OOC: The throne is made of crystal, Tamona can't touch it.......remember? Just some advice....Jericho shouldn't be able to counter Gwaethir's power in his own throne room just yet, I'll explain why soon enough...but getting the weapons back was good.

OOC2: haven't you realized yet? Ziff IS Gollum! Actually, he's the "Smeagol" (semi-good) half of Gollum, and Lance is the "Gollum" (evil) half.....that's why he wants to kill "Master" and rule the world himself! All his "dying" is metaphorical, symbolizing the loss of control by that side of his personality, of course!

OOC3: bombshell, Gwaethir's city is floating in midair.....at about the height of a mountaintop. You can't be "right next to it" unless you're floating, and then Gwaethir would know about it. You certainly couldn't get there by walking, either!

IC: Gwaethir rose to his feet, his eyes flashing, "How DARE you threaten me in my own throne room, wingless worm!" A howling wind began to pick up as Gwaethir's power filled the room, pushing Jericho's influence back. Tamona nearly fell, but was able to catch hold of Delmenon, who held her steady until she could use her powers of magnetism to stand securely on the metal floor. The very air seemed to be alive, and responsive to Gwaethir's commands.....and for the first time, Delmenon wondered if they might not survive this. He had underestimated Gwaethir Hurricane, and was only now beginning to realize that outnumbering him might not be enough...

jack and scott had reached avariel city (acually they were under it) ok... how do we get up there. said jack. I guess we will have to tell them that unless they come down we cant help them he asked the ogrs to send that message to Jericho with their mind powers. while he was waiting he prepared for battle.



EDIT: This has been edited thanks to dragonsbane.

OOC: highly trained Avariel guards falling for a thrown rock? Not gonna happen...Besides, you need a key to get through the gate....the guard has the key, and how would you even get around underneath the huge metal disk to reach the edge and throw the rock? They have patrols flying around the city, they would see your stony pillar and react accordingly. Not to mention Gwaethir would be pissed, and harden the air around your bodies until you can't even twitch, then let you slowly suffocate. Or maybe he would turn the air in your lungs into razor-sharp shards! You can't really counterattack when you're lifting a huge pillar of stone into the air, you know? Also, Delmenon is also an Earth user, he would sense Jack, and he could just stop your pillar from rising, or melt it, burning you with molten lava! So many questions you must consider before you do something like this...

ooc:Well Lance's city could be next to it but on the ground. And WTF? Lance is someone else. But you are correct about the gollum/smeagol because Ziff has an evil self that tries to take over and Lance has a good self tring to come back.

in:"Ok flying was a bad idea. Wait could Talos be in Gwaethir's city? I better find out. But how to get up there." While Lance was speaking something had slammed into him knocking him unconsious. "Hello Lance." The voice said in the strangest voice Lance had ever heard. "Who are you?" "You should be wondering more what am I?" "What?" "Yes Lance "what" would be something that you would say. Think about this question a will ask you. Do you think what you did was right to kill the other that had the power to destroy your master?" "I... I don't know." "I thought so. Have you forgotten the ones to stop your master are All the evil and good fire. All the evil and good wind. And all the evil and good earth. Have you forgotten that two of them are dead which leaves no hope in destroing your master? Delmenon can only revive one more person which is ethir Slicer or Ziff. Ethir way you're one short to stop master, your master." "Who are you? What are you?" "I'm nothing but your imagination. I'm Ziff your still unconsious. I'm telling you what you want to hear." "No. No I won't listen. I am the best I need no one to help me! You're not Ziff I hate Ziff why would you say that I want to hear Ziff?" Just then Lance saw a figure that looked like Ziff. "We were friends Lance. Remember so long ago? Let the good inside you take over. You only turned this way because you were threatened again!" "Yes I was. But the good inside me is gone! I WILL NOT LISTEN!!" Lance just then regained consiousness. "What was that was that Ziff. What should I do?"

