Banewarrens d20 (Angelsboi's party)

[diaglo]

Utreshimon's Grand Entrance

Like an alien Fiddle burst from the frog's stomach. He immediately began to tread water. Darian reached down and pulled him out of the water.

"Yuuck," Fiddle moaned. "I've been swallowed whole. I'm never going.."

Darian dunked him back into the water. He pulled a bar of soap out with his other hand and began scrubbing the hin clean.

"So much for the element of surprise," Veridian stood nearby laughing.

Richter and Erin had already crossed the drawbridge and started to enter the courtyard. The others followed as quietly as possible. Fiddle vanished into a side tower on the Southwest corner. He drew his sword and dagger. The roof and interior were part of a pile of rubble. Richter crossed the courtyard to the Northwest. Erin crawled along the East wall. Veridian and Darian stood at the entrance in the South. Now that the party was inside the walls they got a close look at the destruction.

A smear of what looked like dried blood and a curved dagger covered the center of the courtyard. Erin reached out with some magic. A hand guided the blade to his side.

A large presence appeared at the doorway to the Main Tower. It looked like a dark blue or black lizard with horns and wings. Veridian fired an arrow, striking the creature. Fiddle turned and saw his enemy. He slunk along the wall to get within range. Richter tossed down his whip and drew his sword. He poised to strike. Erin cast a swarm of magic over his body. Darian summoned Lathander's weapon, a mace. It swung wildly over the lizard's head.

CCCCRRRACCKKLLLLEeeee

A bolt of lightning struck near Richter. The dragon launched into the air. A momentary bout of sneezing caught everyone as the dust and debris of the moathouse began to swirl in an obscuring cloud. Richter charged forward his sword batted aside by the dragon's wing. Veridian fired another arrow into the cloud. Fiddle crept closer. Erin summoned a magical field in front of himself. He moved to the dragon. Well, only Richter could see the dragon now. But everyone else had an idea. Darian's divine mace swung wild again. Darian called for another of Lathander's spells. He protected himself from the force of static elements. The Dragon bit down on the monk and clawed and raked him. Lucky for him his training had included strength of body. He would need it.

Richter moved forward and struck with his sword. Veridian fired another arrow into the cloud. This one struck something. Only Richter and Erin knew it wasn't them. Fiddle crept closer. Erin landed a blow with his palm. Darian's mace swung again. He charged forward with his shield leading. The Lathanderite connected and drove the beast backwards. The Dragon repositioned and clawed, raked, and bit into the party. Richter nearly fell. Erin and Darian weren't much better.

Veridian couldn't see at all. He pulled out Hoardmaster. "To me," he yelled. "Someone come to me I have something that can help."

Fiddle crept closer. Erin's palm did not strike true. Darian swung his own mace. The other swung and vanished. The dragon had another go at the party with his deadly routine.

Richter ran back to Veridian. Veridian tossed him Hoardmaster. Fiddle charged into the fracas. He tumbled under the dragon's belly and struck from the other side. Sand must have blinded him. He missed..

"Die spawn die," Fiddle shouted in draconic.

Erin struck again. Darian stepped back and healed himself.

"Hmmm, a snack," Utreshimon replied in draconic. The dragon attacked the monk and hin.

Richter charged back into the cloud with Hoardmaster leading. He stabbed deep into the dragon's hide. Veridian fired an arrow into the cloud. Fiddle leapt up into the air. He used his sword and dagger combination. A hit, a most definite hit...

Erin glanced off the dragon again. Darian too missed. The Dragon launched himself higher and into the mist. The cloud vanished over the Southwest wall, Richter and Veridian in pursuit.

"You want the truth," Fiddle flexed his muscles. "You can't handle the truth. You're afraid of me." He cackled with pure glee.

 

[diaglo]

Aftermath

Fiddle went inside the Dragon's Lair. Darian saw to Erin and Richter's wounds. Veridian pulled a potion out and waited for the Dragon to return. Richter returned Hoardmaster to him.

Fiddle discovered two bodies inside. Both had been ravaged by the Dragon. Still he didn't trust them. He walked over to each body and plunged his blades in deep. He was searching one of them when Darian and Richter entered.

Fiddle found an amulet, fine shortbow, a quiver of arrows, picks & tools, leather armor, longsword, a sack of coins, and 3 small pieces of jade. He kept the amulet and jade hidden. He took the shortbow, coins, and quiver of arrows. The rest he set aside in plain view. Darian concentrated on auras of magic. He discovered a scroll and a mace on the other body. A search also uncovered another amulet. A hand with a mouth in the palm.

"Moandites," Richter spat. Fiddle made sure his new amulet was still hidden. He tossed Darian the sack of coins. Veridian and Erin entered.

