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Running Commentary on Rel's 4e Campaign (Complete 8/2/10)
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<blockquote data-quote="Rel" data-source="post: 5178567" data-attributes="member: 99"><p>Two updates in two days?! Unpossible!</p><p></p><p>For those inside the Sanctuary, the journey was unsettling but brief. It seemed less than an hour since they'd gone inside before Eshik, looking haggard from the long flight on dragon back, summoned them from within the orb. They all got some much needed rest.</p><p></p><p>For Mialain the rest held dreams and visions from Melora who spoke to her about Llyra. She indicated that the Eladrin had been captured by the rogue tribe of Lizardfolk. Llyra had been searching the swamps for Mialain and her companions. But she'd also been doing a service to their goddess by attempting to undo a wrong.</p><p></p><p>Like many of the other "Old Gods" Melora had a number of "Aspects" that had acted as proxy for her will in the world. Most of these had been destroyed during the Cataclysm. The party knew of Mayaheine and The Dweller, both Aspects of Pelor.</p><p></p><p>Melora had been cut off from the world for a long time because so much of Nature, her sphere of influence, had been destroyed. As she gradually re-emerged she was gaining awareness and she was now aware that one of her Aspects had survived the Cataclysm. But it had been subjugated and maimed by the Snake Cult among the Lizardfolk and was now held captive in a temple in the swamp.</p><p></p><p>It was this creature, Hygeius, that Llyra had tried to rescue at the urging of her goddess. But in the process she too had fallen into the clutches of the evil Cult. Mialain shared the news and the group immediately set out to locate the Temple of the Snake Cult. Mialain was able to use her ties to Llyra, as one of the followers of Melora, to navigate them there (being the High Priestess has some benefits).</p><p></p><p>They could see the airship, the airbag partly deflated and her gondola scratched and broken in places, tied down near the Temple. The party wasted no time engaging the Cultists. But these foes turned out to be both literally and figuratively slippery. The Temple was riddled with holes only a few inches wide and the enemy had the ability to transform into snakes and escape through these holes whenever they appeared to be close to defeat.</p><p></p><p>Nonetheless, the PC's pressed forward, Mialain keeping them on their feet and fighting back the poisoned attacks used by the Cultists. They finally reached the inner sanctum of the Temple where the most vile abominations awaited them. Atop a great dais writhed an enormous snake with brilliant green scales. It gripped the barely conscious Llyra in its coils. They could easily see that a malevolent Mist crystal, as big as a sword, had been thrust through the snake's skull. Several mystical Cultists were taking turns channeling energy into this crystal.</p><p></p><p>The party sprang into action with Eshik and Astavian taking the battle to the Cultist Mystics. This was made difficult by the fact that the Cultists all seemed to have their wounds begin to heal the moment they were inflicted. So it was difficult to deal any lasting harm on these enemies. Mialain meanwhile managed to mentally burrow through the cloud of hate and corruption inside the snake's mind and remind it that it was an extension of their goddess. Zanne unleashed a maelstrom of deadly energy down below the dais to keep the Cultist minions at bay.</p><p></p><p>Mialain knew that to have any hope of freeing Hygeius from the clutches of insanity that the Mist crystal must be removed. Astavian came to her aid and managed to wrench the the crystal from its skull. As he did the creature pulsed with the power of Melora and the party felt its healing power flow into them. The Cultists were no longer benefiting from the stolen glory of the Aspect of Melora's Healing and those who were not quickly felled fled into the swamp.</p><p></p><p>In the aftermath Llyra thanked them profusely for coming to save her. Mialain told her that they would have had great difficulty locating the Temple in the labyrinthine swamp had she not been there. In any case, Llyra proved her worth again by patching the airship together enough to get them back to Enmur. Once there they were able to do more thorough repairs that would see them on the next leg of their journey.</p><p></p><p>********</p><p></p><p>Well, I remembered a little more of that segment than I thought! Mechanically the cultists were various types of Yuan-Ti, who I'd been hoping to work into the game at some point for quite a while. The Snaketongue Assassins were particularly annoying to the PC's who originally thought there was an entrance at the top of the Temple.</p><p></p><p>Imagine their consternation when they learned that the way the Cultists were getting in and out was the 8 inch wide holes! <img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" class="smilie smilie--sprite smilie--sprite2" alt=";)" title="Wink ;)" loading="lazy" data-shortname=";)" /> Any time the Assassins were close to dying (and they were regenerating considerably thanks to the stolen power of Hygeius) they would duck inside through the holes. The party actually considered the possibility of doing a power stunt so that Mialain could split the stone asunder and enter the Temple through the top. But they decided that they might end up crushing Llyra with the falling stone so they had to go in through the more heavily guarded front door. That gave them a chance to fight the pile of Snaketongue Initiate minions that I'd left for them, which is always fun.</p><p></p><p>Let's see, a couple other details...</p><p></p><p>By this point the party had reached Paragon level and chosen Paragon Paths. Mialian was Guardian of Nature (naturally), Eshik was a Scion of Arkhosia (naturally), Zanne was the Adroit Explorer and Astavian went with Champion of Order. All of their new abilities saw considerable use in this segment and going forward. I particularly remember Eshik flying a lot using his new wings because the inner sanctum of the Temple had multiple raised levels where the Yuan-Ti Malison Incanters were controlling Hygeius from.</p><p></p><p>After the battle Mialain discovered that while the Mist crystal had allowed the Cult to subjugate Hygeius, some of its innate power had also seeped into the crystal. She didn't know the specifics at that time but she only knew that, if broken, the Crystal would unleash a wave of healing. She had a feeling that might be useful later on.