Fahren al-Heit - The Road of Support

In my time on Dereth I have found that more is changed then not. I am a proud Gahru’n man. I follow the Ghayaraqa Yadina (Twelve Roads) faithfully. I practice the ancient traditions my mother and the other wives of my father taught me. I study magic in the manner of the al-Ighaz with the subtle methods of the Milantans my mentor passed on to me. Still I find Alluvian phrases have crept into my vocabulary and my tastes in food favors the Sho cuisine. All around me I see Gharu’n that have forgotten their past. Gone is the history of the Naqut peoples, how the ancient Jaladh brought the ancient empire of Roulea to its knees. The deeds and mis-deeds of Malik, the fearsome Rakhil al-Khur and how Yasif struck him down rather then see him destroy centuries of knowledge. They do not curse the Viamont dogs. It is as though we are not longer Isparians.

A young Alluvian Dagger wielder approached me in the Tou tou tavern. He was eager and anxious. A good friend had sent him to find me. One who had helped me many times in the past. One for whom I owed a great debt but would never accept anything other then friendship. This was a chance to repay him.

Now I would be in the role of support. Keeping him alive with protections and healing while I made our enemies more susceptible to his supple blade. This is not a role I have held before. This would prove to be a painful learning experience for us both.

I summon forth the gateway to take us to the dungeon. It has the hairy vermin known as Drudge Lurkers and Stalkers feline creatures that walk like men, good prey for this dagger fighter. The sultry heat wraps around us. Sweat comes unbidden in the humid air. I begin casting my protection spells without thought. I hear the Alluvian gasp as the heat and odor assaults his clear cool forest air nourished sense. As I recover mana I note he is anxious. I make haste and finish short of augmenting my armor. I have been hunting without such spells lately and have done well. Finally ready we head up a corridor. Much to my chagrin there is a party of adventurers there. This will make the hunting much to lean. We backtrack to another corridor anticipating battle. I use the most powerful spells I can cast and imperil one then another. I follow this up with a spell to make their thick hide more vulnerable to piercing. Though my first three spells land the fourth requires a second then a third casting.

Not being familiar with this corridor I am surprised when a large number of Drudges come from behind us. I spin to likewise ready them for the slaughter. More come from the front now. Twelve Drudges in all attack us, with spears and spells. I am the focal point of the attack and soon find my life forces ebbing lower. I choose one and try to drain its health into me. It resists my attempt, another try restores me partially but my mana is now at a bare minimum. I drain the stamina of a drudge into me and then try to convert that into the spell energy known as mana. Another fizzle. My companion screams for healing. I look to him and begin to cast, just before I complete it he falls. I turn to another and start to drain its health but I find no healing of my own body! I then notice the dagger marks in its flesh. I am draining something near death. Spell after spell hits me and I fall dead. Another visit to Ralph.

Ralph is the name given to a Pack Golem that seems to live under the Tou tou Lifestone. I get the distinct feeling that he is enjoying the deaths we Isparians seem to encounter.

We head back to find the bodies; this leads to another visit to the lifestone. My anger at my own inabilities rises. The third trip in ends in another death for the dagger wielder and myself barely escaping. The act of supporting someone with magic is difficult.

I sit down at the life stone and I quiet my head and feelings. I carefully assess the situation. What is going wrong and how can I correct it. I am not successfully casting my spells and loosing my mana much too quickly. I will use a lower more reliable spell. Also I will hold a drudge out for draining. The drudge swarm is coming from someplace; if we eliminate those first we will not be overwhelmed. I make my adjustments and we head in more cautiously. Leaving the emotion of the last attempts behind. We locate the first of the swarm and dispatch them. As luck would have it the other unit of Drudges come to investigate the screams of their fellows. With the same precision we dispatch them and wear down the vita penalty we have incurred. Now for the main group, I stand a goodly distance back and begin. Spell after spell lands on the drudges, save one. After I have them all prepared for my knife wielding companion I turn to the final drudge and replenish myself with a series of drains. The ease this method has shown us is astounding. As the evening progresses more and more and more adapt do we become. Almost melded into a single fighting unit. The creatures fall quickly and this gives us a heady rejoicing.

With the adjustments made I have the inkling of what support mages can do. Once I am a full Battlemage I’m sure my demand for support will be tenfold!

-F (Gahru'n BM)

Original Thread : The road of support.