A Venture into the Dark

[Sarrus]

"Indeed" The dragon nods "Riley was once one of my students. He showed promise beyond any other, his abilities where like nothing I had seen before. Like me, he bears the mark of someone who has looked into the face of Ka and returned, someone who has returned from the dead. I never found out that story though, in fact I know nothing of where he came from, it is not something he ever shared.

The college has very strong views on what are the 'proper' types of magic to teach. The ones Riley lusted after did not fit into those groups and so were not taught. It didn't take him long to work out that I had probably dabbled in these forbidden arts and so exploited my weakness to get as much information as he could.

It was only when I discovered his intentions and attempted to bring him to rights did I find out the extent of his own knowledge. Riley's power had grown so strong that he could perform feats that I myself believed impossible. Even so, you saw that his technique was quite unpolished and that seems to have been his undoing." Sarrus takes another sip from his drink.

[Angder]

"We beat him, that's all that matters to me." Angder states

[Oedipus Rex]

Karthus nods. "Indeed, but what exactly were those Demons. When we first met one it almost looked like it wanted to suck Angder's blood."

[Sarrus]

"I believe they where not demons themselves but thralls of whatever he had summoned in the centre of the city. I think that Riley had bound a creature from the nether to himself, a true demon. One that fed off souls and turned the empty husks into creatures with the express purpose of feeding its hunger, causing it to grow even more. Dread was its primary weapon and the darkness that permeated the land was a sort of trap, used to weaken the resolve of people near it.

As is often the case with demons, I think there was some reward in it for Riley, perhaps he received a portion of the creature's power, I noticed that he had some influence over the thralls walking the city. I imagine the creature was fairly mindless, perhaps even some kind of demonic plant and so it was probably easy for the cat to control it."

[Niphi]

Thay gently prods at his swollen eye and winces before giving the party a sombre look, "Could we have... saved them? I mean, we didn't just kill a handful of innocent civilians, did we?"

[Sarrus]

Sarrus sighs quietly "No, their souls where lost. When the demon dispelled their bodies died. If it makes you feel any better I found some survivors down in the sewers."

[Angder]

Angder glances into his glass, it was empty already.

"Sounds like a clean victory" He says. "I have a question about the collars you put on us, If I had shot you with my crossbow, what would have happened?" Angder pauses for a second, and pulls the crossbow off his back. "Also I can keep this right?"

[Sarrus]

Sarrus chuckles "What normally happens when you shoot someone with a crossbow? As long as I didn't tell you exactly what the collars did, I thought it unlikely you would try." The dragon takes another sip of his drink.

[Niphi]

Thay takes a swig from his pint and gives the dragon an almost impressed look, "That was a risky game you were playing, I sure as hell wouldn't arm a bunch of convicts without any protection."
He drains his glass and winces slightly as he puts it down on the table and looks up at the group, "... so, where does everyone go from here?"

[Sarrus]

Sarrus looks round. "Personally, I'm going back to the college, I still haven't cracked the enchantments Riley was using and I would like to have a good go at them. As for the rest of you, well, you are free now. I will say this, though, if I ever need help again, I would be honoured to have you join me."

"We have done this city a huge favour and whether we are appreciated for it or not, these people are safe now because of us."

Fin.