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
Shilsen's Eberron SH (Finished - The Last Word : 9/20/15)
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="shilsen" data-source="post: 2829212" data-attributes="member: 198"><p><strong>Ravers (or "What the hell? These guys are just weird!")</strong></p><p></p><p>Fallen, a district in Lower Dura, is in many ways the most deplorable section of Sharn that the Angels have seen. At first glance it looks like a ruin, with huge chunks of stone scattered around the outer streets. Statues of the gods are common here, but almost all have shattered features and broken limbs. Many of the buildings and almost all of the few bridges in the area have collapsed in whole or part, and most of the surviving buildings show some amount of damage. The population here is less than in any other district they have seen, consisting almost purely of the poor and indigent, who stare at the heavily armed and well-dressed adventurers and scuttle out of their path.</p><p></p><p>As the group proceeds deeper into the area, the buildings are in progressively worse shape, and soon segments of what must have been a huge structure are visible, jutting from crushed buildings. </p><p></p><p>"The Glass Tower," says Nameless, recalling the history of the War even though he has no idea where that knowledge comes from. "It was a floating citadel that was brought down in 918, almost certainly by magic. It fell apart and took out this district, which never recovered. Biggest act of sabotage in Sharn during the War."</p><p></p><p>"Yes," says Cedric. "I've heard of it. They still commemorate - or mourn - the date here in Sharn, sometime in Olarune."</p><p></p><p>The building that Jayson said his companions are in is deep within Fallen, close to the epicentre of the Glass Tower's fall. It was originally a larger structure, but now has only the ground floor standing, with the shattered remnants of the floor above, and rubble surrounding it. </p><p></p><p>After some discussion, the adventurers decide that most of them will stay hidden as close as possible, while the two druids fly to the building from above and enter. Korm calls upon his Gatekeeper training and large feathery wings grow from his shoulders. He then picks Luna up and flies upwards, coming in from above and hoping not to be spotted.</p><p></p><p>Luna and he land amidst the remnants of the floor above and locate a partly shattered staircase leading down. Proceeding downstairs into a dusty and rubble-strewn room, they find no immediate sign of habitation, though there are clear tracks in the dust. While Luna takes advantage of the increased space to take on her habitual form of a large brown bear, Korm shoves open a nearby door.</p><p></p><p>As he does, the first thing the pair see is an armored man with a two-handed flail, evidently awaiting their arrival. He stands inside a large and much cleaner room. His companion appears too, emerging from her invisible position next to an open door in the far wall as she brings down a <em>sound burst</em> on the two druids.</p><p></p><p>The cacophony of sound stuns Korm, causing him to drop his sword, but Luna ignores it and rushes forward, squeezing through the doorway. The waiting warrior, surprised by the appearance of a large bear, shouts and swings wildly, the flail bouncing off her magically-enchanted hide. Before he can recover, a large paw lays his neck open and pulls him into her grasp. </p><p></p><p>The dwarf shouts and rushes forward, her spiked gauntlet glowing with a dark radiance as she swings it with brutal force into the bear's side. Luna stoically ignores the blow and proceeds to squeeze the breath out of her target, interspersing it with bites and more clawing. </p><p></p><p>With Korm picking up his sword and entering the battle with a swing that would have taken the dwarf's head from her shoulders if she hadn't ducked, she decides that this is a lost cause and rushes for the rear door. Her ally screams, "Orda - you bitch! Don't leave me!", but to no avail. A desperate lunge pulls him out of the bear's grasp and he manages to land a heavy blow with the flail before Luna rips off part of his face, sending him staggering into a slash from Korm that drops him in a heap. </p><p></p><p>Luna promptly rushes after the dwarf. Squeezing through the door, she finds herself in what was presumably the rear of the house, which has now fallen apart and become one with the remnants of the fallen citadel. Large segments of the Glass Tower remain intact, with smaller pieces littering the area and creating a maze of masonry and rubble. Orda is hurrying through it as fast as she can, but she is barely fifty feet from the door when Luna catches up to her and she is forced to turn and fight.</p><p></p><p>Cedric and the rest of the Angels, who headed for the building as soon as they heard the sounds of conflict, burst into the room to see a dead man on the floor and Luna facing the dwarf some distance outside the rear door. </p><p></p><p>Korm, having figured that Luna can handle Orda, is looking through a table nearby. As the others enter, he lifts a bag and the Key and says, "Found it!"