Chapter #1206
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+ THE ADVENTURERS +
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+ Epic VI +
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+ Many of the locations, non-player characters, spells, and other +
+ terms used in these stories are the property of Wizards of the Coast +
+ which has in no way endorsed or authorized their use. Any such +
+ property contained within these stories are not representative of +
+ Wizards of the Coast in any fashion. +
+ The player characters depicted in these stories are copyright +
+ 1991-2026 by Thomas A. Miller. Any resemblance to any persons +
+ or characters either real or fictional is utterly coincidental. +
+ Copying and/or distribution of these stories is permissible under +
+ the sole condition that no money is made in the process. In that +
+ case, I hope you enjoy them! +
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+ Kronos 22nd level lich wizard +
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+ Belphanior 18th/18th/18th level elven fighter/wizard/thief +
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+ Hope 16th level female human wizard +
+ Poulos 8th level human warrior +
+ Irina 14th/7th level female human priestess/warrior +
+ Otto 12th/14th level dwarven fighter/thief +
+ Paige 13th level human female warrior +
+ Razor Charlie 12th level human fighter +
+ Skektek 14th level human wizard +
+ Ys 14th level reptilian fighter +
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+ Date: 4/3/587 C.Y. (Common Year) +
+ Time: midday +
+ Place: the Pits of Azak-Kil, within the Abbor-Alz hills +
+ Climate: warm and dry +
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+ "Well, I guess that's the end of the friendly part of these +
+ negotiations." +
+ - from _The A-Team_ pilot episode _Mexican Slayride_ +
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MCCVI. Fire From the Sky
Having tried and failed to secure some sort of agreement with the ruler
of the undead-filled mines of Azak-Kil, the party has retreated from the
vicinity of the pits and then returned to their ship in the sky far above,
where Kronos has just summarized his brief discussion with the dwarven
lich high priest who rules the area.
Belphanior: (crosses his arms) I'm...not sure whether or not that went
well.
Otto: I'd say the fact that we're not in a pitched battle with hordes of
undead is probably a good sign. (to Kronos) No offense meant.
Kronos: None taken. I was hoping the high priest would accept some sort
of truce. (he neglects to mention that, had that actually happened, he
would have continued to utilize the Book of the Dead in an attempt to
influence the other and bend him to his will) But he did not.
Belphanior: Not that I ever thought he would.
Kronos: No. All else aside, they are still dwarves working mines, and
all they think about is the treasure they are digging out of the site.
Hope: Can we be sure of that?
Kronos: Absolutely. I consulted Shemeya about this, as she witnessed
the area over its entire history...when it was just hills, the falling
star smashing into the ground, the mining operation that was started
afterward, and finally the rise of the undead power there.
Belphanior: You asked Shemeya?
Kronos: Of course. She knows a great many things about the desert and
its environs, having been trapped in time here for two thousand years.
While she could not act or influence events, she saw much. (he frowns)
Including the fact that the dwarves continued to lust after riches,
even in their undeath...riches that they assume we want. Their leader
is no different, except that in addition to wealth he covets power and
control. However, he fails to understand the true reason for our visit
today - not gold and ore but rather ensuring the long-term security of
the Bright Lands, which includes these hills.
Belphanior: Agreed. Sooner or later, those ghouls and ghasts will tap
out everything they're mining, and then they'll get restless and move
on. Better to just deal with them now.
Kronos: Yes. And we will do it before they can mobilize to make a move
on us.
Skektek: (more to Belphanior than Kronos) Do we think that weird
dwarven priest will do that?
Belphanior: I'm not sure what he's thinking, but he didn't seem agreeable
to anything that was offered. (he looks at Kronos inquisitively)
Kronos: He was not, and I am fairly certain that he now intends to try
an offense of some kind. I gathered that from his words, which was
the reason I allowed him to interrupt me multiple times. (he folds
his robed arms) By saying more, he revealed more. At one point, I
told him that a direct conflict would benefit neither party...and so
the time has come for a different and less direct way to strike, first
and with the maximum power.
The lich figured that in this scenario, everyone would win. The Bright
Alliance would get rid of a potential problem - and in the process gain
a mine and all of the ore there, both that already found and the metals
still buried in the crater. They would also gain more goodwill from the
barbarian hillmen of the western Abbor-Alz - who would no longer have to
worry about a sizable community of hostile undead near their homes. And
for his part, Kronos had gotten an easy chance to test the book's powers
against both weaker undead and their powerful leader - and the experience
would benefit him in future encounters. Now that there was no chance for
a peaceful relationship with this area and its inhabitants, Kronos had no
need for investment in their well-being; while they were undead, their
future was not his concern.
