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
Playing the Game
Story Hour
Dreams of Erthe
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="Richards" data-source="post: 8988976" data-attributes="member: 508"><p><strong>ADVENTURE 48: DRUID DREAMS</strong></p><p></p><p>PC Roster: <p style="margin-left: 20px">Alewyth Putterpye, dwarf priestess of Aerik 10</p> <p style="margin-left: 20px"> Thurloe Pulver, human fighter 3/wizard 3/spellsword 4</p> <p style="margin-left: 20px"> Wakuren, half-orc cleric of Cal 5/paladin 5</p> <p style="margin-left: 20px"> Xandro Silverstrings, human bard 6/rogue 4</p> <p style="margin-left: 20px"> Zander Quilson, elf sorcerer 10</p><p></p><p>NPC Roster: <p style="margin-left: 20px">Robin the Balladeer, human bard 2</p> <p style="margin-left: 20px"> Volamir Ram's-Brother, goliath barbarian 5/druid 4</p><p></p><p>Game Session Date: 8 April 2023</p><p></p><p> - - -</p><p></p><p>The six heroes stood before Sharnabet, the elven leader of the Druidic Circle reporting directly to Queen Zarabelia. At the elderly elf's side was an imposing figure, a bald humanoid nearly seven feet tall with grayish, stonelike skin marked with stark slashes and stripes of white and black. "This is <strong>Volamir</strong>," Sharnabet explained to them. "He is a visitor from a neighboring tribe of goliaths, who dwell in the southern Shieldwall Mountains. He seeks a group of four of his people whom he believes have entered the cave network in the cliff upon which our missing druid lives, caught now in his dreams for several days."</p><p></p><p>"Your druid lives at the top of a cliff?" asked Xandro. "Doesn't that make reporting in every week rather difficult?"</p><p></p><p>"Not particularly," replied the druidess. "<strong>Skywatcher</strong> is an awakened giant eagle. He nests with an eagle animal companion, <strong>Shrieker</strong>." She turned back to Volamir, who wore leather armor and carried a greatclub seemingly too large for him to wield effectively. "Volamir can take you to the groundside cave opening, if you are willing to help him look for his missing people. We are not familiar with the interior of the cave network, save that the first chamber holds a large colony of bats. It is rumored, however, that there is a passageway leading all the way to the top of the cliff, where Skywatcher makes his nest."</p><p></p><p>"It is also rumored there is treasure to be found within the caverns," replied Volamir. "That is what led the four of my tribe seeking their fortune; now I am tasked with seeking their whereabouts, ensuring their safety if they are alive or seeking the return of a <em>goliath greathammer</em> one of them wielded if they have been slain by the denizens within."</p><p></p><p>"Any idea about what kind of denizens there might be within?" asked Thurloe.</p><p></p><p>"Bats, apparently - beyond that, I do not know."</p><p></p><p>"Great," grunted the spellsword, clearly having hoped to find out more about what they might find themselves up against if they went the long way through the caverns instead of simply having Wakuren <em>air walk</em> them up to the top of the cliff inside <em>Hesperna's lamp</em>.</p><p></p><p>"There's said to be treasure inside," Alewyth reminded him, which did actually make Thurloe feel a bit better about the prospect.</p><p></p><p>They made their way silently through the Sylvanholme Forest for the most part, the goliath as taciturn as most members of his race. But after several hours of trekking through the forest the broad cliffside came into view, and before long Volamir had led them to a cavern opening in the side of the mountainous rock. "There," he said, raising a massive hand and pointing at the tunnel. "That leads into the network my men would have entered."</p><p></p><p>"Well then, let's see what's inside," Thurloe suggested. "I'm for a few prep spells, myself." He cast a <em>shield</em> spell upon himself with his wand, then passed it over to Zander so the elf could do the same. Zander also cast a <em>mage armor</em> spell upon himself, something Thurloe did without as he was wearing his metal breastplate in an effort to get more comfortable casting arcane spells while so encumbered - practice, after all, made perfect. Wakuren enhanced his physical prowess with both a <em>bull's strength</em> and a <em>bear's endurance</em> spell, as well as a <em>shield of faith</em> and an <em>air walk</em> spell. "You're casting <em>air walk</em>?" Thurloe asked. "I thought we'd decided to go through the cave network, not jump in the lamp and have you walk us to the top."</p><p></p><p>"I'm well aware," Wakuren assured him with a smile. Alewyth cast a <em>magic circle against chaos</em> spell on herself and followed it up with a <em>magic vestment</em> spell, while Xandro cast a <em>heroism</em> spell on Wakuren, who grinned a tusk-filled grin and thanked the human bard. Finally, the lantern archon - in its last day of week-long service to Wakuren - cast an <em>aid</em> spell upon each member of the group, including the <em>jade cooshee</em> after Zander brought it to life.</p><p></p><p>"You got any spellcasting you want to tend to before we go in?" Thurloe asked Volamir. But the goliath only hefted his oversize greatclub and smiled. "This is all the preparation I require," he said, before walking boldly into the winding tunnel. The goliath's eyesight was no better than that of a human, but with the lantern archon hovering just over his shoulder he had plenty of illumination by which to see. As expected, there was the occasional bat hanging suspended from the ceiling overhead, and these invariably, disturbed by the unexpected light, flapped away deeper into the cavern ahead to find a more comfortable perch from which to sleep through the day. The cavern ahead proved to be taller than it was wide, with a ceiling height Wakuren and Alewyth - the only two with darkvision - estimated to be some 80 feet overhead. And there, hanging between the stalactites along the chamber's ceiling, were hundreds - if not thousands - of bats, some of them wriggling in place in annoyance at the light below. The floor of this cavern was covered in white guano; Thurloe looked over at Wakuren, who was smirking at him, and only then noticed the half-orc was <em>air walking</em> and inch or more above the ground. <em>His</em> boots, at least, weren't going to be covered in bat poop!</p><p></p><p>"Let's not disturb them if we can avoid it," Wakuren suggested, holding out <em>Hesperna's lamp</em>. "Everybody into the lamp." With a word, the others entered the extradimensional space inside the magic lamp, leaving Wakuren hovering there alone. Looking around the cavern (now in darkness, since the lantern archon had gone inside the lamp with the others), he was able to make out a tunnel leading back outside about 40 feet up - no doubt an additional exit by which the swarms of bats flew outside at night to hunt for their meals - but more to his liking a passageway off to the right which seemed to lead to a tunnel that angled upwards. As reaching higher up the cliffside was their main goal, he walked through the air as silently as his metal armor would allow, careful not to disturb any bat swarms on his way up.</p><p></p><p>The next cavern above (for that's where the tunnel led) was also a large one filled with bodies hanging from the ceiling, but these, Wakuren noticed with a frown, were much more dangerous than bats: they had batlike wings, but their long proboscises gave them away as blood-drinking stirges, many more than the half-orc cleric-paladin wished to deal with on his own. Fortunately, the stirges were also nocturnal and slept during the day, and there looked to be several other ways out of this chamber as well: a tunnel leading directly outside to the north (a likely access point for the stirges' nightly hunts), a large opening in the middle of the ceiling that went more or less straight up farther than Wakuren could make out, and another tunnel near the top of the western edge of the cavern. This latter approach was the one Wakuren chose, the <em>air walk</em> spell making the journey much easier (and quieter) than it would be had he been forced to climb up the near-vertical cavern wall.</p><p></p><p>"What's he doing out there?" groused Thurloe. "He's taking his sweet time about it!" Although it was typical griping for the oft-impatient spellsword, Alewyth was in a position to answer him, for she wore the amulet that allowed her to see through the gemstone Wakuren wore upon his brow - a means for those inside the lamp to see what was going on outside. "He's avoiding a butt-ton of stirges," she replied. "But you're more than welcome to head outside and try to speed him up, if you like." Thurloe just muttered under his breath and opted not to answer.</p><p></p><p>The tunnel Wakuren traversed from the stirge cavern opened up in the middle of another cavern overhead, and when the half-orc popped his head up into this next level, he was surprised by sudden movement on all sides. Coming at him were four hulking figures, each humanoid in build but covered in a glistening, waxy substance. They towered over the half-orc, arms swinging at him awkwardly; he blocked as best he could behind his <em>shield of Cal</em> but a few of the blows hit home, landing with a wet squelching noise.