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[Respite] - Factions
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Re: [Respite] - Factions
#921"Yeah, let's give it a haul!" Gideon cheered, and braced his shoulder against the vessel. "Jhoric! Come here! Whoever is late does not get to ride the fancy boat!" -
Re: [Respite] - Factions
#922Balin cautiously got in to the boat, unsure of his balance in the strange craft. -
Re: [Respite] - Factions
#923The boat seemed overbuilt - too much wood, too much iron and it was accordingly very heavy. Giden strained to pull it out of its tomb-like boathouse. Eventually all of the others, save Jhoric, were heaving at the boat, pulling it out into the meagre light to get a better view.
Hrofgar looked towards the water and groaned - there was easily a hundred foot of rough stone between the boat and the waterside, and there, a low stone wall would need to be navigated. Tomb-like. Hrofgar took a look into the interior of the boat and saw a figure interred within, equipped for battle. Shining chainmail, a bejewled helmet and a stout round shield bearing a painted startburst of gemstones stood out, as was a wicked warhammer clutched in a steel gauntlet.
Unseen by Jhoric, still staring at the small heads with trepidation, a small cloud of pinpricks of of light arose from the ground about and spread towards the leathery corpses.
He was still staring, waiting, when the creak of aged leather alerted him to something untoward....
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Re: [Respite] - Factions
#924Suddenly... Jhoric got the feeling he knew, vaguely, what the awaited test was to consist of. He turned around, with a blast of magic on his mind; simultaneously yelling, "Forget the d**n boat, I'm going to need help!" -
Re: [Respite] - Factions
#925Somewhere in the back of his mind, Fafnir registered Jhoric speaking. He listened but did not hear and then a single word caught his attention. Help? He realized the urgency in Jhorics voice and turned to face the trouble. He wasted no time in retrieving his blade and called to the others "The boat can wait, leave it!" -
Re: [Respite] - Factions
#926"Am I a babysitter? Apparently! Try to keep your ass in one piece until I get there!"
Gideon turnd from the boat, unsheathed a maul and shield, and stomped towards wherever Jhoric's voice came from.
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Re: [Respite] - Factions
#927At the sudden movement and shouts from his companions on the other side of the boat, Toboran swung out his spear and scaled the wood of the funeral ship as though it had been a tree from his native world. He peered into the underground city, trying to glimpse where Jhoric was and why he had called for help. No sense rushing into things without some planning. -
Re: [Respite] - Factions
#928The mass of dead dwarves began to arise, looking more like puppets having their strings pulled, then of the dead returning to 'life'.
They were slow at first, pulling themselves up, seeming uncaring of posture, heads lolling loosely though hands upraised to grasp. They then began a slow, shuffling gait towards Jhoric, and his companions behind. Not a headlong rush, it seemed it would be some moments before they closed.
1 full round at least before melee with Jhoric is possible, unless he wishes to run into their grasp. Those at the boathouse have at least three rounds at this speed.
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Re: [Respite] - Factions
#929Jhoric reached behind his back with one hand and slipped his spear out of its harness, while taking a quick look around to make sure he wasn't going to be flanked. He sent his gathered energy in the form of a black burst at one of the resurrected dwarves. "The One Born in Darkness will not fall to a pack of shambling zombies, this test will be no match for me and my allies!" He shouted with dignity, not knowing where in his mind the words came from. He could hear the hurried footsteps on his allies, they would make quick work of the stout undead even if he could not. -
Re: [Respite] - Factions
#930Toboran cast a quick glance over the huddle of not-so-dead dwarves and then leapt down from the boat and ran towards Jhoric, his spear at the ready.
Running towards the battle, attacking nearest baddie once there. -
Re: [Respite] - Factions
#931Jhoic took one quick look and his blood ran cold - it seemed all of them were moving, though at a slow pace. It seemed as if some would move, stop and barely stand, while the others caught up.
If he stood his ground, he would not be merely flanked, but buried.
Toboran saw this, his headlong rush would see him easily surrounded by insane odds..
