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drnuncheon's Freeport Story Hour
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drnuncheon
Explorer
Session Fifteen, Part Three: The Sacrifice
Compiler's Note: OK, I missed yesterday. So two today. Here's the first, finishing things off in the Temple and preparing for the action-packed finale...
Dru lifted the vial out of the hidden compartment. "So that's the Venom. All that's left is the Amulet."
"Hopefully it's not behind all those zombies," Garto muttered. The foursome had discovered a room packed full of the undead creatures...and closed and blocked the door to avoid dealing with them. Neither Dru nor Di'Fier were anxious to relive their experiences in the Asylum.
"No, I think it's upstairs. Remember that shiny thing I saw in the water-filled room?"
"Shiny thing? Now you sound like Ampiel," Di'fier quipped - wondering how his familiar was doing. The raven had elected not to accompany them into the water. Bored, came the answer over the bond they shared. Hungry.
Di'Fier chuckled to himself as they headed up the ramp.
Dru swam through the murky water, to the source of the gleaming she'd seen earlier. Reaching out for it, she held the amulet up in triumph - a golden serpent's head.
The the shadow-serpent attacked.
They were ready for it, of course - Dru had spotted that on her way through the room first. Dru kicked, propelling herself out of the way, and bubbles streamed from Varesh's mouth as the ratman chanted the world to activate the healing wand. The shadow recoiled from the pain and lashed out, sapping some of Di'Fier's strength. The guardsman's own wand was in his hand - his cumbersome blade almost useless in the water - and the dart pierced the shadowstuff even as it clawed at him.
Varesh launched his spear through the water for Di'Fier to defend himself with, but Dru had already pierced the creature with her magical blade, and it dissipated into nothing more than a chilly patch of water.
The four descended out of the watery room, to meet with Alisstar.
"At lasst," the serpent priest crooned. "Finally, the ritual can be completed, and we can have Yig'ss forgivenesss. But..." The serpent paused a moment. "I sstill need one further piesse of aid. My incorporeal body cannot perform the physsical actionss of the ritual."
"I'm sure one of us can..." Di'Fier began.
"There iss ssomething you musst know, however..." Alisstar interrupted.
"I knew there was a catch," muttered Garto.
"Whoever performss the ritual musst make a ssacrifice...ssome of your life force will be given to Yig. You will be forever weakend by it...but only thiss way can we be releassed."
Dru finished what Alisstar had left unsaid: "And only this way can we get the Jade Serpent." The four looked at each other.
Varesh's opinion was blunt and to the point: "Let them hurt. Not need statue."
"Short straw again?" Di'Fier ventured. But his partner had already stepped up to the altar.
"All right, Alisstar, what do I need to do?"
Varesh started forward. "Do not!" But Di'Fier's hand restrained him. Instead, the ratman crouched and hissed distrustfully at the shadow priest.
"Don the Amulet of the Sserpent. Arrange the Sscaless on the altar. Pour the Venom into the bowl. After the initial sseremony iss complete, you musst take the Fangss of the Sserpent and open your wrisstss, letting the blood mingle with the Venom. Pour the mixture over the Scaless, and the ssacrifice will be complete."
Alisstar began to chant as Dru prepared herself. Varesh crouched resentfully in a corner, and Garto could not meet Dru's eyes. Di'Fier forced himself to watch as the Fangs added two more wounds to the network of scars running up Dru's arms, and as her blood dribbled into the bowl, mixing with the amber Venom.
As Dru lifted the bowl, it seemed as though Alisstar had been joined by a host of other chanters. The mixture poured out over the scales with a hissing noise, and a cloud of steam arose.
"IT ISS DONE!" cried Alisstar, in a voice not entirely his own. The altarstone cracked, falling into two halves, and from the cavity beneath floated a statuette of a coiled serpent, carved from jade. Dru reached out and took it, the blood from her wrists turning the translucent green stone dark.
"You musst go," said Alisstar, already beginning to unravel. "It iss no longer safe to remain here."
No longer? thought Di'Fier.
As if to emphasize the serpentman's words, the water from the floor above began to drip...and then pour faster, as whatever spell had kept it suspended began to erode. Alisstar shouted to be heard over the sound. "Go now! And know that you alwayss have our thankss!" With those words, he vanished.
The rest of the water came crashing into the room. Dru grabbed hold of her partner as he was nearly swept away, while Garto latched on to the shattered altar-stone. Varesh's claws left white marks along the stone wall as he was pushed backward.
And then...the water stopped, as the room above was emptied. Dru relaxed her hold on her partner and cradled the Jade Serpent in both arms. Garto climbed on top of the shattered altar. "The water's still risin' - must be comin' in from below, too. We'd better get out of here."
Dru leaned back in the chair, her wounds healed, as she watched Egil attend to Di'Fier using scrolls that Thuron had left for them. "The Temple was awful. There were undead serpent people all over it."
"Undead?" asked Egil. "Perhaps I should have gone with you..."
"The giant zombie snake was a nice touch," Dru added, and chuckled as Egil went pale.
"Perhaps I am glad I did not go with you." Egil looked over at the Jade Serpent. "A pity you did not get back sooner - Thuron would have liked to know you had the Serpent before he sent off for the lighthouse. I hope he will be all right..."
Di'Fier nodded. "He should be. There will be too many visiting dignitaries for the Brotherhood to try anything during the day. It's tonight, when they light it, that I'm worried about."
