UPDATES: December 15, 2010. Added the Rod of Nature's Wrath, Anor's Blessing, Session 29, and Postmortem.
July 7, 2008. Added session 28 and Nate's Multilayer Ruse.
July 1, 2008. Added session 27, Lotus' Backstory, Master of Storms, Seven Skulls, and the Battle of Scorched Earth
June 23, 2008. Added session 26, and "NMR live" to the NMR poster page.
World Information:
World Background
Maps: Semferia, Waecleft area, Westlay
Kingdoms
War of the Ten Kings
Cities and Shop Inventories
The Battle of Scorched Earth
Characters and Backstories:
Basic Character Information
Flynn's Backstory
Nate's Backstory
Jakob's Backstory
Lotus' Backstory and Master of Storms
Ike's Backstory
Anor's Blessing
Ninja Mongoose Rockstars logo
Ninja Mongoose Rockstars poster
Custom Rules, Spells, and Items:
The Thirsting
The Yuan-ti Taint
Spellsinks
Seven Skulls: a dice-based gambling game
Death and Resurrection Rules
Programmed Constructs
Teleportation Rules
Rules for Spot Checks and Illusions
The Manifold Path
Spells: Shatter Mind Blank, Mass Unluck, Nate's Multilayer Ruse
General Magic Items: Ranger's Compass, Runestaff of Construct Control
Personal/Custom Items: heightened spellshard: unluck, ki straps, Rod of Nature's Wrath, Rod of the Mongoose, Tent of the Flamms
Silent Hunter's Garb: Fox's Bite, Mask of the Fox, Fox's Poise
Session Logs
Chapter 1: Troubled Times
Session 1: wherein six diverse adventurers set out on a road trip and share many odd foods
Session 2: wherein Ike makes jerky out of Lotus' little friend, and an ambush doesn't go according to plan
Session 3: wherein Flynn wears a manly pink badge, a fork attacks, and spies get jacked
Session 4: wherein a messenger gets ninja'd, and an outpost does too
Session 5: wherein Jakob acquires a pen, a bottle of wine, and an inactive golem.
Session 6: wherein Serpenti spies spread sands, and sneaky singers and sorcerers slaughter snakes.
Session 7: wherein organized goblins bring about chaos
Session 8: wherein an arms race leads to blended goblins, a salty giant, and a dead dog
Session 9: wherein an escape from one outpost leads to the retaking of a second and the arrival at a third
Session 10: wherein specialized gear helps the NMR make short work of dinosaurs and dragons
Session 11: wherein the big picture comes into focus, and a dead dog isn't the worst part of Kelzun's day
Chapter 2: Trading Blows
Session 12: wherein an archery contest winner gets a trophy, and arrows beat antimagic
Session 13: wherein a spellsink is captured and an outpost is besieged
Session 14: wherein an outpost, a spellsink manual, and a Ghern commander are captured, and Rojin is defeated
Session 15: wherein some vrocks and wraiths fail in their assaults, and some junior kingsmen are impressed
Session 16: wherein a gazebo on a grassy knoll turns deadly twice
Session 17: wherein prisoners are freed, snakes are killed, and NMR leaves a calling card
Session 18: wherein a failed quest leads to an exploding temple, and the calling card gets bigger
Sessions 19-20: wherein a kingdom is crushed, a king is slain, and a city is buried
Chapter 3: Storm and Shadow
Session 21: wherein Jakob throws dogs and giants, and the undead become merely dead
Session 22: wherein Master Michael's gravesite is the site of another death
Session 23: wherein discretion proves the better part of valor
Session 24: wherein everyone slays their fair share of goblins
Session 25: wherein Flynn thwarts his brother and we thwart some assassins
Session 26: wherein the Ghern become allies, and Nate's bluff fails
Session 27: wherein Nate's old foes, Jakob's deceased master, and Posiccuit's guides join the team
Session 28: wherein five Waste Lords learn the folly of working alone, and eleven adventurers prove the value of teamwork
Session 29: wherein one god is fooled, two gods die, and fate wins out
Postmortem: wherein six players talk about the game
Wednesday, December 15, 2010
Postmortem
1) General thoughts on the campaign
Jeremy: 2 thumbs up
Scott: can't believe you made it all up
Tom: epic scope, and the game grew appropriately
Rachel: got into the story and really cared about it. We were loyal to the land; in Cauldron it was mere convenience. The interwoven backstories helped.
Tony: The political challenges and such were really cool.
Jeremy: I get the sense this was Catherine's playground and she really enjoyed it.
STORY QUESTIONS
2) How was the tone (dark/light)?
Jeremy: It was dark but not discouraging. There was a struggle for all the right reasons.
Tony: much like Anor - struggle builds character.
Jeremy: Flynn mirrored it. Started lighthearted, but grew serious.
Rachel: we're never gonna be serious, but we were anyway.
3) How was the level of mystery?
Jeremy: seemed like Tom and Tony could follow it well.
Tom: the black sand mystery was cool
Catherine: Shackled City's mysteries were too opaque.
Tony: yeah. Enough of these mysteries, we solved ourselves.
4) How about the method of building backstories?
Rachel: was nice. Created a skeleton and then someone creative fleshed it out. Made me get involved.
Scott: Ike not having a backstory... actually worked.
5) Did you like the story?
Everyone: DUH!
WORLD QUESTIONS
6) How was the versimiltude?
Jeremy: for a fantasy world, the interactions were well thought out. Empires and kingdoms had reasons, culture, and history.
Rachel: the whole world had a history.
Tom: the custom mechanics helped.
7) Were the enemies tenacious, credible, and threatening?
Jeremy: always characteristic and intelligent, not just melee basheriffic.
Tom: felt like you were willing to gank us
Jeremy: I wonder if they were tenacious enough. Sometimes they couldn't sustain, like they ran out of big guns.
Tony: yeah, they tended to spread out damage too much.
Tom: because we were so ninja with our illusions and such. Bad guys never knew what to hit, and we could take things that should've been way too big for us. That's what NMR was built for.
Jeremy: yeah, fights were way off the XP table.
8) were the play aids like maps, store lists, and discounts helpful?
All: yes, cool.
Tony: the area discounts were nice and thematic.
9) How was the balance between railroading and too-open?
Jeremy: rubbed up against the rails a little bit but not often. Only one bad experience (the first Kelzun fight.)
10) How was the game difficulty?
Rachel: definitely harder than Shackled City.
Tony: the later stages were easier, but I don't know how much harder they could've been made.
Jeremy: from the Sid Meier comment (easy fun / hard fun) the balance was a little towards easy
Rachel: there were never "you can't win this" fights
Tom: there were plenty of really big fights, both in terms of being really tough and just being large scale
Jeremy: the scale was much better. The fate of the plane hung in the balance
Catherine: we were never the biggest things in the world
Scott: the Lord of the Rings analogy is good. It's on an epic scale.
Jeremy: we're not the focal point of everything, but we're doing key things.
Tom: we could succeed or fail at accomplishing really big things.
11) Balance between text and playing?
Rachel: we were involved in big stories. That helped make the text ok.
Scott: I understand that others need it.
Rachel: the story grew at the end. It was necessary.
Tom: the story enhanced the fights. There's a difference between fighting a huge snake and fighting Senneth, the source of the black sands.
12) What did you think of the custom rules like:
- teleporting - Tony: we were smart enough to use teleport and then dimension door to avoid the delay. Jeremy: worked out more reasonably for both us and the bad guys.
- constructs - Tom: loved the programming, wish we'd used it. Rachel: nice puzzles. Tony: Brilliant.
- Death - Jeremy: far better than cheezy, blocking, anti-cheeze cheeze. Scott: less accounting. Tony: the 5th level revive should've been slower or something. Tom: resurrection quest was great. Success or failure, Flynn will be a better king for trying it.
- the Summoning room - Scott: highlight of the campaign. Rachel: I kept trying to explain it to people during the week. Tony: with such a big level difference, I never expected it. Never thought it could work. Jeremy: I had a little inkling. It seemed inevitable. Rachel: totally worth it. Scott: quote me on it - fucking awesome. Tom: it was a nice capstone. Catherine: it was hard making bad guys who showed what the combined party could do. Everyone: the rune mechanic was cool.
- custom powers and items - Jeremy: cool, limited to a couple of unique things. Rachel: they let my character grow. Tony: I loved items tailored to my character. Tom: good variety between characters. Tony: stacking 3 class levels was nice.
DM STYLE QUESTIONS
13) how was pacing?
Jeremy: you and Tom make a good team. We're a bunch of goofballs and you kinda have to ride us.
Rachel: having a schedule for the epic fight helped.
14) what was your favorite mechanical encounter?
Rachel: the battle of white fields and nuking the temple
Tony: the early goblin fights with good use of terrain
Jeremy: the huge charisma/diplomacy battle with Abel. Heavy involvement there.
Scott: the guys with antimagic tricks
Tom: the fight in Old Rojin. All sorts of abilities at all different levels got used. And I think our answers here show, we're looking for different things from the game and you gave them to us.
Jeremy: and it allowed Catherine to grow.
15) Who were your favorite NPCs?
Tony: Enigma and the giant brothers
Rachel: yep, enigma and Anor
Scott: Snow... oh wait, different campaign...
Catherine: Minnelin
Tom: Abel... he wasn't fully a villain
Jeremy: Crazy Jared
Rachel: he'll always be a favorite
16) who were your favorite villains?
Rachel and Jeremy: Abel
Tony: Vash
Tom: Ghern -- they were lawful and motivated
Scott: Kelzun with the 1/4 mile of death
17) what about your favorite organization or nation?
Catherine: Westlay
Jeremy: agreed, the contests and festivals they held were collegiate, not brutish
Tony: the marruspawn were original, intriguing, and myserious
Tom: the kingsmen
18) what was your favorite story arc or event?
Scott: the epic summon
Jeremy: there are lots to choose from
Rachel: when we saw the mindfog guy back in session 1. Also the stormchild thing
Tom: gathering allies, not just going to bash things
Catherine: Michael and Jakob's quest
Tony: I don't want to sound too selfish, but yeah, those.
