The Creation Schema:THE FINAL BATTLE FOR POSSESSION OF THE SCHEMA

[megamania]

EBERRON
06/11/05
SEGMENT 081
“RED EYE”

Sharshek picks up the halfling’s body and prepares to run for it. Black sand is thinking how he will begin with the archer’s fingers. Then his wrist then go for more critical pieces. He is bleeding from about eight arrow hits now plus a few sword hits. Cedious creeps up through the tall grass. He stops when he hears a rustle of grass. He looks up and sees a hint of red before him. uh-oh.

Sharshek sprints back to the caves. The archer tries one hit but misses. Black sands moves closer. He saw the archer this time. It looks like the warforged from the jungle forest. Rotten bastard!

Cedious, dagger in hand, slowly stops and comes to his feet ready to spring. Before him is a wolf with pieces of metal on its head and shoulders. A single red eye scans the halfling. It growls and prepares to attack.

Cedious rolls at the attack and stabs into the throat hoping not to hit metal armor. Instead the dagger sinks to the hilt. The wolf can not even bellow or howl as its throat is pierced from the lower right to the upper left. The weight of the dead wolf drags Cedious into an awkward position. He hopes the archer is not going to take this personally.

Tempting fate, the rogue goes all the way to the archer’s last known point. Cedious doesn’t find him but spots a trap meant for him. Cedious decides he better return to his friends and fast. This guy is serious and very good.

Cedious returns with no further attacks. Black sands considers going after him himself but the weakness he feels in his arms while holding his bastard sword and wobble in his knees makes him reconsider. They go back inside the cave system and look for a defensible area.

 

[megamania]

EBERRON
06/11/05
SEGMENT 082
“TROLL & SHORT”

The group set up in a single room with two exits / entrances. They give Taskerdoo their last healing potion and hope for the best (+5 bummer). He seems to improve but is still too weak to do anything. They block one entrance with blocks and branches. It may not stop anyone but it will alert them, even a rogue or ranger.

The other entrance is blocked with stones and more branches. They take turns watching the barricades as they rest. That night, something large is heard walking boldly into the cave. The creature is taking deep sniffs and tracking the blood spilt from Taskerdoo and Black sands.

A troll.

The creature bursts in and suddenly the group is in a great deal of trouble. Without their druid / mage, they have little for fire and no acid. They know enough about trolls to know this can be a deadly incident.

They attack it and attack and attack it. It regenerates some of the damage done each time but the damage is slowly overwhelming the creature. Finally it goes down and they take turns hacking into it and burning it with lit stick. The smoke can not escape the space well but slowly the troll is destroyed. Black sands drags it away since the smell is so bad.

Two days go by.

Taskerdoo is weak but does what little healing he can. It is little but enough to grow stronger. They prepare to attempt to leave but see signs of the archer. He is testing them and playing a game with them. The troll may have been directed by the warforged into the caves for all they know.

They decide to go deeper into the caves. Maybe there is a secret way out or a magic item inside that can save them. Instead they find many more traps. Cedious is not impressed. They are shoddy and yet one did knick him. Nothing serious but it is so wrong.

They come across a shoddy barricade. Lose blocks of stone hold several branches up. Cedious spots something in the sandy ground. Sharshek spots an arrow tip in the branches. “Archer!”

After everyone takes cover to the sides of the wall they see the trip cord leads to the barricade. The bow must be set to fire if tripped. This is a new trap and not built by the original occupants. Short. The warforged bastard.

“Looking for me fleshbags?”

Everyone turns and sees a short in stature warforged wearing a green and black cloak. Strangely it is wearing leather armor also. Its lower jaw is over sized and comical.

“Not really but what the heck.” Offers the halfling as he hopes to escape. They are not ready for this kind of battle.

Sharshek considers the arrow trap. It could be used against the warforged.

Black sands says something that can not be repeated on EN World.

