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[u][b]Player Build Character Name Level Furthest Point[/b][/u]
Quietus Paladin ThornBush 23 Killed by Mephisto
RickC Necromancer Bandd 16 Dry Hills
Quickdeath Paladin Gandhi II 12 Lut Gholein
A1cme3 Paladin Swiss Cider 15 Black Marsh
Scatha Barbarian Brick Wall 13 Tristram
Sir Lister Of Smeg Necromancer Eddie 11 Dark Wood
Uzziah Paladin No_Arms 4 Stony Field
Docturnal Sorceress Theresa 1 Rogue Encampment
Arentol Paladin Draught 1 Rogue Encampment
adzicents Paladin Unscathed 1 Rogue Encampment
newco Paladin SpankMeHard 1 Rogue Encampment
NecSin Paladin SticksnStones 1 Rogue Encampment
JayPizzle Necromancer Wooo 4 Cold Plains
[u][B]Our fallen comrades[/B][/u]
AJK Sorceress TheOtherCheek 19 Canyon of the Magi
Fists of War Paladin Patience 12 DEAD
The fetid swamps posed a great threat - first, in the form of the natives protecting their land via blowguns, and I was unable to approach and make peace. Beyond them, I discovered other creatures native to the lands, and worse, the shambling corpses of those before me. Ghostly creatures that flitted through swamp gas shocked me on a regular basis, but at least these strange, unnatural creatures could be turned to my cause.
Further into the jungles, I found more of the unusually short natives, these ones armed with knives and tiny spears - as they had to approach me to attack, I preached my way of peace to them, and one by one they halted their attacks. Delving into their underground tunnels, I found more of the same - both those armed with blowguns, unwilling to listen, and those who were more amenable to my cause. Down here, however, I would find dark shapes that assaulted me as I pushed my way through hanging roots and vines, making their best attempt at ending my presence. Over time, they too joined my cause, and after searching my way through the maze these ingenius beings created, I found what I came for : the preserved brain of the holy man Khalim.
Returning to town, I used the ancient "waypoints" to return to the fetid jungle. Most of those that lived here had seen the Light, so my march forward was unhindered. Finally, I saw it : The gates that led to the once-glorious city, Kurast! As I ran towards them, seeking solace from the jungle, the trees themselves leapt to life, and began pummelling me. With each swing, I redoubled my prayers, hoping that the Light would let them see the error of their ways before I ran out of healing salves. Gloriously, my prayers were answered, and the last of the tree-protectors faded back into the forest; The path to Kurast had opened to me!
The citizens of Kurast, however, were less than pleased to see me. With their pole-weapons in hand, I had to fight them off in droves; the mad look in their eyes told me that they weren't doing this of their own accord, they were possessed by something.. and these suspicions were proven correct when they fled after my preachings. They would return, however, the terrible sadness still in their eyes as they continued to swing their weapons, cutting into my flesh; These were people who could be saved, and by the Light, each one of them that I found was censured of their demons, and turned to the Light.
As I made my way through the streets of the now-ruined Kurast, I stopped to search for a book Alkor had requested. Inside one of the Ruined Temples I came across, I could feel the taint in the air.. proceeding slowly, I suddenly found myself surrounded by dozens of women, with the same crazed look as the citizens of Kurast had possessed. The demon must have had a stronger hold on them, as they never stopped their attacks, not even for a moment, until I was able to finally break through the hold he had on them. Collecting the book I'd been sent for, I headed back to the ruins of Kurast, to find my next target : The Kurast Sewers.
My trip to the sewers was thankfully brief; The smell down there would have made rotting corpses smell pleasing. Many misguided people can be shown the way, but there is no converting raw stink. I saw no one down here, unsurprisingly, just a small pack of batlike creatures who ignored my presence entirely. Retrieving the heart of Khalim, I made haste to return to the city, and get some fresh air.
The trip through the rest of Kurast was similar to everything else I've described, so I'll skip forward to the Travincal, the steppes of the temple itself. I found many unusual creatures here, more of the four-armed beasts I encountered in the sands around Lut Golein, as well as many of the vampiric creatures I'd encountered many times before - these ones nearly surprised me by summoning meteors from the heavens to strike me down! I was able to convert all of these, however, and many more of the zakarumites I encountered, and then the biggest challenge I had faced yet :
The High Council.
I'll be honest, coming up to the temple itself, I wasn't sure what to expect. I knew the high council had been corrupted, but I wasn't prepared to see the twisted forms that Mephisto had given them as "reward" for their service, nor was I prepared when they began summoning dragons of flame from the ground itself, cracking the earth open to let these beasts loose, who spat fire at me while I preached my ways. Avoiding the flames, I found that those beasts would eventually return from whence they came, so I could focus my attention on the council themselves. It took a great deal of effort, but after a lot of work, I was able to sway them with my nonviolent ways. One of them gave me the final relic I was looking for, Khalim's Flail, and by combining the flail with the portions of Khalim himself, I was able to break open the Compelling Orb, and make my way down into the depths of the temple.
The stench of demons inside the building was stifling. What shocked me, however, was that I met none on my way down - I'd heard stories of the sorts of mazes the temple contains, but I found it easy to navigate, and the path deeper into the temple was always just around the corner. When I took the second set of stairs, however, and reached the third level of this Durance of Hate, I could hardly breathe. The feel of Mephisto's presence was like walking into a wall of pure, unmitigated malice. Steeling myself for the upcoming battle, I forged forward, meeting more of Mephisto's twisted high priests, and bringing them out of the state that Mephisto had put them in.
Finally, I made it : Mephisto himself. He and I stared at one another for a long time, him trying to determine how a pacifist such as myself could make it this far, and me.. I was attempting to comprehend his form. That massive skeletal body, seeming to float in midair on a cloud of mist that was produced from nowhere... it made no sense to me at all, but I managed to shake off the shock. Steeling myself, I stepped forward, and prepared to show Mephisto, the first of the Prime Evils, the power of pacifism.. only to watch in horror as he summoned the spirit of one of his victims in the form of a skull that he sent screaming through the air at me, crashing into my chest and knocking me from my feet. After applying some of my healing salve, I picked myself up, and approached Mephisto, only to find that the mist that supports his body was created from poisonous gases. Trying to steel myself further, I felt my resolve slowly slipping away, faster than my salves could help. I could feel Mephisto's claws biting into me, and knew that he, too, could feel the strength that I drew from the Light in return, but in the end, it was not enough. My salves had run out, and Mephisto's evil had proven too much for me. I've maintained my ways, however, and with my final breath, I pray that though my strength of will was not enough, that the Light protect me, and not let Mephisto turn me to his purposes.
R.I.P.
ThornBush
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