[FR] Heroes of the Vilhon Reach II (updated 3/6!)

[Broccli_Head]

24 Alturiak, Year of Rogue Dragons (1373 DR) : The job gets worse

Grim did a full recon of the keep and slipped in without incident across a footbridge on the backside of the ruin. Carefully, he picked his way across the loose stones of a rubble-filled tower without disturbing a nest of hawks. As a shadow he crept into the main building and crawled along the rafters counting the enemy--six thugs and a priest--as he went. He slowly drew his shortsword and positioned himself above the priest waiting for his companions to strike.

Meanwhile, Benito and Aris combined their gravity defying powers of flight and levitation to position Ellysidell and Variak behind the keep to use the new bridge. Aris joined them and waited for Benito and Nosr to signal the attack. Nosr flexed his magical muscle and grew some wings hovering with Benito in the air. Then the signal came with a mighty KABOOM! and a huge orange glow as Nosr tossed a fireball at the dilapidated gate, blowing the doors to smithereens. Then the sorcerer began to fly forward. Benito reached his will into plane of fire and brought out three fireworms, placing them inside the walls of the keep. With his cape waving in the late winter breeze behind him, he flew closer to the inner bailey.

With the sky lit up, first Aris, then Ellysidell and Variak sprinted across the bridge with no opposition. Aris lept gracefully into the main building with landing ready for a fight. Ellysidell followed suit with even more style, doing flip over the broken wall and landing on his feet behind the enemey. Variak ran up and over the wall without breaking stride.

But the battle inside raged. The thoqqua's were doing damage to the thugs and the structure. A very ugly half-orc priest died before he could even gasp in suprise at the summoned creatures. Grim had stabbed him between the shoulder blades after leaping from the rafters above. Now Grim battled the desperate cultists with the thoqqua. Benito was engaged in the melee with a rogue sniper on the second floor of the building. The blue glow of Mano acted as a beacon for Nosr's arcane missles which drove the rogue back not allowing him to press the attack against the cleric of Tyr. Benito soon dropped him, healed him, and clamped him with manacles. He questioned him as Nosr flew to catch up and found out virtually nothing except that the people here were mad cultists of a Dark God. The rogue dispatched himself as the cultist at the ransom site had done--a bite of some poison encapsulated in a hollow wax tooth. He was soon dead.

While Grim, Variak and the thoqqua's finished off the thugs, Ellysidell and Aris searched for Danwick's daughter. They did not find her but a thorough search of the first floor revealed a passageway down. El and Aris and then Benito pulled the rocks away to see a spiral stair going into the depths. Ellysidell impetuously ran down the stairs only to be chopped at and struck by a huge pendulum. He stepped back and became more cautious.

Benito sent the fireworms to burrow around the stairs, away from the pressure plate. They continued to extend the stairs and the heroes followed. About halfway down, Benito triggered a trap that the thoqqua had passed. Suprised he stepped back after being assaulted by snow and ice. The worms went to the bottom of the stairs without incident and even melted down a set of doors at the stairs bottom and some statues in the room. After Grim spotted the glyph that seemingly triggered the 'snow and ice' trap, Nosr attempted to blast it with spellfire. The magical ward held. The trap was temporarily bypassed only to discover another trap--this one caused fear to those who stepped on the landing at the base of the stairs. Eventually, but not without more hurt and humiliation (Grim attempted several times to disarm the fear glyph, only to fail and run away at least twice before he got his act together and scraped the magical correct magical ward away; Aris and Ellysidell were injured by the cold trap) the trap was disarmed.

The party entered a room with strange, malevolent partially melted statues and an archway containing a mauve, glowing mist. This glow eerily lit the room in purple. Grim carefully explored and discovered two secret closets, one to each side of the mist-filled archway. They contained dark robes with a strange spiral symbol (also purple) that not even Benito could identify. Grim then examined the archway and more importantly the floor in front of it. He discovered a fine layer of rust-colored dust. Scooping some up, he showed it to Aris who tasted it and gagged--Blood!

