"Good Alasdair, give in to your anger and rage. It feels good to hate does it not? Do not pretend you are doing this for Odin or the greater good. You want to see me destroyed; you want revenge and nothing will keep you from attaining your goal. Certainly not a vow you yourself took to Odin to uphold his principles and fight in only honorable combat against enemies who understand the concept. I understand full well honorable combat for I have offered a peaceful solution to our current situation and have accepted a rightfully offered challenge in response. I wonder which of use truely has honor this day and which is the fallen one."

"I swore an oath to uphold that which is right and good in this world. You are neither. By your actions you have chosen the path of evil, and your life is forfeit. I too will offer a peaceful solution to this. Lay down your axes. Prove to us that the power of your deity still resides within you and return the lives which you have taken. Give them back their lives, and not as the unholy beasts the dark powers would allow you to create!"

(Throughout this whole conversation I am still moving, undaunted into a flanking position and attempting psionic blasts as often as allowable... to a maximum of 3 more attempts.)

As Alasdair moved up to challenge Cor, Conall paused, making sure the demon inside Cor did not take advantage of his temporary hesitation.

"Alasdair... though your intentions are true, I cannot share this burden... If you will fight him, then," Adressing Cor,

"Foul demon, I will stand down for now. But know that justice will come. And it will be fair justice."

Conall stood back, but kept his sword drawn. Should Alasdair be knocked down, and threatened, Conall was ready to jump in and defend him. Nobody else needed to die today... just the foul being possessing Cor.

Addressing Conall "If you have not the stomach to see True Justice done, and are unwilling or unable to bear the burden of it, then by all means stand aside brave warrior."

"Cor, now is the time for your decision. No more words. You will either surrender now and show us what good will remains in you, if your god still stands beside you. Else your blood, and that of any demon within you will coat the ground in the crimson stain of Justice."

"I cannot raise anymore today for my spells of that level have been cast. However I can still perform some minor healing to show my good faith." Cor lowered his axe. "Of course I would have to tend to someone; any volunteers?" Cor waited. "I am the only change you have of reviving your fallen comrades and I assure you they will come back as they were and not under my control."

Looking to Alasdair he added, "I believe mental attacks are still considered offensive and you might want to be careful lest you annoy Odin and find yourself less than you wish to be. I will not fully yield to a truce if you do not honor it. The choice and the fate of your friends is yours."

Turing to Connel, "There is yet hope for you. You at least a are still a man of your word."

"Yes, congratulations Connel, you have earned the respect of a monster." Alasdair turns once again to Cor. "And as of yet I have not sworn any oath nor made any promise that would prevent me from slaying you here and now." Slowly the frustrated paladin begins to lower his sword. "But you are correct in one thing, though it pains me to admit it. You are the only chance our friends have for the moment, and so you will be permited to live. However, at the first hint of betrayal or if you break faith in this arrangement in the slightest, I will not hesitate to cut you down by whatever means necessary, for I must care for the living as well as the dead. Once we leave this place, however, your life is forfeit. I will hunt you down for your betrayal and put an end to your existance. For now, no harm will come to you by my hand, or anyone else here, by my word. Do you agree to these terms?"

Haila stumbled after her missed attack on the now evil Cor, tumbling forward until the statue of her friend stopped her. Looking up into the stone eyes she frowned. Behind her she heard the others begin a conversation with Cor. Not a pleasant one, but a conversation nonetheless.

She scowled slightly, but the stone eyes kept staring at her and it faded. Let them take care of Cor, she had things to do, and if things continued they way they were they could use all the help they could get.

Closing her eyes she laid her hands on the stone's statues and began to whisper to it softly, trying to block out the argument behind her.

((Stone to Flesh being cast here, in case you could not figure that out already))

"So very glad you see the wisdom of my words Alasdair; subordinates must learn to trust the wisdom of their elders leaders. I have agreed that if all here give their word to honor a truce I will agree to not actively seek to kill any of you in return. The way out of the room will be revealed, we can continue where we left off in our attempt to get through these tests before this unpleasentness occuredand and your companions will be raised in the not too distant future. These terms are still agreeable to me. As for you personally I hope that your tounge has not issued a voucher your sword cannot cash. I do not take lightly to threats especially from a paladin who teeters on the edge of losing his honor." Cor sheathed his axe. "I will hear you agreement to the terms first followed by the others. I have already offered my agreement. Once all are agreed I will consider the offer accepted."

"Your hearing is as clogged as your sense of goodness." he says as he slowly sheaths his sword. "Until we are free of this place I will raise a hand against you only in defense of myself or the others. If you do not give me a reason to draw my blade to your detriment, I will not. Though I do tire of your endless use of the word honor. It does indeed seem empty after your actions of late. Bear in mind that ridding the world of evil is an honorable endeavor. In some cases, as in this one, the end justifies the means. If I stray from my chosen path, it will be Odin himself and not a betrayor and murderer who guides me back." With that he turns to look once again at the brightening amber light.

"Now share with us this great knowledge you have regarding the solution to this puzzle."

