Rel's Faded Glory III: Glory Reborn (FINAL UPDATE 6/22 - SHE'S DONE, BABY!!)

[Rel]

A couple quick notes:

First of all, please don't report me to BADB (that's Bothered About Disposable Beholders) for flubbing the execution of my first ever Beholder encounter. I didn't realize that they could use so many eyestalks at one time and I only allowed one attack each round for the first couple rounds until I realized my mistake. My bad.

Thankfully the party assisted me in keeping this encounter challenging by inflicting nearly as much damage on themselves with the Spike Stones as they did on the Ogres.

And I must say that this is the point at which I knew that the hatred that Lazarius bore for "The Blue Chick" was one of my crowning achievements for the entire campaign. I knew that if I did nothing else right for the rest of the game that I could be proud of this one recurring villian.

And, in case you haven't noticed, I'm updating like a madman this week. Don't expect this rate to continue into next week (I'm scheduled to do a lot of work then) but, for now, I'm going to keep posting at least one major update a day for the rest of the week.

Stay tuned!

 

[Jon Potter]

I'm going to keep posting at least one major update a day for the rest of the week.

Stay tuned!

Woo-Hoo!!

 

[BSF]

I thought the initial "stoning" was great! I kind of wondered what was going on after that, but it still read pretty well.

An update a day? Most excellent!

 

[Darklone]

Wow. I need more time to read that all

 

[Rel]

Wow. I need more time to read that all

Who's the slacker NOW?! Huh? Well here's even more!! (I sort of feel like a mad scientist somehow)


The party collapsed in near exhaustion in the Foundry. Although they had not noticed it earlier, the long, straight tunnel leading from Foundry to the City gates was on a slight downgrade, presumably to make it easier to send the laden carts of ingots back to the city. Once unloaded in the Forge, these carts could be sent back uphill on their half-day journey back to the Foundry while empty and light. Their cart full of several hundred pounds of petrified Marius anything but empty and light. Even taking turns pushing had done little to make their nervous journey back to the Foundry an easy job as they had struggled mile after uphill mile.

Speaks dragged himself over to a pool of melted snow and drank from the clear waters. One minor benefit of the Foundry being located “uphill” from the City was that the warm air of the City wafted gently and continuously up the long tunnel and made the temperature in the Foundry more comfortable. Staring into the rippling pool, Speaks began to get an idea. His thoughts were interrupted by Lazarius.

“Speaks, I think we’re far enough away from the city that I can safely Teleport us now. I’d rather be out of the Foundry just to be on the safe side, but there’s no way we’ll be able to haul Marius up out of the crevice we descended from so we’ll just have to go from here. Are you ready?”

Speaks considered for a moment before answering. “Actually, I’m not. We can’t leave today. I don’t have the magic prepared to transform us into birds again. I knew you’d be able to try another Teleport if the first didn’t work but I had assumed that we would just remain in bird form if that happened. We’ll have to stay the night and depart in the morning when I’ve had a chance to absorb more magic from the Wild.”

Lazarius sighed with resignation, “We’re going to be in big trouble if they send a group out after us. Marcus and Cathal are both still wounded from our escape and we’ve almost completely exhausted our magic.”

“Well, we’re headed back to Emor after this, right?” answered Speaks. “We’ll be able to re-supply there. So let’s use our healing wands to make sure we’re not easy prey in the night.”

Lazarius agreed and they joined Marcus and Cathal who were resting nearby, having done the majority of the pushing of Marius’ chariot. The soft, magical glow of their healing magic filled the dark Foundry and soon they all felt much better.

Some time later, Speaks returned to the pool of melted snow and began the ritual of Scrying. He focused his will and the strength of the Wild on the pool and asked the waters to show him the location of Titus Pontius Macer. The waters rippled and showed him greater waters…

Macer stood on the prow of a ship as the spray from the sea whipped at his wrinkled, cursed, deathless face. His black-nailed hand gripped the railing to steady himself against the hissing wind and rolling of the large vessel. Behind him a huge, square sail stood fat against the wind that pushed the vessel through the water. A score of Orcs stood ready with the shipped sweeps in case the wind shifted and threatened to push the ship into the shallows.

To Macer’s left, land was visible through the misty coastal air. It rose steeply from its rocky shoreline and soon climbed up into the low hanging clouds, the closer peaks as black as their own name. And thus they were headed south.

Toward the aft of the vessel where the rudder was manned, a pair of large serpents coiled, their heads close as if in conversation, their barbed tails coiled around the railing to either side for stability. Speaks had only ever seen one such creature before, flying over the battlefield at Hrongar’s Hill and coming to do battle with them at the Ice Fortress. Banelar.

Macer’s vessel did not travel alone. To the left and right were other ships leading the flotilla, and more stretched out behind them, their decks crowded with Orcs, bare chested against the bitter-cold wind. Dozens, scores, perhaps hundreds of ships, stretching out in a long armada. All headed south.

Speaks recoiled from the pool in shock. The Orcs were already on the move, but not as an army. A mighty navy of them headed south. But where could they be headed?

 

[ledded]

dun Dun DUUUN!!!


Oops sorry, just trying to throw in some dramatic music

 

[BSF]

Ooohh! It sounds like this was a nice little twist to what the group might have thought was happening. I'm looking forward to the next update.

 

[Elder-Basilisk]

He's updating like a madman! A madman with megabytes of story-filled goodness.

 

[Rel]

Ooohh! It sounds like this was a nice little twist to what the group might have thought was happening. I'm looking forward to the next update.

I don't mind saying that things are getting ready to get REAL twisty. The last third of this campaign looks like a plate of spaghetti.

Mmmm. Spaghetti.

Gimme a minute and I'll go write another update. Actually, maybe more like an hour, but tonight anyway (I didn't get to write as much as I intended today. It was gorgeous here and I couldn't stop myself from doing some yardwork.).

 

[Cathal]

E-yep...twisty.

WOOOOT! Mad updates!

The only bad thing about this breakneck pace is that the end is coming sooner.


Keep'm coming, Rel!
(it's been an hour...where's mah update!?)