Rel's Faded Glory III: Glory Reborn (FINAL UPDATE 6/22 - SHE'S DONE, BABY!!)
- Thread starter Rel
- Start date
Riggs
First Post
Tony Vargas said:
My delicate sensibilities are offended! Marius would never do something like that...some would argue vehemently that it would be evil!
Clearly, Marius was left to his own devices after getting valiantly pummeled by ogres and he merely did the "usual business" of making sure said foes did not rise again, especially in this foul place of undeath! What better job for the near-mortally wounded non-frontliner than looting and finishing off foes so our backs are safe!
And, Marius didn't do anything...it was Albius ------> He was back there feigning to fall to his peril over and over, and didn't he jump in front of those lightning bolts just to linger near the back line?? Suspicious!!
Not that any advantage would be taken by the fact that I played Marcus as well that night...Too bad I didn't get another shot at using the shield, I thought of the Holy Soup bowl one night, then the Holy Wok of Asian Cuisine, the Heavy But Holy Frisbee, etc.
Rel
Liquid Awesome
They had to get out of there. Immediately.
The Damning Darkness was slowly sucking the life out of them and they had no idea how far it extended. If it blanketed the entirety of the City of Endless Summer then they were going to die here very soon.
In the thin illumination of their magical lights they grabbed only what was essential before escaping. Cathal hefted the faint weight of his prized Mithral Breastplate. Marcus heaved Albius over his shoulder. Speaks had everything of import already on his person and was the first into the hallway where he felt his muscles drained of even more of their Strength as the Shadowmage blasted him with another ray of darkness. Marius appeared at Speaks’ side and made ready to attack any of the Shadowmen who came within reach of them.
Lazarius reached out and lay a magically-infused hand on Cathal’s arm as they made their way to the exit. He passed along the ability to See Invisible things to the Brigante warrior in case the Blue Demoness decided to engage them anew. Cathal gladly received the enchantment as he stuffed the breastplate into the improbably small space of his Haversack. Handy that.
Marius noticed the others grunt in pain as they were continuously being damaged by the darkness around them but found himself starting to grow inured to the effects of the dark magic. Perhaps he was nearing the edge of its effects. But there was no time to contemplate this phenomenon further as a tide of Shadowmen surged from the darkness around them to invade their small island of light.
Marius and Marcus were both struck and felt their conviction weaken further. Marcus felt that he could barely continue to stand under the crushing weight of the unconscious Albius. Only his certain knowledge that if he fell it would mean both of their deaths kept him upright.
Unburdened by such weight or ongoing pain, Marius saw his chance to strike as the Shadowmage raised an arm to send a ray of darkness at Cathal. His blade found purchase on the ephemeral creature and seemed to throw its aim off. Lazarius stepped in to the space just vacated by the Imperial Explorer and layered on more of his Protective magic, hoping to ward off the Evil of the Shadowmen.
Cathal attempted to slip past the closest of the Shadowmen and confront the Shadowmage directly but his weakened condition caused him to slip and his artful tumble became a graceless flop. The Shadows took the opportunity to swirl around him, leaving him barely clinging to consciousness. As he lay on the stone floor and gazed up at the black shapes that closed in around him, he thought he saw a light. A wave of despair washed through him at having failed his companions but it was punctuated by solace: “At last, my release.”
The Damning Darkness was slowly sucking the life out of them and they had no idea how far it extended. If it blanketed the entirety of the City of Endless Summer then they were going to die here very soon.
In the thin illumination of their magical lights they grabbed only what was essential before escaping. Cathal hefted the faint weight of his prized Mithral Breastplate. Marcus heaved Albius over his shoulder. Speaks had everything of import already on his person and was the first into the hallway where he felt his muscles drained of even more of their Strength as the Shadowmage blasted him with another ray of darkness. Marius appeared at Speaks’ side and made ready to attack any of the Shadowmen who came within reach of them.
Lazarius reached out and lay a magically-infused hand on Cathal’s arm as they made their way to the exit. He passed along the ability to See Invisible things to the Brigante warrior in case the Blue Demoness decided to engage them anew. Cathal gladly received the enchantment as he stuffed the breastplate into the improbably small space of his Haversack. Handy that.
Marius noticed the others grunt in pain as they were continuously being damaged by the darkness around them but found himself starting to grow inured to the effects of the dark magic. Perhaps he was nearing the edge of its effects. But there was no time to contemplate this phenomenon further as a tide of Shadowmen surged from the darkness around them to invade their small island of light.
