Greyhawk: The Golden Era CY 963: EPIC CAMPAIGN - Campaign Logs + RESTORED CAMPAIGN THREAD

Yesterday, Reaping 17, CY 963:


Sphynx, you're sitting at your usual table, in the back of your favorite tavern, secluded from the drunken throng by dim lighting, heavy smoke, loud noise, and frequent activity; knowing your distaste for such environs, your great grandson, who also happens to be the tavern owner, has taken the time to enchant your table with a single rune, one which serves to heighten the shadows around your table, as well as to mute the noise, repel the smoke, and better illuminate the rest of the tavern, all for your benefit, and for the benefit of all who are seated here with you.


At the moment, you share your table with only one person, an old friend of yours named Tellerian Hawke. You have often wondered how someone with such an unguarded profile has managed to remain so obscure for so long. After all, there aren't many 7-foot-four-inch immortal half-Elves walking around with two adamantine swords strapped to their back. And fewer still who wear the amulet of Thor so openly, the amulet being a renowned sign of Thor's chosen. And yet, here he sits, without a care in the world, going on and on about how proud he is of his son, and about how much he loves Sylen's homemade beer.


Of course, you muse, he does do a lot of plane-hopping. The fact that he's here, in this world, was proof enough of that. And that, in and of itself, would be sufficient to obscure him from the general public, to allow him to fade into the annals of legend, but it would fail miserably to hide him from his true enemies. They plane-hop, too. And if they followed him here, the modest magic around the table would not suffice to mask his presence.


Of course, he's sitting here at YOUR table. You own this world, and anyone of any consequence knows that. Here, you make the rules. And while a well-prepared enemy or two might be bold enough to attack Tellerian here, they would think twice before taking on the two of you TOGETHER. Perhaps that is why he is here so frequently, you muse. Talking your ear off, and running up a tab at your great grandson's tavern. It's the only place that he feels safe.


Tellerian turns to you, and says, "I think I'm drunk. I'm beginning to see things."


The hairs on the back of your neck stand up; you know very well that such a feat as the inebriation of Tellerian Hawke would require a veritable ocean of beer, which your great grandson would be unable to provide, even on his slowest, and most well-stocked day.


Tellerian smiles, and tilts his mug slightly in your direction. "Do you see a hammer floating there, on top?"


Indeed, the thin foam at the top of the beer is shaped like a hammer. Your senses detect the faintest spark of magic, from a divine source, a source not of this world. After concentrating for a moment, you are able to determine that the source is other-planar, that is to say, not prime material. Generally, it is of the outer planes, and after only a moment, you are able to narrow it down to one specific plane: Asgard.


Before you can answer, Tellerian chuckles, "Looks like the big man needs his errand boy. Must be something important. Want to tag along?"


MEANWHILE, BACK ON OERTH:


Luis, you're deep in meditation, sitting perfectly still in the middle of Shokindo's dojo. You have been in this state for several hours, your only company being a single cockroach which has crawled up onto your upper back. You can feel its life force, vibrant and vital, despite its diminutive size; it has come here in search of warmth, to escape the cold weather. You can feel that it is near the end of its life cycle, and you wonder what form its spirit will take next. Perhaps a bird; perhaps a lion. You cannot know for sure. But you do know that it will happen soon. The cockroach knows it, too.
Suddenly, your eyes snap open. Before you, as if in a waking dream, you see many Dwarves, all fighting a single creature, and all of them being killed methodically, two and three at a time, as if their opponent were sweeping a floor, or wiping a counter. You know, in your inner-most being, that what you are seeing should not be. This creature does not serve the balance. This creature should not exist. Something must be done to set things right. The creature itself is only the symptom, of a much larger sickness. You know at once that you should inform the others. The cockroach, as if sensing that you are about to stand, spreads its wings, and buzzes away, through the open window, back out into the cold air. The thought occurs to you that perhaps you should follow it.


MEANWHILE, IN THE CITY OF SIGIL:


Dengar, you're sitting at the dining room table, seated across from your friend Feridan, in the penthouse suite of The Berk Hotel in the city of Sigil. The penthouse is occupied by your adventuring company, The Fearless Five. The rent is due today, as it is on the 17th day of every month. That's what you and Feridan are doing at the table, counting out gold coins, making sure that you have exactly 10,000 gold to give to Mr. Nanfrites, your Pit Fiend landlord.


Suddenly, Feridan pauses, and hands you one of the coins. "What do you make of that?" he asks.


The coin you are looking at is solid gold, just like its 9,999 brothers who occupy your table. But the markings on the coin are swirling, and changing shape. They keep forming the same three letters, in the same sequence: S C L


It is very obviously an omen, and due to the obscurity of its message, it is not something that needs to be known to the populace of Sigil. Someone has gone to great lengths to mask the omen in the form of a riddle.


MEANWHILE, ON THE GOOD SHIP "STARWAVE:


Pete, you're not sure why you booked passage on The Starwave, after swearing you'd never set foot on another SpellJammer ship again. And yet, here you stand, on the deck of one of the most famous SpellJammer ships of all (with the exception of The SpellJammer itself,) headed back to the place you swore you'd never return to: Sigil.


All you know for sure is this: you can't shake the feeling that you need to go. And you can't shake the feeling that your presence will make a big difference in an upcoming (future) event. And whatever is going to happen, it's going to happen, or at least start, in Sigil. You know this because of who you are, and where you came from. You know this because it's your job to know; you are the chosen, the one of legend, the one who will always be.


Yeah, you muse, quietly and to yourself: the one who will never enjoy retirement. The one whose life will never truly be his own.
But then again, you knew all of that when you signed on for this job. This ain't your first omen. And you damn sure ain't no berk.


---END OF STARTING TEXT---


P.S. Luis, the "creature" you see in your vision is roughly humanoid in shape, but you can't see it clearly.




===2014:===

MacConnell Sylvester
8:22 AM Nov 11


Sphynx takes a drink from his wine then sets the glass on the table. No expression betrays his thoughts, no smile, no frown, no movement of the eyes. "This Asgardian lacks temperament; but at least, he also lacks the avarice of that Olympian you use to follow when you still wielded sword and shield. No, my friend. My time is passed." With that he fades from view.

Dungeon Master
10:57 AM Nov 11


Hawke scans the tavern is disbelief... there is no sign of The Sphynx anywhere. In fact, there is no sign that he was there to begin with. Hawke finds no traces of magic from any spells that might have brought him here or that would have allowed him to leave; no teleport spells, plane shift spells, invisibility spells, nothing. The Sphynx simply isn't there. Hawke stands up to leave, wondering what all this means. Hawke looks up into the air, and whispers to no one, "I know that I made a few mistakes in my younger years. I'm not proud of the time I spent being misled by Ares. You were one of the main reasons I was able to eventually see that cult for what it was, and free myself from its yoke. Farewell, my friend, I hope that your disappearance was not caused by something I did or said." Inwardly, Hawke muses that Sphynx has once again lived up to his name, an enigma, whose motivations are unknown to all, one who comes and goes according to an unknown set of priorities. Hawke wanders over to the bar, and shakes Sylen's hand; using a well-practiced, long-ago-perfected slight-of-hand, he palms an emerald off to Sylen as he does so. "Take care of yourself, Sy. It's quite a place you've got here." And with that, Hawke steps out into the street, taking in the fresh air. He has a thirty mile walk ahead of him, out of the city, into the hills, to the well-hidden cave where the Arch of Ages touches this world.


MacConnell Sylvester
11:06 AM Nov 14


As Hawks paused outside the tavern to adjust his gear for the long walk ahead, the sound of two ravens cawing can be heard in the the distance confirming the vision in the tankard, despite it's unlikely location. As Hawke stretches his shoulders, there is a distinctive echo like a handclap in a large empty room. Sphynx steps from thin air immediately to Hawke's left, fully garbed and ready to travel, staff in hand. The clothing has changed. The staff has changed, but the aged elf has also. "I change my mind. I have been dwelling on the past too long. I have never met these Asgardians but perhaps Odin or Tyr or Baldur could use a champion to accompany Thor's, especially Odin since we both seem to favor the staff. Let us begin to make the difference we were always meant to.


Dungeon Master
1:35 PM Nov 14


Hawke laughs, saying, "What we sometimes lack in subtlety, we make up for with sheer stubbornness and determination. You will be more than welcome in Asgard, my friend. Making a difference is what we're all about. There are those among the Aesir who believe, as I do, that our fates are not yet written, no matter what the Norns prophesy. For instance, it is said that on the day of Rangnarok, Odin will be swallowed by the Fenris Wolf, and that Thor will be swallowed by Jormundgnir. Well, if that is indeed what shall come to pass, then those monsters will have to swallow Nimbar and I first; we'll not let our lieges die before us." Hawke smiles, tapping the hilts of his swords. "I'll give that big eel a serious case of indigestion, have no doubt." Hawke talks about many other things during the day-long journey, and just as the sun is setting, you both reach the hill where the cave lies, hidden behind a copse of trees, and a moss-covered boulder. Hawke moves the boulder aside with the ease of a peasant opening a tavern door. Once inside, he closes it with the same amount of effort. Sphynx's eyes instantly adjust to the darkness, as do his magical senses. Straight ahead, in the middle of the huge cavern, invisible to the naked eye, stands the Arch of Ages, awaiting the command of those who would travel through it. Hawke waves his hand, and speaks: "Thron Kohs," he intones, as the gateway springs to life. Sphynx is no stranger to this arch; as the chosen of Thoth, he has knowledge of all great artifacts, and this gateway, the creation of the goddess Wee Jas, is no exception. Hawke steps through the archway without another word, into the realm of Asgard. You follow him, anxious to find out what has caused such concern among the Asgardians as to warrant this impromptu call to service.


Dungeon Master
3:44 PM Nov 15


You both appear in a large cave, similar to the one you entered through; the archway is here, as well. As you step out of the mouth of the cave, you see a small, switch-back path, leading down the side of an enormous mountain. This definitely isn't the small, tree-covered hill you started on. At the end of the switch-back, there is a large landing, which is not natural. The floor of the landing is made of flagstone, and it's covered with runes. In the center of the landing, you see a large, circular pool, which is filled not with liquid, but with a scintillating, prismatic form of energy. In front of the pool, stands a tall, muscular man with a red beard, holding a huge, obsidian-and-brass-ornamented horn. There is a huge, golden sword at his waist, in a quick-draw rig. Both of you, of course, recognize the god Heimdall immediately. The god nods knowingly toward both of you, and motions toward the pool. Without hesitation, you both step
into it, and you immediately find yourself in another dimension, one which looks eerily close to outer space, except that here, there is both air and gravity, and the available light, of which there is an abundance, comes from the scintillating Rainbow Bridge that you now find yourselves walking upon. You have not walked more than a dozen steps before you notice a winged figure ahead of you, flying leisurely toward your position. As it draws near, you both recognize it to be a Solar, one of the celestial beings that serve various good-aligned deities in the outer planes. This Solar is clad head to toe in sparkling, silvery chain mail armor, and carries a hammer, which hangs casually from his belt. His wings are huge, white, and feathery, like those of a huge eagle. He lands before the both of you, and bows deeply. "Greetings from The Father of Storms and Lightning," the Solar intones. "There is no need to travel further into Asgard, you must act quickly, and your task lies far from here." Hawke watches the Solar's facial expressions with interest; they betray no hint of joviality.


Dungeon Master
4:07 PM Nov 15


"Your journey shall take you next back to Oerth," the Solar continues, "you must go to the sanctuary of your friend, the monk, the one called Shokindo Chi Lan. There you will find Shokindo's teacher, Luis. You will need his help in this endeavor. He sees things that even champions such as yourselves cannot. He is wise in the ways of life and renewal, in a way which shall prove crucial to the completion of your task. Go to him now, he is already thinking of contacting you. Return to the cavern, and use the archway, it is the most expedient way to reach the Prime. After that, you can teleport normally." and with that, the Solar takes flight once more, headed back the way he came, back to Asgard. Hawke turns to Sphynx, and says, "This is strange. The only reason to bring us all the way here, to the Rainbow Bridge, rather than sending a message via magic, is because my liege is worried that the message will be intercepted. Apparently, whatever is going on, my liege feels that it should be kept as close to the chest as possible. And he obviously believes that he himself is being watched, hence the reason he did not offer us the hospitality of his castle." The both of you quickly make your way back to the arch, and another simple command from Hawke and you both find yourselves in a very familiar cave, the cave on Oerth, in the Mounds of Dawn, where the both of you once vanquished the fiend known as Raum. Sphynx, you are the first to notice what appear to be a single set of human footprints, leading away from the archway, toward the mouth of the cave (i.e., toward the outdoors.) Hawke, not having noticed the footprints, is in the process of casting "Teleport Without Error," which will transport the both of you some 850 miles away from here, to Shokindo's monastery...


MacConnell Sylvester
1:48 PM Nov 19


Sphynx touches Hawke's elbow. (Obviously he can't reach his shoulder.) It is a simple gesture, but it is enough. "Hold that thought. I don't think a set of footprints should have preceded our entry here. Let me see if I can find any residual aura."


Dungeon Master
2:12 PM Nov 19


Hawke stops casting, and looks where you've indicated. "Very strange," he says. Hawke watches with interest as Sphynx investigates. Sphynx, you notice that the footprints seem to be made by a person of medium height and build, but there is something weird about them. In the recesses, you find bits of rotten flesh. This would normally be indicative of some sort of undead, perhaps a zombie. However, these footprints do not have the lumbering gait (which results from slow and awkward movements) that is typical of undead. The gait is completely normal-looking, and the creature that made these prints was walking quickly and with purpose.


Dungeon Master
9:08 AM Nov 20


One other thing: After looking at the footprints, and then back at the archway, Hawke says that whatever made the footprints appeared next to the archway, and then started walking away. The creature did NOT actually come THROUGH the archway. Doing so would have left a residual trace that other archway users can detect. Sphynx, after careful consideration, you believe that Hawke is correct. In fact, the traces of magic that linger where the footprints begin are more like those from the use of a Mirror of Mental Prowess, a magic item of considerably LESS power than the archway.


MacConnell Sylvester
11:44 AM Nov 21


"Perhaps we should follow the prints for a bit."


Dungeon Master
12:02 AM Dec 10


The tracks are easy to follow inside the cave, but as soon as you get to the cave entrance, two things spoil your good mood; the ground beyond is mountainous hard rock, and the sun is in the process of setting. Neither of you are inept, per se, but then again, neither of you are trained trackers, either. Hawke mumbles something about Nimbar never being around when you need him, and gets a frustrated look on his face. Sphynx, as Hawke continues to grumble, a feeling of peace comes over you, and you realize that things are not as bad as they seem; the cave is in the side of a narrow crevasse that cuts through the Mounds of Dawn like a snake winding its way through the grass. There are only two ways to go, north, or south; you are on the Prime Material plane, so splitting up would not be especially dangerous. Or, you could stay together, and just pick a direction. Or you could resort to spells; in any case, you feel that Hawke is perhaps over-reacting a bit. The terrain is a minor setback, nothing more. In fact, Sphynx, you realize with some degree of joviality that you still have a telepathic link with Nimbar. You haven't used the link in years, but the magic still touches you, and you know without a doubt that it would still work, should you choose to use it. And as you both know, Nimbar is a skilled tracker. The choice of how to proceed lies with you, since Hawke seems to be lost in a fit of self-deprecation.


Dungeon Master
12:14 AM Dec 10


MEANWHILE, AT SHOKINDO'S MONASTERY: Luis, following your instincts, you step out into the chill, morning air. The cockroach has flown away, but in the direction that it has flown, you spot a creature in the air, flying toward you. At first, it appears to be a dark, spherical blot on the sky. As the blot gets closer, you recognize the type of creature: a Beholder! Reflexively, you take half a step backwards, your legs cocking themselves like a spring. Your hand waits patiently at the top of your shoulder, ready to draw Blue Destiny from its sheath; but the need never comes. As the creature comes into close proximity, you realize that it is Vendrok, the former butler of Hawke's castle. You know that Hawke had paid Vendrok handsomely to guard his castle, but that some time ago, Hawke released him of his obligation, so that Vendrok could pursue his own interests. Now, from time to time, Vendrok was known to show up with bits of news. And apparently, this was one of those times, although it was the first occasion that Vendrok had chosen to visit the monastery. Usually, he chose to visit The Hold of Five instead. Nevertheless, here he was. As Vendrok comes to within speaking distance, he begins talking immediately, "Hello, Master Luis. Perhaps you've heard, hmmm? About the disturbance? I've traced it to its source of course, no one can scry like I can. The creature is wreaking havoc in the Mounds of Dawn. And he's already destroyed a Dwarven redoubt."


