Post by David on Aug 14, 2008 13:28:12 GMT -5
While most of the party (Maedhros, Kyron with Dart and Ahusaka, Idky, Lowdog, Squattingbeaver) wait in hiding, Ichi, Torr and Marius meet with the zombie-soldiers of Queen Sidra. The three are leaning toward boarding the moving buildings when everyone spies a flying figure in the sky -- it's Saanau zipping across Pommeville to join the party. She lands with the hidden group, inadvertently revealing their position. The heroes, seeing that the zombies still take no offensive action, choose to board the "moving buildings" in order to quickly reach the Queen.
While Kyron flies Ahusaka onto the roof, seeking a way to secure the hippogriff, the rest of the heroes board the first "car" of what Marius calls a "train". The group notes many skeletons and a few zombies at work in the forward, strangely shaped black "engine". Meanwhile, in the first "car" skeletons mutely offer to take the heroes' jackets while the zombies try to get them to sit. Torr remains tense and on alert, sword slightly drawn, while Squattingbeaver and Lowdog refuse to take a seat. Ichi, Saanau, and Marius settle in for the trip on cushions of crushed red velvet amid gold-plated light fixtures with dangling crystal ornaments and finely tooled woodwork panels. Marius opens the windows, allowing Kyron to tie a rope to the car, forming a rope seat for Ahusaka.
Once everyone is settled in as much as they choose to be, the train begins to move. It makes a short trip out of town, where one of the zombies climbs out and throws a switch next to the "tracks". The train then travels in a large loop, until it returns back to the "iron road" when one of the zombies again gets out, throws a switch, and the car begins speeding off toward Chateauenfer, the next city. The skeletons now bring out a large silver platter of cucumber sandwiches and serve berry wine in fine glass goblets. Ichi quickly falls asleep while Saanau gets a bit drunk. Squattingbeaver spits the drink out and the two Flan relax, while Torr remains on alert.
Three hours pass, during which time the heroes explore the "train". The first car is much like a large smoking room or lounge. The second is something of a dinning room, with a central bar and galley (Marius swiped a loaf of bread and some fruit while passing through). The last car has two small rooms facing one another as well as one with bunks for sleeping. Saanau moved back here and passed out after the wine went to her head (nice role-play, Aaron!).
About this time, Torr convinces Maedhros that it would be a good idea to take out the zombies in the other cars. Joined by Lowdog while Marius moves to "secure" the door to the more forward car, the paladin and cleric move into position. The first car goes smoothly -- Torr hacks down the juju zombie while Maedhros vaporized all of the other undead.
Inspired by their success, the group tries to repeat this in the middle "car". Unfortunately, Maedhros' turns are somewhat lackluster, while Torr completely misses the juju zombie. The "master" zombie pulls his "bent wand" and starts shooting while one of the zombies guarding the door to the first "car" tries to enter, slamming into Marius on the other side. Lowdog jumps on one of the zombies as the undead counter-attacked! Bullets rake the cabin, one striking the Flan warrior in his left hip, crippling him. Maedhros' second turn vaporized all the other undead save the juju zombie, but in the first car, one of three "master" zombies there moves to investigate the "dust" in the doorway of the "car".
Marius buys the heroes a few moments, but the juju zombie leaders realize what's going on and one pulls its "gun" and orders all the zombies to attack. Torr leads Maedhros in a charge into the "car" as Marius and Ichi are grazed by bullets. Torr's blade cuts into both of the juju zombies by the door and the half-elven cleric destroys all the lesser undead in the car. Squattingbeaver moves to tend to Lowdog, still writhing on the floor of the second "car". Things look better.
Then another zombie from the "engine" joins the fight, also using a "bent wand". Their gunfire cripples Ichi in the same way (left hip) as Low Dog, dropping him. Torr is nailed in the chest, cracking several ribs and knocking the wind from him. This leaves only Maedhros and still-slumbering Idky to deal with the four remaining juju zombies. The half-elf turns again, destroying all but one of the skeletons in the "engine" but nothing more. Idky swings his staff, but doesn't connect. Just then, Kyron swings into the room, offering the gun-slinging zombie a new target.
