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<blockquote data-quote="Richards" data-source="post: 9257346" data-attributes="member: 508"><p><strong>ADVENTURE 69: YOU AND WHAT ARMY?</strong></p><p></p><p>PC Roster:</p><p style="margin-left: 20px">Alewyth Putterpye, dwarf priestess of Aerik 14</p> <p style="margin-left: 20px"> Thurloe Pulver, human fighter 3/wizard 3/spellsword 8</p> <p style="margin-left: 20px"> Wakuren, half-orc cleric of Cal 7/paladin 7</p> <p style="margin-left: 20px"> Xandro Silverstrings, human bard 6/rogue 8</p> <p style="margin-left: 20px"> Zander Quilson, elf sorcerer 14</p><p></p><p>NPC Roster:</p><p style="margin-left: 20px">Beetle Darkcloud, halfling ranger 5</p> <p style="margin-left: 20px"> Robin the Balladeer, human bard 4</p><p></p><p>Game Session Date: 27 January 2024</p><p></p><p> - - -</p><p></p><p>"But what about your bonehead?" asked Alewyth.</p><p></p><p>"We can tie his reins to one of your saddles," replied Wakuren, climbing up onto the back of his air element warhorse, Nimbus. "It's not a bad idea having a bonehead as a backup mount, but I prefer the view from up in the air a bit." And with that, Nimbus ran up the air as if racing up a hill, leveling out at about 30 feet up.</p><p></p><p>"I got it," Robin offered, taking Persistence's reins and tying them to the back of her own bonehead's saddle, then mounted up, seeing the others were doing so. They'd just finished their <em>heroes' feast</em> breakfast that Alewyth had conjured up, and the spellcasters had already cast their first-thing-in-the-morning spells: Zander's <em>mage armor</em>, Alewyth's <em>magic vestment</em>, and the <em>endure elements</em> spells that made life in armor comfortable for Wakuren, Alewyth, Xandro, and Robin. Then Beetle led the way, the boneheads falling in line behind him and Wakuren keeping a lookout directly overhead. Beetle found he didn't mind having a personal bit of shade hovering above him, especially since as a creature from the Elemental Plane of Air made up of clouds, Nimbus would never feel the need to relieve himself; had it been otherwise, the halfling would probably have sought a different configuration for their aerial scout.</p><p></p><p>Things went fine for the first half hour or so; the group found themselves cresting the occasional hill, but none had enough of a slope to make it difficult going. But it was while they were traversing a fairly level section of field, with the ground dropping away up ahead in another gradual slope, that Wakuren called out a warning. "Tyrannosaurus, headed our way!" he called from above. Several seconds after his warning, the rest of the group could see the dinosaur's head rise up from the horizon ahead, then the creature's shoulders, ridiculously undersize forelimbs, and finally his powerful legs and tail. He was running at a full sprint, headed directly for the group, but he was still far enough away they wouldn't have to worry about him for a few seconds - enough to get off a few spells, in any case. Thurloe cast a <em>shield</em> spell upon himself from his wand, while Robin dropped back and pulled out her lute, starting the initial chords to her song of inspirational courage. At the rest of the groups' recommendation, Beetle had Yellow-Belly drop to the back of the formation, with most of the boneheads shifting over to the right to let the sprinting tyrannosaur go past.</p><p></p><p>Then another massive reptilian head crested the hill ahead, this one sporting a bony ridge behind his skull and a pair of long, curving horns spearing forward on either side of the smaller horn rising up from the end of his snout. Unlike the tyrannosaur, the triceratops ran on all fours, but he was doing his level best to catch up to the taller reptile.</p><p></p><p>"Wait a minute," Xandro said. "That's a plant-eater chasing a meat-eater - what gives?"</p><p></p><p>Wakuren urged Nimbus to a higher elevation so he could get a better look. It didn't seem logical for the tyrannosaur to be fleeing from the triceratops, nor would he have expected the herbivore to be giving chase. A more logical explanation was that both were fleeing from something even fiercer than either of them. Looking down the slope of the hill ahead, Wakuren saw the grasses moving as if by a heavy wind, although no such wind was blowing. But then he saw several figures scrambling forward - dark shapes, each the size of a large horse but low to the ground: giant ants! They had fierce-looking pincers and ran side by side, almost a dozen in all. Wakuren squinted; he thought he'd seen a humanoid figure in their midst, but he couldn't be sure - and he seemed to have disappeared in any case. "They're fleeing giant ants!" Wakuren called down to the others. "And I bet there are swarms of ants in among them as well!" That would account for the swaying grasses.</p><p></p><p>Xandro settled his bonehead mount Ceph beneath him with a reassuring pat along the side of the neck as he drew <em>Deathwhisper</em> out and readied it against an attack by the approaching tyrannosaurus. Zander brought his own bonehead mount, Pachy, up beside Ceph, readying to cast a <em>prismatic spray</em> spell at the incoming ant swarms, but to do so he'd have to wait until they got within range, and that would mean letting the tyrannosaurus and triceratops go by them first. Fortunately, the dinosaurs continued on their current trajectories, seeking merely to put as much distance as possible between themselves and the army ant swarms that could strip them to skeletons in minutes.</p><p></p><p>Wakuren got Nimbus to a height of about 100 feet up and them urged his mount forward, the better to see the approaching swarms - after all, he and Nimbus were perfectly safe this high up. Alewyth also urged Lapis forward, although doing so required some coaxing to the nervous mount. But the dwarven priestess took the time to ready a spell of her own: a <em>hold monster</em> should the tyrannosaurus try anything as it raced on by. She and her mount were off to the left by themselves, though, which made Thurloe nervous for them; he gripped <em>Spellslicer</em> tighter in his hand but opted not to ride over by her in case she found herself in trouble. The spellsword felt a hand drop onto his shoulder; looking over, it was just Xandro, casting a <em>heroism</em> spell upon him.</p><p></p><p>The dinosaurs advanced, as did the army ants; Zander opted to cast a <em>wall of force</em> spell blocking off most of the heroes from the tyrannosaurus; Alewyth and Lapis were on their own, unfortunately - they were too far away. And sure enough, even though the great dinosaur was fleeing for his very life, he was a creature of habit and instinct and the opportunity to grab a quick meal of pachycephalosaurus meat was too big a temptation to ignore. He darted forward to his right, snapping his mouth of dagger-sized teeth at the mount's back, just behind the saddle, and lifted the whole bonehead into the air without slowing his pace too much. Alewyth was flung from the saddle to fall on the ground; she'd gotten her <em>hold monster</em> spell off before he struck but as is occasionally the case with such spells, the intended victim was able to shrug off its effects. The triceratops continued his own frenzied panic, almost catching up to the tyrannosaurus as the larger dinosaur stopped to get a better grip on the struggling meal in his mouth.