998 Barrakas 22nd-23rd
998 Barrakas 22nd after midnight the Village of Elton
The villagers of Elton were kind beyond our expectations. In gratitude for the rescue of their children the villagers feted us. Very generous and extravagant when you consider their limited means. We had precious little time in which to enjoy this honor as a distant crashing noise was heard outside. Given that we believed a Dragon Below Cult mage was still at large, we knew that a preemptive counter-attack on the village of Elton was possible. We quickly prepared to repulse the assault on the village. As we organized ourselves at the inn’s doorway, two of the bug-ogres burst from the forest and charged our company. This was something of a relief. Given the information we had from Erithel we knew there were more than ten still alive after our last raid. Ten would have spelled our doom as we could neither have defeated them nor would we have been willing to desert the helpless villagers. Two however was a threat that could be met. I employed my wand and shielded our warrior allies from the powerful blows of the bug-ogres. Vaegar retreated to the second story of the inn and began furiously sniping at the enemy. Once again Dorb Grittar proved his value to us by fearlessly laying into one of the bug-ogres with his cold sword. With Zed’s assistance, and minimal support from the rest of us, Grittar led us to victory as we slashed the bug-ogres to pieces. Although we won a decisive victory, a number of my company carried wounds serious enough to warrant immediate attention.
As I employed the healing powers granted me by Aurion, Boldrei, and the rest of the Host, a second wave of three bug-ogres burst out of the woods. Of far greater concern was that their “wizard” leader, the Shadowed One, followed the aberrations at a distance. Three of the bug-ogres were a serious threat and the powers of the black robed spellbinder were unknown but presumably great and therefore we feared for our lives. The three bug-ogres charged our small fellowship. One was blocked by Zed, another by Grittar but the third laid into Elarin and myself. I had little fear for Grittar and Zed or even Elarin, but with sympathetic magic protecting my allies my life was in serious jeopardy should I be seized with sympathetic pain and simultaneously sustain true physical damage. Therefore I began an orderly withdrawl to the inn’s interior. Elarin did his best to distract the bug-ogre with his elven rapier so I could escape but the soldier-sorcerer was getting far worse than he gave. Our warforged champion Zed and his bug-ogre were nearly equally matched so no help could come from that quarter. Then the black cloaked spellbinder, the Shadowed One, attempted to cast a paralyzation spell on me. I was very perplexed and disquieted at his selection of myself as the spell’s target. As any seasoned spellbinder knows, “priests” such as myself are very resistance to such magics. That meant that he was either very powerful or very foolish. And unfortunately he did not strike me as foolish. My fears were immediately confirmed when the Shadowed One cast a second such spell and overwhelmed my mental defenses. I was left helpless before the rampaging power of the adjacent bug-ogre. Furthermore this put my comrades in danger because, were I slain, the wand’s protective ward would cease to function. I thought I would die then but I resolved to protect my friends as long as possible. I would have died indeed but for quick thinking on Elarin’s part. With the elf warrior-wizard’s intimate knowledge of magic he quickly deduced what had occurred and he hastily scooped up my slight frame and ran for the inn. Elarin and I were only temporarily removed from the immediate danger. However Dorb Grittar came to our rescue after slaying his own bug-ogre. With the time Grittar bought us, I was able to fight off the spell’s paralytic effects and maintain the wand’s protective ward on my companions. It was at this time that the Shadowed One cast another paralysis spell, this upon Vaegar. As anyone trained in the arcane arts would predict our dwarven scout was overwhelmed by the Shadowed One’s power. Luckily Vaegar’s position on the inn’s second story roof kept him out of harm’s way. For the remainder of the skirmish Vaegar fought a losing battle against the power of the Shadowed