SolidSnake
First Post
Return to the Temple of Elemental Evil - Prelude 2 (or “We are all mortal. It is more a question of how, rather then when.”)
"Orcs two of them."
-twang-
-twang-
[Scream of pain]
[gurgle]
"MOVE!"
Aramek: "Son of a goat! Were sittin duks out ere. Son of a bluddie goat! Aargh!"
Stella: "We need to get to the doors."
Aramek: "Aye, ya be right with that las."
Faust: "As soon as we break from this wall they can fire down on us."
Strider: "Falcon, run to that nook over there while I provide missile cover. As soon as you get there, provide missile cover for the rest of us. Once you all get to the door, I will draw they’re fire to give you time to get inside"
Aramek: "Ai dont mean ta burst yer bubble lad, but they’re firing out of slots 2 inches wide. Ya-“
Strider: "Trust me. Falcon, NOW!"
Elhonna. Guide my hand; let my aim be true this day. (As an aside, the orcs on the inside of the stronghold had 9/10ths cover. Strider only missed once. Can I get a BOO YAH?!)
Aramek: "Strider, les go. Come on. Yer as slow as pregnant mule. COME ON!"
Strider managed to only get struck once and a graze at that. Upon gaining the entrance, Falcon immediately set to lighting a torch so he and Strider could see. Aramek was busy closing the door with Stella. Strider and Faust were reloading. As the torch ignited with a flare, the party had only a moment to react to the rain of arrows fired from the opposite end of the precarious rope-bridge (visible only to Stella, Faust and Aramek before). The torchlight was only bright enough to reveal the opposite edge of the apparent bottomless chasm. With everyone’s eyes readjusting, no one could see who it was on the opposite edge. Aramek charged the bridge while the rest of the party set to returning fire. Guessing from the angle of the incoming arrows and seeing the outline of stalagmites on the other side, Strider took aim.
-gurgle-
Elhonna truly had heard Strider’s prayer.
The rope bridge was a death trap. Aramek fell off less than 10 feet across and by the luck of Moradin was able to clasp a hand around part of the bridge. Strider dove to catch him while the faceless enemies, Stella and Faust were exchanging missile fire. Falcon noticed a door to the partys left and wisely guarded it. Strider managed to prevent both himself and Aramek from falling. However, Aramek was intent on getting to the other side and started monkey bar climbing his way to the other side of the bridge. Strider took up missile fire again. By the time Aramek was two thirds across, an orc broke from cover and started hacking away at the rope bridge with his axe. He managed to cut one side before Strider could pelt him with arrows. Falcon hearing movement around the corner (beyond the door to the partys left) surprised the oncoming orcs and managed to take the both of them out. When he returned Aramek had gained the other side. Falcon seeing the other side was secure carefully made his way onto the bridge after tying a rope around his waste and securing it to the bridge. Tiptoeing to the center of the bridge, the monk had a moment of clarity before he saw his end. For that one instant, the universe was clear. The bridge tipped, having had one of its ends cut by the orc, and Falcon plummeted to his death. His last thoughts were memories of him denying the usefulness of rope use to his sensei.
Falcons descent was met with silent shock. Stella numbly took out her rope and very carefully secured one end to the door while. Strider did the same with his own rope. Strider was the next to brave the crossing. With the added structural support of the two additional ropes, Strider made it across.
Faust was not so lucky. The bard had practiced tightrope walking before. However, fate frowned on Faust this day. Stellas numbness abided overcome by rage. She did not stop screaming until Faust was no longer visible.
Aramek: "Go back las. Strider and Ai will take it frum ere."
Stella: "Im coming across. So help me Pelor, I am coming across!"
Aramek: "At least take off yer armor."
The gear was sent over first. With Stellas first precarious step, every one of Strider’s muscles tensed. Each inch was witnessed by Aramek’s release of a bit more of the breath he was holding onto. When Stella had both feet planted on the opposite side, Aramek literally hugged her.
Within a few seconds, the weakened party was underway. Throwing open the doorway on the other side of the bridge revealed a series of tunnels dug by the dwarves in an age long ago. Strider instinctively moved to the lead, but was quickly reprimanded by Aramek for being a complete human fool. Strider would have contested the point had he actually had the ability to see in darkness. Aramek’s excursion didn’t last long. Within a few yards, he came across what looked like a makeshift prison. Inside were two human figures. Aramek reported this to the group before he had them come near the wooden cage. Both men instantly sat up as they saw the party approach.
