Agents of Chaos (Final Update!)

[the Jester]

Against the Immoths

"Wait!" Orbius cries as he casts tongues. "Don't attack us! We bring a friend of the elements!"

The party can still hear the ice creatures, and it sounds like they're casting spells. Sheva casts an area dispel to try to make them visible again, but to no avail. Cursing to herself, she draws out a blade and braces herself- then leaps aside as a crackling bolt of electricity arcs at her! She manages to evade teh blast, but another one shoots out and catches Horbin and Grumpy and some sort of frigid ray strikes Angel, doing terrible damage to him. He has a ring to aid him against it, but of course the Angel of Fire's acchiles' heel is cold.

The group scatters. They can't see any of the enemies just yet, but when Horbin casts another area dispel one of them appears with a cry of displeasure. Then Lester dives in and swings Felix Optima Maxima, smashing into it. The blow seems significantly dispersed by the creature's icy makeup, however; it is not nearly as severe as Lester would have expected. Then fire blooms all around the two of them as the Mayor's fireball explodes. The visible monster screams in pain and staggers back a step.

A horde of magic missiles flash into Orbius as the Eye casts true seeing. He staggers back a pace, but points and cries out hoarsely, "There!"

Sheva leaps forward and strikes, and even though she can't see the thing she manages to land a blow on it. Ice and water spray out from her unseen opponent like blood and gore. Another bolt of electricity shoots out, and Sheva and Angel are both caught in its deadly arc. Grumpy starts firing arrows at the spot that Sheva just hit, and then a pillar of flame whumps down on it as well! A horrible cry comes from the empty air, and for an instant the flame outlines a staggering giant form.

Lester and the one he's on are fighting back and forth, and Zeebo hastes Lester to improve the odds. Two of the creatures are still invisible, but Orbius keeps pointing them out to the party. The battle's ugly and fast, with the thunk of Felix Optima biting into ice counterpointed by the sizzle of an acid arrow hitting Orbius. Another lightning bolt shoots out of an invisible giant, catching Grumpy and Horbin, who steps back a pace to heal himself a little before moving to strike with his mace. Zeebo is backing further and further away, but as he does so he causes Angel to enlarge. Meanwhile, Grumpy suddenly gets a glassy look in his eyes and calls out, "Where are you, how can I help?"

The Eye casts a lance of disruption and there's a tremendous boom that seems to shake the entire room. Then Lester's blasting flame arrows at the one he's battling and it finally drops.

"Skoli!" cries a loud voice, enraged, from the air.

Two more lightning bolts zark out, both straight for Orbius. The divine oracle gives a strangled cry as they blast into him, but he manages to avoid most of the damage- and then he cries out again as the monsters both charge him! The creatures have piercing, stinging tails, a detail he hasn't noted til now; and he staggers back as the creatures lash at him, and one strikes home. The tail stabs him in the chest and pumps some sort of venom into the wound.

Alcar casts true seeing himself. He's had just about enough of this invisible crap. Another burst of flame from Lester drops the second creature, and the third one- now visible to Alcar- turns and starts running away. The angel spreads his wings and begins pursuing it.

"No way are you getting away," says Orbius grimly, nursing the wound the thing's tail inflicted, and casts Seeker Missiles. They shoot out and just into the hallway the creature is running for. There's an explosion of force and a strangled cry, and water and ice flies out. Alcar and Horbin both see the ice creature fall.

Alcar sees something else coming down the hall the giant had tried to flee down, too.

"Beholder!!" he shouts.



Next Time: Well, you can probably guess that our heroes are going to fight a beholder for real this time... but would you guess that they're gonna fight a beholder hive?

 

[the Jester]

Against the Immoths

Oops, double post!

 

[Mathew_Freeman]

A double post, but it's almost worth reading through again!

I like your style, mate!

 

[the Jester]

Beholders

"We should get out of here!" shouts Zeebo the Mayor, but there's no time.

