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Copperheads: Betrayal and Strange Runes and Burning Dead, oh my (short update 02/12)
- Thread starter arwink
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arwink
Clockwork Golem
Dagrus holds his hands wide, the blackened nails jutting from his spread fingers gleaming in the flickering light of Blarth's sword. Everyone keeps their weapons ready, alert for any sign of ambush.
"Know that it pains me to offer this parley," Dagrus continues. "I am the child of the serpent god, and I have little to fear from Barbarians such as you. I was ancient when your kin were but mewing savages, striking one another with bone and rock..."
"Yeah, we get it," Geoffrey says. "So what?"
"I wish your aid," Dagrus says. His voice is a low hiss, angry at the interuption. "I am trapped here, losst and unable to return home.
"Trapped how?"
"By the leader, my massster." The hiss of irritation when he says the word master sends chills down everyone's spine. "A necrotheologist of great power - he found my true name and bound me to him, forced me into his service."
"So now you betray him?" Blarth asks.
"Now he is dead."
Dagrus smiles widely, his snake-fangs gleaming in the flickering light. Halgo watches the smile carefully, his mind quietly sorting through his knowledge of planeslore. That the creature was bound with its true name means that its soul is truly on this plane, and thus its death will be final should it be necessary. He can feel the whisper-soft touch of another trying to force their way into his thoughts, but he quickly rejects the touch and closes his mind.
The only thing that worries the dwarf is that Dagrus is attempting to negotiate - the knowledge that there is something here that frightens the scaled creature more than the Copperheads or its former master minions.
"How did he die," Halgo asks, stalling for time while he tries to puzzle out the creatures intention.
"He was destroyed by his own greed, his inability to control the power here. With his death I am free, along with his other servants. Only the magic of this place prevents me from returning to my home, traps me on this muddy waste you call reality."
Dagrus hisses, and there is a soft rasp as he flexes his scales. No-one has lowered their weapon yet, and everyone splits their attention between the clawed hands and the sharp fangs. That Dagrus has yet to draw his great Falchion soothes no-ones nerves.
"Then what do you need from us?" Geoffrey asks. "Why betray the others?"
"They mean nothing to me. In my home, they would be less than servants. Here, they are merely prey - sustenance for my masters other pet."
"Pet?" Halgo asks.
"A creature from his homeland," Dagrus says. "A basilisk-lizard, born of stone. My master bound it with magic, but now it runs through these caverns destroying my masters minions, its bestial mind not comprehending its new imprisonment."
"You could slay it?" Geoffrey asks.
Dagrus smiles widely.
"Easily, but I choose not to. It's antics amuse me."
"The wizard still expected you to help," Halgo comments.
"Then he was a fool," Dagrus rumbles. "One who no longer understood that he serves no purpose. I have little interests in retaining his petty magics when the power to open the seal is so close at hand."
Geoffrey thinks on this for a moment, then lets out a grim nod.
"Then what do you offer us in exchange for your freedom?" Geoffrey asks.
Dagrus' eyes widen, as if this question was unexpected. A sly smile comes to his dark lips, and only the tips of a pair of snake-like fangs can be seen. Halgo thinks he can sense a faint undercurrent of nervousness in the creatures demeanor, but its alien nature makes it difficult to be sure.
"I can offer you wealth," Dagrus explains. "Power, aid. You can take your payment in the form of a favor, if you wish - I am a being of great power, and I am more than willing to apply that power of my own free will should you need it. I carry magic crafted from my own world, more potent than your own, and I would give it to you...
"Don't believe it," Halgo says, interupting the cadenced monologue. "It's a demon."
Everyone looks towards the dwarven wizard. Four sets of eyes have raised brows, the fifth is narrowed to dangerous slits.
"Just thought you should know," Halgo says, nodding to Geoffrey. "Cambion. Son of demons, creature of chaos, liars and enemies of Law and all that."
There is a moment of silence as everyone comprehends the information, then realises that delicate negotiations are shattered beyond repair.
