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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Seravin" data-source="post: 2629076" data-attributes="member: 6783">Vignettes of Death and  HorrorsThe bodies of the fallen quaggoth were gone, even the ones that had died by Jallarzi’s poisonous cloud.  No one checked, but only the spattered gore of the battle and the lingering odor of Jallarzi’s spells gave evidence that a battle had taken place.  The Imperial adventurers stayed on their guard, having been warned of the creatures that laired in the caverns further backThe quaggoth-sow the adventurers had questioned did not know where the horrors had come from; only that the creatures had arrived before one of the surviving middle-sized quaggoth-cubs had been birthed.  The horrors had captured the far caves and now defended them bitterly; only occasionally raiding the quaggoth held caves.  The raids were becoming more frequent however, and the warriors whispered that there were more horrors now than before.Based on the quaggoth’s tale the adventurers proceeded cautiously, calling up spells of strength and protection while sending Tore’s spirt-crystal ahead to scout.  So it was Tore’s crystal that first saw the things that they came to call hook-horrors; great beasts the size of ogres, that looked like someone had tried to fit a beetle and a vulture onto a small giant and then replaced the arms with great hooks of bone.Tore’s spirit-crystal was faster than the horrors, but only just.  She made it to the waiting adventurers barely ten feet ahead of the pursuing horrors.  The horrors charged into the cavern unheeding of the light and the sensed occupants; hook horrors are not very bright.The pursuing hook horrors ran straight up to Jared and Kellron spoiling for blood; their flailing hooks smashing into the imperial blades with such force that lesser blades would have shattered.  Jared and Kellron met the rush with strength and fortitude and let the horrors waste their initial attacks on the enchanted blades.  Both warriors took their hits in the fight but their skill was enough to keep them from being seriously injured while they set about butchering the horrors.  It was soon over.<fast forward a few minutes>Farther down the curving corridors, well past the quaggoth caverns as well as the haunted cave where Jallarzi had picked up her new elven boots, the adventurers meet the first horde of hook horrors.  The corridor opens up and branches to the left and right, disappearing into larger caverns, with a shallow alcove before them.  The horrors drop from the ceiling and walls, blocking the adventurer’s way.  The party tactics are excellent. Jared invokes a blade-barrier to trap one grouping of hook horrors in the wide, shallow alcove.  Jallarzi then fills the alcove with a cloud kill.  Meanwhile, Kellron steps up to the left-most group to forestall any charges while Tore and Kestral turn to the right.  Kestral uses her bow to try and discourage any charging, while Tore flexes her will and sends out a stunning wave of mental energy into the closest group of horrors.<fast forward a few seconds>The fight is all but over and last two surviving horrors break and run down the right-hand tunnel, making high pitched squealing sounds as they run; banging their bone hooks against the walls and floor.The adventurers give chase, unwilling to let the creatures go.  The five friends skid to a stop once they realize the new cave has another dozen hook horrors.  There’s no good way to flee so the decision is to stand and fight.  Most everyone excepting Jallarzi is hurt, but with luck and care they know they can take this new group of foes.<fast forward a few seconds>Tore has stunned a handful of horrors while Kellron and Jared are fighting back another grouping.  Kestral is taking advantage of the stunned of horrors and is dealing as much damage as the two warriors.  Jallarzi is laying down ice storms and magic missiles.There’s the sound of a male voice chanting over the sound of combat and then the entire cavern is lit with white-hot flames.  Kestral uses the body of one of the horrors to shield herself from the dancing flames.  No one else is as lucky, but they’re all still standing.No one sees the source so Kestral throws out her light amulet to try and illuminate their foe.  She succeeds, revealing a tall, regal looking human, dressed in black velvet robes.  He is flanked by two of the biggest hook horrors any of them have seen.  The man sneers daring them to do their worst.Jallarzi tries.  She’s already invoked a spell of haste so she lets off a swarm of magic missiles at the newcomer and then centers an ice storm over him.  There’s no visible effect.  The missiles disappear as soon as they touch and the storm rages about the man with no more effect than a mirage.  Only the reactions of the larger hook horrors show that the ice storm had any effect at all.  The wizardess snarls and readies her next spell.The tide of battle has stalled and certain victory is gone.  Now it all rests on the edge of a blade.  Kellron and Jared are unable to break away from their opponents, leaving the women to protect their flank.Then the newcomer invokes a second fireball with a lazy gesture and the same invocation.  Again the cavern is lit by flickering flames, and Tore goes down with a strangled cry.  