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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.
Milo Windby's Collected Story Hour
- Thread starter Milo Windby
- Start date
Milo Windby
First Post
Thanks Krellic!
Just so's you know, I've edited the post. I made a few grammatical and temporal errors and it wasn't quite as snappy as I liked. Just minor changes though.
We play this Tuesday. Finally Milo will have flame strike!
Just so's you know, I've edited the post. I made a few grammatical and temporal errors and it wasn't quite as snappy as I liked. Just minor changes though.
We play this Tuesday. Finally Milo will have flame strike!
It seems like forever. LOL We ended up taking an unplanned 2 month break because of vacations, illnesses, and holidays. This was the first session back. They all voted to finish the temple ths "quick" way because we are ready to move on. What started out as a "side quest" quickly turned into a long drawn out affair and we are anxious to move the plot forward. We have had some plot here...but mostly it has turned into hack, slash, and repeat.
So, it is time to move on.
BTW, I agonized for days over this encounter. I wavered between "It's just right" and "I have to be nuts to do this to them." In the end, the druid (who is actually an NPC in the module who is there to help the party) and her Bear were the things that convinced me to let it stand the way it was. A suprise ally wielding powerful magics made up for the fact that there were WAAAAAAAAAAAAAY too many of the baddies for them to handle in the shape that they were in. It also gave me a chance to pull off the kiddie gloves and really sock it to them.
The funniest part of the whole thing is when Jeremiah died. The look on Mazi's face was priceless. She was running the character for the 7 year old who had gone to bed. She didn't know how she was going to explain to him that she had gotten his barbarian turned into "Jeremiah Jelly"
Milo Windby
First Post
Turns out Milo is a liar. I'm cleric 8, rogue 3. No flame strike yet. D'oh!
Thanks for the compliment Nail! It means a lot to me. I went muuuuuch more freestyle with this fight. I had hoped it would flow a little better. At the very least it's a change from the usual structured fights I write. Fewer notes frees me up for more game enjoyment.
This last week we finally wrapped up the Temple. Wouldn't you know it, Frog, the RBDM, whisked us away from the Temple before we could even loot the bodies of the fallen. That's right, a year of game time and no big treasure. Milo's used to it now. Watch, Frog will now go on about me whining and throw the line about the giants in halfling sized armor. ::sigh:: He even threw in a barb about not letting us go to a town to sell off our current treasure. He may not have got us with a TPK yet, but he's no less a RBDM for it.
This next bit of adventuring is definitely going to be heavy on the RPing. Most of the session was spent with the players looking at each other quizically while Frog assumed the form of many certifiably insane NPCs. We'll see if all of us can survive this sort of mayhem.
Brigit Deeperdown
First Post
frog said:
The funniest part of the whole thing is when Jeremiah died. The look on Mazi's face was priceless. She was running the character for the 7 year old who had gone to bed. She didn't know how she was going to explain to him that she had gotten his barbarian turned into "Jeremiah Jelly"
Jelly huh? Well it was really kind of weird when Jeremy died. I mean we have had him knocked down. But we have never really had a party member die. Strange. And sadly now we have no magical heal staff for our cleric.
Frog the RBDM. I think your getting closer to true RBDM status. But hey it was fun. I am a little sad I didnt get to kill and trolls. But mazi did well on her own. 
Hopefully Milo will write today about the ending of the fight and what each of us was told and heard.
Milo Windby
First Post
Temple of Elemental Evil – fini (session 28)
CLAP…CLAP…CLAP…CLAP
”Congratulations!” came a voice from the far end of the hall, ”You’ve done far better than I hoped!”
Milo peered at the figure standing so far away. The man stood upright in dark robes, clapping sarcastically at the party. He didn’t recognize him.
Brigit was the first to speak, ”An’ who are ya?”
The man loosed a short burst of laughter, ”I am the reason you are here.”
”What’s your name then?” Mazi asked.
”My name is Bargle.” Milo started at the mention of the head wizard of the Bloody Baron. The man continued, ”I have to thank you for taking care of my problem.”
”Aye, yer problem. What problem might tha’ be?” quizzed Brigit.
”I was researching this gem,” he held up a medium sized gem, too far away for Milo to get a proper look at it, ”and it led me here, where I found the cult.” he said with a nod to the dead bodies littering the floor of the temple. A few rumors planted and it was child’s play to get you to do my dirty work. More simple than I could have imagined once I found out about your father, dwarf.”
Brigit bristled, ”Wha’ do ya know ‘bout mah father?” she demanded.
”Only what you already know now. Your father is dead, betrayed by your uncle. He has fled to the rainbow of fire with your mother and sister.” Bargle almost chortled at the obvious distress he was causing Brigit. Milo vowed silently to wipe the smug look off the wizard’s face with his hand axes for the pain he was causing to his friends. ”It was all for this,” he held up something else in his other hand. To Milo it looked like a gilded human skull, ”and the gems to fill it. But of course you cannot admire it’s beauty from clear over there!”
