Ziona
First Post
Lost
“What do you mean he ‘ran away?’” asked Ziona in shock.
“The mage was casting on him, and suddenly, he looked terrified and he ran off,” said Gideon, explaining again.
“What happened to the mage?” asked Dent.
“I don’t know. He was invisible, so I don’t know if he was still there, or if he fled, too.”
“First Drexel, now Doc,” sighed Ziona. “Eilistraee give me strength.”
“There, there,” said Gorthat. “I’m sure whatever spell the mage cast on him will wear off in time, and he’ll head back.”
“Yeah, but we thought Drexel would just come back , too, and he hasn’t,” said Lox shaking his head.
“Lox!” reprimanded Dent.
“No, it’s okay,” said Ziona. “Drexel is going to have a hard time getting back to us, but Doc is now lost somewhere here…somewhere within this dungeon. We must find him before something else does.”
“She’s right,” said Venus. “But how do we know where he went?”
“We should just continue going deeper down until we find him,” said Dent. “It’s all we can do.”
The gloomy group continued on until they found a place to rest. Ziona prayed, and Gorthat sang songs to try to cheer them up. Lox danced happily to every song that the half-orc played, until the rest of the group called them over to discuss what they should do next.
“I say we just continue moving forward,” said Dent. “We will find Doc.”
“There are many creatures here that could devour a lone adventurer,” said Gorthat.
“Which reminds me,” said Venus. “How was it you came to wander the corridors of Rappan Athuk alone?”
“I was part of an adventuring group, not unlike yourselves,” began Gorthat. “But the hound killed all of them but me.”
“A hound? What sort of canine kills an entire group?” Gideon asked Dent.
“Depends,” said Dent. “What was the hound like?”
“Well, for starters,” said Gorthat, “it had three heads, and red eyes. It was huge and vicious…one of my companions nearly got away with me, but her wounds were too much for her to bear…our cleric died in the battle, and my skill was not nearly enough to save her.”
“I am sorry to hear of your loss,” said Ziona, sitting among them.
“The beast sounds unnatural to me,” said Dent. “Where did you encounter such a monster?”
“Not far from here,” said Gorthat. “Shortly after the battle, I headed this way and entered the maze again, hoping to find my way out.”
“We should get some rest, then,” said Ziona. “If this beast lies in our path, we must have our strength to defeat it.”
The cleric turned from her companions, not noticing the rose that was now woven into her silvery hair.
Dent, Gideon, and Venus looked at Gorthat with matching grins. They had watched the bard nimbly weave the rose into Ziona’s hair, yet she did not even flinch.
“That’s an interesting skill you have there, Gorthat,” said Venus.
“It’s Gee-or-they,” he corrected.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
The next day the heroes continued traveling deeper into the dungeon. Nearly every room and corridor they came across was empty or pillaged, and there seemed to be no sign of Doc. Just when they were about to sit for a moment’s rest, they began to hear growling coming from behind one of the doors.
“It’s the beast,” said Gorthat. “I knew we were getting close.”
The group readied their weapons and rushed through the door. As they tore into the room, a monstrous three-headed hell hound stood before them, panting and drooling onto the floor. Behind the hound were huge gates, which dominated the entire wall, floor to ceiling.
The heroes began attacking the massive hound while it’s three heads moved rhythmically to destroy them. Though they were successful in their attempts to strike the beast, they were not ready for the second head to rear back and breath upon them. Fire engulfed everyone in the group except for Gideon and Lox, who dodged, and Ziona, who was not near enough to the second head of the hell hound to be affected. However, the third head lashed out at the half-drow and bit into her flesh.
Dent pulled his Vermillion Bag of Tricks from his pack and drew forth a dire bear! Using his Whistle of Animal Control, he commanded the bear to attack the hell hound. The angry bear lumbered in to battle the hound, tearing into the monster without hesitation.
Meanwhile, Venus continued his deadly attacks with his Blade of Xyzx Doomhand. Before long, the huge hell hound was a bloody mess upon the floor, and no longer a threat to the group that fought together to defeat it.
“I can’t believe I was struck by the beast’s fiery breath,” grumbled Gorthat as Ziona healed him.
“Ah, but a battle is not a battle unless there is a war wound to prove it,” said Venus with pride.
“As long as there is a cleric to heal it?” asked Ziona with a smile.
“How else would you survive to tell the stories?” laughed Venus.
“There has got to be something of great importance behind these gates,” said Gideon. “Or else there would not have been such an imposing creature guarding them.”
“Let’s find out,” said Lox with excitement.
