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The Gate Pass Irregulars: A War of the Burning Sky Campaign
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<blockquote data-quote="Cafu" data-source="post: 5904716" data-attributes="member: 6692807"><p>The next morning, some of our wounds were still bothersome. Torrent, Felix and to a lesser extent, Slippery John managed to heal most of our hurts. The latter surprised me. There were hidden depths to that man. He must have been studying the ways of priests and evinced a talent for divine magic as well as being “Slippery”. </p><p></p><p>Despite our hurts, we could not tarry any longer as we were concerned that the Inquisitor’s absence would be missed and a rescue group would be sent. So, cautiously and with a bound and gagged Crystin, we walked along the river bank. Although we were leaving an obvious trail through the ash, the wind showed us that it was disappearing almost as quickly as it was appearing. It would be difficult for anyone to track us by natural means, we hoped. </p><p></p><p>Finally, we reached the bridge over the river. We drank our potions and as we took off Crystin’s gag, she assured us that she was free of her father’s evil influence and convinced Torrent that she should be untied. Crystin, free of the domination, was a very different girl than the one we encountered two days ago. She became far more carefree and in some ways, far more childish, eager for new experiences and hugely happy to be away from her father. She seemed hugely relieved. Amazingly, entering the Fire did not faze her at all. I was not sure just what we planned to do with her but I presumed that once we reached the Lyceum, as a caster of arcane magic, they would be willing to help or train her. </p><p></p><p>We crossed the bridge. </p><p></p><p>It is impossible to describe our entrance into the Fire Forest of Innenotdar but nevertheless, I will try. </p><p></p><p>The fury of the flames was unnatural yet ultimately, somehow, the wood was not consumed, it just kept burning. The fire produced that distinctive roar of the element and I couldn’t help but feel a primitive shudder as I thought that it was as if the Great Red Dragon, the elemental spirit of Fire, had decreed that this Forest was his eternal shrine, burning forever to celebrate His Glory.</p><p></p><p>As we followed the road along the bridge, we noticed a strange phenomenum. As we passed, the flames seemed to lose a little of their strength and as we left, they intensified again. I noticed it again and again and in the end I put it down to the magic of Torrent’s potions.</p><p></p><p>A little way down the road, we came to our first surprise. By the roadside, three shapes were visible. Cautiously, bow and arrow in hand, Drudge approached, using his woodcraft. As he closed with them, suddenly, I saw him drop his bow, draw his sword and transfix one of the figures. Then he signaled us to approach. As we reached him, he said that one of the figures had still been alive although dying and he asked him to kill it. Drudge had obliged. I stared at him, not knowing what to think; well, what was done was done. </p><p></p><p>We resumed walking and some time later, suddenly everyone heard a strange chittering sound from the branches of a burning tree overhead. Initially, I looked up in disbelief, unable to fathom that anything living could survive in this conflagration but then a tiny figure jumped down, bounced off Victor’s chest and darted behind the warrior. A closer look revealed a tiny humanoid with horns and a tail, wreathed in flames. I could only imagine that it was some sort of tiny fire elemental but my attention was quickly absorbed by the enormous flaming bat that was chasing it. I was past being surprised at this point. Tiny fiery devils being chased by giant flaming bats in a Forest that had been burning for decades………what else could I say?</p><p></p><p>The bat did not seem to share my sense of the bizarre but immediately flew towards the warriors until a great bang emanated from Felix which obviously hurt it. Then Longhelim struck it with his sword several times and it was also suffering from Drudge’s arrows tearing into its wings. Victor swung at it again and again but it seemed that the balance of his weapon was still troubling him. It was now becoming obvious to everyone that the warrior was having trouble with his newly acquired falchion. Thankfully, the bat went down with another of Drudge’s arrows in its body. The strange little creature looked at us and cried: </p><p></p><p>“My saviours” – and darted into the forest, leaving us staring after it in bemusement. </p><p></p><p>Fortunately, the bat had not hurt anyone, but as we prepared to leave, suddenly it stirred and