Consequences of the Quill (Restored 5/13/06)

[LordVyreth]

And now for the next character; the party's "new guy," Tonaca:

Name: Tonaca
Cleric 15/Hierophant 1/Master of Radiance 5 Experience: 252,727
Aasimar Neutral Good Diety: Unknown Next: 253,000
Size: Medium Gender: Male

Stats, current:
Str 12 (18) +1 (+4)
Dex 10 (16) +0 (+3)
Con 17 (23) +3 (+6)
Int 14 +2
Wis 23 (29) +6 (+9)
Cha 23 +6

Init: +4 (Feat)
Speed: 40 ft
AC: 36 (10 +12 Armor +5 Shield, +1 Dex, +3 Deflection, +5 Natural, touch 14, flat-footed 35
BAB: +13/8/3
Melee: +17/12/7
Ranged: +13/8/3

Fort Save: +25 (+15 class +4 resistance +6 Con)
Reflex Save: +10 (+6 class +4 resistance)
Will Save: +28 (+15 class +4 resistance +9 Wis)

Weapons:
+1 Corrosive Morning Star, +22/17/12, Damage 1d8+5+1d6 acid, crit range 20/x2

+1 Light Crossbow, +14, Damage 1d8+1, crit range 19-20/x2

Armor:
+4 Full Plate, +12 AC Bonus, Heavy Armor, Max Dex +1, Check Penalty -5, 35% Arcane Spell Failure, Speed 20 ft., Weight 50 lbs.

+4 Heavy Steel Shield, +6 AC Bonus, Check Penalty -1, 15% Arcane Spell Failure, Weight 15 lbs.

Skills:
Concentration 24 R +6 Con, +30
Diplomacy 24 R +6 Cha, +30
Knowledge (Afterlife) 6 R +2 Int, +8
Knowledge (Religion) 24 R +2 Int, +26
Knowledge (Nature) 23 R +2 Int, +25
Spellcraft 24 R +2 Int, +26
Spot 5 R + 9 Wisdom +2 Misc, +16

Feats:
Nymph’s Kiss
Divine Spontaneity (plant)
Rapid Spell
Extra Turning
Divine Spontaneity (sun)
Disciple of the Sun
Favored of the Companions
Extra Domain (moon)

Items:

Morning Star +4 (primary weapon)
Corrosive Morning Star +1
Reloading Light Crossbow +1
Full Plate +4
Heavy Fortification Heavy Steel Shield +3 (primary shield)
Ghost Touch Heavy Steel Shield +5
Amulet of Natural Armor +5
Ring of Protection +3
Bracers of Constitution +6
Belt of Strength +6
Gloves of Dexterity +6
Ghost Touch Cloak of Charisma +6
Eyeglasses of Targetting (grants +5 to hit bonus)
Quiver of Ehlonna
Hewards’s Handy haversack
Boots of Striding and Springing
Crystal Bath w/ See Invisibility
6’ x 9’ Carpet of Flying
6th Level Pearl of Power
Ring of Virtuous Good (Intelligent, Intelligence 19, Wisdom 19, Charisma 10, speech, telepathy, 120’ darkvision, blindense, grants improved uncanny dodge, See Invisibility at will, grants Improved Initiative, Detect Magic at will, Stoneskin 2/day, Haste 3/day, Heal 1/day
Wand of Cure light Wounds
True Holy Symbol (+2 to turning check)
Greater Holy Symbol (empowers turn checks)
Tome of Understanding +5 (used)
Tome of Leadership and Influence +5 (used)
Manual of Bodily Health +5 (used)
Tome of Clear Thought +4 (used)

Special Attacks
Spells
Turning Undead
Radiant Aura 3/day
Spell-Like Abilities (Searing Light, Daylight, Sunlight)
Domains (Sun, Plant, Moon)

Special Qualities:
Darkness 60 ft.
Resistance 5 to Acid, Cold and Electricity
Aura of Good

Like Robin, feel free to point out any mistakes I made on the character sheet. Because they entered the game so late, Tonaca/Azat and Tiana's players had the advantage of making epic or near-epic characters from scratch. In addition, the two have a lot of extra materials to work with and tend to organize their characters via computer, so they have a lot of possible choices. As a result, it's likely that I missed or didn't understand a few things about the characters.

 

[Axegrrl]

"Fluffy" was his raptor, right? ... Or did you mean the gigantic wolf from the last mission? That's too powerful to technically count as an animal companion. It's more a "friendly NPC" than a class feature at this point.

Nope, I meant Fluffy as in the gigantic wolf.
Robin has been basically operating without any animal companion as long as I can remember.

And now for the next character; the party's "new guy," Tonaca:

> Init: +4 (Feat)
Should be +7 to take the dex into account.

Items:
> Crystal Bath w/ See Invisibility
??? I think he's got something else that lets him see invisible stuff.

> Special Qualities:
> Darkness 60 ft.
I belive it's darkvision 60'. From Master of Radiance.

