Zad
First Post
The Grand Tour Chapter 10
The Grand Tour - Chapter 10
OOC Notes:
Experience is 3700.
Notes for Next Time:
Some day we’ll actually get to go shopping without something exploding.
Loot:
+2 shocking burst rapier
+? Studded leather
masterwork shield
4 darts +1 returning (Bolo)
4 masterwork darts
2 gems 5000gp each
This Week’s Adventure:
We were still trying to orient when we heard an explosion off in the maze. We figured it had something do with the deva and tried to orient off it. We headed off to the right deeper into the maze. We hadn’t gone very far when we got another taste of the Lady’s sense of justice – apparently while there was a way out of the maze, it was more likely that the local wildlife would kill you.
Out of the higher ethereal came five twisted dog-like creatures. They had three single fangs spaced around their gaping maws – Scorch called them ethereal marauders. They certainly weren’t friendly. They appeared in our midst and things got very tense, very quickly.
As they appeared, they tore into whoever was closest. Valanthe sprung into action and came behind one and nearly gutted it, but it was holding on. I didn’t want to be firing at such close range for fear of reprisals, and flew up some feet and finished off what Valanthe had started.
Scorch had a nice position for a cone of cold, and showed no hesitation in using one. Neither of the two he caught died, but they were frostburnt in several areas. Dravot moved up with the hammer we “borrowed” from Mortimer and smashed one, and Bolo shifted into an elephant and gored another. Aethramyr killed a third, leaving one left. Valanthe sliced at it and I turned my attention to it and it collapsed with the rest.
Bolo wanted to stay as an elephant, but given his size, and the fact that the hallway was so narrow, there was little he could do but go forward. So he grudgingly returned to his own form and we moved on.
At the next intersection, I noticed a brief ripple in the wall. It was hard to describe but I had definitely seen something. As we moved further up, I saw it again. It wasn’t the wall – it was someone camouflaged and watching us. We talked among ourselves over the scale but it seemed to notice we were talking about it, and it took off running. As it moved I could tell it had some kind of bladed weapon and that it was humanoid, but there was little else to see.
Valanthe was convinced it was a yuan-ti. Bolo tried to use a faerie fire to outline her but she put a minor globe of invulnerability in the way and blocked the spell. Scorch got off a hold monster however, and that held her still. We then closed in and Scorch tried to charm her. That didn’t work. I tried as well, sure that she would resist me, and I wasn’t proven wrong. Bolo however got through her defenses, and she was now charmed.
Of course she was speaking in Abyssal, and Bolo could not understand her. Scorch served as translator, and he later told me there were any number of interesting epithets included in her words, but he filtered them out during the translation process.
On her we found one of the deva eggs as well as her rapier and a wand of minor glove of invulnerability (7 charges). If the egg hatched here, the deva would be twisted and corrupted. Fortunately Bolo’s bag of holding was still working even on the deep ethereal and we secured the egg inside so that if it hatched, it would be on the astral and it would be much better off for it.
The yuan-ti was apparently one of the hooded figures in the shop, and it said that its partner had another egg, while the corrupted deva had the remaining one. Her partner was a goblin, which would account for the short height.
Valanthe was scouting ahead and noticed a goblin hiding down at the next corner. While a yuan-ti is abstract and a new thing, I know what to do about goblins. I asked Valanthe over the scale where he was, and once she gave me the general location I could see him easily enough.
So I turned and fired on him. Seeing her chance, the yuan-ti started attacking as well. Of course Dravot simply stepped up to her and cast Slay Living on her, and when his hand touched her shoulder, she shuddered and collapsed immediately.
The goblin was no ordinary goblin, but it was still a goblin. And it fought hard for the rest of its life, which was all of five seconds.
The goblin had a masterwork shield and magical studded leather, and four magical darts, as well as four masterwork darts and two valuable gems. And of course, the second egg which we quickly stored as we had the first.
Elsewhere in the maze there was more noise. Rubble was flying up from the maze from somewhere fairly close. Unfortunately it flew up and before getting swept into the ethereal wind, it struck a gigantic creature that swam through the ether overhead. We had seen one pass over before but it showed no interest in us. However this one, having been struck, started looking down on the vast maze to find the cause, or perhaps just its next meal.
