Rappan Athuk: Ravage of The Unusual Heroes!
- Thread starter Ziona
- Start date
Ziona
First Post
Surprises
“Damn this god-forsaken place,” spat Dent. The ranger stood over Nola while she cleansed the thick, stinging mucus from her eyes in the stream.
“You must realize that not everyone who agrees to be your ally truly is,” said Nola standing up.
“But you judged Gorthat on his race,” said Gideon, “not by what you knew of him.”
“What you knew of him didn’t seem to make a difference,” snapped Nola. “He was going to betray you all.”
“But his Mother…” said Gnettles. “The poor woman.”
The group was silent for a moment, thinking about everything that had happened in such a short time.
“We must get moving,” said Dent. “We have to bring Ziona and Haley back to Waterdeep to see if there is anything the mages can do to help them.”
The group began walking to the area where Gideon left Rossal and Glindil with the statues while they talked.
“I believe there is a spell,” said Gnettles, “but it is one that I do not comprehend yet, myself. I’m sure there are those in town who can be of service.”
“And what are your plans, Nola?” asked Gideon.
“My plans are to get through those doors and kill the goblins and orcs,” she replied coolly. “I am here to prove to my tribe that I am able to fight as a barbarian woman, not just make babies.”
“I should think that much is obvious,” said Gnettles.
“Family is very important to my tribe,” explained Nola. “Yet I am not content to stay within the tribe like my sister and start a family. I prefer to fight as my brothers do, and this task was given to me to prove that I am able…I will defeat the evils here, or else I shall die trying.”
Dent nodded. “You realize you aren’t going to get through those doors alone?”
“We can get you through those doors, Nola,” said Gideon. “But we must go back to…”
Gideon stopped mid-sentence, noticing that Rossal and Glindil were not where they were when he left them.
“What is it?” asked Dent.
“The dragons…they aren’t here.”
“Are you sure this is where you left them?” asked Lox looking high and low.
“I am positive. They would not willingly leave Ziona, would they?”
“Never,” replied Dent.
“Well, let me just get her and the tiger out of the water, and we’ll see if they come back,” said Gnettles.
The gnome cast Levitate again, but only the stone tiger came out of the water. Attached to Haley’s tail was a vial with a note inside, which read:
“Your friend will be returned to you when the debt owed to me is paid.”
“What trickery is this?” asked Nola.
Gideon cursed as he recognized the handwriting.
“Who is it, Gideon? Tell us what you know…I haven’t the patience for these games anymore,” warned Dent.
“It seems that an acquaintances of mine has taken Ziona,” sighed Gideon. “I was unaware that he was nearby.”
“An ‘acquaintance?’” growled Dent. “What in the Abyss is that supposed to mean?!”
“I have a debt that needs to be paid, and apparently this person has decided to come and take some collateral. I am truly sorry, as it was not my intent to have this happen,” explained Gideon. “We should still return to town and see about that spell, that way when we do find Ziona, she can be restored.”
“This is unbelieveable,” cried Dent. “Is there anything you’d like to tell us, Nola? How about you Gnettles?”
Dent’s outburst startled Lox, who went over to his friend and tugged on his cloak.
“It will all be okay, Dent. You’ll see,” said Lox. “After all, we can’t be the most famous adventuring party if we’re all dead, silly,”
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
The party left Rappan Athuk and began their journey back to Waterdeep. Gnettles levitated Haley back to the cart, where they were greeted by Spleckle. Nola explained that she would not accompany them into the city. She blew on a bone whistle, and a gigantic raven flew from the sky and landed beside her.
“This is Talon,” she said. “Take my whistle. When you return, blow on it three short times and we shall be here.”
“Where are you going in the meantime?” asked Gnettles.
“I will be here within the forest. Waterdeep is not a place where I would feel welcome.”
With that, Talon lifted into the sky and the barbarian woman flew away on the back of the giant raven. Dent put Nola’s whistle in one of his pouches, and the heroes made their way to Waterdeep.
