The queen smiled at Fitz. “You old goat. When are you NOT up to mischief of one kind or another? What have you done?”
The old wizard waggled his eyebrows at her. “I simply anticipated your need. This afternoon I constructed a portal at what is now the Greystone Guild compound here in your city. King Charles and King Thalgrin both stand ready to provide troops at need. You only have to ask.”
Kai added, “My father proposes an alliance between Antalia, Stormforge, Elysia, Broken Mountain, the Dragon Kingdom, and the Elven Nation. At least, to start. We will add more nations as we can. This is no longer about boundaries and trade. This is about survival. Light versus dark. The loser shall perish utterly.”
Margaret smiled at the old wizard. “Cheeky, as always. Thank you, Fitz. It would be a grand sight to see a dwarven shield wall and a few hundred Stormforge longbows surrounding Chaos Nation.”
Alexander grinned. “Then it is settled. Fitz will get you some reinforcements. My group will take the fight inside. We took some teleport scrolls from the Chaos Nation adventurers we killed at our gates. We’ll take their house the same way we took PWP’s.” He looked at Fitz. “It would help to have some dwarves and mages in the tunnels as well, in case they try to escape that way. And some way to heal any citizens who are struck with those damned dark worm spells.”
The queen added. “We have had several local adventurers volunteer to assist us. Might they be of some help?”
Alexander considered for a moment. “Not knowing them, I cannot trust them to be among us on the inside. However, if they were willing to attack the house from the outside, serve as a distraction, that would be helpful. I can put a few of my people with them to coordinate and monitor.”
The queen nodded. “I will give them appropriates quests and rewards to do as you ask.”
“Then I think we have a plan. Can you tell me where the Chaos Nation house is located?”
The queen laughed. “It won’t be hard for you to find. It sits directly behind your new guild house!”
Shaking his head, Alexander said, “That makes sense. I guess. Easy for them to communicate.” He checked his map of the tunnels below the city. “And the same tunnel that leads to the PWP house runs right beneath the Chaos Nation house.”
Fitz said, “Kai and I will go fetch the reinforcements. We’ll return in an hour.” A moment later, both were gone.
Alexander looked apologetically at the queen. “I did object when Fitz suggested the portal.”
The queen chuckled. “Let me guess. He told you I would approve it anyway. There’s no stopping that old fool when he gets his mind set on something.”
“You sound like you know him well. Lady Lydia speaks of him in almost the same manner.”
“Fitz has been around longer than anyone, but the dragons can remember. And he’s older than most of them if you believe his stories. My father consulted Fitz many times before he died. He was often in the palace when I was little and would tell me stories. He did the same for my daughter.”
She took a deep breath, then let it out. “But enough about Fitz. Let us plan the disposition of my troops. If you wouldn’t mind signaling Sir Jeffrey to join us? And maybe someone from your guild?”
“Sasha,” Alexander confirmed. “She’s our chief strategist. Way smarter than I am. And Brick, to help me with a little project while we talk.”
He rose and went to the door. He opened guild chat as he walked. “Sasha, will you and Brick please follow Sir Jeffrey.”
Opening the door, he found he already had Sir Jeffrey’s attention. He signaled for the knight to join them. Sasha and Brick were already making their way across the room a ways behind him. Alexander let Sir Jeffrey pass by him to speak with the queen while he waited for his people.
When they were all seated, the queen updated them quickly. While she spoke, Alexander pulled four chunks of obsidian from his bag. He shaped each of them into rough tubes, then handed three of them to Brick to shape triggers while he began enchanting the first one.
When the queen finished outlining their plan, Sir Jeffrey began to calculate how many men they could safely commit. Sasha spoke up. “If I might make a suggestion?”
“Of course, go ahead,” Queen Margaret replied. Alexander traded his finished cannon to Brick for a trigger while he took a new one to enchant.
