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<blockquote data-quote="Richards" data-source="post: 7545591" data-attributes="member: 508"><p><strong>ADVENTURE 33: GLADE TIDINGS OF WOE</strong></p><p></p><p>PC Roster: <p style="margin-left: 20px">Daleth Stormsea, elf wizard 9</p> <p style="margin-left: 20px"> Galen Thorne, human paladin 11</p> <p style="margin-left: 20px"> Kaspar Hardstrike, elf monk 11</p> <p style="margin-left: 20px"> Orion Nightsky, halfling rogue 10</p> <p style="margin-left: 20px"> Syngaard, human fighter 11</p><p></p><p>Game Session Date: 2 January 2019</p><p></p><p> - - - </p><p></p><p>The morning began with another summons to the <em>Enchanted Flagon</em>, this time having something to do with "a dwarf and a box." Syngaard high-tailed it across town, arriving to find the other conscripts and Skevros already in place - and a cowering dwarf huddling in the corner of the tavern, his lower face covered with bandanas. An unopened lead box stood on the table near him.</p><p></p><p>"You!" Syngaard roared, recognizing Melvik despite the bandana. The last time he'd delivered a package to the tavern, it had contained an <em>explosive rune</em> that served as the signal for an assassination attempt.</p><p></p><p>"I didn't wanna come here!" insisted the dwarf. "He made me come here - to deliver the box!"</p><p></p><p>"Who did?" demanded Kaspar.</p><p></p><p>"Some guy! A guy in silver robes! A wizard or something - I swear I don't know 'im! I never seen 'im before in me life!"</p><p></p><p>"What's in the box?" Daleth asked calmly. The elf wizard had a pseudodragon at his side that Syngaard had never seen before, but the others all seemed to take it in stride.</p><p></p><p>"I swear to you all -- I have no idea!" sputtered Melvik.</p><p></p><p>"Open it," Syngaard demanded.</p><p></p><p>"Who, me?"</p><p></p><p>"Yes, you! If it's gonna explode like last time, it's gonna explode on you, not one of us!" Seeing that the bald fighter with the face full of scars wasn't kidding, Melvik opening the latches on the box. He winced when the lid opened but there was no explosion. He dared to peek inside and his expression said the contents weren't what he'd anticipated - at all.</p><p></p><p>Galen looked over the dwarf's shoulder to see what was inside the box. It looked to be a metal carving of a dragon's head - but a dragon that looked suspiciously familiar. "Take it out and put it on the table," the paladin commanded. The point of the <em>sword of Zehkar</em> poked into the dwarf's side, indicating the seriousness of the command. Melvik did as instructed. It was an actual severed dragon's head with the top and sides coated in a layer of mithral; the creature's spinal column could be seen poking out from the bottom of the neck and turning it over revealed the fleshy contents surrounding the spine. Melvik scowled in distaste.</p><p></p><p>"Is that the head of the amethyst dragon we let go in Ossirna?" Kaspar asked. It was certainly the same size and shape.</p><p></p><p>"Looks like it," Orion observed.</p><p></p><p>There was a sheet of rolled-up parchment in the dragon's mouth. "Pull it out and read it aloud to us," the paladin directed. Melvik unrolled the scroll with another wince, but when it didn't explode in his face, he read aloud the words on the page:</p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p>There was no signature, but the handwriting looked very familiar. "That's the same style of writing as in the osteovox responses!" Galen cried.</p><p></p><p>"So it's from the Mithral Mage?" asked Daleth. "He killed our dragon for us? And then had his head delivered? Whatever for?"</p><p></p><p>"I swear I dunno," whimpered Melvik. </p><p></p><p>"I note it was delivered in a lead box," Skevros pointed out. "Very much like the lead boxes we ourselves used when using osteovox to interrogate the skulls we took from our enemies." Melvik blanched even further at this admission - these guys were way out of his league!</p><p></p><p>"So this is what - a warning?" asked Orion. "Or bragging to us about his power?"</p><p></p><p>"He could just be taunting us," Skevros pondered. "Trying to scare us, keep us off balance, wondering what he's up to."</p><p></p><p>"So what about him?" the halfling asked, pointing to Melvik with her unsheathed <em>flaming short sword</em>. She looked perfectly ready and willing to put it to good use.</p><p></p><p>"He's just an unwitting flunky," Galen scoffed. "Let him go."</p><p></p><p>"Not yet," Syngaard snarled, pulling a dagger from his belt. "What's with the bandana, Melvik? YOU BETTER NOT BE GROWIN' THAT BEARD BACK!" At that, the dwarf gave a bleat of terror and scrambled from the tavern. Syngaard chased him to the front door and stood laughing as he watched the dwarf's panicked flight through the streets. For his part, as Melvik ran he gave some serious thought about joining the clergy of Moradin - he didn't want anything further to do with these hourglass freaks or those fighting them!</p><p></p><p>"Are you quite done?" asked Skevros, scowling in Syngaard's direction as the bald fighter closed the door to the tavern, still laughing at the sight of the panicked dwarf. But then the king's adviser jolted as if shocked. "The manor's under attack!" he cried suddenly, getting up from his seat and racing to the back of the bar, then into the back room where the supplies were kept. However, the ring on his hand glowed as he opened the storage room door and it opened instead into his extradimensional <em>Mordenkainen's magnificent mansion</em>. He raced into his quarters, the conscripts at his heels. "Carl!" called Orion, and the ghost of her riding dog obediently manifested from the ethereal plane, following his mistress into the extradimensional dwelling.</p><p></p><p>Skevros dashed through the unlit fireplace and popped out one kingdom over, in his manor in the Azure Glade, emerging from the fireplace in the large dining area on the first floor of his dwelling. Pulling aside the curtains of a front window, he saw a mob of mages on his front lawn, their robes of white, blue, and black declaring them to be members of the Diviners, Evokers, and Necromancers Guilds, respectively. Each of these three Guilds had been infiltrated by the Seekers of Eternity, their membership converted from beneath the noses of the Council of Guilds.