[FR]The Return of the Heroes of the Vilhon Reach (updated 8/20!)

[honorwolf]

Yes, I also remember this session. It was a lot of fun. We certainly did a lot of damage to ourselves and the wine cellar. The power word stun was funny. And seeing the normally repressed and restrained Air genasi and the cleric cut loose and get rip-roaring drunk was hilarious. The others just kept watch with amazement as we drank the night away.

 

[Broccli_Head]

Well we just finished that massive adventure thread...complete with a major battle, Zhentarim, Princes of Shade, four Chosen, a Saint, and a Slaadi Lord! Not to mention exploding artifacts, confronting old enemies, and resolving the questions of the past. So many weaves of the tapestry came together!

I think it was one of our best set of sessions to date. It ranks up there with Hellgate Keep, the failed attempt to rescue Dorthan Lhal and the stampede of cattle, and the confrontation with Thazar-de.

OK, now the write up

It looks to be a massive undertaking, but with lots of notes (honorwolf took some to remember the highlights of the battle) I am sure to get it done. Stick around!

 

[Broccli_Head]

Evermeet, 4 Marponeth, 1378, Year of the Cauldron

Benito Moltos awoke with a start. Panic gripped him as his vision was clouded by a translucent veil. He sat up and found that he was on a bier in a temple. The gossamer veil slid down to his waist. Next to him on a similar block of white marble lay Grim. The halfling also sat scratching his head. The room was very bright.

"You died. Both of you."

Benito turned quickly to the sound of the familiar voice of Aris Cloud-dancer. Next to him stood the most beautiful elven woman he had ever seen. Her eyes looked tired, and were bloodshot, but she smiled and it calmed the rising anxiety that crept within him.

"What do you mean, I--?"

From the recesses of his mind, memories began to flood back. He fought the hysteria that grew.

"The Wail...the Wail..."

Benito wept...

**

Some time later, the Heroes of the Reach re-united in a sitting room somewhere in the otherworldly palace of Queen Almauril. They drank and ate in silence. Grim and Benito were famished and wolfed down the food that was presented to them.

"You destroyed the sword. The Starym Moonblade. The queen had been gracious enough to supply us with her tears," said Aris breaking the quiet.

"Yes, yes. I remember submerging it into the tub. It burned. I remember the metal dissolving into fragments along all those cracks it possessed. Whitehot. The blade tried to promise me power once again. I have to admit that I was tempted. Then the ghost that resided within the unholy thing emerged."

Benito shuddered.

"Actually, it was what the elves call a banshee and a powerful one at that. Seance and I were caught outside as some sort of protective dome formed over you, Grim, Ivan, Ell, and the Queen."

Ariod piped up, "I dove in just in the nick of time."

The druid crunched on a golden apple, "Good thing I was in giant eagle form."

"You and Grim fell when the thing screamed. We thought that you guys had just passed out...It went right for the queen. Ell and I jumped in the way," recalled Ivan.

"Apparently, the banshee still retained its incorporeal nature," Aris added.

"Hey, you didn't get there 'til later. Are you tellin' the story or me?"

"Right. But I am trying to paint a tactical picture for Benito so he can see his death in the most objective, least emotional way possible."

Benito blanched as Aris began to speak of his death so callously. The others noticed and there was a long pause before Ivan spoke up again.

"Anyways we hacked and hacked and some strikes got in, but most did not. Then the thing leaped and flew into the air. By that time, the general there had teleported in with the mage."

"Where is Seance, by the way?" asked Benito

"Not here. Probably attempting to steal elven high magic secrets," answered Arid critically.

"He didn't do anything in the battle anyway," spoke Ellysidell suprising the others.

The wild elf folded his arms and dared the others to challenge that statement.

Ivan chortled, "So ye fight a god and live, and now ya gets all uppity!"

That brought a much needed round of laughter. Even Grim smiled. Benito was grateful for Ivan and his unorthodox ways. It relieved the tension.

"So, how did you end up defeating the demon from the blade?" asked the priest of Ilmater.

