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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.
From Slaves to Heroes in the Making (Heroes of Destiny)
- Thread starter Taboo
- Start date
Spider_Jerusalem
Explorer
Interesting story so far, and as saFire said, a unique start to the characters. Where is it set?
Also (and this is personal preference), I didn't really get the full image of the crab combat - it seemed at times like it was just a "He swings, he hits, he does damage". Whereas you might want to spice up the combat description somewhat. Sound is a good place to start, and really adds another dimension to any combat you read. But then again, that is just my opinion.
I'm looking forward to the next post. You said something about the other players being online... if so, then get them to add in comments!
Spider.
Okay then: I think you might want to give the characters a little more time to flesh themselves out in-story. For example, some of the mundane talking between characters may seem boring, but it builds character if approached in the right way. From what I've read, the character that stands out from the rest is Snap (nice visual things going on there).
Also (and this is personal preference), I didn't really get the full image of the crab combat - it seemed at times like it was just a "He swings, he hits, he does damage". Whereas you might want to spice up the combat description somewhat. Sound is a good place to start, and really adds another dimension to any combat you read. But then again, that is just my opinion.
I'm looking forward to the next post. You said something about the other players being online... if so, then get them to add in comments!
Spider.
Last edited:
Taboo
First Post
Thanks, Spider, I'm working on getting some details from the DM (who happens to be my brother). We had the original battle awhile back and the details are a bit fuzzy. We're a couple of months past there now. I'm trying to flesh out the details right now. The location is about to be revealed, Kierwin suspects it, and it's probably time to reveal what she suspects so the readers at least know that much.
Snap is a very interesting character. Watch to see a lot develop with him.
Lots of character interaction developes with everyone about three chapters from now, I've actually built more into the story than we had at this point. The DM (paulewaug, his story on the boards is Heroes of Haven and is very good, it's on our alternate game hosted by another DM) is going to post some background on Thorin and a couple other heroes, which will flesh out the story on some things I don't know much about. That will really get you interested and fill in a lot more about location and character background.
Right now paulewaug and I are the only ones posting to the boards, but I'm working on the others. They're reading, but don't have time to post. I'm getting some good feedback from them, though.
I guarantee the next two to three postings will pretty much answer most of your questions! I will go back and flesh out the crab battle, thanks for the ideas. You're right, because it was tougher than it sounds.
I'm a faithful reader of your story hour by the way (and the ENWWC! You're a master a making an image in the reader's mind.
Thanks, I really appreciate the ideas, this is all pretty new to me!
Snap is a very interesting character. Watch to see a lot develop with him.
Lots of character interaction developes with everyone about three chapters from now, I've actually built more into the story than we had at this point. The DM (paulewaug, his story on the boards is Heroes of Haven and is very good, it's on our alternate game hosted by another DM) is going to post some background on Thorin and a couple other heroes, which will flesh out the story on some things I don't know much about. That will really get you interested and fill in a lot more about location and character background.
Right now paulewaug and I are the only ones posting to the boards, but I'm working on the others. They're reading, but don't have time to post. I'm getting some good feedback from them, though.
I guarantee the next two to three postings will pretty much answer most of your questions! I will go back and flesh out the crab battle, thanks for the ideas. You're right, because it was tougher than it sounds.
I'm a faithful reader of your story hour by the way (and the ENWWC! You're a master a making an image in the reader's mind.
Thanks, I really appreciate the ideas, this is all pretty new to me!
Last edited:
Taboo
First Post
Interlude
Just a little background information until I get the next part of the story ready....
So far from home and with so much happening so fast, Kierwin couldn't help but thing about her childhood and wonder what was happening back home on the Misty Isle. In fact, she wondered just how far home really was, and if it was even in the same world anymore.....
Raised in a home alongside a human foster brother on the Misty Isle, Kierwin learned early how fragile human life was. Like most elves, she had been taught that even humans raised by elves fell short of elven standards, but all life was sacred and she loved her foster brother, Gerald, as though he was of her own blood. Kierwin’s father, Kellisand was a ranger and had been on many adventures and quests. In fact, that was how he had met Gerald’s father, Karl.
Karl and Kellisand had met during dangerous times. Kellisand had guided and fought beside Karl, a Cleric of Pelor and his companions against an evil wizard who had been raising an army with visions of conquering the nearby continent. The group had killed the wizard and dispersed the army. Afterward, the Royal House had called on the group a several times when rumors of danger had been whispered. The last time Kellisand had seen Karl, they had been needed to save the Princess who had been kidnapped by an evil Necromancer. They rescued the Princess, but Karl had died as he used the last of his healing abilities to save her life rather than his own during the final battle.
Gerald’s mother had died in childbirth while Karl was away, and because of the bond of friendship that had formed between them, Kellisand took Gerald to raise alongside his daughter, Kierwin. He would have the best training in swordsmanship, religion, and any other skills that the elves could teach him.