"Damn," Dagrus says, his voice dropping to the demon-tongue. Then his sword is drawn and parrying as the first wave of Copperheads strike.
"Know that it pains me to offer this parley," Dagrus continues. "I am the child of the serpent god, and I have little to fear from Barbarians such as you. I was ancient when your kin were but mewing savages, striking one another with bone and rock..."
"Yeah, we get it," Geoffrey says. "So what?"
"I wish your aid," Dagrus says. His voice is a low hiss, angry at the interuption. "I am trapped here, losst and unable to return home.
"Trapped how?"
"By the leader, my massster." The hiss of irritation when he says the word master sends chills down everyone's spine. "A necrotheologist of great power - he found my true name and bound me to him, forced me into his service."
"So now you betray him?" Blarth asks.
"Now he is dead."
Dagrus smiles widely, his snake-fangs gleaming in the flickering light. Halgo watches the smile carefully, his mind quietly sorting through his knowledge of planeslore. That the creature was bound with its true name means that its soul is truly on this plane, and thus its death will be final should it be necessary. He can feel the whisper-soft touch of another trying to force their way into his thoughts, but he quickly rejects the touch and closes his mind.
The only thing that worries the dwarf is that Dagrus is attempting to negotiate - the knowledge that there is something here that frightens the scaled creature more than the Copperheads or its former master minions.
"How did he die," Halgo asks, stalling for time while he tries to puzzle out the creatures intention.
"He was destroyed by his own greed, his inability to control the power here. With his death I am free, along with his other servants. Only the magic of this place prevents me from returning to my home, traps me on this muddy waste you call reality."
Dagrus hisses, and there is a soft rasp as he flexes his scales. No-one has lowered their weapon yet, and everyone splits their attention between the clawed hands and the sharp fangs. That Dagrus has yet to draw his great Falchion soothes no-ones nerves.
"Then what do you need from us?" Geoffrey asks. "Why betray the others?"
"They mean nothing to me. In my home, they would be less than servants. Here, they are merely prey - sustenance for my masters other pet."
"Pet?" Halgo asks.
"A creature from his homeland," Dagrus says. "A basilisk-lizard, born of stone. My master bound it with magic, but now it runs through these caverns destroying my masters minions, its bestial mind not comprehending its new imprisonment."
"You could slay it?" Geoffrey asks.
Dagrus smiles widely.
"Easily, but I choose not to. It's antics amuse me."
"The wizard still expected you to help," Halgo comments.
"Then he was a fool," Dagrus rumbles. "One who no longer understood that he serves no purpose. I have little interests in retaining his petty magics when the power to open the seal is so close at hand."
Geoffrey thinks on this for a moment, then lets out a grim nod.
"Then what do you offer us in exchange for your freedom?" Geoffrey asks.
Dagrus' eyes widen, as if this question was unexpected. A sly smile comes to his dark lips, and only the tips of a pair of snake-like fangs can be seen. Halgo thinks he can sense a faint undercurrent of nervousness in the creatures demeanor, but its alien nature makes it difficult to be sure.
"I can offer you wealth," Dagrus explains. "Power, aid. You can take your payment in the form of a favor, if you wish - I am a being of great power, and I am more than willing to apply that power of my own free will should you need it. I carry magic crafted from my own world, more potent than your own, and I would give it to you...
"Don't believe it," Halgo says, interupting the cadenced monologue. "It's a demon."
Everyone looks towards the dwarven wizard. Four sets of eyes have raised brows, the fifth is narrowed to dangerous slits.
"Just thought you should know," Halgo says, nodding to Geoffrey. "Cambion. Son of demons, creature of chaos, liars and enemies of Law and all that."
There is a moment of silence as everyone comprehends the information, then realises that delicate negotiations are shattered beyond repair.
"Damn," Dagrus says, his voice dropping to the demon-tongue. Then his sword is drawn and parrying as the first wave of Copperheads strike.
