drnuncheon's Freeport Story Hour - Book II: Inheritance
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Drusilia Nailo
First Post
No, most certainly not an adventurer.
Actually, I have no problems with Dru being an adventurer. Dru has her own opinion about that, though.
Actually, I have no problems with Dru being an adventurer. Dru has her own opinion about that, though.
drnuncheon
Explorer
Session Twenty-Two, Part One: Cannibals in the City of the Gods
A crack of thunder rolled across the ancient crater - a sourceless thunder, for the sky was as clear and blue as it had ever been. The villagers of Mantru scanned the heavens for some sign that Olorin, god of the skies, was displeased, but found nothing.
Meanwhile, in a clearing not far from the village, Dru looked skeptically at the heavy, macelike rod that they had retrieved from the Swamp Hag's hut, then inspected the splintered treetrunk where it had impacted.
Nearby, Di'Fier looked up from a collection of ragged vellum pages. "That sounded promising."
"It would be, if I could figure out how I did it." Dru waved the metal stick in the air, then swung it against the tree. When no further response was forthcoming, she shrugged, stuffed it back into her belt, and wandered over to where her partner sat. "What are you reading, anyway?"
The pages Di'Fier held were wrinkled and weatherstained. "I got these from the priest, Umlat. As near as I can tell, they're from one of the spellbooks of the wizard who stopped through here." The mage gave a rueful smile. "I think he gave them to me to try and convince us to stay."
"We're not staying," Dru said firmly. "Papa needs to know I'm still alive."
"I'm kind of suprised that nobody has come for us," Di'Fier sighed. "I thought my mother would have had the Guild scrying our location so she could teleport in and bring us back." He sighed, looking down at the pages. "None of these seem to be teleportation, either. In fact, they're not in very good shape at all. I'm going to have to guess at some of the spell to use them, but it could be worth it - especially if there are lots of cannibals. This one is a fireball spell," he said, indicating the papers. "...I think."
Dru nodded. "Might as well use it here. I don't think it'd get a lot of use in Freeport. I was thinking about the cannibals. Maybe I should go scout out the island."
Di'Fier frowned. "I think they'd notice if a boat...oh," he said, remembering the ring. "That's a good idea. I'll prepare an extra-long invisibility spell tomorrow."
Dru lay back in the tall grass, staring up at the circle of blue overhead. "If I go crazy and start eating people, you'll just haveto come rescue me."
"All right, this will hold for several hours. Unless you attack something," Di'Fier told her. "I'll send Ampiel along so you can get word back if something happens."
Dru's voice spoke from the air. "They don't have ravens on the island. Do you think they'll notice?"
Di'Fier laughed. "They're cannibals, not ornithologists. I think you'll be OK."
Dru set off across the lake, Ampiel fluttering in wary circles before settling down, seemingly carried along in midair.
As they walked, Dru looked down through the crystalline waters of the lake. She could see the fish that swam below her, clear to the rocky bottom. Then she shifted her attention before her. "Doesn't look like much, does it, Ampiel? Mostly ruins."
"Scurvytown," the raven laughed, and launched himself from her shoulder.
The island loomed in front of her, dotted with crumbling white marble that projected from the carpet of green that covering it. If the gods ever did live here, it was a long time ago, Dru thought to herself. I guessthey won't be sending us back. Maybe we can find the wizard's spellbook...
She circled the island for long minutes, looking up at the sheer sides. "Apparently the gods didn't get visitors very often. There's no way in...wait, what's that?"
Ampiel circled around, listening for her voice. "A dock."
"Thanks, bird." Dru crept closer, her feet hovering soundless above the water. "And canoes...this must be where the cannibals are." She crept closer.
The ramshackle docks projected in uneven angles from a marble platform that rose from the lake. Stairs led up to a crumbling temple set into the rock of the island. Before it stood a pair of carved feet, shattered at the ankles - all that remained of a far greater statue - and from the walls, a pair of faces looked blankly on.
Dru stepped onto the stone platform, feeling her weight once again settle to the ground. Slowly, she advanced, circling a piece of fallen pillar as she climbed the stairs. Ampiel perched on the immense stone foot, watching for any sign of life.
Only one way in, Dru observed. That way was a narrow hall that led into the rock. She let her vision adjust to the dim light, and could see that it was blocked - no, mostly blocked. That rubble hadn't fallen there, it was carefully placed by human hands. Only a narrow pathway along the left side allowed entrance.