One’s paralysis spell. Elarin took advantage of the respite offered by Grittar’s bold charge in order to launch his powerful firebolt spell at the Shadowed One. The spell stopped just short of the Shadowed One and it seems he just out of the spell’s considerable range. Instinctively Elarin darted forward and fired the last of his firebolt spells. This time he scored a clean strike searing the enemy “wizard”. At this point Zed had just slain his bug-ogre and joined Grittar against ours. It was now safe for me to cast my own spells so I placed a silence field on Elarin. As Zed and Grittar finished the last bug-ogre Elarin used his elven speed to charge the black cloaked “mage”. The one flaw in our unspoken plan was, of course, that the Shadowed One was not a wizard as we had suspected. This became readily apparent when Elarin engaged him at close quarters quarters with his deadly elven court sword. Instead of demonstating the expected fear, the Shadowed One drew a fighting pick from within his voluminous robes and drove the point deep into Elarin’s shoulder, parting the mithril links like butter. Another such blow would almost certainly have taken Elarin out of the battle in the happy event that he even managed to survive it. Elarin was forced to retreat. In the interim, our swordsmen Dorb Grittar and Zed had finished off the last bug-ogre and began moving in on what we suspect to be a warrior-priest of the Dragon Below Cult. Our entire party, with the exception of the paralyzed Vaegar, cautiously surrounded the Shadowed one at distance. As we did so the voluminous black robe slid away to reveal that the Shadowed One was no more a human than he was a wizard. We spied what seemed to be the living metal of warforged anatomy corrupted by application of Khyber-cursed aberration flesh. Just as we prepared to close our net around the abomination and bring him down, the Shadowed One used some sort of teleportation magic to escape us.
Even though the village of Elton is temporarily safe from Shadow One’s depredations, we could not claim a a true victory and move on. The Shadowed One and a number of his bug ogres remain at large in the cavern complex and we must face them once again and either drive them off or destroy them. I am beginning to suspect that the Shadowed One is beyond our power and is merely toying with us. But we must persist and do what we may for the innocent children of Elton, no matter what the cost to us.
998 Barrakas 23rd after midnight village of Elton
After the “Battle of Elton”, as the villagers call it, we rested ourselves and prepared for another assault on the cavern complex. When we arrived at Khyber’s doorstep it quickly became apparent that things had changed. Instead of being assaulted by multiple bug-ogres as expected we found only the silence of the grave. In minutes it became obvious that the only occupied area was what we suspected to be the Shadowed One’s lair. So with great trepidation we entered. The Shadowed One’s lair was in a medium sized, geometrically shaped, cavern (the shape of a flat topped house in cross section). It was clearly excavated and not of natural origin. The Shadowed One was on the other side of a seemingly bottomless abyss. I surmised that the pit descended straight down straight to Khyber (or even across dimensions to Xoriat). In any case, we dared not cross the pit because a fall would mean certain destruction. The Shadowed One was not interested in a physical confrontation and requested a parley. It seems that he desired to obtain the Xoriat-enchanted shard we obtained from the wreckage of the Cloudant. I was reluctant to hand the shard over even though my companions and I had discussed abandoning it on a number of occasions. I would not do so because I feared that the shard might be some fragment of a gate to Xoriat, or the key to such a gate. I also suspected that if we fought him without a significant tactical advantage we would surely be defeated. I stalled for time by threatening to destroy our backpack thereby severing the only access point to the extra-dimensional space which contained the shard. This was mostly bluff and bluster as my spell books were in the backpack and I would be powerless without them (though I would have sacrificed them to preserve our lives). When it became clear that we were at an impasse I hit upon a