JollyDoc's Savage Tide-Updated 10/8!
carborundum
Adventurer
An answer perfectly in keeping with the word 'teaser'. Can't wait!
JollyDoc
Explorer
TIDES OF DREAD, PART 1: DOWN THE RABBIT HOLE
The townsfolk of Farshore were overjoyed when they saw the Sea Wyvern and the Blue Nixie sail into the harbor. Once the Hellfish was repaired, they knew they would have a respectable navy for a town their size. Lavinia and the town council were on hand to welcome the Legion and their crews when they disembarked, anxious for news of what they had encountered.
The celebratory mood of the town was overshadowed, however, by the knowledge that time was fast slipping away, and there was still much to be done. In the days that followed, the Legionnaires found their various skills to be redundant, and aside from continuing to campaign on Lavinia’s behalf for the mayoral election, there was little more they could offer. Sepoto seemed to withdraw more and more from his companions, rarely seen during daylight hours, only to appear prowling the streets at odd hours of the night. Daelric kept himself occupied with assisting Vesserin Catherly and Bombur at the chapel. Catherly asked the young priest if they had found any sign, or heard any word of Noltus Innersol during their travels, but Daelric told him they had not. Samson busied himself with helping Amella in preparations for her hoped-for return journey to Tashluta. The captain seemed especially anxious to be underway, though she knew she would not be able to leave until after the arrival of the Kraken Society, assuming there was any town still left to establish trade routes for.
Marius and Mandi spent most of their days in the Hall of Records with Jeran Emrikad. The old man was a storehouse of knowledge, and told them many fascinating details about the island’s history. One story that particularly intrigued Mandi, was a local legend of a mysterious eighth Maztican village said to have once been located on Temute. As the story went, the Kawibusas had a marked taste for warfare. Their warriors and zombie-masters braved the jungles beyond the Great Wall often to explore the ruins of the island’s old gods. On one of their forays, they uncovered a sunken temple deep within the jungle that contained an idol of a great ape, carved from a thick piece of obsidian encrusted with gemstones. The Kawibusas proudly carried the stolen idol to their home and placed it at the center of their village. That very night, a great fog rose up and engulfed their settlement. By dawn, the entire tribe had mysteriously vanished. Maztican villagers who went to the site several days later found the Kawibusa village empty, save for the ominous ape idol. They buried the idol, hoping to end its curse, and never returned. Since then, the story of the eighth tribe had become a popular tale among the Mazticans.
Mandi felt this would be an excellent opportunity to get the group out of town for awhile and clear their heads. Marius agreed, for he had been especially worried about Sepoto. The other Legionnaires agreed as well, and with Jeran’s help, Mandi felt confident she knew the approximate location of the mythical village. It took a little less than a day of travel before they came to the site, about a mile inland from the northeast coast of the small island. The ruins of a village were obvious, though the jungle had reclaimed much of it. It was unclear, however, if their discovery was in fact Kawibusa. They spread out and began combing through the underbrush, looking for evidence of where the central pyramid had once been located.
It was Daelric who first spotted movement in the jungle out of the corner of his eye. When he turned that way, he saw a gaunt, humanoid figure rise from the bush. The creature was emaciated and pale, dressed in the tattered rags of Maztican garb. Its nails were long and filthy, and its teeth were sharpened into fangs. It hissed at the priest and began lurching towards him, moving much too quickly for any ordinary zombie. Then, from all sides there was more movement as five more walking corpses emerged from the jungle. Daelric quickly backed away, calling for his comrades. Just as the wights were tightening their circle, a scorching blast of flame came from Daelric’s left, blasting one of the horrors and blistering its decaying flesh. Marius stepped from behind a fallen statue. Nearby, Samson leaped from cover, hammering at another of the creatures. It snapped its sharp teeth together as it turned towards its new prey. Sepoto, meanwhile, seemed back in his element. He waded into the midst of the undead, slashing about him. Quickly, one of the wights fell beneath his onslaught. As a second one lunged for him, he spun, catching it across the throat, viciously decapitating it.
