The Varnhold Vanishing - Revision history

Henry: /* Chapter 4 */

2022-04-26T09:21:01Z

Chapter 4

← Older revision		Revision as of 09:21, 26 April 2022
Line 101:		Line 101:

	Murannon offered to research time travel, a way to send them home, but he wanted something in return. He asked that they travel across the mountains to the east, and assassinate the cyclops general. Mhokor. Aldwulf felt a shiver at the name, remembering his haunting, and wondered if this was the same: the cyclops general who had become a terrifying spirit, millennia in the future. With no better alternative, they accepted; Murannon opened a gateway for them and left them on a hillside far to the East, promising that he would open a gateway at sunset each day for the next three days. They approached the cyclops camp cautiously, but soon they were attacked by a patrol, and while the fight was easily won, they suffered significant injury in doing so.<br/><br/>		Murannon offered to research time travel, a way to send them home, but he wanted something in return. He asked that they travel across the mountains to the east, and assassinate the cyclops general. Mhokor. Aldwulf felt a shiver at the name, remembering his haunting, and wondered if this was the same: the cyclops general who had become a terrifying spirit, millennia in the future. With no better alternative, they accepted; Murannon opened a gateway for them and left them on a hillside far to the East, promising that he would open a gateway at sunset each day for the next three days. They approached the cyclops camp cautiously, but soon they were attacked by a patrol, and while the fight was easily won, they suffered significant injury in doing so.<br/><br/>

			The cyclops encampment was a semi-permanent fortification, with a wooden palisade all around. A pair of guards stood at each gate and, while Cuichelm could make the team invisible, he could not stop Coenred's armour clanking noisily as they tried to sneak in. A furious melee ensued, with the entire camp being alerted, and Mhokor's lieutenant - a priest of the sun and moon - came to challenge the attackers in person. His use of darkness magic and his ability to see through his own spells almost led to defeat, with Coenred almost bleeding out and Owena seriously injured, before he was himself slain. The victors had no chance to celebrate, for they were surrounded by hundreds of cyclopes; while they could slay many, they could not hope to escape alive. They surrendered with poor grace, and were interrogated by the general himself.<br/><br/>

			The general was less hostile than they had feared. In particular, Coenred's declaration of his faith in the dawn goddess was taken as an aspect of the sun- and moon-worship that the cyclopes followed; alone among the travellers he was not chained overnight. He was also spared the beating the others were given, one that left serious bruises but no lasting harm. He offered to bring Gurakan, the dead priest, back to life; this gesture of goodwill went a long way to restore relations between the two sides. They discussed the empire, and why Mhokor was driven to invade Ameara: he was concerned about the decadence and decline of his own nation, the priest-kings turning away from the old faith towards blood sacrifice, and had sought out the seer to the south. He had been told '''"Conquer the west and you shall not perish"''', and had interpreted this as a command to invade and bring down the ancient rival. The time-travellers decided not to slay Mhokor, for they had not truly trusted Murannon, and went to look for another approach.<br/><br/>

			The ghost-stone, where they had been once, far in the future, was a landmark they knew; and they traveled towards it with Mhokor, Gurakan, and a small honour guard. The stone itself was already ancient, already haunted, and though the landscape around it was different, the stone itself was still a tall slanted monolith, with half-legible carvings on the sides. This relic had not weathered in all the years between now and then, between present and past and future, and its surface was still cold to the touch despite the morning light.<br/><br/>

Henry: /* Chapter 4 */

2022-04-26T08:43:46Z

Chapter 4

← Older revision		Revision as of 08:43, 26 April 2022
Line 98:		Line 98:
	This was the ancient elven empire of Ameara, alive and well, its people comfortable in their wealth and the power of their magic. Magic was everywhere: from minor spells to clean everything, and a culture where food was served bland for people to flavour themselves, to a marketplace with no coin, where everyone's wealth was tracked through sorcery. It was a strange adjustment, but Coenred soon found that the distance from a time and place with Sarenrae made his own spellcasting more difficult. He sought a vision, which sent him east, over the mountains: this was the direction he must take to be connected to his goddess again.<br/><br/>		This was the ancient elven empire of Ameara, alive and well, its people comfortable in their wealth and the power of their magic. Magic was everywhere: from minor spells to clean everything, and a culture where food was served bland for people to flavour themselves, to a marketplace with no coin, where everyone's wealth was tracked through sorcery. It was a strange adjustment, but Coenred soon found that the distance from a time and place with Sarenrae made his own spellcasting more difficult. He sought a vision, which sent him east, over the mountains: this was the direction he must take to be connected to his goddess again.<br/><br/>

