Wight Worms (Group 1)

Log Info

• Title: Wight Worms (Group 1)
• Characters: Cesran, Serene, Seldan, Seyardu, Un'eth, Zeke
• Place: Fields outside the Alexandrian City limits
• Time:
• Summary:

A large, flat field has been picked as the location with a nearby hill. It's the most convenient locale possible. The militaryt, of course, has taken the hill and made an encampemnt of it. Fortified it. Spiked fencing, for example, pointed downwards. Pikemen at the ready. Seems they're planning on how to engage the wights on favorable ground so as to minimize the risk to their soldiers. Best they can do, really, given the circumstances and short amount of time they had to prepare. A military can work wonders when it needs to, and right now, it needs to.

In the flat ground, however, there appears to be a great, metal rod that has been driven into the earth. Engineers from the enclave are working with it, drilling it further and further into the ground. Seems it's the tool they're intending to use to force the worms to the surface.

A group of adventurers dispatched to explore a potentially wight infested mine in the mountains discovered one of the means that the undead were arriving in the area. Tunnels. Tunnels being carved beneath the earth by undead beasts. Having made the long journey from Dragonier, or perhaps near Rune's original location where Heth was last seen years ago, the undead have carefully carved their way to Alexandros for reasons uncertain.

The packs of wights that have arrived so far, potentially a mere scouting intrusion, a probing of the response of the city to their arrival, or perhaps a mere feint. Who can say for sure?

Either way, the beastse are still here, responsible for a few of the recent earthquakes that have been felt in various parts of the region.

The city government has called together its military forces to confront them, and as part of that effort, you've been called together too. These beasts -- undead worms -- are to be driven to the surface, compelled through artifice and magic, and then dispatched before they can get any closer to the city. The undead accompanying them will be the first test of Alexandria's military readyness to contain the wight threat in cooperation with its irregular forces. That's you.

You'd been given standing orders to be ready, as it was uncertain when exactly the move against the worms would go forward. Preparations had to be secured, locations scouted to provide maximum efficiency. Hard, quiet work in a city no stranger to the work nor the secrets.

But now is the time.

You've been called together, some of Alexandria's boldest warriors, and assembled. You've been counted, and are being divided into groups, as the worms have been forced apart into divergent paths by means of magic. In fact, some cunning adventurers had helped slow them down with magics, spiking stones in their path and more to buy the city valuable time, a fact for which its officials are quite grateful.

Indeed, as the adventurers stand up and be counted, amongst them is Seldan. His presence was *(almost* missed all together, but well coifed man with a scroll case under his arms who has been present every step of the way simply extends the scroll case to the paladin, saying, "We've been looking for you. You've been summoned to appear before the City Council to speak on matters pertaining to -- ... well ... you know. You also ought to know we have your back, but the Council has some questions."

From the look Seldan wears as the scroll case is handed to him, he is unsurprised by the summons, and merely accepts it with sober grace and a polite bow. "I am at the Council's disposal," he answers calmly, decked out in full adventuring gear, with little attempt to hide himself from those present. Still, his self-effacing nature is a pervasive one. "I shall appear as bid." What that's all about is not entirely clear, but he tucks the summons into a side pocket of the knapsack over his back, and turns to the others. "Let us be about our business."

Cesran arrives by flying carpet as a message had been sent out to him to come help the city. Briefly tempted to ignore the message, he comes not for the city, but to aid those he would call friends. He hovers nearby, "Anyone with range like to come with me? You are more than welcome to." He has no plans of being up close and personal with any wights.

Undead roaming Ea is bad enough. Undead roaming through Un'eth's demesne within the same is utterly unacceptable. Preparations are already made and/or underway for the defense of Mictlan, proper; an opportunity to stem the tide of the horde is even better. The best defense is preventing an enemy from even venturing near, and surely not in overwhelming numbers.

Thus Un'eth arrives with precisely this purpose, and prepared for conflict. Her typically bare scales bear upon them a cuirass that appears fashioned from individual stones held in place relative to one another via extremely localized and intense air currents. Eyes pan over peers gathered, snout dipping to those familiar and her appraisal leaves her appearing... content.

Zeke stands close at hand to Seldan, his eyes narrowing at the messenger, but it's not the messenger's fault and he lets the poor man be. Instead he closes his green eyes briefly and readies himself. "Thisss one will blesss your arm in the moment of upheaval. Thisss one will offer what sssupport thisss one can, but thisss will be a difficult fight, and thisss one isss not a warrior." Indeed, his only weapon seems to be a quarterstaff that is not terribly remarkable. It could almost be mistaken for a walking staff.

Serene stands nearby, apart from any congregation of soldiers, irregulars, mercenaries and adventurers... and her stature is overshadowed by the large gryphon standing beside her, his eyes as intent in the direction of the coming undead storm as hers. She has readied few enchantments, has shared little insight. The city, and the people defending it, know what's coming. People are going to die. All she can hope is that the precautions minimize it, and that her suggestions of what to do with those who fall to the wights is heeded.

