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The Adventures of the Knights of Spellforge Keep
- Thread starter Dr Midnight
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Dr Midnight
Explorer
When the man’s eyes glazed over and his posture straightened, he was untied and allowed to walk down the corridor towards the Strath Forge, where he would be handed a tool and given a job to do. Is that the last?
Garlak the gnoll nodded. “Yes, my lord.”
Good. Go back to work. Garlak bowed and left the chamber. The creature behind him shifted from one foot to another, and walked across the room with arms folded behind him. He stepped into the light. He had a bald, rubbery head, greenish-blue skin, and where his nose and mouth should have been were four glistening, writhing tentacles. He wore an elegant longcoat of pearlescent indigo ripples. He turned and crossed the room again.
A shadowed figure spoke from a corner of the room. “What’s wrong?”
The creature stopped and looked up from his distraction. Hmm?
“Something is wrong. I can tell by the way your… tentacles… are crawling all over each other. It happens when you’re deep in thought.”
Illithae are not in the habit of explaining their thoughts on command, the thing replied irritably.
“Then get in the habit. I warn you, Kolume, do not grow prickly with me. You may control a handful of men and giants, but do not forget who I am. I have not forgotten who you are.”
Kolume looked angrily to the corner of the room, where the immense figure sat in the darkness. Yellow eyes glittered there. He considered a retort, but thought better of it. Yes, something seems wrong. There is a group of adventurers just newly come from the south. They’ve destroyed the war camp at the bottleneck, they’ve slain Yokyle, and now they’re within the complex. His telepathic voice seemed to bloom within the mind of whomever he was speaking to, like a spot of blood through dark fabric. It resonated with the fear he was trying desperately to hide.
“Who are they?”
Some upstart band of humans. One of the new men says they spent the night at the castle and thwarted a desertion… he says they’re powerful.
“They must be, to have wiped out the war camp. Again- who are they?”
He said they were known as the Knights of Spellforge Keep. None of them are famous or even vaguely known in this area.
“Spellforge??”
Kolume extended an arm. A large honeybee landed on his outstretched hand. He studied it closely and spoke with a detached manner. Yes. Do you recognize the name?
“Spellforge… yes. Yes. Where do I know that name from?”
If you’d let me probe your mind’s reaches, I could tell you. Help you remember.
“You’ll never get inside my head, mind flayer. You’d love to slip me some of your honey poison and add me to your army of slaves, wouldn’t you?”
I don’t think anyone could blame me for trying… you least of all. And please. We detest the term “mind flayer”. We do not flay minds. We destroy them in the most artful of ways.
A hand waved the topic off. “Spellforge. I know the name from my time further south. Long ago.”
How far south? How long ago?
The figure paused. “Far south. Around Greyhawk. Many years ago- over a decade. I remember where I heard that name.”
Kolume let the bee fly back to its duties. He crossed his arm behind his back again and waited. Well?
“It was a name in the master plan laid down by an old cohort I used to work with. He was planning to destroy them.”
Why didn’t he?
“He regained his mind,” the creature laughed, and it sounded like pieces of bark being shuffled about in a burlap sack. “Betrayed me by hiding… something I need. I trapped him in a mirror and gave him away as a gift. Spellforge. It’s the name of the castle where his former friends were living, he’d learned.”
Could they be connected? How many ‘Spellforges’ can there be in the world?
“I don’t know. It doesn’t matter. They came here to die.”
Kolume shrugged. I suppose. If they’re really so powerful, though, I should like them for myself.
A sigh from the dark. “As you will. I’m leaving here soon, at any rate.”
Where are you going?
“Why does this matter to you? We will go our separate ways. Our goals are not the same, Kolume. I’ve lent my power to you to aid in your struggles to take over the fire giants. You gave me a place and resources to aid me in my struggles to orchestrate the master plan. We’ve gotten what we want out of each other. I have things in the world to do before I can threaten to destroy half of it.”
The half I don’t control, of course.
“Of course. I have a certain orb to look for… and just maybe I’ll look into this matter of the Spellforge group. Maybe I’ll look up my old friend Jamison Crow, and make certain he’s still trapped in that mirror. I don’t like the idea of what he knows being out in the world. I should have killed him when I had the chance.”
The illithid breathed silently, and the fireplace’s light glimmered sickeningly on the slick surface of his flesh. As you will. I must say, our partnership has been quite productive, for the both of us. I do believe you might be able to free the remaining titans and accomplish your goal. Are you certain we cannot work together indefinitely?
“No. I don’t trust you in the least, Kolume. You’ve been quietly watching me the entire time, waiting for me to drop my guard so you can steal my consciousness.” The yellow eyes stared at Kolume for a moment. “Still, we should part on good terms. I will present you with a gift.”
