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<blockquote data-quote="Lazybones" data-source="post: 1884761" data-attributes="member: 143"><p>Thanks, I was thinking dragons as well. There have been a few... the red dragon in <em>Zenith Trajectory</em>, the black later in the same mod, another (bigger) black in <em>Test of the Smoking Eye</em>, and... (oh, right, we haven't gotten to that yet <img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" class="smilie smilie--sprite smilie--sprite2" alt=";)" title="Wink ;)" loading="lazy" data-shortname=";)" /> ). </p><p></p><p>I'll wait another day or so for other readers to weigh in. </p><p></p><p>Here's today's update, where we find out how Todd Vanderboren of the Stormblades died:</p><p></p><p>* * * * *</p><p></p><p>Chapter 275</p><p></p><p>Following the battle with the golem, the companions quickly decided that they needed to retreat and rest, to recover from the beating they’d taken in their two encounters thus far in Karran-Kural. In the rear of the chamber they found a shaft, a perfectly smooth cylindrical opening that appeared to provide access to some lower level of the complex, but despite Mole’s curiosity even the gnome had to admit that they were in no shape for further exploration. </p><p></p><p>They retraced their steps all the way back to the outer ice wall, and set up camp at the edge of the pool that gave access to the flooded tunnels. Shensen transformed herself into the shape of an octopus again and returned to the water long enough to catch a half-dozen fish. Planning ahead, Mole had brought a compact package full of charcoal pieces in her <em>bag of holding</em>, so they were able to warm themselves and cook their repast at the same time. </p><p></p><p>“Now, this be more like it,” Hodge said after picking one of the fish clean, leaning back against the rocks and letting out a large belch. To Shensen, he said, “Yer all right, lady, fer a drow.”</p><p></p><p>Zenna elbowed him, but the druid only laughed. “I am pleased to be able to rise to your high standards, ser dwarf.”</p><p></p><p>“So, what do you think we’ll find on the next level?” Mole asked.</p><p></p><p>“Whatever it is, it’s something that someone really doesn’t want others to find,” Beorna commented. “Ice devils and iron golems just don’t randomly appear. Those were guardians, and tough ones.” With that statement she kicked off her boots and leaned back against a sloping rock, and within a few moments was asleep. </p><p></p><p>It was a sobering thought, and it followed them as they set watches and prepared for rest. Zenna cast a spell that would alert them if any foes approached, but their sleep passed without interruption, and soon they were readying themselves once more for battle, talking about tactics over a cold breakfast of rations from Mole’s ever-useful bag. </p><p></p><p>“Whatever’s down here, it seems to be ready and waiting for us,” Beorna said. “So my suggestion is this: quit mincing around. We command both considerable fighting strength and potent magic. So we buff up to the gills, and head straight in.”</p><p></p><p>“Scouting ahead isn’t necessarily a bad thing,” Zenna said. “Trust me—we’ve walked into enough traps and ambushes to know better.”</p><p></p><p>“I’m not saying walk in blindly,” Beorna persisted. “But we go in ready for trouble, and when it appears, we hit it with everything we got, and take it down.”</p><p></p><p>They could agree on that, at least, and so it was with a renewed sense of purpose that they returned to Karran-Kural. They still had a good twelve hours or so left on their <em>endure elements</em> spells, so the icy chill that greeted them again as they reentered the complex was just an annoyance, rather than a life-threatening affair. Per Beorna’s suggestion the spellcasters had shared out the various longer-lasting protections they’d possessed. Shensen had protected Beorna with a ward that turned her flesh a chalky gray color, the <em>stoneskin</em> giving her a potent resistance to physical attacks. </p><p></p><p>They soon had retraced their steps to the shaft leading down. The light from the ceiling panels was bright enough to reveal that the shaft’s bottom was only about twenty feet below, and that it opened onto another larger space below. </p><p></p><p>“We’ll need rope,” Dannel suggested, but Mole was already removing her coil of good silk rope from her bag. </p><p></p><p>“Getting up will be harder than getting down,” Shensen pointed out. “Especially for the dwarves.”