Cesran spends a couple of minutes as he casts spells on himself. He layers on the magical defences before he turns to Seldan. "I've prepared Wall of Stone and Wall of Force if you'll direct me where you would like them and how you would like them I can make battlements." He offers before he looks over at Zeke, "I plan on being up in the sky if that would help you, you or anyone else with ranged capabilities can come on my carpet. I can fit three more besides myself."

"Create a platform, a place for the casters to stand," Seldan directs Cesrain with an incline of the head, nodding back to Zeke and to Seyardu. "They must be shielded, and you will wish to make it thicker, not long, that a worm does not seek to break it by slamming into it. It may serve you to use more than one in its construction."

With that, he turns to Zeke. "The blessings of all the gods shall be needed on this day," he says. "Your blessings and support will more than suffice. I shall begin among the casters, and shall close when my power is exhausted. To be safe, it may serve the casters to have a means of flight, should the platform be destroyed."

Seyardu is much to busy to talk and speak with anyone for the moment. The silver sith-makar is a flurry of activity, running between those assembled as she pulls out the scrolls she had purchased and prepared, and offering the briefest of prayers to accompany them where she could. By the time she reached Un'eth, she was half stumbling over her feet as she stopped to regain her balance.

"This is, it will be dangerous to everyone here, but I can think of none I would rather stand with than you, shaman." Seyardu speaks up. When the time comes, please allow this one a chance to fill you with the celestial mother's light, so you may further keep this land safe."

Cesran sighs, "I'm afraid that I only have one, but I can put a wall of force in front of it and then build up a double thick wall of stone so that the casters can stand on it." He heads off to build a wall of stone with battlements on it before putting down a Wall of Force in front of it. He comes back, "It's done Seldan."

"My thanks, Archmage. A wise choice," Seldan says of the placement of a wall of force in front of the wall of stone. "It should be safe enough." He turns towards the battlefield to be, and back towards Zeke. "His shield defend you, kin. Come back safely."

Zeke murmurs a quick prayer, and sprouts white wings from his back. The feathery additions to his form give him an odd look, but he seems quite at home with it. He looks at Cesran then and shakes his head. "Thisss one'ss plassce isss here. Thisss one can not heal if thisss one isss far away. Thisss one can not offer aid from afar. Thissss one will remain here." So said, he stands firm.

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- ATTENTION -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

Whirlpool has dropped a TIMESTOP!

Please +init, then cease all roleplay and actions immediately and wait for Whirlpool to instruct you further. You may earn RPP by logging a scene for a GM.

For in-combat commands, type: +thelp.

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...there's good news.

The spikes worked.

The first worm abruptly crashes through the surface of the earth, immediately disgorging a horde of wights from its mouth. Vomiting forth dozens upon dozens of dessicated corpses that iwas carrying inside of it.

Really.

... and then the *second* worm abruptly erupts nearby, doing much the same in a shower of earth and undeath.

... and then *the third worm* erupts from the ground. Three of them in proximity. Three enormous, purple worms, shriveled and chitinous undead purple worms.

...but that third one. It looks different than the other two. It's blackened body is older, scarred. And as it erupts further, great black wings erupt from it, shadowing the battlefield. It's body is covered in massive battle scars.

A demonic, undead purple worm.

Serene's eyes narrow like they are wont to do when the enemy reveals itself. When the ground shakes, her hand goes to Silver's bridle.. in part to steady herself, in part to let the gryphon know that the time is upon them. When the third worm reveals itself, her eyes narrow further. Her lips move, either silent or too low to be heard over the sudden noise of the earth erupting and the inevitable shouts from among the soldiers and perhaps irregulars. Leather creakes as her fingers tighten upon her gryphon's bridle, then she invokes a minor blessing.. imparting it into the feather and furred beast, before she jumps into his saddle.

"The last worm, it is mine!" she yells to the others, imparting as much authority into the declaration as she can muster before Silver pounces into the sky, his mighty wings thundering to catch the air and carry him and his rider up, up and forward.

Immediately, the first worm tries to go back underground, but can't. It seems to find the ground ... to lack taste. Instead, it disgorges more wights, several of whom immediately *levitiate into the air themselves*, bearing ancient dragonieri weapons. Wight commanders of some kind? Seems so.

The second worm does much the same, and from his mouth emerges a wight more skeletal than the rest, bearing a staff and robes that are in tatters. Some kind of wizard, one would have to guess.

And then both of them try to push forward towards the line of soldiers who are staring in horror.

Un'eth was expecting a wurm to breach. They all were as this is why they are present. A second? She hisses. A third?! She blinks. Adding to her surprise is Serene's apparent familiarity and calling out of the seemingly elder wurm. She shall have her opponent. More pressing are the dozens... hundreds? of smaller-yet-just-as-vile-abominations between. They bespoil Ea with their very presence. Now it is time that Ea bites back.

The very ground they defiled is called to by Shaman and begins to rumble. Dozens of strides to either flank of the horde, the ground rises up; first at the far edges, and rippling inward. Jagged stones larger than the wights resemble nothing less than teeth that clash together in an enormous 'bite' from a vaguely reptilian maw before the earth and stone fall back to lie flat.

