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[ZEITGEIST] The Continuing Adventures of Korrigan & Co.
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<blockquote data-quote="gideonpepys" data-source="post: 6287212" data-attributes="member: 79141"><p><strong>Session 110 - Etiotek and the Huldregarl</strong></p><p></p><p>Ascodel managed to shrug off the domination of Thania the black fey vampire, but fearing its resumption he was forced to leave the dying Redcoat behind and take to the skies. Thania ordered Nbed to pursue Leon while she assumed the form of a cloud of bats and chased after Ascodel.</p><p></p><p>Leon found the blighted forest difficult to negotiate: there was no clear path and one needed only so much as brush the oily, black leaves and be coated with a nasty, necrotic substance that burned the skin. To keep moving, he did his best to spot a clear space through the gnarled branches before feystepping into it, repeating the process as swiftly as he could in order to make headway sufficient to avoid the pursuit he could already hear was gaining on him. When he misjudged a step, however, he found himself covered in more of the nasty, acidic goo.</p><p></p><p>Nbed had little or no trouble negotiating the terrain - he climbed easily through the treetops, moving gracefully and athletically despite his heavy plate armour. Leon did his best to hide, and almost gave Nbed the slip, but there were other, lesser vampires in the woods, answering Thania's call and they were coming from the other direction. When they spotted Leon pressed as close as he dared to a sticky tree trunk, they sent up a piercing cry and triangulated on him, along with Nbed. With them, pouring through the forest without hindrance, was a roiling swarm of oily black beetles.</p><p></p><p>Meanwhile, Ascodel and Thania were engaged in an aerial dogfight. She could not attack him in bat form, but overtook him, shifted back to her humanoid form and fell towards him, lashing out with her claws. Ascodel responded by flying away, whereupon Thania polymorphed into bats once again and gave chase. Ascodel descended back into the clearing and braced himself, intending to attack as soon as Thania transformed, to prevent her from gaining control of him again.</p><p></p><p>By now the vampire spawn were upon Leon. They raked him with their claws and, already badly wounded, he feared for his life. Then the oily mass of beetles joined them, belching itself over Leon and the vampires, biting each with a hundred mandibles, with a noise like ocean waves pounding against a beach of shells. Leon was staggered and fell to his knees, but the vampires, save for Nbed, were all slain. Strangely, Leon now experienced the same sense of deja vu he had on meeting Ascodel, Redcoat and Nbed.</p><p></p><p>From the midst of the swarm of beetles a small, bright green figure emerged, flying on diaphanous wings. Only a foot long, it looked like a cross between a man, an insect and a leaf; or an insect-man trying to look like a leaf; or a leafy man trying to look like an insect. In its forearms it clutched a tiny black bow, and an excited chittering issued from it (or from a few feet away from it), clearly audible above the noise of the beetles. Leon, who was instinctively raising his hands to lash out as best he could with some spell or other, realised that the strange chittering was directed at him and instead of attacking the black beetle mass, launched a spell against Nbed.</p><p></p><p>Although he could not intellectually comprehend the noises the diminutive green creature was making, they coalesced in his mind to form a clear understanding. It was warning him not to harm 'the Huldregarl', that it was a forest spirit enraged by the blight, and it would cease attacking any who it deemed no ally of the vampires.</p><p></p><p>Leon tried to respond, but Nbed was upon him and with a final thrust of his subtle, red blade, dispatched his quarry. The last thing Leon saw as he fell, was the beetle-wave form of the Huldregarl crashing over him to envelope Nbed.</p><p></p><p>To his surprise, Leon awoke just seconds later, with a lively tune playing in his ear. Not a tune from some man-made instrument, but a rhythm like that produced by a cicada, interwoven with artistic intent and arcane potency. Before he knew it he was back on his feet, thanks to his new-found ally: it had recognised his Mark of Passage and his fey blade and had aided him despite his devilish appearance. It said that its name was Etiotek Ekiokiet, or something that sounded very like it.</p><p></p><p>At once, Leon told the newcomer(s) that Nbed must be kept alive. He felt sure that the satyr could be freed from whatever malign influence Thania had exerted if she could be defeated or driven off. The little green sprite did its best to communicate this to the Huldregarl which was even now dashing itself against Nbed's armour and shield and knocking the satyr lord backwards. At length, Nbed fell unconscious and the three unlikely allies dashed through the forest to the clearing where they found an exhausted Ascodel who had managed to see off Thania. She had reverted to a thin mist and drifted away over the treetops.</p><p></p><p>Sadly, this was all too late for poor Redcoat, who had died of the injuries Nbed had inflicted upon him. Ascodel raised his sword when the Huldregarl entered the clearing, but Leon gestured for him to lower it. At once, the Huldregarl coalesced into another form entirely - a humanoid form of gnarled, oily branches like the rest of the forest: a twisted, blighted dryad with a shock of twigs for hair. Its arms were long enough for it to stalk on them like a great ape and it now approached Redcoat and pawed at him. There was a moment of silence before a green vapour emerged from the body of the Huldregarl and, while visibly draining the forest spirit, curled itself about Redcoat and infused him with life. The bear's eyes opened and everyone stood in silence for a time.