Reply to thread

Message: <blockquote data-quote="DustinGebhardt" data-source="post: 5442802" data-attributes="member: 82905">Session 35             Session 35                                           Meet the Nythyians and Take the Ship.As the group collected themselves on the top of the wall, more Nythyians began to gather. "Allow  me to lessen our wounds before we meet your people Hoppup." Kamal  raised his holy symbol and mimed a gesture that resembled a rising sun.  Warm light washed over the companions and the worst of their visible  cuts and bruises subsided; the priest repeated the process twice more.  Each time, the group felt more refreshed and less battle weary; the  errant bone could be heard snapping back into place. By the time the  companions descended into the city once more, the Nythyians were waiting  with cheers and saurian smiles full of sharp white teeth. "Well met  good Nythyians!" Eriks' command of the slithering language was far from  perfect, but the greeting party seemed to understand him well enough.An  aged Nythyian with a headdress made of small bones and colored,  polished stones stepped forward and quelled her cheering kinsmen. "I am Oha-Uaho, former chieftess of our tribe. Hoppup, if you are here, then has Oxyl has deemed your spirit quest at its end?"The  lizard wizard bowed his head in a submissive gesture. "No, my quest is  not at an end, but I am afraid that both Oxyl and Moxtie met their ends  helping us reach you."Oha-Uaho's face fell forlornly and she sighed. "How did this happen?"Hoppup  recounted the tale of Oxyl's trek over the mountain and the heroic act  of distracting the ogre hoard so that the companions could pass safely.  When he was finished, the looks of cheer and praise were gone from every  face; Nythyian or otherwise. "You can not linger here young Hoppup, your quest is not at an end." The chieftess said with a soft sadness.""Where is everyone else?" Hoppup asked. "In a short time, have that many died?""No,  young one. Many have been taken by the humans to the forbidden plateau.  We have seen a ship out to see as well; they block our trade routes and  threaten to take more of us to the plateau.""Sounds as though we need to take out that ship then." Hekuba commented."We could use a replacement for the Dance." Mythyria remarked."Oha-Uaho,  please show us the ship. My friends and I will capture it, and then  free those that were taken to the forbidden plateau.""See that you do young Hoppup, see that you do."The  companions exited the city and did not have to travel far to spot the  ship anchored in a nearby cove. As the sun set, they set their camp just  inside the tree line; planning a full assault for the morning. As  the Eastern sky split, Eriks and Kamal were already awake and preparing  for the day to come. Karyan strolled to her brother's side. "Eriks, do  you here that?""I hear nothing Karyan, should I?" Hekuba began his morning stretches and commented. "Yeah, somethin's not right. I don't hear any animals.""Back  home" Mythyria chimed as Kamal tried desperately to keep his focus with  all the conversation. "If the animals went quiet, it usually meant..."Her  words were cut short as the earth began to tremble; knocking the  wizardress prone and thoroughly breaking Kamal's concentration."An earthquake or something was on the way." Mythyria finished from an unflattering position next to her gear."Shall we then?" Karyan said with a chuckle. "I think that ship needs to be ours within the hour.""I tend to agree." Kamal said, rising and gathering his things. "Let us break camp and be on our way." The companions gathered on the beach in the cove where the ship lay anchored. "I'd say we're about eight long-shots away." Karyan noted. "Plenty of time to augment ourselves magically to make this much easier." Mythyria replied.Kamal  began with a spell that allowed the group to walk on the waves as  though they were solid ground. Mythyria and Hoppup spun enhancements  over the group; causing Eriks to shimmer from sight and Mort to increase  to the size of an ogre. They set out at once, a wave of air flowing as  Eriks, though invisible, flew above the group. Hoppup, having no need to  walk on the water, dived into the waves and easily kept pace with the  running group. A call sounded from the ship and a pair of arrows  flew towards Mort, Who had outpaced the others in short time. The agile  monk knocked one missile away, but the other