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The Boundary Lands: On the Edge of Civilization (Updated 5/9/11)
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<blockquote data-quote="hayek" data-source="post: 5456311" data-attributes="member: 53760"><p><strong>Chapter 4 - The Terrible Wrath of the Arinfax Colossus (s. 8)</strong></p><p></p><p><strong>4.2 The Watchtower</strong></p><p> </p><p>The wagon holding the party is rolled into the Dead Hand Bandits’ hideout, and comes to a rest in the main cave entrance. The bandits escorting the party greet their comrades heartily and they stop to share a drink. Another group of bandits has apparently just returned from a sortie, and Invicto picks up some interesting bits of conversation:</p><p> </p><p>“Drink well tonight boys! We caught a supply shipment heading out of Huntington to Verind’s Edge, and made quick work of it.”</p><p> </p><p>“Uthrin still holding to his offer?”</p><p> </p><p>“Aye, he’s still paying good gold for supply shipments to Verind’s Edge. They’ll be a little hungrier in Verind’s Edge, but it’s more coin for us!”</p><p> </p><p>Invicto makes note of the latest despicable act of Sir Uthrin’s. After the bandits finish their drink, they escort the party deeper into the cave complex. After winding through numerous tunnels and passageways, the party emerges into what appears to be a huge underground amphitheatre. An open arena is surrounded on all sides by rows of stone benches extending upwards. At one end rests a huge stone throne. The entire structure seems very ancient, though it appears to have been put to recent use, as the party notices some discarded mugs scattered throughout the seating areas.</p><p> </p><p><em>Let the Games Begin!</em></p><p> </p><p>The party is placed in individual steel cages along one wall of the amphitheatre and chained inside. The bandits then leave them be and after a couple of hours, the remaining party members begin to regain consciousness. Invicto fills them in on their current situation, and the party finds they have no choice but to wait and see what happens.</p><p> </p><p>After several more hours pass (the party would guess night has come and gone and it is morning of the next day), bandits start filing into the amphitheatre, filling the seats while drinking, talking, and laughing. A few bandits toss some rotting vegetables at the party in the cages. Eventually, the knife-wielding bandit the party faced in battle the day before enters and takes a seat in the large stone throne in the amphitheatre. He motions for the crowd to quiet and addresses the party.</p><p> </p><p>“Welcome, brave travelers, to the home of the Dead Hand Bandits! I am the leader of this motley crew, Pinzam. I hope you don’t mind, but we like to have a little fun with those we best in battle. You see, a good portion of my men escaped from the life of a gladiator in the slave pens of the Jeweled Cities, so we appreciate quality entertainment. But don’t worry, you have a chance to earn your freedom!”</p><p> </p><p>A chorus of chuckles runs through the gathered crowd.</p><p> </p><p>“We will pair you off and you will fight each other – to the death, of course. But whoever is left standing gets to live!”</p><p> </p><p>The party looks at each other dubiously and the crowd erupts in laughter. Many bandits shout taunts at the party members.</p><p> </p><p>“Or, you can always take a chance with Frixis’s roulette table! Frixis is our resident… alchemist… He really enjoys experimenting with different herbs and concoctions, and tonight he has some new deadly poison he wants to try out on a living subject to make sure he’s got the dosage right. So, this table has about fifty different cups on it.” Pinzam motions to a table that has been wheeled in. It is covered in a wide array of various cups, goblets, and mugs. </p><p> </p><p>“All of them but one is poisoned and is certain death. You can pick one to drink from, and if you choose the one goblet that is safe we’ll let you live. Hell, I’ll give you my word that if you have the balls and the dumb luck to pick the right cup, we’ll make your whole group honorary members of our little company.”</p><p> </p><p>The crowd boos at this suggestion.</p><p> </p><p>Pinzam motions for the crowd to quiet down, “Now, now… no one ever actually chooses the right cup.” The crowd laughs, and Pinzam turns back to the party. </p><p> </p><p>“So, what’ll it be? A fight to the death for your freedom, or a gamble with one of the cups?”</p><p> </p><p></p><p>Various members of the crowd begin yelling suggestions. Some call out “take a cup, a cup!”, while others yell, “fight ya sissies!”. The party members look over the table and see a variety of cups:</p><ul> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Numerous plain wooden cups</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">A few square, iron mugs</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Several small tin cups</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Some unique cups, like:</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">A jeweled goblet with red and blue gems set across it</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">An intricately carved wooden cup with a mermaid encircling the top of the cup and the mermaid’s upper half actually poking up over the rim of the cup</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">A brass cup shaped like a dragon’s claw</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">A silver cup that’s shaped like the head of a silver dragon, with the dragon's mouth forming the open end of the cup</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">A