Menu
News
All News
Dungeons & Dragons
Level Up: Advanced 5th Edition
Pathfinder
Starfinder
Warhammer
2d20 System
Year Zero Engine
Industry News
Reviews
Dragon Reflections
Columns
Weekly Digests
Weekly News Digest
Freebies, Sales & Bundles
RPG Print News
RPG Crowdfunding News
Game Content
ENterplanetary DimENsions
Mythological Figures
Opinion
Worlds of Design
Peregrine's Next
RPG Evolution
Other Columns
From the Freelancing Frontline
Monster ENcyclopedia
WotC/TSR Alumni Look Back
4 Hours w/RSD (Ryan Dancey)
The Road to 3E (Jonathan Tweet)
Greenwood's Realms (Ed Greenwood)
Drawmij's TSR (Jim Ward)
Community
Forums & Topics
Forum List
Latest Posts
Forum list
*Dungeons & Dragons
Level Up: Advanced 5th Edition
D&D Older Editions
*TTRPGs General
*Pathfinder & Starfinder
EN Publishing
*Geek Talk & Media
Search forums
Chat/Discord
Resources
Wiki
Pages
Latest activity
Media
New media
New comments
Search media
Downloads
Latest reviews
Search resources
EN Publishing
Store
EN5ider
Adventures in ZEITGEIST
Awfully Cheerful Engine
What's OLD is NEW
Judge Dredd & The Worlds Of 2000AD
War of the Burning Sky
Level Up: Advanced 5E
Events & Releases
Upcoming Events
Private Events
Featured Events
Socials!
Twitch
YouTube
Facebook (EN Publishing)
Facebook (EN World)
Twitter
Instagram
TikTok
Podcast
Features
Top 5 RPGs Compiled Charts 2004-Present
Adventure Game Industry Market Research Summary (RPGs) V1.0
Ryan Dancey: Acquiring TSR
Q&A With Gary Gygax
D&D Rules FAQs
TSR, WotC, & Paizo: A Comparative History
D&D Pronunciation Guide
Million Dollar TTRPG Kickstarters
Tabletop RPG Podcast Hall of Fame
Eric Noah's Unofficial D&D 3rd Edition News
D&D in the Mainstream
D&D & RPG History
About Morrus
Log in
Register
What's new
Search
Search
Search titles only
By:
Forums & Topics
Forum List
Latest Posts
Forum list
*Dungeons & Dragons
Level Up: Advanced 5th Edition
D&D Older Editions
*TTRPGs General
*Pathfinder & Starfinder
EN Publishing
*Geek Talk & Media
Search forums
Chat/Discord
Menu
Log in
Register
Install the app
Install
The
VOIDRUNNER'S CODEX
is coming! Explore new worlds, fight oppressive empires, fend off fearsome aliens, and wield deadly psionics with this comprehensive boxed set expansion for 5E and A5E!
Community
Playing the Game
Story Hour
(4e) Saga of Valor
JavaScript is disabled. For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding.
You are using an out of date browser. It may not display this or other websites correctly.
You should upgrade or use an
alternative browser
.
Reply to thread
Message
<blockquote data-quote="Netherstorm" data-source="post: 5833883" data-attributes="member: 84943"><p><strong>18. The Wizard's Tower</strong></p><p></p><p>2/27/12: <em>Three players couldn't make it, so we had an NPC round out the party. Gardmore Abbey has been really fun so far.</em></p><p><em></em></p><p style="text-align: center"><span style="font-family: 'Arial Black'"><span style="font-size: 12px">Saga of Valor </span></span></p> <p style="text-align: center"><span style="font-family: 'Arial Black'"><span style="font-size: 12px">Book One - NyrodSpace War 3</span></span></p> <p style="text-align: center"></p> <p style="text-align: center"></p> <p style="text-align: center"><em>Chapter Eighteen: The Wizard's Tower</em></p><p></p><p></p><p><strong>Hartaniel</strong> - Eladrin Barbarian</p><p><strong>Ryltar</strong> - Drow Avenger </p><p><strong>Scarlet</strong> - Human Fighter</p><p><strong>Varis</strong> - Half-Elf Warlock</p><p></p><p> Sanctioning #: 12-02-3291008</p><p></p><p>The heroes had decided to sneak into the orc-occupied village to see what they could learn about the abbey. </p><p></p><p>Under cover of night, they crept from building to building. A few orcs were walking the streets, but most were inside the buildings sharpening their weapons or eating. </p><p></p><p>A hill giant walked the streets with a halfling slave riding on its' shoulder. The adventurers wondered what that was all about. The halfling wore nice clothes. Nice, at least, compared to the rags the orcs wore.</p><p></p><p>Two orcs guarded a jail/slave pen. And many orcs gathered in a large building, where a loud conversation was taking place.</p><p></p><p>The heroes decided to investigate the jail. They crept around the back of the small building. Looking in through a barred window, they saw three prisoners. Two of them were heavily-scarred lolthbound goblins. The third was a massive female panda-person, wearing gleaming plate mail that bore the symbol of Io.</p><p></p><p>The panda was staring out of a barred window. Scarlet sidled up next to the wall nearest the window and went, "Psst!".</p><p></p><p>The panda woman looked through the bars at Scarlet, her eyes wide.</p><p></p><p>Scarlet whispered, "We're trying to figure out what's going on."</p><p></p><p>The panda-woman said, "Who - who are you?"</p><p></p><p>"We're adventurers from Olwynn. We just got here."</p><p></p><p>The panda-woman whispered back, "I see. A few weeks ago, the red dragon and his army attacked Gardmore Abbey, which was the home of myself and my fellow paladins of Io. During the siege, something ...magical.... happened and now everything is in chaos."</p><p></p><p>"What kind of magical thing?", Scarlet asked.</p><p></p><p>"I'm not sure. Can you get to Dragon's Roost? It's one of the buildings up on the central hill."</p><p></p><p>Scarlet looked up to the top of the hill, where four buildings stood. Under the light of the moon and the world of Dracos, it looked to be a dangerous journey.</p><p></p><p> The panda-woman continued, "I know a ritual. If you can bring me to the Roost, I can conduct the ritual and purge the darkness from this place. My name is Xiangmao."</p><p></p><p>Scarlet said, "I think we can make that happen. We're looking for something..."