The Defenders, Vol. 2, Issue 20 - Someone's Shocking End

Having arrived at the shoreline of what used to be Cyre, the heroes scout the watch towers built to protect the nation from naval assault, searching for the edifice they feel house the trapped Magnus. As they move along the perimeter, however, they find an anomalous tower set back from the shore, but that can only be seen from between two certain towers and no other angle from the ground.

Upon approaching the place, travel to it on foot is determined to be impossible. The characters simply don't seem to be getting any closer no matter how long they fly or walk toward it. Kurt discovers that a short bamf forward takes him half the distance to the place and the characters resort to teleportation to get to the tower, which turns out to be a huge construction, likely more comfortable for giants than men. Stone blocks weighing tons are set together to form the walls, and the great gates seem to be made of slabs cut from a single massive tree.

The Spider, their once brief ally from their battle in the jungles of Q'barra, is present when they arrive, puzzling over the statues placed into alcoves carved above the gates and stringing the entire length of the wall. A massive, eight armed man flanked by 8 smaller, yet no less powerful-looking men.

The Angle...Gnome

The gates are obviously sealed somehow and no windows allow egress from the outside, so Kitty tries to travel through the gate to see if she can open it from the inside. Her idea works, but her tampering with the door triggers the trap on the opposite side and an sphere of high voltage static discharges, leaving many injured, and Connar dead at the feet of his comrades. This is shocking (tee hee) to his comrades, but they are hundreds of miles from help, and leaving could mean giving up the investigation, so they press on.

A thick mist permeates the whole inside area, preventing vision at range, leading to a slow, methodical crawl through the compound. The rooms are not plagued by the fog, though, allowing the party to witness the fine craftsmanship and ancient magic obviously used to preserve the keep.

The party strikes gold in the library, coming across more detailed knowledge of the Destiny Arms and what they represent and their purpose. Entering the war room gives the group even more clues as to where they can find the giants, as a huge table engraved with a map with various locations placed throughout dominates the room. There is magic associated with the table, but it cannot be puzzled out by those who try.

Downstairs, the party finds only abandoned barracks and an armory with long-corroded weaponry and armor. Until they round a corner at the far hall and start to enter a chamber, at which point they are ambushed by The Scorpion and Angle Man, who had both been hiding!

Eberron's Scorpion

The Scorpion, remaining invisible, unleashes devastating attacks against Kurt, but is contained by a force wall, leaving him vulnerable to the teleportation master's skill at hit and run. Angle Man fires off a few spells, but attempts to run when things get bleak, only to be cut off by Bennet by a wall of electricity and blasted to charred bits by a bolt of lightning.

A clanging sound had been heard periodically throughout the combat, and Kitty goes through a wall to investigate, to find Magnus beaten and bound to a chair with rope and leather. The clang had come from Magnus hurling his helmet against the wall, and Kitty picks it up to bring it to him, when he attacks her, only to be put down a minute later by quick spells and might.

The party regroups and leaves Cyre, heading for Sharn in search of answers.

Next Issue: Lantern's Light!


Cast of Characters
Jean Grey, Elan Psion (Kineticist) 12|Wilder 12  - Angela
Bennet du Paris [Exodus], Human Psion (Nomad) 11|Spellthief 5/Cerebrex 6 -Taylor
Kurt Wagner [Nightcrawler], Lesser Tiefling Rogue 3/Fighter 8/Swashbuckler 1|Totemist 2/Wizard 3/Umbral Disciple 2/Telflammar Shadowlord 4/Soul Caster 1 - David 
Kitty Pryde [Shadowcat], Human Wizard 10|Ninja 10 - Sam
Connar Kent [Superboy], Kryptonian† 10|Fighter 10 - Paul (deceased)
Pete Salvis [Spider-Man], Battle Dancer 4|Warlock 4 - Jon G
Johnathan Blaze (Phantom Traveler) [Ghost Rider], Flaming Bone Creature 2/Warlock 7|Fighter 5/Lasher 4 - G2