Samuel_Tow

OK, my head's about to flip around and vacate my body if I try to reason this out any more, so I figure I'm just going to ask you guys for a bit of advice. Keep in mind that this is an aesthetics question of personal opinion.

I have a girl I've been meaning to make for some time, and with Going Rogue on the horizon, I figured I might as well get her costume right before Launch day. The thing is, she's supposed to be a tall, strong, fierce warrior from another world where the environment is so hostile and the world so populated with invincible monsters that humans evolved to be a LOT stronger, tougher and overall bigger than humans on Primal Earth. This requires that I make my girl pretty tall, but still looking reasonably human. My question here is - how tall?

Let me put this another way - if you were designing a woman who is defined by being bigger than most men, how tall would that make her? Slightly taller than the big bruisers Trolls and Outcasts? As big as the various Freakshow? Max height? Suppose I picked a particular NPC to be "bigger than." How much bigger should I make her? Slightly taller? "A head" taller? "Breasts at eye level" taller (as someone else once put it)?

Just so that we know we're on the same page this is the woman I'm talking about. I'm honestly in a quandary here, because I'm not sure I want to make her max height, or indeed even skirt max height, but at the same time I want her to look and feel BIG. I also don't want to step on the toes of this titanic character who's already max height, but I'm wondering... Should I, actually?

I'm really hoping you guys can help set my mind on what I should do.

I never skip any level unless I'm already half-way to a faraway mission without a travel power and enemies in the area are my level. If I choose to fight back to the trainer and then fight back to the mission, I'll just level up again on the way and have to go back AGAIN. I grab my level AFTER my mission, but I don't "skip it."

I will also delay levelling up when I'm not sure what I want to take. If I have a Mid's build, I'll go off that, but if I don't, it takes me a good 15 minutes to figure out what to slot. If a team's waiting on me, I'll roll with them until I'm by myself, then I'll figure it out.

Personally, I find there is nothing more silly than running sideways or running backwards. It just makes people look like goofs when they do it. I much prefer a movement style where your character faces in the direction they are moving and simply runs. We had that for a while, but I guess too many people complained, so we're back to back-pedalling.

Still, this is exactly how Kheldian Dwarves run. Pity I can't throw a switch in Options and have my humanoids run like that, too.

Personal Forcefield is Elude and then some and infinitely sustainable for a fairly low cost. To ask for the ability to attack out of it is utterly absurd unless you want to slash its stats down to a tenth, if not less.

I very much agree that we need more faces with those glowing eyes, including the glowing eyes face.

Necromancer: Tisk-tisk-tisk. I honestly thought my little storm would buy me more time, but these dragons knew how to keep their secrets safe.

Sol: Reinhardt.

Necromancer: Oh, so you DO remember my name. I'm flattered.

Zane: Sol, do you know this woman?

Sol: I used to.

Necromancer: Eva Reinhardt, at your service. *fancy bow*

Rasif: Hey, I remember you! You're that broad that tried to feed me to the Snark Pit in Oleen!

Necromancer: Oh, you are the weasel who followed Sol around that one time. As I recall, you were the one who sold me the location of the Tomb of the Lost.

Sol: That explains many things. But I watched you die, Reinhardt.

Necromancer: Correction, you helped me die. But I'm not mad at you, Sol. As you can see, dying was the best thing that could have happened to me?

Sol: How did you manage this?

Necromancer: Oh, I could tell you, but I so enjoy watching you squirm, so why don't I give you a little hint: They're not as dead as you think.

Sol: The guild of necromancers?

Zane: Enough of your nonsense, woman! Remove yourself from this holy sanctuary and take your rotting filth with you!

Necromancer: And this must be the dragon I've heard so much about. You've done a very bad job of keeping a secret, sol. The whole kingdom knows about your little pet, and ever bounty hunter in the land is on your trail.

Zane: Do not disrespect me, foul creature! My courtesy has its limits.

Necromancer: I wouldn't dream of it, Mr. Dragon. I wouldn't want to upset someone so big and strong. *smirk*

Zane: How were you able to get past the warding stones, creature? You should not have been allowed to tread on holy ground.

