drnuncheon's Freeport Story Hour

[drnuncheon]

Session Fifteen, Part Seven: Blind Luck

"Damnit! Not again!" Di'Fier complained, as he fought to keep from being mired in the soft stone. He swung the sword at where he thought the beast was, but it merely sank into the softened rock. One again he could hear the shouts of those around him, and he swung again - empty air. "Where the hell did it go?" He stumbled away, until he stood once more on solid stone.

"Di'Fier!" he could hear his partner cry. "It's got Varesh!"

He knew he'd never make it through the muck - not as blind as he was. Reaching to his belt, he pulled out his dagger, listened for the sound of its voices, wound up, and sent the blade flying.

Dru hovered, looking on in shock. What the hell is he doing? Time seemed to slow as she watched the dagger spin through the air. She could see what was going to happen: the dagger would hit hilt first and bounce off the rubbery skin, or give the thing a papercut at best - and then it would eat Varesh.

She watched as one of the creature's largest mouths bubbled to the surface, directly in the dagger's path, stretching open in a silent scream.

She saw the blade pass within a hair of bouncing off the teeth.

She saw it vanish inside the thing's mouth, heading deep into the body.

And then she saw the creature collapse, deflating into a puddle of rot and gore, with Varesh lying weakly in the center.

Di'Fier stumbled forward, waving his blade in front of him like a deadly cane and shouting: "Where did it go? What happened? Dru? Paden? Varesh?"

Compiler's Note: One of the problems with writing up a game is that sometimes, nobody is going to believe you. I didn't believe it myself, but I watched as Di'Fier rolled - and hit. Then he rolled the miss chance for being blinded - and still hit. And then he rolled maximum damage. I like to think that series of rolls in some way makes up for the ones that led up to the die-tossing incident...

(Di'Fier says I should report that the die is still out there somewhere.)

The trapdoor creaked open, and Dru looked out on the central tower of the lighthouse: an enormous room, nearly fifty feet on each side, and more than twice that in height. Stone stairs circled the room, climbing in a spiral to the summit of the lighthouse, far above.

The room was lit by a thousand candles - thick yellow pillars perched on the railing of the stairs, the melting wax dribbling and running over the sigils incised into their surface. Inside the bricks, she could feel the Yellow Sign throbbing with power. She clutched the Jade Serpent to her chest and rose out of the trapdoor, clearing the way for the others.

Far above, nearly at the summit of the tower, six faces peered over the railing at them. Five bore the disctinctive features of serpent people, and the sixth was - no nobody's great surprise - Milton Drac.

"Well, well, well." Drac's elegant voice floated down to them. "I see you have dispatched my pet. No matter," he chuckled. "The ritual is almost...agh!" His carefully prepared speech was interrupted by a cry of pain.

Di'Fier lowered his wand and grinned.

"N'tal! Dispose of them!" Drac snapped, as he whirled and climbed through the ladder to the top floor.

The robed serpentman nodded, tearing his garment free of his body as he leapt onto and over the railing. Arcane syllables spilled from his inhuman mouth and he hung suspended in midair. His yellow eyes narrowed as he looked down at his foes. "Come, then," he invited, as his minions unslung their bows and began to descend the steps. "My Master will be pleased to receive your souls."

Compiler's Note: Short update. Longer one later, hopefully. I was going over things with Di'Fier and Dru last night, and we estimate that there are probably 4-5 updates left until the end of Book One. After that - since Dru's short will probably still be going on - I will devote myself to changing the early parts of this Story Hour from log format into actual stories, as well as other tasks relating to the compiled edition (the master list of NPCs, etc). If anyone has suggestions for something they'd like to see in the compiled edition - sort of DVD-esque special features, if you will - I am certainly open to hearing them!

 

[Horacio]

Re: Session Fifteen, Part Seven: Blind Luck

Compiler's Note: Short update. Longer one later, hopefully. I was going over things with Di'Fier and Dru last night, and we estimate that there are probably 4-5 updates left until the end of Book One. After that - since Dru's short will probably still be going on - I will devote myself to changing the early parts of this Story Hour from log format into actual stories, as well as other tasks relating to the compiled edition (the master list of NPCs, etc). If anyone has suggestions for something they'd like to see in the compiled edition - sort of DVD-esque special features, if you will - I am certainly open to hearing them!

In the DVD version I want to see all my Great Update! (tm) posts


And this one was a... Great Update! (tm)

 

[drnuncheon]

Session Fifteen, Part Eight: Trial by Fire

Di'Fier's hand snapped back up, and he barked the command word for his wand of magic missile. The eldritch bolt flared through the dim tower towards N'tal - and spent its fury harmlessly, a foot from the serpentman's face. It's not supposed to do that! he thought wildly. These things never miss!

