LuYangShih
First Post
I just noticed Honorwolfs avatar. A munchkin even in fighting games. Sad. 
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NOW LIVE! Into the Woods--new character species, eerie monsters, and haunting villains to populate the woodlands of your D&D games.
[FR]The Return of the Heroes of the Vilhon Reach (updated 8/20!)
- Thread starter Broccli_Head
- Start date
Only to the uninitiated.
Broccli_Head
Explorer
The Heroes vs. The Colossus!
West of the Fork near Deadsnows, Early Fall, 1378, Year of the Cauldron
It was huge, larger than Benito Moltos had imagined.
"We can't defeat this! How are we going to damage it?" he exclaimed.
The Companions of the Quest had been summoned once again to do the bidding of Lady Alustriel and the Silver Marches. She had asked/ordered them to investigate reports of a large iron golem that Crimson Patrol outriders had seen rubbling towards the Silver Marches down the Fork Road. They had failed to mention that the "golem" was nearly 200 feet tall.
The rest of the companions shook their heads or shrugged their shoulders, except for the usually taciturn Ellysidel who was scanning the feet of the thing as it trudged towards the village of Deadsnows. A few farms and the heroes stood in between. He spotted movement at the construct's feet and took off in that direction while the others continued to argue.
"We should be taking care of the situation in Iriaebor!" yelled Aris.
"No, we should be looking for the rest of the Gatekeeper's Crystal. These odd jobs for the queen distract us from our divine task," responded Benito.
"Actually, I think we should protect Twillight Hollow," interjected Ivan
"We could use some artillery," mentioned Aris.
"Yeah, too bad, Nosr is in love with Silverymoon," added Ivan.
Grim had already silently slinked away after Ellysidell. Kyros pointed as the gigantic Iron Golem raised one of its arms and levelled it in their direction. Across the vale they heard the cranking of gears as it rose. Ellysidell looked up as the long shadow of the iron giant crossed his bounding path. His destination was the half-dozen large hairy goblinoids running near the feet of the giant,chasing some villagers and their sheep in these upland pastures. He heard a THWACK! that also echoed off the nearby mountains and saw a huge spear sail way over his head.
On the hill where the rest of the companions were discussing options, Kyros was hit square on with a ballista spear. He tumbled down the ridge.
"Well, I guess they're serious," said the cleric.
He was about to fly over to where he saw Ellysidell alone clashing with some large humanoids, but then remembered that he had lost his cape in the Ruins of Hellgate Keep. He thought about windwalking, but then realized it would take many precious heartbeats to go in and out of "cloud" form. So he and Aris began to jog towards the feet of the giant golem. Ivan jumped down the hill to check on Kyros who had already broken the shaft and pulled it from his abdomen.
"It is a good thing that I am tough," mused the psychic warrior as Ivan helped him to his feet.
Then they too were heading towards the metal monstrosity.
**
In the shadow of the walking hulk, Ellysidell, Chosen of Fenmaril Mestarin clashed with the bugbears. By the time Aris and Benito had arrived, dodging another ballista shot from one giant arm and two volleys of arrows from the other, Ellysidell and Grim had felled two of the six bugbears.
"Stormhammers smash puny elf!" one had cried.
Ellysidell had nearly decapitated him with Golden-Fire. Grim finished the job. The other one had taken two slashes to the abdomen and a stab in the back from Grim before he fell. Ellysidell engaged the last and together with Aris and his slashing scimitar, Blue Destiny made short work of the goblinoid. The other three, were a bit smarter. Using one of the giant's legs for cover they tossed a thunderstone and two flasks of alchemist's fire at the heroes. It was only an inconvenience. When Benito saw that his targets were clear of Ellysidell and the shadowy halfling, he lay down a flamestrike. One Stormhammer was blown to smithereens while the other two dove and suffered, but not mortally. Aris closed and took off his head. Benito sent a beam of searing light right between its eyes.
Grim began to look for an opening into the Colossus.
There, he sent to Ellysidell. The feet have gratings. I am going to try and enter through them.
"Wait!" cried Ellysidell, but Grim ran forward and tried to squeeze between the bars.
Sticking his head in, he saw a gnome. The gnome squealed then ran through and archway. Grim heard a "Whoosh!" and the gnome disappeared. The hafling tried to wriggle through, but impossibly, he became stuck. Ellysidell had followed and tried to wrench him away, but then the giant foot rose. A twenty foot diameter shadow cut off the sun from the wild elf and the iron foot came down with a wet "Smack!" Grim was thrown free and somersaulted through the pasture.