Dungeon Master
12:22 AM Dec 10


MEANWHILE IN THE CITY OF SIGIL: Dengar, when you see the coin, the first thing that pops into your mind for the initials SCL is the name of your trusted friend and ally, "Shokindo Chi Lan." You pause for a moment, reaching out with your senses, and then you know. That feeling in your gut is there, and it's never wrong. "Yeah, those are Shokindo's initials. My hunches are never wrong. Maybe we should pay him a visit." Feridan, you trust Dengar implicitly, but you also know for a fact that some of his hunches have led to wild goose chases in the past. Still, it does make sense. S C L can't stand for very many things other than that. The question is, why didn't he just come to Sigil personally?


Dungeon Master
12:25 AM Dec 10


MEANWHILE ON THE GOOD SHIP STARWAVE: (OUT OF CHARACTER): Pete, since you haven't responded at all, I'm going to let the ship kind of float along in Limbo. If you don't join us for this adventure, perhaps you can join us at some future time, for some other exciting voyage. Until I know for sure what your intentions are, you are simply "on your way to Sigil."

Dungeon Master
2:04 PM Dec 11


(OUT OF CHARACTER): By the way, MacConnell, in case you're wondering what I'm talking about, we did the telepathic link thing WAY back in the day, the last time we played the epic characters circa 2004 or so. I made note of it on the bottom of both Hawke's and Nimbar's character sheets. It says: "Roleplaying Note: Sphynx has a permanent RARY'S TELEPATHIC BOND with Tellerian Hawke, Nimbar The Watcher, Shatho, Zaelostrimyron, and Sai'Lin; Sphynx can sever these links @ will if so desired."


Luis Galvanor
4:44 PM Dec 11


Luis seeing and realizing finally that it is Vendrok, relaxes and speaks. " Yes Vendrok I have seen the damage that this unknown creature has done!" " Have you seen or spoken to Master Hawke?"


Dungeon Master
6:33 PM Dec 11


"No, no. He's hard to track down, always on the move, yes. Hard to track down. Can't risk a sending, no, no. Too risky for an omen this serious. Yes, too risky." Vendrok closes his central eye in deep concentration, the smaller eyestalks waving wildly with activity. "Yes, an idea is coming. Master Feridan, Master Dengar, they need to be here. They're in Sigil, yes, the City of the Pained One. My reach extends to that place. Would you like me to bring them here?" Without waiting for a response, Vendrok opens his central eye, along with his mouth. A deep rumble comes from inside the creature, resulting in an enormously loud and smelly burp! A small, brass key flies through the air, and lands with a TING-PING-PING-TING at your feet. "That's their hotel key, yes, yes. Pick it up, and speak the name of Feridan!" And with that, the beholder turns, and begins to fly away in the direction he came, without so much as a "by-your-leave."


MacConnell Sylvester
12:17 PM Dec 12


Sphynx states, "Even with the rocky terrain we may be able to deduce logically the direction of our predecessor, if you know the destination of these two options of path. I can also take a few minutes to mentally ask Nimbar or Zaelostrymiran for tracking advice, since their knowledge of such far exceeds mine. A point of concern though, while necromancy is the modus operundus of the ancient Nubian heirarchy, it is almost unknown to the Asgardians. The only reference I know is the half-live/half-dead Hel, but I forget her particular ordeal that caused the situation."


Dungeon Master
4:19 PM Dec 12


Hawke calms down a bit, and focuses on what you have said. "North leads to the Cliffs of Derrin, and Lake Quag; that's about half-a-day's journey. To the south, in about one-and-a-half days, you'll run into the eastern end of the Dwarven Hills." Hawke ponders your other words for a bit, and says in return, "Nimbar knows more about Necromancy than I do; he and I both studied under the great Kelvin Kvar, as you already know, but Nimbar focused more on lore and true Wizardry than I; I was always more of an Elementalist, seeking to turn fire and lightning against my enemies. Nimbar had more of a head for mysticism, including Necromancy. But whereas many mages who practice it become obsessed with immortality, and end up becoming undead themselves (i.e., Liches,) Nimbar was more obsessed with protecting himself and others AGAINST Necromantic charms. You are right about Hel, she is the mother of Necromancy and the Undead. She is the child of Loki, and has inherited his taste for the profane. Asgardians are very familiar with the ways of Necromancy, they just don't have much of a use for it. Most native-born Asgardians won't use Necromantic spells at all. My own, personal knowledge of the art focuses on the manipulation of the body BEFORE death; I must admit, I have used the HORRID WILTING spell to drain the lifeblood of many a foe, although I have always reserved it for the truly evil and profane of my enemies; demons, devils, and the like. My knowledge of the body AFTER death is much more rudimentary. Therefore, I will defer to your knowledge in that matter."


MacConnell Sylvester
2:01 PM Dec 16


Sphynx scans he area for residues of magic. Using his unmatched knowledge of the undead, he also goes back to further examine the remains left in the prints. He says to Hawke as he returns to the prints, "I have considerably amended my old ways, but I was once the foremost expert on necromancy, and I have a very good memory."


Feridan Lenslowe
8:37 PM Dec 16


Feridan tells Dengar "Don't you find it strange he would reach out to us this way. I'm beginning to worry he may be in trouble. Let's head back to the Barony and pay his monastery a visit. It's been awhile since we checked up on things there anyway."


Luis Galvanor
4:56 PM Dec 30


Luis bends down and quickly scoops up the key and speaks out loud " Feridan!"

===2015:===


Dungeon Master
1:54 PM Jan 1


Sphynx, after re-examining the footprints, you are positive that what you are looking at is either a zombie or a ghoul, and there are even traces of magic in it, but not the kind you would expect; with an undead creature, you would expect to see traces of negative energy, associated with the process of animating a dead being; however, what you find instead are traces positive energy, and moreover, those traces seem to be unstable, and in a state of decay, almost as if the process had been reversed. Instead of negative energy being infused into dead matter in order to prevent decay, it's as if a once-living being had been immersed in so much positive energy that it (at first) overloaded the being's body and killed the being, and (afterwards) had the effect of animating the being, while at the same time, causing the being's body to slowly decay into nothingness, i.e., causing the being to slowly become pure energy. Until this moment, you had never considered such a possibility, but it seems to be the only explanation that makes any sense. Now, the question which remains, is: What sort of phenomenon could have caused such a transformation? You suspect a magical experiment gone horribly wrong...


Dungeon Master
2:06 PM Jan 1


Luis, as you speak the name of Feridan, the key suddenly grows quite warm in your hand, and a glowing, red doorway appears in front of you. On the other side, turning toward you as if breaking off a conversation, you notice Feridan and Dengar staring at you incredulously, as if they had just mentioned your name. Feridan smiles, and steps through the doorway. Dengar rises from his chair, and begins moving toward the doorway as well. Luis and Feridan, both of you notice something amiss as this is happening. Dengar is moving toward the gateway, and has failed to see a figure materialize behind him, as if from a TELEPORT spell. The figure lunges toward Dengar, as if it intends to prevent him from stepping through the doorway...


Dungeon Master
2:07 PM Jan 1


OOC: I need Luis, Feridan, and Dengar (Jason, Dusty, and Bryan) to roll initiative.


MacConnell Sylvester
12:36 PM Jan 6


"No sense dallying forever. Let's go North."

Luis Galvanor
3:02 PM Jan 9


OOC: Init: (1d20+20).....I got a 35


Feridan Lenslowe
2:06 PM Jan 13


OOC: 1d20+17 = 24


Dungeon Master
8:45 AM Jan 14


It takes you 9 uneventful hours of steady walking to wind your way through the crevasse, and reach the precipice; it's a straight drop down to the rocky shores of Lake Quag, some 500 or so feet below. On the lake, you can see 3 ships: 1 frigate, and two pleasure craft. Each is headed in a different direction. The wind howls through the crevasse, bringing you a light blast of warm, humid air from the immense freshwater lake. There are no tracks here, nor are there any other signs that anyone has preceded your arrival here. Hawke mutters the command word for his Tunic's flying ability, and steps off the edge of the cliff. He hovers in place for a moment, and then begins to slowly descend. He only descends about 10 meters before calling up, "There is a cave down here, however, unless our quarry can fly as we can, there's no good way to climb down to it. The cliff face is too smooth."


Dungeon Master
4:43 PM Jan 15


(OUT OF CHARACTER): Hey MacConnell, I have been looking at Sphynx's stats, and I have decided that from what I remember of him in the "old days," he is under-powered. Therefore, I took the liberty of re-vamping him completely, to put him at the proper power level (i.e. a slightly more powerful wizard than Nimbar.) Also, I decided that the "unknown half" of your lineage could best be explained by being Half LeShay. The LeShay are albino, and elf-like, and are a long-lived race. Hope you don't mind, but I basically made Sphynx Half LeShay / Half Gray Elf. I also took away his chosen status, since you stated you'd rather not be tied down to serving one deity. Anyway, this version is more powerful than the last, and I think it is the truest representation of your character concept that D&D 3rd Edition is capable of rendering. His stats are posted in the NPC section. The PDF version works best for online viewing. Enjoy!


Feridan Lenslowe
8:04 PM Jan 16


OOC: Dengar's Initiative 1d20+7=16


Dungeon Master
8:41 PM Jan 16


OOC: Mystery Guest #1 = 26 Init / Mystery Guest #2 = 36 Init. So Initiative Order = Mystery guest 2, then Luis, then mystery guest 1, then Feridan, then Dengar. More details soon to come.


Dungeon Master
9:11 PM Jan 16


OOC: Dengar needs to make a Strength check (1d20 + Str bonus)


Dungeon Master


OOC: Target DC: 26.

Feridan Lenslowe


OOC: Roll 1d20+6=12


Dungeon Master
12:25 PM Jan 18


As usual, Dengar, your life is a charmed one; sometimes, it seems, failure is just as fortuitous as success; and this is certainly one of those times. You hear a whoosh, the sound of fabric folding and unfolding rapidly, like a flag in a strong breeze. The sound is only momentary, and it is followed by a "thud," and a crisp, heavy impact in the exact center of the backside of your chestplate. As you feel yourself forcibly launched forward through the open portal, you realize, in the space of a mere instant, that someone has kicked you. Feridan, as the lunging figure comes fully into view, you recognize it instantly as demonic; a Balor, but obviously using reduction magic to make itself fit the human-sized room's dimensions. As the Balor lunges for Dengar, a blurry figure leaps from elsewhere in the room, and kicks Dengar through the open portal. Dengar lands face down in front of you, uninjured save for his pride; the figure lands in the exact spot that Dengar stood just a moment before, blocking the portal, with his back to you and Luis. Even before you hear the familiar, twin "schings" of Sun & Moon leaving their scabbards, you recognize the colorful shirt of their owner. Jynx Maylosu has arrived. OOC: Luis, it's your turn. If you want to enter the portal, you will need to make a Tumble check DC 25 to get past Jynx without running into him.


Dungeon Master
10:11 AM Jan 20


OOC: Luis, go ahead and roll your attack, and let me know what AC you hit. Also, you caught the Balor flat-footed, so if you hit, add your sneak attack damage (+2d6) to the mix.


Luis Galvanor
10:26 AM Jan 21


OOC: attack...1d20+54 (10+54=64).....


Dungeon Master
10:38 AM Jan 21


The Balor yelps in surprise, as Blue Destiny cleaves into his hardened flesh. (OOC Note: Luis: Roll damage, please. Don't forget sneak attack. Total damage should be 1d10+2d6+31 if I remember correctly. ) Apparently, he is not used to being cut. His eyes momentarily widen in alarm, and you can almost hear him mentally questioning his chosen plan of attack. After a momentary disorientation, his face once again assumes its stern, menacing countenance.


Luis Galvanor
4:11 PM Jan 21


OOC: ok....1d10+31 plus 2d6 ( 5+31+3+2=41)


Dungeon Master
8:41 AM Jan 22


Luis, your sword makes a small, but nasty cut in the demon's flesh. However, he does not seem focused on you; turning his back on you, he rushes forward, seemingly intent on getting through the portal. You can see the wound already beginning to heal as he does so. OOC Note: You get an attack of opportunity on the Balor as he leaves your threatened square. Roll an attack at your highest number, and let me know what AC you hit. I am going to go ahead and write out what happens next, because unless you kill him with your next blow, he is going to follow the same course of action.


Dungeon Master
8:55 AM Jan 22


The Balor bull rushes Jynx; as he enters Jynx's threatened area, Jynx scores a critical hit upon him with Moon, slashing him across the face for 50 pts. of damage. The demon gives a battle cry, and pushes Jynx backwards, forcing him 2 squares back, through the portal. The Balor continues his forward momentum, also stepping through the portal, and as he attempts to continue moving past Jynx toward the still-prone Dengar, Jynx tags him again, this time with Sun, inflicting 23 points of damage, and rending for another 34 points of damage. The Balor comes to a halt 2 squares behind Jynx, in the square directly in front of Dengar, and directly adjacent to Feridan (to Feridan's left.) It is now Feridan's turn; conviently enough, the demon has presented himself in such a fashion as to be within range of Feridan's full attack array. Now the fun begins.


Dungeon Master
9:35 AM Jan 22


OOC: One last thing: Anyone on the Prime Material Plane with Knowledge (The Planes) needs to roll a skill check (1d20 + your total score) against a DC of 65. This goes for Hawke, Nimbar, Sphynx, and any other powerful NPC on the Prime. (I will be rolling for the NPCs, of course, ha ha.)


Dungeon Master


OOC: Hawke = Failed. Nimbar = Success. Sphynx, you need to make the roll and post the result. NPCs # 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 = Fail, Fail, Success, Fail, Success. (Two powerful people out there just learned something!)


Luis Galvanor
3:02 PM Jan 22


OOC: attack of opportunity....1d20+52.....(11+52=63)....if I hit then.....1d10+31....(9+31=40).....


Dungeon Master
4:05 PM Jan 22


Now that the Balor is not off his guard, you find that he is difficult to catch with a good blow. Blue Destiny careens off of his shoulder, as he twists his body away from you, and continues onward. (You missed---just barely.)


Dungeon Master
4:40 PM Jan 22


OUT OF CHARACTER: about a month and a half ago, I met a really cool guy on the Facebook D&D group, and I have been talking to him since then about game mechanics, etc. Today, I decided to invite him to play in our game. He will be taking over Jynx. Let's all welcome him, and make him feel at home.


MacConnell Sylvester
12:04 PM Jan 23


OOC: Thanks for the stats update. Sphynx walks over the cliff facing to the cave using the spider climb ability of his right boot. "Something pique your attention, here, Hawke"?


Dungeon Master
4:39 PM Jan 23


Hawke says, "Nah, I doubt the creature could have made it down here. There's an abandoned bird nest near the mouth of the cave, which looks undisturbed for some time. I think we should head south. Let's save ourselves the nine hour hike and teleport back to the cave mouth, and then fly straight south from there. We'll fly close to the ground to avoid attracting attention. Say, 10 meters off the ground?

Feridan Lenslowe
7:47 PM Jan 23


Feridan snaps his fingers and Harvest Moon appears in his hands, and to the Balor says "You've made a huge mistake"


Dungeon Master
12:00 PM Jan 24


Feridan, your first hit catches the Balor off-balance, and rips a sizable gash out of the demon's flesh. Your second hit, coming swiftly behind the first, lands exactly where you intended, however, as luck would have it, the demon's thick hide resists the blade of your scythe. The balor fends off your last two attacks, having recovered his balance, and through a series of lucky circumstances. However, you now have the balor's attention, having hurt him so badly with a single blow. OOC: It is now Dengar's turn; standing up won't provoke an attack of opportunity, but it will cost you your complete move action.


