Rel's Faded Glory II (Thanks Old One) Final Update 7/14
- Thread starter Rel
- Start date
Speaks With Stone
First Post
As it turns out, only Scar's player has really extensively read the Monster Manual anyway. I have it but I've tried to only read up about the creatures I can summon, so I really have no concept of what a lot of other creatures can do. When we run into kobolds, I'm genuinely surprised when they start whipping out lots of spells. When we run into a Banelar, I can't even begin to guess at what to call it much less figure out what it can do.
In some ways this has been fun to just experience the opposition without player knowledge, in other ways it has led us into a number of poor decisions. Ah well.
In some ways this has been fun to just experience the opposition without player knowledge, in other ways it has led us into a number of poor decisions. Ah well.
Rel
Liquid Awesome
Anybody out there still reading this thing? 
Finally, an update. The good news is that I got a fair chunk of writing done over the weekend and I should have enough to update every day this week if I slice it right. Now if I could just manage to log on at times when I'm not hitting the user limit...
Oh for a Rogue
In the immediate aftermath of the battle, the group surveyed the cathedral more carefully. A pair of double doors stood on each side of the room, most likely leading to the wings of the Temple the party had observed from outside. At the front was a series of steps, raising the floor some three feet above the main floor. Atop this dais was an altar and behind that a large wall hanging depicting a raised fist surrounded by green flames.
The group was mindful that there were magical wards placed throughout the room as evidenced by the fate of the wolf that Speaks had summoned. Raven used a minor spell to Detect any Magics that were currently active in the area. He located several areas that he suspected would be painful to enter and made this known to the others.
Before he could sweep the entire room however, Scar boldly approached the altar. He appeared not to set off any of the elemental wards set about the place, but as he drew close to the unholy altar, he felt a sense of Doom overcome him. He tried unsuccessfully to shake the oppressive feeling. In anger, he tore down the large, silk wall hanging and left in a pile on the floor.
With a few of their protective spells still in place, the group decided to press on with due haste. They selected one of the sets of doors and warily opened them. Beyond was a single large room with a few bits of scattered, broken furniture. In each of the far corners was a small alcove. Scar stepped inside to investigate further.
As he did so, he heard an audible click from the floor below him and a fullisade of darts shot from the wall flanking the set of doors. His armor stopped some of the darts and he instinctively dodged a few others, but he was still wounded, angry and a bit depressed.
By way of consolation, Speaks cast a spell on him that would allow him to Regenerate any further wounds he took in the next few minutes. Scar proceeded across the room to one of the alcoves and found a door. Raven found another in the opposite alcove. Both doors seemed to lead into the area situated between the alcoves, which was fairly small.
Scar suspected another possible trap within the alcove, but there was no way to open the door without stepping inside. He did and was rewarded with another volley of darts. He fared slightly better against these and opened the door to find a staircase leading upwards.
Raven entered the alcove he had been exploring and was pleased that there was no trap. He opened the door and was struck from behind by a cluster of arrows shot from carefully hidden holes in the wall. The dwarf growled in pain and plucked the arrows out of the gaps between the plates of his armor. Looking beyond the door, he saw a staircase leading down.
After a brief pause, the group decided to take the stairs down. They lodged the door open behind them hoping that the trap would not reset itself and descended. At the bottom, they entered a narrow hallway that turned twice in quick succession. A few feet further on, Raven spotted a series of side passages or alcoves further up the hallway and moved forward to investigate.
He traveled roughly ten feet before falling down a pit, making a loud rattling of armor as he came to rest on the floor, thirty feet below. "Stupid */@%& Traps!"
Scar and Speaks started forward to aid their friend when they noticed several Skeletal Archers step out of the side passages ahead. The archers began to fire immediately into the ranks of the party. Scar immediately drew his bow and began to return fire at the skeletons in return. Speaks pulled out a rope and tossed it down to Raven.
Scar noticed right away that his arrows were having little effect against his bony foes. He opted to drop his bow and leap across the pit (it was only 5 feet) to directly engage the archers. Speaks meanwhile tried in vain to pull Raven from the pit. Raven was not very adept at climbing and with his heavy armor, he would never manage on his own. Raven attempted to tie the rope around himself and let Speaks just haul him out, but the dwarf also knew little about knots. All of this resulted in a great deal of cursing by the dwarf as he remained trapped down a hole whilst evil was being smitten overhead.
