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Post by Paul on Jul 3, 2007 13:46:28 GMT -5
Session 93 December 18-21, 0:
After their meeting with the king the group decided to delay begining their journey to the Crossroads of Eternity for a few days to give Vasec time to finish working on Ravu's cloak. During this time Kivan was continuously drinking himself into a stupor. After Vasec finished the cloak, the group prepared to leave and using the gem, which Elric had left for them as a map, as a focus plane-shifted to the great maze of the abyss. Kivan took point with Orphen, using the gem as a map through the maze. The rest of the group followed through mental contact with Orphen. Suprisingly the first few hours through the maze were uneventful until the group found themselves surrounded by five giant minotaurish demons which seemed to have been following them as they had been traveling into the maze. Orphen and Kivan retreated back to the rest of the group as Ravu and Aaron stepped fowardto attack the ones which were closer to the main party. Vasec and Cuthbert fired scortching rays but the demons shrugged off most of the attacks while pounding down on each of them with enourmous fists. Vasec used a reach vampiric touch and Kivan began to try drawing their enemies away from the spellcasters. Aaron and Ravu then began to double team the remaining enemies and soon they were no more than corpses.
After quickly searching the bodies for any items they might have been carrying they continued into the maze, following their map-gem. Soon the walls of the maze seemed to melt away leaving simple piles of rubble outlining a maze. They also soon began to notice a large number of slaadi which were coming out from behind piles of rubble. They did not attack until a black mass leaped foward. It was in the shape of a slaad but was made of inky blackness. The rest of the slaadi then followed it attacking. Ravu went from slaad to slaad, cutting down foes while Aaron summoned his pegasus mount and charged past the black slaad. Kivan threw axes at different opponents while slowly approaching the black slaad. Orphen fired arrows into the red slaad, intent on killing it before it couse attempt to implant an egg in him or any other spellcaster. Cuthbert cast fireballs on the differnt slaad and Vasec failed to hit the black slaad with a ray of clumbsiness. He was however able to affect it with an irresistable dance spell after which, between Kivan, Ravu, and Aaron, they were able to kill it without any casualties.
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Post by Paul on Jul 3, 2007 20:44:40 GMT -5
Session 94 December 21-22, 0:
After defeating the black slaad and its slaadi companions by making it helpless with an irresistible dance spell Last warning continued through what seemed to be some sort of gate spell into a massive arena with 4 pillars and the remains of two crumbling walls. Standing 100 feet from them was an enormous winged monkey, which upon seeing the group waved a claw and many more smaller monkeys began to swarm out of the different corners of the arena. Vasec led the combat with a wail of the banshee only so find that it was somehow reflected back on the group. Fortunately by some fluke of wild magic rather than forming a killing field it reacted with Orphen's bow to create an area of silence and darkness.
Vasec and Cuthbert recognized it as a strange reflecting effect which would reflect seemingly random spells while allowing others to affect it. Orphen attempted a scale-weakening spell which managed to effect the creature while Kivan threw axes at it and at many of the smaller monkeys which attempted to enchant the group into handing over their weapons.
They scattered when Cuthbert began meteor swarming groups of them and Gydion shifted into a huge red dragon with a terrifying frightful presence. Vasec tried to cast several spells on the creature to no avail and Aaron charged by on his Pegasus nearly tearing off an arm.
Soon Ravu flanked around behind the gigantic monkey while Kivan attacked it from in front joined by Gydion, still a red dragon. They exchanged blows and just as Kivan seemed about to be dropped by the giant monkey's claws Orphen fired an arrow into its neck killing it. There was one smaller monkey remaining which Gydion and Kivan attempted to befriend but Cuthbert disintegrated it.