Marius and Marcus were both struck and felt their conviction weaken further. Marcus felt that he could barely continue to stand under the crushing weight of the unconscious Albius. Only his certain knowledge that if he fell it would mean both of their deaths kept him upright.
Unburdened by such weight or ongoing pain, Marius saw his chance to strike as the Shadowmage raised an arm to send a ray of darkness at Cathal. His blade found purchase on the ephemeral creature and seemed to throw its aim off. Lazarius stepped in to the space just vacated by the Imperial Explorer and layered on more of his Protective magic, hoping to ward off the Evil of the Shadowmen.
Cathal attempted to slip past the closest of the Shadowmen and confront the Shadowmage directly but his weakened condition caused him to slip and his artful tumble became a graceless flop. The Shadows took the opportunity to swirl around him, leaving him barely clinging to consciousness. As he lay on the stone floor and gazed up at the black shapes that closed in around him, he thought he saw a light. A wave of despair washed through him at having failed his companions but it was punctuated by solace: “At last, my release.”
Rel
Liquid Awesome
The Light grew rapidly and pushed back the edges of the Damning Darkness. She was among them now and they felt her presence in their hearts. Marcus dropped Albius to the floor and smashed his mace into the nearest of the Shadowmen, now stark amid the light emanating from the Shining Lady. The Shadowmen returned the attacks and most of the party were struck but they could feel the weakness starting to ebb from their bones and flesh already. The Shadowmage let loose another blast of darkness into Cathal who still lay on the floor.
The Brigante felt the darkness pound into his remaining Strength but somehow found it within himself to rise to his feet. He cried out above the noise of combat, “I AM NOT DEAD YET!!” He brought his crackling blade down upon the Shadowmage and felt it sink into the inky substance of its being. Then the air filled with more electricity as Lazarius loosed one of his Lightning Bolts into the cluster of Shadowmen at Cathal’s back.
Speaks’ club felt like it was made of lead but he hefted it at his nearest foe anyway. It seemed only to strike lightly but drove the creature backward to pin it against Marius who drove his own blade through the creature sending its shreds of darkness drifting away on the beams of light that shot from the Shining Lady. Marius raised his hand to shield his eyes from the Holy Light as it surged from the woman. The blast of brightness overcame the Shadowmen and the Shadowmage and their darkness was dispelled as sunshine melts away a morning mist.
As the brightness washed over the group they could feel the effects they had suffered at the hands of the Shadowmen begin to fade and their strength return. They all stood panting in the hallway, some barely able to stand but growing stronger as they basked in the waves of light that rolled off of the Shining Lady. Marcus sank to his knees and leaned in close to Albius. The boy still breathed despite the toll the darkness had taken upon him. Marcus thanked his lord for that at least.
”Listen to me, for time is short” spoke the Shining Lady.
They listened.
”The worshipers of The Imprisoned One have nearly finished gathering the souls they need. And the minions of Hell will soon free him from his prison there. If you are to stop his return then you must make your way into the dark heart of this place and prevent them from sending him the power they have collected.” Her voice was otherworldly and somehow both terrible and beautiful at the same time.
“Souls from where?” asked Marius, already afraid of the answer he would get.
Her piercing, glowing eyes of silver rounded on him. “Your countrymen have died by the thousands upon their altars. That reservoir of energy will be channeled to Bane if you do not stop their ritual.”
Marcus knelt at her feet in supplication, “My Lady, can you come with us and guide us? Lend your strength to our cause in this desperate hour?!”
”I can,” as she spoke, a breath of hope leapt into their throats. ”But I must then abandon the others who struggle here in the city. Magdar and his men seek another way into the sanctum of the Banelar.”
“Does Ilrath yet live?” asked Cathal.
”He did when I left them last,” she answered.
Cathal looked at the others and they all silently exchanged glances. They all knew that it probably meant the death of Ilrath and the Orcs if they were left to struggle against the unending evils of the City of Endless Summer without the protection of their Celestial Maiden. To have come all this way, seeking the return of their friend, and to rob his best chance of survival in this place…
It was Marcus who spoke for the group, “Tell Ilrath, when you return to him and the others, that we look forward to meeting him in the conquered sanctum.”
