[Solo] The Legend of S'Urok

[Sparky]

Your precautions serve you well and the reeking officer before you cannot find a strike... he pauses, struggling again, hissing and clawing at the air, waving the sword around wildly before dropping it entirely. The sword clatters to the ground and the glow in the creature's eyes begins to pulse. The creature advances all gaping jaws and groping hands, the smell of the grave pours from it. It reaches toward you claws flexing and the light in its unholy eyes winks out. It drops into a putrid wreck at your feet.

The figure at the cave is cursing and waving his arms frantically in gestures that are clearly meant to summon dire magics - a bolt of energy leaps from his outstretched fingertips and arcs unerringly into the fresh wound laid open by the collapsed legionnaire. Bands of searing pain radiate out of the wound, far out of proportion with the impact of the missle. The robed legionnaire waves a hand at the two limp, but standing skeletons. When they do not respond he waves it again. He sidesteps and waves his rotted hand plainly and vigourously in front of their faces... In frustration he balls his fists and howls, shaking his sickle in the air before gathering up his robes and turning to make haste toward the cave.

Take 2 points of damage.

OOC

 

[Ghostknight]

Hp 5

S'Urok looks at the dead creature in front of him and after the one that dissapeared into the cave.

Quickly he takes out of his precious healing potions and drinks it (2hp cured- dice hate me I tell you!))

Feeling a bit invigorated, he hurries over to Hul'Kilay and casts "Cure minor wounds" on him, hoping tp at least stabilise him.

Then he wonders Dare I enter the cave? I am weakened and that is a spellcaster! But how powerful is he? Maybe I should just go after him regardless!

He listens to the night, hoping for some guidance from the spirits, whilst binding the Shamans wounds further (roll 19 Yeah, I know I probably didn't need to make the roll but hey, at least it sometimes gives a decent result!)

 

[Sparky]

The potion was sweet... Kirss said it might be if she'd kept it on the heat too long and she suspected she had. She also said she'd cut your sleeping throat if you mentioned her botch to Hul'kilay. Foolish woman...

Now Hul'kilay lies near death at your feet and you are ill prepared to save him or yourself. Stooping to see to his wounds you feel the spirits gathering just beyond perception... they are anxious... Hul'kilay is their mouth and you their hand... much depends on what actions you now take.

The flow of Hul'kilay's blood slows and stops as you chant briefly over his body and feel the angry rush of the spirits into their vessel through the path your voice opened. But the magic was only a small one and the spirits are cut short their communion. Their presence intensifies in the air and the wind rises again lashing the trees and blowing sheets of ice and drifts of snow off of the rocks to shatter on the trail.

A scraping noise above announces another avalanche of ice and debris. You are able to scramble out of the way, nearer the cave mouth, pulling Hul'kilay's groaning body with you, as the pile further blocks your path back and buries the cadaverous body of the legionnaire.

With efficient hands you check Hul'kilay's most grievous wounds. They appear undisturbed and you swiftly and effectively bandage them further. As you work you notice a few scorch marks on Hul'kilay's robes, but no wounds underneath them... the wind shrieks in your ears and the inert skeletal legionnaires at the mouth of the cave sway like strange puppets.

Somewhere within the cave is a caster of the Wizard's Legion...

 

[Ghostknight]

The spirits have spoken I will enter the cave and hunt down this creature that defiles the holy ground of the Crunching Ships!

Ensuring that Hul'kilay is comfortable and out of the wind, he feeds him the last of the healing potions, hoping that this time the potion is more effective than on himself! (ooc: roll 2- guess not, Kirss needs to be flayed!)

Grabbing his axe, he prepares to head into the cave to hunt down the minion of the one that keeps them enslaved!

 

[Sparky]

OOC: Okay... forget the map.

Ahead the cave entrance glows with the flickering light of metal braziers full of heavily scented fat. Oily smoke tears in the wind that howls across the opening in a low drone. You know that the cave's front chamber narrows swiftly into a cramped, descending tunnel. It is the only passage deeper into the caves. Smears of blood streak the ice between the trees at the cave mouth. The skeletal minions stand mute, snow gathering on broad, black shoulder plates and in the hollows gleaming skulls. Eyeless sockets staring blankly forward. From deep within the cave - a crash - it echoes strangely down the gullet of the cave. And a voice raised in anger.

 

[Ghostknight]

Gripping his axe and swallowing his fear S'Urok moves forward. No scion of the Crunching ships tribe can allow the deadly insult of this undead thing rooting around in the sacred cave, even if it leads to death.

He moves forward, eyes piercing the dark, looking for the beast that dares to defile the sacred ground.

I must be careful at the tunnel, it will be a good ambush point, but in the meantime, hopefully there are some healing draughts nearby.

 

[Sparky]

Light from the braziers flickers on the stone of the tight tunnel. Arcane symbols carved into the walls cast weird shadows until the tunnel turns and blocks the unsteady light. Scorch marks on the wall at about chest level mar the red-painted symbols - one symbol in particular is especially scorched - the symbol that Hul'kilay carved after performing your Rite of Purification.

The passage ahead is unlit, though your eyes adjust quickly to the dim light. Ahead the narrow tunnel opens into the inner chamber and a steady, cold and unfamiliar light illuminates the end of the passage... You move ahead steadily, expecting the caster to attack at any moment... Waiting for the caster to attack at any moment... He'll attack at any mo-- a hissing word raises the hair on your neck and a split second later a bolt of pure cold flashes past your face and shatters into the tunnel wall leaving behind a skim of white frost.

The caster is waiting for you. From the angle, you can surmise that the caster will be to your right, but whether he's on the close or far side of Hul'Kilay's divining pool is uncertain. You can see the edge of the pool reflecting the strange light.

The space ahead, as you well know, is a wide oval with the narrow entrance tunnel opening at a slight angle in one of the short walls. Hul'Kilay's pool is at the opposite far end of cave. A series of twelve free-standing columns line the walls - six on each side - they are unnecessary for support, but are carved with more arcane symbols telling the history of the Crunching Ships tribe and the stories of the great chieftains. The last one on the right is blank... Hul'Kilay says it will be yours.

All manner of ritual implements are piled into the spaces between the columns and in the middle of the floor you were expecting to see the chalked circle that would be the beginning of your Totem rite. It is uncertain what you will actually find.

 

[Ghostknight]

Thinking of how nice it would be to melt into the shadows, for a monet S'Urok wishes he were one of those for whom the night and shadows are toys. But this thought lasts but a moment. He is no weakling, mewling around in the dark, hiding from the enemy. Still, no need to be foolish.

crounching down he tries to use the shadows to his advantage. Looking through the opening he decides on his course of action- to dive through the opening, rolling to behind one of the pillars!

 

[Sparky]

Pulling the plug

As much as it pains me to do it, I'm going to pull the plug on this game, Ghostknight. I really appreciate your patience and I'm sorry the reward is that I'm killing the game. It was fun and I really enjoyed the brainstorming, world development and roleplaying that we did do.

Thanks, GK, for your time and creativity. [will repeat in the OOC thread]