The battle over with The Third, they are standing in her room searching around when the priest disappears and the paladin reappears. The paladin moves for the next door and opening it they see a human male standing at the ready (he did hear through the walls) fully ready to fight. The paladin rushes forward bursting through the Forbiddance and attacking for little damage. Everyone who entered the room had to look at a Symbol of Death and very quickly the paladin was alone, the rest of his party dead on the ground. The evil priest takes a step back and casts a spell and the paladin finds himself dazed, paralyzed, and weakend from a Blasphemy spell for two minutes. The evil priest tries a spell, the paladin saves, tries another, the paladin saves, priest vanishes, reappears, casts another spell.
Blackness for all.
Time passes.
"He will be mine!" Thrommel commanded pointing at the paladin. The First shook his head, "We have bigger plans for him. You can have his companions as they are of no consequence to our plan."
Awakened to conscious thought again, this time there is a hunger inside you and a new found power that excites you. Soon, books are made available that tell in detail about the true history of the temple and just what the plan is. The wizard makes a series of rolls about the process of returning Tharizdun and he can't seem to figure out just how they are going to do it and he doesn't think its actually possible. The Temple begins sending them out across the land on missions to acquire items or aid in the capturing of slaves for sacrifice or feeding. Weeks turn into months, and nearly a year later the Temple sends them as emissaries to a place called Skull City, a city of necromancers dedicated to undeath and the Tomb of Horrors that they sprung up around.
A simple two day journey by air to the Vast Swamp, and to a large city with black stone walls, an undead gate guarded by Dark Nagas, and a city of mostly undead or aspiring necromancers. An gnarled, magic twisted old man takes them on a tour of the city proper. The mad Danele, prophet of Acererak, so haunted by visions of evil that he gouged his own eyes out after painting a 40 foot mural on the wall. A crazed woman clutching a book approaches them and speaking in halting, broken words she says that she was there, inside the tomb with her friends, but they are all dead now. For some reason (wink) she feels compelled to give them the book she carries. The Journal of the Tomb, detailing Desatysso's group that entered the Tomb some time ago, that ended with sadness and seeming a wizard who went to the next level, what ever that is.
Heading to the Black Academy the party meets Leon the entrance guardian who says no one enters without a good reason. Being a human who is alive, the wizard uses his dominate ability to gain entry and replace the paladins longsword with Leon's greatsword(hehe). In the foyer of the academy, they meet Mistress Ferranifer, a vampire necromancer who is also the headmaster to the school. They explain that they are emissaries for the Temple and that they only wish to begin a dialogue to better ties for the future.
Tuesday, November 24, 2009
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
Session 13
Sleeping in the large chamber where the arrowhawks had been and where the ogres had tried to kill them, the Secure shelter was quiet. Until a rapping at the door was heard. Getting up and realizing that the paladin was missing and the priest was back who was opening the door only to find a human male with scarred face and simple black robes.
"My name is Varachan and I think its time we had a conversation."
He explains that he has had a change of heart and is no longer a priest of Tharizdun. He wishes to atone for his sins and by helping the party believes he is. He explains all about the Doomdreamers and their plan to resurrect Tharizdun so he can come back and destroy the world. He says that he came forward because he had not heard from Hedrack in a few days and when he went to check on him he found the secure shelter. He truly wishes to help subvert the Doomdreamers and stop them from reviving Tharizdun. He explains all about the recovered temple and what is to go on there with the elemental nodes along with the Orb of Silvery Death and the Champion of Elemental Evil. He tells them that the magmin ambassadors could be a great way to encase this whole mountain in lave and on the way shows them a secret door that leads out to the Blasted yard, with its huge iron spike pounded into the center of the volcano. With some diplomacy the magmin agree that being used by priests of Tharizdun who lied and said they were of the Elder Elemental Eye certainly did not make them happy, and they would be glad to excite the volcano and make it erupt when they said it was time.
