[Alliance] Chapter Five: Session Eighty-Seven
Appearing Characters: Amar'zan Ardorbound, Angerforge, Beth'tilac, Dagran Thaurissan I, Executus, Garr, Geddon, Gehennas, Gilveradin Windrunner, Hydraxis, Kuldath, Liiraluma, Ragnaros, Rhyolith, Shazzrah, Uther Menethil, Velameestra Windrunner, Victor Prestor
December 5th
Geddon looked down at Uther, who had miraculously revived.
Geddon’s eyes glowed, and a concentrated heat bore down on Uther. He steeled his mind, and was able to resist the overwhelming force that tried to stoke his own ambition. Geddon seethed as he loomed over Uther. The paladin erected an arcane [Shield] after the first strike hit, and the other two were deflected aside.
Garr summoned more reinforcements as more magmakin emerged from the lava along with a floating, fiendish monstrosity with a blazing plate of obsidian. Garr’s fist blazed as he started to slam it into Victor. The prince flipped over the first strike, but the massive elemental sent Victor staggering back.
Vel had been in the midst of a panicked, despairing screech when Gil and Uther had fallen, a bloody tear streaking down her face. Seeing them revive, Vel immediately used [Vortex Warp] to wrench Gil out of harm’s way before she spun in a flurry of steel and used [Steel Wind Strike] to decimate all the magmakin and strike fearsome wounds into Garr and Beth'tilac.
Luma harnessed a swirl of arcane energy and sand that spiraled around Luma and jumped between them, Victor, and Gil, rewinding many of their wounds. Gil used [Swift Quiver] and unleashed a flurry of chilling shots on Beth’tilac. The chill started to harden her joints as ice crystals started to take hold. Fiery draconic wings shot out of Gil’s back, and Geddon and a nearby magmakin was sent hurling back. Geddon stayed standing because he had no legs. Geddon swung at Gil, but he spiraled through the air and evaded the attack.
Victor launched himself over the fissure and landed on Beth'tilac's back. He drove his sword into her back once, twice, and the third strike pierced through her head with an explosion of molten blood. The spider screeched and collapsed to the ground, dead.
Lord Rhyolith moved over to the dormant volcano and broke it open as he dug through frozen soot. He clawed up chunks of magma and poured it into himself, reactivating the volcano as it erupted with a plume of magma over Uther.
Garr held his hands together and a magnetic force charged between them. He released a pulse across Vel, Victor, Gil, and Luma. However, they were able to resist as the effect tried to pull their magic away. In Beth'tilac’s death throes, she lashed out and clipped Victor.
Rhyolith lumbered over to Uther.
He raised his fist up and came it slamming down, but shadowy magic wafted from Victor’s eyes as he used [Silvery Barbs].
The fist slammed into the ground and erupted the earth, which clattered across Uther. Liquid obsidian dripped from the elemental and lashed out at Uther, but he evaded the slag.
Amar'zan Ardorbound slashed his blade through the sky and released a rain of fire across the battlefield.
As fire rained down, Victor and Luma just took the damage as Vel expertly dodge the fire. Uther ducked behind his shield and was only minorly scorched.
The firesworn flew towards Vel and started to conjure magma. He pointed a claw at Vel, and Vel felt a burning sensation as she realized he was trying to cause the air in her throat to combust. She involuntarily coughed but it wasn’t effective.
Garr summoned more reinforcements onto the field… just in time for an explosion of [Holy Wrath] to radiate from Uther. Several of the magmakin exploded and Ardorbound was thrown across the ground. Uther leaped on Ardorbound and slammed his hammer into the efreet as he struggled to right himself.
Ardorbound’s eyes flashed as he started to cast [Wish]. Vel lurched her hand forward and seemingly dug her claws into something unseen as she grabbed hold of the magic.
She ripped the spell away from him, countering it.
The efreet scrambled for the traces of his magic and snarled as he looked over at the mage. He hurled a [Dispel Magic] at her, stripping off the low level magic on her and shutting down her eye, but he was only able to get a few of quality of life buffs off. Vel staggered as half of her vision went out.