The halfling shook his head, stunned from the impact and saw through his daze that Benito and Aris were running towards the leg that had thrown him clear and were hacking away...ineffectually. Where was Ellysidell? A horror crept over him and he ran forward to see if anything remained
Fortunately, for Ellysidell, the ground was wet and muddy. As the giant's foot lifted, Ell raised his head and spat out muck and mud. The foot looked like it was coming down again.
He heard Aris yell, "Scatter!" and he clambered to his feet and tried to run away out from under the shadow. So did Benito and Aris. All three were clipped by the massive foot of the colossus and thrown to the ground. Grim slipping and sliding in the mud was caught underneath. However, Tymora favored the ghostwise halfling and his seemingly uncharateristic clumsiness led him into a mudhole. The stomp had been considerably softened, though it still hurt the halfling. Down, but not out yet, he began to dig.
Ellysidell ran around to the front of the foot and saw the grating that Grim had tried to writhe through. Before the creature could act he pulled at the bars, tearing two loose from their mountings. Another volley of arrows struck at Kyros and Ivan as they attempted to catch up to the rest. Several spells also came flying out of the hands of the iron colossus or from out of nowhere. A ball of fire landed near Benito and Aris, and the pair were also assaulted by icy painful stones. An unholy flamstrike blasted Ivan and Kyros on their final approach. Grim popped out near the back of the foot, and heard Aris give another command.
"Everybody inside! We cannot take too much of this pounding!"
Benito added, "This hulk has drivers, and we're going to stop them!"
The heroes piled in just as the thing lifted its foot for another massive stomp.
"Now what?" questioned Ivan.
All the companions were bloody, muddy and dirty and some had burn scars from fire and ice. Grim pointed towards the archway and fumbled with the some levers near the door activating some levitation disks.
"Let's go up, then and put and end to this craziness," declared Benito.
Ivan and Kyros stayed below while the rest of the group began to rise what they guessed to be the leg of the golem. Halfway up the Benito saw a point of light that came hurtling towards them.
"Fire in the hole!" he cried.
An explosion rocked their world. Then the disk cut out and the four began to fall back down...
West of the Fork near Deadsnows, Early Fall, 1378, Year of the Cauldron
It was huge, larger than Benito Moltos had imagined.
"We can't defeat this! How are we going to damage it?" he exclaimed.
The Companions of the Quest had been summoned once again to do the bidding of Lady Alustriel and the Silver Marches. She had asked/ordered them to investigate reports of a large iron golem that Crimson Patrol outriders had seen rubbling towards the Silver Marches down the Fork Road. They had failed to mention that the "golem" was nearly 200 feet tall.
The rest of the companions shook their heads or shrugged their shoulders, except for the usually taciturn Ellysidel who was scanning the feet of the thing as it trudged towards the village of Deadsnows. A few farms and the heroes stood in between. He spotted movement at the construct's feet and took off in that direction while the others continued to argue.
"We should be taking care of the situation in Iriaebor!" yelled Aris.
"No, we should be looking for the rest of the Gatekeeper's Crystal. These odd jobs for the queen distract us from our divine task," responded Benito.
"Actually, I think we should protect Twillight Hollow," interjected Ivan
"We could use some artillery," mentioned Aris.
"Yeah, too bad, Nosr is in love with Silverymoon," added Ivan.
Grim had already silently slinked away after Ellysidell. Kyros pointed as the gigantic Iron Golem raised one of its arms and levelled it in their direction. Across the vale they heard the cranking of gears as it rose. Ellysidell looked up as the long shadow of the iron giant crossed his bounding path. His destination was the half-dozen large hairy goblinoids running near the feet of the giant,chasing some villagers and their sheep in these upland pastures. He heard a THWACK! that also echoed off the nearby mountains and saw a huge spear sail way over his head.
On the hill where the rest of the companions were discussing options, Kyros was hit square on with a ballista spear. He tumbled down the ridge.
"Well, I guess they're serious," said the cleric.
He was about to fly over to where he saw Ellysidell alone clashing with some large humanoids, but then remembered that he had lost his cape in the Ruins of Hellgate Keep. He thought about windwalking, but then realized it would take many precious heartbeats to go in and out of "cloud" form. So he and Aris began to jog towards the feet of the giant golem. Ivan jumped down the hill to check on Kyros who had already broken the shaft and pulled it from his abdomen.
"It is a good thing that I am tough," mused the psychic warrior as Ivan helped him to his feet.
Then they too were heading towards the metal monstrosity.
**
In the shadow of the walking hulk, Ellysidell, Chosen of Fenmaril Mestarin clashed with the bugbears. By the time Aris and Benito had arrived, dodging another ballista shot from one giant arm and two volleys of arrows from the other, Ellysidell and Grim had felled two of the six bugbears.
"Stormhammers smash puny elf!" one had cried.