Kierwin was fascinated by Karl’s faith. Although she did not follow his deity, Pelor, she did become a cleric, it had been a difficult choice to follow Pelor like Karl or to follow in her fathers footsteps, but her love of the woodlands won out and she had a strong devotion to Ehlonna deep in her soul. Like her father, she loved nature and she longed for adventure. She learned to use the longsword and longbow along with other weapons, particularly the Morningstar and dedicated her life to Ehlonna, Goddess of the Woodlands. Even so, she never forgot the impact that Pelor had in her life.
Gerald had lived with the elves and learned from them until he was in his 20's, when he left them to serve the royal family, although he always stayed in touch and came to visit from time to time. There was even a time when he'd saved Kierwin's life, although no one out side of Kierwin's family knew that.
By the time Kierwin was 115 years old, she was planning to leave the Misty Isle. She spent much of her time in service to Ehlonna. She also spent time with her best friend Minx, a wizard (who had been teaching Kierwin some spells on the side), and Snap (an orphaned half-orc the elves had taken in). Not even Minx knew of her plans to leave their home.
She was working on her healing skills, but had spent a lot of time learning about the undead and how to turn them, particularly since her foster brother’s father was killed by someone who devoted his life to bringing the dead back to life to use for evil purposes.
Skilled in both the use of the Longsword, Morningstar, and the bow, since both her mother and father taught her in their use. She looked her foster brothers visits, since she welcomed the chance to spend time trying to match her skills against his.
As an adult, she spent most of her time in the service of her goddess either in the temple or aiding people in need of her help. Of course, she always managed to find time to spend with Minx, and whenever Snap was around the village, she and Minx always found time to spend with him.
Minx had always been closer to Snap than Kierwin was. Kierwin and Minx were best friends, but Minx and Snap had studied together and worked together. There was a lot about Snap that was still a mystery to Kierwin.
When Kierwin and Minx couldn't be found, the elves usually knew to look for them at the beach, since Kierwin and Minx usually went there during the best weather to find solitude and to practice and and study. It also gave them time to reflect on the past, not to mention just to have fun! But most times, Kierwin could only be found alone out in the woodlands, preferring solitude with Ehlonna.
When Snap was around, there were other places they found to to practice and have fun, the beach was Minx and Kierwin's private place, they didn't share it, even with him. They had some favorite places not far from the village out in the woodlands and their families usually knew where to find them, but it had been quite some time since the elves of the village have seen or heard from the elusive half-orc sorcerer. He'd gotten more and more secluded from them and one day just disappeared from the village completely.
*****************
Next....back to trouble, the beach and the mysterious woman!
Just a little background information until I get the next part of the story ready....
So far from home and with so much happening so fast, Kierwin couldn't help but thing about her childhood and wonder what was happening back home on the Misty Isle. In fact, she wondered just how far home really was, and if it was even in the same world anymore.....
Raised in a home alongside a human foster brother on the Misty Isle, Kierwin learned early how fragile human life was. Like most elves, she had been taught that even humans raised by elves fell short of elven standards, but all life was sacred and she loved her foster brother, Gerald, as though he was of her own blood. Kierwin’s father, Kellisand was a ranger and had been on many adventures and quests. In fact, that was how he had met Gerald’s father, Karl.
Karl and Kellisand had met during dangerous times. Kellisand had guided and fought beside Karl, a Cleric of Pelor and his companions against an evil wizard who had been raising an army with visions of conquering the nearby continent. The group had killed the wizard and dispersed the army. Afterward, the Royal House had called on the group a several times when rumors of danger had been whispered. The last time Kellisand had seen Karl, they had been needed to save the Princess who had been kidnapped by an evil Necromancer. They rescued the Princess, but Karl had died as he used the last of his healing abilities to save her life rather than his own during the final battle.
Gerald’s mother had died in childbirth while Karl was away, and because of the bond of friendship that had formed between them, Kellisand took Gerald to raise alongside his daughter, Kierwin. He would have the best training in swordsmanship, religion, and any other skills that the elves could teach him.
Kierwin was fascinated by Karl’s faith. Although she did not follow his deity, Pelor, she did become a cleric, it had been a difficult choice to follow Pelor like Karl or to follow in her fathers footsteps, but her love of the woodlands won out and she had a strong devotion to Ehlonna deep in her soul. Like her father, she loved nature and she longed for adventure. She learned to use the longsword and longbow along with other weapons, particularly the Morningstar and dedicated her life to Ehlonna, Goddess of the Woodlands. Even so, she never forgot the impact that Pelor had in her life.
Gerald had lived with the elves and learned from them until he was in his 20's, when he left them to serve the royal family, although he always stayed in touch and came to visit from time to time. There was even a time when he'd saved Kierwin's life, although no one out side of Kierwin's family knew that.
By the time Kierwin was 115 years old, she was planning to leave the Misty Isle. She spent much of her time in service to Ehlonna. She also spent time with her best friend Minx, a wizard (who had been teaching Kierwin some spells on the side), and Snap (an orphaned half-orc the elves had taken in). Not even Minx knew of her plans to leave their home.
She was working on her healing skills, but had spent a lot of time learning about the undead and how to turn them, particularly since her foster brother’s father was killed by someone who devoted his life to bringing the dead back to life to use for evil purposes.
