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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Lazybones" data-source="post: 1559167" data-attributes="member: 143">Reg: I lived for a year in Georgia, but I'm afraid it only demonstrated to me how deep my CA loyalties lie...   <img src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f609.png" class="smilie smilie--emoji" loading="lazy" width="64" height="64" alt=";)" title="Wink    ;)"  data-smilie="2"data-shortname=";)" />   <img src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f60e.png" class="smilie smilie--emoji" loading="lazy" width="64" height="64" alt=":cool:" title="Cool    :cool:"  data-smilie="6"data-shortname=":cool:" />  Sorry!ltclnlbrain: welcome, and thanks!  If you feel inclined, I have another entirely complete SH that I've "published" as a free PDF (thanks to Padril) on my Web site (link in sig); the characters in this SH are indirectly related to the characters in that one, which I serialized here from 2001-2003. wolff96: thanks, I think those two have a good dynamic going, it reveals another side of Arun I think to have a more "extreme" dwarf to contrast him to. Oh, and I have a few interesting ideas for some new characters who may join the party in later modules, as well as some returning old friends.  One thing about the Adventure Path, there's lots of good NPCs to mine and bring in as guest stars.  And since my core group is a bit understrength, I will likely be using them frequently. And of course there's still plenty of red shir--um, clerics of Helm to kill off.* * * * *  Chapter 143Arun Goldenshield had confronted dozens of terrible creatures in his career as a warrior in service to Moradin.  As a paladin of his faith, he was reinforced against fear.  That was not to say that he did not feel that emotion at all; a man who stood in the heat of battle and faced death without any trepidation was not of sound mind.  But his faith was the bulwark that allowed him to control the instinct that told him to flee for his life, and the fear that came with the hot rush of the flame over him as the elemental turned to face him was washed away beneath an iron skin of hard resolve. With a roar he lunged at the creature, delivering a powerful overhead blow with his hammer.  The heavy iron head splashed into the flaming “body” of the creature, meeting only a partial resistance as it passed through the flames and finally clanged hard against the flagstones beneath.  Arun instantly realized that the creature was resistant if not immune to non-magical attacks, but he stood his ground and unleashed another blow, putting more of his strength into a swing that unfortunately passed harmlessly through empty air as the creature flowed and reformed a pace to the side.  The thing moved with an uncanny speed and grace, its body surging like a bonfire splashed with oil.  The elemental lashed at Arun with fingers of flame that blasted into him with the force of steel whips.  The dwarf lifted his shield to absorb the first blow, feeling the heat that rushed around the edges of the metal barrier like a gust from a blast furnace.  A second blow followed the first, and Arun was driven back a step, his arm scorched by the heat passing through the shield, his eyes watering as smoke and ash were driven into them by the ferocity of the creature’s attack. Arun’s companions, of course, were not idle in those moments, and rushed quickly to the aid of their friend.  However, even as Hodge charged, Mole yelled a warning, as a great gout of flame surged out from an upper window, taking form and substance after it crashed to the cobbles in the middle of the courtyard, sprouting arms and legs of eager red fire.  It regarded those gathered with contempt in its twin eyes, spots of white-hot anger within the amorphic flames of its body. The half-orcs had clearly had enough of this situation, and most fled from the scene, some clutching smoldering wounds where they had been stung by the terrible attacks from the elementals.  Two of the mercenaries who had been close to the building found their route of escape blocked by the arrival of the second creature, and they turned toward the low wall that separated the courtyard from the property of the adjacent building, yelling in alarm as the elemental surged toward them. “Bah, savin’ a lot o’ half-orcs... what be the world comin’ to!” Hodge roared, as he lunged at the elemental from behind.  The magically-enhanced steel tore through the fabric of the creature, and it instantly turned on the dwarf, driving him back with several powerful blows.  One solid blast of flame set the upper body of the dwarf on fire, and he fell to the ground, trying to roll out the burning flames that seared his exposed flesh greedily.  Mole had moved to flank the creature threatening Arun, staying close to the edge of the building despite the heat and tendrils of flame rising from within.  As she passed under a window opening onto the common room, however, she heard a cry from within.  For a moment she looked with indecision at the two embattled dwarves facing the huge elemental monsters, then finally darted toward the door, disappearing into the thick gouts of smoke issuing from within the dying structure. Zenna, meanwhile, held her ground twenty paces away at the rear of the courtyard, calmly firing bolt after bolt from her wand of acid arrows.  Her first had soundly impacted the one fighting Arun high in its flaming body, the acid unleashing an ugly black cloud as it struck.  Upon seeing Hodge get into trouble she fired her second at his foe, drawing its attention from the burning dwarf.  The elemental turned from the escaping half-orcs and the injured dwarf and started toward her, crossing the courtyard in a rush of eager flame. But as it passed, Hodge roared and leapt up once again, tearing through its body with his magical axe.  The creature arrested its rush and turned once more on the dwarf, beating him down with powerful blows backed with the rush of hot flame.  Arun, meanwhile, was likewise taking a pounding from his adversary.  He’d managed to connect with a powerful attack that had hurt it despite its resistance to mundane weapons, but most of his blows passed through it harmlessly.  The dwarf had no such resistance to its assault, although fortunately his magical armor and shield had held up for the most part against the ferocity of its attack.  His breaths were coming in agonized gasps of searing air, however, and he was nearly blind from the smoke that poured from the interior of the ravaged inn.  A loud crash as part of the inn collapsed sent another blast of heat and smoke into him, and he considered retreat, drawing the elemental after him, to where he could fight it in clearer air.  But things suddenly got worse, as he heard Zenna’s voice cut through the roar of the flames, behind him.“Mole’s gone in there!”A moment later, Arun heard a dwarvish cry that drew his attention to his left.  There, he saw the second elemental lay a titanic blow into Hodge.  The dwarf stumbled back, blinded, his face blackened by the flames that continued to flicker from his burning beard as he fell to the ground and lost consciousness.</blockquote>

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