Jon Potter
First Post
Hairy Minotaur said:
Now that is an image! And funny you should mention beholders... stay tuned for an future encounter with some of our ocular friends.
![:]](http://www.enworld.org/forum/images/smilies/devious.png "Devious :]")
-
NOW LIVE! Into the Woods--new character species, eerie monsters, and haunting villains to populate the woodlands of your D&D games.
The Realms of Enlightenment: The Grey Companions
- Thread starter Jon Potter
- Start date
Now that is an image! And funny you should mention beholders... stay tuned for an future encounter with some of our ocular friends.
Jon Potter
First Post
[Realms #377] Blood in the Water
"Huzair, can you summon a distraction for us?" Ayremac asked after looking down at the battle below and the new threat that Ixin was pointing at. "Something... swimming?" The mage shook his head.
"We might be able to provide our own distraction, though," he said, reaching into his back to pull out a tightly bound scroll. He placed it into Ixin's hands and then began making arcane gestures with his own. "Magicus telum!" he intoned and pointed at the big creature swimming ominously off to the side. A trio of strobing missiles zipped beneath the surface and unerringly careened into the fish-shape's flank. The thing twitched at the missiles' sting and the light of their impact momentarily illuminated its slimy tail and trailing tentacles.
"That's going to take forever," Morier complained and Huzair spat.
"You got any better ideas?" the mage snapped. "And anyway, I'm just trying to draw them to the surface. We can get some free shots with Magic Missile before they can close with us. If you think I'm not going to take those shots you're losing it, Morier. When they come above the water, I will hit with flaming attacks that could do more damage."
"Morier, I can give you Umba's Protection from Evil or grant you her Aid," Ayremac offered, distracting the albino from Huzair. "Which would you prefer?"
Ixin unfurled the scroll and studied the symbols scribed on its surface. It was draconic, she realized, but the writing was unfamiliar. After a moment's further study, she recognized the spell matrix for False Life trapped within the glyphs and she grinned. "Arcaniss-sjir," she growled. "Vorel!"
"Don't worry, hon'," the wizard smirked. "You can thank me later."
The seabed behind Shamalin suddenly thrust itself up, twisted fingers of coral rising upward to form an impassable wall that curved upward high enough to obscure view of the fish creature from those floating on the shell. It didn't concern the cleric at the moment, however, as she concentrated on the Levitation spell active upon her and withdrew from her crustacean adversary and toward the surface.
The creature that had been harrying her continued to do so. It snapped its thick tail once and came at her, claws snapping tightly around Shamalin's ankle. She felt her grieve buckle beneath the strength of that pincer and then she was being jerked helplessly back toward the shelled monster.
Karak saw this, but was in no position to do anything about it at the moment. He had two lobster-things of his own with which to contend. He managed to easily avoid three of the claws that sought him, but one bypassed his defenses and clamped down on his weapon arm. The bracer dented but held, keeping the limb itself bruised but mostly intact.
Thanks to his Ring, Karak jerked his arm magically free of the thing's grip and moved determinedly toward the creature grappling Shamalin provoking additional attacks from his own adversaries as he did so. This time his left leg suffered a glancing swipe from a pincer and the dwarf saw a trailing cloud of blood leaking from between the plates of his armor. Undeterred, Karak swung his axe into the side of the thing menacing Shamalin and was rewarded with a squeal of pain as his waraxe cut deeply between two chitinous plates protecting its flank. Blood filled the water, but still the thing did not release the priestess.
"Kael's Loom!" Huzair cursed, drawing another scroll from his haversack. He unfurled it and activated the Magic Missile spell scribed thereon. As the scroll crumbled to dust, another pair of arcane bolts slipped beneath the water and homed in on the creature grappling Shamalin. It jerked but gave no sign that it was ready to release her.
Beside him on the shell, Ayremac pressed his hand against the skull emblazoned on his breastplate and bowed his head. "Umba I beg your Holy power now to Smite these evil creatures where they stand," he prayed. Below him, the three lobster-things shrieked in agony, blood exploding from the gaps in their shells as the spell went off in their midst. One of the creatures pursuing Karak as well as the one grappling Shamalin were rendered blind by the spell's potency.
"Magicus telum!" Ixin commanded and a pair of Magic Missiles streaked from her fingertips, adding to the tally of injuries on the thing menacing Shamalin.
Morier was rendered useless by the distance of the battle, but he made himself useful by keeping his eye on the spot where they had last seen the large fish-shape. Thus he was the only one who saw the dark form moving again through the bizarrely tangled coral growth. He marked its path as it circled to the far side of the melee.
Shamalin knew there was no way she could break free of the claws that held her so she urged herself to remain calm and concentrate on the intricate phrasing of the Water Walk spell. She had almost completed the spell when the thing jostled her, making her somatics go wrong and she felt the magic dissipate uselessly.
The creature's pincers constricted her mercilessly as it drew her inexorably toward the writhing mass of tentacles that covered its mouthparts like some kind of obscene beard. The tentacles wrapped around her and drew her in toward the mandibles and she could feel the paralytic venom that coated those tentacles as it deadened her limbs. She was able to resist the paralysis, but she could not avoid the thing's mouth and it ripped jagged wounds across her face. The sustained blood loss was making her feel oddly light as darkness creeped in around the edges of her vision.
The blood in the water was driving the other things to a frenzy and even the blind one sought prey with its claws. The one that could still see tightened a pincer around Karak's waist trying madly to replicate its companion's success with Shamalin. Again the dwarf slipped free with only a flesh wound and again he drove his axe into the soft meat at the joint of the creature's leg, making the thing spasm in agony. It teetered to the side, barely able to dodge the dwarf's second swing, but still it did not fall. And it maintained its death grip on the cleric.
"Huzair, can you summon a distraction for us?" Ayremac asked after looking down at the battle below and the new threat that Ixin was pointing at. "Something... swimming?" The mage shook his head.
"We might be able to provide our own distraction, though," he said, reaching into his back to pull out a tightly bound scroll. He placed it into Ixin's hands and then began making arcane gestures with his own. "Magicus telum!" he intoned and pointed at the big creature swimming ominously off to the side. A trio of strobing missiles zipped beneath the surface and unerringly careened into the fish-shape's flank. The thing twitched at the missiles' sting and the light of their impact momentarily illuminated its slimy tail and trailing tentacles.