He called everyone to step back away from the mists. He tested the arch, covering one end of a piece of wood with a robe and sticking it into the mist. After feeling a slight tug, he tried to pull back the wood. The stick became dust in Aris's hand, and the robe was gone. Looking first at his hand and then at the others, he said, "You only live once."

Aris doned on a robe, took a deep breath, and before anyone could stop him, jumped on through....
===========
He found himself in a similar room with more statues, these not melted. He saw a set of stairs at the far end and voices laughing and partaking in some sort of revelry somewhere in the distance. Looking at the ground he found the robe that had been at the end of the stick. Picking up the robe, he stepped back through and related what he had seen to a very relieved party. The rest of the group quickly doned on black robes of their own and began to pass through the arch.

As they filed into the other room edging away from the door, the eyes of the statues glowed purple and their arms became black tentacles. The tentcles began to writhe and look for victims. Grim thought that he saw the faces on the statues smile as he drew his weapon and gauged the distances between him and the nearest of the rubbery, black appendages....

 

[Broccli_Head]

Player comments!

Benito speaks:

I felt the need to post so I could fill in a few of the more amusing side notes that Broc sadly overlooked, when the group first came across the fear trap it was Aris that originslly triggered it, as he fled towards the top if the stairs he ran back through the ice storm that was still raging. When he emerged from the sleet Benito had to restrain his friend lest he flee the scene. After slapping the manacles on aris and holding him down Benito asked Grim to try his hand at disabling the device. Grim by this time having dealt with the icey storm proceeded to try his luck at the fear inducing device. After a few failed attempts he suddenly grew rigid. Ellysidell standing by his "little brothers" side dove at the halflings feet as he deftly sprinted towards the top of the stairs. One after another the party nmembers found them selves grasping at air as the halfling flipped, tumbled, and fiented his way past the lot of them. As he reached the top of the stairs yelping with glee at his escape from the horrors that surely awaited him below, Benito once again called upon the power of his cloak and flew up the spirlaling staircase scooping up the rogue halfling and quickly subduing him. After a few moments both Aris and Grim were calmed enough to release from their restraints, as Grim once agian set himself to the task of defeating the insidious trap, Benito stopped him momentarily as he illustrated his forethought and wisdom by fastening a rope around Grims waist. Looking at the cleric briefly, Grim merely shrugged his shoulders and went back to work determined to prove Benitos caution needless. Almost as soon as the thought entered the rouges mind the fear once again siezed him. Bolting with a speed that was almost unatural Grim once again found himself past his fellows and nearing the top of the stairs and freedom. Just as he felt assured of his escape from the horrors of the evil staircase, Grim felt a strong jerk as the rope went taught and he fell tumbling head over heels back down the staircase (sort of like a fast moving slinky). Now for brevities sake let me only say that the "slinky" routine was repeated at least two more times after this Well there were other amusing imcidents that transpired that evening but that was the one sequence I found the most humorous...

 

[Broccli_Head]

24 Alturiak, Year of Rogue Dragons (1373 DR): Black Tentacles do more damage than waves of Mooks

[DM note: Variak's character was not available at the session, nor could we find his character. Thus, he was sent back to guard the horses and Lord Danwick.]

Seeing the tentacles forming, Aris and Nosr ran straight out of the room to come to rest on the set of stairs leading further into the dark temple getting slapped at least one time each from the writhing appendages. Purple light oozed from the halway below and Aris drew his bow, nocked an arrow and positioned himself to fire at anything coming down the hall.

Back in the room, Grim, Benito and Ellysidell fought against the statues. Ellysidell closed with one, suffering a slap, and hacked at the statue with his magical falchion sending only a few chips flying. Dodging and weaving, Grim attacked the same statue, only leaving a scratch.

"Oh well," he said sheathing his sword, "that won't work."

He fell back to ducking and rolling to avoid the tentacles on his way out of the room. Benito, hearing Ellysidell's cries of frustration sought to knock the statue over. Bull-rushing the structure, he too was slammed before closing. He crashed into the statue, but it did not fall.

Nosr, in a momentary lapse of reason, or perhaps thinking his magic more powerful than that of the dark temple, decided to area dispel the tentacles. It did not work. However, Benito felt a sudden loss of strength as Tyr's power of the bull faded from his body.