</p><p></p><p>"Is my necklace in there?" calls Nameless, even as he takes a few steps towards the door to the rear. As Six, Gareth and Cedric rush past Nameless and out the door, Korm checks inside the <em>bag of holding</em> and produces the necklace.</p><p></p><p>Outside, Luna has just seized Orda when she notices movement through the ruins around them. Patches of shadow seem to be moving through the rubble towards them. As she tries to drag the struggling dwarf back towards the others, a dozen individuals step out of the ruins. </p><p></p><p>Most of them are human (with a couple from other races), but they are bestial in appearance, with matted hair and twisted features. They are all wearing ragged robes and where skin is visible it is usually covered with sores, some scabbed over and others openly bleeding. What is perhaps strangest is that they all have shards of glass attached to their robes like some strange jewelry. Or perhaps not the strangest, considering that two of them stand in the middle of patches of shadow that moves with them. </p><p></p><p>"Do you know who, or what, they are?" asks Gareth.</p><p></p><p>"No idea," says Cedric, as he takes a ready stance beside Gareth, just in case. Nameless, seeing these new arrivals, quickly <em>summon</em>s a pair of his patented bison, commanding them to wait until they realize exactly what these people are. </p><p></p><p>Orda seems to have some idea, as she shouts, "Ravers!" She struggles even harder in Luna's grasp and then punches Luna with another glowing fist. Irritated, Luna growls and bites into her shoulder. </p><p></p><p>Half of the ravers pull off small shards of glass from their clothing and hurl them at the adventurers. To the relief of their targets, none of the shards hit. The relief is momentary. As the shards hit the ground and shatter, a couple of the Angels feel a sharp pain as if slashed by a weapon, and shallow cuts appear on their bodies.</p><p></p><p>The other six ravers rip larger shards of glass from their clothing and each walk up to one of the adventurers, lifting the shard to show it to the chosen person (or, in two cases, bison). Then they crack the shards in half and drop them, ignoring the blood that drips from their cut hands. And as each shard breaks, the person (or bovine) reflected in it feels a wound as deep as if inflicted by a weapon swung by a powerful enemy.</p><p></p><p>Cries of pain, surprise and general unease ring out and the adventurers quickly fall to defending themselves. To their relief, the enemies are not as durable as they are strange, even though their skin is evidently as hard as bark. </p><p></p><p>Gareth <em>smite</em>s one to the ground and shouts, "They're evil!"</p><p></p><p>"Do you really think I give a damn?" responds Nameless, splitting a volley of <em>magic missile</em>s to drop the two that his bison have just gored.</p><p></p><p>Cedric, diving adroitly past one to flank it between Korm and himself and send it staggering back from a sword-blow, grins and says, "Nameless has a point!"</p><p></p><p>Luna, finally having dropped Orda, drags her corpse closer to the door. As she does so, she sees more figures emerging from the ruins in the distance and moving closer. Unable to speak, she growls and waves a paw in that direction, indicating it to the others.</p><p></p><p>The ravers continue to attack in their strange fashion, some displaying even more strange abilities. Two hurl shards near Six that explode into puffs of dust, which expand into clouds that resemble large arms reaching up to clasp the big warforged. Six, just having had his spiked chain pulled from his grasp by a burly raver, smashes one arm into dust with a punch but the other wraps around him. Others among the Angels find that as they suffer more wounds, strange feelings of despair assault their minds, though they manage to fight them off.</p><p></p><p>Luna, having squeezed her way back into the room, drops Orda's corpse and <em>summon</em>s a dinosaur to support the one remaining bison. This buys her allies more time and they make a fighting retreat, Cedric, Gareth and Six (who manages to fight his way out of the grasping arm of dust) dropping a couple more ravers, while Korm blasts two to the ground with an <em>arc of lightning</em>.</p><p></p><p>As soon as everyone else is in the room, Korm shuts the door and bars it. Outside, there is the momentary sound of the bison and dinosaur fighting the ravers and then silence. Nobody approaches the door, as far as anyone inside can make out.</p><p></p><p>Luna changes back into her normal form and asks, "What the bloody hell were those things?"</p><p></p><p>"I don't want to know," says Six, feeling dents and cracks in his plating, as he produces a wand to repair them. "As long as we don't need to deal with them again." The sentiment is clearly shared by the others.</p><p></p><p>While they heal themselves, the adventurers search and strip the two bodies, taking everything valuable off them. Nameless carefully places the Key back in his <em>bag of holding</em> and hangs it on his belt. </p><p></p><p>As they leave, Cedric looks back at the corpses as they leave the building but doesn't say anything about them. On the way back, he says, "Would you guys mind if I took two hundred galifars from what you found?"</p><p></p><p>Surprised, Nameless says, "You get a full share, just as each of us does."