At the other end of the arena they found a massive door with a gem sized slot. Kivan and Gydion tried knocking down the door but after a few minutes of their futile attempts Orphen snatched the gem that had guided them their from Kivan's Pocket and used it to open the door. Inside there was a large room with a stone table and 7 chairs, on larger than the rest. Kivan ran to sit in it only to find it changed to fit his size. Still in dragon form, Gydion sat in one of the other chairs which changed to fit him. As each member of Last Warning sat they felt as if a great weight which they had never realized was there was lifted from their shoulders and as they left they found themselves once again back in Palantyne.
After resting a day they had a brief discussion in which they decided their next move should be to find Thenaf as they had apparently recently just missed him in Galthien. Vasec used a Legend Lore spell to try to find information about him before as a group the returned to Galthien looking for Elric's daughter, hoping she could give them some information. They were able to find her at Elrics old home only to see her immediately be paralyzed by a dictum spell. Apparently as Cuthbert had recently taken off the groups anti-scrying amulet they had been watched and were being attacked by an extra-planar assassin. He began by putting Kivan in a force cage and dispelling Aaron's mount but was still quickly overwhelmed by Orphen's glitter dust and Cuthbert and Vasec's spheres of destruction.
The group quickly questioned Elric's daughter about the extra-planar assassin finding she knew nothing about it but she was able to tell them something about Thenaf, namely that he was planning on settling an old score which likely meant he was going to try to kill Finbar the bard or Cyan the assassin. They decided to try to find him in the city which Cyan called her home as Finbar was notoriously hard to find.
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Post by Paul on Jul 18, 2007 14:59:36 GMT -5
Session 95 December 22-24, 0:
After a brief discussion the group teleported to the previous site of the assassins guild in the coastal city of Melorn. Finding it long abandoned, they sent Orphen to try to find any information he could about the assassin's guild and Cyan while they waited at an inn. After a little more than an hour Orphen returned claiming to have set up a meeting. He would be contacted some time in the next day or so. Expecting to have to wait, everyone in the group got rooms, Kivan taking the common room.
That night Orphen was awakened by a short man wearing heavy armor but making no noise. Immediately he dropped the ruse. He explained that he was actually looking for Cyan, not looking for assassins to kill someone. Her life was in danger. The man jumped back and drew a weapon but did not attack. He explained that Cyan had been acting very strangely lately but as he was one of the few guild members still loyal to her, he would try to set up a meeting.
The next evening rather than returning Orphen intercepted a mass teleport into their inn through his anticipate teleportation spell. He quickly woke up the rest of the party before several assassin devils appeared. Thus the party was able to catch them by surprise and quickly finish them off with only minor injuries. Kivan decided using weapons was too good for them and threw mugs and chains at them from across the room.
The party then cautiously returned to their prospective rooms. A few hours later however, Kivan was awakened by Cyan. As Kivan expected she was coming onto him and as Kivan expected she tried to kill him before running off. He quickly roused the rest of the group and they chased her, led by Gydion in owl form. Soon they arrived at a vineyard which she seemed to have run into but as soon as they moved into it, the members of Last warning were attacked from all sides as the vineyard seemed to be alive. Orphen quickly found a trap door and signaled Kivan who cleared a path to it while Gydion burrowed toward it as an earth elemental.
Upon going through the trap door they found a passage leading to a wine cellar where Orphen found a secret door leading through a gigantic cask. Somehow, opening it did not cause the wine to pour out and so he led the way through the wine to the other side where there was another hidden doorway. It led into a carved stone passage. After traveling through it for about 100 feet the passage turned and stretched another hundred feet to a door against which Cyan was leaning. She smiled and pushed down on a stone in the floor causing the hallway to being to fill with water. Cuthbert put an end to the trap with a polymorphing spell moments before Cyan once again disappeared.
Orphen then led the group through the door at the end of the hall into a large furnace room. He began to examine the room but before he could go much further into it the furnace started to come to life. Vasec quickly used a ranged teleport to bring himself, Gydion, Orphen, and Kivan into melee range while Aaron charged. Together they weer able to destroy the massive construct before it could retaliate but were still unable to prevent it from exploding in a massive gout of hellfire.
