-
The VOIDRUNNER'S CODEX is coming! Explore new worlds, fight oppressive empires, fend off fearsome aliens, and wield deadly psionics with this comprehensive boxed set expansion for 5E and A5E!
Zad/Wizardru's Story Hour (*final update 11/12*)
- Thread starter Zad
- Start date
Argent Silvermage
First Post
We play tonight!
Will the succubus get her jolllies before Astrid blushes herself to death?
Will Grinder ever stop licking his nuts (and bolts)?
Will the succubus get her jolllies before Astrid blushes herself to death?
Will Grinder ever stop licking his nuts (and bolts)?
Argent Silvermage
First Post
A tiny brass clockwork dragon appears from off stage and says "Ahem... I am Lexicon. Master Glyphandar's Expeditious Messinger. He sent me to make the clarification that his last posting was from the 22nd. The battle was long and fierce with the near death of the master and his companions. The recounting of said tale will have to wait however until the crysteline one has enough story to write."Blacklamb said:
The honunculus bows deeply, flicks his tail and flaps away.
Argent Silvermage
First Post
We play Saturday. I hope we get through this so I can find out if Glyf still has a home and a Dedicated wright working there.Blacklamb said:
I'm also working on a wonderous item to summon those Phantom steeds once per day.
(I LOVE THE ARTIFICER CLASS!!!!!! Glee!)
Argent Silvermage
First Post
IT BURNS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Zad
First Post
The Test of the Smoking Eye - Chapter 3 and 4
The Test of the Smoking Eye – Chapter 3 and 4
OOC Notes:
Chapter 3: Exp is 1,000 for 9th, 915 for 10th.
Chapter 4: Exp is 4,500 for 9th, 3,500 for 10th.
Author’s Note:
I’m catching up on a couple sessions and somewhat abbreviating the tale. I’ll probably make another post with more details on this.
This Week’s Adventures:
Penelope held the bit of bread in her paws as she slowly chewed on it. One nice part of being a familiar was not always having to eat in a hurry. I still don’t follow you, she thought. Explain the smell again.
Ok, I’ll start over, I replied. But I’m just taking your word for it on the smell.
Right, I keep forgetting. Not sure how anything can survive without smelling things but that’s my world for you, she shrugged.
Just then Grinder got up again, agitated at the plane’s shifting aspect. Since the Test of the Smoking Eye had completed, the plane had done a lot of shifting in its aspect, and Grinder felt the need to poke around every time something changed. He was diligent but not exactly one to think outside the box.
“Grinder, it’s just the plane doing its thing again. No need to wake everyone,” I said. Grinder made a show of sniffing, and then relented. He returned to listening.
“Right. Now, do we all understand the Test of the Smoking Eye was put in place by the former ruler of this plane to allow for a successor to take over?” I said aloud. Grinder was a little fidgety but was still interested.
Grinder and Penelope nodded. The valet sat quietly.
“So we went to the big church. After they destroyed the succubus, and ran off the salamander, they found the test.”
He smelled funny too. All burnt, noted Penelope. Why didn’t he fight?
“Because he knew he’d lose and he didn’t fancy that. He offered to leave and Astrid let him go because there was no point in fighting him. So the mummy…”
…smelled funny the rat interjected, dropping her snack.
“... told them they had to fight either the bebbilith or the angel,” I continued. “They fought the bebbilith, and passed the test.”
And that lead them to the next test running through all those big blister thingies and getting teleported a lot. I understand that part. Then we came here to the big funny smelling smoking skull thingy
“Exactly. I suppose it was kind of predictable and I’m not sure why we didn’t just start here but there you have it. So as we went up, we found Saureya – the fallen angel fellow with the black wings. He had been staked out and was nearly dead, but they saved him. He knew Kaurophon and they didn’t seem to like each other.”
Wonder why, Penelope snorted derisively.
“Good taste, I can only assume,” I laughed. “Saureya said he was waiting to see who would come and pass the test and that he helped Adamarcus create the test. But it was clear there was a rakshasa and his bodyguard just ahead, so we moved up and killed them.”
“After that they found the wizard – the Burning Skin. He said he was from the Prime too and didn’t want any trouble and was just studying things. And he smelled really funny” I added in anticipation.
How did you know? You said you couldn’t tell! Penelope said.
“Educated guess,” I replied. “Now Penelope this is where I think your smell problem starts. We moved up to the eyesocket of the big skull. There was another mummy there, and he said it was the Test of Sacrifice. He said bla bla bla ‘Sacrifice an ally to the plasma and Occipitus is yours.’”
And that’s when Kaurophon tried to betray us right?
“Yes. Kaurophon wasn’t very bright,” I said, even with Grinder growling at the mention of Kaurophon’s name. “I can’t really figure out what he was thinking. He was scared of the Prime and the Cagewrights. He turned on us. Everyone attacked him, but it was Maris’ lightning bolt that threw him backward into the fire.
But why do we… she started.
“I’m getting to that. Now because Maris was responsible for throwing the ally into the fire, she passed the test. The mummy pointed at her and said ‘Completed!’ Maris screamed, and fire shot out of her eyesocket. It settled down after a minute but her left eye had been replaced by a burning orb that gave off a thin wisp of smoke. The smoke is what you keep smelling. Maris is the ruler of this plane now, and this is a manifestation of that. But YOU Penelope are an extension of Maris. You rule this plane too now. You and Maris are one. As her eye burns, so does yours. And yours also smokes, and that smoke is what you smell.”
So you mean to say that I’m going to have to live with this smell forever?!?
“Or until Maris no longer rules Occipitus, yes,” I said. “If I understood the conversation correctly, Maris can make the smoking eye disappear when she is not on Occipitus, and I would assume that applies to you too. But the smoky smell will persist.”
I’m not sure I like this, the rat said, pouting. I didn’t think it was permanent.
---------------------------------------------
In the morning we returned to the Prime. Kris used a short incantation and a fresh wind swept in, and took us with it across the dimensions. The fresh air was short-lived however and was replaced the smell of blood and fire and war. In the distance I could hear someone singing a battle hymn. An arrow whizzed by Maris’ ear. There were a thousand sounds all around, and nearby a follower of Farlanghan ducked out of the way as a demon crashed to the floor gushing black ichor from his wounds.
