JollyDoc's Shackled City: FINAL POST [Updated 11/2!!]
JollyDoc
Explorer
Ok, just to prove that the Update feature works as well...
FOUNDATION OF FLAME: JUXTAPOSITION
Dalthon slowly returned to consciousness by following the gentle sound of Jenya’s voice. Opening his eyes, he found himself lying in a comfortable bed in the master suite of a grand manor house. The high priestess sat nearby, holding one of his hands in her own. “Welcome back,” she said. “I know now that I have nothing to fear from the afterlife,” the sorcerer said wryly, as he levered himself to a sitting position. “I’ve been there often enough to become a familiar face.” Jenya laughed, and shook her head, “Ah, but it is obviously not your appointed time, my friend, or else I would never have been able to call your spirit back.” Dalthon nodded, then looked around in curiosity. “I see you and your clergy have found yourselves adequate accommodations to ride out the crisis. What of my companions? I trust they are not equally as fortunate.” “Alas no,” Jenya sighed, “and neither are my brethren. Every room of the manor is filled with wounded and displaced from the city. Your friends are still there. Their efforts this day have been truly heroic, but I fear they are far from rest. You are needed.” “As I expected,” Dalthon said in resignation. “No rest for the weary…or the dead.”
___________________________________________________
“This don’t look promisin’,” Rusty muttered as he and the Bright Axes faced the large mob gathered across the square. The companions had been in the process of clearing this particular block, when they’d heard the approaching crowd. Assuming it was just another band of fleeing refugees, they had moved to intercept the gathering, and direct them towards the evacuation route. Instead, they found themselves confronted with an angry swarm of townsfolk, brandishing clubs, pitchforks, and other makeshift weapons. Leading the band was none other than Keygan Ghelve, the gnome locksmith who had been imprisoned for his part in aiding Kazmojen’s slave ring. Apparently, the prison guards had become a bit lax during the current disaster.
“There they are!” Keygan shrieked as he spied his former accusers. “They are the ones responsible for this! Ever since they came here, plague after plague has struck our city, and now look! The volcano itself, dormant for all these centuries, wakens once more! It is because of their meddling! Death to the Bright Axes!” The crowd roared in agreement and began to surge across the square. The Bright Axes started to back hastily away, but the mob was in full charge. There was no escape. Suddenly, a blazing wall of flames appeared in the middle of the square, blocking the path of the oncoming horde. Dalthon had appeared from thin air before his companions, and now grinned smugly at them. “It looked like you could use some help.” “It looks like we still can!” Rusty responded, pointing towards the wall of fire. Heedless of the flames, the mob surged through the barrier, the people in front being shoved by those behind. Several fell screaming to the ground, fire engulfing their clothing, but from the alleyways and side streets around the square, more people came to swell the masses. “Gunther!” Rusty shouted. “Can ye think of anything? Now?” The theurge scratched his beard for a moment, then cried, “Aha!” Digging in his pouch, he produced what looked like an old cobweb. Muttering a few quick phrases, he tossed the thing to the ground. Instantly, a mass of sticky, rope-like webs erupted towards the mob, entangling their feet, cementing them in place. The throng roared in anger, and struggled mightily to free themselves. In the melee of pushing and shoving, many were thrown to the ground, becoming completely enmeshed in the webbing and then being trampled and suffocated. “We have to stop this,” Kiko cried. “They’re going to kill themselves!” The monk rushed forward, to the edge of the mob, and raised his hands placatingly. “Please,” he shouted, “you must listen to us! We are trying to help you! You must evacuate the city now! Your lives are in danger!”
“Don’t listen to him!” Keygan shouted from inside the horde. “He’s trying to lead you to your doom! It’s a trap! Seize him!” Before he could react, Kiko found himself grappled by dozens of hands, which pulled him into the midst of the mob. The crowd began beating and flailing at the monk, knocking him to his knees, trying to force him face down into the webs. Suddenly, there were cries of shock and surprise from some of the people near the edge of the crowd, and Kiko felt the crush around him momentarily abate. Then he saw what had given the rioters pause. Grimm stood well out of reach of the mob, swinging his chain around his head. He snapped it forward, drawing it back bare inches from the faces of the nearest townsfolk. Reflexively they drew back. “What are you waiting for?” Ghelve shouted. “He’s bluffing! He can’t kill you on the street in broad daylight! That’s not their way! He’s trying to hold you here, afraid, until the streets open beneath your feet and swallow you! Kill them!” Once again, the mob converged atop Kiko, slowly crushing the life from him.
