Autumn 1372

"Desiel." <Ready,> He confirmed with a grin. He looked toward the gate with a little apprehension. How many times could they make this trip? They'd already lost Durlan... now Mairlen... Who would it be this time?

Shaking off the morbid thoughts he gave her a reassuring wink and reaffirmed. "Ready."

The route back to Gemblaunt was quickly becoming second nature to the party. Tirtero didn't say a word, but his eyes darted here and there, scouring any shadow for something else to hit. Elric couldn't help but wonder how long he'd last here. He hoped that the man would soon leave the city, and he felt the odds were good of just that happening. He made a mental decision to talk with him later. To try and nudge him in that direction...

The tower seemed darker... colder somehow as they traveled deeper into the corridors. When they arrived at the room with the machine, Geldman gasped.

"What... what is THIS?!?"

"We hope you'll be able to tell us that very thing."

Ashara patted the mage on the shoulder and stepped carefully into the room. The Machine still whirred and buzzed with alien machination and though the undead had been dispatched, a pall still hung heavy over the area.

Or perhaps the gloomy veil was cast only over her own mind...

Durlan. Mairlen. Haeral, the morninglord who'd been killed by their own hands. Yes, they'd emerged victorious. Yes, many, many more lives were saved as a result of their actions, but the young priestess found that it was all beginning to wear on her. For two years their world had been bathed in blood, adventure, excitement and death, and now as she knelt down at the desecrated remains of one of Vailis' ancestors, Ashara's heart felt heavy...and weary.

"Please be careful, Geldmen," she offered as she pointed out to pile of zombie meat near the Machine. "There can be no more losses today..."

Pushing a blood-sticky braid over her shoulder, she vainly attempted to control the emotion welling within her as she began to collect all the fragments of the Hawksong warrior. He would not be left here to fall to dust.

"Yeah.. umm.. I see what you.... That's just... Nasty." the mage muttered as he stepped around the squishy mess to closer examine the machine. The machine whooshed and whirred and occasionally sputtered and sparked.

"I... I really have no idea... It seems to be doing something... but I'm not seeing any kind of actual result being produced... it just... is?!" He poked it with the end of his staff, and recoiled as it shuddered. "You said that it's magical?"

Elric nodded. "Alteration of some sort... Though I don't know if that means the magic is still in effect."

"Has to be... " the wizard said cautiously. "Something is making it go, and I don't see any rodents on wheels... and I see no fuel source.... soooo Magic it must be."

"Which means the Phaerimm was involved." Jorelon said putting the pieces together. "Not the gem-mage."

"Correct. If the Gem-mage's defenses and protections are down... then the dead magic was not his doing. Which means whatever magic DOES work... is the work of the Phaerimm." He beamed his deduction to the group only to deflate bit when he realized the others had come to the same conclusion.

"So we should destroy it." Tirtero said with an edge to his voice. "That's what's stopping the magic."

"Well... I don't know about that... " Geldman said quickly. "I don't know what it's purpose is, or what will happen if we break it... I only say that the Phaerrim had a hand in it's existence.

"I... I MAY be able to tell more if I was able to see the auras myself...." He said looking towards Elric and the Power Arm. Elric arched an eyebrow in return.

"Well..." The half-elf responded as he glanced down the hallway behind them. "If the gargoyles comes back, are you prepared to fight them both off? This is the only weapon we have against them, it'd be all you then." He hid a grin as the mage paled a bit. Truth was he didn't want to share the arm with the others. He still wasn't sure what they were doing with it afterwards... and the fewer people who had first hand knowledge of it's power the better. While he was certain giving it's detection powers to the mage would undoubtedly be a good idea... giving all that power to a mage they just met did NOT seem to be a good idea. It was a toss-up really.

"No... no, I suppose you should keep it..."

"If he could see the dweomers, he would have a much easier time determining what must be done to shut these things down," Ashara considered, as she shoveled the last of the elven remains into the pack. "You know... the Machine may or may not be related to what's going on in the other room. Phaerimm aren't the type to do things randomly... Maybe seeing the temple area would give you a more complete view of what's going on here?"

The Hawksong shield already strapped to her back, the only thing that remained of his possessions was the sword. She got to her feet and slid the blade into her belt. Another melancholy gift for Vailis.

