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Shadows of Greatness, a Forgotten Realms campaign UPDATED February 1, 2008
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<blockquote data-quote="sniffles" data-source="post: 3565604" data-attributes="member: 30035"><p><strong>Behold!</strong></p><p></p><p>Ever optimistic since her conversion to the faith of Elishar, Nekaya-Re called out to the blinded eye tyrant that we wished only to retrieve our lost companion and depart. But the wrinkled, hovering monster would have none of it. It exclaimed, "You are here to die!" and its eyestalks began to weave about in a manner that Erim identified as the gestures used by spellcasters. Curiously, those same stalks, which were as thick as my wrists, bore bracers upon them as do my arms. The creature also had amulets festooned among its semblance of limbs, and a great belt large enough to be worn by a giant encircled its circumference. </p><p></p><p>A ray of frost shot toward Nekaya-Re from one of its myriad smaller eyes, while another fired several missiles of magical force at Pakkin and a third sent a ball of flame hurtling toward Erim. Some of the flames singed me as well, for I stood near to him. Baran cleverly raised the eldritch rod he carries and the flames were consumed by it. Nekaya-Re then rushed forward to smite the monster with Elishar's righteous wrath. </p><p></p><p>Liadan chanted a prayer to Lathander and a sunny radiance issued from her. She then sent a ray of searing radiance against the eye tyrant. Pakkin bravely plied his small bow. I moved nearer to the creature, drawing both <em>Brimstone</em> and <em>Sulian</em> and calling <em>Brimstone's</em> fires to life once more. Baran flung himself toward the beholder, wielding his hammer. I heard Erim murmuring an incantation I recognized and felt the familiar burst of alacrity that accompanied the spell.</p><p></p><p>Erim took the opportunity to draw closer to the eye tyrant himself, but some invisible force from the creature pushed him back a few steps. It chilled him with its frosty gaze again and then floated away from me. I struck at it as it moved but my blade glanced off some unseen force surrounding its body. One eye stalk turned toward me and for a moment I felt a wave of despair but it quickly passed. I felt buoyed up somehow by the locket containing one of my beloved's tresses.</p><p></p><p>As it retreated from our attacks, the elder eye tyrant summoned a wall of stone into being between itself and Liadan. Though Erim's spell had failed to reach her, Liadan responded to the eye tyrant's gambit by running around the length of the wall. Nekaya-Re once more rushed at the beholder. Liadan aimed a spell at it but it seemed to miss the mark. Then Baran drew out the elephant token from his pouch and with a word brought a living elephant into being, commanding it to gore the eye tyrant.</p><p></p><p>Erim gestured and suddenly he stood as tall as the elephant, looming over us all. Strangely the blind tyrant seemed to feel more threatened by my presence than that of either the great tusked beast or my enlarged companion. In rapid succession I was chilled by frost, struck by several missiles, and scorched by flame. Then the monster sent a blast of lightning at Nekaya-Re, Erim, and Liadan, as well as some unknown energy at the elephant. Whatever it attempted to do to the elephant at that moment failed, but a moment later it murmured something to the animal and the elephant turned away from its target and began to glower at those of my friends who stood nearest to it. </p><p></p><p>A ray of some greyish substance shot from the eye tyrant toward Baran, who wielded the rod to absorb the arcane energy. The monster attempted once again to move out of my reach, but on this occasion I was able to penetrate its defenses with my blades. It lifted itself over the stone wall it had brought into existence and then summoned a second such wall to surround it, enclosing itself in a roofless stone structure.</p><p></p><p>Fortunately whatever enchantment the creature had placed upon the elephant did not preclude Baran's ability to command the animal. He uttered the phrase that controls the token and the elephant vanished before it could do anyone injury.</p><p></p><p>Taking advantage of this respite, Nekaya-Re stepped toward Erim to extend him the healing energies of her deity. Liadan then lifted aloft and hovered above the eye tyrant's enclosure. She remained in flight for only a few heartbeats, yet long enough to punish the creature once more with Lathander's searing radiance. Erim, recovered somewhat from his wounds, leaned his great height over the wall and swung at the monster. It responded by rising up out of its stone hut and sending a ball of fire shooting out toward a portion of the chamber that was occupied by nothing but one of its stone fellows. </p><p></p><p>However, this state of affairs did not long remain, for once it had descended back into its lair the creature rattled off another arcane invocation and the stone eye tyrant nearest to where I stood suddenly turned to flesh and floated off its pedestal! <em>Brimstone's</em> flames were extinguished as it opened its huge central eye. It fired some spell from one of its lesser orbs toward me, but I suffered no ill effect. Nekaya-Re then rushed the second tyrant. As it turned toward her Brimstone's fires burst to life once more.