Broccli_Head
Explorer
Lazybones said:
UGH! Dire bear!
Run away!!
Hey...shouldn't Dana have flamestrike by now?
Travels through the Wild West: Books V-VIII (Epilogue)
- Thread starter Lazybones
- Start date
UGH! Dire bear!
Run away!!
Hey...shouldn't Dana have flamestrike by now?
Lazybones
Adventurer
Book VIII, Part 8
The appearance of the two adolescent formorians and the dire bear further slanted the odds against the companions. Although they had thrown their enemy into confusion, and inflicted great injuries in the initial moments of the battle, none of the giants had yet gone down, and soon they would be able to bring their deadly clubs to bear in melee.
And when that happened, things would get very bloody very quickly.
Cal responded quickly even as these new foes appeared in the mouth of the cave. Calling upon a potent illusion, he summoned up a roaring wall of flames that filled the opening in the cliff face, blocking the bear and its handlers. The giants and the bear responded as though the flames were real, neither quick enough in mind to immediately recognize that the roaring wall lacked heat, and they backed off, stymied at least for the moment.
The giant that had been wounded by Benzan’s first arrow cautiously circled the globe of darkness, wary of another attack. The second giant, meanwhile, spat curses as it clumsily rose at the far end of the sphere, blood trailing from where its face had bashed a rock as it fell.
The first giant’s gaze passed over a man-sized boulder as it trudged across the rocky slope. It sensed too late the sudden movement as Benzan reared up from behind the sparse cover, but it certainly felt the blaze of pain that erupted in its side as another arrow sank to the feathers into its torso. It spun to face this small but dangerous foe, but Benzan kept up his barrage, firing a second and then a third arrow in rapid succession. The giant absorbed the hits, clearly feeling the hurt now, but then it was close enough to swing its massive club at its attacker. Benzan dodged back, but even his magical shield could not fully absorb the force of the powerful creature’s assault. He grunted, the air escaping his lungs in a sudden whoosh, and staggered backward, barely keeping his feet as he fumbled for another arrow.
Lok took a step toward the cave mouth before Cal’s illusion took effect. Realizing that these foes were delayed for now, he quickly loaded and fired again—this time at the huge leader that was rising toward Dana’s position above them. His first shot scored a hit, the arrow jutting into the giant’s meaty leg, but it paid no heed to the wound. His second shot also seemed true, but at the last moment it flared wide, as if deflected by some unseen force.
Gritting his teeth, there was nothing more that the genasi could do to help Dana as the giant swept upward toward her.
Dana was all too aware of the looming magnitude of the giant as it drew nearer, and she knew that there was no way that she could withstand the assault of that strange lightning-spear that it wielded. Instead she drew back further, forcing it to come higher and farther to reach her, delaying until the last instant despite the bulb of fear that caught in her throat at the grim promise of the giant’s terrible expression. But when she finally did call upon her patron, the goddess quickly answered her call, and a vertical shaft of light appeared behind her in the air, widening into a dimension door that she vanished into just as the giant drew close enough to attack.
“Come on down here, you ugly brute!” Lok called up to it, although he had to realize that with the giant’s superior reach, it could hover above him and pound him into the stone without risking a counter from the genasi’s axe.
Cal did not leave his friend unprotected, though. Quickly, his actions accelerated by the still-potent haste spell, he crossed to where the genasi warrior stood apparently alone on the canyon floor, and imparted to him both a haste spell of his own and the shifting glamour of a displacement spell.
“Thank you, my friend,” Lok said, as he fitted another arrow to his bow. “Now get clear, quickly!” Even as the huge giant turned and started its descent, Lok drew, aimed, and released another arrow straight up.
Cal turned to see that their problems were still not as bad as they could get; the two giants he’d caught in his black tentacles and subsequent illusion had finally escaped both and were charging toward Lok from behind, only a dozen giant-strides away.
“More company!” he warned, moving enough so as not to get caught and trampled inadvertently in their rush. He was starting to run out of spells that would be effective against these foes; he quickly fired off a polymorph, but was not surprised when the giant resisted its effects. These things were tough.
Well, he’d have to rely on the old tried-and-true tactics, then.
As the closer of the two giants ran past his position, even its senses not sufficient to find him through his invisibility, he let out a loud whistle.
The giant’s head turned, looking for the source of the sound.
And caught the full force of Cal’s color spray, the dazzling blaze of colors stunning it, at least for a few seconds.
For now, that would have to do.
Lok darted aside, rolling as the blazing brilliant energy head of the giant leader’s spear slammed into the ground with enough force to shatter the solid stone. The displacement had just been enough to shelter him—this time. He quickly moved away, pausing to fire a quick arrow that was deflected by the giant’s invisible protections, but forcing it to adjust, to come after him, not letting it get set for a full and devastating series of attacks.
But the giant abruptly rose up to its full height, hanging in the air ten feet off the ground, and pointed its spear-staff at Lok. It roared a command in its guttural tongue, and again the gem at its throat flashed in response. Lok stood his ground, ready for anything, but could not avoid the jagged bolt of liquid energy that exploded down the shaft and slashed through the air into him. As tough as he was, the genasi felt the effects of the lightning bolt heavily, but as the shards of stone and dust raised by the blast faded, he still stood, a blackened smear blazed across the breastplate of his magical armor, and wisps of smoke rising from his charred beard.
“Ha! Can’t do any better than that, you big oaf! Come on down here and tangle with me hand-to-hand, if you dare!”
It wasn’t clear if the giant understood the genasi’s speech, but it clearly recognized the challenge, for it roared and dropped solidly to the ground, and charged toward Lok.