attacked again, snapping feebly from the ground! I found it difficult to believe but it was almost as if the flames had revived it. It attempted to hit Felix from the ground but then Victor finally managed to strike it and this time it really did stay still. </p><p></p><p>We continued to follow the road until we came to a spectacular bridge. Approximately twenty foot wide, the bridge arched gracefully over a deep chasm. Looking at it as a dwarf, I found the bridge to be a stunning construction, almost impossible architecturally, yet there it was. Sadly, the condition of the structure looked diminished and one section of the centre had already crumbled, leaving a gap. Amazingly, as we contemplated the bridge and looked down into the chasm, we could see the remains of a wagon, burning brightly at the bottom. Drudge even said that he could see a chest down there. </p><p></p><p>We tied a rope to Slippery John and he began to slowly move along the bridge, gently tapping the flagstones. Everything was going well until he reached a particular stone and suddenly it gave under him. John tumbled through the hole but was left dangling on the rope. Both Longhelim and Victor were holding the rope and thankfully they held it firm despite the suddenness of the drop. Then they began to draw him up gently until we heard John’s shouting to hurry up. </p><p></p><p>With that, the two warriors began to draw him up without much thought to his bumps and bruises and soon we could see his torso come of out the hole; unfortunately, that was not the only thing that came out of the hole after him. A stream of fire rose and engulfed the poor rogue. We were not quite sure just what it was initially but then we could see that it was a whole swarm of tiny, fiery creatures, bats in fact. Flying, they looked like a fiery horde. Poor John began to flounder and retch inside this swarm, no doubt from the smoke and heat. </p><p></p><p>Drudge moved forward with his sword but found that it just seemed to go straight through them. Yes, he slew a few but it made little difference. Victor began shouting that he was going to throw some acid at them but the swarm seemed to fly up at exactly the wrong moment, looking for another victim. They settled on Drudge and he again reacted badly to their attack. Longhelim moved forward and disastrously, another block of stone fell from the floor of the bridge and this time the poor paladin, to our horror, followed it down, plunging into the chasm. </p><p></p><p>I had cast a spell at the swarm but found that it had no effect. I remembered that for future use. Do not cast spells at swarms of fiery bats. Then I tried to cast a little spell which was a spray of weak acid. That certainly did more than my other, more powerful spell. Torrent was shouting that she could try to use her ability as a priest. I had no idea what it was and while I could see she was trying to do something, it did not seem to be having much of an effect. As all this was happening, John was still being attacked by the swarm although all it seemed to be doing was making him vomit. </p><p></p><p>At this point, Drudge tried to run across the bridge but suffered the same fate as Longhelim, plunging down into the chasm. Then Victor tried a new form of attack. Taking out a flask of water, he threw it at the swarm. There was definite reaction: as the water hit the swarm, there was a hissing sound, a swirl of movement to avoid the liquid and a sound of agonized piping as the bats desperately tried get out of the way. Victor had definitely found a weakness and I had a moment of chagrin that I had not thought of this. All the signs were there and it was obvious really; fire creatures, water. </p><p></p><p>While the swarm was recovering, John was desperately checking more of the flagstones on the bridge, trying to find a safe path and both Victor and I took advantage to use all of our water flasks to inflict more hurt on the swarm; then I turned and shouted to Torrent: </p><p></p><p>“Water cleric! Do something watery to that thing!”