Feeling rested, the heroes trudge their way up-river to investigate the golden shimmering lake Serah. With absolutely idyllic ambient air temperatures, humidity, lighting, flora, fauna, and water quality, the lake and its surroundings immediately lulls the party into heavenly daze. Doc finds himself strangely alone in the group being the only one even remotely curious about the middle-aged man tending some flowers near a shack at the far side of the lake and goes to investigate. Meanwhile, Doc's comrades excitedly strip down to their skivvies and take a dip in the magical lake.
In a stunning turn of events, Doc discovers that the gardener is none other than Peter! His long-lost friend since believed to have been executed at the hands of Draven and Slabtown some time ago. Peter seems happy as can be, surrounded by nature and kept company by a wide assortment of bunnies, deer, birds, and other assorted forest animals. Peter is equally shocked at Doc's sudden arrival and invites the lot over for an early dinner.
While swimming in the lake, Vyreth gets hit by the desire to swim all the way out to the center where a large, ancient knotted tree sits idly bye atop a small, lush island. Once at the island, realizing there's nothing special to see here, Vyreth joins the rest of the non-Doc crew in a nice afternoon nap and wakes up after an hour or so lying on his back with a beautiful dryad standing over him smiling. The dryad introduces herself as Elmsea but gives Vyreth fairly little in the way of useful information. He begins swimming back to shore as Peter beckons everyone inside for linner and, to his surprise, the dryad walks the entire way beside him, on top of the water.
The lot sit down for some tasty home-cooked food inside Peter's cabin and the conversation turns serious... For Doc, anyhow. Doc starts digging into the nature of Peter's liberation from Slabtown (which Peter seems to have forgotten all about) as well as his "love" for Elmsea and Peter acts blissfully ignorant. According to Peter, he was out for a stroll in the forest and that's where he met Elmsea, the love of his life. Plain and simple. Fhasys seems more than happy for Peter and Elmsea and comes down somewhat harshly on Doc for questioning the whole thing. The others sit by quietly and focus on their food.
Finally, Doc hits his tolerance for delusion, brandishes his golden Apollo medallion and uses his powers to try and dispell the fey's influence over his friend. Elmsea quickly backs away from the table and leaves cursing Peter's friends under her breath. As they continue their debate as to the true nature of love everlasting, the ground begins to tremble. Heading outside to see about the commotion, Doc finds himself standing alone with Peter facing a gigantic treant slowly pushing its way across the lake toward the cabin. Elmsea chews out Doc for disturbing their love and questioning things, and suggests they return to the safety of the cabin before things get "out of hand". Doc acquiesces. Oddly, the trio return to the cabin to find the table empty and Doc's friends nowhere in sight.
The rest of the party (actually) wakes up at the river campsite in the middle of the afternoon sun wondering where the hell Doc got off to. Assuming that he already made is way to the lake, the stragglers begin the 3 hour walk. Upon arriving at the lake, they once again witness the magical scene before them. This time, however, Vyreth has his wits about him enough to reflexively cast dispel magic--cutting a 120' sphere out of the illusion surrounding them and pissing off the forest spirits deeply. In the wake of his spell, all of his mates also vanish from sight! Vyreth stands dumbfounded for a moment until Doc comes running out of the cabin to meet him.
Comparing notes, Doc and Vyreth sense that something's not right here despite Peter and Elmsea's continual gushing about love everlasting. Doc gives Peter more than enough chances to free himself of Elmsea's spell, including brandishing the pan pipes they'd shared as children, but Peter is too heavily influenced to leave voluntarily. Elmsea, furious at this point, urges the lot to leave them be in peace. Doc and Vyreth seriously consider the offer...
Fhasys, Talos and Bigzid wake up once more staring at the late-afternoon sun some ways up river, but not quite at the lake, wondering what the hell is going on. They'd just been heading North to find Doc when they blacked out and now Vyreth is gone as well! Continuing their walk, the entire party reunites just South of lake Serah to compare notes and share minds-blown. Apparently, the magic of an adept dryad proved too much for the wits of the party. Quite a day. Doc leaves the lake with mixed feelings, on one hand wishing Peter was more reality-focused and sober, but on the other simply happy to know that Peter is alive and well.
The heroes turn their attention back to Quanlo.
Tuesday, October 20, 2015
Monday, October 5, 2015
Episode 19, "A Willing Sacrifice"
The ruins of Enra proved a colossal disappointment for the heroes, especially for Talos who for once felt like he'd found his higher purpose. As the hideous, black, winged vulture-like creature summoned by the acolytes of Enra made its way through the newly formed rift, Fhasys looked around nervously for support and decided picking off the chanting acolytes one by one would be the best plan of action. The acolytes at first proved to be quite squishy targets, but once a couple had fallen the rest turned their attention toward the crossbow wielding rogue. Meanwhile, back at the stone platform, Vyreth had a stroke of genius and dispelled the curse holding Talos' mind hostage. As the curse's effects fell away, Talos took in the "true" scene around him. The creature eventually found its way through the rift, unfurled its huge black wings and took to the sky with a loud shriek... clearly upset about losing its prey to reality. The creature kicked up a vile cloud of toxic spores as its opening move, rendering Talos and Doc violently ill. Staving off waves of nausea and struggling to stay on his feet, Talos focused on the task at hand and started slinging spells. Unfortunately, after a few rounds Talos was overcome by sickness and collapsed into the demon's arms. The remaining heroes managed to dispatch the doppleganger, acolytes, and demon after an intense fight and regrouped to lick their wounds. Fhasys, getting a boost from Doc, took a moment to peer into the now closing portal and saw a bleak wasteland littered with twisted dead trees home to many more creatures like the one who tried to eat Talos. She (wisely) decided against jumping through.
Deciding to attempt a long rest in the heart of the forest, the party dug in for the night. During the last half of their slumber, a marauding troll exploded through the surrounding thicket and attacked. The heroes had had enough with the ruins and decided to head back toward the shimmering lake they'd passed by earlier. They stood around for a moment trying to get their bearings, found the path they'd arrived on, and began their return trip.
Soon, they arrived at the river leading north to the lake and again decided to pitch camp, hoping to recoup that final 4 hours the troll had so rudely stolen the night before. Once again, they were ambushed in the night... this time by another pair of displacer beasts. One beast tried to get the jump on Fhasys but couldn't manage to beat her keen senses. The other came from the forest to the north and handily pounced on Vyreth, digging its claws into his back. Combat ensued.
Once the fight had ended, the heroes came to the realization that the Ragneron forest wasn't a cozy place to camp. They gathered their gear and prepared for the trek upstream.
Deciding to attempt a long rest in the heart of the forest, the party dug in for the night. During the last half of their slumber, a marauding troll exploded through the surrounding thicket and attacked. The heroes had had enough with the ruins and decided to head back toward the shimmering lake they'd passed by earlier. They stood around for a moment trying to get their bearings, found the path they'd arrived on, and began their return trip.
Soon, they arrived at the river leading north to the lake and again decided to pitch camp, hoping to recoup that final 4 hours the troll had so rudely stolen the night before. Once again, they were ambushed in the night... this time by another pair of displacer beasts. One beast tried to get the jump on Fhasys but couldn't manage to beat her keen senses. The other came from the forest to the north and handily pounced on Vyreth, digging its claws into his back. Combat ensued.