Dungeon Master
11:47 AM Jan 26


OOC: MacConnell, check your Gmail for the result of your roll.


MacConnell Sylvester
2:21 PM Jan 27


Sphynx balks, standing straight out from the cliff face and cocks his head to the left. "Change of plans, Hawke. Someone just gated in a lower planes creature. I felt the pulse. Nimbar is currently stating, telepathically, that you know the location. We need to teleport. Now!"


Dungeon Master
5:38 PM Jan 27


Sphynx: Hawke waves his hands, and begins to trace arcs of magical energy through the air in a complex variety of patterns and symbols. Fully 90% of them are familiar to you, the last 10% dealing with location, a set of very specific symbols for the monastery. (OOC: If you'd like to memorize the symbols, so that you can teleport to the monastery in the future, make a spellcraft check, DC: 50... Nevermind, you can't fail that roll, lol. You may choose to memorize the symbols, if you wish.) Seconds later, Hawke evokes the power of the symbols that he has traced, and both you and he are teleported across this world in the blink of an eye. You appear in an open courtyard, which rests upon a high, mountain top. Behind you, the courtyard gate allows egress to the trail that winds back down the mountain. In front of you, a demonic looking, human-sized figure is staring down a group of people that he probably shouldn't be; Feridan, Dengar, Jynx, and Luis. Directly in front of you, beyond the melee, the double doors to the monastery are ajar; to your right, there is an open, inter-planar archway which leads to what appears to be an empty hotel suite. The gate is keyed, which is why you did not detect it when it opened. OOC: Sphynx, both you and Hawke appear at the exact same instant as Dengar's turn, at the very end of the first combat round. Dengar will take his turn, as per initiative. Then, you and Hawke will finish appearing. (i.e., your turn this round is taken up by being teleported.) Then you and Hawke must roll initiative, to see when you can act in the coming round.


Dungeon Master


OOC: MacConnell, initiative is on the first page of your character sheet, near the top. It is the first thing that is highlighted in grey. Your initiative is 1d20+21, so 14 = 35. You have tied with Hawke and Luis. Your Dex is higher than both Hawke and Luis. Thus, at 35, you go, then Hawke, then Luis. Final initiative order = Jynx, Sphynx, Hawke, Luis, Balor, Feridan, and Dengar.


Feridan Lenslowe
7:26 PM Feb 4


Dengar will stand up and take a step away from the Balor, moving away from the portal.

Jynx Maylosu
10:16 PM Feb 4


Jynx takes a step to re-position himself to attack the demonic human.


Dungeon Master
10:21 AM Feb 5


Jynx spins around on one heel, taking half a step toward the sized-down demon, before tearing into him with unbridled fury. Your opponent seems almost confused, while at the same time, enraged, as you continue to land blow after blow against him; his thick skin absorbs some of the punishment, and his amazing agility helps a little as well, but with his attention divided between you and Feridan, simple attrition begins to take its toll, and your swords deliver several devastating wounds to the stout demon, whose clothes are now little more than a conglomeration of bloody rags. Your opponent looks as if he had fallen into a meat grinder. And yet, to the amazement of all, he is still standing. OOC: Sphynx, you're up next.


Dungeon Master
2:38 PM Feb 8


Sphynx quickly follows up Jynx's attacks with a small, yet effective light-show; with the grace of a master pianist, Sphynx's fingers weave a complex, and lightning fast, tapestry of arcana that few in this world could hope to match. A look of surprise crosses the Elven wizard's face, when he realizes that the demon's magical protections require better-than-average runic transfigurations in order to penetrate; however, it's not even enough to make him miss a beat. Sphynx compensates slightly, and his spells strike true; dozens of light shards leave his fingertips, and slam into the demon, causing him intense pain. Sphynx looks on without any outward sign of emotion, as if he were an herbalist examining a new species of plant. His gaze toward the demon is cold and clinical, analyzing every reaction, every minute aspect of the demon's reactive physiology. OOC: Sphynx, you successfully break his resistance with all 3 spells. You inflict 290 points damage, total. COMBAT NOTE: Total so far: 900 points even, with an offset of Fast Healing x1.


Dungeon Master
3:07 PM Feb 8


Almost the instant that the last light shard slams into the demon, Hawke arrives in the thick of the fray, having charged the demon with the speed and ferocity of an angry bull. The characteristic "SCRREECCHH" of the Hawke Blade fills the air, followed by the booming thunderclap of its twin sword, Thunderstrike. Hawke still finds it difficult to penetrate the demon's hide, and the demon even manages to twist away from some of the attacks as well; however, the three blows that do land are intensely effective, spilling even more blood upon the ground of this normally peaceful sanctuary. OOC: Hawke's total damage: 219, total so far: 1,119 with an offset of Fast Healing x1. Luis, it's your turn. The demon is surrounded by opponents; Hawke, Jynx, and Feridan have arranged themselves in such a way as to prevent him from reaching Dengar, and you are right there as well, helping to cut him off from his intended prey.


Dungeon Master
5:20 PM Feb 8


Luis, as you begin your attack, you notice a quizzical look on Hawke's face.


Luis Galvanor
2:53 PM Feb 9


Luis noticing Hawke's face as he moves in to strike.....1d20+52 (14+52=66) 1d20+49 (8+49=57) 1d20+46 (7+46=53) 1d20+43 (19 critical+43=62)1d20+40 (16+40=56).....based on his AC looks like I only hit once on my first strike......damage 1d10+31 (9+31=40)

Dungeon Master
5:27 PM Feb 9


As Luis lands his last blow, the beaten and battered demon lets out a fierce war cry. As he does so, more of his wounds begin to close, as his healing factor once again kicks in. He stands facing Luis, and grins wryly, as he lets his disguise go; instantly, the demon grows to his full height of 12 feet, spreading his now-unfurled bat wings to their full extension. As the wings unfurl, his whip and his massive sword appear in either hand. He speaks a single word in an ancient language, and a blue aura surrounds him. Then he raises his sword aloft, swearing an oath: "Nixeldraxx does NOT fail his assigned duties! Now witness his TRUE POWER!"... and with that, every remaining wound, cut, scratch, and bruise on his body disappear, as the clouds overhead darken, and lightning fills the sky. ...........[OOC: Feridan, it's your turn.]


Dungeon Master
8:32 PM Feb 9


Feridan, you re-open his skin with a grim determination that still gives the monster pause. OOC: Ok, Dengar's turn...


Feridan Lenslowe
9:26 PM Feb 9


Dengar calls out to Rudd, asking for her grace. OOC: cast Time Stop


Jynx Maylosu
11:56 AM Feb 10


Jynx will avoid going into the Time Stop via his stowaway item.


Dungeon Master
3:30 PM Feb 24


Ok, so everyone who wasn't in the Time Stop effect sees the following: Dengar waves his hands, and speaks several cryptic words. The entire world seems to "blink" in and out of phase for just a split second; then a shower of mystical energy erupts in several different directions at once, as multiple spells detonate simultaneously. Some of the spells hit the Balor; the Balor's right hand ring, which was previously glowing, stops doing so. The Balor's left hand ring, which was also glowing, remains so. [Hawke failed to affect the left hand ring.] Ethereal energy swirls around the Balor, burning him over and over and he appears to be on fire, but not in the usual way. Yellow flames lick at the Balor's body, causing him intense discomfort. His skin takes on a sunken, desiccated appearance as two Horrid Wilting spells do their work. Sphynx, you feel a surge of energy rush over you, as the demon's essence flows into you, strengthening and revitalizing you. The Balor's body flames, which were the target of Sphynx's last spell, remain unaffected.


Dungeon Master
3:38 PM Feb 24


OOC: Jynx, it's your turn. You are still flanking the Balor (+2 to hit, add sneak attack) and you are now Hasted (1 extra attack, and a +4 AC bonus); you have a +5 morale bonus to hit, damage, saves, and skill checks. Also, you made your spot check, and happen to notice that one of the Balor's rings is no longer glowing.


Dungeon Master
11:32 PM Feb 26


As the last energies of the storm of spells slams into Nixeldraxx, Jynx begins his assault anew, with a renewed fury, coupled with a few select enchantments which now envelop him, allowing him to deal to his opponent even more punishment than his previous efforts were capable of. His eyes fixed on those of the Balor, Jynx drives his opponent backward, rending his flesh in numerous places, as the demon twists and turns, trying to avoid the attacks, but moving noticeably slower than before. Still, the Balor's arrogance remains unchecked: "You whelps surprise me with your resilience!" he roars.

Dungeon Master
2:09 PM Mar 12


Sphynx fixes his gaze upon the open portal, and utters a single word, of unknown origin. Instantly, the portal closes, and the key (which has been laying on the ground the whole time, since Luis dropped it in order to draw his weapon) glows a bright blue, and disappears. With another word, an elder Earth Elemental suddenly appears, towering over the entire group at a height of 40 feet. The elemental reaches down and grabs the Balor; but to your surprise, the Balor manages to slip out of the elemental's massive grip just before it can start to crush him. You utter a final invocation, smashing through the Balor's spell resistance, and enveloping him in a sticky, acid bath. The Balor eyes you with avarice as your spell burns his skin.


Dungeon Master
4:10 PM Mar 12


In an unexpected move, Hawke sheathes his swords, and utters the words to a powerful spell; suddenly, a massive, blue fist appears above the Balor, and smashes down onto his head with unbridled fury; the spell pierces the demon's spell resistance, and a sickening CRUNCH is heard as it slams down onto the demon's head. Blood trickles out of the demon's left ear, but he remains standing. Hawke's last action is to look upward, saying "Yes, My Liege!" to the empty air, and then to look toward the group, saying "Sorry, guys, I'll be back soon!" as he quickly intones a teleport spell, and disappears from view.


Dungeon Master


OOC: Luis, it's your turn.


NOTE: The preceding text has had the combat notes (die rolls, questions, etc.) largely omitted

END OF EPIC CAMPAIGN LOG PART ONE.

Dungeon Master
Mar 21, 2015


Luis seizes the opportunity.... to damage the Balor's sword! As Luis steps inside the Balor's defense, he notices that the Balor is holding his sword lower than he should be... Luis feints, causing the Balor to twist away, in an effort to avoid a head blow that never comes. Instead, Luis brings Blue Destiny's full power to bear upon the massive greatsword in the Balor's right hand. As the swords clash, there is a loud, bright eruption of magical energy that causes everyone to avert their eyes for a split second. A large chip of metal careens harmlessly to the ground, as the Balor's greatsword begins to flicker and sputter, like a dying light bulb. The greatsword now seems to be "bleeding," trailing magical energies behind itself. The Balor's sword is still magical, and still functional, but only just so. It will not withstand another direct hit from Blue Destiny, nor probably from any other magical weapon, either. The Balor's eyes widen in alarm, and a look of frustration falls over his countenance. "Your sword is impressive, little monk,' the beast intones. "I guess the stories are true, after all."


Dungeon Master
Mar 21, 2015


Acting with magically enhanced speed, the battered and bruised demon flicks his massive whip, the end of which sails through the air, and entangles Dengar. A quick tug on the whip reels Dengar in like a fish, as he is bound, helpless against the demon's flaming body. Dengar, your ring protects you from the heat, although the whip's cord still managed to lacerate your skin when it constricted. Nixeldraxx grins, as he taunts Feridan: "I don't make mistakes, BOY! Kartuukmaal!!" As he speaks the command word, a shimmering gateway appears, and without skipping a beat, the demon moves to step through it;as he does so, Jynx lashes the back of his neck horribly, spilling copious amounts of the demon's green blood. The demon appears shaken now, his confident façade fading as he screams in pain. Still, he re-doubles his effort. As Nixeldraxx's right leg begins to disappear into the shimmering portal, Luis leaps into the air, striking at his wing, which is holding the bound Dengar against his body. The blow is perfect, a testament to the monk's focus and discipline; Blue Destiny rips into the demon's wing, ruining it with a massive gash that continues through, cutting the cords of the whip. Sparks fly as Dengar's armor prevents Blue Destiny from causing him a serious wound. The balor staggers, his body half-in, and half-out of the portal. Dengar falls from the wing's grasp, but before he can hit the ground, the balor summons the presence of mind to grab the cleric with his massively clawed hand, and toss him through the portal. Dengar disappears into the shimmering gateway, and the effort required to throw him causes the demon to trip, also falling head-first into the mysterious energy field. No sooner than this happens, Sphynx and Luis both enter the gate without a moment's hesitation.


Dungeon Master

OOC: We are no longer in rounds; Nixeldraxx, Dengar, Sphynx, and Luis are on the other side of the portal. Feridan and Jynx are still on this side. [The elemental elder blinks out of existence.] The portal might not remain active much longer; if you'd like to enter the portal, say so now.


Feridan Lenslowe


Feridan follows


Dungeon Master

OOC: Via Facebook Messenger: Jynx follows.


Dungeon Master
Mar 27, 2015


The portal leads to a huge, circular chamber, with a raised dais in the middle. Surrounding the dais, in concentric circles, are dozens of curved benches. The ceiling, which is more than 200 feet above your heads, is domed, and covered with intricate paintings, depicting scenes of great daring; one depiction shows a man with a dagger leaping onto the back of an ancient red dragon; another depiction shows a woman leaping across a wide ravine. Yet another depiction shows a man wearing only a loincloth, swimming amongst a frenzy of sharks. The room is lit by a huge chandelier, made entirely of topaz, alive with a shimmering, magical energy that gives an intense, yet pleasant ambience to the whole chamber. In the middle of the dais, stands a man covered head to toe in shimmering, silver chainmail, much like that of Dengar's. Dengar lays sprawled on the floor, but is now in the process of getting to his feet. He looks as if he had a hard landing. The demon, whose wounds are rapidly closing, is kneeling before the man, motioning toward Dengar. All of you are standing about 15 feet behind the demon, weapons still drawn. The man wears a look of surprise on his face; he looks as if he didn't expect this much company. "I was practicing tomorrow's sermon," the man intones, "this interruption had better be worth it. Who is this clumsy fool?" he says, motioning to Dengar. "An what circus did they escape from?" he says, motioning toward the rest of the group. The Balor rises, and helps Dengar with the rest of his recovery. "This is your nemesis, my liege. This is the man who has stolen your honor. This is the great Dengar Keartanen, chosen of Rudd." The demon then motions behind him, "and the circus performers behind me are none other than his entourage, The Fearless Five..." the demon smiles, his regenerative powers restoring his confidence by the moment. "I must admit, at first I did not believe that one man could be so difficult to capture as to warrant the bounty that you placed upon him. But I stand corrected (CONT'D)


Dungeon Master


"This rabble nearly killed me. And the stories about this one's sword," he intones, motioning toward Luis, "are not exaggerated in the least. My sword would not have withstood a second blow." He spares a glance at his sword, which is still trailing magic energies behind itself. The man looks at once pleased, and concerned. "I see. You claimed that you could retrieve him before he even knew what was happening. It appears you were mistaken." He eyes the demon critically, watching as the cuts, gashes, bruises, and burns heal themselves. "I'm not sure that you deserve the whole bounty. I told you to bring me Dengar, not a whole tavern's worth of ruffians. This is not your reputation, Mr. Nix." OOC: Everyone needs to make a spot check, DC 25. Everyone also needs to make a Sense Motive check, DC 15.


Dungeon Master
Apr 5, 2015


Nixeldraxx becomes angry, although he makes no move to attack; "So it's my failing, is it? YOU were the one who told me that they weren't planar beings. You said they were Primes, and you mentioned nothing about this one," he says, motioning to Luis. "I asked you if these were the same ones responsible for the defeat of Orcus, and you assured me they were not. But if I remember correctly, the leader of that group carried a scythe, and his lieutenant wore a colorful shirt and wielded two matching Katanas. Tell me how common such a pairing is! This is obviously the same group! I suspected as much when I saw where they were staying... Few Primes can afford Mr. Nanfrites' establishment, let alone his penthouse suite! And this one," he intones, motioning to Sphynx, "has powers beyond any Prime wizard's wildest imaginings. I haven't been touched by a single spell in over 700 years, and his magic burned me as freely as grass. I suspect his possible identity, and if I am correct, his presence here does not bode well for the likes of you!" Nixeldraxx advances toward the man, towering over him, still making no move to attack. "The one who left in the middle of the battle WAS THE CHOSEN OF THOR! There can be no mistaking that amulet! You said that Dengar was the only one among them with divine favor, and that was wrong as well. In fact, none of these beings are mortal at all, and furthermore, I suspect that they are ALL, EVERY LAST ONE OF THEM, DIVINE AGENTS!!! YOU are in over your head, little man, and if you don't give me what is rightfully mine, I might just leave you here to face them all ALONE!!"


