HAC #6 : DOOM!

Frazzil

Background

Frazzil had always been interested in magic particularly illusions. Seeniwigwocket, Creator of Things Not, agreed to tutor Frazzil in the arcane arts but war consume their homeland. Drafted to defend the kingdom, the young gnome was trained as a warrior.

In the battle of Abergelli, Nacklenifindonook, a wizard accompanying Frazzil's company, became enraged when a boy who he tried to help slashed him with a knife. The mage no longer saw a distinction between the the combatants and the civilians. He attempted to destroy the entire town. Frazzil tried to restrain the crazed spellcaster. Believing a spy had infiltrated his unit, Nacklenifindonook turned against his former ally. Frazzil slew the wizard to save himself and the townsfolk.

After the war, Frazzil joined the Heroes of the Fractured World adventuring party. During one of their travels they saw smoke rising in the distance. When they investigated, they found the town of Abergelli burning. Consumed with hate Nacklenifindonook's spirit could not rest. The ghost destroyed the town but still was not satisfied. Frazzil and his companions were able to dismiss the apparition.

The destruction of Abergelli disturbed Frazzil. He hadn't wanted to kill Nacklenifindonook but thought it was necessary to save the people. Now despite he interference, the people are still died.

Idhisrion Unmirdal, a wizard of the Spiral Tower, asked the group to find the Sword of the Ivy Helix. The sword was once a symbol of the Spiral Tower wielded by Eruthion Radican. The orc tribe Decogon Toxic believed that the sword was the source of the Spiral Tower's power. When Eruthion intervened in an orc raid, a hidden group of orcs overran the eladrin and stole the sword. Unable to harness the sword's power, it was hidden away. Idhisrion discovered an orc text that hinted at a possible location of the sword. The elder leadership of the Spiral Tower looked down upon searching for the sword so he needed someone outside the guild to investigate the matter.

Supposedly the leaders considered questing for the sword a sign of poor reasoning. Numerous lost text over the years have purported to contain the resting place of the blade. That by itself should be enough to dissuade treasure hunters but additionally while magical the sword is not incredibly powerful. Outside of the historical significance the blade had no purpose to the wizards.

The orcish scrawlings proved correct in this instance. The Heroes of the Fractured World discovered an old ruins which contained the sword. It might have remained hidden had it not been for Frazzil. An enormous battlebriar guarded the lost relic. The battle did not bod well for the heroes. Knocked down by the beast, Frazzil had dropped his longsword. Closer to the Sword of the Ivy Helix than his own weapon, Frazzil grabbed the eladrin blade. Green electricity spiraled up the blade when he grabbed it. The animated plant guardian recoiled as the sword sliced through the beast. A moment of respite was all it took for the adventurers to turn the tide against the green monster.

Impressed by Frazzil's mastery of the blade, he was offered entrance to the Spiral Tower despite his limited magical talents. Frazzil accepted the teachings but something gnawed at his thoughts. He felt the power of the Sword of the Ivy Helix when he held it. The weapon clearly held more magical power than they had been told. The ruins also seemed incongruous. Elven writings were found in the location and the guardian itself was unusual for orcs.

When he had a free moment from his training, Frazzil visited an old friend Gangeer Steelhammer. Gangeer was a blacksmith Frazzil met during the war. The dwarf didn't talk much of his old adventures but Frazzil knew he had much more experience against orcs. Gangeer was skeptical of the story. While orcs might take occupancy in some old eladrin ruins or hide loot there, they would desecrate any elven text. The orc tribe was unfamiliar to the old warrior but he could not rule out the possibility of a tribe with that name. He laughed when shown the orc document that initiated the quest. Orcs rarely wrote with correct grammar. While the letters weren't always well drawn, the individual letters were consistently drawn the same way. Gangeer believed the eldarin set Frazzil up but for what purpose he did not know.

Before confronting the wizards of the Spiral Tower, Frazzil explained the situation to Seeniwigwocket. The master illusionist suggested he not reveal his hand just yet. It sounds to him like the Ivy Helix was hidden on purpose. Without knowing who hid it and why someone would want to find it, it is hard to know who can be trusted. Seeniwigwocket promised to investigate the matter.

Two nights later some men tried to ambush Frazzil in his sleep. Anticipating that possibility he was well prepared and quickly vanquished the attackers. One of the assailants said that the false savior of Abergelli was only their first choice and that another would be substituted. None of the living combatants would elaborate. Frazzil did find a tattoo of a shark's mouth on each of the men.

