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Okay, so I was, like, a week off. I haven't had time to do much but work since arriving to Alaska, but the wait is finally over! This is it! It ends here! Right after this-
We started this adventure a little over four years ago now and, after 225 in-game days, 65 party members and somewhere around 200 pizzas, it's all come down to this. For the last session, I invited some past players to show up and roll dice with us. Not everyone could make it, but those who did got to experience a 12-hour marathon session that ended with everyone receiving actual, for-real treasure consisting of swords, video game systems and games, dvds and a whole bunch of other crap I didn't want to haul to Alaska. I even brought it in a big chest. Anyway, there's one last piece of loot for my players down in Oregon and my readers here. Enjoy!
Now, strap yourselves in for the longest update ever and the conclusion to Volume 1 of Velcro Zipper presents AEG's - The World's Largest Dungeon! (hopefully, there will be a Volume 2)
DAY 225 – LOOSE ENDS pt.8, Heroes
featuring the World's Largest Adventuring Party
Aria – Halfling Holy Vindicator of Sarenrae
Jasper – Human Rogue
Zachariah – Human Magus
Roch – Halfling Mystic Theurge
Klibb – NPC Goblin Stonedeath Assassin
“What do you mean they won’t help?!” Aria exclaimed. “What else are they here for if not to fight evil!?” The halfling and her companions stood before Ackersan Redsword, hobgoblin commander of the Redeemers, pleading their case against the machinations of the Black Scale Company, but Kelara, leonal leader of the Celestial Garrison, had sent word neither the angelic warriors or their mechanical comrades would assist the party in their task.
“Commander Kelara realizes the implications of your report but you have to understand the Garrison must first abide by the Charter,” the hobgoblin spoke. “Kelara lent the Garrison’s aid against the Spider Kings because the Wheel of Sorrow is a sentient evil artifact that could have ended all life in the dungeon had its influence spread. The situation you describe with this Black Scale Company concerns only Four Waters and The Goblin Empire. It’s a mortal matter and Kelara has made it clear mortal affairs need to be handled by mortal agents. Your people can’t come to rely overly much on the Garrison’s intervention. Perhaps if you’d brought more compelling evidence…”
“Auurrggh!” Aria groaned before grumbling under her breath, “A thousand curses on that little weasel!” Fearing retribution for his betrayal, Bartleby had escaped the party’s custody after convincing them he needed to speak with Spishak Kilbane about settling his accounts and ensuring the adept would not be blamed for his actions. With the rogue went any evidence to the Black Scale Company’s plot and the party’s only witness.
“So that’s it, then,” Zachariah sighed. “We’re on our own.”
“Not entirely,” Ackersan replied. “As I said, Kelara holds firm that this is a mortal problem for mortal heroes to solve. That’s why she’s agreed to allow any willing member of The Redeemers to join your cause.”
“You mean-“ Roch began.
“You have my sword,” the hobgoblin spoke. “I will bring honor to The Redeemers and to all who have served your stalwart band.”
***
Back in the Goblin Empire, Klibb had more bad news. After hearing Bartleby’s account of Threepenny’s plan, the goblin rogue had run off to alert Hammerfist and check on Emperor Argliss. He was too late. It appeared The Black Scale Company had struck while the adventurers were rescuing Bartleby.
Hammerfist reluctantly handed Argliss’ royal decree over to Klibb who was saddened and outraged over the missive’s contents. In light of the wererat plague affecting his people and fears of an evil influence threatening to lead the goblins back into darkness and superstition, The Emperor was taking leave of his kingdom to seek out what he called The Legendary Stonecrushing Gloves of Norendithas. He claimed his god had sent him a vision of the gloves and a message that only they could save his people from destruction and backsliding. In his absence, Goblinbane, the hobgoblin responsible for training the Goblin Empire’s army, was to serve as steward of the Empire.
“And Hammerfist just let this happen?” Aria asked.
“Hammerfist say Emperor Argliss give him scroll in throne room, then leave through hidden escape passage in royal chambers,” Klibb replied. “Him go not telling anyone.”
“Can’t Hammerfist challenge Goblinbane for stewardship,” Roch asked. “Why don’t they just fight it out like when the barghests challenged Argliss?”
“He won’t do it because he knows better,” Aria interjected before the goblin could respond. “You saw Baker yesterday. Tensions are mounting between Four Waters and The Empire. If a fight breaks out between the two communities, the goblins can’t afford to be divided. I have a feeling Hammerfist doesn’t like this any more than we do, but he can’t let the Empire implode when it looks like another war might be on the horizon.”
“Aria is right,” Klibb confirmed. “Also, Hammerfist very loyal. Scroll say last command of Emperor Argliss and he not go against order.”
“You can bet Threepenny knew that when he wrote those lies and blackmailed Argliss into signing them,” spoke Zachariah. “What do we do now?”
“We should find Shi and see if we still have any other allies in Four Waters,” Roch suggested. “Threepenny can’t have everyone in his pocket.”
The adventurers sought out their friend but were disappointed to learn the cleric was occupied. Anti-goblin and minotaur protests were flaring up along the border of the commune and Shi was quite busy trying to calm the angry rabble. However, the cleric of Pharasma did have an idea as to where they might find some help.
***
“So you see, Mr. Nurganar, we were hoping you might find it within yourself to aid us in our quest,” Roch pleaded with the three-armed hulk in the language of Giants. The athach wasn’t comfortable with strangers and he liked priests less, but time with the lantern archon Coleman and the pack of blink dogs outside his lair had tempered his once-malevolent demeanor.
“Arruumm, I believe you when you say my little friend is in danger so I will go to this place with you,” Nurganar boomed. “But I will take no blessing from you or your female, gahrrum. Keep your prayers to yourself.”
“Fair enough,” Roch agreed. “That just means there’s more healing magic for the rest of us,” he muttered in the common tongue.
As the adventurers left Nurganar’s territory, they noticed several blink dogs following behind them. The creatures felt they owed the adventuring party for finding them a place to live where their natural teleportation abilities functioned, so some of their bravest had volunteered to assist the group despite knowing they would not be able to rely on their powers outside the Blue Zone. Grateful for their company, the group pushed on toward the prison where they hoped they would find their companion Jasper and put a stop to the Black Scale Company’s nefarious scheme.
Aria, Zachariah, Roch and Klibb arrived to the prison with seven blink dogs, a heavily armored hobgoblin and an athach on their heels. Nurganar was too large to fit into the Path of the Righteous, but his presence had a profound effect on the guards at the prison entrance. Before the party could stop him, one of the guards, a dim-witted former soldier of Lord Antagonis named Aaron, rushed into the prison to alert his comrades. Nurganar assured Roch no one else would get in or out of the prison as long as he stood, and the party made their way inside.
***
“I think your friends are here,” Dillon spoke as alarm gongs sounded throughout the prison halls. Accepting of his inner demons, the murderer had willingly entered the prison the day it was opened and it didn’t take long to figure out what was really going on within the former lair of the dragon Nardarik.
Under the harsh tutelage of Sid Lake, it appeared The Black Scale Company was reforming the prisoners by teaching them new trades but Dillon could see they were building an army. The majority of the guards, it seemed, were good men but they were being kept in the dark about the specialized training the convicts received in the west wing of the prison. All this and more Jasper learned when Dillon’s followers helped the rogue escape a drunk and enraged Sid Lake two nights ago.
Dillon’s time battling at Shi’s side during the shadow Seraxes’ bid to destroy Four Waters had instilled within him a peace of mind about his predatory nature and, when Lake approached the killer about joining the Company’s cause, he refused. The murderer, along with every other convict who refused Lake’s offer, was sent to live in the Fever Wing, a section of the prison cursed by a recurring plague of Demon Fever.
Within the Fever Wing, Dillon began a cult devoted to Pharasma and taught his fellow cutthroats and brigands to meditate on the oblivion of death and to control their impulses to kill. Dillon and his cult didn’t care what the Black Scale Company was doing. They were at peace; then the halfling rogue Traxxas arrived.
“Maybe I should have left you both to the wolves,” Dillon grinned as the halfling, still alive despite rumors to the contrary, sat filing a shiv against a stone. Traxxas’ arrest and imprisonment, it was revealed, was all part of the rogue’s plan.
“Brechurt and Lake tried something like this when they first came to the dungeon,” Traxxas had told Jasper when they first met. “They wanted to form another colony free from Four Waters’ rules. The Council hired me to spy on them and we broke up the camp before they could grow too large. I suspected they might be up to their same old tricks, so I got myself tossed in here to keep an eye on them. It doesn’t hurt that the men I attacked deserved the beating I gave them.”
Unfortunately, Lake saw through the halfling’s ruse and sent him to live in the Fever Wing with Dillon’s cult of murderers. When convicts loyal to the Black Scale Company began targeting him, Traxxas asked for Dillon’s help to fake his death and go into hiding.
“The Company can have Four Waters, I don’t care,” Dillon growled, hefting a crude axe fashioned from salvaged scrap metal. “But only Pharasma decides how I die.”
At that moment, Aria and her companions were making their way through the Path of the Righteous. The Path’s magic was taking its toll on Klibb and Roch, slowing the party’s progress and giving Aaron enough time to prepare the men ahead of him and alert Sid that trouble was coming.
***
“Follow the plan,” Ratul warned the half-orc. The goblin had fled back to the prison after failing to kill Bartleby and the adventurers. “You remember what happened to Devil.”
“Whattayoukno ‘bout followin’ plans?” growled Sid. “All you ‘attadoo was siddon the ‘alfling ‘til things blew over, but you ‘adagit all vengeful and fulla indignation. Ya picktan ‘elluvatime to grow a pair…Screw the plan. This is my kennel, and I’m callin’ ou’tha dogs. Threepenny an’ ‘er ‘ighness can fix things later. They always finds a way.”
“Cheers for the ‘eads up, my son,” Sid grinned at Aaron before quickly pinning the guard against the door and driving a switchblade repeatedly into his abdomen. Aaron’s screams became a signal to Lake’s soldiers to overthrow their captors and, within moments, chaos reigned throughout the prison.
Jasper, Dillon and Traxxas fought their way to the prison’s confiscated gear locker while Aria, Zachariah and the others entered the corridors to find Sid’s men capturing or killing the prison’s guards. The blink dogs immediately lunged for the convicts’ throats as the adventurers pressed through the growing riot and the adventurers raced for Sid’s office.
Back in the world, Sid Lake, or “Savage” Sid Lake as he was known on the pub circuit, was little more than a barroom rowdy and a lowlife thug. He and Threepenny partnered up in a Riddleport jail, and their subsequent spree of larceny and extortion ended only after a legendary pub brawl that left Sid a bleeding mess and a bouncer named Benny dismembered, dead and partially devoured. Here in the dungeon, Sid was practically royalty in his own mind and, as his loyal soldiers slaughtered the guards in their path, the barbaric brawler stalked the corridors in search of the adventurers who threatened his reign.
Zachariah was too slow to react to the hulking, leather-clad brute as Savage Sid plowed through a wall of combatants to bury his gore-encrusted hand axe in the magus’ shoulder. The crippling blow robbed Zachariah of strength and the crazed bloodlust and hatred burning in the half-orc’s eyes shook him to his very core. Then, before Aria could come to Zachariah’s aid, the goblin Ratul rushed forward to drill a flaming shaft into the halfling.
“You had your chance to settle this peacefully, dog!” Aria growled at Lake as Ratul’s arrow burned within her ribs. “Now you’ll feel Sarenrae’s justice!”
The holy vindicator bolstered her allies’ strength as Ackersan and Zachariah faced off with the drunken brute and Roch pelted the slippery goblin scout with blasts of arcane might. Meanwhile, Jasper and Traxxas were dealing with a juggernaut of their own.
“I’d heard this thing only woke up when you tried to steal the jewels in its eyes!” Traxxas shouted as he tumbled through the arcing wings of an angel-winged automaton. “The Company must have gotten Ratul and that bugbear of theirs to redesign the trap!” The halfling and Jasper had woken the slumbering statue while stealing back their confiscated belongings and now it chased them and Dillon through the corridors, pausing only to smash any convict fool enough to stand in its way.
“Maybe we can lead it to Sid!” Jasper replied, unaware his companions currently faced the savage. “We don’t have time to fight it and it doesn’t look like it’s about to give up the chase!” Just then, the rogue heard the sound of Aria’s frantic prayers. Jasper’s companions were close and the cleric was in danger.
Jasper, Traxxas and Dillon scanned ahead to find Ackersan Redsword holding off Savage Sid as Aria knelt next to Zachariah’s body. The half-orc had clearly been badly injured by Zachariah’s arcane strikes, but a thick pool of blood had formed near the magus’ neck and it looked like the halfling was trying to press the spellsword’s head back into place while breathing life back into his lips. Behind them, Roch chased Ratul with flame and force as the scout fired shot after shot into the healing halfling.
“I-I can’t take much more of this…” Aria groaned to Zachariah as another flaming arrow found her side and Sid’s axe smashed her shoulder. “Finish them…” Bloody and nearly staggered, Aria withdrew from the barbarian only to find the monster was giving chase.
“You don’git away ‘at easy,” Sid roared as he dodged around Ackersan in pursuit of the wounded cleric, the hobgoblin cutting a great gaping canyon across the barbarian’s back as he went. “I’ll be back…ta deal wi’you…innaminnit!” the half-orc wheezed gripping his axe and knife tightly for a final rending assault on the cleric.
Aria slumped against a wall as the shadow of Savage Sid fell upon her. She could see the shape of his axe raised high and ready to end her life. “I told you! I run this yard!” Sid howled, blood spattering through his teeth. “I’m the warden!” And with that, the half-orc’s axe began its hateful descent. Aria’s fate teetered in the balance as a geyser of acid exploded against the barbarian’s side, slamming him to the wall as it ate into his leg and shoulder.
“Your services are no longer required,” Zachariah huffed, conjured acid trickling from his chin as Sid wheezed his last breath. Jasper and Ackersan helped the magus to his feet as Roch went after the fleeing Ratul.
“Enjoy your brief victory while it lasts,” Ratul shouted as he ran from the mystic theurge’s barrage of spells. “None of you will leave here alive!”
“Ratul thinks he is going somewhere?” Klibb hissed as he suddenly appeared before the goblin, slashing the scout across the belly with his dogslicer. “Ratul betrays his people, him betrays his Emperor, him is pojies,” the rogue spit.
Ratul staggered back, clutching his wound as he felt the Stonedeath Assassin’s deadly strike beginning to harden his veins and calcify his skin. “You’re one to talk, Stone Spirit trash,” the scout growled, anger pushing back the petrifying curse, filling Ratul with the strength for a sudden desperate assault. “They betrayed me first!” he cried.
Ratul’s bow dropped to the ground as he drew his blade and rushed Klibb, but the goblin’s sword never had a chance to pierce the assassin’s armor. Before the scout could wound Klibb, a pair of flaming rays exploded across his back and Roch grinned with grim satisfaction as Ratul’s broken, burning corpse pitched into a wall and fell. “Take that, uh, stupid goblin,” the theurge stammered because he couldn’t think of anything witty to say.
***
“Master Traxxas!” Klibb squealed when he spotted Traxxas with Jasper and Dillon.
“Aiighh!” Traxxas cried as he was tackled by the goblin.
“As much as I hate to break up this happy reunion, we need to move,” Jasper interjected, directing the party’s attention to the nine-foot-tall stone angel lumbering after him and the halfling as it slammed convicts into paste with its wings. The adventurers and their allies quickly ran into Sid’s office to hide and regroup, allowing Jasper to fill them in on what Dillon had told him.
“If Threepenny and Talita are here, they’ll be in the west wing of the prison,” Traxxas informed the party. “It’s where they’ve been training their army, and only a few hand-picked guards had access. No doubt that’s where they’d be keeping Argliss if he’s still alive.”
“There’s still work to be done here with the riot going on,” Ackersan added. “I shall remain behind and do my best to ensure the villains have no reinforcements to trouble you. Good luck, my friends.”
“I’m staying behind as well,” Dillon spoke. “With all that blood in the air, the brothers will need my guidance to stay in control.”
The adventurers, followed by Klibb and Traxxas, thanked Ackersan and Dillon for their help and proceeded through the doors into the prison’s west wing. As they did, Roch felt a sudden shiver up his spine.
“Are you okay, Roch?” Aria asked.
“Fine,” replied the theurge. “I just…I remember the first time I was here with Rags and Shi and Janus and Cul’tharic and Chum’lee; when we met the dragon and fought the hill giants. I wish they were here now…Well, not Chum’lee. That guy was an a$*+%+$.”
“Let your memories of them give you strength,” comforted Aria, placing a hand on the mystic’s shoulder. “Especially now that we know you’ve been here before because that means you get to lead the way.”
Roch sighed and reluctantly led the party through the tunnels toward the former lair of the black dragon Nardarik. Along the way, the group stopped to investigate a messy trail of dust and small rocks leading to a large door. The chamber beyond the door was massive and filled with a pile of broken stonework and debris. Much of it had obviously fallen from the ceiling, but Roch noticed some of the stone was from somewhere else.
“This wasn’t like this the last time we were here,” Roch alerted his companions. “It looks like they’ve been carting stone here from somewhere else.”
“Maybe they’re trying to tunnel out of here,” Jasper guessed. “Traxxas? You’ve been here awhile. Know anything about this?”
The halfling couldn’t be certain of all the stone’s origin, but he informed the adventurers the Black Scale Company had put many of the convicts to work clearing tunnels and making renovations since they took over the dragon’s lair. “Some of Sid’s men nearly killed me while I was working the tunnels in the east wing,” Traxxas added. “That’s when I figured out they were on to me. There was a tunnel to the north I knew they were clearing, but I was never put on that crew.”
“Well, whatever they’re up to, they aren’t here,” Aria spoke. “Let’s go find Threepenny and Talita and ask them, shall we?”
Roch led his companions around a few nasty traps while Klibb scouted ahead and eventually the goblin returned with news. Two of the tunnels up ahead were silent and seemed empty, but Klibb had heard noise coming from behind a large, bronze door at the end of a third tunnel. As the group approached the door, Roch motioned for them to stop.
“Last time I was here, there was a deep pit concealed by an illusion on the other side of this door,” the mystic spoke. “If you see a pile of treasure, stay away from it.”
“Figures,” Jasper grunted. “Even the treasure here is trying to kill us.”
“You should have seen the mimic inside the gelatinous cube,” Roch mentioned.
Forewarned by their theurge comrade, the party prepared themselves and stepped into the room. The floor of the large, cross-shaped chamber was now covered in crude, wooden panels and cloth banners depicting the black silhouette of a dragon hung from the walls. Furthermore, three raised platforms stood within the left, right and center alcoves.
The center platform drew the party’s interest first for there stood the bard Wilbert “Threepenny” Brechurt and the Contessa Talita Draghinazzo behind a short railing and a stout wooden lectern carved to look like a downward pointing dragon’s head. The platform to the right was vacant aside from its railing and a simpler lectern, but a cage containing what appeared to be a gagged and shackled Emperor Argliss stood upon the platform to the left.
“I take this to mean my dear friend Sid is dead then?” Threepenny frowned.
“As is Ratul,” Aria announced. “It seems your company is down to just the two of you now, Threepenny. Turn yourself in. There’s still time to undo the damage you’ve done.”
“Damage?” the bard replied. “You really don’t know what’s going on here, do you?”
“Here’s a penny for your thoughts,” Jasper called to Brechurt as he tossed a copper coin out onto the wood panel floor toward the bard. The coin rolled to about the center of the chamber before toppling, but seemed to prove the floor was real. “Just cuz it’s real don’t mean it ain’t a trap,” the rogue whispered to his companions.
Threepenny grinned as the coin floated up from the floor and flew into his palm with a wave of his hand. “I’ve performed for less,” he smiled. Then, to Talita he asked, “My lady, if you will permit me…”
“As if I could stop you,” the Contessa replied wryly. With that, Threepenny turned back to the party and, with a flourish, began his tale.
Wilbert Brechurt grew up an orphan on the streets of Magnimar, learning to exploit his natural talents to take what he wanted from life. His criminal behavior got him arrested many times, but it wasn’t until he came to the dungeon that he felt he’d truly found the path his life was meant to take.
“When Sid and I first came to the dungeon, we tried to do things the way we’d always done them,” Brechurt spoke. “We just wanted something that was ours, something we could control, and we took what we wanted the only way we knew how, but you all changed that, you understand? You and the adventurers who came before you; you inspired us.”
Threepenny and Sid saw the strides the early adventurers were making in expanding Four Waters’ territory, finding new resources and allies and, most important of all, giving hope to the prisoners of Lord Antagonis. The pair formed their own adventuring party with Talita Draghinazzo and built up their reputation taking jobs close to the Goblin Empire and Four Waters while leaving their counterparts in the original adventuring party to glory in their role as the commune’s great explorers and eventual saviors.
“Granted, our methods were, at times, a little dark, perhaps even cruel but, everything we did, we did for the good of Four Waters. I’m sure your companion, Roch, there knows exactly what I’m talking about,” the bard continued, nodding to the shamed theurge. “It was shortly after your group discovered the minotaurs living in Region F that the reality of our situation set in.”
The people of the commune were only just getting comfortable with the idea of having a huge tribe of goblins and hobgoblins living right on their eastern border when the minotaurs were found to the northeast. Very few trusted the man-eating monsters would stay peaceful for long, and popular sentiment was that only the presence of The Redeemers and the Celestial Garrison kept the minotaurs from raiding the commune but the celestials were growing more and more isolated every day.
“In only a few months, the population of the commune had grown from eighteen founding members to nearly one hundred and those are just the ones who survived the monsters, starvation, disease and traps in this place,” Brechurt continued. “It became obvious Antagonis isn’t going to stop sending people into this dungeon. We’re going to run out of room.”
“So you decided to lead Four Waters into a war with the goblins in order to expand the commune’s territory,” Zachariah interrupted.
“Oh, excuse me. For a moment there, I thought I was the bard here, but I guess I was wrong,” Threepenny groused. “Please, continue on with your tale, oh wise and eloquent orator. Elucidate us all with a recanting of your heroic deeds and cunning stratagem…can I finish?”
Jasper slapped Zachariah in the back of the head as Threepenny composed himself and resumed his tale. “It was that oafish wizard Chum’lee who sowed the seeds of our plan when he told Chief Markuli about the dragon living here,” the bard spoke. “The minotaur told us of how the wizard had come to him in private with an offer to lead his warriors to Nardarik. After Chum’lee was killed by Mortgul and her harpies, he was unable to complete his contract so Markuli hired us.”
The treasure won by the Black Scale Company for Markuli ensured the minotaurs would have plenty of gold to trade with the Goblin Empire resulting in stronger ties between the two communities and increased apprehension from Four Waters’ residents.
“I have to admit greed played a factor in our scheme as well,” Brechurt added. “Thistledown’s system of community owned property and shared wealth is bound to fail as Four Waters’ population grows. People have an uncontrollable desire to own things. They need to be able to say ‘this is mine,’ and gold, real gold, lets them do that. For some, the money flowing between the goblins and the minotaurs would be reason enough to fight.”
Helping to restore the Golden Axe tribe was part of the plan as well. Threepenny and his associates knew Markuli wouldn’t lead his people to war unless he was properly motivated and a threat to minotaur trade and gold would be all the reason he needed to attack Four Waters.
“Before this could work, two things needed to happen,” the bard spoke. “Markuli and Gartuk needed to reunite their tribes and Argliss had to be removed from power. Fixing things between the minotaurs was easy enough, but getting rid of Argliss was tricky.”
The Goblin Emperor had repeatedly proven to be too clever to manipulate and it wasn’t until the Black Scale Company learned of his true identity that they realized why. Without knowing it, the doppelganger had been using his natural ability to read minds and his immunity to charm magic to stay one step ahead of Markuli and anyone else that tried to take advantage of the goblins.
“Assassination wasn’t an option,” Brechurt spoke. “We need the power of the goblins’ faith in Argliss and his false god to remain intact if they’re going to stay organized enough to fight.”
Talita chose the hobgoblin Goblinbane to become the Black Scale Company’s puppet because of his aggressive and cruel demeanor. With everyone believing Argliss had gone away on a religious quest, the cavalier believed Goblinbane would follow his nature and go to war, allying with the minotaurs as soon as the goblins felt threatened.
“All we needed was a catalyst and the half-orc, Hurk, provided that with his cursed blood,” spoke the bard. “I honestly hated to see that happen, but hey, omelets, right? We all drank to his memory when we heard what had happened. As far as I’m concerned, the man died a hero.”
Devil Corazón’s mad plot to spread a lycanthropic virus throughout the dungeon was just what the Black Scale Company needed so Threepenny, Sid and Talita let the alchemist believe he hadn’t been discovered. This ensured the villainous egomaniac wouldn’t pass credit for his deeds onto the Company if he was caught. Meanwhile, the bugbear Logray, still under the effects of one of Threepenny’s charm spells, spied on Devil and passed along the bard’s suggestion to attack Four Waters as his own.
Threepenny believed the bugbear’s life wouldn’t be spared by anyone able to defeat him in combat and there was little concern over Logray spilling information with the charm active. However, even if Logray lived and the spell was lifted, the bard had faith the shaman’s duplicitous nature would provide an inaccurate version of the truth to his captors. After all, one should never trust a bugbear.
“We would have liked to let the fire between Four Waters and the Stoneshaper Empire burn a little longer, but your investigation into the disappearance of the elf, Marcus, and subsequent discovery of Devil’s plot necessitated we move quickly with our plans to blackmail Argliss,” Threepenny revealed. “All we need now is for Goblinbane, Markuli and Gartuk to give in to their base natures. Meanwhile, we’ll see that any attempt at a renewed peace with the goblins fails, and the butcher, Roger Baker, and other agents of our cause will stir Four Waters’ pot until it spills over.”
“The Contessa has deduced the early stages of the ensuing war with the goblin/minotaur alliance will lean toward a victory for our enemies due to the size of the goblin army and the minotaurs’ ability to take refuge within their labyrinth, but this too is to our advantage,” continued Threepenny. “When all hope of victory seems lost and a few of Four Waters’ staunchest defenders have been martyred in the most strategically and publicly beneficial ways, The Black Scale Company will be there to rally our people. Our soldiers will march out of the prison, ready and willing to defend Four Waters in exchange for their freedom and absolution of their crimes. We’ll be the ones to pick up the pieces and guide Four Waters into the future. We’ll be heroes.”
“What about the Celestial Garrison?” Aria asked. “Do you really think they’ll stand by while so many good men and women die for your cause?”
“Actually, no,” the bard answered. “At this point, most of The Redeemers are former residents of Four Waters, and I’ve no doubt they’ll threaten to quit their posts if the celestials sit idle. I’m sure Kelara would hate to admit it, but the Garrison needs their mortal soldiers to defend their few remaining tunnels while they keep up their wards.”
Threepenny had learned much about the adventurers’ trip up north, so he knew the wards between Regions E and I were the only thing keeping the Halls of Flesh from growing into the south. With so few celestials remaining to maintain the wards, Kelara likely wouldn’t risk the lives of her troops on a mortal dispute. However in order to ensure the safety of the ward staves, she would place Redeemers along the east edge of Region E cutting off the minotaurs’ access to Four Waters’ northern border. The monsters would be forced to use the warp gates north of the Goblin Empire meaning they’d be flanked between the commune in the west and the Black Scale Company’s forces in the east.
“The Celestial Garrison is an ally Four Waters can’t afford to lose and I’m fairly certain they feel the same way about us,” Threepenny grinned. “Any problems Kelara has with our methods will dissipate when she realizes she’s helped us wipe out two firmly entrenched communities of evil monsters.”
“In exchange for one community only led by evil monsters,” Zachariah spat. “You still haven’t explained why you began targeting members of this adventuring party. Why kill us if you have so much respect and admiration for us?”
“We won’t lead Four Waters, not initially anyway,” Brechurt replied. “That task will fall to Spishak Kilbane after many of his fellow Council members perish during the war. Kilbane is a priest of Abadar and, like us, he respects the value of acquisition and the power of wealth. The Black Scale Company will support him for governorship of Four Waters. We’ll be his security, his staff and his advisors and, when it’s time, we’ll replace him. Slogging through monster-infested, trap-laden tunnels is no way to get rich, my friend. If you really want to make a killing, get into politics. As to why we need to kill you and your friends, that should already be obvious…we love our community.”
Life outside the dungeon in the kingdom of Lord Antagonis was a miserable experience, every day spent hiding from beasts or wondering if the evil monarch’s soldiers would invent some ridiculous new law in order to claim all you held dear and throw you into some skeleton-filled hole in the ground. Every day, Antagonis’ power grew and it seemed the world would never be freed of the despot’s tyranny.
“Back in the world, we were told The Dungeon is a place of terror, a yawning void of chaos and evil with no escape where Antagonis keeps the souls of his undead warriors,” Threepenny earnestly spoke. “Maybe we were right to fear it once, but look what we’ve done in only eight months. Four Waters has grown into a strong, thriving community full of hope and promise, and we get stronger every day. If the people outside knew what it’s like down here, don’t you think they’d prefer this to the hell they’re living through? Lord Antagonis hasn’t imprisoned us. The bastard’s set us free.”
“The Black Scale Company wouldn’t exist; what we’ve accomplished could not have happened without the inspiration you’ve provided and the loose ends you left for us to pick up,” Talita interjected, placing a hand on Threepenny’s shoulder. “Four Waters owes its future to you and to the adventurers who came before you but, with our regret, if our people are to survive what’s coming, you have to die.”
“What do you mean?” Aria called to the cavalier. “What’s coming?!”
“Not what,” came a cackling laugh as a small, red, horned creature appeared hovering in the air above Threepenny and Talita. “Who?!”
The imp explained that many years ago he’d been tasked with the corruption of Longtail and that it was his goal to lead the sorcerer to The Dungeon where he might undo the wards negating interplanar travel. By communing with his superiors, Achsyyx was given enough information about the dungeon for the sorcerer to weaken the wards and create a small rift to Hell.
“It wasn’t much, only strong enough for a few hell-rats and a fiendish owlbear or two,” Achsyyx continued. “I told Longtail sacrificing enough souls to the rift would lead to a cure for his lycanthropy. I wasn’t lying, but I don’t think he would have been too thrilled with his prescription.”
The true reason Achsyyx needed the portal open was so Hell could send a team of powerful devils into the Dungeon. The fiends waiting on the other side would have killed Longtail as soon as they were through, ending his curse and claiming his soul at the same time.
“Thanks to your Lord Antagonis, we would have had a never-ending supply of souls to feed the rift in order to make it strong enough to bring in my guys,” spoke the imp. “Then some molly ranger and his dog showed up with a bunch of their buddies, killed my charge and sealed the portal. I don’t imagine my bosses were very happy with that ranger or his puppy when they popped out the other side. Fortunately for my team, your predecessors weren’t very thorough in their monster killing duties and they forgot about me.”
Achsyyx had been tailing the party ever since. Something about the group interested the imp’s bosses in Hell and he was told to keep a close on eye on them. Sometimes he even tilted the odds against them or helped them with a conveniently placed potion or weapon he’d stolen from elsewhere in the dungeon. It wasn’t until after a few months that his superiors gave the imp the order to terminate the party with extreme prejudice.
“As awesome as I am, there’s still only so much I can do alone,” Achsyyx continued. “There were plenty of places I couldn’t follow. You and your friends went completely off the grid whenever you visited the Celestial Garrison or traveled beyond the wards into the north, and all the times the party split up? It was like trying to herd hellcats. I needed help.”
Acshyyx enlisted the aid of Marcus and the wererat monk Mina first. The crazed elf and homicidal lycanthrope were easy to manipulate thanks to their afflictions and predilection for betrayal, and the imp appeared to them disguised as a large rat whenever he had new orders to give. Mina managed to kill the bard Saelin and nearly helped the barghest Morat take over the Goblin Empire before Hammerfist knocked her head off with his greatclub. Marcus proved far more useful though since the lunatic could spy on the adventurers without being noticed whenever they visited Four Waters.
“I had a good thing going with the elf until he got extra special crazy,” the imp grinned. “Marcus built his safe house, murdered anyone who found out about it and started investigating all the deaths and disappearances he was helping me to accomplish. It’s like he just blacked out all the horrible things he was doing and never realized the devil he was after was himself. I had to put him down.”
“So why do your bosses want us dead?” Jasper asked.
“It isn’t necessarily you they want to kill,” Achsyyx bluntly replied. “It’s what you represent.”
Then the imp revealed a shocking secret about the origin of the dungeon.
Many thousands of years ago, a group of deities and other powerful extraplanar entities were called together to create a vault for the most dangerous evil artifacts and monsters of their time. The need for such a place was deemed so great, the summons went out to every corner of every plane.
Support for the dungeon’s construction was, unsurprisingly, strongest among the forces of Good, but many who championed the concept of Law also took up the cause and this included a large contingent of devils, including the Prince of Darkness, Asmodeus.
“You didn’t actually think your gods of righteousness and purity would be the only cosmic beings interested in having a giant, nigh-indestructible prison did you?” asked the imp. “The celestials and their Axian pals may hold the keys, but you’ll find Hell’s stamp of approval on every agreement, code and contract it took to build this place.”
Asmodeus agreed that Hell would have no hand in the actual construction of the prison or its administration, but Achsyyx revealed the devils contributed many ideas for how to imprison the demons of the Abyss and, at Asmodeus’ decree, many demons, evil artifacts and even a number of overly ambitious infernal dukes were captured and handed over to the Celestial Garrison to be studied, imprisoned or destroyed.
“I’m not at liberty to say who, but someone very close to the throne is trying to take something back, and they’re using what they learned about the dungeon back then to do it,” Achsyyx continued. “The earthquake that broke this place in two was the first step. Getting our team inside is my job, but it won’t matter if they don’t escape with the prize.”