Necromancer: Oh, dragon, you think so literally. Your warding stones guard the entrance to this tomb, but the ground within is not as holy as you think.

Zane: You speak nonsense, necromancer.

Sol: Unbelievable... Reinhardt, you know that gating spells have been forbidden for a very good reason, do you not?

Necromancer: Ha! You are certainly as sharp as ever to have figured out my little trick so easily. I am curious, though. How did you know?

Sol: You just told me.

Necromancer: *frown* I see. You are just as infuriating as you have always been, Sol. I'm glad to see some things never change.

Zane: How can you work with the Seekers, necromancer? This is pathetic, even for a human.

Necromancer: Seekers? The... Minions of Hethfet, is that what you're talking about? *snicker* Those are just a myth, dragon. You should know that better than most.

Zane: I know better than most that they very much do exist, woman, and if you choose to dismiss them as myth, then you are either ignorant or daft to believe so.

Necromancer: Hmph! Even if Seekers ever existed, they have been gone from the world for a thousand years. I and if you choose to believe they have, then you are both ignorant and daft to believe Sol's wild stories.

Zane: I saw the seekers with my own eyes no more than a week ago. They were sent to kill me. Sent by you!

Necromancer: Why would I have any interest in you? I only learned you were interested in this graveyard when my scouts spotted you leaving Thunder Forest three days ago. What would I gain by killing you?

Sol: What do you gain by raiding this temple?

Necromancer: Ah, now isn't this the big question? Why am I here? Let me simply say that I am led to believe graveyard contains something which might be very valuable to me.

Zane: If you are after the secrets of my people, then you have failed. The memory vault up there is sealed to all but the members of the High Council, and they are all dead.

Necromancer: Yes, which, I presume, is why you brought the shapeshifter with you. Clever move, Sol! Fool the ancient wards instead of expending energy breaking them. You always had such a gentle touch. *smirk*

Sol: Good god... Eva, you cannot simply do these things. Have you any idea what kind of powers you are unleashing upon the world?

Zane: What things?

Necromancer: Don't talk to me about responsibility, Sol! You left me when I needed you the most, so the way I figure it, what I do now is my own damn business!

Sol: You risk your very soul with these practices. This has to stop.

Necromancer: Stop? Oh, no. It's worked out far too well for me to stop it now. In fact, it should be just about done.

---

Suddenly, a powerful ring which sounded like a thousand bells reverberated throughout the chamber. The last rune on the suspended sphere's surface finally extinguished, and with a thick, metallic screech, it opened up right in the middle. What was revealed inside it was simply breathtaking. blurry lights raced around in circles, passing through each other and distorting, all orbiting a central core. And in the centre, a large red jewel as big as a fist hung suspended in the air.

The deafening ring as the chamber opened was so powerful it caught our heroes by surprise, but Eva the necromancer did not even flinch, for she was expecting the event with great anticipation. While the others reeled from the shock, she disappeared into the darkness, as though yanked by a great chain which pulled her right into the memory vault hanging overhead.

With amazing speed, Reinhardt grabbed the jewel and yanked it out of the memory vault, landing on the ground on the opposite side of the chamber. She stood upright for a moment, waved at our heroes with a self-satisfied grin on her face. Suddenly, her body seemed to explode into a massive fireball, but when the fire flamed out, Reinhardt was nowhere to be found. She had vanished, along with whatever it was that she had stolen.

---

Rasif: What... The hell... Was that noise... Argh! My ears are ringing!

Sol: She breached the vault.

Rasif: What? Say again?

Zane: She breached the vault, you insufferable fool! Can you not see?!?

Rasif: What? The... Shore of the sea? I don't follow!

Sol: Zane, ignore him. Reinhardt stole the conduit which powered the memory vault. It seems this is what she originally came for.

Zane: The conduit? But... Why? The jewel has no practical purpose other than to direct mystical energy from the lay lines into the memory vault. Could she be trying to use it as a focusing stone, somehow?

