Welcome to the Halmae (updated 2/27/07)
spyscribe
First Post
Part the Two-Hundred Eighth
In which: we beg to remind the party that their task was to give the archmage an invitation, not to get him killed.
The front half of the shadowbeast inexorably pushes its way into the cage with Barnabus, Anvil and Kiara.
Anvil raises his thundering warhammer, bringing it right down onto the unnatural creature’s forehead.
The weapon passes as though through empty air.
Not good.
Anvil withdraws, pressing Barnabus out of the way behind him.
The creature has passed completely into the forcecage, and now the shimmering closely-set bars of force serve to protect it from any attack from the rest of the room.
Most of the rest of them room anyway. Reyu knows that for whatever reason, the sheadow-creatures are immune to magical attacks. Watching Anvil’s new warhammer pass through it without effect, it would seem that this protection would extend to magical weapons as well.
So, she takes a perfectly ordinary arrow. One that she made herself, in fact. Normally, striking a target through the narrow gaps of the forcecage would be an impossible shot. But using the bow of bloodseeking she recently got from Baranbus, it’s barely a challenge.
Reyu lets go of her bowstring and her arrow flies true. Delicately snaking past Testy, it threads the bars of the forcecage as though they weren’t even there. It then flies through the shadowbeast like so much smoke, skittering across the throne-room floor.
Kettenek’s Halls.
(Note: You can imagine the cries of frustration around the table. Here we are, sixth level, loaded with some of the most powerful magic in the Halmae, and these things were giving us more trouble than they had during the fire at the Mages’ Academy.)
Hovering in hybrid form in the corner of the forcecage farthest from the dark creature, Kiara feels a strange calm fall over her as she readies her bow. She doesn’t think about the fact that a monstrosity very similar to this one killed Annika’s last familiar. She doesn’t think about the fact that she’s now trapped with one, or that since Barnabus’s spells and Anvil’s new magical warhammer are useless against it, killing it is really up to her. Instead, she simply draws her bowstring, aims, and lets the arrow fly.
As soon as her fingers loose her shot, time resumes its normal speed. In a second, Kiara finds her arrow, buried half its length in the shadowbeast’s eye. The creature howls in pain and rage. Kiara reaches for another arrow.
Anvil takes advantage of the shadowbeat’s momentary distraction to cast cure serious wounds on Barnabus. The archamge gives a curt nod of thanks, and then, ignoring the threat he can do nothing about, turns his attention to a threat he can.
Namely, the rest of the room.
Up until this point, Baranbus, and the rest of the party, have been trying to minimize damage to the Count’s minions. Most of them probably have no idea what sort of man their leader truly is, and will hopefully fall into line once the Count is removed from the equation. But as warmages and guard officers continue to hammer away at them while the Count is untouched, clearly the time for such concerns has passed.
Barnabus sends a chain lightning sizzling out from between the bars of the forcecage hits the Anarcanist… and blows him to smithereens. The only remnant of the would-be mage-killer is a dark smear on the Count’s masterfully crafted tile. Barnabus makes a small sound of satisfaction.
Secondary bolts knock two more of the Counts defenders to the ground, unquestionably dead, and cause Eteinne’s look-alike to stagger and nearly fall to his knees.
Although untouched by the lightning, the Count does not look nearly as happy as he did mere moments ago.
The events of the next few seconds hardly improve his mood. Woodsy two-hands the shadow-beast still crouched on top of Testy, whirling blades throwing out chunks of solid shadow until for a moment the two constructs are obscured in a black cloud. Quickly, the black lightens to grey, and then fades entirely. The null shadow is gone.
Out of sight in the passage, come the sounds of a bear and wolf feasting on their enemies. Eteinne’s twin attempts to strike back by casting a set of magic missiles at Barnabus, but the bolts are absorbed harmlessly by the pin holding the archmage’s robes.
Unfortunately, the shadowbeast in the forcecage has regained its senses following Kiara’s attacks and slashes at Barnabus, drawing blood and ripping another carefully-prepared spell from the archamge’s mind.
Out of arrows, Kiara whips out a dagger, and with a flick of the wrist flings it into the shadow creature’s neck. The beast screams as it boils away into nothing, and the dagger clatters to the ground.
