The Age of Worms - Morrus' Campaign - Finished 6th August!!
3V1L_N3CR0
First Post
just delurking to say great writing and shutter in terror of the creature capable of smoking a lvl14 barbarian in one full attack... oh yeah go Endo necromancers ftw.
Inconsequenti-AL
Breaks Games
3V1L_N3CR0 said:
To be fair, it's my own fault! Underestimated the thing and it splatted me. Would have been an entirely different story with the correct buffing and preparations.
Ah well, it's all a learning experience.
Yeah - Necromancers do rock and Endo has been played great - found it a real eye opener watching him in action.
Eccles
Ragged idiot in a trilby.
Having collected a number of enchanted weapons and other items from the fallen bodies which had lain at the feet of the Nightmare, we retreated with Fez’s body to the portal. Having passed through, we teleported to the Free City. Once there, we entered into a flurry of activity, selling many of the items (except a massive and heavily enchanted scythe which we felt Fez might enjoy) in order to pay for his resurrection. Once done, we took a few hours to rest before leaping magically back to the island of Tilagos, leaving Endo behinds as he claimed he had “research to complete”.
Having once again activated the portal back to the hidden library’s location, I once again persuaded Fez that stepping through a dimension door would be perfectly straightforward and the quickest way to get away from the menacing aura and into a patch of orcs I’d assured him I’d noticed on the way here.
After healing his injuries in Tilagos’ hidden centre, we once again took our bearings before deciding that a roc was likely to live in the mountains, and a roc king would be likely to live in the tallest mountain of all. We therefore headed for the hills, and after a number of hours hard walking we reached the tallest of them all in the very centre of the range of massive hills.
Once there, I sifted some of the stones through my fingers and stared up at the heights, casting my mind back over forgotten tales and legends. Unbidden, words began to float to my mind.
“Blood Feather Peak, home of the king of birds. His feathers hold the key.”
The ascent to the very top of Blood Feather Peak was terrible. At least it was for the others. Flynne and Fez, roped together with an enchanted rope of climbing slogged from crag to crevice, fighting against the elements as they struggled upwards. Janga, awestruck by the enormous slope and utterly unable to struggle upwards under the weight of his heavy armour, quaffed a potion and began clambering up the rocks with the grace of a spider.
For myself, I activated the power of my recently purchased boots, and rose gracefully alongside my compatriots occasionally pulling myself closer to the mountain whilst keeping myself ready to cast a spell should any of the others fall.
.oOo.
At the top was a disappointing scene of devastation. Blood lay thick amidst a massive nest, and to one side lay the corpse of the roc king. Looking around, Fez found the tracks of four humanoid figures, one larger and sporting heavy claws, which had fought the roc king before flying away to the south.
Shrugging, Fez pulled out a feather, and then we all turned south ourselves and flung ourselves, as one, off the mountain.
.oOo.
The fall was exhilarating, arrested at the very bottom of a tremendous overhang by a spell I cast to arrest our descent. We landed gently and strode to the south, pausing only so that Janga could cast a spell to try to locate the ‘Doomshroud’ and ‘Krathanos’.
This done, we picked our way south into a massive forest. The branches entwined thickly over our heads, and barely any light reached the forest floor. Despite the lack of wind, the leaves and branches rustled and roots seemed somehow to find their way into our paths.
After walking through the dark forest for what seemed like hours, we began to hear a mournful sound weaving between the trunks. We walked onwards and the dirge became louder. Despite my efforts to lighten the mood with a song of my own, it was clear that we were all becoming dispirited; except Flynne, who was protected by the powers of the belt we had won during the Free City championship.
We were drawn, somehow inexorably, to a small clearing at the centre of which was a 50 foot tall black tree whose long branches danced like serpents.
Again I tried to lighten the mood with music of my own, as the dirge sent out by the tree, but my tune slid into the depths to accompany it, rather than lifting our spirits.