"That's going to take forever," Morier complained and Huzair spat.
"You got any better ideas?" the mage snapped. "And anyway, I'm just trying to draw them to the surface. We can get some free shots with Magic Missile before they can close with us. If you think I'm not going to take those shots you're losing it, Morier. When they come above the water, I will hit with flaming attacks that could do more damage."
"Morier, I can give you Umba's Protection from Evil or grant you her Aid," Ayremac offered, distracting the albino from Huzair. "Which would you prefer?"
Ixin unfurled the scroll and studied the symbols scribed on its surface. It was draconic, she realized, but the writing was unfamiliar. After a moment's further study, she recognized the spell matrix for False Life trapped within the glyphs and she grinned. "Arcaniss-sjir," she growled. "Vorel!"
"Don't worry, hon'," the wizard smirked. "You can thank me later."
The seabed behind Shamalin suddenly thrust itself up, twisted fingers of coral rising upward to form an impassable wall that curved upward high enough to obscure view of the fish creature from those floating on the shell. It didn't concern the cleric at the moment, however, as she concentrated on the Levitation spell active upon her and withdrew from her crustacean adversary and toward the surface.
The creature that had been harrying her continued to do so. It snapped its thick tail once and came at her, claws snapping tightly around Shamalin's ankle. She felt her grieve buckle beneath the strength of that pincer and then she was being jerked helplessly back toward the shelled monster.
Karak saw this, but was in no position to do anything about it at the moment. He had two lobster-things of his own with which to contend. He managed to easily avoid three of the claws that sought him, but one bypassed his defenses and clamped down on his weapon arm. The bracer dented but held, keeping the limb itself bruised but mostly intact.
Thanks to his Ring, Karak jerked his arm magically free of the thing's grip and moved determinedly toward the creature grappling Shamalin provoking additional attacks from his own adversaries as he did so. This time his left leg suffered a glancing swipe from a pincer and the dwarf saw a trailing cloud of blood leaking from between the plates of his armor. Undeterred, Karak swung his axe into the side of the thing menacing Shamalin and was rewarded with a squeal of pain as his waraxe cut deeply between two chitinous plates protecting its flank. Blood filled the water, but still the thing did not release the priestess.
"Kael's Loom!" Huzair cursed, drawing another scroll from his haversack. He unfurled it and activated the Magic Missile spell scribed thereon. As the scroll crumbled to dust, another pair of arcane bolts slipped beneath the water and homed in on the creature grappling Shamalin. It jerked but gave no sign that it was ready to release her.
Beside him on the shell, Ayremac pressed his hand against the skull emblazoned on his breastplate and bowed his head. "Umba I beg your Holy power now to Smite these evil creatures where they stand," he prayed. Below him, the three lobster-things shrieked in agony, blood exploding from the gaps in their shells as the spell went off in their midst. One of the creatures pursuing Karak as well as the one grappling Shamalin were rendered blind by the spell's potency.
"Magicus telum!" Ixin commanded and a pair of Magic Missiles streaked from her fingertips, adding to the tally of injuries on the thing menacing Shamalin.
Morier was rendered useless by the distance of the battle, but he made himself useful by keeping his eye on the spot where they had last seen the large fish-shape. Thus he was the only one who saw the dark form moving again through the bizarrely tangled coral growth. He marked its path as it circled to the far side of the melee.
Shamalin knew there was no way she could break free of the claws that held her so she urged herself to remain calm and concentrate on the intricate phrasing of the Water Walk spell. She had almost completed the spell when the thing jostled her, making her somatics go wrong and she felt the magic dissipate uselessly.
The creature's pincers constricted her mercilessly as it drew her inexorably toward the writhing mass of tentacles that covered its mouthparts like some kind of obscene beard. The tentacles wrapped around her and drew her in toward the mandibles and she could feel the paralytic venom that coated those tentacles as it deadened her limbs. She was able to resist the paralysis, but she could not avoid the thing's mouth and it ripped jagged wounds across her face. The sustained blood loss was making her feel oddly light as darkness creeped in around the edges of her vision.
The blood in the water was driving the other things to a frenzy and even the blind one sought prey with its claws. The one that could still see tightened a pincer around Karak's waist trying madly to replicate its companion's success with Shamalin. Again the dwarf slipped free with only a flesh wound and again he drove his axe into the soft meat at the joint of the creature's leg, making the thing spasm in agony. It teetered to the side, barely able to dodge the dwarf's second swing, but still it did not fall. And it maintained its death grip on the cleric.
Jon Potter
First Post
[Realms #378] Up From the Depths
Ayremac stepped to the edge and looked straight down.
"I'm all out of spells until they reach the surface," Huzair admitted grimly. "Damn this water!"
"Well spoken," Flameblade hissed in agreement.
"There's little I can do at this range either," Morier said with a grimace. Ayremac turned to look back at Morier, Huzair and Ixin... then looked down again.
In the clear water it was obvious that the monster crustaceans were winning this battle. There seemed to be precious little life left in Shamalin.
"I hope to see you in just a few minutes," the holy warrior told them and then made to jump in but Morier caught his arm.
"Are you mad?" the albino demanded. "How do you intend to survive this?"
"I can hold my breath a lot longer than Shamalin can survive being ripped into by those things," Ayremac countered pulling his arm free.
"Good luck," Huzair said with a disapproving shake of his head. "Knock yourself out." The wizard pressed his Ring of Invisibility into the Officer's hand.
"Thank you," Ayremac said before gasping a huge breath of air and jumping over the side.
"Huzair, wux arithricirlym zyak pothoc?" Ixin asked in disbelief as she watched the holy warrior plummet into the depths amidst a cloud of bubbles. The wizard shook his head in resigned agreement.
"It looks like it," he muttered in common while the drakeling began weaving her hands into the somatics for a spell.
"Magicus telum!" Ixin intoned, sending another pair of Magic Missiles into the water. The bolts of force arced around Ayremac and slammed into the creature holding Shamalin. It staggered on its numerous legs and sagged heavily against the coral before its claws relaxed and Shamlin drifted from the dead thing's grasp.