Dru shifted her weight, moved forward. Stone crunched under her foot, and from behind the barricade, a head appeared, followed by the rest of the person. The cannibal didn't look much different from anyone else she had seen on the island. Aside from the filed teeth. she amended. She remained there, unmoving, until he vanished, then resumed her forward progress.
She could hear voices, and then footsteps, and she froze again as another person came around the corner. He was heavily muscled, almost a foot taller than most of the villagers she had seen, but that was not what drew her attention.
It was his face.
The eyes were wide, set too far apart in a face whose nose seemed to have been cut away. Parralel slashes along the jawline looked like scars, until they rippled, showing red underneath. Like the others, his teeth came to points, but Dru had the feeling they weren't filed down. And at the corners of his mouth, fleshy wormlike nubs squirmed as if blindly reaching out for something.
The creature held its spear in one hand, and began to scan the area.
A crack of thunder rolled across the ancient crater - a sourceless thunder, for the sky was as clear and blue as it had ever been. The villagers of Mantru scanned the heavens for some sign that Olorin, god of the skies, was displeased, but found nothing.
Meanwhile, in a clearing not far from the village, Dru looked skeptically at the heavy, macelike rod that they had retrieved from the Swamp Hag's hut, then inspected the splintered treetrunk where it had impacted.
Nearby, Di'Fier looked up from a collection of ragged vellum pages. "That sounded promising."
"It would be, if I could figure out how I did it." Dru waved the metal stick in the air, then swung it against the tree. When no further response was forthcoming, she shrugged, stuffed it back into her belt, and wandered over to where her partner sat. "What are you reading, anyway?"
The pages Di'Fier held were wrinkled and weatherstained. "I got these from the priest, Umlat. As near as I can tell, they're from one of the spellbooks of the wizard who stopped through here." The mage gave a rueful smile. "I think he gave them to me to try and convince us to stay."
"We're not staying," Dru said firmly. "Papa needs to know I'm still alive."
"I'm kind of suprised that nobody has come for us," Di'Fier sighed. "I thought my mother would have had the Guild scrying our location so she could teleport in and bring us back." He sighed, looking down at the pages. "None of these seem to be teleportation, either. In fact, they're not in very good shape at all. I'm going to have to guess at some of the spell to use them, but it could be worth it - especially if there are lots of cannibals. This one is a fireball spell," he said, indicating the papers. "...I think."
Dru nodded. "Might as well use it here. I don't think it'd get a lot of use in Freeport. I was thinking about the cannibals. Maybe I should go scout out the island."
Di'Fier frowned. "I think they'd notice if a boat...oh," he said, remembering the ring. "That's a good idea. I'll prepare an extra-long invisibility spell tomorrow."
Dru lay back in the tall grass, staring up at the circle of blue overhead. "If I go crazy and start eating people, you'll just haveto come rescue me."
"All right, this will hold for several hours. Unless you attack something," Di'Fier told her. "I'll send Ampiel along so you can get word back if something happens."
Dru's voice spoke from the air. "They don't have ravens on the island. Do you think they'll notice?"
Di'Fier laughed. "They're cannibals, not ornithologists. I think you'll be OK."
Dru set off across the lake, Ampiel fluttering in wary circles before settling down, seemingly carried along in midair.
As they walked, Dru looked down through the crystalline waters of the lake. She could see the fish that swam below her, clear to the rocky bottom. Then she shifted her attention before her. "Doesn't look like much, does it, Ampiel? Mostly ruins."
"Scurvytown," the raven laughed, and launched himself from her shoulder.
The island loomed in front of her, dotted with crumbling white marble that projected from the carpet of green that covering it. If the gods ever did live here, it was a long time ago, Dru thought to herself. I guessthey won't be sending us back. Maybe we can find the wizard's spellbook...
She circled the island for long minutes, looking up at the sheer sides. "Apparently the gods didn't get visitors very often. There's no way in...wait, what's that?"
Ampiel circled around, listening for her voice. "A dock."
"Thanks, bird." Dru crept closer, her feet hovering soundless above the water. "And canoes...this must be where the cannibals are." She crept closer.
The ramshackle docks projected in uneven angles from a marble platform that rose from the lake. Stairs led up to a crumbling temple set into the rock of the island. Before it stood a pair of carved feet, shattered at the ankles - all that remained of a far greater statue - and from the walls, a pair of faces looked blankly on.