We were in Redgorge, and townsfolk and others were running towards large gates with improvised weapons. One screamed “We can’t hold it!”
Then the door burst open, and dretches, vrocks and demonkin charged into the town.
Loot:
(From cysts)
Bastard sword +1 holy
Bracers of accuracy
Cloak of Resistance +3
Dagger +1 unholy
MW full plate
190 pp
3200 gp
5950 sp
Dravot statue
Platinum music box
Portrait of Lady Celeste
Ivory harp with golden strings
Embroidered silk mantle
Amulet carved in ebony shaped like lightning bolt
Another portrait – angel of some kind – same one we freed uulaaaluuu
Expensive solid gold chalice inset with sapphires
Scroll of plane shift (arcane)
The Test of the Smoking Eye – Chapter 3 and 4
OOC Notes:
Chapter 3: Exp is 1,000 for 9th, 915 for 10th.
Chapter 4: Exp is 4,500 for 9th, 3,500 for 10th.
Author’s Note:
I’m catching up on a couple sessions and somewhat abbreviating the tale. I’ll probably make another post with more details on this.
This Week’s Adventures:
Penelope held the bit of bread in her paws as she slowly chewed on it. One nice part of being a familiar was not always having to eat in a hurry. I still don’t follow you, she thought. Explain the smell again.
Ok, I’ll start over, I replied. But I’m just taking your word for it on the smell.
Right, I keep forgetting. Not sure how anything can survive without smelling things but that’s my world for you, she shrugged.
Just then Grinder got up again, agitated at the plane’s shifting aspect. Since the Test of the Smoking Eye had completed, the plane had done a lot of shifting in its aspect, and Grinder felt the need to poke around every time something changed. He was diligent but not exactly one to think outside the box.
“Grinder, it’s just the plane doing its thing again. No need to wake everyone,” I said. Grinder made a show of sniffing, and then relented. He returned to listening.
“Right. Now, do we all understand the Test of the Smoking Eye was put in place by the former ruler of this plane to allow for a successor to take over?” I said aloud. Grinder was a little fidgety but was still interested.
Grinder and Penelope nodded. The valet sat quietly.
“So we went to the big church. After they destroyed the succubus, and ran off the salamander, they found the test.”
He smelled funny too. All burnt, noted Penelope. Why didn’t he fight?
“Because he knew he’d lose and he didn’t fancy that. He offered to leave and Astrid let him go because there was no point in fighting him. So the mummy…”
…smelled funny the rat interjected, dropping her snack.
“... told them they had to fight either the bebbilith or the angel,” I continued. “They fought the bebbilith, and passed the test.”
And that lead them to the next test running through all those big blister thingies and getting teleported a lot. I understand that part. Then we came here to the big funny smelling smoking skull thingy
“Exactly. I suppose it was kind of predictable and I’m not sure why we didn’t just start here but there you have it. So as we went up, we found Saureya – the fallen angel fellow with the black wings. He had been staked out and was nearly dead, but they saved him. He knew Kaurophon and they didn’t seem to like each other.”
Wonder why, Penelope snorted derisively.
“Good taste, I can only assume,” I laughed. “Saureya said he was waiting to see who would come and pass the test and that he helped Adamarcus create the test. But it was clear there was a rakshasa and his bodyguard just ahead, so we moved up and killed them.”
“After that they found the wizard – the Burning Skin. He said he was from the Prime too and didn’t want any trouble and was just studying things. And he smelled really funny” I added in anticipation.
How did you know? You said you couldn’t tell! Penelope said.
“Educated guess,” I replied. “Now Penelope this is where I think your smell problem starts. We moved up to the eyesocket of the big skull. There was another mummy there, and he said it was the Test of Sacrifice. He said bla bla bla ‘Sacrifice an ally to the plasma and Occipitus is yours.’”
And that’s when Kaurophon tried to betray us right?
“Yes. Kaurophon wasn’t very bright,” I said, even with Grinder growling at the mention of Kaurophon’s name. “I can’t really figure out what he was thinking. He was scared of the Prime and the Cagewrights. He turned on us. Everyone attacked him, but it was Maris’ lightning bolt that threw him backward into the fire.
But why do we… she started.
“I’m getting to that. Now because Maris was responsible for throwing the ally into the fire, she passed the test. The mummy pointed at her and said ‘Completed!’ Maris screamed, and fire shot out of her eyesocket. It settled down after a minute but her left eye had been replaced by a burning orb that gave off a thin wisp of smoke. The smoke is what you keep smelling. Maris is the ruler of this plane now, and this is a manifestation of that. But YOU Penelope are an extension of Maris. You rule this plane too now. You and Maris are one. As her eye burns, so does yours. And yours also smokes, and that smoke is what you smell.”
So you mean to say that I’m going to have to live with this smell forever?!?
“Or until Maris no longer rules Occipitus, yes,” I said. “If I understood the conversation correctly, Maris can make the smoking eye disappear when she is not on Occipitus, and I would assume that applies to you too. But the smoky smell will persist.”
I’m not sure I like this, the rat said, pouting. I didn’t think it was permanent.
---------------------------------------------
In the morning we returned to the Prime. Kris used a short incantation and a fresh wind swept in, and took us with it across the dimensions. The fresh air was short-lived however and was replaced the smell of blood and fire and war. In the distance I could hear someone singing a battle hymn. An arrow whizzed by Maris’ ear. There were a thousand sounds all around, and nearby a follower of Farlanghan ducked out of the way as a demon crashed to the floor gushing black ichor from his wounds.
We were in Redgorge, and townsfolk and others were running towards large gates with improvised weapons. One screamed “We can’t hold it!”
Then the door burst open, and dretches, vrocks and demonkin charged into the town.
