Dwarf

Baelinor's page

19 posts. Alias of Lorilithilrie.


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Valegrim wrote:
Baelinor, what energy was it if your reading this? Otherwise; will make a random table and just roll to see what it is; could be fire, force; cold; eletricity; ect.

Val, I did a prayer and sacrificed some gold (dont remember the amount a 1000 or so) and left it up to Donblas, since I (not the character) was in a hurry. However, if you ask me now, fire works for me ;p

BTW force isnt an option, just the normals fire, cold, electricity, acid, maybe sonic though I doubt it would be sonic as its pretty rare, less Donblas knows something I dont (which is undoubtably true)


Nightwish wrote:

Just thought I'd compile the buffs/gifts we got from the epic characters, to make sure everybody took note of them:

Kojan - +6 Con for duration of Fortitude spell
Balfic - +5 to skills/abilities/saves/attacks/damage (only to worshippers of the God of Darkness or followers of Balfic)
Fystor - +4 moral bonus (wizard) to attack/saves/skills, immunity to fear, +20 HP for 30 minutes (also 8 potions of Cure Moderate Wounds, given to Jewel)
Lorm - Mass Cat's Grace (+4 to DEX) for duration of spell
Baelinor - Mass Eagles Splendor (+4 to CHA) duration as Lvl 16; Mass Energy Resist (Val to choose energy type) duration as Lvl 17
Kormath - black box

Did I miss any? By the way, what are the particulars on the Mass Energy Resist? I couldn't find a spell by that name, but there is a spell "Resistance" (+1 to all saves), and a feat "Resist Energy" (resistance 10 vs chosen energy type). Is it a mass version of one of those, or something different?

I mixed the words up, it is Resist Energy, Mass. Its in the Complete Arcane and is just the mass form of Resist Energy in the Players Handbook (pg 272). Its like your 10pt comment, but at the level cast is 30 with a duration of 170min.


Sorry folks, I just am not getting the time to post...so quite rapidly.

Baelfic; "Apparently we still see things at a different level..." He laughs. "I am concerned about what Freda is bringing, the thing she managed to wake up/summon/create one of the ancient enemies akin to the ones sleeping in the ocean, that is what we need to deal with now."

Lorm; "I see folks are under a little misunderstanding, the quest things young adventurers are on was one I have been moving forward...it seems the Emporer finally agrees with me..at least publicly" Baelinor smiles. "The items our most noble hafling returned to me are those I created or otherwise obtained to aid those seeking to accomplish the tasks I set forth." pauses..."hmmm, well most of them anyway..."

At that Baelinor moves over to the Priest of Bast. In Egyptian: "I regret not having more time to spend and discuss at length the importance of this quest, set forth by me and my friend the High Priestess of Isis, Amber. But time is not in our favor now, so go with the Blessings of the Gods upon you and your comrads. And know that the Goddess Bast will undoubtably smile upon this work and in time yet grace all her faithful again."

"Please take these items as a sign of my appreciation for the work you set about doing and a hope that they may savely aid in even a little way your successful completion of this dire mission and you and your comrads safe return."

Baelinor will hand the items over (I havent had time to look through things so Val, up to you our I will take care of it later) and then offer up his own prayer (spell buff Mass Eagles splendor (lvl 16) and Mass Energy Resist (Val, pick the energy I think they would most likely encounter--swift prayer to Donblas I select the best one/some gold sacrifice... counts as lvl 17).

And then, he says in common; "May Donblas bless your adventure and justice strike down your foes. I look forward to seeing all of you safely back at the Temple of Donblas, I will keep some beer chilled..." He smiles.

"And now if you would move into the passage, I will ensure no-one follows." The temperature starts getting cold...freezing and ice begins to from in a wall like pattern around the doorway.


Okay folks, for the record;

Its Baelinor. Not Baylinor, not Bailinor, not Balinor or any of the other wrong combinations. B A E L I N O R.
---------------------------------------------------------------------

After the Solar finishes. Baelinor turns first to Lorm;

"Ah yes, of course he knows, he just didnt think it was important enough to let anyone else know..."

To Balfic;

"You misunderstand, it was not my axe I was question you about, but that which is coming along with our old aquaintance. The one with that unholy artifact that of which we can no doubt blame many an insanity since then on. That THING that she is traversing this land on is the Enemy, the real Enemy and as Donblas has commandeth what we must destroy. I would have hoped you would be aware of it..."

"That vampire is still chasing you? Given the rumors I have heard I would have thought you would have taken care of him by now. Never, fear though, I saved you once from him and intend to follow through with Donblas will and destroy all the little undeads before Freda arrives to feed her...spawn."

To Kormath and dragon;

"It would seem your have maintained your inward composer far better than the outward one...my most heartfelt blessings go out to your parents... I take it from your words your alliances have not changed and you still intend to deal with the comming enemy?"

He then approaches the Goddess Loviater..."Herald, if you will."


Not long after the last appearance a cold chill begins forming in the area. As the ground begins to show signs of ice forming a sudden brilliant light invades the area. As everyones eyes adjust to brilliance a figure steps through and the now solid ice crunches beneath his feat. The cold and light undoubtably radiate from this person, a dwarf by size and stature.

For those not familiar, the light itself puts all of good at ease. For the aura that radiates is undoubtably a sign of a champion of good, favored by the upper planes. This is obvious to all good creatures who lay eyes upon it.

