Ep. 32 Forgotten Legacy Chapter Four

## Listen

Ep 32 Forgotten Legacy Chapter Four

—William Shakespeare, *King Lear*

Drakir, Dex, and Therudak return from their quest for the Khyber shard so that Eladrin can complete his ritual and bring Beric back to life. They're surprised when they find the cost is a life for a life, and Eladrin plans on sacrificing himself for his son. When the ritual is completed, a portal opens up and the lich returns, this time taking Therudak with him.

## Synopsis

### Belashyrra

Drakir, Dex, and Therudak turn towards the condescending clapping. A figure stands on the other side of the bridge. It has a human head with armor below his neck, but through the cracks of the armor little eyes can be seen poking out from underneath the skin. The figure stops his clapping and tells them how interesting their fighting is. They fight with such desperation, like they've lost something. He extends a hand and the gap in the bridge fills with flesh, repairing the damage done to it by the beholder. He starts walking across the bridge and stops midway. Drakir's Shadowblades come out.

The creature tells them they're in his home, and should introduce themselves. His name is Belashyrra. He notices Drakir's blades and Dex's teeth and tells them to put their weapons away; he's far too much of a challenge for them. He's not interested in killing them, but he could, easily. Dex asks for him to let them leave, and Belashyrra says *his* people have been trying to leave for a while, so it's not really fair for Dex to ask something like that.

They're asked why they want the shard, and Dex says it's to bring their friend back. Belashyrra acknowledges that dying in a stupid way is a good reason to bring someone back, and Drakir scoffs. It is not. Belashyyra asks for clarification and Drakir says he doesn't deal with monsters. The Daelkyr he's not a monster, just an outsider. He doesn't want to be there. If he never had to see another drow in his life he'd be very happy, to which Drakir comments that his people have done a good job of ensuring that.

Shortly before they showed up, the creatue felt a presence. A thing that's killed a lot of his people and it's nearby. So if they've brought the legendary Doom-Bringer, Harm-Bringer, Curse-Deliverer, or whatever it's called, that's not great because they're focused on the wrong problem, just like the hobgoblins. He's heard murmurings of Mabar being on the move and it feels to him like history repeating. Drakir places his Slayer's Eye on his as a precaution.

*"Anyway, I just wanted to introduce myself. I get the sense that you have an important role to play, which is why I'm not attacking you and why I don't recommend you attacking me. I mean this is just a minor arch in a much bigger story."
—Belashyrra*

When he mentions hobgoblins, Therudak recognizes him from his dream as the creature that shot the energy at whoever he was embodying. When he mentions it, Belashyrra tells them to not sleep in the temples. The Quori were there, their crazy dream stuff in lingering everywhere in Xen'drik. He says he'll be seeing them later, especially Dex. The other two it's a bit hazy on. He walks back into the darkness of the cavern.

Dex and Therudak cross the bridge after he leaves. Drakir casts Levitate and does *not* touch the bridge.

### The Ritual

They journey back to the main cavern, taking a little longer this time since they're going up instead of down. Eladrin is pacing, Booyah stands in almost reverence at the table near Beric's body. Almost first thing as Drakir enters the cave he calls Eladrin a liar. He tells him of the being they met, and says he could sense the sword and was afraid of it. Eladrin claims he never said it wouldn't help, but it was dangerous to the wielder. Drakir scoffs.

*"Do you know what our people made a pact with? We crossed that bridge a long time ago, Father."
—Drakir*

Eladrin and Drakir argue about the value of the sword, with Eladrin asking for trust and Drakir saying he's been given no reason to trust him. Eladrin says with any luck, he will have the weapon to wield, and will not have to answer to his father any more. He snatches the shard from Dex and asks for his and Dak's assistance. He's hammered some pitons with straps on them into the Siberys shard in the center of the room. He asks them to take Beric's body and tie it to the shard, and to attach the smaller shard to his Silver Flame holy symbol.