Loot:
(From cysts)
Bastard sword +1 holy
Bracers of accuracy
Cloak of Resistance +3
Dagger +1 unholy
MW full plate
190 pp
3200 gp
5950 sp
Dravot statue
Platinum music box
Portrait of Lady Celeste
Ivory harp with golden strings
Embroidered silk mantle
Amulet carved in ebony shaped like lightning bolt
Another portrait – angel of some kind – same one we freed uulaaaluuu
Expensive solid gold chalice inset with sapphires
Scroll of plane shift (arcane)
Zad
First Post
The Test of the Smoking Eye - Chapter 5
Test of the Smoking Eye – Chapter 5
OOC Notes:
Exp is 2,603 for 10th level characters for most of us. This makes you exactly 11th level. Everyone should take enough exp to make them 11th level.
This Week’s Adventure:
The chaos of the battlefield was instantly recognizable. There was the smoke of burning buildings, the smell of blood and fluids, and the screams of panic. Making it’s way over the din was a war chant coming from a female voice – Shensen was singing near two of the Striders. From the looks of things they had just felled a large ape-like demon.
In front of us was one of the town gates, hanging open. A ring of militia men with improvised spears were trying to hold back some goat-men demons and succeeding, but behind them was something large, and behind that another ape-demon. Behind us, Maavu had just come around the corner with a cleric of Pelor with him. One street over, the Cauldron guard captain we had saved was charging at the gate with an improvised company of recruits. Unfortunately what the men had in courage, they lacked in experience – to seasoned soldiers like the girls, the disorganization was apparent.
“Scouts on the wall,” Bellsin noted, gesturing at some imps perched on the wall tops.
The Blue Tyger Legion wasted no time making their presence known. Astrid began shouting orders to the militia – “Flank the sides of the gate, we’ll hold the line!” while Elizabeth moved up to the center of the defensive line. Maris needed no instruction, and moved to impede the progress of the demons. There was a sudden rush of dark shadows that were all drawn towards Maris with the tension of a dragon inhaling before releasing fire. The dark force – whatever it was – was pushed into the ground and traveled unseen to just outside the gate where it erupted from the ground as slick black tentacles. The tentacles lashed feverishly at the ape demon and the foot soldiers there, and seemed to squeal with delight as they ripped the demonic soldiers limb from limb.
No one who saw the spell was undisturbed by it.
Did it look like that last time she cast that spell? Elizabeth thought.
I can’t recall that it did, I answered.
Fortunately a cool strong breeze blew in just then – Krisfallion had brought down Faulkon’s blessings and a flock of songbirds soared through the scene. The zephyr clung and lingered on the weapons of everyone present, strengthening them for the fight. The wind even knocked the imps off the walls for the time being. Glyph followed this with a spell of his own, protecting everyone on the field.
Shensen bent forward and shifted and her normally-small form grew into that of a large wolf, the Striders moving to flank her.
The large demon in the gate roared in laughter. “Blue Tyger Legion! Oh goody! Little human! Pull my finger!”
And laughing it… released a vile purple gas from places best left unmentioned. The gas shot through the gate and clung to the ground and the defenders. It was, frankly, disgusting, but not much more than that.
It was slightly disappointing because Elizabeth had hoped it would charge in, so they could attack it from all sides. Sensing its hesitation, Astrid goaded it. “Is that the best you have? Pathetic. You’ll have to do better if you want to take this town.”
It took the bait and roared with rage. It ran forward and grabbed Astrid. Unfortunately she wasn’t quick enough to avoid it’s grasp but it did put the creature close enough for Elizabeth to smash into its side with Alakast even as Maris weakened it further. This is precisely the purpose for which Alakast was designed, and even in its dormant state it did not disappoint. The demon stumbled at the weakness and the wound, and almost dropped Astrid. It stumbled backwards and tried to through Astrid into the tentacles. Astrid neatly rolled, and avoided the grasping black arms, and while still on the ground swept a sword across in a fast arc, cutting through both the demon’s ankles. The creature toppled forward and she brought the sword down in a hard chop and took its head clean off.
The effect on the attackers and the defenders was immediate and apparent. The townsmen cheered, while the demons gave back a step, save for the ape-demon still caught in the tentacles. While his guards had been ripped apart by the tentacles, he was still vigorously fighting them. Elizabeth called “Now!” to Maris, who unraveled her spell and the tentacles slithered back underground. Freed, the demon charged through the gate at Elizabeth and Astrid, who had scrambled back to the line. The creature charged fiercely and crashed into the girls. Amazingly they both kept their feet and were only forced back a few feet. Elizabeth whipped Alakast around in a frenzy, doubling over the demon then thrusting hard, shoving the staff head into the creatures eye socket and out the other side of it’s skull. They sat frozen like that a moment before she jerked the staff free and the demon collapsed.
But before anyone could cheer, fear swept through the ranks. Voices – voices of failure, of defeat, of doom, whispered on the winds. Men began panicking and Maavu seemed paralyzed and was beginning to jibber and wail. One of the Striders of Farlanghan began chopping at his own leg with his sword.
From within the town, spectral creatures began coming forward. They were screaming or mumbling and seemed to sow madness as they went. Kris was carried aloft by a sudden wind and landed in front of the Striders and as he landed, a rush of air surged forth from where he touched the ground and the allips were torn apart by the wind.
There was still more whispering and gibbering through – another creature – this one a demon rather than an allip, was moving between buildings. It was getting closer to Maavu and he looked on the verge of losing his mind. Elizabeth rushed at it, but even after several strikes from her and magic missiles from Maris, the creature was still screaming.
Kris, looking calm, put a finger to his lips. “Shhhhhhhh” he said quietly, and then all the sound stopped. The maddening whispers ceased, and the demon causing them looked… uncomfortable. From its side, Grinder lunged at its midsection and the iron jaws, infused with magical energy, clamped down hard and removed a large chunk from the demon. Grinder spit out the foul flesh and the demon staggered back a step and died.
Meanwhile, Bellsin had taken an interest in Nabthateron’s scouts. He had snuck on the imps and smashed one after the next. Each time he took their invisibility even as he took their life and then went on to the next.
“ENOUGH!” a voice bellowed. Nabthateron had appeared outside the gate. Close, but far enough away not to be in immediate danger. This was the only thing that suggested he had any kind of fear.