From the cliffside path that leads down from the secret door to the Blasted Yard, the wizard began ferrying people using his Dimension Door ability down to the door. Varachan comes down to open the door then leaves saying that he cannot risk any more, he does tell them to say "Tharizdun is great" upon entering this chamber and one other. Entering the Black Spike, it is bigger inside than outside, also strangely there is a purple stone just sticking down from the ceiling and wrought iron stairs going up. Going up they find a vrock who stands down upon uttering the words. Up again, and they find the purple stone now takes up most of the room in the tower and shapes seem to be floating in it. Once more up they hear, "The dark God gives much to those who risk much" and they find a skeleton fortune teller. The rogue pulls three cards, get out a situation, and three wishes. The fighter pulls 10 cards(no I don't run things like Decks and wishes like the rules say)and gets out of problems and major magic weapon (+5 Ghost Touch Heavy Flail), 1 wish, and loose all wealth, loose a level, gain a level, defeat your next encounter to level. The mage drew a few and got a major magic weapon(+3 Icy Burst Longsword) and three wishes.
Up the iron stairs one more time brings them to a sitting room with two doors. They open one and find a priest in reverie. Trying to enter the room, only the wizard gets through at first because of some spell(Forbidance). The priest let out a howl and stunned everyone but the wizard, but a priest cannot stand up against massive damage round after round so....
Sleeping in the large chamber where the arrowhawks had been and where the ogres had tried to kill them, the Secure shelter was quiet. Until a rapping at the door was heard. Getting up and realizing that the paladin was missing and the priest was back who was opening the door only to find a human male with scarred face and simple black robes.
"My name is Varachan and I think its time we had a conversation."
He explains that he has had a change of heart and is no longer a priest of Tharizdun. He wishes to atone for his sins and by helping the party believes he is. He explains all about the Doomdreamers and their plan to resurrect Tharizdun so he can come back and destroy the world. He says that he came forward because he had not heard from Hedrack in a few days and when he went to check on him he found the secure shelter. He truly wishes to help subvert the Doomdreamers and stop them from reviving Tharizdun. He explains all about the recovered temple and what is to go on there with the elemental nodes along with the Orb of Silvery Death and the Champion of Elemental Evil. He tells them that the magmin ambassadors could be a great way to encase this whole mountain in lave and on the way shows them a secret door that leads out to the Blasted yard, with its huge iron spike pounded into the center of the volcano. With some diplomacy the magmin agree that being used by priests of Tharizdun who lied and said they were of the Elder Elemental Eye certainly did not make them happy, and they would be glad to excite the volcano and make it erupt when they said it was time.
From the cliffside path that leads down from the secret door to the Blasted Yard, the wizard began ferrying people using his Dimension Door ability down to the door. Varachan comes down to open the door then leaves saying that he cannot risk any more, he does tell them to say "Tharizdun is great" upon entering this chamber and one other. Entering the Black Spike, it is bigger inside than outside, also strangely there is a purple stone just sticking down from the ceiling and wrought iron stairs going up. Going up they find a vrock who stands down upon uttering the words. Up again, and they find the purple stone now takes up most of the room in the tower and shapes seem to be floating in it. Once more up they hear, "The dark God gives much to those who risk much" and they find a skeleton fortune teller. The rogue pulls three cards, get out a situation, and three wishes. The fighter pulls 10 cards(no I don't run things like Decks and wishes like the rules say)and gets out of problems and major magic weapon (+5 Ghost Touch Heavy Flail), 1 wish, and loose all wealth, loose a level, gain a level, defeat your next encounter to level. The mage drew a few and got a major magic weapon(+3 Icy Burst Longsword) and three wishes.
Up the iron stairs one more time brings them to a sitting room with two doors. They open one and find a priest in reverie. Trying to enter the room, only the wizard gets through at first because of some spell(Forbidance). The priest let out a howl and stunned everyone but the wizard, but a priest cannot stand up against massive damage round after round so....
Tuesday, November 17, 2009
Matt Cutscene
Suddenly in a dense forest carrying a spear and wearing a finely wrought chain shirt, you look to your right and you see Heironeous similarly garbed. With a twinkle in his eye, he says, "Hear that?! They are coming get ready!"
Heironeous sets himself for a charge just as you hear the squeals and underbrush crashing. You quickly thrust the spear point down toward the sound just as the huge boar pierces himself on the tip throwing its weight into you. It trips you and pins your legs with its dying breath. A large hand reaches out and pulls you up and smiling he says, "we will eat well tonight!"
Suddenly in a dense forest carrying a spear and wearing a finely wrought chain shirt, you look to your right and you see Heironeous similarly garbed. With a twinkle in his eye, he says, "Hear that?! They are coming get ready!"
