demiurge1138
Inventor of Super-Toast
I dunno about the farming, but I've seen a lot of Knowledge (architecture) over the years. Good for bringing down buildings.Joachim said:
Demiurge out.
JollyDoc's Savage Tide-Updated 10/8!
Demiurge out.
demiurge1138
Inventor of Super-Toast
That may be, but at first level? Know (architecture) is what you have to work with. Once you get up there level wise, it can be left behind. As others are saying, it's a background skill that proves handy once in a while. Not the Knowledge I'd put max ranks into, certainly.Supar said:
Demiurge out.
Hammerhead
Explorer
Not really. I mean, there a lot of huge buildings where knocking down walls just won't do a thing, no matter how much damage your spiked chain may be able to do. But if you know exactly which areas to take down, then you can bring the entire building down too.
Plus, I think it should give you a synergy bonus to find secret doors.
Although the Coming Storm just illustrates what we already knew. Commoners are broken.
Plus, I think it should give you a synergy bonus to find secret doors.
Although the Coming Storm just illustrates what we already knew. Commoners are broken.
JollyDoc
Explorer
THE COMING STORM
The Sea Wyvern dropped anchor off the rocky shore. The rain was falling steadily by this time, and thunderheads were gathering on the horizon.
“Ye know we can’t wait fer ya,” Captain Terroli said as he watched Mandi and the others board the longboat.
“I’m well aware of that, Captain,” the elf witch replied coldly. “As I told you when we left Farshore, it is not necessary. We have other means of returning.”
The Captain nodded, secretly glad to have the wizard and her cronies off the ship. Heroes though they were, there was still something about them that didn’t sit easy with him.
The company was ferried to the shore, the rain driving harder at that point, and left there, staring at the mist-shrouded jungle and the forbidding mountains beyond. Lavinia had given her blessing for the expedition, reasoning that any such excursion that could reveal more to them about their strange new home would be worthwhile. She had even approved the use of the Sea Wyvern, though with the understanding that it was only a one-way shuttle. With the monsoons approaching, it would not be safe for the vessel to be at sea, and the colony could ill afford the loss of her. As Mandi had told the captain, the return journey was the least of her worries. Even finding the mythical temple Jeran spoke of was only a minor challenge. The location of the Lost Citadel was well documented. It would remain to be seen whether it was actually there when they reached it, and whether Jeran’s theory was correct as to its true nature.
The remainder of the day was spent slogging first thru rain-soaked jungle, and then up the slippery, treacherous slopes of the mountains. Finally, the sun broke briefly through the water-laden clouds as it set behind the western horizon, and the company found themselves standing at the mouth of a long, narrow valley. Its floor consisted mostly of a raging river of runoff from the storm that continued to lash the peaks. As quickly as the sun had appeared, it vanished again as a new rage in the storm broke. Thunder and lightning rumbled in the dark skies above, and torrential rain began falling in horizontal sheets. Then, at the southern end of the valley, where a moment before there had been only the stark, water-washed wall of the rising cliff, the air and rain danced with some sort of shimmering distortion. A massive edifice appeared from thin air, perched at the end of the vale as if it had always been there. A colonnaded temple of some strange architecture seemingly hung from the cliff face, the building rising upon itself in ever higher prominences. Atop the temple’s roof and looming over what seemed to be the primary entrance, was a great serpentine stone dragon of an unfamiliar species. It was a massive beast with wings spread and mouth agape as it stared down the valley. From the mouth of this wyrm fell a steady torrent of water as the runoff from the mountain was collected on the temple roof and redirected through sluices to the stone dragon’s maw. This torrent fell past the temple steps and added to the rushing flow on the valley’s floor.
As the companions stared in wonder, the great temple doors, behind a flowing waterfall of rain runoff, suddenly opened wide, and a company of mounted warriors leaped through the torrent, the hooves of their steeds seemingly gliding upon the water itself. Each of them wore exotic scale mail with demonic helms, and they bore cruel-looking scimitars, lances, and recurved bows. The skins of both riders and mounts looked horribly burned. With whooping war cries, they thundered along the surface of the river, lowering their lances as they spotted the Legionnaires standing agape at the valley’s mouth.
__________________________________________________________
The warrior crouched in the darkened shadows of the temple foyer. He had been sleeping, adrift in a sea of nightmares when he heard the shod hooves of the riders clattering on the floor. From his hiding place, buried in one of the many piles of bones, they could not see him. There were nine of them, mounted and standing before the great doors as if waiting for something. He could not imagine what. He had tried the doors himself on several occasions after his arrival and they always led to the same place…darkness. Still, it was obvious that the riders expected something to occur. The great, white apes, he noted, had retreated from their observation points, as frightened of the riders as all the other inhabitants of this cursed place. Including, he noted with shame, himself.
It had not always been so. He had once been a proud warrior and hunter, well respected among his tribe, though he chose solitude more often than their companionship. Though he was capable of great savagery, the innate viciousness for its own sake of his people disgusted him. They were little better than animals. Thus it was on that long ago winter’s day that he had been hunting alone, high in the peaks of the Spine. He had hunted those trails countless times before, so he had been shocked to find the temple where he knew there had been none previously. Shocked, and to his eternal regret, curious. He didn’t know how long ago that was. Time seemed to have no meaning inside the temple. He had not known hunger or thirst until now. Now, for some reason, he was ravenous. Instead, he’d known only fear…a feeling he had never been acquainted with before. The riders never traveled alone, and he had found that, in numbers, they were more than his match. The same went for the four-armed apes and their cat-like pets. Or was it the other way around? In any event, the warrior had learned quickly to stay hidden and restrict his movements. Thus, he knew very little of the temple’s actual design and layout, and had little desire to learn more. He simply wanted out, and it seemed that the opportunity might finally lie before him. As the doors opened, and the riders went forth, he crept cautiously onto the terrace and gazed upon a sight he’d not seen for a very long time…earth and sky. The riders were already well down the valley, but the warrior saw something else. There were others here, where he’d seen none before, and the riders were moving towards them. Moving towards them to attack, to victimize and terrorize them they way they had him. This day would bring many changes in the warrior’s life…starting with vengeance!
