Retro Story Hour: (Contact's) Temple of Elemental Evil 2!
(contact)
Explorer
Femerus-- email me at cklarock@hotmail.com when you find it, I would love to see the original thread!
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(contact)
Explorer
Two: Into the Moathouse.
(or, What Evil lurks in the hearts of men? It ain't got nothin' on these guys.)
Shortly after Pippin's funeral, the PCs meet Ahlana, a mysterious Grey-Elven Priestess from Verbobonc. Ahlana worships Boccob, God of Magic and Knowledge, and is herself multi-classed as a Mage/Priestess. Ahlana gets the ice-grill treatment for about 15 seconds, then is accepted into the group without any further ado.
Our Brave Heroes return to the moathouse, discover a second dungeon level, and fight undead and gnolls. In the process, they learn about an evil priest from the gnolls, and his mysterious 'pet'. On a third foray into the Moathouse, the PCs encounter the evil priest of Prazrael, Laereth. A bloody melee ensues, and our heroes thin the ranks of their foes with sleep spells, but the enchantments are soon dispelled. Evil thieves begin appearing out of nowhere, backstabbing every which way, and the cause looks lost. Ahlana silences the priest, Gnomishic greases the floor, and as the PCs are retreating, sets their foes on fire. Ahlana screams, "This is how we punish those who dare trifle with Iuz!" hoping to confuse the Prazraelians as to who their foe really is. The PCs drag their casualties [Gnomishic (held), Esril (neg.) and Aelniir (neg.)] back the way they came.
The PCs are followed by "Sarge" and a detail of 6 men, including a sneak. A desperate melee ensues in the fens outside the moathouse, with the horribly wounded PCs unable to return the villains' missile fire. The party's best fighters are unable to fight, and the situation looks dire. The PCs duck beneath the cover provided by the fens and engage the enemy in small groups. The cause of Good prevails, no thanks to Ahlana, who proves to be a mewling coward once she runs out of spells.
The PCs take one prisoner and on the walk home hear his story: A refugee of the Greyhawk Wars, he had lived in refugee camps surviving on rats and garbage until Laereth recruited him as a mercenary. The PCs take pity on the poor fellow, and offer him a position at the inn. Isuld won't have it, so the PCs suggest he finish the work Pippin left undone on Jeru Ashstaff's old place.
The refugee-turned-mercenary spills his guts on the moathouse garrison, how the Priest of Prazrael was planning to attack the Iuzian worshippers in the Temple, his troop strength, how many thieves are left in the group, spellcasters, etc. He even describes Laereth's 'pet': A big lizard with wings & a long tail, two little horns . . . all told about 15' long. Ahlana sagely questions the fellow: "Does it ever walk backwards?" No. "Does it ever speak in unrecognizable phrases?" Never. "Does it smell like brimstone? Does it eat treasure?" No, and no. Satisfied, she pronounces to the party that it is definitely not a dragon. Good going, Ahlana.
The PCs return to the moathouse and sneak in the back way. A clever plan emerges: scratch on the door until the guards come out, then ambush them. After all, it works for that cat that hangs around the Inn, right? When this doesn't produce results, Ahlana grows impatient and leaps around the door, intending to cast a spell, only to find two spearmen, two crossbowmen and two longbowmen covering her. Good going, Ahlana.
She is shot multiple times, and slumps to the floor like a sack of meal. The party charges in, only to fight their way halfway up the corridor before the 'pet' sticks its scaly, black, reptilian head around the corner and blasts them with a cone of acid.
It's a dragon.
The acid literally destroys Aelniir's weapons and armor, leaving him defenseless, and melts a good part of the other party member's gear also, including some magic items. Prudence wins the day, and the half-naked, weaponless Crusader leads the "charge to the rear".
Fortunately for her, Ahlana is found to be still breathing when the party makes its way to safety. She is patched up, and tries to pretend that the whole thing never happened. The party tightens its collective belt, and heads back to the moathouse.
Things have been brewing for a battle royale, and on the way back to the moathouse for the fifth time, the PCs get it. The black dragon, its Prazraelian master, and all his remaining followers jump the PCs on the road in. Heydricus draws first blood, hitting the dragon with a long-range arrow shot. Not one to be outdone, the dragon dives beneath the water of the fens and pops up on the PCs' flank, blasting them with acid. A horrible no-holds-barred battle ensues, with Esril singly taking on Laereth and his henchmen, leaving the rest of the party to slug it out with a dragon.
When the smoke clears, all the villains lie dead, save for two who fled, and the lifeless corpses of Aelniir and Reysnole float on the muddy water. Esril's corpse sinks due to the huge hole in her skull, or lack thereof, crushed by a blow from Laereth's Staff of Striking. The treasure hoard of the priest is impressive, but at what price?