Jhoric, Please select a number from 1-20. I have pre-rolled d20 rolls and you can select one at random :)
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Re: [Respite] - Factions
#932Balin hurried behind his companions, cursing silently at their long legs as they moved faster than him towards their destination. -
Re: [Respite] - Factions
#933Fafnir set off to rescue his wayward companion. The hordes of dead dwarves wouldn't prevail today. His scales were itching with all the unnatural magic in the air. He steeled his heart for battle and gripped his scimitar tightly.
Running directly towards Jhoric to join in the melee. Lashing out with his scimitar once close. -
Re: [Respite] - Factions
#934I'll take #5.
Jhoric let off his blast and, not even making sure he hit, made a mad dash to try and get out of the center of the horde. Pushing, shoving, kicking, and stepping on undead dwarves in the most opportune ways to get his ass out of that mob.
Full Withdraw action possible? Should give me 60ft of move with no AoOs, unless I'm mistake or you deem that unfit. -
Re: [Respite] - Factions
#935Gideon strode towards the melee with thundering steps, already each accompanied by an echo of clattering bones. "Jhoric, you meddling kid! Get your soft hide behind me!"
To err was demi-human, but to really mess things up, you needed a wizard. -
Re: [Respite] - Factions
#936Jhoric managed to pull out of the wall of flailing leathery bones without incident, the corpses's attacks as clumsy as their gait.
It took little time for Jhoric to get among his friends, who had surged up up to the help him. The stumbling horde moved up and Gideon's sword found easy prey in the dry corpses. Each sword swing smashing two into leathery shards. Jhoric blasted away, his bolts punching through the corpses, often managing to shatter more then one. Balin's short legs proved no disadvantage as he was easily able to outpace the corpses. Toboran's spear seemed ineffective against the corpses, until he simply swung it like a staff and was knocking them down also. Fafnir's scimitar was similarly effective, and he smashed them down nearly as fast as Gideon.
Though being shattered like clay pots, the corpses had numbers, and were beginning to surround the party, though more from simple desire to attack then any guile.
Then, Jhoric was startled to hear from his left hand, which still bore the string of shrunken heads, "Pass!", and the remaining corpses simply fell where they stood, clattering down and raising dust. Gideon was in mid-swing when his target simply disassembled and provided no substance for his blow. He nearly stumbled and his passenger was nearly dislodged.
"Clumsy ogre," sputtered Eswick, "Trying to kill me?"
The party found themselves again alone with the dead.
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Re: [Respite] - Factions
#937"What in all the hell-spawned legions of the d**ned was that about?"
Toboran pulled around and glared at Jhoric, "Have you been desecrating temples or somesuch?" -
Re: [Respite] - Factions
#938Jhoric smiled at Toboran. A slightly twisted smile with a hint of mania.
"You heard it, right?." He said. Then, looking down at the contents of his left hand, "I found these two on the remains of a shaman. They seem to be intelligent, and powerful. They might be able to help us. We passed their test."
He held them up for his companions to see; and spoke to the shrunken heads.
"My name is Jhoric. The one with the spear is Toboran. The short, bearded one is Balin, I believe the shaman I found you on was of a similar race. The lizard-man is Fafnir. The massive one is Gideon, and the old one on his back is Estwick. What are your names?" -
Re: [Respite] - Factions
#939"Their names are 'Should-Have-Left-Us' and '-The-Heck-Alone'." Gideon poked with his thick finger towards the shrunken heads.
"The term may be 'nec-romantic', but usually such a romance costs you your neck."
The half-ogre shook his head vigorously.
"Real men need no bone-puppets, Jhoric! Real men do work with their hands!" He thrust one meaty fist right before Jhoric's nose.
"So, apologize to your new friends in Shrunkenese that they cannot ride the fancy boat and join the party."
Disappointed, he frowned. "I thought you learned your lesson, Jhoric, with how them priests were laundering the evil out of you! You were bawling your eyes out back then, if I remember correctly." -
Re: [Respite] - Factions
#940"Gideon. I was not born with the gift of massive strength such as yourself. I was born with the gift of magic. You use your strength where it applies and I will use my magic the same way. I have done nothing 'Evil' by trying to discover who these lost warriors were. I believe the heads can help us understand this world better, being a part of it as they are."