Scar made quick work of the archers and returned to aid Speaks in getting Raven out of the hole. The group was getting rather banged up by this point and more healing magic was applied to soothe their wounds.
Further up, the corridor took a left turn and became wider. Ahead they could see that the hallway opened into some kind of larger room. As they reached the opening to the room, the area came alive with more of the gaunt, longsword wielding undead they had faced in the cathedral above (they had determined that these were undead elves).
Scar was first to react and he stepped forward to engage the enemy. His hammer began to strike foes left and right with satisfying results. Raven was quick into the fray as well anxious to make up for the last battle, which had passed with him down a pit. Speaks grumbled as his allies charged forward. He had hoped that they could force the undead to fight them in the hallway where they could keep them from all attacking at once. Clearly, this was not to be and Speaks moved forward into the battle.
The undead elven warriors were not so easily vanquished as the skeletons the party had faced. Several times during the melee, Scar and Raven felt the bite of their swords. But the party avoided any life-threatening wounds and fought well as they had above in the cathedral.
Scar and Raven mostly stayed shoulder to shoulder to avoid being flanked. Speaks worked at keeping another of the foes occupied with his club and conserving his magic for the greater challenges he knew must lie ahead. Within a few more moments, Scar and Raven downed their foes and helped Speaks with his.
Casting about for any further enemies, the group realized that they were in a sort of gallery. Before them the floor dropped into a sunken area. A pair of staircases dropped down into this area and were separated from the rest of the gallery by low, stone railings. The group stepped to the edge of the gallery to look down into the sunken area. It was easily 60 feet to the other side and almost as wide. Gazing down at the floor, it was obviously uneven. As the party gaze in horror, they could now see that the floor was covered from wall to wall with bones. And some of them were moving…
NEXT: The Chamber of Bone
Finally, an update. The good news is that I got a fair chunk of writing done over the weekend and I should have enough to update every day this week if I slice it right. Now if I could just manage to log on at times when I'm not hitting the user limit...
Oh for a Rogue
In the immediate aftermath of the battle, the group surveyed the cathedral more carefully. A pair of double doors stood on each side of the room, most likely leading to the wings of the Temple the party had observed from outside. At the front was a series of steps, raising the floor some three feet above the main floor. Atop this dais was an altar and behind that a large wall hanging depicting a raised fist surrounded by green flames.
The group was mindful that there were magical wards placed throughout the room as evidenced by the fate of the wolf that Speaks had summoned. Raven used a minor spell to Detect any Magics that were currently active in the area. He located several areas that he suspected would be painful to enter and made this known to the others.
Before he could sweep the entire room however, Scar boldly approached the altar. He appeared not to set off any of the elemental wards set about the place, but as he drew close to the unholy altar, he felt a sense of Doom overcome him. He tried unsuccessfully to shake the oppressive feeling. In anger, he tore down the large, silk wall hanging and left in a pile on the floor.
With a few of their protective spells still in place, the group decided to press on with due haste. They selected one of the sets of doors and warily opened them. Beyond was a single large room with a few bits of scattered, broken furniture. In each of the far corners was a small alcove. Scar stepped inside to investigate further.
As he did so, he heard an audible click from the floor below him and a fullisade of darts shot from the wall flanking the set of doors. His armor stopped some of the darts and he instinctively dodged a few others, but he was still wounded, angry and a bit depressed.
By way of consolation, Speaks cast a spell on him that would allow him to Regenerate any further wounds he took in the next few minutes. Scar proceeded across the room to one of the alcoves and found a door. Raven found another in the opposite alcove. Both doors seemed to lead into the area situated between the alcoves, which was fairly small.
Scar suspected another possible trap within the alcove, but there was no way to open the door without stepping inside. He did and was rewarded with another volley of darts. He fared slightly better against these and opened the door to find a staircase leading upwards.