The remaining four wights screeched and leapt, snarling at their opponents, one raking Samson with its filth-crusted nails. As it did so, the dragon shaman felt his flesh go cold, as if his body heat were being leeched away. He felt fatigued and weakened by the blow, though it was scarcely more than a flesh wound. That was the first, and only time that the undead laid a claw upon the Legionnaires. Samson’s opponent went down in a flurry of strikes from the sapped, but still deadly dragon shaman, while Mandi took out two more with a sonic lance of sound followed by a barrage of arcane missiles. The final kill belonged to Sepoto, and he seemed to take great pleasure in it, wrapping his chain around the wight’s neck like a garrote and twisting the creature’s neck until it snapped.
The wights were the only indication of what might have become of the Kawibusas. A thorough search of the remainder of the village turned up a treasure trove of ancient Maztican cultural artifacts, including a gold and jade necklace bearing a strange symbol of a circle surrounding two jagged lines. Daelric identified it as a holy engraving of Zagyg, a demigod of eccentricity and mischief. He was not a Maztican deity, however, and its presence in the village was yet another mystery. Of the ape idol, they found no sign, and finally, in resignation, they made their way back to Farshore.
___________________________________________________________
The following week, the town council abruptly announced that the election was to be held that day. It seemed they felt that a leader needed to be recognized before the coming battle, someone who would take charge of the campaign when the time came. The entire village turned out to vote, and though the results were close, it was Lavinia Vanderboren who won the day. She dedicated her win to her parents, and in private she made no secret of the fact that she was fully aware that she could not have secured victory without the aid of the Legion and the Jade Ravens. Manthalay Meravanchi conceded amiably and with dignity, but Mandi could see the hatred burning in his eyes. He would bear close watching in the days to come.
The Legionnaires left town again shortly thereafter, ostensibly to go in search of news of the missing Noltus Innersol. Though their week in the jungle resulted in numerous run-ins with dinosaurs and giant snakes, they found no news of the errant missionary, and once more they returned to Farshore, this time with only days left until the anticipated arrival of the Kraken Society.
______________________________________________________________
Lavinia had employed several small and fast fishing boats to patrol the waters surrounding the southern islands, and on one overcast day near the expected arrival date of the pirates, the scouts returned, reporting that the invading fleet had been sighted. No more than two hours remained, they estimated, until they would arrive in the harbor.
By this time, both the Maztican and phanaton reinforcements had arrived in Farshore and been trained to fight alongside the militia. As the town went into crisis mode, these troops were assigned to various strategic positions about the village, with the Jade Ravens commanding various units. The Sea Wyvern, Blue Nixie and Hellfish were put underway to block the mouth of the harbor. Lavinia had no illusions that they could hold the fleet for long, or that she might not lose one or more of the vessels, but it was her hope that they would buy the villagers precious time. As for the Legion, the mayor requested that they remain with her at her estate headquarters. Runners would be reporting the status of the defense periodically, and Lavinia wanted the Legionnaires to be ready to respond where they were needed most.
Then there was no time remaining. Violet sails appeared on the horizon, the Kraken insignia prominent upon them. Five ships in all there were, less than feared but more than hoped for. When they came within range, they opened fire on the defending vessels, unloading with catapults and ballistae. The Farshore ships returned fire, but in the midst of the barrage, balls of exploding fire began streaking from the bow of one Kraken Society ship. The rigging of the Hellfish began to burn. As the enemy ships drew closer, they began to deploy longboats full of pirates, and though some of these came under fire from the allied navy, most of them slipped through the blockade and made for the docks.
It had been almost an hour since the fighting began, and runners had been bringing regular reports to the Vanderboren manor. The latest of these had borne grave news. One of the Kraken Society ships had broken through the defensive line and dropped anchor in the harbor. It was the same ship that had firebombed the Hellfish, and now it was doing the same to the town itself. Several buildings were already in flames. There was open fighting in the streets, with more pirate boats landing. Worse, monsters of some sort had literally walked out of the bay and set to systematically dismantling the warehouses by the docks. At this point, Lavinia turned to the Legionnaires.