Sol: That is very unlikely. Conduits like the kind dragons used to link together their vaults are not capable of channelling much power, not much more than a common focus gem which can be found all over the kingdom.

Zane: More importantly, how was she able to break the containment runes on the vault so easily? These were passed down to us by Lady Belifeth, herself. She was one of the greatest mystics in the land and, no offence to your woman friend, but she was decidedly NOT the greatest mystic I have ever seen.

Sol: No. But she has access to a teaching of magic which is far more dangerous than just its power alone might suggest.

Zane: What are you talking about?

Sol: Are you familiar with the name "Zadan Zorr?"

Zane: I do not believe so.

Rasif: Oh, hey, I get it now! You're talking about that book she was looking for in the tomb back then, right?

Sol: Yes. Zadan was a just an average mystic in his time, and to compensate for his lack of power, he developed a technique for tapping into the divinity of magic by sacrificing his own soul. In many ways, he formed was a one-sided infernal contract.

Zane: This... Makes no sense! How can one have an infernal contract without a demon to forge it, and who does one sacrifice his soul to in such a way?

Sol: I do not know. No-one really does. When Zadan's teachings were banned by the Hooded Wizards several centuries ago, most of his books were destroyed, and his secrets died with him. Every hundred years or so, another one of his books comes to light for unscrupulous mystics to fight over, but most of those are cursed and end up killing whoever finds them.

Zane: So, basically, you are merely guessing.

Sol: In large part, yes. I do know this much - Zadan's spells did not carry much raw power, not in themselves, at least, but they had the ability to create incredibly elaborate, sometimes even impossible effects with very little effort. So little, in fact, that even a mystic's apprentice could open a portal into the depths of the inferno.

Zane: These Hooded Wizards wanted to keep them out of the wrong hands, then? Is that why this magic was forbidden?

Sol: It was more than that. The more one used this magic, the more corrupt one's soul became, driving people to madness, despair, possession and even worse fates. Moreover, most of what Zadan wrote in his books was demonic magic. For instance, you saw how Reinhardt disappeared in fire, did you not?

Zane: Yes, what was that spell?

Sol: This is known as "gating." It is a skill inherent to most infernal creatures, which allows them to travel between our world and the inferno. However, what Reinhardt did was travel to the inferno and back into our realm, reappearing in a different location. Instant travel, in other words, but one which carries significant risks, the biggest of which being accidentally leaving behind a stable portal to the inferno.

Zane: Good god!

Sol: This is precisely why this magic is forbidden. That is how Reinhardt managed to penetrate your sanctuary and that is how she was able to undo the eldritch seals on the memory vault here.

Zane: Curse that woman! Not only does she defile one of our holiest sanctuary, but she brings demonic magic into it, as well!

Rasif: Then maybe we should have another chat with her, to tell her about how hurt we are by her rude behaviour.

Zane: What are you babbling on about, Rasif?

Sol: Gating creatures cannot be tracked magically. Their trails disappear as soon as they gate between the planes.

Rasif: So, you're saying that if, and I'm speaking purely theoretically here, someone, let's say me for example, put a tracking rune on her, then that still wouldn't be enough to track her.

Sol: You... Managed to put a tracking rune on her? How?

Rasif: You guys were so busy chatting it up that no-one even noticed that I walked around behind that big pillar over there and slapped her with a rune. It was a pretty good shot from that distance, if I do say so myself. Landed it right on her back where she won't know it's there for probably another couple of weeks.

Zane: That's... Surprisingly thoughtful of you. But why would you do something like that?

Rasif: Hey, that woman ripped me off! Sure, my selling Sol out was probably bad karma for me, but the broad didn't even pay me for the information! Instead, she had me tied up and tossed in a swamp. A swamp! Do you have any idea how bad it smelled?

Zane: You know... I might actually like you, if you had not tried to sell me to the Seekers.

Rasif: Oh, come on, now! How long are planning to stay mad about this? I said I was sorry!

Zane: You very much did not. And I may be too harsh about things, but I have a hard time seeing past people trying to kill me for profit.