The appearance of the two adolescent formorians and the dire bear further slanted the odds against the companions. Although they had thrown their enemy into confusion, and inflicted great injuries in the initial moments of the battle, none of the giants had yet gone down, and soon they would be able to bring their deadly clubs to bear in melee.
And when that happened, things would get very bloody very quickly.
Cal responded quickly even as these new foes appeared in the mouth of the cave. Calling upon a potent illusion, he summoned up a roaring wall of flames that filled the opening in the cliff face, blocking the bear and its handlers. The giants and the bear responded as though the flames were real, neither quick enough in mind to immediately recognize that the roaring wall lacked heat, and they backed off, stymied at least for the moment.
The giant that had been wounded by Benzan’s first arrow cautiously circled the globe of darkness, wary of another attack. The second giant, meanwhile, spat curses as it clumsily rose at the far end of the sphere, blood trailing from where its face had bashed a rock as it fell.
The first giant’s gaze passed over a man-sized boulder as it trudged across the rocky slope. It sensed too late the sudden movement as Benzan reared up from behind the sparse cover, but it certainly felt the blaze of pain that erupted in its side as another arrow sank to the feathers into its torso. It spun to face this small but dangerous foe, but Benzan kept up his barrage, firing a second and then a third arrow in rapid succession. The giant absorbed the hits, clearly feeling the hurt now, but then it was close enough to swing its massive club at its attacker. Benzan dodged back, but even his magical shield could not fully absorb the force of the powerful creature’s assault. He grunted, the air escaping his lungs in a sudden whoosh, and staggered backward, barely keeping his feet as he fumbled for another arrow.
Lok took a step toward the cave mouth before Cal’s illusion took effect. Realizing that these foes were delayed for now, he quickly loaded and fired again—this time at the huge leader that was rising toward Dana’s position above them. His first shot scored a hit, the arrow jutting into the giant’s meaty leg, but it paid no heed to the wound. His second shot also seemed true, but at the last moment it flared wide, as if deflected by some unseen force.
Gritting his teeth, there was nothing more that the genasi could do to help Dana as the giant swept upward toward her.
Dana was all too aware of the looming magnitude of the giant as it drew nearer, and she knew that there was no way that she could withstand the assault of that strange lightning-spear that it wielded. Instead she drew back further, forcing it to come higher and farther to reach her, delaying until the last instant despite the bulb of fear that caught in her throat at the grim promise of the giant’s terrible expression. But when she finally did call upon her patron, the goddess quickly answered her call, and a vertical shaft of light appeared behind her in the air, widening into a dimension door that she vanished into just as the giant drew close enough to attack.
“Come on down here, you ugly brute!” Lok called up to it, although he had to realize that with the giant’s superior reach, it could hover above him and pound him into the stone without risking a counter from the genasi’s axe.
Cal did not leave his friend unprotected, though. Quickly, his actions accelerated by the still-potent haste spell, he crossed to where the genasi warrior stood apparently alone on the canyon floor, and imparted to him both a haste spell of his own and the shifting glamour of a displacement spell.
“Thank you, my friend,” Lok said, as he fitted another arrow to his bow. “Now get clear, quickly!” Even as the huge giant turned and started its descent, Lok drew, aimed, and released another arrow straight up.
Cal turned to see that their problems were still not as bad as they could get; the two giants he’d caught in his black tentacles and subsequent illusion had finally escaped both and were charging toward Lok from behind, only a dozen giant-strides away.
“More company!” he warned, moving enough so as not to get caught and trampled inadvertently in their rush. He was starting to run out of spells that would be effective against these foes; he quickly fired off a polymorph, but was not surprised when the giant resisted its effects. These things were tough.
Well, he’d have to rely on the old tried-and-true tactics, then.
As the closer of the two giants ran past his position, even its senses not sufficient to find him through his invisibility, he let out a loud whistle.
The giant’s head turned, looking for the source of the sound.
And caught the full force of Cal’s color spray, the dazzling blaze of colors stunning it, at least for a few seconds.
For now, that would have to do.
Lok darted aside, rolling as the blazing brilliant energy head of the giant leader’s spear slammed into the ground with enough force to shatter the solid stone. The displacement had just been enough to shelter him—this time. He quickly moved away, pausing to fire a quick arrow that was deflected by the giant’s invisible protections, but forcing it to adjust, to come after him, not letting it get set for a full and devastating series of attacks.
But the giant abruptly rose up to its full height, hanging in the air ten feet off the ground, and pointed its spear-staff at Lok. It roared a command in its guttural tongue, and again the gem at its throat flashed in response. Lok stood his ground, ready for anything, but could not avoid the jagged bolt of liquid energy that exploded down the shaft and slashed through the air into him. As tough as he was, the genasi felt the effects of the lightning bolt heavily, but as the shards of stone and dust raised by the blast faded, he still stood, a blackened smear blazed across the breastplate of his magical armor, and wisps of smoke rising from his charred beard.
“Ha! Can’t do any better than that, you big oaf! Come on down here and tangle with me hand-to-hand, if you dare!”
It wasn’t clear if the giant understood the genasi’s speech, but it clearly recognized the challenge, for it roared and dropped solidly to the ground, and charged toward Lok.
Black Bard
First Post
Back from the dead...
It's been a while since I've come to Travels, so I've come to say that I've just finished Book VII and, what can I say? Marvellous!!
I'm really pissed off for not being up to date with the heroes' epic drama, but I'll do my best to catch up...
Oh, just a little note about Lariel...He's really tough...All in all, he survived the experience of travelling with the heroes... He's really one of a kind...
Congratulations again, Lazy...And I wish you good luck with your novel project!!!