stratagem which just might have given us the decisive advantage we needed. I strolled to an acute corner of the cavern and slowly placed the shard on the stony floor. My thought was that if we could pin the Shadowed one in a corner and place a silence field on the fragment, we could defeat him and prevent his escape no matter how powerful he was. I had hoped my allies would guess what I was about and provide the noise and distraction necessary to pull this off but luck was not on my side. As I cast a silence spell upon the shard the Shadowed One guessed my purpose and effortlessly wove a counter-spell. I was sure we were about to die for my deception so I grasped at our only remaining hope: I threw the shard down into the pit, silently praying that it would fall all the way to Khyber (it was too much to hope that it would be returned to Xoriat). I knew this was a desperate act but I thought it was better than cowardly capitulation. Certainly Dorb Grittar did not support my desperate act. He went berserk, screamed curses at me, and charged at the Shadowed One, making an incredible leap across the bottomless abyss while fully armored. What then unfolded could only be named a duel between champions. Although we attempted to provide what assistance we might, we were unable to cross the chasm and take a direct role in the ensuing battle. Our efforts made little impact upon the unfolding tableau but Grittar did not seem to need us. He was a lion and fought as never before. The Shadowed One was hard pressed by the swordsman’s furious assault. In the end they grappled viciously near the edge of the pit and both tumbled to their deaths. However I am concerned that the Shadowed One had some magic that could potentially save him from the impact on that unseen bottom. Perhaps the teleport spell he employed in the previous battle, though it seems unlikely that one would be able to cast a spell while impacting the rocky walls of pit. We had no time to wonder or mourn because only a few heartbeats passed and then two bug-ogres crawled out the pit as if on cue and attacked. Fortunately we were able to retreat to the narrow access tunnel and with that limited front to ward us, we tore them apart. After looting the Shadowed One’s treasure we again journeyed back to Elton this time even more weary and heart broken than the last time, if that were possible.
We are now resting and restoring ourselves at Elton. We must marshal our strength and bide our time but we will not let this crime go unanswered. If he still lives, the Shadowed One will face our wrath for his part in Grittar’s death. We all owe Dorb Grittar our lives. Perhaps revenge on the Shadowed One will help me forget my own culpability. Dorb Grittar would have been a worthier guardian for the shard than I. The Sovereigns grant that you find the peace you deserve, mighty warrior.
The villagers of Elton were kind beyond our expectations. In gratitude for the rescue of their children the villagers feted us. Very generous and extravagant when you consider their limited means. We had precious little time in which to enjoy this honor as a distant crashing noise was heard outside. Given that we believed a Dragon Below Cult mage was still at large, we knew that a preemptive counter-attack on the village of Elton was possible. We quickly prepared to repulse the assault on the village. As we organized ourselves at the inn’s doorway, two of the bug-ogres burst from the forest and charged our company. This was something of a relief. Given the information we had from Erithel we knew there were more than ten still alive after our last raid. Ten would have spelled our doom as we could neither have defeated them nor would we have been willing to desert the helpless villagers. Two however was a threat that could be met. I employed my wand and shielded our warrior allies from the powerful blows of the bug-ogres. Vaegar retreated to the second story of the inn and began furiously sniping at the enemy. Once again Dorb Grittar proved his value to us by fearlessly laying into one of the bug-ogres with his cold sword. With Zed’s assistance, and minimal support from the rest of us, Grittar led us to victory as we slashed the bug-ogres to pieces. Although we won a decisive victory, a number of my company carried wounds serious enough to warrant immediate attention.