</p><p></p><p>The two lolthbound goblins in the pen with Xiangmao began to get curious. Xiangmao glared at them, and made like she wasn't talking to anyone. The goblins went back to picking their scabs. </p><p></p><p>Scarlet whispered to Xiangmao, "We're looking for the Deck of Many Things. We hear that it's scattered throughout the abbey."</p><p></p><p>"Is that what was used?" Xiangmao thought for a moment. "The leader of the Draedsmasher orcs is named Bakrosh. They say he has acquired magical powers recently. Perhaps the powers are connected to the deck. It is said he can kill someone just by pointing at them!"</p><p></p><p>Scarlet said, "By the Gods! Thank you for telling us."</p><p></p><p>"This village, just a few weeks ago, was where all of we paladins of Io lived. Mekkalath, the red dragon, has our blood on his hands. It is said that the dragon has gems bound in his hide. It is also said that he has a sister who lairs somewhere near here as well."</p><p></p><p>"Good relations with his sister, or bad?"</p><p></p><p>"As far as I know... good." Things just kept sounding grimmer. </p><p></p><p>Scarlet crept toward her hidden allies to discuss what to do.</p><p></p><p>As they talked, Varis' skull familiar sprung to life. The spirit of his YasnaBrinna, his drow matron, was trapped inside. She said of Xiangmao, "Just leave her! She's inconsequential. Just like the boy!"</p><p></p><p>They ignored her.</p><p></p><p>Ryltar turned invisible and crept around to the front of the pen. He carefully took a key ring from the belt of one of the orc guards. Then Varis launched off a spell at a far building. As the orcs gasped and cautiously investigated he resultant fire across the street, the heroes quickly opened the door and freed Xiangmao. The lolthbound goblins tried to escape too, but Scarlet shut the door on them. The goblins, angry, began to shout. </p><p></p><p>The orcs turned at the sound of the shouting goblins, and saw the heroes freeing their prisoner. They let out a blood-curdling cry and gave chase. </p><p></p><p>The heroes ran, and were able to lose the orcs. They climbed the ivy covered wall and made their way to the reliquary, where they'd fought the barlgura and the mad wraiths.</p><p></p><p>As they walked to it, Xiangmao said, "You entered the Reliquary? Bad things happened there. Is the brazier of silver fire inside?"</p><p></p><p>"Yes."</p><p></p><p>She rubbed her chin thoughtfully. "From what I understand, some of the paladins tried to protect it - but they failed."</p><p></p><p>Varis said, "They were turned into ghosts."</p><p></p><p>Xiangmao grew silent.</p><p></p><p>They entered the reliquary. Xiangmao said, "This is a good place for us. The orcs are afraid to come here. Did you use Vandomar's ritual to open the doors?"</p><p></p><p>The heroes hadn't. A wraith had mentioned Vandomar's name to them, but the heroes ended up triggering the door's protective wards when they forced their way inside. </p><p></p><p>Scarlet asked, "Who is Vandomar?"</p><p></p><p>"He is a wizard."</p><p></p><p>"I guess that explains why it blew up on us."</p><p></p><p>"He lives in a tower not far from here." The heroes looked through the reliquary's arrow slits as she pointed it out. The tower stood at the opposite edge of the orc vilage.</p><p></p><p>Xiangmao said mournfully, "Poor Vandomar. He was in love with Elaida, a paladin. He spent all his time creating magical wards and protections to keep her safe. But they weren't enough. She died during the siege. I think he went mad."</p><p></p><p>Scarlet thought for a moment. "Maybe we should visit there..." At the very least, a wizard's tower was a likely place to find cards from the Deck of Many Things.</p><p></p><p>Varis looked up at Xiangmao and asked, "Why are you the only one still alive?"</p><p></p><p>Mao's face darkened. "As a panda-person, the orcs take great pleasure in torturing me."</p><p></p><p>Out of an arrow slit, they saw a flying creature approaching the reliquary. It looked to be a pelican. A portly imp was riding on it, chewing on something. It was PaunchCrammer, the imp of Zanestra Shadowborn who was bad at being evil. They opened the doors and let him in.</p><p></p><p>"Hi, guys!", he said cheerfully. PaunchCrammer had completed his mission in Sigil, and had been deposited in a southern Ghoul kingdom. He'd befriended a pelican and was making his way back to Olwynn. He was wearing a tabard and waving a pennant, both of which bore the likeness of the Lady of Pain.</p><p></p><p>He looked at Xiangmao and said, "Wow lady, you look terrible! Here, have a dretch steak! This magic plate keeps it warm!". He handed her the food. She began to eat it.</p><p></p><p>Ryltar had heard of dretches. They were foul, potbellied demons. </p><p></p><p>PaunchCrammer had a gift for Varis and the heroes. It was a glowing cube the size of a fist. "It's a Cube of Dimensional Vision. I stole it off a dead guy. If you look into it, you can see some kind of other dimension. Go ahead and try it! I saw one where I was skinny."</p><p></p><p>Varis looked into it, and saw a vision of himself in the city of Starbed fighting alongside the Grey Maidens (the elite soldiers from the city of Korvosa). When the battle was over, a grey maiden took off her helmet. Her face was scarred horribly. Varis also noticed that his alternate self had a bird familiar, rather than a skull.</p><p></p><p>Ryltar looked into it. He saw a vision of the city of Olwynn under drow rule. Ryltar was tied to a post and was being whipped by a drow priestess using a fang whip. Ryltar saw that his alternate self was wearing an eyepatch.</p><p></p><p>Ryltar said, "This is really horrible."