I stood atop the highest tower of the elven castle, leaning over the parapets and looking down upon the burning capitol. My hands were shaking. I hadn’t felt like this in years. Not since the Moonwood. Every other fight since then, I knew we could win. But, when the queen transformed? I was just lucky that we were too busy at the time to truly process what had happened.

I turned back to the city, watching the view. The army had begun their purge of Naht-strat’holm, slaying all they found, for they could not risk the corruption spreading. And it was almost not in time, for some of the people had already turned, and attacked their fellows, with a mob quickly forming. Cleansing fire and singing steel did well to clear up the mobs, when they formed, but I had no doubt that there would be many casualties from the army. If not from the fighting, then certainly later, when the physical burden eased enough for the mental one to take its toll.

Your party has defeated ten Corrupted Queensguard, Prince Ralnor Seharinthe, Prince Avourel Seharinthe, Queen Aerith Seharinthe, two Balors, and Succubus Aerith!

Melinda gains 52636 xp.

Siora gains 52636 xp.

Vestele gains 52636 xp.

Fartooth gains 52636 xp.

Loot:

Queensguard Armor x10

Royal Defender’s Blade x10

Amulet of Natural Armor +5 x10

Ring of Protection +5 x10

Ring of Force Shield x10

Belt of Strength +6 x10

Gloves of Dexterity +6 x10

Ioun Stone (Pink Rhomboid) x10

Last Gasp (Scimitar)

Starlight (Scimitar)

Prismatic Crystal x3

Silverwood Spectral Chain x2

Queen’s Favor (Armor Crystal) x2

Bracers of Armor +8 x2

Prince’s Boots of Agility x2

Ralnor’s Silk Gloves

Regal Drape

Ring of Ironskin x2

Queen’s Gift x2

Shiftweave

Belt of Giant Strength +6

Hat of Diplomacy

Image Charm

Replenishing Skin

Everlasting Rations

Servant Charm

Signet ring x3

Random Jewelry (value of at least 600gp)

Feydirge

Avourel’s Spectacles

Playboy’s Hat

Cape of the Prince

Amulet of Casanova

Belt of the Clever Giant

Ioun Stone, Orange Prism

Ioun Stone, Pale Green Prism

Stone of Good Luck

Scepter of the Temptress

Royal Warlock’s Crystal

Temptress’s Hidden Armor

Royal Armor Crystal

Demonhide Bracers

Queen’s Lenses

Demonsoul Boots

Crown of the Abyssal Inheritor

Aerith’s Drape

Kinslayer’s Boon (Depleted)

Aerith’s Gown

Queen’s Cord of Power

Signet of the Dark Queen

Blessing of Graz’zt

Rod of the Red Wyrm

You have Leveled Up!

You are now Level 24.

310752 / 300000 XP to level 25.

+1 Epic Save Bonus

HD: 1d8+3 = 6

New Feat!

+1 Bluff, +1 Diplomacy, +1 Intimidate, +1 Perform (Dance), +1 Sense Motive, +1 Spellcraft, +1 Use Magic Device

New Feat:

Epic Invoking [Epic]

Prerequisite: Maximum number of invocations in any class that uses them.

Benefit: Gain 1 invocation from your class of the highest category ("Dark" for most classes), an invocation of lower category from any other class, or 2 invocations of lower category from your class.

Special: You may gain this feat multiple times.

Greater Invocation:

Frostfell Blast (7th) – Eldritch Essence. By tearing a microrift into the heart of the paraelemental plane of ice, this eldritch essence invocation allows you to change your eldritch blast into a frostfell blast that deals supernaturally cold damage. Since the frostfell blast rips through the planes, it affects ethereal and other incorporeal creatures as if it were a force effect.

Since you are tapping into the near absolute-zero temperatures at the core of the multiverse, even creatures from the frozen wastes are affected by a frostfell blast. As such, cold resistance offers no protection against the frostfell blast, while immunity to cold damage instead reduces the damage by half.

Lesser Invocation:

Fell Channeling (4th) – Blast Shape. It allows the warlock to channel their eldritch blast through a weapon attack. If the warlock has a BAB of 6+, then they may, (as a full-round action) take as many attacks as allowed. Regardless of the number of attacks, the Eldritch Blast is applied to only one of them (Warlock’s choice). Using this invocation does not provoke attacks of opportunity when used with a melee weapon.

Warlock Abilities

Damage Reduction improves to 5/Cold Iron.

Eldritch Blast increases to 11d6.

Hideous Blow invocation lost, replaced with Insidious Allure.

Least Invocation:

Insidious Allure (2nd) – +6 bonus on Disguise, Gather Information, and Perform checks for 24 hours. Indifferent creatures have a friendly starting attitude to you.

Marshal Abilities

Grant Move Action (Ex): 1/day, as standard action, may grant an extra move action to any or all allies within 30 feet (but not to herself). Each affected ally takes this extra move action immediately, in their initiative order. Does not affect initiative count. If an ally chooses not to take the extra move action, it is lost.

You have Leveled Up!

You are now Level 25.

310752 / 325000 XP to level 26.

+1 Epic Attack Bonus

HD: 1d8+3 = 8

+1 Bluff, +1 Diplomacy, +1 Intimidate, +1 Perform (Dance), +1 Sense Motive, +1 Spellcraft, +1 Use Magic Device

Warlock Abilities

Electric and Fire Resistance increases to 10.

Marshal Abilities

New Minor Aura

Demand Fortitude – Add CHA to Fort Saves

New Major Aura

Motivate Care – Add bonus to AC

Idly, I waved away the notifications from the Voice of the world. At some point, I would get to identifying the items we’d looted from the guards, as well as the royal family. At the moment, they were sitting in a pile in the throne room, as Fartooth catalogued everything. The pirates wouldn’t be through looting the rest of the palace for a while, anyways, and I saw no reason to venture out into the city, until after the fighting was done. Let others deal with the soulblight mobs.

What I saw below was not righteousness. The idea of purging the entire city, could not be called right, or righteous. It was a grim necessity, that the army set about performing with a terrible purpose. They killed man and woman, young and old. None were spared, for they had all partaken of the tainted food. They were all going to turn, in time.

The question, of course, was what this meant for the wider country. If the other farming villages were like Andor’s Hall, then the country would soon be burning, and those that were left unturned were going to have to slay their friends and loved ones to keep things from spreading. It was likely, nay, almost certain that the kingdom itself would be wiped out, before this was through. ‘Twas hard to see a way that they’d survive this storm.

Upon the day siblings rival, a suspicious accident shall bring forth an age of inhumanity and justice.

But then, I thought, as the words of the prophecy came to mind unbidden, perhaps that is what was destined for them. After all, if this confrontation didn’t fulfill the prophecy of two sisters rivalling, then I scarce knew what would. And inhumanity and justice? Slaughtering one’s countrymen who were innocent of any crime was inhumanity if I’d ever heard it. Even if it was the necessary move, that didn’t make it any less inhuman.

That kind of act left scars that did not heal. Not to the body, but to the mind and the soul. It was all too likely that any elven state that remained, when this was done, would be a fraction of its size and power. And how would they move on from here? What justice would they need, in order to stand once more?

I shook my head, clearing away those thoughts. Silverwood’s problems were their own. Once we’d been paid for our troubles, and the new queen sat upon her throne, we would be off, on course for Thedra, and the rift there. That was where my next challenge lay.

The reports out of Thedra suggested that the entire country was on the brink of collapse. The celestials were being kept at bay, but only barely, and there were breakthroughs now and then. Each time the line was broken, it threatened to allow untold numbers of beings from the higher planes into our world.

That, in itself, would not be terribly problematic, if the celestials were willing to simply be good neighbors. Unfortunately, they were the righteous crusading types, and they were all intent on smiting anyone who wasn’t pure goodness and light. Since I most certainly wasn’t pure goodness and light, I had several problems with that, which meant that the portal needed to go.

“Mmm, what a lovely view.”

Surprised at the sudden voice, I turned to see Siora standing behind me. Blinking, I looked from her, back out to the city in flames. “I don’t know, the whole ‘burning city’ aesthetic really isn’t my kind of thing.”

