Talsil 2nd - Talsil 11th
Through the Southern Dawnspears to the Lost Caverns of Tsojcanth
Three vampire nobles set out from Haven under cover of darkness, having decided upon a very indirect route back to Saspien. If the wedding crashers proved anything (especially the assassin covered in cake), the precaution was quite necessary. Their path would take them through the southern Dawnspears, down into the Holy Nors Empire and across the breadth of the Black Forest. After scaling the 'Western Wall', they'd circle the Saspish Vale and quietly enter the capital. They'd travel at night, when the advantage was theirs, especially while in Nors lands.
It was an ambitious undertaking, but Diana, Renato and Isabella knew well life's cruelties and the hardships of the road (whether it crossed Othyr, the Wild or Cadavera). Their first protection from them was to put aside their old names in favor of traveling personae, and Diana became Caprica, Renato Leonardo, and Isabella had some time ago decided upon Raven.
What sounded daunting plotted out on a map, proved nearly impossible in practice. Three nights of scrambling up and down slopes, avoiding ravines too wide to cross and peaks to shear or treacherous to climb, suffering the cold and wind, they began to doubt. The blisters and the scrapes and the constant backtracking began to take their toll.
Two Roads
On the fourth night, Raven sought answers in her spell book, coming upon the 'Speak with Nature' ritual. Invoking Hecate, she garnered the attention of a flurry of rats and a wheeling crow. She'd only two questions at her disposal, posing the first to the rats and asking by what means could she and her friends safely traverse the mountains headed south. They offered two paths, a dark road and a high road. The dark road would take them through the Lost Caverns of Tsojcanth, a network that wound beneath much of the southern Dawnspears. The high road was a hidden causeway paved by stone giants in time immemorial, spanning the Dawnspear and the Dormud.
Raven had read of the Lost Caverns during a summer in Ravenloft, recalling a powerful archmage by the name of Iggwilv interred her greatest treasure within the dungeon bowels, and otherwise kept the caverns as one of her many centers of power. Archmages come and go, but the caverns endured, taking on all manner of strange creature and challenging all manner of greedy, bold and foolish soul looking to rob the former Witch Queen of Rakados, who in her day was known as a terrible demon-conjurer. Yet the tastiest tidbit about the Lost Caverns was scribbled in the margin by what Izzy could only assume her grandfather, that the greatest treasure was in fact Iggwilv's sleeping daughter, a dhampir named Drelzna von Zarovich.
Caprica was all but convinced with the notion of a long-lost relative, but Leonardo would have still chosen their intended route if not for the other morsel of knowledge Raven stirred up, that within Tsojcanth were likely several crossings into other planes. She was certain one would lead back to Cadavera. Of course, she was just as certain another would lead to the infinite layers of the Abyss. But what were the odds of confusing those two?
Once in Cadavera, it'd be a simple matter to return to Ravenloft, as which point they could use the wardrobe to pass into Raven's own room in Castle Saspien. And so the way was decided, Raven asking the crow in which direction to head. She aimed her peak toward the Heartwood, a distant taiga forest that stood between the southern Dawnspears and the vast Roam, and said to find the 'Broken Door'. She tried asking what dangers were in store, but the magic was spent, and the beasts scattered.
Hunted
Two nights on a southwestern bent, guided by the steadily growing Heartwood, saw much of the same blisters, scrapes and muddying. Despite knowing what to find, they had no idea how to find it. A broken door in a mountain chain might as well have been a copper piece or a hairpin.
Matters were made worse on the third night, when Leonardo noticed movement out the corner of his eye. He circled back, but could find nothing. In the days that followed, as they rested, occasionally dust rained from ledges above their shelters, or they heard animal cries not quite animal enough. By the fourth night, the vampires were convinced they were being hunted, though not once did they spot by what. Rather stealthy themselves, they clung to the shadows between rocks, and it seemed, for the moment, their pursuers couldn't quite find them either.
Then about noon the fifth day, the vampires were woken by guttural, broken Nors. Their hunters had perched literally right above them, talking back and forth on their difficult quarry, and how angry the laird would be if he found out trespassers walked his mountains. They were very good trackers, having determined two women and a lithe man were in their numbers, and made assumptions based off strands of hair, tatters of clothing and faint perfume.
The girls recognized 'laird' was the title of a lord of earth fey, a land owner, be it a rock gnome, korred or the like. These were his vassals, and he sounded an exacting master. But they were no closer to the Broken Door and time, Raven hoped, was still a factor in foiling the potential coup.
Your Best Demon Impression
Raven peeled away her shadow and sent it into a nearby tree. There it questioned the hunters of their intentions. They screamed like apes and threw stones and stone-tipped spears, which only made the shadow laugh. It warned them of hellish consequences for crossing it, and some of the hunters outright fled. Those that stayed wanted the trespassers brought out into the open so they might be questioned, and the shadow stated it spoke for them.
It was honest enough, explaining three travelers were heading south for Nors lands. However they needed a guide. The lot of them refused, uttering they didn't go into blue-eye lands. When questioned about their laird, they banged their weapons and howled, and when the shadow spoke of the Lost Caverns of Tsojcanth, they screamed of demons and trolls and all but one fled.
She alone leaped down off her perch and cowered as the shadow explained the travelers only wanted to get home, and the hunter assumed it meant to Tsojcanth, making these travelers demons. Terrified beyond understanding, she cowered and agreed to take them if they'd spare her soul. Raven was quite pleased with herself, turning toward an equally-pleased Caprica and dismissive Leonardo. "Maybe..." he said in regards to her soul's ultimate fate.
The hunter wasn't a gnome or fey at all, like they might have expected, but a human woman, painted in gray mud all dried and crackled, in hides with bone adornment, carrying flint weaponry. And yet she spoke a crude Nors, like imperials that time forgot, literally stone-age.
The three vampires revealed themselves and their guide, never looking them in the eye, for the eyes were the windows to the soul, danced forward, sometimes on all fours, or on two, like a monkey. She was quite good at it, often leaving the demons behind her struggling to catch up, though like a good guide stopped often. Leonardo's menace never left her tarrying long, though, as they descended for hours.
The Broken Door
Maybe an hour before sunset, the monkey woman stopped suddenly before a ledge and pointed down. Over it gaped the Broken Door, built into the cliff side they couldn't quite see, overlooking a hundred foot drop onto stony teeth. Leo's eyes widened hungrily at all the shinies stuck in those teeth, weapons and coin on picked bones. A plan was drawn, in which Caprica would scout the cliff side down one rope, Leonardo would forage the jagged rocks below (all three of them were currently cut off from their trust funds after all), and Raven would watch the ropes. That left the monkey woman, though, who Leo took by the scruff and swore to kill and rape if she tried anything. The moment was so horrifying, she passed out of fright and defecated herself, drawing a long look from Caprica.
Leonardo managed to recover quite a few coins and a few items, while Diana found a narrow, crumbling ledge leading to the massive doorway built into the cliff. It seeped a horrid, sour-sweet wreak...
Commotion eventually drew both Leo and Caprica's eyes upward, watching Raven back away slowly before a swarm of mountain people. They'd come back to rescue their brave, lone warrior and found her lying in her own shit, perhaps wounded. They flung rocks and spears at Raven, some which hit, and she fell off the edge with a terrible scream. Caprica's eyes widened, and Leonardo scrambled up the rope in some heroic and futile effort to catch her, but nearly twenty feet down she vanished in a wisp of black and materialized giggling next to her friend on the ledge. Leonardo sighed, grumbled, then climbed up to meet them, getting a blown kiss for the effort.
The mountain people were entirely convinced of their victory and celebrated with raucous cheers. Short-lived cheers, though, which quickly turned to shrieks as something whose footsteps were as thunder and quake attacked. Sounds of squishing and scattering commenced.
Inching their way across the crumbling ledge, the vampires came at last to the Broken Door, a slab of stone some forty feet high and five feet thick, slouched and shattered inward the cliff side, revealing a tremendous staircase of carved mountain spiraling down. Minute etchings covered the door, but nothing the vampires could read, same too for the much cruder blood symbols smeared over it and cavern walls. It wreaked of rotten meat within, the air jarringly hot and humid in contrast to the cold, windy mountains.
