The vastness of the cave opened like the mouth of a sleeping monster, swallowing the dim light of the bioluminescent fungi and those who ventured into its entrails. At the heart of this underground labyrinth stood the Tower of War, a red monolith that defied the darkness with its imposing nature. The structure, carved from pure marble, seemed to have sprung from the ground itself, its massive, smooth columns rising to the ceiling of the cave, which was lost in the shadows.
The tower was a monument to a lost civilization, to its greatest warriors. A tomb built with an impenetrable fortress, with its narrow, high windows that looked like watchful eyes, observing the outside world. At the top, a marble crown, carved with intricate details, crowned the structure, as a symbol of power and glory. In this crown lies the tomb of the four Cardinal Lords. Generals of the north, south, east and west.
The walls of the tower were adorned with reliefs, which depicted mythological figures and scenes of unknown battles. The details were so precise that they seemed to have been carved yesterday, defying time and the darkness that surrounded them, and the tower emanated powerful magic.
Its base disappeared into the darkness beyond the reach of vision, just as only a small part of the top of the tower was visible.
We stopped at the edge of the cliff, all admiring the magnitude of the scene for some time.
I cast Stone Shape:
Stone Shape
School transmutation [earth]; Level cleric/oracle 3, druid 3, shaman 3, sorcerer/wizard 4; Domain artifice 3, earth 3; Elemental School earth 4
CASTING
Casting Time: 1 standard action
Components: V, S, M/DF (soft clay)
EFFECT
Range: touch
Target: stone or stone object touched, up to 3 cu. m. + 3 cu. m./level
Duration: instantaneous
Saving Throw: none
Spell Resistance: no
You can form an existing piece of stone into any shape that suits your purpose. While it's possible to make crude coffers, doors, and so forth with stone shape, fine detail isn't possible. There is a 30% chance that any shape including moving parts simply doesn't work.
I cross a bridge between the edge of the cliff, at the exit of the tunnel, and the tower, about thirty meters with enough space for my wives to follow side by side with ease, the four D.K.s in defensive formation, two in front of them and two right behind, I fly alongside the bridge. It's so good to use my true form, there are some things I miss in this form, which is the refined sense of touch, the skin of my perfect body resembling that of a rhinoceros, a thick leather.
We arrive at the top of the tower, you can see that the tower is really gigantic and at the top of it there are four mausoleums, in the middle a pyre, unlit, made of a copper-colored metal, but without any signs of corrosion, not even dust.
We walk carefully along the top of the tower towards the nearest mausoleum. When we get there we see that we were not the first to arrive here, the immense doors of the mausoleum are already open and when we enter we see that the lid of the sarcophagus has fallen on the ground next to the tomb. The sarcophagus was clearly vandalized, with sockets for setting stones twisted and missing precious stones, gold engravings scraped off, and graffiti all over the sarcophagus. The sarcophagus, about 6m long, 2.5m wide and 1.5m high, made of basalt, is richly carved, and inside lies the remains of the greatest warrior of the fire giants. His bones are destroyed, broken into thousands of pieces, the contents of the sarcophagus, whatever they may be, were looted millennia ago, but I did not come here to loot treasures. Not that I would not do that if the treasure was still here. I came for the warrior himself. Among the remains of bones I choose a tooth and consume it.
SPECIAL ABILITIES-Improved Copy(Su)
Same. After spawning, a True Core must
wait 2/days before doing so again.
Analysis
100%
Registered entities:
1
1 – Grishinak Zoldus, Lawful Neutral, Male fire giant Fighter 6 / Arcane Archer 14
Copy; ---/---
“I don’t like this place, closed, underground, full of curses and ancient spirits.” Hethress says as she touches one of my tentacles with her hand, seeking comfort.
“A closed place underground is the destiny of all mortals. As for the evil spirits, most of them have already left, and the strongest go first. Now only the weakest remain. There’s nothing to worry about. Curses have long been undone, either by time or by looters. I think most of the Tower’s treasures have already been looted, if not all.” Meikosil floats near the ceiling, analyzing the engravings.
“One is gone, three to go. Come on, I want to finish this quickly. I still want to stop by Lundine today, before it gets too late.”
We continue to the next mausoleums, where we see that they have all been looted, down to the last gram of gold and every last precious stone, with only pieces of their bones remaining.
SPECIAL ABILITIES-Improved Copy(Su)
Same. After spawning, a True Core must
wait 2/days before doing so again.
