiosity over Milo’s condition was cut short, however.  A strange mechanical noise was heard in the distance, and it seemed to be getting closer.  Before long, a large robot came into view. 

“Halt!” declared Orendil.  Gorath, taking no chances, extended his arms with a quick chant.  His Disintegrate spell worked flawlessly, instantaneously turning the robot into a pile of metallic dust.  However, before the dust settled, it became clear that the party was surrounded.   Solemn-looking robots were slowly approaching from all sides.  Gordon opened fire, slugging one of the robots as the party prepared for another tough battle. 

G’Banrak remained calm and made an astute observation, “These robots don’t appear to have any weapons.  Maybe they aren’t going to attack us.”  The robots closed in … and completely ignored the party.  They took up positions near damaged computer cabinets and began to perform repairs.

“Repair robots!  I should have known!” said Milo, “Our tinkering with the computer equipment must have triggered them.  I’ve got an idea!”  Milo opened one of the computer cabinets that the party hadn’t touched.  It had a Beholder-node installed.  He intentionally damaged the wiring slightly, and smiled as a repair robot systematically approached and began removing the Beholder-node.  The rest of the party followed Milo’s example, and soon the robots were hard at work removing any traces of the accursed Beholder technology.

          The party returned to Level I.  As they approached the main console, the computer greeted them, “I see you have returned safely.  Thanks to your repairs, I have now regained control of Levels I and II, and parts of Level III.  Some of my sensors on Levels IV and V even appear to be functioning.”  The party couldn’t be certain whether the computer had been programmed to truly understand the gravity of its situation.  Nevertheless, it seemed as if the computer’s voice grew gloomy as it continued, “I’ve detected signs of major Beholder activity on the lower levels.”

The computer informed the group that there was equipment that they might be interested in on the third level in the cargo holds.  The computers restored sensors indicated that Jhelai was in one of the cargo holds.

Level III: An Old Friend

          The party spent some time debating over the appropriate course of action.  Should they attempt to leave the planet?  Should they attempt to contact the Dragon Empire and request help?  Should they continue on their current course and deal with the Beholder Menace themselves?  Gorath argued for leaving the planet, explaining that he held no loyalty to G'Banrak's people or to the Dragon Empire.  Milo felt strongly that the party should attempt to help the planet, but that attempting to do so without the support of the Dragon Empire would be suicidal.  He felt that the party had accomplished their mission of unveiling the Menace, and that the heavy lifting should be left to others.  G'Banrak suggested that she would take on the Beholders without assistance, with or without the rest of the group.

          Ultimately, it was decided to defer a final decision until Level III could be investigated.  The party took an elevator down to Level II, and moved toward the location of a large hole in the floor.  The hole looked down upon a room on Level III.  As they approached the hole, Gordon and Milo noticed someone in the room below, messing with the lock on the door.  They recognized the figure as Jhelai and, thinking that all was safe, jumped down into the room on Level III.

          Jhelai turned and opened fire on Milo who looked awfully undead.  Jhelai had apparently found a powerful new rifle, as poor Milo was ripped to shreds instantly.

          "Nooooo!!!! Miloooooo!!!!", screamed Orendil from the upper level.  He had been screaming that a lot lately.  He jumped down into the room with his sword flashing, but he was no match for Jhelai's new weapon.  Orendil's body was practically destroyed in a barrage of blaster fire.  Orendil hadn't fully healed from the collapsing rocks earlier that day. Gordon turned and fired at Jhelai, seriously wounding him.  Gorath chanted some words in an ancient Uthuk language, and floated down into the room, while Alahandra turned invisible and flew down to attack Jhelai.  Alahandra brought her weapon to bear and wounded Jhelai some more. 

          Super Commie, in yet another display of amazingly poor judgment and reasoning ability, opted to keep his weapon on semi-auto and fire just a few shots at Jhelai.  Jhelai laughed off the attack, leveling his rifle at Gordon and utterly destroying him with a volley of plasma death.  Alahandra finally managed to take Jhelai out with her pistol.*

          The surviving members of the party began foraging through the crates that were strewn about the room.  They found an impressive cache of powerful plasma rifles and other equipment.  Although it would normally be a cause for alarm, the party was not at all surprised when Gordon, Orendil, and Milo began to rise from the dead minutes after the combat.  Milo had shed his Bodak form, and now looked much different.  All four had assumed dark, frightening bodies.