	East: up the mountain pass, to the watchtower. The guards were wary of these foreigners, trying to pass through a fortified place, and held them - very politely - as prisoners while they summoned their commander. Murannon, Lord of the Eastern March, arrived through the teleportation circle, and took his turn at questioning the heroes.		East: up the mountain pass, to the watchtower. The guards were wary of these foreigners, trying to pass through a fortified place, and held them - very politely - as prisoners while they summoned their commander. Murannon, Lord of the Eastern March, arrived through the teleportation circle, and took his turn at questioning the heroes. Once they convinced him that their story was genuine, he had many questions about his future, but that was far enough in the past for the heroes that they could not answer. They only knew that both the elven and cyclops empires had fallen, long ago, and that barely even the stones remained.<br/><br/>

			Murannon offered to research time travel, a way to send them home, but he wanted something in return. He asked that they travel across the mountains to the east, and assassinate the cyclops general. Mhokor. Aldwulf felt a shiver at the name, remembering his haunting, and wondered if this was the same: the cyclops general who had become a terrifying spirit, millennia in the future. With no better alternative, they accepted; Murannon opened a gateway for them and left them on a hillside far to the East, promising that he would open a gateway at sunset each day for the next three days. They approached the cyclops camp cautiously, but soon they were attacked by a patrol, and while the fight was easily won, they suffered significant injury in doing so.<br/><br/>

Henry at 15:18, 13 March 2022

2022-03-13T15:18:32Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 15:18, 13 March 2022
Line 92:		Line 92:

	Beyond the auditorium was a small study, where Cuichelm found a spellbook and a book called "On the nature of teleportation and conjuration". He wanted to spend time studying it, but when he touched it he found that it was trapped: green slime started eating away at his flesh, and only some quick thinking by the others prevented him from being dissolved. They caught the slime in a jar, put it on one of the lab benches, and proceeded to explore further. A secret door behind the bookshelf led to a corridor full of walls: fire, ice, mist, and bone: and on the other side they found Murannon in his inner sanctum. He was arrogant and over-confident, taunting the heroes instead of attacking full out, and they managed to injure him to the point that he fled to recover. They followed, back to the auditorium, where a long and bloody battle ensued. Coenred made a brilliant intervention with a silence spell, interrupting Murannon's spellcasting, while Hinnerk and Aldwulf worked together to bring down the ancient lich. After a dangerous moment when Hinnerk was almost paralysed, Aldwulf landed the finishing blow, and Murannon's lair began collapsing around the heroes. They took just a moment to stuff the remains of the lich into Cuichelm's haversack, before fleeing the imminent collapse.<br/><br/>		Beyond the auditorium was a small study, where Cuichelm found a spellbook and a book called "On the nature of teleportation and conjuration". He wanted to spend time studying it, but when he touched it he found that it was trapped: green slime started eating away at his flesh, and only some quick thinking by the others prevented him from being dissolved. They caught the slime in a jar, put it on one of the lab benches, and proceeded to explore further. A secret door behind the bookshelf led to a corridor full of walls: fire, ice, mist, and bone: and on the other side they found Murannon in his inner sanctum. He was arrogant and over-confident, taunting the heroes instead of attacking full out, and they managed to injure him to the point that he fled to recover. They followed, back to the auditorium, where a long and bloody battle ensued. Coenred made a brilliant intervention with a silence spell, interrupting Murannon's spellcasting, while Hinnerk and Aldwulf worked together to bring down the ancient lich. After a dangerous moment when Hinnerk was almost paralysed, Aldwulf landed the finishing blow, and Murannon's lair began collapsing around the heroes. They took just a moment to stuff the remains of the lich into Cuichelm's haversack, before fleeing the imminent collapse.<br/><br/>