It is now Seldan's turn! Cesran is next!

Seyardu was not expecting three worms, and if she was only on edge, that was enough to make her panic a bit. But it would be alright. Seyardu sighs, and steels herself. "My apologies shaman, but there are too many for the others, and I must help clear the way for them." She hisses to Un'eth, before putting her hand square on her chest, and the bloody stone holy symbol underneath their armor. "Celestial mother, the horrors of the false death dragon seek to enroach on our home. I will not let this stand, and will do everything I am capable of to stop them. Grant me a fraction of your limitless divine strength and care for all your children in this city of yours, so that I may see it done." <Draconic>

The silver cleric looks up, her eyes glowing with a white light behind them. "Althea blesses us upon this day. We will be victorious."

GAME: Seyardu casts Bestow Grace of the Champion. Caster Level: 14 DC: 23

Zeke looks at Seldan asking a silent question that is answered with a glance. Permission given, Zeke lays his claw on Seldan's shoulder, invoking the gods and granting his diety's power to Seldan's being. The man veritiably shines with good fortune. "Go with the Dragonfather kin." He murmurs. Readying himself for what comes next.

Cesran watches as the wight wizard just disappears after trying to use mage's disjunction against him. Thankfully he had prepared for that a while ago. He needs to get ready and find his opponent. He quickly reaches into his pouch to bring out a large handful of marbles. Using the rod of normal quickening he casts prying eyes and thoses them up int he air. "Find the wight wizard within 500 feet and report back." He commands before he gather himself to cast again.

As he finishes casting the world slows down and he takes a brief moment to take a breath. He then starts to quickly cast Greater Invisibility on himself and then starts to cast summon monster to summon 4 celestial T-rexes around the last Worm on the field. He drops one rod and draws another before he casts spell turning on himself and then quickly casts Protection from Fire. He quickly casts Resist Energy against electricity before he leans down to scoop up the rod he dropped and he holds ready to try to counterspell whatever the wight wizard is trying to do

As Seldan stands amongst the tatters of one worm, the soldiers are cheering. Sure, they're still concerned about the other two, but Serene's a famed warrior herself, and the third is being confronted by a lot of dinosaurs that have appeared, amongst other things. It's all very helpful. r

That does not change the reality right in front of them, though. The horde of undead that's crashed into their barricades, the varied wights that command them that have risen into the air, armed with ancient dragonieri weapons that are of masterful craft but have seen little practical use. Why would they? It was a nation dominated by dragons. It didn't exactly need swords and swordsmen. Still, there's enough /flying wights/ speeding up their friends that the barricades are faltering a little. They're doing an admirable job holding them off, wearing them down with holy water and fullisades of arrow and crossbows and the starp sounds of runelock arms, but ... it's tight, and their morale is questionable with the *giant flying worm* having just ... killed people.

In one, fell gulp, the gryphon mounted paladin was gone. Hopefully there was enough faith in her ability to avoid any demoralization amongst any troops who witnessed it. But such things are a fleeting thought in the paladin's mind when she and Silver are, momentarily at least, removed from the battlefield.

With that threat consumed, the demonic, undead wurm turns its attention towards the pitiful beings who dare oppose it and its master. Then it jerks. Making a sound suspiciously like a belch.

One Silverguard fells one wurm. The other... seeks to strike it from within, Un'eth must presume. Else, Serene would not allow herself to be devoured. Surely.

Yet there are many more threats. Many, many more... and they take their toll. Aided, no less, by the likes of their leaders (and possibly the wizard that vanished). With an utterance, ridges, horns and scales elongate and sharpen before she calls, "Hold strong!"

It is a bellow, rather than hiss, given volume as she, herself, expands to take up more volume in a dark billowing cloud of storm. Wings extend, though need not beat for her to rise up close before the trio. They cannot aid their vile kin when they have their own troubles to deal with.

The horrible second undead worm takes a moment to evaluate its situation. Undead are sometimes mindless, but they always have some guiding instinct. The worm open its razor-filled maw and then disgorges more ...

... more worms?!

Smaller, undead worms. Dozens -- dozens and *dozens* of them. Larval worms, rotten one and all, falling out of its mouth before it bites down on the nearest one of Cesran's summoned creatures, stinging with its tail in a vicious, powerful pair of attacks that pierce its hide and leave it severely injured.

Finally free from whatever unholy affliction had sapped her strength and left her unable to move, Seyardu ends up finding that she got off much better than the others around her. So, the silver scaled cleric moves out and away from the remaining guards, in case they too find themselves judged.

"The wights will fall before us, and trouble our lands no more. All of you are judged by the celestial dragonmother, and are found wanting. May you find mercy under the death singing dragon, for she has none left to give you." The cleric chants, raising her holy symbol aloft as a wave of force emanates from it, causing the wights around her to crumble on the spot, and even several in the air to drop like stones to the ground. <Draconic>

The wights surge forward against the lines, where they stand. Some are now turning their attentuion to Zeke. Mindless as they are, driven solely by hunger, theyo don't care how many of them have turned to dust. They simply scramble past the remnants of the fallen and lunge towards them. Where the military stands against them, it is having success. The thinning of their numbers has bolstered the armies spirits.