“That’s it!” Tilly said, darting forward between Grimm’s legs before the half-ogre could stop him. “Enough playing nice! If these bastards don’t want our help, then let them burn, but they’re not taking Kiko with them!” Like a pouncing cat, the little rogue leaped on the nearest mobster, wrapped his legs around the man’s chest from behind, and then sliced his throat. The merchant collapsed with a gurgle, and Tilly was on to his next victim before the man hit the ground. Several more townsfolk fell to the halfling’s blade as he tried desperately to reach Kiko, but inevitably, he was overwhelmed. Several people grabbed him from all sides, despite his vicious thrashing and slashing. Clubs and fists rained down upon him, and he felt his vision going dark. Suddenly, people were being bodily thrown off of the rogue. He could hear a familiar whistling sound, and then the telltale whip-crack of Grimm’s chain, followed by the equally familiar sound of bones breaking and people screaming. It was only a matter of time before the relentless assault by the half-ogre, aided by Tilly’s lightning quick sneak attacks, and Kiko’s own, desperate blows for survival succeeded in killing or disabling the bulk of the mob. The survivors, including Keygan Ghelve, fled in all directions, casting looks of horror and hatred over their shoulders at the Bright Axes.
_________________________________________________________________
The companions worked in silence. Their guilt at having to slay so many of those they were sworn to protect threatened to overwhelm them. They went about their search and rescue tasks mechanically, urging the citizenry to evacuate, and always fearful of another mob scene.
At the edge of a narrow side street, they came upon a steaming fissure, lit from below by an ominous orange glow. Suddenly, the fire within seemed to surge, growing suddenly brighter and fiercer. A spray of lava spewed from the opening and spattered the surrounding buildings as a glowing appendage of flame erupted from within. A burning figure clambered out of the vent, howling in a voice that crackled and roared like an inferno. It was an elemental, a creature spawned by the very fury of nature itself. Like a striking cobra, it leaped forward, but Grimm’s reflexes were a fraction of a second faster. The half-ogre wrapped his chain around one of the elemental’s tree-trunk sized legs, instantly feeling the metal of the weapon grow hot in his hands, and yanked savagely, pulling the creature from its feet. The Bright Axes had battled such creatures before, and knew them to be quick and dangerous. Kiko and Tilly wasted no time in leaping to the attack. Tilly’s blades sliced thru the living flame that comprised the monster’s body, but seemed to do no visible damage. As for Kiko’s lightning-fast, hammer-like blows, the only one that seemed to take any damage from them was the monk himself, as his skin was scorched by the elemental’s searing heat. “Back away,” Grimm cried as he lunged forward, leveling a crushing blow from his chain across the creature’s body. The chain sank deep into the elemental’s fiery body, tearing loose huge gobbets of molten flesh. The fire elemental heaved itself to its feet, buffeting Tilly to the side as it roared in obvious agony. Grimm stood his ground, trading blows with the beast as it loomed over him. His companions surrounded the elemental on all sides, doing their best to support their friend. Finally, the behemoth roared out one last time, before collapsing into a bubbling, coagulating pool of lava.
_______________________________________________________
Night was falling and the Bright Axes were exhausted. It seemed that throughout the day, they had averted one near-disaster after another, only to find yet another waiting for them. They had managed to rescue a dozen or so townsfolk who had found themselves trapped atop a small lake of barely solidified magma, and then abruptly found themselves in the midst of an urban avalanche of debris and collapsing buildings, which had buried several more people. Some quick thinking, and split-second teleporting by Dalthon and Gunther had resulted in no loss of life. Now, as the deeper gloom of night settled over the cloud-covered city, the weary band made their way towards the main gates, convinced that the majority of the citizenry had been evacuated. Overhead, the strange, multi-colored lightning continued to flash between the storm clouds, yet still no rain fell.