19) what was your favorite role-playing by someone else?
Rachel: Jakob donating to orphanages and monasteries
Tony: Flynn and Nate sticking to their roles, and Ike's jerky
Catherine: Nate's pragmatism
Tom: Lotus's different state of mind. Also Ike sleeping, rolling over to crit the wolf, and going back to sleep.
20) what was your favorite session?
Scott: EPIC SUMMON!
Jeremy: we were just rollin' and being funny that whole time.
Tom and Catherine: the cleric scrying on himself.
Rachel: we got so much joy out of that
Scott: taking the bow out of Ike's hands really pissed me off
Tony: Jakob jumping on the nightwing
21) was the boss fight good?
Rachel: very good. Would've got boring if it was longer.
Jeremy: watching Tony unload... damn!
Tom: the enemies had personality
Tony: they felt like good threats, like they could've killed us.
22) what engaged you the most?
Scott: I was always engaged, every week.
Jeremy: that's remarkable. It remained fresh and exciting.
Tony: there's only one group I've had this much fun with. Never had a series of campaigns last this long. Story involvement, characters, backstories...
Rachel: I liked being part of the campaign world and backstory
Tom: I liked watching other players succeed
Jeremy: we all had moments where someone else pulled something off and we're all "YAY"
Catherine: Tony and Tom's synergy scares me
Scott: it felt like I was stealing the show sometimes
Tom: we were all so badass. We all stole the show. And we built good relationships.
Jeremy: you created a playground other people wanted to play in.
Jeremy: 2 thumbs up
Scott: can't believe you made it all up
Tom: epic scope, and the game grew appropriately
Rachel: got into the story and really cared about it. We were loyal to the land; in Cauldron it was mere convenience. The interwoven backstories helped.
Tony: The political challenges and such were really cool.
Jeremy: I get the sense this was Catherine's playground and she really enjoyed it.
STORY QUESTIONS
2) How was the tone (dark/light)?
Jeremy: It was dark but not discouraging. There was a struggle for all the right reasons.
Tony: much like Anor - struggle builds character.
Jeremy: Flynn mirrored it. Started lighthearted, but grew serious.
Rachel: we're never gonna be serious, but we were anyway.
3) How was the level of mystery?
Jeremy: seemed like Tom and Tony could follow it well.
Tom: the black sand mystery was cool
Catherine: Shackled City's mysteries were too opaque.
Tony: yeah. Enough of these mysteries, we solved ourselves.
4) How about the method of building backstories?
Rachel: was nice. Created a skeleton and then someone creative fleshed it out. Made me get involved.
Scott: Ike not having a backstory... actually worked.
5) Did you like the story?
Everyone: DUH!
WORLD QUESTIONS
6) How was the versimiltude?
Jeremy: for a fantasy world, the interactions were well thought out. Empires and kingdoms had reasons, culture, and history.
Rachel: the whole world had a history.
Tom: the custom mechanics helped.
7) Were the enemies tenacious, credible, and threatening?
Jeremy: always characteristic and intelligent, not just melee basheriffic.
Tom: felt like you were willing to gank us
Jeremy: I wonder if they were tenacious enough. Sometimes they couldn't sustain, like they ran out of big guns.
Tony: yeah, they tended to spread out damage too much.
Tom: because we were so ninja with our illusions and such. Bad guys never knew what to hit, and we could take things that should've been way too big for us. That's what NMR was built for.
Jeremy: yeah, fights were way off the XP table.
8) were the play aids like maps, store lists, and discounts helpful?
All: yes, cool.
Tony: the area discounts were nice and thematic.
9) How was the balance between railroading and too-open?
Jeremy: rubbed up against the rails a little bit but not often. Only one bad experience (the first Kelzun fight.)
10) How was the game difficulty?
Rachel: definitely harder than Shackled City.
Tony: the later stages were easier, but I don't know how much harder they could've been made.
Jeremy: from the Sid Meier comment (easy fun / hard fun) the balance was a little towards easy
Rachel: there were never "you can't win this" fights
Tom: there were plenty of really big fights, both in terms of being really tough and just being large scale
Jeremy: the scale was much better. The fate of the plane hung in the balance
Catherine: we were never the biggest things in the world
Scott: the Lord of the Rings analogy is good. It's on an epic scale.
Jeremy: we're not the focal point of everything, but we're doing key things.
Tom: we could succeed or fail at accomplishing really big things.
11) Balance between text and playing?
Rachel: we were involved in big stories. That helped make the text ok.
Scott: I understand that others need it.
Rachel: the story grew at the end. It was necessary.
Tom: the story enhanced the fights. There's a difference between fighting a huge snake and fighting Senneth, the source of the black sands.
12) What did you think of the custom rules like:
- teleporting - Tony: we were smart enough to use teleport and then dimension door to avoid the delay. Jeremy: worked out more reasonably for both us and the bad guys.
- constructs - Tom: loved the programming, wish we'd used it. Rachel: nice puzzles. Tony: Brilliant.
- Death - Jeremy: far better than cheezy, blocking, anti-cheeze cheeze. Scott: less accounting. Tony: the 5th level revive should've been slower or something. Tom: resurrection quest was great. Success or failure, Flynn will be a better king for trying it.
- the Summoning room - Scott: highlight of the campaign. Rachel: I kept trying to explain it to people during the week. Tony: with such a big level difference, I never expected it. Never thought it could work. Jeremy: I had a little inkling. It seemed inevitable. Rachel: totally worth it. Scott: quote me on it - fucking awesome. Tom: it was a nice capstone. Catherine: it was hard making bad guys who showed what the combined party could do. Everyone: the rune mechanic was cool.
- custom powers and items - Jeremy: cool, limited to a couple of unique things. Rachel: they let my character grow. Tony: I loved items tailored to my character. Tom: good variety between characters. Tony: stacking 3 class levels was nice.
DM STYLE QUESTIONS
13) how was pacing?
Jeremy: you and Tom make a good team. We're a bunch of goofballs and you kinda have to ride us.
Rachel: having a schedule for the epic fight helped.
14) what was your favorite mechanical encounter?
Rachel: the battle of white fields and nuking the temple
Tony: the early goblin fights with good use of terrain
Jeremy: the huge charisma/diplomacy battle with Abel. Heavy involvement there.
Scott: the guys with antimagic tricks
Tom: the fight in Old Rojin. All sorts of abilities at all different levels got used. And I think our answers here show, we're looking for different things from the game and you gave them to us.
Jeremy: and it allowed Catherine to grow.
15) Who were your favorite NPCs?
Tony: Enigma and the giant brothers
Rachel: yep, enigma and Anor
Scott: Snow... oh wait, different campaign...
Catherine: Minnelin
Tom: Abel... he wasn't fully a villain
Jeremy: Crazy Jared
Rachel: he'll always be a favorite
16) who were your favorite villains?
Rachel and Jeremy: Abel
Tony: Vash
Tom: Ghern -- they were lawful and motivated
Scott: Kelzun with the 1/4 mile of death
17) what about your favorite organization or nation?
Catherine: Westlay
Jeremy: agreed, the contests and festivals they held were collegiate, not brutish
Tony: the marruspawn were original, intriguing, and myserious
Tom: the kingsmen
18) what was your favorite story arc or event?
Scott: the epic summon
Jeremy: there are lots to choose from
Rachel: when we saw the mindfog guy back in session 1. Also the stormchild thing
Tom: gathering allies, not just going to bash things
Catherine: Michael and Jakob's quest
Tony: I don't want to sound too selfish, but yeah, those.
19) what was your favorite role-playing by someone else?
Rachel: Jakob donating to orphanages and monasteries
Tony: Flynn and Nate sticking to their roles, and Ike's jerky
Catherine: Nate's pragmatism
Tom: Lotus's different state of mind. Also Ike sleeping, rolling over to crit the wolf, and going back to sleep.
20) what was your favorite session?
Scott: EPIC SUMMON!
Jeremy: we were just rollin' and being funny that whole time.
Tom and Catherine: the cleric scrying on himself.
Rachel: we got so much joy out of that
Scott: taking the bow out of Ike's hands really pissed me off
Tony: Jakob jumping on the nightwing
21) was the boss fight good?
Rachel: very good. Would've got boring if it was longer.
Jeremy: watching Tony unload... damn!
Tom: the enemies had personality
Tony: they felt like good threats, like they could've killed us.
22) what engaged you the most?
Scott: I was always engaged, every week.
Jeremy: that's remarkable. It remained fresh and exciting.
Tony: there's only one group I've had this much fun with. Never had a series of campaigns last this long. Story involvement, characters, backstories...
Rachel: I liked being part of the campaign world and backstory
Tom: I liked watching other players succeed
Jeremy: we all had moments where someone else pulled something off and we're all "YAY"
Catherine: Tony and Tom's synergy scares me
Scott: it felt like I was stealing the show sometimes
Tom: we were all so badass. We all stole the show. And we built good relationships.
Jeremy: you created a playground other people wanted to play in.
Session 29/52, 2008-07-10: Shadow and Storm
Session 29/52: wherein one god is fooled, two gods die, and fate wins out
Players (Characters)
Scott (Filthy Ike; Rain)
Jeremy (Flynn Flamm; Grokk)
Tony (Brother Jakob's ghost; Roland; Amber)
Rachel (Lotus; Horkina)
Tom (Nathaniel Graythorne; Garlen)
DM: Catherine
As the parties stood in Anor's grove, Anor spoke once more: "Last comes the destroyer." A sandstorm arose, blowing everyone but Horkina and Rain back into the trees, and a huge black cobra emerged next to Anor. The cobra god Senneth bit at Anor, poisoning the great tree, and Anor's thunder blew Senneth back. As Anor began to wither and die, the parties materialized in a small plane that looked much like Anor's sacred grove. At its center, where Anor would be, was instead a plaque that read as follows:
-----
Semferia is a small plane by most standards. It is no vast cosmos of stars and planets, but instead a four-thousand mile wide bubble. The ground is flat; its ocean bumps right up against its outer wall. The sky is an image--an ever-changing illusion upon the barrier between plane and void.
