Post by David on Jul 17, 2008 10:54:33 GMT -5
On the morning of the 21st, the heroes (Ichi, Torr, Maedhros, Kyron and Dart, Wooden Thighs, and Saanau) were awakened by the arrival of a new figure, Treblo SkyMage, who had come to check on his wife (working with Black Robe) as well as Saanau. Treblo agreed to reincarnate Idky in exchange for his staff, and even offered to throw in a number of fly and stoneskin spells on the party.
The heroes returned to Charn and decided to "attack" the cloud from a different angle. Saanau and Torr take point, attacking another floating basket once the darkness is dispelled. The heroes only destroy the skeletons and a couple shadows, turning the rest back into the darkness. While Woody flies up to the party, Saanau scouts ahead into the central, elevated globe of darkness, discovering a massive sailing ship moored to the various balloons by dozens of ropes and ship-rigging, giving the impression of a vast web with the ship at the heart. The vessel has numerous large fans hanging over the side, with blades whirling almost too fast to see and smoke rising up from where these huge metal lumps connect to the deck. That's when ghoulish gunners began shooting. Luckily, Saanau's new charm proved a life-saver, deflecting the rain of "normal missiles".
The heroes regrouped below the ship, with Woody still far behind the rest. The party flew up from beneath the ship, using it as cover from the snipers above. The ship was draped with rigging, as if it had had two additional masts dragging beneath it and within this flexible labyrinth, shadows swarmed awaiting the party. Maedhros turn them all, allowing the party to easily reach the deck. Saanau unleashed a fireball destroying one mast and catapulting one ghoulish gunner to the ground (after a mile and a half fall!). The flames also destroyed or seriously damaged a large number of undead as well as caused the ship's "strange catapults" to explode! Kyron, Ichi, Maedhros, and Torr swarm onto the aft-castle, the former two fighting and the latter two turning the last of the undead (save the ghouls and a single juju zombie). Unfortunately, it's at this point the heroes encounter the 6' diameter floating, one-eyed spheres with hard, chitinous hides and a fierce bite. Meanwhile, gunners in the remaining three crow's nests continue to shoot the heroes (they're bad shots, luckily!).
Saanau unleashes another fireball, destroying another mast (catapulting another gunner), ruining the rigging of the whole ship, damaging or destroying many undead, and causing more "catapults" to explode! Unfortunately, Maedhros fails to turn the remaining undead and is quickly paralyzed. Ichi joins him, leaving Kyron and Torr boxed in against nearly a dozen of the beholder-like creatures and ghouls. Saanau users her remaining spells, taking out many, but the two fighters are sore pressed. Torr finally drinks his potion of fire breath, blasting away many more undead, lighting up rigging, and causing more explosions on deck, so that the ship starts to seriously tilt. But that was the paladin's swan-song as he was savagely taken out soon after. Kyron meanwhile was barely on his feet and forced to assume gaseous form...
Which is right when Wooden Thighs finally arrived!
The werepuma attacked the remaining foes, taking out several. A few ghouls and beholder remained on the forecastle, but most of the rest of the ship had been cleared out. Saanau offered what help she could and Maedhros got back to his feet, turning a group of zombies and shadows which had mysterious unturned. A ghoul ripped the half-elf for his efforts, nearly killing him. Woody started to flail and Saanau managed to get Torr back on his feet with the heroes' potion of healing. He then dodged the ghouls, grabbed some goodcherries, and quaffed a potion of invulnerability, hacking up the last beholder with spell support from Saanau (now casting out of her spell book). The paladin, mage, and werelord finished off the remaining nearby monsters, gathered their fallen allies (after tending their wounds), and fled back to Oerth.
(Yes, this is a minor change to what actually played out -- I will again apologize for my rule oversight and even give the party back the potion of healing as a way of saying "sorry" and "mea culpa" for screwing up so badly. Woody, now that one runestone has been destroyed, you ARE immune to both ghouls and shadows, including paralysis and strength drain. Only the beholder-kin should have been able to hurt you! Honestly, I think you would have gotten pretty well pounded by the remaining beholders while Torr would have still needed the potion of invulnerability to survive, but instead of re-playing this out, I just want to give the party the benefit of the doubt)
Before leaving, the heroes note the two wood golems left, as well as the scarecrow, a few beholders, and that's about it, although dozens of turned shadows lurked in the darkness as well.
On Oerth, the heroes met up with Black Robe and Treblo, as well as the "new" Idky -- now a 7' tall, bipedal reptile creature with a crocodile-like tail and huge wings spanning 17'. But, inside, he was the same old "guy".