Without warning, directly in front of Rusty, a body tumbled from the sky, landing with a wet thump in the middle of the street, splattering a large area around it with a copious spray of thick, black sludge. The creature was humanoid in shape, about seven feet tall, and possessed of overly long arms and legs, and a deformed, oblong head. Its skin secreted more of the tar-like ooze, even as its body shuddered twice and then lay still. This unfortunate creature seemed to only be the precursor of a full-fledged storm of falling bodies, as another dozen or so similar creatures began to tumble from the sky. They simply appeared in the air at varying elevations, crashing down through roofs, glancing off statues and walls, or simply thudding down into the street like the first. Unlike the initial victim, at least a few of these creatures seemed to have angrily survived their falls. Four of them slowly climbed to their feet, and stared around in momentary confusion. Then, their frog-like eyes fixed on the adventurers, and they began to snarl and howl, foam spraying from their mouths. “Grimm,” Rusty said tiredly, “now I’ve seen everything. It’s raining frogs.” “Those aren’t frogs, my friend,” Grimm replied. “They’re demodands…natives of Carceri. I’ve run across their kind before. They aren’t big on negotiating.” To illustrate that point, the quartet of fiends charged headlong towards the group, ravening and slavering like rabid dogs.
Kiko met the first one head on, dropping to the ground at the last minute, and sweeping his legs around in a wide arc, tripping the charging demodand, who went sprawling on its back. As the monk attempted to leap to his feet, however, he found that his leg was stuck fast to the creature’s skin. The tarry ooze appeared to have strong adhesive properties.
Grimm moved to intercept another of the fiends, and as he approached, the demodand began to hiss and spit as its flesh sizzled from exposure to the celestial light of the half-ogre’s armor. As the creature recoiled, Grimm’s chain bit deeply into its smoking hide.
“You know the drill,” Dalthon instructed, as he stood back-to-back with Gunther. “On my mark.” As a third demodand hurled itself forward, the two spell-casters unleashed a bombardment of scorching magic missiles.
Kiko and his opponent rolled over and over across the cobblestones, a tangled mass of flailing arms and legs. Though the raging monster’s claws and teeth were razor sharp, the monk was a blur of precise blocks and strikes. Again and again he found his target’s vital spots, and it wasn’t long before the fiend ceased its struggles, and Kiko was finally able to wrench himself free from its oozing skin.
Grimm’s celestial brilliance continued to roast his enemy, and the fiend found itself unable to bring an effective offense to bear. As it writhed and screamed on the ground, Rusty ended its agony with a solid hammer-strike to its skull. Grimm immediately turned his attention to the remaining two demodands. The one Gunther and Dalthon had enspelled was still reeling from the assault when the half-ogre reached it and quickly dispatched it. The remaining one managed to unleash a green ray of magical energy at Grimm before he could close with it. Instantly, the planar champion felt weak, his strength seeming to ebb, yet he had more than enough fortitude left in his sinews to snap the demodand’s neck with a flurry of strikes from his chain.
________________________________________________
“What in the Abyss just happened here?” Rusty demanded, kicking angrily at one of the dead demodands, then cursing roundly when his boot stuck to its tarry hide.
“I told you,” Grimm said calmly, “they’re demodands. They are native to Carceri. Isn’t it obvious? The Cagewrights have begun the Ritual of Planar Junction. They are trying to open a permanent portal. That’s why the volcano has awakened.”
“A perceptive deduction, my half-breed friend,” Gunther nodded enthusiastically, oblivious to Grimm’s glare at the term ‘half-breed.’ “Equally obvious is the fact that the ritual is not yet completed. The juxtaposition is still unstable. How else do you explain these random appearances? No, we still have time…but not much, I fear.”
“Maybe even less than that,” Rusty growled. “Look!” The dwarf pointed at the sky above a nearby rooftop. An immensely obese creature was flying in lazy circles there on bat-like wings that seemed to small to effectively support its bulk. Its leathery skin was knobbed, rough, and coated with a pale, green slime. Its bloated face was demonic and hateful. A crowd of cowering civilians huddled below the circling monster as it barked out orders in a thick, phlegmatic voice. The townsfolk rooted through the rubble of a fallen building, placing stones atop each other as if building some sort of structure.