Raven entered the alcove he had been exploring and was pleased that there was no trap. He opened the door and was struck from behind by a cluster of arrows shot from carefully hidden holes in the wall. The dwarf growled in pain and plucked the arrows out of the gaps between the plates of his armor. Looking beyond the door, he saw a staircase leading down.
After a brief pause, the group decided to take the stairs down. They lodged the door open behind them hoping that the trap would not reset itself and descended. At the bottom, they entered a narrow hallway that turned twice in quick succession. A few feet further on, Raven spotted a series of side passages or alcoves further up the hallway and moved forward to investigate.
He traveled roughly ten feet before falling down a pit, making a loud rattling of armor as he came to rest on the floor, thirty feet below. "Stupid */@%& Traps!"
Scar and Speaks started forward to aid their friend when they noticed several Skeletal Archers step out of the side passages ahead. The archers began to fire immediately into the ranks of the party. Scar immediately drew his bow and began to return fire at the skeletons in return. Speaks pulled out a rope and tossed it down to Raven.
Scar noticed right away that his arrows were having little effect against his bony foes. He opted to drop his bow and leap across the pit (it was only 5 feet) to directly engage the archers. Speaks meanwhile tried in vain to pull Raven from the pit. Raven was not very adept at climbing and with his heavy armor, he would never manage on his own. Raven attempted to tie the rope around himself and let Speaks just haul him out, but the dwarf also knew little about knots. All of this resulted in a great deal of cursing by the dwarf as he remained trapped down a hole whilst evil was being smitten overhead.
Scar made quick work of the archers and returned to aid Speaks in getting Raven out of the hole. The group was getting rather banged up by this point and more healing magic was applied to soothe their wounds.
Further up, the corridor took a left turn and became wider. Ahead they could see that the hallway opened into some kind of larger room. As they reached the opening to the room, the area came alive with more of the gaunt, longsword wielding undead they had faced in the cathedral above (they had determined that these were undead elves).
Scar was first to react and he stepped forward to engage the enemy. His hammer began to strike foes left and right with satisfying results. Raven was quick into the fray as well anxious to make up for the last battle, which had passed with him down a pit. Speaks grumbled as his allies charged forward. He had hoped that they could force the undead to fight them in the hallway where they could keep them from all attacking at once. Clearly, this was not to be and Speaks moved forward into the battle.
The undead elven warriors were not so easily vanquished as the skeletons the party had faced. Several times during the melee, Scar and Raven felt the bite of their swords. But the party avoided any life-threatening wounds and fought well as they had above in the cathedral.
Scar and Raven mostly stayed shoulder to shoulder to avoid being flanked. Speaks worked at keeping another of the foes occupied with his club and conserving his magic for the greater challenges he knew must lie ahead. Within a few more moments, Scar and Raven downed their foes and helped Speaks with his.
Casting about for any further enemies, the group realized that they were in a sort of gallery. Before them the floor dropped into a sunken area. A pair of staircases dropped down into this area and were separated from the rest of the gallery by low, stone railings. The group stepped to the edge of the gallery to look down into the sunken area. It was easily 60 feet to the other side and almost as wide. Gazing down at the floor, it was obviously uneven. As the party gaze in horror, they could now see that the floor was covered from wall to wall with bones. And some of them were moving…
NEXT: The Chamber of Bone
Broccli_Head
Explorer
I'm still reading! Like you, I have posted far and few between. Unfortunately, I don't get help from my players to post their insight or new insight. Just demands to post!
Haven't been able to read as much either. Honestly, the only stories I have been reading are Lady Despina's Virtue and yours. The others have grown stale....
Haven't been able to read as much either. Honestly, the only stories I have been reading are Lady Despina's Virtue and yours. The others have grown stale....
Rel
Liquid Awesome
Hey gang. I hope you all had a nice weekend. I've got lots of new material to post this week. I need to run through some of the stuff one more time to check it against some of my notes. I'll try to do that at lunch and start my deluge of posts for the week.
I'm still far from caught up, but I should have enough material to keep the wolves at bay for a few days. Also there is lots of juicy info coming up that should let you in on some of the overarching plotline.
I'm still far from caught up, but I should have enough material to keep the wolves at bay for a few days. Also there is lots of juicy info coming up that should let you in on some of the overarching plotline.
