Post by David on Oct 3, 2005 12:20:15 GMT -5
Over the course of the several days the heroes rested in Klarr, the party had many interactions with each other and the townsfolk. The teenagers of Klarr seemed especially distrustful of the group, but Trillian managed to make some headway. Also, Asriel (the movanic deva protecting and guiding the group) spent almost all his time with Soren in private. The upshot, however, seemed to be her complete and total acceptance of Trillian and witchcraft, as well as new understanding about her powers.
Late in the day of May 12th, Chastity returned to Klarr, this time with the witch, Rhanée StrongArm, instead of Kara. Rhanée had a major attitude problem, especially with Trillian, Laurel, and Jellie, but after that was sorted out, offered to share spells with the other witch. Meanwhile, Chastity reincarnated River; he returned as a black-skinned human warrior.
And once again, Jellie had a dream...this time spelling out the quest each of the new heroes could accomplish in order to avoid the Apocalypse...
Break the rules of man and god through the impossible result
End your own mortal existence
Kill a primal god of old
Pass beyond the veil of stars
Restore the ancient calendar
Look into the eye of insanity
Recover my hidden spindel
Bridge the spirit world with the living one
Pilfer the secrets of man and god hidden in this cosmos
Cleave reality with the ancestral blade
So, in order to aid the heroes in their mission, Chastity offered to legend lore them. She would cast one on the 13th, but for more, the heroes would need to journey to Chendl, where she was fighting a war to save Furyondy and the Northlands. There, the group met many other heroes including the parents of Klarr's unfriendly teenagers.
On the 13th, Chastity cast her spell on Trillian learning that his quest was "to journey beyond the mountains at the roof of the world and into the valley where spirits dwell." A brief discussion with the other heroes in Chendl as well as Asriel, identified Trillian's destination as the Valley of Spirits beyond the Black Ice.
On the 14th, Chastity cast her spell on Soren learning that her quest was "to make the most noble and selfless of sacrifices, freeing the holy essence from its mortal shell." Asriel pointed out that were Soren (the avatar of Moorak, since saints cannot be reincarnated) to die in a saintly, noble, and heroic manner, her spirit would return to its source -- namely Moorak.
So, on the morning of the 15th of May, Chastity, Mina, and the other mages in Chendl itemized the party. Asriel borrowed Daisy's magical ring from Chastity and transported the lot of them to the mountain cliffs outside the Valley of Spirits. Now, all the heroes must do is climb a massive, glacial mountain range, descend the other side (a steaming tropical valley), and enter the Navel of Oerth...but first, climbing over a mile of vertical, snow-encrusted, trecherous mountain...
The heroes didn't make great progress the first day. Thera kept being annoyed by the spirits of the dead trying to get her attention. Trillian nearly fell to his death, saved only by his belaying line. All the heroes had trouble with the gear and cold, all save Andorallan, (still in the body of an alaghi) whose furry pelt shielded him from much of the chill and whose clawed hands and feet gave him excellent purchase in the snow and Soren, who seemed relatively unbothered by the freezing temperatures. Jellie cast a spell on herself, becoming a furry, cat-like woman, but unfortunately this shape did little to shield her from the icy wind nor did its claws aid her much in climbing the ice packs...
Late in the day, as the heroes made ready to camp, they met the first living inhabitants of the mountains; four frost giants out hunting for food. Luckily for the heroes, the same mountain face that made movement difficult also limited the giants' ability to attack; they had to come out the group one at a time without a clear shot for boulder-hucking.
Andorallan and Jellie's illusionary owlbear made short work of the first giant, in no small way aided by Thera's chant and Trillian's faerie fire. Laurel, the illusion, and Soren's magic missiles took out the second giant. The third giant moved around to get a clear shot with boulders at the party, but in doing so hopped onto a ledge mostly made of ice. Soren unleashed a lightning bolt that vaporized the surface, forcing the giant to grab the rock face to survive. Meanwhile, another of Jellie's phantasms attacked the creature...before he fell to his death...
The last giant retreated up the mountain, taking refuge on a ledge well abover the group. The only way to reach the jotun was to travel 120 feet along a narrow, slippery channel of show and ice, much like a bowling alley for the frost giant!
Now mostly-healed, Andorallan and Laurel each took a sip of invisibility potion and crept up the tube. Farther up, the channel opened and Andorallan snuck around to get another angle on the giant. The pair attacked with surprise, wounding the monster. It nearly killed Laurel and Andorallan, but with the aid of Jellie's last improved phantasmal force, the heroes triumphed.
They bound their wounds and found a place to camp. In the early hours of the morning, however, the group had another visitor. A massive snow-white wolf, larger even than a worg, had prowled up to the camp. Laurel spoke with it, but before she made much headway, Andorallan charged to the attack!
The winter wolf let loose a blast of freezing cold that nearly killed Thera, dropped Andorallan, and truly chilled Soren for the first time in her life. Laurel, Riverton, and Flora fought the great wolf while Trillian and Soren dragged the others to safety. Meanwhile, the wolf called for its mate! The second wolf also let loose a blast of cold, nearly killing Flora instantly and seriously wounding all the rest in combat with the first wolf. Soren joined the fight, armed with the flaming bastard sword Chastity lent her, while Jellie color sprayed the first wolf into unconsciousness. Quickly overwhelmed, the the monsters fell, although the party was seriously wounded.
Using their curative abilities, the party managed to stabilize everyone's condition. Unfortunately, Flora's left front paw was badly damaged, with permanent frostbite damage. Until the familiar can get potent magical healing, she won't be able to run or fight very effectively. Accordingly, she transformed back into her rabbit form for Trillian to carry.
Meanwhile, Andorallan discovered he really loves teh taste of winter wolf; cold and crunchy on the outside, warm and chewy on the inside!
As the early light greated the party on the morning of May 16th, they surveyed the frozen landscape. Exactly one month left to accomplish their goal or die trying...
Late in the day of May 12th, Chastity returned to Klarr, this time with the witch, Rhanée StrongArm, instead of Kara. Rhanée had a major attitude problem, especially with Trillian, Laurel, and Jellie, but after that was sorted out, offered to share spells with the other witch. Meanwhile, Chastity reincarnated River; he returned as a black-skinned human warrior.
And once again, Jellie had a dream...this time spelling out the quest each of the new heroes could accomplish in order to avoid the Apocalypse...
Break the rules of man and god through the impossible result
End your own mortal existence
Kill a primal god of old
Pass beyond the veil of stars
Restore the ancient calendar
Look into the eye of insanity
Recover my hidden spindel
Bridge the spirit world with the living one
Pilfer the secrets of man and god hidden in this cosmos
Cleave reality with the ancestral blade
So, in order to aid the heroes in their mission, Chastity offered to legend lore them. She would cast one on the 13th, but for more, the heroes would need to journey to Chendl, where she was fighting a war to save Furyondy and the Northlands. There, the group met many other heroes including the parents of Klarr's unfriendly teenagers.
On the 13th, Chastity cast her spell on Trillian learning that his quest was "to journey beyond the mountains at the roof of the world and into the valley where spirits dwell." A brief discussion with the other heroes in Chendl as well as Asriel, identified Trillian's destination as the Valley of Spirits beyond the Black Ice.
On the 14th, Chastity cast her spell on Soren learning that her quest was "to make the most noble and selfless of sacrifices, freeing the holy essence from its mortal shell." Asriel pointed out that were Soren (the avatar of Moorak, since saints cannot be reincarnated) to die in a saintly, noble, and heroic manner, her spirit would return to its source -- namely Moorak.
So, on the morning of the 15th of May, Chastity, Mina, and the other mages in Chendl itemized the party. Asriel borrowed Daisy's magical ring from Chastity and transported the lot of them to the mountain cliffs outside the Valley of Spirits. Now, all the heroes must do is climb a massive, glacial mountain range, descend the other side (a steaming tropical valley), and enter the Navel of Oerth...but first, climbing over a mile of vertical, snow-encrusted, trecherous mountain...
The heroes didn't make great progress the first day. Thera kept being annoyed by the spirits of the dead trying to get her attention. Trillian nearly fell to his death, saved only by his belaying line. All the heroes had trouble with the gear and cold, all save Andorallan, (still in the body of an alaghi) whose furry pelt shielded him from much of the chill and whose clawed hands and feet gave him excellent purchase in the snow and Soren, who seemed relatively unbothered by the freezing temperatures. Jellie cast a spell on herself, becoming a furry, cat-like woman, but unfortunately this shape did little to shield her from the icy wind nor did its claws aid her much in climbing the ice packs...
Late in the day, as the heroes made ready to camp, they met the first living inhabitants of the mountains; four frost giants out hunting for food. Luckily for the heroes, the same mountain face that made movement difficult also limited the giants' ability to attack; they had to come out the group one at a time without a clear shot for boulder-hucking.
Andorallan and Jellie's illusionary owlbear made short work of the first giant, in no small way aided by Thera's chant and Trillian's faerie fire. Laurel, the illusion, and Soren's magic missiles took out the second giant. The third giant moved around to get a clear shot with boulders at the party, but in doing so hopped onto a ledge mostly made of ice. Soren unleashed a lightning bolt that vaporized the surface, forcing the giant to grab the rock face to survive. Meanwhile, another of Jellie's phantasms attacked the creature...before he fell to his death...
The last giant retreated up the mountain, taking refuge on a ledge well abover the group. The only way to reach the jotun was to travel 120 feet along a narrow, slippery channel of show and ice, much like a bowling alley for the frost giant!
Now mostly-healed, Andorallan and Laurel each took a sip of invisibility potion and crept up the tube. Farther up, the channel opened and Andorallan snuck around to get another angle on the giant. The pair attacked with surprise, wounding the monster. It nearly killed Laurel and Andorallan, but with the aid of Jellie's last improved phantasmal force, the heroes triumphed.
They bound their wounds and found a place to camp. In the early hours of the morning, however, the group had another visitor. A massive snow-white wolf, larger even than a worg, had prowled up to the camp. Laurel spoke with it, but before she made much headway, Andorallan charged to the attack!
The winter wolf let loose a blast of freezing cold that nearly killed Thera, dropped Andorallan, and truly chilled Soren for the first time in her life. Laurel, Riverton, and Flora fought the great wolf while Trillian and Soren dragged the others to safety. Meanwhile, the wolf called for its mate! The second wolf also let loose a blast of cold, nearly killing Flora instantly and seriously wounding all the rest in combat with the first wolf. Soren joined the fight, armed with the flaming bastard sword Chastity lent her, while Jellie color sprayed the first wolf into unconsciousness. Quickly overwhelmed, the the monsters fell, although the party was seriously wounded.
Using their curative abilities, the party managed to stabilize everyone's condition. Unfortunately, Flora's left front paw was badly damaged, with permanent frostbite damage. Until the familiar can get potent magical healing, she won't be able to run or fight very effectively. Accordingly, she transformed back into her rabbit form for Trillian to carry.
Meanwhile, Andorallan discovered he really loves teh taste of winter wolf; cold and crunchy on the outside, warm and chewy on the inside!
As the early light greated the party on the morning of May 16th, they surveyed the frozen landscape. Exactly one month left to accomplish their goal or die trying...
