Ambrose arrives at the landing, standing before the woman. She's draining the lifeblood out of Jonar Redhammer's body, which runs into drains at the floor. Jonar is at death's door.
As Ambrose starts to attack, several things happen to the south. First, the deva loses her struggle against the force bridge. She plummets into the energy plasma, screaming in horrific pain as she submerges, never to be seen again.
Further south, Travok, Tharl and Smudge all succumb to the evil that pervades the place. Their eyes become all pupil, and a rabid look comes about their faces. They have lost their sanity, and the attack one other with blades. Tharl survives, murdering the others, and then taking his own life by plunging into the plasma himself.Ambrose attacks the woman with the everburning torch as a crude blundgeoning weapon, and it is effective. She's not a warrior or a potent mage, she crumples to the ground easily under Ambrose' assault.
As Joryn leaps to the platform, a magical energy clouds among them. Images appear in this cloud, of Joryn and Ambrose ruling over a world of dungeon. Being able to warp the power of reality to create any dungeon/palace/keep/castle/fortress they wished. Images of the two of them feasting in grand halls, greater than you've ever imagined, where every need both refined and carnal are met. But what is more tempting, is that with the power you would wield, you could RESURRECT all those who had fallen before you.
Ambrose and Joryn, the finale of this game is for you to decide. To choose this way and finish what the woman has started, and live a life without want or hunger with every need tended (for yourselves), and bring back those who have perished... or to save the single sinless Jonar Redhammer.
The ghost of Jonar, now near you looking on, wonders what your answer will be.
Roleplay at will, commander.
MilwaukeeJoe
Ambrose bristles at the images of dungeon, palace, keep, castle, fortress of any description they desired. He is of the Eternal Golden Forest, a fey in spirit, and the thought of containment to a keep of any sort, regardless of grandeur, chafed his naked hiney. Open air and solitude to pursue his magical studies beckons to him and steels his resolve. Further adventures call from unknown, undiscovered wilds to showcase his wonderous majiks.
ReplyDeleteShaking his head, trying to clear it from the cloudy allure, he yells out, "No! The dead are dead. Jonar will live! You will not prevail over the others of this world! Joryn, the beast tempts our souls, don't yield. Despite its lies, it will still be the master of us! Let's end this for good!"
Glancing over to the fighter, the mage hoped he still had an ally, even in this oppressive taint, but won't turn his back to him yet. He moves swiftly to finish this story, using his brute strength and majiks to speed the process. Talking and hopefully working together with Joryn, he states his intent ...
First he rips enough clothing off the priestess to stuff into the blood drain so the true evil is no longer fed.
Next he helps Jonar consume one of the healing potions to stabilize and begin his healing. As the dwarf gains strength, he frees him from his stand, then gives him the remaining healing potions.
Then he intents to finish off the chaos wardens so the sacrificial area is cleansed by his pillar of fire, cleaning up any remaining blood sustenance for the evil one.
With the immediate threat over, Ambrose conducts arcane studies of the area to get themselves out of there and what actions may kill the evil one once and for all.
...
Joryn shakes his head violently and grits his teeth trying to stay resolute in the face of this tremendous temptation. The ability to raise the dead.....how could I continue to serve my Queen and rob her of her rightful dues? Never. He turns his stoic head toward Ambrose. He puts a hand on the tiny mage's significantly more beefy shoulder as they prepare to do their deadly work. His marble armor grates against as the joints grind.
ReplyDelete"I am with you. Let's see this through to the end."
He waits for Ambrose to rip the cloth he needs then hoists the priestess over his head and hurls her into the rippling plasma below.
"If you longed to feed your dungeon god, then feed him on your OWN FLESH!" He roars his last words with a mighty heave. As the evil priestess sinks into the abyss, he turns back and tries to bandage up Jonar's tattered form.
"It is a shame this place has sunk it's hooks so deeply into our fallen friends. Perhaps this is the fate of all found unworthy. I hope we can just find the rest of the way out of here."
He begins to look about.
"How do we get out of here? Jonar, any ideas?"