Rel
Liquid Awesome
This post continues the battle begun in the previous one. This was without question the largest single battle of the campaign so far and will be continued in the next post as well. Enjoy.
The Chamber of Bone
As the party watched on in horror, the bones drew together to form a cluster of skeletons who immediately started up the staircases. These undead were unarmed but their clawed hands and undying tenacity were not to be underestimated.
Speaks immediately moved to the top of one of the staircases while Raven and Scar moved to the other. As the skeletons clawed their way up the stairs they unleashed a flurry of attacks at them. The skeletons shattered easily enough, but there were more horrors waiting for the group.
In the far corner of the room, Raven and Scar peered through the darkness to see a whirlwind of bone coalesce into a towering figure. The thing was comprised not of a single skeleton but was simply a collection of random bones assembled into a twelve foot high creation of nightmare. The mass of bones shifted as the thing drew back both arms and shot forth a pair of "bone javelins" at Speaks. He was pierced by one and felt the power behind the bolt as it shredded his robe and cut open his side.
Scar saw that the skeletons were little more than a distraction from the real threat. He demolished another skeleton and dashed down the staircase into the pit below. Bones crunched underfoot as he approached the "Bone Golem" before him.
Speaks continued to smash away at the skeletons coming up the staircase he guarded. His human eyes could not penetrate the darkness to see what it was that had shot him but he had felt the might behind the attack and was afraid for Scar as he ran to face it.
Raven prepared to follow Scar's lead but before he could react the air around him shimmered and he was suddenly surrounded by creatures almost too hideous to describe. They were nearly shapeless blobs topped with almost humanoid faces contracted in grimaces of pain and hopelessness. Their pathetic claws scratched at his armor and they cried out in a soul piercing wail. Raven struck out with his hammer, laying one of the tormented souls to rest with nearly every swing.
Scar continued to make his way across the pit of bones, awkwardly moving toward the Bone Golem. Now that he was down in the pit, he could see an arched passageway leading out of the pit through the opposite wall. But there was no time to contemplate that now. He was halfway to the Bone Golem when it fired another pair of bone javelins, this time at him. Both struck him but the second was absorbed by the protection afforded him by the Barklike enchantment that Speaks had cast on his skin. The first struck him in the shoulder and the force of the blow caused him to pivot, sending a wrenching pain down his back.
As if to add insult to injury, another cluster of skeletons rose from the floor and began to crowd in on Scar from every side. He felt their claws scraping ineffectually at his armor and recoiled in horror.
Speaks had finally managed to destroy all the skeletons trying to ascend to the balcony via the staircase he guarded. He was considering trying to aid Raven whom he could barely see through the hideous, slug-like creatures whom he fought. But before he could go to the aid of the dwarf, yet another batch of skeletons rose up from the bones piled below and moved toward the stairs.
Tired of fighting them piecemeal, Speaks called on one of his most powerful enchantments and a pillar of Flame Struck the group of skeletons, burning them to bits with fire and the power of nature.
Scar battered his way through the skeleton in front of him and moved to attack the Bone Golem, heedless of the skeletal claws that tried to scratch at him as he left them behind.
The Bone Golem launched another pair of bone javelins at Speaks and again one found its mark. It then moved away from Scar, staying tantalizingly out of reach.
Raven continued to batter at the horrid creatures of the Abyss that continued to press in on him. His enchanted hammer flew about him in a blur, but it seemed that every time he destroyed one of the creatures, another stepped in to take its place.
Speaks moved over to aid the dwarf and began attacking the mass of tormented souls from the other side. At the rate they were falling, the creatures would be gone in a few more seconds and then they could go help Scar.
Except for the fact that yet another cluster of Skeletons sprang from the pit of bone (they were popping up in batches of 7, roughly every other round). These quickly moved up the stairway and Speaks found himself with even more adversaries.
Those down in the pit were no less tenacious. They moved to attack Scar, unwilling to let him disengage with them. The half-orc ignored their assault and moved in to attack the Bone Golem. He bashed away at it with his hammer and chips of bone sailed across the room to join the others on the floor.
The Bone Golem responded by moving back away from Scar's hammer. It used its superior reach to attack while letting the other skeletons in between to serve as a distraction and a buffer.
Raven and Speaks continued to fight a virtual army of foes atop the balcony. Raven had banished nearly all of the slug creatures but some of the skeletons ascending the staircase had pushed their way past Speaks and were now appearing on the dwarf's flank.
Speaks too was in danger of getting surrounded and backed away from the staircase somewhat. A new group of skeletons were now scaling the opposite staircase and threatening to completely overwhelm the balcony area.
Things below were not much better. Scar continued to smash the lesser skeletons out of the way in an attempt to reach the Bone Golem. His blows were telling when they landed, but he was having a tough time getting close enough to swing. And when he did get a clear line on the Golem, he found himself getting clouted by a stout bony club, studded with a ring of vertebrae. He still had some fight left in him, but he was starting to wear down.
Raven could see that they were never going to get a handle on the skeletons by destroying them one at a time. He raised high his hammer and golden light poured from the symbol of Moradin inscribed thereupon. A half dozen skeletons nearest him turned to dust and the way was clear now for him to move to aid Speaks.
And not a moment too soon. Speaks had retreated to the rear of the balcony area and was being hard pressed by the mass of skeletons around him. A couple of them had managed to slip their claws through the hides he wore and raked at his flesh beneath. When he saw the Dwarf free of the crowd he had been fighting, Speaks felt a sense of relief.
Then, without warning, the space between them grew hazy and a Wall of Ice bisected the balcony area, cutting Raven off from aiding the Druid.
Below in the pit, Scar had destroyed most of the skeletal harriers and had backed the Bone Golem into one corner of the Chamber of Bone. He launched himself at the creature and withstood another blow from its jagged and bony appendage. But he ignored the pain and met the creature with a two-handed, overhand swing of his warhammer that landed squarely on the creature's lower body. It collapsed in on itself (and Scar) and lay in an inert heap of bones indistinguishable from the rest of the floor.
Scar turned and breathed a sigh of relief as he prepared to ascend to the balcony where his friends still fought. As he watched, another Wall of Ice came into being, cutting the pit in half and separating him from his companions.
The group was now split and none of them could aid each other.
NEXT: The Overlord
The Chamber of Bone
As the party watched on in horror, the bones drew together to form a cluster of skeletons who immediately started up the staircases. These undead were unarmed but their clawed hands and undying tenacity were not to be underestimated.
Speaks immediately moved to the top of one of the staircases while Raven and Scar moved to the other. As the skeletons clawed their way up the stairs they unleashed a flurry of attacks at them. The skeletons shattered easily enough, but there were more horrors waiting for the group.
In the far corner of the room, Raven and Scar peered through the darkness to see a whirlwind of bone coalesce into a towering figure. The thing was comprised not of a single skeleton but was simply a collection of random bones assembled into a twelve foot high creation of nightmare. The mass of bones shifted as the thing drew back both arms and shot forth a pair of "bone javelins" at Speaks. He was pierced by one and felt the power behind the bolt as it shredded his robe and cut open his side.
Scar saw that the skeletons were little more than a distraction from the real threat. He demolished another skeleton and dashed down the staircase into the pit below. Bones crunched underfoot as he approached the "Bone Golem" before him.
Speaks continued to smash away at the skeletons coming up the staircase he guarded. His human eyes could not penetrate the darkness to see what it was that had shot him but he had felt the might behind the attack and was afraid for Scar as he ran to face it.
Raven prepared to follow Scar's lead but before he could react the air around him shimmered and he was suddenly surrounded by creatures almost too hideous to describe. They were nearly shapeless blobs topped with almost humanoid faces contracted in grimaces of pain and hopelessness. Their pathetic claws scratched at his armor and they cried out in a soul piercing wail. Raven struck out with his hammer, laying one of the tormented souls to rest with nearly every swing.
Scar continued to make his way across the pit of bones, awkwardly moving toward the Bone Golem. Now that he was down in the pit, he could see an arched passageway leading out of the pit through the opposite wall. But there was no time to contemplate that now. He was halfway to the Bone Golem when it fired another pair of bone javelins, this time at him. Both struck him but the second was absorbed by the protection afforded him by the Barklike enchantment that Speaks had cast on his skin. The first struck him in the shoulder and the force of the blow caused him to pivot, sending a wrenching pain down his back.