The neophyte shaman draws his bow and shoots back, flinching only slightly as the bullets bounce off him (nice amulet!). One juju behind him tackles Idky while the other continues attacking Torr. The young paladin recovers and hacks through the first zombie and joins Idky battling the second. Meanwhile, Marius is back on his feet and first cures his injury, then faerie fires Kyron's foe, only to be shot a second time. The other two zombies with guns empty all their bullets into Kyron, then draw another gun from the wall and repeat, ultimately dropping the "bent wands" and attacking Kyron physically. Maedhros tries to help out with magic missile but the zombies are immune, so he then shoots a Melf's acid arrow as his next spell, damaging the undead.
By this time, however, Torr joins his cousin, hacking down the zombie he was fighting and engaging the other. Lowdog has finally regained his senses from his wound, but is unable to walk much less fight. Squattingbeaver tends to the fallen, saving Marius' life (again). Ultimately, the heroes are victorious but badly beaten.
Maedhros threatens to throttle Torr for his "plan" but the young paladin finally relaxes on the cushions. Squattingbeaver tends everyone's wounds with Maedhros and Idky using cure light wounds to restore the party's strength. While this is happening, Marius figures out the basic workings of the "engine". He puts the two Flan to work at the bellows, Ichi and Lowdog now mobile but badly limping from their wounds. Once again on the roof of the first car with Ahusaka, Kyron spies a gargoyle trying to fly after the "moving buildings" but unable to match their speed.
Over three more hours pass with event as barren, dry scrub slides by. Then the heroes see a huge cloud of darkness looming on the horizon -- clearly Chateauenfer was treated much like Pommeville in the invasion! As the "train" gets closer, the heroes see massive columns of smoke from huge fires rising into the sky, patching holes in the cloud of darkness over the city. It's clear that this town did not fall without a fight!
The party spies the most massive howdah they've ever seen, shattered on the group. Then they see the corpse of the roc the platform was cut from. Soon the adventurers see several more such massive bodies and Marius' shakes his head sadly. The northern air-force of Caspar must have fallen here. Meanwhile, the group sees figures feeding on the carcasses -- ghouls abound at the edge of the cloud of darkness.
Plunging into the cloud, visibility quickly drops. Everything is covered with a fine layer of soot, ash, and powdered bone. Torr, Squattingbeaver, and Kyron need not warn the others of the evil they sense for everyone can feel it. Several rail-lines split away from the main one the "train" is on and Marius becomes concerned that he doesn't know how to stop the transport. Saanau spies a vrock soaring above the party before it too is swallowed by the gloom. Massive chunks of stone and twisted bits of metal lie to either side of the tracks, testament to a massive battle of animated statues on this site. Along with this wreckage are bones of every time, most picked clean and squattered over a wide area.
Marius begins to release the pressure in the "engine" slowing the "moving buildings" to the speed of a man running. They heroes are now some three minutes into the cloud now and can no longer see the way out through the darkness. The "train" slows and figures begin to collect to either side of the "iron road". Marius tells Torr to release the back "car" -- the young paladin draws his sword of sunder and hacks the trailing "building" free. But it's no use; the undead keep coming. Suddenly a group of ghouls and shadows attempt to rush and board the remaining "cars".
Three shadows and a ghoul board the "engine" where Marius, Squattingbeaver, and Maedhros are. A single ghoul boards the "lounge-building" where Lowdog, Ichi, and Idky greet it. On the dinning car, Torr faces eight ghouls while a shadow slides onto the roof with Saanau, Kyron, Ahusaka, and Dart.
Maedhros turns, getting rid of two shadows. Marius faerie fires the ghoul, but is dropped for his spell. Squattingbeaver fights over the witch's body, but is paralyzed by the ghoul's touch leaving Maedhros to battle both shadow and ghoul alone.
In the middle car, Lowdog charges the ghoul, damaging it, but the Flan warrior is also paralyzed. Idky attempts to turn the undead as Ichi attacks. He also damages the undead, but is struck down in a flurry of blows as he had never really recovered from the earlier battle with the zombies.