Dru, for her part, set the Jade Serpent on the stairs a few levels above her companions, and drew her blade. "Ritual almost complete, huh?" she said. "We'll see about that." The rapier knocked down a row of candles, and eldritch energy sparked around its blade.

High above, the serpentmen loosed a flight of arrows as N'tal called upon his arcane power. That sounds just like... Di'Fier thought, and then he was launching himself backward as a sphere of flame coalesced into being directly in front of him, blocking the stairs at the corner. Turning, he incanted a spell of his own, sending a sizzling arrow of green vitriol towards N'tal...and barely missing him. Cursing, he dove forward, sliding past the ball of flames blocking his path with nothing more than a scorch-mark on his sleeve. Paden, behind him, was not nearly as lucky, but he pushed through despite the wicked burns along his right side.

Varesh saw no reason to go through the fire like the crazy humans. He leapt to the railing, and jumped past the corner - barely managing to grab the rail with his left hand and pull himself up. He eyed the serpentmen, now making their way down the stairs.

Meanwhile, Dru had shot like an arrow into the air towards N'tal, reveling in the freedom the fly potion had given her. Her rapier slammed into an unyielding force, an invisible shield that hung in front of the wizard, and her arm went numb from the impact. With a hiss that sounded suspiciously like a laugh, N'tal arced away. At his command, the flaming sphere leapt towards Paden, but the young priest had learned his lesson well, diving and rolling beneath its path. Di'Fier chanted the words to a spell as he ran, gradually growing dimmer until only the sound of his footfalls remained.

He's got the same kind of magic shield that Kenzil used, thought Dru, sheathing her blade. Which means it can't be everywhere at once... With a thought, she sped above him, sending an arrow down past his defenses. It drew a line of blood along his arm, and the serpent wizard looked up at her with hatred. Unfortunately for the others, he vented that hatred on them.

A glowing mote of lite formed between the serpentman's hands as he chanted. I thung in space a moment, then shot forward to impact the wall in front of Paden and Varesh. In the instant before it exploded, Paden dove over the stone railing, scattering candles as he leapt. The flames slammed into Varesh - and the invisible Di'Fier - but Paden was protected by the stone as he dangled by his fingertips. He hauled himself back over the railing and onto the staircase.

Behind the serpentman, Dru grimaced. She was tired of this - they needed to get to the top of the tower! Speeding through the air, she spied the trapdoor at the top of the stairs, and headed for it, shoulder first.

It didn't give.

Instead, Dru spun about, slamming into the wall at the top of the staircase and landing in a bruised and crumpled heap. "Dammit!" She looked over the railing to see Paden and the smouldering Varesh heal themselves as they ran, and she hoped Di'Fier was all right as well. Paden had grabbed the Jade Serpent as they passed, and was cradling it to his chest as he ran. The serpentmen were several levels lower now, and still taking the occasional pot-shot when they could, but their accuracy suffered from the constant spiralling.

Dru pulled her blade again, and leapt back out into the center of the chamber. The wizard below her spun, and almost seemed to grin as he called out the syllables of his spell. Not one, but four of the mystic bolts spiralled up towards her. Dru gritted her teeth and felt them slam into her nearly simultaneously, spinning her around and knocking her nearly to the ceiling. When she spat to clear her mouth, it was red.

"Right. No more good cop."

She arced around behind N'tal, her blade slicing across his back. The serpentman spun again, hissing, and fire bloomed from his hands in a deadly arc, searing across her shoulders and chest. The fabric of her cloak caught flame, and she yanked it off, sending it smouldering to the ground far below.

Again she spun, twisting in midair to lay another stripe of red across his back. As he shot away from her, his eyes went not to his opponents, but to the trapdoor high above. With an imperious gesture, he shouted a word of command. The trapdoor glowed briefly as the binding took effect, and then he turned back to his aerial dance.

"You will never make it in time," the serpentman informed her, watching through narrowed eyes. "Your ssity iss doomed. The Unsspeakable One..."

"...can go to hell," Dru gritted. "And you with him!" Her blade slammed deep into his side. Maybe that will shut him up!

N'tal spun away from her, blood running down his side. A quick glance to the staircase reminded the serpentman that he was fighting more than one foe. Time to give them something to think about...

