The Undiscovered Frontier (Finished!)

The confused party members take a moment to pick through the bodies for useful tools. Much has been destroyed, shattered from explosive magic forces. At certain places the scroungers find what appears to be epicenters of explosions at the center of large circles or the starting points of long, V-shaped scorch marks. Often they find the shattered remnants of staves at those locations, as if wizards had decided in a suicidal moment of desperation to shatter their devices and unleash cataclysmic magic.

Still they are able to recover, and Mellisande is able to identify all of the following:
3 Girdles of Shield which act just like a Wand of Shield, but is worn around the waste. Each girdle has 50 charges. Any character who is normally unable to use wands, but has at least one skill point in Use Magic Device can make a skill check to activate the girdle properly and use one charge. Or else the character can announce that he will spend time using the girdle until he learns to use it without requiring further skill checks. He will use up a number of charges doing so, but will be able to use any other Girdle of Shield without skill checks in the future.

The party also finds a Club+1 of Electricity with 50 charges. This metal club has an electrified band on the top. The club functions as a club+1, but each strike removes a magical charge and inflicts an extra 1d10 points of electrical damage on its target. Once all the charges are spent, the club becomes a masterwork club that grants a +1 bonus to hit and damage.

The party also finds Acrobat Boots (similar to that found in 3.5E Magic Compendium). The boots have 30 charges left. A user can expend 1 to 3 charges in order to gain the following for one round:
1 charge = 10 foot move bonus
2 charges = 15 foot move bonus
3 charges = 20 foot move bonus

At the farthest end of the battlefield you find a number of several muscular serpent men. They have the lower bodies of snakes and lack feet. Something about them sparks a memory or recognition in your minds. They are called the Yuan-Ti and they seemed to have been surrounding and protecting a much smaller and thin serpent-like man. The appearance of the smaller serpent man fills you with sudden dread and foreboding.

You recognize the race as not only an enemy, but The Enemy. The Enemy seeks your races destruction and you have been at war for a long, long time. Unlike the larger Yuan-Ti, it is fully clothed in a uniform that seems to have melted into its skin. It wears a mask, also grafted from intense heat, and large oval-like goggles. Somehow two wands tied to its hip seemed to have survived. One is a Wand of Cure Light Wounds [level 1] with 50 charges and the other is a Wand of Melf's Acid Arrow. Like the girdles, if a PC's class cannot use one of these wands, but the PC has point in Use Magical Device, the PC can opt to expend some time and charges until he gains enough proficiency to use any such wand of the particular spell effect without making future skill checks.

"Nice trinkets eh? Good thing that I learned how to use this wizard's stuff." Says Sarpot, as he keeps scavenging things, caring nothing about the dead. He makes a pause when the group reaches the serpent men. "Let's find out..." With his big clawed hand, Sarpot attempts to take out the mask of the dead agent of The Enemy.

Sarpot gets a firm grip and tugs once solidly on the nose of the mask, but it doesn't budge. He gives another stronger pull, and is rewarded with a squelch as the mask comes loose along with half the creature's face. Stick bits of flesh hand from the majority of the mask's interior.

Sarpot gives an appreciative look at his gruesome work, and then a good glance at the creatures who's face he just ripped out. He hopes that the features of the deceased would spark some memory flash or something. If not, it was fun to rip someone's face off.

"I think this is it," Mellisande calls over from where she's gingerly pushing bodies around, her eyes gleaming unnaturally with divination magic that scans for enchanted objects. "I haven't found anything else since those boots. I guess all the really good stuff got burned up."

Of all of them, Mellisande had had the most trouble scavenging equipment. She managed to assemble a sort of two-piece outfit from scraps that barely preserved modesty, though it'd be useless for protection from weather, before her glamour faded. Shoes were even harder until she found a pair of sandals on a svelte elf that almost fit...it was the best she could do. Now they made little flopping noises as she walked over to the others.

For a moment she stared at the features of 'The Enemy,' both were there was still skin, and where there wasn't. Then she pinched her features and shrieked, "EEEWwww!" girlishly before quickly reeling away. She recovered just as fast though when she glanced off towards the cave they'd vacated and asked, "Why do you think we were in there?"

Shayuri said:

"I think this is it," Mellisande calls over from where she's gingerly pushing bodies around, her eyes gleaming unnaturally with divination magic that scans for enchanted objects. "I haven't found anything else since those boots. I guess all the really good stuff got burned up."

Of all of them, Mellisande had had the most trouble scavenging equipment. She managed to assemble a sort of two-piece outfit from scraps that barely preserved modesty, though it'd be useless for protection from weather, before her glamour faded. Shoes were even harder until she found a pair of sandals on a svelte elf that almost fit...it was the best she could do. Now they made little flopping noises as she walked over to the others.

For a moment she stared at the features of 'The Enemy,' both were there was still skin, and where there wasn't. Then she pinched her features and shrieked, "EEEWwww!" girlishly before quickly reeling away. She recovered just as fast though when she glanced off towards the cave they'd vacated and asked, "Why do you think we were in there?"

Click to expand...

Nerin pulls his eyes away from the carnage to look at Mellisande. "I do not know. I would guess from the arrangement of bodies we were being protected for some reason. Whether we we in the cave as it was being attacked or if we appeared in the cave after the battle is a matter of speculation. Perhaps all these people sacrificed themselves to protect us from The Enemy, these vile creatures. The question as Mellisande asked is important. Why were we protected? Why were we there? Why can we not remember much of our past? Were we brought here from another world to save this one? Were we selected by our deities to fulfill some mission in the wake of the desolation that was done here? I do not know. I assure you we will find out though." Nerin bends down and pulls out a mostly intact scabbard that he stows the greatsword he fashioned out of remnants into it.

"There is still a woman in the cave who has not awoken yet. I suggest we try to wake her, finish finding anything of use and head out. There is no food here and I wold not trust the water in that lake." advises Nerin.

Arkos has been quiet since Mellisande's arrival but when Nerin joins them at the mouth of the cave he gives a slight nod and introduces himself.

"I am Arkos Stoneborn and I agree; I would not drink that water. Who knows what happened here. Perhaps, we've died and this is our hell."

The mephling wanders out onto the sand and begins searching for something to wear but realizes that there is little of use to be had. But, with the sand it is possible something lies buried... With a triumphant grin he unearths a swath of dirty white silk, likely some company's banner, and he ties it around himself like a sarong using one end to form a hood and shield his eyes from the brightness. He manages to form a sling from a scrap of leather and he tucks several smooth stones into a fold of his sarong. The broken shaft of some standard-bearer's pole and a shard of a sword tied to the end makes a serviceable spear. Equipped with such fragments he returns to the cave to rejoin Mellisande and Nerin.



[sblock=Mini Stats]Arkos Stoneborn
Initiative: +1
AC: 12 (11 flat-footed, 12 Touch)
AC: (Predator) 16 (15 flat-footed, 12 Touch)
AC: (Aerial) 14 (13 flat-footed, 12 Touch)
HP: 47 Current: 47
Fort: +7 Reflex: +2 Reflex: (Aerial) +4 Will: +8
Speed: 30 ft., burrow 10 ft.
Speed: (Predator) 50 ft.
Speed: (Aerial) fly 40 ft. (good)

Current Weapon in Hand:
Current Conditions in Effect:

Spells Prepared:
Spell Save: 14 +SL
3rd level: 2; cure moderate wounds, evard's menacing tentacles (PHB2)
2nd level: 3; barkskin, bull's strength, resist energy
1st level: 4; cure light wounds, faerie fire, goodberry, produce flame
orisons: 5; create water, cure minor wounds, detect magic, light, purify food & drink[/sblock]

"This, hell?" Mellisande looks around and shrugs. "I could deal with this. This wouldn't be such a bad hell. Now, lets take a look at this lady here..."

She trots, one might even say scampers, over to the still-unconscious woman in the cave and watches her for a moment.

"She's still aliiiiiive," the gnome drawls. "Maybe she's still got too much of that gunk inside her."

Without waiting for a second opinion, Mellisande pounces on the woman, landing with both hands on her belly to force any remaining fluid from her lungs...and lunch from her stomach likely, if she has any.

Lealani opened her eyes slowly, letting them take their time to adjust to the soft light. She was lying on a beach of soft creamy sand, the waves of the ocean making a gentle, soothing lapping noise nearby. The sky was blue and filled with fluffy pink clouds. The sound of birds chirping peaked her interest and when she turned her head toward the sound she could see not far was a lush, green jungle. Her body was warm in the sun and she felt so at peace she sighed contentedly.

Then intense pain shot through her abdomen, like she was being crushed. She gasps for air as she tries to sit up but finds she can't, something is keeping her in place. This time she really opens her gray eyes and sees her horrid surroundings. She begins coughing and when her eyes adjust she finds a small woman on top of her.

"W-would you mind?" the white haired woman coughs out. "C-can't breathe..."

"Yay!" Mellisande exulted, leaping back off of the woman. "I saved her! She's alive because of me!"

She beamed down at the white-haired lady. "You owe me now. I'd help you up, but I'm pretty small compared to you. I'd only be able to help you up to your waist or something. I'm Mellisande. No idea where we are though, except for what you can see yourself."