The only thing that the letter said that was of note was...
“There is a star rising in the north...”
We inquire of the dead mage Greycon, and discover:
1.“The star in the north is a long-fabled return of someone of great mystical power. I only know vague things about him, that his return does not bode well for our organization.”
2.Elias and Eram fled to the east, very far away.
3.Elias and Eram plan to regroup and continue their agenda
We repay Mishnor for forgetting to give him a cut of the treasure in our earlier battles. Afterwards, we bid the King Malevus farewell and head out to the abandoned Ruk-Shol encampments. Soren and Azariah discover a few remaining Ruk Shol women and children amongst devoured and half-rotten corpses. Soren, Nobo'ru, Andreas and Azariah return to Naeshuza to turn these people over to the king, then double-time back to catch up with Lord Bahirim.
We see will-o-the-whisps ahead and warn them. We manage to avoid the will-o-whisps on the trail and arrive at a small village.
Our characters have come from the south east, and two days out to the north of Naeshuza is that farthest from home we have ever been. We come across a small village. To the west we see a large body of water, a lake of some kind. It is probably a fishing community named Thaskul. Azariah and Kas-sim'dul stop in, one for fish and the other for ale. Azariah, after talking to a fisherman, discovers the town has little except the dangerous trade of fishing. Kas-sim buys a keg of ale for the men from Naeshuza to bolster morale.
As we go farther north and encounter more swampy terrain. Azariah detects that there is an increase in magical saturation in the land, somehow connected with the bog. Abel later detects that the magicks are tramsmutational in nature and illusory in nature, in the sense that it creates confusion more than hallucination as Elias' magicks do. Mishnor suggests that we take his tunnels, but with no practical means to enter them with the horses, we are forced to take the above-ground route. We go into the swamp, leaving markers to try and remain oriented. Nevertheless, despite our best efforts, we begin to go in circles repeatedly. Kas-sim'dul recalls that there are fey creatures, and that some become twisted and dark near the borders of the feylands. Eventually, creatures of the swamp are drawn to us, and we have to fight them off, which we succeed in doing.
August 18, 2009
August 3, 2009
Honor and Treason
As the rest of the adventurers prepare to rest, Andreas pulls aside to talk to Lord Hilchiah to inquire about what would happen to Isabella, among other things. Lord Hilchiah tells Andreas that she would likely be turned over to an orphanage or any noble house that would take her in (she is 16).
At the barracks, there is a note slipped under the door. It is an invitation to a celebration in our honor. Azariah personally takes the group's response to the King.
At the banquet, the King recognizes Dakkon and the heroes' efforts. The King has seats to his left and right for the adventurers and invites them to sit down, which they do, albeit grudgingly in the case of Soren, who is not one for social functions.
Azariah asks Dakkon about the other Lords of Eroth, and Dakkon mentions that there are others who left Naeshuza to go elsewhere, mostly to the feywild. Although Azariah points out that to a degree, the favor of the Lords of Eroth has been restored, Dakkon points out that the Priests of the Stars also deserve honor for their use of magic to hold the tide of Ruk-Shol at bay. Although Azariah is optimistic about the prospect of Urash trees being planted in a decentralized manner, Dakkon is perhaps more jaded in his assessment. Nevertheless, he has hope that things will be better restored.
The King motions for the adventurers to rise from their seats as he draws his sword. All kneel except Nobo'ru, who is not familiar with what is happening. He kneels when the King Malevus looks at him, indicating he should bend a knee. The King goes down the line, knighting each adventurer in honor of their service. Finally, he bestows onto Andreas the title Lord Andreas for his wisdom in battle and leadership qualities. As he does this, a man in black robes stands up in the hall and shouts, "MY KING, are you aware that the man you are about to knight is the son of a traitor to the nation of Naeshuza!?" He turns to the crowd and begins to shout, "NO MORE TRAITORS! NO MORE TRAITORS!" and the crowd begins to shout with him. Soren, Nobo'ru and Azariah begin to chase after the man through the crowd as Andreas shouts for the crowd to stop. By the time they get outside, the man is gone. Azariah and Soren pause to look around, but find no sign of the man on the flagstones. Soren remains behind to look more as Azariah turns to go back in, and spots a glimmer on the ground- another coin with the sign of the Prince on its face. Azariah returns inside to hear the cheers of the people, and for a moment fears that Andreas had been apprehended by vigilantes, but this is not the case.
While the two men of the wild were gone, Andreas stood to address the crowd:
(paraphrased) "Citizens of Naeshuza, you have heard this man say that I am the son of a traitor, and it is true. My father, Andrew Arkhavin betrayed the Knights of Stron." There is a collective gasp from the crowd. "I would hope that rather than hold me accountable for my father's mistakes, that I would have a chance to prove my own valor. You all know my service to this city. I ask to be given a chance to prove myself as any other man would be."
Kah-sim Dul cheers, and the crowd is again swayed, this time in Andreas' favor. The King makes arrangements for those who sat next to the man to identify him. Lord Bahirim shows Andreas a letter sent to him that is attempting to manipulate Lord Bahirim into rejecting Andreas and his adventurers, on the grounds that Andreas is a traitor. Azariah pulls Andreas aside and tells him, in short, that he still trusts Andreas and believes that he speaks for the rest of the party when he says so.
The group goes looking for the man in the Mages' District, and with a little hunting, discovers that the man is named Greycon and has connections with the Knights of Gahazi. Some bluffing on Andreas' part reveals that they are in the old stronghold of the Knights. The party immediately goes there. Azariah leads in, checking for tracks as they enter, attempting to move stealthfully. Finding many tracks leading to the office of Elias, Azariah bursts through the door. In the ensuing combat, all of the remaining agents of the Knights of Gahazi are slain, except for one of the wizards, whom they interrogate.
Our adventure continues next week as the heroes find more information on the Knights of Gahazi and prepare for departure with Lord Bahirim.
At the barracks, there is a note slipped under the door. It is an invitation to a celebration in our honor. Azariah personally takes the group's response to the King.
At the banquet, the King recognizes Dakkon and the heroes' efforts. The King has seats to his left and right for the adventurers and invites them to sit down, which they do, albeit grudgingly in the case of Soren, who is not one for social functions.
Azariah asks Dakkon about the other Lords of Eroth, and Dakkon mentions that there are others who left Naeshuza to go elsewhere, mostly to the feywild. Although Azariah points out that to a degree, the favor of the Lords of Eroth has been restored, Dakkon points out that the Priests of the Stars also deserve honor for their use of magic to hold the tide of Ruk-Shol at bay. Although Azariah is optimistic about the prospect of Urash trees being planted in a decentralized manner, Dakkon is perhaps more jaded in his assessment. Nevertheless, he has hope that things will be better restored.
The King motions for the adventurers to rise from their seats as he draws his sword. All kneel except Nobo'ru, who is not familiar with what is happening. He kneels when the King Malevus looks at him, indicating he should bend a knee. The King goes down the line, knighting each adventurer in honor of their service. Finally, he bestows onto Andreas the title Lord Andreas for his wisdom in battle and leadership qualities. As he does this, a man in black robes stands up in the hall and shouts, "MY KING, are you aware that the man you are about to knight is the son of a traitor to the nation of Naeshuza!?" He turns to the crowd and begins to shout, "NO MORE TRAITORS! NO MORE TRAITORS!" and the crowd begins to shout with him. Soren, Nobo'ru and Azariah begin to chase after the man through the crowd as Andreas shouts for the crowd to stop. By the time they get outside, the man is gone. Azariah and Soren pause to look around, but find no sign of the man on the flagstones. Soren remains behind to look more as Azariah turns to go back in, and spots a glimmer on the ground- another coin with the sign of the Prince on its face. Azariah returns inside to hear the cheers of the people, and for a moment fears that Andreas had been apprehended by vigilantes, but this is not the case.