</p><p></p><p>Hearing the commotion behind them, Wakuren wheeled Nimbus around and had him charge down at the tyrannosaurus. But rather than attack the massive predator, the half-orc instead cast a <em>freedom of movement</em> spell upon Lapis, allowing the bonehead to wriggle out from the larger dinosaur's mouth, dropping nearly 30 feet to the ground to land beside Alewyth. Then Nimbus changed course and flew back up out of range of the tyrannosaur's snapping teeth.</p><p></p><p>As Lapis struggled back up to her feet, Alewyth activated her <em>butterfly brooch</em> with a touch and took to the skies herself, although her course only took her about 30 feet up in a rather erratic flightpath. Thurloe backed his mount, Boney, fully behind the protection of the <em>wall of force</em>, not wanting either of them to be the next on the dinosaur's dinner menu.</p><p></p><p>Xandro cast another <em>heroism</em> spell, this time upon himself as the army ants continued their approach. The giant ants were well within view now, and there was a dark stain of smaller bodies among the grasses ahead making a steady advance alongside them. Zander had Pachy move forward enough that the elf could cast a <em>prismatic spray</em> spell, sending multicolored rays out in a cone before him. Two separate clumps of army ants died of an electrical charge that burned up their bodies, while hundreds of ants nearby curled up dead from poison. Two more swarms simply vanished, swept away to another plane of existence, while other ants found themselves advancing through flames popping up out of nowhere. Another swarm petrified into little statues that got crunched underfoot soon after as the advancing larger ant soldiers trod over them.</p><p></p><p>The tyrannosaur's momentum carried him past Lapis, but there were other boneheads off to his left; he tried to snap up Persistence but slammed his head into the invisible <em>wall of force</em>. Not understanding what had just happened, the dimwitted beast let his forward momentum carry him on, fleeing from the oncoming ant swarms and already forgetting about eating now that he had passed the potential prey. The triceratops veered off in a slightly different course, putting some distance between himself and the tyrannosaurus as he continued to flee from the ants.</p><p></p><p>And then, surprisingly, a humanoid form popped up out of the ground, over by Zander. He appeared to be a ghost of some sort, but one twisted by horror: his skin was mostly missing and behind his eyes lay only madness. He babbled incoherently, and even Zander, who had had the <em>tongues</em> spell permanently enhancing his abilities to understand and speak other languages, could only pick up an occasional word or two, mostly "No!" and "Stop!" But despite neither Zander nor the pseudodragon familiar riding on his shoulder feeling any ill effects, the dinosaur beneath the elven sorcerer froze up in horrified paralysis at the sound of the allip's babbling.</p><p></p><p>Beetle had been willing to hold his ground as his powerful charges from Armaturia seemed up to dealing with the oncoming ant swarms and the dinosaurs they had fleeing before them, but at the sight of this horrible, undead creature flying up out of the ground, he lost his nerve and swung Yellow-Belly to his left. "Come - we must flee!" called the ranger, urging his fastieth mount forward - and right smack-dab into the invisible <em>wall of force</em>, a bit of magic with which the ranger had no prior experience. He and his mount crashed into the invisible barrier and rebounded in a heap on the ground.</p><p></p><p>Wakuren and Nimbus dove at the tyrannosaurus again, the half-orc slamming his <em>shield of Cal</em> into the side of his head while the aerial steed kicked out with a sharpened hoof. They didn't plan on taking the massive dinosaur down, just encouraging him to continue on his way and not get any ideas about snapping up any of the rest of their own reptilian mounts as a quick meal. Alewyth summoned a greater earth elemental to stand watch over her wounded Lapis, then rushed over to provide the creature with some much-needed healing. The massive elemental, in the meantime, strode forward and sunk into the earth as he did so, until he was no longer visible. But the elemental creature could sense every living thing scurrying over the ground above and before him, and would know when to strike from the earth below.</p><p></p><p>Thurloe leapt down from his own mount and called for Wakuren to toss him the lamp. The half-orc did so, Nimbus lowering himself to ground level for him to toss the lamp, and Thurloe caught it and started sprinting over to the paralyzed Pachy, who would be helpless against the army ants getting closer and closer. Placing a hand upon the dinosaur's flank, the spellsword said the magic word that transported the two of them into the extradimensional space inside <em>Hesperna's lamp</em>, where the bonehead could recover in safety.</p><p></p><p>Xandro ran up to Wakuren and bestowed the last of his <em>heroism</em> spells upon the half-orc, and the oncoming swarms advanced even closer. Zander cast a <em>cone of cold</em> at the giant ants that were beating their smaller cousins to the feast, then retreated to Boney, Thurloe's abandoned mount, and silently dismissed the <em>wall of force</em> that was no longer serving any purpose, for the tyrannosaur had long since fled the scene and the magical wall had been oriented such that it more or less pointed in the direction from which the army ants were approaching. But the allip was still babbling, and Zander felt Boney freeze up beneath him, another victim to the undead creature's verbal onslaught. "Not again!" he cried in dismay.</p><p></p><p>Somewhat dazed from his collision, Beetle climbed back up onto Yellow-Belly's saddle as the fastieth regained his footing. "We need to get away from these ants, or they'll overwhelm us!" he cried. "There's a river several miles away and a rope bridge we can cut behind us after we've crossed! Come on -- this way!" And with that, Yellow-Belly was off, heading almost in the same direction in which the triceratops had veered away.</p><p></p><p>Wakuren bent down from Nimbus's saddle and scooped up <em>Hesperna's lamp</em> from where it had fallen to the ground when Thurloe and Pachy entered it. Nimbus took to the air again, as Wakuren cast a <em>cure critical wounds</em> spell upon the flying allip, the healing energy causing its undead form to burst and dissipate into nothingness. Behind him, Alewyth cast a <em>searing light</em> spell that slew a giant ant headed for Lapis, who had regained her footing. Another giant ant went flying up into the air as the earth elemental pounded its carapace from below after it had made the mistake of trampling over the ground under which the elemental being had been hiding. It died from the blow, its corpse flying up in an arc to land nearby; its carcass would be torn apart by the army ant swarms coming up behind it, for they made no differentiation between what kinds of meat they could tear apart and bring back to the nest. Alewyth scrambled back up onto Lapis's saddle and veered her mount to follow Yellow-Belly.</p><p></p><p>Thurloe popped back out of the lamp, surprised to see he was back much farther than he had been when he had entered it. "See to Boney!" Wakuren advised him, and sure enough, Zander was crawling back off Thurloe's own mount, also frozen into immobility by the slain allip's babbling. With a sigh, Thurloe grabbed up the lamp and went to go rescue his own riding mount. Xandro, astride Ceph, saw the situation, realized their guide was fleeing, and called for the rest of the group to follow, for they'd never find their way to the Forbidden Lands on their own on this strange continent. Robin steered Alosaurus to follow, Persistence coming along for the ride at the end of his reins.