"It could not stand up to the three of us," said Aris pointing to Ivan and Ariod.
"I levitated to face her, while Ariod in his planetar form flanked her, and--"

"And big elf over there tossed me at her. That Blue Destiny blade of the general's couldn't miss. We sent the b- back to Hell. We saved the queen and then found out that you and Grim had died. Thank Tempus...I mean Ilmater for elven healing magic. The Queen herself raised you."

Benito was still a little confused at some of the conversations. His memory was still hazy.

"What's with the feathers, Ivan?"

"Oh, I'm in good with the Eagle Riders. They like to party and they're crazy like me. The commander says he gots something special to give me later."

"Ellysidell, what do they mean about you fighting a god?"

The wild elf sighed, "I would rather not talk about it."

Kyros chimed in bitterly, "Right after the elves cheated me of a sparring victory by not telling me all the rules, the elven god of vengeance strides in and points at Ellysidell. The avatar beat him down in less than twenty heartbeats, but Ellysidell actually struck him. The wierd priests of Labelas Enoreth were collecting the droplets of god's blood."

Benito looked at Ellysidell with genuine awe.

**

In the evening there was a feast. Queen Almauril and the elves of Evermeet were very grateful. Everyone of the Heroes received a token of gratitude. For Ivan: the unhatched egg of a great eagle; For Aris: promise of support for his upcoming campaign against the Shades and Zhentarim of Iriaeabor; For Kyros: a set of shining plate mail armor to replace his mithral plate. He changed his name on the spot to Kyros, the Shining Knight. Grim received a deadly blade to complement his kama and Seance got his precious scrolls. From the armory of Evermeet, the Queen presented Ellysidell with Redethemar, a mighthy battle axe to fight evil. Benito was given the most enigmatic gift: a vial of godsblood from Shevaresh, elven god of vengeance to use "When the Stars were Right..."

Aris returned the remaining sets of roaring armor that they had found beneath Hellgate Keep to close the ceremony.

It was the grandest banquet they had ever attended with songs sung that would echo in their minds for the rest of their lives and dancing and frolicking to ecstasies they could never see among the realms of men.

The only downside was for Ellysidell, Chosen of Fenmaril Mestarine. He came back into the banquet hall sullen-faced.

Benito asked, "What is wrong, friend?"

"The champion of the queen did not allow me to begin courting her."

With a twinkle in his eye, Benito replied, "Worry not, Ellysidell. There will be another."

 

[Malachai_rose]

holy crap you posted Broc !

very cool, I kind of like the way you flashbacked the whole Evermeet episode. It was fun to read and saved precious time in helping you get caught up to boot

Now for the preparation for the big rumble in Iraebor all you need is a little 80's esque music (ie 'Eye of the Tiger' from Rocky 3) and a little montage action (comon yall know you love a good montage as much as I do) and whamo !!! Before you know it, it's clobberin time in the city of spires

 

[Lefferts]

Bump for easy updating!

 

[Broccli_Head]

Wow! Thanks.

Gives me a strong incentive to post.

 

[Broccli_Head]

Twilight Hollow, 5 Marponeth, 1378, Year of the Cauldron

Ellysidell looked around, took a quick stock of the situation and then, after first raising Redethemar high above his head, slammed in into the earth. Eldritch elven energy rippled through the air in all three dimesions and hellcats, bearded devils and even a few erinyes that had been flying by were vaporized or ended as steaming hunks of burning flesh.

Then with a roar, the Chosen of Fenmaril Mestarine, now with room to charge, slammed into a mob of more hellcats. The defenders of Twilight Hollow took heart and charged behind him.

Aris Clouddancer laughed at the contrast. That morning they had been sailing aboard a Swan Ship back towards civilization, and to escape the protective barrier surrounding Evermeet so they could 'port back to Silverymoon or DragonStorm Castle. Now after a summons from St. Benito's pet planetar, they were fighting in the muddied streets of Twillight Hollow against some sort of infernal cascade.

"From heaven to hell in less than six heartbeats," he mused out loud. "And where is Benito!?"

He somersaulted over a bounding hellcat and sliced its fire-wreathed head from the rest of its body. He and Ellysidell fought side by side, while nearby Ivan and Grim also fought against hell-spawned groundlings. In the skies above, winged celestials fought against their infernal counterparts. Somewhere among them, Ariod and Seance added their firepower.