Putting two and two together, Benito overcame his shock and cried out, "Nosr!"

"Oops! Tactical error," observed Aris turning back to watch the stairs.

As Benito continued to curse at the sorcerer and his head was grappled by a black tentacle, Nosr cried back, "Don't worry, you'll get used to it!"

Ellysidell tried to topple his statue and failed. It lashed out and grabbed him with one of it's tentalces squeezing and crushing the muscles on his right leg. As Grim tumbled, a tentacle or two hit the halfling hard. He got to his feet and tried to regain his balance and composure. To add insult to injury a tentacle lashed out at him and attempted to wrap him up. Realizing that his strength was insufficient to fight against this magical construct in seeing Ellysidell and Benito caught, the little halfling twisted as if in a dance and slid away from the hurtful appendage. Successfully, this time he tumbled under two more sets of writhing black things to come to rest behind Nosr and Aris.
Anger welled up in the Holy Justice of Tyr and he struck with all his might at the statue that was trying to wrap around his neck. Mano did not disappoint and the statue toppled with a satisfying crash. The tentacles disappeared. But Benito shook his head. There were at least two more statues between him and the stairs, with two tentacles each!

"We're under attack!" cried Aris as he let an arrow loose. It struck one of the humanoid enemies marching down the hall with loaded crossbows.

Grim shrugged his shoulders and quaffed a couple of potions. Nosr fired magic missles, hitting several of the cult soldiers. A volley of crossbows followed after a cry from the apparent leader of this group yelled, "Target the spellcaster!"

Nosr was hit more than once with a crossbow bolt and decided to hide behind Aris, who continued fired another arrow into the group, at the leader. He saw the guard that he had originally hit drop back and head back down the corridor. "We're going to have more company soon. Hurry up in there!"

Ellysidell glared at Aris. Benito did not have time. He activated his speed boots and charged another statue suffering another hefty slap. His armor was dented and he was very bruised. The statue did not fall. Ellysidell struck at the tentacle on his leg in desparation. It was cut in two. He continued his swing and struck at the other. It two was rendered ineffective. He struck at a third tentacle and destroyed it. Now we were getting somewhere! A fog lifted from Ellysidell's thinking. The normally quiet wild elf was on to something. He yelled out to his tentacle-battling partner, "Cut the tentacles! They are weak!"

Benito understood and soon he and the elf were slicing through the tentacles and in the statues that they were fighting. They suffered another round of slams for the evil, black appendages, but the battle was soon won.

While the fight against the statues raged behind them, Nosr and Aris--with Grim making sure he was back to full health before he took any action--held the line. Only two guards and their leader remained, Aris having dropped one more. They fired their crossbows, hitting the stairs in front of the genasi and closed, drawing longswords. The leader all the while urging them forward, firing her own crossbow at Grim, and missing. She held back and drew her longsword. Nosr remembered a spell that he had not used for some time and cast it from behind the cover Aris provided. The two cultists collapsed in a heap. The last one charged and struck Aris hard across the shoulder cutting him deeply. The genasi responded in kind, slicing open the enforcers abdomen and kicking her corpse back down the stairs.

"Take prisoners for Benito," Aris reminded Grim as he eyed the helpless enemies. Grim began securing the prisoners.

Benito and Ell clambered out of the statue room, bruised and beaten. They began reaching in their packs and belts for draughts of healing. Benito took some time to also use his Tyr-blessed magic to remove some of the damage from the crushing blows of the guardian statues. Seeing prisoners he clamped the manacles of truth on one. Aris remembered the poison wax pellets and had Grim remove them before the two mooks were roused from their magic-induced slumber.

Aris and Ellysidell moved forward to the base of the stairs while Benito began his interrogation. Clamping the prisoners mouth with his mailed hand, the priest of Tyr, upset at taking so much damage from evil, guardian statues had no patience. He ran the the un-manacles prisoner through and began asking 'yes' and 'no' questions to the survivor. All the answers to the questions apparently lay down the hall. Benito trusted the manacles and Grim confirmed that he did not think the helpless prisoner, at their mercy was deceiving them.