skid across his shoulder. A  thin red line formed, but Mort did not slow. The companions ran on,  undaunted as a pea-sized orange ball flew from the starboard side of the  ship and exploded amongst them. Cries of victory were cut short as the  group emerged from the blast, singing and smoking in the dawn light, but  otherwise unslowed. The silence turned then to cries of alarm as Mort  lept onto the deck and landed a powerful blow against a large reptilian  figure. Still striding the water, Kamal drew power from his goddess  and summoned a celestial companion to help the monk on the bridge of the  ship. The lizard creature began waving its arms in an articulate  arcane pattern. Mort, enspelled by Mythyria to match his opponent's  size, kicked high into the air and knocked wide the red lizard caster's  hand. It growled in frustration as the palpable energy it was gathering  charged the air, then fizzled into a harmless hum. Two of the leader's  ship mates emerged from below decks and pressed against Mort and the  Archon. The monk anticipated the maneuver and jumped straight up,  tucking his legs as he did, and causing the blade to cleanly sweep under  his legs. The Hound Archon felt the blow land behind it, but rolled  forward with its right shoulder absorbing the blow, then spinning to  make a wide arc with its greatsword. The arcing sweep came just shy of  splitting the crewman's stomach from side to side. Eriks popped into  to sight as his thin blade dug deep into the red lizard's flesh,  causing it to howl and turn its gaze to the new foe. The eyes of the  leader bore into the will of the rogue, and he could feel a weight like a  drunkenness and a soft voice whispering to stop attacking. Eriks, being  no stranger to the drunken sensation shook of the compulsion. Eriks  smiled and lowered his sword to feign the creature into thinking its  eyes had worked. The red lizard grinned, then began an irregular spasm.  Mort, still dodging the crewman behind him, let loose a flurry of fists  and feet that caused bones to snap and deep impressions to form in the  creature's flesh. No longer needing to continue the feint, Eriks pressed  his advantage and drove his thinblade into the throat of the red  lizard. It falls to the deck with a gurgle of blood sputtering from its  torn throat.A third and final crewman dashed topside and swiped at Eriks, but the limber rogue glided easily away from the clumsy stroke.The  Hound Archon's foe made another lunge; this time the summoned ally  caught the crewman's arm. The Archon bit down on the human's shoulder  with its canine snout, then drove its greatsword through the unfortunate  man. The scream would have been louder, if the man had not spent his  last breath on the desperate lunge. The second crewman made a wide  swipe at the Archon, but the celestial creature jerked his greatsword  free with a flash and knocked the attack high and out of any threatening  area.Mythyria, still striding the water rattles through a quick  spell and releases two fiery rays at the crewman whose sword was  parried. The fire dances over him, but he remains standing.Eriks  turns to face the third crewman just as an arrow and a bolt sink into  the second. Karyan and Hekuba stand triumphantly on the water as the  crewman falls to the deck burned and broken.Kamal, and Hoppup at  last breach the top of the ship and join Eriks around the last crewman.  The slaver waves a basic defense pattern with his blade and follows with  a swing at the Hound Archon. The following drop in his defenses find  him a thinblade, a dagger crackling with electricity, a deadly sharp  scimitar, and several fists. He goes down in a heap and the companions  encounter no more threats on the ship.Mythyria inventories the few magical items the red lizard was carrying and the others take stock of the ships supplies. "She's a good ship." Mort replies after looking the vessel over bow to stern. "I think at last things are looking up for us."Karyan  shoots the elf a wicked glare, and the monk steps back to see Hekuba,  Eriks, Mythyria, Hoppup, and even Kamal staring daggers at him."What'd I say?"Eriks  sighs and cups his forehead in his palm looking at the deck of the  ship. "You never say things like that, you just never do. The minute  some fool comes along and talks about how everything is going good, is  the same minute things will become worse than we could ever imagine."</blockquote>

Verification