Dru stepped onto the stone platform, feeling her weight once again settle to the ground. Slowly, she advanced, circling a piece of fallen pillar as she climbed the stairs. Ampiel perched on the immense stone foot, watching for any sign of life.
Only one way in, Dru observed. That way was a narrow hall that led into the rock. She let her vision adjust to the dim light, and could see that it was blocked - no, mostly blocked. That rubble hadn't fallen there, it was carefully placed by human hands. Only a narrow pathway along the left side allowed entrance.
Dru shifted her weight, moved forward. Stone crunched under her foot, and from behind the barricade, a head appeared, followed by the rest of the person. The cannibal didn't look much different from anyone else she had seen on the island. Aside from the filed teeth. she amended. She remained there, unmoving, until he vanished, then resumed her forward progress.
She could hear voices, and then footsteps, and she froze again as another person came around the corner. He was heavily muscled, almost a foot taller than most of the villagers she had seen, but that was not what drew her attention.
It was his face.
The eyes were wide, set too far apart in a face whose nose seemed to have been cut away. Parralel slashes along the jawline looked like scars, until they rippled, showing red underneath. Like the others, his teeth came to points, but Dru had the feeling they weren't filed down. And at the corners of his mouth, fleshy wormlike nubs squirmed as if blindly reaching out for something.
The creature held its spear in one hand, and began to scan the area.
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drnuncheon
Explorer
Session Twenty-Two, Part Two: Temple Battle (Part One)
"...so I snuck past the wormface and into the main part of the temple," Dru continued. "There's a lot of them. Cannibals," she hastily added. "Not wormfaces."
"I wonder if he's the leader?"
"If he's not, I don't want to see what the leader looks like." Dru poked at the glowing coals. "I think you should try that fireball spell from the book."
"I think so too. I just hope it works." Di'Fier looked dubiously down at the page, where humidity and age had blurred the sigils. "It really would have helped had I known the spell before, but I'm just guessing now."
Benares stood. "We'll have to leave early if we want to steal a canoe before the fishermen awake. I'd suggest getting some rest now." He glanced at Di'Fier. "If they'll let us."
The mage chuckled. The villagers had been overjoyed to see 'new blood', and Benares' blonde hair made him seem particularly exotic - and therefore desirable. Not that Di'Fier had been left alone... "All right. Maybe we can convince them it's a holy day or something."
"There it is. Go to the left, you'll see the docks. Don't circle the entire thing like I did," Dru grumbled.
"I'm just glad we stopped going in circles," Di'Fier said. "It would have been embarassing to still be paddling around out there when the fisherman came out."
Shesara held out her hand to Ampiel, who obediently hopped onto it, hoping for food. "I'm going to use you as the focus for my spell fo invisibility," she told him. "That way, if one of us makes an attack, the others will still be unseen. All you have to do is stay close to us."
"All right."
The quintet faded from view, and an empty canoe glided up to the crude docks. No sentries were visible, and after all were touching to make sure they stayed within the radius of the spell, they crept forward.
"If we can get their attention, maybe we can draw them out," Dru muttered. "Use their own defenses against them." A small chunk of marble lifted into the air, and arced towards the stone feet, shattering on them.
Two natives crept out warily, spears at the ready, lips drawn back from pointed teeth in silent snarls. They died swiftly, with barely time to cry out. The wormfaced creature was right behind them, its spear knocking aside their blows and stabbing at Benares.
Shesara stepped up behind Dru and laid a hand on her shoulders, singing a single low note that rose in pitch and intensity. Dru could feel it stirring her blood, moving her faster as the world slowed around her. She stepped inside the reach of the wormface's spear, sneering as he tried desperately to stop her, and struck three times, collapsing him into a heap.
She looked down the corridor. It's going to take them forever to come out here, she thought, and with that, she headed down the corridor, vaulting the rubble easily and entering the main temple. Golden globes of light streaked past her, knocking two of the cannibals down, and she knew the her friends were following her.
It was a mass of chaos, as the cannibals prepared to repel the invaders - warriors preparing their weapons, flooding out of the rooms on the second floor. Some had their bows already strung, and Dru sidestepped the arrows that swam slowly though the air.
Behind her, she could hear Di'Fier's chanting - low, slow, and strange. A virulent green haze formed over the center of the temple, catching many of the cannibals in it. She could hear choking and vomiting from within it, and she grinned wolfishly, advancing towards the few who had been outside its effect.