As I employed the healing powers granted me by Aurion, Boldrei, and the rest of the Host, a second wave of three bug-ogres burst out of the woods. Of far greater concern was that their “wizard” leader, the Shadowed One, followed the aberrations at a distance. Three of the bug-ogres were a serious threat and the powers of the black robed spellbinder were unknown but presumably great and therefore we feared for our lives. The three bug-ogres charged our small fellowship. One was blocked by Zed, another by Grittar but the third laid into Elarin and myself. I had little fear for Grittar and Zed or even Elarin, but with sympathetic magic protecting my allies my life was in serious jeopardy should I be seized with sympathetic pain and simultaneously sustain true physical damage. Therefore I began an orderly withdrawl to the inn’s interior. Elarin did his best to distract the bug-ogre with his elven rapier so I could escape but the soldier-sorcerer was getting far worse than he gave. Our warforged champion Zed and his bug-ogre were nearly equally matched so no help could come from that quarter. Then the black cloaked spellbinder, the Shadowed One, attempted to cast a paralyzation spell on me. I was very perplexed and disquieted at his selection of myself as the spell’s target. As any seasoned spellbinder knows, “priests” such as myself are very resistance to such magics. That meant that he was either very powerful or very foolish. And unfortunately he did not strike me as foolish. My fears were immediately confirmed when the Shadowed One cast a second such spell and overwhelmed my mental defenses. I was left helpless before the rampaging power of the adjacent bug-ogre. Furthermore this put my comrades in danger because, were I slain, the wand’s protective ward would cease to function. I thought I would die then but I resolved to protect my friends as long as possible. I would have died indeed but for quick thinking on Elarin’s part. With the elf warrior-wizard’s intimate knowledge of magic he quickly deduced what had occurred and he hastily scooped up my slight frame and ran for the inn. Elarin and I were only temporarily removed from the immediate danger. However Dorb Grittar came to our rescue after slaying his own bug-ogre. With the time Grittar bought us, I was able to fight off the spell’s paralytic effects and maintain the wand’s protective ward on my companions. It was at this time that the Shadowed One cast another paralysis spell, this upon Vaegar. As anyone trained in the arcane arts would predict our dwarven scout was overwhelmed by the Shadowed One’s power. Luckily Vaegar’s position on the inn’s second story roof kept him out of harm’s way. For the remainder of the skirmish Vaegar fought a losing battle against the power of the Shadowed One’s paralysis spell. Elarin took advantage of the respite offered by Grittar’s bold charge in order to launch his powerful firebolt spell at the Shadowed One. The spell stopped just short of the Shadowed One and it seems he just out of the spell’s considerable range. Instinctively Elarin darted forward and fired the last of his firebolt spells. This time he scored a clean strike searing the enemy “wizard”. At this point Zed had just slain his bug-ogre and joined Grittar against ours. It was now safe for me to cast my own spells so I placed a silence field on Elarin. As Zed and Grittar finished the last bug-ogre Elarin used his elven speed to charge the black cloaked “mage”. The one flaw in our unspoken plan was, of course, that the Shadowed One was not a wizard as we had suspected. This became readily apparent when Elarin engaged him at close quarters quarters with his deadly elven court sword. Instead of demonstating the expected fear, the Shadowed One drew a fighting pick from within his voluminous robes and drove the point deep into Elarin’s shoulder, parting the mithril links like butter. Another such blow would almost certainly have taken Elarin out of the battle in the happy event that he even managed to survive it. Elarin was forced to retreat. In the interim, our swordsmen Dorb Grittar and Zed had finished off the last bug-ogre and began moving in on what we suspect to be a warrior-priest of the Dragon Below Cult. Our entire party, with the exception of the paralyzed Vaegar, cautiously surrounded the Shadowed one at distance. As we did so the voluminous black robe slid away to reveal that the Shadowed One was no more a human than he was a wizard. We spied what seemed to be the living metal of warforged anatomy corrupted by application of Khyber-cursed aberration flesh. Just as we prepared to close our net around the abomination and bring him down, the Shadowed One used some sort of teleportation magic to escape us.Even though the village of Elton is temporarily safe from Shadow One’s depredations, we could not claim a a true victory and move on. The Shadowed One and a number of his bug ogres remain at large in the cavern complex and we must face them once again and either drive them off or destroy them. I am beginning to suspect that the Shadowed One is beyond our power and is merely toying with us. But we must persist and do what we may for the innocent children of Elton, no matter what the cost to us.
