The Fall of Obsidian Bay

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About the Saga

Kalib Ironfist has been freed, Malphas is back from the dead, and the far-flung members of the Blackrazor Guild have returned to Obsidian Bay just in time to see it fall to the Scarlet Brotherhood.

Timeframe

Cast of Characters

What Has Come Before

Malphas, former master of the Blackrazor Guild and a killer wanted for the murder of two guards in the Free City of Greyhawk, has returned from his extradimensional exile. He has re-entered the Pomarjian city of Obsidian Bay, where he was captured by his former guild members and murdered by his former mentor. He was subsequently resurrected by the high priest of St. Cuthbert as part of the Blackrazor’s frantic investigation into what happened to their long lost collegue, Kalib Ironfist. The resurrected Malphas – who had been touched by his god, Ralishaz, during his time off of the Prime Material Plane – led the Blackrazors to Kalib’s secret prison – the icy lair of the now-dead Bachly the Dark.

The Saga

Good-month 11, CY 587

For months Kalib Ironfist had lived on little more than the thought of vengeance. Vengeance against those who had imprisoned him – the Dark Circle. Vengeance against Damocles Everton, his betrayer and the Blackrazor guildmaster.

Vengeance so powerful it was palpable...

He knew a few things about his captors. He knew that Damocles had been there when unknown rouges had ambushed him in a Wharf District alleyway. The bastard hadn’t been there when he’d awoken chained to the walls of his tiny cell, but others had. The shadowy individuals – who went by names like Raven and Hawk – interrogated him about a number of subjects including a being called ‘the Sleeper’, a broken shrine of some sort called ‘the Twisted Forest,’ and the friends and colleagues of Jander Drachen and Justiceseeker.

But as they asked tortured him and asked their questions, Kalib learned much about them. He heard mention of a number of individuals – four to be exact – who he assumes are leaders of the group that abducted him, a group which apparently calls itself "the Dark Circle." The names of the leaders were:

  • Eagle: Possibly the leader of the group.
  • Raven: Definitely a mage; might provide magical support for some of the group’s operations.
  • Falcon: A mage and thief? Possibly, but he was not sure. The person’s name was spoken in hush tones.
  • Hawk: A fighter of some sort; certainly not a thief although easily as cunning as one. Appeared to be the group’s mastermind.

In addition, from the conversations that Kalib heard it seemed that the group was working with some force outside of the city. He heard mention of them planning to throw open the city gates when this force approaches the city. He also heard them discussing plans to subvert the city’s guard barracks.

And now, after months of gleaning clues from cryptic comments and enduring countless beatings, he was free.

His friends led by -- it was impossible to believe – the murderer Malphas had freed him from his prison. The guards had tried to stop them of course, but their efforts had led to their deaths. As they moved to the guard’s barracks they were attacked by even more defenders of the foul lair. After a quick fight – in which the Dark Circle’s rouges threw an icy pebble at them which exploded into a 10 foot diameter sphere of ice – the Blackrazors were once again victorious.

Searching the southern barracks, the Blackrazors found a chest. And in that chest, Kalib found a horror.

Justice's End

The first thing Kalib saw was the sword. It was the broken remains of his old sword ... and he cursed lowly when he saw it. And then he saw the second blade. The steel of the long, elegant bastard sword seemed to ripple with wrath. Engraved along its length was a single word: Justiceseeker. He picked up the blade and his mind was suddenly filled with a single overcoming thought: vengeance.

As the red-tinged thought faded, it was replaced with a series of thoughts.

Of his mentor, Justiceseeker, walking down an alleyway.

Of Justiceseeker being attacked – much as Kalib had been – by rouges.

Of them falling before his blade – and him falling before their’s.

Of him praying to his god for a chance to avenge his death from beyond the grave.

Of the cleric’s life energies being channeled into his weapon by the will of his god.

Of being reborn.