MacConnell Sylvester
Apr 7, 2015


Sphynx needs to make quite an attempt at multi-tasking. He needs to make a quick analysis of magical residues to determine if any protections or contingencies are active. He also wants to determine if any binding protects the "man" from the balor. Are there any hidden portals, rifts, or beings also in the room? Is any of our side in need of medical aid? Last, he tosses a non-magical, gold, suloise coin at the man's chest.


Dungeon Master
Apr 7, 2015


During the time that the two have been talking, five rounds have passed, which is plenty of time for Sphynx to have determined several things about both the man and the Balor. There are no hidden portals or rifts; the visible portal that allowed you all to come here is in the process of closing; you estimate that it will remain active for 2 more rounds, at the most. On the opposite side of the huge chamber, attempting to hide behind a pew, you spot a small child, of no more than 10 years of age. The child is female. The only two people who were injured during the fight are Jynx and Dengar; Jynx is slightly annoyed, while Dengar has been kicked around a little; neither party member is seriously injured. The man catches the coin with his free (left) hand, and looks at it quizzically. "This coin is quite old," he says. "May I ask where you acquired it? I'm something of a collector."


Dungeon Master

OOC: By the way, just to be clear, the man has an open book in his right hand, that he had been reading from. The spine of the book is labeled "Sermons for the Glory of Rudd."


MacConnell Sylvester
Apr 7, 2015


Sphynx belies nothing on his face and amiably replies to the question as a means of delaying enough to determine the particulars of the contingency. "'The coin is quite old.' is something a novice historian would be able to deduce. You can do better than that, and you must before simply inquiring as where I 'acquired' the coin."


Dungeon Master
Apr 7, 2015


The man smiles at you, accepting your challenge. He looks at the coin for several long moments. "My guess is that it's from the Suloise Wars era. It bears the image of Kernell, the Mage King whose foreign policies led to the war. That would make it about 1,400 years old. It's in remarkably good condition, which could indicate many things; it could have been magically preserved, it could have been protected in some sort of sealed container, only to be discovered in recent years by some historian or seer. Or perhaps it was paid to some long-lived planar creature eons ago as compensation for some service, and that creature recently used it to buy something. But I think you want to brag a little; I think you want me to conclude that you are the coin's original owner, and are thus, from the era of its creation, or perhaps even before. Am I right? I'll bet I am. And I'll let you in on a secret: I'm not scared of you. Of any of you. I am a Godkissed, a descendant of true power."


Feridan Lenslowe
Apr 7, 2015


Dengar squints at the man. "I can see it in your face, you are fearful. Explain yourself! Or we will see who possesses true power and who are the mere descendants of it." Feridan remains silent, prepared to fight if it comes to that.


Dungeon Master
Apr 8, 2015


The man looks furious in the face of Dengar's threat, yet remains controlled and professional. "Explain myself? To YOU?!? You owe ME your allegiance! Not to mention your title and position within Rudd's church! I am Pondren Luckbrother, the 14x great grandson of Rudd herself, may she forever be praised and glorified, and my purpose in bringing you here is simple. I apologize for my methods, Mr. Nix assured me that the kidnapping would be smooth and free of incident, and I am certainly sorry if you suffered bodily injury; The long and short of it is, I wish to challenge YOU, one on one, in a battle of wits. Whichever of us knows more about my Holy Mother shall become her chosen, and whichever one of us loses will swear obedience and loyalty to the other. You see, I am confident that you have taken that which is rightfully mine, however, I am not blind to your abilities, and I can always use a skilled and loyal lieutenant to travel by my side. The test shall be an oral examination, read from the Sacred Codex, by an impartial party of impeccable reputation and skill. What say you? Do you accept my challenge?"


Dungeon Master


OOC: Dengar, you have never in your life heard of this guy, nor of the "Sacred Codex" of which he speaks. Ha ha ha. You also notice that Nixeldraxx has ceased his tirade, waiting anxiously to see if you accept Pondren's challenge. Nixeldraxx wears a grin of curiosity on his face.


Dungeon Master

OOC: Via Text Message: Dengar accepts the challenge.


Dungeon Master
Apr 9, 2015


Pondren looks pleased that Dengar has accepted the challenge. "Right, then," he says, wearing a look of surprise, perhaps because he thought Dengar would take more convincing, "Let's get started. No time like the present." He closes the sermon book, and speaks a command word ("Khitab") and the book disappears. He speaks another command ("Quran") and a different book appears in his hands. The spine reads "Codex of the Sacred Mother." Pondren motions toward the child, and says to you, "This is my niece, Shirah. She is an excellent reader, and she has studied the Codex extensively. She will be our arbiter. I assure you, she will show me no favoritism." As he finishes saying this, the girl approaches. She looks fearful and anxious. Pondren says, "This is the man I have told you about. Are you ready to do the readings?" The girl nods her head, but remains silent. "Good," Pondren says, handing her the Codex. "You may begin whenever you are ready. You will ask each of us 10 different questions about The Holy Mother. Whoever answers the most questions correctly, wins. All of the questions will be from the chapter entitled "The Prophet's Canticle." The things from that chapter are things that only a true prophet would be capable of answering, because they are rhetorical and philosophical in nature---only one who is intimate with their patron deity would know how to answer these things correctly. Dengar, I hope that you are truly worthy of the power you wield, because if you aren't, then you are about to lose it."


Dungeon Master

OOC: Sphynx, you notice something peculiar. I will email you the details.


MacConnell Sylvester
Apr 10, 2015


Shpynx states, "Before you get started, you should know, that I am not the coin's original owner, and I never brag." Sphynx then opens a dimension door under the child with its exit point just above his own head. He then casts 9L Mundane Area, which should cover everyone in the room.


MacConnell Sylvester


My intention here is to catch the child when she falls into my hands. (In case that wasn't obvious.)


Dungeon Master

OOC: Your Mundane Area will cover a 200 ft. radius from its center, which will fill the center-most portion of the chamber (about 70% of it) but not the WHOLE chamber; remember, you are in the planar equivalent of a "mega church," where thousands of people often attend services. But for all practical purposes, it fills most of the chamber, and everyone here will definitely fall within its effective area. [Pondren, Nixeldraxx, and the party are all on the center stage, in the center-most 30 feet or so.] The chamber's dimensions are a 600 ft. diameter circle; to fill it completely, your spell would need to have a 300 ft. radius, instead of 200 ft. To pull that off, your caster level would need to be 60th level. Consider this: the old Astrodome in Houston was 710 feet in diameter. You are not in a small space.


Luis Galvanor
Apr 10, 2015


Luis anticipating Sphynx.... moves in and grabs the coin from the guy. Initiative at the bottom


Dungeon Master


OOC: Nixeldraxx is standing 10 ft. (2 squares) away from Pondren. You guys are standing about 15 feet (3 squares) behind Nixeldraxx, i.e., 5 squares (25 feet) away from Pondren, weapons still drawn. Luis, in order to snatch the coin, you will need to move 4 squares (20 ft.) to within melee range of Pondren; you will have to pass by Nixeldraxx to do so; both Pondren and Nixeldraxx are flat-footed, therefore, they won't get attacks of opportunity against you. Do you want to snatch it, and return to your previous position, snatch it and remain within melee range, or snatch it and move to another position? At any rate, to snatch it, you need to use your FIST attack numbers (+32) and you need to roll an "attack," and beat a result of 28. (Don't roll a 1, basically.)


Dungeon Master

OOC: Sorry for the slow replies, guys, been really busy with work / life in general.


Luis Galvanor
May 1, 2015


Luis snatches the coin and moves to another position.


Dungeon Master
3:24 PM May 11


Luis moves with unearthly speed, zipping past Pondren, and relieving him of the coin as he does so. His stopping point is 30 feet behind the priest, on the opposite side from where he began. Pondren doesn't at first even register what has happened; it takes him several moments to recover from the shock of Luis' sudden movements. Almost as quickly, Sphynx utters the words for two spells, catching the child in his arms, as almost the entire chamber goes still. Luckily, the chandelier above is only augmented by magic; the magical lights are instantly extinguished, while the inner ring of normal, non-magical candles remain lit. The result is that the already somewhat dim chamber becomes extremely dim, and very "shadowy." You also notice that Nix's sword, which had been trailing magical energy particles, is no longer doing so. All magic items in the center-most part of the chamber become suddenly mundane. The child cries out in panic, "Uncle!" as she falls into Sphynx's arms. However, she makes no attempt to struggle free. Sphynx, upon closer examination, you notice that the child has distinct, other-worldly features; her hair is golden, like metal, not blonde. Her eyes are liquid silver, and her ears are pointed, like those of an Elf. Her skin is the color of white marble, hard as stone, and cold to the touch. She is definitely NOT Human. Jynx, apparently confused by the sudden actions, moves to within striking distance of Nix (5 ft.) and holds both swords to the demon's throat, delaying his action. Nixeldraxx drops his sword, and raises his hands into the air, surrendering, all the while wearing a look of confusion on his countenance. Pondren, after recovering from the shock of it all, points an accusatory finger at Sphynx, and says, "What is the meaning of this treachery?!?"


Dungeon Master

OOC: Feridan, it's your turn, and then Dengar's. What is their reaction to all of this?


MacConnell Sylvester


Sphynx replies, "You thought you could dabble with powers that angels and demons are wary to employ and not face dire consequences? Your choice of vocabulary is poor as well. To be treacherous, I would have to originally presented myself as your friend. You have clearly defined yourself as enemy by seeking to capture a colleague of mine. The nature and degree of your resultant consequence of such a choice now depends on your further intentions. I was once not so patient, but as age and experience have grown my wisdom. I am reminded of the price paid by my former nation for such stupidity.


Dungeon Master


During the initial confusion, Nixeldraxx says, nodding to Jynx, in a tone that indicates ALL BUSINESS, "You can put those away, now. I was paid to retrieve Dengar, and I did it. I'm not being paid to antagonize you further. And quite frankly, I'm not sure he'd be able to afford my new fee, which has been adjusted for the ferocity of your group."


Dungeon Master


(Posting on behalf of Feridan): Feridan moves between Dengar and Pondren, holding his scythe casually in front of him with both hands, the way a guard would if he intended to block your path. Feridan says, "There's been no treachery yet, we just want to ensure that the playing field is even. Who is this girl? And why does she look so strange? Did you do something to her?"


Dengar The Bold


Dengar chuckles and calmly steps forward while patting the air with his hands. "Friends, friends, stay your blades. This is the '14x great grandson of Rudd herself,' or so he claims. For a moment let's ignore the fact that our Lady of Luck only had one daughter, Draeleen, and her soul was devoured by Graz'zt. If we forget that and assume for a moment that Pondren's words are true, and he is the progeny of Rudd, this could be quite the stroke of luck!" Turning to address Pondren, Dengar smiles sincerely before continuing, "We do not choose who is Chosen. Only the gods choose whom they elevate to said status. Let us put aside needless violence and bloodshed, and focus on the possibilities here. I am privy to Rudd's bible, prayer book, and hundreds of scrolls written by past prophets that only the highest initiated can view. If your words are true; if you are a descendant of Rudd and seek to honor her name; allow me to have your Sacred Codex and Codex of the Sacred Mother examined. If they are bonafide, our meeting - however ill-mannered it may have been carried out - would be considered fortuitous and the will of Rudd."


Dungeon Master
11:57 PM May 23


Dengar, before you spoke, Pondren seemed on the edge of doing something rash, partly out of fear, partly out of frustration; but after hearing your words, you notice his expression soften, and he releases his breath in a long sigh. "Very well," he says, "I'll let you peruse the book. But could you please release the child? She's not used to new company, let alone arguments such as ours." He extends his hand, offering the Sacred Codex to Dengar, all the while watching Sphynx, to see if he will comply.


Dungeon Master


OOC: a small clarification: "The Sacred Codex" and "The Codex of The Sacred Mother" are two ways of referring to the same book. The other book that Pondren had initially was a book of sermons, entitled "Sermons for the Glory of Rudd."


Dengar The Bold


OOC: That's the other book I would have referenced instead of being redundant.


Luis Galvanor
11:13 AM May 26


Luis watches with caution as he flips the coin in the air continuously......


MacConnell Sylvester
2:26 PM May 26


Sphynx, who is carefully holding his capture as if he would a child of his own, replies, "This... "child" is in no danger while I hold her. The floor is to Dengar. I am purposefully in a state of inaction. It is to your benefit that I remain so. On a side note..." He turns to Nix and tosses him a silver Suloise coin with his left hand as he gently shifts his capture to his right. OOC: It should be obvious he intends to address the Balor, but consider that a second action.


MacConnell Sylvester


* but I consider that a second action... type-o


Dungeon Master


OOC: Go ahead and speak, we are no longer in rounds, i.e., we are no longer "taking turns," or following an initiative order. P.S. : Looks like Invisible Castle is back up! Yay!


MacConnell Sylvester


Sphynx speaks to Nix in the lower planes language.


Dengar The Bold
2:25 PM May 29


Dengar grins brightly and states, "I am going to cast Detect Magic on the book before taking it, if you don't mind. I'm sure you understand my precaution. I would also greatly appreciate being able to have the Sermons for the Glory of Rudd book examined by the Church." Waits until both books are displayed, then casts Detect Magic. If there are magical auras, he focuses long enough to discern the number of different magical auras, the power of the most potent, and the strength and location of each aura. ((OOC: Please let me know how many Spellcraft checks I need to make, if any.))


Dungeon Master


OOC: Your spellcraft skill is WELL ABOVE the maximum possible DC for Detect Magic, so no rolls are required.


Dungeon Master
11:11 AM Jun 2


Pondren complies with your request, and produces the other book for your perusal as well; he watches you intently as you cast Detect Magic and begin your examination. (OOC: Look for the details / results in your Facebook message box.) Sphynx, as Dengar begins his spell, you notice a few things, too. (OOC: Facebook message box.) Dengar, after finishing your examination, you are filled with a sense of intrigue; there is definitely more to this Pondren fellow than meets the eye.


Dungeon Master


OOC: DOH! I forgot, you can't cast Detect Magic unless Sphynx drops his spell (Mundane Area) or unless you move the edge of the room, outside the radius.


Dungeon Master

OOC: :

NOTE: The format for this log file is different; I removed the user tags to make it flow more like a narrative.


WELCOME TO THE CLEANED UP EPIC FEED! OK, THIS IS GOING TO BE THE NEW MAIN THREAD. DO NOT POST ANY NEW COMMENTS ABOVE IT! Post all of your actions as REPLIES to THIS comment; that way, we can all start reading TOP TO BOTTOM, instead of having to read bottom up, like we've been doing. Basically, we're doing the same thing that we started doing for the OOC stuff at the bottom. I am going to delete all of the responses up until this point, so the feed will load more quickly. Don't worry, the feed has been recorded (See game log, Oct. 29, above) in a PDF file, if you want to go back and reference anything. Enjoy.


Pondren says, "If this body here is that of the Steward, he might have a map of the complex upon his person. Stewards need such maps to keep track (on a daily basis) of whom they have assigned to a given area. Of course, we won't have a key, so we won't know what numbers or special markings mean, but it should still make navigation easier."


Pondren rolls the body over, and opens the Steward's satchel. Just as Pondren surmised, there is a scroll tube, which holds maps to the Redoubt. As Pondren guessed, there are numbers without any explanations, and there are names written in the margins, each with a corresponding number beside it, indicating which room or area they are assigned to.


"Well," Pondren says, "Unless I miss my guess, this room here (#37) is the place we should avoid. It's the only eastern corridor that seems to lead off to nowhere."


Feridan looks at the map, and concurs. "Yes, this Dwarven marking here next to the arrow is familiar to me. It means 'Underdark.' And this marking here, at the bottom, next to the other arrow, is the Dwarven symbol for 'mine.'"