“By my estimation, your vaunted spell power should run out in another minute or so. It may take hours, but you’ll run out of fancy tricks. And then I will conquer Redgorge and anything else I want. I have time, and I don’t care about the lives of all these creatures,” he said, waving absently at his considerable army. “So enjoy your minor victory. You may eventually decide to join us. I have scanned your minds and I can tell you that at least one of you has seriously considered my previous offer.”
Glyphandar did what he could to restore Maavu’s wits. “What do they want?”
“They want to kill us all,” Maavu said simply.
Now that there was a break in the battle, Bellsin was scanning the scene. His spell let him see the unseen, and he was now seeing Judges scattered all around the battlefield and in the air. They were all standing still, simply watching. Then he caught sight of Nidrama in the town and went to her.
“I am glad to see you are not dead,” she said to him. “I heard you had been to the Abyss. I see it’s left its mark on at least one of you.”
“Yes but Occipitus is now closer to Celestia for it,” he answered, considering it worthwhile. “Why don’t the Judges act? I thought this was not allowed.”
“They cannot act on Nabthateron’s forces for the same reason they cannot remove me. They cannot banish an exile. I am no longer attached to the realm of Celestia so they cannot banish me. I was banished for helping you. I am exiled to the Prime as are the demons. Graz’zt exiled Nabthateron forcing him away. He was not permitted to return until he conquered Redgorge.”
“So wait, doesn’t that just mean we should…” Bellsin began
“… surrender the town and let Nabthateron have it?” Elizabeth finished.
The Blue Tygers all saw the idea very quickly, but it took longer to form for Nidrama and the others.
“If Graz’zt banished Nabthateron until he conquered Redgorge, and if that’s binding and isn’t misleading or anything, then the moment Nabthateron conquers the town, he’s no longer an exile and the Judges can act.”
“I can tell you this,” Astrid said. “We cannot hold the town, nor can we hope to destroy that whole army. Even setting aside Nabthateron’s direct involvement, it is too much.”
“Perhaps not,” Maavu said. “Surabar Spellmason raised these walls to guard against this very army. The demons cannot breach the walls or the gates now that they are properly sealed. They can go over, but he has very few flying demons.”
“Still, I don’t believe ‘winning’ this battle is an option we have. We should be focused on ‘surviving’ it.” Astrid was dour but she was also right.
We debated the idea a bit, and discussed the idea of trying to evacuate the few hundred people that were defending the town. After a time, Nidrama spoke up.
“I have considered your idea. It may work. You would need someone with authority to surrender the town. The mayor, if he lives.”
“He’s at the western gate,” Maavu said. And we immediately moved to the west gate.
The mayor thought the idea was ridiculous, but he had few alternatives. It took some time to explain the Judges and the interplanar laws, but Jenya was at the western gate and she verified what we were saying. “But still, it’s a crazy idea,” the mayor said.
“Perhaps we can consult the gods?” the priest of Pelor spoke up. “I have a simple divination at my disposal.”
Everyone nodded.
The priest kneeled and prayed. “Exalted Dravot, defender of the innocent and smiter of demons, revered son of Pelor, Lightbringer and Healer, show us the way. What of our fate should we surrender the town?”
The clouds broke, and a ray of bright sunshine covered the priest in a bright yellow glow for a moment, then faded.
He stood up. “That means ‘weal’.”
That helped, but the Mayor was still hesitant. “You’re asking a lot,” he said to us.
“What choices do you have? The walls may hold the demons back, but that’s no victory,” she said.
“None. None at all. There’s nothing worse that can happen. If it fails, we fight our last stand,” the Mayor sighed.
The Mayor and Astrid climbed a narrow stairway to a small observation post on the wall. The full demon army was arrayed outside the town on all sides.
The Mayor stiffened himself then yelled out “Nabthateron!”
We could hear the demon lord’s voice in our heads. What? Have you decided to surrender? the mockery apparent.
“Actually, yes. Acting as the Mayor of Redgorge, we officially surrender. We will open the gate. You have conquered us.”
There was a long pause, then finally a reply.
I’m sorry… what?!?
“The town has been conquered. Nabthateron has defeated us and conquered the town,” the Mayor repeated, being almost overly specific.
There was another long pause, then a giddy, incredulous laugh we could hear from across the field. The laugh spread out across the demon army, as they all joined their lord in his mirth.
Then suddenly there was a different laugh. It was more hollow and empty, but there was a lot more of it. Across the field we could see Judges appearing at the outer edges of the army, brandishing their staves. They used them to banish the demons and while they didn’t swing them very violently some of the weaker demons were still killed just from the stroke. The demon army suddenly went silent, as it was melted away from the outer edges. The Judges faces were all stoic masks, but there was still a hint of enjoyment that was palpable.
Astrid looked out to Nabthateron. And she waved.
The demons were all returned to the abyss in mere moments and in a short time, Nabthateron stood alone, surrounded by Judges. Then a shadow blocked out the sun behind us, and a powerful presence appeared. He was a Judge, but much larger than the others. He hovered behind us, his wings beating almost carelessly. His mask was more stylized and etched in gold and silver. Instead of a staff, he carried a hammer. His wings beat once and he shot over the walls towards Nabthateron, who could only stand and watch. The hammer drew back and smashed down, and Nabthateron was smashed back across the planes to the abyss, save for a single lobster claw flopping on the ground. The large judge looked at it and smashed his hammer down, and it shattered into a thousand pieces that evaporated on the wind.
He looked around in what for a mortal would be called satisfaction, though the impassive face betrayed no such emotion. Then he hoisted his hammer over his shoulder and flew back towards the walls of Redgorge. Behind him, some of the Judges began fading out, while others flew off in the general direction of the Demonskar, presumable to clean up.
The Judge drew up before Astrid. “You have Our thanks, Bearkiller clan. I am known as Meltorannan. I am the head of the Judges. You have done a great services this day and ended a great evil. Thank your companions on Our behalf.”
He moved towards Krisfallion. “Thank you for your help. Be wary – there are other forces that we have not been able to deal with that are becoming involved in your affairs.”