</p><p></p><p>Wakuren and Nimbus rose back up into the air and looked back. Another wave of ants was approaching from farther behind, several giant ants among their number. It looked like fleeing was their best option after all, unless they wanted to stay here and fight wave after wave of the seemingly endless insects. Seeing Zander was once again without a mount, Wakuren had Nimbus fly down to just above the ground and he pulled the elf up behind him, then turned to follow Beetle and Yellow-Belly. Thurloe, when he exited the lamp once again and saw the others fleeing, scooped up the lamp, activated his <em>celestial armor</em>'s <em>fly</em> spell, and took off after the others. And behind them, thousands of army ants of different sizes continued their inexorable advance, stopping only to break down the bodies of those who had fallen in the first wave.</p><p></p><p>Several miles later, the group approached a deep gorge with a river flowing at its bottom, and a rope bridge spanning the expanse. Alewyth had healed her wounded mount during the ride, and the tyrannosaurus's teeth-marks had all sealed up. Thurloe had gotten Boney back out of the lamp and was riding him once again - his armor's <em>fly</em> spell only lasted so long, after all - and while Pachy had also recovered from the allip's babbling, the spellsword had left him inside the lamp; hopefully he wouldn't get into too much trouble, or make too much of a mess! Zander had opted to remain seated behind Wakuren on Nimbus, although he had wriggled the other way around so he could see the ant swarms still making progress as they followed the fleeing group.</p><p></p><p>"The bridge will safely hold one rider and one mount at a time!" Beetle advised as they approached. "I wouldn't want to test it any further beyond that!" Indeed, as they got closer to the bridge, they could see the wooden planks serving as the floor were old and partially rotten, with a plank or two missing along its length. Thurloe, not trusting the bridge, activated his <em>fly</em> spell and rose up out of the saddle, urging Boney to cross the bridge without him. That way, if the bridge gave out, he'd be out a bonehead but could still fly across the bridge and see to his own safety.</p><p></p><p>Xandro cast an <em>expeditious retreat</em> spell upon Ceph, allowing the bonehead to surge forward and line up to be the second to cross. Robin continued playing her inspirational courage song on the lute; in fact, she hadn't stopped playing throughout their trek to the bridge. Nimbus did a sweep behind them, allowing Zander to cast a <em>cone of cold</em> spell that killed hundreds of the advancing army ants. But then another allip rose up out of the ground; they'd spotted several of the undead creatures following the ants' course, bobbing up and down above and below the earth, rather like dolphins at play out in the sea. This one also started babbling, and just that quickly Yellow-Belly froze to a halt. Unless someone took action, he'd be devoured by the army ants even now making their way closer to the departing heroes and their mounts.</p><p></p><p>Wakuren cast a <em>wind wall</em> spell behind them, knowing the powerful force of wind would prevent the smaller ants from being able to approach any further, although it wouldn't do anything to prevent the giant soldier ants from coming closer. Alewyth cast a <em>magic circle against chaos</em> spell upon herself, not sure if it would do any good but willing to give it a shot. By then, Boney and Thurloe were across the bridge and the spellsword had landed by one of the ropes keeping the bridge in place, his bastard sword <em>Spellslicer</em> out and ready.</p><p></p><p>Xandro and Ceph were the next to cross, and the rogue had <em>Deathwhisper</em> out and ready to cut the other rope once the others had crossed. The ant swarms were now almost upon the group once again, and two of the giant soldiers dashed forward, catching the hapless Lapis in their mandibles. Alewyth swatted them away with <em>Sjondra</em> while Robin shooed an untethered Persistence across the bridge and then followed on her own Alosaurus. Zander cast another <em>cone of cold</em> spell from the back of Nimbus, killing a bunch of the closest swarms and, fortunately, the allip floating above them - not always a sure thing, given the undead's incorporeal form.</p><p></p><p>Wakuren cast a <em>magic circle against evil</em> on Beetle, the spell temporarily undoing the effects of the allip's babbling on Yellow-Belly, allowing the fastieth to sprint forward towards the rope bridge once again; seeing that, Thurloe remained at his station by the end of the bridge, for he'd been considering flying over to rescue them by placing them inside the lamp, although that would have made it difficult for him to exit from the lamp for by that time the ants would have been upon them. Alewyth cast a <em>mass inflict serious wounds</em> upon the giant ants bothering Lapis and a bunch of the nearest swarms, slaying about half of them.</p><p></p><p>The ant swarms incapable of passing through the <em>wind wall</em> had figured out how to go around the spell's effects, and were now massing at either end of the gust, moving around the obstruction. Zander killed another bunch of the giant ants, who were much faster than their normal-sized cousins, with another <em>cone of cold</em> spell. But then another allip popped up out of the ground, babbling incoherently. Fortunately, there weren't many people - or mounts - within the area of effect, most of them already having crossed the bridge, and those near to the allip were able to avoid the effects of the incessant babbling.</p><p></p><p>Beetle and Yellow-Belly raced across the bridge as Nimbus crossed the gorge overhead. Wakuren cast a <em>cure critical wounds</em> spell at the third allip on his way across, slaying his necromantic form with the surge of positive energy. Alewyth and Lapis were the last to cross, and then Thurloe and Xandro went to work with their swords, cutting through the thick ropes holding the bridge in place. Once they were both severed, the bridge fell back towards the side they had first crossed, leaving the ants stranded on the other side of the gorge. Looking back, Beetle sighed his relief. "That was a close one!" he declared.</p><p></p><p>But they weren't free of the ants yet. To their amazement, the ants gathered at the top of the gorge and started building a bridge out of their own living bodies; the giant ants were a big help in this endeavor, standing on the side of the cliff and acting as buttresses for the bodies of the smaller ants that clung to each other and slowly extended further and further across the gap. Seeing this, Beetle called for a retreat again. "There's another branch of the river some miles ahead," he told the heroes. "It's much wider than what we just crossed over. We'll have to have our mounts swim across, but it'll be too far for the ants to be able to follow!" And with that, he sent Yellow-Belly forging ahead, the others following.