> Tonaca/Azat and Tiana's players had the advantage of making epic or near-epic characters from scratch.
Not as much of an advantage as you might think. We had *never* played anything in 3e above about 8th level, so we were pretty much guessing what would work when we created these characters. I know I would've done Tiana slightly differently, and Azat would've been more focused.

> the two have a lot of extra materials to work with
Muahahahahaha. That's what happens when gamer marries gamer. Besides, I like to collect books, and he likes to GM, so he's always looking for ideas (and additional books).

I'll see if I can get Tonaca's player to take a look at this listing later.

 

[LordVyreth]

Nope, I meant Fluffy as in the gigantic wolf.
Robin has been basically operating without any animal companion as long as I can remember.


> Init: +4 (Feat)
Should be +7 to take the dex into account.

Items:
> Crystal Bath w/ See Invisibility
??? I think he's got something else that lets him see invisible stuff.

> Special Qualities:
> Darkness 60 ft.
I belive it's darkvision 60'. From Master of Radiance.

> Tonaca/Azat and Tiana's players had the advantage of making epic or near-epic characters from scratch.
Not as much of an advantage as you might think. We had *never* played anything in 3e above about 8th level, so we were pretty much guessing what would work when we created these characters. I know I would've done Tiana slightly differently, and Azat would've been more focused.

> the two have a lot of extra materials to work with
Muahahahahaha. That's what happens when gamer marries gamer. Besides, I like to collect books, and he likes to GM, so he's always looking for ideas (and additional books).

I'll see if I can get Tonaca's player to take a look at this listing later.

Well, the death of Robin's last animal companion was in the adventure right before you started the game. I don't think he's bothered to really expand on his new one at all since then, which makes some sense. At that level, the animal companion of a multi-classed ranger is little help unless they're bedecked in a lot of magical items.

Hmm, looks like there's some revisions needed. I agree the Init is off, and the Darkvision and Crystal Baths were typos (the latter should be a crystal ball.) I also should check on the saves again; I couldn't find the resistance bonus mentioned among the equipment. And I noticed his new morning star late in the write up, but I didn't replace the current information in the attack list to account for it. I'm still not positive on the AC, though I did revise that one a few times from what it was originally stated to be after going over feats and equipment. I would appreciate it if you let Tonaca's player (Axegrrl's husband, for those of you just arriving) about this, so he can make sure everything's accurate.

 

[LordVyreth]

Just letting everyone know that yes, I'm still alive. We ran into some delays for the game, so we're still on hiatus. I hope to get things started again next Thursday, but not promises until we can confirm everyone's schedule. In the meantime, I was hoping to add Tiana's information this weekend, but there are some confusing parts I wanted clarified beforehand. Expect something some time this week, hopefully.

 

[LordVyreth]

Okay, I have some bad news and some good news. The bad news is that the group and I discussed it, and we basically decided to discontinue the game. Losing one of our long-term players was rough, and to be honest, the combination of an epic level party and online role playing just wasn't working for us. The inability to finish a fight for 3 months was a good sign that the enthusiasm wasn't there.

The good news is that I WILL finish this story hour. I got permission from the group to write up the last few adventures while they provide me with some information about their characters' plans. Expect the final portion of the moon storyline this weekend, and then regular updates every weekend or two for the last few adventures. After that, I might start a new campaign w/ either this group or an IRL one I'm in with some of the current players plus others. I'll try to do a Story Hour for that as well, and this time I'll be able to actually start it before I have a 2 year backlog!

 

[LordVyreth]

The Final Countdown: 10, 9, 8...

In a matter of moments, the entire lower level of the cavern was filled with a teeming ocean of undead. Fortunately, none of them appeared to be especially intelligent or powerful, so the party was safe from them for now. However, the upper level was not without its own dangers. A pair of undead monsters made up of hundreds of skeletons and shaped like giant dogs charged in from the side corridors. At the same time, undead worms made up of pure evil called nightcrawlers burrowed into the cavern from the middle of the central bridge, and an incorporeal undead with a deadly voice floated through the cavern’s roof. As the undead attacked the party from all sides, an invisible and plain-looking man appeared in the far corner of the room. No smile formed on the man’s face, but he was as happy as he could be by nature. At last, the preparations he made for his master’s enemies since they last met at Dragovigis’ statue would come to fruition. Unlike that last time, however, this time he would not just observe the party’s movements. He would take action. He was to be the Affliction that his new Mistress Bas has called him. He began his campaign against the party simply, at least from his perspective. As if from nothing, a strange projectile weapon emerged out of his hand. While the party dealt with the chaos of the undead attack, he fired this strange gun at any heroes who showed a momentary weakness.