Realizing that he was still pretty banged up, Benito downed another potion of healing. Aris did the same. Nosr had done so during the brief interrogation. They were about to continue, when more cult enforcers were spied down the hall. A volley of bolts flew at the party, with Ellysidell taking a hit. Aris held the wild elf back.

"Nosr, soften them up for us."

The sorcerer nodded and began his incantations....

 

[Broccli_Head]

24 Alturiak, Year of Rogue Dragons (1373 DR): "And they walked on down the hall..."

The bead of light shot from Nosr's finger and sailed above the six or so armed and armored cultists marching down the hall. An explosion rocked the hallway from where it hit behind the enemy formtion and at least one fell in a fiery heap. The rest, extremely injured but apparently suicidal, moved forward amidst bow fire from Benito and Aris. Ellysidell readied his flaming falchion to engage any that came into melee. Two dropped before they even arrived to meet Ellysidell who quickly cut down two more with one fluid motion and stepped forward with Aris to allow the rest of the party to move into the hall from the stairs.

Seeing no openings to do his nasty business, Grim peered into one room and saw the aftermath of a lavish feast with much food--roast pork and turkey legs--strewn on the table. He crept in and hid under the table. It was just in time as an ogre came into the room from behind a set of swinging doors and began to stack dishes. Out in the hall, Aris, Benito and Ellysidell were mopping up, creating a pile of bodies in the hall. The footing was getting treacherous. Benito had knocked his prisoner unconscious and made sure he was separated from the pile. Nosr saw the open door decided to explore also. Walking in, he spied the ogre.

The monster studdied him and fingered his hand-axe-sized meat cleaver in his belt and asked, "Are ye still hungry?"

Nosr (and the rest of the party, except for Grim) still wore the black robes with the purple spiral. He looked at the 'cook' and simply replied with much confidence, "Yes!" Then the young bravado walked up to the table plopped himself down and grabbed himself a turkey leg. Grim silently drew his short sword but held his action waiting to see what the young sorcerer had in mind. The ogre stared, but shook his head and continued to stack empty plates, mugs and cups on the table.

A little help in here, please, sent Grim to what he perceived was the cleric of Tyr's shadow in the doorway.

Benito strolled into the room and the ogre cook took a step back, "More of you? All you do is eat."

"Exactly," replied Benito.

However, as he placed his hands on his hips to emphasize confidence, a bright blue sword made itself known from beneath the folds of the black robe. The ogre cocked his head, and reached for his cleaver. Benito smiled, drew Mano and bounded onto the table, kicking neatly stacked dishes and goblets in all directions, took a slice across the arms as the ogre drew way too quickly for a normal ogre, and then struck back at the monster slicing deep into its shoulder. Benito grimaced and the ogre bellowed. Nosr shook his head and propped his feet on the table chewing on the drumstick. Grim waited also looking for that perfect strike.

Benito then cried out, "A little help in here!"

The ogre attacked again slicing the cleric on the leg and misseing as it swung backhand as if to carve himself a human leg to eat. The miss sent more dinner ware and a candelabra scattering across the room. Ellysidell and Aris stormed into the room and closed with the ogre, who struck at Ell when he got within its arm's length, but both the genasi and the wild elf connected. The ogre was slowing. Nosr sighed, put his food down, leaned back in his chair and sent magic missles flying under the table into the legs and abdomen of the ogre cook. Then Grim bounded from a chair onto the monster's back ripping into its spine.
The ogre toppled to the ground.

Nosr picked up his turkey leg, "Look there's plenty of food for all of us...[a disapproving stare from Aris and Benito]...that is if you all are hungry."

Before he could backhand the sorcerer, however, Benito turned towards another door in the room. The party heard growling and barking. Grim approached and the door began to smoke.

"Watch it, little buddy," warned Ellysidell as he moved to join the halfling.

The door exploded outward and four black hounds with fiery eyes and smoky breath bounded towards the halfling. One bit and breathed. Grim yelled.