</p><p></p><p>It was several miles before they saw the river branch Beetle had described just ahead, but there was a potential problem. "Sailbacks!" cried the halfling ranger in disgust, seeing a pair of dimetrodons sunning themselves by the river's edge. Fortunately, the pair didn't seem to have noticed the approaching caravan, but Beetle didn't want to have to waste time going further down the river, for he'd already picked up the sounds of the insect chatter as the next wave of army ants advanced behind them. Apparently they'd already crossed the gorge and were in fast pursuit of their escaping sources of meat.</p><p></p><p>Thurloe goaded Boney forward, <em>Spellslicer</em> out and ready to deal with these dimetrodons if they got in his way. Xandro cast another <em>expeditious retreat</em> upon Robin's bonehead, allowing her to speed ahead towards the safety of the river, as the ants scrambled forward, ever closer. The bard continued playing her song of inspirational courage, figuring the song's magical effects would be more useful than trying to keep off the dimetrodons' radar. Zander was once again riding Pachy, having taken the time to enter the lamp to fetch his bonehead mount shortly after having watched the bridge's ropes cut. Yellow-Belly was right there beside him, as they raced to the beach ahead.</p><p></p><p>Nimbus flew by a mere 10 feet above the ground, also advancing upon the two dinosaurs with the large fins rising up from their backs. Wakuren cast a <em>blindness/deafness</em> spell at the one on his left, hoping to take away the reptile's vision, but it didn't seem to have any effect. Thurloe tried a different tactic, casting a <em>lightning bolt</em> spell at the same dimetrodon, and this at least had some effect, although it didn't slay the beast outright as the spellsword had hoped it would. But then the other one lunged forward, its somewhat crocodilian build enabling it to scramble forward with an astounding speed. It bit at Lapis (who really was not having a very good day at all), drawing blood.</p><p></p><p>Xandro sent Ceph around Alewyth and Lapis, allowing the other dimetrodon to snap at his mount (it missed, fortunately), before <em>Deathwhisper</em>'s blade went deep into the creature's throat, slaying it instantly. He saw Robin and her bonehead had made it to the water's edge and Alosaurus was taking her first tentative steps into the river, while Robin continued playing her song. Neither noticed the fins sticking up out of the water some distance away, heading in their direction.</p><p></p><p>Zander cast a <em>lightning bolt</em> spell at the remaining dimetrodon, enhancing the spell's effect with his <em>ring of mystic lightning</em>, the blast of electricity killing the sail-finned dinosaur. Then he and Pachy were at the water's edge, the bonehead stepping in. Beetle and Yellow-Belly were there beside him.</p><p></p><p>Wakuren spotted the sharklike fins headed toward the knee-deep dinosaurs and called out a warning. Then, sending Nimbus in their direction, he summoned a <em>javelin of lightning</em> from his <em>gauntlet of Cal</em> and sent the bolt hurtling down at the nearest of the ichthyosaurs. He caught three of the five in the blast, slaying none but hurting all three.</p><p></p><p>Warned of the danger in the waters ahead, Alewyth cast a <em>spiritual weapon</em> and sent the floating dwarven warhammer slamming against the head of the nearest ichthyosaur. Thurloe cast a <em>slow</em> spell at the school of marine reptiles, affecting two of their number. By then, Xandro and Ceph had entered the river, the ant swarms and a few giant ant soldiers right behind them. Alosaurus was deep enough now to begin to swim slowly across, kicking her powerful legs in a kind of doggy-paddling motion, her swinging tail aiding in propelling her forward.</p><p></p><p>The ichthyosaur school was still far enough away for Zander to cast a <em>chain lightning</em> spell at them without having to worry about any unintended side effects to his friends by casting an electrical-based spell in a body of water. The arcs struck each of the five ichthyosaurs, who likely had never encountered such magic before and weren't quite sure what to do about it. But instinct was a powerful force, and their instincts told them there was food up ahead.</p><p></p><p>Yellow-Belly paddled furiously through the water, breaking away from the slower pachycephalosauruses. But the ichthyosaurs were in their own element, and they advanced even faster. One bit at Robin's mount; drawing blood. Wakuren responded with a <em>thunder strike</em> spell cast ta the school, causing them even further damage and distress. But still they continued on with their attacks.</p><p></p><p>The ants were now at the edge of the river but dared not enter, but the heroes and their mounts were no longer on land and the ant swarms were no longer a concern; fighting off these prehistoric sharks was. Alewyth cast a <em>mass inflict light wounds</em> at the ichthyosaurs, as her <em>spiritual warhammer</em> continued its assaults on its original target. Thurloe cast a <em>lightning bolt</em> spell at three of the ichthyosaurs as Boney paddled frantically, seeking the safety of the opposite shore. Xandro and Ceph had already made it and were trudging up out of the river, water streaming off of Ceph's hide. Robin and Alosaurus made it shortly thereafter.</p><p></p><p>Another <em>lightning bolt</em> empowered by the elf's ring flashed off from Zander's fingertips, blasting through a trio of the hungry ichthyosaurs. Two more bit at Lapis and Boney; Wakuren cast a <em>cure light wounds</em> spell upon Alewyth's mount, fearing for her safety. Alewyth's <em>spiritual warhammer</em> continued its attacks, beating down at the offending marine denizen. Thurloe took another approach, having Boney swim away from the attacking ichthyosaur just so Thurloe could cast a <em>dimension door</em> spell upon the two of them. Just that quickly, they were on the far side of the river, Boney standing beside Xandro and Ceph. Lapis had to make it the slower way, but make it she did, and she pulled herself up onto the far shore, leaving the water-bound ichthyosaurs behind in the river.</p><p></p><p>Zander cast a <em>haste</em> spell upon himself, Pachy, and Petey, and the added speed allowed his bonehead mount to make it to the river's far side before being devoured by the ichthyosaurs. Then Wakuren and Nimbus landed beside the others. "Is everyone okay?" the half-orc asked. Alewyth was already casting healing spells upon those who needed them.</p><p></p><p>"We're all safe," Beetle informed the group. "But we're miles off course form the way I originally took Andrea."</p><p></p><p>"Is that going to be a problem?" asked Robin, stowing away her lute now that it was no longer needed.</p><p></p><p>"Well, we'll be crossing on the other side of a small mountain range than the way I would have gone, but that won't matter in the long run. We'll still be able to meet up to where we would have had we gone the other way. I just wasn't expecting the ants this early, is all."</p><p></p><p>"What do you mean?" asked Wakuren.</p><p></p><p>"The army ants work on a cycle, attacking about every 15 years or so," the halfling replied. "They're early by a couple of years. I wonder what set them off so soon?" Then he shook his head. "Oh well, I guess it doesn't really matter. They can't cross the river, that's the important thing for now. Come on, let's get going." And with that he sent Yellow-Belly heading west again, back on their original heading, if off by several miles. The others fell into line and followed.