While back in town, Gnettles went to the arcane libraries in the mage’s guild to do some research. He found valuable information about a key that would open the doors to the orcish city in Rappan Athuk.
Dent and Gideon brought Haley to the mage shop that Gnettles suggested, and the shopkeeper cast Stone to Flesh to restore the tiger back to normal.
Lox decided that he would like to visit his “friend” Sally while in town. Since she wasn’t at the tavern she normally worked at, he decided to drop by her home. When he arrived, she let him in with a surprised look upon her face.
“Lox Lumley! You’ve returned!”
“Yeah, but I’m only here for a short while, Sally,” said Lox. “We have to go back to the dungeon and rescue our friends before long.”
“Lox…I have something to tell you that may change your mind about returning with your friends,” said Sally slowly.
Lox just sat there smiling at the halfling woman. She was always so happy, with her pretty white smile and long halfling braids…
“Lox, I’m with child.”
“Really? Congratulations, Sally,” said Lox with a bit of disappointment. “I guess you couldn’t wait for me, since I’m in the most famous adventuring party and all.”
Sally smiled at Lox, and patted his cheek lightly.
“Lox, they are our babies.”
A dumbfounded look crossed Lox’s face. He stood up from his seat and laughed nervously.
“Heh, for a moment I thought you said ‘ours’ and ‘babies.’”
“I did, Lox. The mages tell me we’re going to have twins.”
“Oh…well, Sally…are you sure they’re not mistaken? I mean, are you sure?”
“Of course I’m sure Lox. Why are you acting so strange? Don’t you want to be a father?”
“Well, I mean, what kind of dad would I be if I were always out on adventures or searching for treasure? That wouldn’t be a very good dad,” explained Lox.
“Which is why you aren’t going to go adventuring any more, right Lox?” Sally said flatly.
“What? Sally…I…I have to save my friends! I didn’t mean for you to have babies!”
“Lox Lumley! You are going to marry me, and we are going to have a family!”
Sally burst into tears as the frightened Lox fled from her house to a tavern he was not known to frequent. Lox cursed his luck all the way to the tavern. First the merchant cheated him out of his money on the sword, now Sally says she’s pregnant…what did he do to deserve this? Suddenly, a vivid mental image appeared in the halfling’s head. He remembered the frail man from the maze, whose gem he took. He hadn’t meant to break the poor man’s arm, but he did remember that the man yelled something about a curse. Could it be?
“Nah…” thought Lox nervously. “That’s just silly.”
Lox entered the tavern and crawled onto the barstool to order some ale. He noticed an oddly dressed man sitting at the end of the bar by himself. The man was all dressed in a deep red, and had a mask on his face. Lox thought of Belasco for a moment, and became very curious about the man in red. He hopped down from his stool and climbed onto the stool nearest the mysterious man.
“Hey mister,” said the halfling, “you wanna buy me a drink? I just found out my lady friend is pregnant.”
The man in red looked at Lox and nodded.
“Sure, why not?” said the man. “What is your name, little fellow?”
“I’m Lox Lumley. What’s your name?”
“I am called Inmir,” said the man. “Barkeep? Get this halfling a drink!”
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
The next day the group met at the town gates and prepared to leave. Lox was late, as they had come to expect. However, this time, when Lox actually showed up, he was accompanied by a man dressed in red.
“Hullo, everyone. This is Inmir,” said Lox.
Dent sighed. He felt as though he hardly knew anyone anymore, and didn’t really feel like “welcoming” another adventurer to the list of those who have died or disappeared.
“Inmir? I’m Dent Masterson. Is there something we can do for you?”
“Well, Lox here mentioned that you were heading to Rappan Athuk. It is my understanding that you are returning to rescue allies?”
“Let us speak of this outside town,” said Dent.
The companions waited until they were a little ways down the road and began talking again.
“What is it you think you can do to help us?” asked Dent.
“Well, actually, I was just hoping to accompany you, and in return for my assistance in defeating your foes, I would like my fair share of the treasure,” explained Inmir.
