The day after the battle with the Herald of the Ivory Labyrinth, Dierna Hillerchaun summons Malak and Arthas to Bladchapel's Hall of Ceremonies. Irabeth Tirbade and Arueshalae look on as Commander Hillerchaun awards them both the righteous medal of vigor for their service. "Scion of Dragons and Scion of Angels," the Commander tells them: "You have both served humankind faithfully and vigorously. It is with great honor..." Hillerchaun's declaration is drowned out by a choir of angels, as Malak finds himself transported to Iomedae's White Cathedral. The goddess herself stands before him, surrounded by four of her divine servants. The first, Jingh, manifests as a wheel of bright white metal illuminated by holy fire. Standing beside Jingh is Saint Lymirin, who appears as a human woman with eagle wings. To Iomedae's left is her third servant, Peace Through Vigilance, a young but spirited celestial gold dragon. The fourth sevrant at the Inheritor's side is Arthas! His chain mail has been traded for gleaming plate armor, and he holds Radiance before him in salute. His left eye is no longer cloudy, though his skin and hair are still shades of blue. Thank you, Scion of Dragons, the goddess says to Malak, for releasing my Herald from his agony. I am saddened that you were not able to redeem him, but heartened by the fact that he no longer servers the Lord of Minotaurs. His soul has been absorbed into the Abyss, lost to us forever. His bones join those of a million others. But all is not lost, for I have gained a new Herald. She gestures toward Arthas. Baphomet has retreated to his tower, but the war is far from over. If anything, your latest victory has forced Deskari to accelerate his plans. The boundary between your world and the Abyss is still weak, and the Lord of Locusts has been using his great scythe Riftcaver to rend tears in it. His forces are gathering even as we speak for one final march on the forces of Good... Mortalkind needs you more than ever. Right now, however, your companions need you more. In a flash of light, Malak finds himself transported to a strange cavern. Elaryan and Loki are here, but caged and feebleminded , drooling upon themselves. The shambling mound Xhotl is here as well, stroking the comatose form of Nor with single tendril. As for Nor... the halfling lies unconscious upon a bloody table. His body is covered with incisions both healed and fresh. Tubes run from his arteries to a strange apparatus that seems to be filling his body with a strange black fluid. Other tubes run across the room to a second, unoccupied table. A nearby bucket contains bits of viscera, bile, and blood. Malak manages to disconnect and revive Nor. He finds Elaryan's equipment in a nearby niche and uses the staff of life to restore the minds of Elaryan and Loki. But none of the three can remember how they ended up in this chamber of horrors. Nor does have one clue: Xhotl can smell that Lor has also been in this chamber in the past, as has Lor's evil doppleganger Leor. Nor is convinced that Leor is responsible for these horrors somehow. The heroes resolve to explore the connected system of caverns and find Lor if possible. They don't have to search far. The tunnel from the chamber opens into a massive cavern. There, sitting upon the massive green dragon Ssik'Silith is Leor himself. The dragon belts out a massive roar, then launches itself into battle. From his back, Leor begins to chant. Leor and Ssik'silith are skilled fighters, but no match for a full party of mythic heroes. The adventurers coordinate their attacks with subtly and cunning. Elaryan provides cover with his own spells, while Nor provides healing and counterspells to neutralize Leor. Malak attacks in both hybrid and dragon form, while Loki leaps into the dragon's mouth to attack it from inside. Both Leor and Ssik'silith are soon slain. Nor also falls in the battle, but Malak uses limited wish to revive him. Returned to life, Nor seeks answers. He uses speak with dead to question Leor. The evil halfling reveals that he used the apparatus in the chamber of horrors to torture Lor for months, eventually reducing the ghoran's life force to nothing. He planned to do the same to Nor, but was only halfway through the process when the heroes escaped. Nor resolves to visit the same atrocities upon Leor. He drags his doppelganger's body back to the chamber and begins to strap it to the table. He asks Malak and Elaryan for help in determining exactly how the dark ritual works. "Are you sure you want to do this?" Malak asks. "My understanding is that you'll have to remove his organs one at a time, keeping him carefully alive between each one, cutting him apart one piece at a time. You'll have to torture him for months." "Then we'd best get started," Nor wheezes, picking up a razor. Everyone who played gains 100,000 XP.
