Menu
News
All News
Dungeons & Dragons
Level Up: Advanced 5th Edition
Pathfinder
Starfinder
Warhammer
2d20 System
Year Zero Engine
Industry News
Reviews
Dragon Reflections
Columns
Weekly Digests
Weekly News Digest
Freebies, Sales & Bundles
RPG Print News
RPG Crowdfunding News
Game Content
ENterplanetary DimENsions
Mythological Figures
Opinion
Worlds of Design
Peregrine's Next
RPG Evolution
Other Columns
From the Freelancing Frontline
Monster ENcyclopedia
WotC/TSR Alumni Look Back
4 Hours w/RSD (Ryan Dancey)
The Road to 3E (Jonathan Tweet)
Greenwood's Realms (Ed Greenwood)
Drawmij's TSR (Jim Ward)
Community
Forums & Topics
Forum List
Latest Posts
Forum list
*Dungeons & Dragons
Level Up: Advanced 5th Edition
D&D Older Editions
*TTRPGs General
*Pathfinder & Starfinder
EN Publishing
*Geek Talk & Media
Search forums
Chat/Discord
Resources
Wiki
Pages
Latest activity
Media
New media
New comments
Search media
Downloads
Latest reviews
Search resources
EN Publishing
Store
EN5ider
Adventures in ZEITGEIST
Awfully Cheerful Engine
What's OLD is NEW
Judge Dredd & The Worlds Of 2000AD
War of the Burning Sky
Level Up: Advanced 5E
Events & Releases
Upcoming Events
Private Events
Featured Events
Socials!
Twitch
YouTube
Facebook (EN Publishing)
Facebook (EN World)
Twitter
Instagram
TikTok
Podcast
Features
Top 5 RPGs Compiled Charts 2004-Present
Adventure Game Industry Market Research Summary (RPGs) V1.0
Ryan Dancey: Acquiring TSR
Q&A With Gary Gygax
D&D Rules FAQs
TSR, WotC, & Paizo: A Comparative History
D&D Pronunciation Guide
Million Dollar TTRPG Kickstarters
Tabletop RPG Podcast Hall of Fame
Eric Noah's Unofficial D&D 3rd Edition News
D&D in the Mainstream
D&D & RPG History
About Morrus
Log in
Register
What's new
Search
Search
Search titles only
By:
Forums & Topics
Forum List
Latest Posts
Forum list
*Dungeons & Dragons
Level Up: Advanced 5th Edition
D&D Older Editions
*TTRPGs General
*Pathfinder & Starfinder
EN Publishing
*Geek Talk & Media
Search forums
Chat/Discord
Menu
Log in
Register
Install the app
Install
Community
Playing the Game
Story Hour
Rel's Faded Glory Campaign (Thank You Old One!)
JavaScript is disabled. For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding.
You are using an out of date browser. It may not display this or other websites correctly.
You should upgrade or use an
alternative browser
.
Reply to thread
Message
<blockquote data-quote="Rel" data-source="post: 832" data-attributes="member: 99"><p><strong>Westward HO!</strong></p><p></p><p>The party continued west on the overgrown road to Aquae Sulis. After a couple days travel, the top of a tower was spotted over the treetops in the distance, indicating that they neared the outskirts of the ruined town. Suddenly, from behind a the remains of a low, rock wall on the north side of the road, a trio of Gnolls leapt to their feet and launched several javelins into the midst of the group.</p><p></p><p>Rhys was struck and brought close to unconsciousness by the one that struck him while Krase was merely grazed and the third javelin struck Ilrath. Before any of them could react to this, another pair of gnolls stepped from behind a rock formation on the south side of the road and hurled another couple javelins. Thanks to the distance involved, these both missed their marks.</p><p></p><p>Rhys was the first to overcome the surprise of the attack and took the opportunity to fortify himself with mystical armor and retreat to the back of the group. Krase quickly pulled out his bow and let fly at one of the gnolls behind the wall but his shot struck the rocks instead of his target.</p><p></p><p>Speaks with Stone reacted by loosing a spell in a wide area that straddled the road. In this area, the grasses, roots and vines began to entangle the legs of the gnolls, much to their surprise. Unfortunately, Ilrath was unfamiliar with this type of magic and charged into the area to attack the gnolls. He rapidly became stuck.</p><p></p><p>The gnolls desperately tried to escape and failing that, threw their remaining javelins at the party. The grasping plants hindered their aim and none of the javelins struck the party. Gradually, over the next minute, the party was able to dispatch the group of gnolls with missile fire. One of the last gnolls standing sounded a long blast on a horn. Moments later, another horn blast answered the first.</p><p></p><p>The party could hear another party of gnolls approaching from the southeast. Ilrath encouraged them to follow him to take cover in the ruins of Aquae Sulis.</p><p></p><p><strong>Greed or Self Preservation</strong></p><p></p><p>Already tired from fighting, the party was on the verge of exhaustion when they arrived at the base of the tower on the outskirts of the town (except Ilrath of course who could run circles around those slowpokes). As they approached the tower, Ilrath mentioned that for some reason, the gnolls seemed to avoid this particular building. The party ascended the steps to the abandoned tower.