Six Heads Cavern
After sixteen turns around the giant staircase, the group emptied into a wide, low natural cavern riddled with brackish puddles and dripping cave sweat and fat spiders. The largely granite walls were carved in the likeness of six ugly faces, with floppy ears, hanging jowls, tusks, pig noses and toad eyes. Each warded a tunnel, six in all, all seemingly as natural as the cavern. And on each of their tongues, gems glistened.
When they approached the faces, hoping to glean which path was best, the stonework contorted and each construct began to shout, "TURN BACK! THIS IS NOT THE WAY!" Each voice was painful in the caves, and reverberated back up the stairs and down each of the halls. Caprica nervously tried to engage them, but they all seemed programmed to say the same thing, which only changed when she questioned which was the right way. To this they all shouted, "I AM THE RIGHT WAY!" No help, of course, though as Raven receded to the center of the chamber and covered her ears, trying to think amidst the cacophony, Leo and Caprica spotted a sixth face only mouthing words. The way its eyes rolled and tongue flopped, it looked to be choking instead of speaking. The other faces warned, "LEAVE HIM ALONE!" but soon Renato was deftly jabbing the butt of his glaive into its yawning maw (no one trusted putting their hand in) and dislodging a huge diamond.
Unfortunately, the huge diamond shrunk once out of the huge mouth, becoming a measly pea that clattered at Raven's feet. She picked it up curiously, eventually determining (and quite tempted to slip it in her mouth) that it had the amazing property to mute anyone whose mouth it was shoved in. More so, it prevented them from expressing anything other than panic and a need for help. With a sly grin, the girl tucked it away for some undoubtedly perfect time.
The face, painted in bloody symbols like the door and walls (by the same huge fingers), excitedly thanked Leo over and over again. He had an overbearing way about him, though in his defense he was a man-sized face, with an over-sized voice that sounded like some stereotypical dwarf with a heavy accent. He quieted the other constructs down, and Caprica proceeded to ask him some questions about the caverns.
Dungeon Politics
He informed them rumors of the two crossings were true, one to a dark place, and another to a place that made the dark look like a fancy picnic. They were both of them in the bowels of the dungeon, but in order to reach them, they'd need to pass through one of two territories. Drelzna the Treasured ruled one lobe of the Greater Caverns, and the other the Troll King. They'd been warring each other for close to seven years, since the demon vampire had awoken and laid claim to her mother's property. The trolls, however, weren't giving it up, especially after having settled it for so long.
Caprica with visions of alliances in her head turned to Raven, wondering if their ancestor could be trusted as an ally. Leonardo was quick to remind the girls their only allegiance was to the three vampires in this cave and their mission, and to Hell with the rest.
I Hate Trusting Things
Because the face owed them so much, he opened up a section of his tunnel's flooring, revealing a narrow crawlspace that stunk of something other than rot (bitter, bug-ridden muck). It would bypass much of the Lesser Caverns, and bring them to a crossroads. Left would take them toward Drelzna's defenses, right would lead them to the troll city.
Offered a path too good to ignore, however much the risk, Raven, Leonardo and Caprica climbed hands-and-knees into the slime and worms. With Leo's grim sentiment, "I hate trusting things," they proceeded to crawl down the oppressive, black chute. Behind them, the face offered a half-spoken 'good luck' before sealing the entrance again.
As they slipped and squished on, covered in filth, there was no real way of telling where they were heading. Leo could only wonder what those symbols meant painted on the face's cheeks and forehead. In the pit of his gut, he suspected 'Liar'.
Experience: 1000 xp each (31, 928 total)
Finding Tsojcanth, 2400
The Sixth Head of Tsojcanth, 600
Magic: The Diamond Chip (Isabella)
Money: - 80gp (Izzy, Speak with Nature components), +466gp each
Loot: Steel helm, steel buckler, tattered purple cloak, ornate longsword scabbard with orange teardrop gems (worth approximately 900 gp)
New NPCs
The Mountain People (race): A stone-age version of the Nors, kept simple and humble by a rock fey lord known as "laird". They're filthy, groveling, but they know their mountains intimately. They fear the imperials as "blue-eyes".
"Monkey Woman": A she-hunter of the Mountain People brave and stupid enough to face Isabella's shadow. She found herself in the vampires' service, taking them to the broken door of the Lost Caverns. Renato named her for the apish way in which she climbed. She was 'rescued' by other hunters, or so Izzy led them to believe with her staged fall, but they were then attacked by something bigger, a giant perhaps. Whereabouts unknown.
The Sixth Head of Tsojcanth: The only stone face willing to actually hold a conversation in the initial 'six heads' cavern, once Renato dislodged a magic diamond chip gagging the poor construct. It spoke loud and boisterous, like some dwarven stereotype, in a decided accent, explaining the current politics of the caverns before offering a secret passage to a crossroads, heading either to the dhampir or the troll city. He was painted up in bloody symbols likely drawn by giants or trolls, though none in the group could decipher their meaning. Renato feared they meant 'Liar'.
New Hooks
Laird of the Mountain People
Who is the fey lord ruling the cave people?
Some Forgotten Auntie
Is Drelzna a potential ally? Or a typical von Zarovich? Why was she interred in Tsojcanth?
Choosing Sides
Whose side will you join to find the shadow crossing? Drelzna's? The Troll King's? Play both?
Friday, May 14, 2010
Wednesday, May 12, 2010
Session 67a: No Safe Haven
Talsil 2nd
After a hard night of goodbyes and troubled thoughts, the sun rose, bringing a modicum of hope to the battle-torn wedding lawn and shocked village populace. The injured were mended through a combination of healer's lore and Kalinda's divine grace. Cleaning efforts began. Though burdened friends had left under cover of darkness, and fourteen lives had been lost, there were reasons still to be thankful.
Kaylan knelt before the broken platform, gathering a small crowd of like-minded-worshipers paying their respects to the sun goddess. Thamior spent most of his morning on the roof of the Sunny Side, or else pacing, desperate to find clues to the mysterious ghost who'd all but promised his wife and children's destruction. Tyvis kept a sharp eye for trouble, and took solace in his little sister, still so brimming with life despite the tragedy hours earlier. Gens found he was a real catch, and ended up with four magic wedding gifts to eventually bestow on the newlyweds (and a warm bed should he ever require it).
Relic came by not long after offering to take Chiela under his wing, as he would be doing for Bella and likely Tina for the foreseeable future. Though the girl was appreciative of all Relic's efforts, Tyvis had accurately predicted she wanted to live with her momma. Of course, there was the small matter of getting Chiela back to Barovia, whereupon she asked Relic to be her escort so her big brother could stop some of his worrying.
While the cleric and the swordmage spent the better part of the afternoon enjoying Bella's company and figuring the best way to part with Tina, Chiela spent quality time with her brother and the new bard knowing full well their time together was growing short. However far they may be apart, though, Gens had given Tyvis a means for the he and his sister to always keep in touch. It was called a 'sending' ritual, which would allow them to trade short messages.
Yet despite the offered kindness, Tyvis had certain assumptions of the bard, namely that he was a womanizer looking for only one thing from ladies, which, by observing his one encounter with the village girl Merryweather, might have seemed accurate, if not for Gens protests otherwise. Tyvis ended up with his foot in his mouth when a curious Chiela asked what 'bedding' a woman meant, which began a rather coy series of masked commentary ultimately ending in Chiela's firm deduction: grownups are very, very, very silly sometimes.
The conversation prompted Chiela to ask Tyvis why he wasn't married, hitting a nerve in the young man and bringing both Waylans nearly to tears with memory of Kaern. Gens, taken entirely off guard, offered them some privacy, but the little girl was smiling in no time and ran off to get something to eat. Tyvis, meantime, wandered to the stream and glumly stuck his feet in its drink. Gens wandered after, insistent to know what that was all about, and eventually realizing Mara had wounded more than just Isabella.
At Kaylan's behest, Thamior retrieved Tina from the lawn. On their way back to the inn, she divulged to him that she'd heard a voice in her head during the events yesterday. This alone was enough to give Thamior alarm (for obvious reasons), but Tina said the voice sounded like her late mother. He'd actually come upon her praying for them. She was ashamed for having been thankful for the voice, even though it was heard in the midst of battle, but the feladrin assured her it was nothing to feel shame about.