It's been a while since I've come to Travels, so I've come to say that I've just finished Book VII and, what can I say? Marvellous!!
I'm really pissed off for not being up to date with the heroes' epic drama, but I'll do my best to catch up...
Oh, just a little note about Lariel...He's really tough...All in all, he survived the experience of travelling with the heroes... He's really one of a kind...
Congratulations again, Lazy...And I wish you good luck with your novel project!!!
Lazybones
Adventurer
Thanks BB, and welcome back!
* * * * *
Book VIII, Part 9
The giant leader, protected by the eldritch magic of the elemental stone, charged toward Lok, while its minions continued to attack the rest of the hard-pressed companions.
Lok stood his ground, trading out bow for axe and shield, all too aware that a second giant, the one that had gotten past Cal, was coming from behind even as the giant leader came from ahead. There was nothing to do for it, though, but hold; there was nowhere to escape to. With finality he hefted his axe and planted his feet, choosing his ground with the determination of the dwarven defender.
He did not stand alone, however. The giant coming up from behind raised its club in anticipation of crushing this apparently unaware foe, but suddenly a huge shape leapt at it from the side. Dana’s summoned ally, the celestial dire lion, leapt onto the giant, its claws slashing and tearing. The noble creature was battered, and its right eye was swollen and closed from a smash from the club of its first target, but that first giant was just a shredded heap, never again to torment a victim for pleasure. The second giant cried out and tried to detach the bundle of claws and teeth that tore at its flesh, without success.
At the same time, the giant leader was distracted by a shrill cry from directly above. It looked up in time to take a raking sweep from a pair of sharp talons to its face, as another summoned ally, a giant eagle, swept past. Behind it came Dana, glowing with the light of Selûne’s divine power, her spear driving down before her like a lance. The giant swiftly raised its own weapon, and the two struck as one, Dana’s spear slamming hard down into its shoulder even as its own blade caught the woman heavily across the torso. Despite her own magical defenses, the incredible strength of the giant ripped a gaping wound across Dana’s body as the gleaming weapon slapped her aside. Screaming, Dana lost her grip on her spear and went flying backward, spinning out of control.
The giant paused to pluck out the spear, then turned back toward Lok. As soon as Dana had attacked he had given up his defensive stance and charged, and now leapt to the attack even as this dire foe turned to face him.
Benzan gave ground, drawing both giants after him now, barely keeping ahead of them on the treacherous and uneven slope. There was no way he could face up to them in hand-to-hand combat; that much was obvious from the way his ribs throbbed from just that one glancing impact. But on the other hand, these giants didn’t know all his tricks...
He ran up a slanting boulder and leapt off, reaching down to grasp the hilt of his sword as he did. The power came readily, lifting him into the air, high enough so that even the considerable length of the giants’ clubs could not reach him. The giants hesitated, confused, staring up at him.
“Sorry, fellas,” he told them, as he drew and fired.
The first giant, already seriously injured, took two more hits before it bellowed out a final cry of pain and collapsed.
Then he started in on the second.
On the far side of the battlefield, Cal’s opponent was trying to find its elusive opponent. Its exceptional hearing helped it track the invisible gnome’s movements even over the sounds of battle that filled the canyon, but Cal quickly realized that and called up a ghost sound cantrip to cover his retreat. The giant, frustrated as his club again banged against empty stone, turned to head back to the melee against more obvious foes. It only managed a few steps before it felt a rush of painful electricity rush up its leg. Angrily it stomped the ground where it thought the attack had come from, but that only emphasized the pain as its fat foot crashed onto the stone ground.
Its frustration grew deeper a few seconds later when it felt a sting in its other leg, and looked down to see a crossbow bolt jutting from just above its knee.
Dana spun around and once again tried to gain some altitude. That one hit had nearly slain her, and she felt weak as her blood continued to fall in fat drops to splatter on the ground below. She called upon the healing power of Selûne, which eased the pain, but as she looked down she saw the dire bear, accompanied by the two younger giants, coming out of the cave. Apparently they had belatedly realized that the flames of Cal’s illusion were not real; even as she watched, they faded into nothing. She glanced back at the huge giant, now directly engaged with Lok. She wanted to help him, but knew that if these new enemies reached him while he was fighting that foe...
She had to buy them some time. “I’m sorry,” she said, even as she let out a shriek to draw the attention of the giant eagle to her. Then she opened her mind to the goddess once more, reaching across the gap that separated worlds.
The companions fought their battles around the perimeter of the canyon, but the most violent struggle took place at the center, between Lok and the formorian leader. This warped and evil creature was the veteran of many clashes, powerful even for its kind, and it fought with a rage that intensified its already considerable strength and stamina. Lok, in turn, fought with the skill and determination of the expert that he was, reinforced by the spells that his companions had placed upon him. His strikes were swift, his axe cleaving into the thick legs of the giant, and in turn the displacement power of Cal’s spell enabled him to avoid several attacks. Conversely, however, the giant’s energy-weapon seemed able to penetrate Lok’s armor with ease, and soon the durable genasi was reeling, blood pouring down his torso from several serious wounds. All it would take was one dodge too late, and that weapon would transfix him...
Benzan’s second opponent seemed at a loss for how to deal with him. Even as its erstwhile companion thrashed out the last of its life upon the rocks, arrows from the tiefling’s bow started to slam into its body with meaty thunks. Hanging in the air was causing his aim to draw off a bit more with each shot, but the inability of the giant to get to him more than compensated for that. The giant reached down and pulled up a stone the size of Benzan’s head and hurled it at him, but while most giants were consummate stone-throwers, the misshapen formarians were poor at that art and the stone missed wide. Finally, while Benzan took a moment to stabilize himself, the giant turned and fled, bleeding from several arrow wounds.
