At the mage tower, he headed up a few floors and found an office with an NPC named Wizbert in it. He was a geeky looking human wearing a robe that oddly enough sported a pocket protector. The spells he sold were quite expensive. Several thousand gold for level 1 spells and close to 100,000 gold coins for a level 9 scroll. He also sold spellbooks and offered a service to backup a spellbook.

Isaiah used the syntax and wizbert took it from his inventory.

Wizbert says: “Come back in 30 minutes and I’ll have your backup done. I’ll hold on to the backup and return the original to you then.”

Isaiah seemed a bit naked without a spellbook. The time ticked by very slowly as Wizbert mumbled to himself.

Wizbert mutters: “Spells spells… definitely spells.”

Wizbert mutters: “. . Spells gotta be spells.”

Wizbert twitches.

Isaiah’s player typed and got a line of text in reply.

Wizbert says: “I just started! Come back later!”

Isaiah went to go check out the laboratory in the wizard’s tower. It was close to the top of the place, one floor away from being on the roof. The place was full of beakers, burners and shelves. The place was filled with secure cubbies that magi could store components in. Isaiah spent 100 gold to buy a cubby spot. Taking some out of his leather components bag, Isaiah stored a bit of each of the things. Still needing to kill some time, Isaiah headed to the components shop and spent the rest of the money he had on him to buy a single casting of stoneskin. The diamond dust costing 1200 was painful while 48 for granite dust wasn’t nearly as much of a bite.

Not having much to steal, Isaiah headed out into shadow city proper. In the main adventurer’s hall stood a male half-elf with white hair. Isaiah decided to introduce himself.

Isaiah says: “Hello, I’m Isaiah nice to meet you.”

A male half-elf with white hair says: “Zeal.”

Isaiah bows.

Isaiah says: “Well met zeal.”

(Isaiah quickly recognized the half-elf as zeal)

Zeal nods.

There were a few moments of awkward silence. So, Isaiah decided to say more.

Isaiah says: “I’ve seen you fighting in the arena a bit, you must be an impressive fighter.”

Zeal shakes his head in disagreement

Zeal says: “I’m a ranger.”

Isaiah nods.

Isaiah says: “I see a ranger, one of those types wandering the wilds.”

Zeal nods.

Zeal looks you over.

(Isaiah’s player jumped a little bit when he saw the text that was essentially zeal sizing Isaiah up.)

Zeal frowns.

Zeal says: “That crest. . . “

Isaiah looks at everyone questioningly.

Isaiah says: “What crest.”

Zeal points at the crest you are wearing.

Isaiah says: “Oh that one.”

Zeal says: “Where did you get it?”

Isaiah says: “This is the crest of the order of the Metallic Dragons. I got it from Azha.”

Zeal frowns.

Isaiah says: “It was nice so I found it in a ruined keep and kept it.”

Zeal says: “You were not in our guild.”

Isaiah says: “I wasn’t. Kaarell told me the guild stood for the light. I serve Lathander and it seemed a good way to honor those brave warriors.”

Zeal nods.

Zeal says: “You are a mage.”

Isaiah says: “Yes?”

Zeal says: “Can you cast stoneskin?”

Isaiah nods.

Zeal says: “Have you been to Antioch?”

Isaiah says: “Yes though I turned back before we went too far.”

Zeal says: “Good cast it on both of us and let's head out.”

Zeal invites you to join the party: party

Isaiah says: “I only have enough money to cast it once.”

Zeal gives you 20000 gold.

Zeal says: “Go buy some more components.”

Isaiah nods.

(Isaiah’s player wanted to protest but handing the gold back well it was hard.)

He went back to the mage’s tower and spent it all on granite dust and diamond dust. After picking up his spellbook from wizbert he memorized all the stoneskins he could and headed back to shadow to rejoin zeal.

Isaiah player typed

Isaiah has joined the party: party

Zeal nods.

Zeal invites you to follow him.

You begin casting a spell.

You sprinkle some granite dust over Zeal and begin muttering incomprehensibly.

Zeal is suddenly surrounded by impenetrable granite armor!

You begin casting a spell.

You sprinkle some granite dust over Isaiah and begin muttering incomprehensibly.

Isaiah is suddenly surrounded by impenetrable granite armor!

You are now following zeal

What happened next was a bit of a blur. Zeal whistled and a war horse appeared next to him. He mounted it and sped off to the north along Dragon pass road and into the ruined city of Antioch. Zeal was a blur of blades as he cut down zombies in a single round. Isaiah’s number of attacks paled compared to Zeals. He must have had 6 or 8 attacks per round.