When the vision cleared, Kalib looked to the bag. The bottom of it was soaked in blood. Knowing what was in it, but having to look anyway, Kalib opened the bag. Inside of it was the severed head of Justiceseeker. Kalib closed his eyes and grimaced. He closed the bag. He could hear the voice of his mentor in his mind and he knew that the voice came from the sword. "You must avenge my death Kalib. And then we must punish all murderers. It is His will. And it will be done."

A Moment's Rest

The Blackrazors withdrew to the guards main barracks and rested. It was the 10th of Goodmonth when they’d entered Obsidian Bay’s sewers in search of the lair of Bachly the Dark. It had been taken them less than two hours to find the lair and Bachy’s prison, but it felt like weeks had passed. Rather than charge blindly up onto Obsidian Bay’s streets, they decided to wait and recover their strength. Using a nap spell provided by the Blackrazor’s other cleric – Calvin Cloudmore – they rested. Kalib’s new sword drew interested stares from his companions but he did little to explain its powers, saying only that it held the soul of his teacher, and that the murdered cleric wanted vengeance.

The Blackrazors couldn’t disagree with that.

The Elf Revealed

"See, see I told you they were here," the young boy said. The slender warrior standing next to the boy smiled and pulled a silver piece from his belt pouch. Yes, the human child had been right when he’d said that this was the place where a band of heavily armored warriors and bizarre mages had entered the sewers. Before him, climbing out of one of the grates in the streets, were his friends – Kalib, Calvin, Malphas, and Aesop.

The boy grabbed the silver piece and ran down the alley way. Yes boy, he thought, run. Run and find someplace safe. Because today, things are going to get very, very bloody.

Who’s there?" Kalib said, as he climbed onto the street and saw the cloaked form before him. He hand went to Justiceseeker’s hilt.

"Relax," the cloaked one said. "It is Tanevir ... and it has been too long my friend." He drew back his hood.

Kalib relaxed slightly as he saw the face of his long-time adventuring companion, but his hand didn’t leave Justiceseeker. Too many strange things had happened in the last few months, and there were individuals behind the elf that he didn’t recognize. "Who’s with you?" he asked, suspicion ringing his voice.

Tanevir turned to the warrior on his right. "This is Demetry – he is a warrior, and is quite skilled with the blade and lance. He is a cavalier from the human land of Keoland and is now a member of our guild. And I’m sure you remember our gnomish friend, Gnarth, and the mage Aesop."

The others climbed from the sewer and joined Kalib on the street. Kalib ushered them into an alleyway, and then spoke to Tanevir in a whisper. "A force in the city planning to open the gates when an enemy army gets here. And Damaculas is in on it. Based on Calvin’s story of my replacement by a doppleganger, I believe that others in the city have been ‘replaced’"

"Then I suspect we can trust no city official," Tenaver said.

Kalib nodded and smiled despite the treachery that surrounded them. Revenge against Damaculas and his followers was going to be so, so, sweet.

Confronting Damocles

Guards were posted around the guild hall, but they did nothing to stop Kalib and the others as they returned. Kalib was practically giggling as he threw open the door to the guildmaster’s office. "Damocles ... surprised to seem me?" he said.

Clearly he was. The guildmaster raised immediately from his chair, knocking it to the floor. His slick black hair reached just beyond the collar of his sterling chainmail armor and his sword rested in the hilt at his side. "Kalib..."

"You imprisoned me. You killed Justiceseeker. Revenge ... is ... mine!" Kalib shouted and ran forward, drawing his new, powerful sword.

Two Blackrazors – apparently the traitor’s loyal officers – had been standing at the sides of the man’s desk. They moved in front of it, drawing their blades to defend the scum. Behind them, Damocles stammered. "I ... I don’t know what you’re talking about Kalib," he said, his hand going to his own sword. "Why don’t we--"

His words were cut off by the ringing of steel as Kalib easily turned aside the Blackrazors’ weapons. Damocles fumbled with a pouch on his belt and withdrew a small white marble. He threw it as Kalib parried two more attacks from his henchmen. An explosion of cold came from behind Kalib, and the cleric risked a glance over his shoulder to see a curving wall of ice. A wall very similar to the sphere of ice he and the others had encountered in the remains of Bachly’s lair.

