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Shackled City Epic: "Vengeance" (story concluded)
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<blockquote data-quote="Lazybones" data-source="post: 1913307" data-attributes="member: 143"><p>Well, remember Zenna has an INT score of 18. If mine was that high, I could probably come up with better clues. <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>When I was an undergrad, I read a book entitled <em>A Higher Form of Killing,</em> by Robert Harris and Jeremy Paxton. It's a history of chemical and biological warfare, and some of the stuff it has about the effects of chlorine gas... and that was only one of the <em>first</em> chem agents developed for use in modern warfare. Needless to say, that book has shaped my perception of a green dragon's breath weapon. Thus the "stealing breath, stealing life" refers to what happens when you get a lungful of that stuff. And the "storm" part of the clue refers to a particular feat that the dragon has (IIRC "Tempest Breath", I don't have the mod right in front of me here), which gives its breath weapon the force of strong wind. </p><p></p><p>Which we'll see shortly...</p><p></p><p>* * * * * </p><p></p><p>Chapter 286</p><p></p><p>The door opened slowly, the frost-rimed iron resisting before finally swinging fully open with a loud creak. </p><p></p><p>The chamber of the Soul Pillars was exactly as Zenna had described it to the others. The place was huge, maybe a hundred feet across, a circular chamber bored deep down into the depths of Toril. A broad, ten-foot catwalk spread out along the near wall, while a bridge fashioned apparently of solid ice led out over the chasm, toward the five massive pillars that stood in an irregular collection in the center of the chamber. Frozen air whistled up from someplace deep below, and the ceiling above was lost in shadow. The faint glow from the ceiling panels behind them was the only illumination; this place seemed somehow more suited to darkness. </p><p></p><p>The companions had prepared for an immediate attack upon opening the door, but when the cavern appeared empty, they were quick to put their plans into action. Zenna spoke a word of command, and a small winged imp, a four-foot creature wreathed in wisps of flames, flew out into the chamber. It went reluctantly, it seemed, sputtering curses in its own language, but that was fine from Zenna’s perspective; the creature’s role was primarily to serve as bait. </p><p></p><p>The mephit was followed a few moments later by a pair of sleek dire bats, each with a copious fifteen-foot wingspan, that materialized in the air above. The bats glided out across the room; one started to dive toward the mephit, but a spoken command from Shensen, who’d prepared the ability to <em>speak with animals,</em> sent it back out on its gliding course around the perimeter of the room. </p><p></p><p>The companions filed through the doorway, spreading out into a broad half-circle centered on the door. Dannel tossed his stick bearing the <em>continual flame</em> forward, out onto the ice bridge, its flickering light casting deep shadows around the perimeter of the room. For good measure, he’d cast a <em>light</em> spell on the peak of the steel skullcap he customarily wore, to ensure enough light for him and Mole to fight by. </p><p></p><p>Zenna and Arun were at the center of the circle, the dwarf protecting the tiefling with his body. They were the anchor, important for the paladin’s ability to protect the others from fear, and the positive influence of Zenna’s <em>magic circle against evil</em>. The others were heavily warded as well, and as Shensen stepped through the threshold, already casting another spell, Beorna clashed her sword against the hard stone floor, sounding a ringing note of their arrival. </p><p></p><p>“Well, come on, drake! We haven’t got all day!” </p><p></p><p>Even as her words sounded throughout the chamber, the templar invoked the power of Helm, and began to grow in size. This had been one of the disputes in their plan, for while being <em>enlarge</em> enhanced her strength and reach, it would make it difficult for her to retreat, if things turned out poorly. </p><p></p><p>Mole had fearlessly darted forward to the edge of the platform, and thus was the first to detect the danger. “From below!” she shouted, dropping back as a rush of air arose from the chasm. “Incoming!” </p><p></p><p>The mephit chittered and flapped its wings madly, gaining altitude. The bats swept around the far side of the room, giving the Soul Pillars a wide berth, and headed back toward the entrance where the companions stood in a soft bubble of light against the dark. </p><p></p><p>And then, Vittris Bale arrived. </p><p></p><p>The dracolich surged out of the chasm, spreading wings that no longer bore flesh to bear it aloft, the sheer force of its hatred of life, the undying power that animated it, now powering its flight. It rose up over them, a huge monstrosity, its wingspan nearly thirty feet across, a skeletal horror whose eyes burned with a cold blue flame. </p><p></p><p>The dracolich’s huge jaws opened, and it unleashed a fury of poison upon them with the force of a driving gale.