“If we’re going to use local adventurers as a distraction, why not really sell it? Have your men make a show of moving in behind them and forming up as they attack the building. Let the observers for Chaos Nation speculate as to whether your men are there to keep the peace, or aid in the attack. The more confusion we can create, the more of a surprise we’ll be inside. Once our attack has begun, our people outside will signal Sir Jeffrey, and your troops can withdraw to let the dwarves form their shield wall. They can then provide support if needed. Watch the dwarves’ backs in case an outside force tries to join in.”
Sir Jeffrey replied, “I like how you think, young lady!”
Alexander added, “Any resources you have that can provide light magic support would be helpful. If there are drow agents nearby, they will approach in stealth. And their stealth abilities are considerable. So blanket area light spells behind the troops and around the house would be useful. Or spells with splash damage like fire, water, ice. Once exposed, they really aren’t so tough.” He set down the second cannon and picked up a third.
He motioned for Brick to hand Sir Jeffrey one of the finished ones. “This will help your men, both in the coming battle and in future battles. We call them light cannons. When an activation word is spoken, and the trigger pulled, they will emit a beam of damaging light magic. They can be fired in short bursts, or in a sustained beam that can be swept across an area like a blade. Good for catching stealthy drow.” He grinned.
Handing another finished cannon to the queen, he picked up the fourth. “If you were to choose eight men and a safe place to demonstrate these, Prince Edward is an expert in their use. He has been training his own men with these weapons for the last week or so.”
“Why eight men?” the queen asked, looking at the four weapons.
Sir Jeffrey answered for Alexander. “In case one of them gets cut down.”
Sasha went to go fetch Edward while Alexander finished the fourth cannon. As he handed the last one to Sir Jeffrey, he also handed over a medium-grade soul gem. “Each of these, when fully charged, will have about two minutes of sustained beam use. After your men take a few practice shots, use this to recharge them all. Edward can show you how if necessary. Please make it very clear to your men. In this battle, these weapons are not meant to kill. They should make fast sweeps of their assigned areas, no more than two or three seconds at a time.” He put his arms up as if he were holding a cannon and quickly swept them across the room. “The point is to do enough damage to expose any stealthed drow, and let their comrades do the killing.”
Sir Jeffrey nodded in understanding, holding the cannon and imitating Alexander’s movement.
Alexander then suggested, “I’ll teleport my people back to the guild house quickly and quietly. Let any spies believe we’re still here in the palace. Maybe have some music playing in here when the time comes? We’ll make sure there are no drow in the room, then lock the doors. Anyone listening outside will assume the dinner continues. In fact, I should have cleared this room already.”
Without warning, Sasha covered the floors around them in Vine Traps, while Alexander cast random magic bolts in every direction. At the same time, he shouted in guild chat. “Drow may be in the palace! Seal the room! Use aoes to detect them, then kill them!” He heard yelling in the other room.
One of Sasha’s vines exposed a dark elf. It cursed and drew twin daggers. Alexander cast Levitate on it, lifting it off the floor. Having no traction, the drow could only attempt to throw its daggers at the queen. Sir Jeffrey lifted a chair and used it to block both weapons, then drew his sword and stabbed the drow until it stopped moving.
“
Damn” Alexander swore. “We’ll have to assume that he heard our plans and has passed them on. So they’ll be expecting us.”
One of the queen’s guards burst into the room. “Sir Jeffrey! Drow in the palace…” his voice drifted off as he noted the dead drow still floating in the air. Alexander let it drop.
The guard continued. “Two more were discovered in the dining hall. They managed to wound a guard, and a servant before king Alexander’s people killed them.”
Alexander said, “The drow use poison on their blades! Sasha, we need antidotes.”
Sasha ran to the other room, where Gina was already tending to the two wounded. She quickly explained about the poison, and the two women began trying to identify what might have been used.
The queen said, “I’ve just sealed over the doors and windows in the palace. No one will be moving anywhere.”
“Your Majesty… Margaret. It may not be safe for you or your daughter here. That drow went straight for you when he was discovered. I could teleport you somewhere safe…”
“I will not leave my people exposed while I hide. We will sweep the palace room by room.”
