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Story Hour
The Fall of Civilization
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<blockquote data-quote="the Jester" data-source="post: 5182160" data-attributes="member: 1210"><p>Back to it. Rested, with the dings in their armor hammered smooth and the notches in their weapons whetted away, the party returns to the strange subterranean college that is their path to Arawn. </p><p></p><p>Once they are in the Undercollege, Iggy spends the time to cast a <em>commune with nature</em> ritual while the others stand guard. He asks three important questions:</p><p></p><ul> <li data-xf-list-type="ul"><strong>Is there a beholder within one mile of us?</strong> Yes.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul"><strong>Is there a death knight below us?</strong> Yes.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul"><strong>Are the beholder and death knight within 100 yards of each other?</strong> Yes.</li> </ul><p></p><p>“That clinches it,” says Iggy. “The beholder is working with Arawn.”</p><p></p><p>“Of course,” Heimall muses, “it could be a <em>different</em> death knight...”</p><p></p><p>“What are the odds?” asks Iggy ironically.</p><p></p><p>“Actually, probably pretty good,” Heimall returns. “We know that he has three more death knight lieutenants still.”</p><p></p><p>“Good point. But even if it is one of his lieutenants, the beholder is <em>still</em> working for Arawn!”</p><p></p><p>“100 yards is a huge distance down here,” Hkatha points out. “They could actually be in completely separate parts of the dungeon- maybe even separate levels.”</p><p></p><p>With a shrug- the ritual is over, after all- the party returns to the room off of the large classroom that they had earlier pegged as an elevator. </p><p></p><p>It's time to go down.</p><p></p><p>The elevator is agonizingly slow. With the levers pulled, the door seals shut and nothing seems to happen. Even Vann-La's keen Kree senses barely pick up the vibration of movement. She focuses carefully on it, alert for any sign of trouble; but nothing happens until, after what seems like an interminable period, their motion finally stops.</p><p></p><p>But the party is not idle during the descent. Iggy <em>communes with nature</em> a second time, following up on what they already learned.</p><p></p><ul> <li data-xf-list-type="ul"><strong>Is there more than one death knight below us?</strong> No.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul"><strong>Is it Arawn?</strong> No.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul"><strong>Is it affiliated with Arawn?</strong> Yes.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul"><strong>Are there any creatures within 50' of where this door will open once the room stops descending?</strong> Creature.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul"><strong>Is there a doppelganger or shapeshifter of some kind in the levels below us?</strong></li> </ul><p></p><p>Interestingly enough, the ritual cannot seem to answer this last question, which almost seems like an answer in itself. </p><p></p><p>Once they are finally ready to proceed, our heroes push the lever that unseals the door into its upright position, and it hisses open to reveal a passageway running from right to left. Directly across the hall is a wide doorway; to the right, the hall hits a four-way intersection after about 25', while the leftward path turns left even sooner. Another door is visible at the hall's 'elbow'.*</p><p></p><p>Vann-La strides over to the door opposite the party and pushes it open. It seems like an empty office; to her eyes, there are clear signs that furniture once dominated the room but has subsequently been removed. Another door is on the opposite wall; without hesitation, she steps to it and throws it open as well.</p><p></p><p>To reveal- something nightmarish. </p><p></p><p>For an instant it smells of ammonia, then of chocolate. Vann-La sees a momentary swimming face as it blends in with the churning beast before her. </p><p></p><p>It is indescribable- because it keeps changing, churning, melting and reforming. She is speechless- she has never seen anything like this before. </p><p></p><p>Before anyone can react, Iggy <em>shoots from the hip.