As everyone readies for combat, Arkesh murmurs on the party’s link, almost to herself, <Wondrous! Fighting side by side with her, I can see the effects of my own movements ahead a second or two in Time, and adjust to dodge, and make my own sword hit! I can hardly miss anything, even though I can see everything ahead except these cursed Marauders…
She is enthralling… I’ll not let myself fall to her, no matter how the witch entices me, but we MUST have this for ourselves.>
Then Arkesh relays Gleron's demand from the intruder’s Link: Star! If my allies are to fight Thrash along with yours, I need them on your map. You are already tracking us to some extent; I’ll open them to you, and you put them there now, Empress, under the Truce of Lolth.
Star says I do not command, but I do bargain; you are free to choose to accept, or not. If I do this and give you full access to our Link and combat map, then we merge our links fully; you will not hold back to keep yours private even in part, nor use our links against us. I do not want conspiracy delving my own thoughts with such unequal footing. Do you so pledge, by Lolth’s own Truce and her claim on you after death?
Arkesh: So. You put the safety of my return from afterlife into the bargain. Clever witch… the one thing of value to me that you can trust. Yes, I pledge, only because the Truce must be kept… and I MUST have that map.
Star replies, Then… It is done.
Arkesh opens the link to Star, and there is a brief disorientation of double-vision as Star merges the flow on the map. Then she adds directly to Gleron, I do not want to have to burn Arkesh’s allies further with my defenses, than I already have. No one deserves to be eaten by Illithids who are not Illithids themselves, not even ones who fight alongside them… not by my hand; I will not reduce myself to their level. If you survive this battle, I’ll remove Agra’s taint from you if it pleases you to do so.
This transaction has taken instants, at the speed of thought; the party can now see clearly into the cavern through spy parrot eyes, where the Force Puppet has just arrived.
A rush of events spills across the Link.
The portal is a silvery rippling surface, lit dimly by the wan, fitful glow of Dwarven runes in the floor that the orc has somehow cobbled together. In the dim light, the orderly flow of goblins driven by the Uruk-Hais’ whips through the silvery curtain suddenly cuts off, as the goblins coming through stumble, feet and legs slashed and bloody. They fall, and are trampled by goblins apparently fleeing from the other side, also with legs and feet slashed. Then small knots stagger through, badly slashed all over with whip marks, and collapse on the dais. Thrash whirls and pushes through the silver curtain for a look; his hand passes through the curtain, beginning a gesture. Then the orc whirls back and starts scanning the rear walls of the cavern where the entrance tunnels are, apparently looking for enemies. He hasn’t looked overhead yet to spot the Force Puppet, but some of the goblins have spotted the Symbol of Fear burning on its chest, and start falling to the floor, wailing in terror.
More Uruk-Hai come through the portal, whipping along goblins that look dazed and sick; the flow of fresh goblins drops to a trickle.
The Force Puppet slams down the Wall of Force, and the flow through the portal stops.
An instant later the party receives a report from Sable back to his group on the link, that he has triggered a Null Zone incense stick in the floor directly underneath the portal.
A figure bursts through the silver curtain near the top of the portal arch, blazing with indigo light like a dark blue meteor, flying fast but out of control, and sails in a low, flat arc across the dais. The arc carries it out over the broad, grand staircase of ornate stone steps descending toward the cavern floor, and its momentum takes it as far as the last few steps before it crash-lands, tumbling head over heels down the last few steps to the bottom and out onto the cavern floor.
The figure finally comes to rest some 60 to 70 feet beyond the portal and down the grand stair in the midst of a crowd of astonished goblins who are all scrambling to get out of the way of the indigo meteor to avoid getting crushed on impact. They want no part of this strange sudden visitor, least of all to be his comfortable landing pad. Then the figure vanishes.
Then events become even stranger.
There is a bright flicker in a brief burst of colors repeated several times, and another thought bursts onto the link through Star’s awareness from a tiny creature of Light blazing in all colors, saying with delight, Vingilot! Vingilot! Vingilot! Creator! Summoner! Weaver!, over and over.
There is a brief flash of too-bright image from the elves’ fight with the Witchlight Marauders. There are only eight Witchlights left in motion, four around the Armada crew and four around Arkesh and Star; Star has just whipped another of the Witchlights, which is now struggling with Frakaggan, caught between its impulse to eat everything in its path and the knowledge that to eat the whip has meant death for two other Witchlights already. It tries to sever the whip with a bite, but can’t seem to get through it. Arkesh takes the opportunity to slash off all of its tentacles and one of its legs, and it falls.
Star calls to the whip, Frakaggan, would it please you to watch that side!?!
As the link between Star and the flashing creature stabilizes, she generates a momentary series of bright color flashes in a return greeting. Then Star speaks on the link directly to another creature, apparently now being joined to the link through the connection between the tiny creature of Light and herself. He appears on the combat map at the same time; it’s the creature who just sailed through the portal, blazing in indigo!
Without any context to make sense of it, the conversation is certainly very confusing to everyone else.
Darayat! What a pleasant surprise! And just in Time! That painted orc is Thrash, the one who brought these monsters, who ruined the Multiverse the last time they were unleashed, just as Evil’s webs broke the world you were to visit when last we met… the two events were one. The bigger versions of these creatures ate everything there was, in these worlds, beginning with the elves. But we are dealing with them here.
I see by its distinctive aura that you have brought the elf-sword Maegnas; it was made against all of Morgoth’s twisted spawn, including orcs! If it pleases you to deal with Thrash and the other orc-spawn, you may find Maegnas to be pleased greatly too!
Arkesh hisses at the name Maegnas, adding her voice on the link. WHAT??! That sword is Maegnas? The Spider’s Bane? What folly is this, to bring legendary doom from the First Age of Making into this battle? But… let Thrash taste its might as it tears out his throat. May it unravel his plans! Just keep it far from my Queen, you harbinger of destruction, Darayat, or I’ll have you in pieces, no matter Maegnas is with you!!
Then Arkesh snarls at Star over her shoulder, fighting back to back behind her, You! Witch, you know this late arrival! You drew him here! but Star cuts her off cooly, I did no such thing. It is just as Winston Wished at the Gods’ beckoning, when Dream twisted round and nearly wrecked the Second Age by dreaming The Nothing: Whenever imbalance arises that is so powerful as to destroy all things, a counterbalance shall arise. Arkesh, can you not feel it? You and I and the rest of us here are all caught up in the threads of Gods’ weaving against each other as the power of their desires goes out into the worlds and all places between, across Time, and if we do not find a way to keep the balance… Star cuts off as the Witchlights seize the momentary distraction as an opportunity to push their attacks and the two elves fight for their lives.
Meanwhile, the party has their own hands full, with a cavern full of thousands of goblins churning in weirdly flickering lighting from Corlin’s blasts making the rocks glow; nearly a dozen Uruk-Hai out of nightmares; and an orc shaman of still unknown powers who consorts with Witchlight Marauders. Good thing that none of those are here!
((This thread ends here. Please see the OOC thread for your next instructions.))