On the back car, Saanau uses two volleys of magic missiles to destroy the shadow threatening her while Torr turns half of the undead below. That, however, is not enough! Two ghouls attack from either side, while two more move into position to join the attack. The young paladin attempts to turn again, but fails. That's when the ghouls smash into him, re-injuring his ribs and knocking his holy sword from his hand. The bastard sword clatters to the ground and is quickly lost in the darkness. Meanwhile, Torr is torn open and nearly falls, but manages to toss a continual light stone behind the train, marking the region near where his sword fell. Saanau charges to her friend's rescue, using a wizard's wrath to vaporize one ghoul. Kyron, lacking the elf's ability to fly, tries to swing in a window, but nearly falls off the train instead. The ghouls ignore these new foes and seriously injure Torr further. Saanau pays the undead back for their overconfidence by using a second wizard's wrath to vaporize another ghoul while Kyron finally joins her in the dinning car. One ghoul stays on Torr while the other charges and paralyzes Saanau. Kyron has Dart attack the ghoul in the hopes of buying Torr time. The young paladin finally hacks down his foe and then with the pseudo dragon's help, takes out the other attacking a defending Kyron.
Back in the lounge-car, Idky, while wounded several times miraculously resists the paralysis and smashes down his ghoul. Unsteady on his feet, the winged lizard creature moves to help Maedhros in his battle with the ghoul and shadow on the first, black car. The half-elf has exhausted his magic missiles on the ghoul, but it still stands albeit barely. The shadow, however, has drain a good chunk of the cleric's strength and is untouched. That's when Idky clumsily charges to the rescue and clocks Maedhros by accident! The ghoul and shadow attack the hapless mage / cleric as well, dropping him. Now Idky is alone and in deep trouble since he's barely able to stand.
Torr and Dart come to the rescue as Squattingbeaver recovers from the paralysis and tends to Marius (I'm sensing a theme here...!), saving the young nobleman's life. The paladin smites the ghoul, joined by Lowdog who has finally recovered. Together the pair finish both undead. Meanwhile, Squattingbeaver moves through the three "buildings" using medicine herbs and bandages to tend to the wounded.
With everyone stable, Idky uses an aid to bring Maedhros conscious. The half-elf uses his healing spells to restore Ichi and Marius to their feet, if not their strength. Despite his wounds, Torr asks for one of the magical brooms so he can recover his holy sword. Saanau offers to help, but Kyron volunteers to do it -- he's better at flying the brooms and far less wounded.
Together, the elf and neophyte shaman plunge backward into the gloom, spying the light of Torr's stone. The undead stay away at first, clearly repulsed by the light. A group has gathered around the blade, but a lightning bolt from Saanau scatters them and gives Kyron a chance to grab the sword. The pair are forced skyward though, in order to avoid a growing mass of undead, leaving the light stone behind.
Marius returns to the controls of the "engine" making sure all is well. The clerics exhaust most of their spells. Once he returns, Kyron too calls upon the healing magics he's been learning to cure light wounds Torr (fixing his ribs) as well as Maedhros (his ribs had also been damaged in the fight). With nearly no curative spells left and at marginal strength, the heroes must decide what to do next while their transport continues to move DEEPER into the region of darkness...
Status:
Maedhros: 3+3 (aid) of 35 and -3 strength -- cast CLW x3 and detect poison plus magic missile x4 and Melf's acid arrow
Saanau: full (53) -- cast magic missile x4, lightning bolt, wizard's wrath x2
Squattingbeaver: full (7) -- cast protection from evil and cure light wounds -- although he should only have one spell left, he senses great power in this cloud of darkness as well
Ichi: 2 of 42* -- left hip still badly damaged so 1/2 dex and move
Marius: 4 of 13** -- cast faerie fire x2, protection from evil, cure wounds -- worried about the numerous bullets probably still in the various party members
Idky: 1 of 26 and -1 strength -- cast cure light wounds x4 and aid
Lowdog: 46+1 of 60* -- left his still badly damaged so 1/2 dex and move (Ray's characters are twins!)