thin crystal glass with words etched across it</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">A large stone mug</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">A variety of other unique goblets</li> </ul><p>None of the cups look particularly appealing, nor do any of them belie their contents. The party is baffled as to what to do. However, one of the cups catches the eye of The Zaza – the silver cup shaped like the head of a silver dragon. She is reminded of the prophecy she received from Missyus,</p><p style="margin-left: 20px"><em>Drink from the mouth of the Silver Dragon and you will learn of your brother’s fate…</em></p> <p style="margin-left: 20px"></p><p>The Zaza steps forward and says that she will drink from one of the cups. The other party members look shocked and confused, but have no other ideas of what to do. Two bandit guards release The Zaza’s chains and she strides confidently to the table and immediately picks out the silver dragon cup. As she raises the cup to drink, Pinzam hurriedly shouts out, “Wait a minute, are you sure about your choice? Just because you’re a dragonborn doesn’t mean you should choose a dragon cup!” The Zaza ignores Pinzam’s advice and drinks from the cup.</p><p> </p><p>A hushed quiet falls over the crowd as they wait for her to suddenly keel over in pain. After a minute or so Pinzam regretfully speaks, “It seems fortune is truly with you. You have chosen the one cup that did not hold poison.” The crowd erupts in anger and disbelief but Pinzam is unfazed. He announces that there will be no show today and for everyone to take their leave. The crowd tosses a number of cups filled with ale at the party members trapped in their cages, but they do begin to file out of the amphitheatre.</p><p> </p><p><em>Daza</em></p><p> </p><p>Once the amphitheatre is near empty Pinzam rises and commands the guards to free the party members from their bonds. He assures them their equipment will be returned to them and they can be on their way. He offers to share a meal with them before they depart. The Zaza asks if she can keep the silver dragon cup she drank from. Pinzam shrugs and allows it. The party follows Pinzam back to his quarters where food and drink are served to them. He turns to The Zaza with a look of shocked disbelief, “You are either the bravest person I’ve ever met, or the dumbest. Or maybe both… How did you know which goblet to choose?”</p><p> </p><p>The Zaza shrugs and says, “I just took a chance.”</p><p> </p><p>Pinzam laughs and claps The Zaza on the shoulder, “Well the gods are with you. I thought for sure you would be eager to do battle.” The Zaza assures Pinzam she could not kill her friends. A few gruff-looking bandits bring in the party’s equipment and they begin suiting up. Pinzam says, “Well, unless you have any questions for me, I assume you’ll want to be on your way.”</p><p> </p><p>The Zaza, still dwelling on the prophecy she received from Missyus, speaks up. “Are you familiar with the dragonborn in the area?”</p><p> </p><p>Pinzam responds, “I know there are some villages scattered around the Boundary Lands.”</p><p> </p><p>“Do you know why any of them would be abducted?”</p><p> </p><p>With a curious look, Pinzam asks, “What do you mean?”</p><p> </p><p>The Zaza decides to stop dancing around the subject and simply relates the tale of her twin brother, Daza. She describes the ‘short people’ that abducted him in the woods near her village when they were children, and their means of capture.</p><p> </p><p>Pinzam listens attentively and nods when The Zaza finishes her tale. “Certainly sounds like slavers from the Jeweled Cities. I’ve spent some time there. Enough to know that dragonborn are popular slaves for the gladiator arenas. They are all the more valuable if they are brought into the life of a gladiator at a young age. The younger they are, the easier it is to break their spirit and leave them with no knowledge of any life besides fighting in the arena. A young dragonborn would command a high price in the Jeweled Cities, and there are many halflings populating that area, working for the various merchant houses and thieves’ guilds.”</p><p> </p><p>The Zaza thanks Pinzam for the information and the party quickly takes their leave. Unfortunately, two of the party’s horses were killed in the fighting with the bandits. The other three horses, which happened to be the three that were given names, (New Breddy, Tim, and Seabiscuit) did survive. However, Pinzam insists the bandits will keep the surviving horses as a small spoil from the party’s capture. The party shrugs at the inevitability of losing their horses and continues their journey on foot.</p><p> </p><p><em>A Forgettable Entrance</em></p><p> </p><p>It has been three days since the party left Verind’s Edge, and the goblinoid army is expected to arrive today or tomorrow. It may already be too late, but the party must hope there is still time to reach the Energy Array before the Arinfax Colossus arrives. Fortunately, Invicto was conscious for the journey to the hideout of the Dead Hand Bandits, and with his memory of the trip they are able to piece together how to get back on the trail to the Energy Array. After a couple of hours of searching they spot the next stone landmark in Jarrob’s directions and quickly take up the trail.