As my comrades began to prepare for combat, I did my best to join them; tears pouring down my face as I cast a small handful of spells.
Flynne then fired his bow, and a specially prepared arrow slammed into the trunk, encasing the tree in a globe of silence and the mood in the clearing improved in an instant. Fez then dashed in, and the tree swatted him with one massive branch. Both the barbarian and Janga yelled in pain at the same time, and I could see a sympathetic bruise blossoming across Janga’s face.
Using the scythe we had captured, Fez slashed a mark across the tree, before a gale force wind blasted from it in all directions, making Flynne curse and put his bow away, but sliding around and over us due to layers of protective magics. Janga blasted the tree with lightning from a recently captured mace, and I cast another spell whilst Flynne quaffed a potion making his arm blur as he drew his sword.
Fez struck the tree once again, and it began to seep a thick black sap, before it shuddered.
Suddenly, I could see things moving at the corners of my vision. Spinning, I could see my comrades fighting the tree, and also creeping out of the undergrowth around me. As they drew closer, their features seemed to soften and then go grey – smooth grey doppelganger faces closed in on me when, as one, they drew from their belts long shears. As they drew closer and closer, the shears scythed together making a series of metallic snipping noises.
Then it came. As the doppelgangers got into reach, they danced away from my rapier-point and then sliced again and again. The razor-sharp blades cut again and again at my tongue, and I could feel my mouth welling up with blood, and tried my utmost to scream. The best I could manage was a burbling moan as I sank to my knees. The doppelgangers darted in, sensing victory, and the blades sank deep into me as I collapsed.
The world went black.
Having once again activated the portal back to the hidden library’s location, I once again persuaded Fez that stepping through a dimension door would be perfectly straightforward and the quickest way to get away from the menacing aura and into a patch of orcs I’d assured him I’d noticed on the way here.
After healing his injuries in Tilagos’ hidden centre, we once again took our bearings before deciding that a roc was likely to live in the mountains, and a roc king would be likely to live in the tallest mountain of all. We therefore headed for the hills, and after a number of hours hard walking we reached the tallest of them all in the very centre of the range of massive hills.
Once there, I sifted some of the stones through my fingers and stared up at the heights, casting my mind back over forgotten tales and legends. Unbidden, words began to float to my mind.
“Blood Feather Peak, home of the king of birds. His feathers hold the key.”
The ascent to the very top of Blood Feather Peak was terrible. At least it was for the others. Flynne and Fez, roped together with an enchanted rope of climbing slogged from crag to crevice, fighting against the elements as they struggled upwards. Janga, awestruck by the enormous slope and utterly unable to struggle upwards under the weight of his heavy armour, quaffed a potion and began clambering up the rocks with the grace of a spider.
For myself, I activated the power of my recently purchased boots, and rose gracefully alongside my compatriots occasionally pulling myself closer to the mountain whilst keeping myself ready to cast a spell should any of the others fall.
.oOo.
At the top was a disappointing scene of devastation. Blood lay thick amidst a massive nest, and to one side lay the corpse of the roc king. Looking around, Fez found the tracks of four humanoid figures, one larger and sporting heavy claws, which had fought the roc king before flying away to the south.
Shrugging, Fez pulled out a feather, and then we all turned south ourselves and flung ourselves, as one, off the mountain.
.oOo.
The fall was exhilarating, arrested at the very bottom of a tremendous overhang by a spell I cast to arrest our descent. We landed gently and strode to the south, pausing only so that Janga could cast a spell to try to locate the ‘Doomshroud’ and ‘Krathanos’.
This done, we picked our way south into a massive forest. The branches entwined thickly over our heads, and barely any light reached the forest floor. Despite the lack of wind, the leaves and branches rustled and roots seemed somehow to find their way into our paths.
After walking through the dark forest for what seemed like hours, we began to hear a mournful sound weaving between the trunks. We walked onwards and the dirge became louder. Despite my efforts to lighten the mood with a song of my own, it was clear that we were all becoming dispirited; except Flynne, who was protected by the powers of the belt we had won during the Free City championship.