Unfortunately there was no place for it to take cover, as the arrows started once more to follow its flight. Driven by Benzan’s mighty bow, empowered both by the magical flames that the bow granted to its missiles and the enchantment Dana had put upon the arrows, each shot struck with the force of three hits from lesser bows. The giant continued to run, although each step grew progressively slower as those hits took their toll.
The dire bear roared and reared up as the giant eagle dove at it again, narrowly avoiding the slashing claws as it flew past. The intelligent eagle was trying more for distraction than for injury, careful to stay far enough back to avoid getting drawn into the bear’s powerful hug. The two young giants tried to assist, but were of little help at first, too slow to anticipate the eagle’s rapid movements. Then Dana finished her latest summoning, and a pair of smaller celestial eagles appeared to assist in the fleeting attacks at the evil creatures.
Of course, the giants were in little real danger from the talons of even the giant eagle, but once again they were a bit slow to realize that.
Her summonings complete, Dana drew out the mithral chain from her pouch, and began spinning one end in a wide loop as she dove down lower to join the attack.
Lok was taking a pounding from the formorian barbarian, and while the giant’s legs were a mess of deep gashes, it seemed invincible as it continued to harry Lok. What was worse, the doughty genasi could already feel Cal’s protective enchantments start to wane, the spell durations only a few short seconds away from expiration. Time seemed to stand still as the two mighty combatants—one huge, the other not even five feet tall—faced off again, their weapons slick with the blood of their foes.
Then, suddenly, an image appeared in the air between the two, a hovering, female form that the genasi—and the giant, by the look on his face—instantly recognized. It was the familiar vaporous form of the elemental weird, her body just an outline in clouds of mist, her legs trailing off into insubstantiality below her. Her face had a look of finality on it as she pointed at the giant leader, at the gem that flared at his throat.
The giant roared in anger and defiance, and with a mighty sweep of his staff-spear slashed through the insubstantial form of the weird. The blow did no harm, of course; one cannot slay an illusion. But even though the distraction caused by Cal’s final glamour was just momentary, it was enough for Lok to take advantage.
The genasi leapt past the giant’s thick legs, his axe coming up in a powerful arc with his full strength behind it. The blow caught the giant in the hamstring, slicing skin and muscle and scoring the bone underneath. The giant cried out in sudden pain, shifting to face the warrior once more, the maneuver unbalancing it as the crippled limb gave out under it. Down it went, staggering. It was too strong yet to fall, and it caught itself by jamming the staff-spear into the ground and propping itself up on its good knee.
It might have recovered, given a few more seconds, although it would not be running any long distances anytime soon. But even as it struggled to rise, Lok came around behind it, and with a final mighty stroke severed the giant’s spine by burying his axe deep within its back.
The giant’s death-cry shattered the mountains, echoing off the nearby peaks. It struck the surviving giants like a hammer-blow, and even as the sounds faded the survivors broke and fled, seeking escape. The bear was the only creature not to retreat, still swiping in vain at the diving eagles, still fighting even as Dana blasted a ray of searing light into its head. Dazed and blinded, it finally turned to retreat back into the shelter of its cave, but it only made it half way before Benzan’s arrows finished it.
The companions gathered in the center of the canyon as quiet returned to the grim battlefield. Dead giants and the carcass of the mighty bear lay scattered about, and the rocks of the canyon floor were splattered everywhere with great gobs of blood. Only three of the giants had escaped with their lives, the two adolescents and the one that Cal had been battling on the far flank. Dana’s summoned allies had returned to their place of origin, the spell that drew them here only of short duration, and the four friends quickly turned toward treating their wounds. Only Cal had escaped injury, and there had been a few times where the giant’s blind attempts to strike him had missed by mere inches.
“Well, that was something,” Benzan said, breathing heavily as Dana treated his injuries with a healing spell. His quiver was empty, every arrow now buried in a giant corpse or shattered on the rocks. Lok handed him the rest of his arrows, while Cal plied his own healing arts upon the battered warrior.
Dana looked around, at the destruction that had been wrought here in the brief but violent battle. “Let’s get what we came for, and get out of this place.”
The others readily agreed.
* * * * *
Book VIII, Part 9
The giant leader, protected by the eldritch magic of the elemental stone, charged toward Lok, while its minions continued to attack the rest of the hard-pressed companions.
Lok stood his ground, trading out bow for axe and shield, all too aware that a second giant, the one that had gotten past Cal, was coming from behind even as the giant leader came from ahead. There was nothing to do for it, though, but hold; there was nowhere to escape to. With finality he hefted his axe and planted his feet, choosing his ground with the determination of the dwarven defender.
He did not stand alone, however. The giant coming up from behind raised its club in anticipation of crushing this apparently unaware foe, but suddenly a huge shape leapt at it from the side. Dana’s summoned ally, the celestial dire lion, leapt onto the giant, its claws slashing and tearing. The noble creature was battered, and its right eye was swollen and closed from a smash from the club of its first target, but that first giant was just a shredded heap, never again to torment a victim for pleasure. The second giant cried out and tried to detach the bundle of claws and teeth that tore at its flesh, without success.
At the same time, the giant leader was distracted by a shrill cry from directly above. It looked up in time to take a raking sweep from a pair of sharp talons to its face, as another summoned ally, a giant eagle, swept past. Behind it came Dana, glowing with the light of Selûne’s divine power, her spear driving down before her like a lance. The giant swiftly raised its own weapon, and the two struck as one, Dana’s spear slamming hard down into its shoulder even as its own blade caught the woman heavily across the torso. Despite her own magical defenses, the incredible strength of the giant ripped a gaping wound across Dana’s body as the gleaming weapon slapped her aside. Screaming, Dana lost her grip on her spear and went flying backward, spinning out of control.