Skilled in both the use of the Longsword, Morningstar, and the bow, since both her mother and father taught her in their use. She looked her foster brothers visits, since she welcomed the chance to spend time trying to match her skills against his.
As an adult, she spent most of her time in the service of her goddess either in the temple or aiding people in need of her help. Of course, she always managed to find time to spend with Minx, and whenever Snap was around the village, she and Minx always found time to spend with him.
Minx had always been closer to Snap than Kierwin was. Kierwin and Minx were best friends, but Minx and Snap had studied together and worked together. There was a lot about Snap that was still a mystery to Kierwin.
When Kierwin and Minx couldn't be found, the elves usually knew to look for them at the beach, since Kierwin and Minx usually went there during the best weather to find solitude and to practice and and study. It also gave them time to reflect on the past, not to mention just to have fun! But most times, Kierwin could only be found alone out in the woodlands, preferring solitude with Ehlonna.
When Snap was around, there were other places they found to to practice and have fun, the beach was Minx and Kierwin's private place, they didn't share it, even with him. They had some favorite places not far from the village out in the woodlands and their families usually knew where to find them, but it had been quite some time since the elves of the village have seen or heard from the elusive half-orc sorcerer. He'd gotten more and more secluded from them and one day just disappeared from the village completely.
*****************
Next....back to trouble, the beach and the mysterious woman!
Last edited:
Taboo
First Post
Interlude - Character descriptions
I know most of you are just dying to find out what happens with the beach and the woman who can't wait to cause problems for our favorite castaways, but while I'm confirming some facts, I thought I'd get you a few details on our want-to-be-heroes. Well, they will be heroes if they live through this, anyway. This'll be pretty brief, our DM, paulewaug, is going to post some more complete information as soon as he has time.
Each PC is level 1, technically, although aided by being an Adept, except for Turk who is an Aristocrat and Thorin who started out with more fighting abilitites. (Makes more sense if you read the DM's notes notes in the next posting)_
Minx - Elf, Wizard (Best friends are Kierwin and Snap)
Kierwin - Elf, Cleric of Elhonna domain of good and sun (Best friend is Minx, and she is friends with Snap)
Turk Wildhands (a very fitting name)- Human Fighter, along with Justice a VERY fine horse
Thorin Balderk - Dwarf Fighter
Snap - Half-Orc Sorcerer raised and trained by the same elves where Kierwin and Minx grew up
OSA - NPC, her abilities will be revealed as the adventure progresses
"Rowena" - Human, named by Turk and protected by the party, primarily Turk. Nobody knows her real name, she doesn't talk, and seems to be in shock or something like it. NPC
Geirmund - Nicknamed "The Hare" an ex-slave. His nickname came about because of his speed and agility. His abilities are yet unknown, but are still becoming apparent. NPC
I strongly recommend trying paulewaug's story hour, it's our alternate game. That one is run by a different DM and we switch about every other week. Paulewaug's story is the The Heroes of Haven
*************
I promise the next post will finally tell what our beach and naughty beautiful woman have in mind for our heroes. Thanks for bearing with me!
I know most of you are just dying to find out what happens with the beach and the woman who can't wait to cause problems for our favorite castaways, but while I'm confirming some facts, I thought I'd get you a few details on our want-to-be-heroes. Well, they will be heroes if they live through this, anyway. This'll be pretty brief, our DM, paulewaug, is going to post some more complete information as soon as he has time.
Each PC is level 1, technically, although aided by being an Adept, except for Turk who is an Aristocrat and Thorin who started out with more fighting abilitites. (Makes more sense if you read the DM's notes notes in the next posting)_
Minx - Elf, Wizard (Best friends are Kierwin and Snap)
Kierwin - Elf, Cleric of Elhonna domain of good and sun (Best friend is Minx, and she is friends with Snap)
Turk Wildhands (a very fitting name)- Human Fighter, along with Justice a VERY fine horse
Thorin Balderk - Dwarf Fighter
Snap - Half-Orc Sorcerer raised and trained by the same elves where Kierwin and Minx grew up
OSA - NPC, her abilities will be revealed as the adventure progresses
"Rowena" - Human, named by Turk and protected by the party, primarily Turk. Nobody knows her real name, she doesn't talk, and seems to be in shock or something like it. NPC
Geirmund - Nicknamed "The Hare" an ex-slave. His nickname came about because of his speed and agility. His abilities are yet unknown, but are still becoming apparent. NPC
I strongly recommend trying paulewaug's story hour, it's our alternate game. That one is run by a different DM and we switch about every other week. Paulewaug's story is the The Heroes of Haven
*************
I promise the next post will finally tell what our beach and naughty beautiful woman have in mind for our heroes. Thanks for bearing with me!
Last edited:
Director's Cut
A bit about the game mechanics etc.
Since 1st level can be tough for PCs to survive but are- of course- the "formative years" for the players and their characters,
I decided to jump start PC development by having all of the players choose a"Background class" using the NPC classes from the DMG.
