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: 5841833" data-attributes="member: 84943"><p><strong>Attack of the Tyrantclaw</strong></p><p></p><p><em>3/5/12: I ran a special game tonight, where the players played alternate universe versions of their characters and went through the new lair assault.</em></p><p></p><p></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 Nineteen: Attack of the Tyrantclaw</em></p><p></p><p></p><p><strong>Hairtanielle</strong> - Vryloka Vampire</p><p><strong>Ryltar</strong> - Drow Shaman</p><p><strong>Shade Firestrife</strong> - Nightmare-person Fire Elementalist</p><p><strong>The Red Monk</strong> - Half-Orc Monk</p><p><strong>The Scarlet Crane</strong> - Human Runepriest</p><p><strong>Varis</strong> - Half-Elf Air Elementalist</p><p></p><p>Sanctioning #: 12-03-3298944</p><p></p><p>Our heroes were in Gardmore Abbey, where the cards of the Deck of Many Things had been scattered. They'd found the Ruin Card, and had returned to the garrison to rest for a bit.</p><p></p><p>As they ate and replaced their bandages, they took out the dimensional cube and peered into it, watching events play out in an alternate universe....</p><p></p><p>In this dimension, the drow attack on Olwynn was firmly rebuffed by the gods. And so our heroes were sent to another world in NyrodSpace where the drow had gained a foothold. It was the world of Reldain, home to jungles, the grandchild of Demogorgon... and the magical Isle of Dread (this is the world that the Savage Tide campaign took place on).</p><p></p><p>These heroes were helping the people of the city of Sasserine look for ways to defeat the drow. They'd heard about something on the Isle of Dread that could help - a powerful, magical obelisk.</p><p></p><p>These adventurers were reflections of our heroes in Gardmore Abbey. They were the same person, but also different.</p><p></p><p>Hairtanielle was an evil female vampire. And unlike her counterpart, Hartaniel, she had not been enslaved by orcs. She talked in a scratchy voice and wielded the soul-sucking sword, Blackrazor!</p><p></p><p>Ryltar was still a drow, but had been sent to live with friendly elves on his world. He never was forced to work with the evil drow necromancers, and had a sunnier disposition.</p><p></p><p>Shade Firestrife was the polar opposite of the unicorn-lady, Aurora Brightbolt. Shade was a nightmare-lady (a black horse/woman with fiery eyes and hooves and a low-cut top). She followed the Nightmare Code, which had only one tenet: "F*ck You."</p><p></p><p>The Red Monk was quite similar to The Blue Monk, except that he had fire-based powers. He was from the desert, and worshiped a strange fire god.</p><p></p><p>The Scarlet Crane looked like our Scarlet, but she was not a bandit. The Scarlet Crane donated most any money she attained and was quite generous.</p><p></p><p>Varis was never a slave of drow at all. His parents raised him. Instead of a skull familiar, he had a little fairy godmother who gave him compliments all the time. The Varis of this realm was a nice young boy.</p><p></p><p>Together, these adventurers rode a ship called The Shameful Plunderer. Captain Duncan B. Skullf*cker made sure the heroes reached the isle safely.</p><p></p><p>They had been contracted to protect an intrepid druid named Hyacinth. It was a little odd working for a dryad, but the pay was good, and she assured the heroes that their help was essential to the mission.</p><p></p><p>Hyacinth needed their help reaching a powerful obelisk in the jungle. She had said that she needed their protection while she performed a ritual at the obelisk, which would lay bare the secrets of the powerful transformation magic that the island's natives once used. The only hitch: The island was home to a host of terrible creatures, including dinosaurs and a tribe of orcs known as the Tyrantclaw.</p><p></p><p>Hyacinth had provided the heroes with a selection of resources:</p><p></p><p>- Two magic crossbow turrets that fired at enemies on their own</p><p>- One light ballista</p><p>- A few small crates</p><p></p><p>After an hour of carving a path through the dense jungle, they came to a clearing where the scattered ruins of Tanaroa laid. Nearby stood a 50 foot high wall built of stone blocks. The towers of the wall, along with the rest of the village, were long abandoned. In the center of the wall once stood a pair of massive gates, long since destroyed.