Analysis
100%
Registered entities:
3
1 – Grishinek Zoldus, Lawful Evil, Male fire giant Fighter 4 / Battle Herald 16
2 – Grishinok Zoldus, Lawful Evil, Male fire giant Fighter 5 / Marshal 15
3 – Grishinuk Zoldus, Lawful Evil, Male fire giant Fighter 5 / Sword Lord 15
Copy; ---/---
It may be a guess, but I think they are brothers. I think their parents were not inspired to give them names, or to give them any cultural power. Well, I'll find out in a few days.
In the tomb of the last one I found two huge and broken ceramic jars. Both of them show scenes of a battle between a humanoid and a dragon. The scene is different in both jars, even the size of the dragons is different, their contents were also looted, but in each one there were small scales the size of fingernails.
I pick them up and consume them.
SPECIAL ABILITIES-Improved Copy(Su)
Same. After spawning, a True Core must
wait 2/days before doing so again.
Analysis
100%
Registered entities:
2
1 – Nykkan, Chaotic Evil, Male Old Black Dragon
2 – Bhenkumbyrznaax, Chaotic Evil, female Old Black Dragon
Copy; ---/---
“Hahahaha. Great luck. Dragons!” I say as a wave of excitement passes through my body, like a child who receives an unexpected gift.
“What is it, husband?” They both ask at the same time. Then they look at each other and stare at each other. They look at me again curiously.
It seems that the last warrior was a dragon slayer, he had 2 as trophies in his tomb. A male and a female Black Dragon.
“Husband, Dragons are powerful and terrible creatures. I have only heard stories about them and they are always stories of great calamities.” Says Hethress.
Black Dragons are beings of pure evil, who delight in the pain and suffering of others. Their appearance is as frightening as their nature: cold and penetrating eyes that seem to see through the soul, and a mouth full of cruel teeth that opens in a macabre way. Their body is a temple of violence, muscular and strong, covered in scales as hard as forged steel. The mind of these dragons, more than any other dragon, is a labyrinth of sick obsessions. They believe themselves to be superior to all other dragons, beings of absolute power who have the right to do whatever they want. Their cruelty knows no bounds. They revel in the suffering of others, torturing their victims physically and psychologically, enjoying every scream of agony and every tear of despair.
Black Dragons have no mercy, compassion, or remorse. Their souls are empty, corrupted by darkness. They are beings of pure hatred, a demon incarnate who seeks to destroy everything in their path. Their ambition is uncontrollable, driven by the desire for absolute power. They care nothing for the well-being of others, only for their own goals, even if it means destroying everything around them.
The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.
The presence of black dragons in a region is a harbinger of terror.
“Oooohhhh. In short. Bad lizard… very bad. Use with care. Understood!” I laugh. “Come on, we’re done here.”
“How many secrets these ruins still hold.” Meikosil says thoughtfully as she looks around.
“Many secrets for sure, but some should stay buried. If the Gods sank this place, it was for a good reason.” Hethress says with conviction.
“We can come after I bring back the patriarch, the king and queen. With them by our side, we won’t have any surprises and they guided us straight to the point.” She pulls the two with her tentacles and with the third tentacle all over the D.K.s. Teleport.
It all took no more than two hours, we separate, they go to see the clothes, after the artisans take my measurements. I head to the river to a remote area near the river, take off my clothes and dive into the river.
Taking a bath, I realized that being submerged brings me great peace and pleasure, besides the fact that I breathe underwater. The current is not strong and assuming my true form I descend to the muddy bottom of the river, there I anchor myself on some rocks, visibility is zero. But the cold water, the noise of the current and even the occasional branch that hits my body all work to put me in a trance-like state.
When I get out of the river, put on my clothes and return to the Great Hall, I feel that Hethress is angry and sad.
I sit down next to her and ask what happened.
She shows me a parchment with symbols written on it.
"I can't read these symbols." I say in a low and calm voice. One more thing to do, learn to read and write.
"Oohhh. Sorry husband." She places the parchment on her lap. "It's a farewell letter from Sriltos, since all the religious leaders of the villages died, he was offered a position by the second largest village in the region, Atiros, a day's journey downriver. He says he preferred to leave like this without warning because he knew that if he asked he would stay. Cowardly traitor.” She says and I see tears streaming down her face.