He started to glow brightly as force radiated through his body, and Garr surged through the fissure and slammed his fist at both Vel and Gil, but only managed to get Gil with an explosion of dirt.
Vel drove her sword into Garr and it began to flash freeze as the sword stuck in his body. She then harnessed a hyper-focused lance of cold energy which exploded through the weakened section, causing chunks to fly off.
Gil repositioned and shot at Ardorbound before he placed a [[Spells/Rejuvenation | [Rejuvenation]] on himself.
Another lava spout erupted where Uther was and started to move around the area. However, the volcano Rhyolith had awakened crumbled and collapsed into itself. Magmakin started to explode all around Uther.
Ardorbound staggered out of his prone condition, but icy rime covered his body.
He slashed his blade in an arc at the magmakin and Uther. The magmakin started to explode as Uther collapsed to the ground. Uther blasted Ardorbound with a desperate strike.
Geddon reared back and started to explode in a fiery inferno that swept over the battlefield.
The blast should have killed Geddon, but he staggered, just barely standing. Ardorbound, however, was nowhere to be seen, having been destroyed by the explosion.
Luma used [Chain Heal] again, and Uther’s eyes opened as Victor and Gil were also healed.
Rhyolith’s core started to super heat as he appeared to start exploding from the inside. Uther swung his hammer around and blew out the obsidian of Rhyolith’s knee and the obsidian armor crumbled to the ground, interrupting his explosion. However, the molten, fiery creature beneath the armor was released, and the heat in his vicinity was unbearable.
A massive swelling of heat erupted from Rhyolith, and Uther staggered to his feet and hefted his hammer. He used [Flash of Light] on himself, and then started to swing into Geddon’s body.
Victor leaped on Geddon and drove his sword in the heart of the elemental.
He exploded again as Victor then turned his focus on Rhyolith. He deflected a firesworn aside, and Vel closed on Rhyolith as well, tearing into him with her claws as she then once more blasted an [Ice Lance] into the giant.
Garr slammed his hands together and another magnetic pulse radiated out, stripping Luma and Gil of their gifts of alacrity. However, Duke Hydraxis swirled through the battlefield.
He materialized a lance of water and impaled Rhyolith with it, causing a blanket of steam to roll off him from the massive hit.
Gil fired an arrow at the obsidian core at Rhyolith’s center, and the giant’s fire was completely consumed by ice that crumbled to the ground. Gil then turned his bow on Garr and released another explosion of ice. Garr rushed at Gil and tried to clobber him with his fists while Luma lined up a shot. The shot went wide.
Uther ran at Garr as he moved for a swing, but Uther met his fist with his hammer and shattered the hand. The shockwave went through Garr’s body, and the elemental exploded.
Vel had turned into mist and rematerialized right next to Uther and Gil, clearly keen to check them both over and worry evident on her face. Uther admitted he had been better before, though not by much.
Vel blinked, simultaneously stunned and overcome with emotion at a joke of all things. She deflated, a streak of blood on her cheek from the path of a tear as she then turned over to Gil and caused a mage hand to appear so she could examine him more thoroughly as well.
Gil just let it happen, as he didn’t know what else to do or say.
He kicked one of the limbs of the spider.
Victor blinked at him.
Gil promptly moved to examine some of the corpses, and after watching her brother just move to assess harvesting potentials after such a harrowing experience, she just sat down with a hand on her face.
The Hydraxian Waterlords moved in to secure the area and he informed the group they were close to the ritual grounds. He asked if they were still good to be the vanguard, as he would be glad to do so if they needed to fall back, but he was assured they were still ready to fight.
They heard clapping, and they rounded to see Emperor Thaurissan himself. He congratulated them and explained those elementals were five of Ragnaros’s most loyal and powerful servants.
He raised Ironfoe, and the essence of the creatures were swept into the hammer. Five more of the runes on the hammer lit up.
Vel suddenly stood up with an explosion of emotion.
Thaurissan held up a hearthstone, and Vel flung a bolt of ice at him, but he raised Ironfoe and deflected the blast aside before he disappeared.