Jhoric sighed deeply. "At least let them speak before you say they can't join us. I'll carry them just like you carry Estwick and everything will be fine. We have this under control." -
Re: [Respite] - Factions
#941Fafnir peered at the shrunken heads. Sometimes specific tribes of his people would shrink the heads of their deceased and keep them around as tools for the shaman or wise man. This link to the ancestors gave the tribe shaman special insight into the experience of their ancestors. This find could be quite helpful indeed, he had little experience dealing with his tribe's shaman but any information about this land and its natural dangers would be precious to the city. That might indebt the warmbloods to him. He would succeed where the other lizardfolk had failed. He would rise in the social chain by learning more about this land and spreading his knowledge. Knowledge is power. Fafnir grinned, "They speak? What exactly do these cursed heads speak of? Hopefully of the caves and the lands beyond." -
Re: [Respite] - Factions
#942"Oh, well. I'm so glad that we passed the test of a pair of talking shrunken heads!" Toboran threw his hands into the air in disgust, "Maybe next we could go have a tea party with some bugbears and help a little old dragon cross the street!"
He didn't like undead. -
Re: [Respite] - Factions
#943"Anytime a magician says 'I have this under control' all will blow up and everybody dies."
Varily, he eyed the creepy heads as he continued.
"There is no easy. 'Easy' will bugger you when you turn your back; all the 'easy' will come back to bite you in the arse. All there is is working all day and making something out of youself. 'I will magick the orcs to work for us' the wizard says, next thing, the old geezer has a heart attack and the town is full of orcs with a short temper and a lot of questions."
"Bones belong in the earth, not dancing around." -
Re: [Respite] - Factions
#944One of the heads looked directly at Gideon -
"Undead he says? I for one, was never alive! Evil? How little they know. Perhaps we were too quick with our pronouncement!", he spoke in fractured common.
The other spoke, 'Cursed heads? That from a talking lizard! You don't think ya need help? How do you think all these poor folk died? Wasn't by our hands I'll tell you."
Balin barely heard the creak from the boat - he turned his head swiftly to see a figure emerging from the boat, gleaming warhammer in hand.
This figure was not clumsy, nor slow.
Those who can read dwarvish, change the color of the text following (spoilers seem broken) or simply select the entire post.
Though you deserve it not, I salute my foes.
One round to do as you wish, before I roll initiative. Spellcasters/ranged may act now at 100' range.
"Oh," said the first head, "Forgot entirely about him. This could be rough..."
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Re: [Respite] - Factions
#945"Well, it seems our friend in the boat is moving again. It's only a guess, though an educated guess, that he is not even as 'friendly' as these heads." With that Balin reached into a small inside pocket of his shirt and removed one of his precious magical items, a wand. He pointed the stick towards the figure holding the warhammer and quietly murmured the trigger phrase, instantly firing a bolt of pure blue energy from its tip. The bolt flew unerringly toward its target at an amazing speed. -
Re: [Respite] - Factions
#946"Shooting dwarves and talking to shrunken heads? Are you all daft, I ask?"
Though weapons at the ready, Gideon turned to the figure emerging from the boat.
"Hey, mister dwarf! We come in peace - sort of... forgive the wizard's shot!"
To the rest of the pack, he hissed: "Cut it out, all of you." -
Re: [Respite] - Factions
#947Toboran pulled his spear up and ready.
"You're as bad as Jhoric, Gideon. Talking to the dead like they could answer you. He's not going to be sitting down to tell us all a story when he gets here, you can wager on that. I think more could follow our fine bearded friend's example." -
Re: [Respite] - Factions
#948Balins strike was unerring - striking the dwarf dead center. If the strike injured it, it did not seem to notice, or care.
Looking directly at Gideon, it raised its hammer as if in salute, nodded, and strode directly towards the half-ogre.
Pausing for Jhoric's action. -
Re: [Respite] - Factions
#949Jhoric looked to Gideon, "Is this a friend of yours?" He asked.