"You know, Elric," the priestess quickly brushed the moisture from her eyes and turned to her husband, "you could divide the Arm and allow Geldman to wear the Couter piece while we're down here. That way you could still handle any gargoyles that might show up, and he can get the info he needs for us to finish this mission."

'That would also give him the Dimension door ability,' Elric thought as he pondered her suggestion. The demon was gone, they were all healthy, and he didn't foresee any reason he'd need to get his wife out of there at the drop of a hat... Though after today's earlier battle, Plan B's were fresh in his mind. Still she was right.

Nodding at her, he slipped the elbow off the armor. Somehow, the straps still kept the arm together even without the joining peice. Though not as smoothly as before. As the piece left it's assigned place, he felt a surge of power slip from his fingers... The couter was an important part of the whole it seemed... He couldn't fly anymore... the dispel was gone... the magic missiles... None of which would pass on to the wizard when he strapped it on. Only the dimension door and the ability to see magic. But at least the half-elf still held enough power to enchant his sword even here...

"Don't lose it." He said as he handed it over Geldman.

"Oh no... of course not... I've never... never used an ARTIFACT before!" he said giddily as he tried to strap it in place. Tried and failed. Elric grinned as he watched the only one in this group lessfamiliar with armor than he was!

"Here... Like this." He said as he helped strap the elbow in place. He may not be experienced in wearing plate mail... but he was pretty good at putting it on and taking it off... Those this was decidedly less enjoyable. "How's that work"

"Feels weird..." The mage said as he flexed his arm and watched his elbow move. "It... OH... I see what you mean!!"

"You see the magic now?" Jorelon asked.

"Oh yes... definitely alteration.. " He went back and studied the machine a bit longer. "I think it's supposed to be connected to some kind of gate... or portal... something involving translocation."

"Speaking of which... " Elric said spinning around suddenly. "Where's Ashara?!"

A chuckle next to him caused him to look that way. A grinning elf with twinkle in his eye pointed toward the door Elric had discovered last time. "I THINK she went to inspect those slippers...."

"How quickly you move to betray me, Adaldo!" Ashara's teasing voice issued from the tiny side room only slightly before the woman herself. "I... I simply wanted to satisfy a passing curiosity. It's been some time since I've experienced a good pair of slippers and after the last couple days I would be lying if I said my feet didn't long for a bit of respite. Certainly slippers that can withstand the ages should be well made and besides....magic can repair much. Not in this case however," she grimaced.

Jorelon couldn't help but chuckle at the disappointed look on her face.

"Not what you were expecting then?"

"Not precisely what I'd hoped for, no brother," Ashara answered as she returned to Elric's side. "The unfortunate slippers didn't escape the passing of time as unscathed as I'd hoped...and living in a privy for 700 years did them little good. How they still retained form at all was a surprise to me, unless they'd succumbed to undeath, so just to be assured, I purified them with holy water and discarded them into the pit.

"You can all rest easily tonight, my friends," she managed a slight grin. "The ghoul-slippers have been put down."

The morninglord wiped his brow. "That is good news indeed sister! Your bravery is unmatched!"

Ashara curtsied at the jest and eager to change the awkward subject, addressed the mage as she rose.

"So translocation you believe, Geldman?" She was quiet a moment as she pondered the ramifications of the possibility. "It frightens me what a phaerimm in Myth Drannor would be doing with such a device... The Machine appeared to be guarded by the skeleton warriors so maybe it's instrumental in whatever scheme it had.

"Is it possible that the gate or portal this is connected to...maybe even powering...could be in a different area of Gemblaunt apart from this room?"

It occurred to her that whatever had been constructed within the old temple to Mystra could be something of the sort, but she was hardly the one to make such determinations. She was glad Geldman was here. If they had to try to figure out how to shut down the phaerimm's ritual themselves, things could easily get....messy.

Ashara's eyes were again drawn to the pile of zombie near the Machine. Yep. Very glad Geldman was here...

"I.... I have no idea" Geldman answered uncertainly. "Whether this opens a portal to the other side of the island... or the other side Faerun, I have no way of knowing... Well, Outside of experimentation I suppose, but that's a questionable decision."

"Very questionable." Elric interrupted. "Let's not play 'Fun with Portals' anytime soon..

"On that we agree." The mage said enthusiastically. "Come... show me this temple you found... maybe that will fill in some questions."

"Answers you mean?" Jorelon said with a slight grin.

