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NOW LIVE! Into the Woods--new character species, eerie monsters, and haunting villains to populate the woodlands of your D&D games.
Seas of Fire
- Thread starter Rune
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Rune
Once A Fool
Session 5, part 1
The flames taunt us from all directions as we rush to the fish-markets.
Somewhere in the distance, a fallen airship wreaths the night sky in an orange glow as it burns. That is not our immediate problem, however.
An inn is on fire; it is the very inn Virian and Dexerion had been sleeping at, while in town. Someone inside is screaming for help. Virian and Dexerion rush to the entrance and dash inside. Jared’s mind twists reality, and he and I soon find ourselves climbing up the side of the building—like spiders—and into a window on the top floor. Maialin busies herself holding back Fruffy and his various rodents as they try to advance upon the pretty lights of the flaming inn.
Inside, Jared and I find an old man--unconscious, but breathing. Virian and Dexerion have found the source of the screaming; a woman has been pinned inside with her wailing infant. Dexerion is driven back by the blistering heat and Virian is trying to balance the baby in two of his hands and the woman in the other two. He can’t quite get it, so I run to help him. When we get the woman and child out, Virian and Dex go back in to search for a friend of Dexerion’s who had been staying in the inn, a man named Reynold.
Fruff runs over to the old man and clutches him, an intense green-ness washes over them, throbbing with the pulse of nature as it passes between the halfling and the old man. The old man's eyes open.
As soon as I can see that the man will be alright, I run inside to help the bard and the wizard find their friend.
The tall bard’s height is against him; he has succumbed to the dense, rolling smoke and the crackling heat. He lies prone and unconscious, slowly burning to death. Dexerion struggles to drag him to safety, but the weight of the four-armed fop is too great for the spellcrafter to manage on his own. Even with my help, the process is a slow one. I can feel my skin peeling.
Fruffy revives Virian, as well. I am ready to head back into the inferno to search for Reynold, but fortunately, the old man, whom Jared rescued, bears that very identity.
After a brief pause for breath (which I badly need), we head toward the fallen airship. It is on its side and its hull is collapsing as it is steadily eaten by greedy tongues of flame. From a square hole in the deck, some thirty feet above us, a voice rings out in pain and fear.
Grappling hooks are caught on that hole and ropes snake down from it, but they are slick with grime and sweat. Virian is the only one among us who is able to scale the deck on the first attempt. Inside the hole, he begins to climb down another rope, but his four arms fail him. He falls thirty feet into the darkness.
The hull has beautiful acoustics. We hear an almost lovely, sick, meaty, CRUNCH echo through the giant percussive instrument—this flaming ship.
The flames taunt us from all directions as we rush to the fish-markets.
Somewhere in the distance, a fallen airship wreaths the night sky in an orange glow as it burns. That is not our immediate problem, however.
An inn is on fire; it is the very inn Virian and Dexerion had been sleeping at, while in town. Someone inside is screaming for help. Virian and Dexerion rush to the entrance and dash inside. Jared’s mind twists reality, and he and I soon find ourselves climbing up the side of the building—like spiders—and into a window on the top floor. Maialin busies herself holding back Fruffy and his various rodents as they try to advance upon the pretty lights of the flaming inn.
Inside, Jared and I find an old man--unconscious, but breathing. Virian and Dexerion have found the source of the screaming; a woman has been pinned inside with her wailing infant. Dexerion is driven back by the blistering heat and Virian is trying to balance the baby in two of his hands and the woman in the other two. He can’t quite get it, so I run to help him. When we get the woman and child out, Virian and Dex go back in to search for a friend of Dexerion’s who had been staying in the inn, a man named Reynold.
Fruff runs over to the old man and clutches him, an intense green-ness washes over them, throbbing with the pulse of nature as it passes between the halfling and the old man. The old man's eyes open.
As soon as I can see that the man will be alright, I run inside to help the bard and the wizard find their friend.
The tall bard’s height is against him; he has succumbed to the dense, rolling smoke and the crackling heat. He lies prone and unconscious, slowly burning to death. Dexerion struggles to drag him to safety, but the weight of the four-armed fop is too great for the spellcrafter to manage on his own. Even with my help, the process is a slow one. I can feel my skin peeling.
Fruffy revives Virian, as well. I am ready to head back into the inferno to search for Reynold, but fortunately, the old man, whom Jared rescued, bears that very identity.
After a brief pause for breath (which I badly need), we head toward the fallen airship. It is on its side and its hull is collapsing as it is steadily eaten by greedy tongues of flame. From a square hole in the deck, some thirty feet above us, a voice rings out in pain and fear.