Once the fight had ended, the heroes came to the realization that the Ragneron forest wasn't a cozy place to camp. They gathered their gear and prepared for the trek upstream.
Monday, September 21, 2015
Episode 18, "Connecting the Dots"
After the massive undead onslaught was beaten back outside the Quanlo city walls, the heroes spent a few minutes poking around the bodies for anything interesting. Quite a number of the slain undead were wearing forest worker outfits, and the party immediately made the connection between this and the rumors of a missing lumber shipment they'd overheard during their first night in Quanlo. They then slipped back inside the city gates for a little R&R and shopping as the Iron Gate cleaned up the aftermath while Reeser set to the task of assembling a crew to ward the Embershale mine and investigate the dragon-tomb-scepter connection.
The heroes stood around for a bit fussing over a strange ceramic jug that Doc had picked up in the Tomb of Urzaan that had yet to be identified. Despite feeling like it was empty, shaking the jug produced sloshing noises as if full of liquid. Popping the cork released a very strong stench of vinegar, and Fhasys once again volunteered to be a guinea pig by taking a sip; sure enough, vinegar, Still somewhat confused by this jug, Doc decided he'd wander around the Quanlo bazaar in search of a shopkeeper who might know more about the object. Talos followed suit and set out to see if he could find any unusual items in the bazaar for procurement while Fhasys scouted for crossbows and armor.
Doc had all but decided his search to be fruitless when an old lady at an herbalist stand called out to him. The shop keeper seemed very curious about his jug but was unable to glean any specifics from Doc in terms of where exactly he'd found it or the circumstances revolving around its procurement. She did volunteer some basic information about it, saying that the liquid contents changed every day, but did not know exactly which liquids this particular jug could contain. Mostly satisfied, Doc left the shop and noticed a cloud of billowing smoke filling the sky at the far end of the bazaar.
Talos had discovered a high-end clothing shop sporting oodles of finely crafted shirts and pants, one of which seemed to radiate magical energy. After snubbing his Elven nose at the shop keep on his way in, he immediately found himself on the short end of the stick when it came to bargaining. This particular shirt was far too expensive for his liking, so he decided to pay Fhasys to steal it for him.
Fhasys cased the shop and decided a distraction was necessary to sneak inside. Slipping into the shadows between the shop and one adjacent to it, she dribbled a trail of oil on the grass and lit it on fire. As the townsfolk began to panic and call the guards to help with the fire, she managed to slip inside the shop and steal the shirt. On the way out, however, a guard spotted her and gave chase. Doc arrived on the scene just as the two took off running. Fhasys ducked inside another clothing shop and ran into the owner, who asked what she was running from. Claiming some form of physical abuse by the pursuant guard, the shop owner felt overcome with compassion and hid Fhasys in her basement shelter. The guard got a talking-to by the owner for his inappropriate behavior and Fhasys was let out once he left.
Thanking Fhasys for her hard work, the trio decided to call it a night and turned-in. During the night, Talos was again plagued with dreams about the Ruins of Enra and woke up seriously compelled to begin the journey. Comparing notes, the heroes decided to head down into the Ragneron forest to scope out the lumber camp situation, see if they can locate Doc's friend Peter, and to hit up the ruins once and for all so Doc and Talos can get over their compulsions.
After an uneventful half-day walk, the crew found the lumber camp completely deserted. Doc and Fhasys poked around two smaller administrative buildings discovering a business log (last entry from several days prior) and some human footprints heading out and into the nearby forest. Talos, spotting a large barracks type structure at the far end of the camp, suggested they investigate. Several lumber worker corpses lay strewn about the entrance to the barracks, covered in green acidic slime. The entire front of the building had also been coated in a layer of this slime, suggesting that their favorite dragon had likely paid a visit. Poking her head inside, Fhasys heard multiple sources of guttural breathing, saw a figure standing in the corner of the main room repeatedly bumping into the wall, and decided it'd be best to leave the place as-is. Clearly, the barracks had been infested with undead.
Turning their attention back to the human tracks, the heroes followed them into the woods. After 10 min of walking, they encountered a corpse hunched against a tree that had clearly been munched upon. Continuing to follow the tracks, the dense forest opened up into a roughly carved path through the woods heading North/South. Wagon tracks were spotted, meaning that the path was likely used for some sort of travel or commerce. The party followed the path to the South and, just as darkness began to fall, stumbled upon the wreckage of a cart and the remains of the final two workers. Strangely, their bodies didn't show signs of struggle or wounds. Doc searched the cart and found, to his bewilderment, insignias from his old Slabtown crew emblazoned upon several small crates. As they investigated the scene, Talos heard the low rumble of a cat-type creature coming from the nearby forest. The sound seemed to travel every few minutes to different sides of the path, and the heroes quickly grew worried that they were being stalked. Sure enough, something lashed out from the forest striking Talos on the back with a rasping, sharp pain, yanking him toward the treeline and knocking him to his knees. As he collected himself, Talos found a pair of glowing yellow cat eyes staring at him through the thicket. A large, sleek-black feline creature with six legs and hovering tentacle-like appendages emerged from the forest and combat ensued.
The displacer beast made quick work of Talos (but not before he managed to hurl a lightning bolt igniting the forest). Doc and Fhasys found it incredibly difficult to hit the animal due to some strange "blurring" effect. The creature seemed to periodically phase-shift, making it hard to know where to aim. After a few rounds, another cat came bounding up the path to join the fray. Ultimately, the heroes were victorious albeit badly wounded. They limped their way further South, out of range of the now raging forest fire, and set up camp for a short rest.
Talos, still consumed by a compulsion to visit the ruins, took the party off-path toward the East. He seemed to intuitively know how to get to the ruins. As they traveled, they crossed a large stream leading from a lake far to the North. Talos noticed a warm, golden shimmer coming through the trees by the lake and they decided to visit on the way back. Further still, the forest opened up into another crude path on which the heroes encountered a lone, wandering half-elf ranger named Trace who seemed to know exactly where Talos was headed. Trace offered his assistance to get them through the last stretch of forest and to the ruins themselves, but once they got there things got weird.
Trace vanished and then re-appeared at the far end of the ruins dressed as a robed acolyte. Talos and Doc became overcome with a desire to move to the center of the ruins and stand on a large stone pedestal while the robed person began chanting in a strange language. The sky began to grow dark, the winds picked up swirling around the pedestal, and Fhasys got the heebie-jeebies. She launched a bolt at the acolyte but missed. Her second bolt hit the robed figure, momentarily staggering him and halting the chant. His form shape shifted into a strange, tall, hairless blue humanoid and the wound only increased his resolve to finish the ritual. With his final words, the veil of illusion around the ruins fell revealing a circle of acolytes surrounding the party and a far more dark and twisted forest. A rift appeared in the air above Doc and Talos and, as Fhasys stared skyward horrified of what was to come, a pair of large insectoid claws pushed their way through into their dimension. Doc and Talos lit up with excitement in anticipation of what was to come. They'd finally made it home.
The heroes stood around for a bit fussing over a strange ceramic jug that Doc had picked up in the Tomb of Urzaan that had yet to be identified. Despite feeling like it was empty, shaking the jug produced sloshing noises as if full of liquid. Popping the cork released a very strong stench of vinegar, and Fhasys once again volunteered to be a guinea pig by taking a sip; sure enough, vinegar, Still somewhat confused by this jug, Doc decided he'd wander around the Quanlo bazaar in search of a shopkeeper who might know more about the object. Talos followed suit and set out to see if he could find any unusual items in the bazaar for procurement while Fhasys scouted for crossbows and armor.