"Hmmm... " Geldman looked back distractedly. "Yes... Yes... Answers... questions... probably both."

Elric was on edge as he led the group past the grisly scene of their last battle. It was as they had left it with bodies and blood lying abandoned. Tirtero shook as they passed where Mairlen had fallen, though much of her dusty remains had been scattered. Jorelon laid a comforting hand on his shoulder.

"Elric?" the priest asked as they started to continue on. "Do you think we'll be needed in there? There are... things that we should attend to out here."

The half-elf nodded in agreement. Between their fallen companion, and the morninglord he'd killed himself... there was enough work to go around. "If we need you we'll shout."

"And we'll do the same out here." Tirtero replied glancing back at the half-opened secret door that the gargoyles had last been seen fleeing through. Tirtero and Jorelon began preparing the bodies for transport, and collecting what little they could of Mairlen as the rest entered the temple. It didn't surprise Elric one bit when Ashara stooped to lend a hand.

The hallway hadn't changed, but the temple was not as they had left it. Dark burns scored the temple walls, and Elric dodged one errant bolt of energy as it careened into the wall. While once lightly lit with the mystical glow of Tel'kirra... now the temple seemed dark and foreboding... Nearly half the spiderweb that they had seen last time had grown dark and cold the stones burned out.

"What... is this?!?" The mage said in wonder.

Elric refrained from pointing out that was quickly becoming Geldman's catchphrase. "It's unstable...This is nothow we left it... Those stones there, were more..."

"Alive?"

"Good a word as any." He stepped back towards the doorway and got out of the Geldman's way. The mage soon was lost in his research. Muttering to himself and making marks on a parchment.

The hallway was a mess of blood and gore. While Jorelon and Tirtero scooped up as much of Mairlen as they could, Ashara gave them some space and knelt instead at the side of the fallen morninglord. She pulled off her crimson cloak, intent on wrapping him in it to make his transport to the Dawnspire easier.

Seeing that his sword wasn't immediately needed within the temple, Sir Wilhelm made himself useful by aiding the priestess in binding the body of his friend.

"I'm very sorry for the loss of your friend," Ashara offered her condolences as the knight came to assist. "I would like to have met him..."

"Haeral will be sorely missed," he nodded, "not only by myself and the clergy, but by the wife and son that he leaves behind."

The priestess' heart sunk in her chest. He had a family... The weight on her shoulders seemed to suddenly double.

"The Seekers are not in the habit of Raising those who have fallen within the ruins," she lowered her voice, "but I am not counted among the Seekers. If Haeral would accept it and Lathander wills it, I would see it done...even moreso if he has a family..."

Sir Wilhelm, raised eyebrows in surprise. "I never had opportunity to speak with him on the subject, but I'm sure his family will be forever grateful. As would I, for not having to deliver such black news to his wife."

There was a pause in the conversation as the paladin's eyes fell squarely upon the mace hanging at her hip.

"You say that you are not one of the Seekers. The weapon at your side... That is Dawnspeaker is it not? Forgive my prying, but is it possible that you are the Morninglord that accompanies the Champions of the Red Dawn?"

Now it was Ashara's turn to be surprised.

"I am blessed to count myself among them, yes. My husband Elric as well," she motioned toward the half elf standing in the doorway. "I'm surprised you've heard of us in Westgate."

"He is the man who punches dragons in the throat?! I have heard the song!" Ashara beamed as the paladin grew more animated at the realization. "I assure you exploits such as those of the Champions travel quickly. Even more so when you work to accomplish the will of Lathander himself! Many of the traveling priests are abuzz with news of the holy mace's return and some have even left for the town of Impresk to see it for themselves. And she that has been chosen to wield it." He tilted his head.

"I... Um..." If the skin of her cheeks weren't already soiled with blood, her scarlet face would have been difficult to hide. "Well, as you see, we are not currently at home... Haven't been in some time in fact. Once things in Evereska settled down, we took a little detour, but our stay here in temporary. It will be good to see Impresk again."

"I should hope to have the opportunity to speak more with you and your husband about your adventures, before you leave the city. Perhaps under more...pleasant circumstances," he frowned.

"We would both enjoy that a good deal, I'm sure," Ashara smiled. "Once this trouble has been dealt with, I look forward to it!"

