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
Steel Dragon's "Tales of Orea"
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="steeldragons" data-source="post: 5985891" data-attributes="member: 92511"><p>Pirnyon landed, with a final gentle flap of his wings, nearly silent.</p><p></p><p>"'Bout bloody time, birdie." Duor whispered from the groups vantage point on a low hill covered in a thick copse. "What took yeh?"</p><p></p><p>"Apologies, friend Duor. I had to wing far to not be seen. With the moons' rising, I dare not take to the air again without some more...subtle?....no...</p><p>hiding ability."</p><p></p><p>The dwarf just rolled his eyes and looked at the daelvar thief, Carak, who crouched in a thicket looking down at the expanse of tents and pens that formed the goblin encampment.</p><p></p><p>It was obvious they were firmly entrenched. There were hundreds of tents below them, stretching out across a great blighted field. The goblins had wasted no time, cutting down the trees and spoiling the forest as much as they needed. Toward the center was a huge pavilion with banners bearing the familiar red clawed hand flying from it. Other larger tents surrounded this one and then became smaller the further out from the pavilion they were. Pens containing the lizard-bird like zarx dotted the camp and several giant wolves, "worgs", seemed to wander about the camp at will.</p><p></p><p>"A large force has left the camp. Nearly half of their number. Half were mounted on the wolves. Many black robed men with white masks went with them...and a near-giant of a hairy goblin, heavily armed." Pirnyon continued his report.</p><p></p><p>"That would be the Bulgruch, their general." Erilyn's melodic voice came from above, to the others' surprise. She had traversed nearly the entire way among the trees, moving branch to branch, oftentimes unseen at all. She was so stealthy, the others had almost forgotten she was with them. The elvin rogue-sorceress crouched down in one of the lower branches of a nearby elm.</p><p></p><p>"Did you notice, Pirnyon, if the evil wizard was among those who left?" Fen asked from his near-invisible place leaning against the same tree.</p><p></p><p>Dang point-ears n' their tree-magic, Duor thought to himself. He and the hairfoot were sitting ducks while the three "bigfolk" just saunter about willy nilly unseen.</p><p></p><p>"There was a chariot that leads with two great hounds of shadow. Flames lick at the creatures' paws. They can not be natural animals. There was a black robed one in that, with a hobgomor...um...soldier?...no...the one with the reins." the zephari replied.</p><p></p><p>"'Driver' or 'charioteer', Pirnyon." Carak kindly offered.</p><p></p><p>"Yeh know 'reins' but not 'driver'?" Duor said in obvious disbelief. "We gotta do somethin' 'bout yer Common, birdie."</p><p></p><p>"I am zephari." Pirnyon answered, as if this were an explanation.</p><p></p><p>"Yeah, yeah. We know. The wings kinda give it away." Duor said.</p><p></p><p>"We need a distraction." Fen offered. "If the wizard and the Bulgruch have left the camp unattended, this is a good time to make a move."</p><p></p><p>"Agreed." Erilyn and Carak replied.</p><p></p><p>After a bit of discussion and examining the camp. It was decided that a zarx pen at the southern edge of the camp would be an ideal location for some subterfuge.</p><p></p><p>"Come on, friend Duor. Care to help me raise a bit of a ruckus?" Carak offered. "erilyn, gotta lil' something for ruckus-rousing?" he smirked a crooked smile at the elvin lady.</p><p></p><p>Erilyn plucked a honey colored crystal from the jeweled hairnet which kept her waist-long golden tresses bound up around her shoulders. "This should do the trick." she answered and tossed the bead down to the daelvar.</p><p></p><p>"What about the others?" Duor asked, looking to the druid and zephari.</p><p></p><p>"Erilyn and I will make our way for the pavilion. Treshad's tent must be nearby there, if not inside it. He is their leader, after all, isn't he?" Fen answered.</p><p></p><p>"Pirnyon, can you keep an eye on the dwarf and daelvar from here?" the druid posed.</p><p></p><p>"Easily, friend Fen. I shall come to your aid at a moment's notice." the zephari assured the dwarf.</p><p></p><p>"C'mon Duor. No guts, no glory." Carak smiled and began making his way from thicket to bush to thicket down the slope toward the large open expanse before the campsite.</p><p></p><p>"S'my guts I'm worried about." Duor grumbled under his breath but did take off after the daelvar. </p><p></p><p>The elf, half-elf and zephari watched the two small folk make their way from shadow to shadow.</p><p></p><p>"Shall we, my lady?" Fen said with his characteristic charm and smile.</p><p></p><p>"By all means, after you, noble druid." Erilyn smirked back before donning the hood of her pale grey cloak. With a momentary flicker of cloudy white light se disappeared from normal sight.