Trapped in Ice!

The sphere of ice sent Tenavir and the others fumbling backwards from the door to the guildmaster’s office. The elf reached into his pack and drew out the brazier of fire mites. As he struck a light, he heard footfalls approaching his location – the rest of the Blackrazors.

The others moved to protect his flanks. As the fire mites appeared, Tanevir sent them against the sphere of ice. Their tiny forms began trying to burn through the ice with very little success. On either side of him he could hear Blackrazors fighting Blackrazors as the guildmembers engaged his friends. Tanevir cursed when he saw the mites weren’t working, and decided to try a lightning bolt.

The bolt flashed outward from his palm, slammed into the ice and then reflected backwards. The lightning struck Tanevir and then electrocuted his friends behind him. Somewhere behind him, he could here the sounds of his fellows incapacitating their inexperienced attackers. Kalib my friend, he thought, I hope you’re fairing better than us.

Vengeance Sated?

Inside Damocles’s office, Kalib’s vengeance was being sated. He had defeated the guildmaster’s two guards easily and the man himself was falling before Justiceseeker. Gone was the cockiness from their last fight at the Temple of Kord. Gone as well was his fancy sword play and nasty magical effects. The man in front of him was a coward who was doing everything in his power to stay alive.

It wasn’t enough.

Kalib brought Justiceseeker up, overpowered Damocles’ defenses and pieced the bastard’s chest. The man slumped to the ground and – as the cleric watched – his familiar face dissolved into the alien gray one of a doppelganger.

As the man who had been Damocles fell to the floor, the other blackrazors finally smashed through the icy sphere blocking access to the room. As Tanevir, Malphas and the others stumbled into the room they saw Kalib standing over the prone alien form

"A doppelganger…" Tanevir said. "Hmmm, could it be that our guildmaster was replaced, as you were?"

Kalib looked down at the red-purple blood drying on his blade. "I … don’t know," he said, "but we’re going to find out." The Blackrazors made a quick search of the room and found a small book with pages upon pages of names and numbers. Glancing over the columns, they soon realized that it was a record of bribes paid to guardsmen at the city’s various city gates. "This," Kalib said as he held the book, "is exactly what we needed."

Kalib and Malphas could hear the thundering bugle calls of the city guard approaching the guild hall. "The lightning stroke – they must have heard it," he said. "Malphas, they don’t know that you, Cal and I are in the city or are even alive. Let’s keep it that way." The elf nodded and directed the three men to the guild’s tower. As they withdrew, Tanevir stepped into the guild’s main room to greet the guards.

Welcoming the Guard

"Thank you for coming," Tanevir said to the City Guard sergeant who had arrived, along with a detachment of troops.

"You are welcome," the man replied. "I am Sgt. Halmer Trall. We’ve received reports of trouble here."

"Yes," the elf replied. "We had a bit of a disturbance, but we’ve handled it. A doppelganger replaced our guildmaster and we believe there may be other infiltrators who might be threatening the city guards. Please follow me," he said, and led the sergeant to the guildmaster’s room where the bodies were still sprawled on the floor.

Sgt. Trall paused as he looked at the bodies. "This is most troubling" he said. "I suggest you go alert the Poorman’s gate commander and then head to the Mayor’s office. My man Casen here" – he pointed to a man behind him – "will go to the Great Hall ahead of you to alert them to your coming. We’ll wait here until you come back before transporting the bodies."

Tanevir thanked him and then moved to collect the others.

To the Poorman's Gate

The Blackrazors ran to the closest of the city gates – the Poorman’s Gate – with the incriminating book in hand. They briefly considered splitting up so that they could alert all of the gates, but thought better of it; their enemies were powerful and more than capable of taking down one or two Blackrazors.

It took them a handful of minutes to reach the gate and to rose the barrack’s leader of the watch – a tired, apathetic man named Ralath. "Evil doppelgangers replacing the city guard eh?" he said, rolling his eyes. "And ya say ‘yer the Blackrazors eh? The ones who caused all that trouble down at Fire-eaters a while back? Who had that crazy elf leader, who gone and killed two men up in Greyhawk?"