</p><p></p><p>Cedric smiles and waves a hand. "Thanks, but that's all right. Two hundred will do."</p><p></p><p>***</p><p>Surr'kal and Dala are still waiting when the group returns to Trillia's, and Nameless provides them a fairly detailed coverage of what happened, with the others inserting comments as needed. When they refer to the strange people they fought, Dala exclaims, "You fought ravers?"</p><p></p><p>"You know them?"</p><p></p><p>"Only by reputation. I've heard that they're a strange group that dwell in the central ruins, among the remnants of the Glass Tower. Some people think they're a cult and others think they're something released from the Depths when the tower fell. There are rumors that they have strange powers - which your encounter confirms - and that they sometimes carry off people from Fallen, but nobody really knows for sure."</p><p></p><p>"Whatever they are," says Nameless, "There's a dozen less of them now."</p><p></p><p>The conversation then turns to the Key and what is to be done with it after its recovery. Gareth and Nameless embark on one of their patented arguments about how to keep it safe and especially whether to involve the Church of the Silver Flame. </p><p></p><p>"The Key just isn't safe on you," argues Gareth. "If four muggers can get it off Six and you, then whoever killed Arrok shouldn't have a hard time at all."</p><p></p><p>"Be that as it may," responds Nameless, "I am not going to hand it over to the Church."</p><p></p><p>Gareth argues that he should at least be allowed to speak to the Archierophant about it, suggesting that he broach the topic without giving her any details, and if she promises not to mention it to her superiors, then they can tell her about it and see if she can help. </p><p></p><p>Cedric, who knows the least about the Key of anyone in the room but is gradually learning more, speaks up from his seat in the corner. "You guys know I don't see eye to eye with Ythana Morr, but I'll admit that she's about as influential as any members of the Church in Breland, so I don't think you'll have to worry about her having to answer to anyone about that Key. On the other hand, she takes her responsibilities damn seriously and if she figures the Key isn't safe with you, she may try to pull rank on Gareth to have it handed over to her for safekeeping. Anyway, it's your call." </p><p></p><p>The comment doesn't really help much, with the argument continuing and branching off onto the question of what one is to do with the Key after all. Nameless is momentarily stumped when Gareth asks what his eventual plans for the Key is, but then replies, "To either bury it in a place where nobody will ever find it, or hand it over to the Gatekeepers."</p><p></p><p>"Okay, but what about the damn tattoos?" asks Luna. "As long as they're around, we've got to stay close to the bloody thing, and I do NOT like that situation. Why don't you try to remove ours again?"</p><p></p><p>"Did you see what happened last time?" says Nameless. "We almost killed Corven and Korm." Korm doesn't say anything, simply scratching reflexively at the tattoo on his chest.</p><p></p><p>Surr'kal adds, "I'm hoping that Gurr'khan will be here soon. He should leave as soon as he gets the message, which should be within a week's time. Once he's here and we let him know what the situation is, he can contact people in the Shadow Marches and the Eldeen Reaches. He's the only one of our people in Breland powerful enough to do so."</p><p></p><p>"All right - but what do we do for that week?" asks Gareth.</p><p></p><p>"Wait and travel in larger groups," says Nameless.</p><p></p><p>"That we should, but I don't want to wait that long," responds Gareth.</p><p></p><p>Surr'kal persists, "You might be able to learn more from one of our loremasters, but they are only found in the Marches and the Reaches. Would you consider traveling there, if needed?"</p><p></p><p>"Get out of this city? Hell yeah!" says Luna. Beside her, Korm nods and adds, "I know much of the Marches and some areas in the Reaches. I'd be happy to guide you there, if needed."</p><p></p><p>The discussion continues for a while, with the eventual decision that long-term decisions will be made after Gurr'khan's arrival. In the short term, Gareth (who remains obdurate about the Key not being safe with them) will speak to the Archierophant that evening and arrange a meeting with the entire group the next morning. They also decide that from now on, Korm, Luna and Six will accompany Nameless to and from Trillia's whenever he travels in the city. </p><p></p><p>Dala, Surr'kal and Cedric all take their leave, asking the Angels to keep them posted on events. Gareth asks Cedric if he wishes to come along the next day when they speak to the Archierophant, but he declines. He also reminds the group before he goes that they have two prisoners to dispose of. </p><p></p><p>Nameless says, "Well, I was thinking of cutting off that Jayson guy's tongue..."</p><p></p><p>Cedric lifts an eyebrow. "That's a little drastic."</p><p></p><p>"Well," says Nameless, "It seems singularly fitting for one of the bardic persuasion."</p><p></p><p>"You want to turn him into a mime? Now that's just evil!"</p><p></p><p>Nameless chuckles and says, "Well, we could remove tongue and limbs, in which case..."