dungeon blaster
First Post
Rule #1: Never split the group
On the other side they stepped onto a narrow stone bridge, which extended to the far side of the room. Thousands of fist-sized stone spheres formed a floor about 10 feet below. ‘who has the time to do this kind of thing?’ Ehrune wondered. Etherik boldly began to walk across the bridge, fully expecting some sort of trap to spring. At least he wasn’t disappointed.
Stone spheres slammed into him from all sides, nearly causing him to fall off the bridge. The warlock withdrew to the mouth-opening, nursing his bruised ribs. Lindingar grabbed his arm and hissed, ‘I sense a spirit in here!’. Etherik didn’t need to sense it, he could see it at the edge of his eldritch vision, hovering in the ethereal plane and glaring at them malevolently. Etherik, being the only one able to actually see it, quailed at its horrific appearance.
The apparition looked to be no older than 13, although it was difficult to be certain. What was certain, however, was that this kid had died from a broken neck, as his ghostly head rested perpendicular to the rest of his body. As if dead kids weren’t creepy enough.
The ghost, realizing that at least one person could see into the ether, fully manifested, testing the group’s will against its horrific appearance. Lindingar had agreed to investigate the Cairn in the hopes that he would find spirits, and now that he finally encountered one (because elementals don’t really count), he did the thing he does best. He chastised its ectoplasmic ass back to the nether realms. As you’ll soon learn, it was probably not a good decision to destroy the spirit.
With the spirit gone, the group inspected the large metal door at the far end of the chamber. Despite ‘taking 20’ with their Search checks, they were unable to discern a method of opening the door. In fact, they had found the method (the ghost) and destroyed it. Utterly at a loss, the adventurers gathered what treasures they had found and returned to Diamond Lake, hoping an audience with Allustan might uncover the secrets of the impassable door.
Allustan offered to sell them a scroll of dispel magic, which they purchased. Ehrune noticed that Allustan was wearing a nice, shiny new ring. With a feather motif. The sage insisted that he was only keeping it until all the legal issues of ownership and payments for services rendered were cleared up.
Etherik, who had once again run afoul of the law, had taken to sleeping in the local graveyard. There he encountered several priestesses of Wee Jas and became interested in the enigmatic deity of death and magic. If only they weren’t so frigid, I mean rigid.
So, with scroll in hand and hope in heart, the adventurers returned once again to the Whispering Cairn. They figured that the impassable door could mean only one thing: they were almost at the end.
Back in the room with the stone spheres, they were surprised to see that the ghost had returned! Knowing that these guys meant business, it quickly offered parley. The ghost told them that it was once a 13 year old boy named Alastor Land, and that the skeleton lying on the floor in the previous room was its own. It offered to open the door, but only after they gave its bones a proper burial beside the bones of its family (who had long since died). Alastor instructed them to carry his bones to a farmstead a few miles outside of town. Not fully trusting the apparition, the group decided that Etherik would remain behind while the other two took care of the bones. Ehrune and Lindingar departed, leaving Etherik alone with the incorporeal spirit.
Alastor drifted slowly towards the warlock, a demoniac glare in his eyes.
‘Hey, what are you doing?’ Etherik asked, unknowingly taking a step back. ‘stay where you are’.
‘it’s been so long since I’ve felt…anything’. Alastor inched closer, grinning wickedly.
Etherik leapt back, trying to stay out of arm’s reach, but the ghost was faster. It darted forward, disappearing into Etherik’s body. His insides felt like ice and his vision blurred.
Deep within his own mind, Etherik could sense the presence of another entity possessing him, but even this tiniest of sensations was quickly fading. He could feel it controlling his body, forcing him to walk forward along the bridge…straight towards the trap.
The last thing he heard the apparition say before his mind went black: ‘this is going to be fun!’
On the other side they stepped onto a narrow stone bridge, which extended to the far side of the room. Thousands of fist-sized stone spheres formed a floor about 10 feet below. ‘who has the time to do this kind of thing?’ Ehrune wondered. Etherik boldly began to walk across the bridge, fully expecting some sort of trap to spring. At least he wasn’t disappointed.
Stone spheres slammed into him from all sides, nearly causing him to fall off the bridge. The warlock withdrew to the mouth-opening, nursing his bruised ribs. Lindingar grabbed his arm and hissed, ‘I sense a spirit in here!’. Etherik didn’t need to sense it, he could see it at the edge of his eldritch vision, hovering in the ethereal plane and glaring at them malevolently. Etherik, being the only one able to actually see it, quailed at its horrific appearance.
The apparition looked to be no older than 13, although it was difficult to be certain. What was certain, however, was that this kid had died from a broken neck, as his ghostly head rested perpendicular to the rest of his body. As if dead kids weren’t creepy enough.
The ghost, realizing that at least one person could see into the ether, fully manifested, testing the group’s will against its horrific appearance. Lindingar had agreed to investigate the Cairn in the hopes that he would find spirits, and now that he finally encountered one (because elementals don’t really count), he did the thing he does best. He chastised its ectoplasmic ass back to the nether realms. As you’ll soon learn, it was probably not a good decision to destroy the spirit.
With the spirit gone, the group inspected the large metal door at the far end of the chamber. Despite ‘taking 20’ with their Search checks, they were unable to discern a method of opening the door. In fact, they had found the method (the ghost) and destroyed it. Utterly at a loss, the adventurers gathered what treasures they had found and returned to Diamond Lake, hoping an audience with Allustan might uncover the secrets of the impassable door.
Allustan offered to sell them a scroll of dispel magic, which they purchased. Ehrune noticed that Allustan was wearing a nice, shiny new ring. With a feather motif. The sage insisted that he was only keeping it until all the legal issues of ownership and payments for services rendered were cleared up.
Etherik, who had once again run afoul of the law, had taken to sleeping in the local graveyard. There he encountered several priestesses of Wee Jas and became interested in the enigmatic deity of death and magic. If only they weren’t so frigid, I mean rigid.
So, with scroll in hand and hope in heart, the adventurers returned once again to the Whispering Cairn. They figured that the impassable door could mean only one thing: they were almost at the end.
Back in the room with the stone spheres, they were surprised to see that the ghost had returned! Knowing that these guys meant business, it quickly offered parley. The ghost told them that it was once a 13 year old boy named Alastor Land, and that the skeleton lying on the floor in the previous room was its own. It offered to open the door, but only after they gave its bones a proper burial beside the bones of its family (who had long since died). Alastor instructed them to carry his bones to a farmstead a few miles outside of town. Not fully trusting the apparition, the group decided that Etherik would remain behind while the other two took care of the bones. Ehrune and Lindingar departed, leaving Etherik alone with the incorporeal spirit.
Alastor drifted slowly towards the warlock, a demoniac glare in his eyes.
‘Hey, what are you doing?’ Etherik asked, unknowingly taking a step back. ‘stay where you are’.
‘it’s been so long since I’ve felt…anything’. Alastor inched closer, grinning wickedly.
Etherik leapt back, trying to stay out of arm’s reach, but the ghost was faster. It darted forward, disappearing into Etherik’s body. His insides felt like ice and his vision blurred.
Deep within his own mind, Etherik could sense the presence of another entity possessing him, but even this tiniest of sensations was quickly fading. He could feel it controlling his body, forcing him to walk forward along the bridge…straight towards the trap.
The last thing he heard the apparition say before his mind went black: ‘this is going to be fun!’