Such artificiality is unusual for the gods, but Semferia was not designed as a place to live. It was designed as a battleground--an arena in which mighty titans and even deities themselves could fight for sport. Its outer walls constrain those who enter within for that purpose, and its broad fields offer fine turf for epic battles.
For eons, titans and demigods clashed over the fire-blasted plains, piling up mountains and tearing valleys in the earth. Yet as ages passed, Semferia fell into disuse as grander arenas were built. As the last of the titans battled for supremecy, Anor, seedling of Obed-Hai, entered the plane on his own quest.
Anor was a young deity, not yet truly counted among the gods. It was in Semferia that he was to earn his name by taming the last of the titans, quenching the fires, and sowing the seeds of life. He was to transform Semferia into a vibrant paradise full of both paragons of nature and pinnacles of civilization; this would be his masterwork, and then he would ascend beyond the stars, having achieved a greater rank.
He created first the icy north, which sent cooling winds out over the scorched rock, and then he began to plant grass under the feet of the clashing titans. It was crushed at first, for life is a fragile thing, but it was never eradicated. In time, the children of Anor grew and struggled and so became strong. Eventually the titans were overcome and the forests marched unhindered across the north.
Anor did not hurry to tame all of Semferia, for he wanted life to struggle. Civilizations began to grow, and more than once were nearly destroyed in cataclysmic war; yet they were stronger for it. The beasts in the deep places of Semferia forever beset its tiny towns, yet because of them, heroes arose. The feral wild was the pride of Anor, but its larger purpose was to sow greatness among those who are good. Anor showed his love by storms.
But another had designs on Anor's seedlings.
In ages past, Senneth was born--the dark bastard son of Mershaulk. He followed a darker path than his father; while Mershaulk taught pain and treachery, Senneth served death and thirst. When he came of age, the rivalry between them was intense. He desired to usurp his father's domain and subtly started cults on many planes among the Yuan-ti, and in some places--especially desert places--overthrew Mershaulk completely.
For an age, they battled across many planes for the devotion of the Yuan-Ti, who were happy to play one against the other. For another age, they battled by blows, the ancient green python and the young black cobra wrestling for dominance among the stars between the planes. Senneth was the stronger in open battle, but Mershaulk by cunning and treachery always overcame or evaded him. In the end, neither could gain the upper hand.
At last, Mershaulk declared that he had grown tired of the rivalry, and that they should fight their last upon Semferia, that ancient proving ground. Senneth, in his impatient arrogance, took Mershaulk at his word, and was glad to at last confront his foe head on. But Mershaulk deceived; he waited for Senneth to enter Semferia, and then shut its outer doors against him. Laughing, he crushed his rival's cults, while his son remained trapped on the tiny plane.
In his rage, Senneth murdered many of the battling titans, before settling down in his Black Hole in the south to brood and plot what revenge he could.
His anger and hatred had been simmering for long centuries when Anor appeared and Semferia began to see life. Civilizations flourished, both in the north and the south, and some took Senneth as a god, and his power grew. But Senneth's gains were minor; he yearned to see years of life are drained away by untimely death and unquenchable thirst. He watched and waited as life grew until he reckoned that it was strong enough, and then set forth to destroy it. By slaying every living creature and dessicating every green plant, he could grow strong enough to escape, and rise to challenge his old rival.
One by one, he sought out beings of power and like mind, and recruited them to his cause. He sought not devotees, but allies, and exchanged power for favors. To Omenankh, he promised glory; to Aol, ascention to deity and assistance in the rebuilding of the Empire of Thirst. To Kelzun he promised great divine power and help in her war against her own demon lord. Shinsiri and Oshirex he lured with arcane power and secrets only gods could uncover. To Vash he promised dominion of Semferia in undeath as the final state of all things. He named them the Waste lords and set on them a broad quest: to slay all living things in Semferia. Time went by and they grew in power as they achieved Senneth's goals and he achieved theirs; in the end, they rivaled even their own dark lord.
The Waste Lords and Senneth together wove deep plans, and each played his own part. Omenankh led spies, while Aol sought lost tribes. Kelzun spread lies and subtle corruptions and instanities; she ensorcelled Wisdom and many Marru leaders in a net of insanity and half-truths and fanned the fanaticism they had always professed. Oshirex turned his wizards and dragons to spies and warlords, while Shinsiri learned the secrets of the waste. Vash slew princes in secret, stealing those things the north would need most to survive, and he waited for his chance to burst forth and make an end.
Senneth's plans were deep and seemed infallible--then all at once, they began to come undone. His greatest ally was murdered under his own mountain. The civilizations of the north united against the armies of Mizram and presented an equal foe. In the end, even his inevitable black sands were imperiled under the storm of Anor.
Anor was a gadfly to Senneth--a lesser deity, but Senneth had tolerated him to prey on the life he created and reap death. But now life could survive on its own, and Anor's storm represented a threat to Senneth's last hope of escape. So in his wrath, he bid the Waste Lords to destroy Anor, and he set upon them enchantments of great power for the task. One by one they fell, even though Senneth had sacrificed much to ensure that no power on the plane was great enough to oppose even one of them. The clash of armies turned against him, and the storm yet grew; it seemed that all Senneth had worked to achieve would come undone. At last, in his arrogance and wrath, he appeared in Anor's sacred grove to finish the task himself. He was powerful, having grown fat on recent death, and felled Anor with a single venemous bite.
But Anor was not surprised, for he was a doomsayer, a god of fate, and he had already sown the seeds of Senneth's destruction. He bequeathed his mighty storm to the master he had created for it, and then with his last breath raised up his own set of champions.
-----
The parties found themselves rested, and more than that, they found Anor's blessing resting on them. All were divine, with the resistances, immunities, and powers that come with it, though this was merely a temporary state. Lotus wildshaped as a squirrel, and Nate cast his Multilayer Ruse to make her look like a squirrel as well. He used another casting of his ruse to disguise Horkina, Grokk, Rain, and Garlen, and a third to disguise himself, Flynn, Roland, Amber, and Ike. Flynn hasted the parties and began singing. Amber provided various spell protections, including Mind Blank. Lotus said "my mind is blank. I've entered into a state of nirvana." Then the party reappeared in Anor's grove as the huge tree crumbled in a pile of ash, and Senneth, with his runes of thirst and death, stood over the ash pile.
Roland fired off three empowered, enhanced, maximized moonbows at the great serpent (2430 damage). Ike fired a series of arrows, including a critical hit (181). Garlen led the group in a charge, and he, Rain, Grokk, Amber, the freshly-materialized Jakob, and Horkina all struck at Senneth (in order: 287, 113, 145, 43, 88, 119.) Jakob's ghostly form laid into Senneth (426) and Rain siezed the opportunity, taking a cheap shot (105) and triggering Senneth's Thirst rune, which wounded all who were nearby. Senneth spoke a word and demanded the lives of all nearby mortals, but Anor's blessing had temporarily granted godhood to both parties. Senneth then turned his full attention on Amber, and with a series of bites, left her lying dead on the battlefield. Horkina's attacks (496) and Grokk's Raging Mongoose strikes (372) both wounded Senneth. Nate used telekinesis to pull Amber's body away from Senneth, and Rain shadow blinked next to her and revived her with a spell from his ring. He slipped back beside the black snake, and Amber triggered fire seeds (212). Lotus bombarded Senneth with rocks (102) and continued hiding in the forest, knowing that Anor's storm must continue for the black sands to be defeated.
Roland repeated his series of moonbow spells (with crits, 2700), triggering Senneth's second rune of Death. The symbol of death did not affect any party members. Ike fired a precise shot (98) and Garlen stabbed at Senneth (754), and then gave Amber tactical advice that allowed her to act before Senneth could. She healed the whole party and then landed a critical hit with Lucent Lance (480). Rain's series of jabs (366) and lingering damage (131) left Senneth in fairly bad shape. The snake turned his attention on Grokk, triggering his Fortunate Fate and leaving him nearly dead after. Horkina (529) and Grokk (199) kept up the assault. Nate, seeing Senneth nearly dead, created an image to taunt him: the graphic seen in Senneth's temple, with various parts crossed out and marked with who had killed them. Fittingly, Roland's next series of moonbows killed Senneth.
The Rubble Rousers found themselves standing back on Possicuit, and the Ninja Mongoose Rockstars returned to the summoning room, where they were soon greeted by a huge radiant dragon named Throdenthurirl, who needed some assassins to help him kill some spell weavers who were working on a dimensional gate. Their work shut down the gate, and led to an explosion creating a place that was later called the Demonskar.
-----
It is not for mortals to know where deities go when they die. Suffice it to say that the halls of stories in the heavens are bigger and more complex than mortals might imagine. But Anor has not taken his place there yet, for his fate is not yet known. For most deities, their part in the story of the world is ended when they are slain, but Anor is a god of fate. His seeds were already sown in the soil of time when he fell. He argued before his judge that he had achieved his quest already; all that remained was to watch it unfold. Ascention would overrule even death, so judgement was withheld until time should reveal all. Even now, the entire celestial court watches as the years pass by in Semferia and Anor's marks of doom unfold.
As for Semferia, the battle is won and the tide is turned. The Battle of Scorched Earth was fierce and terrible, and thousands fell slain upon the scorched forest grounds. The Kirani rangers hid in trees and illusions, while the southern mages approached in darkness, teleporting out to blast wide swaths with arcane fire. Jinle'a led a contingent of Frost Giants and Spellsinks right up the middle, pinning Wisdom in place, and she slew him in single combat. The eagles of Westlay killed many of the elite southern wizards, as Mizram's abominations threw the Westlayan foot soldiers like straw. The tales of the battle are many; there is little space to describe the heroism of the Little Chariot Run, the Gambit of the Unstable Device, the War of Dragons, the Thundering Charge, Derrix' Coup, or the Thousand Axes of Rogar and the Iron Door. Jacob of the Manifold Path was there, as were all the heroes of Westlay and Waecleft, many monsters from under the mountains, Minellin and all the kingsmen, and friends and foes indescribable from every corner of the earth.