</p><p></p><p> - - -</p><p></p><p>I wrote this adventure to serve several purposes: first, I've always wanted to send swarms of army ants up against a D&D party; and secondly, this allowed me to have Beetle take the PCs a different way than he took Andrea, which handily explained why they'd be meeting up with encounters he and Andrea had never faced. (Otherwise, it would strain credulity if I had to have everything they met up with having not been there half a year ago, when Beetle led Andrea Jandoval to the Forbidden Lands.)</p><p></p><p> - - -</p><p></p><p>T-shirt worn: My black Dalek "Exterminate!" T-shirt, as the army ants were on a mission to slay everything they met as food for their nest.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Richards, post: 9257346, member: 508"] [B]ADVENTURE 69: YOU AND WHAT ARMY?[/B] PC Roster: [INDENT]Alewyth Putterpye, dwarf priestess of Aerik 14[/INDENT] [INDENT] Thurloe Pulver, human fighter 3/wizard 3/spellsword 8[/INDENT] [INDENT] Wakuren, half-orc cleric of Cal 7/paladin 7[/INDENT] [INDENT] Xandro Silverstrings, human bard 6/rogue 8[/INDENT] [INDENT] Zander Quilson, elf sorcerer 14[/INDENT] NPC Roster: [INDENT]Beetle Darkcloud, halfling ranger 5[/INDENT] [INDENT] Robin the Balladeer, human bard 4[/INDENT] Game Session Date: 27 January 2024 - - - "But what about your bonehead?" asked Alewyth. "We can tie his reins to one of your saddles," replied Wakuren, climbing up onto the back of his air element warhorse, Nimbus. "It's not a bad idea having a bonehead as a backup mount, but I prefer the view from up in the air a bit." And with that, Nimbus ran up the air as if racing up a hill, leveling out at about 30 feet up. "I got it," Robin offered, taking Persistence's reins and tying them to the back of her own bonehead's saddle, then mounted up, seeing the others were doing so. They'd just finished their [I]heroes' feast[/I] breakfast that Alewyth had conjured up, and the spellcasters had already cast their first-thing-in-the-morning spells: Zander's [I]mage armor[/I], Alewyth's [I]magic vestment[/I], and the [I]endure elements[/I] spells that made life in armor comfortable for Wakuren, Alewyth, Xandro, and Robin. Then Beetle led the way, the boneheads falling in line behind him and Wakuren keeping a lookout directly overhead. Beetle found he didn't mind having a personal bit of shade hovering above him, especially since as a creature from the Elemental Plane of Air made up of clouds, Nimbus would never feel the need to relieve himself; had it been otherwise, the halfling would probably have sought a different configuration for their aerial scout. Things went fine for the first half hour or so; the group found themselves cresting the occasional hill, but none had enough of a slope to make it difficult going. But it was while they were traversing a fairly level section of field, with the ground dropping away up ahead in another gradual slope, that Wakuren called out a warning. "Tyrannosaurus, headed our way!" he called from above. Several seconds after his warning, the rest of the group could see the dinosaur's head rise up from the horizon ahead, then the creature's shoulders, ridiculously undersize forelimbs, and finally his powerful legs and tail. He was running at a full sprint, headed directly for the group, but he was still far enough away they wouldn't have to worry about him for a few seconds - enough to get off a few spells, in any case. Thurloe cast a [I]shield[/I] spell upon himself from his wand, while Robin dropped back and pulled out her lute, starting the initial chords to her song of inspirational courage. At the rest of the groups' recommendation, Beetle had Yellow-Belly drop to the back of the formation, with most of the boneheads shifting over to the right to let the sprinting tyrannosaur go past. Then another massive reptilian head crested the hill ahead, this one sporting a bony ridge behind his skull and a pair of long, curving horns spearing forward on either side of the smaller horn rising up from the end of his snout. Unlike the tyrannosaur, the triceratops ran on all fours, but he was doing his level best to catch up to the taller reptile. "Wait a minute," Xandro said. "That's a plant-eater chasing a meat-eater - what gives?" Wakuren urged Nimbus to a higher elevation so he could get a better look. It didn't seem logical for the tyrannosaur to be fleeing from the triceratops, nor would he have expected the herbivore to be giving chase. A more logical explanation was that both were fleeing from something even fiercer than either of them. Looking down the slope of the hill ahead, Wakuren saw the grasses moving as if by a heavy wind, although no such wind was blowing. But then he saw several figures scrambling forward - dark shapes, each the size of a large horse but low to the ground: giant ants! They had fierce-looking pincers and ran side by side, almost a dozen in all. Wakuren squinted; he thought he'd seen a humanoid figure in their midst, but he couldn't be sure - and he seemed to have disappeared in any case. "They're fleeing giant ants!" Wakuren called down to the others. "And I bet there are swarms of ants in among them as well!" That would account for the swaying grasses. Xandro settled his bonehead mount Ceph beneath him with a reassuring pat along the side of the neck as he drew [I]Deathwhisper[/I] out and readied it against an attack by the approaching tyrannosaurus. Zander brought his own bonehead mount, Pachy, up beside Ceph, readying to cast a [I]prismatic spray[/I] spell at the incoming ant swarms, but to do so he'd have to wait until they got within range, and that would mean letting the tyrannosaurus and triceratops go by them first. Fortunately, the dinosaurs continued on their current trajectories, seeking merely to put as much distance as possible between themselves and the army ant swarms that could strip them to skeletons in minutes. Wakuren got Nimbus to a height of about 100 feet up and them urged his mount forward, the better to see the approaching swarms - after all, he and Nimbus were perfectly safe this high up. Alewyth also urged Lapis forward, although doing so required some coaxing to the nervous mount. But the dwarven priestess took the time to ready a spell of her own: a [I]hold monster[/I] should the tyrannosaurus try anything as it raced on by. She and her mount were off to the left by themselves, though, which made Thurloe nervous for them; he gripped [I]Spellslicer[/I] tighter in his hand but opted not to ride over by her in case she found herself in trouble. The spellsword felt a hand drop onto his shoulder; looking over, it was just Xandro, casting a [I]heroism[/I] spell upon him. The dinosaurs advanced, as did the army ants; Zander opted to cast a [I]wall of force[/I] spell blocking off most of the heroes from the tyrannosaurus; Alewyth and Lapis were on their own, unfortunately - they were too far away. And sure enough, even though the great dinosaur was fleeing for his very life, he was a creature of habit and instinct and the opportunity to grab a quick meal of pachycephalosaurus meat was too big a temptation to ignore. He darted forward to his right, snapping his mouth of dagger-sized teeth at the mount's back, just behind the saddle, and lifted the whole bonehead into the air without slowing his pace too much. Alewyth was flung from the saddle to fall on the ground; she'd gotten her [I]hold monster[/I] spell off before he struck but as is occasionally the case with such spells, the intended victim was able to shrug off its effects. The triceratops continued his own frenzied panic, almost catching up to the tyrannosaurus as the larger dinosaur stopped to get a better grip on the struggling meal in his mouth. Hearing the commotion behind