</p><p> </p><p>The party continues hiking through the mountains into the afternoon. They are making their way through a curving mountain pass when Invicto gets the sudden striking feeling that he was just thinking about something very important but now can’t remember what it was. It suddenly pops into his head – the party just walked by the watchtower they are seeking. He’s very confused as to why everyone in the party would walk right by it, but he’s certain they just passed it. He shares his feeling with the party and Fargrim suddenly remembers passing the watchtower as well, but the rest of the group has no recollection of it. They head back through the pass they just came through and, sure enough, they see the watchtower extending straight up out of the rock.</p><p> </p><p>Everyone in the party can feel the watchtower trying to slip out of their consciousness. Every few seconds they momentarily forget what they’re looking at, but, with every party member focusing on it, they are able to overcome the effect and make their way to the front door of the tower. The party is impressed with the strange magical ward surrounding the watchtower. If they were not specifically looking for it, they would never have even noticed it was there. At the least, the party is now very confident that the Energy Array inside has remained undisturbed for centuries.</p><p> </p><p>The watchtower extends up several stories out of the surrounding rock, and the party can tell the top of the tower should have an excellent vantage point down into the plains surrounding Verind’s Edge. The stone door is heavy, and somewhat stuck, but with some effort the party is able to force it open. They head into the tower and find an empty and musty first floor. Stairs in the back head up to the second floor and the party quickly ascends. They find a large set of huge doors, which the party pushes open.</p><p> </p><p><em>Into the Tower</em></p><p> </p><p>The doors open into an expansive hall. In the middle of the room there is a raised dais with a huge metal orb on the far end. The orb rests in a thin metal container with a bar running around its mid-section. Also, on each side of the dais stand two solemn suits of full plate armor holding sword and shield. Behind the dais stands an enormous iron golem, towering at least 10 feet high. The golem and the suits of armor appear completely still and lifeless, but the party has a strong suspicion they may not remain that way. The only exit from the hall is a pair of massive doors on the other side of the room, so the party starts cautiously making their way across the hall.</p><p> </p><p>After moving a short ways in, the large metal orb begins spinning in its container. Bolts of magical energy begin arcing across its surface, and the guardian suits of armor come to life as well as the iron golem in the back of the hall. They immediately move to attack the party.</p><p> </p><p><img src="http://theboundarylands.fileave.com/ConstructsBattle.JPG" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="" /></p><p> </p><p>The guardian armors fan out to lock down every member of the party, and Erik and Invicto try to disengage from the melee. The iron golem approaches with thunderous footsteps and joins the battle with two devastating sword blows delivered to The Zaza and Invicto. The party begins efficiently widdling away at the guardian armors, which only offer mediocre resistance. However, the party discovers that the large magical orb is powering a field of force surrounding the iron golem which completely rebuffs all attacks. The golem seems to be a powerful opponent that has no trouble dealing out damaging blows to the party with its massive iron blade, and the construct is, currently, completely invulnerable.</p><p> </p><p>Invicto and Erik draw upon their arcane training to realize that the orb must be disabled before the golem can be injured. They both quickly rush around the edges of the hall, absorbing some passing blows from the guardian armors engaging them. They reach the large orb and find a series of magical runes inscribed into the orb’s container. The arcanists realize if they carefully scratch out certain runes they’ll be able to disable the device, though a misstep will likely result in a magical shock from the orb. Fortunately, the wizard and the warlock are both well-trained, and they begin making progress on disabling the orb.</p><p> </p><p><img src="http://theboundarylands.fileave.com/Orb.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="" /></p><p> </p><p>Back at the frontlines, The Zaza and Fargrim have worn down most of the guardian armors, though they are unpleasantly surprised to find that the constructs explode in a cloud of noxious gas and shrapnel when they are killed. Nonetheless, in short order, there is only one guardian armor left swinging away at Fargrim. The iron golem, however, turns to the dais as soon as Invicto and Erik begin making progress on disabling the magical orb, sensing the threat to its protective magical shield. It charges the two magic-users and lowers its shoulder as it slams into Invicto, knocking the gnome off of the dais. The Zaza rushes to distract the golem, and Erik and Invicto are able to finish disabling the orb. The Zaza’s battleaxe sweeps into the golem’s midsection and she is pleased to see that it lands a ringing blow. With the golem distracted, both Erik and Invicto take a moment to catch their second wind, as the earlier blows from the guardian armors have taken their toll on the casters.</p><p> </p><p>Locked in battle with the one remaining guardian armor, Fargrim can tell his opponent is vastly inferior in its fighting abilities, but fortune seems to be with it as it continually lands lucky blow after lucky blow while narrowly dodging Fargrim’s attacks. The dwarf is forced to draw on some of his healing resources, but he is finally able to land a solid shot with his warhammer and he takes down the last remaining guardian armor. He then charges the dais to help The Zaza engage the iron golem.