</p><p></p><p>The conscripts filed into the dining room behind him. Skevros flinched again as he received a <em>sending</em> spell. Then, striding angrily to the front door and pulling it wide open, he cast a <em>meteor swarm</em> at the intruding mob, blasting them with a wave of flaming missiles. As one, the mages fell to the ground, their corpses burning before they'd been able to say a word or cast a single spell between them.</p><p></p><p>The king's adviser closed the door and faced his conscripts. "I have just had a <em>sending</em> spell from Leorna, of the Illusionists Guild," he explained. "The Seekers of Eternity have started a civil war within the Azure Glade and are openly slaughtering any who do not wear the hourglass mark. The Abjurers Guild has already fallen, their Guildmaster dealing a retributive strike against the Seekers who came to slaughter him and the members of his guild." He stood a moment in thought, contemplating his next actions. "With Dow's assistance, I will prepare a <em>teleportation circle</em> to transport refugees from the Azure Glade to the outskirts of Durnhill. While I am thus occupied, your job will be to protect the refugees that approach and defeat any Seekers who might come to stop them."</p><p></p><p>"This a paying mission?" Syngaard wanted to know.</p><p></p><p>"Not now, Syngaard!" chided Orion. She raced out of the manor, magic short sword sheathed in flames, looking about for any approaching refugees or Seekers. The others followed her out onto the front lawn, stepping around the still-burning corpses of the first wave to approach Wrencrofft Manor uninvited. "Remind me not to piss off the boss!" Syngaard muttered to himself.</p><p></p><p>"Remember that the next time you pester him about money!" hissed Orion.</p><p></p><p>Dow approached, firmly ensconced in the astral golem her master had built for her many years earlier, and which had only recently been rediscovered. She therefore gave the appearance of a human woman. Skevros cast a spell upon her, further empowering their familiar link. Then she stepped outside, serving as a conduit for her master, who by the terms of his <em>mark of justice</em> could not step foot outside his manor. He did the spellcasting for the <em>teleportation circle</em> while inside the manor, while Dow, outside, mirrored his actions and allowed the spell energy to flow from her fingers.</p><p></p><p>"We'd best get these bodies out of the way," suggested Kaspar, bending to drag a burning corpse down the walkway to the manor house, while Dow started weaving an area or arcane energy off to the side of the house. The others bent to help. Galen sent a mental summons across the planes, and his dire lion bonded mount, Burt, materialized by his side.</p><p></p><p>When Dow was only about halfway through the spell and the conscripts had managed to move the corpses out of the way, the first of the refugees stumbled into view. Some wore the robes of wizards aligned with the Guilds of magic that had not been infiltrated by the Seekers of Eternity; others were merchants, or farmers, or housewives with small children in their arms. "This way!" Orion waved, spurring them on.</p><p></p><p>Unsure if the refugees were truly innocents escaping a war zone or Seeker of Eternity spies, Daleth cast a <em>magic circle against evil</em> spell upon himself. Galen had just turned his head to focus on the group of newcomers, hoping to peek at their auras (but alas, they were still far away), when two groups of wizards suddenly teleported onto the lawn, on the other side of the front walkway from where Dow was constructing the <em>teleportation circle</em>. One group wore the blue robes of the Evokers Guild; the other, the white of the Diviners. Both, Galen knew, had been taken over by the Seekers. As these two groups were much closer to the assembled heroes than were the refugees, Galen was able to instantly detect a wave of evil coming from the wizards' general location.</p><p></p><p>With a roar, Syngaard sped towards the nearest group, the blue-robed evokers. But rather than toss his <em>javelin of returning</em> during his approach as had been his habit up until now, he performed his new combat maneuver: whipping out his Dick. Rubbing the <em>figurine of wondrous power</em> and throwing it at the group, Dick attained full size in mid-air and went crashing into the evokers, slaying one outright with his sharp beak and horribly maiming another with his wicked claws.</p><p></p><p>Kaspar followed in the wake of the griffon, speeding forward and smashing his closed hand into the jaw of another evoker, the magical enhancements of his <em>tenryutsume</em> infusing his punch with the powers of lightning and flame. Behind him, Orion rode her ghost-mount into battle, tossing an <em>electrified dagger</em> from her <em>bag of blades</em> at each of the wounded evokers, causing another to drop to the ground, dead.</p><p></p><p>Galen mounted his dire lion and urged him forward into battle (although in truth, he needed little urging). Burt's teeth and claws ripped into another evoker, slaying him at once, while Galen uncharacteristically missed with his swinging <em>sword of Zehkar</em>. Daleth opted to cast a defensive spell - <em>stoneskin</em> - upon himself and his new pseudodragon familiar, <strong>Todd</strong>, which he'd gained just the previous day.</p><p></p><p>The initial assault on the eight evokers left three of their number dead - but that left five capable of counterattacking. That they did with relish, three casting <em>fireball</em> spells and the other two casting <em>lightning bolts</em>; Syngaard, on foot, was too far away to be targeted but the other conscripts and their various animals all felt the pain of the evocation spells being thrown their way. Then the diviners joined the fray, each of them sending three <em>magic missiles</em> spreading out in a massive burst all at once, striking all but Todd, the smallest target of the bunch. The heroes all staggered at this onslaught; Dick was overcome and dropped back into statuette form while Carl howled in fury as his incorporeal form dissipated into nothingness. Orion didn't plop from the saddle to the ground like usual; the saddle fell to the ground below her while she floated to a standing position, courtesy of her newly-purchased <em>ring of feather falling</em>.