She ran along ahead, entering Bella's nursery and planting her sister and second mother with a single kiss. As their family was joined, Tina knew something was wrong by the way Kaylan's face quirked and her eyes glistened. She told her story about the voice, and how much she loved everyone, hoping to clear the air. Kaylan, in turn, explained how much she loved her and how important it was she continue to be a good protector. Tina began to hyperventilate, knowing what was coming, even as Kaylan forced herself to say the words. For the girl's own protection, she must stay behind, with Relic and Bella, until it was safe again.
Tina despaired, cried, begged and refused. She wanted to protect Kaylan and Thamior, and be with them no matter how dangerous it was. She'd seen her mother and father and brothers killed. She couldn't just run away and hide and hope it didn't happen to her new mother and father. It didn't feel right. She flew out of the room sobbing, upstairs and into her room. Thamior comforted Kaylan a bit, then followed the girl.
When tears passed and minds were made, Tina had won Thamior and Kaylan over, and for good or ill the nine year old girl was coming along, to learn the ways of Kalinda from her new mother, encouraged by the voice. She was no longer afraid, how could such a young victim find fear again after so much horror had befallen her, but, she attested, gathering her meager belongings, pretty dresses and cherry blossom cudgel, she was ready.
And so the party of five set off on Finch's trail, following scorch marks and hoof-prints over miles toward a blasted ring of trees and a smoking crater.
Experience: 600 xp each (31, 528 total)
RP bonuses, 2400
Magic: Drakescale Solar Armor +3 (Kaylan), Circlet of Mental Onslaught (Kaylan), Drowmesh Displacer Armor +3 (Thamior), Chapeau of Colloquy (Thamior).
New NPCs
Merryweather: Havener girl of quaint appearance taken with Gens' beauty.
Cheta Torban: Athar barbarian wife of Sev Torban and the mother of Portia and Selja, come to witness the union of her daughters' dear friends. She had a brief conversation with Tyvis, wherein she proved resigned to the responsibilities of druids, but just as remorseful, and advised against letting a loved one join their ranks if it could be helped.
After a hard night of goodbyes and troubled thoughts, the sun rose, bringing a modicum of hope to the battle-torn wedding lawn and shocked village populace. The injured were mended through a combination of healer's lore and Kalinda's divine grace. Cleaning efforts began. Though burdened friends had left under cover of darkness, and fourteen lives had been lost, there were reasons still to be thankful.
Kaylan knelt before the broken platform, gathering a small crowd of like-minded-worshipers paying their respects to the sun goddess. Thamior spent most of his morning on the roof of the Sunny Side, or else pacing, desperate to find clues to the mysterious ghost who'd all but promised his wife and children's destruction. Tyvis kept a sharp eye for trouble, and took solace in his little sister, still so brimming with life despite the tragedy hours earlier. Gens found he was a real catch, and ended up with four magic wedding gifts to eventually bestow on the newlyweds (and a warm bed should he ever require it).
Relic came by not long after offering to take Chiela under his wing, as he would be doing for Bella and likely Tina for the foreseeable future. Though the girl was appreciative of all Relic's efforts, Tyvis had accurately predicted she wanted to live with her momma. Of course, there was the small matter of getting Chiela back to Barovia, whereupon she asked Relic to be her escort so her big brother could stop some of his worrying.
While the cleric and the swordmage spent the better part of the afternoon enjoying Bella's company and figuring the best way to part with Tina, Chiela spent quality time with her brother and the new bard knowing full well their time together was growing short. However far they may be apart, though, Gens had given Tyvis a means for the he and his sister to always keep in touch. It was called a 'sending' ritual, which would allow them to trade short messages.
Yet despite the offered kindness, Tyvis had certain assumptions of the bard, namely that he was a womanizer looking for only one thing from ladies, which, by observing his one encounter with the village girl Merryweather, might have seemed accurate, if not for Gens protests otherwise. Tyvis ended up with his foot in his mouth when a curious Chiela asked what 'bedding' a woman meant, which began a rather coy series of masked commentary ultimately ending in Chiela's firm deduction: grownups are very, very, very silly sometimes.
The conversation prompted Chiela to ask Tyvis why he wasn't married, hitting a nerve in the young man and bringing both Waylans nearly to tears with memory of Kaern. Gens, taken entirely off guard, offered them some privacy, but the little girl was smiling in no time and ran off to get something to eat. Tyvis, meantime, wandered to the stream and glumly stuck his feet in its drink. Gens wandered after, insistent to know what that was all about, and eventually realizing Mara had wounded more than just Isabella.
At Kaylan's behest, Thamior retrieved Tina from the lawn. On their way back to the inn, she divulged to him that she'd heard a voice in her head during the events yesterday. This alone was enough to give Thamior alarm (for obvious reasons), but Tina said the voice sounded like her late mother. He'd actually come upon her praying for them. She was ashamed for having been thankful for the voice, even though it was heard in the midst of battle, but the feladrin assured her it was nothing to feel shame about.
She ran along ahead, entering Bella's nursery and planting her sister and second mother with a single kiss. As their family was joined, Tina knew something was wrong by the way Kaylan's face quirked and her eyes glistened. She told her story about the voice, and how much she loved everyone, hoping to clear the air. Kaylan, in turn, explained how much she loved her and how important it was she continue to be a good protector. Tina began to hyperventilate, knowing what was coming, even as Kaylan forced herself to say the words. For the girl's own protection, she must stay behind, with Relic and Bella, until it was safe again.
Tina despaired, cried, begged and refused. She wanted to protect Kaylan and Thamior, and be with them no matter how dangerous it was. She'd seen her mother and father and brothers killed. She couldn't just run away and hide and hope it didn't happen to her new mother and father. It didn't feel right. She flew out of the room sobbing, upstairs and into her room. Thamior comforted Kaylan a bit, then followed the girl.
When tears passed and minds were made, Tina had won Thamior and Kaylan over, and for good or ill the nine year old girl was coming along, to learn the ways of Kalinda from her new mother, encouraged by the voice. She was no longer afraid, how could such a young victim find fear again after so much horror had befallen her, but, she attested, gathering her meager belongings, pretty dresses and cherry blossom cudgel, she was ready.
And so the party of five set off on Finch's trail, following scorch marks and hoof-prints over miles toward a blasted ring of trees and a smoking crater.
Experience: 600 xp each (31, 528 total)
RP bonuses, 2400
Magic: Drakescale Solar Armor +3 (Kaylan), Circlet of Mental Onslaught (Kaylan), Drowmesh Displacer Armor +3 (Thamior), Chapeau of Colloquy (Thamior).
New NPCs
Merryweather: Havener girl of quaint appearance taken with Gens' beauty.
Cheta Torban: Athar barbarian wife of Sev Torban and the mother of Portia and Selja, come to witness the union of her daughters' dear friends. She had a brief conversation with Tyvis, wherein she proved resigned to the responsibilities of druids, but just as remorseful, and advised against letting a loved one join their ranks if it could be helped.
Wednesday, May 5, 2010
Session 66: Wedding Crashers
Talsil 1st, 19 AS
First Morning of Spring
Prologue
After more than a year of being apart, old friends gathered again, the unlikely family that had formed in spite of so much hardship and chaos. And though reunion alone would have been a good enough reason to gather, they'd come to witness the joining of Kaylan Gloriandel and Thamior Serenor in holy matrimony.
The stage: Haven, a small village nestled in the fertile Dawnspear valleys. In its rustic honesty, green scenery and blessed isolation, Kaylan and Thamior enjoyed months of peace, raising their daughters with Relic's aid and visitations from Diana. The sorceress even saw to the construction of the village's first inn, Sunny Side Bed & Breakfast, as a promise of many more visits to come.
Months passed, winter became spring, and though Othyr massed for war, and no one family member was left unscathed by some form of hardship, all of them endured, prospered even, and found themselves on the lawn come Talsil 1st.
Preparations
The hours before a wedding are filled with what can only be described as 'buzz'. The sun shone brilliant, the mountains stood majestic, the gazebos and chiffon decorations around the cherry blossom trees were lovely and inviting. The awaiting feast smelled wonderful from nearby cottage kitchens, and everywhere there was laughter and conversation. Many had come, much more than ten, numbering such old and familiar faces as the Ruskels of The Weeping Stone, King Dokur, General Rho, Blaster and attendants from Savanna, Dame Ashlyn and several Lightbringers from Barovia, Portia and her date Rogar, Selja and Dibs, and the boggart's mother Cheta, as well as Giers.