“It’s time,” she said quietly.
Sepoto nodded, motioned his team to follow and grimly set out for the wharf.
The air outside was filled with smoke and haze. Fires could be seen in the distance, and at certain points around town, red plumes of smoke suddenly billowed skyward. Immediately after, a fireball would streak from the harbor, striking the spot marked by the flare unerringly.
“Hurry,” Sepoto growled.
At that moment, six rough-looking men bearing rapiers and daggers appeared in the street before them. Shouting in challenge, they waved their weapons and charged forward. It was their last mistake. The Legion was in no mood to be delayed by thugs, and they wasted little time or effort in making short work of the pirates. In a matter of moments, all six lay dead on the ground, and the company continued on, not sparing a backward glance.
When they reached the docks, they found utter chaos. No militia were visible, but many dead bodies attested to the fact that some defense had been attempted. Near to hand were four creatures. They stood head-and-shoulders above Sepoto, and their scarred flesh rippled with muscle. They were bare-chested, clad only in breeches. Their skin, where visible, was stitched together rudely, as if by some barber-surgeon. There was no hint of intelligence in their eyes, only mindless brutality. Using their bare hands, they ripped apart the walls of the warehouses, leaving gaping holes. Out in the harbor, a ship was docked. It bore the purple sails of the Kraken Society, and its nameplate declared it the Stygian Shark. There seemed to be very few crew on deck, only four individuals. Three of these looked human at first glance, but on closer inspection it could be seen that their heads were those of serpents. They bore long, recurved bows in their clawed hands. The fourth person looked more human than the others, but he had scales instead of skin, and the slitted eyes of a viper. In his hand he held a slender wand, and it was from this that he sent up balls of fire at the distant, red markers.
Mandi recognized immediately exactly what it was they faced. The ‘monsters’ were actually flesh golems, body parts stitched together and given life through perverse arcane rituals. They were as brainless as they were strong, and extremely resistant to magic. The creatures aboard the ship were yuan-ti, members of a race of snake-like humanoids. The ones with snake heads were only half-breeds, while the sorcerer was a pure blood. He was by far the most dangerous opponent they faced. At that moment, however, the half-bloods opened fire with their bows, one red-fletched arrow sinking deep into Samson’s shoulder.
“Marius! Mandi!” Sepoto shouted. “The ship is yours! Samson and I will take the wrecking crew! Daelric, you know what to do!”
The priest nodded, and promptly faded from view, courtesy of the enchanted ring he had received from the aspect of Zotzilaha. He knew his role well…support and healing. It was up to him to keep the others up and fighting, all while keeping himself out of danger if at all possible.
No sooner had Sepoto issued his commands, than he was on the move with Samson close on his heels. When they reached the golems, the goliath didn’t hesitate, whirling his chain like a dervish. The weapon slashed deep, though no blood appeared from the wounds it inflicted, and indeed the wounds themselves seemed more superficial than he would have thought. Samson, standing beside him, unleashed his acidic breath on two more of the constructs, the acid eating away at their spell-stitched flesh. Suddenly, the nearest brute swung one log sized arm at the goblin, sending him tumbling backwards, head-over-heels.
Meanwhile, Marius warmed to his own task. The warmage was in the process of shaking out his sleeves and preparing to cast, when he saw the yuan-ti sorcerer suddenly take to the air, flying to the top of the ship’s mainmast. Once there he stabbed a finger right at the little gnome, and from it came a bolt of blue lightning. It struck Marius unerringly, scorching his robes and causing his hair to stand on end. Instantly, he felt Daelric’s healing touch upon him.
“You can dish it out,” the warmage growled at his opponent, “now let’s see if you can take it!”