"Wat ar ye in fer?"
One of the humans pressed his face to the bars and gave Strider a long, hard look.
"I am here because I am human," the man spoke in chilling tones.
"Dusnt seem rite if ye ask me. Strider?"
"No it doesn’t Aramek. I believe that the sentence was rather harsh."
In a few moments the wooden bars were hacked away by Aramek’s handaxe. The human who spoke to them through the bars named himself Braxis and the other called himself Cascio. Braxis instantly swore fealty to Strider and Aramek for saving his life. Cascio, on the other hand, seemed too self-absorbed playing with a snake wrapped around his wrist to notice that he had actually been freed. With a reinvigorated party, Aramek led the way through the tunnels once again.
After many dead ends and wrong turns, the party finally made their way back into an area of worked stone. The long hallway contained many doors. A decision was upon the party on how to proceed. It was obvious that evil humanoids lurked beyond the portals, but everyone had a theory on how to proceed. Braxis suggested working from one room to the next, quietly slitting the throats of unprepared orcs and thereby reducing their force dramatically before an inevitable confrontation. Strider found this to be sound advice. Cascio thought it might be a better idea if someone had a magical potion that would turn his snake into a demon, so that it could kill everyone. Everyone stared blankly at him for a moment before trying to pretend that actual words did not come from his mouth. Braxis and Strider were fine-tuning their plans, when Aramek said "ferk it" and kicked down the nearest door, pandemonium instantly erupted.
Aramek awaited in the hallway with his companions as orcs poured out from every available portal. Steel met steel and the pain of battle was on everyone’s lips. The adventurers bunched together, a tactic that saved them from certain doom as wave after wave of orcs attempted to sunder them. The battle was going in favor of the party before an ogre and his two pet wolves showed up. The wolves tore into their ranks as his greataxe dealt heavy damage to both Strider and Aramek. Eventually the party prevailed through sheer tenacity, but with great cost. Stella had taken a blow so fatal that not even the divine power of Ehlonna could undo. In all the days Strider had fought by his side, he had never seen Aramek even close to tears. Not when the orcs tore his flesh with their weapons, not when Belaks dark powers had been used upon him, not even when he threw himself off the side of a chasm…no, not once did he cry. Yet at the sight of Stella’s motionless body, tears began to well in his eyes. No one needed encouragement to leave him alone with her body as he gave her the last rights.
It seemed like a few hours before Aramek had finally finished. Without so much as a glance at the rest of the party, he started to head onward into the depths of the dwarven stronghold.
"Wel, what ar ya waitin fer ya bunch of firgin yaks!"
The next few days were spent watching Braxis set off every single trap the dwarven stronghold ever built and resting once they had been triggered. The groups exploration eventually led them to the lower levels of the complex, an area called the Glitterhame. There they met up with a man Aramek knew as Eblis and his dwarven companion Bandar. Eblis was mercenary, according to Aramek, but still a damn good man to have in fight. With the addition of Eblis and Bandar to the group, everyone’s moral instantly improved as they saw their chance of survival go up dramatically.
More exploring led to an ironclad door that not even Braxis could open.
Braxis: "This lock is too complex for me. We need to find a key."
Eblis: "Let me try mine."
Within a few moments Eblis was able to carve through the steel like a hot knife through butter. Even Aramek couldn’t keep his jaw from dropping.
With the door demolished, the group entered the depths of the stronghold. Reclaiming the forge was a battle hard fought. Cascio went down in the first couple of seconds completely beyond revival. Strider was also beaten into unconsciousness. Only, Bandar, Aramek, Braxis, and Eblis were left standing. Braxis looking for healing potions made the fatal mistake of exploring the nearby rooms on the level of the forge and literally woke the dead. An undead orc beat Braxis’ body into a pulp while the rest of the group was apprehending the duegar who had laid claim to the forge of fury.
Aramek: "That was e nasty hit, lad."
Strider: "Where are we?"
Aramek: "Back in Blasingdale, lad. Ya had sum nasty wounds there."
Strider: "…"
Aramek: "A letter has cum fer ya. If Aim not mistakn it be the same as the one Ai receivd. Ya ever heard of Homlet?"