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Mathew_Freeman
First Post
Good call! Never negotiate with anyone that's so free with promises of wealth and power in return! Always a bad sign.
arwink
Clockwork Golem
Near as I can tell, we're a little less than halfway through the campaign to date - probably about twelve sessions worth of updates from here to the game we played (For reference, this is halfway through the 9th session).
A period of too much work and too little free time set me back a bit
A period of too much work and too little free time set me back a bit
arwink
Clockwork Golem
Note: I showed up today with the intention of writing another update, then discovered that I didn't really like the way the last update came together, so I re-wrote that to give a feel much more accurate to the way the exchange came accross in the session. Feel free to re-read it if you haven't already.
The Copperheads attack the Cambion like the seasoned veterans they are - Yip bouncing from wall to ceiling before running in to flank the creature from the far wall, Geoffrey and Blarth moving in from the sides to ensure the others have a clear shot with spells and mind-magic.
One of Amarin's crossbow bolts flies towards the beast - not accurate enough to actually hit the creature, but close enough to hitting that everyone would agree it's an improvement on his previous attempts at shooting. Halgo flings an arrow of pure acid that splashes against the creatures chest - faint steam rises as Dagrus' elegant robes are eaten, but the scaled chest seems unaffected.
Geoffrey hammers at the creature with his mace, but Dagrus proves skilled at sword-play and easily parries the clerics blows. Geoffrey pales when he gets a feel for the demon's strength - nearly twice the clerics own and easily a match for Blarth. He offers a silent prayer of thanks that at least one among the group can come close the matching the creature. Yip has more luck, his small paws hammering into the demons shoulders and drawing a snarl of pain.
Then the cambion snatches a brooch from his robe and flings it into the air. Everyone watches as the jewelry elongates and transforms into a giant snake, whipping wildly through the air before landing in the half-orcs arms. Blarth tries to push himself free, but serpentine coils wrap around him in a matter of seconds and he topples to the ground, his sword skittering away as he struggles to keep the serpent from coiling around his throat.
With Blarth down, the flow of the combat shifts a little more to Dagrus' favor. Even the half-orcs might is barely sufficient to fight off the snake, and his thick scales prove effective against the heavy battering of Geoffrey and Yip. Amarin fires again, his crossbow bolt coming close enough to graze the cambion's cheek, and Halgo's mind whirs as he struggles to think of another spell that could affect the creature. Lacking any easy options, he casts a spell on Geoffrey that causes him to grow to the cambion's height, the added weight giving the clerics blows a little more power. Blarth struggles against the snake, trying to get free. He fails.
The cambion levitates to the roof of the chamber, some twenty feet in the air, to get out of Geoffrey's reach. His two-handed blade strikes Yip as the kobold scurries up the wall to follow, and Yip squeaks as he realises the heavy blow has opened a gaping wound in his stomach. One paw is slapped in place to keep the insides inside, the other thuds into the cambions solar plexus in an attempt to stun him.
Dagrus laughs.
The enlarged Geoffrey takes the edge of the laughter, his own slippers of spider-climb letting him climb the wall and strike at the demon. His mace glows with azure energy as he climbs, and he smites Dagrus with all the magically-enhanced strength at his disposal. Dagrus feels ribs shatter, divine energy shredding his very essence, and his smile dims a little. The wound isn't life threatening, but for the first time a flicker of doubt comes accross his face and he realises the mortals can hurt him.
Blarth struggles against the snake, trying to get free. He fails.
Dagrus strikes Geoffrey, denting the cleric's dwarf-forged helm and leaving his ears ringing. Geoffrey strikes back, his blow snaking through the Cambions defenses even as Yip shifts and launches a flurry of paws at Dagrus' exposed back. Amarin fires. His shot is a return to former glories, and it is only Yip's preturnatural reflexes that let him snatch the bolt from mid-air before it continues on its course to rupture the small monk's lungs.