</p><p> </p><p>The iron golem proves a very formidable opponent. It is able sweep its huge iron blade in a wide arc that cleaves across one opponent and into another. Thus, the metal construct is able to wear down The Zaza and Fargrim simultaneously. The melee fighters are forced to draw on every ounce of their healing resources. In one particularly devastating sequence, the golem lands two critical hits on The Zaza in a row. Fortunately, she downs a Potion of Healing inbetween the blows and manages to barely stay on her feet. Fargrim, however, falls unconscious from one of the golem’s blows, and the situation begins to look very dire. But, the party can tell by the numerous gashes in the golem’s armor and the variety of liquids and gases spewing out of its wounds, that it is near death, so they press on with the fight. Invicto and Erik continue launching attacks from afar, and though The Zaza is on death’s doorstep, she manages to stay upright until the construct is finally defeated. It explodes in an enormous cloud of noxious gas and shrapnel, but The Zaza manages to deflect the debris with her shield.</p><p> </p><p>The party rouses Fargrim, and they all take a minute to catch their breath and dress their wounds. Every party member suffered significant injuries, and this was only the first floor of the watchtower. They aren’t sure how many more guardians they’ll be able to fight their way through, but the party stoically presses on, as the fate of Verind’s Edge lies in their hands. Through the doors in the back of the hall is another set of stairs leading up to the next floor. The party pushes through the large set of stone doors at the top of the stairs and braces to face their next challenge.</p><p> </p><p><em>A Puzzling Encounter</em></p><p> </p><p>As soon as the party enters the next room, the doors they came through shut behind them with a resounding boom. The party finds themselves in a small, empty room. Another set of doors stands across from them, and there appears to be five large stone dials built into the doors. The party examines the dials closely and finds that they all bear the same five engraved images. They vaguely recognize some of the images as depicting ancient historical or religious events. After studying the images for a while, the party pieces together that the dials seem to be a type of combination lock for the doors, and that the images must be placed in chronological order to open the doors.</p><p> </p><p><img src="http://theboundarylands.fileave.com/Puzzle.JPG" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="" /></p><p> </p><p></p><p>The party initially simply tries a random combination of images and tries to push the doors open. The room suddenly explodes in fire, and the party members suffer more wounds after just recuperating from their fight with the iron golem. The party regathers to study the images further. They include: <ol> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">A dwarven forgemaster</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">A battle between elves and goblins</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">Some kind of fey spirit</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">A battle between Moradin, god of the dwarves, and Gruumsh, god of the orcs</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">An army of demons</li> </ol><p>Drawing on their knowledge of history and religion, they manage to piece together some ideas about the images. They pool their knowledge to come up with a few crucial clues: <ol> <li data-xf-list-type="ol"><strong>A dwarven forgemaster </strong>– This appears to be the famous dwarven forgemaster, Carmog, who lived thousands of years ago and who crafted some of the most legendary magical arms and armor. Legend holds that he was touched by Moradin as a babe. Most notably, Carmog helped defeat the Vile Army. He worked for 18 days and nights without rest, crafting 50 sets of magical arms and armor to outfit a band of 50 warriors. The warriors were chosen to fight their way to the gateway to the Nine Hells that let the Vile Army into the world and to close it permanently.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol"><strong>A battle between elves and goblins </strong>– This appears to be a depiction of the legendary Bloodied Champions, a band of famous elven warriors. The Bloodied Champions stood alone against an army of goblins back when the Feywild did not create a buffer between Quinalyn and the Torin Plains and war with goblins was frequent. The Bloodied Champions’ famous stand took place in the ancient elven city of Sunaal – a city that was laid waste by the Vile Army and never rebuilt.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol"><strong>Some kind of fey spirit </strong>– This appears to be a depiction of the Forest King, a fey spirit that helped a council of Eladrin wizards to bleed the Feywild into the forests in the northwest regions of Quinalyn in order to form a border between the nation and the Torin Plains. The Feywild was bled into Quinalyn sometime after the defeat of the Vile Army.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol"><strong>A battle between Moradin, god of the dwarves, and Gruumsh, god of the orcs </strong>– This famous battle between Moradin and Gruumsh took place in the early days of the world when the gods walked amongst the people of the world and Gruumsh led an army to try and crush the dwarven civilizations. This is probably the earliest event depicted, as it predates much of recorded history and is closer to mythology than history.