</p><p></p><p>After they hauled their gear into the ruins of Tanaroa, Hyacinth was ready to begin the ritual. She explained that after she had begun to perform it, she would be entranced and vulnerable to attack.</p><p></p><p>Around them, the air was thick with humidity and the smell of plant life. Aside from the vegetation, all they could see was a few ruined huts and some pools of bubbling tar.</p><p></p><p>The heroes set up one magical turret on a 50 foot high battlement. The other was placed near the obelisk and Hyacinth. The light ballista was placed on the far side of the obelisk.</p><p></p><p>Nearby, Shade stacked one box on top of another. She climbed up and perched on them. From there, she could fire spells at her enemies, but her enemies would have a hard time reaching her.</p><p></p><p>Hyacinth placed herself before the black obelisk, which had a golden glyph on each face. There, she conjured vines to hold herself in place and began the ritual.</p><p></p><p>Nothing happened for a few minutes. The jungle was silent. Then, as she neared completion of the ritual, they saw shadows moving in the jungle, and they heard the crash of movement all around them. It was the orcs of the Tyrantclaw tribe!</p><p></p><p>The ground beneath them began to rumble and shake. "I need only a few more seconds," Hyacinth whispered in her entranced state. "Protect me."</p><p></p><p>(<em>Lair Assaults are special mega-encounters that are supposed to be deadly. My job as DM is to try to kill the PCs. Their goal in this lair assault is to keep Hyacinth alive.</em>)</p><p></p><p>12 orcs emerged from the jungle to the north! The orcs were ready to kill everyone. Ryltar summoned his hawk made of twigs and leaves. Shade fired off an elemental blast that killed two approaching orcs. Scarlet Crane fired off a ballista bolt, which sunk into an orc, bloodying it.</p><p></p><p>The orcs roared and charged. The Red Monk, Scarlet and Hartanielle took the brunt of the attack. The Monk killed one with a fire blast. Hairtenielle grabbed one, and plunged her fangs into the orc's neck. She greedily drank his blood as the orc withered and faded. It was dead in moments.</p><p></p><p>Hairtanielle shouted in her gravelly voice, "The left flank is clear!"</p><p></p><p>Varis cast a lightning spell that killed four more.</p><p></p><p>Scarlet Crane called out, "With our combined strength, we'll get through this! Good job, everyone!"</p><p></p><p>A magical turret fired a beam of yellow light that killed the bloodied orc. The heroes were ready to finish off the few remaining orcs.... when more enemies arrived from the east! It was an orc and three triceratopses!</p><p></p><p>Shade launched off firebolts at the approaching dinosaurs, and then used her magic to raise the ground beneath Hyacinth, stretching her vines and growing a column of stone beneath her. When the stone ceased ascending, the druid was standing on it 20 feet up, safely out of reach of the enemies. The druid remained in her trancelike state, drawing magic from the obelisk... the ground continued to rumble...</p><p></p><p>The dinosaurs charged under the command of a maul-wielding Tyrantclaw orc. One rumbled toward Ryltar and gored the drow. Another charged the stack of crates that Shade was perched on. Its' white horns shattered the boxes, causing Shade to fall to the ground behind them.</p><p></p><p>An orc ran over to the newly created pillar that Hyacinth stood upon. It grabbed a vine, intent on climbing up and killing Hyacinth! The Red Monk ran over and beat the orc to death before it could do so.</p><p></p><p>The Monk wondered why the orcs were so intent on killing Hyacinth. The obelisk apparently had great power, and the Tyrantclaws didn't want it to be disturbed. But the druid's ritual was almost complete! The heroes would find out its' magical effect soon enough...</p><p></p><p>Hairtanielle looked seductively at an orc and beckoned to it. The orc wasn't interested.