</p><p></p><p>“Yer sayin’ I ken nay climb a rope as good as an elf?” Hodge bristled. </p><p></p><p>“Not at all, but neither are we carrying fifty or so pounds of metal on our persons, as are all of you.”</p><p></p><p>“When it comes to it, we’ll manage,” Arun assured her. “I have a friend who may be able to help in this sort of situation.” He took one end of the rope, and attached it to the arm of the iron golem nearby. </p><p></p><p>“Well, looks like we’ll need a scout,” Mole said. With a mischievous look on her face, she edged over to the rim of the shaft... and jumped in. </p><p></p><p>Without the rope. </p><p></p><p>“Mole!” Zenna said, hurrying to the shaft in time to see her friend falling, kicking off against the sides of the shaft to slow her descent. When she reached the bottom she tucked into a roll and tumbled out of view. </p><p></p><p>“One of these days, that girl’s going to jump headfirst into a dragon’s mouth,” Beorna observed. </p><p></p><p>“Oh, she already has,” Zenna replied. </p><p></p><p>“Anything?” Dannel called down the shaft, his <em>feather fall</em> spell at his lips to leap to Mole’s aid if needed. </p><p></p><p>Mole’s face reappeared below. “All clear,” she reported. “Come on down.”</p><p></p><p>With the aid of the rope, the descent was easy enough, and soon they had all reached the bottom of the shaft safely. The room below was almost entirely collapsed, frost-rimed rubble forming an impenetrable wall around them, but there was an intact door that led out into another corridor. </p><p></p><p>As they moved out into the passage, Beorna paused to touch Arun briefly. A tremor of power passed between them. “A ward, to keep you safe,” she said, with a faint smile. Before any of the others could notice their delay, she turned and took up a lead position in the new tunnel. </p><p></p><p>The lower level was quiet but held a certain heavy air to it, as though they could consciously feel the weight of the thousands of tons of rock above them. The omnipresent cold was here as well, but the air was dry, and the stone floor at their feet was free of ice and easy to navigate. </p><p></p><p>They reached an intersection. To their right the corridor was truncated by another collapse, while directly ahead of them the passage continued for a short distance before culminating in another iron door. But to their left, they could see another ice lattice a short distance ahead, all but blocking the passage. The tunnel was narrow, and they would have to go single-file, in that direction. </p><p></p><p>“Well, thus far we’ve had bad luck with doors,” Dannel said, looking down the passage. “Zenna?”</p><p></p><p>“I’d rather save my fireball for an enemy, rather than clearing a passage.”</p><p></p><p>“I have a spell that can help, but it may not reach the upper part of the lattice,” Shensen said. “We taller folk might have to duck.”</p><p></p><p>“Ah, just stand back and let me do it,” Hodge grumbled, holding aloft his axe, calling forth the burning flames that surrounded its head. </p><p></p><p>They started cautiously down the corridor, with the dwarf in the lead. They found that his weapon could burn away the strands without injuring him, so they slowly made their way forward. Zenna, stationed near the rear of the column, tried to stay close to those ahead so that they could benefit from the <em>magic circle against evil</em> that she’d cast upon their reentry to the complex. She was acutely conscious of the rapid passage of minutes since they’d returned to Karran-Kural, but even though she knew that their warding spells were of limited duration, she knew from experience that being hasty could have an even greater cost. </p><p></p><p>Finally, Hodge had cleared a way through most of the obstructing strands within reach, and the rest of the corridor stretched unobstructed before them. They could see that another door marked the end of the passage not too far ahead. </p><p></p><p>Mole slipped ahead of Hodge to take the lead. “You’d better let me check ahead,” she said. “No offense, but you wouldn’t see a trap if its maker outlined it in red chalk and put a sign over it.”</p><p></p><p>“Bah!” Hodge said, but he offered no other complaint. </p><p></p><p>Mole turned toward the door just in time to see it swing inward. Standing there, in the doorway, was a tall human dressed in thick robes lined with rich fur. His profession was instantly obvious by the shifting <em>mirror images</em> that came into view with him, darting in and about his true location in a confusing shimmer. </p><p></p><p>“Wizard!” Mole cried, in case one of her friends hadn’t seen him.