Ellysidell had nearly decapitated him with Golden-Fire. Grim finished the job. The other one had taken two slashes to the abdomen and a stab in the back from Grim before he fell. Ellysidell engaged the last and together with Aris and his slashing scimitar, Blue Destiny made short work of the goblinoid. The other three, were a bit smarter. Using one of the giant's legs for cover they tossed a thunderstone and two flasks of alchemist's fire at the heroes. It was only an inconvenience. When Benito saw that his targets were clear of Ellysidell and the shadowy halfling, he lay down a flamestrike. One Stormhammer was blown to smithereens while the other two dove and suffered, but not mortally. Aris closed and took off his head. Benito sent a beam of searing light right between its eyes.
Grim began to look for an opening into the Colossus.
There, he sent to Ellysidell. The feet have gratings. I am going to try and enter through them.
"Wait!" cried Ellysidell, but Grim ran forward and tried to squeeze between the bars.
Sticking his head in, he saw a gnome. The gnome squealed then ran through and archway. Grim heard a "Whoosh!" and the gnome disappeared. The hafling tried to wriggle through, but impossibly, he became stuck. Ellysidell had followed and tried to wrench him away, but then the giant foot rose. A twenty foot diameter shadow cut off the sun from the wild elf and the iron foot came down with a wet "Smack!" Grim was thrown free and somersaulted through the pasture.
The halfling shook his head, stunned from the impact and saw through his daze that Benito and Aris were running towards the leg that had thrown him clear and were hacking away...ineffectually. Where was Ellysidell? A horror crept over him and he ran forward to see if anything remained
Fortunately, for Ellysidell, the ground was wet and muddy. As the giant's foot lifted, Ell raised his head and spat out muck and mud. The foot looked like it was coming down again.
He heard Aris yell, "Scatter!" and he clambered to his feet and tried to run away out from under the shadow. So did Benito and Aris. All three were clipped by the massive foot of the colossus and thrown to the ground. Grim slipping and sliding in the mud was caught underneath. However, Tymora favored the ghostwise halfling and his seemingly uncharateristic clumsiness led him into a mudhole. The stomp had been considerably softened, though it still hurt the halfling. Down, but not out yet, he began to dig.
Ellysidell ran around to the front of the foot and saw the grating that Grim had tried to writhe through. Before the creature could act he pulled at the bars, tearing two loose from their mountings. Another volley of arrows struck at Kyros and Ivan as they attempted to catch up to the rest. Several spells also came flying out of the hands of the iron colossus or from out of nowhere. A ball of fire landed near Benito and Aris, and the pair were also assaulted by icy painful stones. An unholy flamstrike blasted Ivan and Kyros on their final approach. Grim popped out near the back of the foot, and heard Aris give another command.
"Everybody inside! We cannot take too much of this pounding!"
Benito added, "This hulk has drivers, and we're going to stop them!"
The heroes piled in just as the thing lifted its foot for another massive stomp.
"Now what?" questioned Ivan.
All the companions were bloody, muddy and dirty and some had burn scars from fire and ice. Grim pointed towards the archway and fumbled with the some levers near the door activating some levitation disks.
"Let's go up, then and put and end to this craziness," declared Benito.
Ivan and Kyros stayed below while the rest of the group began to rise what they guessed to be the leg of the golem. Halfway up the Benito saw a point of light that came hurtling towards them.
"Fire in the hole!" he cried.
An explosion rocked their world. Then the disk cut out and the four began to fall back down...
Last edited:
LuYangShih
First Post
I suspect that the Heroes Of The Vilhon Reach would get shredded by a capable Archer. They really need to get a degree of ranged firepower. Benito really needs to get another item with flying. At the level they are currently at, it is a neccessity.
On a less rules centered note, why take orders from Alustriel? She has enough flunkies already. Do you really want be the new group who gets passed around between the Seven Sisters and Elminster like a cheap stogey? I think not.
On a less rules centered note, why take orders from Alustriel? She has enough flunkies already. Do you really want be the new group who gets passed around between the Seven Sisters and Elminster like a cheap stogey? I think not.
Malachai_rose
First Post
hey 
we got plenty of ranged fire power. I mean I can cast like 6 or 7 sonic flame strikes a day 
But ya know a cleric even one as uber as me can only do so much the rest of these slackers really need to step it up and try to pull their own weight around this group 
heheh (it's a joke... sorta )
As for the flying remark your right, Benito has felt naked without his cape of flying. I just figured now that he worships Ilmater instead of Tyr he ought to be a little more low key in his approach to things. Heh, guess I learned my lesson.