Dengar: Comrades, shall we leave this young dwarf to provide a lookout, or take him with us as a guide and find his brother?


Pondren says, "If the enemy we face is a single opponent, it would be wiser for him to stay with us. If he is here alone, without us, and the enemy appears, he is doomed. If he is with us, and the enemy appears, we can easily come between the enemy and him, thereby keeping him out of harm's way. I doubt seriously that this thing is stronger than all of us together."


Dengar: (to the dwarf) do not tarry young dwarf, it's high time we find your brother. ... And deal out some damage of our own to the monster who has invaded your home.


Pondren removes the mace from his belt, and hands it to young Dane. "There you are, young sir, hold on to that mace, just in case. It is imbued with the power to disrupt the lifeforce of any undead creature, no matter the polarity of its life energy. It is highly magical, and will serve you well." Pondren nods to Dengar. "I'll stay at his side, of course. But it doesn't hurt to give him every possible form of aid."


Jynx: to group, I will very much enjoy hunting this beast. Better for us to find it than for us to become its prey and find ourselves cornered in some dank dark crevice. I will not make this place my grave. Perhaps room 37 would be the ideal place to begin our search.


Dengar: I agree. The underdark is likely this tosser's direction. However, one stop out of the way. My chat with the fallen dwarf tells me that survivors may be in or near room 7 & 13. I'd like to render aid and acquire more Intel if possible. I'd like to go there first, and then proceed to the underdark.


Jynx: Very well, if you think it best to render aid, then we will do so. However, it would be wise to station look outs outside the rooms of our little side quest so this beast does not catch us unawares. This place does not cause me fear, but even now I feel as if we are being watched.


Dengar: Agreed. Let's move. Master Dane, please tell us if you see thing amiss inside. Let's go. OOC: move to the west portcullis to enter the fortress.


Dane looks at the group, and says, "Follow me, then." He leads the party through the smashed double doors at location #5, down the western hallway past the barracks (Rooms marked #6) and into the drill yard (Area #7); the yard is neat and clean, except for the numerous footprints in the dirt, which indicates that the area is used regularly.


He tells you, "That door there, leads to the armory," he says, pointing to the south door which leads to area #8 on the map, "They may have barricaded themselves in there." "There is also a storage area, over there," he says, indicating the north door, which leads to area #13. "That's another place they might have hidden, especially since you have to pass through two doors to get in, instead of just one."


"This door here leads to the privy," he says, indicating the door to area #17. "I doubt they went in there, it's only big enough for one person at a time."


DENGAR: Sphynx, can you discern, magically or otherwise, whether the creature could have turned or might turn these dwarves? Might these fellows find themselves fouled into the undead themselves? What necromancy could be here?


DENGAR: (to group sans Dane, in almost a mumble): Tis a shame. Tis wrong these fellows were bewitched and befouled here. Perhaps Rudd might intercede and bring these fellows back to the living. I would very much like to subdue the zombie before doing it. Would be a shame to lose them twice in a day to the undead. Methinks Rudd would consider it, at the very least, impolite to ask a second time.


SPHYNX TO DENGAR: "My belief is that the creature was created by his own mistake after playing with powers well beyond his control. As to what I know, the creature is not contagious. It cannot infect or create other undead. It is not necromancy I sense at play here. I should also be able to follow it by its residues like a wolf could follow a prey's scent.


TO GROUP: "As a reminder, I need rest. I will need to leave soon, temporarily, if I cannot attend to this. I have spent a great deal of magic."


Dane walks over to the north door (labeled #13 on the map) and says, "We should probably start with this one. If I were going to barricade myself somewhere, I'd want as many barred doors as possible between me and my enemy. This door is the outer door of the storeroom, and there is an inner door to pass after you open it."


Feridan tells everyone to step aside, and proceeds to put his shoulder into the door, HARD, using a two-step Judo strike technique. There is a crunch, and the door groans and creaks, giving slightly to Feridan's strike, but the oak door stands fast.


Feridan grunts in disgust, and prepares to try again. He pauses for a few seconds, and backs up several paces to get a running start. Charging like a mad bull, Feridan SLAMS his shoulder into the door at maximum speed! WHAM! The weakened door FLIES off of its hinges, down the inner hallway, where it crashes LOUDLY into the inner door! The party hears excited voices on the other side of the inner door, shouting in Dwarvish.


Feridan turns to Dane, and says, "You'd better knock, and let them know it's you, and that they are safe." Dane obeys, knocking on the inner door, raising his voice in a pleading tone, in the Dwarvish tongue.


On the other side of the door, there are a few happy-sounding shouts. Momentarily, the door opens, to reveal 4 Dwarven warriors, one of which runs forward and hugs Dane, obviously happy that he is alive.


After another moment, the Dwarf stands up, and introduces himself. "I am Rashmar Ironshield, Lieutenant of The Watch, son of Clangmore Ironshield, brother to little Dane here. This is my cousin, Klarendar Forgehammer, Seargant of The Watch, and these two are good friends of mine, Corporal Shanmar Steelspear, and Corporal Hrothgar Ironflange."


Feridan shakes Rashmar's hand, nodding at the others, saying simply, "Baronet Feridan Lenslowe, at your service." This proclaimation draws a gasp of astonishment from both Rashmar and Klarendar, while the other Dwarves seem not to recognize the name. Rashmar exclaims, "Feridan The Farmer! You, sir, are believed to be long dead, along with your comrades. But only one such as you could cause a Dwarven-made door to fly! It is an honor to meet a hero with your reputation, and I am extremely grateful, on behalf of my kinsmen and I, for the matter of our rescue. Please good sir, tell me, are there any other survivors? Has the monster fallen? And have you any news of my father?"


Feridan's eyes become downcast, as he explains what has transpired. The Dwarves share a few moments of silent grief between them, before Rashmar explains, "These are the keys to every door in this fortress. When we left the battle, the first thing we did was to lock the vault. Immediately afterwards, we came here, and locked ourselves in, so that the Steward's record book and master keys would be protected. If everyone has fallen, and the beast still lives, then I and my companions must leave, and return with the book to our sister settlement to the west. Our clan history must not die! But these keys will aid you in your quest to catch this beast and destroy it. It is my hope that one so great as yourself might actually be able to do this task. Therefore, take these keys in good faith, and avenge our brothers!"


Feridan smiles, "It would be a privilege and an honor to do so," he says, as he accepts the keys.


Without further ado, all of the Dwarves leave, including Dane. In the space of a few moments, the party is alone once more, facing their next move.


Idhimus scouts ahead while the group rests to regain spells. He moves at a slow pace tracking the undead in question and staying in the shadows to avoid being detected. He appears worried that in the company of all these great warriors with decades of experience that nobody seems to know what we are dealing with so he moves very cautiously as he leaves his companions to get some answers.


Dengar: Idhimus, I don't need to rest. I'll go with you. The underdark is east. I think it's a safe bet that's where the zombie went. Let's move East to Room 31. If we run into a snag along the way, we can alert the others or handle it ourselves. Idhimus: Agreed. Let's stick together and find out what this thing is and what it wants.


Sphynx vanishes.


From the training area (room#7) it's a straight shot down a long hallway to the slanted passage that leads northeast, up to room #37. Moving cautiously, watching the corridor ahead and listening carefully for strange sounds, it takes about 1 round (6 seconds) to move 1 square (10 feet.) Given that the slanted passage is 330 feet (33 squares) ahead of you, it takes you 33 rounds (3 minutes and 18 seconds) to reach the slanted corridor. The slanted corridor is 100 feet (10 squares) long... Moving through that corridor takes another 10 rounds (1 minute) to achieve. The slanted corridor opens into another main corridor, and according to your map, your destination is 30 feet (3 squares) north, and 4 squares (40 feet) west. [That will take you to room #37.]


However, as you step out into the corridor, you hear the distinct sounds of battle from up ahead, around the corner! You hear a female voice, screaming commands in a vile-sounding language that you surmise must be of the lower planes! You hear other, decidedly male voices responding, which sound frustrated and panicked. You hear the sounds of elemental spells exploding, and the light show from these effects is incredible to behold from your position around the corner. ACTION ITEM: It will require 3 rounds (18 seconds) to hide / move silently to the corner, where you will be able to peer around it and see what's going on. Or, you could forego caution, and cover that distance in a single move action. DOING SO WOULD REQUIRE YOU TO ROLL INITIATIVE. So, my brave little scouts, WHAT DO YOU WANT TO DO?


Postscript: As you are both contemplating what move to make, Sphynx appears in the passage behind you, suddenly and with complete silence. You twitch with surprise, and curse under your breath, because even YOU are not sure how Sphynx manages to come and go so quickly, and how he manages to be completely un-detectable while doing so.


If Sphynx had been an enemy, he would have had the drop on both of you.


Sphynx simply smiles, winks at Dengar, points to himself, and then gives Dengar a thumbs up. Apparently, his period of respite has ended. And obviously, he did not require 10 hours of rest, as you had originally assumed. Sphynx says, in the faintest whisper, and carrying a hint of joviality, "I'm good to go. Lead on, brave friends."


A few moments of quiet greetings, and hurried planning passes between all of you; while you are debating what to do next, 3 more rounds (18 seconds) pass; you hear more cursing from the female voice, this time in the Drow dialect of the Elvish language! There are three more fiery explosions, followed by a load roar of fury that ends in a gurgling gasp. Moments later, a disembodied head that you recognize as Hellish in origin (Pit Fiend) rolls into view at the end of the hallway. [See illustration, above.]


Dengar: He whispers to the group, "Come friends, looks as if foreplay has started," and levitates (flies) about 6 inches above ground down the corridor to the turn, and sets down. Taking hold of an ear or hair (?) of the pit fiend head, he picks it up and turns abruptly around the corner, holding it like a melon. "Let's join in the diversion."


The corridor that the fight is occurring in looks to be about 45 feet long, and about 15 feet wide. The corridor ends in a heavy, iron gate. The gate has been smashed open, and the door is lying in a pile of debris which consists of stone, and twisted bits of metal. The woman standing directly behind the smashed gate is a Drow priestess (of Lolth) and she looks desperate, scared, and angry, all at once. There are 3 pit fiend corpses behind her (unmarked on the map) and in front of her, there is another Pit Fiend corpse (marked by black, prone LEGO figure) and there are also two live pit fiends (represented by the Minotaur figures) who are fighting what appears to be a Zombie (represented by the figure with the skeletal head.) The Pit Fiends appear to be taking orders from the Drow priestess, who is cursing at them. They look desperate to keep the Zombie from advancing any further! The Drow and her Pit Fiends appear to be losing this struggle. The hash marks in the corridor represent areas that are blackened with ash and soot, obviously from multiple fire and lightning spells.


The thought occurs to you that the Drow live DEEP in the Underdark, and usually don't concern themselves with surface Dwarves.


Normally, the Dwarves who built this stronghold would be contending with "shallow level" Underdark inhabitants, i.e., Duergar (evil Dwarves), Goblins, and the occasional Orc. This Drow priestess must have DETECTED the Zombie's presence here, and came to investigate. To detect the creature's presence, she would need to be a being of extreme power, like yourself.


The Zombie is completely silent, and does not appear to be experiencing emotions of any kind; his movements are slow and methodical, yet graceful and refined. The Zombie looks as if he is dancing, rather than fighting. This reminds you of Shokindo and Luis, when they are performing their katas; it is almost a dance, a series of smooth and precise movements, very fluid and rhythmic.


[Cont'd] It is in this manner that the Zombie is slowly, but surely, ripping these demons limb from limb, with only his bare hands. [OOC: A sub-page (TACTICAL MAP PHOTOGRAPHS, above) has been added, with pictures, for reference.] Sphynx becomes like a shadow and ghosts around the fray at a rapid rate of speed assessing the situation.


[OOC: Posted on behalf of Jeff, as per instructions via Facebook Messenger]


Dengar: (trying to focus the Drow female on me and not her pit fiends, nor Sphynx): "Chosen of Lolth, stand aside. It appears to attack only if you get in its way. Orders or no, engage it at your own peril. Watch." [DM Adhoc: Dengar says this before combat begins] And then beans the JuJu in the back of the head with the pit fiends head. [DM Adhoc: Dengar's intended action which will happen at Initiative 11.]


BEGINNING OF COMBAT: Sphynx's body becomes shadowy and insubstantial.


JuJu attacks Pit Fiend #2: With his right hand, JuJu grabs the Pit Fiend's right wrist, and yanks hard, pulling the Pit Fiend forward, and to the JuJu's right. The fiend's arm is locked stiff, as JuJu slams the fiend's elbow with his left palm, snapping his arm in half at the elbow. (Dam: 49) Still acting with his left, JuJu snakes his left arm around the fiend's neck, drawing the devil close to his chest. As he does so, you hear a sickening crunch, as JuJu pulverizes the fiend's neckbone. (Dam: 52) For his final attack, JuJu releases the fiend, spinning him slightly, before punching with his right fist, caving in the center of the devil's chest. (Dam: 47.) The pit fiend falls dead at JuJu's feet. All three of these attacks happen so quickly, the pit fiend has no time to even react; he is dead before he knows what hit him.


(As per the Facebook Messenger conversation): Sphynx sweeps quickly around the battlefield while in shadow form, like an expectant, supernatural vulture; the Drow priestess gets a look of concern on her face, as Sphynx passes her.


Sphynx, you notice something about the zombie as you pass (see FB Messenger); after your sweep, you stop in the square adjacent to Dengar, to his immediate left. Idhimus moves to the end of the hallway by Dengar and delay until he know what Dengars next move is. The Drow priestess curses again, as yet another Pit Fiend is torn apart; these are obviously her special agents; their bodies do not disappear when they are killed, like a summoned monster. These fiends were her elite lieutenants, and they are being scattered and sundered like dry leaves in a windstorm.


She turns her attention to Dengar, sneering in disgust; "You know not whereof you speak, high one. This creature is an old enemy in a new form! His path is intentional! But if you'd like to play with him, be my guest!" With that, she waves her hand, speaking an unintelligible command word. The Drow and her remaining Pit Fiend agent vanish.


Dengar: Not eager to fight the drow's battles, and quite eager to see where he is going, but wanting to delay him a short time such that the group can collect itself to follow him, Dengar casts Miracle to duplicate greater teleport Ju Ju out of the mountain and back outside, the one adjustment is to cast it at range instead of touching JuJu.


Dengar, you cast Greater Teleport at range upon JuJu, easily bypassing his innate resistance to spells; however, his will is strong, and he asserts that will readily, deciding then and there to reject the spell's power, and remain in his place. As the magic dissapates, he turns his gaze upon Dengar, with a look of curiosity, mixed with apathy.


No sooner does that poignant look cross JuJu's face, than a small, white ray which originates from the tip of Sphynx's right index finger strikes him squarely in the chest. In the space of an instant, the creature dissolves into a tiny pile of gray, sparkly dust.


---END OF COMBAT ROUNDS---


"Oops! Well, you were trying something else. I guess I'm still too much of the kill first ask questions later type." Sphynx smiles coyly as his image solidifies. He walk over and collects some of the dust.


Dengar: replies, "What did you see?"


Sphynx asks, "Are you asking me? What do you mean?"


Before Dengar can reply, Pondren, who has obviously been running, comes skidding around the corner, interrupting Dengar's train of thought. Pondren takes note of the pile of sparkling dust that Sphynx is collecting samples of, and also notices the rapidly decomposing devil corpses, which are melting away to nothing, as the energies that once tied them to this plane continue to drain away.


"Wow," Pondren muses, speaking to no one in particular, "looks like I missed a party. Are any of these our intended prey?" Pondren directs his next comment to Sphynx: "Who'd you disintegrate?"


Sphynx replies, "The zombie."


Dengar: "He smoked the JuJu." (Heh heh)


Idhimus, at this point your True Seeing ability reveals something to you; I will message you the details. Sphynx, there is something happening now which catches your attention. I will message you the details.


Everyone notices Sphynx visibly pause, as if he has just realized something.


Idhimus looks intently at Sphynx and says "What do you see friend?"


Dengar: "not to intrude, but I need to attend to the fallen dwarves. They encountered bad juju, and I wish to commune with Rudd to request reprieve. I wonder if it will be a surprise to their brethren?"