</p><p></p><p>Syngaard went sprinting at full speed toward the nearest evoker, sending him sprawling at his feet. He had his <em>human bane scimitar</em> in hand and ready for when the obnoxious spellcaster tried to regain his feet. Kaspar stunned another of the blue-robed wizards with a swift kick to the head, almost snapping his neck. A nearby evoker faced the elven monk and looked about to cast a spell at him, but Orion raced up and stabbed him in the gut with her <em>flaming short sword</em>, putting a definite stop to that plan - he fell to the ground, dead. Between them, Galen and Burt finished off two of the last four surviving evokers, leaving only the one Syngaard had sent sprawling - and he got stabbed with a <em>human bane scimitar</em> before he could regain his feet - and one who looked about him in panic at the sight of all his slain brethren. He tried casting a <em>scorching ray</em> at Daleth's head but missed, his targeting skills overcome by panic.</p><p></p><p>That left only the diviners, who had teleported together in a nice clump. Daleth cast an <em>empowered fireball</em> at them, channeling the spell through his <em>metamagic rod</em>. The explosion of flames killed half of their number at once. Todd finished off another by flying behind the <em>fireball</em>; by the time the flames cleared one hapless spellcaster found he had a scorpionlike tail stabbing in at his face.</p><p></p><p>The surviving diviners tossed volley after volley of <em>fireballs</em> at their hated foes; Syngaard, Galen, Burt, Kaspar, and Orion were all temporarily engulfed by flames. However, the final evoker was also within the blast radius of a <em>fireball</em> spell and he was taken out by friendly fire. (It's unlikely his also being in the radius of the spell's area of effect made any difference to the bloodthirsty diviners.)</p><p></p><p>In response, Syngaard, smoke still trailing from his burned body, charged and cleaved into two of the diviners, slaying them both with his magic scimitar. Kaspar bent over and scooped up Syngaard's fallen <em>figurine of wondrous power</em> before running up to another surviving diviner and ending his life with a well-placed kick. Burt took care of the last diviner, crunching his head between his powerful jaws.</p><p></p><p>The party desperately needed some healing at that point, and Galen did what he could by channeling the positive energy of Hieroneous through his <em>illumium scabbard</em>. Orion and Syngaard swigged down healing potions, and then the bald fighter reactivated his magical figurine, bringing his Dick back to life at full power. "Best get him up and ready - no tellin' when any others might be showin' up," he said.</p><p></p><p>Before the conscripts had regained their full strength from the first wave of attackers, the second wave showed up, teleporting in like the others had done. The line of refugees screamed and continued in a scattered line going behind the Wrencrofft Manor, wrapping around the house to head for the not-yet-finished <em>teleportation circle</em> on the far side.</p><p></p><p>Judging by their black robes, the first group of eight were all from the Necromancers Guild. Daleth was the first to react to their sudden appearance, whipping up his <em>metamagic rod</em> and channeling an <em>empowered fireball</em> spell through it. The blast this time was enormous, and when the smoke cleared all eight wizards lay on the ground, dead. "Way to go, Wizard-Pants!" Galen enthused before spinning Burt around to face the other group.</p><p></p><p>This was a group of only four, and they wore the blue robes of the Evokers Guild, but a closer examination - of the runes on their foreheads and robes, and the large maces they carried into battle - revealed them to be members of the Azure Guards, whose members gained training in both spellcraft and martial combat. Todd stabbed at one of the Guards with his tail, cutting a venomous gash across the Guard's cheek, but the pseudodragon's poison failed to drop the blue-robed foe.</p><p></p><p>"They're evil!" announced Galen, as if that had ever been in any doubt. Syngaard and his revived Dick went crashing into the quartet, swinging with blade, beak, and claws, and the scarred fighter was surprised to see all four of the enemy still standing after their assault. They were tough, these Azure Guards!</p><p></p><p>Kaspar jumped into the fold, striking with his hands and feet. Orion snuck up behind an inobservant Guard, stabbing deep with her flaming blade. He turned to counterattack and she stabbed him again, this time in the front, while Dick bit down on his shoulder and drew ragged gashes across his chest with his front talons. He dropped lifelessly to the ground once Dick released him from his beak, which at that point had been all that was holding the Guard upright. But upon striking the ground the Guard immediately disappeared - the Azure Guard's runes caused them, and their gear, to <em>teleport</em> away upon death, so their gear couldn't be used by others.</p><p></p><p>Then the griffon, as well as Syngaard and Kaspar, were targeted by a trio of <em>scorching ray</em> spells. Galen and Burt surged forward, the paladin bringing down another of the Guards with a smiting attack with his longsword, causing his corpse and gear to disappear. The <em>sword of Zehkar</em> then went cleaving into the side of another of the Azure Guards, dropping him to his knees.</p><p></p><p>Daleth was the conscript farthest away from the battle, and he decided to keep it that way - these Azure Guards were deadly! But he saw the other conscripts were all bunched close enough together that he could target each of them in a single <em>haste</em> spell, so that was his next stratagem. He was left out of the area of effect, but no matter - better that those on the front lines got in the extra attacks.</p><p></p><p>Syngaard and Dick each took out a Guard at almost the same time, giving the conscripts another short breather of an unknown duration before the next wave of attackers showed up. Syngaard was all out of potions and he waved off any attempts to heal Dick - "He's ain't even really alive - save yer healin' for them what need it more!" Kaspar took in a cleansing breath and concentrated his own chi into self-healing, while Galen channeled healing energy from his hand into Burt's flank, healing the worst of the dire lion's burns.</p><p></p><p>But once again they didn't get a chance to fully heal themselves before the next wave arrived, teleporting in like the others had. Fortunately, this was the smallest group of cavalry yet, being only four in number, although it was made up of individuals the conscripts recognized at once: Averos the rogue; Sienna the freaky, pain-loving fighter; and Vikan, the Ossirnan cleric; accompanied by none other than Reginald, a captain of the Azure Guards, whom the conscripts had fought - and killed - several times before. "Ain't you got the smarts to stay dead?" snarled Syngaard.