Jhelai returned from the dead, but the group had tied  him up in advance.  He kept insisting that they must kill Alahandra.

          A voice crackled over the party's communicators, "Uhhhh, breaker breaker…roger…over…Milo?  Orendil?  Little Fairy?  Do you copy?"  The voice sounded strangely familiar.  Eventually, the party realized that the voice belonged to none other than Zoltan!

          "Zoltan," inquired Super Commie, "what happened to you?  When we last saw you, you had been eaten by a flesh jelly."

          "Ummm, yeah well, about that … I got better.  Anyway, the important thing is, is that little fairy Alahandra still with you?"

          Half of the party seemed puzzled by Zoltan's question.   Gordon, Orendil, and Milo, however, knew all too well exactly what was transpiring.  When they had died and assumed their undead state, they somehow awoke with the certain knowledge that the wild magic responsible for the undead phenomenon was Alahandra's fault.  Only by killing Alahandra could they ever rest in peace.  But if Zoltan knew this, he must be undead too!

          Milo decided it would be prudent to reveal this information to the living members of the party.  One thing was certain: Zoltan could not be trusted to exercise the restraint that the other undead members of the party had demonstrated thus far by not attacking Alahandra.  They knew that they must keep Zoltan away from Alahandra.  Alahandra, never one to take chances, decided to hide in G'Banrak's hair for protection.

          Milo did some math in his head, "Hey guys, if Zoltan was raised from the dead about as quickly as we were, he wouldn't be traveling all that far behind us, would he?"

          "Hold on a second," replied Gordon as he closed his eyes, "I think my new form has some sort of ability to detect creatures telepathically.... Holy Crap!  Zoltan is quite close!"

          The party high-tailed it out of the room, locking the door behind them and breaking off communication with Zoltan.  Soon, a new debate was brewing in the party.  Milo argued that Alahandra should be set free with the task of finding a Cleric.  After all, if she died, Milo, Orendil, and Gordon would also die.  As long as she was safe, the party would be essentially invincible.  Orendil and Gordon, however, weren't so sure.  There were undead all around who presumably would want to kill her.  And what if she ran off and disappeared forever?  What if the Beholder would also come back as powerful undead when killed?

          With so many complex questions at hand, the party continued to debate while exploring the rest of Level III.  In the center of the level, they found an observation area that overlooked a large bio-dome jungle ecosystem.  The glass of the chamber had been breached, and vines had grown out and taken over a nearby elevator.  As Gordon approached, the vines attacked him, but they were no match for Gordon.  The new Plasma Rifle just made the vines grow, entangling him and Milo.  Gordon tried his new undead power and released a cloud of gas which instantly killed the vines.  The elevator cleared, the party climbed in and pushed the "down" button.

          Alahandra acted quickly, putting into motion a secret plan that she and Milo had hatched while the rest of the party wasn't watching.  Orendil and Gorath reacted quickly.  Orendil fired at Alahandra with his blaster rifle, intending to wound and incapacitate her.  Milo tossed a smoke stick into the elevator.  Gorath cast a powerful enchantment, and succeeded in dominating Alahandra's mind.  Milo, however, was able to dispel Gorath's magic.  The doors closed and the elevator began to descend, as Alahandra flew out towards the jungle area.  Gorath, enraged, teleported himself back to the jungle area of Level III.  He didn't appear exactly where he wanted too.  However, just as he was about to pursue Alahandra, he was attacked from above by some sort of green slime dripping from the ceiling.

 * Actual quote from my notes: Super Commie, fires without Autofire and does nothing.  Jhelai blasts Gordon and Gordon explodes too.  Alahandra, finally put Jhelai down with blaster shots. 

