The Creation Schema:THE FINAL BATTLE FOR POSSESSION OF THE SCHEMA

[megamania]

CREATION SCHEMA
SEGMENT 377
“UNDEAD AND THE EMERALD CLAW”
9/20/14

AFTER MIDNIGHT OF VULT 12, 999

Kim looks for some sort of insignia or flag but sees none. It is too dark and the ship is nearly directly over him. There is only one wraith left and there seems to be hundreds of warforged still pouring out from the portal. It’s a full invasion it seems.

Avireal doesn’t look so good. She must have been drained by the wraiths. Speaking of wraiths, several drow barbarians were dropped by the undead. He pulls out his holy symbol preparing for the new undead. And where is Play? That crazed sonabitch is missing. Is he in the water? Avireal seems to be watching the water carefully.

Huh?

The dwarf spots a brief and soft glow behind him and turns. Golems. BIG ones!

Without Delay he summons up a Dimensional Door and opens the opposite doorway onto a building top where the Scorrow are massing. He steps through and quickly shuts it down. Then with his symbol shown- he summons a spell and a funnel of flames open up above the golems and strikes at them. The first blast is not well centered (they rolled a nac 20 on their save) but the second one destroys two of the three. Due to their spacing, he could only strike two at a time.

He attempts to turn the Flesh Golem into Stone but fails. Frustrated now since most of his wands, rods and other magical goodies were taken when he was held by the Frost Giants; he calls to the archer whom has just finished off the last wraith. The golem explodes as arrows strike it.

Then he sees movement in the water. Kim warns the drow as best as he can as undead begin to walk out. More gifts from above. But now he suspects who is in the airship- The Emerald Claw. He points up and Jasyne nods in agreement.

He looks up at the airship- its lowering! He draws back the magical bow string and the arrow begins to glow but before he can release it he spots a figure walki8ng on the backside bottom of the ship- the person is using the ship as a shield to get as close as possible and suddenly a bluish-white blast erupts from the figure- spellcaster!

Jasyne doesn’t have time to move as the Cone of Cold washes over him. Arsenal and many drow are completely flatfooted. The drow do not get up. Except for four in wraith form! Amazed by their dedication and bravery- the drow do not break and run. Jasyne would destroy them first under normal conditions but the spell caster is too dangerous.

Then he realizes the caster made a dreadful mistake- it has attacked Arsenal. The warforged slowly rises to a knee and energy ripples from the eyes and the nodes on its shoulders glow. “That was a MISTAKE!” it shouts and a burst of pure sonic energy blasts out and explodes on the bottom of the ship. A ten foot hole is made in the ship and Demise is thrown from the ship and lands in the water- hard.

On the ship- an undead soldier in metal armor calls out. Even as he is about to go for the ropes to see to his mistress the men call out. A large purple dinosaur with butterfly wings and a halfling riding it flutter to the back of the ship. The men draw weapons and move to ward off its landing when suddenly the wings fold back and the dinosaur enlarges. The men are either crushed or thrown off balance as the ship is once more rocked hard by an impact.

“Alton and Screecha?” wonders Glyder whom is just now coming out of the brush to avoid the magical assault earlier.

 

[megamania]

CREATION SCHEMA
SEGMENT 378
“SEA DEVILS”
9/21/14

AFTER MIDNIGHT OF VULT 12, 999

RDF-23 was warned there may be resistance. It expected as much. It was dealing with creatures once “born”. Undead or living- the vile things were born. There was no control, no perfection….. it arrived in a bloody mess screaming- both it and its mother. It was to arrive on Eberron, get the Schema, and destroy the creatures.

But as warned, there were more.

They were caught off guard by the powerful spell caster. But it would die also. As in birth- it would die covered in blood. But it did not expect the creatures in the water. These large toothed savage creatures commanded creatures of the water also.

They fought these water based creatures as they continued to march to landfall. There perfectly created bodies did not need air thus they could in fact walk to land.

Then large sources of light were seen above the water. RDF-23 had never seen these before but has often heard of them. They were elemental air ships.

So much chaos. Xulo-12 would never approve if they lost the Schema now.

The water creatures were in their element. They had that for an advantage. But the creations of Xulo-12 would win. They built for war. Build for combat.

A very large toothed fish was called on by these sea creatures. They could not defeat us in single combat. We welcome the challenge.