Di'Fier followed Dru in, watching as she sliced through the warriors. "More wormfaces!" he cried, as they came down the stairs. On the upper balcony of the temple, he could see a tattooed man gesturing and shouting in an unknown language. Shaman, he guessed. I'd better use this fireball before I can't anymore.
He began to chant the words he had impressed in his mind. No...this isn't right... Desperately he tried to force them into the pattern he thought they should be. I never should have tried this...was it like this? Or... As the spell shuddered and tried to take form, he finished with a half-remembered flourish from one of his favorite spells, and gestured at the balcony.
A tiny red bead flew from his hand, expanding into a sphere of flames - but instead of the explosion he had expected, it stopped when it was six feet across, slamming into the shaman like a physical force - and remaining.
Di'Fier rolled it back and forth experimentally. Like a flaming sphere, but hotter... His thoughts were interrupted when the smouldering shaman stepped out of the flames and launched a bolt of misty energy at him that slammed into his side with great force. That was no magic missile! Di'Fier thought, and rolled the sphere over the shaman again, following it with a volley of arcane bolts of his own that knocked the enemy spellcaster from the balcony to plummet to the ground.
Di'Fier watched him fall, pleased with himself - until the sharp pain of a wound brought his attention back to the battle. The old man who faced him was muscular, scarred, and grizzled, with years of experience at using the spear he held in his hand. The leader? he thought, stepping backward. One hand pulled out the scroll he had stuffed into his belt, leting it fall open. He spoke the words inscribed there, and saw a glimmering disk of force form in front of him. A thought sent the ball of flame leaping from the balcony towards the warrior, but he sidestepped it easily, moving foward and swinging his spear low, under the shield.
Di'Fier hit the floor, staring up at the ceiling as the old warrior stood above him, his spear raised...
"...so I snuck past the wormface and into the main part of the temple," Dru continued. "There's a lot of them. Cannibals," she hastily added. "Not wormfaces."
"I wonder if he's the leader?"
"If he's not, I don't want to see what the leader looks like." Dru poked at the glowing coals. "I think you should try that fireball spell from the book."
"I think so too. I just hope it works." Di'Fier looked dubiously down at the page, where humidity and age had blurred the sigils. "It really would have helped had I known the spell before, but I'm just guessing now."
Benares stood. "We'll have to leave early if we want to steal a canoe before the fishermen awake. I'd suggest getting some rest now." He glanced at Di'Fier. "If they'll let us."
The mage chuckled. The villagers had been overjoyed to see 'new blood', and Benares' blonde hair made him seem particularly exotic - and therefore desirable. Not that Di'Fier had been left alone... "All right. Maybe we can convince them it's a holy day or something."
"There it is. Go to the left, you'll see the docks. Don't circle the entire thing like I did," Dru grumbled.
"I'm just glad we stopped going in circles," Di'Fier said. "It would have been embarassing to still be paddling around out there when the fisherman came out."
Shesara held out her hand to Ampiel, who obediently hopped onto it, hoping for food. "I'm going to use you as the focus for my spell fo invisibility," she told him. "That way, if one of us makes an attack, the others will still be unseen. All you have to do is stay close to us."
"All right."
The quintet faded from view, and an empty canoe glided up to the crude docks. No sentries were visible, and after all were touching to make sure they stayed within the radius of the spell, they crept forward.
"If we can get their attention, maybe we can draw them out," Dru muttered. "Use their own defenses against them." A small chunk of marble lifted into the air, and arced towards the stone feet, shattering on them.
Two natives crept out warily, spears at the ready, lips drawn back from pointed teeth in silent snarls. They died swiftly, with barely time to cry out. The wormfaced creature was right behind them, its spear knocking aside their blows and stabbing at Benares.
Shesara stepped up behind Dru and laid a hand on her shoulders, singing a single low note that rose in pitch and intensity. Dru could feel it stirring her blood, moving her faster as the world slowed around her. She stepped inside the reach of the wormface's spear, sneering as he tried desperately to stop her, and struck three times, collapsing him into a heap.
She looked down the corridor. It's going to take them forever to come out here, she thought, and with that, she headed down the corridor, vaulting the rubble easily and entering the main temple. Golden globes of light streaked past her, knocking two of the cannibals down, and she knew the her friends were following her.