</p><p></p><p>I think she's right. <img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" class="smilie smilie--sprite smilie--sprite2" alt=";)" title="Wink ;)" loading="lazy" data-shortname=";)" /></p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Rel, post: 5178567, member: 99"] Two updates in two days?! Unpossible! For those inside the Sanctuary, the journey was unsettling but brief. It seemed less than an hour since they'd gone inside before Eshik, looking haggard from the long flight on dragon back, summoned them from within the orb. They all got some much needed rest. For Mialain the rest held dreams and visions from Melora who spoke to her about Llyra. She indicated that the Eladrin had been captured by the rogue tribe of Lizardfolk. Llyra had been searching the swamps for Mialain and her companions. But she'd also been doing a service to their goddess by attempting to undo a wrong. Like many of the other "Old Gods" Melora had a number of "Aspects" that had acted as proxy for her will in the world. Most of these had been destroyed during the Cataclysm. The party knew of Mayaheine and The Dweller, both Aspects of Pelor. Melora had been cut off from the world for a long time because so much of Nature, her sphere of influence, had been destroyed. As she gradually re-emerged she was gaining awareness and she was now aware that one of her Aspects had survived the Cataclysm. But it had been subjugated and maimed by the Snake Cult among the Lizardfolk and was now held captive in a temple in the swamp. It was this creature, Hygeius, that Llyra had tried to rescue at the urging of her goddess. But in the process she too had fallen into the clutches of the evil Cult. Mialain shared the news and the group immediately set out to locate the Temple of the Snake Cult. Mialain was able to use her ties to Llyra, as one of the followers of Melora, to navigate them there (being the High Priestess has some benefits). They could see the airship, the airbag partly deflated and her gondola scratched and broken in places, tied down near the Temple. The party wasted no time engaging the Cultists. But these foes turned out to be both literally and figuratively slippery. The Temple was riddled with holes only a few inches wide and the enemy had the ability to transform into snakes and escape through these holes whenever they appeared to be close to defeat. Nonetheless, the PC's pressed forward, Mialain keeping them on their feet and fighting back the poisoned attacks used by the Cultists. They finally reached the inner sanctum of the Temple where the most vile abominations awaited them. Atop a great dais writhed an enormous snake with brilliant green scales. It gripped the barely conscious Llyra in its coils. They could easily see that a malevolent Mist crystal, as big as a sword, had been thrust through the snake's skull. Several mystical Cultists were taking turns channeling energy into this crystal. The party sprang into action with Eshik and Astavian taking the battle to the Cultist Mystics. This was made difficult by the fact that the Cultists all seemed to have their wounds begin to heal the moment they were inflicted. So it was difficult to deal any lasting harm on these enemies. Mialain meanwhile managed to mentally burrow through the cloud of hate and corruption inside the snake's mind and remind it that it was an extension of their goddess. Zanne unleashed a maelstrom of deadly energy down below the dais to keep the Cultist minions at bay. Mialain knew that to have any hope of freeing Hygeius from the clutches of insanity that the Mist crystal must be removed. Astavian came to her aid and managed to wrench the the crystal from its skull. As he did the creature pulsed with the power of Melora and the party felt its healing power flow into them. The Cultists were no longer benefiting from the stolen glory of the Aspect of Melora's Healing and those who were not quickly felled fled into the swamp. In the aftermath Llyra thanked them profusely for coming to save her. Mialain told her that they would have had great difficulty locating the Temple in the labyrinthine swamp had she not been there. In any case, Llyra proved her worth again by patching the airship together enough to get them back to Enmur. Once there they were able to do more thorough repairs that would see them on the next leg of their journey. ******** Well, I remembered a little more of that segment than I thought! Mechanically the cultists were various types of Yuan-Ti, who I'd been hoping to work into the game at some point for quite a while. The Snaketongue Assassins were particularly annoying to the PC's who originally thought there was an entrance at the top of the Temple. Imagine their consternation when they learned that the way the Cultists were getting in and out was the 8 inch wide holes! ;) Any time the Assassins were close to dying (and they were regenerating considerably thanks to the stolen power of Hygeius) they would duck inside through the holes. The party actually considered the possibility of doing a power stunt so that Mialain could split the stone asunder and enter the Temple through the top. But they decided that they might end up crushing Llyra with the falling stone so they had to go in through the more heavily guarded front door. That gave them a chance to fight the pile of Snaketongue Initiate minions that I'd left for them, which is always fun. Let's see, a couple other details... By this point the party had reached Paragon level and chosen Paragon Paths. Mialian was Guardian of Nature (naturally), Eshik was a Scion of Arkhosia (naturally), Zanne was the Adroit Explorer and Astavian went with Champion of Order. All of their new abilities saw considerable use in this segment and going forward. I particularly remember Eshik flying a lot using his new wings because the inner sanctum of the Temple had multiple raised levels where the Yuan-Ti Malison Incanters were controlling Hygeius from. After the battle Mialain discovered that while the Mist crystal had allowed the Cult to subjugate Hygeius, some of its innate power had also seeped into the crystal. She didn't know the specifics at that time but she only knew that, if broken, the Crystal would unleash a wave of healing. She had a feeling that might be useful later on. I think she's right. ;) [/QUOTE]
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