Doc had all but decided his search to be fruitless when an old lady at an herbalist stand called out to him. The shop keeper seemed very curious about his jug but was unable to glean any specifics from Doc in terms of where exactly he'd found it or the circumstances revolving around its procurement. She did volunteer some basic information about it, saying that the liquid contents changed every day, but did not know exactly which liquids this particular jug could contain. Mostly satisfied, Doc left the shop and noticed a cloud of billowing smoke filling the sky at the far end of the bazaar.
Talos had discovered a high-end clothing shop sporting oodles of finely crafted shirts and pants, one of which seemed to radiate magical energy. After snubbing his Elven nose at the shop keep on his way in, he immediately found himself on the short end of the stick when it came to bargaining. This particular shirt was far too expensive for his liking, so he decided to pay Fhasys to steal it for him.
Fhasys cased the shop and decided a distraction was necessary to sneak inside. Slipping into the shadows between the shop and one adjacent to it, she dribbled a trail of oil on the grass and lit it on fire. As the townsfolk began to panic and call the guards to help with the fire, she managed to slip inside the shop and steal the shirt. On the way out, however, a guard spotted her and gave chase. Doc arrived on the scene just as the two took off running. Fhasys ducked inside another clothing shop and ran into the owner, who asked what she was running from. Claiming some form of physical abuse by the pursuant guard, the shop owner felt overcome with compassion and hid Fhasys in her basement shelter. The guard got a talking-to by the owner for his inappropriate behavior and Fhasys was let out once he left.
Thanking Fhasys for her hard work, the trio decided to call it a night and turned-in. During the night, Talos was again plagued with dreams about the Ruins of Enra and woke up seriously compelled to begin the journey. Comparing notes, the heroes decided to head down into the Ragneron forest to scope out the lumber camp situation, see if they can locate Doc's friend Peter, and to hit up the ruins once and for all so Doc and Talos can get over their compulsions.
After an uneventful half-day walk, the crew found the lumber camp completely deserted. Doc and Fhasys poked around two smaller administrative buildings discovering a business log (last entry from several days prior) and some human footprints heading out and into the nearby forest. Talos, spotting a large barracks type structure at the far end of the camp, suggested they investigate. Several lumber worker corpses lay strewn about the entrance to the barracks, covered in green acidic slime. The entire front of the building had also been coated in a layer of this slime, suggesting that their favorite dragon had likely paid a visit. Poking her head inside, Fhasys heard multiple sources of guttural breathing, saw a figure standing in the corner of the main room repeatedly bumping into the wall, and decided it'd be best to leave the place as-is. Clearly, the barracks had been infested with undead.
Turning their attention back to the human tracks, the heroes followed them into the woods. After 10 min of walking, they encountered a corpse hunched against a tree that had clearly been munched upon. Continuing to follow the tracks, the dense forest opened up into a roughly carved path through the woods heading North/South. Wagon tracks were spotted, meaning that the path was likely used for some sort of travel or commerce. The party followed the path to the South and, just as darkness began to fall, stumbled upon the wreckage of a cart and the remains of the final two workers. Strangely, their bodies didn't show signs of struggle or wounds. Doc searched the cart and found, to his bewilderment, insignias from his old Slabtown crew emblazoned upon several small crates. As they investigated the scene, Talos heard the low rumble of a cat-type creature coming from the nearby forest. The sound seemed to travel every few minutes to different sides of the path, and the heroes quickly grew worried that they were being stalked. Sure enough, something lashed out from the forest striking Talos on the back with a rasping, sharp pain, yanking him toward the treeline and knocking him to his knees. As he collected himself, Talos found a pair of glowing yellow cat eyes staring at him through the thicket. A large, sleek-black feline creature with six legs and hovering tentacle-like appendages emerged from the forest and combat ensued.
The displacer beast made quick work of Talos (but not before he managed to hurl a lightning bolt igniting the forest). Doc and Fhasys found it incredibly difficult to hit the animal due to some strange "blurring" effect. The creature seemed to periodically phase-shift, making it hard to know where to aim. After a few rounds, another cat came bounding up the path to join the fray. Ultimately, the heroes were victorious albeit badly wounded. They limped their way further South, out of range of the now raging forest fire, and set up camp for a short rest.
Talos, still consumed by a compulsion to visit the ruins, took the party off-path toward the East. He seemed to intuitively know how to get to the ruins. As they traveled, they crossed a large stream leading from a lake far to the North. Talos noticed a warm, golden shimmer coming through the trees by the lake and they decided to visit on the way back. Further still, the forest opened up into another crude path on which the heroes encountered a lone, wandering half-elf ranger named Trace who seemed to know exactly where Talos was headed. Trace offered his assistance to get them through the last stretch of forest and to the ruins themselves, but once they got there things got weird.
Trace vanished and then re-appeared at the far end of the ruins dressed as a robed acolyte. Talos and Doc became overcome with a desire to move to the center of the ruins and stand on a large stone pedestal while the robed person began chanting in a strange language. The sky began to grow dark, the winds picked up swirling around the pedestal, and Fhasys got the heebie-jeebies. She launched a bolt at the acolyte but missed. Her second bolt hit the robed figure, momentarily staggering him and halting the chant. His form shape shifted into a strange, tall, hairless blue humanoid and the wound only increased his resolve to finish the ritual. With his final words, the veil of illusion around the ruins fell revealing a circle of acolytes surrounding the party and a far more dark and twisted forest. A rift appeared in the air above Doc and Talos and, as Fhasys stared skyward horrified of what was to come, a pair of large insectoid claws pushed their way through into their dimension. Doc and Talos lit up with excitement in anticipation of what was to come. They'd finally made it home.
Monday, July 27, 2015
The Story Of Bigzid
Clan Phiff was one of the largest and oldest Dragonborn tribes that had settled in the mountains north of Erenon after the Loosening that had freed them of their full-size dragon overseers. Known for their acid breath, Bigzid's line had held their territory for ten generations. Through guile and providence, they held a pinch point in the mountains where they would raid passersby and, as they became more civilized, traded with them. A settlement with three or four larger buildings with defensible gates slowly began to take foothold. The Dragonborn clans evolved into a strict patriarchy and the Phiff family was no exception.
Leadership in the family meant chieftainship of the town, and Bigzid was the second son to Tyee Ickfam, the current chief of Phifferary. Bigzid's elder brother had been born mentally handicapped, subject to fits, and was rarely to be seen in daylight. This might have been an easy succession for
Bigzid, but Ickfam had siblings and thus cousins arrived.
Molzahn was thought initially to suffer from the same mania as Gix, Bigzid's elder brother; he'd killed and eaten most of his litter mates when the opportunity arose. The difference, however, was that Gix didn't have the mind to wait until he was unwatched. Molzahn, ambitious from the beginning, was eldest of Ickfam's sister and possibly illegitimate as there were questions as to how her elderly husband could manage to sire children in his ill health. Molzahn, after coming of age, sought after the "prize of the mountain passes" -- a cold-breather from House Ouroborus named Llyra and a prize coveted by Bigzid as well.