“Ya mean like the Cagewrights?” Kris said innocently.
“Indeed. They skirt the edges of the Interdiction. They are not outsiders but they have dealings with them frequently. They understand the rules and know how to skirt around them. While I cannot guarantee that we can aid you in the future, if you seek me I will come to answer your questions as best I can. Mark my name.”
With that, he bowed deeply, and faded away.
There was a long, uncomfortable silence as everyone just looked at each other. Finally Elizabeth said “So, um… yay?”
The silence shattered and everyone started laughing. The tension melted away and the remaining townsfolk finally felt like it was over and they were safe. There was a slight discomfort among the Blue Tygers though – something about the victory felt hollow. But when you get down to it, it was still a victory.
Before long we found Jenya and returned Sir Alek’s body to her. She was very grateful that we brought it back all this way. “Hopefully he will decide to return,” she said.
“So what happened with the challenge?” Glyph asked.
“Thanks to your message I was able to intercede after sending out several messages of my own. The law is very clear – with the challenge rendered moot, Maavu could not be considered a traitor and therefore Captain Skellerang had no jurisdiction to siege Redgorge. He was forced to withdraw. His conduct saddens me. He was always a man of the law, but of late he has become twisted by it.”
Nearby Captain Skylar was talking to the Mayor and they seemed to come to some sort of arrangement. It seemed the Captain was uncomfortable with Skellerang’s orders of late. Skellerang was more than happy to butcher his way into the walls, and Skylar could not abide by that. He and some of his men had been thrown out of the guard for standing by their convictions. This is why they were in Redgorge when Nabthateron’s army came. But the Mayor had just asked him to become the head of the Redgorge guard, so some good came of it.
“The Blue Duke is a butcher, that bastard. The siege was underway until Jenya stopped it. Nobody would have won, but Redgorge would have fallen.”
“So here’s a question,” Elizabeth said. “Cauldron’s forces were here, then left. But why did Nabthateron attack now? Why not a week ago, or a month ago? What made ‘now’ special?”
“If we knew that, we’d know a lot more than we do I’ll wager,” Glyph said.
Nidrama, who had been silent most of the time, spoke. “I believe it is because you could have killed Nabthateron, had you the opportunity. And he saw you had Alakast. Once he knew you had escaped the desert, he was forced to move so he could conquer the town and not fight Alakast.”
“Is he that scared of Alakast?” Astrid asked.
“You misunderstand. Alakast is not just the name of the weapon but also the name of my brother who gave his soul to make it,” Nidrama said, a hint of sadness in her voice. She turned to Elizabeth. “If you wish, I can teach you how to reach him. There will be blood and there will be pain but in the end you will bond with him and both become stronger.”
Elizabeth nodded. “I would like that. He is… dormant. Not surprising after so long in the custody of hags and demons. But I think we have not seen the last of Nabthateron, and it would aid us all if Alakast awoke once more.”
“Then let us speak now. For the future, I rather like it here,” Nidrama said. “The walls are… comforting. I believe I will remain here for a time. Should you need me in the future, you shall find me here. Perhaps in the church of Pelor.”
The army broke up into more of a celebration, as cooks and innkeepers fell into their more comfortable roles. Nearly everyone left in the town gravitated towards some of the larger inns where the impromptu celebration got underway. It lasted late into the night and was a welcome reprieve. It felt good to be back on our own plane – you don’t realize how much it feels ‘right’ until you leave it.
In the morning – the very late morning – a bleary group of Blue Tygers packed up and, with the thanks of Redgorge, made their way back to Cauldron, accompanied by Shensen and the Strider brothers. Fallion asked the girls if they could make some time for instruction and they were happy to help with that. Ferun’s talents would require him to spend some time at the Academy however.
Even tired and slightly hung-over, they managed to make it back to Cauldron’s gates by sunset. They were let in without challenge, to the relief of everyone who was expecting more trouble. The tale of Redgorge had not yet made it back to town, so we were able to make our way to the Morkloth in relative peace and quiet, only hearing gossip about the disappearance of the Mayor on the way.
“The Mayor’s disappeared – had you heard?” the innkeeper asked as we sat down for some dinner.
“Yep,” Astrid said. And raising her mug she said “Could be the best thing that ever happened to this town.”
Test of the Smoking Eye – Chapter 5
OOC Notes:
Exp is 2,603 for 10th level characters for most of us. This makes you exactly 11th level. Everyone should take enough exp to make them 11th level.
This Week’s Adventure:
The chaos of the battlefield was instantly recognizable. There was the smoke of burning buildings, the smell of blood and fluids, and the screams of panic. Making it’s way over the din was a war chant coming from a female voice – Shensen was singing near two of the Striders. From the looks of things they had just felled a large ape-like demon.
In front of us was one of the town gates, hanging open. A ring of militia men with improvised spears were trying to hold back some goat-men demons and succeeding, but behind them was something large, and behind that another ape-demon. Behind us, Maavu had just come around the corner with a cleric of Pelor with him. One street over, the Cauldron guard captain we had saved was charging at the gate with an improvised company of recruits. Unfortunately what the men had in courage, they lacked in experience – to seasoned soldiers like the girls, the disorganization was apparent.
“Scouts on the wall,” Bellsin noted, gesturing at some imps perched on the wall tops.
The Blue Tyger Legion wasted no time making their presence known. Astrid began shouting orders to the militia – “Flank the sides of the gate, we’ll hold the line!” while Elizabeth moved up to the center of the defensive line. Maris needed no instruction, and moved to impede the progress of the demons. There was a sudden rush of dark shadows that were all drawn towards Maris with the tension of a dragon inhaling before releasing fire. The dark force – whatever it was – was pushed into the ground and traveled unseen to just outside the gate where it erupted from the ground as slick black tentacles. The tentacles lashed feverishly at the ape demon and the foot soldiers there, and seemed to squeal with delight as they ripped the demonic soldiers limb from limb.
No one who saw the spell was undisturbed by it.
Did it look like that last time she cast that spell? Elizabeth thought.