The party tries to get it together- Grumpy's ready to attack and Angel seems to have disappeared, Horbin's healing people. Alcar can see the approaching beholder, so he tosses a sound burst, and for an instant he dares to hope that it'll explode like the fungus the group fought earlier; but the thing winces for a second, then flies forward, charging at Alcar! The angel feels his magical defenses all drop as the terrible central eye focuses on him, and then the beholder takes a bite of him. Alcar cries out in pain, raising one arm to shield his face. The sharp teeth of the orbular monster chomp down on his arm, rending and tearing. A few of its eyestalks swing to glare at the Lester, to its side, and there's a sizzling sound as three rays shoot out at him. The L eeks as the first ray misses. The other two catch him, though- one shaking his soul to its foundations and threatening to slay him instantly, the other attempting to put him to sleep. He throws off both, but the death ray deals terrible damage to him anyhow.

Horbin starts to cast a summons, but then Angel appears from nowhere, striking the beholder twice. Even using the Airsword he's a terrible foe. He slashes the beholder's body hard, leaving a long, deep gash in it. His next blow is a deadly accurate thrust to the central eye, and with that the thing dies.

The party pauses for a moment. They're all a little shaken by the encounter, even though several of them have fought a beholder before.

A quick search in the chamber uncovers a chest hidden in the rubble, but after a few frustrating attempts to open it the party realizes its shielded by some sort of force bubble- except for the keyhole. Norman and Sheva both try to open it and they both fail.

"We'll have to find the key," says Horbin.

The room has two exits, both openings leading to other rooms. One of those continues as the passage the beholder came from. The first room is large and long, full of broken jars of herbs, and several areas of the ceiling, walls and floor are strangely holed- as if areas had been disintigrated out of it. The other room is smaller in size and shape, and it also has blasted and disintigrated areas, but there are no herbs. Instead, there's a statue of a medusa.

"Turned her to stone," murmurs Zeebo. "Ironic."

"It's a good tactic," Lester remarks.

"Let's move on, then," Alcar says, and without waiting for a response he flies out the passage the beholder came through. The rest of the party pursues, Horbin grumbling. His premonition's back; this is gonna get somebody killed.

Alcar flies down a long hall. It ends in a door, and he throws it wide. He can hear the rest of the party not too far behind him. He's looking into a vast chamber; he can only see a portion of it. It seems to have many hollow tubes leading up and down from the floor and ceiling, as well as many partial walls and obstacles.

He doesn't know it, but Alcar's just stumbled onto a beholder duelling arena. In fact, as he glances around and the rest of the party catches up to him, two beholders rise up from behind a partial wall and fire their eye rays at our heroes, advancing.



Next Time: Horbin's premonition comes true at last!

 

[Lester]

In regards to whomever said that Lester is a hardcore adventure, let me just say . . . "DAMN RIGHT!"

When other party members are thinking about attacking the dungeon, . . . Lester already has a plan (or a reason why they don't need a plan!)

When other party members are standing around, contemplating if the party should rest . . . Lester ready to go for round 2, or 3, or 4 . . . and isn't afraid to call them sissies for wanting to sleep!

When other party members are worried about releasing unspeakable evil unto the world . . . Lester is thinking about how exciting it would be to save the world (and all its treasure!!!)

When other party members are busy applying their band-aids . . . Lester is already healed and is busy looting!!!!

Hurray for Adventure!!!

 

[the Jester]

Twenty Eye Rays Per Round...

Alcar prays to Galador as the two beholders advance, sizzling colored rays shooting from their many, many eyestalks. Blasts strike Lester, Orbius, Grumpy, Horbin, Alcar... things are happening fast! All the struck party members resist the eye blasts, but Alcar and Horbin both cry out as the beams leave terrible wounds. The Angel of Fire rushes to meet them, drawing his falchion. Horbin invokes divine favor while Zeebo hands off a potion to him, shouting, "Drink this!"

Then Alcar's flying at the beholders, his mace flashing. He delivers a terrific thump to one of them just above its central eye. An arrow whizzes into it from Grumpy; it fires a few blasts at him, two hitting, and bites at Alcar, tearing his flesh. It's central eye is glaring at the angel of Galador, and his mighty mace has ceased glowing. He's caught in its antimagic ray! The beholder shouts in a gutteral voice, "Destroy my enemies!" Grumpy draws another arrow and sites on Alcar, then lets loose, hitting him in the back. The other one continues to blast the party with crackling rays of magical energy. This time, a black ray strikes Horbin and he falls, face white, not breathing- dead.