The gnome wound up both arms and thrust them towards the ship, a pea-sized ball of fire arcing out over the water. As it struck the ship, however, it roared into enormous life, completely engulfing the vessel, and even spilling onto the docks at its outer rim, washing over two of the golems. Though they showed no real damage from the flames, their movements abruptly became sluggish and plodding. As for the Stygian Shark, its hull and rigging were badly scorched, but not ablaze. One of the half-breeds was down, and the other two were obviously wounded. The pure blood’s hair was not so much as singed. He smiled, showing two sets of long fangs.
“Keep smiling, pit-spawn!” Mandi shouted as she flitted into view not twenty feet from the yuan-ti. She had assumed the diminutive form of an ice mephit, an elemental creature innately resistant to cold. Though her shape had changed, her formidable magic was still at her disposal, and she brought it down with a vengeance. At her spoken command, the yuan-ti’s own body began to shift and flow, shrinking and compacting, with all of his belongings and clothing clattering to the deck below. In a matter of seconds, where the yuan-ti pureblood had been, there was only a small, white rabbit. A flying, small, white rabbit.
Back on shore, the battle with the golems raged on. The creatures were strong, but not fast, and for the most part, Samson and Sepoto managed to evade their blows, while scoring hits of their own quite easily. Though resistant to the physical damage dealt them, the golems were not wholly immune, and the punishment inflicted upon them began to tell. Before long, first one, then another went down under Sepoto’s relentless assault. One of the remaining two tagged Samson again, sending the dragon shaman sprawling. He was back on his feet in a flash, however, darting in low and swiping viciously at the giant construct before it could react. A moment later it toppled like a falling oak. As the little goblin turned to aid Sepoto, he saw that the crusader was doing quite well on his own, the last golem collapsing at his feet.
Marius launched a second fireball at the Stygian shark, felling another of the half-bloods in the explosion. In addition, this time the ship itself caught fire, the flames rapidly spreading through the rigging and sails. The remaining yuan-ti looked about in dismay, then dropped its bow and dashed for the railing, leaping over towards the sea below. As he fell, however, a swarm of magic missiles flew from Marius’ hand. The half-breed was dead before he hit the water.
Though altered in form, the yuan-ti sorcerer’s mind remained intact, and he knew that his only chance was to flee to one of the other ships. Wheeling in mid-air, the bunny mage began streaking across the sky, heading out to open sea. Mandi was not about to let her prey escape so easily. Beating her small wings furiously, she raced after the rabbit, like a beagle on the hunt. She closed the distance quickly, putting on a last burst of speed and tackling the bunny in mid-air.
“Now I’ve got you!” she laughed, and began reversing her flight, dragging the rabbit back towards shore. At that moment, the bunny mage twisted in her arms, turning itself towards her. Hind feet scratching, and teeth biting, the little animal fought like a thing possessed. Mandi found herself losing her grip, and with a final kick of its powerful back legs, the rabbit broke free, zipping away once more.
“Enough of this,” Mandi hissed as she decided to let her magic do her pursuing. A sonic lance shot from her hand, hammering into the fleeing sorcerer. Silently, its little rabbit’s feet churning and twitching, it dropped into the water beneath it.
The townsfolk of Farshore were overjoyed when they saw the Sea Wyvern and the Blue Nixie sail into the harbor. Once the Hellfish was repaired, they knew they would have a respectable navy for a town their size. Lavinia and the town council were on hand to welcome the Legion and their crews when they disembarked, anxious for news of what they had encountered.
The celebratory mood of the town was overshadowed, however, by the knowledge that time was fast slipping away, and there was still much to be done. In the days that followed, the Legionnaires found their various skills to be redundant, and aside from continuing to campaign on Lavinia’s behalf for the mayoral election, there was little more they could offer. Sepoto seemed to withdraw more and more from his companions, rarely seen during daylight hours, only to appear prowling the streets at odd hours of the night. Daelric kept himself occupied with assisting Vesserin Catherly and Bombur at the chapel. Catherly asked the young priest if they had found any sign, or heard any word of Noltus Innersol during their travels, but Daelric told him they had not. Samson busied himself with helping Amella in preparations for her hoped-for return journey to Tashluta. The captain seemed especially anxious to be underway, though she knew she would not be able to leave until after the arrival of the Kraken Society, assuming there was any town still left to establish trade routes for.