While the two men of the wild were gone, Andreas stood to address the crowd:
(paraphrased) "Citizens of Naeshuza, you have heard this man say that I am the son of a traitor, and it is true. My father, Andrew Arkhavin betrayed the Knights of Stron." There is a collective gasp from the crowd. "I would hope that rather than hold me accountable for my father's mistakes, that I would have a chance to prove my own valor. You all know my service to this city. I ask to be given a chance to prove myself as any other man would be."
Kah-sim Dul cheers, and the crowd is again swayed, this time in Andreas' favor. The King makes arrangements for those who sat next to the man to identify him. Lord Bahirim shows Andreas a letter sent to him that is attempting to manipulate Lord Bahirim into rejecting Andreas and his adventurers, on the grounds that Andreas is a traitor. Azariah pulls Andreas aside and tells him, in short, that he still trusts Andreas and believes that he speaks for the rest of the party when he says so.
The group goes looking for the man in the Mages' District, and with a little hunting, discovers that the man is named Greycon and has connections with the Knights of Gahazi. Some bluffing on Andreas' part reveals that they are in the old stronghold of the Knights. The party immediately goes there. Azariah leads in, checking for tracks as they enter, attempting to move stealthfully. Finding many tracks leading to the office of Elias, Azariah bursts through the door. In the ensuing combat, all of the remaining agents of the Knights of Gahazi are slain, except for one of the wizards, whom they interrogate.
Our adventure continues next week as the heroes find more information on the Knights of Gahazi and prepare for departure with Lord Bahirim.
July 28, 2009
The Apotheosis Of Azariah
A boy who was left fatherless as a young child and a social outcast, Azariah grew up lonely and had to harden up fast. When his home was destroyed by the Ruk Shol, Azariah had nothing left- so when he was captured by the Zamunsol, he gave little resistance. In his new home in the enclave, Azariah nursed a burning hatred for the Ruk Shol and the chance to strike back at them. The more he studied the world and saw its corruption and depressed state, the more he felt a burning desire to see them wiped out utterly.
Nevertheless, his rage was personal and seated deeply within himself- it did not manifest as angry outbursts, but as a kind of quiet determination to press himself to the edge of his ability, and even more so the opportunity to use this ability. When he left the Zamunsol enclave, he cared for their agenda of unity and desired to see it through, but nevertheless lived in a mental state bordering on nihilism. He only desired that he would slaughter as many foes as possible before he himself died, a desire reflected in his reckless two-bladed fighting style that left him open to attack for the chance of shedding more blood.
It took time and the death and mysterious resurrection of a life-long friend for him to realize that there was more to life than fighting, that life had a value greater than death. He remained a risk taker and a ferocious combatant, no longer because he cared not if he died, or that he wished to destroy more, but rather because he came to the conclusion that nothing great can be achieved without passion or risk.
In a moment of crisis when all seemed lost, he took a risk in implanting within his left hand the seed of a tree that gives life, and sealed the wound with a kiss of flames. In that moment, Azariah became an entirely new being in every sense. His shift in perspective and the addition of the seed changed the way he thought and perceived things; the divine magic that held the world together and which was woven into things began to rise out of the things which he had normally studied in a mundane manner. When he fought, he began to feel in an abstract sense ways in which he could defy the reality he once knew so well and do things which seemed impossible. His fervor began to take on a more mystic quality as it was no longer the might of his arm that guided his weapons, but the wisdom and discernment brought about by his change in understanding. He had, in that sense, transcended the need for physical attunement, because he began to become attuned with that which superseded the physical realm yet cleaved so close to it. In time, he would no longer need the seed, because his mind will have been totally transformed into a place of nearly complete understanding through experience. He would become a planter, sowing the seeds of his revelation into the world and removing weeds of darkness that would choke them out as he went.
Nevertheless, his rage was personal and seated deeply within himself- it did not manifest as angry outbursts, but as a kind of quiet determination to press himself to the edge of his ability, and even more so the opportunity to use this ability. When he left the Zamunsol enclave, he cared for their agenda of unity and desired to see it through, but nevertheless lived in a mental state bordering on nihilism. He only desired that he would slaughter as many foes as possible before he himself died, a desire reflected in his reckless two-bladed fighting style that left him open to attack for the chance of shedding more blood.
It took time and the death and mysterious resurrection of a life-long friend for him to realize that there was more to life than fighting, that life had a value greater than death. He remained a risk taker and a ferocious combatant, no longer because he cared not if he died, or that he wished to destroy more, but rather because he came to the conclusion that nothing great can be achieved without passion or risk.
In a moment of crisis when all seemed lost, he took a risk in implanting within his left hand the seed of a tree that gives life, and sealed the wound with a kiss of flames. In that moment, Azariah became an entirely new being in every sense. His shift in perspective and the addition of the seed changed the way he thought and perceived things; the divine magic that held the world together and which was woven into things began to rise out of the things which he had normally studied in a mundane manner. When he fought, he began to feel in an abstract sense ways in which he could defy the reality he once knew so well and do things which seemed impossible. His fervor began to take on a more mystic quality as it was no longer the might of his arm that guided his weapons, but the wisdom and discernment brought about by his change in understanding. He had, in that sense, transcended the need for physical attunement, because he began to become attuned with that which superseded the physical realm yet cleaved so close to it. In time, he would no longer need the seed, because his mind will have been totally transformed into a place of nearly complete understanding through experience. He would become a planter, sowing the seeds of his revelation into the world and removing weeds of darkness that would choke them out as he went.
July 15, 2009
Naeshuza Lives
After awaking from their strange dream, the heroes arise and continue to press on towards Naeshuza to discover its fate. Along the way, they find a dead soldier holding up a large piece of amethyst in the swamp. The soldier, now a skeleton, bears livery similar to that on the others found, but when Azariah asks the King if he knows of any excursions that were sent this way, he says that there were but could not guess their purpose without a more precise date estimate.
The heroes pause in their arduous journey to see that the city of Naeshuza is still lit, and filled with a cautious hope began to approach. On the way, Azariah asks the King about Elias and Lord Eram, and the King is able to tell them little beyond what they already knew; that Lord Eram was an ambitious noble, and that Elias was a powerful leader of the secret police of Naeshuza. The heroes also discuss their collective dream, and after Abel, Andreas and Azariah discuss the issue further, they conclude that it would be best to focus on Naeshuza and their current issues before moving on to find this place over the mountains. Azariah remarks that Borad-El is near mountains anyway, and that it may be those mountains which they must cross to find what they seek.
As they approach the city, Azariah asks the King if there are secret entrances, and indeed there is one in the eastern wall, opposite the main gate to the west. They take this pathway through the wall and Soren stumbles across a trinket in the dark. Abel recovers it, finding that it is a bronze coin that features the same crest on the seal in the dream that covers the great machine underground. The coin has the lingering arcane mark of Elias' illusory magic.
Approaching the Urash trees, they discover Dakkon and Lord Hilchiah to be alive and well- with a cry of relief, the heroes find Naeshuza to be still in the hands of those loyal to the king, thanks to the timely intervention of the Zamunsol who came from the very enclave many of the heroes were raised in. Abel, Nobo'ru and Azariah's mentors are all there, and they are well met by the adventurers and thanked personally by the King for their intervention. The Zamunsol single-handedly slaughtered hundreds of Ruk Shol. Mishnor reacts to the presence of the Zamunsol with well concealed delight, but Soren and Abel perceive through his straight face. Feasting ensues as the city, greatly diminished in population celebrates the victory over the Ruk-Shol and honors the dead. The Ruk Shol are piled up and burned in the streets.