</p><p></p><p>Damned effective, that. Fen thought to himself. The mild camouflaging enchantments of his own cloak were not nearly as complete, especially if he were moving. The druid hoped his own cloak might keep him suitably unnoticed until, at least, he had some tents and equipment to be able to hide amongst. Fen kept low and tried to remain as near to any brush or lone tree as he could, stopping periodically so that if he were noticed, it wouldn't be for long and any dimwitted goblin sentires might think him just a trick of the rising moonlight.</p><p></p><p>Pirnyon nocked his short bow and remained in the copse up on the hill. His eagle-like eyes were easily able to watch the daelvar and dwarf during their descent in the low-light of the early night. The half-elf, and presumably the elvin lady stopped at the last clutch of growth before the encampment, waiting, no doubt, for this "distraction" before moving further into the camp itself.</p><p></p><p>It was a tense several minutes before the winged man noticed the small shadows of the hairfoot and dwarvish rogues creeping along the makeshift pen of bird-ish mounts. </p><p></p><p>The zephari's eyes widened to notice a worg being led around by a goblin with a spear, turn at some sound the zephari could not hear and sniff at the air in the rogues' direction. The massive canine creature turned and seemed be pulling his handler. Fortunately, the goblin soldier seemed to have no desire to heed the worg's warnings and tugged at the creature. Unfortunately, it was completely in vain, as the goblin began to be all but dragged back toward the zarx pen.</p><p></p><p>Then, chaos erupted.</p><p></p><p>There was a bright flash and loud *BANG*! One side of the zarx pen was completely blown apart and the frightened (mostly sleeping) zarx began a stampede in all directions out from the camp.</p><p></p><p>Worgs began to howl and bark (nasty threatening attack like barks, not just "warning" type barks) all around the encampment and raced toward the southern side of the camp. It was trouble enough to keep the mutant wolves from assaulting the two-legged bird-lizards when they were penned. Now that they were runnign free, it was full on hunting time.</p><p></p><p>Goblins and hobgoblins soldiers cried out all around and began racing after the worgs. Several of the ark Fang and Red law tribes began fighting with each other to control their animals.</p><p></p><p>Hobgoblin officers came running out of tents and from around campfires, shouting orders and grabbing weapons.</p><p></p><p>There was a mass shift of forms moving to the south of the goblin camp.</p><p></p><p>Pirnyon realized with some concern that, in taking all of this in, he had lost sight of the daelvar and dwarf. A flicker in the moonlight to his right told him the druid (and presumably the elf sorceress) were moving into the camp now.</p><p></p><p>Not wanting to let his new companions down, the zephari stretched his wings and launched himself into the air by his muscled thighs, even as he took his first beat of wing, he used his people's innate talent to turn invisible. A moment later, completely unseen, he was above the encampment, scouring the disarray for any sight of the small folk rogues.</p><p></p><p>Fen ran for the center of the camp and large banner-draped pavilion. More than once he had to duck behind a barrel of provisions or press himself up around a tent corner as armed and armored goblins and hobgoblins ran toward the disruption. Commands and arguments and snarky comments were rising all around him in the goblin tongue. As long as they remained unnoticed, the druid hoped, it should be easy enough to get in and out without attracting attention.</p><p></p><p>Circling to the north and ducking behind the two bugbear guards who stood at the pavilions entrance (as they looked to the south and grumbled about the goblins "stupid zarx" making problems again) he entered the huge sectional tent and whispered for Erilyn.</p><p></p><p>"I am here, druid." came Erilyn's soft voice as the elegant elf woman flickered into view one more, pulling the hood from her bejeweled head.</p><p></p><p>The central "hall" of the large tent was much "neater" and more organized than Fen expected from a goblinoid force. A large table with chairs held maps and markers, indicating troops of the goblin and elvin forces. A broad dagger was dug into the table top, through the location on the map marked as Ayla Nirai. There were cushions and rugs strewn about the floor. To both the druid and noble-born elf's disgust there were several elvin heads hung from the various posts in various states of decomposition and the whole place smell like a stable covered in vomit. Not as bad, thought Fen, as "ghoul stank", but nearly. Several braziers were lit around the chamber, more for heat than light, no doubt.</p><p></p><p>After a momentary perusal of the papers on the table, Fen said, "We need to find Tresahd's chamber. This stuff does us no good."</p><p></p><p>"<em>Everx zaar!