The Necromancer's Pact VI: Lake of Tears [closed]

[Ludo]

Nolan

"It sounds like it's just as dangerous to travel with these people as it would be to go at it alone," Nolan says. "Um, that was a joke. Heh," he adds, smiling uncomfortably.

"This 'century old necromancer', he is the one that hunts you?"

[OOC - Hope no one minds the RP recounting :)]

[Callos_DeTerran]

Callos

"I wouldn't exactly call it rescueing Fizahn. I mean I had just turned back from a 'gnome-napping drider' into a man. I think the only reason you decided to take me with you was because I was naked, looked harmless, and oh yeah the horde of spiders kinda made you rush the decision. I know one party member wanted to eat me if I recall correctly. And if anyone knows how much of a bitch the mummy drow was, its me."

The seasoned necromancer kept his eyes focused on Lumpy and Thokk. It looked as if another brawl might break out between the two of them and if it did he intended to break it up. Other then that he only wormed his way down farther unto the cart and pulled the blanket tighter around him.

[Phasm]

Lissa

Lissa looks very happy with her new, shaggy gray-and-white mount. He may not be Patch, but he's a nice dog all the same. Hmm, what to call him? Noticing Delphinia's apparent interest, she gives the halfling a friendly smile. "Delphinia, right? I see you prefer riding dogs over ponies as well."

She chimes into the Underdark conversation after a few minutes, evidently able to keep track of two (or more) conversational threads at once. "I'm not normally the trusting sort, but slogging it through the Underdark like that... you trust your companions or you end up dead." She smiles up (way up, the tallfolk are on horseback) at Aeroz, Thokk and Lumpy, and over at Achkby. "I got gnome-napped by driders one 'night' while Linda and I were on watch... fought back, of course, but that webbing is tough. Thought for sure I was dead- after all, I was the new gnome in the party, it's not like I was anyone's friend that they'd risk their lives for. But they did. They came and rescued me."

[Erikkin]

Fizahn:

"Nightwing did a number on your sword alright. Before, it had a sorta glow about it. Not a glow really, but you just had the feeling that it was superior. Now, nothing. It just seems like a normal sword, until you start fighting someone with it, then it looks more like a light piece of wood. You just want more time because you know I'm never going to settle down." Next time I buy a pony. It would be easier to ride around and talk to people that way.

[sacreddeamon]

Thokk

"That may be true, little one, but ill still take as much time here as I can"

"Yea, me sword isnt the same, that blasted nightwing, but its still got the dragons claw attached to it, and I had that Demon spine on me armor, untill a certain group decided I should be ooze lunch...."

*Thokk glares at the group good naturly, then turns his attentions to Lumpy*

"Say what ye will, but yer cant count past ten without lookin at yer toes, so I dont exactly put much wieght behind yer words, Half-Breed

[Erikkin]

Fizahn:

"I didn't really have any say in the armor. If I could have carried it, it wouldn't have been ooze lunch, although I think it was more around dinner time," Fizahn says with a toothy grin before turning his attention to the argument between Lumpy and Thokk. "Say what you like Thokk, but he gets the job done, albeit a far cry from your efficiency. I hear he also makes a good springboard, eh Lissa?" It feels good to just talk without fear of beasts attacking us. Although the undead might already be after us and there are probably some predators that are short of food this winter. Oh well, we'll just have to keep a watchful eye, or ear out for them.

[sacreddeamon]

Thokk

"Hahaha, a good springboard indeed, irrovocable proof his head is made of wood!"

*Wiping away tears of laughter, Thokk continues*

"Aye, this be relaxin indeed, good company, a good buffon, foods, just throw me some beasties to squash that arnt already dead, and ill be fine."

*Thokk jingles whats left in his moneybag*

Ach, and some loot be nice also, need to fix my sword and get some proper dwarf steel between me heart and things wantin to rip it out

[Zeal]

Hajih

Hajih looks over at Lumpy and Thokk and shakes his head. He takes a drink from his flask and offers it to Callos.

"We might be listening to this for a while."

[dauphinous]

"This is Gladi." She reaches down and ruffles the dog's hair with one hand. In return, the dog lifts her head and barks once, a happy-type bark. "I found her when she was just a pup. Poor thing lost and alone, so I took her and raised her. Named her after a flower, since that's what my mom did. Named me after a flower, I mean. She didn't name a dog after a flower. That was about four years ago, give or take."

[bhdrake]

Lumpy

Lumpy doesn't even bother looking back at Thokk as he responds, his voice slipping into a deliberate slowness that overrides his typical drawl,

"But words are just words, and half-breed is only an insult to someone ashamed of their parentage. Perhaps you should consider yours before you disparage mine." He shakes his head slowly, pausing long enough to click his tongue as he steers his horse back on track, "I don't know what sorts of sycophants you're used to dealing with, but don't expect me to play into your racial heirarchy simply because your parents beat such idiocy into your head."