The party makes plans to raid the Knights of Gahazi stronghold in the Mage's District and Lord Eram's estate. However, Andreas fails to convince the King that celebrations can wait, and so the heroes take some hours to celebrate with the King's court and talk to the Zamunsol.
Nobo'ru mentions the destruction of Keydar, whom his master said was more of an opportunist than anything else. They say that there are others of his kind far more evil and that the Zentilig more often than not are allies to the Ruk Shol. Abel asks his mentor about the magics of Elias and his mentor tells him that, “Illusions that are most potent give you the false impression that you are moving or doing something, and when you try and break from it, there is an overload that causes you to fall unconscious.” Abel showed his mentor the coin, and as his mentor examined the coin he sighed, “I had hoped that they had been destroyed many years ago.” The symbol is revealed to be the symbol of The Prince, the one who united the Zamunsol, Humans, Dragons and Fey many ages ago. However, he was a fake, and it was his deception that lead to the failure of the fight against the Ruk-Shol. Abel's mentor seems to recognize the powerful transfiguration magic on Mishnor and later admits the possibility that Mishnor may be a dragon.
After a few hours, the heroes go to the Knights of Gahazi stronghold. Upon examining it more closely, Abel's mentor determines that the door to the stronghold is actually a teleportation portal. They go through, and begin to search the place, finding no other entrances. There are torn up notes which Abel makes whole that talk about Elias planning the coup de'tat. The entire place has been hastily, if sloppily cleaned out. Andreas proposes using the place as a base, but the one problem raised is that there could be other doors which teleport to the location. Azariah offers to use an ability of his to discover exactly where their location is, as it is clear they are some distance underground. After laying a hand on Andreas and concentrating for a moment, Azariah bids Andreas to walk through the door. Azariah is able to immediately determine what direction and how far away Andreas is, which helps them to determine that the stronghold is many feet below ground just west of the Urash tree grove. Once they determine the location, they move on to Lord Eram's house.
Arriving at Lord Eram's manor, they find a similar situation of someone trying to get stuff and leave in a hurry. Going through the manor, they find torn up letters in the study which, when made whole, tell a similar tale to Elias' torn letters. However, these ones mention voices telling Eram that they would be helping in some way. Lord Eram has a wine decanter that seems to pour an infinite amount of wine. There is a bread drawer with a bread loaf that replenishes itself. We find some very valuable art objects. Azariah finds in Lord Eram's desk a false bottom. He pulls out another coin, the same as the one which was found near the eastern entrance with Elias' magical fingerprints on it. In the manor, Nobo'ru hears someone inside and pursues the person, who turns out to be Isabelle Eram, Lord Eram's daughter. She locks herself in a room, and has to be convinced to open the door- there are dead servants and Ruk-Shol everywhere in the house. Andreas manages to get her to open the door, and Azariah and Nobo'ru leave him alone with her to break to her the bad news that her father is a traitor. Isabelle is distraught by this shocking revelation, and Andreas comforts her in her grief, providing a shoulder for her to weep upon. After a few minutes have gone by and Isabelle has pulled herself together, Andreas orders for guards to move in and secure the manor.
The heroes head towards the castle and don't have to get too close to see the effects of the Ruk Shol attack. There are huge holes in the walls and the place is completely trashed. There are tons of art objects, sculptures and whatnot broken and shattered. There are many Ruk Shol corpses inside, and a lot of them have various art objects and valuables and such things clutched in their cold hands. There isn't anything out of the ordinary here except that a place containing great objects of historical and artistic value is a shadow of its former glory. Andreas personally thanks Lord Bahirim for his patience and asks Lord Bahirim to teach him the finer ways of combat on horseback. As the city carries out the grim business of cleaning up after the attack, the heroes barter, buy and sell what they can and equip themselves for the battles ahead, a hard won victory under their belts.
The heroes pause in their arduous journey to see that the city of Naeshuza is still lit, and filled with a cautious hope began to approach. On the way, Azariah asks the King about Elias and Lord Eram, and the King is able to tell them little beyond what they already knew; that Lord Eram was an ambitious noble, and that Elias was a powerful leader of the secret police of Naeshuza. The heroes also discuss their collective dream, and after Abel, Andreas and Azariah discuss the issue further, they conclude that it would be best to focus on Naeshuza and their current issues before moving on to find this place over the mountains. Azariah remarks that Borad-El is near mountains anyway, and that it may be those mountains which they must cross to find what they seek.
As they approach the city, Azariah asks the King if there are secret entrances, and indeed there is one in the eastern wall, opposite the main gate to the west. They take this pathway through the wall and Soren stumbles across a trinket in the dark. Abel recovers it, finding that it is a bronze coin that features the same crest on the seal in the dream that covers the great machine underground. The coin has the lingering arcane mark of Elias' illusory magic.
Approaching the Urash trees, they discover Dakkon and Lord Hilchiah to be alive and well- with a cry of relief, the heroes find Naeshuza to be still in the hands of those loyal to the king, thanks to the timely intervention of the Zamunsol who came from the very enclave many of the heroes were raised in. Abel, Nobo'ru and Azariah's mentors are all there, and they are well met by the adventurers and thanked personally by the King for their intervention. The Zamunsol single-handedly slaughtered hundreds of Ruk Shol. Mishnor reacts to the presence of the Zamunsol with well concealed delight, but Soren and Abel perceive through his straight face. Feasting ensues as the city, greatly diminished in population celebrates the victory over the Ruk-Shol and honors the dead. The Ruk Shol are piled up and burned in the streets.
The party makes plans to raid the Knights of Gahazi stronghold in the Mage's District and Lord Eram's estate. However, Andreas fails to convince the King that celebrations can wait, and so the heroes take some hours to celebrate with the King's court and talk to the Zamunsol.
Nobo'ru mentions the destruction of Keydar, whom his master said was more of an opportunist than anything else. They say that there are others of his kind far more evil and that the Zentilig more often than not are allies to the Ruk Shol. Abel asks his mentor about the magics of Elias and his mentor tells him that, “Illusions that are most potent give you the false impression that you are moving or doing something, and when you try and break from it, there is an overload that causes you to fall unconscious.” Abel showed his mentor the coin, and as his mentor examined the coin he sighed, “I had hoped that they had been destroyed many years ago.” The symbol is revealed to be the symbol of The Prince, the one who united the Zamunsol, Humans, Dragons and Fey many ages ago. However, he was a fake, and it was his deception that lead to the failure of the fight against the Ruk-Shol. Abel's mentor seems to recognize the powerful transfiguration magic on Mishnor and later admits the possibility that Mishnor may be a dragon.
After a few hours, the heroes go to the Knights of Gahazi stronghold. Upon examining it more closely, Abel's mentor determines that the door to the stronghold is actually a teleportation portal. They go through, and begin to search the place, finding no other entrances. There are torn up notes which Abel makes whole that talk about Elias planning the coup de'tat. The entire place has been hastily, if sloppily cleaned out. Andreas proposes using the place as a base, but the one problem raised is that there could be other doors which teleport to the location. Azariah offers to use an ability of his to discover exactly where their location is, as it is clear they are some distance underground. After laying a hand on Andreas and concentrating for a moment, Azariah bids Andreas to walk through the door. Azariah is able to immediately determine what direction and how far away Andreas is, which helps them to determine that the stronghold is many feet below ground just west of the Urash tree grove. Once they determine the location, they move on to Lord Eram's house.