High Priestess Finduilas Oranar thumbed through The Golden Rule, smiling at the nervous-looking groom. So much had happened to the young man in his young life, events that quaked thousands of years of tradition. His Emperor father had been murdered, he accused of the crime. His people had forsaken him, and now hunted him. And it seemed as if he'd inherited his poor late father's ancestral curse. Yet here he was, at Kalinda's altar, taking her protege as his wife, giving everything he had left to her. And meaning it. She admired him, despite his great potential for tragedy.
Tyvis wandered the lawns, basking in the vibrancy of new spring, keeping his eye out for anything suspicious (goddess knew this party's knack for trouble). And lo-and-behold, he found it cowering by the gifts. The bard himself wasn't so unusual, a half-elf named Gens tuning his lute, a childhood friend of Kaylan's from back in Etheria, but the girl behind the packages with her hood drawn tightly and clutching a leash, that made the newly appointed Archdruid worry. Gens vouched for her, of course, explaining she was a dancer, naming her Raven, yet why did it feel like something was amiss? The way she called him 'lord' and clung to the bard's leg gave Tyvis something of the chills.
Diana finished the last minute details, mostly hand-waving and looking stunning in her latest gown. In the back of her mind, and with the slightest smirk, she hoped she didn't end up outshining the bride... too much. As her well-laid wedding plans began tying themselves up, her eyes wandered to Izzy. Her dear childhood friend had been ruined by the cruelty of mother and Mara, twisted now into a slave and wretch, tormented by things better left undefined. Still, the girl was a sister, a cousin more matter-o-factly since Countess Angelique made Diana heir to Ravenloft and an honorary von Zarovich. She owed it to Izzy to protect her, and save her if she could.
The distracting odor of cigarette smoke drew her gaze to the handsome young man lightly taking her arm. He was so familiar, and yet struck her as a scoundrel. How she'd ever have met his sort was indeed a mystery. And he was a vampire, no less, who rolled Infernal like fire off his tongue. He spoke of her mother, assassins, grave danger, before revealing himself the martime prince Renato Ruiz. All Diana saw was an uninvited guest, and all he'd brought with him was unwanted news. The two became as wedding dates after that, wandering across the lawn, watching, waiting for the inevitable attempt on the sorceress's life.
Relic bounced Baby Bella in his arms, the infant cooing and gurgling, banging the toy wrench he'd made her against his steely chest. She was a little miracle, this one, joy incarnate for so many. But she could, perhaps one day, be joy incarnate for the world. He thought of the secret he was sworn to keep that night in the boreal woods, even as he watched the spring sun in Bella's green eyes and strawberry blond hair and on her rounded, human ears. This was not Thamior's daughter, or Loradan's, but Frederick Norson's, the late scion of the royal Norson line, making Bella the granddaughter of Deucalion Norson the Last, final king of the Nors Kingdom before the Emperor's rise. Isabella Juliet Gloriandel Norson Serenor was through birth or bond the Queen of the Former Nors Kingdom, Empress of the Old Gloriandeline Empire, and perhaps even Princess of Ruined Ivristel. Did he now hold the future Empress of Othyr?
The thought only made him more protective, and his gaze quickly found Giers, newly-risen Templar of the Children of Light. They'd come a dozen strong to act as 'honor guard' and 'keepers of the peace', which dismayed Ashlyn and made others in attendance, especially the vampires, edgy. It was impossible to directly confront the ethrey with his revered mother a stone's throw away, and far be it for him to ruin this special day, but he had be sure Giers would mind his manners. He wandered over casually and traded surprisingly pleasant words.
Cold Feet
Behind closed doors, Kaylan paced, fiddling with her dress and fixing the white flowers in her hair before a mirror. She held a handkerchief close, for every few minutes she began to cry, and the running makeup made her look that much older. Age, old, death, the spectre of her inevitable decrepitude haunted her. If she joined with Thamior, she would eventually have to leave him a hag, while he stayed young, alone, forever.
A light knocking at the door revealed the innkeeper Nyx, a dhampir Diana knew from Saspien. She was a pretty thing, with a disarmingly husky voice, hoping to get the ceremony underway. Almost immediately, though, she could tell something was wrong with the bride. With but the slightest prying, Kaylan spilled her teary woes, catching Nyx entirely off guard. Wading into the moral gray, the vampiress looked Kaylan in the eyes and used her unnatural will to impress upon her the beauty of the coming day. She commanded the half-elf to enjoy the moment and all the time she was afforded in the presence of true love. And if she became nervous, she should picture the guests in their undergarments. As Kaylan came to, stumbling over that last implanted suggestion, Nyx fixed her hair and told her she was on in five.
This Perfect Union
Relic fetched his 'daughter for a day', sweet Bella in his arms, and escorted both girls to the threshold of the Sunny Side, where a white cloth bolt led to the foot of the altar. Gens began his gentle strumming of the lute and flower girls Chiela and Tina danced down the aisle, sprinkling cherry blossoms. All guests rose with their heads turned, watching as Kaylan in her elegant white bridal gown strode purposefully toward her beloved feladrin. None were more enamored with her vision than Thamior himself, who eagerly took her hand once Relic gave his blessing.
Before the congregation of friends and loved ones, Kaylan and Thamior proclaimed their love with the ceremonial guidance of the high priestess. Despite the resistance from Vilthanos, Thamior stumbled only once in his professions. Diana and Gens were called to offer proof this union should in fact commence, and much was spoken of joining, friendship and commitment. Then came the vows, which really gave Diana chills... because she'd forgotten to write them for the pair. However they'd some lovely words prepared, which nearly brought Kaylan to tears.
Thamior produced his ring, and turned to Diana so Kaylan might receive her's. However the vampire seemed to have misplaced the cherished heirloom. Expectant guests began to murmur, some turn away in embarrassment, but just then the ring materialized, floating for Thamior with a squeaky giggle. Ithnot returned the stolen ring as part of a joke on 'Thammy', which he took none too kindly. Kaylan and Thamior lifted their rings to Kalinda, even as the bands began to glow.
Finduilas proclaimed one final time the union of two souls as one, and dared any who opposed this happiness to speak now or forever hold their peace. Big mistake.
Wedding Crashers
In a storm of thunder and arcane light, a green portal yawned, unleashing a hulking centaur clansman with massive spiked club, followed by a swarm of gnarled spriggans with heavy hammers. They charged the nearest guests, though were taken aback, as was the rest of the party, when waves of heat struck from above followed by a second attack, twin volcano dragons, looking like giant, rocky monstrosities with fiery lava veins and dripping, molten maws. One crushed a gazebo beneath its weight, the other buckled half the altar platform. Just then, the presents nearest Gens and Izzy burst, unleashing a torrent of giant spiders led by a brood mother nearly the size of a draft horse! And the ten-tiered wedding cake, left on display, trembled and fell away, revealing a white-and-red painted vampire assassin, what Renato recognized as a Breathstealer. Four separate attacks by seemingly four separate factions, all keyed onto the same moment of the ceremony (maybe they should consider omitting that little part in the future). No attacker discouraged, the fey, dragons, spiders and vampire attacked!
Gens swooped Izzy off her feet, beginning a lively dance that had the spiders' fangs clapping hungrily. Part of his sudden bardic magic, the witch felt strangely enlivened, and they lashed out. Both their spirits sank, however, when they were surrounded by wolf-sized spiderbrood that scratched and bit and poisoned. Both suffered hideous bites.
The whole ordeal was so sudden and harrowing, the princess began to lose her grip, and grew frightened, delusional even. She begged Gens not to punish her, despite his clear attempts to keep her safe, her anxiety and anticipation spilling over into a frightening arcane storm. Izzy's fel magic flayed the broodmother and simultaneously transformed Gens into a devilish tormentor, from which she drew fearful power for other attacks!
Meanwhile, Renato and Diana pitted against the vampire, who wore a vambrace which sprouted thorn-like blades with a quick twist. He never spoke, even as he was sliced and blasted from a combination of the prince's shadow clone attacks and Diana's brutal magic. Nor did he ever land a blow, so distracted by 'Dark Renato' and the raging fire dragon behind him.