</p><p></p><p>"Not a good idea. I know they pissed you off - a lot, but always remember, you're better than them. So play nice."</p><p></p><p><em>Not necessarily</em>, thinks Nameless, but he doesn't argue. Once Cedric leaves, he asks Trillia if she is willing to keep the prisoners there for a day or two until he can decide what to do with them. Trillia points at the living room, now much dirtier than before the large group of people occupied it. "Sure - why not? It's not like it'll be any extra trouble."</p><p></p><p>"Speaking of which," says Nameless, turning to address Luna, Korm and Gareth, "Would you be interested in accompanying Trillia, Six and me to explore a Dhakaani ruin and fight aberrations?"</p><p></p><p>"Like I said before," replies Luna, "If it's outside the city I'm in. As long as I can flame strike things without people complaining." Korm says, "Yes, I would. I wish to see Yarkuun Draal too." Gareth agrees too.</p><p></p><p>Nameless turns back to Trillia and says, "Consider that thanks for all the trouble."</p><p></p><p>His mentor grins and says, "And here I thought you were coming along because you wanted to wrestle another daelkyr. Deal."</p><p></p><p>"There's a daelkyr there?" asks Gareth.</p><p></p><p>"Not necessarily, but with the number of aberrations we saw the last time I was there, one either has a lair nearby or some of its minions creating more."</p><p></p><p>"Wait a minute - I thought the daelkyr were bound away, like the one we encountered."</p><p></p><p>Trillia then proceeds to give Gareth and the others (other than Nameless, who already knows this) a quick coverage of the situation with the daelkyr. She explains that unlike the rakshasa rajahs - the progenitors of the Lords of Dust - bound away at the end of the Age of Demons, who are imprisoned within huge Khyber dragonshards, the daelkyr that remained in Khorvaire are not so constrained. They are bound within Khyber, unable to breach the surface of the world even if a physical opening is made to them, as long as the dimensional seals and binding of the Gatekeepers remains in effect. But within Khyber they are free to move around and are believed to have carved lairs and domains for themselves there. The one that the Angels encountered in Xen'drik is quite anomalous in actually being bound within a dimensional seal, which may also explain why it was significantly weakened when they encountered it.</p><p></p><p>After she is done, Korm and Luna leave for Carosten Park, while Gareth leaves to visit the Cathedral. There he obtains an interview with Ythana Morr, and asks her for a meeting the next day with his entire group. When she agrees and asks what they wish to speak to her about, he says that he cannot tell her anything right now, since it is a particularly discreet matter. Ythana looks curious but simply says that she'll look forward to meeting them then, and Gareth departs. </p><p></p><p>***</p><p>Meanwhile, in Coldflame Keep...</p><p></p><p>Mazin Tana looks up as Cedric walks in. "What happened? You look like something the cat refused to drag in."</p><p></p><p>Cedric chuckles. "Yes, Mazin - you look pretty too." Then he stretches and yawns, "I'm just tired. It's been a bloody long night - and day."</p><p></p><p>"Something to do with Gareth? He was in a great hurry when you left last night."</p><p></p><p>"Yes. Can't discuss most of it with you, I'm afraid, because it's private to him and his friends. Let's just say they've been getting into trouble, and from what I've heard, are liable to get into some more." Cedric beckons for Mazin to follow him. "For example..."</p><p></p><p>A curious Mazin follows him out into one of the emptier chambers, where he finds four husky-looking men standing around a large cart covered by a cloth. Cedric walks up to it and lifts the cover, to reveal over a dozen corpses. Most of them are twisted and malformed, except for two, of a dwarven woman and a human male. All of them seem to have been slain violently.</p><p></p><p>"By the Flame!"</p><p></p><p>"Don't worry," reassures Cedric. "They earned it - unfortunately. Still, we need to give them a proper cremation."</p><p></p><p>"Yes, yes, of course," says a still shocked Mazin. "Did he ... they ... I mean, did Gareth and his companions ..."</p><p></p><p>"And I," says Cedric quietly. "There was little choice in the matter. I'll tell you about it later. I'd have been back earlier, but Gareth and the others weren't really interested in disposing of them once they were done, so I had to go back down to Fallen and get the bodies."</p><p></p><p>"So they killed some people and just left the corpses lying there?" asks Mazin, a tinge of surprise in his tone.</p><p></p><p>"Adventurers," says Cedric succinctly.</p><p></p><p>"But Gareth?" persists Mazin, "He should know better."</p><p></p><p>"Yeah. And I should be sober. What are you gonna do?" Cedric takes a look at Mazin's face and adds, more reassuringly, "Don't worry. He's got potential. He'll learn." <em>And if he doesn't, well ... he won't be the first.</em> </p><p></p><p>Mazin doesn't reply, and after a few seconds Cedric says, "Um, Mazin? You know ... arrangements?"</p><p></p><p>"Yes, yes," says the elderly priest. "I'll go take care of it." As he heads for the door, a call of "Hold on," stops him and he awkwardly catches the jingling bag tossed in his direction. "What is this?"