Arriving at Lord Eram's manor, they find a similar situation of someone trying to get stuff and leave in a hurry. Going through the manor, they find torn up letters in the study which, when made whole, tell a similar tale to Elias' torn letters. However, these ones mention voices telling Eram that they would be helping in some way. Lord Eram has a wine decanter that seems to pour an infinite amount of wine. There is a bread drawer with a bread loaf that replenishes itself. We find some very valuable art objects. Azariah finds in Lord Eram's desk a false bottom. He pulls out another coin, the same as the one which was found near the eastern entrance with Elias' magical fingerprints on it. In the manor, Nobo'ru hears someone inside and pursues the person, who turns out to be Isabelle Eram, Lord Eram's daughter. She locks herself in a room, and has to be convinced to open the door- there are dead servants and Ruk-Shol everywhere in the house. Andreas manages to get her to open the door, and Azariah and Nobo'ru leave him alone with her to break to her the bad news that her father is a traitor. Isabelle is distraught by this shocking revelation, and Andreas comforts her in her grief, providing a shoulder for her to weep upon. After a few minutes have gone by and Isabelle has pulled herself together, Andreas orders for guards to move in and secure the manor.
The heroes head towards the castle and don't have to get too close to see the effects of the Ruk Shol attack. There are huge holes in the walls and the place is completely trashed. There are tons of art objects, sculptures and whatnot broken and shattered. There are many Ruk Shol corpses inside, and a lot of them have various art objects and valuables and such things clutched in their cold hands. There isn't anything out of the ordinary here except that a place containing great objects of historical and artistic value is a shadow of its former glory. Andreas personally thanks Lord Bahirim for his patience and asks Lord Bahirim to teach him the finer ways of combat on horseback. As the city carries out the grim business of cleaning up after the attack, the heroes barter, buy and sell what they can and equip themselves for the battles ahead, a hard won victory under their belts.
July 3, 2009
Not Quite a Nightmare, Not Quite a Dream
Type your summary here
After wading further through the swamp, the intrepid heroes arrive at a patch of firm ground and being exhausted from the grueling trek through the mire, decide to stop and rest.
Meaning to sit down and stop only briefly so as to maintain their projected time of arrival to the capital city of Naeshuza. After only a few minutes, however, a deep slumber falls suddenly and unexpectedly on the whole party. Within a few minutes they are dreaming, upon waking and mentioning it, they find that they all have had the same dream, a notable coincidence to say the least.
In the dream, the perspective is removed, almost omniscient, as the party sees themselves from an aerial perspective asleep on the swampy knoll. Quickly the view moves up, higher and higher above the ground until the view is completely obscured by clouds. Zooming through the clouds for some time, they unexpectedly brighten and emerging through the clouds, the dream shows a bright world with light that is temporarily blinding.
Approaching the surface, the first visible features of the terrain are a few mountain peaks and what looks to be sand that stretches as far as the eye can see in every direction. Closer still and there are four mountains equidistant from each other and resembling the four points of a compass. Closer still and the barren, sandy surface zooms into view. Suddenly beneath the surface of the sand there is a long open shaft, similar to a mine shaft, but MUCH wider. There are pipes, gears, steam, and all sorts of industrial-looking mechanisms. Deeper, deeper weaving through miles and miles and MILES of pipes.
Suddenly, the motion stops in a vast open chamber. In the center of the chamber is a machine unlike anything seen before. It is a vast metal circle with many helixes within each other, all spinning in various directions at a velocity so fast that it appears to be one big insubstantial blur of a sphere.
So startled by the sight are the heroes, that the dream ends abruptly as they each stir themselves from sleep and awaken suddenly.
After wading further through the swamp, the intrepid heroes arrive at a patch of firm ground and being exhausted from the grueling trek through the mire, decide to stop and rest.
Meaning to sit down and stop only briefly so as to maintain their projected time of arrival to the capital city of Naeshuza. After only a few minutes, however, a deep slumber falls suddenly and unexpectedly on the whole party. Within a few minutes they are dreaming, upon waking and mentioning it, they find that they all have had the same dream, a notable coincidence to say the least.
In the dream, the perspective is removed, almost omniscient, as the party sees themselves from an aerial perspective asleep on the swampy knoll. Quickly the view moves up, higher and higher above the ground until the view is completely obscured by clouds. Zooming through the clouds for some time, they unexpectedly brighten and emerging through the clouds, the dream shows a bright world with light that is temporarily blinding.
Approaching the surface, the first visible features of the terrain are a few mountain peaks and what looks to be sand that stretches as far as the eye can see in every direction. Closer still and there are four mountains equidistant from each other and resembling the four points of a compass. Closer still and the barren, sandy surface zooms into view. Suddenly beneath the surface of the sand there is a long open shaft, similar to a mine shaft, but MUCH wider. There are pipes, gears, steam, and all sorts of industrial-looking mechanisms. Deeper, deeper weaving through miles and miles and MILES of pipes.
Suddenly, the motion stops in a vast open chamber. In the center of the chamber is a machine unlike anything seen before. It is a vast metal circle with many helixes within each other, all spinning in various directions at a velocity so fast that it appears to be one big insubstantial blur of a sphere.
So startled by the sight are the heroes, that the dream ends abruptly as they each stir themselves from sleep and awaken suddenly.
June 29, 2009
Swamp
-Mishnor mentions that his parents were betrayed
-Andreas tries to convince Mishnor to join them in fighting the Ruk-Shol
-the King tries to convince Mishnor to join us and convinces him that we won't betray him like his parents were betrayed
-We head north and then at an intersecting cave head east. We reach an unnatural dead end, and Mishnor raises his hand, turning the wall to a door.
-When the doors open, there is a bright golden light, as there is large volumes of gold reflecting everywhere in the room, which is 100 feet tall as opposed to the 40 feet of the tunnels. There are huge shelves with gold everywhere and weapons hanging from the walls.
-We force march back to Neshuza. As we're returning, the ground gets soft and spongy, and we see these little pinpoint lights flying around that have the same kind of radiance that the Urash trees have. Most arcanists have myths about them: That they spend time around people or places of high magical power. They're called soul flies.
-They eventually are left behind, but we begin to come up to some other form of magical illumination in the distance.
-Azariah and Nobo'ru act as guides, and in the middle of crossing a swamp they are attacked by Will-o-the-whisps and other unsavory swamp dwelling monsters
-Andreas tries to convince Mishnor to join them in fighting the Ruk-Shol
-the King tries to convince Mishnor to join us and convinces him that we won't betray him like his parents were betrayed
-We head north and then at an intersecting cave head east. We reach an unnatural dead end, and Mishnor raises his hand, turning the wall to a door.
-When the doors open, there is a bright golden light, as there is large volumes of gold reflecting everywhere in the room, which is 100 feet tall as opposed to the 40 feet of the tunnels. There are huge shelves with gold everywhere and weapons hanging from the walls.
-We force march back to Neshuza. As we're returning, the ground gets soft and spongy, and we see these little pinpoint lights flying around that have the same kind of radiance that the Urash trees have. Most arcanists have myths about them: That they spend time around people or places of high magical power. They're called soul flies.
-They eventually are left behind, but we begin to come up to some other form of magical illumination in the distance.