Marius and Mandi spent most of their days in the Hall of Records with Jeran Emrikad. The old man was a storehouse of knowledge, and told them many fascinating details about the island’s history. One story that particularly intrigued Mandi, was a local legend of a mysterious eighth Maztican village said to have once been located on Temute. As the story went, the Kawibusas had a marked taste for warfare. Their warriors and zombie-masters braved the jungles beyond the Great Wall often to explore the ruins of the island’s old gods. On one of their forays, they uncovered a sunken temple deep within the jungle that contained an idol of a great ape, carved from a thick piece of obsidian encrusted with gemstones. The Kawibusas proudly carried the stolen idol to their home and placed it at the center of their village. That very night, a great fog rose up and engulfed their settlement. By dawn, the entire tribe had mysteriously vanished. Maztican villagers who went to the site several days later found the Kawibusa village empty, save for the ominous ape idol. They buried the idol, hoping to end its curse, and never returned. Since then, the story of the eighth tribe had become a popular tale among the Mazticans.
Mandi felt this would be an excellent opportunity to get the group out of town for awhile and clear their heads. Marius agreed, for he had been especially worried about Sepoto. The other Legionnaires agreed as well, and with Jeran’s help, Mandi felt confident she knew the approximate location of the mythical village. It took a little less than a day of travel before they came to the site, about a mile inland from the northeast coast of the small island. The ruins of a village were obvious, though the jungle had reclaimed much of it. It was unclear, however, if their discovery was in fact Kawibusa. They spread out and began combing through the underbrush, looking for evidence of where the central pyramid had once been located.
It was Daelric who first spotted movement in the jungle out of the corner of his eye. When he turned that way, he saw a gaunt, humanoid figure rise from the bush. The creature was emaciated and pale, dressed in the tattered rags of Maztican garb. Its nails were long and filthy, and its teeth were sharpened into fangs. It hissed at the priest and began lurching towards him, moving much too quickly for any ordinary zombie. Then, from all sides there was more movement as five more walking corpses emerged from the jungle. Daelric quickly backed away, calling for his comrades. Just as the wights were tightening their circle, a scorching blast of flame came from Daelric’s left, blasting one of the horrors and blistering its decaying flesh. Marius stepped from behind a fallen statue. Nearby, Samson leaped from cover, hammering at another of the creatures. It snapped its sharp teeth together as it turned towards its new prey. Sepoto, meanwhile, seemed back in his element. He waded into the midst of the undead, slashing about him. Quickly, one of the wights fell beneath his onslaught. As a second one lunged for him, he spun, catching it across the throat, viciously decapitating it.
The remaining four wights screeched and leapt, snarling at their opponents, one raking Samson with its filth-crusted nails. As it did so, the dragon shaman felt his flesh go cold, as if his body heat were being leeched away. He felt fatigued and weakened by the blow, though it was scarcely more than a flesh wound. That was the first, and only time that the undead laid a claw upon the Legionnaires. Samson’s opponent went down in a flurry of strikes from the sapped, but still deadly dragon shaman, while Mandi took out two more with a sonic lance of sound followed by a barrage of arcane missiles. The final kill belonged to Sepoto, and he seemed to take great pleasure in it, wrapping his chain around the wight’s neck like a garrote and twisting the creature’s neck until it snapped.
The wights were the only indication of what might have become of the Kawibusas. A thorough search of the remainder of the village turned up a treasure trove of ancient Maztican cultural artifacts, including a gold and jade necklace bearing a strange symbol of a circle surrounding two jagged lines. Daelric identified it as a holy engraving of Zagyg, a demigod of eccentricity and mischief. He was not a Maztican deity, however, and its presence in the village was yet another mystery. Of the ape idol, they found no sign, and finally, in resignation, they made their way back to Farshore.
