Dying, the goblin with the tube pulls a switch, mumbling
'The bardey wardey in the sky,
who cannot rhyme is gonna dieeeee....
urk.'
The sphere flies forth....
... and sails harmlessly past the Bard.
Meanwhile, the Runelord is watching from somewhere a couple of planes away, not having actually appeared on the field of battle, but having merely sent goblins to test the heroes.
Kill da wabbit!
The wasp shouts, charging in to help.
Esmeralda appears, looking cross.
Great. I have to save your hides just as I was about to kill the Wraith lord!
She proceeds to start banishing them, easily.
Dying, the goblin with the tube pulls a switch, mumbling
'The bardey wardey in the sky,
who cannot rhyme is gonna dieeeee....
urk.'
The sphere flies forth....
and sails harmlessly past the Bard to hit a random passing seagull and drop it to the ground to smash, frozen solid.
*A tendril of water snatches the orb before it shatters on the ground, and The Bard studies it for a moment. With a flash the black orb changes from darkest black to clearest ice. The Bard smilies as he places the orb on his staff. As he gazes into the orb he see 8th hiding on a different plane of existance.*
"So thats where you've been hiding, I'll come for you when this is over..."*He turns his attention back to the battle*
Wailing and caterwauling like a group of off-key banshees the spectral forms of the slain goblns arise from their corpses.
'We didn't hit you with our rays,
but you reflected them back somehow and now you pays.'The host of undead goblins take to the air, beginning to close in on the bard.
Their awful song threatens to drive him temporarily insane.
*seeing the goblins wraiths give chase, The Bard hops on his board and leads them toward one of his traps/ward. He smiles as the goblin spirits disperse under the effects of his 'Undead Turning Wall' spell*
"Though you no longer draw breath, I realese you from undeath.."
Wailing and caterwauling like a group of off-key banshees the spectral forms of the slain goblns arise from their corpses.
'We didn't hit you with our rays,
but you reflected them back somehow and now you pays.'The host of undead goblins take to the air, beginning to close in on the bard.
Their awful song threatens to drive him temporarily insane.
*seeing the goblins wraiths give chase, The Bard hops on his board and leads them toward one of his traps/ward. He smiles as the goblin spirits disperse under the effects of his 'Undead Turning Wall' spell*
"Though you no longer draw breath, I realese you from undeath.."
I'm keeping this alias (The Eighth Runelord) out of direct confrontations at the moment because for a master of divination it seems likely to me that his personal method of fighting will be along the lines of a surprise attack with an auto crit with a vorpal sword, and then likely initiative on the next round and teleport away from any vengeful companions; If he goes after you he likely knows exactly where to strike with a weapon selected to personally destroy you which doesn't seem terribly productive to this story.
'By all means walk into one of my traps as you have just done.'
As the voice echoes into the bard's mind, runes on the sphere of ice glow and the Bard's staff turns to water in his hands and rains down on the ground below; the bard has to grit his teeth to fight off the accompanying mental assault.
The Runelord's interference defeated for now, the only thing in need of attention is the confusion into which the goblin song has cast some of the Bard's allies,...
Suddenly, the ghost of the shaman appears.
"STOP!!!"His powerful magic stops the kittens in their tracks. The tribbles are immobilized.
"I had expected the Runelord to turn on me. But it matters not. The Wasp has the Book, and the true Cleaver, and he is no longer important. Come, Kittens. It it time to go."
The Kittens all nod and follow the ghost back to the Club.
*As they fly through the skies, Margarinefrog, Lemmi, and Rio fight valiently astride Aurora, but they are wounded. Raining arrows down upoun the enemy, while blasting the opposing armies fliers out of the sky, the fall from the air into the nearby forest, sending many enemies to the Void as they do so.*
'By all means walk into one of my traps as you have just done.'
As the voice echoes into the bard's mind, runes on the sphere of ice glow and the Bard's staff turns to water in his hands and rains down on the ground below; the bard has to grit his teeth to fight off the accompanying mental assault.
The Runelord's interference defeated for now at the cost of a mere staff, the only thing in need of attention is the confusion into which the goblin song has cast...
*As the Eigth Runelord attacks The Bard's mind, his own is thrown into an endless mental ocean. The Bard fixes his staff and begins to counter the goblins song. He has not noticed that Rio has fallen...*
*Kiba sees an arrow strike the eys of a rather large defective he was fighting. He looks up in time to see Rio fall into the forest. He begins to go after him in an attempt to save his young friend, but a fresh wave of Defective cut him off*
After the kobold saboteur has been dealt with, the offending items are removed from the Steel Tsar by the team of arcane evil armorwrights. He flexes, spinning his reforged buzzsaws at a rapid pace.
*bamf*
Spanky........flanky.....SHANKY!!!!!!!
stabbitystabittystabstabbastabstabstabstabstabbastab.
how you like me now, Tsar?
vum vum.......
A huge dirty-white-pelted ape creature strides up to the Steel Tsar, his fur encased in crudely-forged platemail. A wicked-looking flensing polearm is gripped in one knobby fist. A horde of similar creatures follow behind him. He stops and bows to the armored behemoth.
I have come bringing the Yeti Horde as commanded, my lord. The burly ape-creature rumbles in a basso tone.
YETIBURGERS!!!!!
VUM VUM......
yumyumyumyumyum!
eats a yeti from the horde.