			== Chapter 4 ==
			The only way out was through magic. Cuichelm did not know the teleportation spells that were needed, and did not know the starting point of the journey, so it was always a risky tactic, but it was the only option. Desperately working out a translation of one of Murannon's spells, Cuichelm cast it, and everything faded to white. However, the spell did not work the way Cuichelm had intended: instead of taking them to a ''place'' of safety, it took them to a ''time'' of safety: 3,000 years in the past, Murannon's own time. At first they did not recognise the peaceful countryside, with its lightly-travelled road, but they soon deduced where they were.<br/><br/>

			This was the ancient elven empire of Ameara, alive and well, its people comfortable in their wealth and the power of their magic. Magic was everywhere: from minor spells to clean everything, and a culture where food was served bland for people to flavour themselves, to a marketplace with no coin, where everyone's wealth was tracked through sorcery. It was a strange adjustment, but Coenred soon found that the distance from a time and place with Sarenrae made his own spellcasting more difficult. He sought a vision, which sent him east, over the mountains: this was the direction he must take to be connected to his goddess again.<br/><br/>

			East: up the mountain pass, to the watchtower. The guards were wary of these foreigners, trying to pass through a fortified place, and held them - very politely - as prisoners while they summoned their commander. Murannon, Lord of the Eastern March, arrived through the teleportation circle, and took his turn at questioning the heroes.

Henry at 11:59, 2 July 2020

2020-07-02T11:59:36Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 11:59, 2 July 2020
Line 89:		Line 89:
	After a night's wary rest, barricaded in the atrium, Cuichelm began to investigate the controls for the teleportation circle. It offered a range of locations, from "Chapel" to "Bathroom" and "Inner Sanctum". A few mishaps ensued; Coenred's cloak was stained with black ink, and Coenred and Aldwulf ended up teleported to the chapel instead of the study when Owena bumped into Cuichelm as he set the controls. The chapel contained statues of the ancient elven gods of time - past, present, and future - and Coenred realised that the line "outside the hours" meant that Murannon had been cursed and cut off from the gods. Perhaps time was not flowing like it normally would, not here...<br/><br/>		After a night's wary rest, barricaded in the atrium, Cuichelm began to investigate the controls for the teleportation circle. It offered a range of locations, from "Chapel" to "Bathroom" and "Inner Sanctum". A few mishaps ensued; Coenred's cloak was stained with black ink, and Coenred and Aldwulf ended up teleported to the chapel instead of the study when Owena bumped into Cuichelm as he set the controls. The chapel contained statues of the ancient elven gods of time - past, present, and future - and Coenred realised that the line "outside the hours" meant that Murannon had been cursed and cut off from the gods. Perhaps time was not flowing like it normally would, not here...<br/><br/>

	And then Cuichelm made a decision, ignoring the others, and teleported them to the bathroom. Sure enough, there was a tunnel behind the mirror, and when Hinnerk smashed the mirror the heroes were able to advance. They made their way down a long flight of stairs, deep underground, to a windowless room with tiers of seating like an amphitheatre. Over a hundred figures were sat, facing a chalkboard at the front, on the benches: but they were corpses, the tops of their skulls and their brains removed. Hinnerk used his magic to speak with the corpse of Maegar Varn, and found that all of Varnhold had followed the sound of "strange dreams in the night". The heroes concluded that Murannon had used the ancient jade bracelet as a scrying focus, before teleporting the residents of Varnhold here, and eating their brains to extract knowledge on the new world he found himself in.		And then Cuichelm made a decision, ignoring the others, and teleported them to the bathroom. Sure enough, there was a tunnel behind the mirror, and when Hinnerk smashed the mirror the heroes were able to advance. They made their way down a long flight of stairs, deep underground, to a windowless room with tiers of seating like an amphitheatre. Over a hundred figures were sat, facing a chalkboard at the front, on the benches: but they were corpses, the tops of their skulls and their brains removed. Hinnerk used his magic to speak with the corpse of Maegar Varn, and found that all of Varnhold had followed the sound of "strange dreams in the night". The heroes concluded that Murannon had used the ancient jade bracelet as a scrying focus, before teleporting the residents of Varnhold here, and eating their brains to extract knowledge on the new world he found himself in.<br/><br/>