Sphynx replies, "Nothing, I saw nothing. I thought I heard something, but nevermind."


Pondren asks Dengar, "What do you plan to do, my friend? If you are referring to what you mentioned earlier, it is my gut instinct that Rudd would smile upon such a deed. There must be bad luck, to balance out the good, but there is also always the possibility of a second chance, for those whom Fate has treated unkindly."


Pondren pauses a moment before continuing, "But if we're going to do it, I suggest that we go back to where the Steward's body lies, so that when the Dwarves return to the land of the living, we will be there to explain it to him. As the leader of his people, he can then explain to the others from that point onward. Come friends, let's waste no more time." [...] And with that, Pondren turns and begins jogging back down the passageway.


Dengar: "Let's go then. Sphinx, I'm troubled by your countenance. Your senses are more acute than to be tricked by phantom noises or shadows. We shall give you time to focus without distraction. Do you wish to remain here or come with us?"


Sphynx replies, "Neither will I go with you, nor will I remain here. I was born near the end of the age when gods were aloof and terrible. I grew to power in the time when the gods were petty and vain. I will no longer tolerate such petty machinations. I have cut the strings of this marionette. I will not be defamed nor most especially denigrated."


The visible image of Sphynx becomes a pin-point of light in an instant and vanishes, creating a distinct echo that reverberates eerily and a bit too loudly in this chamber.


END OF EPIC CAMPAIGN LOG PART THREE.

NOTE: We're back to user tags; doing it the other way was too tedious.