</p><p></p><p>"Wakuren's under attack!" Alewyth announced from inside <em>Hesperna's lamp</em>, tossing off the amulet and stepping into the circle on the floor from which one could return to the Material Plane upon utterance of the proper command word. Thurloe, eager for action, stepped beside her, as did Volamir and the hovering lantern archon. Alewyth called out the word and the four of them manifested around the beleaguered half-orc, in the spaces around him not already taken up by the four unknown attackers.</p><p></p><p>With the light from the lantern archon's glowing, spherical body, Thurloe and Volamir could see they were facing four enemies the size and general built of the goliath, but beings seemingly made of a greenish substance. Not only that, but Alewyth, upon <em>teleporting</em> out of the lamp, had ended up standing in a patch of slime the same coloration as the ooze covering the four humanoid attackers. She felt muzzy-headed almost at once as the olive slime patch drained away part of her intellect, but she knew enough to realize this effect had started as soon as she'd been in contact with the slime, so she stepped out of the patch and did her best to scrape the slime off of her with a dagger from her belt.</p><p></p><p>Thurloe brought his bastard sword slicing into the body of one of the olive slime zombies, as Volamir likewise sent his greatclub smashing into the side of another and Wakuren attacked another with his shield. None of the weapons-strikes seemed to have much of an effect, for the pliant bodies just oozed around the incoming weapons as they passed harmlessly through them.</p><p></p><p>The lantern archon blasted forth a ray of light at one of the olive slime zombies, dealing the first real amount of permanent damage thus far, right as the others were coming to the realization that their weapons were not going to help them here. But now with more potential enemies to fight, two of the zombies continued their attacks upon Wakuren while two others veered off to strike at Thurloe. Of these, only one struck true, but the spellsword was able to fight off the intellect-draining effects that had already forced Alewyth to look about her in confusion.</p><p></p><p>Realizing he needed room for spellcasting, Thurloe activated his <em>anklet of translocation</em> and <em>dimension doored</em> 10 feet away, out of range of immediate attack. Volamir cast a <em>produce flame</em> spell, causing a small ball of fire to manifest in his cupped hand. He threw this first flame-ball at one of the slime zombies, another forming in his hand as the first one struck and burned off some of the zombie's slime coating.</p><p></p><p>Alewyth was still not sure what was going on, but she knew the slime was bad and that it should be stopped. Randomly choosing a spell from those she had prayed for that morning, she cast a <em>searing light</em> spell down at the patch of olive slime she'd stepped in and clapped in glee as the slime burned away into nothingness as a result. "Yay!" she called aloud, pleased with her success.</p><p></p><p>Wakuren had noted the dwarf's strange behavior but also the effectiveness of fire against the slime, and summoned a small fire elemental by his side, pivoting in place as he did so to avoid the incoming attacks by the adjacent slime zombies who struck at him as he cast his spell. But then the little elemental burned off another patch of olive slime by the half-orc's feet (or slightly under them, as Wakuren was still <em>air walking</em> an inch or so above the surface of the cavern floor). </p><p></p><p>Inside the lamp, Zander cast a <em>stoneskin</em> spell on himself as Xandro dropped the amulet around his neck so he could see what was going on outside. "Blobby humanoids!" he called to the elven sorcerer, as he and Robin stepped into the circle on the floor. Zander and the cooshee joined them, and then with a word all four were <em>teleported</em> into the olive slime cavern, this time fortunately with none of them ending up standing in slime.</p><p></p><p>Zander immediately cast a <em>scorching ray</em> at one of the slime zombies, calling for his elven dog to hold back - he feared what might happen if his loyal cooshee tried biting a slime zombie. The lantern archon flashed another beam of light at the same zombie, burning it even further. The zombies seemed confused by the sudden appearance of all of these extra people, for they flailed around with their waxy fists to little avail. Thurloe cast a <em>magic missile</em> spell at one of the zombies, while Volamir tossed another ball of flame at another. Alewyth, her spellcasting power not diminished in the slightest by her reduced intellect, cast a <em>flame strike</em> spell that burned two of the zombies out of existence, then clapped in exuberance at her own success, jumping up and down and yelling, Yay!"</p><p></p><p>Xandro unpacked his <em>Dardolian Lute</em> and sent a <em>sound burst</em> spell blasting into another zombie, while Robin used her own lute to begin her song of inspirational courage. Wakuren summoned a <em>javelin of lightning</em> into his hand from his <em>gauntlet of Cal</em> and threw the bolt at one of the two remaining zombies, which Zander subsequently killed with a full-blown <em>lightning bolt</em> spell. The remaining zombie was taken out by a combination of another <em>sound burst</em> from Xandro, a light beam from the lantern archon, and a <em>scorching ray</em> spell from Thurloe.</p><p></p><p>"Yay! We did it!" yelled Alewyth.</p><p></p><p>"What's her problem?" asked Robin, finishing her song now that combat had ended. She'd never seen the dwarven priestess act in so childlike a fashion before.</p><p></p><p>"Her mind had been damaged by contact with the slime," Volamir informed her. "The effect is temporary, but I might be able to help speed up her recovery." He cast a <em>lesser restoration</em> spell on her, restoring a small bit of her lost intellectual capabilities; the rest would have to happen over time. "But these four, I fear, were the goliaths who came here seeking treasure."</p><p></p><p>"I don't see any weapons," Xandro pointed out, looking about the cavern. "Nor any other way out of here."</p><p></p><p>"Here," Wakuren called pointing to a wall. It looked like there had been a tunnel here, but it was blocked by a bunch of large rocks that filled the passageway. "Back into the lamp; I can get us through this obstruction with a <em>gaseous form</em> spell." Sure enough, once everyone else was back inside the lamp's extradimensional interior, the half-orc was able to pass his gaseous body between the gaps and tiny openings between the close-packed rocks. About 20 feet of upwards-sloping tunnel was so blocked; after that, the tunnel opened up into another large cavern, this one with rocks and boulders of all sizes scattered all around it. Smack dab in the center of the chamber's floor was a large hole, with a vertical tunnel leading straight down; sliding his gaseous body over the hole, Wakuren allowed himself to float down the shaft until he was convinced it was the one leading up from the stirge cavern. With that settled, he slowly floated back up into the boulder-strewn chamber.</p><p></p><p>But one of the boulders in the back had unfurled itself, revealing a draconic shape seemingly made of solid rock. It watched Wakuren's gaseous self glide throughout the chamber, and when the cleric tried floating past it to another passageway leading further up, it interposed itself, blocking the way with its squat body. But by this time Wakuren had noted a few items of interest among the scattered boulders, including a canvas backpack and a long-hafted weapon that could very well be the <em>goliath greathammer</em> Volamir had been sent to fetch. Deciding he'd best discuss their next move with the others, Wakuren backed away toward the blocked tunnel, where he resumed his solid form, set <em>Hesperna's lamp</em> on the ground beside him, and said the command word while still touching its side. In a flash, he was inside the extradimensional space with the others.</p><p></p><p>Unknown to any of those inside the lamp, the stone drake wasn't intent upon letting the unaccompanied lamp sit where it was. Waddling over and picking it up in its wide mouth, it took it over by its other treasures, along the edge of the cave wall near the vertical shaft leading down to the stirge cavern.</p><p></p><p>After describing to the others what he'd seen, Volamir declared it sounded like a stone drake, a reptilian beast often tamed by goliaths and used as beasts of burden. "Let me go out and talk to it," the goliath suggested. "Just the two of us at first, so we don't frighten it into combat." He cast the words to a druidic <em>speak with animals</em> spell, using a variant known to the goliaths that allowed them to also speak with stone drakes and other similar creatures. Then, nodding his readiness to the half-orc cleric-paladin, the two stepped into the circle and Wakuren said the word that sent them back outside.