them, Wakuren wheeled Nimbus around and had him charge down at the tyrannosaurus. But rather than attack the massive predator, the half-orc instead cast a [I]freedom of movement[/I] spell upon Lapis, allowing the bonehead to wriggle out from the larger dinosaur's mouth, dropping nearly 30 feet to the ground to land beside Alewyth. Then Nimbus changed course and flew back up out of range of the tyrannosaur's snapping teeth. As Lapis struggled back up to her feet, Alewyth activated her [I]butterfly brooch[/I] with a touch and took to the skies herself, although her course only took her about 30 feet up in a rather erratic flightpath. Thurloe backed his mount, Boney, fully behind the protection of the [I]wall of force[/I], not wanting either of them to be the next on the dinosaur's dinner menu. Xandro cast another [I]heroism[/I] spell, this time upon himself as the army ants continued their approach. The giant ants were well within view now, and there was a dark stain of smaller bodies among the grasses ahead making a steady advance alongside them. Zander had Pachy move forward enough that the elf could cast a [I]prismatic spray[/I] spell, sending multicolored rays out in a cone before him. Two separate clumps of army ants died of an electrical charge that burned up their bodies, while hundreds of ants nearby curled up dead from poison. Two more swarms simply vanished, swept away to another plane of existence, while other ants found themselves advancing through flames popping up out of nowhere. Another swarm petrified into little statues that got crunched underfoot soon after as the advancing larger ant soldiers trod over them. The tyrannosaur's momentum carried him past Lapis, but there were other boneheads off to his left; he tried to snap up Persistence but slammed his head into the invisible [I]wall of force[/I]. Not understanding what had just happened, the dimwitted beast let his forward momentum carry him on, fleeing from the oncoming ant swarms and already forgetting about eating now that he had passed the potential prey. The triceratops veered off in a slightly different course, putting some distance between himself and the tyrannosaurus as he continued to flee from the ants. And then, surprisingly, a humanoid form popped up out of the ground, over by Zander. He appeared to be a ghost of some sort, but one twisted by horror: his skin was mostly missing and behind his eyes lay only madness. He babbled incoherently, and even Zander, who had had the [I]tongues[/I] spell permanently enhancing his abilities to understand and speak other languages, could only pick up an occasional word or two, mostly "No!" and "Stop!" But despite neither Zander nor the pseudodragon familiar riding on his shoulder feeling any ill effects, the dinosaur beneath the elven sorcerer froze up in horrified paralysis at the sound of the allip's babbling. Beetle had been willing to hold his ground as his powerful charges from Armaturia seemed up to dealing with the oncoming ant swarms and the dinosaurs they had fleeing before them, but at the sight of this horrible, undead creature flying up out of the ground, he lost his nerve and swung Yellow-Belly to his left. "Come - we must flee!" called the ranger, urging his fastieth mount forward - and right smack-dab into the invisible [I]wall of force[/I], a bit of magic with which the ranger had no prior experience. He and his mount crashed into the invisible barrier and rebounded in a heap on the ground. Wakuren and Nimbus dove at the tyrannosaurus again, the half-orc slamming his [I]shield of Cal[/I] into the side of his head while the aerial steed kicked out with a sharpened hoof. They didn't plan on taking the massive dinosaur down, just encouraging him to continue on his way and not get any ideas about snapping up any of the rest of their own reptilian mounts as a quick meal. Alewyth summoned a greater earth elemental to stand watch over her wounded Lapis, then rushed over to provide the creature with some much-needed healing. The massive elemental, in the meantime, strode forward and sunk into the earth as he did so, until he was no longer visible. But the elemental creature could sense every living thing scurrying over the ground above and before him, and would know when to strike from the earth below. Thurloe leapt down from his own mount and called for Wakuren to toss him the lamp. The half-orc did so, Nimbus lowering himself to ground level for him to toss the lamp, and Thurloe caught it and started sprinting over to the paralyzed Pachy, who would be helpless against the army ants getting closer and closer. Placing a hand upon the dinosaur's flank, the spellsword said the magic word that transported the two of them into the extradimensional space inside [I]Hesperna's lamp[/I], where the bonehead could recover in safety. Xandro ran up to Wakuren and bestowed the last of his [I]heroism[/I] spells upon the half-orc, and the oncoming swarms advanced even closer. Zander cast a [I]cone of cold[/I] at the giant ants that were beating their smaller cousins to the feast, then retreated to Boney, Thurloe's abandoned mount, and silently dismissed the [I]wall of force[/I] that was no longer serving any purpose, for the tyrannosaur had long since fled the scene and the magical wall had been oriented such that it more or less pointed in the direction from which the army ants were approaching. But the allip was still babbling, and Zander felt Boney freeze up beneath him, another victim to the undead creature's verbal onslaught. "Not again!" he cried in dismay. Somewhat dazed from his collision, Beetle climbed back up onto Yellow-Belly's saddle as the fastieth regained his footing. "We need to get away from these ants, or they'll overwhelm us!" he cried. "There's a river several miles away and a rope bridge we can cut behind us after we've crossed! Come on -- this way!" And with that, Yellow-Belly was off, heading almost in the same direction in which the triceratops had veered away. Wakuren bent down from Nimbus's saddle and scooped up [I]Hesperna's lamp[/I] from where it had fallen to the ground when Thurloe and Pachy entered it. Nimbus took to the air again, as Wakuren cast a [I]cure critical wounds[/I] spell upon the flying allip, the healing energy causing its undead form to burst and dissipate into nothingness. Behind him, Alewyth cast a [I]searing light[/I] spell that slew a giant ant headed for Lapis, who had regained her footing. Another giant ant went flying up into the air as the earth elemental pounded its carapace from below after it had made the mistake of trampling over the ground under which the elemental being had been hiding. It died from the blow, its corpse flying up in an arc to land nearby; its carcass would be torn apart by the army ant swarms coming up behind it, for they made no differentiation between what kinds of meat they could tear apart and bring back to the nest. Alewyth scrambled back up onto Lapis's saddle and veered her mount to follow Yellow-Belly. Thurloe popped back out of the lamp, surprised to see he was back much farther than he had been when he had entered it. "See to Boney!" Wakuren advised him, and sure enough, Zander was crawling back off Thurloe's own mount, also frozen into immobility by the slain allip's babbling. With a sigh, Thurloe grabbed up the lamp and went to go rescue his own riding mount. Xandro, astride Ceph, saw the situation, realized their guide was fleeing, and called for the rest of the group to follow, for they'd never find their way to the Forbidden Lands on