</p><p></p><p>She looked at me with comprehension dawning on her face and suddenly a huge torrent of water doused the whole swarm from above. The reaction was immediate, with the swarm actually breaking for a moment before coming together again, although it was much diminished. Even in its smaller form, it still attacked Victor and he, poor wretch, began to retch just like John. He still managed to unstopper a water flask and spray it. This was too much for the swarm and it dispersed, leaving many tiny, smoking bat corpses on the bridge floor. </p><p></p><p>We were still wary though. The giant bat had re-energized from the flames so we watched these corpses carefully. Sure enough, suddenly they burst into flame and a small swarm suddenly rose from the floor. This time, Victor took his last flask and smashed it on the floor, soaking them all in the process and they fell to the floor and did not stir. </p><p></p><p>Both Victor and I had blackened clothes, with sooty hair and faces but amazingly, we were relatively unhurt, although Victor still gave one or two tiny retches. John was shouting at them from the other side of the bridge. He had found a safe path and he was pointing it out to everyone. He was also shouting that Drudge and Longhelim were in the chasm, alive. They had managed to survive the fall: how, only the Gods knew. It was not something I was going to question though and we quickly threw a rope down to the bottom. </p><p></p><p>They were able to climb up and they even brought up some valuables they had found in the wagon. Twelve bottles of some potion and a wand as well as some money.</p><p></p><p>Everyone was healed and we continued on the road, through the fire, smoke and soot.</p><p></p><p>Following the incidents on the bridge, we continued travelling on the fiery road. Despite the strangeness of our situation, the road remained much the “same” if that was the correct term that one should use. The Forest still burned fiercely if unnaturally throughout. Even though I was protected from the heat by Torrent’s magic potion, my eyes were beginning to ache from the relentless glare of the fire and my equipment was beginning to feel heavier and heavier; I was completely soaked in sweat. Travel and adventure were rapidly losing their appeal and romance. </p><p></p><p>Only the Gods knew how someone like Victor or Longhelim were coping with their huge back packs, weapons and armour. </p><p></p><p>The flames still seemed to lose their intensity slightly as we passed by them only to regain it as soon as we left them behind. Another side effect of the unending glare of the fire was my inability to observe any potential enemy in our vicinity. Staring into flame was distracting, dangerous and hypnotic; all of which were bad. </p><p></p><p>I almost walked into the back of Victor as I thought about all of this; distracted, I looked up and saw that the warriors had stopped and were looking into the distance ahead: </p><p></p><p>“Do you see it?” Longhelim was muttering. </p><p></p><p>Victor whispered: “Yes. Any idea what it is?”</p><p></p><p>“I have no idea but whatever it is, it shouldn’t be here” was the reply. </p><p></p><p>I was straining to see what they were talking about but as I mentioned, the fire made it very difficult until something moved and I could finally see what they were talking about. A man sized figure suddenly emerged and advanced from one of the burning trees near the road. It just looked at us. It was a man sized being, pot bellied, wearing a rough tunic. It had slimy, scaly skin with clawed hands and feet; however, its most salient features were a snaky beard and a massive serrated glaive. Its eyes seemed to be made of fire or possibly were reflecting the fire in our environs. As it stared at us, suddenly there was an intense explosion of flame and it disappeared. </p><p></p><p>As we stared at the same spot for a little longer, Torrent came forward with a frown; she reminded us that it had become apparent that there was a problem with the use planar magic. It had become so dangerous to use that now it was only employed in the direst of emergencies. She had learned of one poor wretch who had appeared burnt to a crisp, having used such a spell. I remembered that I had heard about this but I had not given it any consideration. I had thought about it in an abstract manner but it was magic that was so hugely advanced to anything I was capable of at this time, that it had no personal relevance to me. Then suddenly I realised something. This could be the reason why the Empress Leska was unable to use the Everburning Torch to transport her armies; maybe the artifact used planar magic and had become too dangerous to use. If that was the case then, the Ragesians had lost a huge strategic advantage; maybe this was one of the “secrets” in the case. </p><p></p><p>I thought about this as we continued to move forward. </p><p></p><p>Some distance forward, we arrived at another bridge built over another chasm. This one was not quite as spectacular or as arched as the previous one; nor was the chasm as deep. Still, we were far more wary this time. First, Longhelim and John stepped off the side of the road and looked under the bridge, finding nothing. Then, John, again with a rope tied around him, stepped onto the stone and began to look carefully at the flagstones and advancing as he pronounced them safe. </p><p></p><p>Then, as he reached the end of the bridge, a