Menu
News
All News
Dungeons & Dragons
Level Up: Advanced 5th Edition
Pathfinder
Starfinder
Warhammer
2d20 System
Year Zero Engine
Industry News
Reviews
Dragon Reflections
Columns
Weekly Digests
Weekly News Digest
Freebies, Sales & Bundles
RPG Print News
RPG Crowdfunding News
Game Content
ENterplanetary DimENsions
Mythological Figures
Opinion
Worlds of Design
Peregrine's Next
RPG Evolution
Other Columns
From the Freelancing Frontline
Monster ENcyclopedia
WotC/TSR Alumni Look Back
4 Hours w/RSD (Ryan Dancey)
The Road to 3E (Jonathan Tweet)
Greenwood's Realms (Ed Greenwood)
Drawmij's TSR (Jim Ward)
Community
Forums & Topics
Forum List
Latest Posts
Forum list
*Dungeons & Dragons
Level Up: Advanced 5th Edition
D&D Older Editions
*TTRPGs General
*Pathfinder & Starfinder
EN Publishing
*Geek Talk & Media
Search forums
Chat/Discord
Resources
Wiki
Pages
Latest activity
Media
New media
New comments
Search media
Downloads
Latest reviews
Search resources
EN Publishing
Store
EN5ider
Adventures in ZEITGEIST
Awfully Cheerful Engine
What's OLD is NEW
Judge Dredd & The Worlds Of 2000AD
War of the Burning Sky
Level Up: Advanced 5E
Events & Releases
Upcoming Events
Private Events
Featured Events
Socials!
Twitch
YouTube
Facebook (EN Publishing)
Facebook (EN World)
Twitter
Instagram
TikTok
Podcast
Features
Top 5 RPGs Compiled Charts 2004-Present
Adventure Game Industry Market Research Summary (RPGs) V1.0
Ryan Dancey: Acquiring TSR
Q&A With Gary Gygax
D&D Rules FAQs
TSR, WotC, & Paizo: A Comparative History
D&D Pronunciation Guide
Million Dollar TTRPG Kickstarters
Tabletop RPG Podcast Hall of Fame
Eric Noah's Unofficial D&D 3rd Edition News
D&D in the Mainstream
D&D & RPG History
About Morrus
Log in
Register
What's new
Search
Search
Search titles only
By:
Forums & Topics
Forum List
Latest Posts
Forum list
*Dungeons & Dragons
Level Up: Advanced 5th Edition
D&D Older Editions
*TTRPGs General
*Pathfinder & Starfinder
EN Publishing
*Geek Talk & Media
Search forums
Chat/Discord
Menu
Log in
Register
Install the app
Install
Community
General Tabletop Discussion
*TTRPGs General
Aphonion: Journals of a Licensed Diabolist (Sat. and Wed. updates, last 9/3, 9/10)
JavaScript is disabled. For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding.
You are using an out of date browser. It may not display this or other websites correctly.
You should upgrade or use an
alternative browser
.
Reply to thread
Message
<blockquote data-quote="Cerebral Paladin" data-source="post: 4298691" data-attributes="member: 3448"><p>As we returned from finishing the task of destroying the vampire, the Eum shaman approached Sideh, while Zolt stood nearby. “It is said you are holy.”</p><p></p><p>“Yes.”</p><p></p><p>“You will help with the vat?”</p><p></p><p>“I will.”</p><p></p><p>“Many are unquiet that this thing has been done. Such things should not be. It is good that their master betrayed the great Ripgut that he might be destroyed. There are no cleansing words that I know to the dragon that are enough.”</p><p></p><p>Sideh nodded. “I think that a burial ritual would be enough to quiet most of the dead and to lay to rest the undead spirits that wish their bodies attended to properly.”</p><p></p><p>The shaman turned to his commander. “Mighty Zolt. I agree with the foreigner. If we bury them, and show them the honor of the dragon for what they have undergone, they will leave us in peace.”</p><p></p><p>“Let it be done, then.”</p><p></p><p>The shaman turned back to Sideh. “Can this wait for the morrow? I would like to treat the wounded first if we have time?”</p><p></p><p>Sideh thought carefully before answering. “Before the morrow would be best, but it can wait while we treat the wounded.”</p><p></p><p>“It would be best to do it at night, anyway,” I pointed out. After all, Lord Paranswarm’s influence on the world is strongest at night. The twilight hours offer too much possibility to the Shadow.</p><p></p><p>While the shaman began healing the surviving Eums, Zolt approached our group. “We cannot hold this place. But we must take the supplies, and empty the armory, before we go.”</p><p></p><p>“Where will you go?” asked Buzz.</p><p></p><p>“I do not know, but we cannot stay here. We are far too weak to hold this place.”</p><p></p><p>Seeing an opportunity, I spoke up at that moment. “If you will serve Vitrix-Henoxi fully, we will protect you. This path will not be easy, but if you follow it, you will find strength, protection, and a clear place in which to live in order.”</p><p></p><p>“Vitrix-Henoxi?” Zolt called over the shaman. “What is this Vitrix-Henoxi he speaks of?”</p><p></p><p>“It is an aspect of the Dragon they favor.”</p><p></p><p>“Indeed. Vitrix-Henoxi is the mightiest and most holy of all the dragon saints. If you will accept him as your patron, we will be able to ensure your safety.”</p><p></p><p>Zolt paused and then spoke definitively. “Very well. We will enter your service and pledge ourselves to that aspect of the Dragon.”</p><p></p><p>Truly, I rejoice in having been given the role of guiding a small army of Eums into the service of the Orderly Darkness. They will be a formidable force to redeem Caldefor. They also offer the possibility of serving as a wedge to draw in ever more of the black Eums.