OOC: as long as you don't start arguing with yourself, and debating whether or not to kill the "hobbitses!"

Ooc: Or start eating raw fish and singing. (And please tell me he's not wearing a loincloth!)

Ic: Jericho sensed the others underneath the city. He looked over to Tamona. "The gates, if you please." he then summoned a gust of wind to bring the others to the pier at the main gates. Tamona's eyes narrowed, as she concentrated.

At the gates of the city, the guards were alerted to the sound of groaning metal. They looked to the gates to see the heavy metal bars bending and twisting about, opening a large sized hole in the metal frame. A small group of non-elves flew up to the opening, and the guards rushed out in response.

Back inside the Throne Room, Jericho pushed out with his energy, forcing a pocket of controlled air to form around himself, Tamona, Talos and Delmenon. "You could not destroy me before! You shall not succeed now!" He called out.

OOC: oh please no! Oh GODS, not the loincloth!!! *shudders* I don't wanna gouge out my own eyes!

IC: "You fool........before, I was not in my throne room, in the heart of a city devoted to the study of Air magic for millenia! The air here obeys my every word, my every whim, and how many times do I have to tell you that my power is magnified here?" Gwaethir laughed, and the ensuing blast of power hurled the heroes back against the wall. Delmenon reached for the power of the earth, and suddenly large sections of the metal floor glowed cherry-red as they heated up.......Delmenon preparing for a spell variant he had heard of, but never tried. Summoning was dangerous, and it could go wrong far too easily...

sorry said Jack to the guards, but I have an apointment he said. Cho'gond Cho'gor do your stuff the ogres then they used their mind powers to knok out the guards. Then he rushed threw the city untill he reached the palace now we have to pass these guards. Strange but their are'nt any guards I wonder what happened to them. Then they barged in the throne room. "Here we are he said to the others". "And I broght some others to help us". He said pointing at scott and the ogres.

OOC: Secretskull......you answered one necessary question, but not the others. Also, try to be more consitent in your use of quotation marks...

Jericho forced his influence upon the air, slowing his backwards movement to a crawl, then stopping it. "Glad you could make it guys." he said to the newcommers.

He then started to slowly stalk up to Gwaethir, taking one perilous step at a time, leaning forward into the slightly deminished force of the wind.

"Ah it begins. Once I get up there I will destroy Talos and bring him back to master dead. Muhahahahahahaha! I might need some help. Who was it that was very large? Ah... now I remember Ze. He can help me get up there. But where is he?"

Gwaethir smiled, "amusing, but still pathetic," he flicked a finger, and the air clamped onto Jericho's arms like iron manacles, lifting him and hurling him out of the room.

Delmenon continued to concentrate......

__________________________________________________ ______________________

he had slept for so long....dreamed for so long. And he didn't want to wake up, but he was called......one who could command the elements of his being called him to battle. It had been too long since he had been called to war, and he remembered with a proud smile the thrill of battle, and so once again, he woke......and answered the summons.

A vast and mighty roar shook the ground, and in the pocket of half-cooled lava at the base of the dormant volcano, something mighty stirred......

Leaving the enhanced winds of the Throne Room, Jericho once again resisted. He broke the manacles with a thought, and flew back in, though his control deminished in this area. "Tamona!" he yelled, "The floor! It's metal!"

Taking this new information to heart, Tamona magnetically ruptured the floor around Gwaethir's throne, using the jagged pieces of metal as projectiles to send flying at the Wind Lord's head.

Jericho took what control he had, and put the force of the wind behind the debris, forcing Gwaethir to concentrate hard in order to undo their attempts.

This should distract him for a bit. He thought. I just hope it's enough time for Delmenon to finish what he has begun!

ooc:After the person after my post we'll start a new chapter.

in:"I must go up there! I know I'll send a message to Gwaethir using my brain. If I can read other people's minds then I can also send them messages."

ooc:Yeah you might think Lance is crazy but still.