The giant paused to pluck out the spear, then turned back toward Lok. As soon as Dana had attacked he had given up his defensive stance and charged, and now leapt to the attack even as this dire foe turned to face him.
Benzan gave ground, drawing both giants after him now, barely keeping ahead of them on the treacherous and uneven slope. There was no way he could face up to them in hand-to-hand combat; that much was obvious from the way his ribs throbbed from just that one glancing impact. But on the other hand, these giants didn’t know all his tricks...
He ran up a slanting boulder and leapt off, reaching down to grasp the hilt of his sword as he did. The power came readily, lifting him into the air, high enough so that even the considerable length of the giants’ clubs could not reach him. The giants hesitated, confused, staring up at him.
“Sorry, fellas,” he told them, as he drew and fired.
The first giant, already seriously injured, took two more hits before it bellowed out a final cry of pain and collapsed.
Then he started in on the second.
On the far side of the battlefield, Cal’s opponent was trying to find its elusive opponent. Its exceptional hearing helped it track the invisible gnome’s movements even over the sounds of battle that filled the canyon, but Cal quickly realized that and called up a ghost sound cantrip to cover his retreat. The giant, frustrated as his club again banged against empty stone, turned to head back to the melee against more obvious foes. It only managed a few steps before it felt a rush of painful electricity rush up its leg. Angrily it stomped the ground where it thought the attack had come from, but that only emphasized the pain as its fat foot crashed onto the stone ground.
Its frustration grew deeper a few seconds later when it felt a sting in its other leg, and looked down to see a crossbow bolt jutting from just above its knee.
Dana spun around and once again tried to gain some altitude. That one hit had nearly slain her, and she felt weak as her blood continued to fall in fat drops to splatter on the ground below. She called upon the healing power of Selûne, which eased the pain, but as she looked down she saw the dire bear, accompanied by the two younger giants, coming out of the cave. Apparently they had belatedly realized that the flames of Cal’s illusion were not real; even as she watched, they faded into nothing. She glanced back at the huge giant, now directly engaged with Lok. She wanted to help him, but knew that if these new enemies reached him while he was fighting that foe...
She had to buy them some time. “I’m sorry,” she said, even as she let out a shriek to draw the attention of the giant eagle to her. Then she opened her mind to the goddess once more, reaching across the gap that separated worlds.
The companions fought their battles around the perimeter of the canyon, but the most violent struggle took place at the center, between Lok and the formorian leader. This warped and evil creature was the veteran of many clashes, powerful even for its kind, and it fought with a rage that intensified its already considerable strength and stamina. Lok, in turn, fought with the skill and determination of the expert that he was, reinforced by the spells that his companions had placed upon him. His strikes were swift, his axe cleaving into the thick legs of the giant, and in turn the displacement power of Cal’s spell enabled him to avoid several attacks. Conversely, however, the giant’s energy-weapon seemed able to penetrate Lok’s armor with ease, and soon the durable genasi was reeling, blood pouring down his torso from several serious wounds. All it would take was one dodge too late, and that weapon would transfix him...
Benzan’s second opponent seemed at a loss for how to deal with him. Even as its erstwhile companion thrashed out the last of its life upon the rocks, arrows from the tiefling’s bow started to slam into its body with meaty thunks. Hanging in the air was causing his aim to draw off a bit more with each shot, but the inability of the giant to get to him more than compensated for that. The giant reached down and pulled up a stone the size of Benzan’s head and hurled it at him, but while most giants were consummate stone-throwers, the misshapen formarians were poor at that art and the stone missed wide. Finally, while Benzan took a moment to stabilize himself, the giant turned and fled, bleeding from several arrow wounds.
Unfortunately there was no place for it to take cover, as the arrows started once more to follow its flight. Driven by Benzan’s mighty bow, empowered both by the magical flames that the bow granted to its missiles and the enchantment Dana had put upon the arrows, each shot struck with the force of three hits from lesser bows. The giant continued to run, although each step grew progressively slower as those hits took their toll.
The dire bear roared and reared up as the giant eagle dove at it again, narrowly avoiding the slashing claws as it flew past. The intelligent eagle was trying more for distraction than for injury, careful to stay far enough back to avoid getting drawn into the bear’s powerful hug. The two young giants tried to assist, but were of little help at first, too slow to anticipate the eagle’s rapid movements. Then Dana finished her latest summoning, and a pair of smaller celestial eagles appeared to assist in the fleeting attacks at the evil creatures.
Of course, the giants were in little real danger from the talons of even the giant eagle, but once again they were a bit slow to realize that.
Her summonings complete, Dana drew out the mithral chain from her pouch, and began spinning one end in a wide loop as she dove down lower to join the attack.
Lok was taking a pounding from the formorian barbarian, and while the giant’s legs were a mess of deep gashes, it seemed invincible as it continued to harry Lok. What was worse, the doughty genasi could already feel Cal’s protective enchantments start to wane, the spell durations only a few short seconds away from expiration. Time seemed to stand still as the two mighty combatants—one huge, the other not even five feet tall—faced off again, their weapons slick with the blood of their foes.
Then, suddenly, an image appeared in the air between the two, a hovering, female form that the genasi—and the giant, by the look on his face—instantly recognized. It was the familiar vaporous form of the elemental weird, her body just an outline in clouds of mist, her legs trailing off into insubstantiality below her. Her face had a look of finality on it as she pointed at the giant leader, at the gem that flared at his throat.