All the while altering his position away from the figure and preparing to fight if needed.
He looked at the heads, expecting them to have more insight on the situation. -
Re: [Respite] - Factions
#950"A friend perhaps? Maybe our luck is turning. However these things have a tendency to go bad, I'll let Gideon handle the hammer-wielder." With that Fafnir took a stride in Jhoric's direction, hoping to protect the spellcaster if need be. -
Re: [Respite] - Factions
#951"Looked to me like more of a challenge than anything else. What do you think, Gideon? Could you keep your overlarge hide in one piece against that one?" -
Re: [Respite] - Factions
#952"Well, if not, then the rest of you can run I guess."
He stood in front of the advancing... dwarf? Let's call him one until proven wrong.
Not much f a diplomat, Gideon at least gave his best shot:
"So, we couldn't but notice that your place is somewhat... bereft of occupancy, and as we need some metal to survive and build up, we decided to have a look, and either ask for some, or borrow..." -
Re: [Respite] - Factions
#953If the Dwarf understood Gideon, he betrayed no sign of it.
His skeletal features remained unchanged as he walked directly towards the half ogre, shield up and hammer back to strike.
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Re: [Respite] - Factions
#954"Let's give this the benefit of doubt - but if he smacks me, go get him, boys!"
Gideon hid behind his shield, and waited for the dwarf's move.
(full defense, waiting) -
Re: [Respite] - Factions
#955Balin held his wand at the ready to fire more blasts of force should the armored figure attack. -
Re: [Respite] - Factions
#956Jhoric winced a little as the Dwarf brought the hammer back. This might hurt, he thought. He knew Gideon could take at least one hit from that hammer. The Half-Ogre was unsurprisingly durable. Still, Jhoric moved into position and prepared to blast if Gideon was harmed. -
Re: [Respite] - Factions
#957"A trial, of what? If this turns out to be a test of strength then we shall prevail. If it is a test of our wits, then maybe we need more insight into this strange encounter. Either way, I will be ready for the consequences" With that Fafnir moved around the creature in order to flank it and perhaps give Gideon an edge. This way he would let his sturdier half-ogre friend take the hammer blow, then move in to strike. -
Re: [Respite] - Factions
#958Toboran sighed with the tone of long-suffering and pulled himself around to the flank opposite Fafnir. He could stab the thing in the back, and maybe it would fall back to the death that it had. Then they could get the boat back to Respite. Maybe. -
Re: [Respite] - Factions
#959The dwarf observed the others moving to flank it with an apparent expression of .. disappointment.
With a barely observable shrug, he stepped within Gideon's sword reach, and cried loudly "Yetasch!!!!"
With that he brought his hammer down in a thunderous blow straight into Gideon's shield. Though well built, fragments of shield went flying and Gideon felt the shock on his arm even through his armor.
The shield held, but barely.
A moment later, a second blast from Balin's want struck home, but seemed to flow off the creature. Jhorics energy blast quickly followed and this blast staggered the dwarf back slightly. Jhoric caught the creatures gaze and felt a chill of hatred.
Fafnir stepped up lashed out with his scimitar, striking the creature with his enchanted blade. The blade bit deep, carving a hole in the dwarf's armor and causing it to swear an oath, but Fafnir was stunned by a wave of cold that encrusted his blade in frost and bit at his hand.
Shortly therafter, Toboran also stepped in with his spear, stabbing at the creature's exposed flank. He too stuck home, and a mighty strike it was (nat 20!), for it pierced the dwarf through - the point emerging where Gideon could see it. The spear too, was suddenly encased in frost and Toboran also had his hands seared by the cold.
Fafnir - 6 points of cold damage.
Toboran - 5 points cold damage.
Gideon may still act.
Others, please declare.
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Re: [Respite] - Factions
#960"You're so going to get it, dwarf-thing! Jhoric! Ask your brainy friends whether they have any big-mouthed ideas now!"
Gideon took his hammer by the sturdy leather strap on the handle, and smashed the dwaf with it like he would with a flail.
"You think you're cool? Not!"