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol"><strong>An army of demons </strong>– This appears to be a depiction of the infamous Vile Army – an army of demons that was unleashed on the world long ago. The Vile Army waged war on the civilized people of the Boundary Lands when a powerful, mad wizard opened a gateway to the Nine Hells and an army of demons poured forth. The civilized races had to band together to defeat the army.</li> </ol><p>It takes some time for them to finally come up with the full list of clues. Consequently, they try several combinations of images that are unsuccessful, and suffer through the exploding fire trap a few more times. But, eventually, they land on the correct combination: 4, 2, 5, 1, 3. The doors open, and the party takes a brief rest again to dress their fresh burns from the fire trap. Many party members are on their last reserves of energy now, and they don’t expect to be able to recuperate from yet another battle. Nonetheless, the party forges ahead, up another set of stairs to the next floor, hoping they are nearing the top.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="hayek, post: 5456311, member: 53760"] [b]Chapter 4 - The Terrible Wrath of the Arinfax Colossus (s. 8)[/b] [B]4.2 The Watchtower[/B] The wagon holding the party is rolled into the Dead Hand Bandits’ hideout, and comes to a rest in the main cave entrance. The bandits escorting the party greet their comrades heartily and they stop to share a drink. Another group of bandits has apparently just returned from a sortie, and Invicto picks up some interesting bits of conversation: “Drink well tonight boys! We caught a supply shipment heading out of Huntington to Verind’s Edge, and made quick work of it.” “Uthrin still holding to his offer?” “Aye, he’s still paying good gold for supply shipments to Verind’s Edge. They’ll be a little hungrier in Verind’s Edge, but it’s more coin for us!” Invicto makes note of the latest despicable act of Sir Uthrin’s. After the bandits finish their drink, they escort the party deeper into the cave complex. After winding through numerous tunnels and passageways, the party emerges into what appears to be a huge underground amphitheatre. An open arena is surrounded on all sides by rows of stone benches extending upwards. At one end rests a huge stone throne. The entire structure seems very ancient, though it appears to have been put to recent use, as the party notices some discarded mugs scattered throughout the seating areas. [I]Let the Games Begin![/I] The party is placed in individual steel cages along one wall of the amphitheatre and chained inside. The bandits then leave them be and after a couple of hours, the remaining party members begin to regain consciousness. Invicto fills them in on their current situation, and the party finds they have no choice but to wait and see what happens. After several more hours pass (the party would guess night has come and gone and it is morning of the next day), bandits start filing into the amphitheatre, filling the seats while drinking, talking, and laughing. A few bandits toss some rotting vegetables at the party in the cages. Eventually, the knife-wielding bandit the party faced in battle the day before enters and takes a seat in the large stone throne in the amphitheatre. He motions for the crowd to quiet and addresses the party. “Welcome, brave travelers, to the home of the Dead Hand Bandits! I am the leader of this motley crew, Pinzam. I hope you don’t mind, but we like to have a little fun with those we best in battle. You see, a good portion of my men escaped from the life of a gladiator in the slave pens of the Jeweled Cities, so we appreciate quality entertainment. But don’t worry, you have a chance to earn your freedom!” A chorus of chuckles runs through the gathered crowd. “We will pair you off and you will fight each other – to the death, of course. But whoever is left standing gets to live!” The party looks at each other dubiously and the crowd erupts in laughter. Many bandits shout taunts at the party members. “Or, you can always take a chance with Frixis’s roulette table! Frixis is our resident… alchemist… He really enjoys experimenting with different herbs and concoctions, and tonight he has some new deadly poison he wants to try out on a living subject to make sure he’s got the dosage right. So, this table has about fifty different cups on it.” Pinzam motions to a table that has been wheeled in. It is covered in a wide array of various cups, goblets, and mugs. “All of them but one is poisoned and is certain death. You can pick one to drink from, and if you choose the one goblet that is safe we’ll let you live. Hell, I’ll give you my word that if you have the balls and the dumb luck to pick the right cup, we’ll make your whole group honorary members of our little company.” The crowd boos at this suggestion. Pinzam motions for the crowd to quiet down, “Now, now… no one ever actually chooses the right cup.” The crowd laughs, and Pinzam turns back to the party. “So, what’ll it be? A fight to the death for your freedom, or a gamble with one of the cups?” Various members of the crowd begin yelling suggestions. Some call out “take a cup, a cup!”, while others yell, “fight ya sissies!”