</p><p></p><p>It was only pure luck that of the two of them, it was Wakuren who manifested directly over the hole above the vertical shaft, and that his <em>air walk</em> spell was still in effect. Volamir ended up on solid ground, but just barely; he was able to stabilize himself by grabbing an outcropping of rock at his side. Belatedly realizing there was no illumination in the pitch-black cavern, Wakuren, guided by his darkvision, cast a <em>light</em> spell on the end of the goliath's greatclub.</p><p></p><p>Volamir, glancing nervously at the hole in the floor by his feet, stepped away and made eye contact with the stone drake, who was watching him suspiciously. "Hey there, buddy," he said in his most non-threatening manner, a matter requiring some doing, for a goliath's voice is quite deep and gruff.</p><p></p><p>"I don't know you," the stone drake announced.</p><p></p><p>"Not yet, you don't - my name is Volamir. I'd like us to be friends."</p><p></p><p>"You're a decider," the drake determined aloud. Volamir, recognizing the term as one domesticated stone drakes used to refer to their handlers, shook his head in agreement. "I had other deciders, but they got all blobby. I sealed them off in the cave down there so they couldn't make me all blobby, too. Now I'm just waiting for them to get better."</p><p></p><p>"I'm afraid they won't be getting better," Volamir told the stone drake. "They all died from their...blobbiness."</p><p></p><p>"I have their treasure," the stone drake announced. "It's mine now."</p><p></p><p>"Yes, I can see that," Volamir agreed. "But if you'd like me to be your next decider, I can help you carry your treasure." He stepped over to the <em>goliath greathammer</em> and hefted it; it was indeed the weapon he'd been set to fetch.</p><p></p><p>"That's mine!" the drake snarled, and Volamir was quick to agree. "I'll just carry it for you, so you don't have to. And this man here," he added, indicating Wakuren, who had no idea what all was being said, "he's a kind of littler decider who can help us carry the rest of your treasure. He has others like him inside the lamp that can carry things, too."</p><p></p><p>"That lamp's mine!" the drake insisted. "I found it!"</p><p></p><p>"Agreed, but we'll let him carry it, okay?" The stone drake begrudgingly agreed; while he'd had plenty of food available to him while he waited for the four other deciders to get better - any time he felt peckish he could scamper down the vertical shaft and snap up a stirge or two, whose sharp proboscises had a hard time penetrating his stone hide - life had been pretty boring of late. Volamir told Wakuren of the current agreement, and the half-orc picked up the lamp, carried it away from the hole in the floor, and popped inside to go fetch the others. They all returned shortly thereafter, with Volamir assuring the drake that they would only be carrying the drake's many treasures as a show of their great respect for him. There was a significant number of coins and gems inside the backpack, as well as a few magic items common among goliaths: a <em>replenishing skin</em> that provided a steady supply of cool, clear drinking water; a <em>flask of rhino elixir</em> that hardened the skin of the drinker even more than that of the average goliath; and a small sack of <em>slashing sand</em>, which could be tossed on the ground to summon up a <em>stone spikes</em> effect. But as the heroes were distributing these items among themselves for storage, the stone drake was distracted by Alewyth, who had instantly responded to the sight of the stone drake with a cry of "Pretty!" and an instant demand to hug it.</p><p></p><p>The sloping passageway led to another chamber above, this one apparently once having served as the lair of a carnivore in some past time, judging by the scattered bones of former meals. But there was sunlight streaming in from another passageway leading to the top of the mountain plateau, and Alewyth and her new best friend went running to go play in the sunlight while the others gave the place a more thorough checking out. They unearthed the remains of another adventurer, judging from the scraps of leather armor, the rusted dagger, and the pair of magic bracers scattered among the various bones. But then they all headed topside and got a look at the amazing vantage point being at the top of a 1,200-foot plateau afforded. The Sylvanholme Forest spread out below them in all directions, with dotted hills and streams breaking up the landscape.</p><p></p><p>"I don't see a nest," Zander pointed out. Volamir called out, still under the effects of his <em>speak with animals</em> spell, and soon found himself in conversation with Shrieker, sitting in the eagles' shared nest about 10 feet down from the top of the cliff, sheltered by an overhanging ledge of solid rock. Once again, getting to the nest involved everyone entering the magic lamp and having Wakuren ferry them over using his <em>air walk</em> spell.</p><p></p><p>However, it was immediately apparent to Wakuren there wasn't enough room in the nest for the five dreamwalkers to be able to sit around the dream victim and perform their ritual - not when the dream victim was 10 feet tall. So he had to pop into the lamp to fetch Volamir, so the goliath could explain to Shrieker what they were about to do. Then, touching both eagles while touching the lamp, Wakuren brought everyone inside the extradimensional space, only to exit the lamp himself and <em>air walk</em> it back to the top of the cliff, where he set it down, went back inside, and exited again with Volamir and the stone drake, who would stand guard over it while they performed their standard dreamwaking ritual.</p><p></p><p>Once that was all settled, the heroes attached a dreamstone around the giant eagle's head and sat in a circle around him, their own dreamstones attached in the leather headbands they wore. As one, they closed their eyes, slowed their breathing, and fell asleep, to cast their minds across the planes and into the Dreamlands.</p><p></p><p>"Hey, kupo!" came Mogo's traditional greeting when they met up with him in the Corridor of Dreams. "This is a new record - he's only been sleeping for a couple of days, kupo!" Then he opened the door and ushered the five dreamwalkers inside the avian druid's dream.</p><p></p><p>Zander was the first to step through the doorway; having done so, he found himself plummeting at terminal velocity through the air with the forested ground below him rising at an unnerving speed. Choking down his instinctive terror, he focused his mind and recalled the lucid dreaming tricks Mogo had been teaching them each night; slowing his breathing to help quench his panic, he decided that in this dream he had a perfectly functioning pair of wings of his own - and just that quickly, he did. He was flying through the air under his own efforts, and off to one side was Skywatcher, flying beside him. They exchanged greetings as if they were old friends.</p><p></p><p>Thurloe was the next to fall into the dream and he responded with a more wizardly approach, imagining himself under the effects of a <em>fly</em> spell. He too was now at a level beside Skywatcher and Zander, when Alewyth entered the dream. She merely activated her <em>butterfly brooch</em>, granting her a temporary set of butterfly wings with which she flitted about. Xandro followed Thurloe's course of action and was flying on his own without the benefit of any wings, while Wakuren just imagined himself still under the effects of an <em>air walk</em> spell and remained upright.</p><p></p><p>"Look!" cried Zander, pointing ahead of them. There were two birds flying their way, each with the head of a stag instead of a bird.</p><p></p><p>"Perytons!" cried Skywatcher in disgust. He flew forward, talons ready to tear into their bodies - he'd not have such vicious predators entering the area he was sworn to protect!</p><p></p><p>Zander tried another lucid dreaming trick, this time altering the dream such that one of the perytons suddenly manifested a bag over his head, which tangled in his antlers and prevented him from seeing where he was going. He shook his head vigorously, trying to dislodge the cloth sack, to no avail. His flight path went wobbly, and while the other flew straight at Skywatcher the one with impaired vision missed his mark by a long shot.</p><p></p><p>The two bodies crashed midair, the peryton getting in a couple of scratches with its claws but Skywatcher getting the better deal by far, for he was a much larger creature and his talons inflicted much more pain upon his attacker. Thurloe flew around behind the peryton and by concentrating on his own lucid dreaming, managed to drain off a bit of the creature's strength, as if having hit it with a <em>ray of enfeeblement</em> spell.</p><p></p><p>Alewyth, in the meantime, hit the blinded peryton with a <em>flame strike</em> spell, killing it instantly. Its burning body went plummeting to the ground far below.</p><p></p><p>Xandro pulled out his <em>Dardolian Lute</em> and started playing his song of inspirational courage; it was nice having Robin around to take care of such things in the real world, but in the Dreamlands such a task fell to him. Wakuren summoned a <em>javelin of lightning</em> into his gauntleted right hand and sent it hurtling at the remaining peryton, right as Zander copied his initial "bag-manifesting" lucid dreaming trick. Suddenly unable to see, the peryton lashed out frantically with its claws, but missed entirely.