Rasif: Ugh, fine! So, shall we go pay little Miss Backstabber a visit?

Zane: Look who's talking.

Rasif: Hey!

Sol: I would like to peruse the memory vault here before we leave.

Zane: That's not possible, Sol. Your woman friend took the conduit.

Sol: All that means is the memory vault is no longer connected to those in the other dragon graveyards, and they are no longer connected to this one, but what lore this vault held can very much still be seen.

Zane: Are you certain about this?

Sol: Yes. The memories inside the shrine draw their power from the mystic crystals buried deep into the core of the mountain. The dragons of old built their fortresses to last.

Zane: How do you know all this?

Sol: When the dragon kingdom fell, I... It was a great disaster that deprived the world of some of its very original inhabitants. Ever since I learned of this fate, I have devoted much time to learning the history, culture and practices of dragons. Their graveyards have always been of particular interest to me, for access to them would reveal so much more.

Rasif: Oh, and what do you hope to gain from that information, Sol? Zane says you have a "fear" you want to "disprove." What might that be?

Sol: ...

Rasif: Figures you wouldn't have an answer. I know you, Sol. You're up to something. You see that, Zane? He's up to something. Do you still want to trust him?

Zane: Yes.

Rasif: What, but how could...

Zane: Enough! Enough of your serpent's tongue, Rasif. I do not betray my allies and I do not go back on my word. I cannot know what you think of my kind and to be honest, I no longer care, but I refuse to be the kind of vile, traitorous monster the world sees me as.

Rasif: Yes, and all that will get you is betrayed.

Zane: I would sooner trust a traitor then mistrust a friend, Rasif. That is who I chose to be when I earned my order, and I will not compromise my dignity on vague suspicions.

Rasif: Oh, great. An idealistic dragon. Just what I always wanted. *roll eyes*

Zane: Sol, you are free to peruse the knowledge within this memory vault, as long as you wait until I access the information first. There is much I need to know.

Sol: Very well.

Rasif: If you guys don't need me, I'll look around a bit. See all the lovely, err... Art and um... Paintings and... Things.

---

And so our heroes rested after the battle, and they had some time to ponder the many questions which had arisen. What was Reinhardt's agenda and why was she after the memory vault conduit gem. If she was not allied with the Seekers, then who was she working for? How was it that our heroes had caught up with her. Chance, perhaps? Or was there more? What information did the memory vault contain, now that it was disconnected?

In the darkness of the cavern, they waited and wondered. About their journey, but also about each other. These unlikely allies were not quick to trust unconditionally. Even Zane, who had been so eager to declare his trust, still harboured doubts. But when the time came and their trust was tested, would they still trust each other, would they band together to oppose a common foe? Or would they turn on each other in pursuit of their own ends?

Only time would tell.

Rasif: Rain, rain and more rain. How long has it been now?

Zane: Five minutes later than the last time you asked. Good god, man! Be quiet! You are defying possibility by being even more annoying!

Rasif: You're so grumpy!

Zane: *snarl*

Sol: Frankly, I am surprised you are not more concerned about his presence here, after your exchange two days ago.

Rasif: What, you think I should be cowering and begging for my life? Come on, Sol, you know me better than that! People threatening to kill me is par for the course in my line of work.

Zane: Back-stabbing?

Rasif: Ha-ha look at me laugh! No, scale-head! Entrepreneuring. Everyone wants something, even if they don't say so. I find out what they want, I get it for them, and I don't ask any questions.

Sol: In other words, he is a career swindler.

Zane: I am shocked and amazed.

Rasif: Oh, now that is just mean, Sol! I am so taking you off my preferred client list as soon as I get back home, you hear me? You know that flying carpet I was going to sell you at a discount?

Sol: The one I did not want?

Rasif: Exactly! No more discount for you! You want magical artefacts, you'll have to pay for them, mister!

Zane: *eyeroll*

Sol: ...

Rasif: ...

Zane: ...

Sol: ...

Rasif: God I hate this rain! How long has it been raining now?