Next Time: The Battle of Two Beholders concludes! Will the party survive?!

 

[the Jester]

Zeebo throws a fireball into the mix and hunkers down, trying to get as much cover as he can. He's terrified, as are most of his companions. He raises up to fire off another spell.

Another arrow from Grumpy whizzes by Alcar. The angel just grits his teeth and keeps thumping on the beholder. It's terrible teeth are ripping at his abdomen, but his hard body can withstand tremendous punishment. He swings, smashing his weapon into the monster's side. It roars and blood begins pouring out of its mouth. Grimly, determinedly, Alcar swings again. With a mighty crash his mace staves in the top of the monster's head! Its great central eye rolls up and its ten eyestalks go limp. The dead beholder hangs in the air like a flaccid balloon.

The other one roars in anger. Its eye rays are blasting everywhere, shooting at Alcar, Angel, Sheva. It's moving in on Angel, but this proves to be a terrible mistake. The servant of Coila slashes out with the Airsword, cutting into the beholder several times and inflicting horrible wounds. He stands in the glare of several of the eye beams and manages to throw off their effects. Horbin's corpse is in easy view.

The beholder looks like it might be about to reconsider; it starts to drift up and back, but a volley of magic missiles from Zeebo streaks in and blasts it from the side. The monster gives a great cry and goes limp.

The dust settles.

Alcar almost immediately raises Horbin from the dead.* Shaken by death, the cleric immediately bursts into a tirade. "And I'm not gonna just run off everywhere with you anymore!" he finishes, shaking his finger at Alcar. "You're gonna get us all killed that way!"

Angel announces that he's changing his name to Angelfire. He isn't the same person he was when Sheva and Zeebo first met her five years ago; she was a normal human then, looking for her father, Nigel. So much has changed since then: now she's a man, and fire runs in her veins. His skin is red, his hair the flickering orange of flames. "It's only fitting," he says.

The party's resources are badly depleted. Most of them have cast most of their spells, and everyone's a little wounded. After some healing, Horbin insists the group rest. Alcar and Lester press them to continue on, but Zeebo, Angel and Sheva throw in thier lots with Horbin. The group sets watches and proceeds to rest, most of them for only a short time via the magical nap that Coila's priests can induce. Still, it's about 3 a.m. according to Sheva's reckoning, and the various clerics won't get their spells back til as late as the next midnight.

Horbin settles in to an exhausted sleep after an initial period of tossing and turning. He's still shaky from his experience. He will sleep a long night's sleep before waking finally refreshed, with the memory of Heaven fading like wisps of a dream, leaving him with the sense that he's lost something irreplacable that will only come back to him upon his true death.

Alcar stays awake to guard the rest of the group while they nap. He stares at Angel, sleeping next to the Mayor. Frowning, he casts a spell and concentrates. Yes... not the Mayor, but Angel... evil. Another spell reveals Chaos emanates from both of them.

We're gonna have to talk about this when he gets up, Alcar thinks, his lip setting in a hard line.



*A rules gaffe on my part- he died from a death effect, this should have required resurrection. By the time I realized it, however, the deed was done and I try to avoid "do-overs."

Next Time: Angelfire vs. Alcar!

 

[the Jester]

Alcar vs. Angelfire- talkin' smack

Angel (no, it's Angelfire now, he thinks to himself), Sheva and Zeebo awaken from their magical nap. Immediately Alcar confronts Angelfire with the righteous wrath of one who has looked on the face of Galador. His halo glaring, Alcar demands, "You got about a minute and a half to explain your chaos and evil- and I better like your answers!" As he speaks, a compartment opens in his left leg- it's metal, made of some sort of clockwork- and his mace pops out into his hand.

Oh crap, thinks Zeebo. "Uh, we've almost all been touched by Chaos," the Mayor says.