Rumble in the Jungle: Fairy, Bats, Web-Birds, Frogs, and Bunnies

          The party, minus Alahandra and Gorath, emerged from the elevator on Level IV.  A metal ramp led down from the elevator to a natural surface covered with lush, green plant life.  This was the ground level of the jungle terrarium that the party had seen from Level III.  This ground floor was, in reality, mostly vegetation with an aquatic pool in the center.  A narrow path led away from the ramp with plants on either side.  At the end of the path was a slightly wider landing, serving as the foundation for a small footbridge.  The footbridge, continuing in the same direction as the path, crossed over the murky water to a larger island.  In other circumstances, this setting might have been peaceful and inviting, if a bit warm and misty.  Many fish floated above the water having recently been sickened by Gordon's chilling aura.

          Gorath's voice crackled over the communicator, "Orendil, do you copy?  I can't locate the fairy.  Can you use your Soul Sight to find her?"

          "Negative," Orendil replied, "there's too much life in here.  All I see are souls in every direction."

          Gorath, still hovering on Level III, began to feel the effects of the green slime that had fallen on him.  The slime was eating his flesh; he had no choice but to give up his pursuit of Alahandra and return to the party for healing.  Milo was able to use healing patches to heal most of the damage from the green slime, but Gorath still felt weakened.  Alahandra stayed in her hiding place up in the branches of a tree on Level III.  A debate started to brew in the party, mostly between Milo and Gorath. 

Milo had a simple plan to defeat the beholders: Kill them until they are all undead, then sacrifice Alahandra to make their death permanent.  A cleric, or the life ray from the Frog Temple, would be standing by to resurrect the party after the deed was done.  Milo was confident that the beholders could be defeated, since the party would essentially be invincible while Alahandra lived.  Gorath took exception to this plan, arguing that his services wouldn't be required and that he should be released from his obligations to the party.  Super Commie, Orendil, and G'Banrak all felt that Gorath should remain with the party.  Gordon, having never particularly liked Gorath, voted to let him go.  Milo was undecided.  In a move characteristic of the party, no consensus was reached, and the status quo was maintained.  Gorath would be sticking around.  During the discussion, Alahandra began to doubt her chances of escaping safely, and she secretly returned to hide in G'Banrak's hair. 

          The party advanced to the small landing at the foot of the bridge.  A group of bats flew overhead.  The party had a sense of something amiss, but the bats passed without incident save a release of some sort of gas.  Shortly thereafter, a flock of strange looking birds appeared above.  The birds spewed out a web of sticky goo, ensnaring G'Banrak, Orendil and Gordon.  Super Commie, blasted away at the birds, killing several.  The birds then dove at the party, attacking Orendil, Gordon, and G'Banrak.  The birds seemed to be using some appendage beneath their feathers to bore into the chests of their prey.  Milo, thinking quickly, tossed a jar of fire paste at Gordon.  The webs were apparently highly flammable, as Gordon's body was engulfed in flame.  The fire quickly spread to G'Banrak.  Milo's tactic worked, however, as Gordon and G'Banrak were freed from the webs and their attackers perished in the flames.  Orendil, seeing that the fire was an effective counter to the birds, managed to break free of the webs and run towards the fire that had sprung up in the center of the landing.  G'Banrak cast a Cone of Cold at herself to extinguish the flames, while Gordon opted to jump in the water.  Orendil, once the birds had burned away, followed Gordon's example and jumped in the brackish pond.

          As Orendil climbed out of the water, he saw a huge creature swimming just beneath the surface near Gordon.  Before he could warn Gordon, the giant aquatic monster grabbed Gordon and began to drag him to the bottom of the water.  In a last-ditch effort to save himself, Gordon cast a spell to summon a Spectre.  Much to the party's surprise, Syd appeared overhead!  Syd's spectral form plunged into the water and began to attack the creature, while the party tried their best to fire their blasters into the water.  Their efforts were in vain.  Gordon was crushed by the giant froghemoth Gordon died again, only to return a few minutes later as a Wight.

          G'Banrak and Orendil suddenly fell to the ground, writhing in pain.  Milo, again demonstrating his ingenuity, quickly managed to discover the right type of curing disease patch to remove whatever foulness the birds had planted in G'Banrak and Orendil's bodies. 