Heironeous sets himself for a charge just as you hear the squeals and underbrush crashing. You quickly thrust the spear point down toward the sound just as the huge boar pierces himself on the tip throwing its weight into you. It trips you and pins your legs with its dying breath. A large hand reaches out and pulls you up and smiling he says, "we will eat well tonight!"
Levi Cutscene
The priest of Vecna found himself floating again. The gray light that shined with no direction was actually calming, and having no landmarks to see made the stomach a bit queasy. The corner walls of a room come into view, and he thinks himself forward and lands on the plush carpet. The two enormous book cases are easily twenty feet tall and ten feet wide. Filled with books and dust from unknown ages, a single book, easily six feet wide lays out open to a page near the middle . Reading the undecipherable script is impossible, but then the letters rearrange themselves into the common tongue. Further reading and images begin to flood the brain quicker and quicker then...
You are standing in a ornate and expensive garden, the full noon day sun beats down and a well appointed woman is standing near,urging you on. The candle stands just three feet away unlit, and you raise your finger and it lights. The woman claps and smiles, fades...Nighttime. Fire. Mob with weapons charging through the beautiful garden, trampling the flowers. Woman in night gown dragged by her hair out under the stars. Stately official reading from a scroll but you only hear the woman sobbing. You struggle but strong arms grip you tight. The sword falls in a slow arc as the top of her head flings off with a snick, and equally as quick is the secondary swing that removes her head.
"Now for the boy!" the official says, "we need to be rid of these witches once and for all!" The men drag you kicking to in front of the swordsman and force you to kneel.
"Vecna you have been found guilty of witchcraft and by order of the Crown of Fleeth I condemn your soul to the pits of Hell!"
The swordsman raises the sword and you close your eyes and imagine yourself far away with your mother and you think you hear a voice in that silence. A quick rush of air and you are standing on a hill outside of town, turning your back you walk into the night.
The page of the enormous book turns to the next page.
A baby being born, screams, blood, and a dripping sound. A cry turns to a howl as the scaled head and nub horns followed by rows of sharp teeth, hellish eyes, and claws gripping at the air. Fades...cambion(half-demon) lighting a candle with a flick of a finger. A undead man with red coal eyes steps from the shadows and says his name is Vecna, and that he can take you from this place and teach you as a apprentice, agreeing he departs knowing that at night a torch wielding mob will burn his house to the ground along with his mother.
Riding a horse over a field of battle and into a walled city, rides you,Vecna, and a vampire warrior in front of a army of undead and living alike.
"And so the capital of Fleeth falls," adds the lich Vecna, "farewell not! None shall know of your existence for I shall wipe it from the histories!"
Fades...
Standing in the shadow of a tall single tower in the afternoon sun, you watch as Vecna and a the vampire warrior argue about tactics and then finally about the who controls what. Sword flashes, fires scorch, an explosion in a great cloud of dust and smoke, throwing you far into the field....darkness.
A multitude of wandering days, hungry, tired and lost. Finding a cave you find provisions...and what appears to be a secret lab of some sort. Turning it into a arcane lab was easy. Now to get the materials. Performing the ritual, becoming a lich,
"Now the work begins"
The book turns again.
A beautiful towered city rises majestically into the sky. Slim bridges join spans and people look out and walk along them. Then the sky darkens, and the people begin to lay down where they are and go to sleep. Thousands of people suddenly sleeping, darkness, cold, lifedraining.
Flash of dark horrific towers piercing the darkness amid flashes of lightning. Crumbling bridges and a soul numbing cold.
Now the page turns and the images are now of watching from a distance and flying over low treetops. A full moon is high in the sky illuminating a open space and a mound of earthwork and boulders layed out to form a skull when seen from the air.
The book closes and library disappears and you fall asleep only to wake up in a Secure shelter.
The priest of Vecna found himself floating again. The gray light that shined with no direction was actually calming, and having no landmarks to see made the stomach a bit queasy. The corner walls of a room come into view, and he thinks himself forward and lands on the plush carpet. The two enormous book cases are easily twenty feet tall and ten feet wide. Filled with books and dust from unknown ages, a single book, easily six feet wide lays out open to a page near the middle . Reading the undecipherable script is impossible, but then the letters rearrange themselves into the common tongue. Further reading and images begin to flood the brain quicker and quicker then...