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Lazybones, post: 1913307, member: 143"] Well, remember Zenna has an INT score of 18. If mine was that high, I could probably come up with better clues. ;) When I was an undergrad, I read a book entitled [i]A Higher Form of Killing,[/i] by Robert Harris and Jeremy Paxton. It's a history of chemical and biological warfare, and some of the stuff it has about the effects of chlorine gas... and that was only one of the [i]first[/i] chem agents developed for use in modern warfare. Needless to say, that book has shaped my perception of a green dragon's breath weapon. Thus the "stealing breath, stealing life" refers to what happens when you get a lungful of that stuff. And the "storm" part of the clue refers to a particular feat that the dragon has (IIRC "Tempest Breath", I don't have the mod right in front of me here), which gives its breath weapon the force of strong wind. Which we'll see shortly... * * * * * Chapter 286 The door opened slowly, the frost-rimed iron resisting before finally swinging fully open with a loud creak. The chamber of the Soul Pillars was exactly as Zenna had described it to the others. The place was huge, maybe a hundred feet across, a circular chamber bored deep down into the depths of Toril. A broad, ten-foot catwalk spread out along the near wall, while a bridge fashioned apparently of solid ice led out over the chasm, toward the five massive pillars that stood in an irregular collection in the center of the chamber. Frozen air whistled up from someplace deep below, and the ceiling above was lost in shadow. The faint glow from the ceiling panels behind them was the only illumination; this place seemed somehow more suited to darkness. The companions had prepared for an immediate attack upon opening the door, but when the cavern appeared empty, they were quick to put their plans into action. Zenna spoke a word of command, and a small winged imp, a four-foot creature wreathed in wisps of flames, flew out into the chamber. It went reluctantly, it seemed, sputtering curses in its own language, but that was fine from Zenna’s perspective; the creature’s role was primarily to serve as bait. The mephit was followed a few moments later by a pair of sleek dire bats, each with a copious fifteen-foot wingspan, that materialized in the air above. The bats glided out across the room; one started to dive toward the mephit, but a spoken command from Shensen, who’d prepared the ability to [I]speak with animals,[/I] sent it back out on its gliding course around the perimeter of the room. The companions filed through the doorway, spreading out into a broad half-circle centered on the door. Dannel tossed his stick bearing the [I]continual flame[/I] forward, out onto the ice bridge, its flickering light casting deep shadows around the perimeter of the room. For good measure, he’d cast a [I]light[/I] spell on the peak of the steel skullcap he customarily wore, to ensure enough light for him and Mole to fight by. Zenna and Arun were at the center of the circle, the dwarf protecting the tiefling with his body. They were the anchor, important for the paladin’s ability to protect the others from fear, and the positive influence of Zenna’s [I]magic circle against evil[/I]. The others were heavily warded as well, and as Shensen stepped through the threshold, already casting another spell, Beorna clashed her sword against the hard stone floor, sounding a ringing note of their arrival. “Well, come on, drake! We haven’t got all day!” Even as her words sounded throughout the chamber, the templar invoked the power of Helm, and began to grow in size. This had been one of the disputes in their plan, for while being [I]enlarge[/I] enhanced her strength and reach, it would make it difficult for her to retreat, if things turned out poorly. Mole had fearlessly darted forward to the edge of the platform, and thus was the first to detect the danger. “From below!” she shouted, dropping back as a rush of air arose from the chasm. “Incoming!” The mephit chittered and flapped its wings madly, gaining altitude. The bats swept around the far side of the room, giving the Soul Pillars a wide berth, and headed back toward the entrance where the companions stood in a soft bubble of light against the dark. And then, Vittris Bale arrived. The dracolich surged out of the chasm, spreading wings that no longer bore flesh to bear it aloft, the sheer force of its hatred of life, the undying power that animated it, now powering its flight. It rose up over them, a huge monstrosity, its wingspan nearly thirty feet across, a skeletal horror whose eyes burned with a cold blue flame. The dracolich’s huge jaws opened, and it unleashed a fury of poison upon them with the force of a driving gale. [/QUOTE]
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