Infernal statisticians working for Achsyyx’s mysterious master had made a dire prediction that could ruin their entire scheme: A group of creatures attempting to flee the dungeon would appear to stand against them and, unless these creatures were put down quickly, they would soon grow powerful enough to stop the nefarious plot.
“At first, everyone thought it would be a bunch of demons or someone else we imprisoned here when the place was built,” Achsyyx revealed. “They waited for signs, but all they kept getting were false flags. I can’t tell you how happy the brains were when they learned Falortuglio had been destroyed. Nobody wanted to take him on. Anyway, it wasn’t until your predecessors started making inroads into the Dungeon that your group showed up as a rising star in Hell’s predictions.”
Whereas the Black Scale Company was content to remain in the prison, the adventurers were being targeted by Hell because they were looking for a way out.
“You’re selling us out to these devils!?” Jasper yelled at Threepenny and Talita. “We could stomp this imp into paste and end this now!”
“If only it were that simple,” replied the bard. “If we kill the imp, we sentence Four Waters to death. It’s only a matter of time before the devils work out another way into the Dungeon and, when they get here, they aren’t going to take the time to tempt us with riches or fame or everlasting life in exchange for our souls. They only want one thing and I am assured they will kill everyone in the commune if there’s any chance someone there might try to escape. It’s why Marcus and Hurk and all the others had to die. It’s why Shi will die. It isn’t good enough that you retire or give up. The call to adventure is too strong with the people who have traveled with your group. Eventually, you will try again.”
“They’re not just selling us out,” Aria spoke. “They’re condemning the world outside these walls. Can you imagine the damage something like the Wheel of Sorrow could do if it was dropped into a large city? The mad rule of Lord Antagonis would look like a child’s birthday party compared to that. People would sell their souls to be free of that kind of pain.”
“Let Hell have them,” Talita growled. “The world outside these walls let a murderer like Antagonis live long enough to take the throne and then did nothing as his power grew. We have a chance to build a new world here, a better world. Our people will be spared from the devils’ wrath, Antagonis and the cowards who put him in power will burn in Hell’s fire and, at the end of my days, I will join them glad of heart that I could save our people for the price of my wretched, worthless soul!”
“So be it!” Aria growled gripping her axe. “This madness ends now!”
“No more theatrics, Threepenny!” Achsyyx hissed, once again vanishing from sight. “Finish them now or I promise you, your people will suffer!”
“I think there’s still time for one final reveal,” the bard grinned stomping the release mechanism built into the stage at his feet. With a crack, the floor of the chamber split open revealing the deep pit Roch had mentioned. The adventurers and their companions leapt to hang on to whatever stability they could find, but the theurge tripped and slid into the dark gulf falling a hundred feet to the unforgiving stone floor below.
“I’m sorry, but we haven’t been completely honest about how we came to take up residence in the black dragon’s lair, friends,” Threepenny shouted across the gap. “Allow me to introduce you to the Black Scale Company’s chief patron!”
Somehow not dead, Roch achingly pushed himself onto his knees only to come face to face with a horror from his past. Nardarik was alive.
“I’ll admit I was hesitant to accept the terms of my agreement with the bard and his allies at first, but it isn’t everyday someone comes into my lair with such a tempting offer,” the dragon rumbled, acid dripping from his jaws. “Wealth, an army of loyal minions at my disposal and all the heroes I can eat!”
“He might still have some growing up to do, but think of the leverage Four Waters could have over any future threats with a dragon in our corner!” Threepenny cried as the monster charged Roch, snatching him up in his teeth and hurling him to the floor. “We had to feed him a couple of our companions as a show of good faith, but I think the sacrifice was worth it.”
The bard and his allies had traded the lives of the elf Laze and a gnoll ranger to Nardarik in exchange for enough of the dragon’s hoard to convince the minotaur chief Markuli the dragon was dead. For his investment, Nardarik was told the prison would serve as a smoke screen to conceal his lair, the Black Scale Company and its soldiers would act as his defenders and his wealth would be restored and increased once the minotaurs and goblins were wiped out. As a bonus, the dragon would receive regular meals of war prisoners and anyone who got too close to discovering the truth, and the prison’s convicts would dig out a tunnel to the north in order to expand his territory.
“You people are insane!” Zachariah called, steadying himself at the edge of the pit. “You can’t actually believe what you’re doing is right!”
“Ready yourself,” Aria whispered to the magus. “I’m going to make you a bridge.”
“Is it right to return a people to squalor and misery or to let them become the victims of devils?” Talita replied. “Our results will testify to our actions!”
“Go!” Aria shouted, a band of black force shooting out across the pit. As Zachariah charged across the bridge of ebon energy, Threepenny loosed a spell of confusion on the adventurers. Aria, Klibb and Traxxas shook off the effect, but Jasper suddenly found himself unable to control his actions. Talita moved to intercept the incoming magus while Klibb climbed toward Argliss’ cage and Traxxas made himself invisible. Down in the pit, Roch’s awful day was about to get worse.
Nardarik played with Roch as a cat plays with a mouse, allowing the theurge to heal himself just enough for the dragon to swat him down once again. The fall had taken a serious toll on Roch’s health and he knew he wouldn’t last long without help from his friends. Then, through bleary eyes, Roch thought he caught a glint of green scales and he cried for joy.
“Cul’tharic! You’ve come to save me!” the theurge wept as he crawled toward the lizardman only to feel the jaw-shattering sting of the warrior’s resin shield crashing against his face.
“Cul’tharic’s told me a lot about your little adventure up north!” Threepenny yelled down to the theurge. “It seems he wasn’t very happy about being lied to when you killed all those drow with that poisonous gas. He wasn’t mad enough to want to kill you of course, but I’ve made sure that doesn’t matter!”
“Please, Cul’tharic!” Roch pleaded, working a spell to shatter the bard’s control over his friend. “It’s me, Roch! You have to fight him!”
Nardarik grinned as the theurge’s spell failed and the ensorcelled reptile prepared to strike a final blow against his former companion. “It looks like you two have some things to work out,” the dragon laughed as he beat his wings and lifted off the ground. “I think I’ll leave you to it.” With that, the dragon shot up toward the melee above where Talita and Zachariah fought at the edge of the pit.
“You’re not half bad, boy!” Draghinazzo growled, deflecting a blow from the magus with her heavy shield. “But your magic can only compensate for your lack of skill for so long!”
Zachariah suddenly found himself flat on his back as the cavalier swept his knee with the flat of her blade nearly causing him to roll off Aria’s magical bridge. Clutching the edge of the platform where the cavalier stood, the magus could see the release mechanism for the trap door and he made a desperate lunge at it. Zachariah’s palm slammed down onto the large button and he immediately heard a whirring of gears below the floor.
“Good for you,” Threepenny smiled at the magus placing his hands onto the dragonhead lectern and giving it a push. “Too bad you’re still going in the hole.”
Before the machinery below the platform could finish closing the pit, the large wooden lectern toppled over onto Zachariah forcing him to lose his grip and slide into the yawning void below. The magus felt his bones splinter as he struck the ground and, high above, he could see Talita leaping onto Nardarik’s back as the dragon approached the platform. With Roch and Zachariah in the pit and Jasper staggering about madly, the cavalier and her draconic ally were headed straight for Aria.
“Jasper!?” Aria called to her dazed friend. “Little help here!” Talita and Nardarik were flying straight at the cleric who had started to make her way across the thin ebony bridge. The trapdoor below was still closing and wasn’t moving fast enough to save the halfling from a perilous drop. To her left, a blast of flames suddenly erupted from the air above Threepenny and Aria could see Traxxas had just reappeared flying above the bard and pelting him with fire. The rogue had spent some time studying as a wizard after leaving the adventuring party, and the arcane trickster was about to save Aria’s hide.
“Traxxas, catch me!” Aria shouted as she leapt away from Nardarik and Talita. The quick rogue mage barely had time to react but dived past the dragon and its rider toward the falling cleric.
“Urff!” Traxxas grunted as he gripped Aria’s arm attempting to slow her fall. “A little more of a heads up would be appreciated next time!” he barked.
“If we don’t deal with that dragon and Talita, there isn’t going to be a next time,” the cleric grimly replied.
“I’d suggest dealing with the other scaled menace first,” spoke the rogue, directing Aria’s attention to the dead-eyed reptile Cul’tharic standing over the bleeding body of Roch as Zachariah still struggled to stand.
“Can you get me closer to Roch?!” Aria cried. Her trained healer’s eye could see Roch was dying and had only moments to live.
“I’m not a blood hawk! It’s a miracle I’ve managed to hang onto you this long!” Traxxas answered. “We’re only going one direction and that’s straight down.”
“Dammit! I’ll never get to him in time!” Aria cursed. The pair was now only 20 feet from the ground, but Roch lay more than 30 feet away.
“Drop her, Traxxas!” Zachariah shouted up at the halfling. “I can save Roch, but Aria’s got to be closer. Before meeting the adventurers, Zachariah had commissioned a strange, spongy shirt of leech skin from the goblin wizard, Farggalaan, which allowed him to steal healing magic away from any spellcaster within 30 feet and redirect the spell into himself or another nearby creature. With nothing to lose, Aria dropped to the floor and began to cast her spell. As advertised, Zachariah’s enchanted shirt absorbed the magic and channeled it into the comatose mystic, saving his life.
Roch awoke just in time to see Nardarik and Talita crash down into the pit between himself and his allies. The cavalier and dragon immediately turned on the magus and cleric as Cul’tharic once again set his sights on the theurge who instinctively curled up under his small shield and pleaded once again for his life.
“Goddess of the Dawn, I beseech you, free our friend from the evil spell that clouds his mind!” Aria shouted, dodging the wings of Nardarik in an attempt to dispel Threepenny’s magic. Unfortunately, the bard’s spell proved an even match for Aria’s faith. Cul’tharic lined his trident up with Roch’s heart and hissed. The next blow would seal the theurge’s fate.
“I didn’t just save Roch’s life to see my effort wasted!” Zachariah growled through Talita’s attacks. Calling on every reserve of arcane power within himself, the magus then dropped an abjuration on the lizardman that broke through Threepenny’s enchantment and restored Cul’tharic to his senses. The reptile’s arm twisted mid-thrust as Cul’tharic spun and buried the tines of his trident deep into the hide of Nardarik!
“Does this mean you aren’t going to kill me?” Roch stammered.
“We’ll see,” grinned the lizardman. Meanwhile, Klibb worked to free the Goblin Emperor Argliss.
The cage holding Argliss turned out to be a trap. As Klibb reached out to unbind the monarch, the goblin inside was revealed to be an illusion hovering over a trapdoor. Luckily, Klibb’s reflexes saved him from falling into a cell where the true Argliss lay bound and gagged 100 feet below. The Stonedeath Assassin worked his way down into the cell and managed to free the goblin king who seemed hesitant to leave.
“You should have left me,” Argliss coughed. “After everything I’ve done to your people…it’s all a lie. Norendithas, everything. Argliss isn’t even my real name.”
“Once Klibb maybe think Argliss should die for lie, but now him think maybe lie is better,” replied the goblin. “Klibb think if Argliss not lie, all goblins be dead now. Norendithas-lie makes goblins stronger. Adventurers, gnolls, celestials, even minotaurs kill goblins if goblins not believe.”
“That’s sweet, but I know now I didn’t create Norendithas to make you stronger,” replied the doppelganger as he painfully shifted into his true form for the first time in over a decade. “I did it because I wanted to see what would happen, how far I could take it. It was a joke. I’m remembering things, Klibb. There’s so much more that what’s in that journal. This isn’t the first time I’ve done this. The Stone Spirits, Klibb, you need to know-“
The doppelganger’s words were suddenly cut off by a hard slap to his face. “Stone Spirits are real,” Klibb spoke, his voice shaking. “Norendithas is real. Argliss is real.”
Silence bridged to two for the space of a dying breath before the doppelganger finally spoke.
“I’m sorry, Klibb,” the creature replied taking hold of Klibb’s rope and pulling himself up. “But you’re wrong.”
The doppelganger that had been Argliss hauled himself up out of the cell as Klibb stood quietly nearly forgetting the battle taking place outside. Then the sound of Nardarik’s roar snapped him back to reality and he reached for his lockpicks and rushed for the cell door.
Jasper finally managed to focus his mind enough to race across the now-sealed trap door above the battle in the pit, but he knew Threepenny’s magic still had a hold on him. “Stand still, you bastard,” the rogue spit at the bard. “Half-mad or no, I’m coming for you!”
Jasper’s rapier darted forward to slash Threepenny, but the rogue was suddenly filled with a crazed compulsion to turn the blade back on himself. “Oh! So close!” Threepenny cheered. “I was really pulling for you that time!” Taking advantage of the rogue’s fit of madness, Threepenny quickly cast a spell and vanished before Jasper’s eyes.
“I’d love to stick around for a good, old-fashioned swashbuckling duel, but I only fight battles I know I can win,” chided the invisible bard. “Rain check?”
Jasper growled, but could do nothing to locate the villain as the confusion spell ended. Swearing to find the bard and make him pay, the rogue ran to the center stage where he discovered a door below a rug thrown onto the platform. Quickly descending the ladder below the stage, Jasper threw open the door at the bottom of the tower, entered the pit and joined his companions against the Contessa Talita Draghinazzo and the black dragon Nardarik...
***
“There was a riot. I think the warden went down fighting. I don’t know. It was chaos,” an injured guard outside the prison reported to Sanjid. The hound archon and several of his companions from the Celestial Garrison had arrived shortly after receiving frightening news from the prison. “The last thing I remember is that lantern archon, Coleman, flying past me like a bat out of Hell shouting about demons from the north. The prisoners didn’t seem to believe him at first, but then there was so much screaming and blood.”
“What about the adventurers?” Sanjid asked. “Did you see a pair of halflings and a human warrior wielding a curved blade? A goblin and hobgoblin might have been with them.”
“I saw them” interrupted another injured man. Thick, blood-soaked bandages wrapped his abdomen. “They fought the demons with a pack of hounds and the celestial at their side as we escaped. The men who weren’t lucky enough to be near the exit when the monsters fell on us, guards and prisoners alike, flocked to them like drowning men struggling to breach the ceiling of the sea.”
“Do they live?” spoke Kelara. “Did you see if they survived?”
The leonal looked knowingly to each of her companions then turned back to the man. “What is your name, soldier?” Kelara asked.
“I am called Aaron,” the guard replied.
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You tangle-maned twit! You call that an ending?! If you're just going to throw a bunch of demons from out of nowhere at these imbeciles you could at least have the decency to describe how the beasts mercilessly slaughtered every last one of the fools! And you left out the entire second half of the battle with the Black Scale Company! I call shenanigans! You're covering something up! Admit it!
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You raise some fair points, your mean-ness. Where exactly did those demons come from, and what was the final outcome of the battle against the Black Scale Company? For that matter, where did Achsyyx go after he turned invisible and how did Aaron survive being disemboweled by Savage Sid Lake?
I guess we won't know for certain until I start on Volume 2...or at least write the dungeon epilogue.
A long dungeon epilogue for volume 1 that explains those very fun 225 days would be excellent. I can't wait to see volume 2. Ha, Ha, Ha......
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It's coming.
Hello again, dear dungeon-readers! After some months settling into my new office, traveling around Alaska and hunting down a new gaming group, I can finally say the wait is nearly over. Volume 2 of my World's Largest Dungeon campaign is going to begin within about a month. Until then, I'm going to start posting a few items to set up the new adventure.
First off, so it's out of the way, I want to address the abrupt ending to our last session. Basically, we ran out of time so I made that part of the story. The group and I played around 12 hours and, as 4AM rolled around, we knew it was time to pack it in and say our farewells. The true final fate of Aria, Jasper, Zachariah and Roch will be revealed as the new campaign progresses.
Next up, the demons. I didn't pull a "Rocks fall, everyone dies." For some reason, the writers decided to put a ton of demons right above the north border of Region C. Some of them are upwards of CR15 and, as written, they are quite capable of strolling right into a region designed for level 7-9 PCs. When the party first arrived to the area that became the prison, I blocked the tunnel with rubble so they wouldn't wander into an impossible encounter but, when I knew we weren't going to have time to get into a new region, I figured the freeing of the demons would be a perfect catalyst to begin the next stage of the campaign. If you haven't already figured it out, how they escaped will be revealed in the coming sessions. With that out of the way, here's some of what's in store for "Velcro Zipper presents AEG's - The World's Largest Dungeon! Vol. 2!"
Approximately three months have passed since demons attacked Region C...
Four Waters, The Goblin Empire and the Golden Axe Tribe are now under the jurisdiction of the Celestial Garrison.
After efforts to route the demonic horde and rescue their prisoners failed with tragic results, Kelara, leonal commander of the Celestial Garrison, appeared before the leaders of the three communities stating the appearance of the demons necessitated the celestials and inevitables reassert control over Regions A, B, C and F. The prisoners of Lord Antagonis, goblins and minotaurs would be allowed to remain within their respective areas but they would henceforth be subject to the scrutiny and judgments of the Garrison and their Redeemer agents. Evil actions would be punished in accordance with the severity of the crime and any spore of demonic influence would be swiftly and severely excised from the community. Needless to say, the minotaurs of the newly reforged Golden Axe tribe were not keen to accept Kelara’s decree.
Chief Markuli, bolstered by the renewed strength of his tribe and the news of the Garrison’s defeat by the demons, mistakenly believed the Garrison’s forces were broken, that Kelara’s words were an empty threat. He ordered his warriors to slay the leonal and her contingent and deliver their heads back to the Garrison’s border as a sign that the minotaurs would never bow to the celestials’ authority. Markuli’s half-sister Gartuk, now rules what is left of the tribe.
The fate of the minotaurs had a profound effect on the goblins and humanoids to the south. Unwilling to risk the destruction of the Empire left in his care, Goblinbane, hobgoblin steward to the throne of Argliss, ordered his people to accept the presence of the celestials and their agents. In Four Waters, many viewed the decimation of the Golden Axe as a sobering reminder of the awesome strength of the extraplanar beings. For some, the Garrison’s display of power served as a sign of the righteousness of their cause and they flocked to Region E to undergo the tests that would allow them to enter the Garrison’s ranks. For others however, it served as a cruel mirror of their treatment under Lord Antagonis and many of those who refused to live under the Garrison’s watchful eye willingly immigrated north to dwell among the ratfolk of region M.
Life south of the wards (now popularly referred to as The Line) has slowly returned to a nervous calm. The demon incursion in the east never made it past The Path of Worth, but Redeemer and celestial agents keep a close eye on the old prison for signs of trouble and, despite their intimidating presence, the Celestial Garrison has proven itself benevolent in its hegemony. Laws are strictly enforced and the watchful eye of the Redeemers is ever-present, but the tunnels are secure, people are fed and trade is honest and fair. The same cannot be said for those dwelling north of Region E.
The fledgling ratfolk race was happy to have so many new customers when goblins, humanoids and even minotaurs began showing up in their stalls but, when it became apparent the new arrivals were not going to leave, tensions began to mount. Outnumbered and overpowered by their new neighbors, the ratfolk were soon displaced despite the best efforts of the centaur paladin Melody and the halfling fighter Riswan to save the rats’ homes. Sadly, the drider Eletor’s dream of using the ratfolk as slaves has nearly come true. Most of the creatures now live in the aberration-haunted tunnels of Region I where they eke out a living as scavengers and junk merchants while those who remain in The Barrows toil for low wages and little respect.
While not everyone who lives north of The Line is a bad person, freedom from Garrison control has made The Barrows a haven for criminals, devil worshipers and other less savory types. Gangs now control much of the trade that goes on within the former lair of the driders and the meager police force raised by Melody is often too busy responding to monster attacks to combat the increasing hold organized crime has on the community. To make matters worse, the tumor-caked Halls of Flesh have become home to all the poor, unwanted and exiled among The Barrows making the area a common spot for banditry.
That's it for now. As the next few weeks go by, I'll post up some more news from the dungeon and some details about the new party.
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@sunbeam - Divination magic works just fine. In fact, my plan to have the imp Achsyyx turn out to be the true villain of the campaign hinged on his ability to cast Commune. The party just never really used divinations aside from Detect Magic and asking Cul'tharic to cast the occasional Omen of Peril or Lay of the Land spell.
The lack of teleportation and summoning magic does probably hinder the PCs somewhat, but the thing to remember is the monsters don't get those abilities either. As the adventure progresses and things like high-CR devils and demons begin to appear more often, the party might be grateful they aren't fighting things that teleport at will and summon tons of buddies.
Also, thanks for your continued interest in the campaign. I know the messageboards here can get a little heated at times, but I've seen more good out of them than bad. I hope your experiences here don't sour you on the game or the hobby itself.
@Balthazar - The new adventurers will begin at level 11. Once I finish writing them up, I'll post some info about the character creation rules for the campaign.
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It took me a little while to get it all in order but, below, are the new character creation rules for the campaign.
World’s Largest Dungeon character creation:
25pt buy
1 trait
2 campaign perks (below)
Hit Points - Player characters will receive maximum HP for level 1 + (1/2HD + 1 HP) for every level after up to level 10. Beginning at level 11, PCs receive 1/2HD + 2 HP for every level up to level 15. From level 16-20, PCs receive 1/2HD + 3 HP (i.e. a fighter has 10+(6x9)+7=71 HP at level 11, 10+(6x9)+(7x5)=99 HP at level 15 and 10+(6x9)+(7x5)+(8x5)=149HP at level 20.) Add Constitution modifiers as normal.
Beginning level - 11
Starting Gold – Players receive the standard starting funds based on their Wealth by Level. This amount is assumed to derive from the value of services rendered, trade goods and loot from around the dungeon since coins are still relatively scarce. At level 11, the beginning value of the PCs' wealth is 82,000gp. What isn't spent can be converted into various trade goods and small assortments of coins and gems.
Spending limit – As mentioned, the artisans of the dungeon only have enough resources to produce certain items. Players can spend up 15% of their WBL on individual items. At level 11, this amount is 12,300gp.
Wondrous Items, Enchanted Weapons, Etc. - The craftsmen of the dungeon are limited to creating items for which they have the necessary feats and spells. I keep track of what spells, feats and skills the NPCs have so I update the list of available gear as the party gains experience. I'm not going to post the full list here because it would be too lengthy and difficult but, while limited, it is still full of useful gear like +3 Armors, ability score-enhancing items, rods, rings and scrolls. I discourage taking Item Crafting feats because I allow PCs to help NPCs by providing necessary spells and, that way, the PCs can use their feats on stuff that will help them out in the dungeon.
Summoning and Teleportation magic don't function in the Dungeon so summoners would be at a huge disadvantage in the adventure.
The ability to craft and maintain firearms just doesn't exist in the dungeon as I'm running it, and I don't want to shoe-horn them into the treasure so I'm barring gunslingers.
Evil characters are highly discouraged. The Line (the border between Regions I and E is guarded by wards that prevent evil creatures from passing into the south. An evil cleric or oracle coming into Four Waters from the main entrance, might simply be exiled into the north with a warning, but an antipaladin wouldn't be suffered to live if discovered by the Celestial Garrison.
Ninja and Samurai are unlockable classes. Like what I'm doing with non-core races, that means they can be added to the list of playable classes if the party performs the correct actions.
Races available: All core races, goblin*, hobgoblin*, aasimar*, ratfolk**, minotaur***
* non-core races are limited to one member of each race. Only two non-core race PCs may be in the party at once.
** a ratfolk PC loses the Swarming racial trait and instead gains the Cornered Fury alternate racial trait.
Cornered Fury: Ratfolk can fight viciously when cut off from friends and allies. Whenever a ratfolk with this racial trait is reduced to half or fewer of his hit points, and has no conscious ally within 30 feet, he gains a +2 racial bonus on melee attack rolls and to Armor Class. This racial trait replaces swarming.
*** minotaur PCs suffer a -4 experience level penalty in comparison to other races due to their advanced hit dice (i.e. a minotaur begins play at level 7 instead of 11 and so on as PC levels increase.)
Minotaur player race: Minotaur PCs have the following racial traits and abilities:
• Str +4 Con +2 Int –4 Cha –2
• Darkvision 60ft.
• Natural Armor +5
• Large size – minotaurs are large and have the following characteristics –1 to attack, -1 to AC, -4 to Stealth, +1 to CMB, +1 to CMD, Space 10’, Reach 10’,
• +4 racial bonus to Perception and Survival
• Speed 30ft.
• Natural Cunning - Although minotaurs are not especially intelligent, they possess innate cunning and logical ability. This gives them immunity to maze spells and prevents them from ever becoming lost. Further, they are never caught flat-footed.
• Natural weapons – minotaurs can use their horns to gore opponents for 1d6 damage.
• Powerful Charge - gore 2d6
• Bonus Hit Dice – Minotaurs begin with 6d10 hit dice which give them 40 hp, Fort +2, Ref +5, Will +5, BAB +6/+1, 24 skill points and 3 feats before ability score and class level adjustments. Their racial class skills are Climb, Craft, Intimidate, Perception, Stealth, Survival and Swim.
• Starting Gold – Minotaurs PCs begin with WBL according to their class levels + 1650gp (i.e. a minotaur beginning as a level 7 barbarian, rogue, etc. receives 25,150gp) Keep in mind the base price of weapons, armor and many other types of equipment is twice the normal amount and such items weigh double their typical amount for large creatures.
• Weapon familiarity – All minotaurs are taught to use the greataxe from youth and treat the minotaur double crossbow as a martial weapon.
Minotaur Double Crossbow – minotaurs have a love of complicated things, and the double crossbow is one of their favorites. This heavy weapon fires a pair of iron-tipped bolts with deadly accuracy. Due to its size and weight, however, non-proficient wielders suffer a –8 penalty on their attack rolls. Even proficient wielders take a –2 penalty on their attack rolls. If the attack is successful, the target takes the listed damage twice, although critical hits and precision-based damage are only applied to one of the bolts. Reloading a double crossbow takes 2 standard actions (one for each bolt), although the Rapid Reload feat reduces this to 2 move actions (meaning that it can be accomplished in 1 round). Price 300gp Range – 120ft Damage 4d8/19–20x2 [critical to 2d8 damage only) weight 18lb.
• Languages – Minotaurs being play speaking Giant. Minotaurs with high Intelligence scores can choose from the following: Common, Goblin, Abyssal, Undercommon
Hero of the Empire - At some point during your stay in the dungeon, you did the Goblin Empire a solid and won Goblinbane’s respect. You’ve been awarded a Grey Fist badge and, so long as you wear it proudly, goblin and hobgoblin NPCs will always begin with an attitude of Friendly toward you unless they are magically compelled against you. You also receive a +2 circumstance bonus to Bluff, Diplomacy and Charisma checks when interacting with goblins and hobgoblins.
Trust-worthy (core races, aasimar only) – Before the disappearance of the Black Scale Company, you were a member of The Trust. Whether or not you deserve it, you benefit from the group’s positive reputation. You may borrow up to 5% of your Wealth by Level (based on your current Character Level) in equipment from Four Waters’ community store for a period of time equal to one day per character level. After this time, any item that is not returned must be paid for before you may borrow more gear from the community. Repeated failures to return or pay for equipment on time or any action that causes the residents of Four Waters to lose faith in the character can result in the loss of this perk.
Rough Welcomer (core races, aasimar only) – You cut your teeth by battling Lord Antagonis’ bizarre beasts with Col. Rose’s Welcoming Party at the mouth of the dungeon. Choose two of the following Knowledge skills: Arcana, Dungeoneering, Local, Nature, Religion. You gain a +2 competence bonus to identify the abilities of monsters associated with the selected skills and one of these is treated as a class skill for you. Furthermore, you gain a +2 competence bonus to CMD whenever you are in combat with a creature that has a template added to its base statistics.
Dungeon Prospector – Too lazy, unskilled or disinterested to get a real job, you gained experience by tagging along with a scavenger team or salvage crew. You gain a +2 competence bonus to Appraise checks and Survival checks to find edible food and water. Spending a week in a new region of the dungeon also grants you a +2 competence bonus to Knowledge (geography,) Survival and Perception checks made to identify and recall notable areas, avoid becoming lost and discover hidden doors.
Redeemed (non-evil, non-Chaotic Neutral only) – Though not a Charter-recognized member of the Celestial Garrison, you’re certainly on your way. Your reputation with the Celestial Garrison has earned you the privilege to barter for goods from the Garrison’s armory of rare and unique treasures. Furthermore, this perk qualifies as a success in one of the three tests needed to gain membership with the Celestial Garrison. This perk is subject to loss if the character ever loses the trust of the Celestial Garrison.
Chasm Crawler – You’re time exploring the Chasm has inured you to some of Region M’s environmental hazards. You gain a +2 competence bonus on Fortitude saves vs. heat effects and poisonous gases including earthblood vapors and heat and gases created by magic such as Cloudkill and Stinking Cloud. Bonus: Characters with this perk and the Improved Familiar feat may adopt one of the Chasm’s shocker lizards or mephits as a familiar if they are eligible to have a familiar, characters with this perk and access to an animal companion may select a small or medium-sized shocker lizard as their animal companion and, finally, small-sized characters with this perk and access to a special mount may select a medium-sized shocker lizard as a mount.
Medium-sized Shocker Lizard adjustments: Attack – bite 1d6, shock 2d6 AC - +3 natural Ability Scores STR +4 DEX -2 CON +4
Pelt Scout (goblin, hobgoblin only) – As a former member of the Goblin Empire’s elite band of hunters, you may treat the howler javelin as a martial weapon. Your experience tracking and hunting dire wolves and howlers has also earned you the boon of the Black Worg, den mother to the Goblin Empire’s worg pack. You receive your choice of one of the following three thick, masterwork cloaks:
Dire Wolf: Attempts to track you with the Survival skill or use of the Scent special ability suffer a -2 circumstance penalty due to the long hem and odor of this cloak.
Howler: This cloak provides a +2 circumstance bonus to AC vs. ranged and thrown weapons and automatically deals 2 points of damage each round to any creature you are grappling so long as that creature has an armor bonus or natural armor bonus of +2 or less. This cloak also imposes a -2 circumstance penalty to Stealth checks due to the constant rustling of its quills.
Worg: This cloak provides a +2 circumstance bonus to Fortitude saves vs. cold effects including those created by magic.
These cloaks may be enchanted normally. If you lose your special cloak, you suffer a -2 circumstance penalty to social interactions with goblins, hobgoblins and worgs until you recover the garment.
Howler Javelin A howler javelin is an exotic weapon recently developed by the hobgoblins of the Goblin Empire. These bristly javelins are made from quills harvested from captured howlers and require special training to use due to the miniscule flesh-grabbing hooks lining their surface.
An opponent hit by a howler javelin must make a Reflex save (DC 16) or have the javelin break off after lodging in his or her flesh. A lodged javelin imposes a –1 circumstance penalty on attacks, saves, and checks. Removing the javelin deals 1d6 additional points of damage. Howler javelins that hit a target cannot be recovered. Howler javelins that miss their target have a 50% chance of breaking on impact, rendering them useless. Since a howler javelin isn't crafted for melee, all characters are treated as not proficient with it and thus take a –4 penalty on their melee attack rolls.
Price 2gp Range 30ft. DMG 1d6 Crit x2 Weight 2lb. Type Piercing
Branded (minotaur only) – Whether you surrendered to the Celestial Garrison, fled the decimation of your tribe with your tail between your legs or became the servant of a humanoid master in order to survive, you’ve become an outcast among your own kine (get it?) The attitude of minotaur NPCs toward you always begins at Unfriendly and you suffer a -4 circumstance penalty to Diplomacy, Intimidate, Bluff and Charisma checks against other minotaurs. On the bright side, you’re not as poor as other minotaurs since you managed to scavenge loot from your own people as you fled or found a master who recognized your worth. A minotaur with this perk suffers only a -2 penalty to WBL instead of -4.
Pack Ratfolk (ratfolk only) – While many of your kind chose to stay near The Barrows after their displacement, you became a wandering peddler with one of the ratfolk caravans. Your understanding of the various communities within the dungeon grants you a +2 circumstance bonus to Knowledge (local) and Diplomacy checks to gather information within any community in which you have spent at least one week. You also receive one of the following languages as a bonus language: elf, gnome, dwarf, halfling, goblin, giant. Lastly, the need to maximize your profits has taught you how to better cram more gear into your pack. For the purpose of encumbrance and carrying capacity, you are treated as if you are a medium-sized creature instead of a small-sized creature.
So there's that then.
Characters will have the option to choose from which region they hail based primarily on their alignment.
Evil-minded but relatively harmless characters entering the dungeon are immediately escorted to The Line and exiled to the north where they are told that they may return to the south if the wards ever choose them worthy. Evil, unrepentant criminals and deviants deemed too dangerous to roam free are given the option of a quick, painless death or imprisonment in the labyrinth of Region F where they get to take their chances with the minotaurs and the warp gates. Extremely volatile and hateful evildoers don't even make it past the Welcoming Party anymore now that the Garrison stations Redeemer inquisitors and paladins at the gate. The Goblin Empire gets a pass because the Garrison believes the Stoneshaper religion is producing a sincere incentive for the goblins and hobgoblins to change their ways and out of respect for the goblin Garrison member Klibb who is believed to have died during the demon attack.
Neutral and Lawful Neutral creatures are welcome to live within Regions A, B, C and E and many do because of the calm and security provided by the Garrison. Chaotic Neutral types are tolerated as long as they don't cause any trouble, but most end up immigrating north because the sterility and calm of the south bores them.
Good creatures mainly stick to the south regions though a few noble and charitable souls make their way north to provide aid to the less fortunate or to try to quell the rampant debauchery and crime they keep hearing about from ratfolk traders. Lawful Neutral creatures sometimes head north for the same reasons.