creature ambled into view, literally. It was a huge dog, with reddish fur. Its lolling tongue was completely black and we also glimpsed black teeth in its mouth. These I had read about: they were Hellhounds. I suppose I should not have been surprised. They were denizens of the planes of Hell, immune to fire so this strange ever burning forest would be an ideal place for them. It was certainly beginning to feel like hell to me. This Hellhound was even stranger as it was gripping a large bone in its mouth. </p><p></p><p>As it ambled forward, we all froze, including John, who then began to slowly back away. The Hellhound stopped and deposited the bone on the ground. John was still retreating and finally arrived at the group. The hell hound was also backing away until it disappeared into a burning bush, leaving its bone. </p><p></p><p>After a little time, John finished his survey of the bridge and declared this one safe and as we made our way across, John was examining the bone. It had a message etched on its length. To paraphrase what it said: “Leave the case and we may come to an arrangement which would let you live. Carry the bone if you want to bargain.”</p><p></p><p>We all looked at each other and mentally I cursed. Everyone seemed to know about that case. I wondered how that information had leaked. I still suspected that thief Rantle. He may have been some sort of folk hero, but he was still a thief with the morals of one. </p><p></p><p>Then I saw John taking the bone, chopping off its two ends and then stuffing it in his back pack. After that, we moved on. </p><p></p><p>Some distance down the road, were about to round a bend when we saw our new friend with the serrated glaive. He waved at us and shouted: </p><p></p><p>“Do you wish to negotiate?”</p><p></p><p>Always polite, John answered in the negative.</p><p></p><p>The creature seemed to shrug and then suddenly five monstrosities appeared close to him. They were humanoid in size but they seemed to be shapeless oozes of flesh that had vaguely recognisable faces but no lower limbs. Instead they seemed to ooze across the ground towards us at remarkable speed. Both Longhelim and Victor readied for combat. John rapidly moved to Victor and seemed to touch his weapon and whispered. Victor nodded. Then the John retreated; not a moment too soon as the first thing arrived and positioned itself next to the warriors. Whatever John had done to Victor seemed to work as the warrior took a hefty swing and almost cleft the new arrival in two. However, that gave the others time to gather and move; their master ambled forward, unlimbering his glaive. </p><p></p><p>I managed to position myself and for the first time unleashed my new magic. It was a spell I had always admired when I had seen Gabal cast it. Potentially it could blind all of our opponents in a cloud of silver mist. As I cast I hoped against hope that it could also affect the thing with the glaive but as he took a massive swing and deeply cut Victor, it was quickly obvious that he had ignored it. This was not the case with his minions though; they seemed to have been all blinded, much to my delight. This allowed Longhelim and Victor an attempt to maneuver around the glaive wielder. John then moved up to Victor and cast another spell on him. The effect was immediate as the warrior struck his opponent and his falchion struck deeply. Victor seemed to have found the right balance for his sword this time. As the minions swung ineffectually in the air, Longhelim moved to the glaive wielder although not before dealing with a minion who was in his way. As the paladin struck the stronger enemy, it was obvious that unlike Victor, his sword was being resisted. Even so, the glaive wielder was no longer so confident. He could see that his minions were having little effect in the battle so he began to swing his glaive with far more purpose and effect. It struck Victor, Longhelim and Slippery John in quick succession; even more worryingly, the wounds were deep and bloody, seemingly unwilling to close but continuing to bleed. Slippery John attempted to heal first Victor and then himself but his wand of healing did not work. Then both Victor and Longhelim managed to hit him again and the glaive master retreated. With a cocky grin, he shouted: “Good fight” and then disappeared in a fiery explosion. </p><p></p><p>The minions were still blind at this point so the warriors were able to deal with at least two of them. Then my spell finally wore off and although two of them were still healthy, they soon succumbed to the swords of the warriors. </p><p></p><p>After that, through sheer persistence, Slippery John and Felix managed to defeat the hellish magic that kept the bleeding wounds from healing. Unfortunately, Torrent’s wand was finally exhausted of its magic so we began to use the scrolls we had taken from the Inquisitor. These managed to heal both Victor and Longhelim. Longhelim was also able to heal Felix with his paladin powers.