</p><p></p><p>The man pointed toward them, and Mole opened her mouth to shout another warning, but before she could a sizzling, empowered <em>lightning bolt</em> slammed down the length of the tunnel. </p><p></p><p>And then, even before the first had fully discharged, the screams of pain from the companions still echoing through the haze of burned flesh and stinging ozone, he laughed and added a second, quickened <em>bolt</em> on top of the first.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Lazybones, post: 1884761, member: 143"] Thanks, I was thinking dragons as well. There have been a few... the red dragon in [i]Zenith Trajectory[/i], the black later in the same mod, another (bigger) black in [i]Test of the Smoking Eye[/i], and... (oh, right, we haven't gotten to that yet ;) ). I'll wait another day or so for other readers to weigh in. Here's today's update, where we find out how Todd Vanderboren of the Stormblades died: * * * * * Chapter 275 Following the battle with the golem, the companions quickly decided that they needed to retreat and rest, to recover from the beating they’d taken in their two encounters thus far in Karran-Kural. In the rear of the chamber they found a shaft, a perfectly smooth cylindrical opening that appeared to provide access to some lower level of the complex, but despite Mole’s curiosity even the gnome had to admit that they were in no shape for further exploration. They retraced their steps all the way back to the outer ice wall, and set up camp at the edge of the pool that gave access to the flooded tunnels. Shensen transformed herself into the shape of an octopus again and returned to the water long enough to catch a half-dozen fish. Planning ahead, Mole had brought a compact package full of charcoal pieces in her [I]bag of holding[/I], so they were able to warm themselves and cook their repast at the same time. “Now, this be more like it,” Hodge said after picking one of the fish clean, leaning back against the rocks and letting out a large belch. To Shensen, he said, “Yer all right, lady, fer a drow.” Zenna elbowed him, but the druid only laughed. “I am pleased to be able to rise to your high standards, ser dwarf.” “So, what do you think we’ll find on the next level?” Mole asked. “Whatever it is, it’s something that someone really doesn’t want others to find,” Beorna commented. “Ice devils and iron golems just don’t randomly appear. Those were guardians, and tough ones.” With that statement she kicked off her boots and leaned back against a sloping rock, and within a few moments was asleep. It was a sobering thought, and it followed them as they set watches and prepared for rest. Zenna cast a spell that would alert them if any foes approached, but their sleep passed without interruption, and soon they were readying themselves once more for battle, talking about tactics over a cold breakfast of rations from Mole’s ever-useful bag. “Whatever’s down here, it seems to be ready and waiting for us,” Beorna said. “So my suggestion is this: quit mincing around. We command both considerable fighting strength and potent magic. So we buff up to the gills, and head straight in.” “Scouting ahead isn’t necessarily a bad thing,” Zenna said. “Trust me—we’ve walked into enough traps and ambushes to know better.” “I’m not saying walk in blindly,” Beorna persisted. “But we go in ready for trouble, and when it appears, we hit it with everything we got, and take it down.” They could agree on that, at least, and so it was with a renewed sense of purpose that they returned to Karran-Kural. They still had a good twelve hours or so left on their [I]endure elements[/I] spells, so the icy chill that greeted them again as they reentered the complex was just an annoyance, rather than a life-threatening affair. Per Beorna’s suggestion the spellcasters had shared out the various longer-lasting protections they’d possessed. Shensen had protected Beorna with a ward that turned her flesh a chalky gray color, the [I]stoneskin[/I] giving her a potent resistance to physical attacks. They soon had retraced their steps to the shaft leading down. The light from the ceiling panels was bright enough to reveal that the shaft’s bottom was only about twenty feet below, and that it opened onto another larger space below. “We’ll need rope,” Dannel suggested, but Mole was already removing her coil of good silk rope from her bag. “Getting up will be harder than getting down,” Shensen pointed out. “Especially for the dwarves.” “Yer sayin’ I ken nay climb a rope as good as an elf?” Hodge bristled. “Not at all, but neither are we carrying fifty or so pounds of metal on our persons, as are all