"No sign of the Dragon," Erin said.

Veridian looked over the picks & tools. He wasn't impressed. Fiddle, Richter, and Erin scouted out some of the area. Other than a few coins not much was to be had. The destruction was pretty apparent. One stairway did lead down off of what could only be guessed to be the former Hall.

SSwwooopp

A large pseudopod took a swing at Fiddle as he was scavaging down one corridor alone. He ran.

"Pod," the hin screamed.

"Whatever," Veridian replied.

Content that they had recovered what they could and not anxious to meet the Dragon a second time while still injured, the party headed back to the obelisk.

 

[diaglo]

Earthdawn

They made camp and chose watches. Darian saw to the wounded again. Fiddle helped as best he could. Fiddle also rigged a series of trip lines just in case. In the morning, Darian greeted the Sun and said a blessing for a new day. Movement caught the priest's eye.

"You have returned," Del greeted them.

Darian used his powers of persuasion to convince Del all was well. He began to drone on about the powers of Lathander and the Sun.

"I call him Bob," Del smiled and pointed at the Sun. "Teach me more about Bob."

Richter came to Darian's aid. They convinced Del to come with them to the Ruins. Now that the Dragon was gone. Well, at least as far as anyone knew. Fiddle hoped the blue would return.

The party quietly made their way down to the Ruins again. Nothing had changed since the night before. Erin, Fiddle, and Veridian volunteered to circle around the outside of the Ruins. They would enter the Dragon's Lair thru a crack in the wall. Darian and Richter along with Del would wait in the courtyard.

The plan went well. Erin, Fiddle and Veridian entered the Lair. Nothing. So Veridian went to open the door to the antechamber and then get the rest.

SSSiizzzzzzzzllleee

CLappp

The elf ducked just in time. A bolt of lightning struck the wall behind him.

Richter and Darian both heard the Clappp. Darian cast a spell on Richter's armor. They moved closer to the battle. The Dragon waited for someone to come into view. Erin quickly coated himself in magic. Fiddle edged closer to the door. Veridian checked himself.

Darian cast a blessing upon his shield. They were close enough to see the Dragon, but far enough away not to draw its attention. The Dragon waited some more. Erin brought his magical force field into being. He was ready to engage in combat now. Fiddle still guarded the door. Veridian pulled his bow and tried to edge for a shot into the next room.

"Huzzah," Darian and Richter yelled as they charged the Dragon.

The Dragon bit down hard on Richter. The two humans assaulted the Dragon. Both landed serious blows. Erin moved thru the door. Fiddle was right behind him. Veridian used the wall and door as cover. He moved behind Darian and Richter. The Dragon was backed up into a corner.

The Dragon clawed, bit, and buffeted the party. Richter went down. Darian stepped back and healed the fallen. Richter regained consciousness. Erin landed a blow. Fiddle had two attempts. But missed both times. Veridian poured a potion into Richter returning him to almost normal.

CCCrraccckkkk

The Dragon breathed again. It struck Veridian full on. Richter was partially shielded from the full force. But he still went down again. Darian moved into melee. Erin and Fiddle's attacks did little but distract the Dragon.

The Dragon attacked the three remaining combatants. Darian went down from a bite. Erin landed another blow. And Fiddle ended its life.

 

[diaglo]

Call of Cthulu

"Who's Da Hin?" Fiddle lauded. "King Azoun ain't got nothing on me."

Darian had somehow arisen from the ground. A miracle? Not quite, he was still very wounded. However, it was a gift from his God. He cast a spell to heal Richter. Fiddle was in the process of checking for a pulse.

"Fiddle," Richter grabbed the hin. "What are you doing?"

"Just checking to make sure you were still alive," Fiddle replied indignant. "He's not." Fiddle indicated Veridian. A pack already hung from Fiddle's shoulder. He would check it later.

Richter rolled over and helped Darian prepare the body. Richter performed last rites for the dead. Erin was sorting thru the elf's possessions.

"Let us head back to Peldan's Helm," Erin stated. "We can figure out what to do with Veridian once we get there."

Fiddle skinned the Dragon. Richter and Darian took an odd assortment of parts off the carcass including teeth, claws, and horns. Most of what Fiddle found in Veridian's pack he gave to Erin. Only Erin knew what he had kept.

Del waited for the party outside the Ruins.

"You killed him," Del cried. "Oh, the poor thing."

No one corrected Del. They were too injured to bother. They left for the Helm as fast and as safe as they could. Del remained behind at the obelisk.

 

[diaglo]

Liar, liar, pants are on fire.

“Halt, who goes there?” Sabine called out from the Gate.

“Dragonslayers,” Fiddle replied. He proudly displayed the hide he had taken from the Blue.

A collective Ohh and Ahh came from the crowd just inside.

The party made their way to Wulf’s inn. Veridian’s remains were deposited upstairs. Erin remained with the corpse and party’s gear. He began to sort out the shares. Fiddle went into the Common Room and began the tale of the Dragon’s End. Darian and Richter had other concerns. They took Hoardmaster with them to Eliar.

Fiddle was just wrapping up his tale when Richter and Darian returned. A young female elf was with them. She had a very serious look on her face.

“And that’s when I thrust my blade into the Dragon’s belly,” Fiddle finished. He turned to the others.

“It is true,” Darian confirmed. “He landed the killing blow.” Richter nodded. “Uh, Fiddle, where is the scarab?”

“Scarab?” Fiddle looked befuddled. “What’s that?”

“We better do this someplace else,” the female elf hinted.

Darian spoke with Wulf. He then turned to the hin and mumbled a prayer.

“We are in a Zone of truth,” the priest said. “Fiddle, what have you done with Veridian’s scarab?”

“I don’t know what you are talking about,” Fiddle replied. Everyone heard him.

The lady elf begged again to take this elsewhere. Richter led everyone to the party’s room.

 

[diaglo]

The old rat bastard switcheroo

As the party entered the room; Erin stood, bowed, and introduced himself.

“Alia,” the lady elf replied. “Veridian was my brother.”

“What can we do for you?” Erin asked.

“I’m looking for my brother’s things,” Alia continued. “And one item in particular, a scarab.”

Everyone but Erin looked at Fiddle.

“Can you describe this scarab and what it does?” Erin ignored the others.

“I could, but it is a long story,” Alia answered.

When no one said anything more, Alia told her tale. Well, Veridian’s tale really. (I’ll let biorph fill you in) Darian and Richter prepared a meal and refreshments for the party as the story unfolded. Fiddle made himself comfortable. He checked his pack.

“Fiddle,” Erin said when Alia was done. “Give Alia the scarab.”

“I don’t have it,” Fiddle remarked.

“We already cast a Zone of truth on him,” Darian mentioned.

Alia started to move towards the hin. “Shake it out of him.”

“Try it,” Fiddle grabbed his blades.

Erin calmly went over to the packs. He rummaged thru his own, then Richter’s, and Darian’s. The scarab spilled out of Darian’s pack.

 

[diaglo]

Darian had also promised Alia her brother’s things with some exceptions. Darian placed the scarab, the Moandite rings, and the amulet off the cleric from the Dragon’s Lair into a sack. Fiddle pulled the amulet from the rogue out of his pack and handed it to Darian. Oops. Fiddle left the room with his pack before Darian gave anything else away. He wasn’t returning anything. Erin and Richter went with him. They took the Dragon hide to the tanner. They wanted a set of gloves for everyone. It would take a couple days. Erin took the coins to the bank.

When Richter returned Alia demanded her brother’s set of gloves.

Darian and Richter’s visit with Eliar was also important. In exchange for Hoardmaster, the elderly elf had agreed to identify some of the party’s items, mostly the items off Veridian. Veridian hadn’t told anyone what he had. But Darian had a magical mace from the dead cleric. It would improve his prowess in battle. And a dozen magical arrows from the rogue were also identified. Alia took them. Things were quite confusing during the day’s wait. But eventually, everyone was healthy again and the party had acquired a storyteller, aka liar, in exchange for an archer.

Fiddle seriously considered performing a coup de grace on the Liar when she was in respite. She took everything. And everyone believed her tale without any proof. He could find another party with better opportunities. But maybe just maybe this one would prove useful when trained properly.

They set off again for the Ruins. Fiddle took point. It had been two days since they killed the Dragon. Who knew what besides the blob would be occupying the place now. Speculation ran rampant.

 

[diaglo]

Down the worn path

The party approached the obelisk. Fiddle slowed to check for tracks. Richter and Darian walked on by deep in conversation. Erin and Alia stopped near Fiddle.

"Anything?" Erin asked the ranger.

"Well, I did find the tracks of a human or humanoid, but," Fiddle pointed to the Slayer and Priest.

"Oops," Richter stopped.

Fiddle continued his search. He found tracks leading South and slightly East. Many other woodland creatures had also crossed the path near the obelisk.

"Del," Darian called out.

"I think these tracks probably belong to Del," Fiddle said as he came back.

"Good enough for me," Erin replied. "I'm heading to the Ruins."

Alia and Fiddle followed the monk. Darian and Richter stayed behind calling for Del. They were last seen heading down the trail the tracks had shown.