Despite being invisible, Tiana and Tal’s familiar Violet noticed their strange attacker, and the others quickly caught on when they were suddenly pelted with strange bolts of metal that left spiraling light trails as they fired. However, no one in the party decided to attack this strange new enemy until they could deal with the more immediate concern of the undead. Tiana quickly destroyed the screaming undead (called a deathshrieker,) but not before it could unleash a terrifying wail at the party. Most of the party shrugged it off with minimal injuries, but the scream deafened Robin. Meanwhile, Bath destroyed one of the undead dogs known as charnel hounds. Tal, Danae, Robin, and Tonaca assisted and helped to soften up the other three undead in preparation for their eventual destruction.

However, before the other enemies could be defeated, phase two of Affliction’s insidious plan began. From the middle of the room, three more reinforcements arrived. Tal, who saw Tal through his familiar’s eyes but couldn’t place him before, gasped as he realized who his enemy must be. All three of their new foes were old, escaped enemies from the party’s old battles. One was the mezzoloth that became the only survivor of Bas’ forces from their Semi-Planar Rift excursion. The second was the spellcasting sheen that escaped from the Dragovigis statue that once held the very bomb the party was trying to protect! Tal fumed when he saw the sheen, for he remembered that his friend Joddark the dwarven Avatar of Magic was killed and used to create the sheen. Finally, for the third time in their career, the night hag druid who fought the party both at the statue and the party’s raid, years ago, on the Fortress of Vengeance to kill Kulstra.

Their new enemies wasted no time in enacting their vengeance. The sheen couldn’t act immediately, as it was likely the source of the teleport the reinforcements used, but the others had no limits. The mezzoloth released a cloud of deadly gas into the melee. It had no effect on the undead, but while its effect was largely negated by the two prismatic spheres, it still caught many of the frontline fighters like Robin. Meanwhile, Molidmare, the night hag druid, attempted to transform Tiana, but her spell faltered against the cunning rogue’s powerful will.

As the fight raged on, Tiana slew one of the nightcrawlers, and Robin killed the other. This left only the last charnel hound for the undead, but the allies of Affliction continued to make their presence known. The mezzoloth teleported right next to Tal, who was trying to avoid the melee in the corner, while the sheen released a spray of prismatic energy at the front line and Molidmare used a greater dispel magic to strip away at least some of the party’s magical protections. As for Affliction himself, he stopped firing his rail gun shortly after his allies arrived. Instead, he watched the actions of one of the party’s most cautious and effective members; Danae. In this battle like many of her recent ones, she hid behind a prismatic sphere (the same one used to protect the bomb,) and constantly would step out to cast a spell and then back in again before she could be attack. The next time she tried this trick, however, Affliction was ready. He suddenly replaced his gun attachment with a strange new device, which he used to project a prismatic wall of his own between Danae and her protective sphere. Suddenly without her most powerful protection, Danae decided to cancel her own attack and instead used her shapeshifting magical powers to transfer into a mithril golem. After all, she reasoned (in a rare mistake,) that as a golem, she would be immune to their strange new enemy’s magic. Soon she would learn just how mistaken she was.

OOC Notes: This represents the last update containing actual campaign information. The next update, to hopefully be released next weekend, will be the first one that’s more or less fictional. The fight up to this point, which is about halfway to the bomb’s detonation, took up almost three game sessions, so the realization that this perhaps wasn’t working any more is somewhat understandable.

 

[LordVyreth]

The Final Countdown: ...3, 2, 1

Even though the bomb the party had to protect now was without its most stalwart defender, the party still had to worry more about the more immediate attackers. Tiana tumbled behind the remaining undead, the surviving Charnel Hound, to strike at its vulnerable spiritual cores while Tonaca fired at the monstrosity using his divine magic. However, Tal was in a far less secure position against his attacker. He was no fighter, and the mezzoloth was enraged and eager to settle the score with the party to make up for its past defeat. Fortunately, assistance came in the form of Bath, who was as eager to fight against fiends as always. Tal quickly backed away while looking for new opponents. Once he remembered what the Arcanosheen was and represented, his objective was clear. “Violet, guide me!” he yelled while he summoned his most powerful magic to use against the unseen attacker.

Meanwhile, Robin was briefly at a loss for an opponent, but it didn’t take long for that dilemma to solve itself. Molidmare the nighthag saw that the hapless ranger was alone, exposed, and damaged extensively already, and she smiled grimly. “You were there!” she snarled as she leapt at her longtime foe with blade and magic at her call.

Despite this, the tide was beginning to turn. Bath was hewing into the Yugoloth with predictably effective results, and Tal was successfully disintegrating massive holes in the sheen’s torso. However, Affliction was unconcerned, nor did he intervene in these battles. Instead, he closed on Danae while another strange device emerged from his shapeshifting body. Danae’s confidence at the defenses of her new golem form quickly vanished as Affliction effortlessly fired a series of four flaming meteoric spheres at her. All struck her easily and for maximum effect, nearly killing the unfortunate wizard in one attack! However, though she could barely remain conscious, Danae was still more than capable of retribution. She took the form of the largest dragon she could and, while reveling in the newfound health the dragon’s mighty form gave her, she breathed a blast of pure force at their strange enemy. The blast caught Affliction by surprised, and it appeared that it obliterated him completely!