</p><p></p><p>Thurloe was now in a "let's see what all we can do" mood and manifested a saddle onto the peryton's back, then flew over and landed upon it, whooping and hollering. Alewyth, however, ever with her reduced intellect, recalled they were there to kill the peryton, not play with it, so she sent another <em>flame strike</em> down from the sky to strike the peryton in the wing, making sure not to catch the spellsword in the area of effect. That slew the beast, just as it had done the first one, and the dreamscape started fading all around them as the awakened giant eagle awoke from his dream.</p><p></p><p>Skywatcher was surprised to find himself inside the extradimensional pocket of the lamp's interior, but Wakuren quickly explained the circumstances that had led him here. "I had been dreaming of two perytons, because I had chased two of them away from this territory," he told the heroes, as Thurloe said the command word that shunted everyone back up at the top of the mountain plateau.</p><p></p><p>"Good timing," Volamir greeted them, pointing off in the distance. "We're about to have company." Looking at where the goliath was pointing, the group saw a series of six figures approaching from the north, one of them much larger than the others. It seemed as if the two perytons Skywatcher had driven away had decided to return with their much larger pack leader, eager to take out the giant eagle preventing them from making this territory their own.</p><p></p><p>Robin knew her role and started playing her song of inspirational courage. Thurloe took a step forward in front of the others, waited for the perytons to get into range, and then unleashed a <em>fireball</em> spell at them, centered on the leader. Alewyth cast a <em>bless</em> spell on everyone there at the top of the mountain plateau, sure they'd all be needing it. Skywatcher wasted no time, becoming airborne with a flap of his mighty wings and flying straight up at the peryton leader, a creature with a wingspan nearly as wide as his own. His claws and beak tore at the peryton's flesh, sending feathers and fur flying in all directions. Beneath him, Shrieker also took flight, but the eagle remained just above the surface of the mountaintop, flying underneath the incoming peryton formation so he could circle around and attack them from the rear.</p><p></p><p>The stone drake and the cooshee stepped forward beside their respective masters, ready to protect them against any perytons coming within reach, but there wasn't much they could do as long as the stag-headed avians remained airborne. Zander cast a <em>cone of cold</em> spell up at the incoming force, catching four of the smaller perytons and slaying two of them outright. As they fell to the ground below, the three remaining normal-sized perytons all advanced upon Skywatcher, apparently deciding taking out the druidic guardian first was their top priority. Volamir hefted his <em>goliath greathammer</em> and cast a <em>bull's strength</em> spell upon himself as he waited for his prey to come within reach.</p><p></p><p>Xandro pulled out his <em>Dardolian Lute</em> and, using his <em>dire elk pick</em> given to him by Queen Zarabelia herself, began the chords to a new tune. Immediately, a dire elk manifested at the top of the mountain, beside the bard. It grunted and swung its head back and forth, sending its massive antlers - equal in width to the perytons' wingspan - darting back and forth as well, threatening to catch up anything that flew within range.</p><p></p><p>Wakuren sent another <em>javelin of lightning</em> up into the air, piercing its way through one of the perytons and continuing its electrical arc into the pack leader. But the leader was also concentrating its attacks on Skywatcher, and its talons were much larger than that of the rest of its flock. Skywatcher cried out in pain, flapping furiously to keep himself airborne under such a concerted attack.</p><p></p><p>The lantern archon sent a ray of light flashing up at one of the smaller perytons, one who looked to have taken as much punishment as Skywatcher in the aerial assault. Thurloe cast a <em>ray of enfeeblement</em> spell up at the pack leader, siphoning off some of his strength. And then Alewyth cast another <em>flame strike</em> spell, killing two of the three remining normal-sized perytons, including the one that seemed about to perish on his own.</p><p></p><p>Skywatcher continued his attacks upon the pack leader, realizing if they could slay it the other peryton would probably flee and never come back. Zander sent a <em>lightning bolt</em> spell up at the pack leader as well, and Shrieker came in with his own set of talons, but the eagle's attacks didn't even seem to register upon the much larger stag-bird. Down on the mountaintop, Xandro cast an <em>expeditious retreat</em> spell upon himself and moved forward, trying to keep up with the ever-moving battle in the air above. Wakuren joined the aerial battle directly, using his <em>air walk</em> spell to charge in an "uphill" attack that ended with his <em>shield of Cal</em> swinging into the side of the pack leader's massive chest. But then the leader went all out on the giant eagle, causing Skywatcher to fall, unconscious, to the top of the mountain some 40 feet below him. He struck with a mighty thud, near where Xandro had stood moments before.</p><p></p><p>Volamir was beside his fallen fellow druid in a flash, casting a <em>cure light wounds</em> spell in an attempt to keep Skywatcher from death's full embrace. The lantern archon zapped the peryton pack leader with another flash of its light beam, but the damage it inflicted upon the great beast was minimal. Thurloe did a little better with a <em>magic missile</em> spell, and it became apparent their collected efforts were having an effect upon the peryton leader, who might finally be having some second thoughts about having ignored these pesky ground-pounders in an effort to deal with the giant eagle first and foremost, for even now the dwarven woman was casting another healing spell upon the great bird, awakening Skywatcher to full alertness, the worst of his wounds healed up.</p><p></p><p>While Alewyth remonstrated with Skywatcher to let the rest of them deal with the remaining threat, the giant eagle was having none of it. Pushing the priestess aside with a mighty wing, the avian druid launched himself skyward once again and bit at his opposing foe. His beak sank into the peryton leader's neck, and if it was truly Zander's follow-up <em>lightning bolt</em> attack that slew the beast, nobody made any claims to that effect. It crashed to the top of the mountain plateau and Xandro slit its throat with <em>Deathwhisper</em> as the giant eagle druid and his eagle companion landed beside them, each letting out a cry of victory. The remaining peryton opted to flee just as they thought it might, but Thurloe was having none of that - he brought it down with a <em>magic missile</em> barrage.</p><p></p><p>"Everybody okay?" Wakuren asked as he finally touched solid ground, having spent the whole time inside the cave network under the effects of an <em>air walk</em> spell. He and Alewyth provided healing spells to those who needed them.</p><p></p><p>"Next decision," Zander prompted. "Now that we've awakened Skywatcher and Volamir got his hammer, how are we planning on getting back down?" That was easy; everyone went back inside the lamp and Skywatcher grabbed it up in one set of talons; he was overdue reporting in to Sharnabet in any case, although his news about a pack of perytons moving into the area was now somewhat out of date. But once back at the Elven Court, and having briefed the Druidic Circle leader about what had transpired, Sharnabet rewarded the heroes with potions of <em>cure serious wounds</em>, <em>neutralize poison</em>, and <em>remove disease</em>, as well as a pouch containing magical flakes that could <em>purify food and drink</em> if sprinkled and mixed within the contaminated substances. She even had one of her druids restore Alewyth's scattered wits with a <em>restoration</em> spell.</p><p></p><p>"And now," said Pendleton, the Royal Sorcerer of the Elven Court, "if it please Your Majesty, I believe we have taken up enough of the dream-wakers' valuable time. With your leave, I will return them to the town to which their wagon driver was to meet them."</p><p></p><p>"By all means," agreed Queen Zarabelia from atop her throne. "Go forth with my blessing, and the thanks of the entire elven kingdom. Your names will be remembered and revered for all that you have done for us." The six heroes bowed, said their goodbyes to Volamir (who had convinced the stone drake that together they'd gather even more treasure, so it was okay to allow these smaller "not-quite-deciders" to have what they'd been carrying, including <em>Hesperna's lamp</em>), and Pendleton Azulio <em>teleported</em> the heroes of the elven kingdom back to meet up with Scarlie and their various mounts.