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.
Showing posts with label session log. Show all posts
Showing posts with label session log. Show all posts
Wednesday, December 15, 2010
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
Friday, June 27, 2008
Session 27, 2008-06-27: Unlikely Allies
Session 27: wherein Nate's old foes, Jakob's deceased master, and Posiccuit's guides join the team
Players (Characters)
Scott (Filthy Ike)
Jeremy (Flynn Flamm)
Tony (Brother Jakob)
Rachel (Lotus)
Tom (Nathaniel Graythorne)
DM: Catherine
As the Ninja Mongoose Rockstars sat in the Dancing Bear tavern, Lotus returned from a walk out in the woods, and said "Guys, I'm not high, I swear. But listen, you'll never believe what happened! I ran into the four woodling druids who helped me avenge Cheela! One of them told me 'It is time, Stormchild; Anor summons.'" Some of the party looked over at Nate, who insisted "I had nothing to do with this."
Lotus continued: "The druids told me that Semferia was once a barren waste--intended for battle, not for life. Then the god Anor came into the world, and sought to make it green. His first efforts were dashed against in the mighty battles, for a life is a fragile thing. Yet life is destined to succeed; no unmoving challenge can suppress its nature. Struggle is its nature, and in struggle it thrives. In those ancient battles, Anor sowed the seeds of all life that was to be, and in the end it was victorious.
The Order of the Inevitable Seed (where the woodling druids are from) is devoted to finishing the quest of Anor. It is said that one day the whole land will be a lush continent, and then Anor will ascend to his rightful place in the stars. For now, he makes his abode in the sacred grove on the eastern peninsula. They said it was too holy a place for them, but I was summoned there! It was awesome, a place surrounded by the wildest storms and trees and animals! The druids put their hands together, and took me to the edge of a thicket knit of trees, and then disappeared. The trees wouldn't let me pass until I proved my strength, and there were immense wolves that came after me, but they had no taste for fire. Then I was caught up in a cyclone and lifted up into it. Lightning and thunder kept striking, and I was like a spirit in the storm, and I knew what it was like to be a storm. I was one with the storm!" Nate again piped up "I swear, I haven't cast any spells on her!"
Lotus continued again: "This was way more awesome than your spells. I knew how the winds and rain thought, and I knew the spirit of the storm -- I knew what drove it. I knew its purpose. I knew what it wanted. And all of a sudden, I was standing in a quiet grove next to an immense evergreen, and Anor talked to me. He said 'Well done. I name you the Master of Storms. Return to me when I call, and we shall wash away the shadow.' Then a soft breeze blew over me, and I was standing in the forest outside Ghern, still dripping wet."
A while later, Thameor showed up and started talking with Nate. Soon, the conversation turned to the oracle given to Jakob. At the words "if then the shadow holds the key", Thameor piped up -- "I know what key that is! It's the key to Kirani! It must be! Ten years ago, the prince was passing over the unlit pass, and the key was stolen! Normally this would be no big deal, as the moon spirit within the key simply reforms it in the hands of its master, even if it's destroyed... but whoever took it is very powerful, and has somehow kept the key and the spirit imprisoned. If our great city can again be reached, we may be able to win this dark war. Jakob must return the key!"
Shortly thereafter, Minellin joined the impromptu meeting. He congratulated NMR on their recent work in gaining the Ghern as allies, and Thameor on possibly solving the riddle. He also shared that the armies of Westlay, Waecleft, Tindell, Ghern, the Ivani, and others were gathering in the burned forest to make their stand against Mitzram, and that with the help of the elves of Kirani, they might even stand a chance. He also shared that the party would be sent to Mitzram's capital in two days, and that the tree sap was a highly effective cure for the Thirsting.
As Nate went outside, he saw smoke signals coming from the north. "It looks like the frost giants are having their yearly competitions. I'd love to go beat them all at gambling one last time. And I bet they don't like deserts any more than we do, so if we can get their attention by winning a few of their contests, maybe we can convince them to fight alongside us." The party agreed, and Nate teleported the party to the gate by the frosty mountain. A guard piped up "what you doing here?" Nate responded "I'm here to beat everyone at Seven Skulls and take their money." "You think you can play Seven Skulls?" "Yeah, when I was in your army 155 years ago when you lost the war so badly, I used to beat everyone. Unless the game has changed since then, I'll win." "Game is the same. OK, go ahead, I'm sure someone will be able to use you as slave." "If they survive being disintegrated, perhaps." With that, the party headed up the mountain.
First up was the mammoth-slaying competition. As a mammoth entered the arena, the first giant competitor started throwing rocks at it, and after cornering it, pounded it with a mace. The crowd cheered his decent time of 84 seconds. Other competitors did similarly, though none approached the ages-old record of 28 seconds. Soon, it was Jakob's turn, and he stepped into the arena with Flynn cheering him on. The gate opened and the mammoth crossed the line, starting the timer... and Jakob's pouncing charge, flurry of blows, and mind-shock fist killed it in just under six seconds! The frost giant crowd went wild with excitement! Ike was up next, and with Flynn cheering him on, prepared a shot with Fox's Bite. As the mammoth entered the arena, Ike loosed his arrow and landed a nearly-perfect shot, slaying the mammoth before the clock operator could react. Frost giants were on their feet cheering for the new mammoth-slaying champion. Lotus asked "are we going to be eating mammoth jerky, like, forever?"
Up next was the arena wrestling competition, and Jakob and three giants squared off. One giant attempted to push Jakob out of the center section, but couldn't get a hand on the quickly-moving half-ogre. Another pair of giants pushed on each other, and one slid across the line, being declared "out". Jakob grabbed his opponent and, with a comet throw, sent him 25 feet beyond the "out" line and into the arena fence. The remaining giant found himself in the same predicament -- he couldn't manage to grab Jakob, and Jakob easily tossed him just a few feet short of the other. Nate led the giants in a cheer of "N-M-R! N-M-R! N-M-R!" as Jakob did celebratory backflips.
Finally, Nate played his way into the championship round of Seven Skulls. Though he struggled to lift the massive wooden dice, he was quite capable of reading his opponent's intentions and bluffing, or not bluffing, his way to big wins. During the game, Jakob chatted with the giants who had been so impressed with him, talking about the desert people from the south coming to turn lakes into desert. Soon, word spread in the crowd that the foreigners were just as upset about the new desert to the southwest as the giants were.
At the awards ceremony, Jakob was granted a large golden belt with the logo for the "Wrestling in the Tundra Foundation". Ike was told that, normally, the mammoth-slayer got a mammoth trophy, but since he was an archer, he'd be given gloves taken from an archer they'd killed long ago: Fox's Poise. Nate piped up "I remember that battle. I killed 3 giants by making them fall off a cliff chasing an illusion." "Yeah, good times. Lots of killing. You clever little guy." With that, the giant presented Nate with a large silver twelve-sided die that he could barely lift into his bag. Then Nate addressed the crowd: "giants of Smerdon, we have come a long way, not just to participate in these contests, but to warn you of a great threat. Jackal-headed jerks from the south are coming to turn your lands into a desert, just like they did to the lake southwest of here. A hundred and fifty-five years ago, your enemies fell before you one by one until they united and drove you back. Now, we will all fall one by one before the desert creatures unless you unite with us to drive them back. And they will turn your beautiful frozen wasteland into a horrible hot wasteland!" The king spoke: "we hate deserts, but I'm not sure about fighting these weird creatures." Nate, remembering what motivated the giants in the past, called back "they don't wear armor. They're really squishy and fun to kill." The giants sent scouts to look at the desert-ized lake, and when they reported back that Nate had told the truth, hundreds of giant warriors began their march to meet with the rest of the armies of the north. In the mean time, Lotus asked if the giants wanted more snow. After her superstorm buried the area, they said "OK, that enough!" Lotus made a sad face and asked "don't you want more?"
A few days later, the party met Minellin at the teleportation circle in the eastern forest. The plan was to take some casks of poisoned, fake sap to be distributed in Mitzram (an effective way to take out already sick marruspawn), steal or destroy magic items from an important factory, and scout out a meeting of the Wastelords. Passing through the circle in Marruspawn disguise, the party placed the poisoned casks in a warehouse alongside a dwindling supply of useable sap. Then they moved toward the nearby magic item production area disguised as supervisors from the capital. Several tables were lined up neatly atop dry brush next to an oasis. Three powerful wizards and several subordinates created scrolls at the tables, and four burly guards stood over racks of weapons, armor, and various other items.
Lotus quietly began creating a heat wave, and Flynn switched the Rod of the Mongoose to one ear down to keep the sound of his lute from carrying. Ike positioned himself next to one of the biggest wizards while Jakob positioned himself next to another. As Flynn began playing, Ike released a nasty stench that (due to Nate's luck) drifted right into the nose of the nearby wizard, leaving him choking on fumes. Ike blasted another wizard with Fox's Bite, killing it. Jakob's Ancient Mountain Hammer left the final powerful wizard nearly dead. Lotus increased the wind and temperature all around the tables full of scrolls and dropped some arc lightning on the nearby guards, and Nate cast Otto's Irresistable Dance on the wizard next to Jakob. Jakob leaped toward the guards Lotus had just wounded, killing two of them with a flurry of blows. Flynn knocked over a table of scrolls into Lotus' superheated area. Ike moved away and took a precise shot at one of the two remaining guards, seriously maiming him. Lotus lit up her firestorm, killing the dancing wizard and leaving the nauseated wizard badly burned, and her arc lightning took out the guards. Nate disintegrated the final wizard, and the party started stuffing the shiniest magic items into bags of holding. As several marruspawn wizards approached to investigate the firestorm, Lotus turned the storm into a firebolt to melt the remaining treasure, and Nate teleported the group away. Among other treasures, the party recovered a luckblade, which was used to boost Lotus' wisdom. Flynn kept the blade and saved the final wish for later.
The party moved on to the next phase of their plan: kill a group of guards and replace them, infiltrating a meeting of the wastelords. As the guards made their scheduled meeting in a tiny outpost, Flynn played a loud note. Ike stood between a pair and released noxious fumes, but the guards had been eating chili earlier and hardly noticed. Ike also shot a guard. Jakob tossed one guard into another, Lotus drowned one, and Nate's Phantasmal killer made another die screaming. Ike's five arrows and a critical hit from Jakob killed two more guards, and Nate's Phantasmal Killer destroyed the last one. The party disguised themselves to look like these guards and went into the capital. Just before the meeting, the party exchanged all but one of their red coins for gold at a nearby marketplace; Nate held the final coin as a souvenier. This is what the party experienced at the temple:
To reach the temple of Senneth, you must walk past the bone-fields. Literally hundreds of captives are bound with leather cords and abandoned in the sand to die of thirst. The moans of the doomed mingle softly over the shards of scoured bone continually washed up by the sands. The quiet cruelty of the waste here reigns supreme.
Steps lead up through the mouth of a giant black snake; inside is a marble courtyard open to the air. A huge mosaic on the floor depicts Senneth's holy symbol: the black cobra and the words of fate. There are everywhere depictions of thirst and waste and death. Mosaics, illusions, even live-action drama--here and there around the temple, captive creatures are parched in most elaborate ways.
It is just after dark. The air that had been a blast furnace during the day suddenly drops to a bitter cold. The black marble floor is still quite warm underfoot. It shines under the full desert moon.
Marruspawn clerics and blackscale Yuan-Ti mingle around the edges of the courtyard, performing their minor duties and discussing fine points of dark theology. Toward the center, five marruspawn stand tall in robes, outlining an empty square. These are the guard you are here to releive. At their head stands a tall marruspawn in golden robes who is studiously bowed to by all the rest. Ashne, the head cleric. Seeing their replacements, the guards gladly leave, glad to be away from the dangerous creatures who are about to arrive.
The hour strikes, and the Waste Lords begin to arrive.
A black shadow creeps over the outer wall, nearly invisible in the dark. You can make out the form of a Yuan-Ti superabomination--her black skin writhes with embedded snakes, and her eyes glow yellow in the dark. Her body is covered with arcane tatoos and incomprehensible symbols. The air around her hums with quiet energy. With catlike grace, she leaps--or flies--from the wall and neatly flips twice in the air before landing adroitly in the center of the square.
Ashne intones: "Welcome Omenankh, Instrument of the Inevitable, high priest of Senneth".
The ground vibrates slightly under your feet as rumbling steps shake it. Above the edge of the steps appears the massive head of a jackal, with deeply feral eyes. As he rises over the steps, his ears brush the upper teeth of the snake--he's twenty-five feet tall if an inch, three times the size of the biggest marruspawn abomination you've ever seen. As he reaches the summit, he throws back his head and howls at the moon--and they can probably hear him in the icy north. A dozen of the nearest clerics immediately turn to salt, though one does not. With an approving laugh, the ebony creature thunders into the square.
Ashne intones: "Welcome Aol, Memory of the Ancients, Lost champion of the Marru."
In the distance you hear echoes of deep shouts and growls in some vile tongue, as though all of the abyss were having a party on an airship. The sky grows lighter to the south, and then suddenly over the wall arises the outline of a skeletal dragon surrounded by many winged creatures. A horde of demons begins to circle overhead, taunting all the stone serious folk below. Two massive Balor descend to perch on the wall, and the skeletal dragon descends before them. Then you see its rider--a dessicated woman in black armor, wreathed in flame. She raises a fist to the sky, and overhead the army falls silent. One by one they descend to perch on the southern wall. As she approaches, you recognize her face--it is Kelzun, but she has changed. Fully half her face is covered in demonflesh, and she sports a new pair of horns and wings. Last you met, her sheild bore the unholy symbol of Demogorgon; it now blisters with the rune for insanity. With an inferno blast, she dissapears from where she stands, and reincarnates in the center of the square.
Asnhe intones: "Welcome Kelzun, Queen of Corruption, Usurper and now Youngest of the Demon Lords."
Overhead, the air begins to stir. Sand kicks up in clouds, and soon the sandstorm blots out the stars overhead. It intensifies to a hurricane many feet above the ground, and all you can hear is the sound and fury of the storm. The sound alone shakes the ribcage, and even here on the ground, stinging grit bites your flesh. Some of the clerics--in the process of unfossilizing their bretheren--are interrupted in their task, and mutter low and dark curses. At the center, the storm finally coheres into a massive tornado, which snakes down towards the square. The wind is horriffic, and many of the clerics are thrown off their feet. The twister finally obscures the center of the square with sand, and then lifts again--revealing a man in long blue robes, with the head, wings, and horns of a blue dragon.
Ashne picks himself up and intones: "Welcome Shinsiri, Stormchief, Last of the sand emporers."
Overhead, there is the sound of many heavy wings, and looking up you see a flight of sand dragons. Fully eight collassal beasts beat the air with their wings, and at their head, a massive dragon with long-rotted flesh and holes in his wings. As they approach, you see that the dragons bear riders--marrutact wizards in golden robes, and surrounding their mounts are clouds of mist and forgetfulness. They land near the northern wall, and the air around each wizard crackles with intense energy. Their leader, a collossal dracolich, lands in the square in a blast of intense heat.
Ashne intones: "Welcome Oshirex, Spawn of the Void, Silent Chief of the Dark Secret Woven into the World."
The Waste Lords all arrange themselves around the outside of the square, and a few minutes of low chat ensue. As they make small talk about armies and torments, secrets and powers, it is clear they are all waiting for something. Suddenly, the warm marble is shot through with a deep chill, and each of the Waste Lords grows quickly silent. The stone seems to whisper and then to shriek, and overhead the stars slowly begin to wink out. The form of a black wraith flies over the moon before being joined by another and then another, and the sky is clouded with black. Slowly, like smoke arising from a smouldering fire, a giant black wraith mists up from the floor in the center of the square. His deep red eyes communicate unfathomable hunger. He nods briefly to acknowledge each Waste Lord in turn.