Kalib swallowed hard.

"Yes … and yes. We have reason to believe that men in your barracks may involved in a plot to betray the city."

"Ah, so now you’re the city guard eh? Looking to do justice and uphold the law and all that eh?" he said. His eye fell to the symbol of Trithereon on Kalib’s chest.

"Yes," Kalib said, trying not to grit his teeth and failing badly at it. "We have names – we have proof. Could you at least talk to these men? Or find out if anyone has been acting strangely, maybe spending money they shouldn’t have?" the cleric asked. The crest of his temper was rising, but he managed to hold it in check. Barely.

"My men? Betray the city?" the questioner said. "I think not. You got a problem, you take it to the Mayor’s office. Got that?" he said.

Kalib shook his head, but quietly said yes.

"Then get outta y’ere, ‘fore I have one of my ‘traitors’ come and arrest ya’ll for disturbing the peace."

North by East Gates

They had better luck at the North and East Gates, where officers they knew – and who trusted them – were on duty. "I can’t charge anyone without proof you understand," the North Gate captain said, "but I must try and validate or invalidate these charges. You are going to the Mayor’s office yes?" the man said.

"Yes," Kalib said.

"Then Gods’ speed, and let us all pray that you are wrong."

The Lord Mayor

Fifteen minutes later, the remaining senior members of the Blackrazor Guild were in the City’s War Room. Standing opposite them were General Alec Bander – the leader of the City Guard, Gunther "Ironstrike" Mastif – the Councilor of War and Gabriel Longriver – the Lord Mayor of the City.

"What is this?" Longriver said.

"The city is in great danger," Kalib said.

"And I will ask you about that in good time," the mayor said. "But first tell why this man is here," he said, pointing at Malphas. "There are any number of people in the city of Greyhawk looking for that murdering elf."

Kalib was about to say something when Malphas cut in. "It was a … misunderstanding. I was under the influence of several evil artifacts at the time." He and Kalib then began explaining how Malphas fell under an evil curse in the Wild Coast, found the evil 'Ring of the Wraith' and so on. Finally, as the story drew to a close, Kalib said: "Malphas has recognized the error of his ways and has agreed to turn himself in to the authorities in Greyhawk. We have him… under control and I accept responsibility for him."

Longriver looked at the cleric. "As long as you accept responsibility for him – and promise to take him to Greyhawk – I will allow him to remain free. Now, tell me your story."

And so they did. Tanevir began, explaining how Kalib had been replaced by the doppelganger Su-quan. He then told how the Blackrazors learned that their fellow senior members had been led by Su-quan on an expedition into the Drachengrabs under the orders of Justiceseeker and Jander Drachen – this occuring after Justiceseeker had been slain by unknown thieves.

After the other senior members of the guild left left, Tanever explained, Malphas had returned to the city and led them to the captive Kalib, who they promptly freed. He described how they had found Justiceseeker’s head and the doppleganger of Damocles. Kalib picked up the story, explaining how they believed that the Justiceseeker who had sent their friends on their quest was in fact a doppelganger was in league Su-Quan. And given that Kalib and Justiceseeker had both been attacked, it seemed likely that others in the city had been captured and replaced. Kalib then told how he hard overhead his captors talk about "the Dark Circle." The organization – apparently made up of former members of the City’s now-disbanded Thieves’ Guild – was plotting to betray the city to an outside force.

Longriver absorbed this and thought. It made sense. Not all of the city’s thieves had chosen to leave and there had been indications that they had formed a group that lived in the sewers. And there was Mak’s army, which had gathered two week’s march outside of the city.

"And did they say how they planned to do this?" the mayor asked.

"They talked about infiltrating the guards stationed at the city’s three gates," Kalib said, "and we think they’ve done just that."