</p><p></p><p>Varis fired off more lightning, striking and bloodying two triceratopses.</p><p></p><p>And then from the jungle to the west, came even more enemies! An orc spellcaster led three more dinosaurs - ankylosaurs, with huge spiked tails!</p><p></p><p>Varis continued to cast lightning spells. Under Ryltar's direction, the boy killed a triceratops.</p><p></p><p>Varis' little fairy sidekick said, "Wonderful! Wonderful shot! You're such a special little boy! You should thank your friend!"</p><p></p><p>Varis looked over to Ryltar and yelled, "Thank you, friend!".</p><p></p><p>Ryltar cheerfully called back, "You're so welcome, child of nature!"</p><p></p><p>Scarlet Crane said, "It is nice to work together, isn't it? It's good to give of yourself to others"</p><p></p><p>Hairtanielle rolled her eyes and said, "I only wanna help myself!"</p><p></p><p>Shade the nightmare-person was sickened by this discussion. She yelled out, "I hope you all get gored!"</p><p></p><p>Scarlet tsk-tsked, "That's hardly the spirit we're looking for!"</p><p></p><p>Shade muttered, "Maybe I'll just teleport away, come back later, and take all the magic items from your dead bodies."</p><p></p><p>Shade stood up, used a fallen box as cover, and launched off a fire bolt that killed another triceratops. She then turned and killed another.</p><p></p><p>An ankylosaur lumbered its' way toward Hairtanielle and struck her with its' spiked tail. Hairtanielle backed away, manned the ballista, and fired a bolt into the dinosaur.</p><p></p><p>And then even more villains arrived. Another orc spellcaster was accompanied by two orc reavers. And up in the sky were three more enemies - pterodactyls! Their hoarse cries betrayed their presence. While Hyacinth was safe from most of the enemies on the ground, she was a prime target for the pterodactyls!</p><p></p><p>Shade began launching fire spells at them while Ryltar turned invisible and directed her shots.</p><p></p><p>A pterodactyl swooped down and snatched up Varis in its' claws. It began to fly the boy toward a small tar pit.</p><p></p><p>An ankylosaur swatted The Red Monk, who was on the west side of the obelisk and isolated from his allies. He was battling an orc and two ankylosaurs alone. The new arrivals were close to him as well.</p><p></p><p>On the other side of the obelisk, Hairtanielle sucked the life out of another orc (<em>two orc minions had somehow lasted four rounds into this battle!</em>). Hairtanielle then turned into a screeching bat.</p><p></p><p>The ground began to rumble as Hyacinth opened her eyes: "I can't control it!" Her words were almost lost as the rumbling grew to an all-out earthquake. With a groan, the ground split open, revealing vast pools of boiling tar.</p><p></p><p>An explosion from the obelisk sent a wave of cold, white light outward, knocking everyone back. Hyacinth's body began to contort and expand - the stone pillar she'd been standing on crumbled utterly. The vines that held her in place split and fell away as she grew larger and larger, until standing before everyone was an enormous creature with razor-sharp teeth and powerfully large legs. It was a tyrannosaurus rex! It reared its' giant head high into the sky as it let out a bone-chilling roar.</p><p></p><p>(<em>The objective of the lair assault had changed. Their mission was now to defeat the t.rex! They had to subdue it, not kill it. In addition, the sides of the map were now buried in massive tar pools</em>)</p><p></p><p>The pterodactyl holding Varis was now above a massive tar pool. The dinosaur released the boy, who cast a quick spell in the air to give him the power of flight for a few seconds. He altered his course and flew to an "island" in the tar which held one of the ruined huts.</p><p></p><p>Shade was on the island as well. Her boxes floated in the tar, and were quickly burned and destroyed by it.</p><p></p><p>Hyacinth the tyrannosaurus rex did not seem to recognize her companions anymore. Apparently, the reason that the village of Tanaroa was ruined was because all of its' citizens had turned themselves into dinosaurs! And for some reason, they'd allied themselves with the Tyrantclaw orcs.