And about being flunkies... well ... were not flunkies, were just torn as to what to go do next. I mean Benito is very confused on the matter. On one hand you have Ilmater and the Gods of the Triad saying go get the rest of that crystal. On the other hand the Heroes were responsiple for the fall of Iraebor , so he wants to go try and fix that little misunderstanding This whole golem thing is more of a vacation till the group can decide what theyre gonna go do. By the way got any suggestions ?
Well it was a good post, 1 more and Broc will be caught up it looks like (which means it is now time to set aside Champions and return to Faerun to finish handlin bizness, lol)
we got plenty of ranged fire power. I mean I can cast like 6 or 7 sonic flame strikes a day But ya know a cleric even one as uber as me can only do so much the rest of these slackers really need to step it up and try to pull their own weight around this group heheh (it's a joke... sorta ) As for the flying remark your right, Benito has felt naked without his cape of flying. I just figured now that he worships Ilmater instead of Tyr he ought to be a little more low key in his approach to things. Heh, guess I learned my lesson.
And about being flunkies... well ... were not flunkies, were just torn as to what to go do next. I mean Benito is very confused on the matter. On one hand you have Ilmater and the Gods of the Triad saying go get the rest of that crystal. On the other hand the Heroes were responsiple for the fall of Iraebor , so he wants to go try and fix that little misunderstanding
This whole golem thing is more of a vacation till the group can decide what theyre gonna go do. By the way got any suggestions ? Well it was a good post, 1 more and Broc will be caught up it looks like (which means it is now time to set aside Champions and return to Faerun to finish handlin bizness, lol)
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Broccli_Head
Explorer
LuYangShih said:
I don't know if I can change the poll, but if I could, the next one question would ask...
To Which uber-powerful mage/s are the Heroes of the Vilhon Reach flunkies?
1. Lady Alustriel
2. The Mistmaster
3. Vanderghast
4. The Shades
5. Elminster
6. Manshoon
Last edited:
LuYangShih
First Post
It's alright, Benito. Many adventurers have gone through the same situation you are now, and with counseling, they managed to get through it. Lets look at a few tapes of previous sessions so you can understand how we here at MBA, or Making Better Adventurers, have dealt with other parties with DDD, or Decisiveness Deficit Disorder.
***
Counselor #1: Alright, ladies and gentlemen, you all know why we're here today. Now, before we begin, I want to know if you have been taking your prescriptions. You will need that medicine to regain a sense of perspective and willpower, to control your natural urge to blindly follow any orders you are given. You have? Good, then lets begin. Jane, lets put up a few slides to highlight the problems we've been having.
Counselor #2: Alright John. Here we are.
Counselor #1: Now as you can plainly see, this is the remnants of the lost civilization you were heading to, planning on retrieving an artifact known as Orcus' Wand. *click* *click* Now these are shots of the interior. As you can all see, the Wand is there. *click* *click* And here we see Orcus killing the guards and taking the Wand back. *click* *click* And here we see the members of tonights therapy session wandering into the temple, too late. *click* *click* Here we see Krusk throttling Gimble for demanding everyone stop off at the Goat farm for unknown reasons. *click* *click* Here we see mass devestation wrought across the land after Orcus gets the Wand. Thanks Jane, that'll be enough for now.
Counselor #2: Alright John.
Counselor #1: Unfortunately Gimble will not be joining us tonight, as he is still recovering in the care of a Furyondrian hospitaler. Now, ladies and gentlemen, as easy as it is to blame the Bard, especially a Gnomish Bard, for the problems you had, I think everyone here knows what the real problem is. Isn't that right? Now what we're going to do here tonight is have a circle of sharing, and heal the pain of your losses, and hopefully show you how to remedy the difficulties you are having. If not, you can always come back next week, at the going rate of 10,000 GP per session. We don't want that to happen, of course, but if it's neccessary I just want to let you know the option is there. Now Alhandra, why don't you start us off tonight.
Alhandra: Alright John. Well, we had set off on our quest, to retrieve and destroy the Wand Of Orcus, and it seemed to be going well. But then, disaster struck. We traveled to Greyhawk, and in the city a powerful Wizard appeared, claiming he needed our help. I figured we had time, and so I convinced the rest of the party we should do it. It seemed like a good idea at the time.
Counselor #1: Of course it did Alhandra. And I want everyone to remember we're not here to judge, we're here to understand and help. I am sorry for interrupting, continue please.
***
Over time, Alhandra and her fellows came to understand the needs and wants they had should be addressed forthwith. You need to take care of your own tasks before you go running off at the behest of a supposedly greater person. Now, it takes long, intensive therapy to get to the point they reached, but I know you are willing to do what it takes. Just talk to the secretary outside and she will set up your method of payment, and we can start within the month. Remember, we're here to help.
