Copperheads: Betrayal and Strange Runes and Burning Dead, oh my (short update 02/12)
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arwink
Clockwork Golem
After the bodies of the Sulrathi archers are stripped of valuables and piled close the tunnel leading to the exit for removal on the way out, the Copperheads turn their attention to the statues that frame the two pathways leading off into the darkness. The three towering figures are representations of orcs dressed in heavy armour, although it is difficult to be sure with the melted features and blistered soot that covers the stone. The shadows cast by the lava give the statues an evil expression, and even when Geoffrey climbs to tip to shine the light of an ever-burning torch on the face the impression of anger and power isn’t quite dispelled.
“Anyone recognise it?” Halgo asks. No-one does, so it is quickly filed as something of secondary importance and the important job of hunting Sulrathi takes precedence. The sum total of their knowledge regarding the tactics and skills isn’t much, but it’s enough to let them know that they haven’t brought enough spells and antidotes to cure poison – it is common knowledge throughout the empire that where there are Sulrathi there are serpents, and Amarin cheerfully points out that while this isn’t necessarily true it’s reliably reported that many Sulrathi nobles, assassins and warriors are known to use poison. This doesn’t cheer people up any, and it’s quickly agreed that if they are forced to rest in the caverns, Geoffrey will be memorising a few spare spells to help eradicate the effects of poison.
Further pooling of resources doesn’t turn up anything out of the ordinary from your run of the mill evil-doers – the sulrathi are rumoured to consort with dark powers, serve the forces of evil, and kill the puppies of innocent Seldan youths. All of which is unspeakably bad, but doesn’t really say much about their capabilities in a kill-or-be-killed melee. The decision is made to press on, continuing to follow the tracks as they lead right.
The tunnel winds back and forth, a twisting tube through the stone. Half-way along its length, an ornate rune covers much of the passage floor. Yip takes to the ceiling and examines it from above, quickly identifying it as a glyph of warding that’s far beyond his ability to disarm. He reports this to the others, and its decided that Amarin’s construct should be the person to trip it. The construct moves forward, crosses the glyph’s border, and disappears in a haze of fire and smoke.
“At least not me,” Yip thinks to himself, the racial memory of his order giving him a shuddering sense of fear every time he sees something die at the hands of a trap.
He checks the glyph to make sure its unlikely to be set off again, and when he’s satisfied its magic has been used he motions the group forward. It doesn’t take long for Yip to spot a second intersection up ahead, again being guarded by a small force of Sulrathi. Fortunately, this time Yip is scouting by prowling along the ceiling with his slippers of spider-climb, so he manages to slip in behind the two Sulrathi standing guard with their mounts – giant scorpions that stand nearly as high as the kobold. He signals his comrades before sneaking past them, and when the rest of the Copperheads come roaring into the clearing with weapons at the ready Yip is already positioned to take down the riders with a quick flurry of blows. Although the scorpions prove more than willing to sting their way to freedom even without riders, they have neither the strength nor the raw instincts necessary to overcome the group.
“Convenient of them,” Geoffrey comments as they strip the valuables from the second group. “We just follow the chains of rear-guards until we find the main group.”
Yip scratches at the scales on his tail as he considers Geoffrey’s statement.
“They not watch for Copperheads,” he says cautiously, mentally reviewing the fight. He points at the tunnel leading left. “They watch that way, not turn until they hear armour.”
“So they’re watching for something else,” Halgo says, gazing down the darkened corridor. His darkvision lets him make out some of what lies beyond the range of the torchlight, but the tunnel quickly twists away into the unknown. “This place might have some kind of natural guardian that they’re guarding against, or they might just be waiting for their comrades to circle back here for some reason. The layout of the tunnels seems to suggest they may connect together sooner or later, if their anything like similar cave formations back home.”
“Is that good thing or bad thing,” Blarth asks, nursing an arm wounded by a scorpion sting. “Blarth not want to fight things that scare scorpions.”
"Scorpions don't scare," Amarin points out cheerfully. "They're mindless creatures."
"So is he, and he manages fear well enough," Halgo says.
“Enough. If there's something out there, we’ll deal with it when we come to it,” Geoffrey says, his voice stern. “Whatever else there may be, we know that the Sulrathi are here, and that they seem to be focusing their attention to the left. They either believe their backs are guarded, or they fear whatever may be out there more than what may come after them. Either way, it gives us an advantage, one that we should probably take.”
He gestures down the right-hand passage with his mace, sending Yip scurrying back up to the ceiling.
“Lets go,” he orders.
“Anyone recognise it?” Halgo asks. No-one does, so it is quickly filed as something of secondary importance and the important job of hunting Sulrathi takes precedence. The sum total of their knowledge regarding the tactics and skills isn’t much, but it’s enough to let them know that they haven’t brought enough spells and antidotes to cure poison – it is common knowledge throughout the empire that where there are Sulrathi there are serpents, and Amarin cheerfully points out that while this isn’t necessarily true it’s reliably reported that many Sulrathi nobles, assassins and warriors are known to use poison. This doesn’t cheer people up any, and it’s quickly agreed that if they are forced to rest in the caverns, Geoffrey will be memorising a few spare spells to help eradicate the effects of poison.
