Plane Sailing
Astral Admin - Mwahahaha!
Old One said:
Fareena the cook, my character in the "stories from the steppes" storyhour would practically kill for a frying pan like that! Wowser!
Cheers
-
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Rel's Faded Glory III: Glory Reborn (FINAL UPDATE 6/22 - SHE'S DONE, BABY!!)
- Thread starter Rel
- Start date
Fareena the cook, my character in the "stories from the steppes" storyhour would practically kill for a frying pan like that! Wowser!
Cheers
Darklone
Registered User
Cool, you got one as well? I bought that thingy from our local salesdemon from the Abyss after we had too many Arcana Unearthed Faen in several groups... all going to start their metamorphosis to Sprytes... Pests, I tell you!Old One said:Whew!
Now I feel better!
~ Old One
Bops Darklone on the head with the Flyswatter of Doom
Rel
Liquid Awesome
Murky Depths
The party moved cautiously along the rugged riverbank headed, to the best of their ability to tell, north-northwest. The river bounced along below them, bitter cold and making just enough noise to hide the tell-tale signs of would-be ambushers. The mountain air was turning colder and Speaks With Stone smelled the signs of snow in the air. The land itself was their enemy in these mountains tainted with god’s blood.
In the early afternoon a sound began to manifest from ahead and they knew they were approaching the falls spoken of by the Singer. They approached with caution and discovered that the stream spilled out of a large pool, the depths of which were clouded by the froth of the waterfall that tumbled down from some fifty feet above. The pool was surrounded on three sides by steep walls and the only path forward was a narrow crescent of dry ledge that ran along the northern side to a crack in the canyon wall.
“This looks like the place,” declared Marcus.
“Indeed,” agreed Speaks With Stone, “that crevice over there must lead to the cave the Singer spoke of.”
They all eyed the shadowed crack in the canyon wall with suspicion. These crags had been an inhospitable place thus far in their travels and they doubted that such a choice lair near an abundant water source would have gone unclaimed. Given the malevolent nature ascribed to the inhabitants of the Black Peaks by the Singer, they deemed it unlikely that they would be warmly welcomed by the occupant.
(It’s almost like they know me.)
“I’ll scout the edge of the cave for any signs of habitation,” volunteered Marius.
“I think I’ll have a look myself,” said Cathal, drawing Mailbiter. The two men moved along the narrow shelf of rock toward the crevice. Marius noted in passing that there was a water mark above their heads. A few months from now when the spring thaw hit the Black Peaks, this river would swell and returning this way would require a swim. He did not relish the thought of that and made a note to consider an alternate return route.
Lost for a moment in this consideration, Marius did not see the water begin to stir at the edge of the pool. His first sign of danger was a splash as several creatures erupted from the water onto the same ledge he and Cathal occupied. Three large, green-skinned creatures the size of Ogres launched out of the water wielding swords and a half dozen or so smaller creatures with webbed hands and fishlike tails swarmed onto the ledge with nets in hand. They surrounded Marius and Cathal on all sides.
The larger creatures swung their swords at the pair but failed to connect. Marius managed to also evade the two nets thrown at him. Cathal did likewise with the first pair of nets but the third landed squarely on him and he was entangled as the small, bone barbs sewn into the wet ropes of the net snagged on his hair and clothing.
Marius looked on helplessly as five of the fish-men ganged up on the Brigante tribesman and overpowered him, knocking him to the ground and dragging him into the water. He was shaken from his horror as a large sword blade struck him and he was nearly knocked down by the impact. He thanked his finely wrought chainmail for keeping him from being cleaved in twain but knew he would be sporting a terrible bruise. One of the fish-men added injury to injury when it delivered a thrust with its short-spear. Pressed from all sides with his nearest ally captive and being drug into the pool, Marius drew his rapier and adopted a defensive stance hoping to parry their blows until his friends could arrive.
Marcus saw that his friends were in danger and charged forward toward the melee but was hampered by his bulky armor. Scipio dutifully stayed at Speaks’ side to protect him, recalling what had happened the last time he had charged at large, green-skinned foes.
Suddenly, from nowhere, the battle was completely enveloped in crackling lightning and the smell of fried fish filled the air. It cleared a moment later leaving Marius untouched, one of the green-skinned hulks down and all but one of the smaller fish-men dead. Lazarius grinned as a wisp of smoke drifted away from his fingertips carrying with it the smell of ozone. He quickly stowed the magical rod that he carried, which allowed him to shape his spells to such an advantage.
Seeing that Marius remained in danger, Speaks dashed forward toward the melee. He ordered Scipio to remain with Marcus in case another batch of fish-men came out of the water behind them.
Apparently frightened by the powerful display of magic unleashed upon them, the foes all leapt back into the relative safety of the frothy water, leaving their dead companions behind but still towing the net containing the struggling Cathal. The warrior strained against the fibrous ropes but did nothing but stretch them slightly.
Suddenly finding himself out of danger, Marius was overcome with anger and, thrusting his rapier before him, he dove into the pool in pursuit of his friend and foes. Marcus came clanking up to the edge of the pool just as Marius dove in. The steel-clad warrior-priest did not even consider leaping into the water. He hefted his mace and waited to see if any more of the enemy would reveal themselves.
Finding himself without any bodyguards at the rear of their column, Lazarius decided to gain the advantage of height and consumed a small Spider as he uttered an incantation that would allow him to Climb. He scurried a few feet up the steep cliff overlooking the pool and scanned the water for enemies.
Speaks’ steps shortened as his legs shrank and his elongating upper body dropped to the ground. He entered the pool in the shape of a crocodile. He smelled blood in the water.
Marius found that he had leapt into deeper water and deeper trouble than he had anticipated as one of the hulking amphibians materialized out of the murky water and sliced at him with his blade. The blow struck home and the water bubbled as sparks of lightning crackled along the length of the blade further injuring the already wounded Marius. He felt mildly stunned by the strike but struck back in anger, missing as his poor footing in the open water denied him any leverage.
Marcus stood helplessly only a few feet away, seeing that some sort of struggle was taking place beneath the surface but unable to do anything about it. Scipio stood at his side crouched low and ready to pounce on a danger that did not emerge from the pool. Lazarius too began to understand that the balance of this battle would not take place above the surface of the water. He joined Marcus and Scipio, bringing to three the number waiting and hoping by the side of the pool.
Speaks slid through the water, propelled by his thick, scaly tail and sank his teeth into the flank of one of the large attackers. He tried to hold on and roll the creature but its mass was too big for this trick. As he twisted and turned he caught a glimpse of Cathal still trapped in the net and being dragged toward an underwater cave near the opposite side of the pool.
The beast wielding the Lightning Sword struck again at Marius but the blow went wide as Mariuus kicked off of the bottom of the pool and toward the surface. He didn’t stop at the surface as he grabbed the rocky ledge and pulled himself out of the water in one smooth motion. Scrambling back from the edge of the water, he pulled the Wand of Healing that he carried from his belt. Marcus came to his side to render aid to his sorely wounded companion. Lazarius, unsure as to whether some of the fish-men may be pursuing Marius, used his favorite protective spell and his Skin became as Stone.
Seeing none of his friends (aside from the helpless Cathal) and plenty of enemies around him, Speaks relented in his attack long enough to Summon one of Nature’s Allies. Having apparently suffered enough damage and with a captive in hand, the two larger creatures joined the pair that dragged Cathal toward the cave in retreat.
Still holding his breath, Cathal was carried far enough beneath the surface of the pool that the surface-froth no longer obscured his vision. He could see a dark opening ahead and knew that he was being dragged toward the lair of the fish creatures. His rage filled him and he strained mightily against the ropes that held him but they would not give.
Meanwhile on the surface, Marius was hastily describing Cathal’s dire situation to Marcus and Lazarius. Marcus applied the divine touch of St. Cuthbert to the worst of Marius’ wounds feeling helpless to aid Cathal who was clearly more in need of assistance. Lazarius let out a sigh of resignation and dropped his rucksack on the ground as he uttered another enchantment and stepped off the ledge into the pool. His newly formed gills drank in the icy water of the pool as he looked about for his friends and foes.