The creature was over 20 feet long (Megalodon Shark) and swam incredibly quickly. One soldier is grabs within its huge mouth and swallowed whole but several streaks of black blood flow freely as the rest attack. RDF-23 creates a deep gash also.

The Sahuagin do little against their armored bodies while four of their numbers drop from counter attacks.

This but one of six groups in combat under the waters, and not all of the sea devils have the large sharks in their arsenal.

The sea devils lack combat experience on this scale. Two groups of the warforged drift together catching one group between. They are decimated very quickly. In addition, one of their very large sharks is killed- gutted by RDF-23. The two swallowed warforged within cut their way out.

Though slowed, they continue on to the shore to retrieve the Schema.

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Meanwhile- a few buildings away, the Schema is taken by a Sea devil cleric with several sharks and guards to protect it. They swim by a temple ruin which begins to set off ripples of vibration within the water. The cleric turns in fear. He hopes the creature below has not been awoken. Huge skeletal hands push aside the collapsed stone pillars and debris. The animated undead have been especially summoned by the necromancer above.

A large splash occurs where a body has fallen. It is evil in nature the cleric is certain. And the summoner of the undead as the skeletons surround and protect the body and gently catch it and bring it to the surface.

The cleric leaves with its prize.

 

[megamania]

CREATION SCHEMA
SEGMENT 379
“HUGE PURPLE MEGARAPTOR UNLEASHED”
9/23/14

AFTER MIDNIGHT OF VULT 12, 999

The airship shutters from the new impact as Screecha enlarges and lands hard on the roof of the captain’s quarters. Several soldiers of the Emerald Claw lose their balance and either fall down or fall over board.

Wearing his ritualistic mask of death, The halfling ranger / druid draws his bow and begins to fire away even as Screecha hops down from the roof and crushes two more Emerald Claw under her feet. The clerics turn and two of them caste darkness onto the raging dinosaur.

Undaunted by this (the worst is she falls over board and flies back up) she moves forward.

“Deal with the aberrational beast and its little master. I must see to Demise.” Snarls the undead within the armor. He moves to the edge where a rope leads over but then sees the first of the huge skeletons rise up from the water. The second one has his necromancer master in its arms. The ship shudders again as a magic user below (Arsenal) strikes again. Massive pieces of the ship break off and a loud crack followed by a creaking sound can be heard. The arm under the ship that contains the fire elemental that empowers the ship was heavily damaged.

The undead knight understands what is happening and goes over the rail on the rope. Screecha and the halfling are keeping the rest too busy to understand what is happening. A cleric rushes them as they step out of the darkness effect. Her hand is glowing a dark blue. An arrow strikes each shoulder then Screecha kicks her and two more clerics off the ship. One falls into the fire ring and exits screaming and on fire. The screams and fire end as she hits the water below.

The roar of the fire grows as the elemental senses freedom. More arrows and a few bites later- there is no one left to jump off the crashing ship as it begins to break up and lose altitude. Screecha jumps off and her wings open up and she flutters away as the ship begins to nose down towards the water. The fire ring hits first with a powerful hiss and a scream from the fire elemental…. Freedom by death is still freedom.

Next the supernaturally enlarged raptor and its rider circle around the battlefield. Some of the Emerald Claw survived by jumping overboard into the water. A 15ft long shark is happily munching on a few soldiers whom find it difficult to swim in their armor. From here they also see glowing undead attacking white haired barbarians. And on a rooftop- monsters! Half barbarians and half large scorpions!

They flutter over these ready to drop onto them when they hear a voice in Alton’s head.

=I am Glyder Freetime. I am a friend of Kim Elderich and Jasyne Symtex. They say you know them. The drow barbarians and their guardians- the Scorrow, are not the enemies. The warforged and Sahuagin in the water are. They have the Creation Schema. We need that returned.=

Looking down, he sees Kim and lowers to him.

“KIM!”

“Alton? Screecha? Screecha….. never mind- I’m glad to see you lad. We need your help.”

 

[megamania]

Nearing the end.... any thoughts?

 

[megamania]

CREATION SCHEMA
SEGMENT 380
“FROM THE COOKING PAN-”
9/23/14

AFTER MIDNIGHT OF VULT 12, 999

“Comere you- your people need your leadership.” Declares Play as he crawls through the pink tinged water to the downed drow barbarian. Every third of fourth reach he notes how wraiths are rising and attacking the drow. They are beginning to panic and flee.