Angelfire stares disbelievingly at Alcar for a moment. "I am what I am," he states flatly, a slow smile spreading across his face.

"Hey, wait a second, can't we just get along?" asks Zeebo desperately.

In response to Angelfire's words, Alcar surrounds himself with a golden aura of blazing holy power. Angelfire whips out the Airsword and flies away with it. "Hey!" Alcar exclaims, but the other's out of sight around the corner already.

"This isn't the time or the place for this argument, Alcar," Zeebo states. "We're in the middle of a deadly dungeon, who knows what's coming next-"

Alcar frowns, seemingly considering the Mayor's words. "I'll drop the aura if you explain yourself!" he calls. "You need to renounce your evil!"

A moment passes. And then Angelfire re-emerges, moving slowly, watching the angelic being before him cautiously. He's spent the last few seconds in total concentration, activating various psionic powers, and he's ready to fight- if it comes to that.

"Well," says Angelfire, "I am evil, and I like being evil... and I will stay evil. And if you have a problem with me... then come on."

And it's on.


Next Time: The Real Deal- Angelfire vs. Alcar!

 

[Talix]

Gah! Just ran out of material to read through, and in a really exciting part, too!

Oh well, as you might have guessed I really like this story hour - great telling, and awesome speed!

Thanks!

 

[the Jester]

PC vs. PC!

Alcar is opening his mouth to talk a little more smack, his mace clenched tightly in his raised arm, but Angelfire is just too fast. The red-skinned Coila-worshiper tumbles in- he's hasted- and attacks, slashing at Alcar twice, drawing scarlet furrows under the half-celestial's robes! With a mighty roar Alcar strikes back, his mace crashing into Angelfire's shoulder, then his abdomen. The two press against each other, slashing, clubbing, parrying, dodging. They press against each other, corps a corps, each straining to throw the other back. Both are possessed of immense magically augmented strength. Both are masters of combat. Both are agents of their God (or Goddess).

Zeebo's still trying to talk them down, shouting over the pounding of their weapons, but it's clearly not gonna work now. With a curse, he casts charm person on the angel of Galador. Once it might have had a chance, but that was before Alcar ascended to angelhood. Now that he's an outsider, the magic doesn't even begin to reach him.

Sheva snarls, hastes herself, draws the death knight's greatsword, sprouts another pair of arms and tumbles in to flank Alcar. "I don't want trouble from you!" Alcar yells.

"If you're trying to kill my protege you do," Sheva answers grimly. And in that moment of distraction, while Alcar's eyes have flicked towards her, Angelfire strikes. He's using the Airsword, so he isn't as expertly trained as he'd prefer, and it feels clumsy in his hands; but he's well-trained in the art of combat, and while Alcar and Sheva are exchanging words he slides the blade into Alcar's groin! The angel gives a terrific yell, staggering as blood gushes from the now-severed artery, and then Angelfire strikes again, the Airsword piercing a lung. A third blow skitters off his ribs, drawing blood but not piercing anything vital.*

Stumbling back, Alcar heals himself. All his wounds close. Angelfire is bleeding from several major wounds himself- and then his eyes widen as he vanishes into invisibility, cast by Zeebo.

"Stop this!" the Mayor cries.

Still flanking, Sheva attacks for all she's worth, slashing at Alcar's achilles' tendon, cutting for his kidneys, aiming a thrust at his throat. The angel's bleeding from many wounds again already. With four arms granted by the cloak she wears, Sheva's attacking with two greatswords.

"I don't want to fight you!" Alcar shouts. "He's evil! He needs to renounce his evil!" He heals himself again.

"I'm evil, too," Sheva snarls, and presses her attack. She knows it's only the undetectable alignment she casts every night that stopped him from discerning her nature as well. Angelfire reappears as he attacks too, and the beleaguered Alcar is sorely beset.

"Fine!" the angel shouts. "We'll finish this another time!" And with that, he spreads his wings and flees, suffering another minor wound as he moves.

The dust settles around them.

"Well, crap," says Zeebo.


*A very dramatic turn for Angelfire- two crits and one hit!


Next Time: Red-Eye the bile beholder barbarian!