As if to add insult to injury, another cluster of skeletons rose from the floor and began to crowd in on Scar from every side. He felt their claws scraping ineffectually at his armor and recoiled in horror.
Speaks had finally managed to destroy all the skeletons trying to ascend to the balcony via the staircase he guarded. He was considering trying to aid Raven whom he could barely see through the hideous, slug-like creatures whom he fought. But before he could go to the aid of the dwarf, yet another batch of skeletons rose up from the bones piled below and moved toward the stairs.
Tired of fighting them piecemeal, Speaks called on one of his most powerful enchantments and a pillar of Flame Struck the group of skeletons, burning them to bits with fire and the power of nature.
Scar battered his way through the skeleton in front of him and moved to attack the Bone Golem, heedless of the skeletal claws that tried to scratch at him as he left them behind.
The Bone Golem launched another pair of bone javelins at Speaks and again one found its mark. It then moved away from Scar, staying tantalizingly out of reach.
Raven continued to batter at the horrid creatures of the Abyss that continued to press in on him. His enchanted hammer flew about him in a blur, but it seemed that every time he destroyed one of the creatures, another stepped in to take its place.
Speaks moved over to aid the dwarf and began attacking the mass of tormented souls from the other side. At the rate they were falling, the creatures would be gone in a few more seconds and then they could go help Scar.
Except for the fact that yet another cluster of Skeletons sprang from the pit of bone (they were popping up in batches of 7, roughly every other round). These quickly moved up the stairway and Speaks found himself with even more adversaries.
Those down in the pit were no less tenacious. They moved to attack Scar, unwilling to let him disengage with them. The half-orc ignored their assault and moved in to attack the Bone Golem. He bashed away at it with his hammer and chips of bone sailed across the room to join the others on the floor.
The Bone Golem responded by moving back away from Scar's hammer. It used its superior reach to attack while letting the other skeletons in between to serve as a distraction and a buffer.
Raven and Speaks continued to fight a virtual army of foes atop the balcony. Raven had banished nearly all of the slug creatures but some of the skeletons ascending the staircase had pushed their way past Speaks and were now appearing on the dwarf's flank.
Speaks too was in danger of getting surrounded and backed away from the staircase somewhat. A new group of skeletons were now scaling the opposite staircase and threatening to completely overwhelm the balcony area.
Things below were not much better. Scar continued to smash the lesser skeletons out of the way in an attempt to reach the Bone Golem. His blows were telling when they landed, but he was having a tough time getting close enough to swing. And when he did get a clear line on the Golem, he found himself getting clouted by a stout bony club, studded with a ring of vertebrae. He still had some fight left in him, but he was starting to wear down.
Raven could see that they were never going to get a handle on the skeletons by destroying them one at a time. He raised high his hammer and golden light poured from the symbol of Moradin inscribed thereupon. A half dozen skeletons nearest him turned to dust and the way was clear now for him to move to aid Speaks.
And not a moment too soon. Speaks had retreated to the rear of the balcony area and was being hard pressed by the mass of skeletons around him. A couple of them had managed to slip their claws through the hides he wore and raked at his flesh beneath. When he saw the Dwarf free of the crowd he had been fighting, Speaks felt a sense of relief.
Then, without warning, the space between them grew hazy and a Wall of Ice bisected the balcony area, cutting Raven off from aiding the Druid.
Below in the pit, Scar had destroyed most of the skeletal harriers and had backed the Bone Golem into one corner of the Chamber of Bone. He launched himself at the creature and withstood another blow from its jagged and bony appendage. But he ignored the pain and met the creature with a two-handed, overhand swing of his warhammer that landed squarely on the creature's lower body. It collapsed in on itself (and Scar) and lay in an inert heap of bones indistinguishable from the rest of the floor.
Scar turned and breathed a sigh of relief as he prepared to ascend to the balcony where his friends still fought. As he watched, another Wall of Ice came into being, cutting the pit in half and separating him from his companions.
The group was now split and none of them could aid each other.
NEXT: The Overlord
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