______________________________________________________
“They don’t seem very friendly,” Marius commented as the riders drew nearer.
“No, I should say not,” Mandi agreed. “Of course, that would fit all the tales I’ve heard of the Tuigan. Rapacious plunderers at best.”
“Then there’ll be no harm in my giving them a ‘warm’ welcome,” the warmage smiled, mirthlessly. Pushing back his sleeves, he began to cast. Fire was his stock-in-trade, and it was fire he conjured into the screaming teeth of the storm. A great ball of it engulfed the riders as they galloped across the water. As they emerged from the flames, however, the gnome could see that his magic had little effect. Perhaps their scorched flesh protected them from such things.
“Let’s try something a little different,” Mandi said, and then she too began casting. Suddenly, from the surface of the water all around the riders, erupted a small forest of writhing, black tentacles. The horses reared in a panic as the rubbery appendages began reaching for them. Quickly, and with deadly efficiency, the tentacles began wrapping around both riders and mounts, holding them firmly in place. Only one of the barbarians escaped their grip, though his steed was held fast. One horse escaped as well, though its rider was plucked from its back.
Lesser men would have panicked in such circumstances, but the Tuigan were apparently not such. At their shouts and spurs, several of their mounts wrenched free of the crushing tentacles, as did another of the warriors. Then, however, the black arms began to squeeze. One horse screamed as its ribs were crushed, and it was dropped into the raging water, carried briskly down river. Its rider struggled in mid-air, waved about like a child’s kite. A second rider burst free of his bonds, hacking at the tentacle that held him. He and his companion then spurred their mounts forward, out of Evard’s nest. In unison, they wheeled towards the land-bound Legion, but no sooner had they prepared their charge, than a volley of sizzling blue-bolts from Marius sent one of them sprawling into the rush of the river. At that same time, an audible snap sounded from the tentacle forest as the lead rider’s horse, and another behind it had their necks broken by the steady pressure of the crushing arms.
At that moment, Sepoto saw something that made him completely forget about the riders. Charging towards them, dressed in breastplate and brandishing an enormous axe, was a bipedal creature the size of a small giant. It had cloven hooves instead of feet, and a savage, bull-like head, with horns the span of a man’s arms from finger-tip to finger-tip. It was a minotaur, and it was coming right for them. Sepoto turned, readying his chain and bracing himself for the assault, but then he saw that the bull-man was not looking towards them. Instead, it was on a direct intercept course for the second free rider. As the man’s horse left the river, the minotaur struck, slicing the rider cleanly in two before decapitating the horse on the backswing.
“The enemy of my enemy,” Sepoto shrugged, but he kept a wary eye on the brute.
Over the next several minutes, the riders continued to struggle against the constricting tentacles. Time and again, one would break free, and time and again he and his mount would meet their death at the end of Sepoto’s chain or the minotaur’s great axe. Finally, only the leader of the raiders remained, and despite heroic efforts on his part to free himself, it was in vain. Marius and Mandi used their magic to pepper him with flames, sonic bursts, and magic missiles. All the while the minotaur seemed to be taunting the man, beckoning him and then slamming its chest with the handle of its axe. Ultimately, however, the leader lost his battle, going limp in the grasp of the tentacle, which then cast him into the flood waters.
With the battle over, Mandi dismissed her tentacular spell, and the group cautiously approached the minotaur.
“Greetings,” Mandi said in common, unsure if the beast would understand her.
The minotaur nodded.
“I am Ozymandia,” the wizard continued, “and these are my companions, Sepoto, Marius, Daelric and Samson.”
“Little tongues not say my name,” the minotaur rumbled. “Can call me Tower Cleaver.”
“How…appropriate,” Mandi said, smiling. “Do you come from the temple?”
Tower Cleaver nodded, “Trapped there. No escape.”
“Do you know how long you’ve been in there?” Mandi asked.
“Not sure,” the minotaur shrugged. “Found temple in Great Spine. Go in. Many creatures there, and bad riders. When try leave, only black outside.”
“I see…” Mandi said, pursing her lips. “So you know your way around inside? You could tell us where these monsters are?”
Tower Cleaver shook his massive head violently. “No. Not go far into temple. Four-armed apes and snake-head tigers too many. Riders everywhere. Tower Cleaver have to hide until he see riders leave temple. Follow. Now Tower Cleaver free.”
“Do you have any idea where you are?” Sepoto asked.
“Mountains,” the minotaur answered, “but not Spine. Warm here. Spine always cold.”
“Do you mean the Spine of the World?” Marius chimed in. “Icewind Dale?”
Tower Cleaver nodded enthusiastically.
“I’m afraid I have bad news for you,” Mandi said sadly. “You are quite a long way from home. You are on an island far to the south of your dale, and I believe the only way back for you is to come with us.”
“Come?” Tower Cleaver looked confused. “Come where?”
“Well, right now we plan on going back to the temple.” Mandi answered. “We have business there. After, you can return with us to our village and we will see what we can do about returning you to your mountains.”
“What if trapped in temple again?” the minotaur asked, obvious concern in his eyes.
“You’ll have us with you,” Mandi shrugged. “You’ve seen our powerful magic. We will be able to escape.”
Tower Cleaver seemed to ponder this for a moment, then stuck out one huge, shaggy paw. ‘This is the beginning of an interesting friendship,’ Mandi thought to herself.
_______________________________________________________
Shallow water, which cascaded from the mouth of the dragon statue above, swirled down steps that rose to a shadowed terrace at the front of the temple. The greenish stone building rose in sections to the sides and above, where it clung to the cliff face. In several places on the ascending roofs, huge beehive-shaped prominences of tarnished bronze lifted into the watery sky. These domelike roofs were covered in dozens of niches which held shadow-obscured statues that peered down upon any who stood before the temple’s entrance. Slender columns of polished stone rose fifty feet to support the overhanging roof of the porch itself. Sinuous serpentine dragon carvings twisted around the columns for their entire length. A faint tinkling came from wind chimes suspended high overhead, barely audible above the roar of the water.