Scorch said it was an ethereal dreadnaught and not to be toyed with. We quickly hide against the walls. Unfortunately some of us were more used to this than others, and several of us were still easily visible from above. Scorch conjured up an illusion and covered us with it, hoping the beast would pass us by, but it was still looking for its prey.
Scorch tried to draw it off by creating some large dragon like creature and having it squawk and holler as the source of the debris. The thing reacted, and turned its eye toward the illusion and a glowing cone shone forth, and the illusion disappeared. The beast was unsure what to make of this, but it didn’t matter much longer.
One of the dabus came floating down the hallway, and the beast saw it. The creature roared a challenge but the dabus either didn’t understand or didn’t care. The creature gazed for a moment and a cone of anti-magic and the illusion fell, revealing us. There seemed to be no way to avoid taking on this beast directly.
The dreadnaught landed with bone jarring force on the maze, shattering walls all around where it impacted. A wave of terror washed over us, much like with Nightscale. It seems that self-preservation has a strong voice when facing down beasts that are sure to end one’s life. I was rattled by this but kept moving regardless.
Bolo ran up to the dreadnaught, and it roared down on him and snapped him up in its massive jaws and swallowed him. There wasn’t even time to be shocked before his mental voice was screaming over the scale – apparently he was still alive inside the beast.
We began to fan out to avoid the anti-magic cone. Valanthe tried to dodge in closer but the beast snapped her up and swallowed her also. Scorch and I moved to one side while Aethramyr angled to the other.
The dabus was still in front of the beast, and the dreadnaught bit at it. I think it expected the dabus to move but it stood completely still, and the beast smashed its face into the nearby wall. [No matter how big you are, you still roll a one occasionally.] At least it turned off the anti-magic ray.
Valanthe and Bolo were both hurt but alive inside, and Valanthe was able to shadow-shift out with Bolo, so they were safer, for now. We were finally in position to attack in earnest. Aethramyr was in position and bore down hard with Shatterspike, leaving huge gashes. Scorch dropped a huge fireball that blackened the entire upper half of the creature, and I let loose with a full volley, but the beast was still on its feet despite the serious wounds we had given it.
It was not however entirely stupid. It had wanted a simple meal, and was now in great danger, and it decided it was time to leave. It heaved itself up into the deep ethereal currents. Aethramyr tried to fire an arrow at it but it was blown away by the currents almost immediately. Scorch threw another fireball but it fizzled against the creature. He had one more chance before it got too far away, and this one struck and detonated, and the beast crashed back into the maze, destroying another huge swath of it.
Since a good bit of the maze was now rubble, it was a lot easier to navigate through and we set off for the general area we thought we could find the deva. As we were leaving, I turned to the dabus and said “Clean up this mess,” and waved at the vast area of rubble an debris with a grin.
In some areas the maze was slowly reassembling itself, but it was also cracking at the foundation. I began to wonder if something was damaging the platform on which the whole thing stood and if our time was growing short. At the end of the hall was a large room with four exits, one of which was a glowing blue portal. In some areas there were scorch marks and the stone had been cut away, or simply cut at.
In the room was the deva, slashing at the floor. It looked like an angel but scarred and twisted. Its wings looked like they had been melted by a candle, and were not capable of flight. It’s face was twisted and askew, as if made of clay and shifted. It glowed with a whitish grey light, but smoke was coming from it in places also. In it’s hand was a huge, flaming sword. This too looked like something made of wax and melted in a candle flame, but still vicious.
Lying on the floor was the last egg. From time to time the deva looked at it and hefted its blade, as if considering cutting it open.
This was one of the saddest things I have seen in my life. The poor thing was clearly in pain and seemed quite insane. None of us thought there was any hope of saving it, and instead we should be merciful and let it rest. We braced ourselves and entered the room.
Valanthe quickly moved for the egg and spirited it away before the deva realized what was happening. I loosed a volley and it did injure it, but the poor thing seemed just disinterested. It swooped in and attacked Aethramyr, the wicked sword nicking at him.