</p><p></p><p>Scarlet looked in, and saw a vision of herself. She was wearing pink armor, and she had flowers in her hair. Aurora the unicorn-person was with her, and Varis was there handing her a bouquet. All three of them began skipping joyfully through a field. </p><p></p><p>"It's broken", Scarlet said. She tossed it back to Varis. </p><p></p><p>Hartaniel looked into it. He saw himself wearing a white shirt. He was standing in a sunny field. All of the Draedsmasher orcs were near, patting him on the back. </p><p></p><p>Varis was there too. He looked up at Hartaniel in admiration. His familiar was not a skull, but a cherub.</p><p></p><p>The cherub said in his baby voice, "Hey Hartaniel, let's go on another adventure! It will be fun and we'll wearn things about wife!"</p><p></p><p>Scarlet fluttered her eyes at him and said, "You're so handsome." She was wearing pink armor. On her breastplate was a heart.</p><p></p><p>Ryltar arrived on the scene holding a basket of puppies. </p><p></p><p>Hartaniel looked away from the cube. He said, "Wow Scarlet, you should wear this pink armor. It's kind of hot."</p><p></p><p>Scarlet growled, "That is terrible."</p><p></p><p>Hartaniel puffed his chest out a bit. He believed that the vision he saw in the cube was going to come to pass. </p><p></p><p>Scarlet asked to see one of the magic plates that were keeping the dretch steaks warm. PaunchCrammer handed one to her and told her to keep it. Scarlet smiled, thinking the magic plate could have value.</p><p></p><p>Xiangmao had no weapon. They handed her one of the three swords that the statues had been holding in the reliquary. </p><p></p><p>Once our heroes were done messing with the cube, they decided to go check out the wizard's tower.</p><p></p><p>The orcs were hunting for the heroes, so they took a long way around to get to the tower.</p><p></p><p>The wizard's tower brooded above the murky fog of Gardmore Abbey like a gray giant. The only sounds were the raucous calls of the ravens roosting on its' spire.</p><p></p><p>The tower doors leaned off their hinges, the old wood charred and splintered, yet also frosted with rime. Two dragon-headed statues stood to either side of the doorway, streaked with the droppings of the ravens.</p><p></p><p>Ryltar realized the the statues were actually alive! They were gargoyles! And their claws were bloody. But the gargoyles were standing almost perfectly still.</p><p></p><p>Xiangmao went in to the tower first.</p><p></p><p>The chill interior of the tower glowed with a flickering radiance. Faint tongues of fire glided along sections of the stone floor and walls, crossing paths with webs of silver lightning that sparked and vanished; puddles of water formed, then suddenly hardened into ice - which melted into stinking pools of acid.</p><p></p><p>The light of the shifting elements illuminated a large fallen obelisk at the center of the entry chamber. A bloodstained sheet covered the stone. The rounded shape beneath the sheath the sheet suggested it draped a large, recumbent humanoid form. Atop the covered body rested a rolled scroll. </p><p></p><p>Scattered about the room were the gory remains of at least a dozen orcs.</p><p></p><p>The heroes cautiously entered the room. They didn't know it, but certain areas of the room were infected with warped magic. They stepped into one such area, and it let off a massive explosion of cold energy.</p><p></p><p>The heroes took a moment to regain their senses. Varis studied the warp as best he could. They wondered what was under the sheet on the obelisk.</p><p></p><p>Scarlet used her ten foot pole to try and obtain the scroll without disturbing the thing it rested on. Unfortunately, her hands were not steady, and she poked the thing. </p><p></p><p>It turned out that under the tarp was the body of a ten foot tall flesh golem, topped with the head of a beautiful woman! The giant beast threw off the cloth, stood on the obelisk and roared in rage. </p><p></p><p>Xiangmao shrieked. The golem's head was the head of her fellow paladin, Elaida.</p><p></p><p>Hartaniel slashed at the golem's legs, sending it crashing off the obelisk and into a bookshelf. </p><p></p><p>Varis' card power kicked in. He used it to send a sheet of flame at the golem. The golem yelled in terror as it burned and got as far away from Varis as it could. The golem seemed to fear fire. </p><p></p><p>It ended up staggering into another area of warped magic. A warped magical explosion went off.</p><p></p><p>Scarlet approached the thing. It raised its' fists and pummeled her, knocking her unconscious. </p><p></p><p>Back beyond the door, the gargoyles sprung into action. Xiangmao blocked the door way, and battled both of them while the rest of the adventurers struggled against the golem.</p><p></p><p>Ryltar uttered a prayer to the Raven Queen and cut deep into the golem (<em>a critical</em>). Then he offered another prayer and healed Scarlet's wounds. The warrior came to and dragged herself onto the obelisk to give herself a moment to regain her bearings..</p><p></p><p>Varis circled the room and fired off spells at the golem. The boy stepped into another area of warped magic and was caught in a fiery explosion. </p><p></p><p>The golem struck Hartaniel as he ran over to Varis to pour a healing potion down his throat. Ryltar distracted the golem with a cloud of ravens, blinding the abomination. From within the cloud, Ryltar slashed into the golem with his scythe. </p><p></p><p>Varis staggered to his feet and saw that the golem hated fire. So he cast infernal blessing, a spell that transformed Hartaniel into burning skeleton. Hartaniel's blade was sheathed in eldritch flame!</p><p></p><p>Hartaniel charged and plunging his fire sword into the golem. The golem shrieked and flailed its' arms wildly.