"Your word is accepted, now I must hear the same from the others before I reveal the secret to this chamber. As for honor the concepts of good and evil are not tied to honor. Honor is the truthful following of an established code of actions. Simply being of good alignment does not make one honorable nor does being of an evil one preclude honor. MY honor is fully intact and I intend it to stay that way." Cor looked to the others for their confirmation of acceptance of the pact.

At Cor's final utterance Siréne stepped forward and fixed the treacherous dwarf with a cool gaze. She had little use for the verbal sparring and debate, a dangerous situation had arisen and it would take a far subtler touch than either of the paladins seemed to have. They had little choice but to agree to the evil cleric's truce.

"Cor," she began, "I will agree to your truce, but I warn you not too hesitate too long in raising those you slew. We have a pact with no trust, and such a pact is precarious at best."

With the revelation that Cor, once holy Knight Cleric of Odin, was evil and that thanks to his items of magic and his natural abilities was able to evade the parties first attacks. The next round now became a war of words, a war that the evil Dwarf by the end of the round had seemingly won.
With Conall hesitant to attack his old mentor, Alasdair continuing to move closer, and Haila moving to Cynil’s side the stage seemed in set in Cor’s favor.

Alasdair all this time while moving closer to better position himself to attack Cor had continued to attempt contact and harm with the use of his psionics all to no avail. Yet he did come to the realization that not 1 mind inhabited Cor’s body but 2. The stronger of the 2 minds was clearly that of the evil one with the second smaller mind, the weaker and slowly being eroded one, that of the real Cor. Clear to the psionic Paladin the fact that the real Cor, the one true Cor, was not yet 100% gone, but would be soon.

With her first attacks a miss Haila decided on another tactic that of casting Stone to Flesh on Cynil. The spell an immediate success the Elvin Druideass was skin, blood and bone was more.

The Lady Althena had remained quiet yet with weapons drawn during the course of the war of words between Alasdair, Conall, and Cor waiting to see the outcome of the next few minutes. However upon hearing Cor’s words of a need for all the party to agree to a truce and a promise of safe passage she could hold her tongue no longer.

“So Cor you say that all here must agree to your terms, but how can we do so, as some of us yet lay dead!!
In this I speak only for myself, Raise Rayne and then Maggot, return them to us from the dead, show us you speak true, then and only then will you gain my agreement and perhaps the agreement of all.”
Althena’s words spoken and meant 100% she awaited the Dwarf’s answer and was happy when Sirène spoke up of her intent to do the same.

"Cor, I will agree to your truce, but I warn you not too hesitate too long in raising those you slew. We have a pact with no trust, and such a pact is precarious at best."
And in the dark corners of the room the Amber Shadows watched, laughed, and gained their first prize.........


(DM OOC: Great posting and Role Play by Steelight, Keeper and gboy!! Keep it up Gentleman.
Also Meri good call on the Flesh to Stone even I forgot you had it available .
Better be careful here Keeper with your next actions, Nimu sounds very serious.
Also on a last note Dragon Mistress your clear to post once more as Cynil is back to her unstoned form . Ok next post next Sunday as normal)

"I see that already the forces of 'good' seek to circumvent the offered deal. The pact tendered was that I would give the secret to exiting this room immediately and not take any direct action to harm any of you in return for your pledge not to attack me. The two dead would be raised at a later time. Now you refuse to agree and push to have me raise the dead immediatly. If I do so what colateral do I have other than your obviously dubious word that you will honor the pact? Those who are alive must pledge to abide by the offered pact or the deal is forfeit." Cor waited a moment and then added, "I will give you a hint as to the key to this room." With that he turned and flung his axe (acting as dwarven thrower per the bi-pedal axe description) at the mirror he had gazed into.

Halia had said nothing since her failed attack on Cor save for casting the spell. She had been listening intently, however, and what was being said furrowed her brow tightly.

While the others were debating with Cor over 'honor' and 'details' her friends lay dead, the mirrors still stood. Slowly she slinked back without a word into the darkness of the shadows where the laughter continued to crackle across the room.

With a flash of her eyes she began to quietly weave a spell from the shadows as she tried to block out the sound of laughter that surrounded her.

If this works we shall see who is laughing... she thought to herself.

The paladin turns to the group and speaks. "My friends, what you see before you is an abomination of the Cor we all once knew. He has lost the goodness that once radiated from him like the sun. That fact is equally dispicable and factual. However, as much as I wish it were otherwise, we must give our word to the creature he has become. And we must agree on this quickly, for it is only a matter of moments before another unknown danger arrives. I have a feeling the Amber Spirits will not long let us live as we are."

After gazing into the eyes of each of his companions for a moment he approaches Conall and places a hand on his shoulder. "The real Cor is still in there." he says quietly, so that only those very closeby might hear him (specifically not Cor). "It is our duty to our friend to find a way to free him, and find it soon, for he is weakening with every passing moment. But to slay the body, would destroy all that remains of the Cor we both know and believe in."