			Beyond the auditorium was a small study, where Cuichelm found a spellbook and a book called "On the nature of teleportation and conjuration". He wanted to spend time studying it, but when he touched it he found that it was trapped: green slime started eating away at his flesh, and only some quick thinking by the others prevented him from being dissolved. They caught the slime in a jar, put it on one of the lab benches, and proceeded to explore further. A secret door behind the bookshelf led to a corridor full of walls: fire, ice, mist, and bone: and on the other side they found Murannon in his inner sanctum. He was arrogant and over-confident, taunting the heroes instead of attacking full out, and they managed to injure him to the point that he fled to recover. They followed, back to the auditorium, where a long and bloody battle ensued. Coenred made a brilliant intervention with a silence spell, interrupting Murannon's spellcasting, while Hinnerk and Aldwulf worked together to bring down the ancient lich. After a dangerous moment when Hinnerk was almost paralysed, Aldwulf landed the finishing blow, and Murannon's lair began collapsing around the heroes. They took just a moment to stuff the remains of the lich into Cuichelm's haversack, before fleeing the imminent collapse.<br/><br/>

Henry: /* Chapter 3 */

2020-06-22T11:31:43Z

Chapter 3

← Older revision		Revision as of 11:31, 22 June 2020
Line 89:		Line 89:
	After a night's wary rest, barricaded in the atrium, Cuichelm began to investigate the controls for the teleportation circle. It offered a range of locations, from "Chapel" to "Bathroom" and "Inner Sanctum". A few mishaps ensued; Coenred's cloak was stained with black ink, and Coenred and Aldwulf ended up teleported to the chapel instead of the study when Owena bumped into Cuichelm as he set the controls. The chapel contained statues of the ancient elven gods of time - past, present, and future - and Coenred realised that the line "outside the hours" meant that Murannon had been cursed and cut off from the gods. Perhaps time was not flowing like it normally would, not here...<br/><br/>		After a night's wary rest, barricaded in the atrium, Cuichelm began to investigate the controls for the teleportation circle. It offered a range of locations, from "Chapel" to "Bathroom" and "Inner Sanctum". A few mishaps ensued; Coenred's cloak was stained with black ink, and Coenred and Aldwulf ended up teleported to the chapel instead of the study when Owena bumped into Cuichelm as he set the controls. The chapel contained statues of the ancient elven gods of time - past, present, and future - and Coenred realised that the line "outside the hours" meant that Murannon had been cursed and cut off from the gods. Perhaps time was not flowing like it normally would, not here...<br/><br/>

	And then Cuichelm made a decision, ignoring the others, and teleported them to the bathroom. Sure enough, there was a tunnel behind the mirror, and when Hinnerk smashed the mirror the heroes were able to advance. They made their way down a long flight of stairs, deep underground, to a windowless room with tiers of seating like an amphitheatre. Over a hundred figures were sat, facing a chalkboard at the front, on the benches: but they were corpses, the tops of their skulls and their brains removed. Hinnerk used his magic to speak with the corpse of Maegar Varn, and found that all of Varnhold had followed the sound of "strange dreams in the night". The heroes concluded that Murannon had used the ancient jade bracelet as a scrying focus,		And then Cuichelm made a decision, ignoring the others, and teleported them to the bathroom. Sure enough, there was a tunnel behind the mirror, and when Hinnerk smashed the mirror the heroes were able to advance. They made their way down a long flight of stairs, deep underground, to a windowless room with tiers of seating like an amphitheatre. Over a hundred figures were sat, facing a chalkboard at the front, on the benches: but they were corpses, the tops of their skulls and their brains removed. Hinnerk used his magic to speak with the corpse of Maegar Varn, and found that all of Varnhold had followed the sound of "strange dreams in the night". The heroes concluded that Murannon had used the ancient jade bracelet as a scrying focus, before teleporting the residents of Varnhold here, and eating their brains to extract knowledge on the new world he found himself in.