Zeal hits zombie.

Zeal hits zombie.

Zeal hits zombie.

Zeal hits zombie.

Zeal hits zombie.

Zeal hits zombie.

You miss zombie.

You miss zombie.

You hit zombie.

Zombie hits you ineffectual.

HP:70/70

Zombie misses Zeal.

Zombie drops dead before you.

Eventually things started to get weird. They were fighting on what looked like floating islands zeal did someone and collected a thing. Isaiah wasn’t sure what. After that they went to the next island and eventually climbed a tower in the far end of town. Both of them took a few hits but a single casting of stoneskin was enough to make it to the last boss. His name was Ignatius. Apparently Ignatius is a wizard who went mad and reduced Antioch to a state of undeath. Zeal didn’t say a word and led them into battle with him.

Ignatius attacks you!

Zeal hit Ignatius.

Zeal hit Ignatius.

Zeal hit Ignatius.

Zeal hit Ignatius.

Zeal hit Ignatius.

Zeal hit Ignatius.

You miss Ignatius.

You miss Ignatius.

Ignatius starts casting a spell.

Zeal hit Ignatius.

Zeal hit Ignatius.

Zeal hit Ignatius.

Zeal hit Ignatius.

Zeal hit Ignatius.

Zeal hit Ignatius.

You miss Ignatius.

You miss Ignatius.

After Ignatius touches a pin a searing bolt of electricity leaps towards you.

The bolt shocks you dealing damage.

HP: 30/70

Having been set free the bolt leaps towards Ignatius on its own, zapping him.

Having been set free the bolt leaps towards Zeal on its own, zapping him.

Zeal quaffs a potion.

Zeal quaffs a potion.

The bolt, having been spent, dissipates.

Zeal hit Ignatius.

Zeal hit Ignatius.

Zeal hit Ignatius.

Zeal hit Ignatius.

Zeal hit Ignatius.

Zeal hit Ignatius.

You miss Ignatius.

You miss Ignatius.

(taking a queue from Zeal Isaiah also quaffed two potions)

You quaff a potion.

You quaff a potion.

The potion cools your body, healing you.

HP: 40/70

The potion cools your body, healing you.

HP: 51/70

Ignatius starts casting a spell.

Zeal hit Ignatius.

Zeal hit Ignatius.

Zeal hit Ignatius.

Zeal hit Ignatius.

Zeal hit Ignatius.

Zeal hit Ignatius.

You miss Ignatius.

You miss Ignatius.

Ignatius drops dead before you.

Zeal collected some kind of manual and looked over Isaiah.

Zeal gives you a scroll.

Zeal says: “Maybe wield your weapons next time.”

Zeal kneels down before his holy and starts praying intensely.

Zeal wavers.

Zeal stands up.

Zeal starts casting a spell.

Zeal channels a strong surge of energy into you.

HP: 70/70

Zeal leaves down.

Zeal says: “Or cast some spells, summoned monsters help a bit.”

The two of them zoomed right back the way they came with him ditching Isaiah back in shadow’s main adventurer’s hall.

Zeal says: “I have to go.”

Zeal leaves the adventure.

Isaiah sat there for a few minutes trying to make sense of what just happened. Apparently Zeal was a man of action and didn’t waste words.

Isaiah checked the scroll zeal gave him. It was a nice scroll. Sadly it was also a scroll he could not use because it was level 7.

Power Word Stun:

When uttered, the power word stun completely without fail will be stunned. The duration of the stun is dependent on the hit points of the victim. The higher the health the quicker they will be able to shrug off the stun.

After transcribing, Isaiah quickly went back to wizbert to get another backup of his spell book. His old foe poverty reared its ugly head again.

Wizbert says: “You don’t have enough money to pay for me to transcribe your spellbook. Scram!”

Feeling poor and vulnerable, Isaiah took all but one casting of stoneskin’s components and placed it in his cubby at the communal lab in the mage’s tower.

Isaiah’s character sheet showed him that even with the experience split from being in a party with Zeal it was the most experience points he’d got in the amount of time that he’d spent there. He imagined that most of it was from the boss monster, Ignatius. That strange spell he cast where it zapped lightning to several targets seemed really scary. He wasn’t sure he’d ever want to use it because of the chance it could bounce back and hit the caster but if it picked the same target three times and that target was Isaiah he’d be dead for sure. It all happened instantly so there wouldn’t be any time to quaff a potion or two to get some hit points back like with acid arrow.