</em>" Erilyn incanted in reply. Three shards of turquoise energy flared from the sorceress' fingertips to strike into a shadow snake that was coiled around the base of the central post.</p><p></p><p>Upon being hit by the magical bolts, the thing slithered up into the air as its dead black form came into view.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="steeldragons, post: 5985891, member: 92511"] Pirnyon landed, with a final gentle flap of his wings, nearly silent. "'Bout bloody time, birdie." Duor whispered from the groups vantage point on a low hill covered in a thick copse. "What took yeh?" "Apologies, friend Duor. I had to wing far to not be seen. With the moons' rising, I dare not take to the air again without some more...subtle?....no... hiding ability." The dwarf just rolled his eyes and looked at the daelvar thief, Carak, who crouched in a thicket looking down at the expanse of tents and pens that formed the goblin encampment. It was obvious they were firmly entrenched. There were hundreds of tents below them, stretching out across a great blighted field. The goblins had wasted no time, cutting down the trees and spoiling the forest as much as they needed. Toward the center was a huge pavilion with banners bearing the familiar red clawed hand flying from it. Other larger tents surrounded this one and then became smaller the further out from the pavilion they were. Pens containing the lizard-bird like zarx dotted the camp and several giant wolves, "worgs", seemed to wander about the camp at will. "A large force has left the camp. Nearly half of their number. Half were mounted on the wolves. Many black robed men with white masks went with them...and a near-giant of a hairy goblin, heavily armed." Pirnyon continued his report. "That would be the Bulgruch, their general." Erilyn's melodic voice came from above, to the others' surprise. She had traversed nearly the entire way among the trees, moving branch to branch, oftentimes unseen at all. She was so stealthy, the others had almost forgotten she was with them. The elvin rogue-sorceress crouched down in one of the lower branches of a nearby elm. "Did you notice, Pirnyon, if the evil wizard was among those who left?" Fen asked from his near-invisible place leaning against the same tree. Dang point-ears n' their tree-magic, Duor thought to himself. He and the hairfoot were sitting ducks while the three "bigfolk" just saunter about willy nilly unseen. "There was a chariot that leads with two great hounds of shadow. Flames lick at the creatures' paws. They can not be natural animals. There was a black robed one in that, with a hobgomor...um...soldier?...no...the one with the reins." the zephari replied. "'Driver' or 'charioteer', Pirnyon." Carak kindly offered. "Yeh know 'reins' but not 'driver'?" Duor said in obvious disbelief. "We gotta do somethin' 'bout yer Common, birdie." "I am zephari." Pirnyon answered, as if this were an explanation. "Yeah, yeah. We know. The wings kinda give it away." Duor said. "We need a distraction." Fen offered. "If the wizard and the Bulgruch have left the camp unattended, this is a good time to make a move." "Agreed." Erilyn and Carak replied. After a bit of discussion and examining the camp. It was decided that a zarx pen at the southern edge of the camp would be an ideal location for some subterfuge. "Come on, friend Duor. Care to help me raise a bit of a ruckus?" Carak offered. "erilyn, gotta lil' something for ruckus-rousing?" he smirked a crooked smile at the elvin lady. Erilyn plucked a honey colored crystal from the jeweled hairnet which kept her waist-long golden tresses bound up around her shoulders. "This should do the trick." she answered and tossed the bead down to the daelvar. "What about the others?" Duor asked, looking to the druid and zephari. "Erilyn and I will make our way for the pavilion. Treshad's tent must be nearby there, if not inside it. He is their leader, after all, isn't he?" Fen answered. "Pirnyon, can you keep an eye on the dwarf and daelvar from here?" the druid posed. "Easily, friend Fen. I shall come to your aid at a moment's notice." the zephari assured the dwarf. "C'mon Duor. No guts, no glory." Carak smiled and began making his way from thicket to bush to thicket down the slope toward the large open expanse before the campsite. "S'my guts I'm worried about." Duor grumbled under his breath but did take off after the daelvar. The elf, half-elf and zephari watched the two small folk make their way from shadow to shadow. "Shall we, my lady?" Fen said with his characteristic charm and smile. "By all means, after you, noble druid." Erilyn smirked back before donning the hood of her pale grey cloak. With a momentary flicker of cloudy white light se disappeared from normal sight. Damned effective, that. Fen thought to himself. The mild camouflaging enchantments of his own cloak were not nearly as complete, especially if he were moving. The druid hoped his own cloak might keep him suitably