===== Nemesis and Kaz =====
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When [[farne:protagonists:boyce:index|Boyce]] didn't immediately reappear following the battle in the cave with [[farne:actors:Grave]] and [[farne:actors:Serendipity]], we all decided to collect what we had about us and return to [[farne:actors:Vandriel|Vana]]'s place to determine what to do about the missing [[farne:protagonists:boyce:index|Boyce]]. And especially so close to the big battle with [[farne:cosmology:kaz|Kaz]] and Veris. However, a few hours later, [[farne:protagonists:boyce:index|Boyce]] just suddenly reappeared all nonchalant-like, and I was immediately suspicious. After talking to him a while and analyzing him with some Mind powers, I eventually decided that he may actually be telling the truth when he said he just went off to have sex with [[farne:actors:Serendipity]]. Although, in the back of my mind, I still suspected [[farne:protagonists:boyce:index|Boyce]] would turn on us before the end.

But, alas, the time was quickly approaching to face [[farne:cosmology:kaz|Kaz]]. In preparation, I spent about a week training with [[farne:actors:sigurvan parnth|Sigurvan]] up at [[farne:actors:Vandriel|Vana]]'s place, learning the particulars of the broad sword, in order be better able to wield [[farne:ancient_history:dramatis_personae#xianghua_hiroko|Hiroko]]'s Blue Dawn against [[farne:cosmology:kaz|Kaz]]. 

I have to say... something weird was definitely going on at [[farne:actors:Vandriel|Vana]]'s place, and I'm not sure what. Didn't sleep much, and not precisely for the usual reasons. I couldn't tell if I was projecting with my Mind powers, or what. Although I was pretty sure that my Mind powers were not anywhere near powerful enough to do things of this magnitude, so I figured something must be augmenting the force of my dreams. After a few tenuously sleepless nights, I determined there must be some outside force causing this, because it seemed I wasn't the only one projecting into others' dreams. In the end, I never did figure out what was going on. And since I really couldn't do anything about it, I just decided to cease fruitlessly resisting it, and just roll with it.

Anyway, just before the assault we headed back to [[farne:locations:index|Farne]] to acquire a cleric of [[farne:cosmology:lesser_powers#Hathandar]] to assist us, as well as some potions of curing to hopefully make up for us having already spent two of the four healing potions we had acquired from [[faerun:actors:Thrass Zal]].

Once we had all of this ready, I performed a big Life ritual to boost a lot of stuff, and then [[farne:protagonists:trent:index|Trent]] masked my magical emanations, and then we gated down to the [[farne:locations:index|Farne]]. Once back on [[farne:locations:index|Farne]], I did a quick fill-up on mana, and then we gated over to the airship and began moving [[farne:cosmology:kaz|Kaz]]'s gem to the location we'd decided upon as the location of the big battle, which a few hours away by air.

On the way, [[farne:actors:Nemesis]] appeared with the child-brained [[farne:actors:tenris melfir|Melfir]] in tow. Since [[farne:protagonists:boyce:index|Boyce]] had been incapable of "finishing the job" with [[farne:actors:Serendipity]], she wanted to make a deal with us. Basically, she wanted to be freed from her servitude which meant we had to successfully defeat [[farne:cosmology:kaz|Kaz]]. In order to facilitate that happening, we came to an agreement where she would keep [[farne:actors:Serendipity]] occupied during the battle (since they would inevitably be summoned) and we would all basically keep out of each other's hair and work toward accomplishing our same goal if for differing reasons.

With an agreement made, she disappeared with [[farne:actors:tenris melfir|Melfir]] back to from where she'd come. Thinking on it, since [[farne:actors:Nemesis]] seemed to know what we were about, so that probably meant [[farne:cosmology:kaz|Kaz]] did as well. And so we should expect him to be prepared for and expecting our deception.

Finally, we arrived at our destination: a vast expanse of desert sands, barren and lifeless (more or less).

We had no trouble getting sucked into the gem as usual, but, of course, [[farne:cosmology:kaz|Kaz]] was nowhere to be found. So, we began our search. I turned on matter sense and began casting a wide net for the metal of [[farne:ancient_history:dramatis_personae#xianghua_hiroko|Hiroko]]'s sword.