Kolume perked up at this. Oh? What would that be?
The creature stood and walked to the opposite corner of the room. The torchlight illuminated the enormous cowled form as it walked across the stones. It approached a round shape covered with canvas and put a clawed hand on it. The creature smiled at him and said “This.” She pulled the canvas off of the mirror and let Kolume admire it in awe before speaking. “I trapped it years ago, and I have no further use for it.”
Is that what I think it is?
“Yes. This one is rather old, and quite powerful. It liked to pose as humans and live among them. Isn’t that odd?”
Live among humans? Really?
“Really. Now, in thanks for all you’ve done for me, I present him to you.”
Kolume stepped forward and looked into the mirror glass. It was beautiful. The silhouetted shape in the mirror arched its back against the swirling patterns of the magic it was trapped in, and its shape could clearly be seen. There was no mistaking the draconic features.
I’m speechless.
“You’re welcome. Let’s celebrate with a drink, shall we? How about some mead?” Kolume looked up at her, and she laughed.
Garlak the gnoll nodded. “Yes, my lord.”
Good. Go back to work. Garlak bowed and left the chamber. The creature behind him shifted from one foot to another, and walked across the room with arms folded behind him. He stepped into the light. He had a bald, rubbery head, greenish-blue skin, and where his nose and mouth should have been were four glistening, writhing tentacles. He wore an elegant longcoat of pearlescent indigo ripples. He turned and crossed the room again.
A shadowed figure spoke from a corner of the room. “What’s wrong?”
The creature stopped and looked up from his distraction. Hmm?
“Something is wrong. I can tell by the way your… tentacles… are crawling all over each other. It happens when you’re deep in thought.”
Illithae are not in the habit of explaining their thoughts on command, the thing replied irritably.
“Then get in the habit. I warn you, Kolume, do not grow prickly with me. You may control a handful of men and giants, but do not forget who I am. I have not forgotten who you are.”
Kolume looked angrily to the corner of the room, where the immense figure sat in the darkness. Yellow eyes glittered there. He considered a retort, but thought better of it. Yes, something seems wrong. There is a group of adventurers just newly come from the south. They’ve destroyed the war camp at the bottleneck, they’ve slain Yokyle, and now they’re within the complex. His telepathic voice seemed to bloom within the mind of whomever he was speaking to, like a spot of blood through dark fabric. It resonated with the fear he was trying desperately to hide.
“Who are they?”
Some upstart band of humans. One of the new men says they spent the night at the castle and thwarted a desertion… he says they’re powerful.
“They must be, to have wiped out the war camp. Again- who are they?”
He said they were known as the Knights of Spellforge Keep. None of them are famous or even vaguely known in this area.
“Spellforge??”
Kolume extended an arm. A large honeybee landed on his outstretched hand. He studied it closely and spoke with a detached manner. Yes. Do you recognize the name?
“Spellforge… yes. Yes. Where do I know that name from?”
If you’d let me probe your mind’s reaches, I could tell you. Help you remember.
“You’ll never get inside my head, mind flayer. You’d love to slip me some of your honey poison and add me to your army of slaves, wouldn’t you?”
I don’t think anyone could blame me for trying… you least of all. And please. We detest the term “mind flayer”. We do not flay minds. We destroy them in the most artful of ways.
A hand waved the topic off. “Spellforge. I know the name from my time further south. Long ago.”
How far south? How long ago?
The figure paused. “Far south. Around Greyhawk. Many years ago- over a decade. I remember where I heard that name.”
Kolume let the bee fly back to its duties. He crossed his arm behind his back again and waited. Well?
“It was a name in the master plan laid down by an old cohort I used to work with. He was planning to destroy them.”
Why didn’t he?
“He regained his mind,” the creature laughed, and it sounded like pieces of bark being shuffled about in a burlap sack. “Betrayed me by hiding… something I need. I trapped him in a mirror and gave him away as a gift. Spellforge. It’s the name of the castle where his former friends were living, he’d learned.”
Could they be connected? How many ‘Spellforges’ can there be in the world?
“I don’t know. It doesn’t matter. They came here to die.”
Kolume shrugged. I suppose. If they’re really so powerful, though, I should like them for myself.
A sigh from the dark. “As you will. I’m leaving here soon, at any rate.”
Where are you going?
“Why does this matter to you? We will go our separate ways. Our goals are not the same, Kolume. I’ve lent my power to you to aid in your struggles to take over the fire giants. You gave me a place and resources to aid me in my struggles to orchestrate the master plan. We’ve gotten what we want out of each other. I have things in the world to do before I can threaten to destroy half of it.”
The half I don’t control, of course.