As ones eyes are further drawn into the light, more features become apparent. Clad in full dwarven plate of exquisite design with gold runes and well placed gems, it is difficult to make out his features, but anyone would recognize he must hold some importance in the dwarven community. For only a master dwarven craftsman could design such a work.

Oddly the left arm bears an armor of a different designed, though obviously one was made to fit the other. The blue guantlet with glowing runes of white occasionally make a cracking sound as it passes through the air, ice dropping to the ground.

A beard arranged in egyptian style protrudes from under the helmet, attached in several places it wraps around his body and tucks under a great belt obviously made for someone of quite a large stature, yet firmly attached. Not made of leather but of some metal, also covered in runes, its presence though not as obvious as the guantlet is equally daunting.

A mace grasp firmly in one hand at the ready is equally disturbing for its size and his obviously ability to wield it with just one hand. The religious runes carved upon its white metal, reflect the aura surrounding him given it a similar holy look...or perhaps that is simply the natural state of the mace.

He carries a tremendously sized shield for a dwarf, easily able to cover someone much greater in stature. The heraldic designs mark him as Baelinor Stormwall High Priest of Donblas the Justice Maker for those who recognize such things.

Those of lawful alignment rapidly take notice that he is...there, as if all that around him were just a dream but he is unquestionably real. This is particularly noticeable when looking toward his feat. Those of chaos get the opposite impression.

He takes only a moment to survey the situation and begins to take actions to protect the young group and ensure they get off to a safe start. Undead near his light begin to smoke, a move of his holy symbol and a shout "Vile creatures of unholy night BEGONE!" and undead are blasted out of existance. A sweep of his mace an ranks before him are sent flying through buildings. A wall of ice appears to prevent a flank and once cleared a moment of prayer graces all within can except such blessings.

While doing so though, he speaks;

"Greatings, most stout adventurers, never fear I am here to aid. I am..." A figure suddenly emerges from apparently behind his shield covered from head to toe in dark ragged clothing, hunched and hidden in a booming voice it announces;

"BEHOLD AND TREMBLE BEFORE THE COMING OF BAELINOR STORMWALL,
HIGH PRIEST OF DONBLAS
HEARTHKINDLER AND MARGRAVE OF THE SOUTHERN HOLDS
FATHER OF THE LOST TRIBES
BEARER OF THE TITANS BAND; THE ICE GAUNTLET OF EQUINOX; THE STONE OF DESTINY; AND THE msbuskmufflemufflesmirk. (you cant make out this part)"

Then just as rapidly disappears again, apparently behind his shield, though no amount of looking detects anyone there.

Baelinor, as though nothing happened continues.

"Lorm that Emperor of yours better not be pulling my beard, I hope he met my axe was NEAR here and not around here within a several hundred mile radius...". "I swear that...BY THE SACRED LIGHT OF THE GODS, WHAT is THAT doing on this continent!

"Balfic!, I know your here what do you know about THAT THING being here?"

"Lorm, if he doesnt already know...please inform ehm..." Baelinor turns towards his shield "What? I know, I know..."
"His most Exhaulted Emperor, that one of THOSE things exist over that way...a bit ways off fortunately. I think we have a bit more of an issue than just the undead here."

"Cera, you would make a better impression on those you just meet if you prettied up a bit, rocks with spiky bits are probably okay for the dwarfs though. I would be careful about swinging that CHAOS around now that we know one of those are here. It might wake up your old hand wound..."

"Now, where is my AXE you utter desecration of all things living?" He directs to the nearest undead, holding his holy symbol high, the light growing again in brilliance...


Valegrim wrote:

Actually; it is used as a mace on the light mace table for weapons; but it is not shaped like a mace; it is about a 3ft long octogonoal piece is metal cut off flat at both ends. there is some leather cord rapped around one end for better grip; their are sigils and magic scrawled down each of the eight flats of the rod.

with detect magic and some time of concentration; you can the auras of transmutation, abjuration, univeral, divination, illusion, enchantment; the strongest bing universal and abjuration which are yellow with thick bands of red; the weakest is divination at blue; others are blue/yellow banded but most are yellow.

Each time you have seen a thick band of illusion of that color; your identify has been problematic and unreliable though you do get information.

Hey, changing my description...I liked mine better :)


Baelinor assembles everyone into an area lacking any furniture, he gently nudges the silent paladin, with a look of sympathy as only one who follows a god could understand.

“Bolts, hmmm, I am sure there are some around someplace, I will send them shortly after. Well then its time to get started. Don’t fret now, I have been setting this up for sometime.” And with a wave of the gauntlet icy symbols appear in the air and suddenly the floor beneath everyone leaps up to envelope the group. Within a heartbeat of that lines of power flow out from Baelinor’s feet crackling with energy they strike the globe and various geometric patterns of incredible complexity form on the surface.

For those within the globe, its as if time has stop, though you can still see and hear everything outside through some mystical means, you cannot move even in the slightest.

“Well, that looks quite good, don’t you think Amber?” then without waiting for a response. “Those that spy about look deep within the mystical pathways and those abominations I mention are quite adept and interfering with magical transports and such. But this, will get you well on your way and there isnt so much anyone can do about it.” He winks, then grabbing his oversized mace in two hands takes a mighty swing at the globe. “Look ye for the ship the Sea Fury, with that one the High Priestess made arrangements.” He says as the mace strikes.