___________________________________________________________
The following week, the town council abruptly announced that the election was to be held that day. It seemed they felt that a leader needed to be recognized before the coming battle, someone who would take charge of the campaign when the time came. The entire village turned out to vote, and though the results were close, it was Lavinia Vanderboren who won the day. She dedicated her win to her parents, and in private she made no secret of the fact that she was fully aware that she could not have secured victory without the aid of the Legion and the Jade Ravens. Manthalay Meravanchi conceded amiably and with dignity, but Mandi could see the hatred burning in his eyes. He would bear close watching in the days to come.
The Legionnaires left town again shortly thereafter, ostensibly to go in search of news of the missing Noltus Innersol. Though their week in the jungle resulted in numerous run-ins with dinosaurs and giant snakes, they found no news of the errant missionary, and once more they returned to Farshore, this time with only days left until the anticipated arrival of the Kraken Society.
______________________________________________________________
Lavinia had employed several small and fast fishing boats to patrol the waters surrounding the southern islands, and on one overcast day near the expected arrival date of the pirates, the scouts returned, reporting that the invading fleet had been sighted. No more than two hours remained, they estimated, until they would arrive in the harbor.
By this time, both the Maztican and phanaton reinforcements had arrived in Farshore and been trained to fight alongside the militia. As the town went into crisis mode, these troops were assigned to various strategic positions about the village, with the Jade Ravens commanding various units. The Sea Wyvern, Blue Nixie and Hellfish were put underway to block the mouth of the harbor. Lavinia had no illusions that they could hold the fleet for long, or that she might not lose one or more of the vessels, but it was her hope that they would buy the villagers precious time. As for the Legion, the mayor requested that they remain with her at her estate headquarters. Runners would be reporting the status of the defense periodically, and Lavinia wanted the Legionnaires to be ready to respond where they were needed most.
Then there was no time remaining. Violet sails appeared on the horizon, the Kraken insignia prominent upon them. Five ships in all there were, less than feared but more than hoped for. When they came within range, they opened fire on the defending vessels, unloading with catapults and ballistae. The Farshore ships returned fire, but in the midst of the barrage, balls of exploding fire began streaking from the bow of one Kraken Society ship. The rigging of the Hellfish began to burn. As the enemy ships drew closer, they began to deploy longboats full of pirates, and though some of these came under fire from the allied navy, most of them slipped through the blockade and made for the docks.
It had been almost an hour since the fighting began, and runners had been bringing regular reports to the Vanderboren manor. The latest of these had borne grave news. One of the Kraken Society ships had broken through the defensive line and dropped anchor in the harbor. It was the same ship that had firebombed the Hellfish, and now it was doing the same to the town itself. Several buildings were already in flames. There was open fighting in the streets, with more pirate boats landing. Worse, monsters of some sort had literally walked out of the bay and set to systematically dismantling the warehouses by the docks. At this point, Lavinia turned to the Legionnaires.
“It’s time,” she said quietly.
Sepoto nodded, motioned his team to follow and grimly set out for the wharf.
The air outside was filled with smoke and haze. Fires could be seen in the distance, and at certain points around town, red plumes of smoke suddenly billowed skyward. Immediately after, a fireball would streak from the harbor, striking the spot marked by the flare unerringly.
“Hurry,” Sepoto growled.
At that moment, six rough-looking men bearing rapiers and daggers appeared in the street before them. Shouting in challenge, they waved their weapons and charged forward. It was their last mistake. The Legion was in no mood to be delayed by thugs, and they wasted little time or effort in making short work of the pirates. In a matter of moments, all six lay dead on the ground, and the company continued on, not sparing a backward glance.