Father Daeropest identified the symbol as a cult of the Devourer. The cult believes that the world is beyond saving and needs to be destroyed. Some say the process will then begin anew. Others don't care what happens afterward. They recruit from those who lives have been destroyed by war or other misfortunes. Survivors of Abergelli who might have been away during the destruction would have been prime recruiting candidates. While Frazzil had expected assassins involved with the Ivy Helix, this sect seemed to have nothing to do with that matter.

Feeling responsible for the town of Abergelli, Frazzil looked into the activities of the cult. A survivor of the town had become a highly regarded member of the group. Frazzil confronted the man know to the cult as Xomedo. Xomedo refused to listen and retreated when it began apparent that he could not defeat the gnome. They had tried to destroy all evidence of their plan before abandoning the location but Frazzil managed to secure some pieces.

The group constructed a device to amplify a planar portal. The fragments were too destroyed to determine how they would summon the Devourer to the portal. Needing more support the fighter requested the aid of the other Heroes of the Fractured World. Together they confronted the fanatics during the ritual to bring forth the Devourer. Xomedo had through a portal so that a larger portal could be opened back to the world. Frazzil raced through the portal while the others attempted to disrupt the ritual.

The rain, thunder, lightning and wind hit Frazzil when he entered. He managed to recover his bearing before the plane's inhabitants could attack. A large portal opened near him. He battle his way over to Xomedo. Unfortunately the ritual was father along than Frazzil had expected. When he reached Xomedo, the man exclaimed that it was too late. The sect leader pointed in a direction. Frazzil caught a glimpse of the gigantic beast in his peripheral vision. Without a second hesistation, the gnome sliced into the portal amplifier and lept through the collapsing portal.

Frazzil collapsed on the ground when he arrived back in the world. With the portal breakdown, the remaining cultists began to flee. Phenonza, the party's cleric, rushed to Frazzil's aid. When she tried to touch him, her hands went right through him. Eventually his body stabilized and returned to a solid state. Ever since Frazzil will occasionally lose physical being. According to some sages those who even glimpse the Devourer slowly fade out of existence.

Downtrodden, he returned to Seeniwigwocket but the wizard had been murdered. Fearing the worst he sent a message to a member of the Spiral Tower but it was too late. The Sword of the Ivy Helix had been stolen. Everything Frazzil seems to accomplish just causes more devastation. His companions have noticed that Frazzil no longer smiles or cracks jokes. He doesn't even seem to care about preventing his eventually disappearance. He is fixated on finding the Ivy Helix before it causes more destruction.

Frazzil

Gnome Fighter, Wizard of Spiral Tower, Archmage
Level 21, Good

Str 21 (+5) {7 pts} {15, +1 @4th, +1 @8th, +1 @11th, +1 @14th, +1 @18th, +1 @21st}
Con 16 (+3) {3 pts} {13, +1 @4th, +1 @11th, +1 @21st}
Dex 18 (+4) {7 pts} {15, +1 @8th, +1 @11th, +1 @21st}
Int 20 (+5) {5 pts} {14, +2 racial, +1 @11th, +1 @14th, +1 @18th, +1 @21st}
Wis 10 (+0) {0 pts} {8, +1 @11th, +1 @21st}
Cha 14 (+2) {0 pts} {10, +2 racial, +1 @11th, +1 @21st}

Hit Points 151 {15 (base) + 120 (levels) + 16 (con)}; Bloodied 75
Healing Surge (hp healed/per day): 37hp {37 (base)} / 12/day {9 (fighter) + 3 (con)}
Second Wind: 37hp + 2 to all defenses until next action
Armor Class 34 {10 + 10 (level) + 14 (Armor)}
Fortitude Defense 33 {10 + 10 (level) + 5 (Str/Con) + 2 (fighter) +2 (feat) +4 (item)}
Reflex Defense 31 {10 + 10 (level) + 5 (Dex/Int) +2 (feat) +4 (item)}
Will Defense 28 {10 + 10 (level) + 2 (Wis/Cha) +2 (feat) +4 (item)}

Initiative +14 {+4 (dex) +10 (level)}
Speed 6 squares {5 (base) +1 (item)}

Exploits and Spells
At-will Powers: Reaping Strike
Encounter Powers: Ghost Sound (racial, minor action), Fade Away (racial), Mage Hand (feat), Prestidigitation (feat) Illusion Ambush (feat, Drg #364), Enemies Abound (7th, Drg #364), The One Sword (11th Paragon Path), Storm of Blows (13th), Exorcism of Steel (17th)
Daily Powers: Thicket of Blades (9th), Unyielding Avalanche(15th), Phantasmal Warriors (19th), Corellon's Blade (20th Paragon Path)
Utility Powers: No Opening (2nd), Spectral Hound (6th), Into the Fray (10th), Shape the Dream (12th Paragon Path), Iron Warrior (16th)
Item Powers: Final Word Longsword (daily), Gloves of Piercing (daily), Cloak of Resistance (daily), Ring of Invisibility (daily), Belt of Giant Strength (daily), Devourer's Attention (healing surge)

