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The Risen Goddess (Updated 3.10.08)
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<blockquote data-quote="(contact)" data-source="post: 1125" data-attributes="member: 41"><p><strong>15-- Warcraft </strong></p><p></p><p>The Ishlokains are tracked to a small encampment in a river-bottom vale. An attempt to gain intelligence on the foe backfires: Indy is scouting ahead when he alerts their sentries. The party begins to prepare magic, and await the Ishlokain response. </p><p></p><p>The first Ishlokian reaction force is a group of five heavily armored horsemen, spreading out and looking for targets. Indy is well ahead of the rest of the party, and lets the mounted skirmish group pass him by. He is soon occupied as another half-dozen Ishlokians, this time lightly armored woodsmen, advance on foot toward his position. </p><p></p><p>Thelbar opens the festivities with that timeless crowd-pleaser <em>fireball</em>l. Mayhem ensues. The five heavy horsemen die quickly, save for one fellow who is <em>held</em> and <em>charmed</em>. The party hides their prisoner away, and moves closer to the Ishlokian camp.</p><p></p><p>Advancing into the mouth of the ravine, the party finds that the Ishlokians have mustered a double-score of troops into a three-deep phalanx of crossbowmen and halberders. A pair of massive ballistae mounted on wagons supports these crossbowmen. Trust Ishlokians to bring siege weaponry to a sword-fight. </p><p></p><p>Thanking the goddess Ishlok for his enemy's tactical sense, Thelbar destroys the Ishlokian position with a <em>wall of fire</em>. Fully half of the crossbowmen are killed as the wall appears directly in front of them. The others break ranks.</p><p></p><p>Meanwhile, Kyreel is saying a<em> prayer </em>over his companions. Taran and Gorquen fly over the wall of fire and engage the last remaining heavy footman while laying into the remnants of the phalanx. </p><p></p><p>While flying over the wall, Taran spotted the Ishlokian reserve around the bend of the shallow ravine -- another score footmen, more woodsmen and a curious unarmed individual who must be the commander. If Taran didn't know better, he'd think the bald bastard was a mage.*</p><p></p><ul> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">* Ishlokians hate and fear magic, and have no arcane casters amongst their ranks.</li> </ul><p></p><p>Taran and Gorquen attack the main Ishlokian position, while their polearm-wall burns and runs. As the last Knight falls from his horse, filling his plate armor with his own blood like a grisly balloon for really evil giant children, Taran lays about him with Black Lisa, killing footmen at a swipe. </p><p></p><p>"Yeah, sweetie" he coos to his sword. "That's it, baby." </p><p></p><p>The commander charges Taran, crossing the intervening forty yards in under three seconds and striking Taran barehanded four times before the startled fighter can react! Barehanded? Galathonriel rises out from underneath Taran's chain shirt to strike at the Ishlokian's eyes, but the man is too quick, and avoids the snake. </p><p></p><p>The Ishlokian commander orders his footmen to overrun Taran and Gorquen, and grapple them. The footmen pay a heavy price at sword-point, but manage to close ranks and tackle the two. Taran takes the beating of his young life, as a dozen or so Ishlokians bite, twist, squeeze, kick, scratch and poke him near to death. Meanwhile, the commander is adding to Taran's troubles by attacking pressure points and engaging particularly painful joint manipulations. </p><p></p><p>Taran and Gorquen are nearly dead by the time the <em>wall of fire</em> dissipates, and the others can come to their aid. Indy engages the Ishlokian woodsmen with bow fire and poisoned arrows. Kyreel rushes to Taran's side, in order to heal his grievous wounds, and after a <em>color spray</em> from Thelbar thins the Ishlokian ranks, Taran and Gorquen are able to swing their swords again. </p><p></p><p>The commander, dangerous in a one-on-one fight, cannot stand against the united party. In short order, he is killed, his remaining dozen-and-a-half troops routed, and the party stands (just barely) victorious. The Ishlokians will never know how close they came to ending the line of House Tar-Ilou. Had the Ishlokians been willing to fight to the last man, that last man may well have been one of their number. As it was, deprived of the fanatical fire of leadership, the footmen did not have the superior will to fight. So they lost.</p><p></p><p>A search of the officer's tent and interrogation of the <em>charmed</em> knight reveals that the force of seventy knights, footmen and rangers that were just defeated were the support detail for a small band of elites charged with taking the Great Delve. </p><p></p><p>"Aww, Mother take their eyes, Ish-freaking-lokian <em>adventurers</em>!? What'll they think of next?" Taran whines as he looks about for the best tactical position covering the camp.