of you.” “When it comes to it, we’ll manage,” Arun assured her. “I have a friend who may be able to help in this sort of situation.” He took one end of the rope, and attached it to the arm of the iron golem nearby. “Well, looks like we’ll need a scout,” Mole said. With a mischievous look on her face, she edged over to the rim of the shaft... and jumped in. Without the rope. “Mole!” Zenna said, hurrying to the shaft in time to see her friend falling, kicking off against the sides of the shaft to slow her descent. When she reached the bottom she tucked into a roll and tumbled out of view. “One of these days, that girl’s going to jump headfirst into a dragon’s mouth,” Beorna observed. “Oh, she already has,” Zenna replied. “Anything?” Dannel called down the shaft, his [I]feather fall[/I] spell at his lips to leap to Mole’s aid if needed. Mole’s face reappeared below. “All clear,” she reported. “Come on down.” With the aid of the rope, the descent was easy enough, and soon they had all reached the bottom of the shaft safely. The room below was almost entirely collapsed, frost-rimed rubble forming an impenetrable wall around them, but there was an intact door that led out into another corridor. As they moved out into the passage, Beorna paused to touch Arun briefly. A tremor of power passed between them. “A ward, to keep you safe,” she said, with a faint smile. Before any of the others could notice their delay, she turned and took up a lead position in the new tunnel. The lower level was quiet but held a certain heavy air to it, as though they could consciously feel the weight of the thousands of tons of rock above them. The omnipresent cold was here as well, but the air was dry, and the stone floor at their feet was free of ice and easy to navigate. They reached an intersection. To their right the corridor was truncated by another collapse, while directly ahead of them the passage continued for a short distance before culminating in another iron door. But to their left, they could see another ice lattice a short distance ahead, all but blocking the passage. The tunnel was narrow, and they would have to go single-file, in that direction. “Well, thus far we’ve had bad luck with doors,” Dannel said, looking down the passage. “Zenna?” “I’d rather save my fireball for an enemy, rather than clearing a passage.” “I have a spell that can help, but it may not reach the upper part of the lattice,” Shensen said. “We taller folk might have to duck.” “Ah, just stand back and let me do it,” Hodge grumbled, holding aloft his axe, calling forth the burning flames that surrounded its head. They started cautiously down the corridor, with the dwarf in the lead. They found that his weapon could burn away the strands without injuring him, so they slowly made their way forward. Zenna, stationed near the rear of the column, tried to stay close to those ahead so that they could benefit from the [I]magic circle against evil[/I] that she’d cast upon their reentry to the complex. She was acutely conscious of the rapid passage of minutes since they’d returned to Karran-Kural, but even though she knew that their warding spells were of limited duration, she knew from experience that being hasty could have an even greater cost. Finally, Hodge had cleared a way through most of the obstructing strands within reach, and the rest of the corridor stretched unobstructed before them. They could see that another door marked the end of the passage not too far ahead. Mole slipped ahead of Hodge to take the lead. “You’d better let me check ahead,” she said. “No offense, but you wouldn’t see a trap if its maker outlined it in red chalk and put a sign over it.” “Bah!” Hodge said, but he offered no other complaint. Mole turned toward the door just in time to see it swing inward. Standing there, in the doorway, was a tall human dressed in thick robes lined with rich fur. His profession was instantly obvious by the shifting [I]mirror images[/I] that came into view with him, darting in and about his true location in a confusing shimmer. “Wizard!” Mole cried, in case one of her friends hadn’t seen him. The man pointed toward them, and Mole opened her mouth to shout another warning, but before she could a sizzling, empowered [I]lightning bolt[/I] slammed down the length of the tunnel. And then, even before the first had fully discharged, the screams of pain from the companions still echoing through the haze of burned flesh and stinging ozone, he laughed and added a second, quickened [I]bolt[/I] on top of the first. [/QUOTE]
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