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Sniktch's Story Hour Prelude - From the Beginning (UPDATED 04/22)
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<blockquote data-quote="Sniktch" data-source="post: 458956" data-attributes="member: 7704"><p><strong>The unholy altar</strong></p><p></p><p>When they reached Duernfast they descended back to the site of Eli’s passing and readied themselves to continue further down into unexplored areas. Blackfoot and Filthy Ike stayed behind with the supplies this time; Eldred was unable to convince the wolf to board the lift no matter how he coaxed and Ike complained about a touch of the grip and said he needed to rest. With Welby and Jack in the lead, the others descended the secret staircase.</p><p></p><p>It ended in front of a sturdy double door. Opening the portal and stepping through, they found themselves in a twenty-foot square chamber with three other doors leading onward. A splintered table and chairs were strewn about the floor and the skeleton of a huge cave bear blocked the southern egress.</p><p></p><p>Jack snorted, “I’m gonna go knock that skellie apart an’ make sure it don’t come ta life.”</p><p></p><p>Thus, no one was really surprised when Jack entered the room and red lights flickered to life in the hollow pits of the bear's skull and the skeleton began rising to its feet. The dwarf activated his axe and hustled forward, but the undead was surprisingly quick and launched him back across the chamber with a sweep of a paw. The shorter Welby somersaulted under the blow and slashed at the skeleton, knocking a few chips of ivory off of one massive ankle. Grick dodged forward and launched a powerful roundhouse kick that shattered several ribs and the Crow launched a crossbow bolt that imbedded in the bear’s skull, but it seemed to have no effect as the animated beast tore into Welby and Grick with its scything claws.</p><p></p><p>Artimas completed a spell and fired a ray of disruption at the creature, while Eldred produced a leather sling and launched one stone after another at the immense skeleton. Quinn cast a blessing on her mace, temporarily enhancing it, and joined the melee, pulverizing one of its kneecaps. Jack bounced back to his feet and came in at the bear’s back, severing its spine with a brutal chop. The rear legs twitched and lay still, but the bear pulled itself forward with its front paws and bit deep into Quinn’s left shoulder, tearing through armor and muscle and causing her to stagger and cry out from the pain. She retaliated with another swing of her mace, crushing the beast’s jaw and forcing it to release its grip.</p><p></p><p>As always, Grick was enraged by the sound of his dear friend’s suffering. Ignoring his own wound, he raced back into the fray. The bear lifted itself with one paw and attempted to brain the monk with the other, but Grick ducked the blow, caught the limb before the undead could recover, and jerked down with all of his strength, snapping both bones of the forearm and leaving the skeleton with only one useful limb. The end came very quickly after that as Welby and Jack fell upon the beast and reduced it to splinters.</p><p></p><p>Quinn and Jack tended to the wounded while Artimas and Eldred searched the room. The previously blocked door to the south lead to another staircase continuing even further into the depths while the other two exits both opened on long hallways containing multiple doors. They selected the passage to the east and proceeded to the first set of doors.</p><p></p><p>The doors opened into what had obviously once been the hold’s primary chapel. Overturned pews littered the ground and the walls were covered with tattered and rotting tapestries. Across the room stood an altar decorated with typical symbols of dwarven worship. As they entered the room, a ghastly spectral figure floated into view, coming right up through the floor. It resembled a tattered black shadow of an old dwarven priest, who wrung his hands as he glided closer to the companions. An eerie babbling whisper became audible as the shape drifted near.</p><p></p><p>Artimas gasped, “An allip! Don’t let it touch you or you may share its madness!”</p><p></p><p>Quinn was already chanting a prayer as she pulled several large round stones from a pouch at her belt. The stones began to glow softly, infused with the divine might of Dumathoin, and she threw them at the approaching shade. Two of them passed harmlessly through the insubstantial form but the third harmed the undead and the whisper rose to a shriek. Artimas joined in the magical barrage with a flurry of magic missiles that unerringly ripped into the allip.