Much to my surprise 3 of the 5 players chose Adept (the spell casters: 1 Wizard, 1 Sorcerer, and 1 Cleric)
I new our 2 Ladys were taking that, so I figured it would be a Female ability. Then Snap took it and I decided it would be an Elven background trait (snap is Not an elf but was raised by the elves).
Thorin was a Warrior before receiving the training that elevated him to become a professional Fighter.
The background option worked well for Turks player as it allowed him to pick some skills and a background class that was well suited to his carefully worked up backstory. It also gave him the extra cash to equip himself as a born Aristocrat.
I also instituted the idea of "Action dice"
(Hero dice, Fate dice, etc. whatever you prefer)
as a reward and encouragement for good Roleplaying
this has worked out well and added an extra element of fun for everybody.
(Both of our DMs, myself and Turk, have tweeked it a bit over a few adventures and the end result is that we treat it as basically d20 rerolls that the PC can use when they want, if they have any.)
We used a point build system to make the PCs (32pts)
I started all the PCs with full Hit Points for their background class and thier 1st level of PC class. They got to choose which class they wanted to use for their starting skills points and $$.
So they started as almost 2nd level charaters, but their backgrounds are 'handy' rather than powerful.
So I let them make well developed, better than average, PCs to get started and then immediately put them each in situations they have little hope of making it out of! Bwahaha!!
This was fun (for me anyhow) as I skipped back and forth from player to player keeping things innocent, drawing them into the web of deceit until their traps were sprung!
The hard part was not being Too heavy handed and not to use metagame thinking.
Pirates out looking for Special people..Special blood.. just getting into the slave racket business
The opening act was inspired in Large part by the Slaves of Fate adventure from Chaosium. Also some of the NPCs (most notably Osa and Giermund) are inspired by that adventure as well and I kept them pretty close to how they were written in that book.
With a few changes...and someone else...from somewhere else...
Who is the mysterious, dark haired beauty, "Rowena" ?!
A bit about the game mechanics etc.
Since 1st level can be tough for PCs to survive but are- of course- the "formative years" for the players and their characters,
I decided to jump start PC development by having all of the players choose a"Background class" using the NPC classes from the DMG.
Much to my surprise 3 of the 5 players chose Adept (the spell casters: 1 Wizard, 1 Sorcerer, and 1 Cleric)
I new our 2 Ladys were taking that, so I figured it would be a Female ability. Then Snap took it and I decided it would be an Elven background trait (snap is Not an elf but was raised by the elves).
Thorin was a Warrior before receiving the training that elevated him to become a professional Fighter.
The background option worked well for Turks player as it allowed him to pick some skills and a background class that was well suited to his carefully worked up backstory. It also gave him the extra cash to equip himself as a born Aristocrat.
I also instituted the idea of "Action dice"
(Hero dice, Fate dice, etc. whatever you prefer)
as a reward and encouragement for good Roleplaying
this has worked out well and added an extra element of fun for everybody.
(Both of our DMs, myself and Turk, have tweeked it a bit over a few adventures and the end result is that we treat it as basically d20 rerolls that the PC can use when they want, if they have any.)
We used a point build system to make the PCs (32pts)
I started all the PCs with full Hit Points for their background class and thier 1st level of PC class. They got to choose which class they wanted to use for their starting skills points and $$.
So they started as almost 2nd level charaters, but their backgrounds are 'handy' rather than powerful.
So I let them make well developed, better than average, PCs to get started and then immediately put them each in situations they have little hope of making it out of! Bwahaha!!
This was fun (for me anyhow) as I skipped back and forth from player to player keeping things innocent, drawing them into the web of deceit until their traps were sprung!
The hard part was not being Too heavy handed and not to use metagame thinking.
Pirates out looking for Special people..Special blood.. just getting into the slave racket business
The opening act was inspired in Large part by the Slaves of Fate adventure from Chaosium. Also some of the NPCs (most notably Osa and Giermund) are inspired by that adventure as well and I kept them pretty close to how they were written in that book.
With a few changes...and someone else...from somewhere else...
Who is the mysterious, dark haired beauty, "Rowena" ?!
Last edited:
Taboo
First Post
The mysterious woman
My co-writer for facts and some details was Paulewaug. His story is: The Heroes of Haven It's our alternate game, hosted by our other DM who plays Turk in this game!
***************
Our castaways were tired and filthy. They hadn’t found a place to rest, and who knew what it was that was leaving that glowing, slimy trail on the ceilings and walls! In spots, the place was relatively dry, but most of the place had moss and slime on the walls. The floors had puddles of water and sometimes one or two inches of muck. They were glad the place seemed to be basically deserted, but none of them had any real experience dealing with circumstances like this. They were nervous, a little excited, but mainly wondering how they could possibly get back home.
They turned the corner of the corridor they’d been walking down, hoping to find clean water and a place to rest. Instead, they saw a sight none of them had expected- a beach and a beautiful, naked woman lying beside a large pool of water?! She was singing an odd tune; no one could make out the words. On the opposite wall, across the pool, was a door? On the door was painted a sun.