As the group crested the now familiar hill, the Ruins looked unchanged. They stopped for a swallow of water from their skins. They chatted some. Alia tried to ease the tension her arrival had created with Fiddle. Fiddle turned to the sound of boots approaching. Richter and Darian arrived sans Del. Fiddle once again took point.

The party walked down to the Ruins and crossed the drawbridge. Nothing. They crossed the courtyard. Fiddle looked for tracks. Everyone else kept an eye out for trouble.

SSSSsssmackkk

 

[diaglo]

Dog fight

An arrow struck Fiddle as he was bending down looking for tracks. He rolled to the side and sprinted to cover. A gnoll with a bow stood just inside the door to the Dragon's Lair. He was mostly covered by the wall. Erin ran to Fiddle's side. He coated himself in magic. Darian moved behind the elf and summoned Lathander's mace. It attacked the gnoll. Richter charged up to the doorway. He had his sword in hand. Two more gnolls appeared around Richter. Alia hummed a scale or two of fine notes. A blob of grease coated the floor by the door. Richter and one of the gnolls went down.

The 2 gnolls hacked at Richter with their battle axes. Neither could penetrate his armor. Another gnoll appeared with a bow. He fired at Alia. The fourth tried to stand. Fiddle climbed thru a window. Erin summoned his force field. He was now ready to rumble. He moved into the doorway. Darian moved to Richter's side with his new mace. His deity's mace swung again. Richter stood back up and hacked the fallen gnoll. Alia sang a different tune. And one of the gnolls now stood covered in pieces of his former battle axe. It had shattered. She moved forward. The gnolls tried different tactics. The archer dropped his bow and drew his battle axe. The empty-handed one stepped back and picked up the bow. The fallen one stood up and moved to one side of Erin. And the last one attacked Erin.

Fiddle moved in from behind. He buried his sword into the gnoll's back, a kidney shot. The gnoll collapsed.

"Hiya," Fiddle waved to Erin. Erin waved back in a flurry of movement. He laid the injured gnoll low. Darian and his maces attacked the axegnoll. Richter finished him. Alia fell in her own grease trying to cross the threshold. The archer fled thru another doorway.

"He's getting away," Richter called out.

"No, he's not," Erin responded.

Fiddle gave chase. The gnoll was too fast and already too far away for him to reach. Erin had no problem catching and killing the gnoll. Darian, Richter, and Alia began the task of searching the bodies. Erin and Fiddle found a never before seen doorway ajar. It led to a secret passage down. The gnolls had a few coins and some equipment worth keeping. Fiddle took the arrows.

 

[diaglo]

Ding, ding, ding Round Two

"Do we try the new stairs or the old ones we found before?" Erin asked. Both were just off the Dragon's Lair.

"Is anyone hurt?" Darian asked.

"Looks like we freed those gnolls," Richter said. "I bet the Dragon had them trapped below."

Alia saw to Fiddle's wound. No one wanted to make a decision. Erin threw up his hands. He moved to the secret passage. Fiddle ran ahead. He examined the stairs for signs of danger and tracks. He looked around for any hint of their foes. Nothing. Alia moved in behind him followed by Erin, Richter, and Darian. Erin tossed his stone into the air. It illuminated the area. Fiddle tucked his coin into place. He pulled his bow and nocked an arrow.

Fiddle just reached the bottom of the stairs, when movement caught his eye. Two gnolls and a female human were inside a chamber. The human looked like a priestess with her baubles and things scattered in front of her on a sheet. They spotted Fiddle and Alia also. The others were still on the stairs around a corner.

Fiddle fired his arrow into one of the gnolls’ chests seriously wounding it. Richter charged passed. He tackled the priestess. His armor spikes pierced her skin. Alia fired an arrow and finished the gnoll. The other gnoll struck Richter across the backside. Blood flowed freely. The priestess wiggled free. Erin moved forward and engaged the gnoll. He slapped it hard. Darian called on Lathander’s might. The priestess and the gnoll started to cook inside their armor.

Fiddle put away his bow and drew his blades. He cut off the gnoll’s path out of the room. There were 2 closed doors off the chamber. Alia began to sing. She moved closer. Richter struck out at the priestess with his whip. It wrapped around her torso. The gnoll struck Richter from behind again. The Slayer collapsed. The priestess tried to summon her dark god's aid, but she was overcome by the heat of her armor. Erin struck the gnoll again. It gasped and fell. Darian moved to Richter’s side.

Fiddle ran across the room. He attacked the buckles to the woman’s armor with his dagger. It fell away. He pushed the mail aside with his sword. The air was ripe with burning gnoll and human.

“I can’t do anything to stop it,” Darian shrugged.

Fiddle bound and gagged the woman. Erin and Alia searched the blanket. Darian brought Richter back from the edge of death and then to consciousness.