</p><p></p><p>We began the process of ransacking the Dragonhold—an effort made more difficult by the fact that there were only 40 able-bodied Eums left, although over a hundred wounded still survived. The armory was well appointed, but entirely mundane-- 500 swords, 450 crossbows, 600 pikes, and 400 sets of the worst armor we have ever seen, probably intended as armor for Eums. Among the more interesting mundane equipment were two field portable catapults, along with 10 spheres for each catapult. The spheres contained a white gas that would cause severe cramping and then death. We also recovered 20 decent shields, each bearing the arms of one of the Caldeforian great houses. Finally, we recovered a huge number of bolts from the armory-- something like 3000, although we did not have the opportunity to inventory them precisely. The bolts were decent in quality.</p><p></p><p>A more interesting haul waited for us under a secret floor panel in the room where Ripgut sat. One of the Eums opened the panel, revealing an enormous treasure-- a grand total of about 25,000 silver and four massive pieces of jewelry, the values of which were far beyond our ability to even estimate. We also found an enormous bandoleer with four vials in it. Each vial contained a potion, with one a potion of biding—a most useful elixir, traditionally used by conjurers to bind a more powerful creature than the wizard could usually control—and another a potion of prismatic spray. The prismatic spray potion was the most powerful I had ever seen; after drinking it, it allows its user to vomit forth a prismatic spray, with all of the destructive capability of the spell, although if it is not discharged within half an hour, it will discharge in the user’s stomach with almost-certainly fatal results. We could not identify the other two potions, but if they are anything like the first two in power, they will be most useful. Off to one side lay a carelessly placed bracelet set with five massive amber stones, each of which glowed in a subtly different shade. Buzz recognized that as a testing bracelet-- it tests for each of the five guilds of psionic power. </p><p></p><p>We searched the treasure chamber carefully and found a secret door hidden in one corner of the treasure chamber. As soon as we touched that panel, a sudden roar of presence filled the room and three squat, runny figures appeared in front of us. I recognized them at once as nupperibo, sometimes referred to as least demons, and commanded Alveera to kill them.</p><p></p><p>We all blasted away at them with our weapons and magic, and a few moments later they had been dispatched back to the Abyss. Sideh did suffer a nasty gash on his arm that showed some signs of infection, but nothing that could not be healed readily.</p><p></p><p>Spring tried to poke his head through the panel but had difficulty putting his head through, despite his incorporeality. He then signaled for the rest of us to stand well back and carefully opened it using his ghost-touch gloves. As it opened, a horde of coin-sized spiders poured out and ran through his form. Spring flew straight up away from them and unleashed an elemental burst where he had been, wiping them out. He then reached into the small compartment and found one of the most lovely tooled leather pouches we had ever seen, with runes in a strange language none of us could recognize worked across it. We also found a sealed scroll embedded in the abdomen of a spider and a short adamantine rod, which glowed softly. We added these to the items we recovered from the vampire—a fine masterwork sword of an adamantine and steel alloy, but not magicked, presumably because that would violate dueling rules, along with a cravat of graceful movement [that adds 4 to the user’s Dex for 10 rounds/day].</p><p></p><p>We recovered several spellbooks. The dracolich’s spellbook was the easiest to locate because of its 3 foot by 5 foot size, but the others were not well concealed. As a final step, we scanned through the whole fortress using detect magic effects and were rewarded with a Ring of Prescience [that adds a +1 insight bonus to attack rolls] and a jar of Keoughtum’s ointment, with 2 doses.</p><p></p><p>While we took care of that search, the Eums stripped the keep. Everything they could not carry was slashed or assembled into great piles in the courtyard and burned. They also began sapping the walls—a fast process from the inside.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Cerebral Paladin, post: 4298691, member: 3448"] As we returned from finishing the task of destroying the vampire, the Eum shaman approached Sideh, while Zolt stood nearby. “It is said you are holy.” “Yes.” “You will help with the vat?” “I will.” “Many are unquiet that this thing has been done. Such things should not be. It is good that their master betrayed the great Ripgut that he might be destroyed. There are no cleansing words that I know to the dragon that are enough.” Sideh nodded. “I think that a burial ritual would be enough to quiet most of the dead and to lay to rest the undead spirits that wish their bodies attended to properly.” The shaman turned to his commander. “Mighty Zolt. I agree with the foreigner. If we bury them, and show them the honor of the dragon for what they have undergone, they will leave us in peace.” “Let it be done, then.” The shaman turned back to Sideh. “Can this wait for the morrow? I would like to treat the wounded first if we have time?” Sideh thought carefully before answering. “Before the morrow would be best, but it can wait while we treat the wounded.” “It would be best to do it at night, anyway,” I pointed out. After all, Lord Paranswarm’s influence on the world is strongest at night. The twilight hours offer too much possibility to the Shadow. While the shaman began healing the surviving Eums, Zolt approached our group. “We cannot hold this place. But we must take the supplies, and empty the armory, before