Menu
News
All News
Dungeons & Dragons
Level Up: Advanced 5th Edition
Pathfinder
Starfinder
Warhammer
2d20 System
Year Zero Engine
Industry News
Reviews
Dragon Reflections
Columns
Weekly Digests
Weekly News Digest
Freebies, Sales & Bundles
RPG Print News
RPG Crowdfunding News
Game Content
ENterplanetary DimENsions
Mythological Figures
Opinion
Worlds of Design
Peregrine's Next
RPG Evolution
Other Columns
From the Freelancing Frontline
Monster ENcyclopedia
WotC/TSR Alumni Look Back
4 Hours w/RSD (Ryan Dancey)
The Road to 3E (Jonathan Tweet)
Greenwood's Realms (Ed Greenwood)
Drawmij's TSR (Jim Ward)
Community
Forums & Topics
Forum List
Latest Posts
Forum list
*Dungeons & Dragons
Level Up: Advanced 5th Edition
D&D Older Editions
*TTRPGs General
*Pathfinder & Starfinder
EN Publishing
*Geek Talk & Media
Search forums
Chat/Discord
Resources
Wiki
Pages
Latest activity
Media
New media
New comments
Search media
Downloads
Latest reviews
Search resources
EN Publishing
Store
EN5ider
Adventures in ZEITGEIST
Awfully Cheerful Engine
What's OLD is NEW
Judge Dredd & The Worlds Of 2000AD
War of the Burning Sky
Level Up: Advanced 5E
Events & Releases
Upcoming Events
Private Events
Featured Events
Socials!
Twitch
YouTube
Facebook (EN Publishing)
Facebook (EN World)
Twitter
Instagram
TikTok
Podcast
Features
Top 5 RPGs Compiled Charts 2004-Present
Adventure Game Industry Market Research Summary (RPGs) V1.0
Ryan Dancey: Acquiring TSR
Q&A With Gary Gygax
D&D Rules FAQs
TSR, WotC, & Paizo: A Comparative History
D&D Pronunciation Guide
Million Dollar TTRPG Kickstarters
Tabletop RPG Podcast Hall of Fame
Eric Noah's Unofficial D&D 3rd Edition News
D&D in the Mainstream
D&D & RPG History
About Morrus
Log in
Register
What's new
Search
Search
Search titles only
By:
Forums & Topics
Forum List
Latest Posts
Forum list
*Dungeons & Dragons
Level Up: Advanced 5th Edition
D&D Older Editions
*TTRPGs General
*Pathfinder & Starfinder
EN Publishing
*Geek Talk & Media
Search forums
Chat/Discord
Menu
Log in
Register
Install the app
Install
The
VOIDRUNNER'S CODEX
is LIVE! Explore new worlds, fight oppressive empires, fend off fearsome aliens, and wield deadly psionics with this comprehensive boxed set expansion for 5E and A5E!
Community
Playing the Game
Story Hour
The Doomed Bastards: Reckoning (story complete)
JavaScript is disabled. For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding.
You are using an out of date browser. It may not display this or other websites correctly.
You should upgrade or use an
alternative browser
.
Reply to thread
Message
<blockquote data-quote="Lazybones" data-source="post: 3927066" data-attributes="member: 143"><p>Chapter 309</p><p></p><p>ROUND ONE</p><p></p><p></p><p>Marcus looked pale. “There’s no stopping that thing...”</p><p></p><p>“We stopped it before, we’ll stop it again,” Dar said. He gestured around the room. “This is as good a place as any; it’s big enough for us to take it from all directions, and for some maneuver, if necessary.”</p><p></p><p>“The properties of the creature appear to have changed significantly since our last encounter with it, general,” Honoratius said. “It may prove beyond our ability to defeat.”</p><p></p><p>“Then we’re screwed either way. We keep running from it, eventually we’re going to run into something nasty, and it’ll just come on us from behind while we’re distracted. This way, at least we have a chance to face it on <em>our</em> terms.”</p><p></p><p>The noise from the tunnel was growing louder. Dar gave some more instructions, listened to a few suggestions from Alderis and Honoratius, and set Nelan to keep watch for the creature’s approach. Not that they needed a watchman; they could all hear it coming, and bits of dirt had begun falling from the top of the river tunnel, as the ground shook with the heavy tread of its coming. </p><p></p><p>Marcus turned to Dar. “I am sorry for my earlier outburst, general. I will face the thing with all honor...”</p><p></p><p>The fighter cut him off with a slash of his hand. “I expect nothing less, cleric.” He held the younger man’s eyes for a moment, and then unslung his bow and club, followed by the straps that held the leather wrap in place across his back. “You may be able to make some use of this,” he said, unfolding the wrap to reveal <em>Beatus Incendia</em>. </p><p></p><p>Marcus’s eyes widened in surprise as he recognized the blade. “That is...”</p><p></p><p>“Yeah, I know.” He hefted it, and extended the hilt toward the cleric. “Don’t miss.”</p><p></p><p>“I can see it!” Nelan yelled, falling back from the edge of the riverbank. </p><p></p><p>“All right, everyone hold your positions!” Dar shouted. Blue-white light flared from <em>Beatus Incendia</em> as Marcus took it up, the bright flames casting his youthful features in stark relief. He began to chant, invoking the power of Soleus to protect him and infuse him with strength. Elsewhere throughout the room, Honoratius, Alderis, and Tullus likewise placed buffing spells upon the warriors. Allera waited until the very last instant to cast her <em>holy aura</em>, to maximize the duration of the protective magic. </p><p></p><p>She did not need to wait long. Barely ten ticks after Nelan’s shouted warning, the huge form of the dung monster, clad again in the form of the demon prince Orcus, exploded out of the mouth of the river tunnel. The creature’s lifeless eyes regarded them as it rose to its full height, and it immediately clambered forward toward the crumbling bank of the river bed. The obstacle offered no hindrance to it, and as it stepped up, the thing loomed high over them, its horned head nearly scraping the cavern ceiling. </p><p></p><p>“Hold your ground!” Dar shouted.