Minotaur PCs can come from Region F where the Golden Axe tribe has devolved into something closer to a prison gang or from any region their alignment makes them welcome. Many of the creatures were cowed (ha!) by the power of the Garrison and became servants to the humanoids in Regions A and B to show they weren't a threat while others fled north where they take work as laborers, enforcers and bandits. Good-aligned minotaurs will only exist if a player makes one, but they would be generally disliked by other minotaurs and would take up jobs as artisans, laborers or caravan guards or simply become peaceful hermits with names like Ferdinand.
Regardless of where the players base their characters' homes within the dungeon, the new adventure will begin in Region M and proceed into the never-explored Region J, an area rumored to connect the Tanbera (the lava river) to Region G where the old adventuring party may have been taken by the demons. I'm not spoiling anything by saying the new party is going to be involved in discovering whether the old party survived the battle in Region C, but the ultimate goal really is for the prisoners of Lord Antagonis to explore the dungeon and find a way to escape.
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I haven't put together a complete list of who's moving to The Barrows, but here are a few NPCs who we may see north of The Line.
Jakob Schweikart - Not much was said about Jakob during the last campaign, but he was the best tanner Four Waters had and provided the community with masterwork armors and other leather goods for enchantment. Unfortunately, the bandit's nefarious past caught up with him when the Garrison did their sweep of the commune and he was asked to leave.
Roger Baker - Last seen trying to stir up trouble between Four Waters and the Goblin Empire, Baker left the commune willingly due to his extreme hatred of authority (not that he had much of a choice given his objectionable alignment.)
Riswan - The halfling fighter and former member of the adventuring party still watches over the prison of Anguish near Sigilinde's former laboratory.
Melody - The centaur paladin became the law in The Barrows when the exodus began and she's deputized a small force to help her fight the growing chaos and rampant immorality that has cropped up since the celestials forced their riffraff on the north.
Farggalaan - The goblin wizard first fled the celestials when the adventuring party clued them into the whereabouts of his first home in Region E. He had a good thing going with the Goblin Empire, but he's scared of the Garrison and convinced they'll exterminate him if they ever catch him and learn just how powerful he's become.
Vornmik - The minotaur bard was heartbroken at the loss of Chief Markuli and the destruction of her tribe, and her pain was still fresh when Markuli's half sister, Gartuk, added to it by exiling her from the labyrinth saying it was for her own good.
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Howdy, folks! The campaign has now unofficially resumed! We've only got three players at the moment, but I'm hoping a couple more will be able to join us soon. To get things started, I put our three newest party members through a short trial by combat to get them ready for the adventure ahead. Here's how it went:
A FORTUITOUS ENCOUNTER ON THE PATH TO ADVENTURE, WLD Vol.2 Prologue
Slime dripped from the seething, pulpy walls and ceiling of the Halls of Flesh as the halfling covered his nose and mouth with his cloak. The small caravan around him was made up of a couple of human warriors he knew as former members of the Trust taken on as guards, two dwarf craftsmen, his half-elf assitant and an elf with an exorbitant amount of bottles clinking around in his pack. The elf bore the Grey Fist of the Goblin Empire, and the halfling thought he recognized him from Col. Rose's Welcoming Party. He hadn't bothered to ask though and, at the moment, he wasn't sure he would have the opportunity.
The bandits, 13 in all, were organized, well-equipped and diverse. The halfling could tell right away two of them were spellcasters, but the rest looked like the regular sorts of brigands and cutthroats he used to encounter on the roads outside the Dungeon. What concerned him most was the very obvious minotaur blocking the tunnel ahead. The bandits' leader, a human from his height and build, masked his face with a bandana and ordered the travelers to hand over their valuables peacefully if they wanted to continue on their way unharmed. The caravan guards didn't like their chances. They advised the group to do as they were told. The road to The Barrows was long and deadly enough without having to deal with a fight they'd have no chance of winning.
Things were going peacefully enough at first. The bandits closed in to collect their victims' offerings, and the bandit leader seemed to be a man of his word. They were nearly to the halfling when the elf ahead of him let out a yelp. One of the bandits had slammed a club into the elf's arm as he quickly reached for something under his cloak. It wasn't a weapon though. It was a vial of liquid he quickly swallowed despite the sudden blow. The elf vanished from sight just as the wolf appeared.
The creature was massive, like one of the wild beasts the goblins hunted in the south. It was nearly too large to fit through the door into the room and it gnashed its teeth at the nearest bandit as all hell broke loose. The halfling as his assistant ran for cover behind a mound of quivering meat as the bandits snatched up what valuables they could from the dwarves or ran to attack the growling wolf.
The minotaur and a burly half-orc barreled past their boss to hold off the wolf while a dwarf in a long, green cloak helped the less descript bandits strip the travelers of their remaining treasures. "Grab what you can and run!" came the cry of their leader. From his vantage behind the tumorous growth, the halfling saw the elf reappear, now hovering in the air on strange membranous wings and breathing acid onto the bandits below.
"I am a mighty dragon!" the elf yelled though nobody seemed to be paying attention due to the flesh-eating spray issuing from his mouth. The wolf retreated only to be replaced by a half-elf wielding a long, curved blade. This warrior also wore a Grey Fist badge but, around his neck, hung a silver medallion in the shape of a bow, the sign of Erastil to be sure. Together the pair fought the bandits briefly before a sick gyrating of the fleshy mounds filling the room alerted all to the presence of something more sinister. Chokers!
The remaining bandits quickly fled, leaving the elf and half-elf to deal with the rubber-limbed aberrations which sprung from the walls and ceiling of the chamber. The halfling had heard tales of the mutated spawn of the Halls of Flesh and these creatures did not disappoint. Half of the monsters were dotted in tiny, lightless eyes and others sported jagged spines from their limbs or dripped with toxic slime. Seven of the gibbering psychopaths began to strangled the surviving travelers and leapt onto the half-elf as an eighth bizarre specimen sprouted a single, mushroom-shaped flap from its shoulders and ascended jellyfish-like into the air after the elf.
For all their witless fury, the hook-fingered ruffians were no match for the warrior and his massive wolf or the explosive mixtures of the elf. The few to survive the battle fled and, as they vanished back into the roiling walls of meat, the halfling's saviors took a moment to catch their breath before confronting one another.
"Now that that's over, would you like to explain why you were attacking these good people when as I entered the room?" spoke the half-elf.
"Any fool could tell I was attacking the bandits," the elf grumbled. "It's not my fault those dwarves were in the way."
"Excuse me," came a deep voice from the doorway. "It is safe to come in now?"
The warrior's wolf growled as a minotaur appeared from thin air within the room. Whatever their differences, both elf and half-elf turned toward the brute prepared to strike. Before either could reply however, a hollow, guttural, clicking scream rang out from behind the beastman and a pair of thick, sinewy arms wrapped tightly around its throat. A choker the size of a fully grown man had sprung upon the minotaur's back!
Still wounded from the previous fight, the half-elf backed away as the elf instinctively hurled flasks of acid and flame onto the struggling creatures. The minotaur easily tossed the choker from his shoulders and, a moment later, the horrible thing was little more than a puddle of purplish goo.
"Bravo!" cheered the halfling as he and his assistant crept out from their hiding places. "I haven't seen a battle like that in quite awhile! In fact, there have been far too few dashing deeds and daring rescues in these parts of late! Tell me, what are your names?"
The elf was first to speak, interrupting the half-elf warrior before he could get out his name.
"I am known far and wide as Cicero i Laivetano, formerly of Four Waters," spoke the elf. "I have decided entirely on my own and at the behest of no other to relocate to The Barrows so that I might conduct my experimentations in peace."
"Yes, I remember you now," spoke the halfling. "You're the one who burned down the barricade at the front gate three times on two separate occasions. Amazing."
"Aramil Galanodel, Redeemer agent and Inquisitor of Erastil, at your service," spoke the half-elf before motioning to the large wolf at his side. "And this is Isywyn. Say hello, Isywyn."
The wolf growled.
"We heard the folks up here were in need of protection and Old Deadeye's guidance so we've come to lend our aid," Aramil finished.
"And lucky for me that you did," the halfling replied. "From what I hear, The Barrows could use more like you."
"Are we on me now?" spoke the minotaur who seemed to be shaking. "Well, to be honest, I'm not really a minotaur."
The creature's flesh began to shrink as its horns fell to the ground and shriveled to nothing. "My name is Thrix," spoke the thin hobgoblin who now stood in the minotaur's place. "I'm just a prospector, released from service to the Empire to follow my own path."
"Just a prospector, he says," smiled the halfling. "What prospector have you ever known to become invisible or take on the form of a minotaur like he was changing his underwear? I'll bet there's more to you than meets the eye!"
"And I see you're a friend of Goblinbane as well!" spoke the halfling drawing attention to the Grey Fist badge pinned to Thrix's cloak. "What are the odds three heroes of the Goblin Empire would meet here at this moment during these dark times? It's a sign, I'll wager."
"And who are you?" Aramil inquired.
"Me? I'm just old Far...thing. Yup, Old Farthing! Everybody knows me! Been here a mess-a-days since that rotten King Andy-whatsisbutt locked me up," the halfling stammered, quickly shifting the conversation to his assistant. "This young lad is Ed...yup, just Ed. Ed doesn't talk much. He's my apprentice...in the trading business. Yesiree, we're traders. Merchants even. We should probably get going now before anymore trouble shows up, don't you think?"
Aramil sensed something fishy about Farthing's story, but the halfling was right. Another pack of monsters could be along any moment and so, the trio of heroes led their new friend and his apprentice into the north where they learned their adventures were only just beginning.
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Now that we've seen our new heroes in action, it's time to get to know them a little better!
Cicero i Laivetano (Cicero the Alchemist) was a gifted alchemist of some small fame with no regard for the property, pets or livestock belonging to the people around him. When one of his experiments left Lord Antagonis' blue ribbon-winning pig (a prize handed out by Lord Antagonis himself) little more than a smoking, bacony-smelling crater, the elf quickly found himself tossed into the dungeon where he joined the Welcoming Party and took revenge on the dickish dictator by devising new bombs to throw at Antagonis' twisted creations.
N Medium Humanoid (elf)
Init +4; Senses low-light vision; Perception +16
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Defense
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AC 23, touch 16, flat-footed 19 (+5 armor, +4 Dex, +2 natural, +2 deflection)
hp 103 (11d8+44)
Fort +13, Ref +14, Will +6; +2 vs. enchantments
Immune magic sleep, poison; Resist elven immunities
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Offense
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Speed 30 ft.
Melee +1 Club +11/+6 (1d6+3/x2)
Ranged +1 Shock Composite longbow (Str +2) +13/+8 (1d8+3+1d6 electricity/x3) and
Acid Bomb +13/+8 (6d6+5 Acid/x2) and
Bomb +13/+8 (6d6+5 Fire/x2) and
Force Bomb +13/+8 (6d4+5 Force/x2)
Special Attacks bomb 6d6+5 (16/day) (dc 20), discoveries (acid bomb, fast bombs, force bomb, infusion, precise bombs, wings [11 minutes/day])
Alchemist Spells Prepared (CL 11):
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Statistics
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Str 14, Dex 19, Con 16, Int 20, Wis 10, Cha 8
Base Atk +8; CMB +10; CMD 26
Feats Brew Potion, Distance Thrower, Extra Discovery, Point Blank Shot, Precise Shot, Rapid Shot, Throw Anything, Toughness
Traits Meticulous Concoction (1/day)
Skills Acrobatics +3, Appraise +19, Climb +1, Craft (alchemy) +19 (+30 to create alchemical items), Disable Device +5, Escape Artist +3, Fly +17, Heal +14, Knowledge (arcana) +12, Knowledge (nature) +11, Perception +16, Ride +3, Sleight of Hand +10, Spellcraft +19 (+21 to determine the properties of a magic item), Stealth +3, Survival +13, Swim +1, Use Magic Device +13; Racial Modifiers +2 Perception, alchemy +11
Languages Abyssal, Celestial, Common, Draconic, Elven, Goblin, Orc
SQ elven magic, fast poisoning (swift action), mutagen (dc 20), poison use, swift alchemy
Other Gear Healing Chain Shirt (1/day 2d8+5 healing), +1 Club, +1 Shock Composite longbow (Str +2), Arrows (20), Amulet of natural armor +2, Belt of physical might (Dex & Con +2), Cloak of resistance +3, Goggles of night, Headband of aerial agility (Int +2) (Fly), Ring of protection +2, Alchemy crafting kit, Backpack, masterwork (21 @ 8 lbs), 774 GP
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Special Abilities
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Acid Bomb (Su) When the alchemist creates a bomb, he can choose to have it inflict acid damage. Creatures that take a direct hit from an acid bomb take an additional 1d6 points of acid damage 1 round later.
Alchemy +11 (Su) +11 to Craft (Alchemy) to create alchemical items, can ID potions by touch.
Bomb 6d6+5 (16/day) (DC 20) (Su) Thrown Splash Weapon deals 6d6+5 fire damage.
Distance Thrower Reduce ranged penalties for thrown weapons by 2
Elven Immunities +2 save bonus vs Enchantments.
Elven Immunities - Sleep You are immune to magic sleep effects.
Elven Magic +2 to spellcraft checks to determine the properties of a magic item.
Fast Bombs (Su) An alchemist with this discovery can quickly create enough bombs to throw more than one in a single round. The alchemist can prepare and throw additional bombs as a full-round action if his base attack bonus is high enough to grant him additional att
Fast Poisoning (Swift Action) (Ex) Apply poison to a weapon as a swift action.
Force Bomb (Su) When the alchemist creates a bomb, he can choose to have it inflict force damage. Force bombs deal 1d4 points of force damage, plus 1d4 points of force damage for every odd-numbered level, instead of 1d6. Creatures that take a direct hit from a force
Headband of aerial agility (Int +2) (Fly) +1 CL for spells/extracts that grant flight.
Immunity to Poison You are immune to poison.
Infusion When created an extract can be used by anyone, but takes up a slot until used.
Low-Light Vision See twice as far as a human in low light, distinguishing color and detail.
Meticulous Concoction (1/day) Your meticulous carefulness makes your bombs and extracts more potent. Once per day, you can either add a +2 trait bonus to the save DC for one bomb you throw or extend the duration of one extract you imbibe by 2 rounds. Extracts with an instantaneou
Mutagen (DC 20) (Su) Mutagen adds +4 to a physical & -2 to a mental attribute, and +2 nat. armor for 110 min.
Point Blank Shot +1 to attack and damage rolls with ranged weapons at up to 30 feet.
Poison Use You do not risk poisoning yourself accidentally while poisoning a weapon.
Precise Bombs (5 squares) (Su) Whenever the alchemist throws a bomb, he can select a number of squares equal to his Intelligence modifier that are not affected by the splash damage from his bombs.
Precise Shot You don't get -4 to hit when shooting or throwing into melee.
Swift Alchemy (Ex) You can construct alchemical items in half the normal time.
Throw Anything Proficient with improvised ranged weapons. +1 to hit with thrown splash weapons.
Wings (11 minutes/day) The alchemist gains batlike, birdlike, or insectlike functional wings, allowing him to fly as the fly spell for a number of minutes per day equal to his caster level. These minutes do not need to be consecutive, but they must be spent in 1-min increments.
Unlike many of Lord Antagonis' prisoners who were thrown into the dungeon for increasingly ridiculous offenses, Aramil Galanodel was an actual do-gooder imprisoned for taking a stand against the mad monarch. His original animal companion, a woodpecker whose elven name translated roughly to Knockers, was killed, stuffed and turned into a chew toy for Antagonis' pet hyenas as Aramil was forced to watch. The inquisitor was heartbroken until he rescued the wolf Isywyn from a goblin stewpot and trained her to serve as a loyal protector and friend.
Init +6; Senses Low-Light, Perception +24,
Temporary Bonuses Applied Power Attack (Two-Handed), Magic Vestment, Magic Weapon (Greater),
DEFENSE
AC 25, touch 13, flat-footed 22 (+3 Dex, +2 natural, +8 *Masterwork Agile Breastplate [Magic Vestment], +2 *Amulet of Natural Armor +2, +2)
hp 81 (11d8)+22
Fort +11, Ref +9, Will +13, +2 vs. enchantment spells and effects
OFFENSE
Speed 20 ft.
Melee masterwork curve blade (elven) [magic weapon (greater)] (two handed) +17/+12 ((two handed) 1d10+11/18-20) Melee masterwork curve blade (elven) (two handed) +16/+11 ((two handed) 1d10+9/18-20) Melee masterwork curve blade (elven) [magic weapon (greater), power attack (two-handed)] (two handed) +14/+9 ((two handed) 1d10+20/18-20)
Space 5 ft.; Reach 5 ft.
Special Attacks Bane, Judgment / Destruction, Judgment / Healing, Judgment / Justice, Judgment / Piercing, Judgment / Protection, Judgment / Purity, Judgment / Resiliency, Judgment / Resistance, Judgment / Smiting, Stern Gaze,
Known Inquisitor Spells (CL 11th):
4th (2/day) - divine power (DC ) , invisibility (greater) (DC 17) , judgment light (DC )
3rd (5/day) - cure serious wounds (DC 16) , magic vestment (DC 16) , magic weapon (greater) (DC 16) , protection from energy (DC 16)
2nd (5/day) - cure moderate wounds (DC 15) , ghostbane dirge (DC 15) , invisibility (DC 15) , silence , tongues (DC 15)
1st (6/day) - comprehend languages (DC ) , cure light wounds (DC 14) , expeditious retreat (DC ) , hide from undead (DC 14) , shield of faith (DC 14) , wrath (DC )
0th (at will) - acid splash , detect magic , disrupt undead , light , read magic (DC ) , stabilize (DC 13)
Magic Item Prepared Spell List
STATISTICS
Str 23, Dex 16, Con 12, Int 14, Wis 16, Cha 8
Base Atk +8; CMB +14; CMD 27
Feats Armor Proficiency, Light, Armor Proficiency, Medium, Boon Companion, Dazzling Display, Exotic Weapon Proficiency (Curve Blade (Elven)), Intimidating Prowess, Outflank, Power Attack, Precise Strike, Shield Proficiency, Simple Weapon Proficiency, Skill Focus (Stealth), Tandem Trip, Weapon Focus (Curve Blade (Elven))
Skills Acrobatics (Jump) -4, Appraise +2, Bluff -1, Climb +9, Craft (Untrained) +2, Diplomacy -1, Disguise -1, Heal +3, Intimidate +24, Knowledge (Arcana) +9, Knowledge (Arcana/ID monster) +12, Knowledge (Dungeoneering) +7, Knowledge (Dungeoneering/ID monster) +10, Knowledge (Nature) +7, Knowledge (Nature/ID monster) +10, Knowledge (Planes) +6, Knowledge (Planes/ID monster) +9, Knowledge (Religion) +14, Knowledge (Religion/ID monster) +17, Perception +24, Perform (Untrained) -1, Sense Motive +14, Spellcraft +14, Stealth +20, Survival +9, Survival (Follow or identify tracks) +14, Swim +14, Use Magic Device +14,
Languages Common, Elven, Orc, Shoanti
Special Qualities Adaptability, Animal Companion, Cunning Initiative, Detect Alignment, Discern Lies, Elf Blood, Elven Immunities, Eyes of the Hawk, Judgment (Sacred), Keen Senses, Low-Light Vision, Monster Lore, Multitalented, Second Judgment, Solo Tactics, Stalwart, Track,
Possessions amulet of natural armor +2; eyes of the eagle; headband of mental prowess (int/wis/ maximize any skillperception); masterwork curve blade (elven); masterwork curve blade (elven); masterwork curve blade (elven); ring of feather falling; ring of force shield; belt of physical might (str/dex) +2; cloak of resistance +3; masterwork agile breastplate; outfit (explorer's); slippers of spider climbing; everburning torch (x3); potion of cure serious wounds (x3); potion of water breathing (x2); rod (extend/lesser); rod (silent/lesser); wand of cure light wounds (x6); wand of mirror image (x2); wand of unseen servant (x2); holy symbol (silver); Backpack [ Bedroll; Rope (Silk/50 ft.) (x4); Sewing Needle; String (50 ft.); Twine (50 ft.); Waterskin (Filled) (x3); Whetstone; Blanket; Crowbar; Flint and Steel; Grappling Hook; Ink (1 oz. Vial); Inkpen; Parchment (Sheet) (x12); Rations (Trail/Per Day) (x20); ];
Spells:
Magic Item Prepared Spells:
Inquisitor: Spells per Day: (0/6/5/5/2/0/0/0/0/ DC:14+spell level), Spells Known: 0th - Acid Splash, Detect Magic, Disrupt Undead, Light, Read Magic, Stabilize 1st - Comprehend Languages, Cure Light Wounds, Expeditious Retreat, Hide from Undead, Shield of Faith, Wrath 2nd - Cure Moderate Wounds, Ghostbane Dirge, Invisibility, Silence, Tongues 3rd - Cure Serious Wounds, Magic Vestment, Magic Weapon (Greater), Protection from Energy 4th - Divine Power, Invisibility (Greater), Judgment Light
SPECIAL ABILITIES
Adaptability (Ex) Half-elves receive Skill Focus as a bonus feat at 1st level.
Animal Companion (Ex) You gain the service of an animal companion.
Bane (Su) An inquisitor can imbue one of her weapons with the bane weapon special ability as a swift action. She must select one creature type when she uses this ability (and a subtype if the creature type selected is humanoid or outsider). Once selected, the type can be changed as a swift action. This ability only functions while the inquisitor wields the weapon. If dropped or taken, the weapon resumes granting this ability if it is returned to the inquisitor before the duration expires. This ability lasts for 11 rounds per day. These rounds do not need to be consecutive.
Cunning Initiative (Ex) An inquisitor adds her Wisdom modifier on initiative checks, in addition to her Dexterity modifier.
Dangerously Curious: You have always been intrigued by magic, possibly because you were the child of a magician or priest. You often snuck into your parent's laboratory or shrine to tinker with spell components and magic devices, and often caused quite a bit of damage and headaches for your parent as a result. You gain a +1 trait bonus on Use Magic Device checks, and Use Magic Device is always a class skill for you.
Detect Alignment (Sp) At will, an inquisitor can use detect chaos, detect evil, detect good, or detect law. She can only use one of these at any given time.
Discern Lies (Sp) An inquisitor can discern lies, as per the spell, for 11 rounds per day. These rounds do not need to be consecutive. Activating this ability is an immediate action.
Elf Blood (Ex) Half-elves count as both elves and humans for any effect related to race.
Elven Immunities (Ex) Half-elves are immune to magic sleep effects and get a +2 racial saving throw bonus against enchantment spells and effects.
Eyes of the Hawk (Ex) You gain a racial bonus of 5 on Perception checks. In addition, if you can act during a surprise round, you receive a +2 racial bonus on your Initiative check.
Feather Add Fly to your list of class skills. In addition, whenever you cast a spell that grants you a fly speed, your maneuverability increases by one step (up to perfect).
Judgment / Destruction The inquisitor is filled with divine wrath, gaining a +4 sacred bonus on all weapon damage rolls.
Judgment / Healing The inquisitor is surrounded by a healing light, gaining fast healing 4. This causes the inquisitor to heal 4 point of damage each round as long as the inquisitor is alive and the judgment lasts.
Judgment / Justice This judgment spurs the inquisitor to seek justice, granting a +3 sacred bonus on all attack rolls., This bonus is doubled on all attack rolls made to confirm critical hits.
Judgment / Piercing This judgment gives the inquisitor great focus and makes her spells more potent. This benefit grants a +4 sacred bonus on concentration checks and caster level checks made to overcome a target's spell resistance.
Judgment / Protection The inquisitor is surrounded by a protective aura, granting a +3 sacred bonus to Armor Class., This bonus is doubled against attack rolls made to confirm critical hits against the inquisitor.
Judgment / Purity The inquisitor is protected from the vile taint of her foes, gaining a +3 sacred bonus on all saving throws., The bonus is doubled against curses, diseases, and poisons.
Judgment / Resiliency This judgment makes the inquisitor resistant to harm, granting DR 3/alignment (chaotic, evil, good, or lawful) that is opposite the inquisitor's.
Judgment / Resistance The inquisitor is shielded by a flickering aura, gaining 8 points of energy resistance against one energy type (acid, cold, electricity, fire, or sonic) chosen when the judgment is declared.
Judgment / Smiting This judgment bathes the inquisitor's weapons in a divine light. The inquisitor's weapons count as magic for the purposes of bypassing damage reduction., The inquisitor's weapons also count as one alignment type (chaotic, evil, good, or lawful) for the purpose of bypassing damage reduction. The type selected must match one of the inquisitor's alignments, The inquisitor's weapons also count as adamantine for the purpose of overcoming damage reduction (but not for reducing hardness).
Judgment (Sacred) (Su) An inquisitor can pronounce judgment upon her foes as a swift action. Starting when the judgment is made, the inquisitor receives a bonus or special ability based on the type of judgment made. An inquisitor can use this ability 4 times per day. Once activated, this ability lasts until the combat ends, at which point all of the bonuses immediately end. The inquisitor must participate in the combat to gain these bonuses. If she is frightened, panicked, paralyzed, stunned, unconscious, or otherwise prevented from participating in the combat, the ability does not end, but the bonuses do not resume until she can participate in the combat again. When the inquisitor uses this ability, she must select one type of judgment to make. As a swift action, she can change this judgment to another type.
Keen Senses (Ex) Half-elves receive a +2 bonus on Perception skill checks.
Low-Light Vision (Ex) You can see 2x as far as humans in low illumination. Characters with low-light vision have eyes that are so sensitive to light that they can see twice as far as normal in dim light. Low-light vision is color vision. A spellcaster with low-light vision can read a scroll as long as even the tiniest candle flame is next to her as a source of light. Characters with low-light vision can see outdoors on a moonlit night as well as they can during the day.
Monster Lore (Ex) The inquisitor adds her Wisdom modifier on Knowledge skill checks in addition to her Intelligence modifier, when making skill checks to identify the abilities and weaknesses of creatures.
Multitalented (Ex) Half-elves choose two favored classes at first level and gain +1 hit point or +1 skill point whenever they take a level in either one of those classes.
Second Judgment (Ex) Whenever an inquisitor uses her judgment ability, she selects two different judgments, instead of one. This only consumes one use of her judgment ability. As a swift action, she can change one of these judgments to another type.
Solo Tactics (Ex) All of the inquisitor's allies are treated as if they possessed the same teamwork feats as the inquisitor for the purpose of determining whether the inquisitor receives a bonus from her teamwork feats. Her allies do not receive any bonuses from these feats unless they actually possess the feats themselves. The allies' positioning and actions must still meet the prerequisites listed in the teamwork feat for the inquisitor to receive the listed bonus.
Stalwart (Ex) An inquisitor can use mental and physical resiliency to avoid certain attacks. If she makes a Fortitude or Will saving throw against an attack that has a reduced effect on a successful save, she instead avoids the effect entirely. This ability can only be used if the inquisitor is wearing light armor, medium armor, or no armor. A helpless inquisitor does not gain the benefit of the stalwart ability.
Stern Gaze (Ex) Inquisitors are skilled at sensing deception and intimidating their foes. An inquisitor receives a +5 morale bonus on all Intimidate and Sense Motive checks.
Track (Ex) An inquisitor adds half her level on Survival skill checks made to follow or identify tracks.
Life in the Goblin Empire was difficult for Thrix. The hobgoblin proved to be skilled with a blade but had none of the strength of his more powerful kin, and he was eventually assigned the less combat-intensive duty of guarding a goblin scavenger team. Thrix would have remained an unremarkable random encounter waiting to happen if he hadn't met the goblin wizard Farggalaan who agreed to teach the hobgoblin magic in exchange for a pick of the best salvage and Thrix's promise that none would know where he acquired his arcane skills. With his new powers, Thrix quickly gained the attention of Goblinbane and was declared a Hero of the Empire. However, the pressure of being the only hobgoblin magus was too much for Thrix and he fled into The Barrows after Goblinbane insisted he train a regiment of hobgoblin warriors in the art of the spellsword.
LN Medium Humanoid (goblinoid)
Hero Points 1
Init +4; Senses darkvision 60 ft.; Perception +2
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Defense
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AC 21, touch 13, flat-footed 18 (+6 armor, +3 Dex, +2 natural)
hp 104 (11d8+45)
Fort +11, Ref +7, Will +7; +2 vs. attacks by a specific opponent you have designated
Resist electricity 10
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Offense
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Speed 20 ft.
Melee +1 Keen Scimitar +9/+4 (1d6+1/15-20/x2)
Special Attacks spellstrike
Magus Spells Prepared (CL 11):
4 (3/day) Black Tentacles, Invisibility, Greater, Monstrous Physique II
3 (5/day) Hydraulic Torrent, Beast Shape I, Vampiric Touch, Fly, Undead Anatomy I
2 (5/day) Frigid Touch, Cat's Grace, Cat's Grace, Defensive Shock, Fire Breath (DC 17)
1 (7/day) Corrosive Touch, Corrosive Touch, Frostbite, Frostbite, Ray of Enfeeblement (DC 16), Ray of Enfeeblement (DC 16), Ray of Enfeeblement (DC 16)
0 (at will) Detect Magic, Detect Magic, Dancing Lights, Dancing Lights, Read Magic
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Statistics
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Str 10, Dex 18, Con 18, Int 20, Wis 10, Cha 8
Base Atk +8; CMB +12; CMD 25
Feats Agile Maneuvers, Defensive Combat Training, Extra Arcana, Extra Arcana, Extra Arcane Pool, Extra Arcane Pool, Spell Penetration, Weapon Finesse
Skills Acrobatics +2 (-2 jump), Appraise +6, Bluff +0, Climb +1, Diplomacy +0, Disguise +0, Escape Artist +17, Fly +7, Handle Animal +0, Heal +4, Intimidate +3, Knowledge (dungeoneering) +19, Linguistics +16, Perception +2, Ride +5, Sense Motive +1, Spellcraft +19, Stealth +5, Survival +11, Swim +1, Use Magic Device +13
Languages Aklo, Abyssal, Common, Celestial, Elf, Draconic, Terran, Dwarf, Giant, Gnome, Goblin, Infernal, Orc, Halfling, Sylvan, Gnoll, Undercommon, Worg
SQ arcane pool (+3) (14/day), hero points, improved spell combat, improved spell recall, knowledge pool, magus arcana (arcane accuracy +5, concentrate [1/day], dispelling strike, ghost blade, spell shield +5)
Combat Gear Ring of foe focus, Spellguard bracers (3/day), Universal solvent (5); Other Gear +2 Slick Chain shirt, +1 Keen Scimitar, Amulet of natural armor +2, Bandages of rapid recovery (5), Belt of physical might (Dex & Con +2), Boots of levitation, Gloves of arcane striking, Immovable rod, Ring of electricity resistance (minor), Rope of knots, Backpack, masterwork (6 @ 10 lbs), 150 GP
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Special Abilities
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Agile Maneuvers Use DEX instead of STR for CMB
Arcane Accuracy +5 (Su) 1 Arcane Pool: +5 to attack rolls until the end of your turn.
Arcane Pool (+3) (14/day) (Su) Infuse own power into a held weapon, granting enhancement bonus or selected item powers.
Bandages of rapid recovery These linen bandages have the same color and softness as the feathers of a dove, but their antiseptic smell suggests a less natural origin. Any creature wrapped in these bandages recovers from wounds and ability damage each day as if receiving complete bed rest regardless of activity (Pathfinder RPG Core Rulebook 191). A creature actually receiving long-term care (from the Heal skill) or complete bed rest while wearing the bandages gains a +4 bonus to its effective level or Hit Dice when determining how many hit points it recovers each day. The bandages are destroyed once removed or when the wearer recovers all hit points and ability damage, whichever comes first.
Concentrate (1/day) (Ex) 1/day, reroll a concentration check at +4.
Damage Resistance, Electricity (10) You have the specified Damage Resistance against Electricity attacks.
Darkvision (60 feet) You can see in the dark (black and white vision only).
Dispelling Strike (Su) Sacrifice a prepared slot to use a targeted dispel magic against a creature you hit with a melee weapon.
Ghost Blade (Su) Add brilliant energy and ghost touch special ability to arcane pool options.
Gloves of arcane striking Arcane strike bonus is added to aid another, and deals splash dam around hit foe.
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And if I had to guess, it's because the grass muncher has gone soft in the head from slamming his round horn into too many square holes! The only thing that oompa loompa is missing is common sense for teaming up with an indiscriminate arsonist and a feather-brained half-breed who steals food from poor, starving goblins! Muahahaha! The Lord is back!
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Here's what I can tell you or just guesses on my part.
1) IIRC, he's encumbered. His STR is only 10 so it doesn't take a whole lot to put him into Medium Enc.
2) My guess is he got carried away with the spell memorization thing and forgot he didn't need to memorize cantrips. There were a few errors or other weirdness I did catch before I posted these, but I'm sure I probably missed a few. For instance, I just noticed Thrix's statblock mentions hero points and I don't use those.
3) Since his complete spellbook wasn't in the stat block the player emailed to me, I'm not sure he even has Shield. Also, this might be a sample spell list. Seeing as how he isn't a spontaneous caster, he can swap out spells every day.
4) Once again, I think his low STR is partly to blame. Wearing Medium armor wouldn't change too much since he's already encumbered, and a breastplate or chainmail would give him another two points of AC. Still, it could be a RP decision, and I'm all for people choosing to nerf their characters if it fits their concept.