</em></p><p></p><p>Then the weird creature flows forward to attack, dozens of claws and tentacles reaching out. For a minute it seems to catch fire, but as quickly changes into a form resembling nothing so much as a tree swarming with wheels. And then- </p><p></p><p>Vann-La screams as a tentacle lashes across her with hammering force, and she looks down in horror as her legs start to melt- and then to change to fins. Her body starts to boil with changes. She howls in agony and staggers in place, unable to move or defend herself for a moment. </p><p></p><p>The others rush to her defense. The chaotic monster surges amongst them, its <em>many claws of chaos</em> inflicting horrifying wounds. Hkatha casts a <em>fireball</em> behind it, the flames licking the creature's back end. </p><p></p><p>But the terrific blows it inflicts are horrible not for the damage they inflict, but for the inchoate transformation that it begins in its victims, leaving them stunned and immobilized.</p><p></p><p>And yet Vann-La is nigh-unstoppable. Her <em>unfailing resources</em> allow her to rally, throwing off the insidious effects of the chaotic energy and surging to the attack. But the terrain around the terrifying creature is as unstable and changing as the beast itself. It almost throws her from her feet, but she springs over a wave of undulating ground and lands a punishing strike on the monster with an <em>appalling crunch</em>.</p><p></p><p>The two wizards, meanwhile, unload a barrage of spells at it- <em>flaming sphere, lightning serpent, Bigby's icy grasp</em>- and manage to damage it, keeping it distracted (does it even have a mind? They cannot tell) while Cook keeps his distance and hurls his magical <em>distance shuriken</em> at it again and again. </p><p></p><p>It is clear that the beast doesn't have a coherent strategy. It moves up and back seemingly at random, occasionally polymorphing into a form with surprising swiftness. It doesn't focus on one victim, either, thankfully; once a target has been infected with the chaotic transformation, the chaos beast seems content to move on. </p><p></p><p>But eventually the transformations roiling their bodies cease, and our heroes can fight again. Vann-La manages to focus through the pain and turmoil the monster inflicts, and soon she and Torinn are pressing it relentlessly. Finally, Heimall shouts at Torinn, “GIT!” and the cleric lands one last solid blow on the beast, cutting it into two writhing pieces which slowly melt and boil away, leaving only a sticky, greasy residue behind. </p><p></p><p>“Oi, that thing was nasty,” says Cook. He snorts, looking at the residue. “Even <em>I</em> am not going to try to cook with that!”</p><p></p><p>“Thank the gods,” mutter four of our heroes at once.</p><p></p><p>***</p><p> </p><p>Behind the strange beast, the floor is inscribed with a teleport circle. “Hey,” exclaims Iggy, “now we have choices on how to come back here!” </p><p></p><p>“There's a secret door, too,” says the sharp-eyed Vann-La. She moves to the back corner of the chamber and everyone gets battle-ready behind her. However, the secret door opens onto some kind of sitting room. A reasonbly-sized stone coffee table has been shaped from the stone of the floor, doubtless by magic, and it is surrounded by rotting chairs that look like they were once quite fine. There is a door on the right; Vann-La spies another secret door to the left. </p><p></p><p>“One thing at a time,” cautions Heimall. They check the door first; it opens on a hallway that leads to a four-way intersection. The party quickly heads to the crossroads to verify their suspicion that it is the same intersection they saw from the elevator. This proves true- but also reveals something else interesting. Down the hall straight through the intersection (as they are facing it from the sitting room) are some statues of dwarves. Very lifelike statues of dwarves.</p><p></p><p>“Funny place for a statue, isn't it?” comments Vann-La.</p><p></p><p>“They're awfully lifelike, too,” remarks Heimall.</p><p></p><p>“I like the poses,” Hkatha says. “Running up the hall towards us, almost as if they were being pursued by, say, a medusa or something that might petrify them.”</p><p></p><p>“Oi, that is very scary!” exclaims Cook. He starts to blubber loudly.</p><p></p><p>“Cook, don't worry,” says Iggy. “We'll take good care of you.”</p><p></p><p>“But I don't want to be a statue!”</p><p></p><p>“None of us do.”</p><p></p><p>“Well,” suggests Vann-La, “in that case, let's go kill the medusa.”</p><p></p><p>Cook blanches, but trails along as the party heads down the hallway, passing a pair of the statues before spilling into a large room. The room has another pair of the lifelike statues in it, and about three quarters of it is set about 10' lower than the rest, adjoined to the higher area by means of a ramp. </p><p></p><p>In the room's lower section is something both terrifying and hilarious at the same time.</p><p></p><p>A ragged figure in rotting finery- clearly an undead bugbear of some kind- is grooming what looks like a large bull made of rocks. It is using a garden trowel to scratch the bull-thing and feeding it from what looks like a bag of gravel.