</p><p></p><p>The dung monster started to turn toward Alexion, who was stationed along the left wall of the cavern. Dar, standing near the far exit, stepped forward. “Over here, you freaking prick!” Zahera, standing behind him, lifted her bow and let fly an arrow that struck it in the face. Instead of sinking into its noisome substance, however, the steel head glanced off, as though it had struck a granite wall. </p><p></p><p>“The structure of its external shell has changed,” Honoratius said. “Ware!”</p><p></p><p>The monster shifted and started coming forward toward Dar. “That’s right, come to daddy,” the fighter muttered, his fists tightening on the haft of his club. </p><p></p><p>Everyone tensed as the monster moved into the center of the room. Dar held his ground as the creature lifted an arm to strike; bits of stone clattered around it like rain as the limb scraped the rough natural ceiling. It was only one step away from being able to reach the fighter. </p><p></p><p>As that foot came down, Honoratius <em>disintegrated</em> the ground beneath it. </p><p></p><p>The monster’s left foot vanished into the pit that suddenly gaped before it. Unable to adjust in time, the creature toppled forward, its body crashing into the forward lip of the pit, its right leg jutting back at an awkward angle as its weight dragged its body down into the ten-foot hole. Its arms caught on the edges of the new hole, and it started dragging itself up almost at once. </p><p></p><p>“NOW!” Dar yelled, surging forward. </p><p></p><p>Dar bellowed a violent cry of battle as he leapt forward and smashed his club into the monster’s head with the full power of his considerable strength behind it. Instead of sinking into its body and sticking, like their weapons had in their last encounter, the blow cracked hard against it substance, hard enough to shake Dar’s bones with the force of the impact traveling up the length of his club. A pulse traveled through the creature’s head, and Dar could see cracks traveling out from the point where he’d struck, cracks that rapidly closed shut, leaving its body unblemished. </p><p></p><p>All around it, the warriors leapt to assault the creature. Stuck in the awkward position of being half-in, half-out of the pit, it could not bring its superior reach to bear before they could attack. Alexion and Xenos hewed at it with their weapons, but they had little effect upon it. Alexion’s pick scraped loudly against its right shoulder, while Xenos’s first strike cracked the hard shell of its back, but otherwise seemed to faze it little. </p><p></p><p>Zahera had fired a second arrow that had struck the creature in the arm. But that hit was as ineffective as the first, so she dropped her bow and rushed forward, drawing her scimitar as she came. </p><p></p><p>As the <em>divine power</em> of his patron filled him, Marcus lifted <em>Beatus Incendia</em> and charged forward to join the attack. Stepping in beside Xenos, he tried to target the crack that the knight had opened, and which was already starting to seal shut. But the cleric’s foot struck a loose stone, and the hit went wild, glancing harmlessly off its back. Off-balance, the cleric was struck by the creature’s body as it surged up out of the pit, and he fell to the ground. </p><p></p><p>Nelan hurled a spell at the creature, but his divine magic proved as ineffective as the arcane power of the wizard, dissolving against the indefatigable resistances of the unnatural creation. Swallowing, the cleric drew out his mace and looked for an opening to attack. </p><p></p><p>Alderis held his ground, but ordered his shield guardian to attack. The construct surged forward, slipping past Alexion as it bowled into the dung creature. It smashed down with both fists, trying to push the monster back into the pit. The sound of its mithral-encased fists striking the creature’s shoulders echoed loudly through the chamber, but it failed to stop the creature from lifting itself up out of the pit. It shrugged off more hits as it got both legs up under it, and it was the companions that were forced to give ground as it drove forward, rising up again to its full height. </p><p></p><p>The companions continued to hew at it, shifting their attacks to its legs and torso. Marcus, struggling back to his feet, joined Xenos in striking at its back, while Alexion and Zahera harried its flanks. Nelan started to come in beside Zahera, but was forced to dodge back as the monster’s huge arms came around to confront the shield guardian. Alderis’s construct continued smashing the creature across the chest, but the