The black-armored giant swipes his buzzsaw hands across the snarky shark
vumvumvumvumvumvumvumvum,
vumvum
vumvum
vumvumvumvum....
spits out a tooth....
"hey...you'd be tasty with some radiator fluid on ya!"
A small nerdy man pops up from behind a tent, blunderbuss at the ready.
OOO .. I gots that wascally lepwechan now!
Aims gun at Spanky and fires.
After the kobold saboteur has been dealt with...
Or, at least, after the Tsar thinks he has...
...Meepo starts blasting the Wendigoes.
How ya like that, morons!
vumvumvumvumvumvumvumvum,
vumvum
vumvum
vumvumvumvum....spits out a tooth....
"hey...you'd be tasty with some radiator fluid on ya!"
Slices into the shark's fin
The burly Yeti lord points and screams
AT HIM FOOLS!
The Yeti horde advances on Meepo.
The burly Yeti lord points and screams
AT HIM FOOLS!
The Yeti horde advances on Meepo.
Meepo responds by tossing a hand grenade in the center of their group.
A solitary Rust-Monster wanders onto the field of battle, causing terror amongst those warriors equipped with metallic weapons or armour.
The Rust-Monster's antennae touch the hand-grenade, and Spotty begins to munch, enjoying the spicy snack....
Having finished with the hand-grenade, Spotty hurries forward, lured by the scent of the wendigo's flensing polearms....
Looks in horror at the feared monster
QUICKLY! SACRED DAGGERS ONLY! He cries
The Yeti unsheathe obsidian daggers and advance warily, fearful of their armor's integrity.
The kittens return, mounted on giant eagles. The kittens are divided into groups of 10. Each group has a single shaman.
They fly over the Wendigoes, the Shamans flying out of harm's reach, and the Vikings bravely slashing with their enormous greataxes.
"Come, men! The battle is not yet won!
A shadowy figure emerges from the shadows of the command tent. His form is obscure, more of a black shadow in the shape of a man. The shadow quietly observes the melee involving Yeti, Kittens, Defectives, sharks and constructs.
Interesssting ... He hisses in a sibilant tone
Esmeralda sees the creature and appears next to him.
"What are you doing here? What do you want?"
A ward appears around her. It is very powerful, and is made from Board energies.
A pale girl of fifteen dressed in black leather armor with matched slender swords belted across her slender hips appears and looks out on the carnage. She steps closer to the tall dark form.
Do we intervene my lord? The girl's voice whispers to the shadowy creature.
Disappointed at the disappearance of the yummy giant twiglet snacks, Spotty turns his attention to the Wendigo armour. Uncle Meepo's ironwood (or whatever non-metallic material it is made from) sword does not interest him.
Esmeralda looks up and shakes her head wearily. She casts a spell, and rises to meet the Wraith. When she reaches his height, she pulls out her symbol of the Board.
I order thee to depart and never return to this thread, with the authority of the Guardian of the Board!
Mists swirl and the creature feels a mighty compulsion to depart.
Esmeralda sees the creature and appears next to him.
"What are you doing here? What do you want?"
A ward appears around her. It is very powerful, and is made from Board energies.
The dark form hisses and gestures. His companion hisses as well, revealing long wicked fangs.
The time is not now witch .. The dark creature intones. As he says this the two vanish
|
Dropping out of the sky, in best undead-lord fashion, and waaaay out of reach of Aunt Esmerelda's normal ability to turn undead or her most dangerous spells, the dread lord comes, riding on a fell beast and laying about him with a great two handed sword.
Injured kittens and eagles start raining out of the sky, until they fall back to the middle air, trapped in the narrow zone between him and the wendigo.
The casualties are not as bad as it first seemed, but the mobility of the kittens and eagles has been greatly hampered.
SCREEEEE!
The Skies will not belong to you Foul One! Vrock! Attack!
The Wraith Lord gives a vicious snarl at the old kobold priestess and wheels his mount away, flailing at any eagles or kitten riders that come within reach, but does not flee the battle, instead withdrawing from the vicinity of Aunt Esmerelda.
In this place of carnage, it would take a hero of your nephew's character to drive me away, hag.
Esmeralda chases after him.
"I am the one who taught my nephew what he knows of magic, creature. You are weak. You are pathetic. You do not belong here!"She blasts him with the power of the Board. He begins losing his hold on unlife...
Ready for Round Two, Big Ugly? I've et shrimp Tsar Tsar before. Is that what you hide in that tin can of yours?
JH heads for the Steel Tsar, ignoring the Rust Monster on the field for some reason. Unbeknownst to him the earth runes covering his body and the clay on his hammer hide the scent of metal from the beast.
Esmeralda flies after him, sending her best spells at him.
The Emperor senses the undead lord, bane of the living. Before he can act the vrock attack the wraith, crippling his mount and sending him plummeting into the forest. The treant calls upon the forest to attack the wraith. Several animated trees are created,and proceed to attack.
The priestess winged her way onto the battlefield. Her heart was heavy as a result of the exchange with the kobold. She carried the vial with her. She would know when it was time to use it.
|
|
Suddenly, an enormous army of terrible creatures flies in. Their teeth shine, forged of adamantine. Armor, light and fast, covers their bodies. Their 'paws' are now hands, with long sharp claws, fully capable of handling teh most complex weaponry. They all carry bows and longswords.
They are the Defectives. New and improved.