I can’t recall that it did, I answered.
Fortunately a cool strong breeze blew in just then – Krisfallion had brought down Faulkon’s blessings and a flock of songbirds soared through the scene. The zephyr clung and lingered on the weapons of everyone present, strengthening them for the fight. The wind even knocked the imps off the walls for the time being. Glyph followed this with a spell of his own, protecting everyone on the field.
Shensen bent forward and shifted and her normally-small form grew into that of a large wolf, the Striders moving to flank her.
The large demon in the gate roared in laughter. “Blue Tyger Legion! Oh goody! Little human! Pull my finger!”
And laughing it… released a vile purple gas from places best left unmentioned. The gas shot through the gate and clung to the ground and the defenders. It was, frankly, disgusting, but not much more than that.
It was slightly disappointing because Elizabeth had hoped it would charge in, so they could attack it from all sides. Sensing its hesitation, Astrid goaded it. “Is that the best you have? Pathetic. You’ll have to do better if you want to take this town.”
It took the bait and roared with rage. It ran forward and grabbed Astrid. Unfortunately she wasn’t quick enough to avoid it’s grasp but it did put the creature close enough for Elizabeth to smash into its side with Alakast even as Maris weakened it further. This is precisely the purpose for which Alakast was designed, and even in its dormant state it did not disappoint. The demon stumbled at the weakness and the wound, and almost dropped Astrid. It stumbled backwards and tried to through Astrid into the tentacles. Astrid neatly rolled, and avoided the grasping black arms, and while still on the ground swept a sword across in a fast arc, cutting through both the demon’s ankles. The creature toppled forward and she brought the sword down in a hard chop and took its head clean off.
The effect on the attackers and the defenders was immediate and apparent. The townsmen cheered, while the demons gave back a step, save for the ape-demon still caught in the tentacles. While his guards had been ripped apart by the tentacles, he was still vigorously fighting them. Elizabeth called “Now!” to Maris, who unraveled her spell and the tentacles slithered back underground. Freed, the demon charged through the gate at Elizabeth and Astrid, who had scrambled back to the line. The creature charged fiercely and crashed into the girls. Amazingly they both kept their feet and were only forced back a few feet. Elizabeth whipped Alakast around in a frenzy, doubling over the demon then thrusting hard, shoving the staff head into the creatures eye socket and out the other side of it’s skull. They sat frozen like that a moment before she jerked the staff free and the demon collapsed.
But before anyone could cheer, fear swept through the ranks. Voices – voices of failure, of defeat, of doom, whispered on the winds. Men began panicking and Maavu seemed paralyzed and was beginning to jibber and wail. One of the Striders of Farlanghan began chopping at his own leg with his sword.
From within the town, spectral creatures began coming forward. They were screaming or mumbling and seemed to sow madness as they went. Kris was carried aloft by a sudden wind and landed in front of the Striders and as he landed, a rush of air surged forth from where he touched the ground and the allips were torn apart by the wind.
There was still more whispering and gibbering through – another creature – this one a demon rather than an allip, was moving between buildings. It was getting closer to Maavu and he looked on the verge of losing his mind. Elizabeth rushed at it, but even after several strikes from her and magic missiles from Maris, the creature was still screaming.
Kris, looking calm, put a finger to his lips. “Shhhhhhhh” he said quietly, and then all the sound stopped. The maddening whispers ceased, and the demon causing them looked… uncomfortable. From its side, Grinder lunged at its midsection and the iron jaws, infused with magical energy, clamped down hard and removed a large chunk from the demon. Grinder spit out the foul flesh and the demon staggered back a step and died.
Meanwhile, Bellsin had taken an interest in Nabthateron’s scouts. He had snuck on the imps and smashed one after the next. Each time he took their invisibility even as he took their life and then went on to the next.
“ENOUGH!” a voice bellowed. Nabthateron had appeared outside the gate. Close, but far enough away not to be in immediate danger. This was the only thing that suggested he had any kind of fear.
“By my estimation, your vaunted spell power should run out in another minute or so. It may take hours, but you’ll run out of fancy tricks. And then I will conquer Redgorge and anything else I want. I have time, and I don’t care about the lives of all these creatures,” he said, waving absently at his considerable army. “So enjoy your minor victory. You may eventually decide to join us. I have scanned your minds and I can tell you that at least one of you has seriously considered my previous offer.”
Glyphandar did what he could to restore Maavu’s wits. “What do they want?”
“They want to kill us all,” Maavu said simply.
Now that there was a break in the battle, Bellsin was scanning the scene. His spell let him see the unseen, and he was now seeing Judges scattered all around the battlefield and in the air. They were all standing still, simply watching. Then he caught sight of Nidrama in the town and went to her.
“I am glad to see you are not dead,” she said to him. “I heard you had been to the Abyss. I see it’s left its mark on at least one of you.”
“Yes but Occipitus is now closer to Celestia for it,” he answered, considering it worthwhile. “Why don’t the Judges act? I thought this was not allowed.”
“They cannot act on Nabthateron’s forces for the same reason they cannot remove me. They cannot banish an exile. I am no longer attached to the realm of Celestia so they cannot banish me. I was banished for helping you. I am exiled to the Prime as are the demons. Graz’zt exiled Nabthateron forcing him away. He was not permitted to return until he conquered Redgorge.”
“So wait, doesn’t that just mean we should…” Bellsin began
“… surrender the town and let Nabthateron have it?” Elizabeth finished.
The Blue Tygers all saw the idea very quickly, but it took longer to form for Nidrama and the others.
“If Graz’zt banished Nabthateron until he conquered Redgorge, and if that’s binding and isn’t misleading or anything, then the moment Nabthateron conquers the town, he’s no longer an exile and the Judges can act.”
“I can tell you this,” Astrid said. “We cannot hold the town, nor can we hope to destroy that whole army. Even setting aside Nabthateron’s direct involvement, it is too much.”
“Perhaps not,” Maavu said. “Surabar Spellmason raised these walls to guard against this very army. The demons cannot breach the walls or the gates now that they are properly sealed. They can go over, but he has very few flying demons.”