Illustration: "When the smoke clears".
The party determines to have reliquary statues and shrines for their fallen members set up at Isuld's inn (the newly named Kelanen's Rest, after the Sword Saint, Isuld's patron).
(or, What Evil lurks in the hearts of men? It ain't got nothin' on these guys.)
Shortly after Pippin's funeral, the PCs meet Ahlana, a mysterious Grey-Elven Priestess from Verbobonc. Ahlana worships Boccob, God of Magic and Knowledge, and is herself multi-classed as a Mage/Priestess. Ahlana gets the ice-grill treatment for about 15 seconds, then is accepted into the group without any further ado.
Our Brave Heroes return to the moathouse, discover a second dungeon level, and fight undead and gnolls. In the process, they learn about an evil priest from the gnolls, and his mysterious 'pet'. On a third foray into the Moathouse, the PCs encounter the evil priest of Prazrael, Laereth. A bloody melee ensues, and our heroes thin the ranks of their foes with sleep spells, but the enchantments are soon dispelled. Evil thieves begin appearing out of nowhere, backstabbing every which way, and the cause looks lost. Ahlana silences the priest, Gnomishic greases the floor, and as the PCs are retreating, sets their foes on fire. Ahlana screams, "This is how we punish those who dare trifle with Iuz!" hoping to confuse the Prazraelians as to who their foe really is. The PCs drag their casualties [Gnomishic (held), Esril (neg.) and Aelniir (neg.)] back the way they came.
The PCs are followed by "Sarge" and a detail of 6 men, including a sneak. A desperate melee ensues in the fens outside the moathouse, with the horribly wounded PCs unable to return the villains' missile fire. The party's best fighters are unable to fight, and the situation looks dire. The PCs duck beneath the cover provided by the fens and engage the enemy in small groups. The cause of Good prevails, no thanks to Ahlana, who proves to be a mewling coward once she runs out of spells.
The PCs take one prisoner and on the walk home hear his story: A refugee of the Greyhawk Wars, he had lived in refugee camps surviving on rats and garbage until Laereth recruited him as a mercenary. The PCs take pity on the poor fellow, and offer him a position at the inn. Isuld won't have it, so the PCs suggest he finish the work Pippin left undone on Jeru Ashstaff's old place.
The refugee-turned-mercenary spills his guts on the moathouse garrison, how the Priest of Prazrael was planning to attack the Iuzian worshippers in the Temple, his troop strength, how many thieves are left in the group, spellcasters, etc. He even describes Laereth's 'pet': A big lizard with wings & a long tail, two little horns . . . all told about 15' long. Ahlana sagely questions the fellow: "Does it ever walk backwards?" No. "Does it ever speak in unrecognizable phrases?" Never. "Does it smell like brimstone? Does it eat treasure?" No, and no. Satisfied, she pronounces to the party that it is definitely not a dragon. Good going, Ahlana.
The PCs return to the moathouse and sneak in the back way. A clever plan emerges: scratch on the door until the guards come out, then ambush them. After all, it works for that cat that hangs around the Inn, right? When this doesn't produce results, Ahlana grows impatient and leaps around the door, intending to cast a spell, only to find two spearmen, two crossbowmen and two longbowmen covering her. Good going, Ahlana.
She is shot multiple times, and slumps to the floor like a sack of meal. The party charges in, only to fight their way halfway up the corridor before the 'pet' sticks its scaly, black, reptilian head around the corner and blasts them with a cone of acid.
It's a dragon.
The acid literally destroys Aelniir's weapons and armor, leaving him defenseless, and melts a good part of the other party member's gear also, including some magic items. Prudence wins the day, and the half-naked, weaponless Crusader leads the "charge to the rear".
Fortunately for her, Ahlana is found to be still breathing when the party makes its way to safety. She is patched up, and tries to pretend that the whole thing never happened. The party tightens its collective belt, and heads back to the moathouse.
Things have been brewing for a battle royale, and on the way back to the moathouse for the fifth time, the PCs get it. The black dragon, its Prazraelian master, and all his remaining followers jump the PCs on the road in. Heydricus draws first blood, hitting the dragon with a long-range arrow shot. Not one to be outdone, the dragon dives beneath the water of the fens and pops up on the PCs' flank, blasting them with acid. A horrible no-holds-barred battle ensues, with Esril singly taking on Laereth and his henchmen, leaving the rest of the party to slug it out with a dragon.
When the smoke clears, all the villains lie dead, save for two who fled, and the lifeless corpses of Aelniir and Reysnole float on the muddy water. Esril's corpse sinks due to the huge hole in her skull, or lack thereof, crushed by a blow from Laereth's Staff of Striking. The treasure hoard of the priest is impressive, but at what price?