</p><p></p><p>“DEATH KNIGHT!” roars Torinn.</p><p></p><p>The undead bugbear glances calmly at the party and shakes its head. “No,” it croaks out in a voice like dry wood, “I am no death knight. </p><p></p><p>“I am a <em>lich.</em></p><p></p><p>“Although,” it adds, leaping atop its gorgon's back, “I <em>do</em> ride.”</p><p></p><p><em><strong>Next Time:</strong></em> Our heroes fight Dasmodel the bugbear lich, and its gorgon!!</p><p></p><p>*Map attached- the elevator is room 25, and I leave the rest for you to figure out. <img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" class="smilie smilie--sprite smilie--sprite1" alt=":)" title="Smile :)" loading="lazy" data-shortname=":)" /></p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="the Jester, post: 5182160, member: 1210"] Back to it. Rested, with the dings in their armor hammered smooth and the notches in their weapons whetted away, the party returns to the strange subterranean college that is their path to Arawn. Once they are in the Undercollege, Iggy spends the time to cast a [i]commune with nature[/i] ritual while the others stand guard. He asks three important questions: [list][*][b]Is there a beholder within one mile of us?[/b] Yes. [*][b]Is there a death knight below us?[/b] Yes. [*][b]Are the beholder and death knight within 100 yards of each other?[/b] Yes.[/list] “That clinches it,” says Iggy. “The beholder is working with Arawn.” “Of course,” Heimall muses, “it could be a [i]different[/i] death knight...” “What are the odds?” asks Iggy ironically. “Actually, probably pretty good,” Heimall returns. “We know that he has three more death knight lieutenants still.” “Good point. But even if it is one of his lieutenants, the beholder is [i]still[/i] working for Arawn!” “100 yards is a huge distance down here,” Hkatha points out. “They could actually be in completely separate parts of the dungeon- maybe even separate levels.” With a shrug- the ritual is over, after all- the party returns to the room off of the large classroom that they had earlier pegged as an elevator. It's time to go down. The elevator is agonizingly slow. With the levers pulled, the door seals shut and nothing seems to happen. Even Vann-La's keen Kree senses barely pick up the vibration of movement. She focuses carefully on it, alert for any sign of trouble; but nothing happens until, after what seems like an interminable period, their motion finally stops. But the party is not idle during the descent. Iggy [i]communes with nature[/i] a second time, following up on what they already learned. [list][*][b]Is there more than one death knight below us?[/b] No. [*][b]Is it Arawn?[/b] No. [*][b]Is it affiliated with Arawn?[/b] Yes. [*][B]Are there any creatures within 50' of where this door will open once the room stops descending?[/b] Creature. [*][b]Is there a doppelganger or shapeshifter of some kind in the levels below us?[/b][/list] Interestingly enough, the ritual cannot seem to answer this last question, which almost seems like an answer in itself. Once they are finally ready to proceed, our heroes push the lever that unseals the door into its upright position, and it hisses open to reveal a passageway running from right to left. Directly across the hall is a wide doorway; to the right, the hall hits a four-way intersection after about 25', while the leftward path turns left even sooner. Another door is visible at the hall's 'elbow'.* Vann-La strides over to the door opposite the party and pushes it open. It seems like an empty office; to her eyes, there are clear signs that furniture once dominated the room but has subsequently been removed. Another door is on the opposite wall; without hesitation, she steps to it and throws it open as well. To reveal- something nightmarish. For an instant it smells of ammonia, then of chocolate. Vann-La sees a momentary swimming face as it blends in with the churning beast before her. It is indescribable- because it keeps changing, churning, melting and reforming. She is speechless- she has never seen anything like this before. Before anyone can react, Iggy [i]shoots from the hip.