However, the halfling’s momentum slowed as he started to reach for the lock on the gate. He thought of the promise he had made Ziona…he turned to the party and asked bashfully, “That is, if you think we should…?”
“It is wise to use caution, Lox,” said Dent. “There is no telling what we are going to find…let us send the dire bear ahead.”
Lox pulled forth his lockpicks, but found that the gate was not locked. The gate swung open with a tremendous creak that sent a chill throughout the entire party. The summoned bear proceeded forward and then suddenly roared loudly and disappeared.
“I don’t think that’s a good sign,” said Lox.
Venus began casting, and found that the entire corridor was highly magical.
“Something strange is afoot,” he warned the group.
The entire party entered the gigantic corridor with caution, and found it was not a comfortable place to traverse. Ziona felt quite awkward being there, but couldn’t understand why. The further they went into the corridor, the more uncomfortable they felt, until Lox and Gorthat began crying out. It seemed that the corridor was beginning to drain away their strength. Being halfway through the massive corridor, the group fought the horrible sensations they were feeling and ran through the gates at the end of the corridor.
All of them collapsed onto the white marble floor and panted as they regained their strength.
“What a truly horrible experience,” said Ziona.
“Wow…look at those,” cried Lox.
Before the group stood two huge statues, both standing twenty feet tall. The first was a man, whose look was noble and serene. The second was more of a rough carving, which looked more terrible and less perfect than the first statue, and held a lightening bolt above his head. Below, on the base of the statues, was an archaic script.
Ziona stepped forward and, using her Helm of Language Comprehension, read the script aloud:
Stone by stone and crafted by my hands
The tomb of Ereg Tal here stands
‘Til the end of time may be
Shall his goodness shine on thee.
Chiseled by the hand of Kor the Storm
Liegeman of Ereg Tal in peace and war
For to entomb his master’s bones
And thus to build eternal home.
Know ye who stand before the portal
Ereg was Titan, but not immortal
Nerull the Black did strike the fell blow
That laid my Mighty Master low.
Mortally wounded was Ereg Tal
The King I loved the most of all
And so I bore him to this cave
And from the stone carved our two graves.
About his blessed neck I placed
The Golden Torc, in life given free,
As Symbol of my fealty
So I sealed it in the sepulcher with he.
To the end stand I the honor guard
‘Til life empties from my mortal gourd
Know all that Ereg Tal was the beloved Master to Kor
Faithful Servant to His Lord.
“A golden torc? That’s mine!” cried Lox.
“I don’t think it would be wise to take an item from a soul at rest,” warned Ziona. “Even the best intentions can have dire consequences.”
Her companions were forced to remember the elven warrior maiden whose tomb was defiled when they tried to protect her sword.
“I agree with Ziona,” said Gorthat. “I don’t see why we would even want the torc of a titan.”
“It’s gold,” said Lox, “and everyone knows gold is shiny! I bet it’s worth quite a bit of gold, too!”
“Whatever treasures these tombs held,” interrupted Dent, “I’m sure the minions of Gruumsh have taken them.”
“Perhaps one of us should check within to make sure the titan and the storm giant have not been defiled,” suggested Venus.
“I will use my ring to look into the tombs,” said Gideon. “That way no one actually has to open the doors, which could trigger a trap or alarm.”
“That sounds like a fine idea,” said Gorthat.
Gideon activated his ring, which made him invisible to everyone but Rossal and Glindil. The dragons watched with interest as Gideon reached the ethereal plane and pushed his head through the door of the tomb. What he saw within the tomb, the dragons could not tell, but the look of horror on his face told them that it was not good.
The psychic warrior became visible to the group again, and it was obvious something was wrong. The color had drained from his face, and he shook violently.
“Gideon? Are you okay?” asked Ziona.
“We must flee,” said Gideon.
“What did you see?” asked Dent.
“Kor…the giant…it got out of it’s sarcophagus!”
“What do you mea…”
Gideon turned from the group and began fleeing back through the white corridor, the way they had come.
“Gideon!” called Ziona.
Venus and Dent readied their weapons, waiting for something to happen. Then suddenly, a gigantic ghost came storming through the wall, emitting a terrifying moan on it’s way out.
Both Ziona and Lox are stricken with fear and fled the same way Gideon had. Rossal and Glindil, who were on the cleric’s shoulders, held on tight as their friend ran for her life.
Meanwhile, the ghost of Kor the Storm Giant began casting. Within seconds, Chain Lightening burst from the giant and sizzled as it struck the fleeing cleric, and knocked down Dent. Gorthat ran to the ranger’s aide and administered a healing potion.