Illustration: "When the smoke clears".
The party determines to have reliquary statues and shrines for their fallen members set up at Isuld's inn (the newly named Kelanen's Rest, after the Sword Saint, Isuld's patron).
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Wulf Ratbane
Adventurer
I mean, having (cntxt) do an illustration every day is fine and all, but why not link it right into the story? I have to spend an extra moment clicking the link? Is it some sort of delayed gratification thing?
I mean, it's like reading a book and then putting it down and opening ANOTHER book to look at the illustration.
What the heck?
I mean, it's like reading a book and then putting it down and opening ANOTHER book to look at the illustration.
What the heck?
I was trying to be considerate of modem viewers, since the images are routinely 140k or so.
(contact)
Explorer
Three: Political Unrest in a Time of Trouble
(or, The Big Picture doesn't look much better.)
So much has happened. Pippin is dead. Aelniir is dead. Esril is dead. Reysnole is dead. The only surviving original party members are Gnomishic and Heydricus.
Two forest Elves join up; a priestess (of Solaniir Thalandera) named Sweet Pea, and her ever-vigilant (and xenophobic) bodyguard Little Leaf. The party acquires a jongleur by the name of Suhi, originally hired for entertainment, but kept on for his fierce staff fighting. A strange ranger by the name of Rose (supposedly the word for thorn-flower in her barbarous native tongue), hailing from some land she calls Georgia (?) joins shortly thereafter. Rose was known to the Wood Elves, and they vouched for her. The newly formed party then incorporated a young woman by the name of Tisha. An Invoker of strangely subdued and retiring demeanor. Shy, even, until she lets loose with her blasting spells.
("Um, excuse me . . . BOOM!")
In the political arena, Lord Henri of Knulb is supporting the claim of Lady Anne of Mitrik, who is his friend. Furthermore, he is charged with keeping the peace in Wretched Knulb. Unfortunately for him, 'that friendly fighter' Sir Willam of Willip has moved into Knulb, identifying himself as a Knight of Furyondy. Willam begins rabble-rousing the refugee Shieldlanders with promises that once Furyondy annexes Verbobonc, the united state can re-take the Sheildlands.
When Sir Willam's rhetoric becomes more vehement and insistent, the refugee camps in Knulb begin to boil over. Fighting in the streets becomes a problem, and sporadic looting breaks out. This added element of unrest is more than the Lord of Knulb can take, and he has Sir Willam arrested, provoking viscous riots.
Enter our heroes. The party visits the house of the besieged Lord Henri (a Paladin) and befriends his Lady, Marie. They describe to the Lady their findings in the moathouse, and suspicions about the Temple. The party describes their actions to date against the Evil forces, and sketch out a plan. The Lady is appropriately horrified, and regrets that the civil unrest in Knulb renders her unable to send a force. She promises to help the party in any way she can, and asks to be kept abreast of the situation. The PCs, finally finding a friendly face and sympathetic ear, agree, and beg her leave, that they might seek shelter from the riots before night falls.
No sooner does our band of heroes sit down for a mug, a pipe and a bite, then they are set upon in a treacherous ambuscade! Some sort of shape-shifting darkling leads a mixed band of men (including a 5th level fighter, four 2nd level fighters, a thief, and a 4th level Iuzian priest) in a sudden attack. (The look on Ahlana's face when she is shot in the back and dropped to one HP before she can even set her glass down! Well, I guess you had to be there.) She manages to stand, but with both a well-placed archer and an enemy spellcaster keying off on her, she is soon killed.
Illustration: "I guess you had to be there".
The PCs valiantly attempt to defend themselves, but all looks lost. With most of their number held or unconscious, only last-minute heroics from Rose and Heydricus pull the party from the fire. The diabolical leader of the villains (a scoundrel of the first order named Faust) escapes-but not before Heydricus robs him of a magical sword and wand of lightning.
The party wonders how the villains could have set up an ambush so quickly when they decided to stay at that Inn just a few hours before, while visiting with the Lady. The party suspects a double agent in the home of Lord Henri. Any agent of Evil in the home of a paladin must be pretty talented, so the party vows to stay on their toes.
Unfortunately for the villains, as they set up the ambush, they murdered one of the Nine Sisters of Knulb, the town's closest approximation to a Mafia / monopoly / trade guild (think of a medieval Microsoft, except not as fair). The Sisters have sworn terrible vengeance, and knowing that the party is opposed to the villains, offer to underwrite the party's expenses. They also ask for one of their people to accompany the party: one Lucius Maturin, rogue and ne'er-do-well. A poisioner and 'inquisitor' for the Nine Sisters, Lucius is also fanatically devoted to St. Cuthbert's doctrine of war against Iuz.