. The party members look over the table and see a variety of cups: [LIST] [*]Numerous plain wooden cups [*]A few square, iron mugs [*]Several small tin cups [*]Some unique cups, like: [*]A jeweled goblet with red and blue gems set across it [*]An intricately carved wooden cup with a mermaid encircling the top of the cup and the mermaid’s upper half actually poking up over the rim of the cup [*]A brass cup shaped like a dragon’s claw [*]A silver cup that’s shaped like the head of a silver dragon, with the dragon's mouth forming the open end of the cup [*]A thin crystal glass with words etched across it [*]A large stone mug [*]A variety of other unique goblets [/LIST]None of the cups look particularly appealing, nor do any of them belie their contents. The party is baffled as to what to do. However, one of the cups catches the eye of The Zaza – the silver cup shaped like the head of a silver dragon. She is reminded of the prophecy she received from Missyus, [INDENT][I]Drink from the mouth of the Silver Dragon and you will learn of your brother’s fate…[/I] [/INDENT]The Zaza steps forward and says that she will drink from one of the cups. The other party members look shocked and confused, but have no other ideas of what to do. Two bandit guards release The Zaza’s chains and she strides confidently to the table and immediately picks out the silver dragon cup. As she raises the cup to drink, Pinzam hurriedly shouts out, “Wait a minute, are you sure about your choice? Just because you’re a dragonborn doesn’t mean you should choose a dragon cup!” The Zaza ignores Pinzam’s advice and drinks from the cup. A hushed quiet falls over the crowd as they wait for her to suddenly keel over in pain. After a minute or so Pinzam regretfully speaks, “It seems fortune is truly with you. You have chosen the one cup that did not hold poison.” The crowd erupts in anger and disbelief but Pinzam is unfazed. He announces that there will be no show today and for everyone to take their leave. The crowd tosses a number of cups filled with ale at the party members trapped in their cages, but they do begin to file out of the amphitheatre. [I]Daza[/I] Once the amphitheatre is near empty Pinzam rises and commands the guards to free the party members from their bonds. He assures them their equipment will be returned to them and they can be on their way. He offers to share a meal with them before they depart. The Zaza asks if she can keep the silver dragon cup she drank from. Pinzam shrugs and allows it. The party follows Pinzam back to his quarters where food and drink are served to them. He turns to The Zaza with a look of shocked disbelief, “You are either the bravest person I’ve ever met, or the dumbest. Or maybe both… How did you know which goblet to choose?” The Zaza shrugs and says, “I just took a chance.” Pinzam laughs and claps The Zaza on the shoulder, “Well the gods are with you. I thought for sure you would be eager to do battle.” The Zaza assures Pinzam she could not kill her friends. A few gruff-looking bandits bring in the party’s equipment and they begin suiting up. Pinzam says, “Well, unless you have any questions for me, I assume you’ll want to be on your way.” The Zaza, still dwelling on the prophecy she received from Missyus, speaks up. “Are you familiar with the dragonborn in the area?” Pinzam responds, “I know there are some villages scattered around the Boundary Lands.” “Do you know why any of them would be abducted?” With a curious look, Pinzam asks, “What do you mean?” The Zaza decides to stop dancing around the subject and simply relates the tale of her twin brother, Daza. She describes the ‘short people’ that abducted him in the woods near her village when they were children, and their means of capture. Pinzam listens attentively and nods when The Zaza finishes her tale. “Certainly sounds like slavers from the Jeweled Cities. I’ve spent some time there. Enough to know that dragonborn are popular slaves for the gladiator arenas. They are all the more valuable if they are brought into the life of a gladiator at a young age. The younger they are, the easier it is to break their spirit and leave them with no knowledge of any life besides fighting in the arena. A young dragonborn would command a high price in the Jeweled Cities, and there are many halflings populating that area, working for the various merchant houses and thieves’ guilds.” The Zaza thanks Pinzam for the information and the party quickly takes their leave. Unfortunately, two of the party’s horses were killed in the fighting with the bandits. The other three horses, which happened to be the three that were given names, (New Breddy, Tim, and Seabiscuit) did survive. However, Pinzam insists the bandits will keep the surviving horses as a small spoil from the party’s capture. The party shrugs at the inevitability of losing their horses and continues their journey on foot. [I]A Forgettable Entrance[/I] It has been three days since the party left Verind’s Edge, and the goblinoid army is expected to arrive today or tomorrow. It may already be too late, but the party must hope there is still time to reach the Energy Array before the Arinfax Colossus arrives. Fortunately, Invicto was conscious for the journey to the hideout of the Dead Hand Bandits, and with his memory of the trip they are able to piece together how to get back on the trail to the Energy Array. After a couple of hours of searching they spot the next stone landmark in Jarrob’s directions and quickly take up the trail. The party continues hiking through the mountains into the afternoon. They are making their way through a curving mountain pass when Invicto gets the sudden striking feeling that he was just thinking about something very important but now can’t remember what it was. It suddenly pops into his head – the party just walked by the watchtower they are seeking. He’s very confused as to why everyone in the party would walk right by it, but he’s certain they just passed it. He shares his feeling with the party and Fargrim suddenly remembers passing the watchtower as well, but the rest of the group