Paden looked up just before the hailstones slammed into him. "Oh, sh*t!" Great globes of ice pummeled priest and rat-man, slamming them mercilessly into the stone wall of the tower. Varesh all but collapsed under the onslaught, and Paden reached out to grab his shoulder and keep him upright. Together, they staggered farther up the staircase.

"Dru!" called a voice from the staircase. "Drop!"

The Watchman let herself fall, digging a vial of precious healing potion from her pouch. As she watched, Di'Fier faded back into visibility - and N'tal was spun around and slammed into the railing of the staircase by his spell - the same one that had slain the bizarre water-creature in Black Dog's cave.

N'tal, it seemed, was made of sterner stuff. The serpentman forced himself away from the stone, blood trickling from the corners of his mouth. He fixed his gaze on the staircase and raised his hand. Three words were spat into the air, and the wall lining the staircase was transformed into a sheet of roaring flame.

Di'Fier dove forward as the heat slammed into his back, transforming his cloak to ashes. Dru watched as Varesh tumbled down the stairs, the magic from her heaing wand keeping him on the edge of life. But for the one trapped in the middle, there was nowhere to go.

The flames erupted around Paden Blackbatel, and he screamed.

 

[Jon Potter]

Paden!

Noooo!!

 

[Piratecat]

Too... many... posts!

Choices:

1. Start a new thread, and we'll close this one.
2. Trust me to axe extraneous posts such as bumps.
3. Email me with a list of posts you want deleted.

Let me know!

 

[drnuncheon]

Too... many... posts!

Choices:

1. Start a new thread, and we'll close this one.
2. Trust me to axe extraneous posts such as bumps.
3. Email me with a list of posts you want deleted.

Let me know!

I'll go with #2, PC - I've got only 4 more updates until the end of Book One (and this thread), so we should be able to clear out enough bumpage and extraneous bits to allow that...it'd be kind of a waste to start a whole new thread for one and a half sessions...

(Is the 200-post limit still necessary on the new server? I thought that was one of the things it was supposed to fix...)

J

 

[drnuncheon]

...just waiting for PC to clear out some old posts before I update, so tomorrow expect me to resume...

I did spend some time working on the 'Special Edition' - writing annotations, discussing the adventures I ran and what I changed - and should have changed, or wish I had done differently.

There will be a full 'Dramatis Personae' list with links to first (and in some cases final) appearances, as well as stat blocks for the original characters that I added to the series.

The 'Special Edition' will also include - for the first time ever! - the early adventures of Dru & Di'Fier in story format (with links to the original log-format posts) and a special sneak preview of Book Two: Inheritance!

But what else? I want to pack it full of neat stuff.
Interviews with Dru and Di'Fier?
'Cast & Crew commentary'?
Photo gallery?
.wav file of Horacio saying 'Great Update!'?

Anyone with ideas is encouraged to email me at jeffj@io.com to avoid sending the thread back to 200+ posts...

J

 

[drnuncheon]

Session Fifteen, Part Nine: ...and then there were three

Hmm. I was hoping a few more posts would disappear...oh well...here's a (short) update. Just a few more to go!


Time seemed to slow as the young cleric crumpled, his garments aflame, still clutching the Jade Serpent to his breast. Di'Fier screamed wordlessly in rage, one hand leaving the hilt of his sword long enough for a quick gesture that blasted the oncoming serpentmen backwards. One tumbled from the staircase to land in a heap, fifty feet below. Di'Fier could feel the pounding heat of the flaming wall on his back, and it fed his fury as he charged up the stairs, swinging his blade like he intended to mow them down like wheat. A wickedly curved scimitar opened up a slash across his chest, but he ignored it, planting his blade deep into the skull of its weilder and then twisting it free, sending the corpse tumbling down into the flames.

Dru's own shout mingled with his as she twisted in midair, plunging her blade down behind N'tal's collarbone and into his chest, transfixing his body. The serpantman hung in the air for a moment, his yellow eyes looking up at her. "You may slay me, but you will never defeat my god," he told her calmly. Then a slight tugging, as he slid off of the blade and plummeted to the ground.

Dru wanted to spit on him, but her mouth was dry. "Doesn't matter. You're still dead." And she went to join Di'Fier.

Dru crouched beneath the trapdoor at the top of the stairs, waiting for Di'Fier's signal. Precious time had slipped by as they waited for the wall of flames to die down so they could retrieve the statue - and Varesh. She could hear the chanting above her, and beneath it an unearthly hum from some unknown source.

Di'Fier finished the layer of spells he placed on himself, and reached up to the trapdoor. He spoke a word of opening, and his magic contested with the dead N'tal's for a moment, before the door flung itself open, and the trio shot up into the apex of the lighthouse.