In the end, the darkness was dispersed, and the Westlayan archers, together with Ivani and Kirani, rained destruction down on the foe. Mizram was destrucive, but when the battle turned, proved to have little staying power and shattered. Many teleported away, but many could not and were pursued through the night. In the fading light of sunset, well over thirteen thousand lay dead in the ashes of the Enchanted Forest, including over four thousand of the northerners. Alex, Minellen's spellsink apprentice, had been a repeated target, and had already fallen five times when at last the abominations held the ground until he could not be revived. Spirits of valiance, Charles of Eonsburg and Jearn of Waecleft had ridden with the fateful charge that turned the battle, and suffered the brunt of the retaliation by Mizram's wizards, and could not be saved. Rogar himself had perished atop a pile of those he had slain; when he had thrown all his axes, and those he wielded had broken, he fought on with the splintered shaft and his fists until at the last he was overcome. Joanna had many close scrapes on eagleback, and was even felled once by Mizrami mages--but was narrowly saved by the heroics of the monks of Lonely Sparrow.
Throughout the day, deep clouds grew from one horizon to the other as a gargantuan rainstorm gathered. In the early evening, as the last beams of sunlight slipped below the horizon, and the shadow retreated south at a full run, the clouds let a light rain fall. It tasted sweet, and in time turned to healing, and washed away the wounds of many who lay unconscious on the field. It was the gift of Anor, won by the heroes of the north and beyond, at the Battle of Storms in the east. Clouds of steam hissed up from the ground as here and there the rains found their mark, and the black sands were washed away.
In the days and weeks ahead, Semferia awoke to an age of hope. Ancient evils that had haunted her since time unremembered had awoken and been vanquished, and though they brought great destruction, the peace in their passing was greater. Much of a generation had been lost between the battle of Scorched Earth and the plague of the Thirsting, yet those who remain saw the promise of an age of peace.
The buildings and walls of Westlay are ruined, its cities sacked and buried. Yet the people were saved at Oxhorn, and do not seem discouraged at all by the loss. They speak of building anew, building aright, building things the way they always should have been. The air buzzes with talk of founding cities, starting businesses, starting families. They also speak fondly of their new king Flynn, who worked for a time to set the kingdom in order before attempting to resurrect his father, and hoping at the least for peace and reconciliation during the resurrection quest.
The land itself bears many hurts, but the Order of the Inevitable Seed is fresh with purpose. Always Anor had restrained them from making Semferia too green too soon, but now the time to achieve that final quest has come. Overnight they have transformed from caretakers to crusaders. Their excitement is visible, and they have already begun to debate how best to bring about Anor's vision, now that it is up to them. Lotus, too, started bringing lifegiving storms throughout the continent.
Still, the sands have left their scars; wherever they sat most thickly, the land refuses to be healed. Shinsiri's swath remains barren. The battleground at White Fields will never see its proud orchards again. Many heroes are fallen, and many friends. The people of Westlay are anxious to mark the passing of a great king. Waecleft, too, mourns a beloved king--and those who are wise mourn not one champion, but two. Brothers Jakob and Michael are both numbered by historians among the heroes who fell in the war, though Jakob's ghost still concentrated on destroying the wraiths under the mountain.
In the ages to come, the waters of Semferia will always taste sweet, proof against disease, and a second wind in the face of death. Life grows especially hearty on such nourishment, and Semferia would become known in time by the strength of both its heroes and its beasts. In some of the deep and dry places, the black sands still linger, but they are confined there, as they cannot stand the sweet water in the places where life thrives.
Even in Anor's absence, there is no shortage of storms in Semferia. Kelzun has returned to her fortress in the abyss; without ally or obligation, she ignores for now the plane of her birth. Oshirex has returned to his worship of the void, deep under the world. Vash is gone, but leaves behond the Mount of Shadow, which is haunted deeply, though its malice no longer has a grand vision. In the wild places of the world, dragons prowl and ancient horrors hunt. Yet the war of the Black Sands has left in its wake many heroes, and the wise do not worry about the fate of the world.
Alliances made temporarily for the war dissolve; Smerdon goes back to its icy brooding, while Ghern turns to struggling with internal affairs. Jinle'a struggles to reform her new people, ruling the proud and tough hobgoblins with a righteous iron fist. Filthy Ike went off to the desert in search of stuff to shoot, though Nate left him with a sending stone in hopes that he could occasionally be called on to shoot very specific stuff.
The Last Watch of the Ten Kings leaves many of its rangers to other pursuits, returning to comparative sleep through the peaceful years. Nate became their leader, focusing on creating monuments of the wars and linking the people of the world together. As the War of the Black Sands passes into history, the Kingsmen and the old man at their head remain and watch, and remember ancient alliance.
Players (Characters)
Scott (Filthy Ike; Rain)
Jeremy (Flynn Flamm; Grokk)
Tony (Brother Jakob's ghost; Roland; Amber)
Rachel (Lotus; Horkina)
Tom (Nathaniel Graythorne; Garlen)
DM: Catherine
As the parties stood in Anor's grove, Anor spoke once more: "Last comes the destroyer." A sandstorm arose, blowing everyone but Horkina and Rain back into the trees, and a huge black cobra emerged next to Anor. The cobra god Senneth bit at Anor, poisoning the great tree, and Anor's thunder blew Senneth back. As Anor began to wither and die, the parties materialized in a small plane that looked much like Anor's sacred grove. At its center, where Anor would be, was instead a plaque that read as follows:
-----
Semferia is a small plane by most standards. It is no vast cosmos of stars and planets, but instead a four-thousand mile wide bubble. The ground is flat; its ocean bumps right up against its outer wall. The sky is an image--an ever-changing illusion upon the barrier between plane and void.
Such artificiality is unusual for the gods, but Semferia was not designed as a place to live. It was designed as a battleground--an arena in which mighty titans and even deities themselves could fight for sport. Its outer walls constrain those who enter within for that purpose, and its broad fields offer fine turf for epic battles.
For eons, titans and demigods clashed over the fire-blasted plains, piling up mountains and tearing valleys in the earth. Yet as ages passed, Semferia fell into disuse as grander arenas were built. As the last of the titans battled for supremecy, Anor, seedling of Obed-Hai, entered the plane on his own quest.
Anor was a young deity, not yet truly counted among the gods. It was in Semferia that he was to earn his name by taming the last of the titans, quenching the fires, and sowing the seeds of life. He was to transform Semferia into a vibrant paradise full of both paragons of nature and pinnacles of civilization; this would be his masterwork, and then he would ascend beyond the stars, having achieved a greater rank.
He created first the icy north, which sent cooling winds out over the scorched rock, and then he began to plant grass under the feet of the clashing titans. It was crushed at first, for life is a fragile thing, but it was never eradicated. In time, the children of Anor grew and struggled and so became strong. Eventually the titans were overcome and the forests marched unhindered across the north.
Anor did not hurry to tame all of Semferia, for he wanted life to struggle. Civilizations began to grow, and more than once were nearly destroyed in cataclysmic war; yet they were stronger for it. The beasts in the deep places of Semferia forever beset its tiny towns, yet because of them, heroes arose. The feral wild was the pride of Anor, but its larger purpose was to sow greatness among those who are good. Anor showed his love by storms.
But another had designs on Anor's seedlings.
In ages past, Senneth was born--the dark bastard son of Mershaulk. He followed a darker path than his father; while Mershaulk taught pain and treachery, Senneth served death and thirst. When he came of age, the rivalry between them was intense. He desired to usurp his father's domain and subtly started cults on many planes among the Yuan-ti, and in some places--especially desert places--overthrew Mershaulk completely.
For an age, they battled across many planes for the devotion of the Yuan-Ti, who were happy to play one against the other. For another age, they battled by blows, the ancient green python and the young black cobra wrestling for dominance among the stars between the planes. Senneth was the stronger in open battle, but Mershaulk by cunning and treachery always overcame or evaded him. In the end, neither could gain the upper hand.
At last, Mershaulk declared that he had grown tired of the rivalry, and that they should fight their last upon Semferia, that ancient proving ground. Senneth, in his impatient arrogance, took Mershaulk at his word, and was glad to at last confront his foe head on. But Mershaulk deceived; he waited for Senneth to enter Semferia, and then shut its outer doors against him. Laughing, he crushed his rival's cults, while his son remained trapped on the tiny plane.
In his rage, Senneth murdered many of the battling titans, before settling down in his Black Hole in the south to brood and plot what revenge he could.
His anger and hatred had been simmering for long centuries when Anor appeared and Semferia began to see life. Civilizations flourished, both in the north and the south, and some took Senneth as a god, and his power grew. But Senneth's gains were minor; he yearned to see years of life are drained away by untimely death and unquenchable thirst. He watched and waited as life grew until he reckoned that it was strong enough, and then set forth to destroy it. By slaying every living creature and dessicating every green plant, he could grow strong enough to escape, and rise to challenge his old rival.
One by one, he sought out beings of power and like mind, and recruited them to his cause. He sought not devotees, but allies, and exchanged power for favors. To Omenankh, he promised glory; to Aol, ascention to deity and assistance in the rebuilding of the Empire of Thirst. To Kelzun he promised great divine power and help in her war against her own demon lord. Shinsiri and Oshirex he lured with arcane power and secrets only gods could uncover. To Vash he promised dominion of Semferia in undeath as the final state of all things. He named them the Waste lords and set on them a broad quest: to slay all living things in Semferia. Time went by and they grew in power as they achieved Senneth's goals and he achieved theirs; in the end, they rivaled even their own dark lord.
The Waste Lords and Senneth together wove deep plans, and each played his own part. Omenankh led spies, while Aol sought lost tribes. Kelzun spread lies and subtle corruptions and instanities; she ensorcelled Wisdom and many Marru leaders in a net of insanity and half-truths and fanned the fanaticism they had always professed. Oshirex turned his wizards and dragons to spies and warlords, while Shinsiri learned the secrets of the waste. Vash slew princes in secret, stealing those things the north would need most to survive, and he waited for his chance to burst forth and make an end.