"Ocuir!" Ixin growled, pointing at the creature she had just slain. "Ocuir! Ukris-majak Ixin!"
"She'd like us to confer with her next time before we let holy boy do anything rash," Huzair told Morier and the eldritch warrior just nodded.
Free of the grapple, Shamalin wasted no time in healing her injuries with a Cure Critical Wounds miracle. She immediately felt much better and seized the opportunity to begin levitating toward the shell above.
The two remaining lobster-things ignored her completely, devoting their attention solely to Karak, and their pincers savaged his armored form with wild abandon. One of them very nearly ripped the doughty warrior's shield arm from its socket and despite his durability, he found himself on the verge of blacking out from the sustained punishment.
Rather than push his luck, he withdrew, concentrating on the Levitation spell and rising up toward Shamalin who, he saw, was already twenty feet up. The dwarf's actions surprised the two creatures below and he momentarily left them behind, clawing at the sandy bottom where he'd been standing moments before. He'd seen the things swim after Shamalin and he knew that they'd be in pursuit soon enough.
Ayremac plummeted downward until he neared the rising Shamalin and then he too activated the power of the Pixie Dust to arrest his fall. He pressed his left hand against the holy symbol worked into the breastplate of his armor and triggered his Sacred Healing. Positive energy washed over Shamalin and Karak, bringing the cleric closer yet to full health and dulling the ache in Karak's mangled arm enough for him to pull out his Wand of Cure Light Wounds and use it on himself.
The water between them was suddenly afire with magic as Ixin sent another pair of Magic Missiles sizzling down toward their foes below. It wasn't much in the face of the massive creature's bulk, but it added to the thing's toll of injuries.
"Wurik arilevethixirlym!" Ixin said, turning an imploring eye on Huzair. But, before the wizard could respond, the air around the shell was filled with a twisting pattern of subtle colors that weaved their way into her brain. She stopped, shoulders slumped as she watched the pattern of color, slack-jawed and wide-eyed.
"Hypnotic Pattern!" Morier and Huzair shouted at each other as they both averted their eyes, resisting the fascination effect.
"But who cast it?" the albino wondered.
Shamalin continued Levitating toward the surface, but her gaze was on the two lobster-things below. Their tails stirred up dark clouds of sand from the sea bed as they launched themselves upward. She was likely out of their immediate reach, but Karak wasn't going to be so lucky, she saw at once.
They closed on him with frightening quickness, pincers snapping. One claw closed momentarily on the toe of his furred boots, but he kicked his legs and managed to avoid their grasp. The Levitation carried the dwarf up toward Ayremac who was waiting for him with arms spread in what looked like a waiting embrace. Instead, he touched Karak lightly on the shoulder and healing magic poured into the injured warrior, closing his most serious wounds, but leaving him in a very bad way nonetheless.
Huzair grimaced. "I hate to do this," he said and then slapped Ixin hard across the face. He wasn't particularly strong and her skin was tough, but after a second slap, she showed signs of regaining her senses.
"Wux-tour?!" she growled, eyes gradually focusing on the mage's face. Then her gaze flicked to the lingering lights of the Hypnotic Pattern and her features hardened. She hissed, "Levex! Ixin tuorvorastrix!" Huzair nodded his understanding and then gestured expansively around.
"Me too," he admitted. "But where is he?"
"I saw that fish thing move over there earlier, but I lost sight of it," Morier told them, pointing at the last spot he'd seen the larger swimming shape. "But I think that Ixin needs to concentrate on the foes we can see since she's the only one of us who can do anything to help."
"I HAD HOPES FOR YOU WHEN YOU ACTED BRAVELY DURING THE TEST OF FIRE," Stoneblade chided. "BUT I AM NOT IMPRESSED WITH YOUR PROWESS THIS DAY!"
Shamalin called on divine aid to help Karak and Ayremac - who were now both within reach of the lobster things. Clutching her holy symbol with one hand she described a circle in the water in front of herself. The water within the flat plane of that circle swirled for a moment and then glowed brightly. An instant later it disgorged a sleek, glittering native from the River Oceanus in the Blessed Fields of Elysium. The Celestial Dolphin chittered and whistled in greeting and then dove at the nearer of the two lobsters, leaving a trail of bright bubbles in its wake.
It didn't serve as the distraction that Shamalin had hoped for, however. Both creatures continued to focus their attention on Karak perhaps out of an inherent tenacity or perhaps because he was surrounded by a rusty cloud of blood from his numerous wounds and they saw him as easy prey. The first creature missed him entirely, but the second snapped its claw around his ankle and tried to draw him in. But again, the dwarf was saved by his Ring of Freedom.
Karak, for his part continued to focus on escape, pure and simple. He withdrew toward the shell above which still seemed a league away despite the fact that a glance downward told him that they'd already traversed almost half the distance to the surface. When he was safely out of reach he tapped himself with the Wand of Cure Light Wounds again.
"They're getting closer," Morier said eagerly; his greatsword was in his hands and he was very nearly bouncing from foot to foot at the prospect of finally getting to contribute to this battle. Huzair didn't look up from his bag, from which he'd produced a length of hemp rope.
"Let me know when they get within 35 feet," he said. "I don't suppose you've got any pitons, do you?"
"Pitons?" Morier asked, sparing the wizard a confused glance.
"I was going to hammer one into the shell to anchor a rope in case we-" Huzair began but Morier interrupted him.
"Into the shell? You were going to hammer an iron spike into the FLOATING shell?" the albino asked, incredulous.
"To anchor the rope," the mage told him and Morier just shook his head.
"No," he said finally. "I don't have any spikes." And then he went back to watching the race to the surface going on below.
Shamalin's dolphin friend circled under and drove its snout into the belly of the more wounded of the two things, Smiting it soundly. The injury was minimal, but it was enough to distract the creature from Karak. It lurched in the water and seized the porpoise cruelly in its pincers, ripping the golden-skinned creature in half in a matter of seconds. Mercifully, the summoned animal's remains returned immediately to Elysium rather than cloud the water with gore.