The party then crossed the bridge.  On the island they found a curious-looking plant.  Not taking their chances, the party opened fire and obliterated the potentially threatening plant.  They also saw a cute, white rabbit grazing in the grass.  Gordon decided he'd had enough of the terrarium, and began to take out his anger on the local flora and fauna.  He blasted the bunny, but it became quickly apparent that there was more to the bunny than originally met the eye.

          Up from the ground rose many vine-like tentacles.  The vines lashed out and began to entangle the party members.  However, the party's powerful weapons were able to deal effectively with the vines.  G'Banrak cast another Cone of Cold at the area that appeared to be the creature's main body.  Orendil was caught in the blast and began to move very slowly.    Super Commie finished off the creature with a volley of blasts.  Syd flew down to energy drain with his touch the stump that he presumed was the source of the vines.

          Milo began to suspect that there might be something buried on the island.  The party, however, had no digging implements with which to effectively search under the soil.

          Syd offered, "Hey Milo, I have a spell that can help you dig."

          "Help me dig?  How do you plan to accomplish that?" Milo replied.

          "Oh, I'll just cast a polymorph spell to make you a more efficient digger.  It's perfectly safe, trust me…" countered Syd.

          "Well, okay, I guess…" Milo agreed reluctantly.  Syd cast his spell and Milo was transformed into an Umber Hulk.  Making a mental note not to let Syd cast any spells on him in the future without being more specific regarding the effects, Milo began to dig.  In short order, a hatch was found buried in the soil.  As Syd changed Milo back to his previous form, the party prepared to descend.

Undead Beholders!!!!!  A funny thing happen on the way to the beholder lair....

Focusing his will, Syd releases the magical energies holding Milo in Umber Hulk form. Examining the opening Milo discovered, the party soon ascertains that it is locked but not trapped.

Some quick lock work from Alahandra opened the entrance to the party, revealing a dark shaft stretching far out of sight.
The group opened the hatch Milo had found.

. The light from the outside did not penetrate far down, however, and there seemed to be no ladder or stairs that the party could climb. Shrugging, Syd floats downward, seeing perfectly in the darkness of the tunnel.

The shaft goes down roughly one hundred feet and is quite wide, at the bottom forming a room nearly forty feet across. Flying up, Syd tells everyone the way is clear and soon Orendil has secured a rope to the tunnel’s hatch. Orendil quickly shimmies down the rope, followed by Super Commie, Gordon, a flying Gorath and Milo.


Most of the group descended a long rope down inside what appeared to be a giant cylinder. The group figured the cylinder was surrounded by water.

At the bottom of the shaft the four find nothing of interest. The sound of water can clearly be heard from the walls, suggesting the chamber is sitting at the bottom of the lake, but there are no doors or further hatches to lead deeper in. Syd floats down again and confirms that there is another room below the chamber but without any way to access it, the party decides to leave.

After a little searching, they realized this was a wrong turn and started back up. Gorath was told by Super Commie to shoot a hole in the cylinder wall, so Gorath did so with a disintegrate spell. A torrent of water rushed in. Orendil, Milo, and Gordon were in no danger since they didn’t need to breath. Super Commie had some trouble climbing the rope, but managed to swim to the surface.

“We may as well blow it up,” Super Commie mutters as he begins climbing the rope back towards the surface. Gorath, taking Super Commie’s advice to heart, turns and Disintegrates a large section of the wall before quickly shooting up the tunnel. An instant later water burst into the chamber, threatening to knock Super Commie off of the rope. His four arms grip tightly, however, and he quickly begins treading the water as it slowly begins to fill the tube.

The water level in the lake drained down a few feet as it equalized in the cylinder.

Meanwhile, Gordon, Milo, and Orendil are battered about the chamber from the force of the water but are otherwise unharmed. Not needing to breathe, all three begin to swim upwards once the water stabilizes enough.

Up top, Syd, G’Banrak, and Alahandra are somewhat surprised to see the water of the lake beginning to go down, as if some large drain had been pulled from the bottom.