Grappling hooks are caught on that hole and ropes snake down from it, but they are slick with grime and sweat. Virian is the only one among us who is able to scale the deck on the first attempt. Inside the hole, he begins to climb down another rope, but his four arms fail him. He falls thirty feet into the darkness.
The hull has beautiful acoustics. We hear an almost lovely, sick, meaty, CRUNCH echo through the giant percussive instrument—this flaming ship.
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Rune
Once A Fool
Session 5, part 2
Maialin and Dex manage to climb up the ropes and descend into the depths of the hull. Moments later, a gnome, who had been pinned inside, emerges. Still later, Dex and Maialin (with the help of some guards, who were able to climb up) manage to hoist Virian’s shattered body up on some ropes and lower him to the ground. The bard is breathing unevenly as he drifts through unconsciousness. Again, Fruffy embraces Virian and the wild power of nature mends his bones.
I escort the gnome to some newly arrived carriages—and to the emerging priests of Shimdar. I am interested to see that Father Mehmet is with them and share a brief word or two of greeting with the high priest. A large group of townsfolk have gathered to watch the priests put out the fires. They crowd around my friends and I, calling us heroes, if you can believe it!
I catch sight of a face I know in the crowd and make my way toward it. He is a sailor—and was on this ship. He exclaims that a great winged lizard, with many claws, had attacked the ship. I know the creature; it is a zephyr. They are said to be terrible beasts. This one opened its jaws, as if to bite, and belched forth a bolt of lightning, tearing away the side of the ship and igniting it. It is a tragedy, without question. One detail troubles me greatly, however.
Someone was riding on the back of the zephyr.
Eventually, we all head to my comfortable sod house to sleep for the night. That is to say, some of us sleep; in the course of the night, Maialin takes Virian and slips into the darkness. Jared and I let her go and discuss the possible ramifications. We are sure that she is going to meet with the group of teenagers who assailed her during the day. The last thing she needs, right now, is to get mixed up in another Ring.
In the morning, they slip back in and Maialin goes to sleep. Virian leaves again, this time with Dexerion, who has spent the last hour or more studying his books. Fruffy has already left, he is outside somewhere, being one with his precious "Nature." At least he is clean.
A loud knock at my door interrupts our breakfast. An unbelievably rude woman is its origin. She reeks of opulent affluence.
"Mr. Roderick! Are you the man responsible for killing the fire elemental in the bathhouse yesterday?"
I choose my words carefully. "I would not say that I am responsible, but I did aid the guard in vanquishing the creature."
"Then you are the man who killed it? And these are your compatriots?"
"Yes."
"I own that bathhouse. I will be pressing charges against you unless you procure a suitable replacement. I will even pay you for the service, should you do it."
Her last sentence is a sneer.
What is your angle, lady?
After a moment of discussion and deliberation—and after she has assured me that the replacement fire elemental would be better warded—we agree to do so, provided she gives us detailed information, when we need it. She leaves her name--Madame Nina Lipschum--and her address with us and rolls away from my humble dwelling and into her own excessively wealthy life.
I hate that woman, as I have hated no other person. Somehow, I am sure—I can feel it in the pit of my stomach—that she is going to be our ally.
Maialin and Dex manage to climb up the ropes and descend into the depths of the hull. Moments later, a gnome, who had been pinned inside, emerges. Still later, Dex and Maialin (with the help of some guards, who were able to climb up) manage to hoist Virian’s shattered body up on some ropes and lower him to the ground. The bard is breathing unevenly as he drifts through unconsciousness. Again, Fruffy embraces Virian and the wild power of nature mends his bones.
I escort the gnome to some newly arrived carriages—and to the emerging priests of Shimdar. I am interested to see that Father Mehmet is with them and share a brief word or two of greeting with the high priest. A large group of townsfolk have gathered to watch the priests put out the fires. They crowd around my friends and I, calling us heroes, if you can believe it!
I catch sight of a face I know in the crowd and make my way toward it. He is a sailor—and was on this ship. He exclaims that a great winged lizard, with many claws, had attacked the ship. I know the creature; it is a zephyr. They are said to be terrible beasts. This one opened its jaws, as if to bite, and belched forth a bolt of lightning, tearing away the side of the ship and igniting it. It is a tragedy, without question. One detail troubles me greatly, however.
Someone was riding on the back of the zephyr.
Eventually, we all head to my comfortable sod house to sleep for the night. That is to say, some of us sleep; in the course of the night, Maialin takes Virian and slips into the darkness. Jared and I let her go and discuss the possible ramifications. We are sure that she is going to meet with the group of teenagers who assailed her during the day. The last thing she needs, right now, is to get mixed up in another Ring.