Senneth's plans were deep and seemed infallible--then all at once, they began to come undone. His greatest ally was murdered under his own mountain. The civilizations of the north united against the armies of Mizram and presented an equal foe. In the end, even his inevitable black sands were imperiled under the storm of Anor.
Anor was a gadfly to Senneth--a lesser deity, but Senneth had tolerated him to prey on the life he created and reap death. But now life could survive on its own, and Anor's storm represented a threat to Senneth's last hope of escape. So in his wrath, he bid the Waste Lords to destroy Anor, and he set upon them enchantments of great power for the task. One by one they fell, even though Senneth had sacrificed much to ensure that no power on the plane was great enough to oppose even one of them. The clash of armies turned against him, and the storm yet grew; it seemed that all Senneth had worked to achieve would come undone. At last, in his arrogance and wrath, he appeared in Anor's sacred grove to finish the task himself. He was powerful, having grown fat on recent death, and felled Anor with a single venemous bite.
But Anor was not surprised, for he was a doomsayer, a god of fate, and he had already sown the seeds of Senneth's destruction. He bequeathed his mighty storm to the master he had created for it, and then with his last breath raised up his own set of champions.
-----
The parties found themselves rested, and more than that, they found Anor's blessing resting on them. All were divine, with the resistances, immunities, and powers that come with it, though this was merely a temporary state. Lotus wildshaped as a squirrel, and Nate cast his Multilayer Ruse to make her look like a squirrel as well. He used another casting of his ruse to disguise Horkina, Grokk, Rain, and Garlen, and a third to disguise himself, Flynn, Roland, Amber, and Ike. Flynn hasted the parties and began singing. Amber provided various spell protections, including Mind Blank. Lotus said "my mind is blank. I've entered into a state of nirvana." Then the party reappeared in Anor's grove as the huge tree crumbled in a pile of ash, and Senneth, with his runes of thirst and death, stood over the ash pile.
Roland fired off three empowered, enhanced, maximized moonbows at the great serpent (2430 damage). Ike fired a series of arrows, including a critical hit (181). Garlen led the group in a charge, and he, Rain, Grokk, Amber, the freshly-materialized Jakob, and Horkina all struck at Senneth (in order: 287, 113, 145, 43, 88, 119.) Jakob's ghostly form laid into Senneth (426) and Rain siezed the opportunity, taking a cheap shot (105) and triggering Senneth's Thirst rune, which wounded all who were nearby. Senneth spoke a word and demanded the lives of all nearby mortals, but Anor's blessing had temporarily granted godhood to both parties. Senneth then turned his full attention on Amber, and with a series of bites, left her lying dead on the battlefield. Horkina's attacks (496) and Grokk's Raging Mongoose strikes (372) both wounded Senneth. Nate used telekinesis to pull Amber's body away from Senneth, and Rain shadow blinked next to her and revived her with a spell from his ring. He slipped back beside the black snake, and Amber triggered fire seeds (212). Lotus bombarded Senneth with rocks (102) and continued hiding in the forest, knowing that Anor's storm must continue for the black sands to be defeated.
Roland repeated his series of moonbow spells (with crits, 2700), triggering Senneth's second rune of Death. The symbol of death did not affect any party members. Ike fired a precise shot (98) and Garlen stabbed at Senneth (754), and then gave Amber tactical advice that allowed her to act before Senneth could. She healed the whole party and then landed a critical hit with Lucent Lance (480). Rain's series of jabs (366) and lingering damage (131) left Senneth in fairly bad shape. The snake turned his attention on Grokk, triggering his Fortunate Fate and leaving him nearly dead after. Horkina (529) and Grokk (199) kept up the assault. Nate, seeing Senneth nearly dead, created an image to taunt him: the graphic seen in Senneth's temple, with various parts crossed out and marked with who had killed them. Fittingly, Roland's next series of moonbows killed Senneth.
The Rubble Rousers found themselves standing back on Possicuit, and the Ninja Mongoose Rockstars returned to the summoning room, where they were soon greeted by a huge radiant dragon named Throdenthurirl, who needed some assassins to help him kill some spell weavers who were working on a dimensional gate. Their work shut down the gate, and led to an explosion creating a place that was later called the Demonskar.
-----
It is not for mortals to know where deities go when they die. Suffice it to say that the halls of stories in the heavens are bigger and more complex than mortals might imagine. But Anor has not taken his place there yet, for his fate is not yet known. For most deities, their part in the story of the world is ended when they are slain, but Anor is a god of fate. His seeds were already sown in the soil of time when he fell. He argued before his judge that he had achieved his quest already; all that remained was to watch it unfold. Ascention would overrule even death, so judgement was withheld until time should reveal all. Even now, the entire celestial court watches as the years pass by in Semferia and Anor's marks of doom unfold.
As for Semferia, the battle is won and the tide is turned. The Battle of Scorched Earth was fierce and terrible, and thousands fell slain upon the scorched forest grounds. The Kirani rangers hid in trees and illusions, while the southern mages approached in darkness, teleporting out to blast wide swaths with arcane fire. Jinle'a led a contingent of Frost Giants and Spellsinks right up the middle, pinning Wisdom in place, and she slew him in single combat. The eagles of Westlay killed many of the elite southern wizards, as Mizram's abominations threw the Westlayan foot soldiers like straw. The tales of the battle are many; there is little space to describe the heroism of the Little Chariot Run, the Gambit of the Unstable Device, the War of Dragons, the Thundering Charge, Derrix' Coup, or the Thousand Axes of Rogar and the Iron Door. Jacob of the Manifold Path was there, as were all the heroes of Westlay and Waecleft, many monsters from under the mountains, Minellin and all the kingsmen, and friends and foes indescribable from every corner of the earth.
In the end, the darkness was dispersed, and the Westlayan archers, together with Ivani and Kirani, rained destruction down on the foe. Mizram was destrucive, but when the battle turned, proved to have little staying power and shattered. Many teleported away, but many could not and were pursued through the night. In the fading light of sunset, well over thirteen thousand lay dead in the ashes of the Enchanted Forest, including over four thousand of the northerners. Alex, Minellen's spellsink apprentice, had been a repeated target, and had already fallen five times when at last the abominations held the ground until he could not be revived. Spirits of valiance, Charles of Eonsburg and Jearn of Waecleft had ridden with the fateful charge that turned the battle, and suffered the brunt of the retaliation by Mizram's wizards, and could not be saved. Rogar himself had perished atop a pile of those he had slain; when he had thrown all his axes, and those he wielded had broken, he fought on with the splintered shaft and his fists until at the last he was overcome. Joanna had many close scrapes on eagleback, and was even felled once by Mizrami mages--but was narrowly saved by the heroics of the monks of Lonely Sparrow.
Throughout the day, deep clouds grew from one horizon to the other as a gargantuan rainstorm gathered. In the early evening, as the last beams of sunlight slipped below the horizon, and the shadow retreated south at a full run, the clouds let a light rain fall. It tasted sweet, and in time turned to healing, and washed away the wounds of many who lay unconscious on the field. It was the gift of Anor, won by the heroes of the north and beyond, at the Battle of Storms in the east. Clouds of steam hissed up from the ground as here and there the rains found their mark, and the black sands were washed away.
In the days and weeks ahead, Semferia awoke to an age of hope. Ancient evils that had haunted her since time unremembered had awoken and been vanquished, and though they brought great destruction, the peace in their passing was greater. Much of a generation had been lost between the battle of Scorched Earth and the plague of the Thirsting, yet those who remain saw the promise of an age of peace.
The buildings and walls of Westlay are ruined, its cities sacked and buried. Yet the people were saved at Oxhorn, and do not seem discouraged at all by the loss. They speak of building anew, building aright, building things the way they always should have been. The air buzzes with talk of founding cities, starting businesses, starting families. They also speak fondly of their new king Flynn, who worked for a time to set the kingdom in order before attempting to resurrect his father, and hoping at the least for peace and reconciliation during the resurrection quest.
The land itself bears many hurts, but the Order of the Inevitable Seed is fresh with purpose. Always Anor had restrained them from making Semferia too green too soon, but now the time to achieve that final quest has come. Overnight they have transformed from caretakers to crusaders. Their excitement is visible, and they have already begun to debate how best to bring about Anor's vision, now that it is up to them. Lotus, too, started bringing lifegiving storms throughout the continent.
Still, the sands have left their scars; wherever they sat most thickly, the land refuses to be healed. Shinsiri's swath remains barren. The battleground at White Fields will never see its proud orchards again. Many heroes are fallen, and many friends. The people of Westlay are anxious to mark the passing of a great king. Waecleft, too, mourns a beloved king--and those who are wise mourn not one champion, but two. Brothers Jakob and Michael are both numbered by historians among the heroes who fell in the war, though Jakob's ghost still concentrated on destroying the wraiths under the mountain.
In the ages to come, the waters of Semferia will always taste sweet, proof against disease, and a second wind in the face of death. Life grows especially hearty on such nourishment, and Semferia would become known in time by the strength of both its heroes and its beasts. In some of the deep and dry places, the black sands still linger, but they are confined there, as they cannot stand the sweet water in the places where life thrives.
Even in Anor's absence, there is no shortage of storms in Semferia. Kelzun has returned to her fortress in the abyss; without ally or obligation, she ignores for now the plane of her birth. Oshirex has returned to his worship of the void, deep under the world. Vash is gone, but leaves behond the Mount of Shadow, which is haunted deeply, though its malice no longer has a grand vision. In the wild places of the world, dragons prowl and ancient horrors hunt. Yet the war of the Black Sands has left in its wake many heroes, and the wise do not worry about the fate of the world.
Alliances made temporarily for the war dissolve; Smerdon goes back to its icy brooding, while Ghern turns to struggling with internal affairs. Jinle'a struggles to reform her new people, ruling the proud and tough hobgoblins with a righteous iron fist. Filthy Ike went off to the desert in search of stuff to shoot, though Nate left him with a sending stone in hopes that he could occasionally be called on to shoot very specific stuff.