”What is it?” asked Mazi.
”Suffice it to say that I will be all powerful once I find all of the gems.”
”Oh? You wouldn’t mind me chopping your arm off for a closer look would you?” she replied sweetly.
His response died on his lips. A harsh sound assaulted their ears. It was as if someone were tearing a great, wet cloth in two. Bargle’s head cocked to the side, his face startled. He suddenly winked out of sight. The tearing sound seemed to be coming from a spot about fifty paces from the party, six feet from the floor. A ragged hole in the air appeared and expanded, revealing black space beyond. Four armored elven women marched from the rippling tear in space to take up a defensive formation. The next figure to emerge was a bald elf man, covered in strange tattoos. He was followed by two humanoids on all fours, collars around their necks with chains leading back to the last to emerge, another elven female. Dressed in luxurious dyed leather with dark black hair cascading down her shoulders, she walked through the hole and into the temple as if she owned all her gaze fell upon. Her icy glare of contempt soon rested on Mazithra. She stiffened noticeably and bared a set of filed, sharpened teeth.
The tattooed man spoke with a tone of authority, ”All bow before the vessel of Thari!”
Mazi smiled easily, ”That’s right, bow down before me.”
The elven woman shrieked, ”I am the vessel of Thari!” Calmer then, ”Don’t you recognize your friends?” she gestured to the two people chained at her feet, ”This is what I’ll do to you, and all who get in my way!”
Milo looked closer at the two pitiful beings. They were elves, or used to be at one time. Both were emaciated beyond recognition. Their tattered clothes hung from gaunt frames, their hair patchy, almost bald, their fingernails and bare toenails long and yellow. They sat on the floor mewling piteously. They would wince in unison every time the woman gestured. Milo certainly didn’t recognize them.
The tattooed man spoke again, ”Let the ceremonial battle begin, vessel.”
Milo was done with it all. The frustrations from their time in the temple, fighting what seemed to be an endless battle while his god’s people lay beleaguered in another country. Milo casually raised his crossbow, pointed it at the tattooed speaker and said, ”Who needs you?”
His bolt sprung from the string and raced unerringly towards the haughty elf. The man doubled over from the impact of the quarrel sinking into his torso. His head whipped up with a glare, but Milo was not his target. A crackle of electricity suddenly played over Brigit’s plate mail. The man growled and again the electricity arced over her armor. Brigit seemed shocked, but none worse for wear.
As if on some cue, the four elven warriors began to blink erratically in and out of sight. Milo groaned, that would make them near impossible to hit.
Just then a familiar voice spoke in Milo’s mind. ”I will provide a distraction. When I do, gather yourselves together quickly. We have but a moment for you to escape. Whatever happens, the Elf must live or that Thing will rule us all.” came the telepathic message from Bargle. Milo balked at having to cooperate with the man that manipulated them all throughout the entire time they were in the temple. He saw no other alternative; they were too weak from the previous battles to win through anything these newcomers had to throw at them. He waited for a chance to gather everyone for Bargle’s escape.
Mazi raised her wand of lightning bolts towards the other party and prepared to loose her own electric attack. Suddenly a piercing, deafening shout roared in their minds. The elven woman, the supposed Vessel of Thari, grinned maliciously at her psionic attack. All but Milo were left stunned by the assault. The tattooed counselor made ready to attack.
Another surprising turn of events occurred when a huge explosion centered on the elf party engulfed them all in flames. Bargle’s fireball blossomed into a fiery flower of destruction. Milo almost cheered. The world around him flashed and then his vision seemed to fade. He could see the elf party turn to face the new threat as the temple began to collapse from all of the powerful magiks thrown back and forth. Another fireball shook the foundations, then it was all gone. A different world shimmered into its place, one of sand and heat. Milo stared agog at his surroundings. Where once stood a temple devoted to evil in the middle of a forest, now there was desert as far as the eye could see.
CLAP…CLAP…CLAP…CLAP
”Congratulations!” came a voice from the far end of the hall, ”You’ve done far better than I hoped!”
Milo peered at the figure standing so far away. The man stood upright in dark robes, clapping sarcastically at the party. He didn’t recognize him.
Brigit was the first to speak, ”An’ who are ya?”
The man loosed a short burst of laughter, ”I am the reason you are here.”
”What’s your name then?” Mazi asked.
”My name is Bargle.” Milo started at the mention of the head wizard of the Bloody Baron. The man continued, ”I have to thank you for taking care of my problem.”
”Aye, yer problem. What problem might tha’ be?” quizzed Brigit.
”I was researching this gem,” he held up a medium sized gem, too far away for Milo to get a proper look at it, ”and it led me here, where I found the cult.” he said with a nod to the dead bodies littering the floor of the temple. A few rumors planted and it was child’s play to get you to do my dirty work. More simple than I could have imagined once I found out about your father, dwarf.”
Brigit bristled, ”Wha’ do ya know ‘bout mah father?” she demanded.
”Only what you already know now. Your father is dead, betrayed by your uncle. He has fled to the rainbow of fire with your mother and sister.” Bargle almost chortled at the obvious distress he was causing Brigit. Milo vowed silently to wipe the smug look off the wizard’s face with his hand axes for the pain he was causing to his friends. ”It was all for this,” he held up something else in his other hand. To Milo it looked like a gilded human skull, ”and the gems to fill it. But of course you cannot admire it’s beauty from clear over there!”
”What is it?” asked Mazi.
”Suffice it to say that I will be all powerful once I find all of the gems.”
”Oh? You wouldn’t mind me chopping your arm off for a closer look would you?” she replied sweetly.
His response died on his lips. A harsh sound assaulted their ears. It was as if someone were tearing a great, wet cloth in two. Bargle’s head cocked to the side, his face startled. He suddenly winked out of sight. The tearing sound seemed to be coming from a spot about fifty paces from the party, six feet from the floor. A ragged hole in the air appeared and expanded, revealing black space beyond. Four armored elven women marched from the rippling tear in space to take up a defensive formation. The next figure to emerge was a bald elf man, covered in strange tattoos. He was followed by two humanoids on all fours, collars around their necks with chains leading back to the last to emerge, another elven female. Dressed in luxurious dyed leather with dark black hair cascading down her shoulders, she walked through the hole and into the temple as if she owned all her gaze fell upon. Her icy glare of contempt soon rested on Mazithra. She stiffened noticeably and bared a set of filed, sharpened teeth.
The tattooed man spoke with a tone of authority, ”All bow before the vessel of Thari!”
Mazi smiled easily, ”That’s right, bow down before me.”
The elven woman shrieked, ”I am the vessel of Thari!” Calmer then, ”Don’t you recognize your friends?” she gestured to the two people chained at her feet, ”This is what I’ll do to you, and all who get in my way!”
Milo looked closer at the two pitiful beings. They were elves, or used to be at one time. Both were emaciated beyond recognition. Their tattered clothes hung from gaunt frames, their hair patchy, almost bald, their fingernails and bare toenails long and yellow. They sat on the floor mewling piteously. They would wince in unison every time the woman gestured. Milo certainly didn’t recognize them.
The tattooed man spoke again, ”Let the ceremonial battle begin, vessel.”
Milo was done with it all. The frustrations from their time in the temple, fighting what seemed to be an endless battle while his god’s people lay beleaguered in another country. Milo casually raised his crossbow, pointed it at the tattooed speaker and said, ”Who needs you?”
His bolt sprung from the string and raced unerringly towards the haughty elf. The man doubled over from the impact of the quarrel sinking into his torso. His head whipped up with a glare, but Milo was not his target. A crackle of electricity suddenly played over Brigit’s plate mail. The man growled and again the electricity arced over her armor. Brigit seemed shocked, but none worse for wear.
As if on some cue, the four elven warriors began to blink erratically in and out of sight. Milo groaned, that would make them near impossible to hit.
Just then a familiar voice spoke in Milo’s mind. ”I will provide a distraction. When I do, gather yourselves together quickly. We have but a moment for you to escape. Whatever happens, the Elf must live or that Thing will rule us all.” came the telepathic message from Bargle. Milo balked at having to cooperate with the man that manipulated them all throughout the entire time they were in the temple. He saw no other alternative; they were too weak from the previous battles to win through anything these newcomers had to throw at them. He waited for a chance to gather everyone for Bargle’s escape.
Mazi raised her wand of lightning bolts towards the other party and prepared to loose her own electric attack. Suddenly a piercing, deafening shout roared in their minds. The elven woman, the supposed Vessel of Thari, grinned maliciously at her psionic attack. All but Milo were left stunned by the assault. The tattooed counselor made ready to attack.
Another surprising turn of events occurred when a huge explosion centered on the elf party engulfed them all in flames. Bargle’s fireball blossomed into a fiery flower of destruction. Milo almost cheered. The world around him flashed and then his vision seemed to fade. He could see the elf party turn to face the new threat as the temple began to collapse from all of the powerful magiks thrown back and forth. Another fireball shook the foundations, then it was all gone. A different world shimmered into its place, one of sand and heat. Milo stared agog at his surroundings. Where once stood a temple devoted to evil in the middle of a forest, now there was desert as far as the eye could see.