</p><p></p><p>Just inside the doorway, Rhys spotted three figures the size and shape of gnolls looming in the semi-darkness of the tower. He started to cry out but halted when he noticed that the figures were not moving. As his eyes adjusted to the dim light in the tower he could tell that the gnolls were statues. The odd thing was the poses they were carved in.</p><p></p><p>The all faced the interior of the tower and the one furthest in was in an attack pose with his spear out-thrust. At the end of his spear hung a tattered rag of some sort. Further examination showed that there were bones beneath the rag.</p><p></p><p>Outside the group of gnolls burst out of the woods and into the clearing around the tower. They rapidly came to a halt and began to bark quickly back and forth to each other. It appeared that they were afraid to approach to the tower. Ilrath made some taunts in the language of his people but the gnolls did not succumb. Krase helped them decide what to do by firing an arrow or two in their direction. They withdrew into the woods.</p><p></p><p>Meanwhile, Rhys and Speaks were searching the tower. Rhys cast a spell to detect any magic in the tower and determined that there was magic in the upstairs. He and Speaks ascended the stairs to find themselves in a hall with a ladder that disappeared into the ceiling and two doors on one side. Rhys detected the magical auras coming from behind one of the doors. He set to work looking for any traps on the door.</p><p></p><p>Speaks was fascinated by a large painting hung in the hall. It was of a black dragon painted on white silk with a black wood frame. It was breathtaking to behold but clearly too large to take with him.</p><p></p><p>Outside, Krase told Ilrath to gather the others and be prepared to leave soon. He felt that the gnolls would only withdraw long enough to get reinforcements before they would return. He then moved to the edge of the clearing and attempted to hide behind a leafless bush. Ilrath looked on quizzically.</p><p></p><p>Rhys opened the door he was working on and found what was once a nicely appointed bedroom which had suffered a good deal of decay during it's long abandonment. Wasting no time with any of that frippery, Rhys went right to the source of the magic: A small chest beneath a desk below the window. He grabbed it and noted that it had a simple lock on it. He immediately began work on the lock and soon had the chest open and was examining its contents. They included a wand, two scrolls and an ornate candle holder with an unusual looking candle in it. He grabbed this loot and went back into the hall to check on Speaks.</p><p></p><p>The two of them returned to the entry floor and asked Ilrath what news of the gnolls. He told them that they had retreated. He then pointed to Krase who was clearly visible behind the leafless bush near the edge of the woods and indicated in an amused tone, "I think he thinks he's hiding." (GM note - I rolled for Krase's hide "1"). The group called out to Krase to return to the tower.</p><p></p><p>"You can see me?!"</p><p></p><p>With the group reassembled, they tried to decide their next course of action. Rhys came down firmly on the side of staying to explore (and to him that means "loot") the tower. Krase was absolutely certain that the gnolls would soon return with nothing short of an army. (I should note here that Krase is "absolutely certain" of a great many things. A few of them actually turn out to be true.) Ilrath was wounded and could have stood a break, but he was also anxious to continue their journey back to his people. Speaks with Stone could see both sides but leaned toward leaving the scene. After a lengthy discussion, they decided to leave the area and try to put as much distance between them and the gnolls as possible.</p><p></p><p><strong>NEXT: On the brink of disaster. </strong></p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Rel, post: 832, member: 99"] [B]Westward HO![/B] The party continued west on the overgrown road to Aquae Sulis. After a couple days travel, the top of a tower was spotted over the treetops in the distance, indicating that they neared the outskirts of the ruined town. Suddenly, from behind a the remains of a low, rock wall on the north side of the road, a trio of Gnolls leapt to their feet and launched several javelins into the midst of the group. Rhys was struck and brought close to unconsciousness by the one that struck him while Krase was merely grazed and the third javelin struck Ilrath. Before any of them could react to this, another pair of gnolls stepped from behind a rock formation on the south side of the road and hurled another couple javelins. Thanks to the distance involved, these both missed their marks. Rhys was the first to overcome the surprise of the attack and took the opportunity to fortify himself with mystical armor and retreat to the back of the group. Krase quickly pulled out his bow and let fly at one of the gnolls behind the wall but his shot struck the rocks instead of his target. Speaks with Stone reacted by loosing a spell in a wide area that straddled the road. In this area, the