All of them blinked, shook their heads and looked again. Thorin and Turk looked at each other to see if they both saw the same thing. They did. Ok, this was weird. Something was wrong. Definitely. Totally wrong!!!
Turk wanted to talk to her, of course! Kierwin didn’t want him to. Everyone in the group was convinced she was a siren or something. Turk was convinced she could help them. Minx was REALLY convinced she was evil.
Quietly enough so that only the group could here her, Minx said “Nothing good is going to come from this, we should just turn around and leave or kill her now before she gets a chance to kill us!”
Turk stepped forward and tried to get her attention. “Excuse me madam, we’re strangers here and I was wondering if you could be so kind as to help us out or answer a few questions?”
She stopped singing and quickly stood up and smoothly dove into the pool. She left hardly a ripple in the surface of the water. After a brief moment her head broke the surface and she said “My what a handsome man. If you want any answers, you’ll have to come over here. How can I talk to you if you’re all the way over there?”
Against the rest of the party’s better judgment, Turk went over to the water’s edge to talk to her. She wanted him to come into the pool to swim with her. Turk looked down where she had been laying moments before and noticed what he had thought at first to be sea foam was actually a beautiful and delicate white scarf. Turk bent down and picked up the scarf.
As soon as he picked it up, she stomped up out of the water and back onto the beach. She stood unashamedly in all her naked glory before him and thrust out her hand, “Give it back!” Turk immediately complied. “My apologies, madam, I meant no harm or disrespect. Please forgive me.” Turk was polite and courteous, respectful even, but made sure he got a good eyeful while still somehow appearing to make eye contact, a trick he had developed some time ago. He found it came in pretty handy, like now.
Before he could finish speaking she was back in the water. He looked into it trying to see her but could find no trace. The pool appeared to be fairly deep since he couldn’t see the bottom despite the fact that it was crystal clear and yet somehow blue in color, as if it were a beach on a tropical island. Well, at least a beach that was on the Outside of a pyramid on a tropical island that had sun and blue skies! Turk started walking back to the group. While his back was turned he couldn’t see the water start to churn in the middle of the pool behind him.
The group had been watching the whole exchange, and when the water started churning and splashing they yelled at Turk to run.
He got back to the group, disappointed and obviously with no news. They watched the water carefully, wondering what, if anything was going to come bursting up out of it. They saw some sort of fin, then nothing. The water still churned.
They had noticed a stairway on the other side of the room, it was the only exit besides the one across the lake and that one was pretty much out of the question! Turk decided to go first. Getting to the stairway meant getting fairly close to the water. It was about 60 feet from where they were to the stairs.
As Turk got about halfway across, they saw the nymph surface and heard her giggle. Then, she pursed her pretty pink lips and spit what appeared to be a stream of water at Turk, hitting his armor with a hiss. He felt a bit of a sting, but kept running. He made it to the stairway, and motioned for the others to follow.
The others raced across the room one after the other, and the nymph had fun with her target practice, hitting Kierwin, stinging her with her acid through her leggings where her chainshirt didn’t protect her.
When they’d finally gotten across the room, they descended the stairway and entered a large room. Turk brought his torch around to get a good look and couldn’t believe his eyes. They were back where they’d started. There was the big, ugly, crab they’d killed! But this time, there was one slight difference a trail of glowing slime across the floor between the door they had originally gone out and the shell of the crab…….Thorin piped up “Well, I guess we won’t be having crab tonight after all.”
My co-writer for facts and some details was Paulewaug. His story is: The Heroes of Haven It's our alternate game, hosted by our other DM who plays Turk in this game!
***************
Our castaways were tired and filthy. They hadn’t found a place to rest, and who knew what it was that was leaving that glowing, slimy trail on the ceilings and walls! In spots, the place was relatively dry, but most of the place had moss and slime on the walls. The floors had puddles of water and sometimes one or two inches of muck. They were glad the place seemed to be basically deserted, but none of them had any real experience dealing with circumstances like this. They were nervous, a little excited, but mainly wondering how they could possibly get back home.
They turned the corner of the corridor they’d been walking down, hoping to find clean water and a place to rest. Instead, they saw a sight none of them had expected- a beach and a beautiful, naked woman lying beside a large pool of water?! She was singing an odd tune; no one could make out the words. On the opposite wall, across the pool, was a door? On the door was painted a sun.
All of them blinked, shook their heads and looked again. Thorin and Turk looked at each other to see if they both saw the same thing. They did. Ok, this was weird. Something was wrong. Definitely. Totally wrong!!!
Turk wanted to talk to her, of course! Kierwin didn’t want him to. Everyone in the group was convinced she was a siren or something. Turk was convinced she could help them. Minx was REALLY convinced she was evil.
Quietly enough so that only the group could here her, Minx said “Nothing good is going to come from this, we should just turn around and leave or kill her now before she gets a chance to kill us!”
Turk stepped forward and tried to get her attention. “Excuse me madam, we’re strangers here and I was wondering if you could be so kind as to help us out or answer a few questions?”
