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

[Rel]

So, would now be a good time to start reading this series?

I'd probably wait another hour or two when I post the FINAL update. If you read REALLY fast then you might wind up finishing and having to wait a full ten minutes or so for the next update, which can very tedious if you ask the other posters in this thread.

 

[Rel]

The bulk of Bale’s army had still not even gotten within sight of where the true battle raged. They were doing their best to hack and clamor their way through the thicket wall. In some areas the plants seemed to come alive to rip and tear at those within, becoming an impenetrable Web of Briars. Sometimes an individual Neoghi or cluster of Duergar would suddenly plunge into a watery pit to be dragged under by the weight of their armor. All were driven by Bale-inspired bloodlust but even through the haze of hate they could tell that they were not supporting their master well at the present. Some near the rear thought they heard a horn sounding behind them.

Above the marsh, the shimmering cloud that remained where the Shining Lady had been slain was finally starting to fade but as it dissipated three of the motes of light within refused to vanish. These glowing balls descended toward the battle at high speed, heading directly toward where Cathal and Marcus stood fighting Bale. Marcus noticed them coming but did not know what to make of them. Cathal was too busy to notice or care.

He struck again at Bale, delivering a blow that would have laid low any normal foe. But to Bale it was only a slash into his liquid body that was whole again a second after it was delivered. Cathal gritted his iron teeth together and braced for Bale’s counterattack.

Bale cast aside his broken weapon and unleashed his fists upon the insolent human who dared to assault his godliness. Fists like charging bulls crushed down upon Cathal, striking him with force unlike any he had ever known. Had Marcus not been siphoning away a goodly portion of the pain that his Iron Body withstood, he would have died then and there. But with the aid of his friend he managed to hold on for a few moments longer.

(I truly hate to break up the narrative with GM commentary, but I feel compelled to point out that Bale hit all four times with his fists and did 128 points of damage with this series of attacks. Never before had the party even come close to seeing this much damage done by or to anything they had fought.)

In the air, Marius slew another Dragonkin and saw two more fall to the combined assault of the Treants and Dire birds that aided them. They were nearly starting to outnumber their foes if only that pack of Giants and Ogres were not about to swarm in to overwhelm them. As if in answer to his prayer, a thundering herd of animals swept across the marsh and plowed into the Ogres. Great Root himself engaged one of the Giants, smashing at him with his huge, oaken arms. Lazarius stepped forward and unleashed a cloud of Glittering Dust upon the lead Giant and immediately followed with a surging Bolt of Lightning that struck the blinded behemoth.

Speaks charged the Lizard-Thing, crouching and then springing up at the last moment to close his huge jaws on its scaly throat. It struggled briefly before Speaks magic overtook it and it felt the Kiss of Death. It flopped lifelessly from the Druid’s bloody jaws and lay still as its blood began to flow through the water to strengthen and nourish its cruel master.

Back along the thicket wall, a breakthrough was taking place on the far left flank. A mob of Duergar had finally hacked a hole with their axes and charged ahead to rally with their mighty master. Behind them a loose horde of a hundred Orcs also began to run through this gap in the fortifications.

With a great cry, Magdar’s Orcs, led by Scar the Half-Orc charged around the end of the palisade to crash into the Grey Dwarves. The battle hardened crew brought axe and hammer pounding into the unshielded right flank of the Dwarves who began to fall in increasing numbers as they ran about confused as to whether to stay and fight the Orcs or rush ahead to the call of Bale. This disorganized mob threatened to be overrun by the oncoming horde of Orcs for a moment before the front rank of Orcs suddenly exploded in fire.

Rhys soared above on his carpet blasting fire hither and yon with abandon. His wand had killed fifty Orcs in mere moments and he showed no signs of slowing down. From his high vantage he could see that a phalanx of Legionnaires were maneuvering to the end of the palisade, ready to come to their aid if the breakthrough continued. But he could also see that more breakthroughs were coming all up and down the thicket wall. The marsh was about to become a very crowded place.

 

[Mark Causey]

I'm glad you'll be done soon. It'll give you little excuse not to start planning games to run that I can participate in

Okie dokie, I'll wait for the end to post.