Further pooling of resources doesn’t turn up anything out of the ordinary from your run of the mill evil-doers – the sulrathi are rumoured to consort with dark powers, serve the forces of evil, and kill the puppies of innocent Seldan youths. All of which is unspeakably bad, but doesn’t really say much about their capabilities in a kill-or-be-killed melee. The decision is made to press on, continuing to follow the tracks as they lead right.
The tunnel winds back and forth, a twisting tube through the stone. Half-way along its length, an ornate rune covers much of the passage floor. Yip takes to the ceiling and examines it from above, quickly identifying it as a glyph of warding that’s far beyond his ability to disarm. He reports this to the others, and its decided that Amarin’s construct should be the person to trip it. The construct moves forward, crosses the glyph’s border, and disappears in a haze of fire and smoke.
“At least not me,” Yip thinks to himself, the racial memory of his order giving him a shuddering sense of fear every time he sees something die at the hands of a trap.
He checks the glyph to make sure its unlikely to be set off again, and when he’s satisfied its magic has been used he motions the group forward. It doesn’t take long for Yip to spot a second intersection up ahead, again being guarded by a small force of Sulrathi. Fortunately, this time Yip is scouting by prowling along the ceiling with his slippers of spider-climb, so he manages to slip in behind the two Sulrathi standing guard with their mounts – giant scorpions that stand nearly as high as the kobold. He signals his comrades before sneaking past them, and when the rest of the Copperheads come roaring into the clearing with weapons at the ready Yip is already positioned to take down the riders with a quick flurry of blows. Although the scorpions prove more than willing to sting their way to freedom even without riders, they have neither the strength nor the raw instincts necessary to overcome the group.
“Convenient of them,” Geoffrey comments as they strip the valuables from the second group. “We just follow the chains of rear-guards until we find the main group.”
Yip scratches at the scales on his tail as he considers Geoffrey’s statement.
“They not watch for Copperheads,” he says cautiously, mentally reviewing the fight. He points at the tunnel leading left. “They watch that way, not turn until they hear armour.”
“So they’re watching for something else,” Halgo says, gazing down the darkened corridor. His darkvision lets him make out some of what lies beyond the range of the torchlight, but the tunnel quickly twists away into the unknown. “This place might have some kind of natural guardian that they’re guarding against, or they might just be waiting for their comrades to circle back here for some reason. The layout of the tunnels seems to suggest they may connect together sooner or later, if their anything like similar cave formations back home.”
“Is that good thing or bad thing,” Blarth asks, nursing an arm wounded by a scorpion sting. “Blarth not want to fight things that scare scorpions.”
"Scorpions don't scare," Amarin points out cheerfully. "They're mindless creatures."
"So is he, and he manages fear well enough," Halgo says.
“Enough. If there's something out there, we’ll deal with it when we come to it,” Geoffrey says, his voice stern. “Whatever else there may be, we know that the Sulrathi are here, and that they seem to be focusing their attention to the left. They either believe their backs are guarded, or they fear whatever may be out there more than what may come after them. Either way, it gives us an advantage, one that we should probably take.”
He gestures down the right-hand passage with his mace, sending Yip scurrying back up to the ceiling.
“Lets go,” he orders.
Graywolf-ELM
Explorer
Lela said:
Yes, poorly engineered Kobold cross-breeds, There had to be some mistakes before getting the spells and mixtures just right. Some will be dangerous enough.
And I'm thinking some pods that burst open during combat in the vat chamber to add a little flavor to the combat.
the Jester
Legend
Geez, Arwink, you're hard to keep up with!
Good stuff- I'm amazed that this Yip has lasted so long.
Good stuff- I'm amazed that this Yip has lasted so long.
arwink
Clockwork Golem
Graywolf-ELM said:
For even more fun, give the primordial ooze that's used to incubate the creatures in the pods some interesting little quirks on its own.
Ooze based on troll-blood is always interesting - the regenerative powers mean that anyone wounded while standing on it is going to have....things growing out of it should their blood mix in (work out tiny versions of all the combatants, and slap the half-troll template on it).
Fiery creatures may have an oil-based ooze that will light up should anyone use a fire-based spell or item.
Poison creatures may be incubated in the antidote for their own venom - so anyone bitten just needs to lap up some of the sickly stuff to get a save bonus to the second save...
the Jester said:
So are we. After all the rapid succession of Yip deaths at the beginning, this little blighter turned out to be remarkably resistant to death.
Well, mostly...
Last edited:
arwink
Clockwork Golem
The next set of guards barely raises a sweat. Yip spots them well in advance, reporting a trio of zombies and some kind of ghoul standing ready while a robed man with Sulrathi features watches from an alcove. A second figure lies in the heart of the alcove, tossing and turning on a make-shift cot, and Yip’s keen eyes can pick out several burns and the damp stains of heavy sweating on his robes.