Scorch tried to kill it outright with a death spell but it failed, as did a lightning bolt. Aethramyr returned the attack landing some solid blows.
But then more surprises. Dravot entered the room and it recoiled from him, and said in broken celestial “Why are you hurting me?”
We all realized that the poor creature may not be as far gone as we had assumed. I immediately felt ashamed at our acts, and shed a tear for this poor creature that had only been a victim. We all stood back and let Dravot approach it.
He shared words with the creature, which seemed hesitant and scared but somehow recognized Dravot’s holy symbol. It was willing to let him try to help, and Dravot did just that. He cast Heal, which drained him more than usual, but the deva looked vastly improved and some semblance of sanity returned to its divine face. It said the sword still burned however. Dravot believed it was cursed, and used the chalice to remove the curse.
The deva stood up, looking vastly improved and taller and straighter. It was still not well, but it was much better than it had been. I dearly hoped that we could find a way to make it well, and I prayed it would be able to forgive us.
Scorch and Valanthe turned to the blue portal. The portal itself was some kind of planar gate but was blocked by a barrier. Scorch dropped it with a disintegrate, and he and Valanthe determined it lead to Asgard.
Asgard seemed a lot better place, both for us and for the deva, and so we went through, leaving the Lady’s “justice” behind. We weren’t sure what would happen to Mortimer and his son, but we assumed that once the deva and the eggs were gone, the Lady would be satisfied. Certainly we would be.
We were pulled through a long golden portal, and could hear the sounds growing of battle and crying horns off in the distance. The air felt suddenly warm and I could smell fresh bread and mutton and the sounds of a great hall. As I came out of the portal, I saw Scorch holding an immense mug of beer and smiling. Just as I came through, a massive bearded man of twelve feet slammed a giant mug into my arms (for it was much too large for my hands). I was bowled over by it, and it seemed I wasn’t alone – only Aethramyr and somehow Scorch managed to hold their feet.
The large man smiled a warm, toothy grin approvingly at Aethramyr and bellowed “Ah, that’s the way! A WARRIOR’S way! WE EAT!” and he laughed and strode into the hall.
The hall had hundreds of warriors and vast tables filled with food and drink.
And eat we did.
Bolo kept looking furtively at the large man at the center of it all. Finally he asked “Is that… Kord?”
At which Scorch and a couple others turned to him and nodded, all with goblets or legs of mutton or what not in hand. He looked at us expecting some kind of reaction. Finally he said “Aren’t you the least bit awed that you are sitting with the God of Strength?!?”
We all just looked at him blankly. After a long pause, Dravot said “You’re new to traveling with us. Eventually you just get used to this kind of thing.” And we shrugged and nodded and resumed eating.
The deva wasn’t too overwhelmed fortunately and seemed as eager for a meal as any of us, and it was content to go along for the ride.
After a long fine meal and bit of soldier’s revelry, we had to think of our charge, and the remaining three eggs. Asgard would not be terrible, but we agreed that taking them to the Elysium fields would be best. We thanked Kord warmly for his hospitality, and wished him well. Scorch made use of some bit of Elysium essence that Dravot had and was able to shift us to the fields.
Waiting for us were two angelic beings. (Solars apparently.) One of them looked very stern, but the other was very friendly. Dravot recognized him and called him “Mel.” They were waiting to take the eggs from us, and we gladly handed them over. They assured us that the deva could be restored, and they took him gently away. Mel and Dravot had a conversation to one side while we admired the view.
Unfortunately we were now stuck, at least for a day until Scorch could take us back with a spell, or perhaps if we could find a portal back to Sigil. The various beings present were welcoming in various degrees. They seemed very warm towards Dravot and Aethramyr, and slightly cooler to each of us.
Bolo started muttering something about going to see Ehlonna, who apparently was on this plane, and started asking for directions from the nearest celestial he could find.
So tonight we rest in the Elysium fields, and tomorrow go back to Sigil and try to go shopping yet again. This is of course assuming we haven’t offended the Lady, otherwise our reception could be unpleasant indeed.
