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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.
The Adventures of the Knights of Spellforge Keep- UPDATED 6/6
- Thread starter Dr Midnight
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Hey, about Dartan and his four cards from the Deck of Many Things - the four he drew were as follows:
Card 1: Moon. Two wishes.
Card 2: Death. Dartan uses his first wish to make it disappear.
Card 3: Knight. A follower appears, willing to serve Dartan.
Card 4: Death. (Again!) Dartan uses his second wish to make it disappear.
With a four-card draw, he got off lucky!
Johnathan
Card 1: Moon. Two wishes.
Card 2: Death. Dartan uses his first wish to make it disappear.
Card 3: Knight. A follower appears, willing to serve Dartan.
Card 4: Death. (Again!) Dartan uses his second wish to make it disappear.
With a four-card draw, he got off lucky!
Johnathan
Dr Midnight
Explorer
WAY lucky.Richards said:
Sorry to everyone about the continuing delays. I. Am. A bastard. My new FAMILY GUY DVD set isn't helping... heh heh...
Dakkareth- damn! What a post. They don't make story hour posts like that anymore... brings a tear to my eye. I like long feedback. Thank you sah! I hope to give you a satisfying conclusion to everything. Maaan, it's going to take a lot more writing than I seem prepared to do these days... don't worry though, I'm determined to see things through.
In fact, thanks to Dakkareth's post, I now feel inclined to hit the keyboard... AND I'M OFF! Wish me luck and prolific typery...
Dr Midnight
Explorer
Myramus felt his brother calling to him, but did not hear. Despairing, he started using his sword’s ability to create tunnels through earthen matter in all directions. It was by chance that a downward angle opened a small hole into the tunnel below. The hound archon cried out and widened the hole. Looking down, the story became clear… a stone plug had tightly sealed a vertical tunnel. At the bottom, his brother writhed in pain as wisp-limbed specters scratched at his face. Far above this was a large beholder, looking down at him. Myramus gripped his weapon tightly, point down, and threw himself down into the pit.
The beholder’s many eye stalks saw the plummeting paladin and turned to face him, firing several of its powerful and deadly eye rays. Green and purplish beams shot past Myramus and shattered the walls of the tunnel around him as he flew down at the beholder. The gaping jaws and immense eye of the beast turned upward just in time to be plunged through by Myramus’ blinding longsword. It roared and continued to fire blasts of magic at him, even as it began to fall down towards Menerous, with Myramus riding it down, hacking and slashing like a hound possessed.
Below, Menerous blinked. He felt his magic returning to him. What did this mean? What? His mind was now clouded. The ghostly creatures around him had dipped into him and taken little pieces of his mind. Things didn’t make much sense now. A line of spittle ran from the portly Pelor-worshiper’s mouth as he thought very very hard. These things were hurting him somehow. Can he get away? There is magic now, yes! Magic! “Wasn’t magic a moment ago…” he mumbled. One of the thing struck him again, and he winced. What was going on? “Magic now. Can do, can GO!” He teleported away, barely remembering how.
Everyone who wasn’t a Maximus was climbing aboard Broldek. The troll’s strong arms held everyone securely, and with the help of a spell from Kizzlorn, he floated slowly down into the tunnel. “I don’t like this,” Edge said. “We’re trusting a lot to a spell and a troll, here…”
Broldek rolled his eyes. “Yeah. The HALFLING’S really weighing me down. Oooh. I feel I might drop you all. Please. What are you, thirty pounds?”
Kizzlorn said “You ARE carrying me, a warrior in full armor, plus the halfling. Just be careful.”
“Half-DRAGON halfling…” Edge muttered.
A voice above them called down. “Trouble? Trouble! No afraid!” They turned up to see Menerous Maximus standing at the top of the pit, smiling down at them.
“Menerous?” Dartan asked. “How…”
“He teleported,” Kizz replied. “Good job, Menerous stay th…”
“I HELP!” Menerous jumped into the hole, tucking his legs against his chest and giggling gleefully.
“NOOOO!!” cried everyone else- but it was too late. Menerous was rocketing down at them. About three hundred pounds of corpulent, armor-clad holy man was barreling down a hole just big enough for him to fit, heading on an unstoppable course for the four floating heroes.