</p><p></p><p>Finally, with everyone more or less healed, we continued travelling down the road.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Cafu, post: 5904716, member: 6692807"] The next morning, some of our wounds were still bothersome. Torrent, Felix and to a lesser extent, Slippery John managed to heal most of our hurts. The latter surprised me. There were hidden depths to that man. He must have been studying the ways of priests and evinced a talent for divine magic as well as being “Slippery”. Despite our hurts, we could not tarry any longer as we were concerned that the Inquisitor’s absence would be missed and a rescue group would be sent. So, cautiously and with a bound and gagged Crystin, we walked along the river bank. Although we were leaving an obvious trail through the ash, the wind showed us that it was disappearing almost as quickly as it was appearing. It would be difficult for anyone to track us by natural means, we hoped. Finally, we reached the bridge over the river. We drank our potions and as we took off Crystin’s gag, she assured us that she was free of her father’s evil influence and convinced Torrent that she should be untied. Crystin, free of the domination, was a very different girl than the one we encountered two days ago. She became far more carefree and in some ways, far more childish, eager for new experiences and hugely happy to be away from her father. She seemed hugely relieved. Amazingly, entering the Fire did not faze her at all. I was not sure just what we planned to do with her but I presumed that once we reached the Lyceum, as a caster of arcane magic, they would be willing to help or train her. We crossed the bridge. It is impossible to describe our entrance into the Fire Forest of Innenotdar but nevertheless, I will try. The fury of the flames was unnatural yet ultimately, somehow, the wood was not consumed, it just kept burning. The fire produced that distinctive roar of the element and I couldn’t help but feel a primitive shudder as I thought that it was as if the Great Red Dragon, the elemental spirit of Fire, had decreed that this Forest was his eternal shrine, burning forever to celebrate His Glory. As we followed the road along the bridge, we noticed a strange phenomenum. As we passed, the flames seemed to lose a little of their strength and as we left, they intensified again. I noticed it again and again and in the end I put it down to the magic of Torrent’s potions. A little way down the road, we came to our first surprise. By the roadside, three shapes were visible. Cautiously, bow and arrow in hand, Drudge approached, using his woodcraft. As he closed with them, suddenly, I saw him drop his bow, draw his sword and transfix one of the figures. Then he signaled us to approach. As we reached him, he said that one of the figures had still been alive although dying and he asked him to kill it. Drudge had obliged. I stared at him, not knowing what to think; well, what was done was done. We resumed walking and some time later, suddenly everyone heard a strange chittering sound from the branches of a burning tree overhead. Initially, I looked up in disbelief, unable to fathom that anything living could survive in this conflagration but then a tiny figure jumped down, bounced off Victor’s chest and darted behind the warrior. A closer look revealed a tiny humanoid with horns and a tail, wreathed in flames. I could only imagine that it was some sort of tiny fire elemental but my attention was quickly absorbed by the enormous flaming bat that was chasing it. I was past being surprised at this point. Tiny fiery devils being chased by giant flaming bats in a Forest that had been burning for decades………what else could I say? The bat did not seem to share my sense of the bizarre but immediately flew towards the warriors until a great bang emanated from Felix which obviously hurt it. Then Longhelim struck it with his sword several times and it was also suffering from Drudge’s arrows tearing into its wings. Victor swung at it again and again but it seemed that the balance of his weapon was still troubling him. It was now becoming obvious to everyone that the warrior was having trouble with his newly acquired falchion. Thankfully, the bat went down with another of Drudge’s arrows in its body. The strange little creature looked at us and cried: “My saviours” – and darted into the forest, leaving us staring after it in bemusement. Fortunately, the bat had not hurt anyone, but as we prepared to leave, suddenly it