Anvil is about to heal Barnabus again when he realizes that he is not in great shape himself, and is also running very low on healing spells. Since the battle still rages, Anvil decides that this is probably the sort of situation that Professor Alexandra had in mind when she gave them certain magic items, “[post= 1511298]in case of emergency[/post].” Too bad Lira isn’t here, he thinks, she had all those glass spheres… Oh, right. I have them now.
Reaching into a secure pocket of his tunic, Anvil draws out a glowing ball of blue glass. Dredging the Professor’s instructions from his memory, Anvil picks a spot where as many members of the party as possible will be within range, raises his arm, and smashes the globe against the stone floor.
Instantly, a radiant blue light flashes out into the room. Anvil feels the familiar warmth of divine healing, and watches as his companions’ wounds close even as they continue the fight.
Barnabus detonates a sonic ball on the Count’s allies who remain outside their leader’s antimagic field. Two of the warmages practically burst where they stand, and the Count’s son Gaston clutches his head, bleeding from his ears.
Gaston attempts to ready a counter-attack, but before he can muster one he finds himself charged by a very angry Woodsy. The half-elf’s sap sprays, and Gaston is soon dead at his attacker’s giant metal feet.
Reyu’s summoned bear has run out of targets in the passage outside the throne room and comes charging in towards the Count. She calls to him, “Wait!” But as he closes to ten feet, he runs into the Count’s field and abruptly vanishes.
Reyu calls down a lightning strike and toasts an officer not in the antimagic field.
Thatch grins. Without distractions, it’s time for him to do what he does best. He doesn’t need magic to take care of the Count or his lackeys. And he charges ahead straight for the Count’s son Guy.
Broadsword clashes with rapier, but Guy is quick where Thatch is strong, and not as hopelessly overmatched as it might seem. He nicks the fighter’s thigh and smirks.
The Count frowns, and muttering under his breath, he draws his own rapier from its scabbard, and takes a few steps forward allowing Guy to flank Thatch.
Guy grins and his next hit goes deep. Thatch bleeds freely, but grits his teeth and continues the fight. That’s when he feels the Count’s blade behind him, sinking into his shoulder not once, but twice.
And that is the last straw.
Thatch sets his stance, draws back his sword and when he sees his opening, drives it forward through Guy’s stomach and out the other side by his spine. The Count’s son is dead before he hits the ground.
Without missing a beat, Thatch swings his blade around and puts a gash in the Count’s shoulder to match the ones the Count so generously gave him moments ago. The Count barely manages to avoid a second strike, and for a moment stares at the Thatch, as if stunned the fighter had the audacity to hit him.
The Count’s shock does not last however. In seconds, he takes in the situation in the rest of the room. With a quick gesture he dismisses his antimagic field, allowing his ring of expeditious retreat to become active once again. And then, the Count takes to his heels and runs.
An officer tries to follow, but Thatch almost casually decapitates him as he runs by.
The rest of the remaining defenders scatter, but none get very far. The wolf takes down a stray warmage, and Marmion falls to Testy’s magic missiles. Reyu sends a lightning bolt after the Count as he flees, but while it certainly doesn’t make him happy, it isn’t enough to stop him.
“Cover the exits!” Anvil bellows. “He cannot be allowed to escape unpunished!”
The party scatters, sweeping the building for any remaining troops loyal to the Count, but finds no organized resistance. Taking up positions to watch the keep’s exits, they wait for the Count to make his escape, but after several minutes, he still has not emerged.
The party goes through the keep and surrounding buildings again, this time more thoroughly. Barnabus leads the way, eyes snapping with anger, but the Count and Countess are nowhere to be found.
###
Outside in the courtyard, Eva interrogates Etienne at knife-point. The wizard looks faintly aggrieved.
“Is the poniard really necessary? I did give my parole, after all.”
Eva doesn’t move her dagger from its position against Etienne’s chest. She has no intention of cutting him, but it’s been a very trying week, and the Islanders don’t exactly have the best track-record for honestly thus far. “Just answer the question.”
“Well, I don’t know where he’s gone. Do you think I’d let him waltz right by me and not say something? And really… I detest being a bore about this, but the knife—”
“Are there any other exits?!?” Eva demands.