“Hang on to me,” Broldek growled. “I’ll need my hands free!” The others tried to grasp him firmly. Kizzlorn clung to a leg, Edge dangled from his belt, and Dartan tried to keep a hold around his massive arm. Broldek raised his arms and took a breath, then attempted to catch Menerous. The shock of the impact was tremendous, and drove everyone straight downward. Kizzlorn yelped and held tight. Edge didn’t budge. Dartan’s fingers slipped, though, and he fell. His arms grasped Broldek’s foot on the way down and he stopped his fall. Their descent slowed as Broldek regained control. “What’s your problem,” he asked of Menerous.
Menerous hooted happily in Broldek’s strong grasp. “Helped. Save day did. For can the lady?”
“What?”
Menerous pointed down. “Lady.”
Kizzlorn said “I think he means me. Uh… I’m fine, Menerous.”
Broldek sighed. “Drained his smarts. What, those things couldn’t have ripped his jaw off like a good undead should? Ridiculous, I tell you. Say there Dartan, I’m sorry about you losing your grip and all. I’m a bit sweaty, and there’s nothing worse than a greased-up troll.”
Beneath them, Myramus continued his madman’s furious revenge on the beholder that had trapped his brother. The eyes kept firing their beams, but not a one broke through Pelor’s holy protections on the Knight. He stabbed and cut with his longsword until he’d ridden the thing’s carcass right down to the bottom. The ghost things reached for him, and he closed his eyes and teleported away. He reappeared above, in the hallway near the pit, where Broldek was rising.
The troll placed everyone firmly on the ground, and Myramus had a moment to mourn his brother’s stolen wits. “Oh, dear. I suppose I shall fix this… though I don’t miss his unflagging jabs at my current material form and means of death.”
“Rocks!” Menerous barked with a loose smile. Myramus shrugged and placed his hand on his brother’s forehead and granted that his wisdom be returned. Menerous’ eyes closed and he shook his head. “Uh. Thank you, brother. I… I wasn’t myself just now.”
“Yes you were.” They continued their trip through Gorgoldand’s Gauntlet.
Hanging from the cavern ceiling some twenty feet down the passage were scores of spiked chains of various lengths: some nearly touched the floor, while others dropped only to about chest level. The nasty barbs on the chains were coated with some black, oily substance, Edge saw. It was decided that it would be best to push them aside in order to pass. They did, and nobody was scratched.
“Oh, yes,” Dartan said as he looked around himself. “I remember this.” Here, a twenty-foot wide chasm cut across the dungeon corridor. The gurgling sounds of water emanated from the chasm bottom. On the stone floor across the expanse, a visored helmet sat upon the ground. The air smelled vaguely of oil. “Here, little creatures… about seven inches high or so… were hiding in that helmet across the way, trying to shoot tiny arrows at us.”
“Tiny arrows?” Myramus laughed. “Oh, tell me you weren’t gravely injured by these sprites, Dartan!”
“No. The ogre living in the water, however, almost did us in.”
Myramus sobered. He looked down at the water. It glimmered blackly in the torchlight. “We needn’t fear an ogre… but whatever Crow has stocked down there, it must surely be deadly. We can make it easily across this. Broldek, can you still levitate?”
“I think it just wore off.”
“No matter. Let me go to the other side and prepare a rope for you all to cross by.” Myramus teleported to the other side of the chasm. Edge tossed him a coil of rope, holding one end as it unwound. Myramus caught it and looked down at the helmet. Curious, he kicked it over. Uncovered there now were three tiny standing skeletons. Each had a skull-head as large as a grape. Clutched to their chests were little painted orange beads. They turned up to look at him. They were almost cute, Myramus thought… but then, no undead perversion against our lord Pelor is worthy of anything but holy justice. Myramus kicked at them, and their bones scattered into the air from the light blow. The bones and orange beads flew over the chasm’s edge, then were gone. “Okay, everyone across.”
FWOOOOMFF!!! A wall of flame exploded from the watery pit. The creatures’ beads had each borne a fiery spell, and now, they had exploded in the gorge and lit the oily surface of the water. The roaring inferno baked their faces from the incredible heat. The rope was burned immediately, and Myramus found himself holding a five foot length of cord, blackened and burned at one end.
“Damn.” Kizzlorn sighed and looked to the ceiling. There was a small gap above the flames and below the ceiling. She turned to Broldek. “Care to fly us over?”
The amiable troll happily spread his arms so that everyone could find a decent grip on him. “Climb aboard.” The spell was cast, and he flew them all quickly above the flames. They rejoined Myramus and walked into the next area.