The dragon roared and smoldered, every few seconds compounding it's heat, expanding the aura of flames rippling off its black hide. Slowly, but surely, it was consuming the lawn in a growing conflagration. Same its twin, crashed on the altar platform. Tyvis turned to face the monster, sending Chiela off with Kaylan, and then summoned forth the feywolf Krath, a creature that had, months ago, reflected a wretched, depressed appearance. To the druid's surprise, Krath came this time as a multicolored spirit reflecting the many shades of nature, a shimmering guardian that leaped into the fray and sunk its fangs deep into dragonflesh. The resulting wound spilled lava across the wreckage and collapsed the platform entirely. Finduilas took flight, hugging her holy book, but Tyvis and Krath tumbled amidst burnt and broken boards.
Thamior rolled off the platform, then to his feet, quick to usher his bride to safety. The two of them, Chiela in arms, followed Relic toward the inn. The machine man made it first, Tina over one shoulder, Baby Bella cradled in the other arm. That's when the ghost appeared.
An Angry Ghost
The figure stood tall on the roof of the Sunny Side, leveling the unmistakable Angry Ghost blade of legend at Kaylan. He (or perhaps she) wore a blood-red demon mask, and was flanked by sword-wielding drow. Thamior rebuked the figure as Jeda, promising to kill her, but Kaylan feared the more likely identity, however impossible. As the couple continued toward the inn, the menacing figure sent its two drow in after the children. Cannon fire soon shook the interior and Kaylan cried out.
Angry Ghost cut open its hand in response and flung blood at Kaylan, silently promising to spill hers soon enough. Then it vanished.
Banish the Fey
Tyvis marveled at the sudden fury Finduilas unleashed, a beam of light so hot it melted away the rocky outer dermis of the dragon entirely, then held the monster pinned via a hundred herons of golden light.
He and Krath escaped the dragon, noticing the fey portal was still open. More spriggans poured through, and if the gate wasn't closed soon, they'd be overwhelmed. Drawing on the powers of the deep earth, channeled up from his boots and through his staff, he willed the rift sealed. It closed according to his command, but not before a malformed green visage snarled in the portal's shimmer, a creature looking a blend between plant, animal and insect, so sudden and jarring Tyvis startled. When the portal blinked out of existence, so too did the fey. One down...
Guests and warriors free of the fey charged the dragon and the spiders, and other guests moved against the dragon's twin and the cake-covered vampire.
Kill the Assassin
Renato, smelling blood in the water and sensing the assassin had little left, extended his hand and thought to choke the life out of his foe. With rippling buildup, the prince unleashed... nothing. The assassin winced and braced for the worst, Diana looking on expectantly, when out of the blue sky a dead goose fell, soundly throttled. Cursing a storm, Renato glared daggers, and the psychic feedback of his frustration and embarrassment slew the Breathstealer outright. But Renato meant to do that all along, of course, grinning before taking cover with the already back-treading sorceress. Two down...
Destroy All Dragons
And good thing, as the dragon unleashed a vortex of heat and fire that burned Blaster to ashes, as well as the gnome guard, who gave their lives to adequately shield their king. Yet he was badly burned, and his chief protector and loyal advisor dragged him back to safety, covered in their escape by the gray engine Rho, a general of the Verger War, a rheen that would not so easily be dealt aside.
Children and Lightbringers fought side by side against the volcanic twin in the ruins of the platform, but they too felt the dragon's fiery fury. Almost every soul was consumed, moving the aged high priestess into more drastic action.
Finduilas again called on the awesome might of Kalinda, transforming herself into a towering Archangel of pure light. The golden bible in her hands became a blazing sword, and with it she impaled the half-dead dragon and reduced it to an ashen shadow. Two-and-a-half down...
Just as suddenly, she lifted back into the air, and with the crackle and snap of a lightning bolt darted south, to meet what she sensed a more terrible foe on the horizon. There was a distance boom, and then moments later a hot wind blew through the village.
Incinerate the Spiders
Diana lent her aid to the terrified Izzy, summoning for void-forged chains with ripped and ravaged the soft, vulnerable spots of the various spiders. In the process, she forgot herself and called the princess's name for all to hear, including templars. Gens managed to conjure up a fiercer tune as well, played upon a fluted dagger, and which served to incinerate the already-chain-lashed brood.
Yet the mother endured, and two wayward Children charged her, hacking and slashing with admirable effect. Izzy raised her trembling hand to lend her own, but in her confusion and panic, she struck not the spider but the paladins rushing to her aid. They cried out and were boiled alive in their own plate armor. Izzy recoiled, horrified at what she'd done, and from across the lawn Giers screamed with such hatred and rage many heads turned, despite the clamor of battle.
Protect the Children
Kaylan and Thamior sped inside the inn, where they came upon a destroyed common room. Tina, hugging Bella, and Chiela besides hid under tables, scurrying to new hiding spots at Relic's command. The warforged fired covering bursts, often missing the supernaturally agile drow ninja. And they were indeed ninja, trained in the feladrin's White Lotus style, as Thamior could plainly recognize. Razor stars flew and kama-giri whirled as the self-proclaimed Daughter of Pain and Daughter of Pleasure ruthlessly pursued not Relic, but the children.
Kaylan went quickly to work, summoning forth a protective swirl of phoenix feathers around the girls, and closing the gap so that she might wrap her arms close about them. The feathers ignited them, their fire masking the ninja's line of sight, and melting any stars that entered beside.
Knowing the children and his wife (did they complete enough of the ceremony?) were safe, Thamior beckoned Relic, his brother, join him in taking out the trash. With a suppressive cannon fire, the fel unsheathed the bane of elves, which zigged and zagged in his hands like some barely-leashed hound in the hunt for drow blood. Despite considerable skill on behalf of both women, truly worth of the White Lotus on principle of ability (though lacking all honor), Thamior proved greater.
The family intact, Relic, Kaylan and Thamior were able to exit the Sunny Side with Chiela, Tina and Bella safely in their arms.
Hatred
The last dragon was eventually slain, as well as the broodmother, and Giers had a clear path for Izzy. He charged, ready to throttle her. It took all Gens' effort to keep them separated, and he lifted a knee into the ethrey's groin for good measure. The templar could no longer hide his despise for the party, who defended a murderer and called it an honest accident. He cast away any last remnant of good will he had for Kaylan, Thamior, and especially Izzy. As Children gathered around their leader and helped him back to his feet, he wished Izzy would befall such an accident as his lost men before storming off.
The broken princess sobbed and begged forgiveness. Renato, disgusted, ordered her to rise. Gens, a much more sympathetic sort of guy, shoved the vampire off and tried comforting the fragile girl. It would have come to blows if not for Izzy's panicked intervention, skulking off blathering apologies. Not long after she tried leaping before a hard-riding column of Children, Giers at the head, as they followed after the high priestess. Gens managed to spear her out of the way and save her life not a moment too soon.
Hope in a Box
The wedding lawn had become a battlefield, and looked horribly war-torn, with collapsed gazebos, scorched earth, shredded ribbons and pavilions, and a number of fires and unmoving bodies. People were crying, calling out to one another, as thick, black smoke swept the area.
In that moment, a large basket which held many smaller wooden boxes tipped, the bench it'd been resting on finally collapsing. Suddenly color and life burst forth from the char, a hundred vibrant butterflies meant to be opened with the couple's first kiss. They spiraled up into the air and headed toward the sunset.
Some laughed at the sight, some scoffed, some cried or stood dumbfounded.
Epilogue
The inn and cottages were converted into infirmaries, the wedding feast into hospital meals, guests into survivors and patients. Kaylan, Relic and Gens offered what healing they could. Even Izzy managed to seal the more serious wounds of the gnomish king. Villagers came by the dozens to help. In the wake of horror, the community endured together. Guests were able to finally socialize, the party among them, and words were shared both kind and unkind.
Fourteen died during the attack, numbering gnomish guards, two dwarven maids, Lightbringers, Children of Light and the veteran rheen Blaster. Former cheer was now mixed with sorrow, and the sun set on a very charred, very ruined wedding green.
For some, this served as a warning, that no one was safe so long as their enemies went unchecked. For others, the attack only proved how much their loved one's meant to them. Whatever sorrow, anger or quiet relief washed over the party, Gens spoke a true enough sentiment when he said lowly, "It could have been much worse..."