"Orcs two of them."
-twang-
-twang-
[Scream of pain]
[gurgle]
"MOVE!"
Aramek: "Son of a goat! Were sittin duks out ere. Son of a bluddie goat! Aargh!"
Stella: "We need to get to the doors."
Aramek: "Aye, ya be right with that las."
Faust: "As soon as we break from this wall they can fire down on us."
Strider: "Falcon, run to that nook over there while I provide missile cover. As soon as you get there, provide missile cover for the rest of us. Once you all get to the door, I will draw they’re fire to give you time to get inside"
Aramek: "Ai dont mean ta burst yer bubble lad, but they’re firing out of slots 2 inches wide. Ya-“
Strider: "Trust me. Falcon, NOW!"
Elhonna. Guide my hand; let my aim be true this day. (As an aside, the orcs on the inside of the stronghold had 9/10ths cover. Strider only missed once. Can I get a BOO YAH?!)
Aramek: "Strider, les go. Come on. Yer as slow as pregnant mule. COME ON!"
Strider managed to only get struck once and a graze at that. Upon gaining the entrance, Falcon immediately set to lighting a torch so he and Strider could see. Aramek was busy closing the door with Stella. Strider and Faust were reloading. As the torch ignited with a flare, the party had only a moment to react to the rain of arrows fired from the opposite end of the precarious rope-bridge (visible only to Stella, Faust and Aramek before). The torchlight was only bright enough to reveal the opposite edge of the apparent bottomless chasm. With everyone’s eyes readjusting, no one could see who it was on the opposite edge. Aramek charged the bridge while the rest of the party set to returning fire. Guessing from the angle of the incoming arrows and seeing the outline of stalagmites on the other side, Strider took aim.
-gurgle-
Elhonna truly had heard Strider’s prayer.
The rope bridge was a death trap. Aramek fell off less than 10 feet across and by the luck of Moradin was able to clasp a hand around part of the bridge. Strider dove to catch him while the faceless enemies, Stella and Faust were exchanging missile fire. Falcon noticed a door to the partys left and wisely guarded it. Strider managed to prevent both himself and Aramek from falling. However, Aramek was intent on getting to the other side and started monkey bar climbing his way to the other side of the bridge. Strider took up missile fire again. By the time Aramek was two thirds across, an orc broke from cover and started hacking away at the rope bridge with his axe. He managed to cut one side before Strider could pelt him with arrows. Falcon hearing movement around the corner (beyond the door to the partys left) surprised the oncoming orcs and managed to take the both of them out. When he returned Aramek had gained the other side. Falcon seeing the other side was secure carefully made his way onto the bridge after tying a rope around his waste and securing it to the bridge. Tiptoeing to the center of the bridge, the monk had a moment of clarity before he saw his end. For that one instant, the universe was clear. The bridge tipped, having had one of its ends cut by the orc, and Falcon plummeted to his death. His last thoughts were memories of him denying the usefulness of rope use to his sensei.
Falcons descent was met with silent shock. Stella numbly took out her rope and very carefully secured one end to the door while. Strider did the same with his own rope. Strider was the next to brave the crossing. With the added structural support of the two additional ropes, Strider made it across.
Faust was not so lucky. The bard had practiced tightrope walking before. However, fate frowned on Faust this day. Stellas numbness abided overcome by rage. She did not stop screaming until Faust was no longer visible.
Aramek: "Go back las. Strider and Ai will take it frum ere."
Stella: "Im coming across. So help me Pelor, I am coming across!"
Aramek: "At least take off yer armor."
The gear was sent over first. With Stellas first precarious step, every one of Strider’s muscles tensed. Each inch was witnessed by Aramek’s release of a bit more of the breath he was holding onto. When Stella had both feet planted on the opposite side, Aramek literally hugged her.
Within a few seconds, the weakened party was underway. Throwing open the doorway on the other side of the bridge revealed a series of tunnels dug by the dwarves in an age long ago. Strider instinctively moved to the lead, but was quickly reprimanded by Aramek for being a complete human fool. Strider would have contested the point had he actually had the ability to see in darkness. Aramek’s excursion didn’t last long. Within a few yards, he came across what looked like a makeshift prison. Inside were two human figures. Aramek reported this to the group before he had them come near the wooden cage. Both men instantly sat up as they saw the party approach.