It was a mass of chaos, as the cannibals prepared to repel the invaders - warriors preparing their weapons, flooding out of the rooms on the second floor. Some had their bows already strung, and Dru sidestepped the arrows that swam slowly though the air.
Behind her, she could hear Di'Fier's chanting - low, slow, and strange. A virulent green haze formed over the center of the temple, catching many of the cannibals in it. She could hear choking and vomiting from within it, and she grinned wolfishly, advancing towards the few who had been outside its effect.
Di'Fier followed Dru in, watching as she sliced through the warriors. "More wormfaces!" he cried, as they came down the stairs. On the upper balcony of the temple, he could see a tattooed man gesturing and shouting in an unknown language. Shaman, he guessed. I'd better use this fireball before I can't anymore.
He began to chant the words he had impressed in his mind. No...this isn't right... Desperately he tried to force them into the pattern he thought they should be. I never should have tried this...was it like this? Or... As the spell shuddered and tried to take form, he finished with a half-remembered flourish from one of his favorite spells, and gestured at the balcony.
A tiny red bead flew from his hand, expanding into a sphere of flames - but instead of the explosion he had expected, it stopped when it was six feet across, slamming into the shaman like a physical force - and remaining.
Di'Fier rolled it back and forth experimentally. Like a flaming sphere, but hotter... His thoughts were interrupted when the smouldering shaman stepped out of the flames and launched a bolt of misty energy at him that slammed into his side with great force. That was no magic missile! Di'Fier thought, and rolled the sphere over the shaman again, following it with a volley of arcane bolts of his own that knocked the enemy spellcaster from the balcony to plummet to the ground.
Di'Fier watched him fall, pleased with himself - until the sharp pain of a wound brought his attention back to the battle. The old man who faced him was muscular, scarred, and grizzled, with years of experience at using the spear he held in his hand. The leader? he thought, stepping backward. One hand pulled out the scroll he had stuffed into his belt, leting it fall open. He spoke the words inscribed there, and saw a glimmering disk of force form in front of him. A thought sent the ball of flame leaping from the balcony towards the warrior, but he sidestepped it easily, moving foward and swinging his spear low, under the shield.
Di'Fier hit the floor, staring up at the ceiling as the old warrior stood above him, his spear raised...
drnuncheon
Explorer
Session Twenty-Two, Part Three: Temple Battle (Part Two)
Di'Fier rolled desperately to the side, but the chieftain's spear bit into his flesh, tracing lines of fire along his veins. Only the intervention of his flaming sphere allowed him the chance to stagger to his feet before the spearblade slid deep into his thigh.
Gritting his teeth, the mage unleashed the last of his magic missiles, rocking the older warrior back on his heels. Before the glow of the arcane bolts had faded, Di'Fier was limping away to find cover under the stairs.
Dru looked up from the corpse of the wormface she had dropped, seeing the trail of blood her partner was leaving. "Di'Fier's hurt bad!" she cried. "Shesara-"
Her words were cut off by the chieftain's spear as its tip opened a gash down her arm. Dru felt dizzy as the blood ran out of her. She shook her head to clear it, stumbling back a step and pulling one of her precious few healing potions. She saw Benares leap to cover her, ignoring the wound he received from his opponent in the process, distracting the chief with a spinning flurry of attacks from his staff. The cannibal blocked them easily with the shaft of his spear, and with a grunt of contempt, hooked his opponent's leg from under him sending him crashing to the ground, then drove the spearblade deep into his shoulder as Benares tried to stand.
From behind her, there came an explosion of vivid light. If Di'Fier's using color spray then he's almost out of spells... she thought, her blade lashing out at the chieftain to distract him from the fallen Benares. She looked to Shesara, fighting defensively and slowly falling back under the press of bodies. We've got to end this, fast.
With her distraction, Benares was able to roll to his feet, and he shared an almost imperceptible nod with the elven warrior. The air seemed to moan as his staff parted it, impacting the chieftain's spear with enough force to numb the cannibal's hands. He reversed, forcing the chieftain onto the defensive...
...and back into Dru's waiting blade.
It emerged through his stomach, withdrew. Through his ribcage, in a gout of blood that sprayed Benares in gore. And through his throat, slid between the vertebrae. The chieftain collapsed like an abandoned puppet, and the remaining cannibals wavered.
Dru raised her bloodied blade...and charged.