Zane: For heaven's sake, creature! You could drive a saint to murder!

Rasif: OK, OK, sheesh! No more talking about the rain. In that case, how about you guys fill me in on the plan, huh? I mean, we're in this together, right? I should know what we're getting into.

Zane: I was not aware we were "in this" together. I seem to remember you trying to sell my head to the Seeker. Literally. So please forgive me if I do not trust you.

Rasif: Oh, that's cold Zane, really cold! I thought we were finally becoming friends, but now you have to turn around and hurt my feelings.

Zane: Do not insult my intelligence.

Rasif: OK, fine! Don't tell me! Treat me like an animal! See if I care.

Zane: *sigh* Very well... We believe that the memory vault in this graveyard could have vital information on the disaster which destroyed my people and ended my world. I need to know the truth. I owe it to my family.

Rasif: What killed the dragons? I thought the humans did that.

Zane: ...

Sol: The humans killed dragons, true, but they did not cause the disaster which started the dragons' destruction.

Rasif: Yeah, so says the human. And you believe him?

Zane: ... I gave Sol my word that I would aid him in his quest, and I do not go back on my word.

Rasif: Yeah, the honour excuse. So what happens if you find out it really was the humans that did this?

Zane: I will cross that bridge once I get to it.

Rasif: Why even believe Sol, though? It's not like he's been open with you. Sure, he spouts a lot of ancient history like he was there, but have you noticed that none of that can actually be proven? I mean, I can tell you about the history of the elven prince Jason who saved the world from the devil a thousand years ago, but so what?

Zane: I chose to trust Sol on this quest, and I will not dishonour our agreement on simple doubt and accusation.

Rasif: Man, you're easy! So Sol says he needs to get to a dragon graveyard and you just hop to the change just because he rescued you without even knowing what his agenda is?

Zane: You disgust me. Utterly. So far this man has done nothing but help you. He has saved your life from trouble you brought upon yourself, he has kept you save, he has shared his supplies to you, he calls you "friend" and this is how you repay him? Insults and accusations? You should be ashamed of yourself, shape shifter.

Rasif: Yeah, and how much do you know about him, huh? What does he even need with the memory vault, anyway, ever ask yourself that? Sol never does anything out of the goodness of his heart. If he wants to access the dragon graveyard, he has a reason for it. He's just using you, just like he's using me, only you he can't tie up and drag around.

Zane: Even if that were true, I still need his help to access the memory vaults and learn the truth.

Rasif: You don't need him. You need me. He's just along for the ride. Listen, when the time comes, you might want to think about what's in your best interest. You can't trust Sol. Nothing that man does ever ends well.

Zane: What are you implying?

Rasif: Whatever Sol needs in there will be big, and it will definitely cause trouble for both of us. So I say, we don't let him. Don't have to kill him or anything, just don't fly him up and let him sit here. What do you say?

Zane: No. And if you value your limbs, I would suggest never speaking of this again.

Rasif: Oh, what, you're too high and mighty to deal with me now, Mr. Dragon?

Zane: Yes. You are nothing but an opportunistic, backstabbing coward, Rasif. You will do your part and get your gold, but afterwards, I do not want to see you ever again.

Rasif: Why do you even trust the guy? He hasn't done anything to earn it!

Zane: Because I believe there is good in his heart. He does not show it, but there is. I do not follow Sol because he has bought my trust. I chose to trust him of my own free will, and I intend to carry this choice to the end.

Rasif: And if that kills you?

Zane: Then nothing has changed. My people are still dead and forgotten, and the world just moves on. I have little to lose. But if that man is what I feel he might be, then there is everything to gain.

Rasif: Wait, what?

Sol: The storm is winding down. We should move soon.

Rasif: Uhh... You didn't hear any of our conversation, did you?

Sol: Would it matter if I did?

Rasif: Um... Yes! Yes it totally would!

Zane: Gather your belongings and meet me at the East slope. I need to wash this mud off before the storm winds down.