-Azariah and Nobo'ru act as guides, and in the middle of crossing a swamp they are attacked by Will-o-the-whisps and other unsavory swamp dwelling monsters
June 15, 2009
Free fallin'
The party quickly learns how to use the ballistas and begins to fire on the buildings to stall the ruk-shol counter attack. Meanwhile, Nobo'ru goes to the grove under disguise from a mimicry potion found on the Ruk-Shol and alerts the king and Dakkon to the situation. He finds a safe route of retreat and that the diversion isn't working as well as hoped- the vast majority are still attacking the grove.
Nobo'ru makes it back to the group and we attack the ruk-shol some more before
Lord Erim and the leader of the Knights of Gahazi... try to convince the king that there are Ruk Shol disguised as his servants, which we already informed him about. The king is suspicious and asks, “Where have you been and why are you unarmed?”
Nobo'ru and Dakkon are both suspicious of them, and Andreas approaches, saying that he was concerned that Lord Eram was dead. Lord Eram relplies, “Do not fear, I am very much alive.” Stepping down from his horse, Lord Eram says as he draws a sword, “If you will not come, then we will have to-” and then is cut off as Nobo'ru strikes out to stop him. The leader of the Knights of Gahazi, Elias, multiplies himself and the battle is joined as Lord Eram's troops engage the king's and the party jumps into the fray.
As the battle goes along, Elias continually dominates Nobo'ru, Kas-sim'dul and Soren, making things difficult as they struggle to protect the king and eliminate Elias and incapacitate Lord Eram. Dakkon does his best to help, then finally calls Andreas and Azariah to rejoin the main group to protect the king as Elias and his multiples blast the king with psionic power and nearly kill him. "You're probably going to hate what I'm about to do" Dakkon says, as he plants his staff in the ground. Suddenly, a rift in the earth opens and the entire party falls in, including the king. They tumble for about 200 feet along the slope before coming to a jolting halt in the dark. Abel is nearly killed by the fall, and the king is rendered unconscious, but both were revived thanks to Andreas' aid.
After resting in the tunnel in a side tunnel dug by Kas-sim'dul, we meet Mishnor- a man with golden irises and fiery flecks in his eyes. He claims that Zamunsol and Humans are betrayers of his people, and wants us to leave as soon as possible. There is only one other group of creatures that could have been around hundreds of years ago that would have been a notable force, and that would have to be dragons. Abel guesses that he is a dragon, which he says would be a logical guess based on history but unflinchingly denies it. When looking at his aura, Abel discovers that there is a strong aura of transmutation coming from him, and is the most magical thing Abel has ever seen. Ask the party asks questions, he leads them to the end of a tunnel that has no light.
Nobo'ru makes it back to the group and we attack the ruk-shol some more before
Lord Erim and the leader of the Knights of Gahazi... try to convince the king that there are Ruk Shol disguised as his servants, which we already informed him about. The king is suspicious and asks, “Where have you been and why are you unarmed?”
Nobo'ru and Dakkon are both suspicious of them, and Andreas approaches, saying that he was concerned that Lord Eram was dead. Lord Eram relplies, “Do not fear, I am very much alive.” Stepping down from his horse, Lord Eram says as he draws a sword, “If you will not come, then we will have to-” and then is cut off as Nobo'ru strikes out to stop him. The leader of the Knights of Gahazi, Elias, multiplies himself and the battle is joined as Lord Eram's troops engage the king's and the party jumps into the fray.
As the battle goes along, Elias continually dominates Nobo'ru, Kas-sim'dul and Soren, making things difficult as they struggle to protect the king and eliminate Elias and incapacitate Lord Eram. Dakkon does his best to help, then finally calls Andreas and Azariah to rejoin the main group to protect the king as Elias and his multiples blast the king with psionic power and nearly kill him. "You're probably going to hate what I'm about to do" Dakkon says, as he plants his staff in the ground. Suddenly, a rift in the earth opens and the entire party falls in, including the king. They tumble for about 200 feet along the slope before coming to a jolting halt in the dark. Abel is nearly killed by the fall, and the king is rendered unconscious, but both were revived thanks to Andreas' aid.
After resting in the tunnel in a side tunnel dug by Kas-sim'dul, we meet Mishnor- a man with golden irises and fiery flecks in his eyes. He claims that Zamunsol and Humans are betrayers of his people, and wants us to leave as soon as possible. There is only one other group of creatures that could have been around hundreds of years ago that would have been a notable force, and that would have to be dragons. Abel guesses that he is a dragon, which he says would be a logical guess based on history but unflinchingly denies it. When looking at his aura, Abel discovers that there is a strong aura of transmutation coming from him, and is the most magical thing Abel has ever seen. Ask the party asks questions, he leads them to the end of a tunnel that has no light.
June 1, 2009
And when you play hail to the chief...
We went to the king, presented the ring, defeated the Whispering Ones, then fended off assassings who came in through the roof as the Ruk Shol began to sack the city. The King and his guards went to central gardens, while Azariah ran off to get the other PCs still at the barracks.
The party begins to go towards the gardens. Andreas gathers some survivors, then temporarily relieves the defenders of the castle so that they can retreat. They then make a way towards the king, who Nobo'ru saw trying to get to the trees. Andreas gathers soldiers and civilians as they go towards the grove.
Soren arrives at the grove and scouts for Azariah as he searches for Urash tree seeds, and finds some. Azariah and Soren go to reach the King while Andreas performs a breakthrough action to help the King. We successfully do so.
Andreas plans to seize the siege weapons in the outside of the city and turn them on the Ruk-Shol, Nobo'ru gets out of the grove with Soren and Kah-sim'dul's help. He finds that the artillery is guarded by about 30 Ruk-Shol and that the artillery is at the rear of the Ruk'Shol army and unguarded.
The Borad Elamites send a messenger from Bahirim comes to ask Andreas for advice. They coordinate a breakout operation to get to the artillery.
Kas-sim'dul gets the Priests of the Stars to call down meteors on the Ruk Shol line as the Borad-Elamites and party charge into the breach. After some intense fighting to get to the artillery, they succeed in routing the Ruk Shol guarding and manning the devices and prepare to turn them on the Ruk Shol army as more Ruk Shol bear down on them.
The party begins to go towards the gardens. Andreas gathers some survivors, then temporarily relieves the defenders of the castle so that they can retreat. They then make a way towards the king, who Nobo'ru saw trying to get to the trees. Andreas gathers soldiers and civilians as they go towards the grove.
Soren arrives at the grove and scouts for Azariah as he searches for Urash tree seeds, and finds some. Azariah and Soren go to reach the King while Andreas performs a breakthrough action to help the King. We successfully do so.
Andreas plans to seize the siege weapons in the outside of the city and turn them on the Ruk-Shol, Nobo'ru gets out of the grove with Soren and Kah-sim'dul's help. He finds that the artillery is guarded by about 30 Ruk-Shol and that the artillery is at the rear of the Ruk'Shol army and unguarded.
The Borad Elamites send a messenger from Bahirim comes to ask Andreas for advice. They coordinate a breakout operation to get to the artillery.
Kas-sim'dul gets the Priests of the Stars to call down meteors on the Ruk Shol line as the Borad-Elamites and party charge into the breach. After some intense fighting to get to the artillery, they succeed in routing the Ruk Shol guarding and manning the devices and prepare to turn them on the Ruk Shol army as more Ruk Shol bear down on them.
May 4, 2009
The Invisible Man
-we find invisible men, who were the people we beat up. We throw them outside, except for one who says he knows where the ring is. We decide to ignore his offer for now and go back into the illusory plane.
-We go to the third room, beat up everybody in there
-After beating the bad guys, we try to imagine our way to the boss as the illusion...he talks to Andreas a little further and the party is teleported outside the door.