stirred and attacked again, snapping feebly from the ground! I found it difficult to believe but it was almost as if the flames had revived it. It attempted to hit Felix from the ground but then Victor finally managed to strike it and this time it really did stay still. We continued to follow the road until we came to a spectacular bridge. Approximately twenty foot wide, the bridge arched gracefully over a deep chasm. Looking at it as a dwarf, I found the bridge to be a stunning construction, almost impossible architecturally, yet there it was. Sadly, the condition of the structure looked diminished and one section of the centre had already crumbled, leaving a gap. Amazingly, as we contemplated the bridge and looked down into the chasm, we could see the remains of a wagon, burning brightly at the bottom. Drudge even said that he could see a chest down there. We tied a rope to Slippery John and he began to slowly move along the bridge, gently tapping the flagstones. Everything was going well until he reached a particular stone and suddenly it gave under him. John tumbled through the hole but was left dangling on the rope. Both Longhelim and Victor were holding the rope and thankfully they held it firm despite the suddenness of the drop. Then they began to draw him up gently until we heard John’s shouting to hurry up. With that, the two warriors began to draw him up without much thought to his bumps and bruises and soon we could see his torso come of out the hole; unfortunately, that was not the only thing that came out of the hole after him. A stream of fire rose and engulfed the poor rogue. We were not quite sure just what it was initially but then we could see that it was a whole swarm of tiny, fiery creatures, bats in fact. Flying, they looked like a fiery horde. Poor John began to flounder and retch inside this swarm, no doubt from the smoke and heat. Drudge moved forward with his sword but found that it just seemed to go straight through them. Yes, he slew a few but it made little difference. Victor began shouting that he was going to throw some acid at them but the swarm seemed to fly up at exactly the wrong moment, looking for another victim. They settled on Drudge and he again reacted badly to their attack. Longhelim moved forward and disastrously, another block of stone fell from the floor of the bridge and this time the poor paladin, to our horror, followed it down, plunging into the chasm. I had cast a spell at the swarm but found that it had no effect. I remembered that for future use. Do not cast spells at swarms of fiery bats. Then I tried to cast a little spell which was a spray of weak acid. That certainly did more than my other, more powerful spell. Torrent was shouting that she could try to use her ability as a priest. I had no idea what it was and while I could see she was trying to do something, it did not seem to be having much of an effect. As all this was happening, John was still being attacked by the swarm although all it seemed to be doing was making him vomit. At this point, Drudge tried to run across the bridge but suffered the same fate as Longhelim, plunging down into the chasm. Then Victor tried a new form of attack. Taking out a flask of water, he threw it at the swarm. There was definite reaction: as the water hit the swarm, there was a hissing sound, a swirl of movement to avoid the liquid and a sound of agonized piping as the bats desperately tried get out of the way. Victor had definitely found a weakness and I had a moment of chagrin that I had not thought of this. All the signs were there and it was obvious really; fire creatures, water. While the swarm was recovering, John was desperately checking more of the flagstones on the bridge, trying to find a safe path and both Victor and I took advantage to use all of our water flasks to inflict more hurt on the swarm; then I turned and shouted to Torrent: “Water cleric! Do something watery to that thing!” She looked at me with comprehension dawning on her face and suddenly a huge torrent of water doused the whole swarm from above. The reaction was immediate, with the swarm actually breaking for a moment before coming together again, although it was much diminished. Even in its smaller form, it still attacked Victor and he, poor wretch, began to retch just like John. He still managed to unstopper a water flask and spray it. This was too much for the swarm and it dispersed, leaving many tiny, smoking bat corpses on the bridge floor. We were still wary though. The giant bat had re-energized from the flames so we watched these corpses carefully. Sure enough, suddenly they burst into flame and a small swarm suddenly rose from the floor. This time, Victor took his last flask and smashed it on the floor, soaking