We were drawn, somehow inexorably, to a small clearing at the centre of which was a 50 foot tall black tree whose long branches danced like serpents.
Again I tried to lighten the mood with music of my own, as the dirge sent out by the tree, but my tune slid into the depths to accompany it, rather than lifting our spirits.
As my comrades began to prepare for combat, I did my best to join them; tears pouring down my face as I cast a small handful of spells.
Flynne then fired his bow, and a specially prepared arrow slammed into the trunk, encasing the tree in a globe of silence and the mood in the clearing improved in an instant. Fez then dashed in, and the tree swatted him with one massive branch. Both the barbarian and Janga yelled in pain at the same time, and I could see a sympathetic bruise blossoming across Janga’s face.
Using the scythe we had captured, Fez slashed a mark across the tree, before a gale force wind blasted from it in all directions, making Flynne curse and put his bow away, but sliding around and over us due to layers of protective magics. Janga blasted the tree with lightning from a recently captured mace, and I cast another spell whilst Flynne quaffed a potion making his arm blur as he drew his sword.
Fez struck the tree once again, and it began to seep a thick black sap, before it shuddered.
Suddenly, I could see things moving at the corners of my vision. Spinning, I could see my comrades fighting the tree, and also creeping out of the undergrowth around me. As they drew closer, their features seemed to soften and then go grey – smooth grey doppelganger faces closed in on me when, as one, they drew from their belts long shears. As they drew closer and closer, the shears scythed together making a series of metallic snipping noises.
Then it came. As the doppelgangers got into reach, they danced away from my rapier-point and then sliced again and again. The razor-sharp blades cut again and again at my tongue, and I could feel my mouth welling up with blood, and tried my utmost to scream. The best I could manage was a burbling moan as I sank to my knees. The doppelgangers darted in, sensing victory, and the blades sank deep into me as I collapsed.
The world went black.
Eccles
Ragged idiot in a trilby.
I awoke lying on a cold stone slab in the temple to Fahrlanghan in the Free Cities, my comrades standing over me. Grinning, Fez announced, “We kill tree. Chop chop chop. Tree fell down. Only after Evan fell down. Fez not see why Evan fall down, as Fez being attacked by tiny women at the time.”
To celebrate my return from the dead, we had a vast and heavily enchanted breakfast (supplied by Fahrlanghan at Janga’s request), before we all teleported back to Tilagos. I activated the portal once again, and then saw Fez was already turning to leave.
“Fez not getting into your doorway this time. Fez not stupid.”
I smiled disarmingly. “Of course not, my friend. I wouldn’t dream of trying to trick you. I’ll escort you away myself. Just let me ensure we won’t get spotted. I’m sure I saw something from the top of that wall over there…”
I gestured towards the wall as I cast a spell, taking Fez by the shoulders before turning away and guiding him towards the shore – straight into dimension door I had placed behind him. With a wail, he was dragged through into the portal once again.
.oOo.
Back in the demiplane that was Tilagos, we headed southeast, guided once more by Janga’s deity. Passing through the forest, which seemed somehow lighter already with the death of the great black tree at its heart, we reached the sight of the coast. Overlooking the roaring waters, we could see a massive weathered keep – the towers were crumbling and the heavy stones flaked at their edges.
Pausing at a point overlooking this edifice, I concentrated once again, and ancient legends came to my mind.
“The bound titan Krathanos places himself above his surrounds, but is brought low by a malady of the mind.”
Turning myself undetectable, I activated my boots once again, and floated high in the sky to look down on the fortress. From up high I could see that the building was a hollow square of stone walls, with three crude cages lying to one side each containing three many-armed white gorilla-like creatures.
Against the eastern wall lay a massive figure some 25 feet tall, with long lank hair, ragged clothes and heavily battered half plate armour. Next to his sleeping form lay a truly immense spiked warhammer, perhaps three times as long as I was tall.