5) He can still get a +2 from the Cat's Grace since the spell's +4 will override the belt's +2. He can also use the spell to buff allies or in case his gear is destroyed by an ooze or stolen by monsters. Anyone who's read this journal long enough, can attest to the many times characters have been swallowed by black puddings or captured by their enemies.
6) Not everybody builds for optimization. Shi and Roch were two of the least optimized characters the old party ever saw, and they lasted longer than pretty much everyone else.
7) Like I said, I think this was just an oversight. He could be building toward Dervish Dancer but, if he's not, he probably really oughta swap out the scimitar for a light weapon or rapier.
As far as Cicero goes, I'm not sure he has an angle other than ranged combat and bomb throwing. They're an interesting bunch, that's for sure. Aramil, the inquisitor of Erastil, doesn't even carry a longbow.
This session was basically a trial run to work out any bugs with the PCs before the actual adventure begins. We'll see how much, if anything, changes next time.
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Also what angle is the Alchemist working?
I have an elf alchemist who is quite similar to the posted one (with a few more Extra Discoveries). In her case, I thought I might use my magic bow as a backup for when I ran out of bombs, but in practice by the time I run out it's time to rest anyways.
From my experience, everyone loves infusions of Barkskin. They're almost at that magic level 12 for the +5 AC bonus. Well, it would be +5 to AC if they hadn't all invested in Amulets of Natural Armor...
Thrix here - please let me clear up some things.
1) It's because I am medium encumbered.
2) The repeats here are an artifact of some extra clicking. I remade Thrix in PCGen and went very slowly, going level by level. A few of the things below will be resolved with this (I will post the updated statblock soon).
3) Good point about the Ray of Enfeeb Wands. I have some money spare from my rebuild, I think I will get some wands.
4) I am pretty sure my rebuild improved the AC, but some good advice here.
5) Cat's Grace - didn't think of that. The shapechanging was more for the survival in the "wilderness" - match the creatures around you to avoid being killed kind of thing. Thrix knows that he is unique and being unique makes you a target here, so any way I can blend in, the better.
6) I forgot toughness is much, much better now. Good call. Didn't occur to me about the Dispelling thing - I don't have much exp in high level play. I think I will review the feat advice here.
7) I completely missread the Weapon Finesse decrip where it mentions weapons - I intended to use a Rapier, not a scimitar. That's fixed now in the update.
In general, I misread a feat, mis-clicked for the spells, and as for the armor I didn't want any chance of my magic failing, and so chain shirt gave the greatest AC with 0% arcane failure.
I have never played a Magus before, and don't have a build in mind other then high dex, survivalist, rather-run-and-live then stay-and-fight, as I have seen much stronger things then me go down, and I intend to live.
Thanks again for the advice and comments, I plan to further review my char tonight and send Thrix to the DM for approval.
You are probably going to need one of these if you are low strength:
I don't think bags of holding and whatnot work in this dungeon. I also don't know the exact rule for stacking properties on magic items, but they only cost 1000 gold, maybe the cost wouldn't be too much for adding onto a cloak of resistance or something.
You're right, BoH don't work - and this item is perfect! Thanks for the help.
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How do the Nature's All spells work out? A lot of people say the Pathfinder version is shafted compared to Summon Monster.
* Satyrs (SNA IV): They can cast Fear once and then spam Suggestion; that's been useful at least once.
* Elementals (varies): On one occasion I used some mud elementals to pound on some oozes, since mud elementals are immune to acid and oozes have terrible AC.
I think that's about it.
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After a few months off, it seems the dungeon got hungry for fresh victims. In only in the second session of the new adventure, we lost one of our new heroes. The body count gets even higher in the third session, but I haven't had time to write that one down. Find out which of our intrepid explorers eats it next in-
DAY 317-318: MUCK AND MIRRORS
featuring the World’s Largest Adventuring Party:
Cicero – Elf Alchemist
Aramil – Half-Elf Inquisitor of Erastil
Thrix – Hobgoblin Magus
Several weeks had passed in The Barrows before Aramil, Thrix and Cicero were once again in the presence of their strange, halfling friend Farthing. During that time, the adventurers had witnessed the seizure of the north tunnels from the native ratfolk and the formation of several merchant houses that quickly and often violently divided up control of the region’s resources. Thanks to Farthing, news of the the adventurers’ heroism against the bandits and chokers in the Halls of Flesh had reached throughout the northern regions and the trio had been kept quite busy with requests for aid from the new denizens of the Spider Kings’ former home. Though they’d spent much of the past few weeks apart, Farthing had sent word that a job had come up that would likely require them to combine their talents again.
“As you all know, commerce is vital to the survival of our growing community,” spoke the halfling. “As more prisoners are forced north by the Celestial Garrison, keeping the tunnels safe for both travelers and trade is essential. That’s why my fellow merchants and I would like to hire you to clear out a monster-filled tunnel south of l’Resk’afar.”
“I thought things like this were the centaur’s job,” Cicero spoke. “Why not make her do it?”
“Melody and her deputies are busy enough tracking that gang of bandits that attacked us in the Halls of Flesh and trying to keep the merchant houses from declaring war on each other,” Farthing replied. “Everyone gets an equal slice of the pie up here, but there are always going to be those who want more.”
The alchemist knew Farthing spoke the truth. He’d had already had a few encounters with the Gwilbrin Bar, the merchant house that controlled the apothecary trade, so he knew how prickly the houses could be when they felt threatened.
Anything that could turn a profit within The Barrows had been claimed by one of the various merchant houses. Ore, weapons, food, even the tunnels themselves were under the proprietary management of a trading house. l’Resk’afar, the crater mine from which The Barrows took its ore and precious stones, was now controlled by the Bolg Ged’Kampat, a merchant house made up primarily of dwarves, but the Barrows’ passageways were managed by a group calling themselves the Barrow Wardens.
The Barrow Wardens were led by Jakob Schweikart, a tanner thrown out of Four Waters when it was discovered the man was a notorious bandit before his imprisonment. Schweikart and his men controlled the caravan guards and maintained the tunnels north of the Halls of Madness for a fee, but they normally left the job of tracking and killing monsters and bandits to Melody and her deputies. Ordinarily, problems in the tunnels would be left to the Barrow Wardens to sort out, but all the merchant houses agreed clearing of this particular tunnel would benefit everyone.
“What can you tell us about the creatures inhabiting these tunnels,” Aramil asked the halfling.
Farthing went on inform the adventurers of tales told by those lucky enough to escape the tunnel. The north end of the tunnel was reported to be the home of a nest of serpents comprised of living water, which appeared as a torrent falling from the ceiling before animating and constricting travelers. The other beast lived in a cave attached to the tunnel and those who had seen it said it was like a mass of gray sludge that laired in a fissure within the cave.
“I think I know what we’re dealing with,” the inquisitor confided in the halfling. “This shouldn’t take long.” And with that, the adventurers left to prepare for their monster hunt.
***
“Where’s the hobgoblin?” Cicero asked as he approached the tunnel. Thrix was nowhere to be seen.
“Haven’t seen him,” Aramil replied patting the wolf, Isywyn. “But it shouldn’t matter. Between your bombs and our strength, the three of us shouldn’t have any trouble clearing out a gray ooze and a few water elementals. Let’s head in.”
The adventurers chose to deal with the monsters separately and approached the cave first. Just outside its entrance, Aramil produced a large squirming sack and dumped its contents onto the ground. Three fat, fire beetles rolled out, and the inquisitor pushed them toward the cave with his foot. The vermins’ glowing carapaces filled the small cave with a warm light as they approached the fissure in the center of the chamber. Then, one by one, the beetles were snatched away by a slick, gooey tendril of slime which quickly retreated back into the crevice.
“That was your plan?” Cicero asked, dumbfounded. “I thought we were here to kill the thing, not feed it!”
“At least we know its home,” Aramil replied.
“Bah! I’ll deal with this,” growled the alchemist as he crept into the cave, a vial of explosive liquid in his hand.
A brilliant flash of light and roar of flame filled the fissure as Cicero threw the vial into the ooze’s lair. The elf examined the crevice a moment and, satisfied with the results, turned back toward his companion.
“Well, that was disappointingly simp-ahhits-on-my-leg!” the elf cried as the crawling mass leapt out of the crevice onto him. Rushing to assist his companion, Aramil could see that Cicero’s body was beginning to melt into an amorphous blob as a second and third toothy, clawed mass crawled from the crevice.
“These aren’t oozes!” Aramil shouted.
“Nouuggh zsshheeiiittt,” Cicero slurred.
The chaos beasts roiled and contorted through the tunnel toward the inquisitor as Isywyn leapt forward to protect her master. The wolf tore at the creatures but, within seconds, the beast was also reduced to a furry, slobbering beanbag chair and the creatures continued their advance toward Aramil who prayed to Erastil to hide him from their hundreds of horrible, milky eyes.
“Pull yourself together,” Cicero thought to himself as the chaos beasts left him to chase Aramil. It seemed they were more interested in attacking targets that could fight and the alchemist used the opportunity to focus his thoughts and regain his true form. Unfortunately, the creatures were now between him and escape.
Aramil stood alone against the trio of chaos beasts. Thanks to the inquisitor’s prayer to Old Deadeye, the monsters were blind to his presence, but he knew he wouldn’t be able to hide forever. He called to Isywyn to flee and, as the terrible creatures turned to attack the escaping Cicero, Aramil took his chance to slay one of the monsters.
Cursed by the chaos beasts’ touch, Cicero once again fell into a puddle-like mass. He could vaguely tell Isywyn wasn’t doing much better and it seemed the animal was succumbing to madness. “Okay, Cicero,” the elf thought. “”You’re only going to get one more shot at this!”
The elf refocused his will, regained his form and quickly spread his grafted wings as the remaining beasts clutched at him. The beasts’ teeth and claws raked his ankles as he flew to safety but, this time, Cicero rebuked their curse. He was safe for the moment, but he could feel his atoms pulling apart with every second.
Aramil managed to kill a second beast as Cicero fled, but the third retreated back toward the safety of the fissure. The half-elf looked from the monster’s tunnel to the quivering heap of fur at his feet. He could probably finish the monster off if he gave chase, but poor Isywyn was looking worse with every passing moment. “Come on, girl,” Aramil spoke, tugging at what used to be the wolf’s legs. “We’re getting you out of here.”
***
“I have no skill to cure this affliction,” Melody informed Cicero as a crowd of ratfolk miners looked on in shock. The elf had managed to hold his true form long enough to find the centaur patrolling l’Resk’afar before collapsing at her hooves. “But I won’t give up on saving you while there’s a chance.”
The ratfolk quickly helped Cicero onto the centaur’s back and the paladin raced through the Barrows in search of help. Meanwhile, Aramil and Isywyn slowly made their way back to the crater. The inquisitor’s calming presence had given the wolf enough willpower to regain its form but Isywyn was still struggling to hold on. Eventually, the pair were able to follow Melody’s tracks to a huge laboratory filled with cages. Cicero was there, still alive and resting on an operating table.
“It’s corporeal instability,” mused a robed goblin standing on a stool at Cicero’s side. “The elf and the wolf are transforming into chaos beasts. I’m surprised they’ve both lasted this long.
“Can you help them? Is there a cure?!” Aramil pleaded.
“This isn’t a disease. It’s a curse, and I don’t yet have a fix for that,” the goblin replied. “I can buy them some time, but it’ll cost you. Orrr…you could leave them here. It’s not often I come across an opportunity like this, and I’d happily pay real gold for a couple of chaos beast specimens.”
“Farggalaan, you little monster!” Melody chastised the goblin. “Cast whatever damned spell you have, but do it quickly! These people are trying to help us!”
“Fine, whatever the lady wants!” retorted Farggalaan. “It’s not like I’ve never had a loyal pet in danger of being murdered by stupid, dangerous jerks before!”
The goblin wizard quickly slipped a pair of scrolls from a pile near the table and, within seconds, Isywyn and Cicero were covered in a rocky epidermis.
“Those stoneskin spells will keep your body from going all pudding on you, but you’ve only got three hours and 40 minutes before they wear off. That should be more than enough time for you to get to one of the priests at the Garrison as long as you don’t run into any trouble,” Farggalaan spoke.
“Couldn’t we bring someone from the Garrison to us?” Aramil asked.
“Sure, if you want The Barrows to become the next Golden Axe Massacre,” grumbled the goblin. “Never underestimate the destructive capacity of stupid people in large numbers. Most of the folks north of The Line are stuck here because of the celestials and some of them might unwisely decide to gang up on any Garrison member they see wandering the tunnels. Besides that, nobody wants them up here telling us how to live our lives. But, you run along and get your friends if you feel it’s necessary, redeemer. You’ll have to tell me how that works out if you ever find me after the smoke has cleared.”
Unlike other goblins in the dungeon, Farggalaan was never a member of the Stoneshaper Empire, meaning he was under no compulsion to treat bearers of the grey fist with any respect.
“Right then. We go south,” Aramil replied. “Erastil would bless your community spirit.”
***
“Where the hell were you?!” Aramil growled to Thrix as the hobgoblin entered the Garrison’s infirmary. “Isywyn and Cicero were nearly soup!”
The hobgoblin eyed the half-elf nervously, keeping his silence as he glanced at the drooling elf and wolf.
“Mm’goin fur a dink,” slurred the alchemist, half-mad from the touch of the chaos beasts, as he stumbled out of the chamber. Aramil had gotten his companions to the Garrison in time for the ghostly priest Iridinhael to save them, but the effects of the curse lingered.
“Should he be alone?” Thrix sheepishly asked.
“Now you care?” Aramil grumbled. “Why’d you even come back here?”
“I…had something I needed to do for a, uh, friend,” the hobgoblin stammered. And as he explained himself, Cicero wandered south toward a familiar drinking hole.
***
Cicero eyed the wall of Macready’s pub suspiciously as he sipped his mushroom ale. Sometime ago, the residents of the commune had hung a board covered in little brass placards from the wall as some sort of memorial but Cicero had never given it so much as a glance during his time in Four Waters. Now, in his addled state, he lumbered up to the board and ran his finger along a few of its brass signs.
“Poker, Laze, Rudeth? Who are these jerks?” blurted the alchemist.
“Heroes…,” answered a dwarf suddenly at Cicero’s side. “…to some.”
“Ha!” laughed the elf as he reached into his satchel for a bit of charcoal. “I’ll show them who’s a hero!”
Cicero began to smudge his own name onto the wooden memorial and the pub suddenly went quiet. From the entrance to the bar, Aramil and Thrix could only look on with apprehension as every eye turned toward the elf who slowly turned and shouted, “What?!”
The patrons of the pub suddenly erupted into laughter and cheers as the elf blinked in confusion.
“I guess that settles it then,” the mysterious dwarf called to Aramil and Thrix. “Meet me at Farggalaan’s tomorrow and we’ll discuss the job.”
***
“…That’s the story,” spoke the dwarf. “Or my part in it anyway. Aria and the others haven’t been seen since. I’d search for them myself if I knew for certain I’d find something, but I’ve received no answers from my goddess and I have too many responsibilities to the commune and The Barrows to risk my second life looking for them. You all seem…well, better than nothing…so I’d like you to try to find them.”
“Your faith in our abilities is truly inspiri-,“ Cicero began before Aramil cut him off.
“What my associate means to say is we’ll do it,” spoke the inquisitor. “It’s the least we can do in return for everything you and your companions did for Four Waters over the last seven months.”
“Good! You can give them this if you find them,” interrupted Farggalaan, tossing a large sack onto the floor at Aramil’s feet. “And if you don’t find them, test it out for me and bring it back.”
“Oh, wonderful. A ratty, stinky sack,” Cicero deadpanned. “Now Aramil will have something to carry his wolf in next time she turns into a jelly donut.”
“Speaking of which, you all still have a job to finish,” replied the goblin. By now it had been revealed that Farggalaan and the halfling, Farthing, were one and the same. Old Farthing was a false identity the goblin originally used to conceal his spellcasting abilities while in the south, but now he used the halfling’s reputation as a merchant to gather information about The Barrows’ trading houses. Only Thrix knew Farggalaan’s secret, having learned everything he knew about shapeshifting from the goblin wizard, and it was Thrix who Farggalaan sent to seek out the strange dwarf cleric who lived among the goblins while Aramil and Cicero dealt with the chaos beasts.
“He’s right,” Aramil spoke to his companions. “We can’t leave that chaos beast out there to create more of its kind, and the creatures in the other tunnel are still a threat. Thrix? I’m assuming you’re coming with us this time?”
“Eruh, sure, I guess,” Thrix stumbled. “I’ll help where I can.”
“Huz-zah,” Cicero sarcastically replied.
***
The adventurers pondered at how to destroy the remaining chaos beast for some time before coming to the conclusion that they would only be able to kill the thing by climbing down into its lair. That being the case, they opted to eliminate the strange water creatures first.
“Blurbgle?” Cicero spoke to the splashing cascade that fell from the ceiling of the chamber. His greeting was only met with the patter of the trickling droplets. “Are you sure this is a water elemental?” he asked, turning to Aramil.
“Maybe we need to get closer?” answered the half-elf.
“I’m assuming by ‘we’ you actually mean ‘me’,” groaned the elf who procured a small vial from his belt. “Fine. But I’m not going in unprepared.”
Cicero suddenly vanished from sight and his companions could hear his footsteps creeping slowly toward the waterfall. As the elf drew nearer, the adventurers could see a change coming over the water. The chaotic spatter of falling liquid was becoming a solid torrent which seemed to reflect the light of their torches.
Suddenly, the water seemed to solidify into a shining column of prismatic mirrors like the surface of a fly’s eye. Before Cicero could retreat, eight tendrils of the strange reflective material shot out of the column flailing in his direction. Perhaps due to his invisibility, the alchemist avoided most of the tendrils, but two of the ropy tethers looped his torso and legs.
“Little help here!” the alchemist shouted as the tendrils lifted him into the air and slammed him against the ceiling of the cave.
Hoping to assist his companion with as little risk to himself as possible, Thrix quickly unleashed a beam of purple light at the offending tendrils. “This should weaken it!” cried the hobgoblin. “Try to break free!”
“This is no creature from this world or any other,” Aramil growled, scanning the thing with eyes glowing with divine sight. From its trunk to its limbs, the “creature” radiated with arcane energy. “It’s some kind of trap made from pure force!”
“That would probably explain why my spell didn’t work and it’s still murdering Cicero,” Thrix replied as the force tentacles continued to grapple and smash the elf into the ceiling. Then, as the elf struggled uselessly in the grasp of the tentacles, Aramil and Thrix watched in horror as Cicero was pulled toward the shimmering column. “Well, I’m out of ideas,” mused the hobgoblin.
“Rraargh!” grunted Aramil as he charged the ropy tendrils holding his ally. The half-elf’s sword clattered against the shining tether and a shock ran up his arm. No weapon at his disposal could cut through the arcane limb and he could only watch as Cicero was pulled into the column of light. “Get Farggalaan!” Aramil shouted back to Thrix as he beat against the wall of force. “He might know a way to shut this thing down!”
Within the column, Cicero was being raised toward the ceiling of the chamber. Droplets of black radiance seemed to be falling past him like a rain of tiny shadows and, as he drew nearer to the ceiling, he could just make out a small, dark gemstone wedged into a tiny crack. The alchemist began to feel cold as the gem’s light enveloped him and he knew then the thing meant to drain the life from his body.
Aramil frantically searched the surface of the column for weaknesses as a sudden flash of light erupted from inside the forcewall. The sound of cracking ice suddenly filled the chamber and, as the inquisitor took cover, the wall fell away, once more a seemingly ordinary trickle of water. Cicero was gone.
***
“I’m sorry for what happened to your companion,” chimed the lantern archon Marfa.
Thrix had returned with Farggalaan too late. The pair arrived to find Aramil clinging to the ceiling of the room and driving a spike into a tiny crack in the center of the waterfall. For unknown reasons, the tendrils of force had no interest in attacking the inquisitor and it wasn’t until Melody arrived with Marfa that anyone had any idea why.
The small black diamond Aramil dug out of the ceiling had been part of an ancient trap designed to capture and destroy its victims in order to recharge its power. The lantern archon explained the diamond was triggered by the presence of evil or amoral creatures. Now that the gem was dislodged from its crevice, its magic was gone. The threat it posed to the new residents of the dungeon was over, but Cicero was irrevocably lost.
“The dungeon’s architects believed such a horrible device was the only thing that would keep creatures away from the powerful artifacts once stored in this region,” Marfa explained. “The others became dislodged and disabled when the earthquake struck the dungeon. I didn’t know this gem was still active.”
“Chin up, hero,” Farggalaan smiled at the half-elf. “Thanks to you, The Barrows has a source of fresh water. I hear the trade houses are already arguing over who gets to control it.”
“There’s still one more chaos beast, Farggalaan,” Aramil grinned. “And that’s not even considering what might have happened to the three fire beetles I tossed in after it. Thrix and I are done here. You can keep your reward, and you tell the trading houses they can fight the monsters for their jukketeith water.”
Dotted.
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Greetings, friends. It's been a busy three weeks for me with work and, as much as it pains me to say it, I might have to change the format of these journal entries and only include the highlights. We'll see how things play out in the weeks to come. For now, here's how things went in the 3rd and 4th session.
In our last session, the adventurers were tasked by Farggalaan and the cleric Shi to locate and, if possible, rescue Jasper and his companions. With Cicero dead, Aramil and Thrix's odds of succeeding in their mission weren't looking too good but, fear not. Help is on the way!
DAY 319-320: TRIAL BY FIRE
featuring the World’s Largest Adventuring Party:
Aramil – Half-Elf Inquisitor of Erastil
Thrix – Hobgoblin Magus
Hoggle – Goblin Cavalier
Nalia – Gnome Sorcerer
Ajax – Half-Orc Paladin
“Like this?” Thrix asked, glancing at Shi as he rubbed his saliva-moistened hands against the dark obelisk. The dwarf had led the magus and Aramil to the former cache of the drider wizard Mahir where he and the mystic theurge Roch had once recovered Mahir’s Faerz’ol, the tome that held the doom of Madness and lost Roch the blessing of his god. It was from here Aramil and Thrix sought to enter the unexplored Region J in order to discover the fate of the cleric’s former companions.
“Just like that,” grinned the cleric who doubled over laughing when a small compartment suddenly opened in the pillar spraying the hobgoblin in a fine, white mist. It wasn’t so long ago the dwarf had been pranked in the same manner and, like Shi, Thrix was livid when he realized he’d just been duped into polishing the ebony monolith, as it were.
“Don’t ever try something like that again,” the hobgoblin growled as Shi wiped a tear of laughter from his eye.
“If you’re done jerking these guys around, can we get on with this?” asked Riswan. As the caretaker of the naga Sigilindes’ former lair, the halfling had tagged along as a deterrent to the strange and alien cloakers, which had claimed the sorceress’ home as their own. Riswan had been instrumental in the cloakers’ revenge against the naga and, perhaps out of trust or thanks, the creatures now ignored the presence of anyone traveling with the halfling.
Shi composed himself and directed the adventurers’ attention toward a large iron door set into the east wall. Strange characters like swooping hashmarks adorned the lintel above the portal.
“It’s a riddle,” spoke the cleric. “Each door has one written in a different language. Answering the question aloud opens the corresponding door. Neither Roch nor I could read this one so we felt it best to leave it alone. The creature we found living in this chamber said it led to Region J.”
“It’s Ignan,” Aramil replied, his eyes aglow with mystic light.
“You can read that?” Thrix asked.
“For the moment,” replied the inquisitor. “Feed me and I live, give me drink and I die. What am I?”
“That’s easy,” piped the voice of the adventurers’ newest companion. “It’s fire.”
Hoggle was a former pelt scout of the Goblin Empire who’d moved into The Barrows to seek fame and glory. When the goblin heard Shi and Farggalaan were looking for adventurers to locate Jasper and his companions, he quickly volunteered thinking he might out-shine the great heroes of Four Waters by rescuing them from a pack of demons. To the cavalier’s surprise, however, the door remained sealed.
“I may have neglected to mention the answer must be given in the tongue inscribed above the door,” Shi offered.
Aramil whisper-hissed the Ignan word for fire and the door suddenly slid apart releasing a blast of heat and flame into the room. The assembled adventurers dodged out of the way of the backdraft and saw the hall beyond the threshold was a blazing oven for as far as they could see.
“Perhaps you could quench the fires by creating a downpour of water,” Thrix suggested to Aramil.
“Ha!” Shi erupted with a laugh, but only Riswan understood.
***
Aramil and his companions returned to the burning corridor the following day with spells prepared for traversing through the flames. Shi had returned to his home in the Goblin Empire, but Riswan remained to see them off.
“I kind of wish I was going with you, but someone needs to keep an eye on Anguish and the cloakers,” the halfling spoke. “Aria, Jasper, Cul’tharic, that new kid Zachariah, they were good people. They deserved better. I hope you find them.”
“Wasn’t there another guy with them?” asked Thrix. “A wizard of some sort?”
Riswan sighed disapprovingly. “May the glory of The Inheritor keep you from the unrighteous,” the halfling coolly replied.
***
Divine wards shielded the adventurers against the flames as they rushed through the hellish hallway, and it was only after traveling 180 feet that they reached the end of the tunnel. A pair of magically strengthened iron doors stood across from each other, blackened by the flames but otherwise undamaged.
The door to the right led to a wide chamber where a statue of a strange, spear-wielding serpentine creature stood against the northwest corner like a silent guardian. A brass placard reading, “Kser Igenis, Protector of Boundaries” rested at the base of the statue and a heavy gold chain and amulet hung from the statue’s neck.
Hoggle entered the chamber astride his loyal shocker lizard, Shocky, and attempted to lift the necklace with his lanc but there was a sudden rumble from the east wall of the chamber. A deadly pour of glowing magma crashed through the wall and flowed into the room as Hoggle and Shocky leapt away and the necklace fell back into place around the statue’s neck. Their mystic defense against flame would protect the adventurers from the heat of the magma, but for the moment, they decided to avoid the chamber and tried the other door.
The opposite room was filled with steam and a puddle of bubbling water stretched across the floor. Aramil held his curved elven blade at the ready as he stepped into the obscuring mist but, as his foot touched the floor, a crippling surge of electricity coursed through his body. The half-elf managed to stumble back into the burning corridor before the electrified floor could cook his organs and Thrix offered a solution to the dilemma.
Using a pair of wand-conjured disks of force, the magus created a kind of floating lily pad bridge and leap-frogged across the chamber toward a door in the south wall. The room beyond the door was empty aside from a fine longsword placed onto a small pedestal. A suspicious recession in the floor of the room tipped Thrix off that a sinkhole had formed below the chamber and he wisely used a minor telekinetic cantrip to safely retrieve the weapon.
“There’s more to this sword that it seems,” the magus spoke as he examined the blade. “It appears to be a fairly typical enchanted weapon, but I’m detecting a hidden power within the steel.”
Thrix was right. In the hands of a proficient user, the enchanted blade’s strength would increase as it attuned itself to its master. Within hours, the blade would reach full power and become sheathed in flame.
“Whoever created this sword was a master of the craft,” the hobgoblin spoke. ‘Too bad they wasted so much skill and power on such a suboptimal weapon design,” he sneered, his hand instinctively resting on the pommel of his rapier. “Still, it’s worth a fortune.”
Aramil tucked the enchanted blade into the ratty sack given to him by Farggalaan but, oddly, the bag seemed no heavier. Retrieving the sword from the bag revealed the weapon had mysteriously shrunk down to the size of a small toy and, reciting a command word told to him by the goblin, the half-elf was able to pop the sword back into its normal dimensions. Dropping the sword back into the enchanted bag, the adventurers turned their attention toward a wide door in the east wall of the electrified chamber.
Aramil used a pair of enchanted spider-silk slippers to climb to the east door and push it open. Once again, a humid, mist-shrouded and flooded chamber awaited the adventurers but this time it seemed the water became deeper further into the room. The inquisitor scanned the room carefully and something in the pool caught his eye. A large ripple of water seemed to be spreading across the surface of the pool and something like the shadow of a great, horned serpent swayed in the mist.
“Let’s try that room with the lava again,” Aramil choked as he slid the heavy door closed.
***
Avoiding whatever it was that lived in the mist, the party eventually found their way to a pair of bronze and iron doors separated by a narrow passage. Hoggle and Thrix examined the doors at each end of the passage and, while Aramil was busy helping Isywyn squeeze through the corridor, the pair of goblins slid open both chambers.
“Wait for me!” Aramil hissed, but it was too late. Hoggle was already bouncing through the door atop Shocky and Thrix had vanished.
The doors turned out to be connected to a spartanly decorated chamber with a long, flat dais set into the west wall. Ignan characters were scrawled into the walls of the chamber and a trio of flaming, scaled serpentine creatures sat coiled upon the dais.
“Who dares challenge the court of the Ksers!” spat the creature on the right as flames danced up his magnificent spear.
“What’s a kih-shear?” Hoggle asked showing a complete lack of social decorum. “Is that you?”
The creatures stared daggers at the goblin as Thrix remained invisible and hidden at the opposite end of the room. “Insolent thoqqua,” growled the creature in the center of the dais. “We are the mighty Ksers, rulers of The First Ring! Why have you interrupted our meditations!?”
“What ring? All I see is a tiny room and you guys,” the goblin replied. “This place is dumb. Why are you here?”
The aura of flame sheathing the Kser to the left glowed white hot and seemed to grow as the creature addressed the cavalier. “Leave,” hissed the serpent. ”Now. We will not command you to do so again.”
“Can I look around in here?” Hoggle asked causing the sound of the slap of a palm meeting a forehead to emanate from Thrix’s position. Before the goblin could speak another word, an explosion of flame erupted around him and Shocky. The cavalier and his mount were unharmed due to their mystical protection from fire but, before Hoggle could make a cute remark about it, he found himself in the coils of one of the serpents.
“You were warned,” sneered the beast as it lifted the goblin out of his saddle and began to squeeze. Hoggle could feel his ribs snapping as the creature flexed its tail and the goblin had no choice but to drop his lance.
“So it’s…a duel…you…want…eh?” the cavalier huffed. “Happy…to…oblige!”
Filling his tiny gauntleted fist with all the pompous arrogance in his small body, Hoggle swung an indignant blow at the flame-wreathed beast’s face and felt his wrist go limp as his hand crashed into the creature’s blazing scales.
“Pathetic,” grinned the Kser.
Things weren’t going much better for Thrix on the other end of the chamber. The hobgoblin had managed to prepare for the fight while Hoggle’s mouth was writing a check his ass couldn’t cash, but the magus was still overwhelmed when the two remaining creatures teamed against him. A mystical aura of frost badly wounded one of the beasts, but the crafty Ksers quickly vaporized it with a stern glance.
Aramil, who only entered the chamber once Isywyn was safely through the narrow corridor outside, tried to help but he was too late. The inquisitor could only watch as Thrix was grappled and brutally stabbed prison-style by the Ksers. To his credit, the magus managed to get in one solid blow before his lifeless body slipped from the serpent’s grasp. The same could not be said for Hoggle.
Aramil fled. He had no choice. Invisibly, the inquisitor managed to slash a pair of deep grooves into the scales of one of the Ksers, but the creatures quickly caught wise to the half-elf and sealed the doors of the chamber when he withdrew out of the room. With their corpses locked within the Kser’s chamber, Hoggle, Shocky and Thrix were lost.
***
Isywyn and her master made their way north along the blazing banks of the Tanbera hoping for a path home to The Barrows. It would be too dangerous to pass the chamber of the Ksers and risk encountering the thing in the mist, but Aramil could see the shore ahead was quickly becoming too narrow for his large wolf companion.
“We can’t go back, girl,” the half-elf spoke to the wolf, stroking her fur as he searched the area. “And you can’t go forward.” Across the Tanbera, the inquisitor could make out an island of ruins surrounded on all sides by magma. Small, orange humanoids blazing with flame and heat appeared to be gathering there and participating in a ritual dance. For a moment, Aramil was hopeful the creatures might offer him some assistance but those hopes were soon dashed as his mind raced to identify the strange beings.
“Magmin,” sighed the half-elf. “So we can’t go that way. They’d sooner drag us into the Tanbera than give us directions out of here.” A little further north, Aramil soon discovered what appeared to be a damaged portion of the old dungeon complex.
The floor of the destroyed chamber was covered in slick, ill-smelling black slime and a creature not unlike a small Kser balanced upon a cracked pedestal in its center. Aramil instantly recognized the smell of the sludge from his heretic-burning class at the monastery. It was pitch, and the little flaming monster was perched right above it.
“I don’t want any trouble,” Aramil spoke softly to the creature as he inched his way toward an iron door just wide enough to accommodate Isywyn in the north wall. “I’m just looking for a way out of here. Do you understand? Nobody needs to get hurt. I’m just going to walk over here…next to this…door.”
The small serpent-thing grinned and leapt onto the floor just as Aramil reached the portal’s handle. Flames engulfed Aramil and Isywyn, but the inquisitor and the wolf were still shielded from the heat. More disconcerting was the fact that the little snake was already shooting through a hole in the south wall roaring an alarm to the Ksers.
Aramil threw open the north door praying to Erastil for deliverance but, once again, he was met with grief. Six of the small serpent-things armed with short spears swarmed around the chamber on the other side of the door. The half-elf was about to slam the door closed and flee when he realized the things hadn’t spotted him. Their attention was drawn to something else.
A tiny, rust-red dragon flitted against the ceiling of the room dodging the spears of the flame-serpents, but Aramil could tell the creatures were wearing it out. “Help!” came a tiny cry within the half-elf’s mind. Spotting the tiny stinger at the end of the creature’s tail, the inquisitor quickly determined the small dragon was really a friendly pseudodragon and in need of a rescue.
