the Jester
Legend
The Gruesome Wedding
7:45 p.m., 9/30/368 O.L.G., the Halls of Healing, Var, Dorhaus
Ten Buck Tom stops and looks east, shaken by sudden unease.
Something terrible just happened, he thinks, and he doesn’t know why. The altar boy talking to him trails off as his attention is obviously distracted. After a moment, Tom smiles at the lad, realizing his rudeness, and apologizes. Must just be something in my head. I’ve been jumpy ever since the Vestige. I’m starting to see shadows everywhere.
***
7:20 p.m., 9/30/368 O.L.G., in the room of the Crux Crystal in the inner sanctum of Bile Mountain
This chamber, the very chamber our heroes are gathered within, was where it all ended when they assaulted Bile Mountain before. It was here that they desperately fought to hold off the mithral golem while they hacked and hammered and cast spells at the Crux Crystal, the great gem that sustained the strange transformation of water to bile in the depths of the mountains. It was here that Angelfire Mountain got its new name, as the adventurer Angelfire shattered the crystal to pieces and ended the horrible curse of bile on the northwestern arm of Pesh.
There, in mid-air, where the Crux Crystal once hung, is the portal that Jezebel has discerned. Nobody can see it, but several of the others have already cast spells of detection in order to view it. Those who can detect it see it hanging in midair.
“Let’s go,” Thrush says grimly. “Let’s get this over with.” His brow is sweaty; he is returning to face some very angry former masters- and the group has already seen that they can restore their dead to life.
Our heroes gather together, and Thrush moves boldly through the space in the air that Jezebel has indicated. But nothing happens; he passes through the space holding the magical aura as if there were nothing there.
“It probably requires some sort of key to pass through,” Horbin muses. “But what?”
Sybele snaps her fingers. “I bet it’s the bile! Remember, we found some when we searched- I’ll bet it was so he could get back through the portal.”
“That’s possible,” admits Horbin. “Well, I’ve got that vial- let’s see.” And he moves through the portal’s area- and vanishes!
“Uh-oh,” groans Thrush.
Jezebel throws herself through after Horbin, but to no avail. “I thought it might open the door, but it only opened for him!”
“Didn’t the Bile Lord himself have a vial of it, too?” Drelvin asks.
“Yes.” Angelfire has pulled the other vial from her pouch. She turns and rushes towards the portal.
“Wait!” yells Sybele. “Give some to us!” But Angelfire rushes heedlessly through the portal. Londo gives an inarticulate cry as she vanishes and he hurls himself after her, passing through the air and going nowhere at all.
“Oh, crap,” Drelvin groans. “We’d better get some bile, and fast. Who knows what’s on the other side!”
“Not only that,” Jezebel adds, “the portal could be one-way.”
***
7:21 p.m., The Wedding Ground, the Bile King’s Demiplane
Amnor has not returned, and now the wedding party is one short. The Bile King is most displeased. He wrings his yellowed hands together and glances at his beautiful Queen of Guts, resplendent in her white wedding dress (though, truth to tell, it is starting to stain in the belly rather quickly, but that is all part of her beauty). He cannot have an inferior wedding; every detail must be perfect.
His demiplane is shaped like a sickle, with the wedding ground at the one end. He glances at the path and considers. If the interlopers have slain Amnor again they may find their way here. He feels a mild, acrid annoyance at the thought- but he could at least fill up his wedding party.
***
7:23 p.m., the inner sanctum of Bile Mountain
Our heroes rush towards one of the nearby caves that they earlier searched. It has a significant pool of bile in it- and as they move towards it, something stirs.
This pool is where Alcar, the Angel of Food, died. It is here that they recovered his mechanical leg. And deep in this pool lurks a terrible creature, mutated by the stinking, cloying bile all around it; a creature of such horrendous potential that the Bile King himself took interest, and wrought changes in it, in order that it might serve as a warden of the key to his secret dimension. Call it Alcar’s revenge, if you will; but as the great monstrosity rises up from its pool, almost everyone is clustered together and virtually everyone screeches to a gaping momentary halt.
It kills most of them.
The party manages to land a few quick shots. Most of them remain, sadly, in a small cluster, firing missiles. Thrush flies forward to engage it as Jezebel moves to the side, away from the group. Then-
The creature is like some terrible mix of crustacean and insect, sporting tremendous claws and four horrifying heads that seem to writhe with tentacles. Its mottled, armored carapace is swollen angrily and cracks leak out foam and bile. Its shell is spiny and wicked-looking.
All four heads spit bile in an explosive mass right where our heroes are clustered. Agonized screams ring out, and when it’s over only Thrush and Jezebel, neither of whom were caught, are standing. With a shock, Thrush realizes, This thing just killed everyone.
Next Time: Can things get worse? You bet they can!!