Behind Seldan, Zeke lowers his hand and grasps his claw over his chest. Words of prayer leave his lips and a pulse of energy leaves his body. Not to heal the army, for though that might be helpful, it would not be as helpful in this moment as dealing with the undead who remain. Instead he blights the undead, strikes out at their weakness and pours holy power into their bodies. Several of them drop on the spot, undone by the Dragonfather's power.

They are falling, gradually. Even as Zeke calls upon the power of the Draco Solis to mow these abominations down where they stand, and another call to Telmentar lays another group low, Seldan's eyes can't help but go to the battle in the sky, where Serene and Silver are no longer visible. _That will be trouble,_ floats through his mind.

But, the cheers of the soldiers snap the paladin back to harsh reality, where the lines are holding, but for how long? A little help is called for, and without even thinking, the bloodied Reunion in his hand lowers, his other hand drawing endlessly complex sigils, his chanting rhythmic and almost sing-song, as a prayer. The final sigil is the crescent-and-sphere of Eluna, uniting all beneath Her holy aegis and invoking Her wrath upon the creatures below. "The Dreamer's wrath be your destruction!" A final arcane word, and the sigils do not burst into fire before him.

No, they burst into fire at a point some forty feet above the battle, where Seldan's gauntleted finger points. With a *FWOOM* that sucks oxygen from the air above the battle's heads, a _pillar_ of blue-and-silver fire crashes down amid the wights, leaving only dust where once a dozen wights had stood.

Cesran keeps his head on swivel as he moves around waiting to counterspell whatever that wight wizard has in store if he lets his guard down. His summoned T-rex allies all give a terrifying roar before they proceed to tear apart the last wyrm that's on the ground. The one that was injured before getting the killing blow as it tears the head of the wyrm off before swallowing it whole.

It's torn apart, yes, but what happens when its torn open is something else entirely. Wights spill out. More wights. Countless wights. Dozens. Dozens more. Dozens and dozens more. Some of them are shredded simply by virtue of the damage done.

... and yet others are not, and that's not even getting into the smaller worms that are falling out of its skin, crawling on the t-rexes that Cesran summoned, biting and burrowing into scaled flesh.

The remaining purple wormn of the three seems to ... start ... growing.

It's swelling to an even *larger* size than it already was. That's probably not a good thing, huh. The soldeirs are staring up and pointing as it shadow falls over them. The wings that somehow hold it aloft are still beating. It hovers there before *disgorging* Serene and Silver, but in a ready pile of choking ash and dust before it reats up, intending to reingest her once more.

...A good number of the wight lords are staying on the ground, stunned by the power of Seyardu's holy exclamation. Others have turned towrads Seldan, flying towards him and Zeke, whom both are struck at least once. Their palladin, armor clad bodies and blades are dangerous, but not so dangerous as they would be thanks to the protective magics that have been invoked. Still, a half-dozen of them by Seldan, four over near the front linems, and more still out there...

The situation is increasing, ands that's not even getting ot the matter of the missing wizard...

Paladin and gryphon go tumbling through the air momentarily, disgorged amidst ash and dust and pieces of armour and clothing. She manages to keep to her saddle, and Silver's powerful wings manage to keep him aloft.. just in time for the enlarged demon wurm to lash forth and try to eat them both again. A flash of white light meets each of the wurm's strikes as Eluna protects one of her own.. which is a good thing, because the paladin in question seems to be coughing up a lung. Or two. She manages to get enough air to shout down, "The wights corrupt! Do not inhale the dust!" And then she and her gryphon surge forward back towards the demon wor, sword and beak and talon delivering judgement.

Air Elemental had sought to delay or deter the Wight Lords, but it appears that Seldan has drawn their attention far more readily. It may be that the rumors are trut that he is ... delectable? There are still many more wights, even after the dismemberment of the other wurm (or even due to it?) and many more yet at risk. Softskin or scale alike.

Her vaguely avian form is abandoned as she the air and smoke begin to rotate and churn. Rapidly and then moreso before the not-so-minature tornado nears the ground to sweep across the wights and wormlings and pull many into the vortex. They are despoiling Ea by their presence; some seasonal cleaning is in order.

And suddenly, he's got friends. To be expected, really, but Seldan shouts, "Zeke, retreat!" He backpedals in turn, reaching for Zeke as he goes. Once clear, the sword and hand again flash in those complex patterns, and another blue and silver pillar of divine fire crashes down, inches from where he'd stood mere seconds ago.

Seyardu is left up front with no one really around her at the moment. The makari raised her holy symbol again, cutting a swathe through yet another group of wights. Though she turns her attention to the giant worm after a moment, and raises her hand instead. "Be cleansed by the gods holy fire." The cleric prays, before a stream of flames shoots out of their hand, enveloping a large patch of the creature and burning merrily, or perhaps unpleasantly, due to the smell of burning undead flesh, before vanishing.