When they reached the docks, they found utter chaos. No militia were visible, but many dead bodies attested to the fact that some defense had been attempted. Near to hand were four creatures. They stood head-and-shoulders above Sepoto, and their scarred flesh rippled with muscle. They were bare-chested, clad only in breeches. Their skin, where visible, was stitched together rudely, as if by some barber-surgeon. There was no hint of intelligence in their eyes, only mindless brutality. Using their bare hands, they ripped apart the walls of the warehouses, leaving gaping holes. Out in the harbor, a ship was docked. It bore the purple sails of the Kraken Society, and its nameplate declared it the Stygian Shark. There seemed to be very few crew on deck, only four individuals. Three of these looked human at first glance, but on closer inspection it could be seen that their heads were those of serpents. They bore long, recurved bows in their clawed hands. The fourth person looked more human than the others, but he had scales instead of skin, and the slitted eyes of a viper. In his hand he held a slender wand, and it was from this that he sent up balls of fire at the distant, red markers.
Mandi recognized immediately exactly what it was they faced. The ‘monsters’ were actually flesh golems, body parts stitched together and given life through perverse arcane rituals. They were as brainless as they were strong, and extremely resistant to magic. The creatures aboard the ship were yuan-ti, members of a race of snake-like humanoids. The ones with snake heads were only half-breeds, while the sorcerer was a pure blood. He was by far the most dangerous opponent they faced. At that moment, however, the half-bloods opened fire with their bows, one red-fletched arrow sinking deep into Samson’s shoulder.
“Marius! Mandi!” Sepoto shouted. “The ship is yours! Samson and I will take the wrecking crew! Daelric, you know what to do!”
The priest nodded, and promptly faded from view, courtesy of the enchanted ring he had received from the aspect of Zotzilaha. He knew his role well…support and healing. It was up to him to keep the others up and fighting, all while keeping himself out of danger if at all possible.
No sooner had Sepoto issued his commands, than he was on the move with Samson close on his heels. When they reached the golems, the goliath didn’t hesitate, whirling his chain like a dervish. The weapon slashed deep, though no blood appeared from the wounds it inflicted, and indeed the wounds themselves seemed more superficial than he would have thought. Samson, standing beside him, unleashed his acidic breath on two more of the constructs, the acid eating away at their spell-stitched flesh. Suddenly, the nearest brute swung one log sized arm at the goblin, sending him tumbling backwards, head-over-heels.
Meanwhile, Marius warmed to his own task. The warmage was in the process of shaking out his sleeves and preparing to cast, when he saw the yuan-ti sorcerer suddenly take to the air, flying to the top of the ship’s mainmast. Once there he stabbed a finger right at the little gnome, and from it came a bolt of blue lightning. It struck Marius unerringly, scorching his robes and causing his hair to stand on end. Instantly, he felt Daelric’s healing touch upon him.
“You can dish it out,” the warmage growled at his opponent, “now let’s see if you can take it!”
The gnome wound up both arms and thrust them towards the ship, a pea-sized ball of fire arcing out over the water. As it struck the ship, however, it roared into enormous life, completely engulfing the vessel, and even spilling onto the docks at its outer rim, washing over two of the golems. Though they showed no real damage from the flames, their movements abruptly became sluggish and plodding. As for the Stygian Shark, its hull and rigging were badly scorched, but not ablaze. One of the half-breeds was down, and the other two were obviously wounded. The pure blood’s hair was not so much as singed. He smiled, showing two sets of long fangs.
“Keep smiling, pit-spawn!” Mandi shouted as she flitted into view not twenty feet from the yuan-ti. She had assumed the diminutive form of an ice mephit, an elemental creature innately resistant to cold. Though her shape had changed, her formidable magic was still at her disposal, and she brought it down with a vengeance. At her spoken command, the yuan-ti’s own body began to shift and flow, shrinking and compacting, with all of his belongings and clothing clattering to the deck below. In a matter of seconds, where the yuan-ti pureblood had been, there was only a small, white rabbit. A flying, small, white rabbit.