MORE TO COME…
The beholder’s many eye stalks saw the plummeting paladin and turned to face him, firing several of its powerful and deadly eye rays. Green and purplish beams shot past Myramus and shattered the walls of the tunnel around him as he flew down at the beholder. The gaping jaws and immense eye of the beast turned upward just in time to be plunged through by Myramus’ blinding longsword. It roared and continued to fire blasts of magic at him, even as it began to fall down towards Menerous, with Myramus riding it down, hacking and slashing like a hound possessed.
Below, Menerous blinked. He felt his magic returning to him. What did this mean? What? His mind was now clouded. The ghostly creatures around him had dipped into him and taken little pieces of his mind. Things didn’t make much sense now. A line of spittle ran from the portly Pelor-worshiper’s mouth as he thought very very hard. These things were hurting him somehow. Can he get away? There is magic now, yes! Magic! “Wasn’t magic a moment ago…” he mumbled. One of the thing struck him again, and he winced. What was going on? “Magic now. Can do, can GO!” He teleported away, barely remembering how.
Everyone who wasn’t a Maximus was climbing aboard Broldek. The troll’s strong arms held everyone securely, and with the help of a spell from Kizzlorn, he floated slowly down into the tunnel. “I don’t like this,” Edge said. “We’re trusting a lot to a spell and a troll, here…”
Broldek rolled his eyes. “Yeah. The HALFLING’S really weighing me down. Oooh. I feel I might drop you all. Please. What are you, thirty pounds?”
Kizzlorn said “You ARE carrying me, a warrior in full armor, plus the halfling. Just be careful.”
“Half-DRAGON halfling…” Edge muttered.
A voice above them called down. “Trouble? Trouble! No afraid!” They turned up to see Menerous Maximus standing at the top of the pit, smiling down at them.
“Menerous?” Dartan asked. “How…”
“He teleported,” Kizz replied. “Good job, Menerous stay th…”
“I HELP!” Menerous jumped into the hole, tucking his legs against his chest and giggling gleefully.
“NOOOO!!” cried everyone else- but it was too late. Menerous was rocketing down at them. About three hundred pounds of corpulent, armor-clad holy man was barreling down a hole just big enough for him to fit, heading on an unstoppable course for the four floating heroes.
“Hang on to me,” Broldek growled. “I’ll need my hands free!” The others tried to grasp him firmly. Kizzlorn clung to a leg, Edge dangled from his belt, and Dartan tried to keep a hold around his massive arm. Broldek raised his arms and took a breath, then attempted to catch Menerous. The shock of the impact was tremendous, and drove everyone straight downward. Kizzlorn yelped and held tight. Edge didn’t budge. Dartan’s fingers slipped, though, and he fell. His arms grasped Broldek’s foot on the way down and he stopped his fall. Their descent slowed as Broldek regained control. “What’s your problem,” he asked of Menerous.
Menerous hooted happily in Broldek’s strong grasp. “Helped. Save day did. For can the lady?”
“What?”
Menerous pointed down. “Lady.”
Kizzlorn said “I think he means me. Uh… I’m fine, Menerous.”
Broldek sighed. “Drained his smarts. What, those things couldn’t have ripped his jaw off like a good undead should? Ridiculous, I tell you. Say there Dartan, I’m sorry about you losing your grip and all. I’m a bit sweaty, and there’s nothing worse than a greased-up troll.”
Beneath them, Myramus continued his madman’s furious revenge on the beholder that had trapped his brother. The eyes kept firing their beams, but not a one broke through Pelor’s holy protections on the Knight. He stabbed and cut with his longsword until he’d ridden the thing’s carcass right down to the bottom. The ghost things reached for him, and he closed his eyes and teleported away. He reappeared above, in the hallway near the pit, where Broldek was rising.
The troll placed everyone firmly on the ground, and Myramus had a moment to mourn his brother’s stolen wits. “Oh, dear. I suppose I shall fix this… though I don’t miss his unflagging jabs at my current material form and means of death.”
“Rocks!” Menerous barked with a loose smile. Myramus shrugged and placed his hand on his brother’s forehead and granted that his wisdom be returned. Menerous’ eyes closed and he shook his head. “Uh. Thank you, brother. I… I wasn’t myself just now.”
“Yes you were.” They continued their trip through Gorgoldand’s Gauntlet.