Venus ran up to Kor without hesitation and began his onslaught. However, he did not manage to hit the storm giant at all.
Dent reached for his bow and fired three arrows at the undead giant. As each hit their mark, Kor let out an ear-piercing shriek. Behind him, the doors of his tomb swung open, and he reached out his hand to catch the humongous hammer that hurtled his way. As the giant stepped forward with his weapon, his enormous foot blocked Venus’s escape route.
Dent continued to plug the ghost with his flaming arrows, while Haley growled and circled her companion as if warning him that they should leave.
Meanwhile, Gorthat took out his lute and began to sing, and his heroic melody began inspiring greatness in The Soldier of Lathander.
Venus, feeling as though adrenaline were pumping through his undead veins, lashed out at his foe with The Blade of Xyzx Doomhand. He knew his blows were inflicting pain upon the giant by the way it screeched when he struck it. His vampiric agility saved him several times, as Kor slammed his hammer down as if he were trying to smash an insect. Venus saw that the giant was beginning to turn it’s attention towards the arrows that were stinging into it’s undead hide. Knowing that his friends were in danger, Venus ran towards the tomb of Ereg Tal and shoved open the golden doors.
Kor heard the doors of his master’s tomb swing open, and turned to destroy the intruder who dared to enter such a sacred place. Venus ran into the room then turned and stood his ground. He wanted to make sure his companions had enough time to escape before the giant turned back to attack them. Before he knew it, Kor was upon him and was swinging his hammer mercilessly around the tomb. Raising his scimitar against the storm giant a final time, Venus Xyzx struck his foe and tried to dodge the crushing blow of the hammer. His vampiric reflexes were not fast enough to save him this time however, and as the hammer fell upon The Soldier of Lathander, he reverted to gaseous form and began seeping out of the room.
Outside the tomb, Dent, Haley, and Gorthat had heard Venus’s battle cry, and half expected the warrior to exit the crypt the victor. However, when they saw the gaseous form of their friend slowly creeping from the room, they knew they were no match for their foe. The three of them ran though the white corridor, knowing that the rest of the party had headed in this direction as well.
Dent knew that Venus would have to find refuge within his coffin if he were going to survive. However, he also recalled the hours they spent wandering through the hellish maze, and he knew his friend was lost.
The Adventure Continues…
“What do you mean he ‘ran away?’” asked Ziona in shock.
“The mage was casting on him, and suddenly, he looked terrified and he ran off,” said Gideon, explaining again.
“What happened to the mage?” asked Dent.
“I don’t know. He was invisible, so I don’t know if he was still there, or if he fled, too.”
“First Drexel, now Doc,” sighed Ziona. “Eilistraee give me strength.”
“There, there,” said Gorthat. “I’m sure whatever spell the mage cast on him will wear off in time, and he’ll head back.”
“Yeah, but we thought Drexel would just come back , too, and he hasn’t,” said Lox shaking his head.
“Lox!” reprimanded Dent.
“No, it’s okay,” said Ziona. “Drexel is going to have a hard time getting back to us, but Doc is now lost somewhere here…somewhere within this dungeon. We must find him before something else does.”
“She’s right,” said Venus. “But how do we know where he went?”
“We should just continue going deeper down until we find him,” said Dent. “It’s all we can do.”
The gloomy group continued on until they found a place to rest. Ziona prayed, and Gorthat sang songs to try to cheer them up. Lox danced happily to every song that the half-orc played, until the rest of the group called them over to discuss what they should do next.
“I say we just continue moving forward,” said Dent. “We will find Doc.”
“There are many creatures here that could devour a lone adventurer,” said Gorthat.
“Which reminds me,” said Venus. “How was it you came to wander the corridors of Rappan Athuk alone?”
“I was part of an adventuring group, not unlike yourselves,” began Gorthat. “But the hound killed all of them but me.”
“A hound? What sort of canine kills an entire group?” Gideon asked Dent.
“Depends,” said Dent. “What was the hound like?”
“Well, for starters,” said Gorthat, “it had three heads, and red eyes. It was huge and vicious…one of my companions nearly got away with me, but her wounds were too much for her to bear…our cleric died in the battle, and my skill was not nearly enough to save her.”
“I am sorry to hear of your loss,” said Ziona, sitting among them.
“The beast sounds unnatural to me,” said Dent. “Where did you encounter such a monster?”
“Not far from here,” said Gorthat. “Shortly after the battle, I headed this way and entered the maze again, hoping to find my way out.”
“We should get some rest, then,” said Ziona. “If this beast lies in our path, we must have our strength to defeat it.”