“You don’t have time for that,” Alexander argued. Then an idea struck him. “Do you have a chapel here? In the building?”
The queen shook her head. “The chapel is across the courtyard.”
“Any objection to us making one?”
The queen shook her head. “No…?”
“Great! Please come with me. Sir Jeffrey, watch the queen’s back?”
The three of them moved into the dining room. Alexander started shouting. “Brick! Grumpy! I need you. Also, are there any priests in here?” he called out before remembering the PWP officers. “Sorry, stupid question,” he said as they waved at him. “I need priests for as many gods as we can find!”
Alexander moved to the back of the room. He didn’t want to ruin the queen’s dining hall by plopping an altar in the middle of it.
He had to search deep into the earth before he found a chunk of obsidian large enough for their use. He quickly pulled it up to them, yanking it through the lower levels of the palace. “I’m afraid I’m doing a bit of damage in your dungeons.” He apologized.
Brick and Grumpy quickly shaped the altar. Then Brick etched Durin’s hammer onto the side. Alexander said, “Priests, I need you to draw the symbols of your gods for Brick and Grumpy to copy onto the altar. Quickly!”
Martin grabbed a table knife and scratched the staff and snake of Asclepius right onto the face of the altar. Brick etched it more cleanly with his shaping skill. One by one the priests stepped forward to do the same. When they were done, the symbols of five gods of light appeared on the face of the altar.
“Now pray! Everybody. Pray to your chosen gods to protect this palace and its grounds. Pray for them to protect the city! Ask them to help us in our fight against the Dark Ones who have infiltrated here,” Alexander called out. Taking a knee himself, he began to speak to Odin as he watched the dwarves take a knee and pray to Durin. Even the queen knelt in front of the altar. As she did, an announcement went out across the city.
Attention citizens of Antalia! Servants of darkness have infiltrated our city, and the palace. All guards, citizens, and adventurers, arm yourselves! Our best hope to defeat them is to seek the assistance of the gods of light. The queen asks that all of you pray with her. Right now. Pray to your chosen deity. Ask for their protection of the city!
The altar in front of them began to glow. The etched symbols began to shine white against the black stone. Those in the dining hall had no way to know it, but across the city, thousands of citizens were taking a knee or bowing their heads in prayer. And in every temple across the city, altars began to glow.
In the dining hall, the light increased until those present had to look away and cover their eyes. All at once, the light faded, shrinking back into the now crystal clear altar. Then it spread out through the floor. Crossing the room in every direction, it spread in a wave. Passing underneath all those present, it continued out of the room and through the palace. Screams could be heard as drow felt the sting of holy magic from multiple gods of light. Sir Jeffrey shouted, “Open the doors. Find those drow and bring me their heads!”
Every guard in the room, and most of the Greystone folks, burst from the room and split up to clear the palace. Lugs and the other low-level players remained behind. They would be no help against the drow. Instead, they gathered near the queen and Alexander. Lugs said, “I can’t do much damage, but I can sure as hell stop a dagger.”
Sounds of battle could be heard in the distance. Alexander wasn’t sure whether it was inside the palace or out.
Sasha shouted “Dammit!” and rose to her feet. They had been unable to discover the type of poison used by the drow, and both the guard and the servant had died.
Benny looked to the queen. “Your majesty, I can save one of them. Or one other of your choosing. Brick can do the same.”
Sasha shook her head “No. The poison is still in them. You would resurrect them only to have them die again. I’m sorry, but there’s nothing we can do.”
The queen nodded in sorrow, then went to sit by the two bodies. She whispered goodbyes to both of them as the sounds of battle continued.
Alexander pulled up his raid UI and watched to make sure none of his people were in trouble. Experience notifications flashed across the display as Greystone members killed, or assisted in killing, drow after drow. There had been more than a dozen already, counting the initial three they killed.
So many in the palace! They could be in the other palaces too!