</p><p></p><p>Ryltar backed away and stepped right into another field of warped magic. His body was wracked with lightning. The lightning almost hit the golem, and the heroes could see that the lightning seemed like it would energize the golem somehow. </p><p></p><p>Varis hit the golem with a lure of minauros spell. The golem lunged in response, ready to go on a rampage, but Scarlet swatted it back. Hartaniel, as a burning skeleton, let out a war cry and cut the thing again with his fiery blade.</p><p></p><p>Ryltar cast a radiant shackles spell, which finally finished the golem. </p><p></p><p>The adventurers ran over to the doorway, where the bloodied Xiangmao was still battling both gargoyles. The heroes joined the fight and made quick work of the monsters.</p><p></p><p>It had been a fierce battle and they needed sleep. They decided to rest right in this room, warped magic and all.</p><p></p><p>Xiangmao said, "I wonder what happened to Vandomar. I can't believe this abomination was once beautiful Elaida."</p><p></p><p>"Looks like Vandomar is nuts now", Scarlet said.</p><p></p><p>They talked about whether the wizard's tower was safe to rest in. Xiangmao said, "The orcs are interested in this tower, and the watchtower to the south." She pointed out the door to a tower connected to the wall at the southernmost point of the abbey. "Lately, however, they've been obsessed with the watchtower."</p><p></p><p>Ryltar looked at the orc corpses, all slain by the golem and the gargoyles. They decided to go ahead and rest.</p><p></p><p>As they settled in and set a watch, they heard a loud crash come from the orc village. They looked out of the doorway, and saw a big red dragon swoop down out of the sky. It had gems encrusted in its' hide. The gems glowed and left trails of light behind it as it moved. </p><p></p><p>The dragon yelled something in a booming voice and breathed fire down on the orcs. Then, it flew off. The orcs screamed, panicked and tried to put out the fires.</p><p></p><p>The adventurers rested. The sun came up, and they were ready to go upstairs. At the top of the steps were doors that seemed to be frozen shut. Scarlet took out her crowbar and began chipping away. Then Hartaniel bashed the doors open...</p><p></p><p>A freezing gust swept over the stairs. Inside the room stood four long tables that held the frosty, mummified remains of four humanoids. Square blocks of ice lined the walls, each trapping the frozen form of some preserved creature. </p><p></p><p>A humanoid thing in white robes emblazoned with the draconic symbol of Io stooped over one of the tables. Its' withered face was pale blue, and dozens of tiny icicles hung from its' beard. Whenever it moved, its' body crackled as layers of frost broke and froze again. The creature looked up as the door opened. </p><p></p><p>"Visitors at last!" it said. It's words formed no steam in the bitter air. "Let us remember this moment forever.</p><p></p><p>Xiangmao asked, "Vandomar, is that you?"</p><p></p><p>The icy wizard looked at her curiously. "Do I know you?"</p><p></p><p>She looked around at the creatures frozen in the ice blocks. She shrieked as she recognized one of the creatures - Warren Alvis, a fellow paladin of Io. Xiangmao looked at the heroes and said, "We must free him!".</p><p></p><p>Vandomar laughed and asked, "Why would you do that?"</p><p></p><p>Scarlet muttered, "Oh, great..."</p><p></p><p>Vandomar smiled and said, "It's so nice to have visitors. You can stay as long as you like. Please, tell me what you've been up to."</p><p></p><p>Ryltar said, "You do realize the abbey has fallen to orcs and a dragon...?"</p><p></p><p>An icicle broke off and fell from the wizard's beard. "Really? A dragon? How exciting!"</p><p></p><p>Scarlet said, "Yes. A big, old, fire-breathing dragon." She put emphasis on the "fire-breathing" part. </p><p></p><p>They asked Vandomar if he'd like to leave.</p><p></p><p>"No, that's all right. I'm fine right here. I have quite a collection!"</p><p></p><p>"Why are you collecting?", Hartaniel asked.</p><p></p><p>Varis looked around and said, "I think it's nice in here. A bit cold for my tastes.."</p><p></p><p>Vandomar said, "Call me an eccentirc wizard if you must. They're going nowhere. I'll keep them forever. None of them are ever going anywhere."</p><p></p><p>Scarlet whispered to her allies, "Don't say that girl's name. Don't say it." He was referring to Elaida, who Vandomar had loved and then stuck her head on a flesh golem.</p><p></p><p>Ryltar said, "We're looking for cards."</p><p></p><p>Vandomar lit up. "Oh, like the one I have there in the far corner, in the block of ice?". Indeed, there was a card from the Deck of Many Things in the ice. It was the Ruin card. "It's magic, you know".</p><p></p><p>"We need it, actually..." Scarlet said.</p><p></p><p>Hartaniel smiled, looked at Varis and said, "We'll trade you the boy for the card."</p><p></p><p>Varis glared at him.</p><p></p><p>"Just joking." </p><p></p><p>From Varis' skull familiar came the cackle of evil YasnaBrinna. </p><p></p><p>Ryltar offered to trade Lady Andaisin's scythe for the card. </p><p></p><p>Vandomar said, "This card holds great magic. That is not a fair trade. I don't suppose you have any of these cards...?"</p><p></p><p>They bluffed. "No!"</p><p></p><p>"Ah. That's a shame. Mine is the card of Ruin. It makes men weak."</p><p></p><p>Hartaniel asked if Vandomar had talked to anyone with other cards. Vandomar said he hadn't talked to anyone in quite a while. They asked him how long it had been since he'd talked to someone.</p><p></p><p>Vandomar said, "Oh, a few weeks, I suppose. Not since...", suddenly, Vandomar began to remember. He bent over and held his head. He shouted, "No!" as a glimpse of his dead beloved flashed in his mind' eye.</p><p></p><p>Vandomar regained his composure and asked the heroes to stay, and to close the door. He began to chant and form the base of a new magical block of ice...