The Last Watch of the Ten Kings leaves many of its rangers to other pursuits, returning to comparative sleep through the peaceful years. Nate became their leader, focusing on creating monuments of the wars and linking the people of the world together. As the War of the Black Sands passes into history, the Kingsmen and the old man at their head remain and watch, and remember ancient alliance.
Anor's Blessing
During the final battle with Senneth, each character received all benefits from this list. At the conclusion of the battle, the characters retained the specific benefits where their names are listed:
- Immortal. Do not age, or need to eat, sleep, or breathe. Treated as Divine Rank 1. (Nate, Rain, Roland)
- Increase hit points to maximum per hit die. (Horkina)
- Increase base speed to 60'.
- Divine bonus to Armor Class +1. Deflection bonus to AC equal to charisma bonus. (Flynn)
- All attacks are considered to be epic and follow your alignment for the purpose of bypassing damage reduction. Attack rolls to not automatically fail on a 1. (Ike, Grokk)
- At-will use of Greater Teleport.
- Immunity to polymorph, petrification, and shape-altering attacks.
- Immunity to energy drain, ability drain, and ability damage. (Lotus)
- Immunity to mind-affecting effects.
- Immunity to electricity, cold, and acid.
- Immunity to disease and poison.
- Immunity to stunning, sleep, and paralysis. (Garlen, Amber)
- Immunity to death effects and disintegration.
- Damage Reduction 15/epic.
- Spell Resistance 33.
- Darkvision and low-light vision range: 1 mile. Remote sensing: view any area devoted to you or in which your name is mentioned. (Lotus, Garlen, Amber)
- Immortal. Do not age, or need to eat, sleep, or breathe. Treated as Divine Rank 1. (Nate, Rain, Roland)
- Increase hit points to maximum per hit die. (Horkina)
- Increase base speed to 60'.
- Divine bonus to Armor Class +1. Deflection bonus to AC equal to charisma bonus. (Flynn)
- All attacks are considered to be epic and follow your alignment for the purpose of bypassing damage reduction. Attack rolls to not automatically fail on a 1. (Ike, Grokk)
- At-will use of Greater Teleport.
- Immunity to polymorph, petrification, and shape-altering attacks.
- Immunity to energy drain, ability drain, and ability damage. (Lotus)
- Immunity to mind-affecting effects.
- Immunity to electricity, cold, and acid.
- Immunity to disease and poison.
- Immunity to stunning, sleep, and paralysis. (Garlen, Amber)
- Immunity to death effects and disintegration.
- Damage Reduction 15/epic.
- Spell Resistance 33.
- Darkvision and low-light vision range: 1 mile. Remote sensing: view any area devoted to you or in which your name is mentioned. (Lotus, Garlen, Amber)
Rod of Nature's Wrath
The Rod of Nature's Wrath: a magic item, granted to Lotus
Functions as a Rod of Empower Spell, 3 uses per day for a spell up to 6th level, but may only be applied to spells in tune with the local environment:
Forest (trees and undergrowth) -- Plant, Animal, and Poison spells
Swamp or Ocean (standing water) -- Water and Acid spells
Desert (high temperature) -- Fire and Dehydration spells
Arctic (low temperature) -- Cold, Paralysis, and Sleep spells
Underground (below 30 feet of earth) -- Physical damage, Stone, and Earth spells
Airborne or Plains or High Hills (100 foot hemisphere of open space) -- Electricity and Force spells
Functions as a Rod of Empower Spell, 3 uses per day for a spell up to 6th level, but may only be applied to spells in tune with the local environment:
Forest (trees and undergrowth) -- Plant, Animal, and Poison spells
Swamp or Ocean (standing water) -- Water and Acid spells
Desert (high temperature) -- Fire and Dehydration spells
Arctic (low temperature) -- Cold, Paralysis, and Sleep spells
Underground (below 30 feet of earth) -- Physical damage, Stone, and Earth spells
Airborne or Plains or High Hills (100 foot hemisphere of open space) -- Electricity and Force spells
Saturday, July 5, 2008
Session 28/51, 2008-07-05: Inevitability
Session 28/51: wherein five Waste Lords learn the folly of working alone, and eleven adventurers prove the value of teamwork
Players (Characters)
Scott (Filthy Ike; Rain)
Jeremy (Flynn Flamm; Grokk)
Tony (Brother Jakob's ghost; Roland; Amber)
Rachel (Lotus; Horkina)
Tom (Nathaniel Graythorne; Garlen)
DM: Catherine
The Ninja Mongoose Rockstars and Rubble Rousers materialized in Anor's sacred grove, a clearing surrounded by thick trees and a hurricane. They had a brief conversation with this god of fate, storms, and nature, whose avatar was a huge tree. Nate was particularly curious about the "fate" part, Lotus the "storm" part, and Amber and Garlen the "nature" part. Anor planned to begin summoning a storm in the morning, and Lotus would imbue it with Anor's sap in the evening, washing away the black sands. Anor knew the waste lords would come one by one to try to stop him once he'd begun. Lotus kept trying to hug Horkina, saying something about "kindred spirits", which led Horkina to ask "can someone get me away from this fucking flake?" As the group was planning for the next day's fights with the waste lords, Minellin sent NMR a message: "Mitzram has assembled several powerful wizards and abominations. Can you and your allies deal with the threat?" Roland scried on the area, Flynn hasted the parties and started singing, and Nate disguised Rubble Rousers to look like Minellin, Jinle'a, and some giants.
Nate teleported the parties a short distance away from the camp, and then Nate and Flynn cast dimension door to bring NMR-RR into the middle of the camp. About thirty marruspawn wizards and fifteen abominations looked both shocked and amused for about a quarter of a second. Then Lotus' Mass Drown spell killed four wizards and an abomination, and Roland's Field of Icy Razors killed four wizards and wounded another abomination. Garlen and Rain each killed one abomination with several strikes, while Grokk did it with just one critical blow. Horkina took out a pair of wizards with one axe still behind her back, and Ike blasted one more with an extremely precise shot. Amber put a blade barrier on a group of fleeing wizards. Garlen's White Raven Hammer stunned another abomination. Roland's Firebrand erupted all around, killing over a dozen wizards and wounding many abominations, six of which he finished off with a quickened Moonbow. Rain shadow-blinked next to one of the few remaining abominations and stabbed it repeatedly in its sensitive bits, killing it. Ike's precise shot took out another abomination, and Horkina left the last one near-dead with a solid hit. Nate cast Otto's Irresistable Dance, and the final abomination waltzed right into Horkina's axe and died. The party gathered up a large amount of treasure, and Roland planeshifted to sell it all. Horkina paid Lotus a large part of her share to stop trying to hug her.
In the morning, back in Anor's sacred grove, Roland cast Mind Blank on everyone, and also brought the Ninja Mongoose Rockstars into the telepathic bond. Amber cast Mass Fortunate Fate and Mass Conviction. Grokk dragged some rocks in from the trees surrounding the clearing. Nate cast Nate's Multilayer Ruse to make Garlen look like Nate, Horkina look like Amber, Grokk look like Flynn, and Rain look like a flying squirrel (outer) or Grokk (inner). Amber looked like a bird, Lotus looked like a squirrel, Flynn and Nate looked like rocks, Ike looked like a tree, and Roland looked like himself, but with his flaming eye on the wrong side. Nate also disguised a pair of rocks, one to look like Nate (inner) and a rock (outer), and another to look like Flynn (inner) and a singing rock (outer).
At sunrise, Anor intoned "first comes Omenank, who lurks in shadow and preys on the weak", and a cloud of darkness surrounded the grove. Rain spotted a group of about 20 blackscale yuan-ti ninjas approaching with Superior Invisibility. Flynn cast Haste and began singing, and Ike, Lotus, Grokk, and Horkina got true seeing from either themselves or Amber. Garlen ran to where Rain had seen a blackscale and started swinging, killing it. Lotus cast Mass Drown, killing one herself. A pair of more elite blackscales materialized from etherealness and attacked the rock that sounded like Flynn. Another pair materialized around Roland and tried to decerebrate him, but he resisted their psionic attacks, and their attempts to stab his vital organs were foiled by his many magical defenses. Omenank, with runes for "stealth" and "dagger" on her head, slipped out of the ground next to Flynn and prepared to attack. Jakob's ghost materialized to protect his old friend, and Omenank suddenly found herself lying between Grokk and Horkina. She tried to decerebrate Horkina but failed, and her attempt to cast Fuse Flesh was interrupted by Horkina's axe. Horkina felt justified in training to interrupt spellcasters.
Ike opened fire on Omenank with six arrows, leaving her seriously wounded. Rain, wearing armor of the celestial battalion, charged in from the air and started crippling Omenank. After two strikes, her strength was completely drained and her "stealth" rune triggered, healing her completely. Four strikes later, she was again paralyzed and her "dagger" rune triggered. Horkina laid her axe into the waste lord, chopping off several of her fingers before finally killing her. Grokk charged at one of the elites attacking the Flynn rock, and a pair of critical hits split the enemy into more pieces than anyone wanted to see. Nate used telekinesis to push another elite away from Roland, and Amber's Holy Word took out a large pack of blackscales. The blackscales, still oblivious to the illusion, started attacking the Nate rock, Horkina (who they thought was Amber), and Garlen (who they thought was Nate), and were completely ineffective. Roland's intensified Maw of Chaos killed one of the elites and one blackscale, and he stunned a second elite. Garlen stunned the remaining elite with White Raven Hammer, and the party quickly dropped the remaining foes.