Current status (by morning):
Maedhros: 24 of 32
Woody: full (56)
Kyron: full (72)
Dart: 5 of 16
Ichi: 28 of 43
Torr: 32 of 57
Saanau: 20 of 52
The heroes returned to Charn and decided to "attack" the cloud from a different angle. Saanau and Torr take point, attacking another floating basket once the darkness is dispelled. The heroes only destroy the skeletons and a couple shadows, turning the rest back into the darkness. While Woody flies up to the party, Saanau scouts ahead into the central, elevated globe of darkness, discovering a massive sailing ship moored to the various balloons by dozens of ropes and ship-rigging, giving the impression of a vast web with the ship at the heart. The vessel has numerous large fans hanging over the side, with blades whirling almost too fast to see and smoke rising up from where these huge metal lumps connect to the deck. That's when ghoulish gunners began shooting. Luckily, Saanau's new charm proved a life-saver, deflecting the rain of "normal missiles".
The heroes regrouped below the ship, with Woody still far behind the rest. The party flew up from beneath the ship, using it as cover from the snipers above. The ship was draped with rigging, as if it had had two additional masts dragging beneath it and within this flexible labyrinth, shadows swarmed awaiting the party. Maedhros turn them all, allowing the party to easily reach the deck. Saanau unleashed a fireball destroying one mast and catapulting one ghoulish gunner to the ground (after a mile and a half fall!). The flames also destroyed or seriously damaged a large number of undead as well as caused the ship's "strange catapults" to explode! Kyron, Ichi, Maedhros, and Torr swarm onto the aft-castle, the former two fighting and the latter two turning the last of the undead (save the ghouls and a single juju zombie). Unfortunately, it's at this point the heroes encounter the 6' diameter floating, one-eyed spheres with hard, chitinous hides and a fierce bite. Meanwhile, gunners in the remaining three crow's nests continue to shoot the heroes (they're bad shots, luckily!).
Saanau unleashes another fireball, destroying another mast (catapulting another gunner), ruining the rigging of the whole ship, damaging or destroying many undead, and causing more "catapults" to explode! Unfortunately, Maedhros fails to turn the remaining undead and is quickly paralyzed. Ichi joins him, leaving Kyron and Torr boxed in against nearly a dozen of the beholder-like creatures and ghouls. Saanau users her remaining spells, taking out many, but the two fighters are sore pressed. Torr finally drinks his potion of fire breath, blasting away many more undead, lighting up rigging, and causing more explosions on deck, so that the ship starts to seriously tilt. But that was the paladin's swan-song as he was savagely taken out soon after. Kyron meanwhile was barely on his feet and forced to assume gaseous form...
Which is right when Wooden Thighs finally arrived!
The werepuma attacked the remaining foes, taking out several. A few ghouls and beholder remained on the forecastle, but most of the rest of the ship had been cleared out. Saanau offered what help she could and Maedhros got back to his feet, turning a group of zombies and shadows which had mysterious unturned. A ghoul ripped the half-elf for his efforts, nearly killing him. Woody started to flail and Saanau managed to get Torr back on his feet with the heroes' potion of healing. He then dodged the ghouls, grabbed some goodcherries, and quaffed a potion of invulnerability, hacking up the last beholder with spell support from Saanau (now casting out of her spell book). The paladin, mage, and werelord finished off the remaining nearby monsters, gathered their fallen allies (after tending their wounds), and fled back to Oerth.(Yes, this is a minor change to what actually played out -- I will again apologize for my rule oversight and even give the party back the potion of healing as a way of saying "sorry" and "mea culpa" for screwing up so badly. Woody, now that one runestone has been destroyed, you ARE immune to both ghouls and shadows, including paralysis and strength drain. Only the beholder-kin should have been able to hurt you! Honestly, I think you would have gotten pretty well pounded by the remaining beholders while Torr would have still needed the potion of invulnerability to survive, but instead of re-playing this out, I just want to give the party the benefit of the doubt)
Before leaving, the heroes note the two wood golems left, as well as the scarecrow, a few beholders, and that's about it, although dozens of turned shadows lurked in the darkness as well.
On Oerth, the heroes met up with Black Robe and Treblo, as well as the "new" Idky -- now a 7' tall, bipedal reptile creature with a crocodile-like tail and huge wings spanning 17'. But, inside, he was the same old "guy".
Current status (by morning):
Maedhros: 24 of 32
Woody: full (56)
Kyron: full (72)
Dart: 5 of 16
Ichi: 28 of 43
Torr: 32 of 57
Saanau: 20 of 52