"You couldn't get there during the day, anyway," Egil said. "There are three ships circling the island, and triple guards on the building."
Di'Fier looked over at Dru. "I think we should go pay a visit to Captain Donnach. If anything happens, he might be able to help."
There was no moon over Freeport that night - only the starlight, and the occasional flame of a lantern broke the darkness of the Warehouse district. Down the shore, the Docks were ablaze with light as the citizens prepared for the Lighthouse ceremony. A single figure waited by a warehouse, unaware of the two shadows that detached themselves from the darkness and moved towards him.
"Watch-sergeant," a voice said in his ear, and he spun, hand on the hilt of his short sword. "Oh," he said. "It's you two. Mind telling me what this is all about?"
"Good to see you again, Paden," grinned Di'Fier.
Dru smirked. "This is an unofficial investigation that we are in charge of."
"I hope you don't mind working with a rather...unusual...partner."
Compiler's Note: OK, I missed yesterday. So two today. Here's the first, finishing things off in the Temple and preparing for the action-packed finale...
Dru lifted the vial out of the hidden compartment. "So that's the Venom. All that's left is the Amulet."
"Hopefully it's not behind all those zombies," Garto muttered. The foursome had discovered a room packed full of the undead creatures...and closed and blocked the door to avoid dealing with them. Neither Dru nor Di'Fier were anxious to relive their experiences in the Asylum.
"No, I think it's upstairs. Remember that shiny thing I saw in the water-filled room?"
"Shiny thing? Now you sound like Ampiel," Di'fier quipped - wondering how his familiar was doing. The raven had elected not to accompany them into the water. Bored, came the answer over the bond they shared. Hungry.
Di'Fier chuckled to himself as they headed up the ramp.
Dru swam through the murky water, to the source of the gleaming she'd seen earlier. Reaching out for it, she held the amulet up in triumph - a golden serpent's head.
The the shadow-serpent attacked.
They were ready for it, of course - Dru had spotted that on her way through the room first. Dru kicked, propelling herself out of the way, and bubbles streamed from Varesh's mouth as the ratman chanted the world to activate the healing wand. The shadow recoiled from the pain and lashed out, sapping some of Di'Fier's strength. The guardsman's own wand was in his hand - his cumbersome blade almost useless in the water - and the dart pierced the shadowstuff even as it clawed at him.
Varesh launched his spear through the water for Di'Fier to defend himself with, but Dru had already pierced the creature with her magical blade, and it dissipated into nothing more than a chilly patch of water.
The four descended out of the watery room, to meet with Alisstar.
"At lasst," the serpent priest crooned. "Finally, the ritual can be completed, and we can have Yig'ss forgivenesss. But..." The serpent paused a moment. "I sstill need one further piesse of aid. My incorporeal body cannot perform the physsical actionss of the ritual."
"I'm sure one of us can..." Di'Fier began.
"There iss ssomething you musst know, however..." Alisstar interrupted.
"I knew there was a catch," muttered Garto.
"Whoever performss the ritual musst make a ssacrifice...ssome of your life force will be given to Yig. You will be forever weakend by it...but only thiss way can we be releassed."
Dru finished what Alisstar had left unsaid: "And only this way can we get the Jade Serpent." The four looked at each other.
Varesh's opinion was blunt and to the point: "Let them hurt. Not need statue."
"Short straw again?" Di'Fier ventured. But his partner had already stepped up to the altar.
"All right, Alisstar, what do I need to do?"
Varesh started forward. "Do not!" But Di'Fier's hand restrained him. Instead, the ratman crouched and hissed distrustfully at the shadow priest.
"Don the Amulet of the Sserpent. Arrange the Sscaless on the altar. Pour the Venom into the bowl. After the initial sseremony iss complete, you musst take the Fangss of the Sserpent and open your wrisstss, letting the blood mingle with the Venom. Pour the mixture over the Scaless, and the ssacrifice will be complete."
Alisstar began to chant as Dru prepared herself. Varesh crouched resentfully in a corner, and Garto could not meet Dru's eyes. Di'Fier forced himself to watch as the Fangs added two more wounds to the network of scars running up Dru's arms, and as her blood dribbled into the bowl, mixing with the amber Venom.
As Dru lifted the bowl, it seemed as though Alisstar had been joined by a host of other chanters. The mixture poured out over the scales with a hissing noise, and a cloud of steam arose.
"IT ISS DONE!" cried Alisstar, in a voice not entirely his own. The altarstone cracked, falling into two halves, and from the cavity beneath floated a statuette of a coiled serpent, carved from jade. Dru reached out and took it, the blood from her wrists turning the translucent green stone dark.
"You musst go," said Alisstar, already beginning to unravel. "It iss no longer safe to remain here."
No longer? thought Di'Fier.
As if to emphasize the serpentman's words, the water from the floor above began to drip...and then pour faster, as whatever spell had kept it suspended began to erode. Alisstar shouted to be heard over the sound. "Go now! And know that you alwayss have our thankss!" With those words, he vanished.
The rest of the water came crashing into the room. Dru grabbed hold of her partner as he was nearly swept away, while Garto latched on to the shattered altar-stone. Varesh's claws left white marks along the stone wall as he was pushed backward.
And then...the water stopped, as the room above was emptied. Dru relaxed her hold on her partner and cradled the Jade Serpent in both arms. Garto climbed on top of the shattered altar. "The water's still risin' - must be comin' in from below, too. We'd better get out of here."