Great powers collide at his strike and the globe is sent flying straight towards an icy wall. Impact occurs before anyone could gasp, even if you could gasp. However, no impact occurs, its as if the walls themselves open a passage for the sphere to pass through and pass through it does with great speed, crossing 100s of feet of ice (no rooms beyond the one you were in are seen for those thinking of such matters) in a matter of moments and then quite suddenly you are out of the temple and flying through the air.

Your trajectory takes you higher and higher, below you can see the various encampments and places you have traveled as well as the pyramid growing ever more distant. Oddly enough everyone inside the globe is quite calm. It doesn’t take much thought to understand that this is an effect of the magic Baelinor used. After a surprisingly short time the globe begins to descend from its great height and the sea as well as the Egyptian armies ocean landing area comes into view, tiny at first then growing quite large as you can see 1000s upon 1000s of tents and makeshift camps set up.

Eventually the sphere strikes ground with a thud on a beach a mile or so from any inhabitants of the army. It bounces for a bit then rolls into the ocean. As it touches the salty water it you find the magic holding you static fade away and slowly then more rapidly the ice melts till all are standing in ankle depth sea water.

Looking about you can see that this is not the first sphere that struck this area and in fact the area seems to be roped off, for quite some distance. The impacts are scattered all around and even at the ropes edges you can see a few beyond it. It occurs to you that Baelinor did in fact mention his aim wasn’t so good these days…

Shortly there after another sphere of ice, smaller appears on the horizon. It follows a different trajectory than the one you took, though it will still land within the corded off area. Within it you find various bolts, arrows a couple of quivers and even a few javelins. A small mouse runs out of a quiver straight a ThoronHen, it drops a wadded up piece of velum at his feat then scurries off.

Opening the paper will reveal a hastily scrawled note in elvish…you will note that the elvish is also a bit difficult to understand it appears some of the characters are not used much anymore. But even so, it can be understood well enough.

‘This is what I could find in the time I had, hope it serves you well---Baelinor.’

I will let Val, fill in the blanks, if you want to look around while flying, he can describe various things of importance and if there is additional items to be found within Baelinor’s care package its his opportunity to fit them in.

Also, as far as whether Vals a stickler for details its yes and no. Generally speaking he will assuming you made the “best” choice. However, in specific situations; say you find a sword that with one swing will wipe out the undead, he will be a stickler and you should tell him you are taking it, otherwise he might assume you left it. Or you have a spell that could protect you from that undead touch, you have to say you are using it otherwise your not. In this instance, he wants you to have these items so that he can be mean and nasty later on and throw vicious horrible things at you and not feel as bad…j/k...well not entirely.


"We knew this day would come...Ah yes of course we did. Um, excuse me for a moment." Baelinor looks about for a moment. "Ah yes, here we are." He reaches into the ice as if it were liquid and pulls out a shield and sets it down. Then, walks over to another location in the room and performs the same trick, this time pulling out a crossbow. This continues for a few more minutes, a rod appears, some scroll cases and a few potions.

"Yes, yes, this ought to do." He smiles to himself. He then gathers the items up into one location and picks up the shield. Walking over to Rama;

"Sir Rama, this shield bears upon itself the true disposition of its wearer. Its power is to protect against those who share a...different view point. The more different, the stronger its protection. Please accept this for I am sure it will serve you well.” As you grab the shield you feel a magical tingle and then the blank surface begins to shine and a single arrow similar to the one Baelinor wears about neck appears on a white background. Baelinor just smiles..”As if we didn’t all know that.”

He then walks back to the pile and pulls forth a rod.

“Erkholt, Priest of Moradin., please accept this. Twas held not only by my hand but by the great mage Fystor as well. It holds great power against magical constructs and beings not from this world.” The rod is solid metal, mithril possibly, its weight is comfortable, similar to a heavy mace. It has no apparent seams and flairs to a ball shape at the opposite end, where on various magical sigils are inlaid.

And then back to the pile. He pulls forth a crossbow.

“ThoronHen, there was a time a fancied myself a fair shot, but a certain…person…friendly mind you, was a bit too big for her britches and tried to pull off a quite amazing stunt and now my aims a bit off. Well, that is the short of it anyhow. I came upon a couple of these with some comrades but never got much use out of it. I think it might serve you quite well. Hmmm, don’t quite remember how to work it, but you’re a smart elf, so I am sure you will figure it out. Just don’t go pointing it at folk even while not loaded, likely hurt someone.” The crossbow itself is of the light variety, though there are several mystical symbols along the wood as well as a few buttons near the trigger.

He turns to Lshay.

“Lshay Le Fey, now it wouldn’t be right to leave out such a pretty lady. So, a friend of mine, Bob, a halfing of some repute did drop this off some time ago. Said that if ever a fey should stop buy I should make sure to pass it along, wouldn’t do any good just sitting around. Never thought that would happen, but knowing Bob…well, never mind that. So being a dwarf of my word;” Baelinor stoops down right in front of you and pulls a twig like object out of the ice wrapped in ivy that seems still alive. Magical symbols adorn the wood and ivy, yet as time goes by there seems to be subtle changes in these patterns. Baelinor leans forward and whispers a command word in your ear. “Now, the last time I tried something with that wand, it was shooting flame, seems stable at the moment too, but then again, I’m not fey.”

“Oh, and by the way that druid and the she who wields chaos, Cera, they did indeed complete their tasks. Let Joe know when next you see him. Hmmm, I guess I should warn you about Cera, she isnt a bad type, but well, she tends to bring chaos where ever she goes, no literally chaos itself. Anyway, never know what might happen, or when she might appear.”