Halgo watches the Cambion's wound close, healing the damage caused by Yip's strikes. He can see the kobold faltering a little as the Cambion hits him again, and he knows that their chances of defeating the beast are slim if he cannot free Blarth. Halgo looks at the brooch-born snake, wondering if he has any spell that would free the entangled half-orc.
Then he remembers the brooch taken from the necromancers corpse below, and things go very badly for Dagrus.
The cambion shrieks as he finds himself trapped by a second serpent, falling to the ground as the coils twine themselves around its limbs. Geoffrey and Yip follow, hammering the prone demon as its twists and struggles, and Dagrus feels flashes of pain from its exposed flesh. The demon starts to panic, realising that it comes dangerously close to death, and only a supreme act of concentration lets it focus past the pain and draw upon one of its most powerful natural gift - the ability to change to another form.
Dagrus focuses his mind on the form of the demonic sphinx's that infest his homeland, bone and flesh knitting together as body shifts to match thought. He can sense his attackers falling back, caught off-guard by this new magic and unsure how to counter it. Dagrus permits himself a brief moment of hope - if he can frighten them off with this form, he has a chance to heal and recover, perhaps even hide long enough to avoid the mortals until they leave the complex. It will be a long wait until others with the power to free him come, perhaps even centuries, but this is still better than death.
His new body, larger and stronger than his own, throws off the coiled serpent and the serpent-sphinx Dagrus lets a screech of pure rage fill the room. Red eyes regard the cleric and the kobold as strong talons crunch against the stone. Dagrus smiles in his new form - both kobold and human have taken defensive postures. They obviously fear him. The faint spark of hope grows into a small flame.
"Puny snake."
Dagrus wonders which one of his opponents says that - he can't see any of them moving their lips. Then his keen ears hear the sound of a blade being dragged against stone, and he senses there is something coming up behind him. Dagrus tries to remember how long the magic of the Brooch lasts, desperately tries to recall how long his struggle against the mortals has taken.
"Puny demon."
Something hard hits Dagrus, shearing through the spine of his new form. Pain rushes through his body, and the focus needed to maintain his form is lost. Dagrus feels pain, his flesh warping and shifting. His mind reels, trying to focus past the pain and hold a new body in the centre of his mind. He can't. Another blow strikes him, hard, and Dagrus hears the crunch of broken bones.
It occurs to him, too late, that they are probably his own.
The Copperheads attack the Cambion like the seasoned veterans they are - Yip bouncing from wall to ceiling before running in to flank the creature from the far wall, Geoffrey and Blarth moving in from the sides to ensure the others have a clear shot with spells and mind-magic.
One of Amarin's crossbow bolts flies towards the beast - not accurate enough to actually hit the creature, but close enough to hitting that everyone would agree it's an improvement on his previous attempts at shooting. Halgo flings an arrow of pure acid that splashes against the creatures chest - faint steam rises as Dagrus' elegant robes are eaten, but the scaled chest seems unaffected.
Geoffrey hammers at the creature with his mace, but Dagrus proves skilled at sword-play and easily parries the clerics blows. Geoffrey pales when he gets a feel for the demon's strength - nearly twice the clerics own and easily a match for Blarth. He offers a silent prayer of thanks that at least one among the group can come close the matching the creature. Yip has more luck, his small paws hammering into the demons shoulders and drawing a snarl of pain.
Then the cambion snatches a brooch from his robe and flings it into the air. Everyone watches as the jewelry elongates and transforms into a giant snake, whipping wildly through the air before landing in the half-orcs arms. Blarth tries to push himself free, but serpentine coils wrap around him in a matter of seconds and he topples to the ground, his sword skittering away as he struggles to keep the serpent from coiling around his throat.
With Blarth down, the flow of the combat shifts a little more to Dagrus' favor. Even the half-orcs might is barely sufficient to fight off the snake, and his thick scales prove effective against the heavy battering of Geoffrey and Yip. Amarin fires again, his crossbow bolt coming close enough to graze the cambion's cheek, and Halgo's mind whirs as he struggles to think of another spell that could affect the creature. Lacking any easy options, he casts a spell on Geoffrey that causes him to grow to the cambion's height, the added weight giving the clerics blows a little more power. Blarth struggles against the snake, trying to get free. He fails.
The cambion levitates to the roof of the chamber, some twenty feet in the air, to get out of Geoffrey's reach. His two-handed blade strikes Yip as the kobold scurries up the wall to follow, and Yip squeaks as he realises the heavy blow has opened a gaping wound in his stomach. One paw is slapped in place to keep the insides inside, the other thuds into the cambions solar plexus in an attempt to stun him.
Dagrus laughs.
The enlarged Geoffrey takes the edge of the laughter, his own slippers of spider-climb letting him climb the wall and strike at the demon. His mace glows with azure energy as he climbs, and he smites Dagrus with all the magically-enhanced strength at his disposal. Dagrus feels ribs shatter, divine energy shredding his very essence, and his smile dims a little. The wound isn't life threatening, but for the first time a flicker of doubt comes accross his face and he realises the mortals can hurt him.
Blarth struggles against the snake, trying to get free. He fails.
Dagrus strikes Geoffrey, denting the cleric's dwarf-forged helm and leaving his ears ringing. Geoffrey strikes back, his blow snaking through the Cambions defenses even as Yip shifts and launches a flurry of paws at Dagrus' exposed back. Amarin fires. His shot is a return to former glories, and it is only Yip's preturnatural reflexes that let him snatch the bolt from mid-air before it continues on its course to rupture the small monk's lungs.
Halgo watches the Cambion's wound close, healing the damage caused by Yip's strikes. He can see the kobold faltering a little as the Cambion hits him again, and he knows that their chances of defeating the beast are slim if he cannot free Blarth. Halgo looks at the brooch-born snake, wondering if he has any spell that would free the entangled half-orc.
Then he remembers the brooch taken from the necromancers corpse below, and things go very badly for Dagrus.
The cambion shrieks as he finds himself trapped by a second serpent, falling to the ground as the coils twine themselves around its limbs. Geoffrey and Yip follow, hammering the prone demon as its twists and struggles, and Dagrus feels flashes of pain from its exposed flesh. The demon starts to panic, realising that it comes dangerously close to death, and only a supreme act of concentration lets it focus past the pain and draw upon one of its most powerful natural gift - the ability to change to another form.
Dagrus focuses his mind on the form of the demonic sphinx's that infest his homeland, bone and flesh knitting together as body shifts to match thought. He can sense his attackers falling back, caught off-guard by this new magic and unsure how to counter it. Dagrus permits himself a brief moment of hope - if he can frighten them off with this form, he has a chance to heal and recover, perhaps even hide long enough to avoid the mortals until they leave the complex. It will be a long wait until others with the power to free him come, perhaps even centuries, but this is still better than death.
His new body, larger and stronger than his own, throws off the coiled serpent and the serpent-sphinx Dagrus lets a screech of pure rage fill the room. Red eyes regard the cleric and the kobold as strong talons crunch against the stone. Dagrus smiles in his new form - both kobold and human have taken defensive postures. They obviously fear him. The faint spark of hope grows into a small flame.
"Puny snake."
Dagrus wonders which one of his opponents says that - he can't see any of them moving their lips. Then his keen ears hear the sound of a blade being dragged against stone, and he senses there is something coming up behind him. Dagrus tries to remember how long the magic of the Brooch lasts, desperately tries to recall how long his struggle against the mortals has taken.
"Puny demon."
Something hard hits Dagrus, shearing through the spine of his new form. Pain rushes through his body, and the focus needed to maintain his form is lost. Dagrus feels pain, his flesh warping and shifting. His mind reels, trying to focus past the pain and hold a new body in the centre of his mind. He can't. Another blow strikes him, hard, and Dagrus hears the crunch of broken bones.
It occurs to him, too late, that they are probably his own.
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