Dru leaned back in the chair, her wounds healed, as she watched Egil attend to Di'Fier using scrolls that Thuron had left for them. "The Temple was awful. There were undead serpent people all over it."
"Undead?" asked Egil. "Perhaps I should have gone with you..."
"The giant zombie snake was a nice touch," Dru added, and chuckled as Egil went pale.
"Perhaps I am glad I did not go with you." Egil looked over at the Jade Serpent. "A pity you did not get back sooner - Thuron would have liked to know you had the Serpent before he sent off for the lighthouse. I hope he will be all right..."
Di'Fier nodded. "He should be. There will be too many visiting dignitaries for the Brotherhood to try anything during the day. It's tonight, when they light it, that I'm worried about."
"You couldn't get there during the day, anyway," Egil said. "There are three ships circling the island, and triple guards on the building."
Di'Fier looked over at Dru. "I think we should go pay a visit to Captain Donnach. If anything happens, he might be able to help."
There was no moon over Freeport that night - only the starlight, and the occasional flame of a lantern broke the darkness of the Warehouse district. Down the shore, the Docks were ablaze with light as the citizens prepared for the Lighthouse ceremony. A single figure waited by a warehouse, unaware of the two shadows that detached themselves from the darkness and moved towards him.
"Watch-sergeant," a voice said in his ear, and he spun, hand on the hilt of his short sword. "Oh," he said. "It's you two. Mind telling me what this is all about?"
"Good to see you again, Paden," grinned Di'Fier.
Dru smirked. "This is an unofficial investigation that we are in charge of."
"I hope you don't mind working with a rather...unusual...partner."
drnuncheon
Explorer
Session Fifteen, Part Four: To the Lighthouse!
The black shape of the Lighthouse of Drac loomed above their heads as Dru, Di'Fier, Paden, and Varesh pulled their tiny boat onto the rocky shore. It was easy to call it "Milton's Folly" and mock it in the (comparative) safety of Freeport, but here and now it was another thing entirely.
Especially when they had some idea of what was going on, far above their heads.
They crouched in the shadows of some rocks as Di'Fier spoke the words of his magic: first to strengthen himself, them to protect himself, and finally, to let them climb up the sheer cliff - and into the lighthouse itself.
Dru pulled a flask from her pouch and downed the contents, letting the liquid shadows wrap around her and hide her from prying eyes. Not quite as undetectable as invisibility, but at least it wouldn't vanish the first time she hit someone. Then she was moving, a darker patch on mottled shadows. The others followed.
When they reached the top, Dru was already partway up the lighthouse wall. A double door pointed in each of the cardinal directions, but enormous open archways ringed the room - their base twenty feet up a steep, smooth slope. Not an easy climb for anyone not aided by magic.
Dru signalled the others to come ahead, and they did, looking down onto the mail hall of the edifice. Fifty yards square, the hall was filled with carved columns supporting the weight of the lighthouse's upper stories. In the center, a staircase of white marble rose to the ceiling. A wind whistled through the archways, carrying the bitter tang of the oncoming rainy season.
A normal climber would have had to descend the walls - and then deal with the four guards lounging, bored, at the base of the staircase. Then again, as has been previously noted, they were not ordinary climbers.
Slowly, one by one, they crept up the wall and out onto the ceiling, sticking by hands and feet. Dru vanished through the opening at the top of the staircase,Di'Fier adopted a strange three-limbed gait, the fourth clutching the Jade Serpent. I really should have tied it to me, he thought, looking down at the floor, fifty feet below. If I drop it...
He was never really sure what made the guardsman look up. An incipient sneeze, perhaps, or a desire to look once again at the naked sea-nymphs carved into the column he was passing by. But whatever it was, he could hear the reaction, echoed and magnified by the stone walls.
"Up there! On the ceiling!"
Varesh was past him in a flash, his spear bumping along his back where he had tied it. "Statue," the rat-man demanded, and Di'Fier gratefully passed it over. Varesh was far better at this than he was anyway. Before he could blink, the rat-man was through the opening as well. "Paden, come on!"
The guards below had seized their crossbows, and bolts arced upwards at them, bouncing off the marble to fall below. Di'Fier climbed through onto the next floor, grateful to be right-side up again, only to be greeted by even more chaos.
Dru had taken cover behind a pillar with her shortbow, and Di'Fier could see the results of her marksmanship in the arrow that protruded from the shoulder of the vaguely familiar-looking woman standing at the altar - a woman chanting. That can't be good, he thought, sliding the wand from its leather case and aiming. The arcane dart that erupted forth did little more than scorch the priestess - but it did ruin her spell.
Di'Fier looked around the rest of the room. Four other cultists were in front of the altar, preparing to charge. The room - a temple to the Sea God - had been defaced and desecrated, the statues marred and the Yellow Sign scorched onto the wall. Blood already covered the altar, and bound to it was the next sacrifice: Thuron!
Behind him, Paden scrambled through the opening, and Di'Fier could hear shouts from the guards climbing the stairs. Then Varesh was hurtling past him like a brown furry javelin, sprouting steel in both hands, dealing a wicked slash to one of the cultists and breaking their charge before it began.
Dru, meanwhile, had crawled partway up the pillar, and turned to loose another arrow at the priestess. It slammed through her robe, and the chainmail beneath. The woman cried out to her patron: "Unspeakable One! Shield me from sight!"