Kyron: 49 of 81 and -1 strength -- cast cure light wounds x3 (not bad for my first day as a shaman!
Dart: 13 of 16 and still able to fly
Ahusaka: full (18) but nervous on the roof
Torr: 13 of 62* and SOO happy he has his sword back!
While Kyron flies Ahusaka onto the roof, seeking a way to secure the hippogriff, the rest of the heroes board the first "car" of what Marius calls a "train". The group notes many skeletons and a few zombies at work in the forward, strangely shaped black "engine". Meanwhile, in the first "car" skeletons mutely offer to take the heroes' jackets while the zombies try to get them to sit. Torr remains tense and on alert, sword slightly drawn, while Squattingbeaver and Lowdog refuse to take a seat. Ichi, Saanau, and Marius settle in for the trip on cushions of crushed red velvet amid gold-plated light fixtures with dangling crystal ornaments and finely tooled woodwork panels. Marius opens the windows, allowing Kyron to tie a rope to the car, forming a rope seat for Ahusaka.
Once everyone is settled in as much as they choose to be, the train begins to move. It makes a short trip out of town, where one of the zombies climbs out and throws a switch next to the "tracks". The train then travels in a large loop, until it returns back to the "iron road" when one of the zombies again gets out, throws a switch, and the car begins speeding off toward Chateauenfer, the next city. The skeletons now bring out a large silver platter of cucumber sandwiches and serve berry wine in fine glass goblets. Ichi quickly falls asleep while Saanau gets a bit drunk. Squattingbeaver spits the drink out and the two Flan relax, while Torr remains on alert.
Three hours pass, during which time the heroes explore the "train". The first car is much like a large smoking room or lounge. The second is something of a dinning room, with a central bar and galley (Marius swiped a loaf of bread and some fruit while passing through). The last car has two small rooms facing one another as well as one with bunks for sleeping. Saanau moved back here and passed out after the wine went to her head (nice role-play, Aaron!).
About this time, Torr convinces Maedhros that it would be a good idea to take out the zombies in the other cars. Joined by Lowdog while Marius moves to "secure" the door to the more forward car, the paladin and cleric move into position. The first car goes smoothly -- Torr hacks down the juju zombie while Maedhros vaporized all of the other undead.
Inspired by their success, the group tries to repeat this in the middle "car". Unfortunately, Maedhros' turns are somewhat lackluster, while Torr completely misses the juju zombie. The "master" zombie pulls his "bent wand" and starts shooting while one of the zombies guarding the door to the first "car" tries to enter, slamming into Marius on the other side. Lowdog jumps on one of the zombies as the undead counter-attacked! Bullets rake the cabin, one striking the Flan warrior in his left hip, crippling him. Maedhros' second turn vaporized all the other undead save the juju zombie, but in the first car, one of three "master" zombies there moves to investigate the "dust" in the doorway of the "car".
Marius buys the heroes a few moments, but the juju zombie leaders realize what's going on and one pulls its "gun" and orders all the zombies to attack. Torr leads Maedhros in a charge into the "car" as Marius and Ichi are grazed by bullets. Torr's blade cuts into both of the juju zombies by the door and the half-elven cleric destroys all the lesser undead in the car. Squattingbeaver moves to tend to Lowdog, still writhing on the floor of the second "car". Things look better.
Then another zombie from the "engine" joins the fight, also using a "bent wand". Their gunfire cripples Ichi in the same way (left hip) as Low Dog, dropping him. Torr is nailed in the chest, cracking several ribs and knocking the wind from him. This leaves only Maedhros and still-slumbering Idky to deal with the four remaining juju zombies. The half-elf turns again, destroying all but one of the skeletons in the "engine" but nothing more. Idky swings his staff, but doesn't connect. Just then, Kyron swings into the room, offering the gun-slinging zombie a new target.