***
Counselor #1: Alright, ladies and gentlemen, you all know why we're here today. Now, before we begin, I want to know if you have been taking your prescriptions. You will need that medicine to regain a sense of perspective and willpower, to control your natural urge to blindly follow any orders you are given. You have? Good, then lets begin. Jane, lets put up a few slides to highlight the problems we've been having.
Counselor #2: Alright John. Here we are.
Counselor #1: Now as you can plainly see, this is the remnants of the lost civilization you were heading to, planning on retrieving an artifact known as Orcus' Wand. *click* *click* Now these are shots of the interior. As you can all see, the Wand is there. *click* *click* And here we see Orcus killing the guards and taking the Wand back. *click* *click* And here we see the members of tonights therapy session wandering into the temple, too late. *click* *click* Here we see Krusk throttling Gimble for demanding everyone stop off at the Goat farm for unknown reasons. *click* *click* Here we see mass devestation wrought across the land after Orcus gets the Wand. Thanks Jane, that'll be enough for now.
Counselor #2: Alright John.
Counselor #1: Unfortunately Gimble will not be joining us tonight, as he is still recovering in the care of a Furyondrian hospitaler. Now, ladies and gentlemen, as easy as it is to blame the Bard, especially a Gnomish Bard, for the problems you had, I think everyone here knows what the real problem is. Isn't that right? Now what we're going to do here tonight is have a circle of sharing, and heal the pain of your losses, and hopefully show you how to remedy the difficulties you are having. If not, you can always come back next week, at the going rate of 10,000 GP per session. We don't want that to happen, of course, but if it's neccessary I just want to let you know the option is there. Now Alhandra, why don't you start us off tonight.
Alhandra: Alright John. Well, we had set off on our quest, to retrieve and destroy the Wand Of Orcus, and it seemed to be going well. But then, disaster struck. We traveled to Greyhawk, and in the city a powerful Wizard appeared, claiming he needed our help. I figured we had time, and so I convinced the rest of the party we should do it. It seemed like a good idea at the time.
Counselor #1: Of course it did Alhandra. And I want everyone to remember we're not here to judge, we're here to understand and help. I am sorry for interrupting, continue please.
***
Over time, Alhandra and her fellows came to understand the needs and wants they had should be addressed forthwith. You need to take care of your own tasks before you go running off at the behest of a supposedly greater person. Now, it takes long, intensive therapy to get to the point they reached, but I know you are willing to do what it takes. Just talk to the secretary outside and she will set up your method of payment, and we can start within the month. Remember, we're here to help.
Malachai_rose
First Post
heheh, thats pretty funny Now if you could just move a little more to the left so I can Flame Strike... I mean get a better look at ya
Seriously though I believe we have reached a concenus... Onward to Iraebor. The Crystal is important but it will keep at least for a while. The citizens of Iraebor have suffered long enough under the yolk of the Zhenterim. Truly Ilmaters mercy shall be shown to the poor and beleaguered who suffer under the whip of the foul Banites
And if I was gonna be a wizards flunky it would be for The Mist Master, he seems like an OK guy, lol.
Now if you could just move a little more to the left so I can Flame Strike... I mean get a better look at ya Seriously though I believe we have reached a concenus... Onward to Iraebor. The Crystal is important but it will keep at least for a while. The citizens of Iraebor have suffered long enough under the yolk of the Zhenterim. Truly Ilmaters mercy shall be shown to the poor and beleaguered who suffer under the whip of the foul Banites
And if I was gonna be a wizards flunky it would be for The Mist Master, he seems like an OK guy, lol.
LuYangShih
First Post
Personally, I never cared for Ilmater. In fact, I once theorized he is really a LE deity that is fooling Torm and Tyr into believing otherwise so he can gain more worshippers. Go back to worshipping a real deity of the Triad, I say. In the end, the question you have to ask yourself is, do you want to suffer for your cause, or do you want to kick ass for your cause?
PS
It seems you are on the road to recovery, but remember the plight of Alhandras company. What if someone else should gain the Crystal while you attempt to free Iriaebor? A direct edict from three deities is a bit hard to ignore, no?
PS
It seems you are on the road to recovery, but remember the plight of Alhandras company. What if someone else should gain the Crystal while you attempt to free Iriaebor? A direct edict from three deities is a bit hard to ignore, no?
Broccli_Head
Explorer
Inside the Colossus,near Deadsnows, Early Fall, 1378, Year of the Cauldron
The three companions hit the metal floot of the shaft hard, but Benito fought through the pain and mended the broken bones of Aris and Grim. The Colossus lurched and then began moving. Ellysidell rushed to the bent bars and saw ground rapidly approaching. He dove back as the great iron foot hit the earth. The heroes slid back and forth inside the room that represented the hollowed-out foot of the great iron golem, jostled by the thing's movement. A splash caught their attention. Cold water flooded into the chamber.