Everyone knows that the witch is dead.One of the larger horrors flanking the newcomer charges Kestral, and the courier is the next to fall as its sweeping boon hook catches her and throws her to the ground.  Kestral falls to the ground with a grunt, the pain knocking her unconscious as blood begins to seep into her lungs.Jallarzi begins casting, invoking a summoning spell.  She has many choices but she settles upon a swarm of thoqqua, burrowing worm-like creatures from the Fire Realms.  Her conjurations place the creatures between Kestral and the horror looming over her and intercepts another charging horror coming straight at the wizardess.Ravaged by both hooks and fire, Jared and Kellron both invoke Sarath’s healing in their own ways.  Within seconds they are whole with only the their blood spattered armor and weapons showing that they’ve been fighting.<focus shift – The Ruhk>The rakshasa ruhk, Ameretat Agnimukha, was not native to this damp, stinking place.  He was the heir-apparent to the Vale of Serene Pain, located deep within the Screaming Jungles.  Two of his siblings already lay dead by his hand.  The death of his youngest sibling would prove that he was capable of defending the security of his new throne by dealing with any possible succession issues.  Eventually he would have to deal with his own litter of cubs attempting to assassinate him, but that was centuries away.His young brother had fled to this stinking realm, hiding beneath the ground like a cowardly worm.  It had been simple enough to track him here, but the tunnels were seemingly endless and the roaming beasts were nearly as dangerous as himself.  A few close encounters had conviced Agnimukha to pause and consider building a new army.  Using magics unseen in this realm, Agnimukha took a beetle colony and ‘grew’ them into ravening monsters.  It had taken years for them to reach full size, but what was time to one such as him?  Soon his hook-horrors would be ready for the infusion of fiendish energy and then they would find his brother.Then the quaggoth were killed; all of them. The slaughter was worthy of any of his kind, but it irked Agnimukha for he had hoped to sacrifice the quaggoth as part of the next ritual.  Now the slaughterer’s had returned and were showing that even his pet creations were not up to the task of defeating them.  Two fireballs later and the charges from his most favored pets brought Agnimukha’s confident smile back as the two women fell.  The priests gave him pause for a moment as they healed themselves, but all of these slaughterer’s seemed to accept his own human-guise and the only one who bore a readied bow had just fallen to his pet.Then the three thoquaa appeared about his pet standing over the woman.  The things lunged at the hook horror and burrowed through its armored hide as easily as they bored through stone.  The second pet, heading to the white-haired wizardess, was checked by a fourth thoquaa and was likewised attacked by the fire-worm.Agnimukha snarled and briefly thought about offering these slaughterer’s a bribe, but it wasn’t time yet.  He would have to show them his strength first.  The opportunity presented itself as one of the human priest-warriors charged him, while his companion charged the horror moving towards the wizardess.Perfect.  Thought the rakshasa.  The human will find that its blade is insufficient to harm me.  I can then negotiate from a position of strength.“Sarath!”  Yelled the human as he charged Agnimukha with is flaming blade held high.  The rakshasa almost dared the human to hit him.  He didn’t recognize the danger until the blade was already sinking into his flesh.  The blade sang and the blade burned as it met his blood.“I am Deverat, hell-spawn!”  Shouted the enchanted blade.  “Back to the abyss with you!”  The adamantine blade glowed with a pure, holy light, outshining the radiance of the flames.*Agnimukha scrambled back, black blood streaming down his side and fear in his eyes.  Where had the human gotten that blade?  The blade had been missing for centuries.  He invoked a spell of blurring to help hide him and wondered what he was going to do next; perhaps dispel the enchantments on the blade – if he could.It didn’t matter.  The human stepped forward and swung three times, invoking Sarath’s name each time.  The first swipe missed.  The second stroke nearly ended Agnimukha’s life right there.  The third swipe seperated Agnimukha’s head from his body.  As he died, Agnimukha's disguise melted away revealing his tiger-like head and fur covered body.<focus shift – The Good Guys>Jallarzi, Jared, and the thoquaa swarm finished off the two largest hook horrors and then moved on to kill the stunned hook horrors.  Meanwhile, grieving over Tore, Kellron move to Kestral side, verified that she was still alive, and poured a healing potion down her throat.  Once Kestral was conscious, Kellron moved to help Jared and Jallarzi with the remaining horrors, but he needn’t have bothered; the pair had the creatures well in hand.Afterwards they gathered up Tore, searched the remaining caverns, and found a treasure horde worthy of any duke – including a talking sword that introduced itself as Finslayer.---*+2 Adamantine, Holy, Evil Outsider Bane Longsword (amongst other things).  The first attack did only 17 points of damage.  The second one did 30 as he used Smite and Divine Might.  The rakshasa’s remaining 5 hit points didn’t last long.</blockquote>

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