Taskerdoo wonders how he will survive when the effort of walking hurts. But the memory of his lost wolf is still strong in his mind. He draws strength from his memory of Gnarl. (even if as a player he has already decided what his next creature will be)

VERY suddenly the short warforged charges them. Its twin glowing short swords flash as it draws them forth. Black sands takes a vicious hit that nearly drops him. The warforged ranger stops and twirls its blades to intimidate the group. As one, they all attack and all miss the very agile foe. (AC 23 DEX 24) Black sands rages and attacks. He is hit three times by short swords and nearly loses his head as the lower jaw lurches out and bites him cruelly. He stumbles back in pain and surprise. Sharshek decides this battle is over and goes to leave. Taskerdoo has already left but is moving very slowly. Cedious drinks his last potion of invisibility and back tracks hoping to hide in the darkness. The rage is nearly spent by the surprise bite attack. Black sands shouts curses and names while checking on his wounds. He can not help himself. On hearing “flesh bag” once more he attacks.

Sharshek discovers the arrow and bow are rigged to a separate cord. The trip cord Cedious found was a rouse. Angry by how this forged is playing with them and their strengths/weaknesses; he strikes down the bow.

From the safety of the barricade, Taskerdoo uses his wand of magic missiles to weaken the ranger. The ranger charges them to their surprise and pain. Sharshek goes down (-6 FORGOT Species Enemy: Human) and finally realizing that if his teammates die, he will die soon enough, Cedious returns and strikes a vicious hit on the ranger. Between the invisibility and the unique nature of this forged, Cedious scores a few sneak attacks. Black sands crits and hammers it hard. Suddenly there is hope.

The mutated ranger warforged prepares to kill Black sands when the weak halfling druid / mage strikes it with the wand once more. The forged goes down.

They stabilize Sharshek and look to loot the body of Short.

“I hate Talenta Plains… lets go.” Quips Cedious.

No one disagrees, not even the local druid.

DM NOTES: Short is a member of the 87. When the Lord of Blades found the creation foundry in the mourning lands he hoped to use it and improve on it. He over powered the damaged unit and only 87 warforged were created before it broke. These 87 all have unique abilities or properties. SHORT has no natural armor but is incredibly fast and has an overbite problem that it learned to use to kill with.

 

[megamania]

EBERRON
06/18/05
SEGMENT 082
“ LADY ELAYDREN’S Discovery”

Hidden within her family castle in northern Breland, Lady Elaydren continues to study the notes made by the readers of the Journal thought to have been written by Bonal Geldem. In truth, from her studies, it was written by three or more people and studied but two others before Bonal ever bought it from some adventurers that found it in Darguun ( as set up by Naomi and Gilad in early segments of Pathfinders).

She believes this was first written by the grandfather of Merrix. He has been accredited as the creator of the first warforged. However, many of these symbols are giant inscriptions. There have been many rumors of the warforged being early creations of the giants of Xen’drik. The few expeditions into this land of mystery and secrets have turned up nothing. No party has yet to return.

The second author of this journal, either Merrix’s father or uncle speculated the warforged could be enhanced or better created using an artifact referred to as the CREATION SCHEMA. This multi – pieced item was suggested to have an either an alien intelligence or an imprint of how to create warforged. The power of the artifact scared the author and the author stole the artifact and broke it its many pieces to be hidden far away from Xen’drik. Locations are listed but in the form of clues and riddles.

Each piece has a special power by itself. Together, it becomes an artifact. She knows of the location of four pieces. She has three that she took from the idiots Cedious and Boddynoc. The warforged of Lord of Blades has captured one but should be back in Cannith hands soon. The last two pieces are still hidden. One was placed in a Cannith foundry to the far north. Where is unclear. The other is hidden is special location created by Merrix’s grandmother and a dangerous trap builder named Drogan. It is located somewhere under the Eldeen Forest.

She closes the journal and places the ink quill away. She stretches and takes a stroll around her library. After about five minutes of pacing within her room she stops. She needs to hire more idiots to find the piece in the forest. She needs someone she can trust. Then she can kill them later also.