</p><p></p><p>As Vandomar worked, the heroes whispered to each other. They needed the card. </p><p></p><p>Ryltar drew his scythe. He called out to Vandomar, "We need that card."</p><p></p><p>Vandomar turned toward them. "I'm sorry, you can't have it. You don't need anything any more. You're staying with me."</p><p></p><p>Scarlet said, "We need it to save the goddess Mari!"</p><p></p><p>Ryltar said, "You're sorry that you can't give it to us, and I'm sorry that we have to take it by force."</p><p></p><p>The heroes attacked!</p><p></p><p>Varis could sense his card from the deck playing off of the energy of the card in the ice. The other card activated, rather than his! A glowing image of Ruin appeared on the floor near the ice. Varis held his card and focused. He was able to channel his mastery of arcana, and activated his card. The ruin symbol faded away.</p><p></p><p>Scarlet charged Vandomar. Hartaniel joined her.</p><p></p><p>The four frozen mummies rose up and attacked the heroes. Vandomar struck Scarlet with his frozen staff, sending her hurtling ten feet back and freezing her feet where she stood.</p><p></p><p>Varis stepped onto the glowing symbol of his Flames card and used its' power, hitting three mummies with a huge gust of flame. The cards' power also scattered them about the room. </p><p></p><p>Hartaniel teleported away from Vandomar to aid his allies fighting the mummies. Vandomar cast a swirling blizzard spell, hitting four of the heroes with jagged ice. A mummy then struck Hartaniel and bloodied him. </p><p></p><p>Varis cast etherial stride, sending himself to a safer area of the room and launched off spells. </p><p></p><p>Ryltar and Scarlet paired off against a mummy, quickly injuring it. Varis finished it off with a spell.</p><p></p><p>Ryltar made his way to Vandomar and slashed at him with his scythe. Vandomar blocked the attack with his frost staff. Vandomar swung back, striking the drow. Ryltar flew across the room.</p><p></p><p>Varis focused his spells on Vandomar, bloodying him.</p><p></p><p>At the sight of his own blood, Vandomar suddenly seemed to realize what he'd become. In the ice blocks, the heroes saw images of Vandomar carrying his dead love back to the tower. Vandomar was overcome with grief and shame. He destroyed himself, and his mummies in a huge swirl of frozen frost.</p><p></p><p>The heroes quietly began chipping away at the small ice block. Scarlet laid claim to the Ruin card.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Netherstorm, post: 5833883, member: 84943"] [b]18. The Wizard's Tower[/b] 2/27/12: [I]Three players couldn't make it, so we had an NPC round out the party. Gardmore Abbey has been really fun so far. [/I] [CENTER][FONT=Arial Black][SIZE=3]Saga of Valor [/SIZE][/FONT] [FONT=Arial Black][SIZE=3]Book One - NyrodSpace War 3[/SIZE][/FONT] [I]Chapter Eighteen: The Wizard's Tower[/I][/CENTER] [B]Hartaniel[/B] - Eladrin Barbarian [B]Ryltar[/B] - Drow Avenger [B]Scarlet[/B] - Human Fighter [B]Varis[/B] - Half-Elf Warlock Sanctioning #: 12-02-3291008 The heroes had decided to sneak into the orc-occupied village to see what they could learn about the abbey. Under cover of night, they crept from building to building. A few orcs were walking the streets, but most were inside the buildings sharpening their weapons or eating. A hill giant walked the streets with a halfling slave riding on its' shoulder. The adventurers wondered what that was all about. The halfling wore nice clothes. Nice, at least, compared to the rags the orcs wore. Two orcs guarded a jail/slave pen. And many orcs gathered in a large building, where a loud conversation was taking place. The heroes decided to investigate the jail. They crept around the back of the small building. Looking in through a barred window, they saw three prisoners. Two of them were heavily-scarred lolthbound goblins. The third was a massive female panda-person, wearing gleaming plate mail that bore the symbol of Io. The panda was staring out of a barred window. Scarlet sidled up next to the wall nearest the window and went, "Psst!". The panda woman looked through the bars at Scarlet, her eyes wide. Scarlet whispered, "We're trying to figure out what's going on." The panda-woman said, "Who - who are you?" "We're adventurers from Olwynn. We just got here." The panda-woman whispered back, "I see. A few weeks ago, the red dragon and his army attacked Gardmore Abbey, which was the home of myself and my fellow paladins of Io. During the siege, something ...magical.... happened and now everything is in chaos." "What kind of magical thing?", Scarlet asked. "I'm not sure. Can you get to Dragon's Roost? It's one of the buildings up on the central hill." Scarlet looked up to the top of the hill, where four buildings stood. Under the light of the moon and the world of Dracos, it looked to be a dangerous journey. The panda-woman continued, "I know a ritual. If you can bring me to the Roost, I can conduct the ritual and purge the darkness from this place. My name is Xiangmao." Scarlet said, "I think we can make that happen. We're looking for something..." The two lolthbound goblins in the pen with Xiangmao began to get curious. Xiangmao glared at them, and made like she wasn't talking to anyone. The goblins went back to picking their scabs. Scarlet whispered to Xiangmao, "We're looking for the Deck of Many Things. We hear that it's scattered throughout the abbey." "Is that what was used?" Xiangmao thought for a moment. "The leader of the Draedsmasher orcs is named Bakrosh. They say he has acquired magical powers recently. Perhaps the powers are connected to the deck. It is said he can kill someone just by pointing at them!" Scarlet said, "By the Gods! Thank you for telling us." "This village, just a few weeks ago, was where all of we paladins of Io lived. Mekkalath, the red dragon, has our blood on his hands. It