“What in the Abyss is going on here?” Rusty roared again, this time at the massed citizenry. “What are you people doing? Get yer collective arses in gear and hightail it for the gates! Now!” The frightened villagers stared wide-eyed at the dwarf, then shifted their gazes to the flying demon above them, obviously unsure of which was the more fearsome.
“You there!” the demonic being shouted as he spotted Rusty and his companions. “Get to work! Start toting those stones!” The Bright Axes glared up at the demodand, fingering their weapons meaningfully. “So,” the overseer sneered, “troublemakers, is it? Well, we have ways of dealing with troublemakers.” The fat fiend waved its hands in wide circles above its head, and in a bright flash of light, two more of the foul creatures materialized out of thin air.
“Let’s make this quick!” Rusty shouted to his comrades. “Jenya promised me a pint when we finished our work here!” Booming out a prayer to his patron, the old priest called upon her holy power to smite the trio of fiends. All three reeled from the power of the divine force, and as they struggled to regain their senses, Grimm leaped into the air, aided by Gunther’s fly spell. He charged the original demodand, recognizing it and its reinforcements as kelubars, a breed of fiend that was found in a leadership position over the more unreliable farastus. Grimm dealt the fiend a withering blow, sending a huge gout of its ichorish blood pouring to the ground. The creature howled in pain, but instantly a cruel, calculating look came over its toadish face. Gesturing again, it conjured up a cloud of thick, acrid vapor that surrounded the cowering townsfolk. Immediately, screams came from within the dense fog, as drops of acid embedded in the mist began eating into their exposed flesh. Simultaneously, one of the summoned kelubars conjured a second acid fog cloud, this time to envelop the Bright Axes. Grimm watched as his friends were engulfed, all save Tilly, who managed to roll free of the deadly cloud at the last instant. The little rogue did not stay free for long, however. The final demodand added his magic to that of his kin, sealing Tilly and Grimm both in a third acid fog. Not only did the vapor burn Grimm’s flesh, but it also thickened and coagulated about him, restricting his movements severely. The kelubars were not so hindered. The very nature of their demonic heritage rendered them immune to the effects of their own magic. They moved freely into the mist, ignoring its acidic burn. Beams of green energy shot from their hands, striking Rusty and Gunther, sapping their strength. One of them moved in close to Gunther, and began slashing at the theurge with claws and dripping fangs.
Suddenly, as quickly as they had appeared, all three fog clouds vanished. Dalthon, thinking quickly, had managed to weave one spell of dispelling over the magical mists, removing them all in one swoop. Kiko sprang into action, leaping upon the nearest Kelubar, and pummeling it mercilessly, ignoring the pain in his hands as they struck the acidic slime covering the fiend’s skin. Though the monk’s blows did severe damage to the monster, it was the magical hammer of force that Rusty conjured above its skull that ultimately ended its threat.
The second kelubar found itself under assault from a steady stream of bolts from Tilly’s crossbow. Normally, the demodand would have laughed off such a pathetic attack, but as each missile sank into its doughy flesh, it burned like a brand. The cursed things were blessed! Realizing its danger, the fiend struggled to gain altitude, but a pair of the holy bolts ripped through the leathery skin of its wings, and it plummeted to the ground, snapping its neck with a sickly crack.
The last of the fiends was dispatched by Rusty as he followed Dalthon’s example and dispelled the magic that had summoned the beast, sending it back to its home in Carceri.
FOUNDATION OF FLAME: JUXTAPOSITION
Dalthon slowly returned to consciousness by following the gentle sound of Jenya’s voice. Opening his eyes, he found himself lying in a comfortable bed in the master suite of a grand manor house. The high priestess sat nearby, holding one of his hands in her own. “Welcome back,” she said. “I know now that I have nothing to fear from the afterlife,” the sorcerer said wryly, as he levered himself to a sitting position. “I’ve been there often enough to become a familiar face.” Jenya laughed, and shook her head, “Ah, but it is obviously not your appointed time, my friend, or else I would never have been able to call your spirit back.” Dalthon nodded, then looked around in curiosity. “I see you and your clergy have found yourselves adequate accommodations to ride out the crisis. What of my companions? I trust they are not equally as fortunate.” “Alas no,” Jenya sighed, “and neither are my brethren. Every room of the manor is filled with wounded and displaced from the city. Your friends are still there. Their efforts this day have been truly heroic, but I fear they are far from rest. You are needed.” “As I expected,” Dalthon said in resignation. “No rest for the weary…or the dead.”