"It's trying to drown us!" cried Benito. "Quickly, hold hands and form a ring."
As the icy water rose, the companions reached out or swam to do as Benito had suggested. Aris Cloud-dancer hung back.
"I can breathe underwater friends."
Soon Ivan, Benito, Grim, Kyros, and Ellysidell had created a rough circle, holding each other tightly against the onrushing stream of water that had almost filled the chamber and entered into the shaft that made the colossus's leg. Unfortunately, not all the of the group could get their bodies into the five-pace space. Benito half-gurgled a prayer to Ilmater trying to keep his head above the water. Grim and Ivan's head sank below the surface, but they did not have to hold their breath long as within a score of heartbeats, they floated on the surface, gaseous in form. Still the flood from the mountain stream chilled their "bones".
Aris surfaced near the cloud of heroes.
"I am going to see if there is another entrance."
He ducked his head below the water and swam away between the bent bars of the foot's grating and into the mountain stream maneuvering to surface behind the golem. Then swimming back to one of the legs, he began to levitate. The Colossus stood almost knee-deep in the water and faced the stockaded village of Deadsnows. Aris saw a few exchanges of bow fire between the giant and the defenders of the village, but he hoped that he and his companion's foray into the hollow beast had distracted it enough to delay the village's destruction. Maybe if they found a way into its belly, they would find the controllers and put a stop to a rampage before it even started.
Undetected, Aris floated to the shoulder-level of the creature, some 180ft above the ground. So far he had found no way in. Near the joint, he found another grating, this one horizontal. He ripped off the top and decided to investigate.
Grim could easily slide into here, he thought.
A preternatural chill at first assailed and then actually hurt him. Brown mold covered the inside of the smokestack, and it grew towards him as a puff of steam blew through the chimney. This hole was also a dead end. Even more disturbing, however, was the sound of creaking gears. He looked up and saw the huge face staring at him.
Uh-oh. Time to drop!
He let himself free fall as he heard another mechanical sound. Looking up, Aris saw the golem smack at its shoulder like he would have done to a mosquito. He reached out and halted his fall painfully near the hip of the iron giant. He heard a tearing in his shoulder as the tendons were pushed to their limits. His survival instincts told him to let go again as a whooshing sound came towards him. Gladly, it was not the hand of the giant. Instead, a swirl of wind spun him in the air as some invisible elemental creature pummeled him. Looking down he saw the surface of the water approaching fast. Acrobatically, the air genasi maneuvered to a diving position and hit the stream with a near perfect splash.
Gingerly, he swam back. Fortunately, the invisible elemental did not follow. He surfaced in the leg of the iron giant motioning to the ghostly forms of Benito and the others as he passed. The cleric followed and surfaced with him, slowly shifting to a solid form so that they could converse.
"So without flight, how do we get up to the top?" Benito asked as he achingly treaded water.
"I can float up to there," answered the genasi.
"But there's some sort of magical force barrier at the top. I would have to dispel it."
Grim surfaced and also voluntarily left the insubstantial, wind-walk form. He tried to interrupt the conversation.
"Guys, I have--," but then Benito began talking with Aris about the range of his magic.
"--an idea," he nearly whispered.
He tried a second time, but Aris then attempted to scale the slippery shaft, again drowning out Grim's voice. The halfling submerged and blew bubbles in frustration.
Finally, he decided to scream in Benito's head I HAVE A FLYING CARPET!
The cleric stopped talking and Grim repeated to the whole party, the rest now floating on the top of the water desolidified, "I have a flying carpet."
"Well why didn't you say something earlier?" asked Benito.
Grim went underwater again to cool off and really thought about not pulling out the now soggy magical carpet, but then the Colossus began to move again. The halfing thought about the goodly folk of Deadsnows and kicked to the surface even as the water began to drain from the giant foot.
Aris ordered Ivan and Kyros to hold back in reserve while the rest of them jumped on the carpet and began to rise. Benito rode on top with the halfling while Aris, levitating and Ellysidell hung on the carpet's edge. Benito timed his spell and brought down the barrier with ease, but a klaxon sounded and soon bad guys peered over the edge. Arrows sailed down against the heroes and a few found their targets in the confined space.
But the Heroes of the Vilhon Reach and the Stormwolf Legion were veterans of countless engagements. A nest of arrows could not stop them. Benito growled as he tore an arrow from his shoulder and drew Mano de la Justicia. In seconds, they were upon the bowmen. First making sure that the carpet was over a solid floor, Grim then leaped into a corner. Aris vaulted from under the rug and landed to flank the halfling’s first opponent. Benito and Ellysidell leaped to the other side and as they secured their footing, the bowmen dropped their missile weapons in favor of short swords, perfect for the very confined space. Behind their assailants, a door swung open, and a robed half-orc carrying a wickedly-flanged mace joined the combat.