As the mists began to rise from the floor, Di'Fier remembered where he'd seen the woman before. She'd used this trick before, in the abanoned temple. Well, not this time, he thought, chanting the words to a spell. A ball of flames materialized in front of him, and bounded through the fog, burning a clear path towards the altar - but the woman had already moved.
The mist swirled, and one of the cutlists emerged. "Flee the wrath of the Unspeakable One!" he cried, and gestured imperiously towards Di'Fier.
Who stood, waiting patiently, for something to happen.
The cultist's face twisted in a mixture of rage and fear. He repeated the gesture, but to no avail.
The other cultists had emerged from the sheltering mists as well. One put a well-placed shot into Paden's back as he stood blocking the stairs - but the young priest's reflexes let him take the bolt largely on his armor. Dru retaliated by placing an arrow into the man's shooting arm - a bit late, perhaps, but better than nothing. Varesh was faring far better against his own opponent, who seemed dazzled by the pair of flashing blades the ratman weilded.
Di'Fier charged forward, blade in hand, and the cultist fell back, still futilely repeating his impotent gesture. The Watchman ignored him, and headed into the path that his flaming sphere had cleared, heading for the altar - and Thuron.
Behind him, he could hear the sounds of battle, muffled and distorted by the fog. The guards had made it up the stairs, but Paden was holding them off. Dru's bowstring thrummed a steady rhythm as she sent her deadly arrows down upon the cultists. But then another sound cut through it all, and hung in the air:
It was the sound of Thuron's scream.
Compiler's Note: There, I'm all caught up to my Post-a-Day schedule. Those of you looking for still more entertainment should take note - Dru has begun posting the Story Hour for her interim game. It's located here: Dru's Story Hour. It's quite different from the Freeport stories, but just as much fun - and I actually get to play! Be sure to check it out!
The black shape of the Lighthouse of Drac loomed above their heads as Dru, Di'Fier, Paden, and Varesh pulled their tiny boat onto the rocky shore. It was easy to call it "Milton's Folly" and mock it in the (comparative) safety of Freeport, but here and now it was another thing entirely.
Especially when they had some idea of what was going on, far above their heads.
They crouched in the shadows of some rocks as Di'Fier spoke the words of his magic: first to strengthen himself, them to protect himself, and finally, to let them climb up the sheer cliff - and into the lighthouse itself.
Dru pulled a flask from her pouch and downed the contents, letting the liquid shadows wrap around her and hide her from prying eyes. Not quite as undetectable as invisibility, but at least it wouldn't vanish the first time she hit someone. Then she was moving, a darker patch on mottled shadows. The others followed.
When they reached the top, Dru was already partway up the lighthouse wall. A double door pointed in each of the cardinal directions, but enormous open archways ringed the room - their base twenty feet up a steep, smooth slope. Not an easy climb for anyone not aided by magic.
Dru signalled the others to come ahead, and they did, looking down onto the mail hall of the edifice. Fifty yards square, the hall was filled with carved columns supporting the weight of the lighthouse's upper stories. In the center, a staircase of white marble rose to the ceiling. A wind whistled through the archways, carrying the bitter tang of the oncoming rainy season.
A normal climber would have had to descend the walls - and then deal with the four guards lounging, bored, at the base of the staircase. Then again, as has been previously noted, they were not ordinary climbers.
Slowly, one by one, they crept up the wall and out onto the ceiling, sticking by hands and feet. Dru vanished through the opening at the top of the staircase,Di'Fier adopted a strange three-limbed gait, the fourth clutching the Jade Serpent. I really should have tied it to me, he thought, looking down at the floor, fifty feet below. If I drop it...
He was never really sure what made the guardsman look up. An incipient sneeze, perhaps, or a desire to look once again at the naked sea-nymphs carved into the column he was passing by. But whatever it was, he could hear the reaction, echoed and magnified by the stone walls.
"Up there! On the ceiling!"
Varesh was past him in a flash, his spear bumping along his back where he had tied it. "Statue," the rat-man demanded, and Di'Fier gratefully passed it over. Varesh was far better at this than he was anyway. Before he could blink, the rat-man was through the opening as well. "Paden, come on!"
The guards below had seized their crossbows, and bolts arced upwards at them, bouncing off the marble to fall below. Di'Fier climbed through onto the next floor, grateful to be right-side up again, only to be greeted by even more chaos.
Dru had taken cover behind a pillar with her shortbow, and Di'Fier could see the results of her marksmanship in the arrow that protruded from the shoulder of the vaguely familiar-looking woman standing at the altar - a woman chanting. That can't be good, he thought, sliding the wand from its leather case and aiming. The arcane dart that erupted forth did little more than scorch the priestess - but it did ruin her spell.
Di'Fier looked around the rest of the room. Four other cultists were in front of the altar, preparing to charge. The room - a temple to the Sea God - had been defaced and desecrated, the statues marred and the Yellow Sign scorched onto the wall. Blood already covered the altar, and bound to it was the next sacrifice: Thuron!
Behind him, Paden scrambled through the opening, and Di'Fier could hear shouts from the guards climbing the stairs. Then Varesh was hurtling past him like a brown furry javelin, sprouting steel in both hands, dealing a wicked slash to one of the cultists and breaking their charge before it began.