</p><p></p><p>Hyacinth the Tyrannosaurus Rec was angry and driven by an innate urge to kill. The other dinosaurs trembled in fear of her. The orcs watched, and knew in time they could befriend her and so they took great care not to provoke her or harm her. The T. Rex lunged and bit Hairtanielle, giving the vampire a massive bloody wound.</p><p></p><p>A pterodactyl swooped down from the sky and snatched the Red Monk. It began to fly him toward the other massive tar pit on the western side of the obelisk.</p><p></p><p>The Red Monk singed its' claws, causing it to drop him. He plunged 20 feet, and landed on the ground with a thud. Blood trailed out of his head. The Red Monk would soon die. His friends would not make it over in time to save him.</p><p></p><p>Varis was in trouble on the island. The pterodactyl who had snatched him up once already did so again! Hairtanielle turned into a bat and flew up to help the poor boy. She flew above the pterodactyl, and then turned back into her humanoid form. She dropped down onto the dinosaur and struck it with a powerful blow, sending all three of them hurtling toward the tar pit.</p><p></p><p>Varis, with the aid of his little fairy creature, landed on the island. The pterodactyl and the vampire ended up in the tar (<em>taking 10 fire and ongoing 10 fire, -5 to saves, save ends!</em>).</p><p></p><p>The magical turret fired a beam into an ankylosaur, bloodying it. Already scared, the ankylosaur turned and ran, never to be seen again.</p><p></p><p>Shade took note of this, and bloodied another ankylosaur with a fire spell. It too ran into the jungle. Apparently, the sight of the t. rex and the scent of their own blood were a terrifying combination for the other dinosaurs.</p><p></p><p>Shade then turned and scorched the t. rex with fire (<em>a critical for 43 points of damage</em>). Hyacinth roared in pain and rage. She lashed out at Scarlet nearby, biting her twice. Scarlet fell to the ground, dying.</p><p></p><p>Ryltar uttered arcane words, and magically revived the Scarlet Crane. The t. rex cruelly bit down on her again. The runepriest was near death.</p><p></p><p>In the tar, Hairtanielle waded her way to the island. The pterodactyl let out a shriek. It flew off into the sky, never to be seen again.</p><p></p><p>Hairtanielle, Shade and Varis were all on the island in the tar. There was ten feet of tar separating them from the t.rex, the two orc spellcasters, and two orc reavers. All of the other dinosaurs had fled. Ryltar was on the shore just past the tar battling as best he could.</p><p></p><p>An orc spellcaster leered at the trio on the island. He cast a vengeful whirlwind spell, sending all three of them flying into the tar!</p><p></p><p>The tar again scorched Hairtanielle. She tried to struggle to her feet, but the pain was too great. She sank into the tar, dead.</p><p></p><p>Varis pulled himself onto the island and stumbled into the relative safety of the hut. He was able to brush the tar off before it burned him too badly.</p><p></p><p>The tar didn't hurt Shade at all. She was very resistant to fire (<em>a nightmare-person is a re-flavored tiefling</em>). She teleported up onto the roof of the hut, and she angrily started firing off fire spells at the tyrannosaurus rex. The beast roared as blood began to stream down its' hide.</p><p></p><p>Varis jumped over the tar and used a magic amulet to revive Scarlet. She struggled to her feet and struck the t.rex. The Tyrannosaurus snapped at her again and again, and dropped Scarlet one more time, for good.</p><p></p><p>The orc reavers were battling Ryltar. They hacked into him with their axes. Blood sprayed everywhere. The drow lost consciousness and was dying.</p><p></p><p>Shade covered them, killing a reaver with a fire spell as the orc spellcasters launched lightning bolts back at her.</p><p></p><p>Only Varis and Shade remained. Shade was on the hut. Varis was directly below the t. rex. The dinosaur reached its' head down and bit the boy. He fell down, likely dead.</p><p></p><p>Shade chanted one more spell. The fire exploded into the t. rex's legs. The mighty beast stumbled, hit its' head on the obelisk, and fell unconscious.