[Phasm]

Lissa

The gnomish woman gives Delphinia's dog a faintly wistful look. "This boy here is a new one to me. I had a wonderful riding dog, Patch, ever since he was a pup... couldn't take him onto the bulette train we rode into the Underdark, though, so I had to board him in Velprintalar." Lissa sighs, looking rather sad. "It's probably just as well, since we ran out of food for several days down there, and ate mushrooms for some time before that. I still miss him, though."

Lissa rolls her eyes theatrically at Thokk and Fizahn's teasing of Lumpy. "And here I thought you two were adults. It was actually very kind of Lumpy to let me get away with that stunt." She looks rather embarrassed at the memory.

[kariokie]

Nyssa

To Callos: "I'm just sorry I didn't know earlier you didn't have warmer clothes, I would have purchased you some, or lent you the money. Maybe when we come to the next town?"

After her quick comment to Callos, Nyssa just watches the banter quietly but with rapt attention. After a while, she pokes her brother, "And I thought we argued!"

[swordmaster2000]

listining intently to the story Silithos' look of boredom has all but evaporated

The Underdark eh? When I was a boy living in Barghest there was an old man that claimed to have traveled through it.He said it's just one big cave filled with dark skinned elves that warship spiders and cities of black metal.He also described spiders the size of giants, blind canibals and squid faced monstrocities.

Is any of this fact or was it all just stories, they seemed real enough when I was a lad that is untill... He then trails of looking out into space lost in painful memories.

[Ludo]

Nolan

Nolan deftly catches Nyssa's finger as she launches another poke attack. "Shh, I'm trying to decide if these people have continually saved each other's lives or have just failed to get each other killed over a long period of time."

[bhdrake]

Lumpy

Despite the argument, Lumpy manages to whuff good-naturedly at Lissa's comment,

"Yeah, mebbe. I could'a thrown ya further though. Ask him." He jerks a thumb in Fizahn's direction.

[sacreddeamon]

Thokk

"True enough Half breed, true enough, but then according to that logic, anything we say has no meaning behind it. Words need something to back them up, or else they be just empty hollow shells taking up space. If we cant have meanings behind words, what can we have?"

[bhdrake]

Lumpy

Lumpy shrugs, any hint of lightheartedness slipping from his voice once again,

"Like I hinted, words are what you make of them. Is there a point to you're tying to get at, or is this just how you get your jollies nowadays?"

[Frojoe21]

Aeroz

"As great as that moment was, I still want to completely block out everything regarding that awful place." Aeroz remarks candidly as he tries to bury those memories again.

Turning his head to Thokk and Lumpy, Aeroz tries to slow down the argument. "You two stop it. Is this how we show newcomers how we treat each other?"

[swordmaster2000]

Silithos recomposes himself but now he seems less inquisitive and solemn looking foreward and not asking anything more.

[sacreddeamon]

Thokk

*To Aeroz*

"What lad? This be how we act most of the time, why show anything else"

*Thokk turns his face to stare at Lumpy*

"Half Breed, now im makin a point. Yer sayin that words are just words, right? There is nothing behind em? That cant be, because there is somethin behind every word. That somethin gives words meanin. Hell, if there wasnt anything behind em, we wouldnt be able to understand what we were sayin? Understand?

[Frojoe21]

Aeroz

"Gradual exposure my formerly deceased friernd, gradual exposure..."

[swordmaster2000]

continuing to look solemn untill Aeroz makes his remark about exposure when Silithos looks over grinning his shark toothed grin and muttering to Aeroz "Heh do these two fight like this all the time? If so this is going to be one delightful trip." still grinning he turns to Lumpy and to Thokk obviously enjoying the argument> It is hard to tell wether Silithos was being sarcastic or not in his remark.

[Dr._Bob]

The conversation helps to pass the time as you ride across a barren, snowy landscape. The day passes uneventfully, and you make camp in an abandoned stone building that lies beside a ferry crossing.

Hajih and Delphinia scout out the area, finding a number of humanoid and non-humanoid tracks. The tracks all overlap each other, making it hard to figure out what had occurred here. There are signs of battle and relatively fresh blood. The remains of a large bonfire smolders outside the stone cottage. The rangers find a number of bone fragments. It looks as though at least 4 human bodies were burned here. There were also some larger bone fragments that seemed to have come from a number of giant humanoids.

Despite these sinister signs, the night passes quietly as you all take turn keeping watch for the spectres.

[hr]
In the morning, you cross the river using some abandoned flat boats. As you resume travel on the road, there are clear signs that there are a number of horsemen ahead of you. There is also a pair of footprints. Someone appears to be walking or running with the horses.

[hr]
For two days, you travel along the road following in the footsteps/hoofprints of the travelers ahead. Their campsites leave little clue to the nature of the travelers, but tracks and prints indicate half a dozen humanoids with about 10 horses/pack animals.

[hr]
By the end of the third day, you finally catch up with the travelers ahead.

As those of you in the lead crest a hill, you look down on an icy, narrow stone bridge crossing a dark river. The six travelers have crossed the bridge on foot, cautiously leading their horses across.