 

[megamania]

EBERRON
06/18/05
SEGMENT 083
“ GREATSWORD and DAR”

Greatsword labored all day and night crossing the Zilargo countryside. The Gnomes had no idea that this creature of destruction was in their lands. He entered the woods of northern Zilargo and headed to Darguun. Soon he would enter the Mournlands and return home. Return to the Steel Nation.

The woods were typical. Brush tried to block his way and trees created stupid barricades he could sidestep easily enough. Then he entered a clearing. What he saw he did not expect.

Before him, standing alone, was a bugbear. It sat calmly sharpening its Scimitar. The Bronze, red and black armor seemed to glisten in the sun. “Welcome Greatsword. I have been waiting for you since this morning. I was beginning to believe you would not survive the gnome countryside.” He turns and his bright blue eyes wink in excitement.

Never slowly down the warforged continues to walk straightforward. “If you value your life, step aside and shutup.”

“So rude!” Dar stands up and swings his blade a few times over his head. “You should be more polite to strangers. You never know who they may be.”

Now a mere twenty feet away, the warforged warrior pulls his Greatsword free of its holding sheath on its back. Not saying another thing he swings at the Bugbear. It easily blocks the hit. The bugbear reaches out and grasps the warforged by his shoulder.

“AHHHHH!”

He lowers his greatsword and stares at the bugbear. He tries to stare at the bugbear’s eyes but they glow to brightly.

“I know what you have and where you bring it. I also know the Trust await for you nearby. They will stop you. You have not even tried to hide your presence. Very foolish for a country of nosey gnomes.” The bright glowing eyes stare harder into the warforged. “Allow me to redirect your path to the west then follow the river that is near Thrane. Enter the new Steel Nation through there.” The bugbear lets him go and the warforged shudders in pain and discomfort. It has never known fatigue but this has to be fatigue. He does not treasure the sensation. He promises the death of this creature. He repeats his promise again as he turns to the west and travels to Thrane.

Three miles away, a garrison of gnomes wait for a destructive rogue warforged that has killed thirty-three innocent gnomes so far. They will give up the wait in four days. By then, the warforged will be in the Mournlands.

As for Dar, When the warforged looked over his shoulder last, the bugbear was missing from view.

 

[Cedious]

awww my bugbear has found a new friend
he also has a name now.....and why would he help the warforged...mmmm me and him will have to have a few words ^_^

 

[megamania]

awww my bugbear has found a new friend
he also has a name now.....and why would he help the warforged...mmmm me and him will have to have a few words ^_^

Eventually I'm sure you will........

 

[megamania]

EBERRON
06/25/05
SEGMENT 084
“THE WAY HOME”

[DM NOTES: Half of the players could not make it today and we were wrapping up the last adventure. So instead we “fast-forwarded” it to prepare to the next adventure and allow down time to upgrade armor / weapons. Two weeks we begin the mammoth adventure “Drogan’s Trap”.]

The party begins their walk home. They backtrack towards the crash site. Once there they hope to follow the rail to the border of Karrnath. Then follow it’s border to Aundair (they are forgetting about the bridge under repair) and finally to Fairhaven.

Along the way his new summoned animal companion surprises Taskerdoo. A small dinosaur is seen scouting their campsite. Taskerdoo has to stop Black sands from smashing it. He befriends the small dinosaur and quickly become friends. Black sands still thinks he should have killed it.

Once they near the site they spot a large airship tethered to the rails. Becoming cautious they circle around the site looking for any more details. Cedious spots a House Cannith flag. “Which Cannith?” asks Taskerdoo the druid.

It is difficult to see much from the ground. It is 350 feet from the ground to the rail and another fifty feet to clear the treetops. The ship is nearly 450 feet in the air from them. They begin a slow climb using vines, branches and at times ropes they find from the rescue crews and possibly the Cannith crew. Taskerdoo reaches the top and two guards are there with their weapons drawn. “Identify yourself”. From behind them they hear “Cedious”. The two spin to locate the voice. They turn back and see the large grinning face of a dark skinned ½ giant coming over the edge. “It is them.” They agree.