Belphanior: So...the backup plan?
Kronos: (nods) The backup plan.
Belphanior: I figured this would end up happening. Otto?
Otto: Right. (he walks across the ship's main deck)
Paige: Wait, what's the backup plan?
Otto: (removes the blanket from atop one row of the large barrels that
have been secured on deck all this time) This.
Skektek: (realizing what's likely in the dozens of barrels, he grins)
Paige: (nods) Oil?
Belphanior: Of the finest quality, and that will burn the brightest and
longest, and be the most difficult to put out. (to the others) Move
these barrels to the ship's railing on both sides. When they're all
lined up, we'll get the spellcasters airborne, start dropping barrels,
and after they hit we'll ignite them with fireballs.
Skektek: Now you're talking!
Otto: They'll fall and shatter all throughout the mine; it won't matter
exactly where because that pit is a natural deathtrap when it comes to
oil flowing downhill. It'll seep into the bulk of the mining tunnels
and amplify the effects of the fireballs we launch.
Skektek: Force multiplier. (he nods, excited) Oh, yeah.
Irina: (considers all of this) Holy water could have worked too. (she
frowns) But this is...better.
Otto: It should be an inferno down there, once things really get going.
(he peers at the ground far below, squinting) Boy, they're really out
in force now. Something's definitely happening.
Kronos: Another advantage of provoking their leader. Many more have
emerged, which makes them easier targets.
Belphanior: It's like poking an ant nest - you get them riled up, but
you also get them exposed. And now that they're exposed, we can rain
fiery doom on them from above, and incinerate them. (he smiles thinly)
It's the only way to be sure.
They had brought several dozen barrels, which were readied as Belphanior
had directed. The elf (as well as Skektek, Hope, and Kronos) used spells
to become invisible and fly, then descended to altitudes that would allow
them to reach the ground with their fireball spells. The others still on
board the skyship waited a short time and then began rolling the barrels
overboard using specially-designed ramps that Judhon had designed ahead of
this mission; these allowed the heavy barrels to be loaded and rolled up
and over without the need for immense strength. One by one, but in rapid
succession, the makeshift bombs were dropped from the ship...and plummeted
from the sky toward the pit directly below.
Otto: (directing the continuous release of the barrels over the airborne
vessel's railing) And here we go.
Thanks to their own weight, and the considerable height from which they
fell, the barrels smashed into the hard rock of the quarry below, each of
them shattering and splashing its volatile contents on the nearby area.
In a matter of moments, the bulk of the mining-pit - including almost all
of the undead dwarves - was covered in oil. Some less-fortunate ones were
actually hit and crushed by one of the airborne bombs, but for the most
part, their greatest problem was simply the highly-flammable oil that now
dripped from their decayed bodies and rotted clothing...
...until four fireballs launched from four invisible, airborne points
above the pit. The fiery missiles blazed toward the open mine, impacting
at different points as coordinated ahead of the attack. The quadruple
explosions shook the rocky ground, incinerating anyone in their immediate
vicinities and sending waves of flame rolling through the pit. They also
ignited the oil that was scattered throughout the tiered mine - and was
still dropping from the sky, a barrel at a time. Each additional barrel
that landed amidst the massive inferno resulted in a new explosion and a
fresh dispersal of the thick, highly-flammable liquid.
Paige: (watching from the skyship above, like all of the others who are
not airborne and casting fireballs, she peers over the vessel's side
railing) Mmm...impressive.
Razor Charlie: (just grimaces at the immense firestorm below)
Poulos: You can feel the heat from up here.
Irina: (staying away from the railing due to her discomfort with heights,
she frowns) Let's hope the flames do the job.
Ys: I imagine they will.
Otto: (nods, smiling thinly) Yup. We came here to end the threat...and
I'd say we did.
next: but did they?
map: http://www.peldor.com/world/atlas/Bright-Desert_1203.jpg
www: http://www.peldor.com/download.html
homepage: http://www.peldor.com/
email: tmiller@peldor.com
released: 4/24/2026
notes: Yes, I know that this is the same basic approach Belphanior
used at Gorna. When something works well, it's only logical to keep
trying it. My aim next episode is to show that even this tactic isn't
100% perfect in every situation.
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