<div class="quoteheader"><div class="topslice_quote">Quote</div></div><blockquote class="bbc_standard_quote">"Good evening to you!" he replied, relieved they could speak common.  "We're..." he looked at Lillin.  He was sure they didn't care about some truant students, but still felt some discretion was in order.  "We're just visiting, from the material plane.  I'm Kleris, this is Lillin, it's ncie to meet you.  A long time ago I met one of your kind!  I think he, or she, was something like Saszaltk?"  He wasn't sure how necessary the mandible click at the end was, but hoped it was a close enough.  After a minute of conversation, he finally finished sipping the last of his drink, feeling a funny warm fuzziness as he followed Lillin with a grin.</blockquote><div class="quotefooter"><div class="botslice_quote"></div></div><br/>"It's good to see you too!  This city's quite odd; neither side is aware, or admits, that a counterpart town exists.  The shadar-kai insist that they merely added to what was already here, and that might be true.  As for the shadows, well, they're a lot less talkative.  They just seem to...exist, and do little more than that."<br/><br/><div class="quoteheader"><div class="topslice_quote">Quote</div></div><blockquote class="bbc_standard_quote">"Yeah, I didn't know she had a boyfriend, and he certainly isn't a student.  Unless there's a teacher like that at the school, I guess they know each other from outside.  Do you think they met here?  Or, in Tolkur?  Or he just picked her up in a bar?  How do..." he wanted to ask how a man, or a woman would go about that, but wasn't sure why he wanted to know.</blockquote><div class="quotefooter"><div class="botslice_quote"></div></div><br/>"I don't recognize him from Redhurst, either as teacher or staff.  It's not uncommon for Redhurst students to go out for a fling, although us girls usually travel in groups unless we're doing a secret rendezvous."  Upon hearing Kleris cut himself off she said, "I'll be more than happy to teach you how to pick up people, at a later time."<br/><br/><div class="quoteheader"><div class="topslice_quote">Quote</div></div><blockquote class="bbc_standard_quote">Right as the shadow monsters were coming to get them, Kleris reflexively began summoning protection, hoping it would work here.  "G-get behind me..." he tried to reassure Lillin, hoping the summoned armor would protect them.  What do you do when you can't use your charm on someone?  Forgetting his regular magic lessons, he remembered he also brought his little crossbow with them, which had felt like such overkill before.  "Maybe we should run, you don't know expeditious retreat, do you?  If you can vanish, just run, and I'll get away..."</blockquote><div class="quotefooter"><div class="botslice_quote"></div></div><br/>"Okay!" Lillin said.  "I'm going back where we exited!  You remember, right?!"<br/><br/>The 3 shadows swarmed right up to Kleris and Lillin, 2 touching Kleris and the third touching Lillin.  Their fingers were icy cold, seemingly draining the strength from his body.<br/><br/>Touch attack 1 (https://elliquiy.com/forums/dicebot.php?r=59738)<br/><br/>Touch attack 2 (https://elliquiy.com/forums/dicebot.php?r=59737)<br/><br/>Touch attack 3 (https://elliquiy.com/forums/dicebot.php?r=59736)<br/><br/><em>Take 2 Strength damage</em><br/><br/>Lillin screeched as she took a step back, cast Expeditious Retreat, and sprinted away at breakneck speed.  She was able to outrun the shadows and make it to the other side of the portal.  Two of them break away and attempt to follow, but they're not fast enough to escape.<br/><br/><em>What do you do?</em><br/><br/><br/><br/><div class="spoiler_container"><div class="spoiler_header" onclick="hideSecond (this);" role="button">If you escape</div><div class="spoiler_body">You're able to outmaneuver the shadows and get back to the Material Plane.  The alley is much brighter, as Lillin cast a <em>light</em> spell on the other side.<br/><br/>"Kleris!" she exclaimed as she hugged him.  "I'm so happy you're alive!  I...I'm sorry for getting us into trouble.  I thought we'd be safe, and..."<br/><br/>She whimpered, tears falling from her eyes and staining Kleris' robes.  "It's okay, you're back, and that's what counts."</div></div><br/><div class="spoiler_container"><div class="spoiler_header" onclick="hideSecond (this);" role="button">If you don't escape</div><div class="spoiler_body">The shadows seem about to overwhelm you, until you hear a large whistle.  Their forms are dispelled with a blast of flame, as a boy comes to interpose himself between you two.  It's Andrei from class!<br/><br/>"They should be gone!" he exclaimed.  "Follow me back!"<br/><br/>Lillin was back on the other side of the portal, a <em>light</em> spell brightening the alleyway.  "Kleris!" she exclaimed as she hugged him.  "I'm so happy you're alive!  I...I'm sorry for getting us into trouble.  I thought we'd be safe, and..."<br/><br/>She whimpered, tears falling from her eyes and staining Kleris' robes.  "It's okay, you're back, and that's what counts."<br/><br/>"I noticed Lillin running while I was walking around, and then I saw a bunch of shadows harassing you.  A quick burning hands spell made short work of them, but these undead can be dangerous if they swarm you."<br/><br/>Suddenly, he put his hands on your and Lillin's foreheads.  "You've been drained," he said.  "Don't worry, Father Crattus back at Redhurst should be able to heal you both.  I think we've had enough fun for one night, hmm?"</div></div><br/><br/><br/><div align="center"><span class="bbc_size" style="font-size: 18pt;">Redhurst Library of the Arcane: The Dead of Night</span></div><br/>A retinue of guards, weapons drawn, surrounded the charred remains of a humanoid body.  It was but a few feet from the doorway separating the library proper from the massive sealed doors of the Vault, kept in place by the mighty runic spear of a woman clad in plate mail.  