*"Here a weapon walks in that the things that kill us are afraid of, and you say it's nothing. You say throw it away."
—Drakir*

As soon as he's handed it, Therudak notices it's the most perfect stone. A couple are sitting on the table, and he gazes at them, saying how beautiful they are, and attaches it to Beric. Eladrin tells Dex to bring the Khyber shard to the sword, and the hilt will open up to receive it. Dex does and Curse-Bringer opens up a perfect shape to accept it. Eladrin lays down on the worktable, and Booyah begins strapping him down. Drakir asks what's happening, and Eladrin tells him this is the experiment. It's incomplete, and with it being ancient necromantic elven magic it's quite barbaric. A life can't go unpaid for. Booyah looks distraught as be begins attaching the straps to tie Eladrin down. Drakir demands to know what the cost is. A necklace with a fairly large shard in it falls out of Eladrin's coat, and he says a life for a life.

*"You're going to do this?"
"Yes. For so many reasons."
"All of this, all of this you have worked for, you will throw it away now?"
"It's not thrown away. I have been working hard to help our people and I have."
"And now you will be gone."
"Yes."
"Now you will leave and he will come back, and he will leave. And our people are poorer for all of it."
—Drakir and Eladrin*

Drakir tries to convince him not to go forward with the ritual, but Eladrin doesn't budge. He tells Drakir he knows his two sons will serve the world better than he ever could, and he hopes one day Drakir can see that.

The Khyber dragonshard in Curse-Bringer and the shard in Eladrin's necklace start glowing, and light pulses from Curse-Bringer into the shard in the holy symbol. It becomes enveloped in silvery light at the same time that the sword in covered in shadow. Silver light begins to flow from the immense shard that Beric is attached to and the shard on Eladrin's neck plunges into his chest. At the same time, Curse-Bringer starts floating away from Beric's chest and shifts into a horizontal position, then plunges into him. Beric's eyes open and he begins to gasp for air as shadows seep into the wound. Curse-Bringer melts into the wound as Beric begins fighting against the straps.

### The Lich

In front of Beric and Eladrin, darkness forms into an archway. Three shadows run out of the portal. Drakir summons his Shadowblades, and the familiar lich appears. Without a second though, Drakir throws his blades at it. The Shadowblades sink into the lich's shoulders. He doesn't even look at Drakir, but glares at Dex instead. *"I see you keep making friends, and they don't know how to be good hosts."* He extends a hand towards Drakir and the drow is thrown across the cave, necrotic energy writhing all around him. Seeing that, Dak advances with his greatsword. Dex tells him to stop, but he keeps going anyway.

Drow start filing out of the various alcoves and begin fighting the shadows. Dex looks around and sees Booyah fighting one by himself, and runs over to help him. With one swing of his ribbonweave the shadow dissipates. He looks around and sees Beric fighting against his restraints, and rushes over to him.

Dak swings at the lich, but misses, and the lich extends a hand towards him and a beam of dark energy hits him in the chest. The necrotic energy holding Drakir dissipates. He walks past the shadows in front of him and places his Slayer's Eye on the lich and throws his blades.

Tentacles of darkness emerge from the portal and wrap around Therudak's arms, lifting him into the air. His mark glows with fiery silver light as the lich brings them face-to-face.

*"Did you know their other friend, the one that you replaced? Oh, how he screamed."
—Lich*

Therudak headbutts him. Light pulses out of his forehead and the lich recoils. Dex, still over by Beric, tells him he needs to go handle some things and leaves Beric tide to the table. Booyah has a rapier and crossbow out, and Dex rejoins him and starts attacking the shadows.  The shadowy arms tighten around Dak. The outline of his mark shines through the portal, and the lich locks eyes with him but addresses Dex. He says the next time they meet, Dex will bow or perish. The portal begins closing, but the light from Dak's mark glows brighter and brighter and he starts to feel an intense pain as he let's out a war cry. Bright light erupts and fills the chamber. The drow recoil and everyone is blinded for a moment. Once their eyes adjust, the portal is gone, the lich is gone, the shadows are gone. The Siberys shard glows brighter than before. Therudak is gone.

End of episode.

## Locations

* Xen'drik
* Khyber

## Spells

* **Drakir**
	+ Levitate

## Quotes

"I don't actually know who I am right now."
"The game's over; you are Philip."
"Okay. I will take your word for it."
"I'm Randy."
"I am your constant, your true north, your friend, the only one you can trust. I'm Jeff, I play Dex."
*—Philip, Eric, Randy, and Jeff 0:40:53*

## Trivia

* This is the only episode with Beric, Booyah, Dex, Drakir, and Therudak.
* The first episode that Randy plays Booyah.