</p><p></p><p>Eldred grabbed hold of one of the half-orc’s arms and started to chant a spell. Grick tried to pull away but the elf maintained his grip and completed the spell. Releasing the monk, he explained, “I have called upon the Earth Mother to give you the power to harm the abomination. Where once you would not have been able to harm the spirit your fists should now be able to strike it.”</p><p></p><p>Jack saw the wisdom in this and asked Welby for his axe, which he then blessed with a similar enhancement. The allip was by this time drawing very near, despite the magical assault by Quinn and Artimas, so those with magical weapons moved forward to engage it. Welby launched a powerful blow that unfortunately passed right through the monster and it clutched at him with spectral fingers. The halfling heard the whispers directly in his mind as the icy fingers trailed across his flesh and he could feel his sanity slipping away.</p><p></p><p>Stumpwater quailed with fear in the undead’s presence and shrank from the combat, but then Eldred moved forward swinging his stout cudgel and bludgeoned the allip with a series of successive blows. It dropped the halfling and turned to assault the elf, but Quinn pulled him out of its reach. Artimas finished a spell at that moment and hit it with a ray that severed its binding to the physical plane. With one last unearthly wail the spirit faded from view and the battle was over.</p><p></p><p>The only thing of interest in the room was the defiled altar, which had at one time been dedicated to Moradin. Now it was covered with diabolical inscriptions and a large black gem was set in the granite surface, pulsing with an inner light.</p><p></p><p>Artimas examined the stone, expending a cantrip to detect magical auras, and turned to the others. “It is obviously enchanted; the gem is layered with a great evil the like of which I have never seen. It would behoove us to leave this matter alone.”</p><p></p><p>“Why?” demanded Jack, “So that more undead c’n come an’ desecrate the place? This is what I think o’ leavin it be.”</p><p></p><p>He stepped forward, raised his axe, and brought it down with all his might square on the throbbing obsidian. The gem shattered and a wave of black energy rippled outward from the altar, then a cloud of steam rose from the ruined stone accompanied by a horrible roaring sound, and then the room went deathly quiet and still.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Sniktch, post: 458956, member: 7704"] [b]The unholy altar[/b] When they reached Duernfast they descended back to the site of Eli’s passing and readied themselves to continue further down into unexplored areas. Blackfoot and Filthy Ike stayed behind with the supplies this time; Eldred was unable to convince the wolf to board the lift no matter how he coaxed and Ike complained about a touch of the grip and said he needed to rest. With Welby and Jack in the lead, the others descended the secret staircase. It ended in front of a sturdy double door. Opening the portal and stepping through, they found themselves in a twenty-foot square chamber with three other doors leading onward. A splintered table and chairs were strewn about the floor and the skeleton of a huge cave bear blocked the southern egress. Jack snorted, “I’m gonna go knock that skellie apart an’ make sure it don’t come ta life.” Thus, no one was really surprised when Jack entered the room and red lights flickered to life in the hollow pits of the bear's skull and the skeleton began rising to its feet. The dwarf activated his axe and hustled forward, but the undead was surprisingly quick and launched him back across the chamber with a sweep of a paw. The shorter Welby somersaulted under the blow and slashed at the skeleton, knocking a few chips of ivory off of one massive ankle. Grick dodged forward and launched a powerful roundhouse kick that shattered several ribs and the Crow launched a crossbow bolt that imbedded in the bear’s skull, but it seemed to have no effect as the animated beast tore into Welby and Grick with its scything claws. Artimas completed a spell and fired a ray of disruption at the creature, while Eldred produced a leather sling and launched one stone after another at the immense skeleton. Quinn cast a blessing on her mace, temporarily enhancing it, and joined the melee, pulverizing one of its kneecaps. Jack bounced back to his feet and came in at the bear’s back, severing its spine with a brutal chop. The rear legs twitched and lay still, but the bear pulled itself forward with its front paws and bit deep into Quinn’s left shoulder, tearing through