“Listen, there are enough treasure hunters in the world,” said Gideon. “Rappan Athuk is not a treasure trove, it’s a dungeon of death! We are not traveling back for fun and games, or to collect treasure. We are on a quest to save our allies.”
“Well, then you should see no harm in adding another ally to your ranks,” said Inmir.
“It’s your death wish,” mumbled Dent.
As the party traveled, Gnettles explained that he had read about a key that would allow them to open the doors in Rappan Athuk. However, they would need to go see a brass dragon named Rezkalar in Anauroch order to gain more information on the key. Although somewhat skeptical, the heroes decided it was all they could do if they wanted to save their companions.
However before they could travel to The Great Desert to see Rezkalar, they had to return to Rappan Athuk if they were going to find Nola. When they arrived at the entrance of the dungeon, Dent blew the whistle three times as he had been instructed. Astonishingly, moments after the whistle was blown, the giant raven was spotted soaring above them in the sky. When Nola and Talon landed, the heroes explained to them what they had found out about the key, and what they had to do to locate it.
The heroes were off, some riding in the cart, while others soared in the sky above. While traveling, Lox began to the tell the rest of the group what he had already told Inmir in town. The halfling explained that he would soon be a father of twins.
“Great…that’s all the world needs is two more Lumley’s running around,” laughed Gideon.
“I left Sally a bunch of gold while she was sleeping, but Inmir convinced me to talk to her before we left,” said Lox with embarrassment.
“What did you tell her?” asked Dent.
“I told her she better have a wedding dress when I get back,” he smiled.
“Lox Lumley, a father and husband,” laughed Dent. “What is this world coming to?”
The Adventure Continues…
“Damn this god-forsaken place,” spat Dent. The ranger stood over Nola while she cleansed the thick, stinging mucus from her eyes in the stream.
“You must realize that not everyone who agrees to be your ally truly is,” said Nola standing up.
“But you judged Gorthat on his race,” said Gideon, “not by what you knew of him.”
“What you knew of him didn’t seem to make a difference,” snapped Nola. “He was going to betray you all.”
“But his Mother…” said Gnettles. “The poor woman.”
The group was silent for a moment, thinking about everything that had happened in such a short time.
“We must get moving,” said Dent. “We have to bring Ziona and Haley back to Waterdeep to see if there is anything the mages can do to help them.”
The group began walking to the area where Gideon left Rossal and Glindil with the statues while they talked.
“I believe there is a spell,” said Gnettles, “but it is one that I do not comprehend yet, myself. I’m sure there are those in town who can be of service.”
“And what are your plans, Nola?” asked Gideon.
“My plans are to get through those doors and kill the goblins and orcs,” she replied coolly. “I am here to prove to my tribe that I am able to fight as a barbarian woman, not just make babies.”
“I should think that much is obvious,” said Gnettles.
“Family is very important to my tribe,” explained Nola. “Yet I am not content to stay within the tribe like my sister and start a family. I prefer to fight as my brothers do, and this task was given to me to prove that I am able…I will defeat the evils here, or else I shall die trying.”
Dent nodded. “You realize you aren’t going to get through those doors alone?”
“We can get you through those doors, Nola,” said Gideon. “But we must go back to…”
Gideon stopped mid-sentence, noticing that Rossal and Glindil were not where they were when he left them.
“What is it?” asked Dent.
“The dragons…they aren’t here.”
“Are you sure this is where you left them?” asked Lox looking high and low.
“I am positive. They would not willingly leave Ziona, would they?”
“Never,” replied Dent.
“Well, let me just get her and the tiger out of the water, and we’ll see if they come back,” said Gnettles.
The gnome cast Levitate again, but only the stone tiger came out of the water. Attached to Haley’s tail was a vial with a note inside, which read:
“Your friend will be returned to you when the debt owed to me is paid.”
“What trickery is this?” asked Nola.
Gideon cursed as he recognized the handwriting.
“Who is it, Gideon? Tell us what you know…I haven’t the patience for these games anymore,” warned Dent.