unnoticed until, at least, he had some tents and equipment to be able to hide amongst. Fen kept low and tried to remain as near to any brush or lone tree as he could, stopping periodically so that if he were noticed, it wouldn't be for long and any dimwitted goblin sentires might think him just a trick of the rising moonlight. Pirnyon nocked his short bow and remained in the copse up on the hill. His eagle-like eyes were easily able to watch the daelvar and dwarf during their descent in the low-light of the early night. The half-elf, and presumably the elvin lady stopped at the last clutch of growth before the encampment, waiting, no doubt, for this "distraction" before moving further into the camp itself. It was a tense several minutes before the winged man noticed the small shadows of the hairfoot and dwarvish rogues creeping along the makeshift pen of bird-ish mounts. The zephari's eyes widened to notice a worg being led around by a goblin with a spear, turn at some sound the zephari could not hear and sniff at the air in the rogues' direction. The massive canine creature turned and seemed be pulling his handler. Fortunately, the goblin soldier seemed to have no desire to heed the worg's warnings and tugged at the creature. Unfortunately, it was completely in vain, as the goblin began to be all but dragged back toward the zarx pen. Then, chaos erupted. There was a bright flash and loud *BANG*! One side of the zarx pen was completely blown apart and the frightened (mostly sleeping) zarx began a stampede in all directions out from the camp. Worgs began to howl and bark (nasty threatening attack like barks, not just "warning" type barks) all around the encampment and raced toward the southern side of the camp. It was trouble enough to keep the mutant wolves from assaulting the two-legged bird-lizards when they were penned. Now that they were runnign free, it was full on hunting time. Goblins and hobgoblins soldiers cried out all around and began racing after the worgs. Several of the ark Fang and Red law tribes began fighting with each other to control their animals. Hobgoblin officers came running out of tents and from around campfires, shouting orders and grabbing weapons. There was a mass shift of forms moving to the south of the goblin camp. Pirnyon realized with some concern that, in taking all of this in, he had lost sight of the daelvar and dwarf. A flicker in the moonlight to his right told him the druid (and presumably the elf sorceress) were moving into the camp now. Not wanting to let his new companions down, the zephari stretched his wings and launched himself into the air by his muscled thighs, even as he took his first beat of wing, he used his people's innate talent to turn invisible. A moment later, completely unseen, he was above the encampment, scouring the disarray for any sight of the small folk rogues. Fen ran for the center of the camp and large banner-draped pavilion. More than once he had to duck behind a barrel of provisions or press himself up around a tent corner as armed and armored goblins and hobgoblins ran toward the disruption. Commands and arguments and snarky comments were rising all around him in the goblin tongue. As long as they remained unnoticed, the druid hoped, it should be easy enough to get in and out without attracting attention. Circling to the north and ducking behind the two bugbear guards who stood at the pavilions entrance (as they looked to the south and grumbled about the goblins "stupid zarx" making problems again) he entered the huge sectional tent and whispered for Erilyn. "I am here, druid." came Erilyn's soft voice as the elegant elf woman flickered into view one more, pulling the hood from her bejeweled head. The central "hall" of the large tent was much "neater" and more organized than Fen expected from a goblinoid force. A large table with chairs held maps and markers, indicating troops of the goblin and elvin forces. A broad dagger was dug into the table top, through the location on the map marked as Ayla Nirai. There were cushions and rugs strewn about the floor. To both the druid and noble-born elf's disgust there were several elvin heads hung from the various posts in various states of decomposition and the whole place smell like a stable covered in vomit. Not as bad, thought Fen, as "ghoul stank", but nearly. Several braziers were lit around the chamber, more for heat than light, no doubt. After a momentary perusal of the papers on the table, Fen said, "We need to find Tresahd's chamber. This stuff does us no good." "[I]Everx zaar![/I]" Erilyn incanted in reply. Three shards of turquoise energy flared from the sorceress' fingertips to strike into a shadow snake that was coiled around the base of the central post. Upon being hit by the magical bolts, the thing slithered up into the air as its dead black form came into view. [/QUOTE]
Insert quotes…
Verification
Post reply
Community
Playing the Game
Story Hour
Steel Dragon's "Tales of Orea"
Top