</p><p></p><p>Rightfully figuring the cleric to be the biggest threat of the four, Daleth hit him with an <em>empowered Scorching ray</em>, the last use of his <em>metamagic rod</em> for the day - which killed Vikan outright. Cheers rose from the ranks of the conscripts at his death - they'd hated that little toady!</p><p></p><p>Eyes widening in fear at the instant slaying of Vikan, Averos broke ranks and fled the scene. Unfortunately for him, he chose the wrong direction in which to flee, heading away from the conscripts on a course that took him straight toward Dow, who was still finishing up the <em>teleportation circle</em> spell. Syngaard called out, "To me, my mighty Dick!" and leapt up onto the griffon's back, sending it flying across the lawn after the fleeing rogue. The griffon's front talons grabbed onto Averos's shoulders as Syngaard leaned forward and brought the <em>human bane scimitar</em> crashing down onto the rogue's skull. Then Dick dropped the dead rogue, letting Averos fall face-down into the yard to the side of the <em>teleportation circle</em> while he rose high into the air to turn around and head back to the battle going on with the other two Ossirnans.</p><p></p><p>Kaspar attacked Sienna, bringing a trickle of blood from her mouth and a grin to her face. She counterattacked with two swings of her <em>vicious greatsword</em>, hissing in pleasure as the sword's power dealt damage to her as well as her targeted foe. Orion ducked and flanked the crazy fighter with Kaspar, getting in a good sneak attack from behind. Burt swiped right over Orion's three-foot-tall form, his claws ripping off the back of Sienna's head and sending it flying. Orion could swear she heard a moan of pleasure coming from the fighter's lips as she fell over, dead.</p><p></p><p>Galen used another smite attack on Reginald, cutting deep into the Guard Captain's arm. Reeling from the blow, Reginald cast a <em>mirror image</em> spell - and suddenly there were five possible Reginalds to choose from!</p><p></p><p>Daleth pulled a <em>wand of magic missiles</em> from his belt and targeted two of the Reginalds sliding around the battlefield. Upon being struck by the force energy of the spell, the two images popped into nothingness, leaving only three left as potential targets. But then Dick dove down to the ground behind the Guard Captain and Syngaard leaped over Dick's head to send his <em>human bane scimitar</em> crashing into one of the images. Upon impact, the other two Reginalds immediately disappeared, but the one with the scimitar sticking out of his back fell first to his knees, then to his face.</p><p></p><p>"Got 'im!" crowed Syngaard, but then groaned as Reginald's corpse <em>teleported</em> away. "Dammit!" he cursed. "I wanted his mace as a trophy!"</p><p></p><p>The conscripts looked about them for more enemies, but apparently three waves was all the Seekers could afford to send against Wrencrofft Manor, for there were other places under attack and many more nonbelievers to slay. Dow suddenly announced that the <em>teleportation circle</em> spell was ready, and ushered the staggered line of refugees forward into its area of effect. As the refugees stepped forward and filled up the area, Dow said the command word that sent them all <em>teleporting</em> to the very edge of the border between the Azure Glade and Durnhill, where they could seek asylum.</p><p></p><p>"It looks like the Ossirnans are going to get their war with Durnhill after all," Orion sighed.</p><p></p><p>"It was inevitable," Skevros called from the front door, open now that his spellcasting was completed. "But since the Ossirnans - the Seekers, in particular - started this civil war in the Azure Glade, political opinion will be against them. Durnhill, and most likely Ashfall as well, will aid the Azure Glade in their fight against the Seekers."</p><p></p><p>The king's adviser let out a long breath - he was tired. "You did well, team," he said, watching the next group of refugees <em>teleport</em> to safety. "And Syngaard?" he asked.</p><p></p><p>"Yeah, boss?"</p><p></p><p>Skevros pointed to the dead bodies littering his yard. "This is a paying mission. There is your payment; take what you will from the bodies of those you have slain."</p><p></p><p>Syngaard gave an excited whoop and ran off to go start the looting.</p><p></p><p> - - - </p><p></p><p>This was one of our longer sessions, as Logan had feared it would be - we played from shortly after 6:30 at night until almost 10:00 PM. But it was cathartic, in that most, if not all, of the enemies we slew are finally going to stay dead. As Logan put it, there's only so many times a person can fail in their missions before their bosses start to question why they're spending the money to <em>resurrect</em> them.</p><p></p><p>Joey was rolling hot that night, too! His <em>empowered scorching ray</em> that took out Vikan did a total of 82 points of damage, a personal best for a 2nd-level spell! And his taking out of the necromancers was also very well-timed, for Logan had planned on having them animate the dead bodies of those we'd already slain, so we'd have zombies and skeletons added to the foes we had to face all at one time!</p><p></p><p>As for Mikito, Samantha had to go back home on Christmas Day, so her PC has officially been made part of Skevros's backup team. She was undoubtedly engaged in some other mission when Melvik showed up with the lead box and thus wasn't at hand when the events of this adventure took place.</p><p></p><p>Finally, we accidentally worked ourselves into a naming convention for our animals. First was Carl, Orion's riding dog. Galen's dire lion was named Burt (out-of-game, he was named after Bert Lahr, the actor who played the Cowardly Lion in "The Wizard of Oz" - Dan opted for the different spelling). So when Syngaard decided to get a <em>bronze griffon</em>, I chose the name "Dick" not only for the "Dick joke" potential, but also to stick with our new naming convention of giving our animals four-letter male names. (Granted, in my case, the first reason greatly outweighed the second.) So when Daleth finally reached 9th level and could take the Improved Familiar feat, he opted for a pseudodragon and then couldn't come up with a good name for him. Once we pointed out the naming convention, Joey came up with "Todd," the first four-letter boy's name to strike him (after dismissing "Joey" as a name out of hand).