“It seems that an acquaintances of mine has taken Ziona,” sighed Gideon. “I was unaware that he was nearby.”
“An ‘acquaintance?’” growled Dent. “What in the Abyss is that supposed to mean?!”
“I have a debt that needs to be paid, and apparently this person has decided to come and take some collateral. I am truly sorry, as it was not my intent to have this happen,” explained Gideon. “We should still return to town and see about that spell, that way when we do find Ziona, she can be restored.”
“This is unbelieveable,” cried Dent. “Is there anything you’d like to tell us, Nola? How about you Gnettles?”
Dent’s outburst startled Lox, who went over to his friend and tugged on his cloak.
“It will all be okay, Dent. You’ll see,” said Lox. “After all, we can’t be the most famous adventuring party if we’re all dead, silly,”
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
The party left Rappan Athuk and began their journey back to Waterdeep. Gnettles levitated Haley back to the cart, where they were greeted by Spleckle. Nola explained that she would not accompany them into the city. She blew on a bone whistle, and a gigantic raven flew from the sky and landed beside her.
“This is Talon,” she said. “Take my whistle. When you return, blow on it three short times and we shall be here.”
“Where are you going in the meantime?” asked Gnettles.
“I will be here within the forest. Waterdeep is not a place where I would feel welcome.”
With that, Talon lifted into the sky and the barbarian woman flew away on the back of the giant raven. Dent put Nola’s whistle in one of his pouches, and the heroes made their way to Waterdeep.
While back in town, Gnettles went to the arcane libraries in the mage’s guild to do some research. He found valuable information about a key that would open the doors to the orcish city in Rappan Athuk.
Dent and Gideon brought Haley to the mage shop that Gnettles suggested, and the shopkeeper cast Stone to Flesh to restore the tiger back to normal.
Lox decided that he would like to visit his “friend” Sally while in town. Since she wasn’t at the tavern she normally worked at, he decided to drop by her home. When he arrived, she let him in with a surprised look upon her face.
“Lox Lumley! You’ve returned!”
“Yeah, but I’m only here for a short while, Sally,” said Lox. “We have to go back to the dungeon and rescue our friends before long.”
“Lox…I have something to tell you that may change your mind about returning with your friends,” said Sally slowly.
Lox just sat there smiling at the halfling woman. She was always so happy, with her pretty white smile and long halfling braids…
“Lox, I’m with child.”
“Really? Congratulations, Sally,” said Lox with a bit of disappointment. “I guess you couldn’t wait for me, since I’m in the most famous adventuring party and all.”
Sally smiled at Lox, and patted his cheek lightly.
“Lox, they are our babies.”
A dumbfounded look crossed Lox’s face. He stood up from his seat and laughed nervously.
“Heh, for a moment I thought you said ‘ours’ and ‘babies.’”
“I did, Lox. The mages tell me we’re going to have twins.”
“Oh…well, Sally…are you sure they’re not mistaken? I mean, are you sure?”
“Of course I’m sure Lox. Why are you acting so strange? Don’t you want to be a father?”
“Well, I mean, what kind of dad would I be if I were always out on adventures or searching for treasure? That wouldn’t be a very good dad,” explained Lox.
“Which is why you aren’t going to go adventuring any more, right Lox?” Sally said flatly.
“What? Sally…I…I have to save my friends! I didn’t mean for you to have babies!”
“Lox Lumley! You are going to marry me, and we are going to have a family!”
Sally burst into tears as the frightened Lox fled from her house to a tavern he was not known to frequent. Lox cursed his luck all the way to the tavern. First the merchant cheated him out of his money on the sword, now Sally says she’s pregnant…what did he do to deserve this? Suddenly, a vivid mental image appeared in the halfling’s head. He remembered the frail man from the maze, whose gem he took. He hadn’t meant to break the poor man’s arm, but he did remember that the man yelled something about a curse. Could it be?
“Nah…” thought Lox nervously. “That’s just silly.”