Di'Fier slowly flexed his bandaged leg. "It feels almost all right," he said.
"...but the healing magic should have fixed it all the way," Benares finished for him. "There is something fouler at work here. Only Shesara was spared, since she was not wounded by the chieftain."
"I think we'd better return to Mantru to rest, before we explore the rest of this temple," the mage said, and found only agreement in the eyes of his companions. Leaving the bodies behind, they returned to their stolen canoe.
At the village docks, the people of Mantru awaited them with spears. One splashed into the water only feet from the boat, and Dru growled. Benares lifted a hand to calm her, and listened to their shouts. "They are angry that we have violated the taboo of the island," he reported. "We may not return to Mantru."
"They're not that different from the people in Freeport," Dru scowled. "They never appreciate when you do a good turn for them."
"We'll need to find someplace else to land and rest," said Di'Fier, paddling clumsily. "Maybe we can find a cove or something along the shore."
Di'Fier rolled desperately to the side, but the chieftain's spear bit into his flesh, tracing lines of fire along his veins. Only the intervention of his flaming sphere allowed him the chance to stagger to his feet before the spearblade slid deep into his thigh.
Gritting his teeth, the mage unleashed the last of his magic missiles, rocking the older warrior back on his heels. Before the glow of the arcane bolts had faded, Di'Fier was limping away to find cover under the stairs.
Dru looked up from the corpse of the wormface she had dropped, seeing the trail of blood her partner was leaving. "Di'Fier's hurt bad!" she cried. "Shesara-"
Her words were cut off by the chieftain's spear as its tip opened a gash down her arm. Dru felt dizzy as the blood ran out of her. She shook her head to clear it, stumbling back a step and pulling one of her precious few healing potions. She saw Benares leap to cover her, ignoring the wound he received from his opponent in the process, distracting the chief with a spinning flurry of attacks from his staff. The cannibal blocked them easily with the shaft of his spear, and with a grunt of contempt, hooked his opponent's leg from under him sending him crashing to the ground, then drove the spearblade deep into his shoulder as Benares tried to stand.
From behind her, there came an explosion of vivid light. If Di'Fier's using color spray then he's almost out of spells... she thought, her blade lashing out at the chieftain to distract him from the fallen Benares. She looked to Shesara, fighting defensively and slowly falling back under the press of bodies. We've got to end this, fast.
With her distraction, Benares was able to roll to his feet, and he shared an almost imperceptible nod with the elven warrior. The air seemed to moan as his staff parted it, impacting the chieftain's spear with enough force to numb the cannibal's hands. He reversed, forcing the chieftain onto the defensive...
...and back into Dru's waiting blade.
It emerged through his stomach, withdrew. Through his ribcage, in a gout of blood that sprayed Benares in gore. And through his throat, slid between the vertebrae. The chieftain collapsed like an abandoned puppet, and the remaining cannibals wavered.
Dru raised her bloodied blade...and charged.
Di'Fier slowly flexed his bandaged leg. "It feels almost all right," he said.
"...but the healing magic should have fixed it all the way," Benares finished for him. "There is something fouler at work here. Only Shesara was spared, since she was not wounded by the chieftain."
"I think we'd better return to Mantru to rest, before we explore the rest of this temple," the mage said, and found only agreement in the eyes of his companions. Leaving the bodies behind, they returned to their stolen canoe.
At the village docks, the people of Mantru awaited them with spears. One splashed into the water only feet from the boat, and Dru growled. Benares lifted a hand to calm her, and listened to their shouts. "They are angry that we have violated the taboo of the island," he reported. "We may not return to Mantru."
"They're not that different from the people in Freeport," Dru scowled. "They never appreciate when you do a good turn for them."
"We'll need to find someplace else to land and rest," said Di'Fier, paddling clumsily. "Maybe we can find a cove or something along the shore."
Jon Potter
First Post
Vile damage, doc? That's just plain mean, if that's the case, considering that they're in the jungle without a cleric.
So I forget if you said this already, but are Shesara and Benares new cohorts for our intrepid pair? If so, who is whose?
I can't wait to see what you did with the rest of the Taboo Island ruins? What's the story with "wormface" anyway?
So I forget if you said this already, but are Shesara and Benares new cohorts for our intrepid pair? If so, who is whose?