</p><p></p><p>Of course, now Harry's noticed he's got the only PC who doesn't have a "pet" (as he calls it), so after this adventure was over he opted to have Kaspar purchase an <em>amber amulet of vermin</em> that contains a stag beetle. Once a day, Kaspar will now be able to summon a giant stag beetle to obey his commands. Faced with naming a beetle using only four-letter male names, we discarded "George" and "Ringo" and still had "John" and "Paul" (and, arguably, "Pete") on the table. Harry's opted for "John." You can no doubt expect to see John's debut next session.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Richards, post: 7545591, member: 508"] [b]ADVENTURE 33: GLADE TIDINGS OF WOE[/b] PC Roster: [INDENT]Daleth Stormsea, elf wizard 9 Galen Thorne, human paladin 11 Kaspar Hardstrike, elf monk 11 Orion Nightsky, halfling rogue 10 Syngaard, human fighter 11[/INDENT] Game Session Date: 2 January 2019 - - - The morning began with another summons to the [i]Enchanted Flagon[/i], this time having something to do with "a dwarf and a box." Syngaard high-tailed it across town, arriving to find the other conscripts and Skevros already in place - and a cowering dwarf huddling in the corner of the tavern, his lower face covered with bandanas. An unopened lead box stood on the table near him. "You!" Syngaard roared, recognizing Melvik despite the bandana. The last time he'd delivered a package to the tavern, it had contained an [i]explosive rune[/i] that served as the signal for an assassination attempt. "I didn't wanna come here!" insisted the dwarf. "He made me come here - to deliver the box!" "Who did?" demanded Kaspar. "Some guy! A guy in silver robes! A wizard or something - I swear I don't know 'im! I never seen 'im before in me life!" "What's in the box?" Daleth asked calmly. The elf wizard had a pseudodragon at his side that Syngaard had never seen before, but the others all seemed to take it in stride. "I swear to you all -- I have no idea!" sputtered Melvik. "Open it," Syngaard demanded. "Who, me?" "Yes, you! If it's gonna explode like last time, it's gonna explode on you, not one of us!" Seeing that the bald fighter with the face full of scars wasn't kidding, Melvik opening the latches on the box. He winced when the lid opened but there was no explosion. He dared to peek inside and his expression said the contents weren't what he'd anticipated - at all. Galen looked over the dwarf's shoulder to see what was inside the box. It looked to be a metal carving of a dragon's head - but a dragon that looked suspiciously familiar. "Take it out and put it on the table," the paladin commanded. The point of the [i]sword of Zehkar[/i] poked into the dwarf's side, indicating the seriousness of the command. Melvik did as instructed. It was an actual severed dragon's head with the top and sides coated in a layer of mithral; the creature's spinal column could be seen poking out from the bottom of the neck and turning it over revealed the fleshy contents surrounding the spine. Melvik scowled in distaste. "Is that the head of the amethyst dragon we let go in Ossirna?" Kaspar asked. It was certainly the same size and shape. "Looks like it," Orion observed. There was a sheet of rolled-up parchment in the dragon's mouth. "Pull it out and read it aloud to us," the paladin directed. Melvik unrolled the scroll with another wince, but when it didn't explode in his face, he read aloud the words on the page: There was no signature, but the handwriting looked very familiar. "That's the same style of writing as in the osteovox responses!" Galen cried. "So it's from the Mithral Mage?" asked Daleth. "He killed our dragon for us? And then had his head delivered? Whatever for?" "I swear I dunno," whimpered Melvik. "I note it was delivered in a lead box," Skevros pointed out. "Very much like the lead boxes we ourselves used when using osteovox to interrogate the skulls we took from our enemies." Melvik blanched even further at this admission - these guys were way out of his league! "So this is what - a warning?" asked Orion. "Or bragging to us about his power?" "He could just be taunting us," Skevros pondered. "Trying to scare us, keep us off balance, wondering what he's up to." "So what about him?" the halfling asked, pointing to Melvik with her unsheathed [i]flaming short sword[/i]. She looked perfectly ready and willing to put it to good use. "He's just an unwitting flunky," Galen scoffed. "Let him go." "Not yet," Syngaard snarled, pulling a dagger from his belt. "What's with the bandana, Melvik? YOU BETTER NOT BE GROWIN' THAT BEARD BACK!" At that, the dwarf gave a bleat of terror and scrambled from the tavern. Syngaard chased him to the front door and stood laughing as he watched the dwarf's panicked flight through the streets. For his part, as Melvik ran he gave some serious thought about joining the clergy of Moradin - he didn't want anything further to do with these hourglass freaks or those fighting them! "Are you quite done?" asked Skevros, scowling in Syngaard's direction as the bald fighter closed the door to the tavern, still laughing at the sight of the panicked dwarf. But then the king's adviser jolted as if shocked. "The manor's under attack!" he cried suddenly, getting up from his seat and racing to the back of the bar, then into the back room where the supplies were kept. However, the ring on his hand glowed as he opened the storage room door and it opened instead into his extradimensional [i]Mordenkainen's magnificent mansion[/i]. He raced into his quarters, the conscripts at his heels. "Carl!" called Orion, and the ghost of her riding dog obediently manifested from the ethereal plane, following his mistress into the extradimensional dwelling. Skevros dashed through the unlit fireplace and popped out one kingdom over, in his manor in the Azure Glade, emerging from the fireplace in the large dining area on the first floor of his dwelling. Pulling aside the curtains of a front window, he saw a mob of mages on his front lawn, their robes of white, blue, and black declaring them to be members of the Diviners, Evokers, and Necromancers Guilds, respectively. Each of these three Guilds had been infiltrated by the Seekers of Eternity, their membership converted from beneath the noses of the Council of Guilds. The conscripts filed into the dining room behind him. Skevros flinched again as he received a [i]sending[/i] spell. Then, striding angrily to the front door