The giant roared in anger and defiance, and with a mighty sweep of his staff-spear slashed through the insubstantial form of the weird. The blow did no harm, of course; one cannot slay an illusion. But even though the distraction caused by Cal’s final glamour was just momentary, it was enough for Lok to take advantage.
The genasi leapt past the giant’s thick legs, his axe coming up in a powerful arc with his full strength behind it. The blow caught the giant in the hamstring, slicing skin and muscle and scoring the bone underneath. The giant cried out in sudden pain, shifting to face the warrior once more, the maneuver unbalancing it as the crippled limb gave out under it. Down it went, staggering. It was too strong yet to fall, and it caught itself by jamming the staff-spear into the ground and propping itself up on its good knee.
It might have recovered, given a few more seconds, although it would not be running any long distances anytime soon. But even as it struggled to rise, Lok came around behind it, and with a final mighty stroke severed the giant’s spine by burying his axe deep within its back.
The giant’s death-cry shattered the mountains, echoing off the nearby peaks. It struck the surviving giants like a hammer-blow, and even as the sounds faded the survivors broke and fled, seeking escape. The bear was the only creature not to retreat, still swiping in vain at the diving eagles, still fighting even as Dana blasted a ray of searing light into its head. Dazed and blinded, it finally turned to retreat back into the shelter of its cave, but it only made it half way before Benzan’s arrows finished it.
The companions gathered in the center of the canyon as quiet returned to the grim battlefield. Dead giants and the carcass of the mighty bear lay scattered about, and the rocks of the canyon floor were splattered everywhere with great gobs of blood. Only three of the giants had escaped with their lives, the two adolescents and the one that Cal had been battling on the far flank. Dana’s summoned allies had returned to their place of origin, the spell that drew them here only of short duration, and the four friends quickly turned toward treating their wounds. Only Cal had escaped injury, and there had been a few times where the giant’s blind attempts to strike him had missed by mere inches.
“Well, that was something,” Benzan said, breathing heavily as Dana treated his injuries with a healing spell. His quiver was empty, every arrow now buried in a giant corpse or shattered on the rocks. Lok handed him the rest of his arrows, while Cal plied his own healing arts upon the battered warrior.
Dana looked around, at the destruction that had been wrought here in the brief but violent battle. “Let’s get what we came for, and get out of this place.”
The others readily agreed.
Broccli_Head
Explorer
Viscious...but well worth the read!
Lazybones
Adventurer
Indeed, for a brief moment I'd feared that I'd written my heroes into a corner, but then I realized the old truism of adventuring/encounter generation: groups of foes who are extremely powerful in their physical attributes, but lacking in other talents, can often be taken out by a well-balanced group that is both smaller and "weaker" in terms of HD/levels.
Plus this encounter gave Cal a chance to show off his growing facility with illusion magic.
Today's update isn't really a cliffhanger per se, but it does mark a transition in the story. Now our companions have a set destination, although it will take a few more steps until they are ready to embark on that final transition into the Abyss. We'll see an old character return (NOT who you think
), spend some more time with the Harpers, and face yet another titanic battle sequence. Next week I'm at an on-site training all week for work, so my posts may be sporadic and/or at different times of day than is customary for me.
Thanks for reading!
Lazy
Note: if the Oracle's colored text is difficult to read on your browser, just highlight it for easier reading.
* * * * *
Book VIII, Part 10
Several days later, the companions stood once more at the edge of the cavern where they had first encountered the Oracle. The day was as brilliant and bright as on their last visit, with a sere wind that had drifted all the way up through the plains tugging at their cloaks as they entered through one of the broad openings.
“I still have a bad feeling about this,” Benzan said, his eyes darting through the shadows.
“We’ve come this far,” Dana said, so softly that she might have been talking to herself.
The four came warily forward, until they stood at the floor of the chamber, at the verge of the great well in the center.
The familiar wind rose once more, swirling within the chamber with a rush that filled their ears with sound and sent tingles of power running along their skin. Within that invisible maelstrom the elemental weird rose up once more from the omnipresent mists contained within the interminable depths of the well, her female shape taking hold out of the swaying tendrils of vapor. Once more those dark eyes fixed on them, eyes that saw places deep within.
“We have recovered your Stone,” Cal said.
I sense its presence among you. Drop it into the Well...
“Now wait a minute... lady...” Benzan said, pointing a finger at the insubstantial form hovering above them. “Taking on those giants was a bloody mess, and before we hand over anything, we want some answers, and quickly!”
The winds intensified, and a wailing echo filled the chamber with their passage, but the elemental creature’s expression seemed almost... amused.
You are suspicious, and your eyes shine with the fear that you cannot quite suppress. You need not be afraid, not here, Benzan... although that paranoia may serve you well, in that place where you seek to go...
Benzan swallowed, he did not respond, but the wariness was clear in his eyes. The weird rose up, and her body seemed to swell, until it was the size of a powerful man. Her gaze swept over them all, and the power of a storm flashed in her eyes. Her voice came again, an answer to the tiefling’s unspoken challenge, the threat in his manner and in the hand clutched tightly around the hilt of his magical sword.
You would find me an implacable foe, here in mine own demesne. But I am not your enemy. It is true that I used you to advance my own ends—but is that not the way of you mortal folk? You cling to your mortal existence with tenacity, and that greed for it, the miserly, desperate, temporary grasp on life, it infuses every bit of what you are. The lusts for power of your kind are just a reflection of that basic truth.
“What you say bears honesty,” Cal said, “But let that fact not overshadow the other potentials of we mortals. While it is true that our mortality drives us often to destruction, it can also lead us to savor the joys of life, to glory in the natural wonders of existence, and the gifts of brotherhood, of friendship, of love.”
