Time passes and you sense flashing motes of light streaking past your closed eyes, and faint far away sounds come dimly to your ears through the howling wind. Then, as suddenly as it began, the sensation of falling ceases and you feel yourself lurching forwards onto wet, rocky soil. Rain spatters your face and, when you open your eyes, you see that you have returned to Magnamund … and to terrible danger.
‘Kill him!’ It is the voice of Arch Druid Cadak. You have emerged from the Shadow Gate and now you lie on the ground between the great shimmering arch and Cadak’s crystal dais. You have only just found your feet when a growling horde of vengeful acolytes close in upon you, eager to fulfil their leader’s wish.
Acolytes of Vashna: COMBAT SKILL 40 ENDURANCE 45
I blow through them. I use Kai-Surge to lose 4 EP and to do…9 to them. Then we fight. These are weird unpowered troops. Remember the 50 cs 80 EP force early on in Plague Lords? Now you have this weak Acolytes late? Even without the Sommerswerd, I have 48 vs them in a final battle. That seems really strong. I toss a 9, and that’s 18/0 on a +8 ratio. +1 for my fire stuff. Then I toss a 6 and its 12 and 1. Then a 4 and they die. I took 7 total EP damage (Let’s say I used my nonmagical dagger to show off)
I can choose to use the Deathstaff as your weapon during this fight, you may add 10 to your COMBAT SKILL. By the by.
The few acolytes who survive the fight count themselves lucky and flee for their lives. ‘Fools!’ screams Cadak, at his routing acolytes. ‘Must I do everything myself!’
With these words he bangs the tip of his staff three times against the floor of the dais and a gout of crackling energy arcs through the rain-laden air towards you. Instinctively, you raise the Deathstaff and catch the arcing bolt on its haft. There is a flash of sparks; then the crackling energy flickers and disappears.
Cadak curses loudly and promises that you are about to die, but for all his bravado you sense that he is scared. He recognizes the Deathstaff for what it is and he fears that, in your hands, it could lay waste to all his meticulous plans. The aged druid looks to the stormy clouds and screams a command to the circling Vortexi to help him finish you once and for all.
The howling phantoms come swirling out of the storm. They encircle the great shimmering arch in a long, unbroken chain, and then, one by one, they peel away to dive at the place where you are standing.
Your Kai instincts inform you that the Deathstaff possesses the power to repel these psychic phantoms, if you have the courage to use it. You also sense that there will inevitably be a price to pay if you use a weapon forged by the King of all Darkness.
(I am not using the Deathstaff. Go away)
You resist the urge to make use of the Deathstaff to ward off the approaching Vortexi horde. You would rather trust in your own goodly powers than use a weapon forged of evil.
Lashed by the wind and the rain, you steel yourself as the screaming phantoms come swooping down to attack.
(Do I have….Kai Screen and Grand Guardian rank? Assimilance and the same? I do have the first)
You draw on your defensive skill of Mindblend to protect and keep hidden your psyche from the attacking horde. The Vortexi are psychic creatures who actively seek out their prey by the strength of their mind waves. Your Discipline disrupts this homing process and many, in the final few hundred yards of their dive, fail to lock on to your location and waste their attack.
But there are still those among the horde who sense accurately where you are. When they attack, you are forced to defend yourself vigorously.
Vortexi: COMBAT SKILL 40 ENDURANCE 22
For every level of Kai rank you have attained above that of Kai Grand Guardian, you may add 2 to your COMBAT SKILL for the duration of this fight. If you possess the Sommerswerd, restore 5 points to your ENDURANCE points score.
(So again, with a nonmagical dagger, and the + to my ranks, I am getting enough of a bonus to get a hugh +11 or more ratio. I toss a 1 and take 3 and deal 10. Then a 4 follows and they die. I took 4 more. I healed 3 in the passages between here, so I’m at -8 right now)
You have destroyed the power of the Vortexi horde. They shrink and fade, and their faint, wispy remains are whipped up and dispersed by the winds of the raging storm. For a few moments there is a break in the roiling clouds and a few rays of sunlight burst through to bathe you in a warm, yellow glow. This warmth greatly invigorates your body and your mind: restore your ENDURANCE points score to its original level.
(So yay, healing! At least one more battle is coming!)