A bizarre and nightmarish version of a turtle spawned in the pool and moved to lock its jaws on the nearest of the green-skinned giants. Speaks followed his Tojanida ally into battle, latching his jaws onto one of the smaller fish-men with a satisfying crunch.
Taken off guard by the underwater assault, the large water-Ogre failed to free itself from the grip of the alien Tojanida. The remaining water-Ogre approached to aid its brother as the last of the smaller fish-men ducked into the underwater cave.
With no one keeping a grip on the net, Cathal felt enough slack to move his arms into a better position and applied his rage-heightened strength and finally felt the ropes break and fall away. Mailbiter was finally free and he lay about himself to clear the water of any enemies that might be ready to try and recapture him.
Lazarius could see the disturbance in the water ahead but could not make out any details. Next time he used the Alter Self spell, he would modify his eyes as well as add the gills. He swam as best he could to get closer to the battle.
The Tojanida let the large amphibian fall lifelessly from its mouth and turned its jaws on the final foe, seizing it to prevent escape. Speaks came in low and wrapped his reptilian jaws around the Ogre’s thigh as it helplessly swung its Lightning Sword at the hard carapace of the Tojanida.
Cathal prepared to launch himself toward the surface and the air when a grey-skinned humanoid loomed out of the water in front of him. The rage still singing in his veins, he swung Mailbiter around in a wide arc and felt it crunch into the hard skin of the creature. This one was not soft like its companions.
The creature backpedaled violently, desperately trying to escape the wrath of the barbarian but Cathal would not be denied revenge. He pursued along the bottom of the pool and struck again. This time Mailbiter lived up to its name and its keen edge cleaved deep into the hard skin of the grey creature. Cathal was certain he had wounded it though it obviously still lived as it retreated through the dark water.
Cathal realized suddenly that it was not the water, but his vision that was growing dark as his lungs burned for air. He kicked off the bottom and returned to the surface, allowing the grey fish-man to escape for now.
Speaks and the Tojanida had slain the last of the amphibious foes and were circling looking for more near the mouth of the underwater cave as Cathal swam to shore to rejoin his friends. He moved to the edge and wearily dragged himself out of the frigid water to lie gasping at the edge of the pool. “Where’s…the…Wizard?” he managed between deep breaths.
“He went in looking for you. You didn’t see him?” replied Marius with concern in his voice. The heavily breathing Cathal shook his head.
Speaks and the Tojanida kept vigil outside the cave for a few more moments before being reasonably sure that no more of the fish-men were coming. As the Tojanida vanished, returning to its watery home, he decided not to leave the matter to chance as he Softened the Earth and Stone that made up the roof of the cave. It collapsed sending a rush of silt and water out into the rest of the pool. Satisfied, Speaks returned to the ledge where most of his companions awaited.
Just as Speaks pulled himself from the water, Lazarius dragged himself ashore with the shining blade of the Lightning Sword gripped in hand. He paused to use Prestidigitation to dry the icy water from his stony, grey skin. This gave Cathal time to say, “Uh oh,” before the Wizard turned on him.
“YOU LUMBERING IDIOT!! YOU NEARLY KILLED ME DOWN THERE!! Next time, I’ll leave you to drown rather than risk my neck by letting you swing at it with your sword!” Lazarius drew himself up in a huff and stalked back down the stone ledge toward where he left his haversack. It seemed that his protective spell had done a good enough job that he’d suffered no lasting harm at the hands of the Brigante warrior.
For his part, Cathal kept his sheepish look of embarrassment for a few more moments before turning his attention to what Lazarius had left behind. “Nice sword…”
NEXT: The Queen Under the Mountain
The party moved cautiously along the rugged riverbank headed, to the best of their ability to tell, north-northwest. The river bounced along below them, bitter cold and making just enough noise to hide the tell-tale signs of would-be ambushers. The mountain air was turning colder and Speaks With Stone smelled the signs of snow in the air. The land itself was their enemy in these mountains tainted with god’s blood.