The Shining Lady nodded solemnly, ”I will tell him.”. Streams of light flowed outward from her into each of them and they felt their wounds heal, their fears quelled, and, for most of them, their souls restored. Then the light faded and she was gone.
The silence that followed persisted for only a moment. “What happened?” asked Albius as he climbed to his feet, looking around in confusion.
The Brigante felt the darkness pound into his remaining Strength but somehow found it within himself to rise to his feet. He cried out above the noise of combat, “I AM NOT DEAD YET!!” He brought his crackling blade down upon the Shadowmage and felt it sink into the inky substance of its being. Then the air filled with more electricity as Lazarius loosed one of his Lightning Bolts into the cluster of Shadowmen at Cathal’s back.
Speaks’ club felt like it was made of lead but he hefted it at his nearest foe anyway. It seemed only to strike lightly but drove the creature backward to pin it against Marius who drove his own blade through the creature sending its shreds of darkness drifting away on the beams of light that shot from the Shining Lady. Marius raised his hand to shield his eyes from the Holy Light as it surged from the woman. The blast of brightness overcame the Shadowmen and the Shadowmage and their darkness was dispelled as sunshine melts away a morning mist.
As the brightness washed over the group they could feel the effects they had suffered at the hands of the Shadowmen begin to fade and their strength return. They all stood panting in the hallway, some barely able to stand but growing stronger as they basked in the waves of light that rolled off of the Shining Lady. Marcus sank to his knees and leaned in close to Albius. The boy still breathed despite the toll the darkness had taken upon him. Marcus thanked his lord for that at least.
”Listen to me, for time is short” spoke the Shining Lady.
They listened.
”The worshipers of The Imprisoned One have nearly finished gathering the souls they need. And the minions of Hell will soon free him from his prison there. If you are to stop his return then you must make your way into the dark heart of this place and prevent them from sending him the power they have collected.” Her voice was otherworldly and somehow both terrible and beautiful at the same time.
“Souls from where?” asked Marius, already afraid of the answer he would get.
Her piercing, glowing eyes of silver rounded on him. “Your countrymen have died by the thousands upon their altars. That reservoir of energy will be channeled to Bane if you do not stop their ritual.”
Marcus knelt at her feet in supplication, “My Lady, can you come with us and guide us? Lend your strength to our cause in this desperate hour?!”
”I can,” as she spoke, a breath of hope leapt into their throats. ”But I must then abandon the others who struggle here in the city. Magdar and his men seek another way into the sanctum of the Banelar.”
“Does Ilrath yet live?” asked Cathal.
”He did when I left them last,” she answered.
Cathal looked at the others and they all silently exchanged glances. They all knew that it probably meant the death of Ilrath and the Orcs if they were left to struggle against the unending evils of the City of Endless Summer without the protection of their Celestial Maiden. To have come all this way, seeking the return of their friend, and to rob his best chance of survival in this place…
It was Marcus who spoke for the group, “Tell Ilrath, when you return to him and the others, that we look forward to meeting him in the conquered sanctum.”
The Shining Lady nodded solemnly, ”I will tell him.”. Streams of light flowed outward from her into each of them and they felt their wounds heal, their fears quelled, and, for most of them, their souls restored. Then the light faded and she was gone.
The silence that followed persisted for only a moment. “What happened?” asked Albius as he climbed to his feet, looking around in confusion.
Rel
Liquid Awesome
The large door was covered every inch in runes. Some of them looked recently applied. “This thing is covered in protective Wards. Some look like they were added recently, probably by the Ogre Priest, but some have been here a long time. And whoever put them here knew what he was doing.” Lazarius climbed down off of the Ogre-sized chair he had been standing on and moved back away from the door with the rest of the group. None of them relished the idea of what might happen when they opened the doors but it was the only path they knew of that could take them where they wanted to go.
Marius sighed, “Alright. Everybody else out of the room. I’m going to try and disable the Wards.” His training at the Imperial Explorers Society had included dealing with magical wards but it had never been his strongest area of study. But nobody else seemed to be coming forth with any better options.
The others withdrew from the chamber one by one. Marcus was the last to depart and he reached out to Marius to give him the Protective blessing of St. Cuthbert. Marius thanked him but hurriedly ushered him out of the room so he could get to work. Right away he felt a bit out of his depth. Some of the newer Wards were the sort of thing that he was familiar with but those that lay beneath were intricate, difficult to trace and completely alien in design.