The Grand Tour - Chapter 10
OOC Notes:
Experience is 3700.
Notes for Next Time:
Some day we’ll actually get to go shopping without something exploding.
Loot:
+2 shocking burst rapier
+? Studded leather
masterwork shield
4 darts +1 returning (Bolo)
4 masterwork darts
2 gems 5000gp each
This Week’s Adventure:
We were still trying to orient when we heard an explosion off in the maze. We figured it had something do with the deva and tried to orient off it. We headed off to the right deeper into the maze. We hadn’t gone very far when we got another taste of the Lady’s sense of justice – apparently while there was a way out of the maze, it was more likely that the local wildlife would kill you.
Out of the higher ethereal came five twisted dog-like creatures. They had three single fangs spaced around their gaping maws – Scorch called them ethereal marauders. They certainly weren’t friendly. They appeared in our midst and things got very tense, very quickly.
As they appeared, they tore into whoever was closest. Valanthe sprung into action and came behind one and nearly gutted it, but it was holding on. I didn’t want to be firing at such close range for fear of reprisals, and flew up some feet and finished off what Valanthe had started.
Scorch had a nice position for a cone of cold, and showed no hesitation in using one. Neither of the two he caught died, but they were frostburnt in several areas. Dravot moved up with the hammer we “borrowed” from Mortimer and smashed one, and Bolo shifted into an elephant and gored another. Aethramyr killed a third, leaving one left. Valanthe sliced at it and I turned my attention to it and it collapsed with the rest.
Bolo wanted to stay as an elephant, but given his size, and the fact that the hallway was so narrow, there was little he could do but go forward. So he grudgingly returned to his own form and we moved on.
At the next intersection, I noticed a brief ripple in the wall. It was hard to describe but I had definitely seen something. As we moved further up, I saw it again. It wasn’t the wall – it was someone camouflaged and watching us. We talked among ourselves over the scale but it seemed to notice we were talking about it, and it took off running. As it moved I could tell it had some kind of bladed weapon and that it was humanoid, but there was little else to see.
Valanthe was convinced it was a yuan-ti. Bolo tried to use a faerie fire to outline her but she put a minor globe of invulnerability in the way and blocked the spell. Scorch got off a hold monster however, and that held her still. We then closed in and Scorch tried to charm her. That didn’t work. I tried as well, sure that she would resist me, and I wasn’t proven wrong. Bolo however got through her defenses, and she was now charmed.
Of course she was speaking in Abyssal, and Bolo could not understand her. Scorch served as translator, and he later told me there were any number of interesting epithets included in her words, but he filtered them out during the translation process.
On her we found one of the deva eggs as well as her rapier and a wand of minor glove of invulnerability (7 charges). If the egg hatched here, the deva would be twisted and corrupted. Fortunately Bolo’s bag of holding was still working even on the deep ethereal and we secured the egg inside so that if it hatched, it would be on the astral and it would be much better off for it.
The yuan-ti was apparently one of the hooded figures in the shop, and it said that its partner had another egg, while the corrupted deva had the remaining one. Her partner was a goblin, which would account for the short height.
Valanthe was scouting ahead and noticed a goblin hiding down at the next corner. While a yuan-ti is abstract and a new thing, I know what to do about goblins. I asked Valanthe over the scale where he was, and once she gave me the general location I could see him easily enough.
So I turned and fired on him. Seeing her chance, the yuan-ti started attacking as well. Of course Dravot simply stepped up to her and cast Slay Living on her, and when his hand touched her shoulder, she shuddered and collapsed immediately.
The goblin was no ordinary goblin, but it was still a goblin. And it fought hard for the rest of its life, which was all of five seconds.
The goblin had a masterwork shield and magical studded leather, and four magical darts, as well as four masterwork darts and two valuable gems. And of course, the second egg which we quickly stored as we had the first.
Elsewhere in the maze there was more noise. Rubble was flying up from the maze from somewhere fairly close. Unfortunately it flew up and before getting swept into the ethereal wind, it struck a gigantic creature that swam through the ether overhead. We had seen one pass over before but it showed no interest in us. However this one, having been struck, started looking down on the vast maze to find the cause, or perhaps just its next meal.