Thirty minutes later, the team is on the Dragonhawk II and on their way back to Aundair. They are asked to join Captain Samuel Halley in the office.

The first thing he wants to know is what happened to Beth d’Cannith. Taskerdoo tells him what had happened with the wraiths (he leaves out that they had to her as a wraith also). After explaining this he wants details about the destruction of the Cannith car. As feared, he learns that Bludgeon did most of it while battling War Forged and the Wraiths. Finally he asks about the journal. Cedious pulls it free from his pack and hands it over. Halley opens it and looks it over. “Code, gibberish and whatever else. The Cannith code breakers will go through it. In the meanwhile- enjoy this food and drink. Use this room as your own. I’ll have bedding brought in.”

The trip takes several days as they fly high in the air. The trip takes them through Talenta Plains and over the gray mists of the Morning Lands. Even high in the air you can see no openings in the mist. It stretches seemly forever to the south. Then you cross Thrane. And the waters of Galifar and you dimly can see the bridge where the warforged and Emerald claw fought you on the rail. As you cross onto land you are in Aundair. The air has a chill to it as autumn has arrived. The leaves are bright reds, yellows and oranges. The fields are being cultivated and prepared for the winter coming.

Finally you reach Fairhaven and dock. As before, you are offered room and board. They want you to be prepared to retrieve any pieces mentioned with a location within the journal. In the next few months they run small errands for the house. In the meantime, the party trades or upgrades their weapons, armor or other goods. Some training is done also.

Finally after 3 months of going through the journal and other resources the party is called in for a meeting.

Trevor d’Cannith is the head of the meeting. His two assistants, the twins Khim and Whim aid him. “We believe we have located a piece of the Schema we seek.”

Black sands cracks his knuckles in boredom.

We had broken it down to three locations within the Eldeen Reaches. We had reduced it to three locations using the term “Dragon”. He quotes the journal now- “The schema and other artifacts are under the protection of Dragon within the Great Forest.” The great forest is of course Eldeen. However the term Dragon escaped us. It was only when we conferred to the security team that we learned of Dragon.”

“Drogan is/was a bugbear of incredible magical talent. He also had an affinity for traps and dimensional traps. He has created several of what is known simply as a Drogan Trap throughout Khorvaire in remote areas. By using this information we were able to center our efforts to three areas within Eldeen Reaches. For the past three weeks we were trying to decide which of the three it was. Our contacts (Spies thinks Cedious) within other groups that wish to locate this schema have suggested a team of adventurers are going to area SW Eldeen near the Byeshk Mountains.”

“What can we expect for dangers there?” asks Sharshek.

Whim steps up. “This area has many natural dangers. There are Dire creatures here along with some Giant-kin. So long as do nothing to harm the forest, the druids should leave you alone. There may be groups that believe they are protecting the world by keeping you away from the Trap or at least protecting yourselves.”

Khim steps up as Whim steps back. “The contacts we have are from Cannith South. They are preparing an expedition into this area. You can expect them to interfere. We have also heard the Emerald Claw is seeking retribution against your group. The embarrassment you have caused by defeating them several times has alienated their leaders. It has become personal with them.”

She steps back and Trevor steps up once more. “The warforged you mentioned that flew over you I believe is there from either the Aurum or Merrix. If he is what I believe he is, be careful. He is a polymorpher, a transformer if you will. Very dangerous.

“When do we go?”

“Now”

And thus the next big step begins…..

 

[megamania]

EBERRON
06/25/05
SEGMENT 085
“THE WATCHED AND THE WATCHERS”

It is cold.

It is windy.

It is worth his time.

Searsburg has remained hidden on a building nearby the House Cannith building in Fairhaven for two weeks now. His ring of Sustenance, his ring of Cold resistance and his Cloak of Invisibility have kept him here in secret all of this time.

The Aurum hired him to spy on their facility four weeks ago. He had four targets to watch. They worked as a team. It was easy to follow them, as one was a dark gray large bruiser known as Black sands. The other rode a dinosaur of all things. He wondered how much the creature liked Aundair’s winters.