In the early afternoon a sound began to manifest from ahead and they knew they were approaching the falls spoken of by the Singer. They approached with caution and discovered that the stream spilled out of a large pool, the depths of which were clouded by the froth of the waterfall that tumbled down from some fifty feet above. The pool was surrounded on three sides by steep walls and the only path forward was a narrow crescent of dry ledge that ran along the northern side to a crack in the canyon wall.
“This looks like the place,” declared Marcus.
“Indeed,” agreed Speaks With Stone, “that crevice over there must lead to the cave the Singer spoke of.”
They all eyed the shadowed crack in the canyon wall with suspicion. These crags had been an inhospitable place thus far in their travels and they doubted that such a choice lair near an abundant water source would have gone unclaimed. Given the malevolent nature ascribed to the inhabitants of the Black Peaks by the Singer, they deemed it unlikely that they would be warmly welcomed by the occupant.
(It’s almost like they know me.)
“I’ll scout the edge of the cave for any signs of habitation,” volunteered Marius.
“I think I’ll have a look myself,” said Cathal, drawing Mailbiter. The two men moved along the narrow shelf of rock toward the crevice. Marius noted in passing that there was a water mark above their heads. A few months from now when the spring thaw hit the Black Peaks, this river would swell and returning this way would require a swim. He did not relish the thought of that and made a note to consider an alternate return route.
Lost for a moment in this consideration, Marius did not see the water begin to stir at the edge of the pool. His first sign of danger was a splash as several creatures erupted from the water onto the same ledge he and Cathal occupied. Three large, green-skinned creatures the size of Ogres launched out of the water wielding swords and a half dozen or so smaller creatures with webbed hands and fishlike tails swarmed onto the ledge with nets in hand. They surrounded Marius and Cathal on all sides.
The larger creatures swung their swords at the pair but failed to connect. Marius managed to also evade the two nets thrown at him. Cathal did likewise with the first pair of nets but the third landed squarely on him and he was entangled as the small, bone barbs sewn into the wet ropes of the net snagged on his hair and clothing.
Marius looked on helplessly as five of the fish-men ganged up on the Brigante tribesman and overpowered him, knocking him to the ground and dragging him into the water. He was shaken from his horror as a large sword blade struck him and he was nearly knocked down by the impact. He thanked his finely wrought chainmail for keeping him from being cleaved in twain but knew he would be sporting a terrible bruise. One of the fish-men added injury to injury when it delivered a thrust with its short-spear. Pressed from all sides with his nearest ally captive and being drug into the pool, Marius drew his rapier and adopted a defensive stance hoping to parry their blows until his friends could arrive.
Marcus saw that his friends were in danger and charged forward toward the melee but was hampered by his bulky armor. Scipio dutifully stayed at Speaks’ side to protect him, recalling what had happened the last time he had charged at large, green-skinned foes.
Suddenly, from nowhere, the battle was completely enveloped in crackling lightning and the smell of fried fish filled the air. It cleared a moment later leaving Marius untouched, one of the green-skinned hulks down and all but one of the smaller fish-men dead. Lazarius grinned as a wisp of smoke drifted away from his fingertips carrying with it the smell of ozone. He quickly stowed the magical rod that he carried, which allowed him to shape his spells to such an advantage.
Seeing that Marius remained in danger, Speaks dashed forward toward the melee. He ordered Scipio to remain with Marcus in case another batch of fish-men came out of the water behind them.
Apparently frightened by the powerful display of magic unleashed upon them, the foes all leapt back into the relative safety of the frothy water, leaving their dead companions behind but still towing the net containing the struggling Cathal. The warrior strained against the fibrous ropes but did nothing but stretch them slightly.
Suddenly finding himself out of danger, Marius was overcome with anger and, thrusting his rapier before him, he dove into the pool in pursuit of his friend and foes. Marcus came clanking up to the edge of the pool just as Marius dove in. The steel-clad warrior-priest did not even consider leaping into the water. He hefted his mace and waited to see if any more of the enemy would reveal themselves.
Finding himself without any bodyguards at the rear of their column, Lazarius decided to gain the advantage of height and consumed a small Spider as he uttered an incantation that would allow him to Climb. He scurried a few feet up the steep cliff overlooking the pool and scanned the water for enemies.