The Sea Lord stood there, resplendent in his velvet robes, a heavy golden pendant of the Yellow Sign dangling around his neck. Beside him was a smirking Melkior Maorgan, from the Captain's Council, and a muscular serpentman.

The pillar that the three surrounded supported a crustal the size of a man's head. A beam of yellow light lanced upward from the crystal, passing through the glass enclosure, and piercing the night sky. The entire room throbbed with magical energy.

Drac turned. "As I said...you are too late. The Yellow Sign is now twisting the minds of all those who have gathered in the city to see the completed lighthouse. Soon, they will leave, and the madness of the Unspeakable One will spread across the world!"

Dru snorted, bringing up her bow. "Did you memorize that speech?" Her bowstring thrummed, and the battle began.

 

[Zarthon]

I probably shouldn't be doing this, but BUMP

 

[drnuncheon]

Session Fifteen, Part Ten: The Yellow Sign

Compiler's Note: Again, I apologize for the increasingly intermittent updates, I haven't been completely idle, though - I've been working on the collected edition and planning for Book II. The break has been nice but I'm looking forward to getting back into the swing of things...

Drac dived out of the way as Dru's arrows passed through the space where he'd been. From behind the pillar, he called out: "Maeorgan! Gorn! Destroy them!"

Dru could see the furry shape of Varesh leaping from the trapdoor even as she deflected the serpentman's blows. A lightning thrust, and Gorn staggered back as silence enveloped the room. Summoning the remaining power of the potion, she rose up through the air, out of his reach, and looked for the cause.

She heard a single word, echoing above the eerily silent battle, and then the spell holding her aloft lurched, and she began to float downwards, back into the silence. The serpentman opened up a long gash across Varesh's chest with his scimitar, sending the ratman staggering back and turning to meet her. Their blades clashed for an instant, and then she slipped past his guard to bloody his scales once again. The pain of the wound made the serpentmna drop his guard, and Varesh was again upon him, hacking with the heavy curved blade of his kukri.

Gorn staggered back from the dual onslaught, yanking a vial from his pouch and swallowing the contents. As Dru watched, the serpentman faded from view.

Di'Fier's arms were already numb when he felt the spell stealing into his brain. Maeorgan was strong - maybe even as strong as Hallfred - and the effort of parrying his blows was wearing out the Watchman too quickly. He could feel his muscles locking up at the behest of the spell - the same one that the gnome had used on him to make his escape.

Maeorgan grinned fiercely as his opponent froze, swinging his longsword back for a mighty blow. The blade whipped silently through the magically stilled air, a perfect horizontal arc. An arc that would intersect with the Watchman's neck. An arc that would pass cleanly through the vertebrae, neatly removing his head. An arc that was interrupted by the sudden motion of Di'Fier's own sword, in a lightning parry-and-riposte that left a line of fire and blood down the side of his face.

The Watchman grinned wolfishly - a habit he'd unconsciously picked up from his partner - and glanced over Maeorgan's shoulder. The Sea Lord was advancing, an empty hand held forward. Di'Fier ducked behind the invisible shield created by Dru's wand, and let the blade ring on the edge of the disc of force. Ring? Then that means I'm out of the silence!. Stepping back, he plucked a silvered dagger from his belt and tossed it into the air, calling out the words of a spell. The dagger vanished, and a shimmering blade of force appeared behind the Sea Lord. Di'Fier regripped his blade and swung.

Even as Drac staggered back from the wounds Di'Fier inflicted upon him, Dru saw Maeorgan's blade come crashing down, knocking Varesh across the floor in a shower of blood, before he turned to deal with the Watch-mage. Dru slid in behind him to pour a potion down the ratman's throat, and Varesh twitched weakly, then sat up with a sneeze.

She looked up to see Gorn and Meorgan backing Di'Fier into the corner, their blades rebounding from his shield. I hope you can hold them...just a little bit longer! she thought, looking wildly around the room. Drac was healing himself, and the crystal was still sending the light lancing up to the sky. The crystal... She surged upwards, planting her hands on the crystal and shoving - she could feel the stone shift slightly, but no more.

"The crystal!" cried Drac, and Gorn spun to see what was going on. With a sibilant curse, the serpentman leapt away from Di'Fier - only to be intercepted by Varesh, baring claw and fang. Dru set her shoulder for another good shove. She could hear Drac shouting a paean to his god...

...and then the world around her exploded into a swirling mass of iridescent energy.