</p><p></p><p>Of course, it takes an adventurer to know how to fight one -- this calls for an ambush. Anticipating the Ishlokian elite's return to camp, the party hides themselves in a nearby copse of trees and settles down to wait. </p><p></p><p>The camp commander's log indicates that two of the five adventurers are members of the Ulwe (OOL-way), an Order dedicated to Transcendent Consciousness and the Perfection of Thought, whatever the hell that's supposed to mean. The other three are a knight, another 'unarmed fighter' and a scout extraordinaire. Fortunately for the heroes, these adventurers are in the mountains searching for another entrance into the Great Delve. </p><p></p><p>The second day of the ambush vigil, the monotony is broken by the good sport of re-routing the original routed footmen as they return to the camp they were routed from! Ha, ha, and <em>take that</em> you Ishlokian swine! </p><p></p><p>-----</p><p></p><p>As the date to meet the Goblin Court draws closer, there is no sign of the Ishlokian adventuring band. Perhaps they found their back door after all . . . Here's hoping it leads to the bottom level of the dungeon. </p><p></p><p>The party gathers the swag from the camp -- including weapons, armor, tents and all -- and loads it into a quartet of wagons thoughtfully supplied by the dead Ishlokians. </p><p></p><p>Gorquen wishes to turn the treasure over to the refugees, who desperately need wealth and goods, especially with winter coming. Taran says Gorquen can do whatever she wants with her share of the treasure, what the refugees really need is for him to have better magic items. </p><p></p><p>(Kyreel has since begun casting <em>endurance</em> on Gorquen instead of Taran. Go figure.) </p><p></p><p>Taran camouflages the loot as best he can near the meeting spot and settles in to wait for the Goblin messengers. They don't wait long, but the party is dismayed to see that only one goblin, the war-leader they had previously met, is approaching. </p><p></p><p>"Don't you give me any bad news," Taran begins. </p><p></p><p>"Well," the diminutive diplomat drawls, with his hands held before his face, "there little problem. The Prince, him want talk you, but Bugbear leader, him in the way. </p><p></p><p>"Him no like you. Him say you big coward. Him live on island in lake. Prince want talk you, but Bugbear in the way. Bugbear say you no good." </p><p></p><p>Taran smirks. Uh huh. (We'd love to help, but that guy over there just called your mom a tramp, and there's nothing we can do. Really.) </p><p></p><p>"The Prince no <em>tell</em> you go kill all bugbear, you see? The Prince also not hide boat in cove near pass this side of lake. Me no know where that boat come from." </p><p></p><p>Taran makes the messenger memorize an elaborate insult involving ogres sodomizing kobolds with a pack of lice-ridden rats becoming impregnated as a result, thus giving birth to the bugbear chieftain's ancestors. He instructs the messenger to deliver this insult to the bugbear clan along with a challenge to meet at this very spot, in two days time. </p><p></p><p>Meanwhile, the party will stash the swag, follow the goblin, and wait for the bugbears to leave their island. Then, they'll sneak in the island, kill any homebodies left behind and set an ambush for the returning bugbear leader. </p><p></p><p>At least, that's the plan.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="(contact), post: 1125, member: 41"] [b]15-- Warcraft [/b] The Ishlokains are tracked to a small encampment in a river-bottom vale. An attempt to gain intelligence on the foe backfires: Indy is scouting ahead when he alerts their sentries. The party begins to prepare magic, and await the Ishlokain response. The first Ishlokian reaction force is a group of five heavily armored horsemen, spreading out and looking for targets. Indy is well ahead of the rest of the party, and lets the mounted skirmish group pass him by. He is soon occupied as another half-dozen Ishlokians, this time lightly armored woodsmen, advance on foot toward his position. Thelbar opens the festivities with that timeless crowd-pleaser [i]fireball[/i]l. Mayhem ensues. The five heavy horsemen die quickly, save for one fellow who is [i]held[/i] and [i]charmed[/i]. The party hides their prisoner away, and moves closer to the Ishlokian camp. Advancing into the mouth of the ravine, the party finds that the Ishlokians have mustered a double-score of troops into a three-deep phalanx of crossbowmen and halberders. A pair of massive ballistae mounted on wagons supports these crossbowmen. Trust Ishlokians to bring siege weaponry to a sword-fight. Thanking the goddess Ishlok for his enemy's tactical sense, Thelbar destroys the Ishlokian position with a [i]wall of fire[/i]. Fully half of the crossbowmen are killed as the wall appears directly in front of them. The others break ranks. Meanwhile, Kyreel is saying a[i] prayer [/i]over his companions. Taran and Gorquen fly over the wall of fire and engage the last remaining heavy footman while laying into the remnants of the phalanx. While flying over the wall, Taran spotted the Ishlokian reserve around the bend of the shallow ravine -- another score footmen, more woodsmen and a curious unarmed individual who must be the commander. If Taran didn't know better, he'd think the bald bastard was a mage.* [list]* Ishlokians hate and fear magic, and have no arcane casters amongst their ranks.