Naturally, Molzahn and Bigzid both feuded over the hand of Llyra. These clashes grew increasingly bitter as they grew older and their enmity divided the tiny colony. There were those who cheered Molzahn's victory at all costs and envisioned his combining Phiff and Ouroboros for the good of both houses. Bigzid, the far superior physical specimen, appealed to those who adhered to the Dragonborn faith in the hunt. Hunting was among the first things necessary when the Dragonborn needed to fend for themselves and their affinity for the spear and halberd was a point of pride and religion for them. Bigzid had been training since boyhood to embark on his Provenance, which would take place at 25 (in human years) to the south in the Sands of Olais. The Provenance hunt was the most certain method to ascend to Tyee. Bagging the legendary giant purple worm would seal Bigzid's rulership and secure Llyra's hand, despite her taste for Molzahn's words and ambition.
Ickfam, for his part, simply wanted the best for the Clan. No challenges would a soft leader make. His son's success in his Provenance, in spite of Molzahn's politics and scheming, would be proof of his readiness and fortitude. He wasted no time in calling the ceremony after Bigzid's
25th birthday. It was a must that the drake in question ride out alone and encounter what he would on the way to the Sands. It had been three generations since a truly successful Provenance hunt. The giant worm was the symbol of freedom from the yoke of the Dragon and there was no better trophy for the future Tyee.
On the day of the departure, all of the Ouroboros clan arrived in Phifferary to join the festivities and revel in their shared peace. At sundown, a mounted Bigzid rode toward the gate. Molzahn, standing next to Llyra, wouldn't look in his direction as he rode by. Many ancestors didn't return from Provenances, eventually swallowed by the sands. Still, it was tough not to feel certain as the vibrating hisses of assent followed the son of Ickfam out the gate to the swirling Sands.
After several days of scouting and reading the land for signs of the giant worm, the creature finally made its presence known. Bigzid mounted his horse and gave chase. The worm was far more enormous and menacing than he could have ever dreamed, and somewhere in his gut he knew it would be too much for he alone to tackle, yet the Dragon blood drove him forward. Bigzid chased the worm for two days straight, driving his mount to near exhaustion, when he nearly trampled over a quartet of stranded adventurers in the desert.
Leadership in the family meant chieftainship of the town, and Bigzid was the second son to Tyee Ickfam, the current chief of Phifferary. Bigzid's elder brother had been born mentally handicapped, subject to fits, and was rarely to be seen in daylight. This might have been an easy succession for
Bigzid, but Ickfam had siblings and thus cousins arrived.
Molzahn was thought initially to suffer from the same mania as Gix, Bigzid's elder brother; he'd killed and eaten most of his litter mates when the opportunity arose. The difference, however, was that Gix didn't have the mind to wait until he was unwatched. Molzahn, ambitious from the beginning, was eldest of Ickfam's sister and possibly illegitimate as there were questions as to how her elderly husband could manage to sire children in his ill health. Molzahn, after coming of age, sought after the "prize of the mountain passes" -- a cold-breather from House Ouroborus named Llyra and a prize coveted by Bigzid as well.
Naturally, Molzahn and Bigzid both feuded over the hand of Llyra. These clashes grew increasingly bitter as they grew older and their enmity divided the tiny colony. There were those who cheered Molzahn's victory at all costs and envisioned his combining Phiff and Ouroboros for the good of both houses. Bigzid, the far superior physical specimen, appealed to those who adhered to the Dragonborn faith in the hunt. Hunting was among the first things necessary when the Dragonborn needed to fend for themselves and their affinity for the spear and halberd was a point of pride and religion for them. Bigzid had been training since boyhood to embark on his Provenance, which would take place at 25 (in human years) to the south in the Sands of Olais. The Provenance hunt was the most certain method to ascend to Tyee. Bagging the legendary giant purple worm would seal Bigzid's rulership and secure Llyra's hand, despite her taste for Molzahn's words and ambition.
Ickfam, for his part, simply wanted the best for the Clan. No challenges would a soft leader make. His son's success in his Provenance, in spite of Molzahn's politics and scheming, would be proof of his readiness and fortitude. He wasted no time in calling the ceremony after Bigzid's
25th birthday. It was a must that the drake in question ride out alone and encounter what he would on the way to the Sands. It had been three generations since a truly successful Provenance hunt. The giant worm was the symbol of freedom from the yoke of the Dragon and there was no better trophy for the future Tyee.
On the day of the departure, all of the Ouroboros clan arrived in Phifferary to join the festivities and revel in their shared peace. At sundown, a mounted Bigzid rode toward the gate. Molzahn, standing next to Llyra, wouldn't look in his direction as he rode by. Many ancestors didn't return from Provenances, eventually swallowed by the sands. Still, it was tough not to feel certain as the vibrating hisses of assent followed the son of Ickfam out the gate to the swirling Sands.
After several days of scouting and reading the land for signs of the giant worm, the creature finally made its presence known. Bigzid mounted his horse and gave chase. The worm was far more enormous and menacing than he could have ever dreamed, and somewhere in his gut he knew it would be too much for he alone to tackle, yet the Dragon blood drove him forward. Bigzid chased the worm for two days straight, driving his mount to near exhaustion, when he nearly trampled over a quartet of stranded adventurers in the desert.
Monday, July 20, 2015
Episode 17, "Not Like We Left It"
After checking their stocks of food and water, the heroes discussed options as to how to most safely travel back to Quanlo - a 30 mile walk South through the unforgiving desert. Deciding to accept the heightened risk of encounters, the party opted to travel under the cool blanket of night and set out on their trek.
The first night passed by fairly uneventful, and as day broke they set out to find shelter. Doc, scouring the mostly featureless and flat horizon, spotted a darkened spot in the shadow of a giant boulder nearby... likely some sort of burrow or hole. Fhasys headed over to investigate, and cautiously made her way down a long, rough-carved dirt tunnel sloping beneath the boulder overhead. After a brief walk, the tunnel leveled out and opened into a wider area, walls covered in a multitude of openings that were too dark to see into. As she investigated the holes in the dirt room, Fhasys was nearly struck by some type of blue metallic appendage, sharp and lethal, that jabbed out from one of the wall holes nearest her. Once she'd caught her breath, she took another careful look and saw the silhouette of a large spider.
Heading back out topside, Fhasys explained the predicament to the group-there was shelter enough for all, but they'd have to clear out some spiders first. The party agreed that a few spiders would be better than dying of heat exhaustion and headed down into the tunnel. Combat ensued.
Three phase spiders blinked into existence, immediately surrounding the party and attacking in a blur of razor-like teeth and claws. The heroes had never encountered these particular spiders before and were quite taken by surprise, but they ultimately prevailed. Vyreth searched the corpses for useful chitin or venom, but didn't possess the skill needed to properly extract either. They cleaned up a bit and set up shop for a day of sleep.
In the night, on Talos' watch, one final spider phased-in and ambushed the meditating elf. The last spider having been slain, the heroes tucked themselves in one more time in hopes of a solid night's sleep...