-Soldiers in plate arrive- and try to stop some of the party members from leaving. Andreas talks his way out of an arrest and alerts the guard to the missing ring.
-The soldier knew something about the organization
-We interrogate the one operative later at Dakkon's. He mentions that the “Headmaster” wanted to transfer the ring out of our hands. He apparently doesn't have many connections in the city.
-It is probably in the Archmage's district
-The Headmaster had mentioned bringing the ring to the Ruk-Shol
-Lord Hilchiah sends Andreas an urgent message to meet with him.
-”A friend of sometime back when the priest of the stars was low on funds had promised to return a favor and had mentioned something about a ring to me and I had heard it related to you”
-Hilchiah said he was willing to help... and gave us the ring! Andreas explained what the ring does.
-We leave with the ring in possession.
-The party rests, and prepares for a meeting with the king the next day.
-We go to the third room, beat up everybody in there
-After beating the bad guys, we try to imagine our way to the boss as the illusion...he talks to Andreas a little further and the party is teleported outside the door.
-Soldiers in plate arrive- and try to stop some of the party members from leaving. Andreas talks his way out of an arrest and alerts the guard to the missing ring.
-The soldier knew something about the organization
-We interrogate the one operative later at Dakkon's. He mentions that the “Headmaster” wanted to transfer the ring out of our hands. He apparently doesn't have many connections in the city.
-It is probably in the Archmage's district
-The Headmaster had mentioned bringing the ring to the Ruk-Shol
-Lord Hilchiah sends Andreas an urgent message to meet with him.
-”A friend of sometime back when the priest of the stars was low on funds had promised to return a favor and had mentioned something about a ring to me and I had heard it related to you”
-Hilchiah said he was willing to help... and gave us the ring! Andreas explained what the ring does.
-We leave with the ring in possession.
-The party rests, and prepares for a meeting with the king the next day.
April 25, 2009
One Step back into another dimension!
-After resting, the group goes to the Knights of Gahazi location in the Archmage's District with their soldiers. They have the soldiers surround the place and upon first entering, they notice that there is nothing inside the building at all.
-Eventually, some indentations were discovered in the doors and Abel made an impression with a clod of dirt, discovering their shape, which was not unlike the clasps the thieves' cloaks had. Azariah and nobo'ru produced the two clasps they had and after a delay due to Nobo'ru's apprehension about the door mechanism, the group went in leaving the clasps in their place.
-After going in, they saw two hallways with many doors, and eventually as they were going along single file they heard a voice in their heads. This voice identified itself as the leaders of the Knights of Gahazi and after some dialogue regarding the return of the ring, etc., Nobo'ru let slip that the ring was for the king. Andreas tried to explain about the Whispering Ones, but the entity did not believe in them and felt that identifying them was a waste of time.
-After weighing the legality of the possibility of fighting a group working for the King, the group decides to fight. Entering the first room, they fight cloaked figures who were roguish and wizard-like. When defeated, they dissolved, leaving only their cloaks- leading everyone to believe that they were in some kind of illusory realm.
-On the way to the next room, Andreas tries to disbelieve in the illusion but feels that completely disbelieving would result in his death, so he stops.
-The next room was a stone floor with a river of slime through the middle- and the group was attacked again, seemingly by the same foes as last time.
-During the fight, Abel completely disbelieves in the illusion and drops unconscious. The enemies are defeated.
-Eventually, some indentations were discovered in the doors and Abel made an impression with a clod of dirt, discovering their shape, which was not unlike the clasps the thieves' cloaks had. Azariah and nobo'ru produced the two clasps they had and after a delay due to Nobo'ru's apprehension about the door mechanism, the group went in leaving the clasps in their place.
-After going in, they saw two hallways with many doors, and eventually as they were going along single file they heard a voice in their heads. This voice identified itself as the leaders of the Knights of Gahazi and after some dialogue regarding the return of the ring, etc., Nobo'ru let slip that the ring was for the king. Andreas tried to explain about the Whispering Ones, but the entity did not believe in them and felt that identifying them was a waste of time.
-After weighing the legality of the possibility of fighting a group working for the King, the group decides to fight. Entering the first room, they fight cloaked figures who were roguish and wizard-like. When defeated, they dissolved, leaving only their cloaks- leading everyone to believe that they were in some kind of illusory realm.
-On the way to the next room, Andreas tries to disbelieve in the illusion but feels that completely disbelieving would result in his death, so he stops.
-The next room was a stone floor with a river of slime through the middle- and the group was attacked again, seemingly by the same foes as last time.
-During the fight, Abel completely disbelieves in the illusion and drops unconscious. The enemies are defeated.
April 16, 2009
Two Steps Forward...
Summaries for the past month:
-Returning to the city, the heroes present their victory to the King and Andreas throws a party afterward. Many nobles attend, including Lord Arim and his daughter Isabelle. Andreas succeeds in making the nobles have a good attitude towards him including Isabelle, and also succeeds in attacking a Whispering One without upsetting the guests.
-After some planning, the group decides to make a ring to unveil the king's whispering ones using a ring crafted with an Urash Tree seed inside. The group strikes out for the Urash garden in the middle of town and while Andreas, Abel and Kah-sim'Dul distract the Priests of the Stars, Azariah and Nobo'ru search for seeds. Azariah manages to get one while the local Priest of the Stars leader is distracted claiming the one Nobo'ru found.
-Lord Arim meets with Andreas privately and suggests that a coup take place. Andreas suggests patience on the part of the noble and that he wait for Andreas' plans to turn the king around to bear fruit.
-A ring is crafted for the king at no small cost to the party with the seed installed inside to give off light. It is left at Dakkon's place while the party goes to the barracks to rest.
-At night, the party is ambushed by an unknown entity. Azariah manages to rouse Andreas,
Kah-sim'Dul and Abel, and they frantically search for the mysterious figure as it disappears leaving only its cloak. Splitting up to search, one of these agents is found and then another. Both kill themselves before they can be knocked unconscious and questioned.
-Abel performs a “Speak to Dead” ritual on both of the dead agents. They are from the Knights of Gahazi- “Elias the Bright” is their leader. Their base is in a specific location in the Archmage's District which the party is aware of. They said a key is required to gain access safely.
-”Single-Whip” reform 1522-1619, MING Dynsasty
-Combined numerous taxes and labor obligations into a few items to be paid in silver, not in kind, as had been the case
-Returning to the city, the heroes present their victory to the King and Andreas throws a party afterward. Many nobles attend, including Lord Arim and his daughter Isabelle. Andreas succeeds in making the nobles have a good attitude towards him including Isabelle, and also succeeds in attacking a Whispering One without upsetting the guests.
-After some planning, the group decides to make a ring to unveil the king's whispering ones using a ring crafted with an Urash Tree seed inside. The group strikes out for the Urash garden in the middle of town and while Andreas, Abel and Kah-sim'Dul distract the Priests of the Stars, Azariah and Nobo'ru search for seeds. Azariah manages to get one while the local Priest of the Stars leader is distracted claiming the one Nobo'ru found.
-Lord Arim meets with Andreas privately and suggests that a coup take place. Andreas suggests patience on the part of the noble and that he wait for Andreas' plans to turn the king around to bear fruit.
-A ring is crafted for the king at no small cost to the party with the seed installed inside to give off light. It is left at Dakkon's place while the party goes to the barracks to rest.
-At night, the party is ambushed by an unknown entity. Azariah manages to rouse Andreas,
Kah-sim'Dul and Abel, and they frantically search for the mysterious figure as it disappears leaving only its cloak. Splitting up to search, one of these agents is found and then another. Both kill themselves before they can be knocked unconscious and questioned.