Mid-morning, Anor again spoke "next comes Aol, who goes straight for the heart." As Flynn cast haste and began singing, Aol teleported into the grove, riding atop the Tarrasque. He had four marruspawn abominations and four marruspawn clerics along, and they surrounded Anor. Aol had two runes on his head: "immunity" and "ferocity". Aol and his Tarrasque both attacked Anor, gashing his bark. Garlen jumped and swung at Aol with a White Raven Hammer strike, stunning the huge abomination. Roland empowered a sonicbrand spell and killed three clerics, wounding some abominations in the process. His quickened moonbow finished off two abominations, and snake's swiftness allowed Rain and Grokk to strike at the Tarrasque. The two remaining abominations kept attacking Anor. Horkina hit the remaining cleric with three solid swings to bring him down, and landed four more solid blows on the Tarrasque, including one critical that brought the beast down. Ike put a series of arrows into the nearest abomination, stunning it with a headshot. Rain flew in at Aol, but only landed one hit on the thick-skinned creature. Amber used a miracle scroll to keep the Tarrasque dead, dispelled all of Aol's protection spells, and healed Anor somewhat. Nate's Slow spell failed against the still-standing abomination, but a big bolt of lightning from Lotus' storm badly wounded Aol.
Jakob materialized and started punching Aol as Garlen's Flanking Maneuver, plus some luck from Nate, gave Grokk, Horkina, Rain, and Jakob each an extra chance to hit the enemy. Roland's pair of Snake's Swiftness spells let each attack again, and Horkina triggered Aol's invulnerability rune, which healed him and gave him immunity to elemental damage. Roland's moonbow killed one of the remaining abominations, and Ike's longbow killed the other. Horkina and Grokk pounded on Aol, and his second rune triggered, speeding him up as he healed again. Rain's attacks and Nate's unluck spell proved useless. Lotus healed Anor and Amber put a wall of stone between him and Aol to keep him protected. Aol turned his attention on Horkina, who he dropped with a series of attacks, but she stood right back up due to Fortunate Fate. "We don't have fancy runes, but this works just as well", she said. Rain drew his antimagic dagger and stood under Aol, nullifying his magical speed. Garlen, Grokk, Horkina, and Ike all laid into the enemy, and Amber healed Horkina. Roland tried to distract Aol with a slapping hand, but he shrugged it off. Aol's next attack on Horkina was far less effective, and soon the impact of axes and shortswords brought him down.
About noon, Anor said "next comes Kelzun, who relishes pain, seeks to sow chaos, and overwhelms with the swarm." Soon, Kelzun flew in from the west, with runes of "protection" and "insanity" on her head. She raised her fist, and three balors and nine vrocks appeared. Flynn kept singing while Roland informed the party that she had both Repulsion and Antilife Shell protecting her. Garlen's arrow storm struck each of the enemies, wounding them all. Ike focused his arrows on Kelzun, striking her six times from his hiding place in the trees. One balor charged at Horkina, thinking she was Amber, and dealt a trivial wound. Two others charged at Garlen, thinking he was Nate, dealing minor damage. Flynn moved behind Anor for cover as Rain shadow blinked behind a balor and filled it with holes. The exploding balor wounded Roland and killed the previously-wounded vrocks. Horkina took out another balor, whose explosion somewhat harmed Nate. Kelzun focused her spells on Roland, twice trying to cast Eternity of Torment and twice being turned away by Roland's duelwards.
Amber cast Mass Heal, which hurt Kelzun and closed the party's wounds. She then dispelled most of Kelzun's protections, pushed her to the ground with a downdraft, and dimensionally anchored her to keep her from teleporting away. Roland removed the rest of Kelzun's spells and triggered a new duelward, swapping places with Grokk in the process. Grokk leaped to kill the last balor, and Nate's unluck spell was again useless. Lotus sent some lightning at Kelzun, who shrugged off some of the damage. Then Garlen yelled out "I HATE DEMONS! EVERYONE GET HER!" and led with a Warmasters Charge, while casting rhino's rush, smiting evil and flying into a rage. Jakob materialized and piled on, along with Grokk, Rain, and Horkina. Horkina's strike triggered Kelzun's first rune, and Rain's series of stabs soon triggered the second. Kelzun tried to drive Rain insane, but his mind-blank blocked the effect, and her attempt to cast Wrack gave Horkina a clear shot with her axe, which in turn gave Rain an opening to stab her. Ike's arrows and Grokk's axe soon sent the third Waste Lord back to her phylactery.
Early in the afternoon, Anor said "fourth is Shinsiri, who walks alone. He buys time with his storm." As Flynn sang, a tornado covered the grove and pulled him into the air. Shinsiri appeared next to Anor, with runes of Sand and Thirst on his head, and storm spirits appeared next to each party member, trying to grab them. Shinsiri started withering Anor, quickly draining his life. Garlen charged around the edge of the tree and hit Shinsiri eight times, including three critical hits, sickening the half-dragon and triggering his first rune to create a barrier of sand. Lotus transmuted the sand into rock and then into mud, and Shinsiri's protective wall slumped to the ground. Roland cast Mind Poison twice, draining Shinsiri's wisdom and triggering his second rune, which created a dessication aura. Rain shadow-blinked opposite Garlen and charged at Shinsiri, landing every single strike (125d6+272, +210 from CON drain = 924 damage.) The half-dragon died, and his storm spirits dissipated.
As dusk settled in, Anor said "last is Oshirix, who embraces the void. He will enchant and paralyze, patiently waiting for the prize." Flynn again inspired the group for battle as the red dracolich Oshirix, with runes for Eternity and Stillness on his head, approached from the east. Eight extremely large dragons, with marruspawn wizard riders, flew in from all sides. Roland let loose a pair of acidbrands, killing three of the wizards and wounding all of the other wizards and dragons. He followed up with an acid moonbow, which killed three dragons and sent their riders falling to their deaths. Garlen's arrow storm took out the last two wizards, and Ike's arrows took down another dragon. Amber's Sunburst and Sunbeam each wounded Oshirix, and she blinded one of the four remaining dragons. Nate shattered a dragon's mindblank and dove under a rock, hoping to avoid detection. Lotus' arc lightning wounded two more dragons.
The dragons flew down into the grove and started breathing cones of sand. One blew Flynn off into the surrounding hurricane, and two left Nate and Lotus seriously wounded. As one approached Nate, Jakob materialized and pounded it to death. Oshirix dispelled Rain's protections, and tried the same on Roland, but duelward blocked his attempt. Oshirix' powerful breath killed Lotus, left Rain nearly dead, and left Roland very glad for Fortunate Fate. Roland cast Field of Icy Razors, killing two dragons, and Disrupt Undead, causing Oshirix' first rune to trigger and provide the dracolich with fast healing. Roland followed up with an empowered acid moonbow, leaving Oshirix in bad shape. Horkina killed one of the remaining dragons. Garlen cast Lions Charge and attacked Oshirix, triggering his second rune, which made the dracolich far more dangerous in melee. Amber revived Lotus and used Mass Heal to bring Roland, Lotus, and Rain back to relative health. She followed with another sunburst and sunbeam on Oshirix. Ike took down the last of the dragons. Grokk turned his full attention on the dracolich beside him, and with a critical hit, killed the last Waste Lord.
A few minutes later, Flynn came walking back through the trees, soaking wet from the hurricane. He exclaimed "Worst. Fight. EVER."
wastelord rune count: Rain 3, Horkina 2, Garlen 2, Roland 2, Grokk 1.
wastelord kill count: Grokk 1.5, Horkina 1, Rain 1, Ike 0.5. One "party" kill.
Grokk critical hit count: 5
Players (Characters)
Scott (Filthy Ike; Rain)
Jeremy (Flynn Flamm; Grokk)
Tony (Brother Jakob's ghost; Roland; Amber)
Rachel (Lotus; Horkina)
Tom (Nathaniel Graythorne; Garlen)
DM: Catherine
The Ninja Mongoose Rockstars and Rubble Rousers materialized in Anor's sacred grove, a clearing surrounded by thick trees and a hurricane. They had a brief conversation with this god of fate, storms, and nature, whose avatar was a huge tree. Nate was particularly curious about the "fate" part, Lotus the "storm" part, and Amber and Garlen the "nature" part. Anor planned to begin summoning a storm in the morning, and Lotus would imbue it with Anor's sap in the evening, washing away the black sands. Anor knew the waste lords would come one by one to try to stop him once he'd begun. Lotus kept trying to hug Horkina, saying something about "kindred spirits", which led Horkina to ask "can someone get me away from this fucking flake?" As the group was planning for the next day's fights with the waste lords, Minellin sent NMR a message: "Mitzram has assembled several powerful wizards and abominations. Can you and your allies deal with the threat?" Roland scried on the area, Flynn hasted the parties and started singing, and Nate disguised Rubble Rousers to look like Minellin, Jinle'a, and some giants.
Nate teleported the parties a short distance away from the camp, and then Nate and Flynn cast dimension door to bring NMR-RR into the middle of the camp. About thirty marruspawn wizards and fifteen abominations looked both shocked and amused for about a quarter of a second. Then Lotus' Mass Drown spell killed four wizards and an abomination, and Roland's Field of Icy Razors killed four wizards and wounded another abomination. Garlen and Rain each killed one abomination with several strikes, while Grokk did it with just one critical blow. Horkina took out a pair of wizards with one axe still behind her back, and Ike blasted one more with an extremely precise shot. Amber put a blade barrier on a group of fleeing wizards. Garlen's White Raven Hammer stunned another abomination. Roland's Firebrand erupted all around, killing over a dozen wizards and wounding many abominations, six of which he finished off with a quickened Moonbow. Rain shadow-blinked next to one of the few remaining abominations and stabbed it repeatedly in its sensitive bits, killing it. Ike's precise shot took out another abomination, and Horkina left the last one near-dead with a solid hit. Nate cast Otto's Irresistable Dance, and the final abomination waltzed right into Horkina's axe and died. The party gathered up a large amount of treasure, and Roland planeshifted to sell it all. Horkina paid Lotus a large part of her share to stop trying to hug her.
In the morning, back in Anor's sacred grove, Roland cast Mind Blank on everyone, and also brought the Ninja Mongoose Rockstars into the telepathic bond. Amber cast Mass Fortunate Fate and Mass Conviction. Grokk dragged some rocks in from the trees surrounding the clearing. Nate cast Nate's Multilayer Ruse to make Garlen look like Nate, Horkina look like Amber, Grokk look like Flynn, and Rain look like a flying squirrel (outer) or Grokk (inner). Amber looked like a bird, Lotus looked like a squirrel, Flynn and Nate looked like rocks, Ike looked like a tree, and Roland looked like himself, but with his flaming eye on the wrong side. Nate also disguised a pair of rocks, one to look like Nate (inner) and a rock (outer), and another to look like Flynn (inner) and a singing rock (outer).