Experience: 657 xp each (30, 928 total)
The Wedding Crashers, 4000
RP Bonus + butterfly ending, 600
Magic: Ring of Shadow Travel (Renato)
Money: 714 gp each
Loot: Anything mundane you might be able to salvage or buy from Haven.
New PCs
Renato Ruiz, assassin with a mouth
Gens, gypsy with a secret
New NPCs
Nyx Melaina: dhampir innkeeper of the Sunny Side Bed & Breakfast. She helped Kaylan get over her pre-wedding jitters through vampiric domination.
Murgatroid and Bruinhilda (dead): Dwarven waitresses of the Sunny Side killed during Kaylan and Thamior's wedding attack.
The Angry Ghost: A silent figure with a red demon mask who brandished the legendary blade Angry Ghost. He or she aimed the sword at Kaylan and promised blood, before sending his drow underlings to kill the children (unsuccessfully). Thamior and Kaylan fear in their heart of hearts it is none other than Takeshi, alive and very angry.
New Monsters
Adult Volcano Dragons, Tomb Spider, Spiderbrood, Centaur Rager, Glum Anklebreakers, Ordo Breathstealer, Drow Ninja
New Hooks
Fey Mastermind (groups)
Who was the mastermind that orchestrated the fey attack during the wedding? Why?
Dragon Mastermind (groups)
Who was the mastermind that orchestrated the dragon attack during the wedding? Why?
Spider Mastermind (groups)
Who was the... trace the spider attack back to Jeda.
Who is the Angry Ghost? (Thamior, Kaylan)
Uncover the identity of the demon-masked figure who now wields Angry Ghost.
A Dying Wish (Thamior)
Fulfill your father's dying wish by recovering Angry Ghost and returning it to the feladrin.
Exiled Prince (Thamior)
Clear your name and assume your rightful place in Vanestar.
Finch's Fate (Kaylan)
Discover what happened to High Priestess Finduilas.
Safely to Saspien (Renato, Diana, Isabella)
Reach Saspien alive and in secret by any means necessary.
The Wrongfully Accused (Tyvis)
Find the Imperial Gulag and rescue your father before his execution.
First Morning of Spring
Prologue
After more than a year of being apart, old friends gathered again, the unlikely family that had formed in spite of so much hardship and chaos. And though reunion alone would have been a good enough reason to gather, they'd come to witness the joining of Kaylan Gloriandel and Thamior Serenor in holy matrimony.
The stage: Haven, a small village nestled in the fertile Dawnspear valleys. In its rustic honesty, green scenery and blessed isolation, Kaylan and Thamior enjoyed months of peace, raising their daughters with Relic's aid and visitations from Diana. The sorceress even saw to the construction of the village's first inn, Sunny Side Bed & Breakfast, as a promise of many more visits to come.
Months passed, winter became spring, and though Othyr massed for war, and no one family member was left unscathed by some form of hardship, all of them endured, prospered even, and found themselves on the lawn come Talsil 1st.
Preparations
The hours before a wedding are filled with what can only be described as 'buzz'. The sun shone brilliant, the mountains stood majestic, the gazebos and chiffon decorations around the cherry blossom trees were lovely and inviting. The awaiting feast smelled wonderful from nearby cottage kitchens, and everywhere there was laughter and conversation. Many had come, much more than ten, numbering such old and familiar faces as the Ruskels of The Weeping Stone, King Dokur, General Rho, Blaster and attendants from Savanna, Dame Ashlyn and several Lightbringers from Barovia, Portia and her date Rogar, Selja and Dibs, and the boggart's mother Cheta, as well as Giers.
High Priestess Finduilas Oranar thumbed through The Golden Rule, smiling at the nervous-looking groom. So much had happened to the young man in his young life, events that quaked thousands of years of tradition. His Emperor father had been murdered, he accused of the crime. His people had forsaken him, and now hunted him. And it seemed as if he'd inherited his poor late father's ancestral curse. Yet here he was, at Kalinda's altar, taking her protege as his wife, giving everything he had left to her. And meaning it. She admired him, despite his great potential for tragedy.
Tyvis wandered the lawns, basking in the vibrancy of new spring, keeping his eye out for anything suspicious (goddess knew this party's knack for trouble). And lo-and-behold, he found it cowering by the gifts. The bard himself wasn't so unusual, a half-elf named Gens tuning his lute, a childhood friend of Kaylan's from back in Etheria, but the girl behind the packages with her hood drawn tightly and clutching a leash, that made the newly appointed Archdruid worry. Gens vouched for her, of course, explaining she was a dancer, naming her Raven, yet why did it feel like something was amiss? The way she called him 'lord' and clung to the bard's leg gave Tyvis something of the chills.
Diana finished the last minute details, mostly hand-waving and looking stunning in her latest gown. In the back of her mind, and with the slightest smirk, she hoped she didn't end up outshining the bride... too much. As her well-laid wedding plans began tying themselves up, her eyes wandered to Izzy. Her dear childhood friend had been ruined by the cruelty of mother and Mara, twisted now into a slave and wretch, tormented by things better left undefined. Still, the girl was a sister, a cousin more matter-o-factly since Countess Angelique made Diana heir to Ravenloft and an honorary von Zarovich. She owed it to Izzy to protect her, and save her if she could.
The distracting odor of cigarette smoke drew her gaze to the handsome young man lightly taking her arm. He was so familiar, and yet struck her as a scoundrel. How she'd ever have met his sort was indeed a mystery. And he was a vampire, no less, who rolled Infernal like fire off his tongue. He spoke of her mother, assassins, grave danger, before revealing himself the martime prince Renato Ruiz. All Diana saw was an uninvited guest, and all he'd brought with him was unwanted news. The two became as wedding dates after that, wandering across the lawn, watching, waiting for the inevitable attempt on the sorceress's life.
Relic bounced Baby Bella in his arms, the infant cooing and gurgling, banging the toy wrench he'd made her against his steely chest. She was a little miracle, this one, joy incarnate for so many. But she could, perhaps one day, be joy incarnate for the world. He thought of the secret he was sworn to keep that night in the boreal woods, even as he watched the spring sun in Bella's green eyes and strawberry blond hair and on her rounded, human ears. This was not Thamior's daughter, or Loradan's, but Frederick Norson's, the late scion of the royal Norson line, making Bella the granddaughter of Deucalion Norson the Last, final king of the Nors Kingdom before the Emperor's rise. Isabella Juliet Gloriandel Norson Serenor was through birth or bond the Queen of the Former Nors Kingdom, Empress of the Old Gloriandeline Empire, and perhaps even Princess of Ruined Ivristel. Did he now hold the future Empress of Othyr?
The thought only made him more protective, and his gaze quickly found Giers, newly-risen Templar of the Children of Light. They'd come a dozen strong to act as 'honor guard' and 'keepers of the peace', which dismayed Ashlyn and made others in attendance, especially the vampires, edgy. It was impossible to directly confront the ethrey with his revered mother a stone's throw away, and far be it for him to ruin this special day, but he had be sure Giers would mind his manners. He wandered over casually and traded surprisingly pleasant words.
Cold Feet
Behind closed doors, Kaylan paced, fiddling with her dress and fixing the white flowers in her hair before a mirror. She held a handkerchief close, for every few minutes she began to cry, and the running makeup made her look that much older. Age, old, death, the spectre of her inevitable decrepitude haunted her. If she joined with Thamior, she would eventually have to leave him a hag, while he stayed young, alone, forever.
A light knocking at the door revealed the innkeeper Nyx, a dhampir Diana knew from Saspien. She was a pretty thing, with a disarmingly husky voice, hoping to get the ceremony underway. Almost immediately, though, she could tell something was wrong with the bride. With but the slightest prying, Kaylan spilled her teary woes, catching Nyx entirely off guard. Wading into the moral gray, the vampiress looked Kaylan in the eyes and used her unnatural will to impress upon her the beauty of the coming day. She commanded the half-elf to enjoy the moment and all the time she was afforded in the presence of true love. And if she became nervous, she should picture the guests in their undergarments. As Kaylan came to, stumbling over that last implanted suggestion, Nyx fixed her hair and told her she was on in five.
