Agents of Chaos (Final Update!)

[the Jester]

A moment ago, Angel swung his blade and then disappeared. Let’s go back to that.

Angel has used one of his granted powers- the ability to timeslip. To those around her, it appears as if he has disappeared. To him, things suddenly appear as they will in a few moments, but frozen in time. He has a few moments while time “catches up” with him, and he wastes none of this time.

Angel rushes up over the wall, leaving the frozen tableau of battle behind him. It’s not getting them anywhere anyway. His burning blade and burning hand trail flames behind him as he dashes up the vertical wall to the top, then down the other side. An owlbear is at the base of the wall; Angel strikes it down as things begin to move again. He races into the hive itself: a cluster of small buildings, including some sort of a pen, and guard towers that look to have emptied out to meet the party. He rushes close enough to see that some sort of cattle is contained in the pen, and then rushes past for one of the buildings. It stands out from the rest- it’s constructed of stone, with arrow slits, while the rest of the hive’s low cluster of buildings look to be made of the same stuff as the walls, a chewed-up regurgitated wood pulp.

Things start moving around him as he looks in one of the arrow slits. An arrow whizzes out and whangs into his shoulder guard. He grunts and flings the doors open. A small group of undead, reeking of the grave, faces him. He chops them down. Behind the walls there is a building- the walls are an outer defense. Angel rushes into the building and finds himself attacked by a rowdy pack of hell hounds. Falchion flashing, he dispatches one, two, three, four, finally five of the beats, and the last two- one severely wounded- cower, backing into the building’s corners. Angel pulls forth a pair of collars and forces the hounds to submit.



Orbius, Sheva and Lester appear in a dark chamber, lit only by their own magical light sources. Across from them is a large, bloated formian, floating above the ground. Around it are four more of the tougher formians, and clustered around one area of the chamber staring at the ceiling are a quartet of trolls. Immediately our heroes are attacked.

“Maybe this wasn’t such a good idea!” shouts Sheva as she defends herself with both greatswords, the second pair of arms granted her by her cloak of Jerakai very helpful indeed. Orbius does something to Felix Optima Maxima as Lester casts a powerful spell of elemental Earth and drops straight down through the stone beneath them. He moves rapidly underground and sticks his head and sword arm out when he’s near the queen to strike at her. An instant later the ground covering him disintegrates as a green ray flashes from the formian queen’s antennae. Lester cries out in fear, and the queen follows up with a blistering black ray that shoots out and hits him. Lester feels his heart start to falter, but the elemental forces running through him throw the effect off and, although he suffers grievously, he survives. Then the trolls are on him.

Sheva starts tumbling forward, trying to reach the queen, while another huge earth elemental rises at Orbius’ command to defend our heroes. The creature starts battling the formians, smashing at them, but these formians are at least as tough as any of the ones outside. They fight back, scratching it slightly, but it’s obvious they’re outclassed. Unfortunately, they’re smart enough to realize it, and while one of them holds the massive rock creature back, the other bugs swarm onto Sheva.

Then horrible agony shoots through all three of the attackers as the queen casts a powerful spell that sucks all the moisture from them. Orbius, Lester and Sheva all scream in agony as the terrible wilting effect dries their skin, parches them, makes their limbs ache and their skin burn. Lester swings his sword from across the room at the queen and wounds open up on her. She gives out a dangerous hiss as ichor spills down her side.

Sheva vaults up next to the queen, fending off the other formians as best she can, and swings. Her teeth are gritted, her dried lips pulled in a rictus across her face. A mighty blow and the queen squeals; another and the bloated insect-thing falls.

The remaining formians and trolls fight hard, but to no avail, and soon Sheva and the elemental drop the last ones.

Outside, Horbin, Sybele, the Mayor, Jibber, the green slaad, and a dwarf who seems to have come out of nowhere, are holding the line against the rest of the formians, and finally Horbin smashes the last one down. They rush to the top of the wall- and see a large number of the smaller formian workers marching away from the hive, into the Spicewoods. “The queen must have been killed,” Zeebo says. Horbin nods.