their own on this strange continent. Robin steered Alosaurus to follow, Persistence coming along for the ride at the end of his reins. Wakuren and Nimbus rose back up into the air and looked back. Another wave of ants was approaching from farther behind, several giant ants among their number. It looked like fleeing was their best option after all, unless they wanted to stay here and fight wave after wave of the seemingly endless insects. Seeing Zander was once again without a mount, Wakuren had Nimbus fly down to just above the ground and he pulled the elf up behind him, then turned to follow Beetle and Yellow-Belly. Thurloe, when he exited the lamp once again and saw the others fleeing, scooped up the lamp, activated his [I]celestial armor[/I]'s [I]fly[/I] spell, and took off after the others. And behind them, thousands of army ants of different sizes continued their inexorable advance, stopping only to break down the bodies of those who had fallen in the first wave. Several miles later, the group approached a deep gorge with a river flowing at its bottom, and a rope bridge spanning the expanse. Alewyth had healed her wounded mount during the ride, and the tyrannosaurus's teeth-marks had all sealed up. Thurloe had gotten Boney back out of the lamp and was riding him once again - his armor's [I]fly[/I] spell only lasted so long, after all - and while Pachy had also recovered from the allip's babbling, the spellsword had left him inside the lamp; hopefully he wouldn't get into too much trouble, or make too much of a mess! Zander had opted to remain seated behind Wakuren on Nimbus, although he had wriggled the other way around so he could see the ant swarms still making progress as they followed the fleeing group. "The bridge will safely hold one rider and one mount at a time!" Beetle advised as they approached. "I wouldn't want to test it any further beyond that!" Indeed, as they got closer to the bridge, they could see the wooden planks serving as the floor were old and partially rotten, with a plank or two missing along its length. Thurloe, not trusting the bridge, activated his [I]fly[/I] spell and rose up out of the saddle, urging Boney to cross the bridge without him. That way, if the bridge gave out, he'd be out a bonehead but could still fly across the bridge and see to his own safety. Xandro cast an [I]expeditious retreat[/I] spell upon Ceph, allowing the bonehead to surge forward and line up to be the second to cross. Robin continued playing her inspirational courage song on the lute; in fact, she hadn't stopped playing throughout their trek to the bridge. Nimbus did a sweep behind them, allowing Zander to cast a [I]cone of cold[/I] spell that killed hundreds of the advancing army ants. But then another allip rose up out of the ground; they'd spotted several of the undead creatures following the ants' course, bobbing up and down above and below the earth, rather like dolphins at play out in the sea. This one also started babbling, and just that quickly Yellow-Belly froze to a halt. Unless someone took action, he'd be devoured by the army ants even now making their way closer to the departing heroes and their mounts. Wakuren cast a [I]wind wall[/I] spell behind them, knowing the powerful force of wind would prevent the smaller ants from being able to approach any further, although it wouldn't do anything to prevent the giant soldier ants from coming closer. Alewyth cast a [I]magic circle against chaos[/I] spell upon herself, not sure if it would do any good but willing to give it a shot. By then, Boney and Thurloe were across the bridge and the spellsword had landed by one of the ropes keeping the bridge in place, his bastard sword [I]Spellslicer[/I] out and ready. Xandro and Ceph were the next to cross, and the rogue had [I]Deathwhisper[/I] out and ready to cut the other rope once the others had crossed. The ant swarms were now almost upon the group once again, and two of the giant soldiers dashed forward, catching the hapless Lapis in their mandibles. Alewyth swatted them away with [I]Sjondra[/I] while Robin shooed an untethered Persistence across the bridge and then followed on her own Alosaurus. Zander cast another [I]cone of cold[/I] spell from the back of Nimbus, killing a bunch of the closest swarms and, fortunately, the allip floating above them - not always a sure thing, given the undead's incorporeal form. Wakuren cast a [I]magic circle against evil[/I] on Beetle, the spell temporarily undoing the effects of the allip's babbling on Yellow-Belly, allowing the fastieth to sprint forward towards the rope bridge once again; seeing that, Thurloe remained at his station by the end of the bridge, for he'd been considering flying over to rescue them by placing them inside the lamp, although that would have made it difficult for him to exit from the lamp for by that time the ants would have been upon them. Alewyth cast a [I]mass inflict serious wounds[/I] upon the giant ants bothering Lapis and a bunch of the nearest swarms, slaying about half of them. The ant swarms incapable of passing through the [I]wind wall[/I] had figured out how to go around the spell's effects, and were now massing at either end of the gust, moving around the obstruction. Zander killed another bunch of the giant ants, who were much faster than their normal-sized cousins, with another [I]cone of cold[/I] spell. But then another allip popped up out of the ground, babbling incoherently. Fortunately, there weren't many people - or mounts - within the area of effect, most of them already having crossed the bridge, and those near to the allip were able to avoid the effects of the incessant babbling. Beetle and Yellow-Belly raced across the bridge as Nimbus crossed the gorge overhead. Wakuren cast a [I]cure critical wounds[/I] spell at the third allip on his way across, slaying his necromantic form with the surge of positive energy. Alewyth and Lapis were the last to cross, and then Thurloe and Xandro went to work with their swords, cutting through the thick ropes holding the bridge in place. Once they were both severed, the bridge fell back towards the side they had first crossed, leaving the ants stranded on the other side of the gorge. Looking back, Beetle sighed his relief. "That was a close one!" he declared. But they weren't free of the ants yet. To their amazement, the ants gathered at the top of the gorge and started building a bridge out of their own living bodies; the giant ants were a big help in this endeavor, standing on the side of the cliff and acting as buttresses for the bodies of the smaller ants that clung to each other and slowly extended further and further across the gap. Seeing this, Beetle called for a retreat again. "There's another branch of the river some miles ahead," he told the heroes. "It's much wider than what we just crossed over. We'll have to have our mounts swim across, but it'll be too far for the ants to be able to follow!" And with that, he sent Yellow-Belly forging ahead, the others following. It was several miles before they saw the river branch Beetle had described just ahead, but there was a potential problem. "Sailbacks!" cried the halfling ranger in disgust, seeing a pair of dimetrodons sunning themselves by the river's edge. Fortunately, the pair didn't seem to have noticed the approaching caravan, but Beetle didn't want to have to waste time going further down the river, for he'd already picked up the sounds of the insect chatter as the next wave of army ants advanced behind them. Apparently they'd already crossed