Ashne intones: "Welcome Vash, The Unlit Shadow, Lord of Death Under the Mountain, and Chief of the Waste Lords."
Vash nods his dismissal, and Ashne bows and leaves.
Vash: We are all here. Let us begin.
Oshirex briefly casts a spell, and the waste lords grow silent. Yet it is clear by their faces that they are holding converse, asking and answering questions.
Flynn subtly reaches his hand down and flips both ears up on the Rod of the Mongoose, and he begins eavesdropping on the conversation.
Aol: -- but four days' journey from the scorched fields, where it appears the northerners want to make their stand. They have drawn unlikely allies to themselves, but still Mizram has the upper hand. The battle promises to be long and bloody, but I see no other allies in the region which could further sway the tide.
Omenankh: Kirani may arise.
Vash: I have seen to it that it will not. I stole the key ten years ago, before the Forgotten People began to whisper about our threat, and it is safe in my wraithhold. I shall guard it personally until the end.
Omenankh: Kinari may yet arise.
Shinsiri: It is all one whether it does or not. Mizram may yet lose, and we still prevail; they are but one means to an end. The black sands now saturate the north; the time for total transformation has arrived.
Aol: Is the blood provided sufficient?
Shinsiri: It is. While the armies of the north look west, I can run unhindered throughout the east, and rain blood down upon the wild places. I have summoned one bloodstorm already, and the results are spectacular--the sands consume the plants like dry straw before fire, and the desert is made. Yesterday, I was able to fly two hundred miles, and left behind me a twenty-mile swath of new-made desert.
Kelzun: Then there are two roads to victory. Should Mizram win, we can bide our time while the empire destroys the tiny pockets of life throughout the land. Should they lose, the north is still weakened, and Shinsiri can rain bloodstorms down upon the land unhindered. Most can't survive in the kind of desert he'd summon anyway. We've come a long way since we relied on natural lakes.
Omenankh: The paths to victory are in fact three. After empire comes shadow.
Vash: And the shadow stands ready. My legions of wraiths beneath the mountain stand ready to wash over the land. Mizram may make an empire. The northerners may try to recover. It is all one; when the shadow arises, it shall scour all life from the land, Mizrami, Northerner, or any other.
Aol: You are deceived, my friend. The Marru shall come first.
Vash: Yes, you think we play the fool. Mizram thinks we are its fools, and I think Mizram is ours. But that battle is between powers greater than both you and I. I for one am content to play my assigned part and rule my promised empire; if the fates decree otherwise, I am content with that too.
Omenankh: It is inevitable. The shadow comes, and then the waste.
Vash: What your deity tells you is inevitable, and what he is actually able to bring about, are entirely different things.
Kelzun: Speaking of deities, has anyone accounted for Anor? He called a Master of Storms a week or so ago. I think he might be planning to undo the sands.
Shinsiri: That cannot happen! If he tries, we shall have to slay him!
Kelzun: Are you sure? Anor himself?
Shinsiri: You question what we have become? Immortality means immunity to old age, not death in combat. Anor is a god of storms and rest, and I know storms. I for one do not fear him.
Kelzun: Your funeral. But I expect you're right. We cannot lose the sands.
Vash: Then we are decided. Shinsiri shall scorch the east, while Aol watches the west. If Mizram wins, that is for the best; they shall do much of our work for us. If they lose, I shall swarm forth with the shadow legion and destroy what remains. And if Anor begins to summon a storm, we must all stop what we are doing and bend our effort to destroy him.
Oshirex: It is said. It is done.
One by one, the Waste Lords disappear into the night with their respective armies. The Mizram clerics carry on, reverently oblivious to their callous allies, and the desert moon shines down on the cold marble mosaic. Before departing, Ike steps across Senneth's symbol at the center of the temple, leaving a vile stench behind.
The party returned to Lonely Sparrow to report the news to Minellin, who replied "This is grave news, indeed... yet there is a glimmer of hope. If Jakob can return the key, then perhaps not all is lost. With Kirani, we may yet withstand Mitzram's assault, and perhaps Anor will be able to withstand the Waste Lords. It seems our only hope is for Jakob to complete his quest. And I have recieved word, Brother Jonathan is at Jade Feather. Jakob, you should speak to him." The party went to Jade Feather the next morning, and Jonathan spoke:
"Brother Jakob! I have wanted to meet you; Brother Michael spoke of you often. He was so very proud of you.
"When Father Lawrence sent to me, I refused to tell where to go until I could look you in the face. You have to understand, this quest is impossible--it is futility and suicide. Vash is invincible, and his wraiths are legion. Michael could not possibly have gotten the key out, and you are not even a master yet.
"He sent for me because he had been told he needed one of my black daggers to prevail. I don't use them much; they're little last-ditch rods for getting out of forcecages and the like. He apparently needed to get *into* one.
"We met on the unlit pass, and he led me to a rough hole in the mountain. I volunteered to follow him in, and for days we kept company under the mountains. We were continually beset by wraiths and spellthieves. It took many days to explore the tunnels, but at last he found what he sought: the wriathold of Vash.
"It was a massive chamber under the mountain--a full a mile wide, and nearly half as tall. The walls were bored through with nightcrawler holes, and looked like swiss cheese. All manner of abominations crawled over the ground, but the wraiths were the key thing--thousands of them swarmed in the air, constantly going to and from their dark lord.
"My heart sank, but Brother Michael was intent. 'After all, I am bid to defy fear.' He crept along the roof of the chamber, spider-walking to the apex, and then let go. I watched him fall those many feet to the floor. With the dagger outstretched, he piered the force wall, and entered the anti-magic field surrounding the table holding the key. Picking it up, he wrapped it carefully in a cloth, and then turned to look.
"Vash had come, and the wraiths were thick. With one nod, the fields of force were gone, and the wraiths pressed closer. With a second, the anti-magic field was dismissed, and Michael was swarmed. He could not get out, and so he took a mighty leap at the wraithlord himself.
"I shall never forget what I saw: One black hand reached out and touched him, and then he was no more. That's it--no struggle, no nothing. Just oblivion.
"I cannot understand why the oracle would lay such a burden on the shoulders of Brother Michael. It is an impossible task. I hope you do not take it up."
Jakob replied: "I have no choice. I must return the key." With that, Brother Jonathan handed Jakob one of his special daggers and retired.
As the party reached the beginning of the caves, with little indication as to where exactly to find Vash's chamber, a voice intoned "return the key." It was Brother Michael, or rather, his ghost. "Seek the wraith", he said, materializing and leading the way into a nearby tunnel. Over the next hour, Michael's ghost appeared time and time again to show the way toward Vash's chamber. Soon, a nightcrawler appeared, biting at Jakob but missing the surprisingly agile half-ogre. Flynn began singing and Ike fired five force arrows. Jakob's flurry tore the nightcrawler's flesh in several places. Nate and Lotus both tried to help, but their spells weren't powerful enough. A pack of dread wraiths emerged from the floor, with one attacking Ike and another attacking Nate, who both resisted the withering touch of the wraiths. Michael materialized and tossed one wraith through a nearby wall. The nightcrawler again bit at Jakob, and Jakob again deftly avoided its angry maw. Flynn cast Haste, and Ike's six arrows brought the nightcrawler down. Jakob stepped between the two remaining dread wraiths and pounded one into oblivion while hitting the other with a defensive rebuke. Nate's telekinesis was ineffective, but Lotus' cure spell caused significant harm. The wraith couldn't manage to hit Jakob, and Ike finished the battle with a few more arrows.
When the party finally reached Vash's chamber, Lotus cast death ward on everyone and passed Jakob a crystal that would protect him from wraiths and the like. With haste and inspiration from Flynn, Jakob took off running, covering a half mile in about 40 seconds. As he grabbed the key, Vash and his wraiths swarmed around the wall of force. Vash boomed out "what are you doing with my key?" "Your key?" Jakob replied. Vash brought down the wall of force, and Jakob started running back toward the party. As Vash prepared a spell, Jakob broke the key in half, releasing the moon spirit to return to the elven prince. Vash's maddening whispers dropped Jakob into a stupor, and the wraiths swarmed on him, killing him. Moments later, he rose as a wraith.
As he passed into the ethereal world, he felt the hungers of the wraith at the edge of his consciousness, telling him to turn and consume the living. The soft voice of Vash urged his control. Yet some combination of legendary discipline and psionic training allowed Jakob to deny this for a time. The shrouds and forms of the material world passed away, and he saw things clearly. Vash, the giant wraith, now appeared as a middle-aged man with an arrogant smile; the black billows of his wraithly robes faded away to the material world, leaving only the mundane dress of an accomplished sorcerer. The ghost of Brother Michael looked solid, moving with restraint and grace over some imagined surface. Jakob's equipment laid in a heap on the floor, but he carried wraith copies of those items most dear. The once-tattered robe of Brother Michael that Jakob had worn for so long now appeared whole--if worn.
In the distance, the Ninja Mongoose Rockstars glowed with emotion, wishing to reach Jakob, slay his wraith, and revive him. In another direction, Brother Michael approached Vash from behind as his attention was fixed on dominating Jakob. This was a drill they'd run a hundred times together; Michael trips, Jakob tackles. Jakob flinched momentarily under the massive psychological itch, knowing he had but a few moments before the final descent into madness. He turned to face Vash.
Michael stepped forward and tripped the huge wraith. In the distance, a spell from Nate boomed out loudly "Tripped by a ghost! OWNED! You suck, Vash!" Jakob stepped forward and attacked the unarmored sorcerer-wraith, swinging with mightly blows (285 damage.) Vash responded with a beam of disintegration that missed Jakob, and another that hit Michael, but the ghost-monk's legendary concentration allowed him to shrug off most of the damage. For Michael, time seemed to stand still as he smashed his fists into Vash, and Jakob's searing, mind-shocking flurry (313 damage) slew the Lord of Wraiths.
With their master dead, the dread wraiths began spreading out, moving without purpose. Jakob began to lose control and move with them, but Michael stepped forward and slew him. The rest of the party still wished to reach him, but thousands of wraiths blocked the way. As they closed in, Lotus loosed a sunburst, and Nate teleported the group to the scorched forest.
Minellin soon found the party, greeting them with the news that Kirani had been reached and the elves were massing for battle, and showed them the battle plan. The Waste Lords had three ways to victory: Mitzram could win, Vash the shadow could overrun the land, or they could slay Anor. With Vash dead and the elven army joining the fight against Mitzram, the Ninja Mongoose Rockstars had but one task remaining: protect Anor. Fittingly, Lotus heard his call -- he planned to bring a storm to wash away the black sands, and she would be needed. Before the party headed out, Gindralin, prince of Kirani, approached with a silver paintbrush in his hand and said "I have held this for a hundred and fifty years, looking for the right time to use it. That time is now." He loosed the paintbrush, which began painting a celtic knot on the ground beneath the party.
Suddenly, the Ninja Mongoose Rockstars found themselves in a perfectly hemispherical room, a hundred feet high and a hundred feet in radius. The white roof and floor emitted soft, pleasant light, and no shadows were visible anywhere. A shrine to the north was covered in silver holy symbols of various greater and lesser gods -- Heironeous, Eholonna, Kord, Pelor, Corellon Larethian, and many others. The walls held various inscriptions, again in glowing silver runes: "For those who fight alongside us", "for those who cannot fight for themselves", "for those who have gone before", "for those who are yet to come", and so on. Concepts of unity, freedom, honor, and continuity dominated the messages. A large sign to the south (marked "D&Dbay") described various magical items and their costs, displaying a new group of items every so often, though it wasn't apparent exactly how often. Time flowed vaguely, seeming to both rush by and stand still.
At the center of the room was a large circular table. An image projected above the table showed a perfect map of the sacred grove and its environs. There were four empty comfortable-looking chairs around the southern end of the table. The six chairs to the north were variously occupied, ignored, illuminated, and overburdened by their respective inhabitants. One was a veritable castle of books, another a castle of kegs. A twitchy centaur was on his feet before the party finished entering the room. The ugliest elf they'd ever seen looked up from the magic item console--which he had been continuously refreshing--and seeing Lotus called out, "Hey, baby--wanna see my sword?"
The party, including Ghostly Jakob, reached level 17. The Rubble Rousers remained at level 27.
Players (Characters)
Scott (Filthy Ike)
Jeremy (Flynn Flamm)
Tony (Brother Jakob)
Rachel (Lotus)
Tom (Nathaniel Graythorne)
DM: Catherine
As the Ninja Mongoose Rockstars sat in the Dancing Bear tavern, Lotus returned from a walk out in the woods, and said "Guys, I'm not high, I swear. But listen, you'll never believe what happened! I ran into the four woodling druids who helped me avenge Cheela! One of them told me 'It is time, Stormchild; Anor summons.'" Some of the party looked over at Nate, who insisted "I had nothing to do with this."
Lotus continued: "The druids told me that Semferia was once a barren waste--intended for battle, not for life. Then the god Anor came into the world, and sought to make it green. His first efforts were dashed against in the mighty battles, for a life is a fragile thing. Yet life is destined to succeed; no unmoving challenge can suppress its nature. Struggle is its nature, and in struggle it thrives. In those ancient battles, Anor sowed the seeds of all life that was to be, and in the end it was victorious.
The Order of the Inevitable Seed (where the woodling druids are from) is devoted to finishing the quest of Anor. It is said that one day the whole land will be a lush continent, and then Anor will ascend to his rightful place in the stars. For now, he makes his abode in the sacred grove on the eastern peninsula. They said it was too holy a place for them, but I was summoned there! It was awesome, a place surrounded by the wildest storms and trees and animals! The druids put their hands together, and took me to the edge of a thicket knit of trees, and then disappeared. The trees wouldn't let me pass until I proved my strength, and there were immense wolves that came after me, but they had no taste for fire. Then I was caught up in a cyclone and lifted up into it. Lightning and thunder kept striking, and I was like a spirit in the storm, and I knew what it was like to be a storm. I was one with the storm!" Nate again piped up "I swear, I haven't cast any spells on her!"
Lotus continued again: "This was way more awesome than your spells. I knew how the winds and rain thought, and I knew the spirit of the storm -- I knew what drove it. I knew its purpose. I knew what it wanted. And all of a sudden, I was standing in a quiet grove next to an immense evergreen, and Anor talked to me. He said 'Well done. I name you the Master of Storms. Return to me when I call, and we shall wash away the shadow.' Then a soft breeze blew over me, and I was standing in the forest outside Ghern, still dripping wet."
A while later, Thameor showed up and started talking with Nate. Soon, the conversation turned to the oracle given to Jakob. At the words "if then the shadow holds the key", Thameor piped up -- "I know what key that is! It's the key to Kirani! It must be! Ten years ago, the prince was passing over the unlit pass, and the key was stolen! Normally this would be no big deal, as the moon spirit within the key simply reforms it in the hands of its master, even if it's destroyed... but whoever took it is very powerful, and has somehow kept the key and the spirit imprisoned. If our great city can again be reached, we may be able to win this dark war. Jakob must return the key!"
Shortly thereafter, Minellin joined the impromptu meeting. He congratulated NMR on their recent work in gaining the Ghern as allies, and Thameor on possibly solving the riddle. He also shared that the armies of Westlay, Waecleft, Tindell, Ghern, the Ivani, and others were gathering in the burned forest to make their stand against Mitzram, and that with the help of the elves of Kirani, they might even stand a chance. He also shared that the party would be sent to Mitzram's capital in two days, and that the tree sap was a highly effective cure for the Thirsting.