The Black Blade appeared in his hand and he used it to scrape away at some of the outer markings of the newer Wards. He got the feeling that he had managed to ruin one of them but as he started on the second his blade cut across one of the older Wards layered underneath. He felt a brief panic as he saw a rime of white light surge across the runes and he pushed himself backwards with all of his strength. As he flew through the air, he saw a shadow on the far wall and had a brief instant in which he realized it was HIS shadow and that the doors were exploding behind him. Then there was light and fire and thunder everywhere.
He hit the stone floor and was able to use his momentum to send him tumbling beneath the huge bed along one wall as the room crackled with fire and electricity and thunder. He smelled burning cloth and hoped it wasn’t his clothing. As the torrent of energy subsided, he realized that he had miraculously come through it unscathed except for a bruise or two where he had hit the floor. He was curled up underneath the bed with his dagger clutched to his chest and almost felt a kind of presence there near him, dark but protective and comforting. He heard the footsteps of his companions returning to the room and the dagger vanished into his glove. The presence now felt distant and muted but some kind of connection had been made and would remain.
“Are you hurt, Marius?” asked Speaks, peering beneath the bed. Cathal and Marcus swatted the flames of the burning linens while Albius and Lazarius kept watch on what lay beyond the doors. Marius crawled out from beneath the bed to find the entire room covered in a thin layer of soot where the walls, floor and ceiling had been scorched by the blast from the Wards. He stifled a shiver and turned his attention to the opening in the wall.
A hallway extended beyond but after only a couple of feet it was completely obscured by a dense, dark fog. They silently formed into a close group with Marcus and Cathal at the front and Speaks and Lazarius at the rear. The fog enveloped them as they moved forward and within seconds they could barely see each other, much less what lay ahead. After a short but indeterminate distance they came to a wall and realized that the passageway split and went both left and right. Marcus chose left for no particular reason.
A moment later, Speaks whispered, “I hear something back here!” Marcus kept his place as Cathal and Marius moved past Speaks. Nobody moved. Everybody listened and strained their eyes to see what the fog contained.
They came from both sides at once, blades covered in spikes slashed out of the fog and dark, but somehow they missed. Marius and Cathal leapt forward to confront whoever held the blade and found themselves in close with a hideous creature. It could almost have been a troll but wasn’t quite large enough. What it lacked in size it made up for in ugly as its features were twisted into cruel deformity and its skin was the brownish grey of rot. But they were no novices to the horrors of the City of Endless Summer and they brought their weapons to bear.
Marcus fought his alone for the moment but managed to land a pair of mace strikes upon it. A moment later, Lazarius stepped up next to him as he completed the casting of his magical Shield. The Wizard had been retreating from the melee at the back of the party and had unwittingly blundered into another one at the front.
In the darkness and fog, things quickly degenerated into utter chaos. Seldom did anyone have much idea as to where his companions were, how the battle was progressing or whether he was now alone. The disorganize melee unfolded not with any sort of plan or order but with brief moments of clarity quickly swallowed into the chaos and uncertainty again.
Marius and Cathal saw each other’s weapons emerging from the fog on either side of one of the Trollkin at one point. They did their best to coordinate attacks but it was all but impossible under the conditions.
Albius engaged with his mace at one point and then screamed. A moment later he came running past Speaks, covered in blood and filled with terror.
There was a flash of light and a half dozen popping noises as Lazarius sent a flurry of Magic Missiles hurling into one of the creatures at point blank range. The creature staggered backward and seemed to collapse but the fog swallowed it before anyone could be sure.
The battle swirled in confusion as the Trollkin constantly jockeyed for position to use their pole-arms and seemed to attack anyone with reach. When the warriors closed with them then they happily eschewed their weapons in favor of clawing and rending and the fighting was quite literally tooth and nail.
An icy blast slammed into Lazarius and he cast about in search of the Blue Demoness only to find that he had set off a trap instead. His cries of pain drew some of his companions to aid him and away from the battle.
Finally the last of the Trollkin was put to flight. Marcus pursued the creature and triggered another Ward engulfing him in a tremendous blast of lightning that left him staggered. He gave up his pursuit and returned to his companions.