I touch his hand and say, “Calm down, ssshhh... understand his side, it’s an opportunity, he’s competent and deserves this opportunity. Yes, it was a bit cowardly of him to leave like that. But I understand. How could he resist a beautiful woman like you asking him to stay?” Beside me, rays of jealousy hit my back.
I understand very well the real reason why Sriltos left. To see the woman he loves in the arms and bed of another and that other person being someone you have no chance of defeating in any kind of battle. Yes, it was the best thing he did. Even because, the woman he loves died in the Aunnas Ziggurat, her body turned to ashes and her soul went to the afterlife. Yes, not even her soul remained. Because one thing I realized when copying Meikosil, my power copies everything, including souls, because when the phylactery of the original Meikosil was destroyed, it did not affect my copy in any way.
Meikosil and Hethress are mine, their past erased, their lives and souls under my total and unrestricted control.
Sriltos, yes, lost everything, but he lost everything before I existed. I just hope he is happy in his new phase of life.
To lighten the mood, I suggest we go to Lundine to listen to some bard. I still don't know what the style of music in this world is like.
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The Golden Lion Tavern stood imposingly in the central square of the flea district, the commercial sector of Lundine, a three-story giant made of stone and wood. The first floor, with its thick oak beams and stone walls, was a constant hubbub of voices and laughter. Solid wooden tables, some with upholstered benches, others with simple stools, were filled with people of all classes and races: merchants bargaining for business, peasants eating their simple meals, soldiers telling war stories, adventurers in search of new quests, humans, elves, lizardmen, orks, dwarves, halflings, gnomes and other races I do not know. In the center of the hall, a gray-haired bard with a long beard, with an aged guitar in his hands, sang lively melodies, his hoarse voice echoing off the stone walls. Between the tables, agile and experienced waitresses dodged with trays full of foaming ale, red wine and dishes
steaming hot roast meat, vegetables and bread. The smell of food and drink mixed with the aroma of burning wood and sweat, creating a unique and unmistakable perfume.
On the second floor, the atmosphere was calmer. Modest but comfortable rooms with wooden beds and thick blankets were available to middle-class travelers. The sound of music and conversations from downstairs drifted in, creating a cozy atmosphere for a good night's rest.
On the third floor, reserved for the nobility, the atmosphere was one of luxury and refinement. The rooms were spacious and decorated with tapestries and richly carved wooden furniture. The tall windows offered panoramic views of the city. The beds were covered with silk sheets and soft pillows, and a crackling fireplace warmed the room.
The Golden Lion Tavern was a microcosm of medieval life, a place where people of all classes met, shared stories and dreams, and found refuge from the cold and loneliness. Our guides Jiakel and Solen are with us.
Since the tavern/inn is well-known and very popular, our group doesn't attract any more attention than usual.
We wait for a free table for about half an hour. In the meantime, I ask how things are going at the orphanage.
Jiakel and Solen say that “It's much better now, new clothes for all the children, straw sheets and new blankets on the beds, there's always good food to eat, every day and every hour, and the guards we hired are nice to us.
“We saw Sister Brandana crying, but Jiakel said it was from happiness. How does someone cry from happiness, uncle?” she asks with the utmost innocence.
I take her in my arms. “It's complicated, but one day I'll know, I hope.”
“My lord husband looks great with a child in his arms, most men aren't like that.” Hethress says with shining eyes and clinging to my arm.
I'm in my dark elf form, which draws less attention than my serpent-folk form.
A table is freed up, we sit down and order from the waitress, who literally doesn't take her eyes off me, while the The level of jealousy rises to new heights on my side. This woman doesn't know how close she is to death.
I quickly place my order. Meat for everyone, beer, wine, bread, sausages, and milk for the children.
While we wait for our orders, we hear the bard sing a ballad about a frog, a knight, and a princess.
Many sing the song along with the bard, but most are talking or eating.
While we eat, the bard sings three more songs. He gets up and leaves the stage.
Hethress is still upset, and to lighten the mood, I have an idea. I get up from the table and turn to my wives.
"A small gift for my two beloved wives." I head to the small stage, in a corner of the tavern, near the stairs that lead to the second and third floors. As I go up on stage, I receive a few looks.
I stomp my foot hard on the stage floor, and with that, I call everyone's attention.