As Nate went outside, he saw smoke signals coming from the north. "It looks like the frost giants are having their yearly competitions. I'd love to go beat them all at gambling one last time. And I bet they don't like deserts any more than we do, so if we can get their attention by winning a few of their contests, maybe we can convince them to fight alongside us." The party agreed, and Nate teleported the party to the gate by the frosty mountain. A guard piped up "what you doing here?" Nate responded "I'm here to beat everyone at Seven Skulls and take their money." "You think you can play Seven Skulls?" "Yeah, when I was in your army 155 years ago when you lost the war so badly, I used to beat everyone. Unless the game has changed since then, I'll win." "Game is the same. OK, go ahead, I'm sure someone will be able to use you as slave." "If they survive being disintegrated, perhaps." With that, the party headed up the mountain.
First up was the mammoth-slaying competition. As a mammoth entered the arena, the first giant competitor started throwing rocks at it, and after cornering it, pounded it with a mace. The crowd cheered his decent time of 84 seconds. Other competitors did similarly, though none approached the ages-old record of 28 seconds. Soon, it was Jakob's turn, and he stepped into the arena with Flynn cheering him on. The gate opened and the mammoth crossed the line, starting the timer... and Jakob's pouncing charge, flurry of blows, and mind-shock fist killed it in just under six seconds! The frost giant crowd went wild with excitement! Ike was up next, and with Flynn cheering him on, prepared a shot with Fox's Bite. As the mammoth entered the arena, Ike loosed his arrow and landed a nearly-perfect shot, slaying the mammoth before the clock operator could react. Frost giants were on their feet cheering for the new mammoth-slaying champion. Lotus asked "are we going to be eating mammoth jerky, like, forever?"
Up next was the arena wrestling competition, and Jakob and three giants squared off. One giant attempted to push Jakob out of the center section, but couldn't get a hand on the quickly-moving half-ogre. Another pair of giants pushed on each other, and one slid across the line, being declared "out". Jakob grabbed his opponent and, with a comet throw, sent him 25 feet beyond the "out" line and into the arena fence. The remaining giant found himself in the same predicament -- he couldn't manage to grab Jakob, and Jakob easily tossed him just a few feet short of the other. Nate led the giants in a cheer of "N-M-R! N-M-R! N-M-R!" as Jakob did celebratory backflips.
Finally, Nate played his way into the championship round of Seven Skulls. Though he struggled to lift the massive wooden dice, he was quite capable of reading his opponent's intentions and bluffing, or not bluffing, his way to big wins. During the game, Jakob chatted with the giants who had been so impressed with him, talking about the desert people from the south coming to turn lakes into desert. Soon, word spread in the crowd that the foreigners were just as upset about the new desert to the southwest as the giants were.
At the awards ceremony, Jakob was granted a large golden belt with the logo for the "Wrestling in the Tundra Foundation". Ike was told that, normally, the mammoth-slayer got a mammoth trophy, but since he was an archer, he'd be given gloves taken from an archer they'd killed long ago: Fox's Poise. Nate piped up "I remember that battle. I killed 3 giants by making them fall off a cliff chasing an illusion." "Yeah, good times. Lots of killing. You clever little guy." With that, the giant presented Nate with a large silver twelve-sided die that he could barely lift into his bag. Then Nate addressed the crowd: "giants of Smerdon, we have come a long way, not just to participate in these contests, but to warn you of a great threat. Jackal-headed jerks from the south are coming to turn your lands into a desert, just like they did to the lake southwest of here. A hundred and fifty-five years ago, your enemies fell before you one by one until they united and drove you back. Now, we will all fall one by one before the desert creatures unless you unite with us to drive them back. And they will turn your beautiful frozen wasteland into a horrible hot wasteland!" The king spoke: "we hate deserts, but I'm not sure about fighting these weird creatures." Nate, remembering what motivated the giants in the past, called back "they don't wear armor. They're really squishy and fun to kill." The giants sent scouts to look at the desert-ized lake, and when they reported back that Nate had told the truth, hundreds of giant warriors began their march to meet with the rest of the armies of the north. In the mean time, Lotus asked if the giants wanted more snow. After her superstorm buried the area, they said "OK, that enough!" Lotus made a sad face and asked "don't you want more?"
A few days later, the party met Minellin at the teleportation circle in the eastern forest. The plan was to take some casks of poisoned, fake sap to be distributed in Mitzram (an effective way to take out already sick marruspawn), steal or destroy magic items from an important factory, and scout out a meeting of the Wastelords. Passing through the circle in Marruspawn disguise, the party placed the poisoned casks in a warehouse alongside a dwindling supply of useable sap. Then they moved toward the nearby magic item production area disguised as supervisors from the capital. Several tables were lined up neatly atop dry brush next to an oasis. Three powerful wizards and several subordinates created scrolls at the tables, and four burly guards stood over racks of weapons, armor, and various other items.
Lotus quietly began creating a heat wave, and Flynn switched the Rod of the Mongoose to one ear down to keep the sound of his lute from carrying. Ike positioned himself next to one of the biggest wizards while Jakob positioned himself next to another. As Flynn began playing, Ike released a nasty stench that (due to Nate's luck) drifted right into the nose of the nearby wizard, leaving him choking on fumes. Ike blasted another wizard with Fox's Bite, killing it. Jakob's Ancient Mountain Hammer left the final powerful wizard nearly dead. Lotus increased the wind and temperature all around the tables full of scrolls and dropped some arc lightning on the nearby guards, and Nate cast Otto's Irresistable Dance on the wizard next to Jakob. Jakob leaped toward the guards Lotus had just wounded, killing two of them with a flurry of blows. Flynn knocked over a table of scrolls into Lotus' superheated area. Ike moved away and took a precise shot at one of the two remaining guards, seriously maiming him. Lotus lit up her firestorm, killing the dancing wizard and leaving the nauseated wizard badly burned, and her arc lightning took out the guards. Nate disintegrated the final wizard, and the party started stuffing the shiniest magic items into bags of holding. As several marruspawn wizards approached to investigate the firestorm, Lotus turned the storm into a firebolt to melt the remaining treasure, and Nate teleported the group away. Among other treasures, the party recovered a luckblade, which was used to boost Lotus' wisdom. Flynn kept the blade and saved the final wish for later.
The party moved on to the next phase of their plan: kill a group of guards and replace them, infiltrating a meeting of the wastelords. As the guards made their scheduled meeting in a tiny outpost, Flynn played a loud note. Ike stood between a pair and released noxious fumes, but the guards had been eating chili earlier and hardly noticed. Ike also shot a guard. Jakob tossed one guard into another, Lotus drowned one, and Nate's Phantasmal killer made another die screaming. Ike's five arrows and a critical hit from Jakob killed two more guards, and Nate's Phantasmal Killer destroyed the last one. The party disguised themselves to look like these guards and went into the capital. Just before the meeting, the party exchanged all but one of their red coins for gold at a nearby marketplace; Nate held the final coin as a souvenier. This is what the party experienced at the temple:
To reach the temple of Senneth, you must walk past the bone-fields. Literally hundreds of captives are bound with leather cords and abandoned in the sand to die of thirst. The moans of the doomed mingle softly over the shards of scoured bone continually washed up by the sands. The quiet cruelty of the waste here reigns supreme.
Steps lead up through the mouth of a giant black snake; inside is a marble courtyard open to the air. A huge mosaic on the floor depicts Senneth's holy symbol: the black cobra and the words of fate. There are everywhere depictions of thirst and waste and death. Mosaics, illusions, even live-action drama--here and there around the temple, captive creatures are parched in most elaborate ways.
It is just after dark. The air that had been a blast furnace during the day suddenly drops to a bitter cold. The black marble floor is still quite warm underfoot. It shines under the full desert moon.
Marruspawn clerics and blackscale Yuan-Ti mingle around the edges of the courtyard, performing their minor duties and discussing fine points of dark theology. Toward the center, five marruspawn stand tall in robes, outlining an empty square. These are the guard you are here to releive. At their head stands a tall marruspawn in golden robes who is studiously bowed to by all the rest. Ashne, the head cleric. Seeing their replacements, the guards gladly leave, glad to be away from the dangerous creatures who are about to arrive.
The hour strikes, and the Waste Lords begin to arrive.
A black shadow creeps over the outer wall, nearly invisible in the dark. You can make out the form of a Yuan-Ti superabomination--her black skin writhes with embedded snakes, and her eyes glow yellow in the dark. Her body is covered with arcane tatoos and incomprehensible symbols. The air around her hums with quiet energy. With catlike grace, she leaps--or flies--from the wall and neatly flips twice in the air before landing adroitly in the center of the square.
Ashne intones: "Welcome Omenankh, Instrument of the Inevitable, high priest of Senneth".
The ground vibrates slightly under your feet as rumbling steps shake it. Above the edge of the steps appears the massive head of a jackal, with deeply feral eyes. As he rises over the steps, his ears brush the upper teeth of the snake--he's twenty-five feet tall if an inch, three times the size of the biggest marruspawn abomination you've ever seen. As he reaches the summit, he throws back his head and howls at the moon--and they can probably hear him in the icy north. A dozen of the nearest clerics immediately turn to salt, though one does not. With an approving laugh, the ebony creature thunders into the square.
Ashne intones: "Welcome Aol, Memory of the Ancients, Lost champion of the Marru."
In the distance you hear echoes of deep shouts and growls in some vile tongue, as though all of the abyss were having a party on an airship. The sky grows lighter to the south, and then suddenly over the wall arises the outline of a skeletal dragon surrounded by many winged creatures. A horde of demons begins to circle overhead, taunting all the stone serious folk below. Two massive Balor descend to perch on the wall, and the skeletal dragon descends before them. Then you see its rider--a dessicated woman in black armor, wreathed in flame. She raises a fist to the sky, and overhead the army falls silent. One by one they descend to perch on the southern wall. As she approaches, you recognize her face--it is Kelzun, but she has changed. Fully half her face is covered in demonflesh, and she sports a new pair of horns and wings. Last you met, her sheild bore the unholy symbol of Demogorgon; it now blisters with the rune for insanity. With an inferno blast, she dissapears from where she stands, and reincarnates in the center of the square.
Asnhe intones: "Welcome Kelzun, Queen of Corruption, Usurper and now Youngest of the Demon Lords."
Overhead, the air begins to stir. Sand kicks up in clouds, and soon the sandstorm blots out the stars overhead. It intensifies to a hurricane many feet above the ground, and all you can hear is the sound and fury of the storm. The sound alone shakes the ribcage, and even here on the ground, stinging grit bites your flesh. Some of the clerics--in the process of unfossilizing their bretheren--are interrupted in their task, and mutter low and dark curses. At the center, the storm finally coheres into a massive tornado, which snakes down towards the square. The wind is horriffic, and many of the clerics are thrown off their feet. The twister finally obscures the center of the square with sand, and then lifts again--revealing a man in long blue robes, with the head, wings, and horns of a blue dragon.
Ashne picks himself up and intones: "Welcome Shinsiri, Stormchief, Last of the sand emporers."
Overhead, there is the sound of many heavy wings, and looking up you see a flight of sand dragons. Fully eight collassal beasts beat the air with their wings, and at their head, a massive dragon with long-rotted flesh and holes in his wings. As they approach, you see that the dragons bear riders--marrutact wizards in golden robes, and surrounding their mounts are clouds of mist and forgetfulness. They land near the northern wall, and the air around each wizard crackles with intense energy. Their leader, a collossal dracolich, lands in the square in a blast of intense heat.
Ashne intones: "Welcome Oshirex, Spawn of the Void, Silent Chief of the Dark Secret Woven into the World."
The Waste Lords all arrange themselves around the outside of the square, and a few minutes of low chat ensue. As they make small talk about armies and torments, secrets and powers, it is clear they are all waiting for something. Suddenly, the warm marble is shot through with a deep chill, and each of the Waste Lords grows quickly silent. The stone seems to whisper and then to shriek, and overhead the stars slowly begin to wink out. The form of a black wraith flies over the moon before being joined by another and then another, and the sky is clouded with black. Slowly, like smoke arising from a smouldering fire, a giant black wraith mists up from the floor in the center of the square. His deep red eyes communicate unfathomable hunger. He nods briefly to acknowledge each Waste Lord in turn.
Ashne intones: "Welcome Vash, The Unlit Shadow, Lord of Death Under the Mountain, and Chief of the Waste Lords."
Vash nods his dismissal, and Ashne bows and leaves.
Vash: We are all here. Let us begin.
Oshirex briefly casts a spell, and the waste lords grow silent. Yet it is clear by their faces that they are holding converse, asking and answering questions.
Flynn subtly reaches his hand down and flips both ears up on the Rod of the Mongoose, and he begins eavesdropping on the conversation.
Aol: -- but four days' journey from the scorched fields, where it appears the northerners want to make their stand. They have drawn unlikely allies to themselves, but still Mizram has the upper hand. The battle promises to be long and bloody, but I see no other allies in the region which could further sway the tide.
Omenankh: Kirani may arise.
Vash: I have seen to it that it will not. I stole the key ten years ago, before the Forgotten People began to whisper about our threat, and it is safe in my wraithhold. I shall guard it personally until the end.
Omenankh: Kinari may yet arise.
Shinsiri: It is all one whether it does or not. Mizram may yet lose, and we still prevail; they are but one means to an end. The black sands now saturate the north; the time for total transformation has arrived.
Aol: Is the blood provided sufficient?
Shinsiri: It is. While the armies of the north look west, I can run unhindered throughout the east, and rain blood down upon the wild places. I have summoned one bloodstorm already, and the results are spectacular--the sands consume the plants like dry straw before fire, and the desert is made. Yesterday, I was able to fly two hundred miles, and left behind me a twenty-mile swath of new-made desert.
Kelzun: Then there are two roads to victory. Should Mizram win, we can bide our time while the empire destroys the tiny pockets of life throughout the land. Should they lose, the north is still weakened, and Shinsiri can rain bloodstorms down upon the land unhindered. Most can't survive in the kind of desert he'd summon anyway. We've come a long way since we relied on natural lakes.
Omenankh: The paths to victory are in fact three. After empire comes shadow.
Vash: And the shadow stands ready. My legions of wraiths beneath the mountain stand ready to wash over the land. Mizram may make an empire. The northerners may try to recover. It is all one; when the shadow arises, it shall scour all life from the land, Mizrami, Northerner, or any other.
Aol: You are deceived, my friend. The Marru shall come first.
Vash: Yes, you think we play the fool. Mizram thinks we are its fools, and I think Mizram is ours. But that battle is between powers greater than both you and I. I for one am content to play my assigned part and rule my promised empire; if the fates decree otherwise, I am content with that too.
Omenankh: It is inevitable. The shadow comes, and then the waste.
Vash: What your deity tells you is inevitable, and what he is actually able to bring about, are entirely different things.
Kelzun: Speaking of deities, has anyone accounted for Anor? He called a Master of Storms a week or so ago. I think he might be planning to undo the sands.
Shinsiri: That cannot happen! If he tries, we shall have to slay him!
Kelzun: Are you sure? Anor himself?
Shinsiri: You question what we have become? Immortality means immunity to old age, not death in combat. Anor is a god of storms and rest, and I know storms. I for one do not fear him.
Kelzun: Your funeral. But I expect you're right. We cannot lose the sands.
Vash: Then we are decided. Shinsiri shall scorch the east, while Aol watches the west. If Mizram wins, that is for the best; they shall do much of our work for us. If they lose, I shall swarm forth with the shadow legion and destroy what remains. And if Anor begins to summon a storm, we must all stop what we are doing and bend our effort to destroy him.
Oshirex: It is said. It is done.
One by one, the Waste Lords disappear into the night with their respective armies. The Mizram clerics carry on, reverently oblivious to their callous allies, and the desert moon shines down on the cold marble mosaic. Before departing, Ike steps across Senneth's symbol at the center of the temple, leaving a vile stench behind.
The party returned to Lonely Sparrow to report the news to Minellin, who replied "This is grave news, indeed... yet there is a glimmer of hope. If Jakob can return the key, then perhaps not all is lost. With Kirani, we may yet withstand Mitzram's assault, and perhaps Anor will be able to withstand the Waste Lords. It seems our only hope is for Jakob to complete his quest. And I have recieved word, Brother Jonathan is at Jade Feather. Jakob, you should speak to him." The party went to Jade Feather the next morning, and Jonathan spoke:
"Brother Jakob! I have wanted to meet you; Brother Michael spoke of you often. He was so very proud of you.
"When Father Lawrence sent to me, I refused to tell where to go until I could look you in the face. You have to understand, this quest is impossible--it is futility and suicide. Vash is invincible, and his wraiths are legion. Michael could not possibly have gotten the key out, and you are not even a master yet.
"He sent for me because he had been told he needed one of my black daggers to prevail. I don't use them much; they're little last-ditch rods for getting out of forcecages and the like. He apparently needed to get *into* one.
"We met on the unlit pass, and he led me to a rough hole in the mountain. I volunteered to follow him in, and for days we kept company under the mountains. We were continually beset by wraiths and spellthieves. It took many days to explore the tunnels, but at last he found what he sought: the wriathold of Vash.
"It was a massive chamber under the mountain--a full a mile wide, and nearly half as tall. The walls were bored through with nightcrawler holes, and looked like swiss cheese. All manner of abominations crawled over the ground, but the wraiths were the key thing--thousands of them swarmed in the air, constantly going to and from their dark lord.
"My heart sank, but Brother Michael was intent. 'After all, I am bid to defy fear.' He crept along the roof of the chamber, spider-walking to the apex, and then let go. I watched him fall those many feet to the floor. With the dagger outstretched, he piered the force wall, and entered the anti-magic field surrounding the table holding the key. Picking it up, he wrapped it carefully in a cloth, and then turned to look.
"Vash had come, and the wraiths were thick. With one nod, the fields of force were gone, and the wraiths pressed closer. With a second, the anti-magic field was dismissed, and Michael was swarmed. He could not get out, and so he took a mighty leap at the wraithlord himself.
"I shall never forget what I saw: One black hand reached out and touched him, and then he was no more. That's it--no struggle, no nothing. Just oblivion.
"I cannot understand why the oracle would lay such a burden on the shoulders of Brother Michael. It is an impossible task. I hope you do not take it up."
Jakob replied: "I have no choice. I must return the key." With that, Brother Jonathan handed Jakob one of his special daggers and retired.
As the party reached the beginning of the caves, with little indication as to where exactly to find Vash's chamber, a voice intoned "return the key." It was Brother Michael, or rather, his ghost. "Seek the wraith", he said, materializing and leading the way into a nearby tunnel. Over the next hour, Michael's ghost appeared time and time again to show the way toward Vash's chamber. Soon, a nightcrawler appeared, biting at Jakob but missing the surprisingly agile half-ogre. Flynn began singing and Ike fired five force arrows. Jakob's flurry tore the nightcrawler's flesh in several places. Nate and Lotus both tried to help, but their spells weren't powerful enough. A pack of dread wraiths emerged from the floor, with one attacking Ike and another attacking Nate, who both resisted the withering touch of the wraiths. Michael materialized and tossed one wraith through a nearby wall. The nightcrawler again bit at Jakob, and Jakob again deftly avoided its angry maw. Flynn cast Haste, and Ike's six arrows brought the nightcrawler down. Jakob stepped between the two remaining dread wraiths and pounded one into oblivion while hitting the other with a defensive rebuke. Nate's telekinesis was ineffective, but Lotus' cure spell caused significant harm. The wraith couldn't manage to hit Jakob, and Ike finished the battle with a few more arrows.
When the party finally reached Vash's chamber, Lotus cast death ward on everyone and passed Jakob a crystal that would protect him from wraiths and the like. With haste and inspiration from Flynn, Jakob took off running, covering a half mile in about 40 seconds. As he grabbed the key, Vash and his wraiths swarmed around the wall of force. Vash boomed out "what are you doing with my key?" "Your key?" Jakob replied. Vash brought down the wall of force, and Jakob started running back toward the party. As Vash prepared a spell, Jakob broke the key in half, releasing the moon spirit to return to the elven prince. Vash's maddening whispers dropped Jakob into a stupor, and the wraiths swarmed on him, killing him. Moments later, he rose as a wraith.
As he passed into the ethereal world, he felt the hungers of the wraith at the edge of his consciousness, telling him to turn and consume the living. The soft voice of Vash urged his control. Yet some combination of legendary discipline and psionic training allowed Jakob to deny this for a time. The shrouds and forms of the material world passed away, and he saw things clearly. Vash, the giant wraith, now appeared as a middle-aged man with an arrogant smile; the black billows of his wraithly robes faded away to the material world, leaving only the mundane dress of an accomplished sorcerer. The ghost of Brother Michael looked solid, moving with restraint and grace over some imagined surface. Jakob's equipment laid in a heap on the floor, but he carried wraith copies of those items most dear. The once-tattered robe of Brother Michael that Jakob had worn for so long now appeared whole--if worn.
In the distance, the Ninja Mongoose Rockstars glowed with emotion, wishing to reach Jakob, slay his wraith, and revive him. In another direction, Brother Michael approached Vash from behind as his attention was fixed on dominating Jakob. This was a drill they'd run a hundred times together; Michael trips, Jakob tackles. Jakob flinched momentarily under the massive psychological itch, knowing he had but a few moments before the final descent into madness. He turned to face Vash.
Michael stepped forward and tripped the huge wraith. In the distance, a spell from Nate boomed out loudly "Tripped by a ghost! OWNED! You suck, Vash!" Jakob stepped forward and attacked the unarmored sorcerer-wraith, swinging with mightly blows (285 damage.) Vash responded with a beam of disintegration that missed Jakob, and another that hit Michael, but the ghost-monk's legendary concentration allowed him to shrug off most of the damage. For Michael, time seemed to stand still as he smashed his fists into Vash, and Jakob's searing, mind-shocking flurry (313 damage) slew the Lord of Wraiths.
With their master dead, the dread wraiths began spreading out, moving without purpose. Jakob began to lose control and move with them, but Michael stepped forward and slew him. The rest of the party still wished to reach him, but thousands of wraiths blocked the way. As they closed in, Lotus loosed a sunburst, and Nate teleported the group to the scorched forest.
Minellin soon found the party, greeting them with the news that Kirani had been reached and the elves were massing for battle, and showed them the battle plan. The Waste Lords had three ways to victory: Mitzram could win, Vash the shadow could overrun the land, or they could slay Anor. With Vash dead and the elven army joining the fight against Mitzram, the Ninja Mongoose Rockstars had but one task remaining: protect Anor. Fittingly, Lotus heard his call -- he planned to bring a storm to wash away the black sands, and she would be needed. Before the party headed out, Gindralin, prince of Kirani, approached with a silver paintbrush in his hand and said "I have held this for a hundred and fifty years, looking for the right time to use it. That time is now." He loosed the paintbrush, which began painting a celtic knot on the ground beneath the party.
Suddenly, the Ninja Mongoose Rockstars found themselves in a perfectly hemispherical room, a hundred feet high and a hundred feet in radius. The white roof and floor emitted soft, pleasant light, and no shadows were visible anywhere. A shrine to the north was covered in silver holy symbols of various greater and lesser gods -- Heironeous, Eholonna, Kord, Pelor, Corellon Larethian, and many others. The walls held various inscriptions, again in glowing silver runes: "For those who fight alongside us", "for those who cannot fight for themselves", "for those who have gone before", "for those who are yet to come", and so on. Concepts of unity, freedom, honor, and continuity dominated the messages. A large sign to the south (marked "D&Dbay") described various magical items and their costs, displaying a new group of items every so often, though it wasn't apparent exactly how often. Time flowed vaguely, seeming to both rush by and stand still.
At the center of the room was a large circular table. An image projected above the table showed a perfect map of the sacred grove and its environs. There were four empty comfortable-looking chairs around the southern end of the table. The six chairs to the north were variously occupied, ignored, illuminated, and overburdened by their respective inhabitants. One was a veritable castle of books, another a castle of kegs. A twitchy centaur was on his feet before the party finished entering the room. The ugliest elf they'd ever seen looked up from the magic item console--which he had been continuously refreshing--and seeing Lotus called out, "Hey, baby--wanna see my sword?"
The party, including Ghostly Jakob, reached level 17. The Rubble Rousers remained at level 27.
Friday, June 20, 2008
Session 26, 2008-06-20: Desperate Alliances
Session 26: wherein the Ghern become allies, and Nate's bluff fails
Players (Characters)
Scott (Filthy Ike)
Jeremy (Flynn Flamm)
Tony (Brother Jakob)
Rachel (Lotus)
Tom (Nathaniel Graythorne)
DM: Catherine
After the meeting, Joanna offered the Ninja Mongoose Rockstars 10,000 platinum pieces to help in the evacuation of Old Westlay. Dwarven miners had been working for weeks to get into the city by turning sand to rock and then carving tunnels, but the tunnels kept collapsing and killing the miners. Lotus procured a scroll of Mass Burrow, and the party headed into the most recently created tunnel. Nate used Ghost Sound to create fake rock-mining sounds partway through the tunnel as dwarven miners worked somewhat more quietly at the end. Suddenly, Lotus heard some creatures outside the tunnel, swimming through the sound. The miners ran for the exit while Lotus cast mass burrow, Flynn cast haste, and Nate created an image of dwarven miners still at work. As Flynn began to sing an inspiring song, two large holes appeared in the tunnel roof, and sand and tentacles poured through.
Jakob leaped forward and, with powerful attacks from searing fists, pummelled a crawling apocalypse. Ike, remembering how unpleasant his last encounter with such a beast was, used two arrows to slay Jakob's foe and three more to wound the other. Nate cast unluck to disrupt the second crawling apocalypse's attacks. Suddenly, a group of small scorpions with metal claws broke through the tunnel roof and started clawing ineffectively at the party. Jakob smashed one while Lotus turned three more into salt. Jakob then made a pouncing charge at the second crawling apocalypse, breaking off one of its tentacles. A single arrow from Ike finished it off, and the rest of his arrows killed the remaining scorpions, leaving one with a nasty sucking chest wound and another buried deep in the sand.
After a few minutes, sand stopped pouring into the tunnel, and the dwarves were able to turn what had flowed into stone for easier tunneling. With the help of a disintegrate from Nate, the group continued inbound toward Old Westlay. Soon, the miners had carved out a room just outside the door of Old Westlay, and three wizards arrived to help create teleportation circles. Lotus complained about being in a cave, so Nate cast an illusion to make the walls look like trees. Lotus was soon snapped back to reality by a sound outside -- again, something was swimming through the sand nearby. Flynn cast haste and began singing, Nate used veil to make Jakob look like a feeble wizard, and Jakob positioned himself near the source of the sound.
Suddenly, a sandformed dragon crashed its head through the wall, and sand flowed in. Jakob stood unmoved in the sand as the dragon-like construct bit at him, its teeth bouncing off of his magical defenses. Ike landed five solid arrow shots, but Jakob's fists were unable to connect, and Nate's disintegrate and Lotus' red tide were completely ineffective. Nate recalled studying spells to create sandformed creatures once, and told Jakob that if he could land a well-placed blow he could completely destroy the creature's structure. Flynn inspired Jakob to further greatness, making the sandformed beast's attacks miss wildly. Ike's arrows and Jakob's fists continued to chip away at the beast, and Lotus drained a large amount of its strength. Nate's second attempt to disintegrate the creature hardly scratched it. Flynn continued to inspire Jakob and Ike. The dragon now breathed a cone of sand into the room, dealing substantial though not deadly wounds to the wizards. Ike and Jakob again chipped away at its defenses (down 466 hp) while Nate missed with a disintegrate ray and Lotus' flamestrike was absorbed. The dragon couldn't manage to get a claw on Jakob, and after a series of arrows from Ike, Jakob finally landed the critical strike he'd been trying for (double 20's), smashing the sandformed dragon to pieces.
One of the dwarven miners sealed up the gap in the wall, and the wizards finished casting their teleportation circles. The signal was sent, and the people of Old Westlay began pouring out of the keep doors and into the teleportation circles. Soon, the city was evacuated and the citizens were on their way to the Iron Door, the dwarven city underground. As the party followed behind, Nate and Kerastrix exchanged information about Abel. Abel had been planning to have White Fields secede and fight on the side of Mitzram, but his support evaporated after Flynn's brilliant debate performance. Being selfish above all, and knowing that at this point he had nothing to offer Mitzram, Abel focused his energy on helping White Fields prepare for war.
Minellin briefed the Ninja Mongoose Rockstars on another plan. He wanted all available armies to gather in the enchanted forest, in order to bring the maximum force to bear against Mitzram. He even wanted to get Ghern involved -- spellsinks would be a great resource against a heavily magical army. Since Ghern respected raw strength rather than magic, they had willingly followed the marruspawn abomination who killed their previous king. A strong champion from Tindell had been chosen to challenge their marruspawn abomination leader: Jinle'a Graythorne. The Ninja Mongoose Rockstars needed to locate the abomination and get his escort to hold still for long enough to allow Jinle'a to challenge for succession.
The party took up a position on William's Hill and, disguised as sheep, kept watch over the city. From there, they could see a new desert to the north (created when the wastelords flipped a lake) and burned forest to the east. Lots of hobgoblins passed through the valley below. Soon, Lotus spotted a svaklor -- something like a yuan-ti dragon -- patrolling to the north. As it got within Ike's range, Flynn cast haste and began inspiring the archer. Ike took a shot at the svaklor, easily hitting at a quarter-mile distance. The svaklor summoned a pair of marruspawn who wielded large flaming swords and rode on crocosphynxes. Nate decided to keep the new defenders distracted by creating an illusion of several archers a few hundred feet out. Ike continued putting arrows into the svaklor, killing it before the marruspawn materialized, and then seriously wounding one of their mounts.
The marruspawn used dimension door to position themselves to engage Nate's illusion, and one realized his mistake. Nate used telekinesis to push him off of his mount and onto the ground far below, and Ike finished off the other crocosphynx, leaving both marruspawn on foot. The pair used another dimension door to get closer to the party. Nate used telekinesis to disarm one of the enemies (natural 20, for a net 59 disarm check.) Lotus cast arc lightning, and Flynn sang "you guys are so boned, so boned, you don't even know how boned you are." Jakob charged at one of the enemies and used comet throw to toss him into his ally, leaving both prone. He used his quicksilver boots to position himself behind both prone enemies, and they started to realize that these "sheep" were not what they appeared. Ike drew a brilliant energy arrow and fired it from Fox's Bite, right through the enemy's armor and into his heart (146 damage). The remaining marruspawn tried to flee, but Jakob kept him on the ground and knocked him out. Ike finished off the clueless crocosphynx while Nate probed the captured marruspawn's thoughts, getting details on the enemy camp within the desert.
