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Bastard Son of the great-grandchild of the sister's gibbon's friend of the nephew of the Campaign that Would Not Die, now in 3.75e
Møøse Trained By: Hugh Foster
Møøse Trained By: Hugh Foster
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Bastard Son of the great-grandchild of the sister's gibbon's friend of the nephew of the Campaign that Would Not Die, now in 3.75e Møøse Trained By: Hugh Foster |
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50. After examining the redstone tile for some time, Ruby stepped onto it and murmured the Krultac words Meepo had translated as "Let the sorcerous power illuminate my mind". A flare of power erpupted up her body, wreathing her in cool red flame, and vanished. To Borax's eyes, she seemed somehow a bit taller, more commanding. Ruby herself felt filled with confidence. The dwarf stepped on and repeated the process, but nothing happened. Meepo was of the opinion that it would probably work once a day, granting its' power to only one recipient at once.
Borax lifted Meepo onto the dragon statue to search atop it, and he scrabbled about before reporting "just dust and the pins that hold it together," "Pull on out," instructed Borax, and he did. The left wing dropped off with a crash, shattering into multiple pieces and a cloud of dust. Nothing else happened, and there was no cavity full of treasure inside the statue.
51. The door Borax had opened led into a small, square room, filled with leaning and completely fallen stone bookshelves. A clear path, showing considerable goblin traffic connected the wooden doors on opposite walls. The litter of torn and burnt pages, bindings, and scrolls formed disordered piles in the corners.
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Whatever was stored here, it was clear that Belak and his minions had no interest in it, and it had sufferred from that neglect. A few scraps remained; two arcane magical spell scrolls and a tome written in Krultac, at a glance a detailed work of dragon lore. Meepo and Calcryx were both very intrigued, but it was at least a week's reading, and it went into party stores for later examination.
This space seemed pretty defensible, so the party pinned the doors, set watches and rested.
Next morning, they pressed on through the far door of the Dragon Library. A short passage turned into a flight of damp, crumbled stairs leading down. These turned out to be an underpass leading under the northernmost arboretum and up again to rejoin corridors on the other side. Why the passage hadn't simply been dug around the arboretum was inexplicable. Based on their architecture, Borax was beginning to suspect that the Cult of the Dragon had been not entirely sane - but then, any group worshipping a primal horror like Varkar Barduric were likely to be a few screws loose anyway.
The passage turned again, and ran straight for some distance, ending at a dead end beyond two doors in the eastern wall. Borax, immediately suspicious, went and checked the dead end. It had tool-marks and wasn't dressed like the rest of the stonework; it looked as if it had been left for future expansion.
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The first door was in far better condition than any wooden door they'd seen so far, and locked with what Calvis judged a very good lock. He worked at it for some time with his lockpicks, before finally admitting defeat; "It's a very good lock," he said apologetically. There was no light visible under the door, so they moved to the next one, which was unlocked and normal for the Citadel; worn and decaying. This one did show light, so they opened it and Borax stepped confidently in. "DHL Delivery!" he called, to the utter bewilderment of four goblins standing at the far southern end of the room.
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54. Twig and root piles were dotted about the floor of this sagging chamber. The collapsed southern wall opened onto a vast cavern, wherein pustules of luminescent fungus on the rough walls and high roof loomed over a twilight grove of sickly briars, bushes, saplings, and other woody plants. Ruined walls and hollow towers protruded from the briars like islands in the sea, and a vast, dark tree could dimly be seen at the far southern end. A door on their left of the room looked remarkably similar to the one they'd failed to open in the corridor.
As soon as they saw the party, the four goblins broke for the southern cave, screaming a phrase over and over at the tops of their squeaky voices; "Aid us, Protector of the Twilight Grove!" They vanished into the thick briars and their voices faded into the distance as they carried on south, and it seemed it might be a while before any response occurred.
Turning left, Borax and Calvis addressed the northern door. With the lessons learned from the first one - plus the fact that the lock on this one was on the outside - Calvis managed to get it open.
A layer of soil covered the floor. Rough wooden shelves, filled with a scattering of tomes and scrolls, lined the north and east walls, while a rough-hewn desk stood in the centre of the chamber. Fungus on the ceiling provided light, apparently in sufficient quantity to nourish several small bushes and pale saplings that grew in the soil.