Avireal of the Clan of Water Scorpions cannot rise or turn her head to see what is happening but can hear her people. Though not killed by the wraiths themselves, she has been reduced to a feeble mess (CON 1). Play pats around his various pockets (seen and hidden) and exclaims “ah-hah!” when he find what he is looking for. He pulls out a wand with a two colored gem on it and points it at her. Nothing. He growls and tries again and it glows. Energy seems to fall off the wand like glowing dust and lands on her body.

Her breathing goes from erratic to steady but still weak. He repeats this action three more times. Each time she seems stronger. She looks up at him and then there seems to be moment in her eyes….. Before the Dark lantern can recognize it she suddenly returns to her warrior personality as she growls and reaches up with her cross bow and fires it. The bolt just missing Play but impeding itself squarely into the throat of the undead thing coming out of the water. He tries once more with the wand then quickly moves aside. She feels fear as he faces this thing unarmed but he reaches out slapping the outreaching arm- he grabs the wrist and with his opposite arm drives it into the shoulder. A loud crack is heard as the bones break and carries the downward momentum into a circular motion and throws it into the water blocking the advance of other undead.

She is impressed with this foreigner.

Wraiths begin to explode into nothingness as the archer works closer through the barbarians. His arrows easily destroy each wraith…. But there are so many!

Kim and Alton look out and see giant skeletons rise from the water. One is carrying a robed mage whom appears to be healing herself. Not good. Undead are rising from the water but Play and Avireal seem to have this under control. Then he sees a very large shark float to the surface. It has been gutted. No correction- it has not floated to the surface. It was pushed. The warforged are coming and they are using the giant shark as a shield. Bad. Very Bad.

“Alton- those are the warforged from another dimension. They are here for the Schema. There are possibly hundreds within the water and they are just surfacing- what can you do about it?” Screecha bellows out and quietly honks a thought out to Alton. “Lets.” He answers and they slowly lift off the rooftop and towards the warforged.

Kim looks over the water. “Who has the Schema now and where is it?” He turns to back of their forces and calls out to the hiding gnome. “I need to know where the Schema is. Can you ask people what they know?” The time traveler gives a wave from behind some thick brush and telepathically begins to reach out.

After a few contacts he learns the Lantern and Drow leader were the last to be seen going after it. He risks breaking their concentration and contacts them.

=Sahuagin= the gnome informs the dwarven leader.

“At least it can’t get much worse.” Grumbles the dwarf.

In the distance…. If one looks carefully it does get worse….. but two fold. Another airship and…. A familiar dragon.

 

[megamania]

CREATION SCHEMA
SEGMENT 381
“INTO THE FIRE”
9/23/14

AFTER MIDNIGHT OF VULT 12, 999

The drow barbarian leader rolls to her feet and draws her scimitar even as she drops the now empty crossbow. She slices into an undead as it escapes the water. Two more replace it as she finishes the first off. Play puts his wand away and pulls out his two strange clubs. She has never seen anything like them. They are rounded and smooth. Possibly polished. They have handles near the one end.

She takes down another undead but now finds many are rising. Without making a sound, the man leaps up and begins to twist and turn while swinging with the strange weapons. With each hit, the undead fall. She notes how the weapons can be spun within his grasp for different striking positions and even to use as a limited bracer. Amazing.

Then see sees more undead rise but these are giant skeletons. Before them are human and large ugly human like (1/2 orc) soldiers. And in the water- a dead creature pushes through the water. A hint of armor behind it. The metal men are here!

Magic arrows finish off the last of the wraiths. Many drow were killed this way. But glory remains for those that remain. Looking to regain their honor as a Water Scorpion Clan member- they rush forward to face the Emerald claw. In their water logged armor, the soldiers look to be moving in slow motion as the black and white wave hits them.

Play debates whether to switch to club of demolition that is specifically designed to destroy constructs- even living constructs but the decision is taken away as the warforged begin to move around the dead shark that is now grounded. Play leaps into the air and on the shark begins to do his best intimidation scream with the air behind him being lit up by magical flames and blasts. These warforged don’t scare easily however.