The winds abruptly subsided, and the creature came forward to the edge of the well, shrinking until the translucent feminine outline of her upper body was about the size of Cal, close enough for any of them to reach out and touch her. Your words are true, for I see the unity of purpose that drives you. Cloaked in a shroud of fear and doubt and anger, it is yet founded in a selfless bond of friendship. For too long I have been bound to this reality, for me to be swayed by such sentiments as governed my outburst. The Stone, it is a locus of power that has served me as an anchor, and in its absence, I felt stirrings... raw emotions... hatred...
“We restore it to you freely,” Cal said quickly, removing it from an extradimensional pocket in his magical backpack. The artifact seemed to swell as he drew it out, but Cal held it easily despite the fact that it was larger than his head. It pulsed in his hands with both light and feeling, and as he held it over the vapors of the well, toward the weird, the whistling wind seemed to beat in tune with those energies within the rock.
And then he dropped it, and it vanished into the mists instantly. They could detect no immediate results, as the swirling clouds confined within the well continued their movements unaffected, but the Oracle seemed to swell up, and her otherworldly visage broke momentarily into a smile.
You have honored your commitment, and so thus must I... She said, drawing back from them into the center of the chamber, again impersonal and distant, an otherworldly being with knowledge beyond the scope of their mortal understanding. And as she spoke, each of them heard the words echo not only through the interior of the cavern, but in their very being. They knew that now, she spoke not as the elemental that had requested their aid, but as the Oracle, the Mistress of Journeys.
You already bear the answer, she began. That which your adversary sought, twice the Key, once for entry, and once for understanding.
Cal, Lok, and Dana shifted their eyes to Benzan, whose hand had fallen reflexively to cover the pouch at his hip, the pouch where the black statue rested in its safe concealment.
“How did you know...” Benzan said, trailing off.
You must return to the place where you confronted Him, your true foe, through the agency of his chosen, your friend. That is where your journey truly begins. With the Key, the power of the Moonmaiden can unlock the door.
Dana nodded, understanding. She already knew the question that the Oracle had just answered, had tried to uncover whether her plane shift spell could take her to where Delem was imprisoned. Her patroness had told her that she would not need to, but Dana had not understood until later that this meant that Delem would come to them, drawn by the inexorable link that still bound them all together.
But that binding was now corrupted, tainted by the presence of another actor in this drama. The adversary of whom the Oracle spoke, the one that held their friend’s soul captive.
The one whose Lair they now sought.
The Key opens your way, but be wary, traveler. The Key cannot pass through the Portal, nor can it be used again after the initial sundering, until the balance between the planes has once again been restored.
Benzan shot a quick side glance at Cal. “You get any of that?” he whispered.
“Quiet,” the gnome returned.
Once the sundering has begun, the warp in the weave will persist until the rip in the fabric of time and space can heal of its own accord. At this time the ones of mortal flesh, if their hearts be true to their cause, can pass through. But a warning. Those on the far side, in the realm of the tanar’ri, can pass through as well, and their lords, if alerted to the tear, can block that mending, and keep the connection intact for their own ends.
“How do we keep that from happening?” Dana asked.
You must remain close to the portal until it closes, and then you are free to depart on the next leg of your journey. But be forewarned, the opening of the portal will likely draw a response from residents of that realm on the far side.
“Great. So we ring a nice loud bell that we’ve arrived, and we can’t do anything about it until this ‘rip’ heals,” Benzan grumbled. “It just gets better and better.”
The road you have chosen is difficult, but not impossible. It may lead you to unexpected destinations, but remember this: the path may twist and turn, and try to draw you astray, but always it is you that chooses which way you walk. Such is the way of journeys; I can help illuminate the road for you, but ultimately you must choose to walk upon the stones of the path.
Benzan and Cal each opened their mouths to speak another question, but as the Oracle’s final words faded, the wind suddenly picked up once more, filling the cavern with a gust that seemed to want to pick them up and toss them about. The companions retreated a few steps from the well, clutching at their clothes tugged by the winds. Then, abruptly, the winds died, and when they looked up, the Oracle was gone.
Plus this encounter gave Cal a chance to show off his growing facility with illusion magic.
Today's update isn't really a cliffhanger per se, but it does mark a transition in the story. Now our companions have a set destination, although it will take a few more steps until they are ready to embark on that final transition into the Abyss. We'll see an old character return (NOT who you think
), spend some more time with the Harpers, and face yet another titanic battle sequence. Next week I'm at an on-site training all week for work, so my posts may be sporadic and/or at different times of day than is customary for me. Thanks for reading!
Lazy
Note: if the Oracle's colored text is difficult to read on your browser, just highlight it for easier reading.
* * * * *
Book VIII, Part 10
Several days later, the companions stood once more at the edge of the cavern where they had first encountered the Oracle. The day was as brilliant and bright as on their last visit, with a sere wind that had drifted all the way up through the plains tugging at their cloaks as they entered through one of the broad openings.
“I still have a bad feeling about this,” Benzan said, his eyes darting through the shadows.
“We’ve come this far,” Dana said, so softly that she might have been talking to herself.
The four came warily forward, until they stood at the floor of the chamber, at the verge of the great well in the center.
The familiar wind rose once more, swirling within the chamber with a rush that filled their ears with sound and sent tingles of power running along their skin. Within that invisible maelstrom the elemental weird rose up once more from the omnipresent mists contained within the interminable depths of the well, her female shape taking hold out of the swaying tendrils of vapor. Once more those dark eyes fixed on them, eyes that saw places deep within.