Ambrose, satified that together they will see this evil finished, nods his approval when Joryn tosses the priestess into her own plasma searing creation. "Poetic justice for sure!"
ReplyDeleteTurning to their charge, the mage encourages, "Jonar, rest a bit while we find a way out of here." To his amazement, the ghost of the dwarf fades away as it approaches his corpreal self, and upon merging with each other, jointly let's out a loud deep breath and sigh of relief. Smiling, the recoving dwarf replies with a stout, "thank you."
Sensing a connection between the undead suspended above and the evil presense all about, Ambrose sets about to sever those ties. "I will free these undead to their maker. Their souls have already been freed from their initial death." Moving to the edge of the dias, he stretches out his arms while mumbling arcane words of fire and power. Moments later, with an abrupt end to his chant and twitch of his hands, a fan of flames shoots out of his finger tips to encompass a large swath of undead creatures in the ceiling. Unholy screeches emit from the rotted clothing and flesh. As the fire spreads to the other creatures adjacent to the initial mass of undead, pieces of freed flesh begin to rain down. They quickly pop and splash on the firery plasma, which now seems to roil in anger below as the pieces are consumed. "It feeds on itself now, a death spiral."
As if in response to the mage's observation, the chamber begins to groan with the sounds of cracking stone and plaster. Small temors in the floor get larger and the alcoves collapse in on themselves. "We better find a way out soon!" Next, the pillars and statues in the pit crack and crumble into the plasma below.
Spinning around, the mage again scans the dias for arcane energies. "There, behind the sacrificial stand, a magically hidden door, maybe an exit! Joryn, help me move the stand out of the way!" Ambrose swiftly moves over to the stand, intent on moving it away from the wall. He dismisses his pillar of fire upon seeing that no blood remains on the floor. The device apparently was made of stone and surprizingly survived the fire.
Stone and masonery chucks are starting to fall from the ceiling. One large section suddenly cuts off the roar of the hairy beast bellowing from across the pit, pulverizing it into a flattened jumble of road kill.
While dodging the new dangers, the mage struggles against the stand.
OOC: Keep up the good RP. I think I will chime in tomorrow with a final closer post to wrap things up.
ReplyDeleteJoryn leans his hands heavily on the stand and begins to shove. He can feel the stone beginning to give, but it settles back into position. With one last mighty heave, the wizard and the paladin thrust against the rock and the mighty stand gives way, revealing a cracking and shifting tunnel of stone passing through the rough hewn rock.
ReplyDelete"We have no chance. We have to try this." He starts hustling Jonar into the tunnel and pauses as he grabs the mage. "I'll try and hold things together as long as we can, but you've got to keep Jonar away from me." Joryn's eyes dilate slightly as he says this and he sways on his feet a bit. His skin stretches pale across his face and the red in his hair stands out all the more.
"He lost a lot of blood and it was all I could do to keep from feeding off of him right than and there." He takes a step back in to the room. "We'll get out of here, but if you have to." Joryn extends his hand forward with the handle of the Fiend-Cursed Dagger toward the adrenaline infused mage. "You know what we must do."
He gestures toward the tunnel and waits for the mage to continue ahead. As they proceed forward the tunnel rumbles underneath them and the rhythmic pounding in the air deepens. "Are we still inside this infernal beast? It must know we are trying to escape. Quickly we have to move!" The paladin begins to bolt down the tunnel shouting as he goes. Jonar's stumpy dwarven legs pound away in front and Ambrose puffs along, his new found brutish strength easing the sprint. The tunnel pulsates and quivers, wrenching back and forth like an enormous snake as the adventurers race to find some means of escape. As rocks fall from the ceilings, Joryn dives to receive the rubble on his stony plate mail deflecting the errant missiles from his allies.
With a burst of speed and energy, the three explorers come bursting out of the tunnel into a damp stone chamber. There are doors everywhere and even more strange a large stone pedestal with a series of colored stones set into the surface. The corners of the room are barricaded off by shields of force and energy obscuring all behind them.
"This bizarre chamber is obviously magical. This isn't my expertise. We could stay or we could go, Ambrose, what say you?"
OOC: I'm going to be out of town with tenuous internet connectivity for the next 48 hours so this will be my last post if we wrap up tomorrow. Good run guys! That was an adventure worth having.
The mage accepts the cursed dagger and shudders over the revealed knowledge about the cursed paladin. A silent nod of confirmation to Joyrn's warning and request is all he can manage at the moment. Time to get out!
ReplyDeleteAs the trio run and dodge through the undulating tunnel, Ambrose hopes they emerge into a cool forest, carpeted with soft moss, but that would prove a fantasy. They burst into the receiving chamber just as the tunnel behind them totally collapses with a final groan, actually more like a wimpering wail of an animal put down. A small puff of dust curls and disapates into the room from the fallen rocks.
Already taking in the magical auras all about, when Joryn points out the bizarre features of this chamber, the mage is almost overpowered by the variety and strength of the arcane. "Whoever created this room was much more powerful than I. Be careful not to touch anything yet."
However, Jonar is at the large stone pedestal reaching out with his hands to touch its sides, "There are dwarven runes here. I can just make them out." When his hands carress the jeweled pedestal, the magicaly shielded corners of the room begin to shimmer and become translucent. Something big moves, stuggling to get out, from each corner.
"Oh crap," the mage mutters. "Out of the fire, ..."
"...and into the ocean!?!" Jonar sputters as water begins to shoot out of unseen grates in the floor. The water begins to slowly rise as Joryn, Jonar and Ambrose find themselves in an ever increasing deluge of water.
ReplyDeleteThe fields of magical energy all around corners of the room begin to flicker revealing enormous cyclopean skeletons struggling to break free, bashing bony hands against the walls of force restraining them. Behind each guardian creature stands a treasure trove of glistening items and gems apparently separated and divided up by category. The northwest corner is filled with various weapons and implements of battle while the northeast is cluttered with armors and clothes of great value. The south east corner gleams with precious stones and gilded articles and the southwest corner houses wrinkled tomes and staves lean against the wall. The skeletons are vehemently battering against the shields and while currently contained the magical energy looks less and less solid with each mighty blow.
Joryn turns to his companions and roars, "RUN!!! We must away. Try the north door!" He's already at a sprint moving towards the door. As he thrusts it open the water begins to pour out into a stony and cobblestoned hallway. Once Jonar and Ambrose have rushed in, Joryn sets himself at the mammoth task of bringing the door to a close. The veins in his forehead pulse as he strains against the flow of water, but the door slowly begins to move. As he sets his feet hard into the stone he gives a loud cry as he brings the door closed and water continues to dribble underneath.
The hallway here extends another fifty feet before it curves to the east. As the trio continue down the hallway it begins to spiral upward. In the distance they hear the sound of stone giving way somewhere behind and down the hall. There is an incredible rush of air as water comes pouring through into the hallway pushing forward and rising ahead and a loud voice roars upward through the spirally ascending floor.
Jonar looks back at the two adventurers with fear in his eyes. A single tear runs down his bearded face. "Is there any hope of escaping this gods forsaken ruin?"
OOC: Great RP! Any more posts, or should I add one more to finish it up?
ReplyDeleteOOC: I'm ready for a wrap-up, but of course, Joryn can make another story call ... it's been a good run ...
ReplyDeleteOOC: Take us home, Mr Dungeon Master, man.
ReplyDeleteThe wall of water hits the heroes like a ton of bricks, and everyone blacks out.
ReplyDeleteYou awaken. It's daytime and you realize you're back at town. Jonar Redhammer is there, awake ahead of you; he looks awful - black and blue all over. You're at a healing sanctuary.
Jonar Redhammer explains that travelers heading to the city found us outside, near the keep. "They could not revive us, and brought us with them. I finally came to first, paid them for their troubles and got all of us here."
With healing magic, you are brought to "good as new", at least physically.
Days later, you traveling back to the site where it all happened. The initial stairs down leads to a blank wall now. The entire dungeon has vanished.
OOC: Sorry for the delay on the conclusion. I'd like to invite any players who are still here to answer two questions:
1. What did you like the most?
2. What could have been better?
Thanks for an awesome game,
MilwaukeeJoe