</p><p></p><p> - - - </p><p></p><p>This adventure included the return of Dan and Vicki's adult son Jacob to our ranks; he was in town with his parents over Easter weekend and I had enough notice he'd be available for this session to whip up Volamir as a one-shot PC. The goliath also made a handy excuse for the PCs not to just have Wakuren <em>air walk</em> them in the lamp directly up to Skywatcher's nest, avoiding the majority of the adventure (although they did use that ploy to handily bypass my four bat swarms and two stirge swarms - oh well).</p><p></p><p> - - - </p><p></p><p>T-shirt worn: My white Red Cross T-shirt, with the only tie-in being the link between blood and the stirge swarms in the second cavern.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Richards, post: 8988976, member: 508"] [b]ADVENTURE 48: DRUID DREAMS[/b] PC Roster: [INDENT]Alewyth Putterpye, dwarf priestess of Aerik 10 Thurloe Pulver, human fighter 3/wizard 3/spellsword 4 Wakuren, half-orc cleric of Cal 5/paladin 5 Xandro Silverstrings, human bard 6/rogue 4 Zander Quilson, elf sorcerer 10[/INDENT] NPC Roster: [INDENT]Robin the Balladeer, human bard 2 Volamir Ram's-Brother, goliath barbarian 5/druid 4[/INDENT] Game Session Date: 8 April 2023 - - - The six heroes stood before Sharnabet, the elven leader of the Druidic Circle reporting directly to Queen Zarabelia. At the elderly elf's side was an imposing figure, a bald humanoid nearly seven feet tall with grayish, stonelike skin marked with stark slashes and stripes of white and black. "This is [b]Volamir[/b]," Sharnabet explained to them. "He is a visitor from a neighboring tribe of goliaths, who dwell in the southern Shieldwall Mountains. He seeks a group of four of his people whom he believes have entered the cave network in the cliff upon which our missing druid lives, caught now in his dreams for several days." "Your druid lives at the top of a cliff?" asked Xandro. "Doesn't that make reporting in every week rather difficult?" "Not particularly," replied the druidess. "[b]Skywatcher[/b] is an awakened giant eagle. He nests with an eagle animal companion, [b]Shrieker[/b]." She turned back to Volamir, who wore leather armor and carried a greatclub seemingly too large for him to wield effectively. "Volamir can take you to the groundside cave opening, if you are willing to help him look for his missing people. We are not familiar with the interior of the cave network, save that the first chamber holds a large colony of bats. It is rumored, however, that there is a passageway leading all the way to the top of the cliff, where Skywatcher makes his nest." "It is also rumored there is treasure to be found within the caverns," replied Volamir. "That is what led the four of my tribe seeking their fortune; now I am tasked with seeking their whereabouts, ensuring their safety if they are alive or seeking the return of a [i]goliath greathammer[/i] one of them wielded if they have been slain by the denizens within." "Any idea about what kind of denizens there might be within?" asked Thurloe. "Bats, apparently - beyond that, I do not know." "Great," grunted the spellsword, clearly having hoped to find out more about what they might find themselves up against if they went the long way through the caverns instead of simply having Wakuren [i]air walk[/i] them up to the top of the cliff inside [i]Hesperna's lamp[/i]. "There's said to be treasure inside," Alewyth reminded him, which did actually make Thurloe feel a bit better about the prospect. They made their way silently through the Sylvanholme Forest for the most part, the goliath as taciturn as most members of his race. But after several hours of trekking through the forest the broad cliffside came into view, and before long Volamir had led them to a cavern opening in the side of the mountainous rock. "There," he said, raising a massive hand and pointing at the tunnel. "That leads into the network my men would have entered." "Well then, let's see what's inside," Thurloe suggested. "I'm for a few prep spells, myself." He cast a [i]shield[/i] spell upon himself with his wand, then passed it over to Zander so the elf could do the same. Zander also cast a [i]mage armor[/i] spell upon himself, something Thurloe did without as he was wearing his metal breastplate in an effort to get more comfortable casting arcane spells while so encumbered - practice, after all, made perfect. Wakuren enhanced his physical prowess with both a [i]bull's strength[/i] and a [i]bear's endurance[/i] spell, as well as a [i]shield of faith[/i] and an [i]air walk[/i] spell. "You're casting [i]air walk[/i]?" Thurloe asked. "I thought we'd decided to go through the cave network, not jump in the lamp and have you walk us to the top." "I'm well aware," Wakuren assured him with a smile. Alewyth cast a [i]magic circle against chaos[/i] spell on herself and followed it up with a [i]magic vestment[/i] spell, while Xandro cast a [i]heroism[/i] spell on Wakuren, who grinned a tusk-filled grin and thanked the human bard. Finally, the lantern archon - in its last day of week-long service to Wakuren - cast an [i]aid[/i] spell upon each member of the group, including the [i]jade cooshee[/i] after Zander brought it to life. "You got any spellcasting you want to tend to before we go in?" Thurloe asked Volamir. But the goliath only hefted his oversize greatclub and smiled. "This is all the preparation I require," he said, before walking boldly into the winding tunnel. The goliath's eyesight was no better than that of a human, but with the lantern archon hovering just over his shoulder he had plenty of illumination by which to see. As expected, there was the occasional bat hanging suspended from the ceiling overhead, and these invariably, disturbed by the unexpected light, flapped away deeper into the cavern ahead to find a more comfortable perch from which to sleep through the day. The cavern ahead proved to be taller than it was wide, with a ceiling height Wakuren and Alewyth - the only two with darkvision - estimated to be some 80 feet overhead. And there, hanging between the stalactites along the chamber's ceiling, were hundreds - if not thousands - of bats, some of them wriggling in place in annoyance at the light below. The floor of this cavern was covered in white guano; Thurloe looked over at Wakuren, who was smirking at him, and only then noticed the half-orc was [i]air walking[/i] and inch or more above the ground. [i]His[/i] boots, at least, weren't going to be covered in bat poop! "Let's not disturb them if we can avoid it," Wakuren suggested, holding out [i]Hesperna's lamp[/i]. "Everybody into the lamp." With a word, the others entered the extradimensional space inside the magic lamp, leaving Wakuren hovering there alone. Looking around the cavern (now in darkness, since the lantern archon had gone inside the lamp with the others), he was able to make out a tunnel leading back outside about 40 feet up - no doubt an additional exit by which the swarms of bats flew outside at night to hunt for their meals - but more to his liking a passageway off to the right which seemed to lead to a tunnel that angled upwards. As reaching higher up the cliffside was their main goal, he walked through the air as silently as his metal armor would allow, careful not to disturb any bat swarms on his way up. The next cavern above (for that's where the tunnel led) was also a large one filled with bodies hanging from the ceiling, but these, Wakuren noticed with a frown, were much more dangerous than bats: they had batlike wings, but their long proboscises gave them away as blood-drinking stirges, many more than the half-orc cleric-paladin wished to deal with on his own. Fortunately, the stirges were also nocturnal and slept during the day, and there looked to be several other ways out of this chamber as well: a tunnel leading directly outside to the north (a likely access point for the stirges' nightly hunts), a large opening in the middle of the ceiling that went more or less straight up farther than Wakuren could make out, and another tunnel near the top of the western edge of the cavern. This latter approach was the one Wakuren chose, the [i]air walk[/i] spell making the journey much easier (and quieter) than it would be had he been forced to climb up the near-vertical cavern wall. "What's he doing out there?" groused Thurloe. "He's taking his sweet time about it!" Although it was typical griping for the oft-impatient spellsword, Alewyth was in a position to answer him, for she wore the amulet that allowed her to see through the gemstone Wakuren wore upon his brow - a means for those inside the lamp to see what was going on outside. "He's avoiding a butt-ton of stirges," she replied. "But you're more than welcome to head outside and try to speed him up, if you like." Thurloe just muttered under his breath and opted not to answer. The tunnel Wakuren traversed from the stirge cavern opened up in the middle of another cavern overhead, and when the half-orc popped his head up into this next level, he was surprised by sudden movement on all sides. Coming at him were four hulking figures, each humanoid in build but covered in a glistening, waxy