In the morning, they slip back in and Maialin goes to sleep. Virian leaves again, this time with Dexerion, who has spent the last hour or more studying his books. Fruffy has already left, he is outside somewhere, being one with his precious "Nature." At least he is clean.
A loud knock at my door interrupts our breakfast. An unbelievably rude woman is its origin. She reeks of opulent affluence.
"Mr. Roderick! Are you the man responsible for killing the fire elemental in the bathhouse yesterday?"
I choose my words carefully. "I would not say that I am responsible, but I did aid the guard in vanquishing the creature."
"Then you are the man who killed it? And these are your compatriots?"
"Yes."
"I own that bathhouse. I will be pressing charges against you unless you procure a suitable replacement. I will even pay you for the service, should you do it."
Her last sentence is a sneer.
What is your angle, lady?
After a moment of discussion and deliberation—and after she has assured me that the replacement fire elemental would be better warded—we agree to do so, provided she gives us detailed information, when we need it. She leaves her name--Madame Nina Lipschum--and her address with us and rolls away from my humble dwelling and into her own excessively wealthy life.
I hate that woman, as I have hated no other person. Somehow, I am sure—I can feel it in the pit of my stomach—that she is going to be our ally.
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Rune
Once A Fool
Session 5, part 3
Absentmindedly, I send Toady out to purchase a fire elemental. He is only too happy to get into town for a little while, despite the certainty that his task will be fruitless. Fruffy has returned and stays in the house, Maialin sleeps; Jared and I take the opportunity to part ways and take care of our own business. Whatever it is that Jared must do, my tasks are fairly mundane; I must take over the errands that Toady will be neglecting, since I sent him into town.
A couple of hours before noon, Jared and I return to my home and wake Maialin. We chat for a little bit, waiting on Dexerion and Virian, but they are not forthcoming. We will have to meet them at the courthouse. We head to court.
…Where we are greeted by a guard who tells us that the trial has been canceled. The attackers have escaped. Virian and Dexerion appear and discover the same. Dexerion relates to me their story.
Apparently, he had received a message, borne on the wind, from his master, telling him to find out about something called, "Zeitweg," which is a dwarven word meaning, roughly, "timewalk."
He and Virian had taken this opportunity to visit the School of Arcana and hired some research on the subject. The books on the subject had been stolen overnight, inditing Dex and Virian on coincidence, alone. Consequently, they had spent the last few hours being magically interrogated. I never much liked wizards; this is why. I am sure Dexerion will grow out of his "wizard" phase soon enough. He’s not a bad kid, really.
One thing Dexerion mentions sticks in my mind, though. I wonder if it would be possible to visit Nar-Abar before the spore-fever?
As we are heading back to my cozy sod hut, we can hear the sounds of combat in an alley near us. We change our course to see a massive man ringed by guards—guild-paid guards—swinging a mighty iron ball on a long length of chain. The discordant sounds of screams and breaking bones fill the air.
One of the guards yells to a companion in frustration, "He must have orc blood in him!"
The giant man shakes with a fury beyond description. "ORC? ORC! ME NOT ORC! I OGRE-BLOOD!"
I nock the special arrow that Jared won at last night’s banquet, but inaction grips me. I do not trust these guards, nor the intentions of their employers, but the huge man is killing men.
Surely, he must be pacified?
Absentmindedly, I send Toady out to purchase a fire elemental. He is only too happy to get into town for a little while, despite the certainty that his task will be fruitless. Fruffy has returned and stays in the house, Maialin sleeps; Jared and I take the opportunity to part ways and take care of our own business. Whatever it is that Jared must do, my tasks are fairly mundane; I must take over the errands that Toady will be neglecting, since I sent him into town.
A couple of hours before noon, Jared and I return to my home and wake Maialin. We chat for a little bit, waiting on Dexerion and Virian, but they are not forthcoming. We will have to meet them at the courthouse. We head to court.
…Where we are greeted by a guard who tells us that the trial has been canceled. The attackers have escaped. Virian and Dexerion appear and discover the same. Dexerion relates to me their story.
Apparently, he had received a message, borne on the wind, from his master, telling him to find out about something called, "Zeitweg," which is a dwarven word meaning, roughly, "timewalk."
He and Virian had taken this opportunity to visit the School of Arcana and hired some research on the subject. The books on the subject had been stolen overnight, inditing Dex and Virian on coincidence, alone. Consequently, they had spent the last few hours being magically interrogated. I never much liked wizards; this is why. I am sure Dexerion will grow out of his "wizard" phase soon enough. He’s not a bad kid, really.