Within an hour, our heroes have reassembled and begun looting. The dwarf apparently is someone who has been watching the formians for some time, and when it seemed that the party might be able to defeat them he through his own power in to try to weight the battle. His name is Morelan, and he’s a stone lord- an elementalist who has turned to the deep powers of the earth. Lester and he engage in a long conversation, at the end of which they decide that Morelan will serve as the L’s head priest here, where they will establish a temple to Earth.

Sheva and Angel find no sign of Reth Fire-Scarred, but the group does find a number of magic items, mostly from the death knight. They head back to Pesh City to identify items, rest and plan their next move.

 

[Angel of Fire]

Angel's thoughts on the Grey Brotherhood...

I think rather then:
Angel’s hand drops by his side. He’s heard of these guys before, if they’re associates of Sheva’s. They’re the Grey Brotherhood- and the old man’s right, thinks Angel. We do want to avoid any entanglements here.

Angel thought this:
They’re the Grey Brotherhood- if I do this for them, I might be able to keep them as a contact should I ever need their services........and I probably will with Law after us, thinks Angel. Plus, I think that bag has enough money to cover a small job like this.

I read through the story line….it’s really cool….there are some parts that I was confused about that it cleared up……that was useful …………

Angel

 

[the Jester]

In Pesh City, Horbin goes to a church of Dexter to meditate and pray on what has ocurred with Law. Meanwhile the items are identified. The death knight's powerful greatsword goes to Sheva and Angel sells its plate armor. There are also a magical chain shirt, gauntlets of ogre power, gloves that seem to have some sort of climbing magic, an amulet of natural armor, a bow with a very strong pull, a wand of charm person, and a magic lance.

Sheva is more concerned than ever about the whereabouts of Reth Fire-Scarred. She sends a sending to the other priestess of Coila but receives no response. Considering her options, she elects to call upon another one of her temporal powers. Gathering a bowl of water, she casts a time pool and attempts to scry back in time to the moment when Reth left Jibber.

Her first attempt fails, leaving her with a splitting headache, but the next day she tries again, peering as if through a silver mist. Slowly an image resolves in the shimmering water, and as if through a thick cloud, she can hear Reth speaking to Jibber. The slaad is making animal noises, clearly ignoring the priestess, but Sheva listens intently.

"It's settled, then," says Reth. "I go to the Mountain of Bile."

Sheva watches as Reth moves away from the slaad and the slaad makes faces, until the images shimmer into nothingness. Now she knows what her next move is, too.


Next time: Meanwhile, in Heaven.....

 

[the Jester]

In Heaven

Heaven is the perfect place. The skies are beautiful and the stars are ordered. The halos of angels fly across the sky like fast-moving comets. The plants grown strong and healthy, as do the beasts and animals. The souls of the dead- at least, those worthy of coming here after they die- are at peace; they know eternal bliss under the Light of Galador.

Even here, however, there are those who are discontent.

Alcar, the Angel of Food, has been on the outs for years now. He's spent several years in the Heavenly prisons, followed by several more spent working his way through the courts of Heaven. He was once a mortal elf himself, with a slightly different view of how Galador wanted things than the one accepted by the church hierarchy. Declared a heretic, he eventually went through a sort of celestial apotheosis, and now he wears the wings and halo just like the celestials born to the service of the Light.

But even here he's run afoul of rules and order.

Alcar has never been one to get caught up in the letter of the law; he's more interested in Good. And though he's been given several chances to get back into Galador's good graces, he's failed each time.

But not this time, he thinks grimly to himself.

His last court appearance gave him one more chance. He's had a quest laid upon him by the forces of Heaven... to break the curse, whatever it is, on Bile Mountain. To make the River of Bile run clean again. And by Galador, he vows to himself, he will not fail this time.