“Good evening everyone, ladies and gentlemen, what I will do now is a small gift for my wife, Hethress and Meikosil.” I extend my arm pointing to the two of them. Hethress’s feathers stand on end in embarrassment, which only attracts more stares and Meikosil pulls the hood of her cloak to cover her face.
“Without further ado.” I incant:
Permanent Hallucination School illusion (phantasm) [mind-affecting]; Level psychic 7, sorcerer/wizard 7
EFFECT
Target: one creature
Duration: permanent (D)
DESCRIPTION
This spell creations includes visual, auditory, olfactory, tactile, and thermal components, and the phantasm follows a complex script. The phantasm follows that script without your having to concentrate on it and can react to stimuli the target perceives, as appropriate for the script. Unlike most illusions with a save to disbelieve, if the target disbelieves a permanent hallucination, she can choose to end the effect entirely at any time.
The tavern was transformed into a peculiar place, hidden in the heart of a magical forest. Its walls were made of thick, intertwined roots, covered in lush green moss and wildflowers that glowed with their own light. The roof was made of a tangle of twisted branches, among which nestled birds that sang soft, enchanting melodies. The light of the full moon, filtered through the leaves of the trees, created a magical and mysterious glow over the tavern. All the plates, forks, knives, spoons, cups and glasses were now made of crystal. Fairies danced and played among the tables, their dresses made of flower petals and their hair adorned with dewdrops that sparkled like diamonds. Colorful birds, with feathers of every color of the rainbow, perched on the hands of customers, offering them fresh fruits and magical seeds. The air was perfumed with the scent of pine, damp earth and wildflowers. The sound of running water from a nearby stream mixed with the birdsong and the fairies' laughter, creating a magical and welcoming atmosphere. Several cries of surprise arose from the crowd inside the tavern hall. The bard had already returned by this time and was staring wide-eyed, like many of the people in the hall; some even stood up and drew weapons. Ignoring everything around me except my wives, he began to sing a song that had come to mind during my trance in the river.
“How Great is My Love for You”
(Roberto Carlos)
I have so much to tell you
But I don't know how to say it with words
How great is my love for you
And there is nothing to compare
To be able to explain to you
How great is my love for you
Not even the sky, nor the stars
Not even the sea and infinity
It is not greater than my love, nor more beautiful
I despair trying to find
Some way to tell you
How great is my love for you
Never forget for a second
That I have the greatest love in the world
How great is my love for you
Never forget for a second
That I have the greatest love in the world
How great is my love for you
But how great is my love for you
I finish the song, get off the stage and they come back, several people move away as I walk, my wives, as soon as I get to the table, they hug me and with one hand I call the children, with my free hand I throw a bag full of rubies on the table. Teleport.
----------------------------------------------------------------
As I promised my wives, today I would spend their energy so that they wouldn't waste it on petty squabbles.
They both wait for me in our room, anxious.
When I enter I see them sitting on the bed, on opposite sides, my beautiful wives.
"There's something I've been wanting to try for some time. And to celebrate the success of the expedition and wish a new life to Sriltos. Let's celebrate life the best way I know how". I conjure:
Irresistible Orgy
School enchantment (compulsion) [mind-affecting] Level Sorcerer/Wizard 8, Witch 8, Bard 6, Cleric 6
Casting Time: 1 standard action
Components: V, M (almiscar anaimal)
Range close (3m. + 1,5m/2 levels)
Area: 10m.-radius emanation, centered on you
Targets: one creature/level in a 10m.-radius burst centered on you
Duration: 1 hour/level
Saving Throw: Will negates
Spell Resistance: yes
The subject feels an undeniable urge to make sex and begins doing so, complete and with anything available. The spell effect makes it impossible for the subject to do anything other than sex. This spell only works outside of combat, after the spell is cast, acts of violence are considered BSDM (only nonlethal damage) and do not break the spell.
--------------------------------------
Day 8 - (2 days after intense cardio and aerobic exercise)
I hear a knock on our bedroom door, the smell of sex and sweat is sticky inside the room, in bed 2 people are almost fainting. I look at my work and think.
“A job well done.”
The wives agree, happy and satisfied.
I go to the door and open a crack. A woman from the serpent people tells me to look me in the eye and not look inside the room.
“My lord, your grace asked me to let you know when Hiutotiaco arrives!” She says in a low voice, embarrassed and full of fear.
“Thank you Ranu.” I love to see the surprise when I use their names even though I've never spoken to them before.
Now things are starting to move forward. I close the door.