___________________________________________________
“This don’t look promisin’,” Rusty muttered as he and the Bright Axes faced the large mob gathered across the square. The companions had been in the process of clearing this particular block, when they’d heard the approaching crowd. Assuming it was just another band of fleeing refugees, they had moved to intercept the gathering, and direct them towards the evacuation route. Instead, they found themselves confronted with an angry swarm of townsfolk, brandishing clubs, pitchforks, and other makeshift weapons. Leading the band was none other than Keygan Ghelve, the gnome locksmith who had been imprisoned for his part in aiding Kazmojen’s slave ring. Apparently, the prison guards had become a bit lax during the current disaster.
“There they are!” Keygan shrieked as he spied his former accusers. “They are the ones responsible for this! Ever since they came here, plague after plague has struck our city, and now look! The volcano itself, dormant for all these centuries, wakens once more! It is because of their meddling! Death to the Bright Axes!” The crowd roared in agreement and began to surge across the square. The Bright Axes started to back hastily away, but the mob was in full charge. There was no escape. Suddenly, a blazing wall of flames appeared in the middle of the square, blocking the path of the oncoming horde. Dalthon had appeared from thin air before his companions, and now grinned smugly at them. “It looked like you could use some help.” “It looks like we still can!” Rusty responded, pointing towards the wall of fire. Heedless of the flames, the mob surged through the barrier, the people in front being shoved by those behind. Several fell screaming to the ground, fire engulfing their clothing, but from the alleyways and side streets around the square, more people came to swell the masses. “Gunther!” Rusty shouted. “Can ye think of anything? Now?” The theurge scratched his beard for a moment, then cried, “Aha!” Digging in his pouch, he produced what looked like an old cobweb. Muttering a few quick phrases, he tossed the thing to the ground. Instantly, a mass of sticky, rope-like webs erupted towards the mob, entangling their feet, cementing them in place. The throng roared in anger, and struggled mightily to free themselves. In the melee of pushing and shoving, many were thrown to the ground, becoming completely enmeshed in the webbing and then being trampled and suffocated. “We have to stop this,” Kiko cried. “They’re going to kill themselves!” The monk rushed forward, to the edge of the mob, and raised his hands placatingly. “Please,” he shouted, “you must listen to us! We are trying to help you! You must evacuate the city now! Your lives are in danger!”
“Don’t listen to him!” Keygan shouted from inside the horde. “He’s trying to lead you to your doom! It’s a trap! Seize him!” Before he could react, Kiko found himself grappled by dozens of hands, which pulled him into the midst of the mob. The crowd began beating and flailing at the monk, knocking him to his knees, trying to force him face down into the webs. Suddenly, there were cries of shock and surprise from some of the people near the edge of the crowd, and Kiko felt the crush around him momentarily abate. Then he saw what had given the rioters pause. Grimm stood well out of reach of the mob, swinging his chain around his head. He snapped it forward, drawing it back bare inches from the faces of the nearest townsfolk. Reflexively they drew back. “What are you waiting for?” Ghelve shouted. “He’s bluffing! He can’t kill you on the street in broad daylight! That’s not their way! He’s trying to hold you here, afraid, until the streets open beneath your feet and swallow you! Kill them!” Once again, the mob converged atop Kiko, slowly crushing the life from him.