Dru, meanwhile, had crawled partway up the pillar, and turned to loose another arrow at the priestess. It slammed through her robe, and the chainmail beneath. The woman cried out to her patron: "Unspeakable One! Shield me from sight!"
As the mists began to rise from the floor, Di'Fier remembered where he'd seen the woman before. She'd used this trick before, in the abanoned temple. Well, not this time, he thought, chanting the words to a spell. A ball of flames materialized in front of him, and bounded through the fog, burning a clear path towards the altar - but the woman had already moved.
The mist swirled, and one of the cutlists emerged. "Flee the wrath of the Unspeakable One!" he cried, and gestured imperiously towards Di'Fier.
Who stood, waiting patiently, for something to happen.
The cultist's face twisted in a mixture of rage and fear. He repeated the gesture, but to no avail.
The other cultists had emerged from the sheltering mists as well. One put a well-placed shot into Paden's back as he stood blocking the stairs - but the young priest's reflexes let him take the bolt largely on his armor. Dru retaliated by placing an arrow into the man's shooting arm - a bit late, perhaps, but better than nothing. Varesh was faring far better against his own opponent, who seemed dazzled by the pair of flashing blades the ratman weilded.
Di'Fier charged forward, blade in hand, and the cultist fell back, still futilely repeating his impotent gesture. The Watchman ignored him, and headed into the path that his flaming sphere had cleared, heading for the altar - and Thuron.
Behind him, he could hear the sounds of battle, muffled and distorted by the fog. The guards had made it up the stairs, but Paden was holding them off. Dru's bowstring thrummed a steady rhythm as she sent her deadly arrows down upon the cultists. But then another sound cut through it all, and hung in the air:
It was the sound of Thuron's scream.
Compiler's Note: There, I'm all caught up to my Post-a-Day schedule. Those of you looking for still more entertainment should take note - Dru has begun posting the Story Hour for her interim game. It's located here: Dru's Story Hour. It's quite different from the Freeport stories, but just as much fun - and I actually get to play! Be sure to check it out!
drnuncheon
Explorer
Session Fifteen, Part Five: Thuron's Fate
Compiler's Note: Lightning & thunder yesterday when I sat down to write...so two updates today. It's not 'Post-a-Day', it's 'Two-Posts-Every-Two-Days!'
Di'Fier's heart skipped a beat as he heard the old priest's scream - and the droning chant of the priestess underlying it. Focusing on the sound of her paean to the Unspeakable One, he sent the flaming sphere arcing through the air to land with a satisfying spongy thump directly on the cultist. She barely had time to scream before the flames took her life.
He ran through the mist to the altar. Thuron was alive...barely. The old man's features blurred here and there, melting into the scales of the true form that Di'Fier had never seen.
"You have...come..." he said, weakly clutching at Di'Fier's arm.
"Yes, Thuron. We found the Jade Serpent."
"Is that...all...?" Thuron's face was white, and his lips pale. His eyelids fluttered, but he kept his gaze fixed on the young Watchman, searching for...something.
Di'Fier could dimly hear the shouts and cries of the battle outside the mist, but all he could think of was the egg - the egg that they had let Varesh destroy.
"...that was all," he lied.
Thuron's face seemed to collapse at Di'Fier's pronouncement. "Then there is...nothing...left for me...here," he rasped, and let his eyes close as he sank back upon the altar.
He breathed only twice more, and then K'Stallo, the last High Priest of Yig, went to join his god.
Paden stumbled, and the hole in his defenses let the guard's blade slip through again. He couldn't hold them off much longer, and he could only hope that the others had finished dealign with the cultists. The scream he'd heard hadn't sounded good...
"Paden, move!" ordered a voice from behind him, and the young priest threw himself to the side just as a ball of flames crashed through where he'd been, followed immediately by Di'Fier and his blade. The guard took the hit with a grunt, twisting away from the battle-blade to minimize the wound.
Realizing that he had to let his fellows join the fight if he was to win, the guard charged, prepared to bodyslam Di'Fier and move him from the doorway - but once again, he made the close acquaintance of the Watch-Lieutenant's blade, and this time his companions were forced to leap over his corpse as it tumbled down the stairs.
Paden hauled himself up, clutching the tiny silver medallion on his chest and calling upon the favor of his god. "You cannot stand in the way of just Retribution!" The power of his faith crashed through the room, and their enemies quailed before it.
Still, the next of the guards was just as foolish as his predecessor, and charged Di'Fier as well. The Watchman's blade caught in his armor, opening a gash in his side but also trapping it, letting him shove the taller man out of the way - and now the other two guards were able to join the fight.
The melee was well and truly joined now - Dru pulled her sword and leapt from her place on the pillar, sending her rapier deep into an unsuspecting guardsman, piercing him from shoulder to groin. The body crumpled, and the elf pulled the blade free, reversing it to a proper grip with a grim smile.
Di'Fier had taken care of another of the guards, and Varesh a third. The last one seemed oblivious to the deaths of his fellows - or perhaps he'd been promised eternal rewards if he died in his god's service. Whatever the case, he fought on, despite being outnumbered four to one.
His chainmail turned Dru's blade again and again, but it did little to protect him from Di'Fier's two-handed swing. For a moment, all was quiet.