The Lord Mayor paced. These ‘Blackrazors’ had such a mixed reputation. First that nonsense with its founder, Bladescream, and then Malphas and now Damocles… But they had done a good deal of good as well. They had tracked down the Slickblade entity, defeated and recovered The Dreaming Eye artifact, and – if the reports coming back from the field were to be believed – had played a crucial role in the Battle of Blue.

He shook his head, and made up his mind. "If you’re right, then we have no time to lose. If you’re wrong, well … then I will be rather annoyed. How do you intend to identify these doppelgangers?"

"We know that if you knock them unconscious, they revert to their normal forms."

"Alright," the Lord Mayor said, "Let’s make sure we can count on everyone here."

The Knock Out Test

It was a ridiculous test, but it appeared to work – no one changed forms when unconsciousness slept over them. As the Lord Mayor rubbed the back of his skull, he said "well, we can’t go around knocking out the entire city. It would take hours we don’t have. We’ll start checking the senior staff. As we’re doing that I want you--" he pointed to the Blackrazors "-- to get those bodies."

They were met with vacent, confused stars when they got back to the Blackrazor Guildhall. "But … you were just here," Master-of-arms Gef Ironhold said to Tanevir when the elf asked after Sgt. Trall. "You --" Gef said, choosing his words carefully – "just left with the sergeant to take the bodies to the Citadel. I checked – you seemed real enough. You know about our ‘troubled’ friend…" He shook his head. "I’m sorry Tanevir. I truly am."

"That’s all right," Kalib said, resting his hand on Justiceseeker’s cool, deadly hilt, "we’ll find them.

Tracking Trall

Kalib concentrated on Trall’s face, drawing the young man’s full, wavy black hair, severe nose and faded green eyes with his mental brushes. He called upon Trithereon’s will to fill the vision with living blood, to provide a link to the young man’s whereabouts. He could feel the link expanding, like an artery filling with new, vibrant red blood. "Follow me," he said with a whisper.

The fullness of the bloodquest was so complete that Kalib barely registered that the others as they ran through the city streets. He did register that the pulse throbbing in his head wasn’t leading him toward the citadel – it was leading him to the Strange Quarter. As they entered the bizarre district of bizarre merchandise and even more bizarre merchants he wasn’t surprised to feel the pull of his target drawing him to a sewer opening – and down into the foul septic below.

Into the Sewers

It didn’t take much to pry open the lock on the sewer grate – Malphas’ thieving tools were one of the few things that his ‘friends’ had let him have, and he could still use them quite well. Kalib dropped through the opening first and found himself standing in a sewer filled with the urine and feces-filled runoff from a late summer rain. The water level was dropping, but the slush of fetid liquid was still moving at a brisk pace. Tanevir and the others followed him into the hole, and it didn’t take long for Kalib to find what he was looking for. Trall’s body and the bodies of his four men were stacked in coarse burlap sacks against one of the sewer walls. The bodies they had been carrying were no where in sight.

"Where are they my Lord? Where did the foul murderer’s take them? Help me to avenge this death!" Kalib cried. But it was no use – the murderers had shrouded themselves against even Trithereon’s powerful gaze. Reluctantly, the Blackrazors withdrew from the sewers.

Traitors at the Docks

After alerting Longriver’s staff that the bodies had been lost – and after having been told that there was nothing more they could do but to meet back with the Lord Mayor in four hours – the exhausted Blackrazors retired to their guild hall. They rested and caught up on some guild chores before leaving for the Hall of Councils. .

The sun was just touching the horizon when they arrived.

"Ah my friends," Longriver said as they entered his office room. "You were correct. Oh so correct – we’ve rounded up nearly two dozen conspirators and two of these doppelgangers which you described. They confirm your theory – they were planning to throw open the gates to Mak’s army." The mayor took a long drink from a bronze stein that had been resting on the large wooden table of his private office. Droplets of water quivered on his lip before he absently licked them away. "You’ve done an excellent …"

A huge crash and surprised shouts cut him off. "What the?" he said instead, and moved to his balcony. The Blackrazors followed him, and what they saw froze their minds.

A huge creature – something akin to a dragon but far larger – had erupted from one of the Wharf warehouses.