---

Slowly and subtly, the storm relented. The wing which had howled for two days and two nights now gave out a soft whistle, and the driving rain lessened in volume. Little by little, the noon sun's rays broke through the clouds and illuminated the stale battlefield. Only now did it become clear just how massive the undead army had been, spanning far and wide around the mountain, far into the fields and long around. This was no mere platoon or two of monsters. There must have been thousands. And all felled in mere moments by the dragon fire of legend.

Only now, too, did our heroes see the mountain all its intimidating glory. Sheer cliffs towered into the heaves as high as the eye could see, and jagged rocks lined the path above. No man could climb this formidable fortress of rock and earth. Whatever lay at the top was only within reach of those possessed of the power of flight. And not just any flight, for ordinary birds and insects could not survive the cold and wind that ruled high up into the sky. No, only the resilience of the dragons was enough to make this journey. Perhaps this was the very reason why they chose to build their graveyard here, away from the reach of the creatures of the land.

Our heroes packed their camp and their belongings and together they climbed atop their mighty friend. Even when he cooperated, reaching the back of a mighty dragon was no small task, for the creature still towered above the land. With a single motion, its great wings tore Zane's body from the Earth's grip and lifted it into the air. Smoothly he flew up, farther and farther, determined to see his journey to the end. His companions, in turn, held on for dear life and fought against the hostile elements. More cold, more wind, more pain, it seemed that this journey would never end. But suddenly, the descent halted, and our heroes found themselves staring into an ominous cavern that, even from far away, felt like it radiated almost infernal heat.

Gracefully Zane floated into the great hall, landing with all his weight, but the mountain absorbed his impact with nary a quiver. This was the dragon graveyard, but it was not what legends had described it as. Instead of dragon bones littering the floor, the inside was of worked stone and masonry. Finely-sculpted statues of great dragons in perfect scale in place of the skeletons of legend, and it was not rock, but forged metal and precious gemstones that adorned the many beautiful murals. This was not the work of the bloodthirsty, vicious monsters that legends had painted dragons as. This was the work of skilled craftsmen and gifted artist, the work of a great and cultured kingdom. And now, only these mausoleums remained of that ancient past.

---

Rasif: ...Unbelieable!...

Zane: Tread lightly, friends, for this is hallowed ground.

Rasif: Is this really gold?

Zane: Keep your hands off the relics, heathen! Touch nothing but what is absolutely necessary. Everything here is sacred to my people. Our lives, out history, our religion... Everything you see presented here is our gifts to the spirits. Defiling them will not only anger me. It will anger the spirits which live in this temple.

Rasif: S-spirits? What spirits?

Sol: The spirits of the old guardians. They still roam these halls in eternal vigilance. Protecting... Safeguarding... Afraid? What are you saying? I cannot understand...

Zane: You can hear the guardian spirits? Sol, this is impossible. Only the High Council priests of the dragon kingdom can commune with the ancients!

Sol: I do not believe there is time enough to explain fully, but you have my promise - as soon as we find the memory vault, I will explain everything.

Rasif: You still trust him, Zane?

Zane: Sol, I trust you, but please - I need to know what is going on here.

Sol: I will explain this much: Someone has found the graveyard before us and is already deep within the tunnels, attempting to break the seals on the memory vault.

Zane: What?!?

Sol: The guardians are congregating in the chambers below, attempting to stall the interloper. From the looks of it, they have been leading this fight for several days, and their strength is beginning to weaken.

Zane: Impossible! The guardians draw upon the power of the forge, itself. They cannot be defeated!

Sol: The disaster that wiped out the dragons destroyed all lay lines leading to Mt. Roc. All dragon temples were cut off. Whatever power the Guardians here have, it is what they have been saving for five centuries.

Zane: No!

Sol: There is no time for long-winded explanations, my friend. We must intervene before we this interloper breaches the final seal, or the entire world is in peril!

Rasif: Wait, what? What did you drag me into!

Zane: They will not succeed!