Back in the temple, Elric was getting decidedly more nervous. The energy was ricocheting from gem to gem, and more and more of them seemed to burn out before his very eyes. The mage however, seemed too focused in his chalk and parchment to have much concern of the light show. Geldman continuously muttered low and excitedly, but even Elric's sharp ears didn't pick out the words.


"Geldman...." The half-elf prodded looking cautiously towards Adaldo. "Talk to us..."



"Is there anyway to stop this?" The elf asked with mounting horror as he saw centuries of knowledge being lost before his eyes.


"Don't touch ANYthing..." Geldman snapped as the elf reached for a glowing stone.



"They're attached by magic... and by a more powerful magic than I could dispel... even if I could dispel here."

"I used the arm to cancel some the Phaerrim's power last time... "



"Yes... but that was different. I'm looking at this right now... and even with the full arm, I don't believe it would work. There's something... different here. This isn't magic that I've ever seen before. It's unstable as it is, and if you mess with anything... We'll lose everything."


"What is it doing with the lore gems?" Adaldo asked bitterly.



"Using them.. How, I'm not sure... but they seem to be fueling... whatever THIS is. I've seen few Tel' kirra in my day, but some of these look different." He started point out a few in various parts of the temple. "Almost a Orange color... and here's a black one... and a red one. The gems are little different too. More of a rainbow Tourmaline than the standard..."

Adaldo's eyes went wide.



"Rainbow... Ed' i'ear ar' elenea!" <By the seas and stars!> The elf scrambled to a wall and stared intently at one of the gems. Eyes wide with terror, he spun around the room and tried to see it with a new set of eyes.

"Adaldo... What is it?" Elric asked sparing a quick glance to see if the others were still safe. "What does that mean?"

"Ar'cor'Kerym..." he whispered reverently.

"The Ruler's Blade..." Elric translated as he looked around. "The blade that picked the ruler of Cormanthyr? What about it?"

"What do you know about it?" The elf asked in fear.

Elric was getting a bit concerned for his new friend. In all that they had come across, he had yet to see such fear in the elf's eyes.

"I know it was lost... I know if anyone was rejected the sword would burn them to ash... What does the phaerrim have to do with it? Did he find it?" Elric's eyes started to glitter with familiar excitement. Imagine finding one of the lost treasures like THAT!

"No.. it was more than that. It had lore gems built into the handle of the sword. All the rulers deposited their knowledge for the next one. But they weren't just any Tel'kirra. They were Selu'kiira."

"High Lore gems?!" Geldman's attention snapped back to the drawing he had been working on. "By Mystra, Azuth, Tymora and anyone else who'll listen... We have to go NOW!" He tucked the scroll under his arm as two more bursts of energy exploded out of the gems, causing them to darken and die. The gems were going dark, but the magical buildup wasn't dying down. It only got brighter and more intense.



"NOW!" The mage cried as he bolted from the room.

The friendly conversation she'd been having with Sir Wilhem ended abruptly as the mage streaked ashen-faced from the doorway.

"Geldman, what is...??" Ashara asked in confusion, though wasn't able to finish her question.

"WE'VE GOT GET OUT!! GO GO!!"

Now, the priestess had known a few cowardly mages in her time (Therogeon most assuredly not among them), but none of whom were cowardly when it came to facing interesting arcane puzzles. So when a mage commanded her to run from some sort of magical occurrence, there was a good reason and she wasn't wasting any time!

Ashara grabbed the dead priest's left leg and the paladin, recognizing her intent, grabbed the right. The man was already dead, and dragging was far easier than carrying. She wanted to be sure his body stayed in tact, either to Raise or so that his family had something to bury.

Just then Adaldo sprinted to the other end of the hall, hastening everyone to their feet. Something was going very, very wrong in that room...

With fear now mirrored in her hazel eyes, Ashara started aiding in dragging the dead brother out of the ruin, when the salk-sirra master joined the retreat.

"Elric, what's going on?!" She begged as she moved down the hallway and out the way they came.

Elric's mind spun as he tried to figure out the answer to that question. Sel'kirra... High lore gems... Ar'cor'Kerym. Words and phrases that should mean something to him, but what, he wasn't sure. He had known and even sung many of the ancient Coronol's ballad's, but he didn't know anything about the sword itself... or did he?

Visions flashed through his mind as familiar words and symbols flashed past him. Perhaps the incident in the brain melting chair had done more than he thought. Fleeting images of memories not meant for him, but still in there came to the surface.