“That’s it!” Tilly said, darting forward between Grimm’s legs before the half-ogre could stop him. “Enough playing nice! If these bastards don’t want our help, then let them burn, but they’re not taking Kiko with them!” Like a pouncing cat, the little rogue leaped on the nearest mobster, wrapped his legs around the man’s chest from behind, and then sliced his throat. The merchant collapsed with a gurgle, and Tilly was on to his next victim before the man hit the ground. Several more townsfolk fell to the halfling’s blade as he tried desperately to reach Kiko, but inevitably, he was overwhelmed. Several people grabbed him from all sides, despite his vicious thrashing and slashing. Clubs and fists rained down upon him, and he felt his vision going dark. Suddenly, people were being bodily thrown off of the rogue. He could hear a familiar whistling sound, and then the telltale whip-crack of Grimm’s chain, followed by the equally familiar sound of bones breaking and people screaming. It was only a matter of time before the relentless assault by the half-ogre, aided by Tilly’s lightning quick sneak attacks, and Kiko’s own, desperate blows for survival succeeded in killing or disabling the bulk of the mob. The survivors, including Keygan Ghelve, fled in all directions, casting looks of horror and hatred over their shoulders at the Bright Axes.
_________________________________________________________________
The companions worked in silence. Their guilt at having to slay so many of those they were sworn to protect threatened to overwhelm them. They went about their search and rescue tasks mechanically, urging the citizenry to evacuate, and always fearful of another mob scene.
At the edge of a narrow side street, they came upon a steaming fissure, lit from below by an ominous orange glow. Suddenly, the fire within seemed to surge, growing suddenly brighter and fiercer. A spray of lava spewed from the opening and spattered the surrounding buildings as a glowing appendage of flame erupted from within. A burning figure clambered out of the vent, howling in a voice that crackled and roared like an inferno. It was an elemental, a creature spawned by the very fury of nature itself. Like a striking cobra, it leaped forward, but Grimm’s reflexes were a fraction of a second faster. The half-ogre wrapped his chain around one of the elemental’s tree-trunk sized legs, instantly feeling the metal of the weapon grow hot in his hands, and yanked savagely, pulling the creature from its feet. The Bright Axes had battled such creatures before, and knew them to be quick and dangerous. Kiko and Tilly wasted no time in leaping to the attack. Tilly’s blades sliced thru the living flame that comprised the monster’s body, but seemed to do no visible damage. As for Kiko’s lightning-fast, hammer-like blows, the only one that seemed to take any damage from them was the monk himself, as his skin was scorched by the elemental’s searing heat. “Back away,” Grimm cried as he lunged forward, leveling a crushing blow from his chain across the creature’s body. The chain sank deep into the elemental’s fiery body, tearing loose huge gobbets of molten flesh. The fire elemental heaved itself to its feet, buffeting Tilly to the side as it roared in obvious agony. Grimm stood his ground, trading blows with the beast as it loomed over him. His companions surrounded the elemental on all sides, doing their best to support their friend. Finally, the behemoth roared out one last time, before collapsing into a bubbling, coagulating pool of lava.
_______________________________________________________
Night was falling and the Bright Axes were exhausted. It seemed that throughout the day, they had averted one near-disaster after another, only to find yet another waiting for them. They had managed to rescue a dozen or so townsfolk who had found themselves trapped atop a small lake of barely solidified magma, and then abruptly found themselves in the midst of an urban avalanche of debris and collapsing buildings, which had buried several more people. Some quick thinking, and split-second teleporting by Dalthon and Gunther had resulted in no loss of life. Now, as the deeper gloom of night settled over the cloud-covered city, the weary band made their way towards the main gates, convinced that the majority of the citizenry had been evacuated. Overhead, the strange, multi-colored lightning continued to flash between the storm clouds, yet still no rain fell.
Without warning, directly in front of Rusty, a body tumbled from the sky, landing with a wet thump in the middle of the street, splattering a large area around it with a copious spray of thick, black sludge. The creature was humanoid in shape, about seven feet tall, and possessed of overly long arms and legs, and a deformed, oblong head. Its skin secreted more of the tar-like ooze, even as its body shuddered twice and then lay still. This unfortunate creature seemed to only be the precursor of a full-fledged storm of falling bodies, as another dozen or so similar creatures began to tumble from the sky. They simply appeared in the air at varying elevations, crashing down through roofs, glancing off statues and walls, or simply thudding down into the street like the first. Unlike the initial victim, at least a few of these creatures seemed to have angrily survived their falls. Four of them slowly climbed to their feet, and stared around in momentary confusion. Then, their frog-like eyes fixed on the adventurers, and they began to snarl and howl, foam spraying from their mouths. “Grimm,” Rusty said tiredly, “now I’ve seen everything. It’s raining frogs.” “Those aren’t frogs, my friend,” Grimm replied. “They’re demodands…natives of Carceri. I’ve run across their kind before. They aren’t big on negotiating.” To illustrate that point, the quartet of fiends charged headlong towards the group, ravening and slavering like rabid dogs.