The T-rexes shake like dogs trying to get the undead wyrm spawn off of them. They then start to rip into the swarms that are attacking them. Their powerful jaws slicing through the worms, although there is still a lot of them. Cesran having used the spell turning to reflect the scorching rays back at quad of wight wizards to little effect, flies up to get to get out of the way for what he is about to do next. He points Ral'sara down and as the scarred veins across his face light up blue, the dragon staff opens her mouth and 80 feet below him a miniature sun explodes. The powerful spell washes over the undead wizards.

The blast of horrid wilting, a wave of energy that seems to pull the very water from you, washes over you. It mostly struck the adventurers up front, which is good, as they're best prepared to handle that. It's not so great for the few soldiers caught on the edge of the front lines, who collapse dead immediately, their bodies reduced to husks that shatter like dust.

The creature, confronted by so many at this pint as its comrade-worms seem to be falling, doesn't care. It rears up and tries to bypass those before it, particualrly the flying paladin Serene or Cesran the equally f lying wizard, and get around them to the mass of soldiers.

Fortunately, it's not a very agile flyer.

The wights, the flying ones, have dwinedled in number to some extent, but they're still involved. A pair of them zoom closer, striking at Zeke and Seyardu, trying to get through the line offered by them. Zeke, especially, is a tempting target with the positive energy abilities he's shown so far.

GAME: Whirlpool advances the initiative order.

What does one do with a collection of undead abominations suspended in a vortex? They are not severaly harmed by said vortex, though they are unable to swarm and strike at the defenders below. Far, far below, now, as the whirling elemental drills vertically into the sky. Well, nearly so, as Un'eth does put some distance into (or rather above) the enemies' lines.

There, she ceases her rotation, and lets them go. The Shaman is a force of nature; her form is a primal force of the same. So, too, is gravity.

Seyardu, seeing the large worm still present, attempts to manifest another prayer like was offered prior, sending a ray of burning light at the worm, only to find that this time, it deflected harmlessly off of it's hide.

"I can deal with the small wights that are remaining, with Zeke's help, perhaps. But I don't know how well I can deal with the worm!" She shouts to the others.

A wave of dispelling magic washes over Cesran from, two of the remaining wizards. There's some kind of energy flickering back and forth between them. It's ... strange, and perhaps concerning, but there's no indication what's going on right now.

The horde is still doing mindless horde like activities. It is what it is: dangerous, deadly, and pointed in the direction of the soldiers. You've thinned it out considerably, but they're doing their jiobs too.

"Agh! Kin, do not move!" Fighting through being chewed on and his own armor, Seldan gestures again with swift, wide gestures. It's not easy to focus while covered in larval purple worms, but focus he does, and for a third time, the pillar of blue-silver fire crashes out of the sky above. The paladin vanishes behind the sheet of fire, but when it is gone, seems to have avoided the worst of it. The larvae - did not.

Zeke obey's his kin, trusting that the ball of fire hurtling from the sky will do him no harm - or that if it does that it is Daeus' will that it is so. Instead the flames strike Seldan and most of the larval purple worms that are attacking them. Immediately Zeke prays, pouring out a pulse of energy. This time not to damage the undead, but to heal his allies whom he can tell are in dire need of such.

It is now An Old Friend?!'s turn! Wight Lords of the Sky is next!

Cesran frowns as his T-rexes continue to try to chomp up as much of the swarm as they can. They are doing a pretty good job of it. The wizard is more focused on what's going on with the wight wizard's apprentices as there is some sort of high level spell going on between them. He gathers himself as he casts his own dispel magic at the spell that's between them, but it resist his first attempt to try to surpress it. "Seldan! They are using some sort of artifact!" He calls out as he focuses on unraveling this new mystery.

Serene and the great-winged-beast circle each other. The worm snaps its maw over her, but she's able to roll out of the way on Silver's back this time as th4e beast has a clumsy moment in its effort to nab h her.

The battle below continues, raging now, as the military is forcing the wights into their barricades, ending a score of them with the help of the small core of wizards in their line and the barrages of blessed holy water.

Thigns are starting to turn in your direction.

What number of the more powerful wights are left are flying into the fight. One strikes at Seldan, who gracefully deflects it. Another strikes Zeke, another Seyardu, and one more at Cesran who finds his magic protects him. They're wordles, soundless, and incredibly violent.

The rest are in the mix of the fight down below, proving deadlyt to the soldiers, but largely constrained.

Twin blasts of cold wash over Cesran, icicles impaling him. Some of them don't manage to penetrate, but others do. His resistance to magic saves him from being more severely harmed, but tyhese two wizards, both undead, do appear more potent than they did mere moments before.

"My thanks, Zeke." Seyardu grunts once as what wounds she have are mostly mended. "We must relieve the guard though, so the others may deal with the larger threats."

And putting words to actions, the cleric ducks back around the walls after being harried by one of the flying wights till she reaches the brunt of the forces near the wall. She holds her holy symbol up, which emits another wave of light, which causes another large group of wights to crumble away.