They gave him a few of the missing pieces, and his eyes grew as wide as Adalado's. Bending down to help support with the fallen priest for their mad dash, he glanced back in time to see blue bolts of energy start flashing out of the temple into the hallway.

"Ohhhhh... Bad things dear... Bad things." He nearly tripped as the floor under his feet shuddered. Excellent balance allowed him to help steady the others as they rushed for the exit.

"I think... I think, that the thornback was trying to access High magic!"

Ashara's mouth dropped open. The reconstituted temple... The interrupted ritual... With no one able to control what the phaerimm started, the magical energy being generated was about to rip the place apart!!

As if in confirmation, a threatening rumble shook the very foundations of Gemblaunt. With renewed sense of urgency, she tugged the dead morninglord's body forward forcing the paladin to keep up.

All around them the ruins heaved. Explosions could be heard throughout the hallways as long dormant magical wards released their energy. Stone walls cracked and bits of rubble began to fall from the ceiling spurring the companions even more quickly to the exit. More than once Ashara stumbled as the stone floors rose and fell beneath her and it wasn't long before she and the paladin found themselves in the back of the pack, dragging the armor laden body behind them. Still, they somehow managed to keep up.

The group began squeezing themselves into the narrow hallway that approached the exit, as destruction erupted nearer and nearer from behind them. They were so close to escaping the ruin of Gemblaunt, but would that be far enough? How large of an area might be destroyed by such an explosion? Ashara couldn't begin to guess. They'd just have to pray and run for the Dawnspire...

But she was thinking a bit too far ahead. The whole hallway suddenly quaked as the wave of magical energy reached the room which held the pillar-bound gate, causing a massive explosion to the west of them. Ashara was shaken to her knees and the ceiling began caving in. Elric was there in a blink, helping her to her feet as the others filed out into the final room and up the stairway into the open air, but not everyone was destined to make it out.

As Ashara and the paladin entered the room and headed toward the exit, the doorway just behind them collapsed, crushing the body of poor Haeral and pinning him beneath the heavy rubble. There was no way they'd be able to get the body out in time....

"He's already reached his reward," Sir Wilhelm offered, seeing that she was clearly conflicted about leaving the body of the morninglord there. "I know him well enough to tell you that he would not thank me for allowing the wielder of Dawnspeaker to sacrifice her life for his broken, empty vessel. So forgive me, my lady, but MOVE!!" With that the paladin physically shoved her forward and up the staircase.

"GO GO GO!!" Elric shouted as he waved his friends past, into the bright sunlight of the ruined city. A quick head count confirmed that the fallen morninglord was the only one left behind.

"Don't... Stop..." Geldman panted. Though used to a more physical lifestyle than the average wizard, Exertion was starting to show itself with a sweaty sheen across the flushed man's face. "Gonna... It's going to be big!"

Elric gave Jorelon a push toward the bridge off the island. "You heard him! Let's move it!" The half-elf was barely winded, running was nothing new to him. Though to be fair he wasn't wearing armor either. He made a conscious decision not to outpace the others. Now that they had lost their extra burden, Ashara and Wilhelm were keeping pace better then Jorelon and the others were.

They were halfway across the bridge before it happened. Elric noticed it as a lack of sound. A stillness that hadn't been there a moment before. Any whooshing or blasting or rumbling stopped. The half-elf looked back toward the ruined mage tower. Emerald eyes were the last to ever see the ancient structure.

The silence was shattered with an earthshaking explosion. The shock wave knocked everyone off their feet, and Tirtero and Geldman literally flew for about 20 feet to the other shore. Jorelon was less lucky.

Standing too near the edge of the bridge, He felt himself spinning through the air before splashing headfirst into Glyrryrl's Pool. Gasping suddenly he felt his lungs take on water, and he struggled to reach the surface before his armor drug him to a watery death.

"ELRIC!!"

Though cast to the wind in the midst of a hail of rubble, Ashara's scream was of such a pitch and intensity that it cut through the chaos turning the heads of all present. All except the one it was meant for. Her warning was hardly needed as came well after the Champion had reacted to Jorelon's plummet. Elric was already in the water.

She clawed her way to the edge of the pool, watching for any sign of her brother or his would-be-rescuer. Her husband was the only one who could save him in time. All others were wearing heavy armor that would take far too long to be rid of, and poor Geldman had what little breath remained to him knocked out during the final explosion.