Aris closed and took the brunt of two more 'fire-hound' attacks. But after the initial attack, the heroes (minus Nosr who was munching on some slabs of pork) dispatched the dogs quickly.
After taking some time to heal himself some more, Benito went back into the hall to retrieve the prisoner. Grim went to examine the barracks but saw nothing that sparked his curiosity. He saw a barred door that was stuffed with cloth. Benito got from the prisoner that bad green gas lay behind the wall. Again he asked the captured cultist, "Where are the prisoners held?"

He dragged him into the hall and the man pointed to the next door down on the same side of the hall that the feast room was located.

Benito voiced the sentiments of the rest of the party, "I don't like this place. Let's get the prisoners and get out."

Aris agreed. It was long after midnight and this place was a deathtrap, "I hate underground."

The heroes gathered themselves and went to the next door....

 

[Rel]

Bring on more story, Broc! I'm jonesing!

 

[MasterOfHeaven]

Hmmm

First off, I'd like to say I enjoyed reading this story hour. It's pretty good. However, I have a question for you, and please do not take this the wrong way.

Why did you give Benito free healing when he was fighting against that Half-Fiend Cleric in the Inn? This story hour was enjoyable, but the one thing that bothered me about it is I never really felt like the party was in any real danger of being destroyed or beaten. The party mostly cuts through the opposition with amazing ease, and never seems to be in any real danger. The few times they are hurt, they are usually only incapacitated, and the one time a PC died before the fight at the Inn was when you were running an NPC from a module.

The main PCs (Benito, Aris and Ellysindel) especially seem to have an aura of invincibility about them. It seems like no matter what they do, they will not perish. I thought that you were finally going to stop pulling the punches on the fight at the Inn, but when Benito foolishly stays behind and tries to beat the Cleric by himself, instead of dying, he gets free healing. I enjoyed the story, but I never felt like the PCs were in any real danger of being defeated and that really takes away from the enjoyment of a story hour, in my opinion.

Still, this is just my point of view, and I can understand that you may want to keep certain PCs alive because of plot hooks and so on, so again, don't take this the wrong way. I'm just curious as to why you ran it the way you did. Anyway, nice story hour, and keep up the good work.

 

[Malachai_rose]

free healin

Thats actually a very good observation about the healing Benito recieved that allowed him to continue (foolishly yes I do agree with you) his fight with the evil Thazar-De. Benito's sword "mano de la justicia" is an intelligent weapon imbued with the soul of now deceased brother salazar and has the abilty to cast "orders wrath" and "cure critical wounds" once per day as by an 8th level spellcaster.

Now as a player I knew that the sword had this ability but unfortunately Benito did not, though he was aware the sword had at least two magics that he had been unable to identify previously upon recieving the weapon. When I made the decison for Benito to stay it was because I believed it was what young and headstrong (headstrong equals stupid for all intents and purposes of this discussion ) Benito would have done.

I fully expected him to die at this point though I held out hope (and so did Benito) that the intelligent swords mysterious other powers perhaps might be able to aid him in his batlle with the "killer" of his young friend Milo and their new companion Einekill Lutger. The entire battle was actually pretty strange as I underwent ebbs of a sort of perverse pride (I designed the three NPC's in question for Broc to use against us, I built them as PC's with equivilant starting gold and such, Thazar was a cr 9 and the other two were cr 7's) and moments of frustration knowing that the rest of the party more than likely hated me for designing the uber villians (a group of three almost took out a party of 7, as well as they killed two of us for just one of them).

Anyways that may or may not answer your question It wasn't that Broc deals out free healin it is just that Benito's blade kicks some serious booty (+2 holy keened longsword w/ability to cure crit and orders wrath once per day each, in addition to being intelligent). Anyways thanks for readin, and I think Broc will be turning up the heat a few notches as I have been jonesing to fight a few Athachs, lol he says he's gonna give em a level or two of fighter as well so he can doll them up in full plate for us hehe it promises to be brutal (if anyone is unfamiliar with Athachs check out the monster manual page 21, they're my fav's when I run a game, I call em party killers cause in a group of three or so they are garunteed to wax at least one or two PC's). Well anyways thats my two cents for what it's worth, though it seems more like an even dime right about now, lol.

