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 LIVE! 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
(Cydra) Delilah's Story
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="the Jester" data-source="post: 2342798" data-attributes="member: 1210"><p><strong>Enter Mabrack!</strong></p><p></p><p><em><strong>8/2/371 O.L.G., the astral fortress Hiktakka Getsch</strong></em></p><p></p><p>“Did you get a chance to talk to Mabrack?” Nydroth asks Delilah the Damned.</p><p></p><p>She smiles. “Only very briefly.”</p><p></p><p>“Had you seen him in the intervening time?”</p><p></p><p>“Never,” she replies. “He had left his isle for some time by the time you all came and rescued me.”</p><p></p><p>“And now he fights for Chaos,” the necromancer muses. He shakes his head. “He would be a great addition to our cabal.”</p><p></p><p>“He has too many compunctions and qualms,” a new voice interjects.</p><p></p><p>Delilah and Nydroth turn and greet their master: Dzaram, the Lich of Forinthia. To all appearances he is an unremarkable human.* He is short of stature, with well-cropped black hair that is impeccably groomed. He is clad in a shirt of green silk and trousers of a darker, coarser material, both without ornamentation. Rings stud his fingers. A thick black belt holds the center together. A black cloak hangs from his back. His eyes appear to be blue. </p><p></p><p><em>How is it that he looks alive?</em> Nydroth wonders for the billionth time. He himself is a lich, taught the secret formula for the elixir by Dzaram himself; but the master has never revealed that secret to his apprentices. And despite his incredible power, Nydroth never for a moment doubts that Dzaram is, indeed, the master.</p><p></p><p>“But surely,” Delilah suggests, “if we could turn him to evil... perhaps infect him with vampirism or...”</p><p></p><p>“No,” Dzaram says firmly. “It would be a terrible and tragic mistake. It would undermine our unity. He is as constant a supporter of Chaos as exists. He has died for it, and would again. We would never have an easy time keeping him among us.” Dzaram quirks a small smile. “Also, he has many influential friends. Remember, he is of the Delphinate now.”</p><p></p><p>Delilah leans back with a soft sigh and a pout. “As always, you are right, Dzaram.”</p><p></p><p>He sits by them. “You have met him before, have you not, Delilah?” he asks. </p><p></p><p>She nods in response. “It was not far before my encounter with the dragon,” she says. “In fact, my meeting with him led me directly to the dragon.”</p><p></p><p>Dzaram gestures, and a platter of fried larvae floats over to them. He plucks one from it and begins delicately chewing. “Tell me,” he commands.</p><p></p><p>***</p><p></p><p><em><strong>Late summer, 97 O.L.G., through early 98 O.L.G.</strong></em></p><p></p><p>Delilah, of course, could not resist the curiosity when she heard tales of an isle rising from the sea. Several of the merchant ships belonging to Billy’s family had seen a new isle in a well-charted area where no isle should have been. Billy, himself very curious about the isle’s nature and commercial potential, was easily persuaded to send Delilah, Grisly and Billy’s bodyguard Kevin to the isle.</p><p></p><p>The amazing amount of resources at Billy's disposal made taking a ship towards the isle easy. From about two miles away, they dropped into a small boat and sailed towards the small island. It was rocky, with many barnacles, muscles and other sea creatures evident on its surface. Other areas were already growing grass and sapling trees of respectable size. A long sandy beach offered easy access to the isle- and a large structure of some sort came into view near the far end of the beach.</p><p></p><p>“Aha,” Delilah said dryly.</p><p></p><p>Delilah, Nydroth and Kevin headed ashore, dragging their boat up the beach and concealing it among the rocks. Then they proceeded toward the structure. </p><p></p><p>That is when the dog came outside. </p><p></p><p>And it was <em>enormous.</em></p><p></p><p>A friendly-looking yellow dog, wagging its powerful tail and just waiting to knock something over, bounded towards them. The incongruous thing was its immense size- it was probably 12’ high at the shoulder. Delilah looked on in shock as it ran towards them, tongue lolling, until it stopped right in front of Nydroth- </p><p></p><p>And licked him.</p><p></p><p>The great tongue knocked the filthy necromancer down, his vulture rising from his shoulders with a caw of displeasure. Nydroth found the front of his body suddenly soaked with dog saliva. “Aaagh!” he cried, disgusted.</p><p></p><p>A loud whistle from the structure caught Delilah’s attention, and she whirled towards it, preparing to cast <em>conjure spider</em>. But she stopped in near-awe as a humungous, 25’ tall giant with sea-green hair and light blue skin stepped forth, a staff in hand. He called out a few words in a tongue she did not understand, but it became instantly clear what he said as the dog bounded away towards him. </p><p></p><p>Then, in Forinthian, he called out, “Greeting! I am Mabrack the storm giant! Please, tell me who you are.”