7th - 8th Day of Readying, CY 592
The Preparation
We had a rough idea of the odds we were facing in assaulting the fire door. A day and a half of planning laid the framework for our attack. Vannay had called the trumpet archon, Furiel, and he agreed to assist us in the battle. The decision had been made to teleport into Chymon’s chamber taking the battle to the spider riders and tower sorcerers from a better vantage point. The plan also opened the possibility of taking out the huge earth elemental before anyone else could join the battle. Everything was laid out. Tomorrow would show us how effective the plan was.
The Bridge Battle
We spent some time casting defensive and buffing spells. All the contingencies were considered. Though to our detriment, one possibility eluded us. Safadin and Vannay gathered the party around them, and we teleported into Chymon’s chamber.
Upon arrival in the chamber, we saw the huge earth elemental and a female human in chain mail. She immediately ordered the elemental onto the bridge, and then she disappeared from sight. The elemental was no match for the combined power of the party. Everyone got a chance to attack it before it even got close to the door. Uthgar in particular dealt severe damage to the elemental, and he killed it in his second series of attacks. Vannay summoned a second celestial creature, a bralani.
We could not discern the location of the woman, so Vannay and Delvanos moved to open the door with their fire symbols. While we waited for the door to open, we searched again for any sign of the woman. Thurlkosij determined that she was not in the range of his senses.
Once the door opened, we saw that the spider riders had been alerted to our presence. Victor was the first one through the door, and he was bombarded with a volley of arrows and a lightning bolt from the tower. None of the shots hit him, and the lightning bolt did little damage. Furiel went through next, and he was not damaged either by arrow volleys. He flew up into the midst of the three groups of spider riders, and then he spoke a holy word. A moment of silence followed, and then a wave of light encompassed all the riders. Every one of the riders was deafened blinded and paralyzed. It did not matter though, because all of their mounts were killed instantly. The whole lot of them, except for a few who smashed into the bridge, fell into the Stalagos. We spotted a tentacled shark moving quickly through the water, where it quickly began consuming the fallen riders.
The rest of the party except for Uthgar and Creden had made their way out onto the bridge. Vannay and Safadin took down one of the sorcerers with balls of fire and lightning. Delvanos took the other one down with some well-placed arrows.
The battle was over and victory was ours . . .
Before anyone knew what was going on, a dagger ripped through Creden’s midsection killing him instantly. We could not yet see who had done it, but there was little doubt. Uthgar called to everyone outside that Creden was down. Vannay reentered the room, and Thurlkosij spotted the hidden woman. Vannay cast glitterdust on her, so that everyone else could see her. Safadin fired a sound orb at her, and Delvanos hit her with an arrow. The woman wasted no time dealing with everyone else. She touched Creden’s body and dimension doored away.
A sick feeling washed over us. The victory over the tower guards was all but forgotten. We quickly fled the area, returning to the safety of the dwarven temple. We then began working on a plan to save our friend.
Sunday, January 15, 2006
Tuesday, January 10, 2006
From the Last War
The Razing Line
Between the Vesve Forest and the city of Crockport lies the Razing Line. A quarter mile wide area of utter desolation. During the Greyhawk Wars, the priests and mages of Iuz rained down fire and acid along this stretch of land. No life exists in this wasteland that forms the western flank of Iuz’s border with Furyondy. However, it was not created solely for the sake of destruction. Corpses of fallen soldiers from both sides of the war were sent here by the cartload. Great animating magics were placed on this most unfertile of lands. Furyondian scholars know that an army of the dead will be created here. Most believe that the Razing Line is the focal point of the next invasion.
The Bone Road
In the month of Coldeven CY 586, the Flight of Fiends took place when Canon Hazen used the Crook of Rao to drive most of Iuz’s high command from the world. This innaugurated the Great Northern Crusade, and within two years the cities of Crockport and Grabford had been reclaimed. All of the fiendish forces were driven beyond the Bone Road. The road stretched between the two cities and was decorated with skulls of fallen Furyondians impaled on pikes. Clearly it was meant to remind the fiends of the Road of Skulls stretching from the Howling Hills to the capital at Molag.