Sir Willam soon escapes from the Lord Henri, and leads his rebellion from hiding. Tension is thick, and the PCs hear that the Knights of Furyondy have been expelled from Veluna. It looks like a war is brewing, and that practically ensures that the PCs can hope for no assistance from the forces of Good in the region. They'll have to rely on their own means to combat the threat from the Temple.
(or, The Big Picture doesn't look much better.)
So much has happened. Pippin is dead. Aelniir is dead. Esril is dead. Reysnole is dead. The only surviving original party members are Gnomishic and Heydricus.
Two forest Elves join up; a priestess (of Solaniir Thalandera) named Sweet Pea, and her ever-vigilant (and xenophobic) bodyguard Little Leaf. The party acquires a jongleur by the name of Suhi, originally hired for entertainment, but kept on for his fierce staff fighting. A strange ranger by the name of Rose (supposedly the word for thorn-flower in her barbarous native tongue), hailing from some land she calls Georgia (?) joins shortly thereafter. Rose was known to the Wood Elves, and they vouched for her. The newly formed party then incorporated a young woman by the name of Tisha. An Invoker of strangely subdued and retiring demeanor. Shy, even, until she lets loose with her blasting spells.
("Um, excuse me . . . BOOM!")
In the political arena, Lord Henri of Knulb is supporting the claim of Lady Anne of Mitrik, who is his friend. Furthermore, he is charged with keeping the peace in Wretched Knulb. Unfortunately for him, 'that friendly fighter' Sir Willam of Willip has moved into Knulb, identifying himself as a Knight of Furyondy. Willam begins rabble-rousing the refugee Shieldlanders with promises that once Furyondy annexes Verbobonc, the united state can re-take the Sheildlands.
When Sir Willam's rhetoric becomes more vehement and insistent, the refugee camps in Knulb begin to boil over. Fighting in the streets becomes a problem, and sporadic looting breaks out. This added element of unrest is more than the Lord of Knulb can take, and he has Sir Willam arrested, provoking viscous riots.
Enter our heroes. The party visits the house of the besieged Lord Henri (a Paladin) and befriends his Lady, Marie. They describe to the Lady their findings in the moathouse, and suspicions about the Temple. The party describes their actions to date against the Evil forces, and sketch out a plan. The Lady is appropriately horrified, and regrets that the civil unrest in Knulb renders her unable to send a force. She promises to help the party in any way she can, and asks to be kept abreast of the situation. The PCs, finally finding a friendly face and sympathetic ear, agree, and beg her leave, that they might seek shelter from the riots before night falls.
No sooner does our band of heroes sit down for a mug, a pipe and a bite, then they are set upon in a treacherous ambuscade! Some sort of shape-shifting darkling leads a mixed band of men (including a 5th level fighter, four 2nd level fighters, a thief, and a 4th level Iuzian priest) in a sudden attack. (The look on Ahlana's face when she is shot in the back and dropped to one HP before she can even set her glass down! Well, I guess you had to be there.) She manages to stand, but with both a well-placed archer and an enemy spellcaster keying off on her, she is soon killed.
Illustration: "I guess you had to be there".
The PCs valiantly attempt to defend themselves, but all looks lost. With most of their number held or unconscious, only last-minute heroics from Rose and Heydricus pull the party from the fire. The diabolical leader of the villains (a scoundrel of the first order named Faust) escapes-but not before Heydricus robs him of a magical sword and wand of lightning.
The party wonders how the villains could have set up an ambush so quickly when they decided to stay at that Inn just a few hours before, while visiting with the Lady. The party suspects a double agent in the home of Lord Henri. Any agent of Evil in the home of a paladin must be pretty talented, so the party vows to stay on their toes.
Unfortunately for the villains, as they set up the ambush, they murdered one of the Nine Sisters of Knulb, the town's closest approximation to a Mafia / monopoly / trade guild (think of a medieval Microsoft, except not as fair). The Sisters have sworn terrible vengeance, and knowing that the party is opposed to the villains, offer to underwrite the party's expenses. They also ask for one of their people to accompany the party: one Lucius Maturin, rogue and ne'er-do-well. A poisioner and 'inquisitor' for the Nine Sisters, Lucius is also fanatically devoted to St. Cuthbert's doctrine of war against Iuz.
Sir Willam soon escapes from the Lord Henri, and leads his rebellion from hiding. Tension is thick, and the PCs hear that the Knights of Furyondy have been expelled from Veluna. It looks like a war is brewing, and that practically ensures that the PCs can hope for no assistance from the forces of Good in the region. They'll have to rely on their own means to combat the threat from the Temple.
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