A cautiously optimistic Danae wondered out loud, “Did it kill him?”

However, the sharp-eye Tiana shook her head. “No, there’s…something there. It’s like a swarm of insects, but much tinier.” She looked to Robin for confirmation, and in between arrows, he nodded grimly.

Before the party could react, the swarm managed to escape through a crack in the floor. It was just as well, because most of the party was far more concerned with Affliction’s servants. The Charnel Hound was finally dispatched by Tiana, and Bath had similar success in finally destroying the hated mezzoloth. Just as the bomb’s timer reached 30, Tal brought down his opponent as well with one final volley of magical missiles. Was the fight to destroy the moon truly almost over?

Sadly, mere moments later, the next stage of Affliction’s plan began. Out of tunnels located on the roof, four more fiendish enemies entered the conflict. All of them were Swift Prides about the size of the one that helped guard the foyer of Legion’s lair, but these were much better prepared. Each one silently began a magical spell in quick succession, but the four spells were directed not at the party, but at the prismatic sphere protecting the bomb. First, a cone of cold struck the sphere, shattering its red layer. It was followed with a gust of wind, a green disintegrating ray, and a spell that forced an opening in almost any surface. The attacks were perfectly designed to destroy the orange, yellow, and green layers of the sphere, leaving it with only three layers left!

It was clear what Afflication’s forces were planning, and the party did what they could to stop it. While Tonaca healed Danae and Robin’s many wounds, Bath stepped in to intercede on Robin’s behalf in his fight against Molidmare. This freed the ranger up to lead the attack against the Swift Prides. A half dozen arrows flew at the nearest Pride in a matter of seconds, followed immediately by magic from Tal and Danae (who was able to return to her sphere when Affliction’s wall disappeared when he did.) Even Tiana flew up to the nearest of the bat-like fiends. However, the four attackers combined could only bring down one of the bats, which was just one too few. The three surviving bats ignored their compatriot’s death and their more direct enemies and simply continued their assault on the sphere. A magic missile volley, followed by a spell simulating the light of day and a simple Dispel Magic, destroyed the sphere utterly!

Only eighteen seconds were left before the bomb was ready to detonate, but the final stage of Affliction’s was ready to begin. First, holes suddenly appeared in the wall next to the bomb as more allies of Affliction joined the battle. These appeared to be mere cultists, and it was likely that none of them could do a thing to Danae, let alone disarm the bomb with her there. However, they had a less direct role in this final plan. The first one was seemingly responsible for the creation of the passwall spell the cultists used to the enter the room, and a second was cut down by Danae when it tried to close with he bomb, but the third survived long enough to cast a single spell: anti-magic field. Suddenly, Danae was forced back into her inherent form and all of her magical protections were stripped away! At the same time, Affliction teleported inside the effect of the field and was seemingly unaffected by the lack of magic. “Let’s see how strong you are without your anachronisms!” he boldly told the party as he strode towards the bomb.

It was immediately obvious to party what must be done. Even if it means staying until the bomb was about to detonate, they had to keep Affliction from the bomb using whatever it took. Danae, lacking both the power of her spells and the ability to shapechange into a more effective attacker, simply blocked the way towards the bomb with her body. At the same time, Bath, who was just about to deal the killing blow to Molidmare, turned and charged the strange and evil enemy leader. Molidmare realized that any role she had in this fight was over and was about to escape from the fight for a third time when four arrows suddenly pierced her torso. Dying, she turned to the source of the arrows to see a grim Robin. “Time for you to join your sister,” he said simply.

Inside the anti-magic field, the fight wasn’t going well. Stripped of her magical enhanced strange and the powers of her sword, Bath could do little to the surprisingly powerful skin of Affliction. Affliction, on the hand, had little difficulty in attacking the angel now that she lacked both the defenses of her armor and her angelic ability to resist damage from all but the most evil of sources. Drawing two swords out of seemingly nowhere, he cut Danae down in three mere attacks and nearly defeated Bath as well!

“Bath! Get Danae out of there!” Tonaca shouted as he brought down his own prismatic sphere to give the party access to the teleportation circle they would soon need.

Bath hesitated but realized she had to save her friend or both of them would likely be killed. She reluctantly dragged the dying wizard out of harm’s way. Affliction continued his work on the bomb but was distracted by a sneak attack by Tiana. The blade found its target, but to Tiana’s amazement the blade struck no organs nor did it create a bleeding wound. Instead, the hole created a strange blurring, indistinctive gap in Affliction’s body, and Tiana realized that the swarm that survived Danae’s breath attack was actually the sole component of Affliction’s body. He was made of nothing but countless tiny mechanical insects! Affliction wasted no time to knock the rogue unconscious before continuing his work. If he was capable of expressing emotion, however, he would be worried now. Half of the enemy party was taken out of commission and the others could do little to him inside the field, but he had little time left to disarm the bomb.