OOC: read What SAAM said he used wind to bring me up their as for the guards patrols I was going up so fast that they didnt notice

OOC: oh! I get it.....Ziff/Lance hears voices in his head because he's schizophrenic! An insane hero....that IS cool!

OOC2: SAAM, could you bring him up while fighting Gwaethir at the same time? Or am I missing something blatantly obvious?

IC: Gwaethir seized control of the shards of metal, turning them back towards Tamona. Still chanting, Delmenon flicked out his sword, the pieces of metal ringing as they were deflected by the blade.
__________________________________________________ ______________________

The stirring creature, awakening at last, listened more closely to the song it could hear through the magic that flowed through its veins. It recognized the tone and timbre, the deep voice and the challenging call. A Barbarian.....it had been summoned by a barbarian the last time, too.....

Ooc: Jericho sensed the others before the whole battle started. After he summoned back their weapons, he got Tamona to wreck the gates as Jericho blew the others up to the city. All the while, Gwaethir was going on in his speech and such. However, I doubt that they would get here this quickly, they still have to take down the guards at the main gate. Jericho set them down right in front of the gate, using his memory to lead them to that spot. He didn't know there were still guards there.

Ic: Jericho channeled all the energy he could muster into balancing out the force of the wind. As the metal shards flew back towards the Drow, the combined strength of Magnetism and Wind was just enough to stop them in their tracks, caught between the forces of good and evil.

IC: magnetism and wind held the metal shards in place, and Delmenon's sword knocked them to the floor...

Jericho's eyebrows wrinkled in confusion as he strained against Gwaethir's power. How is this possible? he thought. How can one's power increase in one place, but not another?

As he strained against the wind, his mind drifted back into his days of training, to the words of his teacher.
You cannot control the wind to use it, you must become the wind. Then manipulate it as if you were using your own limbs, your hands, your eyes. Do not harness the wind, but let it flow.

Moving to a mental stage he hadn't experienced since his younger days, Jericho relaxed, and let go of his hold over the winds power. He let it flow through him, closing his eyes, but still seeing it's beautiful currents.

The air was indeed different in here. He sensed another presence which like him was allowing the wind to flow through it. Gwaethir. he thought to himself. But even as he 'watched,' the presence seemed to expand, to take up the entire room. It ebed and flowed with the wind, and seemed to whisper a sad, but beautiful song.

Jericho was shocked out of his reverie at once. He starred at Gwaethir before moving his gaze about the room.

"What is it?" Tamona asked, seeing his confusion and amazment.

"The Wind." Jericho replied. "It's alive!"

OOC: Thank you, SAAM.....this was exactly what I was hoping for!

IC: "Alive?" Delmenon looked startled, but then frowned, "Why is it aiding Gwaethir? Is it some evil creature he summoned?"

He closed his eyes once again, searching to find the place he had been. His eyes snapped open in realization.

"This is a creature that cannot be summoned, created or killed. It is Alronil... the Wind Elemental! There is only one elemental alive to represent each of the powers of the earth." Jericho replied as he pointed to Gwaethir.

"And it is not aiding Gwaethir, it is doing nothing! The Hurricane is merely leaching off its power."

He concentrated once again before speaking.

"It is in a form of rest... as if it is trapped in a memory. So much sorrow."

Jericho's face became a mask of serenity. "Delmenon, distract the Windlord. I am going to try to awaken it!"

Delmenon nodded, raising both swords over his head as light flashed from him like a newborn sun. His swords seemed to absorb the light....and they seemed no longer to be made of metal ((OOC note: has anyone noticed they went from iron, to steel, to katana-quality steel, to some mithral-like substance, to adamantium....now they're basically unbreakable diamond)). Earth's vitality filled him, making him stronger, his skin becoming harder than iron as he charged at the Windlord. Gwaethir's eyes narrowed, and blades of hardened air swung at Delmenon, but they bounced off his magically-hardened skin. The powerful barbarian let out an earth-shaking battle cry as he continued charging.