I can't wait to see what you did with the rest of the Taboo Island ruins? What's the story with "wormface" anyway?
drnuncheon
Explorer
Jon Potter said:
I suppose I ought to put some stats up in the Rogue's Gallery, but yeah, those two are the cohorts for the Isle of Dread. In fact, one of them sticks around afterwards and is still with them as of this writing (the other slot is currently filled by their old friend Brother Egil).
Shesara is at this point (I believe) a 7th level bard, while Benares is a 7th level Holy Warrior (from GR's Book of the Righteous - based on the Mage Guard of Tinel in specific).
Jon Potter said:
Yeah, what indeed? Jeez, those guys were creepy. If you remember the original module, though, you'll remember what's waiting in the caverns below the temple. Consider that and you may get some idea...
J
Drusilia Nailo
First Post
And to answer the rest of the question, Shesara is Dru's cohort, and Benares is Di'Fier's. 
drnuncheon
Explorer
Session Twenty-Three, Part One: Beneath the Temple
The main room was much the same as before, although the horde of cannibals screaming for their blood had been replaced with piles of the rotting dead, stinking and festering in the tropical heat. Di'Fier tried not to breathe as he stepped over a body that crawled with maggots. He passed the central firepit, where a flame still burned. You'd think it'd have burned down by now, he thought, trying to remember the positions of the bodies when they left.
"I think there's something about this face," Dru muttered as she examined the enormous stone effigy that dominated the rear of the temple. "Look how deep the eyes are. Like there's something behind it." Her gaze moved over the stonework, settling on a third hole between the other two. "But what's this...?"
Di'Fier saw the cloud of dust sprayed from the hole, and dove backward as quickly as he could. He could see Shesara do the same, as Dru and Benares stood in confusion for the split-second before the dust hit the flames - and exploded.
Coughing as the smoke cleared, Dru swore, smothering the sparks in her hair with her hands as she stumbled to join Di'Fie rand Shesara. "Damn it! Why is it every time I get my hair to grow, it gets burned off!"
"I think there's someone left alive," Di'Fier said. "If that had been an automatic trap, the cannibals never would have lived here."
Dru straightened, drawing her rapier. Her left hand reached out to run along the wall. "You're right. There's a hidden door - I was just loking for it in the wrong place."
"Door? I think I'll make my own." Di'Fier pulled a crude candle and a tiny bag from his pouch, throwing them to the ground with an incantation. Once again, the strange wormlike creature answered his call, burrowing out of nowhere. It paused, then launched itself at the stone face, vanishing into a hole whose edges glowed red. A moment later, they heard the crashing of wood, and the screams began.
"Someone's trying to open the door," Dru said.
"Let them."
Dru stepped back, blade at the ready, as the section of stone wall pivoted on unseen hinges. She could see flames in the room beyond as a lone figure stumbled out, burned and barely standing: a young girl, not more than ten years of age.
Dru swore, clubbing the child across the back of the head and sending her to the ground. "Di'Fier - is there anyone else in there?"
The mage stepped to the door. "No." With an upraised hand, he dismissed the rockworm he had summoned.
Dru held the last of her healing potions in her hand, studying the girl. She growled, pulling the stopper out with her teeth. "Get me some rope," she told Shesara, as she trickled the precious liquid down the girl's throat.
That should do it, she thought to herself as she looped the rope around her captive. Enough to keep her out of our way, but she should be able to get out if we don't come back. "What's back there?"
Di'Fier surveyed the room. It was small, mostly barren. "It looks like there used to be a platform behind the face," he reported. "Although there's not much left of it after the thoquaa set it on fire. We'll have to wait for it to die down before we can get past." He coughed from the smoke. "There's some kind of passage up there, though. And it looks like a trapdoor, going down. We can get to that."
"Smoke rises," Benares said. "So perhaps down is the best idea at this point."
"Who's going first?" asked Dru. "And why are you all looking at me?"
Dru looked up from the snake as it turned and slithered away. "It's all right. They won't hurt us now." As the others began their descent, she surveyed the room. Lined with statues of long-forgotten priests, there seemed to be only one exit. Her eyes roamed over the room, settling on a pool of water in the rear corner. How did that get there? I almost looks like it's seeping through from somewhere.
"I think there's a secret door back here," she said, moving towards it. "Anything they had to build a secret door to hide is probably worthwhile."
"Dru, are you sure that's-" Benares began as Dru found the catch. The sudden wave of water from beyond the door knocked the elf from her feet as it crashed into the room. She shot to the surface, propelled by the ring, but the water spun amd moved below her, carrying her out into the corridor.