Back on shore, the battle with the golems raged on. The creatures were strong, but not fast, and for the most part, Samson and Sepoto managed to evade their blows, while scoring hits of their own quite easily. Though resistant to the physical damage dealt them, the golems were not wholly immune, and the punishment inflicted upon them began to tell. Before long, first one, then another went down under Sepoto’s relentless assault. One of the remaining two tagged Samson again, sending the dragon shaman sprawling. He was back on his feet in a flash, however, darting in low and swiping viciously at the giant construct before it could react. A moment later it toppled like a falling oak. As the little goblin turned to aid Sepoto, he saw that the crusader was doing quite well on his own, the last golem collapsing at his feet.
Marius launched a second fireball at the Stygian shark, felling another of the half-bloods in the explosion. In addition, this time the ship itself caught fire, the flames rapidly spreading through the rigging and sails. The remaining yuan-ti looked about in dismay, then dropped its bow and dashed for the railing, leaping over towards the sea below. As he fell, however, a swarm of magic missiles flew from Marius’ hand. The half-breed was dead before he hit the water.
Though altered in form, the yuan-ti sorcerer’s mind remained intact, and he knew that his only chance was to flee to one of the other ships. Wheeling in mid-air, the bunny mage began streaking across the sky, heading out to open sea. Mandi was not about to let her prey escape so easily. Beating her small wings furiously, she raced after the rabbit, like a beagle on the hunt. She closed the distance quickly, putting on a last burst of speed and tackling the bunny in mid-air.
“Now I’ve got you!” she laughed, and began reversing her flight, dragging the rabbit back towards shore. At that moment, the bunny mage twisted in her arms, turning itself towards her. Hind feet scratching, and teeth biting, the little animal fought like a thing possessed. Mandi found herself losing her grip, and with a final kick of its powerful back legs, the rabbit broke free, zipping away once more.
“Enough of this,” Mandi hissed as she decided to let her magic do her pursuing. A sonic lance shot from her hand, hammering into the fleeing sorcerer. Silently, its little rabbit’s feet churning and twitching, it dropped into the water beneath it.
Neverwinter Knight
First Post
So the bunny wasn't vorpal after all, but flying. Sounds like fun! 
I think the league is off to a good start. Can't wait to see how they deal with the rest of the invaders!
I think the league is off to a good start. Can't wait to see how they deal with the rest of the invaders!
carborundum
Adventurer
A great start to the defence!
Mandi must be dead chuffed that so many of her Polymorphs are working - if it's this much fun to read, it must be even better to play!
Mandi must be dead chuffed that so many of her Polymorphs are working - if it's this much fun to read, it must be even better to play!
Joachim
First Post
carborundum said:
Mandi is probably going to have to take it easy and use more pace with spells...I think that I may have overcommitted in that first fight, so it is likely that I will have to let Sepoto & Co. do the lion's share of the work in the next encounters, with my help mostly coming in the form of minor buffing/debuffing. The good news is that I have pearls of power to help out.
I wasn't going to let that sorceror get away just to have it get another wizard to dispel my polymorph.
JollyDoc
Explorer
Sunday Night Teaser:
1) Just when the Legion if feeling full of themselves at their relatively easy opening victories, a quartet of dancing demons arrives to bring them back down to earth.
2) The leader of the Kraken Society invasion force makes his entrance, and some old debts are repaid.
3) As a side note, Marius takes over 200 points of damage throughout the course of the evening...and lives to tell about it!
4) Gfunk returns to the table as a guest commentator, offering yours truly some excellent rat-bastard DM advice.
1) Just when the Legion if feeling full of themselves at their relatively easy opening victories, a quartet of dancing demons arrives to bring them back down to earth.
2) The leader of the Kraken Society invasion force makes his entrance, and some old debts are repaid.
3) As a side note, Marius takes over 200 points of damage throughout the course of the evening...and lives to tell about it!
4) Gfunk returns to the table as a guest commentator, offering yours truly some excellent rat-bastard DM advice.