After climbing up the rope just about 20 ft below the hatch. When a sodden Super Commie pulls himself up from the hatch, their surprise only deepens. Gorath and Milo crawl out soon after and before anyone can say anything, Milo pulls out his blaster rifle and begins to fire.  Milo got angry and attacked Gorath for disintegrating a hole in the cylinder. Milo opened up on Gorath with his blaster rifle. The barrage of electrical bolts rip through the air catching Gorath full on in the chest. A burned and broken Uthek spirals out of the air and crashes into the water, quickly sinking beneath the waves.

Orendil climbs out of the hatch in time to witness everything, and stands stupefied, aghast at what Milo had done.

“What did you just do!” simultaneously shout Orendil and G’Banrak. “Dead, he is no longer bound!” G’Banrak yells.

“He just tried to kill all of us!” Milo fires back.

“Milo … you’re already dead.”

Gordon finally manages to climb out of the hatch, having had problems with the slippery rope. After having the situation explained to him, the party braces themselves for Gorath’s return. With the Wish no longer effecting him, no one in the party believes Gorath will have as much control as Gordon, Orendil, and Milo have shown towards Alahandra. Syd begins to gird himself in protective magics while everyone else prepares for the coming fight.

Time passing slowly, and Syd’s protective spells slowly fall away. Finally, everyone agrees that, for whatever reason, Gorath isn’t coming back any time soon.

“Where do we go now? What do we do now?” G’Banrak mutters, still upset at Milo. “You we’re supposed to know where we were going!”

Milo begins looking through his maps, but still cannot figure out why the Beholders weren’t found here. Gordon complains desperately about how long everything is taking before Syd finally shrugs and mentions that he could find the party some Beholders if that is what they wanted.

Being the only plan of action available, Syd quickly mutters a few arcane phrases and instantly senses a Beholder nearby to the south. Walking from the island, the party soon finds a trail running in the direction they wish to go. Walking through the overgrown jungle, the party soon finds the Beholder Syd detected and comes to a halt. 
They headed back across the bridge and followed a path south. Along the way, they saw down the path and spotted a beholder casually floating on guard in a clearing by the southern exit of the Terrarium. The Beholder floats calmly in a small clearing, seemingly guarding an entrance into the ship proper. It remains unaware, however, of their presence as Milo, Super Commie, and G’Banrak prepare to launch a surprise attack at it. Alahandra, sensing violence, quickly flies to a nearby tree where she turns invisible and hides.  Milo opened fire and Super Commie opened fire on the beholder. It was startled. Alahandra hid up in the vegetation in a tall tree nearby so she could see the party and the beholder.

G’Banrak’s Disintegrate ray goes wide but many of Milo and Super Commie’s shots find their mark. This Beholder is wearing more armor, though, and like the last ones does not fall easily.

But even as the Beholder quickly begins to turn towards the party, Orendil steps forward and unleashes with his PGMP-12, a torrent of electrical energy vaporizing the Beholder and leaving little behind except scorched and smoking ground. Amazed, Super Commie pulls out his PGMP-12, putting away two of his pistols in favor of the massive gun.

Milo jumped into a patch of weird grass that stuck into his feet like corkscrews.
Milo fired some more, and then Orendil took aim, missed with 2 bursts, but blew the beholder into a million tiny pieces with one final awesome burst from his PGMP. There was little left of the beholder after Orendil’s gun cooled.

Relaying that the Beholder was dead, Syd casually points to the north, indicating the next closest lay in that direction.

Meanwhile, the Wild Magic coursing about Alahandra tore Gorath’s soul, kicking and screaming, back into the Prime Material Plane. Unable or perhaps unwilling to control his need to kill Alahandra, Gorath instinctively shifted into the Ethereal and began to hunt, tracking Alahandra down.

Gorath washed up from the depths of the pool of water and swam to shore. He found that he could move in the ether, so he did, tracking down Alahandra. He could feel her presence just east of his location. He no longer had his possessions though, but he would surely disintegrate her.