grasses, roots and vines began to entangle the legs of the gnolls, much to their surprise. Unfortunately, Ilrath was unfamiliar with this type of magic and charged into the area to attack the gnolls. He rapidly became stuck. The gnolls desperately tried to escape and failing that, threw their remaining javelins at the party. The grasping plants hindered their aim and none of the javelins struck the party. Gradually, over the next minute, the party was able to dispatch the group of gnolls with missile fire. One of the last gnolls standing sounded a long blast on a horn. Moments later, another horn blast answered the first. The party could hear another party of gnolls approaching from the southeast. Ilrath encouraged them to follow him to take cover in the ruins of Aquae Sulis. [B]Greed or Self Preservation[/B] Already tired from fighting, the party was on the verge of exhaustion when they arrived at the base of the tower on the outskirts of the town (except Ilrath of course who could run circles around those slowpokes). As they approached the tower, Ilrath mentioned that for some reason, the gnolls seemed to avoid this particular building. The party ascended the steps to the abandoned tower. Just inside the doorway, Rhys spotted three figures the size and shape of gnolls looming in the semi-darkness of the tower. He started to cry out but halted when he noticed that the figures were not moving. As his eyes adjusted to the dim light in the tower he could tell that the gnolls were statues. The odd thing was the poses they were carved in. The all faced the interior of the tower and the one furthest in was in an attack pose with his spear out-thrust. At the end of his spear hung a tattered rag of some sort. Further examination showed that there were bones beneath the rag. Outside the group of gnolls burst out of the woods and into the clearing around the tower. They rapidly came to a halt and began to bark quickly back and forth to each other. It appeared that they were afraid to approach to the tower. Ilrath made some taunts in the language of his people but the gnolls did not succumb. Krase helped them decide what to do by firing an arrow or two in their direction. They withdrew into the woods. Meanwhile, Rhys and Speaks were searching the tower. Rhys cast a spell to detect any magic in the tower and determined that there was magic in the upstairs. He and Speaks ascended the stairs to find themselves in a hall with a ladder that disappeared into the ceiling and two doors on one side. Rhys detected the magical auras coming from behind one of the doors. He set to work looking for any traps on the door. Speaks was fascinated by a large painting hung in the hall. It was of a black dragon painted on white silk with a black wood frame. It was breathtaking to behold but clearly too large to take with him. Outside, Krase told Ilrath to gather the others and be prepared to leave soon. He felt that the gnolls would only withdraw long enough to get reinforcements before they would return. He then moved to the edge of the clearing and attempted to hide behind a leafless bush. Ilrath looked on quizzically. Rhys opened the door he was working on and found what was once a nicely appointed bedroom which had suffered a good deal of decay during it's long abandonment. Wasting no time with any of that frippery, Rhys went right to the source of the magic: A small chest beneath a desk below the window. He grabbed it and noted that it had a simple lock on it. He immediately began work on the lock and soon had the chest open and was examining its contents. They included a wand, two scrolls and an ornate candle holder with an unusual looking candle in it. He grabbed this loot and went back into the hall to check on Speaks. The two of them returned to the entry floor and asked Ilrath what news of the gnolls. He told them that they had retreated. He then pointed to Krase who was clearly visible behind the leafless bush near the edge of the woods and indicated in an amused tone, "I think he thinks he's hiding." (GM note - I rolled for Krase's hide "1"). The group called out to Krase to return to the tower. "You can see me?!" With the group reassembled, they tried to decide their next course of action. Rhys came down firmly on the side of staying to explore (and to him that means "loot") the tower. Krase was absolutely certain that the gnolls would soon return with nothing short of an army. (I should note here that Krase is "absolutely certain" of a great many things. A few of them actually turn out to be true.) Ilrath was wounded and could have stood a break, but he was also anxious to continue their journey back to his people. Speaks with Stone could see both sides but leaned toward leaving the scene. After a lengthy discussion, they decided to leave the area and try to put as much distance between them and the gnolls as possible. [B]NEXT: On the brink of disaster. [/B] [/QUOTE]
Insert quotes…
Verification
Post reply
Community
Playing the Game
Story Hour
Rel's Faded Glory Campaign (Thank You Old One!)
Top