spiderweb cracks that each blow created were healed almost as quickly as they were made. </p><p></p><p>The monster countered with a powerful swing of one arm that hit the shield guardian squarely across the chest. Alderis’s construct had to weigh over a thousand pounds, but it was knocked back like a child’s toy, toppling over backwards and hitting the floor with a loud crash. </p><p></p><p>Dar roared again as he brought his club up into the monster’s gut. Again the blow had a significant if transitory effect, as cracks opened across its torso, and a pulse reverberated through its body. Its wounds continued to close, if slower now that it was absorbing more damage from its tormentors. </p><p></p><p>“Keep hitting it!” Dar yelled, lifting his weapon to strike again. </p><p></p><p>The monster struck with its other arm, bringing its fist down on Dar’s right shoulder. The blow felt like he’d been struck with a sledgehammer, and he was driven down almost to his knees by the force of it. But he had bigger problems; the fist had flattened across his shoulder, and it stuck to the dragonhide plates of his armor like strong glue. As he tried to pull away, the substance of its fist became amorphous, oozing out to engulf his neck and chest. A scream was torn from his lips as that vile goo burned his flesh, but that cry died as it spread up over his jaw, and tendrils of it flowed into his mouth, eating away his flesh as it traveled.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Lazybones, post: 3927066, member: 143"] Chapter 309 ROUND ONE Marcus looked pale. “There’s no stopping that thing...” “We stopped it before, we’ll stop it again,” Dar said. He gestured around the room. “This is as good a place as any; it’s big enough for us to take it from all directions, and for some maneuver, if necessary.” “The properties of the creature appear to have changed significantly since our last encounter with it, general,” Honoratius said. “It may prove beyond our ability to defeat.” “Then we’re screwed either way. We keep running from it, eventually we’re going to run into something nasty, and it’ll just come on us from behind while we’re distracted. This way, at least we have a chance to face it on [i]our[/i] terms.” The noise from the tunnel was growing louder. Dar gave some more instructions, listened to a few suggestions from Alderis and Honoratius, and set Nelan to keep watch for the creature’s approach. Not that they needed a watchman; they could all hear it coming, and bits of dirt had begun falling from the top of the river tunnel, as the ground shook with the heavy tread of its coming. Marcus turned to Dar. “I am sorry for my earlier outburst, general. I will face the thing with all honor...” The fighter cut him off with a slash of his hand. “I expect nothing less, cleric.” He held the younger man’s eyes for a moment, and then unslung his bow and club, followed by the straps that held the leather wrap in place across his back. “You may be able to make some use of this,” he said, unfolding the wrap to reveal [i]Beatus Incendia[/i]. Marcus’s eyes widened in surprise as he recognized the blade. “That is...” “Yeah, I know.” He hefted it, and extended the hilt toward the cleric. “Don’t miss.” “I can see it!” Nelan yelled, falling back from the edge of the riverbank. “All right, everyone hold your positions!” Dar shouted. Blue-white light flared from [i]Beatus Incendia[/i] as Marcus took it up, the bright flames casting his youthful features in stark relief. He began to chant, invoking the power of Soleus to protect him and infuse him with strength. Elsewhere throughout the room, Honoratius, Alderis, and Tullus likewise placed buffing spells upon the warriors. Allera waited until the very last instant to cast her [i]holy aura[/i], to maximize the duration of the protective magic. She did not need to wait long. Barely ten ticks after Nelan’s shouted warning, the huge form of the dung monster, clad again in the form of the demon prince Orcus, exploded out of the mouth of the river tunnel. The creature’s lifeless eyes regarded them as it rose to its full height, and it immediately clambered forward toward the crumbling bank of the river bed. The obstacle offered no hindrance to it, and as it stepped up, the thing loomed high over them, its horned head nearly scraping the cavern ceiling. “Hold your ground!” Dar shouted. The dung monster started to turn toward Alexion, who was stationed along the left wall of the cavern. Dar, standing near the far exit, stepped forward. “Over here, you freaking prick!” Zahera, standing behind him, lifted her bow and let fly an arrow that struck it in the face. Instead of sinking into its noisome substance, however, the steel head glanced off, as though it had struck a granite wall. “The structure of its external shell has changed,” Honoratius said. “Ware!” The monster shifted and started coming forward toward Dar. “That’s right, come to daddy,” the fighter muttered, his fists tightening on the haft of his club. Everyone tensed as the monster moved into the center of the room. Dar held his ground as the creature lifted an arm to strike; bits of stone