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Post by Paul on Jul 19, 2007 15:02:58 GMT -5
Session 96 December 24, 0:
After destroying the hellfire engine Orphen once again took point. He was quickly able to locate 2 secret passages behind the remains of the engine and a trap door in the floor. Examining the door he found it led to a mass of water. Gydion immediately jumped in turning into kraken. Moments later he saw a massive shark swimming toward him accompanied by Cyan. Signaling the rest of the party he began to attack, grappling Cyan as she stabbed him. Kivan dived into the water and proceeded to lasso the shark. Ravu pummeled it and Orphen fired gouts of steam into it. Cyan once again slipped away into the shadows as Gydion killed the shark.
After the shark was killed, Orphen and Vasec quickly cast some spells to allow those who could not to breath under water and Orphen began to search out the large passage. Inside he found a large natural tunnel and a smaller carved one. Sending Gydion first they found a large electricity trap and a poison dart trap before it opened up into the ocean.
Heading back the way they had come Gydion turned into a water elemental and Orphen headed into the carved tunnel which led to a door way. On the other side they found themselves in a shallow pool with many chains hanging down from platforms. Gydion, turning into an air elemental flew up with Cuthbert, who grew wings as the rest of Last Warning climbed. When they reached the platforms it seemed at first that there was no one there before Orphen and Kivan noticed several devils and assassins hiding among the chains. A kyton animated the chains to attack but Kivan quickly killed it with throwing axes. There also appeared to be a gnome casting spells at the group until Cuthbert dispelled its invisibility and it fled. Meanwhile assassins, some chain golems, and more devils attacked the rest of the group who were able to dispatch some of them before Cyan once again came out of hiding. Ravu and Orphen chased her until she dived back into the water below.
After regrouping, Last warning continued out of the platform room and into a large temple which seemed to have once been dedicated to the goddess Lilith but was now dedicated to Tiamat. There was also a large pit fiend wielding a huge great-sword, flanked by 2 horned devils. Kivan immediately began to taunt the pit who offered to fight him alone and leave their allies out of it if he was so sure he could beat it. As a rebuttal Kivan attacked. Vasec began casting defensive spells on him and in response the pit fiend dispelled them and moved up to Vasec, injuring him terribly as he tried to escape. Kivan tried throwing axes at it but found the tactic ineffective. Vasec responded with a sonic meteor swarm and Kivan managed to reach the devil to fight it in melee as the rest of the group closed in upon it. In response it teleported away.
Kivan decided that the best tactic following this was to have the casters quickly cast true strike upon him and the rest of the group before going through the large iron doors which were at the back of the room. Through them they found a newly refreshed pit fiend along with the gnome wizard which was hiding in the corner. Ravu and Aaron quickly charged the gnome killing it as Kivan began to try fighting the Pit fiend again with help from Vasec, Orphen, and Cuthbert who moments later summoned an adult red dragon to help with the fight. Kivan was able to finish off the pit fiend but only seconds before Cyan and Thenaf jumped out of the shadows stabbing him from either side and killing him. Vasec quickly brought him back as Orphen healed him. Still things looked dire as Orphen had run out of powerful healing magic. Cuthbert helped turn the tide by dispelling the domination effect on Cyan who immediately turned on Cyan. Vasec tried casting a ranged irresistible dance spell to save Kivan a second time but just before Thenaf was able to finish him off a second time Cuthbert was able to turn the assassin into a glass statue, ending the fight. The group then collected his items giving Cyan back those which had belonged to her.