If she just hadn't suggested Elric give the man the couter piece of the Arm of Valor, he could simply have used Dimension Door to jump in, grab Jorelon and jump out. She'd deprived him of that luxury. Ashara prayed to the Dawn that she wouldn't lose them both as a result... Gods knew what evil lurked in the depths of that water!

****

It was suddenly so quiet.

A different quiet than the ruins. Not ominous, but peaceful. "Rest...," the waters whispered alluringly to him, "you've done your part. Enjoy the fruits of all your labor..."

There were times when Jorelon longed to see the Halls of the Morning. Times like these when good friends were falling around him like the ancient towers of Myth Drannor. So much loss with no reprieve... So much horror and danger that it numbed the senses and dulled the Hope that was held in such esteem in the faith of the Morninglord. All Seekers had their moments he knew, moments when they would present themselves before the Dawnstone to remember their purpose and restore the light of Hope within them.

But now...here in the peaceful, frigid waters, the light was ever dimming.

This was not how he wanted the end of his story to be told! He wanted to return a hero in the records of the Seekers so that future generations might know his name. There would be no children, so this would be his legacy and blast it all, he was not going to end up as food for eels!

The priest fought and struggled against his own weight, but the chain was just too heavy and he'd already swallowed more water than would prove healthsome. His arms slackened just as a familiar, calloused hand grabbed his collar. Feet used to turning aside attacks were now set to the furious purpose of pushing the two men to the surface of the pool.

Jorelon knew only glimpses at this point. The unyielding, corded arms that pushed his head above water. The two delicate hands that forcefully grabbed the front of his mail and, with aid, dragged him onto shore.

He felt the surprising sensation of soft warmth against his lips as foreign air was forced into his lungs again and again, but he was so tired...maybe if he just rested a few minutes he could respond...

****

Ashara was having none of it.

"Breathe, curse you!!" She slammed his armored chest with her fist before lowering her mouth onto his again. Four quick breaths... "You have not come through all these trials just to die now, so BREATHE!!"

Her fist hammered once again at her brother's chest.

With a gurgle, Jorelon rejoined the land of the living, to be quickly turned upon his side by two pair of Everdawn hands where he spewed the watery content of his lungs onto the grass.

"There we go... " Elric muttered as Jorelon Choked and sputtered. He saw Ashara relax and knew the priest would be fine. He eyed the mage expectantly. Geldman looked befuddled until he saw the warrior's gaze drift down to his armored elbow.

"Ohhh.. Yes... yes of course..." he stammered as he started to unbuckle the mystical armor piece. "Best to keep it all together... certainly. Would it have helped just now?" He asked quizzically as he handed it over.

"I'm not sure.. " Elric answered as he strapped it into place. Once again the pieces fused into single yet flexible arm. As the knowledge of his powers flooded his mind, He looked to the others.

" Sooooo... Airy water?" Seeing the mage nod in comprehension he continued. "What would have happened if that kicked in automatically?"

"Well... in theory, you wouldn't have had to worry about drowning. You would have been surrounded by perfectly breathable air... and... ummm..." His eyes went wide as he looked at the bridge. "How... deep was that?"

"Yeah.. Pretty deep. Which... if I'm not mistaken would have not been... mmm... swimmable right?" Seeing the mage bit his lip he got his answer.

"That's not the best power of this... this... Okay.." The half-elf started chuckling. "It's also got Feather Fall in here..."

"That... was good planning," Geldman eyebrows crinkled as he saw the half-elf grin wide. "What did I just miss?"

"I think we're having the same conversation the makers did centuries ago..."

Ashara helped the priest sit upright as he gasped in the life giving air. She'd already lost her cloak back with the corpse of Haeral so she had nothing to help warm him until they were out of the dead magic area. With the scrap of fabric that could barely lay claim to the title 'shirt' that hung on Elric's shoulders, she imagined that he was similarly freezing from his own little swim. At least they weren't too far from home...

"The Dawnspire has Lathander's providence to credit for her continued existence, I think," Ashara smiled, patting Jorelon on the back as she looked to the Arm of Valor. "If he'd not guided us to the pieces of that relic, we would have been hard pressed to accomplish what has been done here today.