has no recollection of it. They head back through the pass they just came through and, sure enough, they see the watchtower extending straight up out of the rock. Everyone in the party can feel the watchtower trying to slip out of their consciousness. Every few seconds they momentarily forget what they’re looking at, but, with every party member focusing on it, they are able to overcome the effect and make their way to the front door of the tower. The party is impressed with the strange magical ward surrounding the watchtower. If they were not specifically looking for it, they would never have even noticed it was there. At the least, the party is now very confident that the Energy Array inside has remained undisturbed for centuries. The watchtower extends up several stories out of the surrounding rock, and the party can tell the top of the tower should have an excellent vantage point down into the plains surrounding Verind’s Edge. The stone door is heavy, and somewhat stuck, but with some effort the party is able to force it open. They head into the tower and find an empty and musty first floor. Stairs in the back head up to the second floor and the party quickly ascends. They find a large set of huge doors, which the party pushes open. [I]Into the Tower[/I] The doors open into an expansive hall. In the middle of the room there is a raised dais with a huge metal orb on the far end. The orb rests in a thin metal container with a bar running around its mid-section. Also, on each side of the dais stand two solemn suits of full plate armor holding sword and shield. Behind the dais stands an enormous iron golem, towering at least 10 feet high. The golem and the suits of armor appear completely still and lifeless, but the party has a strong suspicion they may not remain that way. The only exit from the hall is a pair of massive doors on the other side of the room, so the party starts cautiously making their way across the hall. After moving a short ways in, the large metal orb begins spinning in its container. Bolts of magical energy begin arcing across its surface, and the guardian suits of armor come to life as well as the iron golem in the back of the hall. They immediately move to attack the party. [IMG]http://theboundarylands.fileave.com/ConstructsBattle.JPG[/IMG] The guardian armors fan out to lock down every member of the party, and Erik and Invicto try to disengage from the melee. The iron golem approaches with thunderous footsteps and joins the battle with two devastating sword blows delivered to The Zaza and Invicto. The party begins efficiently widdling away at the guardian armors, which only offer mediocre resistance. However, the party discovers that the large magical orb is powering a field of force surrounding the iron golem which completely rebuffs all attacks. The golem seems to be a powerful opponent that has no trouble dealing out damaging blows to the party with its massive iron blade, and the construct is, currently, completely invulnerable. Invicto and Erik draw upon their arcane training to realize that the orb must be disabled before the golem can be injured. They both quickly rush around the edges of the hall, absorbing some passing blows from the guardian armors engaging them. They reach the large orb and find a series of magical runes inscribed into the orb’s container. The arcanists realize if they carefully scratch out certain runes they’ll be able to disable the device, though a misstep will likely result in a magical shock from the orb. Fortunately, the wizard and the warlock are both well-trained, and they begin making progress on disabling the orb. [IMG]http://theboundarylands.fileave.com/Orb.jpg[/IMG] Back at the frontlines, The Zaza and Fargrim have worn down most of the guardian armors, though they are unpleasantly surprised to find that the constructs explode in a cloud of noxious gas and shrapnel when they are killed. Nonetheless, in short order, there is only one guardian armor left swinging away at Fargrim. The iron golem, however, turns to the dais as soon as Invicto and Erik begin making progress on disabling the magical orb, sensing the threat to its protective magical shield. It charges the two magic-users and lowers its shoulder as it slams into Invicto, knocking the gnome off of the dais. The Zaza rushes to distract the golem, and Erik and Invicto are able to finish disabling the orb. The Zaza’s battleaxe sweeps into the golem’s midsection and she is pleased to see that it lands a ringing blow. With the golem distracted, both Erik and Invicto take a moment to catch their second wind, as the earlier blows from the guardian armors have taken their toll on the casters. Locked in battle with the one remaining guardian armor, Fargrim can tell his opponent is vastly inferior in its fighting abilities, but fortune seems to be with it as it continually lands lucky blow after lucky blow while narrowly dodging Fargrim’s attacks. The dwarf is forced to draw on some of his healing resources, but he is finally able to land a solid shot with his warhammer and he takes down the last remaining guardian armor. He then charges the dais to help The Zaza engage the iron golem. The iron golem proves a very formidable opponent. It is able sweep its huge iron blade in a wide arc that cleaves across one opponent and into another. Thus, the metal construct is able to wear down The Zaza and Fargrim simultaneously. The melee fighters are forced to draw on every ounce of their healing resources. In one particularly devastating sequence, the golem lands two critical hits on The Zaza in a row. Fortunately, she downs a Potion of Healing inbetween the blows and manages