the gorge and were in fast pursuit of their escaping sources of meat. Thurloe goaded Boney forward, [I]Spellslicer[/I] out and ready to deal with these dimetrodons if they got in his way. Xandro cast another [I]expeditious retreat[/I] upon Robin's bonehead, allowing her to speed ahead towards the safety of the river, as the ants scrambled forward, ever closer. The bard continued playing her song of inspirational courage, figuring the song's magical effects would be more useful than trying to keep off the dimetrodons' radar. Zander was once again riding Pachy, having taken the time to enter the lamp to fetch his bonehead mount shortly after having watched the bridge's ropes cut. Yellow-Belly was right there beside him, as they raced to the beach ahead. Nimbus flew by a mere 10 feet above the ground, also advancing upon the two dinosaurs with the large fins rising up from their backs. Wakuren cast a [I]blindness/deafness[/I] spell at the one on his left, hoping to take away the reptile's vision, but it didn't seem to have any effect. Thurloe tried a different tactic, casting a [I]lightning bolt[/I] spell at the same dimetrodon, and this at least had some effect, although it didn't slay the beast outright as the spellsword had hoped it would. But then the other one lunged forward, its somewhat crocodilian build enabling it to scramble forward with an astounding speed. It bit at Lapis (who really was not having a very good day at all), drawing blood. Xandro sent Ceph around Alewyth and Lapis, allowing the other dimetrodon to snap at his mount (it missed, fortunately), before [I]Deathwhisper[/I]'s blade went deep into the creature's throat, slaying it instantly. He saw Robin and her bonehead had made it to the water's edge and Alosaurus was taking her first tentative steps into the river, while Robin continued playing her song. Neither noticed the fins sticking up out of the water some distance away, heading in their direction. Zander cast a [I]lightning bolt[/I] spell at the remaining dimetrodon, enhancing the spell's effect with his [I]ring of mystic lightning[/I], the blast of electricity killing the sail-finned dinosaur. Then he and Pachy were at the water's edge, the bonehead stepping in. Beetle and Yellow-Belly were there beside him. Wakuren spotted the sharklike fins headed toward the knee-deep dinosaurs and called out a warning. Then, sending Nimbus in their direction, he summoned a [I]javelin of lightning[/I] from his [I]gauntlet of Cal[/I] and sent the bolt hurtling down at the nearest of the ichthyosaurs. He caught three of the five in the blast, slaying none but hurting all three. Warned of the danger in the waters ahead, Alewyth cast a [I]spiritual weapon[/I] and sent the floating dwarven warhammer slamming against the head of the nearest ichthyosaur. Thurloe cast a [I]slow[/I] spell at the school of marine reptiles, affecting two of their number. By then, Xandro and Ceph had entered the river, the ant swarms and a few giant ant soldiers right behind them. Alosaurus was deep enough now to begin to swim slowly across, kicking her powerful legs in a kind of doggy-paddling motion, her swinging tail aiding in propelling her forward. The ichthyosaur school was still far enough away for Zander to cast a [I]chain lightning[/I] spell at them without having to worry about any unintended side effects to his friends by casting an electrical-based spell in a body of water. The arcs struck each of the five ichthyosaurs, who likely had never encountered such magic before and weren't quite sure what to do about it. But instinct was a powerful force, and their instincts told them there was food up ahead. Yellow-Belly paddled furiously through the water, breaking away from the slower pachycephalosauruses. But the ichthyosaurs were in their own element, and they advanced even faster. One bit at Robin's mount; drawing blood. Wakuren responded with a [I]thunder strike[/I] spell cast ta the school, causing them even further damage and distress. But still they continued on with their attacks. The ants were now at the edge of the river but dared not enter, but the heroes and their mounts were no longer on land and the ant swarms were no longer a concern; fighting off these prehistoric sharks was. Alewyth cast a [I]mass inflict light wounds[/I] at the ichthyosaurs, as her [I]spiritual warhammer[/I] continued its assaults on its original target. Thurloe cast a [I]lightning bolt[/I] spell at three of the ichthyosaurs as Boney paddled frantically, seeking the safety of the opposite shore. Xandro and Ceph had already made it and were trudging up out of the river, water streaming off of Ceph's hide. Robin and Alosaurus made it shortly thereafter. Another [I]lightning bolt[/I] empowered by the elf's ring flashed off from Zander's fingertips, blasting through a trio of the hungry ichthyosaurs. Two more bit at Lapis and Boney; Wakuren cast a [I]cure light wounds[/I] spell upon Alewyth's mount, fearing for her safety. Alewyth's [I]spiritual warhammer[/I] continued its attacks, beating down at the offending marine denizen. Thurloe took another approach, having Boney swim away from the attacking ichthyosaur just so Thurloe could cast a [I]dimension door[/I] spell upon the two of them. Just that quickly, they were on the far side of the river, Boney standing beside Xandro and Ceph. Lapis had to make it the slower way, but make it she did, and she pulled herself up onto the far shore, leaving the water-bound ichthyosaurs behind in the river. Zander cast a [I]haste[/I] spell upon himself, Pachy, and Petey, and the added speed allowed his bonehead mount to make it to the river's far side before being devoured by the ichthyosaurs. Then Wakuren and Nimbus landed beside the others. "Is everyone okay?" the half-orc asked. Alewyth was already casting healing spells upon those who needed them. "We're all safe," Beetle informed the group. "But we're miles off course form the way I originally took Andrea." "Is that going to be a problem?" asked Robin, stowing away her lute now that it was no longer needed. "Well, we'll be crossing on the other side of a small mountain range than the way I would have gone, but that won't matter in the long run. We'll still be able to meet up to where we would have had we gone the other way. I just wasn't expecting the ants this early, is all." "What do you mean?" asked Wakuren. "The army ants work on a cycle, attacking about every 15 years or so," the halfling replied. "They're early by a couple of years. I wonder what set them off so soon?" Then he shook his head. "Oh well, I guess it doesn't really matter. They can't cross the river, that's the important thing for now. Come on, let's get going." And with that he sent Yellow-Belly heading west again, back on their original heading, if off by several miles. The others fell into line and followed. - - - I wrote this adventure to serve several purposes: first, I've always wanted to send swarms of army ants up against a D&D party; and secondly, this allowed me to have Beetle take the PCs a different way than he took Andrea, which handily explained why they'd be meeting up with encounters he and Andrea had never faced. (Otherwise, it would strain credulity if I had to have everything they met up with having not been there half a year ago, when Beetle led Andrea Jandoval to the Forbidden Lands.) - - - T-shirt worn: My black Dalek "Exterminate!" T-shirt, as the army ants were on a mission to slay everything they met as food for their nest. [/QUOTE]
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