S50: That’s SOOOO Ud’resh

The SOG are down one Dorus fiance, but up a blind, whiney, mini-beholder and doddering senile dwarf. Not too shabby for an afternoon’s work. No one, except Nom, is absolutely sure how JennI (pronounced Jen-eye) was removed from the party, but they really don’t care. And Nom barely tries to hide behind her flimsy “JennI decided to stay in the dank cave story”. 

And the group moves forward with their day toward the main chamber, the altar spire of the AlterSpire. 

Drex is very interested in Mokon and why his deformities disappeared. Mokon does his best to avoid a direct answer, but Drex is nothing if not persistent. Mokon eventually explains, in a very cryptic way, that he can alleviate others of their afflictions. Drex is all in and begins to beg Mokon to cure his blindness. “Drex has been blind for so long. Please help Drex. hmmmm. Please!” Mokon eventually agrees to help Drex, once they are away from this place. 

Fendrus, in a moment of clarity, asks the group if they could help him make it back to Therack as he has never met his young son. The last time he had seen his wife she was with child. The group halfheartedly agrees and follows Fendrus into a dark cave tunnel.  On the short trek from one lava-filled-chamber to the next Alora decides to ask a few questions of Drex surrounding Ud’resh -- the one who saved Drex from the dark ones so many years ago. “Ud’resh was Drex’s friend. He helped Drex escape the dark ones. Hmmmm. But Ud’resh changed over the years. The more followers he had -- the more he wanted. He started to be mean to Drex. All he wanted was worshipers. It made Drex sad. So Drex began to hide.” 

The party emerges into a larger lava filled chamber. A 50 foot wall stands tall in front of the group while patches of stone poke out through rivers of hot magma to the left and right. Above, hundreds of batlike creatures hang from the ceiling, currently uninterested in the group. In the center of the room, light pours in from the crater of the volcano. 

Why go around when you can go over? Dorus and Fay attempt to secure a rope using a bat-buddy-system. Unfortunately, when Dorus tries to fly through the light his bat-form fizzled and he thuds to the ground. Alora steps in to assist. Taking the rope she ties it tightly to an arrow. Drawing back the bowstring she tries to find a point of interest to secure the arrow. Finding nothing but stone she opts to lob the arrow over the wall and hope it finds purchase on a stable object. Luck is on her side, as she pulls the rope it feels as though it is tightly secured! Alora deftly climbs the wall standing on its peak. 

The room is massive. Before her stands a massive white statue pouring red hot lava from its maw (similar to the statue in the previous chamber only on a much larger scale). Stone steps twist up to a large ornate throne, burnt bones little the seat and floor. Beside the throne, a metallic circular chest spouts flames. Red diamonds poke out through stone and magma. Alora snaps back to the task at hand making sure the rope is secure for her “more portly” friends.

Nom is the next to venture upward. Without much thought, or any thought really. Nom plops down onto the throne. Bones break under her weight as a sharp pain pierces her backside. Nom stands, looks down to see a misshapen, spiked, gothic crown. And of course… she puts it on.

Alora watches as Nom’s limbs lengthen, her green skin begins to yellow and stretch and melt. The metallic thorny crown she wears bursts into flame, hovering above her head instead of resting upon it. Flamed wings burst from her back as a 5 foot blade sprouts from her left hand. 

Alora’s jaw drops. Nom, has once again acted, without using any of her brain.

“Bow to me. Puny mortals. Bow to Ud’resh you peasants!” The voice booms throughout the chamber -- it does not sound like Nom.

Alora bardic skills instantly engage. She begins to bow to the feet of the all-powerful Ud’resh. Ud’resh relishes Alora’s performance and believes it COMPLETELY. Fay, having made it to the top of the wall, does not play ball. She heckles the powerful creature denouncing her reign and then covers the area in a dense fog. Ud’resh is not pleased. Wildly flying in the direction of Fay only to miss her target due to the dense layer of fog. Mokon and Dorus are only now seeing the fiery creature above them and begin to formulate a plan that involves Mokon hucking a small tusked bat. Alora needs to see. She blindly makes her way toward the stairs she had seen before the fog cloud. On her way she kicks a small metallic object which clatters across the floor. Casting a small whirlwind she displaces the fog to see a small ring. She grabs the ring and finalizes her descent down the stairs. Ud’resh’s eyes dart to an Alora facing direction in the fog -- she feels her ring being absconded. Alora magically obscures the ring just as Fay lunges out from the fog burying two blades deep in Ud’resh chest. Ud’resh lurches in pain as Fay, looking directly  into her eyes, exclaims again that Ud’resh is nothing. Mokon and Dorus enact their bat-o-war maneuver. Mokon meticulously aims then launches a batified Dorus toward Ud’resh. As Bat-Dorus flies through the air he passes into the light of the volcano's crater and is instantly transformed back into a 400-pound loxodon at a thrown bat velocity, walloping Ud’resh in the side. An audible exhale can be heard with impact. Dorus does his best to blast Ud’resh with a spell, but is unable to adjust as he spirals toward the ground. Just before impact Dorus polymorphs into a bat once more and lands safely on dry land.

A rage begins to fill Ud’resh. A rage she has not felt in a century. How dare these… these… mortals… defy her authority?! With Fay still clinging tightly, Ud’resh flies directly over an open area of flowing magma. She grabs Fay’s wrists and attempts to remove the blades and the annoying elf from her chest. Fay holds strong -- twisting the blades to lock them in place. Ud’resh’s rage intensifies. “Infidels! You will all die!” Sensing what is to come, Fay curls her new flexible legs onto Ud’resh’s chest and launches herself toward dry ground landing safely. Mokon, maintaining his Ilmater ideals, divinely forces Ud’resh to focus on him and only him. A wash of confusion pours through Ud’resh’s mind and then her focus lands squarely on Mokon -- just as intended. With a sharp upward gesture a spout of flame erupts from the magma. A hulking fire elemental stands before Mokon poised to strike. Another attack by Dorus hits home as he shapeshifts into a bat for the second time converting back to his loxodon form only after he is positioned above Ud’resh. Dorus tightly holds to the fiend’s back preparing for his next strike. Ud’resh eyes flash, no longer focused on Mokon, but on her current assailant, receiving a new emotion -- fear. Her eyes dark to Mokon as profound fear takes over. She must get away. Into the magma she flies, with Dorus still clutching to her back. The two are engulfed by the lava. Alora feels her new ring pulse with energy. She waves her hand and the once fierce fire elemental rushes toward her lava-submerged friend Dorus bringing him safely to rocky ground.

Now, the SOG (minus one very different Nom) wait in anticipation, staring at the open magma, for what is next.