"Thanks be to the Draco Solis, and to you, kin. Ware, we must finish the last of these!" It is a hard thing to do, for that _hurt_ the last time, even dodging the worst of it, but again Seldan shakes off the biting and chewing and the sensation of being _crawled on_ that makes his skin prickle in sheer disgust, hi gestures wide and certain.

_Don't think about it too hard._

This time, there's a cry from within the blue-silver pillar of flame that crashes down out of the sky, a cry of pain, but if he is in pain, just think about what it does to the larvae.

Zeke is not one unaware on the battlefield. His own injuries are... serious, but Seyardu is worse off than himself or Seldan - whom Zeke is studiuosly staying close to. The sith reaches over to the female and telegraphing the motion so she has plenty of time to pull away utters a prayer. "Thisss one would heal you." He mumurs over the din of battle, pouring healing energy back into her body. He is weary though, and the healing does not go as far as he might have liked it to. "Ssstand firm kin! Thisss one will offer aid!" This last is to Seldan, knowing that any moment now that the paladin will need him even as Seyardu did.

When he is finally freed, Seldan's head snaps up to see Cesran - that's who was calling him! "DISJOIN IT!" he shouts back at the flying mage, hoping against hope that his words would reach against the terrific din of a battlefield.

Cesran glances at Seldan, "I can't just disjoint it! It's artifact level, I don't want to attract the attention of the wrong god!" He says before he casts dispel magic using the last charge in his rod of lesser quickening and he watches as he does manage to stop the magic, but he can tell it's only temporary. He points his staff at one of the wright apprentices, "Chill out!" He uses polar ray to freeze it completely and the wright apprentice drops from the sky. It shatters upon impact. "Get the last one! I've stopped it for a moment. Kill him and whatever is happening should just fizzle!"

Serene's blades strike true and she leaves great, grievous gashes in the remaining demonic-undead worm, the very sort of thing that paladins are made to fight. Sure, this leaves her exposed, but one has to hold the ground against the beast, lest it move even closer to the mass of the Alexandrian forces, and there's simply no way it wouldn't decimate them.

Once again, Serene and Silver are nabbed out of the air. It's great maw swallows her whole a second time. That must be aggravating, not to mention bloody and painful.

Still, it's forced to spend its time trying to digest it's paladin meal.

The soldiers are grateful for the defense, that's for sure.

There /are/ a few of the leading wights left mixed with the army. Those that broke off to attack Seldan and Zeke have had thier numbers thinned, and they seem to be thinking better of lingering, floating back into the sky and away from them, and definitely keeping an eye towards the whirling vortex that's none too far away. They don't like it either.

There were still wights, yes, but if there was something that Seldan deemed worth yelling about, it was probably more important than the wights which she could destroy so easily. And with Un'eth occupied and Serene re-eaten, it seemed there was no one else there to deal with it.

"I will bring that fiend down, all you need to do is strike it from there." The cleric shouts back, before their wings pull them off the ground and ever higher, spurned by the magic that was speeding up their movements. They reached the wizard, holy symbol clutched in hand.

"Your fould magics will be undone, and you will fally this day." Seyardu growled, before the air around them seemed to still. And the wings that held them aloft vanished instantly, sending them, and the wight, hurtling to the ground. <Draconic>

The pair plummet together, and Seldan turns just in time to watch them both fall together, wrapped in a halo of magical negation, and his eyes widen. _She is no match for that thing!_ There is but one thing he can do to aid her, and he reaches for his holy symbol, shouting a word to the heavens.

Nothing happens.

Zeke winces internally, his eyes nictating with shock and concern as Seyardu and the foe drop from the sky. It's a costly gambit that they made. But now is not the time to linger in such thoughts, instead he turns to his kin, once again laying a hand on the other man's shoulder and calling upon the power of the Dragonfather inside himself and passing it onto Seldan. "Go in the Dragonfather's name, and that of your Goddessss."

There is no need to add anything else, the blessing is enough between them.

The sight of Seyardu coming towards them causes the wizard to dismissively ignore him. One more opponent flying towards him? Hardly a concern. But then the anti-magic cuts his own magical spell short and there's a brief fornw of costernation and rage as he starts to fall ...

CRASH.

...the apprentice in the elenegant, if tattered and worn, dragonieri robes vaults to his undead, skeletal feet and then bolts towards the horde of wights. Intelligent, hoping to lose himself amongst them. Or is there something else going on? It's hard to say.

... either way, he wants to make sure that he's amongst them.

Seldan _swears_ as the spell is lost, a thing he does not normally do, but lost in the din of the battle as it is, his reputation is likely intact. Still, he murmurs, "In the name of the Light indeed, kin. I shall shield us both - and give our foe something to consider!"

With that, he whirls on the mighty winged worm above him, his gestures wide and sweeping as he casts another spell. A sickly green set of sigils forms before him, and he stabs a finger through that, causing them to form into a ray whose aim is unerring.