</p><p></p><p>“I am Delilah the Delicious,” the conjuress replied with a curtsy, raising the hem of her robes. She gave him a languid smile.</p><p></p><p>“I am called Grisly,” the necromancer said shortly. </p><p></p><p>Kevin, too, introduced himself, and after a few wary moments Mabrack offered his hospitality to Delilah’s band. “Come in and have something to eat and drink. I’ll cut you something small and pour you a few drops!” </p><p></p><p>Once inside the ‘structure’- merely the giant’s house- it became more than clear that Mabrack was a student of the arcane. When Nydroth and Delilah inquired about it, Mabrack admitted that he had raised the isle himself, with magic, and with more magic (and the aid of friends) he was rapidly growing a surface ecosystem into place. </p><p></p><p>Soon the conversation turned in a different direction, however. Mabrack seemed to know many arcane secrets- including the location of something called a ‘sea gate’. </p><p></p><p>“It’s a place in the sea, very hard to detect, that sends you through to another place,” he explained. “Sometimes they lead a far distance- thousands of miles or even more.”</p><p></p><p>Their interest was piqued. He offered to take them to a sea gate at some point if they so desired.</p><p></p><p>***</p><p></p><p><em><strong>8/2/371 O.L.G., the astral fortress Hiktakka Getsch</strong></em></p><p></p><p>Dzaram interjects. “Did he tell you how he could detect the sea gates?”</p><p></p><p>Delilah nods. “He had a spell, called <em>reveal sea gate</em>. It was of the fifth sphere of power.”</p><p></p><p>“Impressive.” Dzaram nods. “Tell me your impressions of him, then versus at the conference.”</p><p></p><p>Delilah thinks for a moment. Then, slowly, she says, “He seems less cocky and sure of himself now. Back then he was pretty devil-may-care- I mean, he raised an island up! That attracts attention. When I talked to him at the conference he seemed warier, too- probably because of our reputations.” She smiles sweetly.</p><p></p><p>”But fundamentally the same?” Dzaram asks. She nods.</p><p></p><p>The Lich of Forinthia looks pensive for a moment. He is mulling the cost versus benefit of slaying Mabrack and feeding him to Ominous’ metal mouth. But the Delphinate factor makes him very reluctant to act directly. Not that he <em>couldn’t</em> defeat them, just that it would be very, very difficult.</p><p></p><p>Nothing in his demeanor reflects his thoughts. “Continue,” he says, motioning for Delilah to speak on. </p><p></p><p><em><strong>Next Time:</strong></em> Delilah goes through a sea gate!</p><p></p><p>*In fact, he looks a great deal like the singer Paul Simon in about 1988 or thereabouts.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="the Jester, post: 2342798, member: 1210"] [b]Enter Mabrack![/b] [i][b]8/2/371 O.L.G., the astral fortress Hiktakka Getsch[/b][/i][b][/b] “Did you get a chance to talk to Mabrack?” Nydroth asks Delilah the Damned. She smiles. “Only very briefly.” “Had you seen him in the intervening time?” “Never,” she replies. “He had left his isle for some time by the time you all came and rescued me.” “And now he fights for Chaos,” the necromancer muses. He shakes his head. “He would be a great addition to our cabal.” “He has too many compunctions and qualms,” a new voice interjects. Delilah and Nydroth turn and greet their master: Dzaram, the Lich of Forinthia. To all appearances he is an unremarkable human.* He is short of stature, with well-cropped black hair that is impeccably groomed. He is clad in a shirt of green silk and trousers of a darker, coarser material, both without ornamentation. Rings stud his fingers. A thick black belt holds the center together. A black cloak hangs from his back. His eyes appear to be blue. [i]How is it that he looks alive?[/i] Nydroth wonders for the billionth time. He himself is a lich, taught the secret formula for the elixir by Dzaram himself; but the master has never revealed that secret to his apprentices. And despite his incredible power, Nydroth never for a moment doubts that Dzaram is, indeed, the master. “But surely,” Delilah suggests, “if we could turn him to evil... perhaps infect him with vampirism or...” “No,” Dzaram says firmly. “It would be a terrible and tragic mistake. It would undermine our unity. He is as constant a supporter of Chaos as exists. He has died for it, and would again. We would never have an easy time keeping him among us.” Dzaram quirks a small smile. “Also, he has many influential friends. Remember, he is of the Delphinate now.” Delilah leans back with a soft sigh and a pout. “As always, you are right, Dzaram.” He sits by them. “You have met him before, have you not, Delilah?” he asks. She nods in response. “It was not far before my encounter with the dragon,” she says. “In fact, my meeting with him led me directly to the dragon.” Dzaram gestures, and a platter of fried larvae floats over to them. He plucks one from it and begins delicately chewing. “Tell me,” he commands. *** [i][b]Late summer, 97 O.L.G., through early 98 O.L.G.