them all in the process and they fell to the floor and did not stir. Both Victor and I had blackened clothes, with sooty hair and faces but amazingly, we were relatively unhurt, although Victor still gave one or two tiny retches. John was shouting at them from the other side of the bridge. He had found a safe path and he was pointing it out to everyone. He was also shouting that Drudge and Longhelim were in the chasm, alive. They had managed to survive the fall: how, only the Gods knew. It was not something I was going to question though and we quickly threw a rope down to the bottom. They were able to climb up and they even brought up some valuables they had found in the wagon. Twelve bottles of some potion and a wand as well as some money. Everyone was healed and we continued on the road, through the fire, smoke and soot. Following the incidents on the bridge, we continued travelling on the fiery road. Despite the strangeness of our situation, the road remained much the “same” if that was the correct term that one should use. The Forest still burned fiercely if unnaturally throughout. Even though I was protected from the heat by Torrent’s magic potion, my eyes were beginning to ache from the relentless glare of the fire and my equipment was beginning to feel heavier and heavier; I was completely soaked in sweat. Travel and adventure were rapidly losing their appeal and romance. Only the Gods knew how someone like Victor or Longhelim were coping with their huge back packs, weapons and armour. The flames still seemed to lose their intensity slightly as we passed by them only to regain it as soon as we left them behind. Another side effect of the unending glare of the fire was my inability to observe any potential enemy in our vicinity. Staring into flame was distracting, dangerous and hypnotic; all of which were bad. I almost walked into the back of Victor as I thought about all of this; distracted, I looked up and saw that the warriors had stopped and were looking into the distance ahead: “Do you see it?” Longhelim was muttering. Victor whispered: “Yes. Any idea what it is?” “I have no idea but whatever it is, it shouldn’t be here” was the reply. I was straining to see what they were talking about but as I mentioned, the fire made it very difficult until something moved and I could finally see what they were talking about. A man sized figure suddenly emerged and advanced from one of the burning trees near the road. It just looked at us. It was a man sized being, pot bellied, wearing a rough tunic. It had slimy, scaly skin with clawed hands and feet; however, its most salient features were a snaky beard and a massive serrated glaive. Its eyes seemed to be made of fire or possibly were reflecting the fire in our environs. As it stared at us, suddenly there was an intense explosion of flame and it disappeared. As we stared at the same spot for a little longer, Torrent came forward with a frown; she reminded us that it had become apparent that there was a problem with the use planar magic. It had become so dangerous to use that now it was only employed in the direst of emergencies. She had learned of one poor wretch who had appeared burnt to a crisp, having used such a spell. I remembered that I had heard about this but I had not given it any consideration. I had thought about it in an abstract manner but it was magic that was so hugely advanced to anything I was capable of at this time, that it had no personal relevance to me. Then suddenly I realised something. This could be the reason why the Empress Leska was unable to use the Everburning Torch to transport her armies; maybe the artifact used planar magic and had become too dangerous to use. If that was the case then, the Ragesians had lost a huge strategic advantage; maybe this was one of the “secrets” in the case. I thought about this as we continued to move forward. Some distance forward, we arrived at another bridge built over another chasm. This one was not quite as spectacular or as arched as the previous one; nor was the chasm as deep. Still, we were far more wary this time. First, Longhelim and John stepped off the side of the road and looked under the bridge, finding nothing. Then, John, again with a rope tied around him, stepped onto the stone and began to look carefully at the flagstones and advancing as he pronounced them safe. Then, as he reached the end of the bridge, a creature ambled into view, literally. It was a huge dog, with reddish fur. Its lolling tongue was completely black and we also glimpsed black teeth in its mouth. These I had read about: they were Hellhounds. I suppose I should not have been surprised. They were denizens of the planes of Hell, immune to fire so this strange ever burning forest