Not to be outdone, the drow leader also leaps onto the shark’s carcass and growls at the warforged. The apparent leader is here. He has a different design and look to him (Necron from 40K).

Alton and Screecha flutter out to the giants. Alton begins to fire arrows at the necromancer there.

Jasyne moves through the drow as he finds the buildings give the skeletons cover. Kim casts a spell to slow down the skeletons. Black rubbery tentacles spread out of cracks in the rock floor and twist and wrap around the leg of one undead in the lead that slows down all of them. Arsenal, like the archer, finds he needs to find better positioning to attack. He is not as quick or agile as the archer however and cannot move through the drow. The Scorrow clatter and clack down the walls and move to the water’s edge waiting for the warforged. The drow barbarians encounter the ½ orcs first. Their skill with their scimitars proves superior to the heavy armor. From there the poison on the weapons does the rest. Four of the warriors collapse to be stabbed by the next drow in line or held down to drown in the six inches of water. Demise, hating the aberrational Xoriat creation called Screecha releases a Lightning bolt at her. She nearly avoids it but still is burned. Alton, not happy to have mount and best friend outside of Talenta Plains attacked fires many arrows at her. The skeleton tries to shield her and her defensive spells do much of the rest. Even then, the necromancer receives two deep scratches from the two arrows that graze the evil elf.

Jasyne fires away at the skeleton that has stopped moving. Amazingly enough, he misses with one arrow as it flies perfectly through the rib cage and splashes down in the water. The other four shots however blow-up and piece of bone rain down into the water near where the clerics of the Claw are just now getting out of the water. Kim calls up a spell and one skeleton bursts into fine particles and dust. Only the hips and legs remain and they fall over without any necromantic energy to move them. Arsenal finally clears the drow and looks to see what he has for targets. The scorrow move up to the water but seem fearful to enter the water. They wait impatiently for adversaries and snap their claws in anger. The drow barbarians cut down the humans and begin to move in on the clerics. One cleric takes minor damage but the poison either has been used up on the solders or didn’t enter the bloodstream. Demise sees the possible dangers and casts Greater Invisibility on herself. Losing sight of his target, Alton begins to attack the skeleton that was carrying her. Much of its skull and arm are chipped away as Screecha circles. One cleric is able to cast a spell and a glowing scimitar appears among the drow.

Avireal kicks aside a blade and strikes down at a warforged from the back of the dead shark. John Play concentrates on the leader. Using the higher ground and his sheer agility, he dances about and strikes several times. The warforged shows much damage but the same amount of resolve. The leader does get in one shot but it not enough to even knock Play off the body. Another warforged takes this opportunity and also gets in a cheap shot on Play. He has taken worse. Avireal meanwhile, though with higher ground, is surrounded and takes many vicious strikes.

Avireal’s eyes flare in anger as she welcomes the RAGE that rises within her. She releases her full rage on the warforged and begins to remove large pieces. Play continues to attack using his crazed and unorthodox style of combat and drops the leader and even gets in a cheap shot on a surprised warforged standing next to him. Even with the leader down, the warforged surge forward and Avireal takes many hits as her rage makes her willing and uncaring that their blows get in- so long as her shots also land.

Jasyne blows up one skeleton and heavily damages another one. Kim uses a positive energy spell to destroy the skeleton Alton had damaged. Arsenal releases electrical energy that heavily damages a skeleton. One scorrow just reaches a warforged and nips it. Demise, wishing revenge on the dinosaur and its rider, castes a spell used for flyers- reverse Gravity. She waits until he is over the water and releases it. If not strapped in, the halfling would have been thrown free. As it is, they hit the water with a loud splash. The dinosaur hates the water and the soft wings are not good in it. The Claw clerics try to defend themselves and for the most part due. Then rises the skeletal Githyanki knight! Three times it swings its blade and three times drow blood is sprayed into the air. A dozen roars of defiance rise at once as the remainder drow barbarians go into a rage.