Etienne thinks. “No, no, I don’t believe so. Barnabus blocked most of them with his spell,” he indicates Barnabus’ wall of stone covering most of the front side of the keep. “You’ve blocked the kitchen with what I must say is a quite ingenious use of an immovable rod… Oh, I then I guess there would be the Count’s personal escape tunnel.”
Eva restrains herself from stabbing loquacious wizard… barely. When she gets a handle on her temper she asks slowly through clenched teeth, “Where is the Count’s. Personal. Escape. Tunnel?”
Etienne quickly realizes that brevity is the soul of wit. “I’ll show you.”
###
Etienne guides the party to a concealed doorway in a gallery not far from the throne room. It is opened in short order, and Eva leads the way through a twisting stone corridor. She trips one safeguard, and finds herself clutched by a dozen rubbery black tentacles seemingly growing from the floor, (“Oh,” says Barnabus, “I wondered what he wanted those for,”) but thanks to her new slick armor, they don’t give her too much trouble.
The good news is that the party seems to have finally located the Count’s escape route. The stone passage descends underground from the keep, then levels out until finally emerging at a small dock in a hidden cove on the far side of the island.
Unfortunately, by the time they arrive, the dock is deserted. A single mooring rope hangs limply in the water, but of the Count and Countess, there is no sign.
In which: we beg to remind the party that their task was to give the archmage an invitation, not to get him killed.
The front half of the shadowbeast inexorably pushes its way into the cage with Barnabus, Anvil and Kiara.
Anvil raises his thundering warhammer, bringing it right down onto the unnatural creature’s forehead.
The weapon passes as though through empty air.
Not good.
Anvil withdraws, pressing Barnabus out of the way behind him.
The creature has passed completely into the forcecage, and now the shimmering closely-set bars of force serve to protect it from any attack from the rest of the room.
Most of the rest of them room anyway. Reyu knows that for whatever reason, the sheadow-creatures are immune to magical attacks. Watching Anvil’s new warhammer pass through it without effect, it would seem that this protection would extend to magical weapons as well.
So, she takes a perfectly ordinary arrow. One that she made herself, in fact. Normally, striking a target through the narrow gaps of the forcecage would be an impossible shot. But using the bow of bloodseeking she recently got from Baranbus, it’s barely a challenge.
Reyu lets go of her bowstring and her arrow flies true. Delicately snaking past Testy, it threads the bars of the forcecage as though they weren’t even there. It then flies through the shadowbeast like so much smoke, skittering across the throne-room floor.
Kettenek’s Halls.
(Note: You can imagine the cries of frustration around the table. Here we are, sixth level, loaded with some of the most powerful magic in the Halmae, and these things were giving us more trouble than they had during the fire at the Mages’ Academy.)
Hovering in hybrid form in the corner of the forcecage farthest from the dark creature, Kiara feels a strange calm fall over her as she readies her bow. She doesn’t think about the fact that a monstrosity very similar to this one killed Annika’s last familiar. She doesn’t think about the fact that she’s now trapped with one, or that since Barnabus’s spells and Anvil’s new magical warhammer are useless against it, killing it is really up to her. Instead, she simply draws her bowstring, aims, and lets the arrow fly.
As soon as her fingers loose her shot, time resumes its normal speed. In a second, Kiara finds her arrow, buried half its length in the shadowbeast’s eye. The creature howls in pain and rage. Kiara reaches for another arrow.
Anvil takes advantage of the shadowbeat’s momentary distraction to cast cure serious wounds on Barnabus. The archamge gives a curt nod of thanks, and then, ignoring the threat he can do nothing about, turns his attention to a threat he can.
Namely, the rest of the room.
Up until this point, Baranbus, and the rest of the party, have been trying to minimize damage to the Count’s minions. Most of them probably have no idea what sort of man their leader truly is, and will hopefully fall into line once the Count is removed from the equation. But as warmages and guard officers continue to hammer away at them while the Count is untouched, clearly the time for such concerns has passed.
Barnabus sends a chain lightning sizzling out from between the bars of the forcecage hits the Anarcanist… and blows him to smithereens. The only remnant of the would-be mage-killer is a dark smear on the Count’s masterfully crafted tile. Barnabus makes a small sound of satisfaction.