They woke up well rested and climbed out of their spider hole back into the blue moonlit desert for the final leg of their journey. As they stood around bickering and discussing the prior night's events, the ground beneath them began to vibrate and then shake. A huge dust cloud appeared on the distant horizon, and despite the continual shaking underfoot, the heroes stood their ground in curious anticipation. The shaking grew in intensity as they watched the cloud draw slowly closer and a few heroes struggled to stay on their feet. Then, just in front of the approaching dirt cloud, a giant purple worm breached the surface of the desert and-after a momentary arc up through the air-plowed back underground once more. The shaking intensified.
Bigzid, a dragonborn of a local mountain clan, was on the chase of his life! But, after pursuing this humongous worm for nearly two days straight, he and his horse were beginning to tire. He'd chucked a spear or two at the immense creature to no effect, and no matter how fast he rode the worm casually ambled onward just out of reach. Still, he was intent on bringing back this trophy to his peers to prove his value as a hunter.
In the flurry of dust being kicked up by the worm, not to mention the nearly deafening sound created by all the rocks breaking-up all around them, Bigzid barely heard someone yelling through the chaos. Then, in the blink of an eye, his horse instinctively veered off course to avoid four humanoid figures standing dumbfounded right in his path. The image stuck in his mind for a few moments, eliciting enough curiosity to derail him from the chase, and his horse skidded to a halt some hundred feet out. Knowing there really was no way in hell that he could actually bag this monster, Bigzid decided instead to discover these rare desert travelers.
Offering his skills as a desert guide, Bigzid lead the heroes the rest of the way to Quanlo safely. However, once the foothills appeared in the distance, it was clear that something was amiss. A huge swath of campsites dotted the area surrounding the canyon entrance to Quanlo-a strange sight to behold. Perhaps there was some sort of massive event going on in town? The heroes drew closer and Talos approached some random campers to inquire.
As it turned out, a small horde of undead had descended upon Quanlo, forcing the barring of the city gates and displacing hundreds of travelers heading that way. Doc, Vyreth, Fhasys and Bigzid headed into the canyons to investigate the situation while Talos looked for anyone who might be in charge of the ramshackle settlement. He found one old man, quite snarky and cynical, who rebuffed his initial attempts at persuasion to conscript a peasant army to fight the legions of undead. But, as Talos was full aware, this was a perfect situation for Suggestion. Eventually, the rest of the party reconvened in the encampment and the old man had set off (under Talos' advice) to find the best fighters among the civilians for an assault.
Bigzid gave a rabble-rousing speech to the conscripts and the crew headed into the canyons toward Quanlo. As they grew nearer to the city walls, the sound of screaming and clashing of metal echoed off the canyon walls. A black morass of undead globbed around the walls like some disease infesting the city, a handful of well armored Iron Gate guards hacked their way through the mob valiantly, and archers rained down arrows from the parapets. Even closer and the stench of rotting flesh became so overpowering that some heroes couldn't help but stagger and retch. By their estimates, there were around 60 undead-a mix of skeletons, zombies, and ghasts-and 12 soldiers defending the walls on the ground. Bigzid tried his best to "pull" onesie-twosies from the mob into his civilian defense force as Talos levitated himself (and a rope) up the side of the wall.
The archers atop the wall, upon seeing a robed elven mage casually levitating at their level, were a bit surprised to say the least. They trained their bows on Talos and summoned the sergeant, who ended up being highly skeptical of his honest approach. Eventually, the sergeant acquiesced, escorting Talos into the mages guild to meet with Reeser about the tomb. As they walked away, Talos anchored a long rope beneath the wall ledge using Mage Hand and all but Bigzid climbed to safety.
The black dragon circled overhead as a massive battle ensued. Fhasys joined the archers launching arrows down into the fray while Vyreth and Doc exhausted their spell supply. Huge lightning storms erupted above the mass of undead, frying dozens to a crisp, and Bigzid worked deliberately to pull small groups of undead into his conscript force.
Talos, meanwhile, me with Reeser to discuss the details of their findings in the Tomb of Urzaan. Reeser was confused and concerned by the mention of the scepter they'd handed over to the ancient black dragon, but admitted that he knew nothing of either. During this discussion, Talos spotted a mage standing near a doorway across the room suddenly grab his things and shuffle off down the hall muttering, "It can't be... It simply can't be!" Reeser committed to sending a group of mages to Lehren to seal the Embershale mine, as promised, and Talos headed back out to the walls.
Many of the Gate soldiers perished during the battle, but ultimately the wall was freed of the putrid invasion. The dragon, spotting the heroes below, dive-bombed and blasted a wide swath of acid across the path into the city immediately melting the conscripts and causing some damage to Bigzid. Talos, seeing the dragon come barreling down through the canyon, rushed down to the inner walls and persuaded the guards to crack the gate so he could come inside.
As the Quanlo guard gathered around the heroes cheering their victory, a knot formed in their stomachs... Was this invasion somehow related to the scepter they handed over to the dragon a couple nights prior, outside the tomb?
The first night passed by fairly uneventful, and as day broke they set out to find shelter. Doc, scouring the mostly featureless and flat horizon, spotted a darkened spot in the shadow of a giant boulder nearby... likely some sort of burrow or hole. Fhasys headed over to investigate, and cautiously made her way down a long, rough-carved dirt tunnel sloping beneath the boulder overhead. After a brief walk, the tunnel leveled out and opened into a wider area, walls covered in a multitude of openings that were too dark to see into. As she investigated the holes in the dirt room, Fhasys was nearly struck by some type of blue metallic appendage, sharp and lethal, that jabbed out from one of the wall holes nearest her. Once she'd caught her breath, she took another careful look and saw the silhouette of a large spider.
Heading back out topside, Fhasys explained the predicament to the group-there was shelter enough for all, but they'd have to clear out some spiders first. The party agreed that a few spiders would be better than dying of heat exhaustion and headed down into the tunnel. Combat ensued.
Three phase spiders blinked into existence, immediately surrounding the party and attacking in a blur of razor-like teeth and claws. The heroes had never encountered these particular spiders before and were quite taken by surprise, but they ultimately prevailed. Vyreth searched the corpses for useful chitin or venom, but didn't possess the skill needed to properly extract either. They cleaned up a bit and set up shop for a day of sleep.
In the night, on Talos' watch, one final spider phased-in and ambushed the meditating elf. The last spider having been slain, the heroes tucked themselves in one more time in hopes of a solid night's sleep...
They woke up well rested and climbed out of their spider hole back into the blue moonlit desert for the final leg of their journey. As they stood around bickering and discussing the prior night's events, the ground beneath them began to vibrate and then shake. A huge dust cloud appeared on the distant horizon, and despite the continual shaking underfoot, the heroes stood their ground in curious anticipation. The shaking grew in intensity as they watched the cloud draw slowly closer and a few heroes struggled to stay on their feet. Then, just in front of the approaching dirt cloud, a giant purple worm breached the surface of the desert and-after a momentary arc up through the air-plowed back underground once more. The shaking intensified.
Bigzid, a dragonborn of a local mountain clan, was on the chase of his life! But, after pursuing this humongous worm for nearly two days straight, he and his horse were beginning to tire. He'd chucked a spear or two at the immense creature to no effect, and no matter how fast he rode the worm casually ambled onward just out of reach. Still, he was intent on bringing back this trophy to his peers to prove his value as a hunter.