Scorch said it was an ethereal dreadnaught and not to be toyed with. We quickly hide against the walls. Unfortunately some of us were more used to this than others, and several of us were still easily visible from above. Scorch conjured up an illusion and covered us with it, hoping the beast would pass us by, but it was still looking for its prey.
Scorch tried to draw it off by creating some large dragon like creature and having it squawk and holler as the source of the debris. The thing reacted, and turned its eye toward the illusion and a glowing cone shone forth, and the illusion disappeared. The beast was unsure what to make of this, but it didn’t matter much longer.
One of the dabus came floating down the hallway, and the beast saw it. The creature roared a challenge but the dabus either didn’t understand or didn’t care. The creature gazed for a moment and a cone of anti-magic and the illusion fell, revealing us. There seemed to be no way to avoid taking on this beast directly.
The dreadnaught landed with bone jarring force on the maze, shattering walls all around where it impacted. A wave of terror washed over us, much like with Nightscale. It seems that self-preservation has a strong voice when facing down beasts that are sure to end one’s life. I was rattled by this but kept moving regardless.
Bolo ran up to the dreadnaught, and it roared down on him and snapped him up in its massive jaws and swallowed him. There wasn’t even time to be shocked before his mental voice was screaming over the scale – apparently he was still alive inside the beast.
We began to fan out to avoid the anti-magic cone. Valanthe tried to dodge in closer but the beast snapped her up and swallowed her also. Scorch and I moved to one side while Aethramyr angled to the other.
The dabus was still in front of the beast, and the dreadnaught bit at it. I think it expected the dabus to move but it stood completely still, and the beast smashed its face into the nearby wall. [No matter how big you are, you still roll a one occasionally.] At least it turned off the anti-magic ray.
Valanthe and Bolo were both hurt but alive inside, and Valanthe was able to shadow-shift out with Bolo, so they were safer, for now. We were finally in position to attack in earnest. Aethramyr was in position and bore down hard with Shatterspike, leaving huge gashes. Scorch dropped a huge fireball that blackened the entire upper half of the creature, and I let loose with a full volley, but the beast was still on its feet despite the serious wounds we had given it.
It was not however entirely stupid. It had wanted a simple meal, and was now in great danger, and it decided it was time to leave. It heaved itself up into the deep ethereal currents. Aethramyr tried to fire an arrow at it but it was blown away by the currents almost immediately. Scorch threw another fireball but it fizzled against the creature. He had one more chance before it got too far away, and this one struck and detonated, and the beast crashed back into the maze, destroying another huge swath of it.
Since a good bit of the maze was now rubble, it was a lot easier to navigate through and we set off for the general area we thought we could find the deva. As we were leaving, I turned to the dabus and said “Clean up this mess,” and waved at the vast area of rubble an debris with a grin.
In some areas the maze was slowly reassembling itself, but it was also cracking at the foundation. I began to wonder if something was damaging the platform on which the whole thing stood and if our time was growing short. At the end of the hall was a large room with four exits, one of which was a glowing blue portal. In some areas there were scorch marks and the stone had been cut away, or simply cut at.
In the room was the deva, slashing at the floor. It looked like an angel but scarred and twisted. Its wings looked like they had been melted by a candle, and were not capable of flight. It’s face was twisted and askew, as if made of clay and shifted. It glowed with a whitish grey light, but smoke was coming from it in places also. In it’s hand was a huge, flaming sword. This too looked like something made of wax and melted in a candle flame, but still vicious.
Lying on the floor was the last egg. From time to time the deva looked at it and hefted its blade, as if considering cutting it open.
This was one of the saddest things I have seen in my life. The poor thing was clearly in pain and seemed quite insane. None of us thought there was any hope of saving it, and instead we should be merciful and let it rest. We braced ourselves and entered the room.
Valanthe quickly moved for the egg and spirited it away before the deva realized what was happening. I loosed a volley and it did injure it, but the poor thing seemed just disinterested. It swooped in and attacked Aethramyr, the wicked sword nicking at him.