All were hurt and they now understood that they were up against not only the guardians of these passages but the very hallways themselves were riddled with Wards that they had almost no hope at all of detecting thanks to the limited visibility. “It’s almost like they don’t want us here,” said Marius, but his gallows humor found little laughter among the party. They did their best to heal themselves and cast magical protections against the Wards they were encountering.
Lazarius had recovered a magical circlet during the battle. He placed it on his head and pain shot through him as small spikes thrust from the inner edge to attach themselves to his skull. He cried out and started to remove it but then noticed that he could suddenly see through the fog that surrounded them. He was unsure as to whether he could safely remove it and even if he wanted to but the decision was made for him a moment later.
It was Albius who heard them coming again, “Prepare yourselves! Evil is near!”
Lazarius wasted no time and fired a blast of Lightning down one approach. As the streaks of electricity burned away the fog and darkness, he could see a pair of the Trollkin had fallen prey to his spell. Heartened, Cathal burst into a battle chant spoken by the Skalds of his people.
One of the Trollkin charged into the waiting weapons of Marcus and Marius who inflicted even more damage to the wounded creature, causing it to miss a strike at Marcus. The other withdrew back into the inky blackness.
Marius tumbled behind the one engaging them and sank his rapier halfway through the creature in a blow that would have killed a normal man. But the hideous Trollkin merely twisted its torso causing the blade to rip out its side and come free. Marius could see the flesh knitting itself back together for a moment but then the fog reasserted itself and everything was pandemonium again.
Another pulse of light as Lazarius fired his Magic Missiles.
The Trollkin moving past Marius as it retreated.
An explosion as Marius pursued and the party was engulfed by fire from one of the Wards.
Lazarius moved to keep one of the retreating Trollkin in sight and set off another Ward. The explosion of lightning was tremendous but Lazarius avoided the worst of it thanks to quick reflexes and some help from the magical protections he had layered on. As the lighting blast surged out from the Ward, Lazarius noticed a section of the wall further up the passage shimmer just a bit. But there was no time to investigate further at the moment.
The others remained largely blind and disorganized as they desperately tried to bring the Trollkin to battle. Now that Marius knew they were healing even as the battle raged, they knew that to allow them even a few moments of respite was to have to fight them anew at each engagement.
Lazarius was able to aid them somewhat because he could see through the darkness and fog to direct their movements and attacks. He cut off the Trollkins avenues of retreat with magical Webs and forced a pitched battle.
The party had never faced a nastier battle. The chaos of the dark and fog filled the corridor with terror as blade, mace, tooth and claw clashed in a fury. Cathal’s battle cry rang out constantly and the others knew that he had flown into a rage. Marius did his best to look for openings where he could send his rapier into an exposed flank. Speaks took the form of a huge bear and was doing his best to use his bulk and natural weapons to cut the Trollkin off from retreat. Marcus plied his mace and healed himself and others wherever he saw the need. Lazarius hurled Orbs of Acid at the creatures, one after another.
And Albius rushed in to battle in the hope of redeeming himself for his cowardly flight earlier. Thus it was that the young priest of St. Cuthbert pressed his attack until he stood directly between a pair of the Trollkin. Marius could see that Albius was about to be in trouble and lunged to come to his aid, but it was too late. Both creatures turned their claws and jaws upon him and ripped him apart.
Marius took one of them in the eye and it recoiled, banging its skull into the wall before sinking to the ground. The other attempted to flee past Speaks but the bear finally managed to land a telling blow and his giant paw bore the Trollkin to the ground, crushing its chest as black blood frothed from its mouth.
Cathal continued to cry out and spin around seeking a foe to plant his sword in. It took a few more moments for Lazarius to convey that the battle was over and that Albius was down. The only one who had seen what happened to the lad was Marius.
He leaned in close to the Trollkin he had downed and watched as the creature’s eye became whole again. Marius drew his hand back and the Black Blade appeared in it at the same moment when the Trollkin regained consciousness.
The presence was back and Marius felt it in his hand, a living, thirsty thing. He knew what it wanted and he let it have the Trollkin’s soul. With pleasure.
He let the blade linger in the creature’s throat for as long as he dared until Marcus appeared beside him and hopelessly looked for any signs of life in the body of young Albius. Marius gave Marcus the space he knew he would need and the dagger went back into the glove where it was quiet once again.
Quiet and thirsty.
Marius sighed, “Alright. Everybody else out of the room. I’m going to try and disable the Wards.” His training at the Imperial Explorers Society had included dealing with magical wards but it had never been his strongest area of study. But nobody else seemed to be coming forth with any better options.