and pulling it wide open, he cast a [i]meteor swarm[/i] at the intruding mob, blasting them with a wave of flaming missiles. As one, the mages fell to the ground, their corpses burning before they'd been able to say a word or cast a single spell between them. The king's adviser closed the door and faced his conscripts. "I have just had a [i]sending[/i] spell from Leorna, of the Illusionists Guild," he explained. "The Seekers of Eternity have started a civil war within the Azure Glade and are openly slaughtering any who do not wear the hourglass mark. The Abjurers Guild has already fallen, their Guildmaster dealing a retributive strike against the Seekers who came to slaughter him and the members of his guild." He stood a moment in thought, contemplating his next actions. "With Dow's assistance, I will prepare a [i]teleportation circle[/i] to transport refugees from the Azure Glade to the outskirts of Durnhill. While I am thus occupied, your job will be to protect the refugees that approach and defeat any Seekers who might come to stop them." "This a paying mission?" Syngaard wanted to know. "Not now, Syngaard!" chided Orion. She raced out of the manor, magic short sword sheathed in flames, looking about for any approaching refugees or Seekers. The others followed her out onto the front lawn, stepping around the still-burning corpses of the first wave to approach Wrencrofft Manor uninvited. "Remind me not to piss off the boss!" Syngaard muttered to himself. "Remember that the next time you pester him about money!" hissed Orion. Dow approached, firmly ensconced in the astral golem her master had built for her many years earlier, and which had only recently been rediscovered. She therefore gave the appearance of a human woman. Skevros cast a spell upon her, further empowering their familiar link. Then she stepped outside, serving as a conduit for her master, who by the terms of his [i]mark of justice[/i] could not step foot outside his manor. He did the spellcasting for the [i]teleportation circle[/i] while inside the manor, while Dow, outside, mirrored his actions and allowed the spell energy to flow from her fingers. "We'd best get these bodies out of the way," suggested Kaspar, bending to drag a burning corpse down the walkway to the manor house, while Dow started weaving an area or arcane energy off to the side of the house. The others bent to help. Galen sent a mental summons across the planes, and his dire lion bonded mount, Burt, materialized by his side. When Dow was only about halfway through the spell and the conscripts had managed to move the corpses out of the way, the first of the refugees stumbled into view. Some wore the robes of wizards aligned with the Guilds of magic that had not been infiltrated by the Seekers of Eternity; others were merchants, or farmers, or housewives with small children in their arms. "This way!" Orion waved, spurring them on. Unsure if the refugees were truly innocents escaping a war zone or Seeker of Eternity spies, Daleth cast a [i]magic circle against evil[/i] spell upon himself. Galen had just turned his head to focus on the group of newcomers, hoping to peek at their auras (but alas, they were still far away), when two groups of wizards suddenly teleported onto the lawn, on the other side of the front walkway from where Dow was constructing the [i]teleportation circle[/i]. One group wore the blue robes of the Evokers Guild; the other, the white of the Diviners. Both, Galen knew, had been taken over by the Seekers. As these two groups were much closer to the assembled heroes than were the refugees, Galen was able to instantly detect a wave of evil coming from the wizards' general location. With a roar, Syngaard sped towards the nearest group, the blue-robed evokers. But rather than toss his [i]javelin of returning[/i] during his approach as had been his habit up until now, he performed his new combat maneuver: whipping out his Dick. Rubbing the [i]figurine of wondrous power[/i] and throwing it at the group, Dick attained full size in mid-air and went crashing into the evokers, slaying one outright with his sharp beak and horribly maiming another with his wicked claws. Kaspar followed in the wake of the griffon, speeding forward and smashing his closed hand into the jaw of another evoker, the magical enhancements of his [i]tenryutsume[/i] infusing his punch with the powers of lightning and flame. Behind him, Orion rode her ghost-mount into battle, tossing an [i]electrified dagger[/i] from her [i]bag of blades[/i] at each of the wounded evokers, causing another to drop to the ground, dead. Galen mounted his dire lion and urged him forward into battle (although in truth, he needed little urging). Burt's teeth and claws ripped into another evoker, slaying him at once, while Galen uncharacteristically missed with his swinging [i]sword of Zehkar[/i]. Daleth opted to cast a defensive spell - [i]stoneskin[/i] - upon himself and his new pseudodragon familiar, [b]Todd[/b], which he'd gained just the previous day. The initial assault on the eight evokers left three of their number dead - but that left five capable of counterattacking. That they did with relish, three casting [i]fireball[/i] spells and the other two casting [i]lightning bolts[/i]; Syngaard, on foot, was too far away to be targeted but the other conscripts and their various animals all felt the pain of the evocation spells being thrown their way. Then the diviners joined the fray, each of them sending three [i]magic missiles[/i] spreading out in a massive burst all at once, striking all but Todd, the smallest target of the bunch. The heroes all staggered at this onslaught; Dick was overcome and dropped back into statuette form while Carl howled in fury as his incorporeal form dissipated into nothingness. Orion didn't plop from the saddle to the ground like usual; the saddle fell to the ground below her while she floated to a standing position, courtesy of her newly-purchased [i]ring of feather falling[/i]. Syngaard went sprinting at full speed toward the nearest evoker, sending him sprawling at his feet. He had his [i]human bane scimitar[/i] in hand and ready for when the obnoxious spellcaster tried to regain his feet. Kaspar stunned another of the blue-robed wizards with a swift kick to the head, almost snapping his neck. A nearby evoker faced the elven monk and looked about to cast a spell at him, but Orion raced up and stabbed him in the gut with her [i]flaming short sword[/i], putting a definite stop to that plan - he