Di'Fier looked down at the dead woman in the pool. "Looks like someone else broke in here as well," he told the others. "Probably wanted to see if there were any valuables in the shrines." Flipping the corpse over, he began to go through its pockets. "Well, well, look here. A potion. A well-equipped burglar." Studying the alchemical symbols on the vial a moment, he reported: "It lets you fly. Dru, want it?" At her nod, he passed her the vial.
Varesh began stipping the leather armor from the woman. He'd refused the chainmail that the guards and cultists had been wearing - it was far too heavy - but the cuir-bouilli was not so cumbersome.
Meanwhile, Dru had been inspecting the statue of the Sea God in the corner of the shrine. "Here. Look at this. His hand's got a crack on it. Looks like you can move it." She tugged on the trident, and the hand swiveled.
A grinding sound came from the wall Paden was leaning against, and the young priest jumped. "Something happened back here," he said, looking the wall over. Hidden in one of the carvings, he found a catch, and flipped it. A section of the stone wall opened outward like a door.
Beyond it was a tiny room, with the back of a similar door on the other side. When opened, it led to the other shrine in the lighthouse: a shrine to the Warrior God.
Dru frowned. "Why have a secret passage connecting these two shrines when you can just walk through the main temple? That doesn't make much sense..."
"You're right, it doesn't," her partner agreed, walking over to the statue of the Warrior God. He studied the arm that held the spear a moment, then pulled firmly down on it. Another grinding of stone emanated from the hidden passageway, and when they looked, they found that one of the walls had slid away, revealing a staircase.
The trapdoor creaked open, and a pair of eyes peered cautiously about. Di'Fier's face turned vaguely green. "Smells worse than Krom's Throat on a hot day," he said, looking around the room.
Blood had soaked into the floors, and bits of bone were strewn about the room. Unlike the lower floors, it was largely unlit - shadows hid the corners of the room.
"I think I hear something," he reported to the others. The Watchman climbed out of the trapdoor, followed by Dru. Her eyes could see what his human eyes could not, and she froze. "Di'Fier..."
"Yes?"
"We're about to find out what happened to the missing workers..."
Compiler's Note: Lightning & thunder yesterday when I sat down to write...so two updates today. It's not 'Post-a-Day', it's 'Two-Posts-Every-Two-Days!'
Di'Fier's heart skipped a beat as he heard the old priest's scream - and the droning chant of the priestess underlying it. Focusing on the sound of her paean to the Unspeakable One, he sent the flaming sphere arcing through the air to land with a satisfying spongy thump directly on the cultist. She barely had time to scream before the flames took her life.
He ran through the mist to the altar. Thuron was alive...barely. The old man's features blurred here and there, melting into the scales of the true form that Di'Fier had never seen.
"You have...come..." he said, weakly clutching at Di'Fier's arm.
"Yes, Thuron. We found the Jade Serpent."
"Is that...all...?" Thuron's face was white, and his lips pale. His eyelids fluttered, but he kept his gaze fixed on the young Watchman, searching for...something.
Di'Fier could dimly hear the shouts and cries of the battle outside the mist, but all he could think of was the egg - the egg that they had let Varesh destroy.
"...that was all," he lied.
Thuron's face seemed to collapse at Di'Fier's pronouncement. "Then there is...nothing...left for me...here," he rasped, and let his eyes close as he sank back upon the altar.
He breathed only twice more, and then K'Stallo, the last High Priest of Yig, went to join his god.
Paden stumbled, and the hole in his defenses let the guard's blade slip through again. He couldn't hold them off much longer, and he could only hope that the others had finished dealign with the cultists. The scream he'd heard hadn't sounded good...
"Paden, move!" ordered a voice from behind him, and the young priest threw himself to the side just as a ball of flames crashed through where he'd been, followed immediately by Di'Fier and his blade. The guard took the hit with a grunt, twisting away from the battle-blade to minimize the wound.
Realizing that he had to let his fellows join the fight if he was to win, the guard charged, prepared to bodyslam Di'Fier and move him from the doorway - but once again, he made the close acquaintance of the Watch-Lieutenant's blade, and this time his companions were forced to leap over his corpse as it tumbled down the stairs.
Paden hauled himself up, clutching the tiny silver medallion on his chest and calling upon the favor of his god. "You cannot stand in the way of just Retribution!" The power of his faith crashed through the room, and their enemies quailed before it.
Still, the next of the guards was just as foolish as his predecessor, and charged Di'Fier as well. The Watchman's blade caught in his armor, opening a gash in his side but also trapping it, letting him shove the taller man out of the way - and now the other two guards were able to join the fight.
The melee was well and truly joined now - Dru pulled her sword and leapt from her place on the pillar, sending her rapier deep into an unsuspecting guardsman, piercing him from shoulder to groin. The body crumpled, and the elf pulled the blade free, reversing it to a proper grip with a grim smile.
Di'Fier had taken care of another of the guards, and Varesh a third. The last one seemed oblivious to the deaths of his fellows - or perhaps he'd been promised eternal rewards if he died in his god's service. Whatever the case, he fought on, despite being outnumbered four to one.
His chainmail turned Dru's blade again and again, but it did little to protect him from Di'Fier's two-handed swing. For a moment, all was quiet.
Di'Fier looked down at the dead woman in the pool. "Looks like someone else broke in here as well," he told the others. "Probably wanted to see if there were any valuables in the shrines." Flipping the corpse over, he began to go through its pockets. "Well, well, look here. A potion. A well-equipped burglar." Studying the alchemical symbols on the vial a moment, he reported: "It lets you fly. Dru, want it?" At her nod, he passed her the vial.
