The Doomed Bastards: Reckoning (story complete)

[Neverwinter Knight]

It's like that scene from Dogma -> the Golgothan.

Honestly, I had believed that Dungie might come back at the end and actually help out the Doomed Bastards. But then again, that is a romantic notion that has no place whatsoever in Rappan Athuk.


Oh, and this is pretty fitting: Tough crap!

 

[Richard Rawen]

It's like that scene from Dogma -> the Golgothan.

Honestly, I had believed that Dungie might come back at the end and actually help out the Doomed Bastards. But then again, that is a romantic notion that has no place whatsoever in Rappan Athuk.


Oh, and this is pretty fitting: Tough crap!

Actually I had entertained a silly notion similar to yours, that the DB's would be able to use the Dung Monster against their enemies... yet really, what was I thinkin?

Well, I suppose it's got SR 99.9 and DR 10 Magic to boot ... we know that it's practically immune to most elemental damage, didn't they just beat it to bits last time?
Heh... gonna be some missing weapons, and weapon arms... and parts attached to arms... and...

 

[Qwernt]

"The dung monster, given new life and form by the will of Orcus, attacked"

Is it a Dungolem now? Boy, how long would you spend washing your hands after that?

 

[Lazybones]

W00t, 1000 posts!

It never occurred to me to use the DM on the side of the DBs, but it's a pretty cool idea.

Next week is going to be a painful one for our heroes.

* * * * *

Chapter 305

THE GOD OF DUNG


Honoratius gestured and spoke arcane syllables, and a glowing wall of force appeared across the creature’s path, bisecting the cavern in front of the companions.

“That won’t help us get to the river,” Alderis said. “The angle is wrong.”

“The creature’s position precluded a viable slant, and the cavern is too large for me to erect a barrier that stretches to the far side,” the archmage calmly explained.

“If we fall back to the tunnels, it might not be able to reach us,” Tullus said.

“We’re not retreating,” Dar said. “We killed this bastard once before, we can do it again.”

“If it is indeed the dung monster, then it will be impervious to our magic,” Alderis said.

“Then use your spells to bolster us, and we’ll hack the freaking thing to pieces.”

“Look!” Marcus cried, pointing at the creature.

The dung-Orcus had paused at the wall of force. Its head was merely a sculpted form, and it had no “eyes” to stare at them. But it somehow seemed thoughtful as it regarded them through the transparent barrier. Now, as Marcus drew their attention back to it, they could see the thing moving along the obstacle to its edge, where it met the cavern wall. The creature extended an arm, and delivered a blow to the wall at the edge of the glowing field that reverberated through the cavern. Then another, and another. Stone was blasted from the wall with each impact, and with its third hit, small bits of debris shot through the space on the companions’ side of the wall of force.

“It would seem that the creature is less mindless in its newest incarnation,” Honoratius said. “Nelan, I would recommend that you prepare your water walk spell.”

As the priest began casting, the dung-Orcus pressed its fist into the small opening that it had created between the stone wall of the cavern and the wall of force. Its foul substance began to flow through the opening, dripping through onto the far side.

“We should attack it now, while it is transitioning!” Xenos said. He lifted his burning sword, and took a few steps toward it before Dar held up a hand.

“No, wait! Its substance is sticky as hell, and it’ll yank your weapons right out of your hands! We’ll try the wizard’s plan.”

Nelan completed his incantation, and began touching each of them in turn. Alderis, meanwhile, enhanced them all with a haste spell. “Everyone, gather by the far side of the wall of force” Honoratius instructed. The companions rushed in that direction, Alderis’s shield guardian trudging heavily in their rear. Already more than half of the dung-creature’s body had poured through the small opening it had made, and it was already beginning to reform into its original shape.

Allera and Dar shared a look. “It’s gotten faster,” the healer said.

“Just get everyone to the river,” Dar said. “It couldn’t follow us through the water, before.” He lifted Valor, the muscles in his arms and neck tensing in anticipation.

With a slight gesture from Honoratius, the wall of force came down. “Go!” the archmage shouted.

With the barrier suddenly removed, the dung-Orcus plopped abruptly forward. It spattered heavily on the floor, but quickly rose up, new arms and legs forming out of its turgid mass. The hideous face took on definition, and swiveled toward the companions as it lumbered after them.

“Go! Go!” Dar yelled, driving the others before him. The dung monster was much faster than it had been before, treading forward on legs rather than oozing along in a bulbous mass, but it was still ponderous, its tread shaking the ground with every step. Even with the heavy armor and weapons borne by the knights they were still able to widen the gap between them and the creature, thanks to Alderis’s spell. Within a few seconds, Alderis, Honoratius, and Allera had made it to the mouth of the river tunnel, with the clerics and the shield guardian just a few steps behind. Dar and the knights were bringing up the rear.

“Hurry!” Marcus shouted, helping Tullus step down from the rocky bank onto the fast-moving surface of the water. Empowered by Nelan’s divine magic, they were able to tread upon the river as though it was a flattened expanse of sidewalk.

And then Zahera slipped. Glancing back over her shoulder at the massive hulk rushing behind them, she did not see the mess of foulness that slicked the ground where the creature had stepped earlier, and trod heavily upon it. She cried out as she hit the ground hard, her shield jabbing painfully into her side as she fell. She struggled to get up, but then a massive thump sounded right behind her, and she looked up to see the foul visage of the dung-god looming over her, its terrible face oozing putrescence and death.