"Assuming," she hesitated, "that our mission has been accomplished... If that explosion didn't take care of the DMZ growing toward the tower, than I'm not sure what will!"

The priestess wondered if there would be any discernible change. Would the border of the dead magic zone be nearer Gemblaunt than it had been a couple of hours ago? Would it recede back to its original position? She was curious to see what might have happened when the phaerimm's plans failed so violently!

"It's kind of a shame about that odd Machine though... I would've been quite curious to know what kinds of things it might have done."

"We need to be on our way quickly," the ranger interrupted the chatting. He stood just apart from the rest of the group, scanning the skies for danger. "There is certain to be others interested in that explosion, so if Jorelon is able, we should head back to the safety of the Dawnspire right away. I don't think any of use are in the mood to tangle with demons and devils at the moment."

"I can manage." The priest gasped as he struggled to his feet. Glancing back where the once mighty tower had stood he shook his head in amazement.

"I think we've done all the damage we can here..."

"Agreed..." Said an obviously saddened elf. "I can't help but think of the knowledge that's just been lost." Wilhelm slapped him on the shoulder.

"Try not to think of it that way. Think instead on the harm that knowledge could have achieved had the phaerrim's plan succeeded."

"Besides..." Elric interjected as he looped an arm over Ashara's shoulders and gave them a reassuring squeeze. "The knowledge had already been lost. We just... didn't FIND it." The elf didn't seem too consoled at that thought, but Elric's heart was elated.

The Phaerrim was dead. The ritual was stopped. The evidence was destroyed. If they had indeed saved the Dawnspire, then it was a safe bet that nobody else would be able to repeat... whatever it was that had happened.

Best of all, even though the magical maelstrom had destroyed the tower... No one else had been lost. If he had to trade ancient magical secrets for living, breathing people... that choice was an easy one for him.

He tugged a bloody braid and grinned at his wife as they made the journey back.

"You... my dear, are a mess."

"And you, my dear, are freezing," she shivered as his chilly hand brushed her cheek. "I'll attend to both issues as soon as we get back to the Dawnspire, I promise."

The words of Elric and Sir Wilhelm made her feel a good deal better about their time in Gemblaunt. Yes, there were generations of elvish knowledge lost in that explosion, and she'd entertained wistful thoughts of presenting Vailis with a tel'kirra belonging to the Hawksongs of Myth Drannor, but at least the phaerimm wasn't able to complete the ritual it had intended. What was lost would remain lost. A shame, but the Dawnspire being saved from this threat did much to brighten her mood.

Ashara wrapped an arm around the salk-sirra master's waist as they walked. "Well, Melamin, the Everdawn Blade has been basking in the light of the Endless Dawn for five days now, which means we have at least five days remaining on our 'relaxing vacation'." Her eyes sparkled with a grin she tried vainly to repress. "Do you have any ideas on how to spend the time left to us?"

"Bathe." He answered without hesitation. "I can not wait for a nice hot bath.... That may take up a good portion of the time we have left...at least a couple of days!" He laughed softly.

"I... I can't believe it's only be a couple days." the half-elf whispered in amazement. "It seems like a lot longer... I wonder what it's like for them?" he nodded toward Jorelon who seemed lost in conversation with Tirtero.

"I can't imagine... " Ashara shook her head gently. "The Seekers have given so much in sacrifice to the cause of the Morninglord. It's quite humbling. Tirtero though," she stole a glance over at the two men, "I think his time here in Myth Drannor might be coming to an end."

It warmed her heart to see Jorelon consoling his friend in the face of such a loss, and it was a mutual one, but where the priest had too much practice coming to terms with such things, the pain written upon the poor love-lost warrior's face was still excruciatingly raw. No, Ashara didn't believe he'd be staying at the Dawnspire much longer...

"You know what would be fun?" She looked up at her husband as she sent her mind roaming down sunnier paths. "After you've soaked and scrubbed to an acceptable level of squeaky-cleanness, maybe we could speak to the Abbess about a little messenger mission." Ashara grinned wickedly, which meant bad things...or perhaps good things depending on the situation.

"Certainly the elf-lich would like to hear about what happened down in Gemblaunt, and seeing how dangerous it is to send Seekers there unannounced, perhaps we could pay him a visit! If...you know...we were suddenly attacked by the abomination, we would, of course, have no other course of action but to retaliate. Such action against it would certainly be a shame, "she couldn't keep a straight face at that, " but you know....stuff happens."