Jasyne fires away and another skeleton falters but doesn’t fall. Kim finishes it off with a Magic Missile. Having no more skeletons to target, the warforge agent of Lord of Blades looks around the battlefield. He sees Play and the drow leader are in trouble but luckily are not in the water. Instead of a specific target, he reaches out to the water and flash freezes it six inches deep. All of the warforged and the shark are encased along with one cleric. Stopped, one Scorrow attacks while the others test the new ice with fear and caution. A few look up with broad and somewhat evil smiles on their faces. Invisible and just out of range of the freezing effect, Demise castes a spell and touches the tail of the flailing dinosaur. Great pain begins as a Necrotic Cyst begins to form. With their mental rapport, Alton feels the fear and pain along with Screecha. Two clerics fall from the poisoned weapons. The remaining one, with one leg frozen into the water manages a shot on a drow whom is distracted by the ice. Undeterred by the ice, the undead cuts up another drow barbarian.

None see the airship close in.

None see the dragon hold back to watch the lovely chaos unfold.

None notice the gnome slink away into the darkness.

 

[megamania]

CREATION SCHEMA
SEGMENT 382
“EVEN HEROES CAN DIE”
9/23/14

AFTER MIDNIGHT OF VULT 12, 999

Glyder watches as the purple dinosaur suddenly drops from the sky. The impact in the water can just be heard over the hoots and roar of the drow barbarians and the arcane explosions from the others.

Battle.

War.

He hates it and wants nothing to do with it. But he knows what must be done. As a time traveler, he is often aware of end results of certain conflicts but never the details involved. This is why sometimes he leaves notes for himself.

This is moment of truth for him. He generally talks his way out of conflicts or gathers allies to do the fighting for him. He knows this is not the case this time. He knows he will get his hands dirty and…. The end result will not be pretty. In fact- it will hurt a great deal.

With the air ship and Screecha out of the sky, he knows he can now move away hidden and unseen. Still he uses the thick brush for cover. He knows the drow have uncanny eye sight at night. He comes to the ruins of the downed airship. Most of it is in the water but not all of it. He has a hard time of it but he begins to climb the ship. Just as he thinks he has figured it out, he slips back to the ground. From here, spots a hole in the hull and decides to investigate it. He easily enters the ship from the bottom. Inside it is dark but the Ring of Chronos allows him to see in the darkness. There are dead bodies stored here that were to be animated. He hopes this will never be the case. He finds stairs leading up and at the top he finds some dry areas on submerged.

Using the ring again, he thinks about the images he pulled from Play’s twisted mind. The Sahuagin that took the Schema rode a shark. That shark had specific battle scars on its tail and side. Using a unique scrying power given by the artifact, he reaches out and looks for the shark.

Once he locates the shark he looks around. They are in a submerged area of a tower. The dimensions suggest the giants made it. It may still thus be nearby. Pulling his vision in he sees it is a tower just emerging from the watery depths at the far end of the ruins.

Sighing since he knows that once he leaves, he will be unable to call on reinforcements, he uses the power of his boots and teleports to the tower.

Now being closer, he sits down and begins to concentrate. It takes time but an arcane eye forms before him near his forehead. It flies away and enters the water. It circles the tower looking for ways in. The water is very deep but there is a balcony near the top and several windows. Ne has no spells to allow surviving under water. He thinks of a possibility but knows he needs more information if he is to attempt it.

The eye goes down through the balcony. He mentally maps out the way down as the eye swims down deeper. Several layers down he finds the sea devils and the Creation Schema. They are confident that no one knows where they are as they have set the Schema down next to a back wall.

Leaving the eye there, Glyder tries something he has never done before. He has two scrolls that he pulls out. First he summons a water elemental that swooshes and weaves on the water’s edge. Next he summons an air elemental. Using the communication talents of the ring he discusses his plans with the two elementals that are uneasy with each other. The air elemental especially is unhappy but finds it cannot ignore the will and power of this curious looking gnome.

The gnome’s dreadnaughts lift and twist as the elemental tries to form a solid air pocket around his head and then slowly and unsteadily they walk onto the edge of the tower. The water elemental washes under his boots and lifts him into the water. Fear rises in the gnome as the breath is taken from lungs even as he tries to breath within the concentrated air pocket. The gnome mentally says to go and they drop into the water.

The water elemental is quick to push them down through the balcony and the hallways. Glyder can feel large air bubbles break off from the swirling bubble of forced air. Its working but not for long. As he is about to rush into the final room he calls up a scroll effect where six replicas of himself appear. The Sahuagin are stunned by the intrusion. The air used to speak the last of the scroll has used up his air supply.

