Previous: The First Vampire of Cimmeria Part 4
Githyanki invaders touched every part of Cimmeria. Rather than target the politically powerful they attacked mortals skilled in the martial or magical arts. Powerful warriors, magicians, and clerics disappeared as the adlishar and sarath elite of the githyanki swept across Cimmeria. With the strongest protectors removed the githyanki infantry invaded. They attacked the city-states, pillaged their treasuries, and enslaved the urban people of Cimmeria to provide resources and servants to the Astral Plane.
Tereman had been spying on the githyanki using dimensional portals. He learned of the attacks before they occurred, but underestimated the scope. Thus Tracy and the Gish Trio had only been able to organize defenses for Shalerton, Crafterton, and Nomingburg. After the initial attacks failed on the strongest of those cities the githyanki didn’t follow up with a full-scale invasion. The Lich-queen was content with the prizes she had earned across the rest of Cimmeria.
Tracy and the Gish Trio began planning how to drive back the githyanki and defeat Bavastatner. The problems would undoubtedly be easier to manage if the alliance between the Lich-queen and Bavastatner was destroyed. Tereman’s divinations revealed that the pair had sworn their alliance on the River Styx and that Bavastatner was searching for a way out of his oath. Tracy came up with a plot. The Gish Trio would help Bavastatner achieve his goal and then with their enemies divided they would strike.
Tracy had many discussions with the other Heroes of the Dragon War about the immortal nature of their foes. Tracy asked how an immortal could be freed from an oath on the Styx. Shratalanda said that the only immortal immune to the consequences of such an oath was the River Styx itself. But what if an immortal intertwined their soul with the soul of the River? Tracy theorized that Shratalanda must have learned more about the topic. She sent the Gish Trio to the Shacklack School for Psions to search for answers.
Bavastatner had found the same path to escape his oath as Tracy. He practiced devil magic and demon summoning to learn more about the nature of the River Styx. He performed experiments on his own offspring, trying to combine their souls with those of the demons. He casually tossed aside his failed experiments. The half-demon half-dragon monstrosities that Bavastatner discarded became a plague on the githyanki controlled communities. The rift between Bavastatner and the Lich-queen was cracking open.
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