Aramil and Isywyn got the drop on the little monsters attacking the pseudodragon and managed to slay two of them outright before Isywyn suddenly yelped in pain. Drawn by the cries of the small serpents, the Ksers had returned and hurled a heavy iron spear into the wolf’s flank.
“Run, Isywyn!” Aramil yelled to the wolf who promptly made for the narrow path along the river of magma as the Ksers closed in. The pseudodragon was now wounded as well and didn’t look as if it would survive another strike by the malicious little worms chasing it. There was no room for Aramil to escape but the tiny dragon had a chance.
“Flee, little one! Follow the wolf!” Aramil shouted, sliding the door closed as the tiny creature zipped out after Isywyn. Aramil quickly dispatched the remaining young serpents, but he knew a mighty Kser was waiting outside, taunting him as it scraped its flaming spear across the iron door.
***
“What is it?” asked the young gnome. “Think it’s asleep?”
“Dead I’d wager, my friend. Whatever it is,” replied the half-orc tapping his sword against the creature’s slimy hide. “I guess we should tell the ratfolk the tunnel is safe.”
Ajax and Nalia met while serving alongside the Celestial Garrison’s Redeemers and migrated to The Barrows after hearing about the troubles facing the paladin Melody and her small posse of lawkeepers. Since their arrival the orc-blood paladin and his sorcerous companion had earned a small reputation as monster slayers among the residents of the north and it was for this reason they now found themselves in the former lair of the terrible abomination called Madness.
A team of ratfolk working for Farggalaan had come across a silent beast while searching Madness’ lair and, after retreating to a safe distance, flagged the passing adventurers down for assistance. The monster appeared to be some sort of immense insect formed from the tumorous sludge dripping from the walls and ceiling of the Halls of Flesh and it was half buried in an avalanche of ill-smelling goop as if it had died while trying to burrow into the east wall of the tunnel.
“It’s a pity,” spoke Nalia as she turned to leave. “I was kind of looking forward to a scrap.”
“Hold a moment,” cautioned Ajax. “Do you hear that?-Ready yourself! Something’s coming through the wall!”
The paladin was right. A small lump was forming in the wall of flesh accompanied by a wet clawing sound. Then, a tiny draconic head sprouted from the protrusion, its jaws screeching a psychic cry for help.
“A pseudodragon!” Nalia squealed. “What are you doing here!?”
“No time!” the creature huffed, obviously wounded and exhausted after digging through the foul muck. “Fireworms! Behind me! They’re going to kill him!”
Ajax didn’t wait for any further explanation. Squeezing through a small gap left by the dead hulk, the paladin scrambled through the wall and charged off toward the sound of battle in the sweltering tunnel ahead.
“Stay here!” Nalia commanded to the small dragon. “We’ll help your friend!”
By the time Ajax arrived, Aramil was already being swarmed by a trio of flaming serpent-men. Seemingly trapped in the small chamber where he’d found the pseudodragon, the inquisitor had discovered a hidden door in the north wall. Unfortunately, the serpents were already waiting on the other side and jumped him as the portal slid open. The creatures weren’t quite as large as their Kser masters who flanked Aramil on either end of the tunnel, but it didn’t matter. The flame-wreathed things wrapped the half-elf tightly and were quickly crushing the life from his lungs.
“Let him go!” Ajax shouted drawing the attention of the mob of serpents who obliged by flinging the unconscious Aramil to the floor. The Kser directing the attack from the north tunnel turned to face Ajax and charged.
“Ajax, I’m coming!” Nalia cried as the half-orc struggled in the grip of the Kser. Calling forth a volley of crackling spheres of electricity, the gnome launched a mystical attack against the creature. Unfortunately, in her haste to aid her friend, the sorceress fatally misjudged the reach of the creature’s spear. Held in the iron coils of the Kser, Ajax was helpless to defend his small companion as her organs were mercilessly skewered in alphabetical order.
“Your invasion has failed, hupozh,” the Kser grinned. “Now you d-“
Before the monster could finish speaking, the wall of flesh barring the way into Region I exploded into a hail of grisly chunks. The insect-thing had stirred from its death-like slumber and, in a burst of awesome power, had torn free of the Halls of Flesh! Already wounded by the adventurers, the Ksers were unprepared for an encounter with such a huge and horrible beast. Ordering their minions to swarm the groaning monster, the Ksers withdrew leaving the crippled Ajax to his terrible fate.
Upon their return with reinforcements, the creatures would find no trace of the intruders or the monstrous slime-beetle.
***
“Salamanders,” Aramil growled, his ribs aching as he sat up from the matting that made up his bed. “There were at least three nobles and probably a dozen or more flamebrothers and adults. That kessuk ud’rann Hoggle got himself and Thrix killed. Nuuta yrch. No offense.”
“None taken, they aren’t my tribe,” Farggalaan replied. “Now, about the contraption…”
The contraption Farggalaan referred to was none other than the infamous Death Trap, a magi-mechanical transport discovered by Shi and his companions before they lost it during the attack on the Spider Kings. The vehicle had been stolen by the sociopathic homunculus Beem who, it was now believed, had tried to use the construct to flee Region I before it became stuck in the wall of flesh where the ratfolk found it.
While Ajax and Nalia fought the salamanders, Aramil learned the tiny pseudodragon he’d rescued had figured out how to get into the Death Trap. Frantically pulling levers and pushing buttons in an attempt to aid his rescuers, the dragon managed to plow through the tunnel made by Ajax when he charged toward the battle. With the help of the gore-encrusted crab, the pseudodragon and Ajax fought off the weaker salamanders, gathered Nalia and Aramil and fled back into the Halls of Flesh.
“Once the gunk came off the crab, the interior began to fill with poisonous gas,” Farggalaan reported. “The dragon and the half-orc almost didn’t get you all out in time. I’m keeping it, by the way. It was my workers who found it so I’m exercising my rights to claim the thing.”
Aramil was in no mood to argue. There was only one thing he wanted to know.
“Where’s Isywyn?” asked the half-elf. “Where’s my wolf?”
“I’m sorry…” came a soft chirp within the inquisitor’s mind. “The Kser…they…the river…"
Isywyn, Aramil's faithful companion, was dead, another casualty of the mighty Ksers.
while Hoggle’s mouth was writing a check his ass couldn’t cash
This line amuses me more than it probably should.
It seems like a cross between a glove of storing and a bag of holding.
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@ Kevin Mack - Quite far. We've only just begun the new adventure, and the new party only has a few clues as to where to start looking. Going back into the prison where Aria and Jasper disappeared is no longer an option since the Celestial Garrison refuses to let anyone enter as a precaution against the demonic incursion.
@ sunbeam - What heliopolix said, sorta. The bag is a new wondrous item commissioned by the old adventuring party but unfinished by the time they went missing. A couple years ago, my players asked if there was a way to make an enchanted bag that would work in the dungeon (extradimensional magic doesn't function so Bags of Holding and Handy Haversacks are out.) I had the caster types make some Knowledge and Spellcraft checks and let them float the idea of using Shrink Item to create such a bag to Farggalaan. The new bag didn't become available right away because the goblin had to find materials that would synch up with Shrink Item and allow the spell to work on magic items as well as mundane. Here's what he came up with:
Aura moderate transmutation; CL 8th
Slot none; Price 6000gp; Weight .5lb (empty)
DESCRIPTION
The wizard Farggalaan created the Hoarder’s Duffel after a group of adventurers commissioned him to create an enchanted bag that didn’t require access to an extra-dimensional space. Woven from dire rat fur and lined with the elastic skin of a choker, the large sack otherwise resembles a duffel bag typically carried by soldiers and sailors. The interior of the bag is approximately 4ft deep and can carry up to 80lbs of gear, however items dropped into the mouth of the bag (roughly 1.5ft diameter) shrink down to 1/10th of their original weight (for a total actual carrying capacity of 800lbs.) Retrieving an item from the bag restores it to its original size. Placing or retrieving an item into the duffel requires a move action. The bag is quite durable, waterproof and can even be used as a flotation device, providing a +2 circumstance bonus to Swim checks, so long as its mouth is securely fastened. The bag has hardness 3 and 7 hit points. Small punctures and tears in the bag will not break its enchantment, but items that fall out of the sack return to their original size and such perforations make the bag unsuitable for use as a flotation device until the holes are repaired. Creatures placed into the bag do not shrink.
CONSTRUCTION REQUIREMENTS
Craft Wondrous Item, shrink item; Cost 3,000 gp.
I can't go back and edit it now, but I decided to remove the command word from the item. I'll just pretend the command word was a bug in the system that needed worked out before the bag functioned properly. Strictly using the formula for pricing wondrous items, the thing came to somewhere around 24,000gp, but I figured it falls into a level of usefulness between the type 2 and 4 BOH so I settled on 6000gp. Right now, the bag the party has is the only one of its kind so, within the dungeon, it's probably considered priceless.
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I would've thought a bag that turned items into tiny toy versions of themselves would be all red with a golden tassel and the command word would be "Ho, Ho, Ho!" but to each their own.
I'm genuinely sad at the prospect of the journal entries changing but I completely understand why. You're a masterful GM and storyteller V.Z.
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@ Kevin Mack - Quite far. We've only just begun the new adventure, and the new party only has a few clues as to where to start looking. Going back into the prison where Aria and Jasper disappeared is no longer an option since the Celestial Garrison refuses to let anyone enter as a precaution against the demonic incursion.
Fair enough dont suppose you would be willing to spoiler whats happend to her (Or send me a note if you dont want anyone to know?)
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Oh, why not? Be warned, however. The truth may scar you for life...duhn, duhn, duhn!
@ Mark Hoover - Maybe in your neighborhood but, where I grew up, Santa's bag looked like a gunny sack and it smelled like the underside of a bar stool. Also, he didn't have a sleigh. He drove a tan '83 Mazda Sundowner and, well, I probably never should have gotten inside but that was one hell of a Christmas.
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Greetings, friends. It's been a busy three weeks for me with work and, as much as it pains me to say it, I might have to change the format of these journal entries and only include the highlights. We'll see how things play out in the weeks to come. For now, here's how things went in the 3rd and 4th session.
In our last session, the adventurers were tasked by Farggalaan and the cleric Shi to locate and, if possible, rescue Jasper and his companions. With Cicero dead, Aramil and Thrix's odds of succeeding in their mission weren't looking too good but, fear not. Help is on the way!
DAY 319-320: TRIAL BY FIRE
featuring the World’s Largest Adventuring Party:
Aramil – Half-Elf Inquisitor of Erastil
Thrix – Hobgoblin Magus
Hoggle – Goblin Cavalier
Nalia – Gnome Sorcerer
Ajax – Half-Orc Paladin“Like this?” Thrix asked, glancing at Shi as he rubbed his saliva-moistened hands against the dark obelisk. The dwarf had led the magus and Aramil to the former cache of the drider wizard Mahir where he and the mystic theurge Roch had once recovered Mahir’s Faerz’ol, the tome that held the doom of Madness and lost Roch the blessing of his god. It was from here Aramil and Thrix sought to enter the unexplored Region J in order to discover the fate of the cleric’s former companions.
“Just like that,” grinned the cleric who doubled over laughing when a small compartment suddenly opened in the pillar spraying the hobgoblin in a fine, white mist. It wasn’t so long ago the dwarf had been pranked in the same manner and, like Shi, Thrix was livid when he realized he’d just been duped into polishing the ebony monolith, as it were.
“Don’t ever try something like that again,” the hobgoblin growled as Shi wiped a tear of laughter from his eye.
“If you’re done jerking these guys around, can we get on with this?” asked Riswan. As the caretaker of the naga Sigilindes’ former lair, the halfling had tagged along as a deterrent to the strange and alien cloakers, which had claimed the sorceress’ home as...
Use a create water spell! Ha, Ha, Ha!
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Well, look who's decided to visit! Everyone's favorite mass-murdering mystic! Gassed any slaves lately, you soulless monster?! Let me know if you ever get out of the dungeon. I could always use another janitor at my pony death camp/children's daycare center! Muahahah!
This new group is fantastic! Only a few days in and they've already lost four members and two pets! I can't wait to see who dies next!
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You're a horrible person Lord Antagonis. But you know what isn't horrible? New journal entries! Yay! Also, new players!
Despite the cloud of death that seems to be hanging above Aramil's head lately, a small group of adventurers has signed on to help him in his quest to find Aria and the other missing heroes. Will they have what it takes to last more than a single session in Region J? Find out next in...
DAY 321-322: HALL OF THE FIRE GIANT QUEEN
featuring the World’s Largest Adventuring Party:
Aramil – Half-Elf Inquisitor of Erastil
Ajax – Half-Orc Redeemer Paladin of Sarenrae
Sasha – Half-Elf Cleric of Sarenrae
Les Dwalen – Dwarf Deepwalker Guide Ranger
Nalia – Efreet-blooded Sorcerer
Fyrsil – Pseudodragon companion
Hoarse Gnomish cursing and the sound of breaking glass and sheets tearing came from Slissth’s tent as Ajax awaited the return of his small companion. The lizardfolk druid was unmoved by the woman’s tantrum and sat quietly as the sorceress kicked over a clay chamber pot. Nalia’s final memory as a gnome was of being impaled by the spear of a salamander Kser, and now she awoke to find her once delicate features and olive skin had become coarse and thick and drab.
“I’m an orc, you handbag!” Nalia screamed before slipping in the foul puddle at her feet. “What did you do to me?! What did you do?” the ex-gnome whimpered as Slissth exited the tent leaving Nalia to flail in the filth around her.
“Jaciv geou rigluin creol tairais,” the druid coolly hissed to the confused, waiting paladin. Meanwhile, back at Macready’s pub, Aramil met with the party’s newest recruits.
“We heard about your quest and wish to help,” spoke the dwarf. The deep walker Les Dwalen was captured and imprisoned by Antagonis’ soldiers after leaving his clan because “they didn’t understand him.” “Well, the cleric wants to help, anyway,” the ranger continued. “I’m just along for the ride.”
“Aria was a member of my order and I won’t stand idle while one of my sisters is in need,” spoke the cleric. Sasha knew Ajax from the Redeemers and, like the paladin, worshiped the sun goddess Sarenrae. Like many of The Dawnflower’s flock, the half-elf was here because she opposed Lord Antagonis’ laws regarding the mandatory animation of dead peasants to create cheap labor.
“Indeed,” Ajax spoke as he arrived, Nalia fuming at his side. “The priestess and her companions were heroes to this community. It would be a sin to abandon them to the clutches of those demons.”
“I’m coming too,” chirped the pseudodragon Fyrsil. “I know I can’t replace your wolf, but those salamanders would have killed me if you hadn’t come along. I owe you.”
Aramil scanned the strangers gathered around him, studying them with unblinking eyes. Then the inquisitor glanced at the list of names etched into the wall of the pub and grimly smiled. Fixing for a moment on Cicero’s charcoal scrawl, Aramil emptied his mug of fungus ale, stood and walked toward the door before stopping with a glance back at the table. “Well, come on then.”
***
The adventurers traveled south along the eastern shore of the Tanbera from the Barrows on their next jaunt into Region J. Nalia had abjectly refused to use the salamander tunnels even with the added protection of Les and Sasha, so the group was forced to endure a dull hike across the rough, dusty chasm. Dull, at least until they came upon the body of a drow elf, its skin sunken and its limbs pulled into a fetal position.
Les quickly determined the drow had died after staggering alone away from a nearby cave and shedding gear as he went.
“No food, no water, no wounds” spoke the dwarf. “Just some bone shards, a broken pickaxe and a cheap sack with a hole in it. He could have starved…or maybe the cave is filled with gas?”
Sasha examined the corpse. The elf seemed mummified by the heat of the chasm, but something was wrong; its leathery skin was too cool to the touch.
“This stinks of necromancy,” the cleric growled drawing her scimitar. “I think we should move away from here.”
Nalia was quick to agree despite Ajax’s sudden interest in exploring the cave. Since experiencing death, the sorceress was in no rush to tempt fate a second time. Outnumbered by the wiser (or more terrified) minds of his companions, the paladin was forced to relent and sulked away from the cave and what might have been a spectacular adventure.
***
A mountain of what appeared to be black glass towered over the eastern bank of the Tanbera as the adventurers entered Region J from the north.
“Hey Les,” Ajax called to the dwarf. “Did you ever see that much obsidian when you were with your clan?”
“Not every dwarf sits around drooling over piles of rocks, you racist,” the dwarf gruffly replied. “But no. No I didn’t. And that isn’t obsidian.”
The ranger pointed to a ridge on the mountain where the warm winds of the cavern blew thick black mist into soft piles and slick, irregular columns hung over the edge of the cliff like ropes of knotted tar. “I think it’s ice,” Les concluded.
The adventurers marveled at the strangeness of the ebon glacier for a moment as Sasha recalled a line she once read in the journal of a pilgrim. “Thereupon I turned and saw before and underneath my feet a lake, whose frozen surface liker seemed to glass than water,” recited the cleric. “It is said the houses of Cania are built upon seas of ice such as this, and under the weight of sin do they break their foundations and sink into the fathomless dark. Sarenrae protect us. This is no place to linger.”
Then, as if in cruel mockery of the half-elf’s prayer, a hissing scream echoed through the chasm behind the party. “For the master!” came a trilling cackle like steam escaping a teapot as a dozen small burning humanoids rushed up from the Tanbera charging the party.
A quartet of magmin leapt at Les and Sasha, punching wildly with their flaming fists before the adventurers could react. Before the remaining creatures could reach her companions, Nalia quickly took a deep breath and exhaled a cone of sharp, icy crystals. The mad magmin zealously rushed the wall of mist screaming devotion to their master even as they fell cold and dead at the adventurers’ feet and, within moments, the fight was over as quickly as it had begun. Concerned that more of the creatures may appear at any second, the adventurers made quickly for the south.
***
Les motioned for his companions to stop and tiptoed back to where they followed behind at a safe distance. “Giants,” whispered the dwarf. “Brauzagid al Taal, fire giants, from the look of them. Very strong and very mean. I vote we avoid them if possible.” No one disagreed.
A pair of plate-clad fire giants played a game atop a cinder cone near the banks of the Tanbera warming small boulders within the crater of the small volcano and then hurling them at randomly selected targets as most of the adventurers did their best to silently and invisibly make their way behind and around the brutes through a crevasse in the side of the scorched walls of the cavern. Ajax, however, had made the unwise decision of sprinting across the rocky shore in a bid to shorten the distance and time to the other side of the chamber. As he ran, puffs of ash kicked up by his boots and the sound of cracking pumice under his feet alerted the giants to his presence.
Several boulders rapidly flew toward the scene of the disturbance like meteors before Les and the others heard a loud, “thunklang!” as a flaming boulder crashed into the invisible paladin and a giant cheered, unaware of what he’d struck. Ajax slowed his pace in an attempt to conceal his location just in time to be clipped by a second boulder and, as he yelped, the giants drew their swords and cautiously made their way down the volcano.
“What do we do?!” Sasha whisper-hissed to anyone within earshot. “We can’t let them-“
“He’s brought this on himself,” Nalia interjected from somewhere behind the priest. “They’ll kill us all if they find us too. We can only hope he gets away.”
***
“Anyone here?” Ajax whispered. Unable to locate the paladin, the giants had turned back toward a wide tunnel and the echo of hammered steel from somewhere deep within the cavern. Still invisible thanks to Aramil’s spell, the half-orc had stopped at the base of a low-lying ziggurat adjacent to a stone bridge leading to the island of the magmin. A beautiful angel carved from alabaster towered over him atop the ziggurat, its hand cupped as if ready to accept a gift. At the base of the statue, a placard of shining brass bore a message written in the Celestial tongue:
O de odo,
L de iaial,
Ozien limlal noromi sa pashs,
Torsil de lvsda.
“Five to unbind, One to complete, My beloved children, Rise to their feet,” Ajax read aloud and, as he spoke, the brass letters melted and ran down the surface of the ziggurat with a puff of steam.
“Ajax!” Sasha cried from somewhere nearby. “We thought we’d lost y-“
“Did you see that?!” the half-orc interrupted. The placard was now empty and unadorned, but the ziggurat itself remain unchanged.
“I saw enough to know I don’t like it here,” Nalia spoke from somewhere over the half-orc’s shoulder. “Do either of you know what happened to Aramil or Les?” There was no sudden reply from the inquisitor or the ranger. Ignoring the ziggurat and its statue, the pair had moved down the shore leaving their companions behind.
***
Les scanned the river of magma ahead for any sign of an exit from the Region. According to Shi, a portion of the Tanbera flowed south from Region J and into the northeast corner of Region F, the labyrinth of the minotaurs. By following the river from The Barrows, the adventurers would be able to circumvent the labyrinth’s dangerous warp gates and travel southeast into Region G where they might find Aria and her companions. Now however, as the dwarf gazed out across the river at a wall of steel bridging the Tanbera, it seemed their journey had reached its end.
Magma flowed only a few feet beneath the steel curtain and a bridge guarded by fire giant warriors spanned the river under the red glare of carved, scowling faces. Without some way to survive swimming through the lava, the party could go no further. Deterred, Les turned to find his companions and was soon surprised to learn someone else had found them first.
A tall, fire giant warrior in heavy plate armor called to Ajax, Nalia and Sasha holding a pair of chains in one of his large fists with two bronze-skinned, dwarf-like creatures attached at the ends. The dwarves were naked except for their collars and the iron skirts around their waists, and their hair and beards appeared to be made from dancing flame. Les could see Aramil’s invisibility spell had worn off making the adventurers easy to spot in the glow of the river and he readied his crossbow as another pair of giants rushed out of a large cavern to the north. Before he could fire, however, a tiny voice filled his mind.
“Don’t shoot, Les,” Fyrsil called telepathically. Aramil had sent the pseudodragon to find the dwarf after the party was separated. “The giants aren’t attacking!”
The small dragon was right. Silently creeping forward for a better look, the dwarf could just make out that the giants were inviting the adventurers to speak with their queen. Apparently, the giants at the cinder cone had mistaken the invisible Ajax for a salamander or magmin trick and attacked on instinct.
“Ruvanes Grehennox requires your presence for an audience,” boomed the giant. “We have been instructed to safely escort you to her great hall...provided you come along peacefully.”
It was apparent the giants meant to take the adventurers back to their queen by force if necessary and Aramil watched from his hiding place as Ajax took a few steps toward the giant and called a reply.
“You can call off your dogs…or whatever those are,” the paladin shouted. “We’ll come along quietly.”
“Duah,” Les cursed under his breath as he watched Ajax, Sasha, Nalia and Aramil leave with the giants. Alone but for the company of the tiny dragon, the dwarf crept into a nearby chamber to hide.
***
The hall of Queen Grehennox was a wide chamber of polished obsidian brightly lit by the fires of several braziers and veins of glowing magma. Masterfully carved upon the iron doors of the entrance hall was a mural depicting a mighty battle between fire giants and trolls. The giants were clearly winning and above them all stood a beautiful giant maiden girded for war with her boot upon the neck of a demon.
A long, brass-plated iron table stretched nearly the expanse of the hall and immense chairs of similar make lined either side. Bunks for three-dozen giants were carved into the walls at one end of the hall and, at the other, a magnificent throne of stone, steel and gold gleamed in the warm light of a fountain of churning magma. Two piles of glowing slag flanked the throne and six of the fiery, dwarf-like creatures tugged at chains attached to rings set into the noses of a pair of fearsome carved faces adorning the throne’s base.
“You are in the lys of her majesty, Ruvanes Grehennox Snurresdottir, Turant of the Tressa Kylgh,” announced one of the giants escorting the party as the adventurers entered the chamber. “You will present yourselves to the queen and you will speak with respect or you will die. Now step forward!”
The adventurers spied three wizened but no-less powerful giants at the end of the long table arguing over a map as they seemed to compete for the attention of a stunningly beautiful giant maiden who lounged upon the gleaming throne with a look of boredom and disdain upon her onyx face. In contrast to her smooth, dark skin, the queen’s hair bore all the colors of flame and seemed to ripple and seethe slightly like a low fire. By all accounts, Queen Grehennox was the spitting image of the giant maiden in the mural at the hall’s gate and Aramil said as much as he introduced himself.
“Your words do me honor, hanter-koespobel,” Grehennox smiled. “The image upon the gate is not of me, but of my mother, Frupy, who led our people here after my father was killed in battle. My mother drove out the demons and crushed the forces of their troll followers before securing our hold over the Third Ring of the Pyrefaust.”
Grehennox went on to explain how Frupy and her warriors chased the surviving trolls into some nearby tunnels before building a steel wall across the Tanbera in order to seal off the region from the demons who fled south after their defeat. After her mother’s death, Grehennox assumed leadership of the clan and proved her might by winning many victories over the other denizens of the region.
“The Ksers and their brood now know better than to cross the Tanbera into the tunnels of my people and my warriors make regular trips to the magmin island for food,” Grehennox spoke. “Even the beasts of the Pyrefaust, the lughes-pryves and the brostlostow keep their distance from my hall. But now…”
Continuing her tale, Grehennox explained the trolls had returned more powerful than ever. In ages past, her people could always rely on the power of flame to destroy the savage beasts but things had changed since their defeat at Frupy’s hand.
“A troll warlord calling himself Fedj’ik now leads his people against me,” Grehennox growled, her fiery hair seeming to dance to life. “Fedj’ik is a better fighter than his kin, but he isn’t really the problem. He has something; some magic or weapon, I don’t know, that has made his trolls impervious to flame. We’ve tried cutting them and smashing them, but they just keep coming back and Fedj’ik is canny enough to collect the severed limbs of his warriors so he can grow more trolls! We even captured one of the creatures and attempted to starve it to death. It ate itself! We’ve been able to hold them at bay but, at this rate, we’ll be overwhelmed within a month!”
Grehennox composed herself and glared intensely at the party. “That’s why you’re going to help us,” she grinned.
***
“Skrunden duah!” Les cursed again under his breath as he pressed on into the fire giants’ cavern. Even without Aramil’s magic the deepwalker was nearly invisible to the coal-skinned brutes lumbering about the caves. “Why’d they have to go and walk off with those giants? Probably stew the lot of them.”
“Do you really think so?” Fyrsil thought to the dwarf. “We’ve got to hurry!” And with that, the pseudodragon flapped off as quickly as his tiny wings would carry him.
“Stupid lizard,” Les grunted as Fyrsil darted away past a fire giant sentry who seemed unconcerned with the pint-sized dragon’s presence. Les sighed and crept forward eventually reaching a wide hall filled with the ringing of hammers and the sizzling of water and heated steel.
Three giants and a number of flame-haired slaves toiled at a series of forges spread across the cavern floor. Piles of massive weapons and giant-sized armor pieces were stacked neatly about the room and, beyond the smithy, Les could make out his companions’ tracks heading toward a pair of immense iron doors guarded by two giant warriors.
Les pondered his options. Even with his skill, there would be no way to cross the brightly lit smithy without being noticed. He could wait and hope for the best or sneak back out the way he came and return home. Without Ajax and Sasha and their clanking, jangling armor he would have no trouble slipping past the giants and returning north, but could he really so callously leave his companions to their doom? Les decided to wait and, before too long, his patience was rewarded.
“They’re alive!” Fyrsil called telepathically as he slipped through a crack in the iron doors. The pseudodragon carried one of Ajax’s trail biscuits in his claws and, careful not to give away Les’ position, flipped it toward the dwarf. “Don’t eat too fast! There’s a treasure inside!” he chirped.
Sure enough, a scrap of parchment was stuffed into the biscuit with a note from Nalia. The party had agreed to Grehennox’s “request” in exchange for permission to pass through the steel gate over the Tanbera when their mission was complete. In addition, the sorceress sent word that the party had informed Grehennox of Les’ presence in the caves and that the giant queen had given her word that the dwarf would not be harmed if he joined his friends and surrendered his weapons while within her peoples’ home. Les knew that given most giants’ intense hatred of dwarves, this was quite a show of good faith and, after eating his biscuit and giving the matter some thought, he finally consented to being escorted to the queen.
The adventurers supped with the fire giants and their gracious queen that night, hearing the tales of their people and learning of their triumphs and troubles. The fire-maned dwarves the giant’s kept as slaves, the party learned, were called azers. They were a race of fine smiths and craftsmen from the Elemental Plane of Fire and, until recently, the giants had subdued an entire tribe of the creatures, setting them to work in a nearby quarry.
“That was before Ter’Kaal,” Grehennox growled. “Ter’Kaal appeared within the tunnels two years ago. He claimed to be some kind of god and single handedly defeated four of my best warriors. Now, the azers worship him and he’s reclaimed the Fifth Ring. If Fedj’ik and his trolls weren’t so close, I’d march my forces into his lair personally and take his head.”
In addition to the azer and their new god, the fire giants occasionally battled strange beasts they called lughes-pryves and brostlostow, “lightning worms” and “stingtails.” The lightning worms were immense blue-scaled creatures like giant caterpillars with the heads of crocodiles that spit bolts of energy and the stingtails, from Grehennox’s, description were like huge hawks with the heads of dragons and tails like scorpions.
“I have offered a reward to any of my warriors who can bring me one of the beasts alive,” spoke the queen. “The brostlostow are powerful and frightening, but they are nothing compared to the nownek.”
The nownek, or simply “the ravenous,” Grehennox claimed, were creatures that resembled a dire wolf’s head covered in spider-like legs and wreathed in flame. The creatures attacked in flying swarms and devoured everything in their path like a swarm of piranha.
“When my mother arrived here, she thought the nownek had been sent by Surtr to help our people defeat the demons, but the creatures have no allegiance to anything but their hunger,” Grehennox spoke. “She barely managed to seal them into the north tunnels behind doors of stone, but not before many brave warriors fell.”
The table fell silent for a moment before the giants raised their bronze tankards to their fallen comrades and mirth was restored until a tiny chirp interrupted the festivities.
“What about the black ice mountain?” Fyrsil’s voice pirped into the minds of those nearby. Several of the giants stood abruptly from the table knocking over their chairs as everyone stared at the tiny nervous-looking dragon. “Did…did I say something…wrong?” he peeped.
Grehennox calmed her warriors and turned her gaze to the rust-scaled pseudodragon perched upon Aramil’s shoulder.
“We call that mountain ‘An Lys a an Koth,’ The Hall of the Ancient,” Grehennox spoke as one of the elder giants made a sign as if warding off some evil influence. “It is the home of Tyrus an Lenkior a Kordhow, the Devourer of Kingdoms...”
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My workload hasn't really lightened up, but I've been hard at work on the journal. This time around, we've got a double post! With these two updates, I'm pretty much caught up to the where we are in the campaign!
Things are really heating up for the party in Region J, a volcanic ruin the locals call The Pyrefaust. After meeting with the queen of the fire giants and learning of the many dangers of the region, the adventurers have been conscripted into her majesty's service...
DAY 323 GOD-KING TER’KAAL!
Aramil – Half-Elf Inquisitor of Erastil
Ajax – Half-Orc Redeemer Paladin of Sarenrae
Sasha – Half-Elf Cleric of Sarenrae
Les Dwalen – Dwarf Deepwalker Guide Ranger
Nalia – Efreet-blooded Sorcerer
Bingles Cogglefizz – Gnome Arcane Healer Bard
Fyrsil – Pseudodragon companion
***
An Henhwedhel a Tyrus, an kynsa darn : The Legend of Tyrus, the first part
Tyrus, the Devourer of Kingdoms, it is said, was born in the fire of the first battle between the draconic gods Apsu and Dahak when the embodiment of Chaos, Tiamat, came to the aid of her savage son by creating the first chromatic dragons. Whether or not this is true, those who are old enough to remember the nightmare cries of the ancients know that the dragon Tyrus was filled with an uncontrollable desire to destroy and a seething hatred of the celestial realms…
***
“Wait! Don’t open tha-dammit, Ajax!” Nalia cried as the paladin kicked open the door of a fire-gutted chamber south of the giants’ lair. Les and Aramil had spotted the rubble-strewn room and its lonely inhabitant while scouting ahead, but chose to ignore it as they continued east. A statue of a beautiful woman, her face streaked with tears, her hands held out as if pleading for help, stood upon a short dais in the center of the room. Behind her, a heavy bronze door blackened by the smoke of a long-extinguished flame.
“I just want to see what’s here,” the half-orc replied. “We might be passing up a short-cut to the azer halls or find a clue to what’s strengthening the trolls.” After speaking to Grehennox’s generals, the adventurers had decided their best course of action was to find the lantern archon custodian of the region and ask if it was aware of any artifact kept within the Pyrefaust that might make the trolls immune to fire. An azer slave of the giants informed the party that his people had once seen the archon near the quarry within the azer-held halls to the east and, taking care to approach from a tunnel not so close to the giants, the adventurers hoped to gain the trust of the azers and question them about the custodian.
The room beyond the fire-scorched door was musty and smelled of stale air. Another statue, similar to the first but slightly different, stood in the center of the chamber. This time, the woman depicted by the statue seemed to be turning away from a second door in mid-stride, a look of sorrow on her face.
“Okay, I’ll bite,” Sasha spoke as Ajax reported his findings. “Now, I’m interested in what this is all about.”
The cleric entered the room with the paladin as Nalia stood outside fretting. Aramil and Les, displaying no strong interest in the statues or their chambers, had already pushed on slightly ahead.
“I’m going to open this second door,” Ajax warned Sasha. “Be ready.”
Once again a statue of the sorrowful lady met the paladin’s gaze, but this time her back faced the north wall instead of the east and she seemed to be hurrying away from a pair of thin creases in the wall about the width of a door apart. A clearly visible door in the east wall led to a fourth and then a fifth chamber, each housing a statue of their own. In the fifth chamber, the statue was carved so that the woman was shown on her knees, seemingly in despair at having reached a dead end.