Pausing to discuss out options briefly, we cast a huge sequence of spells on Janga, at which point he flew away invisibly, hasted, silently, displaced, undetectable and boosted with several of my more potent bardic chants. Before he faded from sight, Fez passed him his massive scythe.
From some distance away, we could hear the scythe strike home and bite deeply. An instant later, there was a bellow of rage. Gargoyles sprang from the walls in a panicked flock, and a second towering titan leapt from his hiding place at the centre of the fortress.
Unseen, I could hear Flynne yelling “It’s a decoy! Leg it!”
We fled.
To celebrate my return from the dead, we had a vast and heavily enchanted breakfast (supplied by Fahrlanghan at Janga’s request), before we all teleported back to Tilagos. I activated the portal once again, and then saw Fez was already turning to leave.
“Fez not getting into your doorway this time. Fez not stupid.”
I smiled disarmingly. “Of course not, my friend. I wouldn’t dream of trying to trick you. I’ll escort you away myself. Just let me ensure we won’t get spotted. I’m sure I saw something from the top of that wall over there…”
I gestured towards the wall as I cast a spell, taking Fez by the shoulders before turning away and guiding him towards the shore – straight into dimension door I had placed behind him. With a wail, he was dragged through into the portal once again.
.oOo.
Back in the demiplane that was Tilagos, we headed southeast, guided once more by Janga’s deity. Passing through the forest, which seemed somehow lighter already with the death of the great black tree at its heart, we reached the sight of the coast. Overlooking the roaring waters, we could see a massive weathered keep – the towers were crumbling and the heavy stones flaked at their edges.
Pausing at a point overlooking this edifice, I concentrated once again, and ancient legends came to my mind.
“The bound titan Krathanos places himself above his surrounds, but is brought low by a malady of the mind.”
Turning myself undetectable, I activated my boots once again, and floated high in the sky to look down on the fortress. From up high I could see that the building was a hollow square of stone walls, with three crude cages lying to one side each containing three many-armed white gorilla-like creatures.
Against the eastern wall lay a massive figure some 25 feet tall, with long lank hair, ragged clothes and heavily battered half plate armour. Next to his sleeping form lay a truly immense spiked warhammer, perhaps three times as long as I was tall.
Pausing to discuss out options briefly, we cast a huge sequence of spells on Janga, at which point he flew away invisibly, hasted, silently, displaced, undetectable and boosted with several of my more potent bardic chants. Before he faded from sight, Fez passed him his massive scythe.
From some distance away, we could hear the scythe strike home and bite deeply. An instant later, there was a bellow of rage. Gargoyles sprang from the walls in a panicked flock, and a second towering titan leapt from his hiding place at the centre of the fortress.
Unseen, I could hear Flynne yelling “It’s a decoy! Leg it!”
We fled.
Inconsequenti-AL
Breaks Games
Eccles said:My first death... In this campaign, anyway...
Oh, and Flynne's assault on what turned out to be a polymorphed gorillon killed it stone dead, after it failed its DC 99(!!!) Fort save...
Next up. We encounter a titan. (ulp!)
An insane titan, no less.
The death was a real shame - after the problems with the nightmare beast the week before we took steps to prepare for this one - lots of buffing. However the 9th level spells it attacked us with were problematic. Weird is dead scary!
Cerulean_Wings
First Post
I've only read up to page 8, but man oh man, I LOVE this gmae of yours. The storytelling is simply amazing, how you, Eccles, turn a simple "I attack the orc - roll a d20- I hit for 8 damage" into an epic maneuver! And while still keeping things simple, no less. I can't stop reading the adventure path as you describe it, my eyes are burning from reading on and on (one more page, I keep telling myself at 2 AM...).
