The house of death.

[Michael T]

Ghostspider and myself were assigned a target to take out in the attack on Winder and his cohorts. We arrived at the house where the
ceramony was set to take place and began checking the place with our various abilities to get an idea of what we might be getting into,
I sensed quite a bit of supernatural evil and quite a few dead spots in the house. The home was a large two story with a basement, I knew that the basement was going to be the most likely place for the main going ons. We hit the front door together to cover each other as we went in with the intent to give no quarter to any foe we encountered. We were attacked by a group of four Dybbuk and almost a dozen lesser ghouls, and worse there were a few anti magic and psi dead spots in the area of the living and dinning room were we would be fighting. My rune mace was thrilled at the prospect of the battle to come, I empited a clip of silver bullets in the nearest Dybbuk, then began swinging the mace to drop the creatures. Ghost was a dance of death and beauty as we pressed in to clear the creatures. I found the first of the magical traps by setting off a fire storm on myself, I roared in pain and anger at the attack. Invunrability is a wonderful spell but it has it's limits, and that fire storm hurt. A ghoul lunged in and locked it's teeth on my left arm, luckily it did no damage in the attack. I hammered it with the mace and ducked a Dybbuk's swing. It took a good few minutes of fighting and spell throwing when I was clear of the anti magic areas to clear the ghouls and a vampire that had snuck in and made the mistake of going for me when Ghost was facing it's way.

The whole first floor was layered with mystic traps, runes and some tech devices that seem to be a deterent for psi abilities. I had a feeling we hit a very important site for the ritual Winder was pulling off, kinda funny how close to the mark I was.

[GhostSpider]

It was a little before 11:30 pm on Halloween and Michael and I were standing outside the house we had chosen to take down. From the outside, everything looked normal. There were even a few kids and there parents still out trick-or-treating. I wondered what they would be doing if they knew that the world could be ending tonight.

After scanning the house, we quietly approached the front door. We went through simultaneausly. We were almost immediately attacked by four dybuks and a horde of lesser ghouls. At first we had the upperhand. Karlash and Skullcrusher carved a fearsome path through the ghouls, then we encountered the first anti-magic and anti-psi traps.

[Michael T]

After a few minutes to recover our breath and a couple of fast heals we moved on toward the basement stairs, on the way we hit a few more magic traps. I took a good share of them and we needed a moment before going down to cast the last few heals I had talismaned. I took the lead down with a couple of offensive spells at the ready, At the bottom of the stairs was a scene from a horror movie, gore and chunks of unidentied meat made up the wards and circles for the ceramony. Lighting the place was a collection of human hands with wicks run through the fingers. Very much as Ron and KT described from the hotel when they ran into Winder the first time. A pair of Strigoi flanked a man in all black robes, I relized it was Winder from KT's description. We got a good monolouge from him as the vamps moved forward. I spoke loudly enough to drown him out.
"Ghost take the vamps, I'll get Winder till you are done with them. And heres a bit of help." I said and let loose a suprise.

[GhostSpider]

The traps caught us off guard, and the ghouls were able to press their attack. We took a few hits, but recovered quickly. Michael dropped one of the dybbuks with a gun loaded with silver bullets, and I hacked through two ghouls. We disabled the traps and then moved on.

We had to go through the kitchen to get to the basement stairs. It was here that Michael touched off the fire trap, and I was jumped by more ghouls, and a vampire. We fought desperately there for a few minutes, but were able to clean out the kitchen. We were pretty banged up by then, so before we proceeded down the stairs, Michael and I took a minute to catch our breath, and do some healing. Karlash helped me heal as best as he could, but I saved most of his energy for whatever awaited us in the basement.

Michael took the lead down the stairs, and so set off the bulk of the traps.

However, about midway down the stairs, I felt a sudden tugging on my spirit. It felt as if I was being pulled away from myself. I fought with all my might, and as suddenly as it had happened, the feeling vanished. It took me a second to clear my head, and to realize that something had just tried to steal my soul. Oddly, the trap had ignored Micheal completely.

We entered the basement proper, and beheld a horrible sight. Circles and runes covered the floor. Each was connected by various pieces of rotting meat. In the center of the room, flanked by two strigoi, stood a man in black robes. From KT's description, this could only be Windner himself. Suddenly I realized I had seen this man before.