It crashes into the worm, though, and vanishes as though it had not been, the last vestiges of the magic dissipating harmlessly around it. "It wants more will to break its shield, does it? "

Cesran watches as Seyardu fly up and he he hears the words. "Thank you Seyardu!" He shouts back in Draconic as he watches them both fall. He continues to track the wight apprentice as he knows this is just a delay. He points his staff at the wight apprentice as the dragon's maw opens with sparking blue lightning. Cesran shouts of the spell as lightning erupts and streaks down towards the apprentice, hitting it square on. Like a thunderstorm the lightning arches of into 20 different branches frying all the wights around him. "The apprentice is still up, take him out!"

It is still hard to determine what's going on inside the airborne, demonic worm. Not that there's anything natural about the creature. But the sharp of eye might determine some undulating some ways down its midsection that doesn't quite seem aligned with its 'natural' movement. Some stomach troubles, maybe. And a pure, silver light seems to be poking out of a few holes.

The worm does indeed ...stagger somewhat through the air, distracted. Serene's no doubt delivering grievous harm to its gullet -- but then she is forcibly expelled from it's mouth, covered in gore, viscera, and the stuff of undeath. She's a mess, and so is Silver.

It flies up a moment, then wheels its massive body around and crashes it's maw directly into Serene again -- but this time, it's fdlying directly towards the ground.

It's flying directly to the ground and driving Serene into it, like a giant hammer hitting a tiny, flying nail. Serene is able to avoid the worst of it, but that...

... that looks like it hurt. The earth shakes as this happens.

A huge cloud of dust erupts, soldiers and wights are knocked to the ground by the force of the impact.

It's ... impressively loud.

.... the wight wizard smiles a rictus smile of death. His eyes narrow. The power! He feels the power coming back to him, surging through him, lending him the strength of the others. He raises his arms to cast and then pauses.

Undead beings are not known for their sense of pain, especially feral ones like wights. For that look to be etched on his rotting face, it must be incredible. The magic is no longer surging through him, it's -burning-. His body twists unnaturally and then pulls inwards, imploding into itself at the behest ofi ts master. Several of the undead are pulled towards it, disappearing into it, lending its strengh.

It's now a gaping hole in the sea of mana, mixing it with negative energy to create a hole of pure anti-life, radiating outwards. Whatever was -supposed- to happen, this was not it, at least judging by the apprentice's expression. No doubt the master of the artifact thats caused this decided on an ... alternative use.

Surprisingly, the fall didn't leave Seyardu with any broken bones, at least nothing vital. But the wight is able to get away, and Seyardu doesn't have the best eyesight to pick them out in a crowd. She can however, see Serene nearly getting crushed by a giant worm as she scrapes herself off the ground. "Serene! If you can move still, get over here and I'll mend your wounds! If not, I'll make my way to you!" She shouts over the din of the battle, hoping it got heard at least.

The horde is the horde. It does not care. It does not think. It only hungers. Those that aren't eaten by the anti-life power to fuel it find themselves strengthened by it, pouring forward with renewed vigoor and teearing donw the barricades, slaying soldiers who *immediately* rise as wights. Immediately. To the horror of their comrades.

As the catastrophy swirls into existance, Zeke's next action, what he thought he would be doing next is gone in a flash. He recognizes negitive energy when he sees it. It is the polar opposite of that which exists inside himself. He looks at Seldan and roars, a booming voice spreading across the battlefield. He never has spoken so loud in his life, never commanded such attention. But it is necessary. In this moment, he has no choice. White light surrounds the sith-makar as he reaches into the depths of himself and sends out a powerful wave of positive energy. More than the pulse that usually leaves him, far more. Enough to restore life to the dead. Enough to heal many, many times over. "WE MUSSST USSSSE THAT WHICH LIESSS WITHIN USSS TO BRING LIFE TO UNLIFE. ALL WILL PERISSSH IF WE DO NOT."

He hopes that his words are enough. There is not time for greater explanations. No time for grand speaches. He is a beacon of life and light. It MUST be enough.

The booming voice echoes across the battlefield, and Seldan looks up, blue eyes wide at the change that has come over Zeke. Now is not the time to ask questions. Now is the time to stand by his kin, and be a beacon to the others! Without argument, without further movement, he stops where he is, reverses Reunion so that it is point-down towards the ground, held at chest-level, and begins to pray, To concentrate.

At first, the blue-silver glow that forms around his hands is just that, much as anything that might appear when he heals the wounds of another. The prayers continue, though, a rote set meant to induce a meditatie state, and as he pulls more, deeper within him, a golden-silver glow adds itself to that. A power of a different sort, and yet related, and somehow, the two meld together into a single whole, a gold-silver-blue nimbus that strengthens the longer it surrounds him.

Cesran's eyes go wide as he watches what he was trying to prevent happen. He has flashes of the time he went forward in time to fight against Heth, a future that still haunts him. He sees Zeke and Seldan doing their best to prevent it and he knows what he has to do to help stop this. His mind races get the wording just right and he says a quick prayer to the White Magician. He settles on what he should say given given everything he knows and reaches into his spell component pouch to take out a large diamond. He places it in Ral'sara's mouth and the dragon head grips it tightly. He casts wish and his voice rings out, "I wish to cast Heal upon the anti-life bubble, to bring life to unlife." He points his staff at the anti-life bubble as a pillar of blue white energy shoots out from diamond in the dragon's maw. The diamond starts to turn black and crack as the magical energy flows through it. The spell completely the ashes of the diamond blow away.