This Perfect Union
Relic fetched his 'daughter for a day', sweet Bella in his arms, and escorted both girls to the threshold of the Sunny Side, where a white cloth bolt led to the foot of the altar. Gens began his gentle strumming of the lute and flower girls Chiela and Tina danced down the aisle, sprinkling cherry blossoms. All guests rose with their heads turned, watching as Kaylan in her elegant white bridal gown strode purposefully toward her beloved feladrin. None were more enamored with her vision than Thamior himself, who eagerly took her hand once Relic gave his blessing.
Before the congregation of friends and loved ones, Kaylan and Thamior proclaimed their love with the ceremonial guidance of the high priestess. Despite the resistance from Vilthanos, Thamior stumbled only once in his professions. Diana and Gens were called to offer proof this union should in fact commence, and much was spoken of joining, friendship and commitment. Then came the vows, which really gave Diana chills... because she'd forgotten to write them for the pair. However they'd some lovely words prepared, which nearly brought Kaylan to tears.
Thamior produced his ring, and turned to Diana so Kaylan might receive her's. However the vampire seemed to have misplaced the cherished heirloom. Expectant guests began to murmur, some turn away in embarrassment, but just then the ring materialized, floating for Thamior with a squeaky giggle. Ithnot returned the stolen ring as part of a joke on 'Thammy', which he took none too kindly. Kaylan and Thamior lifted their rings to Kalinda, even as the bands began to glow.
Finduilas proclaimed one final time the union of two souls as one, and dared any who opposed this happiness to speak now or forever hold their peace. Big mistake.
Wedding Crashers
In a storm of thunder and arcane light, a green portal yawned, unleashing a hulking centaur clansman with massive spiked club, followed by a swarm of gnarled spriggans with heavy hammers. They charged the nearest guests, though were taken aback, as was the rest of the party, when waves of heat struck from above followed by a second attack, twin volcano dragons, looking like giant, rocky monstrosities with fiery lava veins and dripping, molten maws. One crushed a gazebo beneath its weight, the other buckled half the altar platform. Just then, the presents nearest Gens and Izzy burst, unleashing a torrent of giant spiders led by a brood mother nearly the size of a draft horse! And the ten-tiered wedding cake, left on display, trembled and fell away, revealing a white-and-red painted vampire assassin, what Renato recognized as a Breathstealer. Four separate attacks by seemingly four separate factions, all keyed onto the same moment of the ceremony (maybe they should consider omitting that little part in the future). No attacker discouraged, the fey, dragons, spiders and vampire attacked!
Gens swooped Izzy off her feet, beginning a lively dance that had the spiders' fangs clapping hungrily. Part of his sudden bardic magic, the witch felt strangely enlivened, and they lashed out. Both their spirits sank, however, when they were surrounded by wolf-sized spiderbrood that scratched and bit and poisoned. Both suffered hideous bites.
The whole ordeal was so sudden and harrowing, the princess began to lose her grip, and grew frightened, delusional even. She begged Gens not to punish her, despite his clear attempts to keep her safe, her anxiety and anticipation spilling over into a frightening arcane storm. Izzy's fel magic flayed the broodmother and simultaneously transformed Gens into a devilish tormentor, from which she drew fearful power for other attacks!
Meanwhile, Renato and Diana pitted against the vampire, who wore a vambrace which sprouted thorn-like blades with a quick twist. He never spoke, even as he was sliced and blasted from a combination of the prince's shadow clone attacks and Diana's brutal magic. Nor did he ever land a blow, so distracted by 'Dark Renato' and the raging fire dragon behind him.
The dragon roared and smoldered, every few seconds compounding it's heat, expanding the aura of flames rippling off its black hide. Slowly, but surely, it was consuming the lawn in a growing conflagration. Same its twin, crashed on the altar platform. Tyvis turned to face the monster, sending Chiela off with Kaylan, and then summoned forth the feywolf Krath, a creature that had, months ago, reflected a wretched, depressed appearance. To the druid's surprise, Krath came this time as a multicolored spirit reflecting the many shades of nature, a shimmering guardian that leaped into the fray and sunk its fangs deep into dragonflesh. The resulting wound spilled lava across the wreckage and collapsed the platform entirely. Finduilas took flight, hugging her holy book, but Tyvis and Krath tumbled amidst burnt and broken boards.
Thamior rolled off the platform, then to his feet, quick to usher his bride to safety. The two of them, Chiela in arms, followed Relic toward the inn. The machine man made it first, Tina over one shoulder, Baby Bella cradled in the other arm. That's when the ghost appeared.
An Angry Ghost
The figure stood tall on the roof of the Sunny Side, leveling the unmistakable Angry Ghost blade of legend at Kaylan. He (or perhaps she) wore a blood-red demon mask, and was flanked by sword-wielding drow. Thamior rebuked the figure as Jeda, promising to kill her, but Kaylan feared the more likely identity, however impossible. As the couple continued toward the inn, the menacing figure sent its two drow in after the children. Cannon fire soon shook the interior and Kaylan cried out.
Angry Ghost cut open its hand in response and flung blood at Kaylan, silently promising to spill hers soon enough. Then it vanished.
Banish the Fey
Tyvis marveled at the sudden fury Finduilas unleashed, a beam of light so hot it melted away the rocky outer dermis of the dragon entirely, then held the monster pinned via a hundred herons of golden light.
He and Krath escaped the dragon, noticing the fey portal was still open. More spriggans poured through, and if the gate wasn't closed soon, they'd be overwhelmed. Drawing on the powers of the deep earth, channeled up from his boots and through his staff, he willed the rift sealed. It closed according to his command, but not before a malformed green visage snarled in the portal's shimmer, a creature looking a blend between plant, animal and insect, so sudden and jarring Tyvis startled. When the portal blinked out of existence, so too did the fey. One down...
Guests and warriors free of the fey charged the dragon and the spiders, and other guests moved against the dragon's twin and the cake-covered vampire.
Kill the Assassin
Renato, smelling blood in the water and sensing the assassin had little left, extended his hand and thought to choke the life out of his foe. With rippling buildup, the prince unleashed... nothing. The assassin winced and braced for the worst, Diana looking on expectantly, when out of the blue sky a dead goose fell, soundly throttled. Cursing a storm, Renato glared daggers, and the psychic feedback of his frustration and embarrassment slew the Breathstealer outright. But Renato meant to do that all along, of course, grinning before taking cover with the already back-treading sorceress. Two down...
Destroy All Dragons
And good thing, as the dragon unleashed a vortex of heat and fire that burned Blaster to ashes, as well as the gnome guard, who gave their lives to adequately shield their king. Yet he was badly burned, and his chief protector and loyal advisor dragged him back to safety, covered in their escape by the gray engine Rho, a general of the Verger War, a rheen that would not so easily be dealt aside.
Children and Lightbringers fought side by side against the volcanic twin in the ruins of the platform, but they too felt the dragon's fiery fury. Almost every soul was consumed, moving the aged high priestess into more drastic action.
Finduilas again called on the awesome might of Kalinda, transforming herself into a towering Archangel of pure light. The golden bible in her hands became a blazing sword, and with it she impaled the half-dead dragon and reduced it to an ashen shadow. Two-and-a-half down...
Just as suddenly, she lifted back into the air, and with the crackle and snap of a lightning bolt darted south, to meet what she sensed a more terrible foe on the horizon. There was a distance boom, and then moments later a hot wind blew through the village.
Incinerate the Spiders
Diana lent her aid to the terrified Izzy, summoning for void-forged chains with ripped and ravaged the soft, vulnerable spots of the various spiders. In the process, she forgot herself and called the princess's name for all to hear, including templars. Gens managed to conjure up a fiercer tune as well, played upon a fluted dagger, and which served to incinerate the already-chain-lashed brood.
Yet the mother endured, and two wayward Children charged her, hacking and slashing with admirable effect. Izzy raised her trembling hand to lend her own, but in her confusion and panic, she struck not the spider but the paladins rushing to her aid. They cried out and were boiled alive in their own plate armor. Izzy recoiled, horrified at what she'd done, and from across the lawn Giers screamed with such hatred and rage many heads turned, despite the clamor of battle.