Two guards strike him with their tridents and the water around him becomes heavy and nearly solid.

By Chronos- he is drowning!

Then a shadow pushes through the room. The very shark he used for scrying- it’s here and attacks him. He grabs the Schema even as the shark bites down onto him. There is a burst of blood. The shark releases him and bites down again leading to a new burst of blood. Then they lose sight of the small figure in the blood cloud.

He is gone…. Along with the Schema.

 

[megamania]

CREATION SCHEMA
SEGMENT 383
“WARFORGED INVASION”
9/25/14

AFTER MIDNIGHT OF VULT 12, 999

Jasyne fires away again and finds the mass of drow before him is making it difficult to target. He will need to move. Avireal continues to savagely hack away at the warforged around her. Kim, fearing striking the drow, begins to use the less effective but very accurate Magic Missiles against the oncoming warforged horde. Play strikes at his target like a Talenta Plains drummer on drugs. Pieces of warforged go everywhere. Arsenal attempts to aid the drow leader buy using his own Magic Missile attack. With the ice creating a solid surface, the Scorrow begin to attack the warforged. The drow mass take down the last of the clerics of the Emerald Claw and see several warforged have gone around the shark carcass towards them. The other warforged strike at the scorrow and attempt to take this black devil with red eyes and glowing thin clubs. Demise smiles wickedly as she casts a spell to burst the painful cyst on Screecha’s tail. The dinosaur roars in agony and falters trying to swim. The tail was her main tool to swim. Alton, swooning as his rapport shares the sense of pain tries to cast a healing spell on his beloved animal companion. The undead Githyanki knight kills off another drow and begins to feel the rapture of war and death.

…..and over the bay, a changeling spots the small insects that are drow and warforged fighting. He also sees the wrecked Emerald Claw ship. “Where ever Demise is, Elderich is. And where ever Elderich is, Cedious is. I will have my revenge.” Declares the changeling renegade Emerald Claw member. Garrow has arrived.

Jasyne moves to the left behind the skittering scorpion drow creatures. He hopes to attack from the flank using buildings and ruins as cover. Avireal’s rage increases as she strikes and a warforged shoulder plate breaks free exposing softer wood components. Kim looks up0 to see if the portal remains open. It is and one squad of warforged has remained to guard it. But then he sees a blue and white ring in the air. An air elemental ship! Now who?!? “Incoming!” the dwarf shouts but few hear him and those are the drow that ignore him in their rage. The pile of destroyed warforged in rising out of the water before Play. He continues to destroy them one at a time. Arsenal did hear Kim. He thought it was a magical attack or that strange winged dinosaur. No- it’s another ship. He begins to run through options of containment and destruction of the ship and the warforged below. The scorrow ignore the archer and work their way on the ice. They need to dig in their piercing legs to gain purchase and not slip. The drow find the warforged difficult to damage and the armored skeleton just as hard to hit. But they do. They are stymied however as they also are unfamiliar with ice and pause at the slipperiness of its surface. The warforged strike Avireal several times in her rage. Others are hoisting themselves onto the ice. Dozens are here now. Demise swims to a building that touches the water. Still invisible Alton hears the splashes but misses her movement within the water…. But he doesn’t miss the warforged invader that prepares to attack Screecha from the ice. Several arrows thump into it and Screecha herself snaps out of her panic and chomps onto an arm. The Githyanki undead senses the safety of its leader and decides it has taken enough abuse from these savages. It tries to force them away but as it strikes down one, another steps up swinging and jabbing.

Garrow calls for Grakken, leader of the stone giant allies he has procured while traveling over Xen’drik trying to follow Demise at a safe distance. “I will have the pilot get closer and lower a means for you to leave the ship safely. Remember- if Cedious is there, he is mine! Is this understood?”

And with a voice that has an echo of grinding stones within it he agrees.