 

[Rel]

Everything converged on the island in the center of the marsh. Ilrath and Magdar overcame the clouding of their minds and charged into knee deep water to attack Bale’s flank. The Giants and Ogres continued to struggle toward the melee with Dire Wolves, Bears and Elk biting and clawing and goring them all the while. The Shining Lady’s dying gift of the Lanter Archons swooped in to surround Marcus with their light and bolster his body with their magic. Speaks huge bear form crashed forward and he infused all within this Circle with Healing.

And in the center Cathal began to sing.

Not all present understood the words to the Brigante Battle Hymn but its meaning was clear: Death is all around us but we shall not stop.

Another barrage of blows rained down from the godling to land on the warrior. If there was one thing that Bale could not abide then it was Hope. And if there were two things that Bale could not abide then the other one was Singing. His crushing attacks landed upon the iron warrior but they seemed to lack the strength of his earlier assault.

Despite the fact that this series of blows were not as strong, Cathal was barely standing. He knew that the next attack would be the one that destroyed him and he only hoped that Marcus or Ilrath or someone could take up the Bloodstone Blade and succeed where he had failed. He struck again weakly but his blade did not bite deep and Bale shrugged aside its magic again with ease.

The battle continued to rage all around the central confrontation. Lazarius swooped to the side and sent another Lightning Bolt sizzling through both Giants. The one fighting Great Root howled at the terrible burns it withstood. The blinded one died as blood boiled out of his mouth to spray the marsh with gore that immediately turned to crawl to its giant master. Marius skewered the last of the Dragonkin through the chest leaving him gasping. A giant limb smote the creature from the air in the next instant leaving the sky clear of foes for now.

Cathal delivered another weak thrust with the Bloodstone Blade, doing no noticeable harm to Bale. Cathal felt every ounce of the weight of the stone sword as his strength fled from him. The tip of the weapon dipped down to rest upon the ground as the Brigante looked up at the wall of blood before him to see Bale raise his fists high above to deliver the final blow. Cathal’s vision seemed to blur in the face of the oncoming attack and he mustered his last breath to continue belting out his song of hope.

Blood splashed outward from the impact of Bale’s fist. The godling roared in frustration as Marcus’ Wall of Force warded off the smashing blow. He held forth the Shield in grim determination, knowing that he had bought them not minutes but seconds to live before Bale recovered.

Sensing the desperation, Speaks resumed human form that he might crowd in close enough to provide healing to the failing Cathal. Even Marius swooped in on his great wings and managed to activate a Scroll of Healing that he had obtained from the Church in Emor. Lazarius was busy dodging blows from a very angry Giant or he might have tried to assist them as well.

The Giant swung at the flying Wizard in a rage that would have been present even if Bale had not. One, two Lazarii were struck from the air. But not the one that truly mattered. That one let fly with his final Lightning Bolt and the Giant fell with a great splash, dead in the marsh.

Bale had been thwarted on his last attack but he was not the reborn godling of hate, murder and destruction for nothing. With but a thought he Disintegrated the Wall of Force that Marcus had thrown up and resumed his assault. His next blow struck Cathal hard but not hard enough to overcome the healing that had been applied to the Brigante in the last few seconds. Even as Bale drew back to strike again the Lantern Archons swarmed around the human to give him the strength he needed to fight for a few moments longer.

Those in Bale’s army who had tried to rally to him were starting to falter. The herd of Dire Animals were dying well, taking a terrible toll on the Ogres. The Treants were now free of the Dragonkin and surged forward to attack as well, while Great Root himself stepped between the column of Ogres to prevent them from attacking those who fought Bale directly. Blood flowed thick in the shallow water and it flowed in one direction: To Bale.

Fed in strength by this influx of fresh blood he drew himself up to his greatest height yet. His voice boomed over the battlefield and was directed straight down at Cathal.

“I grow tired of toying with you! Your end is near!”