At sunrise, Anor intoned "first comes Omenank, who lurks in shadow and preys on the weak", and a cloud of darkness surrounded the grove. Rain spotted a group of about 20 blackscale yuan-ti ninjas approaching with Superior Invisibility. Flynn cast Haste and began singing, and Ike, Lotus, Grokk, and Horkina got true seeing from either themselves or Amber. Garlen ran to where Rain had seen a blackscale and started swinging, killing it. Lotus cast Mass Drown, killing one herself. A pair of more elite blackscales materialized from etherealness and attacked the rock that sounded like Flynn. Another pair materialized around Roland and tried to decerebrate him, but he resisted their psionic attacks, and their attempts to stab his vital organs were foiled by his many magical defenses. Omenank, with runes for "stealth" and "dagger" on her head, slipped out of the ground next to Flynn and prepared to attack. Jakob's ghost materialized to protect his old friend, and Omenank suddenly found herself lying between Grokk and Horkina. She tried to decerebrate Horkina but failed, and her attempt to cast Fuse Flesh was interrupted by Horkina's axe. Horkina felt justified in training to interrupt spellcasters.
Ike opened fire on Omenank with six arrows, leaving her seriously wounded. Rain, wearing armor of the celestial battalion, charged in from the air and started crippling Omenank. After two strikes, her strength was completely drained and her "stealth" rune triggered, healing her completely. Four strikes later, she was again paralyzed and her "dagger" rune triggered. Horkina laid her axe into the waste lord, chopping off several of her fingers before finally killing her. Grokk charged at one of the elites attacking the Flynn rock, and a pair of critical hits split the enemy into more pieces than anyone wanted to see. Nate used telekinesis to push another elite away from Roland, and Amber's Holy Word took out a large pack of blackscales. The blackscales, still oblivious to the illusion, started attacking the Nate rock, Horkina (who they thought was Amber), and Garlen (who they thought was Nate), and were completely ineffective. Roland's intensified Maw of Chaos killed one of the elites and one blackscale, and he stunned a second elite. Garlen stunned the remaining elite with White Raven Hammer, and the party quickly dropped the remaining foes.
Mid-morning, Anor again spoke "next comes Aol, who goes straight for the heart." As Flynn cast haste and began singing, Aol teleported into the grove, riding atop the Tarrasque. He had four marruspawn abominations and four marruspawn clerics along, and they surrounded Anor. Aol had two runes on his head: "immunity" and "ferocity". Aol and his Tarrasque both attacked Anor, gashing his bark. Garlen jumped and swung at Aol with a White Raven Hammer strike, stunning the huge abomination. Roland empowered a sonicbrand spell and killed three clerics, wounding some abominations in the process. His quickened moonbow finished off two abominations, and snake's swiftness allowed Rain and Grokk to strike at the Tarrasque. The two remaining abominations kept attacking Anor. Horkina hit the remaining cleric with three solid swings to bring him down, and landed four more solid blows on the Tarrasque, including one critical that brought the beast down. Ike put a series of arrows into the nearest abomination, stunning it with a headshot. Rain flew in at Aol, but only landed one hit on the thick-skinned creature. Amber used a miracle scroll to keep the Tarrasque dead, dispelled all of Aol's protection spells, and healed Anor somewhat. Nate's Slow spell failed against the still-standing abomination, but a big bolt of lightning from Lotus' storm badly wounded Aol.
Jakob materialized and started punching Aol as Garlen's Flanking Maneuver, plus some luck from Nate, gave Grokk, Horkina, Rain, and Jakob each an extra chance to hit the enemy. Roland's pair of Snake's Swiftness spells let each attack again, and Horkina triggered Aol's invulnerability rune, which healed him and gave him immunity to elemental damage. Roland's moonbow killed one of the remaining abominations, and Ike's longbow killed the other. Horkina and Grokk pounded on Aol, and his second rune triggered, speeding him up as he healed again. Rain's attacks and Nate's unluck spell proved useless. Lotus healed Anor and Amber put a wall of stone between him and Aol to keep him protected. Aol turned his attention on Horkina, who he dropped with a series of attacks, but she stood right back up due to Fortunate Fate. "We don't have fancy runes, but this works just as well", she said. Rain drew his antimagic dagger and stood under Aol, nullifying his magical speed. Garlen, Grokk, Horkina, and Ike all laid into the enemy, and Amber healed Horkina. Roland tried to distract Aol with a slapping hand, but he shrugged it off. Aol's next attack on Horkina was far less effective, and soon the impact of axes and shortswords brought him down.
About noon, Anor said "next comes Kelzun, who relishes pain, seeks to sow chaos, and overwhelms with the swarm." Soon, Kelzun flew in from the west, with runes of "protection" and "insanity" on her head. She raised her fist, and three balors and nine vrocks appeared. Flynn kept singing while Roland informed the party that she had both Repulsion and Antilife Shell protecting her. Garlen's arrow storm struck each of the enemies, wounding them all. Ike focused his arrows on Kelzun, striking her six times from his hiding place in the trees. One balor charged at Horkina, thinking she was Amber, and dealt a trivial wound. Two others charged at Garlen, thinking he was Nate, dealing minor damage. Flynn moved behind Anor for cover as Rain shadow blinked behind a balor and filled it with holes. The exploding balor wounded Roland and killed the previously-wounded vrocks. Horkina took out another balor, whose explosion somewhat harmed Nate. Kelzun focused her spells on Roland, twice trying to cast Eternity of Torment and twice being turned away by Roland's duelwards.
Amber cast Mass Heal, which hurt Kelzun and closed the party's wounds. She then dispelled most of Kelzun's protections, pushed her to the ground with a downdraft, and dimensionally anchored her to keep her from teleporting away. Roland removed the rest of Kelzun's spells and triggered a new duelward, swapping places with Grokk in the process. Grokk leaped to kill the last balor, and Nate's unluck spell was again useless. Lotus sent some lightning at Kelzun, who shrugged off some of the damage. Then Garlen yelled out "I HATE DEMONS! EVERYONE GET HER!" and led with a Warmasters Charge, while casting rhino's rush, smiting evil and flying into a rage. Jakob materialized and piled on, along with Grokk, Rain, and Horkina. Horkina's strike triggered Kelzun's first rune, and Rain's series of stabs soon triggered the second. Kelzun tried to drive Rain insane, but his mind-blank blocked the effect, and her attempt to cast Wrack gave Horkina a clear shot with her axe, which in turn gave Rain an opening to stab her. Ike's arrows and Grokk's axe soon sent the third Waste Lord back to her phylactery.
Early in the afternoon, Anor said "fourth is Shinsiri, who walks alone. He buys time with his storm." As Flynn sang, a tornado covered the grove and pulled him into the air. Shinsiri appeared next to Anor, with runes of Sand and Thirst on his head, and storm spirits appeared next to each party member, trying to grab them. Shinsiri started withering Anor, quickly draining his life. Garlen charged around the edge of the tree and hit Shinsiri eight times, including three critical hits, sickening the half-dragon and triggering his first rune to create a barrier of sand. Lotus transmuted the sand into rock and then into mud, and Shinsiri's protective wall slumped to the ground. Roland cast Mind Poison twice, draining Shinsiri's wisdom and triggering his second rune, which created a dessication aura. Rain shadow-blinked opposite Garlen and charged at Shinsiri, landing every single strike (125d6+272, +210 from CON drain = 924 damage.) The half-dragon died, and his storm spirits dissipated.
As dusk settled in, Anor said "last is Oshirix, who embraces the void. He will enchant and paralyze, patiently waiting for the prize." Flynn again inspired the group for battle as the red dracolich Oshirix, with runes for Eternity and Stillness on his head, approached from the east. Eight extremely large dragons, with marruspawn wizard riders, flew in from all sides. Roland let loose a pair of acidbrands, killing three of the wizards and wounding all of the other wizards and dragons. He followed up with an acid moonbow, which killed three dragons and sent their riders falling to their deaths. Garlen's arrow storm took out the last two wizards, and Ike's arrows took down another dragon. Amber's Sunburst and Sunbeam each wounded Oshirix, and she blinded one of the four remaining dragons. Nate shattered a dragon's mindblank and dove under a rock, hoping to avoid detection. Lotus' arc lightning wounded two more dragons.
The dragons flew down into the grove and started breathing cones of sand. One blew Flynn off into the surrounding hurricane, and two left Nate and Lotus seriously wounded. As one approached Nate, Jakob materialized and pounded it to death. Oshirix dispelled Rain's protections, and tried the same on Roland, but duelward blocked his attempt. Oshirix' powerful breath killed Lotus, left Rain nearly dead, and left Roland very glad for Fortunate Fate. Roland cast Field of Icy Razors, killing two dragons, and Disrupt Undead, causing Oshirix' first rune to trigger and provide the dracolich with fast healing. Roland followed up with an empowered acid moonbow, leaving Oshirix in bad shape. Horkina killed one of the remaining dragons. Garlen cast Lions Charge and attacked Oshirix, triggering his second rune, which made the dracolich far more dangerous in melee. Amber revived Lotus and used Mass Heal to bring Roland, Lotus, and Rain back to relative health. She followed with another sunburst and sunbeam on Oshirix. Ike took down the last of the dragons. Grokk turned his full attention on the dracolich beside him, and with a critical hit, killed the last Waste Lord.
A few minutes later, Flynn came walking back through the trees, soaking wet from the hurricane. He exclaimed "Worst. Fight. EVER."
wastelord rune count: Rain 3, Horkina 2, Garlen 2, Roland 2, Grokk 1.
wastelord kill count: Grokk 1.5, Horkina 1, Rain 1, Ike 0.5. One "party" kill.
Grokk critical hit count: 5
Tuesday, July 1, 2008
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