In the flurry of dust being kicked up by the worm, not to mention the nearly deafening sound created by all the rocks breaking-up all around them, Bigzid barely heard someone yelling through the chaos. Then, in the blink of an eye, his horse instinctively veered off course to avoid four humanoid figures standing dumbfounded right in his path. The image stuck in his mind for a few moments, eliciting enough curiosity to derail him from the chase, and his horse skidded to a halt some hundred feet out. Knowing there really was no way in hell that he could actually bag this monster, Bigzid decided instead to discover these rare desert travelers.
Offering his skills as a desert guide, Bigzid lead the heroes the rest of the way to Quanlo safely. However, once the foothills appeared in the distance, it was clear that something was amiss. A huge swath of campsites dotted the area surrounding the canyon entrance to Quanlo-a strange sight to behold. Perhaps there was some sort of massive event going on in town? The heroes drew closer and Talos approached some random campers to inquire.
As it turned out, a small horde of undead had descended upon Quanlo, forcing the barring of the city gates and displacing hundreds of travelers heading that way. Doc, Vyreth, Fhasys and Bigzid headed into the canyons to investigate the situation while Talos looked for anyone who might be in charge of the ramshackle settlement. He found one old man, quite snarky and cynical, who rebuffed his initial attempts at persuasion to conscript a peasant army to fight the legions of undead. But, as Talos was full aware, this was a perfect situation for Suggestion. Eventually, the rest of the party reconvened in the encampment and the old man had set off (under Talos' advice) to find the best fighters among the civilians for an assault.
Bigzid gave a rabble-rousing speech to the conscripts and the crew headed into the canyons toward Quanlo. As they grew nearer to the city walls, the sound of screaming and clashing of metal echoed off the canyon walls. A black morass of undead globbed around the walls like some disease infesting the city, a handful of well armored Iron Gate guards hacked their way through the mob valiantly, and archers rained down arrows from the parapets. Even closer and the stench of rotting flesh became so overpowering that some heroes couldn't help but stagger and retch. By their estimates, there were around 60 undead-a mix of skeletons, zombies, and ghasts-and 12 soldiers defending the walls on the ground. Bigzid tried his best to "pull" onesie-twosies from the mob into his civilian defense force as Talos levitated himself (and a rope) up the side of the wall.
The archers atop the wall, upon seeing a robed elven mage casually levitating at their level, were a bit surprised to say the least. They trained their bows on Talos and summoned the sergeant, who ended up being highly skeptical of his honest approach. Eventually, the sergeant acquiesced, escorting Talos into the mages guild to meet with Reeser about the tomb. As they walked away, Talos anchored a long rope beneath the wall ledge using Mage Hand and all but Bigzid climbed to safety.
The black dragon circled overhead as a massive battle ensued. Fhasys joined the archers launching arrows down into the fray while Vyreth and Doc exhausted their spell supply. Huge lightning storms erupted above the mass of undead, frying dozens to a crisp, and Bigzid worked deliberately to pull small groups of undead into his conscript force.
Talos, meanwhile, me with Reeser to discuss the details of their findings in the Tomb of Urzaan. Reeser was confused and concerned by the mention of the scepter they'd handed over to the ancient black dragon, but admitted that he knew nothing of either. During this discussion, Talos spotted a mage standing near a doorway across the room suddenly grab his things and shuffle off down the hall muttering, "It can't be... It simply can't be!" Reeser committed to sending a group of mages to Lehren to seal the Embershale mine, as promised, and Talos headed back out to the walls.
Many of the Gate soldiers perished during the battle, but ultimately the wall was freed of the putrid invasion. The dragon, spotting the heroes below, dive-bombed and blasted a wide swath of acid across the path into the city immediately melting the conscripts and causing some damage to Bigzid. Talos, seeing the dragon come barreling down through the canyon, rushed down to the inner walls and persuaded the guards to crack the gate so he could come inside.
As the Quanlo guard gathered around the heroes cheering their victory, a knot formed in their stomachs... Was this invasion somehow related to the scepter they handed over to the dragon a couple nights prior, outside the tomb?
Monday, June 29, 2015
Episode 16, "A Soul Reunion"
The heroes. somewhat bruised from their recent battle with a handful of specters and wights in the throne room, decide to try and squeeze in another long rest before tackling the last stretch of the tomb. Unfortunately, Urzaan's tomb is a fairly active place... During the second half of their rest, Talos is alerted (during his meditation) to the presence of two specters and combat ensues. The party goes back to sleep again hoping for 4 hours of R&R, this time with Talos and Fhasys on watch. A lone skeleton makes an appearance in the yet-to-be-explored tunnel past the demolished wooden doorway. Talos and Fhasys decide to handle it themselves without waking the rest, and Fhasys handily destroys the pile of animated bones with a couple crossbow bolts.
As Fhasys searches the remains of the skeleton, the rest of the party wakes up feeling refreshed. Doc takes to investigating the wrought iron bramble throne and spots three onyx crossbow bolts woven into the metal framework. Talos, curiosity piqued, provides assistance via Mage Hand, which manages to dislodge one of the bolts but can't thread it all the way out of the tangled iron structure. Doc flexes his muscles and bends some of the ironwork out of the way--just enough for the Mage Hand to lift the bolts out... and into Fhasys' open and eager hand.
Upon contact, the shiny black bolts radiate a searing cold through her hand and the veins on her palm begin to turn purple, radiating some sort of poison or disease. Fhasys immediately chucks the bolts into her quiver, and the cold can even be felt through the leather bindings into her shoulder! Doc attends to her now pale and spidery hand by asking Apollo for a blessing. In a stunning turn of fortune, Apollo listens and her hand returns to normal. Fhasys' curiosity remains piqued.
The group presses onward, through the ruined doorway and into another rough carved tunnel that soon opens into a small, shallow muddy creek bisecting the tunnel floor, roughly 20' across. As they stood at the shore of the creek pondering how to cross, Vyreth spots some purpleish fabric flowing in the water in a small alcove upstream and decides to investigate. He discovers two old, robed corpses smashed into the far side of the alcove and reports his findings to the others.
Talos, deciding that he needs a more dedicated and trustworthy friend, animates one of the corpses. The figure manages to crawl out of the alcove, shuffles over to Talos, and stands upright awaiting command. Around its neck hangs another of the "eye" medallions, similar to one found earlier on in the tomb. Talos decides to use his new friend to hold his belongings like some undead pack mule, and--not having a will or conscious of its own--the corpse obeys. Watching this interaction, the rest of the party grows somewhat uneasy with Talos' new found fetish for the undead. First an imp, now a zombie... What next?
Talos sends his zombie back into the alcove to drag out his long-since-deceased companion. The other corpse is significantly disfigured, limbs twisted and contorted as if having been slammed by an immense blunt force. While Talos investigates the second corpse, Doc crawls into the alcove to make sure nothing's been left behind. Scraping some rocks and mud away, he discovers a deep red crystal ball affixed to some sort of ancient bird-like claw, the orb itself slowly pulsing with a red glow. Showing the new trinket to the group, Talos immediately recognizes it as some sort of phylactery--a container for some ancient dragon's soul. After a few minutes of brainstorming the significance of the find, some unseen force slams Doc 10' forward into the tunnel ahead and staggers him. The party, suddenly terrified and not being able to identify the source of the impact, ready their weapons. Combat ensues.