armor and muscle and causing her to stagger and cry out from the pain. She retaliated with another swing of her mace, crushing the beast’s jaw and forcing it to release its grip. As always, Grick was enraged by the sound of his dear friend’s suffering. Ignoring his own wound, he raced back into the fray. The bear lifted itself with one paw and attempted to brain the monk with the other, but Grick ducked the blow, caught the limb before the undead could recover, and jerked down with all of his strength, snapping both bones of the forearm and leaving the skeleton with only one useful limb. The end came very quickly after that as Welby and Jack fell upon the beast and reduced it to splinters. Quinn and Jack tended to the wounded while Artimas and Eldred searched the room. The previously blocked door to the south lead to another staircase continuing even further into the depths while the other two exits both opened on long hallways containing multiple doors. They selected the passage to the east and proceeded to the first set of doors. The doors opened into what had obviously once been the hold’s primary chapel. Overturned pews littered the ground and the walls were covered with tattered and rotting tapestries. Across the room stood an altar decorated with typical symbols of dwarven worship. As they entered the room, a ghastly spectral figure floated into view, coming right up through the floor. It resembled a tattered black shadow of an old dwarven priest, who wrung his hands as he glided closer to the companions. An eerie babbling whisper became audible as the shape drifted near. Artimas gasped, “An allip! Don’t let it touch you or you may share its madness!” Quinn was already chanting a prayer as she pulled several large round stones from a pouch at her belt. The stones began to glow softly, infused with the divine might of Dumathoin, and she threw them at the approaching shade. Two of them passed harmlessly through the insubstantial form but the third harmed the undead and the whisper rose to a shriek. Artimas joined in the magical barrage with a flurry of magic missiles that unerringly ripped into the allip. Eldred grabbed hold of one of the half-orc’s arms and started to chant a spell. Grick tried to pull away but the elf maintained his grip and completed the spell. Releasing the monk, he explained, “I have called upon the Earth Mother to give you the power to harm the abomination. Where once you would not have been able to harm the spirit your fists should now be able to strike it.” Jack saw the wisdom in this and asked Welby for his axe, which he then blessed with a similar enhancement. The allip was by this time drawing very near, despite the magical assault by Quinn and Artimas, so those with magical weapons moved forward to engage it. Welby launched a powerful blow that unfortunately passed right through the monster and it clutched at him with spectral fingers. The halfling heard the whispers directly in his mind as the icy fingers trailed across his flesh and he could feel his sanity slipping away. Stumpwater quailed with fear in the undead’s presence and shrank from the combat, but then Eldred moved forward swinging his stout cudgel and bludgeoned the allip with a series of successive blows. It dropped the halfling and turned to assault the elf, but Quinn pulled him out of its reach. Artimas finished a spell at that moment and hit it with a ray that severed its binding to the physical plane. With one last unearthly wail the spirit faded from view and the battle was over. The only thing of interest in the room was the defiled altar, which had at one time been dedicated to Moradin. Now it was covered with diabolical inscriptions and a large black gem was set in the granite surface, pulsing with an inner light. Artimas examined the stone, expending a cantrip to detect magical auras, and turned to the others. “It is obviously enchanted; the gem is layered with a great evil the like of which I have never seen. It would behoove us to leave this matter alone.” “Why?” demanded Jack, “So that more undead c’n come an’ desecrate the place? This is what I think o’ leavin it be.” He stepped forward, raised his axe, and brought it down with all his might square on the throbbing obsidian. The gem shattered and a wave of black energy rippled outward from the altar, then a cloud of steam rose from the ruined stone accompanied by a horrible roaring sound, and then the room went deathly quiet and still. [/QUOTE]
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Sniktch's Story Hour Prelude - From the Beginning (UPDATED 04/22)
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