The Flare Line
The northern margraves have seen to it that their lands are protected. From Castle Ehlenestra in the west to the city of Morsten on the Veng River, the Flare Line has been erected. It is a joint project between the Baron of Kalinstren and Jakartai of Crystalreach with the full support of the late King Belvor. Baron Kalinstren wished to push forward into the lands of Iuz, but Jakartai and Belvor saw that this was impractical. So they focused his energies on a line of earthwork defenses. The Flare Line consists of deep ditches, bunkers and barriers. Every four miles along the line is a fortified militia camp. Constant work has kept the line well stocked to repel a full assault. Some generals believe that this line is little more than a stockhouse for supplies, because of its purely defensive nature.
Between the Vesve Forest and the city of Crockport lies the Razing Line. A quarter mile wide area of utter desolation. During the Greyhawk Wars, the priests and mages of Iuz rained down fire and acid along this stretch of land. No life exists in this wasteland that forms the western flank of Iuz’s border with Furyondy. However, it was not created solely for the sake of destruction. Corpses of fallen soldiers from both sides of the war were sent here by the cartload. Great animating magics were placed on this most unfertile of lands. Furyondian scholars know that an army of the dead will be created here. Most believe that the Razing Line is the focal point of the next invasion.
The Bone Road
In the month of Coldeven CY 586, the Flight of Fiends took place when Canon Hazen used the Crook of Rao to drive most of Iuz’s high command from the world. This innaugurated the Great Northern Crusade, and within two years the cities of Crockport and Grabford had been reclaimed. All of the fiendish forces were driven beyond the Bone Road. The road stretched between the two cities and was decorated with skulls of fallen Furyondians impaled on pikes. Clearly it was meant to remind the fiends of the Road of Skulls stretching from the Howling Hills to the capital at Molag.
The Flare Line
The northern margraves have seen to it that their lands are protected. From Castle Ehlenestra in the west to the city of Morsten on the Veng River, the Flare Line has been erected. It is a joint project between the Baron of Kalinstren and Jakartai of Crystalreach with the full support of the late King Belvor. Baron Kalinstren wished to push forward into the lands of Iuz, but Jakartai and Belvor saw that this was impractical. So they focused his energies on a line of earthwork defenses. The Flare Line consists of deep ditches, bunkers and barriers. Every four miles along the line is a fortified militia camp. Constant work has kept the line well stocked to repel a full assault. Some generals believe that this line is little more than a stockhouse for supplies, because of its purely defensive nature.
Tuesday, January 03, 2006
The Better Part of Valor
21st Day of Fireseek - 7th Day of Readying, CY 592
Verbobonc and Chendl
We spent nearly two weeks in Verbobonc waiting on some magical items to be prepared. In the middle of that time, we journeyed north to attend the funeral of King Belvor in Chendl.
Council of the Seven Families
The noble houses met on the day after the funeral services for Belvor. In a surprise move, Baron Jemain of Littleberg voted with the northern margraves in confirming Lord Benvol Throstin II as regent. The baron has occasionally voted with the margraves in the past, but he was not expected to in this major decision. The recent industrial fire in Caronis has led many to speculate that Iuz is planning a major invasion. The leader of the Order of the Hart is considered to be a better leader for a time of war.
The fallout of this decision will not be known for some months. It will almost certainly make the taxation issue even more problematic, since the southern lords have had a major setback.
Lord Anton Hargamac will take Throstin’s place at the head of the order while he is acting regent.
Ambush on the Bridge
We teleported back to the dwarven temple on the 4th day or Readying. Uthgar received a sending from Hedrack warning us against further incursions into the Outer Fane. We made out the next morning to continue our assault. About two-thirds of the way across the fire bridge, we activated a symbol of pain. Vannay and Uthgar were wracked with intense pain, but the remainder of the party resisted the effect. This seemed to be the signal for a massive ambush by the tower sorcerers and their spider eater riders. Two massive fireballs exploded around us killing Vannay instantly. Victor would have fallen as well, but his pact with Kord kept him alive. The rest of the party was severely injured as well.