The last time he was given a chance to prove himself he was driven away by an old friend, who persuaded him to allow the adventurers he'd been sent to stop to accomplish their goal. If he hadn't done that, who knows whether the Conflict would be building so rapidly now? But in any event, the past is done; Bile Mountain awaits. He burns some incense of meditation and begins winging his way to the Prime Plane....





Next Time: The party heads towards Bile Mountain, which we get a first look at; a kitty; old enemies- will they be new friends??

 

[the Jester]

To the Mountain of Bile

The sky is overcast; it’s a warm summer day. The stink of the fish markets is heavy today in Pesh City. Business is heavy throughout the city, and it’s easy enough for Angel and Sheva to find a map that has Bile Mountain on it. A short trip to a cartographer and they have what they need: the location of the mountain.

Pesh is shaped something like a giant V; Bile Mountain is located on the northwestern arm, near the edge. It’s an infamous region; a river runs through it, and on the map it’s labeled the River of Bile from that point until it reaches the sea, where it pours into the Bay of Bile. After the party huddles over it to plan, they decide to use Lester and Horbin’s wind walk magic to travel the several hundred miles by evening. They gather their gear and prepare to leave.

It’s been a long time since I last really adventured, thinks Zeebo. His pulse quickens; the lifestyle has an excitement to it that thrills him, even though it also fills him with sadness. After all, he’s seen many good friends die along the way. Still, several of his old friends are here now, and that heartens him. His only concern is the lack of available companionship for relief on his journey- but then, there’s always Sybele.

Horbin feels his blood quickening too; his time at sea, as a ship’s priest, seems like wasted years now. He’s a combat medic- that’s what he’s always been. He’s slipping easily back into his roll after five years of absence. Even though none of his old friends are here, Lester somewhat reminds him of his old ally Anvar. This, in turn, reminds him that he has an obligation to return to the Temple of Elemental Evil and overthrow it. He’s seen the horrors within that place. He once infiltrated it.

Sybele still can’t get over the rich tapestry of scent she perceives now. She had no idea that the world could be this rich before she became a warrior of Chaos. Her bow has a musky odor that she loves, and she can almost taste the oil on its string. The fletching smells of birds- naturally- but she never knew that before. It’s an exciting thing to perceive for the first time; she’s giddy like she was as a little girl.

The group assumes vaporous form and rides the winds away to the north. The wind whisks them along at unbelievable speed; it’s exhilarating for all of them. Even at such fantastic speeds- Horbin guesses they’re moving about two days’ ride every hour- it still takes them all day to get there, and the shadow of the mountain has grown long as the afternoon has lengthened towards evening. But they arrive, flying in above the mountain like clouds, scudding in upon the wind.

Before them- below them- Bile Mountain squats like an otyugh, the land around it its dung heap. The land around it is obviously poisoned and unhealthy; the few scraggly plants on the land around the mountain look sick and anemic. A sweet river runs through the desert that leads up to Bile Mountain, and it flows in through a visible crack in the mountainside; but when the river emerges from the other side of the mountain it runs a sickly yellow, with froth like sea foam rolling atop it. It reeks. It has somehow become the River of Bile. The mountain itself sweats bile like sap from a wounded tree.

There is a small camp on the desolate field beside the last of the river as it pours cleanly into the mountain. A single individual stands staring at the hideous peak. He’s a tabaxi- a feline humanoid. The party approaches him cautiously, but several of them have met the cat folk before, so soon they have engaged in a parlay.

“Who are you?” asks Lester.

“I’m Captain Grumpy Fluffbottom,” the tabaxi replies. “Who’re all you?”

“I’m the Elementalist,” proclaims Lester, “and this is my friend, the Eye.” He gestures towards Orbius, who bows slightly. The rest of the group introduce themselves as well. “What are you doing here?” the L asks Grumpy.

“Well, a group of my people came to the continent of Dorhaus about ten years ago, following one of our great heroes, Hobbes. I’ve been exploring the region ever since- I’m something of an adventurer. I came here because- well, because I heard about it.” The tabaxi gives out a loud purr.