The neophyte shaman draws his bow and shoots back, flinching only slightly as the bullets bounce off him (nice amulet!). One juju behind him tackles Idky while the other continues attacking Torr. The young paladin recovers and hacks through the first zombie and joins Idky battling the second. Meanwhile, Marius is back on his feet and first cures his injury, then faerie fires Kyron's foe, only to be shot a second time. The other two zombies with guns empty all their bullets into Kyron, then draw another gun from the wall and repeat, ultimately dropping the "bent wands" and attacking Kyron physically. Maedhros tries to help out with magic missile but the zombies are immune, so he then shoots a Melf's acid arrow as his next spell, damaging the undead.
By this time, however, Torr joins his cousin, hacking down the zombie he was fighting and engaging the other. Lowdog has finally regained his senses from his wound, but is unable to walk much less fight. Squattingbeaver tends to the fallen, saving Marius' life (again). Ultimately, the heroes are victorious but badly beaten.
Maedhros threatens to throttle Torr for his "plan" but the young paladin finally relaxes on the cushions. Squattingbeaver tends everyone's wounds with Maedhros and Idky using cure light wounds to restore the party's strength. While this is happening, Marius figures out the basic workings of the "engine". He puts the two Flan to work at the bellows, Ichi and Lowdog now mobile but badly limping from their wounds. Once again on the roof of the first car with Ahusaka, Kyron spies a gargoyle trying to fly after the "moving buildings" but unable to match their speed.
Over three more hours pass with event as barren, dry scrub slides by. Then the heroes see a huge cloud of darkness looming on the horizon -- clearly Chateauenfer was treated much like Pommeville in the invasion! As the "train" gets closer, the heroes see massive columns of smoke from huge fires rising into the sky, patching holes in the cloud of darkness over the city. It's clear that this town did not fall without a fight!
The party spies the most massive howdah they've ever seen, shattered on the group. Then they see the corpse of the roc the platform was cut from. Soon the adventurers see several more such massive bodies and Marius' shakes his head sadly. The northern air-force of Caspar must have fallen here. Meanwhile, the group sees figures feeding on the carcasses -- ghouls abound at the edge of the cloud of darkness.
Plunging into the cloud, visibility quickly drops. Everything is covered with a fine layer of soot, ash, and powdered bone. Torr, Squattingbeaver, and Kyron need not warn the others of the evil they sense for everyone can feel it. Several rail-lines split away from the main one the "train" is on and Marius becomes concerned that he doesn't know how to stop the transport. Saanau spies a vrock soaring above the party before it too is swallowed by the gloom. Massive chunks of stone and twisted bits of metal lie to either side of the tracks, testament to a massive battle of animated statues on this site. Along with this wreckage are bones of every time, most picked clean and squattered over a wide area.
Marius begins to release the pressure in the "engine" slowing the "moving buildings" to the speed of a man running. They heroes are now some three minutes into the cloud now and can no longer see the way out through the darkness. The "train" slows and figures begin to collect to either side of the "iron road". Marius tells Torr to release the back "car" -- the young paladin draws his sword of sunder and hacks the trailing "building" free. But it's no use; the undead keep coming. Suddenly a group of ghouls and shadows attempt to rush and board the remaining "cars".
Three shadows and a ghoul board the "engine" where Marius, Squattingbeaver, and Maedhros are. A single ghoul boards the "lounge-building" where Lowdog, Ichi, and Idky greet it. On the dinning car, Torr faces eight ghouls while a shadow slides onto the roof with Saanau, Kyron, Ahusaka, and Dart.
Maedhros turns, getting rid of two shadows. Marius faerie fires the ghoul, but is dropped for his spell. Squattingbeaver fights over the witch's body, but is paralyzed by the ghoul's touch leaving Maedhros to battle both shadow and ghoul alone.
In the middle car, Lowdog charges the ghoul, damaging it, but the Flan warrior is also paralyzed. Idky attempts to turn the undead as Ichi attacks. He also damages the undead, but is struck down in a flurry of blows as he had never really recovered from the earlier battle with the zombies.