The cleric turned from her companions, not noticing the rose that was now woven into her silvery hair.
Dent, Gideon, and Venus looked at Gorthat with matching grins. They had watched the bard nimbly weave the rose into Ziona’s hair, yet she did not even flinch.
“That’s an interesting skill you have there, Gorthat,” said Venus.
“It’s Gee-or-they,” he corrected.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
The next day the heroes continued traveling deeper into the dungeon. Nearly every room and corridor they came across was empty or pillaged, and there seemed to be no sign of Doc. Just when they were about to sit for a moment’s rest, they began to hear growling coming from behind one of the doors.
“It’s the beast,” said Gorthat. “I knew we were getting close.”
The group readied their weapons and rushed through the door. As they tore into the room, a monstrous three-headed hell hound stood before them, panting and drooling onto the floor. Behind the hound were huge gates, which dominated the entire wall, floor to ceiling.
The heroes began attacking the massive hound while it’s three heads moved rhythmically to destroy them. Though they were successful in their attempts to strike the beast, they were not ready for the second head to rear back and breath upon them. Fire engulfed everyone in the group except for Gideon and Lox, who dodged, and Ziona, who was not near enough to the second head of the hell hound to be affected. However, the third head lashed out at the half-drow and bit into her flesh.
Dent pulled his Vermillion Bag of Tricks from his pack and drew forth a dire bear! Using his Whistle of Animal Control, he commanded the bear to attack the hell hound. The angry bear lumbered in to battle the hound, tearing into the monster without hesitation.
Meanwhile, Venus continued his deadly attacks with his Blade of Xyzx Doomhand. Before long, the huge hell hound was a bloody mess upon the floor, and no longer a threat to the group that fought together to defeat it.
“I can’t believe I was struck by the beast’s fiery breath,” grumbled Gorthat as Ziona healed him.
“Ah, but a battle is not a battle unless there is a war wound to prove it,” said Venus with pride.
“As long as there is a cleric to heal it?” asked Ziona with a smile.
“How else would you survive to tell the stories?” laughed Venus.
“There has got to be something of great importance behind these gates,” said Gideon. “Or else there would not have been such an imposing creature guarding them.”
“Let’s find out,” said Lox with excitement.
However, the halfling’s momentum slowed as he started to reach for the lock on the gate. He thought of the promise he had made Ziona…he turned to the party and asked bashfully, “That is, if you think we should…?”
“It is wise to use caution, Lox,” said Dent. “There is no telling what we are going to find…let us send the dire bear ahead.”
Lox pulled forth his lockpicks, but found that the gate was not locked. The gate swung open with a tremendous creak that sent a chill throughout the entire party. The summoned bear proceeded forward and then suddenly roared loudly and disappeared.
“I don’t think that’s a good sign,” said Lox.
Venus began casting, and found that the entire corridor was highly magical.
“Something strange is afoot,” he warned the group.
The entire party entered the gigantic corridor with caution, and found it was not a comfortable place to traverse. Ziona felt quite awkward being there, but couldn’t understand why. The further they went into the corridor, the more uncomfortable they felt, until Lox and Gorthat began crying out. It seemed that the corridor was beginning to drain away their strength. Being halfway through the massive corridor, the group fought the horrible sensations they were feeling and ran through the gates at the end of the corridor.
All of them collapsed onto the white marble floor and panted as they regained their strength.
“What a truly horrible experience,” said Ziona.
“Wow…look at those,” cried Lox.
Before the group stood two huge statues, both standing twenty feet tall. The first was a man, whose look was noble and serene. The second was more of a rough carving, which looked more terrible and less perfect than the first statue, and held a lightening bolt above his head. Below, on the base of the statues, was an archaic script.
Ziona stepped forward and, using her Helm of Language Comprehension, read the script aloud:
Stone by stone and crafted by my hands
The tomb of Ereg Tal here stands
‘Til the end of time may be
Shall his goodness shine on thee.
Chiseled by the hand of Kor the Storm
Liegeman of Ereg Tal in peace and war
For to entomb his master’s bones
And thus to build eternal home.
Know ye who stand before the portal
Ereg was Titan, but not immortal
Nerull the Black did strike the fell blow
That laid my Mighty Master low.
Mortally wounded was Ereg Tal
The King I loved the most of all
And so I bore him to this cave
And from the stone carved our two graves.
About his blessed neck I placed
The Golden Torc, in life given free,
As Symbol of my fealty
So I sealed it in the sepulcher with he.
