The Circle of Elements
| MIN LEVEL | START LOCATION | START REQUIREMENTS |
|---|---|---|
| 1000 | Mount Volmar (Circle) (8, 5) | [none] |
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DetailsStanding in the darkness you find a finely dressed Nobleman. He turns toward you, a shining sword is in his hands. You back off and he stares at you. 'No, I don't believe it! I would never have guessed that you were Servants of the Dreadlord. Does his treachery never end...' He lunges at you, but as a nobleman he is used to trading words not blows. You side step his attack and slam your weapon down on his. You send it flying out of Lancroft's soft grip. He backs off toward the wall in fear. He gasps, 'So this is how it ends, murdered by traitors.' You then remember that Virmalthorn is stood with you. A tall wolf headed Skeletal Priest does look bad. You back off again to give him room. Jamesina stalks up to him and angrily pokes him in the chest. 'Excuse me, but how come you are here? We had to walk across an ash plain, scale a mountain and navigate through a complex of dark tunnels fighting the Dreadlords minions all the way. I don't remember seeing you anywhere!' Lancroft looks at the Seer blankly. 'I'm sorry, but weren’t you exiled by the King?' She nods at him. The Lord Lancroft goggles at her, 'So why are you here?' Jamesina is stunned into silence. But just for a moment. She puts her hands on her hips. Virmalthorn chuckles behind you. He whispers into your ear, 'Now he's going to get a helpful lecture.' Jamesina stares at Lancroft in silence for a long minute. You suddenly realize that she is trying to keep her temper. Lancroft looks around for an exit, but only see the cold wall behind him. Jamesina lets out a long sigh. In a low and dangerous tone she whispers, 'I know that as Director of SK Acquisitions I must keep Patron confidentiality. But this is ridiculous. You know we are here purely because you gave us the contract to check on the Elemental Locks. Why are you pretending otherwise?' Virmalthorn pipes up, 'You were exiled from Karthak. I never saw you the kind of person foolish enough to upset a King, Jamesina?' She wheels on him and mutters through gritted teeth. 'I didn't get us exiled, it was courtesy of my Hunter next to you!' The Skeletal Priest looks at you with new approval. He whispers, 'I take it this insult was delivered to the King on the battlefield strewn with the bodies of the freshly slain?' You shake your head, and say. 'No, it was over dinner. The soup was good.' The High Priest of GorGulGol nods slowly. He whispers, 'Yes – it would need to have been.' Lord Lancroft dusts himself down, 'Excuse me – who did you say gave you the Contract to be here?' He frowns at you. 'I'm sorry Hunter but I have no idea what you are talking about. Though I am grateful you kept my little secret about the wards. I owe you for that.' Jamesina wheels back on the nobleman. 'What did you say? You hired us for the Contract, so we are here. I have a multiple communications with your Family Crest and financial transactions to prove it.' Lancroft looks down his elegant nose at her. He says imperiously, 'Have you ever met the “individual” who hired you for this Contract?' Jamesina stammers, 'Nnn no. It was all done through runners. But that is not unusual in our line of business. The Lancroft Family Crest and money is all the proof we require to have a Contract set.' The Nobleman shakes his head. 'I'm sorry young lady, but I am not your Patron. You have not had any of my money. Someone has tricked you and your... friends.' He looks nervously at Virmalthorn. The rage ebbs out of the Seer at his words, she senses the truth in them. She calmly addresses him in a neutral, noble tone. 'Can you please enlighten me on your presence here Lord Lancroft?' The change is startling, even Virmalthorn stops and stares at her. The Nobleman answers despite himself, 'I am here to make sure that the Elemental Circle remains intact. It is the duty of our family to insure the Karthak Wards of Undeath and the Elemental Circle are not broken. We maintain the Magic Quarter to draw talented spell users to ensure this. I have received word that the Elemental Locks have been compromised. So I came to check.' He then straightens, 'I take it that we are here for the same purpose but from differing directions. I require to check the Circle but the Seal has awoken. I cannot get near it. Will you sent you Hunter to check the Lock of Rock? It is the nearest statue.' Jamesina turns and says in a low tone, 'Go check the Lock of Rock. The statues eyes should glow a bright red if it is working correctly. Be careful, do not get caught by the Seal of Fire. Go quickly now.' The Lock of Rock towers above you. You stare up at the eyes of the huge statue, they are a dim orange. You should return to Lord Lancroft and tell him the Lock is fading. Lord Lancroft is trying to distance himself as far from Virmalthorn as possible. He greets you gladly, 'Is the Lock of Earth holding? The eyes are a bright red?' The Nobleman stammers, 'Aaare you sure. Orange you say. But that’s not good, the Locks must hold. They must hold at all costs!' Virmalthorn looms over Lancroft, 'He speaks truth. How can the Locks be restored?' he whispers. Lancroft throws his hands into the air in misery. 