The other crustacean horror kept pace with Karak, snapping again at his feet, but missing. The dwarf pulled away and tapped himself with the Wand a third time. He could sense that the device was all but drained of power. Only a handful of charges remained.
"They're almost in range, Huzair," Morier said, glancing up from the water. "What do you have in - MY GOD! LOOK!!" He pointed to a spot about 100 feet behind the wizard where a great sea serpent had arisen from the water, its head mounted on a neck as long as a ship's mast and twice as thick around. It had two webbed forelimbs that it weaved about as if about to cast a spell.
"You will never get the key!" it bellowed across the water at them.
"There's our caster!" Huzair snapped and immediately began casting Bolt of Conjuring. He gestured with his hands and sent a ray of raw mana at the serpentine monster and struck it full in the chest with little apparent effect. The mana coalesced into an evil-looking octopus which immediately latched itself to the thing's neck at the waterline.
Ixin sent a pair of Magic Missiles into the creature, but if it felt any discomfort from the barrage it gave no sign.
The surface was tantalizingly close now. Shamalin knew that she'd be feeling the breeze on her cheeks in moments now. She hoped that Karak would be as lucky. One of the creatures continued to harry him, its pincers seeking every opportunity to snap at him. As she watched its claw stabbed in at Karak's head and ripped away a bit of the dwarf's hair.
The second monster charged upward, regaining the distance it had lost in dispatching the porpoise. It snapped at him and missed.
"You all will die!" the sea serpent told them.
"Let's see how you like ice!" Huzair said, directing a Snowball Swarm at the serpent. Again the creature seemed unaffected although Huzair saw a telltale puff of smoke at he slew his own summoned octopus!
Ixin's Magic Missiles thudded against the creature's jaw without phasing it in the slightest.
"Is that spell resistance? It's not even reacting to the spells!" Morier asked, but Huzair wasn't listening, he was clutching his head, his expression a mask of concentration.
"Trying to Dominate me!" the wizard cursed. After a moment his head snapped up and he stared intently at Morier. "I beat it, though. We need to end this!"
Ayremac stepped to the edge and looked straight down.
"I'm all out of spells until they reach the surface," Huzair admitted grimly. "Damn this water!"
"Well spoken," Flameblade hissed in agreement.
"There's little I can do at this range either," Morier said with a grimace. Ayremac turned to look back at Morier, Huzair and Ixin... then looked down again.
In the clear water it was obvious that the monster crustaceans were winning this battle. There seemed to be precious little life left in Shamalin.
"I hope to see you in just a few minutes," the holy warrior told them and then made to jump in but Morier caught his arm.
"Are you mad?" the albino demanded. "How do you intend to survive this?"
"I can hold my breath a lot longer than Shamalin can survive being ripped into by those things," Ayremac countered pulling his arm free.
"Good luck," Huzair said with a disapproving shake of his head. "Knock yourself out." The wizard pressed his Ring of Invisibility into the Officer's hand.
"Thank you," Ayremac said before gasping a huge breath of air and jumping over the side.
"Huzair, wux arithricirlym zyak pothoc?" Ixin asked in disbelief as she watched the holy warrior plummet into the depths amidst a cloud of bubbles. The wizard shook his head in resigned agreement.
"It looks like it," he muttered in common while the drakeling began weaving her hands into the somatics for a spell.
"Magicus telum!" Ixin intoned, sending another pair of Magic Missiles into the water. The bolts of force arced around Ayremac and slammed into the creature holding Shamalin. It staggered on its numerous legs and sagged heavily against the coral before its claws relaxed and Shamlin drifted from the dead thing's grasp.
"Ocuir!" Ixin growled, pointing at the creature she had just slain. "Ocuir! Ukris-majak Ixin!"
"She'd like us to confer with her next time before we let holy boy do anything rash," Huzair told Morier and the eldritch warrior just nodded.
Free of the grapple, Shamalin wasted no time in healing her injuries with a Cure Critical Wounds miracle. She immediately felt much better and seized the opportunity to begin levitating toward the shell above.
The two remaining lobster-things ignored her completely, devoting their attention solely to Karak, and their pincers savaged his armored form with wild abandon. One of them very nearly ripped the doughty warrior's shield arm from its socket and despite his durability, he found himself on the verge of blacking out from the sustained punishment.
Rather than push his luck, he withdrew, concentrating on the Levitation spell and rising up toward Shamalin who, he saw, was already twenty feet up. The dwarf's actions surprised the two creatures below and he momentarily left them behind, clawing at the sandy bottom where he'd been standing moments before. He'd seen the things swim after Shamalin and he knew that they'd be in pursuit soon enough.
Ayremac plummeted downward until he neared the rising Shamalin and then he too activated the power of the Pixie Dust to arrest his fall. He pressed his left hand against the holy symbol worked into the breastplate of his armor and triggered his Sacred Healing. Positive energy washed over Shamalin and Karak, bringing the cleric closer yet to full health and dulling the ache in Karak's mangled arm enough for him to pull out his Wand of Cure Light Wounds and use it on himself.
The water between them was suddenly afire with magic as Ixin sent another pair of Magic Missiles sizzling down toward their foes below. It wasn't much in the face of the massive creature's bulk, but it added to the thing's toll of injuries.
"Wurik arilevethixirlym!" Ixin said, turning an imploring eye on Huzair. But, before the wizard could respond, the air around the shell was filled with a twisting pattern of subtle colors that weaved their way into her brain. She stopped, shoulders slumped as she watched the pattern of color, slack-jawed and wide-eyed.
"Hypnotic Pattern!" Morier and Huzair shouted at each other as they both averted their eyes, resisting the fascination effect.
"But who cast it?" the albino wondered.
Shamalin continued Levitating toward the surface, but her gaze was on the two lobster-things below. Their tails stirred up dark clouds of sand from the sea bed as they launched themselves upward. She was likely out of their immediate reach, but Karak wasn't going to be so lucky, she saw at once.