"You were the one who was in my dreams." I shouted, a sick feeling developing in the pit of my stomach. He was the one who had tried to read the book. He just laughed and began monologuing, confirming my suspicions. Micheal whispered for me to take the strigoi, while he dealt with Windner. Michael quickly drank a potion while Windner was still monologuing. He then unleashed a stream of fire from his mouth. It engulfed Windner and the Strigoi. When the flames cleared Windner seemed unharmed, but the strigoi were smouldering.

I charged at them, Karlash held at my side. It was a slaughter, for me. While I had near supernatural strength and speed, I was still new to them. The strigoi were for more experienced with their abilities, and the difference in our abilites showed. They also seemed to be immune to my illusions and psionic abilities. Undoubtedly Windner had warded them against my powers. I took a fearsome beating, and soon found myself face down on the ground. I staggered back onto my feet, and looked at the vampires.

"Look what you vermin have done. Now I'm going to have to put on my Halloween mask, and let me warn you, its pretty scary."

With that, I reached into my longcoat, and pulled a half mask out of my pocket. I drove Karlash into the basement floor, and then placed the mask on the right side of my face. It stretched from my hairline to my jaw. I closed my eyes, and then mumured an ancient chant. The strigoi looked on with some amusement when nothing happened. Suddenly, a blast of dark energy rocked the basement.

[GhostSpider]

I felt the changes, both within and without of myself, as the mask activated. The outer changes were purely cosmetic. The runes on the edge of the mask began to glow, casting a purple light on the ivory surface of the mask. Black tendrils began crawling across my right eye. They spread and spread until my entire eye was nothing more than a pool of darkness. My left eye seemed to develop some sort of cataract over it.

The changes within were far more serious. The mask momentarily released the subconcious holds I had on my darker aspect, allowing me to acess its full power, for a price. As the holds were relaxed, dark thoughts and hungers entered my head. The basement went from being percieved as horrifying, to...tastefully decorated. Also, the mask was using my own bodies energy to fuel this change. I had maybe five minutes before I was totally drained.

I clamped down on the darker thoughts and focused on the strigoi. "Play times over kiddies. Now let me show you what a real monster can do." With that, I reached over my shoulder and drew the latest addition to my arsenal. Karlash will not let me wield him when my dark aspect is released like this, so I had had to get another weapon. The black bladed scimitar I drew had been a gift from my teachers.

I raised it over my head and then started twirling it. Once, twice, thrice, I twirled it around putting power in the blade. I slashed it down at the strigoi, unleashing a burst of dark energy that smashed them both into the basement wall. In a flash they were back on their feet and charging at me, but I was no longer there. "Hey vermin, up here." They looked up to see me staanding on the cieling. I launched myself at them.

I dropped the first with a silver knife, which I had stored in my boot, straight into the heart. I decapitated the other, and then incinerated it with black fire. It took all of 30 seconds for the both of them. I reveled in the blood shed.

The strigoi dealt with, I turned my eye to Michael and Windner's battle.

[Ron Caliburn]

So . . . do I need to say it?

[GhostSpider]

Don't start Ron. I'm not proud of what I do when I wear that mask, but without it, I seriously doubt we would have been able to stop Windner.

[Michael T]

I think we may have won, but only with one of us not walking out alive Ghost. Sorry for the delays, but I am trying to help another new member. Here's a bit more while I have afew minutes to spare.

I had drank a potion from my mentor's home world before we came down the steps, now I used it's ability. A huge blast of flame shot from my mouth and raked the three, as expected Winder was not hurt much by the attack, the Strigoi though where. I moved toward Winder slowly with Skullcrusher up and ready. He laughed and bragged on how he was aware of the amount of energy I had used to get down to the basement and that in a mage duel I was not going to survive. A black broadsword matierialized in his hands as he moved forwarxd and fired a black bolt of energy at me. I ducked in time to only felt a slight weakness wash over me. I moved to one side and let a blast of lighting fly from Skullcrusher at him, he weaved out of the worst of it. I vanisished on him only to reapper right on him with the mace swinging, Winder was not able to block the hit. I heard a smack as the mace impacted with his armor spell.

We spare with one another for about two or three minutes with each of us taking some minor hits, I ran out of spells fast trying to counter his necromatic attacks. We both hit one another at the same moment and hit hard, I took the black sword in the side near my hip, Winder took a hit to the shoulder that sent it out of joint.

[Hannah]

Hi Micheal,

Was Windner in his body or was it a borrowed body like at the cavern?

Hannah

PS: GS, don't minda Pa, he's been in a bad mood lately.

[GhostSpider]

Well Hannah, everything we saw pointed to this being Windner's body. Even his soul felt like it belonged there. Honestly, in hindsight, it was too easy a fight to get to him.