[/i] Then the weird creature flows forward to attack, dozens of claws and tentacles reaching out. For a minute it seems to catch fire, but as quickly changes into a form resembling nothing so much as a tree swarming with wheels. And then- Vann-La screams as a tentacle lashes across her with hammering force, and she looks down in horror as her legs start to melt- and then to change to fins. Her body starts to boil with changes. She howls in agony and staggers in place, unable to move or defend herself for a moment. The others rush to her defense. The chaotic monster surges amongst them, its [i]many claws of chaos[/i] inflicting horrifying wounds. Hkatha casts a [i]fireball[/i] behind it, the flames licking the creature's back end. But the terrific blows it inflicts are horrible not for the damage they inflict, but for the inchoate transformation that it begins in its victims, leaving them stunned and immobilized. And yet Vann-La is nigh-unstoppable. Her [i]unfailing resources[/i] allow her to rally, throwing off the insidious effects of the chaotic energy and surging to the attack. But the terrain around the terrifying creature is as unstable and changing as the beast itself. It almost throws her from her feet, but she springs over a wave of undulating ground and lands a punishing strike on the monster with an [i]appalling crunch[/i]. The two wizards, meanwhile, unload a barrage of spells at it- [i]flaming sphere, lightning serpent, Bigby's icy grasp[/i]- and manage to damage it, keeping it distracted (does it even have a mind? They cannot tell) while Cook keeps his distance and hurls his magical [i]distance shuriken[/i] at it again and again. It is clear that the beast doesn't have a coherent strategy. It moves up and back seemingly at random, occasionally polymorphing into a form with surprising swiftness. It doesn't focus on one victim, either, thankfully; once a target has been infected with the chaotic transformation, the chaos beast seems content to move on. But eventually the transformations roiling their bodies cease, and our heroes can fight again. Vann-La manages to focus through the pain and turmoil the monster inflicts, and soon she and Torinn are pressing it relentlessly. Finally, Heimall shouts at Torinn, “GIT!” and the cleric lands one last solid blow on the beast, cutting it into two writhing pieces which slowly melt and boil away, leaving only a sticky, greasy residue behind. “Oi, that thing was nasty,” says Cook. He snorts, looking at the residue. “Even [i]I[/i] am not going to try to cook with that!” “Thank the gods,” mutter four of our heroes at once. *** Behind the strange beast, the floor is inscribed with a teleport circle. “Hey,” exclaims Iggy, “now we have choices on how to come back here!” “There's a secret door, too,” says the sharp-eyed Vann-La. She moves to the back corner of the chamber and everyone gets battle-ready behind her. However, the secret door opens onto some kind of sitting room. A reasonbly-sized stone coffee table has been shaped from the stone of the floor, doubtless by magic, and it is surrounded by rotting chairs that look like they were once quite fine. There is a door on the right; Vann-La spies another secret door to the left. “One thing at a time,” cautions Heimall. They check the door first; it opens on a hallway that leads to a four-way intersection. The party quickly heads to the crossroads to verify their suspicion that it is the same intersection they saw from the elevator. This proves true- but also reveals something else interesting. Down the hall straight through the intersection (as they are facing it from the sitting room) are some statues of dwarves. Very lifelike statues of dwarves. “Funny place for a statue, isn't it?” comments Vann-La. “They're awfully lifelike, too,” remarks Heimall. “I like the poses,” Hkatha says. “Running up the hall towards us, almost as if they were being pursued by, say, a medusa or something that might petrify them.” “Oi, that is very scary!” exclaims Cook. He starts to blubber loudly. “Cook, don't worry,” says Iggy. “We'll take good care of you.” “But I don't want to be a statue!” “None of us do.” “Well,” suggests Vann-La, “in that case, let's go kill the medusa.” Cook blanches, but trails along as the party heads down the hallway, passing a pair of the statues before spilling into a large room. The room has another pair of the lifelike statues in it, and about three quarters of it is set about 10' lower than the rest, adjoined to the higher area by means of a ramp. In the room's lower section is something both terrifying and hilarious at the same time. A ragged figure in rotting finery- clearly an undead bugbear of some kind- is grooming what looks like a large bull made of rocks. It is using a garden trowel to scratch the bull-thing and feeding it from what looks like a bag of gravel. “DEATH KNIGHT!” roars Torinn. The undead bugbear glances calmly at the party and shakes its head. “No,” it croaks out in a voice like dry wood, “I am no death knight. “I am a [i]lich.[/i] “Although,” it adds, leaping atop its gorgon's back, “I [i]do[/i] ride.” [i][b]Next Time:[/b][/i][b][/b] Our heroes fight Dasmodel the bugbear lich, and its gorgon!! *Map attached- the elevator is room 25, and I leave the rest for you to figure out. :) [/QUOTE]
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