The others withdrew from the chamber one by one. Marcus was the last to depart and he reached out to Marius to give him the Protective blessing of St. Cuthbert. Marius thanked him but hurriedly ushered him out of the room so he could get to work. Right away he felt a bit out of his depth. Some of the newer Wards were the sort of thing that he was familiar with but those that lay beneath were intricate, difficult to trace and completely alien in design.
The Black Blade appeared in his hand and he used it to scrape away at some of the outer markings of the newer Wards. He got the feeling that he had managed to ruin one of them but as he started on the second his blade cut across one of the older Wards layered underneath. He felt a brief panic as he saw a rime of white light surge across the runes and he pushed himself backwards with all of his strength. As he flew through the air, he saw a shadow on the far wall and had a brief instant in which he realized it was HIS shadow and that the doors were exploding behind him. Then there was light and fire and thunder everywhere.
He hit the stone floor and was able to use his momentum to send him tumbling beneath the huge bed along one wall as the room crackled with fire and electricity and thunder. He smelled burning cloth and hoped it wasn’t his clothing. As the torrent of energy subsided, he realized that he had miraculously come through it unscathed except for a bruise or two where he had hit the floor. He was curled up underneath the bed with his dagger clutched to his chest and almost felt a kind of presence there near him, dark but protective and comforting. He heard the footsteps of his companions returning to the room and the dagger vanished into his glove. The presence now felt distant and muted but some kind of connection had been made and would remain.
“Are you hurt, Marius?” asked Speaks, peering beneath the bed. Cathal and Marcus swatted the flames of the burning linens while Albius and Lazarius kept watch on what lay beyond the doors. Marius crawled out from beneath the bed to find the entire room covered in a thin layer of soot where the walls, floor and ceiling had been scorched by the blast from the Wards. He stifled a shiver and turned his attention to the opening in the wall.
A hallway extended beyond but after only a couple of feet it was completely obscured by a dense, dark fog. They silently formed into a close group with Marcus and Cathal at the front and Speaks and Lazarius at the rear. The fog enveloped them as they moved forward and within seconds they could barely see each other, much less what lay ahead. After a short but indeterminate distance they came to a wall and realized that the passageway split and went both left and right. Marcus chose left for no particular reason.
A moment later, Speaks whispered, “I hear something back here!” Marcus kept his place as Cathal and Marius moved past Speaks. Nobody moved. Everybody listened and strained their eyes to see what the fog contained.
They came from both sides at once, blades covered in spikes slashed out of the fog and dark, but somehow they missed. Marius and Cathal leapt forward to confront whoever held the blade and found themselves in close with a hideous creature. It could almost have been a troll but wasn’t quite large enough. What it lacked in size it made up for in ugly as its features were twisted into cruel deformity and its skin was the brownish grey of rot. But they were no novices to the horrors of the City of Endless Summer and they brought their weapons to bear.
Marcus fought his alone for the moment but managed to land a pair of mace strikes upon it. A moment later, Lazarius stepped up next to him as he completed the casting of his magical Shield. The Wizard had been retreating from the melee at the back of the party and had unwittingly blundered into another one at the front.
In the darkness and fog, things quickly degenerated into utter chaos. Seldom did anyone have much idea as to where his companions were, how the battle was progressing or whether he was now alone. The disorganize melee unfolded not with any sort of plan or order but with brief moments of clarity quickly swallowed into the chaos and uncertainty again.
Marius and Cathal saw each other’s weapons emerging from the fog on either side of one of the Trollkin at one point. They did their best to coordinate attacks but it was all but impossible under the conditions.
Albius engaged with his mace at one point and then screamed. A moment later he came running past Speaks, covered in blood and filled with terror.
There was a flash of light and a half dozen popping noises as Lazarius sent a flurry of Magic Missiles hurling into one of the creatures at point blank range. The creature staggered backward and seemed to collapse but the fog swallowed it before anyone could be sure.
The battle swirled in confusion as the Trollkin constantly jockeyed for position to use their pole-arms and seemed to attack anyone with reach. When the warriors closed with them then they happily eschewed their weapons in favor of clawing and rending and the fighting was quite literally tooth and nail.