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Post by orphen on Dec 23, 2007 2:45:00 GMT -5
and then we had fun fun fun 'til her daddy took her t-bird away
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Post by Paul on Dec 23, 2007 21:50:29 GMT -5
97 December 25-January 1:
Regrouping at their inn, the different members of “Last Warning” discussed distribution and vending of their latest gains. Orphen was contacted by a halfling named Shane Tealeaf, an inter-dimensional merchant who was interested in doing business with the elf. Bringing him back to meet the rest of the group many of their higher end purchases were expedited and Orphen traded his artifact ‘The Tear of Tiamat’ for a tome of knowledge. After their business had concluded, they were interrupted by a rude and rather large man in full plate. He entered the bar-room and Kivan immediately took a disliking to him. After the two exchanged words for several minutes the man suddenly grew into a huge dragon with his armor and weapons appropriately sizing with him and swinging his gigantic great-sword took off the inn’s roof. The battle began and after he nearly killed Kivan with a quick series of blows, it ended just as suddenly. The dragon slammed his sword into the ground between himself and the rest of the group saying that, he had been testing them and wished to talk. As a sign of good faith he even miraculously restored the inn’s roof with a scroll. He offered to bring the group to Dargon, the lord of the horde which had been terrorizing Palantyne and the emperor of Izmet so that they might be able to kill him. After a short discussion the party agreed to the terms, albeit somewhat suspiciously.
A few days later the dragon returned to bring them to the emperor’s tents. Immediately he left toward the rest of the army saying he would do what he could to make sure they were undisturbed for their “meeting”. Charging in through the front of the tent they saw a huge and somewhat surprised bald man who was covered in tattoos whom they recognized as Emperor Dargon. He was flanked by two bodyguards, a golem, and a pit-fiend as well as having the largest blue dragon any of them had ever seen sitting, barely 20 feet away. Orphen immediately stepped off to the right to try to finish off the blue on his own while Vasec teleported himself and the Kivan toward the pit-fiend only to be caught in an ‘anticipate teleportation spell. Meanwhile Ravu took to attacking the body guards and golem with Gydion while Cuthbert and Emperor Dargon exchanged spells. The pit fiend flew straight at Aaron. Aaron himself found his hands full with the pit-fiend while Cuthbert found himself slightly outclassed in terms of spell-casting by the Emperor. Ravu, Gydion, and Orphen however were doing surprisingly well holding their own even without Kivan and Vasec to support them. The Emperor however noticing this drained all Orphen’s spells from him forcing him to make a temporary retreat. He the created a vortex as Vasec and Kivan reappeared pulling Kivan into the Abyss and forcing Vasec to rush off to retrieve him. Meanwhile Orphen summoned his efreet companion, promising him a favor of his choice if he were to renew his spells before tumbling back towards the blue dragon. Just then, providence finally shined on the group. Just as Vasec returned with Kivan, Cuthbert successfully cast a reaving dispel, not only lowering all of the Emperor’s most powerful defenses but placing them including a spell of ‘epic spell reflection’ on Cuthbert himself. Kivan and Aaron (who had finished off his pit-fiend) immediately charged while Orphen finally finished off the blue dragon. Gydion having swallowed the last bodyguard (while in the form of a purple worm) joined them with Ravu. Moments later Dargon was dead.
In the following days the remainder of the hoard mysteriously disappeared leaving very little trace. Together the group celebrated the dawning of a new year as they had destroyed what was hopefully the worst threat they would ever face. They had survived a year with the gods missing and there was talk of what they could do about it. Vasec seemed determined that something could be done as the gods had not abandoned his world. Ravu agreed but was more interested in doing what he could to finish restoring his clan now that ‘Last Warning’ seemed less necessary. Cuthbert was distracted, lost in his thoughts. Kivan gruffly claimed that there was no need for them and Orphen’s thoughts strayed to what might become necessary to protect the world in their absence. Gydion still believed his goddess had more work for him to do; he had only to find out what, but for now was content to attempt to drink Kivan under the table (although he believed that by being a ranger, Kivan had started out cheating). Aaron agreed saying he still had much work to do in the name of Bahamut (but still also tried to drink Kivan under the table).
Sorry to take so long with the last update. Everyone should obviously feel free to ad anything they want in the retirement details thread. -Paul
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