Blade Of The Balron
From Atlantic Roleplay Wiki
Title: Blade of the Balron
Author: Gen. Navrip Freemech
Many nights ago the ancient wizard Aderick Volten came to the Holy Disciples of the Darkness with a plea for help. He needed us to help him in his quest for eternal life. Immortality without undeath. He claimed he knew a spell he had researched over his long lifetime that would give him that immortality he so desired.
We agreed to his request to help him, after he named an ambiguous, but tempting, price. He then told us the first component of his spell… The sword of a Balron.
This was a daunting task, but it was accepted. Then the old man added a stipulation. Though we could enter by magical means, we wouldn’t be able to leave through similar routes. The magic of the spells would taint his work and make it all for naught. The old man left and bade us return it within a set period of time.
We spent many nights of aborted missions and planning before we finally gathered the troops we needed to decend into the bowels of Hythloth and retrieve the sword. Many decended into the depths to retrieve it. Navrip, the Dark General of the Holy Disciples led the excursion, along with Mara Jade of H^D, Dreamweaver, Bestial Warlust, Anwar, Selie, and Rune Artisem of OES, and Merlin of CIN.
The party gated into the infernal pit and found themselves face to face with a horrible Lord of the Abyss. Time was short and the party quickly headed to safer ground to plan their attack. Hordes of lesser monsters protected the beast. It was decided that these should be slain from afar by Meteor Swarms tossed by the skilled hands of Merlin and Rune. After some time, a clear path was made to the Lord, who had suffered some minor damage from the previous meteor swarms.
As one, the party entered the dwelling of the Lord and did battle with it. Several fell, as even a wounded balron is a creature able to kill many ordinary men. Luckily, few, if any, of those gathered were human. Some were undead, others drow, one even a machine. Finally, the balron was felled and Navrip pried the magical broadsword it carried from its dead hand.
"I have the sword," Navrip declared. "Let us leave this place!" The weary band, many of whom were aided in regaining corporeal form through the spells of their allies, agreed heartily.
Just then, a loud cry came from behind them. "Yuu kill Bloodgud! We clump yuu!" a horrid orcish lord proclaimed. All ready weary from fighting, the force turned to the new threat. The orcs put up a good fight, but they were soon felled.
"Quick," Navrip said as he tended to a wound. "We must get to the exit before another balron comes to investi-"
"So, puny mortals, you are those who killed my brother? Well, you shall now pay!” a booming voice rang out. As one, the band turned to see a huge Slayer standing before them, blood dripping down it's unholy blade.
"Retreat!" Navrip ordered.
"Run!" someone else shouted. The party turned tail and ran, knowing that the new balron would be too much for them. The creature laughed and lazily followed behind his prey, picking them off one by one. A few managed to escape to an upper layer, but Navrip, who was holding the sword, fell.
Luckily, the mages survived, perhaps because they weren’t burdened down by the heavier armor of the fighters. Rune and Merlin set about ressurecting the fallen. "We must retrieve the sword!” Navrip said.
The others grimmly agreed, but none knew how to face the onslaught of the balron below. A few waves of attack were made, but all were defeated. The ghosts were given solid form again by the healers and everyone settled down to plan.
Finally, Merlin thought of something. Without explaining himself, he rushed down the stairs. The balron turned to chase him, but as Merlin rounded a corner, he cast a spell of invisibility about himself. The balron turned to slay him, but found an empty hallway. The thing looked about for his prey, but couldn’t find it.
In the mean time, the others had retrieved the sword. The balron was drawn off by the sounds of other adventurers who meant to invade his new lair. Relieved, the other turned to limp their way out of the dungeon.
They were only moments away from the entrance, when a huge family of orcs, with several ettin cousins, decended upon them. Groaning at their luck, the group fought through the first group. The second group surrounded several of them, and had mages among their number. These brought several of the party low. The others were driven off when gargoyles came and split the group apart.
When the survivors were being counted, they noticed that none had the sword. Cursing their luck, they headed back down, prepared to find the blade. Merlin summoned a daemon, who waded into the packs of orcs and ettins, slaying several before it was brought down by their mass.
To the horror of the questors, the blade was no where to be found. All hope was lost until Merlin casually announced, "I found the sword." The others stood in shock as he produced the sword from his pack. It was indeed the sword from the balron. "An orc had looted it. Aparently, that thing is bad luck. Everyone who touches it gets killed!"
The others agreed and set sail back to Caina. The sail was uneventful. Finally, the boat landed on the shores of Caina. There, in the Chapel of Desolaion, Navrip produced the blade to a waiting Aedrick. The old man was wracked with coughs and spasms, and leaned heavily upon his cane.
"Yes, this is definitely the sword!" the aging mage said excitedly, before being wracked with coughs.
"Aye," Navrip hissed, "now, where is our payment?"
"Ah," Aderick said. "Yes, you did a very valiant job. Very worthy of payment… once you have retrieved the other components of the spell, of course."
Everyone was irate. "What other components?" Navrip asked, after insults were brandied about.
The old man suddenly yawned. "You shall see tommorow. I am weary from waiting for you and must rest. Farewell."
The old man left, giving only his word that he would return on Sunday at 10:00 PM, Caina (Eastern) time.