An icy blast slammed into Lazarius and he cast about in search of the Blue Demoness only to find that he had set off a trap instead. His cries of pain drew some of his companions to aid him and away from the battle.
Finally the last of the Trollkin was put to flight. Marcus pursued the creature and triggered another Ward engulfing him in a tremendous blast of lightning that left him staggered. He gave up his pursuit and returned to his companions.
All were hurt and they now understood that they were up against not only the guardians of these passages but the very hallways themselves were riddled with Wards that they had almost no hope at all of detecting thanks to the limited visibility. “It’s almost like they don’t want us here,” said Marius, but his gallows humor found little laughter among the party. They did their best to heal themselves and cast magical protections against the Wards they were encountering.
Lazarius had recovered a magical circlet during the battle. He placed it on his head and pain shot through him as small spikes thrust from the inner edge to attach themselves to his skull. He cried out and started to remove it but then noticed that he could suddenly see through the fog that surrounded them. He was unsure as to whether he could safely remove it and even if he wanted to but the decision was made for him a moment later.
It was Albius who heard them coming again, “Prepare yourselves! Evil is near!”
Lazarius wasted no time and fired a blast of Lightning down one approach. As the streaks of electricity burned away the fog and darkness, he could see a pair of the Trollkin had fallen prey to his spell. Heartened, Cathal burst into a battle chant spoken by the Skalds of his people.
One of the Trollkin charged into the waiting weapons of Marcus and Marius who inflicted even more damage to the wounded creature, causing it to miss a strike at Marcus. The other withdrew back into the inky blackness.
Marius tumbled behind the one engaging them and sank his rapier halfway through the creature in a blow that would have killed a normal man. But the hideous Trollkin merely twisted its torso causing the blade to rip out its side and come free. Marius could see the flesh knitting itself back together for a moment but then the fog reasserted itself and everything was pandemonium again.
Another pulse of light as Lazarius fired his Magic Missiles.
The Trollkin moving past Marius as it retreated.
An explosion as Marius pursued and the party was engulfed by fire from one of the Wards.
Lazarius moved to keep one of the retreating Trollkin in sight and set off another Ward. The explosion of lightning was tremendous but Lazarius avoided the worst of it thanks to quick reflexes and some help from the magical protections he had layered on. As the lighting blast surged out from the Ward, Lazarius noticed a section of the wall further up the passage shimmer just a bit. But there was no time to investigate further at the moment.
The others remained largely blind and disorganized as they desperately tried to bring the Trollkin to battle. Now that Marius knew they were healing even as the battle raged, they knew that to allow them even a few moments of respite was to have to fight them anew at each engagement.
Lazarius was able to aid them somewhat because he could see through the darkness and fog to direct their movements and attacks. He cut off the Trollkins avenues of retreat with magical Webs and forced a pitched battle.
The party had never faced a nastier battle. The chaos of the dark and fog filled the corridor with terror as blade, mace, tooth and claw clashed in a fury. Cathal’s battle cry rang out constantly and the others knew that he had flown into a rage. Marius did his best to look for openings where he could send his rapier into an exposed flank. Speaks took the form of a huge bear and was doing his best to use his bulk and natural weapons to cut the Trollkin off from retreat. Marcus plied his mace and healed himself and others wherever he saw the need. Lazarius hurled Orbs of Acid at the creatures, one after another.
And Albius rushed in to battle in the hope of redeeming himself for his cowardly flight earlier. Thus it was that the young priest of St. Cuthbert pressed his attack until he stood directly between a pair of the Trollkin. Marius could see that Albius was about to be in trouble and lunged to come to his aid, but it was too late. Both creatures turned their claws and jaws upon him and ripped him apart.
Marius took one of them in the eye and it recoiled, banging its skull into the wall before sinking to the ground. The other attempted to flee past Speaks but the bear finally managed to land a telling blow and his giant paw bore the Trollkin to the ground, crushing its chest as black blood frothed from its mouth.
Cathal continued to cry out and spin around seeking a foe to plant his sword in. It took a few more moments for Lazarius to convey that the battle was over and that Albius was down. The only one who had seen what happened to the lad was Marius.
He leaned in close to the Trollkin he had downed and watched as the creature’s eye became whole again. Marius drew his hand back and the Black Blade appeared in it at the same moment when the Trollkin regained consciousness.
The presence was back and Marius felt it in his hand, a living, thirsty thing. He knew what it wanted and he let it have the Trollkin’s soul. With pleasure.