Malachai "Benito" Rose
Hero of the Vilhon Reach

ps. I hate that company of the blue wolf thing, grrrr hehe I would prefer "the company of the blue snail" in tribute to the parties first real adventure

 

[Broccli_Head]

Re: Hmmm

I enjoyed the story, but I never felt like the PCs were in any real danger of being defeated and that really takes away from the enjoyment of a story hour, in my opinion.

I'm just curious as to why you ran it the way you did. Anyway, nice story hour, and keep up the good work.

That's a fair question. Thanks for reading and being curious. I have to blame the victory on the sword (and malachai's stubborness!). Plus, I was not rolling well for Thazar-de and after all that combat, he was low on spells and the casting time on some of the protection spells he had cast early in combat were about to run out. Benito's valiant stand, the unruly crowd, his mage's flight, the celestial dire bats, and the return of rest of the heroes in response to the cleric of Tyr's stand, made me (as the DM and as Thazar-de) turn yellow. He could have taken out Benito, but then had to deal with Aris, Ellysidell and Grim (and maybe Nosr). He decided to fly away to fight another day. I don't like wasting good adversaries. Most likely, he fled to Hlondeth and he may return at some time in the campaign--more powerful and with more minions!

 

[Broccli_Head]

24 Alturiak, Year of Rogue Dragons (1373 DR): The Cradle of Madness

The party busted through the next door searching for prisoners. Ellysidell was the first through only to be bashed by an obese and disease-ridden jailer. Puss oozed from various open sores on his face and arms and clearly he had used the steel shield that he wielded to scratch at them. He was, to put it mildly, a thoroughly unattractive man. Ellysidell struck back driving him into the room and allowing Benito, Aris and Grim through. Surrounded, the jailer did not stand a chance. He was quickly and severely cut down by heroes. Spying a corridor leading from this man's disease-ladden room, the heroes quickly regrouped and began searching the chambers. They discovered a jail cell and a larger torture chamber. In the torture chamber a half-elf was held in chains over a bed of hot coals. Grim adeptly figured out the mechanism and released the poor, tortured soul. Aris and Ellysidell tended to the former prisoner. The halfling's services were then required at the cell door. He picked the lock easily and allowed Benito to examine the room.

Inside was human corpse (a priest of Cyric) and a gnome huddled in the corner. Frustrated that they had not found Lyza Danwick, the heroes made ready to continue exploration of the underground temple. First, they tended to their new found companions--the gnome who had a super-long, gnomish name but told the party to call him Babu, and the half-elf a ranger named Oakenbow--healing them to adequate strength and helping them to recover their equipment. The gnome had several gadgets and 'toys' that Grim tried to use, but was unable to grasp. Relunctantly, the halfling parted with these strange items, giving them back to the gnome. Once fully equipped, the party again entered the main corridor. Benito questioned the cult guard that they had taken prisioner once more asking where Danwick's daughter was being held. He, under the influence of the manacles, and thus unable to lie, pointed to the end of the hall. There lay a set of double doors on the left side of the main hallway. Benito led the prisoner to the prison cell where Babu had been held, released him there and locked the door.

Down the main passage, Grim led the way, stealing stealthily through the doors and up a set of wide stairs to a landing. From the landing he crept into an antechamber that contained more black robes, lighter than the ones used at the disentegration gate. A female cultist entered the room to change robes, having apparently spilled wine on the one she was wearing. Grim dispatched her and motioned for the rest of the party to follow. They donned on these new robes and proceeded forward through another set of doors. They could hear chanting in the background as Ellysidell swung the doors open. Two guards were quickly silenced as the chanting began growing to a crescendo. The party turned the corner to see a horrific sight. At the opposite end from where they stood, Lyza Danwick sat up on an altar, new born baby in hand. The crowd of cultists was frenzied. Next to her stood a 'man' in black armor with a horned helmet. He held some sort of statue to the baby's head and was chanting in a voice that could be heard amidst the rabble. Flanking him were two floating, decaying corpses that appeared to be some form of undead.

The heroes planned quickly. "Nosr clear me a path. I am going for the priest," declared Benito. "Grim, get the baby."

"Ellysidell and I will back you up, priest," assured Aris.

"Hehehe...so will I, but from out here," added the gnome.