On the back car, Saanau uses two volleys of magic missiles to destroy the shadow threatening her while Torr turns half of the undead below. That, however, is not enough! Two ghouls attack from either side, while two more move into position to join the attack. The young paladin attempts to turn again, but fails. That's when the ghouls smash into him, re-injuring his ribs and knocking his holy sword from his hand. The bastard sword clatters to the ground and is quickly lost in the darkness. Meanwhile, Torr is torn open and nearly falls, but manages to toss a continual light stone behind the train, marking the region near where his sword fell. Saanau charges to her friend's rescue, using a wizard's wrath to vaporize one ghoul. Kyron, lacking the elf's ability to fly, tries to swing in a window, but nearly falls off the train instead. The ghouls ignore these new foes and seriously injure Torr further. Saanau pays the undead back for their overconfidence by using a second wizard's wrath to vaporize another ghoul while Kyron finally joins her in the dinning car. One ghoul stays on Torr while the other charges and paralyzes Saanau. Kyron has Dart attack the ghoul in the hopes of buying Torr time. The young paladin finally hacks down his foe and then with the pseudo dragon's help, takes out the other attacking a defending Kyron.
Back in the lounge-car, Idky, while wounded several times miraculously resists the paralysis and smashes down his ghoul. Unsteady on his feet, the winged lizard creature moves to help Maedhros in his battle with the ghoul and shadow on the first, black car. The half-elf has exhausted his magic missiles on the ghoul, but it still stands albeit barely. The shadow, however, has drain a good chunk of the cleric's strength and is untouched. That's when Idky clumsily charges to the rescue and clocks Maedhros by accident! The ghoul and shadow attack the hapless mage / cleric as well, dropping him. Now Idky is alone and in deep trouble since he's barely able to stand.
Torr and Dart come to the rescue as Squattingbeaver recovers from the paralysis and tends to Marius (I'm sensing a theme here...!), saving the young nobleman's life. The paladin smites the ghoul, joined by Lowdog who has finally recovered. Together the pair finish both undead. Meanwhile, Squattingbeaver moves through the three "buildings" using medicine herbs and bandages to tend to the wounded.
With everyone stable, Idky uses an aid to bring Maedhros conscious. The half-elf uses his healing spells to restore Ichi and Marius to their feet, if not their strength. Despite his wounds, Torr asks for one of the magical brooms so he can recover his holy sword. Saanau offers to help, but Kyron volunteers to do it -- he's better at flying the brooms and far less wounded.
Together, the elf and neophyte shaman plunge backward into the gloom, spying the light of Torr's stone. The undead stay away at first, clearly repulsed by the light. A group has gathered around the blade, but a lightning bolt from Saanau scatters them and gives Kyron a chance to grab the sword. The pair are forced skyward though, in order to avoid a growing mass of undead, leaving the light stone behind.
Marius returns to the controls of the "engine" making sure all is well. The clerics exhaust most of their spells. Once he returns, Kyron too calls upon the healing magics he's been learning to cure light wounds Torr (fixing his ribs) as well as Maedhros (his ribs had also been damaged in the fight). With nearly no curative spells left and at marginal strength, the heroes must decide what to do next while their transport continues to move DEEPER into the region of darkness...
Status:
Maedhros: 3+3 (aid) of 35 and -3 strength -- cast CLW x3 and detect poison plus magic missile x4 and Melf's acid arrow
Saanau: full (53) -- cast magic missile x4, lightning bolt, wizard's wrath x2
Squattingbeaver: full (7) -- cast protection from evil and cure light wounds -- although he should only have one spell left, he senses great power in this cloud of darkness as well
Ichi: 2 of 42* -- left hip still badly damaged so 1/2 dex and move
Marius: 4 of 13** -- cast faerie fire x2, protection from evil, cure wounds -- worried about the numerous bullets probably still in the various party members
Idky: 1 of 26 and -1 strength -- cast cure light wounds x4 and aid
Lowdog: 46+1 of 60* -- left his still badly damaged so 1/2 dex and move (Ray's characters are twins!)
Kyron: 49 of 81 and -1 strength -- cast cure light wounds x3 (not bad for my first day as a shaman!
Dart: 13 of 16 and still able to fly
Ahusaka: full (18) but nervous on the roof
Torr: 13 of 62* and SOO happy he has his sword back!