The company skirted the eastern edge of the pool which fronted the temple stairs from the runoff of rainwater. There were no lights visible in the shadowed complex. Only the intermittent flashes of lightning overhead briefly illuminated the gothic façade. Tower Cleaver had volunteered to take the lead, since he was at least familiar with the temple entrance. As he began mounting the stairs, however, a sudden lightning strike dispelled the deep shadows of a large alcove he had not noted on his first foray into the temple. The light briefly revealed a huge creature crouched deep in the recess. At first glance it appeared to be a blue-scaled dragon, but as it uncoiled itself, it looked more serpentine, save that it sported four pairs of stubby legs along its sinuous body. The lightning faded, but was immediately repeated, only this time the bolt came from the mouth of the creature itself! The blast struck the minotaur squarely in the chest, hurling him back down the stairs. Marius immediately stepped around him, shouting the words to a spell over the cacophony of the raging storm. The monster’s eyes suddenly went wide in terror, as if it were witnessing its most basic fear. It tried to retreat back into its alcove, but abruptly it went rigid, then coiled itself into a ball, collapsing onto its side, dead.
“Did you forget about the behir hiding by the door?” Mandi asked angrily as Sepoto helped Tower Cleaver to his feet.
“Not see lizard when came before,” the minotaur said, either oblivious to the anger in Mandi’s voice, or unconcerned.
“Well, if there’s anything else we need to know before we stumble across it, I hope that you’ll let us know!” the wizard snapped.
Tower Cleaver nodded, then pointed towards the large, open valves of the temple entrance, concealed behind the waterfall cascading from the mouth of the carved dragon above.
“Strong water,” the minotaur said. “Tower Cleaver needed running start. Show you.”
Before anyone could respond, the brute had lowered his head and rushed headlong towards the deluge. As soon as he stepped into it, however, the force of the water slammed him heavily to the ground, then pushed him along the porch, down the stairs and into the pool below, where he immediately began to flounder. Mandi rolled her eyes.
“Give me strength,” she muttered, then she turned to Sepoto. “Do you think you can save cow-boy before he drowns?”
Sepoto smiled, and drew out a small wand. “Switcheroo!” he said, pointing it first at Samson and then at Tower Cleaver. In an instant, the minotaur lay coughing and sputtering on the flagstones of the porch, while Samson sank quickly below the surging floodwater. A moment later, though the dragon shaman soared into the air, landing deftly beside the group, an empty flask in his hand.
“How do you manage to do that?” Sepoto asked, tapping the flask. “Drink and hold your breath at the same time?”
Samson raised his head and pointed to the slit-like gills barely visible on both sides of his neck.
“Legacy of the dragon,” he winked.
“Maybe I should join this cult of yours,” Sepoto said.
As Sepoto helped Tower Cleaver to his feet a second time, Mandi stepped in front of the minotaur, and glared up at him.
“Let’s get something straight!” she barked. “If you are going to travel with us, you’re going to have to do things our way. Our way does not involve running blindly into a dangerous situation. This might be what you’re used to you, but need I point out where that tactic got you the last time you tried it? Stuck in a temple you couldn’t escape? If you keep this up, we may just forget our little bargain and leave you here forever!”
Mandi turned on her heel and went to stand before the waterfall.
“Little lady have sharp tongue,” Tower Cleaver rumbled.
“You don’t know the half of it,” Sepoto agreed.
After assessing the situation, Mandi nodded to herself then motioned Sepoto, Samson, Daelric and Tower Cleaver forward.
“I’m going to transport the four of you just beyond the doors,” she said, “then Marius and I will follow. The only problem is that I can only send three of you at once. That means you, Daelric, are going to have to be luggage.”
“Oh no!” the priest wailed. “Not again! Why do I always have to get into the bag?”
“Because you don’t have a weapon, and you can’t fight worth a damn even if you did!” Mandi retorted. “But you do have your skills, and if there’s more trouble in there that our bull-headed friend neglected to mention, those skills might be needed. Into the sack!”
Sepoto grinned as he held out the large, apparently empty sack.
“How small man fit into smaller sack?” Tower Cleaver asked, scratching his head.
“Magic,” Sepoto replied cryptically. Illustrating this, Daelric stepped into the bag, drawing it up past his waist, shoulders, and finally his head. When they were ready, Mandi spoke the words to her spell, and whisked them forward a dozen feet inside the temple.
They found themselves in a cavernous hall, which stretched away to either side. Four stone-railed balconies, staggered at different heights, flanked a pair of large, bronze double doors which stood in the center of the north wall. Serpentine-carved columns stretched up to the ceiling sixty feet overhead. The floor of the chamber was cluttered with bits of rubble and cobweb-shrouded skeletons pushed to the edges and corners. No sooner had the trio appeared, than a deafening roar sounded from one of the lower balconies. Standing there was a massive, white-furred ape with four large arms. Gripped in one of its huge paws was a sizeable chunk of broken marble. The beast hefted it threateningly as it roared again.
“Four-armed monkeys,” Sepoto sighed, remembering Tower Cleaver’s warning. Just then, Mandi and Marius popped into view behind the warriors, and Sepoto quickly upended the bag he held, dumping Daelric unceremoniously onto the floor.
“Bad monkey!” Tower Cleaver suddenly shouted, hefting his axe and charging across the rubble-strewn floor.
“Not again,” Sepoto said, shaking his head.
With Tower Cleaver’s height, his head was just level with the top of the balcony upon with the girallon stood, which gave his long arms more than enough space to swing his axe. As he did, the head of the weapon burst into flames, sawing into the girallon’s leg. The animal howled in pain, and then reached down with one massive paw and raked its talons across the minotaur’s face. At that moment, a second ape appeared on the balcony behind and ten-feet above Tower Cleaver.
“For the love of all that is holy, will somebody help him before he gets himself killed?” Mandi asked in exasperation. “Not that that would necessarily be a bad thing.”