Secondary bolts knock two more of the Counts defenders to the ground, unquestionably dead, and cause Eteinne’s look-alike to stagger and nearly fall to his knees.
Although untouched by the lightning, the Count does not look nearly as happy as he did mere moments ago.
The events of the next few seconds hardly improve his mood. Woodsy two-hands the shadow-beast still crouched on top of Testy, whirling blades throwing out chunks of solid shadow until for a moment the two constructs are obscured in a black cloud. Quickly, the black lightens to grey, and then fades entirely. The null shadow is gone.
Out of sight in the passage, come the sounds of a bear and wolf feasting on their enemies. Eteinne’s twin attempts to strike back by casting a set of magic missiles at Barnabus, but the bolts are absorbed harmlessly by the pin holding the archmage’s robes.
Unfortunately, the shadowbeast in the forcecage has regained its senses following Kiara’s attacks and slashes at Barnabus, drawing blood and ripping another carefully-prepared spell from the archamge’s mind.
Out of arrows, Kiara whips out a dagger, and with a flick of the wrist flings it into the shadow creature’s neck. The beast screams as it boils away into nothing, and the dagger clatters to the ground.
Anvil is about to heal Barnabus again when he realizes that he is not in great shape himself, and is also running very low on healing spells. Since the battle still rages, Anvil decides that this is probably the sort of situation that Professor Alexandra had in mind when she gave them certain magic items, “[post= 1511298]in case of emergency[/post].” Too bad Lira isn’t here, he thinks, she had all those glass spheres… Oh, right. I have them now.
Reaching into a secure pocket of his tunic, Anvil draws out a glowing ball of blue glass. Dredging the Professor’s instructions from his memory, Anvil picks a spot where as many members of the party as possible will be within range, raises his arm, and smashes the globe against the stone floor.
Instantly, a radiant blue light flashes out into the room. Anvil feels the familiar warmth of divine healing, and watches as his companions’ wounds close even as they continue the fight.
Barnabus detonates a sonic ball on the Count’s allies who remain outside their leader’s antimagic field. Two of the warmages practically burst where they stand, and the Count’s son Gaston clutches his head, bleeding from his ears.
Gaston attempts to ready a counter-attack, but before he can muster one he finds himself charged by a very angry Woodsy. The half-elf’s sap sprays, and Gaston is soon dead at his attacker’s giant metal feet.
Reyu’s summoned bear has run out of targets in the passage outside the throne room and comes charging in towards the Count. She calls to him, “Wait!” But as he closes to ten feet, he runs into the Count’s field and abruptly vanishes.
Reyu calls down a lightning strike and toasts an officer not in the antimagic field.
Thatch grins. Without distractions, it’s time for him to do what he does best. He doesn’t need magic to take care of the Count or his lackeys. And he charges ahead straight for the Count’s son Guy.
Broadsword clashes with rapier, but Guy is quick where Thatch is strong, and not as hopelessly overmatched as it might seem. He nicks the fighter’s thigh and smirks.
The Count frowns, and muttering under his breath, he draws his own rapier from its scabbard, and takes a few steps forward allowing Guy to flank Thatch.
Guy grins and his next hit goes deep. Thatch bleeds freely, but grits his teeth and continues the fight. That’s when he feels the Count’s blade behind him, sinking into his shoulder not once, but twice.
And that is the last straw.
Thatch sets his stance, draws back his sword and when he sees his opening, drives it forward through Guy’s stomach and out the other side by his spine. The Count’s son is dead before he hits the ground.
Without missing a beat, Thatch swings his blade around and puts a gash in the Count’s shoulder to match the ones the Count so generously gave him moments ago. The Count barely manages to avoid a second strike, and for a moment stares at the Thatch, as if stunned the fighter had the audacity to hit him.
The Count’s shock does not last however. In seconds, he takes in the situation in the rest of the room. With a quick gesture he dismisses his antimagic field, allowing his ring of expeditious retreat to become active once again. And then, the Count takes to his heels and runs.
An officer tries to follow, but Thatch almost casually decapitates him as he runs by.
The rest of the remaining defenders scatter, but none get very far. The wolf takes down a stray warmage, and Marmion falls to Testy’s magic missiles. Reyu sends a lightning bolt after the Count as he flees, but while it certainly doesn’t make him happy, it isn’t enough to stop him.