998 Barrakas 23rd after midnight village of Elton
After the “Battle of Elton”, as the villagers call it, we rested ourselves and prepared for another assault on the cavern complex. When we arrived at Khyber’s doorstep it quickly became apparent that things had changed. Instead of being assaulted by multiple bug-ogres as expected we found only the silence of the grave. In minutes it became obvious that the only occupied area was what we suspected to be the Shadowed One’s lair. So with great trepidation we entered. The Shadowed One’s lair was in a medium sized, geometrically shaped, cavern (the shape of a flat topped house in cross section). It was clearly excavated and not of natural origin. The Shadowed One was on the other side of a seemingly bottomless abyss. I surmised that the pit descended straight down straight to Khyber (or even across dimensions to Xoriat). In any case, we dared not cross the pit because a fall would mean certain destruction. The Shadowed One was not interested in a physical confrontation and requested a parley. It seems that he desired to obtain the Xoriat-enchanted shard we obtained from the wreckage of the Cloudant. I was reluctant to hand the shard over even though my companions and I had discussed abandoning it on a number of occasions. I would not do so because I feared that the shard might be some fragment of a gate to Xoriat, or the key to such a gate. I also suspected that if we fought him without a significant tactical advantage we would surely be defeated. I stalled for time by threatening to destroy our backpack thereby severing the only access point to the extra-dimensional space which contained the shard. This was mostly bluff and bluster as my spell books were in the backpack and I would be powerless without them (though I would have sacrificed them to preserve our lives). When it became clear that we were at an impasse I hit upon a stratagem which just might have given us the decisive advantage we needed. I strolled to an acute corner of the cavern and slowly placed the shard on the stony floor. My thought was that if we could pin the Shadowed one in a corner and place a silence field on the fragment, we could defeat him and prevent his escape no matter how powerful he was. I had hoped my allies would guess what I was about and provide the noise and distraction necessary to pull this off but luck was not on my side. As I cast a silence spell upon the shard the Shadowed One guessed my purpose and effortlessly wove a counter-spell. I was sure we were about to die for my deception so I grasped at our only remaining hope: I threw the shard down into the pit, silently praying that it would fall all the way to Khyber (it was too much to hope that it would be returned to Xoriat). I knew this was a desperate act but I thought it was better than cowardly capitulation. Certainly Dorb Grittar did not support my desperate act. He went berserk, screamed curses at me, and charged at the Shadowed One, making an incredible leap across the bottomless abyss while fully armored. What then unfolded could only be named a duel between champions. Although we attempted to provide what assistance we might, we were unable to cross the chasm and take a direct role in the ensuing battle. Our efforts made little impact upon the unfolding tableau but Grittar did not seem to need us. He was a lion and fought as never before. The Shadowed One was hard pressed by the swordsman’s furious assault. In the end they grappled viciously near the edge of the pit and both tumbled to their deaths. However I am concerned that the Shadowed One had some magic that could potentially save him from the impact on that unseen bottom. Perhaps the teleport spell he employed in the previous battle, though it seems unlikely that one would be able to cast a spell while impacting the rocky walls of pit. We had no time to wonder or mourn because only a few heartbeats passed and then two bug-ogres crawled out the pit as if on cue and attacked. Fortunately we were able to retreat to the narrow access tunnel and with that limited front to ward us, we tore them apart. After looting the Shadowed One’s treasure we again journeyed back to Elton this time even more weary and heart broken than the last time, if that were possible.
We are now resting and restoring ourselves at Elton. We must marshal our strength and bide our time but we will not let this crime go unanswered. If he still lives, the Shadowed One will face our wrath for his part in Grittar’s death. We all owe Dorb Grittar our lives. Perhaps revenge on the Shadowed One will help me forget my own culpability. Dorb Grittar would have been a worthier guardian for the shard than I. The Sovereigns grant that you find the peace you deserve, mighty warrior.
Labels: Dinnivan, Dungeons and Dragons, Eberron
posted by DM1979 | 11/13/2006 08:03:00 PM
1 Comments:
Great job. It's such a hoot to read these!
-- T.
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