Kiko met the first one head on, dropping to the ground at the last minute, and sweeping his legs around in a wide arc, tripping the charging demodand, who went sprawling on its back. As the monk attempted to leap to his feet, however, he found that his leg was stuck fast to the creature’s skin. The tarry ooze appeared to have strong adhesive properties.
Grimm moved to intercept another of the fiends, and as he approached, the demodand began to hiss and spit as its flesh sizzled from exposure to the celestial light of the half-ogre’s armor. As the creature recoiled, Grimm’s chain bit deeply into its smoking hide.
“You know the drill,” Dalthon instructed, as he stood back-to-back with Gunther. “On my mark.” As a third demodand hurled itself forward, the two spell-casters unleashed a bombardment of scorching magic missiles.
Kiko and his opponent rolled over and over across the cobblestones, a tangled mass of flailing arms and legs. Though the raging monster’s claws and teeth were razor sharp, the monk was a blur of precise blocks and strikes. Again and again he found his target’s vital spots, and it wasn’t long before the fiend ceased its struggles, and Kiko was finally able to wrench himself free from its oozing skin.
Grimm’s celestial brilliance continued to roast his enemy, and the fiend found itself unable to bring an effective offense to bear. As it writhed and screamed on the ground, Rusty ended its agony with a solid hammer-strike to its skull. Grimm immediately turned his attention to the remaining two demodands. The one Gunther and Dalthon had enspelled was still reeling from the assault when the half-ogre reached it and quickly dispatched it. The remaining one managed to unleash a green ray of magical energy at Grimm before he could close with it. Instantly, the planar champion felt weak, his strength seeming to ebb, yet he had more than enough fortitude left in his sinews to snap the demodand’s neck with a flurry of strikes from his chain.
________________________________________________
“What in the Abyss just happened here?” Rusty demanded, kicking angrily at one of the dead demodands, then cursing roundly when his boot stuck to its tarry hide.
“I told you,” Grimm said calmly, “they’re demodands. They are native to Carceri. Isn’t it obvious? The Cagewrights have begun the Ritual of Planar Junction. They are trying to open a permanent portal. That’s why the volcano has awakened.”
“A perceptive deduction, my half-breed friend,” Gunther nodded enthusiastically, oblivious to Grimm’s glare at the term ‘half-breed.’ “Equally obvious is the fact that the ritual is not yet completed. The juxtaposition is still unstable. How else do you explain these random appearances? No, we still have time…but not much, I fear.”
“Maybe even less than that,” Rusty growled. “Look!” The dwarf pointed at the sky above a nearby rooftop. An immensely obese creature was flying in lazy circles there on bat-like wings that seemed to small to effectively support its bulk. Its leathery skin was knobbed, rough, and coated with a pale, green slime. Its bloated face was demonic and hateful. A crowd of cowering civilians huddled below the circling monster as it barked out orders in a thick, phlegmatic voice. The townsfolk rooted through the rubble of a fallen building, placing stones atop each other as if building some sort of structure.
“What in the Abyss is going on here?” Rusty roared again, this time at the massed citizenry. “What are you people doing? Get yer collective arses in gear and hightail it for the gates! Now!” The frightened villagers stared wide-eyed at the dwarf, then shifted their gazes to the flying demon above them, obviously unsure of which was the more fearsome.
“You there!” the demonic being shouted as he spotted Rusty and his companions. “Get to work! Start toting those stones!” The Bright Axes glared up at the demodand, fingering their weapons meaningfully. “So,” the overseer sneered, “troublemakers, is it? Well, we have ways of dealing with troublemakers.” The fat fiend waved its hands in wide circles above its head, and in a bright flash of light, two more of the foul creatures materialized out of thin air.