we go.” “Where will you go?” asked Buzz. “I do not know, but we cannot stay here. We are far too weak to hold this place.” Seeing an opportunity, I spoke up at that moment. “If you will serve Vitrix-Henoxi fully, we will protect you. This path will not be easy, but if you follow it, you will find strength, protection, and a clear place in which to live in order.” “Vitrix-Henoxi?” Zolt called over the shaman. “What is this Vitrix-Henoxi he speaks of?” “It is an aspect of the Dragon they favor.” “Indeed. Vitrix-Henoxi is the mightiest and most holy of all the dragon saints. If you will accept him as your patron, we will be able to ensure your safety.” Zolt paused and then spoke definitively. “Very well. We will enter your service and pledge ourselves to that aspect of the Dragon.” Truly, I rejoice in having been given the role of guiding a small army of Eums into the service of the Orderly Darkness. They will be a formidable force to redeem Caldefor. They also offer the possibility of serving as a wedge to draw in ever more of the black Eums. We began the process of ransacking the Dragonhold—an effort made more difficult by the fact that there were only 40 able-bodied Eums left, although over a hundred wounded still survived. The armory was well appointed, but entirely mundane-- 500 swords, 450 crossbows, 600 pikes, and 400 sets of the worst armor we have ever seen, probably intended as armor for Eums. Among the more interesting mundane equipment were two field portable catapults, along with 10 spheres for each catapult. The spheres contained a white gas that would cause severe cramping and then death. We also recovered 20 decent shields, each bearing the arms of one of the Caldeforian great houses. Finally, we recovered a huge number of bolts from the armory-- something like 3000, although we did not have the opportunity to inventory them precisely. The bolts were decent in quality. A more interesting haul waited for us under a secret floor panel in the room where Ripgut sat. One of the Eums opened the panel, revealing an enormous treasure-- a grand total of about 25,000 silver and four massive pieces of jewelry, the values of which were far beyond our ability to even estimate. We also found an enormous bandoleer with four vials in it. Each vial contained a potion, with one a potion of biding—a most useful elixir, traditionally used by conjurers to bind a more powerful creature than the wizard could usually control—and another a potion of prismatic spray. The prismatic spray potion was the most powerful I had ever seen; after drinking it, it allows its user to vomit forth a prismatic spray, with all of the destructive capability of the spell, although if it is not discharged within half an hour, it will discharge in the user’s stomach with almost-certainly fatal results. We could not identify the other two potions, but if they are anything like the first two in power, they will be most useful. Off to one side lay a carelessly placed bracelet set with five massive amber stones, each of which glowed in a subtly different shade. Buzz recognized that as a testing bracelet-- it tests for each of the five guilds of psionic power. We searched the treasure chamber carefully and found a secret door hidden in one corner of the treasure chamber. As soon as we touched that panel, a sudden roar of presence filled the room and three squat, runny figures appeared in front of us. I recognized them at once as nupperibo, sometimes referred to as least demons, and commanded Alveera to kill them. We all blasted away at them with our weapons and magic, and a few moments later they had been dispatched back to the Abyss. Sideh did suffer a nasty gash on his arm that showed some signs of infection, but nothing that could not be healed readily. Spring tried to poke his head through the panel but had difficulty putting his head through, despite his incorporeality. He then signaled for the rest of us to stand well back and carefully opened it using his ghost-touch gloves. As it opened, a horde of coin-sized spiders poured out and ran through his form. Spring flew straight up away from them and unleashed an elemental burst where he had been, wiping them out. He then reached into the small compartment and found one of the most lovely tooled leather pouches we had ever seen, with runes in a strange language none of us could recognize worked across it. We also found a sealed scroll embedded in the abdomen of a spider and a short adamantine rod, which glowed softly. We added these to the items we recovered from the vampire—a fine masterwork sword of an adamantine and steel alloy, but not magicked, presumably because that would violate dueling rules, along with a cravat of graceful movement [that adds 4 to the user’s Dex for 10 rounds/day]. We recovered several spellbooks. The dracolich’s spellbook was the easiest to locate because of its 3 foot by 5 foot size, but the others were not well concealed. As a final step, we scanned through the whole fortress using detect magic effects and were rewarded with a Ring of Prescience [that adds a +1 insight bonus to attack rolls] and a jar of Keoughtum’s ointment, with 2 doses. While we took care of that search, the Eums stripped the keep. Everything they could not carry was slashed or assembled into great piles in the courtyard and burned. They also began sapping the walls—a fast process from the inside. [/QUOTE]
Insert quotes…
Verification
Post reply
Community
General Tabletop Discussion
*TTRPGs General
Aphonion: Journals of a Licensed Diabolist (Sat. and Wed. updates, last 9/3, 9/10)
Top