-Abel performs a “Speak to Dead” ritual on both of the dead agents. They are from the Knights of Gahazi- “Elias the Bright” is their leader. Their base is in a specific location in the Archmage's District which the party is aware of. They said a key is required to gain access safely.
-”Single-Whip” reform 1522-1619, MING Dynsasty
-Combined numerous taxes and labor obligations into a few items to be paid in silver, not in kind, as had been the case
March 11, 2009
A Death in the Family
3-8-09
-The party fights onward in spite of terrible exhaustion and overruns the Ruk Shol ballistas, capturing them all. They send their 11 soldiers and 4 mercenaries back to Neshuza with the ballistas at speed.
-The party encounters a red dragon breaking out of its bonds. A protracted engagement ensues and Abel is slain. Eldeth nearly burns to death, but is rescued by Azariah and Kas-ham'Dul. The dragon is finally slain.
-Abel's staff is seen hovering above the pool of tar he died in, glowing a brilliant white light.
-The party fights onward in spite of terrible exhaustion and overruns the Ruk Shol ballistas, capturing them all. They send their 11 soldiers and 4 mercenaries back to Neshuza with the ballistas at speed.
-The party encounters a red dragon breaking out of its bonds. A protracted engagement ensues and Abel is slain. Eldeth nearly burns to death, but is rescued by Azariah and Kas-ham'Dul. The dragon is finally slain.
-Abel's staff is seen hovering above the pool of tar he died in, glowing a brilliant white light.
March 6, 2009
Carnage
Azariah halted as a massive fireball conjured by Abel rolled between him and his prey, igniting a tar pit as hit went. Azariah was beyond civility now; his blades were greased with Ruk Shol blood, and in he loved nothing more than to slake their thirst for more. He shot Abel a feral look for interrupting his feverish hunt and turned back to see Andreas hurl a throwing axe at the Ruk-Shol shaman, the hatchet burying deep into his head. The burning sphere disappeared in a shimmering wave of heat. They picked up their hostage and went along stealthfully, with Azariah and Nobo'ru in front. Hearing the footsteps of something huge coming, Nobo'ru signaled and the battlefield was lit up again by Eldreth and Andreas' swords. Azariah, caught in plain sight, doubled back to a stone platform sticking out of the ground as he saw a massive Ruk-Shol like the one they fought at the Urash tree bounding towards them with all its might. Nobo'ru was gone, sweeping forward into the Ruk Shol's back line. An archer missed him by a hair's breadth, and without a murmur Nobo'ru stabbed the archer in the foot making him double over in pain and then he brought his short sword up to slash his throat open on one smooth double motion. The archer fell with gargle on the matted earth and he looked for the other one he saw with his keen eyes a moment before.
With a challenging curse that would rattle the most jaded veteran, Eldreth cowed the giant Ruk Shol as it charged in, but not before Abel burst fire all around the monster and a smaller Ruk Shol next to him who seemed insignificant. Working in unison as they had before at the Urash tree, Andreas and Azariah worked to surround the creature as it crashed into Eldreth. Kassam'dul brought potent magics to bear against the monster, but it seemed that with every wound made, another would heal. Azariah did as he had with the last creature like this and jammed his scimitars into its side to the hilt before ripping them out sideways with a rending tear. The giant Ruk Shol fell just as the last one at the tree had, but Azariah had no time to smile grimly at his handiwork. A battle frenzied Eldreth cried, "That's not good enough!" and with a cry that shook the stones on the ground she hacked into the creature's neck with her greatsword. Seeing another Ruk Shol charging in with its mane of hair still on fire, Andreas roared, 'HOLD FAST!' as he planted his banner in the foot churned earth. The frenzied Ruk Shol drove into them, its axe sweeping in berserk arcs.
Unseen by anyone but the archer he hunted, Nobo'ru pursued his prey relentlessly. The second archer drew away to fire a shot but from fear and adrenaline missed wide. Nobo'ru swept in and leapt from a stone into the air with his short sword in two hands as the archer nocked another barbed arrow. As Nobo'ru came down, his short sword drove straight through the archer's skull and toppled him over. Nobo'ru rode the corpse to the ground and tumbled over him, withdrawing his short sword as he rolled. Seeing his friends gathered around a single Ruk Shol, he charged back to them in time to see a decapitated monster rise from the ground, its nearly severed head sewing back onto its shoulders.
This Ruk Shol which had seemed insignificant before proved to be anything but. With its muscles straining as though they could burst out from its body, the frenzied creature swung about wildly, brutally glancing off of Eldreth's armor and nearly decapitating Azariah in a narrowly missed stroke. Kah-sim'Dul knocked the creature prone and Eldreth swung her boot in for a kick below the belt, but drove her boot into the tip of a rock mostly buried underground. Nobo'ru and Kassam'dul hemmed in the resurrected monster and with a flurry of strikes vanquished it again. Stepping to its feet with a roar, the Ruk Shol continued to fight, its swings even more powerful than before. Azariah weaved back and forth in coordination with Andreas, keeping the creature off balance and exposed to attack from either side. In quick succession, Andreas gouged its left leg causing it to stagger, then Eldreth buried her greatsword from the Ruk Shol's right shoulder halfway into its torso, and ripped it out, but it still was standing. "That's not enough!" Azariah said as he brought both of his scimitars into a double overhanded blow that punched through the Ruk Shol's back and out of his chest, and then dragged both blades down. The Ruk Shol fell over on its face, dead.
Turning toward the din of the battlefield ahead, the heroes steeled themselves for what was to happen next.
With a challenging curse that would rattle the most jaded veteran, Eldreth cowed the giant Ruk Shol as it charged in, but not before Abel burst fire all around the monster and a smaller Ruk Shol next to him who seemed insignificant. Working in unison as they had before at the Urash tree, Andreas and Azariah worked to surround the creature as it crashed into Eldreth. Kassam'dul brought potent magics to bear against the monster, but it seemed that with every wound made, another would heal. Azariah did as he had with the last creature like this and jammed his scimitars into its side to the hilt before ripping them out sideways with a rending tear. The giant Ruk Shol fell just as the last one at the tree had, but Azariah had no time to smile grimly at his handiwork. A battle frenzied Eldreth cried, "That's not good enough!" and with a cry that shook the stones on the ground she hacked into the creature's neck with her greatsword. Seeing another Ruk Shol charging in with its mane of hair still on fire, Andreas roared, 'HOLD FAST!' as he planted his banner in the foot churned earth. The frenzied Ruk Shol drove into them, its axe sweeping in berserk arcs.
Unseen by anyone but the archer he hunted, Nobo'ru pursued his prey relentlessly. The second archer drew away to fire a shot but from fear and adrenaline missed wide. Nobo'ru swept in and leapt from a stone into the air with his short sword in two hands as the archer nocked another barbed arrow. As Nobo'ru came down, his short sword drove straight through the archer's skull and toppled him over. Nobo'ru rode the corpse to the ground and tumbled over him, withdrawing his short sword as he rolled. Seeing his friends gathered around a single Ruk Shol, he charged back to them in time to see a decapitated monster rise from the ground, its nearly severed head sewing back onto its shoulders.