Speaks’ steps shortened as his legs shrank and his elongating upper body dropped to the ground. He entered the pool in the shape of a crocodile. He smelled blood in the water.
Marius found that he had leapt into deeper water and deeper trouble than he had anticipated as one of the hulking amphibians materialized out of the murky water and sliced at him with his blade. The blow struck home and the water bubbled as sparks of lightning crackled along the length of the blade further injuring the already wounded Marius. He felt mildly stunned by the strike but struck back in anger, missing as his poor footing in the open water denied him any leverage.
Marcus stood helplessly only a few feet away, seeing that some sort of struggle was taking place beneath the surface but unable to do anything about it. Scipio stood at his side crouched low and ready to pounce on a danger that did not emerge from the pool. Lazarius too began to understand that the balance of this battle would not take place above the surface of the water. He joined Marcus and Scipio, bringing to three the number waiting and hoping by the side of the pool.
Speaks slid through the water, propelled by his thick, scaly tail and sank his teeth into the flank of one of the large attackers. He tried to hold on and roll the creature but its mass was too big for this trick. As he twisted and turned he caught a glimpse of Cathal still trapped in the net and being dragged toward an underwater cave near the opposite side of the pool.
The beast wielding the Lightning Sword struck again at Marius but the blow went wide as Mariuus kicked off of the bottom of the pool and toward the surface. He didn’t stop at the surface as he grabbed the rocky ledge and pulled himself out of the water in one smooth motion. Scrambling back from the edge of the water, he pulled the Wand of Healing that he carried from his belt. Marcus came to his side to render aid to his sorely wounded companion. Lazarius, unsure as to whether some of the fish-men may be pursuing Marius, used his favorite protective spell and his Skin became as Stone.
Seeing none of his friends (aside from the helpless Cathal) and plenty of enemies around him, Speaks relented in his attack long enough to Summon one of Nature’s Allies. Having apparently suffered enough damage and with a captive in hand, the two larger creatures joined the pair that dragged Cathal toward the cave in retreat.
Still holding his breath, Cathal was carried far enough beneath the surface of the pool that the surface-froth no longer obscured his vision. He could see a dark opening ahead and knew that he was being dragged toward the lair of the fish creatures. His rage filled him and he strained mightily against the ropes that held him but they would not give.
Meanwhile on the surface, Marius was hastily describing Cathal’s dire situation to Marcus and Lazarius. Marcus applied the divine touch of St. Cuthbert to the worst of Marius’ wounds feeling helpless to aid Cathal who was clearly more in need of assistance. Lazarius let out a sigh of resignation and dropped his rucksack on the ground as he uttered another enchantment and stepped off the ledge into the pool. His newly formed gills drank in the icy water of the pool as he looked about for his friends and foes.
A bizarre and nightmarish version of a turtle spawned in the pool and moved to lock its jaws on the nearest of the green-skinned giants. Speaks followed his Tojanida ally into battle, latching his jaws onto one of the smaller fish-men with a satisfying crunch.
Taken off guard by the underwater assault, the large water-Ogre failed to free itself from the grip of the alien Tojanida. The remaining water-Ogre approached to aid its brother as the last of the smaller fish-men ducked into the underwater cave.
With no one keeping a grip on the net, Cathal felt enough slack to move his arms into a better position and applied his rage-heightened strength and finally felt the ropes break and fall away. Mailbiter was finally free and he lay about himself to clear the water of any enemies that might be ready to try and recapture him.
Lazarius could see the disturbance in the water ahead but could not make out any details. Next time he used the Alter Self spell, he would modify his eyes as well as add the gills. He swam as best he could to get closer to the battle.
The Tojanida let the large amphibian fall lifelessly from its mouth and turned its jaws on the final foe, seizing it to prevent escape. Speaks came in low and wrapped his reptilian jaws around the Ogre’s thigh as it helplessly swung its Lightning Sword at the hard carapace of the Tojanida.
Cathal prepared to launch himself toward the surface and the air when a grey-skinned humanoid loomed out of the water in front of him. The rage still singing in his veins, he swung Mailbiter around in a wide arc and felt it crunch into the hard skin of the creature. This one was not soft like its companions.