Zahera cried out and lifted her shield as the monster’s fat arm came down to smash her.

 

[Fimmtiu]

Poor Zahera... man, what a lousy role. From red shirt to brown shirt in just a few posts.

 

[Neverwinter Knight]

Don't you mean "crappy" role?

 

[Ximix]

Don't you mean "crappy" role?

*coughs* Oh NWK... that was just Foul!
Seriously the Red Shirt fulfilled a purpose, so long as she slows the Orcus-DungMonster ... ODM? Orung... Duncus... monster... umm, I got sidetracked but I think one of her fellow RS's will probably try heroics and 'the-crap-that-should-not-be-named' will get a two-fer!

That thing passes nasty and enters a whole new category of no-win encounters, unless you could conjure a sufficiently sized Sphere of Force to encapsulate it... or just Plane Shift it . . . to the demi-plane of Acid? So yeah, there are ways to deal with it, but it does not seem that the DB's are of sufficient power to do so.

 

[Lazybones]

That thing passes nasty and enters a whole new category of no-win encounters, unless you could conjure a sufficiently sized Sphere of Force to encapsulate it... or just Plane Shift it . . . to the demi-plane of Acid? So yeah, there are ways to deal with it, but it does not seem that the DB's are of sufficient power to do so.

Well, wall of force only allows flat planes now in 3.5e, and plane shift allows SR, so that would not work on it either. Forcecage might have held it in its original incarnation, but the new version is >10' tall, so no luck there either.

I have some notes about Dungie's revised stats/abilities in its new incarnation, but I think I'll save them until this scene plays itself out. No spoilers that way.

* * * * *

Chapter 306

A NARROW ESCAPE?


A roar of rushing water came crashing down on Zahera, knocking her off her feet. A wave some sixteen feet high surged past her and slammed into the dung monster, arresting its momentum and driving it back half a step. Filth splattered around it, spreading outward in a wide swath around the creature. But the wave, instead of coming apart, drew back and reformed, and they could see that it was an elemental, with twin points of azure light shining within its aqueous substance.

Zahera, soaked through, was splashed again as the dung monster smashed a huge fist through the elemental’s body, ripping free a considerable portion of the material that made up its form. She blinked away the spray and tried to get up, but her limbs felt leaden, her armor like a millstone holding her down.

Two forms materialized within the cascade of water. Dar and Alexion seized her, all but dragging her to her feet. The knight turned toward the creature, but Dar grabbed his shoulder and thrust him around. “Get back, now!” he yelled, following the two of them as they rushed once more toward the river.

Behind them the elemental came apart in a spray of water as the dung-Orcus blasted it with another powerful blow of its fists. Even as the summoned creature came apart the monster stomped through it, pounding toward its escaping foes. Allera, Tullus, Marcus, Nelan, and the shield guardian had already reached the river, while Alderis and Honoratius hovered above it. Xenos waited at the bank, looking back to see if the others needed further assistance.

“Get going!” Dar shouted at them. “Move, all of you!”

The arcanists flew through the narrow opening where the cavern wall hung low over the river entry. Alderis had already sent his guardian ahead. Marcus assisted Tullus through, but Allera waited, looking back at Dar.

“Go, jump!” Dar yelled, glancing back over his shoulder. The monster was about twenty feet back and getting closer with each step.

Zahera and Alexion sprang down onto the river, Nelan’s spell pressing their boots back atop the surface after a slight splash from their impact. The two ran toward the overhang, Dar close on their heels. Allera and Xenos ducked through ahead of them.

Glancing back again, Dar saw that the dung monster hadn’t followed them onto the river, but had turned and was now moving along the bank toward the overhang. “Damn it! Hurry up, hurry up!”

The armored knights had to bend almost double to fit through the gap, but Xenos and Allera helped them from the far side, all but dragging them through. Dar, hearing the pounding of the monster’s feet draw closer and closer, dove forward and slid through the opening, relying on the power of Nelan’s spell to keep him above the surface of the water. It worked, and he came up on the far side of the opening to see Allera waiting for him.

“It’s right behin—”

A loud crash cut off his words, and the overhang collapsed. Bits of stone battered Dar and Allera, one sharp stone cutting a shallow gash along the left side of the healer’s forehead. Water rushed over them as massive chunks of stone fell into the water.

“Are you all right—” Allera began.

“Yes... go, move, now!” Dar yelled, thrusting her before him as he dragged himself to his feet—not easy despite the water walk—and started down the tunnel. He could see one of the knights heading back toward them, and gestured forward. “Keep moving!”

Behind them they could hear a loud splash, followed by a change in the noise of the river. Dar didn’t have to look back to know what it meant.

The monster was following them.

 

[Fiasco]

Dear God! Does anyone remember the chocolate bar in the pool incident from Caddy Shack?

Multiply that by a factor of 10,000.

I don't think there is going to be an "It aint so bad" moment in this one!

 

[Ximix]

Dear God! Does anyone remember the chocolate bar in the pool incident from Caddy Shack?

Multiply that by a factor of 10,000.

I don't think there is going to be an "It aint so bad" moment in this one!

I went from there to the rooftop scene in Ghostbuster's where Dan Akroyd says with grim finality
"It's the Stay-Puff Marshmallow Man"

and I don't know how... *laughing - almost with tears in my eyes*

anyways... if the current carries the BBEDMOD then the DB's are gonna be hard pressed to outrun it... Although another Wall of Force may be more effective in this situation, assuming there's another one to be had?