They closed on him with frightening quickness, pincers snapping. One claw closed momentarily on the toe of his furred boots, but he kicked his legs and managed to avoid their grasp. The Levitation carried the dwarf up toward Ayremac who was waiting for him with arms spread in what looked like a waiting embrace. Instead, he touched Karak lightly on the shoulder and healing magic poured into the injured warrior, closing his most serious wounds, but leaving him in a very bad way nonetheless.
Huzair grimaced. "I hate to do this," he said and then slapped Ixin hard across the face. He wasn't particularly strong and her skin was tough, but after a second slap, she showed signs of regaining her senses.
"Wux-tour?!" she growled, eyes gradually focusing on the mage's face. Then her gaze flicked to the lingering lights of the Hypnotic Pattern and her features hardened. She hissed, "Levex! Ixin tuorvorastrix!" Huzair nodded his understanding and then gestured expansively around.
"Me too," he admitted. "But where is he?"
"I saw that fish thing move over there earlier, but I lost sight of it," Morier told them, pointing at the last spot he'd seen the larger swimming shape. "But I think that Ixin needs to concentrate on the foes we can see since she's the only one of us who can do anything to help."
"I HAD HOPES FOR YOU WHEN YOU ACTED BRAVELY DURING THE TEST OF FIRE," Stoneblade chided. "BUT I AM NOT IMPRESSED WITH YOUR PROWESS THIS DAY!"
Shamalin called on divine aid to help Karak and Ayremac - who were now both within reach of the lobster things. Clutching her holy symbol with one hand she described a circle in the water in front of herself. The water within the flat plane of that circle swirled for a moment and then glowed brightly. An instant later it disgorged a sleek, glittering native from the River Oceanus in the Blessed Fields of Elysium. The Celestial Dolphin chittered and whistled in greeting and then dove at the nearer of the two lobsters, leaving a trail of bright bubbles in its wake.
It didn't serve as the distraction that Shamalin had hoped for, however. Both creatures continued to focus their attention on Karak perhaps out of an inherent tenacity or perhaps because he was surrounded by a rusty cloud of blood from his numerous wounds and they saw him as easy prey. The first creature missed him entirely, but the second snapped its claw around his ankle and tried to draw him in. But again, the dwarf was saved by his Ring of Freedom.
Karak, for his part continued to focus on escape, pure and simple. He withdrew toward the shell above which still seemed a league away despite the fact that a glance downward told him that they'd already traversed almost half the distance to the surface. When he was safely out of reach he tapped himself with the Wand of Cure Light Wounds again.
"They're getting closer," Morier said eagerly; his greatsword was in his hands and he was very nearly bouncing from foot to foot at the prospect of finally getting to contribute to this battle. Huzair didn't look up from his bag, from which he'd produced a length of hemp rope.
"Let me know when they get within 35 feet," he said. "I don't suppose you've got any pitons, do you?"
"Pitons?" Morier asked, sparing the wizard a confused glance.
"I was going to hammer one into the shell to anchor a rope in case we-" Huzair began but Morier interrupted him.
"Into the shell? You were going to hammer an iron spike into the FLOATING shell?" the albino asked, incredulous.
"To anchor the rope," the mage told him and Morier just shook his head.
"No," he said finally. "I don't have any spikes." And then he went back to watching the race to the surface going on below.
Shamalin's dolphin friend circled under and drove its snout into the belly of the more wounded of the two things, Smiting it soundly. The injury was minimal, but it was enough to distract the creature from Karak. It lurched in the water and seized the porpoise cruelly in its pincers, ripping the golden-skinned creature in half in a matter of seconds. Mercifully, the summoned animal's remains returned immediately to Elysium rather than cloud the water with gore.
The other crustacean horror kept pace with Karak, snapping again at his feet, but missing. The dwarf pulled away and tapped himself with the Wand a third time. He could sense that the device was all but drained of power. Only a handful of charges remained.
"They're almost in range, Huzair," Morier said, glancing up from the water. "What do you have in - MY GOD! LOOK!!" He pointed to a spot about 100 feet behind the wizard where a great sea serpent had arisen from the water, its head mounted on a neck as long as a ship's mast and twice as thick around. It had two webbed forelimbs that it weaved about as if about to cast a spell.
"You will never get the key!" it bellowed across the water at them.
"There's our caster!" Huzair snapped and immediately began casting Bolt of Conjuring. He gestured with his hands and sent a ray of raw mana at the serpentine monster and struck it full in the chest with little apparent effect. The mana coalesced into an evil-looking octopus which immediately latched itself to the thing's neck at the waterline.
Ixin sent a pair of Magic Missiles into the creature, but if it felt any discomfort from the barrage it gave no sign.
The surface was tantalizingly close now. Shamalin knew that she'd be feeling the breeze on her cheeks in moments now. She hoped that Karak would be as lucky. One of the creatures continued to harry him, its pincers seeking every opportunity to snap at him. As she watched its claw stabbed in at Karak's head and ripped away a bit of the dwarf's hair.
The second monster charged upward, regaining the distance it had lost in dispatching the porpoise. It snapped at him and missed.
"You all will die!" the sea serpent told them.
"Let's see how you like ice!" Huzair said, directing a Snowball Swarm at the serpent. Again the creature seemed unaffected although Huzair saw a telltale puff of smoke at he slew his own summoned octopus!
Ixin's Magic Missiles thudded against the creature's jaw without phasing it in the slightest.
"Is that spell resistance? It's not even reacting to the spells!" Morier asked, but Huzair wasn't listening, he was clutching his head, his expression a mask of concentration.
"Trying to Dominate me!" the wizard cursed. After a moment his head snapped up and he stared intently at Morier. "I beat it, though. We need to end this!"
Last edited:
Blarkon Dragonslayer
First Post
Man, they are having a serious rough time. Of course, having half the party only able to fight in a sort of half-way fashion isn't helping them any. It'll be interesting to see if they can regroup and pull this one off. I shudder to think what the air challenge is going to be like.
Excellent, excellent, updates.
Excellent, excellent, updates.
Jon Potter
First Post
Blarkon Dragonslayer said:
Chuul + Aboleth = bad news. Of course, everybody kept making their Will saves, so I didn't get tyo have any PvP mayhem.
If you look at the PCs in the Rogue's Gallery you'll notice a distinct absence of missile weapons.