An hour later, the marruspawn abomination and his Ghern escorts approached the valley. Nate sent the signal to his mother, and the party waited to ambush the all-melee group. As they reached the narrowest part of the valley, Flynn played a loud riff on his lute. Lotus cast red tide to knock over and nauseate several of the escorts, and Nate's great thunderclap stunned a pair. Jakob jumped into the middle of the escorts and pushed the abomination, but couldn't get it off its feet. Ike rained arrows all around the escorts and yelled "stay right where you are!" Jakob stepped back and took up a defensive posture, conjuring a psionic shield, and the marruspawn abomination bashed against it. Jinle'a approached as Flynn inspired her to greatness, and Nate yelled out a taunt: "you're about to get destroyed by my MOM! You SUCK!" Jinle'a challenged the marruspawn according to the Ghern tradition, and with Flynn's inspiration, easily crushed him. The hobgoblin guards stood and declared her high leader.
Nate stepped forward and said "hi, mom." Jinle'a responded "are you still gambling?" "No", Nate bluffed (45). Jinle'a glared and said "don't you lie to me, boy." "Sorry, ma'am." Jinle'a and the hobgoblins led the way back to Nate's childhood city, and he had an ale at the Dancing Bear tavern. He also sent word to his old friend Thameor to collect on the bet they'd made a hundred and fifty-five years earlier.
The party reached level 16.
Players (Characters)
Scott (Filthy Ike)
Jeremy (Flynn Flamm)
Tony (Brother Jakob)
Rachel (Lotus)
Tom (Nathaniel Graythorne)
DM: Catherine
After the meeting, Joanna offered the Ninja Mongoose Rockstars 10,000 platinum pieces to help in the evacuation of Old Westlay. Dwarven miners had been working for weeks to get into the city by turning sand to rock and then carving tunnels, but the tunnels kept collapsing and killing the miners. Lotus procured a scroll of Mass Burrow, and the party headed into the most recently created tunnel. Nate used Ghost Sound to create fake rock-mining sounds partway through the tunnel as dwarven miners worked somewhat more quietly at the end. Suddenly, Lotus heard some creatures outside the tunnel, swimming through the sound. The miners ran for the exit while Lotus cast mass burrow, Flynn cast haste, and Nate created an image of dwarven miners still at work. As Flynn began to sing an inspiring song, two large holes appeared in the tunnel roof, and sand and tentacles poured through.
Jakob leaped forward and, with powerful attacks from searing fists, pummelled a crawling apocalypse. Ike, remembering how unpleasant his last encounter with such a beast was, used two arrows to slay Jakob's foe and three more to wound the other. Nate cast unluck to disrupt the second crawling apocalypse's attacks. Suddenly, a group of small scorpions with metal claws broke through the tunnel roof and started clawing ineffectively at the party. Jakob smashed one while Lotus turned three more into salt. Jakob then made a pouncing charge at the second crawling apocalypse, breaking off one of its tentacles. A single arrow from Ike finished it off, and the rest of his arrows killed the remaining scorpions, leaving one with a nasty sucking chest wound and another buried deep in the sand.
After a few minutes, sand stopped pouring into the tunnel, and the dwarves were able to turn what had flowed into stone for easier tunneling. With the help of a disintegrate from Nate, the group continued inbound toward Old Westlay. Soon, the miners had carved out a room just outside the door of Old Westlay, and three wizards arrived to help create teleportation circles. Lotus complained about being in a cave, so Nate cast an illusion to make the walls look like trees. Lotus was soon snapped back to reality by a sound outside -- again, something was swimming through the sand nearby. Flynn cast haste and began singing, Nate used veil to make Jakob look like a feeble wizard, and Jakob positioned himself near the source of the sound.
Suddenly, a sandformed dragon crashed its head through the wall, and sand flowed in. Jakob stood unmoved in the sand as the dragon-like construct bit at him, its teeth bouncing off of his magical defenses. Ike landed five solid arrow shots, but Jakob's fists were unable to connect, and Nate's disintegrate and Lotus' red tide were completely ineffective. Nate recalled studying spells to create sandformed creatures once, and told Jakob that if he could land a well-placed blow he could completely destroy the creature's structure. Flynn inspired Jakob to further greatness, making the sandformed beast's attacks miss wildly. Ike's arrows and Jakob's fists continued to chip away at the beast, and Lotus drained a large amount of its strength. Nate's second attempt to disintegrate the creature hardly scratched it. Flynn continued to inspire Jakob and Ike. The dragon now breathed a cone of sand into the room, dealing substantial though not deadly wounds to the wizards. Ike and Jakob again chipped away at its defenses (down 466 hp) while Nate missed with a disintegrate ray and Lotus' flamestrike was absorbed. The dragon couldn't manage to get a claw on Jakob, and after a series of arrows from Ike, Jakob finally landed the critical strike he'd been trying for (double 20's), smashing the sandformed dragon to pieces.
One of the dwarven miners sealed up the gap in the wall, and the wizards finished casting their teleportation circles. The signal was sent, and the people of Old Westlay began pouring out of the keep doors and into the teleportation circles. Soon, the city was evacuated and the citizens were on their way to the Iron Door, the dwarven city underground. As the party followed behind, Nate and Kerastrix exchanged information about Abel. Abel had been planning to have White Fields secede and fight on the side of Mitzram, but his support evaporated after Flynn's brilliant debate performance. Being selfish above all, and knowing that at this point he had nothing to offer Mitzram, Abel focused his energy on helping White Fields prepare for war.
Minellin briefed the Ninja Mongoose Rockstars on another plan. He wanted all available armies to gather in the enchanted forest, in order to bring the maximum force to bear against Mitzram. He even wanted to get Ghern involved -- spellsinks would be a great resource against a heavily magical army. Since Ghern respected raw strength rather than magic, they had willingly followed the marruspawn abomination who killed their previous king. A strong champion from Tindell had been chosen to challenge their marruspawn abomination leader: Jinle'a Graythorne. The Ninja Mongoose Rockstars needed to locate the abomination and get his escort to hold still for long enough to allow Jinle'a to challenge for succession.
The party took up a position on William's Hill and, disguised as sheep, kept watch over the city. From there, they could see a new desert to the north (created when the wastelords flipped a lake) and burned forest to the east. Lots of hobgoblins passed through the valley below. Soon, Lotus spotted a svaklor -- something like a yuan-ti dragon -- patrolling to the north. As it got within Ike's range, Flynn cast haste and began inspiring the archer. Ike took a shot at the svaklor, easily hitting at a quarter-mile distance. The svaklor summoned a pair of marruspawn who wielded large flaming swords and rode on crocosphynxes. Nate decided to keep the new defenders distracted by creating an illusion of several archers a few hundred feet out. Ike continued putting arrows into the svaklor, killing it before the marruspawn materialized, and then seriously wounding one of their mounts.
The marruspawn used dimension door to position themselves to engage Nate's illusion, and one realized his mistake. Nate used telekinesis to push him off of his mount and onto the ground far below, and Ike finished off the other crocosphynx, leaving both marruspawn on foot. The pair used another dimension door to get closer to the party. Nate used telekinesis to disarm one of the enemies (natural 20, for a net 59 disarm check.) Lotus cast arc lightning, and Flynn sang "you guys are so boned, so boned, you don't even know how boned you are." Jakob charged at one of the enemies and used comet throw to toss him into his ally, leaving both prone. He used his quicksilver boots to position himself behind both prone enemies, and they started to realize that these "sheep" were not what they appeared. Ike drew a brilliant energy arrow and fired it from Fox's Bite, right through the enemy's armor and into his heart (146 damage). The remaining marruspawn tried to flee, but Jakob kept him on the ground and knocked him out. Ike finished off the clueless crocosphynx while Nate probed the captured marruspawn's thoughts, getting details on the enemy camp within the desert.
An hour later, the marruspawn abomination and his Ghern escorts approached the valley. Nate sent the signal to his mother, and the party waited to ambush the all-melee group. As they reached the narrowest part of the valley, Flynn played a loud riff on his lute. Lotus cast red tide to knock over and nauseate several of the escorts, and Nate's great thunderclap stunned a pair. Jakob jumped into the middle of the escorts and pushed the abomination, but couldn't get it off its feet. Ike rained arrows all around the escorts and yelled "stay right where you are!" Jakob stepped back and took up a defensive posture, conjuring a psionic shield, and the marruspawn abomination bashed against it. Jinle'a approached as Flynn inspired her to greatness, and Nate yelled out a taunt: "you're about to get destroyed by my MOM! You SUCK!" Jinle'a challenged the marruspawn according to the Ghern tradition, and with Flynn's inspiration, easily crushed him. The hobgoblin guards stood and declared her high leader.
Nate stepped forward and said "hi, mom." Jinle'a responded "are you still gambling?" "No", Nate bluffed (45). Jinle'a glared and said "don't you lie to me, boy." "Sorry, ma'am." Jinle'a and the hobgoblins led the way back to Nate's childhood city, and he had an ale at the Dancing Bear tavern. He also sent word to his old friend Thameor to collect on the bet they'd made a hundred and fifty-five years earlier.
The party reached level 16.
Friday, June 13, 2008
Session 25, 2008-06-13: Guiding Westlay
Session 25: wherein Flynn thwarts his brother and we thwart some assassins
Players (Characters)
Scott (Filthy Ike)
Jeremy (Flynn Flamm)
Tony (Brother Jakob)
Rachel (Lotus)
Tom (Nathaniel Graythorne)
DM: Catherine
For destroying the goblin army, Minellin presented the Ninja Mongoose Rockstars with rewards for "conspicuous awesomeness". He also noted that, during the cleanup of the goblin army, the Waecleftian soldiers found a note on one of the Marruspawn wizards. It detailed the thirsting's harsh effect on Mitzram, and requested that a particular harvest of "northern sweetblood" be increased, for treatment purposes. A map sketched on the back showed the location of the harvesting operation.
Nate disguised the party as Marruspawn wizards and teleported everyone into the eastern forest. Jakob ran up a tree, just because he could. Ike started looking around and soon discovered a tap had been placed in one of the beech trees, and the sap was slowly draining into a bucket. Lotus cast Speak with Plants and got some information from the tree. A group of Marru had been around, putting taps in several trees in the area. They came around about once every other day to collect the sap, and were due sometime later today. Lotus also discovered the tree's favorite color was green.
Ike found some Marruspawn tracks in an obvious circuit and started tracing them backwards. Soon, the party came upon a large marruspawn who looked to have martial training, as well as a smaller marruspawn whose primary purpose was carrying buckets. Flynn turned Ike invisible and Nate made Jakob look much like the big marruspawn. As Flynn questioned the big marruspawn about his operation, including its production rates and such, Nate probed the enemy's thoughts with a pair of spells. He got details on the marruspawn camp and harvesting operation, including the names of this pair (Miniset and Mirok), as well as some details about the thirsting, an ancient curse from an area called the "black hole". He also discovered the marruspawn called NMR "the scourge of the north", which was not nearly so clever as "the chord of DOOM!" At the appropriate signal, Flynn made it clear the Scourge of the North was here with a loud chord, and Ike's precise shot (137 damage) and a disintegrate spell from Nate (113) slew the larger enemy. Jakob leaped at the smaller enemy and killed it with a powerful swing, and Lotus went back to talking to her tree-friend George. As the party was discussing strategy, Jakob experimented with the sap, finding it destroyed a patch of black sand nearby.
Nate disguised himself as Miniset, Jakob as Mirok, and Ike, Lotus, and Flynn as wizards. The party set out for the hidden marruspawn camp, and with details about the illusion hiding it, everyone but Ike was able to see right through the spells. Nate yelled at the bucket-carriers: "go pick up all the sap we left behind. It's out that way!" He'd hoped to separate them from the camp's more powerful residents to make the fight easier. As the weaker creatures were walking away, a wizard stepped around the corner and immediately recognized the party's illusion, yelling out "we're under attack!" Ike pelted the wizard with poison arrows, and Jakob leaped forward to trip and stun the wizard as well as one of his allies. Lotus drowned the stunned wizard. The bucket-carrying marruspawn surrounded Ike and let out stench-filled breath, leading Ike to exclaim "dude, that was a good one! Now pull my finger!" The fighter next to Jakob tried to stand and immediately found himself back on the ground, and another wizard stepped around the corner where Nate was waiting with a spell of Feeblemind. One more fighter stepped around the corner and, thinking Jakob was the little marruspawn Mirok, tried to walk past to join the fight. Jakob tossed him on the ground.
With that, Flynn pulled out his lute and started singing, and Nate boomed out "the scourge of the north is here!" Ike fired four arrows, killing the three enemies that had surrounded him. Jakob pounded on one of the tripped fighters, leaving him so close to death that a bolt of lightning from Lotus killed him. Nate cast solipsism on the other fighter, leaving him in a dreamworld, and leading Lotus to ask "would you cast that on me later? It looks fun." Jakob and Ike finished off the last pair of lesser marruspawn. The party contacted Minellin to let him know about the outpost, the tree sap, and so on. Minellin teleported in to examine the teleportation circle, discovering it led to the center of a large city within Mitzram. Soon, a group of kingsmen arrived to take the base over.
Two days later, Flynn recieved a summons. As a prince of White Fields, he was to participate in a governmental decision. The party arrived at an open theater in White Fields, where several nobles stood nearest the leader whose position they agreed with. Joanna explained: an army of marruspawn was less than two days away, and the attempts to excavate Old Westlay continued to fail. She suspected Mitzram would offer Westlay the same deal as they'd given Serpenti: serve, or die. Charles of Eonsburg suggested Westlay do the honorable thing, and stay to fight. Kerastrix suggested Westlay flee to the stone tower mountains and seek allies. Abel Flamm suggested Westlay should pretend to surrender to Mitzram and then strike them from within. Each presented a basic statement, and the party moved to stand by Kerastrix.
Kerastrix began the argument: "This is the most dire threat to our kingdom since the War of the Ten Kings. The lesson we learned then is that we must unite or we will lose." Flynn added "we have seen how they operate. You cannot stay and try to serve them partly. You will be slaves at best, and fodder for vile sacrifices at worst. Our only hope is to fight together. It's not honorable to stay and lose and eventually die; the marruspawn want us to do exactly that. We shouldn't fight them on their terms." Abel countered "staying and pretending to serve gives us the most flexibility and versatility." Flynn shot back "there is no flexibility under their rule; you do what they want or you die." Abel again countered "it's least disruptive to our lives if we simply stay here." Flynn's response was devastating to Abel's position: "the marruspawn disrupt everything. If they want something you have, they'll kill you and take it." Throughout this argument, nobles from Abel's coalition, as well as some from Charles', shifted closer to Kerastrix and Flynn.
Charles objected: "we can't abandon Old Westlay! Many of our friends and family are still buried, and we can't let Mitzram simply walk in and conquer them." Flynn answered "by staying to fight, we doom Old Westlay to destruction. We can't win by fighting here." Nate added "we must win, first and foremost. Losing the war is just as bad for Old Westlay as abandoning them; either way, they'll die to Mitzram's onslaught. We have to agree to do what it takes to win, and only once we've decided that can we decide how to rescue them too." By this point, Flynn had persuaded the majority of the nobles that leaving to find allies was the best choice of action. Joanna, on a flying carpet above the middle of the assembly, called a quorum and started moving toward Flynn to declare the decision of the council.
Just then, Lotus noticed some slight distortions in the air, and Jakob heard movement -- invisible creatures were nearby! Lotus cast True Seeing and spotted a group of black yuan-ti abominations with strange tatoos. She called out "assassins!" Jakob's finely tuned hearing let him grab a hold of the nearest enemy, who had been approaching Flynn, and toss it to the ground, where he stood on top of it. That yuan-ti tried to get up but Jakob kept it down. Another yuan-ti leaped onto Menco Flamm's flying carpet and stabbed him with a blurry blade. A third turned the ground beneath the majority of nobles into boiling mud, and a fourth turned a few nobles to salt. Ike, who was standing at a distance in the bleachers (in order to avoid offending the olfactory senses of the nobles) gave himself True Seeing. Lotus tried to drown an abomination, but it was too hearty, and simply spit the water out of its lungs. Kerastrix grabbed and started chewing on one of the spellcasters, and Flynn inspired the party to fight more effectively. Nate disintegrated the invisible blob Kerastrix was busy chewing on, leaving the old dragon with a mouth full of gray dust.
The nobles, surprised by the sudden outbreak of violence, started to flee as Joanna sent for help. Jakob jumped onto Menco's carpet and knocked down the attacking yuan-ti. Still, it was able to stab at Menco, whose lifeless body tumbled off the carpet and into the mud. Another yuan-ti moved beside Nate, and the final one cast flaying windburst toward Lotus and the fleeing nobles. Ike saw Nate was in trouble, so he rained arrows down on the abomination, killing it with a critical hit (and some luck from Nate.) Lotus spit in the eyes of the remaining caster, blinding it and making it that much easier for Kerastrix to maul, though the old dragon, inspired by Flynn's singing, had no trouble tearing the abomination apart. (Nate observed "Kerastrix" rhymes with "ass kicked".) Flynn dispelled the invisibility on the final yuan-ti, allowing Nate to trap it in its own mind with solipsism. Jakob snapped the abomination's neck, and within a few seconds, some local clerics had arrived to restore Menco and other nobles to life.
With the excitement over, Joanna called the meeting back to order, and the assembly voted overwhelmingly in favor of joining with any allies who could be found. As the vote was going on, the party realized the assassins had focused on Menco and Flynn first and foremost. Nate suspected Abel may have been involved, so he borrowed the rod of the mongoose and a spell of invisibility from Flynn, and cast probe thoughts on Abel. He learned that Abel hadn't planned the assassination, but was aware of it through some "contacts". The assassins targeted everyone who wanted to flee -- everyone who wanted to do the one thing Mitzram wasn't planning on. Abel had little other information to offer.
The yuan-ti abominations had tatoos with symbols of Senneth.
Jakob reached level 15.
Players (Characters)
Scott (Filthy Ike)
Jeremy (Flynn Flamm)
Tony (Brother Jakob)
Rachel (Lotus)
Tom (Nathaniel Graythorne)
DM: Catherine
For destroying the goblin army, Minellin presented the Ninja Mongoose Rockstars with rewards for "conspicuous awesomeness". He also noted that, during the cleanup of the goblin army, the Waecleftian soldiers found a note on one of the Marruspawn wizards. It detailed the thirsting's harsh effect on Mitzram, and requested that a particular harvest of "northern sweetblood" be increased, for treatment purposes. A map sketched on the back showed the location of the harvesting operation.
Nate disguised the party as Marruspawn wizards and teleported everyone into the eastern forest. Jakob ran up a tree, just because he could. Ike started looking around and soon discovered a tap had been placed in one of the beech trees, and the sap was slowly draining into a bucket. Lotus cast Speak with Plants and got some information from the tree. A group of Marru had been around, putting taps in several trees in the area. They came around about once every other day to collect the sap, and were due sometime later today. Lotus also discovered the tree's favorite color was green.
Ike found some Marruspawn tracks in an obvious circuit and started tracing them backwards. Soon, the party came upon a large marruspawn who looked to have martial training, as well as a smaller marruspawn whose primary purpose was carrying buckets. Flynn turned Ike invisible and Nate made Jakob look much like the big marruspawn. As Flynn questioned the big marruspawn about his operation, including its production rates and such, Nate probed the enemy's thoughts with a pair of spells. He got details on the marruspawn camp and harvesting operation, including the names of this pair (Miniset and Mirok), as well as some details about the thirsting, an ancient curse from an area called the "black hole". He also discovered the marruspawn called NMR "the scourge of the north", which was not nearly so clever as "the chord of DOOM!" At the appropriate signal, Flynn made it clear the Scourge of the North was here with a loud chord, and Ike's precise shot (137 damage) and a disintegrate spell from Nate (113) slew the larger enemy. Jakob leaped at the smaller enemy and killed it with a powerful swing, and Lotus went back to talking to her tree-friend George. As the party was discussing strategy, Jakob experimented with the sap, finding it destroyed a patch of black sand nearby.
Nate disguised himself as Miniset, Jakob as Mirok, and Ike, Lotus, and Flynn as wizards. The party set out for the hidden marruspawn camp, and with details about the illusion hiding it, everyone but Ike was able to see right through the spells. Nate yelled at the bucket-carriers: "go pick up all the sap we left behind. It's out that way!" He'd hoped to separate them from the camp's more powerful residents to make the fight easier. As the weaker creatures were walking away, a wizard stepped around the corner and immediately recognized the party's illusion, yelling out "we're under attack!" Ike pelted the wizard with poison arrows, and Jakob leaped forward to trip and stun the wizard as well as one of his allies. Lotus drowned the stunned wizard. The bucket-carrying marruspawn surrounded Ike and let out stench-filled breath, leading Ike to exclaim "dude, that was a good one! Now pull my finger!" The fighter next to Jakob tried to stand and immediately found himself back on the ground, and another wizard stepped around the corner where Nate was waiting with a spell of Feeblemind. One more fighter stepped around the corner and, thinking Jakob was the little marruspawn Mirok, tried to walk past to join the fight. Jakob tossed him on the ground.
With that, Flynn pulled out his lute and started singing, and Nate boomed out "the scourge of the north is here!" Ike fired four arrows, killing the three enemies that had surrounded him. Jakob pounded on one of the tripped fighters, leaving him so close to death that a bolt of lightning from Lotus killed him. Nate cast solipsism on the other fighter, leaving him in a dreamworld, and leading Lotus to ask "would you cast that on me later? It looks fun." Jakob and Ike finished off the last pair of lesser marruspawn. The party contacted Minellin to let him know about the outpost, the tree sap, and so on. Minellin teleported in to examine the teleportation circle, discovering it led to the center of a large city within Mitzram. Soon, a group of kingsmen arrived to take the base over.
Two days later, Flynn recieved a summons. As a prince of White Fields, he was to participate in a governmental decision. The party arrived at an open theater in White Fields, where several nobles stood nearest the leader whose position they agreed with. Joanna explained: an army of marruspawn was less than two days away, and the attempts to excavate Old Westlay continued to fail. She suspected Mitzram would offer Westlay the same deal as they'd given Serpenti: serve, or die. Charles of Eonsburg suggested Westlay do the honorable thing, and stay to fight. Kerastrix suggested Westlay flee to the stone tower mountains and seek allies. Abel Flamm suggested Westlay should pretend to surrender to Mitzram and then strike them from within. Each presented a basic statement, and the party moved to stand by Kerastrix.
Kerastrix began the argument: "This is the most dire threat to our kingdom since the War of the Ten Kings. The lesson we learned then is that we must unite or we will lose." Flynn added "we have seen how they operate. You cannot stay and try to serve them partly. You will be slaves at best, and fodder for vile sacrifices at worst. Our only hope is to fight together. It's not honorable to stay and lose and eventually die; the marruspawn want us to do exactly that. We shouldn't fight them on their terms." Abel countered "staying and pretending to serve gives us the most flexibility and versatility." Flynn shot back "there is no flexibility under their rule; you do what they want or you die." Abel again countered "it's least disruptive to our lives if we simply stay here." Flynn's response was devastating to Abel's position: "the marruspawn disrupt everything. If they want something you have, they'll kill you and take it." Throughout this argument, nobles from Abel's coalition, as well as some from Charles', shifted closer to Kerastrix and Flynn.
Charles objected: "we can't abandon Old Westlay! Many of our friends and family are still buried, and we can't let Mitzram simply walk in and conquer them." Flynn answered "by staying to fight, we doom Old Westlay to destruction. We can't win by fighting here." Nate added "we must win, first and foremost. Losing the war is just as bad for Old Westlay as abandoning them; either way, they'll die to Mitzram's onslaught. We have to agree to do what it takes to win, and only once we've decided that can we decide how to rescue them too." By this point, Flynn had persuaded the majority of the nobles that leaving to find allies was the best choice of action. Joanna, on a flying carpet above the middle of the assembly, called a quorum and started moving toward Flynn to declare the decision of the council.
Just then, Lotus noticed some slight distortions in the air, and Jakob heard movement -- invisible creatures were nearby! Lotus cast True Seeing and spotted a group of black yuan-ti abominations with strange tatoos. She called out "assassins!" Jakob's finely tuned hearing let him grab a hold of the nearest enemy, who had been approaching Flynn, and toss it to the ground, where he stood on top of it. That yuan-ti tried to get up but Jakob kept it down. Another yuan-ti leaped onto Menco Flamm's flying carpet and stabbed him with a blurry blade. A third turned the ground beneath the majority of nobles into boiling mud, and a fourth turned a few nobles to salt. Ike, who was standing at a distance in the bleachers (in order to avoid offending the olfactory senses of the nobles) gave himself True Seeing. Lotus tried to drown an abomination, but it was too hearty, and simply spit the water out of its lungs. Kerastrix grabbed and started chewing on one of the spellcasters, and Flynn inspired the party to fight more effectively. Nate disintegrated the invisible blob Kerastrix was busy chewing on, leaving the old dragon with a mouth full of gray dust.
The nobles, surprised by the sudden outbreak of violence, started to flee as Joanna sent for help. Jakob jumped onto Menco's carpet and knocked down the attacking yuan-ti. Still, it was able to stab at Menco, whose lifeless body tumbled off the carpet and into the mud. Another yuan-ti moved beside Nate, and the final one cast flaying windburst toward Lotus and the fleeing nobles. Ike saw Nate was in trouble, so he rained arrows down on the abomination, killing it with a critical hit (and some luck from Nate.) Lotus spit in the eyes of the remaining caster, blinding it and making it that much easier for Kerastrix to maul, though the old dragon, inspired by Flynn's singing, had no trouble tearing the abomination apart. (Nate observed "Kerastrix" rhymes with "ass kicked".) Flynn dispelled the invisibility on the final yuan-ti, allowing Nate to trap it in its own mind with solipsism. Jakob snapped the abomination's neck, and within a few seconds, some local clerics had arrived to restore Menco and other nobles to life.
With the excitement over, Joanna called the meeting back to order, and the assembly voted overwhelmingly in favor of joining with any allies who could be found. As the vote was going on, the party realized the assassins had focused on Menco and Flynn first and foremost. Nate suspected Abel may have been involved, so he borrowed the rod of the mongoose and a spell of invisibility from Flynn, and cast probe thoughts on Abel. He learned that Abel hadn't planned the assassination, but was aware of it through some "contacts". The assassins targeted everyone who wanted to flee -- everyone who wanted to do the one thing Mitzram wasn't planning on. Abel had little other information to offer.
The yuan-ti abominations had tatoos with symbols of Senneth.
Jakob reached level 15.
Friday, May 23, 2008
Session 24, 2008-05-23: Waecleft Moves
Session 24: wherein everyone slays their fair share of goblins
Players (Characters)
Scott (Filthy Ike)
Jeremy (Flynn Flamm)
Rachel (Lotus)
Tom (Nathaniel Graythorne; Brother Jakob)
DM: Catherine
Enigma is generally the picture of poise, but today at Lonely Sparrow she is bruised, singed, sweating, and grateful to be alive. It has been a long day. Barely twenty-four hours ago, she was a Serpenti noble in Melmershaulk, and a master spy. In the space of a day, a year's work has gone up in smoke, and she is grateful to be alive. She speaks.
"I have been a spy among the Yuan-Ti for nearly a year, but only recently have I pieced together their history. Here is what I have learned.
"Serpenti children learn in school that they are the pinnacle of civilization, and never doubt it all their lives. Sure, the vast desert holds the ruins of ancient civilizations, and occasionally a wandering tribe will take up residence in a crumbling ruin and fancy themselves a nation. But until recently, none could hope to challenge
the might of the great serpent. Then two summers ago, she had reason to doubt herself.
"For ages unremembered, the myriad races of Marruspawn had wandered the desert as fractious tribes or howling and writhing abominations, the legacy of a long-gone people known as the Marru, whose legacies are common in the desert. The Marru left behind ruins and rubble, magic and machines, sandblasted landscapes and oceans of glass. The Marruspawn--their created servants--were a testament to their skill in spawncraft.
"In ages past, the mighty kingdom of Serpenti had paid the ascetic tribesmen little heed. The jackal-heads were too lost without their masters to be of either use or threat. Yet two summers ago, the Marruspawn suddenly began to unite across the desert. From the western shores to the eastern cliffs, they declared themselves Mizram, the Empire of Thirst, right rulers of all Semferia. Cities were rebuilt, ancient magic awoken. Hierarchies and armies and laws materialized as though they had never slept.
"Serpenti did what she did best; sent spies among them. They saw Marruspawn prophets proclaiming the return of the Marru. They said that the Marru commanded their servants to rebuild the ancient empire in all its glory, covering all Semferia as it ought. Renew Semferia to the desert it once was, and make it a fit dwelling for their masters. Once pleased with their work, the Marru would return in glory to iniate the second age of the empire. United by vision and devotion to their masters, the tribes arose as one and swiftly conquered the high desert.
"The terrible day came when Mizram marched on Serpenti. Right past her border villages, shattering her walls and defenses, they came straight to her capital and surrounded it. Their black heads and golden robes continued legion by legion over the hills; Melmershaulk seemed to float on a sea of black sand.
"A tall figure with a dark bearing emerged from the sea and announced himself as Wisdom, the high prophet of the Marru. He challenged Serpenti, saying, 'We are the builders of Mizram, and the heralds of the Marru. The land on which we stand belongs to the Marru by ancient right, and we claim it for the Empire of Thirst. The time of a Semferia divided among lesser peoples is over; Armageddon has come, and then a new age! Prove yourselves fit servants of the Marru or here meet your end.'
"At this, the Serpenti high cleric Ansennet is said to have smiled, and he replied, 'We have always longed for an empire, and love the sands nearly as much as you. Too long have the cool lands of the north sat at ease, and the wild tribes of the south run amok. For order and ancient glory, we gladly proclaim this your land and ourselves your humble servants. Today, Mizram has grown to touch the eastern sea.'
"Wisdom replied, 'We judge you strong servants, but strength must be proven by deeds. This shall be your task to prove your worth: Lead the way into the North; learn the land, weaken the peoples, and destroy or test every people East of the Stonetower Mountains.'
"So Serpenti became a province of the empire that day. Mizram changed her currency from gold to tseferu, her language from Yuan-Ti to Marru, her lands from grass to desert, and her god from Mershaulk to Senneth. She paid a hefty, yet bearable, tribute to her new lords, and her formidable spies and assassins were perpetually in demand. Yet Serpenti was otherwise given autonomy; Mizram agreed to leave her rulers, traditions, and peoples intact, and to visit her cities only in small numbers and rarely.
"Of course, Serpenti was two-faced. Many of the snakes genuinely loved bringing about an empire, even if it wasn't theirs yet. But ever-proud, they bristled under many of Mizram's changes, and found loopholes. The nobles adopted the use of tseferu pieces, and demanded them in payment for all the tools of war and nobility; gold became the currency of the nameless purebloods, and another means of their oppression. Marru was spoken in public, but Yuan-Ti in private.
"Serpenti already had a cult to Senneth--tiny, but a bitter rival of Mershaulk nonetheless. She was far too devoted to her dark god to give up even a single cleric, and maintained Mershaulk's temple in full glory. But to impress their Marruspawn visitors, Serpenti would trade temples between the priests, so she could claim Senneth held the place of honor on the hill. Mershaulk himself was driven to jealousy by this, and proclaimed that should Senneth's temple ever stand higher than his, they would see how Serpenti liked serving Senneth alone for an hour.
"But Serpenti undertook one command wholeheartedly, and far exceeded what was asked: the conquest of the north. Asked for or not, her spies were everywhere, her saboteurs busy toppling kingdoms from within. We all know firsthand the devastation she wreaked, but her strength is in subterfuge and sabotoge, not open warfare. In the end, her rival Westlay tricked and outmaneuvered her. In her zeal to impress her new masters, and her fear of defeat, Serpenti committed nearly everything to the assault on White Sands--and lost it all.
"A few days passed. The dust had barely settled upon Melmershaulk, and the image of the Ninja Mongoose Rockstars still grated on the serpent pride, when Mizram returned to Melmershaulk in thunder. Of course, it was against their contract for Mizram to enter a province in force, and Mizram took contracts very seriously. Yet the army skirted every defense, ignored every protest, and entered every major city. A burly Marrusault stood on every streetcorner, and the sky turned black with Marrutact wizards.
"Then the voice of Wisdom boomed in every city, from a thousand illusions. 'Good servants of the empire, you have served well this past year; the north is weakened, and the south is subdued. Your zeal is admirable, and your subtlety enviable. Yet you have failed at the test of strength the Marru set before you; the time has come to lead the assault on the north, and we find you paralyzed. The foes you were sent to smite now stand poised to destroy you. Great you are, and great you have been, but not great enough for a place in Mizram. We bid you glory at the end of your age, and speed the coming of the ancient empire.'
"The slaughter was total. Neither abomination nor pureblood, child nor grandmother, Serpenti or Marruspawn, priest or beast, bird, angel, devil, or grasshopper was allowed to leave the city. The blood-channels of Mershaulk's temple overflowed onto the streets as Mizram spared none. In the chaos, I was able to move about the city disguised as a Marrusault soldier, but the legions were organized and tight-knit; without alias or background, I was quickly discovered whenever we crossed paths. I hid in the city walls, while overhead the city burned. The legions were called out of the city one by one and every soldier counted. They remained and watched as the city turned to ash.
"Mizram then departed to the north. As as soon as they were over the dunes, I struck out West. Melmershaulk is nearest the edge of the Serpenti teleport shield in that direction, and I hoped to avoid Mizram. Others survived, but not many; I saw footprints, tentative groups of one or two striking across the desert to villages which had been--for now--ignored.
"Mizram is on the move, and will certainly come to Westlay soon. I feel certain that she will be offered the same options: prove her strength in service to the Empire of Thirst, or be destroyed."
Enigma's tired voice trembled as she spoke these last words, and then she stepped aside. Minellin stood to address the group, sharing a more pressing bit of news.
"A week ago, the goblin city near Waecleft emptied. They swarmed over the hills and road like locusts, their masters herding them more than commanding. Waecleft, sat oblivious and idle while three thousand goblins approached.
"We, the Last Watch of the Ten kings, have taken an oath to serve the ten kings and their cities, and to remember their ancient alliance, so it has always been our place to inform and not to interfere. Yet I could not allow Waecleft to remain ignorant of the coming storm. I summoned Mary to the gates of the city with the dire news, but they answered only that Waecleft was closed and would admit none. Feeling that the situation was perhaps a bit more dire than they realized, I transgressed slightly against my oath, and sent Mary to sneak inside.
"She found the city locked in a civil war long frozen in stalemate. The three heroes of the city--Jearn, Borin, and Bearn, all brothers--were divided. Bearn stood with the paladins of the Order of the Narrow Way, and demanded abolition of the monarchy, justice for the people, and most importantly that Waecleft loose its mighty cavalry and destroy the goblin city. Jearn stood with the Elite Guard, swearing undying allegiance to King Edward, who saw Bearn and his uprising as treason. Borin took no side, but begged for peace and reconciliation.
"Of course, none was to be had. Even had his monarchy not been at at stake, King Edward believed the city was in danger. He had barely dared to slay the spies of the powerful Serpenti, and feared her retribution. He was certain that if Waecleft made itself visible and powerful, she would invite destruction. No, the best strategy was to close the gate and wait out the storm. It was not the strategy Jearn would have chosen, but Jearn was champion, not king. King Edward felt that Bearn's demands were treasonous and suicide, and would not budge.
"Bearn was no less unwavering. Too long had the people of Waecleft endured well-meaning but ultimately unjust laws, the unavoidable result of having a city run by one man. It was time to appoint judges, to abolish unjust laws, and to rid the city of monarchy. Bearn believed that the goblins, if left unchecked, would multiply until they were a serious threat, and Edward's unwillingness to confront them was one more example of the failure of monarchy. Bearn believed that only in open battle, bringing Waecleft's mighty cavalry to bear, could the city be saved.
"Both sides believed the fate of the city hung in the balance, and each viewed the other as a traitor to the people. As the hour grew later and the circumstances more dire, each became more convinced that he must win. Of course, the fighting was rare and downright civilized. They spent as much time in debate and diplomacy as they did trading blows, and even what blows were given resulted more in well-treated prisoners than casualties.
"Mary assessed the situation and decided to bringnews of the goblin threat to Bearn. They would be on the city within the week. Bearn summoned Jearn, Borin, and King Edward to yet another diplomatic meeting to share the news and come, if they might, to terms. Jearn was alarmed, but King Edward was unmoved, and declared that the Kingsmen had always taken Bearn's side. This, he said, was a trick to sway his resolve--and even if it was not, Waecleft was secure against any assault. The king stormed off in a huff, but Bearn and Jearn talked long into the night.
"The next morning, the city was shaken by wonderful news: Bearn had announced the surrender of the Order! The barricades were already dismantled, the prisoners released, and on every corner stood a paladin of the Order of the Narrow Way, shouting at the top of his voice that Edwards was king over the entire city. And then a few hours later, the city was shaken by terrible news: King Edwards was dead! Bearn had impossibly stolen past all three layers of the Elite Guard, entered the palace, the king's very chambers, and--unthinkable act of treason--struck him down! There could be no mistaking it. He sat weeping at the very scene, and openly confessed what he had done.
"Of course, he was executed immediately for high treason, though widely considered to have gone mad. Now, rule of the city would normally have passed to Edwards' oldest son, but he in fact left no heir. The law stated that the reigning champion was to take up the throne--in this case, Jearn. The Waecleftians were swiftly honor-bound to their new king, and where eighteen hours earlier they had been a divided people in stalemate, they now followed their leader with zeal. Jearn immediately opened the gates of the city, declared war on the goblins, and rode out into the night with five hundred horsemen.
"The cavalry of Waecleft even now rides on the hordes of the goblin army; they will meet in two days, just north of where Rogar first recruited you to our service.
"The tide is rising, and the storm is upon us. Yet we know too little about our foe. We have too little time for Enigma's methods; I must send the Ninja Mongoose Rockstars into the south, to strike Mizram where it is weak, assassinate her heroes while they feast, and learn how they can be stopped.
"Yet, one does not simply walk into Mizram. I shall procure tools for you, and send scouts. In about two weeks' time, I will send you; help where you can until then, but try not to get killed in any way.
"In the mean time, I believe Waecleft could use your help. Her cavalry will destroy the goblins easily, but I hear that many wizards of Mizram ride with the goblins. I fear to lose any of Waecleft's fine horsemen; we may need them before the end. Go to the Desolation of Kelzun and await the coming of the goblin army; destroy the heroes and mages."
Minellin passed out some equipment, and the Ninja Mongoose Rockstars set out for the Desolation of Kelzun. On the way, Nate reaffirmed Minellin's message: try not to get killed in any way. Lotus thought this was ridiculous -- "how can you say you've really lived if you've never died?" In any case, Nate disguised the party as hobgoblins, and they teleported in near the cliffs where Kelzun had first attacked them. Ahead, a group of four horsemen from Waecleft scouted -- and they were quickly met with poisoned arrows fired from within a nearby cave. Three were paralyzed, while the fourth moved to find cover.
Jakob stepped into the cave mouth and grabbed a goblin, throwing him into a marruspawn spellcaster at the back of the cave. The impact broke the goblin's neck. Ike ran across the way and tossed his rope up the cliff face. The goblins and marruspawn focused their attention on Jakob, but the arrows could not find their mark, and the wizard's Flesh to Salt spell caused only minor harm. "You are no hobgoblins; you're the ninja mongoose rockstars!" Flynn began singing, and Jakob rolled through the goblins and stood on the wizard's head. Ike fired four arrows into the cave, placing one right through the marruspawn's head and killing it. The fleeing goblins were quickly picked off by Flynn, Jakob, and Ike. The still-conscious scout from Waecleft led his companions' horses, with their paralyzed riders, back toward the main attack group.
From the hilltop, Ike spotted the goblin army a mile and a half away. Two walking siege tower constructs moved near the front of the army, and six marruspawn wizards were interspersed among the 3000 goblins. NMR teleported half a mile behind the group of goblins while Flynn gave the party haste and started singing, and then used a dimension door to get Ike within range of the rearmost marruspawn. His five arrows dropped the spellcaster (189 damage, one crit.) A group of goblins started moving toward where Ike had shot from, and two of the other wizards took a sand form. Nate dimension doored the group into position to strike another two wizards, and Ike's five arrows killed one and wounded the other. The remaining wizards took sand form and disappeared into the crowd. Nate created an image of a large group of archers on a hill, which kept the attention of several goblins while NMR teleported back to the cliffs.
Nate, Lotus, and Jakob then took the form of simple goblins and walked into the army. Nate positioned himself behind one of the marruspawn and probed his thoughts. He sought the following information:
Nate, Lotus, and Jakob walked through the pack to find the next marruspawn. Nate's feeblemind failed, but Jakob's Divine Surge and Lotus' arc lightning seriously wounded him and took out some nearby goblins. Lotus hit the caster with another bolt of lightning, and Jakob tossed him airborne, giving Ike a clear shot from his far-away hilltop. The marruspawn's body landed on top of a goblin, killing it. Several nearby goblins surrounded Jakob and Lotus, and one or two managed to slightly scratch them. Nate cast confusion on a big pack of goblins, while bluffing the others into thinking he'd tried to cast a spell on the obvious infiltrators. Lotus used a dinosaur stampede to clear an escape path through the now packing up goblins, and Jakob took down those who had him surrounded. Ike sent some arrows in to further sow confusion. The confused goblins started brawling, and various other goblins piled on, thinking they'd identified the "bad guys" from within the scrum. Nate, Lotus, and Jakob walked toward the next spellcaster, and Nate's feeblemind took full effect.
Meanwhile, a pack of three marruspawn wizards and a powerful-looking Marruspawn abomination teleported in next to Flynn and Ike. Flynn's Dimension Door took the two to just a few yards in front of Waecleft's cavalry. Ike fired a pack of arrows back toward the cliffs, severely wounding one of the spellcasters, and Flynn turned Ike invisible. But the spellcasters had dimension doors of their own, and they made a quick assault on Flynn, allowing the Abomination to tear his body apart in the few seconds before they fled the oncoming cavalry. The casters left behind a pit of mud to slow Waecleft's army somewhat. Nate feebleminded the final spellcaster within the main assault group as those who'd just killed Flynn teleported to assumed safety within the goblin army. Lotus used a second dinosaur stampede to cause more confusion.
Ike, upset that Flynn had just been killed, fired a pack of arrows at the casters a quarter-mile away, killing one and seriously wounding another. Lotus' Flesh to Salt left the wounded one barely standing. Jakob boulder rolled through several goblins, stomping the wounded marruspawn caster's head in and knocking the Abomination to the ground. It stood up and approached Jakob as the remaining wizard tried to disintegrate him. Nate's feeblemind wasn't quite enough to take down the remaining wizard, but Ike's arrows, including a headshot from a quarter mile away, were enough for the kill. At this point, only the abomination, a large pack of goblins, and two siege towers remained.
The cavalry advanced, and Flynn's spirit heard "oh my God, it's Flynn Flamm!" as a cleric started working on reviving him. Flynn responded inaudibly "oooh, I can give you a ghostly autograph. Woooo, don't steal my stuff." Lotus tried to flamestrike the abomination, but it resisted. Jakob and the abomination started clawing at each other, but only the Abomination was able to land solid strikes. Ike focused his shots on the abomination as the badly wounded Jakob tumbled through the crowd. Lotus used Ice Flowers to wound the Abomination and keep it from pursuing, and as Flynn was raised, he began singing to inspire the cavalry. Over the next few minutes, Ike wore down and eventually killed the Abomination, while Lotus' dinosaurs and Nate's confusions left the goblin army in ruins. Once the cavalry finally got into position, they met little resistance, and were easily able to chase down all of the goblins.
Everyone but Jakob reached level 15.
Players (Characters)
Scott (Filthy Ike)
Jeremy (Flynn Flamm)
Rachel (Lotus)
Tom (Nathaniel Graythorne; Brother Jakob)
DM: Catherine
Enigma is generally the picture of poise, but today at Lonely Sparrow she is bruised, singed, sweating, and grateful to be alive. It has been a long day. Barely twenty-four hours ago, she was a Serpenti noble in Melmershaulk, and a master spy. In the space of a day, a year's work has gone up in smoke, and she is grateful to be alive. She speaks.
"I have been a spy among the Yuan-Ti for nearly a year, but only recently have I pieced together their history. Here is what I have learned.
"Serpenti children learn in school that they are the pinnacle of civilization, and never doubt it all their lives. Sure, the vast desert holds the ruins of ancient civilizations, and occasionally a wandering tribe will take up residence in a crumbling ruin and fancy themselves a nation. But until recently, none could hope to challenge
the might of the great serpent. Then two summers ago, she had reason to doubt herself.
"For ages unremembered, the myriad races of Marruspawn had wandered the desert as fractious tribes or howling and writhing abominations, the legacy of a long-gone people known as the Marru, whose legacies are common in the desert. The Marru left behind ruins and rubble, magic and machines, sandblasted landscapes and oceans of glass. The Marruspawn--their created servants--were a testament to their skill in spawncraft.
"In ages past, the mighty kingdom of Serpenti had paid the ascetic tribesmen little heed. The jackal-heads were too lost without their masters to be of either use or threat. Yet two summers ago, the Marruspawn suddenly began to unite across the desert. From the western shores to the eastern cliffs, they declared themselves Mizram, the Empire of Thirst, right rulers of all Semferia. Cities were rebuilt, ancient magic awoken. Hierarchies and armies and laws materialized as though they had never slept.
"Serpenti did what she did best; sent spies among them. They saw Marruspawn prophets proclaiming the return of the Marru. They said that the Marru commanded their servants to rebuild the ancient empire in all its glory, covering all Semferia as it ought. Renew Semferia to the desert it once was, and make it a fit dwelling for their masters. Once pleased with their work, the Marru would return in glory to iniate the second age of the empire. United by vision and devotion to their masters, the tribes arose as one and swiftly conquered the high desert.
"The terrible day came when Mizram marched on Serpenti. Right past her border villages, shattering her walls and defenses, they came straight to her capital and surrounded it. Their black heads and golden robes continued legion by legion over the hills; Melmershaulk seemed to float on a sea of black sand.
"A tall figure with a dark bearing emerged from the sea and announced himself as Wisdom, the high prophet of the Marru. He challenged Serpenti, saying, 'We are the builders of Mizram, and the heralds of the Marru. The land on which we stand belongs to the Marru by ancient right, and we claim it for the Empire of Thirst. The time of a Semferia divided among lesser peoples is over; Armageddon has come, and then a new age! Prove yourselves fit servants of the Marru or here meet your end.'
"At this, the Serpenti high cleric Ansennet is said to have smiled, and he replied, 'We have always longed for an empire, and love the sands nearly as much as you. Too long have the cool lands of the north sat at ease, and the wild tribes of the south run amok. For order and ancient glory, we gladly proclaim this your land and ourselves your humble servants. Today, Mizram has grown to touch the eastern sea.'
"Wisdom replied, 'We judge you strong servants, but strength must be proven by deeds. This shall be your task to prove your worth: Lead the way into the North; learn the land, weaken the peoples, and destroy or test every people East of the Stonetower Mountains.'
"So Serpenti became a province of the empire that day. Mizram changed her currency from gold to tseferu, her language from Yuan-Ti to Marru, her lands from grass to desert, and her god from Mershaulk to Senneth. She paid a hefty, yet bearable, tribute to her new lords, and her formidable spies and assassins were perpetually in demand. Yet Serpenti was otherwise given autonomy; Mizram agreed to leave her rulers, traditions, and peoples intact, and to visit her cities only in small numbers and rarely.
"Of course, Serpenti was two-faced. Many of the snakes genuinely loved bringing about an empire, even if it wasn't theirs yet. But ever-proud, they bristled under many of Mizram's changes, and found loopholes. The nobles adopted the use of tseferu pieces, and demanded them in payment for all the tools of war and nobility; gold became the currency of the nameless purebloods, and another means of their oppression. Marru was spoken in public, but Yuan-Ti in private.
"Serpenti already had a cult to Senneth--tiny, but a bitter rival of Mershaulk nonetheless. She was far too devoted to her dark god to give up even a single cleric, and maintained Mershaulk's temple in full glory. But to impress their Marruspawn visitors, Serpenti would trade temples between the priests, so she could claim Senneth held the place of honor on the hill. Mershaulk himself was driven to jealousy by this, and proclaimed that should Senneth's temple ever stand higher than his, they would see how Serpenti liked serving Senneth alone for an hour.
"But Serpenti undertook one command wholeheartedly, and far exceeded what was asked: the conquest of the north. Asked for or not, her spies were everywhere, her saboteurs busy toppling kingdoms from within. We all know firsthand the devastation she wreaked, but her strength is in subterfuge and sabotoge, not open warfare. In the end, her rival Westlay tricked and outmaneuvered her. In her zeal to impress her new masters, and her fear of defeat, Serpenti committed nearly everything to the assault on White Sands--and lost it all.
"A few days passed. The dust had barely settled upon Melmershaulk, and the image of the Ninja Mongoose Rockstars still grated on the serpent pride, when Mizram returned to Melmershaulk in thunder. Of course, it was against their contract for Mizram to enter a province in force, and Mizram took contracts very seriously. Yet the army skirted every defense, ignored every protest, and entered every major city. A burly Marrusault stood on every streetcorner, and the sky turned black with Marrutact wizards.
"Then the voice of Wisdom boomed in every city, from a thousand illusions. 'Good servants of the empire, you have served well this past year; the north is weakened, and the south is subdued. Your zeal is admirable, and your subtlety enviable. Yet you have failed at the test of strength the Marru set before you; the time has come to lead the assault on the north, and we find you paralyzed. The foes you were sent to smite now stand poised to destroy you. Great you are, and great you have been, but not great enough for a place in Mizram. We bid you glory at the end of your age, and speed the coming of the ancient empire.'
"The slaughter was total. Neither abomination nor pureblood, child nor grandmother, Serpenti or Marruspawn, priest or beast, bird, angel, devil, or grasshopper was allowed to leave the city. The blood-channels of Mershaulk's temple overflowed onto the streets as Mizram spared none. In the chaos, I was able to move about the city disguised as a Marrusault soldier, but the legions were organized and tight-knit; without alias or background, I was quickly discovered whenever we crossed paths. I hid in the city walls, while overhead the city burned. The legions were called out of the city one by one and every soldier counted. They remained and watched as the city turned to ash.
"Mizram then departed to the north. As as soon as they were over the dunes, I struck out West. Melmershaulk is nearest the edge of the Serpenti teleport shield in that direction, and I hoped to avoid Mizram. Others survived, but not many; I saw footprints, tentative groups of one or two striking across the desert to villages which had been--for now--ignored.
"Mizram is on the move, and will certainly come to Westlay soon. I feel certain that she will be offered the same options: prove her strength in service to the Empire of Thirst, or be destroyed."
Enigma's tired voice trembled as she spoke these last words, and then she stepped aside. Minellin stood to address the group, sharing a more pressing bit of news.
"A week ago, the goblin city near Waecleft emptied. They swarmed over the hills and road like locusts, their masters herding them more than commanding. Waecleft, sat oblivious and idle while three thousand goblins approached.
"We, the Last Watch of the Ten kings, have taken an oath to serve the ten kings and their cities, and to remember their ancient alliance, so it has always been our place to inform and not to interfere. Yet I could not allow Waecleft to remain ignorant of the coming storm. I summoned Mary to the gates of the city with the dire news, but they answered only that Waecleft was closed and would admit none. Feeling that the situation was perhaps a bit more dire than they realized, I transgressed slightly against my oath, and sent Mary to sneak inside.
"She found the city locked in a civil war long frozen in stalemate. The three heroes of the city--Jearn, Borin, and Bearn, all brothers--were divided. Bearn stood with the paladins of the Order of the Narrow Way, and demanded abolition of the monarchy, justice for the people, and most importantly that Waecleft loose its mighty cavalry and destroy the goblin city. Jearn stood with the Elite Guard, swearing undying allegiance to King Edward, who saw Bearn and his uprising as treason. Borin took no side, but begged for peace and reconciliation.
"Of course, none was to be had. Even had his monarchy not been at at stake, King Edward believed the city was in danger. He had barely dared to slay the spies of the powerful Serpenti, and feared her retribution. He was certain that if Waecleft made itself visible and powerful, she would invite destruction. No, the best strategy was to close the gate and wait out the storm. It was not the strategy Jearn would have chosen, but Jearn was champion, not king. King Edward felt that Bearn's demands were treasonous and suicide, and would not budge.
"Bearn was no less unwavering. Too long had the people of Waecleft endured well-meaning but ultimately unjust laws, the unavoidable result of having a city run by one man. It was time to appoint judges, to abolish unjust laws, and to rid the city of monarchy. Bearn believed that the goblins, if left unchecked, would multiply until they were a serious threat, and Edward's unwillingness to confront them was one more example of the failure of monarchy. Bearn believed that only in open battle, bringing Waecleft's mighty cavalry to bear, could the city be saved.
"Both sides believed the fate of the city hung in the balance, and each viewed the other as a traitor to the people. As the hour grew later and the circumstances more dire, each became more convinced that he must win. Of course, the fighting was rare and downright civilized. They spent as much time in debate and diplomacy as they did trading blows, and even what blows were given resulted more in well-treated prisoners than casualties.
"Mary assessed the situation and decided to bringnews of the goblin threat to Bearn. They would be on the city within the week. Bearn summoned Jearn, Borin, and King Edward to yet another diplomatic meeting to share the news and come, if they might, to terms. Jearn was alarmed, but King Edward was unmoved, and declared that the Kingsmen had always taken Bearn's side. This, he said, was a trick to sway his resolve--and even if it was not, Waecleft was secure against any assault. The king stormed off in a huff, but Bearn and Jearn talked long into the night.
"The next morning, the city was shaken by wonderful news: Bearn had announced the surrender of the Order! The barricades were already dismantled, the prisoners released, and on every corner stood a paladin of the Order of the Narrow Way, shouting at the top of his voice that Edwards was king over the entire city. And then a few hours later, the city was shaken by terrible news: King Edwards was dead! Bearn had impossibly stolen past all three layers of the Elite Guard, entered the palace, the king's very chambers, and--unthinkable act of treason--struck him down! There could be no mistaking it. He sat weeping at the very scene, and openly confessed what he had done.
"Of course, he was executed immediately for high treason, though widely considered to have gone mad. Now, rule of the city would normally have passed to Edwards' oldest son, but he in fact left no heir. The law stated that the reigning champion was to take up the throne--in this case, Jearn. The Waecleftians were swiftly honor-bound to their new king, and where eighteen hours earlier they had been a divided people in stalemate, they now followed their leader with zeal. Jearn immediately opened the gates of the city, declared war on the goblins, and rode out into the night with five hundred horsemen.
"The cavalry of Waecleft even now rides on the hordes of the goblin army; they will meet in two days, just north of where Rogar first recruited you to our service.
"The tide is rising, and the storm is upon us. Yet we know too little about our foe. We have too little time for Enigma's methods; I must send the Ninja Mongoose Rockstars into the south, to strike Mizram where it is weak, assassinate her heroes while they feast, and learn how they can be stopped.
"Yet, one does not simply walk into Mizram. I shall procure tools for you, and send scouts. In about two weeks' time, I will send you; help where you can until then, but try not to get killed in any way.
"In the mean time, I believe Waecleft could use your help. Her cavalry will destroy the goblins easily, but I hear that many wizards of Mizram ride with the goblins. I fear to lose any of Waecleft's fine horsemen; we may need them before the end. Go to the Desolation of Kelzun and await the coming of the goblin army; destroy the heroes and mages."
Minellin passed out some equipment, and the Ninja Mongoose Rockstars set out for the Desolation of Kelzun. On the way, Nate reaffirmed Minellin's message: try not to get killed in any way. Lotus thought this was ridiculous -- "how can you say you've really lived if you've never died?" In any case, Nate disguised the party as hobgoblins, and they teleported in near the cliffs where Kelzun had first attacked them. Ahead, a group of four horsemen from Waecleft scouted -- and they were quickly met with poisoned arrows fired from within a nearby cave. Three were paralyzed, while the fourth moved to find cover.
Jakob stepped into the cave mouth and grabbed a goblin, throwing him into a marruspawn spellcaster at the back of the cave. The impact broke the goblin's neck. Ike ran across the way and tossed his rope up the cliff face. The goblins and marruspawn focused their attention on Jakob, but the arrows could not find their mark, and the wizard's Flesh to Salt spell caused only minor harm. "You are no hobgoblins; you're the ninja mongoose rockstars!" Flynn began singing, and Jakob rolled through the goblins and stood on the wizard's head. Ike fired four arrows into the cave, placing one right through the marruspawn's head and killing it. The fleeing goblins were quickly picked off by Flynn, Jakob, and Ike. The still-conscious scout from Waecleft led his companions' horses, with their paralyzed riders, back toward the main attack group.
From the hilltop, Ike spotted the goblin army a mile and a half away. Two walking siege tower constructs moved near the front of the army, and six marruspawn wizards were interspersed among the 3000 goblins. NMR teleported half a mile behind the group of goblins while Flynn gave the party haste and started singing, and then used a dimension door to get Ike within range of the rearmost marruspawn. His five arrows dropped the spellcaster (189 damage, one crit.) A group of goblins started moving toward where Ike had shot from, and two of the other wizards took a sand form. Nate dimension doored the group into position to strike another two wizards, and Ike's five arrows killed one and wounded the other. The remaining wizards took sand form and disappeared into the crowd. Nate created an image of a large group of archers on a hill, which kept the attention of several goblins while NMR teleported back to the cliffs.
Nate, Lotus, and Jakob then took the form of simple goblins and walked into the army. Nate positioned himself behind one of the marruspawn and probed his thoughts. He sought the following information:
- What are the numbers and strength of the marruspawn army? Over 10,000 strong, with many elite units.
- What are the most powerful creatures you have seen among your allies? A blue dragon that creates storms, an undead sand dragon, a withered old lady with scary eyes who doesn't wear armor, and the marruspawn national champion.
- What is the attack plan for northern conquest? Several simultaneous strikes to force the northern kingdoms to fight divided. The main attack will happen in two weeks time, and this attack is just another maneuver in setting it up.
- How powerful is this attack force? 3000 goblins, six marruspawn wizards of equal power, two siege towers, and some anti-archer help is incoming.
- Are the wizards telepathically linked in any way? No.
- What effect does this sand form have? It makes the body into an ooze.
- Is your mind protected from spells via Mind Blank or a similar effect? No.
Nate, Lotus, and Jakob walked through the pack to find the next marruspawn. Nate's feeblemind failed, but Jakob's Divine Surge and Lotus' arc lightning seriously wounded him and took out some nearby goblins. Lotus hit the caster with another bolt of lightning, and Jakob tossed him airborne, giving Ike a clear shot from his far-away hilltop. The marruspawn's body landed on top of a goblin, killing it. Several nearby goblins surrounded Jakob and Lotus, and one or two managed to slightly scratch them. Nate cast confusion on a big pack of goblins, while bluffing the others into thinking he'd tried to cast a spell on the obvious infiltrators. Lotus used a dinosaur stampede to clear an escape path through the now packing up goblins, and Jakob took down those who had him surrounded. Ike sent some arrows in to further sow confusion. The confused goblins started brawling, and various other goblins piled on, thinking they'd identified the "bad guys" from within the scrum. Nate, Lotus, and Jakob walked toward the next spellcaster, and Nate's feeblemind took full effect.
Meanwhile, a pack of three marruspawn wizards and a powerful-looking Marruspawn abomination teleported in next to Flynn and Ike. Flynn's Dimension Door took the two to just a few yards in front of Waecleft's cavalry. Ike fired a pack of arrows back toward the cliffs, severely wounding one of the spellcasters, and Flynn turned Ike invisible. But the spellcasters had dimension doors of their own, and they made a quick assault on Flynn, allowing the Abomination to tear his body apart in the few seconds before they fled the oncoming cavalry. The casters left behind a pit of mud to slow Waecleft's army somewhat. Nate feebleminded the final spellcaster within the main assault group as those who'd just killed Flynn teleported to assumed safety within the goblin army. Lotus used a second dinosaur stampede to cause more confusion.
Ike, upset that Flynn had just been killed, fired a pack of arrows at the casters a quarter-mile away, killing one and seriously wounding another. Lotus' Flesh to Salt left the wounded one barely standing. Jakob boulder rolled through several goblins, stomping the wounded marruspawn caster's head in and knocking the Abomination to the ground. It stood up and approached Jakob as the remaining wizard tried to disintegrate him. Nate's feeblemind wasn't quite enough to take down the remaining wizard, but Ike's arrows, including a headshot from a quarter mile away, were enough for the kill. At this point, only the abomination, a large pack of goblins, and two siege towers remained.
The cavalry advanced, and Flynn's spirit heard "oh my God, it's Flynn Flamm!" as a cleric started working on reviving him. Flynn responded inaudibly "oooh, I can give you a ghostly autograph. Woooo, don't steal my stuff." Lotus tried to flamestrike the abomination, but it resisted. Jakob and the abomination started clawing at each other, but only the Abomination was able to land solid strikes. Ike focused his shots on the abomination as the badly wounded Jakob tumbled through the crowd. Lotus used Ice Flowers to wound the Abomination and keep it from pursuing, and as Flynn was raised, he began singing to inspire the cavalry. Over the next few minutes, Ike wore down and eventually killed the Abomination, while Lotus' dinosaurs and Nate's confusions left the goblin army in ruins. Once the cavalry finally got into position, they met little resistance, and were easily able to chase down all of the goblins.
Everyone but Jakob reached level 15.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)