Henry: /* Chapter 3 */

2020-06-22T11:28:19Z

Chapter 3

← Older revision		Revision as of 11:28, 22 June 2020
Line 87:		Line 87:
	The only thing in the room where he appeared was a strange statue. It was expertly carved, and the stone of its clothing almost seemed to move like cloth, but its face was completely blank. It turned towards him, and he felt himself falling. The next thing he knew, the statue looked like Aldwulf, his body had disappeared, and the statue was walking around in his form.<br/><br/>		The only thing in the room where he appeared was a strange statue. It was expertly carved, and the stone of its clothing almost seemed to move like cloth, but its face was completely blank. It turned towards him, and he felt himself falling. The next thing he knew, the statue looked like Aldwulf, his body had disappeared, and the statue was walking around in his form.<br/><br/>

			After a night's wary rest, barricaded in the atrium, Cuichelm began to investigate the controls for the teleportation circle. It offered a range of locations, from "Chapel" to "Bathroom" and "Inner Sanctum". A few mishaps ensued; Coenred's cloak was stained with black ink, and Coenred and Aldwulf ended up teleported to the chapel instead of the study when Owena bumped into Cuichelm as he set the controls. The chapel contained statues of the ancient elven gods of time - past, present, and future - and Coenred realised that the line "outside the hours" meant that Murannon had been cursed and cut off from the gods. Perhaps time was not flowing like it normally would, not here...<br/><br/>
	And now the heroes prepare to brave a second teleport: where will this one take them?

			And then Cuichelm made a decision, ignoring the others, and teleported them to the bathroom. Sure enough, there was a tunnel behind the mirror, and when Hinnerk smashed the mirror the heroes were able to advance. They made their way down a long flight of stairs, deep underground, to a windowless room with tiers of seating like an amphitheatre. Over a hundred figures were sat, facing a chalkboard at the front, on the benches: but they were corpses, the tops of their skulls and their brains removed. Hinnerk used his magic to speak with the corpse of Maegar Varn, and found that all of Varnhold had followed the sound of "strange dreams in the night". The heroes concluded that Murannon had used the ancient jade bracelet as a scrying focus,

Henry: /* Chapter 3 */

2020-06-15T15:50:40Z

Chapter 3

← Older revision		Revision as of 15:50, 15 June 2020
Line 79:		Line 79:
	The journey to the Southern Tower was supposed to be an easy one: down the valley, then a ride on Cuichelm's phantom chariot for three days, then a short climb up to the mountain pass. Hinnerk was suspicious of the chariot, but was persuaded to climb aboard, and continued being wary - even of his friends - for the rest of the day. Coenred tried removing the curse on him, but to no avail: and this caused problems the next day when the party stumbled across a band of hobgoblin slavers. The organised team were returning from a raid, with around a hundred slaves tied together. They underestimated the heroes, thinking they were merely more slaves to capture, and received a rude surprise when Cuichelm managed to hit several of them with a Confusion spell. It was still a tough battle, draining almost everyone's resources, especially as Hinnerk was still resisting spells. After the fight, the freed slaves reported that the slavers had been making raids for months now, carrying people off to somewhere unknown. This was another problem to deal with, it seemed...<br/><br/>		The journey to the Southern Tower was supposed to be an easy one: down the valley, then a ride on Cuichelm's phantom chariot for three days, then a short climb up to the mountain pass. Hinnerk was suspicious of the chariot, but was persuaded to climb aboard, and continued being wary - even of his friends - for the rest of the day. Coenred tried removing the curse on him, but to no avail: and this caused problems the next day when the party stumbled across a band of hobgoblin slavers. The organised team were returning from a raid, with around a hundred slaves tied together. They underestimated the heroes, thinking they were merely more slaves to capture, and received a rude surprise when Cuichelm managed to hit several of them with a Confusion spell. It was still a tough battle, draining almost everyone's resources, especially as Hinnerk was still resisting spells. After the fight, the freed slaves reported that the slavers had been making raids for months now, carrying people off to somewhere unknown. This was another problem to deal with, it seemed...<br/><br/>

	Just before dawn, Coenred crept up on where Hinnerk was sleeping. If he tried removing the curse in the darkness, while Hinnerk slept, perhaps the inquisitor would not resist. But Hinnerk was sleeping lightly, woke up, and Coenred feared all was lost. Fortunately, he was too groggy to resist, and the curse was broken. Hinnerk realised how irrational his behaviour had been, and was freed of his paranoia.		Just before dawn, Coenred crept up on where Hinnerk was sleeping. If he tried removing the curse in the darkness, while Hinnerk slept, perhaps the inquisitor would not resist. But Hinnerk was sleeping lightly, woke up, and Coenred feared all was lost. Fortunately, he was too groggy to resist, and the curse was broken. Hinnerk realised how irrational his behaviour had been, and was freed of his paranoia.<br/><br/>