'We're doomed. The Locks will break and he will return to the Realms and destroy us all.' Real panic grips Lancroft, terror fills his eyes. Virmalthorn glares at him, 'Gather yourself Highborn! The Locks just need to be re-set. How do we do this?' The terror gripping Lancroft transcends any fear he had of Skeletal Priest. He stares into the hollow wolfs skull and shrieks in frustrated rage, 'Nobody can re-set them. The Locks have keys which are constructed from potent Elementals. But those Elementals have been lost to us for centuries. Nobody knows where the Aspects of Earth, Water and Light are any more. Scholars have looked all over Mount Volmar for them and found NOTHING! The Circle will fail and the Dreadlord will rise and herald in an new age of Undeath. He will rule us all...' Virmalthorn grabs Lancroft by the shoulders, 'Nobody will call an end to this existence other than GorGulGol! He will say when it is all finished and no other! Tell us how these Elemental Keys made!' Lord Lancroft becomes suddenly calm. 'Well, if that's all you wish to know. The Scrolls for the Elemental Keys are held within the Circle Chamber. I can make them easily available to you. However, without the lost Earth Aspects that are required to construct the Keys, making the scrolls utterly useless.' You draw your weapon and say, 'Well we can at least try to make them.' You should enter the Circle Chamber and discover what is needed to construct the Elemental Keys. Then place the Keys within their relevant Locks You return eventually to the towering Lock of Rock. You push the Rock Aspect Key into the Lock before you. There is a soft hum from the massive statue. You look up to see the eyes turn a bright pulsing red. The huge Water Lock towers before you. You push the Water Aspect key into the massive Lock before you. The Lock absorbs the Key with a gentle ripple of stone. You look up to see the eyes turn a bright pulsing red. The huge Lightning Lock towers before you. You push the Lightning Aspect Key into the massive Lock before you. The Lock vanishes in a snap of light. You look up to see the eyes turn a bright pulsing red. You should tell Lord Lancroft that you have re-set the Elemental Locks. Duke Lancroft stares hopelessly at nothing, he has withdrawn completely from the horror that is about to unfold. Jamesina gives him some water, 'I'm sorry Hunter, but he can't cope with the thought he has let everything that lives in all the realms be destroyed by the return of the Dreadlord. Did you manage to re-set the Elemental Locks?' The Seer stares at you. 'I'm sorry, but I don't know what to say. You found all three legendary Aspects and replaced all Keys within the Elemental Circle?' You nod. Virmalthorn stares at you, 'You have restored order to all the Realms my Friend, well done! Everything is as it should be. We just need to get Lancroft to listen to us.' You're are about to answer him when a shout behind you catches your attention... You are astonished to see a man dressed in robes standing on the Portal of green flames. OVER HERE!!! Ah good, had enough back slapping and self congratulating yet? Excellent.' He waves again, 'Father, can you see me. You seem a little preoccupied. Mind you, why should that change.' The Duke hears the voice of the man and turns his head toward it. 'Quinn... Is that you?' You look again at the figure, then recognize Father Quinn. He led you through the Necropolis back in Karthak. The Priest waves again, 'Hello Duke, remember you had a son yet? You know the one you disowned when he left to join the Priesthood rather than pour all his life out after selfish pursuits of power and wealth? But then I never understood that you were right Father. Nobody ever looks to the Light unless they are forced to. So the trick is finding the right way to force Karthak back to the Light. I have found that way with the help of SK Acquisitions. That Ducal Ring you gave me to remind me where I should be came in rather handy when I pretended to be you Father. Everyone will see the SK Acquisitions accounts and know it was you who hired them and tricked them into releasing the Dreadlord. He shall rise and attack Karthak. Everyone will be forced to abandon their trust in Knights, Wizards and Kings. They will be forced to plead for the Light to save them. The Legion of