The kobold briefly considers sneaking past the guards to help his comrades ambush, but decides against it in favour of a quick assult With knowledge of the kinds of undead, and Amarin’s ability to confirm the robed men are clerics upon being given a description of their robes, a quick plan is formulated and the Copperheads charge.
Geoffrey unleashes the power of his god as soon as he’s within sight of the undead, and although they are bolstered with the power of the Settite cleric, the unbending will of St Cuthbert is more than capable of wiping the zombies from the face of the earth. The ghoul just barely resists the holy energy flowing through the caverns, but Geoffrey repeats his attempt as Blarth and Yip cut the cleric down, and soon the ghoul joins the zombies in becoming a pile of ash on the ground.
The man laying in the alcove doesn’t move during the melee, although both Amarin and Halgo notice him grip a knife in one hand as he waits for the parties victory. When his comrade falls, the wounded cleric pushes himself up into a sitting position, the knife held loosely in one hand.
“Killl me quickly,” he asks, though his voice is little more than a croak. “I know you will not let me live, but at least grant me the grace of a quick death.”
Blarth moves to comply, but Geoffrey restrains him.
“Answers first,” the Cuthbertite cleric demands. “We need to know who you are, why you’re here?”
The Sulrathi’s rasping laugh rattles through the alcove.
“I am Yassam El’Ahyid,” he says. “Cleric of the serpent lord, and servant of the Necrotheologist of El Herak, who now rests in Set’s scaled embrace. We have come here in the service of my lord, Set, to do his bidding and seal the worlds fate in chaos and destruction.”
His body is wracked with coughs.
“Obviously, we are failing."
"Who else have you brought in here," Geoffrey demands.
"The dim-witted fool you just killed is Etenus, a boor and an idiot who serves with spirit but not intelligence. The dead were former members of our company, men slain by the burning guardian that is sapping my own life. The living are simply dead men walking – servants of my master or mercenaries in his employ who simply do not realise the truth of our predicament.”
“And what’s that?” Geoffrey asks.
Yassam offers him a brief smile.
“That we’re all going to die in here,” he says simply.
There is a pause as his words sink in.
Amarin is the first to break the silence.
"You know, your common is nearly perfect. I can barely detect your accent..."
The kobold briefly considers sneaking past the guards to help his comrades ambush, but decides against it in favour of a quick assult With knowledge of the kinds of undead, and Amarin’s ability to confirm the robed men are clerics upon being given a description of their robes, a quick plan is formulated and the Copperheads charge.
Geoffrey unleashes the power of his god as soon as he’s within sight of the undead, and although they are bolstered with the power of the Settite cleric, the unbending will of St Cuthbert is more than capable of wiping the zombies from the face of the earth. The ghoul just barely resists the holy energy flowing through the caverns, but Geoffrey repeats his attempt as Blarth and Yip cut the cleric down, and soon the ghoul joins the zombies in becoming a pile of ash on the ground.
The man laying in the alcove doesn’t move during the melee, although both Amarin and Halgo notice him grip a knife in one hand as he waits for the parties victory. When his comrade falls, the wounded cleric pushes himself up into a sitting position, the knife held loosely in one hand.
“Killl me quickly,” he asks, though his voice is little more than a croak. “I know you will not let me live, but at least grant me the grace of a quick death.”
Blarth moves to comply, but Geoffrey restrains him.
“Answers first,” the Cuthbertite cleric demands. “We need to know who you are, why you’re here?”
The Sulrathi’s rasping laugh rattles through the alcove.
“I am Yassam El’Ahyid,” he says. “Cleric of the serpent lord, and servant of the Necrotheologist of El Herak, who now rests in Set’s scaled embrace. We have come here in the service of my lord, Set, to do his bidding and seal the worlds fate in chaos and destruction.”
His body is wracked with coughs.
“Obviously, we are failing."
"Who else have you brought in here," Geoffrey demands.
"The dim-witted fool you just killed is Etenus, a boor and an idiot who serves with spirit but not intelligence. The dead were former members of our company, men slain by the burning guardian that is sapping my own life. The living are simply dead men walking – servants of my master or mercenaries in his employ who simply do not realise the truth of our predicament.”
“And what’s that?” Geoffrey asks.
Yassam offers him a brief smile.
“That we’re all going to die in here,” he says simply.
There is a pause as his words sink in.
Amarin is the first to break the silence.
"You know, your common is nearly perfect. I can barely detect your accent..."
Lela
First Post
Hmmm, that isn't quite as ominious as I thought it would be. I mean, of course they're all going to die in there. That's why Blarth and the gang came by after all.
Oh, right. The gang. Now I get it.
As a side note, it's been a while since the death of a Yip, which I think is rather interesting. Guess the bad boys tend to stick around.
And what was that about racial memories? Did I miss something?
Oh, right. The gang. Now I get it.
As a side note, it's been a while since the death of a Yip, which I think is rather interesting. Guess the bad boys tend to stick around.
And what was that about racial memories? Did I miss something?
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