</p><p></p><p>And then... the image in the dimensional cube faded out. It was not clear if Shade had survived, or if the orcs ran away (<em>The store I ran this in had to close. We were out of time. But the Lair Assault objective had been completed!</em>).</p><p></p><p>The heroes in Gardmore Abbey were rested. It was time for them to figure out where they wanted to search for more cards of The Deck of Many Things.</p><p></p><p>Meanwhile, on a far away world, Anjou Beurre had just stepped through a portal to Lolth's Demonweb Pits. She was determined to hunt down Lolth and kill her once and for all....</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Netherstorm, post: 5841833, member: 84943"] [b]Attack of the Tyrantclaw[/b] [I]3/5/12: I ran a special game tonight, where the players played alternate universe versions of their characters and went through the new lair assault.[/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 Nineteen: Attack of the Tyrantclaw[/I][/CENTER] [B]Hairtanielle[/B] - Vryloka Vampire [B]Ryltar[/B] - Drow Shaman [B]Shade Firestrife[/B] - Nightmare-person Fire Elementalist [B]The Red Monk[/B] - Half-Orc Monk [B]The Scarlet Crane[/B] - Human Runepriest [B]Varis[/B] - Half-Elf Air Elementalist Sanctioning #: 12-03-3298944 Our heroes were in Gardmore Abbey, where the cards of the Deck of Many Things had been scattered. They'd found the Ruin Card, and had returned to the garrison to rest for a bit. As they ate and replaced their bandages, they took out the dimensional cube and peered into it, watching events play out in an alternate universe.... In this dimension, the drow attack on Olwynn was firmly rebuffed by the gods. And so our heroes were sent to another world in NyrodSpace where the drow had gained a foothold. It was the world of Reldain, home to jungles, the grandchild of Demogorgon... and the magical Isle of Dread (this is the world that the Savage Tide campaign took place on). These heroes were helping the people of the city of Sasserine look for ways to defeat the drow. They'd heard about something on the Isle of Dread that could help - a powerful, magical obelisk. These adventurers were reflections of our heroes in Gardmore Abbey. They were the same person, but also different. Hairtanielle was an evil female vampire. And unlike her counterpart, Hartaniel, she had not been enslaved by orcs. She talked in a scratchy voice and wielded the soul-sucking sword, Blackrazor! Ryltar was still a drow, but had been sent to live with friendly elves on his world. He never was forced to work with the evil drow necromancers, and had a sunnier disposition. Shade Firestrife was the polar opposite of the unicorn-lady, Aurora Brightbolt. Shade was a nightmare-lady (a black horse/woman with fiery eyes and hooves and a low-cut top). She followed the Nightmare Code, which had only one tenet: "F*ck You." The Red Monk was quite similar to The Blue Monk, except that he had fire-based powers. He was from the desert, and worshiped a strange fire god. The Scarlet Crane looked like our Scarlet, but she was not a bandit. The Scarlet Crane donated most any money she attained and was quite generous. Varis was never a slave of drow at all. His parents raised him. Instead of a skull familiar, he had a little fairy godmother who gave him compliments all the time. The Varis of this realm was a nice young boy. Together, these adventurers rode a ship called The Shameful Plunderer. Captain Duncan B. Skullf*cker made sure the heroes reached the isle safely. They had been contracted to protect an intrepid druid named Hyacinth. It was a little odd working for a dryad, but the pay was good, and she assured the heroes that their help was essential to the mission. Hyacinth needed their help reaching a powerful obelisk in the jungle. She had said that she needed their protection while she performed a ritual at the obelisk, which would lay bare the secrets of the powerful transformation magic that the island's natives once used. The only hitch: The island was home to a host of terrible creatures, including dinosaurs and a tribe of orcs known as the Tyrantclaw. Hyacinth had provided the heroes with a selection of resources: - Two magic crossbow turrets that