Hanging from the cavern ceiling some twenty feet down the passage were scores of spiked chains of various lengths: some nearly touched the floor, while others dropped only to about chest level. The nasty barbs on the chains were coated with some black, oily substance, Edge saw. It was decided that it would be best to push them aside in order to pass. They did, and nobody was scratched.
“Oh, yes,” Dartan said as he looked around himself. “I remember this.” Here, a twenty-foot wide chasm cut across the dungeon corridor. The gurgling sounds of water emanated from the chasm bottom. On the stone floor across the expanse, a visored helmet sat upon the ground. The air smelled vaguely of oil. “Here, little creatures… about seven inches high or so… were hiding in that helmet across the way, trying to shoot tiny arrows at us.”
“Tiny arrows?” Myramus laughed. “Oh, tell me you weren’t gravely injured by these sprites, Dartan!”
“No. The ogre living in the water, however, almost did us in.”
Myramus sobered. He looked down at the water. It glimmered blackly in the torchlight. “We needn’t fear an ogre… but whatever Crow has stocked down there, it must surely be deadly. We can make it easily across this. Broldek, can you still levitate?”
“I think it just wore off.”
“No matter. Let me go to the other side and prepare a rope for you all to cross by.” Myramus teleported to the other side of the chasm. Edge tossed him a coil of rope, holding one end as it unwound. Myramus caught it and looked down at the helmet. Curious, he kicked it over. Uncovered there now were three tiny standing skeletons. Each had a skull-head as large as a grape. Clutched to their chests were little painted orange beads. They turned up to look at him. They were almost cute, Myramus thought… but then, no undead perversion against our lord Pelor is worthy of anything but holy justice. Myramus kicked at them, and their bones scattered into the air from the light blow. The bones and orange beads flew over the chasm’s edge, then were gone. “Okay, everyone across.”
FWOOOOMFF!!! A wall of flame exploded from the watery pit. The creatures’ beads had each borne a fiery spell, and now, they had exploded in the gorge and lit the oily surface of the water. The roaring inferno baked their faces from the incredible heat. The rope was burned immediately, and Myramus found himself holding a five foot length of cord, blackened and burned at one end.
“Damn.” Kizzlorn sighed and looked to the ceiling. There was a small gap above the flames and below the ceiling. She turned to Broldek. “Care to fly us over?”
The amiable troll happily spread his arms so that everyone could find a decent grip on him. “Climb aboard.” The spell was cast, and he flew them all quickly above the flames. They rejoined Myramus and walked into the next area.
MORE TO COME…
Lela
First Post
Aw, but the wandering skeleton with a broom has already seen.
And likes it. A lot.
The way you did those Fireball orbs really was a clever idea. One I think I might one day steal.
The only thing similar I've done is have the bad guys toss the beads to the party, saying that they were important to some secret or another. Two beads were thrown and one player decided to catch one while another let it smash into the floor.
I had the PC who cought it make a Reflex save to see if he avoided smashing the gem. He failed and it broke. And, because this was an ultamate dungeon of dooommm and the foes were Blackguards, I denyed him the Reflex save for half damage (you can see why I wanted the Monk to catch it; he didn't).
Anyway, I'm always on the look out for clever things you can do with Fireball beads. Thanks for one more.
And likes it. A lot.
The way you did those Fireball orbs really was a clever idea. One I think I might one day steal.
The only thing similar I've done is have the bad guys toss the beads to the party, saying that they were important to some secret or another. Two beads were thrown and one player decided to catch one while another let it smash into the floor.
I had the PC who cought it make a Reflex save to see if he avoided smashing the gem. He failed and it broke. And, because this was an ultamate dungeon of dooommm and the foes were Blackguards, I denyed him the Reflex save for half damage (you can see why I wanted the Monk to catch it; he didn't).
Anyway, I'm always on the look out for clever things you can do with Fireball beads. Thanks for one more.
Neverwinter Knight
First Post
Hey Dakkareth,
one more highlight - perhaps the greatest shock of all, to my mind - that should not be forgotten was the return of Jamison to the knights.
The way the simple fighter turned out to be Jamison and then the memory returning stuff was GREAT stuff.
one more highlight - perhaps the greatest shock of all, to my mind - that should not be forgotten was the return of Jamison to the knights.
The way the simple fighter turned out to be Jamison and then the memory returning stuff was GREAT stuff.
Neverwinter Knight
First Post
me thinks the knights should pay more attention to Crow's perversion of the old traps/creatures, and not ignore them...
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