He let the blade linger in the creature’s throat for as long as he dared until Marcus appeared beside him and hopelessly looked for any signs of life in the body of young Albius. Marius gave Marcus the space he knew he would need and the dagger went back into the glove where it was quiet once again.
Quiet and thirsty.
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BardStephenFox said:
This was a rather strange fight and it highlighted how good the guys in our group are at keeping player and character knowledge separate. We didn't do anything different in terms of how we used the battlemat. All the figures were sitting out there just like they usually are including the party as well as the bad guys. But the players generally had their characters bumble around somewhat haphazardly because the characters could only see 5 feet at any given moment.
Compounding that difficulty was an enemy who used reach weapons but could also attack adjacent targets with tooth and claw, plus see in the dark, plus see through the fog and regenerate. So the Trollkin would hit and fade constantly, much to the PC's frustration.
Add to this the fact that there were Glyphs of Warding all over the place. And they were specifically set NOT to go off when crossed by the Trollkin. So when they would "fade" and the PC's would pursue, most often they would get 5 or 7d6 damage for their trouble.
If all of this sounds tedious and frustrating then that's exactly how it was meant to be. Not meant for ME to frustrate the PLAYERS. But the bad guys had a long time to set this place up and they know that if anything will mess up their plans that it's a bunch of do-gooders interrupting their nasty ritual at the 11th hour. So this place was meant to thwart that and I'd say it did a pretty good job.
The net result was that, over the course of the entire evening, the party managed to move about 160 feet if you count things linnearly. I think it was more like 90 feet "as the Thoqqa burrows".
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Liquid Awesome
Finally rid of the incessant attacks by the Trollkin, the group was able to proceed with greater deliberation. With Lazarius still wearing the painful circlet that allowed him to see through the fog, he was able to determine the locations of another pair of Wards. Marius had determined that these were beyond his ability to disable, but he tried anyway and his incredible reflexes were enough to allow him to dodge the elemental blasts that burst from them when they were triggered. As a result, they were able to progress up the darkened hallway and approach the portion of wall where Lazarius had seen some sort of magical effect when one of the Wards had detonated.
It turned out that a broad section of the wall was illusory and beyond it was a set of stairs leading up to a stout door. They gathered along the stairs and took a few moments to assess their wounds as they decided on their next course of action. They had shed a lot of blood and used a large portion of their magic to gain the meager ground they had crossed in the last hour. And they had lost young Albius, whose death hung heavy on the heart of Marcus. The price paid demanded that they not relinquish this territory to the enemy again. And they also knew that time was running out. Wounded and drained though they were, they had to press forward.
The door before them was covered in runes, powerful ones by Lazarius’ estimation, and they doubted very much whether any of them could disable them. Their effects would have to be suffered by whoever opened the door. Marius volunteered reluctantly but his skill at dodging the earlier magical traps could not be denied.
They spent the next several minutes applying every magical protection and enhancement they had, knowing that once they crossed this final threshold that it would be an all out struggle to the death with the Banelar and whatever minions they still held close as bodyguards.
The others retreated around the corner leaving Marius alone in the alcove at the door. With a sigh and a crack of his knuckles, he grabbed the door handle. “Here goes nothing…”
He pulled.
It turned out that a broad section of the wall was illusory and beyond it was a set of stairs leading up to a stout door. They gathered along the stairs and took a few moments to assess their wounds as they decided on their next course of action. They had shed a lot of blood and used a large portion of their magic to gain the meager ground they had crossed in the last hour. And they had lost young Albius, whose death hung heavy on the heart of Marcus. The price paid demanded that they not relinquish this territory to the enemy again. And they also knew that time was running out. Wounded and drained though they were, they had to press forward.
The door before them was covered in runes, powerful ones by Lazarius’ estimation, and they doubted very much whether any of them could disable them. Their effects would have to be suffered by whoever opened the door. Marius volunteered reluctantly but his skill at dodging the earlier magical traps could not be denied.
They spent the next several minutes applying every magical protection and enhancement they had, knowing that once they crossed this final threshold that it would be an all out struggle to the death with the Banelar and whatever minions they still held close as bodyguards.
The others retreated around the corner leaving Marius alone in the alcove at the door. With a sigh and a crack of his knuckles, he grabbed the door handle. “Here goes nothing…”
He pulled.
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