“Let’s make this quick!” Rusty shouted to his comrades. “Jenya promised me a pint when we finished our work here!” Booming out a prayer to his patron, the old priest called upon her holy power to smite the trio of fiends. All three reeled from the power of the divine force, and as they struggled to regain their senses, Grimm leaped into the air, aided by Gunther’s fly spell. He charged the original demodand, recognizing it and its reinforcements as kelubars, a breed of fiend that was found in a leadership position over the more unreliable farastus. Grimm dealt the fiend a withering blow, sending a huge gout of its ichorish blood pouring to the ground. The creature howled in pain, but instantly a cruel, calculating look came over its toadish face. Gesturing again, it conjured up a cloud of thick, acrid vapor that surrounded the cowering townsfolk. Immediately, screams came from within the dense fog, as drops of acid embedded in the mist began eating into their exposed flesh. Simultaneously, one of the summoned kelubars conjured a second acid fog cloud, this time to envelop the Bright Axes. Grimm watched as his friends were engulfed, all save Tilly, who managed to roll free of the deadly cloud at the last instant. The little rogue did not stay free for long, however. The final demodand added his magic to that of his kin, sealing Tilly and Grimm both in a third acid fog. Not only did the vapor burn Grimm’s flesh, but it also thickened and coagulated about him, restricting his movements severely. The kelubars were not so hindered. The very nature of their demonic heritage rendered them immune to the effects of their own magic. They moved freely into the mist, ignoring its acidic burn. Beams of green energy shot from their hands, striking Rusty and Gunther, sapping their strength. One of them moved in close to Gunther, and began slashing at the theurge with claws and dripping fangs.
Suddenly, as quickly as they had appeared, all three fog clouds vanished. Dalthon, thinking quickly, had managed to weave one spell of dispelling over the magical mists, removing them all in one swoop. Kiko sprang into action, leaping upon the nearest Kelubar, and pummeling it mercilessly, ignoring the pain in his hands as they struck the acidic slime covering the fiend’s skin. Though the monk’s blows did severe damage to the monster, it was the magical hammer of force that Rusty conjured above its skull that ultimately ended its threat.
The second kelubar found itself under assault from a steady stream of bolts from Tilly’s crossbow. Normally, the demodand would have laughed off such a pathetic attack, but as each missile sank into its doughy flesh, it burned like a brand. The cursed things were blessed! Realizing its danger, the fiend struggled to gain altitude, but a pair of the holy bolts ripped through the leathery skin of its wings, and it plummeted to the ground, snapping its neck with a sickly crack.
The last of the fiends was dispatched by Rusty as he followed Dalthon’s example and dispelled the magic that had summoned the beast, sending it back to its home in Carceri.
R-Hero
Explorer
Great update.........................Hurry up and get to Ike.
Seriously, I really like how you described the combat with the 'mob' and just how aggravating it was to player and character alike.
The "Oh my god, they killed Dalthon" parley at the start. Shows how you can get used to anything if you do it often enough.
Also how one tracked mind Jenya and Co. was. "Hi Dalthon, we just wrested your immortal soul from the awaiting gods in the afterlife, but we need you to un-butt that cot now and get back to work."
Great update, but hurry up and get to Ike.![:]](http://www.enworld.org/forum/images/smilies/devious.png "Devious :]")
Seriously, I really like how you described the combat with the 'mob' and just how aggravating it was to player and character alike.
The "Oh my god, they killed Dalthon" parley at the start. Shows how you can get used to anything if you do it often enough.
Also how one tracked mind Jenya and Co. was. "Hi Dalthon, we just wrested your immortal soul from the awaiting gods in the afterlife, but we need you to un-butt that cot now and get back to work."
Great update, but hurry up and get to Ike.
Last edited:
JollyDoc
Explorer
Funeris said:Nice update JollyDoc..full of suspense, action, and stupid townsfolk manipulated by evil...what more can you ask for?
Welcome Funeris, and thanks for the commentary! As you will see, the Bright Axes will continue to take flack from those they are sworn to protect.
Myconid Sage
First Post
Nice update as usual. Thanks
Neverwinter Knight
First Post
Great job, JD! I especially liked your inclusion of Keygan Ghelve as mob leader. Pez really did give him a hard time...JollyDoc said:
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