A28

Fall of the Dark Master

Upon the return and restoration of the party (Dominic, Fick, Ignatius, Jack, and Nemo with Drusila and Yarol), the heroes learned that the Dark Master�s time was up. The Ivalian forces had taken the port city of Locklan and destroyed the orcish hordes. Now the party cast their vote as well and set out to defeat him in order to gain the sword Rauthym, a blade that could pierce even ARCHIE�s metallic skin.
     When they teleported into the Dark Master�s throne room they discovered the fortress already under assault. The sounds of combat and bombardment resounded in the vacant throne room.   Quickly searching the room, they discovered two secret doors. One led into the dimension of shadow, where the party dealt with some minor guardians before discovering a massive self-destruct device. Four huge casks of gunpowder sat in a room rigged to detonate when a wire was lit. Disabling it as best they could the party made their way the roof of the shadow version of the Dark Master�s fortress. After dealing with a force golem, the party noticed bright cracks in the fabric of the universe as dimensional barriers weakened. They hurried back and just barely made it back into normal world before the portal closed forever.
     The throne room was now a blaze. An injured dwarf and unconscious cleric of Pelor lay there defeated by Lothar Noctus. After healing them, they learned that he had left after defeating them. Before leaving the room, the party tried to open the other secret door beneath the throne. This dropped the floor of the entire room and flooded it with inky black water. A nasty tentacled monster did battle with them before they were move on into the maze that surrounded the central keep.
     As the party tried the sounds of an approaching juggernaut, they were engulfed in shadowy smoke and found themselves again on the plane of shadow.   Here a powerful shadow dragon lay in wait for them. Cloaked in protective shadow it breathed negative energy over them and sapped their life forces. With its impressive physical abilities, energy draining attacks, and resistances the party found itself unable to harm it. Yarol lost half his life, Jack was barely able to hit it, and Dominic discovered since it was not undead there was little he could do as his life force weakened. Ignatius finally was able to bring it down with a cone of force.
     As they searched for treasure and contemplated fleeing, another portal to the normal world opened up where a familiar figure stood amidst rubble. After jumping through portal, they found themselves in the dungeons of the fortress. The structure was crumbling around them and a bloodied Dark Master bearing a short sword crackling with red lightning.
     The party called for Lothar to give them his sword. He, of course, felt that since he was about to die anyway, the spoils should go to the victor. He fled, teleporting once out of sight. The party hurried upstairs and soon found Lothar again. As Ignatius and Drusila flew up ahead, they saw another room of explosive filled casks. Lothar was there surrounded by Ivalian troops including Arch Duke Henri, military leader of Ivalice. Rather than be captured Lothar detonated the explosives.
      As the explosions ripped through the area the very fabric of the universe was sundered dragging bits of the fortress into the plane of shadow. Ignatius�s powerful protection magic barely spared his life as he and Drusila were blown through the crumbling fortress and over the neighboring lake.   Duke Henri was barely able to grab the Marquis before his contingency spell pulled him away.   The others were farther away and as the flames swept toward them they were engulfed in darkness.
     They discovered themselves on the plane of shadow near where the city of Nightmount once stood. A vast globe of chaos filled the spot.   Amazingly Fick and Dominic were barely hurt while Jack and Yarol who were farther away were badly injured.   After some discussion they returned to normal world and regrouped with the rest of party.   As the exuberant party celebrated their companions� survival, they searched the blasted crater in the center of the city and planned the next step in finding the sword. They also talked with Arch Duke Henri about Ivalice�s reasons for what they did.
     Later within the bubble of chaos they searched the amorphous terrain.   They found some remnants of and gear but not the sword or Lothar.   When they returned to Avalon, they discovered the castle covered in cool multicolored flames and Lady Amethyst waiting in the throne room.   She commented on their mission and told them their reward, the location of a massive treasure horde in the lands far to the southeast.