			The next day, the heroes arrived at the ruins of the south watchtower. The gate-pillars stood alone, the walls around them and the doors they once held long since destroyed. Between them, the air shimmered: and, cautiously, the heroes explored through the teleporter. It led to dark rooms, small and cramped, but with beautiful decorations on the walls. Everyone was in separate rooms, isolated and in the dark. When they found each other, they headed upstairs, through the kitchens and then the public rooms of the buried palace. It was not completely underground, with no natural light, and though Aldwulf scouted ahead, they kept encountering haunts and traps that eroded their morale and resources. The atmosphere was oppressive, with strange echoes making it hard to locate sounds, and a creeping sense of dread.<br/><br/>

			Coenred began to suspect Aldwulf first. He asked about the reason for all the attacks, all the danger, but Aldwulf brushed him off. Soon, though, the party entered the atrium leading to the teleportation circle. The doors slammed shut and the statues of the four seasons came to life: all except Autumn. This was a dangerous ambush, but what made it worse was that Aldwulf also attacked the others. Only a supreme effort, with all the heroes battered and bloodied, enabled them to destroy the construct that had been impersonating Aldwulf. He told them what had happened when they arrived:

			The only thing in the room where he appeared was a strange statue. It was expertly carved, and the stone of its clothing almost seemed to move like cloth, but its face was completely blank. It turned towards him, and he felt himself falling. The next thing he knew, the statue looked like Aldwulf, his body had disappeared, and the statue was walking around in his form.<br/><br/>

			And now the heroes prepare to brave a second teleport: where will this one take them?

Craig: /* Chapter 2 */

2020-06-03T11:04:50Z

Chapter 2

← Older revision		Revision as of 11:04, 3 June 2020
Line 68:		Line 68:
	Everyone had [[strange dreams]]. They awoke, refreshed despite the night, and set off to the Northwest, to the tower that Cuichelm was geased to cleanse. The phantom chariot carried them across the plains and up, up into the mountains, though eventually they had to leave it behind as the terrain grew too rough and steep. Passing through a valley, they saw the ruined guard-wall ahead, fragments of the rock visible through the snow. On that last approach, with Cuichelm and Hinnerk feeling fatigue due to the thin air, a pack of wolves attacked them. The desperate predators were driven off or slain, and the destination was in sight as the sun fell behind the mountains to the west.<br/><br/>		Everyone had [[strange dreams]]. They awoke, refreshed despite the night, and set off to the Northwest, to the tower that Cuichelm was geased to cleanse. The phantom chariot carried them across the plains and up, up into the mountains, though eventually they had to leave it behind as the terrain grew too rough and steep. Passing through a valley, they saw the ruined guard-wall ahead, fragments of the rock visible through the snow. On that last approach, with Cuichelm and Hinnerk feeling fatigue due to the thin air, a pack of wolves attacked them. The desperate predators were driven off or slain, and the destination was in sight as the sun fell behind the mountains to the west.<br/><br/>

	The wall across the valley was a crumbled ruin, only barely visible through the snow. As the heroes crossed its line, they all perceived a body falling from the top of the wall, crashing into the ground near them. Though it was just a manifestation of their fear, Sir Tinkalot was crushed beneath it. The danger continued as they made their way up the crumbling rocks to the tower itself: both Cuichelm and Owena slipped, almost falling to the ground far below, and a magical defense kept them climbing endlessly for an hour until Aldwulf looked past the illusion guarding the doors. Inside, the tower was haunted: ghostly soldiers, slain in swaths of blood, had Aldwulf and Tinkalot fleeing from the entrance-hall, while the first floor with the former barracks was occupied by a hungry fog: a strange negative-energy ooze, inhabited by skeletons. Cuichelm's quick thinking saved the day, as he formed a perimeter of ~~mist~~ that kept the mindless creature at bay while the heroes were able to destroy it.<br/><br/>		The wall across the valley was a crumbled ruin, only barely visible through the snow. As the heroes crossed its line, they all perceived a body falling from the top of the wall, crashing into the ground near them. Though it was just a manifestation of their fear, Sir Tinkalot was crushed beneath it. The danger continued as they made their way up the crumbling rocks to the tower itself: both Cuichelm and Owena slipped, almost falling to the ground far below, and a magical defense kept them climbing endlessly for an hour until Aldwulf looked past the illusion guarding the doors. Inside, the tower was haunted: ghostly soldiers, slain in swaths of blood, had Aldwulf and Tinkalot fleeing from the entrance-hall, while the first floor with the former barracks was occupied by a hungry fog: a strange negative-energy ooze, inhabited by skeletons. Cuichelm's quick thinking saved the day, as he formed a perimeter of wind that kept the mindless creature at bay while the heroes were able to destroy it.<br/><br/>