fell to the ground, dead. Between them, Galen and Burt finished off two of the last four surviving evokers, leaving only the one Syngaard had sent sprawling - and he got stabbed with a [i]human bane scimitar[/i] before he could regain his feet - and one who looked about him in panic at the sight of all his slain brethren. He tried casting a [i]scorching ray[/i] at Daleth's head but missed, his targeting skills overcome by panic. That left only the diviners, who had teleported together in a nice clump. Daleth cast an [i]empowered fireball[/i] at them, channeling the spell through his [i]metamagic rod[/i]. The explosion of flames killed half of their number at once. Todd finished off another by flying behind the [i]fireball[/i]; by the time the flames cleared one hapless spellcaster found he had a scorpionlike tail stabbing in at his face. The surviving diviners tossed volley after volley of [i]fireballs[/i] at their hated foes; Syngaard, Galen, Burt, Kaspar, and Orion were all temporarily engulfed by flames. However, the final evoker was also within the blast radius of a [i]fireball[/i] spell and he was taken out by friendly fire. (It's unlikely his also being in the radius of the spell's area of effect made any difference to the bloodthirsty diviners.) In response, Syngaard, smoke still trailing from his burned body, charged and cleaved into two of the diviners, slaying them both with his magic scimitar. Kaspar bent over and scooped up Syngaard's fallen [i]figurine of wondrous power[/i] before running up to another surviving diviner and ending his life with a well-placed kick. Burt took care of the last diviner, crunching his head between his powerful jaws. The party desperately needed some healing at that point, and Galen did what he could by channeling the positive energy of Hieroneous through his [i]illumium scabbard[/i]. Orion and Syngaard swigged down healing potions, and then the bald fighter reactivated his magical figurine, bringing his Dick back to life at full power. "Best get him up and ready - no tellin' when any others might be showin' up," he said. Before the conscripts had regained their full strength from the first wave of attackers, the second wave showed up, teleporting in like the others had done. The line of refugees screamed and continued in a scattered line going behind the Wrencrofft Manor, wrapping around the house to head for the not-yet-finished [i]teleportation circle[/i] on the far side. Judging by their black robes, the first group of eight were all from the Necromancers Guild. Daleth was the first to react to their sudden appearance, whipping up his [i]metamagic rod[/i] and channeling an [i]empowered fireball[/i] spell through it. The blast this time was enormous, and when the smoke cleared all eight wizards lay on the ground, dead. "Way to go, Wizard-Pants!" Galen enthused before spinning Burt around to face the other group. This was a group of only four, and they wore the blue robes of the Evokers Guild, but a closer examination - of the runes on their foreheads and robes, and the large maces they carried into battle - revealed them to be members of the Azure Guards, whose members gained training in both spellcraft and martial combat. Todd stabbed at one of the Guards with his tail, cutting a venomous gash across the Guard's cheek, but the pseudodragon's poison failed to drop the blue-robed foe. "They're evil!" announced Galen, as if that had ever been in any doubt. Syngaard and his revived Dick went crashing into the quartet, swinging with blade, beak, and claws, and the scarred fighter was surprised to see all four of the enemy still standing after their assault. They were tough, these Azure Guards! Kaspar jumped into the fold, striking with his hands and feet. Orion snuck up behind an inobservant Guard, stabbing deep with her flaming blade. He turned to counterattack and she stabbed him again, this time in the front, while Dick bit down on his shoulder and drew ragged gashes across his chest with his front talons. He dropped lifelessly to the ground once Dick released him from his beak, which at that point had been all that was holding the Guard upright. But upon striking the ground the Guard immediately disappeared - the Azure Guard's runes caused them, and their gear, to [i]teleport[/i] away upon death, so their gear couldn't be used by others. Then the griffon, as well as Syngaard and Kaspar, were targeted by a trio of [i]scorching ray[/i] spells. Galen and Burt surged forward, the paladin bringing down another of the Guards with a smiting attack with his longsword, causing his corpse and gear to disappear. The [i]sword of Zehkar[/i] then went cleaving into the side of another of the Azure Guards, dropping him to his knees. Daleth was the conscript farthest away from the battle, and he decided to keep it that way - these Azure Guards were deadly! But he saw the other conscripts were all bunched close enough together that he could target each of them in a single [i]haste[/i] spell, so that was his next stratagem. He was left out of the area of effect, but no matter - better that those on the front lines got in the extra attacks. Syngaard and Dick each took out a Guard at almost the same time, giving the conscripts another short breather of an unknown duration before the next wave of attackers showed up. Syngaard was all out of potions and he waved off any attempts to heal Dick - "He's ain't even really alive - save yer healin' for them what need it more!" Kaspar took in a cleansing breath and concentrated his own chi into self-healing, while Galen channeled healing energy from his hand into Burt's flank, healing the worst of the dire lion's burns. But once again they didn't get a chance to fully heal themselves before the next wave arrived, teleporting in like the others had. Fortunately, this was the smallest group of cavalry yet, being only four in number, although it was made up of individuals the conscripts recognized at once: Averos the rogue; Sienna the freaky, pain-loving fighter; and Vikan, the Ossirnan cleric; accompanied by none other than Reginald, a captain of the Azure Guards, whom the conscripts had fought - and killed - several times before. "Ain't you got the smarts to stay dead?" snarled Syngaard. Rightfully figuring the cleric to be the biggest threat of the four, Daleth hit him with an [i]empowered Scorching ray[/i], the last use of his [i]metamagic rod[/i] for the day - which killed Vikan outright. Cheers rose from the ranks of the conscripts at his death - they'd