7:45 p.m., 9/30/368 O.L.G., the Halls of Healing, Var, Dorhaus
Ten Buck Tom stops and looks east, shaken by sudden unease.
Something terrible just happened, he thinks, and he doesn’t know why. The altar boy talking to him trails off as his attention is obviously distracted. After a moment, Tom smiles at the lad, realizing his rudeness, and apologizes. Must just be something in my head. I’ve been jumpy ever since the Vestige. I’m starting to see shadows everywhere.
***
7:20 p.m., 9/30/368 O.L.G., in the room of the Crux Crystal in the inner sanctum of Bile Mountain
This chamber, the very chamber our heroes are gathered within, was where it all ended when they assaulted Bile Mountain before. It was here that they desperately fought to hold off the mithral golem while they hacked and hammered and cast spells at the Crux Crystal, the great gem that sustained the strange transformation of water to bile in the depths of the mountains. It was here that Angelfire Mountain got its new name, as the adventurer Angelfire shattered the crystal to pieces and ended the horrible curse of bile on the northwestern arm of Pesh.
There, in mid-air, where the Crux Crystal once hung, is the portal that Jezebel has discerned. Nobody can see it, but several of the others have already cast spells of detection in order to view it. Those who can detect it see it hanging in midair.
“Let’s go,” Thrush says grimly. “Let’s get this over with.” His brow is sweaty; he is returning to face some very angry former masters- and the group has already seen that they can restore their dead to life.
Our heroes gather together, and Thrush moves boldly through the space in the air that Jezebel has indicated. But nothing happens; he passes through the space holding the magical aura as if there were nothing there.
“It probably requires some sort of key to pass through,” Horbin muses. “But what?”
Sybele snaps her fingers. “I bet it’s the bile! Remember, we found some when we searched- I’ll bet it was so he could get back through the portal.”
“That’s possible,” admits Horbin. “Well, I’ve got that vial- let’s see.” And he moves through the portal’s area- and vanishes!
“Uh-oh,” groans Thrush.
Jezebel throws herself through after Horbin, but to no avail. “I thought it might open the door, but it only opened for him!”
“Didn’t the Bile Lord himself have a vial of it, too?” Drelvin asks.
“Yes.” Angelfire has pulled the other vial from her pouch. She turns and rushes towards the portal.
“Wait!” yells Sybele. “Give some to us!” But Angelfire rushes heedlessly through the portal. Londo gives an inarticulate cry as she vanishes and he hurls himself after her, passing through the air and going nowhere at all.
“Oh, crap,” Drelvin groans. “We’d better get some bile, and fast. Who knows what’s on the other side!”
“Not only that,” Jezebel adds, “the portal could be one-way.”
***
7:21 p.m., The Wedding Ground, the Bile King’s Demiplane
Amnor has not returned, and now the wedding party is one short. The Bile King is most displeased. He wrings his yellowed hands together and glances at his beautiful Queen of Guts, resplendent in her white wedding dress (though, truth to tell, it is starting to stain in the belly rather quickly, but that is all part of her beauty). He cannot have an inferior wedding; every detail must be perfect.
His demiplane is shaped like a sickle, with the wedding ground at the one end. He glances at the path and considers. If the interlopers have slain Amnor again they may find their way here. He feels a mild, acrid annoyance at the thought- but he could at least fill up his wedding party.
***
7:23 p.m., the inner sanctum of Bile Mountain
Our heroes rush towards one of the nearby caves that they earlier searched. It has a significant pool of bile in it- and as they move towards it, something stirs.
This pool is where Alcar, the Angel of Food, died. It is here that they recovered his mechanical leg. And deep in this pool lurks a terrible creature, mutated by the stinking, cloying bile all around it; a creature of such horrendous potential that the Bile King himself took interest, and wrought changes in it, in order that it might serve as a warden of the key to his secret dimension. Call it Alcar’s revenge, if you will; but as the great monstrosity rises up from its pool, almost everyone is clustered together and virtually everyone screeches to a gaping momentary halt.
It kills most of them.
The party manages to land a few quick shots. Most of them remain, sadly, in a small cluster, firing missiles. Thrush flies forward to engage it as Jezebel moves to the side, away from the group. Then-
The creature is like some terrible mix of crustacean and insect, sporting tremendous claws and four horrifying heads that seem to writhe with tentacles. Its mottled, armored carapace is swollen angrily and cracks leak out foam and bile. Its shell is spiny and wicked-looking.
All four heads spit bile in an explosive mass right where our heroes are clustered. Agonized screams ring out, and when it’s over only Thrush and Jezebel, neither of whom were caught, are standing. With a shock, Thrush realizes, This thing just killed everyone.
Next Time: Can things get worse? You bet they can!!
Last edited:
