Post by David on May 25, 2016 19:56:39 GMT -5
For nearly well over a decade, the half-dryad druidess of Artemis, Gloriana, has been slowly building up a small settlement on the northern shores of Ahlissa, across from the small island of Thracia. The town is New Amazonia and it follows most of the traditions of Themyscria, island home of the Amazons, far to the East. Gloriana was part of the original party that cleared out the monsters from the island, including lizard men, gnolls, minotaur, and the undead, and since that time, nothing particularly dangerous has been seen in the area. Unfortunately, a few years ago, troublesome creatures and events began, first on the island and then on the shore. First came a handful of odd creatures. Then wimpy gargoyle-like creatures that could be driven off but never definitively slain. More strange and odd creatures began to bubble up from the dungeons below the island until the Amazons were forced to abandon the Isle of Artemis entirely for the mainland.
Gloriana, intent on taking back her sacred place, asked a group of her Amazons to deal with the threat. Only one returned, with tales of strange monsters and non-Euclidean geometry. So Gloriana asked her best archers to deal with this threat and none of them returned, though magic indicated not all were dead. Accordingly, Gloriana sent out a call to the rest of the Medegian followers for help. Almost immediately helped arrived on griffon's wings in the form of Brand the Planesman. Already there were Aris Tradewind, Adama of Asclepius, and the Enlightened minotaur Sul Absil. Joining them was Rufus the Mariner as well as an Amazonian witch of Gaia, Melantha and her familiar Agape.
The heroes briefly discussed reconnoitering the area, but ultimately decided to simply enter the lower levels and see what was there. They found the whole layout of the catacombs greatly changed and soon found a small batch of survivors. What the threat was was not clear and reports were contradictory. Delving further, the heroes soon got an idea of what they were up against...
Rufus, Sul Absil, and Gloriana spotted the ambush -- seven strange, thin, purplish-skinned, bald humanoids with overly long limbs and pads on their fingers lurked with alcoves above ground level. Rufus slew one and a massive orange one wielding a claymore appeared in its place. Yet when Aris unleashed a volley of fire shards, his purple foe was vaporized. The purple creatures began murmuring, making concentration for the heroes difficult. That's about when another orange beserker appeared and attacked, inflicting crippling damage on Gloriana. Aris unleashed a fire breath that vaporized almost all the purple creatures though the others easily survived the onsalughter. Meanwhile, Rufus saved the druidess and Adama and Melantha healed her. Another, stocky teal creature hang back and unleashed a volley of yellow lightning that filled the passage, momentarily paralyzed Brand, and telported him away from his allies and toward the creature. The Planesman fell to the attacks of the orange and teal creatures. Meanwhile, Rufus and Sul Absil wound up hacking down Gloriana -- as they attacked the orange foe, it bent space around it and several of the fighters' swings landed on the druidess by accident! Little by little the heroes fought off the monsters, though Gloriana was only saved by Rufus' elixir of health and Aris used nearly all of his spells.
The group fell back and gathered the survivors. Aris used his flying carpet and Gloriana's bag of holding to dimension door to safety with the women the heroes rescued. Brand used his cubic gate to bring the rest of the party ethereal and walk back to the surface. The heroes' only clue as to what they are facing came from one of Aris' spells that revealed a creature related to a beholder had come from the Astral plane and used its powers to rearrange reality against the laws of nature. This change encouraged the creatures, foulspawn, to come from the farthest reaches of the Astral plane. What else awaits the heroes...?
Gloriana, intent on taking back her sacred place, asked a group of her Amazons to deal with the threat. Only one returned, with tales of strange monsters and non-Euclidean geometry. So Gloriana asked her best archers to deal with this threat and none of them returned, though magic indicated not all were dead. Accordingly, Gloriana sent out a call to the rest of the Medegian followers for help. Almost immediately helped arrived on griffon's wings in the form of Brand the Planesman. Already there were Aris Tradewind, Adama of Asclepius, and the Enlightened minotaur Sul Absil. Joining them was Rufus the Mariner as well as an Amazonian witch of Gaia, Melantha and her familiar Agape.
The heroes briefly discussed reconnoitering the area, but ultimately decided to simply enter the lower levels and see what was there. They found the whole layout of the catacombs greatly changed and soon found a small batch of survivors. What the threat was was not clear and reports were contradictory. Delving further, the heroes soon got an idea of what they were up against...
Rufus, Sul Absil, and Gloriana spotted the ambush -- seven strange, thin, purplish-skinned, bald humanoids with overly long limbs and pads on their fingers lurked with alcoves above ground level. Rufus slew one and a massive orange one wielding a claymore appeared in its place. Yet when Aris unleashed a volley of fire shards, his purple foe was vaporized. The purple creatures began murmuring, making concentration for the heroes difficult. That's about when another orange beserker appeared and attacked, inflicting crippling damage on Gloriana. Aris unleashed a fire breath that vaporized almost all the purple creatures though the others easily survived the onsalughter. Meanwhile, Rufus saved the druidess and Adama and Melantha healed her. Another, stocky teal creature hang back and unleashed a volley of yellow lightning that filled the passage, momentarily paralyzed Brand, and telported him away from his allies and toward the creature. The Planesman fell to the attacks of the orange and teal creatures. Meanwhile, Rufus and Sul Absil wound up hacking down Gloriana -- as they attacked the orange foe, it bent space around it and several of the fighters' swings landed on the druidess by accident! Little by little the heroes fought off the monsters, though Gloriana was only saved by Rufus' elixir of health and Aris used nearly all of his spells.
The group fell back and gathered the survivors. Aris used his flying carpet and Gloriana's bag of holding to dimension door to safety with the women the heroes rescued. Brand used his cubic gate to bring the rest of the party ethereal and walk back to the surface. The heroes' only clue as to what they are facing came from one of Aris' spells that revealed a creature related to a beholder had come from the Astral plane and used its powers to rearrange reality against the laws of nature. This change encouraged the creatures, foulspawn, to come from the farthest reaches of the Astral plane. What else awaits the heroes...?