The fire door began slowly opening and fifteen spider riders appeared from the crags in the fane. We quickly made the decision to fight this battle another day. Victor hoisted Vannay’s corpse onto his back and began the retreat. Delvanos made himself invisible and followed. A group of the spider riders launched a volley of arrows down upon us nearly killing Creden, but like Victor his pact with Saint Cuthbert saved him. Everyone else moved to Safadin’s side to escape with a dimension door. Just before we escaped, we saw a huge earth elemental at the entrance of the fire door. We regrouped in the dwarven temple, and we made the decision to leave for Verbobonc immediately.
The Raising and the Calling
The next day, we made our way to a clearing outside of Verbobonc. Victor prayed over the body of his longtime companion, and he was successful in bringing Vannay’s spirit back to his body.
We spent the remaining portion of the day planning out how we could best respond to the increased defenses of the fane. Hedrack wasted no time in taunting us about our retreat. Vannay suggested calling a powerful outsider to assist in the assault. He called the most powerful of the celestial archons, but he immediately broke the circle binding the outsider. The trumpet archon was impressed with the nature of our quest, and he agreed to aid us in the battle.
We continued forming the plan for our next move. The next day would be pivotal in our quest to bring down the cultists.
Verbobonc and Chendl
We spent nearly two weeks in Verbobonc waiting on some magical items to be prepared. In the middle of that time, we journeyed north to attend the funeral of King Belvor in Chendl.
Council of the Seven Families
The noble houses met on the day after the funeral services for Belvor. In a surprise move, Baron Jemain of Littleberg voted with the northern margraves in confirming Lord Benvol Throstin II as regent. The baron has occasionally voted with the margraves in the past, but he was not expected to in this major decision. The recent industrial fire in Caronis has led many to speculate that Iuz is planning a major invasion. The leader of the Order of the Hart is considered to be a better leader for a time of war.
The fallout of this decision will not be known for some months. It will almost certainly make the taxation issue even more problematic, since the southern lords have had a major setback.
Lord Anton Hargamac will take Throstin’s place at the head of the order while he is acting regent.
Ambush on the Bridge
We teleported back to the dwarven temple on the 4th day or Readying. Uthgar received a sending from Hedrack warning us against further incursions into the Outer Fane. We made out the next morning to continue our assault. About two-thirds of the way across the fire bridge, we activated a symbol of pain. Vannay and Uthgar were wracked with intense pain, but the remainder of the party resisted the effect. This seemed to be the signal for a massive ambush by the tower sorcerers and their spider eater riders. Two massive fireballs exploded around us killing Vannay instantly. Victor would have fallen as well, but his pact with Kord kept him alive. The rest of the party was severely injured as well.
The fire door began slowly opening and fifteen spider riders appeared from the crags in the fane. We quickly made the decision to fight this battle another day. Victor hoisted Vannay’s corpse onto his back and began the retreat. Delvanos made himself invisible and followed. A group of the spider riders launched a volley of arrows down upon us nearly killing Creden, but like Victor his pact with Saint Cuthbert saved him. Everyone else moved to Safadin’s side to escape with a dimension door. Just before we escaped, we saw a huge earth elemental at the entrance of the fire door. We regrouped in the dwarven temple, and we made the decision to leave for Verbobonc immediately.
The Raising and the Calling
The next day, we made our way to a clearing outside of Verbobonc. Victor prayed over the body of his longtime companion, and he was successful in bringing Vannay’s spirit back to his body.
We spent the remaining portion of the day planning out how we could best respond to the increased defenses of the fane. Hedrack wasted no time in taunting us about our retreat. Vannay suggested calling a powerful outsider to assist in the assault. He called the most powerful of the celestial archons, but he immediately broke the circle binding the outsider. The trumpet archon was impressed with the nature of our quest, and he agreed to aid us in the battle.
We continued forming the plan for our next move. The next day would be pivotal in our quest to bring down the cultists.
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