Finally he goes back to the pile and grabs the rest of the items. He moves over to Erkholt.

“Now these I made, I trust you will use them wisely. This one here, he hands you a scroll case will ensure you are well fed and healed. Don’t be using it for scratches mind you, it’s a full feast. And this one will make sure those types that like to transport themselves away can’t. Never did like those types to run off with out settling things.” Which reminds me, he reaches into the ice and pulls forth another scroll case. “Now this ones special, if you see one of those undead out their, a Wight, with a throwing axe, probable still stuck in his back. Well that axe is mine and I want it back. This will keep him from running off again, so be sure to grab it while you can. You of course can make use of the axe while your out there. I tell you even after these years that still gets me going. Damnable undead, running off with your personal items.” Baelinor stomps a bit, and grumbles under his breath everyone can feel the tremors though nothing serious. He grabs a two more scroll cases. “Now if you end up doing something not so smart and someone dies, these will bring em back, but do it before the undead get a hold of them. No fun fighting friends.” Finally the last scroll case comes up, he eyes it thoughtfully. “I hadn’t planned on handing this over to you, but the thought that the Goddess Persephone might be trapped there makes me think you will need some aid to get her out. This is for that, should the need arise an ally sent by Donblas himself will appear. We cant allow the undead to just run around capturing Godess’ now. Wouldn’t be right.”

“And here is a couple more potions, 3 for breathing in water should the need arise and 2 will aid in protection from the plane undead gather their powers.”

“Now once you get the artifact, bring it back here, and be careful. No telling what they did with it, it might need purifying. Me and the Amber will handle that once it gets back.” Baelinor becomes very serious and looks at everyone. Now, likely as not, there will be folks both undead and other interested in grabbing it, as bad as the undead are, the abominations…things with tentacles or any of the snakemen. Especially those that work for” He looks at Rama, “I think you know the great evil of your Pantheon, saying his name here is intolerable, but I think you know. They are much, much worse. It would be best if you avoided anything like that.”

His smile returns and seriousness drops from his face.

“Okay, the High Priestess here was nice enough to arrange passage to the Greek Lands and the Priest of Zeus is waiting on the other end. So I think its time to get going.” He turns to the priestess; “Bet still on?” She nods. Baelinor smiles; “If you all would gather here please.”

Does everyone gather?


Lshay Le Fey wrote:

"Now Baelinor surely you wouldn't be expect'n the worse from someone so wee as me? Tsk, me feelings are hurt that ye feel the need ta tell the others ta be on guard."

"And Amber, now ye ain't got no get tough and all ruffled with me. Perhaps we could be best friends, No?" (places hand behind her back).

"ThoronHen, I say, never have I seen such a group of mistrustin mortals. Surely ye faith be misplaced. Looks like ye off to war are ye? And a nimble warrier I bet ye be."

"So tell me, what all has me Blarney Joe told ya? Something about I quest I hear."

"Nay fair Lshay, you have the blessings of Blarney Joe and a loveliness all your own. But these mortals understand not the ways of fey and I would not have them transgress over a misunderstanding. Such is the will of Donblas." He smiles with a twinkle in his eye.

"Joe has not spoken with us, though from the brief comment he made, I take that it is not only the Green Man that the undead have taken but the Goddess Persephone as well?"


to go back in time a bit…sorry about that it was a very frustrating day.

Once everyone is in;

“Please, make yourselves comfortable. What I have to say is not something that only those who have prepared themselves can truly accept. For the world is not what most suppose it is.” He pauses, while everyone organizes themselves.

“Tis hard to find a place to begin this tale, for its length spans back before time itself and many of its details are now hidden from mortal and immortal eye. So understand that what I say is only a part in the grand story of this world. ”

“There are…creatures…that exist beyond the reach of mortals, bound by powerful magics to remain in a deep sleep. These creatures vast evil and corruption, even bound such still leach out into the world in the form of nightmares. Such is their power that nothing in this world, nor even in the past has the power to destroy them. Only bind them deep within their slumber. Unfortunately, this leaching is not truly one way, for they feed off the fear and evil their nightmares…or those created by others. As such things become stronger their own drifting consciousness begins to take notice of the source, like an instinct they are drawn to their feeding hole. This again promotes more horror in our world and leads them to pay more attention. The cycle completes with their awakening which would doom not only this world by all dimensions.”

He pauses and studies his audience.

“This obviously, cannot be allowed to happen. So those that did the bindings long ago as well as others put several things in place to prevent it from occurring. There are the prophecies of alignment, those that mention such items as this gauntlet and belt I wear. The Golemaxes, great statues of power met to fight or more likely defend. And as an even more drastic recourse the powers that did the binding placed themselves in a deep slumber, set to be awaken should the bindings weaken to the point that the multi-verse is at risk.”

“Such is the state of affairs now, with the Drow, four horsemen, demons crossing the boundaries, the awaken snakemen and the invasion of the otherworldly ghouls, that the binders have awaken. The binders themselves care not for this world, it is but one of many made to contain the evil that lurks within it. If they take direct action, whether they win or not will be unimportant to us, for the battle will obliterate this world.”

“And that is our current…predicament.”

He voice is calm and steady as he continues.

“In parallel with this knowledge came a quest I did place myself under. For though many are aware at various levels of the war, the focus of such has taken on one of Law vs Chaos. As such, many beings have claimed alliance with me, for it was not in their interest to see this world obliterated. However, through my travels I begin to see an unnerving pattern of events unfolding, one in which it appears others have not seen.”