Lox entered the tavern and crawled onto the barstool to order some ale. He noticed an oddly dressed man sitting at the end of the bar by himself. The man was all dressed in a deep red, and had a mask on his face. Lox thought of Belasco for a moment, and became very curious about the man in red. He hopped down from his stool and climbed onto the stool nearest the mysterious man.
“Hey mister,” said the halfling, “you wanna buy me a drink? I just found out my lady friend is pregnant.”
The man in red looked at Lox and nodded.
“Sure, why not?” said the man. “What is your name, little fellow?”
“I’m Lox Lumley. What’s your name?”
“I am called Inmir,” said the man. “Barkeep? Get this halfling a drink!”
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
The next day the group met at the town gates and prepared to leave. Lox was late, as they had come to expect. However, this time, when Lox actually showed up, he was accompanied by a man dressed in red.
“Hullo, everyone. This is Inmir,” said Lox.
Dent sighed. He felt as though he hardly knew anyone anymore, and didn’t really feel like “welcoming” another adventurer to the list of those who have died or disappeared.
“Inmir? I’m Dent Masterson. Is there something we can do for you?”
“Well, Lox here mentioned that you were heading to Rappan Athuk. It is my understanding that you are returning to rescue allies?”
“Let us speak of this outside town,” said Dent.
The companions waited until they were a little ways down the road and began talking again.
“What is it you think you can do to help us?” asked Dent.
“Well, actually, I was just hoping to accompany you, and in return for my assistance in defeating your foes, I would like my fair share of the treasure,” explained Inmir.
“Listen, there are enough treasure hunters in the world,” said Gideon. “Rappan Athuk is not a treasure trove, it’s a dungeon of death! We are not traveling back for fun and games, or to collect treasure. We are on a quest to save our allies.”
“Well, then you should see no harm in adding another ally to your ranks,” said Inmir.
“It’s your death wish,” mumbled Dent.
As the party traveled, Gnettles explained that he had read about a key that would allow them to open the doors in Rappan Athuk. However, they would need to go see a brass dragon named Rezkalar in Anauroch order to gain more information on the key. Although somewhat skeptical, the heroes decided it was all they could do if they wanted to save their companions.
However before they could travel to The Great Desert to see Rezkalar, they had to return to Rappan Athuk if they were going to find Nola. When they arrived at the entrance of the dungeon, Dent blew the whistle three times as he had been instructed. Astonishingly, moments after the whistle was blown, the giant raven was spotted soaring above them in the sky. When Nola and Talon landed, the heroes explained to them what they had found out about the key, and what they had to do to locate it.
The heroes were off, some riding in the cart, while others soared in the sky above. While traveling, Lox began to the tell the rest of the group what he had already told Inmir in town. The halfling explained that he would soon be a father of twins.
“Great…that’s all the world needs is two more Lumley’s running around,” laughed Gideon.
“I left Sally a bunch of gold while she was sleeping, but Inmir convinced me to talk to her before we left,” said Lox with embarrassment.
“What did you tell her?” asked Dent.
“I told her she better have a wedding dress when I get back,” he smiled.
“Lox Lumley, a father and husband,” laughed Dent. “What is this world coming to?”
The Adventure Continues…
Last edited:
Dr Midnight
Explorer
I feel like I should tell of how this played out of game... Doug (Dartan, Lox, etc.) isn't known for being gentle with the NPCs.
He was yelling at her, accusing her of slutting around Waterdeep. He then pulled her close and kissed her, then threw her on the ground and told her "You better have a wedding dress when I get back!" It may sound cruel, but the way Doug delivered his lines had me laughing for maybe five minutes. My whole chest hurt.
BIG GAME TODAY I KILL STUFF smash smash
He was yelling at her, accusing her of slutting around Waterdeep. He then pulled her close and kissed her, then threw her on the ground and told her "You better have a wedding dress when I get back!" It may sound cruel, but the way Doug delivered his lines had me laughing for maybe five minutes. My whole chest hurt.
