To the party’s surprise, Andropinis made them an offer. They could surrender their artifcats, including the Dark Lens, and depart Athas, never to return. If they did so, the sorcerer-king promised to resurrect Banoc and insinuated that the world would be a better place. If they did not, the Dictator intended to take the Lens by force and implied that the deaths of the inhabitants of the Tyr Region would be on the party’s hands.
The party was not about to surrender and engaged Andropinis and this templar soldiers (who were surrounding the safe-house). The battle was fierce. The templars were mostly disabled by Jax’s magic, however, the sorcer-king was much more resilient than any other foe they had encountered before. His balck shield of magic and psionic energy absorbed many of the attacks on him. His own magic locked Daqiq in a cage of force, preventing him from participating in the battle.
While the party wore him down, Andropinis was able to defeat many of them. Jax was the first to fall to the sorcerer-king, eventually dying from her wounds. Elleandra fell was well, but was only knocked unconscious. Iorskan was the next to feel the wrath of the sorcerer-king and the party was unable to reach him before his wounds got the better of him. Jarvix faced several of the rallied templars and, being unaccustomed to the front line, was knocked out during the fight as well.
Gwyn sized up the situation and the paryt rallied to her. She remained unwilling to use the full power of the Dark Lens, but did use it to teleport herself and the surviviors out of the fight. Her intended destination was the Pristine Tower, but she was slightly off target, arriving about two days travel to the east.
In the end, Gwyn, Way-lynn, Kira, Thea and Elleandra were able to survive the fight. They had managed to bring Iorskan’s body with them, but the bodies of Banoc and Jax had to be left behind. Jarvix was also left beind, his fate unknown. Daqiq was last seen inside the cage of force facing the sorcerer-king and his surviving templars.