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DM Brainiac's Prison of the Firebringer (Updated 12/21/05)

Who is your favorite character in "The Firebringer?"

  • Allanon Harpell

    Votes: 1 4.3%
  • Berek Onyxstout

    Votes: 2 8.7%
  • Gillian Lightfoot

    Votes: 1 4.3%
  • Grundar

    Votes: 1 4.3%
  • Jelani Sandulf

    Votes: 1 4.3%
  • Rhys Thurn

    Votes: 2 8.7%
  • Rumar Destare

    Votes: 1 4.3%
  • Terenon

    Votes: 14 60.9%
  • Other (explain in post)

    Votes: 0 0.0%


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Felikeries

First Post
I often wonder how metal 'constructs' take any sword damage at
all of it isn't made with magical extra's

is there featured weak spots,at the joints?
glass features that shatter?
a dc for puncturing the metal?
or is the AC associated assumed to leave gashed metal slices?
 

Graywolf-ELM

Explorer
ltclnlbrain said:
Whew, Greywolf's digging up the ancient past! (Though ancient translates to a few months ago.)

You'll get some of this, as people drop in, read through the whole story in a sitting or three, and post about what is new to them within the last day or two.
You may or may not get used to it.

I had to re-find all of the Story Hour threads that I read again, all went defunct. This is one I'll read as you update now.

GW
 
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ltclnlbrain

First Post
Chapter 22

“Rhys! What happened? Where’s Bazim-Gorag?”

Grundar looked sadly upon the flaming heap that was all that remained of the priest of Torm. He and Jelani had just made it back to the Firebringer’s prison, where Allanon and Terenon were busy renewing their defensive spells.

Rumar grunted and pointed to the mirror in the far wall. “The slaad went through there. He can’t hold the portal shut for long though. When it opens again, we will be ready.”

Standing in the center of an archway, the ten-foot tall mirror was made of what appeared to be gleaming black glass. Its silver frame appeared to be affixed to the stone walls around it, so that the mirror blocked the passageway completely. Strangely asymmetrical runes along its perimeter seemed to change at random.

Jelani grimly recovered a wand from Rhys’ remains and used it to heal up the party. He renewed their fire protection as well, and then all that was left to do was to wait. Finally, the runes stopped changing and the mirror turned permeable once again. The adventurers knew that they would not have another chance: it was time to put down the Firebringer once and for all. Resolutely, they passed through the mirror.

On the far side of the black mirror was an immense hall built of red granite and polished red marble. Two wide archways opposite the doorway led to a similar, parallel hall appointed in the same way. Fuming lava boiled and hissed in a square moat ringing the archways that led to the other side of the hall. Smaller pools of lava seethed along the east and west walls. The whole room reeked with the smell of molten rock, and the ruddy glare of the magma gave the room a hellish glow.

At the south end of the western hall, a blank stone portal occupied one wall. Gold gleamed in great heaps near this entryway.

The Firebringer stood by the square moat. He still looked rather badly damaged, but his left head had stopped babbling and seemingly regained its sanity. He was surrounded not only by his flaming aura, but also by a random pattern of color that swirled around his body. Both heads grinned menacingly at the party.

"'Step into our chamber,' said the spiders to the flies. Time to die."

“It will be your death!” shouted Jelani, casting a spell that sent a cone of chilling ice and cold spiraling toward the slaad. Both heads roared in anguish as the spell tore through the slaad’s body, causing dozens of tiny wounds to appear across his body.

“This has gone on long enough!” roared the Firebringer. The eyes of his right head flashed, and suddenly everybody was assaulted by a vision of their greatest fear. Allanon, Terenon, and Jelani recognized the illusion and managed to disbelieve it, but unfortunately Grundar and Rumar didn't. Grundar was so overcome by fear that his heart simply stopped; the elf gasped as he slipped to the floor, the life draining from his eyes.. Rumar survived, but the force of the spell left the paladin stunned and drained.

Jelani wanted to scream in denial, but he never got the chance. The Firebringer's left head's eyes flashed and he spoke a single word, pointing his finger at Jelani: "Die." The mystic theurge’s body was wracked by a terrible seizure as the spell snuffed out his life force in an instant, and his lifeless body dropped to the ground.

“No!” shouted both Allanon and Terenon. Each mage mimicked Jelani’s last action, sending two more cones of cold to slam into the Firebringer. The slaad coughed heavily, splattering blood across the ground, and he held his glaive with shaky hands. It still seemed he had some fight left in him, though. His right eyes flashed, and Allanon felt a malevolent force in his mind trying to paralyze him. He very nearly succumbed to it, but Jelani’s prayer to Akadi was still in effect, and the goddess’ influence allowed him to throw off the effects of the spell.