You are standing in a ornate and expensive garden, the full noon day sun beats down and a well appointed woman is standing near,urging you on. The candle stands just three feet away unlit, and you raise your finger and it lights. The woman claps and smiles, fades...Nighttime. Fire. Mob with weapons charging through the beautiful garden, trampling the flowers. Woman in night gown dragged by her hair out under the stars. Stately official reading from a scroll but you only hear the woman sobbing. You struggle but strong arms grip you tight. The sword falls in a slow arc as the top of her head flings off with a snick, and equally as quick is the secondary swing that removes her head.
"Now for the boy!" the official says, "we need to be rid of these witches once and for all!" The men drag you kicking to in front of the swordsman and force you to kneel.
"Vecna you have been found guilty of witchcraft and by order of the Crown of Fleeth I condemn your soul to the pits of Hell!"
The swordsman raises the sword and you close your eyes and imagine yourself far away with your mother and you think you hear a voice in that silence. A quick rush of air and you are standing on a hill outside of town, turning your back you walk into the night.
The page of the enormous book turns to the next page.
A baby being born, screams, blood, and a dripping sound. A cry turns to a howl as the scaled head and nub horns followed by rows of sharp teeth, hellish eyes, and claws gripping at the air. Fades...cambion(half-demon) lighting a candle with a flick of a finger. A undead man with red coal eyes steps from the shadows and says his name is Vecna, and that he can take you from this place and teach you as a apprentice, agreeing he departs knowing that at night a torch wielding mob will burn his house to the ground along with his mother.
Riding a horse over a field of battle and into a walled city, rides you,Vecna, and a vampire warrior in front of a army of undead and living alike.
"And so the capital of Fleeth falls," adds the lich Vecna, "farewell not! None shall know of your existence for I shall wipe it from the histories!"
Fades...
Standing in the shadow of a tall single tower in the afternoon sun, you watch as Vecna and a the vampire warrior argue about tactics and then finally about the who controls what. Sword flashes, fires scorch, an explosion in a great cloud of dust and smoke, throwing you far into the field....darkness.
A multitude of wandering days, hungry, tired and lost. Finding a cave you find provisions...and what appears to be a secret lab of some sort. Turning it into a arcane lab was easy. Now to get the materials. Performing the ritual, becoming a lich,
"Now the work begins"
The book turns again.
A beautiful towered city rises majestically into the sky. Slim bridges join spans and people look out and walk along them. Then the sky darkens, and the people begin to lay down where they are and go to sleep. Thousands of people suddenly sleeping, darkness, cold, lifedraining.
Flash of dark horrific towers piercing the darkness amid flashes of lightning. Crumbling bridges and a soul numbing cold.
Now the page turns and the images are now of watching from a distance and flying over low treetops. A full moon is high in the sky illuminating a open space and a mound of earthwork and boulders layed out to form a skull when seen from the air.
The book closes and library disappears and you fall asleep only to wake up in a Secure shelter.
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
Session 12
Resting in a Leomud's Secure Shelter, the party rests after the harrowing combat with the Arrowhawks, close up the curtain, and pretend that the vampire wasn't watching every move from outside, which he was.There was much table talk about his being invited in. The priest was again sleeping on the Astral Plane. Then, the party, being harshly awoken to the sounds of muffled giant voices and a furious bashing on the cabin. The wizard decided to use his ability to Dimension Door to the far side of the room, but the ogre mage spotted him and couldn't react fast enough to stop the Fireball from getting them all and 'soften them up'. Two ogres charge the wizard and those in the cabin poke at ogres through the holes. The wizard casts Disintegrate at the vampire who appeared only to watch it seems, but who quickly fled. The ogre mage goes invisible and the other ogres continue beating on the cabin which now doesn't afford any protection. So out come the paladin and the fighter who begin cutting down ogres with relative ease.
After the fight, the party had to use a Knock spell and found a room of slaves in bad shape, spending some time healing them, they will now follow the party. They find the room that was a obvious ogre room figured out that they wouldn't have known about them unless someone had told them, a vampire perhaps.
This session began and ended with rest.
Resting in a Leomud's Secure Shelter, the party rests after the harrowing combat with the Arrowhawks, close up the curtain, and pretend that the vampire wasn't watching every move from outside, which he was.There was much table talk about his being invited in. The priest was again sleeping on the Astral Plane. Then, the party, being harshly awoken to the sounds of muffled giant voices and a furious bashing on the cabin. The wizard decided to use his ability to Dimension Door to the far side of the room, but the ogre mage spotted him and couldn't react fast enough to stop the Fireball from getting them all and 'soften them up'. Two ogres charge the wizard and those in the cabin poke at ogres through the holes. The wizard casts Disintegrate at the vampire who appeared only to watch it seems, but who quickly fled. The ogre mage goes invisible and the other ogres continue beating on the cabin which now doesn't afford any protection. So out come the paladin and the fighter who begin cutting down ogres with relative ease.