Varesh began stipping the leather armor from the woman. He'd refused the chainmail that the guards and cultists had been wearing - it was far too heavy - but the cuir-bouilli was not so cumbersome.
Meanwhile, Dru had been inspecting the statue of the Sea God in the corner of the shrine. "Here. Look at this. His hand's got a crack on it. Looks like you can move it." She tugged on the trident, and the hand swiveled.
A grinding sound came from the wall Paden was leaning against, and the young priest jumped. "Something happened back here," he said, looking the wall over. Hidden in one of the carvings, he found a catch, and flipped it. A section of the stone wall opened outward like a door.
Beyond it was a tiny room, with the back of a similar door on the other side. When opened, it led to the other shrine in the lighthouse: a shrine to the Warrior God.
Dru frowned. "Why have a secret passage connecting these two shrines when you can just walk through the main temple? That doesn't make much sense..."
"You're right, it doesn't," her partner agreed, walking over to the statue of the Warrior God. He studied the arm that held the spear a moment, then pulled firmly down on it. Another grinding of stone emanated from the hidden passageway, and when they looked, they found that one of the walls had slid away, revealing a staircase.
The trapdoor creaked open, and a pair of eyes peered cautiously about. Di'Fier's face turned vaguely green. "Smells worse than Krom's Throat on a hot day," he said, looking around the room.
Blood had soaked into the floors, and bits of bone were strewn about the room. Unlike the lower floors, it was largely unlit - shadows hid the corners of the room.
"I think I hear something," he reported to the others. The Watchman climbed out of the trapdoor, followed by Dru. Her eyes could see what his human eyes could not, and she froze. "Di'Fier..."
"Yes?"
"We're about to find out what happened to the missing workers..."
drnuncheon
Explorer
Session Fifteen, Part Six: Drac's Pet
Horacio: ask and ye shall receive! I'm still one behind thanks to a power outage yesterday. Yup, got throught he thunderstorm OK, but a light breeze sprang up so we lost our electricity...go Duquesne Light! Tonight we are actually not doing Dru's game - we've been tapped to do a bit of playtesting...I'll try to get another one in, later today or maybe tomorrow. For now, enjoy the cliffhanger...
The shape moved forward out of the darkness.
Shape, perhaps, was the wrong word to describe it, for its most significant attribute was its shapelessness. A disgusting protean blob, an amalgamation of skin. Eyes and mouths bubbled to the surface, then subsided. It began to mutter as it squelched across the floor towards them.
"Do you mean it ate the workers, or...?"
"...or it is the workers..." Dru suppressed a shudder as the abomination moved closer.
Di'Fier began the incantations of his spell of protection from evil, and Paden called upon his god to bless this fight. "We're going to need it, I think..." he muttered in closing.
The muttering grew louder, into a frenzied babble of voices coming from the mouths that appeared and vanished on the thing's skin. It hammered at their ears, demanded entry to their brains. Dru gritted her teeth, remembering the undead creature they'd fought under the asylum, and managed to close out the effects - as did he rcompanions. Only Varesh was left, clutching his head and shaking it to try to clear it.
Di'Fier's blade bit into the thing, sending a gout of blood - and other, less identifiable fluids - over the stone floor. Paden's crossbow thrummed, butthe bolt went wide, and Dru's blade failed to do more than scratch its amorphous mass.
The thing opened its mouths in an incoherent scream - and spat. The spittle flared into blinding light as it hit the air, leaving Di'Fier dazzled, swinging his blade at afterimages of light. He could hear the melee as he stumbled away, trying to put some distance between him and the beast until he regained his vision. There was Varesh's warcry, and the creature's babble briefly became a scream as the rats blades hit home. Bowstrings, and the sick squelch of the arrows hitting home - and then a screech of pain from Varesh.
Di'Fier shook his head, blinking to try to clear his vision more rapidly. He could feel a pillar against his back, and edged around it, trying to give himself some cover from whatever was happening. He fervently hoped it wasn't as bad as it sounded...
There was another blinding flash, and Paden cried out.
Dru growled, deep in her throat, and tossed her bow to one side. She'd sent two arrows into the thing, deep enough that they disappeared, and it hadn't seemed to notice. One of its mouths had launched itself out to attach to Varesh, and on top of it all, that constant babbling was really getting on her nerves. She drew her sword and moved in. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see Di'Fier doing the same - apparently he'd recovered from the blindness. Her blade stabbed deep, and green ichor spurted from the puncture. Across form her, Di'Fier's blade cleaved a chunk from the creature, which dropped back into the thing's mass to the sound of...chewing.
Her partner spun the blade around on the follow-through and cleaved the thing again. Dru started to take a step forward, then looked in dismay at her feet. "Di'Fier! The floor!" She reached into her pouch and grabbed the potion they'd taken from the dead robber, dowing it in a gulp. Pulling her feet free of the muck that had once been solid stone, she rose into the air. The sucking sound from the other side of the thing told her that Di'Fier and Varesh were doing the same.
Brandishing her blade, Dru dove, thrusting into the top of the mass. Thick greyish pus spattered across her, and the thing howled. That got its attention, she thought with grim satisfaction - satisfaction that turned to dismay as a volley of mouths arced towards her on thin tendrils, biting into her legs and arm.
"What's going on?" cried Paden. "I still can't see!"