Sepoto and Samson each quaffed elixirs and rose into the air. At the same time, Marius hurled a sparking orb of flames at the lower girallon. The creature backed up, batting at its smoldering fur. As it lowered its guard, Tower Cleaver buried his axe blade in its forehead, and wrenched it off the balcony. By that time, Samson had reached the second ape and loosed his acrid breath upon it. The girallon roared, batting at the goblin and sending him tumbling head-over-heels. Just then, three searing beams of fire lanced from Mandi’s hand, striking the ape in the head, chest and groin. Silently, it tumbled off its perch as well.
“So this is as far as you came?” Mandi asked Tower Cleaver, standing with her hands on her hips and glaring up at him.
“Climbed balcony once,” he answered, nodding to the lower one. “More white apes there, and snake-head tigers.”
“I see,” Mandi said. “And what about those doors? Did you ever look in there?”
“No,” Cleaver said, shaking his head. “Afraid.”
“Well then, I guess since we already know what’s above, I suggest we continue our explorations elsewhere,” the elf wizard announced. “Does anyone have a problem with not wasting our resources on semi-sentient apes, and instead go on about finding what we were sent here to find?”
None of the others disagreed, and so Sepoto and Cleaver each grabbed one of the massive door handles and heaved.
Beyond the doors they found a long hall which rose in a succession of wide flights of stairs. The ceiling, twenty feet above, rose smoothly along with the floor. A blue radiance from thousands of short gray candles that burned with eerie blue flames lit the hall. The candles were set all across the floors and steps of the hall, which left only a narrow, cleared path down the center. A pair of terra-cotta statues of warriors dressed in strange armor flanked a set of doors at the far end of the hall.
Cleaver, Sepoto and Samson took the lead again, moving warily up the corridor. When they reached the bottom of the first set of stairs, however, there was an audible click as Cleaver set his hoof upon the first riser.
“Oops,” the minotaur said.
Instantly, the ceiling above the trio creased in the middle and swung down on great hinges in twenty-foot long sections from either side, smashing together like clapping hands in the center of the hall. Samson saw the trap coming and crouched low, the ceiling panels passing inches above his head. Sepoto and Cleaver were not so lucky. The panels rose up after they struck, locking themselves back into place. Blood flowed freely from the noses of both warriors, and several ugly, purple bruises sprouted like daisies all over their bodies. They staggered back, stricken, towards their companions. Quickly, Daelric set to work stanching the blood flow and mending cracked ribs.
“Hmm,” Mandi observed. “Perhaps the devil-you-know is the wiser choice after all.
Abandoning the trapped hall for the time, the group returned to the entrance hall, where Cleaver boosted the others up onto the lower balcony before climbing up himself. They made their way up a short flight of stairs to a landing. To their right they saw the second, higher balcony looking out over the entrance. To their left, a hall wound around a corner. Tower Cleaver proceeded forward cautiously, knowing what they would find. He entered a bare chamber, with a ceiling sixty-feet overhead. Mounds of debris, animal fur, droppings and bones were obvious indications that several creatures normally inhabited the area. The air was foul, and standing around the chamber were three more girallons, teeth bared and claws flexing.
The nearest ape charged towards the minotaur, hitting him head-on and ripping at him with its talons. Marius quickly stepped around the corner, safely behind Cleaver and tossed a pea-sized ball of fire into the chamber. When it detonated, the flames engulfed all three of the girallons, leaving the minotaur untouched. Burned horribly, the apes nonetheless kept coming, determined to defend their territory. Samson entered next, flying between Cleaver’s legs and breathing on the two rear girallons, causing them to hesitate briefly in their charge as they clawed at their burning flesh. That moment was all Sepoto needed. He shoved his way past Cleaver, and calling upon Savras’ power, plunged his chain into the next ape in line, where it exploded in blinding white light. The four-armed ape collapsed like a small oak. At that same moment, Tower Cleaver shoved his assailant back, then cleaved it from head to crotch with his axe.
A low hissing, and feline-like growling suddenly filled the room. From an archway at the opposite side, two creatures slunk into the chamber. They vaguely resembled great leopards with yellowish fur and teal spots, yet even casual inspection revealed their magical nature. A swarm of six hissing snakes writhed from the shoulders of each, and their long, sleek tails ended in scaly protrusions like that of rattlesnakes. One of the creatures padded quickly across the room, opening its mouth wide as it came. From its throat came a cloud of greenish-yellow smoke. As it washed over the Legionnaires in the room, each of them felt extremely drowsy. Tower Cleaver yawned hugely, then sagged to the floor, asleep. Instantly, the remaining girallon was upon him, ripping his throat out with its teeth and claws.
“No!” Marius shouted, immolating the ape with a column of white fire. Samson flew towards the first feline, hammering at it with his morningstar. The beast reared up on its back feet to strike, but as it did so, a wave of sound crushed its chest as Mandi unleashed her magic. It was flung into the far wall where it slid to the floor, twitching. The second beast, however, pounced on the dragon shaman so quickly that he had no time to move. In rapid succession, four of its snake heads sank their fangs into the goblin, and Samson felt instantly weak, barely able to hold his weapon up.
Daelric, cloaked in invisibility from the ring that he wore, slipped quietly into the room, making his way over to the bloodied form of the minotaur. There was no question that Cleaver was dead, but the priest knew that his soul had not yet departed. Chanting a prayer quickly, he laid his hands upon the warrior, commanding his soul to remain. A huge breath wracked the minotaur as life returned to his flesh, yet he still remained unconscious. Daelric prayed again, calling upon his most powerful healing spells to mend the minotaur’s wounds. Opening his eyes with a snort, Cleaver surged to his feet, looking for something to kill. His eyes locked on the last feline, and with a roar, he leaped at it. It opened its mouth to breathe its soporific breath, but Cleaver unhinged its lower jaw from its upper with a lateral swing of his axe.
The Sea Wyvern dropped anchor off the rocky shore. The rain was falling steadily by this time, and thunderheads were gathering on the horizon.
“Ye know we can’t wait fer ya,” Captain Terroli said as he watched Mandi and the others board the longboat.