One thing Dexerion mentions sticks in my mind, though. I wonder if it would be possible to visit Nar-Abar before the spore-fever?
As we are heading back to my cozy sod hut, we can hear the sounds of combat in an alley near us. We change our course to see a massive man ringed by guards—guild-paid guards—swinging a mighty iron ball on a long length of chain. The discordant sounds of screams and breaking bones fill the air.
One of the guards yells to a companion in frustration, "He must have orc blood in him!"
The giant man shakes with a fury beyond description. "ORC? ORC! ME NOT ORC! I OGRE-BLOOD!"
I nock the special arrow that Jared won at last night’s banquet, but inaction grips me. I do not trust these guards, nor the intentions of their employers, but the huge man is killing men.
Surely, he must be pacified?
rootbeergnome
First Post
One of these days, I'm going to have to end the session with some down time for the characters....maybe 
But I can't seem to just end with something like "And you all go to the Sod House with Toady for a long needed rest." I like ending with the action and intrigue, makes them come back for more. Ah, I do so love a good moral dilemma
As Rune said, when Virian and Dexerion went to the Academy Arcana, they were magically interrogated for hours because they had previously been asking the professors to research information on the "Zeitveg" (this was mis-pronounced at first by Dexerion, but the wizardly professor thought it might be a bad pronunciation of a word from another language) The books with the information on the "Zeitveg" were missing from the library. After proving themselves innocent, Virian and Dexerion were asked if they could help in finding the stolen books. They agreed to help, and were shown to the library. Just inside the very magically warded stone door to the library, there are 2 large magical mirrors. The wizard explained that the mirrors were made to magically remember whatever was reflected in their surface if an alarm spell was triggered by anyone entering the library. Virian and Dexerion watched the mirror as the images from the night before played out within them. They watched for a very long time as nothing but the empty library was reflected, and then, Dexerion saw something moving in the shadows of the library's high ceiling. Fifty feet above the stone floor of the library, within the shadows something crawled along the ceiling, something very....spider-like. And it stopped, at a place on the ceiling, for just a moment, and fidgeted a bit, then moved out of the mirror's view. Immediately Virian and Dexerion call for a library attendant to bring them a ladder. They climb atop the the forty foot high book shelf, and with some ingenuity they make a rubbing of the rune that is scratched into the stone of the ceiling. They determine the symbol is not arcane, and Virian's bardic experience does not lend him any idea as to it's nature either...
--RB Gnome
But I can't seem to just end with something like "And you all go to the Sod House with Toady for a long needed rest." I like ending with the action and intrigue, makes them come back for more. Ah, I do so love a good moral dilemma As Rune said, when Virian and Dexerion went to the Academy Arcana, they were magically interrogated for hours because they had previously been asking the professors to research information on the "Zeitveg" (this was mis-pronounced at first by Dexerion, but the wizardly professor thought it might be a bad pronunciation of a word from another language) The books with the information on the "Zeitveg" were missing from the library. After proving themselves innocent, Virian and Dexerion were asked if they could help in finding the stolen books. They agreed to help, and were shown to the library. Just inside the very magically warded stone door to the library, there are 2 large magical mirrors. The wizard explained that the mirrors were made to magically remember whatever was reflected in their surface if an alarm spell was triggered by anyone entering the library. Virian and Dexerion watched the mirror as the images from the night before played out within them. They watched for a very long time as nothing but the empty library was reflected, and then, Dexerion saw something moving in the shadows of the library's high ceiling. Fifty feet above the stone floor of the library, within the shadows something crawled along the ceiling, something very....spider-like. And it stopped, at a place on the ceiling, for just a moment, and fidgeted a bit, then moved out of the mirror's view. Immediately Virian and Dexerion call for a library attendant to bring them a ladder. They climb atop the the forty foot high book shelf, and with some ingenuity they make a rubbing of the rune that is scratched into the stone of the ceiling. They determine the symbol is not arcane, and Virian's bardic experience does not lend him any idea as to it's nature either...
--RB Gnome
rootbeergnome
First Post
*sigh* it's hopeless, the phantom who makes our views count go up must not have fingers to type about how good our game is 
Ah well, good night all.
--RB Gnome
Ah well, good night all.--RB Gnome
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Deadly Puddingcup
First Post
Rune said:
*sings the alignment song*
always those hard choices eh. its like wanting to scream out the answer to a riddle you yourself have figured out, but good oh thwack, your half orc with an intellegence of 6 would rather just smash the person asking the question that made his head hurt. so which would your character do. which is the lesser of the evils?would you be rewarded for helping either side? is the ogre some key, or just a clever ploy by the skeeming rootbeergnome? decisions decisions...
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