The scrolls and books here were far more cared for, as this appeared to be Belak's study. Several attracted the party enough to be taken from the shelves for further examination, as did two scrolls of divine magic which Calvis and Erky tucked away for future use. On the desk was found what was evidently Belak's own journal; a thick, hand-written book bound in leather with a black rose embossed on the cover, packed with writing in an unknown language and sketches and diagrams of plants and animals. Some of them were seriously mutated. Again, it looked as if it would reward serious study.
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Heading back into the Grove, they began to laboriously hack through the briars, Borax clearing a path in case they needed to retreat. About half-way down the cavern, Ruby turned to Calcryx where he crouched on her shoulder. "Why don't you fly ahead a bit, just scout things out and come back, see what's there - don't engage or anything? The better we do, the more chance there is of some treasure for you." Somehow, the right words and intonation just seemed to drop into place, and the little dragon tilted his head. "Happen I will," he grunted, and climbing into the air, shot off across the top of the briars towards the tree.
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His passage seemed to disturb something, because a small horde of the Twig Blights they'd seen earlier converged on their position from all directions. The party formed a circle and raised weapons, meeting them as they emerged into the impromptu clearing.
Meepo and Calvius both scored instant kills [two validated criticals!], and the others wielded weapons to good effect, decimating the little monsters. After a while, no more appeared, just as the sound of shouting, a spell being cast and the whoosh of Calcryx' modest breath weapon were heard from the far end of the cavern. The dragonet rocketed back towards them, flying low and keeping the ruined walls between himself and whoever was at the far end.
"Bugger me!" he cursed as he landed, "three humans; man in robes, woman in robes, man in armour, pile of those twig bastards - and t'biggest frog I've ever seen. Shot at me, bloke in t'cassock cast a spell at me, got the hell out of there." Forewarned, they hacked onwards until the briars gave out, revealing the end of the Grove.
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56. A courtyard wall of heavy stones created a half-walled clearing among the briars. Several varieties of plants grew around the perimeter, including a few suspicious-looking saplings, but their importance paled before that which stood at the courtyard's centre. Beneath the venomous fungal light grew a singular tree of evil. Its blackened, twisted limbs reached upward like a skeletal hand clawing its way from the earth. Human figures stood near the tree: a woman and two men. A 5-foot-long tree frog squatted next to one of the men.
Borax had cut his path to bring them out behind the stone walls, in cover from the reception committee. Leaning against the walls, they heard a voice call out as Belak addressed them. "Hold your actions a moment, you know not what you do!" Ruby and Borax glanced at each other, and Borax made a circular motion; keep him talking and readied his crossbow. Ruby called back. "Yes we do; we're here to rescue the two young people you have kidnapped, and to kill you if you resist."
Belak's reply was chillingly casual. "They were the first two 'supplicants.' The Gulthias Tree has 'accepted' them, and they are mine to control, just like the twig blights. You can't save them." He paused, then continued; "Though your remains would enrich the compost, you'll better serve my needs as supplicants. Plus, you retain your lives, after a fashion. Surrender your weapons and submit peacefully, or it will go the worse for you!"
Borax hefted his crossbow, and Ruby waggled the potion of Fire Breath at him; ready. Together, they surged out of cover. Borax snapped off a shot while Ruby slugged the potion down and expelled a blast of fire at Belak, the frog and Sir Brafford. All three thrashed as they were enveloped in short-lived flames - and Borax's bolt smacked straight into Belak's head.
Or not. It stopped about an inch from his face, and dropped to the mulch below, without harming the druid at all. The dwarf snarled and set off towards their foes, slinging his bow and unhooking his flail. Belak drew a bronze scimitar with his right hand and a wand with his left. He levelled the wand at the ruined tower to the right of the battlefield where Erky and Calcryx were sheltering; plants of all kinds went wild in a convulsion of growth, trapping both in tough strands.
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Borax veered as he charged. The twig blights had all been roasted by the potion's effects, and he didn't rate the druid as dangerous as the ex-paladin, so he attacked what was plainly Sir Brafford. As he did he noticed the man was moving rather more slowly than hi should, and appeared detached; his skin was strange, roughened and barklike. His flail sang off the paladin's shield, which knocked Brafford off balance and spoiled his return strike.