BIG GAME TODAY I KILL STUFF smash smash
PaynAndispare
First Post
The faint glow of the lantern casts long shadows in the room. The hour is early, to early for the sun, but not enough to keep the birds quiet. I have been troubled with sleep. The countless years I have spent in preparation for a day such as today has overwhelmed me. I feel like I am not ready, I feel that I have not mastered the elements in the way I see fit.
My name is is Gnettles Von'Pye of the Pye Clan, and this is my story of how I came to know the Unusual Heroes.
Young I was when the ways of magic I turned to. Under the tutalidge of my grandfather Grumsham, I was trained in the ways of magic. He taught me many wonderful and strange things. Mage Hand was one of my favorites as an apprentice, though I quickly grew fond of erruptive spells. It was appearant at an early age that I had a knack for the arts, and Grumsham was forging me to become an Arch Mage. As the years passed, the abilities I obtained continued to flourish ... but I was not happy. I needed something to apply all of this knowledge to, and Grumsham could sense this in me. One evening during dinner Grumsham mentioned a group of adventurers called the Unusual Heroes, he inquired if I had ever heard of them. Indeed I had heard of them ... word of some of their adventures had traveled far and wide. I remember him looking at me at that moment and nodding. Not another words was spoken for the duration of the meal. I went off to bed early that evening, somewhat confused by the dinner conversation, or lack thereof. When I woke the next morning, the house was empty, all except a small note held in place on the wall with a dagger.
Gnettles, your time has come. There is nothing more for me to show you.
Seek out the Unusual Heroes, seek them out so that you can use what you
have learned. You will bring honor to your name Gnettles, you will bring
honor to the Von'Pye's.
Grumsham
Well, here I am, at this ungodly hour, recalling this story for you. Today is the day I have trained all of my life for. Today we face a foe unlike any foe we have previously encountered. Today I am Gnettles Von'Pye of the Pye Clan, Sorcerer of Grumsham ... soon, I shall be Gnettles Von'Pye, the Arch Mage of the Unusual Heroes.
My name is is Gnettles Von'Pye of the Pye Clan, and this is my story of how I came to know the Unusual Heroes.
Young I was when the ways of magic I turned to. Under the tutalidge of my grandfather Grumsham, I was trained in the ways of magic. He taught me many wonderful and strange things. Mage Hand was one of my favorites as an apprentice, though I quickly grew fond of erruptive spells. It was appearant at an early age that I had a knack for the arts, and Grumsham was forging me to become an Arch Mage. As the years passed, the abilities I obtained continued to flourish ... but I was not happy. I needed something to apply all of this knowledge to, and Grumsham could sense this in me. One evening during dinner Grumsham mentioned a group of adventurers called the Unusual Heroes, he inquired if I had ever heard of them. Indeed I had heard of them ... word of some of their adventures had traveled far and wide. I remember him looking at me at that moment and nodding. Not another words was spoken for the duration of the meal. I went off to bed early that evening, somewhat confused by the dinner conversation, or lack thereof. When I woke the next morning, the house was empty, all except a small note held in place on the wall with a dagger.
Gnettles, your time has come. There is nothing more for me to show you.
Seek out the Unusual Heroes, seek them out so that you can use what you
have learned. You will bring honor to your name Gnettles, you will bring
honor to the Von'Pye's.
Grumsham
Well, here I am, at this ungodly hour, recalling this story for you. Today is the day I have trained all of my life for. Today we face a foe unlike any foe we have previously encountered. Today I am Gnettles Von'Pye of the Pye Clan, Sorcerer of Grumsham ... soon, I shall be Gnettles Von'Pye, the Arch Mage of the Unusual Heroes.
Dr Midnight
Explorer
Here's my bet on death likelihood, from most likely to last:
1. avangel
2. arden
3. Inmir
4. Lox
5. Gnettles
6. Dent
I leave work in an hour... can't WAIT...
1. avangel
2. arden
3. Inmir
4. Lox
5. Gnettles
6. Dent
I leave work in an hour... can't WAIT...
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