As you watch, the travelers are ambushed by an enormous six-headed hydra. Two of the travelers retreat back across the bridge with the horses, while the remaining four attempt to hold off the beast.

It is impossible to make out the races of the travelers at this distance with them bundled up in their winter gear, but one uses a longbow and two of them appear to have flaming swords, and for a while it looks like they might have a fighting chance.

To your surprise, a tiny dragon appears, squawking and waving its wings. We fight! it thinks into your minds. It then telepathically asks, Bows?

You dismount and provide some covering fire as you move towards the bridge on foot.

By this time, the rest of you have left the carts behind the hill and climbed up to the crest of the hill to see what the commotion is about.

You get a good view of the battle, watching as one of the travelers manages to sever two of the hydra's heads, only to be snatched up by a third head and shaken like a small doll.

Two of the other travelers manage to grievously wound the hydra, only to disappear into an icy mist when three of the heads blast them simultaneously.

By the time you reach the bridge, an eerie silence has fallen over the area. The tiny dragon urges you all forward. A shell-shocked human stands with the horses by the bridge, stunned into immobility.

As the mist begins to clear, a shadowy figure begins to emerge from the mist at the other end of the bridge, dragging a body with it ...



OOC: My apologies for the excessive fast-forwarding. I hope everyone was able to follow this post, which covers four days of game time ...

[Callos_DeTerran]

Callos

Before fast forwading

Turning to look at the female human, he hadn't quite memorized her name yet, Callos gave a grade A Djital brand rakish grin and shook his head.

"As much as I would enjoy shopping for new clothes I'll decline. My clothes are plenty warm enough. I merely find it more comfortable like this. You travel around in purple sequin pants in the Underdark for awhile and you bear some resistance to chilly tempatures."

After fast forwarding (Don't you love useful literary devices like this?)

He knew it couldn't have lasted. Knew it as surely as he was that he was human. And it hadn't. First the giant bone chips and human bone chips. Then watching the other groups battle against an ice breathing hydra, two of them vanishing into mist. And now there was this tiny dragon who could speak into minds.

Yep, normalcy had gone straight out the window again. Now who on Toril where these fellows? They didn't seem like bad people but one never knew. The necromancer held his spellbook close just in case, dragons weren't really a good representive to send to inspire trust, before calling out to the strangers.

"Ho! Seem to be having mythological beast troubles! Do you require any healing?"

[swordmaster2000]

utterly shocked by the scene eveloping Silithos stands frozen for a moment before returning to his sences. He takes his bow off his back and nockes an arrow ready to fire if the shadowey figure makes any threatening motions.


(( Readied action shoot if the figure starts to attack or rush foreward seeming as if it would attack))

[kariokie]

Nyssa

Nyssa moves forward and acts quickly, entirely without fear, as if this is the most normal thing in the world to be happening at this juncture.

If the hydra appears to be alive still (if the shape in the mist is large enough), Nyssa will cast Spectral Hand and prepare for combat, moving away from other people to spread out the group and prevent them from being taken out by one of the breath attacks she saw.

Otherwise, she'll go to the shell-shocked human and try to rouse him, or at least move him back from the bridge. "Help him! she shouts to her brother urgently, pointing to the figure in the mist, if it appears to be one of the humans she saw.

[sacreddeamon]

Thokk

*Thokk Leaps off his horse, draws his sword and shield, and rushes to the front of the group, not running into the mist but calling a loud challage*

"Aye, whoever ye be, come out! If the beastie still draws breath we'll put an end to that, but otherwise get over here so we can see who yer are"

[dauphinous]

Delphinia notches another arrow, but doesn't fire. She urges Gladi forward, but just to a clear line of fire. I'll be damned if I'm going to be stupid enough to go into melee when I don't have to.

[Erikkin]

Fizahn:

Fizahn leaps off his cart and rushes to the bridge. "You, get into the back. If the beast follows you, we will handle it!" Fizahn shouts at the approaching figure. This isn't good. I hope they've injured it enough that we can finish it. Fizahn quickly draws his 'short sword' and peers into the mist looking for the beast.

[Dr._Bob]

Cautiously you close in on the bridge arrayed in a loose semicircle, weapons ready.

Nyssa checks on the stunned human standing by the horses. He is trembling and seems to be whispering some sort of prayer. She can't help noticing that he is strikingly handsome.

The lone figure steps out of the mist onto the narrow bridge. She is dragging one of her companions, a white bow slung across her shoulders. She shakes off her hood, revealing herself to be an elf with short white hair and gray eyes, bright with pain. "Help us," she gasps.

The tiny dragon skitters across the icy bridge and plunges into the mist. After a tense moment, a joyful thought dances across your minds, They live!

The mist dissipates quickly. The hydra has fled, leaving behind a trail of blue-black blood and two severed heads. Three bodies lie on the ground. One gasps and stirs. The other two lie still. The tiny dragon hops up and down. Hurry!!!