“We have recovered your Stone,” Cal said.
I sense its presence among you. Drop it into the Well...
“Now wait a minute... lady...” Benzan said, pointing a finger at the insubstantial form hovering above them. “Taking on those giants was a bloody mess, and before we hand over anything, we want some answers, and quickly!”
The winds intensified, and a wailing echo filled the chamber with their passage, but the elemental creature’s expression seemed almost... amused.
You are suspicious, and your eyes shine with the fear that you cannot quite suppress. You need not be afraid, not here, Benzan... although that paranoia may serve you well, in that place where you seek to go...
Benzan swallowed, he did not respond, but the wariness was clear in his eyes. The weird rose up, and her body seemed to swell, until it was the size of a powerful man. Her gaze swept over them all, and the power of a storm flashed in her eyes. Her voice came again, an answer to the tiefling’s unspoken challenge, the threat in his manner and in the hand clutched tightly around the hilt of his magical sword.
You would find me an implacable foe, here in mine own demesne. But I am not your enemy. It is true that I used you to advance my own ends—but is that not the way of you mortal folk? You cling to your mortal existence with tenacity, and that greed for it, the miserly, desperate, temporary grasp on life, it infuses every bit of what you are. The lusts for power of your kind are just a reflection of that basic truth.
“What you say bears honesty,” Cal said, “But let that fact not overshadow the other potentials of we mortals. While it is true that our mortality drives us often to destruction, it can also lead us to savor the joys of life, to glory in the natural wonders of existence, and the gifts of brotherhood, of friendship, of love.”
The winds abruptly subsided, and the creature came forward to the edge of the well, shrinking until the translucent feminine outline of her upper body was about the size of Cal, close enough for any of them to reach out and touch her. Your words are true, for I see the unity of purpose that drives you. Cloaked in a shroud of fear and doubt and anger, it is yet founded in a selfless bond of friendship. For too long I have been bound to this reality, for me to be swayed by such sentiments as governed my outburst. The Stone, it is a locus of power that has served me as an anchor, and in its absence, I felt stirrings... raw emotions... hatred...
“We restore it to you freely,” Cal said quickly, removing it from an extradimensional pocket in his magical backpack. The artifact seemed to swell as he drew it out, but Cal held it easily despite the fact that it was larger than his head. It pulsed in his hands with both light and feeling, and as he held it over the vapors of the well, toward the weird, the whistling wind seemed to beat in tune with those energies within the rock.
And then he dropped it, and it vanished into the mists instantly. They could detect no immediate results, as the swirling clouds confined within the well continued their movements unaffected, but the Oracle seemed to swell up, and her otherworldly visage broke momentarily into a smile.
You have honored your commitment, and so thus must I... She said, drawing back from them into the center of the chamber, again impersonal and distant, an otherworldly being with knowledge beyond the scope of their mortal understanding. And as she spoke, each of them heard the words echo not only through the interior of the cavern, but in their very being. They knew that now, she spoke not as the elemental that had requested their aid, but as the Oracle, the Mistress of Journeys.
You already bear the answer, she began. That which your adversary sought, twice the Key, once for entry, and once for understanding.
Cal, Lok, and Dana shifted their eyes to Benzan, whose hand had fallen reflexively to cover the pouch at his hip, the pouch where the black statue rested in its safe concealment.
“How did you know...” Benzan said, trailing off.
You must return to the place where you confronted Him, your true foe, through the agency of his chosen, your friend. That is where your journey truly begins. With the Key, the power of the Moonmaiden can unlock the door.
Dana nodded, understanding. She already knew the question that the Oracle had just answered, had tried to uncover whether her plane shift spell could take her to where Delem was imprisoned. Her patroness had told her that she would not need to, but Dana had not understood until later that this meant that Delem would come to them, drawn by the inexorable link that still bound them all together.
But that binding was now corrupted, tainted by the presence of another actor in this drama. The adversary of whom the Oracle spoke, the one that held their friend’s soul captive.
The one whose Lair they now sought.
The Key opens your way, but be wary, traveler. The Key cannot pass through the Portal, nor can it be used again after the initial sundering, until the balance between the planes has once again been restored.
Benzan shot a quick side glance at Cal. “You get any of that?” he whispered.
“Quiet,” the gnome returned.
Once the sundering has begun, the warp in the weave will persist until the rip in the fabric of time and space can heal of its own accord. At this time the ones of mortal flesh, if their hearts be true to their cause, can pass through. But a warning. Those on the far side, in the realm of the tanar’ri, can pass through as well, and their lords, if alerted to the tear, can block that mending, and keep the connection intact for their own ends.
“How do we keep that from happening?” Dana asked.
You must remain close to the portal until it closes, and then you are free to depart on the next leg of your journey. But be forewarned, the opening of the portal will likely draw a response from residents of that realm on the far side.
“Great. So we ring a nice loud bell that we’ve arrived, and we can’t do anything about it until this ‘rip’ heals,” Benzan grumbled. “It just gets better and better.”
The road you have chosen is difficult, but not impossible. It may lead you to unexpected destinations, but remember this: the path may twist and turn, and try to draw you astray, but always it is you that chooses which way you walk. Such is the way of journeys; I can help illuminate the road for you, but ultimately you must choose to walk upon the stones of the path.
Benzan and Cal each opened their mouths to speak another question, but as the Oracle’s final words faded, the wind suddenly picked up once more, filling the cavern with a gust that seemed to want to pick them up and toss them about. The companions retreated a few steps from the well, clutching at their clothes tugged by the winds. Then, abruptly, the winds died, and when they looked up, the Oracle was gone.
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