From the diary of Silvan the Dryad
Session date: 27.6.2004

16.4.

Hêrâ fell during the battle. We spent one healing charge on her and I
 healed the rest of her injuries, and then we resurrected her.

We quietly followed Necreegh, pondering what was going to happen
 next. The sounds of battle eventually faded behind us.

We walked for three hours without anyone saying anything. The
 vegetation seemed to be getting less lush, and we saw white stuff
 that looked like people's descriptions of snow.

Suddenly Wealhtheow stopped and studied us closely. Finally she
 spoke. "Why are you hanging with me, really? Are any of you of any
 use to me?"

Hera gave a speech for her defence, and was allowed to join
 Necreegh's armies. Wealhtheow snapped a finger and the undead joined
 her. Longfoot was taken because the Master's spirit orb was wanted
 for study. I was let in because she'd suddenly acquired an interest
 in biology. Wealhtheow removed the spirit orb from me. She was about
 to turn Buran into an undead, but then noticed that Buran didn't
 have his own soul, but that of a high priest of Necreegh. She
 decided to keep Buran with us, thinking it'd be amusing.

Longfoot tried to get his spear back from Deilo, but Wealhtheow said
 he'd get it back when they found a better weapon for Deilo. Then she
 took it for herself for a moment, giggled and thought there was
 something amusing about it.

Wealhtheow wondered where Fleandor might be. Deilo said Fleandor had
 gone to ask everybody where Quaylan was. Fleandor had somehow
 acquired himself a black ring. Wealhtheow said that was odd - she
 knew that Fleandor had hidden one such ring just to be sure, but
 that was after the war, when Fleandor was already in the book. That
 would make things harder, for Necreegh couldn't turn Fleandor, at
 least not from a distance.

We moved onwards. It began to get colder, and we could see more and
 more snow.

We were told that a dead dragon by the name of Draggis was buried
 under the snow here. Wealhtheow would animate it and it'd fly us to
 the north.

19.4.

We saw a canyon that looked like the land had been torn apart, filled
 with ice and water. It was called the Uncrossable Fjord, and the
 mages would carry us over it with their movement magic. After some
 failures, they managed to carry us to the other side.

A few hours ago, we got to where Draggis was. Wealhtheow cast a
 spell, and a large undead dragon rose from under the snow. It shook
 itself, and most of the snow, meat and ice fell of it. Wealhtheow
 asked how it was feeling and if it could fly, and it nodded. It
 tried to fly, but it was pretty hard to do without wings.

People conjured wings for the creature. While they were doing it,
 Deilo went off to do some scouting and returned with a piece of
 paper that was Renald's diary.

Wealhtheow left for a moment and returned with a new undead.

Deilo said we'd been followed. Whoever it was, he'd crossed the fjord
 by flying. Wealhtheow said that we could have use for a movement
 mage. A trap was set up for the follower, with all of us going to
 hide.

A while later, we heard a hollow roar, like a lion roaring in a
 sewer. We got up and ran to Draggis, and found Angelo caught under
 the dragon's paw. "Didn't see that coming," he commented. "Looks
 like it's too late to try to get the book."

Wealhtheow walked to Angelo. Angelo said something along the lines
 that this was no way to treat honest spies, but Wealhtheow turned
 him. Angelo was told to tell what Galileus had done.

Angelo didn't know who Galileus exactly was, but Buran reported our
 knowledge of Galileus' origin to Wealhtheow. Wealhtheow commented
 that Galileus' ambitions had grown stronger.

Right now, Galileus was heading for the Great Burning Hollow to
 destroy Dorgan's scarab. Wealhtheow pondered if she should go rescue
 Dorgan. She decided that before, she'd have gone rescue Dorgan, but
 she thought that it'd be for the best to let Dorgan die.

Myrnur and Aleandor had been convinced by Galileus to set a one
 hundred gold piece reward for bringing back the book. The mages had
 been after the book because the state of Aleandor had wanted it, the
 orcs for the reward, and even Osgoud was considering offering a
 reward worth 25 gold for the book. Upon hearing this, Wealhtheow
 decided that Galileus might grow too strong if she left for the
 north now. She sent the mages (four of them) to the north to act as
 her prophets and prepare for her return.

We set up a fire. I talked with Wealhtheow and she promised me I
 could resurrect Tamaol once we'd killed Galileus. She said she had
 no desire to rule the world, and would probably move north at some
 point.

Wealhtheow speculated that Galileus wasn't taking other godly
 artifacts with him to be destroyed because this was an obvious trap
 for Azmodan, who was probably alive right now.

After getting warm, we flew with Draggis towards the south. Draggis
 commented that he must look ridiculous.

Time passed. We didn't know where.

Eventually we spotted an orcish tower. Wealhtheow ordered Draggis to
 land. As soon as it did, we all got down and went to rest.

20.4.

We started looking for a suitable spot to enter the underground
 caverns. Eventually Deilo found something, and we landed next to a
 swamp. Deilo said that two powerful creatures, too strong to be
 divined by his Knowledge magic, were below us. We were too far for
 him to be able found out what was being talked there, however.

"Well, let's try making a tunnel, then," Wealhtheow commented.
 Longfoot cast a spell to silence the noise. Draggis had to stay
 behind. We questioned Wealhtheow's plans, but she thought she could
 handle Galileus.

I tried to convince Buran that it might be a good idea to give
 Wealhtheow the Sword of Necreegh. He didn't think that would be a
 good idea.

The ground under us began to move downwards. We sank underground.