This Ruk Shol which had seemed insignificant before proved to be anything but. With its muscles straining as though they could burst out from its body, the frenzied creature swung about wildly, brutally glancing off of Eldreth's armor and nearly decapitating Azariah in a narrowly missed stroke. Kah-sim'Dul knocked the creature prone and Eldreth swung her boot in for a kick below the belt, but drove her boot into the tip of a rock mostly buried underground. Nobo'ru and Kassam'dul hemmed in the resurrected monster and with a flurry of strikes vanquished it again. Stepping to its feet with a roar, the Ruk Shol continued to fight, its swings even more powerful than before. Azariah weaved back and forth in coordination with Andreas, keeping the creature off balance and exposed to attack from either side. In quick succession, Andreas gouged its left leg causing it to stagger, then Eldreth buried her greatsword from the Ruk Shol's right shoulder halfway into its torso, and ripped it out, but it still was standing. "That's not enough!" Azariah said as he brought both of his scimitars into a double overhanded blow that punched through the Ruk Shol's back and out of his chest, and then dragged both blades down. The Ruk Shol fell over on its face, dead.
Turning toward the din of the battlefield ahead, the heroes steeled themselves for what was to happen next.
There's a Fire Burning...
As your ears cease to ring from the din of battle and become adjusted to the relative silence, the sound of a great battle is heard from across the open plain. Peering at the corpses of the massive figures the party has just felled, they seem blood-soaked, grimy, and reek of death and rotting flesh… Everything as expected from Ruk-Shol, though these fearsome foes obviously have more than just Ruk-Shol blood coursing through their veins. The din of battle from across the plain is loud, and concerned for your fellow brothers-and-sisters-in-arms you nearly dismiss something unusual about the corpses. There are scars and burns covering the flesh of the beasts, as would be expected, except that some of the burns seem to be scars from injuries in the distant past. The larger Ruk-Shol has nothing in the way of scars, but the smaller one has many and they all appear to be burns. The same is true of the two archers, who appear, as other s you have fought, to be fey judging by their features and frame, except for the usual black skin, white pupil-less eyes, and shock of white hair.
Peering out at the dimly lit horizon there is a vague ambiance in the sky. Scanning the breadth of the open horizon, there are six strong points of light, presumably magic that was involved in the attempt to confuse the Ruk-Shol. But there is another point, straight ahead where the battle is raging somewhere far beyond the range of your sight. It appears to be a warm red glow, contrasting sharply with the blue-white star-like ambiance shed by the magic of the sunrods. The sight is foreboding and for a moment you wonder “Have the others gotten to the villages and already begun to raze them? “ But an uncomfortable knot in your stomach seems to say otherwise.
Suddenly, you notice a loud, slow, creaking sound much closer to you and see eight fires lit across the span of the horizon. It’s not until the sound of rushing air is heard and the dots seems to grow larger that one of the troops shouts “INCOOOOOOOOOOMING!”
March 3, 2009
Fight On
-We're still attacking the encampment! Loud thunder noises were heard in the distance that did not sound like the cavalry ahead of us. We fought two encounters, and finished the second fighting an elite Ruk Shol warrior. We are continuing forward to the Borad-Elamites. That is all.
February 12, 2009
Marshalling Forth
After the meeting with the King, the party holds a meeting with the Borad-Elamites at Lord Hilchiah's manor. Andreas proposes that before a strong attack should be mounted, a scouting operation should be done. Bahirim of the BE's agrees to this plan and Nobo'ru and Azariah are sent out.
During the scouting mission, Azariah and Nobo'ru encountered flammable tar pits approaching the Ruk-Shol camp. There didn't seem to be any rhyme or reason to the tracks that they found, which were chaotic in nature.
Continuing to the encampment, they saw mobile siege weapons, including ballistas and catapults, but there were no advanced or fixed siege weapons such as trebuchets. As they were approaching the blacksmiths at the edge of the encampment, which was several miles wide, Azariah blundered in the dark and made a noise which alarmed the Ruk Shol and drew them out. Unable to encircle the camp and to count accurately, Azariah and Nobo'ru withdrew to Neshuza and recounted what they had seen. Approximately 80 Ruk-Shol came out to fight, and mobilized quickly.
After some discussion at Lord Hilchiah's manor, it was decided that some scouts would approach the camp with sunrods, then break them and run from the camp, drawing off some of the Ruk Shol in the process. There was a brief interruption as Lord Hilchiah became incenced at the idea of the Ruk-Shol being lead to Neshuza for the guards to deal with, and Andreas had to smooth this over and revamp the plan slightly. It was decided that since the Ruk Shol can see for about a mile in the dark, that they should gather a mile from the camp, then break sunrods and move in under full light, so that there would be no disadvantage of darkness. Lord Bahirim made a request to be the first wave, and Andreas acquiesced. Lord Bahirim, as a pledge of honor attached a soldier named Eldeth to the party, a Balkin blooded paladin.
The plan while in the camp was twofold: First, to capture if possible or destroy their siege weaponry, and second to make a clean escape. The use of the tar pits could aid in making an escape, as the pits are flammable.
Dakkon, who was also present at the meeting, was informed of the evil spirit near King Malevus by Abel, and also sent Kassam'dul (sp?), a fey-blooded elemental being (Earthsoul Genasi) and Sword Mage to accompany the party in combat. Andreas requested Dakkon's presence as an observer, and Dakkon replied simply that he had his ways and would help as much as he could.
The attack was mounted and the first battle for the party was fought successfully, with no one falling due to injuries. The new party members performed admirably in their efforts to keep the Ruk Shol footsoldiers at bay while other party members dealt with archers harrying the party. After defeating the Ruk Shol, they advanced on the camp.
Session Ends.
During the scouting mission, Azariah and Nobo'ru encountered flammable tar pits approaching the Ruk-Shol camp. There didn't seem to be any rhyme or reason to the tracks that they found, which were chaotic in nature.
Continuing to the encampment, they saw mobile siege weapons, including ballistas and catapults, but there were no advanced or fixed siege weapons such as trebuchets. As they were approaching the blacksmiths at the edge of the encampment, which was several miles wide, Azariah blundered in the dark and made a noise which alarmed the Ruk Shol and drew them out. Unable to encircle the camp and to count accurately, Azariah and Nobo'ru withdrew to Neshuza and recounted what they had seen. Approximately 80 Ruk-Shol came out to fight, and mobilized quickly.
After some discussion at Lord Hilchiah's manor, it was decided that some scouts would approach the camp with sunrods, then break them and run from the camp, drawing off some of the Ruk Shol in the process. There was a brief interruption as Lord Hilchiah became incenced at the idea of the Ruk-Shol being lead to Neshuza for the guards to deal with, and Andreas had to smooth this over and revamp the plan slightly. It was decided that since the Ruk Shol can see for about a mile in the dark, that they should gather a mile from the camp, then break sunrods and move in under full light, so that there would be no disadvantage of darkness. Lord Bahirim made a request to be the first wave, and Andreas acquiesced. Lord Bahirim, as a pledge of honor attached a soldier named Eldeth to the party, a Balkin blooded paladin.
The plan while in the camp was twofold: First, to capture if possible or destroy their siege weaponry, and second to make a clean escape. The use of the tar pits could aid in making an escape, as the pits are flammable.
Dakkon, who was also present at the meeting, was informed of the evil spirit near King Malevus by Abel, and also sent Kassam'dul (sp?), a fey-blooded elemental being (Earthsoul Genasi) and Sword Mage to accompany the party in combat. Andreas requested Dakkon's presence as an observer, and Dakkon replied simply that he had his ways and would help as much as he could.
The attack was mounted and the first battle for the party was fought successfully, with no one falling due to injuries. The new party members performed admirably in their efforts to keep the Ruk Shol footsoldiers at bay while other party members dealt with archers harrying the party. After defeating the Ruk Shol, they advanced on the camp.
Session Ends.
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