clattered around it like rain as the limb scraped the rough natural ceiling. It was only one step away from being able to reach the fighter. As that foot came down, Honoratius [i]disintegrated[/i] the ground beneath it. The monster’s left foot vanished into the pit that suddenly gaped before it. Unable to adjust in time, the creature toppled forward, its body crashing into the forward lip of the pit, its right leg jutting back at an awkward angle as its weight dragged its body down into the ten-foot hole. Its arms caught on the edges of the new hole, and it started dragging itself up almost at once. “NOW!” Dar yelled, surging forward. Dar bellowed a violent cry of battle as he leapt forward and smashed his club into the monster’s head with the full power of his considerable strength behind it. Instead of sinking into its body and sticking, like their weapons had in their last encounter, the blow cracked hard against it substance, hard enough to shake Dar’s bones with the force of the impact traveling up the length of his club. A pulse traveled through the creature’s head, and Dar could see cracks traveling out from the point where he’d struck, cracks that rapidly closed shut, leaving its body unblemished. All around it, the warriors leapt to assault the creature. Stuck in the awkward position of being half-in, half-out of the pit, it could not bring its superior reach to bear before they could attack. Alexion and Xenos hewed at it with their weapons, but they had little effect upon it. Alexion’s pick scraped loudly against its right shoulder, while Xenos’s first strike cracked the hard shell of its back, but otherwise seemed to faze it little. Zahera had fired a second arrow that had struck the creature in the arm. But that hit was as ineffective as the first, so she dropped her bow and rushed forward, drawing her scimitar as she came. As the [i]divine power[/i] of his patron filled him, Marcus lifted [i]Beatus Incendia[/i] and charged forward to join the attack. Stepping in beside Xenos, he tried to target the crack that the knight had opened, and which was already starting to seal shut. But the cleric’s foot struck a loose stone, and the hit went wild, glancing harmlessly off its back. Off-balance, the cleric was struck by the creature’s body as it surged up out of the pit, and he fell to the ground. Nelan hurled a spell at the creature, but his divine magic proved as ineffective as the arcane power of the wizard, dissolving against the indefatigable resistances of the unnatural creation. Swallowing, the cleric drew out his mace and looked for an opening to attack. Alderis held his ground, but ordered his shield guardian to attack. The construct surged forward, slipping past Alexion as it bowled into the dung creature. It smashed down with both fists, trying to push the monster back into the pit. The sound of its mithral-encased fists striking the creature’s shoulders echoed loudly through the chamber, but it failed to stop the creature from lifting itself up out of the pit. It shrugged off more hits as it got both legs up under it, and it was the companions that were forced to give ground as it drove forward, rising up again to its full height. The companions continued to hew at it, shifting their attacks to its legs and torso. Marcus, struggling back to his feet, joined Xenos in striking at its back, while Alexion and Zahera harried its flanks. Nelan started to come in beside Zahera, but was forced to dodge back as the monster’s huge arms came around to confront the shield guardian. Alderis’s construct continued smashing the creature across the chest, but the spiderweb cracks that each blow created were healed almost as quickly as they were made. The monster countered with a powerful swing of one arm that hit the shield guardian squarely across the chest. Alderis’s construct had to weigh over a thousand pounds, but it was knocked back like a child’s toy, toppling over backwards and hitting the floor with a loud crash. Dar roared again as he brought his club up into the monster’s gut. Again the blow had a significant if transitory effect, as cracks opened across its torso, and a pulse reverberated through its body. Its wounds continued to close, if slower now that it was absorbing more damage from its tormentors. “Keep hitting it!” Dar yelled, lifting his weapon to strike again. The monster struck with its other arm, bringing its fist down on Dar’s right shoulder. The blow felt like he’d been struck with a sledgehammer, and he was driven down almost to his knees by the force of it. But he had bigger problems; the fist had flattened across his shoulder, and it stuck to the dragonhide plates of his armor like strong glue. As he tried to pull away, the substance of its fist became amorphous, oozing out to engulf his neck and chest. A scream was torn from his lips as that vile goo burned his flesh, but that cry died as it spread up over his jaw, and tendrils of it flowed into his mouth, eating away his flesh as it traveled. [/QUOTE]
Insert quotes…
Verification
Post reply
Community
Playing the Game
Story Hour
The Doomed Bastards: Reckoning (story complete)
Top