“What was missing, was that of Good. For in all my travels, I could not find that which is Good battling against the great menaces this world now knows. True to tell there be various mortals and gods but still there seemed something missing when compared to that which is Evil, Lawful or Chaotic. It was in fact a time when I held chaos in my hand, accessed the winds of time in the other and law beneath my feat that I did discover…or rather feel a most startling realization. Law and Chaos do not truly war with each other.”

“Though they be opposites, they nullify the other or create something else, perhaps even greater than either. It is to their creation ability that this world stands built both on the foundations of Law and Chaos and it is why this war does not exist on the boundaries of Law and Chaos. This war is clearly one of Good vs Evil.”

Again he pauses and studies the group.

“The ancient evils that lie in slumber did reach out into some other being or beings mind, to create a vast illusion that has trapped the paladins of the holy cities as well as other good creatures. They hid their evil intent behind the illusion of a war fought on different grounds, one of Law vs Chaos. And behind this illusion they wreaked a havoc on Good such that this world had not ever seen. Those of evil bent, though they may do what they can against the ancient evils always fall unto their plot and ultimately fail, causing situations that ever get worse. It is this trick that has led us down this path and it is this trick that I strive against.”

“For I am attempting to restore unto this world the Good that has been lost or destroyed, it is by bringing back the Good that the balance can be re-established and the creatures who sleep shall not be awaken and it is by this means that the world which we live in will be preserved.”

“To that end, the God’s providence did bring you to me. For in my search did I find a secret, one hidden from all but the highest levels of Egyptian clergy. It is only with the High Priestess’s permission that I speak now.”

“There is no easy way to say this, so in true dwarven fashion I will be blunt. The great God Osiris, also known in ancient times by humans as the Green Man has been destroyed, or rather His power sealed and bound within artifacts of His own body and scattered across this world.” He looks straight at Rama. “The power that currently exists to support His followers is being maintained by the rest of the Pantheon.”

He pauses again, letting the words sink in then raises a hand to hold off any questions. He smiles then continues.

“It is His Good I seek to return to the world. And through this message, sent to me by my friend the Priest of Zeus, though wrought with ill tidings, does hope shine through. For within the boundaries of the land he calls home, is none other one such artifact of Osiris, It lies within the grasp of foul undead creatures attempting to corrupt its power for their own evil.”

“It is this calling to restore the God Osiris, also know in ancient times as the Green Man that the fates and providence have brought us together. And it is this quest that I give unto you Sir Rama, Paladin of Osiris. Will you not set forth and aid your god in his most direst need?”

“And you good Priest of Moradin. Will not you take the words of Moradin upon yourself and bring forth His will?”

“And ThoronHen, though you serve not a diety, by your ties of organization I note upon your words and self, tis none other than the will of the High Priestess Amber that you do follow in this task. Will you not honor your allegiances and seek to restore that which can save the world?”

after everyone’s responses is when the scene with the Fey would occur


Erkholt Grugn wrote:

I pick myself up from the ground after the display of power has abated "Well then, I'm thinking someone's a might nervous about now if they know this dwarf is angered cos of them." A cheerful smile crosses my face as I consider Baelinor taking umbrage at the enemies of my clanhold.

I move to the entrance of the pyramid and stride confidently forward, wrapped in the faith of my god and determined to face whatever challenges are placed before me. Moradin protects those who are bold and just.

full plate armour and balance checks just don't gel. I rolled a natural 1 and there's no distance I can cover in 5 rounds that'll let me recover from that little baby hehehe.

I know the feeling :)

You will observe what happens to ThoronHen and figure your chances of simply walking up will meet with less success. A glance in the direction of Rama and you see he is coming to a similar conclusion.

Perhaps Baelinor has just forgotten how difficult it is for others to traverse his icy domicile or perhaps he is testing your resolve or even putting you in a situation to work with this human and elf. In any case, it would appear that its going to take a bit more effort that just walking to get to the end of the passage way.

Rama: Similar thoughts cross your mind...it is not uncommon for a test of worthiness prior to undertakening some great task amongst the clergy of Osiris or others of that Pantheon...


ThoronHen wrote:


After Baelinor moves pass I follow seeing I am already under the scrutiny of the gods be it good or bad and will take careful steps into the tunnel.

You enter the passage way and begin making your way toward the light. In order to go up the passage way it eventually becomes necessary to use both hands on the wall and apply pressure. Even so, the going is difficult. Gradually the slope becomes steeper, the ice is smooth with no hand or foot holds and your feet and hands are beginning to feel the effects of the cold.

You will need to make a climbing roll to continue DC is 20 here, you also realize there is quite a ways to go and it will get more difficult. You will not be able to access anything in your pack since you need both hands to prevent yourself from sliding backwards. If you fail you will slide back down out of the tunnel. Make a balance DC 17 to slide down standing up. A tumbling check DC 17 to land safely if you fail the balance check. Failing that take 3pts damage from the fall and land unceremoniously on your behind at the passage way entrance. If someone wishes to aid him (I assume both the Rama and Erkholt are at the entrance calculating their own chances) roll a d20 a 10 or higher will give him a +2 on the tumbling roll.

If you decide to go back rather than forward you can make your way back without an incident.