To the end stand I the honor guard
‘Til life empties from my mortal gourd
Know all that Ereg Tal was the beloved Master to Kor
Faithful Servant to His Lord.
“A golden torc? That’s mine!” cried Lox.
“I don’t think it would be wise to take an item from a soul at rest,” warned Ziona. “Even the best intentions can have dire consequences.”
Her companions were forced to remember the elven warrior maiden whose tomb was defiled when they tried to protect her sword.
“I agree with Ziona,” said Gorthat. “I don’t see why we would even want the torc of a titan.”
“It’s gold,” said Lox, “and everyone knows gold is shiny! I bet it’s worth quite a bit of gold, too!”
“Whatever treasures these tombs held,” interrupted Dent, “I’m sure the minions of Gruumsh have taken them.”
“Perhaps one of us should check within to make sure the titan and the storm giant have not been defiled,” suggested Venus.
“I will use my ring to look into the tombs,” said Gideon. “That way no one actually has to open the doors, which could trigger a trap or alarm.”
“That sounds like a fine idea,” said Gorthat.
Gideon activated his ring, which made him invisible to everyone but Rossal and Glindil. The dragons watched with interest as Gideon reached the ethereal plane and pushed his head through the door of the tomb. What he saw within the tomb, the dragons could not tell, but the look of horror on his face told them that it was not good.
The psychic warrior became visible to the group again, and it was obvious something was wrong. The color had drained from his face, and he shook violently.
“Gideon? Are you okay?” asked Ziona.
“We must flee,” said Gideon.
“What did you see?” asked Dent.
“Kor…the giant…it got out of it’s sarcophagus!”
“What do you mea…”
Gideon turned from the group and began fleeing back through the white corridor, the way they had come.
“Gideon!” called Ziona.
Venus and Dent readied their weapons, waiting for something to happen. Then suddenly, a gigantic ghost came storming through the wall, emitting a terrifying moan on it’s way out.
Both Ziona and Lox are stricken with fear and fled the same way Gideon had. Rossal and Glindil, who were on the cleric’s shoulders, held on tight as their friend ran for her life.
Meanwhile, the ghost of Kor the Storm Giant began casting. Within seconds, Chain Lightening burst from the giant and sizzled as it struck the fleeing cleric, and knocked down Dent. Gorthat ran to the ranger’s aide and administered a healing potion.
Venus ran up to Kor without hesitation and began his onslaught. However, he did not manage to hit the storm giant at all.
Dent reached for his bow and fired three arrows at the undead giant. As each hit their mark, Kor let out an ear-piercing shriek. Behind him, the doors of his tomb swung open, and he reached out his hand to catch the humongous hammer that hurtled his way. As the giant stepped forward with his weapon, his enormous foot blocked Venus’s escape route.
Dent continued to plug the ghost with his flaming arrows, while Haley growled and circled her companion as if warning him that they should leave.
Meanwhile, Gorthat took out his lute and began to sing, and his heroic melody began inspiring greatness in The Soldier of Lathander.
Venus, feeling as though adrenaline were pumping through his undead veins, lashed out at his foe with The Blade of Xyzx Doomhand. He knew his blows were inflicting pain upon the giant by the way it screeched when he struck it. His vampiric agility saved him several times, as Kor slammed his hammer down as if he were trying to smash an insect. Venus saw that the giant was beginning to turn it’s attention towards the arrows that were stinging into it’s undead hide. Knowing that his friends were in danger, Venus ran towards the tomb of Ereg Tal and shoved open the golden doors.
Kor heard the doors of his master’s tomb swing open, and turned to destroy the intruder who dared to enter such a sacred place. Venus ran into the room then turned and stood his ground. He wanted to make sure his companions had enough time to escape before the giant turned back to attack them. Before he knew it, Kor was upon him and was swinging his hammer mercilessly around the tomb. Raising his scimitar against the storm giant a final time, Venus Xyzx struck his foe and tried to dodge the crushing blow of the hammer. His vampiric reflexes were not fast enough to save him this time however, and as the hammer fell upon The Soldier of Lathander, he reverted to gaseous form and began seeping out of the room.
Outside the tomb, Dent, Haley, and Gorthat had heard Venus’s battle cry, and half expected the warrior to exit the crypt the victor. However, when they saw the gaseous form of their friend slowly creeping from the room, they knew they were no match for their foe. The three of them ran though the white corridor, knowing that the rest of the party had headed in this direction as well.
Dent knew that Venus would have to find refuge within his coffin if he were going to survive. However, he also recalled the hours they spent wandering through the hellish maze, and he knew his friend was lost.
The Adventure Continues…
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