Phantom [[farne:cosmology:kaz|Kaz]]es started appearing, so I sprouted wings and took to the air to speed up the search. [[farne:protagonists:trent:index|Trent]] got banged up a bit but the rest of us shrugged off the phantom attacks. Eventually [[farne:protagonists:trent:index|Trent]] did as well. But then the [[farne:actors:kit|two]] [[farne:actors:kat|bimbos]] showed up to tempt [[farne:protagonists:boyce:index|Boyce]]. Man, he was eternally susceptible to the charms of evil ladies, I swear.

[[farne:protagonists:trent:index|Trent]] went to his rescue while I continued to search.

[[farne:protagonists:grey:index|Grey]] joined the search and apparently [[farne:protagonists:trent:index|Trent]] had let his genie out of the bag to aid the search as well. With that many people on lookout, we quickly found what appeared to be it. I let everyone know the location and we all converged upon what appeared to be a dead [[farne:cosmology:kaz|Kaz]] stabbed through with [[farne:ancient_history:dramatis_personae#xianghua_hiroko|Hiroko]]'s sword, with a pulsating stone/light on he sword. After standing there fretting about this for some absurd amount of time, [[farne:protagonists:grey:index|Grey]] finally reached down and dislodged the sword.

At that, [[farne:cosmology:kaz|Kaz]]'s body stood up and more-or-less re-formed, except that he was basically a skeleton. And he looked pissed. For as much as a skeleton can convey emotion, anyway. Serves you right, asshole!

As the melee began, I grabbed the sword from [[farne:protagonists:grey:index|Grey]] and activated my Accelerate Healing spell, and set an offensive stance before the scary freakish skeleton devil-god of the ancient times of [[farne:locations:index|Farne]].

We quickly settled into a routine that seemed to work pretty well.

[[farne:protagonists:trent:index|Trent]] sent his tree over to make a grapple attack on [[farne:cosmology:kaz|Kaz]], usually failing, but distracting him enough to help both [[farne:protagonists:boyce:index|Boyce]] and I later. [[farne:protagonists:boyce:index|Boyce]] would then use his fencing abilities to force [[farne:cosmology:kaz|Kaz]] to lose his ability to defend. Then I would attack him with [[farne:ancient_history:dramatis_personae#xianghua_hiroko|Hiroko]]'s sword, dishing out some unhealable aggravated damage. Then [[farne:protagonists:grey:index|Grey]] would step in to attempt to take as much of [[farne:cosmology:kaz|Kaz]]'s attack as possible. I would heal what I could of the damage [[farne:cosmology:kaz|Kaz]] dished out. And [[farne:protagonists:trent:index|Trent]] would work to dispel [[farne:cosmology:kaz|Kaz]]'s multiple damage-over-time abilities to keep each of us in one piece for as long as possible.

Early on in the battle, [[farne:actors:Nemesis]] and [[farne:actors:Serendipity]] appeared (as predicted), and began to tussle. The [[farne:actors:kit|two]] [[farne:actors:kat|bimbos]] were nowhere to be seen.

We all ended up taking quite a bit of damage, but we all managed to persevere.

In the end, in a great fury-of-[[farne:ancient_history:dramatis_personae#xianghua_hiroko|Hiroko]]-fueled thrust, I stepped forward with the Blue Dawn and rammed it right through the middle of [[farne:cosmology:kaz|Kaz]], not unlike where [[farne:ancient_history:dramatis_personae#xianghua_hiroko|Hiroko]] had planted it in him a thousand years before, and the mighty and despicable [[farne:cosmology:kaz|Kaz]] fell, exploding in a great ball of fire. His gem shattered around us, releasing us all from it and onto the sands of the desert where we had landed the airship, leaving a mile-deep crater beneath us.

As soon as the gem shattered, [[farne:actors:Nemesis]] and [[farne:actors:Serendipity]] were gone in the blink of an eye. The crotchety old cleric of [[farne:cosmology:lesser_powers#Hathandar]], Pete, dug himself out of the extremely damaged airship with sand now everywhere, and spent some time patching himself up with curing spells before coming to patch us up, all the while griping under his breath about these dang kids and their dang adventures.