Then he sees what he has been waiting for. The ½ giant bulls out of the rooftop exit to an awaiting airship. The others come after him. Looking close Searsburg can see new equipment on some of them. This will need to be reported. He watches the airship lift and go west.

15 minutes go by. Once he feels it is safe, he leaves his post.

Most of the birds burst into the air in freight as he suddenly moves and glides to the ground. All but one. This one watches him. Even though he remains invisible the bird watches him reach the ground and slowly move towards the crowded street where he looks to blend in before becoming visible. The feathers are black and slick just like a crow. The beak has a touch of yellow just like a crow. The eyes are black just like a crow. However, once one was to look closer, they would see subtle differences between this crow and another. Bands of smooth man-made metal ring the eyes of the crow. These rings spin and shift as the vision goes from normal to telescopic. It opens its wings and the under wings show black leather with feathers attached. It jumps from its perch and glides to a building ahead of the non-human spy.

Elsewhere- FAR to the south. A lone figure looks into a viewing ball. The figure watches through his creation’s eyes. He wishes to know who else is moving the chess pieces within this game. Knowledge is power.

 

[megamania]

EBERRON
07/09/05
SEGMENT 086
“The Revenge of Keltis Doran”

The airship traveled steadily all day and night. By daybreak, they had already left Aundair and were within the limits of the Eldeen Reaches. They pass Varna and continue on. To the right they see an endless forest and to the south they see Lake Galifar that seems to reach forever.

Unknown to them, while near Varna, they picked up a follower. Keltis Doran and his new close friend and lover, Karrion Kold, are pursuing them within their own airship. Near Niern Captain Halley spots the craft.

Uncertain at what to do, the group waits and watches. They hope against hope that this is just a passing ship in a hurry. They hope it is not either the Emerald Claw or House Cannith South. Once the ship reaches them they can see six black skeletons with swords watching them. As they get closer Cedious spots Keltis and recognizes him from the Rose Quarry.

Captain Halley calls for the pilot to push the ship harder to draw away but it too slow for the faster ship. The skeletons take ropes and run off the far side as they run next to the Cannith ship. The skeletons hold onto the ropes as they become taunt and then the ropes whip them under the Emerald Claw ship and throw them towards the Cannith ship. Five land on the deck and one lands on an arm of the Fire Elemental containment system.

The guards rush the skeletons but then stop. Most of them turn and flee to hide as the fear overwhelms them. The pilot is also overwhelmed in fear. In terror he turns the ship quickly causing many to fall. Some even fall off the ship. Taskerdoo’s animal companion nearly falls over the edge but the quick hands of Cedious save the dinosaur.

Two spiritual weapons appear before the pilot as three of the black skeletons surround the captain. If both are killed, there will be no one to pilot the craft.

Sharshek picks himself off the deck and finds a black skeleton has charged onto him. It attacks with two short swords and has spikes of bone growing out of its own blackened bones. These are not the normal undead skeletons that are attacking them. Unknown to them, they are the newest creations of Keltis –The Brood.

Black sands is almost amazed as he strikes one several times but it remains standing and attacking still. Taskerdoo tries his best to avoid the conflict. He wonders what he can do to attack the Claw’s ship. The warriors on the Emerald Claw ship begin to fire arrows onto the ship now. Most miss but not all.

The captain goes down and those three undead spread out to attack surviving guards and the pilot. The pilot is killed even as he tries to move away from the Claw ship. The undead then destroys whatever it can of the controls which threatens to release the entrapped fire elemental that empowers the craft.

Keltis decides this is taking too long and calls up a pillar of flame to strike at the center of the ship. The deck shatters and bursts into flames. The craft shudders under the new strain and damage. Taskerdoo considers leaping onto their ship since he believes theirs is about to go down but the movement of the failing ship draws the two craft apart. Angry at his ill position, he calls up a Flaming Sphere and strikes an archer. He then commands the ball of fire to roll around on the deck spreading the fire. “Two can play at this game!” he shouts. He burns many archers then directs it to strike Karrion Kold. She withdraws in anger. Before she was here as a witness, now it is becoming personal.