</p><p></p><p>"A hundred and ninety-nine galifars. Use what you need for the cremation and use the rest for this place."</p><p></p><p>"Oh! Thank you, Cedric." Mazin's brow contracts. "One hundred and ninety-nine?"</p><p></p><p>Cedric grins and opens his backpack to show a couple of bottles inside. "Let's just say the cost of good hooch in this place is criminal!"</p><p></p><p>Mazin smiles and leaves, still looking faintly concerned. Once he's gone, Cedric kneels beside the cart and begins to pray for the departed souls of the slain.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="shilsen, post: 2829212, member: 198"] [B]Ravers (or "What the hell? These guys are just weird!")[/B] Fallen, a district in Lower Dura, is in many ways the most deplorable section of Sharn that the Angels have seen. At first glance it looks like a ruin, with huge chunks of stone scattered around the outer streets. Statues of the gods are common here, but almost all have shattered features and broken limbs. Many of the buildings and almost all of the few bridges in the area have collapsed in whole or part, and most of the surviving buildings show some amount of damage. The population here is less than in any other district they have seen, consisting almost purely of the poor and indigent, who stare at the heavily armed and well-dressed adventurers and scuttle out of their path. As the group proceeds deeper into the area, the buildings are in progressively worse shape, and soon segments of what must have been a huge structure are visible, jutting from crushed buildings. "The Glass Tower," says Nameless, recalling the history of the War even though he has no idea where that knowledge comes from. "It was a floating citadel that was brought down in 918, almost certainly by magic. It fell apart and took out this district, which never recovered. Biggest act of sabotage in Sharn during the War." "Yes," says Cedric. "I've heard of it. They still commemorate - or mourn - the date here in Sharn, sometime in Olarune." The building that Jayson said his companions are in is deep within Fallen, close to the epicentre of the Glass Tower's fall. It was originally a larger structure, but now has only the ground floor standing, with the shattered remnants of the floor above, and rubble surrounding it. After some discussion, the adventurers decide that most of them will stay hidden as close as possible, while the two druids fly to the building from above and enter. Korm calls upon his Gatekeeper training and large feathery wings grow from his shoulders. He then picks Luna up and flies upwards, coming in from above and hoping not to be spotted. Luna and he land amidst the remnants of the floor above and locate a partly shattered staircase leading down. Proceeding downstairs into a dusty and rubble-strewn room, they find no immediate sign of habitation, though there are clear tracks in the dust. While Luna takes advantage of the increased space to take on her habitual form of a large brown bear, Korm shoves open a nearby door. As he does, the first thing the pair see is an armored man with a two-handed flail, evidently awaiting their arrival. He stands inside a large and much cleaner room. His companion appears too, emerging from her invisible position next to an open door in the far wall as she brings down a [I]sound burst[/I] on the two druids. The cacophony of sound stuns Korm, causing him to drop his sword, but Luna ignores it and rushes forward, squeezing through the doorway. The waiting warrior, surprised by the appearance of a large bear, shouts and swings wildly, the flail bouncing off her magically-enchanted hide. Before he can recover, a large paw lays his neck open and pulls him into her grasp. The dwarf shouts and rushes forward, her spiked gauntlet glowing with a dark radiance as she swings it with brutal force into the bear's side. Luna stoically ignores the blow and proceeds to squeeze the breath out of her target, interspersing it with bites and more clawing. With Korm picking up his sword and entering the battle with a swing that would have taken the dwarf's head from her shoulders if she hadn't ducked, she decides that this is a lost cause and rushes for the rear door. Her ally screams, "Orda - you bitch! Don't leave me!", but to no avail. A desperate lunge pulls him out of the bear's grasp and he manages to land a heavy blow with the flail before Luna rips off part of his face, sending him staggering into a slash from Korm that drops him in a heap. Luna promptly rushes after the dwarf. Squeezing through the door, she finds herself in what was presumably the rear of the house, which has now fallen apart and become one with the remnants of the fallen citadel. Large segments of the Glass Tower remain intact, with smaller pieces littering the area and creating a maze of masonry and rubble. Orda is hurrying through it as fast as she can, but she is barely fifty feet from the door when Luna catches up to her and she is forced to turn and fight. Cedric and the rest of the Angels, who headed for the building as soon as they heard the sounds of conflict, burst into the room to see a dead man on the floor and Luna facing the dwarf some distance outside