</p><p></p><p>In the strangely intelligible chittering that formed his language, Etiotek told them that the Huldregarl was a mystery. The creature was a forest spirit from the furthest depths of the Upper Dreaming, driven from seclusion by the blight. It had attacked Etiotek too, when their paths first crossed, but Etiotek had managed to calm the creature with his 'music' and they had been traveling together ever since. The Huldregarl's motives were unclear, save that it attacked vampires, black fey and goblinoids on sight. For his part, Etiotek Ekiokiet declared himself to be the bravest and boldest of the reclusive twykmen who inhabited a great tree in the heart of the forest. When the blight first emerged, he was chosen by the elders to travel to the Oak King's Court. The Oak King was the guardian of the forest, Etiotek maintained, and would be able to tell them what to do.</p><p></p><p>At that moment Nbed entered the clearing. He was saved from Redcoat's wrath only by the form he chose to wear when he emerged from the forest: an elven warrior. The others blinked at him, confused, but when Nbed caught sight of the piles of dead and dying satyrs he abandoned the pretense of his illusory form and fell to his knees with a cry. Here were all of his subjects - all of the satyrs of the Upper Dreaming, who he had called to him to march under his banner and had been cruelly tricked and betrayed.</p><p></p><p>Ogres, dire wolves and a hill giant werewolf were now approaching from the army camp in the distance. Any outstanding question as to who was on who's side was answered when as a body, Ascodel, Leon, Redcoat, Nbed, Etiotek and the Huldregarl, attacked and slew these foes in short order. </p><p></p><p>There was need to make haste before more enemies arrived. They examined the heaps of satyrs and found that many were still alive. Some had died from wounds inflicted by black fey blades and quarrels; others from suffocation at the bottom of the pile. All were suffering from a slow and agonizing poison that disabled them and for which it seemed there was no remedy. Among the dead Leon found Dantes, and Ascodel found Drust, his other firbolg companion.</p><p></p><p>Redcoat could smell more bugbears and ogres approaching. They could stay here and fight wave upon wave if they chose to. But that would not solve the problem of the blight or bring them any closer to vengeance upon the culprits. Unwilling to leave his fellow satyrs in their sorry condition, Nbed made a point of slaying every one of those still living, with each death compounding the curse he swore on Thania and rest of those responsible. When he was done, and was covered from head to toe in the blood of his fallen people, the group departed, spirited over the treetops by Ascodel, in the direction of the Oak King's Court.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="gideonpepys, post: 6287212, member: 79141"] [b]Session 110 - Etiotek and the Huldregarl[/b] Ascodel managed to shrug off the domination of Thania the black fey vampire, but fearing its resumption he was forced to leave the dying Redcoat behind and take to the skies. Thania ordered Nbed to pursue Leon while she assumed the form of a cloud of bats and chased after Ascodel. Leon found the blighted forest difficult to negotiate: there was no clear path and one needed only so much as brush the oily, black leaves and be coated with a nasty, necrotic substance that burned the skin. To keep moving, he did his best to spot a clear space through the gnarled branches before feystepping into it, repeating the process as swiftly as he could in order to make headway sufficient to avoid the pursuit he could already hear was gaining on him. When he misjudged a step, however, he found himself covered in more of the nasty, acidic goo. Nbed had little or no trouble negotiating the terrain - he climbed easily through the treetops, moving gracefully and athletically despite his heavy plate armour. Leon did his best to hide, and almost gave Nbed the slip, but there were other, lesser vampires in the woods, answering Thania's call and they were coming from the other direction. When they spotted Leon pressed as close as he dared to a sticky tree trunk, they sent up a piercing cry and triangulated on him, along with Nbed. With them, pouring through the forest without hindrance, was a roiling swarm of oily black beetles. Meanwhile, Ascodel and Thania were engaged in an aerial dogfight. She could not attack him in bat form, but overtook him, shifted back to her humanoid form and fell towards him, lashing out with her claws. Ascodel responded by flying away, whereupon Thania polymorphed into bats once again and gave chase. Ascodel descended back into the clearing and braced himself, intending to attack as soon as Thania transformed, to prevent her from gaining control of him again. By now the vampire spawn were upon Leon. They raked him with their claws and, already badly wounded, he feared for his life. Then the oily mass of beetles joined them, belching itself over Leon and the vampires, biting each with a hundred mandibles, with a noise like ocean waves pounding against a beach of shells. Leon was staggered and fell to his knees, but the vampires, save for Nbed, were all slain. Strangely, Leon now experienced the same sense of deja vu he had on meeting Ascodel, Redcoat and Nbed. From the midst of the swarm of beetles a small, bright green figure emerged, flying on diaphanous wings. Only a foot long, it looked like a cross between a man, an insect and a