The priestess sighed wistfully at the pleasurable thought of driving Dawnspeaker though the balenorn's skull. As much as she would've liked to do such a thing, her idea was in jest.... Mostly...

He raised an eyebrow and tried to hide a chuckle. The presence of the Balenorn had shocked and confused him too. Though he'd heard the tales of the ancient undead guardians, he had never given them much thought. Like his wife, he was only familiar ONE kind of undead horror and what

However, he wasn't sure smiting was the way to go here. After all, Aleacathra obviously knew more about the situation than they did... and she seemed to accept him. While the idea of adding one more lich to their resume held some appeal. He was loathe to take ANY weapon away from the Seekers... There could well come a time that the Lich was all that stood between success and failure for the Dawnspire.

Today was of course not that day... He failed to see where it had helped at all today.

"Ummmm... Y'know.... By then it should be pretty close to my birthday." He said with a glint in his eye. "Why don't we save the lich hunting for YOUR birthday!

"I think you'd enjoy it more."

Ashara pushed out her bottom lip in a playful pout.

"Awww but baby, how often do we get a lich served up to us on a platter like this?! They skulk about in their holes like rats... Each one preferring a different kind of bait."

She sighed a deep, exaggerated sigh.

"You're right of course. It probably wouldn't be much fun for you and I'd rather not raise the ire of the Abbess. So since it's your birthday," Ashara beamed as she squeezed her husband excitedly about the middle, "is there anything you'd like to do? Anywhere you'd like to go?

"The whole of Toril is available to you, my love," she smiled up at him. "It would take us mere hours to travel anywhere, or we could stay within the ruins and do some more exploration...the possibilities are endless. I would give you the world if it were mine to give."

"Oh my... anything?!?" he said with a mischievous glint in his eyes. "There IS a certain ancient castle I'd HATE to leave without seeing... I mean, Y'know... Demon filled and all that... but Still.... You ever have an idea... that's just... REALLY bad, but you STILL want to do it?

"That's just ONE of the things though... I'd still like to see the Hawksong estate... maybe find you some more blue moss... LOTS of fun stuff to do here that... maybe doesn't involve demons!"

"Anything."

Ashara affirmed her statement without hesitation, effectively calling his bluff. She wondered if Elric actually believed her when she said such things...

The priestess' eyes were drawn to the horizon where the Dawnspire began to loom large in the distance. It felt so good to be safely back and in one piece after this last excursion, though Adaldo's constant vigil of the cityscape, eyes darting here and there, made her realize that all Myth Drannor could ever provide was the illusion of safety.

For now, she'd take it gladly!

While Elric gleefully contemplated what would be the 'correct' amount of life threatening peril to celebrate the salvation of the Dawnspire. The Dawnspire itself was in a state of panic.

"Report!" The Abbess barked loudly as weapons and armor was thrown together.

"The dead magic still exist your grace," A disheveled looking Halamor sputtered. "The borders are the same as they were earlier... but something happened out there."

"Theories?"

The mage shook his head. "I won't theorize without more information. The explosion was massive... and it tore at the weave enough for me to feel it over here." His face scrunched up in frustration. "It was like the entire Mythal shook... " His mouth strained tightly as he said what she was already thinking.

"If they were anywhere near the epicenter of that... "

"They'll not be coming back." The Abbess said with a soft whisper. This was the setback that she had feared. Besides the loss of her own Seekers, she had lost the Everdawns and the Arm of Valor. The artifact was still out there... the odds of it's destruction were unlikely. If it's power was turned against her tower...

"No, they won't be back." He said despondently.

"They're BACK!!!"

The Abbess spun suddenly to the sound of the commotion in the courtyard. A young priest was gasping for air as he raced up the stairs towards her.

"Abbess... Come quickly! They're BACK!!!"

Without a single word, she turned her back on her companions and hurried down to the courtyard. The sight that greeted her filled her with a warm glow of joy and her eyes lit up with her a smile that was too rarely seen in recent days. The entire contingent who had left... at least this last time... had returned to her looking none the worse for wear.

"Welcome home." She said to the returning heroes. "What news do you have?"

"Gemblaunt tower... Is gone." Geldman said as he quickly started unburdening himself from his gear.Keeping his scrolls, diagramming the what he'd seen, he was eager to study it in more familiar surroundings.