“I’m well aware of that, Captain,” the elf witch replied coldly. “As I told you when we left Farshore, it is not necessary. We have other means of returning.”
The Captain nodded, secretly glad to have the wizard and her cronies off the ship. Heroes though they were, there was still something about them that didn’t sit easy with him.
The company was ferried to the shore, the rain driving harder at that point, and left there, staring at the mist-shrouded jungle and the forbidding mountains beyond. Lavinia had given her blessing for the expedition, reasoning that any such excursion that could reveal more to them about their strange new home would be worthwhile. She had even approved the use of the Sea Wyvern, though with the understanding that it was only a one-way shuttle. With the monsoons approaching, it would not be safe for the vessel to be at sea, and the colony could ill afford the loss of her. As Mandi had told the captain, the return journey was the least of her worries. Even finding the mythical temple Jeran spoke of was only a minor challenge. The location of the Lost Citadel was well documented. It would remain to be seen whether it was actually there when they reached it, and whether Jeran’s theory was correct as to its true nature.
The remainder of the day was spent slogging first thru rain-soaked jungle, and then up the slippery, treacherous slopes of the mountains. Finally, the sun broke briefly through the water-laden clouds as it set behind the western horizon, and the company found themselves standing at the mouth of a long, narrow valley. Its floor consisted mostly of a raging river of runoff from the storm that continued to lash the peaks. As quickly as the sun had appeared, it vanished again as a new rage in the storm broke. Thunder and lightning rumbled in the dark skies above, and torrential rain began falling in horizontal sheets. Then, at the southern end of the valley, where a moment before there had been only the stark, water-washed wall of the rising cliff, the air and rain danced with some sort of shimmering distortion. A massive edifice appeared from thin air, perched at the end of the vale as if it had always been there. A colonnaded temple of some strange architecture seemingly hung from the cliff face, the building rising upon itself in ever higher prominences. Atop the temple’s roof and looming over what seemed to be the primary entrance, was a great serpentine stone dragon of an unfamiliar species. It was a massive beast with wings spread and mouth agape as it stared down the valley. From the mouth of this wyrm fell a steady torrent of water as the runoff from the mountain was collected on the temple roof and redirected through sluices to the stone dragon’s maw. This torrent fell past the temple steps and added to the rushing flow on the valley’s floor.
As the companions stared in wonder, the great temple doors, behind a flowing waterfall of rain runoff, suddenly opened wide, and a company of mounted warriors leaped through the torrent, the hooves of their steeds seemingly gliding upon the water itself. Each of them wore exotic scale mail with demonic helms, and they bore cruel-looking scimitars, lances, and recurved bows. The skins of both riders and mounts looked horribly burned. With whooping war cries, they thundered along the surface of the river, lowering their lances as they spotted the Legionnaires standing agape at the valley’s mouth.
__________________________________________________________
The warrior crouched in the darkened shadows of the temple foyer. He had been sleeping, adrift in a sea of nightmares when he heard the shod hooves of the riders clattering on the floor. From his hiding place, buried in one of the many piles of bones, they could not see him. There were nine of them, mounted and standing before the great doors as if waiting for something. He could not imagine what. He had tried the doors himself on several occasions after his arrival and they always led to the same place…darkness. Still, it was obvious that the riders expected something to occur. The great, white apes, he noted, had retreated from their observation points, as frightened of the riders as all the other inhabitants of this cursed place. Including, he noted with shame, himself.
It had not always been so. He had once been a proud warrior and hunter, well respected among his tribe, though he chose solitude more often than their companionship. Though he was capable of great savagery, the innate viciousness for its own sake of his people disgusted him. They were little better than animals. Thus it was on that long ago winter’s day that he had been hunting alone, high in the peaks of the Spine. He had hunted those trails countless times before, so he had been shocked to find the temple where he knew there had been none previously. Shocked, and to his eternal regret, curious. He didn’t know how long ago that was. Time seemed to have no meaning inside the temple. He had not known hunger or thirst until now. Now, for some reason, he was ravenous. Instead, he’d known only fear…a feeling he had never been acquainted with before. The riders never traveled alone, and he had found that, in numbers, they were more than his match. The same went for the four-armed apes and their cat-like pets. Or was it the other way around? In any event, the warrior had learned quickly to stay hidden and restrict his movements. Thus, he knew very little of the temple’s actual design and layout, and had little desire to learn more. He simply wanted out, and it seemed that the opportunity might finally lie before him. As the doors opened, and the riders went forth, he crept cautiously onto the terrace and gazed upon a sight he’d not seen for a very long time…earth and sky. The riders were already well down the valley, but the warrior saw something else. There were others here, where he’d seen none before, and the riders were moving towards them. Moving towards them to attack, to victimize and terrorize them they way they had him. This day would bring many changes in the warrior’s life…starting with vengeance!
______________________________________________________
“They don’t seem very friendly,” Marius commented as the riders drew nearer.
“No, I should say not,” Mandi agreed. “Of course, that would fit all the tales I’ve heard of the Tuigan. Rapacious plunderers at best.”
“Then there’ll be no harm in my giving them a ‘warm’ welcome,” the warmage smiled, mirthlessly. Pushing back his sleeves, he began to cast. Fire was his stock-in-trade, and it was fire he conjured into the screaming teeth of the storm. A great ball of it engulfed the riders as they galloped across the water. As they emerged from the flames, however, the gnome could see that his magic had little effect. Perhaps their scorched flesh protected them from such things.
“Let’s try something a little different,” Mandi said, and then she too began casting. Suddenly, from the surface of the water all around the riders, erupted a small forest of writhing, black tentacles. The horses reared in a panic as the rubbery appendages began reaching for them. Quickly, and with deadly efficiency, the tentacles began wrapping around both riders and mounts, holding them firmly in place. Only one of the barbarians escaped their grip, though his steed was held fast. One horse escaped as well, though its rider was plucked from its back.