After the fight, the party had to use a Knock spell and found a room of slaves in bad shape, spending some time healing them, they will now follow the party. They find the room that was a obvious ogre room figured out that they wouldn't have known about them unless someone had told them, a vampire perhaps.
This session began and ended with rest.
Tuesday, November 03, 2009
Session 11
The spectre attacks the paladin takes two levels, and Caleb makes the save to only take one. The mage moves and casts Scorching Ray at the female priest and she dies. Then the fighter and paladin take it out. The new brother rogue searches a chest and it explodes nearly killing him. The mage uses open on the rest which all explode in a blast of cold. Lots of work for some potions of protection from elements fire and acid and lots of female jewelery that the mage mentioned "that it would be great but were 1000 miles away from a town that we could sell it". The cleric notices a man on the stairs but fails his WILL save and now is best friends with the vampire.
Moving forward down the hall they go down some more stairs and come to a door. Listening brings nothing but silence so they open it. On the floor are large symbols of a red lozenge, blue green square, brown triangle, and white circle. A summon monster 1 goes into investigate and nothing happens. Finally they enter and one of each type of elemental of large variety arrives. Nice fight but still short, due to at least 3 criticals I can remember. Going down some more steps they find a lever and dial with 12 spots, two silver circles, and a area of the room that drops 40feet into darkness. The rogue uses his dagger to break the circles and then uses some rope to decend into the pit. Down at the bottom it is filled with 12 forcecage cells mostly filled with living beings like halflings, human, lammasu, azir, troll. Then the rogue sees the vampire and manages to yell before he too has a new best friend.
Continuing down the hallway, they come to another door where the rogue hears flapping wings with lots of reverb. Opening the door the ceiling goes up about a 100feet and its dark up there, with windows open to the sky. Mage throws a fireball up and hits some arrowhawks who then being a fly by attack. The fighter notices the vampire and fails his save. The fight in the air takes longer because not everyone has a ranged weapon or are not that good with them. It comes down to the mage, who took a flyby attack and was nearly killed, while being healed he sees the vampire and makes his save and uses a lightning bolt on him. The vamp retreats.
A Leomud's Secure Shelter and rest...
The spectre attacks the paladin takes two levels, and Caleb makes the save to only take one. The mage moves and casts Scorching Ray at the female priest and she dies. Then the fighter and paladin take it out. The new brother rogue searches a chest and it explodes nearly killing him. The mage uses open on the rest which all explode in a blast of cold. Lots of work for some potions of protection from elements fire and acid and lots of female jewelery that the mage mentioned "that it would be great but were 1000 miles away from a town that we could sell it". The cleric notices a man on the stairs but fails his WILL save and now is best friends with the vampire.
Moving forward down the hall they go down some more stairs and come to a door. Listening brings nothing but silence so they open it. On the floor are large symbols of a red lozenge, blue green square, brown triangle, and white circle. A summon monster 1 goes into investigate and nothing happens. Finally they enter and one of each type of elemental of large variety arrives. Nice fight but still short, due to at least 3 criticals I can remember. Going down some more steps they find a lever and dial with 12 spots, two silver circles, and a area of the room that drops 40feet into darkness. The rogue uses his dagger to break the circles and then uses some rope to decend into the pit. Down at the bottom it is filled with 12 forcecage cells mostly filled with living beings like halflings, human, lammasu, azir, troll. Then the rogue sees the vampire and manages to yell before he too has a new best friend.
Continuing down the hallway, they come to another door where the rogue hears flapping wings with lots of reverb. Opening the door the ceiling goes up about a 100feet and its dark up there, with windows open to the sky. Mage throws a fireball up and hits some arrowhawks who then being a fly by attack. The fighter notices the vampire and fails his save. The fight in the air takes longer because not everyone has a ranged weapon or are not that good with them. It comes down to the mage, who took a flyby attack and was nearly killed, while being healed he sees the vampire and makes his save and uses a lightning bolt on him. The vamp retreats.
A Leomud's Secure Shelter and rest...
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