“Oh, I wasn’t talking about the city, but that’s nice, too.”

I felt my cheeks heat slightly at the compliment. “Oh, well then, should I turn back around, and let you get back to it?”

Siora smiled, licking her lips slightly. “If you like. But this side’s good, too.” She winked. “So, what brings the prettiest bird in the land up here? Surely, there are other ways you could spend your time?”

I leaned my back against the stone crenelations, wings tucked close behind me. “I’m sure that I could find a few ways, but where would I find a man for the job? The only ones left are either undead, or in the midst of slaughtering their countrymen. And anyone who gets put in the mood by that is someone I don’t want anywhere near me, thank you much. Other than that? There’s only Fartooth, who is a third the height of a normal man, and probably a third the length as well, or Ebonheart, and I have no interest in being split like a log!”

Siora smiled as she stalked closer. “Well, there are certain magics that can help with getting split. Spells and enchantments designed to ensure that you can take everything that they give you, so long as it will physically fit. They’re practically a necessity, when you’re negotiating with centaurs.”

“Really? With a centaur?”

“With a whole warband, actually. Oh, it wasn’t just Vestele and I. We had a couple other girls from one of the local temples help out. The warband was very appreciative, and gave us safe passage across their lands, while they kept the girls. Which was useful, since the paladins looking to reclaim them followed the warband instead of us.”

“That any relation to the paladins who were chasing you when we first met?”

The Beguiler laughed. “I had almost forgotten about them! Yes, Sir Palodius and his men were being thorns in our side. His lover and his sister were also part of his little band, but we’d managed to separate them out from the rest and take them hostage. Not exactly our proudest moment, but it gave us the lead we needed in order to escape.” She shrugged. “Unfortunately, Palodius was the one who got the vision to try and hunt us, so he was all too eager, and too dogged, when he found our trail, even a year later. I believe he swore vengeance upon us, or some silliness.”

Sighing, I just shook my head. “You know that, with that kind of buildup, we’re likely going to see him again, before it is all over, yes?”

Siora smirked. “If we see him again, we’ll easily be able to handle him! Even between now and then, we’re far stronger than we were!”

“Yes, but we still were cutting it close with that last fight. If any one of a dozen things had gone differently, we would have been in serious trouble. We could have easily died, especially after the bitch transformed, if she had been even slightly more concerned with tactics, instead of her pride, or if the princes hadn’t been foolish enough to step into my aura. Or if one of them had been a true spellcaster, able to throw spells like Nalaea did.”

Siora considered that for a moment, and then nodded. “Yes, we were good, but we were also lucky, and our enemies were fools, geared more for political games than warfare. If we’d met them on equal terms, we would have been outmatched. And I doubt she would have let any of us have an easy death.”

“No, she wouldn’t. Not when we were there to spoil all her plans. We would have been lucky if we were just reduced to one of those blighted souls in the city below.”

“And it is really hitting you hard, now that the battle high is wearing off, hmm?” Siora said, as she moved closer, mere inches from my face.

I nodded slowly. “Yes. Ever since I lost Frostmane, I have been more concerned about losing those close to me. I don’t want to have to go through that again.”

“You never told us what happened to him.”

“We… grew close, and it made us let our guard down. We were being hunted by paladins of Tyr, led by an inquisitor. If that had been all, we would have killed them, easily, but the inquisitor was actually an angel in disguise, and his retinue his children. We killed them, all of them, and banished the angel back to the celestial plane, but before I could finish it, he cut down Frostmane with a blade that prevented resurrection.”

“Oh, honey, I’m so sorry.”

I shook my head, slowly. “No, it was a while ago. It hurts, but I am not broken, like I was.”

Siora smiled. “That’s good. But I think you need something to get your mind off all of this, and I happen to know just the thing.”

My eyes widened as her lips met mine, but I didn’t resist. I let my eyes close as her tongue slithered forward to intertwine with my own. Maybe she was right. Maybe I just needed to get my mind off things, for a moment.

The world would still be in chaos later.