</p><p></p><p>Heartened that I was free of the central eye's malign effect, I sprang behind the monster and stuck both blades in its newly-restored flesh. Erim also moved to strike it, though he was now diminished in stature by the effect of its eye. The creature floated away from me once and attempted to bite Erim as it moved, then aimed another of its small eyes at me, once more failing to do me any harm, praise Corellon. </p><p></p><p>But as the monster rose it directed another eye at Nekaya-Re, who then appeared to become confused. She wandered off to retrieve her magic stones that had fallen to the floor when the creature's eye turned on her. The tyrant then used some arcane trick to lift one of the stones and draw it toward itself, causing Nekaya-Re to follow. I stabbed it with both blades once more. It attacked me with its lesser eyes again to no avail. </p><p></p><p>It began to ascend toward the ceiling of the chamber to get out of reach of our weapons. I realized then that <em>Brimstone</em> had a trick I could use to my advantage. I aimed him at the monster and sent a tongue of fire to char its hide. Baran, his eyes glowing with cold fury, made a mightly leap and struck it a tremendous blow with his grandsire's hammer. The eye tyrant began to wobble and floated gently to the floor like a leaf falling from a tree limb, its eye stalks gone limp.</p><p></p><p>Erim, restored to giant size when its large eye fell shut, leaned over the monster and saw to it that it could not recover to threaten us again. Baran meanwhile began using his adamantine axe to strike the eye stalks from all of the stone beholders that ringed the chamber. Should they by some misfortune be restored to life as their companion had been they would find themselves blind and maimed. </p><p></p><p>The elder eye tyrant lay dead within its walls, struck down by Liadan's spells. Not satisfied with merely blinding and maiming the stone tyrants, Baran summoned forth his elephant once again to smash their bodies to flinders. While Baran conducted this task, Nekaya-Re had recovered her composure and borrowed his rod to use its energy, calling on Elishar to heal all of our company. </p><p></p><p>Our next task was to recover Khai, whose petrified form still lay upon the floor near where the elder tyrant had entered. Though his leg had been injured before his petrification, he did not appear otherwise harmed. Liadan explained that following her morning prayers on the morrow she would be able to restore him to flesh. Baran was reluctant to remain within the chamber, and no one disagreed with his reasoning. Erim then cast a spell that allowed him to lift Khai's stony form and raise it up the shaft into the barracks chamber above. </p><p></p><p>Though Baran had feared that other eye tyrants might yet inhabit the complex, our night passed without danger. When Liadan had prayed to Lathander she restored Khai, though it was difficult and she had to borrow energies from Baran's rod to complete the transformation. While our grateful guide recovered from his ordeal, we searched the alchemical laboratory that lay adjacent to the barracks. </p><p></p><p>It appeared that this place had been abandoned in haste, for numerous magical scrolls were discovered in the laboratory, along with an amulet and several vials of potions. These were taken charge of by Erim and Liadan. Before we left the lower chamber on the previous day Liadan had relieved the aged tyrant of his various accoutrements as well, substantially adding to the amount of equipment hidden in her saddlebags. </p><p></p><p>Healed of his injuries, Khai descended to the temple chamber to acquire what trophies he desired from the fallen eye tyrants. While he went about this gruesome task we determined to search the tunnels leading off the central chamber. Most of them were empty or filled with rubbish, but Liadan and Baran stumbled upon the aged tyrant's treasure trove, finding a bejewled golden statue of an eye tyrant, a very large blue diamond, an oddly-shaped sword, and a staff in addition to various coin. They also discovered a large star ruby, which Erim recognized as an ancient gem of great fame and worth, so much so that wars had been fought for possession of it. I cannot fathom the wisdom of going to war over a gem. But it did occur to us that perhaps the efreet we seek may have interest in such a jewel.</p><p></p><p>When we had searched as much as we were willing and rested further, we ascended once more to the furnace of the Calim. It was late morning when we once more bestrode the burning sands. Our short sojourn beneath the dunes left us startled once more by the brilliance and heat of the desert. We resumed our journey with optimism despite our discomfort.</p><p></p><p>For four days we traveled with little concern, troubled only by the ordinary small denizens of the desert such as scorpions and snakes. On the fifth day we crested a dune to find ourselves overlooking an awe-inspiring sight. Beneath us on a broad plain we saw innumerable pillars of fire, some frozen like ice and others dancing about to some mysterious pattern. Amid them stood other pillars of glossy obsidian. Through the haze of heat that filled the area we now and again glimpsed a vast brass dome. Khai pointed to this vision and announced that we beheld the Brass Palace of the efreet Phaereteim al-Ashen. </p><p></p><p>_________________________</p><p></p><p><strong>Quips & Quotes:</strong></p><p></p><p>patv: "We're boned."</p><p>Devo: "Make a Spellcraft check."</p><p>patv: "That's 35, or 37 if it's Transmutation boneage."</p><p></p><p>Devo: "The beholder uses <em>telekinesis</em> to lift the <em>ioun</em> stone toward it."