Baelinor listens to the tale, his face displaying no emotion. When Erkholt finishes Baelinor’s face begins to show signs of anger, he seems to focus on something far away and the anger increases yet further. Similarly the temperature in the area begins to rapidly drop. All the northmen and women stop what they are doing, glance in his direction then begin moving away from him. Likewise the priestess of Isis and her company follow in the northmen’s footsteps. Some of the northmen will grab you and pull you with them if you do not appear to be moving away. By the time Baelinor stands up the cold in the region around him is far below zero any water in the air crystallizes and falls to the ground. The runes on his items begin to glow and those that have the ability to sense arcane or divine magic will automatically notice an incredible build up with him at the center. A single tear, frozen solid falls from his eye to strike the ground then slides along until it comes to rest.

Baelinor’s grip on his mace changes, so that the mace head is held straight down as if it were a staff. He turns towards the east and glares as if challenging something on the horizon. Then in a low voice in dwarven he speaks, each word in exact measure; “This…Will…Not…Be…Forgotten.” Then his mace strikes the ground as a judge would strike its gavel. The impact results in a tremendous sound sending out a shockwave along with ice in all directions. Even those in far away can feel the ground tremble (a balance check is in order, you may not take 10, DC is 25 if within 50 feet and goes down by 1 for each 10 feet out from there, you have 5 rounds of movement you can use so pick your distance, if you hurried to get farther away there is a +2 DC tacked on to the distance).

After the shaking and ice have settled down, everyone can clearly see a small impact crater at the sight where Baelinor stands radiating out from the spot his mace struck. From that point there are massive cracks in the ice and even the earth beneath. The trappings of the barbershop are flung over great distances or shattered into non recognizable pieces. Some people have fallen and are shaken but as far as you can tell without doing a closer check up no one is seriously injured. As you watch, you see the ice begins to reform, as if it is alive unto itself slowly at first then more rapidly closing its wounds until not a single spot of evidence of the impact is on the field.

Those sensitive to the gods will feel as if they had come under their direct scrutiny.

Rama, you would feel as if several of the Pantheon were paying attention and hear as if from far a way the cry of a hawk.

Erkholt, you will get the distinct impression Moradin responded “AND IT SHALL NOT” though no words were said.

ThoronHen, you too will get the impression someone is watching from over your shoulder, though if you look around you will see all attention on Baelinor and no one near by. It causes your hairs on the back of your neck to rise a little.

Baelinor will turn in the direction of the council of gods and nod. His features will become more relaxed though clearly he is still quite tense and the aura of magical power around him will subside. He then turns and looks directly at each of you. “Come, it is time we began.” He turns to the priestess of Isis. “And all shall be made apparent.” He sets off at a quick pace, quicker than a normal dwarf moves until he stands within arms reach of the lowest level of the pyramid. He then turns and waits for everyone to show up. His face strained and deeply serious, not a trace of the merriment from early can be seen.

“Before we enter I must make you aware. The times we live in are evil far beyond what most of you know. The enemy before us has power beyond the comprehension of any being in this universe. Even if all good beings of past and future were to stand together against the true enemy’s raw might, we would be but gnats to be swatted aside. Know this, to follow me into the temple is to set upon a path that will endanger your lives, your family and friends lives, your beliefs, your faiths, your sanity and even your soul. This path is not to be taken likely. If you follow, the enemy will become aware of you and none, not mortal nor immortal stands unchanged before its touch. None would fault you for setting your destiny on another path, even the gods will recognize the choice and not find fault with your decision. Once across this threshold there is no turning back. Head this warning well, weigh fully the consequences and make your choice.”

With that Baelinor will turn back to the pyramid and place his left hand upon it. A passage way will suddenly form as if the ice is pealing back from his palm. He will move in and surprisingly the priestess of Isis follows behind, her companions remaining outside. In a matter moments both seem to disappear though they did not seem to have time to walk the corridor.

Observing the passage way you will see that it is only wide enough for a single person and just tall enough for the humans to enter without striking their head. There is a light at the end though you can barely make it out. You would guess its coming from somewhere near the center of the pyramid. As far as one can tell, the passage seems to lead straight to the light though there appears to be a slope up and it is all made of ice. It is quite cold in here.

So, do you go up the icy path? If you do go up the path, how do you approach the obstacle, it will be very slippery with no apparent hand holds?


“Tell me Priest of Moradin, how come you by this armor? It bears the mark of none other than my cousin Arak Anvilfist son of Toruak brother in marriage to my own father Throngard Stormwall of Iron Granite Hold, armor smith to ruling family and, I might add, a good friend of the Holds leader, Tharnfist HoldHammer. Long did we toil together learning the ways of dwarven armor craft. It has been a quarter of the century that I have been away tending my priestly duties. Do you know how fairs Arak and the hold?”


Rama wrote:


It does, milord. Though I am surprised that the story originated from you.

Baelinor winks at Rama. "Tis probably more exagerated than truth, never the less a dwarf in human lands determined to become a Paladin was something even the high clergy had difficulty dealing with. What is more, when it comes down to it, I am very lacking in the skills of horsemanship, chariots, lances and swords...I believe some of the instructors invented new words for my ineptness and no doubt thank the gods for days when the most Holy Seker did accept me." Baelinor focuses on some past memory a hint of mirth in his features.


To Rama;

"Ah perhaps I have been gone too long, twas not many years ago by dwarven standards, did I vie for the right to be called a paladin myself in the very city from whence you come. I still have quite a few fond memories of my time there, I would hope the story of the crazy dwarf still makes an appearance every so often." He smiles at you then looks out into the group as the elf steps forward.

"It seems this will have to wait." He nods toward the approaching elf.