Jasyne clears the scorrow and positions himself. He sees the ship but decides the others need cover first. Avireal’s scimitar cuts deep (crit) and drops the warforged. Dozens more to go. Most of her white tattoos of honor and position are covered in her blood. She doesn’t notice. This is the Water Scorpion way. A warforged hoping to strike her while she pulls her weapon free is struck by five beams light from Kim. The new wave of warforged rush at Play. Without a glance he drops one and waves for the leader to step up. Arsenal uses the ultimate defensive spell to contain the airship. He calls up a Prismatic Wall and wrapped the parameter of the ship with it. No one will get on or off the ship nor attack from it. Scorrow drop a warforged. One holds back to rip and render its remains as the others slowly go forward to the new wave of warforged invaders. Sensing the undead’s fear and concern, the drow shout in unison and lunge forward. Not ready for this renewed energy, the Githyanki is struck several times. The warforged, now with fresh support also lunge forward. A Scorrow is dropped and Play is struck (crit) which draws a curse from him. Demise spider climbs out of the water and onto the roof a mere twenty feet up. It’s time to finish off the dinosaur and the would be adventurer scum led by Elderich. Alton takes down a warforged hoping it will allow Screecha to grab the ice and pull herself out of the water but more warforged arrive- including a thinner but more powerful looking one. The Githyanki pushes the drow away by killing one and kicking its limb body into the mass. It needs to leave. It was wrong to rush into these savages. That is their game- not his. He is above this.

The eyes of Grakken and his primitive tribe of stone giants tilt their heads in confusion. “How will this help us?” it rumbles. “Argh….. If this is the action of that cursed halfling…..” He begins to consider his options and quickly. He knows he is trapped here.

Jasyne takes out a warforged that was holding back a Scorrow. He is uncertain if the creature appreciates the action as it merely rips apart the downed construct. Avireal picks the next closest warforged and begins to beat on it also. Kim is stunned. That wall- who cast it? Are they friend or foe? When will this madness end? Play drops one and concentrates on the new leader. He bends and dents the head plate in greeting. If it could, Arsenal would be smiling now. He unleashes an empowered Firestorm onto the exposed hull of the airship. The resulting explosion makes even the drow pause. Burning dead soldiers drop from the remains as the magical wall drops. Large rough skinned stone giants fall. Most into the water but one strikes a building and shatters. The enslaved air elemental escapes by pushing up driving the ship down and feeds the flames in the process. The remains of the ship strike the ruins and water. Warforged under the water’s surface are rained on by pieces of rapidly bubbling (and cooling) pieces of ship. The scorrow press on and the Drow call out as one in victory as the undead creature attempts to leave them magically but instead is brought down by a vicious volley of swings and attacks. Play is struck by the new leader of warforged that has accepted his offer for combat. The other warforged fan around them to face drow and scorrow. Demise begins to pound the dinosaur with Magic Missiles. Alton fires several magical arrows into the leader that faces him as Screecha bites at anything close enough.

Garrow prepares as best as he can for the oncoming assault. First he is thrown into the air then sucked down as the magical flames steal the air that threw him into the air. He falls the 70 feet down and lands in the water. Loud impacts of the Geased Stone Giants surround him as they also hit the water. Just as he thought he would never stop submerging he slows and begins to rise- as pieces of the ship hit the water. Damn you Cedious is his only thought.

….and the Dragon of Chaos loves everything he is seeing.

 

[megamania]

CREATION SCHEMA
SEGMENT 384
“OVERWHELMING ODDS”
9/25/14

AFTER MIDNIGHT OF VULT 12, 999

And so it continues-

Jasyne drops one and damages another. Avireal damages one further. Kim calls up his own Firestorm to aid Screecha and Alton. Play defeats another leader. Arsenal uses Magic Missile on the leader attacking Screecha. The scorrow attack. One leaps onto the shark carcass to get a better opportunity at attacking. The drow now concentrate on the warforged but barely harm their magical armored bodies. The warforged cut and beat Screecha badly including the leader. They also attack Avireal and the scorrow with success. Demise, being evil, vile and an opportunist, strikes at the highly weakened dinosaur with another Magic Missile. She stops struggling (-2). Alton quickly heals her as she goes under the water’s surface again. Garrow also kicks to the surface and begins to search for the hated halfling or the dwarf. One of the Stone Giants has limited control over stone. Even as his people begin to drown he shapes hand holds into a building and begins to climb.