Blarkon Dragonslayer
First Post
Jon Potter said:
I'll bet they rectify the missile weapon shortage ASAP, though under water at least some of that wouldn't help too much. I halfway think they are burning spells trying to nail a projected image anyway, but I could be wrong.
Last edited:
Jon Potter
First Post
Blarkon Dragonslayer said:
You could be... but you're not.
Blarkon Dragonslayer
First Post
Jon Potter said:
Huzzah for Rat Bastardy DM goodness!
Jon Potter
First Post
[Realms #379] Mutiny on the High Seas
"If that thing gets closer, I'll end it alright," Morier hissed, making a threatening gesture with Stoneblade.
"STRONG WORDS FROM ONE WHO LINGERS BEHIND WHILE OTHERS TAKE THE VANGUARD!" the greatsword thundered and Morier glowered at the weapon.
"Perhaps then, you have a suggestion that doesn't end with me dead and you lying in the bottom of this pool for the rest of eternity!" the albino growled. "If so speak now, by all means!!"
"IF YOU WISH ME TO LEAD, FRAIL ONE, THEN SURRENDER YOUR WILL TO ME!" the sword shot back. "IT IS WITHIN MY POWER TO MAKE YOU ACT BRAVELY!" Morier's mouth opened to retort but Huzair cut him off.
"The sword's right, Morier. What are you doing?" the mage asked. "You can cast spells can't you? A Magic Missile or two may at least distract the lobster creatures."
"Arcanissvent wux?" Ixin asked, arching an inquisitive eyebrow at the two before she began weaving her hands in the familiar pattern necessary to cast another Magic Missile spell. The two bolts of magic lanced downward from her fingertips into the more injured of the two lobster things, making it squeal a bit in pain.
"Thric," Huzair replied. "Morier caex-vargach."
"What are you-" the eldritch warrior began when another Hypnotic Pattern appeared atop the shell. This time both he and Ixin stood slack-jawed and staring at the whirling light show.
Nearby, Shamalin finally broke the surface and rose into the air without stopping, water streaming from the seams in her armor and plastering her strawberry blonde locks across her forehead. "They're still on us," she cried to the others. Her face took on a look of grave concern as she saw the swirling display of lights and Morier's and Ixin's obvious fascination with it.
A few seconds behind her Ayremac and Karak rose up, the latter suffering another nip from a claw before he could Levitate out of its reach. The dwarf sputtered to clear the water from his nose and mouth, squeezing a gallon or two out of his beard with his off-hand.
"Oi, these crustaceans are givin' me a beatin' more than I thought," he grumbled. "Shamalin? Aryemac? Can ye spare any more healin'?"
"Watch out!" Huzair shouted, pointing toward the sea serpent. "There's a creature over there using mind-affecting spells!" Then he slapped Ixin across the face again to snap her out of her reverie.
"I'll see what I can do!" Ayremac shouted back, spreading his mighty pinions and activating the Ring of Invisibility in one swift motion.
Huzair gave Ixin another shake and was about to do the same to Morier when the albino seemed to come out of it on his own. It didn't take long for Huzair to realize that it wasn't Morier who had resisted the Hypnotic Pattern.
"NOW WE SHALL SEE WHAT WE CAN SEE!" Stoneblade thundered as it forced Morier to leap 15 feet onto the back of the nearest lobster. The stony gray blade bit into the armored body, but the resulting wound was minor. Somehow, the eldritch warrior was able to retain his footing on the thing's sloping carapace and so he remained safely above the water.
Still blinking the confusion from her eyes, Ixin managed to send another pair of Magic Missiles into the body of the creature Morier was riding. She didn't see the tentacle rise up from behind her until it slapped down across her back, almost driving her to her knees.
Nearby, but oblivious to this sudden turn of events, Shamalin channeled a Cure Light Wounds into a ray that washed across Karak's back, soothing his injuries a little. "That's the best I can do at range!" she apologized. "You must get closer!"
"I'm a might busy here!" Karak shouted back before one of the creatures seized him in its claws and squeezed, drawing forth a roar of pain from the dwarf's lungs. Fortunately, Karak's Ring again saved him from being held for long in that deadly grip.
Morier, of course had no such protection, and he quickly found himself held savagely by the creature on whose back he'd been balanced. Even as Karak was driving his waraxe deeply into his own opponent - twice - Morier, fully dominated by Stoneblade, watched as the tentacles surrounding its mouthbits reached eagerly for him.
Under normal circumstances, Huzair would likely have come to Morier's aid, but he his attention was held by the slime-covered tentacle that was flailing about in the air beside himself. He looked over the side at the tendril's owner, some kind of horrible primeval fish. Most of its body was beneath the water, but the mage could see that it was easily twenty feet in length from its bulbous head to its crescent-shaped tail. Three slit-shaped eyes protected by bony ridges were set one atop the other in the front of its head which briefly rose above the water to stare balefully at him.
"Hello," Huzair said calmly and let loose with his Wand of Scorch. A ray of fire washed over the thing, but it managed to dart beneath the surface to avoid the worst of the attack. Still, it was plain to see that it did not enjoy the application of fire, which brought a grin to Ixin's face as she leaned over the side and breathed a cone of dragonfire onto it.
The thing shrieked in agony as the fire burned away layers of its slime-coated flesh, turning its skin into char-blackened curls that peeled away like burnt parchment.
Ayremac came at the serpent invisibly. As he approached he heard it say, "You will never get the key!" He watched it move its forelimbs as if it were casting a spell, and he moved to the side, coming at it from an oblique angle. As he got closer, he noticed something odd; the thing was only visible atop the waves. He could see clearly through the water, but there was no body beneath as if it began and ended at the lake's surface.
"You will all die!" the serpent informed them and again its limbs moved as if it were casting a spell, but no spell came and as he passed closer, Ayremac could see why.
The sea serpent was an illusion.
Writhing in pain, the tentacled fish darted beneath the surface and waved its sinuous limbs in an odd fashion. An instant later, another Hypnotic Pattern hit the shell. This time it was Huzair who felt its effects, staring in blank fascination at the twinkling lights.
