Post by gilbo on Feb 28, 2020 18:01:00 GMT
Episode 20 - Stranger Things
In the aftermath of the battle, the orc bodies were looted and burned and the fallen dwarves were buried. Meldar healed the wounded, and the party helped with the clean-up, Rimir digging graves and helping himself to a bigger share of the coins. Some minor magic items were discovered, including a horn and a helmet. More dwarves from nearby Middleton began to arrive in preparation for the coming feast.
After resting overnight, the preparations continued, and Borg called a council to which the party were invited. He explained that a small group had been sent to the meeting at the full moon tomorrow, carrying the crystals that had been collected. A similar group had been seen leaving from the orcs. Rimir had shared his vision of Kel Drakkar and the fake crystals with Meldar, who relayed this to the rest of the council. Rimir received a slap from Tarik for withholding the information from the party. As Tom's necklace gave him the power of wind-walking, it was agreed that they would use this to travel to the meeting and rendezvous with the dwarves the following morning.
That evening, there was a great celebratory feast, and the party were honoured with gifts and titles from the dwarf prince. Seijin received a bracelet and was given the title 'Protector of the Realm', and Rimir and Tom were also given this title, along with a suit of armour and a sword respectively. Gragga was made 'Royal Guard and Protector of the Realm', and given a magical belt and a ceremonial beard, and Tarik was named 'Giant Slayer, First Royal Guard and Protector of the Realm' and had some iron bracers bestowed upon him. They were also each given a 'band of honour', attached to their wrist, which signified their part in the battle of Crag Crorgar.
The following morning, the heroes awoke very late, after a night of excessive drinking and carousing and, along with Meldar and Borg, hurriedly left, transforming into wind-forms to speed towards the 'Bloodless Rock'. As they arrived, and began the slow re-materialisation, they overheard the dwarven envoys talking to a group of elves, who had also brought crystals to the meeting. The dwarves were explaining that, on the way, they had encountered a small group of orcs who they had easily defeated, and had acquired more crystals. The dwarves and elves made an alliance, pleased that they could be united against the absent orcs. Before the party could solidify, the 'Dragonlords' arrived to make the exchange. A strange vessel descended from the clouds: at first it looked like a dragon, but closer up it was made of metal and appeared more like a kind of boat. It landed with a cloud of dust and steam, and three figures emerged from a ramp that folded out from the strange craft. The people, a man and a woman, with a large armoured humanoid standing behind them, were dressed in strange clothes and carried oddly shaped wands and staves. After a short exchange of greetings, the dwarves and elves handed over the large stash of crystals and received three metal cases in return. The strange travellers then departed, their craft rising into the air as the party at last returned to solid form.
Rimir managed to get his familiar, in the form of a tiny spider, on to the departing craft. The party quickly asked the dwarves for information on the crystals from the orcs, and they confirmed that they did match those from Rimir's vision. The party's worst fears were realised as the departing craft suddenly shuddered and lurched in the air as tentacles burst from inside it, tearing through it's hull and causing it to plummet to the ground, where it landed a few hundred metres away with a squelchy explosion. The adventurers ran to the crash site, where they found the crippled vessel, with the plant-like monster that had emerged from the fake crystals inside it, shredding it with it's acidic tentacles.
Seijin hurled flame at one of the grasping tentacles, while Tarik sped in to try and pull out any survivors. Rimir conjured illusionary duplicates of himself to confuse the monster, whilst Gragga charged the beast. Tarik discovered the body of the large traveller, cut in half, and the creature appeared to have been some kind of construct, with a metal body and clear fluid seeping from the decimated corpse. The woman had been badly injured by a tentacle, and her body dissolved before his eyes. He managed to grab the badly injured man and carry his body back to Meldar. Meanwhile, one of the tentacles had grabbed Gragga, although he managed to burst out of it's grip and sever it. Rimir, protected by his duplicates, made it inside and found the crystals scattered around inside the wreckage. Suddenly, large maggots were exuded from the body of the monster, and they began to engulf the crystals and grow wings to carry them away! The party battled on against this strange abomination, with Seijin and Gragga attacking the tentacles, and Rimir and Tarik blasting the bugs so they could not carry off any crystals. Eventually, they prevailed, although their progress was observed by some odd eye-stalks which emerged from the creature. As it was defeated, the thing exploded, showering Gragga in corrosive acid, but his natural hardiness saved him; however the remains of the vessel were completely destroyed.
The man that Tarik had dragged from the wreckage was very badly injured, but (***RETCON ALERT***) Meldar and Tom worked together and managed to stabilise him. In the metal boxes, one of which was given to the party, there were two unusually shaped objects, one like a weird staff, the other like a wand with a handle. An image appeared from the box, which explained that the two objects were weapons, and how to use them....
*Note, I have reconsidered and decided that you did manage to save the man, as (a) it didn't make a lot of sense that your healing didn't work, and (b) I've thought of a way to use him toscrew you over enhance the plot.