Feats (13 total)
Arcane Initiate (Illusory Ambush at-will for encounter power) {1st}
Fey Trickster {2nd}
Novice Power {4th}
Weapon Expertise (Heavy Blades) {6th}
Acolyte Power {8th}
Adept Power {10th}
Ritual Caster {11th}
Weapon Focus (Heavy Blades) {12th}
Armor Specialization (Scale) {14th}
Implement Expertise (Wand) {16th}
Mettle {18th}
Paragon Defenses Robust Defenses {20th}
Heavy Blade Mastery {21st}

Skills
+22 Arcana (+10 level, +5 Int, +2 racial, +5 trained)
+22 Athletics (+10 level, +5 Str, +5 trained, +2 item)
+15 Heal (+10 level, +0 Wis, +5 trained)
+18 Stealth (+10 level, +4 Dex, +2 racial, +2 item)
+17 Streetwise (+10 level, +2 Cha, +5 trained)

Race and Class Features
Gnome
Small Size
Vision: Low-light
Languages: Common, Elven
Fey Origin
Master Trickster: ghost sound as minor action 1/encounter
Reactive Stealth: if have cover/concealment when making iniative check, make a stealth check
Trickster's Cunning: +5 racial bonus to saves against illusions
Fade Away: encounter power

Fighter
Armor Proficiencies: Cloth, Leather, Hide, Chainmail, Scale, Light Shield, Heavy Shield
Weapon Proficiencies: Simple melee, Military melee, Simple ranged, Military ranged
Combat Challenge: Mark on attack for -2 to attack when not including the fighter.
Combat Superiority: 1 extra opportunity attack. Enemy stops moving if move provoked opportunity attack.
Fighter Weapon Talent: +1 bonus to attack rolls with two-handed weapons

Wizard of the Spiral Tower
Corellon’s Implement: Can use longsword as wand implement.
Spiral Tower Action: Action point can regain one wizard encounter power instead of giving extra action
Radiant Censure: When foe attacks will defense, foe takes 2 radiant damage

Archmage
Spell Recall: At start day choose one daily, you can use it twice that day.

Equipment
Final Word Longsword +4 (125,000gp, Drmg #365)
Hydra Wyrmscale Armor +4 (85,000gp)
Bracers of Mighty Striking (paragon tier) (13,000gp)
Battlestrider Greaves (13,000gp)
Gloves of Piercing (680gp)
Goggles of the Night (21,000gp)
Cloak of Resistance +4 (65,000gp)
Ring of Invisibility (85,000gp)
Belt of Giant Strength (25,000gp)
Devourer's Attention (325,000gp)
Handy Haversack (5,000gp)
Ritual Book
Silance (75gp)
Tenser's Floating Disk (50gp)
Detect Secret Doors (125gp)
Knock (175gp)
Hallucinatory Item (250gp)
Sending (360gp)
Water Breathing (680gp)
Chameleon's Cloak (1,000gp, Drmg #366)
Drawmij's Instant Summons (2,600gp)
Hallucinatory Creature (2,600gp)
Passwall (2,600gp)
Shadow Walk (2,600gp)
Eye of Warning (4,200gp)
Planar Portal (17,000gp)
Adventurer's Kit
29pp, 105gp

Phantasmal Warriors Wizard Attack 19
You create an image of deadly assassins dancing around your foes and slicing them with their swords.
Daily ♦ Arcane, Illusion, Implement, Psychic
Standard Action - Area burst 2 within 20 squares
Target: Each creature in burst
Attack: Intelligence vs. Will
Hit: 2d10 + Intelligence modifier psychic damage, and the target takes ongoing 5 psychic damage and grants combat advantage to all your allies (save ends both).
Miss: The target takes half damage.

Devourer's Attention Level 22
Individuals who attract the attention of the Devourer are slowly consumed along with those around them.
Divine Boon 325,000gp
Property: When you use a healing surge, everyone in a close burst 1 takes Strength modifier necrotic damage.
Power (Healing Surge): Free action. When bloodied you become insubstantial and phasing (save ends).

Note: The character may seem like he is designed for Eberron with the background of a major war and the Devourer but the Devourer doesn't need to be the god from Eberron. Any god, primodial or other powerful being that wants to destroy the world can be used. The war can be just between two nations. In fact to some degree it isn't a good character for Eberron as Frazzil's history seem like strong evidence that the Devourer actually exists.