The heroes lash out in the space between Doc and the rest using both weapons and magic in an attempt to hit their invisible enemy. Some hits land, most do not, and the only clue to this being's existence is an intermittent shimmer when it moves into a new space. Doc gets slammed once more before Talos takes aim with Scorching Ray, illuminating the entirety of this strange, hulking enemy for a brief moment. The creature turns to Fhasys and plows her into the nearby tunnel wall, knocking her immediately unconscious. Every time the creature connects with an attack, a deep, windy voice seems to groan, "Urzaan". Apparently this thing and Urzaan are friends?
Talos, in a deft display of tactical maneuvering and spell casting talent, whips just out of LoS with the party and unleashes a nasty lightning bolt which completely incinerates their assailant on the spot. Stunned in disbelief, the heroes pause to catch their breath and figure out what just happened. Vyreth manages to bring Fhasys back to consciousness using healing magic, and Talos casually offers up one of his unidentified purple potions to top her off. Fhasys throws caution to the wind and quaffs the brew, immediately puffing out of corporeal form and into a cloud of fog. Delighted with the turn of events, Fhasys floats away down the tunnel to scout and reports back using a series of jiggles and bounces (she can't speak in this form). The group continues onward, but forgets that Fhasys was their key trap finder... Doc steps on another pressure plate and is hit with several poison darts. Luckily, his stout constitution prevents any significant damage. Talos sends his zombie to the front of the party to absorb the next round of poison darts, and the crew finally emerges into a large open chamber.
A jagged, blackened rock formation seems to sprout from the floor on the opposite side of the room, in which has been carved an ornate stone gateway of sorts. Through the gateway is nothing but a dirt wall, confounding the party for a moment until Talos realizes it's some sort of deactivated portal. The heroes light two large braziers hoping that it will somehow awaken the portal, but nothing happens. Having had reached the end of the final tunnel in Urzaan's tomb, the party turns back and makes the long trek back to the surface.
The crew emerges into the darkness of night, and immediately notices that the illusory bubble that had been swirling around the tomb entrance is no more. Looking around for their ride back to Quanlo, they find only the silhouette of a humongous ancient undead dragon lying in wait. The dragon awakens and casually welcomes the heroes, thanking them for their "help". Recognizing the dragon as the same who visited them back in Lehren during the funeral pyre, the heroes humbly ask for a ride back to town as the remains of their cart and driver now lay smashed beneath one of the dragon's claws. Unfortunately, the dragon is here for one thing... the phylactery.
Stretching its gigantic, decaying neck and head toward the heroes, the dragon takes a massive sniff and locates the object in Doc's pack. Realizing he has little recourse, Doc hands the dragon the phylactery... The dragon pops the crystal ball like candy between two huge teeth and the heroes watch, helpless, as its soul reunites with its body. Once again, Vyreth asks for a ride back to town but the dragon clearly has better things to do. It takes flight kicking up a huge sandstorm and disappears into the night, leaving the party with only a few remaining hours of cool night before the scorching heat of the desert will return in an attempt to claim their lives.
As Fhasys searches the remains of the skeleton, the rest of the party wakes up feeling refreshed. Doc takes to investigating the wrought iron bramble throne and spots three onyx crossbow bolts woven into the metal framework. Talos, curiosity piqued, provides assistance via Mage Hand, which manages to dislodge one of the bolts but can't thread it all the way out of the tangled iron structure. Doc flexes his muscles and bends some of the ironwork out of the way--just enough for the Mage Hand to lift the bolts out... and into Fhasys' open and eager hand.
Upon contact, the shiny black bolts radiate a searing cold through her hand and the veins on her palm begin to turn purple, radiating some sort of poison or disease. Fhasys immediately chucks the bolts into her quiver, and the cold can even be felt through the leather bindings into her shoulder! Doc attends to her now pale and spidery hand by asking Apollo for a blessing. In a stunning turn of fortune, Apollo listens and her hand returns to normal. Fhasys' curiosity remains piqued.
The group presses onward, through the ruined doorway and into another rough carved tunnel that soon opens into a small, shallow muddy creek bisecting the tunnel floor, roughly 20' across. As they stood at the shore of the creek pondering how to cross, Vyreth spots some purpleish fabric flowing in the water in a small alcove upstream and decides to investigate. He discovers two old, robed corpses smashed into the far side of the alcove and reports his findings to the others.
Talos, deciding that he needs a more dedicated and trustworthy friend, animates one of the corpses. The figure manages to crawl out of the alcove, shuffles over to Talos, and stands upright awaiting command. Around its neck hangs another of the "eye" medallions, similar to one found earlier on in the tomb. Talos decides to use his new friend to hold his belongings like some undead pack mule, and--not having a will or conscious of its own--the corpse obeys. Watching this interaction, the rest of the party grows somewhat uneasy with Talos' new found fetish for the undead. First an imp, now a zombie... What next?
Talos sends his zombie back into the alcove to drag out his long-since-deceased companion. The other corpse is significantly disfigured, limbs twisted and contorted as if having been slammed by an immense blunt force. While Talos investigates the second corpse, Doc crawls into the alcove to make sure nothing's been left behind. Scraping some rocks and mud away, he discovers a deep red crystal ball affixed to some sort of ancient bird-like claw, the orb itself slowly pulsing with a red glow. Showing the new trinket to the group, Talos immediately recognizes it as some sort of phylactery--a container for some ancient dragon's soul. After a few minutes of brainstorming the significance of the find, some unseen force slams Doc 10' forward into the tunnel ahead and staggers him. The party, suddenly terrified and not being able to identify the source of the impact, ready their weapons. Combat ensues.
The heroes lash out in the space between Doc and the rest using both weapons and magic in an attempt to hit their invisible enemy. Some hits land, most do not, and the only clue to this being's existence is an intermittent shimmer when it moves into a new space. Doc gets slammed once more before Talos takes aim with Scorching Ray, illuminating the entirety of this strange, hulking enemy for a brief moment. The creature turns to Fhasys and plows her into the nearby tunnel wall, knocking her immediately unconscious. Every time the creature connects with an attack, a deep, windy voice seems to groan, "Urzaan". Apparently this thing and Urzaan are friends?
Talos, in a deft display of tactical maneuvering and spell casting talent, whips just out of LoS with the party and unleashes a nasty lightning bolt which completely incinerates their assailant on the spot. Stunned in disbelief, the heroes pause to catch their breath and figure out what just happened. Vyreth manages to bring Fhasys back to consciousness using healing magic, and Talos casually offers up one of his unidentified purple potions to top her off. Fhasys throws caution to the wind and quaffs the brew, immediately puffing out of corporeal form and into a cloud of fog. Delighted with the turn of events, Fhasys floats away down the tunnel to scout and reports back using a series of jiggles and bounces (she can't speak in this form). The group continues onward, but forgets that Fhasys was their key trap finder... Doc steps on another pressure plate and is hit with several poison darts. Luckily, his stout constitution prevents any significant damage. Talos sends his zombie to the front of the party to absorb the next round of poison darts, and the crew finally emerges into a large open chamber.
A jagged, blackened rock formation seems to sprout from the floor on the opposite side of the room, in which has been carved an ornate stone gateway of sorts. Through the gateway is nothing but a dirt wall, confounding the party for a moment until Talos realizes it's some sort of deactivated portal. The heroes light two large braziers hoping that it will somehow awaken the portal, but nothing happens. Having had reached the end of the final tunnel in Urzaan's tomb, the party turns back and makes the long trek back to the surface.
