The Black Citadel
Part 4 - Inner Sanctum
At the top of the staircase you all follow the corridor to a large double metal door. You all stop to make last preparations for the coming battle.
"Mathayus, a final word of warning. There are three elite dark mages that wear protective armour against magic so I advise having a Spell of Weaken at your disposal."
"Sure," you say.
Vandil starts double checking his armour and weapons while Zirder drinks a couple of mana potions and fits a leaf into her staff. You also make a check of your things and make the necessary magical adjustments.
"Vandil, you might want to stay back. Wait until Mathayus and I are hit by the first wave of spells, then come," Zirder tells him.
She pushes one side of the metal door with the end of her staff and it swings inward. You do the same for the other side. With a quick resolute glance back at a hardened looking Vandil, you and Zirder walk in side by side into the darkness. You notice smooth black, irregular shaped tiles cover the floor. Weaving between them are something that look like veins. They're glowing with a soft red light that give a general murkiness to an otherwise pitch-black room. Demonic designs and diagrams also mark the tiles.
In the centre of the room, standing on a portal, is a lone figure. As you get closer you see he's a short little man with an aged weathered features, wearing a black cloak. He smiles at you both and cackles to himself. His eyes suddenly become blood red and then as quickly as he came, he disappears right before your eyes.
A bright flash lights the room, and then before you, stand five dark ones. Without thinking, you invoke your Spell of Protection and Zirder does the same. The dark ones rise up into the air, into the darkness above you. Frightening, it's hard to make out where they are.
Crackle crackle
Lightning bolts suddenly streak out and down towards you both from above, slamming into your protective shield. You are both thrown backwards and you hit the tiles. Your shield disappears, having absorbed the full impact of the electricity. You immediately jump back up again.
Two dark ones suddenly descend down and then disappear. All in an instant, a misty cloud appears in front of you, and behind it you hear the sounds of running footsteps. Footsteps can be heard behind you too, and then the sound of metal being drawn from its scabbard.
Without hesitation, you cast your Spell of Lightning Storm, directing in up above you at the remaining dark ones. You feel the electric current connect with four bodies, but only one falls to the ground as a blackened corpse. The others must have shielded themselves.
Vandil rushes past you with a battle cry to run headlong into a group of summoned skeletons, swinging his sword overhead. While to your right, Zirder is casting spells at a dark one that has metamorphosed into fierce hell demon. All hell has broken loose!
You see two shadows floating and moving above you some metres away. Aim and cast
At the top of the staircase you all follow the corridor to a large double metal door. You all stop to make last preparations for the coming battle.
"Mathayus, a final word of warning. There are three elite dark mages that wear protective armour against magic so I advise having a Spell of Weaken at your disposal."
"Sure," you say.
Vandil starts double checking his armour and weapons while Zirder drinks a couple of mana potions and fits a leaf into her staff. You also make a check of your things and make the necessary magical adjustments.
"Vandil, you might want to stay back. Wait until Mathayus and I are hit by the first wave of spells, then come," Zirder tells him.
She pushes one side of the metal door with the end of her staff and it swings inward. You do the same for the other side. With a quick resolute glance back at a hardened looking Vandil, you and Zirder walk in side by side into the darkness. You notice smooth black, irregular shaped tiles cover the floor. Weaving between them are something that look like veins. They're glowing with a soft red light that give a general murkiness to an otherwise pitch-black room. Demonic designs and diagrams also mark the tiles.
In the centre of the room, standing on a portal, is a lone figure. As you get closer you see he's a short little man with an aged weathered features, wearing a black cloak. He smiles at you both and cackles to himself. His eyes suddenly become blood red and then as quickly as he came, he disappears right before your eyes.
A bright flash lights the room, and then before you, stand five dark ones. Without thinking, you invoke your Spell of Protection and Zirder does the same. The dark ones rise up into the air, into the darkness above you. Frightening, it's hard to make out where they are.
Crackle crackle
Lightning bolts suddenly streak out and down towards you both from above, slamming into your protective shield. You are both thrown backwards and you hit the tiles. Your shield disappears, having absorbed the full impact of the electricity. You immediately jump back up again.
Two dark ones suddenly descend down and then disappear. All in an instant, a misty cloud appears in front of you, and behind it you hear the sounds of running footsteps. Footsteps can be heard behind you too, and then the sound of metal being drawn from its scabbard.
Without hesitation, you cast your Spell of Lightning Storm, directing in up above you at the remaining dark ones. You feel the electric current connect with four bodies, but only one falls to the ground as a blackened corpse. The others must have shielded themselves.
Vandil rushes past you with a battle cry to run headlong into a group of summoned skeletons, swinging his sword overhead. While to your right, Zirder is casting spells at a dark one that has metamorphosed into fierce hell demon. All hell has broken loose!
You see two shadows floating and moving above you some metres away. Aim and cast