fired at enemies on their own - One light ballista - A few small crates After an hour of carving a path through the dense jungle, they came to a clearing where the scattered ruins of Tanaroa laid. Nearby stood a 50 foot high wall built of stone blocks. The towers of the wall, along with the rest of the village, were long abandoned. In the center of the wall once stood a pair of massive gates, long since destroyed. After they hauled their gear into the ruins of Tanaroa, Hyacinth was ready to begin the ritual. She explained that after she had begun to perform it, she would be entranced and vulnerable to attack. Around them, the air was thick with humidity and the smell of plant life. Aside from the vegetation, all they could see was a few ruined huts and some pools of bubbling tar. The heroes set up one magical turret on a 50 foot high battlement. The other was placed near the obelisk and Hyacinth. The light ballista was placed on the far side of the obelisk. Nearby, Shade stacked one box on top of another. She climbed up and perched on them. From there, she could fire spells at her enemies, but her enemies would have a hard time reaching her. Hyacinth placed herself before the black obelisk, which had a golden glyph on each face. There, she conjured vines to hold herself in place and began the ritual. Nothing happened for a few minutes. The jungle was silent. Then, as she neared completion of the ritual, they saw shadows moving in the jungle, and they heard the crash of movement all around them. It was the orcs of the Tyrantclaw tribe! The ground beneath them began to rumble and shake. "I need only a few more seconds," Hyacinth whispered in her entranced state. "Protect me." ([I]Lair Assaults are special mega-encounters that are supposed to be deadly. My job as DM is to try to kill the PCs. Their goal in this lair assault is to keep Hyacinth alive.[/I]) 12 orcs emerged from the jungle to the north! The orcs were ready to kill everyone. Ryltar summoned his hawk made of twigs and leaves. Shade fired off an elemental blast that killed two approaching orcs. Scarlet Crane fired off a ballista bolt, which sunk into an orc, bloodying it. The orcs roared and charged. The Red Monk, Scarlet and Hartanielle took the brunt of the attack. The Monk killed one with a fire blast. Hairtenielle grabbed one, and plunged her fangs into the orc's neck. She greedily drank his blood as the orc withered and faded. It was dead in moments. Hairtanielle shouted in her gravelly voice, "The left flank is clear!" Varis cast a lightning spell that killed four more. Scarlet Crane called out, "With our combined strength, we'll get through this! Good job, everyone!" A magical turret fired a beam of yellow light that killed the bloodied orc. The heroes were ready to finish off the few remaining orcs.... when more enemies arrived from the east! It was an orc and three triceratopses! Shade launched off firebolts at the approaching dinosaurs, and then used her magic to raise the ground beneath Hyacinth, stretching her vines and growing a column of stone beneath her. When the stone ceased ascending, the druid was standing on it 20 feet up, safely out of reach of the enemies. The druid remained in her trancelike state, drawing magic from the obelisk... the ground continued to rumble... The dinosaurs charged under the command of a maul-wielding Tyrantclaw orc. One rumbled toward Ryltar and gored the drow. Another charged the stack of crates that Shade was perched on. Its' white horns shattered the boxes, causing Shade to fall to the ground behind them. An orc ran over to the newly created pillar that Hyacinth stood upon. It grabbed a vine, intent on climbing up and killing Hyacinth! The Red Monk ran over and beat the orc to death before it could do so. The Monk wondered why the orcs were so intent on killing Hyacinth. The obelisk apparently had great power, and the Tyrantclaws didn't want it to be disturbed. But the druid's ritual was almost complete! The heroes would find out its' magical effect soon enough... Hairtanielle looked seductively at an orc and beckoned to it. The orc wasn't interested. Varis fired off more lightning, striking and bloodying two