10…Robin tried to fire at Affliction, but he was surrounded by the Swift Prides and had to flee to avoid being ripped to shreds.

9…Tonaca entered the field as well, but as soon as he saw Affliction raise his sword, he realized he could do little to affect the enemy here either. He reluctantly prepared to take Tiana to the safety of the teleportation circle.

8…Affliction, without any further distractions, had nearly completed disarming the bomb. If he succeeded, he would certainly take the bomb with him, and in a matter of minutes, Methosilang would be no more!

7…Though much of the party was defeated or unable to fight, one still could act. He was certainly no match for Affliction without his magic, but Tal was still, at least partially, a dragon now. He would fight his opponent with whatever he could.

6…Tal charged at the distracted Affliction and tackled him from behind!

5…Affliction struggled against his new opponent, but easily turned the tide on the sorcerer.

4…Affliction managed to wrestle Tal off, but as he turned to the bomb, he realized it was too late. To his analytical mind, there was no doubt or uncertainty, and thus he was positive he had failed. But he would not let this be a total failure.

3…Reshaping his weapon to one of perfect sharpness, Affliction used the last moments before the bomb went off to strike at Tal one time. The attack was perfect. It went right through Tal, decapitating him with one cut!

2…Time was short and victory was achieved. Tonaca and Bath left through the circle, taking the unconscious Danae and Tiana with them. Robin was ready to leave as well, but he would not go alone. Moving as quickly as possible, he flew in to grab the body of one of his oldest friends.

1…With as much of Tal as he could gather, Robin desperately dove towards the circle, mere moments ahead of detonation and a vengeful Affliction.

0. The party witnessed the death of the dark moon, one of their world’s greatest threats to life itself, from the vantage of a nearby hillside on the planet’s surface. At first, only a few lines of light shot through the moon, damaging but not destroying it, and for a moment they were afraid that the bomb had failed. However, as the seconds passed, more and more lights escaped to the edges of the moon and beyond, until the whole thing was enveloped in a blinding sphere; a short-lived but powerful micro-sun. Only a few loose rocks survived the blast, and most of them burned up as they tumbled into the atmosphere and rained upon the earth. It was a hard battle, and one with many sacrifices, but with luck none of them will be permanent, and now perhaps nothing stood between the party and Bas.

Meanwhile, as the lights emerged from the MIDAS bomb, Affliction watched without emotion. The cultists that survived the fight were almost certainly doomed to death now, and the surviving three Swift Prides had only slightly better odds. In fact, one was caught and immediately destroyed by the first beams of light, but none of this mattered to Affliction. If he was unlucky enough to be destroyed before he could escape, so be it, but if he was to survive, his servitude was not and never would be finished. Bas would have another purpose for him, and Affliction suspected that this last purpose would be his last and most important task.

Tal, meanwhile, spent several days in the hall of Facetous. His god was of course not present, for he was still busy maintaining and protecting Dragovigis, but Tal was nonetheless content to live with his dragon brethren and learn more about his heritage. However, he soon felt a calling from his home plane and he realized his friends were trying to get him back. He was reluctant, but he knew his spirit would never be truly at peace until he finished his task at home. Besides, his time away from the realm of mortals had given him some insight he had to share with his friends. He suddenly awoke in his repaired body, but it was apparently immediately that it was quite as he left it. As his friends gasped at his change and asked if he was okay, he surveyed his body. Apparently more of the Dragon’s realm went with him than just his spirit, for he found that his body was now finally a complete half-dragon!

OOC Notes: There’s no way to know what the party would have done in this final part of the battle, but Affliction’s plans were identical to the original adventure. The Swift Prides were going to arrive mid-fight to attack the party or destroy any prismatic spheres they had to, and the cultists were going to create an anti-magic field for Affliction with just enough time for Affliction to use it to go after the bomb. I was a little disappointed that I couldn’t see how the party would handle the anti-magic field and an incredibly powerful enemy who lost none of his power in it, but so it goes.

 

[LordVyreth]

Tying Up Loose Ends: The Final Crisis

“Tal!” an excited Danae yelled. “You made it! We were worried you would have stayed in the afterlife!”

Though he barely recovered from his return to the life, not to mention his new form, Tal managed a smile. “And miss out on seeing our adventure’s end? Never. Besides, I learned something in Facetous’ realm that could help you.” As he said it, though, Tal began to struggle. He still remembered his time away from his body, but it was getting vague as if he just woke up after having a vivid dream. “It was something that could…endanger us and the city. And I think it involved an old enemy of ours. It was definitely somebody or a group of people hostile to us.”

Tiana frowned. “Are you sure it wasn’t just Bas?”

“I don’t think so, but…maybe,” Tal conceded.