Lesser men would have panicked in such circumstances, but the Tuigan were apparently not such. At their shouts and spurs, several of their mounts wrenched free of the crushing tentacles, as did another of the warriors. Then, however, the black arms began to squeeze. One horse screamed as its ribs were crushed, and it was dropped into the raging water, carried briskly down river. Its rider struggled in mid-air, waved about like a child’s kite. A second rider burst free of his bonds, hacking at the tentacle that held him. He and his companion then spurred their mounts forward, out of Evard’s nest. In unison, they wheeled towards the land-bound Legion, but no sooner had they prepared their charge, than a volley of sizzling blue-bolts from Marius sent one of them sprawling into the rush of the river. At that same time, an audible snap sounded from the tentacle forest as the lead rider’s horse, and another behind it had their necks broken by the steady pressure of the crushing arms.
At that moment, Sepoto saw something that made him completely forget about the riders. Charging towards them, dressed in breastplate and brandishing an enormous axe, was a bipedal creature the size of a small giant. It had cloven hooves instead of feet, and a savage, bull-like head, with horns the span of a man’s arms from finger-tip to finger-tip. It was a minotaur, and it was coming right for them. Sepoto turned, readying his chain and bracing himself for the assault, but then he saw that the bull-man was not looking towards them. Instead, it was on a direct intercept course for the second free rider. As the man’s horse left the river, the minotaur struck, slicing the rider cleanly in two before decapitating the horse on the backswing.
“The enemy of my enemy,” Sepoto shrugged, but he kept a wary eye on the brute.
Over the next several minutes, the riders continued to struggle against the constricting tentacles. Time and again, one would break free, and time and again he and his mount would meet their death at the end of Sepoto’s chain or the minotaur’s great axe. Finally, only the leader of the raiders remained, and despite heroic efforts on his part to free himself, it was in vain. Marius and Mandi used their magic to pepper him with flames, sonic bursts, and magic missiles. All the while the minotaur seemed to be taunting the man, beckoning him and then slamming its chest with the handle of its axe. Ultimately, however, the leader lost his battle, going limp in the grasp of the tentacle, which then cast him into the flood waters.
With the battle over, Mandi dismissed her tentacular spell, and the group cautiously approached the minotaur.
“Greetings,” Mandi said in common, unsure if the beast would understand her.
The minotaur nodded.
“I am Ozymandia,” the wizard continued, “and these are my companions, Sepoto, Marius, Daelric and Samson.”
“Little tongues not say my name,” the minotaur rumbled. “Can call me Tower Cleaver.”
“How…appropriate,” Mandi said, smiling. “Do you come from the temple?”
Tower Cleaver nodded, “Trapped there. No escape.”
“Do you know how long you’ve been in there?” Mandi asked.
“Not sure,” the minotaur shrugged. “Found temple in Great Spine. Go in. Many creatures there, and bad riders. When try leave, only black outside.”
“I see…” Mandi said, pursing her lips. “So you know your way around inside? You could tell us where these monsters are?”
Tower Cleaver shook his massive head violently. “No. Not go far into temple. Four-armed apes and snake-head tigers too many. Riders everywhere. Tower Cleaver have to hide until he see riders leave temple. Follow. Now Tower Cleaver free.”
“Do you have any idea where you are?” Sepoto asked.
“Mountains,” the minotaur answered, “but not Spine. Warm here. Spine always cold.”
“Do you mean the Spine of the World?” Marius chimed in. “Icewind Dale?”
Tower Cleaver nodded enthusiastically.
“I’m afraid I have bad news for you,” Mandi said sadly. “You are quite a long way from home. You are on an island far to the south of your dale, and I believe the only way back for you is to come with us.”
“Come?” Tower Cleaver looked confused. “Come where?”
“Well, right now we plan on going back to the temple.” Mandi answered. “We have business there. After, you can return with us to our village and we will see what we can do about returning you to your mountains.”
“What if trapped in temple again?” the minotaur asked, obvious concern in his eyes.
“You’ll have us with you,” Mandi shrugged. “You’ve seen our powerful magic. We will be able to escape.”
Tower Cleaver seemed to ponder this for a moment, then stuck out one huge, shaggy paw. ‘This is the beginning of an interesting friendship,’ Mandi thought to herself.
_______________________________________________________
Shallow water, which cascaded from the mouth of the dragon statue above, swirled down steps that rose to a shadowed terrace at the front of the temple. The greenish stone building rose in sections to the sides and above, where it clung to the cliff face. In several places on the ascending roofs, huge beehive-shaped prominences of tarnished bronze lifted into the watery sky. These domelike roofs were covered in dozens of niches which held shadow-obscured statues that peered down upon any who stood before the temple’s entrance. Slender columns of polished stone rose fifty feet to support the overhanging roof of the porch itself. Sinuous serpentine dragon carvings twisted around the columns for their entire length. A faint tinkling came from wind chimes suspended high overhead, barely audible above the roar of the water.
The company skirted the eastern edge of the pool which fronted the temple stairs from the runoff of rainwater. There were no lights visible in the shadowed complex. Only the intermittent flashes of lightning overhead briefly illuminated the gothic façade. Tower Cleaver had volunteered to take the lead, since he was at least familiar with the temple entrance. As he began mounting the stairs, however, a sudden lightning strike dispelled the deep shadows of a large alcove he had not noted on his first foray into the temple. The light briefly revealed a huge creature crouched deep in the recess. At first glance it appeared to be a blue-scaled dragon, but as it uncoiled itself, it looked more serpentine, save that it sported four pairs of stubby legs along its sinuous body. The lightning faded, but was immediately repeated, only this time the bolt came from the mouth of the creature itself! The blast struck the minotaur squarely in the chest, hurling him back down the stairs. Marius immediately stepped around him, shouting the words to a spell over the cacophony of the raging storm. The monster’s eyes suddenly went wide in terror, as if it were witnessing its most basic fear. It tried to retreat back into its alcove, but abruptly it went rigid, then coiled itself into a ball, collapsing onto its side, dead.
“Did you forget about the behir hiding by the door?” Mandi asked angrily as Sepoto helped Tower Cleaver to his feet.