[/list] Taran and Gorquen attack the main Ishlokian position, while their polearm-wall burns and runs. As the last Knight falls from his horse, filling his plate armor with his own blood like a grisly balloon for really evil giant children, Taran lays about him with Black Lisa, killing footmen at a swipe. "Yeah, sweetie" he coos to his sword. "That's it, baby." The commander charges Taran, crossing the intervening forty yards in under three seconds and striking Taran barehanded four times before the startled fighter can react! Barehanded? Galathonriel rises out from underneath Taran's chain shirt to strike at the Ishlokian's eyes, but the man is too quick, and avoids the snake. The Ishlokian commander orders his footmen to overrun Taran and Gorquen, and grapple them. The footmen pay a heavy price at sword-point, but manage to close ranks and tackle the two. Taran takes the beating of his young life, as a dozen or so Ishlokians bite, twist, squeeze, kick, scratch and poke him near to death. Meanwhile, the commander is adding to Taran's troubles by attacking pressure points and engaging particularly painful joint manipulations. Taran and Gorquen are nearly dead by the time the [i]wall of fire[/i] dissipates, and the others can come to their aid. Indy engages the Ishlokian woodsmen with bow fire and poisoned arrows. Kyreel rushes to Taran's side, in order to heal his grievous wounds, and after a [i]color spray[/i] from Thelbar thins the Ishlokian ranks, Taran and Gorquen are able to swing their swords again. The commander, dangerous in a one-on-one fight, cannot stand against the united party. In short order, he is killed, his remaining dozen-and-a-half troops routed, and the party stands (just barely) victorious. The Ishlokians will never know how close they came to ending the line of House Tar-Ilou. Had the Ishlokians been willing to fight to the last man, that last man may well have been one of their number. As it was, deprived of the fanatical fire of leadership, the footmen did not have the superior will to fight. So they lost. A search of the officer's tent and interrogation of the [i]charmed[/i] knight reveals that the force of seventy knights, footmen and rangers that were just defeated were the support detail for a small band of elites charged with taking the Great Delve. "Aww, Mother take their eyes, Ish-freaking-lokian [i]adventurers[/i]!? What'll they think of next?" Taran whines as he looks about for the best tactical position covering the camp. Of course, it takes an adventurer to know how to fight one -- this calls for an ambush. Anticipating the Ishlokian elite's return to camp, the party hides themselves in a nearby copse of trees and settles down to wait. The camp commander's log indicates that two of the five adventurers are members of the Ulwe (OOL-way), an Order dedicated to Transcendent Consciousness and the Perfection of Thought, whatever the hell that's supposed to mean. The other three are a knight, another 'unarmed fighter' and a scout extraordinaire. Fortunately for the heroes, these adventurers are in the mountains searching for another entrance into the Great Delve. The second day of the ambush vigil, the monotony is broken by the good sport of re-routing the original routed footmen as they return to the camp they were routed from! Ha, ha, and [i]take that[/i] you Ishlokian swine! ----- As the date to meet the Goblin Court draws closer, there is no sign of the Ishlokian adventuring band. Perhaps they found their back door after all . . . Here's hoping it leads to the bottom level of the dungeon. The party gathers the swag from the camp -- including weapons, armor, tents and all -- and loads it into a quartet of wagons thoughtfully supplied by the dead Ishlokians. Gorquen wishes to turn the treasure over to the refugees, who desperately need wealth and goods, especially with winter coming. Taran says Gorquen can do whatever she wants with her share of the treasure, what the refugees really need is for him to have better magic items. (Kyreel has since begun casting [i]endurance[/i] on Gorquen instead of Taran. Go figure.) Taran camouflages the loot as best he can near the meeting spot and settles in to wait for the Goblin messengers. They don't wait long, but the party is dismayed to see that only one goblin, the war-leader they had previously met, is approaching. "Don't you give me any bad news," Taran begins. "Well," the diminutive diplomat drawls, with his hands held before his face, "there little problem. The Prince, him want talk you, but Bugbear leader, him in the way. "Him no like you. Him say you big coward. Him live on island in lake. Prince want talk you, but Bugbear in the way. Bugbear say you no good." Taran smirks. Uh huh. (We'd love to help, but that guy over there just called your mom a tramp, and there's nothing we can do. Really.) "The Prince no [i]tell[/i] you go kill all bugbear, you see? The Prince also not hide boat in cove near pass this side of lake. Me no know where that boat come from." Taran makes the messenger memorize an elaborate insult involving ogres sodomizing kobolds with a pack of lice-ridden rats becoming impregnated as a result, thus giving birth to the bugbear chieftain's ancestors. He instructs the messenger to deliver this insult to the bugbear clan along with a challenge to meet at this very spot, in two days time. Meanwhile, the party will stash the swag, follow the goblin, and wait for the bugbears to leave their island. Then, they'll sneak in the island, kill any homebodies left behind and set an ambush for the returning bugbear leader. At least, that's the plan. [/QUOTE]
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