triceratopses. And then from the jungle to the west, came even more enemies! An orc spellcaster led three more dinosaurs - ankylosaurs, with huge spiked tails! Varis continued to cast lightning spells. Under Ryltar's direction, the boy killed a triceratops. Varis' little fairy sidekick said, "Wonderful! Wonderful shot! You're such a special little boy! You should thank your friend!" Varis looked over to Ryltar and yelled, "Thank you, friend!". Ryltar cheerfully called back, "You're so welcome, child of nature!" Scarlet Crane said, "It is nice to work together, isn't it? It's good to give of yourself to others" Hairtanielle rolled her eyes and said, "I only wanna help myself!" Shade the nightmare-person was sickened by this discussion. She yelled out, "I hope you all get gored!" Scarlet tsk-tsked, "That's hardly the spirit we're looking for!" Shade muttered, "Maybe I'll just teleport away, come back later, and take all the magic items from your dead bodies." Shade stood up, used a fallen box as cover, and launched off a fire bolt that killed another triceratops. She then turned and killed another. An ankylosaur lumbered its' way toward Hairtanielle and struck her with its' spiked tail. Hairtanielle backed away, manned the ballista, and fired a bolt into the dinosaur. And then even more villains arrived. Another orc spellcaster was accompanied by two orc reavers. And up in the sky were three more enemies - pterodactyls! Their hoarse cries betrayed their presence. While Hyacinth was safe from most of the enemies on the ground, she was a prime target for the pterodactyls! Shade began launching fire spells at them while Ryltar turned invisible and directed her shots. A pterodactyl swooped down and snatched up Varis in its' claws. It began to fly the boy toward a small tar pit. An ankylosaur swatted The Red Monk, who was on the west side of the obelisk and isolated from his allies. He was battling an orc and two ankylosaurs alone. The new arrivals were close to him as well. On the other side of the obelisk, Hairtanielle sucked the life out of another orc ([I]two orc minions had somehow lasted four rounds into this battle![/I]). Hairtanielle then turned into a screeching bat. The ground began to rumble as Hyacinth opened her eyes: "I can't control it!" Her words were almost lost as the rumbling grew to an all-out earthquake. With a groan, the ground split open, revealing vast pools of boiling tar. An explosion from the obelisk sent a wave of cold, white light outward, knocking everyone back. Hyacinth's body began to contort and expand - the stone pillar she'd been standing on crumbled utterly. The vines that held her in place split and fell away as she grew larger and larger, until standing before everyone was an enormous creature with razor-sharp teeth and powerfully large legs. It was a tyrannosaurus rex! It reared its' giant head high into the sky as it let out a bone-chilling roar. ([I]The objective of the lair assault had changed. Their mission was now to defeat the t.rex! They had to subdue it, not kill it. In addition, the sides of the map were now buried in massive tar pools[/I]) The pterodactyl holding Varis was now above a massive tar pool. The dinosaur released the boy, who cast a quick spell in the air to give him the power of flight for a few seconds. He altered his course and flew to an "island" in the tar which held one of the ruined huts. Shade was on the island as well. Her boxes floated in the tar, and were quickly burned and destroyed by it. Hyacinth the tyrannosaurus rex did not seem to recognize her companions anymore. Apparently, the reason that the village of Tanaroa was ruined was because all of its' citizens had turned themselves into dinosaurs! And for some reason, they'd allied themselves with the Tyrantclaw orcs. Hyacinth the Tyrannosaurus Rec was angry and driven by an innate urge to kill. The other dinosaurs trembled in fear of her. The orcs watched, and knew in time they could befriend her and so they took great care not to provoke her or harm her. The T. Rex lunged and bit Hairtanielle, giving the vampire a massive bloody wound. A pterodactyl swooped down from the sky and snatched the Red Monk. It began