leaf; or an insect-man trying to look like a leaf; or a leafy man trying to look like an insect. In its forearms it clutched a tiny black bow, and an excited chittering issued from it (or from a few feet away from it), clearly audible above the noise of the beetles. Leon, who was instinctively raising his hands to lash out as best he could with some spell or other, realised that the strange chittering was directed at him and instead of attacking the black beetle mass, launched a spell against Nbed. Although he could not intellectually comprehend the noises the diminutive green creature was making, they coalesced in his mind to form a clear understanding. It was warning him not to harm 'the Huldregarl', that it was a forest spirit enraged by the blight, and it would cease attacking any who it deemed no ally of the vampires. Leon tried to respond, but Nbed was upon him and with a final thrust of his subtle, red blade, dispatched his quarry. The last thing Leon saw as he fell, was the beetle-wave form of the Huldregarl crashing over him to envelope Nbed. To his surprise, Leon awoke just seconds later, with a lively tune playing in his ear. Not a tune from some man-made instrument, but a rhythm like that produced by a cicada, interwoven with artistic intent and arcane potency. Before he knew it he was back on his feet, thanks to his new-found ally: it had recognised his Mark of Passage and his fey blade and had aided him despite his devilish appearance. It said that its name was Etiotek Ekiokiet, or something that sounded very like it. At once, Leon told the newcomer(s) that Nbed must be kept alive. He felt sure that the satyr could be freed from whatever malign influence Thania had exerted if she could be defeated or driven off. The little green sprite did its best to communicate this to the Huldregarl which was even now dashing itself against Nbed's armour and shield and knocking the satyr lord backwards. At length, Nbed fell unconscious and the three unlikely allies dashed through the forest to the clearing where they found an exhausted Ascodel who had managed to see off Thania. She had reverted to a thin mist and drifted away over the treetops. Sadly, this was all too late for poor Redcoat, who had died of the injuries Nbed had inflicted upon him. Ascodel raised his sword when the Huldregarl entered the clearing, but Leon gestured for him to lower it. At once, the Huldregarl coalesced into another form entirely - a humanoid form of gnarled, oily branches like the rest of the forest: a twisted, blighted dryad with a shock of twigs for hair. Its arms were long enough for it to stalk on them like a great ape and it now approached Redcoat and pawed at him. There was a moment of silence before a green vapour emerged from the body of the Huldregarl and, while visibly draining the forest spirit, curled itself about Redcoat and infused him with life. The bear's eyes opened and everyone stood in silence for a time. In the strangely intelligible chittering that formed his language, Etiotek told them that the Huldregarl was a mystery. The creature was a forest spirit from the furthest depths of the Upper Dreaming, driven from seclusion by the blight. It had attacked Etiotek too, when their paths first crossed, but Etiotek had managed to calm the creature with his 'music' and they had been traveling together ever since. The Huldregarl's motives were unclear, save that it attacked vampires, black fey and goblinoids on sight. For his part, Etiotek Ekiokiet declared himself to be the bravest and boldest of the reclusive twykmen who inhabited a great tree in the heart of the forest. When the blight first emerged, he was chosen by the elders to travel to the Oak King's Court. The Oak King was the guardian of the forest, Etiotek maintained, and would be able to tell them what to do. At that moment Nbed entered the clearing. He was saved from Redcoat's wrath only by the form he chose to wear when he emerged from the forest: an elven warrior. The others blinked at him, confused, but when Nbed caught sight of the piles of dead and dying satyrs he abandoned the pretense of his illusory form and fell to his knees with a cry. Here were all of his subjects - all of the satyrs of the Upper Dreaming, who he had called to him to march under his banner and had been cruelly tricked and betrayed. Ogres, dire wolves and a hill giant werewolf were now approaching from the army camp in the distance. Any outstanding question as to who was on who's side was answered when as a body, Ascodel, Leon, Redcoat, Nbed, Etiotek and the Huldregarl, attacked and slew these foes in short order. There was need to make haste before more enemies arrived. They examined the heaps of satyrs and found that many were still alive. Some had died from wounds inflicted by black fey blades and quarrels; others from suffocation at the bottom of the pile. All were suffering from a slow and agonizing poison that disabled them and for which it seemed there was no remedy. Among the dead Leon found Dantes, and Ascodel found Drust, his other firbolg companion. Redcoat could smell more bugbears and ogres approaching. They could stay here and fight wave upon wave if they chose to. But that would not solve the problem of the blight or bring them any closer to vengeance upon the culprits. Unwilling to leave his fellow satyrs in their sorry condition, Nbed made a point of slaying every one of those still living, with each death compounding the curse he swore on Thania and rest of those responsible. When he was done, and was covered from head to toe in the blood of his fallen people, the group departed, spirited over the treetops by Ascodel, in the direction of the Oak King's Court. [/QUOTE]
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