The crew emerges into the darkness of night, and immediately notices that the illusory bubble that had been swirling around the tomb entrance is no more. Looking around for their ride back to Quanlo, they find only the silhouette of a humongous ancient undead dragon lying in wait. The dragon awakens and casually welcomes the heroes, thanking them for their "help". Recognizing the dragon as the same who visited them back in Lehren during the funeral pyre, the heroes humbly ask for a ride back to town as the remains of their cart and driver now lay smashed beneath one of the dragon's claws. Unfortunately, the dragon is here for one thing... the phylactery.
Stretching its gigantic, decaying neck and head toward the heroes, the dragon takes a massive sniff and locates the object in Doc's pack. Realizing he has little recourse, Doc hands the dragon the phylactery... The dragon pops the crystal ball like candy between two huge teeth and the heroes watch, helpless, as its soul reunites with its body. Once again, Vyreth asks for a ride back to town but the dragon clearly has better things to do. It takes flight kicking up a huge sandstorm and disappears into the night, leaving the party with only a few remaining hours of cool night before the scorching heat of the desert will return in an attempt to claim their lives.
Thursday, June 18, 2015
Episode 15, "Ph4t L3wt and Onward!"
The heroes awoke from a quiet, long rest deep within Urzaan's tomb feeling refreshed and ready to press forward. Talos and Doc shared a strange dream of traveling to the Ruins of Enra together and awakened with an odd compulsion to head to the forest, ASAP. After making their desires known, the lot fiddled around in their packs, suddenly realizing that they had amassed quite a pile of ph4t l3wt that hadn't yet been identified. The crew spent roughly an hour sorting, identifying, and bickering over ownership rights before finally heading back out into the tunnels toward the last junction.
Fhasys turned her attention to her new found rust colored fabric pouch. She found nothing but darkness inside the bag, and when she shook it out a small pink fuzz ball floated out and down to the ground. Using his keen knowledge of arcana, Talos was able to provide some "insight" as to the nature of the pouch and suggested he take it for safe keeping without really explaining why.
Next up was the creepy silver/onyx dagger that Fhasys had picked up, and Talos was able to discern some sort of poisonous, disease-type effect. Finally, Talos placed the "eye" medallion they'd found as being a very old symbol of a fledgling cult or guild.
Doc, having slept with his creepy set of pan flutes, woke up feeling like he knew how to activate them but not quite sure as to what they actually do. Blowing a little ditty, his friends were suddenly overcome with feelings of fear and mistrust which passed as soon as the music abated. The other heroes glared suspiciously at the paladin and advised him not to do that again.
Redistributing and stashing their loot back in their packs, the heroes made their way back to the last junction they could recall, dead-ending at another magically sealed door. Vyreth cast dispel magic and shoved the slab to the side, causing a back draft of foul, putrid and heavy air to wash over them. Save for the few who are immune to disease and poison, the remaining heroes collapsed to the ground retching. As they collected their senses and peered down the dark stairway, they heard the distant sounds of bones scraping against the floor. Feeling significantly more cautious than usual, Talos illuminated a rock with Light and tossed it down the stairs. The rock bounced down for quite a ways until coming to rest at the base, facing a wall where the tunnel veered left. Steeling themselves for yet another encounter, the lot headed downstairs.
The tunnel at the bottom of the stairs opened into a large, dark cavern. Those with darkvision were able to make out a bookshelf and an alchemy table at the far end of the room. Fhasys, in a stunning display of hand-eye coordination, hurled a handful of ball bearings through the entrance and toward the other side, shattering several ceramic dishes sitting on the bookshelf. Nothing stirred.
They tip-toed slowly into the cavern and discovered, laying off to one side, the skeletal remains of a humongous snake! Wasting no time, Fhasys used the element of surprise to blast a crossbow bolt through its neck and combat ensued.
The giant skeletal snake animated and attacked the party with a dark ferocity, casting Sleep and Lightning Bolt to decimate the intruders. Two specters joined the fray, lashing through their flesh with cold icy claws and draining their strength. Fortunately, the heroes prevailed and scored some interesting trinkets from the laboratory.
At this point, there was a heated discussion about whether or not they ought to continue sticking their noses in places of such evil... Talos and Doc, once again, urged the group to abandon the dungeon in light of their dreams the night prior. Fhasys mentioned that "the DM" would want them to continue exploring the rest of the dungeon, a reference mostly lost on the party at-large but likely merely a projection of her own inner desires, and they all seemed in agreement. Onward. But, maybe after another long rest...
Fhasys turned her attention to her new found rust colored fabric pouch. She found nothing but darkness inside the bag, and when she shook it out a small pink fuzz ball floated out and down to the ground. Using his keen knowledge of arcana, Talos was able to provide some "insight" as to the nature of the pouch and suggested he take it for safe keeping without really explaining why.
Next up was the creepy silver/onyx dagger that Fhasys had picked up, and Talos was able to discern some sort of poisonous, disease-type effect. Finally, Talos placed the "eye" medallion they'd found as being a very old symbol of a fledgling cult or guild.
Doc, having slept with his creepy set of pan flutes, woke up feeling like he knew how to activate them but not quite sure as to what they actually do. Blowing a little ditty, his friends were suddenly overcome with feelings of fear and mistrust which passed as soon as the music abated. The other heroes glared suspiciously at the paladin and advised him not to do that again.
Redistributing and stashing their loot back in their packs, the heroes made their way back to the last junction they could recall, dead-ending at another magically sealed door. Vyreth cast dispel magic and shoved the slab to the side, causing a back draft of foul, putrid and heavy air to wash over them. Save for the few who are immune to disease and poison, the remaining heroes collapsed to the ground retching. As they collected their senses and peered down the dark stairway, they heard the distant sounds of bones scraping against the floor. Feeling significantly more cautious than usual, Talos illuminated a rock with Light and tossed it down the stairs. The rock bounced down for quite a ways until coming to rest at the base, facing a wall where the tunnel veered left. Steeling themselves for yet another encounter, the lot headed downstairs.
The tunnel at the bottom of the stairs opened into a large, dark cavern. Those with darkvision were able to make out a bookshelf and an alchemy table at the far end of the room. Fhasys, in a stunning display of hand-eye coordination, hurled a handful of ball bearings through the entrance and toward the other side, shattering several ceramic dishes sitting on the bookshelf. Nothing stirred.
They tip-toed slowly into the cavern and discovered, laying off to one side, the skeletal remains of a humongous snake! Wasting no time, Fhasys used the element of surprise to blast a crossbow bolt through its neck and combat ensued.
The giant skeletal snake animated and attacked the party with a dark ferocity, casting Sleep and Lightning Bolt to decimate the intruders. Two specters joined the fray, lashing through their flesh with cold icy claws and draining their strength. Fortunately, the heroes prevailed and scored some interesting trinkets from the laboratory.
At this point, there was a heated discussion about whether or not they ought to continue sticking their noses in places of such evil... Talos and Doc, once again, urged the group to abandon the dungeon in light of their dreams the night prior. Fhasys mentioned that "the DM" would want them to continue exploring the rest of the dungeon, a reference mostly lost on the party at-large but likely merely a projection of her own inner desires, and they all seemed in agreement. Onward. But, maybe after another long rest...
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