“Cover the exits!” Anvil bellows. “He cannot be allowed to escape unpunished!”
The party scatters, sweeping the building for any remaining troops loyal to the Count, but finds no organized resistance. Taking up positions to watch the keep’s exits, they wait for the Count to make his escape, but after several minutes, he still has not emerged.
The party goes through the keep and surrounding buildings again, this time more thoroughly. Barnabus leads the way, eyes snapping with anger, but the Count and Countess are nowhere to be found.
###
Outside in the courtyard, Eva interrogates Etienne at knife-point. The wizard looks faintly aggrieved.
“Is the poniard really necessary? I did give my parole, after all.”
Eva doesn’t move her dagger from its position against Etienne’s chest. She has no intention of cutting him, but it’s been a very trying week, and the Islanders don’t exactly have the best track-record for honestly thus far. “Just answer the question.”
“Well, I don’t know where he’s gone. Do you think I’d let him waltz right by me and not say something? And really… I detest being a bore about this, but the knife—”
“Are there any other exits?!?” Eva demands.
Etienne thinks. “No, no, I don’t believe so. Barnabus blocked most of them with his spell,” he indicates Barnabus’ wall of stone covering most of the front side of the keep. “You’ve blocked the kitchen with what I must say is a quite ingenious use of an immovable rod… Oh, I then I guess there would be the Count’s personal escape tunnel.”
Eva restrains herself from stabbing loquacious wizard… barely. When she gets a handle on her temper she asks slowly through clenched teeth, “Where is the Count’s. Personal. Escape. Tunnel?”
Etienne quickly realizes that brevity is the soul of wit. “I’ll show you.”
###
Etienne guides the party to a concealed doorway in a gallery not far from the throne room. It is opened in short order, and Eva leads the way through a twisting stone corridor. She trips one safeguard, and finds herself clutched by a dozen rubbery black tentacles seemingly growing from the floor, (“Oh,” says Barnabus, “I wondered what he wanted those for,”) but thanks to her new slick armor, they don’t give her too much trouble.
The good news is that the party seems to have finally located the Count’s escape route. The stone passage descends underground from the keep, then levels out until finally emerging at a small dock in a hidden cove on the far side of the island.
Unfortunately, by the time they arrive, the dock is deserted. A single mooring rope hangs limply in the water, but of the Count and Countess, there is no sign.
DM's note said:
thatdarncat
Overlord of Chat
Woot! Go team justice!
Fajitas
Hold the Peppers
And it's possible, it's just possible, that I just forgot.coyote6 said:
Wouldn't be the first time.
As it was, there were two other things that I forgot in that fight: the first was the sigil of Summon Monster VII installed in the center of the throne room, set to summon 5 Fiendish Dire Deionychuses whenever someone crossed over it (which would have been Thatch, by the way). I remembered that one in the middle of the fight, but at that point it seemed kinda like overkill anyway.
The other thing that I forgot was that someone in the party was still carrying the stone sigil that they found when they killed the ooze creature back on Water Island. That should have had certain effects on them, especially when it came to attacking members of the Count's Court. I wrote myself a reminder in big letters at the top of my notes during this fight, but every time it came up I forgot about it.
>sigh< So many ways to hose the PCs, so little time.
jerichothebard
First Post
I feel your pain. Last session, my PCs offed my BBEG with a poison spell and a sneak attack.Fajitas said:
Which isn't so bad, really.
Except for the part where the BBEG had a template that gave him the elemental type.
Elementals, you will recall, are immune to poison and sneak attacks. The total damage from those two attacks should have been exactly two points, from the knife wound.
>sigh< Indeed.
KidCthulhu
First Post
Ah, but there are always more BBEGs. It's kind of funny how they just keep cropping up. They're gluttons for punishment.
coyote6
Adventurer
Yeah, I'm always forgetting stuff. I spent at least a half-dozen sessions forgetting that one PC was wearing booby-trapped armor, that was supposed to trigger when she exerted herself. Fight after fight of tumbling, jumping, stabbing, and it isn't until I'm packing up the minis that the thought, "Hey, trapped armor!" appears.
D'oh . . .
D'oh . . .