“Of course. I have a certain orb to look for… and just maybe I’ll look into this matter of the Spellforge group. Maybe I’ll look up my old friend Jamison Crow, and make certain he’s still trapped in that mirror. I don’t like the idea of what he knows being out in the world. I should have killed him when I had the chance.”
The illithid breathed silently, and the fireplace’s light glimmered sickeningly on the slick surface of his flesh. As you will. I must say, our partnership has been quite productive, for the both of us. I do believe you might be able to free the remaining titans and accomplish your goal. Are you certain we cannot work together indefinitely?
“No. I don’t trust you in the least, Kolume. You’ve been quietly watching me the entire time, waiting for me to drop my guard so you can steal my consciousness.” The yellow eyes stared at Kolume for a moment. “Still, we should part on good terms. I will present you with a gift.”
Kolume perked up at this. Oh? What would that be?
The creature stood and walked to the opposite corner of the room. The torchlight illuminated the enormous cowled form as it walked across the stones. It approached a round shape covered with canvas and put a clawed hand on it. The creature smiled at him and said “This.” She pulled the canvas off of the mirror and let Kolume admire it in awe before speaking. “I trapped it years ago, and I have no further use for it.”
Is that what I think it is?
“Yes. This one is rather old, and quite powerful. It liked to pose as humans and live among them. Isn’t that odd?”
Live among humans? Really?
“Really. Now, in thanks for all you’ve done for me, I present him to you.”
Kolume stepped forward and looked into the mirror glass. It was beautiful. The silhouetted shape in the mirror arched its back against the swirling patterns of the magic it was trapped in, and its shape could clearly be seen. There was no mistaking the draconic features.
I’m speechless.
“You’re welcome. Let’s celebrate with a drink, shall we? How about some mead?” Kolume looked up at her, and she laughed.
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Malachai_rose
First Post
What ?!? Has everyone in the world gone insane !!! 
Vek kill Legolas ?!?
First the fall rom the cliff... House ruled by the DM
Peter Jackson to provide suitable drama for those in the movie going public whom either can't read or are terminally lazy and refuse to read the books.
Second Vek would what ?!?
You know Peter jackson would nerf that harm shiat No offense to my favorite Lich since my main in Broc's game is a 15th level cleric of Illmatter but Harm is about as broken as Vorpal weapons So of course he would make his save.
Heres the pecking order folks..
Legolas pwnz Vek
Vek destroys Dartan
Gimli kills both with well placed crotch shots from his +5 sonic Axe-O-Death.
I tell ya what for all those who think that Legolas, Gimli and Aragorn are 10th level or lower come over to my house and Ill run a battle of You versus 1,000 Urukai (I'll be nice and say the other guys got the other 9,000) and we'll see if survival is possible...
It aint folks, touch ac's are low and with only a few AoO's possible per character you'd be grappled and CdG'd within a few rounds tops. I've seen it happen, large numbers > anybodys uber leet 10th level dood
Now if they were say... 17-24th level then they might be able to survive, Which they did !!! 17th+ levl = mondo starting gold = Phat gear = dead Urukai
Well thats just my 2 cnts though, pardon me I gots to get back to my drinkin... The Beers gettin lonley without me there to keep it company
Vek kill Legolas ?!? First the fall rom the cliff... House ruled by the DM
Peter Jackson to provide suitable drama for those in the movie going public whom either can't read or are terminally lazy and refuse to read the books. Second Vek would what ?!?
You know Peter jackson would nerf that harm shiat No offense to my favorite Lich since my main in Broc's game is a 15th level cleric of Illmatter but Harm is about as broken as Vorpal weapons So of course he would make his save.Heres the pecking order folks..
Legolas pwnz Vek
Vek destroys Dartan
Gimli kills both with well placed crotch shots from his +5 sonic Axe-O-Death.
I tell ya what for all those who think that Legolas, Gimli and Aragorn are 10th level or lower come over to my house and Ill run a battle of You versus 1,000 Urukai (I'll be nice and say the other guys got the other 9,000
) and we'll see if survival is possible...It aint folks, touch ac's are low and with only a few AoO's possible per character you'd be grappled and CdG'd within a few rounds tops. I've seen it happen, large numbers > anybodys uber leet 10th level dood
Now if they were say... 17-24th level then they might be able to survive, Which they did !!! 17th+ levl = mondo starting gold = Phat gear = dead Urukai
Well thats just my 2 cnts though, pardon me I gots to get back to my drinkin... The Beers gettin lonley without me there to keep it company
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Lela
First Post
Holy crap in a box!!!*
I must have gasped three or four times in that thing. Revelation after revelation. Doubt and confusion wiped away only to be replaced by yet more doubt and confusion. Am I right? Am I wrong? Is that really who I think it is? Then, suddenly, I'm not sure about the first that but that other that is most certainly who I think it is. Wow.