substance. They towered over the half-orc, arms swinging at him awkwardly; he blocked as best he could behind his [i]shield of Cal[/i] but a few of the blows hit home, landing with a wet squelching noise. "Wakuren's under attack!" Alewyth announced from inside [i]Hesperna's lamp[/i], tossing off the amulet and stepping into the circle on the floor from which one could return to the Material Plane upon utterance of the proper command word. Thurloe, eager for action, stepped beside her, as did Volamir and the hovering lantern archon. Alewyth called out the word and the four of them manifested around the beleaguered half-orc, in the spaces around him not already taken up by the four unknown attackers. With the light from the lantern archon's glowing, spherical body, Thurloe and Volamir could see they were facing four enemies the size and general built of the goliath, but beings seemingly made of a greenish substance. Not only that, but Alewyth, upon [i]teleporting[/i] out of the lamp, had ended up standing in a patch of slime the same coloration as the ooze covering the four humanoid attackers. She felt muzzy-headed almost at once as the olive slime patch drained away part of her intellect, but she knew enough to realize this effect had started as soon as she'd been in contact with the slime, so she stepped out of the patch and did her best to scrape the slime off of her with a dagger from her belt. Thurloe brought his bastard sword slicing into the body of one of the olive slime zombies, as Volamir likewise sent his greatclub smashing into the side of another and Wakuren attacked another with his shield. None of the weapons-strikes seemed to have much of an effect, for the pliant bodies just oozed around the incoming weapons as they passed harmlessly through them. The lantern archon blasted forth a ray of light at one of the olive slime zombies, dealing the first real amount of permanent damage thus far, right as the others were coming to the realization that their weapons were not going to help them here. But now with more potential enemies to fight, two of the zombies continued their attacks upon Wakuren while two others veered off to strike at Thurloe. Of these, only one struck true, but the spellsword was able to fight off the intellect-draining effects that had already forced Alewyth to look about her in confusion. Realizing he needed room for spellcasting, Thurloe activated his [i]anklet of translocation[/i] and [i]dimension doored[/i] 10 feet away, out of range of immediate attack. Volamir cast a [i]produce flame[/i] spell, causing a small ball of fire to manifest in his cupped hand. He threw this first flame-ball at one of the slime zombies, another forming in his hand as the first one struck and burned off some of the zombie's slime coating. Alewyth was still not sure what was going on, but she knew the slime was bad and that it should be stopped. Randomly choosing a spell from those she had prayed for that morning, she cast a [i]searing light[/i] spell down at the patch of olive slime she'd stepped in and clapped in glee as the slime burned away into nothingness as a result. "Yay!" she called aloud, pleased with her success. Wakuren had noted the dwarf's strange behavior but also the effectiveness of fire against the slime, and summoned a small fire elemental by his side, pivoting in place as he did so to avoid the incoming attacks by the adjacent slime zombies who struck at him as he cast his spell. But then the little elemental burned off another patch of olive slime by the half-orc's feet (or slightly under them, as Wakuren was still [i]air walking[/i] an inch or so above the surface of the cavern floor). Inside the lamp, Zander cast a [i]stoneskin[/i] spell on himself as Xandro dropped the amulet around his neck so he could see what was going on outside. "Blobby humanoids!" he called to the elven sorcerer, as he and Robin stepped into the circle on the floor. Zander and the cooshee joined them, and then with a word all four were [i]teleported[/i] into the olive slime cavern, this time fortunately with none of them ending up standing in slime. Zander immediately cast a [i]scorching ray[/i] at one of the slime zombies, calling for his elven dog to hold back - he feared what might happen if his loyal cooshee tried biting a slime zombie. The lantern archon flashed another beam of light at the same zombie, burning it even further. The zombies seemed confused by the sudden appearance of all of these extra people, for they flailed around with their waxy fists to little avail. Thurloe cast a [i]magic missile[/i] spell at one of the zombies, while Volamir tossed another ball of flame at another. Alewyth, her spellcasting power not diminished in the slightest by her reduced intellect, cast a [i]flame strike[/i] spell that burned two of the zombies out of existence, then clapped in exuberance at her own success, jumping up and down and yelling, Yay!" Xandro unpacked his [i]Dardolian Lute[/i] and sent a [i]sound burst[/i] spell blasting into another zombie, while Robin used her own lute to begin her song of inspirational courage. Wakuren summoned a [i]javelin of lightning[/i] into his hand from his [i]gauntlet of Cal[/i] and threw the bolt at one of the two remaining zombies, which Zander subsequently killed with a full-blown [i]lightning bolt[/i] spell. The remaining zombie was taken out by a combination of another [i]sound burst[/i] from Xandro, a light beam from the lantern archon, and a [i]scorching ray[/i] spell from Thurloe. "Yay! We did it!" yelled Alewyth. "What's her problem?" asked Robin, finishing her song now that combat had ended. She'd never seen the dwarven priestess act in so childlike a fashion before. "Her mind had been damaged by contact with the slime," Volamir informed her. "The effect is temporary, but I might be able to help speed up her recovery." He cast a [i]lesser restoration[/i] spell on her, restoring a small bit of her lost intellectual capabilities; the rest would have to happen over time. "But these four, I fear, were the goliaths who came here seeking treasure." "I don't see any weapons," Xandro pointed out, looking about the cavern. "Nor any other way out of here." "Here," Wakuren called pointing to a wall. It looked like there had been a tunnel here, but it was blocked by a bunch of large rocks that filled the passageway. "Back into the lamp; I can get us through this obstruction with a [i]gaseous form[/i] spell." Sure enough, once everyone else was back inside the lamp's extradimensional interior, the half-orc was able to pass his gaseous body between the gaps and tiny openings between the close-packed rocks. About 20 feet of upwards-sloping tunnel was so blocked; after that, the tunnel opened up into another large cavern, this one with rocks and boulders of all sizes scattered all around it. Smack dab in the center of the chamber's floor was a large hole, with a vertical tunnel leading straight down; sliding his gaseous body over the hole, Wakuren allowed himself to float down the shaft until he was convinced it was the one leading up from the stirge cavern. With that settled, he slowly floated back up into the boulder-strewn chamber. But one of the boulders in the back had unfurled itself, revealing a draconic shape seemingly made of solid rock. It watched Wakuren's gaseous self glide throughout the chamber, and when the cleric tried floating past it to another passageway leading further up, it interposed itself, blocking the way with its squat body. But by this time Wakuren had noted a few items of interest among the scattered boulders, including a canvas backpack and a long-hafted weapon that could very well be the [i]goliath greathammer[/i] Volamir had been sent to fetch. Deciding he'd best discuss their next move with the others, Wakuren backed away toward the blocked tunnel, where he resumed his solid form, set [i]Hesperna's lamp[/i] on the ground beside him, and said the command word while still touching its side. In a flash, he was inside the extradimensional space with the others. Unknown to any of those inside the lamp, the stone drake wasn't intent upon letting the unaccompanied lamp sit where it was. Waddling over and picking it up in its wide mouth, it took it over by its other treasures, along the edge of the cave wall near the vertical shaft leading down to the stirge cavern. After describing to the others what he'd seen, Volamir declared it sounded like a stone drake, a reptilian beast often tamed by goliaths and used as beasts of burden. "Let me go out and talk to it," the goliath suggested. "Just the two of us at first, so we don't frighten it into combat." He cast the words to a druidic [i]speak with animals[/i] spell, using a variant known to the goliaths that allowed them to also speak with stone drakes and other similar creatures. Then, nodding his readiness to the half-orc cleric-paladin, the two stepped into the circle and Wakuren said the word that sent them back outside. It was only pure luck that of the two of them, it was Wakuren who manifested directly over the hole above the vertical shaft, and that his [i]air walk[/i] spell was still in effect. Volamir ended up on solid ground, but just barely; he was able to