She stopped singing and quickly stood up and smoothly dove into the pool. She left hardly a ripple in the surface of the water. After a brief moment her head broke the surface and she said “My what a handsome man. If you want any answers, you’ll have to come over here. How can I talk to you if you’re all the way over there?”
Against the rest of the party’s better judgment, Turk went over to the water’s edge to talk to her. She wanted him to come into the pool to swim with her. Turk looked down where she had been laying moments before and noticed what he had thought at first to be sea foam was actually a beautiful and delicate white scarf. Turk bent down and picked up the scarf.
As soon as he picked it up, she stomped up out of the water and back onto the beach. She stood unashamedly in all her naked glory before him and thrust out her hand, “Give it back!” Turk immediately complied. “My apologies, madam, I meant no harm or disrespect. Please forgive me.” Turk was polite and courteous, respectful even, but made sure he got a good eyeful while still somehow appearing to make eye contact, a trick he had developed some time ago. He found it came in pretty handy, like now.
Before he could finish speaking she was back in the water. He looked into it trying to see her but could find no trace. The pool appeared to be fairly deep since he couldn’t see the bottom despite the fact that it was crystal clear and yet somehow blue in color, as if it were a beach on a tropical island. Well, at least a beach that was on the Outside of a pyramid on a tropical island that had sun and blue skies! Turk started walking back to the group. While his back was turned he couldn’t see the water start to churn in the middle of the pool behind him.
The group had been watching the whole exchange, and when the water started churning and splashing they yelled at Turk to run.
He got back to the group, disappointed and obviously with no news. They watched the water carefully, wondering what, if anything was going to come bursting up out of it. They saw some sort of fin, then nothing. The water still churned.
They had noticed a stairway on the other side of the room, it was the only exit besides the one across the lake and that one was pretty much out of the question! Turk decided to go first. Getting to the stairway meant getting fairly close to the water. It was about 60 feet from where they were to the stairs.
As Turk got about halfway across, they saw the nymph surface and heard her giggle. Then, she pursed her pretty pink lips and spit what appeared to be a stream of water at Turk, hitting his armor with a hiss. He felt a bit of a sting, but kept running. He made it to the stairway, and motioned for the others to follow.
The others raced across the room one after the other, and the nymph had fun with her target practice, hitting Kierwin, stinging her with her acid through her leggings where her chainshirt didn’t protect her.
When they’d finally gotten across the room, they descended the stairway and entered a large room. Turk brought his torch around to get a good look and couldn’t believe his eyes. They were back where they’d started. There was the big, ugly, crab they’d killed! But this time, there was one slight difference a trail of glowing slime across the floor between the door they had originally gone out and the shell of the crab…….Thorin piped up “Well, I guess we won’t be having crab tonight after all.”
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Taboo
First Post
The Crypt
They rested for a short time in the room with the dead crab while Kierwin treated a couple of minor wounds. They shared a couple of rations, not wanting to run short and then they were ready to get going.
They worked their way up the last set of stairs, hoping this was the way out. This set, like the others, was dark, damp and slick. If it wasn’t for Turk’s ever burning torch, they’d have been left in the dark long ago. This set of stairs lead from one hallway to the next, and finally to an empty room.
This room had an archway at the far end of the room, and that seemed like the only way out. The only problem with that was that there appeared to be a large patch of green colored slime above it and another on the floor. Turk recalled something from his academy days about certain types of slime, most notably green in color, being particularly dangerous and didn’t want to go anywhere near it.
The two elves, Minx and Kierwin, went to work inspecting the rest of the room for hidden doors but couldn’t find anything. If there were any doors hidden in this room, they were very well hidden. The only way out seemed to be through that archway.
Turk decided to throw a pint of oil on the green slime and burn it. So, he took the stopper off his pint and the slime with oil. He then took a few moments to light a burning torch and touched of the oil with it. They watched as the fire consumed the slime, generating quite a lot of smoke. A short time later, with nothing left of the slimy substance but a pair of large burned smudges, they determined it safe to pass through the archway.
Turk was a little disappointed, since he expected a reaction if this was indeed the slime he’d heard about. (After game note: It was, but he didn’t know it at the time. His oil wasn’t wasted.)
They all passed through the archway into another hallway, finally coming to another door. This one was locked. Thorin produced his favorite key, and heard his favorite click!
When the door opened, the first thing they noticed was a sarcophagus, then frescos and mosaics similar to those in the room they dropped into, and finally a very odd site indeed. An axe imbedded in the wall opposite them?! At first they didn’t notice the odd shadow the axe-handle cast on the wall that looked disturbingly like a clawed hand.
Kierwin went straight to the sarcophagus, Turk straight to the axe, the others went to the mosaics.
As Turk approached the axe, he finally noticed the strange shadow it cast on the wall and that the closer he got, the colder it became. As he reached for the handle a chill ran down his spine as the hairs on the back of his neck stood on end and he noticed that the shadow of his hand would grasp the claw-like shadow cast on the wall. He grabbed the handle, his shadow grabbed the claw. Turk pulled and tugged on the axe with all the strength he had. It didn’t budge in the least.