“Still, I don’t believe ‘winning’ this battle is an option we have. We should be focused on ‘surviving’ it.” Astrid was dour but she was also right.
We debated the idea a bit, and discussed the idea of trying to evacuate the few hundred people that were defending the town. After a time, Nidrama spoke up.
“I have considered your idea. It may work. You would need someone with authority to surrender the town. The mayor, if he lives.”
“He’s at the western gate,” Maavu said. And we immediately moved to the west gate.
The mayor thought the idea was ridiculous, but he had few alternatives. It took some time to explain the Judges and the interplanar laws, but Jenya was at the western gate and she verified what we were saying. “But still, it’s a crazy idea,” the mayor said.
“Perhaps we can consult the gods?” the priest of Pelor spoke up. “I have a simple divination at my disposal.”
Everyone nodded.
The priest kneeled and prayed. “Exalted Dravot, defender of the innocent and smiter of demons, revered son of Pelor, Lightbringer and Healer, show us the way. What of our fate should we surrender the town?”
The clouds broke, and a ray of bright sunshine covered the priest in a bright yellow glow for a moment, then faded.
He stood up. “That means ‘weal’.”
That helped, but the Mayor was still hesitant. “You’re asking a lot,” he said to us.
“What choices do you have? The walls may hold the demons back, but that’s no victory,” she said.
“None. None at all. There’s nothing worse that can happen. If it fails, we fight our last stand,” the Mayor sighed.
The Mayor and Astrid climbed a narrow stairway to a small observation post on the wall. The full demon army was arrayed outside the town on all sides.
The Mayor stiffened himself then yelled out “Nabthateron!”
We could hear the demon lord’s voice in our heads. What? Have you decided to surrender? the mockery apparent.
“Actually, yes. Acting as the Mayor of Redgorge, we officially surrender. We will open the gate. You have conquered us.”
There was a long pause, then finally a reply.
I’m sorry… what?!?
“The town has been conquered. Nabthateron has defeated us and conquered the town,” the Mayor repeated, being almost overly specific.
There was another long pause, then a giddy, incredulous laugh we could hear from across the field. The laugh spread out across the demon army, as they all joined their lord in his mirth.
Then suddenly there was a different laugh. It was more hollow and empty, but there was a lot more of it. Across the field we could see Judges appearing at the outer edges of the army, brandishing their staves. They used them to banish the demons and while they didn’t swing them very violently some of the weaker demons were still killed just from the stroke. The demon army suddenly went silent, as it was melted away from the outer edges. The Judges faces were all stoic masks, but there was still a hint of enjoyment that was palpable.
Astrid looked out to Nabthateron. And she waved.
The demons were all returned to the abyss in mere moments and in a short time, Nabthateron stood alone, surrounded by Judges. Then a shadow blocked out the sun behind us, and a powerful presence appeared. He was a Judge, but much larger than the others. He hovered behind us, his wings beating almost carelessly. His mask was more stylized and etched in gold and silver. Instead of a staff, he carried a hammer. His wings beat once and he shot over the walls towards Nabthateron, who could only stand and watch. The hammer drew back and smashed down, and Nabthateron was smashed back across the planes to the abyss, save for a single lobster claw flopping on the ground. The large judge looked at it and smashed his hammer down, and it shattered into a thousand pieces that evaporated on the wind.
He looked around in what for a mortal would be called satisfaction, though the impassive face betrayed no such emotion. Then he hoisted his hammer over his shoulder and flew back towards the walls of Redgorge. Behind him, some of the Judges began fading out, while others flew off in the general direction of the Demonskar, presumable to clean up.
The Judge drew up before Astrid. “You have Our thanks, Bearkiller clan. I am known as Meltorannan. I am the head of the Judges. You have done a great services this day and ended a great evil. Thank your companions on Our behalf.”
He moved towards Krisfallion. “Thank you for your help. Be wary – there are other forces that we have not been able to deal with that are becoming involved in your affairs.”
“Ya mean like the Cagewrights?” Kris said innocently.
“Indeed. They skirt the edges of the Interdiction. They are not outsiders but they have dealings with them frequently. They understand the rules and know how to skirt around them. While I cannot guarantee that we can aid you in the future, if you seek me I will come to answer your questions as best I can. Mark my name.”
With that, he bowed deeply, and faded away.
There was a long, uncomfortable silence as everyone just looked at each other. Finally Elizabeth said “So, um… yay?”
The silence shattered and everyone started laughing. The tension melted away and the remaining townsfolk finally felt like it was over and they were safe. There was a slight discomfort among the Blue Tygers though – something about the victory felt hollow. But when you get down to it, it was still a victory.
Before long we found Jenya and returned Sir Alek’s body to her. She was very grateful that we brought it back all this way. “Hopefully he will decide to return,” she said.
“So what happened with the challenge?” Glyph asked.
“Thanks to your message I was able to intercede after sending out several messages of my own. The law is very clear – with the challenge rendered moot, Maavu could not be considered a traitor and therefore Captain Skellerang had no jurisdiction to siege Redgorge. He was forced to withdraw. His conduct saddens me. He was always a man of the law, but of late he has become twisted by it.”
Nearby Captain Skylar was talking to the Mayor and they seemed to come to some sort of arrangement. It seemed the Captain was uncomfortable with Skellerang’s orders of late. Skellerang was more than happy to butcher his way into the walls, and Skylar could not abide by that. He and some of his men had been thrown out of the guard for standing by their convictions. This is why they were in Redgorge when Nabthateron’s army came. But the Mayor had just asked him to become the head of the Redgorge guard, so some good came of it.
“The Blue Duke is a butcher, that bastard. The siege was underway until Jenya stopped it. Nobody would have won, but Redgorge would have fallen.”
“So here’s a question,” Elizabeth said. “Cauldron’s forces were here, then left. But why did Nabthateron attack now? Why not a week ago, or a month ago? What made ‘now’ special?”
“If we knew that, we’d know a lot more than we do I’ll wager,” Glyph said.