“Not see lizard when came before,” the minotaur said, either oblivious to the anger in Mandi’s voice, or unconcerned.
“Well, if there’s anything else we need to know before we stumble across it, I hope that you’ll let us know!” the wizard snapped.
Tower Cleaver nodded, then pointed towards the large, open valves of the temple entrance, concealed behind the waterfall cascading from the mouth of the carved dragon above.
“Strong water,” the minotaur said. “Tower Cleaver needed running start. Show you.”
Before anyone could respond, the brute had lowered his head and rushed headlong towards the deluge. As soon as he stepped into it, however, the force of the water slammed him heavily to the ground, then pushed him along the porch, down the stairs and into the pool below, where he immediately began to flounder. Mandi rolled her eyes.
“Give me strength,” she muttered, then she turned to Sepoto. “Do you think you can save cow-boy before he drowns?”
Sepoto smiled, and drew out a small wand. “Switcheroo!” he said, pointing it first at Samson and then at Tower Cleaver. In an instant, the minotaur lay coughing and sputtering on the flagstones of the porch, while Samson sank quickly below the surging floodwater. A moment later, though the dragon shaman soared into the air, landing deftly beside the group, an empty flask in his hand.
“How do you manage to do that?” Sepoto asked, tapping the flask. “Drink and hold your breath at the same time?”
Samson raised his head and pointed to the slit-like gills barely visible on both sides of his neck.
“Legacy of the dragon,” he winked.
“Maybe I should join this cult of yours,” Sepoto said.
As Sepoto helped Tower Cleaver to his feet a second time, Mandi stepped in front of the minotaur, and glared up at him.
“Let’s get something straight!” she barked. “If you are going to travel with us, you’re going to have to do things our way. Our way does not involve running blindly into a dangerous situation. This might be what you’re used to you, but need I point out where that tactic got you the last time you tried it? Stuck in a temple you couldn’t escape? If you keep this up, we may just forget our little bargain and leave you here forever!”
Mandi turned on her heel and went to stand before the waterfall.
“Little lady have sharp tongue,” Tower Cleaver rumbled.
“You don’t know the half of it,” Sepoto agreed.
After assessing the situation, Mandi nodded to herself then motioned Sepoto, Samson, Daelric and Tower Cleaver forward.
“I’m going to transport the four of you just beyond the doors,” she said, “then Marius and I will follow. The only problem is that I can only send three of you at once. That means you, Daelric, are going to have to be luggage.”
“Oh no!” the priest wailed. “Not again! Why do I always have to get into the bag?”
“Because you don’t have a weapon, and you can’t fight worth a damn even if you did!” Mandi retorted. “But you do have your skills, and if there’s more trouble in there that our bull-headed friend neglected to mention, those skills might be needed. Into the sack!”
Sepoto grinned as he held out the large, apparently empty sack.
“How small man fit into smaller sack?” Tower Cleaver asked, scratching his head.
“Magic,” Sepoto replied cryptically. Illustrating this, Daelric stepped into the bag, drawing it up past his waist, shoulders, and finally his head. When they were ready, Mandi spoke the words to her spell, and whisked them forward a dozen feet inside the temple.
They found themselves in a cavernous hall, which stretched away to either side. Four stone-railed balconies, staggered at different heights, flanked a pair of large, bronze double doors which stood in the center of the north wall. Serpentine-carved columns stretched up to the ceiling sixty feet overhead. The floor of the chamber was cluttered with bits of rubble and cobweb-shrouded skeletons pushed to the edges and corners. No sooner had the trio appeared, than a deafening roar sounded from one of the lower balconies. Standing there was a massive, white-furred ape with four large arms. Gripped in one of its huge paws was a sizeable chunk of broken marble. The beast hefted it threateningly as it roared again.
“Four-armed monkeys,” Sepoto sighed, remembering Tower Cleaver’s warning. Just then, Mandi and Marius popped into view behind the warriors, and Sepoto quickly upended the bag he held, dumping Daelric unceremoniously onto the floor.
“Bad monkey!” Tower Cleaver suddenly shouted, hefting his axe and charging across the rubble-strewn floor.
“Not again,” Sepoto said, shaking his head.
With Tower Cleaver’s height, his head was just level with the top of the balcony upon with the girallon stood, which gave his long arms more than enough space to swing his axe. As he did, the head of the weapon burst into flames, sawing into the girallon’s leg. The animal howled in pain, and then reached down with one massive paw and raked its talons across the minotaur’s face. At that moment, a second ape appeared on the balcony behind and ten-feet above Tower Cleaver.
“For the love of all that is holy, will somebody help him before he gets himself killed?” Mandi asked in exasperation. “Not that that would necessarily be a bad thing.”
Sepoto and Samson each quaffed elixirs and rose into the air. At the same time, Marius hurled a sparking orb of flames at the lower girallon. The creature backed up, batting at its smoldering fur. As it lowered its guard, Tower Cleaver buried his axe blade in its forehead, and wrenched it off the balcony. By that time, Samson had reached the second ape and loosed his acrid breath upon it. The girallon roared, batting at the goblin and sending him tumbling head-over-heels. Just then, three searing beams of fire lanced from Mandi’s hand, striking the ape in the head, chest and groin. Silently, it tumbled off its perch as well.
“So this is as far as you came?” Mandi asked Tower Cleaver, standing with her hands on her hips and glaring up at him.
“Climbed balcony once,” he answered, nodding to the lower one. “More white apes there, and snake-head tigers.”
“I see,” Mandi said. “And what about those doors? Did you ever look in there?”
“No,” Cleaver said, shaking his head. “Afraid.”
“Well then, I guess since we already know what’s above, I suggest we continue our explorations elsewhere,” the elf wizard announced. “Does anyone have a problem with not wasting our resources on semi-sentient apes, and instead go on about finding what we were sent here to find?”
None of the others disagreed, and so Sepoto and Cleaver each grabbed one of the massive door handles and heaved.