is said that the dragon has gems bound in his hide. It is also said that he has a sister who lairs somewhere near here as well." "Good relations with his sister, or bad?" "As far as I know... good." Things just kept sounding grimmer. Scarlet crept toward her hidden allies to discuss what to do. As they talked, Varis' skull familiar sprung to life. The spirit of his YasnaBrinna, his drow matron, was trapped inside. She said of Xiangmao, "Just leave her! She's inconsequential. Just like the boy!" They ignored her. Ryltar turned invisible and crept around to the front of the pen. He carefully took a key ring from the belt of one of the orc guards. Then Varis launched off a spell at a far building. As the orcs gasped and cautiously investigated he resultant fire across the street, the heroes quickly opened the door and freed Xiangmao. The lolthbound goblins tried to escape too, but Scarlet shut the door on them. The goblins, angry, began to shout. The orcs turned at the sound of the shouting goblins, and saw the heroes freeing their prisoner. They let out a blood-curdling cry and gave chase. The heroes ran, and were able to lose the orcs. They climbed the ivy covered wall and made their way to the reliquary, where they'd fought the barlgura and the mad wraiths. As they walked to it, Xiangmao said, "You entered the Reliquary? Bad things happened there. Is the brazier of silver fire inside?" "Yes." She rubbed her chin thoughtfully. "From what I understand, some of the paladins tried to protect it - but they failed." Varis said, "They were turned into ghosts." Xiangmao grew silent. They entered the reliquary. Xiangmao said, "This is a good place for us. The orcs are afraid to come here. Did you use Vandomar's ritual to open the doors?" The heroes hadn't. A wraith had mentioned Vandomar's name to them, but the heroes ended up triggering the door's protective wards when they forced their way inside. Scarlet asked, "Who is Vandomar?" "He is a wizard." "I guess that explains why it blew up on us." "He lives in a tower not far from here." The heroes looked through the reliquary's arrow slits as she pointed it out. The tower stood at the opposite edge of the orc vilage. Xiangmao said mournfully, "Poor Vandomar. He was in love with Elaida, a paladin. He spent all his time creating magical wards and protections to keep her safe. But they weren't enough. She died during the siege. I think he went mad." Scarlet thought for a moment. "Maybe we should visit there..." At the very least, a wizard's tower was a likely place to find cards from the Deck of Many Things. Varis looked up at Xiangmao and asked, "Why are you the only one still alive?" Mao's face darkened. "As a panda-person, the orcs take great pleasure in torturing me." Out of an arrow slit, they saw a flying creature approaching the reliquary. It looked to be a pelican. A portly imp was riding on it, chewing on something. It was PaunchCrammer, the imp of Zanestra Shadowborn who was bad at being evil. They opened the doors and let him in. "Hi, guys!", he said cheerfully. PaunchCrammer had completed his mission in Sigil, and had been deposited in a southern Ghoul kingdom. He'd befriended a pelican and was making his way back to Olwynn. He was wearing a tabard and waving a pennant, both of which bore the likeness of the Lady of Pain. He looked at Xiangmao and said, "Wow lady, you look terrible! Here, have a dretch steak! This magic plate keeps it warm!". He handed her the food. She began to eat it. Ryltar had heard of dretches. They were foul, potbellied demons. PaunchCrammer had a gift for Varis and the heroes. It was a glowing cube the size of a fist. "It's a Cube of Dimensional Vision. I stole it off a dead guy. If you look into it, you can see some kind of other dimension. Go ahead and try it! I saw one where I was skinny." Varis looked into it, and saw a vision of himself in the city of Starbed fighting alongside the Grey Maidens (the elite soldiers from the city of Korvosa). When the battle was over, a grey maiden took off her helmet. Her face was scarred horribly. Varis also noticed that his alternate self had a bird familiar, rather than a skull. Ryltar looked into it. He saw a vision of the city of Olwynn under drow rule. Ryltar was tied to a post and was being whipped by a drow priestess using a fang whip. Ryltar saw that his alternate self was wearing an eyepatch. Ryltar said, "This is really horrible." Scarlet looked in, and saw a vision of herself. She was wearing pink armor, and she had flowers in her hair. Aurora the unicorn-person was with her, and Varis was there handing her a bouquet. All three of them began skipping joyfully through a field. "It's broken", Scarlet said. She tossed it back to Varis. Hartaniel looked into it. He saw himself wearing a white shirt. He was standing in a sunny field. All of the Draedsmasher orcs were near, patting him on the back. Varis was there too. He looked up at Hartaniel in admiration. His familiar was not a skull, but a cherub. The cherub said in his baby voice, "Hey Hartaniel, let's go on another adventure! It will be fun and we'll wearn things about wife!" Scarlet fluttered her eyes at him and said, "You're so handsome." She was wearing pink armor. On her breastplate was a heart. Ryltar arrived on the scene holding a basket of puppies. Hartaniel looked away from the cube. He said, "Wow Scarlet, you should wear this pink armor. It's kind of hot." Scarlet growled, "That is terrible." Hartaniel puffed his chest out a bit. He believed that the vision he saw in the cube was going to come to pass. Scarlet asked to see one of the magic plates that were keeping the dretch steaks warm. PaunchCrammer handed one to her and told her to keep it. Scarlet smiled, thinking the magic plate could have value. Xiangmao had no weapon. They handed