Growling with rage, Bazim-Gorag hefted his glaive and charged straight at Rumar, swinging the massive unholy weapon across his chest. It looked like the head of the weapon was about to decapitate the poor paladin, but at the last moment the slaad's grip slipped and the glaive passed harmlessly over his head. A stream of curses and epithets poured out of the Firebringer's mouths.

Allanon was shocked to the core by the deaths of two more of his friends, and anger boiled within him. “Terenon! Let’s finish this!” Powerful blasts of chain lightning arced from his fingertips, wracking the slaad’s body.

“Your time is at an end!” shouted Terenon, zapping the Firebringer with lightning of his own.

“No!” cried Bazim-Gorag, nearly on his last legs. “You cannot defeat us! We are Bazim-Gorag! We are the Firebringer! You are nothing but insects!”

“This insect can sting,” said Rumar. He had recovered from being stunned and now stared at the Firebringer with cold purpose and determination. He flapped his wings and lifted himself into the air, then barreled down on the slaad lord, Pergium raised above his head. “Pergium, thy aim be true!” he cried.

The slaad's glaive carved an enormous gouge in his flesh, but he didn't care; the paladin propelled himself the last few feet at the slaad and smote him with all his might.

The celestial blade made it past the shield of swirling colors, past the aura of flames, and struck the Firebringer's chest. For a split-second, it seemed that it was going to stop there, but then it sank through the flesh, nearly all the way to its hilt as Rumar put all of his strength behind it. Holy energies coursed through the Firebringer's body, and he dropped his glaive as he let out a dual shriek of pain and rage. His body began shaking violently, but Rumar held onto his sword, keeping the blade immersed as far as it would go.

Bazim-Gorag's fiery aura dissipated as his life force drains away. The burning flames of his eyes began to sputter and die out, becoming as black as coals. The slaad lord teetered unsteadily on its feet, then tipped over backward and collapsed to the ground, smacking the stone surface with a resounding thud that shook the entire room. His body twitched once, then lied still, the battered paladin crouched on his chest still clutching Pergium’s hilt.

Bazim-Gorag, the Firebringer, was dead.

Several seconds passed after the defeat of the Firebringer. Nobody moved, wanting to make sure that he was truly dead. After a short time, the black mirror portal rippled and Yarrick Zan stepped through. His eyes widened a bit as he saw Rumar crouched on the fallen slaad lord, and his lips twitched in amazement.

"I am surprised you were able to defeat him," he said plainly. "And some of you still live. You are indeed formidable opponents. I shall have to remember this if ever we are to cross blades."

Zan gestured to the huge piles of treasure off to the side, and to the gleaming golden rod sitting atop them. "Now then, I will be taking the scepter and our business will be concluded. Unless there are any objections?" he asked, a deadly menace creeping into the edges of his voice.

Terenon looked wearily at the illithid, still disguised as a half-elf. “A deal was struck. You shall have your prize.” The mage glided over to the pile of treasure and retrieved the scepter, then placed one end in the mercenary’s hand. “And now your end of the deal. The name of your employer.”

Zan nodded. “Orichalxos. The beholder-mage.” A thin smile crept onto the half-elf’s features. “Your cooperation is appreciated.” He bowed, then disappeared in a flash of light.

Terenon bowed in return, but as soon as the illithid was gone, he dropped to his knees in exhaustion. A swirling mix of emotions ran through his mind: sorrow, elation, pride, exhaustion. He saw Allanon lying on his back, wiping sweat from his brow. Rumar still sat upon the defeated slaad’s chest, tending to his wounds.

The mage retrieved the portable hole and opened it. He pushed the mounds of treasure haphazardly into the hole. He then went to Grundar's lifeless body. Lifting the limp form up, he said, "Don't worry my friend. We will have the priests call on the gods for all of you to return."

The flying mage lowered the corpse into the hole gently. He grabbed a few handfuls of gold and showered the elf with it. "You can bathe in treasure while you wait," he said with a tired smile.

Terenon next picked up Jelani and laid him next to Grundar. The mage shook his head at the sight of Rhys’ immolated remains. More ash than body, Terenon wrapped the remains up in his cloak and stored him with the others. He grabbed the Firebringer’s massive glaive and removed Bazim-Gorag's heads. The skulls would make fine trophies. He even had some ideas about a magic item he could create from them.

Once all things had been cleaned up, the wizard cast one last weary glance around the prison before invoking a spell. The survivors of the battle with the Firebringer disappeared in a flash of light.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The Temple of Torm in Silverymoon was privy to an odd sight that day: two burnt and beaten mages and a thoroughly exhausted paladin bearing the bodies of their comrades and large heaps of coins to the doorstep. The survivors waited in the foyer for thirty minutes before Grundar, Jelani, and Rhys emerged, a little drained from the resurrections but none the worse for wear.