[/b][/i][b][/b] Delilah, of course, could not resist the curiosity when she heard tales of an isle rising from the sea. Several of the merchant ships belonging to Billy’s family had seen a new isle in a well-charted area where no isle should have been. Billy, himself very curious about the isle’s nature and commercial potential, was easily persuaded to send Delilah, Grisly and Billy’s bodyguard Kevin to the isle. The amazing amount of resources at Billy's disposal made taking a ship towards the isle easy. From about two miles away, they dropped into a small boat and sailed towards the small island. It was rocky, with many barnacles, muscles and other sea creatures evident on its surface. Other areas were already growing grass and sapling trees of respectable size. A long sandy beach offered easy access to the isle- and a large structure of some sort came into view near the far end of the beach. “Aha,” Delilah said dryly. Delilah, Nydroth and Kevin headed ashore, dragging their boat up the beach and concealing it among the rocks. Then they proceeded toward the structure. That is when the dog came outside. And it was [i]enormous.[/i] A friendly-looking yellow dog, wagging its powerful tail and just waiting to knock something over, bounded towards them. The incongruous thing was its immense size- it was probably 12’ high at the shoulder. Delilah looked on in shock as it ran towards them, tongue lolling, until it stopped right in front of Nydroth- And licked him. The great tongue knocked the filthy necromancer down, his vulture rising from his shoulders with a caw of displeasure. Nydroth found the front of his body suddenly soaked with dog saliva. “Aaagh!” he cried, disgusted. A loud whistle from the structure caught Delilah’s attention, and she whirled towards it, preparing to cast [i]conjure spider[/i]. But she stopped in near-awe as a humungous, 25’ tall giant with sea-green hair and light blue skin stepped forth, a staff in hand. He called out a few words in a tongue she did not understand, but it became instantly clear what he said as the dog bounded away towards him. Then, in Forinthian, he called out, “Greeting! I am Mabrack the storm giant! Please, tell me who you are.” “I am Delilah the Delicious,” the conjuress replied with a curtsy, raising the hem of her robes. She gave him a languid smile. “I am called Grisly,” the necromancer said shortly. Kevin, too, introduced himself, and after a few wary moments Mabrack offered his hospitality to Delilah’s band. “Come in and have something to eat and drink. I’ll cut you something small and pour you a few drops!” Once inside the ‘structure’- merely the giant’s house- it became more than clear that Mabrack was a student of the arcane. When Nydroth and Delilah inquired about it, Mabrack admitted that he had raised the isle himself, with magic, and with more magic (and the aid of friends) he was rapidly growing a surface ecosystem into place. Soon the conversation turned in a different direction, however. Mabrack seemed to know many arcane secrets- including the location of something called a ‘sea gate’. “It’s a place in the sea, very hard to detect, that sends you through to another place,” he explained. “Sometimes they lead a far distance- thousands of miles or even more.” Their interest was piqued. He offered to take them to a sea gate at some point if they so desired. *** [i][b]8/2/371 O.L.G., the astral fortress Hiktakka Getsch[/b][/i][b][/b] Dzaram interjects. “Did he tell you how he could detect the sea gates?” Delilah nods. “He had a spell, called [i]reveal sea gate[/i]. It was of the fifth sphere of power.” “Impressive.” Dzaram nods. “Tell me your impressions of him, then versus at the conference.” Delilah thinks for a moment. Then, slowly, she says, “He seems less cocky and sure of himself now. Back then he was pretty devil-may-care- I mean, he raised an island up! That attracts attention. When I talked to him at the conference he seemed warier, too- probably because of our reputations.” She smiles sweetly. ”But fundamentally the same?” Dzaram asks. She nods. The Lich of Forinthia looks pensive for a moment. He is mulling the cost versus benefit of slaying Mabrack and feeding him to Ominous’ metal mouth. But the Delphinate factor makes him very reluctant to act directly. Not that he [i]couldn’t[/i] defeat them, just that it would be very, very difficult. Nothing in his demeanor reflects his thoughts. “Continue,” he says, motioning for Delilah to speak on. [i][b]Next Time:[/b][/i][b][/b] Delilah goes through a sea gate! *In fact, he looks a great deal like the singer Paul Simon in about 1988 or thereabouts. [/QUOTE]
Insert quotes…
Verification
Post reply
Community
Playing the Game
Story Hour
(Cydra) Delilah's Story
Top