Protect the Children
Kaylan and Thamior sped inside the inn, where they came upon a destroyed common room. Tina, hugging Bella, and Chiela besides hid under tables, scurrying to new hiding spots at Relic's command. The warforged fired covering bursts, often missing the supernaturally agile drow ninja. And they were indeed ninja, trained in the feladrin's White Lotus style, as Thamior could plainly recognize. Razor stars flew and kama-giri whirled as the self-proclaimed Daughter of Pain and Daughter of Pleasure ruthlessly pursued not Relic, but the children.
Kaylan went quickly to work, summoning forth a protective swirl of phoenix feathers around the girls, and closing the gap so that she might wrap her arms close about them. The feathers ignited them, their fire masking the ninja's line of sight, and melting any stars that entered beside.
Knowing the children and his wife (did they complete enough of the ceremony?) were safe, Thamior beckoned Relic, his brother, join him in taking out the trash. With a suppressive cannon fire, the fel unsheathed the bane of elves, which zigged and zagged in his hands like some barely-leashed hound in the hunt for drow blood. Despite considerable skill on behalf of both women, truly worth of the White Lotus on principle of ability (though lacking all honor), Thamior proved greater.
The family intact, Relic, Kaylan and Thamior were able to exit the Sunny Side with Chiela, Tina and Bella safely in their arms.
Hatred
The last dragon was eventually slain, as well as the broodmother, and Giers had a clear path for Izzy. He charged, ready to throttle her. It took all Gens' effort to keep them separated, and he lifted a knee into the ethrey's groin for good measure. The templar could no longer hide his despise for the party, who defended a murderer and called it an honest accident. He cast away any last remnant of good will he had for Kaylan, Thamior, and especially Izzy. As Children gathered around their leader and helped him back to his feet, he wished Izzy would befall such an accident as his lost men before storming off.
The broken princess sobbed and begged forgiveness. Renato, disgusted, ordered her to rise. Gens, a much more sympathetic sort of guy, shoved the vampire off and tried comforting the fragile girl. It would have come to blows if not for Izzy's panicked intervention, skulking off blathering apologies. Not long after she tried leaping before a hard-riding column of Children, Giers at the head, as they followed after the high priestess. Gens managed to spear her out of the way and save her life not a moment too soon.
Hope in a Box
The wedding lawn had become a battlefield, and looked horribly war-torn, with collapsed gazebos, scorched earth, shredded ribbons and pavilions, and a number of fires and unmoving bodies. People were crying, calling out to one another, as thick, black smoke swept the area.
In that moment, a large basket which held many smaller wooden boxes tipped, the bench it'd been resting on finally collapsing. Suddenly color and life burst forth from the char, a hundred vibrant butterflies meant to be opened with the couple's first kiss. They spiraled up into the air and headed toward the sunset.
Some laughed at the sight, some scoffed, some cried or stood dumbfounded.
Epilogue
The inn and cottages were converted into infirmaries, the wedding feast into hospital meals, guests into survivors and patients. Kaylan, Relic and Gens offered what healing they could. Even Izzy managed to seal the more serious wounds of the gnomish king. Villagers came by the dozens to help. In the wake of horror, the community endured together. Guests were able to finally socialize, the party among them, and words were shared both kind and unkind.
Fourteen died during the attack, numbering gnomish guards, two dwarven maids, Lightbringers, Children of Light and the veteran rheen Blaster. Former cheer was now mixed with sorrow, and the sun set on a very charred, very ruined wedding green.
For some, this served as a warning, that no one was safe so long as their enemies went unchecked. For others, the attack only proved how much their loved one's meant to them. Whatever sorrow, anger or quiet relief washed over the party, Gens spoke a true enough sentiment when he said lowly, "It could have been much worse..."
Experience: 657 xp each (30, 928 total)
The Wedding Crashers, 4000
RP Bonus + butterfly ending, 600
Magic: Ring of Shadow Travel (Renato)
Money: 714 gp each
Loot: Anything mundane you might be able to salvage or buy from Haven.
New PCs
Renato Ruiz, assassin with a mouth
Gens, gypsy with a secret
New NPCs
Nyx Melaina: dhampir innkeeper of the Sunny Side Bed & Breakfast. She helped Kaylan get over her pre-wedding jitters through vampiric domination.
Murgatroid and Bruinhilda (dead): Dwarven waitresses of the Sunny Side killed during Kaylan and Thamior's wedding attack.
The Angry Ghost: A silent figure with a red demon mask who brandished the legendary blade Angry Ghost. He or she aimed the sword at Kaylan and promised blood, before sending his drow underlings to kill the children (unsuccessfully). Thamior and Kaylan fear in their heart of hearts it is none other than Takeshi, alive and very angry.
New Monsters
Adult Volcano Dragons, Tomb Spider, Spiderbrood, Centaur Rager, Glum Anklebreakers, Ordo Breathstealer, Drow Ninja
New Hooks
Fey Mastermind (groups)
Who was the mastermind that orchestrated the fey attack during the wedding? Why?
Dragon Mastermind (groups)
Who was the mastermind that orchestrated the dragon attack during the wedding? Why?
Spider Mastermind (groups)
Who was the... trace the spider attack back to Jeda.
Who is the Angry Ghost? (Thamior, Kaylan)
Uncover the identity of the demon-masked figure who now wields Angry Ghost.
A Dying Wish (Thamior)
Fulfill your father's dying wish by recovering Angry Ghost and returning it to the feladrin.
Exiled Prince (Thamior)
Clear your name and assume your rightful place in Vanestar.
Finch's Fate (Kaylan)
Discover what happened to High Priestess Finduilas.
Safely to Saspien (Renato, Diana, Isabella)
Reach Saspien alive and in secret by any means necessary.
The Wrongfully Accused (Tyvis)
Find the Imperial Gulag and rescue your father before his execution.
Thursday, April 1, 2010
Fireside Chat: Converting to 1e
Out on the ivy-crept balcony, the DM sips his morning tea with honey in fuzzy pink slippers and a Deckard Caine SnugE (purchase your own here).
After the huge, huge, huge amount of fun I had playing Tomb of Horrors, I've decided to convert the game to Gygax and Arneson's original vision, First Edition!
I know it may come as a shock, but for those who haven't played you will find it leaps and bounds more exciting than 4e. For one, there's a lot less min/max bother, and the focus is on the fun. True, a lot is dependent on the dice, and luck in general, with a dash of strategy and magic (I'm speaking from experience in one of the deadliest dungeons around), but that's not necessarily a bad thing. There's no skills to worry over, everything is some sort of percentage chance, so do whatever you like. THAC0 will take some getting used to, but I've come to appreciate charts.
Classes are fewer, and have some limitations, okay a lot of limitations, but that's part of the charm of it all. And monsters are monsters again, scary as hell, and some are able to rip you in half in one shot. Most importantly, though, there's a feeling this is down-and-dirty D&D, a game of chance and thrills and death and gore. It's what I've aspired to my whole DMing career.
Honestly, I should have converted over to OSRIC (the specific version of the 1e rules we'll be using) back when the 'Old School Renaissance' first started up, but better late than never. Pig-faced orcs here we come!
Here's a link to the OSRIC PDF so you guys can start to brush up.
After the huge, huge, huge amount of fun I had playing Tomb of Horrors, I've decided to convert the game to Gygax and Arneson's original vision, First Edition!
I know it may come as a shock, but for those who haven't played you will find it leaps and bounds more exciting than 4e. For one, there's a lot less min/max bother, and the focus is on the fun. True, a lot is dependent on the dice, and luck in general, with a dash of strategy and magic (I'm speaking from experience in one of the deadliest dungeons around), but that's not necessarily a bad thing. There's no skills to worry over, everything is some sort of percentage chance, so do whatever you like. THAC0 will take some getting used to, but I've come to appreciate charts.
Classes are fewer, and have some limitations, okay a lot of limitations, but that's part of the charm of it all. And monsters are monsters again, scary as hell, and some are able to rip you in half in one shot. Most importantly, though, there's a feeling this is down-and-dirty D&D, a game of chance and thrills and death and gore. It's what I've aspired to my whole DMing career.
Honestly, I should have converted over to OSRIC (the specific version of the 1e rules we'll be using) back when the 'Old School Renaissance' first started up, but better late than never. Pig-faced orcs here we come!
Here's a link to the OSRIC PDF so you guys can start to brush up.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)