For the others, looking at the mosaics showed red skinned warriors and white skinned warriors fighting. They were hauntingly familiar to the ones in the chamber they had fallen into. A few of these depicted what appeared to be an evil warlord, enacting scenes that caused Minx to shudder.
Meanwhile Kierwin was walking around the sarcophagus. She had taken out the pyramid she had found. The symbols on it were like the ones engraved on the sarcophagus. She was looking for clues to see if there was a connection or if this was a puzzle to solve. She was so involved in it that she wasn’t paying any attention to the rest of the party.
Turk was still trying everything he could to get that axe out of the wall. He finally decided he didn’t have the strength to do it. He wondered if Kierwin could cast a spell or something. She was just wandering around looking at that stupid coffin, he was sure she wouldn’t mind if he interrupted her for just a moment, this thing had to be important to be stuck in the wall like this!
The next thing Kierwin knew, Turk was tapping her on the shoulder. She looked up, Turk explained what was going on.
“Sorry Turk I’m not in tune enough with the goddess yet to be able to channel that kind of power.”
So Turk went back to work. This time, she watched him. This was fun, but she could see the frustration in his face and his whole body. Turk gave it everything he had. Still no luck, that thing wasn’t going to budge.
Finally Thorin had had enough! He stomped over to stand next to Turk,
“Move Over…”
He looked at the axe, reached up to grasp the handle, the cold shiver ran down his spine and he jerked his hand back.
“Ahhh…er..uh..um..Ahem..Yeah so anyhow jest a sec’” Thorin spit on the palms of his hands and grasped the handle with both hands, his shadow’s hands also grasping with the clawed shadow on the wall. He pulled and tugged and huffed and puffed until he was red in the face and finally he let go. He growled in frustration and slammed his fist down on the handle. The handle vibrated but the blade moved not at all. “Bah!” he scoffed and stomped off to inspect the sarcophagus.
Kierwin and Minx were back at the “coffin” and this time Kierwin noticed something. Some of the runes on the top and the sides of the lid matched. She pushed on a couple of the matching symbols and they depressed into the lid. So, after much consideration (about 6 seconds worth
), she did that with all the matching runes, and the slab slid open about several inches.
“Ummm guys….I think I did something…..” At which point even Turk gave up on the axe and came over. They tried looking inside without moving the slab any further, but that didn’t work. They all finally ganged up on it, it was pretty heavy, and pushed it the rest of the way down.
They found a skeletal corpse inside with a mask made of gold and jade placed upon what was once its face. Its wisps of hair were woven in with jewels and strands of gold and other metals and in what were once earlobes it wore large jade plugs.
Hoping the mask had magical properties and would help him get the axe out of the wall, Turk promptly grabbed it and held it up to his face. However it had no eye holes and he couldn’t see, so Kierwin led him over to the wall and he started to work on the axe again. Unfortunately, he still didn’t have any luck with it.
However, as Minx grew quickly bored watching Turk jerk his axe, she glanced back into the sarcophagus and noticed something disturbing.
“Ewww!!! It’s gooey! Oh! That is So gross!” She called out.
As she watched, flesh, veins, and tissue started to creep up the bones and eyes began to form as pools in their sockets.
Turk came back to the sarcophagus, and seeing the corpse, promptly put the mask back on it. They waited awhile, nothing seemed to be happening now, but the temptation to see what was going on, and the riches hidden underneath that mask were awfully tempting!
Turk asked “How about a really quick peek?”
They all agreed. Turk removed the mask, it appeared that the regeneration had halted when he’d put the mask back on. He grabbed the earplugs and the most valuable jewels but left the items woven into the corpse’s hair. Then quickly put the mask back on. They slid the slab back on top of the coffin. Unfortunately they didn’t seem to be able to lock it back in place, no matter how hard they tried.
They decided to forget the axe, much to Turk’s disappointment, and left the room as quickly as possible….
edited for story accuracy and clarity by DM-paulewaug
They rested for a short time in the room with the dead crab while Kierwin treated a couple of minor wounds. They shared a couple of rations, not wanting to run short and then they were ready to get going.
They worked their way up the last set of stairs, hoping this was the way out. This set, like the others, was dark, damp and slick. If it wasn’t for Turk’s ever burning torch, they’d have been left in the dark long ago. This set of stairs lead from one hallway to the next, and finally to an empty room.
This room had an archway at the far end of the room, and that seemed like the only way out. The only problem with that was that there appeared to be a large patch of green colored slime above it and another on the floor. Turk recalled something from his academy days about certain types of slime, most notably green in color, being particularly dangerous and didn’t want to go anywhere near it.
The two elves, Minx and Kierwin, went to work inspecting the rest of the room for hidden doors but couldn’t find anything. If there were any doors hidden in this room, they were very well hidden. The only way out seemed to be through that archway.
Turk decided to throw a pint of oil on the green slime and burn it. So, he took the stopper off his pint and the slime with oil. He then took a few moments to light a burning torch and touched of the oil with it. They watched as the fire consumed the slime, generating quite a lot of smoke. A short time later, with nothing left of the slimy substance but a pair of large burned smudges, they determined it safe to pass through the archway.