After ThoronHen makes his presentation;

In elvish he whispers as he takes the box from your hand;

"ThoronHen, as you are an elf I am sure you do not understand the dwarven and human differences, so please note that I am not a -Sir- but rather long list of other titles, my secular address in elven would be --Most Noble-- while my religious address would be --Your Grace--, in formal situations please use either." He smiles in a friendly fashion.

He opens up the box and pulls out the letter, at first you see he frowns as he is studying the paper. Then quite unexpectedly it turns into a wide grin.

"Well this is turning out to be quite an amazing day or even a most blessed day. I do believe the gods are beginning to move, and quite rapidly at that." He grins broadly. "And even honoring me with with being their instrument of deliverance. Thank you very much for bringing this to me ThoronHen. Though evil pollutes the world to its core, there still remains the spark of goodness that creates hope where before all may seem lost. Tis the mark of friendship and the strength of faith in all good people that will shatter the grip of evil and cleanse the world. Aye today is turning out to be the beginning of a momentous day. Isn't it Herald?" The remark goes unanswered, at least as far as anyone can tell. Those watching Baelinor notice that he is very nearly glowing in excitement as he is suddenly sightly and his thoughts are obviously on something other than the present company. In just under a minute the ladies suddenly back off and Baelinor leaps up as if to make off on some grand adventure. The choir of women admonish him and he suddenly appears to take notice of everyone again. As he goes to sit down his focus comes to that of the dwarf. He stops midway between standing and sitting, then thumps down with a surprised look on his face.

"What is this? That armor...Priest.. of Moradin, please, come closer and let me have a look at that armor." As he finally sits back down. “My, my, my if I am right about that its truly a day I shall remember for quite a long time. Please ThoronHen, while this matter is of utmost importance, the ladies shant let me leave until they are finished and I do believe the Priest is here for a purpose as well, for he bears a mark it has been quite some time I have seen. So if you will wait with us, I shall speak more on this subject momentarily.”


Rama wrote:

"Greetings to you as well, Lord Baelinor. I come to deliver gifts from my liege and lord, the representative of Osiris on this earth, the Pharaoh. And to ask a boon, if you find our humble offerings satisfactory."

Diplomacy (1d20+14=32)

"Blessings be to the Pharaoh and his representative". Baelinor makes a gesture with his unarmed hand and a golden mist fills the area. Consider yourself blessed for the next several minutes...unless of course you decide to resist.

Assuming there is no issue with the blessing.

"The Temple welcomes the gifts of the Pharaoh and I will humbly listen to his request."

Baelnor glances toward the impromptu barbershop.

"Now that the formal greetings are over"; he pauses for a moment to ensure your agreement then continues. "I have been several days in seclusion praying and preparing for the future and I am afraid such a time away results in a rather lengthy hair growth." He smiles at his understatement. "And these good people have been kind enough to take care of my rather unusual predicament. So if you do not mind let us move to the area prepared and I will be happy to receive the Pharaoh's gifts there and discuss His request, though if you feel the need for privacy we can discuss that afterwards, I am also eager to hear how fairs the Egyptian lands, for it has been a while since I have been back."

He will move off toward the crowd unless he is stopped, he slows his pace to ensure you have no difficulty in your walk across the icy area, but it is obvious it has no affect on him. He will chat with you if you have nothing particular you want to discuss, mostly asking questions about various areas in Egypt and will express an interest in your trials of Paladin-hood. When the priestess's group is in a relatively close position on his route of travel, he will pause and acknowledge her in Egyptian style greeting though he does not approach nor speak, then continues on.


After the sudden appearance and disappearance of the announcer, Baelinor comes further down the steps such that he stands only slightly on a higher level than you, perhaps 10 to 15 feet away. You notice he walks in complete confidence a normal stride with no care given to the ice at his feet. At this distance you feel the air about you chill even further and another more familiar feeling. One that you get when setting foot on holy ground, specially consecrated to the Egyptian Pantheon. A difference is noticeable, though not uncomfortable.

He sets aside his shield, a circular one in the style of the Northmen you have seen around here, except it size is somewhere around 5-6 feet in diameter, larger than Baelinor, though it does not appear to cause him any discomfort. A quick glance at the back, as he lays it to its side shows no room for where a person could hide…

With the shield out of the way, you can now make out the rest of his features. His beard is tremendously long, near his face it is done in Egyptian style, yet somewhat shaggy. Brown in color it wraps down to his waist where he has attached it to metal bands that hold it against his armor. There are several wrappings around him till finally it flows out behind him in a long trail, quite possibly mixed in with the hair from his head.

His armor is obviously of dwarven make, covered in dwarven runes and of a metal other than steel and inlaid with metals and gems as one would expect from someone of great stature amongst the dwarven people. It covers his entire body with risers on either side of the head (dwarvish Mountain Plate from races of stone) save for the left arm. On that yet a different metal resides. Bluish colored metal rises from the gauntlet all the way to the shoulder. You note that as seamless as the armor seems to be, this gauntlet’s design proves even more formidable. It too shows symbols of power though different from the dwarvish runes on the armor that seem to cause the very air around it to mist (an affect similar to dry ice). You notice as well two red scarves, one that is tied around the joint of the gauntlet at the shoulder and one that is around where his helmet attaches to the body.

Across his waist lies a solid band of metal held together by a large metal buckle, the metal seems to be of yet another origin. It was obviously sized for someone quite a bit larger than a dwarf, yet appears to fit snugly to the armor. Again carved upon it are mysterious runes and patterns.