to fly him toward the other massive tar pit on the western side of the obelisk. The Red Monk singed its' claws, causing it to drop him. He plunged 20 feet, and landed on the ground with a thud. Blood trailed out of his head. The Red Monk would soon die. His friends would not make it over in time to save him. Varis was in trouble on the island. The pterodactyl who had snatched him up once already did so again! Hairtanielle turned into a bat and flew up to help the poor boy. She flew above the pterodactyl, and then turned back into her humanoid form. She dropped down onto the dinosaur and struck it with a powerful blow, sending all three of them hurtling toward the tar pit. Varis, with the aid of his little fairy creature, landed on the island. The pterodactyl and the vampire ended up in the tar ([I]taking 10 fire and ongoing 10 fire, -5 to saves, save ends![/I]). The magical turret fired a beam into an ankylosaur, bloodying it. Already scared, the ankylosaur turned and ran, never to be seen again. Shade took note of this, and bloodied another ankylosaur with a fire spell. It too ran into the jungle. Apparently, the sight of the t. rex and the scent of their own blood were a terrifying combination for the other dinosaurs. Shade then turned and scorched the t. rex with fire ([I]a critical for 43 points of damage[/I]). Hyacinth roared in pain and rage. She lashed out at Scarlet nearby, biting her twice. Scarlet fell to the ground, dying. Ryltar uttered arcane words, and magically revived the Scarlet Crane. The t. rex cruelly bit down on her again. The runepriest was near death. In the tar, Hairtanielle waded her way to the island. The pterodactyl let out a shriek. It flew off into the sky, never to be seen again. Hairtanielle, Shade and Varis were all on the island in the tar. There was ten feet of tar separating them from the t.rex, the two orc spellcasters, and two orc reavers. All of the other dinosaurs had fled. Ryltar was on the shore just past the tar battling as best he could. An orc spellcaster leered at the trio on the island. He cast a vengeful whirlwind spell, sending all three of them flying into the tar! The tar again scorched Hairtanielle. She tried to struggle to her feet, but the pain was too great. She sank into the tar, dead. Varis pulled himself onto the island and stumbled into the relative safety of the hut. He was able to brush the tar off before it burned him too badly. The tar didn't hurt Shade at all. She was very resistant to fire ([I]a nightmare-person is a re-flavored tiefling[/I]). She teleported up onto the roof of the hut, and she angrily started firing off fire spells at the tyrannosaurus rex. The beast roared as blood began to stream down its' hide. Varis jumped over the tar and used a magic amulet to revive Scarlet. She struggled to her feet and struck the t.rex. The Tyrannosaurus snapped at her again and again, and dropped Scarlet one more time, for good. The orc reavers were battling Ryltar. They hacked into him with their axes. Blood sprayed everywhere. The drow lost consciousness and was dying. Shade covered them, killing a reaver with a fire spell as the orc spellcasters launched lightning bolts back at her. Only Varis and Shade remained. Shade was on the hut. Varis was directly below the t. rex. The dinosaur reached its' head down and bit the boy. He fell down, likely dead. Shade chanted one more spell. The fire exploded into the t. rex's legs. The mighty beast stumbled, hit its' head on the obelisk, and fell unconscious. And then... the image in the dimensional cube faded out. It was not clear if Shade had survived, or if the orcs ran away ([I]The store I ran this in had to close. We were out of time. But the Lair Assault objective had been completed![/I]). The heroes in Gardmore Abbey were rested. It was time for them to figure out where they wanted to search for more cards of The Deck of Many Things. Meanwhile, on a far away world, Anjou Beurre had just stepped through a portal to Lolth's Demonweb Pits. She was determined to hunt down Lolth and kill her once and for all.... [/QUOTE]
Insert quotes…
Verification
Post reply
Community
Playing the Game
Story Hour
(4e) Saga of Valor
Top