Every so often the body twitched under the pressure of the spear, but with a quick shove she stopped its movement.  Even in death, the thing appeared animated, if pathetic.  Christopha had no intention of taking any chances when it came to the undead.<br/><br/>"Dammit, when is the Headmaster going to get here?!"<br/><br/>The guards parted their circle when Headmaster Andarlin came forth, with a middle-aged teacher in tow.  With nary a word he shot forth a bright green beam out of his hand and onto the corpse, halting its movements.  "Dispelling this was no easy task," he remarked.  "You did a fine job, Christopha, but there were many contingency spells propping up the entity's animation.  We're fortunate that the vault traps took care of all but that last bit."<br/><br/><div class="floatleft">(http://i.imgur.com/KV6FHeP.png)</div>"It seems quite odd," she remarked.  "There was a spell on that man to turn him into a wight upon death.  There are more common forms of undead better suited to theft."<br/><br/>"Then we might not be dealing with a thief," the woman accompanying Andarlin said.  "This points more towards acts of sabotage."<br/><br/>Christopha eyed the woman carefully.  "I take it that none of these are yours, Headmaster Karnakia?  There's too many undead in the catacombs for even a necromancer like you to monitor at once."<div class="floatright">(http://i.imgur.com/2AqlhL8.png)</div><br/>"If you're implying that this arrived due to incompetence," Karnakia said coldly, "you are dearly wrong.  There are teachers in the Mordant aside from me, and any excess undead are destroyed, dispelled, or programmed with strict, non-offensive parameters.  This creature, which I remind you, was alive before falling to the vault security, so we're definitely dealing with an outside threat."<br/><br/>"Christopha, do not cast such suspicions without proof," Andarlin said.  "I trust it that none of the students were in here?"<br/><br/>"No, Headmaster."<br/><br/>"It's been over a century since Redhurst was last attacked.  I hope for all of our sake that these incidents are not the results of a greater conspiracy."<br/><br/><br/><br/><br/><div align="center"><span class="bbc_size" style="font-size: 18pt;">Arrival at Redhurst</span></div><br/>Lillin noticed that the school's side gates were more heavily manned.  Apparently something happened while they were gone.<br/><br/>"Uh-oh, I hope that they didn't notice us," Lillin said.  "We should try getting back to our rooms."<br/><br/><br/>They did not even get past the gates.<br/><br/>"Ahem!"<br/><br/><div class="floatleft">(http://i.imgur.com/7PiMFBV.png)</div><br/>"Dean Khûdzak!"<br/><br/>"The one and only," the short, robed dwarf said.  His face wore a very sour demeanor, one that made even Professor Murrin's attitude seem pleasant by comparison.<br/><br/>"Now, I'm going to ask you, where were you, and what were you doing?  Think carefully before answering, because I have a divination spell active to detect any falsehoods you might say."<br/><br/><div class="spoiler_container"><div class="spoiler_header" onclick="hideSecond (this);" role="button">If Andrei's not with you</div><div class="spoiler_body">"Dean Khûdzak," Lillin began.  "I merely wanted to have some fun; I convinced Kleris to sneak out with me to a portal to the Plane of Shadow, it was all my doing, but then we got attacked by shadows!  I was so scared I ran, but I waited to see if Kleris would return!  But we managed to escape, and we were on our way back when you caught us.  I'm willing to accept whatever punishment you give me, but please be soft on Kleris!  She's new, and wouldn't be out if it wasn't for me!"</div></div><br/><div class="spoiler_container"><div class="spoiler_header" onclick="hideSecond (this);" role="button">If Andrei's with you</div><div class="spoiler_body">"Dean Khûdzak," Lillin began.  "I merely wanted to have some fun; I convinced Kleris to sneak out with me, it was all my doing, but then we got attacked by shadows!  I was so scared I ran, and then ran into Andrei who told me to get onto the other of the portal!  Then he returned with Kleris, and told us to go see Father Crattus.  We were on our way back when you caught us.  I'm willing to accept whatever punishment you give me, but please be soft on Kleris!  She's new, and wouldn't be out if it wasn't for me!"</div></div><br/>Khûdzak's face turned from anger to one of concern.  "Shadows, you say?  I thought...no, there's been enough happening this one night.  Come with me, I'll see to it that Crattus takes care of you all."<br/><br/><br/><div class="floatright">(http://i.imgur.com/bMRC0rN.png?1)</div><br/><br/>Redhurst had a small chapel to the various gods and goddesses of Magic.  A blonde-haired human looked over you all, and cast a few spells of healing upon you.<br/><br/><em>Your Strength is back to its full value.</em><br/><br/>"There, you should be all better," Father Crattus said.  "You should return to your rooms now, you'll definitely need some bed rest."<br/><br/><br/>"So, are we going to get punished?"<br/><br/>"That's up to Dean Khûdzak," he said.  "But there are greater things occupying his time, so nothing for now."<br/><br/><br/>"Greater things?  I did recall seeing a lot of guards."<br/><br/>"Yes, we had an intruder, but he was apprehended before he could do anything.  There are sentries standing guard in all the dorms, too.  You're safe now in Redhurst, our faculty's too well-defended for any roving shadows to get inside."<br/><br/><div class="spoiler_container"><div class="spoiler_header" onclick="hideSecond (this);" role="button">Relationships and Experience</div><div class="spoiler_body">You are now at <strong>Relationship Level 2 out of 10</strong> with Lillin.  Gain 200 experience.<br/><br/>Gain 300 experience points for surviving the shadow attack.</div></div><br/><br/><div align="center"><span class="bbc_size" style="font-size: 18pt;">Day 6, Morning in My Next Post</span></div>