"Wat ar ye in fer?"
One of the humans pressed his face to the bars and gave Strider a long, hard look.
"I am here because I am human," the man spoke in chilling tones.
"Dusnt seem rite if ye ask me. Strider?"
"No it doesn’t Aramek. I believe that the sentence was rather harsh."
In a few moments the wooden bars were hacked away by Aramek’s handaxe. The human who spoke to them through the bars named himself Braxis and the other called himself Cascio. Braxis instantly swore fealty to Strider and Aramek for saving his life. Cascio, on the other hand, seemed too self-absorbed playing with a snake wrapped around his wrist to notice that he had actually been freed. With a reinvigorated party, Aramek led the way through the tunnels once again.
After many dead ends and wrong turns, the party finally made their way back into an area of worked stone. The long hallway contained many doors. A decision was upon the party on how to proceed. It was obvious that evil humanoids lurked beyond the portals, but everyone had a theory on how to proceed. Braxis suggested working from one room to the next, quietly slitting the throats of unprepared orcs and thereby reducing their force dramatically before an inevitable confrontation. Strider found this to be sound advice. Cascio thought it might be a better idea if someone had a magical potion that would turn his snake into a demon, so that it could kill everyone. Everyone stared blankly at him for a moment before trying to pretend that actual words did not come from his mouth. Braxis and Strider were fine-tuning their plans, when Aramek said "ferk it" and kicked down the nearest door, pandemonium instantly erupted.
Aramek awaited in the hallway with his companions as orcs poured out from every available portal. Steel met steel and the pain of battle was on everyone’s lips. The adventurers bunched together, a tactic that saved them from certain doom as wave after wave of orcs attempted to sunder them. The battle was going in favor of the party before an ogre and his two pet wolves showed up. The wolves tore into their ranks as his greataxe dealt heavy damage to both Strider and Aramek. Eventually the party prevailed through sheer tenacity, but with great cost. Stella had taken a blow so fatal that not even the divine power of Ehlonna could undo. In all the days Strider had fought by his side, he had never seen Aramek even close to tears. Not when the orcs tore his flesh with their weapons, not when Belaks dark powers had been used upon him, not even when he threw himself off the side of a chasm…no, not once did he cry. Yet at the sight of Stella’s motionless body, tears began to well in his eyes. No one needed encouragement to leave him alone with her body as he gave her the last rights.
It seemed like a few hours before Aramek had finally finished. Without so much as a glance at the rest of the party, he started to head onward into the depths of the dwarven stronghold.
"Wel, what ar ya waitin fer ya bunch of firgin yaks!"
The next few days were spent watching Braxis set off every single trap the dwarven stronghold ever built and resting once they had been triggered. The groups exploration eventually led them to the lower levels of the complex, an area called the Glitterhame. There they met up with a man Aramek knew as Eblis and his dwarven companion Bandar. Eblis was mercenary, according to Aramek, but still a damn good man to have in fight. With the addition of Eblis and Bandar to the group, everyone’s moral instantly improved as they saw their chance of survival go up dramatically.
More exploring led to an ironclad door that not even Braxis could open.
Braxis: "This lock is too complex for me. We need to find a key."
Eblis: "Let me try mine."
Within a few moments Eblis was able to carve through the steel like a hot knife through butter. Even Aramek couldn’t keep his jaw from dropping.
With the door demolished, the group entered the depths of the stronghold. Reclaiming the forge was a battle hard fought. Cascio went down in the first couple of seconds completely beyond revival. Strider was also beaten into unconsciousness. Only, Bandar, Aramek, Braxis, and Eblis were left standing. Braxis looking for healing potions made the fatal mistake of exploring the nearby rooms on the level of the forge and literally woke the dead. An undead orc beat Braxis’ body into a pulp while the rest of the group was apprehending the duegar who had laid claim to the forge of fury.
Aramek: "That was e nasty hit, lad."
Strider: "Where are we?"
Aramek: "Back in Blasingdale, lad. Ya had sum nasty wounds there."
Strider: "…"
Aramek: "A letter has cum fer ya. If Aim not mistakn it be the same as the one Ai receivd. Ya ever heard of Homlet?"