stabilize himself by grabbing an outcropping of rock at his side. Belatedly realizing there was no illumination in the pitch-black cavern, Wakuren, guided by his darkvision, cast a [i]light[/i] spell on the end of the goliath's greatclub. Volamir, glancing nervously at the hole in the floor by his feet, stepped away and made eye contact with the stone drake, who was watching him suspiciously. "Hey there, buddy," he said in his most non-threatening manner, a matter requiring some doing, for a goliath's voice is quite deep and gruff. "I don't know you," the stone drake announced. "Not yet, you don't - my name is Volamir. I'd like us to be friends." "You're a decider," the drake determined aloud. Volamir, recognizing the term as one domesticated stone drakes used to refer to their handlers, shook his head in agreement. "I had other deciders, but they got all blobby. I sealed them off in the cave down there so they couldn't make me all blobby, too. Now I'm just waiting for them to get better." "I'm afraid they won't be getting better," Volamir told the stone drake. "They all died from their...blobbiness." "I have their treasure," the stone drake announced. "It's mine now." "Yes, I can see that," Volamir agreed. "But if you'd like me to be your next decider, I can help you carry your treasure." He stepped over to the [i]goliath greathammer[/i] and hefted it; it was indeed the weapon he'd been set to fetch. "That's mine!" the drake snarled, and Volamir was quick to agree. "I'll just carry it for you, so you don't have to. And this man here," he added, indicating Wakuren, who had no idea what all was being said, "he's a kind of littler decider who can help us carry the rest of your treasure. He has others like him inside the lamp that can carry things, too." "That lamp's mine!" the drake insisted. "I found it!" "Agreed, but we'll let him carry it, okay?" The stone drake begrudgingly agreed; while he'd had plenty of food available to him while he waited for the four other deciders to get better - any time he felt peckish he could scamper down the vertical shaft and snap up a stirge or two, whose sharp proboscises had a hard time penetrating his stone hide - life had been pretty boring of late. Volamir told Wakuren of the current agreement, and the half-orc picked up the lamp, carried it away from the hole in the floor, and popped inside to go fetch the others. They all returned shortly thereafter, with Volamir assuring the drake that they would only be carrying the drake's many treasures as a show of their great respect for him. There was a significant number of coins and gems inside the backpack, as well as a few magic items common among goliaths: a [i]replenishing skin[/i] that provided a steady supply of cool, clear drinking water; a [i]flask of rhino elixir[/i] that hardened the skin of the drinker even more than that of the average goliath; and a small sack of [i]slashing sand[/i], which could be tossed on the ground to summon up a [i]stone spikes[/i] effect. But as the heroes were distributing these items among themselves for storage, the stone drake was distracted by Alewyth, who had instantly responded to the sight of the stone drake with a cry of "Pretty!" and an instant demand to hug it. The sloping passageway led to another chamber above, this one apparently once having served as the lair of a carnivore in some past time, judging by the scattered bones of former meals. But there was sunlight streaming in from another passageway leading to the top of the mountain plateau, and Alewyth and her new best friend went running to go play in the sunlight while the others gave the place a more thorough checking out. They unearthed the remains of another adventurer, judging from the scraps of leather armor, the rusted dagger, and the pair of magic bracers scattered among the various bones. But then they all headed topside and got a look at the amazing vantage point being at the top of a 1,200-foot plateau afforded. The Sylvanholme Forest spread out below them in all directions, with dotted hills and streams breaking up the landscape. "I don't see a nest," Zander pointed out. Volamir called out, still under the effects of his [i]speak with animals[/i] spell, and soon found himself in conversation with Shrieker, sitting in the eagles' shared nest about 10 feet down from the top of the cliff, sheltered by an overhanging ledge of solid rock. Once again, getting to the nest involved everyone entering the magic lamp and having Wakuren ferry them over using his [i]air walk[/i] spell. However, it was immediately apparent to Wakuren there wasn't enough room in the nest for the five dreamwalkers to be able to sit around the dream victim and perform their ritual - not when the dream victim was 10 feet tall. So he had to pop into the lamp to fetch Volamir, so the goliath could explain to Shrieker what they were about to do. Then, touching both eagles while touching the lamp, Wakuren brought everyone inside the extradimensional space, only to exit the lamp himself and [i]air walk[/i] it back to the top of the cliff, where he set it down, went back inside, and exited again with Volamir and the stone drake, who would stand guard over it while they performed their standard dreamwaking ritual. Once that was all settled, the heroes attached a dreamstone around the giant eagle's head and sat in a circle around him, their own dreamstones attached in the leather headbands they wore. As one, they closed their eyes, slowed their breathing, and fell asleep, to cast their minds across the planes and into the Dreamlands. "Hey, kupo!" came Mogo's traditional greeting when they met up with him in the Corridor of Dreams. "This is a new record - he's only been sleeping for a couple of days, kupo!" Then he opened the door and ushered the five dreamwalkers inside the avian druid's dream. Zander was the first to step through the doorway; having done so, he found himself plummeting at terminal velocity through the air with the forested ground below him rising at an unnerving speed. Choking down his instinctive terror, he focused his mind and recalled the lucid dreaming tricks Mogo had been teaching them each night; slowing his breathing to help quench his panic, he decided that in this dream he had a perfectly functioning pair of wings of his own - and just that quickly, he did. He was flying through the air under his own efforts, and off to one side was Skywatcher, flying beside him. They exchanged greetings as if they were old friends. Thurloe was the next to fall into the dream and he responded with a more wizardly approach, imagining himself under the effects of a [i]fly[/i] spell. He too was now at a level beside Skywatcher and Zander, when Alewyth entered the dream. She merely activated her [i]butterfly brooch[/i], granting her a temporary set of butterfly wings with which she flitted about. Xandro followed Thurloe's course of action and was flying on his own without the benefit of any wings, while Wakuren just imagined himself still under the effects of an [i]air walk[/i] spell and remained upright. "Look!" cried Zander, pointing ahead of them. There were two birds flying their way, each with the head of a stag instead of a bird. "Perytons!" cried Skywatcher in disgust. He flew forward, talons ready to tear into their bodies - he'd not have such vicious predators entering the area he was sworn to protect! Zander tried another lucid dreaming trick, this time altering the dream such that one of the perytons suddenly manifested a bag over his head, which tangled in his antlers and prevented him from seeing where he was going. He shook his head vigorously, trying to dislodge the cloth sack, to no avail. His flight path went wobbly, and while the other flew straight at Skywatcher the one with impaired vision missed his mark by a long shot. The two bodies crashed midair, the peryton getting in a couple of scratches with its claws but Skywatcher getting the better deal by far, for he was a much larger creature and his talons inflicted much more pain upon his attacker. Thurloe flew around behind the peryton and by concentrating on his own lucid dreaming, managed to drain off a bit of the creature's strength, as if having hit it with a [i]ray of enfeeblement[/i] spell. Alewyth, in the meantime, hit the blinded peryton with a [i]flame strike[/i] spell, killing it instantly. Its burning body went plummeting to the ground far below. Xandro pulled out his [i]Dardolian Lute[/i] and started playing his song of inspirational courage; it was nice having Robin around to take care of such things in the real world, but in the Dreamlands such a task fell to him. Wakuren summoned a [i]javelin of lightning[/i] into his gauntleted right hand and sent it hurtling at the remaining peryton, right as Zander copied his initial "bag-manifesting" lucid dreaming trick. Suddenly unable to see, the peryton lashed out frantically with its claws, but missed entirely. Thurloe was now in a "let's see what all we can do" mood and manifested a saddle onto the peryton's back, then flew over and landed upon it, whooping and hollering. Alewyth, however, ever with her reduced intellect, recalled they were there to kill the peryton, not play with it, so she sent