</p><p>Jubilee: "Does the stone float in front of its center eye and then fall down?"</p><p></p><p>Devo: "You find a scroll of <em>remove blindness</em>."</p><p>Zora: "That was created by the great beholder mage Lasik."</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="sniffles, post: 3565604, member: 30035"] [b]Behold![/b] Ever optimistic since her conversion to the faith of Elishar, Nekaya-Re called out to the blinded eye tyrant that we wished only to retrieve our lost companion and depart. But the wrinkled, hovering monster would have none of it. It exclaimed, "You are here to die!" and its eyestalks began to weave about in a manner that Erim identified as the gestures used by spellcasters. Curiously, those same stalks, which were as thick as my wrists, bore bracers upon them as do my arms. The creature also had amulets festooned among its semblance of limbs, and a great belt large enough to be worn by a giant encircled its circumference. A ray of frost shot toward Nekaya-Re from one of its myriad smaller eyes, while another fired several missiles of magical force at Pakkin and a third sent a ball of flame hurtling toward Erim. Some of the flames singed me as well, for I stood near to him. Baran cleverly raised the eldritch rod he carries and the flames were consumed by it. Nekaya-Re then rushed forward to smite the monster with Elishar's righteous wrath. Liadan chanted a prayer to Lathander and a sunny radiance issued from her. She then sent a ray of searing radiance against the eye tyrant. Pakkin bravely plied his small bow. I moved nearer to the creature, drawing both [I]Brimstone[/I] and [I]Sulian[/I] and calling [I]Brimstone's[/I] fires to life once more. Baran flung himself toward the beholder, wielding his hammer. I heard Erim murmuring an incantation I recognized and felt the familiar burst of alacrity that accompanied the spell. Erim took the opportunity to draw closer to the eye tyrant himself, but some invisible force from the creature pushed him back a few steps. It chilled him with its frosty gaze again and then floated away from me. I struck at it as it moved but my blade glanced off some unseen force surrounding its body. One eye stalk turned toward me and for a moment I felt a wave of despair but it quickly passed. I felt buoyed up somehow by the locket containing one of my beloved's tresses. As it retreated from our attacks, the elder eye tyrant summoned a wall of stone into being between itself and Liadan. Though Erim's spell had failed to reach her, Liadan responded to the eye tyrant's gambit by running around the length of the wall. Nekaya-Re once more rushed at the beholder. Liadan aimed a spell at it but it seemed to miss the mark. Then Baran drew out the elephant token from his pouch and with a word brought a living elephant into being, commanding it to gore the eye tyrant. Erim gestured and suddenly he stood as tall as the elephant, looming over us all. Strangely the blind tyrant seemed to feel more threatened by my presence than that of either the great tusked beast or my enlarged companion. In rapid succession I was chilled by frost, struck by several missiles, and scorched by flame. Then the monster sent a blast of lightning at Nekaya-Re, Erim, and Liadan, as well as some unknown energy at the elephant. Whatever it attempted to do to the elephant at that moment failed, but a moment later it murmured something to the animal and the elephant turned away from its target and began to glower at those of my friends who stood nearest to it. A ray of some greyish substance shot from the eye tyrant toward Baran, who wielded the rod to absorb the arcane energy. The monster attempted once again to move out of my reach, but on this occasion I was able to penetrate its defenses with my blades. It lifted itself over the stone wall it had brought into existence and then summoned a second such wall to surround it, enclosing itself in a roofless stone structure. Fortunately whatever enchantment the creature had placed upon the elephant did not preclude Baran's ability to command the animal. He uttered the phrase that controls the token and the elephant vanished before it could do anyone injury. Taking advantage of this respite, Nekaya-Re stepped toward Erim to extend him the healing energies of her deity. Liadan then lifted aloft and hovered above the eye tyrant's enclosure. She remained in flight for only a few heartbeats, yet long enough to punish the creature once more with Lathander's searing radiance. Erim, recovered somewhat from his wounds, leaned his great height over the wall and swung at the monster. It responded by rising up out of its stone hut and sending a ball of fire shooting out toward a portion of the chamber that was occupied by nothing but one of its stone fellows. However, this state of affairs did not long remain, for once it had descended back into its lair the creature rattled off another arcane invocation and the stone eye tyrant nearest to where I stood suddenly turned to flesh and floated off its pedestal! [I]Brimstone's[/I] flames were extinguished as it opened its huge central eye. It fired some spell from one of its lesser orbs toward me, but I suffered no ill effect. Nekaya-Re then rushed the second tyrant. As it turned toward her Brimstone's fires burst to life once more. Heartened that I was free of the central eye's malign effect, I sprang behind the monster and stuck both blades in its newly-restored flesh. Erim also moved to strike it, though he was