“Can we go now?” Nalia whined from the first chamber. “I really think we should. Aramil and Les-“
“Enough Nalia,” Ajax sighed. “I can’t help that our companions don’t care to explore this region, but this seems important. There’s obviously some sort of door here leading to the north.”
Sasha agreed but, after a thorough search of the room and Ajax’s repeated attempts to smash through the wall, no means of entry could be found.
“Come back to it then?” Sasha suggested.
“There’s one thing we haven’t yet tried,” Ajax grinned. “Oh, Nalia…”
It took a good deal of sweet talking, but the paladin eventually convinced the sorceress to attempt forcing the door open with one her spells. Unfortunately, even Nalia’s magic was no match for the portal.
“Satisfied?” groaned the orc. Finally admitting defeat, Ajax and Sasha turned away from the stone maiden determined to uncover her secrets another time.
***
“Congratulations, Les,” Aramil chided. “I believe you’ve found a broom closet.”
The small, dusty room was stacked full of splintered brooms and half-full wooden crates of spoiled cleaning supplies and rotting rags, but the dwarf was convinced there was more to the innocuous chamber than met the eye.
“Hold a moment,” whispered the ranger. “Do you hear that? There’s a noise coming from behind those crates. It sounds like…a mine?”
The deepwalker’s keen senses had detected the ringing of pickaxes and shovels and the creaking of mine carts through a stone door concealed by the clutter filling the room. Shifting the crates out of the way, Les quickly located the door and quietly pushed it open to have a look into the tunnel beyond.
Azers, at least two dozen of them, dug into a quarry of exposed volcanic stone or pushed carts of ore from a chamber to the south. One of the cart teams spotted a sliver of light coming from the cracked door and immediately called for help as they rushed forward and flung open the closet.
“’O wai ouou!? Hea oukou ma’ane’i?!” growled the lead azer, the words seemed to hiss and crackle in his throat like the popping of a campfire. “Who are you?! Why are you here!?”
“They come from the west tunnels!” spat another miner. “Lakou kokua na pilikua!”
“That isn’t true!” Sasha interjected. The cleric had studied the tongue of fire during her time as a novice. “We don’t work with the giants! We came here to avoid them!”
“Paha,” the azer foreman grimly spoke. “The priest will know. Surrender your weapons. We will take you to be judged by the Kahuna of Ter’kaal. If you are innocent, your weapons will be returned and you will be set free. If you are not, you will work the mine until your flesh is cooked from your bones.”
“We’ll come peacefully,” Ajax announced. “Take us to this ‘Kahuna.’ There is much we wish to discuss with your people.”
“Laying it on a little thick there, Ajax,” Nalia muttered to her companion. “Just keep your mouth shut and let me do the talking before you get us all killed.”
***
Bingles Cogglefizz was a simple charlatan who ran afoul of Lord Anatagonis’ soldiers while conducting a spiritual revival for the survivors of a recently sacked village. The gnome was clearly taking advantage of the villagers’ plight, but it was his name that got him into trouble when a notorious gnome assassin filed a complaint against Bingles for having a name that reinforced the stereotype that gnomes shouldn’t be taken seriously.
Bingles wound up in the dungeon while the assassin was executed for being too ridiculous, and the charlatan gnome eventually found his way into Region J where the members of his adventuring party were quickly captured or killed by the denizens of the Pyrefaust. While fleeing a fire giant patrol, Bingles was rescued by the Azer’s god-king Ter’kaal who took a liking to the gnome and named him high priest of his new flock.
“Your friends say you avoided the giants by sneaking along the south shore,” spoke the gnome, clutching a tiny red emblem in the shape of a paper lantern. Bingle’s white robes were stitched with a flame pattern and bore the same lantern symbol on its back. “I remember a similar group of explorers tried that route not too long ago, but they weren’t quite so lucky. How is it you were?”
Bingles had separated the adventurers for separate interrogation at the advice of Ter’Kaal and, as he spoke with Ajax, the party’s story quickly unraveled. Unwilling to lie, the paladin spilled the entire fire giant plot to destroy the trolls and their quest to find the custodian archon. However, Ajax insisted he and his companions were only helping the giants in order to rescue the missing Jasper and his adventuring party. Satisfied, the gnome reported back to Ter’Kaal who informed his priest he would speak with the adventurers personally.
***
Ajax and his companions were led into the main chamber of the mine where they waited under guard for the arrival of the azer god. The gnome priest they’d met rang a small gong and announced the arrival of the deity and, as the creature floated into the chamber, the azer horde bowed before him.
The being hovering before the party stood 12 feet tall and wore a suit of beautiful, enameled banded mail. A helm featuring a frightening mask and horns was tucked under his right arm and a massive sword nearly as long at the creature was tall hung from his shoulder. In his left hand, the god held a large, red paper lantern affixed to a pole and, in appearance, he appeared to be a member of the race of stone giants though the veins of his mighty arms seemed to glow like tiny rivers of magma.
“Greeting warriors,” the giant spoke. “I am Ter’Kaal the Purifier, Avatar of the Prince of Fire, Zamaan Rul. My Kahuna, Bingles, has informed me of your reason for trespassing into our home, and I believe you serve a noble purpose. You are free to pass through our ring in peace but, before you go, I ask that you hear my tale and consider a request.”
Ter’Kaal revealed that Zaaman Rul, an ancient archomental lord, had heard the prayers of the enslaved azer and created for them a deliverer who would free them from the yoke of fire giant oppression and serve as a physical embodiment of his divine power.
“I am that champion, the Ahi Keiki Ali’i, made flesh upon your world, and I would like your help,” spoke Ter’Kaal.
Ter’Kaal went on to describe a ritual he wished to perform that would protect his chosen people. The giant believed the necessary reagents for the spell were located throughout the Pyrefaust, but he was unable to retrieve them due to the constant threat of giant and troll attacks.
“The azer cannot withstand the raids of the giants alone, and already too many of their warriors have sought the ingredients never to return,” spoke the giant. “You are under no obligation to help us, but I believe you are good people who would not stand idle while others suffer tyranny so I ask that you consider my request. Help me and I will do everything within my power to help you locate your missing comrades.”
The adventurers huddled together a moment to discuss their thoughts on Ter’Kaal’s request before giving their response.
“I’ve never heard of this ‘Zaaman Rul’ but, whether or not he truly is a god, he seems to genuinely care about the azer,” Sasha whispered. “I think we should help him.”
“None of this community service is getting us any closer to finding Aria and the others,” Aramil offered. “I say we take our leave, find this archon and help the giants deal with the trolls. The sooner that’s done, the sooner we can head south and complete our mission.”
“I thought Erastil was the god of community?” Sasha replied. “Wouldn’t he want you to help?”
“These are not our people,” answered the inquisitor.
“I agree with Aramil, but I’ll go with whatever you all decide,” Les spoke.
“As long as it doesn’t involve the salamanders, I can stand to hear him out,” added Nalia.
“What about Grehennox?” asked Ajax. “We gave her our word that we would help the giants defeat the trolls. I won’t break an oath; even to one such as her.”
“That is very honorable of you,” Ter’Kaal interrupted. “And I will not ask that you break a vow.”
Ajax seemed stunned. “Can…can you read my thoughts?” the paladin stammered.
“No, my friend,” the giant smiled. “But I hear very well. If it will put your fears to rest, allow me to elaborate on the purpose of this ritual.”
According to Ter’Kaal, the ritual he planned to perform would create a barrier that would protect the azers’ home by hedging out any evil or chaotic creatures with ties to the elemental plane of fire.
“The giants, the salamanders, even the magmin would be trapped outside the barrier. The azer would be able to live within their tunnels in peace and, once they are safe, I can concentrate on eliminating the threat of the fire giants once and for all,” the giant continued.
“How does this help me not break my promise to Queen Grehennox?” Ajax inquired.
“The barrier won’t work against the trolls,” replied Ter’Kaal. “I’ll need to deal with them before I can seek revenge against the giants. If we fight them together, the azer will be safe and you will have upheld your end of your bargain by defeating the monsters for the fire giants.”
Ajax considered Ter’Kaal’s logic a moment, looked back at his companions then turned to Ter’Kaal.
“Tell us what you need!” he smiled.
***
“Kaer ar hahdol glam!” Nalia cursed. “I knew it! I knew he was going to say salamanders and you just had to agree to help him anyway!”
“It’s a noble cause, Nalia,” Ajax chastised his companion. “We’re doing the right thing! Besides, Ter’Kaal said we might not even need to fight them this time.”
Five items were needed for Ter’Kaal’s ritual, among them the scale of a noble salamander. A scale taken directly from one of the salamander Ksers would do the trick but, according to the giant, a shed scale would work just as well. To that end, Ter’Kaal suggested the party locate the salamanders’ molting chamber, a room the creatures would use for shedding and storing their discarded scales.
“Would you two keep it down?!” Les called back to the bickering duo as he tried to scout the way ahead. The rubble-strewn tunnel they now used to sneak toward the salamander lair had already proven to be quite dangerous and it was only several minutes ago that a celestial trap had nearly scooped half the party up in a powerful whirlwind in an attempt at firing them from the tunnel into the nearby Tanbera. Only quick reflexes and a firm grip saved the adventurers from a fiery death.
“Do you hear that?” Aramil whispered to the dwarf. “It sounds like chanting.”
From a ruined tunnel to the north, came a cacophony of voices roaring like a bonfire as they shouted in the tongue of fire.
“Magmin,” hissed Sasha. “Grehennox did not lie. They pray for Tyrus’ release.”
As she spoke of the dragon Tyrus, Queen Grehennox had informed the adventurers that the crazed Magmin viewed the beast as a god, their every waking minute spent in a frenzy of worship or sacrifice as they hurled themselves at the black ice glacier in an attempt to free their lord. Ter’Kaal echoed the giant’s words, but set the party’s minds at ease when he revealed the magmin’s devotion was useless.
“Tyrus’ prison was built by the gods themselves,” Ter’Kaal had said. “For all their fervor, there are none among the magmin with the power to tear down those walls.”
“Do you think we could kidnap one while they worship?” Bingles asked. Ter’Kaal had asked the gnome to help the adventurers in their quest to retrieve the ingredients for his spell and, as it happened, the heart of a magmin was on the shopping list. Unfortunately, the heart would need to be freshly torn from a living magmin in order for it to be of any use.
“Dongliz dat,” Les grunted. “There are too many of them. From the sound of it, I’d say there are at least thirty of them down that tunnel and that’s not including any soaking in the Tanbera. We’d never get out without bringing the lot down on us.”
“We can figure out how to capture a magmin later,” Aramil spoke. “Let’s just keep moving, and see if we can’t get back to The Barrows. Farggalaan might have some ideas about what’s making the trolls immune to fire and we’re going to need plenty of acid if he can’t figure it out.”
“Fine,” agreed the gnome brandishing his emblem. “It is the will of Ter’Kaal that we capture a living magmin, and The Purifier’s will cannot be denied so a small delay shouldn’t be a problem.”
The party moved on down the tunnel past a pair of trapped stone angels, which nearly turned them into a pile of smoking husks when bolts of lightning fired from the statues’ eyes, and eventually made their way to a series of stone doors. A rumbling could be heard from behind a pair of double doors and, as usual, Ajax saw fit to fling the chamber open.
Three immense lizards tumbled about the chamber locked in combat. The blue-scaled creatures each sported a dozen legs and a massive set of crocodilian jaws. There was no doubt these were the beasts the fire giants called the lughes-pryves, the lightning worms, but Aramil recognized them as behir, a breed of monstrous reptiles capable of spitting lightning and swallowing entire cows in a single bite. One of the behir, a gargantuan specimen, easily flung one of its lesser kin against a wall with a whip of its neck and then dove upon its remaining opponent with a hiss. The creatures were clearly distracted by their battle and Nalia quickly slammed shut the door before they could notice the party.
“You’re worse than a child, Ajax!” Nalia growled. “I swear you’re going to get us kill- No!”
It was too late. The paladin had already opened the next door but, this time, no monsters waited on the other side. Instead, hundreds of gold coins lay scattered across the floor, and a simple, iron-banded wooden door suggested a small closet or study was built within the room.
“Perhaps this is the behir treasure hoard?” Bingles suggested. “We should look for the diamond!”
The diamond the gnome referred to was yet another component for Ter’Kaal’s spell. According to the divine giant, the behir were in possession of an incredible diamond as large as a man’s fist (or perhaps as large as a goldfish bowl, he wasn’t quite sure.) The diamond’s strength and durability, Ter’Kaal explained, would serve as the focus for his magical barrier. As Sasha and Ajax went to investigate the iron-banded door, Bingles quickly set about to digging through the pile of coins.
“You’re going to try kicking it down, aren’t you?” Sasha asked the paladin, who only grinned before putting his boot to the door. However, as soon as Ajax’s foot struck the door a flash of light and flame filled the chamber as the gold coins upon the floor exploded across the room. At the center of the crater of coins there now stood three large, roaring pillars of sentient fire.
Bingles leapt back as the elementals surged forward to attack. Before the fiery fiends could reach the gnome, Ajax charged at them with his dagger, its freezing blade shrouded by icy mist. The paladin was quickly joined by Aramil and Les, but it was Nalia who finally extinguished the threat of the elementals with a powerful blast of arctic wind and ice. With the creatures destroyed, Sasha and Aramil returned to examining the door while Nalia yelled at Ajax. Meanwhile, Les kept a close eye on the nearby door leading into the behir lair while Bingles collected the scattered coins.
“It seems whatever magic freed those elementals has been spent,” Sasha noted to Aramil while testing the door. “I don’t suppose you have any lockpicks? I doubt we’ll be able to convince Nalia to try that spell of hers right now.”
The inquisitor was about to reply when Fyrsil suddenly piped, “Let me try!” Then, while perching upon the door’s handle, the tiny dragon dug the stinger on the end of his tail into the lock and began wriggling it around within the mechanism. “I think I’ve almost got it…” the pseudodragon chirped.
“Perhaps all you need is a little inspiration?” asked Bingles who had completed looting the chamber and come over to see how things were progressing at the door. “Even now, the Purifier is with you, shining his divine light upon you in your moment of need!” the gnome began to preach.
Though Fyrsil still wasn’t entirely convinced of Ter’Kaal’s divinity, some of the gnome’s confidence in his master seemed to rub off on the dragon and, within a couple minutes, Fyrsil had jimmied the lock open with his tail.
“Praise Ter’Kaal!” Bingles cheered as Sasha pushed open the door. Within the small, humid chamber, the adventurers found a stack of moldy books and scrolls, but a quick divinatory scan of the room revealed a few pages scrawled with magic. Ajax seemed convinced the rotting, worm-eaten books should be collected and restored, but Aramil refused to store the heavy, stinking volumes within the enchanted bag he carried. Sasha collected the scrolls and, satisfied the behir hadn’t heard the battle against the fire elementals, Les led the way as the party snuck away up the north tunnel.
A door at the far end of the north hall led into a humid, fogged chamber that Aramil thought he recognized from his first trip into the region with Thrix and Hoggle. The large pool of water left no doubt that this was the same chamber where he had seen the strange beast lurking in the mist and, once again, the party fled the scene at the first ripple on the pool’s surface.
Taking another path to the east, the adventurers circumvented the sauna and made their way out to the western shore of the Tanbera. Not far off, they could see the old stone bridge leading to the magmin island and the echoes of the creatures’ chanting reverberated off the nearby ruins. The bones of creatures long dead lay at party’s feet and, in places, some were fused into the walls where magma and fire had blackened and pitted the stone. Heading north along the shore, the adventurers found yet another door, which Ajax immediately kicked.
“That’s strange,” the paladin mused when the door failed to give way. “I don’t think it’s locked; just stuck. Like something is blocking it.” Ajax kicked the door again, harder, causing Nalia to yelp and feebly pound her fist against the half-orc’s armor.
“That’s it!” the sorceress roared. “I’ve had it with you trying to smash open every door we come across! You don’t even check the handle half the time and-“
“Uh, Nalia?” piped Fyrsil, but the sorceress continued with her tirade.
“Nalia! Salamanders!” the pseudodragon squealed, this time loud enough for everyone to hear. The tiny dragon had been hovering nearby keeping an eye on the river ahead when he spotted four of the serpentine creatures patrolling a tunnel further north. The salamanders may have heard Ajax kicking the door, but they’d definitely heard the shouts of Nalia and were now hurrying toward the adventurers alerting their brethren with an iron horn.
“We can’t fight them here!” Les shouted as Nalia fled past him once more into the south. “They’ll drag us into the river!”
As the party fled the salamanders, their flight caught the attention of a pack of magmin swimming through the Tanbera. Shouting and hissing, the mad firespawn pointed and cursed at the adventurers giving their location away to the advancing serpents. Fortunately, the salamanders appeared to have no interest in pursuing the party into the behir tunnels and broke off their chase. The magmin, having no fear of death however, did not.
A dozen of the shrieking zealots swam at the adventurers, rushing up from the river of lava. The party made it back to the chamber where they’d found the gold pile, but it didn’t take long for the small brutes to force open the door.
Once again, battle against the magmin proved to be short and savage. The first time the adventurers fought the creatures, it was Nalia who laid them low with a barrage of ice. This time, it was Sasha who flayed half of the magmin to bits by conjuring a wall of swirling blades of force. The remaining creatures were quickly put down by Ajax, Nalia and Les and even Bingles helped out by inspiring his companions with a sermon about the mighty Ter’Kaal. Aside from sending an invisible Fyrsil out into the hall to keep an eye out for reinforcements, Aramil mostly sat the fight out over concerns that he might lose his sword the magmin’s melting touch.
Aramil’s fears meant nothing to Ajax who nearly lost both his dagger and sword to the heat of the magmin, but it wasn’t anything that couldn’t be repaired with a few simple cantrips from Nalia. With the fight over, Sasha tended to everyone’s wounds and Nalia got to work mending the paladin’s blades. Meanwhile Fyrsil hovered nearby on the other side of the barrier of spinning blades listening at the behir's door.
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And here's part two of our double post!
DAYS 324-331 DIAMOND AND SCALE
Aramil – Half-Elf Inquisitor of Erastil
Ajax – Half-Orc Redeemer Paladin of Sarenrae
Sasha – Half-Elf Cleric of Sarenrae
Les Dwalen – Dwarf Deepwalker Guide Ranger
Nalia – Efreet-blooded Sorcerer
Bingles Cogglefizz – Gnome Arcane Healer Bard
Fyrsil – Pseudodragon companion
***
An Henhwedhel a Tyrus, an sekond darn : The Legend of Tyrus, the second part
The great dragon’s lust for devastation was rewarded by the deities of the Abyss who gave him unmatched power. An army of horrors flocked to Tyrus’ banner, and it took centuries before his siege of Heaven ground to a halt but, at long last, the celestials managed to capture the Devourer of Kingdoms in a prison of black ice…
***
Les and Sasha did their best to hide in a corner of the room as the doors of the chamber came open. It had been just over 10 minutes since their battle with the magmin when Les heard the sound of movement in the hall outside, and it was apparent the behir had heard the grinding wall of blades Sasha had placed just outside their lair. As the wall vanished, the curious beast pushed out into the hall and, following the trail of eviscerated magmin, investigated the room the party’s refuge.
The great blue beast glided into the chamber on its belly, flicking its tongue snake-like as it searched for the source of the recent disturbance. With Ajax, Nalia, Aramil and Bingles crammed into the small book closet, Sasha and Les were forced to take cover in a corner of the room and it took the behir only seconds to discover the hiding cleric. Les prepared to fire a bolt from his crossbow as the creature opened its toothy jaws, but instead of spitting lightning at the exposed adventurers, the creature spoke.
“You did this?” it asked pushing a dead magmin toward Sasha with one of its dozen legs. “You make the cutting wall? You are strong?”
The cleric hesitated a moment then replied, “We killed the magmin, yes. They weren’t yours were they?”
“You are strong,” the behir repeated. “You fight Nrangrok.”
Sasha could see the creature was wounded from the battle with its kin and suddenly had a bad feeling about where this was going.
“What’s a Nrangrok?” Ajax asked excitedly he stepped out of the book closet.
The behir explained that Nrangrok was the massive behir that shared its living area. According to the behir, Nrangrok was a gargantuan jerk but too powerful for the smaller behir to defeat. He wanted the party’s help.
“We’ll help,” Ajax volunteered. “Just give us a little while, and we’ll be right over.”
“This is good,” rumbled the brutish beast. “You will help.” And with that, the creature slithered back into its lair.
“What are you thinking!?” Nalia chastised the paladin as she exited the closet. “Don’t you know how to say ‘no’ to anyone?!”
“It was a good move,” Sasha interjected. “If we’d said no, it might have attacked us, and I don’t like our odds if it brings in its roommates.”
“We still need the behir’ diamond, right?” Ajax replied. “If we help the smaller behir, they might give it to us as a reward.”
“Or they might turn on us as soon as Nrangrok is dead,” Aramil spoke. “Either way, I vote we get out of here now.”
No sooner had the inquisitor spoken when there came a roar from the behir lair. The simple-minded beast had already told Nrangrok the party wished to challenge him and the monster was on its way.
“Who challenges Nrangrok?!” the beast screeched as it rushed into the chamber, leaping onto Ajax and scooping him up into its claws. “Nrangrok is champion!”
The paladin drew his freshly repaired dagger as the behir’s claws tore into his armor and Nrangrok snapped his jaws at Nalia, taking a sizable chunk out of her leg. Unable to move away, the sorceress transformed into a cloud of mist and escaped to the book closet. Meanwhile, Sasha, Aramil and Les attacked the creature as Bingles began another inspiring sermon.
Ajax stabbed furiously at Nrangrok’s scales as the creature continued to crush his bones and tear his flesh, Bingles’ confident words driving the paladin to fight harder…at least until the behir snapped the gnome up his jaws and swallowed him whole. Moments later, Ajax finally succumbed to the strength of the behir, slipping dead from the coils of Nrangrok due to a combination of constriction and raking claws.
From a safe distance, Nalia rematerialized and unleashed a flurry of spells at the monster in revenge for her fallen friend while Les and Aramil attacked Nrangrok with blade and crossbow. Sasha became the next target of the beast’s deadly assault but, before Nrangrok could squeeze the life out of the priest, the monster was slain by a final stroke from Aramil’s sword.
Released from Nrangrok’s grip, Sasha knelt down beside Ajax’s corpse and began to pray. Procuring a small pouch of diamonds from her pack, the cleric called on her goddess to restore life to the paladin and, as the pouch began to glow, Ajax’s wounds began to close. However, as the half-orc’s eyes fluttered open, Nrangrok’s corpse began to move as well. The behir in the nearby chamber had taken hold of Nrangrok’s tail and were dragging him back into their lair.
“Les, Nalia, help me!” Aramil shouted as he grabbed hold of the gargantuan corpse. “Bingles is still inside this thing!”
The dwarf and half-elf frantically cut at the scales of the beast in an attempt to free Bingles, and just before the behir could drag the corpse fully into their lair, Nalia lasered off Nrangrok’s head allowing the nearly dead gnome to burrow out of the monster’s neck. Landing at Bingles’ feet with a clink, was a marvelous gemstone the size of a man’s fist and, for a brief moment, it seemed as if he could hear the stone calling to him.
“The diamond!” gasped the gnome as he plucked it from the ground. Behind him, the behirs were tearing into the body of Nrangrok and, as he wiped the gem clean, he could hear the creatures desperately hissing, “Where is it?! It must be here!”
“Howbout you hand over the rock now, gnome?” Les growled at Bingles. There seemed to be a sinister gleam in the dwarf’s eyes as his finger rested on the trigger of his crossbow.
“Uhm, this is going back to Ter’Kaal,” Bingles replied as he stuffed the gem into his bag and began to run. “I’ll see you back there!”
“Wrong answer,” roared the dwarf as he fired into the fleeing gnome. Bingles fell in a heap at the end of the tunnel near the door to the steam-filled room as Les chased after the precious stone.
“They have it!” hissed the crazed behir as they looked up from the shredded remains of Nrangrok and rushed out of the chamber. “They have the diamond!”
What ensued next was a mad dash for the diamond at the end of the hall and Aramil quickly surmised the gem was somehow driving the behir and Les to obsession. Indeed, the stone had called to the minds of all who saw it but Nalia, Aramil and Bingles were able to fight its madness.
“It’s the diamond!” Aramil shouted to Nalia. “It’s driven them mad!”
Before Les could reach Bingles, Nalia created an illusion of the stone resting near the gnome as if it had fallen from his sack. Unfortunately, it took Les only a moment to realize the fallen gem was a fake and he desperately rummaged through Bingles’ bag for his lost treasure.
“Fools!” hissed one of the behir as it closed in on Les and grabbed the illusory gem from the floor. “It’s mine! The diamond is mine!” the monster roared, fooled by Nalia’s spell.
Tucking the real diamond into his bag, Les used a wand to heal Bingles wounds as the two behir began to fight over the fake stone. Distracted, the creatures died in each other’s coils as Aramil, Ajax, Nalia and Sasha took advantage of their irrational obsession and attacked the grappling beasts.
***
After their battle with the behir and the recovery of the strange diamond, all it took was the illusory bribe of a bound and gagged, plump elf to feed the behir hiding in the steam room for the party to escape The Pyrefaust via the burning corridor leading to Mahir’s cache. The adventurers then spent a week between The Barrows and Four Waters recovering from their journey, preparing for their battle with the trolls and gathering information.
From the Celestial Garrison, the party learned little of use. Few of the Garrison’s members had ever traveled into Region J since it wasn’t their assigned area and only the ghostly priest Iridinhael had much to offer. Though he was now bound to Region E, Iridinhael had once been a living human and, as a healer he’d had the opportunity to venture into what was now The Pyrefaust on a few occasions.
“The ziggurat you found always puzzled me as well,” spoke the ghost. The party had found the column and its angelic statue while initially fleeing the fire giants and none of the region’s new tenants had been able to tell them much about it. “All I know is it was important. I didn’t carry enough rank back then to find out more, but there were rumors that the statue was covering something, maybe a vault or a weapons cache. There weren’t just monsters and demons in the cells of this place, you know? It might conceal some lost artifact or treasure but, whatever it is, the celestials put it there for a reason.”
Iridinhael also had some advice about the mysterious series of statues the adventurers had found near the fire giant tunnels. From Ter’Kaal and the azer, they’d learned that the statues bore a resemblance to an apparition they’d seen wandering certain rooms within the Pyrefaust. Ter’Kaal hadn’t had the time or inclination to investigate any further, but he claimed the spirit seemed harmless and never caused any misfortune or grief for his people.
“If she’s a ghost, she might have been someone like me, a mortal member of the Garrison lost when the dungeon was torn apart,” Iridinhael suggested. “From your description, she might be looking for a way to free herself from this place.”
“What about the statues? Why would they be there?” Ajax asked.
“I don’t remember seeing any statues like that, but I have a theory,” the cleric replied. “The same way my ghostly form is able to manipulate objects to defend my shrine, she may be manipulating the stone within the region. Perhaps she’s altered statues that were already in place in order to send a message for help?”
“Why wouldn’t she just use words?” asked Sasha.
“Who knows?” replied the ghost. “Most who become spirits are driven to madness. She may have forgotten how to write or maybe carving these statues is connected to how she died? If you choose to help her, I’d like to hear what you discover.”
After meeting with Iridinhael, the party split up for a few days to purchase new equipment and report their progress to Farggalaan and Shi. While Sasha and Ajax conducted a few patrols for the Redeemers, Nalia, Bingles and Aramil consulted the goblin wizard about the problem with the trolls.
“Something’s made the monsters immune to fire,” Aramil reported. “The giants also claim the things are stronger than before as well, and they’re able to regenerate new limbs and even new trolls at an increased rate.”
“Trolls aren’t exactly my area of expertise, but there a few things I can think of that might account for the monsters’ new abilities,” spoke the goblin. Farggalaan suggested a range of possibilities from rapid evolution causing an adaptation to the harsh environment of the Pyrefaust to ritual bonding with creatures from the elemental plane of fire. “Magic seems most likely though,” he added. “As you know, there are a number of spells that can give a creature resistance to the elements and increased combat ability. Trolls count few spellcasters among their lot though; an adept perhaps but nothing powerful enough to account for the abilities you’ve described.”
“What if the spellcaster isn’t a troll?” Nalia suggested. “The fire giants believe the trolls found a celestial artifact, but what if they’ve simply gained an ally?”
“Like an efreeti!?” Bingles offered. “Praise the wisdom of Ter’Kaal! The answer was right at our doorstep!” Before leaving the azer tunnels, Ter’Kaal had given the party a list of ingredients he needed for his barrier spell. Aside from the still-beating heart of a magmin, the scale of a noble salamander and the behir diamond, the giant required the blood of an efreeti. Ter’Kaal believed such a creature existed within The Pyrefaust but was uncertain of its location (Nalia had offered her own blood, but Ter’Kaal informed her her sorcerous fluid was so diluted the necessary amount would kill her.)
“Wishes are powerful magic,” Farggalaan agreed. “If the trolls found an efreeti prison within the ruins, they could have virtually any ability their tiny minds could conceive. Such a creature might even have the power to free someone from this dungeon…”
Their visit complete, the adventurers reconvened at Riswan’s home in the Halls of Flesh to discuss their next steps.
“Where have you been?” Bingles suspiciously asked Les when the dwarf finally arrived. The ranger had spent most of the last several days hiding away from prying eyes as he fawned over the behir diamond, but he brushed off the gnome’s question with a grunted curse, his hand drawn uncontrollably to the satchel where he kept the gem. Bingles only sighed and joined the others.
Despite Nalia’s protestations, the rest of the party decided their next step should be to secure a scale from the salamander lair. After that, they would split up with half the group reporting to Queen Grehennox and the other half of the group heading for the azer tunnels and Ter’Kaal.
In addition to a few dozen vials of acid for the trolls, the party was now also armed with a magic spear given to Ajax by Brighteyes, the lantern archon custodian of Region B.
“The spear needs to be out there in the dungeon fighting the forces of chaos,” the archon had informed the paladin. “Maybe you’ll have better luck with it than the last guy.”
***
The adventurers could see three salamander warriors patrolling the hall through a thin membrane of slimy flesh at the edge of Madness’ lair in the Halls of Flesh. They’d chosen to infiltrate the salamander den through the hall where they’d found the Death Trap but, after the attack by the clanking contraption from the tumorous tunnels, the Ksers had posted additional guards on their border.
Aramil asked Fyrsil to scout the tunnel ahead and, reluctantly, the tiny dragon agreed after the inquisitor concealed him with a spell of invisibility. Slipping through the window of slime, Fyrsil telepathically informed Aramil an additional three salamanders stood watch at the end of the tunnel but, as he returned to the party, the membrane burst exposing the group to the monsters.
“Kill the intruders!” hissed the three closest salamanders as they charged forward, their spears red with flame. Behind them, another pair of the monsters closed in as a third slithered quickly toward a nearby door.
“He’s going for the Ksers, Nalia!” Ajax shouted as rushed forward to attack the incoming fiends.
“I’m on it!” Nalia cried, unleashing an explosive sphere of cold at the fleeing beast. Within seconds, salamander reinforcements had arrived from the adjoining chambers but, fortunately, there was no sign of the mighty Ksers.
Between Nalia’s magic and the savage attacks of Aramil, Ajax and Les, the weaker salamanders were quickly brought down and the adventurers pressed forward in hopes of finding the creatures’ molting chamber. Luckily, the chamber turned out to be close and Aramil, Bingles and Sasha hurried into the room even as the sound of iron horns echoed through the tunnels. With his knowledge of extraplanar beasts, the inquisitor managed to identify a Kser scale from among the cast off skins and the party claimed their prize and fled before more salamanders could arrive.
“What if they follow us?” Ajax asked as the group retreated back into Madness’ lair. “We should stand and fight!”
“Nothing to worry about,” Les grunted. “I’ll see to it they can’t track us.”
“That isn’t what I’m worried about,” replied the paladin. “The Halls of Flesh lead right back to the Barrows! Even if they can’t find us, they’re going to eventually find their way to the people living there!”
“We got the scale,” Nalia interjected. “I’ll create an illusion to throw them off, but I’m not sticking around to give those monsters another go at killing me! We can tell Melody and Riswan to keep an eye on this tunnel in the future!”
With the rest of the party in agreement, Ajax was forced to follow along lest he stand alone against the searing serpent-men. Fleeing back through the Halls of Flesh, the party made their escape and headed north into the Barrows from where they could move undetected into the fire giant caverns.
***
“We need to talk about the diamond,” Bingles spoke to Ajax as the two made their way back to the azer mine. While the rest of the party had gone to meet with Queen Grehennox, Les had run off invisibly to scout the troll tunnels so the gnome felt it was safe to talk about the gem. “I dug through some of Farggalaan’s books while we were in the Barrows and I think it’s a Chaos Diamond. They create strife and conflict wherever they go, and they’re extremely dangerous in the wrong hands. You saw what it did to those behir. Les isn’t going to give it up without a fight and Ter’Kaal help us if he manages to unlock its true power.”
“We’ll have to cross that bridge when we come to it,” replied the half-orc. “What’s important now is that we have it. Once we gather the last items, we can worry about getting the gem away from Les. Maybe Ter’Kaal knows a way to break its hold over him.”
“What?! Of course he does! He’s Ter’Kaal the Purifier, the Ahi Keiki Ali’i!” the gnome rebutted, as if insulted by the paladin’s lack of faith in the god-king. “I just hope we can get Les the help he needs before it’s too late.”
***
Back in the hall of the fire giant queen, Nalia, Sasha and Aramil met with Grehennox’s generals. The queen was unhappy with the party’s seeming lack of progress in dealing with the trolls and she scowled from her throne as they gave their report.