Turk was a little disappointed, since he expected a reaction if this was indeed the slime he’d heard about. (After game note: It was, but he didn’t know it at the time. His oil wasn’t wasted.)
They all passed through the archway into another hallway, finally coming to another door. This one was locked. Thorin produced his favorite key, and heard his favorite click!
When the door opened, the first thing they noticed was a sarcophagus, then frescos and mosaics similar to those in the room they dropped into, and finally a very odd site indeed. An axe imbedded in the wall opposite them?! At first they didn’t notice the odd shadow the axe-handle cast on the wall that looked disturbingly like a clawed hand.
Kierwin went straight to the sarcophagus, Turk straight to the axe, the others went to the mosaics.
As Turk approached the axe, he finally noticed the strange shadow it cast on the wall and that the closer he got, the colder it became. As he reached for the handle a chill ran down his spine as the hairs on the back of his neck stood on end and he noticed that the shadow of his hand would grasp the claw-like shadow cast on the wall. He grabbed the handle, his shadow grabbed the claw. Turk pulled and tugged on the axe with all the strength he had. It didn’t budge in the least.
For the others, looking at the mosaics showed red skinned warriors and white skinned warriors fighting. They were hauntingly familiar to the ones in the chamber they had fallen into. A few of these depicted what appeared to be an evil warlord, enacting scenes that caused Minx to shudder.
Meanwhile Kierwin was walking around the sarcophagus. She had taken out the pyramid she had found. The symbols on it were like the ones engraved on the sarcophagus. She was looking for clues to see if there was a connection or if this was a puzzle to solve. She was so involved in it that she wasn’t paying any attention to the rest of the party.
Turk was still trying everything he could to get that axe out of the wall. He finally decided he didn’t have the strength to do it. He wondered if Kierwin could cast a spell or something. She was just wandering around looking at that stupid coffin, he was sure she wouldn’t mind if he interrupted her for just a moment, this thing had to be important to be stuck in the wall like this!
The next thing Kierwin knew, Turk was tapping her on the shoulder. She looked up, Turk explained what was going on.
“Sorry Turk I’m not in tune enough with the goddess yet to be able to channel that kind of power.”
So Turk went back to work. This time, she watched him. This was fun, but she could see the frustration in his face and his whole body. Turk gave it everything he had. Still no luck, that thing wasn’t going to budge.
Finally Thorin had had enough! He stomped over to stand next to Turk,
“Move Over…”
He looked at the axe, reached up to grasp the handle, the cold shiver ran down his spine and he jerked his hand back.
“Ahhh…er..uh..um..Ahem..Yeah so anyhow jest a sec’” Thorin spit on the palms of his hands and grasped the handle with both hands, his shadow’s hands also grasping with the clawed shadow on the wall. He pulled and tugged and huffed and puffed until he was red in the face and finally he let go. He growled in frustration and slammed his fist down on the handle. The handle vibrated but the blade moved not at all. “Bah!” he scoffed and stomped off to inspect the sarcophagus.
Kierwin and Minx were back at the “coffin” and this time Kierwin noticed something. Some of the runes on the top and the sides of the lid matched. She pushed on a couple of the matching symbols and they depressed into the lid. So, after much consideration (about 6 seconds worth
), she did that with all the matching runes, and the slab slid open about several inches.“Ummm guys….I think I did something…..” At which point even Turk gave up on the axe and came over. They tried looking inside without moving the slab any further, but that didn’t work. They all finally ganged up on it, it was pretty heavy, and pushed it the rest of the way down.
They found a skeletal corpse inside with a mask made of gold and jade placed upon what was once its face. Its wisps of hair were woven in with jewels and strands of gold and other metals and in what were once earlobes it wore large jade plugs.
Hoping the mask had magical properties and would help him get the axe out of the wall, Turk promptly grabbed it and held it up to his face. However it had no eye holes and he couldn’t see, so Kierwin led him over to the wall and he started to work on the axe again. Unfortunately, he still didn’t have any luck with it.
However, as Minx grew quickly bored watching Turk jerk his axe, she glanced back into the sarcophagus and noticed something disturbing.
“Ewww!!! It’s gooey! Oh! That is So gross!” She called out.
As she watched, flesh, veins, and tissue started to creep up the bones and eyes began to form as pools in their sockets.
Turk came back to the sarcophagus, and seeing the corpse, promptly put the mask back on it. They waited awhile, nothing seemed to be happening now, but the temptation to see what was going on, and the riches hidden underneath that mask were awfully tempting!
Turk asked “How about a really quick peek?”
They all agreed. Turk removed the mask, it appeared that the regeneration had halted when he’d put the mask back on. He grabbed the earplugs and the most valuable jewels but left the items woven into the corpse’s hair. Then quickly put the mask back on. They slid the slab back on top of the coffin. Unfortunately they didn’t seem to be able to lock it back in place, no matter how hard they tried.
They decided to forget the axe, much to Turk’s disappointment, and left the room as quickly as possible….
edited for story accuracy and clarity by DM-paulewaug
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