Beyond the doors they found a long hall which rose in a succession of wide flights of stairs. The ceiling, twenty feet above, rose smoothly along with the floor. A blue radiance from thousands of short gray candles that burned with eerie blue flames lit the hall. The candles were set all across the floors and steps of the hall, which left only a narrow, cleared path down the center. A pair of terra-cotta statues of warriors dressed in strange armor flanked a set of doors at the far end of the hall.
Cleaver, Sepoto and Samson took the lead again, moving warily up the corridor. When they reached the bottom of the first set of stairs, however, there was an audible click as Cleaver set his hoof upon the first riser.
“Oops,” the minotaur said.
Instantly, the ceiling above the trio creased in the middle and swung down on great hinges in twenty-foot long sections from either side, smashing together like clapping hands in the center of the hall. Samson saw the trap coming and crouched low, the ceiling panels passing inches above his head. Sepoto and Cleaver were not so lucky. The panels rose up after they struck, locking themselves back into place. Blood flowed freely from the noses of both warriors, and several ugly, purple bruises sprouted like daisies all over their bodies. They staggered back, stricken, towards their companions. Quickly, Daelric set to work stanching the blood flow and mending cracked ribs.
“Hmm,” Mandi observed. “Perhaps the devil-you-know is the wiser choice after all.
Abandoning the trapped hall for the time, the group returned to the entrance hall, where Cleaver boosted the others up onto the lower balcony before climbing up himself. They made their way up a short flight of stairs to a landing. To their right they saw the second, higher balcony looking out over the entrance. To their left, a hall wound around a corner. Tower Cleaver proceeded forward cautiously, knowing what they would find. He entered a bare chamber, with a ceiling sixty-feet overhead. Mounds of debris, animal fur, droppings and bones were obvious indications that several creatures normally inhabited the area. The air was foul, and standing around the chamber were three more girallons, teeth bared and claws flexing.
The nearest ape charged towards the minotaur, hitting him head-on and ripping at him with its talons. Marius quickly stepped around the corner, safely behind Cleaver and tossed a pea-sized ball of fire into the chamber. When it detonated, the flames engulfed all three of the girallons, leaving the minotaur untouched. Burned horribly, the apes nonetheless kept coming, determined to defend their territory. Samson entered next, flying between Cleaver’s legs and breathing on the two rear girallons, causing them to hesitate briefly in their charge as they clawed at their burning flesh. That moment was all Sepoto needed. He shoved his way past Cleaver, and calling upon Savras’ power, plunged his chain into the next ape in line, where it exploded in blinding white light. The four-armed ape collapsed like a small oak. At that same moment, Tower Cleaver shoved his assailant back, then cleaved it from head to crotch with his axe.
A low hissing, and feline-like growling suddenly filled the room. From an archway at the opposite side, two creatures slunk into the chamber. They vaguely resembled great leopards with yellowish fur and teal spots, yet even casual inspection revealed their magical nature. A swarm of six hissing snakes writhed from the shoulders of each, and their long, sleek tails ended in scaly protrusions like that of rattlesnakes. One of the creatures padded quickly across the room, opening its mouth wide as it came. From its throat came a cloud of greenish-yellow smoke. As it washed over the Legionnaires in the room, each of them felt extremely drowsy. Tower Cleaver yawned hugely, then sagged to the floor, asleep. Instantly, the remaining girallon was upon him, ripping his throat out with its teeth and claws.
“No!” Marius shouted, immolating the ape with a column of white fire. Samson flew towards the first feline, hammering at it with his morningstar. The beast reared up on its back feet to strike, but as it did so, a wave of sound crushed its chest as Mandi unleashed her magic. It was flung into the far wall where it slid to the floor, twitching. The second beast, however, pounced on the dragon shaman so quickly that he had no time to move. In rapid succession, four of its snake heads sank their fangs into the goblin, and Samson felt instantly weak, barely able to hold his weapon up.
Daelric, cloaked in invisibility from the ring that he wore, slipped quietly into the room, making his way over to the bloodied form of the minotaur. There was no question that Cleaver was dead, but the priest knew that his soul had not yet departed. Chanting a prayer quickly, he laid his hands upon the warrior, commanding his soul to remain. A huge breath wracked the minotaur as life returned to his flesh, yet he still remained unconscious. Daelric prayed again, calling upon his most powerful healing spells to mend the minotaur’s wounds. Opening his eyes with a snort, Cleaver surged to his feet, looking for something to kill. His eyes locked on the last feline, and with a roar, he leaped at it. It opened its mouth to breathe its soporific breath, but Cleaver unhinged its lower jaw from its upper with a lateral swing of his axe.
Neverwinter Knight
First Post
Not dissapointed at all with the newbie. I like TC already!!! Was it the good ol' Reviviyfy-Heal tactic that saved him in the end?
Mandy has really established her leadership by now. I guess the Legion can accept her cold eficiency better than the evil of Anwar's kind.
Mandy has really established her leadership by now. I guess the Legion can accept her cold eficiency better than the evil of Anwar's kind.
Neverwinter Knight said:
it was actually more the Revivify tatic daelric is the Favored soul variant out of Players hand book 2 so when he cast revivify it gives 15 temporary hitpoints it has actually been awesome having this variaint 3Xspell lvl in temporary hitpoints every time you cast a spell. Meaning if i cant reach you to heal you i can just cast a spell like elation or Shield of faith mass and give you temporary hitpoints.
JollyDoc
Explorer
SUNDAY NIGHT TEASER
1) The exploration of the temple continues with the slaughter of yet more girallons and kamadans.
2) Marius takes another step towards the dark(er) side as he slaughters helpless children (well, girallon children anyway).
3) Sepoto comes face to face with the granddaddy of all girallons...and is forced to retreat!
4) The group ventures out into the tranquil inner garden of the temple...and is promptly introduced to some of the local fauna.
1) The exploration of the temple continues with the slaughter of yet more girallons and kamadans.
2) Marius takes another step towards the dark(er) side as he slaughters helpless children (well, girallon children anyway).
3) Sepoto comes face to face with the granddaddy of all girallons...and is forced to retreat!
4) The group ventures out into the tranquil inner garden of the temple...and is promptly introduced to some of the local fauna.