A gold colored chain that hangs around his neck is attached to a single arrow that always seems to point upward, also colored in gold. This it would seem is a holy symbol. Attached as well to the chain is what appears to be a gold nugget, securely fastened in place by a metal holder of silverish color.

In his right hand is a flanged mace of substantial size (warmace from complete warrior). It would appear unwieldy for anyone to use but two-handed, yet clearly Baelinor has no difficulty with just one. There is a golden sheen to the symbols of power that seem more divine in nature than those on the other items and you see it bears the same single arrow pointing upward in gold. These stand out from the curious whitish metal it is apparently constructed of as if having their own light, or perhaps that is mearly the suns reflection. To be struck by such an object would prove quite painful to the recipient, armor or no.

A final object that seems somewhat out of place is a dark black metal chain that is tied around his left ankle.

Baelinor moves the mace across his shoulder to a position that implies no aggressive intent and lifts his face mask with his left hand. His face appears to have the normal characteristic of dwarves, though perhaps younger than you would expect. He has blue eyes that seem filled with endless energy of a young child and yet a hidden knowledge of one who has seen much. You can see some attempt, not terribly successful, was made to keep his bushy eyebrows under control…as you watch you would swear the hair there is growing at a visible rate…

He studies you for a moment and glances off in the direction of the rest of the group, an eyebrow raises then he turns back to you and smiles a pleasant and welcoming one.

In perfect Egyptian with a deep dwarven voice;

“Well met, Rama of Hamunaptra, Paladin of Osiris, Blessed of Isis and Revenger of Horus. Tell me, what brings one of such a noble calling and in such prestigious company to the Temple of Donblas, the Justice Maker?”


Hello all,

Valgrymr asked me to stop by and help him with the house rules, I too am a long time player. I have 2 major characters other players will likely meet (One of which is that dwarf in the ice pyramid aka Baelinor, though he probably would not have been so flippant with the gods hanging around...) and play on and off since around 92.

Unfortunately, I dont really remember the house rules, they are more like conventions you just get use too and change slightly. But what I can do is enlighten folks a bit on the world without giving anything away.

Valgrymyr's world was designed as a 1st edition AD&D world. It was only last year we actually changed over to 3.5. This is something to keep in mind because many characters/things do not change over well. As a result, you will probably not find rules for many things as they are simply a part of the world and rather than try and squeeze them into a more artificial 3.5 setting he simply makes them work in his world.

Keeping that in mind, long time characters tend to change in a non lvl way. Baelinor is a dwarf, but not like any dwarf you will find in any game system anywhere. He started normal enough, but various in game events have changed him significantly. In game events happen quite a lot and while Val will make up rules for them, they dont typically affect things like level and xps so you find the normal concepts of balance not quite the same, though he takes this into account with the opposition as well, so while the balance is difficult to pin a number on it is there and leads to quite an enjoyable game, not so fettered by little rules.

Which leads to the next idea of consequences. Vals game is built around consequences. Everything your character says and does will be weighed by the world and a consequence result. Sometimes its a small one, sometimes a large one, sometimes good and sometimes bad. But there will be one. The entire world is in fact the way it is because of the players.

For instance; The "bad guys" are the front runners right now, because a much older group than the one I play with had a few players decide to throw in the with "bad guys" along with a cowardly barbarian.... There was an rather large lake in the middle of a desert because a certain not to be mentioned dwarf (not me) up and left an open decanter of endless water there. The reason the ancient emporer is up and running around is because of the players and if I remember the story correctly a bit of greed. Most of the human gods not considered major powers have been "slain" because of the players (no the players didnt do the slaying they caused the events to occur so that it would happen). A bunch of extremely powerful undead ghoul types are running amuck because of a player...And the list goes on. The world is a very dynamic story built not just by the GM but by the players in a very real way people can feel. All of these are quite the amusing tale and possibly something you will find out in game.

All NPCs feel alive in his world, they have goals, ideas, thoughts for the future, personalities, not just the major ones, every single one you run across. Keep that in mind when you are talking to people. Also,things are not always as they seem...A certain NPC of Baelinor's is quite the mystery, if you meet Baelinor you will definately meet this individual and he stands in stark contrast to what someone would normally expect.

In addition Val is very interested in working with the player stories. He usually gives extra XPs for write ups that cover the character's thoughts, ideas and rationals that dont so much come into play during the game. In fact a lot of the story of Baelinor was written by me, he just helped filled in the game things. Of course most of these stories had to do with his game and were designed around fitting into what I saw going on and how I wanted the character to participate in it. So it was something of a merging of ideas. For instance Donblast is back (well, not actually back per see) because of various things I saw going on in his game, a little sentence about Donblast in the original Dieties and Demigods, the path I wanted to take Baelinor down and an adventure we happen to be on that worked nicely into the whole idea.

Finally Val drew a lot of inspiration for the world from various books he read before say 1985?? If you had a similar interest in books you can see the books in the regions as you come across them, even meeting some major characters from them, though perhaps with different personalities and goals more related to the world they now inhabit. The world btw is the old Judge's Guild map, where the city state of the invincible overlord resides, if you have access to that. Though the world is by no means limited just to this dimension you can, if you know how actually go to parallel worlds, the various planes etc...all with an equal amount of content that is quite mind boggling when you think about it. I truly believe Vals world has far greater content then you will ever find in any published material including places like Greyhawk and Forgotten Realms.

Well I hope that help, I am looking forward to meeting your characters in game.