Dungeon Master
Following Pondren, the entire party (sans Sphynx) re-unites in the storeroom, where Rashmar and Klarendar were holed up; Feridan and Luis express concern about simply ignoring the Drow's departure, and offer to explore the passage leading into the Underdark, while the rest of the party heads back out, to perform the miracle and to track down the zombie's origins. Pondren asks if splitting up is wise, to which Feridan replies: "They don't call us the Fearless Five for nothing, my friend. Luis and I will be fine. We are Divine Agents, and ours is the loneliest path. We rush in, where Solars fear to tread." Feridan smiles, and winks knowingly at Luis. The Elven monk's face is a mask of emotionless contemplation, but even he cannot resist the slightest hint of a smile. The party agrees to the split, and the two heroes take off back down the hallway. Meanwhile, the rest of the party returns to the surface, where Dengar has work to do...
11:14 AM Mar 8
====================================
Dungeon Master
When the party arrives at the front, inner courtyard, they are surprised to see a lone, robed figure, holding a staff, poking around the battle-strewn corpses. The figure is none other than Delbin Arcanus, the Grand Vizier of the Greyhawk Mage Guild. This legendary Elven wizard is rarely seen out of his laboratory, therefore his presence here must be of the utmost significance. He turns to face the party, speaking as he does so: "Our zombie friend made quite a mess, didn't he? Damn that fool! I told Fandekar that his little paradise was nothing but folly! Now look what his impatience has wrought!" Delbin glances in Dengar's direction, "You're going to fix this, correct? Don't make one of your jokes, I want a straight answer!" Dengar, you realize that your old friend, who stood by you in the fierce conflicts against Orcus and Baphomet, all the while taunting and belittling the arch fiends, while laughing at their feeble magicks, must REALLY be upset by this turn of events; he is usually the jokester of the group, the one you always tried to emulate. To see him speaking in such a serious tone is unsettling.
11:23 AM Mar 8
====================================
Dungeon Master
(Requested by MacConnell via text message): Jynx states abjectly, but loudly enough, "Leave it to power-greedy, pompous guild appointees to demand that we fix the problems they create," then moves to the side, to keep an eye on what Delbin is doing, while also examining the wreckage for himself.
3:29 PM Mar 8
====================================
Dungeon Master
Delbin chuckles at Jynx's comment, although his reply is somewhat sarcastic. "I'm not the appointee, pirate boy, I'm the head honcho. Have you forgotten? No one appoints me to do anything. And this mess is not the guild's fault; I did NOT approve of this little venture, which means that
the GUILD did not approve of it, either. Fandekar was acting on his own accord, AGAINST my better advice. I literally TOLD him that the results of what he was planning could not be foreseen, and that his plan could have DIRE consequences. But he did it anyway, and here is the end result." Delbin waves his staff around at the scattered Dwarven corpses. "I knew most of them casually, and more than a few of them were close friends of mine. The very staff that I am holding was enchanted with ruby dust that came from the mines that these Dwarves operate and defend." "Which brings us to you, Miracle Man. That's what you're known for, isn't it?" His comment is directed at Dengar, who is indeed known by that moniker. "These poor souls did not deserve to die this way. I could wish four or five of them back myself, but even I, the 'almighty guild master' cannot hold a candle to you, my friend. One whisper to your capricious goddess, and this tragedy is but a memory. What say you?" At that point, you see something you'd never have expected to see. You see a single tear roll down Delbin's cheek. In the 68 years you have known him, this is a first. The Arch Clown of Wizardry seems to have a softer side, after all.
9:29 AM Mar 14
====================================
Dengar The Bold
Dengar: ~shaking his head in amazement~. "Somebody get this man a tissue." To Delbin: " Yes, I will proceed to request intercession from Rudd on these fellows. Walking slightly away from the crowd, he bends a knee to pray. "Rudd...your hand calls on you. Please intercede such that these dwarven fellows may be made whole. They were but bystanders receiving this carnage. This was borne of a risk from someone else, Fandekar, of whom I also request grace. Make all of these fellows whole in their natural state. Give them respite from the grave such that they may know you granted them a reprieve when their own Lord would not. That you would give them the grand Second Chance. To make a difference. To carry forth the standard of their people. To right a mistake. To make sense of their lives and where able, to deliver that the second chance granted them to others, paying it forward a thousand-fold with your name on their tongue as they do. And Rudd, as you know I, your servant, have a sense of humor, please grant Delbin back his." Looking up and to Delbin with a wry grin on Dengar's face.
1:34 PM Mar 15 ( ed 10:29 PM Mar 15)
====================================
Dungeon Master
As Dengar takes a knee, and begins to pray, the clouds part, and sunlight streams down into the courtyard. The moans and groans of Dwarves waking up with terrible headaches, stiff joints, and aching backs fills the air, as the once-dead Dwarves begin to arise, some of them crying out in surprise to see themselves healed and unscathed. In cases where the armor of a given victim was caved inward into a crushed chest cavity, the armor becomes brittle, splits, and falls away, crumbling into rusted pieces of debris. In cases where limbs were torn from a body, the detached limbs wither away into dust, and new limbs grow instantly upon the healed bodies. The fort's steward, Laird Ironshield, rises to his feet, shaking his head to fend off his grogginess. He looks at the courtyard in amazement, apparently fully aware that he and his men should be dead. He scans all around him, his gaze finally settling on Delbin. "My friend, is this your doing?" Delbin smiles at the Dwarf knowingly, and shakes his head, no. "Not I," Delbin says, "But him." Delbin points to Dengar who is still kneeling and clutching his amulet. "May I introduce to you a dear friend of mine, Dengar Keartanen, High Priest and Chosen One of Rudd, member of The
Fearless Five, also known as The Miracle Man. It is this man to whom you owe your thanks." Laird Ironshield approaches Dengar and salutes him in the Dwarven fashion, his right hand curled into a fist, and laid flat across his chest. "I know of you; the legends of your deeds border on the mythical. There are some who say that you and your friends are long dead, and yet, here I stand, humble and grateful before you, living proof that you are indeed still very much alive." The Laird chuckles lightly with amusement and gratitude. "We owe you and your benevolent goddess more than we could ever repay. From now on, you and your friends will always be welcome here." Dengar, you notice that the old, wry smile that you know and love has returned once more to Delbin's face.
11:05 AM Mar 22
====================================
Dungeon Master
[CONTINUED]: Apparently, Rudd answered that prayer as well.
11:05 AM Mar 22
====================================
Delbin Arcanus
Delbin: Well, then now that the important matters have been tended to I would advise that we do not tarry here much longer. Surely the trail that leads to the place of the zombie's origin grows cold. Laird Ironshield, may you have a long life full of health...Pirate Boy... would you fetch this pompous...how did you state it?..."guild appointee" I believe it was, yes , fetch me some water...I'm feeling parched.
9:00 PM Mar 22
====================================
MacConnell Sylvester
Jynx replies, "Sure. Let me refill this skin from my own tap right after I drink my fill."
1:27 PM Mar 25
====================================
Dungeon Master
Pondren places his index fingers to his temples, closes his eyes, and begins to concentrate; within moments, a portal opens, which looks exactly like the sort of portal that is created when someone makes use of a Mirror of Mental Prowess. (Everyone here is familiar with such mirrors.) The portal shimmers in the morning sunlight, and the other side of it looks to open up in front of a cave entrance. Pondren says, "I believe someone mentioned the Arch of Ages? This portal will take us to the cave in which it resides. Come along, good fellows, we shouldn't waste any more time." And with that last comment, Pondren steps through the portal, and can now be seen standing in front of the cave entrance, waiting for everyone else.
9:06 AM Apr 1
====================================
MacConnell Sylvester
Jynx enters the portal.
12:29 PM Apr 1
====================================
Delbin Arcanus
Deblin enters the portal
12:44 PM Apr 1
====================================
Dengar The Bold
Dengar enters portal
7:54 PM Apr 5
====================================
Dungeon Master
DM PROXY: Idhimus, after some hesitation, feels that it is wise not to split off from the party; there is, after all, safety in numbers. Idhimus enters the portal.
9:32 AM Apr 7
====================================
Dungeon Master
As Idhimus steps through the portal, Pondren closes it behind him, and says, "This is so exciting. I've heard stories of the archway, and I have made a study of this cave entrance remotely, by scrying, just in case I ever needed to come here. But I've never been inside. Come, let us be about this task!" Pondren leads the party into the cave mouth, which is a long, downward-sloping tunnel, leading to an enormous cavern, after a distance of about 500 paces. The cavern is damp, and water drips constantly, forming a myriad of stalactites and stalagmites. A glowing, green fungus grows on the walls and ceiling, and upon the formations, providing a very dim amount of lighting, which makes the place seem surreal. But aside from the formations, the cavern appears to be empty. Pondren seems non-plussed; "Where is it?" he questions. "It's supposed to be here. I paid a high price to learn of the Archway's location, and the information was from a trusted source. I don't understand." Idhimus puts Pondren's fears to rest; "Trust me, it's here," Idhimus explains, "It exists on the Ethereal Plane, until someone with the ability to see into the Ethereal Plane approaches it. It then materializes on the Prime Material plane, but even so, it remains protected by invisibility." Idhimus walks over to the Archway, and leans against it. "You see? I'm surely not leaning against thin air. I'm surprised your source didn't mention that it was warded in such a manner. To me, that would indicate that your source's info was second hand, and that your source probably had never actually been here in person. Just a thought." Pondren perks up. "So, all of you are familiar with it? You've all made use of it before?"
Everyone smiles and nods at Pondren. He continues, "You all TRULY are Divine Agents, every one of you. I am honored to be in such company." Pondren looks as if he is about to say something else, but suddenly pauses, and kneels to the floor, which is covered in damp, packed sand. "Footprints," he says.
10:01 AM Apr 7
====================================
Dungeon Master
DM INSTRUCTIONS: -----Anyone who wants to examine the footprints needs to roll a SPOT check, DC 30, or a SEARCH check, DC 25. If you succeed on that roll, make a SPELLCRAFT check, DC 20. Post the results of your rolls on the OOC thread, and I will email you the results (if any), which you may then share (here) with the rest of the party, if you so desire.
10:08 AM Apr 7
====================================
Dungeon Master
After a minute or two of looking at the footprints, Pondren shrugs and says, "Hmmm. Roughly Human-sized. I wonder who made them? Are these the zombie's footprints?"
10:38 AM Apr 7
====================================
Delbin Arcanus
Deblin walks over and examines the Archway running his hand along the outside, like one appreciating fine craftmanship. Then proceeds to look intently at the foot prints left behind in the sand.
2:30 PM Apr 8
====================================
Dungeon Master
Delbin, you don't notice anything unusual at first, but upon closer examination, many things are suddenly revealed... Pondren comes and stands behind you. "You look as if you've discovered something? What did you find?"
3:47 PM Apr 8 ( ed 2:19 PM Apr 13)
====================================
MacConnell Sylvester
Jynx moves to a concealed position to keep a look-out on the entrance to the cave.
11:09 AM Apr 11
====================================
Delbin Arcanus
Deblin stands up from examining the footprints and gives Pondren a concerned look. Then speaks in a tone tight with stress and gravity. "It would appear that Fandekar's experiments have gone awry." "I told him repeatedly his plan was a poor choice, unfortunately he could not be reasoned with." "It would appear, gentlemen, that Fandekar's experiments have created either a zombie or a ghoul, but the magic normally used to create this beast is not the usual sort. Allow me a moment to explain; with an undead creature, I would expect to see traces of negative energy that is normally caused by the process of animating a dead being. What is troubling is that I have found are traces positive energy in its stead. Strangely there is an instability, not something I would expect to see concurrent with positive energy. The energy is in a state of decay, almost as if the process had been reversed. Instead of negative energy being infused into dead matter in order to prevent decay, it's as if a once-living being had been immersed in so much positive energy that it (at first) overloaded the being's body and killed the being, and (afterwards) had the effect of animating the being, while at the same time, causing the being's body to slowly decay into nothingness, thereby causing the being to slowly become pure energy. Until this moment, I had never considered such a possibility, but Fandekar' experimentations appear to be the only explanation that makes any sense.
3:34 PM Apr 11 ( ed 3:38 PM Apr 11)
====================================
Dungeon Master
Pondren takes in what you have said, processes it, and says, "I see. You mentioned before that Fandekar's 'LITTLE PARADISE' was folly... What did you mean by that? Was he trying to create a utopian pocket dimension? Are you saying that the effects of the pocket dimension upon its inhabitants is what created the super-zombie? I sincerely hope not, because if this is so, we could be facing thousands of these things! ... How many people went along with Fandekar to help found his little colony?"
5:21 PM Apr 11
====================================
Delbin Arcanus
Yes, Fandekar was trying to create a Utopian pocket dimension. He had a group of 10 Humans, and a village of 13 Stone Giants with him. Thus, it is possible that there are 22 more of these zombies running around...
6:46 PM Apr 11
====================================
Dungeon Master
Pondren casts a spell upon himself; judging from the way he's looking around, most of you surmise that it must have been True Seeing. Pondren begins to examine the Arch itself, marveling at its construction. He looks again at the footprints, and makes an audible "Hummpf" sound; Pondren runs his index finger slowly across his chin as he considers something, and then goes to the place where the footprints start, and begins searching the area. After about a minute, Pondren straightens himself, and announces to the group, "I have come to a conclusion. This cave is indeed the entry point for the zombie, that is to say, the point at which the zombie traveled from Fandekar's Utopian Plane, to our Prime Material plane. However, he did not travel via the Arch. The zombie came through a smaller, less powerful portal, that just happened to, for whatever reason, open up into this cave. My guess is that Fandekar has (had?) a Mirror of Mental Prowess, with which he was scrying this area. Perhaps he intended to come here and study the Arch, or even to make use of it in some fashion." "My guess is that the zombie entered Fandekar's mirror, either on purpose or by happenstance, we can't be sure. And when you enter a Mirror of Mental Prowess, as we all know, if you are currently using the mirror to view a certain place, stepping into the mirror causes a portal to open to
whatever area is being viewed. Thus, the zombie stepped through the mirror, and ended up here, in this cave. Afterwards, judging by the footprints, the zombie left, and began his journey Southward, and we all know where he ended up from there." Pondren looks around, and says, "I can see the residue left over from the closed portal. It was definitely a Mirror of Mental Prowess. From the looks of it, the portal closed after the zombie entered the mirror. That means that it was closed on the other side, perhaps by Fandekar himself?" Pondren casts another spell, saying, "Oh, lucky goddess, mistress of fortune, look upon me with your favor, and ..." [CONTINUED]
11:16 AM Apr 12 ( ed 11:31 AM Apr 12)
====================================
Dungeon Master
"...grant your devoted grandson a boon; re-open the portal which was closed recently, upon the spot where I am standing, so that we have a way to travel to Fandekar's domain, and correct a horrible mistake, made by a man who was too full of pride to notice his folly." Pondren waves his hand, and a small, glowing portal appears, in the shape of a tall, dressing mirror. On the other side of the portal, you can see an overturned bookshelf, in the middle of what appears to be a destroyed library; and the panicked cry of an infant can be heard! From the sound of it, the infant is extremely upset, more screaming than crying, as if it were in extreme pain!
11:23 AM Apr 12 ( ed 11:27 AM Apr 12)
====================================
MacConnell Sylvester
Jynx muses loudly from his concealed position, "Out of the cauldron and into the fire... Wouldn't you know it?"
11:53 AM Apr 12
====================================
Delbin Arcanus
Deblin throws caution to the wind and jumps through the portal with a devastating spell at the ready.
6:29 PM Apr 12
====================================
Dungeon Master
Pondren casts a spell upon himself, and says, "Grant me Sanctuary from my foes, as I step into the unknown to help this poor child, wherever he might be." Pondren begins to glow dimly, and without further hesitation, he steps through the portal, a look of admiration on his face, having watched Delbin bravely step through first. "Come, my friends, let's be about this!" he says, having reached the other side in apparent safety.
1:43 PM Apr 13
====================================
MacConnell Sylvester
Jynx enters the portal.
11:25 AM Apr 15
====================================
Dungeon Master
Dengar casts a spell upon himself, and says, "Grant me Sanctuary from my foes, as I step into the unknown to spread the word and will of almighty Rudd, mistress of luck, goddess supreme." Dengar begins to glow dimly, and without further hesitation, he also steps through the portal.
4:49 PM Apr 15
====================================
Idhimus Greenleaf
Idhimus follows through the portal
11:47 PM Apr 15
====================================
Dungeon Master
The room you have entered is large and circular, about 100 feet in diameter; the floors are finely-crafted, dark-stained, hard oak. The walls are paved stone and mortar, probably of Dwarven make, judging from the flawless craftsmanship. The ceiling is domed, the top of which is 25 feet above your head. The entire dome is crafted from copper, as is evidenced from the green patina. The room is lit by a spell which causes the dome to glow faintly, giving the room a somewhat eerie, green appearance. You are standing in a clear spot, in the middle of what appears to be a sea of chaos; the shiny shards of a broken mirror litter the clear area. Behind you is that very mirror, the source of your portal, now apparently fully intact.
6:02 PM Apr 17 ( ed 6:10 PM Apr 17)
====================================
Dungeon Master
Amidst the chaos you see a smashed and overturned desk, and four toppled bookshelves, each of which was 8 feet high, and 16 feet long. There is a veritable mountain of books littering the entire room, obviously displaced from the fallen bookshelves. In one corner of the room, a long (12 ft.) table has been overturned and smashed; surrounding the table's area is a large pool of multicolored, stinking liquid, within which is a plethora of broken glass; it was obviously a personal laboratory of some sort, most likely for the purposes of potion brewing. There is a large, dark oak, set of double doors on the East wall. The sounds of the crying infant are coming from somewhere in this room! The cries are strong, yet muffled; and a horrible realization comes to your mind, when you realize that the cries seem to originate from somewhere beneath the overturned book shelves!
6:04 PM Apr 17 ( ed 6:10 PM Apr 17)
====================================
MacConnell Sylvester
Jynx moves lithely, yet deliberately toward the sound and begins to remove debris, digging toward the sound. He is not fully focused on such a simple task. He is keenly listening for anything ht may be masked by the crying and visually scanning the room as he works.
11:16 AM Apr 19
====================================
Delbin Arcanus
Deblin whispers. " It would be prudent of us not to raise any sort of alarm at the moment lest those responsible for this destruction return, I would suggest moving and speaking quietly." Confident that Jynx has the situation with the screaming infant in hand Delbin creeps to the door and listens for movement on the other side, trying very hard to drown out the din coming from the baby's throat.
12:06 PM Apr 19
====================================
Dungeon Master
[Posting For Idhimus]: "Idhimus does a quick sweep of the room... spot checks / listen checks periodically."
3:21 PM Apr 20
====================================
Dungeon Master
Pondren moves to help Jynx, attempting to be as quiet as possible. Idhimus, you glide about the room, silent as death; your eyes and ears miss nothing, even through the din of the baby's crying.
3:27 PM Apr 20
====================================
Dengar The Bold
Dengar, in a whisper only audible to this group: Hold still, my friends. "Rudd, grant me favor. Restore this room to what it was, splinters to woods, books to shelves, shards to glass, and potions to their rightful place. Make bookshelves upright. And all that is broken and ruined back to its normal state." [casts Heightened Miracle at 10th level to approximate actions as a telekinetic or telekinetic spell would manipulate force and multi-task. The goal is to quietly and completely restore the room without harming the child underneath, if indeed a child is there. Nobody has to dig around in debris.]
9:31 PM Apr 20
====================================
Dungeon Master
Dengar quietly makes his plea, feeling a little of his essence leave him, in return for such a powerful request. A small swirl of sparkling mystical energy leaves his fingertips, & races around the room at a blinding speed; quickly, without excessive noise, or excessive flash, the room "puts itself back together" in the space of a few heartbeats, revealing to all a marvelous study that any wizard would envy. In the middle of the floor, in
the Northern section of the room, sits a small, newborn child, who has stopped crying, & is frantically looking around him with a look of bewilderment and confusion on his face. This child looks to be a male Human, about 22 inches in length, weighing perhaps 8 pounds. It is sitting upright, in the middle of a pile of red and gray robes. To everyone's amazement, the child stands up & begins to walk! It makes a few unintelligible baby sounds as it wanders over to the nearest shelf, and puts its hand on a random book. It looks back to the party and smiles, as it pulls the book off the shelf, and flings it 50 feet across the room! The baby giggles gleefully as it grabs the end of the bookshelf, & begins to rock it back and forth! It is plainly evident that if the baby is allowed to continue, he might be able to topple it! It is then that everyone has the same realization: while there is evidence of zombie activity in this room, there is no reason for the zombies to have destroyed the room, given the uncaring behavior of the first zombie that you have all recently dealt with. The destruction in the lab was the work of this child! And apparently, when it toppled the bookshelf on itself, & couldn't get free of the debris, the child obviously became upset! At about that time, everyone in the party receives a mental image in their head, of the baby's smiling face, along with powerful feelings of elation, excitement, & playfulness, all of which seem to be emanating from the baby! "Gah!" the baby exclaims happily, as it grabs another book and throws it, narrowly missing Delbin's head!
9:09 PM Apr 21 ( ed 9:12 PM Apr 21)
====================================
Dungeon Master
The book thuds loudly into the double doors on the East wall!
9:18 PM Apr 21
====================================
MacConnell Sylvester
Jynx does a back flip from is squatted position to land on his feet. He pulls 3 coins from concealment and begins to juggle them while tamping his left foot to a rhythm. In a sing-song voice to match the rhythm he says, "So I try to hold the child's eye, make quick decision to what trouble does lie. Be it in here or be it out there. You are the analyst, make me aware."
11:27 AM Apr 22
====================================
Dungeon Master
Pondren chuckles at Jynx's performance. "That was a good throw, yes. Especially for a baby. But even if the book had clocked poor Delbin in the head, I doubt it would have amounted to much more than wounded pride." Pondren looks intently at the baby for a brief moment, obviously still making use of his True Seeing spell, before continuing: "The only thing unusual about the baby's aura is that he is an outsider; that is to say, he was probably born here, on this plane. There is no evil intent about him; like most babies, he is simply unaware of everything, and therefore, his thoughts and intentions are neither good, nor evil." It is at this point that Pondren notices the look on Delbin's face. "However, judging from Delbin's countenance, I'd say that perhaps we'd better be concerned about what's beyond those doors... Delbin? ... What did you see?"
10:02 AM Apr 25
====================================
Delbin Arcanus
In the hallway, a zombie. This one appears to be female, and she is noticing the noise the young one making I will handle the zombie. Someone quiet the child before he attracts more attention.
10:30 AM Apr 25
====================================
Delbin Arcanus
On second thought I believe I will leave the zombie alone for the moment. We must find what we can about the child, and this room. Since it is clean, thanks to Dengar's spell, we might be able to learn something about what we are walking into. * Delbin casts ForceWall two inches from the door, effectively enclosing the room in a 10ft tall hoop.
11:54 AM Apr 25
====================================
Dungeon Master
Pondren whistles appreciatively at Delbin's handiwork. "A masterful stroke, to be sure. Simple and elegant. Our guest is simply denied access. Bravo!"
11:58 AM Apr 25
====================================
MacConnell Sylvester
Jynx stops entertaining the child and begins searching the room.
11:39 AM Apr 26
====================================
Dungeon Master
Jynx, the first book that the baby threw across the room was huge, thus, even though it lies 50 feet away from you, your sharp eyes can still take note of the title on the spine: PLANS FOR MY UTOPIA By Fandekar The Red. You casually glide over and pick up the book. (It is obviously not trapped, lest the baby would have triggered any magical protections when he threw it.) [OOC: Details forthcoming in a Facebook Message.]
12:20 PM Apr 27
====================================
Dungeon Master
Pondren walks over to the baby, and picks him up. "I wonder where this baby came from?" he wonders aloud.
At that moment, the baby grabs a fist-full of Pondren's hair, and pulls hard, hard enough to get an "OW!" out of Pondren, but not hard enough to actually remove any hair. The baby looks at Pondren and giggles playfully. "Gah!" it says again. Pondren says, "This baby has the strength of a grown man! And look at his eyes! They are aware and watchful! This is so fascinating!" At this point, the party hears the sound of the doors gently bumping against the forcewall. "It would seem that our zombie friend would like to enter," Pondren jokes, as the doors bump several more times in an aggravated fashion. "Let's give the baby a name!" he adds. "I don't like referring to this baby as 'he' or 'it', even if those terms are grammatically correct for the circumstances." At that moment, there is a loud crash, as one of the double doors is forcibly ripped out of its frame, and flung back into the hallway. The female zombie, who does not appear angry (in fact, she shows no emotion at all) attempts to enter the room, only to meet the wall of force. She slams the wall repeatedly, with measured strikes, to no avail. After a few moments, she seems to figure out that her actions are futile; she stops moving completely, simply content to stand there, staring into the room. A moment later, the party (and the zombie as well) hears a shout, coming from the stairwell that is just outside the doorway, in the hall. "We have contact!" a menacing voice exclaims. "I smell one of them above, on the next level!" A heartbeat later, the biggest Rutterkin Demon anyone has ever seen comes clomping out of the stairwell. Rutterkin are usually minor demons, about 7 feet in height, who prefer wielding double-ended axes; there is nothing "minor" looking about this Rutterkin. He is fully 9 feet tall, and his axe is glowing, and covered in runes. The female zombie turns as the demon steps out into the hallway. The Rutterkin smiles [CONT'D]
12:46 PM Apr 27
====================================
Dungeon Master
As he advances toward the zombie. It appears as if there is about to be a fight! [OOC: I am entering combat rounds, and rolling initiative for the zombie and the demon. Remember that you are still separated by a wall of force. If anyone wishes to react or to take action, then you will need to roll initiative as well.]
12:48 PM Apr 27 ( ed 12:48 PM Apr 27)
====================================
Delbin Arcanus
Don't be alarmed gentlemen, that wall of force won't be coming down for another 30 mins. We have time to plan and get some information about our situation.
2:25 PM Apr 27
====================================
Delbin Arcanus
Delbin to Jynx: Does that book have any good information that might help us defeat Fandekar? Though I find myself wondering whether that child is Fandekar himself. The victim of a backfired spell or attempt at his utopia.
2:44 PM Apr 27 ( ed 2:54 PM Apr 27)
====================================
MacConnell Sylvester
Jynx replies, "The book, possibly, but that would take too much time, though one of you should take it for later reading. As to the child, that is a distinct possibility. One of you may also want to take a look at these robes." Jynx tosses the rune covered robes, which are obviously magical, to Delbin and continues to look about the room, almost but not quite ignoring the battle that is about to ensue outside the barrier.
10:26 AM Apr 29
====================================
Delbin Arcanus
Delbin examines the robes and the child. A look of realization comes over his face, quickly replaced with an expression resembling that of a person who has learned something both amazing and terrifying at the same time. Delbin proceeds to address everyone in the room. "Gentlemen we have a rather unique situation here. This child is both Fandekar and not Fandekar at the same time. Fandekar was killed by his machinations and yet his essence is present in the body of this child. Although there is something extra-ordinary about this child. Its as if he has magical properties imbued within himself, like a magical amulet. This child's magical potential is endless." Delbin's voice trails off as he finishes his explanation, the last thing you can hear clearly are the words "godlike" and "immortal". Delbin stares at the child intently, obviously thinking of his next move.
10:53 AM Apr 29
====================================
Dungeon Master
The battle unfolds in the following manner: The demon with the double axe (a pole axe with an axe head at each end of the shaft) overpowers the zombie in about 4 rounds (24 seconds); the zombie gets in several good blows, severely wounding the demon, but the zombie's combat prowess is woefully inefficient to compete with a demon who wields the large axe like a giant, lightning-fast windmill. He chops the zombie up in short order. At the end of the 4th round, the zombie dies in a flash of light, leaving behind a swirling cloud of essence! At the beginning of the fifth round, the demon's wounds begin to close; also, the swirling cloud materializes into a living being! You see a large Xeg Yi (energy being) appear where the zombie died! [OOC: See picture on Tac Map sub-page.] The demon ignores the being, but still keeps his distance from it. At the beginning of the 7th round, 11 more demons wearing / wielding identical gear to the first one pile out into the hallway from the stairwell, followed by a huge, demonic-looking Stone Giant!! The giant is wielding a steel club, covered with runes, and a glowing red suit of chainmail. This has all the earmarks of an elite strike team! Someone is very interested in the goings-on around here! And judging by the seal on the front of the giant's armor, that someone is none other than Graz'zt himself! Everyone in the party recognizes the emblem instantly. However, the giant and his team mates seem not to recognize any of you... At the beginning of the 8th round, the giant comes over to the wall and peers at the party. He taps the field lightly with his club. "Come, little meat bags. No need to fear. Stop cowering behind this wall, come out, and let's talk. I'm just here for information." [OOC: END OF COMBAT ROUNDS; 8 rounds = 48 seconds are gone from the 32 minute duration of the wall.] The Xeg Yi is floating in-place, not moving, except for its tentacles, which always seem to be twitching and jerking around.
12:05 PM Apr 29 ( ed 12:20 PM Apr 29)
====================================
Delbin Arcanus
Deblin opens a portal directly to the Ellis Kvar's location. He grabs the book, the baby and the robes and steps through the portal. After a few moments he steps back through the portal. "I have left the child with Ellis Kvar and given him as much explanation as time warrants." Now we must prepare for the coming conflict.
12:29 PM Apr 29
====================================
Dungeon Master
Pondren approaches the wall, and stands in front of the giant. "Meat Bags? ... MEAT BAGS?!?" Pondren LOSES IT and begins screaming, "If you little GOBLINS don't hold your tongues, I will dispel the wall myself and END YOU!!!! I am Pondren Luckbrother, 14th great grandson of Rudd herself, and I will not be insulted by MERE UNDERLINGS!!" Without missing a beat, Pondren removes a scroll from his pouch, and tears it in two! In a flash, a very familiar demon is standing at Pondren's side!!! Nixxeldraxx!! Nixx bows before Pondren, and says, "So soon, my liege? You've been so busy lately. What is thy bidding?" Nixx looks around, noticing that the composition of the party has changed. Then he notices Delbin, and bows again. "I know you, sphere master. I am honored to be in your presence. The legends of your power are widespread." Nixx glances at Jynx. "And you, I am pleased that I will be your ally on this go-around, I did not enjoy the sting of your blades the last time." Lastly, Nixx glances toward the strike team. "You and your team are in great peril. It would not serve your master's purpose for you to linger." The Stone Giant pauses visibly, albeit only for a moment, before saying, "We shall see. My men and I are NOT Goblins, and our blades are far sharper than anything that clown possesses!" obviously referring to Jynx. Pondren retorts, "That 'clown' as you call him is the best swordsman I have ever seen. Would you like to see?" Pondren holds up his hand, threatening to bring down the wall! [OOC: Delbin, you know that he is perfectly able to do so!]
12:50 PM Apr 29 ( ed 12:54 PM Apr 29)
====================================
MacConnell Sylvester
Jynx pirouettes and takes a pose like a harlequin dancer on his left foot, blades poised like fans in both hands. He looks at the demons, cocks his head, and grins.
12:07 PM May 3
====================================
Delbin Arcanus
If you are ready gentleman it may be time for this wall to come down. Pondren when you are ready we may begin.
1:58 PM May 3
====================================
Dungeon Master
Pondren sneers at the demonic Stone Giant, "I was born ready. This rabble shall be short lived, and you, my overgrown monstrosity, shall die first!" Nixx nods his head silently, as if he has just acknowledged some sort of command. The giant's face twists with rage and avarice, as his muscles tense. With a thought, Delbin brings the wall down, and at the same time, activates his sphere of annihilation, bring it fully onto this plane of existence. The sphere appears to Delbin's immediate left, in the space between Delbin and Idhimus; the floating sphere crackles with negative energy, filling the room with its characteristic hum. The air in the entire room gets INSTANTLY 3 degrees cooler, as the sphere sucks away some of the available heat to fuel its manifestation.EVERYONE notices the sphere, and realizes its function, IMMEDIATELY. These artifacts are well known, and feared by all. Nixx cringes noticeably when he sees it, although his composure remains firmly stoic. Instantly, a gray, crackling shield interposes itself between Delbin and the Stone Giant. His snarl of rage becomes a gasp of fear as he realizes what this is. Delbin simply smiles at the giant, as he prepares to render his doom.
5:16 PM May 3
====================================
MacConnell Sylvester
Jynx holds his pose in feign unconcern for the stone giant. A keen sense will show that he has adjusted his weight upon the balancing, slightly, and poised the other to move. He waits, albeit impatiently, for the first demon to enter the room.
12:03 PM May 6
====================================
Dengar The Bold
Right before Delbin casts his time-stop, Dengar says pleasantly..."Gentlemen, I shall have a word with these Rutterkin...." (To the Rutterkin"Goodbye planar dung." Dengar castes Haste on himself in the Time-Stop, then casting Holy Word, followed in succession with Miracle to accentuate the effects of Delbin's spell attacks. He whispers the Holy Word toward the opening away from his companions and toward the Rutterkin. The effect is nearly immediate. The "Word" is of an ancient tongue, a powerful ward against the Rutterkin, the goal being death or grievous wounds, deafness, blindness, and paralysis. In his second action (either 1st turn if permitted, or 2nd turn), "Rudd grant your Hand strength and power, this miracle to buttress Delbin's assault on this scourge of Graz'zt. (I will render attack rolls on OOC thread).
11:01 PM May 9
====================================
Dungeon Master
Delbin uses the ancient power of the Baklunish Mage Lords to stop time itself, to allow him and his compatriots precious time to prepare the doom of the demons who are standing before them. Delbin moves quickly, followed by Dengar, setting up spell after spell, each spell alone being insufficient, but the culmination of their redundancy proving quite lethal; Idhimus and Jynx watch as they do so, making moves to different positions, as they notice each spell being set up in turn, and begin to realize who is being targeted. Idhimus targets the two Rutterkin in the back-center of the hallway, seeing that they are both on the edges of many of the spell effects. Jynx moves into the hallway, between three more Rutterkin who look sturdier than the rest, so that he will be in a position to critically injure all of them in short order with his deadly katanas.
Once everyone is in position, it is merely a waiting game, for the Time Stop spell to end; as the spell dissipates, and normal time resumes once more, a horrid, sucking sound is heard, as the moisture begins to leave the bodies of the Rutterkin. The demons scream in agony as their bodies shrivel, and their bones crack from sudden brittleness. At the same time, a voice like thunder echoes through the room, causing 7 of the Rutterkin to fly apart, in a storm of blood, flesh, and bone splinters. The giant suffers the same fate, exploding like a ripe melon dropped from a great height. Almost as an afterthought, 5 bolts of lightning sear the already-withered flesh of the hapless demons. A split-second after that, Idhimus puts two, well-aimed shots in one of the Rutterkin, one in the heart, the other in the head. The demon slumps against the wall of the outer corridor, dead. Four more arrows riddle the demon next to him, but somehow, the Rutterkin manages to remain standing, albeit obviously on the brink of death. At the exact same instant that Idhimus' arrows are in flight, Jynx begins to make short work of the three Rutterkin which surround him; [CONTINUED]
10:13 AM May 17
====================================
Dungeon Master
The first Rutterkin gets one of his legs cut out from under him, and as he falls, Jynx stabs him in the kidney, and slices off his left arm; the massive blow continues into the next demon, gashing his neck. Jynx hits that demon two more times, across the abdomen, and lastly, taking the top of his head off like a bottle cap; this blow continues into the next demon, striking him in the head as well. Lastly, Jynx stabs the remaining demon through the heart, ripping the organ out of the demon's ribcage with the force of his rending blade. It takes Jynx less than a second to accomplish these 8 strikes, and when he is done, three Rutterkin lie dead around him. All of these things happened, from the remaining Rutterkin's point of view, in the blink of an eye. One moment, he was standing tall, with a powerful strike team around him. The next moment, his fellows and his leader were dead, and he was nearly so, staggered by the pain of multiple spells, and four arrows, which still protruded from his chest. Deciding that discretion is the better part of valor, the Rutterkin flees down the stairwell, hoping to survive this encounter, in order to summon reinforcements. Before anyone else can react, he is gone, albeit on foot, and leaving a trail of blood and gore behind him. Blinking in amazement, Pondren stands there, quietly taking in the carnage around him. But Nixx does not wait, instead pursuing the fleeing demon down the stairs. Pondren nods after the fact, after Nixx is already out of sight down the stairwell, as if to say, "Yeah, go on ahead, I'll catch up." [END OF COMBAT, UNLESS ANYONE WANTS TO JOIN THE PURSUIT.]
10:24 AM May 17
====================================
Dungeon Master
Pondren whistles appreciatively, "Wow, you are all more powerful than I ever expected. If I had a hat, I'd tip it to all of you. Jynx, you are indeed the deadliest swordsman alive. I have never seen such grievous wounds inflicted on so sturdy a group of creatures."
10:32 AM May 17 ( ed 10:54 AM May 17)
====================================
Dungeon Master
As Pondren finishes speaking, an eerie event occurs; the corpses of the dead demons and their giant leader begin to glow, and then melt away into a swirling cloud of brilliant energy, which instantly coalesces in the form of 12 large Xeg Yi beings! The Xeg Yi do not appear hostile, nor do they even appear concerned with your presence. Some of them begin to float away in random directions (passing through walls, like a ghost) while some of them remain where they formed, unmoving.
====================================
Dungeon Master
After about 2 minutes, Nixx returns to where the party is waiting, a broad grin on his face. "Our friend didn't get very far," he says. Nixx walks over to Pondren, and holds out his hand. Pondren sheepishly hands him 4 small diamonds from his coat pocket. "Thank you, my lord." Nixx says, bowing. "I look forward to our next meeting." Without further ado, Nixx waves his hand, conjuring a portal out of thin air. He steps through it without another word, and the portal closes behind him, leaving no trace that the Tanar'ri mercenary was ever here.
2:01 PM May 20
====================================
Dengar The Bold
Dengar: "Nixx appears a formidable adversary. At least against the Rutterkin. How did you say you came by him again?"
Dengar walks toward the stairwell, taking stock of up/down, any windows or doors, attempting to notice any traps, secret doors, or magical wards.
10:05 PM May 25
====================================
Dungeon Master
Pondren chuckles, "I met him quite by accident, in the Abyss; we were both attempting to sneak into the same demon lord's castle, for completely different reasons. We agreed to help one another with each of our tasks, and once we'd made it out, he gave me a scroll, which is easy to duplicate, which will summon him when ripped. I made several of these things, just for emergencies like this strike team. They seem to come in handy, don't they?"