In the aftermath of the battle, the orc bodies were looted and burned and the fallen dwarves were buried. Meldar healed the wounded, and the party helped with the clean-up, Rimir digging graves and helping himself to a bigger share of the coins. Some minor magic items were discovered, including a horn and a helmet. More dwarves from nearby Middleton began to arrive in preparation for the coming feast.
After resting overnight, the preparations continued, and Borg called a council to which the party were invited. He explained that a small group had been sent to the meeting at the full moon tomorrow, carrying the crystals that had been collected. A similar group had been seen leaving from the orcs. Rimir had shared his vision of Kel Drakkar and the fake crystals with Meldar, who relayed this to the rest of the council. Rimir received a slap from Tarik for withholding the information from the party. As Tom's necklace gave him the power of wind-walking, it was agreed that they would use this to travel to the meeting and rendezvous with the dwarves the following morning.
That evening, there was a great celebratory feast, and the party were honoured with gifts and titles from the dwarf prince. Seijin received a bracelet and was given the title 'Protector of the Realm', and Rimir and Tom were also given this title, along with a suit of armour and a sword respectively. Gragga was made 'Royal Guard and Protector of the Realm', and given a magical belt and a ceremonial beard, and Tarik was named 'Giant Slayer, First Royal Guard and Protector of the Realm' and had some iron bracers bestowed upon him. They were also each given a 'band of honour', attached to their wrist, which signified their part in the battle of Crag Crorgar.
The following morning, the heroes awoke very late, after a night of excessive drinking and carousing and, along with Meldar and Borg, hurriedly left, transforming into wind-forms to speed towards the 'Bloodless Rock'. As they arrived, and began the slow re-materialisation, they overheard the dwarven envoys talking to a group of elves, who had also brought crystals to the meeting. The dwarves were explaining that, on the way, they had encountered a small group of orcs who they had easily defeated, and had acquired more crystals. The dwarves and elves made an alliance, pleased that they could be united against the absent orcs. Before the party could solidify, the 'Dragonlords' arrived to make the exchange. A strange vessel descended from the clouds: at first it looked like a dragon, but closer up it was made of metal and appeared more like a kind of boat. It landed with a cloud of dust and steam, and three figures emerged from a ramp that folded out from the strange craft. The people, a man and a woman, with a large armoured humanoid standing behind them, were dressed in strange clothes and carried oddly shaped wands and staves. After a short exchange of greetings, the dwarves and elves handed over the large stash of crystals and received three metal cases in return. The strange travellers then departed, their craft rising into the air as the party at last returned to solid form.
Rimir managed to get his familiar, in the form of a tiny spider, on to the departing craft. The party quickly asked the dwarves for information on the crystals from the orcs, and they confirmed that they did match those from Rimir's vision. The party's worst fears were realised as the departing craft suddenly shuddered and lurched in the air as tentacles burst from inside it, tearing through it's hull and causing it to plummet to the ground, where it landed a few hundred metres away with a squelchy explosion. The adventurers ran to the crash site, where they found the crippled vessel, with the plant-like monster that had emerged from the fake crystals inside it, shredding it with it's acidic tentacles.
Seijin hurled flame at one of the grasping tentacles, while Tarik sped in to try and pull out any survivors. Rimir conjured illusionary duplicates of himself to confuse the monster, whilst Gragga charged the beast. Tarik discovered the body of the large traveller, cut in half, and the creature appeared to have been some kind of construct, with a metal body and clear fluid seeping from the decimated corpse. The woman had been badly injured by a tentacle, and her body dissolved before his eyes. He managed to grab the badly injured man and carry his body back to Meldar. Meanwhile, one of the tentacles had grabbed Gragga, although he managed to burst out of it's grip and sever it. Rimir, protected by his duplicates, made it inside and found the crystals scattered around inside the wreckage. Suddenly, large maggots were exuded from the body of the monster, and they began to engulf the crystals and grow wings to carry them away! The party battled on against this strange abomination, with Seijin and Gragga attacking the tentacles, and Rimir and Tarik blasting the bugs so they could not carry off any crystals. Eventually, they prevailed, although their progress was observed by some odd eye-stalks which emerged from the creature. As it was defeated, the thing exploded, showering Gragga in corrosive acid, but his natural hardiness saved him; however the remains of the vessel were completely destroyed.
The man that Tarik had dragged from the wreckage was very badly injured, but (***RETCON ALERT***) Meldar and Tom worked together and managed to stabilise him. In the metal boxes, one of which was given to the party, there were two unusually shaped objects, one like a weird staff, the other like a wand with a handle. An image appeared from the box, which explained that the two objects were weapons, and how to use them....
*Note, I have reconsidered and decided that you did manage to save the man, as (a) it didn't make a lot of sense that your healing didn't work, and (b) I've thought of a way to use him to