The whole 3-temple section was brutal. I don't know if it was the module, the DM, or a combination of both that made things so deadly, but either way, that was really a struggle. There were parts in which I couldn't believe you guys kept going on and on after having battled with tough enemies (clerics and tieflings, for instance), and I almost fainted when I read about the uber-boss battle at the end of the temple, and you weren't rested at all!!! So many times I was thinking "Oh shoot, they're goners", but you've prevailed nonetheless.
Please keep posting the journals of your bard, Mr. Eccles
By the way, there's a spell effect that Edon casts that has me puzzled. You describe it as a "robed skeleton embracing the necromancer", and I can't figure out what spell it represents. :\
The whole 3-temple section was brutal. I don't know if it was the module, the DM, or a combination of both that made things so deadly, but either way, that was really a struggle. There were parts in which I couldn't believe you guys kept going on and on after having battled with tough enemies (clerics and tieflings, for instance), and I almost fainted when I read about the uber-boss battle at the end of the temple, and you weren't rested at all!!! So many times I was thinking "Oh shoot, they're goners", but you've prevailed nonetheless.
Please keep posting the journals of your bard, Mr. Eccles
By the way, there's a spell effect that Edon casts that has me puzzled. You describe it as a "robed skeleton embracing the necromancer", and I can't figure out what spell it represents. :\
Inconsequenti-AL
Breaks Games
Cerulean_Wings - glad you're enjoying the story there!
Yeah - we felt the same in the temple - it did get that feeling of "How much more of this can we take?". The Aspect at the end was simply terrifying. Can still recall that fight clearly. Am certain that if Steves Ray of Enfeeblement hadn't punched through the SR then we would all have died. Yet another fight salvaged by Necromancy - a common theme in this campaign!
I'm pretty sure the 'robed skeleton embrace' is Endo/Steves extra grisly version of False Life.
On the GM/module thing:
It's a really vicious adventure path - many of the combats have been very difficult - and it just keeps getting tougher as we go on. But it's a lot of fun and has a cool story underpinning it all.
Our DM (Russ) really doesn't pull the punches, uses sensible monster tactics and rolls the dice out in the open... which can be pretty lethal! Get the feeling he's rooting for us to win - even while the monsters are flat out trying to kill us.
Supaida
Agree entirely! It was such a shame that gift didn't go down well at all. It had quite a bit of thought go into it and was a thorougly rocking idea. Unfortunately, sometimes the half orc necromancer will roll a 1 on his diplomacy check...
Can't recall if it's in the story text, but our host was so upset with the gifts from me (Fez) and Steve (Endo) that he tried to poison us at dinner - we didn't notice because we'd all had a Heroes Feast for breakfast and were immune to poison - Russ told us later whilst taunting us.
Yeah - we felt the same in the temple - it did get that feeling of "How much more of this can we take?". The Aspect at the end was simply terrifying. Can still recall that fight clearly. Am certain that if Steves Ray of Enfeeblement hadn't punched through the SR then we would all have died. Yet another fight salvaged by Necromancy - a common theme in this campaign!
I'm pretty sure the 'robed skeleton embrace' is Endo/Steves extra grisly version of False Life.
On the GM/module thing:
It's a really vicious adventure path - many of the combats have been very difficult - and it just keeps getting tougher as we go on. But it's a lot of fun and has a cool story underpinning it all.
Our DM (Russ) really doesn't pull the punches, uses sensible monster tactics and rolls the dice out in the open... which can be pretty lethal! Get the feeling he's rooting for us to win - even while the monsters are flat out trying to kill us.
Supaida
Agree entirely! It was such a shame that gift didn't go down well at all. It had quite a bit of thought go into it and was a thorougly rocking idea. Unfortunately, sometimes the half orc necromancer will roll a 1 on his diplomacy check...
Can't recall if it's in the story text, but our host was so upset with the gifts from me (Fez) and Steve (Endo) that he tried to poison us at dinner - we didn't notice because we'd all had a Heroes Feast for breakfast and were immune to poison - Russ told us later whilst taunting us.
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