to barely stay on her feet. Fargrim, however, falls unconscious from one of the golem’s blows, and the situation begins to look very dire. But, the party can tell by the numerous gashes in the golem’s armor and the variety of liquids and gases spewing out of its wounds, that it is near death, so they press on with the fight. Invicto and Erik continue launching attacks from afar, and though The Zaza is on death’s doorstep, she manages to stay upright until the construct is finally defeated. It explodes in an enormous cloud of noxious gas and shrapnel, but The Zaza manages to deflect the debris with her shield. The party rouses Fargrim, and they all take a minute to catch their breath and dress their wounds. Every party member suffered significant injuries, and this was only the first floor of the watchtower. They aren’t sure how many more guardians they’ll be able to fight their way through, but the party stoically presses on, as the fate of Verind’s Edge lies in their hands. Through the doors in the back of the hall is another set of stairs leading up to the next floor. The party pushes through the large set of stone doors at the top of the stairs and braces to face their next challenge. [I]A Puzzling Encounter[/I] As soon as the party enters the next room, the doors they came through shut behind them with a resounding boom. The party finds themselves in a small, empty room. Another set of doors stands across from them, and there appears to be five large stone dials built into the doors. The party examines the dials closely and finds that they all bear the same five engraved images. They vaguely recognize some of the images as depicting ancient historical or religious events. After studying the images for a while, the party pieces together that the dials seem to be a type of combination lock for the doors, and that the images must be placed in chronological order to open the doors. [IMG]http://theboundarylands.fileave.com/Puzzle.JPG[/IMG] The party initially simply tries a random combination of images and tries to push the doors open. The room suddenly explodes in fire, and the party members suffer more wounds after just recuperating from their fight with the iron golem. The party regathers to study the images further. They include:[LIST=1] [*]A dwarven forgemaster [*]A battle between elves and goblins [*]Some kind of fey spirit [*]A battle between Moradin, god of the dwarves, and Gruumsh, god of the orcs [*]An army of demons [/LIST]Drawing on their knowledge of history and religion, they manage to piece together some ideas about the images. They pool their knowledge to come up with a few crucial clues:[LIST=1] [*][B]A dwarven forgemaster [/B]– This appears to be the famous dwarven forgemaster, Carmog, who lived thousands of years ago and who crafted some of the most legendary magical arms and armor. Legend holds that he was touched by Moradin as a babe. Most notably, Carmog helped defeat the Vile Army. He worked for 18 days and nights without rest, crafting 50 sets of magical arms and armor to outfit a band of 50 warriors. The warriors were chosen to fight their way to the gateway to the Nine Hells that let the Vile Army into the world and to close it permanently. [*][B]A battle between elves and goblins [/B]– This appears to be a depiction of the legendary Bloodied Champions, a band of famous elven warriors. The Bloodied Champions stood alone against an army of goblins back when the Feywild did not create a buffer between Quinalyn and the Torin Plains and war with goblins was frequent. The Bloodied Champions’ famous stand took place in the ancient elven city of Sunaal – a city that was laid waste by the Vile Army and never rebuilt. [*][B]Some kind of fey spirit [/B]– This appears to be a depiction of the Forest King, a fey spirit that helped a council of Eladrin wizards to bleed the Feywild into the forests in the northwest regions of Quinalyn in order to form a border between the nation and the Torin Plains. The Feywild was bled into Quinalyn sometime after the defeat of the Vile Army. [*][B]A battle between Moradin, god of the dwarves, and Gruumsh, god of the orcs [/B]– This famous battle between Moradin and Gruumsh took place in the early days of the world when the gods walked amongst the people of the world and Gruumsh led an army to try and crush the dwarven civilizations. This is probably the earliest event depicted, as it predates much of recorded history and is closer to mythology than history. [*][B]An army of demons [/B]– This appears to be a depiction of the infamous Vile Army – an army of demons that was unleashed on the world long ago. The Vile Army waged war on the civilized people of the Boundary Lands when a powerful, mad wizard opened a gateway to the Nine Hells and an army of demons poured forth. The civilized races had to band together to defeat the army. [/LIST]It takes some time for them to finally come up with the full list of clues. Consequently, they try several combinations of images that are unsuccessful, and suffer through the exploding fire trap a few more times. But, eventually, they land on the correct combination: 4, 2, 5, 1, 3. The doors open, and the party takes a brief rest again to dress their fresh burns from the fire trap. Many party members are on their last reserves of energy now, and they don’t expect to be able to recuperate from yet another battle. Nonetheless, the party forges ahead, up another set of stairs to the next floor, hoping they are nearing the top. [/QUOTE]
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The Boundary Lands: On the Edge of Civilization (Updated 5/9/11)
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