Fists of blood hurled themselves at the Brigante warrior and drove him to the brink of destruction. Even with the combined healing powers of nearly every member of the group, the assault unleashed by Bale was enough to place Cathal back on death’s door. It was becoming too familiar a place.

He gathered himself as best he could and something that was either Conviction or Desperation manifested itself in his song. He struck a final time and felt the Bloodstone Blade bite deep. Very deep. And it seemed to strike something hard.

The “something hard” was stone. And it very quickly became a LOT of stone as the magic of the Bloodstone Blade finally took hold and spread upward and outward.

Bale’s howl of rage took on the distinct sound of panic and he flailed his arms at his own body as if this might stave off the magic that was overtaking him. One arm became stuck as the blood within it caught the magic and conducted it right up into his shoulder and then his huge, amorphous head. His cry lingered for a moment, echoing from the stony confines of his throat before it faded away entirely.

Cathal’s voice faded too as he collapsed in exhaustion next to the massive monument he had created. Bale had been defeated. Somebody else would have to deal with his legion of minions.

 

[Rel]

The palisade burst like a dam. Fodor warriors charged forth with whooping battle cries. Legions poured out and attacked in a fashion that appalled their commanders. All sense of formation was lost as the Legionnaires surged across the water to attack the Stone God’s army as it wallowed in utter pandemonium.

They were suddenly free of Bale’s compulsion and chaos reigned. Bale’s army had been tied together by one thing and one thing only – their allegiance to his Blood. They now found themselves having forced marched for nearly a week while eating nothing but a steady diet of hate and rage to keep them going. Furthermore they now stood shoulder to shoulder with creatures who they had been at war with or the prey of for centuries.

While this may have been an opportune time to lay aside old grudges and animosity, few availed themselves of that option. The grip of hate and rage was all they had known since Bale’s return and what were a few more minutes anyway? Bale’s army collapsed in on itself as Duergar fought Orc and Ogre throttled Neoghi.

None of this was helped by the fact that into their rear charged the tired but anxious Dwarves of the Stone Tooth. Their short legs had carried them a long way in a short time and tired though they were, they were equally heartened that they had not missed all of the killing. They fell upon the rear ranks, killing those who were not busy killing each other.

Great Root calmed those animals closest to him. They had already fought so hard and given up so many of their number that he hated to see any more die in the closing minutes of the battle. But many were outside of the call of his voice and many an Orc and Duergar fell dead in the jaws of a Dire Wolf that afternoon.

When the masses of the Legions and Fodor Tribesmen came crashing through the gaps in the thicket wall it was all over. Gladius and pilum fought next to axe and sword to finish what tooth and hammer had begun. By dusk it was only the fastest and cleverest of Bale’s army who yet lived. Marius personally saw to it that any who lay wounded or unconscious on the field of battle would not rise again as he knelt next to each and gave the coup de grace as only he could.

As darkness fell there was a gathering in Urdrax’s Mead Hall the like of which had never been seen. Imperial Legionnaires clashed mugs with Fodor Tribesmen who pounded the broad backs of Dwarves who grudgingly nodded and raised a drink to the knot of Orcs in the corner. The laughed and drank like condemned men given parole and not one of them understood a single damn word the others said. And that was just fine.

Not far away on a muddy and torn little hummock amid a rapidly draining marsh there was a much more quiet celebration going on. Cathal, Marcus, Marius, Lazarius and Speaks all stood on the island beneath the limbs of the Live Oak and gazed at the enormous statue that dominated the field. Out behind it to the north ran a stone highway leading high into the Blackpeaks. They knew all too well Bale was not exactly dead but merely petrified.

“What in the Nine Hells are we going to do with the bastard?!” asked Marius irreverently.

“I have no idea,” answered Marcus but knowing already that just as Brother Lucius had sacrificed himself to give them the chance to defeat Bale, he might have to make some sacrifices to keep him defeated.

“Let’s talk about it in the morning,” said an exhausted Speaks. He slowly rose to his feet and along with the others started back toward Hrongar’s Hill.

“That reminds me, Lazarius, there’s something we need to talk with you about tomorrow,” said Cathal as they departed.

“What is it?” asked Lazarius.