the rear door. Korm, having figured that Luna can handle Orda, is looking through a table nearby. As the others enter, he lifts a bag and the Key and says, "Found it!" "Is my necklace in there?" calls Nameless, even as he takes a few steps towards the door to the rear. As Six, Gareth and Cedric rush past Nameless and out the door, Korm checks inside the [I]bag of holding[/I] and produces the necklace. Outside, Luna has just seized Orda when she notices movement through the ruins around them. Patches of shadow seem to be moving through the rubble towards them. As she tries to drag the struggling dwarf back towards the others, a dozen individuals step out of the ruins. Most of them are human (with a couple from other races), but they are bestial in appearance, with matted hair and twisted features. They are all wearing ragged robes and where skin is visible it is usually covered with sores, some scabbed over and others openly bleeding. What is perhaps strangest is that they all have shards of glass attached to their robes like some strange jewelry. Or perhaps not the strangest, considering that two of them stand in the middle of patches of shadow that moves with them. "Do you know who, or what, they are?" asks Gareth. "No idea," says Cedric, as he takes a ready stance beside Gareth, just in case. Nameless, seeing these new arrivals, quickly [I]summon[/I]s a pair of his patented bison, commanding them to wait until they realize exactly what these people are. Orda seems to have some idea, as she shouts, "Ravers!" She struggles even harder in Luna's grasp and then punches Luna with another glowing fist. Irritated, Luna growls and bites into her shoulder. Half of the ravers pull off small shards of glass from their clothing and hurl them at the adventurers. To the relief of their targets, none of the shards hit. The relief is momentary. As the shards hit the ground and shatter, a couple of the Angels feel a sharp pain as if slashed by a weapon, and shallow cuts appear on their bodies. The other six ravers rip larger shards of glass from their clothing and each walk up to one of the adventurers, lifting the shard to show it to the chosen person (or, in two cases, bison). Then they crack the shards in half and drop them, ignoring the blood that drips from their cut hands. And as each shard breaks, the person (or bovine) reflected in it feels a wound as deep as if inflicted by a weapon swung by a powerful enemy. Cries of pain, surprise and general unease ring out and the adventurers quickly fall to defending themselves. To their relief, the enemies are not as durable as they are strange, even though their skin is evidently as hard as bark. Gareth [I]smite[/I]s one to the ground and shouts, "They're evil!" "Do you really think I give a damn?" responds Nameless, splitting a volley of [I]magic missile[/I]s to drop the two that his bison have just gored. Cedric, diving adroitly past one to flank it between Korm and himself and send it staggering back from a sword-blow, grins and says, "Nameless has a point!" Luna, finally having dropped Orda, drags her corpse closer to the door. As she does so, she sees more figures emerging from the ruins in the distance and moving closer. Unable to speak, she growls and waves a paw in that direction, indicating it to the others. The ravers continue to attack in their strange fashion, some displaying even more strange abilities. Two hurl shards near Six that explode into puffs of dust, which expand into clouds that resemble large arms reaching up to clasp the big warforged. Six, just having had his spiked chain pulled from his grasp by a burly raver, smashes one arm into dust with a punch but the other wraps around him. Others among the Angels find that as they suffer more wounds, strange feelings of despair assault their minds, though they manage to fight them off. Luna, having squeezed her way back into the room, drops Orda's corpse and [I]summon[/I]s a dinosaur to support the one remaining bison. This buys her allies more time and they make a fighting retreat, Cedric, Gareth and Six (who manages to fight his way out of the grasping arm of dust) dropping a couple more ravers, while Korm blasts two to the ground with an [I]arc of lightning[/I]. As soon as everyone else is in the room, Korm shuts the door and bars it. Outside, there is the momentary sound of the bison and dinosaur fighting the ravers and then silence. Nobody approaches the door, as far as anyone inside can make out. Luna changes back into her normal form and asks, "What the bloody hell were those things?" "I don't want to know," says Six, feeling dents and cracks in his plating, as he produces a wand to repair them. "As long as we don't need to deal with them again." The sentiment is clearly shared by the others. While they heal themselves, the adventurers search and strip the two bodies, taking everything valuable off them. Nameless carefully places the Key back in his [I]bag of holding[/I] and hangs it on his belt. As they leave, Cedric looks back at the corpses as they leave the building but doesn't say anything about them. On the way back, he says, "Would you guys mind if I took two hundred galifars from what you found?" Surprised, Nameless says, "You get a full share, just as each of us does." Cedric smiles