Nidrama, who had been silent most of the time, spoke. “I believe it is because you could have killed Nabthateron, had you the opportunity. And he saw you had Alakast. Once he knew you had escaped the desert, he was forced to move so he could conquer the town and not fight Alakast.”
“Is he that scared of Alakast?” Astrid asked.
“You misunderstand. Alakast is not just the name of the weapon but also the name of my brother who gave his soul to make it,” Nidrama said, a hint of sadness in her voice. She turned to Elizabeth. “If you wish, I can teach you how to reach him. There will be blood and there will be pain but in the end you will bond with him and both become stronger.”
Elizabeth nodded. “I would like that. He is… dormant. Not surprising after so long in the custody of hags and demons. But I think we have not seen the last of Nabthateron, and it would aid us all if Alakast awoke once more.”
“Then let us speak now. For the future, I rather like it here,” Nidrama said. “The walls are… comforting. I believe I will remain here for a time. Should you need me in the future, you shall find me here. Perhaps in the church of Pelor.”
The army broke up into more of a celebration, as cooks and innkeepers fell into their more comfortable roles. Nearly everyone left in the town gravitated towards some of the larger inns where the impromptu celebration got underway. It lasted late into the night and was a welcome reprieve. It felt good to be back on our own plane – you don’t realize how much it feels ‘right’ until you leave it.
In the morning – the very late morning – a bleary group of Blue Tygers packed up and, with the thanks of Redgorge, made their way back to Cauldron, accompanied by Shensen and the Strider brothers. Fallion asked the girls if they could make some time for instruction and they were happy to help with that. Ferun’s talents would require him to spend some time at the Academy however.
Even tired and slightly hung-over, they managed to make it back to Cauldron’s gates by sunset. They were let in without challenge, to the relief of everyone who was expecting more trouble. The tale of Redgorge had not yet made it back to town, so we were able to make our way to the Morkloth in relative peace and quiet, only hearing gossip about the disappearance of the Mayor on the way.
“The Mayor’s disappeared – had you heard?” the innkeeper asked as we sat down for some dinner.
“Yep,” Astrid said. And raising her mug she said “Could be the best thing that ever happened to this town.”
Zad
First Post
Ok random thoughts in no particular order.
We concluded on Saturday that Ikea furniture comes from the Paraelemental plane of particle board.
More seriously:
I'm a bit boggled by this part of the story arc. Not what we experienced - that was great. No, I'm boggled by the Module As Written. (MAW)
According to Wizardru, the entire battle of Redgorge takes place off camera. The PC's aren't involved. I'm not entirely clear on what happens in the MAW, since there's no Interdiction to save the town, but it's really disturbing to me. A demon army attacks, and you are off doing other things? The fact that the MAW brings you off-plane at a very bad time itself was a sticking point for me and one I ultimately only ended up going along with because that's obviously where the module was set up. But this was really wierd.
As it happened for us, it fit in neatly with the campaign world and let us act and be involved in what happened. But the idea of writing the PC's out of it really boggles my brain.
(For those that don't have the background: due to a big history with demon/angel wars, there's a set of rules called the Interdiction that limits the activity of outsiders on the Prime in this campaign world. It's been modified over time, and largely came into being in its present state in the former story hour/campaign. Short story is this: outsiders on the prime can expect to be thrown out very quickly by the Judges. They are a group of celestials charged with enforcing the interdiction. The diety Ralishaz - a god of the prime - is in charge of it all along with some key players on his team like Meltorannan. Mel was formerly an angel of Pelor's before events in the last story made him swing over. The rank-and-file Judges are a bit closed-minded and not really open to negotiation - they enforce the law as written. Higher ups can bend a little. So when you see a demon army, it becomes clear that there's a loophole somewhere. Knowledge of all this has only recently made it's way to these PC's but they're catching on fast.)
On a story-related note, I'm not sure what will be happening in the near future. I've had some trouble summoning the necessary muse lately to write the story and do a good job with it. I hate just dashing something off for the sake of doing it, so I'm in a bit of a quandary. Part of it may relate to the last adventure, which was frankly somewhat uninspiring. We'll see what the future brings. It's possible the story may go on a hiatus which I'm sure would disappoint the three or four people reading.
We concluded on Saturday that Ikea furniture comes from the Paraelemental plane of particle board.
More seriously:
I'm a bit boggled by this part of the story arc. Not what we experienced - that was great. No, I'm boggled by the Module As Written. (MAW)
According to Wizardru, the entire battle of Redgorge takes place off camera. The PC's aren't involved. I'm not entirely clear on what happens in the MAW, since there's no Interdiction to save the town, but it's really disturbing to me. A demon army attacks, and you are off doing other things? The fact that the MAW brings you off-plane at a very bad time itself was a sticking point for me and one I ultimately only ended up going along with because that's obviously where the module was set up. But this was really wierd.
As it happened for us, it fit in neatly with the campaign world and let us act and be involved in what happened. But the idea of writing the PC's out of it really boggles my brain.
(For those that don't have the background: due to a big history with demon/angel wars, there's a set of rules called the Interdiction that limits the activity of outsiders on the Prime in this campaign world. It's been modified over time, and largely came into being in its present state in the former story hour/campaign. Short story is this: outsiders on the prime can expect to be thrown out very quickly by the Judges. They are a group of celestials charged with enforcing the interdiction. The diety Ralishaz - a god of the prime - is in charge of it all along with some key players on his team like Meltorannan. Mel was formerly an angel of Pelor's before events in the last story made him swing over. The rank-and-file Judges are a bit closed-minded and not really open to negotiation - they enforce the law as written. Higher ups can bend a little. So when you see a demon army, it becomes clear that there's a loophole somewhere. Knowledge of all this has only recently made it's way to these PC's but they're catching on fast.)
On a story-related note, I'm not sure what will be happening in the near future. I've had some trouble summoning the necessary muse lately to write the story and do a good job with it. I hate just dashing something off for the sake of doing it, so I'm in a bit of a quandary. Part of it may relate to the last adventure, which was frankly somewhat uninspiring. We'll see what the future brings. It's possible the story may go on a hiatus which I'm sure would disappoint the three or four people reading.
Similar Threads