---

Swiftly our heroes moved through the elaborate temple. Zane's heavy footsteps echoed through the halls as the mighty dragon raced ahead. It was no longer only his own life he fought for, but it was the very legacy of his people which was at stake here. Who knows what kind of eldritch knowledge lie within the dragons' memory vaults? Legends spoke of secrets so ancient and powerful that they would drive a normal man insane. Secrets so dangerous that, in the wrong hands, they could bring about terrible disaster. But those were legends. What the vault held in reality, none of our heroes truly knew.

As they descended down the winding tunnels, our heroes prepared for the inevitable confrontation at hand.

---

Rasif: Do you guys really need me for this?

Zane: Now is not the time for this, Rasif! Stay behind me and try not to get killed.

Rasif: Stay behind the dragon... OK, I can do that!

Sol: I sense a rather troublesome enemy below.

Rasif: Let me guess: Zombies?

Zane: Impossible. This temple is hallowed ground. No dark magic could function within its walls.

Sol: I am afraid Rasif is right in this case.

Rasif: I am?

Zane: He is?

Sol: I feel the sense foul aura I sensed outside at the face of Mt. Urr. Whoever left those creatures outside to delay us is in here

Zane: A necromancer? But how did he get past the warding stones?

Sol: That is a question I would very much like to know the answer to.

Rasif: Wait, a necromancer? I thought all of those guys got killed off when the king raided the necropolis at Bar-Hun?

Sol: We must hurry

---

Our heroes ran through the ancient catacombs as fast as they could, descending ever lower into the core of the mountain. An evil smell drafted from below, the sour stench of death and decay - the telltale sign of the hordes of the undead. A necromancer had to be close for the fiends to have penetrated so deep within a hallowed sanctuary. But how could this be? No-one had seen a necromancer in over a century. Could such evil transcend even death?

Finally, our heroes descended into the very bowels of the ancient temple. The tunnels opened into a massive cavern of worked stone and great pillars. High up into the air, a massive ball made of iron and copper hung suspended from massive chains. Was this the fabled memory vault? It surface was embedded with gems of all types and carved in intricate, elaborate runes - the ancient seals that kept the shrine locked away from those not worthy. Though several of the runes still glowed with a faint blue light, most of them had fallen dull and dark.

The foul stench of death that filled the room was almost overpowering, as the floor space teemed with the rotting flesh and rattling bones of the very same undead armies which should have been consigned to myth a hundred years ago. And off into the distance, just behind the vault, a vague figure could be seen in the darkness. The necromancer, perhaps?

Zane's rage at this defilement boiled over, and he attempted to lunge into the attack, but Sol stopped him with a beckon and a simple warning: "explosive runes." With but a simple hand wave across the darkness, the mystic sent forth a wave of light, illuminating hundreds of strange mystic symbols all around the cavern, and not just on the ground. Glowing hexagons which bore the mystic symbols floated through the air, bobbing and rotating slowly. Someone had prepared a very deadly ambush.

Instead of blindly charging on ahead, Sol stood back and beckoned his allies to stay behind him. The mystic's hands moved rapidly around, drawing elaborate, intricate runes into the very air ahead as his voice chanted loud in a language long dead. Rasif was understandably lost, but Zane recognised it as the language the great bird Roc had passed down to the first dragons, and though it was a language no longer used, he could understand a word here and there. Sol spoke of divine light, of just punishment and heavenly law, though how those tied together was not clear.

At once Sol finished his chant and from his body, bright, breathtaking light shone in all directions. A wave of arcane energy extended outwards through the mystic's outstretched hands, bathing the undead horde in pure divine energy. When the spell was cast and its light subsided, all that was left of the undead horde was a field of corpses, their souls returned to the afterlife where they belonged and their bodies returned to the familiar grip of death.

Now, only the necromancer remained.

I support this idea fully. The Architect and Ourobors prove that having an inspirations vendor handy is... Well, handy.

Speaking of which, can we PLEASE get an inspirations vendor in Cimerora?

Let me guess? You maed stuff?

Would anyone be kind enough to post a link to the US version of the site? PlayNC's policy of segregation ensures that I can only find the EU version for sale from my end.