Shamalin looked around her and judged Morier to be in the worst position. Clutching her holy symbol she invoked Flor's power to summon a Spiritual Weapon that manifested itself as a staff of pure white light. The weapon, directed by Shamalin's will thudded hard against the armored shell of the creature that held Morier, causing it to sway drunkenly in the water. It was not enough to make it release the albino, however and it instead brought him in to its furiously-working mandibles. The tentacles surrounding its mouth wrapped snugly around his body, stinging him repeatedly with paralytic poison. It was a mercy, he decided, since it prevented him from feeling the pincers that still held him and the mouth which slashed again and again at his face.
"THIS IS NOT GOING AS I'D EXPECTED!" Stoneblade said in his hands. The sword's tone sounded genuinely surprised and it released its dominance over the eldritch warrior.
Karak suffered another pair of hits from the lobster attacking him and he returned the favor with two massive blows from his waraxe. One of which severed the thing's left foreclaw at the wrist. It wailed in pain, blood fountaining from the wound as its legs churned the water into a crimson froth. After a frantic moment, its body stilled and drifted slowly downward.
Huzair shook off the effect of the Hypnotic Pattern but knew his wand was of little use against the tentacled fish so long as it remained below the water. so Instead he cast Haste centered on himself and grinned as he saw his companions' movements speed up around him. Using his own burst of speed he Levitated up 20' into the air.
No sooner had his feet left the shell, then he heard Ixin mutter the words of a Wraithstrike spell. He gaped as she dropped the five feet onto the tentacled fish's back, grunting off its opportunistic attack. She had the two scimitars in her hands that Karak had given her and they flashed outward with blazing speed. Once, twice, a third time. Each thrust saw the curved blade opening massive gashes in the fish's body, that ignored its naturally tough skin and found the tender meat below. The creature bucked frantically trying to divest itself of its deadly passenger, but it was no use; Ixin's fangs tore a massive bleeding mouthful of flesh from its back and the thing went still in the water, the last of its life bleeding uselessly from its torn carcass.
The illusionary sea serpent flickered and disappeared.
Shamalin concentrated on her Spiritual Weapon and slammed the force staff into the creature grappling Morier's helpless body. It was the final insult to a creature that had endured much punishment; it sagged immediately and began to sink, taking Morier with it to the bottom. Only Ayremac swooping down to catch hold of the albino's chain shirt kept the eldritch warrior from drowning.
It took only a few moments for Ayremac to haul everyone who was Levitating at a distance back onto the shell. Ixin spat furiously to get the taste of aberrant flesh from her mouth and after a few seconds, Morier sat up.
"That didn't go as badly as it could have," Ayremac said, but before anyone else could argue, Ixin growled in pain and began working at the leather thongs holding her jerkin closed.
"Molikixin valignat!" she complained as she worked at the armor.
"Molikixin?" Huzair asked as he reluctantly helped her.
"What is it?" Shamalin asked.
"She says her skin is burning and- Oh," the mage stopped. They'd removed enough of her leather armor to reveal a hideous infected wound that ran across her back over her dorsal spines and between her tiny wings. It was crusted with slime and the flesh around it was swollen - livid to the point of being purple. It was in the perfect shape of the tentacle that had slapped her there.
"She's diseased!" Karak grunted, spitting a gobbet of blood into the water.
"If that thing gets closer, I'll end it alright," Morier hissed, making a threatening gesture with Stoneblade.
"STRONG WORDS FROM ONE WHO LINGERS BEHIND WHILE OTHERS TAKE THE VANGUARD!" the greatsword thundered and Morier glowered at the weapon.
"Perhaps then, you have a suggestion that doesn't end with me dead and you lying in the bottom of this pool for the rest of eternity!" the albino growled. "If so speak now, by all means!!"
"IF YOU WISH ME TO LEAD, FRAIL ONE, THEN SURRENDER YOUR WILL TO ME!" the sword shot back. "IT IS WITHIN MY POWER TO MAKE YOU ACT BRAVELY!" Morier's mouth opened to retort but Huzair cut him off.
"The sword's right, Morier. What are you doing?" the mage asked. "You can cast spells can't you? A Magic Missile or two may at least distract the lobster creatures."
"Arcanissvent wux?" Ixin asked, arching an inquisitive eyebrow at the two before she began weaving her hands in the familiar pattern necessary to cast another Magic Missile spell. The two bolts of magic lanced downward from her fingertips into the more injured of the two lobster things, making it squeal a bit in pain.
"Thric," Huzair replied. "Morier caex-vargach."
"What are you-" the eldritch warrior began when another Hypnotic Pattern appeared atop the shell. This time both he and Ixin stood slack-jawed and staring at the whirling light show.
Nearby, Shamalin finally broke the surface and rose into the air without stopping, water streaming from the seams in her armor and plastering her strawberry blonde locks across her forehead. "They're still on us," she cried to the others. Her face took on a look of grave concern as she saw the swirling display of lights and Morier's and Ixin's obvious fascination with it.
A few seconds behind her Ayremac and Karak rose up, the latter suffering another nip from a claw before he could Levitate out of its reach. The dwarf sputtered to clear the water from his nose and mouth, squeezing a gallon or two out of his beard with his off-hand.
"Oi, these crustaceans are givin' me a beatin' more than I thought," he grumbled. "Shamalin? Aryemac? Can ye spare any more healin'?"
"Watch out!" Huzair shouted, pointing toward the sea serpent. "There's a creature over there using mind-affecting spells!" Then he slapped Ixin across the face again to snap her out of her reverie.
"I'll see what I can do!" Ayremac shouted back, spreading his mighty pinions and activating the Ring of Invisibility in one swift motion.
Huzair gave Ixin another shake and was about to do the same to Morier when the albino seemed to come out of it on his own. It didn't take long for Huzair to realize that it wasn't Morier who had resisted the Hypnotic Pattern.
"NOW WE SHALL SEE WHAT WE CAN SEE!" Stoneblade thundered as it forced Morier to leap 15 feet onto the back of the nearest lobster. The stony gray blade bit into the armored body, but the resulting wound was minor. Somehow, the eldritch warrior was able to retain his footing on the thing's sloping carapace and so he remained safely above the water.