After Tal’s triumphant reunion with the party, preparations for the final battle began once again. Even so, things just felt different. There were the usual results of a great victory, from the parades and commendations from the Staels to another shopping spree at Union, but the feeling of optimism and hope outlasted the normal thrill of victory. It was obvious what had changed: the moons, the greatest daily threat to the citizens of Methosilang and surface life in general and a constant symbol of the power and oppression of the Puppet and the Head That Rules the Claw, were destroyed. Dawn, true dawn, had come, and soon the plants and animals would begin to adapt to life on the surface again. One day, even the Long Waste might be fertile. It was ironic that all of this was done in the name and by the hand of their greatest enemy, but they couldn’t deny that her actions had a benefit to all of them.

Even so, as the party assisted Methosilang in its final preparations for war, the party noticed some unsettling things. There was the war itself of course, and all the deaths and destruction it entailed, but that wasn’t unusual. Far more disturbing were subtle signs that the desperate unity between the many races that made Methosilang possible was starting to fray. The typically surface dwelling races like humans and elves were understandably eager to form new communities where the sunlight would be far more frequent, but often their plans for the future were sprinkled with comments like “I can’t wait to finally get some distance from the drow,” and, “What role should the half-orcs form in our community?” Already, some of the noble houses were squabbling over which ones would get what lands, and all of them were pondering how their new colonies would be influenced by Methosilang. Some were even considering having no direct relation to Methosilang, and though no one would dare suggest it openly, there were even signs that these potential new kingdoms would have plans for Delaspie and Methosilang that weren’t peaceful.

Despite all this, the plans for war were more or less secure and went according to plans. The days turned into weeks, and soon only seven days stood between the party and what could be their final battle together. But Bas had been making plans for those weeks as well, and she had one last plan to achieve victory without the need for open warfare…

It was evening, and a real evening as it always could be from now on, when the party again received an urgent message to return home from their excursions on this plane and elsewhere. The situation they returned to was a panic almost as bad as the one they witnessed when the moons were about to fall. In some ways, it was worse because of the optimism and relief following the moons’ destructions contrasted with the fear.

“What’s wrong?" Danae began to ask, but as she did, Tal finally remembered that this scene was foretold to him in the afterlife. He quickly led the party to the surface and then turned and pointed to the west. As the party turned, all could see the threat. It was a danger far smaller than a moon, but no less deadly.

“Is that…Fierypyre?” a shocked Robin asked.

“Yes,” Tal sadly replied. Indeed, the entire capital of the orc empire, built inside the miles-long hollow shell of a dragon construct, was slowly but steadily flying straight at Methosilang!

“But that’s crazy! Fierypyre is incapable of moving for more than a few hours. Just the act of getting up would ruin half the city, and the entire body is tearing itself apart. The Head That Rules the Claw is purposefully destroying his entire empire just to attack us!” Danae stammered.

“He’s not the one responsible for this. Somehow, Bas has taken control of Fierypyre,” Bath said, as she suddenly realized the full extent of what was happening.

“I know about this,” Tal insisted. “The dragons, including Fierypyre, don’t follow The Head That Rules the Claw willingly! Somehow, he managed to enslave Fierypyre using some sort of magical artifact, and then used the dragon to force other dragons to swear their allegiance to him, thus binding them to the artifact as well. If Bas was able to gain access to that artifact, she could control Fierypyre and potentially the entire dragon army as well! Though if she’s just sending Fierypyre at us like this, I suspect she doesn’t plan on keeping control for long, or she just doesn’t think she could.”

“But if we destroyed that artifact, we’d not only stop Fierypyre’s attack, we could put an end to the orc empire’s greatest source of power!” Robin excitedly added.

Tonaca gravely noted, “Well, that’s not just idle speculation at this point. If we can’t find this artifact and destroy it or at least keep it out of Bas’ control, Methosilang is doomed. There’s not even enough time to evacuate it!”

“Well, finding it won’t be a problem,” Tal explained. “It not only is used to control Fierypyre and the others, it serves as Fierypyre’s life force. It is the mystical heart of the beast, so we can locate it where a dragon’s heart can normally be found.”

After just a few minutes of preparation, the party was ready for battle, and they quickly teleported to the top of Fierypyre’s head. They had made the usual preparations to enter the city in disguise, but as soon as they entered, it was apparent that it wasn’t necessary. Much of the city was deserted or in chaos, and the few combatants they saw were busy maintaining order. As they neared the center of the city where the heart was kept, however, the signs of combat were more frequent. There were the occasional bodies of Bas cultists and ashes that were likely the remains of Bas’ outsider minions, but they were far outnumbered by dead humanoid and giant guards. Surprisingly, there were few dragons among the bodies. What was wore horrifying were the state of some of the bodies. Most of the giants and humanoids were killed by the standard wounds of battle, but some of the humanoids, and nearly all the orcs, were completely brutalized. Whoever was leading this fight, he clearly had some kind of hatred of orcs.

As the party traveled into the building that physically contained the heart, the casualties were more numerous, but the ratio of bodies from city’s defenders compared to the Bas forces only increased. As they neared the building’s center, the party was lucky enough to find a survivor of the massacre: a wounded kobold. It initially was afraid of the party, but some healing and diplomacy from Tal (whose dragon nature was calming to the reptilian creature,) it tried to explain what happened.

