My tale begins as many tales do: a long, long time ago, in lands far away unknown, where we follow foul adventurous souls. Perhaps not high in their moral standards, but not villains either, these four were drawn together by circumstance and need - for they had obtained an artifact they were hunted for.
The first was Maximus, a strong burly warrior with a deep rooted hatred for shadow creatures. The second was named Bellegar Bluntbeard, a Dwarven wizard of little renown, with a debt that made him hunted by mercenaries and bounty hunters alike. The third, a half-elven woman with strange pipes for instrument, and an uncanny wit, whose magic was a mystery. And finally, Beliel, who was a dabbler in the strange, occult and eldritch magics, but with a heart for the other three. Together, they'd been adventuring for quite some time, getting into all sorts of trouble with anyone and everyone.
One of their adventures led them into the depths of old ruins in pursuit of a conjurer of infernals. But they did not know the way, for the tunnels were ever vast and reaching into the deep unknowns.
Unbeknownst to them, a group of elves were guarding an old artifact of a lost god beneath the surface of this realm. An artifact that was recently stolen, but they knew where to look. In exchange for the help of the adventurers in taking it back, they would show them the way to their infernal enemies. Help for help.
The elves had a veritable army, ready to take their artifact back by force, and our adventurers tagged along with a group of them. It took hours to march through the caves until it all opened up into a large, subterranean lake. Rocks glistening with blues and purples from the bioluminescent plant life - a clear sign of the Upperdark.
The first thing they would hear was a song - a haunting, chanting song. And before the elven commander could speak a word, he began to mindlessly wander into the lake, leaving the adventurers and half the troops to think what to do. Quickly the adventurers turned to a young druid, and told her to take command, while they got in position. Brave Maximus even began pretending to be charmed by the song, after they all put moss and the like in their ears.
The first they saw was an altar in the waters, a decayed old ruin in a semi-circle, and a woman lying on the altar. One figure was holding a dagger in the air, and six others were standing around the place. Yet the origin of the song was nowhere to be found.
As the elves got closer, and the adventurers as well, something felt wrong. The elves began their attack with a volley of arrows, as our adventurers strode forward, with an earth elemental in tow. But the arrows struck nothing, and as the adventurers waded through the waters, they found something odd - thick, transparent white skin going on for hundreds and hundreds of feet.
As they finally got close to the altar, it happened. The figure with the dagger turned into a giant monstrosity: a gigantic snake with the upper woman of a body, with four arms and serpents for hair. The figures around her, including the woman on the altar, turned into naga. It was a trap for the artifacts that the adventurers held, for they knew they wouldn't find them here without help, so they stole the elves' artifact, knowing they'd call for their aid.
Quickly the battle turned sour, as the monstrosity known as Akara rose her hands, and from the depths of the lake rose dozens upon dozens of adventurers whom had fallen there. And as if on cue, the elven reinforcements had arrived. The naga threw spears through the illuminated caverns; elves responding with arrow volleys as elementals and elves collided in battle with naga and undead.
And only our four adventurers, along with a single elemental, stood between Akara and certain doom. Maximus strode forward immediately, accompanied by the sounds of pipes. The elemental quickly smashed two nagas’ heads together, cracking them like eggs next to the wizard Bellegar, who quickly commanded the elemental. "Give me a hand!" he said, pointing to Akara. The elemental promptly threw the dwarf towards the monstrosity, knocking her head to the side, momentarily.
But Bellegar could not hold a grip and cast his magics. He flew into the waters beneath Akara, in-between her snakelike body, and swiftly got stuck beneath the heavy, swirling body, beneath the water. As he began to drown, the half-elven bard, Flloaner, took out a bright gem and tried to blind Akara, but her gaze pierced through the light. Her muscles began to tense, and soon enough she found herself petrified by the thing's gaze.
Beliel, with his occult magics, attempted to deal as much damage as he could to Akara, and succesfully so, enough to draw her ire with a piercing shout that rumbled the entire cave, and soon enough even Beliel fell unconscious, floating in the waters.
And there Maximus was, on top of the creature, holding onto the sword in its back. He looked around, and with his friends nowhere to be found, darkness started clouding his mind - for he had nothing in this world but his companions, his friends. With a deafening shout of anger, he cried out, took his sword from Akara, and promptly cut off two of her arms, making the monster quiver and cry out in pain.
Just when all was thought lost, when the monstrosity turned its gaze to Maximus, the elves pushed through. Beliel was swiftly healed, Flloaner was cured of petrification, and an earth elemental was pushed aside the monster's snake-like body to make the dwarf, breathe again.
With spell, song, and blade, Akara's head was finally taken off, Maximus riding the beast into the waters. And the adventurers lived another day, not to drink and sing, not to retire, but to face their infernal foes - because they must.
The end.