Di'Fier leapt across the softened stone, landing nearly knee-deep and smashing his blade into the thing's body. Dru reached down and tore one of the mouths from her leg. She could see the tendrils connecting the other two pulsing, and felt light-headed as the blood drained from her body. "Damnit! Why does everything we run into want my blood?"
The beast spat again, and Dru closed her eyes. Her world lit up red. She opened them, tearing another mouth from her body - and looked up to see more mouths launching themselves, biting deep into Varesh. The struggling rat-man was pulled into the amorphous mess. She tore the last mouth from her arm and rose up out of the thing's reach, looking down helplessly as the rat-man's outstretched arm vanished beneath a wall of pulsing flesh.
Horacio: ask and ye shall receive! I'm still one behind thanks to a power outage yesterday. Yup, got throught he thunderstorm OK, but a light breeze sprang up so we lost our electricity...go Duquesne Light! Tonight we are actually not doing Dru's game - we've been tapped to do a bit of playtesting...I'll try to get another one in, later today or maybe tomorrow. For now, enjoy the cliffhanger...
The shape moved forward out of the darkness.
Shape, perhaps, was the wrong word to describe it, for its most significant attribute was its shapelessness. A disgusting protean blob, an amalgamation of skin. Eyes and mouths bubbled to the surface, then subsided. It began to mutter as it squelched across the floor towards them.
"Do you mean it ate the workers, or...?"
"...or it is the workers..." Dru suppressed a shudder as the abomination moved closer.
Di'Fier began the incantations of his spell of protection from evil, and Paden called upon his god to bless this fight. "We're going to need it, I think..." he muttered in closing.
The muttering grew louder, into a frenzied babble of voices coming from the mouths that appeared and vanished on the thing's skin. It hammered at their ears, demanded entry to their brains. Dru gritted her teeth, remembering the undead creature they'd fought under the asylum, and managed to close out the effects - as did he rcompanions. Only Varesh was left, clutching his head and shaking it to try to clear it.
Di'Fier's blade bit into the thing, sending a gout of blood - and other, less identifiable fluids - over the stone floor. Paden's crossbow thrummed, butthe bolt went wide, and Dru's blade failed to do more than scratch its amorphous mass.
The thing opened its mouths in an incoherent scream - and spat. The spittle flared into blinding light as it hit the air, leaving Di'Fier dazzled, swinging his blade at afterimages of light. He could hear the melee as he stumbled away, trying to put some distance between him and the beast until he regained his vision. There was Varesh's warcry, and the creature's babble briefly became a scream as the rats blades hit home. Bowstrings, and the sick squelch of the arrows hitting home - and then a screech of pain from Varesh.
Di'Fier shook his head, blinking to try to clear his vision more rapidly. He could feel a pillar against his back, and edged around it, trying to give himself some cover from whatever was happening. He fervently hoped it wasn't as bad as it sounded...
There was another blinding flash, and Paden cried out.
Dru growled, deep in her throat, and tossed her bow to one side. She'd sent two arrows into the thing, deep enough that they disappeared, and it hadn't seemed to notice. One of its mouths had launched itself out to attach to Varesh, and on top of it all, that constant babbling was really getting on her nerves. She drew her sword and moved in. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see Di'Fier doing the same - apparently he'd recovered from the blindness. Her blade stabbed deep, and green ichor spurted from the puncture. Across form her, Di'Fier's blade cleaved a chunk from the creature, which dropped back into the thing's mass to the sound of...chewing.
Her partner spun the blade around on the follow-through and cleaved the thing again. Dru started to take a step forward, then looked in dismay at her feet. "Di'Fier! The floor!" She reached into her pouch and grabbed the potion they'd taken from the dead robber, dowing it in a gulp. Pulling her feet free of the muck that had once been solid stone, she rose into the air. The sucking sound from the other side of the thing told her that Di'Fier and Varesh were doing the same.
Brandishing her blade, Dru dove, thrusting into the top of the mass. Thick greyish pus spattered across her, and the thing howled. That got its attention, she thought with grim satisfaction - satisfaction that turned to dismay as a volley of mouths arced towards her on thin tendrils, biting into her legs and arm.
"What's going on?" cried Paden. "I still can't see!"
Di'Fier leapt across the softened stone, landing nearly knee-deep and smashing his blade into the thing's body. Dru reached down and tore one of the mouths from her leg. She could see the tendrils connecting the other two pulsing, and felt light-headed as the blood drained from her body. "Damnit! Why does everything we run into want my blood?"
The beast spat again, and Dru closed her eyes. Her world lit up red. She opened them, tearing another mouth from her body - and looked up to see more mouths launching themselves, biting deep into Varesh. The struggling rat-man was pulled into the amorphous mess. She tore the last mouth from her arm and rose up out of the thing's reach, looking down helplessly as the rat-man's outstretched arm vanished beneath a wall of pulsing flesh.
Jon Potter
First Post
Great Update!
Well, great UPDATES actually.
You seem to outdo yourself with each post. You've got me glued to my monitor in anticipation of the next update.
(And it's rather hard to use the mouse when you're glued to your monitor. I don't recommend it.)
Well, great UPDATES actually.
You seem to outdo yourself with each post. You've got me glued to my monitor in anticipation of the next update.
(And it's rather hard to use the mouse when you're glued to your monitor. I don't recommend it.)
- Status