“The attacker overwhelmed us! We stood no chance!” It chirped out.

“Where are the city’s dragon defenders? Did the invaders kill them all?” Tal asked.

“No, they’re not even here. Right before the attack, we learned of a strange and massive dragon was attacking our farms. It somehow ignored the call of Fierypyre and Ka’Dry’Log, and it breathed invisible death.”

Tal looked to the party and shared a grim but knowing nod. This was almost certainly the force dragon that Bas has requested frequent aid from in exchange for her children.

“What of your master, the Head That Rules the Claw?” Robin asked.

“Ka’Dry’Log was on his way to assist the fight when we were attacked. He might be here soon, but I don’t know if we have that time…”

“What kinds of creatures are in this attack?”

“There are Bas cultists and fiends of all kinds, but the leaders of the attack are the most dangerous. I was lucky they didn’t get to me, or I certainly would be dead. There are two leaders. The first looks like a half-dragon, much like you, but its body glowed with a blinding light. When it attacked, living snakes of energy burst out of its skin to strike at us. The other was even worse. He was of fiendish blood, but he also had ancestry of a mortal elf. He wore a strange mask, like a clown or jester, and he rode on a demonic dragon. He didn’t just want to kill us, or at least kill our orc masters. He killed them with such hatred and ferocity; I know he wanted them to suffer as they died.”

The party let the kobold flee as they continued their journey. As they neared the center, a few bands of lesser demons and cultists were guarding the path, but none posed a threat to the party at this point. The heroes showed little concern for them either, for the leaders sounded like they were far more worthy of their attention. Neither sounded specifically like anyone they knew, but both were vaguely familiar.

At last, the party came to artifact’s chamber at the very heart of Fierypyre. At the far corner of the room, on a raised dais, was the Slave Circlet. Once worn by Fierypyre when it was still a mortal dragon, it had since been embedded in a massive and magical diamond. It normally was bathed in a pillar of light located on an altar at the center of the dais, but it now was held by the masked figure the kobold warned the party about. Between him and the party was a massive red dragon. It was likely a great wyrm; the largest and oldest age a dragon can normally reach. However, it was now cowering on the floor, apparently forced from retaliating against the invaders now that the jester held the Circlet. In the corner, the second leader of the enemies was resting and apparently healing its wounds. When they saw him, Robin and Tal gasped, for they recognized their enemy. “Grockith!” they shouted.

Tal was the first to recover and ask some further questions. “But how? The last time we saw you, you were in a coma. TIE told us your very soul was gone!”

Grockith merely stood glaring at the party, but the jester responded. “I’m afraid our mutual friend here is long past the point of communication. I, however, can answer your question. Apparently Grockith was so full of rage at what his world had become during his endless sleep that neither his body nor his oath as a paladin could hold him to this world. However, his enraged soul, trapped between two times, was found by a being who, like TIE, was not from our dimension. It let him turn his rage and hatred into a weapon and his cast-off body into an invincible font of endless power. But he was still just a living weapon with no motivation or direction before my goddess found him. She just needed to wait for the right time to use this weapon. But I’m disappointed you recognized him, but not me. I was so looking forward to meeting my friends.”

The shock of meeting an old friend as an enemy was quickly sundered by these words. “Who are you, then?” Tal asked with a hint of disbelief. “I can think of very few friends who would willingly work with Bas. Why are you doing this? What are you doing here, exactly?”

The jester took off his mask and smiled. There, reborn as a half-fiend, was Rudyard. “Oh, I’m just hunting orcs.”

OOC Notes: The idea for bringing back Rudyard actually came to me from writing these old story hours. The final resolution of the dragon issue, however, was more necessary. Though the war against the undead largely removed the orcs as an actual empire, they still commanded a number of dragons and the Fierypyre as a weapon remained a possibility that someone was bound to exploit. Besides, it ties up the power of the two initial empires and the party’s plans to get help from Dragovigis nicely.

 

[LordVyreth]

Tying Up Loose Ends: Flight to New Horizons

“Rudyard? But you were killed! And by the Lady of Blood!” Tal exclaimed with shock.

“So what? They were also the ones who brought me back, and stronger than ever! They went to the very depths of the abyss for my soul!”

“The depths of the abyss? Why would you go there? We thought you were with your goddess!”

“No, our so-called saviors rejected me! My hatred of orcs was apparently too much for their tolerance. They were supposed to be our protectors, our guardians in the war against the orc empire, yet they would turn away me for hating our enemy! Such gods deserve no worship, not from me nor from you! But look at all the good that Bas has done! The moons are destroyed, the undead legions have scattered, and now the orc empire is in ruins! This is a wondrous day for this world and its new ruler! If you join me, we can rule under a new, more worthy guardian!”

“Your worthy guardian is about to destroy our homes.” Robin snarled.