The group steeled themselves and they stepped over the bodies of elementals and foes as they approached the burning gate of elementium. They pushed deeper and deeper, now miles beneath the surface, and the corridor turned into more of a natural tunnel. There was no light save for the glow of the magma.
Below them were hundreds of figures awaiting them. There were flamewalkers prostrating themselves. Dark Iron dwarves stood guard with Angerforge at the head, and the head was a massive salamander, his body covered and kissed with flame with the holy marks of Ragnaros emblazoned on his body.
The fighting began as Executus called for Kuldath to prove themselves to the Firelord. The maga started to churn and the cooled magma started to break. The group’s allies tore a hole through the defenses.
Vel stepped up to the forefront as she held out the vessel Hydraxis had given them.
She activated the vessel, and a dome of magic manifested around them as a piece of Duke Hydraxis’s domain flowed into the chamber.
Executus raised his trident.
A trident of fire manifested and created an explosion of flame that washed over the domain of Hydraxis, which largely sheltered them.
Executus slithered backwards as the swarm of flamewalkers started to surge up the ramp to reach the group. Shazzrah attempted to dispel the domain, but was unsuccessful.
Shazzrah hurled a [Shadow Bolt] at Vel, but the shot went wide. Luma stepped forward and lined up their shot with their disruptor rifle. They fired, and the shot nailed Executus directly, but the massive flamewalker summoned an aegis of Ragnaros that absorbed some of the damage. Luma then set the disruptor rifle aside and pulled out Titanstrike.
Uther used [Holy Weapon] on his hammer as he readied himself for the engagement just outside the domain.
Gehennas laughed.
He created a ring of fire around the domain, facing inwards as he attempted to boil the group out. Gil stepped to the edge of the domain. However, Uther felt the curse of Gehennas take root on him from the burn of the fire.
Gil conjured a [Luminous Barrier] on himself and Uther. He then used [Hunter’s Mark] on Gehennas.
A massive creature suddenly erupted from the lava and released a roar. Two long wings extended from its back. It had two prominent hind limbs and smaller forelimbs. Kuldath, the Magma Patriarch, a primal dragon, emerged.
The magma dragon soared at the group and released a line of magma across the group, which was largely nullified by the water.
Executus turned to Angerforge.
Executus held out a hand, and all at once the soldiers all began to shriek as their brands burned and they all fell to the ground.
Angerforge grabbed his axe.
He grabbed the dwarf, and his eyes erupted with magma as the dwarf swelled to 8 feet tall as shards of cooled magma erupted from his flesh. Executus repeated his order, and Angerforge complied, magma pouring from his mouth. He started to head towards the party.
Kuldath glowered at Vel, but she regarded him impassively. Shazzrah slithered across the lava and cast [Nether Tempest].
He slashed through the air, opening up an isolated portal to the Twisting Nether that erupted with energy.
Vel reached out with [Vortex Warp] to try and drag Shazzrah into the domain, and he started to panic and just barely managed to sever the teleportation before he could be dragged into the water.
As Hydraxis readied himself to surge forward, Executus shouted that they needed more men.
He was interrupted by a surge of magic, and magma issued forth like blood from Executus’s mouth. He looked down, and in the center of his chest was a gaping hole about three feet in diameter. He dropped his trident to the ground.
Standing behind him, his hand still smoking, was Emperor Dagran Thaurissan.
He slammed the hammer into the back of the massive flamewalker’s head, and Executus fell, dead. The flamewalkers stared, aghast, as the flames around Executus began to flow.
His beard burned as the flames washed around him and the runes emblazoned on his flesh.
Executus’s soul was drawn into the hammer.
He stepped to the edge of the pit and looked up at the group.
His eyes met Uther’s.
He started to glow with flame.
A column of heat erupted from the center, and Thaurissan was consumed by the heat as he looked up with a stern smile. From the center, a massive form emerged, a skull burning at the height of a towering elemental. His massive maw was the size of even the largest
He turned, but saw the slain body of Executus, and the form of Dagran Thaurissan as he was incinerated.
He looked up at the group.