Nosr tossed a fireball into the temple, blasting cultists from the pews. Out of the fireball and unscathed came Benito with a vengeance.

[DM note: Benito had his fire shield on and wanted to come out of the fireball. Cool, huh? However, when we looked up the rule, we discovered that he had to make a Relfex save to avoid damage. He still wanted to do so (even though the DC against Nosr's fireball was 19). He made it and I gave him a hero point!]

One of the undead had come to meet him and was half-torched by the arcane explosion. Benito finished it off. He forced the other undead to the corner. Grim, true to form, the master of stealth and acrobatics ran in Benito's wake leaping onto the altar and stealing the babe from the arms of its mother. Wrapping the baby in the folds of his cloak, he rolled and ducked the blow of the Danwick's daughter and ignored her screams. The helmeted man saw Aris and Ellysidell bearing down upon him and used his divine magic to stop the barbarian. Babu fired a crossbow bolt from one of his gadgets, but curiously, this bolt had a copper wire attached to it. It struck the evil priest in the shoulder and sparks of electricity flew.

Babu shouted with glee. Nosr blasted the turned undead with his own magic and began to close to the altar. As Benito closed upon the priest he sent Order's Wrath streaming from Mano, destroying the last of the undead and clearly hurting the dark priest. Cultists were screaming and rushing past he and Babu looking for an exit out.

The priest, seeing his defeat, decided to retreat behind a curtain. Aris and Benito followed and sliced into him with sword and scimitar. Seeing no avenue for escape, the priest of the Dark God cried out "Tharizdun will not be thwarted!" and smashed the statue that he held sending waves of chaos at the heroes. Benito felt the pain but resisted the brunt of the effect. Aris shook most of the wave off and was the first to notice the cracks forming on the walls of the temple as he gutted the evil cleric.

Benito tore the curtain free, which had caught on fire after another of Babu's toys had lobbed alchemist's fire at it. Grim nodded that he had the baby secure. Lyza Danwick was screaming hysterically. Bentio clocked her on the head and saw that chunks of rocks were falling from the temple's ceiling. Aris grabbed Ellysidell.

"Retreat! This way, that priest was trying to escape."

Fortunately, Grim was on top of his game and found a secret door and passage that led to what looked like the dark priest's quarters. They could not stop as they heard the rumblings of the temple complex collapsing around them. The heroes ran into the hallway and it was everyone for himself. Babu and Nosr were the worse for wear as both were caught lagging behind. Babu was struck hard with falling rock but managed to stagger out the gate and up the stairs into the ruined keep. Nosr became pinned with the falling debris but blasted his way out with spellfire. Bloodied and dust-covered he finally joined the heroes as they escaped to the ruined keep seeing it collapse in the darkness to produce a huge billowing cloud of dust. Then all was silent. The baby began to cry. Grim rocked the baby to sleep as the heroes made their way to the rendezvous point where Danwick and Variak waited with the horses. They were met about half-way.

"We heard the rumblings and saw the cloud of dust, so we decided to come check it out," explained Variak.

"We rescued your daughter and you have a grandson!" proclaimed Benito. "I am sorry sir, but it turns out that she was a cultist of some Dark God and was trying to kill you and extort some money. We will turn her over to the authorities in Alaghon."

"Do with her what you will," said Lord Danwick with resignation.

"And what about the baby," Grim asked offering Danwick his grandson.

Lord Danwick shied away. "I do not want that illgetimate son. As far as I know it does not exist. It is a disgrace."

"'It' is a he!" retorted Grim pulling the baby back.

"You are a hard man, Danwick," added Benito.

No one spoke on the trip back to Alaghon.

 

[Broccli_Head]

onto Westgate

25-29 Alturiak , 1373 Year of Rogue Dragons: Setting Sail for Adventure

For the next several days, The Company of the Blue Wolf (according to Cormyran registry) prepared to depart for the Lake of Dragons via the ship, Wave of Destiny that Aris had commissioned. Alberia and Benito screened the crew. First they would stop at Westgate to drop Aif at the Abbey of the Blinding Truth, the new temple to Tyr located in Faerun's Sin City. Next they would sail across the lake to Suzail, and then travel overland across Cormyr, over mountains and across plains to their eventual destination: Evereska. Mourn would be found!