Scorch tried to kill it outright with a death spell but it failed, as did a lightning bolt. Aethramyr returned the attack landing some solid blows.
But then more surprises. Dravot entered the room and it recoiled from him, and said in broken celestial “Why are you hurting me?”
We all realized that the poor creature may not be as far gone as we had assumed. I immediately felt ashamed at our acts, and shed a tear for this poor creature that had only been a victim. We all stood back and let Dravot approach it.
He shared words with the creature, which seemed hesitant and scared but somehow recognized Dravot’s holy symbol. It was willing to let him try to help, and Dravot did just that. He cast Heal, which drained him more than usual, but the deva looked vastly improved and some semblance of sanity returned to its divine face. It said the sword still burned however. Dravot believed it was cursed, and used the chalice to remove the curse.
The deva stood up, looking vastly improved and taller and straighter. It was still not well, but it was much better than it had been. I dearly hoped that we could find a way to make it well, and I prayed it would be able to forgive us.
Scorch and Valanthe turned to the blue portal. The portal itself was some kind of planar gate but was blocked by a barrier. Scorch dropped it with a disintegrate, and he and Valanthe determined it lead to Asgard.
Asgard seemed a lot better place, both for us and for the deva, and so we went through, leaving the Lady’s “justice” behind. We weren’t sure what would happen to Mortimer and his son, but we assumed that once the deva and the eggs were gone, the Lady would be satisfied. Certainly we would be.
We were pulled through a long golden portal, and could hear the sounds growing of battle and crying horns off in the distance. The air felt suddenly warm and I could smell fresh bread and mutton and the sounds of a great hall. As I came out of the portal, I saw Scorch holding an immense mug of beer and smiling. Just as I came through, a massive bearded man of twelve feet slammed a giant mug into my arms (for it was much too large for my hands). I was bowled over by it, and it seemed I wasn’t alone – only Aethramyr and somehow Scorch managed to hold their feet.
The large man smiled a warm, toothy grin approvingly at Aethramyr and bellowed “Ah, that’s the way! A WARRIOR’S way! WE EAT!” and he laughed and strode into the hall.
The hall had hundreds of warriors and vast tables filled with food and drink.
And eat we did.
Bolo kept looking furtively at the large man at the center of it all. Finally he asked “Is that… Kord?”
At which Scorch and a couple others turned to him and nodded, all with goblets or legs of mutton or what not in hand. He looked at us expecting some kind of reaction. Finally he said “Aren’t you the least bit awed that you are sitting with the God of Strength?!?”
We all just looked at him blankly. After a long pause, Dravot said “You’re new to traveling with us. Eventually you just get used to this kind of thing.” And we shrugged and nodded and resumed eating.
The deva wasn’t too overwhelmed fortunately and seemed as eager for a meal as any of us, and it was content to go along for the ride.
After a long fine meal and bit of soldier’s revelry, we had to think of our charge, and the remaining three eggs. Asgard would not be terrible, but we agreed that taking them to the Elysium fields would be best. We thanked Kord warmly for his hospitality, and wished him well. Scorch made use of some bit of Elysium essence that Dravot had and was able to shift us to the fields.
Waiting for us were two angelic beings. (Solars apparently.) One of them looked very stern, but the other was very friendly. Dravot recognized him and called him “Mel.” They were waiting to take the eggs from us, and we gladly handed them over. They assured us that the deva could be restored, and they took him gently away. Mel and Dravot had a conversation to one side while we admired the view.
Unfortunately we were now stuck, at least for a day until Scorch could take us back with a spell, or perhaps if we could find a portal back to Sigil. The various beings present were welcoming in various degrees. They seemed very warm towards Dravot and Aethramyr, and slightly cooler to each of us.
Bolo started muttering something about going to see Ehlonna, who apparently was on this plane, and started asking for directions from the nearest celestial he could find.
So tonight we rest in the Elysium fields, and tomorrow go back to Sigil and try to go shopping yet again. This is of course assuming we haven’t offended the Lady, otherwise our reception could be unpleasant indeed.
Last edited:
