Nightmare: A First Encounter

[TseuqCoL]

Planes of Power was new and this is based on the first time in the zone.


The Plane of Nightmare
A First Encounter



The bleak sky boiled as clouds in shades of red and black blotted out the sun. The faintly luminescent clouds cascaded across as if blown by fierce storm winds. However, the air was still and dank without even a whisper of a breeze to explain the racing sky.

The chattering and screeching of the horrid inhabitants could be heard in the distance. It was hard to believe that this wasn't just part of a dream. This place, which had haunted his dreams many times before, now stood shockingly real before him. As real as his staff or his horse which nickered nervously beneath his weight. The almost surreal quality of the plane masked the true horrors hidden within and already his leg was bruised from pinching.

"All of the things that go bump in the night come from this place," Tseuq thought to himself as he shuddered slightly. The group huddled closely together, as much for safety as for the constant reminder that they were not dreaming. Not this time.

The cries of those who were dreaming chilled the stagnant air, prickling the skin and the soul with needles of ice. The dreaming were caught like flies in a web; halfway between a peaceful sleep and the bleary eyed safety of consciousness. Tseuq felt pity for those touched by Terris-Thule, the Dream Scorcher. Touched as he, like everyone else on Norrath, had been touched from time to time.

"The things that go bump...the things that go bump," Tseuq caught himself whispering, his eyes darting nervously across the horizon.

Samananae glanced at him and smiled warmly; trying to lend some comfort in a place where she had little enough to spare. Tseuq was glad he was with friends tonight. Especially glad that the one he loved and trusted the most was among his five companions -- guarding him with her Cleric healing abilities and yet depending on him also to get through this living nightmare. Still, she exuded a confidence he wished he felt himself and held strongly to her faith as she looked distastefully on the surrounding lands.

The group stood restlessly, holding their defensive position near a crystal clear waterfall. In this place the otherwise peaceful sound of cascading water took on a hollow, irritating tone. The water itself, crystal to the eye and seemingly normal in a place filled with the abnormal, wasn't just merely chilly. Touching it utterly drained the warmth and feeling from your body and one would find themselves huddled in their cloaks, teeth chattering from the cold and barren feeling the water washed into the soul. Tseuq glanced at his hand and remembered the feeling of the water and shuddered again.

Tseuq wasn't sure why they had decided to temp fate. Was it morbid curiosity? Or, was it the desire to continuously test one's self and push to the limits? Regardless, he couldn't help but feel that he was a fly, stepping gingerly onto the quivering strands of a web. A web, in this case, spun by the evil goddess of nightmares and ready to forever entwine its victims at the flick of her wrist.

As the group stood preparing, a scream was heard in the distance. It was a bit louder than the disembodied screams that permeated the air. The group quickly realized that something was amiss. Another, closer scream raised their hackles. The group turned to the direction of the screaming as they continued to get closer.

Time froze for an instant as another scream, very close this time, shattered the air about them. The group saw a cluster of people running towards them in the direction of the planar exit. The three people staggered frantically, desperately clutching many vicious looking wounds and it was obviously all they could do to keep their feet beneath them, their faces masks of pure terror.

An icy shock ran through the group when they spotted the reason for the horrified faces and terrible wounds. Five huge spiders clicked and chattered angrily behind the fleeing adventurers. One of the fleeing adventures, a Dark Elven Mage, stumbled and the chattering of the spiders turned into screeches of delight as the five creatures descended upon the huddling mage as she tried to scramble away. She cried and pleaded to her god as the huge beasts rended the poor woman not 20 feet from the surprised party. Samananae started her healing but the woman was already too far gone for that type of magic by the time the spell was ready. Samananae choked back a desperate sob and covered her mouth briefly in shock as a spider kicked at the limp body to start its rag doll roll down the hill.

If the spiders had thought to intimidate this group with their unmerciful act, they had thought wrong. The mighty warrior, saddened and infuriated by the callous display, bellowed and furiously threw himself at the nearest spider. The ranger and rogue were not far behind the warrior and waded into battle against the spider the warrior had chosen as the first target.

Tseuq had already moved into action. Five spiders were too many for the group to take at once and he had to move quickly. The healing Samananae would be performing would draw too much attention and he had to do something to prevent harm to her. He turned his horse slightly for a better angle, targeted one of the spiders and began to weave his own spell. He chanted rhythmically and gracefully as the energies quickly gathered. With a sudden gesture, he directed the spell at the targeted spider and the spider froze into a trance.

The wizard of the group, a Dark Elf himself, sat on his horse and strained to hold on to his composure until the proper time. As a Wizard, a master of devastating offensive magic, it would be too easy to call down his own fury right now after seeing one of his bretherin cut down. But he knew he must wait. The time would be right and he would have his revenge.

Samananae, now knowing the true strength and furor of these creatures, was already chanting and praying before the first blows were landed. One could almost hear the air sing as the healing energies coalesced around her and built to a crescendo. Balancing the energies to a peak, she redirected them into the warrior and his wounds completely faded away.

A second spider was placed in a trance as the heal took effect and Tseuq could see that his fears about Samanane drawing too much attention were justified. He lept off the horse and ran into the middle of the battle, shouting to divert the attention from Samananae to himself. “It wasn't just love,” he rationalized. “The fight would be lost without the healer,” he tried to convince himself.

He cast a very fast spell and one of the two remaining non-tranced spiders looked nervously about. The quick spell earned Tseuq the fury of the spider and it closed the short distance between them and began to wail on the poorly armoured Enchanter.

As each of the spider's blows landed, a flicker of magical runes appeared around Tseuq, absorbing the fury and leaving Tseuq able to cast untouched – for now.

The warrior, ranger and rogue had fought together so many times that no words were needed between these friends. They moved about as if dancing, their blades and clubs seeming to take on a life of their own. The ranger and rogue worked silently and swiftly to do as much damage as they could while warrior cursed and taunted in a dramatic show to keep their foes' attention.

As more of Samananae's healing magic flickered about the warrior, the wizard decided that the time was right to begin his own war against the disgusting creatures. A massive amount of eldritch energy was drawn from the surroundings and the air itself began to turn icy -- the wizard prepared his onslaught.

Tseuq's rune shield had finally failed before the spider was mesmerized and several gashes in his robe began to weep red. He targeted the last remaining unmezzed spider and once again, cast his quick spell and that spider looked nervously about.

But Tseuq, now without his rune shield, underestimated the fury of this spider. It charged in fiercely and interrupted Tseuq's mesmerization spells one after another. Gash after gash appeared in Tseuq robes and he staggered back, unable to get solid footing and unable to concentrate on his magics. Searing pain tore through his body as he desperately tried to cast his spell. As the blood wept from his body, he turned away, no longer knowing where he was or why the area around him was turning so dark. The pain had gone, at least, and the sounds around him were becoming muddled and indistinct. All he knew was that he was tired.

Finally, in the corner of his mind, he realized what was really happening. He was dying. The spider was going to throw his limp body down the hill as it had done the poor mage. What of his friends? The mesmerization spells would drop soon and his friends would be slaughtered. Sam would be slaughtered. He tried to weep but he had no tears – only the darkness that crept in to consume him.

Suddenly, he heard what was simultaneously the most wonderful and most heart wrenching sound. In his world of dark shadows and muddy sounds he heard his love, Samananae, screaming from the very depths of her soul. She cried, “No!” and the single word blotted out all other sounds. The power of that word blotted out even the dim images that were left to him, and reverberated inside his head. For what seemed like an eternity he heard the word echo in his mind until her healing magics grasped him and ripped him from silent oblivion back into the living world.

The newly rediscovered sights and sounds threatened to overwhelm him. He struggled with his senses momentarily until he heard Samananae scream again. The spider was now furious with her and had knocked her off the horse. He watched as she tried to regain her footing and bring her shield to bear but he would have none of it. That spider would not touch her.

Tseuq lept in with a fury he did not know he had into the path of the spider. He clapped his hands together and a myriad of flashing colors and lights suddenly shimmered into existence and began to rain throughout the area. The spider was stupefied momentarily by the colors. The stun only lasted long enough for Tseuq to perform a louder clap of his hands this time with more colors of a richer hue. The spider remained stupefied and Tseuq began the mesmerization. By the time the spider regained its wits, it was too late. The mesmerization spell landed and this spider too was now in a deep trance.

The air around the wizard was now frozen with floating ice crystals. He finished his powerful chanting and a sudden, violent gesture brought down all his vengeance in the form of an explosion of ice and ice fragments onto the torso of the spider. The massive ice comet shattered the spider and it fell lifelessly to the ground.

The wizard then chanted again and the weaves of eldritch energy began to ensnare around one of the other spiders that was still mesmerized.

Without a word, the fighters began to wail upon the rooted spider, beginning their dance anew. The healing magics flowed.

Tseuq turned his attention to the mesmerized spiders and, in turn, refreshed the mesmerization on each one. Then, he began a new, very deliberate spell and the meleeing spider's attacks slowed dramatically. He cast this spell on all of the others and sat down to try to regain some mana.

By this time, Samananae was back on her horse. With the spider's attacks slowed, the strain on her magic was not as great and she was able to partially meditate between healing spells.

After the initial surprise, the battle settled into a pattern. The fighters continued their dance, the wizard chose his targets with impeccable aim and timing and Tseuq and Samananae continued their indirect support.

When the battle was over, the silence was as deafening as the sounds of battle were only a few moments ago. Samanane gently touched Tseuq's hand and left him to his own thoughts for a few moments and trotted down the hill to perform her most powerful magic on the fallen mage. After a while, a drained Samananae and a very weak, but grateful mage, struggled back up the hill to rest with the party.

They glanced once again at the surroundings. Terris Thule had tightened her web and they had escaped...this time. Somehow though, the surroundings weren't quite as imposing as they had seemed before.

They had confronted the nightmare and Terris Thule's hold on them would be forever weakened.


Tseuq Medalot