and waves a hand. "Thanks, but that's all right. Two hundred will do." *** Surr'kal and Dala are still waiting when the group returns to Trillia's, and Nameless provides them a fairly detailed coverage of what happened, with the others inserting comments as needed. When they refer to the strange people they fought, Dala exclaims, "You fought ravers?" "You know them?" "Only by reputation. I've heard that they're a strange group that dwell in the central ruins, among the remnants of the Glass Tower. Some people think they're a cult and others think they're something released from the Depths when the tower fell. There are rumors that they have strange powers - which your encounter confirms - and that they sometimes carry off people from Fallen, but nobody really knows for sure." "Whatever they are," says Nameless, "There's a dozen less of them now." The conversation then turns to the Key and what is to be done with it after its recovery. Gareth and Nameless embark on one of their patented arguments about how to keep it safe and especially whether to involve the Church of the Silver Flame. "The Key just isn't safe on you," argues Gareth. "If four muggers can get it off Six and you, then whoever killed Arrok shouldn't have a hard time at all." "Be that as it may," responds Nameless, "I am not going to hand it over to the Church." Gareth argues that he should at least be allowed to speak to the Archierophant about it, suggesting that he broach the topic without giving her any details, and if she promises not to mention it to her superiors, then they can tell her about it and see if she can help. Cedric, who knows the least about the Key of anyone in the room but is gradually learning more, speaks up from his seat in the corner. "You guys know I don't see eye to eye with Ythana Morr, but I'll admit that she's about as influential as any members of the Church in Breland, so I don't think you'll have to worry about her having to answer to anyone about that Key. On the other hand, she takes her responsibilities damn seriously and if she figures the Key isn't safe with you, she may try to pull rank on Gareth to have it handed over to her for safekeeping. Anyway, it's your call." The comment doesn't really help much, with the argument continuing and branching off onto the question of what one is to do with the Key after all. Nameless is momentarily stumped when Gareth asks what his eventual plans for the Key is, but then replies, "To either bury it in a place where nobody will ever find it, or hand it over to the Gatekeepers." "Okay, but what about the damn tattoos?" asks Luna. "As long as they're around, we've got to stay close to the bloody thing, and I do NOT like that situation. Why don't you try to remove ours again?" "Did you see what happened last time?" says Nameless. "We almost killed Corven and Korm." Korm doesn't say anything, simply scratching reflexively at the tattoo on his chest. Surr'kal adds, "I'm hoping that Gurr'khan will be here soon. He should leave as soon as he gets the message, which should be within a week's time. Once he's here and we let him know what the situation is, he can contact people in the Shadow Marches and the Eldeen Reaches. He's the only one of our people in Breland powerful enough to do so." "All right - but what do we do for that week?" asks Gareth. "Wait and travel in larger groups," says Nameless. "That we should, but I don't want to wait that long," responds Gareth. Surr'kal persists, "You might be able to learn more from one of our loremasters, but they are only found in the Marches and the Reaches. Would you consider traveling there, if needed?" "Get out of this city? Hell yeah!" says Luna. Beside her, Korm nods and adds, "I know much of the Marches and some areas in the Reaches. I'd be happy to guide you there, if needed." The discussion continues for a while, with the eventual decision that long-term decisions will be made after Gurr'khan's arrival. In the short term, Gareth (who remains obdurate about the Key not being safe with them) will speak to the Archierophant that evening and arrange a meeting with the entire group the next morning. They also decide that from now on, Korm, Luna and Six will accompany Nameless to and from Trillia's whenever he travels in the city. Dala, Surr'kal and Cedric all take their leave, asking the Angels to keep them posted on events. Gareth asks Cedric if he wishes to come along the next day when they speak to the Archierophant, but he declines. He also reminds the group before he goes that they have two prisoners to dispose of. Nameless says, "Well, I was thinking of cutting off that Jayson guy's tongue..." Cedric lifts an eyebrow. "That's a little drastic." "Well," says Nameless, "It seems singularly fitting for one of the bardic persuasion." "You want to turn him into a mime? Now that's just evil!" Nameless chuckles and says, "Well, we could remove tongue and limbs, in which case..." "Not a good idea. I know they pissed you off - a lot, but always remember, you're better than them. So play nice." [I]Not necessarily[/I], thinks Nameless, but he doesn't argue. Once Cedric leaves, he asks Trillia if she is willing to keep the prisoners there for a day or two until he can decide what to do with them. Trillia points at the living room, now