An ally within 15' may receive the benefit of a Breath of Life effect (however, the Breath of Life heals twice the effect of the potion sacrificed, instead of the normal amount described in the spell)."

Seyardu was waiting for Serene to make her way closer, but she didn't quite factor in the giant worm still above them, that was still a problem, not to mention Serene seeming to be staying put. There was little that she could do for a moment, before she reaches out one hand, holding onto her holy symbol. The ground around the worms, withering under the sheer amount of undeath sprung to life for a moment, thorny branches springing out of the earth, dotted with bright blue roses. The thorns latched onto the flesh of the worm, pulling it out of the way of the paladin at the last moment, before they withered away the moment after.

As Seyardu's potions hit the portal, that's enough. The pure amount of life energy, this early in its gestation, bursts into it from everyone's efforts and causes iut to ripple once, twice, and then erupt in a empowering explosion of life magic that leaves everyone feeling ... refreshed, to say the least.

Sometimes, things do work out in your favor, don't they? It ripples over the worm, leaving it wounded too, as it hovers in the air above the battlefield. It shivers once, it's body convulsing, before collapsing to the earth in a mighty, earth-shaking crash, the sheer toll Serene exerted on it finally overcoming it.

Serene s... pretty broken. Still alive, by the skill of her loyal companion and likely no small amount of Eluna's grace. But like an old shoe that just refuses to get completely worn out, the paladin claws at the slowping ground beside her as she attempts to suck in air, and crawl to her feet. She has heard Zeke's roar, despite the pounding in her ears.. and what she's seen inside the worm has her reconsidering her course in this battle. "Regroup," she manages to cough out with no small amount of blood. Just as the massive rose bush thrusts into life, shielding her, deflecing the worm's maw just enough that it crashes into the ground beside her.

There's no time to question where the thorny, blue roses come from... later analysis, if she makes it that far, might lead her to the silver makari.. but for now, her eyes desperately seek out Silver. And she finds him, struggling to rise as well, just in reach.

"Be strong, my friend... we have more yet to give," she whispers as she climbs into his saddle, and sharing a mind with her, the mighty griffon claws forward one, two, three steps.. a failed launch.. and then in the air for a short flight before the pair of them land amidst the companions confronting the rift of anti-life.

No time for questions then. Feeling what the others are about, she lifts a hand.. and the silver adiance of Eluna's warmth flows into her and through her, joining the streams of life being channeled into the rift.

Seyardu wasn't done after the worm was yanked out of the way. The giant orb of negative energy was a large problem, that needed to be dealt with. From her bag the cleric pulled two vials of healing elixir, which where immediately crushed inside her hand, causing the elixir to seep in with the blood from the shards of glass. The large vines on her arm glowed once, before a massive wave of energy emanated away from them, suffusing the anomaly with even more healing energy.

By the time it was done, Seyardu was panting for breath, but she held on for a moment to see to Serene when she was nearby. "You are still needed, Paladin. I will stay here to tend to the soldiers, You, Seldan, Finish off the worm, so the wights here will be the last. I will hold off the wights with the guards." "May Althea staunch your wounds and give you the strength to continue." She prays before touching one of Serene's arms, causing a rather sudden and abrupt mending of the majority of their wounds, though perhaps she was used to the spell by this point.

Seldan, still half in his trance, looks up as the rift begins to close. Seeing Zeke still focused upon in, and the wounds on him, he nods once, and releases his own stance. "As you will. Serene, stay down. We win, this day." With no further ado, he strides over towards the worm, and if none stop him, he sets about making entirely sure of its demise, with swift, flashing blade.

Cesran takes a deep breath as the battle seems to be over for the moment. He looks around and starst to prioritize what to do. He flies down and starts to cast Mage's Magnificent Mansion, but instead of the normal faux palace interior he sacrifices form for function, making a large hall with tables and beds for all those that had been fight, so they can have a safe place to rest and relax after the battle. He lets those in charge know so that they can make use of the space and the food inside.

Serene is.. stubborn. Seyardu's healing invigorates her, helps stop much of the bleeding, dulls the pain. Still, when she staggers back to her feet it's obvious she's not in trim, fighting form. She briefly puts a gauntletted hand upon Seyardu's shoulder in thanks, then forces herself over to her gryphon. It seems she means to defy Seldan's suggestion. Or perhaps she simply didn't hear him. In either case, after channeling some simliar healing into Silver, and then assisted by the feathered steed and warrior, she follows Seldan, drawing her own blade to assist with ending the worm's rampage.

It doesn't take too much logner to make short work of the Worm. With some extra effort and time, the wights are defeated to a man as well. Though there was a cost, the day is won.

... but is it only the beginning? Time will tell.