hated that little toady! Eyes widening in fear at the instant slaying of Vikan, Averos broke ranks and fled the scene. Unfortunately for him, he chose the wrong direction in which to flee, heading away from the conscripts on a course that took him straight toward Dow, who was still finishing up the [i]teleportation circle[/i] spell. Syngaard called out, "To me, my mighty Dick!" and leapt up onto the griffon's back, sending it flying across the lawn after the fleeing rogue. The griffon's front talons grabbed onto Averos's shoulders as Syngaard leaned forward and brought the [i]human bane scimitar[/i] crashing down onto the rogue's skull. Then Dick dropped the dead rogue, letting Averos fall face-down into the yard to the side of the [i]teleportation circle[/i] while he rose high into the air to turn around and head back to the battle going on with the other two Ossirnans. Kaspar attacked Sienna, bringing a trickle of blood from her mouth and a grin to her face. She counterattacked with two swings of her [i]vicious greatsword[/i], hissing in pleasure as the sword's power dealt damage to her as well as her targeted foe. Orion ducked and flanked the crazy fighter with Kaspar, getting in a good sneak attack from behind. Burt swiped right over Orion's three-foot-tall form, his claws ripping off the back of Sienna's head and sending it flying. Orion could swear she heard a moan of pleasure coming from the fighter's lips as she fell over, dead. Galen used another smite attack on Reginald, cutting deep into the Guard Captain's arm. Reeling from the blow, Reginald cast a [i]mirror image[/i] spell - and suddenly there were five possible Reginalds to choose from! Daleth pulled a [i]wand of magic missiles[/i] from his belt and targeted two of the Reginalds sliding around the battlefield. Upon being struck by the force energy of the spell, the two images popped into nothingness, leaving only three left as potential targets. But then Dick dove down to the ground behind the Guard Captain and Syngaard leaped over Dick's head to send his [i]human bane scimitar[/i] crashing into one of the images. Upon impact, the other two Reginalds immediately disappeared, but the one with the scimitar sticking out of his back fell first to his knees, then to his face. "Got 'im!" crowed Syngaard, but then groaned as Reginald's corpse [i]teleported[/i] away. "Dammit!" he cursed. "I wanted his mace as a trophy!" The conscripts looked about them for more enemies, but apparently three waves was all the Seekers could afford to send against Wrencrofft Manor, for there were other places under attack and many more nonbelievers to slay. Dow suddenly announced that the [i]teleportation circle[/i] spell was ready, and ushered the staggered line of refugees forward into its area of effect. As the refugees stepped forward and filled up the area, Dow said the command word that sent them all [i]teleporting[/i] to the very edge of the border between the Azure Glade and Durnhill, where they could seek asylum. "It looks like the Ossirnans are going to get their war with Durnhill after all," Orion sighed. "It was inevitable," Skevros called from the front door, open now that his spellcasting was completed. "But since the Ossirnans - the Seekers, in particular - started this civil war in the Azure Glade, political opinion will be against them. Durnhill, and most likely Ashfall as well, will aid the Azure Glade in their fight against the Seekers." The king's adviser let out a long breath - he was tired. "You did well, team," he said, watching the next group of refugees [i]teleport[/i] to safety. "And Syngaard?" he asked. "Yeah, boss?" Skevros pointed to the dead bodies littering his yard. "This is a paying mission. There is your payment; take what you will from the bodies of those you have slain." Syngaard gave an excited whoop and ran off to go start the looting. - - - This was one of our longer sessions, as Logan had feared it would be - we played from shortly after 6:30 at night until almost 10:00 PM. But it was cathartic, in that most, if not all, of the enemies we slew are finally going to stay dead. As Logan put it, there's only so many times a person can fail in their missions before their bosses start to question why they're spending the money to [i]resurrect[/i] them. Joey was rolling hot that night, too! His [i]empowered scorching ray[/i] that took out Vikan did a total of 82 points of damage, a personal best for a 2nd-level spell! And his taking out of the necromancers was also very well-timed, for Logan had planned on having them animate the dead bodies of those we'd already slain, so we'd have zombies and skeletons added to the foes we had to face all at one time! As for Mikito, Samantha had to go back home on Christmas Day, so her PC has officially been made part of Skevros's backup team. She was undoubtedly engaged in some other mission when Melvik showed up with the lead box and thus wasn't at hand when the events of this adventure took place. Finally, we accidentally worked ourselves into a naming convention for our animals. First was Carl, Orion's riding dog. Galen's dire lion was named Burt (out-of-game, he was named after Bert Lahr, the actor who played the Cowardly Lion in "The Wizard of Oz" - Dan opted for the different spelling). So when Syngaard decided to get a [i]bronze griffon[/i], I chose the name "Dick" not only for the "Dick joke" potential, but also to stick with our new naming convention of giving our animals four-letter male names. (Granted, in my case, the first reason greatly outweighed the second.) So when Daleth finally reached 9th level and could take the Improved Familiar feat, he opted for a pseudodragon and then couldn't come up with a good name for him. Once we pointed out the naming convention, Joey came up with "Todd," the first four-letter boy's name to strike him (after dismissing "Joey" as a name out of hand). Of course, now Harry's noticed he's got the only PC who doesn't have a "pet" (as he calls it), so after this adventure was over he opted to have Kaspar purchase an [i]amber amulet of vermin[/i] that contains a stag beetle. Once a day, Kaspar will now be able to summon a giant stag beetle to obey his commands. Faced with naming a beetle using only four-letter male names, we discarded "George" and "Ringo" and still had "John" and "Paul" (and, arguably, "Pete") on the table. Harry's opted for "John." You can no doubt expect to see John's debut next session. [/QUOTE]
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