Black sands and Cedious team up on the undead and begins to defeat them. Angry with the dinosaur riding halfling, Karrion fires a fireball from a magical red globe. Taskerdoo was just entering the storage area where blankets designed for putting out flames are stored. The roof and wall explode as the fireball strikes it causing the entire ship to once more shudder and veer away further.

Both ships are now on fire. The Cannith ship has the worst fire damage and has no pilots left. It is going down. The battle is taking place 3000 feet above the ground. Taskerdoo spots the flames on the Claw ship change color then a series of small explosions rock the ship. Something sensitive to flames is exploding. The Claw ship veers away to deal with its own issues.

Cedious- ever the thief checks out the body of the captain. He finds money, which he puts away, and a +1 rapier, which he also keeps. He then finds three pellets each have a feather etched on them. He hopes they are magical containers of Feather Fall or Flight. The captain also has a Cannith dragon mark on him. Yet another Cannith member has died while under their care. The last of the black skeletons are defeated but the ship is going down.

Cedious pulls out a secret weapon. His Decanter of Endless Water. He opens it at full power and tries to put out the fire. He does this and wash dead bodies and loses equipment off the deck. He wonders what the upper limits of the water could be as the ship continues to spiral towards the earth.

“Great. Just great. Can’t we keep anything we ride in intact?!?” grumbles Sharshek as he looks for somewhere to brace himself.

 

[megamania]

EBERRON
07/09/05
SEGMENT 087
“Crash Landing”

Cedious looks down from the rail. The ship is making wide gentle circular patterns as it falls to the earth. They are near the forest edge. They may land in the forest or they may land in the fields. Black sands looks for a safer place to secure himself. He decides on the pilot’s room. Sharshek is already there. He has just finishing looting the pilot’s dead body hoping for something useful.

Cedious decides it is time to test the magic pellets at about 500ft from the earth’s surface. He squeezes the pellet which melts in his finger tips. He feels lighter then finds himself carried off the deck of the ship as he begins to fall slightly slower than the ship. He narrowly avoids being caught within the power of the fire elemental as the ship passes him. Taskerdoo tries something much more desperate. He casts jump onto himself and his dinosaur. He then uses Spider climb and waits. He studies the timing of the ship's rotation and the forest. He charges off the arm of the craft near the elemental and leaps out to the forest. He disappears into the thick branches.

Cedious watches the ship as one-arm strikes a tree uprooting it and splintering the arm of the ship. Even as the elemental tears free of the containment system the craft’s stern strikes ground. The ship leaps and drags the bow along the earth uprooting smaller trees as it crashes into the forest’s edge. A fireball erupts as the elemental erupts free and begins to strike out at the dead bodies and undead bodies before it. Black sands and Sharshek are beaten and bruised as the equipment and body of the pilot are sent lose and crash about within the small room. They feel the heat as the elemental tears itself free. Cedious merely watches with slight interest from about 150 feet above.

An arm of the ship catches a large standing stone which somehow (magically?) withstands the impact of the ship and causes it to spin wildly as it strikes more trees. Finally the ship comes to a rest. The Huge Greater Fire Elemental roars in anger. It grabs and burns the captain’s body in rage. Sharshek and Black sands decide they need to get out of there. Sharshek finds it hard to breathe, as several ribs are broken and possibly an arm. However –he is alive!

Slowly, Cedious redirects his feather fall to a safer landing area than within the reach of the fire. As he lands, he sprints for the trees where he can see Taskerdoo with his dinosaurs. With the exception of some minor scratches and scrapes they seem okay.

The 1-inch of snow has been melted away within thirty feet of the crash site already. Black sands helps the human fighter out of the wreck and towards the forest. The elemental continues to burn more of the deck and bodies in rage.

They don’t look back as the run away. They don’t see the Claw ship and hope it has crashed and has taken Keltis and the woman with it.

About a half of a mile away they stop and rest. Healing potions are handed out to those in the most need. They review the options decide to press forward.