Chapter 7 - The Leaders of the Free World
From Duels Content
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[edit] Quest Text
You follow Kel outside of the House of Healing. Though he strides through the front doors with purpose, you notice something odd in his gait. He stumbles briefly and coughs. You notice that the small, green bumps around his eyes have spread to the dark skin around his muzzle. He straightens himself up and gives you a confident grin.
"Well Friend, are you ready to meet the leaders of the free world?"
[edit] Activated by
Chapter 6 - The Restless Dead
[edit] Act 1 The Hall of Gates
You approach the Hall of Gates, a gleaming stone dome that dominates the city's central hub. As you move closer to the structure, you can feel extra-dimensional energy crackling in the air and your hair stands on edge. You are surrounded by a throng of pilgrims, entering and exiting the structure. Every few minutes, a bolt of energy flashes silently from the dome, straight up into the clear sky.
You approach the massive arched entryway and fall into line behind a human-shaped gelatinous blob, carrying a sopping Duels Arena pennant. At the head of the line, a burly Shindaan Guardian with a red, crooked scar on his throat is checking each pilgrim as they approach.
Kel marches up to the Shindaan and presents him with a small, ivory whistle. The Guardian blows a short, shrill note and, after a moment, a large, black Raven swoops down and lands on his shoulder. The Raven looks at Kel, looks back at the Shindaan Guard, squawks "Let them in," and flies away.
You follow Kel into the Hall, past the tall corridors that lead to extra-dimensional portals, and up to the Archona, ruling seat of the City of Duels.
You enter the Archona Chamber and find yourself confronted with the rulers of Phyrra. The Supreme Archon sits on an elevated throne in the center of a long, ornate, lacquered table. On either side, six Archons, representatives of the Machan and Aseti Empires regard you with twelve imperious eyes. Servants and attendants stand at attention along the perimeter of the circular chamber and two large Abtu-Khan stand in the center of the room. You recognize one of them from your visions as Kuth-eh-Ket, the High Phearaux. The other Kahn is large, muscular and covered in scars. He is fidgeting slightly and seems to be blinking a bit too rapidly. You notice that the exposed skin along his scars, mouth and eyes are covered in the same green protrusions that Kel has broken out into. He holds out a massive furry paw in greeting.
[edit] Objectives
[edit] Act 2 - The Wall
The creature falls to the ground and you stand for a moment, catch your breath and then head out again into the fiery wasteland.
You walk for what seems like days. As you march on through the heat and rock, the landscape begins to change. Oddly shaped forms that you assume are plants begin to pop up; tall shafts with perfectly shaped purple orbs extending from them. As you continue your trek, the ground grows smooth, almost glassy, and the geysers of fire become less prominent. What seems like several days later, you come to a glassy black wall. Its smooth surface extends over the horizon in either direction and up into the sky, as far as you can see. For lack of any better ideas, you assume, you knock on the wall, causing it to reverberate and send a deep, gut-shaking bass tremor throughout the countryside, knocking you off of your feet. The tremor eventually subsides into a low pitched hum and you stand up again. The smooth surface of the wall has become transparent. On the other side, an immense, cyclopean city stretches out before you. You approach the wall and touch it. The smooth surface gives way beneath your touch, like gelatin. Holding your breath...
[edit] Objectives
[edit] In the Darkness of Ahmett's Mind
Even as the first creature falls to the ground in a heap, the others descend upon you, forcing you to the ground. As they stand above you, the green substance clinging to their skin seems to stretch, reaching out for you. As you feel the first clammy caress of these tendrils, you vision fades and you are washed in darkness.
It is impossible to say how long you are lost in that black void. You are unable to tell what, if anything, was going through Ahmett's mind, if he was even conscious. Every so often you can make out faint whispers and that creeping gut feeling that you are not alone comes once again.
Eventually, you open your eyes and look around. The creatures are gone. You stand up and survey the landscape. In the distance, black smoke billows from the city. You make your way toward it. When you arrive at the city, it appears to have been torched. The buildings are charred and smoldering, but there is no sign of any former residents; no corpses, no living people. You wander the avenues of the dead metropolis, looking for some sign of life. When you eventually find it, it is not what you had hoped.
As you approach what you believe to be the city's central square, you can hear a familiar humming sound.
[edit] Objectives
[edit] Conclusion
You break the creature's hold on you and stop for a moment. Summoning up internal energies, you fire a Blast Wave at one of the Biological generators. The portal before you starts to blink, collapsing in on itself and the gathered creatures howl with rage. You fire once again at the remaining generator, then dive through the collapsing gateway.
[edit] Reward
D.E.A. Stipend Check mark 200 XP 50 gold 200 tokens
[edit] Hints
By completing this you get to go on to Chapter 8 - Contagion