The creature backpedaled violently, desperately trying to escape the wrath of the barbarian but Cathal would not be denied revenge. He pursued along the bottom of the pool and struck again. This time Mailbiter lived up to its name and its keen edge cleaved deep into the hard skin of the grey creature. Cathal was certain he had wounded it though it obviously still lived as it retreated through the dark water.
Cathal realized suddenly that it was not the water, but his vision that was growing dark as his lungs burned for air. He kicked off the bottom and returned to the surface, allowing the grey fish-man to escape for now.
Speaks and the Tojanida had slain the last of the amphibious foes and were circling looking for more near the mouth of the underwater cave as Cathal swam to shore to rejoin his friends. He moved to the edge and wearily dragged himself out of the frigid water to lie gasping at the edge of the pool. “Where’s…the…Wizard?” he managed between deep breaths.
“He went in looking for you. You didn’t see him?” replied Marius with concern in his voice. The heavily breathing Cathal shook his head.
Speaks and the Tojanida kept vigil outside the cave for a few more moments before being reasonably sure that no more of the fish-men were coming. As the Tojanida vanished, returning to its watery home, he decided not to leave the matter to chance as he Softened the Earth and Stone that made up the roof of the cave. It collapsed sending a rush of silt and water out into the rest of the pool. Satisfied, Speaks returned to the ledge where most of his companions awaited.
Just as Speaks pulled himself from the water, Lazarius dragged himself ashore with the shining blade of the Lightning Sword gripped in hand. He paused to use Prestidigitation to dry the icy water from his stony, grey skin. This gave Cathal time to say, “Uh oh,” before the Wizard turned on him.
“YOU LUMBERING IDIOT!! YOU NEARLY KILLED ME DOWN THERE!! Next time, I’ll leave you to drown rather than risk my neck by letting you swing at it with your sword!” Lazarius drew himself up in a huff and stalked back down the stone ledge toward where he left his haversack. It seemed that his protective spell had done a good enough job that he’d suffered no lasting harm at the hands of the Brigante warrior.
For his part, Cathal kept his sheepish look of embarrassment for a few more moments before turning his attention to what Lazarius had left behind. “Nice sword…”
NEXT: The Queen Under the Mountain
Rel
Liquid Awesome
Darklone said:
Thanks for the bump, Darklone. I've been doing my best to try and catch up a bit on Story Hour posts lately as I've been slightly less busy with work. The only trick is that I've come to rely heavily on the "battle reports" that Raven writes up tracking the combats round by round. And of course he's been swamped lately between work and getting his Arcana Unearthed game ready for the next NC Game Day so it has taken him longer to get them to me. I'm still posting about one update per week but I need to be doing more than that if I'm going to catch up.
I'm tempted to just write them from memory but I've discovered something about the PC's as they get to mid-to-upper levels: They are all capable of significant magic. The combats are no longer like they were "back in the day" when Raven and Scar would just pound away on the bad guys in melee while Speaks dropped an occasional Entangle or Flaming Sphere. There are Spike Stones and Insect Swarms and Lightning Bolts and Acid Orbs flying left and right. Even the melee types are whipping out magic on a regular basis. That doesn't even take into consideration the magics being flung about by their adversaries.
It all adds up to a very chaotic and confusing battlefield. I could simply summarize the results and move on with the story but some of the most interesting and intense moments we've had during this campaign have come during combat so I want to do those situations justice in the write ups. If I can get those raw notes from Raven, I should be able to pound out a few more updates in relatively short order. There's some hope that I might be able to get my hands on them this weekend.
Thanks for your patience (as always
).Rel said:It all adds up to a very chaotic and confusing battlefield. I could simply summarize the results and move on with the story but some of the most interesting and intense moments we've had during this campaign have come during combat so I want to do those situations justice in the write ups. If I can get those raw notes from Raven, I should be able to pound out a few more updates in relatively short order. There's some hope that I might be able to get my hands on them this weekend.
Thanks for your patience (as always
Rel,
I feel your pain...I am struggling to finish an update containing a significant battle replete with fireballs, hold person, alter self, charge and counter-charge...
Almost done, I think
!Good luck!
~ Old One