Truly, they had achieved a great deed this day.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Serrila answered the knock on her door with a large grin, though it faltered when she saw the haggard look in Terenon’s eyes. She ushered him in, and the mage was a bit surprised to see Deirdriel and Lisa in the sitting room.

“We came to hear what happened,” said Deirdriel. “Where are the others? We thought they’d be with you.”

“They’re recuperating,” said Terenon simply. “It was not an easy fight.”

The women listened to Terenon's story, gasping in horror at the destructive capabilities of the Firebringer and giving thanks that the threat he posed to the Realms is no more. Serrila massaged Terenon's shoulders as his tale came to an end, and Deirdriel nodded, smiling.

"I have spoken to Lady Alustriel about your deeds and what you have discovered about Acessiwal. She wishes to meet with all of you, and I am sure she will be doubly pleased to meet you now that you have defeated Bazim-Gorag. I have arranged a meeting for you tonight, though we can reschedule if you would like to rest first."

Terenon looked at Deirdriel with tired eyes, and gave a weak smile. "Not tonight. I will probably sleep for the rest of the day and into the morning. I'd hate to offend Lady Alustriel, but I have little choice. If she finds it acceptable, I'm sure all of us will be glad to see her tomorrow. Please give my apologies."

"I am sure she will understand. We'll reschedule for tomorrow." Deirdriel looked over to Lisa and gestured toward the door. "Come along, Lisa. Let's go find Allanon. Maybe he'll help you with that ray of frost you've been working on." Deirdriel patted Terenon’s shoulder as she left. Lisa favored the mage with a worried gaze and hesitated for a moment, then silently followed Deirdriel out.

As soon as the other two women left, Serrila moved around the couch and sat down on Terenon's lap. She wrapped her arms around his neck and studied his eyes, her own watery and on the verge of tears. Closing her eyes, she leaned forward and kissed the mage on his forehead, then held him close to her for a few moments.

"Thank you for not dying," she whispered in his ear. Drawing back, she looked at his face again and smiled, stifling a giggle. "You look terrible," she said wryly.

Terenon looked up and simply said, "Aye." He shifted to position his head on her lap while stretching out his legs on the couch.

"You would have been very proud of your brother. He really came through when we needed it. Thanks to him, the rest of us didn't die." Terenon paused to close his eyes and feel Serrila's caresses. "I have an idea about making something from the Firebringer. It will be...unique. I will be spending most of the time in the laboratory. If you wish, you can aid me. I think it might be fun to work together. Besides I'll miss you too much if you don't."

"I'd like that," said Serrila, stroking the mage's hair. "You've been away far too much lately; it will be good to be able to spend so much time together. You've got a big day tomorrow, though: you get to meet the Shining Lady of Silverymoon! She's a Chosen of Mystra, you know. She's kept the Silver Marches safe for the...Terenon?"

Soft snoring sounds arose from Terenon, his eyes closed in slumber. Serrila smiled and laid down beside him, her arm draped across his body. She rested her head on his chest, watching it rise and fall as the sun sank below the western horizon.
 

Grundar

First Post
ltclnlbrain said:
"I am surprised you were able to defeat him," he said plainly. "And some of you still live. You are indeed formidable opponents. I shall have to remember this if ever we are to cross blades."

Hah! Too bad Grundar was dead while squid-head said this. Or else, he'll be really pissed later on in the story.. It was hell of a fight. Spellcasters can be really deadly at higher levels. It was quite a finish actually, with Rumar(or was it the DM NPC'ing) rolling a natural 20 i think. Or else, he wouldn't have been able to damage the Firebringer.
 


ltclnlbrain

First Post
Thanks again, A'vandira. This chapter formally concludes "Prison of the Firebringer," and the stage is now set for the next adventure: "Glacier Season." I have been contemplating changing the title of the story hour, but that might throw off some readers looking for the Firebringer. What do you guys think? Should I change the title or not?
 


Terenon

First Post
Rez

The only problem with the battle was all the people we had to true rez. Talk about expensive. It really ate into our bottom line, but thankfully I had enough gold to make a brand new and unique magic item. When I took it out for its first spin, it was more successful than I could imagine. :)
 
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You're welcome Itclnlbrain, praise be given where praise is due.
As for changing the name: Only thing I can come up with is something like: "It started at the Prison of the Firebringer". This way you keep the name of FB in the title for people looking for that, while at the same time opening the doors for continued campaigning. But that's only my opinion and should not be taken too seriously in matters like this ;)

ltclnlbrain said:
Thanks again, A'vandira. This chapter formally concludes "Prison of the Firebringer," and the stage is now set for the next adventure: "Glacier Season." I have been contemplating changing the title of the story hour, but that might throw off some readers looking for the Firebringer. What do you guys think? Should I change the title or not?
 
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