now diminished in stature by the effect of its eye. The creature floated away from me once and attempted to bite Erim as it moved, then aimed another of its small eyes at me, once more failing to do me any harm, praise Corellon. But as the monster rose it directed another eye at Nekaya-Re, who then appeared to become confused. She wandered off to retrieve her magic stones that had fallen to the floor when the creature's eye turned on her. The tyrant then used some arcane trick to lift one of the stones and draw it toward itself, causing Nekaya-Re to follow. I stabbed it with both blades once more. It attacked me with its lesser eyes again to no avail. It began to ascend toward the ceiling of the chamber to get out of reach of our weapons. I realized then that [I]Brimstone[/I] had a trick I could use to my advantage. I aimed him at the monster and sent a tongue of fire to char its hide. Baran, his eyes glowing with cold fury, made a mightly leap and struck it a tremendous blow with his grandsire's hammer. The eye tyrant began to wobble and floated gently to the floor like a leaf falling from a tree limb, its eye stalks gone limp. Erim, restored to giant size when its large eye fell shut, leaned over the monster and saw to it that it could not recover to threaten us again. Baran meanwhile began using his adamantine axe to strike the eye stalks from all of the stone beholders that ringed the chamber. Should they by some misfortune be restored to life as their companion had been they would find themselves blind and maimed. The elder eye tyrant lay dead within its walls, struck down by Liadan's spells. Not satisfied with merely blinding and maiming the stone tyrants, Baran summoned forth his elephant once again to smash their bodies to flinders. While Baran conducted this task, Nekaya-Re had recovered her composure and borrowed his rod to use its energy, calling on Elishar to heal all of our company. Our next task was to recover Khai, whose petrified form still lay upon the floor near where the elder tyrant had entered. Though his leg had been injured before his petrification, he did not appear otherwise harmed. Liadan explained that following her morning prayers on the morrow she would be able to restore him to flesh. Baran was reluctant to remain within the chamber, and no one disagreed with his reasoning. Erim then cast a spell that allowed him to lift Khai's stony form and raise it up the shaft into the barracks chamber above. Though Baran had feared that other eye tyrants might yet inhabit the complex, our night passed without danger. When Liadan had prayed to Lathander she restored Khai, though it was difficult and she had to borrow energies from Baran's rod to complete the transformation. While our grateful guide recovered from his ordeal, we searched the alchemical laboratory that lay adjacent to the barracks. It appeared that this place had been abandoned in haste, for numerous magical scrolls were discovered in the laboratory, along with an amulet and several vials of potions. These were taken charge of by Erim and Liadan. Before we left the lower chamber on the previous day Liadan had relieved the aged tyrant of his various accoutrements as well, substantially adding to the amount of equipment hidden in her saddlebags. Healed of his injuries, Khai descended to the temple chamber to acquire what trophies he desired from the fallen eye tyrants. While he went about this gruesome task we determined to search the tunnels leading off the central chamber. Most of them were empty or filled with rubbish, but Liadan and Baran stumbled upon the aged tyrant's treasure trove, finding a bejewled golden statue of an eye tyrant, a very large blue diamond, an oddly-shaped sword, and a staff in addition to various coin. They also discovered a large star ruby, which Erim recognized as an ancient gem of great fame and worth, so much so that wars had been fought for possession of it. I cannot fathom the wisdom of going to war over a gem. But it did occur to us that perhaps the efreet we seek may have interest in such a jewel. When we had searched as much as we were willing and rested further, we ascended once more to the furnace of the Calim. It was late morning when we once more bestrode the burning sands. Our short sojourn beneath the dunes left us startled once more by the brilliance and heat of the desert. We resumed our journey with optimism despite our discomfort. For four days we traveled with little concern, troubled only by the ordinary small denizens of the desert such as scorpions and snakes. On the fifth day we crested a dune to find ourselves overlooking an awe-inspiring sight. Beneath us on a broad plain we saw innumerable pillars of fire, some frozen like ice and others dancing about to some mysterious pattern. Amid them stood other pillars of glossy obsidian. Through the haze of heat that filled the area we now and again glimpsed a vast brass dome. Khai pointed to this vision and announced that we beheld the Brass Palace of the efreet Phaereteim al-Ashen. _________________________ [B]Quips & Quotes:[/B] patv: "We're boned." Devo: "Make a Spellcraft check." patv: "That's 35, or 37 if it's Transmutation boneage." Devo: "The beholder uses [I]telekinesis[/I] to lift the [I]ioun[/I] stone toward it." Jubilee: "Does the stone float in front of its center eye and then fall down?" Devo: "You find a scroll of [I]remove blindness[/I]." Zora: "That was created by the great beholder mage Lasik." [/QUOTE]
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