Still blinking the confusion from her eyes, Ixin managed to send another pair of Magic Missiles into the body of the creature Morier was riding. She didn't see the tentacle rise up from behind her until it slapped down across her back, almost driving her to her knees.
Nearby, but oblivious to this sudden turn of events, Shamalin channeled a Cure Light Wounds into a ray that washed across Karak's back, soothing his injuries a little. "That's the best I can do at range!" she apologized. "You must get closer!"
"I'm a might busy here!" Karak shouted back before one of the creatures seized him in its claws and squeezed, drawing forth a roar of pain from the dwarf's lungs. Fortunately, Karak's Ring again saved him from being held for long in that deadly grip.
Morier, of course had no such protection, and he quickly found himself held savagely by the creature on whose back he'd been balanced. Even as Karak was driving his waraxe deeply into his own opponent - twice - Morier, fully dominated by Stoneblade, watched as the tentacles surrounding its mouthbits reached eagerly for him.
Under normal circumstances, Huzair would likely have come to Morier's aid, but he his attention was held by the slime-covered tentacle that was flailing about in the air beside himself. He looked over the side at the tendril's owner, some kind of horrible primeval fish. Most of its body was beneath the water, but the mage could see that it was easily twenty feet in length from its bulbous head to its crescent-shaped tail. Three slit-shaped eyes protected by bony ridges were set one atop the other in the front of its head which briefly rose above the water to stare balefully at him.
"Hello," Huzair said calmly and let loose with his Wand of Scorch. A ray of fire washed over the thing, but it managed to dart beneath the surface to avoid the worst of the attack. Still, it was plain to see that it did not enjoy the application of fire, which brought a grin to Ixin's face as she leaned over the side and breathed a cone of dragonfire onto it.
The thing shrieked in agony as the fire burned away layers of its slime-coated flesh, turning its skin into char-blackened curls that peeled away like burnt parchment.
Ayremac came at the serpent invisibly. As he approached he heard it say, "You will never get the key!" He watched it move its forelimbs as if it were casting a spell, and he moved to the side, coming at it from an oblique angle. As he got closer, he noticed something odd; the thing was only visible atop the waves. He could see clearly through the water, but there was no body beneath as if it began and ended at the lake's surface.
"You will all die!" the serpent informed them and again its limbs moved as if it were casting a spell, but no spell came and as he passed closer, Ayremac could see why.
The sea serpent was an illusion.
Writhing in pain, the tentacled fish darted beneath the surface and waved its sinuous limbs in an odd fashion. An instant later, another Hypnotic Pattern hit the shell. This time it was Huzair who felt its effects, staring in blank fascination at the twinkling lights.
Shamalin looked around her and judged Morier to be in the worst position. Clutching her holy symbol she invoked Flor's power to summon a Spiritual Weapon that manifested itself as a staff of pure white light. The weapon, directed by Shamalin's will thudded hard against the armored shell of the creature that held Morier, causing it to sway drunkenly in the water. It was not enough to make it release the albino, however and it instead brought him in to its furiously-working mandibles. The tentacles surrounding its mouth wrapped snugly around his body, stinging him repeatedly with paralytic poison. It was a mercy, he decided, since it prevented him from feeling the pincers that still held him and the mouth which slashed again and again at his face.
"THIS IS NOT GOING AS I'D EXPECTED!" Stoneblade said in his hands. The sword's tone sounded genuinely surprised and it released its dominance over the eldritch warrior.
Karak suffered another pair of hits from the lobster attacking him and he returned the favor with two massive blows from his waraxe. One of which severed the thing's left foreclaw at the wrist. It wailed in pain, blood fountaining from the wound as its legs churned the water into a crimson froth. After a frantic moment, its body stilled and drifted slowly downward.
Huzair shook off the effect of the Hypnotic Pattern but knew his wand was of little use against the tentacled fish so long as it remained below the water. so Instead he cast Haste centered on himself and grinned as he saw his companions' movements speed up around him. Using his own burst of speed he Levitated up 20' into the air.
No sooner had his feet left the shell, then he heard Ixin mutter the words of a Wraithstrike spell. He gaped as she dropped the five feet onto the tentacled fish's back, grunting off its opportunistic attack. She had the two scimitars in her hands that Karak had given her and they flashed outward with blazing speed. Once, twice, a third time. Each thrust saw the curved blade opening massive gashes in the fish's body, that ignored its naturally tough skin and found the tender meat below. The creature bucked frantically trying to divest itself of its deadly passenger, but it was no use; Ixin's fangs tore a massive bleeding mouthful of flesh from its back and the thing went still in the water, the last of its life bleeding uselessly from its torn carcass.
The illusionary sea serpent flickered and disappeared.
Shamalin concentrated on her Spiritual Weapon and slammed the force staff into the creature grappling Morier's helpless body. It was the final insult to a creature that had endured much punishment; it sagged immediately and began to sink, taking Morier with it to the bottom. Only Ayremac swooping down to catch hold of the albino's chain shirt kept the eldritch warrior from drowning.
It took only a few moments for Ayremac to haul everyone who was Levitating at a distance back onto the shell. Ixin spat furiously to get the taste of aberrant flesh from her mouth and after a few seconds, Morier sat up.
"That didn't go as badly as it could have," Ayremac said, but before anyone else could argue, Ixin growled in pain and began working at the leather thongs holding her jerkin closed.
"Molikixin valignat!" she complained as she worked at the armor.
"Molikixin?" Huzair asked as he reluctantly helped her.
"What is it?" Shamalin asked.
"She says her skin is burning and- Oh," the mage stopped. They'd removed enough of her leather armor to reveal a hideous infected wound that ran across her back over her dorsal spines and between her tiny wings. It was crusted with slime and the flesh around it was swollen - livid to the point of being purple. It was in the perfect shape of the tentacle that had slapped her there.
"She's diseased!" Karak grunted, spitting a gobbet of blood into the water.
Blarkon Dragonslayer
First Post
Nice comeback by the party. Ixin is definitely a tougher lady then previously. At least they are getting a chance to fall back and rest in between these challenges, or they'd really be meat.
Similar Threads