“Hmm,” says Sheva, “we’re here for reasons of our own, but it seems as though our purposes have intersected, at least for the time being.”

“Perhaps,” the tabaxi offers, “we could join forces?”

“Just what I had in mind.” The red-head in a chain mail bikini smiles.

The party and Grumpy chat for a little while and compare initial observations. “There’s no way in from above that I could see,” Lester reports. Attention turns to the river, and the great rent in the side of the mountain where it floats in.

Then there’s a flash of golden light from above them! A glowing radiance washes over them, and instinctively the group draws weapons. A form is descending from the clouds above- an angel of some kind. Angel’s jaw tightens; will he have another battle with a celestial? And then he realizes that he has met this one before.

“You,” Sheva says.

Alcar, the Angel of Food, alights before them, giving them a hard look.





Next Time: Oh yes, they have past history indeed! Will they fight now- or will they fight later? And what will they find Within Bile Mountain?

 

[Mathew_Freeman]

“Well, a group of my people came to the continent of Dorhaus about ten years ago, following one of our great heroes, Hobbes.

You are a funny man, Jester. The great cat people hero, Hobbes

 

[the Jester]

You are a funny man, Jester. The great cat people hero, Hobbes

...who was a pc in my campaign back in the 2e days, actually!

Unfortunately, the player is no longer in close contact with me, so he's not in the current group.

 

[the Jester]

Old Enemies

"It's you guys," the celestial growls at Sheva and Angel.

For an uncomfortable moment the air thickens with the threat of violence, then Alcar spots Lester. "Lester!" he says.

"Hey, Alcar," the L smiles back. "What are you doing here? You know these guys? You still got that backpack?"

Alcar frowns. "No, I'm trying to get it back... that's why I'm hear, to break the curse of Bile Mountain. And, yes, I know these ones!" He gestures angrily at Angel, Sheva and the Mayor.

"He attacked us before," Angel says grimly. His flaming falchion is in his flaming hand.

"Guys, guys," says Lester, "there's no need to fight!"

"Yes," interjects the Mayor. "It seems that we might be able to help each other this time. We aren't at cross purposes or anything."

"What are you doing here?"

"We're looking for someone," Sheva says. She's frowning.

"Don't double-cross us," Angel warns menacingly.

"Hey, he's an angel, he can't double-cross us," says the L. He smiles. "Me and Alcar go way back."

There's another moment of tension, then Alcar turns to study the crack that leads into the mountain. It's a jagged rent, about 30' across and 15' high. Water flows swiftly in through the gap. He beats his wings and alights, then starts winging his way in to the mountain's interior. The party scrambles to fly, spider climb and water walk after him. The stench of the bile wafts from all around them as they enter the passage. The walls seem to sweat beads of the foul yellow fluid.

They move into the mountain for several moments, then emerge in a huge chamber. The entire thing is full of murky bile; the clean water mixes in with it visibly. The cave is full of wisps of yellow vapor. There is an evil smell that pervades everywhere, and the ceiling is bare of stalactites or ornamentation. Along one wall, a narrow staircase ascends through a hole in the ceiling.

Alcar flies up towards it, intending to wing his way through it, but there's a sudden quiver of movement. Something yellow-grey and fluid oozes along the wall- and before he can react, it vomits a stream of bile at him! The stream bursts when it hits him, yellowish spray splashing the wall and stairs....



Next Time: Look, it's the Bile Monster template! Will Alcar and the party continue to get along? How long until they fight pc to pc? Stay tuned- the answers are coming!

 

[Mathew_Freeman]

Bile Monster template? Where? Link?

I'm enjoying these frequent updates, by the way. Thanks!

 

[the Jester]

Bile Monster template? Where? Link?

I'm enjoying these frequent updates, by the way. Thanks!

Homebrewed just for the occasion, but I may start a 'not for my players' thread somewhere and post npcs they've fought, new monsters and the like.