Jasyne is forced to stop firing and get his bag of holding out. He pulls out a large box from within it. Opening the box quickly he finds arrows. The leader of Drow smacks around the last warforged next to her. Kim Creates another firestorm to further weaken the warforged attacking the endangered ranger/druid and his animal companion. Play, though getting tired, drops another warforged and starts on another. Arsenal Flame strikes where the firestorm has struck finishing off the entire grouping of warforged invaders. The scorrow continue to nip and sting along with the drow. The warforged continue to press on with their supreme numbers and high damage intake. Demise, running low on directly offensive spells casts another Magic Missile that stops the dinosaur again (0). And again Alton heals it. Garrow swims to the climbing structure made by the Stone Giant Elder. One or two other stone giants are already climbing.

….and so the battle goes. Many Drow are slain and several Scorrow. Many warforged but not enough as spells are being limited. Since they are rising out of the water, many of the ranged attackers cannot do their best attacks until they are close.

They are forced to flee back into the jungle away from the ruins and the invading warforged. It is now they discover Glyder is missing and fear he has done something stupid. Avireal swears she will find him.

It is decided to return the next day after they regain spells and some healing with rest. Rather than risk the entire Water Scorpions clan, the drow hold back. It is not an easy nor popular decision.

 

[megamania]

CREATION SCHEMA
SEGMENT 385
“A PROPOSAL FROM THE MAD DEMON”
9/30/14

MORNING OF VULT 13, 999

Play, Avireal and Jasyne take the lead as they enter the ruins once more. There are not many bodies here of drow. It appears the creatures of the night fed well.

The portal and warforged are also gone. The remains of dozens of destroyed or deactivated warforged liter the shore line.

One airship lays broken and partially submerged. The other has few parts large enough to recognize as being once a piece of an airship.

Avireal is shook up a bit as they find many drow were made into undead zombies but then something crushed them. Something big based on the foot prints in the earth and soft areas of the ruins.

They then find the dead remains of Demise. A dagger is in her back and her throat slit. It was not a drow. It is easy for them to follow the prints. They lead to the wreck of the airship that Demise came on.

As they are about to climb onto the ship, Play warns them to stop. His mask allows him to see many things missed by others…. Including invisibility.

“This makes no sense…. There is an invisible vampire standing there in the sunlight…..”

“Expose yourself Garrow. I know you are there.” demands Kim looking in the general direction that the Dark Lantern is watching carefully.

“Well played Kim….well played. I always knew it would come down to the two of us and our teams.” What resembles a rotten skinned vampire appears on the stern of the ship.

“Your handiwork?” asks Jasyne as he motions to the Emerald Claw agents and downed drow.

A toothy grin. “I have the Schema. I also know where your halfling friend is. All I want is Cedious.”

Play looks to Kim and arches his brow- “Who’s Cedious?”

“THE DEVIL!” spits out the ex-Emerald Claw agent. “He has ruined me with his ways and methods.”

Play motions to the others that he is crazy. Alton smiles at it. Poor Screecha is still at ground level…..watching.

“The Schema and your teammate for Cedious.”

“I honestly don’t know where he is. He was lost coming to Xen’drik. A Chaos Storm struck him.” Replies Kim.

The Changeling thinks this over. He cares little for the Schema. It was Vol that wanted it. The gnome means even less to him…. Assuming it is even still alive.

“So it appears we are at a stalemate.” Says the archer with his arrow sitting on the bow string crackling. Unnoticed Play has also pulled out his bow. He whispers ‘soft’ to make the arrows non-lethal. He has been in this position before.

“Or I just remove him from the face of Eberron.” Threatens the warforged agent of the Lord of Blades. “You are outmanned, out powered and cannot have gone far. Both must be nearby.”

Play silently searches the damaged deck. He tries a hunch- he switches his vision to detection of Magic. The Schema is built to block this….. thus it will create a blank area when he gazes onto it. He agrees with Arsenal. It could be close by.

He finds what he is looking for….. in a crack below deck. “I don’t know Arsenal. Maybe you’re right or maybe you’re not. I mean…. Would he stow both just below deck… about thirty feet to his left?”

Garrow snarls a fearsome and frustrated growl that would normally be saved for Cedious. Play fires his “mercy” arrows and Kim casts a Hold spell. Garrow is stopped and tied up carefully.

Glyder is alive….but barely. He is still holding up a burnt out wand (used up the entire wand of healing).

Once the gnome is travel ready Kim says they need to leave the area. Now.

“Why?” asks Alton.

In the distance a certain dragon of Chaos is diving in using the sun for cover.

Hands joined, Kim teleports them to a location he feels comfortable with.