her one of the three swords that the statues had been holding in the reliquary. Once our heroes were done messing with the cube, they decided to go check out the wizard's tower. The orcs were hunting for the heroes, so they took a long way around to get to the tower. The wizard's tower brooded above the murky fog of Gardmore Abbey like a gray giant. The only sounds were the raucous calls of the ravens roosting on its' spire. The tower doors leaned off their hinges, the old wood charred and splintered, yet also frosted with rime. Two dragon-headed statues stood to either side of the doorway, streaked with the droppings of the ravens. Ryltar realized the the statues were actually alive! They were gargoyles! And their claws were bloody. But the gargoyles were standing almost perfectly still. Xiangmao went in to the tower first. The chill interior of the tower glowed with a flickering radiance. Faint tongues of fire glided along sections of the stone floor and walls, crossing paths with webs of silver lightning that sparked and vanished; puddles of water formed, then suddenly hardened into ice - which melted into stinking pools of acid. The light of the shifting elements illuminated a large fallen obelisk at the center of the entry chamber. A bloodstained sheet covered the stone. The rounded shape beneath the sheath the sheet suggested it draped a large, recumbent humanoid form. Atop the covered body rested a rolled scroll. Scattered about the room were the gory remains of at least a dozen orcs. The heroes cautiously entered the room. They didn't know it, but certain areas of the room were infected with warped magic. They stepped into one such area, and it let off a massive explosion of cold energy. The heroes took a moment to regain their senses. Varis studied the warp as best he could. They wondered what was under the sheet on the obelisk. Scarlet used her ten foot pole to try and obtain the scroll without disturbing the thing it rested on. Unfortunately, her hands were not steady, and she poked the thing. It turned out that under the tarp was the body of a ten foot tall flesh golem, topped with the head of a beautiful woman! The giant beast threw off the cloth, stood on the obelisk and roared in rage. Xiangmao shrieked. The golem's head was the head of her fellow paladin, Elaida. Hartaniel slashed at the golem's legs, sending it crashing off the obelisk and into a bookshelf. Varis' card power kicked in. He used it to send a sheet of flame at the golem. The golem yelled in terror as it burned and got as far away from Varis as it could. The golem seemed to fear fire. It ended up staggering into another area of warped magic. A warped magical explosion went off. Scarlet approached the thing. It raised its' fists and pummeled her, knocking her unconscious. Back beyond the door, the gargoyles sprung into action. Xiangmao blocked the door way, and battled both of them while the rest of the adventurers struggled against the golem. Ryltar uttered a prayer to the Raven Queen and cut deep into the golem ([I]a critical[/I]). Then he offered another prayer and healed Scarlet's wounds. The warrior came to and dragged herself onto the obelisk to give herself a moment to regain her bearings.. Varis circled the room and fired off spells at the golem. The boy stepped into another area of warped magic and was caught in a fiery explosion. The golem struck Hartaniel as he ran over to Varis to pour a healing potion down his throat. Ryltar distracted the golem with a cloud of ravens, blinding the abomination. From within the cloud, Ryltar slashed into the golem with his scythe. Varis staggered to his feet and saw that the golem hated fire. So he cast infernal blessing, a spell that transformed Hartaniel into burning skeleton. Hartaniel's blade was sheathed in eldritch flame! Hartaniel charged and plunging his fire sword into the golem. The golem shrieked and flailed its' arms wildly. Ryltar backed away and stepped right into another field of warped magic. His body was wracked with lightning. The lightning almost hit the golem, and the heroes could see that the lightning seemed like it would energize the golem somehow. Varis hit the golem with a lure of minauros spell. The golem lunged in response, ready to go on a rampage, but Scarlet swatted it back. Hartaniel, as a burning skeleton, let out a war cry and cut the thing again with his fiery blade. Ryltar cast a radiant shackles spell, which finally finished the golem. The adventurers ran over to the doorway, where the bloodied Xiangmao was still battling both gargoyles. The heroes joined the fight and made quick work of the monsters. It had been a fierce battle and they needed sleep. They decided to rest right in this room, warped magic and all. Xiangmao said, "I wonder what happened to Vandomar. I can't believe this abomination was once beautiful Elaida." "Looks like Vandomar is nuts now", Scarlet said. They talked about whether the wizard's tower was safe to rest in. Xiangmao said, "The orcs are interested in this tower, and the watchtower to the south." She pointed out the door to a tower connected to the wall at the southernmost point of the abbey. "Lately, however, they've been obsessed with the watchtower." Ryltar looked at the orc corpses, all slain by the golem and the gargoyles. They decided to go ahead and rest. As they settled in and set a watch, they heard a loud crash come from the orc village. They looked out of the doorway, and saw a big red dragon swoop down out of the sky. It had gems encrusted in its' hide. The gems glowed and left trails of light behind it as it moved. The dragon yelled something in a booming voice and breathed fire down on the orcs. Then, it flew off. The orcs screamed, panicked and tried to put out the fires. The adventurers rested. The sun came up, and they were ready to go upstairs. At the top of the steps were doors that seemed to be frozen shut. Scarlet took out her crowbar and began chipping away. Then Hartaniel bashed the doors open... A freezing gust swept over the stairs. Inside the room stood four long tables that held the frosty, mummified remains of four humanoids. Square blocks of ice lined the walls, each trapping the frozen form of some preserved creature. A humanoid thing in white robes emblazoned with the draconic symbol of Io stooped over one of the tables. Its' withered face was pale blue, and dozens of tiny icicles hung from its' beard. Whenever it moved, its' body crackled as layers of frost broke and froze again. The creature looked up as the door opened. "Visitors at last!" it said. It's words formed no steam in the bitter air. "Let us remember this moment forever. Xiangmao asked, "Vandomar, is that you?" The icy wizard looked at her curiously. "Do I know you?" She looked around at the creatures frozen in the ice blocks. She shrieked as she recognized one of the creatures - Warren Alvis, a fellow paladin of Io. Xiangmao looked at the heroes and said, "We must free him!". Vandomar laughed and asked, "Why would you do that?" Scarlet muttered, "Oh, great..." Vandomar smiled and said, "It's so nice to have visitors. You can stay as long as you like. Please, tell me what you've been up to." Ryltar said, "You do realize the abbey has fallen to orcs and a dragon...?" An icicle broke off and fell from the wizard's beard. "Really? A dragon? How exciting!" Scarlet said, "Yes. A big, old, fire-breathing dragon." She put emphasis on the "fire-breathing" part. They asked Vandomar if he'd like to leave. "No, that's all right. I'm fine right here. I have quite a collection!" "Why are you collecting?", Hartaniel asked. Varis looked around and said, "I think it's nice in here. A bit cold for my tastes.." Vandomar said, "Call me an eccentirc wizard if you must. They're going nowhere. I'll keep them forever. None of them are ever going anywhere." Scarlet whispered to her allies, "Don't say that girl's name. Don't say it." He was referring to Elaida, who Vandomar had loved and then stuck her head on a flesh golem. Ryltar said, "We're looking for cards." Vandomar lit up. "Oh, like the one I have there in the far corner, in the block of ice?". Indeed, there was a card from the Deck of Many Things in the ice. It was the Ruin card. "It's magic, you know". "We need it, actually..." Scarlet said. Hartaniel smiled, looked at Varis and said, "We'll trade you the boy for the card." Varis glared at him. "Just joking." From Varis' skull familiar came the cackle of evil YasnaBrinna. Ryltar offered to trade Lady Andaisin's scythe for the card. Vandomar said, "This card holds great magic. That is not a fair trade. I don't suppose you have any of these cards...?" They bluffed. "No!" "Ah. That's a shame. Mine is the card of Ruin. It makes men weak." Hartaniel asked if Vandomar had talked to anyone with other cards. Vandomar said he hadn't talked to anyone in quite a while. They asked him how long it had been since he'd talked to someone. Vandomar said, "Oh, a few weeks, I suppose. Not since...", suddenly, Vandomar began to remember. He bent over and held his head. He shouted, "No!" as a glimpse of his dead beloved flashed in his mind' eye. Vandomar regained his composure and asked the heroes to stay, and to close the door. He began to chant and form the base of a new magical block of ice... As Vandomar worked, the heroes whispered to each other. They needed the card. Ryltar drew his scythe. He called out to Vandomar, "We need that card." Vandomar turned toward them. "I'm sorry, you can't have it. You don't need anything any more. You're staying with me." Scarlet said, "We need it to save the goddess Mari!" Ryltar said, "You're sorry that you can't give it to us, and I'm sorry that we have to take it by force." The heroes attacked! Varis could sense his card from the deck playing off of the energy of the card in the ice. The other card activated, rather than his! A glowing image of Ruin appeared on the floor near the ice. Varis held his card and focused. He was able to channel his mastery of arcana, and activated his card. The ruin symbol faded away. Scarlet charged Vandomar. Hartaniel joined her. The four frozen mummies rose up and attacked the heroes. Vandomar struck Scarlet with his frozen staff, sending her hurtling ten feet back and freezing her feet where she stood. Varis stepped onto the glowing symbol of his Flames card and used its' power, hitting three mummies with a huge gust of flame. The cards' power also scattered them about the room. Hartaniel teleported away from Vandomar to aid his allies fighting the mummies. Vandomar cast a swirling blizzard spell, hitting four of the heroes with jagged ice. A mummy then struck Hartaniel and bloodied him. Varis cast etherial stride, sending himself to a safer area of the room and launched off spells. Ryltar and Scarlet paired off against a mummy, quickly injuring it. Varis finished it off with a spell. Ryltar made his way to Vandomar and slashed at him with his scythe. Vandomar blocked the attack with his frost staff. Vandomar swung back, striking the drow. Ryltar flew across the room. Varis focused his spells on Vandomar, bloodying him. At the sight of his own blood, Vandomar suddenly seemed to realize what he'd become. In the ice blocks, the heroes saw images of Vandomar carrying his dead love back to the tower. Vandomar was overcome with grief and shame. He destroyed himself, and his mummies in a huge swirl of frozen frost. The heroes quietly began chipping away at the small ice block. Scarlet laid claim to the Ruin card. [/QUOTE]
Insert quotes…
Verification
Post reply
Community
Playing the Game
Story Hour
(4e) Saga of Valor
Top