Dengar, you and the others split up and search the rest of the tower; the windows in this place are all in the hallways (the outer ring of the tower.) There are no windows inside the inner rooms. While the top floor seems to be a study. library, and laboratory, the next floor down seems to be Fandekar's private quarters, and the floor beneath that seems to be a kitchen and food storage level; the first floor is a large living room / guest area, where Fandekar did his entertaining. While on the food storage level, you glance out of the window, and notice that night has fallen outside. In the distance, are the lights of what appears to be a large village, at the foot of a small mountain. The village is probably about 30 miles distant; the area around the tower is flat, thus enabling you to see very far.




Besides Fandekar's spell books, and a few, minor magic items, there is nothing else in the tower. The Xeg-Yi have apparently all left during your search of the other tower levels. You find no hidden or secret doors; the tower just isn't big enough for such things. In fact, this structure is very utilitarian in design.
5:34 PM Jun 1
====================================
Dungeon Master
Pondren asks Delbin, "When you dropped off the child, did you give this Ellis person the robes and the book as well? Or just the child? I'd like to have another look at that book. I am almost certain that the 'Why' of how all these strange occurrences came about will be found in there. There was obviously some fatal flaw in his design of this place. I think that we ought to take the time to read it. Since we must act quickly, then perhaps we should shift to a plane where time passes more slowly? That way, we can take a few days to read the book and analyze it, and return to this place after the passing of only a few minutes. I believe that's how our Wizard friend, Sphynx, was regaining his spells. That trick could work equally well for us."
11:21 AM Jun 9
====================================
Delbin Arcanus
My apologies Pondren, I have been deep in thought concerning the days events. When I spoke to Ellis Kvar, I tried to hand him the book, however he was insistent that I keep it in my possession. He was certain that it would be of use. Sometimes I believe that man can see events before they happen. Anyway, the book I left in the laboratory we arrived in. Ellis is only in possession of the child. I believe your suggestion is wise. I will retrieve the book and return to momentarily to create the portal to the necessary location.
2:31 AM Jun 15 (edited 9:49 PM Jul 5)
====================================
Delbin Arcanus
Gentlemen, I have the book and I'm taking the robes with us also. I've used the mirror in the laboratory to create the portal, you may pass through as soon as you are ready.
9:56 PM Jul 5 (edited 10:05 PM Jul 5)
====================================
Dungeon Master
Finding nothing else of interest on the other tower levels, the party returns to Fandekar's laboratory. As Delbin indicated, the mirror is glowing softly, as the image of a sunlit, grassy field fills the entirety of the mirror's viewing area. Before stepping through the portal, Pondren says, "Perhaps we should identify the robes while we're at it? Wizards often have extra-dimensional pockets in such robes. Knowing the powers of the robes might prove useful."


Without further ado, Pondren steps through the mirror, into the field of sunlit grass. He looks around himself, and then calls back toward the mirror, "The weather's great, come on through! I see a camp of some sort about 300 yards or so in that direction," he says, pointing in some unknown direction.


====================================
END OF CAMPAIGN LOG PART FOUR.
====================================

The ENWorld Continuation of the Campaign Begins Here.

Ahead of Schedule

Pondren said:

Without further ado, Pondren steps through the mirror, into the field of sunlit grass. He looks around himself, and then calls back toward the mirror, "The weather's great, come on through! I see a camp of some sort about 300 yards or so in that direction," he says, pointing in some unknown direction.

Click to expand...

Jynx said:

After being sure no stone was left unturned, Jynx steps through the portal to Pondren.

"Time to study that book and go wenching, and I don't see any wenches in this field."

Click to expand...

Jynx, as you look around one last time, you can see and hear nothing out of the ordinary; this place has been thoroughly searched.

You step through the portal, into a sunlit field of tall grass; it's a wheat-barley hybrid. The sun is slightly bigger, and thus much warmer, than the one you are accustomed to. But overall, the weather is pleasant, and you can indeed see signs of a campsite, about three hundred yards in the distance. Judging by the position of the sun, assuming that its pattern of travel mirrors that of your world, you'd say the encampment lies to the East. You are in a plains area, with gently rolling hills; the grass is up to your knees. The encampment is on the top of one of the low hills, and you know that if its inhabitants are watchful, they've probably spotted you by now.

[Dengar, Delbin: READ THE POST BELOW: ]

What happened to Luis?

Dungeon Master said:

Following Pondren, the entire party (sans Sphynx) re-unites in the storeroom, where Rashmar and Klarendar were holed up; Feridan and Luis express concern about simply ignoring the Drow's departure, and offer to explore the passage leading into the Underdark, while the rest of the party heads back out, to perform the miracle and to track down the zombie's origins. Pondren asks if splitting up is wise, to which Feridan replies: "They don't call us the Fearless Five for nothing, my friend. Luis and I will be fine. We are Divine Agents, and ours is the loneliest path. We rush in, where Solars fear to tread." Feridan smiles, and winks knowingly at Luis. The Elven monk's face is a mask of emotionless contemplation, but even he cannot resist the slightest hint of a smile. The party agrees to the split, and the two heroes take off back down the hallway. Meanwhile, the rest of the party returns to the surface, where Dengar has work to do...

Click to expand...

Luis, you and Feridan did indeed pursue the Drow priestess into the Underdark. You followed the signs of her passing for a long time, always about 10 minutes or so behind her. Finally, you come to a small cavern, with a rough-hewn stone floor, which is covered in chalk markings, runes marking the outlines for a teleport spell. The priestess is nowhere to be seen.

Just then, you are ambushed by one of her "friends," who stayed behind to "greet" you. A dark, wraith-like form darts from the shadows, trying to assassinate Feridan. The fiend strikes with cold lethality, plunging its dagger into Feridan's back. It is a devastating blow, that would have killed many lesser beings. Feridan screams in pain, and turns on the creature; the first hit from Feridan's scythe is a telling blow. Feridan skewers the thing with the tip of the scythe, ripping its heart apart, killing it instantly.

The two of you decide that, rather than going on a wild goose chase, and having to deal with more traps and more minions, it is wise to simply let the Drow go for now. The two of you double-time it back to the surface, without even breaking a sweat. When you arrive, you notice that the Dwarves of the fortress are all alive once more, probably as the result of Dengar's magicks.

Feridan turns to Luis and says, "You can run more than twice my speed, and neither of us can teleport. As you already know, about a day and a half North of here, is the cave wherein resides the Arch of Ages. That is, it's a day and a half for a normal man, walking at a normal speed, and stopping to rest periodically. But for you, the journey should only take a couple of hours. It's only about 45 miles from here."

Luis laughs, and says, "A couple of hours? If I stop and rest every 3 minutes or so, I can cover that distance in about 30 minutes."

Feridan smiles, and replies, "Good. Get to the Arch, then. I'm going to stay here, heal myself, and then try to contact Nimbar. I have a feeling that we're going to need him. I'll catch up with you later."

Luis nods, and without further ado, turns, and runs out of the fortress at full speed. Feridan looks admiringly after him for a moment, then turns his attention once more to the nasty wound that the fiendish thing gave him.



Luis, you reach the cave entrance in record time, at least by normal standards; you casually proceed up the switchback trail, which leads to the cave entrance, which is about 30 feet up the face of the ravine wall. You enter the cave, as a feeling of peace washes over you. You hear a familiar voice in your head; the voice of your goddess, the Lady of Balance, Xan Yae herself.

The voice says, "The way lies open." As you hear this in your mind, the Archway materializes before you, its inner portal glowing. You look into it, and see Delbin and Dengar, in a dimly lit room, standing in front of another portal. They are moving towards it, as if they are preparing to enter into it.

Without hesitation, you step through the Archway, appearing in the room with Delbin and Dengar, both of whom are startled by your sudden appearance. The Archway leaves no trace of a portal when it is used, thus, to Delbin and Dengar, it is as if you simply appeared out of thin air. "Whoa!" Delbins chuckles. "Where'd you come from?"

[Delbin, Dengar: What do you do?]

Finding a rock, log, or even a bush to climb up on, Jynx get's as high a perch as he can immediately find, taking a few moments to see and hear and smell whatever he can about the area, starting with North and moving counter clockwise in quarter sections.

~gotta be a bar here somewhere, come on, come... on....~