Grim and Aris drove their blades into their first opponent, and the genasi added an extra push sending the man tumbling down the opening from which they had just come. Grim, now with a little room, tumbled between Aris’s legs and the legs of another bad guy. Once again the genasi struck high, while Grim stabbed at the back of the knees. Their foe went down awkwardly not knowing which fatal wound to clutch.
On the other side of the “pit” Ellysidell’s falchion had fallen from his hands, knocked away as the blade of his great curved sword had struck the ceiling of the tight room. He now grappled with one opponent while another slashed at his unprotected back. Benito fought against two more thugs and the half-orc with more determination as he recognized the dark-sun-and-skull symbol that hung from the half-orc’s neck. The priest of Cyric caught Mano with his mace and then reached out to touch Benito with a mangled, blackened hand. Benito felt his soul nearly torn from his body. In the fray he had not heard the incantation, but he well-recognized the touch of death that sought to slay his living body.
The priest of Ilmater retaliated with his own spell of utter annihilation. Benito backed away as far as he could and ducked a short sword swipe while he mouthed the words to his spell of destruction. The half-orc priest vaporized. The two villains on Benito ran. An arrow whizzed by the priest and struck one in the back of the neck. Caught off-balance, one of Ellysidell’s opponents was tossed into the “pit”. The wild elf then caught arm of his other enemy preventing a downward thrust with a short sword. Two solid punches to the face left the villain unconscious on the floor. Benito had vaulted over the corpse of the first runner and brought down the flat of his blade on the head of the second.
“Take some alive!” cried Aris readying another arrow.
Benito and Ellysidell nodded, dragging their stunned quarry back into the middle of the first room.
“Grim, go and get the others.”
As Grim flew down to retrieve Ivan and Kyros, Aris and Benito looked at each other, the magnitude of their task now settling in as they calculated the possible size of the inside of this colossal construct.
“Now what do we do?” Benito asked.
Fortunately, the Colossus had stopped.
The three companions hit the metal floot of the shaft hard, but Benito fought through the pain and mended the broken bones of Aris and Grim. The Colossus lurched and then began moving. Ellysidell rushed to the bent bars and saw ground rapidly approaching. He dove back as the great iron foot hit the earth. The heroes slid back and forth inside the room that represented the hollowed-out foot of the great iron golem, jostled by the thing's movement. A splash caught their attention. Cold water flooded into the chamber.
"It's trying to drown us!" cried Benito. "Quickly, hold hands and form a ring."
As the icy water rose, the companions reached out or swam to do as Benito had suggested. Aris Cloud-dancer hung back.
"I can breathe underwater friends."
Soon Ivan, Benito, Grim, Kyros, and Ellysidell had created a rough circle, holding each other tightly against the onrushing stream of water that had almost filled the chamber and entered into the shaft that made the colossus's leg. Unfortunately, not all the of the group could get their bodies into the five-pace space. Benito half-gurgled a prayer to Ilmater trying to keep his head above the water. Grim and Ivan's head sank below the surface, but they did not have to hold their breath long as within a score of heartbeats, they floated on the surface, gaseous in form. Still the flood from the mountain stream chilled their "bones".
Aris surfaced near the cloud of heroes.
"I am going to see if there is another entrance."
He ducked his head below the water and swam away between the bent bars of the foot's grating and into the mountain stream maneuvering to surface behind the golem. Then swimming back to one of the legs, he began to levitate. The Colossus stood almost knee-deep in the water and faced the stockaded village of Deadsnows. Aris saw a few exchanges of bow fire between the giant and the defenders of the village, but he hoped that he and his companion's foray into the hollow beast had distracted it enough to delay the village's destruction. Maybe if they found a way into its belly, they would find the controllers and put a stop to a rampage before it even started.
Undetected, Aris floated to the shoulder-level of the creature, some 180ft above the ground. So far he had found no way in. Near the joint, he found another grating, this one horizontal. He ripped off the top and decided to investigate.
Grim could easily slide into here, he thought.
A preternatural chill at first assailed and then actually hurt him. Brown mold covered the inside of the smokestack, and it grew towards him as a puff of steam blew through the chimney. This hole was also a dead end. Even more disturbing, however, was the sound of creaking gears. He looked up and saw the huge face staring at him.
Uh-oh. Time to drop!