In actuality, only Ariod stood feather-to-feather with the enemy. In his planetar form, he slammed his mighty war club into the chest of an erinyes sending it/her spiraling to the ground. He felt a stab of pain in his thigh and barred his teeth climbing to his next target, the female-mockery that had just shot him with a burning arrow.

Seance was dimension-dooring in a running battle with another wing of erinyes. His thought was survival. He cared little for this backwater town or its people, and the devils had snagged him with their tricky ropes. In the end, he had had enough, and once free of the ropes, teleported away.

I did not agree to save peasants, Aris. I will contact you later. he sent, but back on the ground, Aris was too busy to return his disappointment, gutting the gibbering beared devil in front of him.

With axe and scimitar he chopped and sliced through ranks of devils, while beside him Ellysidell lopped head and limbs from his enemies with the mighty elven weapon. Those that the two would not slay in one blow, would be finished seconds later with a kama or shortsword in the small of their back, courtesy of Grim. The respite would give Aris a chance to redirect forces.

He took one to look at the skies above. The skirmishes there were just as fierce. The focus was a knot of devas and Suldophin himself who fought against at least double their number of erinyes led by their foul leader, a great Cornugon. Their exchanges of magic and melee force lit up the sky.

Aris shuddered. What power would it take to summon that? What black deals had been made? Would the whole campaign to retake Iriaebor be like this?

Ivan had taken to the air upon Grim's magic carpet and together with Ariod began tearing through smaller knots of she-devils that were attempting to rain fiery death upon the ground-pounders.

"Feathers, blood and fire!" Ivan yelled adding a bellow of laughter.

Cutting through the erinyes and seeing their feathers clound about their wounded forms reminded him of hunting grouse and pheasant back in Rasheman...except for the fire. He struck at the wing of another erinyes with one scimtar and sliced at the entangling rope of another and guffawed again as feathers "poofed" in all directions.

It was hard for Ariod to see the humor in all this taint to the Green. He felt he could hear the screams of the earth upon which those devils stomped. So, He fought with zeal and crushed and swooped and smashed some more until his arms ached with effort. His planetar wings were spattered with blood. His hands were sticky, glued to the great club with more foul ichor. He gave a mighty sigh and rejoined the fray, slamming his mace into the body of the erinyes that had tried to snare Ivan.

Then, a mighty thunderclap echoed across the valley and Suldolphin, General of the Armies of the Triad struck the finishing blow upon the Cornugon. The beast exploded and the tearing scream followed indicating the flight of the creatures spirit back to the Nine Hells or the Pits of Doom and Despair. All on the battlefield paused as the echoes lingered.

The route began...

"Legion Victorious!" shouted Aris as he marshalled the skirmishers driving the remaining beardeds and hellcats back.

Ariod joined a flight of trumpet archons as they chased erinyes from the valley.

Ellysidell rested on the heap of bodies he had created, letting the adrenalin rush of his rage subside. Ivan went to his inn to check its status and then he began rolling out barrels of ale for medicinal purposes, to the valiant defenders of Twilight Hollow.

Others began to put out fires.

Aris crested a hill and looked west, his eyes scanning north to south. Somewhere out there lay his hated enemy, the Zhentarim, their priests of Bane, their allies the Shades, and maybe even darker things.

"So it begins," he said, "So it begins..."

 

[honorwolf]

Great post. I had almost forgotten how long and how much fun it has been playing in this great campaign. I cannot wait to read about the battle. I have notes that I need to submit!

 

[honorwolf]

By the way did I mention that this is one of the most awesome campaigns that I have ever played. The players, the setting, the story, the drama, and the DM. Kudos! Now back to reality! I hate Devils!

 

[Malachai_rose]

Man I remember that battle... at least I remember hearing about it /sigh. It seems that Aris is psychic though. Calling Benito St. Benito (though he meant it in jest). Yep next time ol' Ben shows up he'll be both poorer and more pious (hence not being there for the battle). Nice post Broc, hope to see more soon

Malachai "St. Benito" Rose