another [i]flame strike[/i] down from the sky to strike the peryton in the wing, making sure not to catch the spellsword in the area of effect. That slew the beast, just as it had done the first one, and the dreamscape started fading all around them as the awakened giant eagle awoke from his dream. Skywatcher was surprised to find himself inside the extradimensional pocket of the lamp's interior, but Wakuren quickly explained the circumstances that had led him here. "I had been dreaming of two perytons, because I had chased two of them away from this territory," he told the heroes, as Thurloe said the command word that shunted everyone back up at the top of the mountain plateau. "Good timing," Volamir greeted them, pointing off in the distance. "We're about to have company." Looking at where the goliath was pointing, the group saw a series of six figures approaching from the north, one of them much larger than the others. It seemed as if the two perytons Skywatcher had driven away had decided to return with their much larger pack leader, eager to take out the giant eagle preventing them from making this territory their own. Robin knew her role and started playing her song of inspirational courage. Thurloe took a step forward in front of the others, waited for the perytons to get into range, and then unleashed a [i]fireball[/i] spell at them, centered on the leader. Alewyth cast a [i]bless[/i] spell on everyone there at the top of the mountain plateau, sure they'd all be needing it. Skywatcher wasted no time, becoming airborne with a flap of his mighty wings and flying straight up at the peryton leader, a creature with a wingspan nearly as wide as his own. His claws and beak tore at the peryton's flesh, sending feathers and fur flying in all directions. Beneath him, Shrieker also took flight, but the eagle remained just above the surface of the mountaintop, flying underneath the incoming peryton formation so he could circle around and attack them from the rear. The stone drake and the cooshee stepped forward beside their respective masters, ready to protect them against any perytons coming within reach, but there wasn't much they could do as long as the stag-headed avians remained airborne. Zander cast a [i]cone of cold[/i] spell up at the incoming force, catching four of the smaller perytons and slaying two of them outright. As they fell to the ground below, the three remaining normal-sized perytons all advanced upon Skywatcher, apparently deciding taking out the druidic guardian first was their top priority. Volamir hefted his [i]goliath greathammer[/i] and cast a [i]bull's strength[/i] spell upon himself as he waited for his prey to come within reach. Xandro pulled out his [i]Dardolian Lute[/i] and, using his [i]dire elk pick[/i] given to him by Queen Zarabelia herself, began the chords to a new tune. Immediately, a dire elk manifested at the top of the mountain, beside the bard. It grunted and swung its head back and forth, sending its massive antlers - equal in width to the perytons' wingspan - darting back and forth as well, threatening to catch up anything that flew within range. Wakuren sent another [i]javelin of lightning[/i] up into the air, piercing its way through one of the perytons and continuing its electrical arc into the pack leader. But the leader was also concentrating its attacks on Skywatcher, and its talons were much larger than that of the rest of its flock. Skywatcher cried out in pain, flapping furiously to keep himself airborne under such a concerted attack. The lantern archon sent a ray of light flashing up at one of the smaller perytons, one who looked to have taken as much punishment as Skywatcher in the aerial assault. Thurloe cast a [i]ray of enfeeblement[/i] spell up at the pack leader, siphoning off some of his strength. And then Alewyth cast another [i]flame strike[/i] spell, killing two of the three remining normal-sized perytons, including the one that seemed about to perish on his own. Skywatcher continued his attacks upon the pack leader, realizing if they could slay it the other peryton would probably flee and never come back. Zander sent a [i]lightning bolt[/i] spell up at the pack leader as well, and Shrieker came in with his own set of talons, but the eagle's attacks didn't even seem to register upon the much larger stag-bird. Down on the mountaintop, Xandro cast an [i]expeditious retreat[/i] spell upon himself and moved forward, trying to keep up with the ever-moving battle in the air above. Wakuren joined the aerial battle directly, using his [i]air walk[/i] spell to charge in an "uphill" attack that ended with his [i]shield of Cal[/i] swinging into the side of the pack leader's massive chest. But then the leader went all out on the giant eagle, causing Skywatcher to fall, unconscious, to the top of the mountain some 40 feet below him. He struck with a mighty thud, near where Xandro had stood moments before. Volamir was beside his fallen fellow druid in a flash, casting a [i]cure light wounds[/i] spell in an attempt to keep Skywatcher from death's full embrace. The lantern archon zapped the peryton pack leader with another flash of its light beam, but the damage it inflicted upon the great beast was minimal. Thurloe did a little better with a [i]magic missile[/i] spell, and it became apparent their collected efforts were having an effect upon the peryton leader, who might finally be having some second thoughts about having ignored these pesky ground-pounders in an effort to deal with the giant eagle first and foremost, for even now the dwarven woman was casting another healing spell upon the great bird, awakening Skywatcher to full alertness, the worst of his wounds healed up. While Alewyth remonstrated with Skywatcher to let the rest of them deal with the remaining threat, the giant eagle was having none of it. Pushing the priestess aside with a mighty wing, the avian druid launched himself skyward once again and bit at his opposing foe. His beak sank into the peryton leader's neck, and if it was truly Zander's follow-up [i]lightning bolt[/i] attack that slew the beast, nobody made any claims to that effect. It crashed to the top of the mountain plateau and Xandro slit its throat with [i]Deathwhisper[/i] as the giant eagle druid and his eagle companion landed beside them, each letting out a cry of victory. The remaining peryton opted to flee just as they thought it might, but Thurloe was having none of that - he brought it down with a [i]magic missile[/i] barrage. "Everybody okay?" Wakuren asked as he finally touched solid ground, having spent the whole time inside the cave network under the effects of an [i]air walk[/i] spell. He and Alewyth provided healing spells to those who needed them. "Next decision," Zander prompted. "Now that we've awakened Skywatcher and Volamir got his hammer, how are we planning on getting back down?" That was easy; everyone went back inside the lamp and Skywatcher grabbed it up in one set of talons; he was overdue reporting in to Sharnabet in any case, although his news about a pack of perytons moving into the area was now somewhat out of date. But once back at the Elven Court, and having briefed the Druidic Circle leader about what had transpired, Sharnabet rewarded the heroes with potions of [i]cure serious wounds[/i], [i]neutralize poison[/i], and [i]remove disease[/i], as well as a pouch containing magical flakes that could [i]purify food and drink[/i] if sprinkled and mixed within the contaminated substances. She even had one of her druids restore Alewyth's scattered wits with a [i]restoration[/i] spell. "And now," said Pendleton, the Royal Sorcerer of the Elven Court, "if it please Your Majesty, I believe we have taken up enough of the dream-wakers' valuable time. With your leave, I will return them to the town to which their wagon driver was to meet them." "By all means," agreed Queen Zarabelia from atop her throne. "Go forth with my blessing, and the thanks of the entire elven kingdom. Your names will be remembered and revered for all that you have done for us." The six heroes bowed, said their goodbyes to Volamir (who had convinced the stone drake that together they'd gather even more treasure, so it was okay to allow these smaller "not-quite-deciders" to have what they'd been carrying, including [i]Hesperna's lamp[/i]), and Pendleton Azulio [i]teleported[/i] the heroes of the elven kingdom back to meet up with Scarlie and their various mounts. - - - This adventure included the return of Dan and Vicki's adult son Jacob to our ranks; he was in town with his parents over Easter weekend and I had enough notice he'd be available for this session to whip up Volamir as a one-shot PC. The goliath also made a handy excuse for the PCs not to just have Wakuren [i]air walk[/i] them in the lamp directly up to Skywatcher's nest, avoiding the majority of the adventure (although they did use that ploy to handily bypass my four bat swarms and two stirge swarms - oh well). - - - T-shirt worn: My white Red Cross T-shirt, with the only tie-in being the link between blood and the stirge swarms in the second cavern. [/QUOTE]
Insert quotes…
Verification
Post reply
Community
Playing the Game
Story Hour
Dreams of Erthe
Top