“We’ll talk about it over breakfast…” said Cathal with a laugh. Speaks smiled in the darkness.

“WHAT?!” demanded Lazarius. But laughter fading into the night was his only answer as the heroes departed the field of battle.


the end

 

[BSF]

Very nice Rel.

Thanks to you, and your players.

I will leave it at that for the moment.

 

[Old One]

Woot!

Rel,

Well done and truly epic! I have said it before and I will say it again, you have done great things with Faded Glory...

Rest on your laurels, but not too long ! What is next on the agenda? Eberron? Faded Glory redux? Prodding a prodigal Faded Glory author to get off his arse?

~ OO

 

[Jon Potter]

Wow! Great stuff, Rel.

But I shared the same thought as Marius: "What are they going to do with him?" All it'll take is somebody to pull out the sword to unleash a whole world of hurt.

But that and the fate of Marius and his dagger seem to be questions best answered by another campaign, eh?

 

[Rel]

Thanks for the kudos, guys. I really appreciate all the comments that you have provided over the years that I've been writing this thing. Just to put things in perspective, the Story Hour is approximately 650 pages in Word (12 point type with one extra return between paragraphs just like it appears here). It's been a labor of love and I'm glad I didn't know the scope of the thing when I started it because I doubt I'd have had the courage to write the first word if I knew what lay ahead.

I'll try not to wax all sappy but it is worth mentioning again that the guys I game with are my very best friends in the whole world and I love them as players and friends. I've been gaming with them for well into the second decade for most of them. I am constantly frustrated and delighted with their varying gaming styles and I love every minute of it. And I dearly miss our departed friend, Ted who was my very oldest gaming buddy. But it makes me smile to see his characters finish out this campaign even though he could not. And a great many of my best memories of him are gaming memories.

Another gamer in my life who doesn't get to play nearly enough is my wife. She NEVER reads this thing but maybe someday (when she's really bored), she will. It can be very easy to take for granted a spouse who goes out of her way to facilitate my gaming habit but I try not to. I take every chance that I can to sing her praises and crow about how nice it is to have a wife that encourages your interests. She is a fantastic woman and a lot of what is written here is owed to her.

Big thanks also go to Old One whose campaign setting inspired me to steal it and who has always encouraged me to run with it, even if I'm running in a very different direction than he would have. I am also very pleased to have had the opportunity to meet and game with him and I hope he moves to North Carolina again to make this a more easily regular occurance (*nudge, nudge, *).

Thanks to everyone who has ever posted to or even just read the Story Hour. Your words and sometimes just the "Views" count going up really helped to keep me moving forward to the end. And your questions were insightful and I think helped me become a better writer and storyteller. As to some specific questions:

What is next on the agenda? Eberron? Faded Glory redux? Prodding a prodigal Faded Glory author to get off his arse?

Probably mostly that last thing for a while. I definately will NOT be writing a Story Hour about my Eberron campaign. I like the campaign and all that but I have not kept notes or had any Battle Reports and I hate to start this far behind anyway. The next thing I write may well be from the perspective of a player in a campaign rather than the GM. It is very challenging to try and both prepare for the next game and chronicle the last one all at once.

But I shared the same thought as Marius: "What are they going to do with him?" All it'll take is somebody to pull out the sword to unleash a whole world of hurt.

But that and the fate of Marius and his dagger seem to be questions best answered by another campaign, eh?

Will there be another Faded Glory campaign run by me? Maybe. I love the setting but I also love a lot of other settings too and I'm not the only GM for this group. There stands a good chance of someday being another Faded Glory campaign that I'll run but it won't be with these characters. As for what become of them, much of that is hinted at in the Epilogue that I intend to post in just a bit. The players all seemed to enjoy the future histories of their characters and I hope you will too. They resolve a lot of dangling thread but they leave enough questions unanswered to provide fodder for a follow up campaign if I ever get the hankerin'.

Thanks again for all the posts and I'm more than happy to answer any other outstanding questions that linger. Also, raise your hand if you'd like to see Bale's stats...

 

[Old One]

*raises hand*