Rudyard shrugged. “A necessary loss. The destruction today of Methosilang will be horrifying, but the losses will still be minor compared to the total war you’re planning. With your defenses shattered, Bas can achieve her rightful dominance with little difficulty.”

The conversation was brought to an abrupt end, however, by the belated arrival of a furious Head That Rules the Claw. The orc/golem emperor was beside himself with fury. “What have you done? You ruined thousands of years of work in a matter of hours! I’ll feast on your blood for this!”

Grockith was the first to respond to this threat and charged the enraged emperor. As they fought, the party quickly turned on Rudyard. “I will never join you or your evil goddess.” Tal said. “Methosilang is my home.”

But Rudyard only laughed at this. “Please. My goddess has told me all about you and your kind. You have no homes! You trespass on this world at the behalf of Lady Memory, for reasons you don’t even comprehend! You have no value here, nor any reason to defend any place. Why do you waste your time?”

Tal shook his head. “Maybe I wasn’t meant for this world. I don’t think any of us know. But my reasons to defend this place are my own. I care about my friends and family back at home, no matter how I obtained them. And I won’t let them be destroyed or oppressed by anyone!

Robin joined his friend. “I have as much reason to hate orcs as you do. They were the ones who killed my family and left me alone until Shedell saved me. But I won’t let hatred dominate my life!”

As the rest of the heroes converged on Rudyard, the fiend-tainted ranger shrugged. “Suit yourself,” he said. “I’ll see you all burn!” He briefly concentrated on the Slave Circlet, and the cowed red dragon in the center of the room suddenly looked up with murder in its eyes!

“I’ll keep it busy!” Bath shouted. “You destroy the circlet!” She quickly charged the dragon to attract its attention. Almost immediately, the dragon and angel were a storm of teeth, claws, and blades. Tiana and Tonaca carefully approached Rudyard from each side while Tal, Danae, and Robin took to the corners of the room and fired at him from a distance.

As soon as the party converged on him, however, Rudyard quickly grabbed the Circlet, stored it on his dragon mount, and took to the air. While laughing cruelly, he charged straight into Tonaca, and both he and his mount began to rip into the unfortunate cleric. As he attacked, however, he was ambushed from behind by Tiana.

“Um, maybe I could use a little help…” Bath started, and as the party turned, they saw she had been grappled in the dragon’s claws. To their horror, they saw that the dragon was trying to escape with their friend! Robin quickly activated his wings of flight and took off after the flying dragon, while Tal and Danae provided cover fire from a distance.

Meanwhile, the fight between Grockith and Ka’Dry’Log continued, but it appeared to be a stalemate. Ka’Dry’Log was powerful enough to resist most of the damage from Grockith’s surreal energy attacks, but absolutely nothing that the orc emperor did to Grockith had any real effect. Even the mightiest strikes from his battle axe barely gave Grockith a cut. Finally, Ka’Dry’Log snarled and began a tactical retreat, with the Rage-possessed half-dragon chasing after him.

Back at the main battle, things were improving for our heroes. A lucky spell by Danae caused Rudyard’s mount to drop dead, and the rest of the party quickly surrounded Rudyard. But Rudyard would not accept a death at the hands of his enemies. “Grockith, return!” he shouted down the hallway to his partner. “Bas will have further need of you.” Rudyard then smiled at his former friends, smiled, and happily plunged his own sword into his chest. “At least I died as I wanted this time,” he croaked out with his last breath. “Causing the deaths of my true enemies…”

The party wasted no time in destroying the Circlet, and the instant they did so, the room began to rumble and break apart. Quickly they retreated down the hallway in search of their missing friends, only to be shocked at what was waiting for them. Robin and Bath stood over the slain red dragon, but surrounding them were dozens, if not hundreds, of other dragons. The party froze, anticipating a death so quick that they wouldn’t even have time to teleport to safety! Instead, the largest of the dragons, a blue almost as large as the slain red, simply said, “Thank you.” It looked around the dragon/city of Fierypyre, and then added, “Our master thinks the same. It was finally time he rested.” With that, it and the entire flight flew out of the crumbling dragon/city.

The party wasted no time in getting back home. Once again, there were the usual feasts, but Tal in particular had far bigger things on their mind. They didn’t know what happened to the Head That Rules the Claw, or more accurately Ruled the Claw, but it no longer really mattered. His empire was gone, and his dragon servants had scattered to parts unknown. With them gone, Dragovigis will finally be able to enter the war!

OOC Notes: This adventure was actually probably going to be skipped, had the campaign continued. We were pretty ready to reach a definitive conclusion, as the campaign’s actual end suggested. Nonetheless, I felt that this part of the story had to be told. The next adventure is the final war, the first part of the true end of the campaign.

 

[LordVyreth]

Sorry about the long time between updates. The next recap is a big one; I think there will only be 4-5 updates left total before the end of the game. I hope to get the next one out by the middle of the week or so, and then updating again every week or two until the story's conclusion.