To the far side, the wizard Sharwyn cast a spell and soared into the air; under the power of a Jump she dropped atop the eastern wall of the ruined tower Erky had sheltered behind. Pinioned and unable to seek better cover, the gnome cast a Bless and hoped it would help. On the far side, Calvis cast Protection from Evil, preparing himself for the worst. Meepo brought up his bow and shot an arrow, but his accuracy against the Twig Blights eluded him and it went wild.
Ruby had reached Belak, sword in hand and war cry on her lips. In spite of his towering arrogance, the dark druid quailed a bit as she advanced, but evaded her attack easily. He muttered a word, and his scimitar erupted into flames, through which he grinned evilly at the half-hob. Borax got a blow in on Brafford, and though the ex-paladin reacted to it, he clearly didn't feel as much pain as he should have done. Changing his aim, the human slashed back - aiming at the flail rather than the wielder. Borax hastily angled his flail to deflect and the sword glanced off with a fat blue spark.
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Atop the tower, Sharwyn cast a spell and produced a Hypnotic Pattern right next to Erky. The swirling pattern of glowing symbols caught his attention, and he stopped struggling with the Entanglement. Calcryx, on the other side of the wall, couldn't see it and was protected from the effects. Safely facing away from it, Ruby managed to wound Belak and Meepo slammed a Magic Missile into Brafford, who was bleeding freely. Borax couldn't help noticing that his blood no longer looked human; more like sap. The frog lumbered forwards and bit Ruby savagely on the leg; its teeth seemed coated with something but she felt no ill effects, though the distraction allowed Belak to cut a chunk out of her with his flaming scimitar. Winding up, Borax delivered a terrible overhead blow that brought his two-handed flail down on Brafford's helmet, crushing his helmet and head down into his ribcage. The corrupted paladin crumpled to the loam, slain instantly. Borax turned his head to glare at Belak and screamed "You're next!"
Calvis peered out from his cover, crossbow raised to shoot at Sharwyn, unaware of her protection, and his jaw went slack as he spotted the Pattern. Ruby's problems were compounded by a Magic Missile between the shoulderblades from Sharwyn; fortunately she didn't turn around to look where it had come from, but dealt Belak another blow that staggered him, leaving him looking desperate. Meepo's last Magic Missile smacked into him, which didn't help him at all. None the less, he and his frog both dealt Ruby more damage; she was starting to come to the end of her reserves. At that moment Borax, turning away from Brafford's mangled corpse, smashed Belak in the back of the head with his flail and dropped him dying to the ground. The frog turned and fled, exposing itself to Ruby's vengeance, and it became a dead amphibian.
Behind the wall, Calcryx had the bright idea to breathe on the entangling vines. Several froze, cracked and fell away, and pulled free. Meepo, short of targets, turned to Sharwyn and lifted his bow, still unaware that it wouldn't work - and sagged, fascinated by the Pattern. Calcryx soared over the wall, claws out, heading for Sharwyn, but Borax shouted "No!" at him as he reloaded his crossbow. The wyrmling veered and perched atop the wall, waiting for his breath weapon to recharge. As he did, he watched the Hypnotic Pattern with mild interest; it had reached its capacity to enthrall.
Both Borax and Ruby loosed missiles at her, but well-aimed as they were, they glanced off whatever strange protection the Tree was providing. Both advanced on her, Borax reloading, Ruby switching back to a melee weapon though aware even she couldn't reach Sharwyn from the ground. Borax shot again, to the same effect, and was hit in return by a Ray of Frost, more insult than injury. As she jogged across the Grove, Ruby slugged down a healing potion, staunching some of her many injuries. Reaching the wall, Borax began to attack the stonework, trying to damage it enough to bring Sharwyn down. Ruby braced herself, intending to run across, lunge onto Borax's back and leap for the top of the wall [which would have been awesome had it come off!]. Sharwyn, meanwhile, completely out of spells and unable to shoot straight down at Borax, unshipped her staff and leaned down, trying to hit him with it. She couldn't reach, so she tried to jump down to where she could - and fumbled it completely. Her body hit the ground with a very terminal splat. Borax lashed at her with his flail, pulping her already dying form into jelly.
With the Pattern gone, the others recovered, and the bodies were duly searched for useful things. Sir Brafford's sword, Shatterspike, was a nice find, and Ruby buckled it around her waist. Sharwyn's spellbook had survived, and Meepo eyed it hungrily. Around Belak's neck was found a pendant of some unknown black metal, cast in the shape of a rose.
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Session Date: 9th March 2026 |
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