Since Lord Danwick wanted nothing to do with the child the heroes--well, Benito--wanted to leave him in the care of the Temple of Justice. He felt that history was repeating itself. Aris, however, had other ideas and in a private conversation with Brother Gippetto conviced the cleric that the child would be safer in Ilighon, protected by the Emerald Enclave. Gippeto saw the rationale and agreed. The innocent would be safe. The half-elven ranger, Oakenbow, that had been rescued from the underground temple to Tharizdun decided to stay in Turmish. In agreement with Aris, he would check in from time to time at the inn. The Great Axe itself would be under the watchful eye of the druids of Ilighon. Already landscaping at the inn compound was rivalling every noble villa in the Jewel of Turmish. By the 29th of Alturiak, with a favorable wind the Wave was ready to set sail. On board came Aris, Benito, Ellysidell, Grim, Variak, Babu, and Alberia, and Aif/Kith. The ship was crewed by 20 fine sailors all hailing from in and around Alaghon and captained by Jamison Firth, a Cormyran-born traveller, with letters of recommendation from the consulate of Cormyr in Alaghon. Aris had invested in glassware and grains to export to Westgate and Suzail and had put out a call for high passage to the Lake of Dragons in the more reputable inns in the city.

As the crew were making final preparations and loading the last bits of cargo, three would-be-passangers approach the gangplank. Variak, on lookout points them out to Aris and Benito who stroll down the ramp to meet them....

Their red cloaks billowed in the breeze. All three were human men and wore ornate black-laquered armor. Two were tall barbarian types with greatswords scabbarded across their backs. The third led the way, a jewel-hilted longsword at his side. The leader bowed, "I seek passage to Westgate for myself and three companions, and would be honored to sail with the heroes that stopped the Zhentarim invasion of Alaghon. Any enemy of the Zhentarim is a friend of mine."

Aris was flattered at first, but Benito was cautious. He touched Salazar and called upon the will of Tyr to sense evil in these men. Variak folded his arms at the ship's rail and stared at one of the barbarians. The tall warrior stared back and grinned wryly. Variak thought he saw him mouth the words, "You're dead meat..."

Benito determined that all three were evil and that the leader was about as evil as he was good. It made his stomach a little queasy. He diplomatically apologized to the leader and took Aris aside, conveying his misgivings. Aris agreed and claimed that he had taken on extra cargo and thus the rooms dedicated to passengers were now going to accomadate sailors.

The armored man looked at Aris with disappointment. "Are you sure you do not have room? We would really enjoy the company of you and your companions." He paused for a bit not seeing Aris or Benito changing their minds and then spoke again with more persuasion to Aris, "I think I should accompany you on your journey. That way we could discuss tactics to better defeat our common enemy."

Aris replied, "That sounds like a good idead!" with much enthusiasm.

Alarm bells went off in Benito's head and he took Aris aside again. Variak and one of the barbarians still stared at each other. Ell, Alberia and Babu joined him at the rail. Benito took Aris aside again and convinced him (after magical confirmation) that he was under a spell. Aris did not believe him at first but his trust for Benito won out. He allowed the cleric of Tyr to speak for him as he excused himself and walked away, back up the gangplank. The Holy Justice of Tyr with impeccable diplomacy, smoothed things over well. The almost passenger smiled and bowed congenially to Benito.

"Alas, I was hoping we could become good friends. May the Dark Sun not bring wrath upon you for dismissing his servants."

Benito forced a smile back while in his mind he screamed Cyricists! and imagined plunging Mano into this evil man's gut. The barbarian bodyguards laughed and the trio turned and walked away. Benito watched them as they travelled down the docks to the next berthing and said a prayer to Tyr that all the captains on the wharf this night would be wise and deny them passage.
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The Wave of Destiny set sail soon after. No one saw the floating body of a fellow crewman drifting lazily under the dock as the cog pulled away or the harried expression of one of the sailors as he tried to figure out what he was supposed to be doing, as if he had forgotten all he salty knowledge.....

Next time: A blast from the past!