“Kai! We found more than a dozen drow spies in the palace! You need to warn the other kings. Tell Fitz! But don’t warn them out loud. The spies will know. We’ve had the whole city pray to their gods. The holy light from their blessings exposed the drow!” Alexander shouted in guild chat.
As a backup, he grabbed a paper and pen. He wrote a note and said, “I need a servant to bear this message to King Charles.” He held up the paper and a teleport scroll. One of the men who had been seating people at the start of dinner stepped forward. “I’ll do it.”
Alexander snatched the dragon pin off his chest. “You will be teleported straight to the palace. Show this pin to the guards. Tell them Alexander sent you. Tell them this message can only be placed directly in the hands of the king or Captain Redmond, by my order.” He handed the pin and the message to the servant. “Many lives may depend on this. Do NOT speak of what happened here. There may be drow spies standing there listening.”
The servant nodded, looking determined. Alexander whispered, “Good luck,” and triggered the scroll, teleporting the man to Stormforge.
The sounds of battle had died away. More than a score drow had been killed by his people. Who knew how many more were dispatched by the queen’s guards. His guildmates began to return to the dining hall in two and threes.
The queen said, “Well, they almost certainly know our plans now. What should we do?”
Alexander looked grim. After a moment, he said, “We follow our plan. They’ll expect us to change it. And even if they don’t, I don’t have a better one. Our plan is effective, even if they know we’re coming. My people will go inside and kill them. We’ve already defeated a group of their best, I hope. You have declared them enemies of the state, yes?” The queen nodded her head. “So when they die, they will return in your dungeons. You can keep them there for a full year. Most of them will abandon Io before the year is up. Especially if you put them to work cleaning chamber pots.”
A moment later, Alexander heard King Charles’ voice. “Alexander, I got your message. We will take appropriate steps. Thank you for the warning. Please protect the queen. I will contact you again if we need your assistance.”
Having already released a deep sigh of relief, he smiled at the queen. “I just heard from King Charles. He got the message and is taking steps. He asked me to make sure you are safe.”
The Gre
ystone guild members were gathering back together as Sir Jeffrey returned to the hall. “The palace is clear, My Queen.” His face was grim.
The queen asked, “Casualties?” with a look of dread on her own face.
When the drow were exposed, they became determined to kill as many as they could. We’ve lost more than forty. Most were servants or staff. Eleven were guards.” His voice broke, and he hung his head. “Six children. They were… playing in the garden.”
Alexander felt a rage build up inside him as the queen wept for her lost subjects. He wanted to kill something. He wanted to wipe the drow from the face of Io. All the pent-up anger he’d held back his whole life welled up in him. Anger at his mother’s death. Anger over his own fated early death. At all the life he’d missed out on while in the hospital or confined to his bed.
He tilted his head back and roared, venting his rage “Raaaaaaaaagh! By Odin! I swear a blood oath! I shall not stop until the army of darkness is wiped from the face of Io!”
Thunder crashed, and lightning lit the sky. Every guildmate, every guard, even Sir Jeffrey answered with a thunderous roar of their own, “RAAAAAWWWR!”
Alexander felt a tingle in his hands. Looking down he saw they glowed with a silvery light.
Quest Created!
Light versus Dark
You have created, and accepted, a legendary quest! Gather the forces of light from across Io and destroy the drow wizards and their armies. Reward: Unknown.
Alexander looked around at the adventurers and citizens still gathering in the hall. He began to speak slowly, quietly. “There is a nest of drow and their minions in this city.” He raised his voice “They kill the defenseless. The innocent. Children have fallen to their blades!”
He began to shout. “The drow will not stop until every one of us is dead! They don’t fight for wealth or principle. They simply want our lives! The lives of our families, our children! We will give them their war! And we will show them no mercy!”
He drew his new sword, and the light from his hands transferred into the blade. It glowed with a holy silver light. The altar behind him pulsed with an answering light. Without a word, every soul in the room drew sword, hammer, spear or dagger and held them aloft. The light pulsed again, and the weapons all began to glow.
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