It was Damocles’ warehouse, Tanevir realized, but that realization was nothing compared to the horror that followed – the creature was not the only threat to the city. As the sun slipped into its oceanic bed, swarms of sahuaghin – thousands of them – rose from the ocean. Kalib groaned. "The sahaugin. The sunken temple of Tharizdun. Oh no…"

The others caught his thought instantly. Months earlier they had raided a lost temple of the Sleeping God at the bottom of the Azure Sea. The cursed place had been swarming with sahaughin, who had been using it as a base to attack trade ships going to and from Obsidian Bay. They had rescued Sven from that dark place, and destroyed all of the fishmen living there.

They’d thought that was the end of it, but quite obviously, they had been wrong. As they watched, ships sailed into the harbor, unchallenged by any navel ships.

"Gods damn him," Longriver shouted. "The bastard took the ships out. The damn admiral took the ships out and left us undefended."

Then they saw the Griffin’s Grasp – the flagship of the city’s small navy – dock. It was flying a scarlet flag and the forces leaping from its decks were not Obsidian marines. As the Blackrazors watched, only a handful of the Wharf District’s Guardsmen rallied to their cities defense while a majority of them began fighting along side the sahaughin.

Kalib clenched his teeth. It was so obvious now. It had all been a lie – but the best lies are mostly true. An enemy force was going to invade the city. The guardsmen were going to help them. Key city officials were going to be replaced. But force threatening the city was a navy, not an army. The guardsmen betraying the city were in the Wharf District, not at the city gates. And the officials replaced were navy men – not soldiers.

Kalib cursed powerfully, and from the swears coming from his friends, he knew they had come to similar conculsions. As they watched, the guards from the understaffed barracks in the city’s other quarters and districts began running toward the sea. The Griffins’ Guild, with its wings of griffins, flew into battle as the Ralleymen sent their own brawling forces smashing into the ranks of the sahaughin. Even the high and mighty Invincibles Guild had fielded a force intent on driving back the invaders.

They needed help. The draco-creature had breathed some sort of noxious gas, felling dozens of men in a single strike. "Let’s go," Kalib said.

The others followed.

The Wyrm Rises

The thing wasn’t a dragon, but that wasn’t necessarily a good thing. As the Blackrazors closed, the Blackrazors could see the creature’s 50-foot-tall bulk rising up into the air and crushing buildings. Its skin was covered in a thick mesh of green-black scales that sent ripples of fear through anyone who looked at it. Its huge claws ripped through buildings like a dagger through a leaf and when its immense body slammed against the ground it sent thunderclaps tumbling through the air.

When they rounded the final corner they saw the remnants of the creatures hideous breath hanging in the air. The deadly mist clung to the bodies of the Wharf’s fallen defenders, but was clearly dissipating as they watched.

The Blackrazors didn’t stop to think – they charged the creature. Malphas, Tanevir, Luc, Sven, Gnarth and Cal met ancient wyrm with their combined might, slashing at it with spells and swords as they ordered the other, less capable defenders to retreat.

They gladly obliged.

The Final Duel

Kalib ran around the side of one of the teetering warehouse buildings. If I flank it, I just might be able to hurt the damn thing, the cleric thought – and got no further. There, at the far end of the alley formed by the warehouse and its neighbor, was Damocles Everton.

The two men closed, each drawing their swords. "Do you like my little surprise Kalib?" Damocles said, ending the sentence with an arrogant sneer. "You made it possible. You played right into my trap. You did exactly what I wanted, when I wanted it. Thank you so, so, much. And did you find your old friend? Your justice-loving mentor? Did you find his head?"

Kalib brought up Justiceseeker. "Yes," Kalib said calmly. "I did. And he’d like to have a few words with you."

If Damocles saw the words written on the side of Kalib’s sword, he did not acknowledge them. Nor did he seem to notice the small flicker of time that passed as Kalib withdrew from the combat and wove a series of protective spells around him. When he came out of the spell, Damocles was two steps from him. The men brought up their swords, and sound of steel clashing against steel rang through the night air. To Kalib, it sounded like vengeance.