Very well done, Doc. Very well done.
*Don't try it as a Christmas present by the way; it doesn't go over well.
I must have gasped three or four times in that thing. Revelation after revelation. Doubt and confusion wiped away only to be replaced by yet more doubt and confusion. Am I right? Am I wrong? Is that really who I think it is? Then, suddenly, I'm not sure about the first that but that other that is most certainly who I think it is. Wow.
Very well done, Doc. Very well done.
*Don't try it as a Christmas present by the way; it doesn't go over well.
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Malachai_rose
First Post
lol, sometime between my Legolas vs. Vek ramblings Doc posted...
Woot !!! Great post and I really like the way you bring stuff back from the characters past to mess with em Great stuff, lol, I wonder what Jamison would say if he knew, yikes
Woot !!! Great post and I really like the way you bring stuff back from the characters past to mess with em
Great stuff, lol, I wonder what Jamison would say if he knew, yikes
Dr Midnight
Explorer
Dammit... Christmas is canceled this year, kids.Lela said:
Cool to read about you gasping, Lela. That makes me feel all wicked and methodical, and mostly wicked methodical.
In case anyone would like to be refreshed on some items in this update, see page 7 of this thread, the JAMISON interlude post...
Hey, where's Horacio? Where's my favoritest frenchman in the whole wide world?
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Ziona
First Post
Malachai_rose said:I tell ya what for all those who think that Legolas, Gimli and Aragorn are 10th level or lower come over to my house and Ill run a battle of You versus 1,000 Urukai (I'll be nice and say the other guys got the other 9,000
We were talking about Legolas last night at the gaming table, and whether or not they are Epic Level. Legolas couldn't shoot 2 arrows at once if he were not Epic, could he? I believe it was pointed out last night that shooting 2 arrows at once is an Epic Level Feat!! (although the feat name escapes me...Multishot perhaps?)
LegolasLegolasLegolasLegolasLegolasLegolasLegolasLegolasLegolasLegolasLegolasLegolasLegolasLegolasLegolasLegolasLegolasLegolasLegolasLegolasLegolasLegolasLegolasLegolasLegolasLegolasLegolasLegolasLegolasLegolasLegolasLegolasLegolasLegolas
...and Legolas.
BTW...cool update Doc!
Neverwinter Knight
First Post
Hello folks,
had to wrap up my work before x-mas, so I only got to lurk. Now, I'm happy to have the time to join the conversation!
I'm glad so many people jumped in to respond to Doc's whining. If this doesn't put pressure on him I don't know what. Go on working that magic of your's, Doc!!!
Victim was right, 3rd Edition and their templated monsters kick ass. In fact, I lost my first 3 3E characters due to underestimating templated orcs and trolls. [This can lead to uber-munchkinism in NPCs, see Monte Cooks RttToEE - :shiver![:]](http://www.enworld.org/forum/images/smilies/devious.png "Devious :]")
And all that TTT talk: STOP IT! I didn't have time to go see it, but I'll do so tomorrow. Then, I'll join you in your reverie...
had to wrap up my work before x-mas, so I only got to lurk. Now, I'm happy to have the time to join the conversation!
I'm glad so many people jumped in to respond to Doc's whining. If this doesn't put pressure on him I don't know what
. Go on working that magic of your's, Doc!!!Malachai_rose said:
Victim was right, 3rd Edition and their templated monsters kick ass. In fact, I lost my first 3 3E characters due to underestimating templated orcs and trolls. [This can lead to uber-munchkinism in NPCs, see Monte Cooks RttToEE - :shiver
And all that TTT talk: STOP IT! I didn't have time to go see it, but I'll do so tomorrow. Then, I'll join you in your reverie...
Neverwinter Knight
First Post
Re: Re
No, I don't think this is Accessiwall, this creature must be a remains of the Cult of Tharizdun. Also, her name will begin with an "E", not the "A" of Accessiwall.
My best guess is a demon, I do have a hunch it could be a certain NPC from RttToEE.
Doc, I love your background dialogs. They totally enrich the story. Can't wait for your next session & hope the knights arrive in time to at least meet this creature, let alone destroy it.
And I'm hoping a certain golden dragon will be rescued.
Celtavian said:
No, I don't think this is Accessiwall, this creature must be a remains of the Cult of Tharizdun. Also, her name will begin with an "E", not the "A" of Accessiwall.
My best guess is a demon, I do have a hunch it could be a certain NPC from RttToEE.
Doc, I love your background dialogs. They totally enrich the story. Can't wait for your next session & hope the knights arrive in time to at least meet this creature, let alone destroy it.
And I'm hoping a certain golden dragon will be rescued.
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