After his last display of power, Orendil quickly replaces G’Banrak in the lead of the party as they creep towards the next Beholder. It isn’t long before the next Beholder is found, floating in a clearing and guarding an entrance like the last one encountered by the party. Again, it is taken by surprise as Orendil, Milo, and Super Commie all open fire upon its position. Orendil, however, feeling the pressure of everyone watching him, stumbles and drops his gun almost immediately. Luckily, Gordon was waiting behind him with his own PGMP-12 and quickly eliminated the second Beholder, leaving another smoking portion of ground where it once was.

The party, already building a rhythm, turns expectantly to Syd to see where the next one was. A confused look passes over Syd’s spectral face and slowly he turns about before explaining that two Beholders are currently approaching the party, from opposite directions.

The group went to where the beholder parts were and searched around. Super Commie investigated a door just beyond the drop tube that the beholder appeared to be guarding. Moments passed and Syd detected a beholder approaching from the north, then he got a sense that another was approaching from the south.

The party, already building a rhythm, turns expectantly to Syd to see where the next one was. A confused look passes over Syd’s spectral face and slowly he turns about before explaining that two Beholders are currently approaching the party, from opposite directions.

Deciding to lay an ambush, the party scatters; Orendil and G’Banrak hiding at either side of the terrarium opening to the drop tube room, while Milo and Alahandra take to the trees. Gordon and Syd remain mostly in the open, occupying the clearing where the last Beholder had been. Super Commie, having misheard the warning about two Beholders coming, wanders into the ship and begins trying to open the door leading inside.

Slowly, the Beholders approach, and Gordon’s sharp eyes easily pick them out. The one approaching from the north in just like the others the party has faced so far, clad in the strange armor the Beholder’s seem to continue finding. The one approaching from the south, however, is much, much different. Large and white, it appears to be rotting, and open wounds cover it. The forest withers at its passing and it nearly screams death and destruction to anyone who sees it.

Gordon and Syd stood fast. Orendil and G’banrak took cover in the entrance way to the drop tube room. Super Commie tried to open the door, but he didn’t have a security card. Alahandra once again turned invisible and headed to the top of a tree. Milo hid behind a tree.

The beholder closed from the south and Gordon noticed that the plants were dying as it floated above them. This beholder must be undead he stated, it looked hideously rotten. Milo fired from behind the tree and returned to seek cover.

Unfortunately, the Beholders likewise spot Gordon and Syd, and they each barely have time to shout a warning before deadly eye beams lance into the clearing. The living one quickly dissipates Syd’s spectral form and turns Gordon into stone, trapping his Wight form in solid rock. The approaching undead Beholder paralyzes Milo with its gaze before ripping his gun from his hands. Two other beams strike the tree Milo is hiding by, turning it to stone before disintegrating a large portion of it, causing the stone branches to fall on top of Milo, blocking him from view.

Walking towards the terrarium in order to get a security card from Milo, Super Commie was surprised to see the Beholders. Super commie ran out to the terrarium after hearing a few shots from Milo’s blaster. Opening fire, he left several wounds on the live one as G’Banrak began to throw arcane lightning towards the Eye Tyrants.

The Kasharin beholder wasn’t amused with Milo so it started firing its deadly eye rays at him. The first beam hit Milo and immobilized him. The second had a similar effect. The Kasharin easily pulled Milo’s blaster rifle from his immobilized hands. The beholder missed most of the other rays, but it turned the tree to stone. The Kasharin continued to fire and its disintegration beam removed the lower 10 foot of the tree. The tree branches above Milo almost crushed him.

Gorath floated through the ether right past the group,  manifesting inside the opening of the drop tube just behind G’Banrak and Orendil, Gorath appeared and quickly dropped a Fireball into their midst. Super Commie and Orendil were slightly burned, but G’Banrak and Alahandra both miraculously managed to escape any damage.

The living Beholder fired another barrage of eye rays, striking both Super Commie and G’Banrak, convincing both of them of the friendship and love the Beholder held for them. The rest of his beams glance off of the corner protecting Orendil, blasting small bits of the wall away.

“Don’t hurt them! They’re nice!” shouted G’Banrak, but she was ignored by most.

The Kasharin Beholder floated forward, firing its eyes wilding about as well. One striking Orendil disintegrated him on the spot as another caused G’Banrak to slump to the ground, asleep.