The Opening of the Black Gulch

The creature breathed and its noxious fumes were too much for Calvin – he faltered under it even as his friends managed to avoid its toxic effects. The few defenders who had stayed beside him fell as well, and Calvin’s last thought as the life slipped from his body was that he would finally have the chance to meet St. Cuthbert.

Luc saw Cal fall and ran to grab his body. He brushed aside the fumes as though they were nothing more than swamp vapors, picked up Cal and dragged him to safety. Once the two were clear, Sven stepped forward.

He had an idea.

The terramancer held up his elemental staff and ordered the earth beneath the wyrm to disappear. It obliged, and suddenly the wyrm was falling into an immense pit – a pit that soon filled with mud as the surrounding dirt mixed with water racing in from the sewers. With a moments concentration, he willed his staff to turn the mud into stone. Suddenly the wyrm was frozen, head down, in a gigantic block of stone. As the Blackrazors fell back, they heard a deafening cracking sound. The block – and the creature inside it – broke away from the surrounding terrain as the sea caverns beneath it collapsed. "Damn – that’s impressive," someone said.

Sven smiled.

Darkbane vs. Justiceseeker

Damocles fell backwards under the combined power of three deadly strikes. He’d landed a blow against Kalib, but unlike their previous combat, that blow had cost him. Hovering blades had struck him as soon as his sword – Darkbane – had hit his opponent. The blades had knocked him down, and suddenly he regretted having erected a dome of force around him and the cleric.

He opened his hand and let a barrage of magic stream from his glove of spell snaring. The magic struck Kalib, but the cleric’s foul blades counter attacked again. This time their combined blows crippled him. He raised his eyes toward Kalib. "You think you’ve one? You haven’t. We have – we have the city and my colleagues will avenge me."

Kalib said nothing. He raised Justiceseeker and with one perfectly lethal swing he sliced off Damocles’ head.

The Tower Vanishes

The death of the traitor released Kalib from the sphere of force, and he ran to rejoin his friends. He found them drawing back from the battlefield were they had just bested the giant wyrm.

He didn’t have to wonder why they were withdrawing – behind them, swarming up from the sea in deadly waves, were sahuagin. Not just dozens or hundreds, but thousands of the fishmen were invading the wharf and the rest of the district. His friends didn’t ask him about the blood-stained bag he held in his left hand. The look on his face, and the blood still dripping from Justiceseeker, told them it held head of their former guildmaster. As they prepared to set up a defensive stance, they saw a series of bright blue flashes erupt around the Obsidian Tower. They watched in disbelief as seven robed figures began assaulting the tower. But what was startling wasn’t the attack, it was the identity of the attackers. From their position in the Wharf District they could see that their lost friends – Falgar, Ragnar Blackmane, Aaron Windstalker, Kannett, Greggor O Vurd'on, Obert and Anders – were the ones responsible for the magical barrages. Within seconds the tower began to waver, and a heartbeat after that, it disappeared.

The Obsidian Tower was gone.

The mages quickly turned their attention on the rest of the city and cascades of fire and lightning began rippling from their finger tips. Shock slapped the Blackrazors as they saw Falgar decimate the Strange Quarter with fire – and then nearly fell over as they saw the airborn Ragnar ignite a building with a fireball.

At that moment a huge wabberling cry rose from the citadel on the hill. It was a sound they’d been told about during their military training, but they’d hoped never to hear it.

It was the Griffin’s Last Cry. It was the order to abandon the city.

The Final Fight

The city guardsmen, guildmembers, surviving Tower mages put up a good fight, allowing much of the population to escape into the countryside. The Blackrazors chose to return to the basement of their never-built manor house, where they quickly activated their magical defenses and retreated through a magical door to the Free City of Greyhawk. Above ground, the last of the resistance drowned underneath the scarlet tide rising from the sea.

The Free City of Obsidian Bay had fallen.

Experience & Loot

  • No experience and/or loot is available for this saga.
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