“There has been another raid,” spoke a balding, crimson-bearded giant. “The trolls fought only long enough to lose a few limbs and then ran back to their lair. We think they’re probing us and using their raids to test their strength while using the edges of our swords to increase their numbers.”
“That shouldn’t be a problem for much longer,” Sasha smiled hoisting a sack of clinking vials onto the table. “We brought as much acid as we could find. Hopefully, the trolls haven’t developed an immunity to that as well.”
Grehennox seemed unmoved by the cleric’s attempt at smoothing things over and, perhaps feeling a bit intimidated by the queen’s fiery gaze, Nalia tried to offer more good news.
“We think they have an efreeti!” the sorceress gushed. Grehennox sat up at Nalia’s exclamation, the azer slaves chained to her throne visibly shaken by the queen’s sudden shift in mood.
“Go on,” the giantess grinned...
*Sasha facepalms at Nalia...
It seemed perfectly appropriate at the time.
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We're still here! Holidays, work and software trouble threatened to end the journal, but I'm back with a new installment.
When we left off, the party had obtained two of the items Ter'Kaal needs for his ritual and were on their way to a secure a third when Nalia let it slip that the trolls might have an efreeti. Could the wish-granting creature be the key to finally escaping the dungeon? The party might never know if Queen Grehennox gets her hands on its prison...
DAY 331 DARK DJINN BALTAZZAR
Aramil – Half-Elf Inquisitor of Erastil
Ajax – Half-Orc Redeemer Paladin of Sarenrae
Sasha – Half-Elf Cleric of Sarenrae
Les Dwalen – Dwarf Deepwalker Guide Ranger
Nalia – Efreet-blooded Sorcerer
Bingles Cogglefizz – Gnome Arcane Healer Bard
Fyrsil – Pseudodragon companion
***
An Henhwedhel a Tyrus, an tressa darn : The Legend of Tyrus, the third part
Tyrus’ celestial captors decided to destroy the imprisoned dragon but, it is said, his foul mother once again came to his aid. The dreaded Tiamat threatened unending war and bloodshed on the celestial realms if Tyrus was killed so the celestials made a deal with the Queen of Dragons. In exchange for peace and an end to the thousand year-war, the celestials agreed to cast Tyrus’ icy prison into their largest dungeon where he should remain for 10,000 years…
***
“Ajax! Bingles! Come quick!” Fyrsil telepathically cried as he raced toward the south bank of the Tanbera. “The giants are marching on the trolls!”
Thanks to Nalia, Queen Grehennox knew the party suspected the trolls may possess an efreeti prison and the giantess was determined to capture the creature and its wish-granting abilities for herself. Gathering her forces, the Queen of the Fire Giants, ordered a raid on the lair of the trolls, hoping the monsters would be too disorganized from their recent rout to mount a strong defense. If there was no efreeti, then the adventurers could at least use their acid to finally kill the creatures once and for all.
“You will fill the second rank and, once the raid begins and the trolls are occupied, you will slip into their lair and search for the efreeti’s cage,” Grehennox ordered the adventurers, her eyes bright as lanterns, her hair an inferno. “I will personally command the assault and make sure you don’t encounter too much trouble.”
Perhaps cowed by the passion of the fire giant queen, the adventurers and her generals unhesitatingly agreed to her decree. Grehennox’s offer to defend the party, of course, served a dual purpose. Unwilling to the trust the party with the efreeti’s prison, the queen wanted to keep the adventurers close so she could wrest the item from their control if they found it, killing them if necessary.
“I should go to them,” Ajax spoke to Bingles once he’d heard the pseudodragon’s report. “Bingles, return to Ter’Kaal and inform him of what’s happened. Fyrsil, I need you to deliver a message to Les…”
***
Les was on his way to rejoin his companions when he heard Fyrsil’s psychic call and, finding Aramil’s invisibility spell to be useless against the trolls’ superior sense of smell, the dwarf informed the tiny dragon he had turned back before ever breaching their inner sanctum.
“Not to worry,” chirped the pseudodragon who went on to explain the current situation. “Ajax needs you to sneak into the fire giants’ hall while they’re away. We might not have another chance to steal Grehennox’s cloak.”
More than some trivial rag, Ter’Kaal had informed the adventurers Grehennox’s cloak was a powerful enchanted item and one of the five reagents he needed to complete his ritual. According to the god-king, the garment, which had once belonged to Grehennox’s mother, allowed its wearer to become ethereal. Though its dweomer was now suppressed by the wards placed on the dungeon, it was still strong enough to provide the magic needed to hide the azer from their enemies. Ter’Kaal knew Grehennox rarely wore the item, but suspected she kept it locked away somewhere within her hall.
Les and Fyrsil returned to the fire giants’ hall to find the chamber closed and guarded by a pair of warriors. Grehennox and the majority of her people had left with the adventurers, but a few of the giants were left behind to defend the hall from a surprise attack and less than ten minutes remained on the invisibility spell hiding the dwarf.
“D’ast, I can get to the door, but they’re going to notice as soon as I open it,” Les whispered to the tiny dragon.
“Just follow my lead,” Fyrsil replied before darting off toward the giants.
“Look at what I can do!” the dragon shouted as he wheeled toward the warriors, buzzing their helmets and performing an aerobatic loop above their heads. The stoic, plate-clad warriors hardly gave the pseudodragon a passing glance. “You know what my friend said?” Fyrsil asked as he hovered in front of the guards. “My friend said sometimes goblins build their homes in your beards! Can I see them?”
“Dilegha,” grunted the giant to the right as Fyrsil performed a mid-air somersault. “Take your games somewhere else, foll pedrevan. We are watching for trolls.”
“Trolls!? Where?!” Fyrsil squeaked as he dove into the giant’s beard for cover. The warrior’s comrade laughed heartily as the giant growled and tugged the tiny dragon out of his beard. “There’s no goblins in there at all!” Fyrsil protested as he came untangled from the giant’s chin hair. “There’s just rotting food everywhere, and it smells like an ashtray filled with stale beer and farts! It was terrible! My friend lied to me!”
The giant’s companion was now in tears and he slapped his comrade’s back as the flustered warrior released the pseudodragon. “Lowr a hemm gwari,” the giant grumbled. “We’ve important work to do. Off with you now!”
“Okay, good luck!” Fyrsil chirped as he glanced over the giant’s shoulder at the quietly closing door to the great hall. “I’ll be close by if you need me!” Fyrsil shouted as if to the giants before flapping away. Les had made it inside with only a few minutes to spare.
***
Things were not going according to plan for Queen Grehennox and her fire giants at the troll lair. Les’ earlier attempt at infiltrating the monsters’ home had set the trolls on high alert after they were agitated by the dwarf’s scent and to make matters worse Nalia had ruined the party’s chances of sneaking through the battle by jumping the gun and launching an explosive sphere of ice into the crowd of trolls. At least thirty of the ravenous, raging beasts jammed up the entrance tunnel into their lair trying to kill the sorceress, and the fire giants in the rear of the column were quickly separated from the warriors who were already inside the chamber with Aramil.
“Boba gwragh!” Grehennox cursed. She was going to have resort to Plan B. “There are too many to cut through and they regenerate too fast!” she called to Sasha while spearing a troll over Ajax’s shoulder. “You and your friends are going to have to go through the side entrance!”
“There’s a side entrance!?” Ajax shouted. “Why didn’t you tell us this before?!”
Grehennox hadn’t told the adventurers about the secondary entrance into the troll lair because it was in a place where she couldn’t follow. Now, with the main entrance sealed up with a wall of claws and teeth and sinewy muscle, she would have to trust the adventurers wouldn’t turn on her if they found the efreeti’s prison.
“The way is dangerous! I couldn’t ask you to risk it!” Grehennox lied. “Now that the trolls are focused here, it might be worth a try!”
The fire giant queen quickly explained the route the adventurers would have to take to circumvent the trolls and sent them off to find a ruined chamber, cramped and crowded by igneous protrusions and flowing with lava. The rock formations in the chamber formed a honeycomb of tunnels too narrow for any troll or giant to navigate and a pyroclastic rift sprayed magma throughout the center of the room but Grehennox swore a door into the trolls’ lair waited on the other side.
“My men and I will try to force our way through and meet you somewhere near the door! Now go!” the giantess bellowed.
***
While Sasha, Ajax and Nalia made their way to the side entrance, Aramil was leisurely making his away across the ceiling of the trolls’ lair thanks to his enchanted slippers and invisibility. Below him, the giants fought desperately against the horde of trolls, which outnumbered them three to one.
The main chamber of the trolls’ lair was wide and regal as if it was once a celestial assembly hall. Brass filigree decorated the bronze-plated walls, but the trolls had vandalized most of the art and the smell of refuse and troll spoor filled the air. A ring of boulders surrounding a huge bonfire seemed out of place, and Aramil could only assume the trolls had brought the stones into the room to serve as makeshift seating. Surveying the ground below, the inquisitor soon spotted a tunnel where three exceptionally large trolls wearing piecemeal bronze plate armor and carrying large spiked clubs congregated near a closed door. The trolls were obviously aware of the battle in the main chamber, but displayed no intention of entering the fray.
“That seems as good a place to start searching as any,” Aramil thought to himself as he clambered across the ceiling toward the trolls. Aside from the chamber the trolls seemed to be guarding, three other doors stood closed within the hall and Aramil made his way toward the closest door on the south wall, well aware the brutes would notice his trespass.
The first room Aramil searched appeared to be an armory and, as expected, the trolls quickly took notice of its heavy door swinging open with a creak and a thud. Grunting some guttural command to his companions, one of the monsters cautiously approached the open door as Aramil backed away and slinked toward a second door. The inquisitor hoped to confuse the trolls, splitting them up as they investigated the strange “poltergeist” in their midst so he could slip into the chamber they were protecting but there was something he hadn’t realized. As Les had learned before him, Aramil suddenly became aware that the trolls could smell him and, before he could get away, he’d gotten too close!
The hulking beast flailed its claws, grasping for Aramil as he leapt to the safety of the north wall! Quickly activating the power of his magic slippers, the half-elf tried to scramble up the wall, but it was too late! One of the troll’s claws caught on Aramil’s armor and pulled the inquisitor to the ground!
Aramil managed to slip free momentarily, but another troll was already within reach. Still under the veil of his invisibility spell, Aramil tried to escape up the wall a second time but, once again, the monsters dragged him down! Just then, the door the trolls were protecting slammed open and a tall, wiry, green giant in plate armor stalked into the corridor brandishing a sword the length of a longspear.
“Pyth agas gwari!” the creature hissed at its protectors. “Kill the intruder quickly and follow me to battle!”
Before the brutes could respond, the door across from the troll commander’s quarters came open revealing Ajax and Nalia to the enraged monster. “Tear their heads! Rip their guts! Kill them all!” the armor-clad troll screeched as he stomped past the trolls grappling Aramil. “I go to slay the giant queen!”
The troll nearest to Ajax reached through the open portal before the paladin could respond and seized hold of the half-orc attempting to drag him into the hall. “Nalia, some help here?!” Ajax growled as he stabbed at the monster with his knife.
“I’m on it!” Nalia cried, her hand shimmering eerily as she reached out for the paladin’s shoulder. Suddenly, the troll’s powerful arms slipped right through Ajax as the half-orc’s body dissolved into a green mist. “Now get in there and look for the efreeti prison! Sasha and I can keep them busy!”
“We can?!” Sasha gulped, unprepared for Nalia’s questionable decision to turn their meat shield into a cloud. Magma and smoke erupted around the cleric as she hovered over a wide rift in the floor of the ruined chamber. Grehennox was right. The trolls were too large to enter the room but the constant spray of molten stone and choking ash would make it too dangerous for her and Nalia to remain in the chamber for very long. Unsure of how best to aid her allies, Sasha plucked the first spell from her mind that seemed useful and drew a line in the air as she called on the power of her goddess.
“Aiee! Sasha, what the hell! Ajax is still in there!” Nalia yelled as she leapt away from the wall of gleaming, whirling blades that sprung into the corridor. The troll in the doorway screamed in pain as it stumbled back and away from the slashing blades, but Sasha and Nalia were now trapped on the other side with no way to help their friend.
***
The great hall was empty of Queen Grehennox’s warriors, and less than five minutes remained on the invisibility spell hiding Les from the azer slaves still chained to the giantess’ throne. “Now where would I hide a magical cloak if I were a fire giant?” Les thought to himself as he surveyed the room. Stone shelving carved into the walls of the hall held many valuable looking items from the giant’s many conquests, but none appeared to store the cloak. With time running out, Les headed for Grehennox’s personal sleeping area behind her throne.
A large pool of smoking magma filled the rear of the queen’s chamber and niches carved into the walls stored jeweled treasures and various coins, gems and gowns of scaled brass and gold, but a thorough search of the shelves yielded no sign of the cloak. Only the queen’s throne remained to be searched, but the dwarf wasn’t too keen on getting close to the azer huddled at its base.
The azer had certainly heard Les riffling through Grehennox’s belongings but they hadn’t yet attributed the noise to his presence. Cautiously, the dwarf crept past the wary azer up to the seat of the throne where he began to feel around the stone chair for any indication of a concealed storage below the seat or within its back.
By the time Les completed his unsuccessful search of the throne, roughly a minute remained of his invisibility. He would have to abandon his search and run if there was to be any chance of escaping the hall unless he could find the cloak in a hurry. “This is a terrible idea,” Les grumbled quietly to himself before grudgingly addressing the azer.
“You azer,” Les gruffly spoke in the most intimidating voice he could muster. “Queen Grehennox sent me to retrieve her cloak. She needs it for the attack on the trolls. Where does she keep it?”
The bronze-skinned dwarves seemed immediately suspicious as they turned quickly toward the sound of Les’ voice. “Who is that? Why can’t we see you?” one of the creatures asked.
“The elf-blooded warrior has magic he used to make us invisible for the attack on the trolls,” Les lied. “Now where is the cloak?! Be quick about it! We’re losing time!”
The creatures glanced at one another, clearly dubious of the invisible stranger’s request. “This is not our concern, malahini,” the azer replied. “You should go. We will say nothing.”
Les growled, but he could see he was getting nowhere with diplomacy. Quickly, he ran for the chamber doors, flung them open and made his escape. One of the startled giants guarding the hall ran inside to check the chamber while the other tried to give chase but the crafty ranger easily gave the giant the slip as his invisibility wore off.
“Did you get it?” Fyrsil asked after catching up to Les along the bank of the Tanbera. A grim look from the dwarf was the only reply the dragon needed. “It was a good effort,” the pseudodragon smiled. “Maybe the others are having better luck?”
***
Ajax had been dead about 24 seconds before a pair of trolls finally managed to wrestle the invisible Aramil into Sasha’s wall of scything blades. Thanks to Nalia, the slow moving, gaseous paladin was an easy target for the supernaturally enhanced claws and teeth of the trolls who gleefully tore at the half-orc’s smoky entrails. Aramil fared no better. The trolls grappling the inquisitor shrieked in pain as the scimitar-like teeth of the magical barrier tore into their flesh but they’d soon recover from their wounds no worse for the experience. The half-elf would know no such comfort.
To his credit, the Aramil struggled against the superior strength of the two trolls for a solid minute before the blades of force stripped the meat from his skull and sprayed chipped bone and viscera across the hall as if the inquisitor was a pig in a wood chipper. Out in the main chamber, things weren’t looking much better for Sasha and Nalia.
With their way into the hall blocked off by Sasha’s blade barrier, the pair had raced back to the entrance of the troll lair hoping to regroup with Grehennox and her giants. Unfortunately, the fire giants had already fought desperately to reach the center of the chamber and now a shrieking, slavering horde of trolls stood between the adventurers and their allies.
Sasha could see half of the giants had fallen in battle, but Grehennox and her remaining warriors were slowly gaining the upper hand as they heaved fallen trolls into the wall of blades in order to keep the monsters from rising again. However, that was before the bonfire in the center of the chamber flared into a pyrotechnic explosion of smoke and flame revealing a 16-foot tall, burgundy-skinned giant hovering over the battle.
“Kill them, Baltazzar! Kill the giants! Kill their allies! Fedjik commands it!” screeched the plate-clad troll as his sword clattered against Grehennox’s longspear.
“As you wish…Master,” the efreeti grinned, unsheathing a huge, black-bladed scimitar from his belt. In an effort to help Grehennox, Nalia hissed an arcane spell and created a wall of chilling blue flames through a line of Fedjik’s trolls. Momentarily shocked by the sudden, unexpected cold, the creature’s recoiled buying the giant queen and her warriors a few seconds to regroup and focus their efforts on the troll boss. Baltazzar threw Nalia a look of mixed derision and disgust, sensing the diluted power of her efreeti blood. “Nawaliwali koko,” the efreeti growled. “I will show you true power.”
Baltazzar waved his free hand as if cracking a whip and a bolt of blazing orange flame surged toward Nalia disrupting her wall of frost. Before she could escape, three trolls leapt through the wall of fire onto Sasha. “Run Nalia! Save yourself!” the cleric cried as the beasts forced her to the ground. The terrified orc sorceress was fleeing before Sasha even had time to finish her words.
“I recognize your vestments, priest of ka Pua a Ao,” Baltazzar rumbled as he glided over the battle to Sasha and glared down at the cleric. “Where is your goddess now?”
Sasha struggled against the trolls holding her, but it was no use. The monsters bared their cracked, saw-like teeth, drooling in anticipation as motes of ebon energy dripped from the efreeti’s blade. “Wait!” Sasha cried out. “You don’t need to do this! We can free you from this place! We can free you from Fedjik!”
Baltazzar hesitated, lowering his scimitar. “Do you really think that lolo kanapapiki is the master of me?” the efreeti grinned. “Do you truly believe these nele po’o ‘opae could dream of the gifts I have bestowed upon them?”
The truth suddenly dawned on Sasha. “You’ve been telling them what to wish for,” accused the cleric.
“Telling them?” the efreeti countered as if insulted. “No…Though I may have made a few suggestions.” Then, grinning, Baltazzar quickly lifted his black crescent blade over his head and delivered a crushing blow to Sasha’s shoulders as the trolls cackled with sadistic glee. Sasha’s limbs fell limp. Her body slumped.
“What…have you done to me?” she gasped to Baltazzar’s surprise. “I can’t move.”
“You live?” the efreeti puzzled. “My Polihi must be dull,” he mused thumbing the ebony blade of the scimitar. “If you wish it,” Baltazzar smiled, “I will try again and spare you the anguish of helplessly watching these animals feast upon your lovely flesh.”
“If I could move my arms, I would show you what you can do with your wishes,” Sasha growled.
Baltazzar’s brow furrowed at the cleric’s words. “In’a kela kou makemake,” the efreeti rumbled before shifting his glance to the trolls. “Your meal is prepared.”
The trolls squealed like ravenous hogs as they prepared to dig into Sasha’s crippled body when one of the monsters cried out in pain. A crossbow bolt jutted from the creature’s forehead, its flanged tail spraying acid onto the trolls gathered around the cleric.
“Highest Ter’kaal! Aidance and victory to all who the truth believe!” Bingles cried above the din of battle. The gnome had reported the party’s predicament to Ter’Kaal and the adventurer’s giant ally had immediately assembled a force to mount a surprise attack on the giant’s flank. “Disappointment and disgrace to all who the religion of the Ahi Keiki Ali’i unbelieve!”
Les stood at the gnome’s side loading another enchanted bolt into his crossbow as several azer rushed the trolls with axes and mauls. A second rank of the bronze dwarves hurled javelins and small hammers into the fray striking at troll and giant alike and before Baltazzar could defend himself his blade was dashed from his hands by the frost-sheathed greatsword of Ter’Kaal himself.
“Surrender, writher in dust,” Ter’Kaal commanded. “Deceiver of the lost, you will bring to me the vessel of your imprisonment or perish as grains before the cockerel!”
Wreathes of flame burst from Baltazzar’s fists as the efreeti spit at the giant’s feet. “Mai’a,” the efreeti cursed. “Who are you to address me with such familiarity and disrespect? I am Baltazzar Anu Pu’uwai! Empires have risen at fallen by my manipulations!”
“And I am Ter’Kaal the Purifier, the Flame Prince Zaaman Rul, Archomental Lord of Fire and son of Bristia Pel, made flesh,” Ter’Kaal boomed, raising his blade. “I will permit you one final opportunity to surrender.”
“Ahu ka ‘ala’ala,” Baltazzar growled, his voice seething with contempt. “All flesh burns.”
As the two giants clashed, Bingles led the azer against the trolls while Les peppered the wounded monsters with acidic bolts. Meanwhile, Fyrsil flew to Sasha’s side lashing his barbed tail at any troll hungry or foolish enough to approach the paralyzed priest. Between the azer and the remaining fire giants, the trolls were soon defeated though not all were dead. Queen Grehennox and four of her warriors stood weary but ready on one side of the chamber while roughly a dozen azer remained with axes and mauls prepared to strike on Bingles’ order.
“Stand down, my children,” Ter’Kaal announced as he floated into the room, hovering over the gore-spattered floor. “Perhaps enough of their blood has been spilled today? I will speak with Queen Grehennox and see if we cannot come to a peaceful arrangement. Bingles, see to the wounded. Keep the remaining trolls down, but do not kill them yet.”
The gnome ordered the azer to monitor the trolls while he ran to Sasha. Les was unsure about letting the trolls live but wanted to see what Ter’Kaal was up to and didn’t want to defy his command.
“Fals myghtern,” Grehennox growled glaring at the flying giant. “We have nothing to discuss. I would gladly die in battle before consenting to your demands.”
“Your Majesty,” Ter’Kaal spoke feigning respect. “Fedjik and his people are defeated for now but, as you can see, I am prepared to let the trolls rise allowing this carnival of violence to play out until we are all dead. All I ask is that you set my children free and respect the border between our rings. Promise me this and we finish these monsters here once and for all together. Afterwards, we all walk away free to live out the remainder of our days, separate but at peace.”
“The azer and the Pyrefaust are mine by right!” Grehennox roared. “It was my people who drove out the demons! It was my mother who carved the rings out of the chaos they left behind!”
“On the backs of my children,” Ter’Kaal rumbled, his voice firm and hiding a hint of anger.
“On the backs of our property!” Grehennox shouted, her flame-like hair suddenly flaring in hue. “It was we Tan-Kowr who fought the stingtails and pushed them into the tombs! We Fleghes a Surtr who sealed The Ravenous into the Sixth Ring! So a few slaves got calloused hands or scarred backs! My people died making the Pyrefaust safe! My mother was-“
Grehennox seethed with rage, her grim warriors instinctively forming a defensive arc in front of her. “You’re no god. You’re a madman. You are nobody,” the queen spoke, her voice determined as she readied her spear. “You have no right to claim what is ours. You have no authority over the Pyrefaust, my people or our property.”
“Even now you choose death over what is right,” Ter’Kaal sighed. “So be it.”
“We are leaving, my children,” the giant called to the azer warriors. “Bingles, you shall have the honor of executing my divine decree. I want you to get these trolls back on their feet and then I want you to join the rest of us at the tunnel entrance. We will leave Queen Grehennox and her warriors to get reacquainted with Fedjik and kill anything that tries to escape this chamber.”
“Priestess, dwarf,” Grehennox called past Ter’Kaal to the adventurers. “I can only assume your allies are dead and for that I am sorry but, if your word means anything, I ask that you honor your oath to me and help me kill this charlatan thief.”
From her vantage on the floor of the entry hall, Sasha had witnessed the titanic struggle between Ter’Kaal and Baltazzar. The efreeti’s attacks had done little harm to the god-king whose wounds seemed to heal as quickly as the fiend could deliver them. Even after Baltazzar recovered his scimitar, Ter’Kaal stood strong and punished the efreeti with blows from his own cold blade. At last, the evil genie attempted to escape in a flash of flame and smoke and the cleric was momentarily blinded. When her sight was restored, Sasha saw Baltazzar’s body upon the ground, blood like liquid fire oozing through the frost-filled wounds covering his hide. God or not, Ter’Kaal had proven he was honorable, fair and a terror to behold in battle. The priestess counted herself lucky to be among Ter’Kaal’s allies and even if she could move she wouldn’t lift a finger to help the queen. For Les, the decision was easier. Grehennox was a fire giant. There was no doubt she deserved whatever was coming to her.
“So I am betrayed,” the giantess sighed as Bingles channeled healing energy across the chamber reviving many of the regenerating monsters. “My molleth dha henwyn. May you all die screaming.”
I do love that spell.
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Aramil and Ajax have fallen but, with the defeat of Baltazzar and the acquisition of the efreeti's blood, the adventurers have come one step closer to helping Ter'Kaal and Bingles save the azer from a life of slavery. Only two reagents remain, but will the price of freedom be too high for our heroes? Find out next in...
DAY 332-333 THE CURTAIN FALLS
featuring the World's Largest Adventuring Party
Sasha – Half-Elf Cleric of Sarenrae
Les Dwalen – Dwarf Deepwalker Guide Ranger
Nalia – Efreet-blooded Sorcerer
Bingles Cogglefizz – Gnome Arcane Healer Bard
Tigerlilly – Halfling Rogue
Fyrsil – Pseudodragon companion
***
An Henhwedhel a Tyrus, an peswora darn : The Legend of Tyrus, the fourth part
The servants of the Devourer of Kingdoms were hunted without mercy. Those who escaped the wrath of the heavens hid themselves away taking comfort in the knowledge that a day would dawn when the earth would no longer tolerate the presence of Tyrus’ evil, a day when the foundations of the dragon’s prison would crumble and their dark master would be free to burn the world…
***
“I don’t like it,” Sasha grumbled. “They should have returned by now.”
Following their battle with the trolls, the party had retreated to the azer mine to recover from their wounds. The last they’d seen of Grehennox, the giantess and her wounded warriors were backed against the wall of blades conjured by Sasha as more than a dozen trolls groaned to their feet. Ter’Kaal admitted Grehennox knew the tunnels better than most and could have used an exit on the other side of the slashing barrier to escape so Les and Bingles had left to scout the fire giant tunnels in order to sabotage any chance of her return. It had been several hours since their departure.
“They’re dead,” matter-of-factly spoke Nalia. “We’re all going to die…and some of us for not the first time.”
“Wow, uhm, okay, so I think I’ll just be returning to the Barrows then,” piped the newest member of the party. The halfling Tigerlilly had been recruited when Fyrsil was sent back to the Barrows to seek help while Les and Bingles conducted their scouting mission.
The pseudodragon had learned the rogue was part of an impromptu militia that had defended the community from an attack by the salamander Ksers and their brood. What no one realized at the time, however, was the halfing was an abject coward who’d only acted out of an overriding sense of self-preservation and she’d only agreed to follow the pseudodragon because Riswan suggested more salamanders might be on the way.
Nalia’s warty, green skin blushed red with embarrassment when she learned of the salamander attack. She and her companions had practically led the monsters to the Barrows’ front door and she knew it was only a matter of time before the Ksers tired of the party’s frequent intrusions into their lair. Along with Riswan, the tanner Jakob Schweikart and several others, Tigerlilly had killed one of the noble salamanders and a number of flamebrothers, but Nalia only felt worse when she learned the centaur Melody had died defending a group of miners from the other two Ksers.
“Good luck getting back alone,” Sasha replied to the halfling. “Try not to let the giants spot you.”
“Or the trolls,” Nalia added. “The ones who survived that fight last night are probably pretty angry.”
“Don’t forget the magmin,” chirped Fyrsil. “We saw a few worshiping at the black glacier on the way here. There are probably a lot more now.”
Tigerlilly suddenly felt weak. “Uh…eheh, what’s the hurry, right?” she stammered. “It’s not like anyone is waiting for me to come home or anything, heh.”
“Good,” Sasha replied. “We’ll need all the help we can get. We’re going to the lair of the giants to rescue Bingles and Les if they’re still alive to be rescued.”
“And if they aren’t?” Nalia grimly asked.
“Then we finish what we started yesterday,” Ter’Kaal boomed as he suddenly appeared hovering behind the sorceress.
***
The fire giant tunnels were already thick with gore by the time the adventurers and Ter’Kaal arrived. Enraged by Grehennox’s attack, the surviving trolls had swarmed out of their lair and rushed the giants left behind to guard the Queen’s hall. A pair of giant corpses and the bodies of several chained azer were scattered across the entrance to the fire giants’ tunnels and the adventurers could hear more fighting up ahead.
“Maybe you should go back, Ter’Kaal,” Sasha suggested. “What if some of the trolls tracked us back to the azer mine last night? They might head there next.”
“My children will be fine,” grinned the obsidian giant. “The route we took back leads through a tunnel trapped with a wide pit, a remnant of the celestials’ ancient rule over this dungeon. The azer discovered its secrets long ago and reset the traps after we passed through. I’ll continue on with you.”
Thanks to Nalia and Sasha, the adventurers were able to fly over the battle they found raging in the giants' forge ahead. Trolls, azer and fire giants struggled against one another in the wide chamber but something seemed strange. It appeared as if a large mass of the creatures was piling onto one troll in particular. Troll fought troll and giant climbed over giant to get at the screeching beast at the bottom of the scrum.
“Is that normal?” Tigerlilly asked, but Sasha and Nalia had already moved toward the sealed doors to the great hall.
“All that matters is they’re apparently too busy killing each other to bother with us,” Sasha responded without looking back. “Just ignore them for now.”
But Tigerlilly could no longer ignore the battle, or for that matter the troll struggling at the bottom of the pile. Something beautiful shimmered within the troll’s claw and the halfling knew immediately it must be hers.
Only Fyrsil noticed as Tigerlilly quickly rummaged through her pack for a scroll, vanished and broke off from the group. The pseudodragon tried to alert his companions but the doors to the great hall suddenly swung open and a pair of plate-clad fire giants emerged swinging flaming greatswords at Nalia and Ter’Kaal. The sorceress, Sasha and Ter’Kaal were quickly engaged in battle with the two giants leaving Fyrsil to mind the halfling on his own.
Fyrsil’s senses told him the invisible rogue was still close and he searched the chamber for any sign of her presence. Then he spotted it; a glittering gemstone the size of a grapefruit that called to the tiny dragon's mind and bid him to claim it for himself. Fighting off the influence of the Chaos Diamond, Fyrsil darted toward the gem, which was floating into the air. Tigerlilly had fallen under the stone's spell and was attempting to steal as it clinked free from the battle.
Before the rogue could get the diamond into her bag and escape with it, Fyrsil slapped it from the halfling’s hand with his tail catching it in his claws.
“Give that back, you little thief!!!” Tigerlilly cried as the swarm of trolls, giants and azer below her rose up and swallowed her like a wave. The halfling slipped free with some effort and a lot of bruising, but it was too late. The tiny dragon had already escaped with her prize leading an angry, greedy mob of monsters out of the hall and away from his allies. Still fixated on the gem but too terrified to risk being killed by the mob the halfling resolved to recover from her wounds and lay low. She could ambush Fyrsil and take the gem from his corpse when he returned.
By now Sasha, Nalia and Ter’Kaal had forced their way into the great hall and sealed the doors. Only one giant remained and the brute leveled his sword as he growled at the adventurers.
“Where is Ruvanes Grehennox, gowleveryas!?” the warrior seethed. “What have you done to her?!“
“So she has not returned?” Sasha spoke. “We left your queen surrounded by a group of trolls. I didn’t like her odds.”
The giant’s eyes flared with hatred. “But you didn’t see her die?”
“Well, no,” the cleric admitted. “She cursed our names, told us we would all die screaming…She was trapped. There’s no way she could have survived.”
“Pray to your gods you are right,” the warrior grinned before charging.
Between Ter’Kaal’s mighty blade and Nalia’s magic the lone giant was quickly overcome though Sasha could see the warrior was only unconscious.
“Maybe we should wake him and interrogate him,” Nalia suggested. “He might know where Grehennox kept her cloak.”
“The fire giants are loyal to their queen beyond death,” Ter’Kaal replied. “He’d swallow his tongue even if he knows nothing just to spite us. Our time will be better spent searching the hall. If he isn’t dead when we’ve finished, we can take him back to the mine.”
It didn’t take long for the trio to locate Les and Bingles. The dwarf was conscious but chained and gagged, his prone form tossed onto the long table in the center of the hall to await questioning by Grehennox should she return. Near him, the body of Bingles lay broken and bloody. The gnome had died to a giant’s sword during the pair’s attempt at sabotage.
“Bingles…,” Ter’Kaal sighed rubbing a splash of dried blood from the gnome’s forehead. “There is still time to heal you, my friend.”
“Perhaps I can help,” Sasha volunteered, reaching into her satchel for a small pouch. “Death seems ever at our heels in this place, and I try to always carry a bit of diamond dust for these circumstances. This should only take a minute. ”
“Truly the generosity of ka Pua a Ao extends even to the vessels of her grace,” Ter’Kaal smiled. “I will not dishonor your charity by refusing such a gift as the health of my kahuna. Your benevolence will be justly rewarded.”
As Sasha set to reviving the gnome, Nalia helped Les from his chains and Ter’Kaal hovered toward Grehennox’s throne to free the azer chained to its base. The cleric was only a few moments into her casting when there came a tremendous crash from the sealed hall doors.
***
Tigerlilly buzzed invisibly around the ceiling of the forge tunnel watching as a lone troll in full plate armor scraped a long, jagged blade across the hall door. The troll leader Fedji’k had survived his battle with Grehennox and through some miracle he’d resisted the allure of the Chaos Diamond while the rest of his warriors were led off by Fyrsil. Tigerlily knew Sasha could heal her wounds if she could get into the hall and she silently cheered for Fedj’ik to find a way inside.