"Dru!" shouted Di'Fier, clinging desperately to one of the statues. He pulled on the stone, trying to force himself towards the door and the water that poured from it.
Benares braced himself against the water, taking one slow, cautious step after another. "Close the door! I'm going after her!" Another step - and an iron portcullis came crashing down in front of him, trapping the remaining three inside.
The main room was much the same as before, although the horde of cannibals screaming for their blood had been replaced with piles of the rotting dead, stinking and festering in the tropical heat. Di'Fier tried not to breathe as he stepped over a body that crawled with maggots. He passed the central firepit, where a flame still burned. You'd think it'd have burned down by now, he thought, trying to remember the positions of the bodies when they left.
"I think there's something about this face," Dru muttered as she examined the enormous stone effigy that dominated the rear of the temple. "Look how deep the eyes are. Like there's something behind it." Her gaze moved over the stonework, settling on a third hole between the other two. "But what's this...?"
Di'Fier saw the cloud of dust sprayed from the hole, and dove backward as quickly as he could. He could see Shesara do the same, as Dru and Benares stood in confusion for the split-second before the dust hit the flames - and exploded.
Coughing as the smoke cleared, Dru swore, smothering the sparks in her hair with her hands as she stumbled to join Di'Fie rand Shesara. "Damn it! Why is it every time I get my hair to grow, it gets burned off!"
"I think there's someone left alive," Di'Fier said. "If that had been an automatic trap, the cannibals never would have lived here."
Dru straightened, drawing her rapier. Her left hand reached out to run along the wall. "You're right. There's a hidden door - I was just loking for it in the wrong place."
"Door? I think I'll make my own." Di'Fier pulled a crude candle and a tiny bag from his pouch, throwing them to the ground with an incantation. Once again, the strange wormlike creature answered his call, burrowing out of nowhere. It paused, then launched itself at the stone face, vanishing into a hole whose edges glowed red. A moment later, they heard the crashing of wood, and the screams began.
"Someone's trying to open the door," Dru said.
"Let them."
Dru stepped back, blade at the ready, as the section of stone wall pivoted on unseen hinges. She could see flames in the room beyond as a lone figure stumbled out, burned and barely standing: a young girl, not more than ten years of age.
Dru swore, clubbing the child across the back of the head and sending her to the ground. "Di'Fier - is there anyone else in there?"
The mage stepped to the door. "No." With an upraised hand, he dismissed the rockworm he had summoned.
Dru held the last of her healing potions in her hand, studying the girl. She growled, pulling the stopper out with her teeth. "Get me some rope," she told Shesara, as she trickled the precious liquid down the girl's throat.
That should do it, she thought to herself as she looped the rope around her captive. Enough to keep her out of our way, but she should be able to get out if we don't come back. "What's back there?"
Di'Fier surveyed the room. It was small, mostly barren. "It looks like there used to be a platform behind the face," he reported. "Although there's not much left of it after the thoquaa set it on fire. We'll have to wait for it to die down before we can get past." He coughed from the smoke. "There's some kind of passage up there, though. And it looks like a trapdoor, going down. We can get to that."
"Smoke rises," Benares said. "So perhaps down is the best idea at this point."
"Who's going first?" asked Dru. "And why are you all looking at me?"
Dru looked up from the snake as it turned and slithered away. "It's all right. They won't hurt us now." As the others began their descent, she surveyed the room. Lined with statues of long-forgotten priests, there seemed to be only one exit. Her eyes roamed over the room, settling on a pool of water in the rear corner. How did that get there? I almost looks like it's seeping through from somewhere.
"I think there's a secret door back here," she said, moving towards it. "Anything they had to build a secret door to hide is probably worthwhile."
"Dru, are you sure that's-" Benares began as Dru found the catch. The sudden wave of water from beyond the door knocked the elf from her feet as it crashed into the room. She shot to the surface, propelled by the ring, but the water spun amd moved below her, carrying her out into the corridor.
"Dru!" shouted Di'Fier, clinging desperately to one of the statues. He pulled on the stone, trying to force himself towards the door and the water that poured from it.
Benares braced himself against the water, taking one slow, cautious step after another. "Close the door! I'm going after her!" Another step - and an iron portcullis came crashing down in front of him, trapping the remaining three inside.