	Hinnerk then explored up to the second floor. A lookout platform held a beautifully-crafted spyglass, still pointed down the valley to the East, but when Hinnerk looked through it he saw the approaching army that had attacked the tower long ago. Large, armoured humanoids, advancing in formation in the early morning, and then an illusory stab in the back that left Hinnerk feeling paranoid and hyper-vigilant. Alone, he continued to the top of the tower, where a solid wood door stood closed tight.<br/><br/>		Hinnerk then explored up to the second floor. A lookout platform held a beautifully-crafted spyglass, still pointed down the valley to the East, but when Hinnerk looked through it he saw the approaching army that had attacked the tower long ago. Large, armoured humanoids, advancing in formation in the early morning, and then an illusory stab in the back that left Hinnerk feeling paranoid and hyper-vigilant. Alone, he continued to the top of the tower, where a solid wood door stood closed tight.<br/><br/>

Henry at 08:43, 28 May 2020

2020-05-28T08:43:42Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 08:43, 28 May 2020
Line 1:		Line 1:
	== Chapter 1 ==		== Chapter 1 ==

	[http://www.craigchambers.org.uk/ORPG/Images/henry/OverlandMap.jpg Map for reference].		[http://www.craigchambers.org.uk/ORPG/Images/henry/OverlandMap.jpg Map for reference].<br/>
			[[Stolen Land/Party Loot\|Party Loot]]<br/>

	'''Autumn 4728'''		'''Autumn 4728'''

Henry at 08:15, 28 May 2020

2020-05-28T08:15:17Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 08:15, 28 May 2020
Line 74:		Line 74:

	Before leaving, the heroes stopped to search for the soul of the traitor, the one who had opened the gate to the attacking cyclopes. She was a pitiful thing, a fragment of a memory, who knew only that she had been ''so afraid'' in her dreams. Dreams every night, and a compulsion to open the gate: with that known, the commander was a step closer to being released from his undeath. He gave the heroes his ward-key, that would let them past the defenses of the tower, and the staff he had used to communicate with the ancient capital.		Before leaving, the heroes stopped to search for the soul of the traitor, the one who had opened the gate to the attacking cyclopes. She was a pitiful thing, a fragment of a memory, who knew only that she had been ''so afraid'' in her dreams. Dreams every night, and a compulsion to open the gate: with that known, the commander was a step closer to being released from his undeath. He gave the heroes his ward-key, that would let them past the defenses of the tower, and the staff he had used to communicate with the ancient capital.

			== Chapter 3 ==
			The journey to the Southern Tower was supposed to be an easy one: down the valley, then a ride on Cuichelm's phantom chariot for three days, then a short climb up to the mountain pass. Hinnerk was suspicious of the chariot, but was persuaded to climb aboard, and continued being wary - even of his friends - for the rest of the day. Coenred tried removing the curse on him, but to no avail: and this caused problems the next day when the party stumbled across a band of hobgoblin slavers. The organised team were returning from a raid, with around a hundred slaves tied together. They underestimated the heroes, thinking they were merely more slaves to capture, and received a rude surprise when Cuichelm managed to hit several of them with a Confusion spell. It was still a tough battle, draining almost everyone's resources, especially as Hinnerk was still resisting spells. After the fight, the freed slaves reported that the slavers had been making raids for months now, carrying people off to somewhere unknown. This was another problem to deal with, it seemed...<br/><br/>

			Just before dawn, Coenred crept up on where Hinnerk was sleeping. If he tried removing the curse in the darkness, while Hinnerk slept, perhaps the inquisitor would not resist. But Hinnerk was sleeping lightly, woke up, and Coenred feared all was lost. Fortunately, he was too groggy to resist, and the curse was broken. Hinnerk realised how irrational his behaviour had been, and was freed of his paranoia.