There was a conversation going on below. Deilo used his magic to
 eavesdrop. It went along the lines of somebody demanding the scarab,
 and the other one laughed and taunted the first one for coming
 without reinforcements. "I didn't come without any powers, and
 that's what you'll see if you don't give the scarab," was the reply.

"I know of your flying army, and I have a similiar force equipped
 with very good bows. They're very good shooters, unlike your demons
 with no discipline at all. Come into sight!" A lot of folk appeared
 down there. 

"You can always try to use your powers..." Deilo said that there was
 no more time, we were about to fall through. Then the ground under
 us broke.

Deilo warned that there was some sort of magic dampening field by the
 mountain. Necreegh began to cast a spell, but decided that it'd be a
 better idea to teleport us straight down. We hit the ground with
 some speed.

We saw some female demon. She looked like an improved version of a
 succubus. She asked "who?", and Wealhtheow said that Necreegh had
 come to help. Azmodan said that Necreegh had misunderstood, for
 Azmodan wanted the book even more than the scarab.

All of Galileus' army was floating in the air. Azmodan raised his
 hands and shouted in a loud voice, "oh great wyrm! I've brought you
 one of them who's responsible for your descendant's death!" The
 whole cavern began to shake, and it looked like a volcano was about
 erupt.

The wyrm rose to the ceiling and circled down from there. Most of
 Galileus' forces turn and ran. Some of them fired arrows at the
 wyrm, but they were set aflame before reaching it.

"I taste the truth! Should you betray me, the next one to die is
 you!", shouted the wyrm.

"I'm much too weak to turn anything as big as that!" Necreegh
 protested. "Deilo, help me!"

We ran.

Wealhtheow cast some spell taking Deilo between the wyrm and her. The
 two collided, and Deilo was set aflame. Wealhtheow tried to dodge a
 few times as the wyrm came at her, but could not dodge forever and
 the wyrm ate her. The Book of Necreegh appeared and fell on the
 ground.

Azmodan ran after the Book and grabbed it. Galileus' forces noticed
 Necreegh's death and began approaching. Longfoot ran after Deilo's
 spear and grabbed it.

Azmodan began reading the book. Huge numbers of flying demons began
 coming out of a nearby pillar. The undead tried to shoot at Azmodan,
 but the demon only dodged. One of Azmodan's mind flayer escorts
 pointed at the undead, and ten succubi flew towards the undead.

By the time Azmodan finished reading the book, it looked like
 somebody'd stabbed him ten times in the back. He staggered, and the
 book dropped on the ground. Then Azmodan died and the amulet fell on
 the book. The amulet seemed to burn its way into the book, and then
 both the book and the amulet vanished. A large female demon appeared
 in their place.

"Well," she said. "Galileus came back. Or should I say Abrahm? I know
 that you're the most powerful god in this universe - or at least you
 were. Azmodan is dead, Necreegh is dead, and Aradriel, the goddess
 of terror, has been born."

Abrahm resurrected Angelo, and Angelo started flying towards Abrahm,
 but Aradriel took him back. Abrahm shouted to Angelo, "I'm sorry I
 can't get it! It's too far!"

"My troops can still take care of all of yours with their bows!,"
 Abrahm told Aradriel. "Their captain is Angela, the most popular
 person in all of Aleandor! And here are the rest of my troops, my
 army - the angels!"

All the angels threw away their robes and loaded their metallic
 longbows. They had wavy wings made of light. Abrahm gave a sign
 to fire, which was also when the succubi flew forth. The angels
 started shooting, and the succubi started dying. There was a big
 battle in the air, and eventually the angels began winning.

Aradriel raised a mountain between herself and the arrows. The angels
 didn't look like they were getting through the succubi. Aradriel
 gave orders to her mind flayers and then shouted that it was time
 for the old ones to serve. One of the mind flayers protested that it
 wouldn't be a good idea since the last time they'd killed Azmodan
 for his rudeness and it'd taken 50 years before had the courage to
 retrieve the amulet.

Aradriel ignored the protest and did something, and suddenly there
 was a terrible sound that was felt throughout the cave. "Wake, the
 lords of darkness! Fire beasts, balrogs! I Aradriel am your goddess,
 and you will serve me or die!"

Big dragon-sized demons appeared from somewhere, rising into the air.
 Each of them was bigger than Draggis had been and they flew towards
 Aradriel. One of the balrogs hit Aradriel with its burning whip, but
 Aradriel took the whip and broke it.

At this point, Abrahm had already began a retreat and was waiting to
 see what'd happen next. Only about a fifth of the succubi were still
 left.

Aradriel assaulted a balrog and forced it on its knees. Then she let
 go, and the balrog rose up in the air and attacked the angels. So
 did the rest of the balrogs.

We decided that running might be a good idea again.

We heard Aradriel shouting after us that the offer still stood, and
 for 666 days we could choose to join Aradriel's forces after which
 the offer would close.

Suddenly we began floating. Abrahm was pulling us towards him. The
 angels managed to take down two balrogs before having to retreat.
 The balrogs made chase.

We got away from the giant cavern and began running like heck. Abrahm
 mentioned that he could resurrect our undead, but he'd have to taken
 its corpse back to Dorandor first.

Abrahm suggested we go scout Aradriel's forces. We were hesitant.

We talked with Abrahm and he told us that the god Galileus was
 actually the Old Man. People were promised the ability to fly.

Abrahm told the goblins should block the tunnel to the Great Burning
 Hollow if they wanted to be safe, but even that would not completely
 guarantee their safety. They'd have to be ready to evacuate to the
 surface if necessary. The goblins were against this, but were
 partially convinced.

Session close: 19:43 27.6.2004