would be an ideal place for them. It was certainly beginning to feel like hell to me. This Hellhound was even stranger as it was gripping a large bone in its mouth. As it ambled forward, we all froze, including John, who then began to slowly back away. The Hellhound stopped and deposited the bone on the ground. John was still retreating and finally arrived at the group. The hell hound was also backing away until it disappeared into a burning bush, leaving its bone. After a little time, John finished his survey of the bridge and declared this one safe and as we made our way across, John was examining the bone. It had a message etched on its length. To paraphrase what it said: “Leave the case and we may come to an arrangement which would let you live. Carry the bone if you want to bargain.” We all looked at each other and mentally I cursed. Everyone seemed to know about that case. I wondered how that information had leaked. I still suspected that thief Rantle. He may have been some sort of folk hero, but he was still a thief with the morals of one. Then I saw John taking the bone, chopping off its two ends and then stuffing it in his back pack. After that, we moved on. Some distance down the road, were about to round a bend when we saw our new friend with the serrated glaive. He waved at us and shouted: “Do you wish to negotiate?” Always polite, John answered in the negative. The creature seemed to shrug and then suddenly five monstrosities appeared close to him. They were humanoid in size but they seemed to be shapeless oozes of flesh that had vaguely recognisable faces but no lower limbs. Instead they seemed to ooze across the ground towards us at remarkable speed. Both Longhelim and Victor readied for combat. John rapidly moved to Victor and seemed to touch his weapon and whispered. Victor nodded. Then the John retreated; not a moment too soon as the first thing arrived and positioned itself next to the warriors. Whatever John had done to Victor seemed to work as the warrior took a hefty swing and almost cleft the new arrival in two. However, that gave the others time to gather and move; their master ambled forward, unlimbering his glaive. I managed to position myself and for the first time unleashed my new magic. It was a spell I had always admired when I had seen Gabal cast it. Potentially it could blind all of our opponents in a cloud of silver mist. As I cast I hoped against hope that it could also affect the thing with the glaive but as he took a massive swing and deeply cut Victor, it was quickly obvious that he had ignored it. This was not the case with his minions though; they seemed to have been all blinded, much to my delight. This allowed Longhelim and Victor an attempt to maneuver around the glaive wielder. John then moved up to Victor and cast another spell on him. The effect was immediate as the warrior struck his opponent and his falchion struck deeply. Victor seemed to have found the right balance for his sword this time. As the minions swung ineffectually in the air, Longhelim moved to the glaive wielder although not before dealing with a minion who was in his way. As the paladin struck the stronger enemy, it was obvious that unlike Victor, his sword was being resisted. Even so, the glaive wielder was no longer so confident. He could see that his minions were having little effect in the battle so he began to swing his glaive with far more purpose and effect. It struck Victor, Longhelim and Slippery John in quick succession; even more worryingly, the wounds were deep and bloody, seemingly unwilling to close but continuing to bleed. Slippery John attempted to heal first Victor and then himself but his wand of healing did not work. Then both Victor and Longhelim managed to hit him again and the glaive master retreated. With a cocky grin, he shouted: “Good fight” and then disappeared in a fiery explosion. The minions were still blind at this point so the warriors were able to deal with at least two of them. Then my spell finally wore off and although two of them were still healthy, they soon succumbed to the swords of the warriors. After that, through sheer persistence, Slippery John and Felix managed to defeat the hellish magic that kept the bleeding wounds from healing. Unfortunately, Torrent’s wand was finally exhausted of its magic so we began to use the scrolls we had taken from the Inquisitor. These managed to heal both Victor and Longhelim. Longhelim was also able to heal Felix with his paladin powers. Finally, with everyone more or less healed, we continued travelling down the road. [/QUOTE]
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The Gate Pass Irregulars: A War of the Burning Sky Campaign
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