The troll sheathed his bastard sword and stalked toward a pile of bronze ingots left near a burning forge. Then, after selecting a thick, heavy bar of the metal, the troll bellowed a war cry and charged the hall doors. Two tries was all it took for Fedj’ik to smash the massive doors from their frame and with a shriek of victory the troll hurled the twisted bronze ahead of him as he drew his blade.
Les was just dropping from the fire giant’s table to the floor when Fedj’ik’s impromptu battering ram smashed into a chair at his side with a startling clang. Fidgety and sweating, the dwarf’s eyes darted around the chamber searching for his missing diamond. “Where is it?!” Les yelled up at Nalia. “The giants! They took my diamond, didn’t they!?”
It only dawned on Nalia now that the trolls and giants had been fighting over the gem and she quickly informed Les as she blasted Fedj’ik with a cone of freezing cold with little effect. “Where the hell are you going?!” the orc called as the wounded dwarf picked up a piece of the broken chair and charged up the entry hall.
“I’m going to get it back! The stone is mine!” Les growled back at the sorceress. Too far under the sway of the Chaos Diamond to pay any heed to the advancing troll, the ranger practically charged right onto the end of Fedj’ik’s waiting blade. “It’s…mine…” Les gasped as he pulled the toothy edge of the troll’s sword from his chest. “…Mine…” he groaned as blood trickled from his mouth.
Fedj’ik smiled exposing rotting needle-like teeth as Les fell to his knees and, as Nalia screamed for help, the troll lopped off the dwarf’s head in one fell swoop.
“Les!” Sasha gasped as Ter’Kaal charged from the end of the hall where he’d just finished freeing the azer slaves.
“Finish your spell!” Ter’Kaal called to the priest. “Nalia and I will deal with this monster!”
As Ter’Kaal and Nalia proceeded to battle the troll, Tigerlilly watched from the entrance to the hall. She knew Fedj’ik would smell her if she approached and was too scared to risk even one attack by the creature.
Though savage and strong, Fedj’ik didn’t compare to the efreeti Baltazaar in martial prowess and Ter’Kaal might have had an easy time dispatching the troll but for one thing. The monster’s enhanced regenerative abilities rivaled even Ter’Kaal’s meaning Fedj’ik was healing from the giant’s attacks almost before the god-king could land his next blow. Fortunately, Nalia hadn’t expended many of her spells fighting the fire giants and the sorceress cut loose with a barrage of mystical blasts.
Though Baltazaar had also gifted the trolls with strong resistance to magic, Nalia and Ter’Kaal gradually wore Fedj’ik down. With a final slash of his greatsword, Ter’Kaal cleaved Fed’jik’s head in two as Nalia ripped the troll’s sword arm from his body with a blast of slashing ice. As the flesh of the troll’s head tried to stitch itself back together, Sasha climbed down from the giant’s table and dumped her unused acid over the monster reducing Fedj’ik to a bubbling puddle of sludge. At long last, the king of the trolls was dead.
***
Bingles woke the adventurers early the next morning with an excited smile. Thanks to Sasha, the gnome’s life was restored, but Bingles had an even greater reason to be happy.
“He’s done it!” Bingles cheered. “Ter’Kaal the Purifier has secured the final reagent for the ritual that will protect his children!”
Two days prior, Bingles had delivered the scale of the salamander Kser to Ter’Kaal and the blood of the efreeti Baltazzar was acquired after the battle in the troll lair. The Chaos Diamond was eventually returned to the azer mines after Fyrsil led the enthralled giants and trolls to the magmins’ ruin-strewn island. The tiny dragon escaped with the gem in the confusion of the ensuing battle, but the stone was not through causing trouble for the adventurers.
Aside from Fyrsil, only Ter’Kaal had the will to resist the power of the diamond when the pseudodragon returned with the gem. Even Sasha’s trained mind crumbled to the call of the stone and a fierce argument began among the adventurers and the azer as Fyrsil tried to keep the powerful gem out of reach. Before any more lives were lost, Ter’Kaal snatched the Chaos Diamond from Fyrsil’s claws and vanished from sight.
Moments later, as Nalia, Sasha, Bingles and Tigerlilly searched madly for the gem or strangled each other to keep the diamond from anyone else’s hands, a calm swept through the mine. From the security of his private sanctum, Ter’Kaal had destroyed the diamond once and for all adding its magic to the receptacle for his spell.
The fourth item needed for the ritual, Grehennox’s ethereal cloak, was found in a stone chest submerged within the lava pool in the giantess’ private chamber. Using the image of the cloak carved into the wall of the fire giants’ great hall, Sasha was able to locate the hidden cloak with a spell of divination and Ter’Kaal lifted the heavy box from its resting place below the magma. All that remained for the god-king to finish his spell was the still-beating heart of a magmin.
“My master came to me last night,” Bingles informed the group. “The great Ter’Kaal spoke and He did say unto me, ‘Bingles Cogglefizz! I can no longer permit our allies to die for our cause, and I know that in their noble hearts they may falter in the task to capture a living creature to sacrifice! Therefore I shall go unto the magmin island alone and do battle with their legions until I have found one whose heart is worthy of this terrible deed!’ And in His terrific benevolence Ter’Kaal did go unto the magmin island where He fought a hundred-hundred fiends! Now, He has returned! The sacrifice is prepared! The ritual can be completed and the azer will be free! You are all invited to attend, but Ter’Kaal understands if you wish to depart to continue your quest.”
“We’ll be there,” Sasha replied. “Thank you, Bingles. I’m still not entirely convinced your master is a god, but I’m happy we could help.”
“Oh ye of little faith!” the gnome grinned as he skipped off to prepare the flock. “Attend the ritual, and you shall behold His glory!”
With a few hours to kill before the ritual, Sasha reached out across the void in hopes of contacting Les’ spirit. The voice of the dwarf’s soul was distant and hollow but he sounded at peace. Sadly, Sasha nodded and ended her spell. “Our friend Les is far from us now,” the cleric told Nalia. “He will not return.”
***
Nalia, Sasha, Tigerlilly and Fyrsil entered the temple hall of the azer to the sound of chanting. The fiery dwarves’ voices sounded like deep notes from a pipe organ and as their ululations ended, Bingles signaled for two of the creatures to strike a pair of brass gongs suspended between two sets of stone columns. The gnome, dressed in his priestly vestments, stood at the right hand of Ter’Kaal as the magmin prisoner was brought forward to the edge of a pool of lava near the center of the room. Behind the gnome and the giant stood an immense frame supporting a huge silk curtain, the symbol of Ter’Kaal’s golden lantern emblazoned across it.
“My children!” Ter’Kaal’s voice boomed as the room fell silent. “When I came to you I promised a day would come when you would be free of oppression and fear! I promised a day when your enemies would be defeated and the treasures of the Pyrefaust would be yours to mine in peace without the greedy hands of the fire giants to profit from your labor or benefit from your suffering! That day has arrived!”
As Ter’Kaal continued, Tigerlilly felt the hairs on her arms rise and a chill go up her spine. Something about the giant’s words seemed uncomfortably familiar but she couldn’t place where she had heard them. “I think I dreamed-” she began before Sasha cut her off.
“Today, here, now, I complete a ritual that will ensure you will never be slaves again!” the god-king roared producing a vial of swirling flame from his robes. “For our new world to begin there must be a reckoning! The sins of the old world must be buried under a sea of ash as deep as the ocean; its corruption lost in a sky of smoke as black as midnight! For freedom, the world must be cleansed in a storm of fire to rival the flames of the sun!”
“Does that magmin look too calm to you?” Sasha whispered to Nalia as Bingles drew a ceremonial dagger and approached the creature.
“The heavens will burn!” Ter’Kaal shouted as the gnome plunged the dagger into the chest of the magmin and carved out the creature’s stony heart.
Sasha’s knees wobbled as a wave of regret and madness swept over her brain and her voice quavered as five words struggled to escape her lips.
“Sarenrae, what have we done?”
Nooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo
Nooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo
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Welcome back, readers! When last we left off, the adventurers had just learned their ally Ter'Kaal was actually the leader of a cult dedicated to freeing the ancient dragon Tyrus from his icy prison. Now, with the evil giant's ritual nearly complete our heroes must race against the clock before Ter'Kaal and his followers can bring about a fiery apocalypse. Is this the end of our adventure or just the beginning of a terrible new era for the creatures of the dungeon? Find out next in...
DAYS 333-335: FIRE AND ICE
featuring the World’s Largest Adventuring Party
Sasha – Half-Elf Cleric of Sarenrae
Nalia – Efreet-blooded Sorcerer
Bingles Cogglefizz – Gnome Arcane Healer Bard
Tigerlilly – Halfling Rogue
Fyrsil – Pseudodragon companion
***
“There is no reason to fear what is coming,” Ter’Kaal spoke as his skin began to glow and crack. “You have the honor of witnessing the waking moments of a new world and when my master Tyrus is free all anguish and sorrow shall be burned away, cleansed by the heat of his divine flame!”
“Your master will destroy the heavens and the earth,” Sasha growled drawing her scimitar. “Peace and joy will be left ash beneath his wings! By the Dawnflower’s light I swear you will not live to see such ruin laid upon the world!”
Bingles Cogglefizz, the loyal high priest of Ter’Kaal, looked up at his master seemingly torn by the sudden revelation of the monster’s insidious plot. “Is…is what the outsider says true, Master?” the gnome asked, his faith suddenly shaken. “Will we burn?”
Ter’Kaal hadn’t lied to the adventurers about how he came upon the gnome wandering the Pyrefaust alone and broken by the horrors of its burning halls. The giant had indeed rescued Bingles and healed his wounded body and mind, but not without an ulterior motive.
Using a powerful charm, Ter’Kaal secured Bingles’ unquestioning loyalty and thought at first to return him to the Barrows where his natural talent for evangelism might garner more worshippers for Tyrus. From this new flock, Ter’Kaal hoped to find warriors strong enough to survive the perils of the Pyrefaust and bring him the items necessary for his ritual. However, when the adventurers arrived at his doorstep perfectly willing to assist the noble avatar of Zaaman Rul and his beleaguered people Ter’Kaal cancelled his plans for the gnome and took it as a sign that Tyrus’ will had spoken.
“My dear friend, most loyal of my chosen, it is true that all will burn but you must have faith in the new world that will be reborn from the ashes of the old,” the monster replied to his priest exerting his will over the charmed gnome. “You must trust me.”
“Of course, please forgive me for questioning your wisdom, my Master,” Bingles spoke, his voice more steady as his will to resist faltered. “What about the outsiders, your Divinity? Shall I have them killed?”
“Detain them if they interfere but do not kill them unless it is necessary,” Ter’Kaal grinned, tiny wisps of flame beginning to prod from the cracks forming in his skin. “I want them to see this.”
Meanwhile, Nalia, Sasha and Fyrsil had been pleading with the azer to break from their blind devotion to the scheming demon before them to no avail. “Looks like it’s up to us,” Sasha growled. “Nalia, Tigerlilly, back me up!...Tigerlilly?”
The terrified rogue was already on her way out the temple door in a bid to escape before Ter’Kaal and his cult could make her the next sacrifice. “Damn that halfling’s cowardice!” Sasha cursed. “You’re still with me, right Nalia?”
“If I’m going to die again anyway, I’d rather do it fighting here and now than cowering before some ancient, immortal dragon god,” the sorceress grinned as she backed away from the azer and ascended into the air.
As Sasha and Nalia sprung to action, Bingles inspired the azer to defend their master. Ter’Kaal’s flesh, meanwhile, continued to flake off and crack as flame erupted from within his body. The monster began to bolster his own strength and defenses using his divine powers, but it was obvious the ritual had staggered him.
Assuming the azer were innocent, brainwashed pawns, Sasha surrounded the dwarf-like creatures with a wall of swirling blades hoping to deter them from entering the fight as Nalia assaulted Ter’Kaal with a barrage of deadly spells. Ter’Kaal only laughed, his innate resistance to magic and divinely empowered protections shielding him from the worst of the orc’s attacks.
“Is it fear or impatience that inspires you to throw yourselves so unhesitatingly toward your deaths?” Ter’Kaal grinned as he rose into the air to meet the flying cleric and sorceress. “So be it, I shall be happy to oblige and give Tyrus your regards when he is free from his prison at last!”
With a wave of Ter’Kaal’s claws, silence swept throughout the temple chamber. The giant had placed an enchantment over the statue of his dragon master robbing the adventurers of their ability to recite the verbal components of their spells. Smiling, the monster drew his greatsword and charged Sasha striking her with force enough to throw her into the talons of the dragon-god’s idol. From the floor, Bingles watched as his master battled the adventurers, doubt once again creeping into his mind.
Within the blade barrier, the azer had begun to throw their small hammers into the air toward Nalia and Sasha. The creatures were determined to see Ter’Kaal’s ritual completed and, when the adventurers managed to fly out of range, the azer surprised Sasha with an unexpected trick.
An edge of the slashing wall floated over the pit of magma in the center of the room and the azer began diving into the pool and swimming below the whirling blades, their fiery heritage protecting them from the intense heat. Once safely to the other side, the creatures emerged to harass Nalia as Sasha continued to struggle in silence against the mighty Ter’Kaal.
Sasha slashed uselessly at Ter’Kaal with her scimitar, his wounds rapidly healing from the few blows she managed to land. Within the oni’s zone of silence, the cleric was grossly outmatched and, even staggered by the gouts of flames erupting from his body, Ter’Kaal quickly defeated the cleric and smashed her to the ground with a terrible swing of his sword. His laughter muffled by the spell emanating from the dragon statue, Ter’Kaal grinned and charged Nalia who had turned her attention to the throng of azer below.
Up to now, the pseudodragon Fyrsil had been less than a nuisance to Ter’Kaal and his minions. The tiny dragon had tried valiantly to aid Sasha against the giant by interfering with the monster’s attacks but he’d prolonged their duel by only seconds at best. Now, Fyrsil rummaged through Sasha’s bag searching for anything he might use to stabilize the cleric’s wounds. When a shadow suddenly emerged over his shoulder, the pseudodragon spun around, his sting-tipped tail poised to strike.
“Stay back, traitor!” Fyrsil telepathically hissed at Bingles who had approached Sasha’s fallen body. “I won’t let you finish the job your master started!”
“- ---- -- ----,” Bingles tried to reply, his words concealed by the silence around them. The gnome gave an exasperated look as a droplet of venom slid down Fyrsil’s tail then, forming his glamered dagger into the shape of Sarenrae’s holy symbol, he closed his eyes. Healing light burst from the dagger, saving Sasha’s life but the gnome’s lapse of faith in the mighty Ter’Kaal hadn’t gone unnoticed.
Spying the altered holy symbol in Bingle’s hand, a group of nearby azer turned on the gnome and came at him swinging heavy axes. If not for the silence, the persuasive gnome may have been able to talk his way out of the situation but, for now, all he could do was run and lead them away from the recovering Sasha.
Fleeing out of the temple, Bingles was surprised to find Tigerlilly hadn’t gotten quite so far as she would have liked. The rogue had stopped short of escaping when she found the fire giant prisoner Ter’Kaal had taken from Grehennox’s hall. The giant was fastened into a large, pillory and under the watchful eye of a pair of azer guards. Despite her fear, Tigerlilly attempted to persuade the azer they were needed in the temple but the shaking in her voice must have tipped the guards off that she wasn’t being entirely truthful.
Sensing the jig was up, the halfling charged the azer hoping she could easily defeat them and free the fire giant. Unfortunately, the grim warriors were experienced fighters and the small rogue quickly found the pair to be an even match for her wily tactics. Bingles arrived just in time to see the fire giant burst free of the pillory on his own while Tigerlilly tangled with the azer guards. The gnome ran to aid Tigerlilly while, somewhat to his surprise, the giant engaged the azer cultists on his heels. Meanwhile, back in the temple, Ter’Kaal had another surprise for the adventurers.
Sasha and Fyrsil watched helplessly as Ter’Kaal delivered a killing blow to Nalia. The cleric was still badly injured and too far away to intervene as the orc sorceress’ broken body was dashed to the ground from high above the temple floor. Victorious, the monster roared in silent triumph as the flames emitting from his blackened skin fully engulfed his body reducing it to ash in a blinding flash.
A vaguely humanoid hulk of living fire emerged from the Ter’Kaal’s remains, its frame burning with white light, its face a blazing, demonic visage of terror. His metamorphosis complete, the monster dove into the magma pit in the center of the chamber and vanished below the surface of the Pyrefaust. Sasha, Fyrsil, Tigerlilly and Bingles, along with the freed fire giant, managed to defeat the rest of the azer cultists shortly thereafter, but the azers’ evil master had escaped.
***
Farggalaan pored over the strange bamboo scrolls recovered from Ter’Kaal’s lair after the adventurers’ escape from the Pyrefaust. As the giant’s personal assistant and high priest, Bingles knew exactly where to look for the documents and offered them to Sasha in an attempt to make up for his part in Ter’Kaal’s plot.
“What do they say, Farggalaan?” the cleric asked. The adventurers had gone to the goblin wizard first upon returning to the Barrows hoping he might glean some clue to stopping Ter’Kaal’s scheme. “Is there time to make this right? Can we do anything to stop Ter’Kaal from freeing Tyrus?”
Among the obscure lore contained within the scrolls was the story of Ter’Kaal’s journey to the Pyrefaust and of how he came to rule over the azer. In an age long ago, the oni had been a flame oracle named Tobare and he was one of Tyrus’ most devoted servants.
After many long centuries of searching, Tobare learned the whereabouts of his dark master’s icy prison and entered the Pyrefaust where he used his mystical abilities to challenge Queen Grehennox’s fire giants and trick the azer into believing he was Ter’Kaal the Purifier, an avatar of Zaaman Rul, the archomental prince of fire. The treacherous oni set about to rebuilding the cult of Tyrus and, with his connection to the godling dragon restored through the use of an ancient Ssrin amulet stolen from the salamander Ksers, Tobare hatched a scheme to release the Devourer of Kingdoms once again into the world of men.
The goblin gave a heavy sigh and looked up from the silk-bound slivers of polished bamboo. “The oni’s ritual transformed him into an elemental of divine flame, fire that burns as pure as faith,” he spoke. “Hot enough even to burn devils. Priests such as yourself can sometimes call the stuff down as pillars of fire from the sky.”
A chill went up Sasha’s spine as she realized the direness of the situation. “He means to melt through the glacier,” she deduced. “How long have we got?”
“Two days, maybe three,” Farggalaan sighed. His shoulders sunk as he pondered the doom awaiting his new home. “After that…”
“We’ll go to the Celestial Garrison, they’ll hel-“ Sasha began before a sharp look and a growl from the goblin stopped her short.
“Like hell you will,” Farggalaan snarled. “I won’t have those self-righteous mula’duur coming in here and taking away everything we’ve worked for these last few months! This is The Barrows! We take care of our own problems!”
“Then what do you propose?” the cleric rebutted, unconvinced.
Farggalaan went on to explain what he learned from Ter’Kaal’s scrolls. The oni planned to follow the magma flow below the Pyrefaust to a hollow cave at the base of Tyrus’ icy prison. Once there, free from interference and distraction, he would burn a tunnel through the Stygian glacier freeing the dragon.
“We know Ter’Kaal has a Ssrin amulet he stole from the salamanders,” the goblin spoke. “It’s likely the only thing he was wearing that wasn’t destroyed when he transformed.”
“When the salamanders attacked The Barrows a few days ago, we recovered a pair of identical amulets from the bodies of the fallen Ksers. I have one here,” he continued as he produced a large golden disc on a chain marked with Ignan runes.
“What of it?” Sasha asked.
“It stands to reason Ter’Kaal’s amulet looks exactly like this one and I happen to have a spell that would allow you to locate it,” the goblin replied deflecting the priest’s incredulity. “You’d have to be closer to Ter’Kaal than to the amulets I have here for the spell to take you to the correct emblem, but I can provide you with a few scrolls that should lead you right to him.”
“Aren’t you forgetting the subterranean river of deadly lava between us and this cave Ter’Kaal found?” snidely asked Tigerlilly. Fearing death in the jaws of the dragon Tyrus more than another battle with the oni Ter’Kaal, the halfling had decided to lend her aid to Sasha and Fyrsil rather than seek shelter in Four Waters.
“Perhaps you’re forgetting I’m a wizard,” Farggalaan snarked back at the halfling before turning his attention to a rotund ratfolk sweeping a corner of the laboratory. “Squiggs, go warm up The Death Trap.”
As the ratfolk bounded ahead, Farggalaan led the adventurers into the former flesh golem factory of the Spider Kings where a familiar sight awaited Fyrsil’s eyes. The clanking, crab-like monstrosity known as the Death Trap sat fully repaired and whirring warmly as a group of ratfolk engineers cleared the floor of loose tools and gooey flesh scraped from the contraption’s gears. The pseudodragon choked up a little as he recalled the day he met his lost friends Aramil, Nalia and Ajax and used the machine to help them escape a pack of salamanders.
“With a little help from the rodents and Shi, I repaired the damage caused by the driders and the Halls of Flesh,” Farggalaan beamed with pride. “We even worked out the problems with the ventilation.”
“I’ll admit it’s an impressive device, but how can this help us?” Sasha asked, growing slightly more optimistic.
“Vehicles like this were originally designed for amphibious use,” Farggalaan informed the cleric. “Those big kickers on the back are meant to propel the thing through water but, as you may have noticed, the only river around here is filled with magma. That’s why Shi and I worked up some magic to try and make the thing impervious to fire. It might lose some of its durability, but give me a day and I’ll squeeze in some extra seats.”
Sasha nodded approvingly as Fyrsil landed gently upon one of the apparatus’ claws with a grin.
“Will it hold up to the Tanbera?” asked Tigerlilly with a skeptical eye toward the machine.
“Who do you I think I am, that charlatan adept Spishak?!” Farggalaan scoffed, seemingly insulted by the halfling’s question. “Of course it’ll hold up to the Tanbera…theoretically.”
Over the course of the next day, Sasha, Tigerlilly, Bingles and Fyrsil spent a fortune in gemstones taken from a vault in the azer halls to prepare as best as they could for the battle ahead. Even with the world on the line, Farggalaan was only charitable enough to donate a few free divination scrolls and the temporary loan of the Death Trap to the cause, but the goblin assured the adventurers he would offer a full refund on any undamaged gear they returned should they survive.
On the day of their departure from The Barrows, the group was approached by the pudgy ratfolk Farggalaan referred to as Squiggs. Squiggs, “Huggy” to his friends, was a fierce defender of his fellow ratfolk and often worked as a guard for the wizard’s scavenger teams.
“I overheard you talking to Farggalaan,” the ratman squeaked. “If you’ve room for one more, I’d like to come with you.”
“Let me guess,” Tigerlilly replied with a chuckle. “You want to ask Ter’Kaal if he’ll let you roast some marshmallows over him-or maybe you’ve got a big pan of gravy you need warmed up.”
Squiggs seemed deaf to the halfling’s words, but it wasn’t the first time the ratfolk had ignored such insults. The rodent owed his portly frame to a trio of minotaurs who had once captured him while he was peddling wares in the Halls of Flesh. The creatures forced him to eat heaping piles of the slimy, tumorous meat sloughing from the walls of the tunnels in a bid to fatten him up and the strange substance had left him bloated and heavy. When the minotaurs finally decided to eat the cornered ratfolk he resisted, grappling their mouths shut while kicking and biting with all the strength he could muster. Now Squiggs carried his gut like a badge of honor.
“This creature, Ter’Kaal, he means to hurt my family,” the ratfolk coolly responded. “He needs to be stopped.”
“You’ll be welcome company,” Sasha smiled, shoving Tigerlilly aside with her hips. “We’ll take all the help we can get.”
Using the now-vacant salamander tunnels, Bingles steered the Death Trap back toward Ter’Kaal’s temple taking note of the horde of magmin gathering at the base of the black glacier the fire giants called An Lys a an Koth. Drawn by the promise of Ter’Kaal, the insane creatures fervently awaited the release of their awful god.
***
“This is it, everyone,” Sasha spoke as the Death Trap lurched toward the sweltering orifice in the center of the temple, magma churning below. “Even if this machine doesn’t immediately melt or bake us all like meat pies, there is no guarantee we shall return. If anyone wants out, this is your cha-“
“I can’t do this! I can’t breathe! Let me out!” Tigerlilly screamed, flailing her limbs like an insect trapped in a spider’s web as she wriggled past the cleric. However, before the halfling could escape, her foot inadvertently kicked the Death Trap’s forward motivator controls sending the contraption headlong into the pit. “Nooooo!” the rogue cried as deadly lava covered the windows of the Death Trap filling the compartment with darkness.
“It’s up to you now, Fyrsil,” Sasha smiled handing the pseudodragon a scroll from her bag.
Fyrsil wasn’t a mighty warrior like Squiggs or a sneaky, backstabbing thief like Tigerlilly or even an especially charming con artist like Bingles but, like all dragons, the tiny beast had a way with all things magical and a talent for survival. With an image of Ter’Kaal’s Ssrin amulet firmly lodged in his brain, the pseudodragon read Farggalaan’s scroll and guided his companions through the enveloping magma to the oni’s refuge.
At last, Bingles steered The Death Trap up from the depths of the lava tube. As magma dripped from the exterior of the machine, its eyestalk lights winked on revealing a large, hollow chamber of Stygian ice that gleamed like obsidian. It was obvious Ter’Kaal had been here from the channel of black water leading into a wide tunnel in the south end of the cave, but the oni appeared to be gone.
“Are we too late?” Squiggs asked.
“Maybe he changed his mind and left before we got here,” Tigerlilly hoped.
“Open the hatch” spoke the ratman. “Come, halfling. We’re going out to take a look.”
Before the small adventurers clambered from the vehicle, Sasha blessed them with as many defensive spells as she knew and wished them luck. “We’ll be right behind you,” she comforted the rogue as Tigerlilly shakily swallowed the contents of a potion bottle and flew into the cave.
Granted flight and a host of other defenses through Sasha’s prayers and the magic purchased from Farggalaan, Squiggs confidently flew into the cave toward the tunnel. The rat and the rogue were nearly to the mouth of the breach when a powerful gale of freezing wind and ice rushed through them cutting at their flesh and freezing their bones as deep laughter rumbled through the chamber.
With a flash of flame Ter’Kaal appeared as a monstrous fire elemental in the center of the room, his body exuding a terrifying halo of divine light that shook the adventurers’ resolve.
“Bingles” the oni spoke, his voice oozing like melting steel as he glared through the windows of The Death Trap. “Climb out of that machine so I can bestow my blessings upon you.” The aura of flame around the monster intensified as he slowly stalked toward the contraption.
A bead of sweat glided down Bingles forehead as he slowly moved a shaking hand toward a catch in the overhead of The Death Trap. “Ter’Kaal…I’m sorry,” the gnome stammered, fear like a hot stone in his throat. “But…I don’t believe in you anymore.”
“Tigerlilly, now!” Squiggs shouted as he launched himself at the monster. Reluctantly, the halfling dove at Ter’Kaal from the air with a half-hearted yelp. Within The Death Trap, Fyrsil loaded another barrel of holy water while Sasha quickly rattled off another prayer and Bingles began to shout an encouraging tirade through a megaphone attached to the machine.
A holy storm of blessed water began to rain from the ceiling of the cave as the cleric ended her spell, but Ter’Kaal was far from finished. “Your pretty words and prayers will not save you,” the oni snarled. Easily evading the attacks of Squiggs and Tigerlilly, the elemental ogre mage murmured a spell and cast his flaming fists toward The Death Trap. Silence suddenly filled the chamber around the machine and, as the sound of Bingle’s voice died out, Ter’Kaal turned his attention to the small adventurers at his flanks.
Though the rain of holy water and blasts from The Death Trap’s cannons caused great pain to Ter’Kaal, the monster was confident in his healing abilities and divine mission to see him to victory. With Sasha and Bingle’s voices muffled, Tigerlilly and Squiggs had lost some of their edge and, even worse, the halfling quickly learned the monster’s elemental anatomy made him impervious to her most underhanded attacks. Likewise, the ratman warrior discovered Sasha’s protective wards had no power against the divine flames of Ter’Kaal’s unholy form. Every successful punch or kick against the monster left Squiggs in terrible pain and Ter’Kaal’s fiery body proved equally difficult to grapple.
“-- -----,” Tigerlilly mouthed to Squiggs as she flew for the hatch to The Death Trap. The rogue could no longer take the heat and, frustrated by her limited ability to harm Ter’Kaal, she chose to take shelter within the machine.
As the rogue crawled into The Death Trap, Sasha gave Fyrsil a grim smile and leapt from the machine. A cloud of smoke and steam now surrounded Ter’Kaal making it difficult for Squiggs and Bingles to land their attacks and the rain of holy water was only barely keeping up with the monster’s incredible healing rate. If the cleric could get far enough away from The Death Trap she could dispel the silence and return to heal Squiggs. Running to the north end of the cave, Sasha called upon her goddess to end Ter’Kaal’s spell. Little did she know the oni had been planning for this moment from the beginning of the battle.
The roar and squeal of The Death Trap’s gears rang once more through the cavern, but Sasha had no time to celebrate her small victory. Cut off from her companions, the cleric was taken by complete surprise as Ter’Kaal dove out of the cloud of smoke and falling rain to snatch her up into his fiery arms. Struggling to no avail, Sasha was quickly dragged down into the nearby lava tube by the monster just as Squiggs arrived to lend his aid.
***
“Sasha?” Fyrsil called telepathically into the void. “Please be alive.”
The magma at the surface of the tube burbled and roiled spraying the black ice above with a spatter of lava, but there was no sign of the cleric.
“Close the hatch, Fyrsil,” Bingles spoke, turning The Death Trap toward the vent. “We’re going in after her.”
Squiggs knelt uselessly at the side of the lava tube as the machine lumbered up to its edge. He’d arrived just too late to rescue his friend and, though the elemental protection she’d given him would defend him wholly from the heat of the magma, there was no way he would be able to keep up with Ter’Kaal’s movement through the tube.
Suddenly, there was a disturbance at the surface of the lava pool. Ter’Kaal’s head and shoulders rose from the churning magma then dipped back beneath before the monster exploded out of the tube like brimstone. Bingles threw The Death Trap into reverse and taunted the oni with the machine’s claws as Squiggs tumbled behind the flaming beast.
“What are you doing?” Tigerlilly gasped. “Shoot him!”
“Sasha’s holy storm is gone and we’re nearly out of water,” Bingles spoke barely able to contain his hatred for Ter’Kaal. “ We need to get him away from the lava tube and we need to make every last shot count.”
Healed greatly by his time below the lava, Ter’Kaal strode forward playing with The Death Trap as he fired bolts of divine flame at the contraption. Farggalaan’s magic could protect the machine from the heat of the Tanbera but, under the supernatural flame of the ogre mage, its frame began to buckle.
“Fyrsil, I need you to tell Squiggs to be ready,” Bingles ordered the pseudodragon. “Tigerlilly, get out there as soon as he charges.”
“Who died and made you the bo-“ the halfling began before catching herself. “Oh…yeah. Okay.”
“You have nowhere to run now, my little false prophet,” Ter’Kaal growled. “Surrender now and I will repay your service with a quick death.”
Bingles raised a claw toward the ogre mage and grinned. “I know you can’t really tell right now, but I’m flipping you off,” he spoke through the megaphone.
“Enough of this!” Ter’Kaal roared as he charged the machine. “I’ll make your ashes a gift to Tyrus!”
The following moments were a blur of devastation as Squiggs, Tigerlilly, Bingles and Fyrsil renewed their battle against the mighty ogre mage. The adventurers had had a little time to recover while Ter’Kaal was in the lava tube, but they were still clearly overmatched.
Once The Death Trap’s cannons ran dry, Bingles clubbed and tore at his former master with the machine’s terrible pincers while, unwilling to surrender, Squiggs and Tigerlilly took turns falling unconscious as the oni pummeled them beneath his fists and Fyrsil darted around the cavern delivering healing through a wand Sasha had purchased for him.
Between The Death Trap’s pincers, Tigerlilly’s acid-coated short sword and Squiggs’ powerful blows, the adventurers slowly began to wear Ter’Kaal down and, with the ceiling of the cavern too low for Ter’Kaal to fly over Squiggs and Tigerlilly to safety within the lava tube, the monster turned his full fury on Bingles and The Death Trap. Under the concentrated fury of the monster, it wasn’t long before the crab’s shell finally cracked.
“It is over,” Ter’Kaal snarled as the gnome crawled from the wreckage of the shattered machine. “You and your companions have fought well, but you have failed. Tyrus will be free and the world will burn in the fires of his voice!”
“Maybe someday,” the gnome growled drawing his knife. “But not today. Not while we broken, small and craven few still have fire enough within ourselves to resist the command of mightier spirits to submit to tyranny and death! Not today!”
Barely able to stand but inspired by the words of the gnome, the ratman Squiggs threw himself at the towering elemental, kicking, scratching and biting as his fur burned and his flesh withered. Bingles, meanwhile, slashed at Ter’Kaal with his knife as Fyrsil harried the monster with his wings and tail. With the oni distracted by her companions, Tigerlilly hacked and stabbed her sword into Ter’Kaal’s legs.
Finally, as Bingles was thrown headlong into the charred and twisted remains of The Death Trap and Squiggs collapsed from the pain of the ogre mage’s divine flames, Ter’Kaal succumbed to the acid-sheathed blade of the halfling. Driven temporarily mad with disbelief, Tigerlilly continued to drive her sword into the steadily dwindling flames of the oni’s body while Fyrsil quickly saw to his dying companions.
The Barrows, Four Waters and indeed the world, were safe once more from the wrath of the ancient wyrm Tyrus but the heroes responsible for saving the day were now buried beneath a mountain of Stygian ice, the infernal cold slowly threatening to trap them forever as corpses at the feet of the Devourer of Kingdoms.