Templars will do such a thing and a new era of devotion will be born. All I needed was for the Keys to be replaced.' You throat constricts. Father Quin laughs, 'I see fear in your face Hunter. Did nobody tell you that the locks are in flux when you replace them? It takes four days for the Circle to regain it's balance. To keep the Dreadlord within his prison. Did you also know that emotion is a central theme to the Dreadlords spell weavings? He knows that emotion is the cradle to the soul, so they can fuel any spell of undeath. Fiendishly clever really. You end up with the very emotions of self hatred that all Undead have fueling their own spell of animation. Who would have thought! That coupled with the effects of Shroud Sand and you can bind a soul to a corpse in an instant. With no troublesome bargaining with GorGulGol. That dead God is completely unnecessary to his zombie creation. You just need a victim to swallow a grain of Shroud Sand and with a simple area binding spell you can make instant Undead. That is the reason your Priest friend is so willing to help you. He does not want his fake God being marginalized by the Deadlord. And he would be.' You feel Virmalthorn bristling behind you. Father Quin continues, 'So because the Dreadlord is so focused on the Shroud, he is weakened to Elemental Magics. But with the Elemental Circle being put out of kilter for the next four days, any shroud based incantation placed directly into the Green Fire will allow the Dreadlord one moment to gain his freedom. I could only find one Shroud Based spell. It requires some materials based on the misery of death. For example, this bag of Render Elements that you kindly provided me. They are drenched in the death pains of the first Hunter. Anyway I must go now. I will die, but I am pleased that you will all soon follow and the precious legacy of my Father will be destroyed and the Light restored to its rightful place.' With a smile on his face Father Quinn drops the Render Elements into the Green Fire. It erupts in a massive pillar, you have to shield you eyes from the rush of heat. Then all is silent... A massive boom forces you to your knees. Followed by another... Jamesina stares at you, 'It's the Dreadlord. Quinn weakened the Circle but did not break it. It seems that it will take a little time for the Dreadlord to break out of his prison, what do we do?' You are about to answer when another deafening roar shatters the air. Jamesina cowers before a massive dragon. The Seal of Fire is the guardian of the Circle. It will destroy anything it finds within the Realm. You will have to defeat the Seal of Fire to gain access to the Prison of the Dreadlord. Jamesina cowers before the rage of the Seal of Fire. As Guardian of the Circle it will destroy anything it finds trespassing with the Realm. You must defeat it to stop the Dreadlord's escape from his Prison. Jamesina looks at you, 'Thank you Hunter, it has noble intentions but it would have killed me. The Seal is not a natural beast. It is another Fire Elemental that is used to keep the Dreadlords minions away from the Circle. It will regenerate in a an hour or so.' 'I'm sorry Hunter. But someone must halt the Dreadlords escape from the Elemental Circle. If you can defeat him, he will regenerate, of course. But it will take longer than four days to do so. By then it will be too late and the Circle will have found its balance again. Will you do this Hunter? Will you at least try to stop the rise of the Dreadlord.' You return to the Circle. Virmalthorn pokes the now catatonic Lancroft in the face with a boney finger, 'Anybody in there?' he whispers... Jamesina snatches his hand away from the Duke. 'Just stop that! He's an important person in Karthak who has just lost his only son and is partly responsible for this whole mess due to his treatment of him. It's no wonder he is in shock. Stop playing with him,' the Seer snaps. Virmalthron glowers at her, 'But it's so much fun! His face is all squishy.' Jamesina turns away from him in fury, when she sees you. 'Hunter! Have you pushed back the Dreadlord?' The Seer stares at you in amazement, Virmalthorn rises and bows to you in silence. The Duke struggles to his feet, 'Is... is... is it over?' he mumbles, afraid to hear the answer as it might be a cruel joke. Jamesina smiles kindly and helps him stand. 'Yes my Duke, the Dreadlord has been pushed back. The Circle of Elements will now have time to regain balance and the Realms are safe.' He moves toward you as if waking from a dream. Jamesina walks by his side keeping him balanced. The Duke smiles, 'You did this Hunter. You defeated the Tyrant. You should have a reward.' He digs into his cloak and hands you something. 'This is all I have, take it. Thank you Hunter.' You receive 14,085,905 Xp + 1 x Lancroft Family Chrest |