much dirtier than before the large group of people occupied it. "Sure - why not? It's not like it'll be any extra trouble." "Speaking of which," says Nameless, turning to address Luna, Korm and Gareth, "Would you be interested in accompanying Trillia, Six and me to explore a Dhakaani ruin and fight aberrations?" "Like I said before," replies Luna, "If it's outside the city I'm in. As long as I can flame strike things without people complaining." Korm says, "Yes, I would. I wish to see Yarkuun Draal too." Gareth agrees too. Nameless turns back to Trillia and says, "Consider that thanks for all the trouble." His mentor grins and says, "And here I thought you were coming along because you wanted to wrestle another daelkyr. Deal." "There's a daelkyr there?" asks Gareth. "Not necessarily, but with the number of aberrations we saw the last time I was there, one either has a lair nearby or some of its minions creating more." "Wait a minute - I thought the daelkyr were bound away, like the one we encountered." Trillia then proceeds to give Gareth and the others (other than Nameless, who already knows this) a quick coverage of the situation with the daelkyr. She explains that unlike the rakshasa rajahs - the progenitors of the Lords of Dust - bound away at the end of the Age of Demons, who are imprisoned within huge Khyber dragonshards, the daelkyr that remained in Khorvaire are not so constrained. They are bound within Khyber, unable to breach the surface of the world even if a physical opening is made to them, as long as the dimensional seals and binding of the Gatekeepers remains in effect. But within Khyber they are free to move around and are believed to have carved lairs and domains for themselves there. The one that the Angels encountered in Xen'drik is quite anomalous in actually being bound within a dimensional seal, which may also explain why it was significantly weakened when they encountered it. After she is done, Korm and Luna leave for Carosten Park, while Gareth leaves to visit the Cathedral. There he obtains an interview with Ythana Morr, and asks her for a meeting the next day with his entire group. When she agrees and asks what they wish to speak to her about, he says that he cannot tell her anything right now, since it is a particularly discreet matter. Ythana looks curious but simply says that she'll look forward to meeting them then, and Gareth departs. *** Meanwhile, in Coldflame Keep... Mazin Tana looks up as Cedric walks in. "What happened? You look like something the cat refused to drag in." Cedric chuckles. "Yes, Mazin - you look pretty too." Then he stretches and yawns, "I'm just tired. It's been a bloody long night - and day." "Something to do with Gareth? He was in a great hurry when you left last night." "Yes. Can't discuss most of it with you, I'm afraid, because it's private to him and his friends. Let's just say they've been getting into trouble, and from what I've heard, are liable to get into some more." Cedric beckons for Mazin to follow him. "For example..." A curious Mazin follows him out into one of the emptier chambers, where he finds four husky-looking men standing around a large cart covered by a cloth. Cedric walks up to it and lifts the cover, to reveal over a dozen corpses. Most of them are twisted and malformed, except for two, of a dwarven woman and a human male. All of them seem to have been slain violently. "By the Flame!" "Don't worry," reassures Cedric. "They earned it - unfortunately. Still, we need to give them a proper cremation." "Yes, yes, of course," says a still shocked Mazin. "Did he ... they ... I mean, did Gareth and his companions ..." "And I," says Cedric quietly. "There was little choice in the matter. I'll tell you about it later. I'd have been back earlier, but Gareth and the others weren't really interested in disposing of them once they were done, so I had to go back down to Fallen and get the bodies." "So they killed some people and just left the corpses lying there?" asks Mazin, a tinge of surprise in his tone. "Adventurers," says Cedric succinctly. "But Gareth?" persists Mazin, "He should know better." "Yeah. And I should be sober. What are you gonna do?" Cedric takes a look at Mazin's face and adds, more reassuringly, "Don't worry. He's got potential. He'll learn." [I]And if he doesn't, well ... he won't be the first.[/I] Mazin doesn't reply, and after a few seconds Cedric says, "Um, Mazin? You know ... arrangements?" "Yes, yes," says the elderly priest. "I'll go take care of it." As he heads for the door, a call of "Hold on," stops him and he awkwardly catches the jingling bag tossed in his direction. "What is this?" "A hundred and ninety-nine galifars. Use what you need for the cremation and use the rest for this place." "Oh! Thank you, Cedric." Mazin's brow contracts. "One hundred and ninety-nine?" Cedric grins and opens his backpack to show a couple of bottles inside. "Let's just say the cost of good hooch in this place is criminal!" Mazin smiles and leaves, still looking faintly concerned. Once he's gone, Cedric kneels beside the cart and begins to pray for the departed souls of the slain. [/QUOTE]
Insert quotes…
Verification
Post reply
Community
Playing the Game
Story Hour
Shilsen's Eberron SH (Finished - The Last Word : 9/20/15)
Top