He let himself free fall as he heard another mechanical sound. Looking up, Aris saw the golem smack at its shoulder like he would have done to a mosquito. He reached out and halted his fall painfully near the hip of the iron giant. He heard a tearing in his shoulder as the tendons were pushed to their limits. His survival instincts told him to let go again as a whooshing sound came towards him. Gladly, it was not the hand of the giant. Instead, a swirl of wind spun him in the air as some invisible elemental creature pummeled him. Looking down he saw the surface of the water approaching fast. Acrobatically, the air genasi maneuvered to a diving position and hit the stream with a near perfect splash.
Gingerly, he swam back. Fortunately, the invisible elemental did not follow. He surfaced in the leg of the iron giant motioning to the ghostly forms of Benito and the others as he passed. The cleric followed and surfaced with him, slowly shifting to a solid form so that they could converse.
"So without flight, how do we get up to the top?" Benito asked as he achingly treaded water.
"I can float up to there," answered the genasi.
"But there's some sort of magical force barrier at the top. I would have to dispel it."
Grim surfaced and also voluntarily left the insubstantial, wind-walk form. He tried to interrupt the conversation.
"Guys, I have--," but then Benito began talking with Aris about the range of his magic.
"--an idea," he nearly whispered.
He tried a second time, but Aris then attempted to scale the slippery shaft, again drowning out Grim's voice. The halfling submerged and blew bubbles in frustration.
Finally, he decided to scream in Benito's head I HAVE A FLYING CARPET!
The cleric stopped talking and Grim repeated to the whole party, the rest now floating on the top of the water desolidified, "I have a flying carpet."
"Well why didn't you say something earlier?" asked Benito.
Grim went underwater again to cool off and really thought about not pulling out the now soggy magical carpet, but then the Colossus began to move again. The halfing thought about the goodly folk of Deadsnows and kicked to the surface even as the water began to drain from the giant foot.
Aris ordered Ivan and Kyros to hold back in reserve while the rest of them jumped on the carpet and began to rise. Benito rode on top with the halfling while Aris, levitating and Ellysidell hung on the carpet's edge. Benito timed his spell and brought down the barrier with ease, but a klaxon sounded and soon bad guys peered over the edge. Arrows sailed down against the heroes and a few found their targets in the confined space.
But the Heroes of the Vilhon Reach and the Stormwolf Legion were veterans of countless engagements. A nest of arrows could not stop them. Benito growled as he tore an arrow from his shoulder and drew Mano de la Justicia. In seconds, they were upon the bowmen. First making sure that the carpet was over a solid floor, Grim then leaped into a corner. Aris vaulted from under the rug and landed to flank the halfling’s first opponent. Benito and Ellysidell leaped to the other side and as they secured their footing, the bowmen dropped their missile weapons in favor of short swords, perfect for the very confined space. Behind their assailants, a door swung open, and a robed half-orc carrying a wickedly-flanged mace joined the combat.
Grim and Aris drove their blades into their first opponent, and the genasi added an extra push sending the man tumbling down the opening from which they had just come. Grim, now with a little room, tumbled between Aris’s legs and the legs of another bad guy. Once again the genasi struck high, while Grim stabbed at the back of the knees. Their foe went down awkwardly not knowing which fatal wound to clutch.
On the other side of the “pit” Ellysidell’s falchion had fallen from his hands, knocked away as the blade of his great curved sword had struck the ceiling of the tight room. He now grappled with one opponent while another slashed at his unprotected back. Benito fought against two more thugs and the half-orc with more determination as he recognized the dark-sun-and-skull symbol that hung from the half-orc’s neck. The priest of Cyric caught Mano with his mace and then reached out to touch Benito with a mangled, blackened hand. Benito felt his soul nearly torn from his body. In the fray he had not heard the incantation, but he well-recognized the touch of death that sought to slay his living body.
The priest of Ilmater retaliated with his own spell of utter annihilation. Benito backed away as far as he could and ducked a short sword swipe while he mouthed the words to his spell of destruction. The half-orc priest vaporized. The two villains on Benito ran. An arrow whizzed by the priest and struck one in the back of the neck. Caught off-balance, one of Ellysidell’s opponents was tossed into the “pit”. The wild elf then caught arm of his other enemy preventing a downward thrust with a short sword. Two solid punches to the face left the villain unconscious on the floor. Benito had vaulted over the corpse of the first runner and brought down the flat of his blade on the head of the second.
“Take some alive!” cried Aris readying another arrow.
Benito and Ellysidell nodded, dragging their stunned quarry back into the middle of the first room.
“Grim, go and get the others.”
As Grim flew down to retrieve Ivan and Kyros, Aris and Benito looked at each other, the magnitude of their task now settling in as they calculated the possible size of the inside of this colossal construct.
“Now what do we do?” Benito asked.
Fortunately, the Colossus had stopped.