Alahandra flew from G’Banrak’s shoulder before G’Banrak slumped to the ground.
 

Suddenly, with a scream, a Doomsphere Beholder appeared at the spot where Gordon had earlier killed its living form. Turning an eye to Super Commie, his heart instantly stopped and he slumped over, dead. Several more eye rays shot into the terrarium exit, but disoriented at coming back, the Doomsphere missed Gorath with its remaining ray attacks. 

From behind him, Gorath heard the elevator come down and open, and footsteps slowly walk out.

"Damned magical crap!” cried Zoltan as he leveled his blaster and let loose a barrage of fire at the Doomsphere Beholder. Directly through Gorath. Gorath’s form wavered and dissipated, Zoltan’s energy pulses ripping Gorath's manifested form to shreds.

Sensing his hostile intent, the Doomsphere Beholder ripped Zoltan’s gun from his hands before likewise stopping his heart, causing him to fall over, dead. Again.

Realizing that with G’Banrak charmed and everyone else dead, the two undead Beholders would soon be coming for her, Alahandra jumped into her Bag of Holding. As it slowly floated to the ground, Alahandra found herself inside a featureless ten by ten room. Looking about she realized there were no obvious exits.
Unfortunately no one witnessed Alahandra jumping into the bag.

The battle over, the three Beholders began to talk amongst one another. Unable to sense Alahandra, the two undead Beholders circled about, confused searching for Alahandra.

Slowly, the dead undead began to rise back from the undeath. Syd found himself stuck within his Headband of Intellect, unable to take any form. He sensed that the setting of the sun might set him free, but knew he would not likely exist for it to happen. Syd was an heirloom wraith, his headband of intellect was the only evidence of his existence, it lay on the ground where he dematerialized. Syd had possessed his previously owned item.

Gorath reformed, this time taking corporeal shape as an animated set of dancing bones. Feeling his grasp on his faculties slipping Gorath fired one last, desperate Disintegrate at G’Banrak, his hatred of her maintaining his mind just long enough. Even asleep, however, she resisted his magic and woke to see Gorath’s skeleton begin to shuffle about in a macabre dance.

Orendil returned, insane, little more than a formless presence, hungering for fear. When his presence failed to inspire any fear in anyone present, however, he began to babble with insanity, creating a melody that Gorath danced to.

Super Commie returned as an heirloom wraith destined to possess his aquatic breathing mask.

Zoltan returned moments after as an heirloom wraith to possess his blaster rifle.

G’Banrak eagerly followed the living beholder as it returned into the terrarium and left Milo’s sight. The beholder carried Gordon’s statue away with it telekinetically for a trophy. The living Beholder floated away, returning to his post to the north, and the Kasharin beholder soon left as well returning south. The second undead Beholder remained exactly where he had been originally posted, much to Milo’s dismay.

Since none of the undead could sense Alahandra, she was trapped in EDS, extra-dimensional space, they wandered around without purpose or any hope of easing the pain and suffering of being undead.
Gorath the dancing skeleton picked up the Zoltan possessed blaster rifle then wandered around dancing in the terrarium. Orendil remained in the drop tube room spouting gibberish. Gorath returned a few times to dance with the Fade Orendil.

Milo soon became mobile and remained hidden, but the Doomsphere didn’t leave its post. Freeing himself, Milo began to walk away, knowing the end was soon. He could no longer sense Alahandra, and while he did not know what that meant, it couldn’t be good. He contemplated calling the Dragon Empire in order to give a last warning, but he knew his communication would not get through. Idly, he wondered if the computer could have warned everyone of this, considering its future knowledge. He just didn’t ask the right questions. He couldn’t sense that she was anywhere, she must have escaped the beholder massacre, but where was she?

Suddenly, sharp pains began to stab him up and down his arms. Realizing it was Alahandra’s pain he was feeling, he wondered if perhaps the pain could help lead him to her.

Inside the Bag of Holding, Alahandra was beginning to run out of air. Knowing it was a long shot, she began to prick herself with a dagger, letting Milo know she still lived, and hoping he could save her in time.